April 27, 1863. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
841 
united nation kept the Sovereign’s Jubilee, was he laid, so soon to be 
followed by his bereaved lady the late Duchess of Leinster. 
In closing these notes I may add they are more a character sketch of 
this fine old desmesne than an up-to-date account of it. Minor altera¬ 
tions have been made since the writer saw it, but the Duke inherits in a 
marked degree his ancestor’s love of their noble trees. The Duchess 
is devoted to her Palms, Orchids, and hardy flowers, while Mr. Black, 
the head gardener, finds plenty to do in all departments, and does it 
well.—E. K. 
AIDS TO FRUIT CULTURE. 
Glass Copinqs for Fruit Walls. 
I WAS never before so much impressed with the great value and 
utility of this aid to outdoor fruit cultivation as I was a few days since 
on visiting the beautiful gardens at Hollowmead, Bishopsteignton, 
Devonshire, the residence of W. Barrow, Esq. The large kitchen 
garden is nearly in the form of a square, surrounded by good walls, one 
half of which—viz., those portions having a south and south-west 
aspect, having a light iron and glass coping about 20 inches in width of 
the pattern introduced years ago by Mr. Rendle. 
Mr. Barrow had this coping erected some six or seven years since, and 
speaks in high praise of its value. Nearly the whole of the south wall 
is well covered with Peaches and Nectarines, the trees being in the very 
best condition and well furnished throughout with excellent wood 
thickly set with fruit, which is now being vigorously thinned. These, 
I am told, have never missed carrying heavy crops of fruit each season 
since the coping has been erected. Previously the trees scarcely ever 
ripened their wood fully and properly, carried their green foliage to 
very late in the season, and bore fruit very indifferently. Since the 
coping has been there, though, all this is altered. The wood ripens fully 
and early in the autumn, causing the leaves to mature and fall off early 
and large blossom buds to be developed. The fruit also is larger, more 
brightly coloured, and of better flavour. 
On the south-west wall are Pears, Plums, and Cherries, all of which 
have set heavy crops of fruit, and are apparently deriving almost as 
much benefit from the glass above them as do the Peaches, Seeing, 
then, the great value of this aid to fruit culture, that its first expense is 
but very moderate, and the future cost in maintenance is very small 
indeed, one is led to wonder that it is not more frequently seen in fruit 
gardens. Certainly fruit cultivators have not all fully realised the 
changes it is capable of producing in their trees and their fruit crops, 
or it would be far more generally adopted.—W. K. Woodcock. 
THE SCOUNDREL SPARROW. 
I AM disgusted to find that my best and finest Apple trees have been 
absolutely stripped of bloom—quite lately, since the green leaves have 
shown. This, I believe, to be the work of sparrows ; I am always about, 
and must have heard or seen them if any bullfinches had come. The 
tiny blossom buds do not appear to have been eaten, but wantonly 
plucked off, and this looks like sparrows, which in some places treat 
Primroses and other flowers in this way. Besides polishing off all my 
Gooseberries and Red and White Currants, they have also destroyed 
my Black Currant buds, picking them all off when they were quite 
green. 
I am close to a large farmyard, and where the sparrows swarm ; the 
farmer complains bitterly of their depredations on his corn in July and 
August, but after the manner of his kind makes no attempt to stop their 
nesting by scores all over his premises. 
But I have sworn vengeance, like the villain in the play, “ No 
matter-r-r, a time will come ! ” I will have no mercy on the scoundrel 
sparrows, young or old, egg or nestling ; in their time of weakness I 
will be their enemy. I too—oh, yes ! I will feed them in the snow, 
like other benevolent persons ; but the last item on their menu shall be 
dust shot. Boys shall be bribed to harry their nests. All the year 
round will I worry them. And if they injure my Apple trees next year 
I will forgive them !—W. R. Raillbm. 
P.S.—I have just seen three sparrows picking off the not quite 
opened blossoms of a Wellington Apple tree as fast as possible, and 
letting them fall to the ground. But the practice has become unhealthy 
among sparrows. All three died suddenly before my eyes.—W. R. R. 
[Will all sparrow friends and sentimentalists as readily “ forgive ” 
our correspondent ?] 
AURICULAS AT SLOUGH. 
A VISIT to the nurseries of Mr. Chas. Turner at Slough is at any 
time full of pleasure, interest, and instruction, and never more so than 
at this time of the year, when the Auriculas are in the zenith of their 
beauty. Knowing what such a visit had in store for me I availed myself 
of an opportunity, and in every way I was amply repaid. 
To talk of Auriculas and their hybridisation to anyone genuinely 
interested in them is the delight of Mr. John Ball, truly a veteran and 
an authority on these flowers, as much so, in fact, as he is on Carnations. 
For a period of forty-five years he has been experimenting, and indeed 
vastly improving during the whole of that time. Many varieties, says 
this excellent authority, which were grown forty and fifty years ago 
and still prominently before the public, and may be found in all first- 
rate collections. More especially is this the case with the show or stage 
section. Though the founder of the firm has passed away from our 
midst the records of his works are still with us, proving him to have 
been a florist in the truest and best sense of the word. 
