February  28,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
173 
Recent  Weather  In  London. — After  a  week  of  winter  Londoners 
rejoiced  in  a  week-end  of  spring.  The  temperature  went  up  a  full  10°- 
It  reached  63°  in  the  sun  on  Saturday,  and  60°  on  Sunday.  The  sun 
shone  brilliantly  at  intervals  on  Monday,  and  the  rain,  which  threatened 
now  and  again,  did  not  fall.  Tuesday  was  cold,  and  Wednesday 
opened  very  wet. 
Weather  In  the  Worth. — From  the  19th  to  the  22nd  inst.  there 
was  a  return  of  frost,  9°  being  registered  on  the  mornings  of  the  21st 
and  22nd,  accompanied  by  very  dense  hoar  frost.  A  change  occurred 
during  the  following  night,  and  fresh  weather  has  continued  since. 
Saturday  was  an  exceedingly  pleasant  day  for  the  season ;  Sunday  and 
Monday  were  dull,  cold,  and  drizzly. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
A  Fountain  for  the  Archbishop's  Park. — On  the  recom¬ 
mendation  of  the  Parks  Committee  of  the  London  County  Counoil  it 
was  agreed  :  “  That  the  granite  drinking  fountain  offered  through  the 
Metropolitan  Drinking  Fountain  and  Cattle  Trough  Association  for 
placing  in  the  Archbishop’s  park  be  accepted,  and  that  the  council  do 
agree  to  maintain  the  same  and  to  undertake  the  supply  of  water  to  the 
fountain,  and  that  the  chief  officer  of  the  parks  department  do  make  all 
necessary  arrangements  in  the  matter.” 
The  Broccoli  Crop. — The  Broccoli  season  in  West  Cornwall  has 
proved  the  worst  for  many  years,  in  a  pecuniary  sense.  The  yield  has 
been  prolific,  and  as  many  as  eight  or  ten  special  trains  would  leave  the 
West  of  the  Duchy  with  hundreds  of  crates.  Fairly  good  prices  were 
realised  in  London,  Birmingham,  Glasgow,  and  other  places,  but  they 
were  not  sufficient  to  be  remunerative  to  the  grower.  Thus,  after  he 
had  paid  carriage  on  the  crate  he  would  sometimes  find  that  in  return 
for  all  his  trouble  he  would  only  receive  Is.  or  Is.  6d.  In  some  instances 
big  money  was  obtained,  but  these  were  few  and  far  between.  At  this 
rate  the  trade  in  Cornish  Cauliflowers  is  bound  to  be  crippled. 
Improving  Bpping  Forest. — The  annual  report  of  the  Epping 
Forest  Committee  of  the  Corporation  states  that  the  thinning  operations 
— at  one  time  the  most  pressing  of  the  necessary  works  and  improve¬ 
ments— had  been  gradually  getting  lighter  year  by  year.  They  had 
extended  several  old  openings  on  undulating  portions  in  Loughton 
parish,  with  the  gratifying  result  that  many  charming  views  had  been 
obtained,  formerly  obscured  by  dense  masses  of  stunted  trees.  The 
additions  and  alterations  to  Queen  Elizabeth  Lodge  had  been  completed 
at  a  cost  of  £1000.  A  large  number  of  cricket  pitches  and  football 
grounds  had  been  opened  in  the  Forest,  and  battalion  drills  and  other 
military  evolutions  had  been  held. 
