320 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
f April 18,18891 
tasting ; but to those familiar with Melons there is no great difficulty in 
deciding without cutting. The perfume given by perfectly finished 
fruit cannot be mistaken. In competition the fruit which has clearly 
two out of the three points indicated should be considered best. 
What I mainly object to is the wholesale destruction of Melons at 
fruit shows. Much has been remarked by “ R. M.” and others upon the 
good qualities of certain small varieties. Those for exhibition purposes 
are, like the Frontignan G-rapes, almost out of cultivation. The fact of 
their being rarely seen upon exhibition tables proves that they are not 
appreciated by cultivators generally. 
Mr. Gilbert’s advertisement for his “ never-failing Victory of Bath ” 
reminds me of an amusing incident which occurred at York a few years 
ago. Mr. Gilbert was a Melon Judge at the Show ; he will, perhaps, re¬ 
collect the circumstance. In the morning whilst staging was going on a 
man carrying a plate was seen inquiring of bystanders which was the 
place for Melons. On being directed to the table he put down his plate, 
and to the merriment of on-lookers he took from his coat pocket a green 
insignificant Melon, about the size of a cricket ball. When judging was 
over and the public admitted, those who had laughed in the morning 
were amazed to find the first prize awarded to the despised one, and 
written on the prize card, “ This is recognised by one of the Judges as 
the Burghley Pet.” 
During the three days the Show lasted this Melon and its card 
served as a standing joke, which was enjoyed by many besides— 
J. McIndoe. 
ROSE SHOWS IN 1889. 
June 24th. Ryde. 
„ 26th. Richmond (Surrey). 
„ 27th. Farningham, Winchester. 
„ 29th. Reigate. 
July 2nd. National Rose Conference at Chiswick ; Sutton. 
„ 3rd. National Rose Conference at Chiswick; Bagshot, Croydon, 
Farnham, Maidstone. 
„ 4th. Bath, Canterbury, Hitchin, Norwich. 
„ 6th. Crystal Palace (National Rose Society). 
„ 9th. Diss, Hereford. 
„ 10th. Dursley, Ealing, Ipswich, Tunbridge Wells. 
„ 11th. Gloucester. 
„ 13th. Eltham, New Brighton. 
„ 16th. Birkenhead, Carlton-in-Lindrick. 
„ 18th. Sheffield (National Rose Society), Helensburgh. 
„ 19th. Ulverston. 
„ 20th. Manchester. 
„ 23rd. Christleton, Tibshelf. 
The above is nearly a complete list of all the Rose Show fixtures 
of the current year. The few that are missing I hope to receive in 
time for my next one, which will appear early in May.— Edward 
Mawley, Rosebank, Berltliamsted , Herts. 
CATHERINE MERMET. 
This fine old Rose is one of the best of all varieties for planting out 
in cool houses where there is a moderate amount of room for extension. 
It is not of a rambling nature, but produces fine, short-jointed growth, 
yielding a great number of flowers in a given space. We have one 
planted out in the conservatory which flowers more or less for nine 
months in the year. The blooms from this plant are always noted for 
their great size and solidity when compared with those grown in pots. 
Those who have hitherto grown the variety in question only in pots will 
do well to give the planting-out system a trial. 
ROSA GIGANTEA. 
In the course of the year 1888 the horticultural journals have, says 
Le Jardin, announced the discovery in India of a new and remarkable 
type of Rose, Rosa gigantea. It was only known by some dried speci¬ 
mens sent to Europe by General Collett, who had discovered it. Let us 
hope that we shall soon be able to judge of it from a personal inspection. 
Mr. King, Director of the Botanic Garden at Calcutta, has recently sent 
to M. Crepin two fruits containing thirty-six seeds, which have been 
sown. There appears to be a very close relationship between this Rose 
and a Chinese species known under the name of Fortune’s Yellow, 
and also as Beauty of Glazenwood. 
TWO NEW R03E3. 
Two of the most promising of the new Roses that are being sent out 
by Messrs. W. Paul & Son of Waltham Cross, are the white sports from 
old favourites, the one, White Perle, from Perle des Jardins ; the other, 
The Queen, from Souvenir d’un Ami. “ White Perle ” is a mixture of 
English and French that may look a little odd, but it was desired to 
link the variety, as it were, with its parent, while at the same time 
indicating its distinct character, and from this point of view the name 
could hardly be improved upon. Perle des Jardins is one of the finest 
of Tea Roses, and has proved its worth so often that any eulogium 
would be superfluous, and as the white sport is said to equal it in 
every respect The Bride will have to look to its laurels. The solitary 
bud that was discernible on my visit to Waltham Cross a short time 
ago was insufficient to enable me to form my own opinion of its merits. 
