204 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ September 8, 1885. 
space between them was crowded with woodlice, which were taken away 
as if in a trough, and jerked into the water tank. It was computed that 
about a “ bushel of the beggars ” were drowned, and the pest was practi¬ 
cally annihilated. New boards are of no use, only old ones considerably 
decayed forming effective traps. 
- Nesbits’ Victoria Tomato is admirably grown and much 
appreciated for dessert in Mr. Major’s garden at Cromwell House, 
Croydon. The plants are grown in pots, no growthsjbeing permitted on 
the main stem except the huge bunches of fruit and the main leaves. 
The clusters bear forty or fifty crimson Plum-like fruits each, and have 
a beautiful appearance. The quality of this variety is considered to 
surpass most others, and it is more esteemed than any for the purpose in 
question. Hackwood Park Prolific is found the best large variety, and 
plants in pots are grown 15 feet high with thick stems like Vines, fruits 
having been gathered from them exceeding a pound in weight. Mr. 
Wright, the gardener, appears to know the right way to grow 
Tomatoes. 
- He does not quite agree with remarks that have been published 
rather derogatory of the merits of Pen-Y-byd Vegetable Marrow, 
which he finds extremely productive, the fruits of the right size for 
cooking whole, and are then considered superior in quality to the old 
White, as usually sliced before cooking. 
-In the same garden the Night-blooming Cereus has recently 
been a feature of interest, the scientific attainments and resources of 
Mr. Major having enabled him to 'photograph a bloom with the aid of 
the magnesian light. 
- One of the brightest of edging plants for flower beds in the 
Chiswick Gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society is Dean’s Lustrous 
TropasoLUM. The plant is of compact growth, having small, bluish 
green foliage, and is covered with rich crimson scarlet flowers of good 
form and great substance. It seems to have enjoyed the dry weather, 
and has been extremely effective all through the season. 
- Through the kindness of Mr. C. Orchard, of The Gardens 
Coombe Leigh, Kingston-on-Thames, we have been favoured with fruit 
of Pyrus variolosa, which was grown in the garden of Duncombe 
Shafto, Esq., of Ham Common. It is a pretty, Pear-shaped fruit, 1 inch 
in diameter, and of a bright mahogany colour. The stalk is 1 inch long, 
and it has a large open eye. When cut the flesh is red and tasteless, but 
it soon blets, and then it has somewhat of the flavour”of the Sorb but 
much sweeter, and consequently rather sickly. It is a native of Nepaul, 
where the tree grows to 40 or 50 feetjhigh, but in this country it rarely 
attains to more than 10 or 15 feet, and is ornamental. 
- “ A Reader ” requests us to publish the following on Manure 
for Strawberries :—“ Being a grower of about 3 acres of Strawberries, 
and farmyard manure in my district being very"scarce, and also having 
to cart it nearly four miles, I shall be much obliged if any friend will 
kindly inform me of the best substitute to carry them through one year 
only, and when to apply it.” 
- Referring to Trenched and Untrenched Ground, a corre¬ 
spondent. writes :—“ Perhaps your correspondent, Mr. Iggulden, would 
kindly tell me how to grow Raspberries. I [have a bed of the best kind 
planted according to his plan of not trenching, but plenty of rich 
cow manure, the ground never dug[ [between the plants," but top-dressed 
heavily. Now for four years I got plenty of very small fruit in my 
vegetable garden. I have good produce in trenched ground and scarcely 
any in the untrenched portion.” 
-- At a meeting of the Council of the Royal Caledonian Horticul¬ 
tural Society, held on August 14th, 1885, it was resolved tojhold a Special 
Exhibition and Conference on Apples And Pears, in connection 
with the Society’s Winter Show, in the Waverley Market, Edinburgh, on 
the 25th and 26th November, 1885. While collections of Apples and 
Pears are solicited from all parts for comparison and instruction, the 
chief object of the Conference is to [utilise the favourable opportunity 
presented by the fine crop this year for the purpose of gaining informa- 
mation about the Apples and Pears grown in Scotland, comparing their 
merits, and correcting their nomenclature. All fruit-growers, especially 
in Scotland, are therefore invited to send as complete collections as 
possible of the Apples and Pears grown in their district; and as the 
object is solely educational, there will be no competition and no prizes. 
