420 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
November 8,1894. 
them even fairly good. I have tried almost everything that has 
been recommended to destroy the pest, besides making experiments 
of my own, and once I have cleared out and started with a fresh 
stock, which was supposed to be clean, but only to have both 
plants and hopes blighted the following season. Last spring I 
planted out the whole of my “ Malmaisons,” and surely there has 
been enough rain to wash away the spores, to satisfy the most 
ardent advocate of the syringing system. The plants are, however, 
in a far worse state at the present time than when they were 
put out. 
For my part, I cannot see how syringing, or any outward 
application whatever, for the removal or destruction of the spores 
■can stay the progress of the disease when the mycelium is estab¬ 
lished in the tissue of the host plant. It is as reasonable to suppose 
that the removal of every Mushroom from a bed while in the 
button ” stage would prevent the spawn running. I have 
■for some time past had an idea that if we could add something to 
the soil or water that the plants could take up without injury, say 
some compound containing sulphur (dissolved bone or sulphate of 
iron for example), the juices of the plant might be rendered 
•obnoxicus to the mycelium. Perhaps Mr. Abbey will tell us if 
there is a probability of such being the case. 
Sometimes Carnations are healthy in the country, particularly 
near the sea; bat very often they are the reverse. I could name 
places where “ Malmaisons ” are affected with Uromyces and Crimson 
Clove with Helminthosporium ; but so far as I have observed in 
Bristol these and other Carnations are, without exception, in 
robust health. The accounts which have recently appeared in 
these pages of the Red Braes and other suburban collections con¬ 
firm me in this. The question naturally arises. Why are Carnations 
not always healthy in the country while they are invariably so in 
town ? The first answer that presents itself is the continual 
deposition of soot renders the plants externally, and perhaps 
internally too, unsuited to the germination of fungi spores. I shall 
be glad to know what other observers have to say about the health 
of town-grown Carnations as compared with country grown plants, 
and if they have found the former are the better to what they 
attribute the cause. 
I fully agree with Mr. Bardney that these fungoid diseases 
must be traced to some other source than that of the soil. Are 
not the spores floating in the air like those of other fungi ? Then 
why should they not settle and germinate on the first Carnation 
plants that come in their way ? This appears to me to explain 
why healthy stocks of Malmaisons which I have known, and in 
good hands too, have succumbed to this dreaded disease. — 
T. S., Henbury Hill. 
LIMITED COLLECTIONS OF FRUIT. 
Ir the action of the Royal Horticultural Society in limiting 
the collections of fruit shown under its auspices to fifty dishes will 
load to higher quality fruit being exhibited then it will do much 
to advance fruit culture. Exhibitions are at the root of the evil 
why so many comparatively worthless varieties are grown, espe¬ 
cially of Pears. As long as a variety is large and showy that is 
enough for exhibitors. If exhibitions are to be educational, as 
they certainly should be, they should not encourage these large, 
showy, but worthless varieties. Many owners of gardens as well 
as gardeners visit these exhibitions for acquiring information on 
the best varieties to plant. They come to a first prize collection, 
and very likely every name is written down carefully, fruits which 
happens to be extra large and showy being particularly noticed. 
What a snare and delusion such exhibits are as followed by planters 
who require fruits better than sweet Turnips ! 
On looking over the names in the winning collections at the 
recent Crystal Palace show, what do I find ? Almost the whole 
lot practically useless from a quality point of view. As long as 
Mr. So-and-so has secured a first prize, that is enough. Visitors 
fiock around, note-books in hand, and when they arrive home the 
gardener is informed of the wonderful Pears which have been 
seen. His own fruits are not to be compared with them. Nursery¬ 
men would be only too pleased to see the list pared down. What 
is wanted is a higher standard of excellence. Judges should know 
the varieties, and make a rigorous stand against mere size if 
quality is lacking. It is of no use one man setting his face against 
it ; there must be a combination of all the principal exhibitors, 
and the Royal Horticultural Society should take the lead. It 
should be remembered that not only “ for market,” but fruits 
which will be appreciated on a gentleman’s table should also be 
considered. 
I note that “ Fruitman ” (page 403) makes mention of the 
Gloucester Root, Fruit, and Grain Society, which encourages 
unlimited collections of culinary and dessert Apples, also Pears. 
