January  15,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
51 
Sowerby’s  “English  Botany”  Supplement. 
Tlie  copy  of  this  work  in  the  library  of  the  Royal  Botanic 
Gardens,  Kew,  is  incomplete,  wanting  plates  2,912  to  2,9(30,  with 
letterpress  and  index,  also  plates,  with  letterpress,  2,964,  2,977, 
2,978,  2,983,  2,987,  2,988  to  2,999.  The  director  appeals  to  the 
public  to  assist  him  in  completing  this  classical  work  on  Briti.sh 
botany,  either  by  presentation  or  sale. 
Weather  in  the  North. 
The  past  has  been  the  most  wintry  week  of  the  season. 
During  the  early  morning  of  the  9th  and  the'  earlier  part  of 
the  10th  a  heavy  snowfall  occurred,  nearly  Gin  covering  the 
lower  grounds.  Although  a  partial  thaw  followed,  the  whole 
country  is  yet  under  snow.  The  frost,  too,  has  been  severe, 
14deg  and  18deg  being  registered  on  the  mornings  of  Sunday 
and  Monday,  with  every  appearance  of  its  continuing. — B.  D., 
S.  Perthshire. 
Weather  in  Lanarkshire. 
We  have  at  length  got  something  after  the  old  time  honoured 
winter  scenes.  Last  night,  January  8,  snow  fell  heavily,  till  well 
advanced  in  the  morning,  when  there  lay  7  or  8in  on  the  ground. 
During  the  whole  of  to-day,  however,  it  snowed  and  rained  inter¬ 
mittently,  so  that  now,  10  p.m.,  what  augured  to  be  ai  fine  old- 
fashioned  snow  scene,  has  really  gravitated  into  a  most  disagree¬ 
able  slush.  Yet  it  is  not  a  real  thaw,  and  perhaps  we  may  yet 
have  another  few  days  of  the  weather  which  lures  the  curlers’ 
smile. — D.  C. 
Sussex  Weather. 
The  total  rainfall  at  Abbots  Leigh,  Haywards  Heath,  for  the 
past  month  Avas  2.00in,  being  0.79in  beloAV  the  average.  The 
heaviest  fall  was  O.fiOin  on  the  1st.  Rain  fell  on  thirteen  days. 
Total  for  the  twelve  months  25.29in,  which  is  4.44in  below  the 
normal.  The  maximum  temperature  was  54deg  on  the  18th,  the 
minimum  17dcg  on  the  7th;  mean  maximum  44.08deg,  mean 
minimum  36.02deg,  mean  temperature  40.05deg,  which  is  3,79deg 
above  the  average.  The  only  snow  we  have  had  was  a  slight  fall 
on  the  4th  and  was  follow’ed  by  a  week  of  dry,  cold  weather ;  17deg 
Avas  registered  on  the  morning  of  the  6th.  The  loAvest  tempera¬ 
ture  for  the  year  was  12deg  on  February  16. — R.  I. 
December  Weather  at  Belvoir  Castle,  1902. 
The  prevailing  direction  of  the  wind  was  S.W.,  total  eight 
days.  The  total  rainfall  was  1.92in;  this  fell  on  nineteen  days, 
and  is  O.lGin  below  the  average  for  the  month.  The  greatest 
daily  fall  w’as  O.Glin  on  the  1st.  Barometer  (corrected  and  re¬ 
duced)  :  highest  reading,  30.617in  on  the  4th  at  9  a.m. ;  lowest 
reading  28.818in  on  the  29th  at  9  p.m.  Thermometers:  highest 
in  the  shade,  66deg  on  the  17th  ;  lowest,  18deg  on  the  7th  ;  mean 
of  daily  maxima,  44.12deg;  mean  of  daily  minima,  35.12deg; 
mean  temperature  of  the  month,  39.62deg;  loAvest  on  the  grass, 
13deg  on  the  7th ;  highest  in  the  sun,  81deg  on  the  27th ;  mean 
temperature  of  the  earth  at  3ft,  42.96deg.  Total  sunshine, 
36hrs.  20min,  Avhich  is'lOhrs  43min  below  the  average;  there  Avere 
seventeen  sunless  days. — W.  H.  Divers. 
