April S, 18 0. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
281 
earliness without lateness is incomplete. I have a late Crocus, of dwarf 
habit, that comes into flower after all the others are past. The Crimean 
Snowdrop was the latest we had until a few years ago, but a seedling 
is later still. A clump of these in the same position as earlier sorts 
did not expand until the 24th of March. Its foliage seems more dwarf 
than its congeners, and I may say an acquisition, as Snowdrops for 
three months in the year must be.—W. T. 
- On March 22nd Me. W. Cauldwell of The Ivies, Wantage, 
Essex, died in his sixty-seventh year. The deceased was a well known 
florist who had given much attention to Primroses with other hardy 
plants, and we have had occasion several times to notice his productions. 
-The Bkighton and Hove Chrysanthemum Society 
Committee are compelled to change the dates of their Show from 
November 4th and 6th to the 11th and 12th, because the “ Dome,” &c., 
has been engaged for another special affair during the week we had 
fixed on. Will you be so good as to announce the alteration in your 
valuable paper ?— Mark Longhuest. 
- Shrewsbury Floral Fete. —The summer Show has been 
fixed for August 20th and 21st, and the schedule of prizes is advertised 
in our columns as ready. This Fete holds its own as one of the most 
successful in England. By the balance-sheet for 1889 we find that the 
receipts for the year were no less than £2430, and this, notwithstanding 
the Show was held on cwo of the rainiest days in the year, a perfect 
downpour prevailing nearly all the time, the profits of the year 
were about £250, and the visitors exceeded 40,000. The simultaneous 
visit of Her Majesty the Queen to Wales prevented many visitors being 
present from a district from which the Society usually draws a large 
number of visitors. 
- Fruit Growing in Scotland. —Mr. Cecil H. Hooper writes : 
—“I was in Edinburgh last week to give a lecture on Fruit Farming to 
the students of the agricultural class of the University, and had the 
pleasure of visiting the Duke of Buccleuch’s gardens. In the houses 
there were Peaches nearly as large as Walnuts, Grapes, Pines, and ripe 
Strawberries. They get their coals now at 11s. a ton, and generally 
nearer 9s., which is a great advantage, and 1 think must more than com¬ 
pensate for the greater heat we receive. During summer they receive 
longer sunlight. At Dalkeith the vegetation was as forward as at 
Swanley. Hawthorn was in leaf, and Pears were nearly opening their 
blooms. I visited Mr. Welsh’s fruit farm near Edinburgh. He grows 
Morello Cherry as bushes largely, and Raspberries, tied in the form of 
arches to lines of wire. Ilis Strawberries are grown in beds of three 
rows, then one row omitted for convenience in picking. He has shelter 
Apple fences. Gooseberries, Black, Red, and White Currants.” 
-International Horticultural Exhibition at Berlin. 
—A sixth circular has been issued relating to this Exhibition, from 
which we gather that a special Committee has been formed for the 
decorative section, as it is intended to make special efforts for showing 
the connection between horticulture and architecture in respect to the 
adornment of rooms, balconies, and winter gardens. Prizes will be 
given for the most worthy examples. The guarantee fund has reached 
90,000 marks (about £4500). An important part of the Exhibition will 
be the scientific division, in which the co-operation of several scientific 
institutes is announced. It is expected that the exhibition of petrified 
plants will prove of special interest to many, and that the landscape 
gardening division will be of considerable extent. Season tickets may 
be had for the Exhibition on favourable terms. All information may be 
obtained from the Secretary, Berlin N., Invalidenstrasse 42. 
-The Spring Show op the Shropshire Horticultural 
Society was held in the Music Hall, Shrewsbury, on March 27th. 
The morning was wet, but during the afternoon the weather improved) 
and the Show was crowded at times by the aristocracy of the district- 
In some of the classes the competition was not so keen as usual, but 
there was no falling off in the quality of the exhibits. The chief prize, 
£3, for twelve plants in bloom in lO-ineh pots, was won by Mr. J. 
Lambert, gardener to Col. Wingfield, Onslow Hall, Shrewsbury. 
Rhododendron fragrantissimum was doubtlessly the finest plant in the 
Show. Mr. Farrant, gardener to Mrs. Jason, Abbey Forgate, Shrews¬ 
bury, was second. Plumbago coccinea superba and Clcrodendron 
Balfourianum being his best plants. In other classes the principal 
prizewinners were Messrs. Lambert; Murrell, Oldfield Nurseries, Shrews¬ 
bury ; A. Darby; Thurtle, gardener to Mr. Phillips, The Mount, 
Shrewsbury; Burr; Myres, Sutton Lane, Nursery; Davis, Blunt, 
Dicksons (Limited) Chester, and Perkins, Coventry, 
- Cabbage and Bacon. —One hundred and ten thousand tons 
of Cabbages are estimated to be used in London yearly, and an average 
of a thousand pigs arc said to be eaten in London daily. 
