6 
JOURNAL  OF  HOnriCULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  1,  1903. 
Camellias  from  the  Open  Air  in  December. 
Writing  on  December  22,  Sir  Francis  Tress  Barry  says:  — 
'■  I  have  cut  a  Camellia  blossom  from  one  of  the  shrubs  in  the 
open  air,  v  hich  I  forward  separately  ” ;  and  we  maj'-  add  that 
the  flower  is  perfect.  It  was  grown  at  St.  Leonard’s  Hill, 
Windsor. 
The  Royal  Nurseries,  Maidstone. 
A  descriptive  and  illustrated  article  of  the.se  nurseries,  owned 
by  Messrs.  Geo.  Bunyard  and  Co.,  and  founded  by  Mr.  James 
Bunyard  in  1796,  appears  in  the  current  issue  of  the  “  British 
Review  and  Journal  of  Biography.”  This  is  an  illustrated 
monthly  magazine,  price  Is.,  and  deals  mo.stly  with  personalities. 
The  notice  of  Mr.  Bunyard’s  nurseries  is  the  first  article  of  this 
nature  in  the  paper. 
Oakwoodiand  Glebe  Farm,  Wisley  Common,  Ripley. 
By  order  of  the  executors  of  the  late  G.  F.  W’ilson,  Esq., 
F.R.S.,  the  valuable  freehold  estate  and  far-famed  Alpine,  rock, 
wood,  and  water  gardens,  comprising  about  sixty  acres,  will  be 
sold  at  auction  on  January  20  by  Messrs.  Alex.  H.  Turner  and  Co. 
It  will  be  remembered  that  Mr.  Wilson  died  in  April,  1902,  and 
the  estate  wdiich  gave  him  so  much  pleasurable  work  is  now  to 
be  publicly  disposed  of.  The  plans,  views,  particulars,  and  con¬ 
ditions  of  the  sale  are  minutely  recorded  in  a.  publication  by  the 
above-named  firm,  whose  address  is  69,  South  Audley  Street, 
Gro.svenor  Square,  London,  W. 
Cardiff  Gardeners’  Association. 
Tlie  usual  fortnightly  meeting  took  place  at  the  Grand  Hotel 
on  Tuesday,  December  16,  Mr.  C.  E.  Collier  in  the  chair.  Mr. 
E.  H.  Binfield,  chairman  and  representative  of  the  Bristol 
Gardeners’  M.I.  Association,  delivered  a  highly  interesting 
lecture  on  “  Stove  and  Greenhouse  Ferns.”  'The  chief  kinds 
enumerated  were  Adiantums,  Aspleniums,  Dicksonias,  Cyatheas, 
Woodwardias,  and  Nephrolepis,  defining  to  each  section  the  best 
composts  and  structures  to  grow  them  in.  He  also  advocated 
shading  with  discretion,  and  discarded  the  too  often  practice 
of  cutting  down  the  whole  of  the  old  fronds  at  once  tO'  the  base 
of  the  crown.  An  excellent  debate  followed.  At  the  close  the 
chairman  conveyed  the  best  thanks  of  the  Association  to  Mr. 
Binfield  for  such  a  splendid  lecture  ;  also  regretting  that  there 
was  such  a  small  attendance,  owing  to  the  very  boisterous  night. 
— J.  Julian. 
Gobble  and  Co.’s  Social  Meeting. 
Messrs.  Dobbie  and  Co.,  the  Royal  Florists  and  Seed.smen  of 
Rothesay,  Scotland,  held  their  annual  social  evening  on  Christ¬ 
mas  night  in  Rothesay  Public  Hall.  There  was  quite  a  show 
of  Chrysanthemums  on  the  platform,  as  well  as  a  Chri.stmas  tree, 
with  gifts  for  the  children.  Round  the  hall  were  the  medals  won 
by  the  firm,  their  Royal  Warrant,  a  portrait  of  the  venerable 
founder,  and  numerous  pictures,  &c.  Mr.  William  Cuthbertson, 
J.P.,  presided,  and  was  supported  by  Provost  Walker,  the  Rev. 
Dr.  Hewison,  Bailie  Bumess,  Councillors  Cunningham  and 
Thompson,  and  others,  all  who  have  wives  being  accompanied 
by  them.  Mr.  Jas.  Dobbie,  Messrs.  Fife  and  Bumie,  and  the 
heads  of  departments  also  occupied  prominent  places,  and  the 
company  altogether  numbered  oyer  300.  Mr.  Cuthbertson,  in 
the  course  of  his  address,  gave  some  idea  of  their  transactions 
with  the  post  office.  The  firm  posted  and  received  280,000  parcels 
and  communications  in  a  season,  which  gave  an  average  of  about 
1,000  transactions  for  every  working  day,  and  they  paid  in 
po.stage  themselves  £1,800.  They  )nu.st  have  from  12,000  to 
15,000  money  transactions  with  the  post  office  everj'  year,  and 
lie  was  sure  they  had  not  one  cause  of  complaint  for  every  50,000. 
He  also  complimented  the  steamboat  and  railway  officials,  but 
said  it  wa.s  necessary  to  keep  a  man  specially  tO'  look  after  them. 
He  remarked  that  the  firm  pays  the  railway  and  steamboat 
companies  somewhere  about  £600  a  year  for  carriage.  Mr.  James 
Dobbie,  the  founder  of  the  firm,  was  present,  and  had  prepared  a 
written  historj'  of  the  firm’s  rise,  which  Rev.  Dr.  Hewison  read. 
The  Edinburgh  Agricultural  Association. 
