262 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  28,  1901. 
The  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  —  His 
Majesty  the  King  has  been  graciously  pleased  to  continue  his  patronage 
of  the  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  We  may  remind  our 
readers  that  the  sixty. second  festival  dinner  in  aid  of  the  funds  of  this 
institution  will  take  place  on  May  22nd,  the  first  day  of  the  Temple 
Show,  when  Lord  Llangattock  will  preside.  The  secretary  will  gladly 
receive  the  names  of  any  gentlemen  who  will  kindly  act  as  stewards, 
or  who  would  like  to  attend  the  dinner.  Offices,  175,  Victoria  Street, 
London,  S.W. 
National  Carnation  and  Plcotee  Society. — The  year’s  report 
(1900)  of  the  southern  section  of  the  above,  ieads  off  in  a  cheery  tone, 
stating  that  the  society  still  maintains  its  good  standing.  Perhaps 
it  is  not  generally  known  that  a  copy  of  the  “  Carnation 
Manual  ”  (the  best  and  most  useful  work  on  the  culture  of  the 
Carnation)  is  given  by  the  society  to  all  members  on  their  accession, 
and  a  packet  of  Carnation  seed  from  the  unrivalled  collection  of  the 
president,  Martin  R.  Smith,  Esq.,  is  also  presented  to  all  subscribers  of 
10s.  and  upwards.  Perhaps  many  will  consider  the  advisability  of 
supporting  the  society.  The  heat  at  the  July  show  last  year  was  too 
intense  for  the  good  of  the  Carnation  blooms,  though  the  show  was 
successful.  The  exhibitipn  for  1901  will  take  place  at  the  Crystal 
Palace,  on  Friday,  July  19th.  Mr.  Henwood,  the  hon.  secretary  and 
treasurer,  would  find  his  duties  considerably  lightened  were  members 
punctual  in  advancing  their  subscriptions.  His  address  is  Auricula 
Villa,  16,  Hamilton  Road,  Reading. 
Royal  Meteorological  Society.— The  monthly  meeting  of  this 
society  was  held  on  Wednesday  evening,  the  20h  insL,  at  the  Institution 
of  Civil  Engineers,  Westminster,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dines,  B.A.,  the  president, 
being  in  the  chair.  Dr.  Hugh  Robert  Mill,  F.R.S.E.,  delivered  a  most 
interesting  lantern  lecture  on  “  Climate,  and  the  Effects  of  Climate.” 
Climatology  is  as  much  a  branch  of  geography  as  of  meteorology  ;  in 
fact,  more,  for  it  not  only  deals  with  the  distribution  of  atmospheric 
conditions  over  the  earth’s  surface,  which  is  a  geographical  question  in 
itseif,  but  all  the  varieties  of  climate  that  give  individualitv  to  different 
countries  are  produced  by  the  disturbing  or  controlling  influence  of  land 
forms.  It  was  while  studying  the  influence  of  land  forms  on  every  kiud 
of  geographical  distribution  that  Dr.  Mill  was  struck  by  the  far-reaching 
interest  of  the  effects  of  climate,  and  so  in  this  lecture  he  dealt  with 
the  visible  effects  of  climate,  such  as  attract  attention  and  arouse  inquiry 
as  to  their  causes.  After  makiug  a  few  remarks  on  the  principles  of 
scientific  photography,  and  also  calling  attention  to  spurious  photographs, 
the  lecturer  proceeded  to  distinguish  between  “  weather  ”  and  “  climate.” 
Weather  is  the  condition  of  the  atmosphere  at  any  moment  with  regard 
to  wind,  warmth,  cloud,  electrioity,  and  precipitation,  whilst  climate 
may  fairly  be  called  the  average  weather  of  a  place.  Dr.  Mill  then 
exhibited  on  the  screen  a  large  number  of  photographs  which  he  had 
himself  taken  on  various  holidays  in  many  countries,  in  order  to 
illustrate  the  peculiarities  of  climates  in  which  heat,  cold,  wind,  and 
rain  respectively  predominate,  showing  how  the  varying  conditions  of 
climate  created  by  the  greater  land  forms  are  responded  to  by  the 
various  adjustments  of  minor  land  forms  and  of  plants,  and  how  they 
are  taken  advantage  of  by  man. 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Cblswlclt.— Taken  in  the 
Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above  sea  level  24  feet . 