- Bolton and District Chrysanthemum Society.—I beg 
to remind you that the Committee have arranged for the fourth annual 
Show of this Society to take place on the 14th and 15th of November 
next.— James Hicks, Hon. Sec. 
- Gardening Appointments.—M r. G. A. Bishop has been 
appointed head gardener to S. T. Mander, Esq., Wightwich Manor, 
Wolverhampton ; the gardens attached to the new mansion are expected 
to be formed and furnished on a very complete scale. Mr. J. Tunning- 
ton, foreman, Ketton Hall Gardens, Stamford, has been appointed head 
gardener to Sir H. D. Ingleby, Bart., Ripley Castle, Yorkshire. 
- Apple Beauty op Hants. —There are some doubts about 
this variety being distinct. It resembles the Blenheim Pippin so much, 
both in shape, size, flavour, and general appearance of the fruit, that it 
is considered by many of our best pomologists to be a synonym of it. 
While admitting the great resemblance of the fruit the trees differ 
much in habit of growth and in precocity of fruiting. Beauty of 
Hants is a robust grower, branch erect, and the tree when properly 
pruned forms a handsome symmetrical pyramid ; whereas Blenheim 
Pippin grown as a pyramid is loose in habit of growth, and more in¬ 
clined to spread out than grow erect, and the trees take a much longer 
time to come into a free bearing state than the Beauty of Hants. I 
planted several trees of both varieties here twelve years ago. The trees 
of Beauty of Hants have been bearing good crops of fruit for the last 
six or seven years, and it was only last year that Blenheim Pippin 
began to bear for the first time, although the trees are a good size and 
in the best of health. The stock on which they are w’orked may have 
something to do with it. It is a free stock, but I cannot say whether 
they were raised from the wild Crab or the seeds of cider Apples. ■ 
A. Pettigrew, Cardiff, 
- Horticultural Club. —A house dinner of the Club took 
place on March 25tb, when Mons. Henry de Vilmorin was the guest of 
the evening. There was a very full attendance of members, represent¬ 
ing all classes of horticulture, to do honour to their distinguished guest. 
The chair, in the absence of Mr. John Lee, who was prevented by other 
engagements from being present, was taken by Dr. Hogg, a very old 
friend of Mons. de Vilmorin. There were present the Rev. W. Wilks, 
the Rev. F. H. Gall, Messrs. Shirley Hibberd, Bunyard, Walker, 
Jefferies, Lynch White, Arnold Moss, Northrup from Minneapolis, 
Minnesota; J. H. Veitch, Herbert J. Veitch, Morris, Crowley, A. h. 
Barron, Wheeler, Herbst, Prince, Cousens, Turner, &c. The health of 
the guest was proposed by Dr. Hogg, and responded to in graceful 
terms by Mons. de Vilmorin. Other toasts were also given. “ The 
Other Visitors,” for which Mr. Northrup returned thanks ; “ The Royal 
Horticultural Society,” proposed by Mr. Shirley Hibberd ; “ The Chair¬ 
man,” proposed by Mr. Wilks. A most enjoyable evening was spent, 
and many hearty good wishes expressed for the prosperity of the 
Club. 
_ The Japanese Plum.—R eferring to the Japanese Plums 
Mr. John Gelding writes to the Sydney Morning Herald “ Mr. Walter 
Hill, late curator of the Brisbane Botanic Gardens, has forwarded to 
me a box of Japanese Plums. This species appears peculiarly adapted 
for cultivation in climates where the ordinary varieties of Plums refuse 
to produce fruit, and from Mr. Hill’s account the variety is wonderfully 
prolific in all such districts. The fruit, which rather exceeds in size a 
well-grown specimen of the Orleans Plum, has a rich, dark claret skin, 
the pulp when fairly ripe being about the colour of the Prickly Pear, 
and when fully ripe is of a deep beetroot colour. Respecting its flavour, 
the fruit appears more suitable for preserving than for dessert purpose i 
And as without doubt the species will grow and produce fruit well in 
any part of New South Wales, those who go in for fruit preserving 
should largely grow this Plum as, preserved either as a jelly or as a 
jam, its colour would form a very attractive feature. I should also say 
that as a vegetable colouring matter its use should be adopted for 
colouring confectionery, and even dull-looking jams. The trees are of 
quick growth, and any quantity can be obtained by cuttings when once 
a healthy tree is obtained.” 
_Ware and District Mutual Improvement Society.— 
This Society has held two successful meetings during the past month. 
On the 11th inst., Mr. A. King in the chair, a paper on “Vine Cu!- 
