September 22, 1870. ] 



JODENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



223 



Fruit was pretty well shown, the competition for the collec- 

 tion between Mr. McLachlan and Mr. Mason being very close. 

 Black Grapes were in pretty good order, and there were some 

 good Muscats. There appeared here with the exhibitors a 

 slight inclination to prefer the big coarse Trebbiano to the 

 smaller sorts. Peaches and Nectarines were wonderfully good. 

 There were also some good Figs and Plums — Jefferson, Reine 

 Claude de Bavay, Victoria, &c, being the principal sorts of the 

 latter. Pine Apples were at a minimum, there being only one 

 " one-pounder." Several good dishes of Pears were shown, in- 

 cluding fine examples of Jargonelle, the best of all summer Pears 

 for the north. Apple3 were also well shown, a collection of 

 about forty sorts coming from the gardens of Colonel Leslie, 

 Glasslongh. The Kerry Pippins in several instances were par- 

 ticularly fine, and this is a truly Irish Apple. 



Vegetables were also well displayed. Parsnips were parti- 

 cularly fine, yellow Turnips and Celery very excellent, and 

 there was a fine lot of Potatoes, consisting of Berkshire Kid- 

 ney, Paterson's Victoria, Paterson's Blue, Fortyfold, and a 

 good-looking sort called Croffiirs. Mr. Meredith, of Garston, 

 exhibited a small box of very fine black Grapes. These were 

 exceedingly meritorious, but very badly shown. Mr. Fowler, 

 of Castle Kennedy, had a very large bunch of Syrian Grapes, 

 weighing over 15 lbs. This, although large, was in no re- 

 spect captivating.) 



The Judges on this occasion were all men of sterling ability 

 — for the plants, Dr. Moore, Glasnevin ; Mr. P. Robertson, 

 Edinburgh ; and Mr. Anderson, Meadow Bank : for fruit, &c, 

 Mr. Stevens, Trentham ; Mr. Meredith, Garston ; and Mr. 

 Fowler, Castle Kennedy. It showed a praiseworthy desire on 

 the part of the Directors to secure such high talent, and so far 

 so good ; but why should they have exerted themselves so little 

 afterwards, the whole burden of the duties appearing to be 

 shelved on the Curator, Mr. Johnston, who acted as Assistant 

 Secretary ? 



We are pleased to state that financially the Exhibition has 

 proved successful, being visited on the first day by all the elite 

 of the wealthy and thriving city of Belfast. 



THE CHILWELL NURSERIES. 



The extensive nurseries of Mr. J. R. Pearson, of Chilwell, 

 near Nottingham, from the variety of interesting objects which 

 they contain, possess many attractions both for the florist and 

 pomologist ; for there the culture and preparation for sale of 

 the most useful varieties of fruits and flowers, as well as a host 

 of other things, are carried on with such energy and skill, and 

 such painstaking attention to minor details, as are not only 

 most praiseworthy of themselves but highly advantageous to 

 the purchaser. 



One of the most attractive features of Chilwell this autumn 

 is the bedding Pelargoniums, or Geraniums as they are com- 

 monly called, and to these, therefore, I purpose first of all to 

 draw the attention of your readers. For some years past Mr. 

 Pearson has devoted much time and money on the work of 

 raising seedling Pelargoniums, impregnating most of the flowers 

 with his own hands, and flowering about five thousand seed- 

 lings every year in his trial grounds. From this large number 

 he has selected those which have appeared sufficiently meri- 

 torious to be subjected in following seasons to the severe test 

 of a comparison with the best varieties in cultivation, with 

 which they are planted side by side ; and so he has gone on 

 selecting and discarding with a keen eye to the development of 

 all the most important points of excellence in this class of 

 plants, till at length a collection has been formed of proved 

 kinds of such sterling merit, and which are so decidedly supe- 

 rior to almost all the best established sorts, that I am confident 

 they must command universal acceptance at the hands of true 

 lovers of the flower garden. Nor does it appear that Mr. Pear- 

 son intends to rest content even with his present splendid 

 success, for a view of his trial garden this autumn fairly be- 

 wilders one, and it was not till I saw in full bloom the thou- 

 sands of magnificent seedlings which are there that I could 

 realise the immense amount of labour which selection implies. 



