20 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 10, 1887. 
We are informed that the annual meeting of the 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution will be 
held on the 13th of January next, and that at the usual 
“Family Dinner,” to be held the same evening, at 
“ Simpsons,” Sir Robert Peel, Bart., M.P., will preside. 
We understand that at a meeting of the committee 
of the Richmond (Surrey) Horticultural Society, 
held on Tuesday last, it was decided to abandon the 
autumn show announced to be held on November 2nd. 
The Fruit and Floral Committees of the Royal 
Horticultural Society will meet at 11 a.m. in the con¬ 
servatory on Tuesday next, the 13th inst. On that 
day special prizes will be offered by Messrs. James 
Carter & Co., Mr. H. Deverill, Messrs. Sutton & Sons, 
and Messrs. Webb & Sons, as per schedule. 
Professor Baldivin, who was for many years at 
the head of the Agricultural Department of National 
Education in Ireland, and who was greatly respected by 
a wide circle of friends on both sides of the Channel, 
died on the 31st ult., somewhat suddenly, at his 
residence in Dublin. 
The Report of the Apple and Pear Congress, 
held at Edinburgh in November, 1885, under the 
auspices of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, 
has just been issued. The publishers are Messrs. 
Maclachlan & Stewart, Edinburgh. 
We are requested to state, for the information of 
Fellows of the Royal Horticultural Society, that 
some seeds from Sikkim included in No. 2 of the List 
B. are now ready for distribution. Application for the 
same should be made to the secretary at South Ken¬ 
sington. 
On Thursday, the 1st inst., fifty of the employes of 
Messrs. W. Cutbush & Son, of Highgate, had their 
annual outiDg ; the town selected for their visit being 
Brighton. The party was accompanied by Mr. Herbert 
J. Cutbush, and at the dinner, in the afternoon, the 
toast of “ Success to the Firm” was enthusiastically 
received. 
On August 31st, Mr. G. F. S. Arthy, M.R.C.S., 
youngest son of the late Rev. W. R. B. Arthy, B.D., 
was married at the parish church of Stretford to Annie 
Elisa, eldest daughter of Mr. Bruce Findlay, Curator 
of the Royal Botanical Gardens at Old Trafford, 
Manchester. The marriage ceremony was performed 
by the Rev. Canon Hole, Caunton Manor, Newark, in 
the presence of a large number of friends. 
On August 24th, Mr. James Bentley, honorary 
secretary of the National Tulip Society, and manager 
of the Stakehill Works of Messrs. Samuel Barlow & Co., 
was married at Brooklands, Cheshire, to Edith, daughter 
of Mr. W. G. Thompson, of Tyntsfield, Timperley. 
The British Medical Journal states that the attention 
of the Public Health Committee of Edinburgh Town 
Council has recently been directed to a new branch 
of industry which has been started in the city—the 
cultivation of Mushrooms. It is asserted (says the 
journal quoted) by many of the inhabitants that this 
industry is a source of annoyance and injurious to 
health. There is, between Princes Street and Scotland 
Street, Edinburgh, a railway tunnel, which for many 
years has not been used for traffic. Recently an enter¬ 
prising individual thought it might be utilised for the 
cultivation of Mushrooms for domestic purposes, and 
proceeded to carry out the idea in practice. Complaints, 
however, soon reached the authorities as to the bad 
smell arising from the operations, and Dr. Littlejohn 
has been instructed by the Public Health Committee to 
make further inquiry and report on the subject. 
Mr. James Percival, Smithy Bridge, Rochdale, 
has forwarded blooms of a charming New Viola he 
has raised from Countess of Kintore. The flower is of 
good Viola size, stout, solid and well-formed; the 
colour purple with a bright violet blue zone round the 
dark eye, and a narrow shading of blue along the 
margin of the upper petals. Mr. Percival has not 
named his Viola, but it deserves to be named, as it 
promises to be of decided value for bedding purposes, 
if the habit is all that can be desired, which we have 
no doubt it is. 
The handsome silver cup, the first prize offered from 
the fund collected in honour of the memory of that 
distinguished florist, the late Mr. Charles Turner, 
has now been in competition for the last three years. 
