September 5, 1967. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



176 



From Kr. Kdgorton, gardener to the Coantess of Waldegravo. Straw- 

 iwrry Hill, came a greeu-tleshed Melon, which had bi-'cn rtowh withoat 

 bottom heat. It was sound, sli{;htly netted, but proved uf but poor 

 flavour. 



Mea.srs. Waite, Hurrcll, & Co., sent a very fine specimen of the 

 true Flat Tripoli (^nion. It was 1(> inches in circumference, and very 

 solid. The same iirni also sent a npticimcu of their new Karly White 

 Tripoli Ouion, a very clear-skinned variety, which is stated to do 

 exceedinfily well when sown in the end of Angnst. 



Mr. Adam Spar,-, of Chailey, Lewes, cent a new Pea called Spary's 

 Pre-eminent, which wa^ larj^o and haudsurac ; also pods of a Scarlet 

 Uaunor Hean, named Spary's Premier, which did niit seem to bo any 

 improvement on the common Scarlet Jtunner. Tlie Committee desired 

 that they should be sent to Cbiswick to bo ^rowu there next season. 



Mr. Cole, gardener, Otto Ilouao, llammcTsmith. sent a collection 

 of oxceedin^^ly welI-f;i-own Poacho-i from an open wuU. 



From the garden of tlie Society, Chiswiek, came a very ornamental 

 collection of Tomatoes in ])ots, which wore reported on in last week's 

 number; likewise a collection of Fi^'s which had been grown in ])ot9. 

 Tho varieties were White Tschia, rich and excellent ; l)e Lipari, a 

 small wiiiie variety resembling tho White Ischia, was also very good ; 

 De La Madeleine, clear yellow, very rich and excellent ; Versailles ; 

 Trois Kecoltes, small, but highly favoured ; Grosso Violette de Bor- 

 deaux, conical, black skin, sweet; White Marseilles; De I'Archipel, 

 dark tawny skin, white liesh ; Bourjassote Grise, large, bro^vu, rich, 

 juicy, and excellent ; Grosso Verto, very large, deep green skin, red 

 flesh, rich, sugai'y, and excellent — this vai'iety was considered the 

 richest and best, and was awarded a first-class certificate. 



THE MANCHESTER HORTICULTURAL 

 EXHIBITION. 



Thu last Exhibition of this season commenced on tho 'I'th and 

 limshcd on the ^Ist nit. The inclncemeut held oat to exhibitors in the 

 shape of liberal prizes offered by the Manchester Botanical and Horti- 

 cultarol Society brought together a fine display of both llowers and 

 frait. Tho fruit and cut flowers were exhibited in a large tent near 

 the Exhibition-house, and a portion of the ground laid out for the 

 lato National Exhibition was covered with a very large tent for the 

 plants and vegetables. The arrangements were very well carried ont. 

 The only fault I had to complain of was that the tents were a little too 

 dark, tho material they were made of being too thick and deep in 

 colour, cansing tlio plants to assume rather a sombre appearance. 



"There was a marked improvement in the cnltitation and setting-up of 

 many of the plants exhibited, showing that the late National Exhibition 

 has infused a better taste amongst the Lancashire horticulturists, and 

 that their horticultural talent has been aroused. The next great 

 National Exhibition, to be held in .Tune, 18li8, will no doubt bring 

 together one of tho huest collections of plants and fruits that have 

 ever yet been witnessed. The guarantee fund amounts to upwards of 

 £:i(MXl, and the prizes in each class are to be increased and enlarged. 



.Another improvement will bo introduced in the shape of shortening 

 tho duration of tho Exhibition. I think three or four days quite long 

 enough, after the experience gained on the present and late occasions ; 

 and I would take this opportunity of reminding the managing Com- 

 mittee that it is quite necessary to give exhibitors some little remune- 

 ration for every day after the Hrst or opening day, for it is very expen- 

 sive and inconvenient for them to remain in Manchester several days. 

 Tho nnsuccessful exhibitors should also receive the same remuneration. 

 The way, I think, the remuneration should be arranged should he — for 

 each collection of plants brought from any place beyond a radius of 

 ten miles Gs. per day, and for those from within live miles 3,s-. A pro- 

 portionate scale of rorauncration should also be arranged for fruit and 

 cut tlowers. The managers of all horticultural societies would do weU 

 to adopt these or similar suggestions, as I am sure such arrangements 

 would offer very great inducements to exliibitors to bring their plants. 

 They would feel sure of some little encouragement for their trouble. 

 They would not f.el like the poor fellow lately depicted iu the song by 

 *'S. K. H." which lately appeared in a contemporary, nor would they 

 exclaim — 



'* I'm a poor useil-up exhibitor. 

 Knocked out of present time ;" 

 but thoy would feel pleased with their slight reward, and if unsuccess- 

 ful exhibitors they would go homo with a fixed determination to do 

 better next time. Horticultural exhibitions would thus become more 

 interesting and better worth seeing, and would in consequence be 

 visited by much larger numbers, so that in the end it would be more 

 satiafactorv' to all parties. 



