186 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 21, 1885. 
There is still existing their spring of pure water, so 
that we may, we 'think, conclude the historian is in 
error. In this part of the park one may fancy we are 
indeed far away from the abodes of busy men ; a young 
avenue which has been planted within the last 
quarter of a century is doing well, and will be very 
effective in a few years. Presently, we come to some 
handsome stone walls to keep up the sand-banks on 
either side, where the road has been cut through to 
Barton-on-Irwell. At the end of this road we pass 
under a pretty bridge and out of some massive iron 
gates ; here has also been erected a very pretty lodge. 
Although we are conscious that we have not done 
ample justice to this beautiful estate, we pass under 
the Bridgewater Canal, and are now in front of the 
church and schools built by Sir Humphrey for the 
Roman Catholics at a cost of many thousands of pounds. 
In the hamlet of Barton we cross the river, and are in 
Eccles parish, the river only dividing the latter from 
Trafford. With all the vast estates of this family 
reaching from Old Trafford to Stretford, Wilmslow, 
and Alderley, crossing the river Bollin far into Cheshire, 
and from Trafford to near Warrington, of them, it may 
be said, that not one acre came to them by favour of 
Kings or by statecraft ; they served the crown, but the 
honours or estates of others never fell to them. They 
held their own while many others lost their estates ; 
they obtained their property and held it by their own 
genius and tact.—W. J. D. 
-- 
FRUITS, FLOWERS k VEGETABLES. 
The Thames Bank Peach.—Your corres¬ 
pondent, “C,” speaks highly at p. 164 of my seedling, 
and wondershowitis that itisnot more generally known. 
It was sent out by the Messrs. Osborn, of the Fulham 
Nursery,but owing to the sale of their stock, and the land 
having been built upon, it has, more or less, lost sight 
of. I remember having seen it in several nurserymen’s 
catalogues, and may state that Mr. George Bunyard, 
of Maidstone, than whom in all broad England there is 
not a better judge of fruit, will soon liavea fine stock ofit. 
I have it here on a south wall, where we always get a 
good crop, and this season finished the last fruit on 
October 6th. I do not think I should have taken up my 
pen, however, to write about the Thames Bank, but for 
your correspondents pertinent remarks anent such 
kinds as Stump the World, Lord Palmerston, Lady 
Palmerston, and others being unworthy of cultivation 
and only “fit to captivate the judges at exhibitions.” 
Neverwasaremarkmade more true to the point than this, 
and such a custom has it become that 1 never judge 
now at any show without my silver knife, and never 
have I, nor will I, award a prize to these so called grand 
new varieties, until I have tasted them. If this plan 
were generally followed by judges we should ere long see 
these coarse kinds banished from the exhibition tables, 
and eventually from nurserymen’s catalogues.— J. Brest, 
Bridge Castle, Tunbridge Wells. 
Devonshire Apple.—Our cook gets some Apples 
for jelly-making from Plymouth every autumn, of 
which I am anxious to get the name. I have tried to do 
so locally, but have failed. It is of medium size, conical 
shape, with a very short stalk, and pale yellow skin. 
Itis uselessforanythingbutmaking jelly, and is preferred 
even to Wellingtons for that purpose, on account of its 
pure white flesh. Can any of your readers give me its 
name ?— B. G. 
Violets in Winter.—For five years I have 
grown twelve frames of violets, and having tried the 
Neapolitan and De Parma, I have almost given up 
both kinds in favour of Marie Louise for winter bloom¬ 
ing. It is quite extraordinary how many gardeners 
fail to grow them ; and I am quite convinced that the 
chief cause is too much damp, and not enough fresh 
air. This is the treatment they receive here :—In 
April the plants are taken from the frames and divided 
into single crowns, then planted in rows on a north 
border, each plant having 1 square ft. of room. They 
remain here until the end of September, the runners 
having been pulled from them during the summer. 
They are well drenched with water two or three times 
if the weather be dry, and the soil hoed. About the 
second week in September we prepare the frames, they 
face due south. A frame 8 ft. by 6 ft. is placed on two 
loads of hot stable manure, which is raised quite 1 ft. 
higher on the north than on the south, so that every 
ray of sun during the short days may take effect. The 
frame is filled to the top with equal parts of leaf-mould 
and old farm-yard manure, and left to get warm and 
settle for three days. When this is the case, enough soil 
is added to keep the plants quite up to the glass through 
the winter. When planting care is taken not to disturb 
the roots more than possible, and a good soaking is given 
to them, but the lights are not put on for a few days. 
