October  11,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
333 
NOTES 
Recent  'Weather  In  I>ondon  — For  the  time  of  the  year  the 
■weather  in  the  metropolis  during  the  past  week  has  been  remarkably 
genial.  The  sun  has  shone  every  day  with  brilliancy  and  considerable 
power  ;  the  nights  and  mornings  have  been  cool  but  distinctly  warmer 
than  in  the  previous  week.  Wednesday  opened  much  cooler. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society — The  Sherwood  Sllirer  Cup. — 
This  cup,  value  £10  10s.,  will  be  offered  for  open  competition  at  the  Drill 
Hall  meeting  on  November  6th,  1900,  for  fifty-four  dishes  of  fruit  (six 
fruits  to  a  dish)  grown  by  the  exhibitor  in  the  open  air,  namely  : — 
Eighteen  varieties  of  cooking  Apples,  twelve  varieties  of  dessert  Apples, 
■eighteen  varieties  of  dessert  Pears,  six  varieties  of  cooking  Pears.  The 
■competition  will  be  subject  to  all  the  usual  conditions  of  the  society.  For 
the  distinction  between  cooking  and  dessert  varieties  see  E.H.S.  list,  on 
page  39  of  the  Crystal  Palace  Fruit  Show  schedule.  Notice  of  intention 
to  compete  must  be  sent  to  the  Secretary,  R.H.S.  Office,  117,  Victoria 
•Street,  Westminster,  not  later  than  the  last  day  of  October.  First 
prize,  Sherwood  silver  cup  ;  second  prize,  Hogg  medal  and  £3  ;  third 
prize,  silver  Knightian  medal  and  £2. — W.  Wilks,  Secretary. 
Heath  of  the  hlarquls  of  Bute. — We  have  to  record  the  death, 
at  the  age  of  fifty-three,  of  the  Marquis  of  Bute,  whose  interest  in 
horticulture  was  peculiarly  wide.  The  late  marquis,  as  is  well  known, 
took  a  keen  interest  in  the  question  of  Vine  culture  in  this  country,  and 
in  1875  he  tried  the  experiment  of  planting  a  vineyard  in  the  open  air 
at  Castle  Coch,  on  his  South  Wales  estates.  The  first  attempt  to 
manufacture  wine  from  the  Grapes  grown  was  in  1877,  when  forty 
gallons  were  obtained.  The  first  really  good  crop  of  Grapes,  however, 
jWas  in  1881,  when  the  whole  of  the  vintage  obtained,  with  the  exception 
of  a  few  dozens  kept  for  private  consumption,  was  sold  at  60s.  per 
dozen  to  an  enterprising  wine  merchant  in  Cardiff.  Some  of  this 
same  wine,  when  offered  by  public  auction  two  years  later,  realised 
libs,  per  dozen.  So  successful  was  the  venture  that  in  1887  a  second 
vineyard  was  planted  at  Swanbridge,  seven  miles  from  Cardiff,  and  two 
years  later  enormous  crops  of  Grapes  were  raised  at  both  vineyards, 
the  sum  obtained  for  the  wine,  about  £3,000,  recouping  all  the  expenses 
incurred  during  eighteen  years’  experiments.  The  deceased  nobleman 
will  be  missed  in  the  commercial  as  well  as  the  horticultural  world. 
Preston  Horticultural  Society. — A  somewhat  new  venture  on 
the  part  of  the  committee  of  this  go-ahead  society  was  a  lecture  on 
■“Chemical  Manures  in  Fruit  and  Kitchen  Garden  Culture,”  by 
Mr.  F.  W.  Shrivell,  of  Thompson’s  Farm,  Tonbridge,  Kent.  Mr.  J.  B. 
Pratt,  J.P.,  presided,  and  introduced  the  lecturer.  Mr.  Shrivell  said 
that  land  was  divided  into  sections,  one  being  dressed  with  heavy 
applications  of  manure,  a  second  with  a  light  dressing,  a  third  with 
chemicals  only,  and  the  other  three  with  a  light  dressing  of  manure  and 
varying  quantities  of  chemicals.  The  results  proved  that  the  latter, 
according  to  the  nature  of  the  produce,  gave  the  best  results.  He  also 
explained  that  jt  was  really  necessary  to  use  chemicals,  as  by  so  doing  you 
■were  putting  into  the  ground  what  the  produce  in  growing  had  taken 
therefrom.  He  was  glad  to  say  that  England  in  this  respect  was  six 
years  in  advance  of  several  other  countries,  as  France  and  the  United 
States. 
