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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ July 23, 1891. 
- We deeply regret to have to announce the death of 
Mas. Pearson of the Cliihvell Nurseries, Notts, widow of the late 
Mr. J. R. Pearson. For a considerable length of time Mrs. Pearson 
had been suffering from a painful malady which terminated her life 
on the 13th inst. at the age of sixty-six. Mrs. Pearson was buried in 
the churchyard of Attenborough by the side of her husband. 
- Reading and District Gardeners' Mutual Improvement 
Association. —The members of this flourishing Society had their 
annual excursion last week, Blenheim being chosen as the rendezvous. 
According to a lengthy newspaper report which has been sent to us, 
they were delighted with the gardens and the reception accorded by 
Mr. T. Whillans. 
- Olive Culture. —I have a rather large order from the United 
States for young Olive trees (one to two years old) of the best Spanish 
oil-yielding variety. Can any of your readers inform me from what 
part these can best be obtained, or put me in correspondence with a firm 
likely to supply them.— Stephen Menzies, Liverpool. 
- Messrs. Webb & Sons’ Excursion. — We are informed 
that the employes of Messrs. Edward Webb & Sons, Stourbridge, visited 
the beautiful gardens of the Earl of Dudley at Witley Court last week. 
Major Webb, one of the priccipals of the firm, accompanied them, and a 
most enjoyable day was spent. 
-- Delphiniums. —Messrs. Kelway& Sons have sent us individual 
flowers of a number of seedling Delphiniums. They appeared fresh in 
the box, but when taken out the petals fell from all but three—namely, 
King of Delphiniums, large, purple, very fine ; Irene, pale lavender blue, 
full and attractive ; and Britannia, the richest blue we have seen, and 
very beautiful. We regard Delphiniums as amongst the most stately 
and beautiful of summer garden flowers, and have them resembling 
pillars of beauty 8 feet high. 
- The Midland Counties Carnation and Picotee 
Society. —We are desired to remind intending exhibitors that the first 
Exhibition of this Society will beheld at the Botanic Gardens, Birming- 
him, on Saturday, August 8th, and nearly £70 is offered in prizes. 
There is every reason to believe that a very fine display of blooms will 
be seen, especially as there are from six to seven prizes in a class. Notice 
of entries must reach the Secretary, Mr. W. Dean, Dolphin Road 
Sparkhill, Birmingham, not later than the morning of Tuesday, August 
4th. No entry will be received after that date. There is a special class 
for border Carnations. 
- Tourist s Guide and Holiday Handbooks. —We have 
r ceived the illustrated Tourist Guide to the Continent, also notes on 
towns in Holland, Switzerland, &c., well prepared and attractively pre¬ 
sented by Mr. Percy Lindley for the Great Eastern Railway Company, 
and published at 125, Fleet Street. The Continental route to which 
attention is invited has won a wide reputation, and the scenes depicted 
in o her lands and interesting matter pertaining thereto may well be 
consulted by persons who are anticipating a holiday trip beyond the 
confines of the kingdom. 
- The Weather Last Month. —June was dull on the whole. 
We only had three bright days during the month, and no rain fell for a 
period of seventeen consecutive days—viz., 7th to 22nd inclusive. Wind 
was in an easterly direction seventeen days. Barometer was highest 
on the 12th at noon, 30-43 ; lowest on 29th at 9 p.m., 29-77. Highest 
shade temperature was 80°, on the 24th ; lowest 38°, on 13th ; lowest 
on grass 35°, on 11th. Mean maximum temperature, 68-06° ; mean 
minimum, 49 03° ; mean temperature of the month, 58-54°. Total rain¬ 
fall 2 10 inches, which fell on ten days, the greatest daily fall being 
0-70, on the 2nd. The garden spring ran 15 gallons per minute on the 
30tb.—W. H. Divers, Ketton Hall , Stamford. 
-The Leicester and Midland Chrysanthemum Society._ 
We have received the schedule of the Show that is to be held on 
November 13th and 14th. Instead of a great forty-eight bloom class of 
incurved and Japanese blooms, two classes are provided with a first 
prize of £5 in each for twenty-four incurved and twenty-four Japanese 
blooms respectively, and we trust the change will be as satisfactory to 
exhibitors and the public as it is certain to be to the Judges. A silver 
cup for twenty-four blooms, twelve incurved and twelve Japanese, 
grown in Leicestershire is offered by the tradesmen of Leicester. 
Substantial prizes, to be competed for by working men (not tradesmen 
nor professionals) are thoughtfully provided by Thomas Brooks, Esq 
Barkby Hall. 
- Tea Roses at Reigate. —We find that the beautiful bloom 
of The Bride, which was described as perhaps the finest Rose in the 
Reigate Show, was in the first prize stand of nine Teas exhibited by 
Rev. F. Page Roberts, and not by Mr. Bethune as inadvertently stated in 
our report on page 53 last week. 
