February  21.  190!. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
161 
In  moving  the  adoption  of  the  report  and  balance  sheet  Mr.  May 
considered  that  the  subscribers  might  well  congratulate  themselves  on 
the  excellent  condition  of  affairs.  He  alluded  to  the  anxious  period 
through  which  we  had  passed,  and  thought  it  most  satisfactory  that  the 
year  of  trouble  had  resulted  in  a  better  financial  condition  than  in  any 
previous  year  in  the  history  of  the  institution.  The  chairman  then 
read  several  letters  from  recipients  of  the  charity,  all  of  whom 
expressed  their  heartfelt  thanks  for  the  assistance  that  had  been  meted 
out  to  them.  It  must,  he  added  in  conclusion,  be  a  source  of  grati¬ 
fication  to  the  subscribers  to  know  how  much  their  generous  efforts 
were  appreciated.  Mr  H.  J.  Jones  seconded,  and  the  motion  was  carried 
unanimously. 
The  election  of  officers  was  then  proceeded  with.  Lord  Battersea 
and  Mr.  Richard  Dean,  V.M.H.,  were  placed  upon  the  roll  of  vice- 
presidents;  while  Mr.  N.  N.  Sherwood,  treasurer,  Mr.  P.  Rudolph  Barr, 
auditor,  and  Mr.  Brian  Wynne,  secretary,  were  re-elected.  Mr.  Wm. 
'Cutbush  was  placed  npon  the  committee  vice  Mr.  T.  Swales,  who  has 
resigned.  Mr.  H.  B.  May  moved,  aDd  Mr.  McLeod  seconded,  “  That 
this  meeting  receives  with  regret  the  resignation  of  Mr.  Richard  Dean 
from  the  committee.”  The  speaker  eulogised  the  excellent  work  Mr. 
Dean  had  done  on  behalf  of  the  institution  from  the  time  of  its 
commencement  until  the  present. 
Declaration  of  the  Poll. 
The  poll  closed  at  4.30,  and  a  very  few  moments  later  Mr.  W.  Poupart’ 
on  behalf  of  the  scrutineers,  read  the  result  as  follows  : — Henry  Chas- 
Bevis,  469;  Aichie  Nicholas,  254;  Evelyn  O.  Cooke,  234;  Albert  E. 
Grantham,  215;  Mary  Seaton,  155;  Ethel  E.  Page,  151;  Henry 
Hebblethwaite,  142;  Victoria  Livinia  Riddle,  131;  Chas.  Gregg,  129 ; 
Lawrence  E.  C.  S.  Seldon,  128;  Rhoda  C.  Cooper,  124;  John  H.  de 
Grucby,  119  ;  and  Joyce  L.  Gay  ton,  118.  The  chairman  then  deolared 
the  first  twelve  in  the  list  duly  elected  to  the  benefits  of  the  institution. 
Two  other  candidates  had  applied  since  the  list  was  published — namely, 
David  Robertson,  Edinburgh,  and  R.  W.  Parker,  Bournemouth;  these 
had  been  properly  investigated  and  found  to  be  thoroughly  deserving. 
Mr.  H.  J.  Veitch  proposed,  and  Mr.  G.  Monro  seconded,  that  as  the 
funds  of  the  Society  were  in  such  excellent  state  the  two  unsuccessful, 
J.  H.  de  Gruchy  and  J.  L.  Gayton,  and  the  two  new  candidates, 
D.  Robertson  and  R.  W.  Parker,  be  placed  upon  the  Fund.  This  having 
been  supported  by  Mr.  A.  Dean,  it  was  carried  without  dissent. 
Mr.  W.  Roupell  proposed  that  a  vote  of  thanks  be  accorded  to  the 
chairman  for  presiding,  and  to  the  scrutineers  for  their  services.  Mr. 
A.  Dean  seconded  this,  and  suggested  that  Mr.  H.  B.  May,  as  a  member 
of  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  should  use  his 
influence  to  get  a  flower  tent  at  the  Temple  Show  for  the  benefit  of  the 
Royal  Gardeners’  Orphan  Fund.  Both  the  votes  were  carried  by 
acclamaiion,  and  the  proceedings  closed. 
