114 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, November 23, 1858. 
In other Black Grapes (in single dishes), Mr. Smith, gar¬ 
dener to H. Littledale, Esq., Lesand Hall, Cheshire, was 
first; and Mr. Millar, gardener to Sir W. Smith, Bart., 
Worcestershire, was third. Ho second appeared in this 
class. Eor the largest bunch, an extra first prize was 
given to Mr. Little, gardener to A. Darbe, Esq., Stoke 
Court, near Slough. This was a Barlarossa bunch, 
weighing 4 lbs. 13 ozs. For baskets of Black Hamburghs, 
weighing 10 lbs., Mr. Kay, market-gardener, Finchley, 
was first; second, Mr. Tillyard; third, Mr. Hill. For 
10 lb.-baskets of Muscats, Mr. Hill was first; second, 
Mr. Miller; and third, Mr. Crawshay. But none of these 
Muscats came near those from Mrs. Cubitt. 
There were only two Pine Apples shown on the 
plants in pots : they were from Mr. Solomon. In the 
class for three Pine Apples, Mr. Ingram, from Her 
Majesty’s garden, was first, with three Cayenne fruit (91bs., 
8 lbs., and 6|lbs.),—splendid fruit; and next stood Mr. 
Mackey, gardener to R. Ellison, Esq., Sidbrook Holme, 
Lincolnshire. For single Pines, Her Majesty was first 
again, with a splendid Cayenne, 101 lbs.; and I think 
Mr. Chilman, gardener to Mrs. Smeath, Ashtead House, 
Epsom, was next. There were several lesser prizes and 
extras. 
There were forty dishes of the various Orange Tribe, 
the first prize for which went down into Worcester¬ 
shire, to Mr. Miller. Mr. Higgs, gardener to Mrs. 
Barchard, Putney Heath, had a first-class certificate for 
putting up fresh leaves and blossoms with his Orange 
collection. See ho w well ladies can produce the beautiful! 
Mr. Williams, gardener to Mrs. Warner, was also up to 
the mark in this fragrant class. 
There was only one prize given to Melons. The best, 
called Egyptian Green-flesh, was from Mr. Legg, gardener 
to Baron Hambro’, Roehampton. 
At this part of the exhibition stood the fruit of Eugenia 
TJgni. Mr. Cox, gardener to Mr. Wells, of Redleaf, 
was first, with the finest flavoured yet brought out. 
Knowing both master and man to be heart and soul in 
gardening, I had no fear of tasting their fruit in their 
absence, and found it just as I say. I also found Mr. 
Cox’s name to two first prizes and three second prizes in 
fruit; but I leave the names of Pears and Apples to 
Mr. Hogg. The next prize for the TJgni berries went to 
J. Luscombe, Esq., Combe Koyal. 
For best Plums ( Coe's Golden Drop), Mr. Cox, afore¬ 
said, was first. Mr. Robinson, gardener to Lady Foley, 
at Stoke Edith, near Ledbury, had a certificate for the 
same; and the second prize went to Belvoir Castle, to 
Mr. Ingram, jun., gardener to the Duke of Rutland, who 
was also first with excellent Strawberries, and most of 
the small fruit, I believe. 
Here Mr. Higgs had a basket of the Purple Passion- 
Flower. Another of Cape Gooseberries by some one else ; 
and then the grand match for the Derby, among collections 
of six fruits, of the eight following kinds of Pears,— viz., 
six Seclcel, six Winter Nelis, Glout Morceau, Beurre Diet, 
Knight's Monarch, Passe Colmar, Easter Beurre, and 
Beurre Ranee, —a sight to be remembered. Here, Mr. 
Ingram, sen., was first, with Her Majesty’s contribution ; 
Mr. Cox, from Redleaf, was up close to him in the second; 
and Mr. Carmichael, gardener to the Countess of 
Dunmore, was third. A splendid run, that would, or 
ought to satisfy Harry Hieover himself. 
Next on the table was a race for the four heaviest 
Duchesse d’Angouleme Pears in the world. Here, Mr. 
