491 



JOUliNAIi OF HOliriGULXUBH AND COTTAGE (iAKDiSNEa. 



[June 22, 1676. 



CIuBwick Gardens in excellent condition, and the qaality ■wai 

 firBt-class. Beurrfi Hardy here, as in the south, ia considered 

 a first-class Pear. Wiater Nelis is one of the most constant 

 varieties, and always to he depended upon at Christmas. 

 Knight's Monarch I have tried in pots in the orchard house 

 and also trained to the wall, but under no circumstances has 

 the fruit been good ; indeed it has kept until April and remained 

 hard. It does well here from trees trained as bushes in the 

 open ground; it is also good as a wall fruit, but not so good as 

 that obtained from bushes. The wall space that had been 

 occupied with Peaches and Nectarines has been now planted 

 with Apricots and Pears, which are considered a much more 

 profitable crop. 



The Apricots seemed to have set well, and notwithstanding 

 the severe weather no protection had been a£forded the trees, 

 Mr. Clark believes that it is much better not to protect the 

 blossoms at all. On this there is much difference of opinion 

 amongst gardeners. Some believe in covering up closely at 

 night, and when the weather is cold all day as well ; but it is 

 certain that this close shading of the trees for so long a period 

 is injurious to the blossoms and prevents them from being 

 fertilised. I have an instance this year of Apricot blossom 

 setting when the tree was uncovered, and failing to do so when 

 the tree was covered with a cloth at night and sheltered with 

 a wall coping as well. The tree I allude to was fully exposed 

 when in blossom to 10° of frost, and it was against a south 

 wall, where it had but little shelter from the east wind. The 

 other was against a wall facing west, a better position, as it 

 was well sheltered from the east and it did not catch the 

 morning sun. I rather agree with Mr. Clark, and think that 

 if shading is used it ought only to be let down in frosty nights 

 end removed again in the morning. Apricots are more likely 

 to suffer from overshading than any other fruit. 



Fastolf is considered the best Kaspberry ; and the favourite 

 Strawberries are Keens' Seedhng, Garibaldi, Na Pius Ultra, 

 and Dr. Hogg. I noticed a very fine quarter of Broccoli ; it 

 had withstood the winter remarkably well under the shelter of 

 a north wall, and had been planted here in preference to the 

 open garden where this crop does not succeed so well. The 

 kitchen garden is well cropped, and in a shady corner there 

 is an excellent Mushroom house ; the beds were in good bear- 

 ing, and as the room is very large and well fitted with shelves 

 no doubt a good succession is obtained from it. — J. Douglas. 



BOMFOBD FLOEAL AND HOKTICDLTUKAL 

 SOCIETY. 



Bv the kind permission of David Macintosh, Esq , of Havering 

 Park, the Show this year was held in his grounds ; they are 

 very extensive, and beautifully sitnated about three miles from 

 Eomford. The view from the front of the mansion extends to 

 the Crysta 1 and Alexandra Palaces, and the course of the 

 Thames may be traced from the Victoria Docks for many miles. 

 A visit to this fine place will dispel the idea, not an uncommon 

 one, that the southern part of Essex is composed principally 

 of marsh land. The grounds are kept in excellent order, greatly 

 to the credit of Mr. W. Bones, the head gardener. People for 

 many miles round visited the Show, and with many of the 

 working classes it was a regular holiday. In the agricultural 

 districts there are very few days set apart for amusement, and 

 when a holiday is given it could not be on a better occasion than 

 a flower show. The old-fashioned pleasure fairs are fast becom- 

 ing things of the past, and it is well that it is so, as they were 

 only an excuse for drunkenness and riotous living, the more 

 peaceably disposed dreading their annual recurrence ; very many, 

 on the other hand, are not disposed to see them done away 

 with without protesting strongly. It would be well to introduce 

 a flower show into such neighbourhoods, and especially one ad- 

 rnitting cottage-garden productions; the higher class of attrac- 

 tions of the cne would, if managed so that all classes would 

 have an interest in it, soon overbalance the low vulgarity of the 

 other. 



At Eomford cottage-garden productions are included in the 

 schedule, and Cabbages, Peas, Carrots, Broad Beans, Potatoes, 

 and all useful vegetables were exhibited. There were no entries 

 in the class for honey ; but the prizes for bouquets were well 

 contested, as was also that for the best cultivated garden. To 

 this prize Mr. Macintosh gave £5. 



In the gardeners' classes the competition was very strong, but 

 the growers in the neighbourhood had to give way to Mr. John 

 "Ward of Leyton, who exhibited in his usual fine style. Mr. 

 Lane, gardener to Major- General Fytche, Pyrgo Park, Romford, 

 was second for stove and greenhouse flowering plants. He had 

 a few very well flowered specimens, Phccnocoma prolifcra and 

 Bpacria miniata splendens being in excellent condition. Mr. 



"W. Bones, Hivering Park, was placed third; and in this we did 

 not quite agree with the Judges, as, although the difference was 

 bat slight, the balance csrlainly was in favour of Mr. Bones. 

 If equal second prizes had been given no fiult could have been 

 found, as Mr. Lane's plants were rather better trained. Foliage 

 plants were well shown. Mr. Ward hid a beautiful Cocos Wed- 

 deliana; and Mr. Douglas, gardener to F. Whitbourn, Esq., of 

 Loxford Hill, a well- coloured Crotou WeiRmanii, certainly the 

 best of the yellow-leaved species. In Mr. Lane's collection was 

 a good Croton Veitchii, a species with large well-coloured leaves. 

