436 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 13, 1886. 
heightened by the fact that the trade is largely 
advertising for Cabbage plants. Happy are they who, 
in favoured and sheltered spots, have been able to 
protect their plants from harm. Nothing has grown 
since Christmas. Vegetables have been almost con¬ 
tinuously locked up in the icy grip of frost, and 
Broccoli, Kales, Brussels Sprouts, Spinach, and such 
like, have dwindled in quantity rather than increased. 
Every odd piece of Turnips likely to give forth some 
sprouts when the weather changes will become of great 
value. Last year at this time there was a glut of green 
stuff, and the prices obtained were altogether unre- 
munerative ; to day it is very different, a neighbour of 
ours had a large piece of Brussels Sprouts which he 
had cleared, and had turned sheep into them to feed 
them off; but the great scarcity, which is becoming 
more apparent every day, has led him to change his 
plans. He has withdrawn the sheep, and now waits 
anxiously for the change that will bring rain, and to 
the advent of a growing season. He anticipates the 
stalks will sprout freely, and yield him at the rate of 
£10 to £12 per acre. 
Preserved Vegetables.— At the meeting held 
at South Kensington on Tuesday, the visitors took 
much interest in a collection of vegetables preserved 
intact by a new process, and exhibited by Messrs. James 
Carter & Co., of High Holborn. The subjects so 
treated, included Peas, Potatos, Carrots, Onions, 
Tomatos, Beans, Leeks, Radishes, Capsicums, and Sea 
Kale, and of these the Tomatos and Potatos presented 
the most natural appearance. In all cases the form 
was well shown though slightly’ - exaggerated in size, and 
in this we imagine the merits of the process are to be 
found, the outline being more correctly’ rendered than 
can be the case with wax models. The process will be 
a useful one to traders and those who have charge of 
economic museums, but some improvement must be 
made in the preparation of the colours, before it can be 
considered quite perfect. 
Grand National Dahlia Show, 1886.— 
The arrangements in connection with the Grand 
National Show of Dahlias, to be held on September 
3rd and 4th, at the Crystal Palace, have now been 
completed. The Prize Schedule has been printed and 
circulated amongst the former subscribers and exhibi¬ 
tors ; the same well-known and trusty florists have 
been selected to award the prizes, and the same 
Executive Committee has been appointed as a substan¬ 
tial aid to the Honorary Secretary. In regard to its 
finances, the Show cannot be thoroughly successful 
unless liberally supported by the growers and admirers 
of the Dahlia, who will therefore, we trust, keep the 
officials busily occupied in sending out receipts for their 
donations. Those also who believe in the beneficial 
influence of flower shows may well lend a helping 
hand. Contributions should be sent to the Honorary 
Secretary and Treasurer, Mr. Thomas Moop.e, Botanic 
Garden, Chelsea, London, S.W., who will gladly 
acknowledge them. We may add to the foregoing, 
that the second of the Dahlia competitions for the 
possession of the Turner Memorial Prize Cup, will 
take place, at the Crystal Palace, on the occasion of 
this Show, and will greatly increase the interest with 
which it can be watched by those who are admirers of 
this noble autumn flower. 
The Weather in North East Lancashire. 
—A correspondent writes:—“The snow in this district 
is several inches deep, and on the hill sides it has 
drifted to great depths. Vegetation is in a dormant 
condition at present, which is, perhaps, as well con¬ 
sidering the severe frosts we are having. This morning 
(Sunday 7th March) our thermometer, at 18 ins. from 
the ground, and facing due north, registered 21° of 
frost, the most severe we have had so far this winter. 
The general appearance at daybreak this morning would 
have better suited the end of December than the end 
of the first week in March. We have glorious sunshine 
during the day. Is not this unusually severe for 
March ?” 
Everlasting Flowers.— At the last meeting of 
the Manchester Scientific Students’ Association, Dr. 
Alcock read a paper on Everlasting Flowers. The 
lecturer had availed himself of recent studies and re¬ 
searches in this direction in order to draw attention to 
the wonderful fauna and flora of the Australian conti¬ 
nent, from which he had drawn the numerous species 
and varietiesof this composite family which he possessed 
and of which he had brought some very fine specimens 
to the meeting. He gave an interesting outline of the 
physical geography of the Australian continent, dwelt 
upon its specialadaptabilitv to the growth of these plants 
and others of a similar character, and concluded by des¬ 
cribing the climate as one having only two seasons, a 
hot dry summer, and a cold wet winter. 
