August 2, 183S. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
91 
have not occurred. Pear blossom was very plentiful, and Pears are 
rather a good crop, but Apples did not bloom profusely, and the 
crop is much below the average, indeed, I fear it is the worst of all 
the fruit crops. Strawberries were promising at one time, but 
daily rains caused many of the fruits to decapbefore they could be 
gathered, and not a few decayed without ripening. Our crop was 
heavier than in the dry summer of last year, but it was far from 
good. Raspberries have been abundant, but very watery and 
flavourless. Red and White Currants are below their usual size, so 
are Black Currants, and all are deficient in quality. Many of the 
leaves are falling off the Red and White Currant bushes, and life is 
stagnant in all of them. Apricots are quite green and small as 
yet. Plums are not half grown, and Peaches in the open are 
not stoned. Last year I gathered Hale’s Early on the last day of 
July, this year they will not be ripe by the 1st of September. 
The Alexander Peach was planted under the recommendation that 
it was so much earlier than Hale’s, but at the present time it does 
not show this character. I am of opinion that a fine June and 
July are the months above all others from which good fruit of all 
kinds may be expected, and when these are ungenial a fine August 
■or September fails to compensate for them, as the nights soon 
begin to cool, and the trees and bushes never regain full vitality. 
I have already put 1888 down as a failure as a fruit year, and I 
have no expectations of anything occurring to alter this. The worst 
■of it is beginners in fruit culture are apt to be daunted by poor 
results, but I do not go so far as that ; and when we have three or 
four good fruit years in succession, as we have had many times, 
we can overlook a failure or partial failure without much 
•grumbling.—J. Muir. 
THE POTENTILLA. 
Tins showy hardy perennial is very useful for cutting from 
■during the months of May, June, July, and August. It may be 
readily increased by transplanting or potting divisions of the roots 
-or side shoots in the spring just as growth has commenced. The 
plant is not particular as to the situation or soil it is planted in, but 
the more favourable the conditions under which it is growing the 
better will be the results secured when the plants are in flower. 
A position fully exposed to the sun and a rich loam to grow in are 
conditions calculated to produce the best possible results. The 
plant may also be propagated in August from seed sown in shallow 
boxes filled with light soil, covering the same lightly, giving water 
through a fine rose, and placing in a close frame. When the seeds 
have germinated, prick the young plants out a few inches apart in 
Boxes or a warm border when large enough to handle, preparatory 
to being finally transplanted into their flowering positions before 
they touch the boxes and nursery beds.—W. H. 
VEGETABLES FOR EXHIBITION. 
SETTING- UP COLLECTIONS. 
At the commencement of my exhibiting career vegetables, 
although largely shown, were the least attractive feature at the 
majority of shows ; in fact they were not considered worthy of a very 
prominent position. Now-a-days, instead of being either outside the 
tent or underneath the side staging they receive much better treat¬ 
ment, and are by no means unattractive to the visitors. Much of 
this improvement is due to the superior manner in which they are 
staged, and there is no reason why they should not always hold an 
honourable position. Mr. G. T. Miles, Wycombe Abbey, was one of 
the first to take extra pains in displaying collections of vegetables 
to the best effect, and while he continued to compete no other 
exhibitor excelled him in this respect. The mere fact of the 
vegetables being set up to the best advantage will not alone insure 
their taking the first prize, bnt if they are of equal quality to the 
rest of the competing collections, superior arrangement turns the 
scale in their favour. 
Where a staging is provided for the vegetables, these are usually 
either set up in dishes or are grouped on the boards, and in either 
case are more attractive than when shown in baskets. The exhibitor 
should provide himself with plenty of clean fresh moss and good 
Parsley, the former serving as a bed on which to raise and display 
the vegetables, while the Parsley should be neatly arranged so as to 
form a fringe, more of it being worked in wherever there are any 
openings for it among the various specimens. It is unwise to 
smother the vegetables with Parsley, this detracting from their 
size, and care should be taken not to use more than will suffice to 
set off the former to the best advantage. Do not attempt any 
extraordinary mixture or any fanciful arrangement, but let each 
dish or variety be kept well together. Scattered they are not nearly 
so effective, and their defects are only too plainly visible to the 
judges and onlookers generally. How they should be grouped 
ought to be decided before the exhibition tent is reached, and all 
can then be put up quickly and exactly where they are to remain. 
