136 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



[ Attgost 21, 1873. 



Dombraiu secontl with LegouvC', Madame Desportes, and Horace 

 Vernet, fine ; and Mr. Douglas third. 



~ For six spikes of Hollyhocks the Rev. Lord Hawke was first 

 with magnificent specimens of Alba superba, white ; Talisman, 

 fine crimson seedling; Eleanor, pink; Queen of Yellows, sul- 

 phur ; and Midnight, blackish maroon. Mr. W. Chater, Saffron 

 Walden, was second with Fire King, crimson; Purity, rose; 

 Whitley King, bright crimson; Ethel, flesh white; Beacon, 

 rosy crimson, and Orange Prince, salmon buff. Mr. Minchin, 

 The Nurseries, Hook Norton, was third. 



The best twenty-four cut blooms came from Mr. W. Chater. 

 In this stand were fine examples of Golden Drop, Bijou, Walden 

 King, Mai-ion, Victor, Black Knight, Fred. Chater, Purity, Jessie 

 Dean, and Conquest. Mr. Wheeler, Warminster, was a good 

 second ; Mrs. P. Bruce, Ossiau, Royal Scarlet, Royal Albert, 

 Oscar, and Gladiator being noticeable for their size and (Quality. 

 The third prize was taken by Mr. Minchin. For twelve, the 

 prizes went to Lord Hawke, Mr. Minchin, and Mr. B. Porter, 

 gardener to Mrs. Benham, Isleworth. Lord Hawke had several 

 fine seedlings, and beautiful examples of Fred. Chater, Phryne, 

 Alfred Chater, and Octavia. 



Cut spikes of Phloxes made an effective little display of 

 themselves. Mr. Parker, Exotic Nursery, Tooting, was first, 

 and Messrs. Dowuie, Laird, & Laing, Stanstead Park, Forest 

 Hill, second, with very fine spikes. The following varieties were 

 especially fine — viz., A. F. Barron, Madame A. Verschaffelt, 

 Madame Autin, splendid colour; Mons. Donneau, Madame 

 Domage, Lothair, and Madame la Comtesse de Turenue. Mr. 

 Ware, Hale Farm Nurseries, Tottenham, was third. 



Of twelve hardy perennials Mr. Parker sent the only group, 

 comprising flue Phloxes, Delphinium Nahamab, dark blue, 

 D. Keteleeri, Rudbeckias, Hehanthus orgyaiis, and other plants. 

 A flrst prize was awarded. 



Of miscellaneous subjects Mr. Ware, of Tottenham, contri- 

 buted a numerous gi-oup of herbaceous Lobelias. From Mr. 

 Turner, Royal Nurseries, Slough, came a capital collection of 

 Dahlias, for which, as well as Mr. Ware's Lobelias, extra prizes 

 were awarded. « 



Prizes were offered for single dishes of Apricots. Moorpark, 

 large and fine, from Mr. I\irtland, Bletcbington, Oxon, and Mr. 

 Gardiner, gai-dener to E. P. Shu-ley, Esq., Lower Eatington 

 Park, Stratford-on-Avon, was first and second ; and excellent 

 fruit of the same kind from Mr. R. Scott, Kidlington, third. 



Feuit Committee. — Alfred Smee, Esq., F.E.S., in the chair- 

 A Cucumber was received from Mr. J. Muuro, Little Heath, 

 Potters Bar, called Improved Rabley, a very handsome Cu- 

 cumber, a foot long, of dark green colour, and with a small 

 white apiue. It was highly approved, and as Mr. Munro intends 

 sending it to the September meeting, a decision was left for 

 further information. 



Mr. W. Tillery, The Gardens, Welbeck Abbey, sent a dish of 

 Barrington Peaches, large and very handsome, to which a cul- 

 tural commendation was awarded. Mr. Gilbert, of The Gardens, 

 Burghley, sent a dish of Apricots. Mr. Bennett, The Gardens, 

 Hatfield, sent a seedling Melon called Hatfield, which was not 

 of any merit. Mr. A. Watkins, Bishop Stortford, sent a new 

 hybrid Melon caDed Acme, a large coarse-looking fruit, which 

 was scarcely ripe. Mr. Gallop, The Gardens, Bradford Peverell, 

 Dorchester, sent a new Melon called Golden Queen, which had 

 almost become putrid, and another called Improved Golden was 

 also very badly flavoured. Mr. CooHng, nurseryman, Bath, 

 sent a seedling Apple of gi-eat beauty, of an oblate shape, covered 

 with light crimson, and thickly covered with fawn-coloured 

 spots; the flesh is sUghtly tinged with red, and is markedly 

 acid, without much flavour. Mr. F. Dancer, of Little Sutton, sent 

 branches of Apple trees grown on the Paradise stock, showing 

 the gi-eat profusion of fruit borne by these varieties — Cox's 

 Pomona, Cellini, Stirling Castle, and Small's Admirable ; a letter 

 of thanks was voted to Mr. Dancer, 



Floral Cojiiiittee. — Dr. Denny in the chair. The subjects 

 submitted to the Committee on this occasion were very limited 

 in number. First-class certificates were awarded to Messrs. 

