THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
July 28. 
316 
Mr. Salter, of Hammersmith, had his six trained 
umbrella Fuchsias shown again; real beauties; two 
whites and four red ones; and among the other Fuchsias, 
Pearl of England is still the best white, and Conspicuum 
the next best. Voltigeur, Verio, and Cartoni, were the 
I three best scarlets, with reflex sepals and large purple 
[ corollas. These three have a close style of growth and 
slender habit, which render them most graceful. Orion 
is an immense large scarlet Fuchsia, and Don Giovanni 
is quite as large, if not larger, but the habit is too strong 
and loose to he flowered on any system but from very 
old plants cut in very close every year. The best of 
these Fuchsias were from Mr. Fraser, of the Lea Bridge 
Nursery. 
A small plant of Gaylussacia pulchra, with crimson, 
Andromeda-like flowers, was new to me; and also a 
Pentlandia grandiflora, or some Cyrtanthiform flower 
of that bulbous section I never saw before ; the colours 
are less showy in this than in the older kinds of Pent- 
landias, and there seem but very slight differences in 
this comparatively new genus from the old Stenomessons. 
Fruit. —The fruit-tent was crowded all day, and the 
judges would have an easier task thrashing in a barn. 
I never saw such a fine display of fruit before. There 
was a collection of tropical fruit from Sion House, con¬ 
sisting of Vanilla pods, in the shape of long kidney 
beans, of a dark brown colour; the green kind of the 
Papaw-tree fruit, about the size and shape of lemons. 
The Allspice (Pirnenta vulgaris), looking like strings of 
Portugal laurel berries; Gamboge and Rose Apples 
(Eugenia jambos), looking like cream-coloured medlars; 
and Momordica balsamina, or, what is so called in 
gardens, Charantica, a very pretty toy to hang up in 
fruit-shops or conservatories. This fruit comes from a 
slender, cucumber-like vine, is five or six inches long, 
and half as much in cross diameter, of a beautiful 
orange-colour, warted all over; it splits when ripe, and 
the parts roll back against the stalk, showing a high- 
coloured inside, lined with seeds of a still higher colour; 
it does not last very long, but I have often caused 
sudden surprises by it, and no stranger to it could tell 
what kind of thing it was at first sight. If it could be 
preserved in syrup, it would make a beautiful dish in a 
fancy dessert, and as such dishes are seldom ever tasted 
at table, it would be safe enough: otherwise the whole 
race of these Cucurbids are suspicious, and some of 
them poisonous. There was a dish of the purple Gra- 
nadilla ( Passijlora edulis), which makes a delicious 
preserve. 
Among Grapes, there was an entire new kind of 
Muscat-flavoured, from the Duchess of Sutherland, and 
Mr. Fleming told me he had it from Mr. Tillery, at 
the Duke of Portland’s, by the half-blasphemous name 
of Muscat de Jesu. It is a middle-sized white berry, 
like a Muscadine; the bunch is immense, and every 
flower seems to set well; it has long, loose shoulders, 
in the way of the White Nice, and every shoulder would 
make an ordinary bunch. The two bunches of it exhi¬ 
bited were from an eye put in last year; and when the 
vine comes to its full strength on its own roots, ordi¬ 
nary bunches of it are expected to be regularly from 
four to six pounds in weight, so that they may “cut and 
come again.” I tasted this new Grape, and there is no 
mistake about the Muscat flavour. 
If I had fine, large bunches of Grapes of my own, 
and had the Queen to dine, I would never place them 
on flat dishes of any kind; I would, in some way or 
another,- show the whole bunch as it hung upon the 
tree, and no other way. The best tiling I know of for 
setting off grapes at dessert to the best advantage, is a 
gold or silver vase, eighteen inches high, or higher, and 
ten or twelve inches in diameter over the top, with a 
couple of inches just below the rim in open scroll work; 
the inside of this vase I would fill up to the brim with 
something not to be seen —a block of wood to fit exactly 
the inside of the vase is best, the top of it being level; 
let a row of small vine leaves, or part of leaves, stand 
up between the top edge of the block and the open 
scroll work of the vase; they will hide the block from 
the sides, and be guard leaves to others placed flat on 
the block; on the centre of the block, place a ten pound 
pine-apple, and a row of Royal George peaches round 
the bottom of the pine, with a row of leaves between 
them and the pine-apple; the block is now full covered, 
or, if it is not, fringe the outside of it with a row of darlc- 
coloured cherries, and then put on the huge bunches of 
grapes, and no painter could devise a more sumptuous 
arrangement, as an emblem of the fruit of peace, to 
set before the allied powers when they make up their 
present quarrel. 
But how are the grapes “ put on ” after the vase is 
filled with the pine and peaches ? As easily as the said 
quarrel could be settled. Cut two inches of the vine- 
shoot with each bunch, get this through the scroll work, 
and the bunch will thus hang down outside the vase as 
it did on the tree; put another bunch of the same 
colour on the opposite side of the vase, and take two 
more bunches of a different colour, and place them 
opposite each other like the first two. 
There are many other ways of hanging bunches of 
grapes outside the dessert dish, and of filling up the 
centre of it, all of which look better than placing them 
on each other in the usual way; and there is an easier, 
and even a better-looking way than the vase plan, 
without gold or silver, or even porcelain dishes. Get 
two figures of Bacchus, or of Cupid,—those they sell 
in plaster of Paris will do—and place one before the 
other, or back to back, as fancy leads, and let as 
much wood be cut with a bunch of grapes as will 
reach from shoulder to shoulder of the two figures, 
and the bunch of grapes will hang down between 
them as if they were carrying it on a pole. This 
device, in solid gold, and in plated figures, is now in 
use in some first-rate families for a “ centre piece” on 
the table. An Admiral would have a three-decker with 
the grapes and other fruit hanging from or between the 
masts, and so with other crafts. Two Cupids laughing 
would do for a wedding dessert. D. Beaton. 
NOTES SUGGESTED BY THE NORTHAMPTON 
SHOW. 
The Northampton Show has been steadily increasing 
in resources and influence. From the largest room in 
the principal hotel, the exhibition was taken to the 
splendid new Corn Exchange. Even then the com¬ 
mittee did not seem satisfied with their success, and the 
honorary secretary stated he never could ho, until 
thousands, instead of hundreds, saw and admired such 
gardening productions. I was not surprised, therefore, 
to find that an out-door exhibition was determined on, 
to bo held in the beautiful, extensive, and tastefully 
laid-out gardens, connected with tire Hotel at the 
Blisworth Station. Bands of music, and other ac¬ 
cessories, were in requisition, and many, for a good 
number of miles round, were, in anticipation, already 
enjoying the treat provided for them. Wednesday was 
a delightful day; and having the satisfaction of seeing 
some hundreds of happy faces here, I began counting 
up how much more pleasure I should have on the 
morrow at Blisworth; but in the afternoon the mercury 
in the weather-glass absolutely tumbled down, thick 
clouds began to lower in the evening, and by midnight 
the rain descended in torrents, continuing to do so, 
with but trifling intermissions, until far on in the after¬ 
noon of Thursday. When riding and railing, it was 
