212 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 18, 1886. 
and rich surface dressing. The border need not exceed 4 feet in width, 
and inside the house, the openings to let the roots pass into the outside 
border being bricked until the inside border is made to its full extent 
and occupied with roots, then the openings may be cleared and the 
roots allowed to pass out into properly prepared outside borders. A 
4 foot width of border is quite sufficient for a year, and is far better than 
a great width of border which the roots may ramble through, but do not 
fully occupy until several seasons’ growth has been made, much valuable 
matter being wasted. 
Vines in a growing state that have been cut back can be planted as 
soon as the border is prepared. They will grow away at once and under 
good treatment fill the house with fruitful wood before the end of the 
season. If a full crop is wanted the year after planting, supernumeraries 
should be planted, and these must have the laterals stopped at the first 
joint, the cane or lead being stopped when 8 or 9 feet long and the laterals 
allowed a little freedom, but on no account must the foliage be allowed 
to interfere with or deprive the main leaves of full exposure to light and 
air. The permanent Vines must be allowed more freedom of lateral 
growth, the object being to secure a vigorous but at the same time healthy 
growth with abundance of roots and a few well-developed buds at the 
bottom of the trellis on well-ripened wood for cutting back to in early 
winter. 
The narrow borders, whether inside or outside, should be mulched 
with short manure, kept moist to induce the roots to run along the 
surface, as if the surface be dry they will strike down to the drainage in 
quest of moisture. The object should be to get surface roots and keep as 
many there as possible, so as to insure the thorough occupation of the 
compost with roots, for notwithstanding every effort the roots will get 
down, and the Vines exhibit a maximum of healthy vigour when the roots 
appear in mat- like profusion at and among the drainage. This usually 
takes place in the second year, though the results are not seen in tbe 
crop until the third, and which continues up to the eighth or longer, as 
the means adopted insure a continuance of surface roots passing through 
the compost to the drainage. Once lose the surface roots and the under 
roots will soon become less and fibreless, the Vines will show it in the 
cropping, and without awaiting further indications of coming disaster, 
prompt steps should be taken by carefully lifting the roots and laying 
them in fresh compost near the surface. The effect of fresh loam on 
Vines is magical, especially when sprinkled with bone meal, so that the 
decay of the vegetable matter of the loam is hastened.—G. Abbey. 
The Royal Horticultural Society’s Schedule of prizes 
and arrangements for the present year is just to hand. The dates fixed 
for the respective Shows to be held in the conservatory at South Ken¬ 
sington being as follows :—Promenade Shows, March 9th and 23rd, and 
April 13th ; National Auricula Society’s Show and Primula Conference, 
April 20th and 21st; Promenade Shows, April 27th and May 11th ; Show 
of Pot Roses and Azaleas, May 25th ; Show of Orchids, June 8th ; Show 
of Pelargoniums, June 22nd ; National Rose Society’s Show, July 6th ; 
Show of Flowers and Fruit, July 13th ; National Carnation and Picotee 
Society’s Show, July 27th ; Show of Plants and Flowers, August 10th ; 
Cottagers’ Show, August 24th ; Show of Grapes and Dahlias, September 
7th and 8th ; Show of Hardy Fruits, October 12th and 13th ; Show of 
Chrysanthemums and Vegetables, October 26th and 27th. Liberal prizes 
are offered in the majority of the classes, and numbers of special prizes 
are contributed by the leading seed firms. The Council have decided to 
receive provincial horticultural and floral societies into association with 
the Royal Horticultural Society upon an annual subscription of five 
guineas. They offer them the following privileges.—The silver 
Knightian, the ditto Banksian medal, with the bronze Knightian and 
Banksian medals, to be given as prizes at tbe shows of the Provincial 
Society. A member’s ticket is issued for the Secretary, and twelve single 
tickets, admitting the bearer to any one meeting or show of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. 
- The schedule of the Royal Horticultural Society’s Pro¬ 
vincial Exhibition at Liverpool is also now issued. The Show will be 
held, as previously announced, in the Botanic Garden and Wavertree 
Park, from Tuesday, June 29th, to Monday, July 5th, this year, and 
prizes amounting to £1200 will be offered in competition. Numerous 
classes are provided—namely, 135 in the horticultural portion and twenty 
for cottagers and artisans, in all of which three or four prizes are offered, 
some being of considerable value. One of the principal classes is for 
twelve stove and greenhouse, in which the prizes are £20, £15, and £10, 
though in two others for nine and six, £10, £7, and £5 are also offered. 
