372 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, September 15, 1857. 
ripe, and covered with a thin bloom, but, as shown, the 
fruit was not sufficiently ripe. Mr. Cox very liberally 
placed any cuttings at the disposal of the Society for 
the use of its members, for which a vote of thanks was 
unanimously passed by the Meeting. Mr. Thompson, 
gardener to G. Lane Fox, Esq., of Bmmham Park, near 
Tadcaster, sent a bunch of Black Hamburgh grown 
against a lined wall without any protection, except a 
calico covering in spring and autumn to keep off the 
wet. They were not quite ripe, but were of large size, 
and well grown. Mr. Thompson stated that when the 
bunches began to colour he put them into what he 
called “ a Grape guard,” made of thin sheet-iron and 
fine wire net, which keeps off rats, mice, birds, and 
insects. We should be glad if Mr. Thompson would 
favour us with a drawing and description of this Grape 
guard, as we have no doubt many of our readers would 
wish to avail themselves of so excellent a contrivance. 
Messrs. Dillistone and Co., nurserymen, Stunner, near 
Halstead, sent a bunch of what they called Early Pro- 
j lific Grape, which they considered three weeks earlier 
than any other they were acquainted with ; but it was 
quite unripe, and did not appear to the Meeting to be 
anything remarkable. 
Messrs. Henderson, of Pino Apple Place Nursery, 
Edgware Hoad, sent a Melon which had been intro¬ 
duced by Mr. Fleming, of Trentham, and was called 
Fleming s Cocoa-nut Melon. It is of large size, being 
twenty-two inches in circumference the long way. The 
shape is oval and bluntly ribbed, and the rincl is yellowish 
green, covered with prominent netting. The flesh is 
green, very thick, and quite melting, and, though of 
excellent flavour, was not quite ready. Mr. Henderson 
stated that it had been said to keep two or three weeks 
after being cut, but that he himself had known it in 
first-rate condition ten days after. The specimen sent had 
been only three days cut, which may, in some measure, 
have accounted for it not possessing its full flavour. 
Another Melon, from Mr. Watson, Ealing, was a seed¬ 
ling raised between the Cantaloupe and Hoosainee. It 
weighed 10lbs., but was inferior in flavour; still the 
Meeting was of opinion that it should be again sub¬ 
mitted. Mr. Watson stated that he had grown them to 
weigh 16 lbs. 
Mr. G. McBey, gardener to Richard Ellison, Esq., of 
Sudbrooke Holme, Lincoln, sent specimens of a Peach, 
which was identified as the Gcilande, and also specimens 
of Luscombes Seedling Peach, a large, pale-coloured 
variety of very good flavour. Messrs. Veitch and Son, of 
Exeter, sent fruit of the Red Nectarine Peach, which 
they received from Syria. They were rather injured by 
the carriage, and had begun to decay; but there was 
sufficient to enable us to state that they were excellent, 
and remarkable as having the exact flavour of a Nectarine. 
Two Plums from the same gentlemen, received also from 
Syria, were not thought to possess any unusual merit. Mr. 
Guthrie, of Tay Bank, Dundee, sent specimens of his seed¬ 
ling Plums Tay Bank, Late Green, and Bella. The two 
former are now well known in the south; but neither 
of them possessed flavour equal to the same fruit grown 
in England. Dr. Davies, of Persliore, sent a specimen 
of Denyefs Victoria Plum to show that it was quite 
distinct from Jemmy Coornbe, and he also sent several 
Apples, which, not being ripe, were ordered to remain 
over till next Meeting. John Ferme, Esq., of Plad- 
dington, sent a seedling Pear, which was not considered 
worthy of cultivation. Messrs. Paul and Son, of Ches- 
hunt, had a large and interesting collection of Apples 
and Pears, but none of them were ripe. Mr. Adams, 
nurseryman, Brentford, also exhibited a nice collection 
of the new Flemish Pears; but none of them were ripe 
with the exception of Poire Peche, which was of ex¬ 
cellent flavour. We need not particularise them at 
present. Mr. R. Smith, of Leamington, sent specimens 
of what he called a seedling raised from the Golden 
Pippin, which was in reality a cross between the Si¬ 
berian Crab and the Golden Pippin. It was of small 
size, with a long stalk, deep orange-coloured, which 
extended through the flesh, and the fruit had an agree¬ 
able acid flavour. Mr. Stein, nurseryman, Pligbgate, 
exhibited a seedling Apple, which was not approved of. 
The following gentlemen were elected members:-— 
James Veitcii, Esq., Exeter, and 
Alex. Soruttox, Esq., St. Anne’s Hill, Wandsworth. 
CRYSTAL PALACE HORTICULTURAL SHOW. 
September 9th. 
In point of gardening and getting up, this, the second 
autumnal Show for the true Londoners, was far superior 
to the first, the whole of the plants being evenly good 
throughout, except the bedding Geraniums, which, with 
the exception of two or three lots, were not worth the 
pots in which they stood. The hot, dry season drove on 
the best of the Fuchsias beyond their time; yet there 
were many good ones here. Many of the old “ col¬ 
lections” were worse off than the Fuchsias from the 
same cause, and did not make their appearance; but the 
improvement in the moderate collections of stove and 
greenhouse plants, and more particularly in that branch 
of stove and greenhouse plants called “ miscellaneous,” 
was most remarkable compared with those of this time 
last year. 
Just as the Exhibition was cleared for the Judges Sir 
Joseph Paxton went round and took a close survey of 
everything that was staged, and he made the remark 
that autumnal shows need not be despaired of now, 
seeing the marked improvement in so short a time: 
“just the very thing we wanted for the country,” he 
said. “ Not so much for the country, Sir Joseph, if you 
please,” said I, “ as for the London gardeners. Depend 
upon it country gardeners are more alive to the shooting 
season than these Londoners, who, however, want only 
the stimulus of a gold purse to come out at Michaelmas 
as showily as on Midsummer-day.” 
There were very few really new plants. The best of 
them all, and the best marked of all the Begonias, was 
a new one from the Messrs. Rollisson, of Tooting—a 
large leaf in the style of picta, with a silvery broad 
band carried right round in the middle distance between 
the centre and the edges of the leaf, and of the exact 
shape of the leaf itself. This “ milky way ” left a dark 
green margin round the edges, and inclosed an equally 
dark green island in the centre of the leaf. Both the 
island afid the margin were sparkled with a row of stars 
round and round. 
The fruit was particularly good and most abundant; 
I mean particularly evenly good, not some very good and 
some the very reverse, as one sometimes sees. Better¬ 
looking Apples for pies and dumplings one could not 
pick up between Worcester and Ross, or between Glou¬ 
cester and the city of Hereford, the finest Apple dis¬ 
tricts in Her Majesty’s dominions. Pears much better 
looking, but most of them as hard as bullets. Peaches 
and Nectarines innumerable, and so even that all the 
Judges put together would find it difficult to say which 
was which, and which the best. Of Grapes and Cherries 
the same may be said, and Plums not far from a like 
report; but Melons more like balls for cannons of dif¬ 
ferent calibro. Mangoes and Pomegranates were the 
only out-of-the-way fruit: the first were in the second 
stages of rottenness, and the second in that of ripeness, 
therefore both unfit for table. 
The cottagers’ and amateurs’ collections of fruit, 
flowers, and vegetables were in a separate part, and were 
by far the best display of the kind I ever saw. Cut 
Roses were numerous, but the specimens were not over 