— — : - «*•*►-- - 
Figs  Under  Glass, 
As  the  earliest  forced  trees  in  pots  have  now  a  number  of  active 
roots  and  fully  developed  leaves,  particular  attention  must  be  given  to 
the  watering,  never  allowing  them  to  suffer  for  lack  of  moisture  or 
supplying  it  excessively.  Turves  may  be  placed  around  the  rims  of  the 
pots  so  as  to  form  a  dish,  and  rich  compost  given,  say  an  inch  thickness 
at  a  time,  as  the  roots  occuoy  it,  and  liquid  manure  in  a  weak  tepid 
state,  always  in  sufficient  quantity  to  pass  through  the  soil  to  the 
drainage.  The  atmosphere  must  be  kept  congenial,  syringing  the 
plants  twice  a  day  when  the  weather  is  fine,  and  damping  the  paths  and 
walls  when  dull.  A  steady  temperature  of  60°  at  night,  5°  more  on 
mild,  and  falling  below  those  degrees  on  cold  nights,  with  60J  to  65°  by 
day  when  cold  and  dull,  and  10°  to  15°  rise  with  gleams  of  sun,  will 
sustain  the  growth  made,  and  it  can  be  accelerated  under  the  influence 
of  light.  Admit  a  little  air  at  70°,  keeping  it  with  sun  heat  at  75°  to 
80°  to  about  midday,  when,  by  diminishing  the  ventilation,  the 
temperature  may  advance  to  85°  or  90°,  closing  sufficiently  early  to 
maintain  a  good  heat  whilst  daylight  lasts. 
Stopping  and  tying  must  be  attended  to  as  growth  advances,  and 
overcrowding  guarded  against  by  rubbing  off  shoots  for  which  there  is 
not  space  for  full  exp  sure  to  the  light.  Pinch  off  the  points  of  the 
shoots  at  the  fifth  leaf,  if  necessary,  to  secure  a  symmetrical  habit, 
otherwise  sturdy  growths  afford  the  finest  fruits  when  unpinched.  As 
the  branches  may  not  always  be  thinned  without  sacrificing  some  fruit, 
and  cutting  out  when  the  sap  is  most  active  being  inadvisable,  tie  such 
out,  putting  in  the  needful  stakes.  Any  excess  branches  are  b°st  cut 
out  when  the  fruit  is  gathered,  and  the  growths  ripen  better  in 
consequence. 
The  trees  planted  out  and  started  at  the  new  year  are  very 
promising,  and  the  young  Figs  growing  freely.  They  must  be  attended 
to  for  disbudding,  exeicising  judgment  as  to  what  shoots  to  reserve  for 
succession  and  stopping,  always  removing  surplus  in  the  bud  state. 
Where  there  is  room  the  leading  shoots  may  be  allowed  to  the  extremity 
without  stopping,  and  no  more  should  be  laid  in  than  there  is  space  for 
insuring  full  exposure  to  light,  reserving  a  few  growths  where  there  is 
room  without  interfering  with  the  successional  shoots,  and  pinching  at 
the  fifth  leaf.  These  so-called  spurs  will  give  second  crop  Figs,  and 
may  be  useful  for  displacing  shoots  cut  out  later,  but  it  is  not  good 
practice  to  encourage  spur  growths.  Mulch  the  borders  with  thoroughly 
decayed  lumpy  manure,  and  sprinkle  on  it  a  handful  per  square  yard 
occasionally  of  bone  superphosphate,  to  which  has  been  added  a  fourth 
part  of  sulphate  of  potash.  The  mulching  will  attract  the  roots  to  the 
sutface,  where  they  can  be  easily  supplied  with  nutrition  as  needed, 
supplying  water  as  required,  with  liquid  manure  in  the  case  of  trees 
needing  support  through  limited  rooting  area.  A  temperature  of  55°  to 
60°  at  night,  60°  to  65  by  day  artificially,  70°  to  75°  with  a  little  sun, 
rising  to  80°  or  85°  in  bright  weather  is  suitable. — Grower. 
- <*••» - - 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
Scientific  Committee,  February  12th. 
Present  ;  Dr.  M.  T.  Masters  (in  the  chair)  ;  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  Messrs. 
Houston,  Gordon,  Douglas,  Bennett,  Rendle,  Groom,  N  icholsoD,  Odell, 
O'Brien,  Chapman,  Hogg,  Druery,  Sutton,  Bowles,  Sanders,  Elwes, 
Michael,  Prof.  Farmer,  and  Rev.  G.  Henslow,  hon.  sec. 
