s.ptember 7 , 1882 . ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Fruit was not largely represented, but the collection of six varieties 
from Mr. Pollard, who obtained first place, contained fine Black 
Hamburgh Grapes, Peaches, and Nectarines. For black Grapes Mr. 
G. Chuter, gardener to Captain Ames-Lyde, Ayot St. Lawrence, was 
first with well-finished Black Hamburghs. Very good Souvenir du 
Congres and Jargonelle Pears, and Kirke’s and Diamond Plums were 
staged, but the other fruits do not call for special notice. 
Vegetables were largely contributed, and for the district, with the 
exception of Potatoes, were in fair condition. The latter were, how¬ 
ever, rough and not clean. White Elephant as shown here and else¬ 
where was not white, but seems to be a coarse edition of Beauty of 
Hebron. Reading Russet, a good medium-sized, pinkish, flat Potato, 
one of Mr. Penn’s seedlings, was well shown, its skin russety, and 
apparently a useful Potato for general purposes. Mr. C. Pollard was 
first for the collection of twelve varieties, and Mr. Wilson of St. 
Albans for the six. For Peas the first prize was awarded to Mrs. 
Robinson, Harpenden, for Omega, a good sample of Telegraph being 
also shown. Cucumbers were generally coarse, the best brace in both 
classes coming from the Rev. W. H. Jackson. In the cottagers’ depart¬ 
ment the vegetables were good. A very neat tray from Mr. J. H. 
Crawford, Cravell’s Road, Harpenden, contained fine Telephone Peas, 
a few Tomatoes, Cucumbers, and other vegetables, all excellent and 
not too coarse. It is not often so good and regular a collection is 
seen in the cottagers’ class. 
In the miscellaneous exhibits single Dahlias were strongly shown, 
but not for competition, by Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt;*C. Turner, 
W. Paul & Son, and Mr. T. S. Ware, Tottenham; amongst the 
most striking flowers were White Queen, Cervantesii, Mauve Queen, 
Paragon, Dash, and Flower of the Garden (G. Paul). Good Zinnias 
were also shown by Miss Debenham and others. 
For table decorations the first prize was awarded to Miss H. Field, 
Harpenden, for a light but replete table. For a vase of flowers and 
for a memorial wreath Miss Henshaw, Harpenden, was first in both 
classes. The best three buttonholes came from Miss M. Brown, 
Digswell, and ladies’ dress decorations from Miss H. Sibley, Harpen¬ 
den, all showing real taste, the dress decorations being effectively 
composed of Lilium tigrinum and Rose Niphetos, combined with 
Adiantum. 
Wild flowers were largely and better set up than usual at exhi- 
bitions, the nomenclature and classification being generally correct, 
The prizes for wild fruits were well contested, but the exhibits did 
not indicate a correct appreciation of the meagre indigenous pomo¬ 
logy of the district, many introduced species being represented, and a 
very wide interpretation of the term “ fruits ” being admitted. As will 
be seen, the Committee were rewarded for their spirited endeavours 
with a good competition, and Harpenden may be congratulated on 
the position it is taking in horticulture. 
EXACUM MACRANTIIUM. 
A few weeks ago the plant, a spray of which is represented in 
fig. 38, was alluded to in a contemporary as a “ beautiful new 
stove plant.” The flowers are certainly most beautiful, but the 
plant is decidedly not new. On the contrary, it flowered in 
the Glasnevin Botanic Garden in 1853, and is figured in the 
“Botanical Magazine,” tab. 4771, March 1st, 1854. Our en¬ 
graving has been prepared from a flowering specimen, and, as 
will be seen, the flowers have a great resemblance to Solanums, 
though the plant belongs to the Gentian family. They are about 
2 inches in diameter, the corolla being divided into five broad 
ovate segments, slightly recurved, terminating in a rather 
sharp point. Their colour is almost of indescribable richness, 
being a rich indigo purple with a satiny sheen ; the flowers, 
which are borne on a terminal corymb, being the more striking 
by the deep yellow prominent anthers. The leaves are opposite ; 
those on the upper part of the stem being sometimes 3 inches long 
and an inch wide, tapering to both ends ; the lower leaves are 
smaller and less pointed. They are bright green and slightly 
ribbed. The plant grows about 18 inches high, and succeeds in 
an intermediate house. It was found in Ceylon at an altitude of 
G000 feet, and, though still rare, it is worthy of being largely 
increased and widely distributed. 
FRUIT NOTES. 
Fruit of all kinds except Apples is abundant and fine this 
year, but there is a deficiency of flavour in most of it, arising 
from the low temperature of the dull wet summer. The contrast 
between the Apple crop of last year and this is remarkable ; then 
we had trees crushed beneath the load of fruit, now we have 
hardly a fruit upon hundreds of trees. Exceptions to the general 
scarcity are few and far between, and they invariably occur in 
orchards thoroughly sheltered from high winds. I have only met 
with two such as yet, one in Sussex and the other in Berkshire. 
How thorough such shelter must be to be really effective was 
shown clearly and forcibly in the great storm of April 29th, a 
regular “ Black Saturday.” for many trees, but more scathing in 
its effects upon Apples and Oaks than anything else, lacerating 
221 
the foliage and destroying the entire crop of the Apples, and 
blasting the spring growth of the Oaks so thoroughly that they 
remained without a shoot or leaf till midsummer, gaunt and bare 
as though they were dead. Balmy genial midsummer ! how its 
kindly vivifying touch brings life and fulness to much that was 
apparently dead and bare. The scars of spring disappear as 
though by magic ; foliage perfect and abundant crowds the deci¬ 
duous growth with a beauty and freshness not often seen in 
spring time. 
That other fruits suffered in a proportionate degree to the ex¬ 
posure of the trees to the storm there can be no doubt, and many 
striking examples might be quoted. One of the most remarkable 
is that of two Plum trees, one a Golden Drop and the other a 
Fig. 38.—Exacum macranthum. 
Diamond, growing upon a gable of a lofty building here. The 
lower branches are screened from south-western winds by another 
building, and have plenty of fruit, but all those above the building 
have none. A row of pyramidal trees of various sorts of Gage 
Plums were very full of bloom, but exposure to the storm caused 
the whole of it to be swept away. In contrast to this some 
Rivers’ Early Prolific much exposed had a heavy crop of fruit, so 
also have some Victoria Plums growing near them. Damsons 
are abundant, so also are Prince Englebert Plums. 
Many sorts of Pears are very plentiful, Comte de Lamy and 
Jargonelle among pyramids. Upon a west wall there are full 
crops of Beunh Clairgeau, Fondante d’Automne, Doyennb du 
Comice, and moderate crops of Glou Morceau, Josephine de Ma- 
lines, BeunA de Ranee, Williams’ Bon Chretien, and Mardchal de 
Cour. Upon an east wall out of many I may select as having very 
full crops Citron des Carmes, Monarch, Louise Bonne of Jersey, 
