April 30, i?9 8 - 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



287 



. anfl a i S o how well our leading gardeners meet the great demands made 

 "Si' them even at this end of the se^on. A similar award was made to Mr. 

 SS«S^3S« to Mrs - Win g field ' A m pthill House Bedford, foranexj 

 Kffi&n of first-rate produce. A bunch of bananas (Musa Cavendishi) held 

 he post of honour, and was supported by pots of strawberries, m full fruit, and 

 li^es of Royal Sovereign and Sir Joseph Paxton strawberries ; there were two 

 mis of apples, the variety being a late-keeping seedling from Beauty of Kent, 

 rotables were well represented by Carter's Mammoth broccoli, new potatos, 

 tnniitos asparagus, carrots, seakale, leeks, onions, radishes, cucumbers, rhubarb, 

 &c and altogether there were thirty-eight dishes of fruit and vegetables. 



'in competition for the Veitch flavour classes, the first prize for apples was won 

 by Mr. Bullock, gardener to C. P. Serrocold, Esq., with Hereford Pearmain ; 

 Colonel Brymer, Dorchester, secured second prize with Allen's Everlasting. 



READING AND DISTRICT GARDENERS' ASSOCIATION. 



One of the most interesting and successful meetings in the annuals of this 

 association was that held on Monday, when the prizes offered by Mr. Leonard 

 Sutton at the commencement of the season, 1898, for the best essays on " How 

 to keep the Greenhouse Gay from October 1 to March 31," and "How to Crop 

 the Vegetable Garden to ensure the best varieties of vegetables from October 1 to 

 March 31," were awarded to the successful competitors. The interest^ taken in 

 the competition was greater than anticipated, thirteen members sending in papers, 

 and it was not a matter of surprise that a good gathering of members assembled on 

 Monday evening to learn the result, and to hear the prizewinning papers read 

 by their writers. After the formal business had been transacted, Mr. C. B. 

 Stevens announced the awards as follows : " How to keep a Greenhouse Gay." 

 (1) Mr. A. W. Blake, Foreman, The Gardens, East Thorpe, Reading; (2) Mr. 

 G. Stanton, The Gardens, Park Place, Henley-on-Thames ; (3) Mr. John Botley, 

 Foreman, The Gardens, Warfield Hall, Bracknell. " How to Crop the Vegetable 

 Garden." (1) Mr. E. Trollope, The Gardens, Coombe Lodge, Whitchurch ; (2) 

 Mr. H. Wilson, The Gardens, Lower Redlands, Reading ; (3) Mr. G. Hinton, 

 The Gardens, Sherwood Lodge, Reading. 



The judges were Mr. James Hudson, Gunnersbury Park, and Mr. Edwin 

 Beckett, Aldenham House, Elstree. Mr. Leonard Sutton in presenting the 

 prizes said that he considered the subject of essay writing was one of the most 

 useful and beneficial to the members that the society could take ^ up, for it 

 encouraged the putting of one's ideas on paper, and at the present time it was 

 those gardeners that could go to their employers with well thought-out ideas that 

 would prove successful, and it would also be of the utmost value to the young 

 gardeners who entered these competitions, for they would reap the benefit of 

 their study and research in after life. The President then called upon the various 

 winners to read their papers, and although, of course, all were on the same 

 subject, yet they were treated from different standpoints, thus creating great 

 interest amongst the members present. A hearty vote of thanks was passed to 

 Mr. Leonard Sutton for his kindness in giving the prizes, and also to the members 

 for reading their papers. 



Cut flowers were staged by Mr. Woolford, The Gardens, East Thorpe, 

 including two good forms of Odontoglossum crispum, two fine types of Cattleya 

 Lawrenciana, spikes of Amaryllis Empress of India, and spathes of Anthurium 

 Scherzerianum Wardi, also flowering sprays of Prunus sinensis flora pleno by Mr. 

 Svvansborough, Warfield Hall Gardens, whilst vegetables were shown by Mr. Stone 

 and Mr. Hinton, including some nice heads of Sutton's April cabbage. 



NSWER S T 



CORRESPONDENTS 



Sport from Escallonia macrantha.— T. F., Isle of Man : You evidently 

 have a very handsome shrub, and one that cannot fail to become popular, if it 

 proves as free as the parent. It should also prove valuable if carefully propagated 

 until you hold a good stock. The name you suggest would be a suitable one, used 

 after the manner of Escallonia macrantha Ingrami. 



Rose and Fruit Cultivation, &c— H. B., Dover Beck : Suitable books 



for you will be "The Amateurs' Rose Book," 3s. 6d. (W. H. and L. Collingridge, 



148, 149, Aldersgate Street, E.C.) ; "Fruit Culture for Amateurs," 3s. 6d. 



(L. Upcott Gill, 170, Strand, W.C.) ; Nicholson's " Dictionary of Gardening," 4 



vols., £3 3s. (L. Upcott Gill) —we understand that a new edition of this work is 



forthcoming at an early date: and "Hooker's Elementary Botany," is. (Mac- 

 millan and Co.) 



