October  2,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER . 
313 
National  Sweet  Pea  Society. 
An  extraordinary  general  meeting  will  be  held  at  the  Hotel 
Windsor,  on  Tuesday,  October  7,  at  4  p.m.,  to  consider  a  proposed 
alteration  of  Rulei  7. 
Apples  in  Texas. 
The  Red  River  fruit  belt  in  northern  Texas  is  proving  to 
grow  Apples  very  successfully.  The  varieties  most  grown, 
named  in  order  of  popularity,  are  Ben  Davis,  Jonathan,  Red 
June,  Early  Harvest,  Black  Twig,  Winesop  and  Gano,  with 
many  other  varieties  on  trial. 
Importations  of  Sweet  Potatoes. 
Large  quantities  of  the  Sweet  Potato  (Ipomsea  Batatas)  are 
about  to  be  imported  to  this  country  from  Barbados,  “  by  special 
request  of  the  Imperial  Department  of  Agriculture  for  the  West 
Indies.  They  will  be  shipped  in  barrels  of  about  lcwt.  to  Pink 
and  Sons,  at  Portsmouth.  Sweet  Potatoes  are  cooked  by  boiling, 
roasting,  and  broiling,  and  can  be  used  in  pies,  rissoles,  and  other 
dishes.” 
Assisting  Infirm  Gardeners. 
As  a  practical  instance  of  what  might  be  done  in  the  cause  of 
charity  by  the  clergy  of  the  Church,  we  would  cite  the  efforts 
yearly  made  by  the  Rev.  W.  Wilks,  M.A.,  Vicar  of  Shirley,  on 
behalf  of  the  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution.  ,  We 
quote  from  the  “  Ci’oydon  Advertiser,”  of  September  27 : — 
“  Shirley  Church  Harvest  Thanksgiving,  October  5,  1902.  Sermon 
at  11  o’clock  a.m.,  by  the  Rev.  Prof.  George  Henslow,  M.A. 
Offertories  throughout  the  day  for  the  Gardeners’  Royal  Benevo¬ 
lent  Institution.”  At  other  harvest  thanksgivings,  special 
appeals  in  aid  of  the  funds  of  this  charity  might  quite  appropri¬ 
ately  be  made. 
Changes  at  Kew. 
Mr.  Frank  Garrett,  for  about  fifteen  years  foreman  of  the 
Greenhouse  and  Ornamental  Department  at  Kew,  has  been 
appointed  head  gardener  to  the  Duke  of  Marlborough,  at  Blen¬ 
heim,  Woodstock,  in  succession  to  Mr.  Whellans.  At  Kew,  Mr. 
Garrett’s  vacancy  will  be  filled  by  Mr.  A.  Osborn,  for  some  time 
deputy  foreman  in  the  Ferneries.  Mr.  Dawe,  till  recently  the 
deputy  foreman  in  the  Arboretum  Pits,  has  been  appointed  to  a 
responsible  post  in  Uganda,  and  his  position  at  Kew  is  filled  by 
Mr.  F.  Stayner,  late  of  Messrs.  Veitch’s.  The  Royal  Gardens’ 
control  shortly  will  be  transferred  from  the  Board  of  Works  to 
the  Board  of  Agriculture. 
Gardeners’  Winter  Session  at  Ipswich. 
The  third  session  of  the  Ipswich  District  Gardeners’  and 
Amateurs’  Association  till  the  end  of  the  present  year  will  include 
lectures  as  follows : — October  2. — Garden  Roses,  by  Mr.  F.  Cant, 
Colchester ;  October  16. — Germination  of  a  Seed,  by  Mr.  A.  Marti- 
nelli,  illustrated  by  specimens  and  drawings;  November  6. — 
Spring  Bedding,  by  Mr.  I.  Battram,  Oakland  Gardens,  Ipswich ; 
November  20.  —  Discussion  on  Ch  ry  sail  tli  e  no  lins,  &c. 
December  4. — Carnations,  Tree  and  Malmaison,  by  Mr.  W.  E. 
Close,  Holy  Wells  Gardens;  December  18. — The  Sweet  Pea 
Family,  by  Mr.  S.  J.  Batchelder.  The  lion,  secretary  is  Mr.  W.  E. 
Close,  of  Holy  Wells  Gardens. 
Mr.  W.  H.  Patterson. 
The  recent  changes  and  reduction  in  staff  at  the  Swanley 
Horticultural  College  have  brought  promotion  for  the  Super¬ 
intendent,  Mr.  W.  H.  Patterson,  for  he  has  accepted  the  post 
of  lecturer  in  horticulture,  and  keeper  of  the  gardens  to  the 
senate  of  University  College,  Reading.  Though  he  had  been  but 
a  short  while  at  Swanley,  having  accepted  a  six  months’  engage¬ 
ment  to  reorganise  the  garden  work,  great  changes  and  improve¬ 
ments  were  effected  in  the  time,  and  it  seems  a  pity  the  com¬ 
mittee  should  consider  it  necessary  to  adopt  the  retrogressive  step 
of  excluding  men  students,  for  if  horticulture  is  to  advance 
greatly  by  means  of  training  colleges,  it  is  to  the  men  that  most 
of  the  future  depends.,  Fortunately  Reading  fully  recognised 
this  fact,  and  the  work  will  be  arranged  for  the  benefit  of  those 
who  are  taking  up  the  subject  as  a  profession..  Mr.  Patterson, 
who  assisted  in  the  production  of  “  Cassell’s  Dictionary  of  Garden¬ 
ing,”  under  the  editorship  of  Mr.  W.  P.  Wright,  has  received 
botanical  and  horticultural  training  at  the  Technical  College, 
Colchester,  the  Technical  Laboratories  of  the  Essex  County 
Council  as  well  as  in  Kew,  market  gardens,  private  places  and 
nurseries. 
