3w.fi 
218 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t September 7, m2. 
mg from shoots which have already given a bloom this year.” This 
is satisfactory, and I hope others maybe able to confirm it.—D ,,Deal. 
FRUIT-PACKING IN MOSS. 
Thoroughly dried and well-beaten moss is no doubt a good 
material for packing fruit with, but we have discontinued its use 
on account of the fruit tasting of it when packed in it any length 
of time. Last year we commenced using it for packing fruit for 
sending to Scotland, but soon had complaints that it tasted of 
the moss. Being unwilling to give it up we baked the moss in a 
slack oven and wrapped the fruit in double tissue paper, but this 
did not remove the objection, which was most perceptible in 
Peaches and Nectarines. No doubt the length of time the fruit 
remains in the packing material going from Worcester to the 
north of Scotland has something to do with it, as when sent only 
short distances the flavour of the moss is not noticed.— A. Barkee, 
Hindlip. _ 
I think the flavour complained of in the Nectarines which 
I sent to the Fruit Committee at South Kensington may^ 
attributed to the fact of their being eaten immediately after being 
unpacked. I have known Nectarines delicious and sprightly in 
the morning before packing being perfectly flavourless in the 
evening when taken from the box in which they had remained all 
day. I have used moss for packing for some time ; when pro¬ 
perly dried and prepared there is no better packing material.— 
T. Fbancis Eiyebs. 
This year we sent a quantity of Peaches and Nectarines to 
London. Each fruit was wrapped in thin paper, and then packed 
in moss in shallow boxes. Once we heard that the fruits had a 
slight mossy flavour, and on inquiry found that those who were 
responsible for them at the other end only took a few fruits from 
the.box as they were wanted, some of them being allowed to re¬ 
main in the moss for several days ; thus it was that the moss 
flavour was imparted. Were the fruits unpacked immediately on 
their arrival and placed in a dry position the flavour would be 
equal to any newly gathered from the trees.—J. Muir. 
HANDSWORTH SHOW. 
The nineteenth annual Exhibition of the Handsworth Horticultural 
Society was held on the 30th ult. Four capacious tents were erected 
for the exhibits and the shelter of visitors, and lucky it was the 
Committee were so prodigal in canvas, for from four o’clock in the 
afternoon till half-past six there was an almost continuous downpour 
of rain, though from the thousands of visitors who arrived early 
in the afternoon it is hoped the receipts will at least equal the 
expenditure. 
The Exhibition was scarcely equal to some held in previous years. 
There was a falling-off in the gentlemen’s gardeners’ class, and the 
produce in the open class was not nearly so good as the Committee 
had a right to expect considering the liberal prizes offered. 
Plants .—The premier prize of £10 for eight stove or greenhouse 
plants (open), four foliage and four flowering, was easily won by Mr. 
Shelley, gardener to Mrs. Hobson, Buntstones, Sheffield, with a capital 
group of well-grown evenly balanced plants, the most noteworthy 
being a grandly flowered example of Miltonia spectabilis. Dipladenia 
Brearleyana and the old but ever beautiful Croton angustifolius were 
also extremely fine. Groups of plants arranged for effect had a tent 
set apart for them. Four competitors entered the lists, none of whom 
displayed any originality of design, the form of the group in each 
case being a dwarf pyramid. The first prize of £8 was won by Mr. 
Keeling, gardener to David Ward, Esq., Sheffield, with a massive 
group. The. second prize fell to Mr. Dore of Clay Cross, the chief 
features of his group being, half-specimen Crotons and Eucharis ; the 
edging of this group was faulty. The remaining two groups, which 
were scarcely less meritorious than the winning collections, were 
arranged respectively by Messrs. Benjamin Crossland, nurseryman ; 
and J. Walker, gardener to B. P. Broomhead, Esq , Broomhall Park, 
Sheffield. 1 ’ 
Mr. Walker took first honours in the gentlemen’s gardeners’ class for 
six stove or greenhouse plants, also for six exotic Ferns in the same 
class, specially noticeable being a splendid specimen Adiantum 
farleyense and A. tenerum. Mr. Shelley’s exhibit of exotic Ferns are 
worthy of special mention, every plant being in the greatest luxu¬ 
riance and without spot or blemish, and all nearly equal in size. The 
kinds were Adiantum cuneatum, A. farleyense, A. gracillimum, 
Davallia Mooreana, D. bullata, and Pteris scaberula. Mr. Foggin, 
gardener to Mrs. Wilson, Tapton, exhibited the best specimen 
Fuchsias, Zonal Pelargoniums, and British Ferns. Window plants, 
flowering and foliage, were fairly well represented in the cottagers’ 
class ; but their forte here as elsewhere is amongst the vegetables, 
the improvement in this department being very marked—a proof that 
flower shows have done a valuable work during the past twenty 
years. 
Fruit .—This was fairly well exhibited in the open class. Mr. J. 
Ward, gardener to T. H. Oakes, Esq., Biddings House, Alfreton, 
carried off the first prize, £5, with a good all-round collection, con¬ 
sisting of splendidly coloured Bowood Muscats and good Madresfield 
Court Grapes, with fine Queen Pines, Peaches, and Nectarines. Mr. 