Horticulture  in  England. 
Mr.  T.  Redington,  a  lecturer  under  the  auspices  of  the  East 
Riding  County  Council  (Yorks),  commenced  a  series  of  dis¬ 
courses  last  week  in  the  National  School  at  Driffield,  on  the 
important  subject  of  “  Horticulture.”  The  lecturer  Avas  decidedly 
pessimistic  in  his  vieAvs  of  British  horticulture.  He  said  there 
Avas  great  need  for  improvement  in  the  horticultural  Avorld,  and 
cur  own  country  seems  to'  have  changed  places  Avith  other 
countries.  Formerly  England  took  the  lead  in  horticultural 
matters — it  was  the  leading  authority,  other  nations  looking  to 
us  to  lead  them.  We  had  undoubtedly  lost  ground  financially, 
as  Ave  Avere  spending  at  the  rate  of  2o  to  26  millions  per  annum 
in  the  United  Kingdom  for  imported  horticultural  products. 
Instead  of  that  money  going  out  of  our  pockets,  the,  money 
ought  to  find  its  way  into  them.  Our  expenditure  Avas  increas¬ 
ing  in  this  direction  at  the  rate  of  about  a  million  of  money 
per  annum,  and  this  notAvithstanding  that  our  climate  and  soil 
Avero  capable  of  producing  gardening  results  second  to  none. 
If  they  compared  the  first-class  green  vegetables  imported  Avith 
home-groAvn  stuff,  they  would  find  they  were  not  equal  to  third- 
rate  home-grown  stuff.  They  heard  a  good  deal  about  agri¬ 
cultural  depression,  but  they  ought  not  to  hear  a  Avord  of  com¬ 
plaint  about  horticultural  depression. 
Canterbury  Gardeners’  Society. 
'I  ho  annual  meeting  was  held  on  the  6tli,  Avhen  the  last  year’-- 
officers  Avere  re-elected,  and  the  secretary-’s  reiiort  for  the  yeai' 
1902  adopted.  The  late  Archbishop  Avas  patron.  -  After  the  busi¬ 
ness  of  the  annual  general  meeting,  a  paper  on  the  hybridisation 
of  Orchids  aaos  read  by  Mr.  FairAveather,  aa  Iio  practically  demon¬ 
strated  hoAv  to  apply  the  pollinia  to  the  stigmas.  The  lecture 
proved  very  interesting  and  instructive. 
The  View  from  Richmond  Hill. 
The  General  Purposes  Committee  of  the  Richmond  Toavu 
Council  liaA’e  resolved  to  recommend  to  that  body  that  they 
should  not  consent  to  be  joined  as  plaintiffs  in  the  action  to  be 
brought  by  the  London  County  Council  against  Sir  Whittaker 
Ellis  to  enforce  his  alleged  undertaking  to  keep  free  from  build¬ 
ings  the  land  in  his  possession  opposite  Richmond  Hill.  At  the 
same  time  they  expressed  their  regret  at  the  refusal  of  Sir  Whit¬ 
taker  Ellis  to  carry  out  the  undertaking  in  his  letter  addressed 
to  the  London  County  Council,  and  they  trust  that  he  Avill  yet 
agree  to  do  so.  The  council  has,  hoAvever,  referred  the  matter 
back  to  the  committee  for  reconsideration. 
The  House  Annual. 
Tliis  is  a  book  of  outAAardly  shoAAy  appearance  and  .sufficiently 
imposing  for  a  draAving  room  table,  Avhose  contents  are  compiled 
by  W.  A.  Morgan  in  aid  of  “The  Referee”  Children’s  Dinner 
Fund.  It  is  issued  by  Gale  and  Polden,  Limited,  2,  Amen  Corner, 
London,  E.C.,  but  the  price  Ave  do  not  knoAA^.  Amongst  the 
Avriters  of  short  stories  and  light  literary  articles  are  Miss  Marie 
Corelli,  Max  Pemberton,  Major  A.  Griffiths,  and  other.s  Avell 
knoAvn.  Mr.  Percy  Waterer,  Avho  is  an  occasional  contributor  to- 
our  Journal,  is  responsible  for  an  article  on  Chrysanthemum 
culture,  extending  over  eleven  pages. 
