58 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 24, 1887. 
Crop than any other of a dozen kinds for trial. This 
evidently is a very useful selection, whilst Nutting’s is 
also very good. 
The best Parsley we ever had is represented in 
Henderson’s Curled, its quality and habit being extra 
good ; and Fern-leaved is also excellent. Potatos are 
best represented at the shows by Schoolmaster and 
Village Blacksmith. Both are very good here, and so 
is Drummond’s Earliest. Among Lettuces which have 
stood the drought best, and been finely blanched, were 
Bath Brown Cos ; but, as we have before remarked, 
soil and cultivation change the character of some 
kinds materially.— Caledonian. 
--- 
HARDY PLANTS FROM IRELAND. 
From Mr. T. Smith, Daisy Hill Nursery, Newry, 
comes a host of things in season and out of season. 
Many of those which have reached us are similar to 
what are grown in the neighbourhood of London, and 
which were rapidly hurried into bloom during the heat 
and drought of July and August, enjoying but a 
short flowering season. Some of them are, however, 
acknowledged to be the produce of a second growth 
that has set in since the weather in Ireland, as else¬ 
where, has become cooler and moister. That favoured 
Isle, however, where the grass is always green, has a 
climate conducive to the welfare of other plant life, as 
is evidenced by the specimens now before us. 
The bright steel-blue colour of Eryngium amethys- 
tinum is as handsome as in the middle of summer, and 
the roundish oblong heads assume a much deeper tint 
as the stamens prepare to spread open and burst, and 
the styles are projected far beyond the flower. How 
different, yet how fine is the shade of blue presented 
by the Virginian Spiderwort, Tradescantia virginica ! 
The violet-purple of the hybrid Lobelia Milleri seems 
even more intensified in the cool and shortening 
autumn days. A curious and beautiful form of the 
now well-known Linaria anticaria, named L. a. 
picturata, is closely striated all over with purple on a 
pale almost white ground; and the palate is rich 
maroon, forming a bright and attractive spot on the 
otherwise pale-coloured flower. The last-named is a 
chance seedling of Mr. Smith’s, and choice in its way, 
but is exceeded in appearance by L. triornithophora, 
so named from the fact that the flowers are borne in 
threes upon the stem, when the long spur depending 
is comparable to the tail, and the upper lip to the head 
of a bird. The rootstock is perennial, and the stems 
rise to a height of 12 ins. or 15 ins.; while the purple 
flowers are larger, perhaps, than those of any other 
species, and flowers from July till frost cuts it down. 
Several shades of colour are exhibited by the specimens 
before us. 
The pale blue flowers of Funkia ccerulea strike us from 
their apparent unseasonableness, as this species usually 
flowers early with us compared with F. subcordata and 
its variety F. s. grandiflora. A beautifully-fringed, 
pure white and sweet-scented Pink, named Dianthus 
nanus reflexus, also furnishes an instance of second and 
late flowers, but although naturally unseasonable, they 
are none the less warmly appreciated. Dianthus 
cruentus forms a suitable companion to, and contrasts 
strongly with the former, and its intense scarlet flowers 
are as bright as when enjoying the July sun. Delphi¬ 
niums generally are somewhat erratic in their behaviour, 
but D. nudicaule seems particularly so, and flowers 
intermittently at any season, and the specimens before 
us are beautiful and fresh, showing how vigorously 
they grow at Newry. The white, bearded Bellflower, 
Campanula barbata alba, having flowered in its proper 
season, was cut down and is now flowering freely again. 
It is certainly a fine thing for either rockwork or 
border. To some people Astrantia major viridiflora 
may seem unattractive with its star-like rays of straw- 
coloured and greenish bracts, but mixed with various 
other brighter flowers it is seen to great advantage. 
Yellow flowers, and generally all composites, are now 
most abundant in every cottage garden, but Mr. Smith 
has secured some of the more choice, such as Helenium 
autumnale, Helianthus latifolius, and Rudbeckia 
Newmani, all recognised for their decorative value, 
especially the latter, with its dark brown or black 
centre, which makes it a favourite with most people. 
