January  10,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
31 
Recent  Weather  In  London. — Londoners  have  had  a  touch  of 
real  winter  during  the  past  few  days.  On  Sunday  the  wind  blew 
strongly  from  the  north-east,  and  brought  with  it  a  suspicion  of  snow  ; 
ic  was  bitterly  cold.  On  Monday  snow  fell  for  several  hours,  and  slight 
frost  with  a  cold  wind  continued  the  whole  of  the  day.  On  Tuesday 
snow  fell  heavily.  Wednesday  opened  frosty,  with  indications  of  fog. 
Weather  In  the  north. — There  was  for  the  first  few  days  of  the 
year  a  cessation  of  the  accustomed  rain,  and  there  was  a  sharp  frost 
on  the  morning  of  Sunday  with  dense  rime.  Rain  again  began  during 
Monday  night,  and  Tuesday  was  cold  with  sleety  showers. — B.  D., 
8.  Perthshire. 
“  My  Garden  Diary.” — Under  this  title  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons,  of 
Reading,  have  put  forth  a  very  artistic  combination  of  horticultural 
calendar  and  note-book  in  connection  with  gardening  operations.  The 
designs  upon  the  covers  are  especially  attractive,  and  do  great  credit 
to  the  taste  of  the  publishers ;  indeed,  it  would  serve  as  a  conspicuous 
ornament  on  any  drawing-room  table. 
Horticultural  Club. — Our  older  readers  will  be  pleased  to  hear  that 
a  wish  having  been  expressed  that,  in  recognition  of  the  twenty-six 
years’  valuable  services  of  the  Rev.  H.  H.  D’Ombrain  as  the  founder 
and  only  secretary  of  this  society,  his  portrait  should  be  hung  in  the 
club  room,  and  Mr.  D’Ombrain  having  consented  to  sit,  it  has  been 
decided  to  ask  Miss  Rivers  of  Sawbridgeworth,  who  painted  the  portrait 
of  the  late  Dr.  Hogg,  to  accept  the  commission.  The  subscription  is 
limited  to  one  guinea. 
Barrister’s  War  Experience.  —  At  the  Derbyshire  Quarter 
Sessions,  Mr.  Hole,  son  of  Dean  Hole,  and  Mr.  Tonman  Mosley, 
barristers,  were  heartily  welcomed  on  putting  in  their  first  pro¬ 
fessional  appearance  since  their  return  from  the  front,  where  they 
served  with  the  C.I.Y.  Mr.  Hole,  in  thanking  the  magistrates  for  their 
congratulations,  recalled  the  fact  that  the  last  time  he  was  in  a  court  of 
justice  he  was  7000  miles  from  Derby,  and  occupied  a  position  in  the 
dock  on  a  charge  of  being  an  English  spy  within  the  Republican  lines. 
Royal  Meteorological  Society. — The  annual  general  meeting 
of  the  society  will  be  held  at  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  Great 
George  Street,  Westminster,  on  Wednesday,  the  16th  inst.,  at  7.45  p.m., 
when  the  report  of  the  council  will  be  read,  the  election  of  officers 
and  council  for  the  ensuing  year  will  take  place,  and  the  president 
(Dr.  C.  Theodore  Williams)  will  deliver  an  address  on  “  The  Climate 
of  Norway  and  its  Factors,”  which  will  be  illustrated  by  lantern 
slides.  The  above  meeting  will  be  preceded  by  an  ordinary  meeting, 
which  will  commence  at  7.30  p.m. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. — The  first  meeting  of  the 
committees  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  in  1901  will  be  held 
as  usual  in  the  Drill  Hall,  Buckingham  Gate,  Westminster,  on  Tuesday 
next,  January  15th.  A  paper  on  “  Recent  Developments  in  the 
Treatment  of  Diseases  and  Insects  Injurious  to  Orchard  Crops,”  by 
Professor  Beach,  U.S.A.,  will  be  read  at  three  o’clock.  The  Scientific 
Committee  will  meet  at  4  p.m.  To  prevent  misunderstanding  it  may  be 
mentioned  that  the  committees  of  1900  do  not  vacate  office  until  the 
date  of  the  annual  meeting  1901,  and  in  like  manner  all  Fellows’ 
tickets  of  1900  are  available  until  February  12th,  1901. 
