JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 19. 1883. 
50 
After all the anxiety and labour of the National at South Kensington, I had 
to start for Cardiff on the express, get there at night, judge the next day, 
and get back to London again. It is, .therefore, from no lack of interest in 
the success of the Farningham Show that I was unable to give any account 
of it m last week’s Journal; for I have not more thoroughly enjoyed any 
Kose show this year. The day was very fine, and, as everyone who has been 
t° harningham knows, the surroundings of the Show are very charming 
—the grounds so well kept, the river flowing briskly past, the grand 
ioiiage of the trees—never more beautiful than this season, the bright 
appearance of the Show ground, the excellence of the flowers, and the 
courtesy and kindness of all connected with the Exhibition made it a real 
enjoyment; and so restful did I feel it after the hurry-scurry of the previous 
day that I lingered so long, siting under the trees and chatting with Rose 
Hr?, 1 ?. ’ ^ ^0 find myself so late in reaching my kind friend Mr. Ernest 
Williams at Sutton as to make me quite ashamed of myself—and, I may 
add, of the railways, for it took me as long getting from Earningham to 
out ton as it did from London to Cardiff (four hours)! 
. Htie Exhibition at Farningham is not by any means confined to Roses, 
a though they form the piece cle resistance. Plants, fruits, vegetables, and 
honey are all shown well; indeed, of the latter there was the best exhibition 
t>y cottagers—Messrs. Skinner—that I have seen this season. The stove 
and greenhouse plants exhibited by Mr. Burnaby Atkins were really fine 
®P®f™ ens of cultural skill, and what shall I say to Mrs. Seal’s very beautiful 
table decorations ? Anything more chaste and elegant can hardly be con¬ 
ceived, and done with comparatively few flowers, and these by no means 
rare or expensive ; but the arrangement was so tasteful and suitable for its 
purpose that it would be well nigh impossible to excel it. The chief centre 
oi attraction, however, both to the larger number of visitors and to myself 
and, perhaps I may add, to the readers of the Journal—was the Rose 
tent ; and it was well worthy of attention, for it was filled with a fine and 
most excellent collection of, in most cases, first-class blooms : and here, 
a-Kain, I may notice how very great is the improvement in the local exhi¬ 
bitors. They have evidently learned much from previous exhibitions, show 
better and more correctly, and are more particular as to names and mode of 
setting up, and many stands that two or three years ago would have stood a 
C , lai H e year were nowhere. The nurserymen’s classes were well 
G j M t r ‘ Cant °f Maidstone, Messrs. Bunyard & Son, Maidstone, 
and Mr. Jefferies of Westerham. Mr. Cant’s stand contained excellent 
looms of Marie Cointet, Adam (Tea), Horace Vernet, La France, Annie 
Daxton, Duchesse de Morny, Etienne Levet, Marechal Niel, Victor Verdier, 
xenelope Mayo, Mdlle. Eugenie Verdier, Innocente Pirola (Tea), Madame 
Welch (lea), Madame Ducher, Marie Van Houtte, Baronne de Rothschild, 
Mane Baumann, and. Louis Van Houtte. He was also first in Teas with a 
very trie box containing Devoniensis, Souvenir d’Elise, Souvenir d’un Ami, 
b/aroline Ivuster, Madame Jules Margottin, Comtesse de Nadaillac (a very 
hne bloom), Madame Bravy, Jean Ducher, Niphetos, Moird, Madame Anghle 
acquin. Two stands of Teas were disqualified for having Reine Marie 
Ltenriette included amongst them. 
