August 3D, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



181 



varieties — all good enough in their! season, but including no 

 novelties — were noted a very good stock of the Long Vertus 

 pointed-rooted, which conies in very early, and is much used in 

 France, although not in this country ; the Bound Black or 

 Chirk Castle, an excellent autumn sort; the Yellow Finland, 

 Yellow Milta, Orange Jelly, &c. The whole of those dry-fleshed 

 Turnips — as the Teltauer and others, so esteemed in some 

 parts of the Continent — proved a failure, as well as many of the 

 varieties generally grown for field culture. A later sowing of 

 Turnips has been made which will be in due course examined. 

 The collection of SavoyB, it may be mentioned, are now nearly 

 ready for inspection. 



Flokal Committee. — Mr. John Fraser in the chair. This 

 meeting was held at Chiswick on August 27th. The Committee 

 proceeded with the examination of the zonal Pelargoniums, of 

 which there is a large collection planted out this season. Many 

 of the sorts have suffered severely from the recent heavy rains, 

 bnt the fallowing varieties, being in excellent condition, were 

 deemed worthy of first-class certificates — viz., Excelsior (Denny), 

 soarlet, with distinct white eye; Charles Smith (Pearson), dark 

 scarlet; Mrs. Huish (Pearson), magenta scarlet; Portia (Donny), 

 magenta scarlet; Mabel Eden (Pearson), light magenta; Lais 

 (Denny), magenta scarlet; Mrs. Holden (Pearsoo), rosy pink; 

 Mrs. Lmoaster (Pearson), rosy pink; Lord Gifiard (George), 

 bright scarlet. Among the older varieties Triomphe de Stella, 

 Golden Harry Hieover, Vesta, Rose of Summer, Claude de la 

 Meurthe, Arthur PearsoD, Princess of Wales, Mrs. Turner, 

 Christine, Cleopatra, Lady Emily, and Snowdon were conspi- 

 cuous. 



The collection of Pelargoniums, consisting of all (he newer 

 varieties which have this season been grown under glass, was 

 then examined, and the following being considered very suitable 

 for pot culture were awarded first-class certificates— viz., Miss 

 Wakefield (Pearson), orange scarlet; Louis (Pearson), rosy 

 purple; Lustrous (George), very bright scarlet ; Lady Eva Camp- 

 bell (Pearson), salmon ; Mrs. Pearson (Pearson), bright orange 

 soarltt. Among other varieties Thisbe, Charles Smith, Mias 

 Strachan, Lizzie Brooks, Rebecca, Blanche GordoD, and Lord 

 Zetland were especially noticeable. 



The double Pelargoniums, consisting of a selection of the 

 best varieties of last season and new sorts received during the 

 present year, were then examined, and first-class certificates 

 awarded to the following — viz., Depute Aneelon (Lemoine), deep 

 magenta rose, and Le Nord Est, bright scarlet. Madame Thibaut, 

 Noemie, C. Gligm, Auguste Villaume, Meteor Flag, MrB. Trevor 

 Clarke, Madame Amilio Baltet were also very fine. 



Astees. — A large collection of these now in full bloom was 

 then examined, and the following were highly commended aB 

 being excellent stocks — viz., Ponipone (Dippe Bros.). — Of erect 

 moderately bushy habit, producing very close compact heads of 

 flower. Diamond (Haage & Schmidt). — This seems to be a larger 

 and more vigorous-growing variety of the Pompone. Dwarf 

 Chrysanthemum-flowered (Dippe Bros. ; Carter '& Co). — This is 

 perhaps the best variety of any for general use, never exceeding 

 10 inches in height, and yielding in great profusion very large 

 and well-formed flowers. Victoria Asters. — This to all appear- 

 ance seems to be a tall-growing variety of the Chrysanthemum- 

 flowered. Betteridge's Exhibition Quilled. — Avery distinct and 

 pleasing variety, throwing the flowers well up ; and, being of a 

 hardy constitution, does not seem to be affected by rough weather. 

 A full report on tbese will appear in the Society's Journal. 

 _ Dianthdses. — Of these beautiful annuals a very large collec- 

 tion has this season been grown, and on examination the follow- 

 ing reoeived first-class certificates — viz., Heddewigi hybridus 

 flore-pleno (Benary), Heddewigi laciniatus (Benary), Her"dewigi 

 hybridus atro-purpureuB(Benary),Chinensisflore-pleno(Benary), 

 Imperialis flore-pleno (Benary), Heddewigi pleniBsimus splen- 

 dens (Haage & Schmidt), and Hoddewigi (Benary). 



of Wick, Claygate Pearmain, Scarlet Nonpareil, Margil, Court- 

 pendu-plat, and Sturmer Pippin. Kitchen — Lord Sufiield, 

 Stirling Castle, Cellini, Small's Admirable, Mere de M6nage, 

 Cox's Pomona, Warner's King, Fearn's Pippin, Holland Pippin, 

 Yorkshire Greening, Dumelow's SeedUing, Norfolk Stone 

 Pippin, and Gooseberry Apple. The above Apples are hardy, 

 good growers, yet tolerably compact, and free bearers. 



