112 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ August 8, 1872. 



British Ferns ; and from Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing, Stan- 

 stead Park Nurseries, a splendid collection of Phloxes. Madame 

 Domage, Mrs. Laing, Purple Prince, La Candeur, A. F. Barron 

 (very fine), J. K. Lord, Madame Billy, M. Conrad, A. M. Simons, 

 and Lothair were a few of the best. 



Fruit Committee. — G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 

 Mr. Thomson, of the Tweed Vineries, Clovenfords, N.B., sent 

 hunches of his new seedling Grape Duke of Buccleuch. This is 

 a large and very handsome Grape, similar in appearance to the 

 Golden Champion, but differing from it in the form of the berries 

 in the same respect as the Dutch Hamburgh differs from the 

 Black Hamburgh, in being rounder, and in a prevalence of oblate 

 beiiies. The flavour is superior to that of Golden Champion, 

 being much richer and fuller. The bunch is ovate and compact, 

 8 inches long, and the same in width across the shoulders. The 

 berries are very large, roundish, and oblate, of a pale greenish 

 amber colour, and with a large style point. The flesh is tender 

 and very juicy, with a Hamburgh flavour. The Vine produced 

 eight of these handsome bunches, is two years old, and is grow- 

 ing in the same house with Black Hamburgh, than which it is 

 one month earlier. The Committee admired the Grape ex- 

 tremely, and in accordance with Mr. Thomson's wish appointed 

 Mr. Barron to visit Clovenfords, and report upon the constitu- 

 tion of the Vine. 



Mr. Tillery, of "Welbeck Gardens, sent a seedling Nectarine, 

 raised from crossing Balgowan and Elruge. It is a large, hand- 

 some fruit, and Mr. Tillery has evidently secured a cross, but 

 the fruit now produced is not an improvement on the Balgowan. 

 Mr. Tillery also sent a dish of handsome Grosse Mignonne 

 Peaches, and a fruit of Queen Emma Melon, grown in a box in 

 a Pine stove, and the soil only the turfy loam from the top of a 

 limestone rock. The boxes are about i feet long and 15 inches 

 deep, and three plants are put into each box. About two fruit 

 are left on a plant, so as to grow them of a good size. The fruit 

 exhibited was 6 inches in diameter. Mr. J. Lane, gardener to 

 J. Bray, Esq., Pyrgo Park, Romford, sent dishes of Noblesse 

 and Late Admirable Peaches, and a dish of Violette Hative 

 Nectarines. Mr. Roberts, Holwood Park, Kent, sent a fine dish 

 of Barrington Peaches. Mr. Kirtland, of Bletchington, Oxon, 

 sent a dish of Moorpark Apricots. 



Mr. M. Newman, of The Elms, Hartington, sent a dish of Red 

 Currants called Hartington "Wonder, which is the same as 

 Knight's Long Bunched Red. Mr. Shore, gardener to Eev. J.P. 

 Heyworth, Westbury-on-Trym, sent a seedling called Shore's 

 Hybrid, which was not considered of sufficient merit to recom- 

 mend it. 



Mi". John Henson, gardener,. Newark, near Peterborough, sent 

 a seedling Gooseberry called Henson's Seedling, a large, round, 

 dark red, hairy fruit of excellent flavour. Mr. J. Beach, gardener 

 to E. J. Herries, Esq., St. Julian's, Sevenoaks, sent a dish of seed- 

 ling Gooseberries called Emma, hut which is very similar to 

 other varieties in cultivation. Mr. Geo. Kirtland, Bletchington, 

 sent four dishes of Gooseberries of large size. Mr. Piccirillo, of 

 Wigmore Street, sent a large Water Melon, but the flavour was 

 not approved. 



Messrs. Lane & Son, of Berkharnpstead, sent a large collection 

 of admirably grown Grapes, consisting of Black Hamburgh, 

 Foster's White Seedling, Buckland Sweetwater, Muscat of 

 Alexandria, Frankenthal, Duchess of Buccleuch, Chaoush, and 

 Muscat Muscadine. This meritorious exhibition received a cul- 

 tural commendation. 



Messrs. J. & C. Lee, of Hammersmith, sent a dish of Imperial 

 Long Pod Kidney Beans, 7 to S inches long in the pod, and which 

 were approved of by the Committee as a fine fleshy podded 

 Bean. Mr. Walter, of Calne, sent a seedling Pea, which was to 

 be grown in the garden at Chiswick before an opinion could be 

 given upon it. Mr. Piccirillo sent new Orange Garlic, andNaples 

 White and Naples Red Onions, the latter of enormous size, some 

 of the specimens being 8 inches in diameter, and weighing 

 4 lbs. 2 ozs. 



Mr. Berkeley reported that the roots from Hayling Island 

 shown last year as Shallots proved to be the Potato Onion. Mr. 

 Record, of the Gardens, Hatfield, sent large clusters of the fruit 

 of Habrothamnus elegans, which created much interest from the 

 rarity with which the plant produces so much profusion of fruit. 



Prizes were offered for the best dishes of early Plums. The 

 first went to Mr. J. Clark, gardener to Major General Clare- 

 mont, Roeharnpton, for Rivers' Golden Gage ; the second to Mr. 

