454 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
May  30,  1901. 
Weather  In  london. — Save  for  one  sharp  shower  on  Sunday 
evening  the  weather  in  and  around  the  metropolis  has  been  ideal  for  the 
last  six  or  eight  days.  The  bright  sunshine  has  been  agreeably  tempered 
with  refreshing  breezes.  A  shower  of  rain  would  assist  young,  newly 
made  growth. 
Weather  in  the  North. — Excessive  drought  prevailed  throughout 
the  whole  of  the  past  week,  but  the  much  needed  rain  came  during  the 
night  between  Sunday  and  Monday,  and  a  good  deal  fell  during  the 
latter  day.  Crops  were  beginning  to  suffer.  Too  much  rain  has  not 
yet  fallen. — B.  D.,  8.  Perthshire. 
Destruction  of  Primroses. — Lord  Avebury,  speaking  at  the 
annual  meeting  of  the  Selborne  Society  on  Friday  night  last  week, 
expressed  the  fear  that  the  wholesale  destruction  of  Primroses  and 
Cowslips,  if  not  cheoked,  would  lead  to  their  disappearance  from  the 
list  of  wild  flowering  plants  in  this  country. 
Runner  Beans. — Here  is  a  query  for  our  calanderial  writer  to 
tackle: — “  I  see  that  in  ‘  Work  for  the  Week*  you  state,  ‘  The  advanced 
rows  of  Runners  (Beans)  should  have  tall  stakes  placed  to  them.’  Do 
you  hold  that  the  old-fashioned  and  expensive  plan  of  staking  is  better 
than  the  modern  one  of  no  stakes  and  pinching  ?  ” — W.  R.  Raillem. 
Trials  of  Seeds  mixtures. — A  very  useful  report  on  trials  of 
seeds  mixtures  for  hay  and  pasture,  to  which  we  have  only  space  to 
refer,  has  been  prepared  at  the  Reading  College,  by  Mr.  Douglas  A. 
Gilchrist,  B.Sc.,  F.R.S.E.,  Director  of  the  Agricultural  Department. 
The  report  is  not  very  extended,  but  contains  records  from  Strath- 
fieldsaye,  Wolverton,  Reading,  &c. 
Kew  Cardens  and  Visitors. — We  notice  that  our  contemporary, 
“  American  Gardening,”  allows  to  pass  a  mistake  which  we  corrected 
when  it  appeared  in  some  of  the  American  horticultural  journals  some 
months  ago.  An  American  visitor  to  this  country  has  gone  back,  and 
prepared  an  essay,  which  was  read  before  the  Massachusetts  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society.  Amongst  other  statements  he,  the  essayist,  announced 
“  that  from  60,000  to  80,000  people  visited  Kew  Gardens  during  the 
season  annually.”  As  we  before  stated,  106,000  have  been  recorded  on 
a  single  day.  This  was  on  a  Bank  Holiday  some  years  ago. 
A  Remarkable  Forestry  Library. — This  exists  in  Germany  at 
the  park  of  Wilhelmshohe.  It  contains  nearly  600  volumes,  the  work 
of  one  Carl  Sohiebdaoh,  who  died  nearly  100  years  ago.  The  volumes 
represent  120  genera  and  445  species  of  trees,  and  each  volume  bears 
on  the  back  the  label  of  the  name  of  the  tree  which  it  discusses, 
according  to  the  Linnaean  system.  The  volume  consists  of  two  boards  ; 
the  upper  board  represents  its  tree  in  a  young  stage  with  a  seotion  of  a 
young  growth.  Similar  treatment  is  followed  for  the  back  board,  only 
that  it  is  representative  of  the  tree  at  maturity.  The  “  covers  ”  are 
lightly  polished  and  bear  on  them  statements  of  the  density  of  the 
wood,  its  properties,  and  a  description  and  nature  of  the  soil 
requirements. 
Death  of  Mr.  Frank  Orchard. — The  death  is  announced  of 
Mr.  Frank  Orchard  of  Harbour  Gardens,  Bembridge.  Deceased,  up 
till  about  two  years  since,  was  last  in  the  service  as  gardener  to 
H.  Michell,  Esq.,  Undermount,  Bonohuroh,  I.W.,  for  some  years. 
Previous  to  that  he  had  been  in  the  services  of  the  late 
J.  C.  Fraser,  Esq.,  Fleet  Lees,  Thorpe,  Chertsey,  and  E.  Barker,  Esq., 
Abingdon  Hall,  Cambridge,  being  a  very  successful  exhibitor  of  stove 
and  greenhouse  plants  and  Chrysanthemums.  He  had  served  severally 
in  the  gardens  of  the  late  Sir  Henry  Peek,  Wimbledon  House ; 
Mr.  Leach,  Fallowfield ;  and  Sir  Chas.  Lucas,  Warnham  Court,  Horsham; 
and  only  a  short  time  since  took  over  the  market  gardens  of  his  brother, 
Mr.  C.  Orchard.  Deceased  lost  a  little  boy  about  a  month  since,  and  not 
beiDg  very  well  at  the  time,  took  cold  at  the  graveside,  which  brought 
on  erysipelas  and  a  complication,  to  which  he  succumbed  on  the  22nd, 
at  the  early  age  of  forty-four  years,  leaving  a  wife  and  five  young 
children. 
Cardiff  Flower  Show. — The  Cardiff  and  County  Horticultural 
Society  have  issued  the  schedule  containing  lists  of  the  prizes  to  be 
competed  for  at  the  Society's  show  on  July  17th  and  18th.  See 
advertisement,  page  ii. 
