jHly 21, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



53 



four new Koses of 1860-61-62, single trusses. The first 

 prize went to Mr. John Keynes ; the second prize to Messrs. 

 Paul & Son, Cheshunt, Herts ; and the third to Mr. C. 

 Turner, Slough. Entries were also made by Messrs. Cant, 

 Cranston, S. Evans, and W. Paul. The collections were very 

 similar to those in other classes, and contained many of the 

 same varieties. 



Class C, No. 13 (Open).— Best new Roses of 1860-61-62, 

 six trusses. Here Mr. J. Keynes was first with Marechal 

 VaiUant, Madame Furtado, Chai-les Lefebvre, and Olivier 

 Delhomme. Mr. Wm. Paul was second. He had Madame 

 Furtado and Beauty of Waltham. Messrs. Paul & Son were 

 third with Madame Charles Wood. Mr. Cranston, also, had 

 fine trusses of Louis XIV. ; Mr. Cant, Madame Furtado ; 

 and Mr. Fraacis, General Washington. 



Class C, No. 14 (Open).— Best six varieties of Roses, single 

 trusses, with stem and foliage as cut from the tree; each 

 truss to be shown singly in a vase. The first prize was 

 awarded to Mr. E. P. Francis, Hertford ; the second to Mr. 

 G. Batley, Rugby; and the third prize to Mi-. Tm-ner. 

 There were many other exhibitors in this class. 



Class C, No. 15 (Open). — Best design, basket or vase, of 

 Roses and Rose foliage. Mr. R. H. Vertegans, Edgbaston, 

 took the first prize ; second, Mr. R. T. Evans, Severn Lodge, 

 Shrewsbury; and third, Mr. Turner, Slough. There were 

 here some fine masses of bloom, and all deserved notice ; 

 but I did not consider there was anything striking in the 

 vases or the arrangement. 



Class C, No. 16 (Open). — Best bouquet for the hand made 

 entirely of Roses and Rose foliage. First prize, Mr. J. Cole, 

 Birchfield ; second, Messrs. F. & A. Dickson, Upton, Chester ; 

 third, Mr. Vertegans, Edgbaston. 



Mr. Perry, of Castle Bromwich, exhibited a fine stand of 

 Verbenas, consisting of forty-eight bunches of five trusses 

 each. Many plants were also contributed by the surround- 

 ing gentry. There were several good plants of Cissus dis- 

 color; a fine Maranta zebrina; some very good Ferns, 

 including a large Acrostic-hum alcicome, Pteris argyraea, and 

 others ; Adiantum affine, brasiliense, and the ever-beautiful 

 cuneatum. There were also varieties of Caladiums and 

 Begonias, Coleus Verschaffelti, and the older Blumei, look- 

 ing rather paJe, and a few Heaths, at sight of which many of 

 our good growers would make an involuntary grimace. These 

 and other plants weire contributed for the purpose of deco- 

 ration and not for competition. They certainly did their 

 part well, affording an agreeable change from the glowing 

 masses of coloiir presented by the Roses. 



Under the head of Horticultural Implements and Gai-den 

 Ornaments there were many objects exhibited of considerable 

 interest to the gardener. Messrs. Lloyd & Summerfield, 

 Park Glass Works, Birmingham, showed an aquarivmi with 

 fountain. This was surrounded with Ferns and fronted by 

 a plant of Cyperus alternifolius variegatus, a most interest- 

 ing plant. Prom the same firm also came vases for flowers 

 and fruit, some of them filled as if ready for the table, and 

 looking very tempting. A somewhat similar exhibition was 

 made by Mi'. Jackson, of Birmingham. There were also 

 some vases and table ornaments from Messrs. Naylor and 

 Dunn, of London. The silver plate of Messrs. Deny and 

 Jones, Birmingham, comprised some very graceful dinner- 

 table ornaments ; also those by Mr. Spurrier and by Messrs. 

 Gouch & Sylvester, whose flower-vases were exceedingly 

 pretty. 



Pottery from Mr. J. Jackson, glass of Mr. C. Bryan, and 

 meteorological instruments from Mr. T. Rabone and Messrs. 

 Field & Son, varied the character of the Exhibition as weU 

 as added to its interest. 



Garden implements were shown by Messrs. Mapplebeok 

 and Lowe ; and, in looking over them, I found many really 

 useful and well-made instruments, and some also made more 

 for show than use. Mr. R. Thomas and Messrs. Pajkes and 

 Co. had also exhibitions of a similar character. Messrs. 