The Liverpool Great International Horti¬ 
cultural Show. —We understand that Messrs. 
Sutton & Sons, Reading, have offered the following 
valuable prizes for competition at the forthcoming great 
provincial show of the Royal Horticultural Society at 
Liverpool, June 29th to July 5th :—For a collection of 
vegetables, twelve distinct kinds, 1st prize, £5 5s. ; 
2nd prize, £4 4s. ; 3rd prize, £3 3*. ; 4th prize, £2 2s. ; 
5th prize, £1 Is. ; 6th prize, 10s. 6 d. For the best 
brace of Melons, either Sutton’s Imperial Green-flesh, 
Sutton’s Invincible Scarlet-flesh, or Sutton’s Hero of 
Lockinge, each entry to consist of one variety, 1st 
prize, £2 2s. ; 2nd prize, £1 Is. ; 3rd prize, 10s. 6 d. 
These prizes are open to noblemen’s and gentlemen’s 
gardeners only. 
Messrs. Lucombe, Pince & Go.’s ninth 
annual Hyacinth show took place on the 5th inst. at 
the Exeter Nursery, and, despite the cold season, a fine 
lot of flowers were staged. The winners of the prizes 
were Mr. Daw, gardener to the Rev. T. J. Yarde, 
Culver House, Chudleigh, 1st. ; Mr. Viney, gardener to 
Mrs. Norris, Pinhoe, Devon, 2nd.; and Mr. Sparks, gar¬ 
dener to A. Burnet, Esq., Howden Court, Tiverton, 3rd. 
Ventilators. —Messrs. Foster & Pearson are in¬ 
troducing a useful iron ventilator, for letting into the 
walls of structures of all kinds, to which it is desirable 
to admit air at will. It is very simple and effective, 
the iron frame having a perforated zinc plate on one 
side, and a copper-hinged balancing lid on the other, 
which holds itself open or closed without fastenings of 
any kind. 
The St. Peter’s Hammersmith Horticul¬ 
tural and Cottage Garden Society at the last 
monthly meeting resolved to hold a summer show in 
July, particulars of which will be issued as soon as the 
arrangements are complete. During the evening Mr. 
Stanton read a paper on the cultivation of the Cucumber, 
which was followed by an animated discussion among 
the members present. At the next meeting in April, a 
paper on the Auricula will be read by Mr. Worsfold. 
The Charles Turner MemoriaL — The 
secretary to this fund 'writes : “ This important testi¬ 
mony in remembrance of the most complete florist of 
modern times, might be quickly and honourably 
completed if every man who believes in it could do 
something. On hearing from me that we wanted a 
little more money, Mr. Shirley Hibberd made a col¬ 
lection in his own way, and has, for the result, sent me 
a cheque for £10, which I have passed on to the 
treasurer. Half-a-dozen such workers would carry any 
cause to triumph.” 
--i>3=<-- 
TABLE, WINDOW, AND INDOOR 
PLANTS. 
Where suitable subjects are selected hanging plants 
are so easily cultivated, and so attractive, that I think 
more attention should be given to the subject. Gene¬ 
rally speaking the selection of the proper plants for 
growing in baskets or suspending in pots, success or 
failure depends, let us endeavour, therefore, by naming 
some of the easiest to grow in that manner to render the 
labours of those who take up the matter for the first 
time easy, and, at the same time, point out to those who 
are battling against nature with unsuitable plants the 
right things to obtain, in order to render their work 
more pleasant and satisfactory. 
Saxifraga sarmentosa, with its pretty silvery tinted 
leaves and profusion of little plants hanging round their 
pots by their thread-like runners, is one of the best 
of plants for suspending in a room, and one of the 
easiest managed. I have seen this growing in cottage 
windows in marvellous beauty, its delicate sprays of 
white flowers in their season still further adding to its 
charms. Tradescantia repens, T. discolor, and all the 
allied varieties are very suitable plants for suspending 
indoors as they grow well, if properly attended to, either 
in hot or cold rooms of any aspect. 
