182 
JOURNAL  UR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER,  February  26.  1903. 
The  Gardeners’  Koyal  Benevolent  Institution. 
The  Earl  of  Warwick  will  preside  at  the  sixty-fourth  anni¬ 
versary  festival  dinner  in  aid  of  the  funds  at  the  Hotel  Metro-' 
pole,  on  June  24  next.  The  Secretary,  G.  J.  Ingrani,  175, 
A'ictoria  Street,  M'est minster,  S.M^.,  will  be  glad  to  receive  the 
names  of  those  willing  to  act  as  stewards,  or  to  in  any  way  asvsist 
to  make  the  gathering  a  success. 
Cardeninit  at  Johannesburg. 
A  friend  who  left  for  Johannesburg  nearly  a  year  ago  writes  to 
us  in  a  hopeful  vein.  He  says :  “  I  have  been  busier  than  ever 
I  was  in  the  Old  Country,  and  although  it  is  very  warm  this 
month  (January)  I  think  I  should  be  as  sorry  to.  leave  here  as  I 
was  to  leave  old  Scotland.  I  inay  also  say  that  matters  have 
turned  out  better  than  I  ever  dreamed  of.  This  is  a  busy  city, 
everybody  appearing  to  be  overwhelmed  with  work.”  The  writer 
of  this  is  working  as  a  gardener. 
A  Memory  of  Thingwall. 
Thingwall  Hall,  Broad  Green,  Liverpool,  has  of  later  days 
fallen  on  evil  times,  for  since  its  late  owner  (Miss  Thompson)  has 
left  it  one  could  not  but  lament  to  see  the  lengthened,  well-kept 
carriage-drive  gradually  becoming  more  and  more  overgrown  with 
grass  and  weeds,  and  an  altogether  air  of  decaj^  around.  I  well 
remember,  many  years  ago,  in  my  “Liverpool  Notes”  in  the 
Journal,  making  mention  of  this  hue  old  garden,  with  its  banks  of 
gorgeous  shrubs,  its  herbaceous  plants,  and  the  charming  collec¬ 
tion  of  Alpine  and  rock  plants.  In  a  recent  evening  paper  the 
notice  faced  me  that  the  e.state  is  to  be  sold  (most  likely  for 
building  purposes)  in  April  next.  What  does  our  rapidly  extend¬ 
ing  corporation  think  of  the  site  ?  Or  have  we  no  one  who  will 
come  forward  to  keep  it  intact  for  many  years  to  come  ? — E .  P.  R. 
Bothy  Boxes  for  the  Orphan  Fund. 
At  the  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan 
Fund,  held  on  Friday,  the  chairman  read  a  letter  from  Mr.  Geo-. 
’Stanton,  of  Park  Place,  Henley-on-Thames,  who  urged  that  young 
gardeners  might  help  a  great  deal  with  theip  weekly  pennies. 
During  the  past  seven  j'ears  his  own  assistants  had  collected  the 
substantial  sum  of  £12,  and  it  has  become  a  custom  at  Park  Place 
for  the  “  duty-man  ”  to  hand  round  the  Orphan  Fund  box  every 
iSunday.  The  chairman  also  referred  to  the  £12  collected  in  the 
saine  way  by  the  Wargraves  Gardeners’  Society,  and  suggested 
that  other  societies  might  afford  assistancci  in  like  manner.  We' 
believe  the  Secretary  of  the  Fund  would  be  pleased  to  supply  col¬ 
lecting  boxes.  His  address  is:  30,  Wellington  Street,  Covent 
Garden,  London,  W.C. 
“The  Amateur’s  Greenhouse.’’ 
This  is  the  title  of  a  guide-book  for  the  construction,  heating, 
and  management  of  greenhouses,  the  propagation  and  cultivation 
of  plants  adapted  for  growing  therein,  with  a  description  of  the 
insect,  animal,  and  fungoid  pests  affecting  plants,  and  remedies 
for  their  eradication,  imilhim  in  parvo.  The  genera  are  alpha¬ 
betically  arranged,  and  are  discussed  in  the  briefest  possible 
space  consistent  with  lucidity,  correctness,  and  usefulness.  The 
book  is  one  for  the  beginne'r,  or  for  the  amateur  who  knows  next 
to  nothing  of  gardening.  Dealing,  as  it  does,  only  with  the 
plants  one  might  expect  to  see  in  gardens  of  limited  collections, 
the  selections  and  the  cultural  data  may  be  sufEciently  elaborate 
for  the  users  of  this  book.  The  English  names  of  the  plants 
are  in  brackets  after  the  botanical  ones,  which  fact  will  be 
accepted  with  satisfaction.  The  author  (Mr.  T.  W.  Sanders)  has 
used  the  botanical  names  in  use  in  gardens,  and  he  may  be  con¬ 
gratulated  in  not  having  followed  every  recent  change  in  nomen¬ 
clature,  for  names  seem  frequently  to  be  changed  at  the  mere 
whim  of  certain  pedagogic  systematists.  The  book  is  illustrated 
on  nearly  every  page,  and,  at  the  price  of  5s.  net,  the  work  can 
bo  heartily  commended.  The  publishers  are  Messrs.  W.  H.  and 
L.  Collingridge,  148  and  149,  Aldersgate  Street,  London. 
Alteration  in  “Rules  for  Judging.’’ 
