76 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 28, 1881. 
however, which have been growing in the shade must be taken 
out with the utmost caution, or all previous care in this direction 
will be lost. At first such plants should be placed in a shady 
position, such as behind a north wall ; but here they must not 
remain long, and under all circumstances the sooner they can be 
made to endure exposure to the sun the better will they bloom 
during the short days.— J. MUIR, Mar gam. 
WATERLOO, SEAFORTH, AND CROSBY 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.— July 20th. 
The above Society held their sixth annual Show of fruits, flowers, 
and vegetables in the spacious houses belonging to the International 
Marine Hydropathic Establishment. The Show on the whole was 
very good considering the prizes offered were small and not sufficient 
to bring distant exhibitors, and in consequence the exhibits were 
principally from local growers. One of the main objects of this 
Society at the present is to encourage amateur cultivators who do not 
keep professional gardeners, and also cottagers, to grow and show 
window plants and vegetables. In the classes devoted to both ama¬ 
teurs and cottagers the exhibits were very creditable indeed, and 
much superior, especially the window plants, to what we have seen 
staged at many other similar exhibitions. The day was fine, and 
judging from the number of visitors the Exhibition financially could 
not fail to prove a decided success, and we hope as the Society pro¬ 
spers the Committee will give more encouragement to the two classes 
of exhibitors referred to. 
In the class for stove and greenhouse plants in flower Mr. G. 
Brown, gardener to E. K. Musspratt, Esq., Seaforth House, was the 
successful exhibitor, and staged a good Plumbago capensis. Mr. E. 
Taylor, gardener to C. Crosfield, Esq., obtained the highest honours 
for foliage plants, and was very successful throughout the Show. 
Caladinms were staged in very good condition by Mr. Jones, gardener 
to C. Clark, Esq., the same exhibitor being also first for stove and 
greenhouse Ferns. A good Adiantmn cuneatum, over 3 feet in 
diameter, was exhibited by Mr. J. Edwards, gardener to B. Gibson, 
Esq., and obtained the first prize for a single specimen. It is scarcely 
necessary to say hardy Ferns were shown in good condition when we 
state that most successful exhibitor of these plants, Mr. C. Rylance, 
took the lead. The Balsams were shown in fine condition, also the 
Tuberous Begonias, which were well flowered and remarkably strong, 
Mr. T. Jones being the successful exhibitor in both classes. Coleuses 
was very w r ell represented, and some creditable plants were staged by 
Mr. Perry, gardener to T. Etty, Esq. The Fuchsias, especially those 
contributed by Mr, R. Smith, gai’dener to J. C. Hall, Esq., were well 
bloomed and very good plants. Mr. Rylar.ce took the lead for Zonal 
Pelargoniums, followed closely by Mr. Clarke. The model flower 
gardens were a great feature in the Show, and attracted considerable 
attention. 
Small fruits were showm in large numbers, but in other classes the 
competition was not large ; Mr. Wilson, gardener to E. J. Reynolds, 
Esq., West Derby, was awarded the first prize with a nice dish of 
Black Hamburgh Grapes and a good dish of Royal George Peaches. 
Mr. Woollam and Mr. G. Brown took the remaining prizes, the former 
showing very fair Grapes and a good dish of Violette Hative Necta¬ 
rines. Mr. Wilson was again first for two bunches of Black Ham¬ 
burgh Grapes, the bunches not large but well coloured. Mr. W. 
Whitty, gardener to J. W. Cookson, Esq., second with Alicantes. For 
tw'o bunches of white Grapes Mr. Harrison, gardener to E. F. Hollies, 
Esq., was first with Foster’s Seedling, and Mr. Wilson second with 
the same variety. 
Vegetables were very well and numerously shown, especially in the 
single dishes, such as Potatoes, Cucumbers, Turnips, Peas, and others ; 
some of the principal prizetakers being Messrs. G. Brown, Woollam, 
W. Birch, H. Hayward, Maughan, Green, Bower, Jaiger, Holmes, and 
Smith. 
Miscellaneous Exhibits .— Messrs. R. P. Ker it Sons, Aigburth 
Nurseries, Liverpool, contributed a large and very effective collection 
of plants, which added materially to the attraction of the Exhibition. 
It included well-coloured Crotons, such as Maculatus, Andreanus, 
Baronne de Rothschild, and others ; all the newest Dracaenas, Coleus, 
Palms, Bouvardias, Zonal and choice Regal Pelargoniums intermixed 
with Ferns, Nertera depressa, and others. Messrs. James Dickson and 
Sons had a good box of herbaceous cut blooms and Roses, having fine 
blooms of Camille Bernardin, Duke of Connaught, Beauty of Wal¬ 
tham, Pierre Notting, Elie Morel, La France, Comtesse de Serenye, 
and others. Mr. Henry Middlehurst, seedsman, &c., Liverpool, showed 
some very fine well-shaped Cockscombs with a few other small 
decorative plants, Mr. Holmes staging a collection of Potatoes. No 
attempt is made to give a full report of all the various exhibits, time 
only permitting a brief sketch of a few of the principal. 
BARTONIA AUREA. 
The Loasa family is an interesting one, especially to botanists, 
but it includes several plants that well deserve the attention of 
cultivators who can only afford to regard the utility of a plant 
in a decorative point of view. Some of the 1 oasas themselves, 
despite their unpleasant armature of poisonous glands, are by no 
means devoid of beauty, but among their allies few if any surpass 
in brilliance of colour and showiness of flowers the Californian 
annual, Bartonia aurea. It is aptly termed the Golden Bartonia, 
for the flowers possess that rich yellow tint in perfection. The 
individual blooms are of sufficient size to render them conspi¬ 
cuous, and, moreover, so open when fully expanded that the whole 
form and colour are seen to the best advantage. When the sun 
is shining upon them they are especialty brilliant, and even a 
small bed is almost dazzling in its effect, suggestive of a race of 
Buttercups with gigantic flowers very little less glossy than the 
commoners. 
The plant appears somewhat partial to a moderately damp 
situation—not that it will endure much stagnant moisture, but 
it will certainly not thrive in a very dry position. England is 
indebted to the collector Douglas for this among so many other 
plants, and the first examples grown in this country flowered at 
the Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens forty-five years ago, so 
that it is far from being a new friend. 
DIFFICULTIES IN GRAPE-GROWING. 
As a Grape-grower I shall long remember Monday the 4th inst. 
In a house of Black Hamburghs, a lean-to 20 feet long by 10 feet 
wide, every bunch on the upper half of the rods was badly scalded. 
The, front sashes are 3 feet deep and one-half of them open. The 
top ventilators are at each end—that is, the triangular pieces 
under each end of the roof open to the depth of 2 feet. These 
have been half open all night since the 1st of June, and on the 
day in question were, with the front sashes, open to their full 
extent ; also, as the most forward bunch had commenced colouring, 
syringing had been discontinued a week before. Can any of your 
readers help me with advice how to prevent this in future? It 
seems absurd to think of •shading Vines. The late Mr. Rivers 
mentions in one of his books, “ that Grapes can bear any amount 
of sun heat.” Perhaps some may feel incliued to attribute it 
to insufficient top ventilation ; but I fail to see that, considering 
the house has been in precisely the same state for the last fifteen 
years without any scalding taking place. Strange to say, in 