The three enemies now are frost, fog, and damp. Only 
close the fiames night or day when there is fear of the 
first; protect 3 r ourself from the two latter by having 
the lights on, but well tilted up on the north side; 
whenever the weather is not really bad take the lights 
off altogether. Pull off all runners, and stir the soil if 
it gets bound ; of course no weeds are allowed. In this 
way splendid Violets may be grown. One day last 
winter I picked, amongst a large bunch, six blossoms, 
each larger than a two-shilling piece. — Stanley Blackett, 
Ganwick, Potters Bar. 
Chrysanthemum “Dr. Barrie.”—I was 
greatly surprised on visiting the Exhibition of the 
National Chrysanthemum Society at the Aquarium, to 
find this old variety shown as one of the six novelties 
for which Mr. N. Davies was awarded the Silver Medal 
of the Society. This variety was raised by Dr. 
Audigler previous to 1881, in which year it was sent 
into commerce and will be found in Continental Cata¬ 
logues from that date. I have before me now Messrs. 
Delaux & Sons 1882 Catalogue and find it there offered. 
I do not say for one moment that the Floral Committee 
knew of this, or they would doubtless have disqualified 
the exhibit, but being largely composed of Nursery¬ 
men, as in the case of the Royal Horticultural Society’s 
Committee, I have no doubt it is often a case of “you 
scratch my back and I'll scratch yours.” I think this is 
a state of things which requires alteration, for I am 
certain that certificates and awards would have much 
greater weight with the public if they were given by 
florists who were not pecuniarily interested -in the mat¬ 
ter ; the case as it at present stands in both the above 
mentioned Societies, the Floral Committees are in the 
majorit 3 T of cases both judges and receivers of the 
awards. Even if the Floral Committee did not know 
this was an old variety, undoubtedly, Air. Davies was 
aware of the fact, and he, as one of the Floral Commit¬ 
tee, had no right to pass it, altho’ it was in his own 
stand. If it be permissable for four or five year old 
continental varieties, which have not been thought 
worthy of being brought out before, to be exhibited as 
novelties, we may yet live in hopes of seeing Tasselled 
Yellow and Clustered Pink with 1st Class Certificates 
round their stalks.— W. Clark, 56, Ferine Park Road, 
North Hornsey. [At South Kensington, and we should 
suppose also at the Royal Aquarium, members of the 
Committee are not allowed to be present when their 
own things are under consideration, and, therefore, 
cannot vote in favour of their- own productions.—-E d.] 
Duke of Buccleuch Grape.—I am pleased to 
learn from the Editor’s foot-note at p. 155, and from 
“AY. C.’s” note in the issue of November 14th, that 
he has been actuated by no such motives as have, it is 
well-known, actuated some writers in past years, when 
the “Duke” has been reviled. There can be no doubt 
that “AY. C.” wrote in such a manner as was calcu¬ 
lated to leave the impression that something more 
than mere discussion on the merits or demerits of the 
“Duke” were intended, but it is satisfactory to know 
that such is not the case. “AY. C.” is welcome to 
retain his [opinion, and I may say is quite entitled to 
do so, but I hope the time is not far distant, when he 
may be able to grow the Duke as it can be grown, so 
that there will be nothing but lusciousness without 
wateriness. Of course I refuse to admit that the two 
can be present at the same time, but as “AY. C.” 
maintains his opinion on the matter as strongly as I do, 
we must let the matter rest. I see in your last issue a 
very good notice of the “Duke” at the “Deodars, 
Meopeam,” evidently there are not a few who can grow 
the Duke properly after all.— J. 
