804 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 21, 1886. 
GARDENING MISCELLANY. 
Meetings for NextV^eek.— Tuesday: Meeting 
of Fruit and Floral Committees at South Kensington, 
Cottagers Show of Garden Produce. Wednesday: 
Reading, Ludlow, and Brighton Horticultural Society’s 
Summer Show. Thursday: Stoke-on-Trent Flower 
Show. Triday : Sandy (Beds.) Horticultural Society’s 
Eigtheenth Annual Show. 
Mr. Charles Jolly, vice-president of the National 
Horticultural Society of France, has just issued a very 
interesting brochure in which he gives an account of 
his recent visit to “ The Colinderies,” and to the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s Provincial Show at Liverpool. 
Mr. William Ingram, gardener to the Duke of 
Rutland at Belvoir Castle, Grantham, was presented on 
the 5th inst. with a piece of plate and a cheque for £90 
in appreciation of the manner in which he originated 
and developed the spring garden at Belvoir.” 
New Plants Certificated in Ghent.— At 
the last meeting of horticulturists held in Ghent certi¬ 
ficates of merit were awarded to M. Linden for Pothos 
nigricans and Labisia Malonana ; to M. Louis Desmet 
for Begonia Madame Louis Desmet ; to M. M. Yervaet 
et Cie for Pescatorea Lehmanni; to M. Louis van 
Houtte for Cienkowskia Kirki; and to M. Godefroy- 
Lebeuf, Argenteuil, for Begonia Arthur Mallet. 
Tobacco Cultivation as a Field Crop in 
England. Messrs. James Carter & Co.’s acreage crop 
of Tobacco (growing within ten miles of London), in 
seventeen kinds, is now ready for inspection, and cards 
to view can be obtained from them, with particulars of 
the locality in which it is being grown, on application 
at 237 and 238, High Holborn, W.C. We understand 
the firm will also be pleased to make special appoint¬ 
ments to accompany anyone interested in the subject 
who may wish them to do so. 
Heating by Hot Water. —Mr. Bardney writes 
from Norris Green, West Derby, Liverpool “ In the 
fourth paragraph of your report of the paper I read on 
this subject at Preston, p. 79f>, I find there is a slight 
mistake. It should read, ‘ A house of this description 
would contain 7,350 cubic ft. of air ; thus eight rows, 
or 428 ft. of 4-in. piping would be required, or, in other 
words, 1 ft. of piping will be required to heat 17£ cubic 
ft. of air to 65° Fahr. If a temperature of 55° Fahr. is 
required, 1 ft. of piping will heat 20 cubic ft. of air, 
and 1 ft. of piping to 25 cubic ft. of air when the 
temperature is 45° Fahr.’ ” 
Antirrhinums: a Reminiscence. —In 1849 
I observed in one of the London horticultural papers 
that a person of the name of Pawsey, of Brixton, had 
shown a remarkably fine-formed, light-veined Antir¬ 
rhinum at one of the London flower shows, and which 
was named Model of Perfection. Antirrhinums were 
very inferior in form in those days, and as I was going 
to London in the autumn of that year, I determined to 
find out Mr. Pawsey ; so when in London I got on to a 
Brixton ’bus about 7 p.m., and reached Mr. Pawsey’s 
about 8.30, when I was told that lie would not be at 
home till the next day at 2 p.m. When I returned to 
the coach office I was told that the last ’bus had left 
for London that night, so I enquired for an hotel, but 
found there were none in the place. On stating my 
case to a person I met on the road, he took me to a gin 
palace and stated my case to the landlady, who said 
she could not give me a bed as she had only one room, 
and that was let to a young postman, who would be 
home at 10.30, and if I could arrange to sleep with him 
she had no objection. In due time the postman arrived; 
I stated my case to him, and he said, “ Are you a real 
Scotchman ?” I said I was. He then said, “I shall 
be glad to do what I can for you, and I should like if 
you would tell me something about Scotland,” to 
which I agreed. When I got to bed I found there was 
little sleep in the postman’s head, as he plied me with 
question after question regarding Scotland. At last he 
gave me two posers that settled the matter ; the first 
was, “ Are there any roads in Scotland ?” I replied 
“ Plent y of good roads.” He said, “ Gentlemen go to 
Scotland to shoot; where I come from is Norfolk, where 
the gentlemen shoot there there are no roads.” He 
then gave me another, and it was this, “Is Scotland 
private property ? ” I pretended not to hear this ; he 
then made a remark to himself, “Oh ! gone to sleep.” 
