172 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
August 23, 1891. 
Lefort, Lord Suffield, Sensation, and Koyal Sovereign among new ones 
were good. 
The first to ripen was Laxton’s No. 1. This is evidently the earliest, 
and we found it of good quality, and just the kind to grow under a 
south wall for a few early berries. Laxton’s Royal Sovereign must be 
classed A1 for cropping. For flavour and size it is destined to become 
one of the leading sorts, and the market growers will, we expect, take it 
up for an early crop. Laxton’s Sensation is a dark red Strawberry, early, 
very large, fine in flavour, and of strong constitution ; brisk, yet rich 
and good. Edouard Lefort is very refreshing, of pronounced Hautbois 
flavour. Probably this will force well, being of La Grosse Sucree style 
and early. Empress of India is of remarkable flavour, but it is a poor 
cropper and not robust, though the third generation from the original 
plants shows a marked improvement. Auguste Boisselot has vigorous 
habit with grand foliage, thus it escaped the frost, and gave a large 
crop of fine berries. Scarlet Queen does not crop heavily, but the fruit 
is large and of fine flavour ; in a better season would be excellent. 
White Knight is very tender, and we fear must go out of culture, 
though its well flavoured fruits are very taking in the dish. Cardinal 
is a good hardy early sort, may be called an early Paxton with better 
flavour. Lord Sufileld has very fine rich flavour, perhaps the best this 
year (outside the Queen race) ; it has good foliage, and did not suffer 
from frost. Gunton Park is very fine in flavour, cockscombed, often 
large, rich colour, a good late sort with upright foliage. Georges 
Lcsuir also is fine variety but little known. This kind improves with us, 
and it ranks high for flavour and size. La France was really finer than 
Empress of India, but our plants were not in a favourable place, most 
promising. Souvenir de Kieff is very rich flavour ; late variety. So 
much for the newer or little known kinds. 
Among the older varieties which have hitherto done so well here, 
Noble and Competitor were flavourless, but in a dry season they are 
sheet anchors and of good quality. President, Sir J. Paxton, Vicomtesse 
Hericart de Thury, and Goliath, our main crop sorts, were not so good 
as usual. Among the Queen race we had fine fruit of British Queen 
and Dr. Hogg, but Latest of All, which should be called Continuity, as 
it is not one of the last, was grand, and this kind must rank as one of 
the most select. The old Carolina Superba was finer than ever before. 
Laxton’s King of Earlies, and John Euskin, so fine in 1893, were very 
poor. Frogmore and Filbert Pine were, as usual, of the highest quality, 
but the former is very delicate. Teutonia proved worthless, but perhaps 
our senders did not furnish the true sort. 
The impression left on our minds is this : with the changing seasons 
we must not rely on a few kinds for a supply, as there are wet season 
and dry season varieties, and we prefer those with ample foliage. Those 
like Countess and Loxford Hall are nowhere in a dry time ; while Noble, 
Competitor, John Ruskin, Victoria, Eleanor, and others, are grand in 
the hottest seasons but useless in wet times. In any case, after the 
scorching year 1893 we could not have expected a full yield, and we 
estimated our fruit at three-quarter crop. The weather has, however, 
been favourable for good sound runners for potg and beds, and we think 
the plants have more than recovered the vigour they lost in 1893. 
Auguste Nicaise has been fine outside this year. Waterloo was very 
fine in flavour and size. 
During the past five years we have tried and discarded about 100 
kinds, and we hope still farther to reduce the varieties in cultivation 
here ; but with such grand berries as Messrs. Laxton and Allan are 
giving us it is difficult to manage with less than the fifty sorts, as at 
present in stock here, to cover sorts for preserving, forcing, and recog¬ 
nised fine kinds.— George Bunyard &'''Co., Maidstone, 
Judging from present appearances there is every reason to look 
forward with confidence to the flowering season of the “ autumn queen.” 
The plants in the majority of districts seem to have made strong, 
healthy growth, which, where intelligent methods of feeding have been 
practised, is not characterised by the grossness one might expect during 
so wet and sunless a season. Where, however, feeding has been 
practised as freely as it was necessary during the sunny season of 1893, 
it is doubtful if the growth made is not too vigorous to become well 
ripened. In my opinion this is an important point to bear in mind. 
What we want to do is, aim at producing exactly the amount of growth 
that the sunshine of each season will thoroughly ripen. Of course this 
is a matter which cannot be calculated exactly, as' however bright 
or sunless one part of a season may be we cannot forecast what may 
follow. But this we can do—viz., during prolonged periods wet and 
sunless weather withhold stimulating manures, and on the advent of 
sunshine continue their use. During wet seasons plants without any 
feeding beyond that which they derive from the soil will make stronger 
growth than they usually do in bright ones with the assistance of 
abundance of chemical and natural manures given in a liquid form 
simply because rain possesses great fertilising powers in addition to the' 
necessary element of the water it supplies. For these reasons it seems 
to me that Chrysanthemums will from the present time onward require 
less feeding than usual, so that the growth already made may become 
thoroughly ripened ; a few weeks dry, sunny weather with occasional 
periods of steady winds, will do much towards securing this result. 
