April 2 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
269 
Vuurbaak, Lord Derby, Czar Peter, Grand Maitre, Lord Macaulay, Yoltaire, 
Ruber maximus, and Moreau. In Mr. Wrigbt’s collection Lord Derby, 
Mont Blanc, King of the Blacks, Garibaldi, and Yon Schiller were similarly 
fine. Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son, Highgate, were third with good plants 
bearing handsome spikes. 
In the class for thirty-six Tulips Messrs. Cutbush & Son were easily first, 
staging excellent examples of Joost Van Vondel and the White variety, 
Cottage Maid, Ophir d’Or, Fabiola, Vermillion Brilliant, Proserpine, Hector, 
Van der Neer, Rose Gros de Lin, Keisers Kroon, and White Pottebakker, 
free, bright, and beautiful. Messrs. H. Williams & Son and H. R. Wright 
followed with rather smaller flowers, but bright in colour. Three beautiful 
collections of twenty-four Narcissuses were entered by Messrs. H. Williams 
and Son, H. R. Wright, and W. J. Watson, Newcastle-on-Tyne, who were 
awarded the prizes in that order. The leading varieties were Gloriosus and 
Bazelman major, which were represented by some strong spikes, ten or 
twelve in a pot. Lilies of the Valley were similarly good from the same 
firms, were also profusely flowered. The Cyclamens from Mr. H. B. Smith, 
Ealing, were fine healthy plants with sixty to eighty flowers each, were 
deserving the first prize awarded for them in the class for thirty-six plants. 
Mr. R. Clarke, Twickenham, who followed had some beautiful varieties in 
his collection ; and Mr. F. J. Hill, gardener to H. Little, Esq., Hillingdon, 
Uxbridge, who was third, showed well-grown plants. In the class for twelve 
Cyclamens the honours were shared by Mr. Wiggins, gardener to W. Clay, 
Esq., Kingston, and Mr. F. J. Hill, who were first and second respectively. 
Messrs. H. B. Smith and Wiggin, and Miss Clay were the chief winners in 
the classes for eighteen pots of Mignonette grown in the market style, each 
having dwarf healthy specimens bearing dense spikes. With Tree Mig¬ 
nonette, however, Mr. J. R. Bird, The Gardens, Lodgemore, Alleyn Park, 
West Dulwich, was the only exhibitor, gaining the premier prize with neat 
■specimens, the stems 2 to 3 feet high and the heads about 18 inches or 2 feet 
in diameter well flowered. A number of other umbrella or pyramidal 
specimens were also staged by the same exhibitor. 
A class was provided for twenty-four greenhouse Azaleas, and in this Mr. 
<C. Turner, Slough, secured the premier award with compact globular or pyra¬ 
midal plants, 3 feet high, and loaded with flowers. The best were A. Borsig, 
double white; Roi d’Hollande, single, deep red; Mdlle. Marie Lefebvre, 
single, white, good; Sigismund Rucker, rose and white, single ; Mrs. 
Turner, single, salmon rose and white; Cordon Bleu, purple; and Jules 
Verne, white, with red stripes. Mr. H. James, Castle Nursery, Lower 
Norwood, was placed second with a good selection of varieties. Mr. C. 
Turner also had the chief collection of Amaryllises and Auriculas, being 
first in each class. Mr. J. Ford, gardener to J. C. Lanyon, Esq., Birdhurst, 
South Croydon, staged the best collection of twelve Cinerarias, the plants 
healthy, and the flowers of bright rich colours. 
An imposing and graceful group of stove and greenhouse plants gained 
Messrs. J. Laing & Co., Forest Hill, the first prize in the class, and formed, 
with the handsome second group from Mr. J. James and a number of 
bulbous plants from the Crystal Palace Company, a magnificent bank at 
the entrance to the Show. Messrs. J. Laing’s group contained a due 
proportion of Palms, Crotons, Ferns, and Caladiums, with numerous 
Orchids (especially Dendrobiums), Ericas, Cytisus, Begonias, Epacrises, 
and other plants being freely and elegantly arranged. Mr. James had 
some larger specimen plants of considerable value, but with a somewhat 
heavier appearance. 