J. Keeling was placed second with a good collection, and he was 
closely followed by Mr. Webb, gardener, Kelham Hall, Newark, who 
had a dish of very fine Peaches in his stand. 
For two bunches of black Grapes Mr. J. Simpson, Wortley Hall 
Gardens, was first with large compact bunches of Black Hambnrghs, 
and well coloured medium-sized berries. Mr. Keeling was a very 
close second with Madresfield Court Muscat. In the class for two 
bunches of white Grapes Mr. Simpson was again first with not 
large but well-ripened examples of Muscat of Alexandria ; Mr. Webb 
being placed second with much better bunches of the same variety, 
but several points behind in finish. Mr. Jefferson, Carlton House, 
Worksop, took first honours for two Pines with very fine specimens 
of Providence ; Mr. Clements, Whittington Hall, Chesterfield, being 
second. For a dish of Peaches the prizes went in the order named to 
Mr. Webb and Mr. Ward ; Nectarines, Messrs. Clements and Keeling; 
and Apricots, to Messrs. Webb and Ward. There was much room 
for improvement in the exhibits of fruit in the gentlemen’s gardeners’ 
class, the principal prizetakers being Messrs. Foggin, Yerelst, and 
Pring. Vegetables were well shown by Messrs. Walker, Foggin, 
Penistan, and Crossland. 
Cut Flowers .—These were well represented in the open class, the 
Hollyhocks being exceptionally good, the first prize for twenty-four 
being won by Mr. Boston of Bedale with a splendid stand. The same 
exhibitor was also first with twenty-four Dahlias and also in the 
class for twelve blooms. Mr. T. J. Wright of Doncaster was a good 
second with twenty-four Hollyhocks ; whilst Mr. Henry Clarke was 
equally as good second with twenty-four Dahlias and twelve blooms. 
For twenty-four Boses, dissimilar, Mr. Proctor of Chesterfield secured 
the first position with a good stand ; Mr. Holland, gardener to Mr. 
Duncan Gilmour, being second. 
The extensive nurseries of Messrs. Fisher, Son, & Sibray were very 
generously thrown open to the public, who were not slow to avail 
themselves of so great a privilege, and it is said that there were quite 
as many visitors to the nursery as to the flower show. The plants 
in all the houses are in clean condition and robust health, parti¬ 
cularly the magnificent stock of hybrid greenhouse Khododendrons. 
In one house of cool temperature is a truly floriferous specimen of 
Stephanotis, which at the present time is a perfect sheet of bloom, as 
it has been during the months of August and September for several 
years. In another span-roofed house is an excellent lot of Vines in 
pots carrying six to eight good bunches of fruit. The kinds are Black 
Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, Mrs. Pince, Madresfield Court, 
Buckland Sweetwater, Gros Colman, Bowood Muscat, and White 
Frontignan. The pots, 12-inch, are not plunged, but have sheets of 
brown paper tied round them, which protect the roots from the too 
drying influence of the sun’s rays. In another house is a good display 
of Orchids, amongst which are conspicuous Mormodes pardinum, 
Miltonia Begnelii pur., Zygopetalum maxillare, Oncidium Lanceanum, 
Dendrobium heterocarpum philippense, Laslia Dayana, &c. Other 
houses contain sturdy batches of Ericas, Epacris, Azaleas. Camellias, 
Ferns, cool Orchids, and Lapagerias rubra and alba. Hyacinthus 
candicans with spikes 5 to 6 feet high was very effective. The 
arrangement and condition of the whole stock in the glass depart¬ 
ment reflects great credit on Mr. Williams, Messrs. Fisher, Son, and 
Sibray’s propagator and foreman. 
EARTH-CLOSET MANURE. 
There is no discrepancy, such as “ Inquirer ” suggests, 
between sound science represented by Dr. Voelcker, and sound 
practice as represented by Mr. Taylor. “ Inquirer ” has simply 
not adverted to the quantities employed in each case. Dr. 
Voelcker was writing of applications of from a half ton to one 
ton per acre, and of a price of £1 charged per ton, and he showed 
that the real value of the manurial addition to a ton of soil was 
about 2s. But Mr. Taylor applies half a bushel, which may be 
taken as about half a cwt. per square yard, which is at the rate 
of more than 100 tons per acre, and would, at Dr. Voelcker’s 
estimate, be worth above £10. Furthermore, in so large a quan¬ 
tity of good soil, containing also, as Mr. Taylor tells us, a quantity 
of burnt clay, there would be, apart from the manure, a very 
considerable proportion of fertilising matter which the copious 
waterings would wash into the border. But Dr. Voelcker in the 
same paper also anticipated the remark of Mr. Taylor, that the 
earth-closet manure from private houses is probably richer than 
that from prisons, and he gives an analysis by Dr. Gilbert of 
earth once used in a private establishment, which proved to be 
nearly two and a half times as valuable as that obtained from a 
prison. This value would make Mr. Taylor’s application equal 
to £25 worth per acre. Or comparing the constituents of the 
earth-closet manure with those of farm manure, it would be equi¬ 
valent to an application of 33 tons per acre of the best rotten 
farm manure, made under cover and by beasts fed on cake. This, 
