124 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 10, 1893. 
- Gardening Appointment.—M r. J. A. Cox, who has been 
the past nine and half years foreman at Aldenham House, Elstree, 
Herts, has been appointed gardener to the Hon. A. Holland Hibbert, 
Munden Park, Watford, Herts, 
- Prince Consort’s Association. —This Association recently 
held its fortieth exhibition in Windsor Home Park. Collections of 
plants were arranged by Mr. 0. Thomas, Royal Gardens, Frogmore, 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons, and Mr. C. Turner. 
- Profitable Culture. —It is quite certain, says the “ Rural 
World,” that to make agriculture pay in this country it must approach 
market gardening to a greater extent than it does, which means more 
work for the rural labourer and better profits for the farmers. 
- Sandringham Flower Show. —This annual exhibition was 
held on Wednesday, August 2ad, and proved a great success. The fruit, 
flowers, and vegetables staged by the cottagers were plentiful and of 
good quality. The Sandringham gardens were open to visitors, who 
were more numerous than for some years past. 
- St. Mary’s Fields, Hampstead.—T he preservation of these 
fields as an open space is engaging attention in the district. At a 
meeting held on Wednesday evening August 2nd, at St. Mary’s Hall, 
Abbey Road, Hampstead, presided over by the Earl of Meath, resolutions 
in favour of preserving as a public recreation ground the portion yet 
unbuilt upon of St. Mary’s Fields were unanimously adopted. 
- Pavia macrostachya.—A fine specimen of this beautiful 
late flowering North American shrub was recently in full bloom in 
Mr. Smee’s garden at Hackbridge, but suddenly died last week as if 
through the effects of lightning. The flowers are produced with great 
freedom and in dense plumy spikes. The growth is spreading and the 
foliage abundant, in rich contrast to the wealth of bloom. Ample space 
must be accorded to this plant to allow it to spread out in its own 
characteristic way, whilst it thrives in any good garden soil. 
- Parks and Open Spaces. —The Chairman stated in the 
course of his address at a recent meeting that the parks and open 
spaces under the charge of the London County Council had had their 
area increased by 1000 acres during the past four years. The Council 
possesses fourteen parks, thirty open spaces, and twenty-two gardens, 
the annual cost of maintenance of which is £82,992, but there are few 
items of expenditure devolving upon the Council that receive more 
general approval than the expenditure in connection with London’s 
open spaces. 
- Sutton’s A1 Tomato. —At the first Exhibition of garden 
produce held last week at Purley, the best dish of Tomatoes was this not 
yet very well known variety. It is of the Challenger type, but is larger, 
the fruits being more deep than broad. Perhaps for that reason the 
exhibitor (Mr. Houlder) had it set up in heaped form, when the 
full depth, form, and solidity of the fruits were made so much the more 
apparent. A good dish of a flat round variety, the fruits set out singly, 
looked best at the first, but the fruits were found to be lacking the depth 
and weight as well as the finish of the A1 variety. I saw the plants 
from which these fruits were gathered later in Mr. Houlder’s garden, 
growing in a small span house and fruiting splendidly. I think these 
deep or Apple-shaped Tomatoes wdll become popular. At the same 
Show a very beautiful group of Begonias interspersed with effective 
Caladiums and various flowering and foliage plants was staged by 
Mr. J, M. Box of Croydon, who is an extensive grower of excellent 
varieties.—A. D. 
- Phacelia Campanulata.—T here are many shades of blue in 
annuals, and the most popular one just now seems to be the familiar 
Cornflower, Centaurea Cyanus. As a buttonhole flower this has been 
extensively worn during the past season. It is hoped that some day it 
may be possible to obtain a selection that shall give a richer colour 
than in even the best forms found in a garden strain. But one of the 
most beautiful of all blue flowered hardy annuals is Phacelia campanu- 
laria, a somewhat dwarf grower, and giving a fine mass of colour for 
bedding. I saw this in grand form and colour the other day in Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons’ seed grounds at Reading, and as it was then still hot and 
dry the result showed that this Phacelia is a capital dry weather 
annual. It is also very hardy, for if sown so late as the end of 
September the plants will pass an ordinary winter. The colour of the 
cup-shaped flowers, which are about the size of those of Nemophila 
insignis, is just the intense blue of Salvia patens. It is indeed a 
beautiful flower.—A. D, 
- French Marigolds. —We have pleasure in sending a few 
blooms of our French Marigolds for your inspection.— Bobbie & Co., 
Rothesay, [The blooms sent were of excellent substance, andi the 
colours perfectly defined.] 