 J. Beach, gardener to C. J. Herries, Esq., St. Julian's, Seven- 

 oaks, for Early Orleans. Mr. Beach was also first for the best 

 collection of Gooseberries, Mr. Earley, Valentines, being 

 second ; and for the heaviest six Gooseberries, the prizetakers 

 were Mr. G. Kirtland, Bletchington, and Mr. J. Kirtland, 

 Albion Nurseries, Stoke Newington, Mr. Beach being third. 



Floral Committee. — Mr. J. Fraser in the chair. Mr. Bull, 

 Chelsea, sent a collection of plants, including Phorminm Co- 



lensoi variegatum, the fine purple-flowered Lasiandra macrantha 

 floribnnda, several Palms, and Curculigo recurvata variegata. 

 From the same exhibitor came also a collection of Aroids, in- 

 cluding a fine specimen of Godwinia gigas. R. A. Thompson, 

 Esq., South Kensington Museum, sent seven varieties of Poly- 

 stiehum angulare found at Sidmouth, and Lastrea Filix-mas 

 Feslinyii, which received a first-class certificate. 



Mr. Burley, Paradise Nursery, Brentwood, exhibited new 

 Zonal Pelargoniums, among which was Desdemona, one of the 

 salmon class, of very good form. Mr. H. Eckford, gardener to 

 Earl Radnor, Coleshill, sent a stand of seedling Verbenas, of 

 which Mrs. Lewington, rosy crimson with a magenta tinge, and 

 purplish near the eye, had a first-class certificate. There were, 

 besides, several other good varieties. Mi-. C. J. Perry, The 

 Cedars, Castle Bromwich, also contributed a fine stand of cut 

 blooms, including several seedlings, among which Rev. P. M. 

 Sinythe was noticeable as a fine violet purple. Mr. J. King, 

 gardener to the Eev. J. Wiggett, Allanbay Park, Binfield, had 

 a new double and a Bronze Pelargonium, neither of them remark- 

 able. 



From Mr. Green, gardener to W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., came 

 a fine plant of Bertolonia marmorata in flower ; from Mr. A. 

 Boxall, gardener, Claybury Hall, Woodford Bridge, an excellent 

 specimen of Cattleya crispa; and from G. F. Wilson, Esq., 

 Heatherbank, Weybridge, a plant of a tall-growing variety of 

 Lilium lancifolium called splendidum, with a spike little less- 

 than 8 feet high, and the whole of the upper 3 feet bearingflowers- 

 or flower-buds of the same character as rubrum. 



Messrs. Standish & Co., of Ascot, had an extra prize for a fine* 

 collection of Gladiolus, exhibiting also a basket of Bouvardia 

 Vreelandii ; and a similar award was made to Messrs. F. & A. 

 Smith, of Dulwich, for an excellent lot of Balsams. Mr. Rowe, 

 gardener to Mrs. Lewis, Rookery, Roeharnpton, also sent a 

 capital group of the same flower. From Mr. B. Porter, Sion 

 Lodge Gardens, Isleworth, came some seedling Hollyhocks ; and 

 from the Eev. Lord Hawke, Willingham Eectory, cut spikes of 

 two varieties of the same flower, of which Eleanor, rose, re- 

 ceived a first-class certificate. Mr. Chater, Saffron Walden, 

 sent a fine stand of cut blooms. 



From Messrs. Veitch, Chelsea, came a fine specimen of Grarn- 

 matophylhvni Ellisii, which had a cultural commendation. 



A meeting of the Committees was afterwards held to take intc 

 consideration the Treasury minute in reference to Mr. Ayrton 

 and Dr. Hooker, particular's of which we shall leave till next 

 week. 



TRIAL OF BOILERS AT BIRMINGHAM. 



Further correspondence on this subject has reached us, 

 which is as follows : — 



[FROM MR. CANNELL.] 



" Wuolwieh, S.E., 



" 22nd July, 1872. 

 " Sir, — I beg to enclose for the information of the Local 

 Committee a copy of letter forwarded by me to Messrs. Hartley 

 and Sugden on hearing to whom the gold medal had been 

 awarded. " I am, sir, yours obediently, 



" Mr. B. A. Hallam, (Signed) " H. Cannell. 



Sec. Local Committee." 



[copy of letter.] 



"Woolwich, S.E., 



" 20th July, 1872. 

 " Sir, — I beg to acquaint you that on hearing of the award 

 of gold medal to your boiler, a combined protest was instantly 

 lodged against the illegality of such award, the same being dis- 

 patched to the Local Committee, the Council of the Royal Hor- 

 ticultural Society, and all the gardening periodicals. Points in 

 dispute will be duly forwarded as soon as all evidence can be 

 collected. 



" I am, sir, your obedient servant, 

 " Messrs. Hartley & Sutrden, (Signed) "H. Canxell. 



"Atlas Works, Halifax." 



[FROM MR. BENJAMIN HARLOW, ENGINEER AND IRONFOUNDER, MACCLESFIELD.] 



"July 22nd, 1S72. 

 " Dear Sir, — In answer to your note of this moruing, my 

 opinion is the same as yours and the other competitors'. Great 

 injustice has been done to all of us and the country in awarding 

 the gold medal to Messrs. Hartley & Sugden, and" I think with 

 you the Local Committee ought to be made aware of the facts. 

 According to the regulations, Messrs. Hartley & Sugden dis- 

 qualified themselves in stating the price of their boiler to be 

 £15 105., which is worth nearly double the money. I gave them 

 an order for twelve at the price, with a proper trade discount, but 

 I heard no more about it. They were also disqualified another 

 way — that is, a judge has no right to judge articles he is agent 