In  response  to  the  invitation  of  the  council  of  the  R.  H.S.  to  well- 
known  men  of  science  to  join  the  Scientific  Committee,  with  the  view 
of  reinstating  it  on  a  firm  basis  and  of  rendering  it  more  useful,  a 
large  gathering  of  new  and  old  members  assembled  after  the  annual 
meeting  ;  and  a  very  interesting  discussion  took  place  over  the 
numerous  exhibits  sent,  as  well  as  upon  a  valuable  viva  voce  abstract  of 
his  paper  upon  “Hybrid  Conifers,”  by  Dr.  Masters,  which  will  appear 
in  full  in  the  Journal.  A  cordial  vote  of  thanks  was  given  unanimously 
to  Dr.  Masterp.  Mr.  Elwes  observed  that  it  would  be  of  much  assistance 
to  the  secretary  if  there  were  an  unwritten  rule  that  whoever  con¬ 
tributed  specimens,  whether  sent  or  brought  to  the  meetings,  should 
always  accompany  them  with  as  full  details  as  possible,  for  preservation 
in  the  reports,  which  would  finally  be  recorded  in  the  Journal.  He  also 
thought  that  when  a  valuable  series  of  plants  was  shown,  as  on  the 
present  occasion  by  Mr.  Lynch,  the  most  important  at  least  should  be 
preserved,  as  they  might  not  even  be  in  the  National  Herbaria.  With 
regard  to  notes,  &c.,  on  specimens  sent,  Mr.  Henslow  observed  that  as 
a  rule  something  was  usually  said  about  them,  but  too  often  of  a  very 
meagre  description.  What,  however,  would  enhance  the  value  of  the 
reports,  would  be  for  those  who  had  observations  to  make  at  the 
meeting  to  send  him  a  more  complete  account  than  is  conveyed  by 
the  remarks  which  occur  at  the  moment,  if  such  should  be  thought 
desirable. 
Hybrid  Conifers. — Dr.  Masters  presented  a  paper  on  this  subject  in 
which  he  remarked  on  the  rarity  of  hybrid  Conifers  in  Nature  in  spite 
of  the  profusion  of  pollen  that  is  formed.  Tnis  rarity  he  attributed  to 
the  fact  that,  in  the  old  world  at  least,  the  forests  consist  mainly  of  one 
soecies.  Allusion  was  then  made  to  the  various  hybrids  in  the  genus 
Pinus  described  by  B  -ck,  Wettstein,  and  others,  and  to  the  so-called 
hybrid  between  Juniperus  nana  and  J.  communis,  in  reference  to  which 
the  speaker  showed  specimens  of  both  forms  taken  from  the  same  bush. 
Biota  meldensis,  a  supposed  hybrid,  is  only  a  transitory  stage  of  Thuia 
orientalis.  The  only  two  artificially  produced  hybrids  known  to  the 
speaker  are  one  raised  by  M.  Croux  between  Abies  Pinsapo,  J,  and 
A.  Nordmanniana,  ?,  and  another  raised  by  the  late  Henry  de  Vilmorin 
between  Abies  cephalonica,  6,  and  A.  Pinsapo,  ?.  Specimens  of  these 
hybrids,  bv  the  courtesy  of  M.  Criux  and  of  M.  P.  de  Vilmorin,  were 
shown.  M  de  Vilmorin’s  hybrid  Abies  had  produced  cones,  two  of 
which  were  exhibited,  together  with  those  of  the  patent  plants.  Last 
year  a  single  fertile  seed  was  obtained,  whose  progress  will  be  watched 
with  interest.  Details  relating  to  the  external  features  and  internal 
anatomy  of  these  hybrids  are  given  at  length  in  the  paper,  which  will 
probably  be  published  in  the  Journal  of  the  Society.  Specimens  of  the 
foliage,  and  of  the  cones  of  the  parent  plants  and  of  the  hybrids,  were 
shown  in  illustration  of  the  speaker’s  remarks. 
Snowdrops  diseased. — Mr.  H.  Lewis  Jones.  61,  Wimpole  Street,  sent 
some  specimens  of  Galanthus  Elwesi,  with  the  following  note  : — “  They 
were  planted  for  three  years.  A  top-dressing  of  manure  was  put  over 
them  in  autumn.  There  was  nothing  wrong  until  this  year,  when  a 
large  number  came  up  healthy,  but  the  later  members  (about  half  of  500  in 
all)  came  up  slowly,  were  yellowish  later,  and  proved  to  be  diseased.  It 
seems  to  be  spreading  in  both  of  my  beds  of  bulbs.  They  are  at  the 
foot  of  a  wall,  with  an  easterly  aspect.  The  soil  is  light,  with  a  chalky 
subsoil.”  Professor  Farmer  undertook  to  investigate  the  nature  of  the 
disease,  and  specimens  were  also  sent  to  Dr.  W.  G.  Smith,  Yorkshire 
College,  Leeds. 
Cypripedium  malformed. — Mr.  O’Brien  exhibited  a  dimerous  flower 
of  C.  insigne,  and  a  pale  yellow-green  leaf  from  the  same  plant.  He 
remarked  that  these  two  features  had  been  constant  on  one  and 
the  same  plant  for  three  or  four  years.  Though  both  peculiarities  are 
not  uncommon,  it  was  unusual  to  find  them  on  the  same  individual. 
Oalavthns,  species — Mr.  Elwes  showed  flowers  and  foliage  of 
G.  Elwesi,  and  the  so-named  G.  Whittalli,  pointing  out  that  the  latter  is 
only  a  local  variety  of  the  former  with  somew  hat  broader  leaves  and 
sepals,  there  being  also  a  Blight  difference  in  the  green  colouring  of  the 