It is not necessary that [the fruit should be grown by the sender. No 
limit will be put upon the number of kinds which any contributor may 
desire to send; but the number of each variety should be from two to 
four, according to circumstances. The Council are anxious to procure as 
complete representations as possible of the Apples and Pears grown in 
each district, and each variety should be distinctly labelled, with the name 
or names under which it is grown in the locality. It is also most desir¬ 
able that each collection be accompanied by all the information possible 
about the climate, altitude, exposure, soil, stocks, method of cultivation, 
and other particulars, which will be of much value to the Committee in 
drawing up their report. For this purpose forms will be supplied on 
application to the Secretary. The specimens being strictly for examina¬ 
tion and instruction, they must necessarily be at the disposal of the 
Council where required. Intending exhibitors must give notice to the 
Secretary or Assistant-Secretary, in writing, not later than Monday the 
16th November, stating the number of varieties to be exhibited, and the 
amount of space that will be required. Collections of fruit may be consigned 
to Mr. William Young, Assistant-Secretary, 18, Waverley Market, Edin¬ 
burgh, and delivered there on or before Friday, 20th November. The 
Council will pay the carriage of fruit and take all possible care of it, and 
will also see that it is properly staged for the inspection of the Committee ; 
but they will not be held responsible for any error, damage, or loss of any 
fruit consigned to them. Exhibitors staging their own fruit can do so on 
Tuesday, 24th November ; and all must be staged and the Hall cleared for 
the Committee by ten o’clock on the morning of Wednesday, 2oth No¬ 
vember. Each exhibitor will receive free tickets of admission to the 
Exhibition for himself and such number of assistants as the Council may 
deem necessary 
HERBACEOUS PLANTS. 
Your correspondent, “ N. R.” at page 162 is evidently in error re¬ 
specting Inula glandulosa and its being a “ beautiful blue.” Your 
correspondent, “ D., Deal," has described the true plant in the last issue 
of the Journal as having orange yellow flowers. It is not only perplexing, 
but it is difficult to reconcile the statement of “ N. R.,” firstly in the 
beautiful blue of tbe Inula, and secondly the “enormous mass of Comfrey- 
looking foliage.” The Flatycodons, as stated by “ D., Deal," and P. 
grandiflorum in particular, is a fine blue at this time ; the group com¬ 
prises blue single and double, and white in single and double forms also. 
Not strictly double, perhaps, but with a multiplicity of petals, and also a 
striped form. The Caucasian Scabious, S. caucasica, and the variety 
connata are blues of a soft lilac shade, and stand in the front rank among 
late summerand autumn perennials, producing their lovely flowers, which 
are 3 inches across, in great profusion ; but there is nothing of the 
Comfrey in the foliage of these. Blue again may in a measure be found in 
Aster amellus and its Bessarabian variety, both fine perennials of com¬ 
pact habit ; plants which in a mass would prove most telling, having a 
far better effect than could possibly be produced with Liatris spicata under 
the most favourable conditions, and which at the best is a very third-class 
plant. In Anchusa italics we have a grand blue. At this time, however, 
it is on the wane, and is at its beet during June and July. At the present 
moment 1 cannot call to mind any plant having flowers of a beautiful 
blue, and the enormous mass of Comfrey-like foliage. Indeed, apart frem 
the Anchusa and Symphytums, there are few possessing this foliage. 
Perhaps “ N. R.” will describe the plant he refers to or forward specimens 
to the Editor for verification. At the present time, consequent upon the 
recent introduction of many genuine and first-rate novelties, there are 
numbers of very fine perennials—more probably than at any other period, 
and which may be had at moderate prices, so that there is no necessity for 
third-class plants to occupy positions where those of superior merit may 
be seen to advantage. Speaking of Anthericums in his concluding re¬ 
marks, “ N. R.” seems doubtful as to what species he is alluding to, and 
which, from his description, I rather suspect is A. graminifolium, and 
neither A. Liliago or A. Liliastrum.— E. Jenkins. 
REMARKS ON JUDGING GRAPES. 
At the outset I wish to point out that I am not a discontented exhi¬ 
bitor, quite the reverse being the case, but I claim my right as an English¬ 
man to have a grumble when the opportunity offers; and if my grumbling 
contributes, in a measure, to the correction of what I hold to be an error 
of judgment, so much the better. Of late years it has become the fashion 
among the compilers of prize schedules to offer prizes for Black Hamburgh, 
and also for any other black variety, with corresponding classes for Muscat 
of Alexandria and any other white sort. No one can find fault with the 
encouragement given to the most popular black and white varieties, these 
being respectively Black Hamburgh and Muscat of Alexandria, but it is 
the ambiguity of the wording of the classes for any other black and 
white sorts, that leads to so much misunderstanding and so many much- 
to-be-regretted wrangles in the fruit tents. I am aware that it is usually 
a difficult matter for those framing the schedules to find sufficient money 
to offer prizes for any Grapes that may be in season, and as a consequence 
the judges must be depended upon for deciding on the merits of the various 
competing sorts, but each schedule might well include a rule to the effect 
that all Grapes shown should be in season. Then if the judges, during 
August or early in September, persist in placing Black Alicante before 
