114 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



I [ August 10, 1876. 



be useful for certain purposes, and I believe it to be worthy of 

 notice. I do not, however, consider it quite the best Cucum- 

 ber in cultivation, for, taking into consideration all points — 

 size, appearance, free cropping, and quality, that honour I 

 must award to Tender and True. Osmaston Manor is never- 

 theless an; excellent variety, and for keeping purposes is the 

 best I have grown or seen. — A Market Gabdeneb. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



At a meeting of the debenture-holders of the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society held on the 1st inst. Mr. Edgar Bowring took 

 exception to a statement we made at page 74, in which we re- 

 marked, " As it is well known that there has not been, except 

 in two or three years, any surplus receipts from the gardens, 

 the payment of debenture interest was manifestly most cul- 

 pable." Mr. Bowring said, " At all events the minutes of the 

 meetings show that up to the last three, or four, or even five 

 years the interest was honestly and fully earned, and there- 

 fore to the statement that it was improperly laid out, that I 

 think is a sufficient answer." 



Now we do not know what the minutes of the meetings of 

 the Expenses Committee show, nor do we know what state- 

 ments of accounts were submitted to the Committee, but we 

 are content to accept Mr. Bowring's statement as perfectly 

 correct from what was within his knowledge. Our statement 

 was made from facts gathered from the printed accounts of 

 the Society, which were distributed annually among the 

 Fellows. These accounts show the income and expenditure of 

 the Society for the year, and it is from the surplus receipts of 

 the year that the debenture interest was to have been paid. 

 Let us now see from the following statements whether or not 

 the surplus receipts were sufficient to pay the interest, and 

 that the Council were justified in doing what they did. 



In 1862, the year of the Great Exhibition, the Society paid 

 the full amount of rent to the Royal Commissioners for the 

 year, and the full amount of rent in advance for 1863, leaving 

 a profit of £1013 lis. Id. 



£ s. d. £ s. d. 

 1868. Liabilities 1433 5 8 



1S64. Liabilities 3516 4 7 



Dae to Treasurer 2784 10 3 



Deficit after paying interest 6330 14 10 



In this year the life compositions were sold to meet the 

 deficit, and yet the debenture interest was paid out of surplus 

 receipts ! 



1865. Liabilities 369 2 8 



1866. LiabiUties 9E0 10 4 



Balance contra 203 17 7 



Deficit after paying interest 1184 7 11 



1S67. Liabilities 300 



Balance contra 873 11 



Deficit after paying interest 673 11 



1868. Liabilities 1166 7 10 



Balance contra 1179 5 10 



Deficit after paying interest 2345 13 8 



1869. Liabilities 2409 12 10 



Balance contra 1331 18 11 



Deficit after payrog interest 3741 11 9 



1870. Liabilities 1592 1 7 



Balance contra 1313 9 6 



Deficit after paying interest 2905 11 1 



1871. Liabilities 1597 3 



Balance Cr 155 15 



Deficit after paying one year's rent 



and interest 1441 5 3 



1872. Liabilities 1865 4 1 



Balance contra &76 19 9 



Deficit after paying interest 2242 3 10 



1873. Liabilities 3487 6 1 



Balance contra 1136 1 2 



Deficit after paying interest ■ 4623 7 3 



1874. It is impossible from the published statements to 

 r.rrive at what the actual receipts and expenditure really were 

 in this year, for it is well known that entries were made of 

 payments under the head of expenditure which had never been 

 made. 



1875. Balance contra ^3210 16 11 



It appears, therefore, that in no year since the Society 

 entered into the agreement with the Royal Commissioners 

 have the surplus receipts ever been sufficient to pay the de- 

 benture interest except in 1862. 



SIR J. PAXTON STRAWBERRY. 



My experience of it here may be of value. Last year I had 

 fifty plants and forced them ; they did fairly well. I raised 



a hundred from them, and obtained the largest, particularly 

 forced Strawberries, I have ever seen. Some fewwere 2Jinches 

 by 1} inch, and of proportionate thickness. I planted out the 

 plants from which the runners were obtained that produced 

 the fine fruit, and they have been perfectly barren. Other old 

 forced plants of other varieties treated similarly have borne 

 well. — Edwin Child, Gardener to J. P. Heywood, Esq. 