Of the miscellaneous exhibits the charming group of Roses in pots from 
Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, was the most admired. The plants were all 
healthy, and in several cases remarkably well flowered, Souvenir d’un Ami, 
Avocat Duvivier, Duke of Teck, Celine Forestier, La France, and Madame 
Lacharme were especially noteworthy in this respect. The graceful 
•diminutive Rosa Polyantha, Mignonette, and its white companion Par- 
queritte were also noteworthy in the group. Some interesting hardy plants 
were also shown by this firm. Messrs. H. Lane & Son, Berkhampstead, had 
a large group of Rhododendrons, including many varieties. Messrs. J. 
Carter & Co., High Holborn, had a basket of Scarborough Lilies (Vallota 
purpurea) in flower, extremely bright and effective. Mr. J. James, Slough, 
had a stand of Cineraria blooms; Messrs. Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, 
had a basket of Tree Carnations ; Mr. H. R. Wright, Turner Road, Lee, 
showed 120 Tulips in pots ; Mr. H. B. Smith had a group of Cyclamens, and 
Messrs. Barr & Son, Covent Garden, an extensive collection of Daffodils and 
hardy flowers. Extra prizes were awarded to the preceding, and first-class 
certificates to the following plants :— 
To Messrs. Barr & Son for Chionodoxa sardensis , Narcissus pallidus 
pracox, and N. Barri complcuus, which have been previously described ; 
and to Mr. H. B. Smith, Ealing, for the following Cyclamens :— 
Cyclamen Miss Nightingale. —A fine variety, with very large flowers; 
the petals pale rosy purple, and a darker tube. 
Cyclamen The Major. —Very handsome, white or blush tinted, crimson 
tube; broad petals of great substance. 
L1PAGERIA ALBA AT OAKBROOIv, SHEFFIELD. 
A notice of this plant appeared on page 328 of the last volume, and 
I again call attention to it for the purpose of recording what appears to 
be a curious freak in its growth this season. A few weeks since it com¬ 
menced growing more strongly and rapidly than before, and not content 
apparently with throwing up four very strong new growths from the 
base, each as thick as a man’s finger in the ordinary way, I noticed a 
little more than a week since one stronger and thicker than either of the 
others coming through the bottom of the box in which the plant is grow¬ 
ing. I have long noticed that L. alba when strong differs from L. rosea 
in the habit it has of forming an extended rhizome-like growth under¬ 
ground, so that the young growths appear at a considerable distance from 
the original base. L. rosea, on the other hand, invariably throws up the 
annual young growths close to those of the preceding year, thus keeping 
the stems of the plant close together. The four young growths of 
L. alba previously alluded to as having appeared in a normal form— i. e., 
at the surface of the box—had each run underground as far as the box 
sides would allow them, and turned up to daylight in the extreme corners. 
In the case of the fifth growth it appears by some mischance on reaching 
the box sides to have turned downwards, and on reaching the bottom to 
have wandered about in search of an outlet, until finding a crack in the 
boards it forced its way through. The box is about 15 inches deep, and 
the point of the growth is now about 3 inches above the top, it having 
turned up outside the end. Since I noticed it, it has made an average 
growth in height of 2 inches per day. 
When on a visit to the Handsworth Nurseries (Messrs. Fisher, Son, 
and Sibray) a week or two since, I was shown a similar strange freak on 
the part of one of the largest specimens of L. alba growing in a No. 1 
pot, which had produced a very strong growth through one of the side 
drainage holes at the base of the pot.—W. K. W. 
NOTES ON GRAPES. 
Keeping Grapes.— I have been during the past season trying the 
keeping properties of a number of Grapes, none of which has come up to 
the standard for late work of our old friends Lady Downe’s and Alicante. 
