340 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
October 11,18W. 
stances. I am informed, too, these large bulbs keep well if care is taken 
to thoroughly ripen before storing. 
These pedigree Onions have been raised by an elaborate and constant 
crossing by fertilisation, again and again selected until the various 
types have become fixed, and it is now recognised there are no finer 
types existing than the Ailsa Craig, Anglo-Spanish, Lord Keeper, Cocoa 
Nut, and Improved Wroxton. 
Mr. Kneller was first, and won the gold medal or timepiece for six 
bulbs of any kind with exquisite and perfectly finished specimens of 
Ailsa Craig, weight 12| lbs. ; Mr. Wilkins second with Lord Keeper. 
The class for twelve specimens brought out twenty-one competitors, and 
Mr. Wilkins was placed first with Ailsa Craig, weight 23J lbs. ; Mr, 
Kneller second, weight 24J lbs. ; and Mr. Waite third. In the class for 
twelve largest and handsomest specimens of enumerated kinds of 
pedigree Onions there were twenty-two entries, Mr. Wilkins winning 
with twelve Eousham Park Hero, weight 16^ lbs. ; second, Mr. Haines, 
with Anglo-Spanish ; third, Mr, Lye. Class 4 was for Deverill’s 
Improved Wroxton, a splendid long-keeping kind, and Mr. Peace was 
first, Mr. Wilkins second, and Mr. Pope third. 
Class 5 was for cottagers and mechanics, who showed well, but far 
behind the professionals. Class 7 was very hotly contested, being for eight 
distinct kinds of vegetables, one of the best displays ever staged, and all 
really good, Mr. Waite eventually being placed first with Exhibition 
Carrot (grand roots), Lyon Leeks (splendidly grown), Middleton Park 
Beet, Aylesbury Red Celery, a magnificent dish of Duchess of Albany 
Peas, good Potatoes, Veitch’s Autumn Giant Cauliflower (very good, but 
too large to please the Judges), and Glenhurst Tomatoes (very fine and 
true), A close second was Mr. Lye ; third, and close up, Mr. Wilkins ; 
equal fourth, Mr. Masterton and Mr. Doherty,—W. Ceump, Madresjield 
Court. 
The Weathee in London. —Some fogs have been prevalent 
in the metropolis this week, Tuesday being unusually dark for the time 
of year. The atmosphere had been damp, but not much rain had fallen 
until Wednesday morning, which opened wet, though clearer than the 
previous day. The temperature has been rather above the average, 
- Planting Feuit Teees.—A s between the planting of trees 
early with some foliage still attached or late with leafage all fallen and 
dead, 1 hold the former distinctly preferable. When the middle of 
October is reached summer growths are practically matured, and early 
transplanting with some foliage still on. The quick formation of roots 
consequent on the early planting whilst ground is warm not only 
causes the leafage soon to fall but helps to plump up the leaf buds, and 
in that way gives to the trees a material start. Pruning, especially the 
shortening back of summer growths, should always be done in the case 
of newly planted trees, not only to secure some balance between roots 
and heads, but also to force strong root action in the following season 
—an absolute necessity if newly planted trees are to have a good 
start.—D. 
- The Peoposed Vegetable Exhibition.— Of the numerous 
replies to the circular issued by the Provisional Committee that so far 
has the arrangement of the preliminaries, I have been exceedingly 
pleased to find how many comparatively poor men, and not at all likely 
to seek for any return for their liberality, have promised tangible help. 
It just shows what I have contended, that there is no garden section, 
though to many exhibition circles a despised and contemned element, so 
generally favoured in the community as that of vegetables. That these 
products command the chief attention of the gardener in every walk of 
life there can be no doubt. Perhaps there is not so much money in 
Potatoes and vegetable seeds as there is in fruit; hence the humbler pro¬ 
ducts get no booming like fruit does. I find no fault whatever with 
the efforts made by the nursery trade to boom fruit. It indicates 
business energy and tact. Still further when efforts of that sort be 
made there is nothing like doing it with all possible force and publicity. 
Those firms interested in vegetables have somewhat frittered away their 
efforts in all sorts of local directions and have attempted no booming, 
hence vegetable products have not attracted public attention or interest 
in the way fruit has. The proposed vegetable exhibition offers a 
splendid opportunity to boom vegetables, and create for them that great 
interest they so well merit. It is a chance which all seedsmen should 
hasten to utilise.— A. Dean, 
-A Colonial Appointment. —It is reported that Mr. William 
Lunt of the Royal Gardens, Kew, who acted as botanical collector to 
Mr. Theodore Bent’s expedition to the Hadraumaut Valley, Southern 
Arabia, has been appointed, by the Secretary of State for the Colonies,- 
Assistant Superintendent of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Trinidad. 
