September 3, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
205 
equally well-grown Madresfield Court, they can easily be proved to have 
committed a great error in judgment. That such decisions are now be¬ 
coming of frequent occurrence numerous competitors will gladly corroborate, 
and the sooner it is stopped the better. 
No one, I think, will dispute the fact of the great superiority of 
Madresfield Court over Black Alicante, more especially as far as quality 
is concerned, but if the present method of offering prizes, and the plan of 
judging by appearance, is persisted in, not a few ambitious cultivators 
will gradually substitute the more easily grown and most showy variety 
for a Grape considered by many connoisseurs to be superior even to the 
good old Black Hamburgh. Most Grape-growers are well aware that it is 
difficult to thoroughly colour the Madresfield Court, and very seldom 
indeed are they exhibited perfect in every respect. The bunches may be 
large, the berries extra fine, the flavour excellent, and only the colour a 
little wanting near the footstalks of the berries, and because of this slight 
deficiency they are placed second to highly coloured, and perhaps quite 
sour Black Alicante. Four such occurrences have come under my notice 
this season, and in only one instance—that at Weston-super-Mare, where 
Mr. Nash exhibited extra good Alicantes—do I consider the judges 
exercised sound discrimination. Black Alicante may be grown and perfectly 
coloured in a Hamburgh house, but the less said about the quality in 
such a case the less likely are we to offend. Black Alicante is essentially 
a late Grape, and if ripened duriug August and September with a plentiful 
amount of fire heat, they wili keep well and give satisfaction to many, 
say any time duiing November and December. 
Alnwick Seedling, now that the difficulty of expecting a good set is 
obviated, will also become a formidable rival to Madresfield Court, at 
least on the exhibition table. This noble-looking Grape colours even 
more surely than the Alicante; and, as in the case of the latter variety, the 
berries may be perfectly black and yet extremely sour. It is said to be a 
very good keeper, but I am afraid this will be found to be a mistake, as in 
two cases that have come under my notice the berries shrivelled in Septem¬ 
ber and October. It may be the stock on which the rods are worked has 
much to do with this premature shrivelliug, and if this proves to be the 
case the Hamburgh stock is the offender. With me it is fruiting on the 
Hamburgh, the latter carrying a crop as usual, thus preserving its 
individuality, but I have a strong Yine on its own roots for next season’s 
fruiting, and I shall be much disappointed if the fruit fails to keep well. 
One thing is certain, this variety ought not to be encouraged in the any 
black class before the end of September. Neither ought the Gros Maroc, 
nor do I think it will ever figure very extensively on the exhibition 
stands. According to my experience it is a gross grower, not a free 
bearer, and the quality is only second rate. I have seen a few good 
examples of it, but have not tasted any really good. 
Black Prince is not often shown nowadays, but, according to the pre¬ 
sent style of judging, well grown examples of this very poor flavoured 
Grape would occupy a premier position on the show table, and I have 
known a case where really well grown Black Hamburghs were placed 
second to it. 
I hold that no other black variety than Black Hamburgh and Madres¬ 
field Court should be encouraged during August at least, and this would 
stimulate the culture of the two best black summer Grapes, as well as 
prevent the frequent unseemly wrangles which some exhibitors are too 
ready to commence. 
In the case of white Grapes there is less cause to complain, as there is 
not much to choose between them. As a rule Buckland Sweetwater when 
well grown secures the first position, but occasionally this is superseded by 
good, or even fairly good, examples of Golden Champion or Duke of 
Buccleuch, and as both of these are in season and of superior quality, no 
one thinks of finding fault with the judges for preferring them. Foster’s 
Seedling, however, I sometimes think rather hardly used, especially when 
shown in good condition, and yet passed over in favour of the more showy 
but otherwise inferior Buckland Sweetwater. The latter, both at Weston- 
<mper-Mare and Salisbury, was unusually good and fully deserved the 
premier awards, but in many ca^es they are unduly favoured at the 
expense of the better flavoured Foster’s Seedling. I would not interfere 
with the wording of various schedules as far as the any white Grape class 
is concerned, beyond stipulating that Muscats be excluded. A class being 
provided for Muscats, not necessarily Muscat of Alexandria, the next 
should be for white Grapes, Muscats excluded, and this would shut out 
Canon Hall Muscat, which occasionally finds its way to the exhibition 
table, from the latter and drive it into the proper class for it. Too often, 
I am afraid, the flower show committees pay little or no heed to the 
effect the offering of prizes for certain things has upon the selections and 
proceedings of competitors, and I am sorry to say what few attempts I 
have made to correct the wording and arrangement of prize lists have not 
had any appreciable effect. Two or three practical gardeners ought to be 
lucluded in every committee, and this would be for the advantage of all 
concerned. —W. Iggulden. 
NOTES ON VEGETABLES. 
