50G 



JOUKNAIi OF HOBTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ June 2G, 187S. 



In this class the judging was bad. The schedule says " distinct 

 sorts," and in the first and third prizes the difference was not 

 apparent, and the fourth prize was wrongly awarded. Mr. D. 

 Pizzey, pardener to Sir E. Perry, Fulmer, Slough, certainly ought 

 to have had a prize. 



Collections of Swket and Pot Hebbs. — This is a very 

 nice exhibition. Mr. W. Cross has a collection in a box very 

 neatly set up — it contains over fifty sorts. Mr. G. Cooling, 

 nurseryman, Bath, is second. 



Miscellaneous. — Messrs. Carter again offered prizes for a 

 collection of twenty-four dishes of vegetables, amongst them 

 certain sorts sent out by them. The first prize, a challenge 

 cup value fifty guineas, and a first prize of £6, goes to Mr. W. 

 Cox. He has a fine brace of Little Heath Melon ; Marquis of Lome 

 and Telegraph Cucumbers; Laxtou's Alpha, G. F. Wilson, 

 Carter's White Gem, Hundredfold, and Supreme Peas, &c. Mr. 

 J). Lumsden, Bloxholm Hall, Sleaford, is second ; there are 

 three more collections, to one of which, unnamed, a third prize 

 is awarded. For fifty pods each of any three varieties of Mr. 

 Laxton's new Peas sent out by Messrs. Hurst, the prizes awarded 

 by them : Mr. E. Gilbert, gardener to the Marquis of Exeter, is 

 first with Superlative, William L, and Popular; second, Mr. 

 Pragnell, gardener, Sherborne Castle, Dorset; Messrs. Cross, 

 Garland, and Brown are the remaining prizetakers. 

 COTTAGEBS' PRIZES. 



The flowers, fruits, and vegetables in this section are highly 

 meritorious. The best window plant is a beautiful pink-flowered 

 Ivy-leaf Geranium, from Mr. F. Ford, Primrose Hill, Weston. 

 Cut flowers are very fine. Mr. J. Knight, Pulteney Road, Bath, 

 has the first prize ; but the arrangement of Mr. Ford's box is the 

 best. Roses, baskets of vegetables, Cauliflowers, Potatoes, and 

 Peas ; and amongst fruits. Strawberries are very fine. We are 

 sorry we cannot give a list of all the awards, as they all deserve 

 notice. 



PEOPAGATION OF LAPAGEEIA EOSEA, &c., 

 AT CHATSWOETH. 



When on a visit for a few days to Mr. Speed, at Chatsworth, 

 in February last, I was much struck with many things well 

 out of the "old rut." In a Camellia house, where a path 

 leads along the back wall, a narrow bed of Lapageria was 

 growing in strong loam. The shoots were growing as freely 

 almost as a Passiflora ; many of these were pegged down or 

 covered with some of the loam, and sending out shoots white 

 and strong as quills. Mr. Speed pulled up a handful of these 

 rooted layers with no more concern than as if they were so 

 many weeds. Loam is not generally used for growing Lapa- 

 geria, but here nothing could be more satisfactory. Loam, 

 " pure and simple," seems to be the favourite soil with Mr. 

 Speed for many things which are generally grown in lighter 

 stuff. 



In this same house Camellias are grown entirely in loam, 

 and right well they thrive in it ; probably no finer plants are 

 to be found in Britain. We some time ago read of Camellias 

 being so fine that they would " hide a bullock " in their 

 centres ! I would hardly venture to say that these Chatsworth 

 bushes would hide such large quadrupeds, hut I maintain they 

 ' would give shelter to a small flock of sheep. The leaves were 

 as large as Laurel leaves, and the plants were loaded with 

 flowers, open and in bud. In a corridor I took note of Reti- 

 culata alba plena with over a thousand blooms coming out ; 

 this was a trained plant. The Oranges which we saw a few 

 years ago in a sad plight are now fine healthy specimens. — 

 M. Temi'le (in The Gardener.) 



EOYAL JEESEY AGEICULTUEAL 

 AND HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY'S SHOW. 



HOKTICULTUK.iL DEPARTMENT. 

 [Froin a Correspondent.) 



The annual Show of Roses, plants, fruit, and vegetables was 

 held in the beautiful grounds of the Imperii.! Hotel, on Wed- 

 nesday, June 11th. The plants were exhibited in a large tent 

 erected on the lawn in front of the Hotel. 



Show Pelargoniums were not first-rate. The Fancy class was 

 better represented ; the first prize was awarded to Mr. C. P. 

