180 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
L August 28, 1890. 
held on Wednesday, September 24th, Dr. Hogg (President) in the chair, 
and papers will be read by Mr. T. F. Rivers, Mr. R. D. Blackmore, Mr. 
W. Thomson, and Mr. W. Coleman. The opportunity seems a fitting 
one for a gardener’s holiday, with the object of gaining information 
that may be of service both to gardeners and their employers. 
- The Crystal Palace Fruit and Dahlia Show will be 
held on Friday and Saturday, September 5th and 6th. On Friday at 
8.30 p.m. the British Fruit Growers’ Association will hold a conference 
in conjunction with the Show, W. Rait, Esq., in the chair. Papers will be 
read on “ Ireland as a Fruit Producing Country,” Peaches and Nec¬ 
tarines, Plums for market and Cherries for market. At the Brighton 
Conference on September 11th the Mayor has promised to take the 
chair, and several important papers will be read. 
- The Potato Crop in Ireland. —All will regret to see such 
a dismal account as is given in this Journal on page 160. I think much 
might be done to avert such a wholesale loss by planting more of those 
sorts that come early to maturity, and can be cleared off the ground 
long before the heavier cropping sorts are fit to lift. We have been 
working on this principle for the last eight or ten years, and we never 
have any serious loss by disease. What little loss there is in weight of 
crop is amply compensated for in the fact that every foot of ground so 
occupied is at once filled up with winter vegetables—Broccoli, Brussels 
Sprouts, Savoys, winter Spinach, Turnips, &c., of which full crops are 
secured, wdiich cannot be done after later sorts.—R. I. 
- Late Duke Cherry.—T hose who require a good late Cherry 
cannot do better than plant this variety at the present time. We have 
fruits of it hanging on a tree growing against a wall with a west 
aspect, and the weather experienced of late has not been of the best for 
the long keeping of Cherries.—E. M. 
- Peach Grosse Mignonne.— This is an excellent early outdoor 
variety. We gathered good fruit of it from a heavy cropped tree on 
August 6th. The colour on the sunny side was very rich, and the 
flavour quite first-rate, when we consider how much against good out¬ 
door Peach culture the weather has been of late.—E. M., Hants. 
- Dracaena Lindeni Seeding.— Mr. R. Saunders writes :— 
“ We have at the present time a plant of Dracasna Lindeni carrying 
seven seed vessels, with every appearance of maturing them. I believe 
it is somewhat unusual for the plant to produce seed. I may add that 
they are the only ones that set on a spike 18 inches long, with some 
hundreds of its very fragrant and comparatively insignificant flowers.” 
- Veratrum album. —This is another rarity now in flower 
here; in fact it has been out a considerable time. It3 appearance is 
that of a very robust Butterfly Orchis (Habenaria). It is about 
30 inches high, growing in a specially prepared Lily bed ; good soil, but 
not peat. Flowers of a distinct character are scarce at the end of 
summer, but this is one to strike an observer. It seems to require to be 
established a long time before it throws up a flower spike, otherwise I 
should say it is a hard plant to kill.—J. R, N., Campden. 
- Bulbs for the London Parks.— Messrs. James Carter and 
Co. request us to announce that they have again the entire orders for 
bulbs to be planted in the London Royal parks, and also the parks and 
gardens under the control of the London County Council. These include 
Hyde Park, Regent’s Park, Battersea Park, Kensington Gardens, Victoria 
Park, Kennington Park, Hampton Court, Thames Embankment, Victoria 
Embankment, Finsbury Park, Southwark Park, Ravenscourt Park, 
Bethnal Green, Leicester Square, Myatt’s Fields, Dulwich Park, and 
Clissold Park. 
- Californian Fruit.—T he scarcity of most kinds of fruits 
throughout the Eastern and Central States makes the good crop of 
Californian fruit this year of greater importance than ever before. The 
people of the United States have the advantage of living m a country so 
large that they can supply themselves with necessaries and most luxu¬ 
ries despite any scarcity that may prevail. California fruit has hereto¬ 
fore been reckoned superior in appearance, but hardly up to the mark 
in flavour and quality. This has been due perhaps to excessive reliance 
on irrigation, just as many of our own fruits are watery and poor in an 
extra wet season. But good or poor, the fruit of the Golden State will 
this year be in demand. 