Cucumber, Cardiff Castle.— I have grown this variety in a frame 
V) 6 fi rst time this season, and consider it a most excellent Cucumber, 
which should be in the hands of all gardeners that have to give a daily 
Hipply for salad and kitchen use. I have not yet grown it in the winter 
i e-ison, but judging from its behaviour iq a dung frame (and with rather 
rough treatment, as we had not time just then to give it proper attention), 
think it will posiibly prove an excellent variety for growing in winter, 
is most prolific, cf excellent flavour, and the length to which it grows 
is all that could be desired for everyday use. "We all like to get a good 
brace of Cucumbers, long and perfectly straight for the exhibition table ; 
but as a rule they go to table sliced, so that it is far better to have two 
Cucumbers at a foot long than to have one at 2 feet long. So to all 
those that do not know this variety I would say, Give it a trial. So far 
as my experience goes, it appears to be more hardy than Telegraph, and 
is certainly more prolific. 
Turnips, Extra Early Milan. —Gardeners are often asked for 
vegetables for kitchen purposes when the late crops are exhausted and 
the early ones are not fit for use. I think the Turnip is as much called 
for, for soups, Ac., as any one thing. I myself have been driven almost 
to my wit’s end to know bow to act to satisfy their wants ; but in the 
spring in ordering the seeds I noticed the above variety, and thankful I 
was. I sowed it on the 18th of February on a warm border, and began 
to pull good little roots early in April. I made another sowing in 
March, on a south border, of Extra Early Milan, Early Snowball, and 
Veitch’s Red Globe, and found by doing this they followed well in suc¬ 
cession. We had just cleared off the Milan, and the Red Globe was fit 
for use. We had the Snowball, and this in pretty much at the same 
time, but we found them very useful. I think everyone should grow the 
Milan, as it is fitted to act as a “stop gap.” I am only offering these 
remarks to those who may not have tried them, and as I have obtained 
many valuable hints from the Journal of Horticulture, so that it is only 
fair that I should try to help others by giving my experience through 
the same medium.— Robt. D. Long. 
THE HISTORY OF THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
( Continued from'page 1G0 ) 
The last French raiser to be mentioned and the most important of 
all, for he must be known at any rate by name to every grower in 
this country, is Mons. Delaux. He it is who may proudly consider 
himself as the rival of Mr. Salter, although it must be distinctly stated 
that his conquests have been most brilliantly exemplified in the 
Japanese section, in which Mr. Salter had but little opportunity of work¬ 
ing. Mons. Delaux and his son are perhaps of all florists, both English 
and French, those who have followed up w 7 ith the grandest success 
the new road opened up by the introduction of the Japanese Chrysan¬ 
themums by Mr. Robert Fortune. 
During a period extending over more than eighteen y r ears they 
have been working and searching at the sacrifice of great cost and 
labour to produce an assemblage of these plants worthy of a place in 
the finest collections. It is almost entirely to them that we English 
cultivators are indebted for the majority of those splendid Japanese 
flowers which for years past have been, and are continuing to be, 
imported into this country. In fact, there is hardly an exhibition 
held here where the smallest stands do not contain some blooms of 
these eminent florists’ raising. It would almost necessitate a volume 
by itself to give a list of their productions, which comprise Chrysan¬ 
themums of every section, but it would be an act of extreme 
discourtesy were the author not to mention some of the well-known 
flowers sent out by these gentlemen, especially as he has reason to be 
grateful for no little useful and interesting correspondence with 
Mons. S. Delaux fils. Those which have been in cultivation here for 
some few years past, and generally known, are Agrfements de la 
Nature, Alexandre Dufour, Albert de Naurois, (syn. Albert,) Bouquet 
Fait, Coeur fidele, Dolores, Eclatant, Elegance, Emeraude, Etoile du 
Midi, Flambeau, Francois Delaux, General de Lartique, Gloire de 
France (wrongly called by some La France), Iliver Fleuri, lie 
Japonaise, Isidore Feral, Japonais, Japon Fleuri, Jeanne Delaux (syn. 
F. A. Davis, wrongly catalogued J. Delaux in many English lists, and 
thus easily confounded with Jean Delaux, an older and now nearly 
uncultivated variety), Le Negre, LTncomparable, L’lle des Plaisirs, 
LaCharmeuse, La Frisure, Laurence, La Bienvenue (syn. J. Hillier), 
Le Chinois (syn. Chinaman), M. Delaux, M. E. Pynaert van Geert, 
Orphee, Reve de Printemps, Source d'Or, Tricolor (syn. Mr. J. 
Starling), and many others. Among the importations from this 
source during the last two seasons the following varieties have been 
distinguished by having first-class certificates awarded to them— 
Mons. Astorg, Mons. Tarin, Flamme de Punch, Margot, Beautfe des 
Jardins, Madame de Sevin, Brise du Matin, Mons. Moussillac, 
Souvenir du Japan, and Fernand Feral. 
To an English grower it will seem strange that such a thing as a 
Chrysanthemum society does not exist in France. Some of the 
horticultural societies are giving special attention to the flower 
latterly, but the exhibitions would appear to be few and far between. 
There was one about 1876 in the south of France, but it was hardly- 
heard of here. Since then there may have been others, but 
little attention has been paid to them by the English, especially as 
the French method of culture generally 7 practised is to aim more at 
the development of a large number of blooms on a plant than the 
culture of what we know as show flowers. 
Last year there was one at Paris and another held under the 
auspices of the Chalons Horticultural Society 7 , at both of which 
medals were awarded to the successful competitors. At the latter 
