206 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. [ September 2, isso. 
Only slight signs of disease were apparent, and it is to be hoped that 
the recent dry weather has stayed its virulence. Celery was heavy 
and very good for the period. Onions were not so good as usual, 
many of the exhibits being soft and showing the effects of wet and 
mildew. Cauliflowers were rough, and not nearly so good as last 
year’s exhibits. Peas, especially Omega and Telegraph, were well 
shown. In the cottagers’classes vegetables were quite equal to those 
shown by gardeners and amateurs, the collections staged by Messrs. 
J. Spencer and G. Johnson of Bedford, who were respectively first 
and second, being very creditable and clean. 
Where advancing success attends an undertaking like the Sandy 
Show, which is well and systematically carried out, it would probably 
be injurious to make any material alteration, especially as the 
schedule is a liberal and comprehensive one ; but as the Society has 
not only emerged from its infancy but has become an important 
institution since the schedule was originally framed, there is scope 
for a corresponding expansion in some of the divisions, and as the 
finances of the Society are also in a healthy condition there can be 
no reason why Pine Apples should not on a future occasion be recog¬ 
nised. The public are much indebted to the Honorary Secretary (Mr. 
E. T. L. Smith) and the Secretary (Mr. Green) for the quiet and busi¬ 
ness-like way in which the Show is managed, complaints and mis¬ 
takes at Sandy being very exceptional. An immense concourse 
attended the Show, which combines poultry, farm produce, cage 
birds, and bees with horticulture, and I understand that the receipts 
were in excess of those in former years.—T. Laxtox, Bedford. 
THE SHANKING OF GRAPES. 
It is a singular fact that fungus is so often said to cause disease. 
The Potato disease has repeatedly been attributed to it, so has 
Peach blister, and now we are told that it gives rise to the shank¬ 
ing of Grapes. In every instance the idea is erroneous. Spores 
of fungi are so minute as to be invisible to the naked eye, and are 
probably so light as to be blown hither and thither by every 
current of air and deposited upon the surfaces of any plant with 
which they come in contact. Sooner or later the germs vegetate, 
and in most cases perish for want of a suitable nidus wherein they 
may flourish and attain to full development. The diseased epi¬ 
dermis of any part of the young and tender growth of plants 
affords this medium, hence when upon examination the affected 
part is found infested by fungi an outcry is raised that fungus 
precedes and is the cause of disease, when in my opinion it follows 
and is a mere result of it. The fact of the liability of delicate 
sickly human beings to suffer from infectious diseases, while those 
in robust health are untouched, is well known to medical practi¬ 
tioners, and the analogy which exists between plant and animal 
life should fairly induce similar conclusions on the part of horti¬ 
culturists, and be taken for a guide in the treatment of their 
patients.— Edwaed Luckhurst. 
Permit me to say in my remarks last week the word “ fresh¬ 
ness” should read “ fleshiness.” Sulphur applied in any form 
does not exert the slightest effect upon the disease.—J. S. W. 
EARLY RECOLLECTIONS OF FLORICULTURE. 
I well remember when I first made my essay in gardening at 
eight years of age (180G) with my playfellow, but flowers were 
not in our possession, and we were content to grow Mustard, 
Cress, and Radishes in a plot of ground now surrounded by 
dwellings. Well do I remember buying my first flower plant, a 
Sweet William, for which I paid 2d., and shortly after my father 
purchased the goodwill of a small garden one mile from our 
dwelling, and then my love of Rowers increased. At that age my 
pocket money would not do much; however, a neighbouring 
grower of Pinks aided me, and one day he invited me into his 
garden and gave me some cuttings. The only names I recollect 
in the Pinks was one named Midshipman, a red-laced variety ; 
and Davey’s Eclipse, a black and white variety ; and year after 
year additions were made by seedlings. Faulkner raised a purple- 
laced Duke of St. Albans, one that for some years was able to 
keep all varieties at a distance until the Duke was surpassed by 
others in 1807. Few florists could cultivate any other varieties, 
as the price enabled a working man to spend his few shillings in 
what from circumstances he was compelled to grow. A few who 
had trades that enabled them to earn good wages bought a few 
of the low-priced Auriculas, and in course of time they made a 
gay appearance in their gardens. 
