470 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 11, 1891. 
in pointing out that it ivas a true and genuine case of canker. Cutting 
off a shoot which was just withering in the foliage I said I would put 
it under the microscope. I took off a piece of the bark at the point 
of attack, and had no difficulty in finding the usual insect pests, and I 
])ointed out that at every rough place which shows signs of breaking 
out and bursting there the insect life is sure to be found. But I must not 
believe these to be the cause of canker but the effect. Get rid of them 
and canker disappears. Trees become healthy without regrafting. 
The roots are down in the “ bad subsoil ” where they have been thirty 
or forty years, and are not likely to be disturbed in grass orchards.— 
•T. Hiam, Astwood Jianli. 
- The Pearl Bush. —Exochorda grandiflora, sometimes called 
Spiraea grandiflora, is flowering freely now in the shrubberies, and the 
snowy white flowers contrast so well with the green foliage that it is a 
pity more of it is not seen in gardens. It is handsome growing as a 
bush in the mixed shrubbery, but it succeeds better when treated as a 
wall plant, especially if it can enjoy a southern aspect, where the growth 
becomes so much better ripened than when in the open. A loose method 
of training the shoots gives the best effect, allowing the front branches 
to hang down from the wall, afterwards removing the weakly, ones 
annually.—E. 
- Double Tulips are not often employed in the beds; why I do 
not know, except that they are more liable to be broken by winds and 
heavy rains, which latter, owing to the cup-like form of the flowers, 
present a lodgment for water, which increases the weight of the flowers. 
So much appreciated here is the variety Tournesol—crimson and gold— 
that precaution is taken to reduce the loss to a minimum from breakage 
of the succulent flower stems by the weight of the blooms, that to each 
we place a support, a thin hazel stake, giving just one tie with bast. By 
employing the last year’s shoots of the hazel the bark is similar in 
colour to the stem of the Tulip, so that such support is not obtrusive. This 
variety succeeds capitally out of doors, growing about 10 inches high.—S. 
- The Frost. —Bush fruits have partly escaped injury, there 
being in most cases something like half a crop. Strawberries have 
suffered considerably. All the “ king ” fruits are destroyed in the early 
kinds. A few Nobles in a warm early corner are more than half 
destroyed, although many flowers were not anything like open at the 
time. Several large Beech trees about here are so much injured by the 
1()° of frost that it seems doubtful if they will break again. There are 
no signs at present. The Ash and the Oak at present show scarcely 
any sign of breaking into leaf. Everything will be unusually late in 
this district, as the weather is still very cold. Wind N.E. — 
W. A. Jem KINS, Durham. 
- Laxton’s Cojijiander Strawberry. —I herewith send you 
a few fruits of Laxton’s Commander Strawberry. They arc a fair sample. 
Vou can picture a shelf with 100 plants in 6-inch pots, bearing long 
.'^tems with eight to fifteen fruits, ripe and colouring, on each plant, 
hanging well over the pots. They were grown in a cool Peach house on 
a shelf close to the glass. I send also fruit of James Veitch grown on 
the same shelf. We have picked some 1| oz. in weight. They are not 
so good in quality as Commander. Noble has done well in the same 
house. The flavour was better than when grown out of doors last year. 
'\V''c are trying about 100 pots of Waterloo under glass. It docs remark¬ 
ably well out of doors, and is of good quality.—G. Foster. [The fruits 
of Commander were of the first size and quality, the richest in flavour 
we have yet tasted, and those of James Veitch very fine indeed.] 
- Mr. Mallender sends the following Summary of Meteoro¬ 
logical Observations at Hodsock Priory, Worksop, Notts, 
FOR May, .16 feet above mean sea level. Mean temperature of month, 
48'5°. Maximum on the 13th, 74-7°; minimum on the 17th, |271°. 
Maximum in the sun on the 31st, 125'9°; minimum on the grass on 
the 17th, 18 3°. Mean temperature of the air at 9 A.M., 50 3°. Mean 
temperature of soil 1 foot deep, 49 6°. Nights below 32°, in shade four, 
on grass thirteen. Total duration of sunshine in month 150 hours, or 
31 per cent, of possible duration. We had seven sunless days. Total 
r.iinfall, 3'27 inches. Piain fell on seventeen days. Average velocity of 
wind, 9 3 miles per hour. Velocity exceeded 400 miles on one day, and 
fell short of 100 miles on four days. Approximate averages for May :— 
-Mean temperature, 50'6°. Sunshine, 175 hours. Rainfall, 1-93 inch. 
A cold, unsettled, rather dull and wet month. Snow showers on the 
16th and 17th; vegetation very late. The Hawthorn ojiened a few 
flowers on the last day of the month ; Horse Chestnuts and Lilacs only 
during the last few days. Potatoes and fruit blossoms arc damaged ’uy 
the frosts. 
