92 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ January 19, 1881. 
was visited by over 11,000 persons, the number of exhibits 308, 
being an increase of twenty-four on the number shown in 1889, 
although that year, when the N.C. Society’s provincial Show was held in 
conjunction with the Hull Show, showed an increase of sixty-four on 
any previous year. The number of cut blooms shown was 3320, 
being an increase of 1023 on the previous year, whilst there is a 
balance of £38 2s. 3d. in favour of the Society on the year’s working, 
and a balance in the bank of £270 123. 7J. 
The Chairman of the Society, E F. Jameson, Esq., had resigned his 
position in consequence of finding himself in a minority on the Com¬ 
mittee on a question of withholding the prize money from one of the 
exhibitors who had deceived the Judges by unfair practices, which were 
not discovered until an hour or two previous to the closing of the Show, 
at which time all the prizewinners in the same class had already 
received their prize money, and as it was admitted that some of them 
had also contravened the terms of the schedule the Committee decided 
not to interfere with the decision of the Judges. As Mr. Jameson took 
the opposite view he resigned, and although the Committee unanimously 
asked him to reconsider his decision he declined. 
The Chairman, in moving the adoption of the report, made a most 
conciliatory speech, and upon the subsequent election of officers Mr. 
Jameson was unanimously re-elected. It is hoped that he will accept 
the position of Chairman for the present year. All the other officers of 
the Society were unanimously re-elected, with the exception of one of 
the Treasurers, who through ill health did not seek re-election. The old 
Committee were also re-elected without change.— Edw. Harland and 
James Dixon, Hun. Sees. 
AS OF A DREAM. 
(^Continued from page 4S,') 
We live now under the shadow ot our own Vine and Fig trees, for 
they occupy a good portion of the wall surface of our cottage, as No. 34 
of my exhibit at the Drill Hall, already noted, contained two dozen of 
Brown Turkey Figs. These ripen, and we gather some dozens of fruit 
annually. The tree is trained fan-shape. I have never protected it 
during winter. I hope it will pass safely through the present trying 
ordeal; if it do I shall feel more than ever in favour of its being 
planted against cottage walls, as the Fig seldom becomes affected by 
blight, and i's foliage looks handsome anywhere. A market can always 
be found for the tempting luscious fruit. 
No. 35 contained a plate of Eoyal Muscadine Grapes, as negligently 
grown on my cottage wall for the purpose of making wine. I put a 
stress on the word negligently, for that is exactly how it applied to 
them. I have the small greenhouse here erected at the end of my 
cottage which I used at Woodstock for producing seedling Potatoes In 
those days of the murrain it was impossible to raise these in the open 
ground. I lead a branch or two of the Vine in at the top glass at 
the back, and train them down over the wall surface. Capital Grapes 
can be had in this way much earlier, and with little trouble. Those 
outside are allowed to take a comparatively free rambling, and if they 
do not become quite ripe, or tempting enough to eat, so much the better 
for the wine. I still grow my old favourite, the Black Esperione. 
Coe’s Golden Drop and the Jefferson Plums formed No. 36. The first 
has a place on the north-western end of my house, and the other as a bush 
tree in the garden. Splendid Plums they are to command the world, 
but the trees require great attention on account of their various enemies. 
Next came a plate of the old White Bullace, No. 37, which for wine, 
jam, pie, children, and birds can be commended. This and the common 
Berkshire Plums, previously spoken of, appears to have been the chief 
of the stone fruits on this old place. No. 33, a fruitful branch of 
Tomatoes, I took up merely to show how they would not ripen this year 
in the open. We are very nearly vegetarians here, and Tomatoes will 
become indispensable. I ripen them easily without fire heat near the 
front glass in the above-mentioned greenhouse. No. 39, two sections 
of honey. Now I go again into history. I wonder if the “ Cottage 
Lamp ” is still to be found in your archives or pigeon-holes? If not, 
turn to those splendid illustrations on pages 602, Ac., 1862, and you will 
see how “like a young boy ’’ I there depicted my own primitive inven¬ 
tions. I make the bees work in these modern wooden supers, as supers, 
on the tops of my old straw hives. As to mede, honey beer, honey 
vinegar, &c., &c., how often has “Our Doctor” sat in judgment upon 
them ? and I fear those articles you can find in your pages have given 
him decided trouble to shape. 
I told in these pages, too, lang syne, how the beautiful allegory of 
Scripture won me over to plant Vines and Figs against the old rectory at 
Woodstock. I left the place fourteen years ago. About two months 
since I made my first re-visit to the ancient borough, and of course called 
at the rectory. To my surprise I found the old Vines growing against 
the house, and trained after the fashion that I left them, but the whole 
surface of the garden, where the chiefs of our present race of Potatoes 
had their origin, is laid down to grass for the purposes of lawn tennis 
or croquet. The old garden walls, however, still maintain Knight's 
Monarch and Hacon’s Incomparable Pears that I planted. The present 
rector has worked great improvements in the churches. The late Duke 
of Marlborough went with Mr. Majendie, which of course proved a 
g’eat help towards the accomplishment of these things. I found the 
whole town, too, is planted with flourishing young trees, lining the 
streets on both sides, and the young Vines planted in my time are 
covering the front walls of many of the houses. Nevertheless, Wood- 
ttoek seemed to me almost as a “ c ty of the dead,” not a vehicle of any 
kind, and scarcely a human being about; my footsteps, as I hastened to 
catch the three o’clock train (a loop line of but yesteiday) seemed to re¬ 
sound from across the High Street. 
