394 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ November 21, 1878. 
awarded the second honours; and Mr, Wildman, Southampton 
Street, Camberwell, the third ; Mr. Hillier, Wandsworth, fourth. 
There were twenty competitors in the open class for twelve 
blooms, and Mr. Sanderson again secured the first prize and silver 
cup for a magnificent collection of Venus, Barbara, Lady Hardinge, 
St. Patrick, Eve, Nil Desperandum, Princess Teck, Cherub, Mr. 
Brunlees, Mrs. Heales, Prince Alfred, and Princess of Wales. 
Mr. G. Pocock, Fairlawn, Wimbledon, was placed second; Mr. G. 
Ottaway, gardener to J. Hepburn, Hsq., third; and Mr. Mease, 
gardener to C. W. Newman, Esq., Wyncote, Liverpool, fourth 
with a collection of very large blooms, somewhat rough, and 
hideously set up with ornamental papers underneath each flower. 
‘This collection certainly exhibited extraordinary cultivation, but 
did not possess that attractive neatness we are accustomed to 
see in the metropolitan shows. There were about twenty compe- 
titors for six cut blooms (open) and the premier prize again fell 
to Mr. Sanderson. Messrs. Charlton, Pocock, and Reeve were 
second, third, and fourth respectively. Mr. Hillier was first with a 
good stand of twelve Anemones. 
JAPANESE.—These were a very grand lot extensively shown, 
the majority of them were of most excellent cultivation. There 
were several collections staged for twelve blooms in not less than 
six varieties. Mr. Himell, gardener to F. Davis, Esq., Anglesea 
House, Surbiton, gained the first prize with a very highly cul- 
tivated collection, amongst which we noted The Daimio, Chang, 
Bronze Dragon, Fair Maid of Guernsey, Jane Salter, The Sultan, 
Red Indian, James Salter, and The Cossack. Mr. Jordan was 
‘a very good second, and Mr. Berry, Roehampton, third. For 
twelve distinct varieties to include Red Gauntlet, Sarnia, Ethel, 
and Peter the Great, for which a silver cup was offered by Messrs. 
Dixon & Co., there were eight competitors, two collections of 
which were so evenly matched that the Judges had some little 
difficulty in deciding. Eventually the cup was awarded to Mr, 
Jordan for a most magnificent stand. Fair Maid of Guernsey, 
Grandiflorum, Striatum, Baronne de Prailly, quite 9 inches across ; 
Gloire de Toulouse, Yellow Dragon (excellent), Red Dragon, 
Fulgore, and the four named. Mr. Starling and Mr. Hillier ex- 
hibited good stands, and Mr. Starling was worthily awarded an | 
extra prize. Mr. Jordan’s was decidedly the freshest collection. 
Messrs. Dickson & Co. exhibited an extensive collection and re- 
ceived an extra prize; so also did Messrs. E. G. Henderson and 
Son, who were awarded certificates for M. Delaux, Nuit d’Automne, 
Pere Delaux, and Rosa Bonheur, all very promising Japanese 
varieties. 
GLOUCESTERSHIRE ROOT, FRUIT, AND GRAIN 
SHOW. 
THE sixteenth annual Exhibition of this highly popular and 
well-managed Society, offering a prize list of £150, was held on 
November 9th, and may justly be described, in spite of two most 
disheartening fruit seasons, as a great success. 
The roots, grain, and kindred products were exhibited in a tent 
having a passage into a large room of the Spread Hagle Hotel, 
which was entirely devoted to a really fine display of Apples and 
Pears. It was with the latter that the writer is concerned, as the 
short time the train allowed him precluded his inspecting what 
from a mere passing glance he could see was a most interesting 
‘display, especially of Potatoes. 
As usual at these exhibitions the Apples are divided into three 
classes—dessert, culinary, and cider, special classes being reserved 
for varieties of local or world-wide celebrity. Pre-eminently 
‘among the former stands out as a prime favourite the Ashmead 
Kernel as a dessert fruit, a variety the public generally will allow 
to be unequalled in flavour in its proper season—after Christmas ; 
indeed, so popular does this Apple linger in the recollections of 
the good citizens of Gloucester that until very lately the trunk of 
the original tree, which succumbed to its destiny about fourteen 
years ago, has been kept in a cellar and worked up into small 
articles to enshrine its memory. There were ten entries against 
seventeen last year; still the competition was very spirited, and 
the prizes awarded to healthy clean-grown specimens. The writer 
did not notice in a single plate the sometimes very distinct flush 
of crimson on the sunny side, as is the case occasionally when 
grown in the soil of Herefordshire. Mr. Phelps of Tibberton and 
Mr. Cadle of Longcroft were the winners in this class. 
The special class for Ribston Pippin was numerously competed 
for, and both prizes taken by admirable collections, though the 
same can hardly be said for Nonpareils, which were exhibited 
poorly both in quality and quantity. 