R.H.S. Meetings. -H. G., Isle of Wight: The meetings of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society are duly notified in our columns the week previous to their 

 being held; usually they are notified in the paragraphs following the "Notes of 

 the Week," and always in the " Engagements for the Ensuing Week." The 

 next meeting will be held at the Drill Hall, St. James's Street, Victoria Street, 

 S.W., on May 10. Parcels for exhibition should be sent to the superintendent of 

 the R.H.S. at the Drill Hall. The secretary of the R.H.S. is the Rev. W. Wilks, 

 and his official address is 117, Victoria Street, S.W. 



Cultivation of Smilax.— A. C. : The plant to which you refer is no doubt 

 Myrsiphyllum asparagoides, a most useful plant for table and similar decoration 

 by reason of its long growths, clothed with branchlets of rich green foliage. It 

 requires a warm greenhouse, and does best planted out in a bed of loam and leaf- 

 soil to which a little mushroom-bed manure may be added if available. Plenty of 

 moisture is essential, and when well established and growing freely liquid manure 

 may be given frequently. The myrsiphyllum can be easily grown at the foot of 

 the back wall of a greenhouse, and each growth should be provided with along 

 string up which to twine, when this is done it is an easy matter to cut out one or 

 more growths as required, and have them their full length ; if allowed to entwine 

 about each the growths are of little value. 



Lumps on Chestnut Stems.— J. M., Hemel Hempstead : There is no 

 need to fear for the health of the tree because the lumps to which you refer are 

 evidence of its vitality and vigour. No doubt the red- flowered variety has been 

 worked upon a stem of the common horse-chestnut, standard fashion, and as 

 often happens the latter is endeavouring to grow. Where a bud or branch 

 originally existed and was not properly removed other minor buds have 

 developed, and these, being rubbed oft as produced, have induced the irregular 

 lumps about which you are concerned, and which are once again doing their best 

 to make growth. Sometimes when the head of a tree has been severely pruned 

 and lopped the proper balance between head and root is broken ; in its endeavour 



Complete Rouse FurnisDers- 



THE 



LAWN MOWERS 



THE WORLD 



ALL MACHINES 



sent 



CARRIAGE PAID 



on a 



MONTH S FREE TRIAL. 



CATALOGUES POST FREE, 



BENETFINK S Registered GARDEN ROLLER. 



D 



Chain or 

 Wheel 



By Making the handle square, lengthening and 

 connecting direct to ends of Roller, the user gains 

 great power of manipulation with half the usual 



breakag 



Size ^- CWtS * qrS ' IbS 



in. 



14 by 14 



Gearing 



16 „ 

 18 



20 

 22 



16 

 18 

 20 



RANSOMES 



f 



PATENT 



AUTOMATON 



24 

 26 „ 



>* 



it 



„ 2 4 



• • • 



• • • 



• 1 • 



• • • 



. ■ ■ 



» • • 



26 



I 



2 

 2 



3 



3 

 4 



5 



2 

 0 

 2 

 0 

 2 

 0 

 2 



7 

 0 



14 



14 



14 

 0 



• • • 



• • 1 



t • • 



• • • 



• • • 



• • • 



£ 



s. 



d. 



1 



6 



6 



1 



9 



6 



1 



14 



9 



1 



18 



9 



2 



3 



9 



2 



11 



9 



3 



11 



6 



Purp 



REGENT IMPORTANT IMPROVEMENT 



PATENT DOUBLE ANGLE CUTTING BARREL, 



PATENT RIBBED DRIVING ROLLERS, 



PATENT ADJUSTABLE FRONT ROLLERS. 



Double Cylinder, with Bevelled 

 Edges, Hardwood Handle, Frame 



beyond 



be used 



to wall. 



Made in 9 sizes, 8 to 24 inches wide. 



RANSOMES 



1 << 



ANGLO PARIS 



LION 



Machines 



For Small Gardens, and for Ladies' and Amateurs' Use. 



"Anglo- Paris," made in 8 sizes, 6 to 20 in. wide. 

 Lion" 



RANSOMES 



made in 4 sizes, 9, 11, 13, and 15 in. wide. 



own 



HORSE& PONY" MOWERS 



Machine. 



Design*, New Patterns, Patent Spring Har 



Patent Single Screw Adjustment. 

 Made in six sizes, 26 to 48 inches wide. 



Sent direct from Works, carriage paid, 

 to any railway goods station m England 



or Wales. 



Delivered Free in B. ami 



Immense Stock of . . . 



GARDEN ROLLERS, LAWN MOWERS, GARDEN ENGINES, 



SEATS, FORKS, SPADES, HOES, RAKES, SHEARS, 



WATER POTS, WATER BARROWS, 



SYRINGES, 

 WHEELBARROWS 



HOSE 



REELS, 



WIRE AND 



RUSTIC WORK OF EVERY DESCRIPTION. 



BENETFINK AND 



CO. 



CHEAPSIDE 



1 



LONDON 



9 



.0. 



