November 27, 1884. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
483 
contributed in large numbers, the principal prizetakers in this section 
being Mr. T. Marsden, gardener to F. Hobson, Esq., and Mr. W. Stimp- 
son, gardener to — Craven, Esq. In cut blooms of Chrysanthemums, 
the first prize for twenly-four incurved was secured by Mr. T. Prouting, 
gardener to Mrs. Howson, with neat but very small blooms. Second, 
Mr. J. Thomas, gardener to W. C. Leng, Esq., with very similar blooms. 
For twelve incurved the first and second prizes were taken by the same 
exhibitors, but in this case Mr. J. Thomas was placed first. The finest 
blooms in the Show were exhibited by Mr. T. Brewer, gardener to W. Colver, 
Esq., who obtained the first prize for six and three, and for premier 
bloom in both incurved and Japanese classes. The specimen plants 
were generally of very inferior quality, and with the exception of those 
exhibited by Mr. E. Austin, gardener to J. H. Allcard, Esq., unworthy of 
comment. During Monday, the first day of the Show, a considerable 
number of people paid for admission, so that the Committee believed the 
financial success was assured, consequently we may hope they will in 
future shows adopt a more open and liberal policy. 
- “ L.,” writes—“ Mr. Davis of Camberwell has a new Japanese 
Chrysanthemum named Hero of Midlothian, which appears dis¬ 
tinct, and likely to be a useful variety. It is a seedling which, I believe, 
has flowered this season for the first time, the several blooms it has pro¬ 
duced being of good size and substance and excellent colour. The florets 
are broad and flat, something of the L’Africaine style, but of a much 
brighter and more pleasing shade of reddish crimson. It certainly 
seems to be better entitled to the designation ‘ Crimson Elaine' than 
that variety.” 
THE LEEK EOSE SOCIETY AND GUMMINQ ROSES. 
I HAVE read a “Puzzled Inquirer’s” questions several times, but I 
fail to see that these questions have anything to do with the present dis¬ 
agreeable subject. I know nothing of Leek or its Rose Society, and even 
supposing all “ Puzzled Inquirer’s” questions are answered in the affirma¬ 
tive I cannot see that it would make gumming Roses legitimate. The ante¬ 
cedents of the Leek Rose Society have nothing to do with the matter, 
unless it be so far as this, that if all these doings now charged against the 
Society and its Hon. Secretary were known to the officials of the National 
Rose S3cietyit is much to be regretted that the latter did not on that 
score alone decline to have such a Society affiliated. By affiliation any 
known offences seem to me condoned, and the affiliated Society had every 
right to feel that in submitting any point to the parent Society it would 
receive careful consideration at their hands ; and seeing that one rule of 
the Leek Society was that Roses should be exhibited as “ cut from the 
plant,” what can this mean but that attempts at deception were to be 
punished ? I am not saying that this careful consideration was not given, 
but I think many Rose exhibitors will, like myself, fail to see the justice 
of the late decision, judging the case by such documents as have seen the 
light. 
Further, supposing all the doings in question are justly laid at the 
door of the Leek Society, if they have seen the error of their ways and 
desire now to act uprightly, it is rather hard to retaliate by raking up 
the past. The convert is, as a rule, zealous, and bow could they better 
show they were in earnest in their endeavour than by taking action on 
the first delinquent ?— Joseph Hinton. 
SEAWEED DECORATIONS. 
At the Show of Chrysanthemums held in Lindfield was an exhibit 
which attracted much attention. A table was decorated with seaweeds, 
corals, &c., and was considered to be Bpecially suitable for yachts and 
vessels at sea, where flowers cannot be obtained. In the centre of this 
table was a very elegant gla'^s epergne, filled with the light seaweeds 
gracefully hanging down. Four dishes were filled with fruits made of 
corals, shells, and seaweeds. These were enclosed by sprays of seaweed 
laid round the table. The specimen glasses were filled with light sprays 
of seaweeds, the salt-cellars consisting of shells tastefully ornamented. 
This novel way of using seaweeds, &c., was first introduced (so I am 
informed) by Mr. M. Smout of Hastings about four years ago. On the 
table were several shells similar to the one I have sent you. Sprays of 
the article were being freely sold for buttonholes and ladies’ hats. I 
think these ornaments would be very useful in large establishments 
where a change of decorations is wanted occasionally. I should like to 
know your opinion of the enclosed shell.—A. J. Brown. 
[The shell with the attached seaweeds is charming'y beautiful, and 
admirably adapted fur table decoration. It is surprisiog these seaweed 
decorations are not exhibited at the London and Crystal Palace Shows.] 
GILBERT’S UNIVERSAL SAVOY. 