The  Horticultural  Directory. — This  most  useful  publication 
for  the  present  year  is  now  ready,  and,  as  usual,  it  contains  a  rich  fund 
of  information  that  will  be  found  valuable  to  everyone  interested  in 
gardening.  In  addition  to  tables  on  various  subjects  for  gardeners,  it 
comprises  within  its  550  pages  garden  receipts,  a  list  of  the  plants 
certificated  by  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  during  the  past  year, 
lists  of  nurserymen,  seedsmen,  and  florists  in  the  metropolitan  area  and 
throughout  the  whole  of  the  British  Isles,  county  list  of  the  principal 
estates  with  their  gardeners,  lists  of  the  Covent  Garden  salesmen,  the 
chief  botanical  and  horticultural  societies  in  the  kingdom,  as  well  as 
much  other  kindred  matter  of  equal  interest  and  value.  The  price  is 
Is.  3d.,  post  free,  from  the  publisher,  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet 
Street,  London,  E.C. 
Metropolitan  Public  Gardens  Association. — At  the  monthly 
meeting  of  the  association,  83,  Lancaster  Gate,  W.,  the  draft  of  the 
eighteenth  annual  report  was  approved.  It  showed  that  the  income  for 
the  past  year,  amounting  to  £4400,  was  considerably  less  than  that 
received  in  1899.  The  expenditure  was  £4200.  Four  new  grounds 
have  been  laid  out  and  opened,  and  assistance  has  been  rendered  to  a 
number  of  other  schemes.  An  appeal  was  made  for  increased  support 
during  the  year  1901. 
Water  Companies  and  Garden  Watering. — Mr.  G.  M. 
Freeman,  Q.C.,  and  other  Buckinghamshire  magistrates  at  Slough 
recently  heard  a  case  of  great  importance  to  water  consumers  through¬ 
out  the  country.  The  Slough  Water  Company  summoned  Mr.  Neal  of 
Slough  foi  £2  8s.  water  rate.  Defendant  admitted  that  £1  18s.  was  due, 
but  disputed  the  remaining  10s.  charged  for  a  garden  hose.  The  charge 
was  specified  in  the  company’s  regulations,  but  no  agreement  existed 
as  to  it  between  them  and  the  defendant.  The  bench,  therefore,  gave 
judgment  for  the  sum  of  £1  18s.  only. 
Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  —  The  annual 
general  meeting  of  this  institution  is  fixed  for  Tuesday,  22nd  inst.,  at 
Simpson’s,  Strand,  when  seventeen  pensioners  will  be  plaoed  on  the  funds 
The  committee  recommends  Isaac  Clark,  William  Cotton,  William  Craggs, 
John  Eastwood,  Thomas  Gale,  Elizabeth  Harris,  and  Samuel  Smith  be 
placed  upon  the  funds  without  election.  There  are  thirty-three  candidates 
for  the  remaining  ten  vacancies.  There  are  179  pensioners.  The  meeting 
will  commence  at  three  o’clock,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  H.  J. 
Veitch.  The  annual  friendly  supper  of  this  society  will  take  plaoe,  after 
the  annual  general  meeting,  at  Simpson’s  Hotel,  at  6  p.m.,  when  Aider- 
man  Robert  Piper,  of  Worthing  will  preside. 
