January 15, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
49 
that it is the best Nectarine we have, but I think it deserves a place in 
every collection.” 
- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. J. Downen, late fruit foreman 
at Possingworth, Hawkhurst, succeeds Mr. Dench as gardener to Sir 
George R. Prescott, Bart., Isenburst Park, Cross-in-Hand, Sussex. 
AURICULAS. 
I THAnk Mr. Horner very much for his letter anent these charming 
flowers, which certainly gives us a ray of hope that at some date we may 
see them in collections outside the pale of the “ few florists’ friends ” into 
whose hands they luckily fall, and where, no doubt, I have seen them. 
What myself and others, especially those of us who may not be within 
the magic circle, object to is, that these seedlings should be exhibited 
year after year, thus tantalising the minor luminaries who cannot secure 
them for love nor money. We are certain of this, that Mr. Horner and 
his colleagues are not likely to discredit themselves by placing 
seedlings upon the exhibition table ; there is no need for an Auricula in 
their hands to occupy that position before its merits are well known. I 
do not for a moment wish to dispute their right to exhibit these seedlings; 
at the same time surely the strong muster of critical intelligence within 
the florists’ circle is quite sufficient to guard the credit of any one of their 
number without annually presenting them to the public eye ; and when 
an enthusiast with a spare guinea in his pocket asks Mr. So-and-So to 
dispose of a plant, he is met with a surprising look, and “ Oh ! that is a 
‘seedling’ and cannot be sold.” Another year he may go through the 
same ceremony. At the same time there may be a few plants at each 
of “ a few florists’ friends,” but the public must not have them, because 
“ raisers are bound to act for their own credit’s sake.” I write with a 
pretty fair knowledge of the present demand for Auriculas, also of the 
difficulties attending the increase of some kinds, having in hand nearly 
two dozen plants of George Lightbody.—T. 
NOTES ON GRAPES. 
Golden Queen.-— I have been much surprised when reading the notices 
of this Grape that have appeared of late in the columns of the Journal to 
find so litt T e said in its praise. In the spring of 1876 I planted two 
vineries 20 feet by 15 feet." Golden Queen was sent out for the first time 
by the late Mr. Pearson the previous autumn, and among other Vines I 
ordered a Golden Queen at a guinea. It was planted in an inside border, 
where the roots could have access as well to one outside the house. In the 
same house were Muscats, Hamburghs, Madresfield Court, Dr. Hogg, and 
Mrs. Pince. The latter two I have since cut out. All were grown with 
single rods on the spur system. 
In the third year so vigorous was the growth of the Queen that I 
found it necessary, in addition to a heavy crop of Grapes, to run up a 
second rod in order to utilise the superabundant sap. For the last three 
years I have had a heavy crop on both rods of good-sized bunches with 
grand berries and perfectly finished. This year the Vine carried twenty- 
seven bunches, which would average 2 lbs. each, all of which were perfectly 
ripened. The last two bunches are now sent in from the fruit-room, and 
I send you with this a few berries for you to judge of their quality. They 
have been ripe since the latter part of August and are now sweetmeats. 
The foliage and growth of laterials with this heavy crop was most 
vigorous, many leaves 12 inches and 14 inches in diameter. The Vine is 
so strong a grower, so free a fruiter, and so free in setting, that it can 
hardly fail to make a good market Grape, and to those who want a good 
cropper and a most luscious Grape, I say Grow Golden Queen.—J. M. M., 
North, Devon. 
[The Grapes were admirably grown and of splendid quality—quite 
“ sweetmeats,” with a rich Muscat aroma, and worthy of high praise.] 
« -- 
ROSE MILDEW. 
I have read “ C. W.’s” letter, page 39 of the Journal, with much 
pleasure, and though I had already written a short note on the difficult 
question of mildew, I propose to suppress it for the present and try to 
reply to “ C. W.” I did not directly contradict “ C. W.’s ” statement 
that “ mildew is more prevalent in wet, cold summers,” but I do so now. 
I say this on my own responsibility, and I think I may claim to be sup¬ 
ported in this view by Mr. Worthington Smith, whom “ C. W.” admits to 
be an authority. On page 479, last volume, Mr. Smith says, “The spores 
of Rose mildew very soon perish in the air ; they cannot withstand 
dryness, heat, moisture, or cold,” therefore cold wet weather must destroy 
vast numbers of spores, and can scarcely be said to be favourable to their 
growth. From repeated observation I have invariably noticed that 
mildew on outside-grown Rose trees does not fairly begin its ravages till 
August. Last year, for instance, I did not use sulphur until the second 
week of that month. Now I think it will be admitted that August was 
hotter and much drier than July, and with your permission I will give a 
few figures, culled from the Journal, in support of this opinion. July : 
Average temperature in shade, 64-2°; in the sun, 112 3°; on the grass, 
50°; of soil at 1 foot, 62 • 8°; rainfall, 2 - 460 in. August: Average tem¬ 
perature in shade. 65 - 75°; in the sun, 1129°; on the grass, 49’07°; of 
soil at 1 foot, 64'9°; rainfall, 0 894 in. 
Mildew was rampant through three weeks of August and September, 
and after then gradually diminished. I have always found it worst when 
we have hot sunny days followed by heavy dews at night. You will 
notice that the average temperature on the grass is almost 1° less in 
August than in July, while the July rainfall is two and a half times as 
great as that of August. 
