406 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 4. 
able luffer boarding—if I may be permitted to call it 
so—at a very low level in front, for the admission of 
fresh air during stress of weather; whilst, in order to 
persuade the trees they are quite at home in their own 
land, a great portion of the perpendicular glass frontage 
moves on rollers with such ease that a child might 
work it; thus throwing the house—if such I may term 
it—almost open to the outer atmosphere. But another 
point may be named; these openings, which, worked 
upon the old plan, would require much time to open and 
shut, are worked by what has been termed a sympa¬ 
thetic movement; that is to say, a magic twist of a kind 
of windlass, at one stroke, throws open the frontage for 
some twenty yards at a move. 
The Peaches, Nectarines, &c., are progressing in a 
capital way; no Red Spider here; and I venture to pro¬ 
phecy, that before two years have passed we shall hear 
of cart-loads of Peaches instead of dozens. 
Pines are grown in what I call first-rate style; and 
I should say are, in appearance, what we might fairly 
fancy them in their happiest moods, in the best of their 
native climes. With his Peaches, Mr. Fleming tries 
hard to persuade them they are out-of-doors. 
Mr. Fleming has some splendid specimens of Grapes : 
Hambro’ up to any mark; Muscats, monsters; and I 
must here point to a new French Grape, of a sort of 
brick-colour, which Mr. Fleming thinks will make a useful 
addition to the dessert table, both as to colour and 
character. 
I must now say a little about the culture of out-door 
fruits, which is quite up to the best conceptions of the 
day, as our readers may imagine. There are five lines 
set out for the culture of choice Pears on the wire 
training system ; they are alternate, the globular and 
the reverse, or umbrella training; these have an ex¬ 
cellent effect, and appear in a very fruitful condition. 
Then we have a long perspective of Pears, in the shape 
of an arcade, which has a most imposing effect, to 
say nothing of the luscious treasures with which it 
is loaded. Apples, too, may be seen rank and file, like 
so many soldiers, and quite as much systematised as 
red coats under drill. They are chiefly trained in what 
has been termed the punch-bowl fashion, and really they 
seem to enjoy that mode of handling much. 
Of course, the walls are full of fine Plums, Pears, and, 
indeed, every good thing; but to particularise all in this 
princely place would be no small task. I merely profess 
to have taken a glance at a few of the good things. To 
those interested in the very highest order of general 
gardening, I would say, try to see Trentham. 
R. Errington. 
Davbntry Gooseberry and Currant Show. —The 
third annual show of the above society took place on 
the 14th of August. Owing to the lateness of the season, 
and a continuance of wet weather immediately before 
the show, the berries were not so fine as usual, nor did 
they ripen so kindly as they would have done with a little 
more sunshine, so necessary to the growth of large berries. 
The following is the award of the chief prizes :— 
Gooseberries. — Heaviest berry of any colour: 
steward’s prize—a teapot, London, 24 dwts. 10 gr. (extra 
prize, 2s. 6d.), Mr. R. Watts. Two heaviest: steward’s 
prize—a bell-metal tea-kettle, red, Wonderful, 1.9 dwts. 
1 gr., green, Thumper, 17 dwts. 21 grs., Mr. Geo. Thomp¬ 
son, Buckby. Premium by Mr. Watts—a tea-kettle—for 
four heaviest berries of distinct colours: red, London, 
18 dwts. 18 grs., yellow, Gunner, 20 dwts. 1 gr. green, 
Overhall, 18 dwts., 17 grs., white, Lady Leicester, 20 dwts. 
10 grs. 
Currants. —Premium by Mr. Wise—pair of hyacinth 
glasses—for the best half-pound of Red, and best half- 
pound of White Currants, Mr. R. Watts. Premium by ! 
Mr. Thos. Abbotts, of 2s. 6d., for the best pound of 
Black Currants, single berries, Mr. T. Kilburn. Un¬ 
fortunately, several of the exhibitors sent in their fruit 
weighed a little too fine, some dishes containing several 
penny-weighs short of the pound, which, consequently, 
disqualified them, or the whole of the prizes offered 
would have been taken. One dish of Black Currants, 
exhibited by Mr. C. Lee, lost the first prize from the 
above cause, being far superior in point of fineness to 
any at the show; and the committee trust that in 
future exhibitors will be careful in sending sufficient 
weight, as they much regret that any competitor should 
be disqualified.— Northampton Mercury. 
STOPPING ROSES AND OTHER PLANTS. 
If the points of all the young wood in the kingdom 
could be suddenly stopped next week, and if every 
attempt at growth nearer the roots could be arrested 
with equal promptness; and, moreover, if every leaf 
and shoot which casts a shade over another leaf or shoot 
could be removed at once, that is, next week, what would 
remain for the pruner to do next winter? 
Instead of attempting to guess what the pruner would 
have to do under that or any other plan, let us rather 
see what would be the consequences of the adoption of 
a general move for arresting the growth of a season so 
early, and for thinning the shoots and leaves of all trees 
and plants to such a degree as that not one of their 
number could hurt any of the rest by keeping the sun 
from it. The first way in which we should feel such a 
general use and application of a sound principle would 
be in the want of Roses for the rest of the autumn; 
because, every Rose shoot which is stopped after this 
week will not be able to make another growth this 
season of sufficient strength to produce flowers worth 
looking at; therefore, I would not advise any one to 
meddle with Perpetual Roses after the end of August, 
with a view to improve their shapes, or to get more 
flowers from them this season. From the end of May 
to the middle or end of August, a practical hand can do 
a great deal for improving the Rose-tree in shape and 
bloom, by stopping, by thinning the flower-buds, by 
shortening such shoots as have flowered, by thinning 
out weak shoots, or even strong shoots, if they get too 
much crowded from recent growths, and by keeping 
down all flies and caterpillars, and all eggs of insects; 
but after we get into September this work must cease, 
except the part of it which looks after the grubs and 
insects; and, provided the plant is not over-crowded 
with leaves and shoots, it is best to leave it to itself for 
the rest of the season. 
One thing is certain, however, and that is, that early 
in September is the proper time to prepare tender Roses 
for standing against the frost next winter, and the 
preparation is simply to see that the plant is not 
crowded in any part; and if it is, prune away the 
over-crowded shoots at once; depend upon it, the grand 
secret of having Peaches and Roses next summer is to 
see that every shoot on each tree and plant can see the 
sun, from top to bottom, once a day, at least, or all day, 
according to the position of the shoots, from the 1st of 
September to the fall of the leaf. But I would sooner 
believe that the Russians would gain the day, than that 
there are two Peach-trees and two Rose-trees in every 
parish in the country which have ever yet been one- 
half so thin of leaves and shoots at this season as they 
ought to be, unless they happen to be under the care 
of a good gardener. Every body else, as far as I can 
see, have their Roses and Peach-trees more than twice 
too thick of leaves and young, useless wood, both of 
I which do immense damage, from this day forth to the 
