JOURNAL OP HORTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ Jaly 4, 1867. 



drop of water had hung in the previous night brown on the 

 under side, giving them a bad appearance when looked at from 

 heneath. I had no help, the evil was done. I imagined that 

 half of the crop had ieeu destroyed ; but I find during last week 

 many of the most slightly-damaged berries have recovered, and 

 the worst seem to continue to swell. The black spots are crack- 

 ing without seemingly any injury to the berry, still I consider 

 the case should act as a caution, and thought it well to report 

 it to warn others who may be similarly situated. — J. Y. 



AUSTRALIAN SPINACH. 



At the commencement of lust year, Mr. Eiimel, who intro- 

 duced into the French colony of Algiers the Eucalyptns glo- 

 bulus, has received from Australia a new vegetable. His friend. 

 Dr. Mueller, of Melbourne, had it sent to bim as a substitute 

 for Spinach ; it is superior in every respect to that vegetable, 

 easier of cultivation, and of an enormous iind rapid growth, 

 less subject to run to seed, and also of better flavour. He called 

 the pluut New Queensland Spinach. The New Australian 

 Spinach is, however, a better name. It belongs to a group in 

 which is Comprised our common Spinach ; it answers bota- 

 nically to the Chenopodium auricumum of Lindley, who de- 

 scribed it in a few words in Mitehel's " Journal of Tropical 

 Australia." It grows abundantly in the east part, following 

 the course of the river Narrau, and it is again found in Queens- 

 land. The Chenopodium auricomum is an annual, with a stalk 

 rising to a yaul high. In its general appearance it resembles 

 Chenopodium Ijylnidum, that troublesome weed which over- 

 runs our fields. The stalk is erect, robust, angular, fluted, 

 streaked with a violet red. 



As regards the eatable qualities of the plant, we have recently 

 gathered an abundant harve.-^t of leaves from two or three plants 

 growing in our garden. These leaves were put into boiling 

 water, and tbey were then cooked as an ordinary dish of Spinach, 

 with this difference in favour of the new plant, that there was 

 no occasion to take away the threads which are so disagreeable 

 in Chicory. Soriel, and ordinary Spinach. The flavour, ana- 

 logous to Spinach, had something iu it less harsh and less 

 grassy in taste. 



The cultivation is easy : sow the seed in April in a well- 

 manured bed, for the plant is greedy ; water it. The leaves 

 may be gathered from the time the plant attains 18 inches 

 in height. They grow up again quickly. In less than eight 

 days afterwards another gathering may take place, and so on 

 to the end of the year. — (Juurnal de la Ferme et des MaUons 

 ie Campagne.) 



BUEY ST. EDMUNDS HORTICULTURAL SHOW. 



JODEKAL OF HOr.TICULTUr.E IT.IZES. 



Tour two chaste and beautiful clocks, of the value of ten 

 guineas each, are offered " for two desserts of not less than 

 seven kinds of fruit c f 18G7." 



1. The que^-ti(ui has been asked if more may be shown ; and 

 suppose two desserts equal in quality were produced, one of 

 eight dishes and the other of seven, would the additional dish 

 give the prize to the dessert with eight dishes? 



2. Or, suppose, again one had seven of the best dishes of 

 fruit, and another showed twelve inferior, ho^v far would the five 

 additi<mal dishes influence the award ? 



3. Also, would there be any objection to confine the number 

 to seven dishes, qusility and taste of arrangement alone to deter- 

 mine the award, irrespective of the disturbing force of varying 

 numbers ? 



4. I presume the dishes are to be placed on the table as if 

 it were a diuing table, and the fruit may be garnished with 

 flowers or leaves at the option of the eshiliitor. — D. T. F. 



[We will answer the queries in the order in which Mr. Fish 

 has ])laced them. 



1. If a dessert of eight diFhe.s of fruits is exhibited equal 

 in quality and equally tastefully arranged as another dessert of 

 seven dishes, the ei^ht ought to receive the prize. 



2. A dessert of seven dishes of best fruita ought to have the 

 prize in preference to any larger number of inferior fruits. 



3. We do not intend to limit the number of dishes, except 

 that there must not be less than seven. The greatest number, 

 combined with superior taste in the arrangement, ought to win. 



4 The dishes are to be arranged on a taMe as if after 

 dinner, and flowers or leaves, or both, or other ornamental ac- 



companiments, may be employed as the taste of the exkibitor 

 may dictate. — Ens.] 



VARIEGATFD PELAnCONICMS. 



The subject of Variegated Pelargoniums was brought before 

 the Floral Committee of the Eoyal Horticultural Society on 

 the 2ud inst. It was then decided that Beauty of Oulton and 

 others of that section cannot be considered Variegated Pelar- 

 goniums iu the same sense as Flower of the Day, Mrs. Lennox, 

 Mrs. Pollock, &c., but that a distinct class should he esta- 

 blished, and that it should be called the Bronze and Golden 

 Zonal section. The decision of the Committee was afterwards 

 placed before the Council, and approved of and confirmed by 

 them. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Weekly Show, Jiine •ISth. — Mr. A. 'NVilkie, gardener, AddisoB 

 Road, Kt'Dsington, was awarded sis e::tra prizes for Faclisias, oma- 

 mental-foliagod plants, Caladiums, Ptlargoiiinms. Ferns, and a basket 

 of cut liowers. A tirst prize was obtained by Mr. W. Earley, gardener 

 to F. Pi7or, Esq., Digswell, Welwyn, for a collection of vegetables. 