Orchids are liberally provided for, £20, £15, and £10 being offered for a 
group of twenty-five, arranged with Ferns, Palms, &e., and in two others 
the prizes range from £15 to £7. The Liverpool Horticultural Company 
also offer a cup, value 25 guineas, and 10 guineas in cash for the best 
twelve Orchids in flower. For a group of miscellaneous plants (300 
square feet) the prizes are £12, £8, and £6. In other classes the prizes 
range from £8 to £7. Cut flowers and table decorations, bouquets, &c., 
have thirty-two classes devoted to them. Twenty-three classes are 
devoted to fruit, the prizes ranging from £8 to 10s. Twelve are appro¬ 
priated to vegetables, including one for “ the best collection of garden 
produce,” a novel class which ought to bring out something interesting. 
Special prizes are also provided by Messrs. Jame3 Carter & Co., Sutton 
and Sons, and Webb & Sons, for vegetables. Medals will be awarded 
for the best exhibition of examples illustrative of the cultivation of 
plants, vegetables, Sea., on board ship, and silver or bronze medals will be 
awarded in twenty-one classes for garden implements, structures, &c., 
together with one or more gold medals for the best general displays. 
- At this exhibition a department will be specially devoted to 
Horticultural and Botanical Literature, Science, and Art, 
which will probably constitute an important and instructive addition to 
the attractions. Section A is for the literature of gardening, including 
British and Colonial periodicals, educational books, standard works, 
foreign garden literature, models, diagrams, and apparatus, and speci¬ 
mens illustrative of grafting and budding. Section B is for technical art, 
including plans of gardens and structures ; and Section C is for botanical 
and decorative art, comprising drawings, floral designs, photographs, 
chromo-lithographs, and flower painting on china or terra cotta. Though 
no prizes are offered, medals will be awarded in the last-named class, and 
no doubt numbers of amateurs and gardeners will assist in rendering this 
a representative exhibition. All applications mu9t be addressed to Mr. 
A. F. Barron, Royal Horticultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, before 
June 21st. 
- One of the large plants in the Percival collection of Orchids has 
just flowered in the nurseries of the Horticultural Company, Garston, and is 
a very fine form of L^lia anceps alba. This plant was purchased as 
an imported piece, and is the first time of flowering in this country. 
The specimen has been divided into several pieces, and one or two plants 
have been added to collections in the neighbourhood of Liverpool. 
-The date of the Oxford Rose Society’s Show has been altered 
to July 7th, as the 8th would clash with the Bath Show. The alteration 
is made at the earnest solicitation of a number of exhibitors at both 
Shows. 
- Mr. W. Bull, King’s Road, Chelsea, sends us some fine 
Primula Blooms of excellent substance, good form, and varied in 
colour, from white to ro9y crimson, purple and very bright red, a donble 
form named splendens fl.-pl. being remarkable for its richness of colour. 
* - In the House of Commons on Thursday last, the 11th inst., a 
a vote of £112,619 was proposed for the Royal Parks and Gardens 
but on the motion of Mr. Labouchere this was reduced by £50,403 
There were not 150 members present, and the motion was only carried by 
a small majority, which cannot be supposed to represent the opinion of 
the House or the desire of the country. It is not likely that this extraor 
dinary and ill-judged proceeding will be carried out, and we expect that 
the matter will be settled satisfactorily by the adoption of the origina 
estimate. There is no part of the public revenue better applied than the 
comparatively small amount employed in the maintenance of the parks, 
and it is the last that needs the attention of would-be economists. 
_ M. Charles de Bosschere has issued a pamphlet of sixteen 
pages, giving an interesting description of M. Ed. Pynaert-Van Geert’s 
Nursery in Ghent at the time it was visited by the International 
Botanical and Horticultural Congress in August, 1885 ; an account of 
the foundation of the nursery, its subsequent progress, its principal 
features, and the most remarkable plants grown there now. A woodcut 
view of the nursery is also given. 
_ On several different occasions it has been observed how well 
Messrs. R. P. Ker & Sons cultivate the Cyclamens in theik Aigburth 
Nursery. At the present time there are thousands of small plants 
growing in 2-'nch pots, the earliest with three or four small dwarf leaves 