National  Dahlia  Society. 
The  schedule  of  prizes  to  be  offered  at  the  next  grand  annual 
exhibition  of  this  .society,  to  be  held  at  the  Drill  Hall,  Bucking¬ 
ham  Gate,  Westminster,  on  September  1  and  2,  Avill  include  a 
neAV  departure  of  considerable  interest  to  exhibitors.  As  the- 
result  of  a  general  subscription  amongst  members,  three  silver 
challenge  cups  aaIU  be  offered  for  competition,  namely,  a  ten 
guinea  cup  in  the  premier  Cactus  Dahlia  class  for  nurserymen 
(eighteen  Amrieties  in  bunches  of  six  blooms  each),  a  ten  guinea 
cup  in  the  premier  Cactus  Dahlia  class  for  amateurs  (nine  varieties 
in  bunches  of  three  blooms  each),  and  a  five  guinea  cup  in  the 
premier  class  for  ShoA\’  and  Fancy  Dahlias  for  amateurs  (tAventy- 
four  blooms  distinct).  In  addition  to  the  above,  Messrs.  Dobbie 
and  Co.,  Rothesay,  Avill  present  a  gold  badge,  A^alue  three 
guineas,  for  tAventy-four  blooms  Cactus  Dahlia.s,  distinct 
varieties  (amateur, s),  the  gift  to  be  repeated  at  the  tAvo  folloAving 
exhi,bitious  of  1904  and  1905.  The  prize  money  in  this  class 
(class  24,  Avhicli  is  altered  from  eighteen  blooms  to  tAA’enty-four 
bloom.s),  and  in  that  for  nine  A’arieties  in  bunches  of  three  blooms, 
has  been  increased,  and  three  neAA’  vase  classes  have  been  added. 
The  annual  report  and  schedule  for  1903  will  be  issued  to  members 
in  the  course  of  the  next  feiv  days. 
Morocco. 
Morocco  (or  Marocco),  at  present  in  a  state  of  internal  revo¬ 
lution,  is  the  most  Ave.sterly  of  the  Barbary  States,  in  Northern 
Africa,  extends  from  the  Mediterranean  on  the  north  to  the 
Saliara  on  the  south,  and  from  the  Atlantic  on  the  Avest  to 
Algeria  on  the  east.  It  has  an  area  of  about  220,000  square  miles, 
and  a  population  A’ariously  estimated  at  from  three  to  eight 
millions.  Morocco  is  physically  divided  into  (1)  the  “Tell,”  a 
strip  of  fertile  land  betAveen  the  coast,  and  (2)  the  highlands, 
embracing  the  minor  and  main  ranges  of  the  Atlas,  south  and  east 
of  Avhich  is  (3)  the  desert  region  of  tho  Sahara.  The  coast  dis¬ 
tricts  are  AAatered  by  tho  MuhA’ia,  which  floAAS  into  the  Medi¬ 
terranean,  and  the  Sebou  and  Tensift,  which  enter  the  Atlantic. 
The  southern  slopes  of  the  Atlas  are  drained  into  the  Wady 
Draha,  Avhich  is  full  only  in  the  rainy  season.  Tho  fertile  coa'-t 
region  is  occupied  by  the  ruling  people,  tho  Moors,  who  conquered 
tho  country  in  the  latter  part  of  the  seventh  century;  the  rest 
of  the  country,  mainly  by  tho  Berbers.  There  are  also  large 
numbers  of  Joaas  and  negroes.  The  vegetable  productions  com¬ 
prise  various  grains  (Wheat,  Ac.)  and  fruits;  but  agriculture 
is  in  a  very  backAvard  state.  The  principal  articles  of  export 
to  Great  Britain  are  Almonds  and  avooIs. 