As far as the number of plates, and beauty, size, and health- 
ful appearance of the Brandy or Golden Harvey Apple is con- 
cerned, this class left nothing to be desired, but at the risk of 
chronicling what many will consider rank heresy, the writer does 
not consider either one of the collections shown to be the true old 
‘historic Apple of this name! It is far too large, not the right 
shape or colour, and certainly deficient in the exquisite “ cognac ” 
flavour to which perhaps this Apple owes its name more than to 
its high specific gravity. At any rate, the Golden Harvey of 
Herefordshire, the chief habitat of this Apple in the seventeenth 
century, is quite different, and it will be interesting if the question 
now raised does not end here. A great feature in the Exhibition 
were the large collections of dessert Apples, for which there were 
twenty-three entries, but two only put in an appearance. Is it 
possible that the correct standard of the orthodox size for dessert 
fruit may not in the case of this collection have been strained a 
wee bit too far? as it seemed to the writer that many of the 
varieties exhibited were far too undersized to be characteristic 
specimens. 
In the class open to tenant farmers for dessert fruit there was 
only one exhibitor, Mr. H. Organ Breadstone, but his was a col- 
lection in itself, numbering nearly seventy varieties, though in- 
cluding somewhat incongruously both culinary and cider Apples. 
Most specimens were marked unknown. Of those named several 
were purely local. A variety marked the Brumage (Birmingham) 
Pippin came in for a great share of attention, showing, identically 
alike in all six specimens, two Golden Pippins united together 
through their ovaries, presenting two perfect eyes and one stalk, 
with an elongated potato-shaped superficial appearance. The first 
prize was carried off by Messrs. Wheeler, the well-known seedsmen 
of Gloucester ; the second prize by Earl Ducie of Tortworth Park. 
In the first-prize collection there were very characteristic speci- 
mens of Court of Wick, Court Pendu Plat, Sturmer Pippin, and 
Lamb Abbey Pearmain. All the varieties were named in both 
collections ; Adams’ Pearmain, doubtless inadvertently, alone 
being an exception. Calville Blanche was shown green and 
miserable, quite a burlesque on that waxy and healthy-looking 
Apple so generally seen and admired in Paris. By-the-by, why 
does this eminent firm, who know how to do the right thing so 
well, fall into the vulgar habit (fashionable at Apple stalls) of 
French polishing, without any respect of variety, the whole sur- 
face of each of their Apples? In the second collection chiefly to 
be noticed were Duke of Devonshire, Bess Pool (true), Clay- 
gate Pearmain, and Ribston Pippin. The Blenheim Pippin—a 
great favourite at Gloucester, as indeed everywhere else—was 
well shown, though not particularly highly coloured, and had a 
special class assigned to it, Mr. Phelps carrying off the first and 
Mr. Mayo second prize. Warner’s King and Mere de Ménage 
were grandly exhibited in the culinary class, excluding Blen- 
heims. <A plate of the old historic Costard was very much ad- 
mired, and would have well deserved an extra prize. In this 
class, open to tenant farmers, the nomenclature was bad, nearly 
every variety being either marked wrongly, notably the Cat’s- 
head, or “unknown.” <A highly coloured Apple—no doubt local, 
aptly named Port-wine—was worthy of notice. F. B. Littlewood, 
Esq., carried off first prize for dessert Apples, single plate, with 
fine specimens of Cox’s Orange Pippin; Mr. J. Chadborn second 
prize with Dutch Mignonne, the specimens being far above the 
usual size for dessert. The best new variety of dessert Apple went 
to Earl Ducie with an Apple after Royal Pearmain, and of a some- 
what similar but higher flavour, and more compact shape. 
The first prize for the collection of culinary Apples was also 
credited to the Tortworth orchards, and very clean grown and 
large the specimens were, especially Waltham Abbey Seedling 
(Golden Noble), Brabant Bellefleur, and Golden Russet. That 
favourite variety Cellini (perhaps too late in the season) was 
not in good condition. Gloria Mundi also was small, and cer- 
tainly did not earn its synonym of the Monstrous Pippin. A large 
useful-looking Apple named Greaves’ Pippin was unknown to 
the writer, and looked a very long keeper. B. St. John Ackers, 
Esq., took second prize with a much smaller collection, but of 
| great excellence, in which that beautiful and useful variety 
Golden Winter Pearmain was superbly shown. 
Pears did not muster in great force. The prizes for collections 
of dessert Pears were taken by J. B. Littlewood, Hsq., with fine 
specimens, among others, of Beurré Diel, Colmar d’Aremberg, 
Marie Louise, and Chaumontel. Andrew Knight’s varieties 
(Monarch, Rouse Lench, and Broom Park) were well represented. 
That fine Pear Duchesse d’Angouléme was poorly shown, while 
Doyenné du Comice, perhaps the best Pear we have, was strangely 
absent from so good a collection. Specially worthy of notice were 
Winter Nelis, Beurré Duhamel, Joséphine de Malines, and Beurré 
Superfin. Alexandre Lambre looked well, but although fashionable 
jis third-rate in both flesh and flavour, and unworthy of a place in 
a first-class collection. It only remains to state that G. Deane, 
Esq., took first prize with Marie Louise (single plate), and second 
prize fell to Glou Morceau. Time failed to get more than a glimpse 
at the cider and Pear collections. The fruit seemed far larger 
than in Herefordshire, as might have been expected from growing 
in a better soil and less exposed situation. Interesting also it 
was to notice so many historic varieties both of Apples and 
Pears——THE HEREFORDSHIRE INCUMBENT. 
WORK FOR THE WEEK. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
GLoBE ARTICHOKES that were cleared of the old leayes and 
cleaned will have made some growth and become hardened. 
Snails and slugs, especially in wet soils, are often troublesome, 
doing much mischief by preying upon the tender leaf stems 