Date. 
Direction  of 
Wind. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on-Orass. 
1901. 
March. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
d 
*3 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
■43  . 
09 
© 
-a 
b£ 
5 
43 
09 
© 
d 
o 
i-9 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
las. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg 
Sunday  . .  17 
42.2 
39T 
47-6 
33-8 
_ 
41-6 
42-8 
44  2 
26  0 
Monday  . .  18 
E.N.E. 
39  7 
37-7 
41-6 
39 '4 
_ 
41-2 
43  0 
44  2 
38  2 
Tuesday  19 
38-7 
34  6 
41-6 
353 
0.27 
412 
42-9 
44-2 
33-0 
Wed’sday  20 
E.N.E. 
38  6 
37'2 
41-3 
34-6 
0.12 
4T2 
42-9 
44-2 
33  4 
Thursday  21 
L.  Fj. 
39-2 
35-1 
431 
367 
40  5 
42-5 
4f2 
32  7 
Friday  . .  22 
E.  IS .  E. 
380 
33  8 
43-3 
31'5 
_ 
39-8 
42-3 
44  2 
24-9 
Saturday  23 
E.N.E. 
39*7 
37  2 
42-4 
36-1 
40-2 
4-21 
44-2 
310 
Total 
Means  .. 
I 
39-4 
30 ’4 
43  0 
35  3 
0-39 
40-8 
42-6 
42  2 
313 
Dull  weather  has  prevailed  during  the  past  week,  with  very  cold 
strong  winds.  Rain,  mixed  with  snow,  sleet,  and  hail,  occurred  on  the 
19th  and  20th  inst. 
Tl|e  Hippeastrum. 
The  Hippeastrum  is  better  known  to  us  by  the  name  of  Amaryllis. 
The  former  is  derived  from  hippeus,  a  knight,  and  astron,  a  star  ; 
referring  to  the  shape  of  Hippeastrum  equestre — Equestrian  Star.  The 
first  species  introduced  were  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  and 
the  West  Indies,  but  the  greater  number  are  indigeuous  to  Brazil  and 
adjacent  countries.  I  have  read  that  Dean  Herbert  hybridised  the 
African  and  American  species,  and  founded  a  new  genus,  which  he 
named  Hippeastrum,  or  Knight’s-star  Lily,  whence  spring  the  present 
race. 
Probably  to  H.  Empress  of  India  we  owe  some  of  our  best  types. 
This  good  old  variety  was  raised  either  by  Van  Houtte  of  Ghent,  or 
De  Graaff  of  Leyden,  with  other  seedlings.  Few  subjects  are  more 
interesting  and  attractive  than  these  most  gorgeous  flowers,  the  lovely 
colours  contrasting  as  they  do  with  soft  or  intensely  deep  shades, 
which  are  combined  in  a  way  that  is  not  surpassed  by  any  other 
dowers.  Primulas,  Cyclamens,  and  other  plants  carry  us  over  the 
dullest  months  of  the  year,  and  the  Hippeastrum,  when  properly 
treated,  will  give  you  a  bright  and  cheerlul  display  in  early  spring, 
quite  (iistinct  from  other  things.  Distinct  species  and.  hybrids  have  been 
crossed  and  intercrossed,  until  we  have  breadth  of  petal,  size  of  flower, 
great  substance,  and  perfect 'form  and  habit,  which  I  should  say  has 
attain' d  a  degree  far  beyond  the  most  sanguine  exp  ctations  of  the 
early  hybridisers.  I  have  grown  Empress  of  India,  Ackermani, 
Johnson i,  and  many  others,  which  were  considered  good  at  one  time, 
but  they  have  now  passed  away  as  weeds  compared  with  the  varieties 
of  the  present  day.  The  old  Sp^ekelia  is  still  a  favourite,  as  is 
formosis8imum  ;  it  is  very  interesting  to  look  back  to  the  latter,  for 
its  grand  colour  and  shape  stands  quite  alone. 
