July  26,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
81 
Heat  and  Honey. — Great  losses  have  been  sustained  by  Kentish 
bee-keepers,  owing  to  the  intense  heat  having  run  the  honey  from  the 
comb,  making  it  useless  and  smothering  many  swarms  of  bees.  It  has 
been  quite  impossible  to  make  hay  while  the  sun  shone  in  Bedfordshire 
and  Bucks.  Gangs  of  men,  women,  and  children  had  to  rest  by  day 
and  work  by  moonlight.  Large  fields  of  hay  were  fired,  and  farm 
horses  dropped  dead. 
Sblrley  Gardeners’  Association. — The  monthly  meeting  was 
held  on  Monday,  16th  inst.,  in  the  Shirley  Parish  Room.  Between 
twenty  and  thirty  members  were  present.  A  large  number  of  Roses 
were  displayed  by  Mr.  Ladhams,  F.R.H  S.,  of  the  Shirley  Nurseries ; 
by  Messrs.  Rogers,  Ltd.,  Red  Lodge  Nurseries  ;  by  T.  W.  Fleming,  Esq. 
(gardener  Mr.  W.  Mitchell)  ;  by  Col.  Sinkins  (gardener  Mr.  E.  T.  Wilcox). 
Among  the  exhibits  was  a  very  fine  bough  of  Crimson  Rambler  from 
Mr.  Ladhams,  which  excited  much  attention.  Three  prizes  were  offered 
for  six  Roses,  Messrs.  Miles,  Hallet,  and  Thorne  to  be  judges.  The  first 
prize  fell  to  Mr.  G.  Verdon  of  Red  Lodge ;  second  to  Mr.  Mitchell  ; 
and  third  to  Mr.  Ladhams.  To  Mr.  Verdon  was  also  awarded  a  first- 
class  certificate  for  the  best  Rose  in  the  show ;  to  Mr.  Wilcox  a  cer¬ 
tificate  for  Dahlias,  and  to  Mr.  Verdon  for  Sweet  Peas.  Mx*.  Ladhams 
opened  a  discussion  on  the  Roses,  and  gave  many  useful  hints  on  their 
culture.  Messrs.  Miles,  Cleverly,  Mitchell  and  Verdon  took  part. 
In  conclusion  Mr.  Ladhams  presented  Mr.  Curtis,  the  retiring  hon. 
sec.  with  a  silver  teapot  on  behalf  of  the  committee,  for  which  Mr. 
Curtis  returned  thanks.  Mr.  John  Miles  was  unanimously  elected  hon. 
sec.  in  succession  to  Mr.  Curtis  at  a  committee  meeting  held  for  that 
purpose  on  Friday  evening,  13th  inst. 
Boarnemoutb  Gardeners’  Association. — The  twelfth  annual 
excursion  of  this  society  took  place  on  Thursday,  12th  inst.,  when 
about  sixty  members  availed  themselves  of  the  opportunity  of  visiting 
the  Royal  Seed  Establishment  of  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons,  Reading. 
The  party  were  met  at  Reading  station  by  two  of  Messrs.  Suttons’ 
staff,  and  conducted  to  the  seed  warehouses,  where  they  were  very 
cordially  welcomed  by  Mr.  Arthur  Sutton,  Mr.  Leonard  Sutton,  and 
Mr.  Hubert  Sutton.  After  viewing  the  extensive  warehouses  and 
offices  they  mounted  the  conveyances  which  were  in  readiness,  and 
were  driven  to  the  Portland  Grounds,  where  they  saw  much  to  interest 
them  in  the  various  houses  devoted  to  the  culture  of  Gloxinias, 
Begonias,  and  other  flowers  that  are  made  a  specialty  by  this  firm. 
They  were  then  conveyed  to  the  seed  trial  grounds,  where  an 
excellent  lunch  was  provided,  to  which  ample  justice  was  done.  Mr. 
H.  Sutton,  who  presided,  made  a  few  appropriate  remarks.  The 
luncheon  ended  with  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  passed  to  Messrs.  Sutton 
for  their  kind  and  generous  hospitality,  followed  by  an  inspection  of 
some  of  the  numerous  varieties  of  flowers  and  vegetables  grown  for 
trial  in  the  grounds.  On  returning  to  Reading  the  party  visited  some 
of  the  places  of  interest  in  the  town,  and  then  proceeded  home,  after 
passing  a  most  enjoyable  and  successful  day’s  outing. 
