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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  2,  1902. 
<  uropsea),  and  were  received  by  the  gardener,  Mr.  Bradbrooke,  who 
kindly  pointed  out  t lie  leading  features.  Though  the  domain  was 
densely  packed  with  trees  of  various  kinds,  the  broad  fact  to  be 
gleaned  was,  that  the  planting  was  more  ornamental  than  pro¬ 
ductive.  The  one  pleasant  feeling  aroused  by  visiting  the  woods 
Avas  the  general  absence  of  fungus  or  insect  attack  ;  the  Larch 
plantations  besides  being  fine  timber  were  completely  free  from 
blister  or  Peziza  Wilkommi,  though  fairly  prevalent  in  Ireland, 
and  in  some  quarters  renders  Larch  production  an  almost  impos¬ 
sible  task.  Though  the  area  covered  was  fairly  large,  and  though 
an  enjoyable  day  was  spent,  yet  one  must  advert  to  the  many  good 
lessons  wanting,  and  which  one  may  hope  to  glean  on  future  occa¬ 
sions.  At  all  events  the  Society  could  see  the  great  defect  in 
Irish  forestry,  namely,  the  want  of  proper  forest  management, 
and  they  should  do  their  utmost  to  force  conviction  on  those  who 
guard  the  last  vestiges  of  our  national  forests,  and  enable  our 
newer  plantations  to  be  placed  on  a  proper  footing.  Sub¬ 
sequently  the  party  were  photographed  on  the  lawn,  and  drove  to 
the  “Imperial  Hotel,”  where  dinner  was  served  in  excellent  style. 
The  chair  was  taken  by  Dr.  Cooper,  and  afterwards,  several  toasts 
having  been  proposed  and  duly  replied  to,  a  warm  vote  of  thanks 
was  passed  to  the  Countess  of  Portarlington  for  her  kindness  in 
placing  the  woods  at  the  disposal  of  the  society.  The  party 
shortly  afterwards  returned  to  town,  after  a  very  enjoyable 
outing. 
The  Irish  Fruit  Conference. 
The  Irish  Board  of  Agriculture  have  recently  announced  to 
hold  a  fruit  conference  in  connection  with  the  Cork  Exhibition, 
on  October  15  to  17.  The  schedule  states1  that  papers  will  be 
read  by  experts,  but  the  general  tone  of  the  topics  is  not  even 
hinted  at.  It  is  very  questionable  whether  this  notice  is  adequate 
enough  to  make  the  conference  representative,  and  it  would  seem 
that  the  object  was  more  to  supply  an  attraction  to  the  exhibi¬ 
tion  than  to  deal  seriously  with  the  general  question  of  fruit 
growing.  But  a  fruit  conference  is  eminently  required,  as  several 
topics  require  to  be  decided  for  the  guidance  of  those  intending 
to  grow  fruit,  namely  the  best  varieties  for  each  county,  the  kind 
of  soil  in  which  they  do  best,  and  the  varieties  that  require  a 
special  compost  to  grow  them,  for  example,  the  well-known 
Bramley’s  Seedling  will  not  do  in  some  parts  of  County  Wicklow 
without  a  specially  prepared  soil.  Growers  want  to  know  what 
varieties  will  do  generally  in  Ireland,  and  which  are  suitable 
for  particular  soils.  The  varieties  given  should  likewise  be 
representative  of  a  good  succession,  and  yield  a  good  supply  of 
fruit  well  into  the  winter.  Growers  also  wish  to  know  the  best 
modes  of  keeping  fruit  in  cool  houses,  of  the.  erection  of  houses, 
and  internal  structure  of  same.  When,  however,  we  turn  to  the 
schedule,  such  a  scheme  is  not  covered,  but  we  find  merely  prizes 
given  for  a  series  of  dishes  of  each  kind  of  fruit.  Now,  such 
awards  would  only  bring  this  display  to  the  level  of  a  local  country 
show,  and  reveals  the  fact  that  the  organisers  did  not  grasp  the 
meaning  of  a  conference,  otherwise  they  would  have  taken  the 
necessary  steps  to  bring  a  large  array  of  growers  together  by 
means  of  the  local  horticultural  societies.  Growers  are  not  going 
to  expense  of  travelling  to  Cork  and  staying  there  for  the  best 
part  of  a  week,  without  the  guarantee  of  something  in  the  nature 
of  a  conference.  The  schedule  ought  to  say  a  fruit  display. — 
A.  E.  O’Neill. 
CUCUMBERS. 
The  plants  for  winter  fruiting  must  be  in  their  places  by  the 
middle  of  October  to  insure  a  good  supply  at  Christmas  and 
onwards.  Keep  them  near  the  glass  to  ensure  a  sturdy  growth, 
not  allowing  them  to  become  root-bound.  See  that  the  ferment¬ 
ing  material  is  in  a  due  state  of  preparation  if  any  had  to  be 
employed  for  bottom  heat,  and  make  certain  of  the  heating 
apparatus  being  in  proper  order.  A  bottom  heat  of  85deg  ta 
90deg  will  be  safe,  but  the  latter  temperature  should  not  bo 
exceeded ;  if  from  liot-water  pipes  a  bottom  heat  of  80deg  to 
85deg  is  sufficient. 
As  there  are  many  failures  with  winter  Cucumbers  through 
disease,  it  will  be  necessary  to  take  proper  precautions  in  the 
way  of  thorough  cleanliness  and  choice  of  soil.  Turfy  loam  of 
a  light  nature  is  best,  cut  about  3in  thick  or  less  with  the  turf, 
and  this  baked  in  an  oven,  or  on  an  iron  plate  over  an  improvised 
furnace  formed  of  loose  bricks,  being  careful  not  to  bake  it  to  a 
cinder,  but  only  to  destroy  fungoid  germs  and  nematoid  worms, 
a  temperature  of  212deg  being  sufficient. 
