188 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST, 
[ December, 
plants wintered in a cold frame ; but there is a 
little interest attaching to looking over them, 
keeping them neat and clean, and hunting for 
any vermin that may infest them. A few im¬ 
ported crowns or clumps of Lil]! of the Vallet/ 
should now be potted and placed in the frame 
for a time, and then removed to the green¬ 
house, to be assisted into bloom. 
Flowei\ Garden. —If the flower-beds from 
which the summer-blooming plants have been 
taken are not used for winter or spring bed¬ 
ding, they should be dug over deeply and 
thrown up rough. Besides sweetening and 
pulverising the soil, the beds look all the better 
for being made to look neat after this fashion. 
Some have predicted a severe winter, and 
already we have had a foretaste of some rough 
weather, therefore it will be wise to take care 
of newly-planted choice shrubs, &c., by mulch¬ 
ing the roots with some protecting material. 
Now that the weather is dry, the mixed border 
should be gone over, and all decaying stems, 
&c., cut away; after that, some dung and 
leaves can be scattered over it, which will give 
protection during winter, and greatly assist the 
plants in early spring. The early-flowering 
Wallflower Harbinger is very pretty just now, 
and is throwing up many flowers; and some 
Pansies.) divided and planted out in August, are 
flowering freely, and will do so till hard frost 
destroys the blooms. These are mentioned to 
show what can be had in bloom in the flower 
garden at this season of the year. We may 
get severe frosty weather before Christmas, and 
the villa gardener will do wisely to provide 
protection for any partly tender things that 
must remain in the open air during the winter. 
Print Garden. —The pruning and nailing of 
Wall-trees should now engage the attention of 
the gardener when the season is favourable ; 
but he should be careful not to lay in the 
branches too thickly. Gooseberry trees can be 
pruned, thinning out the shoots pretty liberally, 
especially in the middle of the bushes ; and 
then if the trees form a plantation, the soil 
between them may be dug, taking care not to 
injure the roots. Black Currant frees should be 
pruned in a similar manner to the Gooseber¬ 
ries, but not thinning out the shoots so severely. 
In the case of Bed and White Currants, 
the principal shoots can be left at a much 
greater distance, and the small shoots spurred 
in. If old shoots of Rasgiberries were cut away 
immediately after the fruit was gathered, and 
the young shoots thinned out, there will be 
but little to be done, except to restake the 
plants, if necessary, and cut off the tops of the 
remaining shoots. 
Kitchen Garden. —Some spring Cabbage 
for succession may still be planted out, 
if there is nothing more to occupy cleared 
ground. Those who grow Jerusalem Arti¬ 
chokes should dig and store them away, for 
winter consumption. Slugs have been very 
troublesome, but the frost will no doubt check 
their ravages ; a little fine lime scattered about 
their haunts, or on plantations of Cabbage, &c., 
will keep them at ba}L The roots of Rhubarb 
should be dug amongst carefully, so as not to 
injure the side-roots. Any ground that is full 
of weeds (and it is by no means an uncommon 
occurrence, after such a summer) should be dug 
and thrown up roughly. The more weeds and 
all garden refuse are cleared away from the 
garden ground, the greater will be the reduction 
of harbour in which slugs, &c., can secrete 
themselves, issuing forth in mild weather to 
do damage to the crops.— Suburbanus. 
GARDEN GOSSIP. 
« HE Pelargonium Society has just 
issued its Prize Schedule for 1880, 
which is divided into three sections. In 
section 1, for new varieties not in commerce, intended 
to encom-age raisers of novelties, there are eight 
classes, and prizes to the amount of £26 Ss. In 
section 2, for specimens of older kinds, where 
superior cultivation, as well as high quality of 
flower, is required, there are eleven classes, and 
£98 5s. is offered in prizes. In section 3, for cut 
flowers, there are four classes, and prizes to the 
amount of £17 5s. The total amount of prizes 
offered is £141 15s. The Society has hitherto been 
well supported, but there is ample work for it to ac¬ 
complish, if the sympathies of a wider constituency 
were secured. The annual exhibition for 1880 will 
be held either late in June or early in July, but the 
date is not yet fixed. The Pelargonium Society’s 
Certificate will be awarded at the annual exhibition 
to deserving new varieties in all the types of the 
Pelargonium family, and notice will also be given of 
two additional floral meetings, on which novelties 
may be shown. For these Seedling flowers blank 
printed forms have to be filled up with descriptive 
particulars. Non-members may compete for the 
certicates, but not for the money prizes. 
— ®HE Eotal Horticultural Society 
Las aimouDced the following dates for its Ex¬ 
hibitions and Meetings during the year 1880 : 
—Whit-Monday Show, May 16th; Great Summer 
Show, June 8th, 9th, 10th, 11th ; Artisans’ and Cot¬ 
tagers’ Show, August 2nd (Bank Holiday) ; Conver¬ 
sazione, May 26th; Evening Fete, July 21st. The date 
of the Kose Show and Exhibition of the Pelargonium 
Society, about the end of June or early in July, will 
be announced later on. The Fruit and Floral Com¬ 
mittee Meetings for the year will be held on the fol¬ 
lowing Tuesdays :—January 13th, February 10th, 
March 9th, 23rd ; April 13th, 27th ; May 11th, 25th ; 
June 8th, 22nd; July 13th, 27th ; August 10th, 24th ; 
September 14th, October 12th, November 16th, 
December 14th. 
.— ®HE National Rose Society met on 
October 14th, under the presidency of R. G. N. 
Baker, Esq., when Mr. W. Scott, the hon. trea¬ 
surer’, reported that, after paying all expenses, there 
remained a balance iu hand of £130. It was, there¬ 
fore, resolved that the outstanding liabilities to 
