October  9,  1902. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
331 
Appointment. 
Mr.  Alfred  Clark,  late  foreman  under  Mr.  F.  G.  Small,  of 
Asliton  Hall  Gardens,  as  head  gardener  at  Melbourne  Hall, 
Melbourne,  Derbyshire,  an  estate  of  Earl  Cowper’s. 
Beckenham  Gardeners. 
An  interesting  syllabus  of  meetings  and  lectures  for  the  coming 
winter  has  been  arranged  by  the  members  of  the  Beckenham 
Horticultural  Society.  This  society  possesses  a  horticultural 
library  of  300  volumes,  and  nine  evenings  are  specially  set  aside 
that  members  may  foregather  among  the  books  and  discuss  them. 
Applicants  should  be  sent  to  Mr.  Mark  Webster,  librarian, 
Beckenham. 
Scotch  Carnations. 
Flow  wonderfully  late  Carnations  are  this  season  with  us  in 
the  north.  Plants  are  full  of  bloom  still,  and  no  end  of  buds 
that,  alas!  shall  never  be  able  to  expand  into  lovely  flowers.  I 
have  never  seen  even  such  good  doers  as  Asphodel,  Sadek, 
Mephisto,  and  others,  so-  fine,  and  some  of  the  newer  kinds  are 
retaining  the  good  opinion  previously  formed  of  their  qualities. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  season,  and  especially  under  glass,  the 
gloriously  brilliant  Sir  R.  W.  Griffiths  was  just  a  little  dis¬ 
appointing,  as  were  also  some  others ;  but  of  late,  in  the  open,  it 
has  come  out  in  all  its  beauty.  In  its  home  in  Kelso,  in  Messrs. 
Laing  and  Mather’s  nurseries,  it  was  last  week,  producing  the 
most  lovely  orange-scarlet  blooms  in  great  profusion.  Our 
layers  have  done  splendidly,  too,  and  it  may  well  be  noted  as  an 
indispensable  border  Carnation. — B. 
Flower-adorned  Business  Premises. 
“  When  at  Bath  some  weeks  ago,”  writes  “  E.  D.  T.”  to  the 
“  City  Press,”  “  I  noticed  what  an  effective  show  was  made  by  a 
little  floral  decoration  outside  one  of  the  banks  in  that  city. 
I  found  on  inquiry  that  it  was  the  banking  firm  over  which  our 
own  Lord  Mayor  presides  that  sets  this  excellent  example.  I 
inquired  as  I  passed  how  much  it  cost  to  thus  enliven  the 
premises  all  the  year  round  (for  in  winter,  evergreen  shrubs  take 
the  place  of  flowers),  and  I  was  struck  by  the  comparative  small¬ 
ness  of  the  sum.  The  City  proper,  and  London  generally,  would 
be  much  improved  if  more  attention  were  paid  thus  to  ‘  appear¬ 
ances.’  The  attempt  on  the  piazza  of  the  Royal  Exchange 
compares  most  unfavourably  with  the  instance  I  quote  at  Bath. 
There  is  another  consideration  to  name  in  this  connection,  and 
that  is  the  help  it  would  be  to  our  nurserymen  and  florists  in  the 
suburbs,  if  more  regard  were  had  to  making  dingy  business 
premises  look  a  little  more  cheerful  by  floral  and  evergreen 
decoration.” 
Beading  Gardeners’  Association. 
The  first  fortnightly  meeting  cf  the  winter  session  was 
recently  held  in  the  Abbey  Hall,  and  was  well  attended,  Mr.  G. 
Stanton  presiding.  The  subjects  for  the  evening  were:  “  Melons 
in  Pots,”  and  “  Stoking.”  The  former  was  introduced  in  a  very 
practical  manner  by  Mr.  E.  F.  Exler,  The  Gardens,  East  Thorpe, 
Reading,  under  the  following  headings:  Soils,  watering,  syring¬ 
ing,  stopping,  ventilation,  shading,  insects,  disease,  varieties,  &c. 
The  latter  subject  was  taken  up  by  Mr.  E.  Fry,  The  Gardens, 
Greenlands,  Reading,  who  made  some  forcible  remarks  on  the 
stokehole,  boilers,  and  fuel.  The  discussions  were  well 
sustained.  Great  interest  was  created  in  an  exhibit  of  Cactus 
Dahlias  staged  by  Mr.  C.  P.  C'retchley,  The  Gardens,  The 
Honeys,  Twyford.  The  varieties  were  Lord  Roberts,  Rosine, 
Vesta,  J.  W.  Wilkinson,  W.  Jowett,  J.  Weir  Fife,  Cornucopia, 
Mrs.  E.  Mawley,  and  Mrs.  Carter  Page.  Mr.  H.  House,  The 
Gardens,  Oakfield,  Reading,  staged  a  collection  of  Apples  and 
Pears,  and  Mr.  G.  Durrant,  The  Gardens,  Preston  Lodge,  Read¬ 
ing,  specimens  of  the  various  types  of  Dahlias.  Seven  new 
members  were  elected.  The  subject  for  the  meeting  to  be  held  on 
October  13,  is  “  Flowering  Trees  and  Shrubs,”  illustrated  by 
limelight  pictures,  by  Mr  G.  Gordon,  V.M.H.,  editor  of  “The 
Gardeners’  Magazine.” 
Trial  of  Potato  Diggers. 
