762 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 31, 1886. 
and here we find one of the best, a plant still uncommon, 
though once so abundant in gardens, and highly 
valuable for any purpose ; it is very durable in a cut 
state, pure in colour, and equally free flowering as any. 
Plant it well in deep rich soil, and you will have the 
most gratifying result. Allow it to remain undisturbed 
for years if you wish to see it in that state of perfection 
of which the hoary heads of the profession know well 
and tell the tale, and we, the younger members of the 
school, have yet to see and know.— J. 
-- 
FLOWER SHOW AT HAREFIELD 
GROVE. 
The annual exhibition of the Harefield Horticultural 
Society was held on the 21st inst. in the grounds of 
Harefield Grove, near Rickmansworth, the seat of 
George "Webster, Esq. This societ} 7 , so far, has aimed 
more at the encouragement of cottage gardening than 
a general exhibition, and this year the cottagers and 
amateurs of the district had the prizes devoted to their 
interests, and some highly creditable exhibits were 
staged by them ; but it was the neighbouring gardeners 
who made up a very pretty exhibition, by gratuitously 
contributing groups of plants. In the tent in which 
the competing exhibits were grouped, the large centre 
stage was well filled by groups, one, contributed by 
Mr. W. C. Mundell, of the Moorpark Gardens, being 
nicely arranged ; and another from Mr. Wall, gardener 
to Mrs. Drake, Brakspestres, Harefield, who had some 
good Palms, a fine Araucaria excelsa, and other orna¬ 
mental plants. Mr. Brush, gardener to Lady Hume 
Campbell, Highgrove, Eastcote, contributed some 
well-grown tuberous Begonias and an excellent collec¬ 
tion of cut herbaceous blooms, well set up, also a 
collection of Roses. Mr. Wall also contributed a 
collection of cut herbaceous blooms and Roses. Mr. 
Milone, gardener to "William Barnard Bvles, Esq., 
Harefield, staged a pretty group of plants, and W. H. 
Kennell, Esq., Harefield, set up a collection of wild 
flowers in bunches of each kind and other exhibits. 
The postmaster at Harefield, Mr. Quickenden, took the 
chief first prizes in the amateur classes for some nicely 
grown Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, and other plants. 
Another spacious tent was well filled by Mr. Gough, 
the manager of the Harefield Grove Gardens, and was 
in reality the feature of the exhibition. The centre of 
the tent was occupied by a grand group, 50 ft. long, of 
Palms, tree and other Ferns, Caladiums, a splendid lot 
of Crotons, a collection of well-grown climbing As¬ 
paragus, and many other plants ; at the entrance, 
right and left, were groups of Tuberoses and Maiden¬ 
hair and other Ferns ; at the far end of the tent was 
another group of Palms, &c. ; on the right-hand side of 
the tent was a long table with Palms and other plants 
at the back, a fringe of Maidenhair Ferns in the front 
on a sunken shelf, and boxes of cut Roses, herbaceous 
blooms, zonal Pelargoniums, stove and greenhouse 
flowers, &c., were worked in, forming bright-coloured 
panels in amass of Adiantum Farleyense, A. cuneatum, 
Lomarias, and other plants ; a corresponding table 
ran along the left side, on which there was a similar 
arrangement of plants, but 'with masses of colour here 
and there, such as a group of Pelargonium Volante 
Rationale alba, a very fine new double pinkish white 
zonal Pelargonium, Kate Twinings, and other plants 
were used. Interspersed were stands of Grapes, Black 
Hamburghs and Alicantes, superbly done ; Peaches, 
Nectarines, thirteen fruits of Harefield Golden Gem 
Melon, six very fine fruits of Highcross Hybrid, and 
six extra fine fruits of Edward Bennett Melon, evidently 
a superior variety. Groups of Tomatos were filled in, 
such kinds as King Humbert Improved, Phillips’s Per¬ 
fection, HarefieldGrove Selected Red, Harefield Golden 
Gem, a very fine kind, fruit large and heavy, and a 
great cropper ; and Hackwood Park Prolific. 
-=>ZC-- 
ELFORD HALL, TAMWORTH. 