When I awoke in the morning the postman was gone. 
The above is one of my experiences in procuring a new 
flower. Well, I waited for Mr. Pawsey, and was well 
rewarded for my trouble, as it was the best formed and 
largest flower I had ever seen ; he gave me a nice plant 
of it in a pot. We had a fine crop of seedlings from it 
the following year, many of them superior to the 
original. In 1840 the late Mr. Parsons, nurseryman, 
Brighton, raised Hendersoni, a white flower, striped 
with carmine bands ; this is one of the finest grown, 
and is still much sought after by competitors. About 
this time also there came out another flower named 
Cretia, a very dark self ; since then I believe there has 
been thousands of seedlings raised from this variety, 
not one of which has beat it yet .—John Dovmie, 
Edinburgh. 
- ~>T<~ - 
A COTTAGERS’ FLOWER 
SHOW. 
After long association with flower shows of the 
stereotyped pattern, where one sees plants, flowers, and 
everything else, almost in duplicate with the exhibits 
of previous years or of elsewhere. It was with a sense 
of relief I turned into the tents of the bona fide 
cottagers show, which was held at Earley, adjoinging 
Reading, and in a lovely part of what was once the 
famous estate of White Knights; and here I must remark 
that hundreds of bigger shows would have been 
honoured in having neat 7 beautiful grounds as were 
those of Foxhill, and in which visitors on this occasion 
seemed to revel to their hearts content. The morning 
was certainly an unpleasant one, for it rained off and 
on up till mid-day, still it did not in the least cool 
the courage of the committee or exhibitors, and when 
about eleven o’clock the judges were called into the 
tents (of which there were a couple), they found them 
literally crammed with garden products of such very 
fine quality, that it needed strong persuasion to induce 
one to believe that all we saw was of genuine cottagers’ 
growth and production. 
It is true the Messrs. Sutton & Sons, of Reading, 
those liberal patrons of similar shows for miles round, 
occupied one part of a stage with an endless collection 
of garden flowers, but in most cases these were in good 
keeping with the purpose of the show, being of such a 
nature that cottager’s as well as professional gardener’s 
might grow them. But so thick were the bond fide 
cottagers’ productions, that little room was left for 
other things, indeed, lots of vegetables of the humbler 
order had to overflow on to the soft green turf, where 
they looked cool and fresh, at least, if not so dignified as 
were those products on the tables. The judges were in 
two couples, and had to face some 100 classes,for division 
A takes in nine parishes, covering an enormous area, 
in which there is much good soil, and many capable 
growers ; whilst division B includes the parish of 
Earley and those resident within one mile of the 
President s Mansion only. "What was remarkable, how¬ 
ever, and perhaps shows the special novel feature of the 
show, was that quite as many entries were made in 
the limited division as in the great one, all Earley 
being really entitled to show in both divisions. 
Now, in plants, Fuchsias were truly wonderful— 
beautiful, dense, handsome pyramids, [3 ft. to 4 ft. in 
height, and literally one mass of bloom, plants which 
would have put many shown by gardeners to shame. 
Zonal Pelargoniums—for old world’s sake here called 
Geraniums—were capital and richly flowered, Ferns 
good, and window-boxes capital. Very good were the 
mixed collections, whilst nosegays and bunches of 
garden flowers were very showy. Happily, the bunches 
of wild flowers were few, but those very good ; indeed, 
some capital. A few of these are endurable ; but scores 
especially of wretched ones, as seen at some suburban 
shows—become a horror. Fruits included good Apples, 
Gooseberries, Currants (of sorts), and Raspberries, all 
very fresh and good. In one case a dish of Apricots 
cropped up, and in others some"_early Plums were 
almost ripe. 
But the great feature of the show was without doubt 
found in the vegetables. There were no less than four 
classes for collections of six kinds, with a total of about 
thirty entries, first-rate quality ranging throughout; 
lots of classes for Potatos, of which ten were allotted to 
single dishes, and it was noticeable that whilst in the 
white kidneys the best seemed to be Ashleaf and Inter¬ 
national; of coloured ones, Beauty of Hebron and 
Prizetaker ; of white rounds, Schoolmaster and Idaho ; 
the coloured rounds were almost exclusively represented 
by Vicar of Laleham and Reading Russet. We had to 
face, in one class alone, some twenty pairs of Marrows, 
all more or less good. Carrots were wondrous ; indeed 
the first four lots of New Intermediate could not have 
been excelled ; and the same might have been said of 
Parsnips, they were so white, clean, and handsome. 