The first year, 1885, it was won by Mr. Henry Glass¬ 
cock, of Bishop’s Stortford ; in 1886, and again on the 
2nd inst., it was won by Mr. J. T. West, gardener to 
W. Keith, Esq., Corn walls, Brentwood, and it now 
becomes his property. Mr. West is a young grower 
who has made his mark as a successful exhibitor of 
Dahlias. 
A Light Beverage, little known in this country, 
but which, if once tried will be found to combine 
almost all the desirable qualities in itself, as a light 
drink which can be freely used by all, is described in 
the Society of Arts Journal as being made as follows : 
Boil from 1 lb. to 2 lbs. of Apples in water until they 
are dissolved, or rather until they form a soup with 
the water ; add boiling water to make up a gallon, and 
from l lb. to J lb. of sugar ; when nearly cool add a 
little yeast, and when the fermentation is well advanced 
strain and bottle, tying the corks tightly down. It 
will be ready for use in two days, and remains in its 
best condition about a week, so that a weekly “ brew” 
will keep up a continuous supply. The quantity of 
Apples and sugar may be varied to suit individual 
tastes. The process of manufacture resembles that of 
the well-known ginger beer, but the result is essentially 
different, the flavour, when properly made, being more 
like champagne, without the intoxicating effects of the 
latter, and it only needs to be generally known to be 
fully appreciated. 
It is reported that since the rains The Mushroom 
Cror on the North Wales Pastures has been 
remarkable. Truck loads of these esculents have been 
consigned to London and large provincial towns. The 
protracted drought and accompanying heat, followed 
by heavy rains, are no doubt specially favouring the 
development of this much prized article of food. 
-->X<-- 
THE CHRYSANTHEMUM. 
Since my last notes appeared, Chrysanthemum 
growers have had to contend with very trying weather, 
but where the plants have been carefully looked after, 
they should now give every promise of a successful 
bloom. The plants will be greatly benefited by being 
top-dressed with partly rotten manure. They should 
then be gone over, and all shoots that are not required 
should be cut off, while those showing their bloom 
buds, should be carefully disbudded— i.e., there will be 
seen at the end of each stem a cluster of buds, and the 
best one (generally the centre one) should be left, and 
all others be taken off with a sharp knife. The shoots 
that appear up the stem should also be pinched off; by 
so doing, the strength of the plant will be thrown into 
the buds left. The plants should also be carefully 
gone over, and have every shoot securely tied to the 
stakes that have been previously placed to the plants. 
Manure-water should now be regularly given to the 
plants to help to swell the buds. Although the Chry¬ 
santhemum will take a large quantity of manure-water, 
yet great discretion should be used in applying it, as it 
is always better to give weak doses rather than have 
the plants injured by using the manure too strong. As 
to the kinds of manure to use I will name a few, and 
the grower can select for himself ; at the same time it 
should be mentioned that the plants like a change of 
food, so that where convenient, the grower should 
change the manure a few times during the season. An 
excellent stimulant is made by putting into a barrel 
(holding about forty gallons) two bushels of sheep- 
manure, and about a peck of soot, over which pour 
enough water to cover the manure, and then with a 
stout stake mix the whole well together. When this 
is done, fill up the barrel with water, and let it well 
settle before using. In very hot weather the plants 
can have occasional waterings with manure-water made 
by using cow-manure instead of sheep’s as above. 
There is another kind of manure sometimes used, viz., 
manure from the stable or fowl’s house. This should be 
used with ’great care, but generally speaking, if it is 
mixed with water, till the water gets the colour of 
brandy, it will be sufficiently strong. Manure-water 
made as above will necessitate the grower having a tub 
always standing in the garden. This is not convenient 
in all gardens, and where such is the case, resort must 
be had to artificial manures, and with ordinary care 
equally good results follow from the use of such 
stimulants. There are now a variety of artificial 
manures in the market which are more or less used. 
A very old kind is guano, *of which about one ounce to 
the gallon of water should be used. I have tried 
several kinds of artificial manures, but that which I 
like best, and I find suits Chrysanthemums (as well as 
other plants and vegetables) is the blood and bone 
manure sold by Mr. H. G. Smyth. It can be used 
either in a liquid form with water, or the plants can 
be top-dressed with it if wet weather should set in. 
To make manure-water it should be used at the rate of 
one ounce, increasing to one and a half ounces to the 
gallon of water. 