 Le Cornu ; second prize, Capt. .Jackson, R.N. The last-named 

 gentleman was also first in the class for six double Pelargoniums 

 with immense-sized plants. Mr. P. F. Le Sueur was first for 

 six Tricolor Pelargoniums with good plants in first-rate colour 

 of Miss Pond, Mrs. Headly, Mrs. Turner, Achievement, Peter 

 Grieve, and Lass o' Gowrie. The same exhibitor also was first 

 in the class for three. Greenhouse plants were very indifl'erently 

 shown, with the exception of the class for one specimen, the 

 first piize being taken by Mr. C. P. Charleton with an admir- 

 ably-flowered Azalea. Messrs. Markland and Le Suenr divided 



the honours in the class for one specimen hothouse plant, the 

 first-named with a specimen of Clerodendron Balfouri, the 

 second mth Anthurium Scherzerianum. Mr. Le Sueur was 

 also first for six fiue-foliage plants with small specimens of Dra- 

 c;ona regina, ferrea, and Guilfoylei, Crotons maximum and 

 variegatum, and Cissus discolor. The second prize was awarded 

 to Mr. J. DeslandeB. In the class for three Mr. J. Brayn, jun., 

 outdistanced the other competitors with magnificent plants of 

 Pandanus utilis, Ficus elastica, and Maranta zebrina. The 

 same exhibitor was first in the class for one specimen with a 

 large plant of Cissus discolor, trained on a pyramidal wire 

 trellis. Prizes were offered for six flowering Begonias, also for 

 three fine-foliage Begonias. Major-General KnatchbuU was the 

 only exhibitor in the first-named class, but was awarded a se- 

 cond prize only, the plants being evidently past their best. The 

 prizetakers in the last-named class were Messrs. J. Brayn, jun., 

 J. Deslandes, and Le Sueur in the order in which the names 

 are placed. Ferns were well shown by Mr. Cutlan, of the 

 Channel Islands' Fernery, who was first for twelve, Mr. Mac- 

 kellar being first for six. Lieut. -Col. Le Gros was first for eight 

 Fuchsias, and Major-General KnatchbuU second. The same 

 exhibitors competed in the class for one specimen. These were 

 all IjeautifuUy grown and flowered ; if they had a fault it was 

 that of excessive tallness. Stands of stove and greenhouse 

 plants, also of greenhouse plants only, were arranged down the 

 centre of the tent, and contributed largely to the beauty of the 

 Show. The prizetakers were Major-General KnatchbuU, Mr. 

 J. Deslandes, Mr. F. Bertr,^m, and Mr. HeUeur. Gloxinias 

 were admirably shown by Mr. J. Deslandes and the Misses 

 Ainge. Major-General KnatchbuU also exhibited a smaU spe- 

 cimen of Tricolor-leaved Fuchsia Sunray. The leaves are 

 blended with crimson, white, and green ; the plant is of good 

 habit, and no doubt will be useful as a decorative plant. Cut 

 Roses were a special feature, but, undoubtedly, the Show was 

 held a fortnight too early, in consequence of which there were 

 very few first-class Roses in the different stands. Mr. De Faye 

 was the only exhibitor of forty-eight, and was awarded the first 

 prize. There was a good competition in the class for twenty- 

 four; Messrs. Souzel, Le Sueur, and Major-General Knatchbull 

 were the prizetakers. All the other classes for Roses were weU 

 filled, and in many cases the competition was most keen. Table 

 bouquets were good, but the hand bouquets were scarcely up to 

 the mark, being in most cases too large. 



Fruit was not plentiful. The first prize for Black Hamburgh 

 Grapes was awarded to Mr. E. Neel, jun., for three very fine 

 bunches. Strawberries were first-rate. First, Mr. Taylor; 

 second, Mr. C. W. Robin ; third, Mr. Drieu. An extra prize was 

 awarded to Mr. J. Brayn, jun., for a dish of splendid Peaches 

 and two dishes of Nectarines ; the same gentleman was also 

 highly commended for one Melon. 



Vegetables were shown in quantity, and were of excellent 

 quality. The prizes offered for baskets of eight sorts were well 

 contested ; the first prize was awarded to Mr. F. Bertram, and 

 the second to Mr. G. Bashford. For baskets of four sorts Mr. 

 G. De Faye was first, and Mr. F. Bertram second. Potatoes 

 were good. The first prize for four different varieties was 

 awarded to Lieut. -Col. Le Gros, who had some large, clean, and 

 handsome tubers ; the Misses Ainge and Mr. J. Deslandes were 

 second and third. For single dishes of Kidney varieties Mr. D. 

 De Faye first, and Sir John Le Couteur second ; and for Round 

 varieties Mr. .J. Deslandes, and Lieut-Col. Le Gros were the prize- 

 takers. Mr. De Faye staged some enormous stalks of Rhubarb, 

 for which he was awarded a first prize. The various arrange- 

 ments were tastefully carried out by the Committee, and un- 

 remitting was the courtesy of Major HoweU, the Secretary. 



THE POTATO DISEASE. 



On diggiug-up our early Potatoes in the orchard-honse 

 borders about the middle of April we were surprised to find 

 one-tenth diseased, a matter which had never previously 

 occurred. The haulm was perfectly healthy, and the tubers 

 fine, planted in two separate houses. It is difficult to assign 

 a cause for this, as Potatoes under such conditions are appa- 

 rently removed from electrical disturbances, from abrupt at- 

 mospherical changes, from currents laden with poisonous germs, 

 and from excessive moisture ; some of which, especially if in 

 combination, are held by observers as predisposing causes to 

 disease. 



At first it seemed probable that the disease might be latent 

 in the seed itself, which, however, came from a good house, 

 and had been one season planted here with very little, if any, 

 disease ; but I finally remembered that a new garden walk of 

 some extent having been made, some of the soil was added to 

 the two orchard-house borders, and this soil had previously 

 borne crops of Potatoes : therefore, I am led to think that the 

 thorough extirpation of every vestige of a diseased tuber is of 

 importance at the time of digging-up, and that this is not 



