JOUBNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
December  31,  1103. 
NOTES 
Mistletoa  at  Hampton  Court. 
At  Hampton  Court  Palace  Gardens  large  ouantitie.s  of  Mistle¬ 
toe  are  growing  upon  the  Lime  trees  fringing  the  Lime  Walk  in 
front  of  the  Palace.  Of  the  scores  of  trees  forming  the  avenue, 
there  is  -oarcely  one  that  does  not  hear  several  fine  bunches  of 
tlie  plant,  but  all  are  practically  out  of  reach,  some  growing  on 
ihe  be.ugh.s  as  high  as  fifty  feet  from  the  ground. 
Beautified  Railway  Stations. 
The  Jlidland  Railway  directorate  give  £2,300  per  annum  as 
awards  for  the  best  kept  platform  gardens  on  their  .system. 
This  year,  out  of  187  prize-taking  stations  spread  all  over-the 
line,  IMalvern  WeUs  secures  the  premier  honours,  and  Matlock 
Bath  and  Five  Ways  are  adjudged  equal  for  the  second  position, 
and  Belper  and  Eckington  AVest  for  the  third  place. 
Royal  Horticultural  Society. 
The  first  meeting  of  the  committees  of  the  Royal  Horticul¬ 
tural  Society  in  1904  will  he  held,  as  usual,  in  the  Drill  Hall, 
Buckingham  Gate,  AVe.stminster,  on  Tuesday,  January  b.  An 
election  of  new  Fellows  will  take  place  at  three  o’clock.  To 
prevent  mi.sunderstanding  it  may  be  mentioned  that  the  com¬ 
mittees  of  1903  do  not  vacate  office  until  the  date  of  the  annual 
meeting,  1904,  and  in  like  manner  all  Fellows’  tickets  of  1903  are 
available  until  the  end  of  January,  1904.  At  a  general  meeting 
of  the  society  held  on  Tuesday,  December  lb,  seventy-two  new 
Fellows  were  elected,  making  a  total  of  1,412  elected  since  the 
lieginning  of  the  year  1903. 
Reading  and  District  Rose  Society. 
The  first  meeting  of  this  society  was  lield  in  the  IMaycr’s 
Parlour,  Town  Hall,  Reading,  on  the  ISth  inst.,  the  president 
<Mr>.  Benyon,  Fnglefield  House,  Reading)  presiding,  there  being 
a  large  attendance  of  members.  The  report  of  the  committee 
and  balance-sheet  of  the  treasurer  were  quite  satisfactory,  the 
latter  showing  a  balance  in  hand  of  £11.  Mrs.  Benyon  was.re- 
('lected  president,  and  Mr.  W.  L.  Walker  honorary  secretary  and 
treasurer.  The  chairman  of  the  committee  is  Mr.  J.  T.  Strange, 
of  Aldermaston,  Reading,  a  well-known  rosarian  -,  and  the  com¬ 
mittee.  which  is  a  strong  one,  includes  the  Rev.s.  T.  Page- 
Roberts.  Alan  C'healcs,  and  C.  S.  Turner,  with  Messrs.  R.  C. 
Alount,  Rigg,  Dunlop,  and  Ashby,  all  successful  growers  and 
exhibitors  of  Roses.  It  was  decided  to  hold  the  annual  .show  in 
1904  on  July  13,  in  the  Abbey  Ruins,  Reading,  on  the  site  of 
the  exhibition  of  the  southern  section  of  the  National  Rose 
Society  in  1890.  It  is  held  that  this  was  formerly  the  banquet¬ 
ing  hall  of  the  monks  of  Reading  Abbey,  and  it  is  quite  a  unique 
spot  in  which  to  hold  such  an  exhibition. 
^  British  Fruit  Culture :  Committee  of  Enquiry. 
