1870.] HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 523 



piece of ground, and divide into heaps of six barrow-loads, and in the centre of 

 each leave a hole to receive a barrow-load of fresh lime. The lime should be of 

 the best hydraulic quality, and should be fresh from the kiln. All being in 

 readiness, cover the lime over with the rough material, and then pour six to ten 

 gallons of water upon it. This will cause it to slake into fine powder, and then 

 with more water it may be mixed like mortar into concrete, and immediately 

 be laid down and levelled regularly, 3^ inches thick — retaining the necessary rise 

 from the sides to the centre. Smooth the surface with the back of a spade and 

 make it perfectly level. In three or four hours, according to the " quickness " of 

 the lime, the concrete will be getting firm, and then the fine gravel must be put 

 on i inch in thickness, be trodden firm, made quite level, and then rolled, and 

 the edges of the walk, or anywhere where the roller cannot get, must be rammed 

 quite firm. After the first soaking rain, when the surface-gravel is washed clean, 

 follow again with the heavy roller and rammer, and you will have a walk as firm 

 as a pavement, perfectly impervious to moisture, and not to be injured by either 

 rain or frost. Of course provision must be made to carry the surface-water 

 away ; but if the subsoil be light, then we have found an inch crowbar driven into 

 the side of the walk to a yard in depth where the water accumulates sufficient to 

 secure a quick riddance of the water, and perfect dryness. Walks made in this 

 manner twenty years ago are as firm, dry, and smooth as the day they were put 

 down, and will remain so for many years to come. Recently we have made sev- 

 eral thousand yards of walks with nothing but cinder, concrete, and a facing of 

 gravel, and these came very cheap. One specialty in these walks must be ob- 

 served, and that is, to take care that there be no lumps of lime in the concrete, 

 as a piece the size of a walnut, on becoming slaked, would make a sad patch in 

 the walk, which could only be mended by taking the patch out bodily and replac- 

 ing it with fresh concrete, not an easy matter to do without its showing. Walks 

 of this kind rarely become troubled with weeds or greenness, and if they do, a 

 sprinkling with sulphate of copper (blue vitriol), in the proportion of 1 lb. 

 to six gallons of water, will destroy every vestige of vegetation, and improve the 

 appearance of the walk at the same time. After saying this much, it is scarcely 

 necessary to add that vitriol will destroy vegetation of all kinds, and therefore be 

 careful not to allow it to extend to or beyond the verges of the walks. — Field. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington, October 5. — At the peri- 

 odical meetings of this Society prizes are offered for a few things, and though the 

 amounts of these are not very large, they generally occasion a smart competition. 

 On this occasion the fungologists had an exhibition, prizes being offered for col- 

 lections of edible Fungi, as well as for collections of edible and poisonous Fungi, 

 separately arranged. 



The Fruit Committee had to award prizes for the best dish of Grapes, consist- 

 ing of six bunches of any variety, grown in the open air against the walls, without 

 any protection whatever. A large number of Grapes were staged : the first prize 

 was awarded to Mr Hepper of Acton, with Eoyal Muscadine ; and the second 

 prize to Mr Norris of Broadclyst, with the same variety. There were good exam- 

 ples of Black Hamburg, West's St Peter's, Bidwell's Seedling, Esperione, Black- 

 cluster, &c, and, in awarding the prizes, the judges appeared to give too much im- 

 portance to flavour, and nothing to cultivation. The best collection of black 



