72 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  24,  1901. 
St.  John’s  Horticultural  society,  Ipswich.  —  The  annual 
meeting  was  held  on  Wednesday  evening  in  the  Schools,  Cauldwell 
Hall  Road,  Mr.  Lewis  Smith  being  in  the  chair.  The  balance-sheet,  as 
audited  by  Rev.  W.  S.  King,  was  received  and  adopted.  This  showed 
the  sum  of  £10  2s.  6d.  in  favour  of  the  society.  It  was  decided  that  in 
future  the  gentleman  entertaining  the  society  for  its  annual  show 
should  be  the  president  for  the  year.  The  vice-presidents  were 
re-elected,  as  were  also  Mr.  D.  Walden  as  treasurer,  and  Mr.  J.  M. 
Cracknell  as  secretary.  Mr.  W.  Dale  and  Mr.  N.  Howe  wished  to  retire 
from  the  committee  of  management,  and  Messrs.  L.  Smith,  E.  Cox, 
T.  A.  Cornish,  W.  T.  Cook,  Walter  Cook,  A.  Cudmore,  and  C.  Banyard 
were  re-appointed.  It  was  resolved  to  appeal  for  special  prizes,  and  to 
revise  and  issue  the  schedule  at  an  early  date. 
Grimsby  Horticultural  Society. — The  fortnightly  meeting  of 
the  Grimsby  Horticultural  Society  was  held  on  January  16th,  the 
subject  of  the  paper  by  Mr.  G.  Needham  being  the  “  Growing  and 
Forcing  of  Bulbs.”  Mr.  Needham  referred  first  to  the  growing  of  the 
flowers  by  the  Dutch.  Up  to  the  beginning  of  the  last  century  only 
single  Hyacinths  were  grown,  and  the  first  double  varieties  had  now 
been  lost.  Peter  Yoerhelm,  who  originated  the  doubles,  raised  also 
the  variety  called  King  of  Great  Britain,  which  was  long  sold  for 
£100  sterling,  and  this  was  supposed  now  to  be  the  oldest  variety 
extant.  A  very  large  number  of  both  single  and  double  varieties  were 
named  and  recommended.  Tulips  were  supposed,  said  Mr.  Needham, 
to  have  been  brought  into  Europe  in  1559,  and  were  cultivated  in 
England  in  1577.  It  was  cultivated  largely  in  the  Netherlands,  and  as 
much  as  £400  and  £500  had  been  paid  for  a  root.  The  soil  required 
was  much  the  same  as  in  Hyacinths. 
Hessle  Gardeners’  Society. — Under  the  presidency  of  the  Rev. 
A.  Wordsworth  Savory,  the  above  society  held  the  first  of  the  series  of 
four  lectures  at  the  Parish  Schoolroom,  January  15th.  The  lectures 
are  to  be  given  by  Mr.  Gaut,  County  Council  Horticultural  Instructor 
from  the  Yorkshire  College,  Leeds.  Mr.  Gaut  proceeded  with  his 
subject,  entitled  “  Seeds  and  RootB  of  Plants :  Their  Work,  and  How 
to  Help  Them.”  After  advising  everyone  to  exercise  the  utmost  care 
in  the  selection  of  seeds,  which  should  be  obtained  from  a  reliable  firm 
to  insure  success,  he  proceeded  to  give  the  necessary  elements  for 
germination,  and  reminded  his  hearers  that  every  seed,  no  matter  how 
small,  contained  within  its  embryo  a  small  plantlet ;  they  should  there¬ 
fore  be  treated  as  living  plants  as  soon  as  they  are  sown.  Mr.  Gaut 
strongly  advised  that  seeds  should  be  sown  as  near  the  surface  as 
possible.  Careful  attention  to  every  detail  was  essential  to  success, 
both  for  seed-sowing  and  seed-saving.  Mr.  Gaut’s  remarks  on  watering 
proved  most  instructive  to  young  gardeners.  His  experience  with 
liquid  manure  was,  that  it  is  always  best  to  err  on  the  safe  side  by 
giving  a  weak  application  judiciously  and  regularly  at  a  season  when 
plants  are  active.  A  profitable  discussion  followed  the  lecture.  Mr. 
