568 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTA  IE  GARDENER. 
December  18,  1902. 
NOTES 
Illness  of  Mr.  Cecil  Cant. 
Many  of  those  rosarians  who  have  come  into  touch  with  Mr. 
Cecil  Cant,  of  Colchester,  will  join  their  sympathy  with  ours  in 
learning  of  his  critical  condition  through  appendicitis.  We  most 
sincerely  trust  that  soon  he  may  again  be  completely  restored, 
to  assume  the  responsibilities  of  business  along  with  his  elder 
brother. 
A  Meteorological  Inquiry. 
The  First  Lord  of  the  Treasury  has  appointed  a  committee 
to  inquire  and  report  as  to  the  administration  by  the  meteoro¬ 
logical  council  of  the  existing  Parliamentary  grant,  and  as  to 
whether  any  changes  in  its  apportionment  are  desirable  in  the 
interests  of  meteorological  science,  and  to  make  any  further 
recommendations  that  may  occur  to  them  with  a  view  to  in¬ 
creasing  the  utility  of  the  grant. 
Notes  from  Hamilton,  N  B. 
The  frost  which  visited  the  district  some  ten  days  ago,  and 
which  appeared  as  if  it  came  to  stay  for  some  time,  has  as  sud¬ 
denly  and  as  unexpectedly  left  us  to  enjoy  'as  best  as  we-  can 
the  cheerless  wet  weather  previously  experienced.  As  I  write, 
the  rain  comes  down  incessantly,  and  has  done  so  since  the 
same  time  yesterday  morning,  with  only  a  brief  interval  during 
the  night.  Yesterday  (Sunday)  the  sudden  change  which  broke 
up  the  frost  on  Saturday  morning  culminated  in  a.  storm  of 
wind  and  rain  which  approached  the  magnitude  of  a  gale.  But 
to-day  the  gale  has  subsided,  and  the  atmosphere  is  colder,  and 
I  should  not  be  surprised  to  see  some  snow  supervene.  The  last 
few  weeks  have  been  remarkable  for  sudden  falls  and  rises  in 
temperature,  and  as  the  freaks  of  weather  are  often  recurrent 
it  is  very  possible  that  we  shall  have  some  more  variable 
samples  up  till  the  end  of  the  year  at  least.  I  note  in  last 
week’s  Journal  that,  on  account  of  the  mildness  of  the  season, 
Strawberries  and  Raspberries  were  gathered  in  gardens  in  the 
sunny  South.  I,  too,  gathered  about  half  a  pint  of  the  finest 
Raspberries  we  had  this  year  on  November  26  last.  Flavour 
was  almost  as  good,  though  a  little  more  watery,  as  if  pulled 
in  the  height  of  the  season.  In  noting  such  curiosities  it  would 
be  well  to  remark  that  the  fruit  was  fertilised  early  in  autumn, 
and  on  account  of  the  general  lateness  of  the  season  it  neces¬ 
sarily  took  longer  time  to  mature. — D.  C. 
The  Burmese  Honeysuckle. 
Lonicera  liildebrandiana  is  the  finest  Woodbine  that  one 
could  plant  in  a  large  conservatory.  It  must  be  a  large  structure 
to  properly  display  it,  and  shelter  is  a  necessity  for  this  giant  in 
Scotland,  or  at  least  in  Edinburgh.  But  in  southern  England  it 
seems  to  lead  a  happy  life  in  the  open.  In  the  Edinburgh 
Botanic  Gardens  it  is  a  very  vigorous  climber,  which  flowers  from 
July  to  September.  And  profuse  though  the  flowering  shoots 
be,  the  fragrance  is  yet  morei  noticeable,  for  it  is  sweetly  diffused 
through  a  large  and  lofty  conservatory.  The  large  flowers  are 
almost  half  a  foot  in  length,  and  they  are  said  to  be  capable  of 
yet  longer  attempts.  Freshly  expanded,  they  are  of  a  creamy 
yellow ;  but  this  colour  soon  deepens,  and,  passing  through 
various  and  pleasing  shades,  arrives  at  a  deep  orange  red,  which 
colour  marks  their  approaching  flight  to  earth.  This  grand 
Honeysuckle  is  yet  a  new  denizen  of  our  gardens,  as  it  is  but 
four  years  since  it  w’as  first  flowered  in  this  country  at  the 
Glasnevin  Botanic  Gardens  in  Ireland.  In  its  native  habitat 
it  is  a  somewhat  rare  plant,  and  used  like  other  choice  things 
for  the  decoration  of  native  temples.  Its  hardiness  is  owing  to 
the  altitude  (about  5,000ft)  at  which  it  is  found  on  the  Shan 
Hills,  and  probably  when  plants  of  this  Honeysuckle  are  more 
plentiful,  it  will  be  found  to  be  suitable  as  an  outdoor  plant  in 
more  parts  of  the  country.  It  was  first  raised  from  imported 
seeds,  but  cuttings  of  firm  shoots  6in  or  so  in  length  root  freely 
in  a  warm  propagating  case. — D.  S.  Fish. 
Rev.  H.  Honywood  D'Ombrain. 
