320 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER L 
[ October IS, 1887. 
the former is scarcely considered as good as the Giant, but is a little 
earlier, hence useful. There is a grand bed of Asparagus and another 
of Seakale, a young stock of the latter being raised annually. Of 
Rhubarb, too, there is a fine piece, planted in the spring. Johnston’s 
St. Martin’s is grown for early use. and the old Victoria for later pulling. 
Horseradish, which is generally allowed to look after itself in obscure 
corners, is cultivated in an open bed, so that when a few roots are 
wanted an hour has not to be spent on a busy day in hunting for them. 
Vegetable Marrows are grown quite in the open, and Pen-y-Byd occupies 
the post of honour ; it is distinct and wonderfully prolific. The bed is 
prepared for the plants by excavating the soil to a depth of 3 feet and 
replacing a portion of it well enriched with manure. The Marrows are 
then planted and left to do the best they can ; they have been good, 
even in this dry season, and they have not been supplied with a drop 
of water. Carrots, Onions, &c., are satisfactory crops. Of the latter, 
the Giant White Tripoli is much esteemed, and a variety named 
Golden Ball promises well. Potatoes are a good crop, Magnum Bonum 
being the most largely grown. Winter Greens were abundantly repre¬ 
sented. Brussels Sprouts looked exceedingly well, and Kales are 
grown largely ; of these the Scotch is found most valuable. It must 
be added in conclusion that the bothy is not a ramshackle shed, unfit 
for a human habitation, but a well-built house in the so-called Gothic 
style of architecture, with comfortable, well-lighted rooms that afford 
almost home comforts to Mr. Young’s assistants. Possibly more may 
be heard about Abberley.—W. P. W. 
Snow in London. —The first snow of the season fell in London 
yesterday (Wednesday) morning, the roofs of buildings being covered 
from half an inch to an inch deep. 
- The Winter in Scotland.—A correspondent writes: “In 
South Perthshire frequent frosts of from 2° to 4° were followed on the 
nights of the 8th and 9th inst. by 9° and 10°. Garden display is over. 
Potatoes are completely cut down. Bedding plants, Dahlias, and Gladioli 
are destroyed for the season. Snow has frequently fallen heavily on 
Ben Nevis, and on the 9th inst. the north slopes of Ben Lomond were 
white. The first snow in the low grounds fell on the morning of the 
10th, when the frost gave way to heavy showers of sleet, and the lower 
hills had their first winter coat. The fall of the leaf is general and 
rapid, and already many trees are bare.” 
-A revised and cheaper edition of Mr.A.F. Barron’s 1 ' Vines and 
Vine Culture ” has just been issued, and can scarcely fail to meet with 
ready acceptance by many cultivators who failed to obtain the original 
edition, and even those will find fresh and interesting matter in the new 
volume. We shall refer to it again. 
-Carter’s Kino of The Russets Potato. —I see a refer¬ 
ence to this new variety, page 292, last issue, and as it is likely to find 
its way into general cultivation, I should like to ask if other growers’ 
experience differs from mine this season. It was planted in an experi. 
mental plot with thirty other varieties on the 16th Feburary last, and 
lifted last week. The soil, a fairly rich loam, with south-western aspect, 
and rather high. The “ sets ” were cut to two eyes, and planted with 
only a limited manure dressing. The persistent dry and very warm 
weather checked somewhat the growth, but not to the same extent as 
other varieties. ‘‘The growth was enormous, and the yield leaves little to 
be desired—thirty-five times the quantity planted—and this would be 
increased had the season been different. The tuber is very handsome j 
with shallow pink eyes, and the shape roundish ovate. It seems like a 
seedling from the old favourite “ Pink Eye.” It is wholly free 
from disease, and should be in request for exhibition purposes.— 
W. J. Murp hy, Clonmel. 
- Mr. Piercy of Forest Hill sends us shoots of the early Chrys¬ 
anthemums Leon Lassali and Mrs. J. R. Pitcher to show the 
superiority of these plants for outdoor decoration when disbudding is 
not practised. One growth of the last-named variety was bearing 
twenty to twenty-five good blooms of a pleasing soft pink shade fading 
to white. The backs of the florets are of a deeper pink hue, hence a 
cluster of expanded blooms and buds have a charming effect. 