Gaut  replied  to  each  one  individually.  Hearty  votes  of  thanks  were 
aocorded  the  lecturer  and  chairman,  which  terminated  a  highly 
instructive  and  interesting  evening. — J.  F.  D.,  Yorks. 
Croydon  Horticultural  Mutual  Improvement  Society. — 
The  first  annual  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  at  the  Sunflower 
Temperance  Hotel,  George  Street,  on  Tuesday,  January  15th.  Over 
eighty  members  were  present.  The  committee  presented  their  report 
and  balance-sheet  for  the  past  year.  These  were  confirmed  and 
adopted.  Fifteen  meetings  have  been  held  during  the  year,  at  which 
lectures  have  been  given  and  papers  read  on  various  branches  of 
horticulture,  all  of  which  have  been  of  a  high  standard  of  excellence, 
and  the  discussions  which  followed  have  proved  both  profitable  and 
instructive  to  those  present.  The  average  attendance  at  the  meetings 
has  .been  forty-five.  The  members  then  proceeded  to  the  election  of 
officers  and  committee  for  the  present  year  : — President,  Frank  Lloyd, 
Esq.,  Goombe  House;  vice-presidents,  F.  W.  Burbidge,  M.A.  Trin. 
Coll.  Botanic  Gardens,  Dublin  ;  C.  H.  Walker,  Esq.,  Falkland  Park  ; 
T.  English,  Addington  Park.  On  the  proposition  of  the  chairman 
several  suggestions  were  made  by  members  for  the  future  benefit  of 
the  society.  The  secretary  advooated  that  all  possible  encouragement 
should  be  given  to  the  younger  gardeners,  with  the  result  that  six 
members  offered  prizes  for  essays  on  horticultural  subjeots.  It  was 
proposed  by  Mr.  Boshier,  seoonded  by  Mr.  E.  Kromer,  and  carried, 
“  That  a  dinner  and  social  evening  should  be  held  in  February.” 
Votes  of  thanks  to  the  officers  and  committee  brought  a  very 
enthusiastic  meeting  to  a  close. — J.  Geegoey. 
Cornwall  Daffodil  and  Spring  Plower  Society.  —  The 
committee  of  this  society  is  doing  valuable  service  in  securing 
exhibition  of  the  lovely  spring  flora  of  Cornwall,  and  in  illustrating 
the  geniality  of  the  climate.  Her  Royal  Highness  the  Duchess  of 
Cornwall  has  most  graciously  given  her  name  as  Patroness  of  the 
society.  The  fourth  annual  show  was  most  successful.  The  exhibits 
were  very  numerous,  and  the  entries  for  competition  were  larger  than 
in  the  previous  show. 
Birmingham  Amateur  Gardeners’  Association. — Report  of 
the  committee  for  last  year  was  presented  at  the  eighth  annual  meeting 
held  on  Thursday.  In  presenting  their  eighth  annual  report,  the 
committee  were  pleased  to  record  that  the  influx  of  new  members 
continues  satisfactory.  The  attendance  at  the  three  shows  has  been  well 
up  to  the  average.  The  papers  and  lectures  given  at  the  meetings  have 
been  of  a  good  average  character,  and  although  not  as  numerous  as  in 
previous  years,  they  have  fulfilled  an  important  item  in  the  year’s 
doings.  Particular  mention  should  be  made  of  the  paper  on 
“  Mushrooms,”  Mr.  C.  H.  Herbert ;  and  the  lectures  on  “Gooseberries 
and  Currants,”  Mr.  J.  Udale,  and  “Autumn  Flowers,”  Mr.  W.  B- 
Child.  The  committee  desired  to  record  their  thanks  to  the  donors 
of  special  prizes— namely,  Messrs.  J.  S.  Cornwell,  C.  Daniel, 
G.  F.  Kent,  A.  Muddyman,  G.  Pressly,  W.  A.  Sarsons,  A.  Stanford, 
Herbert  Stone,  F.L.S.,  R.  Sydenham,  W.  Sydenham,  W.  H.  Twist, 
and  J.  S.  Walford. 
