August 15, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
133 
which well supported his reputation as one of our foremost 
Grape-growers, the bunches being splendidly finished and in 
every way models of cultural skill and care. The bunches 
exhibited by Mr. Hawkins, Belfast, were next in merit, and 
reflected credit on the skill of his gardener, Mr. Magee. The 
Hamilton fruit prize for the tray of six bunches of Grapes was 
also won by Mr. Roberts with grand bunches of Black Ham- 
burgh and Muscat of Alexandria; the second prize was 
awarded to Mr. Hawkins, and the third to Mrs. Daly, the 
stands exhibited by each being of high merit. Nectarines 
were first-class, notably those from Emo Bark, the best variety 
being Victoria. For Peaches Mr. Kirby, Killester Garden, was 
first with a dish of marvellously sized fruits of Walburton 
Admirable ; the second place being awarded to Mr. Wilson for 
Noblesse. Figs were good. Of Pears, Plums, and Apples 
there was only a small display, but Gooseberries and Currants 
were largely shown. The show of vegetables was first-class, 
all the collections, some fourteen in number, being good ; the 
best were, however, those exhibited by Mr. Corballis and Col. 
Nugent. 
— Iris a little surprising that the distinct and bril- 
liant BEGONIA FRG@BELLI is not more extensively grown for 
autumn decoration. Usually we find plants more or less 
drawn and attenuated by having been grown in too much heat, 
and in that state they are not attractive. We have recently 
seen plants raised from seed sown during the spring of the 
present year that are dwarf, healthy, and vigorous, and just 
showing a profusion of flowers. The plants have received 
much the same treatment as Primulas, and are now growing in 
cool frames. 
—— PRESERVING PEAS GREEN.—The following is extracted 
from the “Rural New Yorker :’—* Neyer attempt to can peas 
in glass or earthenware, as all efforts to do so have proved un- 
successful. Provide strong, new tin cans, and the necessary 
conveniences for soldering. The peas should be fresh from 
the vines, and cooked as soon as shelled. Boil the peas in 
water sufficient to cover for ten or twelve minutes, seasoning 
with a little salt; then fill the cans two-thirds full of peas, 
adding enough of the liquor in which they were boiled to fill 
to the brim. Wipe the groove dry, put on the cap, and solder 
airtight at once. Make a small puncture in the centre of the 
top, and place the cans in a boiler of hot water, to boil for an 
hour and a half. Have something at the bottom of the boiler, 
as broken crockery, to keep the cans off from the bottom. Take 
the cans out from the boiling water, one at a time, and open 
the puncture with a needle, to allow of the escape of gas and 
steam. Then solder it tightly, and return to the boiler to boil 
two hours Jonger—even three will do no harm. If the cans 
are still airtight one need have little fear of fermentation of 
their contents.” 
—— THE employés of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, the Queen’s 
seedsmen of Reading, with their wives and friends, and 
accompanied by the members of the firm and their families, 
numbering in all between three and four hundred, had their 
annual excursion on the 2nd inst. Brighton was the place 
chosen, and at 7.10 A.M. a special train left Reading, reaching 
Brighton at ten o’clock. On arrival lunch was partaken of, 
and the party afterwards availed themselves of the numerous 
attractions of this favourite watering place ; ‘some visited the 
Aquarium, while others tempted by the calm sea went sailing 
in three yachts, At 1.30 the whole party assembled for dinner, 
at the conclusion of which Mr. M. H. Sutton, Mr. A. Sutton, 
Mz. M. J. Sutton, Mr. H. Sutton, and Mr. Arthur J. Sutton 
severally addressed those present. Again separating the 
beautiful neighbourhood of Brighton, the pier, &c., were visited 
by the excursionists, and at 6.30 the whole party were enter- 
tained at tea by the firm. At 8.10 in the evening the train left 
Brighton, and after a very rapid run reached Reading at 10.30. 
No accident happened to mar the pleasure of a most enjoyable 
seaside trip provided by the liberality of the heads of the 
establishment. 
—— WE regret to have to announce the DEATH OF Mr. 
ROBERT SIM, of Foot’s Cray in Kent, at the ripe old age of 
eighty-seven. The sad event happened on the 3rdinst. Mr. 
Sim was very well known as an ardent cultivator of Ferns, 
and there was perhaps no better British pteridologist living 
than he was. He has died as full of honour as of years. 
