October 7, 1875. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



323 



Bulba of all kinds — Hyacinths, Crooases, and Tulips especi- 

 ally — are benefited thereby, it bringing oat that brilliancy of 

 colour in the latter which is so desirable. Mignonette, Cine- 

 rarias, Primulas, Poinsettias, &a., also show, by outstripping 

 their brethren which have not been so treated, that they 

 thoroughly relish it ; moreover, it greatly supports all succu- 

 lent growing plants. 



This additional stimulant should as a rule not be given till 

 the final potting, as it is difficult to remove the ball without 

 injury to the roots. In case, however, a plant should have to 

 be repotted, an old table knife should be passed round the pot 

 to cut through any dung still adhering to the pot. 



If the pots are required for other plants they must be steeped 

 in water and scrupulously cleaned before using, or the plants 

 may at their next potting come out minus half the roots. I 

 keep, however, all my " cow-dung pots" separate, and only use 

 them for the class of plants above named. I am making 

 experiments with another class of plants, and the result I will 

 state it at some future time. — A. W., Heighington. 



GEAPES AT THE EDINBURGH SHOW. 



The correspondents who have favoured me with a reply to 

 my communication in your issue of the 23rd ult. have evi- 

 dently failed to catch the chief points at issue. My inquiry 

 was, " What constitutes a bunch of (irapes ?" I maintain that 

 it is what is produced by one fruit stem from the shoot. If 

 this be so, then the Eskbank Grapes were at least two distinct 

 bunches, for there were two distinct fruit stems with a clear 

 space between them, and in this I am corroborated, I repeat, 

 by half a dozen of the principal Grape-growers and prizetakers 

 at the Show, and I have subsequently received from four of 

 them written testimony to the same effect. 



Mr. Curror says that the .Judges had ample opportunity to 

 inspect them, but did they do so? or have they said they did ? 

 Perhaps like myself they never for one moment doubted the 

 honesty of the bunch, neither would I have doubted it had 

 not my attention been drawn to it by two gentlemen whose 

 faith in its honesty had evidently not been so strong as was 

 mine. From the place which it occupied at the back of the 

 table, and the fact that it was guarded by a policeman, the 

 public had no opportunity of inspecting the shoot on which 

 the Grapes were hanging. 



The writer of the second communication signed " I). E.," 

 evidently evades the question, and for reasons best known to 

 himself answers it only by praising the Eskbank Grapes, and 

 depreciating those from Arkleton. Now, I beg to remind him 

 that I wanted the opinion of men who were not interested in 

 either of the bunches. No person can doubt after reading the 

 letter of " D. E." but that this gentleman is a partisan in the 

 Eskbank Grapes, and perhaps one of the party who cheered, 

 but of that more hereafter. " D. E." thinks that for months 

 past I have been living in the belief that all I had to do was 

 just to go to Edinburgh, lay down my bunch and take the 

 prize. Practice in showing has taught me never to be too 

 certain on that score. 



I never for once doubted but what the Judges could weigh a 

 bunch of (irapes, but I ask the question. Did the Judges weigh 

 them, or did they leave that for others to do ? But before 

 entering on this I must explain matters a little. On the 

 Wednesday morning about six o'clock I called at the Music 

 Hall, but was refused admittance by the Assistant-Secretary 

 (Mr. Young), who declared that none were permitted to enter 

 but the Judges and Committee. I told him that I only wanted 

 to see the Grapes weighed, when he answered me by saying that 

 if I called again about nine o'clock I could see that done ; but 

 on returning at 8.40 in company with a friend I was twitted 

 by a gentleman with the following : — " Where have you been ? 

 Why weren't you seeing your Grapes weighed ? They were 

 weighed half an hour ago?" Now this is a fair question, and 

 perhaps " D. E." will be able to explain. If I was not permitted 

 to be present, and if none but the Judges and Committee were 

 there, where did the dozens of witnesses come from ? Who 

 were the parties that cheered (for I am aware they did so) ? 

 Who were they that shouted, one 20 lbs. 1 oz., another 'iG] lbs., 

 and a third 20 lbs. J oz. ? Now, to say the least of it, this is 

 not very assuring that there could not possibly ba any mis- 

 take in the weighing ; and if " D. E." is a true example of the 

 dozens of disinterested gentlemen who were looking on and 

 checking the weights, I can understand the reason for the 

 cheering when the Eskbank Grapes were made out to be the 

 heaviest, a course of proceeding which I trust will not esta- 



blish a precedent for the guidance of future international 

 shows. 



