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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  25,  1901. 
NOTES 
Weather  In  London. — We  have  to  record  the  first  steady  week 
of  sunshine  that  Londoners  have  experienced  since  the  beginning  of 
January — to  go  no  further  back.  Each  day  since  Thursday  the 
18th  has  been  bright,  warm,  and  breezy,  just  the  sort  of  weather, 
indeed,  to  cause  a  rush  of  growth  in  trees,  shrubs,  and  plants.  The 
aspect  of  the  parks,  and  of  the  “  oasis”  throughout  the  City,  has  quite 
changed,  giving  us  a  wealth  of  flowers  and  green  foliage.  Sunday  and 
Monday  reached  over  70°  in  the  shade,  and  Tuesday  was  probably 
quite  as  hot.  Wednesday,  our  press  day,  is  again  delightful. 
Weather  In  the  North. — On  the  16th  inst.  4°,  and  on  the  17th 
5°,  of  frost  were  registered,  with  dense  hoar  frost.  The  latter  day 
turned  out  very  fine,  and  since  then,  with  the  exception  of  Thursday, 
which  was  mild  and  drizzly,  the  weather  has  been  quite  summerlike, 
with  abundance  of  sunshine  and  high  temperature.  Monday,  although 
somewhat  duller,  \  was  pleasantly  warm,  with  soft  west  wind. — 
B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
.  Fruit  Prospects.— Up  to  the  time  of  writing,  the  prospects  of 
the  frnit  crop  in  the  different  fruit  growing  districts  of  Fifesbire  and 
the  Lothians  are  distinctly  discouraging.  Early  blossoming  trees  have 
fared  badly  from  the  severity  of  the  weather  experienced  during  the 
present  month,  both  leaves  and  buds  having  time  and  again  been  frosted 
early  in  the  morning  and  late  at  night.  Apples  and  Plums  promise 
well,  but  blossoming  is  backward  even  in  such  sheltered  districts  as 
Markincb,  and  if  genial  weather  does  not  come  speedily  the  season 
may  be  a  record  in  unfruitfulness.  Alternately  there  is  a  few  hours 
warm  sunshine  about  midday,  and  then  an  intensity  of  cold  similar 
to  Ootober  or  March.  Mild,  showery  weather  is  much  needed  to 
invigorate  starting  vegetation. — W.  L. 
The  French  Bulb  Trade. — The  French  bulb  market  remains 
unsettled.  The  new  combination  of  growers  near  Toulon  (not  as  a 
corporation  but  attempting  united  aotion)  have  fixed  on  asking  prices 
some  45  per  cent,  above  the  rates  of  last  year.  As  yet,  while  the  French 
dealers  and  jobbers  have  agreed  to  act  with  this  association  of  growers, 
it  is  not  believed  that  large  buyers  either  in  Germany,  Holland, 
England,  or  America,  have  placed  any  orders  on  the  new  basis. 
Another  side  of  the  situation  is  the  fact  that  the  crop  is  not  yet  made  or 
known.  An  abundant  harvest  of  clean,  healthy  bulbs  would  no  doubt 
weaken  the  schedule  of  prices,  while  a  moderate  crop  or  disease  would 
tend  to  maintain  them.  The  American  buyers  naturally  hesitate  at  a 
jump  of  45  per  cent,  in  face  of  the  fact  that  Romans  were  hawked 
through  the  trade  papers  at  the  end  of  last  season  at  very  low  prices. 
The  average  jobbing  contract  cost  of  white  Roman  Hyacinths  in  France 
during  eight  years  past  was  as  follows,  in  francs,  for  the  12  to  15 
centimetre  grade  : — 1893,  80  francs ;  1894,  45  francs  ;  1895,  73  francs  ; 
1896,  82  francs ;  1897,  53  francs  ;  1898,  47  francs ;  1899,  40  francs ; 
1900,  43  francs. 