Royal  Meteorological  Society. — The  annual  general  meeting  c  f 
this  society  was  held  on  Wednesday  evening,  the  16th  inst.,  at  tai 
Institution  of  Civil  Engineers,  Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  t  e 
president,  Dr.  C.  Theodore  Williams,  in  the  chair.  The  secretary  read 
the  report  of  the  council,  which  showed  the  society  to  be  in  a'satisfactory 
condition,  there  being  an  increase  of  fifty-five  in  the  number  of 
Fellows  over  those  of  the’previous  year.  Reference  was  made  to  the 
celebration  of  the  society’s  jubilee  on  April  3rd  and  4th  last,  aDd  also 
to  the  death  of  Mr.  G.  J.  Symons,  F.R.S.,  who  had  amongst  other 
things  bequeathed  to  the  society  about  2200  volumes  and  4000  pamphlets 
from  his  valuable  library.  Dr.  C.  Theodore  Williams  delivered  the 
presidential  address,  taking  for  his  subject  “  The  Climate  of  Norway 
and  its  Factors.”  He  considered  that  its  meteorology  should  prove  an 
attractive  study  for  the  society,  as  having  much  in  common  with  that 
of  our  country,  both  the  Norwegian  and  the  British  shores  being 
influenced  by  the  same  Gulf  Stream,  and  having  their  winters  and 
summers  tempered  by  the  same  equalising  agency.  The  factors  which 
influenced  the  climate  were — 1,  The  insular  chaiacer  of  the  country  ; 
2,  the  distribution  of  the  mountain  ranges,  which  explains  to  a  large 
extent  the  rainfall ;  3,  the  waters  of  the  ocean,  which  from  a  variety  of 
circumstances  come  into  close  connection  with  much  of  the  country  and 
thus  temper  extremes  of  climate  ;  and,  4,  the  sun,  which  in  this  latitude 
remains  in  the  summer  long  above  the  horizon,  and  in  the  winter  long 
below  it.  The  address  was  illustrated  by  a  large  number  of  lantern 
slides  of  Norwegian  scenery,  embracing  mountains,  glaciers,  fjords,  &o, 
The  election  of  officers  and  councd  for  the  ensuing  year  then  took  place. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Dines,  B.A.,  being  appointed  president,  and  Dr.  C.  Theodore 
Williams  treasurer. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. — Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
M— 
O 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temj 
At 
jerature  of 
le  Soil. 
9  A.M. 
© 
M 
^  2  rf 
1900. 
rection 
Wind. 
At  9  A.  M. 
Day. 
Night 
Rain. 
At 
At 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Lowes: 
mperat 
n  Gras 
January. 
5 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
Highest 
Lowest. 
i-ft. 
deep. 
2-ft. 
deep. 
©  o 
H 
Sunday  ..13 
S.E. 
deg. 
42  1 
deg. 
40 '5 
deg. 
436 
deg. 
37-2 
ins. 
deg. 
41‘1 
deg. 
42-6 
deg. 
46-0 
deg. 
37  0 
Monday.  .14 
E.  S.E. 
35  2 
33  7 
46  4 
29  9 
_ 
40  5 
43-0 
45-9 
20-2 
Tuesday  15 
E.S.E. 
S3’6 
32  1 
39  9 
31-8 
— 
385 
42  6 
45-9 
19  1 
Wed’sday  16 
E.S.E. 
37'8 
36  0 
48*6 
32  4 
0-02 
37  4 
42 '0 
45-7 
21-1 
Thursday  17 
S.S.E. 
40-7 
45'2 
48  4 
37  5 
— 
39  8 
43  0 
45*5 
31'6 
Friday  ..  18 
S.S.E. 
37-7 
3i'i 
49  1 
35  9 
— 
403 
42  3 
45-5 
29-4 
Saturday  19 
S.S.E. 
43-7 
42T 
490 
37  9 
014 
40-8 
42-5 
455 
30-6 
Means  .. 
39-5 
38-1 
46-4 
347 
Total 
0-16 
39  8 
42*6 
457 
I 
27  0 
There  was  a  sharp  burst  of  frost  in  the  early  part  of  the  week 
followed  by  milder  weather  and  a  cold  drizzly  rain  on  the  19th. 