Beet, too, were capital, and Celery wondrously fine, 
really as good as might have been looked for in Oc¬ 
tober, and it was then but the 10th of August. Peas, 
Runner and Dwarf Beans, Cabbages, Lettuces, Turnips, 
and other useful products were in great plenty and all 
excellent. Better average stuff it would be difficult to 
find during the month of August at any bond fide and 
purely local cottagers’ show in the kingdom. 
This show was the sixth held, and such is the wealth 
of good places about Earley, that a fresh one has been 
found for it each year. The committee have, in Mr. 
Lees, of The Wilderness, a capital secretary, and in 
Mr. Turton, of Maiden Erleigh, a good hard-working 
chairman, hence the gardening element of the locality is 
well employed in promoting the show, and that, too, 
most unselfishly. At the close of our labours we sat 
down to a capital luncheon, over which the Earley 
vicar, a very genial and amiable parson, presided, with 
a gallant captain for his vis-a-vis. Our party was of 
that quiet and pleasant order which makes itself at 
home even in such awful presence ; and after the usual 
complimentary speeches, the inner man being satisfied, 
our connection with this admirable flower show ceased, 
leaving good weather behind. 
-- 
ON THE MANAGEMENT OF THE 
CHRYSANTHEMUM IN VIEW OF 
COMPETITION.— VI. 
With regard to the treatment of plants which are 
designed to produce large flowers for cut blooms, I am 
in favour of one stop when the plants have attained a 
height of 6 ins. or 8 ins., which causes them to send up 
three or four stems, each of which will produce one or 
more flowers ; and I am of opinion that if the plants 
thus treated are carefully attended to through the year, 
they will, as a rule, produce flowers equal, or even 
superior, to those which are not stopped at all, and 
besides, there is not the danger of the plants being so 
much damaged by high winds, on account of their 
lower stature. I had plants last year which attained a 
height of 7 ft., with enormous stems, but when they 
came to bloom the flowers were no larger than others 
which were only 3 ft. or 4 ft. high. The kinds which 
did best on the unstopped principle were Empress of 
India, Emily Dale, General Bainbrigge, Rubra striata, 
Elaine, Fair Maid of Guernsey, and a few others ; the 
rest were a complete failure in respect of gigantic 
flowers, although in many cases they were thinned out 
to three or four buds. The stamina of the plants had 
evidently been directed to the production of wood and 
foliage, two materials which are very well in their 
proper place, but not at all- desirable where nothing 
more succeeds. 
It may now be advisable to give some information as 
to the selection of kinds best adapted for growing, as 
it is a well-known fact among growers that certain 
kinds are far more suitable to cultivate as plants than 
others, and, as a rule, I may remark that those which 
are best calculated to produce immense flowers are 
mainly unsuitable to grow as exhibition plants, either 
as trained specimens or bush form. Almost any of the 
reflexed varieties make good plants, being very flori- 
ferous. The Pompon also is admirably adapted for this 
purpose, their natural habit of growth being bushy, 
and extremely suitable for decorative plants. Many of 
the incurved varieties are most unsuitable to grow 
as plants, although there are some in this class which 
will, with a little care, make very fair bush plants ; 
and there is little doubt but that this method is 
most in accordance with the flower’s nature and 
disposition. 
I will now give the names of those which I have 
proved to make good specimen plants, viz., Geo. Stevens, 
Dr. Sharpe, Julie Lagravere, Elaine, White Venus, 
Venus (peach), Princess Teck, Guernsey Nugget, Lady 
Selborne, Mrs. Geo. Rundle, Sceur Melaine, Madame 
Martha, Cedo Nulli, Model of Perfection, and Mrs. 
Forsyth. 
Last season I had plants in the bush form of White 
Venus, Lady Selborne, Elaine, Christmas Number, and 
Mrs. Geo. Rundle, which measured 9 ft. in circum¬ 
ference, struck in November or December previous ; 
one plant of which was amply sufficient to furnish an 
