[ October 6, 1892. 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
Events of the Week. —The ensumg week will be rather a very 
busy one so far as metropolitan horticultural events are concerned. 
The great Show of Potatoes and fruit which opened at the Inter¬ 
national Horticultural Exhibition on Wednesday, continues to-day 
(Thursday) and Friday. The National Chrysanthemum Society will 
bold an Exhibition of October flowering Japanese Chrysantbemums at 
tbe Royal Aquarium, Westminster, on Wednesday, October 12th, con¬ 
tinuing the two following days. The Conference Meeting will be held 
on Wednesday evening at seven o’clock. The customary sale of Orchids 
and other plants will take place at Messrs. Protheroe & Morris’s auction 
rooms. 
- The Weather in London. — During tbe past week tbe 
weather has been cold and variable. On Sunday heavy rains fell, 
and the two following days opened fine, but towards evening the 
elements were again disturbed. At the time of going to press the 
weather is milder, but with every prospect of rain. 
- Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution. — We are 
requested to remind our readers that the Anniversary Festival dinner of 
this Institution will take place on Tuesday, November 15th, at the Hotel 
M6tropole, Lord Brassey in the chair. Applications for tickets should be 
made to the Secretary at 50, Parliament Street, London. It is also 
desired that collecting cards which are outstanding may be sent in 
before the above date. 
- Royal Horticultural Society.—T he attention of the 
Council having been drawn to a difficulty in the awarding of certifi¬ 
cates, &c., to plants which have received * * * at Chiswick, passed the 
following minute at a meeting on October 1th :—“ The Council request 
that in future whenever any plant (fruit, flower, seed, vegetable, &c.) 
shall have had * * * given it by a Committee meeting at Chiswick the 
Superintendent of the Gardens will (if it be possible) bring it forward 
at the next (or nearest possible) general meeting of the Society at West¬ 
minster or elsewhere in order that it may, if still thought deserving, 
receive a more definite award.” The Council also passed the following 
minute :—“ The definite award made under the above minute of Council 
will be given (as all the Society’s awards are made) to the plant in 
question, and the custody of the certificate or other award will vest in 
the person sending the plant, &c., to Chiswick for trial.”—W. Wilks, 
See. R.H.S. 
- Death of Mr. C. H. Sharman. —It is with feelings of great 
regret that we have to announce the death of Mr. Charles Henry 
Sharman, who has for many years supervised our extensive establish¬ 
ment in Holborn under the direction of our managing partner. Those 
who have been favoured with Mr. Sharman’s acquaintance will have 
observed that during the last twelve months he has not carried the same 
hale and hearty appearance that has characterised his bearing through 
a long series of years. If you will kindly give effect to a few lines in 
your columns expressing our deep regret at his sudden demise we shall 
feel obliged.— James Carter & Co. [All who were acquainted with 
the late Mr. Sharman will share in the regret of the proprietors of the 
great firm which he served so loyally and well. He died on the 28th 
inst., we understand from an [apoplectic seizure, and was, we think, 
about fifty years of age.] 
- Gardening Appointments. —We understand that Mr. J. F. 
Simpson, until recently foreman at Marton Hall, Middlesborough, 
Yorkshire, has been appointed head gardener to W. M. Smythe, Esq., 
The Lawn, Warwick, and has entered upon his duties. Mr. F. Kneller, 
late foreman to Mr. S. Bides, of Farnham, has also received an appoint¬ 
ment in a similar capacity to the Marquis of Ripon, Studley Royal, 
Yorkshire. Mr. Jas. Bagshaw has been appointed to succeed Mr. 
C. W. Sharpe as head gardener to Edmund Peel, Esq., Bryn-y-Pys, 
Ruabon, Flintshire. 
-- Death of Mr. C. Edmonds.—W e regret to learn of the 
death of Mr. C. Edmonds, a well known grower of Cyclamens and 
Primulas, at Hillingdon, near Uxbridge. He died on September 17th, 
aged sixty-three. 
- Stock Princess Alice. — Among the different varieties of 
Stocks that I have grown this season this has proved the best. It is- 
a pure white, and most useful for cutting, branching out from the 
stem. A row in the kitchen garden has been a mass of flower for the past 
four months ; it is also an excellent variety for pots.—J. H. 
