588 
JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  A, YD 
CO  TTA  GE  GA  RDENER. 
December  25,  1902. 
they  consider  to  be  a  really  expeditious  and  satisfactory  method 
of  judging  cottage  gardens,  especially  in  relation  to  fruit  trees. 
— j.  S.  ^ 
Boihy  Plan  Competiiion. 
I  was  rather  surprised  to  read  Mr.  Rabjohn’s  “  wail  ”  in  the 
current  issue  of  the  Journal  re  the  above.  Why  not,  like  the  rest 
of  us,  have  a  try  with  a  modest  attempt?  It  is  not  possible  for 
everyone  to  compete  successfully,  but  even  an  attempt  would  do 
us  no  harm,  and  it  will,  no  dqubt,  be  some  practice.  It  is  the 
same  with  a  competition  of  this  description  as  with  exhibiting — - 
the  more  competit  on  the  more  honour  in  winning,  or  being 
beaten  by  a  worth,,  competitor.  If  we  are  beaten,  we  find  out 
our  weak  points,  and  can  strengthen  them  accordingly  when  the 
opportunity  arrives  for  another  attempt.  I  am  sending  my 
modest  attempt,  and  am  sure  it  has  been  a  pleasant  pastime 
for  a  few  evenings,  and  an  experience  which  cannot  but  be  most 
helpful. — J.  Wilkinson. 
Societies, 
Birmingham  Gardeners’. 
The  fortnightly  meeting  of  the  society  was  held  on  the  loth 
inst.,  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham  in  the  chair,  who  aws  supported  by  a 
good  attendance  cf  the  members.  Mr.  J.  Udale,  County  Council 
Horticultural  Lecturer  for  Worcestershire,  gave  a  very  interest¬ 
ing  and  pertinent  dissertation  entitled  “  Hardy  Flowering  Shrubs 
in”  Relation  to  Landscape  Gardening.”  The  essayist’s,  main 
object  was  to  demonstrate  the  arrangement  and  massing  of 
flowering  shrubs  with  a  view  to  produce  a  good  effect  by  the  har¬ 
monious  blending  of  their  inflorescences.  Consequently  it  would 
be  necessary  to  select  shrubs  that  would  flower  as  nearly  as  pos¬ 
sible  simultaneously.  The  massing  system — where  admissible — 
was  advocated  in  preference  to  the  more  common  one  of  the  inter¬ 
mixture  style  of  planting.  A  wealthy  list  of  suitable  trees, 
shrubs,  and  sub'-shrubs,  was  enumerated  as  applicable  for  the 
purpose  indicated.  Reference  was  also  made  to  a  more  ex¬ 
tended  embellishment  of  waste  tracts,  and  spots  of  such  as 
pertain  to  the  mining  districts  of  the  Black  Country  by  a  proper 
preparation  of  the  soil,  and  a  suitable  selection  of  trees  and 
shrubs.  An  animated  discussion,  in  which  Messrs.  Latham,  W. 
Spinks,  C.  H.  Herbert,  Walter  Jones,  and  W.  Gardiner  took  part. 
A  collection  of  choice  dessert  Apples  aws  exhibited  by  Mr.  G. 
Stacey  Harborne- — grown  by  a  friend  in  Worcestershire — with  a 
view  to  enable  members  to  select  varieties  for  future  planting. 
Royal  Meteorologicil. 
The  monthly  meeting  of  this  society  was  held  on  Wednesday 
evening,  the  17th  instant,  at  the  Institution  of  Civil  Engineers, 
Great  George  Street,  Westminster,  Mr.  W.  H.  Dines,  president, 
in  the  chair.  Monsieur  C.  A.  Angot,  of  the  Bureau  Central 
Meteorologique  de  France,  Paris,  and  Professor  Willis  L.  Moore, 
of  the  U.S.  Weather  Bureau,  Washington,  were  elected  honorary 
members  of  the  society. 
A  paper  by  Mr.  C.  Y.  Bellamy,  M.Inst.C.E.,  on  the  “  Climate 
of  Cyprus,”  was  read  by  the  secretary.  This  island,  which  lies 
towards  the  extreme  eastern  end  of  the  Mediterranean  Sea,  covers 
an  area  of  3,584  square  miles.  It  is  divided  through  the  centre  by 
the  Central  Plains,  which  run  east  and  west,  and  which  are 
bounded  on  the  north  by  the  Kyrenia  Mountains  and  on  the 
south  and  south-west  by  the  Troodos  Mountains.  These  mountain 
ranges  have  a  considerable  influence  upon  the  temperature  of  the 
central  plains,  and  more  especially  upon  the  climate  of  the 
capital  city,  Nicosia,  which  has  a  population  of  about  14,000 
inhabitants.  The  mean  temperature  for  the  year  at  Nicosia  is 
67.2deg,  the  extreme  highest  temperature  being  108deg,  and 
the  extreme  lowest  28deg.  The  annual  rainfall  is  about  Min, 
which  falls  mostly  in  the  winter  months.  The  author  also  gave 
particulars  as  to  the  meteorological  conditions  at  Troodos,  the 
sanitarium  and  summer  resort  of  Cyprus,  which  is  situated  in 
the  mountains  at  an  altitude  of  over  5,000ft  above  sea  level. 
