JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 21, 1881. ] 
being obtained by Messrs. Beckett, Crafter, and J. Watson, gardener 
to Captain Cundy, Surbiton. Fuchsias, Gloxinias, Achimenes, 
Begonias, Caladiums, and Coleus were well represented, and added 
much to the general effectiveness of the Exhibition. Mr. Wiggins, 
gardener to H. Little, Esq., Hillindon Place, Uxbridge, staged a large 
and effective group of miscellaneous Pelargoniums, and was first in 
the class for six Show varieties, Mr. Croxford second, and Mr. 
Beckett third. For six Fancies Messrs. Attrill, Beckett, and Wiggins 
w’ere placed in the order of their names. 
Cut Roses formed a most important addition to the Show. Messrs. 
Paul & Son, Old Nurseries, Cheshunt, Messrs. Laing & Co., Forest 
Hill, and Mr. W. Rumsey, Joynings Nursery, Waltham Cross, were 
first, second, and third respectively for forty-eight cut blooms, distinct. 
In the class for twenty-four Mr. C. Davies, The Square, Wilton, Salis¬ 
bury, was first, and Mr. Moorman, gardener to Miss Christy, Coombe, 
second. Several collections of twelve and six Roses were staged, the 
majority of them being of good quality. Messrs. Lee & Son, Ham¬ 
mersmith and Ealing, sent six boxes of Roses, not for competition, 
and Messrs. Veitch & Son the same number of boxes, each box con¬ 
taining twenty-four varieties, the whole of which found a large 
number of admirers. 
Fruit, especially Grapes, were well exhibited, Mr. Bates gaining 
the first prizes in both classes for black and white Grapes ; in the 
other classes, though only moderately filled, the quality was very 
satisfactory. 
Vegetables were also of first-rate quality, Messrs. Beckett, Starr, 
and Waite sharing the honours in the class for twelve distinct 
varieties, and Messrs. Crafter, Lambert, and Croxford for six. 
Six competitors entered for the special prizes given by Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart., M.P., for nine plants suitable for the table. All the 
collections were very evenly matched. Messrs. Beckett, Brand, and 
Brown were the prizetakers. Table decorations and buttonholes were 
well represented, as well as the amateur and cottagers’ divisions. 
Miscellaneous groups were contributed, not for competition, by 
Messrs. Lee & Son, Hammersmith and Ealing. This firm contributed 
three groups, each illustrating the usefulness of hardy trees and 
shrubs for effective grouping; one of these groups contained a large 
quantity of small and beautiful Roses in pots, which were much 
admired ; other contributors, not for competition, were Messrs. Jack- 
son & Son, Wiggins, and Slade. 
FRUIT PROSPECTS IN GLOUCESTERSHIRE. 
The fruit prospects in this part of Gloucestershire are better 
than they have been for several years past. A larger and better 
crop of Strawberries I never had ; in fact I have had so many that 
I have not known what to do with them. It has been a decided 
case of embarras des richesses. We have filled all the jam pots, 
given away to frieuds several basketfuls in a day, sent fruit to the 
hospitals, invalids, &c., and yet that did not clear them off, so I 
invited tro >ps of children to come in and assist. The varieties I 
grow are Early Prolific, Keens’ Seedling, Vicomtesse Hericart de 
Thury, Sir J. Paxton, and President, with a few of Myatt’s 
Prolific, Lucas, and Myatt’s Victoria. The Raspberries bid lair to 
be as good a crop as the Strawberries. I have also good crops of 
Red Currants, Black Currants, and Gooseberries. Plums are a fair 
crop. The Apples are a good crop ; I thought I should have some 
thinning to do, but many fruits fell off in kernelling, but there 
are plenty left now. The Pears are partial, some trees with plenty 
of fruit, others a blank. I have only one Peach and one Apricot 
tree, and they have fruit this year. I do not attempt to grow 
these last-rpentiuned fruits, because in our cold springs they are 
usually disappointing. It is better to have a crop of Victoria 
Plums every year than a crop of Peaches one year in seven, which 
is about all we can rely upon. The fruits should be under glass 
in this part of the country. I have not been in many other gar¬ 
dens, but in those I have seen, and from what I hear generally, 
the small fruits are plentiful, and there is a good sprinkling of 
Apples.— Amateur, Cirencester . 
WEST OF ENGLAND ROSE SHOW AT HEREFORD. 
In the train from Credenhill to Hereford on the early morning of 
July Gth a pretty and very well-developed Hereford lass remarked, 
“ I knew it would rain cats and dogs to-day.” I said, “ Why ? ” 
“ Don’t yer know, sir, it’s the Hereford Rose Show ?” It did rain and 
no mistake, and withal just when the local growers would be cutting 
their blooms. However, a9 a slight encouragement for next year, it 
did not rain quite so hard this year’s Show day as last year’s ! But 
to business. The Show was not a great success. It was small, very 
small, for Hereford. The writer of these notes saw two years ago 
6ix seventy-twos staged for certain, if not seven—the “ Hereford¬ 
shire Incumbent,” who was then Secretary, would know which 
figure is the correct one—and yet there were some good boxes sh.jwn. 
The famous Hereford growers—the Cranston’s Company and Mr. 
Jowitt—were in much better form than they were four days before 
at the Crystal Palace. 
In the amateurs’ classes for thirty-six single trusses Mr. T. Jowitt 
55 
was first, staging grand blooms of Marie Louise Pernet, Duchesse de 
Vallombrosa, Marquise de Mortemart, Marie Baumann, Senateur 
Vaisse, Dupuy Jamain, Louis Van Houtte, Duchesse de Morny, 
Madame C. Wood, Mary Pochin, and Annie Laxton. Mr. J. H. Ark¬ 
wright of Hampton Court, Leominster, was a very good second, his 
colour being throughout excellent. A bloom of Sultan of Zanzibar 
in this box was perhaps the most remarkable Rose in the Show ; it 
was in form after a grand Louis Van Houtte. Monsieur Noman, 
Le Havre, very large ; Ernest Herger (a Rose I never saw before), 
Baron Hausmann, A. K. Williams were also very good. Rev. C. H. 
