October 24, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
115 
CARTERS’ 
CHOICE 
HYACINTHS 
The best for Exhibition and General Effect. 
6 
12 
12 
Named HYAG1NTHS. 
price 
in 6 sorts. T£/ U 
Named HYACINTHS. PRICE 
in 12 sorts, for glasses. 
8 /- 
8/6 
Named HYACINTHS, price 
in 12 sorts, for pots. 
Cheaper sorts, 6s. & 7s. 6d. per doz, 
ALL PARCELS CARRIAGE FREE. 
Catalogues containing names of varieties composing 
the above assortments, gratis and post free. 
>9 SEEDSMEN 
By Royal Warrant to 
THE p RINCE 0F tv AXES. 
237 & 238, HIGH HOLBORN, 
LONDON. 
NEW ORCHIDS. 
ORCHID SPECIALITIES. 
Catalogue just published, 6d. 
RETURNED TO PURCHASER. 
FRED. HORSMAN <& Co., COLCHESTER. 
NEW HARDY FRUITS 
That are destined to revolutionize the whole question of 
“ Fruit Culture for the Future," besides affording a splen¬ 
did opportunity of vastly encouraging home productions, 
and utilising land, &c., otherwise useless. Illustrated 
List gratis and post-free to all applicants. 
VISCAPwS CQLLTESE & 00., Leicester. 
fSTEGlAMS. 
“WALLACE, GOLCHESTER,” 
Is aow t3ae Telegraphic Address 
OF THE 
New Plant & Bull) Company, Colchester, 
SHOWS. 
Royal Horticultural Society, South Kensington. 
CHOW of CHRYSANTHEMUMS and 
kA VEGETABLES on Tuesday and Wednesday, October 27tli 
and 2Sth, in the Conservatory. 
Visitors to the International Inventions Exhibition admitted 
free at One o'clock on October 27th. 
National Chrysanthemum Society, Royal 
Aquarium, "Westminster. 
G RAND EXHIBITION, November 11th 
and 12th. Schedules (free) on application. 
NOTICE.—Floral Committee Meetings at the ROYAL 
AQUARIUM, on October 2Sth, November 11th, 25th, and 
December 9th, at 2.30 p.m. precisely. (Regulations see Schedule). 
WILLIAM HOLMES. 
Frampton Park Nurseries, Hackney, London. 
National Chrysanthemum Society's Catalogue, 6d. each. 
? 1RYSTAL PALACE.-^GREAT ANNUAL 
VP CHRYSANTHEMUM SHOW, Friday and Saturday, 
November 6tli and 7th. 
For Schedules apply to Mr. W. G. HEAD, Garden Superin¬ 
tendent, Crystal Palace. 
Sheffield and West Riding Chrysanthemum 
Society. 
N otice to exhibitors.—T he ex¬ 
hibition of this Society will be held in the Sheffield 
Corn Exchange on Friday and Saturday, November 20th and 
21st. instead of on the 13tli and 14th, as originally fixed. 
Entries close on Saturday the 14th. 
W. Iv. WOODCOCK, Secretary. 
M ESSRS. PEACOCK and FRIEND have 
the honour to announce that they will give a GRAND 
EVENING CONCERT at the Royal Albert Hall, on Wednesday, 
November 18th, at Eight o’clock, in AID of the FUNDS of 
NAZARETH HOUSE, Hammersmith. 
Under the Patronage of 
H.R.H. Field Marshal the DUKE of CAMBRIDGE, K.G., 
K.T., G.C.B , &c. 
Prince Lucien Bonaparte. 
His Excellency the Chinese Ambassador. 
His Excellency the Spanish Ambassador. 
His Excellency the Italian Ambassador. 
Right Hon. the Lord Mayor, M.P. 
Sir Spencer Wells, Bart. 
Warren de la Rue, Esq., M.A., D.C L., F.R.S. 
And other distinguished Noblemen and Gentlemen, of whom a 
list will be published. 
MADAME TRE BELLI 
and several distinguished Artistes have most, kindly given their 
services. 
Tickets, 10s. 6 cl., 7s. 6 cl.. 5s., 4s., 2s. 6 d., and Is., at the Royal 
Albert Hall, and all Agents ; or J. T. Peacock, Sudbury House, 
Hammersmith. 
CONTENTS. 
PAGE 
Amateurs’Garden, the_ 119 
Apples for Villa Garden 
(illustrated) . 120 
Aucubas, berried . 123 
Bean Weevil, the . 11S 
Begonias, tuberous . 119 
Berried Plants, (illustrated J 125 
Birmingham Botanic Gar¬ 
den . 121 
Bolleas and Pescatoreas .. 125 
Botanical Mare’s-nests_ 122 
Cattleya labiata var. 125 
Chou de Burghley. 123 
Colchicums. 123 
Ferns, decorative . 116 
Gardening Miscellany .... 116 
Garden Memoranda . 1 IS 
Grape, Duke of Buccleugh 124 
Horticultural Societies.... 126 
PAGE 
Lycaste Skinneri alba .... 125 
Mildew, &c., a new re¬ 
medy for,. 117 
North of Scotland Hort-. 