Ihe classes for amateurs were exceedingly well filled, and some excellent 
blooms were staged. In the class for twenty-four varieties Mr. Gray, gar- 
dener to Earl Stanhope, was first. His box contained Capitaine Christy, 
Mane Baumann, La France, Charles Lefebvre, Etienne Levet, Marie Rady, 
Raionne de Rothschild, Alfred Colomb, Countess of Rosebery, Horace Vernet, 
Gabne) Luizet, Duke of Teck, Franpois Michelon, Duke of Edinburgh, 
Marquise de Castellane, A. K. Williams, Star of Waltham, Marguerite de 
fot. Amand, Madame Victor Verdier, Jean Liabaud, Louis Van Houtte, Marie 
L/omtet, Dr. Andry, and Baron Bonstettin. Mr. Burnaby Atkins was a good 
second. Dr. Arbent of Farningham was first in twelves with good blooms of 
btar of Waltham, La France, Bessie Johnson, Baronne de Rothschild, 
hranpois Michelon, La Rosiere, Beauty of Waltham, Capitaine Christy, J. S. 
MUl, and Gabriel Luizet. In the class for nines Mr. Frank Burnside was 
nrst with a grand box containing Louis Van Houtte, La France, Marie 
Baumann, Marguerite de St. Amand, Catherine Mermet, and Innocente 
Alfa"n i c * ass f° r s i x tbe first prize was awarded to Mr. J. Dalton for 
Ta Trance, Pierre Notting, Louis Leveque, Princess Beatrice, 
and Mane Rady. These classes were restricted to the neighbourhood of 
larmngham. In the open class Mr. G. Chert of Buckhursthedge, Wester- 
was first with Thhrese Levet, Charles Lefebvre, Marquise de Castellane, 
Madame Prosper Langier, Mons. Noman, Jean Soupert (an extra good bloom), 
Marie Rady, Marguerite de St. Amand, Emily Laxton, La France, Maurice 
Bernardin, Marie Finger, A. K. Williams, Duchesse de Vallombrosa, Alfred 
L/Olomb, Marie Baumann, Madame Willermoz, Horace Vernet, DupuyJamain, 
L. Y. leas, Capitaine Christy, and Louis Van Houtte. In the class for 
twelves Mr. W. H. Wakley w r as first with Mons. Noman, one of the grandest 
blooms of it I have ever seen ; Thomas Mills, Marie Baumann, Capitaine 
Christy, Pnnces3 Mary of Cambridge, Marie Rady, Mardchal Niel, Henry 
Ledechaux, Gabriel Luizet, John Bright, Alfred Colomb, and Fisher 
Yiolmes. In the class for nine Teas Mr. G. Mount of Harbledown, Canter¬ 
bury, was first with Anna Ollivier, Jean Ducher, Catherine Mermet, Alba 
Rosea, Innocente Pirola, Marechal Niel, Souvenir d’un Ami, Souvenir d’Elise, 
and Caroline Kuster. In the class for six of one variety the Rev. E. H. 
Pembeiton was first with six of the finest blooms of Horace Vernet I ever 
Sa T’nr T-' Hr’ ’H' ^ a kley was second with a fine stand of Capitaine Christy, 
and Mr. <L Wakley third with Alfred Colomb. Dr. Tucker exhibited a fine 
stand of Baronne de Rothschild. The silver cup for the best box amongst 
amateurs was awarded to Mr. Frank Burnside for his beautifully finished 
box of nine. I find I have no note as to whom the medals of the National 
Rose Society were awarded. 
In this, as in most of the shows I have as yet attended, the excellent 
cnaiacter of the lighter-coloured flowers has been very apparent. Such 
blooms of Mons. Noman, Capitaine Christy, and others have not been seen for 
^ su ppose the dryness of the atmosphere was congenial to them. 
, . . . wad-supported g oc i e ty har, j hope, a long lease of prosperous times 
before it, and all lovers of the Rose must wish it well.—D., Leal. 
A STRAWBERRY ENEMY. 
At page 21 a correspondent rightly guesses at mice being to blame 
for cutting off his Strawberry fruits. Last year we had quantities of 
fruit destroyed in the same way, and found great difficulty in destroying 
any of the mice. Feeding as they did on the seed pips of the fruit, they 
had small inducement to accept the bait offered. Poisoning is dangerous. 
