114 
JOURXAL OF HORTICULTURE AKD COTTAGE GARDEXER. 
[ February 9,1888. 
for the dining-room table. It is rather a tall-growing variety,’’•but if 
grown on the cut-back system it can be had dwarfer.—Gr. Hilton". 
heap! Duchess of Albany and Bertie Rendatler, you will notice 
occupy exactly the same places as last year, a coincidence which also 
occurs amongst the incurved in the case of Mr. Brunlees.—B. D. K. 
EXHIBITION CHRYSANTHEMUMS. 
I SEND the results (tabulated) of the Chrysanthemum competitions 
of the past season. It is compiled on the same lines as the one you 
published last year, and commences with the Southampton Show, 
November 2nd. Even a cursory glance will demonstrate what con¬ 
siderable changes in the relative positions of the various kinds have 
taken place during 1887. 
Among the incurved Empress of India still leads, but only in con¬ 
junction with Lord Alcester, which occupied seventh place last year ; 
having ousted Golden Empress, this latter variety retiring to fourth 
place, where it now ties with Queen of England, which has advanced 
one place. Lord Wolesley’s record is disappointing, but Alfred Salter 
jumps from the sixteenth up to the seventh place. Hero of Stoke New¬ 
ington rises ten places, while Empress Eugenie wins more than double 
the number of prizes in 1887 than it did in 1886 ! Nil Desperandum, 
on the other hand, experiences “ a heavy fall,” securing only six prizes 
against twenty-seven in 1886. I will not go further through the list; 
your readers can make their own observations and draw their own de¬ 
ductions, which will doubtless vary greatly. I may, however, point to 
the rapid rise to fame of Bronze Queen and Mrs. N. Davis, neither being 
prizewinners in 1886. Last year, however, they took eleven and five 
prizes respectively, being the only new incurved varieties which have 
come to the front at all. 
a 
d 
d 
d 
Is 
+5 00 
IXCURVEL). 
Firs^t Fifty Prize- 
Is 
CD 
d . 
c o 
— -JO 
4J 00 
JAPANESE. 
First Fifty Prize* 
a Si 
o 
winning \ arieties. 
f. 
winning Varieties. 
fk 
Ph 
1 
1 
Fmpres«» of India 
46 
1 
2 
Madame C. Audiguier 
42 
2 
7 
Lord Alcoster 
46 
2 
14 
37 
3 
5 
Jeanne d'Arc 
36 
3 
1 
Jeanne Relaux 
37 
4 
2 
Golden Empress 
35 
4 
10 
Meg Merrilies 
36 
5 
6 
6 
3 
Queen of England 
Lord Wolseley 
35 
30 
5 
11 
jTnomphe de Ja) 
irue dea Chdlets } 
33 
7 
16 
Alfred Salter 
25 
G 
3 
Mdlle. La Croix 
31 
8 
9 
John ^alter 
24 
7 
8 
31 
9 
19 
Hern of S. Newington 
21 
8 
7 
Boule d’Or 
28 
10 
8 
Prince Alfred 
21 
9 
5 
Fair Blaid of Guernsey 
28 
11 
4 
Princess (4 Wales 
21 
10 
9 
28 
12 
10 
Jardm des Plantes 
19 
11 
13 
27 
13 
18 
Baibara 
17 
12 
18 
BaroUne de Prailly 
21 
14 
15 
Lady Hardinge 
16 
18 
4 
Comte de Germiny 
18 
15 
13 
1 Emily Dale (9) ) 
15 
14 
35 
Madame John Laing 
18 
1 Golden Queen (fi) 1 
15 
— 
Ralph Brocklebank "" 
17 
16 
21 
Mr. Runn 
15 
10 
15 
17 
17 
36 
Empress Eugenie 
14 
17 
16 
Elaine 
15 
18 
17 
Mrs. Heale 
14 
18 
25 
15 
19 
12 
Priuee*s of Teck 
14 
19 
6 
13 
^0 
14 
Cherub 
13 
20 
22 
Yellow Dragon 
13 
•21 
25 
Refulgence 
18 
21 
17 
IMarguerite Marroiich 
13 
22 
20 
Mrs. H. siiipman 
12 
22 
27 
Maiden’s Blu-h 
12 
23 
— 
Bronze (Jueen 
11 
23 
12 
11 
24 
28 
Princc'S Beatrice 
10 
24 
24 
Dncliess of Alb.auy 
10 
25 
29 
>oveUy 
9 
2-5 
26 
l^r. John LainiT 
10 
26 
37 
Kve 
6 
26 
29 
9 
27 
39 
Mahel Ward 
G 
27 
21 
9 
28 
11 
Nil Lesperandum 
6 
28 
28 
8 
29 
41 
8ir Stafford Caiey 
6 
2.) 