_Modern Fruit Culture. —Under this title Mr. G. Bunyard 
sends us a pamphlet of thirty pages containing hints for amateurs and 
others, the articles being chiefly reprints from the catalogues of the 
firm, as well as papers read by Mr. Bunyard at meetings of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. The matter is therefore practical and useful. 
- Edging for Borders.—I shall be glad if any of your readers- 
can tell me the most durable, most economical, and most pleasing 
edging for borders. I favour tiles, but these are so liable to get broken 
and are expensive; therefore if these are recommended from experience 
the price should be reasonable and perhaps may be stated.—W. M. B. 
_ The Pear Crop. —Our crop of all varieties of Pears on walls 
is very light this season, although there were plenty of blossom, but a 
few standard trees of Williams’s Bon Chretien, Marie Louise, and Beurrd 
Clairgeau have carried heavy crops of fruit and with a clearer skin than 
ha* been the case for several years. No doubt the recent rains have been 
very beneficial to them, the fruit generally having greatly improved o£ 
late,—J. H. 
- Peaches in the Open Air.—A t a recent meeting of the 
members of the Wakefield Paxton Society Mr. J. Campbell, gardener to 
Mrs. J. H. Micklethwaite of Painthorpe, read an essay on “Stone 
Fruit.” The essayist, who is a successful fruit grower, dealt with his 
subject in an interesting and thoroughly practical manner. Mr. 
Campbell contended chat it is quite possible to grow Peaches in the 
open air in the neighbourhood of Wakefield, and said that he had grown 
them thus with success. 
-. Greenhouse Rhododendrons. — Mr. Bardney writes : — 
“Where a delicate pink is needed for table decoration at this period 
of the year and the following three or four months, Rhododendron 
Princess Royal (greenhouse variety) should be grown in quantity. This 
variety grows freely under suitable conditions, and when fully exposed 
to the sun every point will bloom. The plant naturally produces its 
flowers in succession, and on this account it is the more valuable for 
the purpose for which it is recommended. I have not tried it planted 
out, but intend to do, as I believe it will grow with much greater freedom 
than when kept in pots.” 
- The same correspondent observes :—“There will be no lack of 
variety amongst greenhouse Rhododendrons, if we are to judge from the 
large number of seedlings raised from crosses now flowering and about 
to flower for the first time in the Handsworth Nurseries, Sheffield. The 
type followed appears to be that of jasminiflora. Several plants with 
blush and delicate shades of pink blooms were in flower, and which, as 
far as I could form an opinion, will prove worthy additions to the 
varieties already in commerce.” 
- Silver Beet. — Attention may fittingly be drawn to the Silver or 
Seakale Beet as a valuable vegetable, which should be grown in all 
gardens where Seakale is appreciated. By many the midribs of this 
Beet are preferred to Seakale. One or two rows will yield an abundant 
supply if given liberal treatment. It requires land that has been well 
worked and liberally manured. It should not be sown too early, or it is 
liable to run to seed in early autumn.—A Gardener. 
- The Currant Crop.—C urrants are likely to be dear this 
Christmas. The new crop, according to the letter of a Bristol house, 
Messrs. Wedmore & Co., is the smallest for many years. The reduction 
in weight by disease, they say, has been generally understated. This 
disease, a kind of mildew (the Greek Peronosperos), suddenly attacked 
the Vines when the fruit was maturing, and seems to have withered up 
and destroyed the bunches. The greatest damage has been done in the 
district of Pyrgos, where the crop turns out only 15,000 tons, against 
40,000 tons last year. In the islands Zante and Cephalonia the crop is 
12,500 tons, against 20,000 tons last season. These important districts, 
therefore, have together produced less than one-half of last year’s yield. 
The other districts have suffered more or less seriously. Supposing them 
to produce 80,000 tons against 100,000 last season the “ shortage ” on the 
total crop of Currants will be over 50,000 tons. In the last three seasons 
the average consumption of Currants in the world has been 149,000 tons. 
There are only four tons of Currants this year against every five tons 
last year. France, we are told in the letter above quoted, is likely to 
use Currants largely for wine making this season, as the vintage in that 
i country is a small one, and must be supplemented from other sources. 
