March  21,  1901. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
243 
Weather  In  Xondon. — Almost  consistently  the  weather  has  been 
dull  and  more  or  less  cold.  Gleams  of  sunshine  have  been  soarce, 
though  Thursday  the  7th  inst.  was  a  very  agreeable  day.  Tuesday,  the 
19th,  gave  a  slight  snow  shower.  Warmth  is  required. 
Weather  In  the  Worth. — The  past  week  has  been  throughout 
dry,  generally  dull,  and  without  frost.  A  cold  easterly  wind  prevailed 
from  the  15th  on  to  Monday,  and  land  has  now  got  into  good  condition 
for  farm  work,  which  is  being  pushed  forward,  the  Bean  crop  being 
generally  in. — B.  D.,  8.  Perthshire. 
Dr,  William  C,  Smith. — We  are  pleased  to  learn  that  Dr.  W.  G. 
Smith,  of  the  Leeds  College,  who  so  greatly  assists  the  Scientific 
Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  in  their  decisions  regard¬ 
ing  plant  pathology,  expects  soon  to  have  prospects  of  greater  work  in 
this  direction.  Through  his  being  relieved  of  much  of  the  teaching  at 
present,  and  having  the  benefit  of  a  well-equipped  laboratory,  standing 
in  an  acre  of  experimental  garden  in  the  open  country,  we  confidently 
expect  that  the  doctor’s  work  will  still  more  fully  help  the  cause  of  the 
practical  cultivators  of  our  islands. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. — At  a  general  meeting  of  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  held  on  Tuesday,  March  12th,  thirty-two 
new  Fellows  were  elected,  making  a  total  of  200  since  the  beginning  of 
the  present  year.  Amongst  the  new  Fellows  were  the  Duchess  of 
Somerset,  Viscountess  Baring,  Sir  William  Preece,  K.C.B  ,  F.R.S. ; 
Lady  Hylton,  Hon.  H.  A.  Lawrence,  and  Surgeon-Major  Caldwell,  M.D. 
The  next  fruit  and  flower  show  of  the  society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday, 
March  26tb,  in  the  Drill  Hall,  Buckingham  Gate,  Westminster.  A 
lecture  on  “Inconspicuous  and  Rarely  Cultivated  Orchids”  will  be 
given  by  Mr.  W.  H.  White,  A.R.H.S.,  at  three  o’clock. 
Victoria  Medal  of  Honour  In  Horticulture. — The  Victoria 
medal  of  honour  in  horticulture  was  established  in  the  year  1897,  with 
the  assent  of  her  Most  Gracious  Majesty  the  late  Queen  Victoria  in 
commemoration  of  the  Golden  Jubilee  of  her  reign,  and  the  limit  of 
sixty  Victoria  Medalists  at  any  one  time  was  fixed  to  record  that  event. 
It  has  now  seemed  good  to  the  president  and  Council  to  issue  a  minute 
and  Order  of  Council  that  the  number  of  Victoria  Medalists  shall  be 
increased  to  sixty-three  as  a  record  for  all  years  to  come  of  the  sixty- 
three  years  of  her  late  Majesty’s  glorious  reign,  and  that  such  number 
should  never  hereafter  be  added  to  or  increased.  There  having  been 
one  vacancy  in  the  original  number  at  the  time  of  her  Majesty’s  death, 
the  president  and  Council,  acting  on  the  above  minute  and  Order,  have 
made  the  following  appointments  to  the  list  of  Victoria  Medalists — viz., 
Miss  Eleanor  A.  Ormerod,  LL.D.,  &c.  ;  Sir  George  King,  K.C.E., 
I.M.B.,  F.R.H.S.,  Fh.S.,  &c.  ;  Mr.  George  Norman,  F.R.H.S. ;  and  Mr 
Jas.  Sweet,  F.R.H.S. 