There need be no flurry, and no arranging and re-arranging of the 
collection, and those who cannot, or do not, avoid this, run the risk 
of being turned out of the tent before they have set up the 
collection to their own satisfaction, let alone to that of the judges. 
Groups or dishes of Cauliflowers, Globe Artichokes, Onions, and 
Turnips are suitable for the back row ; in front of these, and 
arranged so as to form a good contrast of colour, being Potatoes, 
Tomatoes, Carrots, Mushrooms, and Beet ; while Peas, Beans, 
Cucumbers, Vegetable Marrows, and Celery are usually seen to the 
best advantage in front, all being arranged so as to form a good 
slope to the pathway. If the dishes are arranged just clear of each 
other fill in the spaces between either with good Parsley or rich 
green moss, this giving a finishing touch to the exhibit. Cover all 
with paper till such times as the tents are cleared for the judging, 
and on no account omit attaching both the names of the varieties 
and the class cards. The last proceeding of experienced exhibitors 
is to go round and see that the latter are all put on properly, many 
assistants, and even the responsible exhibitors, frequently contriving 
to muddle up the class cards (which only good-tempered or not 
over-worked judges will put right), disqualification being the 
consequence. 
At many shows the prizes are offered for collections of vegetables 
in baskets, these dispensing with the necessity for putting up extra 
staging. This system of showing has its advantages, notably in the 
case of local exhibitors, who can arrange their baskets over-night, 
or, at any rate, before they leave the garden in the morning ; but I 
much prefer to see vegetables set up on a staging as just described, 
and baskets or trays are a great nuisance to those who come from a 
distance. However, a basket of vegetables may be made attractive 
in appearance, and with a little ingenuity every variety may be 
shown off to the best advantage, though not if all are sunk into a 
basket several sizes too large. Nor should any kaleidoscope arrange¬ 
ment be attempted. Many exhibitors seem to think the right thing 
is to quarter out or divide their basket either with Cucumbers, 
Celery, and Potatoes, while others go in for circular combinations. 
Such baskets are confusing to the judges, who have a difficulty in 
finding the much-divided varieties, and the system, as before-pointed 
out, is the surest method of showing up the defects of individual 
specimens. Flat baskets, such as plants are sent out in by nursery 
men, are the most suitable for the purpose, one about 3 feet in 
diameter usually being large enough for a collection of eight 
varieties of vegetables. These should be firmly filled with hay, 
this being faced over with green moss or Parsley. Each variety to 
be kept in a separate heap, the most showy, or, say, a good dish of 
Tomatoes or a bunch of Nantes Horn Carrots points upwards, 
being fixed in the centre, the Cauliflowers, Artichokes, and larger 
kinds disposed at the back, and the rest gradually brought round to 
the front. The weight of the vegetables will depress the hay suffi¬ 
ciently to admit of their resting safely without being actually below 
the rim of the basket, and with the aid of Parsley among the kinds 
and over the sides they will look really attractive. As these 
baskets are usually set on the turf, they ought to be slightly raised 
in front, and be blocked up, with the aid of inverted flower pots, 
much higher at the back. Always aim to produce a good first 
impression, as it is not lost upon judges, however keen they maybe 
in ferreting out defects. 
Much that has been written upon the arrangement ofivegetables 
in baskets is also applicable to somewhat similar exhibits in trays, 
only in this case there is no necessity for using any hay, plenty of 
moss and Parsley being, however, indispensable.— Exhibitor. 
MELONS CANKERING. 
Dull sunless weather is altogether unfavourable to Melon 
culture, especially in unheated pits and frames, and we have had 
little else but this for many weeks past. Where plenty of fire heat 
has been turned on the Melon houses and pits the plants have suc¬ 
ceeded surprisingly well, failures being no more frequent than in 
favourable seasons. They, however, need much closer attention in 
dull weather, care being taken not to saturate the soil in which 
they are rooting, a wet and cold heap of loam and old hotbed 
manure underneath invariably leading to a failure. In addition to 
watering carefully and the maintenance of a drier atmosphere than 
is advisable in dry hot weather, a close look up must be kept for 
any decay of leafstalks or canker in the stem. The oldest leaves, 
or those on the main stem of plants trained to roof trellises, are the 
first to go, principally owing to their being unduly shaded. If 
these are allowed to die slowly the stalks often become suddenly 
decayed, and in a few hours this spreads to the main stem, the 
whole plant soon becoming affected beyond recovery. The safest 
course to pursue is to anticipate this decay of the leafstalks. If 
