JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
528 
[ December 9, 1880. 
ing. Asparagus does not like what is called here (Gloucestershire) 
a clung heavy soil. It is a good plan to mulch the beds with 
leaves or the remains of old Mushroom beds. Wood ashes 
mixed with salt form an excellent application on heavy soils.—■ 
A. Taylor, Langford House. 
Mss 
III 
N6TES-GLE/IJ 
IBS. 
For several years past the display of Chrysanthemums 
at Garbrand Hall, the residence of Mrs. Torr at Ewell, has 
been rendered by Mr. Child’s skill and taste unquestionably one 
of the most effective in the country. This season it is as fine as 
usual, the great number and excellent colour of the blooms com¬ 
pensating for their somewhat smaller size generally, although 
there are examples of several standard varieties quite up to 
exhibition form. As was stated last year the plants are arranged 
in a span-roof Peach house 100 feet in length, and are trained to 
an improvised trellis on each side of the central path so as to form 
an avenue of foliage and flowers, arches crossing the path at 
intervals of about a dozen feet. The colours are tastefully inter¬ 
mingled, and as viewed from one end of the house the effect is 
charming. Mr. Child states that he usually has his Chrysan¬ 
themums in good condition for about two months. 
- Mr. W. Roberts sends us the following note on PASSI- 
flora C 2ERULEA in Cornwall :—“Visitors to Penzance are often 
surprised to see this beautiful deciduous twiner bearing its fruits 
in midwinter. There are now several specimens fruiting well 
around here, but the one trained against a house in Coulson’s 
Terrace is decidedly the most beautiful of all. At such a dull 
season it is quite refreshing to see the plant still covered with 
leaves and bearing numerous Orange-like fruits. There is another 
not far from the one mentioned above, in a much more exposed 
situation, only a few feet from the sea; it is quite destitute of 
its foliage, but has still a few fruits.” 
at the March show, at which there is provision for ali the chief 
kinds cultivated in England. One regulation deserves notice, 
and might be advantageously adopted in this country—namely, 
“ No protest will be entertained unless accompanied with a 
deposit of 5s. which sum shall be forfeited if the protest is found 
to be frivolous.” 
- A dinner, complimentary to Charles M. Hovey, Esq., 
the eminent American horticulturist and one of the founders of 
the Massachusetts Horticultural Society, was given on October 
30th, in honour of his seventieth birthday . Over sixty gentlemen 
were present, including Col. Marshall P. Wilder, who is eighty- 
two years of age. 
- We have received Parts 9 and 10 of Letts’ Popular 
Atlas, which are marked by the same care and taste in pro¬ 
duction that we have referred to previously when noting the other 
parts of this useful work. Part 9 contains clear and well-executed 
maps of the West Indies, the islands differently coloured to in¬ 
dicate the countries to which they belong, with statistical maps 
of Italy and North America, the latter accompanied by an inset 
map of the British Islands drawn to the same scale and showing 
their relative proportions. Part 10 has an elaborate statistical 
map of Canada, showing the mineralogical characteristics of the 
different districts, the range of Wheat cultivation, and many other 
particulars of interest ; a clear map of Egypt, and a similarly 
excellent delineation of Spain and Portugal, in which the districts 
devoted to the production of wines are marked in different 
colours. 
- We recently referred to some of Mr. H. Cannell’s beauti¬ 
ful Salvias, particularly noting S. Betheli, S. splendens Bruanti, 
and S. Pitcheri; but there is another which we have also received 
from Swanley that is deserving of attention—namely, Salvia 
Hoveyi. This, though not so brilliant in colour as the others, 
has large flowers of a rich purple tint, and bearing a peculiar 
satiny gloss that is very striking. It forms a good companion for 
those named above, and may be advantageously included in any 
collection of winter-flowering plants. It commemorates the name 
of the well-known American horticulturist, Mr. Hovey of Boston. 
- The same correspondent writes in reference to Broccoli 
in Cornwall :—“ The Broccoli crops here are looking well, and 
there is every prospect of their realising a good price. Not only 
are the plants robust, but the greatest quantity of seed has 
been harvested that has ever been known to be obtained in one 
season. Last year one market grower only obtained half a pound 
of seed from half an acre of plants.” 
- Christmas Cards may be thought to be outside the 
scope of this Journal, but a packet which we have received from 
Messrs. Eyre & Spottiswoode, the Queen’s printers, teach us that 
there is a close connection between them and gardening. The 
illustrations, of which these cards supply a great variety, abound 
so much in beautiful representations of flowers, and are executed 
in such a superior style, that they excel in fidelity and in art the 
illustrations with which some professed gardening publications 
are adorned. Not less faithful than the floral are the natural 
history subjects, and the figure representations are equally works 
of art. 
-We have received the schedule of the Ballarat Horti¬ 
cultural Society, which gives particulars of the classes, prizes, 
and regulations for their three annual exhibitions. It is curious to 
note the dates of the shows. For instance, the one fixed for October 
the 15th of the present year was the spring bulb show ; the ordi¬ 
nary spring show was held on November the 18th and 19th ; and 
the autumn show is announced for March the 17th and 18th, 
1881. The prizes are generally of small amount, but the classes 
are very numerous. The chief display of fruit and vegetables is 
-Writing to us on cooking Moore’s Vegetable Marrow, 
our correspondent “G. O. S.” observes :—“Those who desire to 
have this vegetable in perfection at table should boil it whole, its 
delicate flavour is then preserved ; if cut into slices and boiled it 
merely produces broth which is thrown away, and the insipid 
refuse is placed on the table.” 
- Referring to Carter’s Jersey Lily Turnip, a corre¬ 
spondent states that it is superior to the Snowball. From seed 
sown in August he had roots ready for use in seven weeks after¬ 
wards, and “ at the present time it surpasses all others in the 
garden.” 
- Messrs. W. Williams & Co., 55, Moorgate Street, E.C., 
have sent us samples of their Botanical Drying Albums, 
which appear to be admirably adapted for drying specimens of 
plants. The paper is of good quality, and is said to be specially 
prepared to obviate as much as possible the destruction of colours 
in flowers usually attendant on the drying process. There are 
two sizes, one 11^ inches by 8J, and the other llj by \1\. The 
albums are neatly bound in cloth, constituting desirable acqui¬ 
sitions for every amateur botanist. The drying paper is sold 
separately at 2s. 6 d. per quire. 
-A correspondent “A. J. B.,” referring to a supposed 
difficulty, as expressed by Mr. Taylor on page 487, of obtaining 
trained trees of the Winesour Plum, states that he wrote to 
Messrs. Veitch, and they sent him some good healthy trained trees 
with well-ripened wood. 