Blrmlngbam  Gardeners’  Association. — The  annual  summer 
“  outing,”  to  Powis  Castle,  took  place  on  the  19th  inst.  Arriving  at 
Welshpool,  via  Shrewsbury,  about  half-past  eleven  o’clock  the  party 
was  met  by  Mr.  J.  Lambert,  the  Earl  of  Powis’s  head  gardener.  The 
entrance  gates  of  the  park  are  in  close  proximity  to  the  town,  and  the 
castle  upwards  of  a  mile  distant.  The  visitors  were  much  impressed 
with  the  magnificent  arboreal  scenery.  The  terraced  hanging  gardens, 
carved  out  of  the  rock  on  which  the  castle  stands,  and  laid  out  in  the 
Louis  XIV.  style,  adorned  with  vases,  statues,  fine  old  dipt  Yews,  and 
Box  hedges,  were  much  admired.  The  extent  of  glass  is  comparatively 
small,  but  the  occupants  of  the  various  structures  reflected  much  credit 
upon  Mr.  Lambert’s  skill.  The  vegetables  in  the  kitchen  gardens  were 
much  admit ed,  also  the  square  acre  of  wire  netting  protected  fruit 
quarter,  containing  very  heavy  crops  of  Gooseberries,  Currants,  Straw¬ 
berries,  and  Superlative  Raspberries.  Another  object  of  interest  was 
the  inspection  of  the  newly  erected,  or  rather  the  conversion  of  the 
ancient  laundry  into  a  suite  of  excellently  fitted-up  rooms  for  the 
journeymen  gardeners.  After  viewing  the  interior  of  the  castle  brakes 
were  requisitioned  for  a  tour  through  the  park  and  extensive  game 
preserves,  the  journey  extending  to  about  five  miles  round  a  portion  of 
the  park.  Mr.  Addie,  the  estate  agent,  joined  the  tea  party,  and  in  the 
name  of  Lord  Powis  welcomed  the  members  of  the  association.  Hearty 
votes  of  thanks,  severally  proposed  by  Mr.  Walter  Jones,  the  chairman, 
and  Mr.  John  Pope,  to  Lord  Powis,  Mr.  Addie,  and  Mr.  Lambert, 
were  accorded,  and  immediately  afterwards  the  return  journey  was 
resumed. — G. 
Tbe  IVXldland  Carnation  and  Plcotee  Society. — Owing  to 
the  very  hot  weather  of  the  last  few  days  it  has  been  thought 
desirable  to  again  alter  the  date  of  this  Carnation  show  ;  it  is  now 
definitely  arranged  for  the  original  dates — viz.,  the  Ist  and  2nd  of 
August. 
Open  Spaces. — The  Corporation  of  Croydon  has  secured  Grange 
Wood  at  Norwood,  and  commenced  negotiations  for  the  purchase  of 
Croham  Hurst,  which  will  involve  a  still  larger  outlay.  It  is  reported 
that  a  member  of  the  well-known  Lloyd  family  in  the  suburbs  of 
Walthamstow,  has  presented  the  Walthamstow  Urban  District  Council 
with  the  fine  mansion  called  The  Winns,  and  9|  acres  of  land  attached 
thereto.  The  estate  will  be  used — the  house  as  a  museum,  the  land  as 
a  recreation  ground.  These  will  be  thrown  open  to  the  public  some 
time  in  August. 
Sandringham  Plower  Show. — Pine  weather  prevailed  for  the 
thirty-fifth  annual  show  of  the  Sandringham  Estate  Cottage  Horti- 
cultural  Society  on  Wednesday,  July  18th,  and  large  crowds  visited 
the  grounds,  which  had  been  placed  at  the  disposal  of  the  society  by 
their  Royal  Highnesses  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales.  The 
entries  were  numerous  and  of  excellent  quality.  Prizes  were  offered 
by  the  Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales  for  the  best  kept  cottage  in  the 
parishes  around  the  estate,  and  also  for  the  best  kept  and  stocked 
gardens,  while  the  society  offered  prizes  in  about  one  hundred  classes. 
