March  26,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
281 
Plum,  Cox’s  Emperor. 
Shirley  (Southampton)  Gardeners’. 
Tlie  annual  general  meeting  of 
the  Shirley  and  District  Garden¬ 
ers  and  Amateurs’  Mutual  Im¬ 
provement  Association  vas  held 
on  Ivlonday  in  tlie  Parish  Room, 
Sliirlm'-  Tho  president  GMr. 
W.  F.  G.  Spranger,  J.P.)  occupy¬ 
ing  the  chair.  Among  those  present 
were  Mr.  E.  Ladhams,  F.R.H.S. 
(chairman),  Mr.  J.  Jones  (vice- 
chairman),  Mr.  Geo.  Greenslado 
(hon.  treasurer),  Mr.  J.  Miles 
(hon.  secretary),  and  a  good  at¬ 
tendance  of  members.  Tlie  com¬ 
mittee  urged  the  members  to 
attend  the  meetings  regularly. 
Through  several  causes,  including 
the  Coronation  festivities,  an  out¬ 
ing  was  abandoned  during  the  past 
year,  but  the  committee  hoped  to 
he  able  to  arrange  for  one  during 
the  coming  summer.  The  com¬ 
mittee  thanked  the  subscribers  for 
their  liberality.  The  balance- 
sheet  showed  a  credit  of  £18  os  2cl. 
on  the  general  account,  and 
£3  2s.  4d.  on  the  Outing  Fund.  It 
was  hoped  that  each  individual 
member  would  take  a  deeper  in¬ 
terest  in  the  Society,  and  en¬ 
deavour  to  introduce  for  discus¬ 
sion  some  question  which  might  bo 
of  importance  to  the  Society  and 
the  public  generally.  The  com¬ 
mittee  also  thanked  those 
niembers  who  had  related  their  practical  exiierience  at  the  meet¬ 
ings,  and  had  thus  added  to  the  interest  and  value  of  the  monthly 
gatherings.  Mr.  Greenslade  formally  moved  the  adoption  of  the 
report  and  balance-sheet.  Mr.  B.  Ladhams  seconded  the  motion, 
Avhich  was  spoken  to  by  the  president.  He  obserAmd  that  he 
thought  the  report  was  a  very  satisfactory  one,  and  one  on  which 
the  officers  and  committee  ought  to  be  congratulated.  Advert¬ 
ing  to  the  technical  instruction  grants  which  the  Association 
had  received  from  the  County  Council,  Mr.  Spranger  said  that  the 
Association  had  not  applied  for  the  grant  the  previous  year,  not 
being  in  want  of  it,  and  the  grant  this  year  had  not  been  given, 
probably  through  that  circumstance.  He  had  already  taken 
steps  with  a  view  to  secure  the  grant  this  year,  and  if  the  Asso¬ 
ciation  desired  him  to  do  so,  would  do  all  he  could  further  to 
obtain  it.  TTie  president  was  unanimously  asked  to  endeavour 
to  obtain  the  grant  for  the  Association  this  year,  it  being 
remarked  thJt  the  grant  had  been  very  Tiseful  iii  enabling  the 
Association  to  obtain  outside  lecturers  experienced  in  the  garden¬ 
ing  profession.  The  report  and  balance-sheet  were  then  adopted. 
On  the  election  of  officers  for  the  en.suing  year,  Mr.  Spranger  was 
unanimously  re-elected  on  the  motion  of  Mr.  Greenslade, 
■seconded  by  Mr.  Miles,  and  accepted  the  position,  thanking  the 
members  for  the  compliment.  The  vice-presidents  were  all  re¬ 
elected.  Mr.  B.  Ladhams  was  re-elected  chaiimian  of  committee, 
and  Mr.  J.  Jones  vice-chairman.  Mr.  Greenslade  was  re-elected 
lion,  treasurer.  Mr.  Miles  was  unanimuosly  re-elected  hon. 
secretly,  recognition  being  made  of  the  faithful  and  able  manner 
in  Avhich  he  had  carried  out  the  duties  in  the  past.  Nineteen 
members  were! nominated  for  the  twelve  seats  on  the  committee, 
a  ballot  resulting  in  the  election  of  the  following : — Messrs. 
Wright,  Wilcox,  Vei'don,  Thorne,  Budd,  Tidridge,  E.  Ladhams, 
Haliett,  Mitchell,  Snelgrove,  and  Bushell.  Seven  new  members 
were  elected.  The  next  Lecture  will  be  given  on  April  20  by  Mr. 
Jno.  Macdonald,  Bisterne  Park  Gardens,  on  “Spring  Flowerinof 
Bulbs.”— J.  M. 
National  Auricnla  (Midland  Section). 