That Mr. Pearson sets his standard of excellence very high 

 may be easily inferred from the fact that out of all the hosts of 

 seedlings which have passed under his critical eye the collection 

 of named varieties offered to the public does not much exceed 

 two dozen in all. Of these I may select Bayard as one of which 

 something is already known ; this is a sterling variety in every 

 respect, with an abundance of large trusses of rich crimson 



flowers, and with a free yet compact habit of growth. Brighter 

 in colour than Bayard, and with a profusion of magnificent 

 flower trusses, is Douglas Pearson ; in its habit of growth it is 

 everything that one could wish, and I have no hesitation in 

 naming it as the most magnificent bedding Pelargonium I have 

 ever seen. Arthur Pearson is another useful introduction in 

 the way of Amy Hogg, but surpassing it in every respect, espe- 

 cially in its brighter colour and larger petals. Then comes 

 Othello, of a deep rich crimson, equally fine in growth and 

 flower ; this will, I think, prove a splendid variety for massing, 

 its dark complexion being far more likely to be admired by the 

 ladies than was that of Shakspeare's hero. William Thomson, 

 of a deep shade of scarlet, is also a kind that will be highly 

 valued ; it forms a close compact mass, and is peculiar from 

 its very neat and erect habit of growth. Milton, too, is another 

 fine variety, excellent in every respect, and of a peculiar and 

 distinct shade of colour, which may be described as a cherry 

 red. Another, named Duke of Devonshire, with rosy red 

 flowers, is a splendid variety, with a profusion of such huge 

 trusses that I was tempted to measure one, which proved to be 

 fully 5 inches in diameter ; it has a compact and erect habit of 

 growth. Mrs. Mellows has very dark rich crimson flowers, and 

 the trusses are very large and well-shaped. An important 

 peculiarity of the Chilwell seedlings is the duration of the 

 flowers, for I noticed that in almost all the fully expanded 

 trusses the flowers which opened first still remained intact. 



Of other varieties of the Nosegay tribe Alfred Pearson de- 

 serves mention, its stout-petaled flowers of fine form and of 

 an attractive shade of rose are freely produced in fina compact 

 trusses. Lawrence Heywood i3 also a promising kind, having 

 a fine spreading habit, with its flowers of a deep shade of 

 cherry with a dash of magenta. Thomas Speed, another of 

 this shade of colour, but quite distinct, has very large flowers, 

 but it appeared to be hardly compact enough in the truss ; yet 

 its free growth, and the bold and striking appearance which a 

 mass of it produces, are qualities very much in its flavour. Nor 

 must I omit to mention another, named Mrs. Henderson, of a 

 peculiar shade of colour, which may be called violet crimson ; 

 it has flowers of fine form, and is a promising variety. All 

 the foregoing kinds belong to the Nosegay section. Three 

 other varieties of broad-petaled scarlets were very fine ; these 

 were E. J. Lowe, a splendid sort, having very large flowers of 

 fine form, William Hill, and Rev. John Woolley. 



Among the Golden Tricolors Edith Pearson, from its dense, 

 compact habit of growth, and the brilliant markings of its very 

 flat circular foliaget will prove a useful introduction both for 

 pot culture and beds. Another of this section, named William 

 Sandys, is the most vigorous Golden Tricolor I have met with ; 

 many of its young shoots were 9 inches long. It is also pecu- 

 liar from the very deep green centre of its foliage, in which 

 the yellow and crimson colours are well developed. So striking 

 was its effect, that a mass of Sophia Dnmaresque growing near 

 it made a very poor display. Mrs. Edge is also a pleasing 

 variety, from its pretty compact growth and well-formed foliage. 

 My last selection from this group is Monsieur Durand, and a 

 very handsome dashing fellow he is too, decked out after the 

 latest fashion in the brightest possible crimson, yellow, and 

 green, and with a freshness of appearance that at once attracts 

 one. 



I come now to another distinct variety, named Pearl, a white 

 variegated sort, having a dark zone on its foliage, but with a 

 very broad pure white leaf-margin, having flowers of a pleasing 

 shade of pink ; it is just one of those rare gems among varie- 

 gated plants in which the colours of foliage and blossom con- 

 tribute to each other's beauty, in this instance producing such 

 a chaste effect that it must become a general favourite ; and I 

 was not surprised to hear Mr. Pearson say that he was afraid 

 he should be unable to propagate a sufficient stock of it to 

 supply the requirements of his customers. Another silver- 

 variegated kind with which I was much pleased, but which was 

 not raised by Mr. Pearson, was Miss Kingsbury. Its flowers 

 are of such a soft shade of rosy scarlet, that in certain posi- 

 tions they might be retained with advantage ; but this kind, 

 from its dense growth and fine broad silver leaf-margin, is 

 peculiarly adapted for producing a fine effect by the| beauty of 

 its foliage alone. 



The select Pelargoniums which I have thus described are all 

 varieties of sterling merit, and they are certainly a great ad- 

 vance upon most of our best-known and most popular bedders. 

 To prove the merits of his own kinds thoroughly, Mr. Pearson 

 has introduced beds of such well-known kinds as Stella, Lady 

 Constance Grosvenor, Blue Bell, and others, and pwas amused 