■-' Metropolitan Public Gardens Association. —The Earl of 
Meath, the Chairman of this Association, has just appointed Mr. 
William Goldring, landscape gardener, Kew, to be Honorary Inspector 
of public gardens and open spaces in London. There are now a large 
number of these public gardens distributed about the metropolis, and 
their area, including those in course of construction, amounts to nearly 
seventy acres, constructed at a cost of over £15,000. 
- Many Chrysanthemum lovers and other horticulturists will 
learn with regret that Mr. Harding, gardener to J. D. Galpin, Esq. 
Bristol House, Putney Heath, died on Wednessday last, after being in 
delicate health for a considerable time. Mr. Harding won the Kingston 
challenge cup the first year it was offered— i.e., 1879, and after two 
years’ unsuccessful attempts he won it a second time in 1882, when it 
passed into the possession of his employer. Mr. Harding was well 
known as a careful gardener, and as a quiet unobtrusive man gained 
many friends. 
- The Lewisham and District Floral Society will hold 
their Chrysanthemum Show in the Lewisham Town Hall on November 
11th and 12th. The Hon. Sec. is Mr. H. Drake. 
- One of the ancient habitats in Middlesex of the Chamomile 
(Anthemis nobilis) is being destroyed. The whole of Acton Green 
was carpetted with it; but now a thick layer of soil is being spread 
over the surface in order to raise the Green and render it drier, but 
this has destroyed the covering of Chamomile. This is one of the 
habitats given in Trimen and Dyer’s Flora of Middlesex. 
- We have been furnished with another well-authenticated case 
of the Union of an Apple and a Pear Tree by Grafting, The 
example which we reported a fortnight ago at page 271 of a Pear being 
grafted on an Apple, and both producing excellent fruit, is supported 
by a statement made by Mr. W. Kerl, of Angmering, who informs us 
that the account of his friend Mr. Stevens’ success has induced him to 
make public an instance of an Apple being grafted on the Pear in his 
own garden. Mr. Kerl says, “ I have a Jargonelle Pear trained against 
a wall which persisted in producing an abundance of wood but no fruit. 
I root-pruned and otherwise treated it, but got no fruit. About eight 
years ago I cut its head off and grafted what in Herts is called a 
Worstead Stocking Apple, an old favourite. After the first year it began 
to bear well, and now has a nice head over the wall. This year I 
gathered 110 fruit. I enclose a few small ones, the larger ones having 
been eaten. This year I grafted the ten horizontal branches with good 
Pears and Apples ; ten of them have taken, and one has now five Apples 
one of which, the rosy one, I enclose.” • : 
- Mr, W. S. Manning, of the Vegetarian Society, 62, Ludgate 
Hill, sends the following Appeal to Fruit Growers :—“ We are 
holding weekly meetings in the largest halls around London during the 
next six months with a view to increase the demand for fruit as foods 
To enable the public to see the need of thinking out and testing the 
question of a fruit and grain diet, we distribute at all these meeting, 
samples of wholemeal bread of attractive make and rolls, also Apples 
and Pears, with a view to increase the popular interest in home-grown 
hardy fruits of the best dessert qualities. We therefore venture to in¬ 
vite your readers to inform us if they can se'nd any samples of their 
surplus fruit either for distribution or for exhibition. The meetings 
held in North London during the past month have been on each occa¬ 
sion thronged by intelligent audiences, and the greatest interest has been 
shown in the question. If ever the people can be got to realise all the 
benefits to be enjoyed from really good fruit they will study to know 
our own Apples and Pears, and will be eager to become connoisseurs of 
the best sorts, and this must tend very largely to increase the demand 
for such fruits. In fact the consumption might be easily doubled of all 
our home-grown fruits every year for some time to come if the needful 
supply could be only put on the market of the most attractive and 
popular sorts.” Farther particulars can be had from the address given 
above. 
- Violet Culture. —Mr. J. Roberts writes :—“Yourfavourable 
comments upon the Violet blooms I sent you, induce me to write a 
word as to their cultivation as practised here. We only grow three 
varieties, Marie Louise, Comte de Brazzi, and Qdoratissima (paragons in 
Violets). These are grown in immense quantities to meet our demands, 
the latter being grown outdoors mainly for their foliage for bunching, 
leaves being scant on really good flowering plants of the other hues* 
