208 THE FLORIST. 



Of Cherries, both black and white, the best were again furnished by 

 Mr. Henderson, gardener to the Duke of Sutherland, at Trentham. 

 The sorts were Black Circassian and Elton, both large and in every way 

 perfect. Messrs. Peacham, Marcham, and others also showed good 

 fruit. Messrs. Lane had some finely fruited trees in pots. 



Strawberries were scarcely so good as might have been expected. 

 The best were furnished by Messrs. Clarke, Wood, and Widdowson. 

 Among the varieties were British Queen, Sir C. Napier, Keens' Seed- 

 ling, Myatt's Surprise, and Sir Harry, the last very dark coloured, 

 which it should be when fully ripe. A new kind, named Oscar, of fine 

 colour, received a medal. 



Of Melons a great many were exhibited. The best green-fleshed 

 sorts were Bailey's and Snow's. Mr. Bailey also sent the best scarlet- 

 fleshed variety, Scarlet Gem. 



Of Figs we noticed some good examples of Lee's Perpetual and Brown 

 Turkey. 



Among Miscellaneous Fruit were some Bananas and Apples of the 

 French Crab variety, the latter fine specimens, as sound as the day 

 they were gathered. 



ON PERENNIAL FLOWERING PLANTS. 

 The very mention of herbaceous plants reminds us of a much esteemed 

 friend we once had, who for fifty years or more was gardener to an 

 amiable nobleman in Dorsetshire, and who was the most successful 

 grower of this class of plants we can call to mind. This was some 

 fifteen years since, when the collection of plants, in a garden appro- 

 priated entirely to them, was an object of great pride to our old 

 friend, who considered the whole race of Y el 'henas, Petunias, &c, as 

 mere kickshaws, compared with his noble Campanulas and Larkspurs. 

 The noble proprietor was much attached- to horticultural pursuits, as 

 well as to his gardener, and was therefore always anxious that he should 

 be well informed with what was going on elsewhere, especially was he 

 solicitous that once a year he should visit the great gardens near London 

 and the exhibitions. Furnished by his kind-hearted employer with a 

 skeleton plan of the environs of London, with all the principal gardens 

 and nurseries clearly marked out on it, our worthy veteran wended his 

 way from one sight to another, till Kew and Hampton Court, Chiswick 

 and Ealing, the Royal Exotic and Henderson's nurseries, had all been 

 well looked over and their contents noted (there was no Crystal Palace 

 in those days) ; and therefore, when the series of visits came to an end, 

 down again went our friend into Dorsetshire, with (it was supposed) 

 a bag full of notes, comprising all he had seen, and all that he was to 

 put in practice on his return home, to bring him up to the London 

 standard of excellence. On this head, however, there was a hitch, for, 

 in the opinion of my good neighbour (privately given me by the way), 

 he did not- consider there was so much to be picked up or learned about 

 London as people talked of, and, after all, //is things were quite as good 

 as what he saw there, nay, better in some respects ; for I well remember 



