Angnst 50 1888 . J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
193 
before getting ripe; the variety named has been exceedingly fine. 
Cherries have cracked a great deal, but have been a fair crop. Apricots 
have not made any progress, and are under the average, but all small 
bush fruits have been plentiful and good. Apples are a fair average 
crop, and promise to be good. Pears are also fairly good. Peas have 
grown quite out of character ; 3 feet varieties are (! feet and upwards, 
but failing to fill their pods. Onions have suffered a great deal with 
mildew, and early Carrots are much cracked. Potatoes are getting 
badly diseased, but turn out enormous crops. 
Our herbaceous border's have been fairly good, although a great 
many plants have been much affected by the bad weather. The 
following are a few which have withstood it best—Chrysanthemums 
segetum and maximum, Doronicum hybridum, Campanulas bracteata 
alba, macrantha, persicifolia. and var. alba. Astrantia maxima and 
major have been very fine. Phloxes have also been wonderfully good, 
Lady L. Napier, a fine white, has been grand ; Delphiniums have done 
well, Madame Rachalet and nobilissimum especially ; Erigeron glabel- 
lus var. mollis, Lychnis diurna and dioica fl.-pl., Trillium granditiorum 
and sessile, Trollius americanus and giganteus, Dianthus caryophyllus 
var. and Atkinsi, a deep crimson variety, very fine, but rare; Pyrethrums, 
double and single var. ; (Enothera Youngi has been grand, Irises have 
been splendid, Eremurus himalaicus and robustus have had fine spikes, 
and Dictamnus caucasicus giganteus has been magnificent. In the 
alpine garden Onosma taurica has done well, and Phyteuma comosum 
planted in sandstone has been very fine, Saponaria ocymoides Engadine, 
fine dark var., Gentians, Phloxes, Ramondia pyrenaica, and var. alba 
have all been fine. Of bedding plants we have but very few, tuberous 
Begonias having been much the best.—G. Goldsmith, Floore Gardens, 
Weedon. 
SURREY. 
The weather in this district during June and July was almost un¬ 
precedented for heavy and continuous rains, a very low maximum 
temperature, and almost a total absence of sunshine. Our rainfall for 
June was 4-61 inches; on the 26th we had 1'69 inch. This is the 
greatest quantity in twenty-four hours registered here for the last ten 
years, and for July the total rainfall reached 5'0G inches. . 
During the first fortnight of June vegetation was much benefited by 
the rain, and things in general promised well. After that time the con¬ 
tinued bad weather told most deplorably on the more delicate and tender 
crops. This was especially noticeable in the kitchen garden crops, such 
as Beet, Lettuce, Onions, Vegetable Marrows, Scarlet Runners, and the 
better sorts of Peas, the last failing to fill well, and having the appear¬ 
ance of autumn Peas. All the Brassica tribe have done well, Cabbage 
and Cauliflower being remarkably good, Carrots and Turnips fine. 
Perennial flowering plants, as a rule, suffered little in growth, but the 
continued wet was destructive to the flowers. The following have suc¬ 
ceeded well here :—Achillea Ptarmica, Alstroemeria aurea, Antirrhinum, 
Aquilegias, Campanulas, Canterbury Bells, Centaurea montana, Chelone 
barbata, Digitalis, Eryngium amethystinum, Gaillardia hybrida, Gypso- 
phila paniculata, Helenium pumilum, Hemerocallis flava and diiticha, 
Iberis sempervirens, Iris of sorts, Lathyrus latifolius and albus, L'num 
flavum, (Enothera biennis, (E. Lamarckiana, Pansies, Papaverbracteatum 
and orientale, Pentstemons, Phlox, Potentilla, Pyrethrum hybrilu n, 
Rudbeckia Newmanni, Spiraea Aruncus, S. palmata, Sweet William, tree 
and herbaceous Paeonies. Annuals suffered more severely. These proved 
sat'sfactory :—Cacalia coccinea, Candytuft, Chrysan- emum coro- 
narium sulphureum, C. Burridgeanum, C. Dunnetti, Co insia bicolor, 
Godetias, Lupins, Phlox Drummondi, Poppies, and Scnecio elegans. 
Bedding plants, with the exception of the more robust growing 
Pelargoniums, were at a complete standstill, and looked quite autumnal. 
Carpet bedding failed to fill up, and from want of colour looked any¬ 
thing but what it ought, and succulent plants suffered much from wet 
and damp. The following Pelargoniums were the best here :—Flower of 
Spring, Marshal McMahon, Rev. J. Fenn, Star of Fire, John Gibbons, Rev. 
F. Atkinson, and Mrs. Turner.—J. Ridout, The Gardens, Woodhatch 
Ledge, Reigate. 
WARWICKSHIRE. 
Owing to our light, dry, sandy soil the crops have not suffered so much 
as in many other districts from the cold, dull, wet June and July we have 
just passed through. Of the sixty-one days rain fell more or less on 
thirty-four ; on five days only had we any sunshine worth mentioning ; 
the others were either cold and dull, or cloudy, with blinks of sunshine. 
