3G8 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  23,  1903. 
Chester  Paxton. 
Under  the  auspices  of  this  society,  a  two  days’  exhibition  of 
spring  flowers  was  opened  in  the  Grosvenor  Museum  on  W  ednes¬ 
day.  This  annual  exhibition  has  now  gained  considerable  popu¬ 
larity.  and  in  a  few  years’  time  bids  fair  to  be  as  much  a  success 
as  the  autumn  exhibition.  The  president,  C’apt.  MacGillycuddy, 
performed  the  opening  ceremony,  and  although  of  a  non-com¬ 
petitive  character,  the  exhibits  generally  were  of  a  high-class 
order.  The  president’s  gardener,  i'fr.  E.  Stubbs,  The  Gardens, 
Bache  Hall,  made  the  largest  display;  his  collection  embraced 
a  great  variety  of  both  indoor  and  outdoor  plants,  all  arranged 
in  a  most  tasteful  manner.  Particularly  striking  were  some  fine 
specimens  of  Cineraria  stellata,  and  several  varieties  of 
Schizanthus.  His  well-grown  plants  of  Primula  obconica  were 
also  conspicuous,  as  were  the  Daffodils,  Polyanthuses,  Primroses, 
&c.  Dr.  Mules,  of  the  Old  Parsonage,  Gresford,  North  W’ales, 
staged  a  collection  of  hardy  plants  and  flowers,  which  was  quite 
unique  in  its  way,  and  included  several  rare  species  of  Primulas 
and  Aubrietias.  The  doctor’s  Daffodils,  of  which  he  has  a  very 
large  collection,  were  also  good,  as  also  were  his  hardy  double 
Primroses  and  Auriculas.  Miss  Humberton,  Newton  Hall,  per 
Mr.  Wakefield,  gardener,  made  an  effective  display  with  scarlet 
Rhododendrons,  Arum  Lilies,  hardy  Heaths.  Myosotis,  Auriculas, 
Wallflowers,  and  Gentiana  acaulis.  Mrs.  Townsend  Ince, 
Ghristleton  Hall,  per  Mr.  John  Weaver,  was  well  represented 
bv  a  beautifully  arranged  group,  which  included  some  well-grown 
Daffodils,  Violas,  Lily  of  the  Valley,  Azaleas,  &o.  An  exhibit 
of  some  fifty  varieties  of  Daffodils,  staged  by  Mr.  Hugh  Aldersey, 
of  Aldersey  Hall,  per  Mr.  Chisholm,  came  in  for  a  great  amount 
of  admiration,  and  rightly  so,  because  it  was  generally  admitted 
that  a  finer  collection  of  these  had  never  been  seen  at  any  of 
the  Chester  shows.  Mr.  Edward  Dixon,  Littleton  Hall,  per  Mr. 
John  Dutton,  sent  some  fine  specimens  of  Fritillaria  lutea.  Wis¬ 
taria  sinensis.  Daffodils,  and  other  hardy  flowers.  Other 
exhibitors  included  Mr.  T.  Gibbons  Frost,  Mollington,  per  Mr. 
Gilbert,  whose  Cinerarias  were  particularly  well  grown;  Mr. 
J.  Garrett  Frost,  Boughton  Hall,  per  Mr.  Clack;  Mrs.  Pitcairn 
Campbell,  per  Mr.  Ryder;  Mrs.  Ambrose  Dixon,  Christleton,  per 
Mr.  D.  Hughes;  Mr.  R.  Fraser,  per  Mr.  Reeves,  whose  her¬ 
baceous  Calceolarias  were  particularly  good;  Mrs.  Warren 
Trevor,  Redlands;  Mrs.  Willis-Taylor,  Curzon  Park;  Mr.  John 
W^ynne,  Rowton  ;  and  Mrs.  Miln,  Milnholme.  The  local  nursery¬ 
men,  Messrs.  Dicksons,  Ltd.,  and  Messrs.  McHattie  and  Co., 
were  also  well  represented  with  choice  collections  of  Daffodils, 
Tulips,  Ac.  The  exhibition  closed  on  Thursday  evening,  when 
a  large  (luantity  of  the  flowers  exhibited  were  sent  to  the  local 
hospital. 
Flower  Show  at  Manchester. 
The  following  awards  were  made  at  the  show  held  in  the  Man¬ 
chester  Town  Hall  on  April  7  : — Silver  medal  to  Messrs.  Dick¬ 
son,  Brown,  and  Tait,  of  Manchester,  for  a  collection  of 
Daffodils:  silver  medal  to  Messrs.  Dickson  and  Robinson,  Man¬ 
chester,  for  Daffodils,  spring  flowering  shrubs,  and  Crimson 
Rambler  Roses;  silver  medal,  Messrs.  Robson,  Dublin,  for  Daffo¬ 
dils  and  Tulips;  gold  medal,  Messrs.  Reamsbqttom  and  Co., 
Geashill,  King’s  County,  for  display  of  St.  Brigid  Anemones; 
silver  medal,  Messrs.  B.  S.  Williams  and  Son,  Upper  Holloway, 
for  Daffodils;  award  of  merit,  Mr.  Brown,  Llandudno,  for  a 
collection  of  flowers;  ditto,  Misses  Hopkins,  Knutsford,  for  Auri¬ 
culas,  Pol.yanthuses,  Ac.  ;  gold  medal,  Mr.  E.  Ashworth,  Wilms- 
low,  for  Orchids. 
