522 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ June 29, 1893. 
colour—my favourite hue in the Strawberry. This is, I think, 
excellence a high-class dessert variety, and is specially a ladies’ Straw¬ 
berry. Lord SufEeld has firmer flesh, is long and tapering, of a rich 
crimson hue, flavour of a vinous kind ; a delicious variety. Gunton 
Park gives large, fiattisb, somewhat cockscomb-shaped fruits of a rich 
deep blood crimson colour, flesh very firm, of striking flavour, but 
slightly acid. This should, especially that it is a great cropper, make a 
fine market variety. As Strawberries vary so much on diverse soils, it 
will be well if growers will get plants and give the sorts a good trial. 
Most certainly Mr. Allan has been more fortunate than the majority of 
raisers in hitting upon a fine vein of flavour.—A, Dean, Kingston, 
RECORDS FOR EARLY PEACHES. 
I GATHERED the first fruit of Alexander from a tree growing against 
a south wall on June 24th. From the same tree the first fruit was 
picked July 25th last year, which shows the extreme earliness of the 
present season. With us this Peach out of doors never fails to give 
a full crop of fruit; in fact we find it necessary to relieve the trees 
of more than half of those that set. The colour of the fruit is 
invariably high and the flavour good for the variety. All who value 
early outdoor Peaches should grow this sort.—E. Molyneux, Hants. 
Seeing in the Journal of Horticulture (page 500) that Mr. W* 
Iggulden gathered ripe fruit of the Alexander Peach from a tree growing 
against a south-east wall on the 18th inst., I write to say that I gathered 
excellent fruit of the same variety from a tree on a south-west wall and 
close to one of our forcing houses on the 16th inst. The tree is a large 
one for the variety, and is now (June 23rd) nearly cleared of the crop for 
this year. 
The next earliest Peach out of doors here is Waterloo, on the same 
wall as the Alexander. It was ripe on the 21st. The fruits are not so 
large as those of Alexander but are of better quality, and, like it, very 
highly coloured. Amsden growing against a south wall will be ripe in 
the course of a few days. The fruit is of moderate size, highly coloured, 
of excellent quality. Following closely is Hales’ Early, a first-rate early 
Peach as regards size, colour and flavour, but later than those varieties 
mentioned above ripening its fruit. —H. W. Ward, Longford Castle, 
Salisbury. 
Rose Show Fixtures in 1893. 
June 29th (Thursday).—Eltham and Sittingbourne. 
July 1st (Saturday).—Crystal Palace (N.R S.). 
„ 4th (Tuesday).—Bagshot, Diss, and Gloucester. 
„ 5th (Wednesday).—Croydon, Ealing, Farnham, Hereford, and 
Lee.’*' 
„ 6th (Thursday) —Bath, Farningham, Manchester, and Norwich. 
„ 7th (Friday).—Ulverston. 
„ 11th (Tuesday).—Harleston and Wolverhampton.f 
„ 12th (Wednesday).—Earl’s Court and Tunbridge Wells. 
„ 13th (Thursday).—Worksop (N.R.S.), and Woodbridge, 
, 14th (Friday).—Helensburgh. 
„ 16th (Saturday).—New Brighton. 
,, 20th (Thursday).—Bedford and Trentham. 
„ 25th (Tuesday).—Tibshelf. 
„ 27th (Thursday).—Halifax and Southwell. 
„ 29th (Saturday).—Bedale. 
* Shows lasting two days. f Show lasting three days. 
—Edward Mawley, Rosebanlt, Berliliamsted, Herts. 
Stray Notes. 
The following is a pleasing sensation. You arrive at your first show 
of the season, with no time to look round and see the state of affairs and 
what chance you have, but must begin setting up at once. As you do 
so, behind your back pass certain strollers, and some of these are as good 
critics as you could wish, and excellent reflections of the state of things 
in the present show. The first one says nothing, but he stops (it is a 
good sign, you are not altogether out of it; unless of course you are bad 
enough to be worth contemplation) ; presently another and another, 
and they all stop; you catch a muttered comment, “ Some weight 
there I ” and your ardour and confidence (and fumbling in my case) 
increase. At last an acquaintance comes by, “Hullo! R., where did 
you get those ? ’’ It does not sound complimentary, but it is good 
enough for you ; the first prize is at all events within measurable 
distance, if not yet won. At the Westminster Tea Rose Show there 
seemed to be an unusual number of wandering Peris without their Rose 
boxes as qualifications for entering the rosarian Paradise of competition ; 
but, sad though their case was, they certainly showed no jealousy, but 
were as happy in helping and congratulating the successful candidates 
as if they had won themselves. May it ever be so, as I believe it will. 
It was certainly a revelation to me, who had not realised the wide¬ 
spread disaster to the Rose shows of 1893 from the drought and heat, to 
hear the universal report. Teas all over. H.P.’s over or worthless. 
Stocks nearly all dead. Cuttings in almost the same plight. The 
strangest part of it is that cut-backs seem to have done better than 
maidens, whose growth has been very poor. Dwarf maidens, whose 
strong far-reaching young roots one would have thought of greater 
power than those of cut-backs, have not stood the ordeal nearly so well. 
