2 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July s, isoo. 
to colour Madresfield Court satisfactorily, these being in a great 
majority, ought to try what a brisk current of air will do. 
Mixed houses are the most difficult to deal with, more especially 
those in which Muscats are grown alongside either early or later 
black varieties. The Muscat of Alexandria undoubtedly requires 
more heat than most other Grapes throughout, or otherwise the 
berries may be imperfectly set or small, also failing to colour and 
keep satisfactorily. The best way out of the difficulty is to plant 
the Muscats at the warmest end of the house, less air being given 
at all times. In this manner a somewhat higher temperature can be 
kept, and if the front lights are arranged so as to open separately, 
currents of air, needful earlier for the black varieties, can be with¬ 
held for a time. That Muscats are best grown in a separate com¬ 
partment must be admitted. If these are principally studied in 
mixed houses, then must the blacks suffer, and most probably be 
nearer red than black in colour. I have previously alluded to the 
plan I adopted of growing a few extra good bunches of Black 
Hamburghs for show purposes in a house principally devoted to 
Muscats. A rod was brought through from an adjoining Ham¬ 
burgh house, and in time it reached along the front to the whole 
length of the compartment. This position is always several 
degrees cooler than it is higher up the roof, and the bunches yet 
get the full benefit of the front air and fire heat, the dozen or more 
bunches left on invariably being heavy and fairly well coloured. 
Foster’s Seedling and Buckland Sweetwater succeed well in a 
Hamburgh house, while Golden Queen, Mrs. Pearson, Trebbiano, 
and Calabrian Raisin may be grown to perfection in the same house 
as Alicante, Lady Downe’s, Gros Colman, and other late black 
Grapes. Black varieties colour best when not unduly exposed to 
bright sunshine, a thin canopy of healthy foliage rather than a 
thicket of growth being necessary. The case is somewhat different 
with white varieties, but even these ought not to be too suddenly 
exposed to a fierce sunshine, or the berries will be discoloured. 
A more natural and perfect colour can be “ laid on ” by admitting 
abundance of light and air to the bunches, the leaves if necessary 
being tied back somewhat, and a division between the laterals of 
adjoining rods also made. What both black and white varieties 
need is plenty of time, hurrying them, as I have previously pointed 
out, not being at all prudent. In metal houses, the roofs of which 
become unbearably hot to the hands on bright summer days, alight 
shade may well be given, this checking excessive evaporation and 
consequent evils. Modern houses with very light wooden rafters 
and large squares of glass are also very trying to the foliage of 
Grapes, and in many instances might be shaded with advantage. A 
very thin mixture of lime and water sprayed over with a syringe 
answers well, and so also does fish netting drawn over. A heavy 
shading would be injurious, but a thin one saves the foliage of 
Gros Colman, Mrs. Pince, and also other varieties less susceptible 
to injury, and is therefore a factor in the important colouring 
process.— W. Iggulden. 
MAGNOLIA PARYIFLORA. 
I received this remarkable plant in 1885 from a friend in North 
America, who had it introduced directly from Japan. It is now a 
handsome young tree of a broad pyramidal shape, 6 feet high and 5 feet 
through. It stood out unprotected during the last three winters, and 
has not suffered in the least from our rather severe frosts. The tree is 
deciduous, and the leaves approach those of M. conspicua in form, but 
are much larger, of a more leathery texture, smoother on the upper side, 
and bluish-white on the under surface. 
It may be considered as free flowering, our plant, now six years old, 
having had upwards of twenty fine flowers. Its time of flowering is 
much later than that of the M. conspicua or Yulan section. The first 
flowers opened here at the 15th May, they continued in succession, and 
some of them lasted till the 12th of June. The flower buds are 
produced within the young leaf buds of the spring growth, as with 
Magnolia grandiflora and Thompsoniana, and are not visible months 
before, as is the case with M. conspicua and its varieties. They have a 
roundish oval shape, as large as a pullet’s egg, covered with a bright 
brown membrane, which is torn open in iwo lobes by the opening of 
the flower. 
When opened the first day the flower looks like a beautiful pure 
white Tulip of the size as figured in diagram 1. It has six to seven 
broad petals, perfectly imbricated, and inserted beneath the ovary and 
stamens. The second day the flower is more open, and appears like 
a large Water Lily (Nymphaea alba), as figured in diagram 2. From 
that moment a very agreeable but rather strong perfume, somewhat 
resembling that of the Pine Apple, is diffused, and can be noted even at 
some distance. 
The third day the flower becomes quite open, the six or seven boat¬ 
shaped petals are spread out horizontally, and remain in a star-like 
position, similar to a large-flowered Clematis, as represented in diagram 3. 
In this state the flower i3 in its greatest beauty, and remains so for 
several days, and this peculiar shape makes it widely different from any 
other form of Magnolia. The large green-yellowish ovary in the middle,, 
surrounded by a broad crown of upwards 120 dark purple stamens and 
the milky white petals are all remarkable, and these contrasting colours- 
with its singular shape give to the flower a distinctive character.— 
Charles Van Geert, Antiverj ). 
THE BRITISH FRUIT GROWERS’ ASSOCIATION. 
STRAWBERRY SHOW. 
The Committee of this Association having decided to hold a Con¬ 
ference upon Strawberries in connection with the Rose and Pink Show 
in the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, on Friday, June 27th, it was 
thought desirable that members should be invited to exhibit as many 
varieties as possible, as a show of this character would furnish additional 
interest to a Conference. The invitation was responded to most freely, 
and though no prizes were offered 160 dishes of Strawberries were staged 
by nineteen exhibitors, representing nine counties—namely, Kent, 
Surrey, Bedford, Cambridge, Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Sussex, Middle¬ 
sex, and Herefordshire. Great difference was noticeable in the size and 
quality of the fruit, but some extremely fine specimens were included. 
Some had found the date of the Show too late, and for others it was too 
early, but it would be impossible to fix a date that would be exactly 
suitable for all alike. It was a subject for surprise to find that forty 
varieties were represented from out of doors. 
The exhibitors were as follows :—Mr. T. Sharpe, The Royal Straw¬ 
berry Gardens, Knowle Hill, Virginia Water, had an important and 
most instructive collection, comprising fifty punnets of exceedingly fine 
fruits of British Queen, Empress Eugenie, Marguerite, and Sir Joseph 
Paxton. In size and colour these were unequalled. Three plants of 
Marguerite loaded with fruits as taken from the ground were shown to 
indicate their great prolificness at Knowle ; one of the boxes con¬ 
structed to hold four dozen punnets ; the baskets employed for gather¬ 
ing from the beds ; and a sample of the peculiar soil were also shown 
by Mr. Sharpe. Fruit and plants were exhibited of a seedling raised 
from Princess Alice Maud at Knowle, and which is distinguished by a 
remarkably prolific character ; the fruits small, but even and bright in 