Association. 119 
Odontoglossum Hallii mag- 
nificum (illustrated) .... 117 
Orchid Notes. 125 
Pear Congress, the. 115 
Pelargonium, new Ivy-lvd. 116 
Plant Organs, movement of 117 
Rhododendrons. Hybrid .. 117 
Scottish Gardening . 11$ 
Tropteolums. 123 
Tyninghame . 120 
Yallota purpurea magnifica 116 
Vanda coerulea. 125 
Vine Growing on Extension 
System . 123 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
SATURDAY, OCTOBER 24, 1885. 
The Pear Congress. —The remarkable exhi¬ 
bition of Pears which was opened in the famed 
old gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society 
at Chiswick, on Wednesday, and which will 
continue open for another ten days, is probably 
the largest and most representative one of this 
popular fruit ever seen. It is not the less a 
remarkable show or gathering because brought 
together without any pecuniary encouragement; 
indeed, there is not an exhibitor, he his collec¬ 
tion large or small, but who will suffer something 
in pocket because of the public spirit shown. 
That there would he seen such vast collections 
of Pears as was seen of Apples in the same place 
two years since was hardly to be expected. It 
is true we have an exceptionally fine Pear season, 
a fact upon which we are so fond of dilating that 
we somewhat overlook the damning fact that an 
exceptionally productive season means very 
many non-productive ones ; hence our congratu¬ 
lations upon our present good fortune meets 
with a damper on reflection. 
But we have a good, indeed, so good a season, 
that many growers hesitate not to term it a 
grand Pear season, and therefore we had justifi¬ 
cation in looking for what lias proved to be a 
truly marvellous display. In one respect there 
is an improvement found on the Apple show, 
for there are fewer inferior kinds of Pears, 
as there are also fewer of unknown sorts, for 
these fruits are not so commonly seeded and 
grown locally as Apples are, whilst the com¬ 
parative lack of constancy in cropping prevents 
the cultivation of other than fairly good varieties. 
Still the first thought which strikes the visitor 
to the Congress is, that we seem to have far too 
many kinds as it is, and that if the Congress 
Committee could, at one stroke of the pen, not 
only wipe out one half of the present kinds, but 
the trees which produced them as well, that 
body would render pomology useful service. 
But even then our ardour in this description of 
reform may well he tempered by the considera¬ 
tion as to how many of the kinds that seem to 
he in such a season as the present almost worth¬ 
less, are, in many indifferent Pear seasons, really 
valuable. 
Eew, for instance, pill care to regard just now 
with any favour the Hessle, or more popularly 
the Hazel, of our market orchards, though, 
without doubt far more of this hardy, though 
by no means excellent, Pear is grown around 
London than any other kind. Then there is 
the hardy and free-fruiting Swan’s Egg, and the 
not less robust and productive Beurre Capiau- 
mont, with some other small kinds, but still 
hardy and very productive. All these make a 
poor show on the table alongside of the huge 
fruits produced on walls, espaliers, and Quince- 
worked bush trees ; but there are more seasons 
when these humble kinds prove profitable than 
there are when they do not, hence we must he 
careful indeed how we deal with Pears when 
not merely the pruning-knife but the axe and 
saw are applied literally to the trees. 
It may be rank heterodoxy to make the 
assertion, but it does seem as if we were making 
more fuss about Pears as ordinary fruits than 
they merit. Unlike Apples, we cannot use them 
for tarts, puddings, dumplings, sauce, jelly, 
preserve, and many other ways. We can 
employ them only for dessert uses, except those 
huge fruits which are so admirable when stewed. 
But it is an undoubted fact that the unfitness of 
Pears for so many ordinary culinary purposes 
renders these fruits less profitable and less 
essential to our comfort and welfare. Then 
they are somewhat evanescent in usefulness, for, 
as Mr. Warden, pointed out last week, no sooner 
are many kinds ripe than they are gone beyond 
use We have comparatively few kinds which 
keep good, really pleasantly good, after Christ¬ 
mas, and most of these are sparse bearers, or 
need a wall to produce them. 
On the whole, it must be admitted that 
delicious as a good Pear maybe whilst it is 
good, yet that in competition with the Apple 
there is hardly any comparison to be instituted 
in general value and usefulness. If evidence of 
this were wanting, we should see it first in the 
fact that myriads' of good Apples will grow 
where good Pears will but die or fail to crop ; 
as also in the second fact that in common gardens 
and orchards to one Pear tree we see a dozen 
Apple trees growing. Whilst Apples are the 
fruit of the million, Pears are chiefly the 
luxuries of the wealthy, for only by costly 
culture can high-class Pears be obtained. We 