Pears — Citron des Cannes, Williams' Bon Chretien, Beurre 

 d'Amanlis, Louise Bonne of Jersey, Comte de Lamy, Beurre 

 Diel, Zephirin Gregoire, Ne plus Meuris, Beurie Sterckmans, 

 Knight's Monarch, Josephine de Malines, and Bergamotte Es- 

 peren. The sorts named will afford, if planted in duplicate, 

 sufficient fruit for a moderate-sized garden, while one tree of a 

 sort will form a good collection for a small garden. It is ad- 

 visable when information on fruit trees is requested that the 

 number of trees required be stated.— A Nokihbrn Gabdeneb. 



SELECT APPLES AND PEAKS FOR THE NORTH 

 OF ENGLAND. 



Having been requested by a correspondent (" S. S.") to name 

 a few choice dessert and kitchen Apples, also Pears, that will 

 grow in the north of England— the trees being required as 

 bushes and pyramids in a moderate- sized garden — I gladly 

 submit a few which I have found to succeed. As I have pre- 

 viously observed, I do not recommend planting just one tree 

 of a sort so as to have a great number of varieties, but prefer 

 to have duplicates of a few sorts which I find reliable, and 

 which afford a good succession of fruit during an ordinarily 

 good fruit year. 



I will begin by naming a few good dessert Apples, placing 

 them in the order of ripening. Summer — Margaret, Early 

 Harvest, and Devonshire Quarrenden. Autumn — Oalin, King 

 of the Pippins, Red Ingestrie, Kibston Pippin, and Cox's 

 Orange Pippin. Winter and spring — Adams' Pearmain, Court 



A COTTAGERS' SHOW. 



11 De minimis non curat," not "lex" to-day, but lectores 

 of the Journal. " Then why, sir, do you write about such 

 minute things ? Do you suppose the readers of the Journal 

 want to be bothered by an account of a wretched little cot- 

 tagers' show, held, too, in the wylds of Dorset ? Is there no 

 end to your words, or will the winter's snows alone suffice to 

 stiffen the hand that writes such a pack of rubbish as ' Whit- 

 church Cottage Gardeners' Show ? ' " Thus asks, perhaps, 

 more than one angry reader as his eyes see the above heading. 

 Turn the page, my dear sir ; skip the letter, read the ornate 

 and clever writings to be found in the Journal on Orchids and 

 Grape culture, and don't, please, let your anger at this article 

 interfere with your digestion. If, however, you do, am I to 

 blame? Are a few lines upon. a cottagers' show so very inap- 

 propriate that the sub-editor Bhould tear up the manuscript ? 



In some letters that I have received from kind friends I 



read, " I observe in your letter in the ." What? Not 



Journal of Horticulture, or Rose Journal, but Cottage Gar- 

 dener, and for many years I believe this Journal was called by 

 that name, and many people Btill persist in calling it so. This 

 being the case, why not write about a cottage gardeners' flower 

 show? 



In Whitchurch Canonicorum, in the county of Dorset (from 

 which huge parish my own little one was carved, so that I 

 may almost say in my own parish), exists a Cottage Gardeners' 

 Horticultural Society, which I believe is most successful. It- 

 has only existed for about three years, but it is already the 

 most promising of any round here, and bids fair to be more so 

 every eucoeeding year. 



Affiliated to it is a Cottage Garden Improvement Sooiety, 

 which is doing useful work. Prizes are given to the best cul- 

 tivated gardens in the parish, and no less than twenty-six 

 entered their names for competition. The Judges were Mr. 

 Carmichael, the late head gardener to the Prince of Wales, and 

 myself, and a most difficult though pleasant task we had to 

 perform. 



The prevailing feature of the Show was, of course, the vege- 

 tables, and more particularly the Potatoes. I was again Judge, 

 with the help of a local seedsman, and never since I was at 

 Bchool have I had such a hard task allotted me. Fancy me, 

 your " Wtld Savage," your demented rosarian, set down to 

 judge fifteen entries of early round Potatoes, and with aching 

 back and starving inwards to adjudicate on twenty-two entries 

 of Cabbages, three in a lot ! — your unfortunate correspondent, 

 accustomed to sniff the nectar of Roses, so coming down as to 

 inhale the perfume of fourteen stands of Onions, three of each 

 tied in a bunch! I think even the " Paeson's Gardener " 

 will pity me. I was all right when I got to the flowers, but 

 from 11 to 2 I was kept at the vegetables. There were four 

 kinds of Potatoes, and on an average about ten entries in each, 

 and this occurred in two divisions, for there were both mem- 

 bers' and cottageis' exhibits to be judged. I sustained myself 

 in this arduous labour with the thoughts of fruit. " The 

 Judges have the option of tasting all kinds of fruit except 

 Pines," I said to myself over and over again as I went on at 

 Parsnips, and Carrots, and Rhubarb ; but when we came to 

 the fruit there was by no means that bewildering quantity that 

 I hoped to see, and what there was, was of a nature more to 

 be appreciated in tarts than for eating uncooked. In fact, 

 they were tart(e) in themselves. Currants of various hues, 

 but of the same unvarying sourness ; Gooseberries large but 

 not Bweet ; and Apples of such a hard unpromising character 

 as to stop all raids. One dish of dessert Apples there was. 



