450 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . : November ir, mi 
servatory were erected last autumn. The conservatory and other 
houses are now nearly completed. The whole are heated by a 
check-end saddle boiler. In the rear are new offices, night and day 
rooms for the men, potting houses, fruit rooms, &c., extending the 
entire length of the range. The houses are arranged from plans 
prepared by Mr. Forsyth, and they are light, airy, and well 
constructed, in fact all that can be desired for the purposes for 
which they are intended. The young Peach trees have made 
luxuriant growth and have ripened their wood well. The old 
Vines are retained in one of the houses, and young canes from 
them are being trained between to take the place of the old ones 
in a few seasons. These Vines have made good growth in spite 
of their exposure outside to the severity of last winter when the 
house was being built. Mr. Forsyth informed me these old Vines 
had improved wonderfully since a quantity of fresh soil had been 
placed to their roots. 
The fruit trees in the kitchen garden and on the walls are very 
old, but young trees are being planted, and others have attained 
a fruit-bearing condition. With these brief notes I must leave 
the gardens and grounds I had so long wished to see, and thank 
Mr. Forsyth for showing me through them.— Visitor. 
PTES-GLEPNGS 
The “Horticultural Directory,” now in the twenty-third 
year of its publication, will.be ready on the 23rd inst. Price Is. 
- In addition to the four Chrysanthemum Shows that 
are held to-day (Thursday)—namely, Kingston, Westminster 
Aquarium, Tunbridge Wells, and Brixton, and which have been 
mentioned in a previous note—we have received information re¬ 
specting the following fixtures, which will conclude the exhibiting 
season. Manchester, Southampton, and Northampton, 22nd and 
23rd inst. ; Maidstone, Birmingham, and Wimbledon, 23rd inst. ; 
Wellingborough, 25th and 26th inst.; and Liverpool, 30th inst. 
As the southern exhibitions have so far proved better than was 
expected, we may reasonably hope that the northern shows will 
fully maintain their credit. 
- A Scottish correspondent desires to ask Mr. Jefferson if 
he tasted the Alnwick Seedling Grapes to which he awarded 
the first prize at the Handsworth Show, and if so, if he would 
be kind enough to state their quality. Our correspondent further 
asks if “ Single-handed”’ will be good enough to say where 
the Grapes were grown under the cool system that he has inti¬ 
mated were of excellent quality as staged at the late show at 
Edinburgh. 
- A correspondent recommends the following Zonal 
Pelargoniums for winter, that he says contribute greatly 
to the effect of the conservatory at Norris Green, which is now 
gorgeous. The varieties that are extra fine are Vesuvius, Wonder- 
ful, Mad ame Thibaut, White Vesuvius, Apple Blossom, Sophie 
Birkin, and Fanny Catlin. 
-- The finest Japanese Chrysanthemums in the Bichmond 
Exhibition was Fere Delaux, a variety introduced about three 
years ago. Mr. Strong, from Virginia Water, exhibited four 
beautiful blooms in different stands, which were much admired. 
The colour is a bright velvety red, a few florets having a slight 
turn-over. This fine Japanese variety is recommended to the 
notice of Chrysanthemum fanciers. 
One of the most beautiful trees in the autumn'is 
Liquidambar styraciflua, which might be much more 
frequently planted with advantage to the possessors of gardens, 
for at all times there is a pleasing lightness and gracefulness 
in the habit of the tree that admirably suits it for [a position 
on lawns. (During September and October last the specimens 
of this tree in the neighbourhood of London have been very 
bright, the neat and deeply cut leaves assuming rich tints of 
rose, crimson, and yellow, which, combined with the bright 
green of the unchanged portion, had a beautiful effect. In the 
sunlight the trees appear to be illumined by a soft rosy light 
that is especially noticeable towards evening when the sun is 
getting low. 
- “Inquirer” writes—“I have read your report of the 
Meeting of the Fruit Committee of the Boyal Horti¬ 
cultural Society held at Chiswick, and I observed that 
second-class certificates were awarded to some new Potatoes 
which had been grown in the garden. Can you inform me what 
is the value of a second-class Potato when so many first-class 
varieties are to be obtained ? The number of Potatoes that are 
now being forced upon the market is so great that we can surely 
dispense with any that are only worthy of second-class certificates.” 
- “A Grower” writes that’“the Pompon Chrysanthe¬ 
mum Eosinante is one of the really useful varieties for decora¬ 
tive purposes. It is free in habit yet compact, and bears its 
white rose-tinted flowers in dense clusters. I grow a number of 
small plants in 32-size pots, and find them most valuable for the 
conservatory during the present month.” The neat clusters of 
flowers are well suited for cutting, as they are not too large, and 
the delicate tint is most pleasing when they are arranged with 
brighter-coloured varieties.” 
- The example of Salvia Pitcheri, shown at the last 
meeting of the Boyal Horticultural^ Society from the Chiswick 
Garden, was deservedly admired by many visitors, and it would 
be difficult to display the beauty of the plant to better advantage. 
Single plants are rather slender in their growth, though not less 
attractive on tha^ account when the flowers are freely produced ; 
but to insure the most imposing effect several plants should be 
grown together, as in the case of the Chiswick specimen referred 
to above. About half a dozen plants were placed at equal dis¬ 
tance from each other in a large pan, but they were sufficiently 
developed to fill the space without appearing crowded, and the 
tall spikes of bright blue flowers were secured o light stakes. In 
this way some dozen of spikes were brought into view in the 
most advantageous manner. 
- The Council of the [Society of Arts, on the recommend¬ 
ation of the Judges in[the late competition of plant labels, 
are prepared to renew the offer of a Society’s silver medal, 
together with a prize of £5, which has been placed at their dis¬ 
posal for the purpose by G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.B.S., for the best 
label for plants. The object of the offer is to obtain a label 
which may be cheap and durable, and may show legibly whatever 
is written or printed thereon ; the label must be suitable for 
plants in the open border. These considerations will principally 
govern the award. Specimen labels, bearing a number or motto, 
and accompanied by a sealed envelope containing the name of 
the sender, must be sent in to the ,Secretary of the Society not 
later than'May 1st, 1882.— {Nature.') 
- One exhibit [in the class for berry-producing plants 
FOR decoration at Bichmond last week was especially note¬ 
worthy—namely, that from Mr. G. King, gardener to K. Few, 
Esq., Wolsey Grange, Esher, who was accorded the first prize. 
His plants comprised equal numbers of the compact-growing 
small red-fruited Capsicum Tom Thumb, and the large yellow- 
fruited Capsicum Princess of Wales, the latter trained as standards 
with a clean stem about 18 inches high, the branches being trained 
on a flat circular trellis, from the under surface of which the 
fruits were pendulous. The plants were all well grown and in 
small pots. 