The orange or vermilion variety of Papaver nudicaule 
is exceedingly handsome for indoor decoration when 
gathered young, Two other Poppies named Silver 
Paper and Satin Rose, are the finest we have seen of 
the various garden forms of Papaver Rheeas. They are 
both double, and the first named is as pure as the best 
white amongst the Iceland Poppies, but the flowers are 
twice or three times as large. Satin Rose well describes 
the other variety, for while the petals are of a clear 
delicate rose, they shine with all the lustre of satin, 
and aTe, indeed, difficult to describe. 
A nosegay of double garden Pinks accompanied the 
above useful hardy subjects, and their fresh appearance 
is all the more enjoyable from the fact of having 
flowered previously in June. Various degrees of 
doubling are represented, and some of the largest are 
pure white ; others again have a long transverse white 
blotch, and a narrow white margin on a crimson ground; 
and some have pale pink or flesh petals with a maroon- 
crimson blotch at the base. 
Pansies, although not numerically represented as to 
kinds, were, indeed, a show by themselves ; and who¬ 
ever likes fancy Pansies would find in Thos. Granger a 
handsome, highly-coloured, well-shaped flower, of a 
fiery brownish red colour, with dark maroon blotches 
at the base of each petal, especially conspicuous on the 
three lower ones. The colours are amongst the richest 
in this direction, and the plant flowers freely. 
Vandyke is something in the way of Alpha or Holy- 
rood, but of a most intense bluish purple, and a constant 
flowerer. The blooms are large, and faintly but dis¬ 
tinctly fragrant. A pale blue flower of great size, with 
purple blotches at the base of the three lower petals, 
and named Distinction, blooms a great part of the year. 
A vigorous, free-flowering Pansy, of strong constitution, 
has long been a desideratum in gardens, and Flag of 
Truce is free-blooming, deliciously scented, and pure 
white, with the exception of a yellow blotch at the 
base of the lower petal. A Viola, named Jackanapes, 
presents a very singular and unusual combination of 
colours. The three lower petals are bright yellow, 
with the exception of a few short radiating maroon 
lines at their base ; and when the yellow colour pre¬ 
dominates, as in this instance, we generally expect the 
upper petals to be of a purer unspotted yellow ; but 
strange to say, in this instance, they are of an intense 
uniform maroon-brown, excepting the claw, which is 
white. -- 
THE MUSHROOM HARVEST. 
Since the corn harvest has been in-gathered the 
most absorbing occupation probably amongst the 
humbler classes of our rural population has been Mush¬ 
room gathering. After the drought, the transformation 
in the fields was extraordinary. Within a week the 
burnt-up pastures put on robes of living green, and it 
is this new access of emerald, following swiftly the 
yellows and browns, happily so seldom seen in the 
British Grasses, that makes the country at the present 
time surpassingly lovely. The transformation tells us 
verily, as sure as the bow in the cloud, that though 
times may be hard, and the earth may appear to grudge 
its increase, seed time and harvest, and cold and 
heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall 
not absolutely cease. This Mushroom harvest came 
upon us unexpectedly. Small matter though it be, it 
has brought a lesson to the despondent. So dolorous 
have been the prognostications of evil of late years, 
often urged from motives that were at least question¬ 
able, that even an insignificant reminder that all is not 
lost yet is worth noting. Up and down the land, 
therefore, people who had season after season pointed 
to the dearth of the humble Mushroom as proof positive 
of the ruin that had overtaken us, have found their old 
friend return once more in an abundance that recalls 
the good times that were supposed to have evermore 
departed. 
Early travellers by road and rail may have wondered 
what the men, women, and children are doing, 
wandering amongst the dewy grass of the meadows and 
uplands at an hour when, usually, the domestic bed 
has not been forsaken. They are gathering the Mush¬ 
room harvest, and the heaped-up basket and bellied- 
out bag tell of their success. Any young urchin in the 
country knows that to secure the pick of the upstart 
crop he must be first in the field. The opportunity 
must be seized without the loss of an hour. The 
Mushroom springs up in the night, and the bloom of 
it will have vanished by noon, if some other gleaner, 
indeed, has not annexed it. Little need is there to 
tell our young friend what is the real and what is the 
true fungi. He may not have been taught that there 
are thousands of them, but he knows that many are of 
dubious quality, and by instinct almost he recognises 
the common Mushroom with its smooth and scaly top, 
and dainty pink or honestly brown gills underneath. 
