J “ly 21, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
sprmg t e fine healthy appearance and large flower heads proved beyond 
c ou t its capability to stand the rigour of even our most severe winters. 
As a pot plant it does admirably. Our compost is good stiff loam, leaf 
S< ”, and plenty of sand, the tiny seedlings being placed between small 
pieces of sandstone, which retains sufficient moisture near the roots for 
their requirements. There can be little doubt when this plant becomes 
etter known it will take a place equal to P. rosea. Our plants are 
small as yet, only a year old, but what we have already seen speaks well 
for its future. The drawing was taken from plants that flowered at the 
Royal Gardens, Kew, this spring.—M. S. 
[The Rev. H. H. D’Ombrain has also favoured us with flowers of this 
charming little Primula, and he speaks very favourably of it.] 
WINTER GREENS. 
nl a .nt J fh P n ^l Veg f :a i le if are in all gardens. Cultivators who 
S'V he gard f n fro ' T1 beginning to end during one of the spring months. 
sk>no h fTfnT/ 11 * results wlth out further exertion, may now be in possesi 
thp f 11 pply ve get a hles. As soon as the summer ceases and 
C °T S - ° n theSe gl ' owcrs fi nd their garden entirely destitute of 
he b fm^!l % and ri m m / ny xt S . 6S tbere is none worth speaking about to 
be found m gardens from November until the following May. This is a 
state of matters I can remember seeing in gardens twenty-five years ago, 
and disereddabie as it was then, it is still more so now, as teaching on 
gardening is more common than it ever has been. That empty gardens 
' f ' C ‘ l ; 'f n / ly ® ee . n , 111 wlrder and spring no one can deny, and although 
deLfent In [his wfy! Se ^ many lMge ° nCS are also ™y 
1S wb< ? lly the result of neglect and the want of thought. I know 
tiio V ° f sm . a11 » arden owners near here who ten years ago were under 
emr,t^?[ eSS -°t ^ 1 * Was ? mte the correct thing to have" their gardens 
t6r R° W bave tbem as ful1 at that season as they are 
at midsummer, and they wonder that they had not always been so. 
so^n^tw 68 Se - fc i them the exam P le > and on ce begun, the results were 
f at +v,°- mdaC f ment Was necessary to make them give as much 
attention to their wmter crops as their summer ones. 
to nutTi^ thS time ° f planGng to slip by, or not taking the trouble 
Kimnl• + rs 1D ’ ar ®. faults w hicli invariably lead to insufficient 
CT?it [f; t Hip mte r and ^ * nofc until vegetables are wanted that the 
^ 6 “ dl , scover c d » f or Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Savoys, Kale, 
month’« & a« p re valaabIe m January, February, March, and other 
TWp h - P •’ KlC ney -Peans, and such like are at the present time. 
W t,p 1° US f m an y°ne being ad yised or advising themselves that they 
t0 P lant inter Greens in their gardens in summer, or s'o 
evefv L^vIp^T-i 1115 Se xi S ° n last , s ’ as yaca ncies are being made in almost 
Pm C a g ,ffiflp dally< i 5, ow and by August man Y of the early Potato, 
Pea Cauliflower, and other quarters will be cleared, and it is by planting 
of Wi^tpIT Wy fl '° m July , unt T il the end °f August that a goal supply 
of Winter Greens is insured. I know some growers who have onlv a 
^n afth^VIf P I aDt i WintCr GreenS betwcen their Potato rows so 
flom ® te , ms beg ’] 1 to dle > and as they raise their own plants 
from seed in httlebeils dose by they are constantly filling the vacant 
spaces, no matter how small they may be, and the result is that there is 
lInLtp 7 ti! the , W10le year but som e vegetable is forthcoming from the 
S fn ha i Ve i an ad -thc-year-round supply, and to secure this 
frcUnJ ° f UV6ry garden bolder - Some are 
thevwPW tb “ k tbat Car T Greensand hecks are too common, but if 
vpIm-Tw 1 revert to March last they may remember how valuable every 
egetable was at that time, and this may induce them to plant some of 
hardy Greens. Swedish and Yellow Turnips, and Prickly 
should also be included amongst Winter Greens, as they fill an 
important gap in the supply of winter vegetables, and the absence of 
i urmps in wmter is more felt than man y think at the present time.— 
CERTIFICATED PLANTS. 
