August 17, 1893. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
149 
- The Birmingham Gardeners’ Association. — A large 
number of members (236) of this Association visited Windsor Castle and 
Frogmore Gardens on the 14th inst. They were met at the Windsor 
Station by Mr. Thomas, and conducted by him through the State apart¬ 
ments, the Terrace garden, the Albert Memorial Chapel, St. George’s 
Chapel, and the stables. At the dinner held at the Town Hall a hearty 
vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. Thomas for his great kindness, also 
to the Kev. Canon Dalton for kindly volunteering to conduct the party 
through the chapels, and explaining features of interest. The famous 
Vine at Cumberland Lodge was subsequently inspected, and found in 
admirable condition, many of the bunches on the young growths being 
of good size and quality. The 300-acre lake Virginia Water was a great 
treat, and the Shaw Farm much admired. Frogmore Gardens, with 
their high standard of excellence, were a pleasure to see. A “ grand 
outing” was the universal verdict, and unstinted praise was accorded 
to Mr. Thomas for having given so much time and personal attention 
to details the whole day through. 
- Eynsford Show.—T he Eynsford Cottage Gardeners’ Mutual 
Improvement Society held their annual Show in Luliingstone Park 
by the kind permission of Sir William Hart-Dyke, M.P., the display 
of flowers and vegetables being a highly creditable one. Interest was 
•without doubt chiefly centred in the special prizes offered by Messrs. 
Henry Cannell & Sons, Swanley and Eynsford, for a collection of 
vegetables grown from their seeds, to consist of six Tomatoes, six 
•Carrots, a dish of thirty pods of Peas, four Cabbages, a dish of nine 
round and one of nine kidney Potatoes, three Cauliflowers, six Beet¬ 
roots, three Marrows, six Turnips, thirty pods of Scarlet Banners, and 
nine Onions, spring sown. With the prize in this clas.s, which was 
open to the various Kentish Amateurs’ Societies, a silk sash was given 
having on it the words “ Champion Vegetable Grower of Kent ” in raised 
silk characters, also given ’oy Messrs. Cannell. Six collections were 
staged, the Milton-near-Sittingbourne Society being adjudged the 
victors by the narrow majority of three points, Eynsford, the holders 
during the last year, being placed second, and the Kemsing and Otford 
Society a very close third. Amongst the best produce in the Milton 
•stand were Tomatoes, Carrots, Onions, Turnips, and Scarlet Runners ; 
the Eynsford stand being strongest with Potatoes, Peas, Onions, 
Cabbages, and Cauliflowers. The sash will be competed for again next 
jear, when the competition will, it is expected, be even stronger, and 
the result will be looked forward to with eagerness in the county.—H. W. 
- The Dinner Contest at Carshalton. — The Wallington 
Herald thus refers to this contest “It was evident that considerable 
thought had been bestowed on the subject, and that many of the dinners 
had not been prepared until the way in which the money should be 
spent had been arranged over and over again. It was noticeable that 
hardly any two had chosen the same joint of meat, or had prepared it in 
exactly the same w^ay. Some had first made soup from the meat 
before cooking it, to appear on the table, others had roasted or boiled, 
whilst still others had had recourse to the satisfying and nutritious 
meat pie. The highest number of marks were awarded to Mrs. Smee 
(not a competitor), who had thus arranged her menu, and divided the 
money allowed her : Two mackerel 4d,, meat pie, 9^d., Potatoes fd.. 
Beans 2d., bread Id., sweets 3d., cheese Jd., butter Jd., and vinegar and 
spice Jd., total Is. 9|d. The first prize was awarded to Mrs. Stevens of 
West Street, Carshalton, who had thus spent her money : Soup from 
beef, flavouring Id., pressed beef 9d., Beet, Parsley, and glazing l^d.. 
Beans 3d., Potatoes 2d., bread Id., Plum tart 4d., custard l^d. Mrs. 
Barr took second prize, her dinner consisting of breast of mutton lid.. 
Potatoes 2d., Veeetable Marrow Id., Cabbage Id., pudding (milk rizine) 
IJd., bread and butter IJd., Apple pie 3d., cheese Id., Lettuce Jd., and 
herb beer ^d., she being the only competitor who had made any 
allowance for the wants of thirsty Nature. Other competitors were 
equally ingenious, and there can be no question that this new departure 
has given many a bothered housewife a few ideas of what can be done 
with a small sum of money by the exercise of a little thought and care. 
It is, however, but fair to say that a good deal of doubt was expressed 
by many of the visitors as to the possibility of purchasing in an ordinary 
way the quantity of meat specified in many of the exhibits at anything 
like the amounts placed opposite to them, even if the purchases were 
delayed until the butchers were anxious to sell. Of course the value of 
the competition is altogether lost if there are any doubts as to the bona 
jides of the prices alleged to have been given, and therefore it would be 
well, if the class is repeated next year, if some sort of a certificate were 
to be required from the competitors showing that the purchases had 
been made in the open market, at the prices then current, and that the 
tradesmen had not been told what they were for.” 