- Carnation Lottie Kiblew. —Herewith I send you flowers 
of a new yellow-ground border Picotee named Lottie Kirlew, of which I 
should like your opinion.— Geo. Holmes. [The flowers are very good, 
and the variety will doubtless become popular when well known.] 
- Viola Miss Cannell. —Mr. H. Cannell writes “ I think 
you will say my Viola (Miss Cannell) is decidedly whiter andfmore 
effective than the renowned Sylvia, it has a far better habit. 1 send blooms 
of both.” [Though the blooms were curled up through resting in the 
post over Bank Holiday the greater purity of Miss Cannell was very 
apparent.] 
- Golden Rocca Onion. —“ W. K. W.” writes:—“ This is a 
great improvement upon Giant Rocca, and is the best variety for 
autumn sowing. This opinion has been firmly fixed in my mind by the 
numerous fine beds of it I have recently met with in various Norfolk 
gardens, especially some splendid samples thereof at Sennowe. The 
bulb is of a beautiful straw colour when mature, large in size, and 
of most handsome shape. For exhibition purposes I believe it is 
unequalled.” 
- Continuity Lettuce. —The same correspondent observes: 
—“Another good thing which has received much praise this season 
from many Norfolk gardeners is Daniels’ Continuity Lettuce, a brownish 
coloured Cabbage kind of good size, In spite of heat and drought 
during the past months it has wherever grown developed large solid 
heads, which appear to stand longer than those of any other known 
variety.” 
- Campanula grandiflora Mariesi. — Referring to the 
plant figured on page 103 last week, Mr. George Paul writes from The 
“ Old ” Nurseries, Cheshunt :—“ I think the plant is Japanese, and was 
introduced by Maries. It is a dwarf hardy form of Platycodon grandi¬ 
flora. I think it wants the south slope of a rockwork, and probably, 
having done so well this year, likes a warm summer. These Japanese 
plants vary much, probably from the island they come from, but I should 
think they would like England to be just a little warmer to feel quite 
at home.” 
- Meteorological Observations at Hodsock Priory, 
Worksop, Notts, for July, 1893.—Mean tempersture of the month, 
60 9°. Maximum on the 18th, 8P7°; minimum on the 28th, 42 3°, 
Maximum in the sun on the 8th, 135'9°; minimum on grass on the 28th, 
35'7°. Mean temperature of air at 9 A.M., 62'5°; mean temperature of 
soil 1 foot deep, 61’4°, Total duration of sunshine in the month 154 
hours, or 31 per cent, of possible duration. We had three sunless days. 
Total rainfall, 3-98 inches. Rain fell on eighteen days. Approximate 
averages for July—Mean temperature, 60-7°. Sunshine, 160 hours. 
Rainfall, 2-42 inches. A showery, wet month, rather warmer than the 
last few years.—J. Mallender. 
- Unripe and Decayed Fruit. — The “Lancet” says 
“Nothing is more essential to method in learning than frequent 
reiteration, and it is therefore needless to plead excuses in seeking 
thus to impress even the elementary facts of sanitary science. It 
might be supposed that by this time everyone understood the im¬ 
portance of observing particular care in the selection of a summer 
dietary, especially as regards fruit. Hardly any question of domestic 
management is either more vital or more elementary; yet error con¬ 
tinually arises in this connection in the simplest way. A few days ago 
a child died soon after eating Strawberries. Why ? Because the fruit 
had been purchased two days previously, and, as was only to be expected, 
when eaten was in a state of decay. It is impossible to resist the im¬ 
pression that neglect had something to do with the sad result in this 
instance. Luscious fruits are particularly liable to putrefactive change, 
and such thrifty processes as exposure to a cold and dry air, spreading 
out and the like, suffice only to postpone decay for a brief period. We 
cannot do better than point to the incident above mentioned in order 
to remind the vendor and the purchaser alike that freshness is the only 
certain guarantee of safety when any succulent fruit forms an article 
of diet. We have not forgotten that another hardly less serious danger 
of the season awaits those who indulge in fruit which is under-ripe. In 
this case taste as well as judgment commonly interpose a caution the 
importance of which can hardly be exaggerated. Yet here, also, the 
consequences of neglect have too often been sadly apparent.” 
