October 21, 1886. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
365 
parts of the country informing us that they have been gathering ripe 
Strawberries during the present month. “ A few days since some 
fine ripe Strawberries were picked in the grounds of the Catford Con. 
servative Club, Elmwood, by the Chairman, Mr. R. A. Morgan, and the 
Hon. Treasurer, Mr. W. Northover Jackson. The plant was in excellent 
summer-like condition, and the fruit was particularly palatable. A^ 
Canterbury a quart of ripe Strawberries, fully grown, was gathered from 
a gentleman’s garden. In a village in the neighbourhood the fruit trees 
are full of blossom." 
- As in previous years a Corn Exchange Chrysanthemum 
Show will be held in London this season, the proceeds of which will be 
devoted to the Corn Exchange Benevolent Society. All the work of 
preparation is done gratuitously, and with the object of aiding those 
who need assistance through ill health or misfortune. Prizes are 
offered for cut blooms alone, and vary from 2 guineas to 5s. The Ex¬ 
hibition is fixed for November 2nd and 3rd in the London Corn Ex¬ 
change Hotel, and according to rule 9, “ All flowers placed in the room, 
whether for competition or otherwise, will be sold by auction at foi; r 
o clock on the second day of the Show, unless expressly reserved, and 
notice given to that effect before the Show.” All entries are to be made 
to Mr. Henry Robins, Secretary, Corn Exchange, London, on or before 
October 29th, from whom show boards can be had at a charge of Is. 
each. Considering the object in view, this project appears worthy of 
encouragement by exhibitors and visitors. 
“A Lincolnshire Gardener’’ writes in reply to a question 
by “ B. on page 339 relative to the suggested identity of Bramley’s 
Seedling and Warner’s King Apples, observes, “ In growth the 
trees have some resemblance, but the fruit of Bramley’a Seedling is 
flatter and more uniform in shape, also darker in colour than that of 
M arner s King, besides keeping longer, and is altogether an excellent 
Apple, about which there is remote fear of having too many trees.” 
In commending a well-known plant, the Marsh Marigold 
(Caltha palustris), a South Wales correspondent remarks that it is “ one 
of the finest yellow flowers for beds of herbaceous plants. Six years ago 
we planted in our kitchen-garden borders a number of Calthas, and these 
have now become large masses. They flower in May and June, pro¬ 
ducing a charming effect. The flowers appear on many main stems and 
then branch out into many more, until the stems represent huge clusters 
of large, half-globular blooms, perfectly double, and of rich golden yellow 
colour. It is most easily cultivated, only needing ordinary garden 
soil.” 
REVIEW OF GRAPES. 
“ Exhibitor ’’ (page 346) asks me to show in what way the leading 
*r° ot of , f strong young Vine, the wood of which appeared to have beer 
thoroughly ripened last year, and a weak lateral that appeared not tc 
have been so well ripened last year, could contribute to the production of 
a bunch composed of globular berries having the colour and bloom of a 
uros to man Grape in one case and the colour and bloom of Gros Maroc 
m the other. 
Readers of the Journal will remember that the above question has 
reference «> the two bunches of Gros Maroc exhibited by Mr. Taylor at 
the Crystal Paiace Show on September 3rd, and on the following Tuesday 
at Kensington. The inference I draw from “Exhibitor’s” question is 
that one of the bunches was a Gros Golman and the other a Gros Maroc. 
tn this assertion he appears to fortify himself by saying, “ several skilled 
gardeners are of the same opinion.” If “ Exhibitor” is correct in what 
he and several skilled gardeners” assert, it is strange that the same twc 
Duncbes should pass as one variety in the censorship of the Fruit Com¬ 
mittee of the Royal Horticultural Society at South Kensington, and 
Show C ° nfirmmg the decision o{ the Judges at the Crystal Palace 
a ™ that “ tbe ripeness or unripeness of the wood has 
a good deal to do with the production of compact or loose bunches,” but 
esays he has “yet to learn that properly ripened wood is instrumental in 
T?!„; Pr j t •° i a ^ round ' berried drapes instead of oval-shaped ones.” 
Maying admitted so much, I would beg him to go a step further and see if 
the ripeness or unripeness of the wood has not a great deal to do with the 
enape and formation of the berries as well as the bunches. 
lor example, take the well-known Black Hamburgh : if the wood of 
yef * r ’ a growth has been badly ripened, the bunches are 
Z t W straggling, and ill-conditioned, and if the root-action be 
at au feeble the berries are usually found to be more or less ovate or oval 
' “ nd c “^red with a smooth skin. On the other hand, where the 
w l >l f been , t 4 h l or 1 ou e hI y ripened ’ and the roots in vigorous action.it 
wm De found that the bunches are compact, footstalks short, and skin 
n^ mered ’ m many ’P stances such an extent as to make the hammered 
ones appear quite a distinct variety from the other. As this is indisputable 
in the case of Black Hamburgh, why not so with Gros Maroc and many 
other large-berried varieties 1 
“ Exhibitor,” several skilled gardeners, and “ competent judges ” have 
evidently got mixed on this question. In one part he tells us the larger 
of the two bunches was, in their opinion, a Gros ColmaD, and upon a 
comparison with several stands of unmistakeable Gros Maroc it was found 
that not one of them resembled Mr. Taylor’s small bunch, “though they all 
more or less resembled the large one.” How does “ Exhibitor ” reconcile 
this with his former assertion that the large bunch is clearly a Gros 
Colman, while the name of the small one was not disputed ? If he, 
“skilled gardeners,” &c., had taken the trouble to compare these bunches 
with those in the class for Gros Colman, taking particular notice of the 
back of the berries and footstalks, they would have had no difficulty in 
arriring at the conclusion that Mr. Taylor’s large bunch was not a Gros 
Colman.— James McIndoe. 
