September 7, 1882. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 223 
all around them but friends on every hand. True they must cross 
the, at times, tempestuous sea, and take their chance of having a taste 
of the dreaded mal de mer. Once they have this they will have a 
“ change ” indeed, as on a never-to-be-forgotten occasion I bitterly 
experienced. What is it like ? It is just like what Captain Marryatt 
has described of a terrible passage across the same sea, as follows :— 
“ Paddle, paddle—splash, splash—bump, thump, bump. What a 
leveller is sea sickness—almost as great a radical as death ! All grades, 
all respect, all consideration are lost. The master may summon John 
to his assistance, but John will see his master hanged before he’ll go to 
him. He has taken possession of the master’s great coat, and intends 
to keep it; he don’t care for warning. Then the poor children. 
‘ 0 lauk, Mary, do just hold this child,’says the upper nurse to her 
assistant, ‘ I do feel such a sinking.’ 1 Carn’t indeed, nurse, I’ve such 
a l ising.’ A young lady will recline unwittingly in the arms of a 
perfect stranger, and the bride of three months, deserted by her hus¬ 
band, will offer no resistance to the uncouth seaman who, in his 
kindness, would loosen the laces that confine her heaving bosom. 
One would imagine that the passengers were so many pumps all 
worked at once by the hundred-horse engines of the vessel, for a 
hundred people were about me each as sick as a horse.” 
There is no exaggeration there, and the facetious captain wrote the 
“ sober ” truth for once. But let no one be deterred. The passage is 
not always so, but only occasionally, during the raging equinoctials 
of autumn. In the summer the sea is smooth and beautiful, and 
the boats better than they used to be. I was fortunate in securing 
the same favourite steamer home (the Princess of Wales) that took 
me out from Harwich, and steadily, smoothly, pleasantly, almost 
luxuriously, we glided into the familiar port once more.—J. Wright. 
We are informed that the entries of Dahlias for the National 
Show that opens on Friday at the Crystal Palace are more nume¬ 
rous than was expected ; there is, however, plenty of room for 
all competitors, and the Exhibition will be a very large one. The 
display of single Dahlias will be by far the finest that has ever 
been seen. A good show of fruit is also expected. 
- “ A. B.” will be glad to know “ the name of some cheap 
white Gladiolus, to flower along with G. brenchleyensis. He 
has seen one with a light crimson throat in gardens, which would 
do if he could ascertain the name. The flowers are just the same 
size as those of brenchleyensis.” Perhaps some of our readers 
can supply the information requested. 
- A correspondent informs us that Mr. Bardney of Don- 
ington, near Spalding, Lincolnshire, planted on April 16th 8 lbs. 
of the White Elephant Potato in two different parts of his 
garden—viz., 2 lbs. in one, and 1 lb. in another. These Potatoes 
were lifted on August 16th, and the produce from the 2 lbs. was 
9 stones 2 lbs., and from the remaining 1 lb., 4 stones 5 lbs., the 
total yield from the 3 lbs. being 189 lbs., or 134 stones, many of 
the tubers weighing 1 lb. and over, all being good and sound. 
- The Wimbledon and District Eoyal Horticultural 
Society will hold an exhibition of Chrysanthemums at the 
Lecture Hall, Wimbledon, on Wednesday, November 22nd, when 
prizes will be offered in fourteen classes, the most important being 
that for a group of Chrysanthemums in pots. 
- The Western Chrysanthemum Society will also hold 
an exhibition in the Guildhall, Plymouth, on November 14th and 
15th, when numerous prizes will be offered for Chrysanthemums, 
miscellaneous plants, and fruit. Several valuable special prizes 
are offered by gentlemen in the neighbourhood. 
- Mr. Cannell has sent us blooms of new continental 
Tuberous Begonias of extraordinary size and substance of 
petal, and of great richness in colour. The petals exceed 2 inches 
in diameter, and the flowers, which are described as “ small ex¬ 
amples,” produced after the plants had travelled four hundred 
miles, are nearly 6 inches across. We should like to see what 
Mr. Cannell regards as large flowers when they are produced by 
his latest introductions. 
- The International Show, which will be held in the 
Waverley Market, Edinburgh, on Wednesday and Thursday, the 
13th and 14th inst., is expected to be of great magnitude and 
excellence, preparations having been made for submitting the 
best examples of cultural skill in the kingdom. The schedule 
includes 160 classes, or about ninety for fruit, fifty for plants, 
and twenty for vegetables. Without being of startling magnitude 
the prizes are liberal throughout, and sufficient to induce a brisk 
competition. If the Exhibition is even nearly equal to the grand 
display of 1875, the year of the last Edinburgh International, it 
will be worthy of a j ourney from the most remote parts of the 
kingdom by all who are interested in horticultural pursuits. A 
visit to the beautiful northern city is a treat in itself, and all the 
more enjoyable since Scottish horticulturists are proverbial for 
their courtesy and hospitality. We advise all who can do so to 
arrange for an inspection of the coming Show. Gardeners espe¬ 
cially will admit the excellence of the rule under which they and 
their assistants are admitted from nine till eleven on the first 
day on payment of 1.?. each, the Exhibition opening to the 
members of the Society at twelve and to the public at one 
o’clock. 
- A correspondent sends us the following note on CAM¬ 
PANULA pyramidalis :—“ This species, both white and blue, is 
highly effective in the greenhouse and out of doors in the Cam¬ 
bridge Botanic Garden. Out of doors it is perfectly hardy, and 
has lately proved a valuable border plant, for which purpose it is 
not too often used. At the Trinity College Botanic Garden we 
saw it much finer, the moisture of the climate seems to suit it so 
much better. There it was simply magnificent, and at both places 
no more ornamental plant could be desired.” Several plants of 
this Campanula are now highly effective in the new large herba¬ 
ceous bed at Hampton Court. 
- Last week completed the three months during which the 
Inner Temple Gardens, London, have, by permission of the 
Benchers, been open to the public every evening from six until 
nine, a kindness of which many thousands of poor children from 
the surrounding close and crowded districts have gladly availed 
themselves ; and it is satisfactory at the same time to be able to 
state that, notwithstanding the number of children who have 
nightly visited the gardens, there has not been a single instance 
of damage or injury occasioned by their presence. The next 
occasion on which the gardens will be opened to the public will 
be for the annual show of Chrysanthemums in November next, 
preparations for which are already being made. The flower beds 
in the gardens have been very beautiful this summer, and have 
fully equalled those in the parks. Their condition has shown 
what can be done with good plants and good management of 
rendering gardens attractive even in the centre of London. 
-The effects of the new parcels post have already become 
apparent in the lowering of parcel rates by the railway companies, 
which date from the 1st inst. Their tariff is for parcels of 1 lb. 
weight and under, 4 d. for fifty miles, and 6 d. for all longer dis¬ 
tances. For 7 lbs. the charge will be 6 d. for thirty miles, 8 d. for 
fifty, HkZ. for a hundred, and any distance for Is. Gd. The post 
office proposes to charge 3 d. for any distance for parcels not ex¬ 
ceeding 1 lb.; over 1 lb., and not exceeding 3 lbs., 6<Z.; not ex¬ 
ceeding 5 lbs., 9 d. ; and from 5 up to a limit of 7 lbs., Is. Thus 
for short distances the large parcels can be the most cheaply 
transmitted by rail, but for sending small parcels, regardless of 
distance, the post office scheme offers clear advantages. The 
plan of the railway companies of charging by distance as well as 
by weight is probably tentative, and it is not unlikely that ex- 