Last  week,  by  a  decisive  vote  of  thirty  to  fifteen,  the  Edin¬ 
burgh  Town  Council  adopted  the  recommendation  of  the  Parks 
Committee  in  favour  of  granting  a  site  on  the  East  Meadow^, 
a  public  recreation  ground,  for  the  annual  show  pf  the  Edinburgh 
Agricultural  Association,  to  be  held  next  June. 
Cheap  Books  Wanted. 
To  those  of  our  readers  whoi  have  leisure,  and  who  wish  to 
do  good  to  their  fellow  men,  and  possibly  to  win  fame  in  author¬ 
ship,  we  would  suggest  that  they  write  . books  on  the  following 
subjects,  the  cost  to  be  not  more  than  Is.  9d.  or  2s.  apiece:  — 
“  Orchids  and  tJieir  Management,”  “  Floral  Decorations,” 
“  Cucumber  and  Melon  Culture,”  and  a  popular  book  on  “  Trees 
and  Shrubs.”  Once  these  are  taken  in  hand  we  can  suggest 
others. 
The  Englishwoman’s  Year  Book. 
This  is  a  useful  book  for  women,  by  women.  To  the  motlier 
looking  around  her  for  womanly  employment  for  her  daughters, 
the  book  must  certainly  be  of  the  greatest  assistance';  and  in 
the  hands  of  young  women  who  are  desirous  of  altering  their 
circumstances  or  positions,  the  book  will  be  much  appreciated 
because  of  the  information  herein  contained.  Some  of  our  notes 
under  the'  title  “  Women  in  Market  Gardening,”  on  pages  10 
and  11,  are  from  the  “Englishwoman’s  Year  Book,”  and  will 
serve  to  illustrate  to  readers  the  trend  of  the  matter  with  which 
the  little  volume  is  furnished.  Year  Books  are  generally  ex¬ 
ceedingly  useful  and  well  worth  their  purchase  money,  and  this 
is  no  exception.  Education,  science,  literature,  industry,  medi¬ 
cine,  house  decoration,  sports  and  pastimes  are  all  carefully 
treated.  The  address  of  nearly  every  women’s  imstitution  in  the 
British  Islands  is  also  included.  The  publishers  are  Adam  and 
Charles  Black,  London;  and  the  book  costs  2s.  6d.  net. 
Edinburgh  Market  Gardeners. 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Edinburgh  Market  Gardeners  was 
held  recently  in  the  Waverley  Market.  Owing  to  a  ehangci  in 
the  period  for  closing  the  accounts,  no  comparison  could  be  made 
in  the  finances  of  the  market  for  this  year  and  last  year.  So'  far 
as  the  accounts  went,  however,  the  position  seemed  to  be  much 
the  same  as  usual.  Bailie  Waterston,  who  was  present,  said 
that  there  ivas  not  the  slightest  disposition  on  the  part  of  ibe 
Coiporation  to  disturb  the  amicable  understanding  which  had 
existed  between  them  and  the  market  gardeners,  and  there  was 
no  idea  of  touching  the  Waverley  Market.  It  was  the  desire  of 
the  Town  Council  not  to  take  any  steps  in  regard  to  the  removal 
of  the  markets  without  consulting  the  parties  concerned,  not 
collectively,  perhaps,  but  individually.  Mr.  J.  W.  Scarlett, 
treasurer,  reported  that  the  total  income  for  the  past  yeaj- 
amounted  to  £69  13s.  3d.,  and  that  the  balance  of  income  over 
expenditure  amounted  to  £56  2s.  3d.  The  total  amount  now  at 
the  credit  of  the  capital  fund  w'as  £319  17s.  5d.  The  reports 
w’ere  adopted. 
Journal  of  the  Kew  Guild,  1902. 
The  gardeners  and  others  employed  at  the  Royal  Gardens, 
Kew,  form  a  Guild  for  the  advancement  of  their  professional 
interests,  and  not  only  is  it  supported  by  those  now  at  Kew, 
but  nearly  all  Old  Kewites  lend  to  it  a  measure  of  help  and  sym¬ 
pathy.  Annually  the  Journal  of  the  Guild  is  published,  and  it 
would  be  a  poignant  loss  indeed  to  all  Old  Kewites  were  they  to 
miss  connection  with  their  old  friend.  This  Journal  is  an  open 
letter  from  Kew,  bearing  news  from  the  four  quarters  of  the 
globe,  for  wide  as  our  Empire  is  the  sphere  of  Kew’s  influence. 
Her  gardeners  have  gone  to  every  British  colony,  and  their 
destiny  is  watched.  Tliis  year’s  Journal  is  edited  by  Mr.  W.  J. 
Bean  in  succession  to  Mr.  W.  Watson,  now  the  president  of  the 
Guild,  and  we  find  it  as  cheery,  as  interesting,  and  as  useful  as 
its  forerunners.  A  brief  memoir  of  Mr.  John  Reader  Jackson, 
accompanied  by  a  photograph,  furnishes  a  frontispiece,  and  then 
come  reports  on  the  annual  dinner,  the  Mutual  Improvement 
Society,  the  lectures  given  to  the  gardeners,  also  on  the  cricket 
club,  appointments,  marriages,  and,  lastly,  letters  from  Old 
Kewites.  Short  biographies,  with  portraits,  of  Mr.  William 
Alton,  the  celebrated  Scottish  curator  of  the  Royal  Gardens 
from  1759  to  1793 ;  and  of  John  Rogers,  another  of  the  earliest 
Kewites  of  note,  conclude  this  excellent  issue  for  1902. 
