Jdlv 14, IfcjfcS.J 



THE GA R DENE R S' CHR ONI CLE. 



47 



As to Mrs. Sinking Pink, it is invaluable to form a 

 succession in the borders ; for besides coming on 

 just after the other and blooming in a mass with 

 almost equal freedom, it produces a few flowers 

 nearly the whole summer through. For pot culture 

 none other equals it, but to have plants strong and 

 lit for forcing they should be propagated early, and 

 as soon as struck hardened off, and then planted 

 out in the open. By the end of September they will 

 have made good growth, and may then be lifted and 

 potted in 32-sized pots, after which they should be 

 plunged in cold frames, with their heads well up to 

 the glass, and have air whenever the weather is 

 favourable. J. S. 



LETTUCES. — Every one who has to keep up a 

 supply of Lettuces during the summer and autumn 

 months knows how difficult it is to grow them with- 

 out having them bolt if they are transplanted, and 

 especially is this so if the weather at the time of their 

 removal happens to be dry and unfavourable, but 

 this tendency to run may easily be checked, and in 

 most cases prevented, by sowing the seed where the 

 plants are to stand, which is a far better plan than 

 raising them in beds, for, however carefully they may 

 be lifted the tap-roots must of necessity be broken, 

 and this check causes the evil referred to. A good 

 way of treating Lettuce at this season of the year is 

 to make provision for them between rows of Celery, 

 which should be done by spreading a thin layer of 

 <[uite rotten manure on the surface of the ground, 

 between the trenches, before they are dug out, and 

 the soil that comes from them then laid on the top. 

 As soon as the Celery is planted the next thing is to 

 flatten and make level the land between, by raking, 

 and as soon as this is done a shallow drill down the 

 centre should be drawn and the seed dotted in thinly, 

 in patches a foot apart, or sown in the ordinary way 

 and then covered, but previous to the sowing, it is 

 sometimes advisable to sprinkle or water the drill 

 row, which, in dry, hot weather assists greatly in the 

 germination of the seed. Another good situation 

 for summer Lettuce is a north or other partially 

 shaded border, where they can be kept cool, but 

 others that come on later cannot well be too much 

 exposed. What they do like is a deep rich piece of 

 soil, and with the tap-roots intact, it they can get 

 that they will take care of themselves. One of the 

 best to grow at this season of the year is the old 

 1'uris White Cos, and for the autumn, winter, and 

 spring none equal the Bath Brown and Hicks', both 

 of which are crisp and of excellent flavour. These 

 two will stand any ordinary amount of frost, if they 

 have a favourable position — the best for those to 

 remain through the winter and yield the first supply 

 being under the foot of a south wall, or on a sloping 

 border having the same aspect, where they may be 

 planted a foot or so apart, in rows of a like distance 

 asunder. J. S. 



THE STORM IN SOUTH LINCOLNSHIRE.— A ter- 

 rible thunderstorm passed over this neighbourhood 

 on Thursday, the 5th inst. ; the rain and hail poured 

 down in torrents, and it is some years since we wit- 

 nessed such a storm. The lightning was very 

 vivid, and was followed almost immediately by 

 heavy peals of thunder. A man who was drilling 

 Turnips in a field was killed on the spot with the 

 horse he was driving; a lad who was with the drill 

 was injured, and several sheep in the field were killed. 

 In the pleasure grounds of Bloxholm Hall several 

 trees were struck, one a very fine Pinus austriaca, 

 about 52 feet high, was struck, the lightning passing 

 from top to bottom, taking off a strip of bark the 

 whole length of the stem. One Oak, one Ash, and 

 some Elms were struck in the same way. Sad havoc 

 has been made by the hail in the flower garden, and 

 in the kitchen garden Peas, Marrows, Spinach, 

 i Inions, French and Runner Beans, were very much 

 injured by the hailstones, which were large, and fell 

 to the depth of an inch. Rain and hail fell, as mea- 

 sured by the rain-gauge, to the depth of l.J inch in 

 forty minutes, from 12 noon to twenty minutes to 

 1 o'clock. The storm was confined to two parishes 

 — Bloxholm and Ashby. David Lumsden. 



BROCCOLI, GILBERT'S' VICTORIA.— I have been 

 expecting to see some further remarks respecting this 

 Broccoli from your correspondent Mr. H. Markham, 

 who, writing in the Gardeners' Chronicle, June 9, 

 p. 1 29, refers to this variety as looking very promising. 

 If I may judge from the way in which it has behaved 

 with me, I feel sure that it has fully borne out that 

 promise, and that Mr. Markham is well pleased with 

 it. I have grown every variety of Broccoli which 

 has been sent out within these last ten years (as well 



as older ones), but the variety in question is by far 

 the best of them all. The flavour is remarkably 

 mild. It is also very hardy, thoroughly protecting, 

 and very late. I cut the last heads on June 21. It 

 also has another excellent property, viz., the leaves 

 do not spread out like other kinds, but grow close 

 together and nearly upright, consequently it can be 

 planted much closer together than other varieties. I 

 might mention that our soil is very light and near the 

 rock, this perhaps suits the above variety better 

 than the others. J. H. 



