366 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDENEB, 



[ Msj 13, 1875. 



bloom, by which time the maximam of 75' by night and 85° 

 by day is reached. After the frait is Bet it is reduced to 70°, 

 and kept there till the fruit is well coloured and the bark of 

 the wood of a bright reddish brown hue, after which the yalve 

 is only turned on to dispel damp or keep out frost. Thus a 

 double purpose is acoomplished : the crop is in a finished con- 

 dition, and will continue fit for table tUl spring, and well- 

 ripened fertile wood is secured for the ensuing season. 



By the second method there is no systematic application of 

 artificial heat, or rather the heating apparatus is not used at 

 all till late in autumn, from an erroneous impression that the 

 growth of late Grapes should be retarded as much as possible. 

 The result is badly-coloured fruit of a poor insipid flavour, 

 discreditable to the grower, and certainly distasteful and un- 

 satisfactory to the consumer ; soft, pithy, nnripened wood, 

 pointing to barrenness and failure in the next season. 



This is not a fanciful picture. How frequently have we been 

 told that Gros Gnillaume is worthless — a shy-fruiting sort, 

 ocoaeionally bearing large bunches of unsightly flavourless 

 fruit. And how pleasant is the feeling — nay, it is a veritable 

 triumph, when the excellence of really well-grown fruit be- 

 comes fully realised. Certainly erroneous impressions are very 

 prevalent concerning this Grape ; one of them is that it must 

 be grafted in order to induce fruitfulness. Even Mr. Pearson 

 asFerts that it " is improved by grafting on the Hamburgh," 

 and I have been gravely informed by others that it is impossible 

 to obtain full crops from ungrafted Tines. 



Now, a mere glance at it when in full growth ought to con- 

 vince anyone that grafting would be an evil even if it were 

 necessary. The large bulk of the stem and canes, the stout, 

 vigorous, long-jointed branches, with foliage and fruit bunches 

 of an unusual size, are all admirably proportioned, and yet 

 we are told that it is necessary to check this vigour, to upset 

 this balance of Nature, by grafting it upon a sort that is not 

 naturally so vigorous. One would think that the fallacy of 

 such reasoning would strike the dullest intellect. Oh for an 

 entire house of Gros Guillaume upon its own roots, which 

 could ramble unchecked and free in a wide border of sound 

 rich soil. What a sight would it present when in fu!l bearing ! 

 The wide-speading branches clothed with broad foliage, and 

 bearing huge bunches of deep purple-skinned fruit. What 

 breadth of shoulder, and yet how symmetrical ! But I must 

 not go farther, the picture would be too tantalising ; it is, 

 however, none the less certain that it could be fully realised, 

 for if one or two Vines can be made to produce full crops of 

 fine fruit year after year in a mixed vinery, it follows that the 

 culture of an entire house of it would be still easier. 



One other matter must not be forgotten, and that is not only 

 to ripen the wood thoroughly, but to retain two or three joints 

 of it on every lateral spur, pruning to a full plump bud. Here 

 Nature again clearly points the way. She gives us a plant of 

 extraordinary vigour, and if we try to confine its growth or to 

 reduce it within the bounds wisely assigned to others of 

 weaker growth, we ought not to feel surprised if such faulty 

 treatment leads to failure. — Edward Luckhukst. 



THE COLOGNE INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITION. 



The General Committee of this Exhibition wrote as foUowp : 

 " To the Royal Horticultural Society of England. 



" Gentlemen,— A letter from Lord Odo Russell, the British 

 Ambassador at Berlin, informs us of your having courteously 

 intimated that the Council of your esteemed Society would be 

 ready to act as a Committee on behalf of British exhibitors at 

 our forthcoming International Exhibition, and that it would 

 also send a representative to the same. 



" We now take the liberty to address you direct on this sub- 

 ject, and before all we beg to state that we shall be very happy 

 to accept yonr kind offer, by which you will be putting us under 

 great obligations, and that we shall thank you to inform us of 

 the names of those gentlemen who will kindly take the matter 

 in hand, so that we may insert them in the catalogue to be 

 issued, as forming the English Special Committee, in the same 

 manner as we shall publish the committees formed in other 

 foreign countries. 



" We are sending you by book-post general programmes as 

 well as the special regulations of our Exhibition. If you should 

 require any more of these they will with pleasure be at your 

 service. 



" We do not at the same time send you application-forms for 

 entries, because we should first like to hear from you whether 

 you will undertake to attend to this matter, or direct to us any 

 exhibitors applying for the same, which we suppose would be 

 more convenient to you. 



" In our opinion it is especially desirable to see the English 

 manufacturers of objects relating to garden architecture, ma- 

 chinery, &c. (divisions in., iv., and v. of our programme) enter- 

 ing competition, and we beg you will kindly draw also their at- 

 tention to our undertaking. Further there are fossil plants and 

 their fruit stands (see special programme vi. c), of which we 

 should be highly pleased to get a collection sent from your 

 country. These latter are no doubt abundantly found in the 

 coal and turf pits of Wales, &c., and perhaps there are col- 

 lections of this kind in the royal museums, which Government 

 might be induced to send to our Exhibition. 