The  Oil  Fly. — The  Rome  correspondent  of  the  “  Morning  Post  ” 
writes  :  ”  An  interesting  discovery  has  just  been  made  at  Lecce,  in 
South-eastern  Italy,  by  peasants,  who,  while  burning  a  quantity  of 
weeds  to  warm  themselves,  noticed  that  as  the  weeds  burned  a  number 
of  insects  escaped  from  them  into  the  air.  Examining  some  of  the 
insects  they  were  found  to  be  the  terrible  Mosca  olearia,  or  oil  fly, 
which  has  devastated  the  Olive  yards  of  South-eastern  Italy  for  the 
last  two  years.  Further  examination  showed  that  the  insects  came 
out  of  the  capsules  of  a  species  of  wild  Onion  which  is  very  common 
in  those  provinces.  A  number  of  wild  Onion  stalks  were  gathered  and 
carefully  examined.  All  of  them  were  found  to  contain  oil  flies, 
some  having  as  many  as  forty  or  fifty.  The  discovery  is  of  the 
greatest  importance,  as  it  will  facilitate  the  war  against  the  oil  fly> 
hitherto  carried  on  without  much  success.  Active  researches  are  now 
being  made  to  settle  the  points  whether  the  oil  fly  inhabits  the  wild 
Onion  every  year,  whether  the  wild  Onion  is  the  only  plant  used  by  the 
fly  as  a  shelter,  and  whether  it  is  used  merely  as  winter  quarters. 
The  oil  fly  plague,  which  has  already  cost  the  South-eastern  provinces 
of  Italy  several  million  pounds,  is  one  more  illustration  of  the  criminal 
folly  of  the  Italians  in  allowing  the  wholesale  destruction  of  every 
kind  of  bird.  Foreign  men  of  science  and  naturalists  have  repeatedly 
protested  against  the  system  of  putting  up  nets  along  the  seashore 
to  catch  migratory  birds,  and  of  permitting  peasants  and  so-called 
“  huntsmen”  to  shoot  indiscriminately  every  sort  of  feathered  creature 
from  the  size  of  a  wren  upward.  Under  suoh  conditions  insects  of 
every  sort  flourish,  with  the  result  that  insect  plagues  occur  and  cause 
misery  and  loss  throughout  vast  tracts  of  territory.” 
Death  of  Mrs.  Robert  Fenn. — It  is  with  the  most  profound 
regret  that  we  learn  of  the  death,  on  Saturday  last,  at  the  age  of 
sixty-five  years,  of  Eliza,  wife  of  Robert  Fenn,  Cottage  Farm,  Sulham- 
stead,  near  Reading.  All  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture  will 
unite  with  us  in  tendering  the  deepest  sympathy  to  Mr.  and  Miss  Fenn 
in  their  terrible  bereavement. 
Government  Seed  Tests.  —  The  departmental  committee 
appointed  by  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  and  presided  over  by  the  Earl  of 
Onslow,  to  inquire  into  the  conditions  under  which  agricultural  seeds  are 
at  present  sold,  has  now  completed  its  report.  The  committee  come  to 
the  conclusion  that,  generally  speaking,  the  seed  trade  in  England  is,  on 
the  whole,  well  conducted,  and  has  of  late  years  improved  with  the 
advance  of  science ;  nevertheless,  the  majority  of  the  committee 
recommend  that  one  central  station  should  be  provided  in  the  United 
Kingdom  for  the  purpose  of  testing  the  purity  and  germinating  power 
of  seeds  sent  to  it  for  official  examination. 
Wargrave  Gardeners’  Association. — At  the  meeting  of  this 
association  last  week  Mr.  W.  J.  Fuller  read  a  paper  on  “  Potatoes.” 
The  subject  was  selected  for  the  assistant  and  single-handed  gardeners’ 
essays  last  year,  for  which  Mr.  Fuller  won  the  first  prize.  He  dealt 
with  the  chemical  composition  and  varieties  of  Potatoes,  the  soil  most 
suitable  for  growing  them,  their  cultivation,  manures  and  the  best  time 
of  applying  them,  the  preparation  of  the  sets,  time  and  manner  of 
planting,  earthing  up,  lifting,  storing,  and  exhibiting.  The  Potato 
disease  and  remedies,  with  the  manner  of  their  application,  were 
referred  to,  and  the  different  means  of  forcing  Potatoes  mentioned.  A 
discussion  took  place. 
The  Brighton  and  Sussex  Horticultural  Society  met  on 
Thursday  evening.  The  prize  competitions — the  first  of  the  year — 
attracted  several  entries,  and  many  beautiful  specimens  of  Cyclamens 
and  Primulas  were  exhibited.  The  following  found  favour  with  the 
judges: — Two  Cyclamens. — 1,  Mr.  C.  Murrell;  2,  Mr.  T.  Fairs;  3,  Mr. 
