518 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTIAGE GARDENER. 
{ June 26. 1S84. 
few we 1 e yellow, like the typ-s I. variegata (yellow) crossed by I. pallida. 
One seedling was pure white, quite unlike the parents. 
Iris hexagona. —Mr. Lynch sent a specimen of this species from Florida, 
and which flowered for the first time at Cambridge. It had long sepals, 
greenish externally, and lilac petals. 
Monstrous Digitalis. —Rev. J. Henslow exhibited a monstrous blossom of 
a kind not uncommon in the Foxglove. The bracts below the terminal 
flowers graduated into sepals, four of which were half-petaloid. The corolla 
had a regular tube with fifteen lobes, but was split down one side, and 
carrying thirteen stamens ; within the tube was a gamosepalous calyx of seven 
sepals, and which, • contained an irregular mass of abortive virescent or 
partly spotted petals mixed with stamens. Within this was a similar 
structure. The repetition of calyx, petals, and stamens is somewhat 
similar to some kinds of double Daffodils and the double Helianthemum 
vulgare. 
Monstrous Antirrhinum. —Mr. James King, of Rowsham, Aylesbury, sent 
some remarkably malformed Snapdragons, called the “Rowsham Pet,” and 
which received a second-class certificate. It showed a tendency to be poly- 
petalous, but with a multiplication of parts of the corolla as well as of the 
stamens. It was abortive, but propagated by cuttings. It was referred to 
the Rev. G-. Henslow for further examination and report. 
Clematis. —Mr. Noble sent a Clematis called “Proteus,” which, after 
producing very double flowers at the end of June, rests for a month and then 
flowers again, as is the habit with other kinds, but differs from the latter in 
bearing single blossoms only. This was the case in 1883. 
COMING FLOWER SHOWS. 
Exhibitions are as numerous as ever, the following being those for 
June, July, August, and September, of which we have received any noti¬ 
fication at present 
June 26th.—Richmond. Canterbury (Roses). 
„ 28th.—West Kent. Camden Park, Chisleburst. Reigate (Roses). 
July 1st.—Edinburgh International Forestry Exhibition. National Rose 
Society, South Kensington. Stoke Bishop. 
„ 2nd.—Royal Botanic Society’s Evening Fete. Hull (three days). 
Wimbledon. Cardiff. 
„ Srd.—Bury St. Edmunds. Winchester (two days). Bath (Roses). 
Chiswick. Earnham (Roses). 
„ 4th.—Sutton (Roses). Tunbridge Wells. 
„ 5th.—Crystal Palace (Roses). 
„ 7th.—Brockham (Roses). 
„ 8th.—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees ; 
Promenade Show. 
„ 9th.—Edinburgh (two days). Salisbury (Roses). Lee (two days). 
„ 10th.—Oxford (Roses). 
„ 14th.—Wolverhampton (three days). 
„ 16th.—Bedford. 
„ 17th.—Carlisle (two days). Wirksworth (Roses). Newport. 
„ 19th,—Manchester (Roses). 
» 22nd.—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees; 
Fruit and Vegetable Show; Carnation and Picotee Show. 
„ 28rd.—Newcastle-on-Tyne (three days). Feltham. 
„ 24th.—Sheffield (two days). 
„ 80th.—Warwick. 
August 2nd.—Liverpool (two days). Southampton (two days). 
„ 12th.—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees; 
Cottagers’ Show. 
, 14th.—Maidenhead. 
„ 20th.—Shrewsbury (two days). 
„ 21st.—Reading. 
,, 26th.—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees; 
Fruit and Vegetable Show. Banbury. , 
September 2nd.—Stratford-on-Avon (two days). 
„ 3rd.—Glasgow. Bath (two days). 
„ 5th.—Crystal Palace Fruit and Dahlias (two days). 
,, 9tli.—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees. 
„ 11th.—Bury St. Edmunds (two days). Dundee International (three 
days). 
„ 17th.—Edinburgh (two days). 
„ 25rd.—Royal Horticultural Society, Fruit and Floral Committees; 
Fruit and Vegetable Show. 
WORKJQIItheWEEK,. 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
Watering. —Now that the crop of fruit of all kinds is set and swelling 
it is important that the growth should be free and unchecked ; there 
must, therefore, be no lack of moisture in the soil to afford a prompt and 
steady supply of food for the root-hairs. Upon the nature of that 
moisture depends the development of leaf, branch, and fruit; clearly, 
then, it should contain nutriment in a much larger quantity than water 
affords. We have, however, only to take the best substitute for it— 
house sewage—and we have a mild form of liquid manure that is safe in 
the hands of the most ignorant labourer. With the sound system of 
drainage and thorough mechanical division of the soil which we have so 
long and so persistently advocated, there is no danger of harmful appli¬ 
cation of sewage ; and we have only to take care that enough is used 
regularly to keep up an ample store of fertility in the soil, with the 
comfortable assurance that no harm can happen from any careless excess 
in its use. Need we add the other important consideration, that the use 
of house sewage is true economy ? Owners of gardens should see that 
there is enough labour power in the garden to insure the regular use of 
the sewage—no light matter at so busy a season of the year. It is simply 
ridiculous to provide a cesspool, pump, and piping without affording the 
gardener enough helps to turn it to account. 