The  Manchester  and  North  of  England  Orchid  Society  made 
the  following  awards: — Messrs.  J.  Cowan  and  Co.,  Liverpool, 
gold  medal;  Messrs.  Hugh  Low  and  Co.,  Enfield,  gold  medal; 
Messrs.  Cypher  and  Co.,  Clieltenham,  gold  medal;  The  Stone 
Orchid  Company,  Staffordshire,  gold  medal;  Mr.  W.  Holmes, 
I'imperley,  silver  medal:  Mr.  O.  O.  Wrigley,  Bury,  silver  medal; 
Mr.  S.  Gratrix,  Whalley  Range,  .silver-gilt  medal ;  Mr.  J.  Lemann, 
Heaton  Mersey,  silver-gilt  medal  ;  Messrs.  Charlesworth  and  Co., 
Vork,  .silver-gilt  medal ;  Mr.  W.  B.  Up.john,  Worsley  Hall,  bronze 
medal:  Mr.  S.  Allen,  Sale,  bronze  medal;  Mr.  John  Robson, 
Altrincham,  bronze  medal. 
Royal  Meteorological 
The  monthly  meeting  of  this  society  was  held  on  Wednesday 
evening,  the  15th  inst.,  at  the  In.stitution  of  Civil  Engineers, 
Great  George  Street,  Westmin.ster,  Capt.  D.  Wilson-Barker,  pre¬ 
sident,  in  the  chair.  Air.  F.  J.  Brodie  read  a  paper  on  “The 
Prevalence  of  Gales  on  the  Coasts  of  the  British  Islands  during 
the  'I'hirty  Year's,  1871-1900,”  being  a  continuation  of  a  paper 
on  the  same  subject  which  he  communicated  to  the  .society  la.st 
year.  The  total  number  of  gales  dealt  with  during  this  period 
was  1,4.35,  the  yearly  average  being  48.5,  of  which  10.6  were 
sev'cre.  The  present  paper  deals  with  (1)  the  number  of  gales 
experienced  on  the  We.st,  North,  South,  and  Pla.st  coasts  respec¬ 
tively:  (‘2)  the  prevaleirce  of  gales  at  different  times  in  the  year; 
and  (3)  the  mean  direction  from  which  gales  blow  on  various  parts 
of  our  coasts. 
A  paper  on  “  The  Duration  of  Rainfall,”  by  Air.  J.  Baxeirdell, 
was  read  by  the  secretary.  In  this  paper  the  author  refers  to 
various  patterns  of  self-recording  rain-gauges,  and  points  out  the 
defects  inherent  to  them,  and  also  states  that  it  is  hardly  possible 
to  determine  from  them  the  rate  at  which  rain  falls,  especially 
in  very  small  quantities.  From  a  Halliwell’s  self-recording  rain- 
gauge,  which  had  been  in  operation  at  Southport  during  1902, 
the  total  duration  of  rainfall  for  the  year  was  640.1  hours.  The 
author  showed  that  the  hourly  duration  values  give  a  striking 
curve  of  diurnal  variation,  the  early  morning  maximum  being 
most  pronounced ;  the  afternoon  one  is  also  present,  but  is 
much  less  protracted,  and  of  far  less  amplitude  than  the  former. 
Alinima  occur  about  midday  and  in  the  evening.  The  author 
concluded  by  giving  an  account  of  Halliwell’s  float  pattern  self- 
recording  rain-gauge. 
Obituary. 
Mr.  A  F.  Barron,  V  M.H. 
We  regret  to  record  the  death,  after  a  long  illness,  of  Air. 
Archibald  F.  Barron,  V.M.H..  at  his  re.sidence,  13,  Sutton  Court 
Road,  Chiswick,  on  April  15,  in  the  sixty-eighth  year  of  his  age. 
During  the  past  few  years  Air.  Barron’s  strength  has  been  gra¬ 
dually  leaving  him,  and  for  a  considerable  period  he  has  been 
almost  as  helple.ss  as  a  little  child.  In  our  issue  of  April  9  we 
notified  his  serious  illness  at  that  time,  and  this  was  but  the  con¬ 
clusion  of  his  long  debility  and  dissolution. 
