JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ October 12, im. 
with £3 in money, is offered this season also for forty-eight Chrys¬ 
anthemum blooms, comprising twenty-four Incurved and twenty- 
four Japanese, the three winners of the first vase to be excluded 
from competing for this one. Thus some others of the many good 
growers will have an opportunity of testing their strength. 
- The Chambre Sydicale des Horticulteurs Beiges of Ghent 
have issued a circular in six languages, stating that the following 
resolution has been agreed to in reference to an International 
Congress of Horticulturists :—“ In order to give to the re¬ 
presentatives of horticultural industry of all countries the occa¬ 
sion to extend mutually their commercial relations and discuss 
their common interests, an international meeting of horticul¬ 
turists will take place at Ghent in April, 1883. The programme 
will be published in due time. As this meeting will coincide 
with the great quinquennial international flower show organised 
by the Royal Agricultural and Botanical Society, interesting 
entertainments will be offered to the Congress members.” 
- Borders of hardy plants are still attractive where 
proper attention has been given to including in the collection late 
as well as early-flowering plants ; and though the numbers of the 
former are more limited than those of the latter, yet the great 
family Compositae affords abundance to select from. One of the 
finest borders of this kind we have seen recently is at Kew near 
the T range, which has been greatly admired by all visitors. As 
a background numerous clumps of the floriferous and beautiful 
Pyrethrum uliginosum are particularly fine, bearing a profusion of 
their large pure white blooms. Near these the early-flowering 
varieties of Chrysanthemum indicum form a pretty contrast, the 
bright rosy crimson form Adrastus being especially good. Dwarf 
and tall purple, blue, and rose Michaelmas Daisies are freely em¬ 
ployed, together with the dwarf yellow Composites, such as Core¬ 
opsises, Chrysanthemum segetum, Helianthus multiflorus, and 
many others. Single Dahlias are similarly planted in suitable 
positions, and a most satisfactory effect is produced, which will 
last until the frosts become sufficiently severe to injure the plants. 
■- In the orchid house at Kew several plants are now 
flowering that are worth the attention of growers. Conspicuous 
amongst them is the charming Comparettia macroplectron, for a 
plant of which it will be remembered that Mr. Heims, gardener 
to F. A. Philbrick, Esq., Oldfield, Bickley, obtained a certificate 
at one of the Royal Horticultural Society’s meetings this year. It 
has drooping racemes of mauve-coloured flowers, the sepals, petals, 
and broad rounded lip being spotted with bright rose—a pleasing 
and delicate contrast. Spathoglottis Fortune! is a pretty dwarf 
species with neat bright yellow flowers that are produced very 
freely, and would be extremely useful for cutting. The remarkable 
Cypripedium Spicerianum is bearing one of its striking flowers, 
the large^ white dorsal sepal having its margins revolute, and ap¬ 
pearing almost funnel-shaped. Near it is the neat and bright 
purple C. purpuratum, which is not too frequently seen in collec¬ 
tions. As a curiosity may be noted the peculiar Gongora Bufonia 
luteochilum, which has a pendulous spike of reddish flowers with 
yellow lips, the structure being very peculiar. In the porch 
Pleione Wallichiana, P. lagenaria, and P. maculata are flowering 
profusely, near them being the richly coloured Pinguicula caudata, 
which has again commenced flowering. This beautiful species, as 
we have frequently noted, is almost constantly in bloom, and the 
fine crimson hue of its flowers is unrivalled. 
ROSES AT THE AUTUMN SHOWS. 
Now that the principal shows of the year are over, and before 
arrangements are made for next year, permit me to call attention 
to a grievance of Rose-growers which a stroke of the pen may set 
right to the mutual advantage of show managers and exhibitors. 
In the schedule of prizes at a show held in September there are 
liberal offers for Roses—forty-eight varieties in bunches of three 
trusses, or 144 flowers ; twenty-four varieties and twelve varieties, 
both in bunches of three trusses, or six dozen and three dozen in 
the respective classes. “Why were you not at the show?” was 
asked of a Rose-grower whose name is well known as a prize¬ 
winner at metropolitan shows. “ Simply because I was excluded,’ 
said he. “ Who is able to find three really good flowers of each 
of forty-eight, twenty-four, or even twelve varieties at this season 
of the year ? ” “ Certainly not those who exhibited,” I replied, 
“ for there were not more than three or four really good triplets 
even in the first-prize stands.” 