Bulmer was third with good blooms of Madame C. Kuster, Mon3. E. Y. 
Teas, Annie Wood, very beautiful; and Lord Macaulay. For eighteen 
trebles Mr. Jowitt was again first. Here Mons. Noman was very good, 
and Duchesse de Morny in that perfect colour, form, and size in which 
he alone seems able to exhibit it. Mr. J. H. Arkwright was second 
with good and very bright examples of Edouard Morren and Marie 
Cointet. Mr. Thomas Jowitt was the only exhibitor in the class for 
twenty-four singles. La Duchesse de Morny was again splendid, also 
Mabel Morrison was much fuller than usual and of the purest white, 
while Dupuy Jamain was grand in size, substance, and colour. For 
twelve singles Mr. Thomas Jowitt was first, and the Rev. J. A. 
Williams, Yardley Wood Vicarage, second. 
In the nurserymen’s seventy-twos (open) Cranston’s Nursery and 
Seed Company were first, the following blooms being very good :— 
Mrs. Baker, La France, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Princess Mary of Cam¬ 
bridge, Dr. Andry, Marquise de Mortemart, Le Havre, Mdlle. Eugenie 
Verdier, Thomas Mills, Marie Cointet, superb ; Horace Vernet, Mar6- 
chal Niel, Madame Ducher, Madame A. Dumesnil, Abel Carriere, 
A. K. Williams, Mdlle. Bonnaire, good size ; Adam, Miss Hassard, 
Constantin Tretiakoff, Mons. E. Y. Teas, Niphetos, La Rosiere, Anna 
Ollivier, Catherine Mermet, Perle des Jardins, Madame Marguerite 
Manvoin, and Madame Noman, a lovely bloom. Second Messrs. 
Curtis, Sandford, &, Co. with good samples of La France, Souvenir d’un 
Ami, Fisher Holmes, and Harrison Weir. Third Messrs. Davison & Co., 
Hereford. In this stand I noticed as particularly good A. K. Wil¬ 
liams, Ferdinand de Lesseps, and Star of Waltham. For seventy- 
two single trusses, distinct, open only to growers outside Hereford¬ 
shire, Messrs. Curtis, Sandford. & Co. were the only exhibitors, and 
were awarded a special prize. For thirty-six trebles Cranston’s Com¬ 
pany were first with Constantin Tretiakoff, Charles Lefebvre, Annie 
Laxton, and Madame Furtado especially fine. Messrs. Davison <fc Co. 
second with lovely trebles of Xavier Olibo, Comtesse C. de Chabril- 
lant, and Marie Cointet; and Messrs. Curtis, Sandford, & Co. third. 
Considering that Messrs. Curtis had to cut early the day before and 
travel so far that extremely hot Tuesday (the 5th), it is wonderful 
how they managed to show as well as they did. Some of the Teas 
were excellent. Mr. Grant of Hope End, Ledbury, was first for 
twelve distinct, with large and well-formed exam Dies of Homer, 
Niphetos, Devoniensis, and Jean Pernet. Cranston’s Company second, 
and Messrs. Davison third. In Class D, twenty-four single trusses of 
any one Rose, there were four boxes staged—two each of Marie 
Cointet and Comtesse de Serenye. Cranston’s Company were first 
with Marie Cointet; Messrs. Curtis, Sandford, it Co. second with 
Comtesse de Serenye; and Davison & Co. third with Marie Cointet. 
In the classes open to amateurs residing in Herefordshire Miss Bulmer 
showed well. In the class for twelve trebles Duke of Edinburgh, 
Madame Rothschild, Marie Van Houtte, and Monsieur Boncenne were 
really grand. These Hereford prizes were divided generally among 
Mr. Grant of Hope End, Mr. Woodhouse, and Mr. Talbot, gardener 
to Sir G. Cornwall, Moccas Court. 
I cannot leave this short report without bringing to the notice of 
the readers of the Journal a box of six Marechal Niels exhibited in 
the cottagers’ class. The plant which bore these blooms was, I hear, 
budded on a standard Briar and planted against an ordinary thatched 
Herefordshire cottage, all the six blooms being plucked from under¬ 
neath the eaves of the roof. I measured one, the largest bloom, and 
although it had not lost its shape the diameter was 7^ inches ! I 
remember Mr. George Paul’s fine blooms last May, but he would 
have been the first to acknowledge the size and splendour of this 
cottager’s six. 
I hope that he who reports the West of England Show next year 
will not lose his notes, so that the delay occasioned this year may 
not occur again. I have purposely left out much matter which, 
however interesting it might be to Hereford, yet would “ fall flat ” if 
printed more than a fortnight after the Show. 
PELARGONIUMS AT SWANLEY. 
A LARGE establishment, where all the best varieties in commerce 
are grown, affords an excellent opportunity for comparing the 
merits of the varieties and noting those that are in superior con¬ 
dition at the time the collection is inspected. A visit is thus 
rendered instructive, and a record of it, however brief, may prove 
serviceable to those who have not the opportunity of inspecting the 
plants. 
Several houses, each 100 feet long, are devoted by Messrs. Can- 
nell & Son to Pelargoniums of all kinds ; Zonals, Show, Fancy, Ivy, 
tricolor, and bronze types being represented, but the single and 
double Zonals were particularly numerous. Two houses were occu¬ 
pied with the varieties in each of these sections, and the blaze of 