It  was  most  pleasant  information  that  Mr.  E.  Mawley  gave 
to  his  supporters  at  the  annual  dinner  of  the  National  Rose 
Society  on  Thursday  last,  when  he  reported  Mr.  D’Ombrain’s 
greatly  improved  state  of  health.  Some  of  us  had  thought  that 
the  cold  weather  might  have  an  undesirable  effect  on  the  condi¬ 
tion  of  the  veteran’s  health,  but  this,  happily,  is  not  so. 
Chinese  Tree  Planting. 
The  Chinese  do  many  foolish  things,  but  also  some  wise  ones. 
Large  proclamations  have  recently  been  posted  throughout 
Yunnan  exhorting  the  people  to  plant  trees  broadcast.  The 
trees  of  Yunnan  suffered  terribly  in  the  Mohammedan  rebellion 
thirty  years  ago,  and  no  earnest  effort  has  yet  been  made  to 
repair  the  loss.  Official  rank  is  promised  to  all  who  plant  10,000' 
trees  or  over,  so  that  possibly  the  Chinese  love  of  a  button  may 
lead  in  a  few  years’  time  to  the  changing  of  some  of  these 
barren  hills  into  well-wooded  and  useful  tracts  of  country. 
There  are  complaints  that  afforestation  in  this  country  does  not 
always  receive  the  attention  it  deserves.  Could  we  not  take  a 
leaf  out  of  China’s  book  and  give  some  reward  to  the  man  who 
makes  two  trees  grow  where  only  one  grew  before? 
The  First  Seed  Catalogue  for  1903. 
Scarcely  have  the  bulb  catalogues  ceased  arriving  before 
those  devoted  to  trees,  fruit,  shrubs,  and  Roses  begin  to  appear, 
and  all  of  these  are  not  recorded  when  Mercury’s  vanguard 
heralds  the  dawn  of  the  new  seed  season.  With  the  turn  of  the 
year  the  gardener  considers  his  forthcoming,  seed-list,  and  soon 
the  earlier  sowings  are  made.  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  and  Sons, 
Limited,  are  first-  in  the  field  this  year  with  an  excellently 
arranged  catalogue,  which  contains  one  of  the  best  coloured 
plates  (of  Streptocarpus)  we  have  seen  in  a  publication  of  this 
kind.  .Following  hard  upon  the  aforementioned  catalogue, 
comes  another  well-known  guide,  Messrs.  Sutton  and  Sons’ 
Amateur’s  Guide  in  Horticulture  for  1903.  It  is  one  of  those 
catalogues  the  professional  gardener  or  amateur  most  prizes  :  it 
is  up  to  its  usual  high  standard. 
A  United  Agriculture,  Horticulture,  and  Sylviculture. 
The  three  arts,  agriculture,  horticulture,  and  sylviculture,  are 
so  intimately  associated  with  one  another  that  it  is  a  matter  of 
difficulty  to  determine  where  one  begins,  or  another  ceases  to 
form  a  part  of  the  chain  which  connects  the  whole  three. 
Essentially  there  is  no-  line  of  division,  and  therefore  it  behoves 
that  every  effort  should  be  made  to  smooth  any  appearance  of 
such  that  may  exist,  to  alienate  the  natural  fusion  (if  the  term  is 
admissible)  when  that-  should  present  itself.  We  are,  perhaps, 
too*  much  inclined  to  assign  different  parts  to  each,  without  in 
the  remotest  degree  giving  the  least  consideration  to  the  relation 
they  have  to  one  another.  In  this  manner  we  are,  instead  of 
coming  in  closer  touch  as  years  roll  by,  losing  sight  of  our 
natural  kinship,  and  our  original  common  descent.  This  is  by  no 
means  a  desirable  position  for  any  one  of  the  arts  enumerated,  for 
each  is  so  peculiarly  constituted  that  it  necessarily  requires  all 
the  combined  force  that  unity  of  purpose  can  bring  to-  bear  upon  it. 
How  much  more  powerful  would  the  authority  and  claims  of  each 
individually  be,  were  each  a  component  part  of  a  grand  united 
whole?  Though  almost  insurmountable  difficulties  appear  to  lie 
in  the  way  of  such  a  united  fellowship  becoming  a  practicable 
force  in  the  industrial  economics  of  the  country,  yet  there  is  no 
reason  for  thinking  its  accomplishment  impossible.  Perhaps  it  is 
through  the  instrumentality  of  the  combined  action  of  these 
three  arts  that  our  waste  lands  and  denuded  forests  are  to  be 
planted  and  replanted  for  exigencies  of  the  future.  At  least  it 
would  appear  that  private  enterprise  must  sooner  or  later  step 
in  to  save  the  situation,  and  doubtless  this  is  very  much  as  it 
ought  to  be.  The  continual  croaking  that  the  Government  ought 
to  take  up  the  matter  is  not  very  indicative  of  wisdom,  nor  would 
such  an  action  on  the  part  of  Government  be  a  resourceful  one 
for  the  nation.  All  private  enterprises,  we  know,  are  a.  source  of 
wealth  to>  the  nation  ;  Government  concerns  are  not  invariably  so, 
and  in  this  instance  could  hardly  be  expected  to  be.  Therefore, 
nobody  is  more  fitted  for  the  great  work  which  must  be  effected 
in  the  future  than  the  body  which  I  beg  to  designate,  “  The 
Royal  Fnited  Arts  of  Agriculture,  Horticulture,  and  Sylviculture, 
of  Great  Britain  and  Ireland,  &c.” — Albion. 
