September 19, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 223 
stand of French Marigolds, to which a vote of thanks was 
awarded. Mr. Smith, Edmonton, also received a yote of thanks 
for a small but good collection of Dahlias. f 
Begonias.—A first-class certificate was awarded to Begonia 
Nellie May, which was exhibited from Chiswick ; plant of robust 
growth, flowers produced in threes and fours, very large, droop- 
ing, and in colour deep rose—a beautiful variety. Messrs. Hooper 
and Co. sent several dwarf and well-grown plants, including 
Louis Thibaut, a double variety, which received a first-class cer- 
tificate. The plant is of dwarf habit, witn showy orange scarlet 
flowers suffused with crimson, and is a profuse bloomer. Messrs, 
Hooper & Cc. also received a vote of thanks for their collection. 
Votes of thanks were awarded to Mr. Noble for Rose Queen of 
Bedders and Gynerium argenteum pumilum ; also to Mr. Mould 
for a collection of Verbenas. 
Messrs. J. Laing & Co., Stanstead Park Nurseries, Forest Hill, 
were awarded a first-class certificate for Eulalia japonica zebrina, 
a stately Grass-like hardy plant having deep green gracefully 
arched leaves with pale yellow blotches—very elegant and dis- 
tinct. Mr. Green, gardener to Sir. G. Macleay, Bart., Pendell 
Court, Bletchingley, exhibited a large flowering head of Bruns- 
vigia Josephine, also Costus speciosus with large white flowers, 
Gloxinia maculata, the large blue flowers being supported on a 
spike a foot long. A vote of thanks was awarded. A first-class 
certificate was further awarded to Mr. Green for Nelumbium luteum 
grown as a fine-foliaged plant. Twenty varieties of Abutilons 
came from Chiswick, and some admirably grown and well-bloomed 
plants of Begonia Moonlight. 
Last but not least in importance was a collection of eighteen 
plants of Lilium nielgherrense, Odontoglossums vexillarium and 
Pescatorei, and some very elegant Palms from Mr. Bull; alsoa 
fine Cycad—Macrozamia cylindrica, to which a first-class certifi- 
eate was awarded. It has bright green, gracefully arching fronds, 
the base of each leaflet being ivory white. A most elegant and 
distinct plant. A vote of thanks was unanimously awarded to 
Mr. Bull for his collection. 
NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
Mr. RoBerT SMITH, Kenward Gardens, Maidstone, writes 
to us as follows :—‘ In perusing the Journal of August 22nd I 
sas much interested with the article on ‘AUTUMN PRUNING OF 
FRUIT TREES,’ written by an ‘AMATEUR CULTIVATOR, Oxon.’ 
I am pleased to endorse your correspondent’s opinions regard- 
ing autumn pruning of fruit trees. Asa practical man I find 
it is the best means of procuring fruitfulness in Pear trees on 
svalls, likewise as bush or as pyramid Pear trees. I have 
often found the Pear trees yery shy in producing bloom buds 
with the ordinary method of pruning, but under summer and 
autumn pruning I find my trees full of fruit buds and looking 
well. In my opinion you cannot impress the practice referred 
to too strongly on the minds of the readers of your Journal.” 
—— EXTRAORDINARY CROP OF POTATOES.—Mr, Thomas 
Draycott, gardener to T. T. Paget, Esq., of Humberstone Hall, 
near Leicester, has this year grown some of Sutton’s Magnum 
Bonum Potatoes, and gives us the following particulars of the 
produce, which he has recently lifted:—From one hundred roots 
the produce weighed 6 cwt. 2 qrs.2Tbs.; one root weighed 
1343 Ibs., and another 12 tbs. 6ozs.; one root had forty-eight 
potatoes toit, and these, when placed in a straight line, measured 
15 feet ; three potatoes in a straight line measured 264 inches, 
one of them measuring no less than 10} inches. The whole of 
the crop was sound and of excellent quality. 
— WE learn from the Darlington and Richmond Herald 
that on Saturday evening last the friends of Mr. RICHARD 
‘GRAHAM, late of Pierremont Gardens, presented him with a 
purse of gold and =n illuminated address on his retirement 
from his profession, in recognition of the services he has for 
many years rendered to the Horticultural Society, the Darling- 
ton Gardeners’ Institute, and other societies with which he has 
been associated. : 
—— ON the 31st of August Mr. William Cosstick, sexton of 
the Eastbourne Cemetery, had the pleasure of presenting a 
collection of wild flowers to the Princesses of Hesse, and their 
Royal Highnesses showed their hearty acceptance of the pre- 
sent by sending a messenger to Mr. Cosstick, requesting him to 
come to High Cliff House and explain the nature of the flowers, 
and also to plant the Drosera amongst the sphagnum. He also 
received a special request to collect for H.R.H. the Grand 
Duchess of Hesse a bouquet of Erica tetralix and Erica 
cinerea to take away with her on leaving Hastbourne. He 
packed it for her, also the Dosera for the Royal children, and 
the wild flowers to take to Germany, with the tickets attached, } 
with English and Latin names, as mementos of the visit to 
Hasthourne. Their Royal Highnesses were so much pleased 
with the Drosera that Mr. Cosstick has promised to send a 
packet of seed to their residence in Germany. The Grand 
Duchess presented him with a group portrait of the Royal 
family of Hesse. 