NARCISSUS POETICUS GOING BLIND.— I am of 

 opinion that the blindness of flowers of Narcissus 

 poeticus is brought about through cold and late frost, 

 as we had many here this season so affected, and I 

 know a grower who has plants on an exposed piece 

 of heavy land where they seldom open a bloom, and 

 he has others on warm light soil where they expand 

 fully and freely, and give him a good supply for the 

 market. What this Narcissus appears to require is 

 a sheltered position, backed up by shrubs, in a border, 

 and in place of this kind near here I saw a row this 

 spring with hundreds of blooms, which shows what a 

 little protection will do for the plants. The earthing 

 up around the leaves, or burying deeper, may be the 

 means of retarding growth and flowering, and thus 

 save the bloom, but the same thing may, I think, be 

 done by sticking a few pieces of Laurel or other 

 evergreen closely around or among the beds and 

 rows, just before the flower-heads emerge from the 

 foliage. J. S. 



Societies. 



NATIONAL ROSE. 



July 7. — The National Rose Society held this 

 season's exhibition at its former home — the Crystal 

 Palace. A large attendance of visitors made it very 

 difficult to see the fine beauty of the display, 

 which was of a uniformly high character — dark 

 coloured Roses being best shown, the lighter sorts 

 having apparently suffered from the recent heavy 

 rains. 



NurseryTnen's Division. — In the leading class for 

 ieventy-two distinct, single trusses, Mr. F. Cant, 

 Colchester, took the 1st prize and trophy with an ex- 

 cellent collection of large, bright, clean flowers, in a 

 close competition. The most conspicuous blooms 

 were Pride of Waltham, Alphonse Soupert, Madame 

 Bravy, Marechal Niel, Annie Laxton, Ulrich Brunner, 

 Madame de Watteville, T. Mills, Victor Hugo, La 

 France, Crown Prince, Captain Christy, Her Majesty, 

 General Jacqueminot, Merveille de Lyon, Baroness 

 Rothschild, and Madame Gabrielle Luizet. Messrs. 

 Paul & Son, Cheshunt, were accorded 2nd, and 

 followed very closely with General Jacqueminot, 

 Madame C. Wood, Her Majesty, Mrs. J. Laing, 

 Ulrich Brunner, Paul Neron, Francois Michelon, 

 Duke of Teck, La France, Xavier Olibo, and 

 Niphetos, as the finest ; Mr. B. R. Cant, Colchester, 

 came 3rd; and M. J. Cranston & Co., Hereford, 

 were 4th, each having first-class blooms. The 

 Silver Medal for the best II. P. in the show (nur- 

 serymen's division) was awarded to the last-named 

 firm for a specimen of Etienne Levet shown in this 

 class. 



In the competition for forty-eight triplets, Mr. 

 B. 1!. Cant led with a varied collection, finely grown, 

 in which were General Jacquemiuot, Baroness Roths- 

 child, Sultan of Zanzibar, Catherine Mermet, Prince 

 Camille de Rohan, Marie Van Iloutte, Ulrich Brun- 

 ner, A. K. Williams, Souvenir d'un Ami, Thomas 

 Mills, Marie Baumann, Madame Ducher, and Marie 

 Verdier. Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, were again 

 2ud, with slightly smaller blooms, General Jacque- 

 minot, Fran$ois Levet, A. K. Williams, Duke of 

 Edinburgh, Merveille de Lyon, Camille Bernardin. 

 and Mrs. J. Laing being well represented. And of 

 almost the same varieties was the lot from Mr. 

 F. Cant, which took the 3rd prize. Mr. C. Turner, 

 with capital Merveille de Lyon and Viscountess 

 Folkestone, taking 4th. 



In the forty-eight singles, Mr. W. Rumsey, Wal- 

 tham Cross, N., showed one of the finest stands in 

 the show, carrying off 1st honours against Messrs. J. 

 Jefferies & Son, of Cirencester. In the 1st prize lot 

 a number of specially good blooms — Etienne Levet, 

 Ileinrich Schultheis, Madame Verdier, A. K. Wil- 

 liams, Alfred Colomb, Lord F. Cavendish, General 

 Jacqueminot, Le Havre, and Ulrich Brunner, being 

 worthy of particular note. Messrs. Jefferies' blooms 

 were not quite so bright, Louis Van Iloutte, Duke 



of Albany, Merveile de Lyon, Etoile de Lyon, being 

 good. The 3rd prize went to Messrs. G. Cooling & 

 Sons, Bath, for a neat and clean stand, comprising 

 Merveille de Lyon, Madame Lambard, Annie Olivier, 

 Madame Clemence Joigneaux, Madame Charles Wood, 

 and Marie Finger. 



Messrs. G. & W. H. Birch, Peterborough, showed 

 the best thirty-four distinct, of fair quality and size, 

 Ileinrich Schultheis, Niphetos, Ulrich Brunner, and 

 Countess of Oxford, being their best. Mr. Mount, 

 Canterbury, came a close 2nd with Marechal Niel, 

 Ulrich Brunner, Catherine Merruet, and Marie liady ; 

 the 3rd place being accorded to Mr. J. House, 

 Peterborough, showing popular varieties. 