If “ C. W.” had read Mr. Smith’s article as carefully as I did, he 
would have noticed that sulphur was not spoken of as a “preventive” 
of mildew, but as a “destroyer,” and even then it was the “fumes of 
sulphur.” I think it would be both a difficult and dangerous experiment 
to apply sulphur fumes to Rose trees growing outside. Further on 
Mr. Smith recommends sulphur and softsoap to be applied to Roses 
“ badly mildewed; ” but that cannot be called “ preventing,” it is only a 
“ temporary ” cure. 
The difference between “ C. W.” and myself is very small. I want to 
grow Rose trees without mildew. “ C. W.” does not mind mildew if 
only he has unlimited supplies of sulphur and softscap. His Roses 
would be like a man who enjoys good health as long as he takes medicine. 
I want mine to be healthy without. The strength of a chain is represented 
by its weakest link, and “ C. W.” admits that his remedy “ is dependent 
on a very variable and fickle spring,” therefore it is a very variable 
and fickle remedy. We cannot alter the weather, but I think we can try 
to find out more than we know about mildew. Why it attacks Marie 
Baumann and Camille de Rohan, but spares La France and Baronne de 
Rothschild. Why it only affects Tea Roses (except Madame Bcrard and 
Cheshunt Hybrid) to a very slight extent, and Gloire de Dijon not at all. 
These remarks only apply to outside-grown trees.—T. C. Clayton. 
GOOD OLD FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Every lover of florists’ flowers must be longing for unity between 
raisers and cultivators. The exhibitor cannot do without the raiser, nor 
the raiser without the exhibitor ; therefore instead of stirring the fire of 
strife let us hold out the olive branch of peace. After many years’ retire¬ 
ment from exhibiting among florists’ Carnations and Picotees, I have for 
some years been preparing to re-enter again into what has been to me a 
pleasurable contest. When I was a young man, Thomas Hogg of Pad¬ 
dington, Norman of Woolwich, and others were the chief growers, and 
Mr. Chas. Turner was a young man. Frequently travelling sixty miles in a 
day before the time of the railways, and as a grower of fifty years, also a 
winner of prizes in those days, I ask the same question as I a-,ked the 
veterans at the last year’s Carnation Show, Kensington. Have the old 
varieties been surpassed, although I cannot now procure them? such as 
Cartwright’s Rainbow, C.B. ; Gregory’s King Alfred, C.B. ; Martin’s 
Splendid, s.B; Flora’s Garland, r.f. ; Fletcher’s Duchess of Devonshire, 
R F. ; Pearson’s MadameMara, S.f. ; andBrown’s Bishopof Gloucester, S.F. 
If anyone is still growing them I should like to obtain them. Although 
I have the principal leading flowers, such as Master Fred, Muriel, and 
most of the other modern ones, I am not without some veterans, Ely, Lord 
Milton, Paul Pry, Beauty of Woodhouse, and Admiral Cuizon. Picotees 
have increased in a marked degree, but I question now if many flowers 
would surpass my John’s Prince Albert, P.P., and Lady Dacre, S.P, 
which I raised forty-seven years past. Mr. C. Turner complimented me 
at the last exhibition upon them. When nearly in my teens only Barnard’s 
Mrs. Barnard, s.p., Wood’s Agrippina, _p.p., were sent out more than 
forty years. 
I trust our friends will look forward to the future with the same 
pleasure as in times of old, and if we meet in July I hope to be a victor, 
or to be able to return again to the contest a more successful man.— 
Thomas Garratt, Bis / toj ) Stortford . 
CHRYSANTHEMUM NOTES. 
Chrysanthemums for Home Use. —Amid the numerous notes which 
have appeared from week to week in the Journal I looked in vain for 
some indication of these flowers being of value for other purposes than 
exhibition. Large flowers and few of them have been in the ascendant, 
yet for ordinary country house purposes that is just what we do not 
want. A much safer guide to follow in regard to decorative and cut- 
flower Chrysanthemums would be the ordinary grower for market instead 
of the grower for exhibition. I do not intend to enter at large into this 
subject, but will merely jot; down a few facts which I have gathered in 
cultivating a large number of plants in a few varieties. 
At the outset I would say that for ordinary purposes a rigid selection 
as to sorts is one of the first things to face. Of course in cases where the 
employer likes a variety of colours this is not possible, but very generally 
we do not require to consult their taste in these matters so long as plenty 
of good flowers are forthcoming. White, yellow, and red flowers are the 
ones which are always preferred at this season, and there is this to be said 
of white and of yellow Chrysanthemums that they vie with any other 
flowers in their season. A vase filled with naturally grown stems of Mrs. 
G. Rundle, each stem standing clear and showing a dozen or more 
medium-sized blooms, and topped with a large drooping globe of snowy 
white, is unapproachable for soft chaste beauty in its season. The be t 
white varieties I have had experience of are these—the early-flowering 
Madame Desgranges, which requires to be opened under glass in order to 
get purity of white, then Soeur Melanie, which has beautiful foliage, and 
a most floriferous sort, and in addition continues in good condition when 
cut longer than any other kind, with the exception of Ethe'. Lady 
Selborne, though it does not stanl so long when cut, l as the valuab e 
pr perty of continuing in flower lo iger than anv other sort. Mrs. G. 
Rundle is indispensable, and 60 of course is Elaine, which is more 
suitable for single blooms than any other. Taen we have Fair Maid of 