Attention was directed some time ago to an alleged circumstance 
of a number of members of the Floral Committee of the Royal ITorti- 
luopom 1 r° Cle l y re ! rainlI] g from v° tin g eit her for or against plants 
p aced before them for certificates, and no account being taken of these 
abstentions in making the awards. It was pointed out that under that 
extraordmary system plants might be honoured with certificates for 
which the great majority of the Committee refused to vote, the honour f?) 
emg granted by a minority. If I am correctly informed that has been 
the case somewhat recently, for it is stated that not many weeks ago a 
plant was certificated on the votes of two members of the Committee, one 
voting against it and the majority abstaining. It is difficult to believe in 
the accuracy of that allegation, but it is so freely mentioned bv persons 
w ho cannot be ignored that publicity is given to the rumourin order that 
it may oe contradicted if not well founded. If it be true, and a practice 
so utterly loose is officially sanctioned, the public will soon cease to 
attach any value to the decisions of the Committees, and the Society must 
inevitably suffer. Here, if there is no mistake in the matter, is a 
plant franked with the highest mark of merit that can be bestowed—the 
first-class certificate of the Royal Horticultural Society of England— 
that was not considered good enough for an award by an overwhelming 
majority of the Floral Committee, and yet this negatively condemned 
plant goes to the world as of equal merit with another that may have 
been accorded an unanimous mark of approval. If this is not deceiving 
Public as to the real value of a plant (for which a higher price 
will be charged in virtue of the honour (?) accorded), it would be 
interesting to know what is. All abstentions should be regarded as 
negative votes counting against a plant, or certificating will become a 
solemn farce.—A nti-Humbug. 
Rose Show Reports. —We desire to express our obligation, to all 
who have assisted in the preparation of the complete reports of Rose 
shows that have been furnished to us. We have had pleasure in afford¬ 
ing space for them, though the publication of some practical and 
interesting articles has been in consequence postponed. 
- Thunder Showers visited the metropolitan district last 
Friday and Saturday, the weight of rain falling varying considerably 
in different localities. It was the first g 00 d ra j n ” tha,t had fallen 
for six weeks, and was of the greatest possible benefit to vegetation. 
The air has also been cooler and more pleasant since the showers. 
- Show at the People’s Palace, London.—W e learn that a 
large flower show will be opened by H.R.I.H. the Crown Princess 
of Germany at the People Palace, Mile End, on Monday, 25th inst., and 
will continue open until July 26th. Many leading London nurserymen 
will make extensive displays of plants and flowers. It is under the 
management of Mr. William Earley. 
- On Tuesday next, July 26th, the National Carnation and 
Picotee Society will hold their annual Show in the Conservatory, 
South Kensington, on which day the usual Scientific, Fruit, and Floral 
Committees will be held. The price of admission to the public will, 
we are informed, be 2 s. 6 d. 
- Van Houtte Memorial Prizes.—W e are informed that the 
Committee of the English subscribers have deteimined to offer two 
prizes of the value of £10 each, to be competed for at the next quin¬ 
quennial International Exhibition to be held in April, 1888, at Ghent, 
under the auspices of the “ Society Royale d’Agriculture et de Botanique,” 
one prize for the best new varieties of Azalea indica obtained since 
1880, and one prize for che best collection of hardy trees and shrubs. 
The Conseil d’Administration of the Society have intimated their ac¬ 
ceptance of these prizes. 
- On the occasion of the Queen’s Visit to Hatfield on the 13th 
hist, the daughter of the Marquis of Salisbury’s head gardener, Mr. 
Norman, had the honour of presenting Her Majesty with a bouquet of 
Orchids. 
- At the Royal Horticultural Society’s meeting, South 
Kensington, last week Messrs. J. Laing «fc Co., Forest Hill, received first- 
class certificates for the two following Tuberous Begonias, in addition 
to those noted in our report:—Claribel, bright rose, white centre ; 
Rosea compacta, very dwarf, free flowering, single. Both were hand¬ 
some varieties, the total number of varieties from the same firm certi¬ 
ficated on that occasion being nine. 
- The Rose Show at the Alexandra Palace last Thurs¬ 
day, Friday, and Saturday was far from being as satisfactory as some ex¬ 
hibitions held there in past years. Some had anticipated an extensive 
Show, but their hopes were not realised, partly perhaps owing to the 
season, and partly to some defects in the management. The principal 
exhibitors were Messrs. Paul k Son, C. Turner, W. Rumsey, G. k W. H. 
Burch, J. Burrell & Co., H. Low k Co., G. W. Piper, E. B. Lindsell, Rev. 
Alan Cheales, and J. Bateman. Messrs. Wood & Sons’ Jubilee medal 
for the best single bloom in the Show was awarded to Mr. G. W. Piper 
for a good example of Her Majesty. Mr. T. S. Ware, Tottenham, had a 
large and beautiful group of hardy flowers ; and Messrs. W. Paul & Son, 
Waltham Cross, contributed an extensive collection of cut Roses. 
- Mr. Henry Marriott sends us from Skirbeck a pod of 
Webb’s Wordsley Wonder Pea, containing twelve full-sized seeds, 
