146 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 18, 1892. 
Events of the Week. —The ensuing week will be a somewhat 
busy one. To-day (Thursday, August 18th) Shrewsbury and Cardiff 
Shows are continued, while Aberdeen opens, the latter being continued 
on the 19th and 20th. On Saturday, the 20th, the National Co-opera¬ 
tive Show takes place at the Crystal Palace. On the 23rd and 24th the 
Eoyal Horticultural Society will hold an Exhibition and Conference on 
Begonias, Ferns, Apricots, and Plums at Chiswick. The Exhibition of 
the Royal Horticultural Society of Ireland takes place on the 24th. On 
the 24th, 25th, and 26th the Great Show at Newcastle-on-Tyne is held, 
and on the 25th there will be Exhibitions at Droitwich and Kenilworth. 
A sale of Orchids will be conducted at Messrs. Protheroe & Morris’ 
Rooms on Friday, August 19th, and of bulbs on the 22nd. 
- The Weather in London. — Warm, bright, and genial 
weather has prevailed during the past few days, and the rainfall has 
been very slight. Rain fell for an hour or two on the morning of 
the 16th, but the latter part of the day was brilliantly fine. At the 
time of going to press the barometer is falling and the wind is very 
variable, so that rain may be expected. 
- Potato Disease. —The Potato disease made an early appear¬ 
ance in this part of Suffolk, being plainly visible in the garden 
allotments by the third week in July, and in spite of the dry 
weather the tubers are already considerably affected. It is almost the 
universal practice about here for cottage gardeners and allotment 
holders simply to leave the diseased tubers to rot on the land where 
they are taken up, and in many cases to grow Potatoes again on the 
same plot next year. I do hope the Instructors in horticulture 
appointed under the Technical Instruction Committee of the County 
Council will point out that common sense ought to show, as clearly as 
scientific knowledge, that such a system affords every possible encourage¬ 
ment to a renewal of the disease.— W. R. Raillem. 
- Pea Shropshire Hero. —Having tried several of the newer 
varieties of Peas this season I have no hesitation in placing the above, 
raised by Mr. Eckford, amongst the finest Peas I have seen. It pro¬ 
duces fine pods abundantly, and is of excellent flavour; it is also 
robust in habit, and has not grown higher than 3 feet. It is in my 
opinion a Pea to be remembered for another season.—R. P. R. 
- Disqualified Collection of Fruit at Trentham Show. 
—Like “ W. H. M.” I fail to see upon what basis the Judges grounded 
their decision when they disqualified Mr. Mclndoe’s collection of fruit 
because it contained two varieties of Pines. The terms of the schedule, 
as quoted by your representative and by Mr. Mclndoe, clearly state that 
nine dishes are required to complete the exhibit, of these four kinds are 
specified to be included, and presumably the other five dishes may 
consist of any varieties of fruit the exhibitor chooses to stage. I venture 
to say this is the interpretation ninety-nine out of every 100 exhibitors 
would place upon the words of the schedule. In the absence of any stipu¬ 
lation or rule to the contrary the Judges could not have any right to 
deprive Mr. Mclndoe of the prize he was justly entitled to.—W. II. D. 
- Exhibition Potatoes.—I have found it needful on more than 
one occasion to invite exhibitors where there are classes for two or more 
dishes of round or kidney Potatoes at shows to set up varieties that are 
distinct in colour if possible, so that there may be no question 
as to distinctness of sort. We have such good varieties of coloured 
rounds as Reading Russet, Vicar of Laleham, The Dean, Conference, 
and General Gordon, so that there is no reason to set up all whites and 
much alike. When two sorts are invited, even in the case of both 
being kidneys, there are Ruby, Prizetaker, Edgcote Purple, Bedfont 
Purple, Beauty of Hebron, and others available, so that there is no excuse 
for putting up only white sorts. Perhaps the most popular white round 
is Button’s Satisfaction, for it turns up everywhere, but it also in some 
soils assumes a long or kidney form, and thus it is sometimes found in 
both round and kidney classes. Any variety ordinarily exhibited in. 
one section should never be accepted in the other, as it cannot be both 
round and kidney.—A. D 
- Weight of Currant Crop. —Mr. F. A. Bowman informs us- 
that he has gathered 27 lbs. of the Red Grape Currant from one bush,, 
and 20 lbs. from another, or 50 lbs. from two bushes. Our correspon¬ 
dent would be “glad to know the heaviest weights of Red and Black 
Currants from a bush or tree.” 
