August 4, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
99 
plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables being well represented from gardeners, 
amateurs, and cottagers. The exhibits were well arranged, and the Society 
is fortunate in having such an enthusiastic and energetio Secretary as Mr. 
Ratchelous. 
Messrs. Wood it Ingram, Huntingdon, contributed a collection of Car¬ 
nation and Picotee blooms remarkably fine and fresh, representing some 
select varieties, including s veral very meritorious novelties of their own 
raising, St. Gatien, a light rose-flake Carnation, and Candlemas, a pink and 
purple bizarre, being very notable. 
In the plant classes Mr. W. G. Redman, gardener to J. H. Goodgames, 
Esq., was tbe principal exhibitor, and carried off the chief prizes in most 
of the classes. He had some excellent plants, but his six specimen 
Fuchsias were especially handsome, fine conical plants, G feet high and 
3 or 4 in diameter, loaded with flowers. The same exhibitor bad the best 
six stove and greenhouse plants, well grown plants of Anthurium Schertze- 
rianum, Ixora javanica, Bougainvillea glabra, Cl<-rodendron fallax, and 
Stephanotis floribunda. For a single specimen Mr. Redman was first with 
Bougainvillea glabra in very fine condition, and the Doke of Newcast’e 
(gardener, Mr. T. Colbourn), second with Oncidium crispum. Bateman 
Brown, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Tilbrook), won first honours for four stove and 
greenhouse Ferns with excellent specimens of Adiantum concinnum latum, 
extremely fine : A. Williamsi, A. farleyense, and A. Collisi. Mr. Redman 
following with Platvcerium alcicorne, Adiantum farleyense, A. gracillimum, 
and A. cuneatum. Mr. Redman had the best four hardy Ferns, and Mr. 
Tilbrook was second with smaller plants. The same exhibitors contributed 
in several other classes. Mr. Tilbrook was first with a single specimen 
Fern, showing a grand specimen of Platycerium alcicorne, very large and 
in wonderful health. Mr. Petfield was first with ten table plants, light, 
graceful, little specimens. 
Cut flowers were numerous, and in that department again Mr. Redman 
was a prominent exhibitor. Dahlias were capitally shown by A. J. Thorn¬ 
hill, Esq. (gardener, Mr. R. Petfield), who had some extremely fine blooms, 
for which he won the first prize. Miss Cheere, Papworth Hall (gardener, 
Mr. Smith), had twelve bunches of hardy flowers, and won the premier 
prize. E. B. Lindsell, Esq., Hitchen, had a superb stand of twenty-four 
Rose blooms, fresh and richly coloured, easily winning the premier prizes 
both for these and in the classes for twelve Teas and twelve Hybrid 
Perpetuals. 
In the fruit classes, Mr. Tilbrook was first with a collection of six 
dishes, showing two magnificent Smooth Cayenne Pine Apples, quite over¬ 
powering the other exhibitors. The Earl of Sandwich (gardener, Mr. 
Myers) was a good second, showing a Melon, Peaches, Apricots, Cherries, 
in good condition ; Captain Duncombe (gardener, Mr. Carter) being a close 
third with two fine bunches of Grapes. With one bunch of Black Ham¬ 
burgh Grapes, Mrs. Medland (gardener, Mr. Warboys) was first with a well 
coloured bunch of good size, Mr. Petfield being second. In the any other 
black variety class, Mr. J. Topham, Thorney Park, was first. In the Muscat 
of Alexandria class, Mr. Myers took the lead, followed by Mr. Redman; 
and for any other white variety, Mrs. Day was first, showing Buckland 
Sweetwater in good condition, and Mr. Warboys second with the same 
variety. Mr. Smith had the best flavoured scarlet flesh Melon, and Mr. 
Carter the best green flesh Melon. Apricots from Mr. Hardwick and Mr. 
Myers were excellent, several othersal«o showing these fruits well. Apples, 
Currants, Gooseberries, Tomatoes, and Cherries were all well represented, 
the winners of the prizes for collections of vegetables being Messrs. Redman 
and Myers. The Judges were Mr. J. Wood-Ingram and Mr. L. Castle. 
ROSE SHOW. 
WEST OF SCOTLAND (HELENSBURGH). 