It often happens that after the buds are set wet 
weather prevails for a short time, by which the plants 
receive all the watering that is required ; at the same 
time the plants must still be fed, and to do this a 
little of the blood and bone manure should be sprinkled 
over the surface of the soil. For the plants in the 
ground use 2 ozs. to 1 square yd. ; and for those in 
pots use a tea-spoonful to an 85 in. pot. When the 
buds are swelling the plants should be occasionally 
supplied with water, to which sulphate of ammonia has 
been added at the rate of \ oz. to 1 gallon of water. 
This will help to swell the buds. In giving manure- 
water, it will be sufficient if the plants receive it twice 
a week at first, increasing the strength and giving it 
oftener till the buds show colour, when it should be 
gradually withheld. The early-flowering varieties will 
shortly be found of great value for greenhouse decoration 
and for prolonging the display of bloom in the borders. 
A few varieties have already commenced to bloom, 
notably amongst them being Golden Fleece (blooms 
over 3 ins. across), a splendid yellow variety for cutting 
purposes or general bloom display, and a plant I can 
strongly recommend to every grower. 
Careful attention should be paid to keeping the 
plants perfectly free from insects ; and one of the pests 
that should be carefully looked after is the earwig. I 
have seen very few earwigs upon the plants this season. 
They are easily trapped by placing inverted small pots 
containing a little dry hay upon the sticks, and look¬ 
ing them over every morning; the plants should also be 
dusted with tobacco powder, as a prevention against 
green-fly. If this be done now it will help to keep the 
buds clean ; should any signs of mildew appear, a 
slight dusting with flowers of sulphur will effect a cure. 
Early in October, the plants should be taken into the 
greenhouse to protect the blooms from wet and frost. 
"Where the grower is not possessed of such a structure, 
some temporary shelter should be provided for them, 
such as calico made waterproof, and stretched on a 
framework to cover the plants ; but they are seen to 
greater advantage under glass, and greenhouses can 
now be had so cheap that a small outlay will amply 
repay the grower. In housing the plants, a dry day 
should be chosen, so that they may not be placed under 
shelter while the foliage is wet or damp, or they will be 
liable to be affected with mildew. Abundance of air 
should be admitted both night and day, except in 
foggy or frosty weather. If the grower is possessed of 
a heating apparatus, it will be found of great service 
in helping to expel damp and fog.— W. E. Boyce, 
Archway Road, Highgate. 
--=*$<-- 
HAMPTON COURT. 
Compared with other years, the bedding-out at this 
former royal residence, and now recreation-ground and 
resort for the public, bears little evidence of the long- 
continued drought, now happily terminated. This, no 
doubt, can readily be accounted for by the ample water 
supply at the command of those in charge. The broad 
expanse of grass, however, suffered rather severely, 
losing its accustomed fresh and verdant appearance. 
The carpet and other bedding is, as usual, most at¬ 
tractive and varied along the side of the walk contiguous 
to, and running parallel with, the Palace itself. A 
great number of the beds forming a semi-circle at the 
far side of the garden, now almost exclusively occupied 
with Pelargoniums and similar bedding stuff, might, 
with great propriety, be planted with Liliums, Del¬ 
phiniums, Gladioli, Anemone japonica, A. j. alba, and 
various other herbaceous plants that are now becoming 
the rage of the day. What could be more appropriate, 
attractive, or pleasing to the public taste than a bed of 
single Gaillardias, and another of the double or 
Lorenziana type ? These flower continuously almost 
the whole summer till cut down by frost, and in dry 
seasons bloom most profusely. In the low-lying and 
cool grounds of Hampton Court, with an abundant 
supply of water, Iris Kaempferi would succeed admirably, 
and be a source of great attraction to visitors from the 
metropolis. 
Amongst carpet-beds, two large oblong ones, occupied 
in the centre with Cotyledon Peacocki, are very at¬ 
tractive, the glaucous mealy colour of the foliage, 
faintly tinted with blush-red, exhibiting a delicacy 
and attractiveness seldom shown by any class of plants. 
The nearest approach to the colour in question is pre¬ 
sented by Cotyledon Pachypliyton. One of the beds, 
containing an oval patch of C. Peacocki, has for its 
groundwork Mesembryanthemum cordifolium varie- 
gatum, the distinct hue of which is very telling. Some 
scroll-work is wrought in the last with Alternanthera 
grandis, which is again margined with Cotyledon 
Peacocki ; and the design is further enlivened with 