Erratum. —In my remarks under the heading “Review of Grapes,” 
at page 346, a clerical error has crept into the middle of the second 
paragraph, which, after the words “ Mr. Taylor’s excellent collection,” 
should read, “ Not one bunch of which resembled that gentleman’s large 
(doubtful) Gros Maroc bunch, though they all more or less resembled the 
small (unquestionable) one of that variety,” and not as printed.— 
Exhibitor. 
WATERTIGHT ASHPITS. 
I HAVE reserved Mr. Bardney’s interesting essay on heating till I 
have more time to study it, but as Mr. Burton asks for the opinions of 
those who may have had watertight ashpits in operation I will give my 
experience. 
I have had two such ashpits in use during the past three years, and 
they are so satisfactory that I purpose, when they are required, to have 
others made in the same way. The boilers are of moderate dimensions, 
each capable of heating 3000 feet of 4-inch pipes. Each ashpit holds 
probably about eighteen gallons. There is a tap in the stokehole to which 
a piece of hose is attached, and by this means the supply of water is easily 
replenished. When a strong fire is kept going, the ashpit is filled when 
making up the fire between nine and ten o’clock at night, and the water 
is seldom all dried up by six in the morning. As far as I can see, the 
bars at present are no worse for the three years’ wear, and are as straight 
as when first placed in position. Abundance of clinkers are formed of 
course (unscreened coke is the fuel used), but I have never known one 
stick to the bars. 
I have an idea—and this would be an interesting problem for your 
young scientific readers to solve—that the presence of water in the ashpit 
enables us to do with a smaller amount of draught than we otherwise 
should require. Certain it is that after getting up a good body of fire in 
the evening, we close the ashpit doors entirely for the night, and it is 
very seldom the temperature of the house is too low in the morning. 
The theory is that the steam supplies to a great extent the oxygen 
necessary for combustion.—W m. Taylor. 
NATIONAL CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY. 
The first meeting of this Society’s Floral Committee was held on 
Wednesday October 13th in the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, and 
although there was not a large display of Chrysanthemums several good 
collections and some excellent novelties were staged. The most important 
contribution was a very handsome group from Mr. N. Davis, Camberwell, 
which included healthy well flowered plants, tastefully arranged, although 
they would have looked better if a little more space could have been 
allowed them. Especially noteworthy were the plants of La Yierge, dwarf, 
compact specimens, bearing numerous large pure white blooms, admirable 
for decoration. Another useful variety that was also well represented was 
Mrs. Cullingford, with considerably smaller flowers but pure white, and 
produced in great numbers, one freely grown stmdard having a grand head 
of blooms. The variety Mdlle. Lacroix was in capital condition, and, with 
the two others already named, makes a trio of good white early flowering 
varieties for the conservatory or cutting. The dwarf early free flowering 
Roi des Precoces was notable for its bright red colour; Mons. Cossart, bronze 
yellow ; Mons. Moussilac, and others were also well represented. A bronze 
medal and vote of thanks being adjudged for the group by the Committee. 
Mr. W. E. Boyce, Archway Road, Highgate, had a collection of cut blooms 
of forty varieties, all very fresh and bright, the sorts phown being mostly 
early flowering Japanese and Pompons. (Vote of thanks.) Mr. Mardlin 
exhibited from Finsbury Park a bloom of Comte de Germmy of great size, 
about 20 inches in circumference and correspondingly deep. Mr. H. J. 
Jones, Hope Nursery, Lewisham, was awarded a vote of thanks for cut 
blooms of Pynaert Van Geert, Fiberta, Mrs. Cullingford, and others. Mr. 
Owen, Maidenhead, had some of his beautiful varieties of Chrysanthemum 
carinatum ; one named superbum, with a black centre, surrounded by a 
yellow ring, and a white margin, was very pretty. 
Certificates were awarded for the following varieties :— 
Chrysanthemum Miss Stevens (G. Stevens).—A seedling Japanese, raised 
at Putney. It is a beautiful variety of great promise, the blooms large and 
full, of a clear pale mauve colour, very delicate. The florets slightly 
flattened and long. 
Chrysanthemum Carew Underwood (Beckett).—A distinct dark bronze 
sport from Baronne de Prailly, obtained by Mr. Beckett of Elstree, but now 
in the hands of Mr. N. Davis. It is exactly the same style as the parent, 
but is readily distinguished by its colour, a fine bronze hue with a reddish 
tinge. 
Chrysanthemum Mdlle. Elite Durdans (W. Wright and N. D vvis).—A 
large Pompon of most symmetrical form, like Model of Perfection, pale pink 
in colour. 