Miss  Eleanor  A.  Ormerod's  name  is  known  in  every  household, 
everywhere,  at  least,  in  rural  places.  Since  1877  Miss  Ormerod  has 
devoted  her  whole  time  to  the  investigation  of  the  depredations,  the  life 
histories,  and  characteristics  of  insects,  but  chiefly  those  that  are 
injurious  to  stock  or  to  crops.  When  this  lady  began  her  work 
comparatively  little  was  known  of  the  counteracting,  injurious  insects, 
of  the  farm  and  garden,  so  that  to  Mies  Ormerod  belongs  almost  the 
entire  credit  of  our  present  knowledge  of  these  pests,  and  how  to 
combat  or  prevent  them.  She  inaugurated  a  great  work  and  a  good 
work,  she  headed  the  operations  in  this  special  field,  and  until  the 
present  year  she  has  been  in  the  very  forefront  of  scientific  entomological 
investigation.  Miss  Ormerod’s  lead  has  brought  battalions  in  the  wake, 
and  her  influence  has  certainly  given  a  magnificent  mpetus  to  the  study 
of  this  science.  We  learn  with  regret,  however,  that  this  talented  and 
industrious  lady  is  at  last  obliged  to  discontinue  her  investigations. 
The  University  of  Edinburgh  conferred  on  her  the  honorary  degree  of 
LL.D.  a  little  over  a  year  ago  in  recognition  of  her  splendid  services  to 
her  country  ;  and  now  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
has  awarded  her  the  Victoria  Medal  of  Honour  for  what  she  has  done 
for  horticulture.  No  honour  could  be  more  richly  deserved,  and  we  are 
proud  to  be  able  to  name  Miss  Ormerod  among  the  sixty-three  who 
enjoy  this  high  horticultural  distinction. 
Deatb  of  Mrs.  John  Easter. — It  is  our  sorrowful  duty  to  record 
the  death  of  Mrs.  John  Easter,  at  Nostell  Priory  Gardens,  Wakefield, 
early  on  Wednesday  morning,  March  6th.  Mrs.  Eastor  has  been  an 
invalid  for  years.  We  tender  our  condolements  to  Mr.  Easter  in  his 
bereavement. 
Correction. — In  reporting  the  sitting  of  the  Narcissus  Committee 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  in  our  issue  of  last  week,  it  was 
stated  that  they  made  no  awards.  They  made  one  award,  that  of  a 
silver  Flora  medal,  to  Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons,  King  Street,  Oovent 
Garden.  The  Messrs.  Barrs’  exhibit  was  not  wholly  of  Narcissi,  though 
these  were  more  numerous  than  on  any  of  the  other  tables. 
Sir  George  King,  V.M.H.,  Ac. — Botany  has  been  duly  honoured 
by  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  in  having  Sir  George 
King,  late  head  of  the  Botanical  Gardens  at  Calcutta,  elected  as  one  or 
the  new  Victoria  Medallists  of  Honour  in  horticulture.  If  we  remember 
rightly,  Sir  George  interested  himself  in,  and  wrote  a  monograph  on, 
the  Himalayan  Primulas.  He  has  now  retired  from  his  Indian  post, 
and  is  at  the  present  moment  at  San  Remo. 
Floral  Tributes  to  Queen  Victoria. — The  following  official 
communication  was  issued  towards  the  end  of  last  week : — “  His 
Majesty  the  King  desires  to  express  his  sincere  thanks  to  all  those  who 
were  good  enough  to  send  floral  tributes  from  all  parts  of  the  Empire 
to  Osborne  and  Windsor  in  memory  of  his  beloved  mother,  Queen 
Victoria.  His  Majesty  has  been  much  touched  by  the  kind  feeling 
that  promoted  these  beautiful  offerings,  which  numbered  over  2000.” 