Ivies of different sorts also lend themselves readily 
to the work, but they thrive best in cool rooms, and 
should always be suspended in shady situations in 
summer. The Ivies make beautiful globular baskets 
for suspending outside, and particularly in shady areas 
in town, where they do much to take off the blank 
appearance of that crypt-like void which is to be found 
in front of so many town houses. None will gainsay 
the statement that such places could be made beautiful 
both to the owners and passers by with a very small 
outlay, but unless someone much interested in the 
plants can be enlisted to look after them, it is of no use 
attempting much in that direction. Othoma crassifolia, 
and some of the fleshy-leaved drooping Mesembry- 
anthemums, are excellent for sunny windows, the 
common Ice-plant and the variegated form being often 
grown to lovely objects in the dwelling house. These 
are apt to die out in time, but they are so easily propa¬ 
gated that there need be no trouble in getting on young 
plants to replace them. 
Convolvulus mauritanieus, with its lovely mauve 
flowers, and all the varieties of Campanula fragilis, are 
easily-cultivated hanging plants, which, as well as 
giving pretty drooping plants, also put forth a lasting 
supply of lovely blooms. Many other subjects are 
good for hanging plants indoors, but of them later on. 
Plants for suspending may either be grown in pots and 
afterwards placed pot-end all in wire baskets, in which 
they may be filled-in round with moss, or they may be 
planted out direct into moss-lined baskets, the ferti¬ 
lising moss being spoken highly of by some for the 
purpose. After the baskets are lined with moss the 
plants should be placed in them and arranged, as in 
potting, with ordinary good soil. During mild or warm 
weather it is of great benefit to all basket or other indoor 
plants to make it a rule to take them into a convenient 
place in the open air regularly once a week, in order to 
clean them and thoroughly water such as require it, 
which latter operation may here be conducted without 
the fear of making a mess, a contingency which is 
always before one when the work is wholly carried on 
indoors.— M. A., Camb. 
-->3c<—- 
VIDAL’S BELL-FLOWER. 
E umbers of beautiful Campanulas adorn our gardens 
during the summer months, and some like the old C. 
pyramidalis, and the dwarf C. fragilis are favourites in 
many a country cottage, or in the greenhouses and con¬ 
servatories of the wealthy. There is, however, scarcelv 
any of those grown under glass so distinct in habit and 
general appearance as that which bears the name of its 
discoverer, Captain Yidal; and though it has no claim 
to be considered as a novelty, it is one of the neglected 
old plants which deserve to be brought into notice. 
Campanula Vidalii is a native of the Azores, and though 
nearly hardy, it is far more satisfactory in a cool house 
or any structure in which it can be sheltered from frost 
and yet have free exposure to air when the weather is 
favourable. It is of shrubby habit with narrow, thick, 
fleshy leaves arranged closely round the upper part of 
the stem, and bears racemes of three to five or more 
white slightly pendant flowers, of an even bell-like 
form, contracted in the middle, and with a curiously 
glossy surface. The plant is easily grown if a compost 
is provided of two parts light sandy loam to one of 
leaf-soil, draining the pot well and attending to the 
supply of water carefully, as it soon suffers from ex¬ 
tremes of drought or moisture about the roots. It can 
be increased by seeds sown in slight heat, but the 
plants must be at least a couple of years old before they 
will flower. 
-- 
PRUNING ORCHARD TREES. 
From hear-say evidence, reading, and personal ob¬ 
servations, I conclude that no one who is identified 
until good fruit culture is opposed to the practice of 
pruning such fruit trees as Apples, Pears, and Plums. 
Even market gardeners, who once thought it economy 
to allow their tiees to grow naturally, have in many 
instances become constant pruners. A few years ago I 
lived near large breadths of land planted with pyramidal 
fruit trees, with bush fruit between the trees in the 
rows, and vegetables and Strawberries between the 
rows, and during the few years I watched them, the 
Apples, Pears, and Plums were pruned with the same 
regularity as the bush fruits, and, indeed, more so, for 
the bird-scarer was constantly “pinching ” the strongest 
shoots during the summer. Old fruit growers and non- 
pruners admitted the soundness of this new departure, 
because if one crop failed, say, the Apples or Pears, 
there was a chance that the bush fruit or the other 
crop would yield something, and if the fruit of the 