Amongst the best of the Show varieties in flower at the present time 
at the Royal Nurseries are :—Acme, a grand old white-edged variety 
which is still highly appreciated ; Black Bess, a beautiful self of the 
most perfect-form ; Trail’s Beauty, a very fine white edge ; Chas. E, 
Brown, a grey-edged of much merit ; Conservative, a magnificent white- 
edged flower and possessing the somewhat unique distinction of having 
green foliage ; Chas. J. Perry, a charming old self ; George Lightbody, 
which amongst the green-edged still holds a place in the front rank ; 
Heather Bell, a grey edge of much merit; Lancashire Hero, a grand 
green-edged ; Heroine, a charming dark crimson self ; Helen Lancaster, 
another self ; Lord of Lome, which ranks amongst the very best of the 
crimson seifs ; Rev. F. D. Horner, a flower worthy the name, and the 
green edge of the day, perfect in every way ; Mrs. A. Potts, a rich dark 
purple self, symmetrical in shape and strong in growth ; Mrs. Dodwell, 
undoubtedly one of the finest of the white-edged ; Richard Headly, a 
very fine g^ey-edged variety; William Brockoank, a fine bold flower 
with a perfect grey edge; Alexander Meiklejohn, also a grey edged, and 
many other very beautiful varieties. 
Foremost among the Alpine section must be named Chas. Turner, 
which has a bright red ground shading to brown, with a pure golden 
paste, a beautiful flower indeed, and one which is worthy a place in 
every collection ; Countess, dark ground shaded with lilac, and having 
a white paste, is a magnificent variety ; Fred Knighton, black ground 
shaded red with a gold paste, is a grand flower. Harry Turner must be 
accorded a place in the front rank, for it is a truly charming variety 
with a white paste, the ground colour being almost black shaded with 
purplish red ; the flower is of much substance, and of a shape which 
leaves nothing to be desired. Alarm is an early flowering sort, having 
a black ground with a reddish shading and a gold paste ; Invincible has 
a gold paste, with a dark ground shaded deep red ; Mabel is a very good 
variety, with a dark ground shaded plum and a straw paste ; Mrs. 
Harry Turner has a white paste and a black ground, beautifully edged 
with violet, the flower is large and distinct, and the plant throws a very 
fine truss ; Harry Furniss is a charming variety, black forming the 
ground colour, which is shaded and faintly edged with red, and having 
a clear gold paste ; International is another very fine gold-pasted 
variety, the ground colour of which is blaek, clearly edged with bright 
red ; John Ball is a rich dark crimson self with a bright yellow paste, 
the truss is of good size, and the flowers of perfect shape and substance ; 
Winifred is one of the most charming varieties in the collection, the 
flower is perfect in form and substance, the ground colour being a very 
dark crimson beautifully shaded with lilac, and have a clear white 
paste ; Mr. H. E. Milner has a straw paste and a rich crimson ground 
shaded with purple, and is a very fine flower ; Mrs. Ball is a perfect 
flower, having a shaded crimson ground and a bright lemon-coloured 
paste ; Magnet has a gold paste, the ground colour being rich crimson 
shaded deep rosy red ; Roland is a very distinct variety, having a black 
ground shaded with rosy purple, the paste being yellow in colour ; and 
Sunrise with bright gold paste, and black ground shaded rich crimson. 
There are many other highly commendable varieties, but these will 
suffice to show that the collection is an excellent and representative 
one, and comprises all the most meritorious kinds in cultivation. 
—Visitor. 
NEWCASTLE SPRING SHOW. 
April 19th and 20th. 
The spring Show of the Durham, Northumberland, and Newcastle- 
upon-Tyne Incorporated Botanical and Horticultural Society was held 
on Wednesday and Thursday, the 19th and 20th inst., in the Town Hall, 
Newcastle-on-Tyne. The Society was fortunate this year in the weather, 
and the attendance both days was all that could be desired, and the 
receipts amounted to £70 more than last year, or a total of £193. 
The Show was in every respect one of the very best the Society has 
ever held. The entries in many instances were numerous, and the hall 
was well filled with plants. The exhibits were of a very high class 
order, and to those that remember the inception of the first spring Show 
seventeen years ago the result is all the more gratifying. We may state 
that Mr. W. J. Taylor, who was formerly Hon. Secretary, who did so 
much in first raising the Show to the prominence it now holds in the 
horticultural world, is again a member of the Council, Appended is 
a list of the awards with notes of the exhibits. 
In the A Division, which was open to all, for four plants, distinct, 
there were four competitors. Mr. Neil Black, gardener to Misses Pease, 
Southend, Darlington, was first and deservedly so. A fine Vanda suavis 
with eleven spikes and 105 expanded flowers was exceptionally subjected 
to keen inspection, and therefore warm admiration. This Orchid was a 
credit to the skill of Mr. Black. The other plants were a fine specimen 
of Rhododendrons Countess of Haddington and Veitchianum, and 
Erica Cavendishiana. Mr. J. Smith, gardener to T. Lange, Esq., 
Heathfield House, was second, with Rhododendron fragrantissimum and 
Imantophyllum miniatum. Mr. J. McIntyre, gardener to Mrs. G. Pease, 
Woodside, Darlington, was third, the best plants being Azalea Charles 
Eckhaute and Anthurium Andreanum. Azaleas were next, and were 
excellent examples of careful training, well flowered, and not too 
formal. Mr. J. McIntyre was first for four plants, showing Oswald de 
Kerchove, Marquis of Lome, Due de Nassau, and the white Daphne. 
