May 3,13S4. 
33G JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
as possible, because of its proved merit, is Royal Sovereign. 
Mr. Thomas speaks in the highest terms of approval of this 
new Strawberry, and it bids fair to become a standing sort in 
the Royal Gardens. 
Another Queen’s favourite fruit is the Cherry. The earliest 
crops are over from trees in pots, but many more are bearing ripe 
clusters, with others still to follow, while the wall trees are laden 
with fruit, one cased in with frame lights to advance the ripening 
of the crop to prevent a break in the supply. They are not above 
shifts and contrivances in the Royal Gardens if anything is to be 
gained ; in fact. Frogmore is a great horticultural school of 
utility. 
Ripe Melons have been mentioned. Of these there has been 
no lack for a long time. The Frogmore Seedling leads the way in 
earliness, and judging by the laden trellis it might also be said in 
productiveness ; fruits medium sized, round, distinct by the creamy 
white colour, and with a refined flavour that does not pall. 
Then we enter a low lean-to pit, stoop down, look up, and see 
such a canopy of Tomatoes as probably was never elsewhere 
witnessed in April. The roof laden with ripe and ripening fruit— 
such a crop as hundreds of persons would rejoice in during the 
Tomato season in the summer. This is the Frogmore Selected, and 
last week certificated ; plants raised from seed in October and 
fruiting in 9-inch pots plunged to the rims in a narrow bed. The 
roof appeared a dense mass of fruits from end to end, those ripe 
being in brilliant colour, firm, and of excellent quality. Frogmore 
Selected it has been suggested is not the best of names, but the 
selector remarked it at least exactly represents the fact ; it is the 
best variety selected from the best fruit, especially chosen as likely 
to produce something good. It is precisely in this way that more 
new varieties of fruits and vegetables have been raised than the 
public recognise, and improvement by selection is within the means 
of every observant cultivator. 
The outdoor vegetable department must be passed with the 
remark that Ellam’s Early Cabbage has not “ bolted ” at Frogmore. 
Winter Cos Lettuces, Hicks’ Hardy and Bath Cos have passed the 
winter scathless. Tied-up plants at the front of south walls are 
ready for use, and there are thousands more to follow in the open 
—a valuable staple crop. The Cabbage Lettuces have not escaped 
so well, and for them at least either the season or position was not 
quite ideal. 
Asparagus bed extension is always going on at Frogmore, and 
Mr. Thomas is of opinion it should go on generally much faster 
than it does in this country. The beds in the Royal Gardens are 
made in a simple way ; 4 feet wide trenches are made, not very 
deep, but somewhere not far from the Winter Greens. As these 
serve their purpose the stumps are pulled up and thrown into the 
trench with any other refuse that is best out of sight, the exca¬ 
vated soil thrown on, and the preparation is complete for the 
always welcome and never too much Asparagus. 
The under-glass plant department cannot be dwelt on, worthy as 
it is of note, but Chrysanthemums must have one line. They are in 
6-inch pots, as robustly sturdy as plants could be. Thousands are 
grown, and produce a magnificent display in the autumn. Yes, 
the verdict is justified—the great abundance and thrifty condition 
of crops proclaim the fact that whatever the future weather may 
be the season up to the end of April was an ideal one at Frogmore. 
—A Witness. 
QUESTIONABLE ADVICE. 
“ Close the house early in the afternoon with sun heat, and 
maintain plenty of atmospheric moisture by frequently damping 
available surfaces.” This advice has been given with respect to 
fruit forcing as long as I can remember, and yet in spite of my 
veneration for things ancient and universally cherished I must 
question the soundness of it. 
First I will try to ascertain why the advice is given, and the 
visible results of following it. We know that often during the 
spring months there is bright sunshine with a dry harsh atmo¬ 
sphere. At such a time, if we could keep down the temperature of 
our houses below the danger point without opening the ventilators 
at all we would gladly do so, but this is often impossible, and 
especially so in our modern built houses with slim rafters and large 
panes of glass. Indeed, during such weather as we had in March 
this year I was often obliged to open wide every ventilator, 
including the doors, to keep temperatures down anywhere near 80°. 
