172 



JOUKNAL OF HOSTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



[ Septemtcv -i, 1873. 



and the ground anything like dry, there are little or no signs of 

 disease. IJ it keep off we are likely to have an abundant crop, 

 both large and clean.— Geokge Milne, The Gardens, CiUlen 

 House. 



Staplehckst, Kent. — As this is not a Potato-growing district 

 I can only speak of the small quantities which everyone ha%Ting 

 a plot of ground invariably grows. The crop is generally 

 spoken of favourably ; the disease which manifested itself early 

 in August in many places was restricted to the haulm, with 

 only a solitary tuber here and there affected, and the fine 

 weather we have had since then has, on the whole, checked it. 

 The crop seems to be ripeuing-off in tolerable condition; it is 

 not heavy, but good in quality, aud we trust will turu out well 

 hereafter. I hear it stated that the much-abused American 

 Eose promises to be tolerably good in quality this season, a 

 matter not to be wondered at when all are better than usual. — 

 J. BoBSON, Linton. 



EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 September 3ed. 



DAHLLis, Asters, and Liliums were the subjects specially in- 

 vited on this occasion, but the show of all three was of the most 

 limited description ; indeed, about 100 feet of staging was all 

 that could be fiUed. The Dahlias from Mr. Turner, and the 

 Lancifolium Lilies from Mr. Baines were superlative, but the 

 other exhibits did not rise above mediocrity ; indeed, than 

 some of the Dahlias and Asters we never saw worse exhibited. 

 In one kind, as shown by Mr. Turner and another exhibitor, 

 there was a difference of diameter of 2 inches, and a correspond- 

 ing difference in buUd. 



Of Dahlias, three stands of twenty-four were shown. Mr. 

 Turner was first M'ith splendid massive blooms of Rev, J. B. 

 Camm, Monarch, Arbitrator, Mr. Dix, Mrs. Sauuders, Crimson 

 King, Annie Neville, Egyptian Prince, Princess, Alexander 

 Cramond, H. G. Quilter, Duke of Edinburgh, FJag of Truce, 

 Toisson d'Or, Charlotte Dorling, Incomparable, John Standish, 

 Victory, Lady Gladys Herbert, Julia Wyatt, W. Keynes, John 

 Neville Keynes, Ovid, and Prince Arthur. Second came Mr. 

 TV". Seale, Vine Nurseries, Sevenoaks, who had Charles Back- 

 house and Lord Palmerston, scarlet, very brilliant, and very 

 good specimens of Peri, Hero of York, James Cocker, and others. 

 Mr. Aldous, Gloucester Koad, South Kensington, also exhibited. 

 In Class 2, for twelve blooms, the best came from Mr. Burpett, 

 gardener to E. P. Taylor, Esq., Loughborough Road, Brixton. 

 The second aud third prizes were awarded to Mr. Beach, gar- 

 dener to K. C.Petley, Esq., Eiverhead, near Sevenoaks, and Mr. 

 Gaines, Hampton Wick ; the blooms from the last were very poor. 



Of Asters, in the nurserymen's class for twenty- four not quilled 

 there were none ; in the oi^eu class for twelve Mr. E. Rowe, The 

 Rookery, Roehampton, had the best ; the remaiuing prizes going 

 to Mr. George, Putney Heath, and Mr. E. Smith, gardener to 

 T. D. Galpiu, Esq., Bristol House, Putney Heath. Mr. Porter, 

 gardener to Mrs. Benham, also sent a creditable collection. In 

 the amateurs' class for twelve, not quilled, Mr. R. Anderson, 

 21, Blythe Street, Bethnal Green, was a good first, Mr. Rowe 

 second, and Mr. George third. 



For the best six Asters, not quilled, in 8-inch pots, the first 

 prize was awarded to Mr. Smith, gardener to T. D. Cralpin, Esq. 

 These were fairly bloomed. Mr. Rowe was second, Mr. Geoige 

 third. 



Messrs. Barr & Sugden offered prizes for trays of Asters, 

 twenty-four blooms, not less than eight varieties, respectively 

 of PjEony-liowered incurved, Victoria refiexed, and Pompon, or 

 small-flowered. For Pieony-flowered Mr. Anderson had the 

 prize, for Victoria Mr. Gaines, and for Pompons the same exhi- 

 bitor was also successful with flowers averaging 1} inch in dia- 

 meter ; while an extra prize was given to Mr. Anderson for a 

 very good stand of quilled. 



Although prizes were offered for Verbenas and cut Roses, no 

 one came forward to claim them. For six pots of Lilium lanci- 

 folium (speciosum) Mr. Baines, gardener to H. MichoUs, Esq., 

 was first with splendidly bloomed plants measiiring from 5 to 

 6 feet from the ground, and covered with innumerable blooms 

 and buds. The varieties were rubrum, very free-flowering, 

 album, and punctatxim. 



Fkuit Committee. — A. Smee, Esq., F.E.S., in the chair. A 

 handsome Queen Pine Apple of GJ lbs. weight was sent by Mr. 

 James Harris, gardener to Mrs. S. H. Vivian, The Gardens, 

 Singleton, Swansea; it was grown in a small pot from a sucker 

 in sixteen months. A cultural commendation was awarded. A 

 seedling Peach was sent by Mr. Powell, of the Royal Gardens, 

 Frogmore, named The Lady, which was not thought any im- 

 provement on existing sorts. A seedling Plum was sent by 

 Mr. C. Ross, gardener to C. Eyre, Esq., Welford Park, Newbury, 

 named Welford Rose-drop. The fruit is large, aud resembles 

 in flavour the Orleans, but was not thought by the Committee ] 

 to be an acquisition. A Melon, named Scarlet Perfection, was i 



sent by Mr. J. Meakes, gardener to R. Fowler, Esq., Petersham, 

 Surrey, but the flavour was very inferior. 



