174 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
February  28,  1901. 
Shirley  and  Surrounding:  Districts  Gardeners’  and 
Amateurs’  Mutual  Improvement  Association. — The  monthly 
meeting  of  this  association  was  held  at  the  Parish  Room  last  week. 
An  interesting  lecture  was  delivered  Mr.  A.  Dean,  F.R.H.S.,  on  “  The 
Cultivation  of  Potatoes.”  The  Potato  had,  he  said,  deteriorated  owing 
to  its  transposition  from  warm  climates.  He  gave  very  useful  hints 
of  the  different  varieties  for  different  soils,  stating  that  a  grower  in 
one  season  raised  647  lbs  from  a  pound  of  Eureka,  and  372|  lbs.  from  a 
pound  of  Snowflake.  He  did  not  believe  that  Potatoes  would 
deteriorate  if  well  treated.  Selected  tubers  for  planting  should  not 
be  too  small,  but  even,  and  of  a  nice  appearance.  It  pays  well  to  store 
seed  Potatoes  in  boxes  from  which  they  can  be  planted  direct.  It  is 
also  a  good  plan  to  disbud  in  order  to  obtain  one  good  shoot.  Top¬ 
dressing  should  not  be  too  rich,  and  spraying  with  Bordeaux  mixture 
was  recommended  for  destroying  the  fungus  germs  which  caused  the 
disease.  The  next  meeting,  March  18th,  is  the  annual  one,  when  the 
members  give  their  friends  a  musical  entertainment. — J.  M. 
Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association. — Under  the  presidency 
of  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham,  curator  of  the  Botanical  Gardens,  Birmingham, 
Mr.  H.  A.  Burberry  (late  Orchid  grower  to  the  Right  Hon.  Joseph 
Chamberlain)  read  a  thoroughly  practical  paper  on  the  cultivation  of 
Dendrobiums,  taking  D.  nobile  as  the  basis  subjeot  of  the  genus- 
This  he  considered  yet  to  be  one  of  the  best  and  most  easily  cultivated. 
The  pruning  away  of  the  old  and  effete  pseudo-bulbs  was  recommended 
by  the  essayist,  but  the  pseudo-bulbs  which  had  just  done  flowering 
might  be  retained  for  another  year.  As  regards  growing  plants  for  the 
next  year’s  flowering  from  aerial-rooted  growths,  it  necessitated  special 
treatment,  not  at  command  with  every  grower.  Manure  in  any  form 
was  not  advocated,  excepting  perhaps  a  handful  of  soot  occasionally  in 
the  water.  An  interesting  and  instructive  discussion  ensued,  during 
which  the  lecturer’s  acknowledged  ability  as  a  cultivator  was  evidenced. 
One  of  the  members  (Mr.  W.  Gardiner)  exhibited  a  reproduction  of  a 
photograph  of  a  magnifioent  plant  of  Dendrobium  thyrsiflorum  which 
carried  seventy  racemes  of  bloom,  and  each  raceme  averaged  about 
fifty-five  blooms.  The  plant  in  question  was  reproduced  in  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture,  September  5th,  1895. 