Halley, of Blackheath, was first; and Mr. Bowie, from 
Chillingliam Castle, was second; but who was third or 
fourth I did not observe. 
The fact is, I began to nod. But I recollect having seen 
Americau Cranberries on the shoots, certificated for Mr. 
Tillyard. Beautiful Virgin Honey, in glasses, from Messrs. 
Neighbour and Son’s hivas. The Berlin dried-flower 
nosegays. The finest dish of the old Quince I ever saw, 
from Mr. Rust, gardener to the Right Hon. L. Sulivan, of 
Broom House, Fulham, which reminded me of the 
Frenchman and his man cook, Carlo Gymnocrankum, who 
put some Quince slices into the Apple pie one day, to 
test his master’s pretensions to genuine flavour, when the 
old man was so taken with the improved taste, that he 
ordered his man Carlo, whenever he made'an Apple tart 
for him, for the future to make it all of Quinces ! 
D. Beaton. 
VIOLETS IN WINTER, WITH CULTURAL 
REMARKS. 
We have no flower that possesses greater eligibilities 
for furnishing a winter bouquet than the Neapolitan 
Violet. No kind is more esteemed by the ladies; and, 
indeed, when we consider their delicious scent, and their 
bold and prepossessing appearance, when well grown, 
together with their chaste colouring, we may readily see, 
I think, that they stand in the foremost rank amongst 
winter flowers. Many papers have been written about 
them as years passed by, and some of much merit; but 
as I have been a successful cultivator, in the main, for 
many years, and closely watched their habits and character, 
nearly forty years since, in the neighbourhood of t lie 
metropolis, I again offer a few remarks. 
The first successfully forced Neapolitan Violets I ever 
saw were at Spring Grove House, then the seat of Sir 
Joseph Banks, of world-wide celebrity : the celebrated 
Mr. Oklaker was then gardener. This was in the January 
of 1814, if my memory serves me aright. To everybody 
that is at all conversant with gardening, the name of Old- 
acre will be familiar. He it was who first introduced 
mushroom-house culture, whilst he was gardener to the 
Emperor of all the Russias. But these facts are pretty 
generally known. Mr. Oldakcr showed me a frame, or 
pit, in which were his potted Violets, all, I think, in 
five-inch pots, and they were in fine bloom, although 
surrounded by snow. He talked much of using a deal 
of bone manure in his compost, and I think he had a 
mild bottom heat; but of this I am not perfectly assured. 
In these days, he would probably be a little over forty 
years of age, and a fine portly John Bull looking man lie 
was. As we dined with him, we had the pleasure of 
hearing his Russian tales after dinner; and the veteran 
brought forth his maps, in order to enlighten us about 
Russia. 
But to the Violets again. The first thing I would urge 
on the young cultivator is, not to think of producing a 
profusion of foliage,—this is a gross error. If one man 
were to commence with runners about midsmnmer, and 
put them in very rich soil, and another were to get his 
runners to work by the early part of May, planting them 
on ordinary soil, how different would be the results. The 
first would have plants twice as gross in foliage as the 
latter, albeit planted so much later; but the latter would 
have blooming plants in the middle of October ; and, at 
the same period, there would be uothing but foliage on 
the other. Therefore, I say, get them early, and plant 
them on moderate soil, in preference to their being late 
and hurried. 
One thing is indispensable,—they should be planted in 
a perfectly open situation, without shade ; and they require 
watering. They should be planted on raised beds, not 
dug above four to six inches in depth, and the beds 
dressed with good sound loam and leaf soil. This will be 
found to produce stout and compact buds, with a mode¬ 
rate amount of foliage; and such will blossom much finer 
than huge, overgrown, and bushy plants. They need no 
other particular treatment through the summer, except 
keeping clean ; but about the middle or end of July they 
will have produced many runners. These runners must, 
in the main, be pruned away; but it sometimes happens, 
that certain short and compact runners are produced, 
very near the stem, having buds much like the parent 
plant. Such as look likely for blossom may be reserved, 