"An Esglish Grape-Gkower" says that the Arkleton bunch 

 was much rubbed and appeared to have received injury in 

 transit, which spoiled the appearance of the berries. Now, I 

 beg to state that when I staged my Grapes the berries were 

 neither rubbed nor broken, and no bunch could have carried 

 better ; yet when I saw it about nine o'clock next morning I 

 should certainly have had some difficulty in knowing it to be 

 the same had it not been for the board that it was lying on, it 

 was so tarnished that the public had not the pleasure of seeing 

 it to advantage. I will now state a fact which I witnessed 

 myself. AVhen I entered tbe show-room a gentleman in com- 

 pany with a photographer were working on my bunch to have 

 it photographed, and to give an idea how carelessly it had been 

 tied (after having been weighed), it slipped off the board and 

 fell into the arms of one of the gentlemen — judge from that if 

 it could have a good appearance. 



" An English Gkape-Gkower " expresses his surprise to hear 

 that half a dozen principal Grape-growers and prizetakers at 

 the Show should consider the compact Eskbank bunch to be 

 two bunches, and asks, " What does this mean ?" It simply 

 means that in their opinion, and the opinion of many others 

 that I could name if necessary, that it was two bunches of 

 Grapes, because it had two distinct and separate fruit stems 

 springing from the shoot, and I have lodged a protest in the 

 hands of the Secretary against the award being given to the 

 Eskbank Grapes on that score, and I have corroborated my 

 statement that it was not a hom'i fide bunch by giving him the 

 names of five gentlemen who are unquestionable authorities. 

 To that protest I have as yet received no answer, but I con- 

 sider that the Committee are bound in honour and justice to 

 investigate the case, and also that the interests of horticulture 

 justify my bringing the circumstances of the case before the 

 public ; for if this award to the Eskbank Grapes has to form 

 a precedent, and henceforth as many fruit stems as can be 

 drawn together and made to form a cluster more or less com- 

 pact are to be regarded as one bunch of Grapes, it will revo- 

 lutionise the growing of large or any other bunches of Grapes. 



As I said at the outset, the weight is not the point at issue ; 

 and though I demur to the proceedings, I should never have 

 thought of challenging the award on that account ; and had I 

 been satisfied that I was honestly beaten I would have scorned 

 the action of seeking to detract from the well-earned merits of 

 another, or have envied him his laurels, but under the circum- 

 stances I stand by my protest, and maintain that I have grown 

 and exhibited the heaviest bomi tide bunch hitherto produced, 

 and assert my right to any Uttle credit to which the world 

 may deem the producer entitled. — James Dickson, Arkleton, 

 Langholm. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 Mr. James Aebis, J.P., the Vice-President of the success- 

 ful International Potato Exhibition held at the Alexandra 

 Palace on the 29th ult., has offered a piece of plate of the 

 value of £10 to be competed for at a similar Exhibition to be 

 held in 1870. Messrs. Gale, 11. Fenn, and J. Coutts have also 

 promised special prizes in the event of another Exhibition 

 being held. At the Exhibition held last week we omitted to 

 state that Mr. R. Dean, EaUng, was awarded the first prize 

 for six Round varieties of Potatoes with dishes of similar 

 quaUty to those which won the £10 silver cup. 



In the western parts of Dorset and the eastern parts 



Devon we have just seen how abundantly loaded are the Apple 

 TREES, and are not surprised, therefore, to read in the Bridport 

 News that Apples are so plentiful in Devon that they are offered 

 at Is. a-bag, and cider is considerably less than 7s. Gd. per 

 hogshead. 



We have received from Mr. K. Gilbert, The Gardens, 



Burghley, a fruit of his new geeen-fleshed Melon A. F. Bar- 

 ron. The fruit was of bluntly oval shape, and weighed about 

 lbs. It was regularly ribbed, beautifully netted, and was 

 very handsome in appearance. The fruit was over-ripe, yet it 

 was of excellent quality. It had a thin rind, thick flesh, and 

 remarkably small seed cavity. It was singularly juicy, sweet, 

 and possessed a delicate aroma ; it sustains Mr. Gilbert's re- 

 putation as a successful raiser of Melons. 



• The Commissioners of Her Majesty's Works and Public 



Buildings intend to distribute this autumn among the work- 

 ing classes and poor inhabitants of London the subplus 

 EEDDiNG-ouT PLANTS in lUttcrsca, Hyde, the Rpgent's, and 