■■  .\t  last !  ”  our  readers  will  say  when  they  read  the  following 
l)aragraph.  Yes,  at  last  a  Government  Committee  of  Inquiry 
into  the  state  of  British  fruit  culture  is  about  to  be  made,  and  no 
newspa])er  in  these  islands  has  more  consistently  and  persistently 
advocated  the  need  for  energy  in  relation  to  our  national  fruit 
supply  than  lias  the  Journal  of  llorticuUiirc.  The  President  of 
the  Board  of  Agriculture  and  Fisheries  has  appointed  a  depart- 
}nental  committee  to  inquire  into  and  report  upon  the  present 
po.'^ition  of  fruit  culture  in  Great  Britain,  and  to  consider  whether 
any  further  measures  might  with  advantage  be  taken  for  its  pro¬ 
motion  and  encouragement.  The  committee  is  constituted  as 
follows ;  — 
Mr.  A.  G.  Bo.scawen,  M.P.  (chairman); 
Air.  C.  AV.  Radcliffe  Cooke  ; 
Mr.  J.  AI.  Hodge; 
Colonel  Charles  AA".  Long,  AI.P.  ; 
Air.  George  Monro ; 
Air.  P.  Spencer  Pickering,  AI.A.,  F.R.S.  ; 
Dr.  AA’.  Somerville,  an  assistant-seci-etary  of  the  Board  of 
Agriculture  and  Fisheries; 
Mr.  Edwin  A’inson  ;  and 
The  Rev.  AV.  AA'ilks,  AI.A.,  secretary  cf  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society. 
Air.  Enrost  Garnsey,  of  the  Board  of  Agriculture  and  Fisheries, 
will  act  as  secretary  to  the  committee. 
The  Potato  Boom. 
A1  essrs.  F.  AA’.  King  and  Co.,  of  Coggeshall,  have  just  paid 
£300  for  21b  of  the  new  Potato,  Eldorado,  which  is  causing  a 
sen.'^aticn  all  over  England. 
“Cornel’”  Formed  in  Pears. 
The  failure  of  the  Pear  crop  this  year  in  nearly  every 
Europcair  country  has  given  America  an  opporturrity  of  forming 
a  “  corirer  ”  in  this  kirrd  of  fruit,  according  to  certairr  daily 
paper's.  It  is  stated  that  more  tharr  1,000,000  boxes  of  Pears 
have  beerr  kept  irr  store  in  the  United  States. 
The  Horticultural  Club. 
The  next  house  dinner  of  the  club  will  be  held  orr  Tuesday, 
January  b,  at  6  p.m.,  at  the  Hotel  Windsor.  Air.  George  Gordon, 
A'.AI.H.,  has  kirrdlj'  pronrised  to  read  a  paper  entitled  “  The  Ex- 
perinrerrtal  Garderr  of  the  Future.”  Members  are  reminded  that 
subscriptiorrs  for  1904  become  due  on  the  Ist  January  rrext,  and 
should  be  paid  to  the  honorary  treasurer.  Air.  Harry  J.  A'eitch, 
34.  Redcliff?  Gardens,  South  Kensington,  S.AA^.,  or  to  Air.  E.  T. 
Cook,  honorary  secretary. 
Obituary:  Mr.  J.  H,  Fitt. 
It  is  with  much  regret  that  we  have  to  record  the  decease, 
after  a  long  and  painful  illness,  of  Air.  J.  H.  Fitt,  at  Welwyn, 
Herts,  at  the  age  of  73,  he  having  been  born  at  the  same  place 
on  November  1,  1830.  For  no  less  than  54  years  he  had  charge 
of  the  Frythe  Gardens  at  ACelwyn,  after  commencing  his  career  as 
a  gardener  at  Stagenoe  Park,  whence  he  went  to  Bayford  Bury, 
Hertford,  to  the  famous  gardens  of  Air.  Baker,  subsequently 
serving  under  Alessrs.  Paul,  of  Cheshunt,  up  to  the  time  of  his 
long  engagement  at  the  Fi-ythe.  For  some  years,  until  his  illness 
incapacitated  him,  he  formed  one  of  the  R.H.S.  Floral  Com¬ 
mittee,  where  his  kindly  face  will  be  much  missed.  Combined 
with  a  thorough  knowledge  of  horticulture  in  all  its  brandies 
was  a  special  acquaintance  with  our  native  Ferns,  cf  which  he 
had  a  large  and  choice  collection;  and  in  this  particular  cult  he 
will  be  equally  missed  by  a  host  of  sympathetic  friends. — C.  T.  D. 
