February 28 , 1884 . ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
160 
cause. I find Ribston Pippin as bad on light loam with a dry sandy 
subsoil as on gravel, and worse on well-drained land than it is'on stiff 
loam with a clay subsoil. It is not caused by climatic changes, being 
quite as bad in mild winters and springs as in severe weather. 
I do not think insects are the cause of the disease. A Pearmain 
tiee is badly cankered in the stem on one side only, a portion of the 
bark about the size of one’s open hand being eaten away; the rest of 
the bark, about two-thirds round, is, to all appearance, healthy, and 
supplying the tree with what nourishment it receives, the wood being 
dead light through to the living bark; it has been so for years. If 
insects are the cause,. would they not have gone completely round the 
branch and killed it instead of commencing again higher in the same 
tree ? As regards insects showing a preference for the best-flavoured 
sap, with us the Wellington is nearly as bad as the Ribston, and if the 
sap is flavoured anything like the fruit of the former I do not admire 
their taste. .1 mean to give Mr. Hiam’s remedy a trial, and hope it will 
succeed, having been in search of a cure for a long time. 
I have tried grafting healthy stocks and transplanting them every 
two years, keeping the roots pruned to prevent them reaching the subsoil, 
but canker occurs even then.—H. E. M. 
PICOTEES. 
Heavy Red-edged. 
Brunette 
J. B. Bryant 
John Smith 
Master Norman 
Princess of Wales 
Winifred Esther 
Light Redredged. 
Clara 
Elsie Grace 
Mrs. Bower 
Mrs. Garton 
Thomas William 
Violet Douglas 
Heavy Purple-edged. 
Alliance 
Lizzie Tomes 
Mrs. A. Chancellor 
Mrs. Niven 
Tinnie 
Zerlina 
Light Purple-edged. 
Alice 
Ann Lord 
Her Majesty 
Mary 
Minnie 
Master Nichol 
Heavy Rose-edged. 
Edith Dombrain 
Lady Louisa 
Miss Horner 
Mrs. Payne 
Mrs. Rudd 
Royal Visit 
Light Rose-edged. 
Beauty of Plumstead 
Ethel 
Miss Wood 
Miss Garton 
Mrs. Allcroft 
Victoria 
ELECTION OF CARNATIONS AND PICOTEES. 
THE ELECTORS’ RETURNS. 
[The names of the raisers of the varieties in the following lists have been given in 
the previous returns.] 
From Mr. JON. BOOTH, Failsworth, Manchester. 
CARNATIONS. 
Scarlet Bizarres. 
Admiral Curzon 
Dreadnought 
Mercury 
Robert Lord 
Edward Adams 
William Spoor 
Crimson Bizarres. 
Master Fred 
Lord Milton 
Eccentric Jack 
Graceless Tom 
E. S. Dodwell 
Jenny Lind 
Pink and Purple Bizarres. 
Falconbridge 
Sarah Payne 
Mrs. Anstiss 
H. 31. Mayor 
James Taylor 
Squire Llewelyn 
Purple Flakes. 
Dr. Foster 
Squire Meynell 
Earl Wilton 
James Douglas 
Juno 
Squire Whitbourne 
Scarlet Flakes. 
Sportsman 
Annihilator 
John Ball 
Clipper 
William Mellor 
Dan Godfrey 
Rose Flakes. 
Sybil 
John Keat 
Jessica 
Cristagalli 
Mrs. Dodwell 
James Merryweather 
PICOTEES. 
Heavy Red-edged. 
John Smith 
Brunette 
J. B. Bryant 
Mrs. Dodwell 
Lord Valent ia 
Countess of Wilton 
Light Red-edged. 
Thomas William 
Violet Douglas 
Mrs. Hornby 
Mrs. Bower 
Winifred Esther 
Elsie Grace 
Heavy Putple-edged. 
Zerlina 
Mrs. Summers 
Lizzie Tomes 
Alliance 
Fanny 
Mrs. Niven 
Light Put pie-edged. 
Ann Lord 
Minnie 
Mary 
Clara Penson 
Tinnie 
Nymph 
Heavy Rose-edged. 
Mrs. Lord 
Miss Horner 
Fanny Ilellen 
Miss Lee 
Edith Dambrain 
Royal Visit 
Light Rose-edged. 