The  table  decorations  were  extremely  pretty,  though  the  simplest  of 
flowers  were  employed. 
Havoc  at  Horttaampton. — The  hailstorm  at  Northampton  on 
Friday  evening  almost  surpasses  belief.  The  roads  were  quickly  white. 
The  majority  of  the  stones  were  more  than  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  a 
large  proportion  an  inch  and  a  half.  Some  even  measured  2  inches 
through.  These,  descending  with  astonishing  violence,  caused  great 
destruction  to  property.  In  tbe  Town  Hall  £50  will  not  cover  the 
damage  to  glass  alone.  One  market  gardener  estimates  his  loss  at 
£500.  Another  puts  his  at  £300.  Three  nurserymen’s  loss  amounts  to 
£1(  00.  No  less  than  550  public  lamps  were  smashed.  Even  roof  slates 
and  tiles  were  not  always  strong  enough  to  withstand  the  fury  of  the 
storm. 
Some  Rainfall  Averages. — It  is  said  that  610  inches  of  rain 
fell  in  one  year  at  Cherrapongee,  tropical  Asia.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty-four  inches  of  rainfall  has  been  recorded  in  one  year  at 
Mahabuleswer,  in  the  Western  Ghauts  of  India.  At  Vera  Cruz^ 
Mexico,  278  inches  of  rain  has  fallen.  In  Matoula,  Guadeloupe, 
West  Indies,  292  inches  has  fallen.  At  San  Louis  de  Maraham, 
Brazil,  280  have  been  recorded.  At  Sierra  Leone,  tropical  Africa, 
312  inches  have  been  noted.  The  annual  rainfall  in  the  British 
Islands,  among  the  mountains,  is  41  inches ;  on  the  plains  25  inches — 
45  inches  of  rain  falls  on  the  west  side  of  England,  27  on  the  east  side. 
Eighty-two  inches  of  rain  falls  on  parts  of  the  west  side  of  the  Scandi¬ 
navian  mountains,  and  only  19  inches  at  Stockholm  on  the  east  side. 
The  amount  of  rainfall  at  Boston  is  39  inches  ;  Hanover,  N.H.,  38  inches; 
New  York,  36  inches. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Cblswlck. — Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
H-l 
o 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
a> 
u 
1900.- 
action 
iVind. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
Bain. 
At 
At 
At 
sgi 
July. 
IM 
s 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
AO 
s 
.d 
5 
Lowest. 
i-ft. 
deep. 
2-ft. 
deep. 
4-ft. 
deep. 
H 
Sunday . .  16 
S.S.E. 
deg. 
66-9 
deg. 
69-9 
deg. 
80-3 
deg. 
50-5 
ins. 
deg. 
67-2 
deg. 
63-3 
deg. 
58  T 
deg. 
41-6 
Monday.  .16 
VV.N.VV. 
76-2 
68-5 
91-5 
59  7 
_ 
68-4 
63-6 
58-3 
51-5 
Tuesday  17 
s.s.vv. 
70-9 
60-9 
81-8 
59 -5 
— 
70-0 
64  1 
587 
48  8 
Wed’sday  18 
S.S.E. 
76-0 
64-8 
84-1 
54  3 
— 
70-5 
64  7 
68-9 
45-5 
Thursday  19 
E.S.E. 
78  7 
67-6 
91  1 
51-5 
_ 
69  9 
65-2 
6lT 
40-6 
Friday  ..  20 
S.S.W. 
79  2 
68  7 
89  8 
66-2 
_ 
71-8 
65-5 
59-4 
67 -6 
Saturday  21 
W.S.W. 
66-7 
62-8 
76-5 
58  7 
— 
71T 
65-9 
597 
49  4 
Means  .. 
73-4 
64-7 
85-0 
57-2 
Total 
69-8 
64-6 
68-9 
47-8 
A  week  of  very  hot  dry  weather,  the  temperature  on  the  16i.h  being 
the  highest  registered  this  year,  and  the  maximum  shade  temperature 
being  91°  for  each  day. 