Everyone  possessing  a  copy  of  the  rules  is  requested  to  make 
the  following  alterations  : — Page  14,  line  4,  should  in  future  read 
thus  :  “  Muscat  of  Alexandria  or  other  Muscat  Grapes,  11.”  And 
the  word  “  other  ”  should  be  inserted  before  “  black  Grapes.”  By 
order  of  the  Council. — W.  M’’ilks,  Sec.,  R.H.S. 
Appointments. 
Mr.  E.  F.  Hazelton,  who  comes  with  excellent  credentials 
from  the  Earl  of  Radnor,  Longford  Castle,  Sali.sbury,  and  from 
the  Earl  of  Yarborough,  Brocklesby  Park,  Lincolnshire,  has  been 
appointed  to  succeed  M.  R.  Doe  as  gardener  to  the  Earl  of 
Derby,  Knowsley  Hall,  Prescot,  Lancashire.  During  Mr.  Doe’s 
nine  years  service  the  gardens  have  undergone  great  alteration, 
new  greenhouses  and  conservatory  having  been  erected,  and  a 
bothy  to  hold  twenty-five  men.  The  latter  for  completeness 
would  be  hard  to  beat.  Knowsley,  with  its  magnificent  woods 
and  great  lake  is  one  of  the  finest  places  in  the  kingdom,  and 
fortunate  indeed  mu.st  Mr.  Hazelton  consider  himself  to  be 
appointed  to  so  important  a  charge. — R.  P.  R.  *  *  Mr.  George 
Stanton,  who  has  with  his  many  other  duties,  had  charge  of  the 
gardens  at  Park  Place  for  the  last  thirty-two  years,  i.s  giving  up 
the  management  of  the  gardens  in  order  to  devote  his  whole  time 
to  the  farms  and  estate.  He  is  succeeded  in  the  gardens  by  Mr. 
T.  J.  Powell,  who  has  been  under  Mr.  Stanton  for  many  years  as 
foreman. 
Death  of  Mr.  J.  Smeatham. 
A  well-known  figure  amongst  Liverpool  gardeners  has  been 
removed  by  the  death  of  Mr.  James  Smeatham,  who  for  the 
long  period  of  forty-six  years  had  been  gardener  to  the  family 
of  F.  R.  Dixon  Nuttall,  Esq.,  of  St.  Helens,  Lancashire.  Fnder 
the  superintendence  of  the  late  Mr.  Smeatham  the  garden  at 
Nutgrove  was  always  a  model  of  neatne.ss  and  good  culture,  one 
feature  in  which  he  excelled  being  the  cultivation  of  late 
Chrysanthemums,  than  whom  I  never  saw  a  finer  exponent.  Of 
commanding  appearance,  he  was  also  an  excellent  speaker,  and 
no  sympatheHc  cause  found  him  an  unwilling  helper.  His 
familiar  presence  will  be  mi.ssed  at  the  local  shows,  at  which  he 
was  in  great  demand  as  judge. — R.  P.  R. 
Ipswich  Mutual  Improvement  Society. 
The  subject  on  the  programme  at  the  last  meeting  of  the 
above  Avas  a  di.scussion  on  A^egetablcs.  In  the  absence  of  the 
president,  Mr.  J.  Morgan  was  voted  to  the  chair.  The  discussion 
was  ably  opened  by  Mr.  Garnham,  who  explained  at  the  outset 
that  he  jAroposed  to  confine  his  remarks  to  the  root  crops,  other 
phases  of  vegetable  culture  having  been  dealt  AA’ith  at  previous 
meetings  of  the  society.  Beet,  Carrots,  Parsnips,  and  Turnips 
came  in  for  the  mo.st  consideration,  the  most  suitable  soil,  time, 
and  mode  of  sowing,  insect  pests  and  fungoid  diseases,  and  the 
best  methods  of  storing,  being  some  of  the  points  touched  upon. 
Many  members  took  part  in  the  discussion,  which,  however, 
drifted  into  somewhat  trivial  details.  Amongst  the  more  promi¬ 
nent  contributors  were  Me.ssrs.  Cann,  Savage,  Catchpole,  Adcock, 
Kedgely,  Barker,  Whittel,  and  Close.  The  membership  is  still 
on  the  increase,  eight  fre.sh  names  being  added  to  the  li.st.  The 
annual  tea  and  social  evening  is  fixed  for  next  Thursday,  the 
26th  inst. — E.  C. 
Manchester  Dahlia  Show. 
The  National  Dahlia  Society’s  Dahlia  Exhibition  will  be  held 
next  September  in  -the  gardens  of  the  Royal  Botanical  Society 
of  Manchester.  The  Royal  Botanical  Society  of  Manchester  has 
kindly  promised  a  donation  of  £20  toAvards  the  prize  fund,  and 
special  prizes  in  addition,  to  the  value  of  about  £10.  It  will 
also  undertake  all  the  expenses  connected  with  the  exhibition, 
and  will  admit  members  of  the  National  Dahlia  Societj'  free  of 
charge.  As  the  total  cost  in  prizes  will  be  £51  10s.,  this  will 
necessitate  raising  amongst  the  members  of  the  National  Dahlia 
Society  the  sum  of  about  £21.  This  will  be  the  first  exhibition 
held  by  the  National  Dahlia  Society  in  the  provinces,  and  the 
committee  are  anxious  to  make  it  in  every  way  worthy  of  the 
society.  The  income  of  the  National  Dahlia  Society  is  unfor¬ 
tunately,  however,  in.sufficient  to  hear  the  expense  of  a  second 
show  this  year,  and  the  committee  now  submit  an  earnest  appeal 
for  contributions. 