“  All  About  Sweet  Peas.” — This  is  the  title  of  a  small  pamphlet 
that  has  been  issued  by  the  versatile  Mr.  Robert  Sydenham  of 
Birmingham,  whose  object  is  to  popularise  these  beautiful  and 
fragrant  flowers.  The  cultivation  of  the  plant  is  dealt  with  in  a 
brief,  but  admirably  written  chapter,  after  which  follows  a  descriptive 
list  of  some  fourteen  dozen  varieties.  As  this  is  far  too  many  for  the 
generality  of  cultivators,  Mr.  Sydenham  proceeds  to  give  a  selection 
of  the  best  dozen,  which  comprises  Blanche  Burpee,  Prima  Donna, 
Admiration,  Lady  Mary  Currie,  Prince  of  Wales,  Salopian,  Lottie 
Hutchins,  Queen  Victoria,  Lady  Grisel  Hamilton,  Duke  of  Westminster, 
Navy  Blue,  and  Black  Knight.  The  price  of  this  little  book  is  6d.,  and 
all  the  profits  accruing  from  its  sale,  are,  we  understand,  to  be  handed 
over  to  the  Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund. 
Tbe  Cray’s  and  Orpington  Cottagers’  and  Gardeners’ 
Mutual  Improvement  Association. — The  members  of  the  above 
had  a  most  enjoyable  evening  on  Wednesday,  January  2nd,  1901,  when 
Mr.  H.  Cannell,  sen.,  of  Swanley,  gave  an  interesting  lecture  on  “The 
Garden  and  its  Worth.”  Mr.  Cannell,  in  the  course  of  his  lengthy 
discourse,  pointed  out  the  inestimable  benefits  to  be  derived  from  the 
good  culture  of  vegetables,  fruit,  and  flowers,  specially  pointing  out  the 
value  of  the  seed  of  White  Czar  Bean  as  an  article  of  diet ;  cooked 
specimens  being  handed  round,  and  duly  tasted,  were  pronounced 
excellent.  Mr.  Cannell  urged  his  audience  not  to  be  content  with 
slipshod  methods,  but  by  thorough  cultivation  endeavour  to  get  the 
best  results  obtainable.  At  the  close  of  the  lecture  a  very  hearty  vote  of 
thanks  was  accorded  to  Mr.  Cannell,  and  also  to  Mr.  W.  Beer,  the  hon. 
treasurer  of  the  association,  for  presiding.  An  excellent  collection  of 
vegetables  and  fruit  was  exhibited  by  Mr.  Cannell,  in  addition  to 
exhibits  from  members. 
Reading  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Association. — - 
The  annual  general  meeting  of  the  Reading  and  District  Gardeners 
Mutual  Improvement  Association  was  held  at  the  Abbey  Cafe  on 
Monday,  the  7th  inst.,  and  notwithstanding  the  very  inclement  weather 
there  was  a  good  attendance  of  members.  The  president,  Mr.  C.  B 
Stevens,  occupied  the  chair  for  the  first  part  of  the  meeting,  vacating 
it  later  for  Mr.  Leonard  G.  Sutton,  who  was  elected  president  for  1901. 
The  other  officers  elected  were — chairman,  Mr.  T.  Neve  ;  vice-chairman, 
Mr.  H.  Wilson;  treasurer,  Mr.  F.  Macdonald;  librarian,  Mr.  E.  J.  Dore ; 
assistant-librarian,  Mr.  F.  W.  Exler ;  auditors,  Messrs.  Badcock  and 
A.  Smith  ;  committee,  Messrs.  A.  W.  Blake,  F.  Bright,  R.  Chamberlain, 
C.  P.  Cretchley,  D.  Dore,  E.  Fry,  G.  Hinton,  W.  Lees,  F.  Lever,  E.  S. 
Pigg,  J.  T.  Powell,  G.  Smith,  W.  Smith,  G.  Stanton,  W.  Townsend,  and 
J.  Woolford  ;  whilst  Mr.  H.  G.  Cox,  “  Fernlea,”  Junction  Road,  Reading, 
was're-elected  hon.  secretary.  Mr.  D.  Dore  staged  three  splendid  headi 
of  Sutton’s  Best  of  All  Savoy.  Two  new  members  were  elected. 