 From the Society's garden at Cbiswick was exhibited a collection of 

 plants made np with the following subjects — Pelargoniums, Porttl- 

 laccas. Petunias, Fuchsias, itc, and a bos of cut blooms of Lirioden- 

 dron tulipiferum and L. tuhpiferum obtusilobum. 



EosE Show, Juh/2nd. — The display on this occasion was both large 

 and excellent, and notwithstanding the hot sunshine which prevailed 

 daring the week preceding the Show, Koses exhibited ft perfection 

 and freshness that could hardly have been expected. Unfortunately 

 on the morning of the Show rain fell heavily, and there were soma 

 pelting showers in the forenoon, which no doubt caused many intend- 

 ing visitors to alter their arrangements, and thus prevented so large an 

 attendance as would otherwise have been the case ; still the company 

 was the largest and most brilliant that has assembled in the gardens 

 this year, and the comfort with which the Exhibition could be inspected, 

 contrasted most favourably with the Cr3stal Piilace Show on the pre- 

 vious Saturday, which was overcrowded. 



In Class 1, for single trusses of 72 varieties, Mr. Cranston, of 

 Hereford, took the first place with stauds in which there were hut few 

 blooms that could ho found fault with, and in which the following wer» 

 jtarticnlaiiy good — namely, Jule!^ Margottin, Senatcnr Vaisse, Mdlle. 

 Emain, white, beautifully tipped with rose, perhaps a little touched by 

 the sun ; L'Esmeralda, Prince Camille de Rohau, Maurice Bernardin, 

 Pierre Netting, Souvenir de la Maimaison, Comtesse de Chabrillant, 

 Madame Vidot, General Jacqueminot, Dr. Andry, very fine ; Madam* 

 Victor Verdier, Maiechal Niel, Seeur des Auges, John Hopper, Centi- 

 folia Rosea, Baron A. do Rothschild, Celine Forestier, and Devoniensis. 

 Messrs. Paul & Son were second with beautifnliy fresh blooms of Alfred 

 Colomb and Prince de Porcia, both very bright in colour ; Louiso 

 Magnan. white ; Exposition de Brie, Marie Baumann, Maurice Ber- 

 nardin, Due de Rohan, Gloire de Dijon, Madame Vidot, and Duke of 

 Edinburgh, dark shaded scarlet. Mr. Cant, who was third, had veiy 

 good blooms of L'Eclatante, velvety dark red ; Xavier Olibo, very 

 large ; Devoniensis, Beauty of "Waltham. Le Rhone, Charles Lawson, 

 Madame Victor Verdier, Niphetos, Alfred Colpmb, and Charles 

 Lefebvre. Mr. Mitchell was fourth with, among others. Queen Victoria, 

 one of the prettiest of the white Hybrid Perpotuals ; Triomphe d* 

 Rennes, very beautifal ; Gloire de Dijon, and Fisher Holmes. Messrs* 

 Francis, of Hertford, also exhibited in this class. 



Class 2, 4S varieties, three trusses of each, wag very effective, per-' 

 senting a rich mass of colour. Messrs. Paul & Son were first, and 

 had beautiful trusses of Maurice Bernardin, Madame Charles Wood, 

 fine cheny colour, though its beauty was a little tarniGlicd ; Prince 

 Camille de Rohan, Pierre Nottiug, Marguerite de St. AmanJ, Alfred 

 Colomb, Marie Baumann, Charles Lefebvre, Marcchal Vuillant, and 

 Fisher Holmes. Mr. Eraser, of Lea Bridge, came second with standi 

 in which wo noticed Madame Rivers, Maurice Bernardin, Comtess* 

 do Chabrillant, Mdlle. Bonnahe. always delicately beautiful ; Madam* 

 V. Verdier, Lord Macaulay, and Prince de Porcin. Mr. Cant, who 

 was third, had some excellent Tea Roses, and Mr. Mitchell was fourth 

 with Madame Plantier. a free-blooming Hybrid China variety, which 

 had eleven blooms on the three trusses. Baron A. de Rothschild, and 

 others. 



In tho nest class, for *2-l varieties, three trusses, Mr. Keynes, of 

 Salisbury, was first with blooms remarkable for their freshness, and 

 of which the most noticeable were Victor Verdier, Comte Alphonse da 

 Serenye, a beautiful clear crimson variety ; Prince Henri des Pays Bas, 

 crimson, shaded with purple ; Pierre Netting. Madame Rivers, Expo- 

 sition de Brie, half expanded ; Madame Moreau, in a similar condi- 

 tion, and Charles Lefebvre not large, but very bright in colour. Mr. 

 Cant was second, Mr. Cranston third, Messrs. Paul & Sou fourth. 



Class 4 was for single trusses of 24 varieties, and here again Mr- 

 Keynes was first. His blooms of John Hopper, Victor Verdier, 

 Maurice Beinardin, Madame C. Wood, and Alfred Colomb, were very 

 fine. Mr. Cranston, wlio was second, had Duchesse de Caylus, very 

 (inod ; Gloire de Santenay, and La Brillante, very bright ; and Louis 

 XrV., remarkable for its fine deep blood red colour. In the third-prize 