The Foliage .—By midsummer the foliage necessary for sap-elabora* 
tion is fully developed, and its vital functions are in full activity ; 
cleanliness and freedom from blight or insect ravages is therefore^most 
important. Glean water forced upwards among the leaves by a powerful 
syringe or garden engine occasionally is good practice, tending, a3 it 
does, to keep under red spider and dislodge other insects. Aphides 
upon Cherry shoots are easily got rid of by dipping each sho t hi 
tobacco water, made by steeping 4 ozs. of tobacco in a gallon of water. 
Let the dipping be done on a calm dry evening, and syringe with clean 
water on the following morning. Caterpillars on Gooseberry and 
Currant leaves should be picked off by hand and killed. Avoid the 
dangerous plan of dusting the bushes now with powdered hellebore to 
destroy the caterpillars ; the powder is a deadly poison, which might 
be eaten with the fruit and cause loss of life. 
Strawberries .—The layering of runners for new beds should be done 
as soon as possible, in order that the plants may be ready for planting 
in July or early in August. The best way of doing this is to fill enough 
3-inch pots firmly with old well-decayed hotbed manure, sink each pot 
to the rim in the ground with a trowel, peg the runner carefully upon 
the middle of the soil in the pot, and it will root quickly and well. 
By plunging the pots little, if any, watering is required, the cool soil 
around the pot checking the excessive evaporation, which is unavoidable 
when it stands upon the surface fully exposed to the heat of summer. 
Pieces of turf are sometimes recommended in preference to pots for 
this purpose, but we prefer the pots because they are ready to our hands, 
and every aid to time-saving now is important. Early summer planting 
means half a crop of fine fruit early next year ; late summer or autumn 
planting of late-rooted runners means no fruit till the year after next. 
Even if you cannot plant early in the permanent beds, by all means 
secure a supply of the earliest runners, which may be planted thickly 
in borders and transplanted when space can be afforded them, and so 
get a little fruit next year. 
Raspberries .—Thin new growth, and give the entire surface between 
the rows heavy weekly waterings of sewage, both to assist the swelling 
fruit and to promote strong growth for next year’s crop. Currants, 
Gooseberries, and American Blackberries all have sewage regularly too. 
The entire plantation has a surface dressing of farmyard manure, which 
keeps down weeds, attracts the roots to the surface, feeds them, and 
also acts as a mulching to check evaporation. 
FRUIT FORCING. 
Peaches and Nectarines. —Early Houses .—Directly after the removal 
of the fruit from the trees means must be adopted for cleansing the foliage 
by frequent washing with the garden engine. The free exposure of the 
present year’s growths by taking out the shoots that have borne fruit, and 
such as are not likely to be wanted for affording fruit next season, should 
also be attended to. Where this operation is judiciously performed little 
pruning in autumn will be required, and the young growths having had 
full exposure to sun tnd air will be thoroughly ripe, firm, and well 
furnished with fruit buds. Let inside borders have liberal supplies of 
water, affording liquid manure to trees that have been heavily cropped and 
show signs of exhaustion. Mark such as need lifting to check any 
tendency to over-luxuriance, or to add fresh loam to such as show signs of 
failing vigour. Nothing pays better in Peach culture than frequent 
lifting. The best time to perform the operation is just before the leaves fall, 
and being carefully performed the trees rarely cast their buds, the fruit 
rarely fails to set and stone well, and swell off good crops of fruit. 
Lifting or bringing the roots near the surface, especially when performed 
before the fall of the leaves, causes a free production of active surface 
roots, which to the early forcer arc a great gain, as the trees make a quick 
response to the application of heat when the house is closed for forcing. 
The earliest-forced house may' now have the roof lights removed, but it 
is advisable to do this by degrees rather than exposing the trees at once to 
the open air; and in the case of trees that are very vigorous the lights will 
need to be kept on some time longer than those that have firm short- 
jointed growths. 
Succession Houses .—The fruit of plants started in February will now 
be ripening, and will need a drier condition of the atmosphere with a free 
circulation of air. A gentle damping of the borders will be needed 
occasionally for the benefit of the foliage, and the trees must not be allowed 
to become dry at the roots. Trees in late succession houses that have 
passed the stoning process should he examined carefully, and all pendent 
fruit that can he turned up to the light and supported apex upward on 
laths placed across the wires forming the trellis. Stop the points of the 
shoots carrying fruit, otherwise allow a fair extension, but gross growths 
should be pinched so as to equalise the sap as much as possible. Avoid 
overcropping ; a fruit to every square foot of surface is ample where size 
and quality is the first consideration, and timely thinning to that quantity 
will not only increase the size of the fruit but prevent any being cast 
through the process of stoning, which is the most trying for the trees in 
the whole of the forcing or growing period. Syringe freely twice a day 
until the fruits begin to soften or ripen, using clear soft wafer, as water 
that is hard often stains the fruit. Avoid a close moist atmosphere at 
night by giving air then or very early in the morning, and run up to 80° 
in the afternoon with sun heat after closing. 
Late Houses .—Keep the trees thin of wood, not allowing more shoots 
to remain than will be necessary for the next year’s crop or furnishing the 
trees. This is absolutely necessary to secure short-jointed thoroughly 
