14 JOURNAL OF HORTICLLTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
bas been a source of unalloyed pleasure and happiness to both. 
Imbued by the same feelings and actuated by the same motives 
these two gentlemen have, during a period of thirty years, worked 
in perfect harmony, devoting themselves to the service of the 
public, and doing whatever seemed to them to contribute to the 
welfare and enjoyment of a large mass of the population of these 
kingdoms and their dependencies. The Cottage Gardener 
continued to prosper and increase in influence and in power. As 
its field of readers increased its sphere of usefulness widened also, 
and the work of its Editors was to meet the requirements of those 
who came to them for instruction. By degrees these require¬ 
ments rose to a higher standard than was contemplated when The 
Cottage Gardener was first published, and the universal 
opinion of the public was expressed by a writer in The Quarterly 
Review, when he said that The Cottage Gardener was for 
the occupiers of a cottage to which a double coach-house was 
attached. Acting on this hint the Editors decided on changing 
the title to The Journal of Horticulture, and for the last 
twenty-one years our Journal has appeared under that designa¬ 
tion. In addition to the works already mentioned Mr. Johnson 
wrote “ The Chemistry of the World,” “ The British Ferns Popu¬ 
larly Described,” besides many pamphlets on various subjects. 
On the close of last year Mr. Johnson retired from a life of 
activity to enjoy the repose which he so well earned ; aud our 
readers, we are sure, will unite with us in the hope that he will 
long continue to participate in the pleasure which a quiet life 
in the midst of a garden of pleasures can afEord. 
BRENTWOOD HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
June 30th. 
The summer Exhibition of the above Society was held in the grounds 
of Countess Tasker, and was favoured with fine weather—a rarity for 
the summer Exhibition. The attendance of visitors was large. In 
the latter part of the day the shops were closed, and the tradespeople 
gave their assistants an opportunity of witnessing the Exhibition. 
The season being cold late Boses and outdoor products were not 
up to the usual standard, but indoor productions were well repre¬ 
sented. We regret, however, that owing to the great demands upon 
our space the exhibits can only be briefly alluded to. 
In the class for twelve plants, flowering and fine-foliage, a silver 
cup was offered, which was won by Mr. Harris of Chelmsford, whose 
collection contained some handsome plants. The second prize was 
taken by Mr. Young, gardener to O. E. Coope, Esq., llochets, South 
Weald, with good specimens ; the third prize being secured by Mr. 
Wise, gardener to W. A. A. Ogg, Esq., Hampton House. For six 
stove and greenhouse plants Mr. Bones, gardener to D. McIntosh, 
Esq., Havering Park, and Mr. North were the prizetakers. Mr. Bones 
was also first with six fine-foliage plants, showing admirable speci¬ 
mens of Crotons and other plants. Exotic Ferns were well repre¬ 
sented by Messrs. Bones, Harris, and Wise, who gained the prizes in 
that order. Pelargoniums were shown by Messrs. Bones and Mead- 
more in very fair condition, and secured the chief prizes. The prizes 
for specimen Fuchsia were awarded to Messrs. Wise, Meadmore, and 
Dr. Quennell. The Boses were but poorly represented. Messrs. W. 
Paul it Son had some good stands not for competition. For forty- 
eight varieties Messrs. Saltmarsh were first, and Mr. Meadmore 
second. Mr. Harrington, the Bev. J. B. Pemberton, Mr. J. C. Quen¬ 
nell, Mr. Clements, Mr. Charter, Mr. Edwards, gardener to the Bev. 
Canon Tarver, and Mr. Carver, gardener to J. Postans, Esq., secured 
the other principal prizes. 
The exhibition of fruit was good for the season, especially Grapes, 
Peaches, and Melons. For a collection of four dishes of fruit the 
first prize fell to Mr. Brunt, gardener to Lieut.-General Fytche, Pyrgo 
Park, Bomford, who had a green-fleshed Melon, Elruge Nectarines, 
Teton de Venus Peaches, and Black Hamburgh Grapes ; second Mr. 
Foster with Black Hamburgh Grapes, Buckland Sweetwater Grapes, 
Boyal George Peaches, and an excellent Golden Perfection Melon ; 
third Mr. Bones for Black Hamburgh Grapes, Muscats not ripe, good 
Boyal George Peaches, and a green-fleshed Melon. Extra prize to 
Mr. Wilson, gardener to E. H. Hardwick, Esq., Herongate, for Black 
Hamburgh Grapes, a dish of Peaches (two sorts in it), Strawberries, 
and a dish of Elruge Nectarines. Grapes, Melons, Gooseberries, and 
Currants were also fairly represented. Vegetables not very numerous 
but of good quality. 
TUBEROUS-ROOTED BEGONIAS. 
Slowly but surely have tuberous-rooted Begonias made their 
way to a prominent position in the front rank of our most 
cherished garden flowers—slowly at first, but with accelerated 
speed since the beautiful varieties obtained by cross-breeding 
and ever on the increase have been brought into commerce. 
