•  December  20,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
555 
Recent  Weatber  In  Ziondon. —  Changeable  weather  has  again 
prevailed  in  the  metropolis.  On  several  mornings  frosts  have  been 
perceptible  on  the  grass.  On  Monday  and  Tuesday  very  light  showers 
fell  in  some  localities;  it  was  dull  and  inclined  to  be  foggy  at  the  time 
of  going  to  press  on  Wednesday. 
Weather  in  the  ’North. — Wet  and  generally  squally  weather  has 
again  marked  the  past  week.  On  the  13lh  there  were  a  few  watery 
gleams  of  sunshine.  Sunday  and  Monday  were  on  the  whole  fair ;  rain 
fell  on  the  following  night,  but  Tuesday  morning  gave  promise  of 
improvement  in  the  gloomy,  cheerless  track  of  about  four  months’ 
almost  continuous  rain. — B.  D,,  S.  Perthshire. 
IfatloDal  Dahlia  Society. — At  a  meeting  of  the  committee  of 
the  above  society,  held  on  Tuesday,  it  was  decided  to  hold  the  annual 
meeting  on  January  8th,  1901.  Members  of  the  society  should, 
therefore,  keep  the  date  free.  Full  particulars  of  the  business  will  be 
announced  in  due  course. 
Iilst  of  Seeds  at  Kew  Cardens. — We  have  to  acknowledge  the 
receipt  of  a  list  of  seeds  of  hardy  herbaceous  annual  and  perennial 
plants  and  of  hardy  trees  and  shrubs  which,  for  the  most  part,  have 
ripened  at  Kew  during  the  year  1900.  These  seeds  are  not  sold  to  the 
general  public,  but  are  available  for  exchange  with  colonial,  Indian,  and 
foreign  botanic  gardens,  as  well  as  with  regular  correspondents  of  Kew. 
No  application,  except  from  remote  colonial  possessions,  can  be 
entertained  after  the  end  of  March. 
Xn  the  Markets. — Vegetables  and  fruit  are  still  abundant  and 
cheap.  Cauliflower,  Savoys,  Cabbages,  Turnips,  Carrots,  Spinach, 
Turnip-tops,  Parsley,  and  Brussels  Sprouts  are  all  plentiful.  There 
are  a  good  many  Custard  Apples  in  the  market  at  6d.  each,  and  a  few 
Avocado  Pears  are  still  to  be  had,  as  well  as  a  very  few  Persimmons. 
Pine  Apples  are  exceptionally  cheap,  some  selling  as  low  at  Is.,  and 
good  sound  fruit  at  Is,  6d.  to  2s.  Grapes  are  still  very  plentiful  and 
remarkably  cheap. 
The  Retirement  of  Mr.  Chas.  Whitehead.— The  retirement 
of  Mr.  Chas.  Whitehead  from  the  position  of  technical  adviser  to  the 
Board  of  Agricultuie  has  led  to  a  reconsideration  of  the  means  by 
which  the  board  obtains  technical  advice  on  questions  relating  to 
agricultural  botany  and  economic  zoology,  and  it  has  now  been  arranged 
that  the  scientific  and  expert  assistance  required  by  the  board  in 
connection  with  these  subjects  will  be  furnished  respectively  by  the 
Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Kew,  and  by  the  Natural  History  Departments, 
South  Kensington. 
Birmingham  Chrysanthemum  Society.— On  the  16th  inst.  the 
Birmingham  and  Midland  Counties  Chrysanthemum,  Fruit,  and 
Floricultural  Society  held  its  annual  dinner,  an  average  number  of  the 
members  and  friends  being  in  attendance.  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham 
presided,  with  Mr.  John  Pope  as  vice-chairman.  The  chairman,  in 
submitting  the  customary  toasts,  expatiated  upon  the  merits  of  the 
chief  exhibits,  as  well  as  in  regard  to  the  status  of  the  society’s  financial 
position,  which  was  so  far  satisfactory  to  declare  it  was — with  the 
additional  “guarantee  fund  ”  (which  was  inaugurated  this  year  for  the 
first  time  by  the  committee  and  some  of  the  principal  annual 
subscribers)  sufficiently  encouraging  to  induce  the  committee  to  offer 
increased  prizes  for  the  next  exhibition.  Additional  stimulus  was 
also  afforded  by  the  fact  that  a  few  of  the  principal  prizetakers  at  the 
recent  show  generously  allowed  their  names  to  be  added  to  the 
guarantee  fund,  and  he  trusted  that  the  example  would  be  followed  by 
others.  Mr.  Walter  Jones  responded,  Mr.  John  Hughes,  the  secretary, 
animated  with  the  desire  to  maintain  the  prestige  of  the  society’s 
shows,  suggested  that,  with  the  view  of  celebrating  the  inauguration 
of  the  twentieth  century,  special  subscriptions  should  be  secured  for  the 
purpose  of  providing  prize  cups  for  certain  sections  of  the  exhibits,  and 
to  be  called  “  The  New  Century  Challenge  Cups.”  Mr.  W.  H.  Dyer,  in 
toasting  “  The  Exhibitors,”  paid  high  tribute  to  the  excellencet  of  the 
groups  of  Chrysanthemum  plants  arranged  for  effect.  The  various 
toasts  and  speeches  were  well  punctuated  by  songs  and  recitations. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. — We  are 
informed  that  Lord  Llangattock,  The  Hendre,  Monmouth,  will  preside 
at  the  sixty-second  anniversary  dinner  of  the  Gardeners’  Royal 
Benevolent  Institution  at  the  H6tel  M^tropole  on  May  22nd. 