- Gaedening Appointments. —Mr. A. Parry, formerly of 
Killay House, Swansea, has been appointed head gardener to C. J. Jack- 
son, Esq., F.S.A., Birchwood Grange, Pen-y-lan, Cardiff. Mr. John 
Reynolds, for four years foreman of the plant department, Gunners- 
bury Park, Acton, W., as gardener to C. D, Cave, Esq., Sidbury 
Manor, near Sidmonth, East Devon. 
- The Climbing Canadian Wondee Beans. —I cordially 
agree with and reciprocate the spirit in which “ A. D.’s ” note (page 319) 
is penned, and I only refer to the matter again to make it clear that my 
former note reached 171, Fleet Street, the day before Veitch’s Climbing 
French Bean received a first-class certificate from the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society, so that instead of being “ out of date ” it was very 
much up to date.— H. Dunkin. 
- Autumn Steawbeeeies. —An Irish correspondent writes :— 
“ It may interest some of your readers to know that we bad at the end 
of September a fine crop of Strawberries ripening, and we have hundreds 
of plants laden with sprays. The variety is Laxton’s Noble. This crop 
gives us a prolonged Strawberry season, as we have now been picking 
Strawberries since March, and should the weather remain open and fine 
we hope to be picking fruit far into October.” 
- New Impeeishable Gaeden Labels. — Mr. E, H. Harry, 
3, Wood View Terrace, Archway Road, Highgate, sends us a sample of a 
new imperishable garden label which he has invented. In some respects 
it resembles other imperishable labels, but has the decided advantage of 
being interchangeable. The stem is made of galvanised iron, and the 
zinc or wood label is fixed in brass clips. Being moveable the 
tablet can be reversed if necessary, thus enabling the name of a plant 
being written on each side. For nurserymen, gardeners, and others who 
make a speciality of hardy plants these labels are particularly suitable, 
while being made in various sizes, they might also be advantageously 
used for other purposes. 
- Easteen Lilies. —The Rev. David R. Williamson writes to 
us as follows :—“ I am glad to find that your Dumfries correspondent, 
Mr. S. Arnott, whose contributions are always most interesting, 
especially when he discourses on alpine flowers, is also a cultivator of 
Oriental Lilies. My experience of these during the past season has 
been, I am glad to say, somewhat different from his. I think I can say 
with perfect accuracy that the Lily disease elsewhere, and especially in 
England, so devastating in its effects, has not yet made its appearance in 
my garden; Liliums davuricum, Thunbergianum, chalcedonicum, 
candidum, longiflorum, excelsum, auratum, and speciosum have been 
little affected, even by the abnormally wet summer season which 
prevailed. I was sufficiently unfortunate, nevertheless, to lose four of 
my auratums (of which I have a large collection) by giving them too 
much liquid manure, the ammonia affecting the upper roots, by which 
the flowers are fed, so very seriously as to destroy the buds. This 
application, on the other hand, proved beneficial to longiflorum, 
giganteum, and Harrisi, the latter of which, by reason of its tropical 
habit, is still in splendid bloom.” 
- An Ieish Gaeden.—“E. K., DulUn ," writes:—“Autumn 
flowers are very gay at Mount Merrion, and genial sunshine tempts one 
to keep in it. Cleanliness and high culture are the leading features of 
the vegetable quarters — in fact, in all departments ; but the fine 
breadths of Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, and staple winter supplies are 
very noticeable, and a credit to Mr. Crawford. Sutton’s Exhibition 
Brussels Sprout is dwarf and heavily loaded with fast-developing 
bullets which promise to load the baskets well. Apples are scarce. 
Pears rather more in evidence, but two fine old Mulberry trees are 
shedding some of their heavy crop of luscious fruit on a piece of 
smoothly shaved turf. Old trees are these, and old favourites of the 
family, and by far the finest specimens I have seen in Ireland. A large 
clump ot variegated Phormium is bearing spikes of bean-like seed pods ; 
I take the variety to be Colensoi, but am not sure on the point. There, 
too, is the largest Aralia Sieboldi I have seen, at a rough calculation it 
is 9 feet high and 12 feet across. Asters make a brave display on a 
long border. Two large circular beds edged, one might say hedged, 
with Sedum spectabile and filled with Pentstemons are bold and effective, 
and worthy of a mental note for future guidance.” 
