208 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 12, 1878. — 
to say that his skill as a cultivator is abundantly testified by 
his works.—G. ABBEY. 
NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
THE double Show announced to open at the CRYSTAL 
PALACE on the 24th inst. cannot fail forming an exhibition 
of great magnitude. No prizes are this year offered by the 
Directors for flowers, the fixture being presumably too late for 
insuring superior Dahlias, Asters, &c. The prizes for fruit are 
very good and numerous, third prizes being included, and 
already a considerable number of entries has been received. 
This being the only autumn show of fruit near London it is 
expected it will prove a very good one. The International 
Potato Society’s Exhibition to be held in conjunction is sure 
also to be an extensive one. Prizes are provided by many 
trade growers and others desirous of promoting the superior 
culture of the newer varieties of Potatoes. The past gatherings 
of the Society afford a tolerably sure index that the forthcoming 
tournament will be worthy of extensive patronage. 
THE DUNDEE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW that 
was held on the 5th inst. was a display of considerable magni- 
tude, and was altogether a great success. The Exhibition was 
opened by the Earl of Camperdown, wko, in the course of an 
admirable address, remarked that ‘‘ At the present time, when 
Art is gradually taking the place of Nature, when the beautiful 
is gradually receding before the useful, and when toil is lord 
and when smoke is king, this of all times is the time when we 
can least afford to give up the cultivation of flowers.’ There 
was excellent competition in the plant classes, and many fine 
Specimens were staged. The £10 prize for twelve plants was 
won by Mr. A. Roberts, gardener, Derncleuch, Aberdeenshire ; 
the prize of the same amount in the nurserymen’s class being 
awarded to Messrs. John Stewart & Sons. Messrs. Laird and 
Sinclair, Dundee, were successful exhibitors, and an extensive 
and yaluable collection of plants was staged by Messrs. Ireland 
and Thompson of Edinburgh. Fruit was generally good, Mr. 
McDonald, The Gardens, Kimmettles, securing first honours in 
the collection of eight varieties: and for four varieties of Grapes 
Mr. Reed, The Gardens, Rockfield, won the first position. The 
display of vegetables was very extensive and fine, Mr. Neil 
Glass, The Gardens, Carbrook, being awarded the first prize 
for ten varieties. An exhibition of BEES, HONEY, AND WAX 
was also held on a very extensive scale, and was largely 
patronised. The cfficials of the Show are to be complimented 
on an Exhibition that was so satisfactory and well managed. 
— “W. J. M., Clonmel,” describes the following method 
of PROPAGATING THE FICUS ELASTICA successfully practised 
by Mr. Lonergan at Birdhill. Take a shoot, readily obtained 
from an old cut-down plant, say 4 or 5 inches long; trim off 
the lower leaves, and if succulent a few hours on a greenhouse 
shelf will be an improvement. Procure a round wide-mouthed 
bottle, and place in it pure rain water with a few pieces of 
charcoal in the bottom. Properly suspend your cuttings in 
this. and plunge into the warm water of a tank in the stove. 
Jn the instance referred to roots were emitted in one week, 
and the plants were potted in a fortnight, and are now 3 feet 
high three months after the cuttings were inserted, and haye 
splendid foliage. 
— THE autumn Show of the HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 
OF GLASGOW was held on the 4th inst. The entries numbered 
upwards of two hundred more than at any previous show, and 
the Exhibition was a very imposing one—especially in the 
section for plants and cut flowers. There was also an admir- 
able display of fruit and vegetables. A. B. Stewart, Esq., the 
President of the Society (Mr. Todd gardener), contributed 
-gteatly to the value of the Show by the numerous and 
splendidly grown specimens that he exhibited. Messrs. Smith 
and Simons, and Mr. McKenzie also contributed valuable col- 
lections. Mr. Robertson, Helensburgh, won the chief prize for 
Gladioli with splendid spikes, as may be imagined when such 
skilled cultivators as Messrs. Galloway & Graham had to play 
second fiddle. Mr. McConnochie, Cameron Gardens, won 
Messrs. Ferguson & Forrester’s prize for ten dishes of fruit; 
and Mr. McBean, The Gardens, Craigend, Johnstone, secured 
the President's prize for acollection of vegetables. The Society 
is now upwards of a hundred years old, and it is pleasing to 
observe that vigorous efforts are being made to extend its in- 
fluence and to place it in a position to be increasingly useful 
in the important district of which it is the centre. 