Born  at  Banchory,  in  Aberdeenshire,  Air.  Barron  began  his  gar¬ 
dening  career  as  an  apprentice  under  his  father,  who  was  gar¬ 
dener  at  Craithie  Castle,  on  the  banks  of  thei  “  rushing  River 
Dee.”  In  1853  the  young'man  migrated  southward  to  Orton  Hall, 
near  Peterborough,  the  residence  of  the  Alarquis  of  Huntley, 
which  at  that  ijeriod  was  celebrated  for  its  Pinetum,  and  the  fol¬ 
lowing  year  (1854)  made  his  appearance  in  the  gardens  of  the 
Duke  of  Norfolk,  Arundel  Ca.stle,  Sus.sex,  a  beautiful  and  quiet 
abode  facing  the'  southern  sun,  and  almost  in  sight  of  the  Solent 
and  English  Channel.  Forcing  was  practised  to  perfection  at 
Arundel  by  Air.  George  AIcEwan,  the  head  gardener,  and  the 
young  journeyman  gardener  enlarged  his  eximrience  in  this  most 
imijortant  branch  of  his  calling. 
But,  ever  anxious  to  study  fresh  scenes  and  other  methods  of 
practical  gardening,  we  soon  find  Mr.  Barron  removed  to  Suffolk, 
to  work  under  that  very  skilful  and  talented  floriculturist  and 
general  gardener.  Air.  Donald  Beaton,  who  then  superintended 
the  beautiful  gardens  of  Shrubland  Park.  Mr.  Donald  Beaton’s 
name  is  well-established  in  the  minds  of  Journal  readers  from  his 
long  connection  with  the  staff  of  the  “  Cottage  Gardener.”  Mr. 
Barron  had  now  become  acquainted  with  fruit  culture,  “  forcing,” 
Coniferte  and  shrubs,  and  floriculture  by  his  successive  appoint¬ 
ments.  And  during  Mr.  Barron’s  sojourn  in  East  Anglia  at  Shrub- 
land,  Mr.  AIcEwan,  whom  he  had  been  lately  assistant  to  at 
Arundel,  became  superintendent  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society’s  Garden  at  Chiswick,  and  immediately  we  find  that  his 
old  pupil  has  joined  him  in  those  famous  gardens,  now,  alas! 
about  tO'  be  surrendered. 
Following  Air.  AIcEwan  as  superintendent  came  Air.  Geoi’ge 
Eyles,  who  had  directed  the  Society’s  gardens  in  South  Kensing¬ 
ton  ;  but  SO'  early  as  1864  Air.  Barron  succeeded  him  in  his  pO'St 
at  the  Chiswick  Gardens,  and  continued  there  right  up  tO'  1896, 
when  his  failing  power  obliged  him  to  relinquish  the  work  to 
w  hich  he  was  so  devotedly  attached.  Air.  Barron  was  fortunate 
to  coufit  the  late  Dr.  Lindlej'  and  Air.  Robert  Thompson  as  his 
friends.  Dr.  Bindley  was  one  of  the  foremost  botanists  of  his 
day,  and  was  editor  of  the  “  Gardeners’  Chronicle,”  while  in 
Robert  Thomp.son,  author  of  the  unequalled  and  invaluable 
“  Gardener.s’  Assistant,”  the  new  chief  of  the  gardens  had  a  coun¬ 
sellor  wdiose  po'inological  know  ledge  was  unsurpa.ssed  by  any  con¬ 
temporary. 
Mr.  Archibald  F.  Barron  has  won  for  himself  a  high  name  in 
the  domain  of  horticulture.  By  his  absolute  honesty,  his  im¬ 
partiality,  his  excellent  general  chai'acter,  and  his  loyalty  to  his 
comrades  in  all  circumstances,  his  memory  lives  distinguished. 
Besides  numerous  articles  in  the  gardening  Press,  always  conc;.se 
and  very  practical,  his  principal  wmrks  have  been  the  reports 
wdiich  he  prepared  in  1883  for  the  Apple  Congress  ;  in  1885,  for  the 
Pear  Congress;  and  for  the  Pear  and  Apple  Congress  of  1888. 
His  most  important  w'ork,  without  any  doubt,  of  course  is  the 
book,  “Vines  and  Vine  Culture,”  the  fourth  edition  of  which  we 
still  find  greatly  in  demand. 
Besides  his  S'Ccretarial  duties  to  the  Fruit  and  Vegetable 
Committee,  Air.  Barron  filled  the  post  of  honorary  .secretary  to 
the  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund,  and  his  only  interest  in  it 
was  that  he  thus  assisted  the  poor  w’ee  bairnies  who  were  father¬ 
less  and  motherless,  and  it  is  not  too  much  to  say  that  his  activity 
and  solicitations  contributed  very  greatly  to  the  entire  succe.ss 
of  this  beneficent  enterprise. 
“All’s  well  that  ends  well,”  and  though  a  little  .storm  was 
