December  18,  19C2.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COT  TATE  GARDENER. 
569 
Chester  Paxton  Society. 
It  has  been  decided  to  hold  the  next  exhibition  of  fruits 
and  Chrysanthemums  in  connection  with  this  society  on  Wed¬ 
nesday  and  Thursday,  November  11  and  12,  1903. — G.  P.  Miln. 
Weather  in  the  North, 
The  severe  frost  of  the  previous  week  declined  in  severity, 
and  gave  way  on  the  10th.,  Sincei  then  the  weather  lias  been 
dull  and  cold.  On  Sunday  a  gale  from  the  south  raged  all 
day,  with  heavy  rain.  Monday  was  also  dull,  but  fresh  and 
fair. — B.  D.,  S.  Perthshire. 
Carter’s  “Yade  Mecum.” 
This  apathetical  land  of  ours,  much  to  the  annoyance,  we 
should  think,  of  its  ever-present  detractors,  sometimes  takes 
the  lead  in  business  as  in  art.  Messrs.  James  Carter  and  Co.’s 
new  seed  catalogue  is  a  case  in  point,  for  we  have  yet  to  see 
the  foreign  nursery  catalogue  that  contains  twetnty-fou r  coloured 
photographs,  as  this  does.  The  size  has  been  altered  to  more 
convenient  proportions,  which  marks  another  change  in  the 
right  direction.  The  catalogue  is  a  work  cf  art,  as  well  as  one 
of  great  value. 
Johannesburg,  Transvaal. 
Over  'and  around  Johannesburg  severe  hailstorms  fell  early 
in  November,  damaging  to  an  enormous  extent  the  fruit  and 
vegetable  crops,  as  well  as  annuals  just  recently  planted  out. 
The  hailstones  were  about  the  size  of  a  pigeon’s  egg,  but  in 
some  districts  they  were  not  so  large,  and  in  these  cases  the 
damage  was  not  so  great.  One  nurseryman  and  florist  estimates 
his  loss  at  over  £2,000.  After  the  storm  not  a  Strawberry 
could  be  picked  without  a  deep  gash  in  it,  and  in  the  worst  parts 
very  few  Peaches  and  Apricots  will  be  pulled  but  v’hat  are 
damaged.  The  Vines  also  received  a  hard  knocking,  and  the 
ground  around  them  was  quite  green  with  leaves  and  bunches 
of  Grapes.  The  fruit  crop  is  a  fairly  heavy  one,  and  was  just 
on  the  point  of  ripening  when  the  storms,  which  lasted  no  more 
than  fifteen  minutes  each,  burst  over  them,  and  in  the  shops 
and  market  little  fruit  is  seen  in  an  undamaged  condition. 
Tomatoes  and  Melons  were  almost  ruined,  and  Cabbages  and 
Cauliflowers  looked  as  if  so  many  Mauser  bullets  had  been 
showered  upon  them.  Fruit  in  large  quantities  is  now  coming 
up  from  the  Cape  and  Natal. 
Sugar  Beet  and  Sugar  Cane. 
Sugar  Beet  is  grown  in  various  quarters  of  the  globe,  and  in 
vast  quantities.  The  discovery  of  the  presence-  of  sugar  in  Beet¬ 
root,  and  the  first-  experiments  for  its  production,  were  made- 
in  Germany  during  the  latter  half  of  the  eighteenth  century.  In 
1747  Marggraf  read  a  paper  before  the  Berlin  Academy  of 
Sciences,  and  showed  that  he  had  obtained,  by  means  of  alcohol, 
6.2  per  cent,  sugar  from  white  Beet  and  4.5  per  cent,  from  red 
Beet.  After  the  peace  of  Aix-la-Chapelle,  however,  the  Conti¬ 
nent  wras  flooded  wdth  cheap  British  Colonial  sugar,  and  the 
attempts  to  manufacture  Beet  sugar  were  abandoned  until 
towards  the  end  of  the  century.  Achard  and  Hermbstadt  re¬ 
sumed  the  experiments,  and,  assisted  by  the  then  prevailing 
Continental  blockade,  succeeded  in  laying  the  foundation  of  the 
German  Beet  sugar  industry.  The  circumstances  were  certainly 
favourable,  as  the  price  of  Cane  sugar  rose,  for  example,  from 
Is.  per  lb  in  1805  to  5s.  6d.  per  lb  in  1811,  and  Napoleon  I. 
gave  the  infant  industry  his  special  assistance  and  protection. 
After  his  deposition,  however,  a  great  reaction  took  place,  as  the 
great  majority  of  newly-founded  sugar  works  were  compelled  to 
close  owing  to  their  unsuitable  situation,  the  cessation  of  State 
aid,  and  the  fall  in  the  price  of  sugar  after  the  close  of  the 
Continental  blockade.  About  ten  years  afterwards  the  forward 
movement  began  again,  and,  aided  principally  by  chemical  and 
agricultural  science,  raised  Germany  to  the  position  she  occupies 
to-day  as  the  greatest  sugar-producing  country  of  the  world. 
There  is  no  doubt  that  the  bounty  system  has  also  most  materially 
assisted  the  growth  of  the  sugar  industry,  but  science  has  had  a 
very  great  deal  to  do  in  the  matter,  and  the  question  is  whether 
science  applied  with  equal  thoroughness  might  not  do  as  much 
for  the  original  source  of  sugar,  the  Sugar-Cane. — (“  Grocer.”) 
National  Sweet  Pea  Society. 