General  View  of  Gardening  Societies. 
The  l)Ur(jess  Hill  (Sussex)  Horticultural  Mutual  Improvement  gnd 
Chrysanthemum  Society  enjoyed  a  festive  meeting  on  Tuesday, 
December  15,  at  Burgess  Hill  Inn,  where  an  excellent  supper  was 
served  to  a  company  of  between  forty  and  fifty,  Air.  G.  A.  Hammond 
presiding. — The  annual  dinner  under  the  auspices  of  the  Nottingham 
and  Notts  Chrysanthemum  Society  was  held  on  the  17th  inst.  at  the 
Rose  of  England’Hotel,  Alansfield  Road,  Alderman  C.  Bennett,  pi’esi-- 
dent  of  the  society,  taking  the  chair.  The  Alayor  of  Nottingham,  in 
replying  to  a  toast,  said  he  was  an  enthusiastic  gardener,  and  he  rvas 
jileased  to  note  the  immense  progress  that  had  been  made  in  the  culti¬ 
vation  of  the  Chrysanthemum  in  Nottingham.  He  had  been  associated 
with  the  majority  of  the  local  horticultural  societies,  and  rvas  a  member 
of  the  committee  of  the  great  horticultural  show  held  in  the  Park  some 
thirty  years  ago.  Also  he  had  been  connected  with  the  old  St.  Ann’s 
Society,  and  was  one  of  the  founders  of  the  present  Nottingham 
Horticultural  Society.  Nottingham  held  a  pre-eminent  position  in 
regard  to  gardening  and  the  culture  of  flowers  and  fruit,  and  it 'was 
his  sincere  hope  that  the  city  would  always  hold  that  position.  He 
hoped  the  Society  would  have  a  long  and  successful  career. — The 
third  annual  dinner  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  ATagsifOod  (near 
Bath)  and  St.  George’s  Horticultural  and  Fanciers’  Association,  took 
place  on  December  14,  evening,  at  Kingswood  Hotel,  rvhen  there  was 
an  attendance  of  about  seventy.  Air.  H.  Furber,  president  of  the 
Soeietjq  occupied  the  chair.  The  Society  has  had  a  successful  yeai’, 
and  has  a  balance  in  hand  of  £18.  Larger  prizes  are  being  offered. 
The  show  is  one  of  the  best  in  that  district.  The  president  urged 
caution,  however,  in  the  dispensing  of  funds,  and  desired  that  the 
tradespeople  would  take  a  deeper  interest  in  the  Society.  Its  in¬ 
fluence  brought  much  good. — A  meeting  of  the  Mortimer  Society 
(near  Rea  ling)  was  held  at  the  house  of  the  sccrctai’y  on  the  3rd 
inst.  The  treasurer  (Air.  AV.  A.  AVallis)  presented  a  balance-sheet 
for  the  past  year,  showing  a  surplus  on  the  year’s  show  of  £12  3s. 
which,  added  to  the  balance  from  last  year  (£13  14s.)  gave  a  total  to 
carry  forward  of  £25  17s.  It  lias  been  decided  to  hold  the  next  show 
on  Thursday,  .July  21,  at  the  same  place  as  before. — The  committee 
of  the  Bolton  Horticultural  and  Chi’ysanthemum  Society,  which  has  a 
membership  of  about  eight  hundred,  held  their  annual  dinner  last 
evening  at  the  Commercial  Hotel,  the  proceedings  being  graced  by 