The  great  trial  of  Potato  diggers,  under  the  auspices  of  the 
Royal  Lancashire  Agricultural  Society,  whose  president,  the 
Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Derby,  K.G.,  G.C.B.,  offered  very  valu¬ 
able  prizes  (first  prize  £20,  second  prize  £10),  was  held  at  Carr 
Hall  Farm,  Burscough,  yesterday,  at  11  o’clock  prompt.  Nino 
machines,  representing  the  best  makers  of  Potato  diggers,  com¬ 
peted,  and  the  trials  are  looked  to  by  agriculturists  and  growers 
of  Potatoes  in  the  North  of  England  with  special  interest. 
Tree  within  a  Tree. 
There  has  been  found  at  High  Wycombe  a  curious  illustration 
of  growth  under  abnormal  conditions.  A  quantity  of  Canadian 
Birch  timber  arrived  at  one  of  the  chair  factories  there,  and  in 
the  centre  of  one  piece,  3in.  in  thickness,  there  was  found  a 
young  Birch  tree,  2^in  in  diameter,  which  had  escaped  the  saw. 
It  had  enjoyed  an  independent  growth,  and  it  is  supposed, 
reports  the  “  Sun,”  that  years  ago  a  seed  fell  into  a  sapling, 
which  forced  its  way  up  through  the  trunk' of  its  parent.  The 
hollow  was  completely  filled  a  distance  of  several  yards.  This 
curiosity  is  to  be  preserved. 
Horticultural  Meetings  In  London. 
Meetings  of  floriculturists  in  London  wrere  held  on  Tuesday 
last  as  follows: — The  Committees  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society,  12  to  1  o’clock,  in  the  Drill  Hall  of  the  London  Scottish 
Volunteers  ;  National  Rose  Society’s  General  Purposes  Committee, 
at  3  p.m.,  in  the  rooms  of  the  Horticultural  Club,  to  consider 
the  programme  for  1903,  &c. ;  National  Sweet  Pea  Society,  at 
4  p.m.,  in  the  Hotel  Windsor,  to  consider  the  alteration  of 
Rule  7 ;  and  in  the  Royal  Aquarium  the  Floral  Committee  of  the 
National  Chrysanthemum  Society  met  after  the  judging  at  the 
Society’s  early  autumn  exhibition,  was  completed. 
Horticulture  at  Brotton. 
At  the  request  of  several  miner-gardeners  and  allotment 
holders  in  Brotton,  Yorks,  a  course  of  five  lectures  on  “  Horti¬ 
culture  ”  has  been  arranged,  and  will  be  delivered  in  the  Institute 
by  Mr.  Alfred  Gaut,  of  the  Yorkshire  College,  Leeds.  Mr.  Gaut 
has  lectured  at  other  centres  in  the  Cleveland  district,  and  the 
instruction  gained  by  those  who  attended  has  proved  of  value  to 
many  who  cultivate  the  soil,  either  as  a  hobby  or  for  profit.  The 
arrangements  have  been  made  in  connection  with  the  North 
Riding  County  Council  technical  instruction  scheme,  and  Mr. 
A.  P.  Maddison,  Brotton  stationmaster,  is  the  local  secretary. 
Echoes  from  Hamilton. 
October  has  opened  here  with  good  prospects.  The  air  is 
dry  and  cold,  but  seasonable,  and  we  see  more  of  the  sun  than 
has  been  our  fortune  for  some  time.  Those  among  us  who 
declared  that  on  the  reappearance  of  the  sun,  it  would  be  meet 
to  have  its  photo  taken  for  “Auld  Lang  Syne,”  can  have  every 
opportunity  for  doing  so  now.  Harvesting  of  all  kinds  has 
become  now  general.  What  a  comparison  with  ordinary  years ; 
quite  a  month  behind.  Nor  do  the  cereals  look  as  if  they  were 
even  yet  quite  in  approval  of  the  application  of  the  sickle. 
They  appear  so  wan  and  tinged  with  an  unnatural  greenish  hue, 
so  different  to  that  healthy .  golden  colour  generally  associated 
with  the  advent  of  autumn.  But  our  soil  is  naturally  cold  and 
unkindly ;  a  cold  clay  and  consequently  retentive  of  moisture. 
The  forests  themselves  also  seem  to  share  in  the  sickly,  yellow- 
greenish  tinge,  and  do  not  present  themselves  in  their  wonted 
garbs  of  golden  red.  The  leaves,  already,  it  is  true,  come  rust¬ 
ling  down,  but  they  seem  not  to  have  passed  through  those 
interesting — and  shall  wo  also  say  instructive? — stages  at  this 
period  of  their  existence.  September  was  a  phenomenal  month 
in  many  respects.  It  furnished  us  with  a  very  severe  and 
destructive  gale,  also  one  night  of  severe  frost.  Wet,  of  course, 
and  sunless  days  were  largely  in  evidence,  but,  perhaps,  upon  the 
whole,  with  all  its  defects,  it  was  a  decided  improvement  on  the 
two  or  three  months!  preceding  it.  Chrysanthemums,  though 
naturally  not  so  good  as  usual,  are  nevertheless  in  some  cases 
looking  exceptionally  well.  They  promise,  both  at  Camphill  and 
the  Botanic  Gardens,  Glasgow,  to  be  very  fine,  and  already  there 
is  a  fine  display  to  the  fore.  The  good  weather  of  the  last  few 
days  has  wonderfully  revived  bedding  plants,  and  at  present  our 
gardens  are  looking  not  quite  so  desolate  as  they  appeared  some 
weeks  ago.  Hawthorn  berries  are  in  abundance,  and  so  are 
blackbirds. — D.  C. 
