August 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
217 
of perfection as to surpass the oldest competitors. His 
lot was composed of young healthy freely-grown plants; 
the most remarkable were, Ericaparmentieriana rosea, 
2 ft. high, 3 ft. through; this is one of the most beau¬ 
tiful heaths in cultivation. E. savileana, a dense 
bush, covered with its rosy-coloured globe-shaped 
blossoms; E. metulceflora bicolor, an immense plant, 
3-J- ft. high, 3£ ft. through ; E. ampullacea rubra, 2^ ft. 
by 24 ft.; E. injiata, with its long tubular flowers in 
great beauty, 2£ ft. by 2£ ft. Second prize, to Mr. 
Smith, gardener to S. Quilter, Esq., of Norwood. This 
collection was very little inferior to the preceding, 
with the exception of two or three scarcely in bloom. 
The best we noticed were, Erica massoni, a grand spe¬ 
cimen of a heath difficult to cultivate, 31 ft. by 31 ft.; 
E. shannoniana, also a splendid plant, 3 ft. by 3 ft. ; 
the rare E. obovata, a low dense bush, 1 ft. high by 
2 ft. through ; and a beautiful new heath, E. princeps 
templea, with bright shining crimson blossoms. 
Collection of Nine Cape Heaths. —1st prize, to 
Mr. Green. Like all Mr. Green’s productions, his 
heaths were brought out in the best condition. We 
can only notice a few of the best:— Erica massoni, 
2 feet by 2\ feet; E. savileana, 11- by 2 feet; E. 
jasminijlora alba, 3 feet by 3 feet; E. tricolor coro- 
nata, 2 feet by 21 feet. 2nd prize, to Mr. Taylor, 
gardener to I. Costar, Esq., Streatliam. This was a 
well grown collection. The best were, E. metula:- 
jlora bicolor, 2>\ by 3 feet; E. Bcrcjiana, a large 
densely flowered plant; E. elegans, rather failing, 
but a fine plant; E. Irbyana, 3 feet by 3 feet. 
Fuchsias. —Some fine specimens of culture were 
exhibited, and Mr. May, of Beckenham, obtained 
the first prize for a splendid plant of Fuchsia coral- 
lina, eight feet high, clothed with branches and 
flowers down to the pot. Mr. Gregory, nurseryman, 
of Cirencester, obtained a prize for a plant grafted 
with fifteen varieties. This was a new feature in the 
culture of this charming tribe, and certainly had a 
pleasing appearance. 
Fruit. —The Society offered three prizes for collec¬ 
tions of dissimilar fruit, but only one was exhibited : 
it came from Mr. Fleming, gardener to the Duke of 
Sutherland, at Trentham. This collection the judges 
did not think was in the highest perfection, and so 
gave it the middle prize, TTO. It consisted of three 
Queen and two Providence pines, four bunches of 
black Hamburgh grapes, one of Muscats, two dishes 
of peaches, and two melons. Upon the whole, it 
was a goodly lot of well grown fruit, and did credit 
to the exhibiter. 
Queen Pines (private growers).—Mr. Jones, gar¬ 
dener to Sir John Guest, had the finest four fruit, 
varying in weight from 4 lbs. to 4 lbs. 12 oz. 
Providence Pines (private growers).—Mr. Flem¬ 
ing, a handsome and the largest fruit, 10 lbs. 4 oz. 
Mr. Jones sent a good Jamaica pine, weighing 3 lbs. 
12 oz. 
Grapes. —The heaviest bunch was a West’s St. 
Peter, 4 lbs. 7 oz. It came from Mr. Turnbull. Mr. 
Fleming showed a bunch of White Nice, 4 lbs. 2 oz. 
Peaches. —Mr. Snow, gardener to Earl de Grey, 
sent six of as fine fruit as we ever saw. Mr. Spencer 
had also fine dishes of Boyal George and Noblesse 
peaches; Mr. Fleming, a dish of Noblesse; Mr. 
Turnbull, of Early Purple ; Mr. Ferguson, of Ayles¬ 
bury, of Royal George. 
Nectarines. —Mr. Parker sent Elruge, Yiolette 
Hative, and Taverney kinds; Mr. Turnbull, Elruge; 
Mr. Munro, gardener to Mrs. Oddie, Red Roman. 
Melons. —The heaviest came from Mr. Munro, 
7| lbs., Hatfield’s Green-flesh. Mr. Carson, gardener 
to W. Farmer, Esq., G lbs., Oliver’s hybrid. Best 
flavoured, Mr. Bundy, gardener to Lord Dynever, 
Cuthill’s Scarlet-flesh. 
Cherries (in dishes, 1 lb. each).—Black Tartarian 
came from Mr. Snow, and very fine they were. Mr. 
