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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 1, 18S7. 
Rain in London. —Rain fell heavily in the metropolitan district for 
several hours on Tuesday night, and will be of incalculable benefit in 
parks, gardens, and fields. 
- We shall be glad if any reader who may happen to possess 
a spare copy of the “ Gardener's Year Book for 1879 ” will for¬ 
ward it to us or to Mr. W. Watson, Royal Gardens, Kew, it being re¬ 
quired to complete the set in the Herbarium library there. Stamps 
will be sent for a copy of the work on its arrival. 
- The Crystal Palace. —The National Dahlia Show, together 
with the exhibition of fruit, that will be held at the Crystal Palace on 
Friday and Saturday in this week, will together form a display of con¬ 
siderable magnitude ; and the occasion will be opportune for gardeners 
and all who are interested visiting the famous building and attractive 
grounds. The last of the outdoor fetes and beautiful illuminations, 
which have attracted upwards of 800,000 spectators, will be held on 
Saturday evening. 
- We are informed that there is a very fine display of Begonias 
in Mr. Robert Owen’s Floral Nursery, Maidenhead, at the present time 
well worthy of inspection. 
- We are asked by Messrs. Wm. Wood & Son, Wood Green, 
to announce to intending competitors for the silver cups offered by 
them at the Crystal Palace and South Kensington Shows in October 
for Potatoes and vegetables, that they will undertake to stage exhibits 
for competitors at a distance who are unable to attend, if communicated 
with at an early date. 
- “ A Somersetshire Fruit-grower ” writes:—“ I have long 
been an admirer of the Duchess of Oldenburg Apple, and am 
therefore agreeably surprised at the way in which it withstands a severe 
drought. Comparatively young trees invariably bear well ; at any 
rate they have not failed to do so for several years past, and this season 
the crop is quite as good as usual. Rather fewer fruit were borne on 
the trees, but these, strange to relate, are considerably larger than usual, 
and beautifully streaked with red. Although not really a good dessert 
sort, the fruits are of a most tempting appearance and sell well. Though 
naturally light in weight, some of the best fruits weighed 7 ozs. each. 
All had to be gathered last week, or the blackbirds would have spoilt 
them. This Apple should be cultivated by both market growers and the 
owners of small gardens.” 
- The Wilson junior Blackberry. —Mr. J. Windsor sends 
us from Glangwna, Carnarvon, an excellent dish of this variety, of 
which he speaks with approval. The fruit is good, but not larger than 
that of the Parsley-leaved Bramble as grown by Mr. Woodcock near 
Sheffield and Mr. Carter at Keighley. 
- “ G. W. C.” writes — “ There is a grand display of annuals 
just now in the garden of G. Gibbs, Esq., at Anglesey House, Carshalton- 
Phlox Drummondi range in colour from the brightest crimson to 
snowy whiteness; Asters and Stocks are magnificent both in colour 
and size ; Zinnias are also very good. Of Petunias I have never seen 
a better lot; the strain (Carter’s Emperor) is superb, some are planted 
in beds, while others are isolated on a rockwork border; they spread 
over the stones and are a mass of bloom, several of the plants measuring 
2 feet in diameter. I enclose a few blooms for your inspection. The 
one with a green edge is very attractive, the plants of this being sturdy 
and free-flowering. Although the annuals are so good other things have 
not been neglected, the houses and kitchen garden bearing evidence of 
the good management of Mr. T. L. Cummins, the gardener.” The 
Petunias received are very fine indeed. 
- A Dry-Season Strawberry. —A Kentish gardener mentions 
the fact that Strawberry Eleanor or Oxonian, as it is also named, has 
done remarkably well this season. A very fine crop of fruit was per¬ 
fected on the plants growing alongside a path in the kitchen garden 
adjoining Hawkhurst Rectory ; no other sort succeeding so well under 
similar treatment. The plants only received one good soaking of water,, 
but being comparatively young and rooting in good ground, they pro¬ 
duced exceptionally heavy fruit. Mr. Iggulden generally secures fine 
crops of this variety, but in dull or showery seasons the quality is not 
nearly so good as during a hot summer. Tt is one of the latest in ripening,, 
and ought to be included in most collections. 
