44 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTDRB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ July 20, 1871. 



crnebed np in the farmyard) renders something o{ the kind 

 all the more necessary, and in this respect there is no lack of 

 enterprise in the Hop-growers, large sums being paid yearly 

 for such manures. 



Shelter from high and destructive winds is of great importance, 

 and as the most hurtful are from the south-west, the force of 

 those from that direction must be broken if no natural shelter 

 exists. High hedges are sometimes met with, and I think 

 some trimmed hedgerows in the parish of Loose must be 

 40 feet high ; but it sometimes happen some corner or side of 

 a Hop garden is exposed by the cutting away of a coppice or 

 some other cause ; in this case a temporary screen is often 

 erected by setting up a row of tall naked Hop poles, touching 

 each other, and one tied horizontally to them on the leeward 

 side about 8 feet from the ground affords the means of fixing 

 brace poles to keep the whole up. Sometimes a sort of basket- 

 work hurdle, made of hazel rods and tied high up a row of 

 poles, is used, and sometimes a row of a common kind of Hop 

 is planted to serve as a screen, and the poles put in a line 

 about a foot apart. Oecasionally, likewise, two rows of poles 

 are placed in a sort of chevaux de frise fashion, only instead 

 of each being at an angle of 45°, they are at one of about 80° 

 or so with the ground, and Hops are grown on them. The 

 Colgate Hop, being a tall hardy variety, is often employed in 

 this way, and with good results. As shelter even for the 

 gateway to the garden is often thought necessary, if the gate 

 is to the windward side, some of the means alluded to are 

 adopted. — J. Eolson. 



EOSES AT THE JERSEY EXHIBITION. 

 Having just returned from a trip to the Channel Islands, 

 perhaps you will kindly permit me to say a few words upon the 

 Exhibition recently held in Jersey. It appears to have been a 

 great success, much more so than its most sanguine supporters 

 could have hoped. My object, however, is to draw the at- 

 tention of your readers to what X, as well as many others, 

 consider a glaring omission in the award of the Judges. It 

 appears that this Exhibition was founded on the Summer Eose 

 Show, yet, notwithstanding the fact that the Eose-growers had 

 to keep back their Eoses from flowering a month later than 

 their natural time in order to meet the wishes of the Com- 

 mittee, and the Eoses shown were of a very superior quality, 

 no medals of any description were given to successful compe- 

 titors in this department. This could not arise from want of 

 funds, neither could it be from want of merit. — Todbist. 



CUCUMBER FAILURES. 



I HAVE SO often given opinions and tendered advice to the 

 leaders of the Journal that I may fairly, I hope, ask for opinions 

 and advice in return, and trust some of the able gardeners who 

 contribute to its columns can solve my difficulties — too late, I 

 fear, to do me any good this year, but not too late to benefit 

 jne for another season. 



I have grown Cucumbers for a great many years in the same 

 plain homely way — that is, in a common dung frame of two 

 UghtB, and have never had any difficulty; but this year I am 

 completely floored. I have not deviated in the least from my 

 practice of former years. I had good plants, planted them in 

 good time, and they have grown uncommonly well. There is 

 BO symptom of disease of any kind; the leaves are large and 

 perfectly free from thrips and green fly; the fruit sets well, 

 grows to about 3 inches in length, and there remains for a fort- 

 night or ten days. It does not damp off immediately, but 

 nltimately does so. Now why is this? "Perhaps you allow 

 too much bine." Well, I cut it out very hard, and when my 

 neighbour Mr. Woodford had a look at it he said, " Try to let 

 it run as it likes." I did so for a while, but no better success 

 attended this. In fact I am completely bothered, and no one 

 who has seen it can suggest a cause or propose a remedy. If 

 there were disease or unhealthiness I could account for it, but 

 as these do not exist I am quite at sea. Will Mr. Fish, or Mr. 

 Lnckhurst, or some other of our friends help me ? — D., Deal. 



[" D., Deal's," case is by no means a solitary one. I have 

 experienced the same thing frequently, and in a variety of 

 seasons. Loot to the soil. I am inclined to think it will be 

 found to have settled down into a close mass, containing a 

 superabundance of moisture, and with the roots in a state of 

 gradual decay. In a wet cold season like the present, care should 

 be taken to maintain a lively heat in dung beds by means of 

 frequent linings, from which the cold chilling showers should 



be excluded as much as possible by means of straw hurdles, or 

 a thatching of reeds, straw, or heather. If the bed has been 

 exposed to the influence of the extraordinary succession of cold 

 nights and dull showery days peculiar to this season, it is 

 most probably so sodden with moisture as to afford no heat, 

 and, in fact, precisely in the worst poseible condition for either 

 promoting healthy root action or maintaining a lively steady 

 temperature in the box itself, both highly important and neces- 

 sary conditions to successful Cucumber culture. 