Meyers had the Black Circassian nearly as fine. The 
same growers showed some splendid Elton and Big- 
gareau white cherries. 
Strawberries were exhibited in the finest condi¬ 
tion. British Queen and Eleanor, from Mr. El- 
phinston; Deptford Pine and Old Pine, from Mr. 
Whiting. 
Tropical Fruits came from Mr. Ivison, of Syon 
House Gardens. They consisted of fruit of the nut¬ 
meg, gamboge, cloves, allspice, and vanilla. 
Mr. Elliott had a plant bearing fruit, in a green 
state, of the Musa cavendishii. 
There were many more specimens of fruit, but we 
have omitted all but the finest. 
TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Bees (A Sxibscriber). —On no account “late in the autumn tie up 
your hives in canvas bags, and hang them up in a cellar till spring.” 
They might survive such treatment, but in more instances would be 
ruined, as in a similar case mentioned at p. 204 of this volume. 
Protecting Flowers ( Well-wisher ).—Your calceolarias, ver¬ 
benas, petunias, and geraniums, must be taken up from your borders 
and have the shelter of a dry frame, to be well protected from frost, 
during the winter. Cut down your fuchsias as soon as their leaves 
have suffered from the first frost, and heap over the roots a mound 
six or eight inches deep of coal ashes. You cannot do better than to 
plunge the pots within the frame in coal ashes. You may sow gera¬ 
nium, cineraria, and calceolaria seed, but you will see what we said 
at p 236 of our last number. Your Aucuba japonica, if in the open 
ground, ought not to have naked stems ; stop each of its shoots, and 
cover over the roots with mulch now, and always in summer; your 
soil must be too poor and dry for it. 
Advertisements (A Friend Unknown). —These help to enable 
us to increase our size wdthout increasing our price. 
Straw berries (K. G., L.). —These, raised from runners of 184", 
may now be planted out in beds, and will produce fruit next year, if 
properly watered in dry weather this autumn. 
Sea Kale (Ibid). —Although your plants are nine years old. we 
think you may move them, and divide them so as to form a new 
plantation. 
Potatoes (Ibid). —Julys and London Early Rounds will keep, 
well stored Detween layers of earth in a dry cold shed, through the 
winter until next spring. 
Currants, Gooseberries, and Raspberries (Ibid). —The first 
and second must not be planted nearer than five feet to each other; 
raspberries do very well three feet apart, and even two feet will not 
be too near if they are trained to a trellis. 
Name of Motii (A Young Entomologist). —It is the Lackey 
moth (Clisiocumpa neustria), figured and described at p. 207 of our 
first volume. 
Salvia patens (A Subsci-iber, Wigtonshire). —This continues to 
shed its flower buds though you water it regularly.—Put some mulch 
over its roots, and give it liquid manure twice a week. 
Flowers for a Shaded Garden (A Young Reader). —At pp. 
20 and 219 of the present volume, and in other places, if you consult 
the indexes of this and of our first volume, you will find the informa¬ 
tion you require. We cannot tell you “ how to improve a poor soil” 
unless we know whether it is heavy or light, chalky, clayey, or sandy. 
Wire-worms (Stephen Gilbert). —You say that you read in some 
newspaper of some clergyman having found that soda ash destroys 
these destructive vermin. This has been often stated, and we should 
like to have a repoit of some accurate experiments upon the subject. 
Indefinite hearsay is not worthy of being depended upon. 
Flued Wall (An East Lothian Subscriber). —You ask us whe¬ 
ther we think you can ripen the peach and apricot on a wall built as 
under, with a flue inside running along the bottom and returning 
along the middle of the wall; there are only two turns of the flue, 
which are nine inches by fifteen inches, but the wall is built of dry 
rubble work in the centre, between and above the flues, so that the 
heat may diffuse itself through the wall; the wall is to be of sand¬ 
stone, ten feet high, tw'O feet wide at bottom, and twenty inches at 
top ; the border concreted, and several inches of drainage on the 
concrete, with a good slope to carry the water off freely and rapidly. 
Keeping in view the coldness of the climate, and allowing that the 
border will be kept very carefully mulched in dry weather, you also 
ask what depth should the border be, and how wide ? The exposure 
will be a very little west of south.—Your wall and flue arrangement 
is good, only we would narrow or run the wall in more towards the 
top—we should say to sixteen or eighteen inches. Your flues are 
well placed and sufficient for the purpose ; you will, of course, leave 
holes at distances for cleaning. Your concreting must have a good 
slope,, and the rubble in contact with it should be quite porous and 
clean, in order to ensure a certain transit of water at all times. One 
oint we beg you to secure, and that is a good elevation for the 
order: this we consider most essential to success. The surface 
