August 9, 1888. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
123 
much appreciated—by the servants.’ As can be imagined this concluded 
our attempt at the production of these large fruits.” 
- It is with much regret that we hear of the death of 
Mb. J. J. Jones, of Abberley Hall, Stourport, which occurred at 
Carlsbad on the 5th inst. Mr. Jones took great pride in his garden 
and in the improvement of his estates. He had recently added Orchid 
houses to his glass structures, and it was his intention to have gardening 
represented in the best manner in the several departments in charge 
of his able and trusted servant, Mr. Arthur Young. Mr. Jones was a 
gentleman of wealth and taste, and animated with a desire to have 
everything he undertook well done, not withholding the requisite means 
for accomplishing the object in view. He leaves a widow but no 
family. 
- Concerning Mimulus cupbeus Prince Bismarck Mr. W. 
Dean remarks :—“ This charming variety of a very dwarf miniature 
Mimulus was received by me from Germany in the spring, and the seed 
sown in April and pricked otf in the usual way. Many of your readers 
will probably know Mimulus cupreus, a pretty bright rosy scarlet 
flower, small in size, with a dwarf habit of growth and small foliage, but 
very few know what a very lovely bedding plant it is. Mr. Hewitt, of 
Solihull, near Birmingham, who retired from the nursery business a few 
years ago, has a long border of it which stood out all last winter, and it 
has been a brilliant spot in his garden, and with fine weather will be 
again, but constant rain has served it as it has done many other things. 
Prince Bismarck is of a deeper richer colour, a superb variety, and 
amateurs may well note both as something to be looked after.” 
- “ B ” writes :—“ A new French Cabbage worth noting is 
‘ Express.’ I sowed a pinch of seed Of this variety early in March, 
and nice heads are now ready for cutting. It is of dwarf compact 
habit, and rather larger than the Nonpareil type. Another Cabbage 
coming into prominence in the north is Walker’s ‘ Imperial.’ This 
is not so well fitted for a gentleman’s table, but for market work it 
is most excellent, and for gardens where large vegetables are wanted it 
may well be worth a trial. With other novelties I had among Lettuces 
one named ; Balton de Bougival,’ a Cos variety of large size, larger than 
Hick’s, and turning in for use rather earlier. Those in want of a big 
variety should have this.” [Vilmorin’s Express Cabbage was certificated 
at Chiswick on the 11th ult.] 
- The Kew Bulletin for August is devoted to a summary of 
colonial reports in reference mainly to the cultivation of tropical fruits. 
The Colonies concerning which information is published are Jamaica, 
Bahama Islands, Barbados, St. Lucia, St. Vincent, Grenada, Tobago, 
Trinidad, and British Guiana. From twenty to forty distinct fruits are 
named for each colony, and in several cases it is stated at what time 
they ripen, the amount available for export, with approximate wholesale 
and Tetail prices. Several incidental matters of much interest are also 
included. Thus under the Bahama Islands it is mentioned that the 
Pine Apple crop amounts to six million fruits, the wholesale local prices 
being 2s. per dozen for the pick of the fields, others ranging from Is. 6d. 
to 9d. per dozen. Of the Mango over one million fruits are consumed 
locally. 
- Leeds Paxton Society.—A t the ordinary meeting of the 
above Society held at the “ Grand Restaurant,” Boar Lane, on Saturday 
July 28th, the President in the chair, and Mr. T. II. Wood in the vice 
chair, Mr. Gartery, Secretary of the Rotherham Gardeners’ Mutual 
Improvement Society, read an excellent paper on the “ General Cultiva¬ 
tion of the Rose,” in which he gave a lucid and full description of his 
system of growing this favourite flower. So thoroughly practical was 
paper that beyond a few questions being asked the lecturer (which were 
promptly answered) no further criticism was offered. On the motion of 
Mr. Frankland, seconded by Mr. Brown, and well supported by several 
of the members, who all spoke in the highest terms of the pleasure they 
had had in listening to the paper, a hearty and unanimous vote of- 
thanks was accorded to Mr. Gartery for his lecture. A good collection 
of Roses (considering the season) contributed by the lecturer and 
members, graced the table and added to the pleasure of the meeting. 
