Oetaber X, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
293 
In my opinion there is just as much credit in having the Alicante, or 
any other late Grape, in faultless condition in August or September as in 
having the early ones in gold condition then. In fact the former takes 
more culture than the latter, and when the usefulness of the varieties is 
taken into consideration the late ones have it wholly. If Grape shows 
were held every month in the year “A Young Exhibitor’s ” ideas, 
page 251, might be worth something, but to speak of passing all Grapes 
not in season, irrespective of their condition, is a suggestion which no 
good judge would entertain. Madresfield Court is ‘‘A Young Exhi¬ 
bitor's ” favourite black Grape. Most growers of experience prefer the 
Black Hamburgh to it. Scores of judges whose knowledge of Grapes is 
as deep and wide as that of Mr. Iggulden, are annually in the habit of 
awarding prizes to these late Grapes when they find them worthy of it, 
and this meets with the approval of the majority of cultivators. 
Alicante is certainly a standard Grape. Madresfield Court is nothing 
of the sort, and never will be. At the Palace Show on September 4th 
only four examples of Madresfield Court were staged in its special class. 
The third-prize bunches were inferior, while amongst the eleven examples 
of Alicante shown the quality was so good that some extra prizes were 
awarded. I find that varieties which are in the habit of winning prizes 
are soon sought after and planted by the public generally. Those who 
follow this rule with Madresfield Court will be disappointed, but no one 
will ever regret planting the Alicante. 1 know one instance where it is 
grown in the garden of a marquis in this county. It is slarted early 
into growth, matures its fruit under the influence of the August sun, and 
from the beginning of September until March it eats like a crisp Black 
Hamburgh. 
Grapes generally have been uncommonly good this season. I have 
seen hundreds of bunches in different parts of the country, and I cannot 
remember a year when colouring was so perfect. It is extraordinary the 
quantity of water Vines require at the root when in full growth, and this 
seems to be better understood now than many years ago. 
Mr. Stephen Castle always writes instructively and interestingly on 
■Grapes, witness his notes page 246. The cases of burning he cites are 
peculiar ; many Vine growers experience the same thing, but few can fully 
explain the cause. One Vine of ours, a Gros Colman on its own roots, 
went in much the same way in August. Another of this variety, grafted 
on Foster’s Seedling, and growing next to the burnt one, is perfectly 
green in the foliage still. 
I am particularly fond of the Foster’s as a stock for Gros Colman. A 
friend of mine who owns two fine vineries, wa3 induced by me, when 
planting them four years ago, to put in a rod of Golden Queen. It has 
always made wonderful shoots and leaves and larger bunches than I ever 
saw at Chilwell, but just when it begins to ripen the berries commence 
to show little black spots, which spread until the berries quite decay and 
fall. My experience or observation has never led me to ascribe such a 
character to Golden Queen, and I cannot understand it. Has anyone else 
observed any defect P 
Golden Champion and Duke of Buccleuch do not make headway. I 
shall never forget the superb condition in which I have seen them at 
Dalkeith and Clovenfords, but the bunches generally seen at shows 
now-a-days are too ragged and small to be impressive. 
The other day I read that buckets of gas tar placed in vineries would 
disgust the wasps and keep them out. Having charge of the gas-making 
here, I at once resorted to the tar-pump, filled some tins, placed them in 
the vineries, and after a week’s trial the wasps are buzzing about inside as 
busy as ever. I know a gentleman who, in having his new vineries finished 
a few years ago, had the ventilators carefully covered with perforated 
zinc with holes just wasp-proof. They remain on always, and I believe 
they will soon pay for the little extra expense incurred in placing them 
there.—A Kitchen Gardener. 
A Meeting of the Executive Committee of the Peak Confer¬ 
ence was held at Chiswick on Tuesday last. John Lee, Esq., in the 
chair. Present : Messrs. Veitch, Lane, Shirley Hibberd, A. Dean, 
Bunyard, Woodbridge, Roberts, and Dr. Hogg. It waB decided that the 
Congress will be opened on the 21st of October and close on the 4th of 
November. Mr. Barron, the Secretary, reported that he had received 
notice of a very large number of entries, and that he anticipated the 
extent of the collections would be as great as were those at the Apple 
Conference, if not greater. 
