August ii, 1881 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 129 
next year ; yet a show of this magnitude of cburse demanded high- 
class judges, and the services of Messrs. Barron of Chiswick, Baker, 
and Gordon were obtained. Mr. Barron was delighted with the 
Show, which was a great success, and everyone was satisfied save an 
eccentric individual—and whoever saw a show without one ?—who 
appeared considerably insulted because he was awarded a first prize. 
Surely this is sufficiently rare to be placed on record. 
Sir Trevor Lawrence delivered an admirable address ; he noted 
with pleasure the aid rendered by the nurserymen, spoke words of 
encouragement to the local exhibitors, and hoped, what all will hope 
who read these lines, that horticulture will prosper and pervade all 
ranks of society, leaving its beneficent impress everywhere. 
A POTATO GARDENER’S DILEMMA. 
Having been in a somewhat similar state last season with 
Champion Potatoes a3 “ F. S.” is now with Magnum Bonum (see 
page 103), I would advise him to follow my example—viz., to let 
them remain as they are until say the middle of September, and 
then see what progress they have made. At about the same period 
last year my Champions had scarcely any tubers formed, but I let 
them remain to see what they would come to, and to my great 
surprise I had a splendid crop of fine Potatoes. In no case what¬ 
ever should he cut out the haulm while it is green, as that will 
stop the growth of the tubers at once. I have some Magnum 
Bonum planted the same distance apart as “ F. S.,” and they too 
look very thick, but still I hope to have a good crop by the time 
they are ready to lift. —Journeyman, 
All that “ F. S.” can safely do in regard to his overcrowded 
crop is to pull up some of the weakest growths, if weak growths 
are numerous. He had better let the strong growths alone and 
“ take their chance ; ” indeed, unless the weak haulms are re¬ 
moved with great care the remedy may be as bad as the disease, 
as if the strong growths are injured the crop will be injured also. 
A mistake has been made in planting too thickly, and this against 
the advice of competent men, for it has frequently been stated 
in the Journal that the Magnum Bonum and Champion varieties 
cannot have justice done them unless planted nearly or quite 
3 feet apart in the rows : and still your correspondent has ignored 
the advice and planted at Ashtop distances—2 feet. He may still, 
however, have a fair crop, but it cannot be of nearly the value it 
would have been had he taken the advice of experienced culti¬ 
vators in the spring instead of in the autumn.—A Pkizetaker. 
Were I in such a dilemma as your correspondent “ F. > S.” 
(page 103), I should cut out every other row close to the ground, 
and be very careful not to injure in any way those left. Very 
few tubers will form under the present circumstances, and they 
will be very small. It will be no use stopping the haulm, because 
that will prevent the tubers growing. I should do as I have 
suggested at once, as there is yet a month for growing, and there 
will be some hopes for the Potatoes growing to a fair size. It is 
most difficult to get people to plant Potatoes right; all the early 
Potatoes that I have planted this year are 2A feet apart; seconds, 
3j feet; and late varieties in the field, put in with the plough, 4 feet, 
and 15 inches from plant to plant; and now they are nearly 
touching each other and look well.—K. R. S. H. 
CARNATIONS FROM SEED. 
I CAN endorse all your correspondent “ J. W.” has said on this 
subject, and would advocate the raising of seedling Carnations 
where cut flowers are required and borders have to be kept gay. 
After being disappointed with the quantity of flowers the named 
varieties produced—one flower spike only being produced on each 
plant, the majority of the young plantshaving kept in pots during the 
winter—my attention was drawn to seedlings. My first lot proved 
a great success, and every season since I have sown a pan or more 
of seeds. The per-centage of single flowers has been very small 
with me, not more than half a dozen out of a hundred plants, 
which was about the number of seedlings obtained out of my first 
batch. When ordering the seed the perpetual kinds should be 
obtained, as they are by far the best for flowering, many of them 
commencing before the named kinds expand, and continuing until 
cut off by frost. 
I think your correspondent has considerably underrated the 
quantity of flowers each plant will produce raised by layers from 
strong seedlings. After seeing the notes .on page 98, I counted 
with a friend flowers and bud3 on the first plant we came at, and 
it had upon it 233. Is not this the best way of obtaining Car¬ 
nation blooms when quantities are wanted for cutting purposes 
instead of trusting to named kinds that produce from five to 
twelve flowers, beautiful in shape and form, but no better adapted 
than the others for filling vases ? 
When flowers are produced sparingly cultivators are almost 
afraid to waste the buds in cutting, and in consequence have to 
take them off with short stems of but little service for vase work ; 
but with seedlings good stems can be cut with the blooms, thus 
sacrificing a few and benefiting the plants.— Scientia. 
CHOICE CAMPANULAS. 
Among many other beautiful Bellflowers one of the newest and 
one of the best is that of which a flower is so well pourtrayed in 
the accompanying woodcut (fig. 22). Campanula macrostyla, so 
Fig. 22.—Campanula macrostyla. 
named on account of the extraordinary development of the style, 
is a native of mountainous districts in Asia Minor, whence a few 
years ago it was sent to this country. As to who was the fortu¬ 
nate discoverer I have not been able to learn, and if any of your 
numerous readers who are interested in hardy plants can give me 
the information I shall be greatly obliged. I think it probably 
came to England through some of the continental nurserymen, 
as I do not see any of our own nurserymen claim the honour of 
having introduced it. The flowers are of the open bell-shaped 
type, and are prettily veined with a purplish mauve or lilac, but 
very distinct irom the hues characterising the majority of Cam¬ 
panulas. The large club-shaped style when mature expands at 
the summit into three white blunt lobes, which constitute the 
stigma. The plant is dwarf in habit, and is admirably suited for 
a rockery, where it flowers freely during July.—X. 
FENNEL FLOWERS. 
Nigella is a small genus of annual plants. They derive their 
name from the colour of their seeds, which are used somewhat 
largely in cookery as seasoning in continental cities ; the seeds are 
also said to be used in the adulteration of pepper. The English 