The wind for the greater part of that time kept north, north-east, or 
north-west. Two or three nights about the middle of each month were 
exceptionally cold for the season, our coldest being on the mornings of 
the 14th June and 13th July, when we registered 37° and 35° respec¬ 
tively. The greatest heat we registered was on the 26th June and 19tli 
July, when we had 88° and 82° respectively. 
Kitchen garden crops look well, only Potatoes and Peas are much 
overgrown ; disease is showing amongst the former, and the latter are 
affected by mildew to a slight extent. 
In the flower garden there has not been much growth, and little or 
no flowers on the great majority of bedding plants. Harrison’s Musk 
has done well, and some Tuberous Begonias we have been trying have 
never been without a few flowers. Such annuals as Stocks, Asters, 
Sweet Peas, Mignonette, and Lobelias have continued growing and 
blooming freely. Roses have not turned out so fine as they promised in 
May, the best buds damping off, but the season has been so much 
longer for cutting purposes that we have not much room for complaint. 
—A. Christie, Warwick Castle Gardens. 
Events of the Week. —On Tuesday and Wednesday next, Sep¬ 
tember 4th and 6th, the Warwickshire Horticultural Show in connec¬ 
tion with the County Agricultural Show will be held at Rugby. The 
two following days— i.e., September 6th and 6th, are devoted to the 
Bath Autumn Show, which being held at the time of the visit of the 
British Association will be made unusually attractive, substantial prizes 
being offered for plants and fruit. At Edinburgh the Royal Caledonian 
Society’s Autumn Exhibition will be held on the same dates. The fol¬ 
lowing Friday and Saturday, September 7th and Stb, will be busy days 
at the Crystal Palace, Sydenham, the Fruit and National Dahlia Shows 
with a conference of fruit growers being in the programme. 
- The Weather. —After a period of fine weather a most dis¬ 
astrous storm occurred on Tuesday last. Heavy rain accompanied by a 
gale of wind caused considerable devastation in many districts, a cul¬ 
mination of evils. Fruit trees have suffered greatly, farm crops also 
being much damaged. 
- Ketton Gem Melon. —In answer to Mr. Bardney, pa. e 170, 
Mr. W. H. Divers writes—“This variety shows fruit on every lateral, 
and is a very free cropper. As far as I am able to judge at present the 
fruit shown at Liverpool was rather above the average size. Three 
other fruits were grown on the same plant which were not quite so large. 
As regards habit and constitution we find it very satisfactory.'’ 
- The Kentish Potato Crop. —Reports from East Kent state 
that the Potato crop is damaged by blight, and will be as much as 60 per 
cent, below the average in yield in some places. A tract of 1000 
acres of Potatoes in Mid-Kent, which was under water some time, has 
been sold at the low price of £ 7 an acre. 
- Fruit Conference at St. Albans. —A Conference on fruit 
suitable for market purposes will be held in the Corn Exchange, St. 
Albans, on September the 4th, at 7.30 p.m. The chair will be taken by 
H. P. Smith, Esq., J.P., ex-Mayor. Papers will be read by Messrs. S. 
Morgan. J. T. Wright, S. Haliday, J. Cheal, and W. F. Emptage. 
- Early Puritan Potato. — Mr. D. Percival, gardener, The 
Poplars, Wellingborough, writes :—“ In the spring 1 bought 1 lb. of this 
new variety, and on the 21st of August I dug and weighed them, when 
they yielded 110 lbs., many of them being perfect tubers. Some of the 
heaviest weighed ljlb. In my opinion this will be the Potato of the 
future, the tubers cooking well, and of good quality.” 
- “An Old Subscriber” wishes to know if any readers can 
inform him what is the best method of preserving Mountain Ash 
beruies for use as decoration at Christmas. 
- Gardening Appointment. —Mr. David Jones desires to state 
that he has been appointed to the charge of Tilgate Gardens, Crawley, 
Mr. W. Jordan being now steward of the whole estate. 
- In the report of the Sutton Show last week, Mr. King was 
credited with having won the first prize for six exotic Ferns, an honour 
that was really accorded to Mr. Penfold. 
- A Pershop.e correspondent, “ J. W.,” asks if the comparative 
absence OF butterflies and wasps this ear has been noticed. He 
also remarks the trees in his district, as a rule, “ have made very little 
midsummer shoots, although such a dropping time.” 
- Messrs. James Carter & Co. request the insertion of the 
following paragraph—“ We are informed that the whole of the bulbs 
required by the First Commissioner of Woiks, and also the Metropolitan 
Board of Work , for planting in the royal parks, are being supplied by 
Messrs. James Carter & Co., the Queen’s seedsmen.” 
- “ F. G.” writes—“Your correspondent ‘Merton’ mentions in 
his ‘Notes at Kew ’ the merits of Oleaiiia Haasti as a shrub. It 
may be interesting to your readers to know that a specimen supplied by 
Messrs. Veitch of Exeter was planted in this churchyard in October, 1881. 
It is exposed to the full force of the westerly winds, and has thrived 