The  annual  general  meeting  will  be  held  at  the  Hotel 
Windsor  on  Monday,  29th  inst.,  at  4  p.m.  Agenda  :  To  receive 
the  report  and  balance-sheet,  election  of  officers  and  com¬ 
mittee,  the  show  in  1903,  any  other  business. — Horace  J. 
Wright. 
Appointments. 
Mr.  William  Keay,  for  the  past  seven  years  gardener  at 
Westertel,  St.  Andrew’s,  Fifeshire,  as  gardener  to  Walter  Cun- 
liffe,  Esq.,  Headley  Court,  Epsom,  Surrey.  *  *  Mr.  F.  H. 
Shinner,  late  foreman  at  Osberton  House,  WTorksop,  Notts,  as 
head  gardener  to  Lord  Arthur  Butler,  Gennings  Park,  Maid¬ 
stone,  Kent. 
National  Amateur  Gardeners,  Liverpool  Branch. 
From  the  excellent  attendance  of  members  and  friends  of 
the  above  branch  at  the  annual  social  evening  held  in  the 
Common  Hall,  Hackins  Hey,  on  Wednesday  last,  it  would 
appear  that-  this  useful  branch  is  now  on  a  more  firm  footing 
than  on  any  previous  occasion  in  its  history.  In  the  unavoid¬ 
able  absence  of  the  president,  Mr.  A.  W.  Ardran  was  voted  to 
the  chair.  There  was  a  high-class  musical  programme  sub¬ 
mitted;  Mrs.  Robins  being  responsible  for  it.  The  artistes  were 
Mesdames  Reynolds,  L.  Smith,  C.  Smith,  Gray,  Laurenson, 
Thorn,  Ash,  and  Dodd,  and  Messrs.  E.  Smith,  Porter,  Guilbert, 
and  R.  Pinnington.  Light  refreshments  w’ere  provided  during 
the  evening  under  the-  supervision  of  Mesdames  Paddock  and 
Stevenson,  assisted  by  a  willing  band  of  helpers.  Votes  of 
thanks  w’ere  passed  to  the  chairman,  and  to  Messrs.  Frisby, 
Dyke  and  Co.  for  the  decoration  of  the  room. — R.  P.  R. 
Humber  Brand  Insecticide. 
A  few  weeks  ago  we  received  a  sample  cask  of  this  insecti¬ 
cide,  and  for  trial  placed  it  in  the  hands  of  a  highly  successful 
practical  gardener,  who  kindly  reports  as  under: — “Though  of 
modern  introduction,  this  has  already  created  a  good  impression, 
on  those  who  have  proved  its  efficacy.  It  w’ould  appear  to  be 
a  highly  concentrated  solution  of  insect-destroying  chemicals, 
pleasant,  rather  than  offensive,  to  the  user,  and  certainly 
rigorous  in  its  action  on  the  lighter  side  of  insect  life.  Green 
and  black  fly,  thrips,  and  even  mealy  bug  fare  badly  when  sub¬ 
ject  to  an  immersion  of  this  Humber  Brand  in  suitable 
strength.  No  apparent  injury  resulted  to  tender  leafage,  and 
it  is  our  opinion  that-  it  is  a  preparation  destined  to  do  much 
in  the  future  dealing  with  greenhouse  troubles  in  the  insect 
world.  It  certainly  claims  originality  in  name  and  substance, 
and  its  first  trials  are  more  convincing  than  many  that  have 
come  before  us.” 
The  Calderstone  Estate. 
I  have  in  these  pages  from  time  to  time  referred  to  the  good 
wTork  that  is  being  carried  on  by  the  Liverpool  Parks  and 
Gardens’  Committee,  the  last  of  which  was-  the  purchase  of  the 
fine  Calderstone-  estate,  and  which  is  still  in  charge  of  the  veteran, 
Mr.  W.  Tunnington.  No  satisfactory  solution  of  what  the 
Council  intended  to  do  with  the  estate  has  yet  been  arrived  at, 
but  now  a  rumour  has  gone  forth  that  the  Estate  Committee  of 
the  Corporation  will  draw  up  a  scheme  in  which  they  purpose 
transferring  the  Wavertree  Botanical  Gardens  to  Calderstone, 
with  a  view  to  making  it  also  into  a  grand  public  park,  the  resi¬ 
dents  being  thoroughly  in  accord,  providing  houses  of  a  certain 
rateable  value  are  erected.  If  this  idea  is  carried  out  there  can 
be  no  question  as  to  the  suitability  of  such  a  position,  for  almost 
every  kind  of  outdoor  plant  flourishes  most  luxuriantly,  so  pure 
is  the  air  and  rich  the  soil.  Of  the  present  Wavertree  Gardens, 
and  the  care  and  attention  bestowed  upon  them  since  Mr.  J. 
Guttridge  took  charge,  an  admiring  public — which  at  any  time 
can  be  seen  wending  their  way  through — are  the  best  judges; 
and  if  botanical  research  cannot  be  oarried  out  to  perfection, 
ther  are  many  other  subjects  which  are  equally  interesting  to 
the  large  residential  population  in  the  immediate  neighbourhood. 
So  rapid  are  the  building  operations  in  every  direction,  that  now 
or  never  is  the  time  for  a  bold  policy.  By  acquiring  land  every 
class  of  the  public  will  be  benefited  in  years  to  come,  and  the 
work  of  the  committee,  which  is  arduous,  and-  sometimes  severely 
criticised,  will  redound  to  their  credit.  The  scheme  is  sure  to 
be  followed  with  much  interest. — R.  P.  R. 
