224 
JO URN XL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
[ September 10, 1891, 
fully one-'ourth affected by disease. The varieties were Sharpe’s Victor, 
Improved Ashleaf, and Royal Ashleaf; they were all equally affected. 
The latter varieties keep very clear as yet. Harvest operations com¬ 
menced here last week (September 2nd) ; crops are very indifferent 
owiDg to the heavy storms of wind and rain, also through the devasta¬ 
tion caused by birds; one farmer told me yesterday that he had lost 
half his crop of Oats through the destruction caused by birds alone. 
Bright sunshine is sadly needed not only by farmers, but also by gar¬ 
deners to finish off late Grapes, ripen up the wood of fruit trees, and to 
harden the Broccoli tribe to enable them to withstand the winter 
frosts.—J. Tunningtox, Ripley Castle Gardens. 
FIG. 38.— THE LATE MR. C. STEWART. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The Drill Hall was not so full of exhibits on Tuesday last as on the 
occasion if the previous fortnightly meeting, but considering the season 
of the year the display was good. 
Fruit Committee. —Present : P. Crowley, Esq., in the chair, with 
Dr. Hogg, and Messrs. R. D. Blackmore, Harrison Weir, T. F. Rivers, 
A. H. Pearson, W. Warien, W. Bates, A. Dean, G. Noiman, J. Willard, 
H. Balderson, and J. Wright. 
Mr. A. Gibson, gardener to T. F. Burnaby Atkins, Esq., Halstead 
Place, Kent, sent a medium sized, well-netted, green-flesh Melon of 
good quality, and a certificate of merit was awarded. Mr. Harding, 
gardener to T. Philpot, Esq , Vale Road, Guernsey, sent a large handsome 
Melon, the result of a cross between Golden Perfection and Orion, but 
though juicy and sweet was deficient in flavour, and no award was made. 
Messrs. Keynes, Wdliams & Co., Salisbury, sent a dish of a red 
seedling Plum, which, though good, was not considered sufficiently 
distinct and meritorious to be granted a certificate. Mr. P. Crowley 
placed on the table some splendid s]£pimens of Jefferson Plums 
from a branch on which a wire ligature had been accidentally left. 
This arrested the downward current of sap, causing a prominent 
enlargement of the branch above the ligature, the sap being “ held,” 
so to say, in the branch for supporting the fruits. The largest 
weighed I ozs. The fruits on the other parts of the tree were not 
half the size. It was really a case of “ ringing,” but this does not 
always have such marked resu ts. A vote of thanks was accorded. 
Mr. P. Crowley a’so placed on the table nineteen excellent fruits, the 
largest weighing 6 ozs., of Louise Bonne of Jersey Pears from a tree 
grown in a 10-inch pot by his gardener, Mr. W. King. The tree was 
placed under glass in March and removed to the open air in June, 
where the crop ripened. A cultural commendation was awarded. 
Messrs. G. Jackman & Co. sent from Woking a dish of a new seedling 
Apple, Victoria, having some resemblance to Duchess of Oldenburg, but 
sweeter, though not so good as Irish Peach. No award was made. 
Mr. Lee, Clevedon, Somerset, sent a seedling Apple somewhat resembling 
the Devonshire Quarrenden, but larger and not so good. It was passed 
by the Committee. Mr. Roupell sent excellent specimens of Apples Lord 
Suffield, Duchess of Oldenburg, and Bietigheimer, a large red German 
Apple, and a cultural commendation was unanimously awarded. Mr. 
W. Whiteley sent a dish of Hillingdon Favourite Tomato, bright 
medium fruit, for which a vote of thanks was recorded. Messrs. Jas. 
Veitch & Sons staged nearly fifty varieties of Plums, for which a silver 
medal was recommendtd. In the collection was a dish of Frogmore 
Orleans, a variety not known by the Committee, and said not to split 
like many others during wet weather. 
The records of a meeting held at Chiswick on Thursday last were read, 
when after examining a number of Potatoes and cooking them three 
marks (xxx) each were granted for Mottled Beauty, Ellington’s Prolific, 
and Crawley Prizetaker. Three marks were also recorded for the follow¬ 
ing Turnips :—Early Milan, Eirly White Strap-leaf American, Large 
White Globe Purple Top, and Large Green Globe. 
Similar marks were granted for Tomatoes Golden Sunrise, Sutton’s 
Go'den Nugget, and Italian Wonder, all having yellow fruits. 
Scarlet Runners had been so much injured by the wet that no fair 
estimate could be formed of their merits, except in the case of Sutton’s 
Tender and True, a most productive variety of moderate growth, having 
fine tender pods of the same character as those of the dwarf varieties 
but larger. It is a distinct and excellent variety, and was granted a 
first-class certificate. 
