September 14, 1S76. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



235 



flower gardens were mostly good in design, bat much in want 

 of something green to tone down the glare of colour. A very 

 good window garden box was shown by Mr. Thomson, 10, High 

 Street, Dundee. 



Vegetables. — These made a very excellent display, indeed 

 we have rarely seen a finer, and for quantity this department 

 quite surpassed anything that has been seen this year. In 

 many of the large baskets there would be two good barrowloads 

 of vegetables, and although roughly put together the produce 

 was mostly of a very superior kind. Mr. Low, gardener to J. 

 Paton, Esq., Viewforth, Stirling, was first for the fifteen sorts; 

 Mr. P. McArthur, Newport, second ; and Mr. H. Morrisson, 

 third. Turnips, Carrots, Parsnips, Celery, Leeks, Onions, Beet, 

 &c, were grand. Mr. Rust was first for two Cauliflowers; Mr. 

 E. Campbell second; and Mr. D. Lamond third with a couple 

 of Veitch's Autumn Giant, one of which was the finest head 

 there. Peas were poor. Cabbages, Savoys, Early Greens and 

 such like were first-rate, but Cucumbers were very small. The 

 prizes offered by Mr. Munro for a brace of his Duke of Edinburgh 

 were gained by Mr. H. Fowler ; Mr. J. Methven, gardener to 

 Col. Campbell, Blytheswood, Renfrew; and Mr. J. Brown, gar- 

 dener to C. S. H. D. Moray, Esq , Crieff, but none of their fruit 

 as well as any of the others Bhowed the true oharacter of the 

 Duke. 



Potatoes were numerous and of fine quality. For twelve 

 varieties Mr. T. H. Miln, Linlathen, came first with fine tubers 

 of Royal Ashleaf Kidney, Robson's Challenge, Snowflike, Fenn's 

 Early White Kidney, Fenn's Perfection Kidney, Bresee's Peer- 

 less, White Don, Cheshire Chester, Gauldry's E irly, and Smith's 

 Early. Mr. Fairgrieve, Dunkeld, who was second, had some 

 good tubers of Early Rose, Sutton's Flourball, Dalmahoy, Ex- 

 celsior, Fortyfold, and Paterson's Yictoria. Other prizetakers 

 were Mr. Farquhar, Mr. Cowieson, Mr. P. Robertson, Mr. J. 

 Thomson, Mr. P. Nicholl, and Mr. T. Aublett ; the best tubers 

 in their collections being Vermont Beauty, Early Vermont, 

 Early Goodrich, Webb's Improved Kidney, Sutton's Hundred- 

 fold Fluke, and American Rose. 



Miscellaneous Exhibits. — Messrs. James Veitch & Sons 

 exhibited a large number of fine orohard-house trees in pots, 

 each one bearing a splendid crop of fruit ; the varieties being 

 chiefly Salway, Magdala, and Sea Eagle Peaches; Byron, Pine 

 Apple, and other Nectarines; different kinds of Pears, &c. These 

 were quite a new feature at the Scotch shows, and they were 

 greatly admired. The Bame firm sent some Vines in pots ready 

 for fruiting of this year's growth, and their fine development 

 was the subject of general remark. Messrs. Dickson & Co., 

 Edinburgh, sent a stand of cut Viola blooms, the best of which 

 were The Tory, Pilrig Park, Peaoh Blossom, Alpha, Golden 

 Bedder, Dickson's King, Modesty, Pallida, Climax, and Pietu- 

 rata. A good many articles in "the way of rustic flower vases 

 and such like ornaments were contributed by local firms, but 

 these will be of little interest to our readers. No prizes were 

 offered for pot Vines, but Mr. M'Donald, Kinnettles, sent Black 

 Hamburghs in fruit, which were awarded an extra prize. 



The Judges were a3 follows -.—Fruit, Mr. Thomson, Tweed 

 Vineyard, Clovenfords ; Mr. Fowler, Castle Kennedy ; Mr. Dunn, 

 Dalkeith Park ; Mr. Webster, GordonCastle ; Mr. Cole, Feltham ; 

 Mr. Mathieson, Meikleour. Plants, Mr. Thomson, Drumlanrig ; 

 Dr. Moore, Glasnevin; Mr. B. S. Williams, London; Mr. J. 

 MacNub, Royal Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh; Mr. Fraser, 

 Canonmills ; Mr. T. Baines, Southgate, London. Gut Flowers, 

 Mr. Downie, Edinburgh; Mr. Wyness, Montrose; Mr. Paul, 

 Paisley. Vegetables, Mr. Connacher, St. Fort; Mr. Mitchell, 

 Panmure House ; Mr. Laurie, E dzell ; and Mr. Gow,Hallyburton. 



FEATHERED HELPS IN GARDENS. 



" Tybone Incumbent" says that he differs from me as 

 regards bantams eating slags, as he has tried his fowls with 

 them over and over again, and found them an object of dielike. 