 There were some good Ferns from Messrs. Ward and Douglas, 

 and the third prize fell to Mr. "Woodhams, gardener to C. P. 

 Matthews, Eaq. In his collection was a very fine Adiantum 

 cuueatnm. Orchids were fairly represented from Messrs. Ward, 

 Douglas, and Bones ; and the stage Pelargoniums from Mr. Ward 

 were well grown ; Mr. Bones was second, and Mr. Woodhams 

 third. His plants were well grown, but they were of such an 

 ancient date that they had no chance with newer sorts. Glox- 

 inias and Achimenes were well represented ; but these flowers 

 suffer much in transit, and generally look untidy by the time 

 the visitors go round. Mr. W. Meadmore, nurseryman, Eom- 

 ford, had an excellent collection of bronze and gold Pelargo- 

 niums ; and the prizes for table decorations went to Mr. Soder. 

 There was not much fruit, but the quality was very good. 

 The first-prize collection contained very good" black and white 

 Grapes, excellent Peaches and Strawberries; it was put up by 

 Mr. Lano. The best Muscat Grapes were shown by Mr. Douglas, 

 and the best Black Hamburgh Grapes by Mr. Bones. Mr. Lane 

 had the only dish of Peaches, but it was well worth the first 

 prize. Mr. Douglas gained the first prize with excellent Straw- 

 berries. There were six entries for a collection of eight sorts 

 of vegetables, Mr. Douglas coming in first with D warf Kidney 

 Beans, Tomatoes, Peas, Cauliflowers, Carrots, Asparagus, Cucum- 

 bers, and Kidney Potatoes. The Show was a great success finan- 

 cially, over £100 being realised from subscribers' tickets, and 

 upwards of £60 was taken at the gates. 



KOTAL NATIONAL TULIP SOCIETY'S SHOW. 



Although this Show was postponed from the original date of 

 May 26th, the alteration was a sign of how hard the times had 

 been for the Tulip. Its florist predecessor the Auricula had 

 also passed through a most unkindly season, so that we had 

 much anxiety overshadowing our pleasure in these earlier 

 favourites. 



Preserving the foliage of the Tulip in rich health is essential 

 to a well-developed bloom, and has been a work requiring close 

 attention in the mischievous windy frosts of April. During 

 almost the whole of May the wind was easterly, and for a week 

 together the plants could scarcely move. There were none of 

 those balmy nights in which the young blooms at the colouring 

 period do so much of their work. Among our best Tulips there 

 are strains so true to their established character that scarcely 

 anything shakes their constancy. These suffered chiefly in size 

 and minute finish this year through effects of frost. 



Many collections were not at their best by the show day — Mr. 

 Barlow's and my own, for instance, being seven or eight days 

 late, so that we could only begin showing in the " threes." 

 Many were obliged to have recourse to cutting the flowers and 

 trying to cook them out in bottles of tepid water in a cool green- 

 house, a process so different from that of natural expansion 

 that some one termed it the slaughter-house treatment. Tulip 

 blooms will grow well in water if only they have first obtained 

 a certain maturity. Their colouring must be first developed, 

 for water colours, so to say, are poor, and the fur upon the 

 pistils that open later than the anthers should be expanding. 



If the Exhibition could have been held with the Great Show 

 at the Botanic Gardens, June 2ud, the Tulips would have looked 

 far better in the light, so far superior to the killing gloom in the 

 Town Hall ; and they would have added a distinctive feature to 

 the Exhibition, and thus have helped to vary the impression 

 that set flower shows have grown to be very much alike. 

 Florists are blamed for not arranging their flowers with the best 

 view to general effect. This is scarcely their province, and it 

 should be remembered that florist flowers have the most delicate 

 possible individuality of beauty. They are the most dainty 

 touches ot Nature's pencilling. Each is a study in itself, and 

 so these are not the flowers to paint broad effect with, and back- 

 ground brilliancies. — F. D. Hoknee, Kirkhij Maheard, Bipon. 



PEIZE LIST. 

 Tweh-e Dissimilar Blooms, two in each of the classes. — 1, W. ^Vhittakcr 

 Feathered Boeefl. Mrs. Lea and InduRtry (tinei; Flamed Roses, Mabel and 

 Mrs. Le.i (splendid style) ; Feathered Bizarres, Masterpiece and Demosthenes; 

 Flamed Bizarres, Dr. Hardy and Sir J. Paiton ; Feathered Eyblcemens, 

 Adonis (short feather, ronnd topt, and Violet Amiable (good); Flamed Bybloe- 

 mens, Talisman (sterlini? sorti. and Sylvester (a seedling of handsome pro- 

 perties). 2, T. Lea, Featliored Boses, Heroine and Seedling; Flamed Roses, 

 ^glaia aud Triumph Royal; Feathered Bizarres. Seedling and Gratitade; 

 Flamed Bizarres, Prince of Wales and Dr. Hardy ; Feathered Byblctmens, 

 two Seedlings; Flamed Byblcemens, Adonis and Duchess of Sutherland. 8, J. 

 nagne, Fo jtbeied Roses, Mrs. Lea and Mabel ; Flamed Roses, Aglaia aud 