Chester  Paxton  Society. — At  a  meeting  held  in  the  Grosvenor 
Museum  on  Saturday,  under  the  presidency  of  Mr.  John  Taylor,  the 
honorary  secretary,  Mr.  G.  P.  Miln,  read  a  paper  entitled  “  The 
Commercial  Aspect  of  Apple  and  Pear  Culture.”  In  his  opening 
remarks  he  commented  upon  the  scarcity  of  home-grown  fruit  at 
this  season  of  the  year,  and  made  mention  of  the  fact  that,  although 
he  endeavoured  to  buy  home-grown  Apples  in  Liverpool  a  few  days 
previous,  the  larger  dealers  informed  him  that  only  American  fruit 
was  now  obtainable.  A  collection  of  Cheshire-grown  fruit  shown  at 
this  meeting,  however,  went  to  prove  that  both  Apples  and  Pears  of 
home  growth  are  still  to  be  had,  and  of  excellent  quality.  Continuing, 
he  remarked  that  the  imports  of  foreign  Apples  alone  into  Great 
Britain  last  year  amounted  to  2,128,477  cwts.,  the  value  of  which  he 
estimated  at  about  l£  million  of  money.  A  great  part  of  these,  he 
contended,  ought  and  could  have  been  produced  at  home.  He  gave  as 
an  example  a  Cheshire  orchard,  1J  acre  in  extent,  which  was  planted 
some  eight  years  ago,  and  which  last  year  produced  at  the  rate  of 
75  owt.  of  Apples,  43f  cwt.  Pears,  12£  cwt.  of  Plums  per  acre,  which 
realised  a  gross  value  of  £70  per  acre.  These  figures  were  decidedly 
encouraging,  and  went  to  prove  that  Apple  growing  could  be  made  a 
profitable  industry  provided  proper  methods  were  adopted.  Apart 
from  planting  the  best  varieties  in  suitable  situations,  Mr.  Miln 
emphasised  very  strongly  that  care  should  be  taken  to  gather  all 
fruits  carefully,  that  it  should  be  graded  so  that  the  samples  should 
be  of  a  uniform  character,  and  that  special  care  should  be  exercised  in 
packing  where  the  fruit  had  to  travel  a  distance.  In  his  concluding 
remarks  he  commented  upon  the  superior  qualities  of  the  best  British 
grown  Apples  over  that  of  foreign  grown  fruit,  which  was  strikingly 
borne  out  by  the  dishes  of  British  and  American  Apples  staged  on  the 
table.  Amongst  the  more  prominent  of  these  were  Golden  Spire, 
Warner’s  King,  King  of  Tompkin’s  County,  Yorkshire  Greening, 
Bismarok,  Farmer’s  Glory,  Mere  de  Menage,  Annie  Elizabeth,  and 
several  others.  Railway  rates  affecting  the  oarriage  of  fruit  and  other 
matters  were  dealt  with  by  subsequent  speakers,  and  the  meeting  closed 
with  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  to  Mr.  Miln  for  his  paper,  which,  it  was 
explained,  had  been  prepared  at  very  short  notice.  [Kindly  address  all 
letters  to  the  Editor,  12,  Mitre  Court  Chambers,  Fleet  Street,  London, 
in  future.] 
Ipswich  Gardeners’  Association.  —  Mr.  W.  E.  Watkins, 
president  of  the  Ipswich  Scientific  Society,  lectured  at  the  Art  Gallery, 
High  Street,  last  Thursday  evening,  on  “  Plant  Food,  Flowering  Plants, 
Bacteria  and  Fungi,  Diseases  Caused  by  Vegetable  Organisms.”  There 
was  a  very  large  gathering  of  members  of  the  association  and  their 
friends.  Mr.  Alan  Turner  presided.  A  variety  of  parasitic  plants  were 
put  on  the  screen,  showing  how  insidiously  they  worked  and  sapped  the 
lives  of  the  plants  to  which  they  attached  themselves.  Among  these 
were  the  familiar  Witch’s  Broom  on  Cherry  trees,  Shepherd’s  Purse — a 
very  prolific  weed — and  others  that  damaged  or  destroyed  farm  produce 
of  all  kinds.  The  Vine  fungus  and  the  means  of  combatting  it  were 
also  dealt  with  by  Mr.  Watkins,  and  the  lecture  was  concluded  with 
some  curious  slides,  depicting  the  action  of  certain  fungi  that  remove 
small  dead  bodies — flies,  &c. — which  would  otherwise  vitiate  the 
atmosphere. 
Beckenham  Horticultural  Society.  —  On  Friday  last  Mr. 
E.  Beckett,  F.R.H.S.,  of  Aldenbam  House  Gardens,  delivered  a  lecture 
to  this  society  on  “  Vegetables  for  Exhibition.”  Mr.  Beckett  received 
an  enthusiastic  welcome.  His  lecture  was  distinguished  by  the  vast 
amount  of  practical  information  contained  therein.  First  came  the 
preparation  of  the  soil,  trenching  the  same  2  feet  6  inches  or  3  feet 
deep,  adding  two  layers  of  manure  in  the  operation,  and  if,  as  in  Mr. 