Now at a season of the year when really fine flowers are so few 
and far between that we may reasonably regard any one of them 
as “ the last Rose of summer,” surely it would answer best to con¬ 
fine every class to single flowers or trusses, not simply because 
even the largest growers must then find it difficult, almost impos¬ 
sible, to stage an entire stand of triplets worthy of a prize, 
but rather that it would be quite certain to materially increase 
the number of entries, and, what is even more important, secure 
the exhibition of many more good examples of such general 
favourites. 
“ Can that possibly be La France ? ” said a lady to me at the 
show in question. Yes, it was undoubtedly La France, but not 
easily recognisable under its autumnal guise, the small flowers 
having none of its attractive summer brilliancy. “ Not bad for 
this season of the year” perhaps, and in point of fact is, often said 
in reply to such strictures. But the wisdom of offering what may 
be fairly termed unreasonable prizes for any flowers is certainly 
questionable. Rather let them be so modified to what is possible 
in autumn as to secure for the Rose as high a place then among 
the other exhibits as it has in summer, and this can only be done 
by the exclusion of triplets.— Edward Luckhurst. 
A TOMATO TRAP FOR^ INSECTS. 
I have lately found out something in this way which is new to 
me. In washing out some Tomato seed the other day I was called 
away, and left a teacup half full of seeds, pulp, and water. To 
prevent this from moulding I placed the cup close to a hot-water 
pipe in one of the vineries, and next morning the cup was almost 
full of dead woodlice, crickets, earwigs, and all kinds of insects 
which are fond of harbouring in warm corners or about glass 
houses. They were all mixed up together, as if there had been a 
general scramble as to which was to get in first. Owing to this 
little could be seen of our valuable seed, which we had lately 
brought from Scotland ; but the satisfaction of securing such a 
haul of those general garden pests so unexpectedly fully compen¬ 
sated for the loss of the seed. The following night and other 
nights afterwards we repeated the dose with some worthless 
Tomatoes, and the result was the same as in the first instance. 
Now we are using this trap about the pits and where the pests 
indicated are troublesome, and to all appearance they will soon 
be all caught. We have never been able to find anything which 
took them in so completely before, and 1 would be pleased to 
hear of anyone trying it as successfully as we have done.— 
J. Muir, Margam. 
FRUIT-JUDGING AT EDINBURGH. 
The gentlemen who acted as fruit judges at the late Inter¬ 
national Fruit Show were as follows :—Messrs. D. Thomson, 
Drumlanrig Castle ; A. F. Barron, Chiswick; J. Smith, Ment- 
more ; G. Smith, Vice-regal Lodge, Dublin ; A. Fowler, Castle 
Kennedy ; Z. Stevens, Trentham ; A. Henderson, Thoresby Park ; 
J. Webster, Gordon Castle ; T. Lunt, Ardgowan ; W. Bennett, 
Rangemore ; and J. Dell, Stoke Rochford. If no other fact than 
the above had been mentioned I think enough would have been 
said to satisfy most of your readers that justice was done to every 
exhibit set before them. However, “ H. B.” seems to think other¬ 
wise (see page 289), and attributes the result to the deception of 
the eye “in the grey of the morning.” The fact is, the Veitch 
Memorial medals were awarded to the finest Grapes and the best 
collection of fruits at about nine o’clock, when the sun was high 
and shining brightly. So much for “ the grey of the morning.” 
Nothing can possibly be more distasteful to me than even 
seeming to praise my own and disparage the exhibits of my 
respected brethren ; but as “ H. B.” has considered it part of his 
duty to question the verdict of the Judges and the excellence of 
my exhibits, allow me to say a few words in reply. 
In the first place, the Society offered the prizes in the premier 
Grape class for the best twelve bunches, and the Judges did 
award the first prize to the undoubted best twelve bunches in 
the competition. In cases like this it requires something more 