National  Dahlia  Society  —  Important  Meeting.  —  The 
committee  will  meet  on  Saturday,  June  1st,  at  2  p.m.,  at  the  Hotel 
Windsor,  Victoria  Street,  S.W.,  in  the  rooms  of  the  Horticultural  Club. 
Attendance  is  earnestly  requested. — J.  F.  Hudson,  Hon.  Sec. 
The  Temple  Show. — Messrs.  Kelway  &  Son  write  to  say  that  the 
medal  awarded  to  them  by  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  on  the  oooasion  of  the  Temple  Show,  for  tree  Paeonies  was  a 
silver-gilt,  not  a  silver  Banksian  medal,  as  previously  reported.  We 
published  the  official  list,  and  in  the  hustle  and  bustle  of  a  first  show 
day  mistakes  will  happen.  *  *  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  received  a 
silver  cup  for  general  exhibit. 
Bradford  Chrysanthemum  show. — Large  prizes  are  offered  in 
the  open  classes  for  cut  blooms  and  fruit  at  the  above  show  to  be  held 
in  November  15th  and  16th.  For  twenty-four  Japanese  Chrysanthemum 
blooms  (eighteen  varieties),  the  first  prize  is  £5  and  a  silver  challenge 
cup  value  £10  10s.  The  hon.  secretary  is  Mr.  H.  Spencer,  Horton  Park, 
Bradford. 
Fossilised  Conifers. — A  contemporary  reports  that  an  interesting 
discovery  has  been  made  in  the  course  of  sinking  the  shaft  for  the 
Kent  coal  works  at  Dover,  when  a  seam  of  fossilised  Conifeise  was 
passed  through.  The  seam  followed  the  strata  which  contained 
bitumen.  Some  unusually  large  and  beautiful  specimens  have  been 
secured,  and  will  be  sent  to  the  British  Museum.  In  some  cases  the 
specimens  seoured  show  with  remarkable  distinctness  the  structure  of 
the  tree,  with  even  the  grain  and  the  knots. 
Azalea  Show  at  Walton  Lea. — It  is  evident  that  the  kindness 
of  Mr.  John  Croefield,  of  Walton  Lea,  in  allowing  the  public  to  view  the 
fine  show  of  flowers  in  his  garden  at  Walton  Lea  is  fully  appreciated, 
as  large  crowds  attended  on  Saturday  and  Sunday,  during  the  time  the 
grounds  were  thrown  open  to  the  publio.  On  former  occasions  the 
show  has  been  held  on  Sunday  and  Monday,  but  more  people  have  been 
enabled  to  see  the  flowers  owing  to  the  change  of  dates.  The  show  of 
Azaleas  was  the  subject  of  much  favourable  comment,  and  they  were 
much  admired.  Great  praise  is  due  to  Mr.  Kipps,  the  head  gardener ) 
who  has  evidently  spared  no  pains  to  make  the  gardens  as  attractive  as 
possible. 
Blow  to  Grow  Roses. — We  have  reoeived  the  second  edition  of 
Mr.  R.  E.  West’s  booklet  (in  lavender  paper  covers)  entitled  “  Roses  : 
How  to  Grow  and  Successfully  Exhibit.”  Mr.  West  first  began  his 
work  with  Roses  in  1884,  since  when  he  has  been  the  winner  of  over 
500  prizes.  Rose  culture  has  been  his  study  and  delight.  He  tells  the 
reader  of  his  booklet  that  he  loves  them,  and  more  so  the  oftener  he 
sees  Roses,  so  that  the  axiom  that  “  familiarity  breeds  contempt  ” 
will  not  stand  good.  He  goes  on  to  disouss  the  full  cultural  treatment 
of  the  regal  flower,  and  gives  advice  on  selecting  a  site  for  the  border, 
preparing  it,  or  beds ;  and  on  such  matters  as  planting  and  pruning. 
What  will  be  of  as  much  use  as  anything  to  the  beginner  is  the  selected 
list  of  varieties  drawn  from  all  seotions  of  Roses  whioh  Mr.  West  has 
prepared. 
New  Season’s  Fruit  Consignments. — The  first  consignment  of 
Almeria  Grapes  from  South  Australia  reached  the  markets  last  week 
and  fetched  Is.  per  lb.  Cherries  from  the  South  of  Franoe  were  sold  in 
large  quantities  at  8s.  to  10s.  the  half  bushel,  and  are  being  sold  at  3d. 
per  lb.  from  the  costers’  barrowB ;  and  Strawberries  at  anything  from 
Is.  to  4s.  a  lb.  Fine  splendid  fruit  they  were.  Some  fetched  even 
lower  prices,  for  shops  were  retailing  them  at  lOd.  per  lb.  Belgian 
Grapes  came  over  in  large  quantities  for  the  holiday  market,  and  were 
remarkably  good.  They  ranged  from  2s.  to  3s.  per  lb.  Tasmanian 
Apples  and  Australian  Pears  are  much  in  evidence.  One  firm  alone 
sold  2500  boxes  of  Apples  at  8s.  to  10s.  per  box  of  40  lbs.,  but  only  a 
few  more  cargoes  are  expected.  Oranges  also  are  nearly  done,  and  are 
getting  dear  and  unsatisfactory.  The  famous  seedless  Oranges  have 
been  fetching  18s.  6d.  per  box  of  126.  Bananas  are  plentiful  and  cheap. 
Pine  Apples  Is.  6d.  to  3s.  6d.  apiece.  Mangoes,  Cranberries  (from 
Canada),  and  green  Figs,  the  latter  at  3d.  to  8d.  each,  were  noticeable. 
Forced  Peaches  were  cheap  at  8s.  a  dozen,  but  the  finer  sorts  cost  24s. 