This fine old country seat is situated about one and 
a half miles from Elford and Hesalour station on the 
Midland Railway. As we passed through the quiet 
and pleasant village, we noticed that every cottage 
was surrounded with Roses, and many were the fine 
standards, with dozens of fine flowers, that adorn many 
of them. "We approached the hall through a pair of 
iron gates, and thence along the carriage drive, which 
is broad and straight, and on either side of which are 
fine Elm trees. At the end of the avenue, close by the 
hall, stands the church, which, from all appearance, 
has been there for several generations. Its surround¬ 
ings are adorned with flowers and shrubs, and the grass 
kept cut short like a bit of well-kept pleasure ground. 
The pleasure grounds proper at Elford are extensive 
and beautiful. The flower garden is situated on the 
east front of the hall, and is protected from the north 
by a high wall, which is covered with Roses and fruit 
trees. At the base of the wall is a border planted with 
herbaceous plants, and among these are a goodly 
number of standard and dwarf Roses. 
A few yards from the border in question is a large 
geometrically designed flower garden in four panels, all 
of which are planted with subjects of a harmonious 
character, and the work of planting has certainly been 
done in a most complete manner. As it is a very large 
design, to relieve the great mass of colour, standard 
plants of Acer negundo variegata and Dracaena australis 
are placed in the centre of the principal beds, which 
gives the whole a charming effect. Surrounding these 
flower-beds are some good specimens of ornamental 
trees, amongst them a very fine plant of Wellingtonia 
gigantea, clothed to the ground. Close by stands a 
very fine Irish Yew, 30 ft. high and 7 ft. through, a 
perfect mass. Leaving the flower garden we turned in 
a southward direction, and soon came to the River 
Tame which divides the pleasure grounds from the 
beautiful park, which is so picturesque from the south 
front of the hall. 
The kitchen garden is situated on the west side of 
the hall and pleasure grounds, and within the walls, 
is two and a quarter acres in extent; on the south 
wall, within the pleasure grounds, where there is a 
large lean-to conservatory, which was well furnished 
with decorative plants, amongst them being some fine 
old Camellias planted out. The .kitchen garden is 
divided into four sections by Holly-edges, and on each 
side of the cross-walks and flower-borders. The walk 
which runs from east to west, is planted with bedding 
plants and standard Roses ; and the latter, at the 
time of our visit, were in grand bloom. The side- 
borders of the other walk, which runs north and south, 
is devoted to herbaceous plants. "We next enter a 
range of Vineries, 80 ft. long, and consisting of two 
conqiartments. In the earliest house we noticed some 
fine examples of Muscat of Alexandras and Black 
Hamburgh, both well finished in berry and colour ; 
while in the other compartment, there is a good even 
crop of late Grapes. On the north side of the kitchen 
garden there are several houses, pits, and frames, 
devoted to Peaches, Nectarines, Cucumbers, and 
Melons, all of which are producing good crops. Close 
by is the gardener’s house, wdiich is roomy and 
pleasantly situated at the west end of a long broad 
gravel walk, bordered on each side with herbaceous 
flowers, intersected with standard and dwarf Roses. 
Good dwellings are noticeable all over this estate, 
which is a proof that its owner, Howard F. Paget, Esq., 
is one of those gentlemen who interest themselves in 
seeing to the comforts of their servants and tenants. 
Although Mr. Udales, the gardener, has only been 
here but a few months, the crops and grounds alike, 
are in good order. — Visitor. 
-- 
NOTES ON THE FRUIT CROPS. 
There was an abundance of blossom on all kinds of 
fruit trees here, and in this neighbourhood, but the 
ungenial weather in March and April, and a very wet 
cold May, have in general, had an unfavourable effect 
on the crops. Apples, Pears, and Plums, are a spare 
crop, even that free-bearing kind, the Victoria Plum, 
being very thin ; Damsons half a crop; Morello Cherries 
are also almost a failure. Of the choicest kinds of hardy 
fruits, viz., Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, or Figs, 
none are grown here except under glass ; Raspberries 
are excellent in every way ; Gooseberries are also laden 
with well swelled berries ; Currants, red, white, and 
black, a fair crop ; Strawberries, our earliest and best 
cropper is Viscomtesse Hericart de Thury, but this 
season they are unusually small owing to the pro¬ 
tracted drought during June. President and British 
Queen suffered most through the winter and late spring 
frosts, many plants being quite stripped of their foliage, 
consequently the crop is very poor indeed ; James 
Veitch is our heaviest and best cropper this season, and 
is a variety that always does well on our heavy soil, 
but its value is much discounted by the fact that it is 
the first to decay in damp weather, especially the 
largest fruits, even before they begin to colour. For 
late picking on a north border I grow Helene Gloede 
and Loxford Hall Seedling, both varieties are swelling 
heavy crops, and will give us a good supply in August. 
