December  27,  1900. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
577 
^rational  Auricula  and  Primula  Society.  —  The  anpual 
meeting  of  the  menabers  of  this  society  took  place  at  the  Horticultural 
Club  on  the  22Dd  inst.,  Mr.  James  Douglas  in  the  chair.  The  minutes 
of  the  previous  meeting  having  been  read,  and  it  was  stated  in  reference 
to  the  last  exhibition  that  the  variable  weather  which  prevailed  was  far 
from  satisfactory.  The  financial  statement  showed  a  balance  of 
£20  18s.  9d.  brought  over  from  the  previous  year,  and  the  receipts 
from  all  sources  had  amounted  to  £73  Ss.  Prizes  had  been  paid  to 
the  value  of  £63  Ss.,  and  a  satisfactory  balance  was  carried  over  to  the 
ensuing  year.  The  president  (Sir  John  T.  D.  Llewelyn,  Bart.)  and  the 
vice-presidents  were  re-elected.  Mr.  James  Douglas  was  appointed 
chairman  of  the  committee  in  the  place  of  the  Rev.  H.  H.  D’Ombrain 
{resigned),  and  Messrs.  A.  R.  Brown  and  E.  L.  Gordes  were  added  to 
the  committee,  and  Mr.  T.  B.  Henwood  secretary.  The  show  will  take 
place  as  usual  in  April. 
Royal  Agricultural  Society. — The  Royal  Agricultural  Society 
seek  a  site  of  150  acres  near  London  where  a  permanent  showyard  can  be 
established  for  their  annual  shows.  The  locality  is  not  yet  decided  upon. 
When  the  society  began  operations  over  sixty  years  ago  travelling  was 
dearer  than  it  is  now.  There  were  no  shilling  excursions.  Hence  the  show 
had  to  be  peripatetic — the  visitors  could  not  be  brought  to  the  show,  so 
the  show  had  to  be  brought  to  them.  A  committee  is  now  engaged  in 
discussing  sites.  A  space  of  150  acres,  whereon  a  gigantic  farmyard 
can  be  established,  is  not  easily  found  near  London.  Some  idea  of 
what  is  wanted  can  be  gathered  from  the  fact  that  at  the  last  show  at 
York  accommodation  had  to  be  found  for  2000  live  stock — horses, 
cattle  and  sheep — and  629  head  of  poultry.  Sheds  had  also  to  be  found 
for  the  inanimate  exhibits — butter,  cheese,  honey,  and  the  like — and  for 
a  vast  quantity  of  agricultural  machinery — some  of  it  “  in  motion.” 
The  society  could  only  find  a  site  on  undertaking  to  abstain  from 
exhibiting  pigs.  York,  the  home  of  the  succulent  ham,  inconsistently 
drew  the  line  at  pigs.  The  new  showyard  will  add  another  attraction 
to  London. 
Orowlng  nXushrooms  In  Town  Cellars. — In  the  SherifE’s 
■Court  at  Leith,  on  Tuesday,  llth  inst..  Sheriff- Substitute  Maconochie 
gave  judgment  in  a  case  raised  by  the  local  authority  of  that  burgh. 
The  local  authority  alleged  that  William  MoRobbie  was  using  certain 
cellars  in  various  parts  of  the  town  for  Mushroom  growing,  that  the 
cellars  were  below  the  level  of  dwelling-houses,  and  contained 
accumulations  of  stable  manure,  which  persistently  polluted  the 
atmosphere  with  gases  and  the  soil  with  decomposing  organic  refuse, 
and  that  the  process  of  Mushroom  growing  as  carried  on  was  a 
nuisance  within  the  meaning  of  Section  16  of  the  Public  Health  Act. 
Sir  Henry  Littlejohn,  Medical  Officer  of  Health  for  Edinburgh,  having 
examined  the  place  where  the  manure  is  prepared  or  “  sweetened  ”  and 
the  three  cellars  where  the  business  is  carried  on,  reported  that  he 
could  detect  no  objectionable  odour,  and  that  the  various  tenants 
assured  him  they  had  no  cause  to  complain.  Under  these  circumstances 
he  considered  that  the  trade  of  Mushroom  growing  in  the  three 
localities  did  not  create  a  nuisance.  Whereupon  McRobbie  got 
judgment  with  costs,  he  being  represented  by  Mr.  P.  Murray  Thomson, 
Secretary  of  the  Royal  Caledonian  Horticultural  Society. 
