THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 3, 185' 
01 
WEEKLY CALENDAR. 
D 
M 
D 
W 
NOVEMBER 3—9, 1857. 
Weather near London in 1856. 
Sun 
Rises. 
Sun 
Sets. 
Moon 
R.& S. 
Moon’s 
Age. 
Clock 
af. Sun. 
Day of 
Year. 
Barometer. 
Thermo. Wind. ? ai £ in 
1 Inches. 
3 
4 
5 
6 
7 
8 
9 
Tu 
W 
Th 
P 
S 
Son 
M 
Golden Rods. 
Annual Stock-gilliflower. 
Gunpowder Plot, 1605. 
Double Colchicum. 
Heartsease. 
22 Sunday aft. Trinity. 
Pr. Wales born, 1841. 
30.212—30.179 
30.311—30.198 
30.411—30.359 
30.558—30.455 
30.570—30.535 
30.379—30.119 
30.089-29.833 
53—30 
52—30 
49—22 
47—31 
49—37 
46—29 
51—31 
S.W. 
S.W. 
E. 
N. 
N.E. 
S.W. 
S.E. 
15 
01 
59 a. 6 
VII 
3 
5 
6 
8 
10 
28 a. 4 
26 
25 
23 
21 
20 
18 
4 a 50 
5 36 
6 39 
7 58 
9 24 
10 49 
morn. 
17 
18 
19 
20 
21 
€ 
23 
16 18 
16 17 
16 15 
16 13 
16 10 
16 5 
16 0 
307 
308 
309 
310 
311 
312 
313 
Meteorology of the Week.— At Chiswick, from observations during the last twenty-eight years, the average highest 
temperatures of these days are 52.1°, and 37.5°, respectively. The greatest heat, 63°, occurred on the 5th, in 1852 • and the iowes 
on the 9th, in 1854. During the period 93 days were fine, and on 103 rain fell. 
and lowest 
lowest cold, 18°, 
THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S FRUIT 
SHOW. 
Experimental gardening is, undoubtedly, the back 
bone and marrow of our cralt. The gardener who makes 
no experiments is not worth salt to his porridge, and yet 
the old Horticultural Society could not, or would not, 
comprehend the drift of the adage till all their salt and 
porridge were gone. But the new Council took to the 
experimental way at once, and their grand experiment 
about a Fruit Show upon an extensive scale has turned 
out, like the old play of “ A Bold Stroke for a Wife,” to 
the credit of all concerned, and to their heart’s content, 
and, I believe, to that of the exhibitors, which is more 
than the reporters can expect or look for. But a great 
rivalry at Willis’s has never yet been reported to the 
life. The “ language of the eye ” and the electric 
sparks from the playthings of the insidious god are 
beyond the powers of the pen and pencil. They must 
be seen and felt to be appreciated and understood. So 
also must be the realities of a magnificent display of 
fruit like the present. 
The attendance of visitors was more fashionable and 
much more numerous than the nature of this grand ex¬ 
periment could lead the Council to expect. The falls 
of alliances, of brotherhood, and of kindred have often 
been decided at Willis’s Rooms, but never more upon 
the “ merits of the case” than on this occasion between 
the French, British, and American exhibitors; and the 
London press was never more “ off the scent” than in 
supposing that the three races competed against each 
other on these boards, or farther from the garden-gate, 
when exulting in the victory of old England. The 
English competed only against themselves, the Scotch, 
and the Irish; the French against French produce; and 
Boston against the United States of America. It is 
true that Mr. Webber, Mr. Solomons, and other Covent 
Gardeners, have the gift of procuring better-looking 
Pears and Apples from France, and finer Newtown 
Pippins from America, than we can boast of in England; 
but in this competition the most remarkable thing to 
report is, that both the French and American com¬ 
petitors fell far and signally short of the mark. Even 
the “ Heart of Midlothian ” in Scotland sent up Pears 
superior to those of Boston in America, and Nantes in 
France. 
I heard of only two complaints. A canny Scotchman 
| sticks his labels on his fruit, at which the English 
revolt as much as the Indian at greased cartridges. A 
sense of itching creeps over an Englishman at seeing 
] sticking-plaster, no matter what it is made of, or for 
| what purpose; and the second plaint was anent the 
, schedule, which unfortunately, but inadvertently, or by 
downright carelessness, included all kinds of Black 
Hamburgh Grapes except my Grapes as one kind only, 
contrary to the old fashion, and without telling the 
contrary. Friend A. was once knocked on the head for 
putting up the Mill Hill Hamburgh against the old 
; Hamburgh. Friend B. takes the hint, and puts his 
Hamburghs and all in the miscellany, and my Grapes 
were commended on all sides for their respectability; 
but friend C. sends Mill Hill Hamburgh , not to com¬ 
pete with the old Hamburgh , for fear of a lump, but 
among “ other black Grapes; ” and it seems no kind of 
Hamburgh was contemplated in that division. The 
Judges had no choice in the matter, and “ wrong 
entry ” was all they couldTecord. If the Mill Hill had 
been pitched against the common Hamburgh, another 
exhibitor would have to sing out most lustily, as there 
is a great difference in the two kinds. There was no 
class or prize for outdoor Grapes, but I am abundantly 
satisfied, as I shall show next week. 
The largest Pear was from Wales, Neil's Pear, but 
size is its only merit. The highest-coloured Apples 
came from France. The worst Pears were from the 
United States. The most useful Pear in the competition 1 
was Knight's Monarch, a dish of which from Her 
Majesty was just fit for table, and a large shelf of it in 
a fruit-room would furnish a dish or two every week 
from October to the end of April. It is also one of the 
hardiest and best bearers of our dessert Pears. Marie 
Louise and Bear re Bose were the two most generally 
ripe Pears in collections. Van Mons Leon le Clerc and 
Beurre Clairgeau were the two best-looking Pears “in 
season.” But what surprised me more than the rest 
was the beauty and size of the Pears from Liverpool, 
the last place in the kingdom where I should look for 
any good fruit out of doors. 
The following Pears were the bulk over the whole 
exhibition, beginning as they come to table :—Marie 
Louise, Beurre Bose, Seckle, Hacons Incomparable, 
Winter Nelis, Beurre d'Aremberg, Duchesse d'Angouleme, 
Passe Colmar, Ne Plus Meuris, Easter Beurre, and 
Beurre Ranee. You could pick two or three of these 
out of almost every collection there; and the same may 
be said of kitchen kinds, Uvedales St. Germain and 
Catillac, with their varieties, being the bulk. The 
American Pears looked as if they were from the sea¬ 
shore to the west of Liverpool, where they were starved 
in sand, roasted by a burning sun, and salted by the 
sea spray. The Pears from Nantes were much better, 
but not nearly so good as our English Pears. 
The same tale runs all over the Apples, which were ! 
more numerous than the Pears, and need not be re- j 
peated. The like in number, size, and colour were 
never seen before in one place. 
There were about sixty Pine Apples. I counted fifty- ! 
five, but missed some. The heaviest Queen was six j 
pounds six ounces. 
The Grapes were all magnificent, but not in very 
many hands, nor in such numbers in proportion to the 
rest of the fruit. Muscats and Hamburghs carried the | 
day. Melons were very good indeed in the first prize. 
Peaches good also, but only a few dishes. Raspberries 
strong. Alpine Strawberries not many. Lemons and j 
Oranges of sorts, not many, but very good, particularly 
the small Oranges on plants in pots from Lord Boston. 
Currants plentiful and capital. Plums very few and good. 
No. CCCCLXXY. Yol. XIX 