Early Potato crops are exceptionally light owing to the 
dry weather in June, but the late plantations look ex¬ 
ceedingly well, and entirely free from disease at 
present. — JV. Elphinstone, The Gardens, Shipley Hall, 
Derby. 
In this immediate neighbourhood we have to contend 
with a very light soil that dries up quickly. It is not 
.only light but also shallow, and rests upon sand and 
gravel. W e have to manure heavily to produce crops 
of vegetables, and to produce fruit in any great weight 
is often a difficulty. Still, we experience our good, or 
tolerably good, seasons and our indifferent ones, when 
we have to lament an under-average of many things. 
AVhen we get to May and June we want more rain 
than we usually get, for the old adage, that “a dripping 
June keeps all things in tune,” is perfectly true in our 
experience. In the June that has just passed we only 
had 0.39 of an inch, with bright scorching days, so that 
we suffered intensely. On a lawn of about three acres 
the mowing-machine was put by for nearly a month, 
and the water-carts had to be used morning and evening; 
but as I now write we are experiencing a happy change 
in this respect, for we have had nights of rain that has 
soaked the ground well, and the whole face of nature 
is changing for the better. 
To begin with that staple fruit, the Apple, the crop 
will be light; still, there are in places trees of certain 
kinds that are now swelling-off crops that will not be 
despised at gathering time. King of the Pippins is 
nicely full (old trees), and old Dr. Harvey will not be 
amiss ; and we have a few trees that seem to be grown 
only in this part of the country that we cannot find 
names for, and these will carry a medium crop. That 
very early Apple, the Irish Peach, is cropping freely on 
young trees, and Lord Sufiield, grown as espaliers, is 
also carrying a crop. Still, most of the trees in the 
orchard are destitute of fruit. Apricots on walls are 
very thin ; Peaches and Nectarines are a crop in places, 
and in places very thin ; and exactly the same must be 
said of Plums and Cherries. Pears are very thin, and 
what there is look so intensely hard—their skins look 
so brown instead of being green. Strawberries never 
looked more promising ; but the want of rain, however 
heavy we mulched them, told upon them, and they did 
not swell-off to our satisfaction, though they were not 
exactly alike in all gardens. 
I notice on our Filbert bushes very few nuts, quite 
the reverse of last year, and AValnuts are thin, except 
on some solitary trees that carried light crops last year. 
Gooseberries and Currants are a good crop, and so are 
Raspberries very good, these July rains are swelling 
them off well, and they are also making good canes for 
another year. Our early Peas suffered much, as did 
also the Carrots, Turnips, Onions, and Cabbages. We 
thought at one time we should have a general dearth, 
but everything is happily now changing for the better, 
and our vegetable crops are making up for lost time ; 
we have not found one diseased Potato yet. From the 
evening of the 12th to this evening the 26th we have 
registered 4'01 ins., which is none too much ; but now 
we shall want dry weather again, for the harvest will 
be nearly fit in a fortnight’s time.— T. TV., TVroxham, 
Norfolk. 
We are now in the midst of the Strawberry picking, 
having commenced on the 13th of this month, only a 
few odd ones having been gathered previously. On 
young plants, or those planted about this time last 
year, the crop is satisfactory ; but not so on plants in 
their second year, and those in their third year are 
miserably poor, but of these, fortunately, we have very 
few. An old gardener in the neighbourhood complained 
to me that this was the worst year he ever knew with 
him for Strawberries, and when looking round the 
garden with him I observed that he had no yearling 
plants, and that many were very old. Now, if I had 
sufficient labour at command to layer the requisite 
number of plants at the proper time, I would destroy 
every plant after fruiting once, and plant young ones 
thicker than is usually done for permanent beds. 
Bush fruit is a heavy crop, especially Gooseberries, 
and they have been offered in the market at less than 
Id. per quart. These and currants, as a rule, suffer 
more from birds taking the buds than they do from the 
weather. Here it is the tomtits that have done the 
mischief, excepting in one year, when a batch of green 