Regarded on their first introduction during the first decade or 
two of the present century as tender stove plants and treated as 
such for a long while subsequently, it was not easy to induce 
oneself to regard them as greenhouse plants of most easy culture ; 
and it certainly was a surprising revelation when we were told 
that the brilliant-flowered native of Peru, B. Veitchii, had proved 
so hardy under culture in this country as to bear the effects of 
severe frost with impunity. In many a garden the hint was 
turned to best account, not by attempts to prove that other 
varieties were hardy, but by planting trial beds with a mixture 
of several sorts in summer, and thus proving that here, at any 
rate, was an invaluable rival to our choicest bedding plants, free 
of growth, profuse of flowers—flowers that were unspoiled by 
rain, and which now vie with Geraniums in brilliancy of colour, 
and are no unworthy compeers of the softer-tinted Verbenas and 
Fuchsias, for the colours are so varied, embracing scarlet, crimson, 
white, yellow, pink, carmine in so many shades and such mar¬ 
vellous delicacy of tints, as to render a description of many of 
them so difficult that two persons hardly ever describe them 
alike ; and when we see in the catalogues such terms as “spark¬ 
ling cinnabar-red,” “ fiery scarlet-red, shaded deep velvet,” and 
“ purplish vermilion scarlet,” we may be certain that the colourist 
has felt puzzled how to convey some idea of the singular combi¬ 
nation of colour to be found upon a single petal. But it is not 
solely for the flowers that we value this beautiful section of the 
Begonias; the foliage in its way is equally attractive in form, 
colour, and the singular venation that in some instances assumes 
the form of irregular network. The colour is singularly comple¬ 
mentary to that of the blossom. Take for example the Hon. Mrs. 
Albert Brassey, with its bright rich glowing scarlet flowers, which 
appear all the more brilliant from the soft quiet tone of its 
deep green foliage ; or the new dwarf variety Commodore Foot, 
with deep velvety crimson flowers nestling among very dark 
green downy foliage ; or the L’Abb6 Froment with its bold large 
handsome foliage, out of which springs lovely clusters of delicate 
yellow flowers. 
To develope the full beauty of foliage and blossom pot culture 
under glass is absolutely necessary. This, however, involves no 
outlay for artificial heat, for the amateur who has wintered his 
tubers upon a back shelf of his little greenhouse or conservatory 
has only to take them down in March and repot in a compost 
of equal parts of fibrous loam, leaf soil, and a little sand, using 
plenty of drainage, then place them in a light airy position, 
and be careful not to overwater, but only to keep the soil mode¬ 
rately moist till the roots are fairly spreading in it. Pay parti¬ 
cular attention to this, or the tubers may decay. Some of the 
tall-growing sorts require supports, but no artificial training or 
pinching is necessary. Take care not to crowd the plants, but 
afford each ample space for the full play of light and air around 
them to induce as dwarf bushy a habit as may be, a few plants 
so managed affording much mote gratification than a crowd 
with slender attenuated growth ever can do. 
Another easy and desirable way Of growing many of them is as 
basket plants suspended from the roof of a conservatory, taking 
care to select sorts with drooping growths. Many varieties have 
pendant flower clusters, but it is worth some attention to secure 
the best for this purpose. In addition to those mentioned last week, 
one of the best for baskets is the grand new variety Goliath with 
its magnificent pendant clusters pf a rich orange colour, de¬ 
veloped so fully in the unopened flower buds as to render them 
singularly striking and ornamental. With this I may select of 
older and better known varieties Prince of Denmark, deep pink ; 
Sedeni, bright crimson ; Admiration, rosy red ; Purple Emperor, 
purple magenta ; and the grand double variety Pseoniseflora with 
its huge salmon-coloured flowers, 1 as an excellent half dozen 
wherewith to begin basket culture. To facilitate their manage¬ 
ment and to enable one to enjoy a close inspection, each basket 
should have a chain and an ornamental counterpoise running 
over a wheel fastened to the roof so that it may be lowered or 
raised at will. 
Before planting Begonias in open beds especial care must be 
taken to have the soil thoroughly light, rich, and well drained. 
Bring on the plants as forward as possible in spring, but do not 
plant out till the end of May, or rather till settled warm weather 
insures a quick establishment in the beds, for then they grow so 
fast as to well reward one for the exercise of a little patience. 
Once in bloom they continue in full beauty till checked by frosts, 
and if lifted with care in autumn before the cold bas injured 
them, and transplanted to an orchard house border with Russian 
Yiolets and Chrysanthemums, they continue bright and attractive 
well into December, without detriment to the tubers, which are 
afterwards carefully stored in dry sand in a frost-proof shed till 
the following spring.—E. L. S. 
Boses on their Own Boots. —Your correspondent, Mr. W. 
Taylor, in a very interesting letter on Boses on their own roots, 
