518 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June 28, 1894. 
- Shirley and District Gardeners’ and Amateurs’ 
Association. —The monthly meeting of this Society wag held at the 
Parish Room, Shirley, on the 19th inst., the President, Mr. W. F. Spranger, 
presiding over a good attendance of the members. A most instructive 
lecture on “The Composition of Artificial Manures, and the Limits to 
their Economical Use in the Garden,’’ was given by W. Frank Perkins, 
Esq., who explained the temporary exhaustion of the soil, and 
consequent necessity for manuring ; farmyard manure answering all 
the requirements of the gardener when obtainable. Chemical manures 
Mr. Perkins divided under three heads—nitrogenous, potassic, and 
phosphatic ; and exhibited a large number of samples in commerce 
under each head. The lecturer having replied to a number of questions 
put to him, W. H. Rogers, Esq., J.P., proposed a hearty vote of thanks 
to Mr. Perkins for his excellent and interesting lecture. A display of 
cut Roses and other flowers was made by Messrs. W. Perkins, T. M. Lord, 
A. Barlow, J. H. Allden, Col. W. S. Sinkins, Miss Todd, and Mr. 
B. Ladhams, F.R.H.S, 
-Royal Botanic Society’s Floral Fete.—O wing to the wet 
w'eather which prevailed on Wednesday in last week, the Floral Fete 
and Children’s Parade was held in the large tent in the Royal Botanic 
Society’s Gardens. As usual there were ponies, mail carts, and Sedan 
chairs embellished with flowers, and prizes were awarded for the best 
of the designs. Groups of plants and collections of cut flowers were 
arranged by various nurserymen, to whom medals and certificates were 
adjudged for their respective exhibits, Messrs. Barr & Sons had hardy 
flowers in variety, as did Messrs. J. Cheal k Sons. Roses were splendidly 
shown by Messrs. F. Cant, Paul & Son, W. Rumsey, and G. Mount, 
while Messrs. Keynes, Williams k Co. sent boxes of hybrid Sweet 
Briars. Messrs. Dobbie k Co., Rothesay, contributed a large collection 
of Pansies and Violas, and Messrs. Kelway k Sons some hardy flowers, 
including Delphiniums and Gaillardias. Orchids were shown in excel¬ 
lent condition by Messrs. Hugh Low k Co., and Mr. J. R. Chard had 
table decorations of various styles. Mr. W, James arranged a group 
of foliage plants, as did Mr. R. Scott, gardener to Miss Foster, Regent’s 
Park. Mr. D. Robins, Aylesbury, contributed a collection of cut 
Roses. 
- Pinks. —I am writing this before Tuesday’s Pink Show at the 
Drill Hall, but I am anticipating a most varied and beautiful display. 
I have been looking over some good Pink collections, and have been 
delighted to see what variety of colour is now being got into these 
hardy border flowers. Another excellent feature is that there is great 
variation in period of opening, some being almost over, having flowered 
so early ; others are, and these constitute the bulk, at their very best, 
whilst some others are so late that not a bloom* is yet expanded. Thus 
we have, even of the ordinary forms, blooms extending over some two 
months. That some Pinks, Ernest Ladhams for instance, will produce 
abundant bloom for fully three months, we had evidence last year. I 
hope in time we shall see more smooth-edged border varieties, for at 
present so many have laciniated edges. The great thing to rejoice over, 
however, is that Pinks are so admirably progressing. 
- Digging Competitions. —I read with much amusement your 
report of the Widcombe digging competitions on page 496. All the 
same these are excellent in their way provided they are conducted on 
right lines. I think it would be better to fix a defined time for the 
competition rather than a given area of ground, as in such case it is 
probable that good deep work would be more encouraged than seems 
to have been the case in this instance. Lightning calculators may be 
all very well, but we do not want lightning diggers. I would sooner 
have six or eight rods of ground evenly and deeply dug throughout 
than ten or twelve badly. I once promoted a competition of that kind 
at Egham for boys, but do not know whether it was continued. I did 
not see the work performed, but judged by appearance and testing 
depth. Scamped digging, which always means shallow working, should 
never be encouraged.—A. D. 
“BRUNISSURE” (BROWNING) DISEASE IN YINES. 
Until recently this disease was confined to the young growing 
shoots of Vines in pots, and generally attacked the extremity growths 
towards the end of the summer, which was not of material consequence, 
as these were, along with laterals and sub-laterals, about that time cut 
away in order to ripen the wocd and induce rest. It, however, is a 
serious plague on young Vines that have not completed their growth by 
August, as it cripples all growth and prevents the further ripening of 
the wood in the affected part, the Vines being much weakened in 
consequence. 
Mr. Barron alludes to this disease in “ Vines and Vine Culture ’’ 
(page 101) as “ a certain strange affection of the shoots and foliage, 
which, in lack of an authorised name, Mr. Blackmore of Teddington, 
who has directed our attention to this malady, suggests may be termed 
diptheritis or lorification, for the parts attacked assume ere long the 
consistency of leather, and finally that of wire almost. The first 
symptom is a contraction of the margin of the half-grown foliage till 
fig. 84.— vine growth affected with “ BROWNING.’’ 
the leaf becomes like a cup inverted, then the stem loses its crisp clear 
substance, goes dull, and is channelled with lines of shrinkage. The 
tips of the shoots become flat and flaccid, all the gloss is lost and the 
vigour gone, and the disease descends from leaf to leaf until the whole 
tissue is hardened and the young wood becomes of a dirty black tint. 
The growth of the season is stopped, and the main stem, instead of 
gaining in bulk, is lessened. 
“ Young Vines alone, so far as our knowledge goes, are affected by 
this disorder, but they seem to take it alike, whether grown in pots or 
planted in their places. The roots appear to be perfectly healthy, the 
growth is robust and vigorous, the house has been managed as usual, 
there are no cold draughts or sudden changes, defects or excess of 
temperature, but suddenly this disease appears, and Vine after Vine is 
afflicted. 
“ This malady is contagious, or at any rate, epidemic ; the symptoms 
seem to be distinct from all the recognised forms of mildew, and cannot 
be checked by the use of sulphur, yet further investigation may prove 
that it is of fungoid origin.’’ 
Thus Mr. Barron accurately diagnoses the disease, but since the 
foregoing extract was written the plague has not contented itself with 
attacking young Vines. My first acquaintance with it was on Vines 
grown in pots from eyes and too late in the season to be of any use, 
except as “cut-backs.” It did not attack the forward Vines in pots, 
which were layered on Mr. Miller’s plan, and described some years ago 
in the Journal of Horticulture. But the “browning” appeared on all 
the young shoots of some twenty Vines in a house about 30 yards away, 
being restricted to the laterals and sublaterals, and the only treatment 
adopted was that advised by Mr. Barron, namely, “ cut below the parts 
affected, remove the tainted growth from the houses, and stimulate the 
Vines, if they have strength left to form healthier foliage.” As the parts 
affected were of no consequence and the browning did not interfere 
in the slightest with the firm wood and principal leaves, no further 
notice was taken of the Vines. Besides, the Grapes were ripe, and the 
“browning” had no injurious effect on them; indeed, the malady did 
not reappear the following year on the Vines, but it appeared in some 
Tomatoes which were grown in the same house as the Vines in pots 
were the previous year, and the leaves became smaller by degrees. 