Home made wines seem naturally to follow the above observations, 
1 cannot abuse the uses or the making of them without laying myself 
open to centure as “ a faddist.” Besides, is it not written in Nos. 235 
and 236 (old series), and in Nos. 225, 236, &c., &c.. Journal of Horti~ 
culture, the reason why, and how when opportunities offer and domestic 
economy chimes in, these beverages are wholesome, strengthening, and- 
convenient by consequence of saving the brewer’s bill ? Many of my 
best friends are “ total abstainers.” Well and good. Soon after I came 
here I tapped one of the finest springs of water to be found in the 
country. It is perpetually at their service when they elect to come and 
see me. As my stand was meant to point out, all superfluous small 
fruits remaining for me after their “ preserving time,” or what is wanted- 
for eating, or for pies and puddings, I work into wine. I took up three 
bottles, and one other containing vinegar, to explain away the extremes 
for utilisation. The wines were Rhubarb made in 1852, Gooseberry 
made in 1866, and a bottle of the present year from mixed fruits, of 
which I have 70 gallons in cask. I have also made a small barrel of 
Royal Muscadine and Esperione Grape wine, plus a barrel of cider from 
the Pay-the-rent. Hereby hangs a tale. In the second year of my- 
residence here I sold my Apples to a merchant in Reading. I called' 
upon him again in the third autumn time to try and bargain again for 
5s. per bushel, the Apples to be carefully hand-picked from the trees, 
sampled, properly packed, and delivered free to his premises. He said,, 
in a pompous, independent, haw haw manner, and pointing to some half- 
dozen casks, with their ends out advertising the fruit, “ I have just 
received 1000 barrels of those App’es from America, and I’ll give you 
the same that I gave for them, 23. 6d. per bushel.” I steppe! across the 
pavement, disturbed the top layer of fruit to get a peep at the wretched 
bruised looking specimens below, for I had heard a good deal about the 
Americans assorting their Apples as an exemplar for us English. Well, 
I said, paying pomposity back with its own coin, if I were to offer you 
rubbish like those from my orchard at 2s. fid. per bushel 1 should con¬ 
sider that I was insulting you. I was decidedly nonplussed as, upon 
further inquiry, I found our merchant’s prices ruled all Reading.— 
Robert Fenn. 
(To be continued.) 
RENOVATING ORCHARDS. 
It is, I think, noteworthy that in a fruit plantation of several acres; 
under my charge here, with two or three exceptions our crop of Apples 
last season was the produce of young trees—that is, trees that have taken 
the places of those worn out or unsuited to the soil and from four to- 
twelve years planted. The sorts most productive were Waltham Abbey 
Pearmain, King Pippin, Keswick Codlin, Lord Suffield, and Grenadier ; 
while from old trees the only sorts were Winter Queening, Northern. 
Greening, and Wellington ; the other trees only produced an Apple 
here and there. The crop altogether did not exceed a hundred sieves, 
.which after providing for home use allowed seventy sieves for market. 
Although this may be considered a small crop, yet my employer thinks 
it a fair one for the year ; but I asked him what would have been his 
portion of crop if he had not taken care of his trees for years previously !' 
When he came here fifty years ago it was then a fruit plantation, 
mostly Cherries. These he found like Hop-growing, too risky, so much 
fruit was spoilt in adverse seasons before getting them to market. He 
therefore gradually removed these and planted Apples and Pears of the 
best sorts; the custom has always been annually to have the trees 
marked for removal that prove worthless, also those worth grafting. 
Pruning is regularly done (one man has done it for over thirty years),, 
manuring every other year, and the ground regularly dug and hoed 
frequently in summer. This is considered the proper way to manage arx 
orchard, but it is regretted that so many orchards are going to decay 
through neglect and no fruit, while the gentleman I have mentioned' 
employs labour, enjoys his ramble through the plantation, and says he 
has never been without a crop of fruit according to the seasons. 
I ought to mention we have had a good crop of bush fruit, about 
forty sieves of Red Currants, twenty-five of Black Currants, and just 
over fifty-five sieves of Gooseberries. The above is sufficient proof if 
any were needed and after what has been lately advanced on fruit 
growing that it is much better to look after a plantation than neglect 
it.—T. Record. _ 
FLORIST FLOWER SOCIETIES IN BIRMINGHAM. 
The Midland districts around Birmingham contain many cultivatoiu 
, of Pansies and Picotees and Carnations, but for a long time have had 
no opportunity of having exhibitions of these flowers in their own dis¬ 
tricts. Taking the Pansy first, a Midland Counties Pansy Society has- 
just been formed for the purpose of encouraging the cultivation of this 
popular flower, and the raising of first-class seedlings. For this year, 
exhibitions are confined to eight surrounding counties ; but new varie¬ 
ties and seedlings for certificates are invited from all parts of the 
kingdom, and an Exhibition will be held in Birmingham early in June. 
There are a large number of cultivators of the Pansy in the Midlands, 
and such a Society is much needed. 
Birmingham is well known as a strong centre for Carnation and 
Picotee growers, and Mr. Robert Sydenham has worked hard to form a 
Midland Carnation and Picotee Society, which shall in no way claslr 
with the great Exhibitions at Oxford and Manchester, but will enable 