Sblrley  Gardeners’  Association. —  The  members  had  an 
intellectual  treat  afforded  them  by  Professor  E.  T.  Mellor,  B.Sc., 
London,  Lecturer  in  Biology  at  the  Hartley  College,  Southampton, 
at  the  Parish  Rooms,  Shirley,  on  Monday,  17th  inst.,  “  On  Plant 
Cells,  their  Structure,  Forms,  and  Uses,”  illustrated  by  microscopical 
preparations  aud  diagrams.  The  president,  W.  F.  G.  Spranger,  Esq., 
J.P.,  was  in  the  chair,  and  congratulated  the  members  on  having  Mr. 
Mellor  with  them  again.  Mr.  Mellor,  avoiding  as  far  as  possible 
technical  terms,  showed  how  the  structure  of  plants,  as  well  as 
animals,  was  built  up  by  a  series  of  cells,  some  of  which,  as  with 
the  Apple  said  to  be  “  mealy,”  could  be  seen  with  the  naked  eye, 
but  others  were  far  more  minute.  Hundreds  of  biologists  were  at  the 
present  time,  Mr.  Mellor  said,  intently  studying  the  scientific  revelation, 
believing  that  it  might  possibly  solve  the  question,  “  What  is  Life  ?  ” 
and  one  of  Mr.  Mellor’s  most  interesting  microscopic  illustrations 
showed  this  marvellous  creeping  protoplasm  in  action.  Mr.  Mellor 
attached  a  microscope  to  his  lime-light  lantern,  and  was  thus  able  to 
project  on  the  screen  objects  multiplied  20,000  to  30,000  fold.  Some 
of  these  cross-cut  sections  of  tree  and  plant  growths  were  most 
interesting  because  of  the  beautiful  forms  taken  by  the  grain  of 
wood.  The  next  lecture  is  on  “Insects  Injurious  to  Garden  Plants 
‘and  Fruit  Trees,”  by  Rev.  H.  S.  Gorham,  F.Z.I. — J.  M. 
Hybrid  Streptocarpus.— No  better  recommendation  for  these 
plants  could  be  found  than  the  fact  that  they  can  be  had  in  abundance 
tor  Christmas.  Prom  this  it  will  be  seen  that  plants  may  be  flowered 
over  the  larger  portion  of  the  year,  but  at  no  moment  will  they  be  more 
appreciated  than  at  the  festive  season.  For  some  years  Messrs. 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons  have  been  labouring  in  the  improvement  of  the 
Streptocarpus,  and  with  a  most  generous  measure  of  success.  The 
firm  forwarded  for  our  inspection  a  few  days  ago  a  number  of  blooms 
from  the  Feltham  Nursery,  which  for  size  and  substance,  with  diversity 
and  richness  of  colour,  were  really  remarkable.  There  were  pure 
white,  white  striped  purple,  rich  purple,  dark  blue,  light  blue,  rose, 
pink,  lavender,  and  other  shades,  that  amply  demonstrated  the  excellence 
of  the  strain. 
Arsenic  In  Farm  and  Garden  Crops. — The  discovery  of  arsenic 
in  beer  brewed  from  malt  and  Hops  only  has  put  the  “  Lancet  ”  on  the 
track  of  artificial  manures,  which  are  rich  in  arsenic  easily  soluble  in 
water.  This  is  hardly  surprising,  continues  the  authority,  since  the 
basis  of  artificial  manures — namely,  superphosphate  of  lime — is  made 
by  acting  on  ordinary  bone  ash  with  common  oil  of  vitriol.  The 
important  point  is  that  it  has  been  established  that  plants  to  which 
arsenical  manure  is  applied  take  up  arsenic  in  their  tissues.  Cabbages 
and  Turnips  gathered  from  fields  manured  with  superphosphate  have 
given  unmistakeable  evidence  of  the  presence  of  arsenic.  It  is  probable 
that  arsenic  accumulates  in  the  soil  which  is  constantly  being  dressed 
with  superphosphate,  so  that  plants  raised  on  such  soil  would  absorb 
arsenic,  and  exercise  an  injurious  effect  on  the  health  of  man  and 
animals.  The  question  arises,  therefore,  may  not  the  arsenic  in  malt 
be  traceable  to  the  somewhat  large  amount  of  arsenic  inevitably  present 
in  artificial  manures  ?  This  aspect  of  the  subject  is  very  serious,  and 
needs  further  inquiry,  for  it  presages  the  discovery  of  poison  in  a  great 
many  common  articles  of  diet. 
