50 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  21,  1904. 
Appointment. 
Mr.  E.  W.  Eix,  for  some  years  general  foreman  to  Mr. 
A.shton,  Ijathom  Park  Gardens,  Ormskirk,  has  been  appointed 
head  gardener  to  Lady  Cliermsicle,  Newstead  Abbey,  Notts. 
Kew  Gardeners’  Social  Bvening. 
Tlie  seventh  annual  social  meeting  was  held  at  the  Boat 
House,  Kew,  on  January  15,  when  about  130  were  present,  and 
a  very  enjoyable  evening  was  spent.  Dancing  commenced  at 
8  p.m.,  with  songs,  duets,  violin  solo,  and  Scotch  reels.  Various 
games  were  also  introduced  for  those  who  did  not  dance,  and 
after  singing  “  Auld  Lang  Syne”  the  company  dispersed  at 
2  a.m.  The  weather  was  everything  that  could  be  desired, 
which  goes  a  long  way  towards  making  the  evening  pleasant ; 
but  great  credit  is  reflected  on  the  committee  and  on  Mr. 
Halliburton,  hon.  sec.,  and  Mr.  Bolton,  M.C.,  who  carried  out 
their  various  duties  in  a  very  able  manner,  and  thus  made  it  so 
great  a  success.  Among  the  most  notable  features  in  the  song 
programme  were  “Angus  Macdonald,”  beautifully  sung  by  Miss 
Morris  ;  violin  solo,  “  William  Tell,”  by  Mr.  Smythe  ;  “  Bedouin 
Love  Song,”  by  Mr.  Briscoe;  and  the  vocal  duet,  “When  the 
Lights  are  Low.”  The  comic  element  was  well  sustained  by 
Mr.  Housego ;  and  the  Highland  fling  and  Scotch  reel  was 
greatly  appreciated  by  the  southrons. 
Kirkbean  and  District  Show,  N.B. 
The  annual  meeting  of  the  Kirkbean  and  District  Show  Society 
was  held  in  the  Jubilee  Hall,  Carsethorn,  N.B.,  on  January  16. 
Brief  reports  were  submitted  by-  the  secretaries  and  treasurer, 
these  showing  that  the  results  of  the  past  year’s  rvorking  had 
been,  upon  the  whole,  very  gratifying.  The  show  had  been  the 
be.st  yet  held  by  the  society,  and  the  funds  were  still  in  a  good 
condition,  although  the  death  of  the  late  Miss  Stewart,  of  South- 
wick,  had  deprived  the  society  of  a  valuable  supporter  and 
generous  contributor  to  its  funds.  The  followng  office-bearers 
were  re-appointed :  President,  M.  W.  Houliston,  Arbigland 
Gardens  ;  secretaries,  Messrs.  S.  Arnott  and  J.  Harris,  Carse¬ 
thorn  ;  treasurer,  Mr.  J.  Gibson,  Carsethorn.  A  large  committee 
was  also  appointed.  The  subject  of  enlarging  the  area  of  the  show 
district  was  considered,  there  being  a  distance  limit  in  several 
classes,  and  it  was  ultimately  resolved  that  the  show  should  be 
quite  open,  unle.ss  in  cases  where  the  donors  of  special  prizes 
desired  to  confine  them.  It  was  remitted  to  the  committee  to 
draw  up  the  schedule  and  fix  the  date  of  the  show. — A. 
Calderwood  Castle,  Hamilton,  N.B. 
The  beautiful  neighbouring  estate  of  Calderwood  Castle, 
lately  the  seat  of  Sir  Wm.  Maxwell,  has  been  bought  by  the 
Scottish  Co-operative  Society,  Glasgow.  This  estate,  with  its 
fine  castle,  well-situated  gardens,  and  lovely  grounds,  is  an  ideal 
residence  for  a  nobleman.  Destiny,  however,  has  appointed  its 
fate  otherwise.  The  utilitarian  necessities  of  modern  times  seem 
to  have  no  place  for  the  development  or  extension  of  the  good 
old  system  which  gave  birth  to  our  grand  policies  and  baronial 
residences.  Here  and  there,  forsooth,  one  slides  into  the  great 
,  maelstrom  of  commercial  enterprise,  and  the  once  historic  seat 
of  opulence  disappears  for  ever.  The  inexorable  exigencies  of  a 
great  commercial  city  such  as  Glasgow  perhaps  condones  to  a 
certain  extent  for  the  growing  claims  of  late  years  in  this  direc¬ 
tion.  Are  not  many  of  her  finest  parks,  estates,  and  her 
mansions  which,  perforce,  succumbed  to  this  same  inexorable 
law  ? 
Is  there  not  something  extremely  sad  in  this  order  of  an 
increasing  civilisation.  Britain  cannot  afford  to  dispense  with 
their  landed  proprietors.^  However  much  they  abuse  their 
artistocracy,  they  in  reality  at  heart  are  upholders  of  them. 
Probably  in  a  few  centuries  hence,  when  waifdom  of  our  large 
cities  is  planted  among  the  beautiful  domains,  so  extensively 
placed  all-over  the  kingdom,  we  will  be  nearly  upsides  with  our 
cousins  acro.ss  the  herring  pond.  It  is  comforting  that  the  i3o.ssi- 
bility  is  .so  far  distant. — D.  C. 
