230 



JOUENAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 20, 1877. 



varieties more generally grown ? Nothing can be finer from 

 the beginning of August onwards. The beds are round and 

 very large. They are mostly planted with a mixed variety of 

 show sorts in the centre, with contrasting rings of two bedding 

 varieties. Of these Rising Sun is the best dwarf scarlet, 

 Zelinda the best maroon, Alba floribunda nana the best 

 white, and Yellow Pet the best yellow. The last-named is a 

 comparatively new variety raised by Mr. Turner of Slough. It 

 grows 2J to 3 feet high, is extremely floriferous, early, bright 

 in colour, and altogether good. During the early part of the 

 season these beds were gay with Hollyhocks and Delphiniums, 

 between which the Dahlias were planted. Some of the beds 

 are edged with Golden Feather and the others with Gnaphalium 

 lanatum, but the Golden Feather is the more effective. The 

 beauty of these beds is enhanced by the great extent of lawn 

 surrounding them and its excellent keeping. A grand bed of 

 Tritomas, Phloxes, and double yellow Helianthuses demands 

 notice. It glows like a fire from the great mass of brilliant 

 colour. Tritomas also at the foot of the southern terrace wall, 

 which in one' part is covered with Roses, have a fine effect; 

 and the old-fashioned Monthly China Rose, which is employed 

 as an edging to some of the Rhododendron beds, is still bloom- 

 ing freely, and will continue doing so even after the Dahlias 

 and most other flowers are destroyed by frost. 



On the upper terrace next the building are many well-filled 

 carpet beds, and the chain of beds in the panels are filled with 

 the same established bedding Geraniums noticed above. Some 

 alteration has been made round the pedestal vases on this 

 terrace. Formerly a small bed encircled by a ring of turf, then 

 another bed, were arranged round each vase ; but now the turf 

 is removed and each pedestal stands in a large bed. The 

 centres of these beds, being Dahlias surrounded with Geraniums 

 and edged with Glow-worm Lobelias, have an excellent effect. 

 The alteration noticed is certainly a great improvement. 



The interior of the Palace is equally worthy of inspection. 

 The western wing contains many fine Palms, and dead trunks 

 of Tree Ferns are turned to account as supporting mediums 

 for Ferns of smaller growth. The effeot produced by these, 

 crowned as they are with healthy plants of Lomarias, are 

 quite ornamental. In the adjoining structure are some fine 

 trees, real trees, of Camellias ; also Oranges, which the public 

 rarely see. A structure adjoining the aquarium — a continu- 

 ation of it — is decorated with Ferns and other ornamental- 

 foliaged plants. These wings are mere adjuncts to the huge 

 building, the plants and trees of which are remarkably clean 

 and healthy. The groups of plants — Dracaenas, Musas, &c, in 

 the Alhambra Court and the Fern Grolto there are well worthy 

 of inspection, and the manner in which seedling Dicksonias are 

 raised in the Palace is noticeable. Round some of the fine 

 specimens planted out in the borders ridge3 of peat, a few feet 

 from the stems, are placed. These are kept moiBt, and seed- 

 lings spring up by thousands; but on the level ground, which 

 is also kept moist, the spores do not germinate at all. Why ? 

 The answer is very simple when once Mr. Thomson" tells it. 

 Because they are washed away or too much disturbed by the 

 heavy watering which is given to the roots. Sufficient Dick- 

 sonias will soon be raised to plant the building. The hang- 

 ing baskets overhead are extremely fine this year. They are 

 mostly filled with trailing Cape Geraniums brightened with 

 common Tropteolums. It is surprising that the plants in the 

 colossal building can be preserved in such good health and 

 kept so clean by a body of only seventeen men, who have also 

 an extent of preparing houses to attend to equal to those of a 

 good-sized nursery. In this department is a splendid collec- 

 tion of Chrysanthemums in potB, about two thousand plants, 

 which will make a grand display during the late autumn 

 months. The Crystal Palace never looked better, if as well, as 

 at the present time, and it will repay a visit to all who are 

 desirous of seeing garden decoration well and effectively 

 carried out. — J. W. 



GRAPES CRACKING. 

 At page 220 you tell " M. R. P." that the cause of his 

 Grapes cracking is the Vine supplying sap faster than the 

 Bkins of the berries can expand. This is quite correct ; but it 

 oertainly has its causes, and I think its remedies. Keeping 

 the shoots closely pinched when the Vine is growing vigorously 

 causes the sap to flow stronger into the fruit. Where Vines 

 are growing close together, as they are in most cases, it is 

 impossible to let the side shoots run far enough out to use the 

 extra sap. I have tried a plan to counteract this this season, 



which, so far as I am aware, is original, and it certainly 

 answers the purpose well. The laterals on the Vines have 

 been pinched in the ordinary way up to the last three or four 

 Bhoots from the top. On these the laterals have been allowed 

 to grow. This gives a greater number of leaves to supply with 

 sap at the top of the Vine, and instead of a great pressure of 

 Eap running into the side shoots and berries the most of it 

 flows to the top, where it is no way restricted. Under this 

 treatment there was not a single berry cracked or split this 

 year, and a noted Grape-grower told us the other day that our 

 Vine wood of this year was very luxuriant. These top shoots 

 are not taken off until the wood has become brown and the 

 flow of sap declining. They do no harm through giving a 

 little extra Bhade to the top, and as the mass of leaves break 

 the current of cold air which sometimes enters at the top 

 lights they do much more good than ill. — A Kitchen Gabdeneb. 