The  annual  report  and  schedule  of  prizes  of  this  Society,  of 
which  the  Rev.  T.  F.  D.  Horner,  V.M.H.,  is  president,  has' just 
been  issued,  and  from  it  we  learn  that  the  third  annual  exhibi¬ 
tion,  which  was  held  in  the  Botanical  Gardens,  Edgbaston,  Bir¬ 
mingham,  last  year,  was  the  most  successful  held  by  the 
Society.  The  exhibits  increased  threefold,  and  the  quality  of  the 
bloom  was  of  the  highe.st  order.  By  means  of  the  Society  a  great 
impetus  lias  been  given  to  Auricula  culture  in  the  Midlands. 
The  show  is  held  a  little  more  than  a  week  after  that  held  in 
London,  the  advantage  being  that  growers  so  far  north  as  the 
Rev.  T.  D.  Horner,  in  Ivirby  Lonsdale,  and  Mr.  Thomas  Lord, 
of  Todmorden,  can  be  found  in  competition  with  Mr.  James 
Douglas,  of  Great  Bookham,  and  other  southern  growers.  To 
this  show  la.st  year  Mr.  Horner  was  able  to  bring  some  of  his 
newest  productions  in  Auriculas,  and  especially  of  Selfs,  which 
took  the  highest  honours.  This  year  the  annual  exhibition  will 
take  place  on  April  30,  in  the  Temperance  Institute,  Gorporation 
Street,  Birmingham,  in  order  to  afford  better  opportunity  for  the 
dwellers  in  the  city  to  see  the  flowers.  The  .strong  protest  made 
last  year  against  the  laxity  in  insisting  upon  the  old  procedure 
in  exhibiting  Auriculas,  that  a  pin-eyed  flower — that  Ls,  a  long- 
styled  one.  in  which  the  iiistil  obtrudes  above  the  anthers — has 
borne  fruit,  and  disqualifleation  in  such  a  case  is  to  be  enforced  in 
the  future.  AVhether  disqualification  is  to  be  visited  upon  any 
pin-eyed  flowers  which  may  he  shown  at  the  Drill  Hall  on 
April  21  remains  to  be  seen.  Another  point  which  came  up  for 
discussion  at  the  last  annual  meeting  of  the  Southern  Section  of 
the  Society  was:  Should  Alpine  Auriculas  be  restricted  to  one 
stems  and  truss  onlv.  as  in  the  case  of  the  Show  varieties?  It  is 
the  present  intention  to  admit  a  plurality  of  trusses  at  the  show 
of  the  Southern  Section;  hut  at  Birmingham  a  kind  of  compro¬ 
mise  has  been  arrived  at,  as  while  there  is  to  be  no  restriction  as 
to  the  number  of  trus.ses  on  Alpines,  for  the  rule  states:  “The 
trusses  not  for  competition  mu.st  be  tied  down that  does 
not  make  it  quite  clear  whether  one  only  or  two  or  three  com¬ 
petitive  tnisses  may  be  left  on  the  plants.  The  old-fashionetl 
gold-laced  Polyanthi  are  also  recognised  in  the  schedide,  and 
there  is  also  a  class  for  a  group  of  any  kinds  of  Primulas  arranged 
in  a  basket  or  box,  which  is  not  to  exceed  3ft  in  diameter. 
Croydon  Horticultural. 
At  this  socict,v’s  rooms.  Sunflower  Temperance  Hotel,  George 
Street,  on  Tuesday,  March  10,  a  good  assembly  listened  to  a  well- 
delivered  paper  on  the  “  Cultivation  of  Cucumbers,”  which  was 
read  by  Mr.  A.  CL  Roffey,  a  grower  of  considerable  repute  in  the 
neighbourhood  ;  but  in  view  of  the  fact  that  we  are  about  to  inib- 
lish  an  essay  on  the  same  subject  more  need  not  be  said  now. 
A  very  hearty  and  unanimons  vote  of  thanks  to  the  lecturer 
brought  an  enjoyable  two  hours  to  a  clo.'e.  Some  well-grown 
Orchids  were  sent  for  exhibition  by  Mr.  Frank  Lloyd,  Coombo 
House,  president  of  the  society. 
Plum,  Cox’s  Emperor. 
As  a  good,  general  Plum,  of  robust  growth  and  free  cropping 
qualities,  the  variety  we  here  illustrate  commends  itself.  The 
wood  is  stout  and  produced  plentifully,  the  foliage  is  thick  and 
leathery,  and  the  tree  is  suitable  for  all  garden  purposes,  doing 
best  on  walls.  The  fruits  are  very’  handsome,  round,  smooth,  of 
good  size,  firm,  and  dark  reddish-pnrple  in  colour.  It  forms  a 
good  exhibition  culinary  Plnni,  though  when  fully  riire  it  is  suit¬ 
able  for  dessert,  being  juicy  and  sweet.  It  is  generally  in  tise  the 
first  or  second  week  in  September,  till  the  end  of  the  month. 
Deiibigh  is  a  more  localised  name  for  the  variety,  and  is  not  often 
used.  Our  illustration  is  from  a  photograph  taken  at  Ote  Hall, 
in  Sussex. 