Mr  E.  H.  Wilson. 
It  is  very  sati-sfactory  to  learn,  as  we  did  a  day  or  two  ago, 
from  a  personal  friend  of  Mr.  Wilson’s  (Wilson  being  Messrs. 
Veitch’s  plant  collector  now  in  China),  that  he  has  reached  about 
a  thousand  miles  higher  up  the  Yang-tsze-Kiang  river  than  he 
was  on  his  former  expedition,  and  that  he  is  finding  many  of  the 
subjects  he  went  in  search  of. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
The  next  fruit  and  flower  show  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  January  26,  in  the  Drill  Hall, 
Buckingham  Gate,  Westminster,  1  to  4  p.m.  A  lecture  on 
“Oranges”  will  be  given  by  Mr.  H.  Somers  Rivers,  at  3  o’clock. 
At  a  general  meeting  of  the  society,  held  on  Tuesday,  January  5, 
fifty-three  new  Fellows  were  elected. 
Obituary :  Mr.  Thomas  Wray. 
Mr.  Thomas  Wray,  late  secretary  to  the  Malton  (Yorks) 
Gala  Committee  died  on  December  18.  This  society  has  been 
established  forty-three  years,  Mr.  Wray  being  secretary  from 
the  commencement,  but  during  the  last  few  years  he  had  the 
help  of  an  assistant  secretary.  Mr.  Wray  resided  at  Old 
Malton,  and  was  for  thirty-six  years  schoolmaster  of  the  parish. 
He  carried  out  his  duties  as  secretary  in  a  highly  satisfactory 
manner,  and  was  held  in  great  esteem,  both  by  committee  and 
exhibitors.  He  was  buried  in  Old  Malton  Churchyard  on 
Monday,  December  21,  this  date  being  his  birthday,  and  had 
he  lived  he  would  have  been  seventy-six  years  of  age. 
Ware  Horticulturists  and  the  New  Hall. 
At  the  recent  annual  meeting  of  the  Ware  (Herts)  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society,  the  question  of  financially  supporting  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society’s  new  hall,  now  being  built  in  London,  was 
discussed,  and  a  resolution  was  passed,  in  wduch  the  members 
pledged  themselves  to  do  all  they  could  to  help.  The  president, 
Mr.  E.  S.  Hanbury,  started  the  subscription  list  by  giving  £1, 
and  all  the  committee  have  since  contributed  towards  the  fund. 
Mr.  G.  Gumbrell  has  kindly  volunteered  to  collect  subscriptions. 
It  is  hoped  that  as  many  as  possible  will  contribute  towards  so 
worthy  an  object.  Any  sum,  however  small,  sent  to  Mr.  Gumbrell, 
Widbury  Lodge,  Ware,  will  be  gratefully  received  and  duly 
acknowledged. — A.  P. 
Departmental  Committee  on  Fruit  Growing  and  the  N.F.G  P. 
Every  member  of  the  National  Fruit  Growers’  Federation 
must  heartily  welcome  the  decision  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture 
to  hold  a  Departmental  Inquiry  into  the  condition  and  prospects 
of  the  fruit  growing  industry  in  this  country.  Of  course,  it  is  a 
matter  which  affects  every  grower,  but  members  of  the  Federa¬ 
tion  will  be  justified  in  feeling  with  some  pride  that  they  have 
had  a  hand  in  bringing  it  about,  for  without  wishing  to  claim  more 
credit  than  fairly  belongs  to  it,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  it  was 
the  agitation  set  on  foot  by  this  national  society  which  brought 
to  the  minds  of  the  powers  that  be  the  necessity  for  an  exhaustive 
inquiry.  It  is  a  well-known  fact  that  Government  Departments 
rarely  take  action  of  this  kind  without  spontaneous  evidence 
from  the  particular  interest  concerned  that  such  action  is  really 
required,  and  in  this  instance  the  National  Federation  has  un¬ 
doubtedly  furnished  such  evidence.  By  its  deputation  to  the 
Board  of  Railway  General  Managers  which  led  to  some  very  satis¬ 
factory  results,  and  the  public  meetings  it  has  held  in  various 
parts  of  the  country,  it  has  called  attention  to  the  needs  of 
the  industry,  and  especially  by  its  frequent  communications 
with  the  Board  of  Agriculture,  have  these  needs  been  impressed 
on  the  late  and  present  heads  of  that  department.  At  the  great 
gathering  at  Maidstone  in  August  last,  the  President  of  the  Board 
was  present  in  person,  delivered  a  most  sympathetic  address,  and 
himself  joined  the  Federation.  Then  we  have  the  fact  that  the 
President  and  two  other  leading  members  of  the  Federation  are 
appointed  as  members  of  the  Committee  of  Inquirj",  Avhich  alone 
should  convince  the  growers  in  general  as  to  what  influence  is 
possessed  by  their  representative  combination.  Indeed,  it  is 
difficult  to  see  how  any  grower  can  conscientiously  withhold  his 
support  from  a  body  which  is  so  manifestly  working  for  his  best 
interests.  I  shall  be  glad  to  answer  any  inquiries  and  to  receive 
any  suggestions  with  regard  to  the  work  of  the  forthcoming 
Inquiry  Committee,  which  will  be  forwarded  to  the  proper 
quarter. — A.  T.  Matthews,  Secretary,  N.F.G. F. 