Tho Dahlias and HoUyhocka were remarkably 6ne ; in fact the 



. Hollyhocks were the finest I have ever seen. The best nine spikes 

 and tho best eighteen single flowers wore exhibited by the Rev. K. 

 Hawke, of Willingham Rectory. The manner in whicii these fine 

 exhibitions were staged, the fresh condition in which they arrived after 

 a lon^ journey, and, above all, the high state of cultivation, deserve 

 tho highest praise. l\Iany of them were seedlings ; I could not, there- 

 fore, note their names. The Rev. E. Hawke exhibited these in such 

 a perfect state, that I should think it must create a greater taste 

 fimongst gardeners for taking these line flowers a^ain in hand. It is 

 a pity they are not grown more than they are ; few plants are more 



showy, none more easily managed. A splendid miscoUencous collec- 

 tion of plants was shown b^ Mr. B. S. WiUiamB. Thoso filled one- 

 fourth of tlie tent ; and as they were brought (three large vauloads), 

 mi;rely to decorate the tent, it shows what an enterprising nurseryman 

 Mr. Williams is. Mr. J. Watson, of St. Albans, also exhibited a large 

 number of tree Ferns, and amongst them tho largest Todcapellucida I 

 have ever seen. It was a fine plant. Mr. Watson also exhibited 

 his Tricolor Pelargoniums Miss Watson and Mrs. Dix. I need not 

 hero describe them, as almost every one has seen them, and no doubt 

 heard Mr. Watson frequently expatiating on their pood qualities. 

 Splendid examples of Lilium auratum wero shown by Messrs. Yates. 

 'J'ho Grapes exiiibited wero good, as also the Barrington Peaches from 

 Mr. Tillery, of Well)e<!k. The vegetables were also numerous and good. 

 The weather altogether was delightful, and tho Exhibition in every 

 respect was a perfect success. 



I may remind intending subscribers to the Findlay testimonial that 

 the list is still open, and that tho handsome snm of £*220 has already 

 been subscribed. — J. Wills. 



THE CORNISH MYSTIC BAKS. 



In your number of 22qi1 ult., the article headcj " About the 

 Laud's End " speaks of •' mystic bars," used in that neighbour- 

 hood in place of gates or stiles. You will, probably confer a 

 favour on others, as well as on myself, if you can give a little 

 further specification as to how they are to be laid down. How 

 wide are the " bars of granite" to be? Is the ground to be 

 flush — that is, level with the upper surface of the bars ? Ko 

 doubt any other stone would do as well as granite, which here 

 is not easy to bo had, and I should think would be anywhere 

 rather expensive to work into bars. 



1 have heard of iron or wooden bars forming a bridge over a 

 ditch, and close enough together for human beings to walk 

 over, deterriug quadrupeds from attempting to pass. I think 

 this was said to be in Norway or Sweden, and I supposed the 

 bars to be across the ditch or hole — tuat is, in the line of the 

 path. The Cori"'sh " mystic bars " would appear to lie across 

 the path. I have seen what were called " Cornish stiles " in 

 the neighbourhood of Bath, really a passage so narrow that to 

 pass one leg hid to follow the other through the slit. These 

 are good in their way, but not very accommodating to crinoline. 

 — Anglo-Scoti's. 



[The "mystic bars'' are placed across the path, usually 

 level with its surface. Any kind of stone would do as well as 

 granite. Each "bar" in Cornwall is really a rough piece of 

 granite about '.) inches square, and some (i feet long. They are 

 placed about a foot apart. A hole or ditch is beneath the bars, 

 which can be seen iuto through the openings, and this may aid 

 in convincing the irrationals that it ia a trap.] 



"STOCKS IN SPIKES." 



A QUESTio>< as to the above flowers has arisen from the 

 mode iu which they were exhibited at a late show. Some 

 persons sent Stocks with the centre and side flowers on ; others 

 with the centre only. Which of the two modes of exhibiting 

 is correct ? — C. JN. B. 



[We presume, as you put the words as a quotation, the prize 

 was offered for the flowers of " Stocks in siiikes." If so, we 

 consider that compound spike.s — namely, those with side spikes 

 as well as tho central spike, were as much entitled to be ex- 

 hibited as the simple spikes — that is, those which had onlya 

 central spike. There is no distinction made between them in 

 the words you quote. — Eds.] 



VEITCHS PERFECTION PEA. 



In Mr. Fish's "Doings," published in your Journal of 

 .August 15th, he mentions having tried many ways of growing 

 that queen of Peas, Veitch's Perfection — but that he has not 

 succeeded in filling the basket from it as he wishes. I will 

 therefore state my method of growing not only this but many 

 other varieties of Peas, and by pursuing this method I have 

 seldom failed to have most abundant crops of fine well-filled 

 pods. I could to-day (August 2Cth), gather four bushels of 

 well-fiUed pods of Veitch's Perfection Peas. 



The following is my method of cultivation. I generally 

 place my rows of Peas from 16 to 20 feet apart, growing dwarf 

 crops between them. I mark out trenches 2} feet wide, and 

 take out the earth a good spade deep as for Celery. I next 

 jilace from 6 to 8 inches of stable-manure in the trench and dig 