The London housewife may have an inferior breed 
palmed off upon her by the greengrocer, but the 
farmer’s boy or cottage lassie makes no error in either 
button or fully expanded specimens, for they confine 
their harvesting to the open fields, and look with 
suspicion upon the fungi of the woods and marshes. 
In many parts to this day the smaller fairy-ring 
Mushroom is severely left alone ; no amount of explan¬ 
ation will convince the rustic that this mysterious 
circle in the pasture has not been produced by 
supernatural means. But there will generally be 
found some one who knows better, and the ketchup 
maker regards it with an eye of justified favour. The 
button Mushroom, as it is commonly called, is also 
turned into a most toothsome pickle that, with cold 
meat, agreeably varies the appearance on the table of 
red cabbage and pungent walnut. 
We are in the habit of supposing that the best of 
everything comes to London. The rule scarcely holds 
good with regard to Mushrooms. Most of the extra¬ 
ordinary harvest of the past weeks has been, probably, 
consumed on the spot, in what we are in the habit of 
calling the home counties, and the long railway journey 
stands in the way of transport from a distance. The 
markets of the large provincial towns are, in fact, much 
better supplied than the metropolis, and at a junction 
station in Ribblesdale, in the early part of the month, 
we saw more than a hundred hampers at nine o’clock 
in the morning ready for the Manchester train. The 
Mushrooms had all been gathered about Penygent 
mountain since the previous night. About the same 
time all the women and children of a large Welsh 
watering place were engaged by a local dealer, who gave 
them one penny per pound for as many Mushrooms as 
they could bring in. The ubiquitous middle-man in 
London, of course, enters into our calculations upon 
this subject, and the mere fact that, outside of Covent 
Garden, Mushrooms have been sold at fourpence and 
sixpence per pound attests to the abundance of the 
harvest .—Daily News. 
-- 
if, 
ARDENING MISCELLANY. 
Trade Exhibition Prizes. —The leader in your 
number for September 10th pleased me immensely, 
and it is very gratifying to find someone has at last 
taken up this unsatisfactory business in such a manner 
as will, itis hoped, bring about a remodelling of thesystem 
under which the whole arrangements have lately been 
managed. From the donors’ point of view, it is evident 
all has been conducted with the most honest intentions, 
and it is to be regretted the same cannot be said of the 
part played by all the exhibitors. Take for instance the 
Tomato competition at the show of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society on Tuesday week. There, three of 
our great seedsmen, Messrs. Carter, Sutton, and Webb, 
offered valuable prizes for specialities in each case of 
their own introduction, bringing together in all some 
eighteen or twenty entries ; and perhaps a finer lot of 
Tomatos were never seen—the Carter’s Perfection being 
grand examples of high cultivation. I busied myself 
in making a careful examination of the whole group, 
and to anyone with the least knowledge it became at 
once apparent that nearly a dozen of the exhibits were 
one and the same variety ; indeed, a leading gardener 
made the same remark to me before he knew my own 
thoughts. That such a practice is dishonest and 
fraudulent is readily admitted, but while the game is 
so easily played, who can blame the exhibitor 1 The 
donors cannot well be implicated, because these prizes 
are given with a view to bring them some extended 
return commercially ; but as matters at present stand, 
they do not, I fear, reap much reward for their outlay. 
Then with whom does the responsibility rest? I 
make bold to say the great weakness lies in the judging. 
Surely if these three Tomatos were originally intro¬ 
duced to the public under the banner of the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s Certificate, or similar recog¬ 
nition, each must, or ought to, possess some distinctive 
feature ? Then how is it that Jones undoubtedly 
exhibits the same variety in more than one class with¬ 
out detection ? Is it because the judges do not know 
their duty ?—Not a F.R.H.S. 
Tomato Nomenclature. —The Tomatos shown 
in competition for the prizes offered by Messrs. Carter, 
Sutton, and Webb, last week, at South Kensington, 
admirably bore out the remarks which you made in the 
previous week’s issue of The Gardening World with 
reference to the difficulty of distinguishing the points 
of difference between sorts called by different names. 
Thus all the fruits shown by the prize-winners in 
Messrs. Sutton’s competition could not be distinguished 
from Webb’s Sensation, as shown by Mr. Muir and Mr. 