Standard maidens have done better, and standard maiden Teas look 
well. This is a puzzle ; probably standard stocks are taught by Nature 
to root more deeply, as a hold against the wind. The outlook for next 
winter is serious, for the necessaries of life such as Rose plants and 
Briar cuttings, not to mention hay and such trifles, are likely to be 
scarce and dear ; but, at present, how to show thirty-six blooms three 
days running at local shows in July is the problem which is exercising 
the brains of East Anglian amateurs. 
One great disadvantage of such an abnormal season is that in many 
cases no certain judgment can be passed on new Roses which we have 
not seen before. Gustave Piganeau and Mrs. Paul I have had good 
enough for any season, but I can find no excuse for Margaret Dickson, 
which on the strongest of maidens and cut-backs is distinctly not so good 
with me as the average of Merveille de Lyon. Here is another mystery, 
for the failure is not confined to my plants, and the fact that Messrs. 
Dickson have shown it particularly full in the centre, and that it is 
decidedly weak in that point with me and others, remains unaccounted 
for. I have had a good bloom or two of Salamander, and a prettily 
coloured one of the Duchess of Fife. The Duke of Fife has not been 
strong enough with me at present to differ very much in colour from 
Etienne Level. Ethel Brownlow is coming stronger and better every 
year, and taking rank among the very best of the Irish Roses. 
Of some new Roses seen lately at Mr. B. Cant’s,! liked best La Fraicheur 
(Pernet et Ducher) which I suppose is a Hybrid Tea, pink, long-petalled 
and very promising, and Spenser (W. Paul & Son) H.P., which at first 
sight resembles Baroness Rothschild, but looks as if it might be fuller, 
and if so will be decidedly valuable. Mrs. Harkness shown at West¬ 
minster looks as if it might be good under favourable circumstances, 
but Merrie England appears in a harlequin costume, which does not look 
good taste. I wish some microscopical expert could have examined the 
base of the one shoot of the plant of Heinrich Schultheis which pro¬ 
duced both these remarkable variations at Messrs. Harkness’ nursery 
(the one being soft pink, and the other darker and splashed with white 
after the manner of Pride of Reigate), as it is surely possible that in 
these days something might be found out as to the cause of sports ) and 
it would be a great thing if we could inject a sport microbe or bacillus 
into a shoot so as to produce such variations at will. 
I forgot to mention last week one serious insect pest—thrips, which 
are always rampant here in a dry time, though in some places they seem 
unknown out of doors. They have spoiled many buds of Teas and 
La France with me and others, and have ruined my standard Teas from 
which I hoped much. I know of no remedy but syringing, though 
of course this must not be used when the buds are advanced.— 
W. R. Raillem. 
HORTICULTURAL SHOWS. 
HITCHIN.— June 26th. 
This annual Exhibition of Roses, herbaceous flowers, greenhouse 
plants, fruit and vegetables, was held on Monday, June 26th, in the 
Grammar School grounds. Despite the abnormally dry weather which has 
been experienced the Roses were of exceptionally good quality, almost equal 
to those of last year, and the number of competitors showed an appre¬ 
ciable increase. The arrangements of the Show reflect much credit on 
the Committee of Management and on Mr. W. G. P. Clark, the inde¬ 
fatigable and courteous Assistant Secretary. A list of the prizewinners 
in the Rose classes is appended, but space does not permit a detailed 
report of flowers, fruit, and vegetables, which were shown in excellent 
condition. 
For forty-eight Roses, distinct, single trusses, Messrs. Harkness &; Son 
were awarded the first prize, their stand being a magnificent one. 
The blooms were of fine substance, good shape, and well coloured. 
The varieties staged were Gustave Piganeau, Mrs. J. Laing, Chas. 
Lefebvre, Margaret Dickson, Camille Bernardin, Marie Fifnger, Star of 
Waltham, Frangois Michelon, Senateur Vaisse, Madame Cusin, The 
Bride, A. K. Williams, Souvenir d’Elise, Catherine Mermet, Fisher 
Holmes, May Quennell, Dudhess of Bedford, Viscountess Folkestone, 
Jean Lelievre, Mrs. Harkness, Countess of Rosebery, Duchesse de 
Morny, Ulrich Brunner, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Duke of Fife, 
Marquise de Castellane, Madame Wood, La France, Alphonse Soupert, 
Prince Arthur, Heinrich Schultheis, Caroline Kuster, Comte Raimbaud, 
Boule d’Or, Etienne Levet, Jean Ducher, Dupuy Jamain, Princess 
Beatrice, Suzanne Marie Rodocanachi, Merveille de Lyon, Crown 
Prince, Merrie England, Victor Hugo, Francisca Kruger, Marie 
Verdier, and Margaret Boudet. Mr. Frank Cant, Colchester, was ac¬ 
corded the second prize for an exceptionally good stand ; Messrs. G. and 
W. Burch, Peterborough, were third ; and Messrs. Geo. Paul & Son, 
Cheshunt, fourth. 
In the classes for members of the Society B. B. Lindsell,Esq., Bearton, 
Hitchin, was awarded the first prize in the class for twenty-four distinct 
varieties of Roses, single blooms of each, showing the following in almost 