 Mapplebeck and Lowe were also exhibitors in garden seats 

 and ornaments, and wirework. A large wire rosery, ex- 

 hibited by Messrs. G. Baker & Co., stood in the centre, 

 being neatly decorated with plants for the occasion. Messrs. 

 Gilbert Brothers had some very good garden cutlery. Messrs. 

 Bentley & Stone, and also Messrs. Griffiths & Browlett, 

 exhibited the hydropult, which I found easy enough to work, 

 especially that exhibited by Messrs. Pumphrey, which, I 



think, is as good for conservatory work, and may be bought 

 at a lower price. A number of wire garden-stands, filled 

 with plants, were exhibited by Messrs. Mapplebeck and 

 Lowe. 



Artificial flowers were there too, showing great skill and 

 delicacy of touch on the part of those who fabricated them. A 

 beautiful case was shown by Mrs. E. P. Howe, of Birmingham; 

 and those of Mrs. James Stoddard were perfection, being 

 modelled out of lice paper, and all looking exceedingly 

 natural. There was also a case of fruit modelled from some 

 that were shown last autumn. They were of immense size, 

 and exact imitations of the natural finiit. Both artificial 

 fruit and flowers were exceedingly weU done, and reflected 

 great credit on those who made them. 



To do justice to such an Exhibition as that held at 

 Birmingham a thorough inspection must be made, and it is 

 weU worth the time. — F. Chittt. 



APHIDES AND TWO OF THEER. ENEMIES 

 THIS SEASON. 



Having noticed in the public papers of last week an un- 

 favourable account from the Hop-growers in consequence of 

 the prevalence of the aphis or green fly, I beg to offer the 

 following brief remarks for theu- encouragement especially, 

 as well as of hortieidturists and agriculturists in general ; — 



Up to the present time, in this locality at least, the aphis 

 has proved exceedingly injurious both to Gooseberiy and 

 Currant bushes, and, indeed, to trees and shrubs generally ; 

 but it is gratifying to be able to state that the larvae of ovsr 

 old fi-iend the lady-bird (CoccineUa) and the larvae of the 

 hovering fly (species of the Scteva genus) — and especially 

 the latter — are busily engaged in devouring all the various 

 species of aphis ; and I have no doubt, in a week or two, 

 they wOl make such a clearance of these pests that there 

 will afterwards be little or no cause of complaint. 



These little friends of ours, but enemies to the aphis, have 

 made their appeai-ance much later than usual this season, 

 in consequence, no doubt, of the cold spring we have had. 



For the information of those who may not be aware of the 

 utility and importance of these little fellows, I will give a 

 brief description of one of them. 



The lady-bird is generally well known. Its larvs will 

 rai-ely be noticed except by close observers, for it is in that 

 state generally amongst its prey, exceedingly ugly, rough, 

 and of a dark brown colour. The perfect insect feeds very 

 little in comparison to the lai-vae. 



The hovering fly, or perfect insect of the Scaeva genus, 

 is two-winged, the most usual species being a little larger 

 than the common house fly, thicker, and with longer wings 

 and body. They are distinctly marked round the body with 

 stripes of black and buff. They are mostly seen in fine 

 warm weather steadily hovering amongst plants, then dart- 

 ing right and left. There are several species, some very 

 small, but they are all valuable. The larva; of those mostly 

 seen are something like leaches in miniatui-e, very soft and 

 flat, of a buff colour slightly variegated, and about the size 

 of the maggot of the flesh fly. After feeding, the chrysalis 

 is generally formed amongst the leaves and plants on which 

 the insect feeds. — Joshua Major, Knosthorpe, near Leeds. 



ON COTTAGE GARDENS. 



The advantages of the allotment system, or division of 

 land into gardens of the size required by cottagers, are now 

 so generally recognised, that it is scarcely necessary to advo- 

 cate its adoption. While, however, nearly all are agreed 

 respecting the beneflts the system confers on the poorer 

 classes of the community, its influence for good on the more 

 affluent has, I think, been in a great measure overlooked. 

 The farmers, for instance, who at one time were much 

 opposed to its introduction in our country parishes, on the 

 supposition that the possession of gardens would render the 

 labourer too independent of his employer, have, for the most 

 part, discovered that the independence it has created is of a 

 kind with which they are not disposed to find fault — inde- 

 pendence from relief obtained through the poor-rates. We 

 have not indeed quite gone back to those happy times — if 