The  eelworms  are  generally  located  in  the  decayed  parts  of 
the  herbage,  and  that  part  should  be  placed  on  the  hot  plate, 
and  when  heated  through  so  that  the  hand  cannot  be  held  on  the 
soil  side  it  is  cooked  enough.  This  will  not  injure  the  compost  in 
the  least,  while  it  will  certainly  kill  eelworms,  and  though  some¬ 
what  troublesome,  is  far  the  best  of  preventives,  as  acids  render 
the  soil  more  or  less  sterile  for  a  time,  and  mineral  salts  have  a 
tendency  to  induce  grossness  in  the  plants,  especially  those  of  a, 
retrogade  nature. — A. 
New  Park  for  Willesden. 
To  provide  another  open  space  for  the  public,  the  Willesden 
(London)  District  Council  has  acquired  some  acres  of  land  at 
Stonebridge  Park,  a  portion  of  the  parish  now  being  rapidly 
developed  by  residential  dwellings.  This  new  recreation  ground 
will  be  opened  on  Saturday,  October  4. 
York  Chrysanthemum  Show. 
This  important  fixture  takes  place  on  November  12  and  the 
two  following  days.  Numerous  pieces  of  plate  and  valuable 
money  prizes  are  being  offered  for  plants,  flowers,  fruits,  and 
vegetables.  Entries  close  on  November  5,  and  communication 
should  be  made  for  answers  to  inquiries  to  the  secretary,  Mr. 
Geo.  F.  W.  Oman,  38,  Petergate,  York. 
A  New  Calla. 
A  Blankenbourg  (Germany)  horticulturist  reports  to  a  French 
gardening  paper  that  lie  has  presented  before  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  of  Prussia,  a  new  Calla,  or  correctly,  Richardia — 
a  cross  between  R.  Elliottiana  and  R.  Adlami.  The  spathe  is 
citron  yellow,  with  a  purple  shaded  base,  and  the  foliage  possesses 
transparent  spots.  It  is  hardier  than  C.  Elliottiana,  and  is  to  be 
placed  in  commerce  under  the  name  of  R.  Solfaterre. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
The  next  fruit  and  flower  show  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  October  7,  in  the  Drill  Hall, 
Buckingham  Gate,  Westminster,  1-5  p.m.  A  lecture  on  “  Experi¬ 
ments  with  Chemical  and  other  Manures  ”  will  be  given  by  Mr. 
F.  W.  E.  Shrivell,  at  3  o’clock.  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  * 
Royal  Horticultural  Society  held  on  Tuesday,  September  23, 
thirty-six  new  Fellows  were  elected,  making  a  total  of  934  elected 
since  the  beginning  of  the  present  year. 
National  Dahlia  Society. 
Arrangements  are  being  made  for  the  holding  of  a  Conference 
on  the  judging  of  Cactus  Dahlias  in  September,  1903,  on  the 
afternoon  of  the  first  day  of  the  annual  exhibition.  The  Con¬ 
ference  will  be  opened  by  a  paper  from  Mr.  C.  G.  Wyatt.  The 
exhibition  will  be  held  at  the-  Drill  Hall,  Buckingham  Gate,  the 
arrangements  being  similar  to  those  for  the  exhibition  held 
recently,  and  the  Conference  will  take  the  place  of  the  fortnightly 
lecture  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  S-ociety.  Several  new 
decorative  classes  will  be  added  to  the  schedule  for  next  year. 
The  Year's  Weather. 
The  Meteorological  Department  at  Greenwich  Observatory 
announces  that  the  rainfall  for  the  first  eight  months  of  the  year 
was  1.786in  below  the  average.  Of  sunshine  during  the  eight 
months  there  has  been  a  falling  off  of  313.8  hours,  or  about  an  hour 
and  a  quarter  each  day  compared  with  the  same  period  last  year. 
The  record  of  temperature  does  not  show  the  summer  months  in 
any  better  light.  The  mean  for  the  eight  months  is  49.3deg. 
which  is  l.ldeg  below  the  average.  One  may  well  agree  with 
the  general  verdict  upon  the  year’s  weather  to  date: — Rainfall, 
below  the  average ;  great  fall  in  sunshine ;  very  cloudy  summer ; 
a  cloudy  year. 
Examination  in  Horticulture,  1903. 
The  Royal  Horticultural  Society  will  hold  its  annual  examina¬ 
tion  in  the  principles  and  practice  of  horticulture  on  Wednesday, 
April  22,  1903.  The  examination  will  be  held  simultaneously  in 
as  many  different  centres  in  Great  Britain  and  Ireland  as  circum¬ 
stances  may  demand.  A  centre  can  be  established  wherever  a 
magistrate,  clergyman,  schoolmaster  or  other  responsible  person 
accustomed  to  examinations  will  consent  to  act  on  the  society’s 
behalf  in  accordance  with  the  rules  laid  down  for  its  conduct. 
No  limit  as  to  age,  position  or  previous  training  of  the  candidate 
will  be  imposed.  The  new  syllabus  is  now  ready,  and  intending 
candidates  should  send  a  penny  stamp  for  a  copy  of  it.  Copies 
of  the  examination  questions  set  by  the  Society’s  examiners  in 
previous  years — price  Is.,  complete- — can  also  be  obtained  on 
application  to  the  Secretary,  R.H.S.,  117,  Vigtoria  Street, 
London,  S.W.  ' 