- The Sago Palm. —The Sago Palm bears fruit but once. Its 
load of nuts is its final effort; it has fulfilled its allotted task in the 
great round of Nature, and there remains nothing for it but to die. - 
The nuts become ripe, and are strewn in thousands around the tree 
until the fruit stalk stands up by itself empty and bare. The great 
branches turn brown and drop one by one to the ground. Inside the 
trunk the work of decay is going on until what at one time was a mass 
of white Sago and pith becomes nothing but a collection of rotten brown 
fibres. One day the trade-wind blows perhaps stronger than usual, and 
the leafless column of the trunk falls with a crash, destroying in its fall 
many of the young Palms that are already springing from the nuts 
scattered some months before.—C. M. Woodford. 
- Pea Williams’ Holloway Rival.—I have grown this 
variety for two seasons, and consider it the most prolific main crop 
Pea I have yet had. The habit is the counterpart of the good old 
Harrison’s Glory, but for productiveness the latter is “ nowhere.” The 
height of Holloway Rival is in ordinary seasons about 3 feet; this year, 
however, it has added another foot to its former record, while from the 
ground to the top of the stakes the plants are covered with pods, 
each of which contains from seven to nine peas. As far as the flavour 
is concerned few persons, I think, would ask for better, for even when 
getting somewhat old I have heard them pronounced “ delicious.” It 
has the reputation of being mildew resisting, and as far as our experience 
goes this reputation is maintained. While others alongside of them are 
smothered this variety is free from it.— Handy Andy. 
-Fruit Evaporation. —This is carried on to an enormous 
extent in America, especially in New York State and California. The 
fruits evaporated are principally Apples, but nearly every fruit is utilised. 
The value of evaporated fruit from California alone amounted in 1888 
to nearly half a million pounds sterling. It takes 8 lbs. of fresh fruit 
to make 1 lb. of evaporated Apples. We get an idea of the work 
entailed in the operation of fruit drying, and the scale on which it is 
carried out, by the following particulars regarding New York State :— 
In 1888 250,000,000 lbs. of green Apples and 50,000 quarts of Rasp¬ 
berries were operated upon, which produced more than 30,000,000 lbs. of 
eyaporated fruit, valued at nearly £30,000. During the operation 
19,000 tons of coal were burnt in 1500 drying houses, and 45,000 hands 
were employed. 
- Ashes for Gardens.—A great deal of potash is exhausted 
from the soil by garden vegetables, and even in land naturally rich 
in this substance it is apt to set into insoluble and unavailable forms 
for use by growing crops. In gardens always well manured in 
other respects, a lack of potash may make them less productive than 
their condition otherwise will warrant. Wood ashes mixed with soil 
aid powerfully in keeping it moist. The potash then becomes a solvent, 
and by keeping soil moist it greatly increases the value of any manures 
that have been applied. It is often remarked that gardens dry up 
quickly despite good cultivation. This is often caused by an excessive 
amount of coarse stable manure. It needs wet summers to enable crops 
to grow without injury over so much coarse manure. When it becomes 
dry it is an injury rather than a help to plant growth. Wood ashes are 
a more effective because more constant remedy for drought than water¬ 
ing the plants can be. 
- Chard Flower Show.—T he annual Show was held at Chard 
August 12th, when £150 was offered in prizes. In the class for nine 
stove and greenhouse plants in bloom Mr. James Cypher, Cheltenham, 
was first with grand specimens of Ixora Regina, Clerodendron Bal- 
fourianum, Erica Irbyana, Allamanda Hendersoni, Bougainvillea glabra, 
Ixora Duffi, &c. Mr. Cypher was also first in the class for nine stove 
and greenhouse foliage plants. In this class he showed a magnificent 
specimen of Latania borbonica. Mr. Cypher was again first for six 
plants in flower. In this class he had a formidable competitor in Mrs. 
Pearce of Southampton. The Show was a great success, and the 
vegetables and plants were equal if not superior to any seen at shows in 
the West of England. Besides the specimens sent for competition there 
were several groups of plants and cut flowers not for competition, 
amongst which was a fine display by Messrs. Jarman & Co. of Chard, 
who had, in addition to a group of choice plants, boxes of Carnations, 
containing all the leading varieties, trays of Show and Fancy, also 
Cactus Dahlias, amongst them being two fine seedlings, which attracted’ 
much attention.—M. 
-Repotting Adiantum cuneatum. — Cultivators of this 
plant may safely follow the advice given by Mr. Young on page 136. 
It is a mistake to be continually repotting this and other Ferns. I have 