A winter vegetable as succulent and delicately flavoui’ed as Green 
Peas, of easy culture, and perfectly hardy, had long, or rather had 
always been wanted, till Mr. Gilbert gave us his Chou de Burghley, and 
I must own that when I first tasted it and felt conviction stealing upon 
me that in it we undoubtedly had a vegetable quite worthy to rank as 
high in general estimation as the best dish of Champion of England Pea 
that ever was cooked, I was sensible of a doubt of the possibility that 
so delicious a vegetable would prove really hardy. That doubt has 
long been set at rest, and I now regard Chou de Burghley as chief of 
all green vegetables in winter, and of which an abundant supply is quite 
indispensable. But we are not to depend upon it alone, for in Gilbert’s 
Universal Savoy we have another winter vegetable equally delicate in 
flavour, with as compact and firm a heart as any other sort of Savoy. 
Nothing among vegetables could be more delicious than a couple of it 
which Mr. Gilbert recently sent me to taste, and I confidently predict 
that the old race of Savoys will soon be a thing of the past. It is hardly 
possible to estimate correctly how great a boon this new race of hardy 
winter vegetables must prove to all gardeners, but especially to those to 
whom the maintenance of a steady supply of forced vegetables is a 
difficult, often an impossible matter.— Edward Luckhurst. 
MRS. PINCE GRAPE. 
At page 460 “ J. J.” says, “ I do not think the day far distant when 
it (Mrs. Pince) will take the place of Lady Downe’s.” As a grower of 
both varieties in question I venture to give my experience. Our Vines 
are strong, healthy, and about fifteen years old. When I took charge 
of them six years ago I found the Vines in two large span-roofed vineries 
were badly infested with what I believe is commonly called the kidney 
fungus, at any rate there was not a bunch of Grapes fit for use; it was 
in the middle of June too. The Hamburghs were foxy; the Muscats, 
Lady Downe’s, and Mrs. Pince, Gros Colman, Madresfield Court, and 
I forget how many more varieties, were all alike spotted and shanked to 
the extent indicated. 
Being a young hand I hardly knew what to do, but soon came to the 
conclusion that I would lift and replant all of them—a hard task, too, 
thought I—and keep up a supply. However, in four years I had gone 
from one end of the range to the other, and lifted every Vine, replanted 
them in good stiff loam and brick rubbish while the leaves were on them, 
and I am proud to say I can now show two houses of as good Vines as 
anyone could wish to see. 
Mrs. Pince is as well coloured as need be, carrying a beautiful bloom 
on fine well-shaped bunches, but that “the day is not far distant when 
it will take the place of Lady Downe’s ” as a late keeper I very much 
doubt. May I ask “ J. J.” if he has ever tried the plan of keeping a 
little air on at all seasons for the good of her ladyship’s health ? If not, I 
can assure him that a piece of hexagon netting tacked over his ventilators 
will enable him to leave them open a little at aU times ; and if the roots 
of his Vines are in good condition there will be no difficulty in preventing 
the so-called scaling, to which this grandest of all late Grapes is so liable. 
—Titch. 
THE INSECT ENEMIES OF OUR GARDEN CROPS. 
THE POTATO. 
Those books in which the culture of the Potato is fully 
described furnish us with a formidable list of its insect enemies, 
and it is a fact patent to every gardener that the plant itself and 
its tubers offer attractions to a variety of species, some of which, 
however, are unseen during some seasons, and others occur in 
too small numbers usually to occasion material damage. All 
these foes of the Potato, or nearly all, have passed into com¬ 
parative insignificance since the appearance of that terrible 
plague of our crops, the Potato murrain. Careful and repeated 
observations, made by men of acknowledged skill, attribute this 
to the spread of a fungus called Peronospora infestans, though 
probably this is not the sole pest, but the leading one amongst 
several of vegetable nature. For a good while after the first 
outbreak of this mysterious malady many persons believed and 
asserted that insects had something to do with it, if they were 
not its direct cause. The genus Aphis w'as more particularly 
under reproach. As we shall show hereafter there is no con¬ 
nection between the fungus and the insect suspected. This only 
can be said, that any severe insect attacks, by their weakening 
effect upon the pi int, might render it likely to become the victim 
of the former. The Potato has the repute of furnishing the 
favourite food of the caterpillar of our largest native moth—our 
largest insect indeed, the death’s head sphinx (Acherontia Atro- 
pos) also rather singularly, but not unreasonably, called the 
“bee tiger.” We introduce it here because it has long had the 
prominent place amongst the insects of the Potato, owing to its 
size and peculiarities, but this caterpillar is seldom plentiful 
enough to be harmful. Of course each individual consumes a 
large number of leaves during its progress from the egg to 
maturity. Besides the Potato, it feeds upon the common Night¬ 
shade of our hedges, now and then on Privet or the Tea Tree 
(Lycium barbarum) and not unfrequently upon one of the Jessa¬ 
mines. One circumstance in its history seems to act as a check 
upon its increase. What might be styled the pi’oper season for 
the emergence of the moths is June or July, the eggs then laid 
produce caterpillars that feed through August and September. 
But the late Edward Newman discovered that mostly a part of 