-A meeting of the Fruit Committee was held on Tuesday at 
the Chiswick Garden of the Royal Horticultural Society, John Lee, Esq., 
jn the chair. Present : Messrs. Rivers, R. D. Blackmore, Bunyard, Lane, 
Woodbridge, Sutton, Silverlock, Roberts, Burnet, Willard, Veitch, and 
Dr. Hogg. A large number of new varieties of late Potatoes were dug 
and examined, and some of them were cooked ; but, as in the opinion 
of the Committee it was too early in the season to judge of the merits 
of late Potatoes, a further examination was proposed to be made after 
Christmas. The Committee then proceeded to an examination of the new 
Grape called “John Downie,” which was growing in the early vinery, 
and they were unanimously of opinion that it is identical with Alnwick 
Seedling. 
- At the City of London College a course of lectures on agricul¬ 
ture, beginning on Oct. 6th and ending in May, will be given on Tuesday 
evenings by Mr. Bernard Dyer, F.C.S., F.I.C. The lectures will treat of 
soils, plant life, crops, manures, tillage operations, live stock, food, &c. 
Students are eligible to compete for the Lubbock scholarship of £10, the 
science studentship, and numerous college and other prizep. The 
Saddlers Guild also ofEer a prize of £5 5s. to the student who passes the 
best examination in chemistry and agriculture, 
- “ W. G.’’ asks if any of our correspondents can advise him as to 
the best drill for Beet And Turnips suitable for market gardening ; 
also as to the best early Turnip suitable for northern climate and time for 
sowing 1” We shall be glad to publish the information requested. 
- Mr. G. Cummins has sent us from Mr. Smee’s garden, The 
Grange, Hackbridge, specimens of Sutton’s White Czar Runner Bean. 
We have never seen finer pods of any variety. Some of them are a foot 
long and 1 inch wide, thick, fleshy, crisp, and excellent when cooked. 
The variety, we are informed, bears abundantly, and is regarded by 
Mr. Cummins as a valuable acquisition. 
—— Mr. William Holmes, Frampton Park Nurseries, Hackney, 
Hon. Sec. of the National Chrysanthemum Society, has sent us 
samples of the new silver and bronze medals the Society is offering at 
their annual Show in November next, and which are also supplied to the 
affiliated societies. The die is a very artistic one, representing in relief 
the different sections of Chrysanthemums ; incurved, Japanese, Pompon, 
Anemone, Anemone Japanese, and single varieties being arranged in a 
graceful wreath with foliage. The medals are extremely tasteful pro¬ 
ductions highly creditable to the Society, and will undoubtedly be greatly 
valued by the fortunate recipients. 
-The weather has suddenly become very cold and winterly in 
the south of England, north and north-east winds prevailing. In the 
neighbourhood of London on Saturday morning a temperature 8° below 
freezing point was registered. In Dorsetshire and neighbouring counties 
there have been storms of snow and hail, also in Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, 
and the north generally. Dahlias and other tender plants show the effeits 
of the frost, and the summer beauty of flower gardens is now destroyed. 
- A correspondent writes: —“In your report of “Some 
Thoughts And Suggestions on Fruit and Fruit-Growing ” on 
pp. 266 and 267 of the last number of the Journal, it is stated that the 
most popular variety exhibited at the National Apple Congress, held in 
OctoDer, 1883, was Apple Lord Soffield, but by referring to your 
issue of December 18th, 1884, p. 544, it will be seen that, in point of fact, 
B'enheim Pippin was the most popular Apple, it being classed in both 
culinary and dessert sections, obtaining an aggregate of 115 marks, or 
fourteen in excess of those recorded in favour of Lord Suffield.” 
-In reference to a note on the Middle Temple Chrysanthemums 
in our last issue, we are requested to state that though an exhibition of them 
will not be held this year the stock of plants will be retained. They h ive 
all been cut down for the production of cuttings. It is not generally 
known that the TemDle authorities do not purchase Chrysanthemums f ir 
the Gardens, but the gardeners obtain all the newer varieties at their own 
cost, and have the privilege of disposing of cuttings to recoup themselves 
for the outlay. It is unfortunate that a show is not to be held this 
season, as the plants before being cut down were finer than have been 
seen in the Gardens for years, and an imposing display would have been 
produced. It does not follow that a Chrysanthemum show will not be 
held another year in the Middle Temple Gardens. 
- “I have just seen the beautiful new Saccolabium Heathi,” says 
an Orchid grower; “ and it is certainly a valuable addition to the always 
admired species of this genus. It bears some resemblance to Saccolabium 
Blumei majus, the spikes being 12 to 18 inches long, on which the white 
flowers are crowded, forming a dense cylindrical spike of much beauty, 
and particularly useful for comparison with the dark-flowered species. 
S. Heathi, I consider, will become a favourite in all the leading Orchid 
collections.’’ 
-Mr. W. Roberts, The Gardens, Slyngwern Hall, Macbynll 