President seemed to be the favourite with our mice. Thus far we have 
not seen them the present season, but in the adjoining park voles are 
swarming, and these promise to be mischievous. Various methods of trap¬ 
ping have been tried, but they become too knowing to enter. Poisoned 
food they also reject, and the only way we can get the better of them is- 
to turn a cat occasionally into a vinery.—B. 
I have no doubt the conclusion arrived at by your correspondent, 
Mr. Murray A. Mathew, that field mice are the destroyers of his Straw¬ 
berries in the strange manner described by him on page 24, is quite 
correct. I happened to meet with a case recently which, if not quite in 
point, will illustrate another of the habits of these little animals. A 
neighbour near here had six bunches of good Muscat Grapes quite spoiled 
by these little animals in one night. In some cases the berries were- 
bitten off the bunch, dropped, and left, in others carried off. Two or three 
bunches had every berry cut away, leaving stem and shoulder stalks, as- 
neatly as though done by the most expert of Grape-thinners.— ROBERT’ 
Grindrod. 
Your correspondent anent the above subject is perfectly right in his 
conjecture that mice are the cause of his Strawberries being nibbled 
off. We had a similar case here in a late vinery containing a quantity 
of Sir Joseph Paxton on the upper shelves ; these troublesome vermin 
most effectually thinned out all the smallest of the fruit, leaving fortu¬ 
nately the largest untouched, for this reason—that they could not reach- 
down to where the best fruit were hanging. We found from twelve to 
twenty fruits collected in many of the pots, but none of them seemed to 
have been eaten. It is a variety of field mouse, very difficult to trap ; it 
is in the habit of making a strange sound, like that of a young bird, in 
fact some call them the singing mice. We saw the mice run up and 
down the sash lines, so there is no mistake about the depredators.— 
W. Chisholm, Oxon Heath. 
In reference to what your correspondent (page 24), says concerning 
a Strawberry enemy, there is no doubt but that mice are the depre¬ 
dators. They have done the same for me at times in a less degree. Asa 
rule it is the unripe fruit they cut off, sometimes making a heap under 
the foliage of the plants. Some fine fruits of Sir Charles Napier have 
this season been shaved over, as it were, when ripe by the mice, to all 
appearance for the sake of getting the seeds, which are rather prominent 
on this variety. I have also had the stems of Pelargoniums gnawed in. 
the manner described. 
If your correspondent has any Melons in frames I would advise him- 
to be on the look-out, or the mice will find them also, and soon begin- 
operations on the fruits when ripening.— Jas. Harding. 
During last April (latter end), when I had a batch of Sir Charles- 
Napier and another sort just commencing to change colour, I missed 
some of the fruit. My first thought was that it was birds, as I had 
frequently seen robins in the house, but during the night I heard 
a rustling amongst the plants which caused me to set some traps for- 
mice. I managed to clear them out in two nights. I afterwards found 
a lot of fruit hidden and all the seeds picked out of the fruit. They 
only took Sir Charles Napier, which has its seeds set very prominently 
on the surface of the fruit. The other sort (of which I do not know the- 
name) has its seeds sunk in the fruit. Did Mr. Mathew notice if the^ 
seeds were taken off the fruit in his case ?—J. Gore. 
The severe thunderstorms of Saturday and Sunday last have 
severely injured trees, plants, and crops generally in many parts 
of the country. Trees appear to have suffered very much in many 
parks. At Hampton Court and Windsor especially we are informed 
that much damage has resulted. Flower beds, too, were severely 
cut about, the large hailstones that fell on Saturday cutting the 
flowers off and beating the plants to the ground in numerous cases,. 
Carpet beds seem to have also suffered considerably. 
- The Show of the Carnation and Picotee Society at South 
Kensington on Tuesday next promises to be a very successful one. 
Fine groups of Begonias are also expected. The Show will be held 
in the tent, and the Committees will meet in the picture gallery 
adjoining. 
- Mr. William Taylor is retiring from the management of the 
gardens of the Marquis of Bath at Longleat, and has entered into au 