These at the middle of March were as sound as they were in October, and 
the flavour has not deteriorated, nor is likely to for weeks to come. Gro3 
Colman is still eatable, but is now shrinking. Alnwick Seedling is getting 
past use ; John Downie, which appears to be much like the latter, is also 
past its best. Black Hamburgh, Muscat, Muscat Hamburgh, and a few 
others we can keep in good condition to February, but after that time 
Alicantes and Lady Downe’s are the best. The latter is preferred by us 
to all others for the latest supply.—M. Temple. 
STRAWBERRIES. 
A few Strawberries at this season are always a welcome 
addition to the usually scanty dessert. The various batches 
now in band throw up their flowers plentifully, and will doubt¬ 
less repay for the labour necessary to secure a good crop. Some 
men are terribly afraid of placing Strawberries on shelves in 
fruit houses for fear of red spider, but I cannot say that my 
experience leads me to believe that Strawberries are more 
subject to red spider than either Vines or Peaches, provided 
they are properly supplied with water. Those who are 
troubled with this insect let me advise to give the plants about 
a pint of liquid manure (stable drainings), in every gallon of 
water used, from the time they are housed till the fruit begins 
colouring, and see that they never become dry and shrink from 
the pots at any time. Syringe twice a day in warm weather, 
and I venture to say there will be little risk of spider as far as 
Strawberries are concerned. 
When the plants are in bloom they enjoy a temperature, by 
sun heat, of from 60° to 8CP during the day, but the temperature 
at night should not exceed 50’, and may fall to 40°, rather than 
employ much fire heat. As soon as a sufficient number of fruits 
are set on each plant all the others should be pulled off, and if 
the p'ants have to be moved from one house to another, as is 
generally the case, the fruits should be supported by tying to a 
short stake. This prevents them being crushed when moving, 
keeps them from becoming wet while watering, and allows them 
full exposure to the sun. At the time of thinning the fruit the 
plants should be moved into a Cucumber house or stove, where 
they can have a temperature of from 60° to 70° at night, and 
from 80° to 90° with sun during the day. When the fruit begins 
to colour our plants are moved into a late vinery where the 
Vines are beginning to come into leaf, and when this becomes 
too much shaded later lots are finished off in a late Peach house, 
and these houses suit them fairly well. I may state that we take 
our late runners in the autumn, lay them in, and pot them when 
convenient in spring, as advocated in these pages by others, and 
we find it less trouble than is sometimes experienced in getting 
time to attend to early runners.— R. Inglis. 
THE NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIEIY. 
On Monday evening, the 30th inst., the last meeting of the General 
Committee of this Society for the present season was held at the Old 
Four Swans, Bishopsgate Street Within, E.C. The President, E. 
Sanderson, Esq, took the chair shortly after seven o’clock, being well 
supported by the other officers of this Society. 
After the minutes of the last meeting (which was reported in our issue 
of the 19th February) had been read and confirmed, the Honorary Secre¬ 
tary, Mr. Wm. Holmes, read letters from the Secretaries of the under¬ 
mentioned societies, expressing their desire to become affiliated with 
the N.C.S., in accordance with the terms set out in page 15 
of the schedule:—Sheffield and West Riding Chrysanthemum Society; 
Brighton and Hove Chrysanthemum Society ; Weald of Kent Gardeners’ 
and'’ Mutual Improvement Society ; Highgate, Finchley, and Hornsey 
Chrysanthemum Society ; Scarborough Floral and Horticultural Society ; 
Ascot, Snnningdale, and District Horticultural Society ; Bath and Floral 
Fete and Band Committee; Lincoln Chrysanthemum Society; Dorset 
County Branch of the National Chrysanthemum Society ; Ealing, Acton, 
and Hanwell Horticultural Society. The election of the representatives 
of these societies to the General Committee was then proceeded with. 