 I think his experience and mine may be easily squared though 

 seeming so different. Fowls are grain-eating birds ; they, how- 

 ever, take animal food in different forms a3 relishes, not as 

 their staple food. When in a garden they delight to pick up 

 small insects, worms, slugs, &z., and if they are at liberty the 

 whole or part of the day, they, eating the small things, cause 

 in time a garden to be marvellously clear of these pests. Bat 

 collect a whole mass of slags, most probably the largest, and 

 give them as food, the birds are then disgusted with them. 



This is not peculiar to birds. Here is my fox terrier : if I 

 throw him a large hunch of bread he will not eat it, but if I 

 break it into dainty morsels he catches each in his mouth and 

 eats it, adding a grateful wag of his tail. There are my pigeons : 

 if I give them a huge Lettuce they don't touch it, but they de- 

 light to pluck in the garden at the growing plants. There is in 

 the case of the bantams the search, the scratch, the find, " the 

 sport," so- to speak, and the run of the hens after a dainty 

 morsel. Bantam chicks will clear a bed of Mignonette of 



caterpillars, delighting in the work, but I daresay would not 

 eat them if Bhut up. They will pluck clean of aphides aRoEe 

 branch. All this I can testify from observation. Bat a loath- 

 some mass of huge slugs oast in a heap before bantam3 would 

 be left by them. 



Sparrows, too, cleanse Cabbage plants, delighting to hunt 

 for the caterpillars. Ducks are, of course, insectivorous natu- 

 rally, and will demolish slugs, snails, &c. I have been told 

 that the Emerald Isle, green from its humidity, abounds much 

 mors than our drier and browner England in slugs, snails, &o. 

 Given a small garden, and a few black bantams — they are not 

 inclined to straying so far as some others — and that garden 

 will in time become singularly free from insect pests.— 

 Wiltshire Rectos. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 Aecheb's Couet, noticed in our last, is a manor in the 

 parish of River held in the reign of Edward I. of the king in 

 capite " by the sergeantry and service of holding the king's 

 head between Dover and Whitsond as often as it should happen 

 for him to pass the sea between those ports, and there should 

 be occasion for it." — (R(b. Esch. N. 34.) It was then held by 

 Solomon de Champs, from whom it descended to a family 

 named Archer or L' Archer, from whom it derived its name. 



The useful discussion meetings of the Wimbledon 



Gabdenees' Societt began on the 8th inst. in the lecture 

 hall of the village library, when Mr. Ollerhead commenced 

 the reading of a comprehensive essay on winter-flowering 

 plants. The chair was occupied by Mr. Lyon, gardener to 

 A. Sehlusser, Esq. The evenings are as yet too short, neces- 

 sitating a late hour for the commencement of business, to 

 ensure a large attendance, yet about twenty gardeners attended, 

 several of whom took part in the discussion and supplemented 

 the- reading of the paper by the expression of useful hints. 

 The plants noticed were the Poinsettia, Euphorbia jacquinia?- 

 flora, Eucharis amazonica, Cantropogon, and Scutellaria. The 

 reading of the essay will be resumed at the next meeting, and 

 in due time will be placed at our disposal according to an 

 intimation obligingly furnished by Mr. Ollerhead. Votes of 

 thanks to the Chairman and to the author of the essay brought 

 the proceedings to a olose. 



Salt brine impregnated with the blood, Ac, of herrings 



or other fish is a good manure. Mixed with five times its 

 measure of water it may be applied between the rows of any 

 of the Cabbage tribe, and to Rhubarb, Beetroot, and Artichokes, 

 says one who has tried it. 



An International Exhibition will be held in Cape 



Town in 1877 in a building to be erected for the purpose by 

 consent of the Colonial Government. It will include manu- 

 factures of all kinds! The date fixed for the opening is 

 February 15th, and everything intended for the Exhibition 

 must be shipped from London not later than during the first 

 week in Deoember, 1876. Intending exhibitors should oom- 

 municate immediately with Mr. Edmund Johnson, Commissaire 

 D§16gue, at the European Central Offices of the Exhibition, 

 3, Castle Street, Holborn, London. 



Mb. J. Gaud writes, " I have found the Cuckoo most 



helpful in ridding large plantations of Gooseberry trees from 

 caterpillars, and by leaving the birds unmolested they have 

 become comparatively tame, not caring to fly away at the ap- 

 proach of anyone. 



" I have grown Canadian Wondee Bean for four years and 

 have proved it an enormous cropper, but it requires planting 

 a good distance apart so that each plant may develope itself. 



" Of the new Peas De. Maclean is one of the best, 

 coming-in as a second early, a good eroppar, with large pods 

 well filled, and good in quality, and being dwarf a most useful 

 Pea for small gardens. Of the tall Peas none have stood-out 

 the dry weather like Williams's Emperor of the Marrows, and 

 for quality nothing surpasses it." 



Maeechal Niel Rose, writes one of its very successful 



growers, never produces its blooms so freely as from shoots 

 which are made in September. Shoots which are now being 

 made should therefore be preserved, cutting away any weak, 

 scrubby, spur-like parts of the bush in order that the free- 

 growing shoots can have light and air to mature them. Very 

 luxuriant shoots which occasionally appear, and which appro- 

 priate too much the sap of the bush, should be stopped, and 

 the growth will consequently be equalised. Free-growing, mo- 

 derately strong growths should be encouraged, and these if not 



