50 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  I5,  1903. 
Snow  on  Ben  Nevis. 
The  Iieiglit  of  this  Scottisli  mountain  is  4,40Gft,  and  is  tlie 
liighe.st  in  Great  Britain.  Snow,  to  tlie  depth  of  45in  (3ft  9in) 
wa.s  recorded  from  the  Ob.servatoiT  at  its  summit,  on  January  9, 
and  much  more  snow  has  .since  fallen. 
United  Horticultural  Benefit  and  Provident  Society. 
The  monthly  committee  meeting  of  this  society  was  held  at 
the  Caledonian  Hotel,  Adelphi  Terrace,  Strand,  on  Monday 
evening  last.  Mr.  C.  H.  Curtis  presided.  Twelve  new  members 
■were  elected  ;  four  of  these,  however,  being  over  thirty-five  years 
of  age,  are  elected  subject  to  the  production  of  their  birth  cer¬ 
tificates.  Nine  members  were  reported  on  the  sick  fund.  The 
death  certificate  of  the  late  Mr.  W.  S.  Cornford  was  produced, 
and  the  amount  standing  to  his  credit  in  the  ledger  was  directed 
to  be  paid  to  his  nomiiiee.  Messrs.  W.  Gunner  and  T.  H.  Puzey 
were  re-elected  to  audit  the  accounts  for  the  past  year. 
Slii'ubland  Park,  Suffolk. 
During  the  Chri.stmas  recess  we  .sojourned  in  the  neighbour¬ 
hood  of  this  noble  e.state,  renowned  in  past  memories.  This  is 
the  place  at  which  Mr.  Donald  Beaton,  most  famous  of  the 
gardener-florists  of  thirty  years  ago,  lived  and  worked,  and  from 
which  he  .so  lucidly,  beautifully,  quaintly  wrote  of  his  floral  pets 
to  the  parent  paper  of  our  present  respected  Journal,  then  called 
the  “  Cottage  Gardener.”  But  the  noble  splendour  of  the  Shrub- 
land  of  Donald  Beaton’s  day  is  now  only  as  a  monument  that  has 
dwindled  and  decayed,  and  the  crumbling  .symbols  .stand.  We 
will  write  more  fully  of  Slirubland  within  a  short  period  from  the 
present. 
Proposed  Gardeners’  Society  at  Dorchester. 
A  good  start  toward  the  formation  of  a  society  cf  gardeners 
was  made  on  the  7th  in.st.,  at  Dorchester.  Amongst  those  irresent 
were  Me.ssrs.  E.  Nutting,  T.  Pomeroy,  G.  Webb,  Hicks  (Dor¬ 
chester),  B.  Campbell  (head  gardener  at  Kingston),  J.  Clark 
(head  gardener  at  Birkin  House),  E.  A.  C.  Dare  (Bockhainpton), 
White  (gardener  to  Mr.  G.  W.  Floyer),  H.  Mason  (head  gardener 
to  Mr.  H.  Cox,  Radipole  Manor).  Mr.  Campbell  Avas  called  to 
the  chair,  and  Mr.  Stevenson  (of  Bournemouth  Gardens)  rvas 
invited  to  address  the  meeting,  which  he  did  to  some  effect.  Mr. 
E.  Nutting,  the  chief  instigator  of  the  society,  rvas  appointed 
.secretary  pro  tern.  We  trust  he  may  keep  us  informed  of  the 
progress  being  made. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. 
The  sixty-fourth  annual  general  meeting  of  the  members  and 
subscribers  of  this  institution  will  be  held  at  “  Simp.son’s,”  101, 
Strand,  London,  W.C.,  on  Thursday,  January  22,  1903,  at 
3  p.m.,  for  the  purpose  of  receiving  the  report  of  the  committee 
and  the  accounts  of  the  institution  (as  audited)  for  the  year 
1902 ;  electing  officers  for  the  year  1903,  and  for  the  election  of 
fifteen  pensioners  on  the  funds ;  also  to  submit  the  following 
resolution: — “That  the  action  of  the  committee,  graciously 
approved  by  the  President,  H.R.H.  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in 
placing  on  the  funds  the  eleven  unsuccessful  candidates,  for¬ 
merly  subscribers  to  the  institution,  to  commemorate  the  Coro¬ 
nation  of  their  Majesties  the  King  and  Queen,  be  and  is 
hereby  confirmed.”  The  chair  will  be  taken  by  Harry  J.  Veitch, 
Esq.,  Treasurer  and  Chairman  of  Committee,  at  three  o’clock. 
The  poll  will  open  at  3.15  o’clock  and  close  at  4.30  o’clock  pre¬ 
cisely,  after  Avhich  hour  no  voting  papers  can  be  received. 
During  the  year  1902  the  following  widows  of  pensioners  have 
been  placed  on  the  funds  rvithout  election  in  accordance  with 
Rule  III.  13:- — 1,  Mackintosh,  Mary  E.,  aged  71;  2,  Trotter, 
Sarah,  aged  81 ;  3,  Wilder,  Mary  Ann,  aged  69.  After  the 
annual  meeting  on  the  same  day  the  usual  friendly  supper  rvill 
take  place,  also  at  “Simp.son’s,”  101,  Strand  (for  the  last  time 
in  the  pre.sent  building),  at  6  o’clock  p.m.,  Avhen  Alfred  Wat¬ 
kins,  Esq.  (jNIessrs.  Watkins  and  Simpson),  Avill  preside.  Friends 
desirous  of  being  lAresent  should  send  early  intimation  to  the 
Secretary  at  175,  Victoria  Street,  Westminster,  S.W. 
Lettuces  and  Cucumbers  on  a  Large  Scale. 
