594 Provincial Horticultural Societies : — Gloucestershire, 



Gloucestershire. — Cirencester Horticultural Society. — July 29. The 

 show was rather too early for the garden fruit, and the productions of 

 the hot-house had probably been sent to London for the coronation festival 

 which took place the preceding day. {Gard, Gaz., Aug. 11.) 



Gloucestershire Zoological and Botanical Society. — July 31. This show 

 was for garden and forced fruit, green-house plants, and vegetables. (Ibid.) 



Pittville, near Cheltenham, Horticultural Meeting. — Aug. 1. This show 

 was for carnations and other flowers, fruits, and vegetables. {Ibid.) 



Cheltenham Floricitltural and Horticultural Society, — Among the early 

 fruits and vegetables there were some excellent specimens. {Ibid., May 12.) 



Thornbtiry Horticultural Society. — July 27. This was the first exhibition 

 of the Societ3\ {Ibid., Aug. 11.) 



Kingscote Horticidtural Society. — Jidy 4. The fruits were splendid ; and 

 one pine-apple, white providence, weighed 9ilb. (Ibid., July 28.) 



Hampshire. — Chichester Grape Shoiv. — Nov. 10. 1837, We were never 

 more surprised than at the splendid display of fruit which we saw when we 

 entered the show-room. The table was fairly groaning under ponderous 

 bunches of the juicy grape. Those of Mr. Joy, which gained the first prize, 

 were exceedingly fine, and he well deserves the premium, from the close at- 

 teution he has paid to the culture and improvement of the vine. We were the 

 more astonished at the quantity, variety, and condition of the grapes, from the 

 very short summer which we have had, barely two months ; and if, labouring 

 under all the disadvantages of short seasons and unfavourable weather, fruit 

 may be brought to such a high state of perfection, what may we not anticipate, 

 when all the advantages of fine weather, and increased experience, shall be su- 

 peradded. This Society, at present but in its infancy, has yet done much in 

 improvement and culture, exciting competition, and attracting attention to 

 this hitherto much neglected fruit in England. It has proved to demon- 

 stration, how much may be done by care and experience, assiduity and 

 attention ; and to no one is the country more indebted than to our talented 

 neighbour, Mr. Clement Hoare, the author of the popular Treatise on the 

 Cidture of the Vine, a work which has rendered his name familiar to every 

 horticulturist in Great Britain. 



After the dinner, Mr. Hoare, who was in the chair, in replying to some ob- 

 salvations of Mr. Joy, said that although they were extremely anxious to meet 

 the suggestions of the different competitors as much as lay in their power, yet 

 he differed from Mr. Joy in supposing that the grapes would have been better 

 had the show been held a fortnight earlier. With respect to the black grapes, 

 which were very thick-skinned, they could not be kept too long on the vine, 

 provided they were properly sheltered; and the longer they hung the sweeter 

 they became, as the watery part of the juice evaporated, and the saccharine 

 part remained. He spoke from experience, when he said that grapes would 

 be found to be better in the middle of the month of November. He had him- 

 self kept grapes on the vine till Christmas. The objection might, perhaps, 

 apply to white grapes, which would not hang so long. 



Mr. Hoare gave the company his receipt for making Tendril urine : he said 

 that 3 lb. weight of tendrils, leaves, and toppings, might be placed in a tub, in 

 the proportion to 1 gallon of cold water, which should be occasionally stirred ; 

 it should stand from fourteen to fifteen days, and would, during that time, 

 ferment ; it should then be strained off, and 3 lb. of the best sugar should 

 be added to 1 gallon of the liquor. It would be fit to put in the cask about 

 three days after, and in the course of two or three years, if properly made, 

 would equal in flavour the finest sherry wine; for it was a well known fact, 

 that every part of the vine contained portions of the juice which was collected 

 in so large a proportion in the berry. He had not onl}' one sample, but twenty, 

 of tendril wine at home ; and, had he known there would have been so little 

 produced this day, he would certainly have brought some as a specimen. 

 {Hants Advertiser, Nov. 25. 1837.) 



Southampton Horticidtural and FloricuUural Society. — This was a dahlia show. 