- Carter’s Nurseries, Forest Hill. — A “Visitor” who 
called at these nurseries a week ago appears to have been more than 
satisfied. The Ca’ceolarias, he describes, were represented in a great 
variety of bright colours, and the blooms large, smooth, and well 
formed. The Cinerarias, though naturally fading for seeding, still 
made an effective and diversified display. Gloxinias, grown in immense 
numbers, were noticeable by their handsome blooms, plants and varieties 
alike being superior ; Petunias in bewildering variety and indescribable 
colours. Begonias were just unfolding, and will soon have a brilliant 
effect, and Cacti were represented in all the grotesque forms for which 
these interesting and easily grown plants are remarkable. He concludes 
by saying he never saw the nursery looking so well, and he considers 
the collections referred to a credit to the firm, manager, and cultivators. 
- At the ordinary meeting of the Royal Meteorological 
Society, to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on Wednes¬ 
day, the 17th instant, at 7 P.M., the following papers will be read :— 
“ A Curious Case of Damage by Lightning,” by Alfred Hands, 
F.R.Met.Soc. “ Mean Temperature of the Air at the Royal O’oserva- 
tory, Greenwich, as Deduced from the Photographic Records 1849- 
1888,” by William Ellis, F.R.A.S. “Comparison of Thermometrical 
Observations in a Stevenson Screen and on the Revolving Stand at the 
Royal Observatory,” by William Ellis, F.R.A.S. “ Phonometer,” by 
W. F. Stanley, F.R.Met.Soc., F.G.S. “Some Suggestions Bearing on 
Weather Prediction,” by Alex. B. MacDowall. 
- New Tomatoes.—T omatoes are grown very extensively by 
Mr. Henry Whateley, Spring Gardens, Kenilworth, this district being 
noted for its market gardens, and especially for Strawberries. Mr. 
Whateley was induced this season to try three or four new varieties, 
two of which he considers to be acquisitions, and that he intends grow¬ 
ing extensively another year. One is an American variety named 
Ignotum, which was strongly recommended to him by Messrs. Hooper 
and Co., and it certainly deserves all that was said by them respecting 
it. It is early, much earlier than Conference growing by the side of it» 
is a heavy cropper, the fruit very large and smooth, and for the future 
this fine variety wdll be extensively cultivated at Spring Gardens. The 
other is a new variety named Tennis Ball recommended by Messrs. 
Watkins & Simpson, a distinct round handsome fruit of more of an oval 
shape, of medium size, and bearing from eight to ten good fruits in 
a cluster. This good variety also comes into bearing early.—D. 
STONELEIGH ABBEY. 
Stoneleigh Abbey, the Warwickshire residence of Lord Leigh, is 
easily reachei from Kenilworth, Leamington, or Warwick, and is a 
massive noble mansion, from which terraces and steps lead to the River 
Avon, a broad stretch of which runs for a long distance in front of the 
Abbey and pleasure grounds. At some time I will enter more into 
details of the many objects of interest in the gardens. The unique and 
greatly admired Ivy-covered walks are of great length, width, and height, 
forming two sides of a square, with a very large handsome rustic 
summer house in the centre. I think there is nothing like it in the 
country ; it has been the work of years, and alone is worth seeing. My 
chief object in visiting Stoneleigh early in June was to ascertain the 
state of the fruit crops there, for the gardens are very extensive, well 
wallel, and fruit is well cared for. 
The cultivation of Gooseberries is carried out in a somewhat novel 
manner. No bush trees are grown. There is a long high north wall 
covered with cordon-trained Gooseberry trees a few inches apart, run up 
on a single stem and kept closely cropped, the men now le'ng at work 
cutting out all the young growth. These trees are loaded with fruit, 
from which they have been gathering for some time. Opposite is a 
wire fence or trellis, 5 feet high and 50 yards long, on which are cordon 
Gooseberries 9 inches apart, an unbroken hedge of fine trees full of 
fruit. Red spider made its appearance amongst them about the middle 
of April, and Mr. BeJdard has close by a large tank of lime water, and 
with a garden engine gives repeated syringings to the trees and keeps 
them clean and healthy, and a good drenching of liquid manure is 
occasionally app’ied to the roots. Looking at this wonderful Gooseberry 
fence it is seen that by this method of culture there is great economy of 
ground ; that protection can be so very easdy applied at the time of 
late spring frosts should it be necessary to do so, but Mr. BedJard does 
not, as the foliage is ample; and that the trees can be so readily kept 
clean on both sides by syringing. The Cun ant crop is only a moderate 
one, but Black Currants in the district altogether have suffered severely 
from the late frosts, and there will be very little fruit. Raspberries 
promise fairly well. Strawberries promise well, but the late frosts 
destroyed very many of the early blooms, so that the early crop is a 
failure, and that means a serious loss to growers in the Kenilworth 
district, where Strawberries are so extensively and generally cultivated. 
Apples promise a great crop ; Pears and Plums, on bush and other trees, 
a fair crop. The Stoneleigh gardens are rich in outdoor trees, many of 
them of considerable age, and a’l are kept closely pruned. Mr. Beddard 
may well be proud of his wall trees and the enormous crop of Pears. 
