68 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 26, 1864. 



average truss, and most beautifully-formed flowers, nearly 

 circular and flat, the eye rather too green, and the white 

 ground slightly tinged with pink, decidedly the best formed 

 white we have. This received a second-class certificate. 

 Glowworm, dark red, with a large conspicuous eye, if of 

 good habit, will make a very effective bedding plant. The 

 others were Delicata, bright rose ; King of Lilacs ; George 

 Tye, pale violet, with large white eye ; Queen of Pinks, a 

 rosy carmine — all of them very nice flowers, but not distinct 

 in colour from others. Mr. Perry also sent a stand of 

 twenty-four Verbenas in first-rate condition. Among the 

 sorts especially good were Black Prince, Firefly, Foxhunter, 

 L'Avenir de Ballent, Cato, and some good unnamed seed- 

 lings. A special certificate was awarded for this beautiful 

 collection. 



Mr. Holland, Isleworth, sent Asplenium trichomanes 

 sub^quale, a plant of peculiar flat growth, the fronds lying 

 on the surface of the pot, a distinct variety, for which a 

 second-class certificate was awafded ; also, Cyclamen Peak- 

 ianum, which had been exhibited before. Its propensity to 

 continue flowering seems to be its great recommendation. 

 In colour and form it is not equal to others. Mr. Holland 

 had a first-class certificate for Petunia Striata perfecta, cir- 

 cular form, pale rose, striped with white bars, very constant 

 in its colour and markings, a very free bloomer, and of good 

 habit, likely to be very useful. Messrs. Downie, Laird, a'nd 

 Laing contributed Pelargonium Golden Sceptre, of the Mrs. 

 Milford character. Such seedlings are innumerable, and 

 not easily to be distinguished. Messrs. Paul & Son, Ches- 

 hunt, exhibited English seedling Hybrid Perpetual Roses, 

 Lord Canning and Lord Clyde, the former a bright globular 

 rosy carmine flower, but wanting in substance of petal, and 

 too thin. It was requested that this might be seen again. 

 The specimens of Lord Clyde were beautiful ; it is the 

 most brilliant in colour of its class; their seedling Rose, 

 Hamlet, was also shown by Messrs. Paul. Mr. Windsor, 

 gardener to Lord Dufferin, Highgate, sent four seedling 

 Scarlet Pelargoniums, Blair Athol, Gem, Grandis, and High- 

 gate Rival. The last; which received a second-class certi- 

 ficate, was a very good flower, a bright shaded orange 

 salmon, with broad fiat petals, very free flowering, and 

 forming a fine truss. Mr. Young, gardener to R. Barclay, 

 Esq., sent four seedling Gloxinias. 



It would materially assist the Committee in deciding on 

 the merits of seedling Verbenas, if the exhibitors would 

 state whether the flowers sent for examination were grown 

 under glass or in the open ah - . It must be evident to every 

 cultivator of this beautiful flower, that the value of a 

 Verbena, both as respects colour and habit, depends much 

 on its being able to resist the influence of the sun's rays, 

 and the effects of rain. 



Fetjit Committee. — A meeting of the Fruit Committee 

 was held at Chiswick on Thursday last; Mr. Edmonds in 

 the chair. 



A requisition was some time ago presented to the Council 

 by the Committee, requesting that the meetings, which 

 have been discontinued since January last, should be re- 

 sumed, and that Dr. Hogg should be asked to accept the 

 office of Honorary Secretary to the Committee ; in accordance 

 with the arrangement made between the Council and Dr. 

 Hogg this was the first occasion on which a meeting had 

 Iseen held this season. 



The Committee first proceeded to the examination of a 

 collection of twenty-four varieties of Red Currants, many of 

 which were found to be synonymous with others, and many 

 to possess no particular merit. Red Cherry and Fertile were 

 synonymous; Pitmaston Sweet Red, Late Red, and New 

 Sweet Red were the same as Victoria; New Red Dutch the 

 same as Red Grape. In the opinion of the Committee the 

 best variety for flavour was Red Cherry, and the second 

 best for flavour and cropping the Red Grape. The Red 

 Grape is by many considered the same as Red. Dutch ; but, 

 while it is as great a bearer, and produces as large bunches 

 and berries, it is distinguished from it by the long, slender, 

 yellow footstalk of the bunch, and the pale red colour of the 

 berries; the colour of the Red Dutch being a dark ruby. 



The Committee then examined the collection of prize 

 Gooseberries, or, as they are improperly called, Lancashire 

 Gooseberries, of which there are 176 varieties in the garden. 

 A large proportion of these are perfectly worthless as regards 



flavour, and have only their size to recommend them ; but 

 there are also some that even as dessert fruit possess high 

 qualifications : we shall, therefore, give a selection of those 

 in each class that deserve to be cultivated for their flavour. 