Croydou  Horticultural  Society. — One  of  the  most  successful 
meetings  yet  held  took  place  at  the  society’s  room  on  Tuesday  evening.  Mr. 
W.  J.  Simpson  was  in  the  chair,  Mr.  M.  E.  Mills  in  the  vice  chair,  and 
upwards  of  forty  members  were  present.  The  chairman  introduced 
Mr.  Scaplehorn,  a  member  of  the  Woking  Horticultural  Society,  who 
gave  an  interesting  and  instructive  paper  on  “  Hardy  Flowers.”  The 
-  lecturer  dealt  most  ably  with  the  various  classes  of  hardy  flowers, 
pointing  out  their  beauty  at  various  seasons  of  the  year,  the  treatment, 
cultivation,  and  propagation ;  also  the  most  suitable  kinds  for  giving 
effect  in  the  garden,  as  out  flowers,  and  for  exhibition.  A  very 
interesting  discussion  followed,  in  which  many  of  the  members  took 
part.  A  hearty  and  unanimous  vote  of  thanks  was  passed.  The 
meeting  was  brightened  by  a  fine  display  of  hardy  flowers  by  members 
and  friends.  The  chairman  announced  that  the  next  meeting  would 
be  held  on  the  16th  October  •  subject,  “  Chrysanthemums,”  by  Mr. 
M.  E.  Mills. 
Gardenlngr  Appointments. — Mr.  W.  Mabbott,  gardener  to  B.  P 
Martin,  Esq.,  Gwernllwyn  House,  Dowlais,  Glamorgan,  has  been 
appointed  in  a  similar  capacity  to  G.  E.  Jarvis,  Esq.,  Doddington  Hall, 
Lincoln,  in  succession  to  Mr.  Foster,  who  goes  to  Henham.  Mr. 
Mabbott  is  succeeded  at  Gwernllwyn  House  by  his  brother,  Mr.  T. 
Mabbott. 
Bournemouth  Chrysanthemum  Society.  —  The  fourteenth 
annual  Chrysanthemum  Show  of  the  Bournemouth  and  District  Society 
is  to  take  place  in  the  Winter  Gardens  of  the  Hotel  Mont  Dore  on 
November  7tb  and  8th,  and  the  customary  excellent  display  is 
anticipated.  The  secretary  is  Mr.  James  Spong,  The  Gardens, 
Lindisfarne.  There  are  upwards  of  six  dozen  classes  for  seasonable 
products  as  well  as  Chrysanthemums,  and  some  are  open  to  all  comers 
while  others  are  limited  by  certain  necessary  restrictions. 
Berkshire  County  Council. — Like  the  majority  of  the  County 
Councils,  Berkshire  allots  a  certain  sum  for  instruction  in  horticulture, 
though  the  subject  does  not  appear  so  popular  as  it  ought  to  be.  A 
course  given  at  Wallingford  was  successful ;  a  special  series  of  lectures 
was  also  given  to  prepare  pupils  for  the  examination  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society,  and  eight  eventually  sat.  It  is  satisfactory  to 
note  that  the  amount  voted  by  the  Technical  Education  Committee  for 
instruction  in  gardening  during  the  session  1900  and  1901  is  materially 
greater  than  that  for  the  corresponding  period  of  the  past  year. 
Tiady  'War-wlck  Agricultural  Association  for  "Women. — 
The  Duke  of  Sutherland  has  kindly  consented  that  the  second  annual 
meeting  of  this  association  shall  be  held  at  Stafford  House,  St.  James’s, 
S.W.,  on  Friday,  October  12th,  at  3.30,  when  the  Countess  of  Warwick 
will  preside.  The  following  speakers  have  volunteered  to  address  the 
meeting  on  the  openings  for  women  in  the  lighter  branches  of  agri 
culture  :  Lord  Kenyon,  Mr.  J.  C.  Medd,  Miss  Humphreys,  Mr.  T.  W. 