CARLISLE INTERNATIONAL SHOW. 



Septejtbeb 6th, 7th, and 8th. 

 CUT FLOWEES. 



In the horticultural world, whenever it was wanted to indicate 

 the most miserable day on which a bIiow was ever held, the first- 

 day of the provincial Show of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 at Birmingham always came to the lips ; but I fear it must in 

 its turn give way to the first day of the International Show at 

 Carlisle, for a more miserable, wretched, dreary one never 

 marred the hopes or disappointed the well-grounded expecta- 

 tions of an energetic Committee. The Castle Sawceries were 

 indeed Baucers, for the heavy rains of the past few weeks had 

 converted the meadows into sponges, so that when such a down- 

 pour came as it did on Thursday it had no chance of getting 

 away, and the dismal swamp could hardly have more deserved 

 its name. By-the-by, the derivation of the word Sawceries was 

 given to me as that of Saugheries, which in broad Scotch means 

 the Place of Willows. Some idea of the condition of things 

 with regard to cut flowers may be imagined when I say that the 

 largest grower of Gladioli in Scotland had not one spike in 

 bloom and had dug a trench a foot deep round his beds to carry 

 off the water, and that while I in Kent had been gathering ripe 

 Figs from my standard trees Gooseberries were not ripe in 

 Scotland. What, then, was to be expected ? Gladioli were 

 almost unrepresented, Hollyhocks by six of the most rubbishy 

 spikes ever seen, Asters indifferent, and the only flowers that 

 were at all presentable were our good friends the Rose and the 

 Dahlia. Of these some good boxes were shown. 



Mr. Cranston of Hereford sent some fine Roses not for com- 

 petition ; and the executors of Mr. J. Harrison, Darlington, 

 contributed a good stand consisting of Charles Lefebvre, Mdlle. 

 Marguerite Dombrain, Alfred Colomb, Princess Beatrice, Marie 

 Baumann, Alice Derreux, J. Stuart Mill, Etienne Levet, Com- 

 tesse de Serenyi, Mons. E. T. Teas, Francois Michelon, Madame 

 Bravy, Beauty of Waltham, Catherine Mermet, Leopold Haus- 

 burg, Sir Garnet Woleeley, Belle Normande, Augusts Rigotard, 

 Emilie Hausburg, Louis Van Houtte, La France, Dupuy Jamain, 

 Lselia, Thomas Mills. There were only a few boxes of Dahlias, 

 the best being those of Messrs. Dickson & Son, Newtonards, 

 County Down, Ireland, for Rival Harris, Julia Wyatt, Henry 

 Walton, Cremorne, J. McMillan, Mrs. Stoncomb, Dr. Moffatt, 

 James Cacher, Hugh Miller, Vice-President, Charles Backhouse, 

 Jenny Austin, Negro Boy, Lady Gladys Herbert, John Bennett, 

 Alexander Cramond, Rev. J. B. M. Carnm, John Standish, 

 Royal Queen, and Ovid. In twelve fancies Mr. Dickson also 

 first witn Laura Haslam, Sparkler, Coronation, Mrs. Sanders, 

 Miss L. Sage, Mrs. Brown, John Salter, Fanny Sturt, Richard 

 Dean, and Rev. J. B. M. Camm. 



I had hoped to have seen some good Gladioli from my friends 

 Lord Hawke, Mr. Galloway, Mr. Crichton, and others ; but alas ! 

 there were but two stands, one a most miserable Btand of seed- 

 lings in the nurserymen's class, and one in the amateurs' exhi- 

 bited by Mr. R. Gray, gardener, Killorchan, Castle Girvan. In 

 this there were three good blooms — Aramis, Adolphe Brongniart, 

 and Lacepede ; the rest were indifferent. In no other olass 

 except Pansies was there anything worth recording, and of these 

 some good Btands were shown, although the flowers were small. 



TABLE DECOEATIONS. 

 The valuable prize of a cup, value ;£25, offered by Lady Mun- 

 caster, brought together eleven competitors, and I may with 

 safety say that some of them were as creditable as ever I saw 

 set up, although as usual there was much questioning of the 

 Judges' decision ; but in this the first prize was excluded, for 

 even the defeated competitors acknowledged its excellence. It 

 was set up by Mr. James Cypher of Cheltenham, and displayed 

 admirable taste. The three centre vases were light and elegant ; 

 the sprays of Orchids, the flowers of Gloriosa superbo, and the 

 fronds of Maiden-hair Fern had a most pleasing effect. The 

 table was not overcrowded, and all the appointments were good. 