Beckett’s  case,  the  soil  is  of  a  clayey  nature,  old  lime  rubble,  road 
scrapings,  burnt  refuse  and  leaf  soil  added  freely,  and  the  position  of 
the  soil  reversed  at  each  trenching,  so  that  3  feet  of  cultivable  soil  be 
obtained ;  this  is  insisted  on  by  Mr.  Beckett  as  essential  to  success, 
All  the  most  popular  vegetables — i.e.,  Potatoes,  Peas,  Parsnips,  Onions. 
Carrots,  Turnips,  Cauliflowers,  Leeks,  Tomatoes,  Celery,  Beet — were 
treated  separately,  and  the  varieties  most  suitable  for  the  various 
seasons  named.  A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  accorded  Mr.  Beckett  for 
his  excellent  lecture. — T.  C. 
New  Park  and  Museum  for  Xondon. — At  a  recent  meeting 
of  the  London  County  Council  the  chairman  said  he  had  received  a 
letter  from  Mr.  Horniman,  a  member  of  the  council,  offering  on 
behalf  of  his  father  the  Horniman  Park  and  Museum  at  Forest  Hill 
as  a  free  gift  to  the  people  of  London.  That  estate  was  worth  at 
least  £50,000,  and  probably  £100,000,  and  the  only  precedent  for 
such  a  munificent  gift  was  that  of  Waterlow  Park.  The  property  is 
situated  close  to  Lordship  Lane  station,  on  the  South-Eastern  and 
Chatham  Railway,  and  about  three-quarters  of  a  mile  from  Forest 
Hill  station  on  the  London,  Brighton,  and  South  Coast  Railway.  It 
consists  of  (1)  a  large  house  known  as  Surrey  Mount,  and  some 
9J  acres  of  pleasure  grounds  on  the  summit  and  slope  of  a  hill 
commanding  extensive  views  over  south-eastern  and  south-western 
London.  The  site  is  a  suitable  one  for  a  park  or  recreation  ground, 
and  has  been  open  to  the  public  during  the  summer  months  for  four 
years.  Mr.  Torrance,  the  vice-chairman,  moved  that  the  offer  of  Mr. 
F.  J.  Horniman,  M.P.,  be  accepted,  and  that  the  thanks  of  the  council 
be  communicated  to  him  for  his  munifioent  gift  to  the  inhabitants  of 
London.  Mr.  Fletcher,  the  deputy-chairman,  seconded  the  motion  and 
hoped  that  this  generous  example  would  be  emulated  by  others.  The 
resolution  was  carried. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Cblswick.— Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
«M 
o 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
• 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
© 
ft 
1901. 
fl  r 
2 
3.S 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
a 
*3 
1 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
j 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
SgS 
llo 
►J  a  H 
February. 
5 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
.43 
8 
© 
**3 
tt) 
5 
In 
© 
* 
© 
©  © 
H 
Sunday  ..17 
N.W. 
N.N.E. 
W.N.W. 
E  N.E. 
N.N.E. 
E.N.E. 
W. 
deg. 
36'8 
deg. 
34-6 
deg. 
41-1 
deg. 
33-9 
ns. 
0  02 
deg. 
35-3 
deg. 
39-2 
deg. 
43-3 
deg. 
297 
Monday .  .18 
35-7 
33-5 
36  4 
31-3 
— 
35-5 
39-2 
43-2 
24T 
Tuesday  19 
33-0 
32-0 
35*0 
29'5 
0-05 
35-7 
39-2 
43-0 
21-4 
Wed’sday  20 
33-5 
30-7 
35-0 
32’4 
— 
35’9 
39-2 
43-0 
29-2 
Thursday  21 
30'5 
29-2 
39-4 
24-1 
0-07 
35-7 
39-2 
42-9 
16  2 
Friday  ..  22 
39-3 
38*2 
451 
30-5 
— 
36-0 
39 '0 
42-8 
30-5 
Saturday  23 
40-4 
37-9 
46-1 
37-4 
37-9 
39-4 
42-8 
3-07 
Means  .. 
, 
35-6 
33-7 
39-7 
31-3 
Total 
0*14 
[ 
36-0 
39-2 
43-0 
2-60 
The  weather  during  the  week  has  been  generally  dull.  A  fall  of 
snow  occurred  on  the  21st  inst.,  and  occasional  bursts  of  bright  sunshine 
on  the  succeeding  days. 