" Our undertaking which already thus far promises to take 

 very large dimensions, has found ready subvention on the part of 

 the different Governments as well as from the public in gene- 

 ral. Most of the railway and steam navigation companies have 

 reduced the freight on goods to be sent to the Exhibition by 

 50 per cent., and there is no duty to be charged on such objects 

 unless tbey should be sold here and remain in the country. 



" For English exhibitors it will be of special interest that the 

 Netherlands Steam Navigation Company and the Belgian Com- 

 pany whose steamers ply respectively between London and Rot- 

 terdam, and Dover and Ostend, as well as the Rhenish Railway 

 Company are of those who have granted the before-mentioned 

 reduction. — B. Edwabd Oppenheiji, Sec," 



Responding to this application, the Royal Horticultural 

 Society have appointed a Committee, consisting of W. Burnley 

 Hume, Esq., W. B. Kellock, Esq., Eobert Warner, Esq., and 

 Dr. Hogg. 



KOYAL HOKTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



May 12th. 



The third Exhibition of the season was favoured with a bril- 

 liant day. It is designated the Pot Rose Show, and as such we 

 dispose of it by saying that Mr. J. Herrington, gardener, Lark- 

 bere, Thornton Road, Clapham Park, staged six plants and a 

 box of twelve cut blooms, for which he had first prizes. That 

 completes the Roses for five classes ; but, as an extra, Mr. W. 

 Paul sent a collection of cut blooms, which were much admired. 

 But still there was a flower thow, for the collections of hardy 

 plants were a show in themselves — small it may be, but yet not 

 only interesting, but intrinsically beautiful. 



For eighteen hardy perennials in pots were staged three good 

 collections. Than these fine plants nothing in the Exhibition 

 was more effective. Even a conservatory half filled with such 

 plants would be a grand sight ; but their chief merit is that 

 they are adaptable to any garden, and their extended cultivation 

 cannot be too strongly recommended. 



The most telling pots in the collection of Messrs. W. Bollisson 

 and Sons, Tooting, who were placed first, were Trillium grandi- 

 florum, paper white, very fine; Phlox Nelsonii, a dense low 

 mass of scented pinkish white flowers; Gentiana acaulis, ex- 

 ceedingly rich violet purple ; Primula cortusoides amoena, 

 splendid, and A. lilacina ; Gentiana verna, dwarf, rich blue; 

 Iberis corifolia, Polygonatum multiflorum (Solomon's Seal), with 

 Iberises Iberica, most beautiful, and Lady Jane, a large plant of 

 Dielytra spectabilis, and Saxifraga siberica. Second honours 

 were awarded to Mr. R. Parker, Tooting, who had a charming 

 group ; the best were Phlox setacea violacer , P. frondosa, and P. di- 

 varicata, Gentiana acaulis. Anemone nemorosa flore-pleno, Eu- 

 phorbia pilosum with golden green bracts. Iris nudioanlis, Oro- 

 bus vernus and O. albus plenus, Adysetum (Alysaum) orientale, 

 Saxifraga palmata, Primula elatior Golden Phiver, Caltba palns- 

 tris flore-pleno, deep yellow ; Scillas, and Dielytra. Mr. R. 

 Dean, Ealing, secured the third prize with, amongst others, 

 Aubrietia Eyreii, an exceedingly fine variety, invaluable for 

 spring bedding; Lithospermum prostratnm. Pansy Sulphur 

 Queen, crimson and white Daisies, Cheiranthus hybridus, and 

 C. alpinus ; also Pinguicula grandiflora, an insectivorous plant, 

 the flat Auricula-like leaves being covered with dead insects. It 

 has beautiful spurred flowers surmounting a stem 4 inches 

 long; it is purple in colour, and in form not unlike a Mimulua. 

 For nine bunches of hardy perennials, cut blooms, Mr. R. Parker, 

 Tooting, was first with pots of Aponogetum distachyon, Iris ger- 

 mauica, TroUius napellifolius, Spirreas, Alyssum, Tulips, Scillas, 

 &c. The flowers were inserted in sand in 32-8ized pots. Second 

 went to Mr. Dear, who had a collection in smaller pots. ^ We 

 have now noticed the most attractive portion of the Exhibition, 

 for these simple hardy flowei B have fairly won the place of honour. 



In the Azalea classes there was scarcely any competition. 

 The best plants were staged by Mr. J. Herrington, gardener, 

 Larkbere, Thornton Road, Clapham Park, who secured the first 

 prize with well-bloomed medium-sized plants of Sir C. Napier, 

 Criterion, Iveryana, Stella, Duo de Nassau, and Flag of Truce, 

 and had the first prize, second honours going to Mr. Coles, 

 gardener to W. K. Wigram, Esq., St. Margarets, Twickenham, 

 Messrs. Dobson & Sons also exhibited amiacellaueoua collection 

 of very good plants, in which Reine des Doubles was the most 

 effective. 



For nine Calceolarias (open), Messrs. Dobson & Sons were 



