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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  3,  1904. 
Horticultural  Club. 
The  next  house  dinner  of  the  club  will  be  held  on  Tuesday, 
March  8,  at  6  p.m.,  at  the  Hotel  Windsor.  The  Rev.  Professor 
Henslow,  M.A.,  F.L.S.,  V.M.H.,  has  kindly  promised  to  read 
a  paper  entitled,  “  The  Objects  of  Botanising  Excursions.” 
March  7,  1804 - March  7,  1904 
Next  Monday  marks  the  completion  of  the  100th  year  of 
the  existence  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society.  We  all  hope 
that  it  may  live  till  the  second  hundred  is  recorded,  and  carry 
all  the  while  as  bright  a  history  of  accomplishments  as  in  the 
century  that  has  gone. 
English  Medal  for  Nova  Scotia  Fruit. 
The  Agent-General  for  Nova  Scotia  informs  us  that  the 
Crystal  Palace  authorities  have  presented  a  special  commemora¬ 
tive  medal  to  the  Nova  Scotia  Government  for  the  splendid 
exhibit  of  dessert,  cooking,  and  cider  Apples  which  have  been 
displayed  by  the  Fruit  Growers’  Association  in  the  Canadian 
Court  during  the  last  three  months. 
Mr.  Peter  Barr. 
The  Daffodil  King  having  been  to  Khartoum,  writes  to  us, 
under  date  of  February  20,  to  say  that  he  was  then  on  the  point 
of  starting  for  Palestine,  Galilee,  and  Syria.  He  intends  to  be 
home  in  June,  and  is  to  deliver  an  address  on  his  tour  in  August 
before  the  Scottish  Horticultural  Association  at  Edinburgh. 
With  reference  to  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  subscription, 
Mr.  Barr  thinks  the  Fellow’s  w’ere  wise  to  adhere  to  the  guinea 
figure,  as  “  the  Crystal  Palace  Co.,  in  its  early  days,  killed  itself 
by  going  from  21s.  to  42s.” 
New  Ornamental  Garden  for  London. 
A  new  enclosure  in  Hyde  Park  is  being  formed  by  the  Office 
of  Works,  and  will  contain  plant  houses  and  forcing  frames  for 
the  plants  required  for  the  service  of  the  Royal  parks,  in  place 
of  those  now’  in  use,  which  stand  in  Kensington  Gardens  and 
spoil  the  architectural  effect  of  the  palace  and  of  Wren’s 
Orangery.  Some  of  the  existing  houses  are  in  bad  condition, 
and  it  is  essential  that  they  should  be  renewed.  The  area  now 
occupied  by  the  houses  and  frames  in  Kensington  Gardens 
will,  when  vacated,  be  laid  out  as  an  ornamental  garden.  Sub¬ 
stantially  the  public  would  gain  three  acres  of  lawns  and  flower 
beds  in  exchange  for  about  an  equal  area  of  grass  land  taken 
into  the  new  frame  ground.  When  the  works  are  all  finished 
and  the  plantations  grown  there  will  be  also  a  gain  in  pictur¬ 
esque  effect,  both  in  Hyde  Park  and  Kensington  Gardens.  Some 
alterations  are  being  effected  in  Green  Park. 
Agricultural  Correspondents. 
Lord  Onslow  has  given  to  the  “  County  Gentleman  ”  some  in¬ 
teresting  information  on  the  subject  of  Honorary  Correspondents 
to  the  Board  of  Agriculture.  The  President’s  plan  is  to  divide 
England  and  Scotland  into  sixteen  divisions,  and  to  appoint  from 
a  dozen  to  thirty  correspondents,  each  working  from  a  good 
market  centre.  These  men  will  thus  fairly  represent  the  varia¬ 
tions  in  British  agriculture,  and  each  will  be  inspired  by  his 
ow’n  particular  local  patriotism.  Hundreds  of  applications  have 
been  received,  and  the  names  have  been  carefully  sifted  by  a 
committee  of  the  Board’s  officials,  aided  by  the  inspectors  who 
have  personal  acquaintance  with  the  leading  agriculturists  in 
their  various  districts.  Lord  Onslow  is  convinced  that  the  plan 
of  making  this  work  honorary  is  the  best.  The  correspondents, 
however,  w’ill  not  incur  expense  in  serving  the  Board  of  Agricul¬ 
ture.  They  will  be  provided  with  official  stationery,  their  letters 
uill  be  franked,  ajid  they  will  receive  all  the  various  publications 
of  the  Board  of  Agriculture.  Humble  as  this  scheme  may  appear, 
we  cannot  help  thinking  that  the  Board  has  hit  upon  one  of  the 
best  and  safest  plans  for  discovering  the  needs  of  the 
British  farmer.  If  the  honorary  correspondents  do  their  work 
pioperly  the  Board  of  Agriculture  should  be  provided  with  the 
most  valuable  material  for  successful  legislation. 
Highgate  Horticultural  Society. 
The  secretary  informs  us  that  the  annual  exhibition  of  this 
society  will  be  held  on  July  14  next,  in  the  grounds  attached 
to  “  Hillside,”  Fitzroy  Park,  Highgate. 