For twenty-four varieties, in triplets, the place of 

 honour was assigned to Mr. G. Prince, Oxford, whose 

 blooms were very satisfactory in all respects, Comtesse 

 de Nadaillac, Madame G. Luizet, Anna Olivier, 

 Marie Van Iloutte, Duke of Edinburgh, and Merveille 

 de Lyon being represented by finely formed examples. 

 Messrs. Jefferies and Messrs. Cooling were respectively 

 3rd and 4th, each showing well ; in the former stand 

 Francois Michelon, Rubens and Madame Lambard 

 were best, and in the latter Magna Charta and 

 Madame G. Luizet. 



In the Tea and Noisette division the nurserymen 

 were showing well, and competition again ran close. 

 For twenty-four distinct singles Mr. Prince showed 

 a very high-class lot of blooms, finely coloured and 

 bright, and was awarded 1st, Jules Finger, Comtesse 

 de Nadaillac, Souvenir de S. A. Prince, a white sport 

 from Souvenir dun Ami, and Madame Lambard 

 being the most conspicuous ; Mr. B. R. Cant, 2nd, 

 with Mrs. Welch, The Bride, and Anna Olivier in 

 fine form ; 3rd, Mr. F. Cant (all Teas), Madame 

 Cusin being well represented. 



Mr. J. Mattock, Oxford, was 1st in the minor class 

 for eighteen distinct, showing splendid blooms of 

 Madame Lambard, Edith Gifford, and Jean Ducher, 

 to which last the Silver Medal for the best Tea or 

 Noisette (nurserymen's section) was awarded. 



Mr. Prince showed the best twelve of any Tea or 

 Noisette with Hon. Edith Gifl'ord in fine condition ; 

 2nd, Mr. C. Turner, with richly coloured Catherine 

 Mermet. The competition here was large. 



Mr. Prince had the best eighteen Teas or Noisettes, 

 staging a grand lot, in which Comtesse de Nadaillac, 

 Anna Olivier, Alba rosea, Madame Cusin, Madame 

 Lambard, and Jules Finger were prominent flowers. 

 Mr. F. Cant was 2nd, showing Rubens, Madame Cusin , 

 Madame Lambard, and Souvenir dun Ami. 



Amateurs. — The amateurs made a first-class dis- 

 play in all classes, especially in the larger ones. 

 The leading prize-winner here was Mr. R. N. (i. 

 Baker, Heavitree, Devon, who led with the best 

 forty-eight singles, and again for twenty-four triplets, 

 having blooms of great brightness and very clean in 

 both instances. The following were the best : — 

 Prince Camille de Rohan (very fine colour), La 

 France, Ulrich Brunner, Duke of Edinburgh, Alfred 

 Colomb, Francois Michelon, Auguste Rigotard, 

 Dupuy Jamain, Etienne Levet, Duke of Teck, Marie 

 Baumann, Marquise de Castellane, the old Centifolia 

 rosea, Merveille de Lyon, Madame G. Luizet, and 

 General Jacqueminot. Mr. Grant, Ledbury, Hereford, 

 was 2nd in the forty-eight's, running very closely, 

 and showing the usual popular varieties — A. K. 

 Williams, Dupuy Jamain, and Eugene Verdier being 

 fine. The 3rd place fell to Mr. R. Slaughter, 

 Steyning, whose Duke of Edinburgh and Francois 

 Michelon were excellent blooms ; Mr. T. B. Hall, 

 Rock Ferry, 4th. Mr. Grant was again 2nd in the 

 class for triplets, but here his blooms were certainly 

 smaller than Mr. Baker's, but were none the less of 

 high quality — Madame Eugene Verdier, General Jac- 

 queminot, Marie Verdier, and Ulrich Brnnner being 

 the best. 3rd, Mr. S. P. Budd, Bath, with Merveille 

 de Lyon, Comtesse d'Oxford, and Francois Michelon, 

 in fine form. 



Mr. J. Ridout, gr. to T. B. Haywood, Esq., Reigate, 

 was also a very successful exhibitor, leading for 

 thirty-six distinct singles, and for eighteen distinct 

 triplets; the blooms were not over-sized, uniform 

 throughout, and in colour and form were first-rate. 

 Mr. E. B. Lindsell, Hitchin, and Mr. J. Brown, gr. 

 to Mrs. Waterlow, Great Doods, Reigate, were 

 respectively 2nd and 3rd in both classes, but the best 

 flowers were in the single class. Mr. Ridout's finest 

 were Ch. Lefebvre, Mrs. J. Laing, Marie Baumann, 

 Etienne Levet, Captain Christy, General Jacquemi- 

 not, Marie Finger, and Francois Michelon ; of Mr. 

 Lindsell's, Ulrich Brunner, A. K. Williams, Alfred 

 Colomb, and Comtesse d'Oxford. 



Mr. R. E. West, Reigate, led for twenty-four 

 singles, and also for twelve triplets, having a pretty, 

 clean lot, in which Etienne Levet, Inuocente Pirola, 