Mushroom Culture.—There has been much 
written on Mushroom culture, and no doubt everyone 
thinks his own plan the best. I have no wish to find 
fault with anyone else’s practice, but the system that 
I have followed for some years with every success, is to 
my mind the simplest and best, having regard to the 
important matter of saving time and ensuring a good 
crop. Instead of having the droppings collected at 
the stables as is usually done, I take the litter as it 
comes to the gardens, throw it into a heap as if for a 
hot-bed, turn it over two or three times to get rid of 
the rank steam, and then have it at once put into the 
Mushroom house, and put on the shelf where the bed 
is to be made. In a day or so it will begin to heat 
again, and I watch it carefully till the heat has fallen 
to 90°, then 1 have it spread equally over the shelf as 
far as the bed is to reach, and the whole well beaten 
down, the firmer the better ; break up the cakes of 
spawn into pieces about the size of an egg, place them all 
over the bed 6 ins. or 8 ins. apart, then add another 
third of dung on the top of the spawn and again ram 
well down ; let all stand for two weeks, then cover with 
I in. of good fresh loam. AYhen the soilshows dryness, 
damp it nicely over with water of the same temperature 
as the house, which should be kept at 60 3 , and in from 
six to eight weeks the Mushrooms are ready for use. 
Good spawn is one of the principal essentials in AIusli- 
room growing, and unless it is fresh and in good order, 
there is little hope of a crop. The spawn that I have 
.used for sometime past, is that supplied by Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons, which I have always found to be of 
superior quality.— J. T. 
Variegated. Aucubas. —-In a paragraph in your 
number for Oct. 24th, p. 124, signed “ R. D.,” I read, 
“It would appear that all male forms of Aucuba are 
destitute of variegation.” I send herewith a shoot of 
a variegated male plant which proves the contrary. 
Further on I read, “ But beautiful as many of the new 
variegated forms are, they- have not surpassed in beauty 
the old type.” Is not the accompanying specimen more 
effective? I think so.— Charles Ellis, Chudleigh 
Knighton, South Devon. [The shoot received is beauti¬ 
fully variegated with bright yellow, but is not better 
than many forms we have seen of the female plant.— 
Ed.] 
Chrysanthemum Princess of Wales.— 
I cannot allow your remarks at p. 173, respecting my 
stand of twenty-four blooms at the Stoke Newington 
Show, to pass without comment. The bloom in question 
was one of Princess of AA'ales, as can be proved by 
several persons, and I have at this moment one bud 
not half expanded on the same plant (a late bud) which 
has an abundance of colour in it. The flower in my 
stand, which was considered the same as Airs. Heale, 
was an old bloom which had been standing in a dry 
shed for ten days before it was cut, but from the first it 
never had so much colour in it as is usual in Princess 
of AA’ales, and by being put by it turned quite 
white. I saw Air. George at the show. AA’liy did he 
not consult me about the flower ? I am one of those 
who have a great objection to such things being done as 
putting two blooms of the same variety in one stand, 
and I think that before anyone condemns another they 
should be sure of their facts. — W. Monk, Forest House, 
Leytonstonc. [If the bloom in question was not true to 
its character, as Air. Alonk admits, he can scarcely 
blame us for the remarks made, and especially as he 
exhibited the flower without comment.— Ed.] 
Chrysanthemums on Trellises. —Itfrequently 
happens that after a grower has, with an almost infinite 
amount of labour and care, succeeded in providing a 
satisfactory lot of Chrysanthemums, he is at a loss to 
know how to arrange them to the best advantage, with 
the means at his disposal. As the almost universal' 
ambition now-a-days is the production of large blooms 
the plants get run up to a height of 6 ft. to S ft. or 
more and are then, as all must allow, difficult subjects 
to deal with by those whose accommodation is limited 
in extent, for when placed on the floor the flowers are 
much above the line of sight, and can only be seen by 
the use of a pair of steps, or bending the plants down 
to get a look at them, and were they must of necessity 
be placed on an elevated stage the disadvantages of 
growing them so tall are more apparent. Being myself 
placed somewhat at a disadvantage in this respect, I 
nave been led to adopt a plan which meets with very 
general approval, and is much admired by some. 
Thinking it possesses the merit of novelty, and may be 
of advantage to some of your readers in future seasons, 
I will give a description of it. It is simply training 
them, as a whole, on one trellis. A\ r e have a green¬ 
house stage against the back wall some 30 ft. in length, 
on which we erected a temporary trellis, made of the 
simplest material, some old iron hoops with the stakes 
the plants were tied to, and tying material sufficed to 
meet our requirements. AA r e began at one end with the 