- Begonias for Bouquets. —At the Taunton and Weston- 
super-Mare Horticultural Exhibitions Mr. B. R. Davis had a fine display 
of cut blooms of Tuberous Begonias, as well as a considerable number 
of buttonhole and hand bouquets composed exclusively of Begonia 
blooms and Maidenhair Fern. Being both novel and striking this 
naturally attracted much attention from the numerous visitors to the 
Shows, and in all probability will lead to the more general employment 
of Begonias in a cut state. Quite a charming bouquet can be formed 
with them, and seeing how many and beautiful are the shades of colour 
available, it ought to be possible to please the majority of tastes. They 
may not be quite so serviceable as many flowers now similarly employed,, 
but if properly wired they last even better than we anticipated, and are 
certainly more “ taking ” than Zonal Pelargoniums. 
- Strawberry Runners for Forcing. —Mr. A. Young writes r 
—“ It has been rather difficult this season to get early runners for 
forcing, as pointed out by Mr. R. Inglis at page 133. I have practised 
his mode of procuring them there described, but it has this disadvantage,, 
it causes the crowns to split, and for this reason I prefer the current 
season’s runners, even if a little later.” 
- Gardening Appointment. —We are desired to state that Mr. 
G. Hilton is the gardener at Smithhill’s Hall. Bolton-le-Moors, and not 
Mr. G. Wilson, as was announced in this Journal. It is very desirable- 
that the names of persons be plainly written, then mistakes of the- 
nature indicated would not occur. Names of plants, if not clearly- 
rendered, can usually be recognised, but not the names of individuals. 
- Tobacco Growing in Lincolnshire. —Mr. John Graves of 
Skirbeck, Boston, Lincolnshire, has grown one acre of Tobacco this year, 
and, being a novelty in the district, it has been visited by large numbers 
of people. The field was planted from the 10th to the 15th June. Con¬ 
sidering that it had only one good rain it made very rapid growth, and' 
was 4 feet high when topped on the 1st of August. Gathering for 
curing began on the 15th inst. Competent foreign Tobacco growers who 
have seen it state that it is a magnificent crop of Tobacco. 
- Mr. W. K. Woodcock, writing from Oakbrook, Sheffield, on 
the colouring IN shrubs, observes :—“ Shrubs having golden variega¬ 
tion are extremely bright this season, especially the Golden Yews, Irish, 
and English, Golden Hollies, Golden Elder, Retinosporas, &c. We have 
here probably the four finest trees in existence of the Golden Irish Yew 
(Taxus fastigiata aurea variegata), planted by their Royal Highnesses the- 
Prince and Princess of Wales in 1875, and these specimens have been 
since June much brighter in colour than we have before seen them, and 
extremely beautiful. The growths they have made this season are also 
satisfactory, more so than in any previous season. The Golden English 
Yew (Taxus aurea) is also very bright in its colouring, and has made 
exceptionally strong growths. Our hardy shrubs are mostly planted in 
good soil with a more or less stiff clay subsoil, arid with the exception of 
Rhododendrons, which are suffering much from the drought, have inearly 
all made very strong and satisfactory growths.” 
- Referring to a Hedge of Golden Yews our correspondent 
continues—“It deserves to be more generally known than I believe it 
is that the Golden English Yew referred to above is a singularly effec¬ 
tive shrub for the formation of hedges in ornamental gardens. In June- 
last, being on a short visit to some friends of the craft in Blackburn, we 
were much impressed by the grand effect produced by a hedge we 
saw in the beautiful gardens of Mr. Tatershall, Quarry Bank, Black¬ 
burn. The gardens, full to overflowing as they are with good things, 
and splendidly managed, deserve more than a passing notice; but for the 
present we can only allude to this very beautiful hedge, which, as near 
as we can recollect, is about 20 yards long, 4 to 5 feet high, and 3 feet 
through. It has a low rounded convex head with straight sides, kept 