Gardens  in  Winter. — In  the  southern  part  of  Lincolnshire  during 
the  past  few  days  hundreds  of  bees  have  been  seen  out  in  the  bright 
sunshine  in  the  middle  of  the  day.  The  season  is  so  extraordinarily 
mild  here  that  spring  ffowers  are  blooming  in  profusion,  and  thrushes 
and  other  warblers  may  be  heard  singing  as  gaily  as  if  it  were  the 
middle  of  September.  In  an  open  garden  attached  to  Three  Gates 
House,  Knowle,  there  is  quite  an  assortment  of  Roses.  Specimens  of 
the  Marechal  Niel,  Gloire  de  Dijon,  Madame  Lambard,  and  Mrs.  W.  J. 
Grant  varieties  are  all  well  developed  and  rich  in  perfume. 
Hessle  Gardeners*  Society.  —  The  above  society  held  its 
fortnightly  meeting  in  the  Hessle  Parish  School.  There  was  a  record 
attendance,  over  which  Mr.  Blair  of  Hessle  Cottage  Homes  presided. 
The  essayist  for  the  evening  was  Mr.  Allsop,  gardener  to  Lord  Hotham, 
North  Dalton,  whose  subject  was  “  The  Cultivation  of  the  Grape  Vine,” 
Mr.  Allsop  brought  forward  many  historical  facts  connected  with  the 
Vine  in  these  islands,  and  dealt  exhaustively  with  its  culture  from 
the  time  of  planting  until  the  fruit  was  brought  to  perfection. 
A  good  discussion  followed,  many  of  the  members  expressing  their 
great  satisfaction  for  the  highly  instructive  nature  of  the  essay.  Votes 
of  thanks  to  the  essayist  and  chairman  terminated  a  highly  instructive 
and  interesting  evening. — J,  D. 
The  Growers’  Association. — Under  this  title  a  company  is  being 
formed  in  Dublin  with  the  object  of  establishing  a  more  direct  channel 
of  communication  between  the  producers  and  consumers  of  farm  and 
garden  produce  than  exists  at  the  present  time.  It  has  long  been 
notorious  that  the  growers  of  fruits  and  vegetables  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  Dublin  never  receive  for  them  anything  approaching  the  prices 
which  the  public  have  to  pay  for  such  produce — even  after  making 
reasonable  allowance  for  middlemen’s  profits.  The  disparity  on  this 
score  is  particularly  pronounced  in  the  case  of  fruit.  The  present 
company  is  being  formed  with  the  object  of  bringing  about  a  direct 
connection  between  the  producers  of  such  produce  and  the  consumers, 
and  that  there  is  room  for  it  cannot  be  gainsaid.  The  movement  has 
met  with  enthusiastic  support  among  a  number  of  very  infiuential 
people  both  in  the  city  and  various  parts  of  the  country,  and,  properly 
worked,  the  dep6t,  which  is  about  to  be  established,  should  prove  an 
unqualified  success,  and  be  productive  of  great  advantage  to  those 
directly  interested.  Full  particulars  regarding  the  association  can  be 
obtained  from  the  Secretary,  Mr.  H.  P.  Moxham,  36,  College  Green, 
Dublin. — (“  Famers’  Gazette.”) 
Reading  and  District  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement 
Society. — “Vegetable  Culture”  was  the  title  of  a  most  interesting 
paper  read  by  Mr.  J.  Gibson,  The  Gardens,  Danesneld,  Marlow, 
before  an  exceedingly  large  attendance  of  members  of  the  Reading 
and  District  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Association  on  Monday 
evening  last.  The  subject  was  dealt  with  both  from  the  “  kitchen  ” 
and  exhibitors’  point  of  view.  The  varieties  touched  upon  were 
Potatoes,  Peas,  Beans,  Brassicas,  Onions,  Celery,  Leeks,  Parsnips, 
Beets,  Carrots,  and  Tomatoes.  The  paper  was  not  only  of  the  most 
practical  character,  but  the  magnificent  vegetables  staged  by  Mr, 
Gibson  demonstrated  that  his  culture  was  of  the  highest  order.  The 
collection  consisted  of  Sutton’s  Selected  Ailsa  Craig  Onion,  Snowball 
Turnip,  Tender  and  True  Parsnip,  Pine-apple  Beet,  Tender  and  True 
Climbing  Bean,  New  Red  Intermediate  Carrot,  Arctic  Green  Kale, 
Dwarf  Gem  Sprouts,  Perfection  Savoy,  The  Lyon  Leek,  Lockie’s 
Perfection  Cucumber,  and  Polegate  Tomato.  A  discussion  followed, 
which  at  times  became  very  animated,  those  taking  part  being 
Messrs.  Stanton,  Chamberlain,  Wilson,  Barnes,  Exler,  Neve,  Davidson, 
Pry,  W.  Smith,  Cretchley,  Powell,  and  D.  Dore.  Mr.  P.  Lever,  The 
Gardens,  Hillside,  gained  the  association’s  certificate  of  cultural 
merit  for  a  grand  batch  of  Primulas  of  the  stellata  and  obconica 
types ;  whilst  Mr.  George  Smith  of  Cintra  Lodge  Gardens  showed 
some  splendid  spikes  of  Calanthes,  and  Mr.  R.  Chamberlain,  Cressingham 
Gardens,  a  few  typical  specimens  of  New  Red  Intermediate  Carrot.  A 
hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  to  Mr.  Gibson  for  his  paper,  in 
proposing  which  the  president  (Mr.  C.  B.  Stevens)  referred  to  the 
necessity  of  young  gardeners  making  themselves  not  only  acquainted 
with  the  work  under  glass,  but  to  give  every  attention  to  the  learning 
of  the  routine  of  a  kitchen  garden.  Two  new  members  were  elected. 