In Lancashire (Middleton) the men were principally employed 
as weavers, and added to their stock. If possessed of forty or 
more plants they were considered to have a collection, and several 
who were noted for their knowledge of them were written to, to 
supply growers in the south and other parts of England with 
plants. Years elapsed before the largest growers could have a 
collection amounting to 150. There are only a few growers now, 
as the manufactories have polluted the atmosphere, and Poly¬ 
anthuses and Auriculas will neither grow nor flourish except in 
the purest of atmospheres. Pinks from a very early period were 
considered the poor man’s flower. He could purchase a pair 
of plants for from 2d. to 2s. Gd., and at that period they were 
poor worthless things. Cultivation did all for them, and as they 
were in a manner semi-double and produced seed very freely, 
a great number of seedlings were annually raised. A gradual 
improvement took place, and instead of serrated petals a few rose- 
leaved occasionally appeared, until at last a rapid stride took place. 
A variety raised in the south named John Ball, a red-laced variety, 
supplanted all, taking for years the first prize, but I understand 
John Ball has now to play second fiddle. 
Auriculas made but slow progress, and but few good varieties 
were raised from seed. I do not know a flower that produced 
such poor varieties for years, and even now few that are equal to 
the old forms are rarely to be seen. Gerard in the year 1597 doe3 
not give much information respecting them. I have made very 
strict inquiry at times, and but little is known respecting them. 
The growers were illiterate men and could scarcely write their 
names. The earliest period known when Auriculas were grown in 
Lancashire was 1725. The earliest Auricula show was held at 
Eccles, four miles from Manchester, in 1780, and it was afterwards 
removed to Middleton near Manchester, having a fixed time for 
showing—viz., 20th of April. The oldest variety exhibited was in 
1757, called Rule Arbiter, green-edged, and from that period to 
1831 few additions were made. Lees’ Colonel Taylor, green- 
edged, was first shown in 1831, and for many years maintained a 
first-class position ; Taylor’s Glory, white-edged, was shown as early 
as 1821 ; Booth’s Freedom, green-edged, was exhibited in 1841 ; 
and Page’s Champion in 1851. Lancashire’s Lancashire Hero 
was first shown in 1852, and from some altercation was sold to 
Cheetham of Rochdale, and he then sold out as if he had raised 
it. My situation became so vitiated that I was compelled to cease 
growing Auriculas about that time. 
Tulips were great favourites with me, and I grew a worthless 
lot until 1 became a favourite with one of the oldest and best of 
our local growers. I had £3 given me to spend with him, and he 
selected for me Incomparable Reine de Perse, 20.?. ; Rose Unique, 
15s., now can be had for 3d. or Gd .; Maitre Partout, now discarded ; 
Gond Beurs also, and Gold Mount, not known now. He made me 
a present of a great quantity of offsets, and when they grew into 
bloomers there were a great number of a variety called Due de 
Savoy, and being of a good strain I sold them readily at Is. Gd. 
each, which money was laid out in other varieties, and by that 
means I obtained a collection something like what my neighbours 
were growing. We had but few English-raised varieties, and the 
Dutch being the only possessors of them they charged enormous 
prices. 
In England, Bethnal Green was then considered to have the 
most numerous growers, and few possessed more than a small bed 
from 1 to 4 yards long. This went on for some time, until a 
gentleman of means who lived at Croydon turned his attention to 
raising seedlings, and no grower has ever been so fortunate as he 
was, and even now some of our finest varieties are of his raising. 
Influenced by his success many of our lovers of the Tulip began 
to gather seed and sow it, and a few were successful. It must be 
borne in mind that taking seed promiscuously is generally a loss 
of time ; and there is an old saying, that if you raise five hundred 
seedlings you will be lucky if you obtain one good one, but by 
taking seed only from the best and choicest varieties we have 
distanced the Dutch, and they have but few that will take rank 
with ours. The Chellastons as they were called being raised by 
one Gibbons, who resided at that place, made a great noise in the 
floral world, and although they numbered 350 varieties, scarcely 
anv of them are now ever seen at an exhibition. Others tried 
their skill on a small scale, and have now enabled us to be classed 
as having the finest collections in the world, and they can be 
purchased at veiy reasonable prices. 
The last catalogue which I saw from Holland contained a very 
small number, many of which have long since been discarded 
from our collections. I have raised a few, some of which sold at 
the price of £5 per root. It was always my aim to take seed 
from first-class varieties, and also by crossing them I seldom had 
many to discard. I again caution those who are desirous of 
raising something that will stand for years and take a place at an 
exhibition, to be always careful in selecting seed. 
The Pansy is one of our flowers which from a weed has become 
a most beautiful flower, and shows how much can be done by cul¬ 
tivation. Good seed will generally produce some good varieties. 
I remember well one of the first coming out at 10?. Gd. each plant 
that would now be considered as not worthy a place in any col. 