19 
M. Brunet 
8 
50 
27 
IMrs. Dixon 
5 
30 
32 
Album Plenum 
51 
— 
Mrs. N. Davis 
5 
' 31 
1 Comte-sse de Beau-) 
32 
22 
Prince of Wales 
5 
33 
40 
Beauty 
4 
; 52 
41 
Gloriosum 
7 
34 
46 
Golden Eagle 
4 
! 33 
38 
35 
35 
Blr, Brunlees 
4 
• 34 
31 
36 
48 
Mr. Howe 
4 
' 85 
33 
Hiver Fienri 
0 
37 
34 
Bever'Cy 
3 
36 
— 
IMadame B. Pigny 
0 
38 
3' 
Jlr. George Glenny 
3 
37 
— 
6 
-39 
31 
Mrs. G. Bundle 
8 
; 88 
— 
Carew Underwood 
5 
40 
23 
White Venus 
3 
39 
41 
41 
24 
Baron Beust 
2 
i 4) 
34 
5 
42 
44 
J Beethoven (1) } 
; 41 
44 
31. Freem:m 
5 
1 M. Patrick (l) \ 
i 42 
23 
Peter the Great 
5 
43 
45 
Bronze Jardiii 
2 
1 43 
30 
Boufjuet Fa’t 
4 
44 
38 
Guernsey Nugget 
2 
' 44 
— 
4 
45 
40 
Isabella Bott 
2 
45 
50 
Flamme «ie Punch 
4'i 
42 
W bite Beverley 
2 
40 
— 
Blonnligbt 
4 
47 
43 
Angelina 
1 
47 
— 
48 
51 
Blush Queeu 
Inner 'I'emple 
1 
^ 48 
— 
Dormillion 
3 
49 
— 
1 
I 49 
— 
I.e Sceptre Toulonsain 
3 
50 
Mr. Corbay 
1 
1 50 
48 
Mdlle. Mouiise 
3 
Among Japanese the most remarkable change of fortune is to be 
found in the case of Belle Paule, which stood fourteenth on the list in 
1886, but in 1887 yielded only to that grand old favourite Madame C. 
Audiguier. Jeanne Delaux, however, ties with Belle Paule, while Meg 
Merrilies runs it very close. Mdlle. Lacroix, Comte de Germiny and 
Peter the Great recede considerably, though the greatest “ backward¬ 
ation ” is to be found in Japonaise, with only thirteen prizes last season 
against thirty-four in 1886. I may just mention here that during the 
■southern shows Val d’Andorre seemed likely to secure premier honours 
but as the season advanced this fine variety ceased to advance in 
favour. 
Perhaps the most astonishing fact to -notice in connection with the 
past season has been the rise of Ralph Brocklebank from 0 in 1886 
to fifteenth place in the 1887 list, while Edwin Molyneux, a still newer 
variety, has already won four prizes. Madame B. Pigny, Martha Har¬ 
ding, and Carew Underwood also stand well. But with these few ex¬ 
ceptions that vast crowd of new varieties brought out with such a 
flourish of trumpets in 1886 have failed as prizewinners, and have 
probably ere this been consigned to their proper place, the rubbish 
SIZE VERSUS QUALITAL 
I AM very much obliged to Mr. Goodacre for so strikingly cor¬ 
roborating the observations made by me on this subject, and if he 
will read again he will find I did not, as a rule, condemn the 
gro"wth of fine sorts to their full dimensions. When I said “• Muscats 
and others of that type,” the reference is wide enough to include Canon 
Hall, and also the Duke of Buccleuch. As I said, where there are 
exceptions they only prove the rule. Surely Mr. Goodacre would never 
suppose that I could class the grand old Royal George Peach among the 
large and coarse varieties, such as Lord Palmerston and Barrington. 