In  Massachusett'i  Mr.  W.  W.  Rawson  last  year  grew  600,000 
Cucumbers  at  a  cost  of  £1,200,  which  works  out  at  one  half¬ 
penny  per  Cucumber.  About  2,000  Cucumbers  are  cut  eacli  day 
in  March,  4,000  a  day  in  April,  10,000  a  day  in  May,  and 
15,000  a  day  in  June.  Lettuces  are  also  largely  cultivated  on 
this  farm,  a  million  head  having  been  grown  under  glas.s  last 
year. 
South  Africa,  Italian  Emigration,  and  Fruit  Culture. 
A  telegram  from  Cape  Town  states  that  the  Briti.sh  Govern¬ 
ment  invites  applications  from  Italian  peasants  who  are  pre¬ 
pared  to  emigrate  to  the  wine^  and  fruit  district  of  the  Western 
Province  of  Cape  Colony,  and  who  will  be  brought  to  the  Cape 
at  the  expense  of  the  British  Government,  “according  to  the 
conditions  agreed  upon  with  the  Italian  Consul  and  Signor 
Adolfo  Rossi,  Italian  Commissioner  of  Emigration.” 
The  Originator  of  the  Banana  Trade  in  W.I. 
At  a  large  and  influential  meeting  held  at  Kingston, 
Jamaica,  it  was  decided  to  raise  a  sum  of  £1,000  for  the  erection 
of  a  statue  of  Captain  L.  D.  Baker,  of  the  United  Fruit  Com¬ 
pany,  in  recognition  of  his  high  character  and  of  his  great 
services  to  the  island.  Captain  Baker,  who  is  an  American,  is 
the  originator  of  the  Banana  trade,  and  is  greatly  esteemed  by 
the  inhabitants  of  Jamaica. 
Roj  al  Meteorological  Society. 
The  annual  general  meeting  of  the  society  will  be  held  at 
the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  Great  George  Street,  West- 
min.ster,  on  Wednesday,  the  21st  inst.,  at  7.45  p.m.,  when  the 
report  of  the  council  Avill  be  read,  the  election  of  officers  and 
council  for  the  en.suing  year  will  take  place,  and  the  president 
(Mr.  W.  H.  Dines,  B.A.)  will  deliver  an  address  on  “Tlie  Method 
of  Kite-Flying  from  a  Steam  Vessel,  and  Meteorological  Obser¬ 
vations  obtained  thereby  off  the  West  Coast  of  Scotland.”  The 
above  meeting  will  be  preceded  by  an  ordinary  meeting,  which 
will  commence  at  7.30  p.m.  Copies  of  the  balance  sheet  for 
1902  can  be  obtained  upon  application  on  and  after  the  19th  inst. 
Webster’s  Foresters’  Diary. 
No  more  elegant  little  pocket  book  than  this  could  po.s.sib{y 
be  desired  by  even  the  most  fastidious  in  matters  of  everyday 
personal  use  and  accompaniment.  In  the  hands  of  a  society 
newspaper  journalist,  its  crimson  leather  covers,  with  gold  letter¬ 
ing  and  gilt  edges  ivould  possibly  be  described  as  “  chic and 
within  these  covers  ive  find  a  goodly  amount  of  practical  informa¬ 
tion,  Avith  tables,  rules,  &c.,  for  forestry  AA'ork.  Each  date  in  the 
calendar  has  space  beneath  for  notes.  There  is  besides,  a  General 
Accident  In.surance  policy  of  the  value  of  £500  fastened  Avithin, 
applicable  to  all  aa'Iio  may  use  this  Diary.  The  latter  is  pub¬ 
lished  by  Wm.  Rider  and  Son,  Limited,  164,  Aldersgate  Street, 
London,  E.C.,  at  the  price  of  2s.  6d.,  or  post  free  2s.  8d.,  AA’hich 
is  someAvhat  dear. 
Sand  Dunes  of  the  Atlantic  Coast. 
For  several  years  the  .sand  dunes  of  the  Atlantic  coast  have 
been  made  a  subject  of  study  by  the  Bureau  of  Plant  Industry 
of  the  Department  of  Agriculture,  U.S.A.,  and  a  number  of 
papers  have  been  issued  in  regard  to  sand-binding  grasses. 
During  the  past  suminer  a  study  has  been  made  by  the  Bureau  cf 
Forestry  to  determine  AA  hat  trees  and  shrubs  are  most  useful  in 
reclaiming  the  shifting  dunes.  Con.siderable  damage  has  been 
done  by  dunes,  esi^ecially  in  Virginia  and  North  Carolina,  and 
large  dunes  in  several  places  along  the  coa.st  are  threatening  life¬ 
saving  stations,  residences,  and  club  houses.  Dunes  are  formed 
by  the  drifting  island  of  .sand  AA'ashed  up  on  the  .shore  by  high 
tides.  The  direction  of  the  prcA^ailing  AA’ind  determines  the 
course  of  dunes.  They  advance  AA’ith  the  AA'ind,  or,  if  the  AvincI 
changes  its  direction,  as  in  Ncav  Jersey,  they  retreat  and  are 
bloAA’n  back  into  the  sea.  Dunes  which  are  advancing  on  valuable 
property  may  be  diverted  from  their  course  by  building  on  top 
of  them  fences  placed  at  an  angle  to  the  direction  of  the  prevail- . 
ing  AA'ind.  Further  drifting  of  the  dunes  may  be  preventeel  by 
planting  on  them  Beach  Grass,  Waxberry,  or  W’^ax  Myrtle,  which 
held  the  sand  together,  and  the  permanent  retention  of  the  land 
can  be  best  accomplished  by  obtaining  as  soon  as  possible  a  dense 
stand  of  forest  trees,  such  as  Pine  and  Oak. 
