214 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ March 13, 1899. 
that short time. They begin directly the Peas are sown. A sure 
method is to sow in narrow trenches, and either draw herring nets 
over the ground or cover each line with wire netting, taking care 
that the ends are closed. As a rule I prefer the herring netting, 
as it is necessary to protect until the plants are a good size, and 
these can be drawn over the stakes with little trouble. To keep 
the pheasants from Lettuces I have tried dusting the foliage with 
soot. This is sometimes efEective. 
Blackbirds and thrushes must be kept from fruit by means of 
close netting, and it is a very great consideration to have fruit 
quarters protected before any fruit is ripe. Unless one has had 
experience it would hardly be credible the difference this makes, 
for if once either of these begin a course of fruit diet they will 
eat nothing else as long as it is to be seen or found. Of 
late years sparrows, chaffinches, and other small birds have 
been enormously destructive' to autumn crops alike in fields and 
gardens. Here we have to grin and bear it. A neighbouring 
proprietor set his gamekeepers on to the sparrows, but these 
proved too much for guns and shot, and they had to give up the 
pursuit defeated.—B. 
DAHLIA ANALYSIS—1883-1889. 
At no previous show have the different types of Dahlia been so 
completely represented as at the Exhibition of the National Dahlia 
Society held at the Crystal Palace in September last. The centenary 
class formed a new feature of special interest. Several of the exhibits 
in this class, in which all kinds of Dahlias were for the first time 
gathered together into one group, were remarkably good. To say 
nothing of the beauty of the individual flowers and the great taste dis¬ 
played in their arrangement, these collections were very instructive, 
for they showed at a glance what a variety of form and colour this 
grand early autumn flower is capable of, and at the same time what 
rapid advances in nearly all sections it is now making. Only a few 
years ago such effective and varied displays would have been altogether 
out of the question, owing to the want of a sufficient number of suitable 
varieties. 
The introduction of this centenary class has unfortunately not proved 
beneficial to our analysis, for many of the flowers which would other¬ 
wise have appeared in the ordinary classes were used to adorn these 
novel and interesting collections. Fortunately the Shows and Fancies 
suffered much less from this cause than the Pompon, Cactus, or single 
Dahlias. Owing, however, to the dry and forcing weather which pre¬ 
vailed at the end of August and during the early part of September,, 
the competition in these two divisions was less keen than at either of 
the two preceding shows, for under these unfavourable conditions^ 
and particularly in the early districts, many promising young bloomsr 
destined for the show were over before the Exhibition took place. The- 
total number of Show and Fancy Dahlias staged in competition at the- 
last seven shows has been as follows;— 
1883. 
1884. 
1885. 
1886. 1887. 
1888. 
1889. 
Shows... . 
. 692 
764 
837 
840 1106 
11.58 
922 
Fancies 
. 269 
425 
355 
387 350 
315 
274 
061 
1179 
1192 
1227 1456 
1473 
1196 
It will thus 
be seen that 
the 
Show 
Dahlias were 
last year more 
numerous than at any of the previous exhibitions, with the exception of 
those of 1887 and 1888. On the other hand there were scarcely any 
more Fancies than in 1883—the first and smallest exhibition of the 
series. 
The averages upon which the positions of the different varieties in 
the two tables depend have been calculated as follows. For theses 
Dahlias sent out prior to 1883, the average is for the whole seven years, 
for the 1883 sorts six years, for those of 1884 five years, for those of 
; 885 four years, for the 1886 kinds three years, and for those of 1887' 
two years. The still newer kinds find places according to the number- 
of times they were staged at the last Exhibition only. 