A collection of Plums was exhibited by Mr. W. Earley, 

 Valentines Gardens, Ilford, with the view of showing the 

 relative time of ripening of twenty varieties. Mr. Earley also 

 sent a bunch of Black Hamburgh Grapes from a Vine said to be 

 the parent of that at Hampton Court. The Vine was planted 

 more than a hundred years ago. 



A spleudid dish of Jefferson Plum was sent by Mr. Dancer. 

 The flavour was remarkably good, and a vote of thanks was ■ 

 voted to Mr. Dancer. Three seedling Nectarines were sent by 

 Mr. J. Douglas, gardener to F. Whitbourn, Esq., Loxtord HaU, 

 Hford, which were thought highly promising by the Committee, 

 and were asked to be exhibited again next year. A seedling 

 Plum resembling Jefferson, named Gordon Castle, was sent by 

 Messrs. J. & C. Lee, Hammersmith, but not so good as that fine 

 variety. 



Messrs. Monro & Wilkinson, Potter's Bar, Herts, sent six 

 specimens of a very fine smooth Cucumber named Duke of 

 Edinburgh. It has a remarkably short neck, and the fruit is of 

 a very serviceable size — 15 inches in length. A first-class cer- 

 tificate was awarded. A white-spined variety of Cucumber was 

 also sent Mr. J. Meakes, gardener to R. Fowler, Esq., Peter- 

 sham, but was not considered to be distinct by the Committee. 



Flok.\l Committee. — W. B. Kellock, Esq., in the chair. 

 Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, had first-class certificates for 

 three splendid Begonias, two of which were stated to have been 

 lifted from the open ground. All of them had large and splen- 

 did scarlet flowers differing in their depth of colour from Vesu- 

 vius, orange scarlet, to Acme and Stella, deep scarlet; the last- 

 named, however, may not be, perhaps, so hardy as the others, 

 as it was not said to be so grown. A first-class certificate was 

 also awarded to the same firm for Vanda Bensoni, a Rangoon 

 Orchid, forming a very fine specimen, with brownish dotted 

 sepals and petals, and a pretty pale lilac Up. Mr. Bui't, Shore- 

 ham Place, Sevenoaks, had a cultural certificate for a very fine 

 specimen of Saccolabium with six racemes IG inches long. 



Dahlias were numerously shown by Mr. Turner, Slough, Mr. 

 Wheeler, of Warminster, and others. The fu-st-named had a 

 first-class certificate for Ovid, rich rosy purple, one of the finest 

 Dahlias ever seen. Mr. Keynes, Salisbury, had a like award for 

 Julia Davis, yellow, also a cultural commendation for a stand of 

 tweuty-four. Mr. Harris, Orpington, had likewise a first-class 

 certificate for Mrs. Harris, a very fine-formed and pretty flower, 

 ivory tipped with pale purplish violet. Mr. EawUngs, Romford, 

 had also a first-class certificate for Miss Dennis. Mr. Eckford, 

 gardener to the Earl of Radnor, Coleshill, likewise sent a col- 

 lection of Dahlias, and some promising Verbenas and Geraniums. 

 From Mr. Douglas came a spike of a sweet-scented Aerides, 

 name not determined. We might have extended our remarks 

 on the Dahlias and other subjects exhibited, but for the extreme 

 difficulty of ascertaining what their names were and by whom 

 exhibited. It would convey but Uttle information to oiu- readers 

 to state that Gl Dahlia was a highly meritorious variety, unless 

 we could also state the name it was to go by and by whom it 

 was exhibited ; and though names are, or may be, put later in 

 the day than we are compelled to take our notes, it is certainly 

 not till long after the Committee has ceased to sit. Several ex- 

 hibitors practically do away, to a certain extent, with the diffi- 

 culty by attaching their names to their productions. Such we 

 believe is the confidence felt in the faii'uess of the decisions of 

 the Floral Committee, that such a precaution as the numbering 

 of the plants submitted to it seems wholly unnecessary. 



RAISIN-MAKING IN CALIFORNIA. 



Any industrious person who has the right kind of Grapes 

 can make raisins ; aud raisin-making, which eighteen mouths 

 ago had still a very uncertain future in this State, may now 

 safely be called one of the established and most promising 

 industries here. Last year I ate excellent raisins in Los 

 Angeles, aud tolerable ones iu Yisalia ; but they sell very com- 

 monly in the shops what they call " dried grapes," which are 

 not raisins at all, but damp, sticky, disagreeable things, not 

 good even in puddings. This year, however, I have seen in 

 several places good native raisins; and the head of the largest 

 fruit-importing house iu San Francisco told me, the other day, 

 that one raisin-maker last fall sold the whole of his crop there 

 at §2 per box of 2j lbs., Malagas of the same quality bringing 

 at the same time but $2 37J. There is a market for all well- 

 made raisins that can be produced in the State, he said, aud 

 they are preferred to the foreign product. At Folsom, Mr. 

 Bugby told me he had made, last year, 1700 boxes of raisins, 

 aud that he was satisfied with the pecuniary return ; aud I 

 judge from the testimony of different persons that at 7 cents 

 per lb. raisins will pay the farmer very well. The Malaga and 

 the T\1iite Muscat are the Grapes which appear hero to make 

 the best raisins. 