—— In the nurseries of Messrs. J. Laing & Co. at Forest 
Hill a fine plant of CycAs REVOLUTA is flowering. The pale 
green mop-like cluster in the centre of the plant has a singular 
appearance. It is more than a foot in diameter, and seeds are 
forming freely. The plant has a stem about 4 feet in height 
and nearly a foot in diameter. The new seed rooms, bulb 
stores, and offices of the firm, rendered necessary by the in- 
creasing business, are now completed. They are commodious, 
well finished, and admirably adapted for the conducting of a 
large business. In one of the houses is a grand display of 
Tuberous Begonias, and hundreds of plants are also flowering 
freely in the strong clay soil of the nursery. 
AT the last meeting of the SCOTTISH HORTICULTURAL 
ASSOCIATION Mr. A. McKinnon, Melville Castle Gardens, read 
an excellent paper on the culture of the Peach. He described 
its early history and introduction into this country and referred 
to the many difficulties that attended the growing of Peaches 
in northerly latitudes, and concluded by stating that after 
taking into account all the facts of Peach culture it -was 
necessary to have a glass house heated to ensure a crop each 
season. An animated discussion followed the reading of the 
paper, some of the members contending that artificial heat 
was not needed in ordinary seasons to produce a crop each 
side, citing instances of failure and success with and without 
the application of artificial heat. Mr. John Davidson of 
Messrs. Dicksons & Co, next read a paper on the culture of 
fruit trees generally pursued in the nurseries. After speaking 
of the ignorance that generally prevailed on this subject he 
detailed the system of budding and grafting, mentioning the 
different stocks required for different trees and the adaptability 
of certain stocks for various soils, and urged the more general 
planting of fruit trees for profit. Mr. Robertson Monro made 
a few remarks on autumn-flowering Chrysanthemums, exhi- 
biting twelve sorts at present bearing a profusion of bloom. 
Miss Hope, Wardie, sent some beautiful flowers of Dianthus 
atro-purpureus raised from the Chiswick strain of seed. Messrs. 
Downie & Laird exhibited two fine new Phloxes named Lady 
Belhaven and Mrs. Bowyer. Mr. John Brown, Dalkeith, exhi- 
bited a wonderful growth of a Rose from a cutting inserted 
on April 27th this year. Mr. Wm. Black exhibited a curious 
Lobelia with blue and white flowers on the same plant. Mr. 
McLauchlan exhibited and explained the working of one of 
his verge-cutters. Mr. A.McIntosh, Paxton House, received a 
certificate for an excellent new round Potato named Premier 
White of unexceptional quality. 
OUR CORRESPONDENT “A KITCHEN GARDENER,” who 
has aiso the charge of a very fine flower garden, writes, “We 
haye just been arranging how.the beds and figures in our 
flower garden will be planted next summer. Now is the time 
when this can be done properly, as any imperfections in the 
arrangements of the colours or heights of the plants can be 
seen much better now than in imagination next year at bed- 
ding-out time. By arranging the flower garden the previous 
season the whole can be made perfect; at least we have always 
found it to be a most convenient plan, and advise any of your 
readers who have not practised it to begin at once.” 
Mr. ATKINSON informs us that he recently saw a hand- 
some SPECIMEN OF ARAUCARIA IMBRICATA in the garden 
of Mr. Dousted, Settlebeck, Jedburgh. It is twenty-eight to 
thirty years of age, and its height is 23 feet 7 inches, girth 
above the lawn 4 feet 10 inches, girth at 5 feet above the lawn 
2 feet 9 inches, and the total diameter of the branches is 
22 feet. It is a fine specimen. though not so high as some 
others noted in the Journal. A thrush had built her nest in 
it this year about 5 feet above the ground, and it was taken 
possession of by some small bird when she was hatching the 
second sitting of eggs. 
WORK FOR THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
THE late crops of vegetables are now progressing rapidly. 
Weeds, too, owing to recent rains are appearing in great numbers, 
and are growing freely. Those that are advanced to the seeding 
state should be cleared off by hand before hoeing, as when the 
weeds are large hoeing and afterwards raking them off is an 
unsatisfactory mode of riddance, especially if the weather be at 
all showery. Hand-weeding may be tedious, yet it is not in 
showery weather unremunerative, as a few days at this time 
of year suffice to mature the seeds of such quick-growing weeds 
as Groundsel, and that plague on light soils Chickweed, which if 
allowed to ripen now cause much trouble and annoyance in 
future seasons. In all favourable weather ply the hoe amongst 
all growing crops, which is undoubtedly the best implement for 