Reds. — Companion, a bright rough red, with rich flavour ; 

 very excellent. Speedwell, rough light red, thin-skinned, 

 with a fine grape flavour. Ricardo, bright rough red, coarse 

 flesh, but good flavour. 



Yellows. — Broom Girl, rough, and thin-skinned, tender 

 flesh ; very fine flavour. Fanny, rough thin skin ; very rich 

 and excellent. Perfection, thin-skinned, tender flesh, and 

 with a fine melon flavour. Two-to-One, thin-skinned, tender 

 flesh; good. Goldfinder, a large, long, rough yellow; very 

 richly flavoured. Leader, a smooth dark yellow, large, thin- 

 skinned, tender-fleshed, and with a very rich flavour. More- 

 ton Hero, smooth light yellow, thin-skinned, and very richly 

 flavoured. Legerdemain, very large and long, smooth and 

 thin-skinned, tender flesh ; good flavour. Candidate, long, 

 smooth, thin-skinned; very tender and rich. Tiger, long, 

 smooth, thick-skinned, coarse flesh, but good flavour. Gipsey 

 Queen, thin skin, delicate flesh, and richly flavoured. 



Geeens. — Model, rough thin skin ; richly flavoured. Green 

 Prince, thick skin, coarse flesh, but good flavour. Gretna 

 Green, rough thin skin ; good brisk flavour. Tantivy, smooth 

 thick skin, coarse flesh, and good flavour. Slave, smooth 

 thin skin, very tender flesh ; good flavour. Beeston Castle, 

 smooth thin skin, tender flesh, very fine and rich. Lord 

 Eldon, smooth thin skin, tender flesh, sweet, and very rich. 

 Sir Charles Napier, smooth thin skin, tender flesh ; good 

 flavour. Telegraph, immense bearer; smooth thick skin, 

 coarse flesh, but good flavour. Arthur, smooth thin skin, 

 tender flesh, good flavour. General Markham, skin smooth, 

 thin; flesh tender and nicely flavoured. Safety, long and 

 smooth ; skin thin, flesh tender and of good flavour. Ran- 

 dom Green, immense bearer ; very large long fruit, thin skin, 

 tender flesh ; excellent flavour. Green Overall, smooth downy 

 thin skin, tender and melting flesh, and delicious flavour. 

 Lofty, very thin hairy skin, tender flesh ; very rich and deli- 

 cious. Keepsake, fine large hairy fruit, thin skin, and deli- 

 riously flavoured. Green River, smooth, thin skin, tender 

 flesh, and good flavour. 



"Whites. — Lady Leicester, oval, rough, thin skin, tender 

 flesh; sweet and good. Snowdrift, round, hairy, hard flesh, 

 but good flavour. King of Trumps, oval, smooth, rather 

 firm flesh ; excellent flavour. Moreton Lass, round, slightly 

 downy, thin skin, tender flesh; good flavour. Snowball, 

 roundish, downy; fine flavour. Tally-ho, large and long, 

 hairy, thin skin ; very fine flavour. Jenny Jones, smooth 

 thin skin, tender flesh ; melting and richly-flavoured. Flora, 

 smooth thick skin; good flavoured. Eagle, smooth thick 

 skin ; fine flavour. Mayor of Oldham, smooth, very thin skin 

 and tender flesh ; exquisite flavour. Patience, smooth, tender 

 skin and flesh ; very fine flavour. 



CHANGING OCCUPATIONS. 



You have given at page 49 good practical advice in reply 

 to a Yorkshire village tailor, and it has struck me that "a 

 fellow feeling should make us wondrous kind," and induce 

 us to point out a few footprints on the rough sands of time, 

 by way of encouraging the heart of a forlorn brother. 



To the Yorkshire village tailor, then, I say, Make up your 

 mind to be a gardener— first, because you seem to have a 

 natural love for the occupation ; and, second, because you 

 wish to regain health and strength. If you have the means 

 of starting a little business in seeds and plants, or a little 

 market gardening business, the road to success is sure 

 enough, since you have the will. If you cannot hoist your 

 standard quite so high, get a few rods of land in the parish 

 allotments, and devote a few hours a-day to its cultivation. 

 This, with the aid of The Jootnal of Hokticultote, will 

 soon enable you to know more about gardens and gardening; 

 and, should your health get established, perseverance will 

 soon work out a wished-for success. 



One of the most successful florists of the day was a jour- 

 neyman shoemaker when I was a boy. He began by growing 

 a few plants, and sending them for sale on a parr of trucks 

 to a neighbouring town once or twice a-week. 



The writer of this in the year 1840 was a very small boy 

 in a country printing office nearly 100 miles from London. In 