After an interval of two years I had again this season the pleasure of 
again seeing the Helensburgh Show, and having a “ crack ” with many old 
friends. I found but little change ; the place where the Show was held was 
not the same,it is true, but the method of exhibiting was unaltered. The 
same familiar faces were happily to be eeen, and the same heartiness 
manifested, but at the same time I am bound to say there was no improve¬ 
ment; there was too much carelessness in many of the amateurs’ exhibits, 
wrong naming and duplicates were not uncommon, and the general style 
and character might easily be better. True it has been a most trying Rose 
season, and the later shows have felt it more than the earlier ones. It was 
late, too, as the season, turned out, for Helensburgh, for it is a mistake to 
suppose that Roses are so much later in this part of Scotland than in 
England, and hence there was altogether a falling off both in the quantity 
and quality of the flowers. Even those from the North of Ireland and 
Stranraer were not up to their usual excellence, although there were some 
good flowers amongst them. 
In the class for forty-eight blooms, distinct, Mr. Hugh Dickson, Belmont, 
Belfast, was first with Madame Charles Wood, Comtesse de Serenye, Uirich 
Brunner, Abel Grand, Marguerite de St. Amand, E'.ienne Levet, Paul 
Neyron, Marie Baumann, Merveille de Lvon, Mrs. Jowitt, Princess of 
Wales, Benoite Comte, Madame Eugene verdier, Princess Amadie de 
Broglie, Lselia, Madame Victor Verdier, Alfred Colomb, Madame Gabriel 
Luizet, Due de Rohan, Madame Marie Frnger, Star of Waltham, Heinrich 
Schultheis, Due de Marlborough, Princess Mary of Cambridge, Louis Van 
Houtte, Marechal Niel, Senateur Vaisse, Duchesse de Vallombrosa, Charles 
Lefebvre, Marquise de Castellane, Horaoe Vernet, Countess of Rosebery, 
Her Majesty, Xavier Olibo, White Baroness, Comte Raimbaud, Pride of 
Waltham, Prosper Laugier, Alphonse Soupert, Elie Morel, Madame Eugenie 
Freny, Mons. E. Y. Teas, La France, Marie Rady, and Lord Bacon. In the 
class for thirty-six varieties Messrs. A. Dickson <fc Sons of Newtonards in 
the County of Down were first with Comte Raimbaud, Madame Marie 
Verdier, Francois Courtin, Prince of Wales, William Koelle, Madame Louis 
Devigne, Brightness of Cheshunt, Lady Sheffield. Annie Wood, Her Majesty, 
May Quennell, Madame Eugene Verdier, Ulrich Brunner, Merveille de Lyon, 
Duchess of Bedford, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Ferdinand de Lesseps, 
Francois Michelon, Earl of Dufferin (a fine new Rose of Messrs. Dicksons’ 
raising), Emilie Hausberg, Comtesse de Camando, Laslia, E. Y. Teas, 
Baroness Rothschild, 8enateur Vaisse, Star of Waltham, Duke of Albany, 
Madame Marie Finger, Baron HauBmann, Madame Gabriel Luizet, Princess 
Amadie de Broglie, Madame Charles Ciapelet, Etienne Levet, Comtesse dst 
Serenye, Louis Van Houtte, and Madame Nachury. In the class for twelve 
Teas or Noisettes Mr. Thomas Smith of Stranraer was first with Mardchai 
Niel, MadameHippolyte Jamain, Madame Willermoz, Paul Neyron, Niphetos, 
Etoile de Lyon, Perle des Jardins, Madame Denis, Madame Berard, Cornelia. 
Kock, Catherine Mermet.and The Bride. 
In the class for genthmen’s gardeners, Mr. William Parlane, gardener to 
Col. Decomton, was first for thirty-six, with Merveille de Lyon, Paul 
Neyron, Marshal Niel, Sir G. Wolseley, Egeria, Alfred Colomb, Lord: 
Macaulay, Francois Michelon, Captain Christy, Camille Bernardin, 
Comtesse d’Oxford, Duke of Edinburgh, Gloire de Dijon, A. K. Williams, 
Edouard Morren, Ulrich Brunner, Madame Clemence Joigneux, Mari* 
Baumann, ComtesBe de Serenye, Abel Carriere, Perle des Jardins, Prince 
Arthur, Madame Leveque, Baroness Rothschild, Paul Jamain, Hyppolyto 
Jamain, Baron Gonella, Marguerite de St. Amand, E. Y. Teas, Madame 
Vordier, Eugene Appert, La France, Madame Victor Verdier, Marie Finger, 
and Pierre Notting. 6 * 
These were the principal classes, and the smaller ones call for no parti¬ 
cular comment. The N.R.S. silver medal for the best Hybrid Perpetual in 
the Show was taken by Mr. Hugh Dickson with Pride of Waltham, and 
there was no Tea or Noisette shown sufficiently good to merit the award. 