Messrs.  Sanders  introduced  what  they  term  a  blue  Amaryllis,  and 
their  traveller  gave  me  a  grand  description  of  it  (as  travellers  can  do). 
We  were  induced  to  send  for  a  flower,  and  thereupon  tempted  to 
purchase  two  plants  of  it.  I  cannot  call  it  a  blue  flower,  but  still  it 
has  a  very  interesting  colour  of  a  bluish-lilac  shade,  and  may  prove 
useful  in  hybridising — that  is,  if  ever  I  get  the  plants  to  flower, 
t  hey  were  imported  plants,  and  seem  to  take. a  long  time  to  establish. 
The  name  is  Amaryllis  procerum.  I  believe  that  a  plant  of  the  same 
species  bloomed  at  Kew  a  short  time  ago.  Tnere  are  evergreen  and 
deciduous  varieties  of  Hippeastrum,  but  in  my  opinion  they  are  all 
more  or  less  evergreen.  By  withholding  water,  and  thus  drying  and 
ripening  them,  we  cause  them  to  lose  their  foliage,  though  with  all 
this  they  retain  it  sometimes.  By  this  ripening  process  we  can 
flower  them  when  we  desire  by  placing  them  in  heat.  The  true 
evergreen  varieties  should  never  be  dried  so  far  as  to  lose  their 
leaves. 
I  have  had  far  more  experience  with  what  we  will  term  deciduous 
kinds,  and  they  are  the  most  accommodating.  One  can  store  them 
away  in  winter,  when  space  in  greenhouses  is  both  restricted  and 
invaluable  ;  or  one  can  put  them  in  dry,  warm  sheds,  or  other  out-of- 
the-way  places,  so  long  as  it  is  warm  and  dry.  but  not  un  ler  the  plant 
stages,  as  some  advise,  as  it  might  prove  too  damp.  Anyone  with  a 
warm  greenhouse  can  grow  these  plants  satisfactorily,  but  they  cannot 
have  them  in  flower  at  this  early  date  without  stove  heat.  Sometimes 
they  can  be  had  in  flower  from  February  to  July  ;  the  late  ones  we 
have  in  cold  frames,  put  out,  of  course,  when  all  danger  of  frosts  have 
gone.  I  have  even  had  them  expand  their  flowers  in  the  open  air;  so 
you  see  the  old  style  of  keeping  them  solely  in  hot  stoves  has,  I  am 
pleased  to  say,  passed  away. 
We  will  now  suppose  that  some  wish  to  make  a  start  with  the 
plants.  I  would  say  to  intending  growers:  Visit  one  or  two  nurseries 
where  they  are  made  a  specialty  of,  and  select  the  best  when  in  flower, 
according  to  your  fancy  and  repiiremmts.  Ffo  doubt  your  plants 
would  be  perfect — the  price  of  them  would  also  be  “perfect,”  probably 
from  7s.  6d.  to  £5  each  plant !  The  next  season  the  plants  may  have 
improved  or  they  may  not,  it  all  depends  on  the  care  which  ha3  been 
bestowed  upon  them.  There  is  one  thing  certain,  which  is  that  you 
will  only  have  the  same  colours  you  had  the  previous  season.  Thus  I 
consider  you  lose  a  deal  of  very  interesting  work,  work  which  should 
be  a  pleasure  to  everyone  who  is  fond  of  flowers.  In  all  work  of  this 
kind  the  employer’s  wishes  are  of  the  first  consideration.  You  can 
imagine  how  anxious  one  feels  after  growing  these  plants  three  or  four 
years  from  seed,  and  the  delightful  moments  one  spends  in  watching 
them  as  they  open  their  flowers.  Should  the  crosses  not  turn  out 
well  do  not  despair,  but  try  again.  I  have  been  fourteen  years 
trying  to  get  really  good  and  bold  flowers,  as  round  in  the  petal 
as  possible. 
The  first  thing  is  to  obtain  good  plants  from  a  reliable  source.  My 
advice  is : — Obtain  one  or  two  good  varieties  ;  choose  only  those  of 
good  habit  with  broad  petals,’;  select  decided  colours ;  get  these  nicely 