—— “NATURE” says, “We have received from Messrs. Eber- 
stein of Dresden a specimen of an interesting ‘WALKING-STICK 
for naturalists or tourists.’ The stick is a perfect multum in 
parvo, and contains quite a museum of scientific instruments, 
The handle alone contains a compass, a double magnifying 
glass or pocket microscope, and a whistle. Below it there is a 
thermometer on one side of the stick and a sand-glass on the 
other. The body of the stick is partly hollow, and in its interior 
holds a small bottle, which is intended to contain chloroform 
or ether for killing insects. Along the outside of the body 
there is a half-métre measure, showing decimétres and centi- 
métres. Near the end of the stick a knife-blade may be opened, 
which serves for cutting off objects which cannot ‘be reached 
by hand, such as aquatic plants, &c. At the extreme end a 
screw may hold in turn a spade for botanists, a hammer for 
geologists or mineralogists, a hatchet, or a strong spike, which 
would be of great use on glaciers. The whole is neatly finished 
in black polished wood.” 
THE American “Gardener’s Monthly ” refers as follows 
to the DEATH OF MR. JAMES FLEMING :—“ This well-known 
seedsman of New York died at New Canaan, Conn., on July 10th. 
Mr. Fleming was born in Ayrshire, Scotland, in 1833, and was. 
consequently forty-five years of age. He was an excellent 
type of the best class of Scotch gardeners, an educated intelli- 
gent man, thoroughly versed, not only in the varied details of 
all the branches of horticulture, but was besides an excellent. 
botanist ; but his character was so innately modest, unassuming, 
and unpretentious that only his most intimate friends were 
aware of his varied acquirements.” 
FERNS IN NEW ZEALAND. 
NumMBERS of Tree Ferns are sent away to Europe to delight 
the eyes of Fern lovers with their beauty. Sometimes when 
passing through bush clearings, amidst the blackened remains 
of thousands of Fern stems, one is almost tempted to regret 
that there should be a limitation to the carrying capacity of 
ships, so that more of our forest beauties might be preserved. 
Let us deyote a few lines to the service of owners of bush land, 
an appeal to their cupidity—we mean conservatism, which we 
gather from catalogues of Fern-growers of the first class in 
Europe. The common Silver Tree Fern, with stems of 6 to 
8 feet, appears to be retailed at prices varying from £25 to 
£42 each, specimens of Dicksonia squarrosa at £21 each, 
D. antarctica at prices that range up to £5 5s., whilst our Hemi- 
telia appears to be unknown, at least to the trade of Fern 
dealers. After this statement of the value of Ferns among an 
appreciative people, may we not hope to have the ever-ready 
match sometimes withheld, and many a picturesque Ferny 
glen spared from the flames by the proud owner of so much 
forest wealth, only requiring transport to its distant market? 
Whether our hopes are well founded or not we cannot help 
mentioning a specimen Fern. Seen about three months ago it 
would have made any Fern cultivator eager for its possession. 
On the bank of a mountain creek, where lofty trees grew 
sparingly, stood a majestic specimen of the Silver Tree Fern, 
its noble head well decked with wide-spreading fronds, hugely 
expansive ; the rough brown stem for some 20 feet laced over 
with the twining cords of the large-flowered Clematis (C. indi- 
visa). Just below the towering crest of this grand Fern, amidst 
ample wreaths of dark shining foliage, glistened the pure white 
blossoms of the lovely creeper, glorious in their bountiful pro- 
fusion ; here and there some of the snowy garlands with cling- 
ing reach stretched over the green canopy of fronds, swinging 
in the soft breeze, with the wild coquetish grace of Nature. 
Poets haye often sung of the Ivy or Vine clinging to the 
sturdy Oak— 
“ The female Ivy so enrings the barky fingers of the Elm.” 
Could any of these sylvan marriages surpass in picturesque 
beauty the union we haye just attempted to describe, where 
the stately Fern upheld the trembling Clematis, arrayed in all 
her charms of bridal purity ? 
We have been looking upwards so long at tall Tree Ferns 
that it is time to lower our gaze and begin to make acquaint- 
ance with the Hymenophyllee or Filmy Ferns. We shall 
now, therefore, have to peer into shady ravines and gullies, 
search amongst rocks, tree stems, and mosses, in order to find 
these fragile members of the Ferny tribe. In writing of the 
Cyatheze we have had constantly to speak of measurements of 
many feet, now we shall have to deal with many of the minute 
forms which give such variety to the collections of the Fern- 
grower. Our country is yery rich in the number of species of 
Hymenophyllex. This extensive group is divided nto three 
genera—viz., Hymenophyllum, Trichomanes, and Loxoma ; of 
these the two first are generally distributed, whilst the last- 