Coming now to the table of Show varieties, the most striking fea¬ 
ture, as has been the case in recent years, is the remarkable position- 
occupied by Mrs. Gladstone in respect to all other Show Dahlias, a 
position altogether unique amongst florists’ flowers ; indeed, at the last 
four exhibitions this superb flower has been staged very nearly twice aa 
frequently as any other Dahlia, and was to be seen in almost every- 
stand in which it was admissible. The following established varieties- 
appeared in unusually good form last year—William Kawlings, Ethel 
Britton, Prince Bismarck, Clara, Harrison Weir, Imperial, George Haw- 
lings, and notably Shirley Hibberd, which was shown in many more- 
stands than at any previous exhibition. On the other hand those two- 
old favourites, the Hon. Mrs. P. Wyndham and Henry Walton, whicb 
until the appearance of Mrs. Gladstone stood together at the head of 
the analysis, were staged only about half as many times as in former- 
years. The same might also be said of Goldfinder, Mrs. Harris, T. J.. 
FANCY DAHLIAS. 
Position in Present 
Analysis. 
Average Number of 
Times Shown in the 
Seven Years. 
Number of Times 
Shown in 1889. 
Name. 
Date of Introduction. 
Raiser’s 
or 
Introducer’s 
Name. 
Colour. 
1 
18-0 
22 
IVrrs. Snimrlers .. 
1872 
Turner . 
Yellow and w-hite. 
2 
16-5 
12 
Gaiety . 
1879 
Keynes . 
Yellow, red and white. 
3 
15-6 
16 
Rev. J. 1>. l\r. Oamm . 
1873 
Keynes . 
Yellow and red. 
4 
12-1 
7 
Chorister . 
1881 
Keynes . 
Fawn and crimson. 
5 
12-0 
16 
Henry Eckford. 
1886 
Rawlings . 
Yellow and red. 
6 
10-6 
16 
Duchess of Albany . 
1884 
Turner . 
Orange and crimson. 
7 
10-5 
12 
Flora Wvatt. 
1871 
Keynes . 
Orange and red. 
8 
10-0 
11 
Mrs. N. Halls . 
1881 
Rawlings . 
Scarlet and white. 
9 
99 
14 
Hugh Austin. 
1881 
Keynes . 
Orange and red. 
10 
9-6 
10 
George Barnes . 
1878 
Keynes . 
Lilac and crimson. 
10 
9-6 
9 
Peacock . 
1877 
Turner . 
Maroon and white. 
11 
9-3 
3 
Fanny Sturt. 
1868 
Pope . 
Red and white. 
12 
9-2 
6 
Professor Fawcett . 
1881 
Keynes . 
Lilac and brown. 
13 
8-5 
4 
John Forbes . 
1882 
Keynes . 
Maroon. 
14 
8-3 
6 
Henry Glasscock . 
1875 
Keynes . 
Buff and crimson. 
15 
7-8 
6 
Eebecca. 
1883 
Lilac and crimson. 
16 
7-7 
3 
General Gordon . 
1885 
Keynes . 
Yellow and scarlet. 
17 
7-1 
6 
James O’Brien . 
1881 
Yellow and crimson. 
18 
7-0 
7 
Dorothy. 
1888 
Keynes . 
Fawn and maroon. 
19 
6-7 
3 
Egyptian Prince . 
1873 
Keyn( s . 
Orange and red. 
20 
6-6 
1 
Miss Browning-.. 
1880 
21 
6-3 
0 
Miss Lily Large . 
1876 
Ypllnw and crim.son. 
22 
60 
9 
Edmund Boston . 
1887 
Keynes . 
Orange and crimson. 
22 
6-0 
1 
Hercules. 
1877 
Keynes . 
Yellow and crimson. 
23 
6-7 
6 
Eric Fisher . 
1886 
24 
5 5 
8 
Frank Pearce . 
1886 
Rawlings . 
Rose, striped crimson. 
White and purple. 
24 
5*5 
1 
Lotty Eckford . 
1884 
Eckford . 
24 
5'5 
7 
Prince Henry . 
1887 
Fellowes. 
Lilac, striped purple. 
25 
5-3 
1 
Oracle. 
1877 
1875 
Yellow and crimson. 
Maroon and black. 
26 
5-1 
1 
John Lamont . 
Keynes . 
27 
5-0 
3 
Pelican . 
1886 
Keynes . 
White and purple. 