THE Rey. C. SmMyTHE, Little Houghton, Vicarage, 
Northampton, sends us the following note on the UPROOTING 
AND AFTER-GROWTH OF AN ELM TREE :—“In one of the 
spring gales I had a large Elmtree blowndown. The tree lay 
in its fallen state for a day or two until my men could haye 
time to cross-saw it. Immediately they had done so the trunk 
| flew back into its old position, and has been ever since in full 
leaf, and has eyen been putting forth a midsummer growth. 
The trunk has a few of the lower branches still attached to it, 
and looks like being none the worse for its fall. Diameter of 
trunk at the place of cross-sawing 2 feet 8 inches.” 
“G. M., Wemyss Bay,” writes :—“1 beg to inform your 
correspondent (page 191), that Messrs. James Boyd & Sons of 
Paisley can supply his want in the way of a MACHINE FOR 
SWEEPING LAWNS AND PATHS. I saw the implement some 
time ago, and gave it a rough trial in Messrs. Boyd’s yard. I 
considered it as likely to meet a felt want, about this season 
of the year in particular, when the leaves begin to drop and 
wormeasts disfigure the face of a well-kept lawn.” 
MULBERRIES, writes a correspondent to us, are not so 
much prized as they deserve to be. In some instances a few 
are gathered for dessert, and occasionally an individual is met 
with who is passionately fond of them. They are certainly 
rather too insipid for the majority of tastes, but if a few are 
used with Apples for tarts or puddings they impart such a 
very agreeable flavour as to fairly merit the term “ delicious.” 
Where they are plentiful they should be gathered when per- 
fectly dry and made into a jelly prepared in a similar manner 
to Red Currant jelly, which can be used with light puddings, 
&e. It is also quite as efficacious for medicinal purposes as 
Raspberry vinegar, which it in some respects resembles. Large 
quantities of Mulberries are annually bought-up by wholesale 
druggists, which are made into syrup and distributed under 
the name of Syrupus Mori. 
Sir SAMUEL BAKER, in a letter to a contemporary, 
advocates the establishment of a BOTANICAL GARDEN IN 
CYPRUS, similar to that in Ceylon, under the charge of a com- 
petent official, by whom experiments will be made, and the 
trees most suitable for the climate and varying altitudes of 
mountain ranges be selected. 
ROYAL CALEDONIAN HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
THE Royal Caledonian Society held its autumn Show on the 
11th inst., when the display of fruit far excelled any bygone show 
of the Society. The Grapes were magnificent—the theme of 
general admiration. Probably only on the occasion of the Inter- 
national Show in Edinburgh four years ago has such a large col- 
lection of Grapes been brought together in Edinburgh before, and 
then the quality was not finer, while the Royal Caledonian threw 
the Carlisle International quite into theshade. Including all the 
classes the total number of entries was seven hundred, being an 
increase of three hundred over the highest previous year; and 
among the list of competitors were more names from the south 
and the sister isle than formerly, showing that the Society is 
making its influence felt over an eyer-widening radius. The 
general arrangements of the Show gave general satisfaction, but 
considering the labour involved in getting together a great Show 
like this, it seems out of all proportion that the public should 
only have a few hours on one day wherein to see the Exhibition. 
Popular interest in horticulture is undoubtedly deepening and 
widening, and it would be worth the effort if arrangements could 
be contrived whereby the Show would be extended over two days 
at least. Just as the toil expended in its get-up is increasing 
year by year, so the Executive ought to be acknowledged and 
thanked. Upwards of ten thousand persons visited the Show. 
In the competition for the best basket of Grapes Mr. John- 
stone, gardener to the Earl of Strathmore, Glamis Castle, was 
an easy first with splendid fruit. For this competition alone 
some 3 cwt. of Grapes in baskets were sent in, and in one case 
30 Tbs. had been cut from one rod. Mr. Kirk of Castle-Douglas, 
who won the chief prize for a collection of eight bunches, staged 
Duke of Buccleuch, Black Hamburgh, Buckland Sweetwater, 
and Black Alicante, all exceedingly fine, alike in size, colour, and 
finish, but the remark might also be applied to almost every 
bunch on the table. The prize collection of Mr. Johnstone in- 
cluded four varieties of Grapes, a fine Pine Apple, Plums, Peaches, 
Brown Turkey Figs, Melons, and Nectarines. 
In the classes for flowers one of the most worthy was the 
valuable tables of plants sent in for competition by gardeners. 
A special prize was offered, and the contest lay between Mr. J. 
Hammond, gardener to Sir Wilfrid Lawson, Brayton, Carlisle, and 