Floral Committee. —Present : Messrs. W. Marshall (in the chair)^ 
C. T. Druery, H. B. May, R. Dean, G. Phippen, J. T. Bennett Poe, G. 
Paul, C. Noble, J. Fraser, and W. Watson, 
A very large collection of Gladioli came from Messrs, Kelway and 
Son, Langport, quite in their best vein. It comprised some of the best 
of their magnificent collection of varieties, such as Pandanus, salmon 
with purple throat; Mrs. J. Eyton, white suffused and feathered with 
rose ; Lassia, rich scarlet ; the Rev. J. Stubbs, brilliant scarlet, carmine 
throat; W. S. Gilbert, described below ; Sheila, also described below ; 
Harrison Weir, orange scarlet; Beauty of England, white, throat flaked 
purple ; and Baroness Burdett Coutts, rosy mauve ; but there were 
many others equally beautiful. They also had a display of hardy 
flowers, including varieties of Papaver nudicaule, Rudbeckia purpurea. 
Phloxes, Solidago altissima, Anemone japonica rubra, a deeper form of 
the well-known Japanese Windflower, and Dracocephalum speciosum. 
A silver Flora medal was awarded. 
Mr. G. Phippen, Reading, had a collection of herbaceous Phloxes, 
named varieties, amongst the best being M ; ss Robinson, white 
Vesuvius, deep rose; Paragon, purplish violet; and Mons. Luney, 
crimson. He also had a large group, of Liliums interspersed with 
Ferns and foliage plants, which was very efft ctive, and a group of Cactus 
and Decorative Dahlias similar to that exhibited at the Show of the 
National Dahlia Society, the flowers being in bunches of about twenty- 
four, and interspersed with Ferns. Such excellent varieties as Robert 
Maher, Pantbea, Zulu, W. Pearce, Professor Baldwin, Empress of India, 
Mrs. Hawkins, Beauty of Brentwood, Honoria, Henry Patrick, and 
Juarezi were represented. A silver Flora medal was awarded for thin 
group, and another for the Liliums. Mr. Phippen also showed a box 
of Lapagerias. 
British Ferns were an interesting feature of the meeting. C. T. Druery, 
Esq , F.L.S., Fernholme, Forest Gate, Essex, had a collection of select 
varieties, embracing a beautiful form of Polystichum angulare named 
divisilobum plumosum densum, Scolopendriums vulgare var. crispum 
majus, S. v. var. grandiceps, S. v. Keratoides, S. v. ramo-crist?tum, 
Athyrium filix-foemina seticerum percristatum, Polystichum angulare 
var. plumosum, P. a. var. revolvens, and many other forms. E. J* 
Lowe, Esq., F.R.S., Chepstow, had a large exhibit of Ferns in many 
varieties, amongst them Nephrodium pa’eaceum var. Willsi, N. p. var. 
ramosissimum, N. p. depauperatum, Scolopendrium vulgare crispum 
var. Kitsoniae (L.), S. v. undulatum var. cochleato-cristatum, Asplenium 
filix-foemina flexuosum var. Cymba, A. f.-f. torquera, A. f.-f. grandiceps 
FIG. 39.— MR. W. YOUNG 
var. Arthuri, Osmunda regalis var. capitata, Asphlium angulare divL 
fiobum var. laxum, A. a. decompositum var. frondosum, Adiantum 
Capillus-Veneris var. Lowae, Scolopendrium vulgare marginatum var. 
corollarium, S. v. crispum robustum, and many other good forms, 
Mr. Lowe also had two baskets of Ferns. Several were honoured by 
the Committee as noted below. In the competition for the best collection 
Mr. Lowe was placed first and Mr. Druery second, the former receiving 
also a silver Flora medal. 
A small but highly interesting group of plants came from the Royal 
Gardens, Kew, the central figure of which was an extraordinary flower 
of Aristolochia grandiflora (syn. A. gigas), 18 inches across, and with a 
<; tail ” 3 feet long. The flower is creamy white, deeply marked with 
brownish purple, and the capacious throat is velvety purple. There 
were also Ixora macrothyrsa, Clematis Stanleyi, Mucuna purpurea, and 
Solandra grandiflora. Messrs. Paul& Son, The Old Nurseries, Cheshunt,. 
sent a Dahlia named Claxton’s Harlequin, described below ; a box of 
Roses, Liatiis pycnostachya, Actoca fructoalba, Spiraea japonica com- 
pacta, Sarracenia purpurea, Spiraea palmata alba, Lythrum salicaria. 
