18G 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Ddcismdeb 21, 1858. 
niglits covering with frigi do mo ; and they grow here rapidly, of 
a beautiful green colour, and make stout bushes by May. 
Eor the beds, or rows, where they are to be planted out, I use 
about half a barrow-load of rotten dung each bed, dug into the 
soil after the spring plants came out. I then take up my Cal¬ 
ceolarias with a trowel. There is no sign of cramping in the roots, 
but a mass of fibres running in every direction. I plant and 
deluge them with water till established. 
With this treatment I never found them injuriously flag, during 
the hottest sunshine of planting time; but they are in a few 
days established, and growing freely. Afterwards, during dry 
weather, I gave a potful of water to each bed regularly every evening. 
They commenced flowering immediately, and continued so 
during the whole summer, most profusely ,—Rugosa and multi- 
flora being one mass of flowers, Kayii throwing up large bunches 
of flowers, immediately succeeded by others until October; and, 
of 200 plants this year, only one died during the summer. 
Other years I have sometimes had half-a-dozen die, but not more. 
Their uniformity in growing, too, is all that could be wished. I 
have grown them in this manner for four years, and they seem 
much hardier than when I first commenced, fewer becoming 
sickly, or dying. 
As to using water, my living not many hundred yards from 
Paddington, in a great measure explains that. The natural soil 
is a tenacious clay, which dries and hardens in a few day3, in 
summer, in a manner most surprising. I pour the water on the 
roots (not the leaves) from the spout of a small pot. 
I grow a few plants of amplexicaulis, but they do not bloom 
with me till late in the autumn, and are not much in favour with 
my worthy employer, except for autumn bouquets. 
I have a Mushroom-bed, made up in the beginning of October; 
but it shows no sign of bearing yet. a heat of about 55° is 
regularly kept up. The spawn appeared to have run freely 
through it; but the surface appears very dry. Should I water 
it ? [Certainly, and with water about 60°.] 
The stems of the Laurels in the garden are full of a white grub, 
which bores into the branches between the wood and bark, feed¬ 
ing there, and continuing till having bored all round, when the 
branches die. We have lost nearly all our old Laurels from this 
cause. Is there any means of destroying the insects, and preserv¬ 
ing tho Laurels ? Would turpentine, lime, or sulphur, be of 
any use, brushed over the branches, in preventing and destroying 
them ? [Send us some of the grubs in a quill.]—J. T., Gardener 
1 o W. N. G-, Esq. 
MEETING OF THE BRITISH POMOLOGICAL 
SOCIETY. 
Thi3 Meeting was held at St. James’s Hall, on Thurs¬ 
day last, Robert Hogg, Esq., Yice-President, in the chair. 
The Meeting was very numerously attended, and the 
quantity of fruit exhibited was large. 
The following gentlemen were elected ordinary 
members:—E. Wigan, Esq., Walton Lodge, Walton, 
Stafford ; E. Banks, Esq., Sholden, near Deal. 
A Seedling Black Grape, from Mr. Wighton, of Co3sey 
Hall, Norfolk, was again exhibited. This has been 
several times before the Meeting, but has always ap¬ 
peared under some disadvantageous circumstances, and 
the Meeting has asked to have it produced in its best 
condition. Even on this occasion only a portion of a 
bunch was sent from which a proper opinion of the cha¬ 
racter of the fruit could be obtained; and, therefore, it 
was decided that Mr. Wighton should again be requested 
to send it. » 
We fully concur in the decision of the Meeting on such 
subjects. In the matter of seedlings, particularly when 
the opinion of the Society is looked up to by the public, 
either as commendatory or condemnatory of them, it is 
of the utmost importance that the best examples of sub¬ 
jects should be submitted. The principle upon which the 
Society acts, is to deal with fruit as it is before them, and 
not as it was, or as it might have been. Exhibitors 
should, therefore, bear in mind, to send nothing (particu¬ 
larly seedlings) for the opinion of the Society, except what 
is in good, or in the best condition in which it can be 
produced. 
A Seedling White Grape, from Mr. Melville, of Dal- 
meny Park, N.B., was also exhibited. It is a Muscat, 
with a fine large oval berry; but it was quite unripe. 
This was the first season of its fruiting, and the bunch 
was small. It, however, appear to set better than the 
Muscat of Alexandria, as we did not observe the remains 
of any abortive flowers; but it is too early yet to form a 
judgment of its merits. 
At this Meeting, prizes were awarded for the follow - 
mg:— 
One Pound, to Mr. Hall, gardener to T. Lucas, Esq., 
Roehampton, for the best dish of Gloat Morccau; and 
Ten Shillings, to Mr. E. Tiley, Bath, for the second 
best. 
The fruit sent by Mr. Hall was very handsome and 
highly flavoured, and was grown against a wall. That of 
Mr. Tiley was from standards, and was of excellent 
flavour. 
One Pound, to Mr. Cox, gardener to W. Wells, Esq., 
Redleaf, for the best dish of Winter Nells; and Ten 
Shillings, to Mr. Wighton, gardener to Lord Stafford, 
Cossey Park, Norfolk, for the second best. 
Mr. Cox’s fruit was large and handsome, and Mr. 
Wighton’s was small. The former was grown against a 
wall, and the latter on standards; both were very highly 
flavoured. 
One Pound (for the best dish of any other variety of 
Pear) was awarded to Mr. Shoesmith, gardener to J. 
Moorman, Esq., Bexhill, Surrey, for Marie Louise; and 
they were certainly very fine, both in size and flavour. 
Ten Shillings, to the same gentleman, for Van Mons 
{Leon le Clerc), which were also remarkably fine speci¬ 
mens, but scarcely ripe. One or two of the fruit, that 
were most highly ripened, were very delicious. 
The Pear which was exhibited last year by Mr. 
Matthews, of Clapham, under the name of Matthews' 
Eliza (a seedling), was again exhibited; but was inferior 
in size and flavour to those of last year, and possessed 
considerable grittiness. This, however, is no demerit to 
that variety, as there are few, if any, of our best varieties 
of Pears that have not this season fallen far short of their 
usual merits. 
Two premiums were offered for Old Nonpareil Apples ; 
but the dishes exhibited were so inferior in quality to 
what we expect to find in the Nonpareil that no awards 
were made. 
Two premiums were awarded for the best and second 
best Apples of any other variety, which were awarded:— 
1st. One Pound, to Mr. James Holder, of Reading, for 
Golden Harvey ; and 2nd. Ten Shillings, to Mr. 
Duncan, Lamborbey, near Eltham, for Lamb Abbey 
Pearmain. 
A Seedling Apple, from Mr. G. Wolsey, of St. Andrews, 
Guernsey, possessed considerable merit. It is said to be 
the result of a cross between Nonpareil and Golden 
Pippin. It is a small conical Apple, with a yellowish- 
green skin, very much covered with thin grey russet. 
The flesh is yellowish, tender, juicy, sugary, and brisk, 
with a fine perfume. 
An immense quantity of other fruits was submitted to 
the examination of the Meeting ; but we must leave any 
remarks upon them till the appearance of the Society’s 
report, which we hope the Secretary will use more dili¬ 
gence in preparing than he has hitherto exhibited. It is 
disgraceful, that the last Meeting of the Society should 
have taken place on the 4th of November, and the report 
did not make its appearance till the 16th of December, 
a period of nearly six weeks. This, we regret to say, is 
more the rule than the exception, and the Society’s in¬ 
terests have been much prejudiced in consequence. We 
trust, if there is a recurrence of this neglect, for which 
Mr. Davidson has frequently been reprimanded, that the 
Society will at once have his place supplied by some one 
else. 