Canadian  Florists  12,000  Strong. 
Mr.  Joseph  Bennett,  of  Montreal,  the  retiring  president  of 
the  Canadian  Horticultural  Association,  gives  it  as  his  belief  that 
so  many  as  12,000  persons  are  employed  in  the  florists’  business 
in  the  Dominion  of  Canada. 
Medal  Award. 
“  I  see  in  the  Journal  of  September  25  you  state  that  a  silver 
Knightian  Medal  was  given  by  R.H.S.  for  the  collection  of  fruit 
from  Tilgate,  Crawley.  It  should  have  been  Silver-Gift  Knightian. 
Will  you  please  correct  it  in  the  next  issue?  ” — E.  N. 
Lost  in  the  Post, 
We  have  received  a  label  bearing  the  postmark  “Mayfield, 
Sussex,”  and  dated  September  25,  and  additionally  stamped  thus 
by  the  post  office  officials:  “Found  in  E.C.  without  contents.” 
The  address  is  correctly  and  clearly  written  on  the  label,  which 
must  have  become  unloosed  from  the  parcel. 
United  Horticultural  Provident  Society. 
The  annual  dinner  of  this  society  as  previously  announced  to 
be  held  on  Tuesday,  October  7,  has  been  unavoidably  postponed. 
It  will  now  be  held  at  the  Holborn  Restaurant  (Throne  Room), 
High  Holborn,  W.C.,  on  Thursday.  October  16,  at  6.30  p.m. 
Arthur  W.  Sutton,  Esq.,  F.L.S.,  Y.M.H.,  will  preside. 
Meetings  at  Cardiff. 
The  members  of  the  Cardiff  Gardeners’  Association  have  drawn, 
up  another  bright,  varied  and  useful  syllabus  of  lectures  to  be 
delivered  during  the  coming  months  at  their  meetings.  Com¬ 
petitions  for  plants,  vegetables  and  fruits  are  arranged  for  three 
of  the  evenings.  The  lion,  secretary  is  Mr.  J.  Julian,  15,  Bertram 
Street,  Roath. 
Ascot  Chrysanthemum  Exhibition. 
The  Ascot,  Sunninghill,  Sunningdale  and  District  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  will  hold  its  eighteenth  annual  exhibition  of 
Chrysanthemums  and  other  autumnal  flowers,  with  fruits  and 
vegetables,  on  Wednesday  and  Thursday,  November  5  and  6. 
There  are  three  good  open  classes  for  groups;  schedules  may  be 
had  from  Mr.  H.  R.  Attfield,  Ascot. 
Torquay  Gardeners’  Association. 
The  programme,  of  essays  and  lectures  for  1902-03,  to  be  given 
before  the  members  of  the  above,  has  been  lately  published. 
Many  of  the  lectures  are  to  be  of  a  scientific  character,  on  the 
subject  of  plant  life.  Prizes  are  offered  in  certain  classes  set 
apart,  for  each  of  the  meetings.  The  lion,  assistant  secretary 
is  Mr.  George  Lee,  The  Gardens,  Upton  Leigh,  Torquay. 
Seed  Potatoes  [for  South  Africa. 
From  “  South  Africa  ”  for  September  20,  we  learn  that  a  Mr. 
W.  J.  Malden,  who  is  said  to  have  made  a  study  of  this  esculent, 
writes  protesting  against  the  announced  intention  to  get  supplies 
of  Potatoes  for  planting  purposes  in  the  newly-acquired  South 
African  colonies  from  Madagascar  and  the  Soudan,  the  reason 
for  selecting  these  countries  to  supply  the  sets  being 
that  it  is  supposed  they  are  “acclimatised”  to  South 
African’  conditions.  The  South  Africans  will  find  these 
relatively  just  about  as  useful  as  the  worn-out  remounts 
which  found  their  way  to  South  Africa,  during  the  war, 
and  it  is  hoped  someone  will  be  led  to  stop  such  an  unscientific 
and  unpractical  step  as  the  using  of  “worn-out  or  acclimatised” 
Potatoes.  Otherwise,  before  the  stocks  sent  out  can  possibly  be 
developed  to  quantities  that  can  substantially  help  the  country 
they  will  have  broken  down  altogether.  New  varieties  are 
desirable. 
Meeting  at  Shirley,  Hants. 
The  following  is  a  list  of  the  awards  made  for  exhibits  on 
September  22,  at  the  Gardeners’  meeting: — Certificate  of  Merit 
to  Mr.  Jno.  Miles  for  wasps’  nests;  W.  H.  Rogers  and  Son, 
collection  of  Roses  (very  fine),  F.C.C’.  ;  Mr.  F.  Cozens,  two  very 
pretty  seedling  Pompon  Dahlias,  F.C.C. ;  twenty-four  Cactus, 
Y.H.C. ;  and  twelve  Show  H.C.  Mr.  Wilcox,  AbH.C.  for  collec¬ 
tion  of  Cactus  Dahlias,  and  a  dish  of  Strawberry  (St.  Joseph)  from 
the  open.  Mr.  B.  Ladhams,  V.H.C.  for  a  very  fine  stand  of  cut 
blooms;  and  Mr.  Tomsett  commended  for  twelve  single  Asters. 
A  hearty  vote  of  thanks  was  given  to  Mr.  Miles  for  his  address 
on  wasps,  also,  to  the  exhibitors  and  to  the  chairman  for  presiding. 
The  next  lecture  will  be  given  on  October  20,  by  Mr.  James 
Hudson,  V.M.H.,  Gunnerxbury  Park,  Acton,  W.,  on  the  Cultiva¬ 
tion  of  Figs. — J.  M. 