I will mention an instance even at that exhibition, where quality 
with a limited number of dishes proved victorious over mnch 
larger collections. It occurred upwards of a dozen years ago, and 
I was the exhibitor. I was a stranger to Gloucester and its shows, 
but wishing to exhibit I made my entries, but was not aware that 
it was usual for exhibitors to stage unlimited collections. I set 
up twelve dishes of culinary Apples, eighteen dishes of Pears, and 
eighteen dishes of dessert Apples. Although my opponents had 
from eighty to 100 dishes, I was awarded first for Pears and 
culinary Apples, and second for dessert Apples, a good record 
I took it against such tremendous odds. It was the high quality 
of the fruit, especially of the Pear?, which gained us the victory. 
I remember after the judging and the public were admitted one of 
the officials going up to the Judges (Mr. Coleman was one of them) 
and asked him if some mistake had not been made ? “ Why,” he 
said, “look at these large collections.” “Yes,” replied the Judge, 
“ but the higher quality fruit is in the collection we have placed 
first.” 
That is the only instance I remember where a judge had the 
courage of his opinions, and placed quality before mere bulk and 
against such a large number of dishes. If some such stand was 
made generally, worthless varieties would soon be expunged from 
our gardens and trade lists. I know perfectly well it would not be 
fair to place poor culture over high culture, even though the 
varieties were known to be of higher quality. Size, with the fruits 
well developed for the variety, with high quality combined, is what 
should be the aim of both cultivators for home use or exhibitions. 
High quality Pears, when well grown, have a much greater charm, 
and are far more meritorious from a cultivator’s point of view than 
such huge, worthless kinds as Beurre Bachelier, Beurre Clairgeau, 
Triomphe de Jodoigne, and many others I could name. A few of 
the good ones are Josephine de Malines, Winter Nelis, Marie 
Louise, Beurre d’Aremberg, Ensile d’He:vst, Doyenne du Comice, 
Glou Mor^eau, Thompson’s, Beurre Hardy, Beurre Superfin, 
Bergamotte Esperen, and Marie Benoist. There are others I 
could name, but these illustrate my estimate of what a good Pear 
is.—A. Young. 
SEASONABLE HINTS ON FLORISTS’ FLOWERS. 
Auriculas. 
There can be little doubt, I think, from what I have seen in 
my own small collection and from what I have heard from others, 
that t’ne cool and moist weather we have experienced, however 
unfavourable to some descriptions of flowers, has suited the 
Auricula well—that is, where frames have been carefully looked 
after, and drip has not been allowed to fall upon the pots. The 
per-centage of those which produced autumn trusses has been 
with me very small, and so I hear it has been with others. There 
are some varieties such as Acme which are more prone to do this 
than others, and I believe it makes very little difference in this 
respect whether they are potted early or late. Now is the time for 
removing all the old leaves as they become sere and yellow. The 
very mild weather that we are experiencing makes the probability 
of aphides getting on the plants greater. They should be carefully 
examined, and if there be any trace of them, where the collection 
is small they may be brushed off with a soft brush ; where this is 
too tedious a process fumigation may be made use of. Of 
course, the pots should be carefully examined to see that there is 
no derangement of the drainage ; weeds should be removed, and 
the surface of the pots gently stirred. During the next two 
months water must be very sparingly given, not allowing the soil 
to become dust dry, although some go even to this length. Now 
will be the time to make any additions of new varieties that may 
seem to be desirable to have, but in truth there are very few of 
these ; it takes some years even when a good seedling is produced 
to get up anything like a stock of it, except in the case of seifs, 
which are much more prolific than the edge varieties, and although 
we see flowers obtaining first-class certificates and other awards, 
yet, except in the raiser’s hands, they disappear from sight for some 
years, and sometimes do not reappear. 
Many attempts have been made to give us additions to our 
green edge class. Mr. Simonite’s Rev. F. D. Horner, which can 
hardly now be classed as a novelty, has been a valuable addition. 
Abbe Lizst raised by Mr. J. Douglas, is a fine green edge, and 
should it retain its character, of which there seems every proba¬ 
bility, it will be a very valuable addition. This will, I believe, be 
let out in May by Mr. Douglas, so that it is not yet in commerce. 
Talisman, another of Mr. Simonite’s raising, I do not think a great 
deal of, while of the other flowers which have been exhibited and 
certificated, as there does not seem to be much probability of their 
being soon distributed, nothing need be said. In greys we have 
nothing that has equalled George Lightbody, and it seems more 