- Productive Tomatoes. —I read with great interest the letter 
of Mr. Buchanan in your issue of 9th inst., and if he could find time to 
give us a little more information on Tomato growing I think many of 
your readers would be pleased. I should like to know what variety of 
Tomatoes were grown ? The size and form of houses ? What distance 
apart were the plants? How did he treat them as regards manure, 
water, and heat ? and was the price named realised by salesmen in the 
open market ?—A. 
- Mr. Symons’ “Meteorological Magazine” for June 
contains an account of producing rain artificially by violent explosions 
of balloons filled with hydrogen and oxygen gas. It appears the United 
States Congress had voted a sum of £1809 for defraying the cost of 
experiments. We are reminded that the idea is not new, but was 
proposed several years ago, after considering the circumstance of rain 
filling after great battles in which artillery played a prominent part. 
A recent experiment in America is said to have had the desired results. 
When our enterprising friends have accomplished their object of 
producing rain it may be desirable for them to devise methods for 
stopping it when too much falls in fruit time, hay time, and harvest, 
and spoils the crops. 
-National Pink Society’s Show at Manchester.—T his 
Exhibition was held in connection with the Rose Show, and the 
following prizes were awarded:—Twelve laced Pinks.—First, Mr. 
A. R. Brown, Birmingham. Second, Mr. S. Barlow. Third, Mr. 
W. Taylor. Six bloom? laced Pinks, six varieties.—First,, Mr. C. F. 
Thurstan, Wolverhampton. Second, Mr. A. R. Brown. Third, Mr. 
S. Barlow. Six blooms, three varieties.—First, Mr. A. R. Brown- 
Second, Mr. W. Taylor. Third, Mr. S. Barlow, Mr. Brown taking an 
extra prize for the best red-laced and purple-laced Pink in the Show. 
Mr. Walkden, Sale, had a miscellaneous collection, and was awarded a 
prize for a new variety named Souvenir de Sale. The charming flowers 
were greatly admired. 
NATIONAL CARNATION AND PICOTEE SOCIETY. 
Southern Section. 
The annual Exhibition of this Society was held in conjunction with 
the Committee meetings of the R.H.S. at the Drill Hall, Westminster, 
on Tuesday, July 21st. As anticipated from the lateness of the season 
it was hardly up to the usual point of excellence. A fortnight, or even 
a week longer, would have made a great difference. Mr. Rowan was 
quite unable to do himself justice, and Mr. Sydenham and others were 
unable to compete at all. However, a good display of flowers was 
obtained, and the Show proved to be an interesting one. 
Carnations. 
As on many previous occasions the struggle for first place with 
twenty-four Carnations resolved itself into a duel between Mr. C. Turner, 
Royal Nurseries, Slough, and Mr. J. Douglas, gardener to Mrs. Whit- 
bourn, Great Gearies, Ilford. The blooms are late this year, and 
will be seen in better condition later on. Nevertheless both were 
excellent stands. Mr. Turner was first with fresh clean flowers, com¬ 
prising the following varieties:—Back row : Jupiter, Dr. Foster, 
Hutchinson’s Rose, Juno (two), Clementine, Mrs. Payne, and Squire 
Potts. Middle row : Jas. Taylor, Dr. Hogg, Jupiter, Robt. Houlgrave, 
E. Adams, Charles Turner (two), and Squire Trow. Front row : Robt. 
Houlgrave, Dr. Foster, Saturn, E. S. Dodwell (two), Teresa (two), and 
Dr. Hogg. Mr. Douglas’s flowers were much smaller, but his Thalia, 
Mrs. Gorton, John Keet, and Mayor of Nottingham were very good. 
There were four stands of twelve, Mr. Douglas winning with Sarah 
Payne, Thalia, James Douglas, William Skirving, Squire Potts, Alise- 
mond, Wm. Wardill, Master Stanley, and four seedlings, one (203) a 
charming purple flake. Mr. C. Phillips, 18, Hamilton Road, Reading, 
was second with fresh, bright but small blooms ; James Douglas and 
Mayor of Nottingham were the best. Mr. H. W. Headland, The Firs, 
Leyton, was third with larger but somewhat rough flowers, and the Rev. 
L. R. Flood (gardener, Mr. Gilbert), Merrow, Guildford, was fourth. 
Mr. F. Nutt, 15, Rose Road, Southampton, won with six, Sarah Payne, 
Crista-galli, John Keet, Jas. Douglas, Joseph Lakin, and Alisemond 
representing him admirably, though one or two were hardly filled. 
Crista-galli was a capital example. Mr. J. J. Keen, 15, Castle Street, 
Bevois Town, Southampton, was second with equally large but rather 
rough flowers. Mr. T. H. Catley. 16, Claverton Buildings, Bath, was 
third ; Mr. G. Chaundy, William Street, Marston Road, Oxford, fourth; 
Mr. Rowan, 36, Manor Street, Clapham, fifth; and Mr. Sanders, 
gardener to Viscountess Chewton, Bookham Lodge, Cobham, sixth. 
Single Specimens .—In the scarlet bizarres Mr. J. Keen was first with 
Squire Potts, Mr. Douglas second with Robert Houlgrave, and third 