Mrs. Allcroft 
Miss Wood 
Miss Gorton 
Bertha 
Mrs. Nichol 
L’Elegant 
From Mr. W. Mellor, Wakefield. 
CARNATIONS. 
Scarlet Bizarres. 
Admiral Curzon 
Alfred Hudson 
Edward Adams 
Fred 
George 
John Hines 
Crimson Bizarres. 
Harrison Weir 
J. D. Hextall 
Jenny Lind 
Lord Milton 
Master Fred 
Thomas Moore 
Pink and Purple Bizarres. 
Falconbridge 
Sarah Payne 
Squire Dodwell 
Shirley Hibberd 
Stanley Hudson 
Unexpected 
Purple Flakes. 
Dr. Foster 
James Douglas 
Juno 
Mayor of Nottingham 
Squire Whitbourne 
Squire Meynell 
Scarlet Flakes. 
Clipper 
Henry Cannell 
Sportsman 
Thomas Woodhead 
Thomas Tomes 
William Mellor 
Rose Flakes. 
Electric Light 
James Merryweather 
John Keefe 
Mrs. Matthews 
Mrs. Dodwell 
Sybil 
HINTS ON SOILS AND POTTING. 
The season has again arrived when potting plants is gene¬ 
rally commenced, though I think that annual repottings in 
spring are not so much followed now as formerly. It is not, 
perhaps, desirable to enter too minutely into the details con¬ 
nected with potting plants. Hard-and-fast rules are quite as 
inapplicable to this phase of gardening as to any other ; there¬ 
fore it may be of more general service to state some of the main 
points in connection with the subject. It may be stated that 
many plants requiring annual or biennial repotting are best 
attended to in the early part of September or even earlier in 
autumn. Plants repotted at that season are established before 
winter, and more ready for a start in spring than if repotted at 
the latter season. But even when the system of autumn potting 
is carried out there still remain many plants to be attended to 
now. It will be a more convenient way to treat this subject by 
dividing it into two sections, first describing the soils and then 
the manner of potting. 
Soils. —Gardeners, and amateurs also, have much to depend 
on local surroundings for potting material. In my case for 
several years the best soil I could command was obtained from 
an old rubbish heap. I am glad to say that a more suitable 
material is given me now; but in the matter of peat soil, unless 
it is bought at a heavy rate, there is nothing fit to use in our 
locality. Most people who own a garden are more or less fond 
of it and its products; but not many like to purchase either turf 
or peat at the ordinary prices, and a gardener is much left to 
his own devices. I have proved that many plants will do fairly 
well in very ordinary material, provided it has not a tendency 
to become clogged and sour. The main safeguard against these 
evils when fibreless or clayey soils have to be employed is to 
make use of the smallest pots possible consistent with the size 
of the plants. 
Another way I have seen tried, but which I do not follow 
myself and therefore do not recommend, and that is to mix a 
large proportion of rough leaf soil, rough dung, and sand with 
the soil and pot rather loosely. Such mixtures invaluably 
become sodden after a lengthened period in use, and the quality 
of the roots formed even in its best condition readily decay. 
The quality of growth is also deficient in that firmness of quality 
so necessary to insure continued healthiness. As a rule, I 
hesitate to employ leaf soil and decayed manure in conjunction 
for any plants, and would only do so for those required to make 
a very rapid growth, and which are likely to be thrown away 
after that growth had been finished. The only manures I use 
are half-dried cow manure in a condition to rub down into fine 
flakes, and horse droppings prepared as for growing Mushrooms. 
Sheep manure in a half-dried condition is also suitable. 
Though I am able to get plenty of good turf for potting, I 
do not use that for every plant. Turf lias the one fault of being 
too quickly exhausted in the case of plants which have to grow 
in one pot and continue flowering for a long time. For instance, 
we employ no turf for Chrysanthemums, winter-flowering Pelar¬ 
goniums, nor Carnations. These do much better, though the 
growth is not so strong, in fibreless loam with a good proportion 
of cow manure added. When sand can be dispensed with it 
is also better omitted. I seldom use it. Doubtless roots are 
more freely produced where open sandy composts are used, 
but a compost in which roots are formed in moderate pro¬ 
portional number with the top growth is mucb better than using 
one which is too rapidly taken possession of by the roots and 
at once exhausted. These open composts are the worst for 
holding applied manures. I have occasionally bloomed winter¬ 
flowering Pelargoniums, which were potted in the summer, from 