Iiondon  Sewage. — At  the  meeting  of  the  Society  of  Arts  held 
recently.  Dr.  Frank  Clowes,  chemist  to  the  London  County  Council, 
read  a  paper  on  “  The  Treatment  of  London  Sewage,”  which  was 
illustrated  by  limelight  views  and  diagrams.  Mr.  R.  Brudenell  Carter 
was  in  the  chair.  Dr.  Clowes  described  the  method  of  chemical 
treatment  adopted  for  the  disposal  of  sewage,  and  said  that  as  far 
back  as  1893  the  drainage  committee  of  the  London  County  Council 
started  on  a  large  scale  experiments  for  bacterial  purification.  In  the 
process  adopted  the  raw  sewage  was  allowed  to  flow  into  large  tanks 
which  contained  fragments  of  coke  about  the  size  of  walnuts.  As  soon 
as  the  level  of  the  liquid  had  reached  the  upper  surface  of  the  coke 
bed  its  further  inflow  was  stopped,  and  it  was  allowed  to  remain  in 
contact  with  the  coke  surface  for  two  or  three  hours.  It  was  then 
allowed  to  flow  slowly  away  from  the  bottom  of  the  coke  bed.  This 
effluent  was  entirely  free  from  offensive  odour,  and  remained  inoffensive 
and  odourless  even  after  it  had  been  kept  for  a  month  at  summer  heat, 
either  in  closed  or  open  vessels.  The  introduction  of  such  a  sewage 
effluent  into  the  Lower  Thames  was  unobjectionable.  A  discussion 
followed  the  reading  of  the  paper,  and  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  author 
closed  the  proceedings. 
IVEeteorologlcal  Observations  at  Chiswick. — Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
1 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Bain. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
c 
V 
®  n  5 
^  S.': 
o  CU'-’ 
4)  O 
H 
1900. 
December. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
1 
Night 
1 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
! 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
09 
(D 
bo 
s 
93 
o 
1.^ 
Sunday  ..16 
Monday . .  17 
Tuesday  18 
Wed’sday  19 
Thursday  20 
Friday  ..  21 
Saturday  22 
s.s.w. 
5.5. E. 
5.5. W. 
W.N.  W. 
S.S.W. 
W.S.W. 
W.S.W. 
deg. 
37-9 
45T 
48-5 
36-9 
60-4 
43-8 
31-2 
deg. 
37-2 
42-9 
46-6 
36-2 
48-2 
40-3 
81 '0 
deg. 
50  T 
49 ’3 
61-4 
50-6 
63 -1 
48-6 
39-3 
deg. 
37-6 
37-7 
32-4 
36-5 
36-3 
42-8 
30*6 
ins. 
0-22 
0-11 
0-08 
deg. 
45- 8 
46- 6 
44- 8 
45- 6 
44-8 
46- 0 
43-8 
deg. 
48-0 
47-6 
47-2 
47 ‘2 
47-2 
47-2 
47-1 
deg. 
49-6 
49-6 
49-5 
49-3 
49-3 
49-2 
49-2 
ddg. 
30-0 
32  T 
22'6 
29 -.5 
32-5 
36-7 
220 
Means  .. 
42-0 
40-3 
48-9 
36-2 
Total 
1  0-41 
45-2 
47-4 
49-4 
29  3 
The  weather  has  been  much  cooler  during  the  past  week.  Rain  fell 
on  three  days,  Wednesday  being  characterised  by  strong  wind  and 
Saturday  by  thick,  smoky  fog,  which  was  prevalent  all  day. 