It is some years since I remember the buds forming at so opportune 
a time. Many buds of the Queen family have been taken during the 
past week, and the remainder will be secured during the next ten days. 
Madame Thdr^se Rey and Miss Dorothy Shea showed crown buds the 
second week in August, and were secured. The latter variety has made 
hard, firm, strong growth,but everywhere seems to exhibit a paleness in the 
colour of its foliage. Mr. G. Newitt and Mrs. Falconer Jameson showed 
crown bads a trifle too soon—viz., July 25th. Colonel Smith was also 
somewhat early, but as the flowers from terminal buds of this variety 
are good, the early date at which some of the buds were taken may 
prove an advantage rather than otherwise. Mrs. Hubbuck, a last year’s 
variety of great promise, showed crown buds about the middle of 
August; all of these were taken. Mons. A. E. Carriere, from plants 
stopped at the end of March, showed crown buds July 30th ; on 
unstopped plants the buds to-day (August 18th) are just visible. Those 
taken at the former date will, I think, bring the best flowers, as this 
variety is a late one. Lord Brooke seems to be even later, as I have as 
yet only secured one bud—that the first crown, taken July 24th, merely 
to see how it behaves. Lord Rosebery and Brookley Gem each showed 
crown buds rather early ; the terminals are now just visible. Mrs. 
T. Denne, which to my mind was one of the best new varieties to be seen 
last year, is only j ust showing the first crown bud; but as I did not 
receive the plants till somewhat late, this may be owing to late propaga¬ 
tion. The bulk of other popular varieties not mentioned are with me 
showing their bads at the times generally acknowledged to be the most 
suitable. 
There are thousands of fine Chrysanthemum plants to be met with 
this year, and those who manage them the best during tbe next two 
months will doubtless secure the finest flowers.—H. D., WarwicTi. 
CUCUMBERS AT FARNHAM. 
No grower of Cucumbers has during the past few years exhibited 
handsomer samples, or in greater bulk, or perhaps produced so many 
high-class varieties as has Mr. Mortimer of Farnham. Starting some 
years since with Parley Park Hero, he has followed up that early success 
with many varieties, utilising in his work of improvement the best of 
material, until we have now in his more recent sorts such as it seems 
almost impossible can in colour, length, or general beauty be excelled. 
Being recently at Farnham I gave Mr. Mortimer a call, as it is always a 
special pleasure to see things not only well done, but those things of the 
very best. Mr. Mortimer grows Cucumbers solely for seed production; 
still it by no means follows that his practice is not as suited for market 
work as for seed production. The result is in any case an enormous 
crop of fruits, which can from the present plants be estimated by thou¬ 
sands, and yet this is the second crop of the year, for one of as great 
abundance was harvested from several houses in June last. No sooner, 
however, were the first crop fruits cut than plants and soil were 
removed, the houses well cleaned, new soil put in the beds or troughs, 
and fresh plants put out. The present or second crop is in most cases 
so forward that the greater portion will have finished by the end of the 
month, and the later ones by the middle of September. As the fruits 
average 100 seeds each the numbers obtained may well be estimated. 
First in order is a span house, 50 feet long, and like all the others 
some 12 feet wide. This is carrying a huge crop of Sutton’s Improved 
Telegraph, an excellent stock, perfectly true, and certainly a wonderful 
cropper. The fruits are smooth, have short handles, and are of good 
colour. They average 16 inches in length, but would be rather longer 
were length not checked by fertilisation. Some greater depth of colour 
would improve all Telegraph stocks, but this is a reliable strain all the 
same. In this house the plants are 2 feet apart, and are growing on a 
shallow body of soil placed on a concrete, trough-like bed, through 
which runs a single hot-water pipe. The next house is 100 feet in two 
divisions, and is full of the same sort. Here, however, the bed is in 
wooden troughs, elevated above the soil beds, so as to prevent roots from 
getting into old soil and thus check club and gumming. These troughs 
are about 24 inches wide, and comparatively shallow. The crop is again 
an immense one. Prior to this a crop of the same variety was taken 
from the house. 
There is yet another 80 feet house, the plants growing on 20-inch 
beds of soil in troughs that are but 6 inches deep. This crop is a little 
later than the others, but it is also an immense one. There are 550 
seeding fruits in this house, and still of the Improved Telegraph. The 
variety seems to be in great demand both for private growing and 
market sale. Then comes a 50 feet house, on one side of which only is 
growing that large, good, and fine Cucumber, Daniels’ Duke of Edin¬ 
burgh, but it has too long a handle. These were planted in the middle 
of July, and have soon produced a fine crop of fruits. From this house 
had previously been taken a heavy crop of the New Progress Cucumber, 
and before that had been used for the propagation of Dahlias. Then 
comes a 60 feet span house of Express, also known as Sutton’s Al. Here 
the beds on each side are simply ridges of soil laid on to the ground 
level, the plants at 2 feet apart in the rows having some 2 feet stems 
before breaking into shoots. They were put out at the end of July. 
The fruits of this variety are from 20 to 24 inches in length, very deep 
green, smooth, and having a dense bloom. Though very prolific it is a 