Prizes  for  Forestry  literature. — A  council  meeting  of  the 
English  Arboricultural  Society  was  held  at  York  on  Saturday  the  8th 
inst.  Major  F.  W.  Beadon  of  Huddersfield  presided  over  a  large 
attendance.  It  was  agreed  to  offer  prizes  during  the  current  year  for 
the  best  essays  on  the  following  subjects : — 1,  Trees  and  shrubs 
suitable  for  planting  on  the  east  coast  of  England.  2,  Does  forestry 
pay  ?  3,  The  botanical  description  of  the  more  important  Willows. 
4,  An  account  of  measurements  and  values  taken  by  the  essayist  to 
determine  the  number  and  value  of  trees  per  acre  in  woods  of  different 
ages,  and  growing  on  soils  that  vary  in  quality.  5,  The  making  and 
cost  of  carriage  and  foot  roads,  and  rustic  bridges  to  carry  10  to 
15  tons,  with  sketches,  if  possible.  6,  The  arrangement  of  estate  saw 
mills,  and  wood-working  machinery  for  estate  purposes.  7,  The  best 
means  of  preserving  cut  timber  for  estate  purposes.  8,  Any  notes  on 
forestry.  Several  places  were  suggested  for  the  general  meeting  in 
August,  1901,  and  after  some  discussion  it  was  deoided  to  make 
Peterborough  the  headquarters,  and  visits  to  be  arranged  to  the  woods 
of  the  Marquis  of  Huntley,  the  Earl  of  Carysford,  the  Duke  of  Bedford, 
the  Hon.  C.  W.  Fitzwilliam,  the  Duke  of  Rutland,  and  the  Marquis  of 
Exeter. 
Variorum. — It  has  been  stated  by  an  expert  that  it  pays  to  grow 
grafted  plants  of  the  Rose  Niphetos  for  size  and  quantity  of  blooms.  ?  * 
A  seed  company  in  Michigan,  U.S.A.,  have  planted  about  900  acres  of 
seed  Potatoes  this  spring — rather  a  big  order  ! 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. — At  a  general  meeting  of  the 
society,  held  on  Tuesday,  April  23rd,  over  fifty  new  Fellows  were 
elected,  amongst  them  being  the  Duchess  of  Aberoorn,  Lady  Helen 
Vincent,  L  idv  Tate,  Lord  Alverstone,  and  the  Right  Rev.  the  Bishop 
of  Richmond. 
A  Huge  Floral  Cross. — Quite  the  biggest  floral  cross  ever  seen  in 
Carmarthen  was  that  which  Mr.  W.  Ltckley  supplied  for  the  funeral  of 
the  late  Miss  Evans,  Trevaughan.  It  was  a  subject  of  general 
admiration  to  all  who  saw  it.  The  cross  was  6  feet  long  and  wide  in 
proportion  ;  and  was  composed  of  choice  white  flowers  like  the  Lily  of 
the  Valley,  white  Roses,  Hyacinths,  Stephanotis,  with  delioate  greenery 
]ike  Asparagus  and  Maidenhair  Ferns.  Though  of  such  gigantic  size, 
the  appearance  of  the  whole  was  pretty  and  artistic  in  the  extreme. 
Bergamotte  Esperen, — The  following  was  read  by  the  chairman 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Fruit  Committee  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society : — “  I  am  desired  by  the  Council  to  inform  you  that  they  have 
left  the  confirmation  of  the  award  of  merit,  recommended  by  this 
committee  at  the  last  meeting,  to  Bergamotte  Esperen  Pear,  in 
abeyance,  as  they  would  like  the  committee  to  have  the  experience  of 
another  season,  the  past  one  having  been,  in  their  opinion,  an 
exceptionally  favourable  one  for  many  late  Pears,  not  ordinarily  of 
first-rate  merit.  The  Council  do  not  think  that  any  real  injustice  will 
be  done  to  Bergamotte  Esperen,  even  if  it  prove  itself  to  be  all  that  the 
committee  considered  it  on  April  9th,  as  having  been  in  cultivation  for 
quite  sixty  years  without  obtaining  any  award,  it  can  afford  to  wait, 
and  approve  itself  in  at  least  two  consecutive  seasons.  The  Council 
are  happy  in  being  able  to  approve  and  confirm  the  recommendations  of 
the  committee  in  ninety-nine  out  of  a  hundred  cases,  and  they  trust 
that  the  committee  will  not  feel  hurt  by  their  exercising  what  seems  to 
them  only  a  wise  caution  in  the  present  exceptional  instance.” 