My visit to Helensburgh, besides the Ro e Show, afforded me an oppor- 
tunity of seeing the nursery of Mr. Alex. Campbell of Gourook. It will be 
remembered that two years ago he very much astonished the frequenters of 
the Crystal Palace and South Kensington by the magnificent groups of 
Gladiolus which he set up, especially that which he showed at the latter 
place in the second week of October. Knowing the moisture of the climate 
in which he grew them I was very anxious to see his collection, and to hear 
about his harvesting the corms, for I imagined that a place where the 
average rainfall is double what it is in Kent, and from whence a collection 
of spikes could be shown in October, would present some considerable diffiv 
cnlties to a grower. I found Mr. Campbell an intelligent and good gardener, 
and, like all good gardeners, ready to impart his knowledge to others. 
Two things particularly struck me-the small number of corms, comparatively 
speaking, which he cultivates, I do not know the exact number, but there 
were only a few beds. The second matter which surprised me was the closer 
ness of the corms ; they certainly were not more than 4 inches apart, and yet 
the plants all looked healthy and vigorous. This is very different from the 
practice of many growers (myself amongst the number), who allow 1 foot 
between the corms. Mr. Campbell, too, mulches his beds with coooa-nub 
fibre, a precaution I should hardly have thought necessary in such a climato 
as Gourock. He does find a difficulty in harvesting as I imagined he must, 
and he also experiences a considerable amount of loss. He does not believa 
eith r in the degeneration of the corms or exhaustion, but where he loses' 
them believes it to be, as do most Gladioli growers, the result of disease, 
probably occasioned by moisture. I have seen a good many Gladioli this, 
year, and I do not recollect any season when they have up to this period 
looked so well. The foliage is green and Etrong, there are very few signs of 
going-off, such as one has had to deplore, and if they continue like this, it 
will go far to prove that a hot and dry season is what they rejoice in. This 
might have generally been expected, as they come from Natal, where the 
hot summers correspond to that which we are now experiencing. It wilt be 
seen that Mr. Campbell’s method of growing differs considerably from that 
of Mr. Burrell and myself. To me the closeness at which the corms are 
planted would seem to be an erroneous practice, especially when it comes to 
the matter of shading, for it must be very difficult to get the boxes in 
between the spikes of blooms ; however, it is done, and we know with what 
success.—D., Deal. 
HARDY FRUIT GARDEN. 
MAIN Crop and Late Strawberries. —Where the plan of forming, 
fresh beds with newly rooted runners is followed these ought really to 
be now well established in 3-inch pots. Some seasons plenty of well- 
rooted plants can be lifted with a trowel from among the rows of old 
plants, but they are far from being plentiful this year, and if not already- 
done no time should be lost in layering a quantity either into small pots' 
or on turves. Select the healthiest, and which are just forming roots, as. 
any that have lost their roots or have been trampled on are useless. Use 
good loamy soil and make this firm in the pots, and which require no 
drainage. The runners may be trimmed and then fixed in position with 
a stone or peg. If kept well supplied with water they soon fill the pots 
with roots, but they should be cut away from the parent plants ancf 
bedded out before they are badly root-bound. We prefer the lifted 
plants to those layered into pots, the former frequently taking the most 
readily to their fresh quarters ; but either will do well if properly- 
planted and attended to, and should give a crop of fine fruit nextr 
season. In the meantime a breadth of ground should have been pre¬ 
pared for them. They cannot be relied upon to always bear well unless- 
they are rooting in freely manured deeply dug ground ; but if the soil is 
both rich and loose, too many leaves and not much fruit will be the- 
result. If the ground is double dug at the present time, some rough 
manure being added to the bottom and partially rotten manure mixed 
with the top spit, a little time must be allowed for settling, and in any 
case it should be heavily trampled prior to planting. We prefer to 
trench the ground during the winter. It is cropped with early Potatoes, 
which delight in deeply worked loose ground, and these leave it in excellent 
condition for the Strawberries. In any case, whether the ground is dug 
