A Large Oak

What is believed to be the largest oak in England, is at Cawthorpe, in. Yorkshire, and is thirty-eight feet four and a. half inches round, five feet from the ground. It would be interesting to know how large we can find an American oak. We have seen very large ones near Cincinnati.

Branch Growth From Coniferous Flowers

It is not at all uncommon to find a larch cone with a branch growing from its apex. We were not aware that similiar growths had been noticed from the small catkins of coniferous trees; but Mr. James Gordon says in the Journal of Forestry, that "one often meets with it in the male flowers of Abies," though he "never expects to see them in Pinus".

Ptelea Trifoliata

The Gardeners' Chronicle tells us that Monsieur Chas. Baltet has " discovered " that the seed of our " Hop-tree " is a good substitute for hops.

Pears

At the Rochester meeting, Mr. P. Barry referred to the changes which had taken place in the last quarter of a century. An old catalogue revealed the fact that nearly all the pears of that date had been superceded, and of the grapes not a variety with the exception of the Norton's Virginia were preserved, and this was about the way it went through all the old catalogue. Mr. Barry knows.

Catalpa Speciosa

The Gardeners' Chronicle says " Catalpa speciosa was discovered, or distinguished from C. bignonoides, by Prof. Sargent, of Cambridge, Mass." This of course is an European error, for as we in America know, no one has done more to give the credit which is so justly due to Dr. Warder in this matter, than Prof. Sargent himself.

Montreal Horticultural Society

Report for 1878, from Henry S. Evans, Secretary. A very valuable document, containing among other interesting papers, a report on Canadian timber trees, by A. T. Drummond. Birds and insects, injurious and beneficial, have the Society's compliments paid to them.

Dr. Edward Fenzl

Dr. Fenzl, Professor of Botany at Vienna, and after whom the well known Fenzlia of our gardens is named, died on the 29th of September, in the seventy-second year of his age.

Deaths Of Noted French Pomologists

M. Baltet at the age of 80, and M. Willermorz aged 76, are among the recently deceased.

January Meetings

A large number of State Societies hold meetings in January, and we should be glad to call attention to them if we received the notifications in time. All we have before us as we write are those which follow.

Kentucky State Horticultural Society meets at Shelbyville on January 13th, 14th and 15th. T. S. Kennedy is President; J. Decker, Secretary, Fern Creek. We have no further particulars.