Hedge- Cutting  In  Suffolk. — Several  correspondents  have  written 
to  an  East  Anglian  daily  paper  complaining  of  the  wanton  vandalism 
of  tree- mutilation  and  hedge-clipping.  Attention  has  thereby  been 
directed  to  a  “  large  and  fairly  flourishing  society,  which  was  started 
some  years  ago,  one  of  whose  objects  is  *  To  protect  objects  of  natural 
beauty  from  ill-treatment  or  destruction.'  ”  It  is  called  the  Selborne 
Society.  The  combined  efforts  of  this  society’s  members,  who  inhabit 
all  parts  of  the  country,  have  resulted  in  much  good.  There  is  at 
present  no  branch  in  East  Anglia,  but  efforts  are  being  made  to 
establish  one.  “  Nature  Notes,”  a  little  monthly  publication,  edited  by 
Prof.  Boulger,  is  the  official  organ  of  the  Selborne  Society. 
The  Presentment  of  Hew. — One  week  of  sunshine  has  uishaokled 
the  hitherto  retarded  forces  contained  within  the  organic  forms  of  plant 
and  tree  life,  and  has  ushered  to  our  pleasurable  review  much  of  the 
new  century’s  first  array  of  floral  and  leaf  growth.  With  the  advent 
of  warm  south-west  winds  and  sunshine,  the  Horse  Chestnut  trees  and 
the  Hawthorn  bushes  expanded  their  new  greenery  all  in  a  flush,  and 
the  winding-sheets  of  Daffodils,  which  until  now  have  cringed  and 
cowered  before  the  coldness  and  the  rain,  are  spangling  over  all  the 
grass,  while  “  the  jocund  company  ”  in  many  of  the  beds,  as  they  shake 
and  bend  in  the  breeze,  seem  so  happy  that  it  would  but  be  in  keeping 
with  the  fitness  of  things  to  hear  them  break  forth  into  song.  But  the 
delighted  little  birds  upon  the  trees  are  doing  that.  Kew  has  qaite 
altered  in  one  week.  The  visitors  have  always  been  able  to  say  that 
the  gardens  were  neat,  if  not  interesting;  now,  however,  both  indoors 
and  out,  there  are  a  great  many  objects  of  attraction.  The  Magnolias 
over  on  the  north  side  of  the  lake  are  in  full  bloom,  and  further 
westward  a  few  early  Rhododendrons  are  opening.  The  Star  Narcissi 
oontrast  splendidly  with  the  golden  glow  of  the  Whins,  under  whose 
shelter  they  appear.  The  slender  dripping  branches  of  the  Babylonian 
and  other  Willows  by  the  water’s  edge  are  feathered  with  a  greenness 
that  contrasts  well  with  the  robust  sward.  On  the  lake  the  duoks,  the 
waterhens,  and  the  swans  enjoy  an  aquatic  carnival.  To  brighten 
other  sections  of  these  lovely  gardens  the  Almond  and  Prunus  tribe 
furnish  clouds  of  orimson-pink  brightness,  and  nothing  in  yellow  beats 
the  nuance  of  Forsythias.  The  genus  homo  (which  embraces  you  and 
me,  dear  reader)  disports  its  varieties  in  thousands,  and  the  units  of  this 
heterogeneity  quite  make  up  for  any  baldness,  a  consequent  of  the 
lethargic  spring. 