Obituary  :  Mr.  Charles  Booth  of  Dronfiald. 
The  death  of  Mr.  Charles  Booth,  of  Dronfield,  occurred  on 
February  22,  after  a  short  illness,  from  influenza,  at  his  residence 
in  Holmeley  Lane.  The  deceased  took  the  greatest  interest  in 
horticulture,  and  frequently  acted  as  judge  at  local  show’s. 
Wheldon  s  Catalogue. 
Messrs.  John  Wheldon  and  Co.,  38,  Great  Queen  Street, 
London,  W.C.,  are  w’ell-known  dealers  in  books  pertaining  to 
gardening,  &c.  We  have  just  received  their  “  general  clearance 
catalogue  of  a  miscellaneous  collection  of  books,  including  botany, 
entomology,  ornithology,  and  general  literature.” 
Injury  to  Street  Trees. 
Our  contemporary,  “  American  Gardening,”  furnishes  a  sum¬ 
mary  of  a  bulletin  on  “  How’  Electric  Currents  Injure  Our  Shade 
Trees,”  by  Prof.  G.  E.  Stone,  of  Amherst,  Mass.,  in  its  issue  of 
January  16,  1904.  Currents  operating  street  raihvays  have  in 
some  cases  killed,  and  in  other  cases  so  stimulated  street  trees 
that  they  have  speedily  collapsed. 
The  Darrah  Collection  of  Cacti. 
The  Manchester  Parks  Committee  recently  gave  attention  to 
the  question  of  where  it  w’ill  be  best  to  keep  the  collection  of 
Cactus  plants  which  they  have  accepted  as  a  gift  from  the 
executors  of  the  late  Mr.  Charles  Darrah,  of  Heaton  Mersey. 
Heaton  Park  finds  favour  wdth  some  members,  but  with  others 
there  is  a  feeling  that  the  collection  w’ould  perhaps  be  more 
serviceable  if  placed  in  Whitworth  Park. 
American  Carnation  Society. 
The  exhibition  and  convention  of  the  American  Carnation 
Society  was  held  in  Detroit,  Mich.,  on  March  2  and  3.  Among 
the  valuable  papers  discussed  w’as  the  question  of  exhibition.^ 
of  Carnations  on  lines  similar  to  those  adopted  by  the  Chrysan¬ 
themum  Society  of  America,  w’hich  body,  as  is  w’ell  know’n,  has 
committees  in  certain  large  cities  for  the  purpose  of  examining 
and  passing  upon  the  merits  of  seedlings  and  sports  submitted 
to  these  committees  for  adjudication. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
The  next  fruit  and  flower  show  of  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  March  8th,  in  the  Drill  Hall, 
Buckingham  Gate,  Westminster,  at  1-5  p.m.  A  lecture  on 
“  Cottage  and  Allotment  Gardens  ”  will  be  given  by  Mr.  Alex¬ 
ander  Dean  at  3  o’clock.  At  a  general  meeting  of  the  society 
held  on  Tuesday,  February  23,  forty  new  Fellows  w’ere  elected, 
amongst  them  being  the  Marchioness  of  Linlithgow’  and  the 
Right  Hon.  the  Earl  of  Northesk,  making  a  total  of  301  elected 
since  the  beginning  of  the  present  year.  , 
The  Horticultural  Hall. 
The  new  hall  and  offices  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
proceed  toward  completion.  On  Monday  last  we  were  able  to 
note  that  the  great  curvilinear  iron  or  steel  supports  for  the 
roof  of  the  hall  (which  appears  very  large  in  its  empty  state) 
were  mostly  in  position,  so  that  that  portion  will  soon  be 
covered  in.  The  front,  or  office  part  of  the  building,  with  its 
red-tiled  roof,  is  finished,  and  makes  a  prettier  show  than 
a  slate  roof  w’ould.  The  front  (facing  the  Playing  Fields), 
though  not  ornate,  is  decidedly  better  in  appearance  than  the 
elevation  plans  would  lead  one  to  suppose ;  for  the  building, 
though  modest,  has  the  qualities  of  breadth  and  solidity.  Some 
of  the  main  window  spaces  of  the  second  floor  have  a  circular 
supporting  pillar  in  the  centre,  with  ornamental  coping,  the 
entire  edifice  being  built  of  red  brick  and  creamy  sandstone. 
The  builders  are  Messrs.  C.  E.  Wallis  and  Sons,  Maidstone  j 
Messrs.  Kinnell  and  Co.,  Southwark,  have  the  heating  con¬ 
tract;  and  another  notice  announces  that  the  asphalt  is  sup¬ 
plied  by  the  Trinidad  Lake  Asphalt  Paving  Co.,  7,  Laurence 
Pountney  Hill,  E.C.  It  is  odd  that  subscriptions  are  so  hard  to 
secure.  Reading  University  College  has  been  able  to  collect 
£31,500  in  a  W’eek  or  two  for  its  new’  ground  and  buildings;  why 
not  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society? 