I must say that I do not admire the taste that would prefer a 
pumpkin-looking Melon, 20 lbs. weight, in the dessert in preference to 
a moderate sized fruit. If Mr. Goodacre’s twenty pounder be as fine 
in flavoi|r as, say. Imperial Green Fle.sh or Golden Perfection Melons it 
is such an exception as I have never met with, and even if it be, would 
not five 4 lb. fruits be more desirable for family use 1 Many families 
would not allow a Melon of such size on the table. I am afraid it 
would be stale by the time it was all eaten.—D. Thomson. 
KITCHEN GARDEN. 
The Weather and the Crops. —The weather has been season¬ 
able, with frost and snow, and although these are not favourable to the 
advancement of kitchen garden crops or work, all veaetable gardens will 
be benefited by them. The soil works beautifully in March after a 
February frost, and where all empty quarters have been dug roughly 
over the surface will now be receiving as much benefit as if it was 
dressed with some artificial fertiliser. The application of manure should 
be pushed forward, all trash and refuse burned, and the ashes placed on 
the soil. Vacant quarters undug may be turned deeply in open weather, 
as in all probability they may still be favoured with sharp frost. 
Forcing.— As a rule a great effort is made to have a quantity of 
forced produce in at Christmas, but after that the supply is apt to lessen, 
and in many cases this will not give satisfaction. Choice vegetables in 
the dead of winter are always acceptable, and so they are in the spring 
months, as February and March are periods when the supiily of open air 
vegetables are often more scarce than in December and January. We 
would therefore urge cultivators to force all they can at this time. Do 
not rob the Asparagus beds by lifting more roots for forcing than can be 
spared, but do not fail to force all surplus ones. Every root of Seakale 
may be forced that is large enough to be.ar this operation, as it can 
always beplanUd afterwards to grow and become useful again. Rhubarb 
may also be forced in quantity. Do not lift the roots now, but cover 
them with pots, boxes, or casks, and fermenting material. Keep up a 
supply of Mustard and Cress, and fill all available spaces with Kidney 
Beans. 
Tomatoes. —The open air culture of Tomatoes in becoming more 
common every year. Those who try them find they succeed better than 
they expected, and their culture is so easy in the open and the 
crop so heavy that they soon insure for themselves extended favour. 
It is essential that the plants be raised early and have them well 
advanced in size for planting out in May. We have known good plants 
turned out then produce ripe fruit by the end of June, and continue 
bearing heavily until cut oil by frost in early winter. We therefore 
recommend seed to produce plants for the open to be sown at once. If 
a pinch is sown in a 6-inch pot many plants will be produced that will 
soon gain size when repotted singly or put into boxes a few inches apart. 
These plants should not be hurried; they are much better when kept in a 
temperate place and growji sturdily, as then they do not receive any 
check in being transferred to the open. Spindly jdants are never satis¬ 
factory. We have raised some capital plants for the open air by taking 
cuttings from the early fruiting plants, and if these are rooted in March 
they will be found to do well. 
Potatoes in Frames. —No matter what the weather may be, we 
never think of planting Potatoes in the open until March. Good 
weather might tempt some to put them on in February under the pro¬ 
tection of a wall, but the growth is seldom rapid or satisfactory, and we 
always have more fi'om a March planting than a February one, but early 
Potatoes may always be had in quantity from frames, and all structures 
of this sort may be filled with them. As a rule they are grown on hot¬ 
beds, and many are of opinion that early Potatoes can only be had by the 
aid of such ; indeed, they never think of planting unless they can put 
them on a hotbed, but their culture might be greatly extended in frames 
without hot manure. A hotbed always causes Potatoes to make much 
top growth ; in fact, this is so luxuriant in some cases that it almost 
prevents the tubers gaining anv size, but if the Potatoes are planted in 
the frames without manure this will not happen, as they are not forced 
