December 6, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
487 
intelligence that our friend Mr. Charles Leicester of Macclesfield is no 
more. He was for many years Editor of the “ Register,” and an ardent 
Gooseberry grower. 
- At the next meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
December 11th, Messrs. J. Carter & Co.’s Special Peizes for Collec¬ 
tions of Vegetables will be competed for, and may be expected to 
form an interesting feature. Six prizes are offered—namely, £5, £3, 
£1 10s., £1, 10s., and 7s. 6d. for the best twelve dishes, the three new 
Onions, Golden Globe, Golden Queen, and Silver Ball, to be included. 
- Messrs. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, send us flowers of their 
Nkw Departure Single Chrysanthemums, which comprise some 
pretty and delicately coloured varieties. These were admired by many 
visitors when shown at the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural 
Society at Kensington, and as single flowers are just now becoming 
such favourites, it may he expected that they will have a large share of 
popularity. They are light and graceful in appearance, the colours 
ranging from crimson through rose, pale pink, and white, the central 
tubular florets being yellow. A number of varieties have received the 
names of certain popular actors, actresses, and others, such as Ellen 
Terry, Henry Irving, G. A. Sala, Mrs. Laugtry, Willie Beckwith, and 
similar notabilities. Specimens of a double Tropreolum named bicolor 
fl.-pl. were also sent, which has full rich orange-coloured flowers striped 
with scarlet. It is distinct and free. 
-Borough of Hackney Chrysanthemum Society.—T he 
thirty-seventh annual dinner and prize distribution of this the oldest 
Chrysanthemum Society was held at the “ Four Swans ” Hotel) 
Bishopsgate Street, on Friday evening last, the President of the Society ; 
E. Sanderson, Esq., in the chair. About seventy of the members and friends 
■attended, and a most enjoyable evening was spent, and much enthusiasm 
was evoked, which speaks well for the future of this well-known Society 
under its new title of The National. Handsome silver cups were presented 
to E. Sanderson, Esq., Willesden; Messrs. Dixon & Co., Hackney; Messrs. 
Drain & Son, De Beauvoir Town; Mr. Archer, Highbury ; and Mr. Hillier, 
The Borough, Southwark, as the selected prizes for the awards made by 
the Judges at the recent Exhibition at the Royal Aquarium. During the 
evening cash prizes were also distributed to those of the successful 
exhibitors who were present, and the Honorary Secretary afterwards 
announced that the sum of £155 18s. 6d. had now been paid as prize 
money for the year 1883. The Secretary further stated that the Society 
had greatly increased its number of members during the past year, 
about fifty new names having been recently added. The Baroness 
Rothschild and the Baron Leopold de Rothschild have consented to 
become patrons. A subscription list having been started for the prize 
fund for the ensuing year, nearly £40 was promised by members and 
friends present. Votes of thanks to the officers brought the business of 
the evening to a close. 
- With deep regret we have to record the death of a distinguished 
gardener, Mr. John Fleming of Cliveden, whose name is familiar to 
many of our readers. He has for many years held a prominent position 
in the gardening world, but little is known of his early history, the first 
tidings we have being that thirty-nine years ago he was living with a 
Mr. Aiton at Bardsea, near Ulverston, but in what capacity we have no 
knowledge. We next hear of him in the gardens at Newnham Paddocks, 
Lutterworth, and subsequently (in 1850) he became gardener at Harewood 
House, Leeds, where he left the stamp of his ability in the new Italian 
Gardens, which were formed under his direction. From 1853 to 1855 he 
served as 'gardener to Lord Southampton at Whittlebury Lodge, Tow- 
fester, and thence proceeded to take charge of the Cliveden Gardens, at 
that time the property of the Duke of Sutherland. It was there that the 
great work of his life was performed, the pleasure parks and flower 
•garden being remodelled and greatly improved. A system of spring 
and winter bedding was commenced, which received so much attention 
that in compliance with the demand for information upon the subject, 
Mr. Fleming wrote his work entitled “Spring and Winter Gardens,” 
which was published at this office in 1864. He also contributed several 
articles upon the subject to this Journal, which created a taste that 
resulted in many gardens being rendered attractive at seasons when they 
had previously been comparatively cheerless. A few years afterwards 
Cliveden passed into the possession of the Duke of Westminster, and in 
1870 an extensive range of plant and fruit houses were designed by 
Mr, Fleming and erected by Mr. Gray, whose decease we recorded last 
week. In recent years Mr. Fleming has led a retired life owing to the 
lung disease which on the 25 th ult. terminated a useful and honourable 
career. Mr. Joseph Ellam, late of Bodorgan, Anglesea, has been 
appointed as Mr. Fleming’s successor. 