Appointments. — Mr.  C.  Hewitt,  late  gardener  to  —  Shannon,  Esq., 
Tudor  Hill,  Sutton  Coldfield,  has  been  engaged  to  take  charge  of  the 
garden  and  Cactus  houses  of  Wm.  C.  G.  Ludford,  Esq.,  F.R.H.S.,  Fern 
Lea,  Four  Oaks,  Sutton  Coldfield,  near  Birmingham.  Mr.  T.  Singleton, 
for  eight  and  a  half  years  head  gardener  to  the  Marquis  of  Waterford, 
Curraghmore,  Portlaw,  co.  Waterford,  has  been  appointed  head 
gardener  to  G.  H.  Morrell,  Esq.,  M.P.,  Headington  Hill  Hall,  Oxlord,  in 
succession  to  Mr.  Hovell. 
Attendants  at  Drill  Hall  Exhibitions. — In  the  annual  report 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  we  learn  that  the  Council  have 
provided  an  official  badge  to  be  worn  by  the  attendants  of  the 
exhibitors.  So  far,  however,  none  of  these  have  been  in  use.  No 
energetic  attendant  worth  his  salt  should  really  need  a  distinguishing 
badge.  When  the  hall  is  crowded,  however,  many  of  those  who  are 
taking  notes,  yet  who  have  no  connection  with  exhibitions,  are  accosted 
by  others  in  mistake.  What  may  be  done  when  the  shows  become 
larger  in  a  week  or  two  remains  to  be  seen.  At  any  rate  the  badge 
would  not  be  an  inconvenience. 
A  Mean  Theft. —An  incident  which  circumstances  force  us  to 
describe  as  a  mean  instance  of  appropriation  ocourred  at  the  Drill  Hall 
on  the  occasion  of  the  last  R.H.S.  meeting  there,  March  12th.  Mr.  de 
B.  Crawshay  writes  to  “The  Gardeners’  Cnronicle”  announcing  that 
he  had  a  spike  of  Odontoglossum  Pescatorei  var.  Veitohi,  which  he  meant 
to  have  photographed.  This  he  carefully  laid  aside  while  he  attended 
to  other  business.  The  variety  is  unique,  aud  naturally  Mr.  Crawshay 
was  more  than  astonished  to  find  that  his  Orchid  flower  was  not  to  be 
found  when  he  went  to  take  it  from  the  place  where  he  had  placed  it. 
A  careful  inquiry  and  search  was  made  without  any  success.  We  say 
with  Mr.  Crawshay  that  “  this  is  carrying  the  ‘craze’  for  Orchids  to 
the  lowest  ebb.” 
St.  Patrick's  Day  and  Shamrock. — St.  Patrick’s  Day,  which 
was  on  Sunday,  was  observed  quietly  and  unostentatiously  in  London. 
The  demand  for  “  the  dear  little  Shamrock  ”  was  less  this  year  than 
last,  though  Mr.  Williams  of  Covent  Garden  had  the  honour  of 
supplying  the  King  and  the  Royal  Family  with  £30  worth  of  Ireland’s 
emblem.  Queen  Alexandra  had  a  special  dinner-table  decorated  with 
it.  Mr.  Williams  also  sent  out  500  bunches  to  the  troops  in  South 
Africa.  Shamrock  is  sent  from  most  of  the  country  districts,  but 
chiefly  from  West  Cork,  around  Skibbereen.  “  The  best  kind,” 
whatever  it  may  be,  is  sent  from  Balbriggan  in  Co.  Louth.  Last 
year  the  late  Queen’s  Army  Order  was  that  “  In  future,  upon 
St.  Patrick’s  Day,  all  ranks  in  her  Majes'y’s  Irish  regiments  shall 
wear  as  a  distinction  a  sprig  of  Shamrock  in  their  head-dress  to 
commemorate  the  gallantry  of  her  Irish  soldiers  during  the  recent 
battles  in  South  Africa.”  On  Sunday  last  a  Celtic  cross  of  Shamrock 
and  Lilies  of  the  Valley  was  placed  on  Queen  Victoria’s  tomb  at 
Frogmore. 