. - “ J. R, S. C.” writes, “ In reference to the query put by your 
correspondent, ‘ W. T.,’ I may remark that the history of the ‘ cuckoo- 
spit’ insects, frog-hoppers, or cercopidae, has had no new light 
thrown upon it recently. As showing the variations which occur, 1 may 
note that though he found the tribe common this year, in this locality 
there are fewer than usual. We do not yet know where the eggs are 
deposited by this group, nor indeed precisely when, but it may be 
assumed the egg-laying operation is completed in the summer, and 
probably the eggs are placed singly. The habits of the young larva or 
grub are not positively ascertained ; some think at first it is partly or 
totally buried in buds or expanding leaves before it secretes froth. 
There would be nothing unusual in a carnivorous fly, such as the slim 
empis or the more robust syrphus seizing a daddy-longlegs, as they prey 
upon larger and stronger insects. I presume he means by the phrase a 
crane fly or tipula, for this odd term is sometimes applied to other 
insects.” 
- “ J. H. W.,” in sending three Bess Pool Apples for our in¬ 
spection, remarks:—“After being gathered nine months we consider 
them good ; indeed, it is the best all-round Apple we grow, being ex¬ 
cellent both for cooking and dessert, and as‘ a rule the trees bear well 
when well established. There will be few Apples in this district 
(Leicester) this year, the trees present such a stunted appearance, and 
they have been badly attacked with caterpillar. Pears and Plums are 
moderate, Gooseberries and Currants abundant, Strawberries very scarce 
and badly flavoured owing to excessive wet.” One of the fruits re¬ 
ceived was quite firm and all good. We have had many similar gathered 
from a very large tree, but it was long before it commenced bearing. 
It is stated in the “ Fruit Manual,” on the authority of the late Mr. 
J. R. Pearson of Chilwell, that his father once sold the crop from seven 
large trees of Bess Pool for £70, yet the son considered the variety to 
be “ anything but a profitable one to plant.” Still, a large orchard 
tree in bearing is useful, and there are not many persons possessing one 
who would be inclined to cut it down, though few, we suspect, would 
plant young trees for “ profit.” 
- The prickly-headed Poppy. —The prickly-headed Poppy, 
though one of our common British Poppies, affords a marked contrast 
to the common scarlet Poppy. It is the weakest in growth, and 
ordinarily the smallest of all our Poppies. Though not unfrequently 
met with in cornfields and on waste ground, it is scarcely so common as 
the common scarlet Poppy; while it does not by any means force our 
attention to it by its brilliancy, as that species does. It is an annual. 
The foliage is scanty, the leaves much simpler in form than in the 
common species, the segments into which they are cut being few in 
number. The flowers have four petals, and these, from their great 
length in proportion to their breadth, give the flower a very decided 
cross-like form, instead of the circular form that, from the greater 
breadth of the petals, is seen in the other species of the genus. The red 
is by no means so intense as in the common scarlet Poppy, and each 
petal has ordinarily a rather large and conspicuous dark, almost black, 
spot at its base. The capsule that succeeds the flower, and contains the 
seeds, is long and cylindrical, and has its upper half studded with 
bristly hairs. The plant will generally be found in flower during the 
months of May, June, and July. The botanical name of the prickly- 
headed Poppy is Papaver Argemone. The generic name is open to a 
certain amount of uncertainty. It was first bestowed on the genus by 
Linnajus, and in many cases the motive that led to the adoption of the 
various names by the older botanists is now obscure. — ( Cassell’s 
“ Familiar Wild Flowers '’) 
RHODODENDRON CULTURE. 
(i Continued from 2 >age 102 .) 
Among the soils which are most to be avoided are those containing 
much calcareous matter ; for useful as it is to many plants, an abundance 
of it is fatal to the well-doing of Rhododendrons. It is next to hopeless 
to attempt the cultivation of the plant in chalky districts or where lime¬ 
stone prevails. I will now pass on to another kind of soil which is said 
not to be so detrimental to the plant, and in which it is asserted by many 
that it will succeed well—1 mean a clay soil, but I have seldom seen a 
satisfactory growth in soils of this class ; in fact, the places are so few 
where any'approach to success has been made in such, that I have never 
recommended Rhododendrons being there tried, except in cases wheio 
they seemed to be a necessity. Clays, however, differ in their chemical 
qualities, and some may be more suitable than others, and may answer 
for the common kinds of Rhododendrons, but I do not. advocate an 
extensive plantation on a stiff clay, and to mix clays with lime, as is 
often done for agricultural purposes, makes the soil less suitable. A 
clay not containing too much calcareous matter may be improved by 
mixing with it yellow sand in large quantities, as the latter often contains 
sufficient ferruginous matter for the Rhododendron, while a bright orange 