-- We are reminded of the approach of the new year by the 
arrival of a parcel of Messrs. Letts & Co.’s Diaries. We have cn 
more than one occasion spoken in high terms of these invaluable neces¬ 
saries to every household, and we have no reason to unsay anything in 
comparing those of this year with any former one. Not the least interest 
iu connection with these diaries is the amount of ingenuity that has been 
at work to devise so great a variety, for there are no less than eighty- 
three different forms of them, suitable to every occupation and condition 
in life. We would advise everyone to keep a diary, and before selecting 
to write to Messrs. Letts for a copy of the catalogue of their publications. 
- “ The common Wild Waxwork or False Bitter-sweet, Celastrus 
SCAndens, is one of the most ornamental of all hardy climbers,” says 
the American Cultivator. “ It is readily transplanted, and thrives under 
any care. At this season of the year (November) its clusters of red 
berries with a darker centre revealed by the splitting of the outer 
covering are highly ornamental. Its foliage is smooth, clean, and 
pleasing, and the plant is a most graceful and ready climber. It will 
twine tightly around an iron rod a quarter of an inch in diameter, or 
about a support several inches in diameter. This is the vine which one 
often sees twining very tightly about bushes and young saplings. When 
introduced upon lawns it sometimes proves quite a nuisance as a weed.” 
- As an example of the comparative scarcity of Apples in 
America this year, we give the following returns, which indicate a 
surprising falling-off. The total exports this season are now 18,488 
barrels, against 171,554 for the corresponding week in 1882. The total 
shipments from Boston this season have been 3322 barrels, against 
52,948 a year ago ; from New York they have been 12,841 barrels, against 
78,059, and from Montreal 2325 barrels, against 36,717. It is, therefore, 
evident the crop has been as unsatisfactory in the United States as it 
has been full and good in England. Indeed, we believe that the tables 
have been to some extent turned this season, as English Apples have 
been exported to America. 
- The following Gardening Appointments have been made 
through Messrs. John Laing & Co. Mr. Samuel Hicks as gardener to the 
Rev. G. B. Moore, J.P., Tunstall Rectory, Kent. Mr. J. Rintoul, lately 
gardener at Dover House, Roehampton, as gardener and bailiff to C. A, 
Hanbury, Esq., J.P., D.L., Belmont, East Barnet, Herts. 
- In the lecture by Mr. George Murray on the Potato disease, 
delivered recently, a description was given of the growth and cellular 
construction of the Potato and Potato plant. The parts of the plants 
which were most susceptible to the attacks of the minute spores which 
produced the fungus of the Potato disease were also described. He then 
explained the development and rapid reproduction of these spores, and 
also the ease with which they were transmitted by the atmosphere. In 
one case a naked filament of the fungus had been known to develope and 
produce mature spores in four hours. He thought that in all cases the 
fungus attacked the leaves or stems of the Potato plant in the first 
instance and travelled downwards through the stems to the tuber, and it 
was in the highest degree improbable that they ever attacked or were 
able to penetrate the skin of the Potato itself. When these small fungi 
had completed their work among the cellular tissues of the Potato they 
left it open to the attacks of other fungi, thus forming the later stages of 
the disease. In reply to the discussion Mr. Murray said that cultivation 
or over-cultivation of the Potato would not affect the disease. Most 
probably the fungus which produced the disease came originally from 
the home of the Potato, and now it had become so widespread that it 
was almost impossible to trace the origin of any particular appearance. 
He thought that there was no way of checking the disease when climatic 
conditions, such as a wet summer, favoured its development. The only 
way of getting over the difficulty would be to find some substitute for the 
Potato, and he was much interested in experiments that had been made 
in this direction. 
- “ X.” writes:—“There is no doubt, as Mr. Thomson states at 
page 435, that the best results are obtained with Gros Colman Grape 
in a temperature similar to that employed for Muscats ; but those who 
have seen and tasted the examples of this Grape in the large conservatory 
at Chiswick will also be of opinion that when grown as they are, even in 