Vines, in particular, being so much later than other plants in 
starting root action, show sooner the effects of a too rapid 
exhalation from their leaves, and one is naturally anxious to tee 
the embryo bunches stand upright, or ac least straight again, and 
the leaves restored to their proper position. This may generally 
be quickly effected by closing early in the afternoon and damping 
heavily. Besides this, the bunches will be materially lengthened, 
the stems will have stretched further up or across the trellis, the 
leaves will have added to them a measurable breadth by the 
following morning, and we flatter ourselves that the Vines are 
growing wonderfully. But is the extra length and breadth we 
get worth calling growth ? Is it not rather elongation and ex¬ 
pansion of the cells ? Uo we add a single cell by this vapour- 
bath treatment ? If not, what must be expected as the after 
results ? I will not attempt to enumerate all, but some that strike 
me just at present are—collapse of cells in the stems and con¬ 
sequent flatness ; collapse of cells in the fruit and consequent 
shrivelling ; thinness of texture in the leaves and consequent 
wartiness ; scorching, or early discolouration, with its natural 
effects on the ripening of the wood. 
Now the Tomato diseases have taught us that the vapour-bath 
treatment is wrong ; and I believe it is a face that Tomatoes are 
better grown now, and are of better quality than they were before 
a more rational mode of culture was forced on us. For growing 
Cucumbers, French Beans, and some plants grown for their large 
foliage where there is no necessity to build up a solid and lasting 
structure, the early closing and heavy damping will do little harm, 
but I ask your readers to consider the matter over in regard to 
fruit-growing.— Wm. Taylou. 
AURICULAS AT THE DRILL HALL. 
I HAVE for so many years recorded my impressions of the 
shows of the southern section of the National Auricula Society that 
I am conceited enough to think that there are some few growers 
of this charming flower who would like to know what I think 
of their last Exhibition on the 24th ult. There are always 
variations of opinion even on what seem to be plain facts, and 
therefore I am quite prepared to find that some may not agree 
with mine. This I have generally found to be the case, and so 
shall not attempt to defend myself from any criticism that may be 
passed on these observations. 
With regard to the extent of the Exhibition it strikes me that 
it was one of the largest held for many years, and that in one 
respect that was especially noticeable—namely, that it was in 
reality as well as in name a southern Exhibition. There have been 
shows when they have been pretty well out of it, and the 
northerners have swept nearly everything away, but at this Show 
the southerners came out in strong force, especially the Reading 
contingent. Some time ago when I had seen Mr. Henwood’s 
collection, I told him the day would come when he would take the 
foremost place, and this has come sooner than he at any rate 
expected, for in a strong competition he, without the slightest 
hesitation, was placed first ; but not only so, others of the Reading 
group of growers were well to the front in the prize list—a 
pleasing contrast to the time when only a couple of growers put in 
an appearance for the south, and I had painfully to contrast the 
state of the Auricula in the south as compared with what it was 
in my younger days. The example which Mr. Henwood has set 
has been contagious, and a band of growers has sprung up in a 
town which has always been famous for its love of flowers. Mr. 
Henwood is another instance of the fact that victory does not 
always go to the large battalions. I have seen not only his collection 
but those of many of his competitors, and I do not think that it is 
one-fourth the size of some of them as far as numbers of plants 
are concerned ; but then he takes care to grow none but the best 
varieties, and he grows them in a most perfect manner. In saying 
this I am not forgetful of the northern growers in the persons of 
the Rev. F. D. Horner, Mr. Ben. Simonite, and Mr. Patterson, who 
made a great fight of it. 
I think there was very little differtof opinion as to the 
quality of the flowers, namely, that in a t nt al ptint of view they 
Jacked that smoothness and refinement which are so grrat a charm 
in the Auricula. It seemed to me that this was much more the 
case with the northern than with the southern flowers, and I 
heard from one grower that they had had hot burning sun during 