Not less beautiful than Perle des Jardins is Souvenir d’un Ami, a 
charming rosy Tea, which yields abundance of flowers when grown on 
the back wall of a Peach house. If The Queen is as vigorous and free 
flowering it will gain an enduring popularity. Messrs. Paul think it at 
least as good as its parent, and this, no doubt, will be sufficient to 
induce many growers to add it to their collectiofis. No one could fail 
to be struck by the health and vigour of the whole of the Roses in their 
establishment.—W. P. W. 
EVENING NOTES. 
Conserving Heat in Houses—Blinds. —This subject is of 
importance to gardeners and owners of gardens, but it is not often 
gardeners are in the position to give much help, except to low pits or 
frames which can be covered with mats. Where there is one instance 
as mentioned by your correspondent “ E.” there are 500 the other way. 
I, probably like many other readers, have a lively recollection of large 
span-roof structures fully exposed. In the gardens here all the plant 
houses are fitted with Parisian blinds for shading, and during the past 
winter on cold nights .we have lowered the blinds on the Orchid houses, 
which has made a difference of quite 5°. The temperature about the 
plants has been much more genial than when the pipes have had to be: 
made hotter to maintain the same temperature without the blinds. 
Probably other readers may have lowered canvas blinds for the same 
purpose, with the disagreeable result of the blinds being frozen, and 
torn asunder when an attempt has been made to draw them up.— 
A. Young. 
Cinerarias at Farnham Royal. —Since Mr. James of Redlee» 
fame took up his quarters at Woodside, Farnham Royal, and erected 
such a capital block of greenhouses, he has been enabled to extend the 
growth of Cinerarias from scores into thousands, for at the present 
moment he has in full bloom some 3000 plants, nearly all in 7 or 
8-inch pots, all in splendid health, and in the admirably constructed 
houses, excellent for Cinerarias, Primulas, k c., the plants are short, 
compact, and blooming profusely. Such a collection of plants, such 
variety of colours and markings, such superb quality in the flowers, 
allied to size and breadth of petal, has never before perhaps been seen, 
for the show is a grand one, and well worth a visit to Woodside to 
see. The houses are all of a comparatively low yet broad span, with 
wide flat stages on each side. The plants after they have fairly well 
opened their blooms are removed into blocks of one colour, and whilst 
the effect may not be so pleasing as if all the plants were intermixed, 
yet it is a remarkable one all the same, and is most useful in determining 
colours, of which there is such great variety. It is rather strange to 
find some 300 plants of the pure white variety in the same house with, 
and adjoining a large block of, crimsons and maroons ; but Mr. James 
mentions that the bees, just now so busy in the houses, and making 
the interiors harmonious with their musical hum, do not affect the 
whites whilst working the dark hued flowers. Indeed, he tells us that- 
none of all the strains come so true from seed as do the white seifs. 
The self blocks comprise in addition magenta, a very beautiful hue, 
deep reds and crimsons, purples and blues. These are all in houses 
separate from the edged or ringed flowers, which are of course the 
gayest and generally the most attractive. Here with blue, purple, red,, 
crimson, maroon, magenta, and cerise margins there is infinite 
variety, because these margins vary in width as well as in density of 
colour. There are always some new colours breaking, as, for instance, 
there is amongst the selected plants one having rosy carmine flowers, 
a beautiful colour. Blues again, and especially margined flowers, are 
developing wonderful colour and form. Very largely in Cinerarias we 
had lost the old rich blue tints, but Mr. James is getting them back 
again, and upon plants of very robust habit. In nearly all cases, too, 
the old pale hued disk is being obliterated, and dark disks substituted. 
A fine dark disk is the very soul of a good Cineraria flower. Watching 
the opening of so vast a number of seedling plants and of such a superb 
and varied strain is, of course, wonderfully interesting, indeed almost 
entrancing. Still, a large number—several hundred, in fact, of pro¬ 
pagated plants are grown, all the best varieties of the past several years 
being preserved, and these well serve to mark time in estimating the 
progress made in the seedlings, which now must, of course, be slow, 
although certain. Lovers of Cinerarias, and they are everybody, might 
spend many delightful hours in looking over the grand Woodside collec¬ 
tion. The show, for such it really is, will be in full beauty for another 
week or two at least, perhaps longer. Woodside is on Farnham Royal 
Common, is some 4J miles from Slough, and almost adjoining the 
northern side of the famous Burnham Beeches.— Visitor. 
April Weather in the North. —It is now, while I write on the 
12th April, bleak and sunless, with a temperature of 40°. Since its 
commencement there have been only two days on which the sun has been 
seen, and only one day when the temperature rose to 43° Fahrenheit. All 
the others were between 35° and 38° ; the night temperature 30° to 32°. 
Last evening’s temperature registered 37°, and the barometer is now 
rising steadily, predicting finer weather, which is greatly needed to 
admit of seeds being sown, and other outdoor work proceeded with. In 
a former letter I stated the varieties of Snowdrops would continue over 