Sanders,  Mr.  W.  Iggulden,  and  others.  Admission  by  card  only. 
The  County  Council’s  Annual  Chrysanthemum  Shows, — 
At  the  parks  of  the  London  County  Council  these  shows  will  be  opened 
on  the  following  dates  :  Southwark  Park,  11th  inst. ;  Battersea  Park 
and  Finsbury  Park,  13th  inst.  ;  Victoria  Park,  17th  inst.  ;  and  Waterlow 
Park,  20th  inst.  The  annual  distribution  of  the  surplus  plants  at  the 
parks  will  take  place  as  follows  :  Battersea  Park,  24th  inst.  ;  Brockwell 
Park,  16th  inst.  ;  Dulwich  Park,  l7th  inst. ;  Finsbury  Park,  18th  inst. ; 
Kennington  Park,  23rd  inst. ;  Myatt’s  Fields,  17th  inst. ;  Peckham  Rye 
Park,  17th  inst.  ;  Ravenscourt  Park,  19th  inst. ;  Southwark  Park, 
11th  inst. ;  Victoria  Embankment  Gardens,  17th  inst. ;  Victoria  Park, 
17th  inst. ;  and  Waterlow  Park,  24th  inst. 
Brixton,  Streatham,  and  Clapham  Horticultural  Society. 
— At  the  autumnal  general  meeting  of  this  society,  after  discussing  the 
project  for  surrendering  the  Chiswick  garden  by  the  R.H.S.,  the 
members  present  passed  the  following  resolution  unanimously — viz., 
“  That  in  the  opinion  of  this  general  meeting  the  abandonment  of  the 
garden  at  Chiswick  would  have  a  prejudicial  effect  upon  horticulture  in 
the  suburbs  of  London  and  other  large  towns,  by  discouraging  owners 
of  gardens  from  sanctioning  the  outlay  necessary  to  maintain  and 
increase  the  fertility  of  the  soil  so  as  to  adapt  it  for^the  continuous 
production  of  first-class  fruits,  vegetables,  and  flowers ;  and,  further, 
that  in  the  opinion  of  this  meeting  the  Council  of  the  R.H.S.  would  be 
rendering  a  great  service  to  horticulture  if  they  took  steps  to  restore 
the  fertility  of  the  garden  at  Chiswick  by  judicious  expenditure  and 
skilful  treatment,  so  that  it  might  become  an  object  lesson  to  suburban 
gardeners  throughout  the  country.” 
Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association. — The  initial  meeting  of 
the  autumn  session  was  held  on  Monday  night,  the  8th  inst.,  in 
anticipation  of  listening  to  the  presidential  address  “On  the  Decorative 
Use  of  Flowers  Considered  Historically,”  by  Professor^W.  Hillhouse, 
but  who,  unfortunately,  was  precluded  from  attending  owing  to  a  severe 
cold.  The  disappointment,  however,  was  partly]  atoned  'for  by  an 
extensive  display  of  Cactus,  Pompon,  and  decorative  Dahlias,  by 
Mr.  John  Pope  and  Mr.  John  Child,  and  also  a  collection  of  hardy 
border  flowers  by  Mr.  W.  B.  Child,  of  Aoocks’  Green,  and  a  box 
of  St.  Joseph  Strawberries  by  Mr.  W.  Miller,  Berkswell  Nursery.  Mr. 
John  Pope  opened  a  discussion  on  the  Dahlia  in]  a  graphic  and 
instructive  manner,  and  which  was  participated  in  by  the  Messrs.  Child, 
Walter  Jones  (the  chairman),  W.  Gardiner,  C.  E.  Biok,^C.  H.  Herbert, 
and  W.  Spinks.  Mr.  Pope  also  exhibited  specimens  of  a  Russian  Apple 
grown  by  himself  under  the  euphonious  name  of  Antonowska 
Kaninitchka,  and  which  proved  to  be  of  fair  flavour  and  agreeable 
perfume ;  medium. 