ROSES UNDER DIFFICULTIES. 



A eeothee of mine who lives in the West Riding has for 

 years been cultivating Roses, and until this year has had most 

 indifferent success. His rosery lies very low, not far from a 

 running stream called in Yorkshire a beck, which is the re- 

 ceptacle of every kind of filth. He is surrounded by mill 

 chimneys, and the climate is severe. But, on the other hand, 

 he has a magnificent soil, I should say there could be no soil 

 more suitable for Rose cultivation. The frosts there continue 

 so long that they often cut back his plants after the Crystal 

 Palace Rose Show is over ; this year, indeed, on the 4th of 

 July the thermometer was only 3° above freezing point. 



Year after year have I been to see his Ro6es, and have 

 always been disappointed, but this year he has had some very 

 fine blooms. I staged for him a box of twelve Roses for the 

 Brighouse Show which were exceedingly fine ; but unfortu- 

 nately he had omitted to enter them, so he could not compete ; 

 The judges, however, admired them so much that they highly 

 commended them. My object in writing this letter is to help 

 any rosarian who is placed in a similar difficult position by 

 relating my brother's experience. 



First, then, the great secret is to prune very late. For years 

 he haB pruned early in March, and for years he has failed. 

 This year it was nearly the end of April before he touched his 

 Roses with a knife, and they have done well. The reason is 

 obvious. If you prune early your plants are only just recovered 

 from their stagnant condition or period of rest, and are not 

 sufficiently established to withstand any sudden check, so 

 when the frosts come the Roses are cut down almost to the 

 ground, and have to be pruned again ; but if you leave them 

 the frost kills the tops of the shoots, which the pruning knife 

 would in due course remove, and when you do prune your 

 plants will start at once without being much injured, but only 

 retarded by the late -frosts. 



Secondly, do not syringe more than you possibly can help. 

 My brother formerly had the hose going all day, but to no pur- 

 pose; the blacks fastened on the foliage persistently, and he 

 could not keep them under. This year his foliage is com- 

 paratively clean and bright, and the growth wonderful. The 

 constant use cf water on foliage in smoky neighbourhoods 

 causes the leaves to suck in the smoke and soot, and they are 

 worse than they would be if water never came near them ; at 

 least that is his experience, and I give it for what it is worth. 



And now as to selection. My brother formerly had all the 

 best varieties, but many would not live ; however, some of 

 the very best fortunately stand his climate, and these do very 

 well, notably Mdlle. Enge'nie Verdier. I have been de- 

 lighted with this lovely Rose in Xorkshire, also my particular 

 pet " the Baroness." Marie Baumann, Charles Lefebvre, and 

 Louis Van Houtte all do well there ; and General Jacqueminot 

 and Duke of Edinburgh grow like weeds and bloom like Daisies. 

 La France is sometimes good, but she has too much of the 

 China or Tea Rose to do well in the north. Edward Morren 

 does splendidly there, and many others too numerous to 

 mention here. 



In conclusion I am convinced that there is no part of 

 England where an ardent lover of the BoEe may not cultivate 

 with confidence the queen of flowers, and although as a rule 

 the blooms come too late for the great shows, jet they are in 

 time for the autumn exhibitions. — Wyld Savage. 



ALL THE YEAR ROUND LETTUCE. 

 Mx garden soil is very light and thin, and the subsoil is 

 gravel, and has not received more than six hours' rain during 

 the past three months. Vegetables are consequently very 

 scarce, and the greatest difficulty is experienced in meeting 

 the demands of the kitchen. Lettuces have " piped " for seed 

 before being half ready for cutting, and I should no have been 

 able to produce salads but for the variety above-named, which 

 has been the only one to " heart" under the extreme heat and 

 drought. I can now cut excellent Lettuces of this variety, 

 while three other sorts growing on the same plot of ground are 