- Mr. A. H. Johnson, for many years manager for Messrs- 
Armitage Bros., seed merchants, Nottingham, has joined the old- 
established firm of Messrs. Fletcher, Son & Co., Chesterfield, in 
partnership, and the name and style of the firm in future will be 
Fletcher, Douglas, and Johnson. 
- Early Hops. —The first pocket of this year’s Worcester Hops 
passed the public scales on Friday, the 12th inst. They were grown by 
Mr. H. T. Taylor, of Showle Court, Ledbury, and purchased by Messrs. 
Edward Webb & Sons, Hop and Seed Merchants, Wordsley, Stourbridge^ 
who sold them to Mr. Benjamin Elwell of the Delph Brewery, Brierley 
Hill, at £10 per cwt. 
- A Pleasant Day’s Outing.— Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, 
accompanied by some eighty of their employes, spent a pleasant day in 
Folkestone on Friday last. The senior partner presided over a 
substantial dinner, when the toast of his health and the prosperity of 
the firm was enthusiastically received by the staff. Special carriages 
were engaged for the journey. 
- Hybrid Vallotas. —Mr. A. J. A. Bruce, Chorlton-cum- 
Hardy, Manchester, sends us blooms of some hybrid Vallotas, marking 
many variations in colour from V. purpurea. No. 2 is blush, No. 3 
rose, No. 4 deep salmon, No. 5 light scarlet, No. 6 deep scarlet, and 
No. 7 bright scarlet. They are very brilliant in colour, and may be 
looked upon as very desirable acquisitions. The old Scarborough Lily 
is so useful a plant that distinct forms such as these are well worth 
having. 
- The Weather During July at Ripley, Yorks. —The 
weather was mostly dull with cool nights, but was fairly dry. On several 
occasions the thermometer fell as low as 35°. On twenty-two days the 
wind blew from northerly and easterly directions. The total rainfall 
was 1-53 inch, which fell upon nine days, the greatest daily fall being 
0-80 of an inch. Mean reading of barometer, 30'07 ; mean maximum 
temperature, 66° ; mean minimum temperature, 40’8 °; mean tempera¬ 
ture 53 4°. Highest maximum temperature, 77° on the 3rd; loweBt 
minimum temperature, 32° on the 18th. — J. TUNNINGTON, Ripley 
Castle Gardens. 
-Exhibition and Conference on Begonias, British Ferns, 
Apricots, and Plums. — On Tuesday and Wednesday next, August 
23rd and 24th, the historic gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at 
Chiswick will be enlivened by an Exhibition of Begonias, Apricots, and 
Plums, in addition to which growers of British Ferns will contribute 
specimens of our native Cryptogams, by way of showing what beautiful 
forms and varieties may be obtained by patient cultivation and careful 
hybridisation. All the Committees will meet in the Gardens at 11 a.m. 
precisely on Tuesday, August 23rd, and there is no doubt but that two- 
of them—viz., the Floral and Fruit—will have a busy time of it, while 
exhibitors of Orchids will receive the attention of the Orchid Committee 
at the same time. Every amateur grower of Begonias, Apricots, Plums, 
and British Ferns should endeavour to take part in this Exhibition, 
and should at once, if it has not already been done, communicate the 
nature of his exhibit to the Garden Superintendent, so that due 
provision for space may be made in good time. In accordance with 
the policy inaugurated a few years ago, the Society will hold a 
Conference in the great vinery on each of the above-mentioned days at 
2 p.m. The subject of the first day’s Conference will be “ Begonias.’' 
Mr. Harry J. Veitch, F.L.S., has consented to take the chair and open 
the Conference, after which papers will be read by Messr*. W. Watson, 
J. Laing, and H. Cannell on the “ Cultivated Species of Begonia,” 
“ Tuberous Begonias,” and “ Winter-flowering Tuberous Begonias ” 
respectively. On the second day (August 24th) the Conference on 
Apricots and Plums will be presided over by Dr. Robert Hogg, F.L.S., 
and Messrs. T. Francis Rivers and J. Smith will read papers on 
“ Dessert Plums ” and “ Cooking and Market Plums ” respectively, 
while Mons. F. Jamain, of Paris, will contribute a paper on “Apricots.”' 
Besides the Exhibition of flowers and fruit which will be brought 
together on this occasion, it may be stated that the gardens themselves 
look extremely beautiful at present, and will well repay a visit—not 
only from gardeners, but also from ladies and gentlemen interested in 
the promotion of horticulture. 