 Kelway, of Langport, for Gladiolus Hesperia, orange scarlet, pale 

 purple shaded with white in the lower segments ; for Neogeues, 

 rose purple with a white band in the upper segments; Scopas, 

 pure white, purple throat, broad segments, fine spike; and 

 Captain Stuckey, orange rose, flaked with purplish maroon, light 

 centre, purple band. Calyce, white, in the way of Madame 

 Desportes, though not certificated, is excellent. A first-class 

 certificate was awarded to Mr. R. Lord, Old Bottom, Stansfield, 

 for Picotee Mrs. Lord, with a heavy rose edge. First-class cer- 

 tificates were also given to Mr. W. Chater, for Hollyhocks Fire 

 King, redchsh crimson ; and Mrs. W. Chater, salmon rose, large 

 and fine ; also to Mr. Douglas, gardener to F. Wbitbourn, Esq., 

 for Gladiolus Mary Kinuear. Lord Hawke had first-class cer- 

 tificates for Hollyhock Vanguard, dark purplish crimson, and 

 Lilac Queen, two remark.ably fine varieties. Mr. W. Bull, of 

 Chelsea, had also a first-class certificate for Gladiolus Purpureus 

 auratus, greenish yellow with dark markings in the throat, but 



by no means comparable to florists' v.arieties, though it may 

 give rise to variations. 



To Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son, of St. John's Wood, first- 

 class certificates were given for Begonia Prince of Wales, deep 

 scarlet, and Prince Teck, double, light scarlet. 



Messrs. Veitch had a first-class certificate for Aster tanaceti- 

 folia, lilac blue, with ornamentally-cut foliage ; and the same 

 firm also exhibited the poisonous Blumenbachia cordata, with 

 rather showy orange flowers, likewise fine plants of Celosia 

 Huttoni, with very ornamental rose-bronze foliage backed with 

 purple. 



From Mr. Eckford, gardener to Earl Radnor, Coleshill, cam© 

 a stand of Verbenas, of which Paradise Williams, deep rose with 

 a crimson centre, and Her Majesty, rose, with a dark crimsoa 

 eye, were distinguished by first-class certificates. 



Mr. McLachlan, Glasgow, had a cultural commendation for a. 

 Cockscomb called Glasgow Prize, of which he showed three spe- 

 cimens with combs measuring from tip to tip 2 feet 9 inches, 

 3 feet, and 2 feet 9 inches, by 11, 1.5!, and 17i inches in breadth, 

 and in colour brilliant deep crimson. A cultural commendation 

 was also given to Mr. Fewell for a handsome sjjecimen of Adi- 

 antum farleyense 3 feet S inches in diameter. Among the other 

 subjects exhibited may bo noted a collection of Hollyhocks from 

 Messrs. Paul & Son ; a golden Gymnogramma from Mr. Brown, 

 gardener to Mrs. Alston, Elmdon HaU, Birmingham ; some 

 pretty golden Coleuses from Messrs. Downie & Co., of which 

 Prince de Scilla was the best ; and two pretty kinds of Echinops 

 from Mr. Croucher, gardener to J. Peacock, Esq., Sudbm'y 

 House, Hammersmith. 



The dates of the Shows of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 for 1871 have been fixed as follows : — Third Wednesday io 

 March, thud Wednesday in April, second Wednesday in May, 

 first Wednesday in June, first and third Wednesdays in July, 

 first Wednesday in September, and second Wednesday in No- 

 vember. The Council are to be congratulated on this timely 

 announcement, by which all concerned will be able to make 

 arrangements for the coming year ; and we congratulate the 

 exhibitors also, not so much on account of this early notice, as 

 the rehef they must feel at the number of shows being reduced 

 from eighteen, as they were this year, to eight. This arrange- 

 ment will enable the Council greatly to increase the interest 

 and attractiveness of the shows, as well as considerably to 

 augment the amount of the prizes. 



As yet no decision has been come to as to the Provincial 

 Show for 1.S71, and this is in some measure due to no action 

 having as yet been taken by provincial towns. We have heard 

 of several that intend to give an invitation to the Society, but 

 as no intimation has been oflicially communicated, of course 

 nothing can be done. We would advise those towns which 

 intend to issue an invitation to do so speedily, so that the 

 necessary steps may be taken soon to prepare a schedule, and 

 have the arrangements in some state of advancement, instead 

 of crowding everything into the last few months. 



A Committee of exhibitors was appointed yesterday at South 

 Kensington, to confer with a Committee of the Council, and to 

 assist in the preparation of the general schedule for 1874. 



EXHIBITION FKAUDS. 



[The following is a letter received by Mr. William Paul, 

 from M. Sisley in reference to the letter on this subject which 

 was published at page 76.] 



Altbocgh I have not the honour of being known to you, I 

 take the liberty to congratulate yon on the noble and inde- 

 pendent spirit you have shown in publishing Mr. Walton's 

 letter in The .J^ukx.vl of Horticulture. I am quite of your 

 opinion that it is high time that a stop should be put to the 

 fraudulent practices to which horticulture is subject, and I 

 hope that your noble example will be followed, and that the 

 cause of straightforwardness wUl triumph. I have translated 

 your letter, and have sent it to my friend CarriCre, Director 

 of the Rcciie Ilorticole of Paris, to have it published. I hope 

 that you will approve of the step. 



I have since some time attempted to make the same idea, 

 prevail for our future exhibitions of the Corcle hortieole Lyon- 

 nais, of which I am the Secretary general, but have not yet 

 succeeded. Many of our horticulturists imagine that the frauds 

 serve their commercial interests. I think not. — Je.\s Sislet, 

 Lyons. 



RirENiN'G Peaks. — Besides the common test of ripeness foi- 

 picking — namely, gently raising the fruit to see if it will 

 readily detach itself at the stem, the specimens may be placed 