If upon examination it be found that the plants have some 

 healthy roots, remove as much of the sour soil as it is poseible 

 to do without damaging many of the roots, and cover them 

 with a slight layer of rough sweet turf. It there is none partly 

 decayed, which is best, pare some thinly from any well-exposed 

 meadow. Thin out the vine, cutting away all the weaker 

 growth, and retaining only a very few of the strongest shoots, 

 with the tops pinched off ; then remove as much as possible of 

 the outside of the dung-bed, and apply a lining of fresh hot 

 dung, taking care to exclmle all rank steam from the interior of 

 the box. Shade slightly if the plants droop at all, and exercise 

 caution in watering. So treated, healthy plants will till the 

 turf with roots in a few days ; then add more turf, but not too 

 much at a time, laying it on roughly and unevenly, so that the 

 air may easily penetrate it on all sides, and as the roots increase 

 supply them with liquid manure freely and frequently, giving 

 air as freely as the temperature will admit, and you should 

 have no further diffioullies about the crop. 



Caoumber failures are more frequently owing to the use of 

 improper soil than is generally supposed. As I stated a short 

 time ago, the plants may flourish for a time, and even produce 

 some fine fruit, but as the soil settles down into a close sodden 

 inert mass, so surely does barrenness ensue, or if some fruit do 

 appear, they are under-sized and misshapen ; and what is so 

 tantalising in connection with this state of things is that the 

 plants remain apparently as healthy as at first, and even con- 

 tinue to make fresh growth. All kinds are alike ; I have even 

 seen that wonderfully free-cropping variety, Masters's Prolific, 

 almost without fruit, and yet looking as healthy as possible. — 



EbWAKD LnCKHUEST.] 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



July 19th. 



Tins was only a minor Sbow, and held in a tent on the cvoqnet 

 ground ; still, though it did not attain the dimensions of some of the 

 earlier exhibitions, the quality was good, and the attendance, although 

 on one of the most sultry days of the season, was likewise good. 



Of Carnations and Picotees there was a fine show, though the com- 

 petitors were not numerous. Mr. Turner, of Slongh, was first for 

 twelve Carnations with Colonel Wyndham, James Rlerryweather, 

 ■William Cowper, King John, Purity, Sarah Payne, Annihilator, Fal- 

 conbridge, Juno, Antonio, Kentish Volunteer, and a seedling. Mr. 

 Norman, 98, Crescent Road, Plumstead, was second, and Mr. Hooper, 

 Widcombe Hill, Bath, third. The prizes offered by the Metropolitan 

 Floral Society were taken by Mr. Pizzey, gardener to E. Perry, Esq., 

 SlouKh, and Mr. Norman, the former having Juno, James Merry- 

 weather, Sir K. Peel, Count Pauline, Mars, Earl Stamford. Splendour, 

 Sarah Payne, Eoyal Scarlet, Antonio, Prince Albert, aad Eccentric 

 Jack. Mr. Norman had Sir David Wood, Premier, Splendour, Deli- 

 cata. Dreadnought, Black Diamond, Juno, Falconbridge, Poor Tom, 

 Sarah Payne, Robert Bowles, and James Webb. For twelve Picoteea 

 Mr. Norman was first with fina blooms of Master Norman, and seed- 

 lings Purity, John Norman, Morning Star, Edith Ingleton, Charles 

 Williams, Esq., Prince Arthur, Miss Davies, John Dixon, Mrs. A. 

 Ingleton, William Ingleton, and Mrs. Garrett. Mr. Turner was se- 

 cond with large and fine blooms of Christie, Mrs. Fieher, Miss Turner, 

 Empress Eugenie, Mr. Tntton, Gem of Eoses, Admu-ation, Purity, 

 Lord Valentia, and three seedlings. Third came Mr. Hooper, Bath, 

 also with excellent blooms. The Metropolitan Floral Society's first 

 and second prizes went respectively to Mr. Norman and Mr. Pizzey. 

 The former had among others General Tnlloch, Mrs. Brown, Mrs. 

 Delaforce, Prince Arthur, and other seedlings already named. 



The only collection of six Phloxes in 8-inch pots came from Messrs. 

 Downie, Laird, & Laing, and were in beautiful bloom for such small- 

 sized pots. The varieties were Monsieur Saison, brilliant crimson ; 

 James Mitchell ; Pladda, white, purple eye, very fine ; George Wyness, 

 Ulac, large ; Mrs. Taylor, blush ; and Captain Speke. A collection 

 in 12-inch pots also came from the same firm, forming magnificent 

 masses of bloom. 



Prizes were offered for perennials in 12-inch pots, the plants not to 

 exceed 2 feet in height. There was only one exhibitor, Mr. Parker, of 

 Tooting, who took a well-deserved first prize with specimens beautifully 

 grown and flowered, including Campanula carpatica, forming quite a 

 mass of blue bells ; Coreopsis lanceolata, rich deep yellow ; ffinothera 

 I venuata, sulphur yellow ; Calystegia pnbescena flore-pleno ; Trades- 