A  paper  by  Mr.  H.  H.  Clayton,  of  the  Blue  Hill  Observatory, 
U.S.,  on  “The  Eclipse  Cyclone  of  1900,”  was  also  read  by  the 
secretary.  The  author  in  a  former  paper  discussed  the  meteoro¬ 
logical  observations  made  along  the  path  of  the  total  solar  eclipse 
in  the  United  States  on  May  28,  1900,  and  stated  that  he  found 
that  a  cyclone  followed  in  the  wake  of  the  eclipse,  though  the 
changes  were  very  minute  and  feeble,  the  fall  of  temperature 
developing  a  cold  air  cyclone  in  an  astonishingly  short  time,  with 
all  the  peculiar  circulation  of  wind  and  distribution  of  pressure 
which  constitute  such  a  cyclone.  This  theory  was  not  readily 
accepted  by  meteorologists,  and  Professor  Bigelow,  who  has 
discussed  all  the  observations  received  by  the  U.S.  Weather 
Bureau,  thinks  that  they  scarcely  confirm  Mr.  Clayton’s  con¬ 
clusions.  The  author  now  examines  Professor  Bigelow’s 
discussion,  and  points  out  that  the  observations  really  confirm 
his  own  statements. 
Ipswich  Mutual  Improvement. 
The  last  meeting  of  the  year  cf  this  association  was  held  on 
December  18,  with  the  president,  Mr.  R.  C.  Notcutt,  in  the 
chair.  A  most  interesting  paper  on  the  “  The  bweet  Pea 
Family  ”  was  read  by  Mr.  S.  J.  Batchelder,  lecturer  on  botany  at 
the  Ipswich  Science  and  Technical  Schools,  who  illustrated  the 
various  points  of  his  lecture  by  an  admirable  series  of  lantern 
slides.  Taking  the  Sweet  Pea  as  a  type,  Mr.  Batchelder  first  de¬ 
scribed  the  structure  of  the  flower,  and  then  passed  on  to  the 
consideration  of  other  common  plants  of  the  order,  such  as  the 
Broom,  Furze,  Vetches,  Clover,  Ac.,  noting  particularly  the 
adaptability  cf  the  plants  to  circumstances,  exemplified  by  the 
Vetches  and  Peas  in  the  formation  of  tendrils,  with  which  to 
climb  and  expose  their  leaf  surface  to  the  light  and  air;  by  the 
production  of  spines  in  the  case  of  the  Furze  and  Rest  Narrow 
as  a  protection  against  injury  by  animals;  and  also  by  the  many 
arrangements  for  securing  cross-fertilisation  of  the  flowers  by 
insect  agency. 
He  also  referred  to  the  remarkable  sensitiveness  of  the  leaves 
of  leguminous  plants  to  changes  of  light  and  temperature;  and 
concluded  by  discussing  the  views  now  held  with  regard  to  the 
nutrition  of  the  Leguminosse  in  connection  with  the  bacteria 
found  in  the  root  nodules.  Mr.  Batchelder’s  remarks  were  fol¬ 
lowed  with  evident  enjoyment,  and  at  the  close  of  a  brisk  discus¬ 
sion,  in  which  many  took  part,  a  vote  of  thanks  was  carried  with 
acclamation. — E.  C. 
BRUSSELS  SPROUT,  SOLIDITY. 
The  Brussels  Sprout,  which  we  are  here  able  to  illustrate,  by 
the  kindness  of  the  possessors  of  the  stock — Messrs.  Alexander 
and  Brown,  Perth,  N.B. — is  a  very  meritorious  variety.  From 
A  Good  Variety  of  Brussels  Sprout. 
a  gardener  in  the  Bridge  of  Earn  district  we  received  “  a  samp¬ 
ling”  of  the  Sprouts,  and  in  all  respects  they  were  satisfactory. 
They  were  large,  firm,  without  being  absolutely  hard,  and 
tasty.  The  plants  grow  sturdily  (2|ft),  and  button  from  base 
to  toil,  as  shown  in  the  illustration,  which  is  from  a  photograph. 