W.  Manton.  Two  Primulas. — 1,  Mr.  T.  Fairs;  2,  Mr.  J.  Bunney  ;  3, 
Mr.  G.  Hart.  Two  Primulas  (open  to  amateurs). — 1,  Mr.  A.  T.  Braden; 
2,  Mr.  G.  F.  Bunney  ;  3,  Mr.  G.  Short.  Mr.  T.  W.  Sanders  delivered 
the  leoture,  his  subject  being,  “  Mistakes  in  Hardy  Fruit  Culture.” 
Questions  were  addressed  to  the  lecturer,  and  ably  answered,  Messrs. 
Rapley,  Spottiswood,  and  Colman  taking  part  in  the  discussion. 
During  the  evening  Mr.  Miles  broached  the  subject  of  the  advisability 
of  holding  a  dinner.  On  the  initiative  of  Mr.  Richardson,  supported 
by  Mr.  Anderson,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  to  do  so. 
Croydon  and  District  Horticultural  Mutual  Improvement 
Society. — There  was  a  crowded  meeting  in  the  Society’s  room  on 
February  19th  last  to  hear  Mr.  Cole,  who  gave  a  very  interesting  paper 
on  the  “  Cultivation  of  the  Gloxinia.”  The  popularity  of  the  Gloxinia 
and  its  beautiful  decorative  effects  were  specially  noted,  and  a  list  of 
the  most  charming  varieties  were  given,  the  following  being  a  few  of 
the  best — viz.,  Mrs.  W.  Weaver,  Charles  Young,  Lady  Warwick,  Duchess 
of  York,  Queen  of  My  Heart,  Lady  Roberts,  Princess  of  Wales,  Ellen, 
Mrs.  Fisher,  Burgundy,  Mrs.  John  Peed,  and  Her  Majesty.  Few 
flowers  possess  such  lovely  colouring  and  form  as  the  Gloxinia.  The 
interest  in  the  subject  was  evidenced  by  the  remarks  and  discussions 
which  followed.  The  secretary,  Mr.  Gregory,  announced  the  special 
arrangements  for  the  dinner  and  social  at  the  Greyhound  Hotel  on 
Wednesday  evening  next.  With  a  vote  of  thanks  to  the  chairman  a  very 
profitable  evening  was  brought  to  a  close.  Ten  new  members  were 
elected. 
Broughty  Ferry  Horticultural  Association. — The  monthly 
meeting  of  this  association  was  held  last  week  in  the  British  Workman, 
Mr.  James  Slater,  vice-president,  in  the  chair.  Mr.  James  Reid, 
gardener,  Dudhope  House,  Dundee,  read  a  paper  on  “  Stove  and  Green¬ 
house  Plants.”  In  an  interesting  and  comprehensive  manner  the  wide 
range  of  materials  which  form  successful  cultivation  was  dealt  with  by 
Mr.  Reid,  who,  well  known  as  an  authority  in  the  gardening  world,  was 
listened  to  with  close  attention  by  a  large  audience.  He  devoted  a 
large  part  of  his  paper  to  the  size  of  pots  to  be  used,  drainage  (all  fast¬ 
growing  plants,  in  the  interests  of  growth  and  flowering,  requiring  good 
drainage),  watering  (the  most  important  point  in  a  plant’s  activity),  the 
nature  of  soils  (fibrous  and  non-fibrous),  the  food  of  plants,  and  the 
benefits  derivable  therefrom  through  chemical  application  to  plant  life. 
On  two  tables  very  effective  collections  of  Hyaoinths,  Tulips,  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  Narcissus,  Cineraria,  Camellia,  and  Primulas  were  shown  by 
the  essayist,  Mr.  David  Meeston,  The  Lodge,  and  Mr.  L.  S.  Reid 
gardener,  Douglas  Terrace. 