- About 150 members of the Scottish Arboricultural 
Society have been spending a week in the south of England. After 
inspecting Burnham Beeches, Windsor, Cliveden, the New Forest, and 
Kew their tour closed on Saturday with a visit to the Gardening and 
Forestry Exhibition at Earl’s Court. Mr. H. E. Milner, the Chairman 
of the Exhibition, in an excellent speech at the luncheon, thanked the 
Scottish Society for spreading throughout the world a knowledge of the 
best methods of cultivating trees. Mr. Malcolm Dunn, in respondingi 
remarked that they had seen much to avoid in forestry, yet something 
good and worth remembering, not the least being generous hospitality. 
The Forestry exhibits were subsequently inspected and explained by 
Professor Curtis of Downton College. The visitors then cooled them¬ 
selves at Captain Boy ton’s Water Show. 
- The Japanese Apple. —Referring to the “ Forest Flora of 
Japan” in the “Garden and Forest,” “ G. S. S.” says “ Of true Apple 
trees there is apparently only a single indigenous species in Japan, the 
Pyrus Toringo of Siebold. This is the tree which is often cultivated in 
American and European gardens as Pyrus Malus floribunda, Pyrus 
microcarpa, Pyrus Parkmani, Pyrus Halleana, Pyrus Sieboldi, and 
Pyrus Ringo. It is a common and widely distributed plant in Japan, 
growing from the sea-level in Yezo to elevations of several thousand 
feet in central Hondo, usually in moist ground in the neighbourhood of 
streams. Sometimes it is a low bush, but more often a tree 15 to 30 feet 
in height, with a short stout trunk and spreading branches. The leaves 
are exceedingly variable, and on the same plant are often oblong, 
rounded or acute at the apex, or broadly ovate or more or less deeply 
three-lobed. The fruit, which, like that of the Siberian Pyrus baccata, 
loses the calyx before it is fully ripe, resembles a Pea in size and shape, 
and in colour varies from bright scarlet to yellow. In early spring 
Pyrus Toringo is one of the most beautiful of the trees found in our 
gardens, where it is perfectly hardy, and covers itself every year with 
fragrant pink or red single or semi-double flowers.” 
- Royal Botanic Society of London. — The fifty-fourth 
anniversary meeting of this Society has been held at the Gardens, 
Regent’s Park, Mr. Charles Brinsley Marlay in the chair. The Duke of 
Teck was re-elected President, and Mr. H. Lindsay Antrobus Treasurer, 
for the ensuing year. From the annual report it appeared that the 
number of new Fellows elected was nearly the same as last year. The 
various exhibitions and fStes had been successfully carried out, the 
exhibits both in number and quality being above the average. That of 
the evening fete especially had been the largest since it was instituted 
twenty-two years ago. The scientific work of the Society had rather 
increased than otherwise. Nearly 700 students of science, art, and 
medicine had received free orders of admission of from one to three 
months during the year, and the facilities offered to schools, classes, 
and scientific societies generally had been largely taken advantage of. 
Among new clients in this branch might be noted many of the students 
studying botany in the London Board Schools. The special plants 
successfully cultivated for the first time included specimens of the 
Mangrove, Rhizophora, and an ant habitation plant from Torres 
Straits. Within the spiny tuberous root of this plant numbers of the 
common red garden ant have made a home, to the apparent benefit 
of both. The meeting closed with a unanimous vote of thanks to the 
Chairman. 
- Kineton Flower Show. — Notwithstanding the drought of 
early summer the present season seems to be an unusually good one for the 
production of late Potatoes. At the above-named Show, which was held 
on the 10th inst., Potatoes were a remarkable feature, the tubers being 
characterised by great size, good form, and perfectly clear skins. It is 
rare indeed to see such splendid examples of good culture exhibited at 
local shows, and the inhabitants of the district deserve great credit for 
their cultural achievement. In the non-competing classes, Mr. J. 
Garner, gardener to E. Cassell, Esq., exhibited a fine collection of fruit, 
containing Black Hamburgh and Foster’s Seedling Grapes, both of 
which were noteworthy for their beautiful colour. Mr. F. Perkins of 
the Leamington Nurseries staged an excellent and effective group of 
plants. The Show was held in the delightful grounds of Lord 
Willoughby de Broke, whose gardens were thrown open to the public 
during the afternoon and evening, when large numbers of visitors 
enjoyed a pleasant stroll around them. In the flower garden I noticed 
fine beds of Begonias and Tropasolum Mrs. Clibran ; the latter is 
evidently an acquisition, destined to become universally popular. 
Chrysanthemums were also looking wonderfully well, but the crown 
buds had shown several weeks in advance of their usual time, and were 
therefore removed.—H. D. 
