36 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
September 20, 1890. 
The term “ Decorative ” may he a con¬ 
venient one, because it includes everything, 
and yet it is absurd, because it excludes 
many of the most decorative Dahlias 
we have. However, we hope the Dahlia 
Conference will be well attended, that the 
papers will show originality and be instruc¬ 
tive, that fine weather may prevail, and 
that the Royal Horticultural Society may find 
the gathering a success. 
TTutumn Roses. —What a fine time we have 
J' had for autumn Roses, and how beautiful 
they have bloomed ! Teas especially have 
been truly glorious, and it would not have 
been difficult to make up a really fine show 
had there been one specially organised for 
the queen of flowers. But the other day, at 
the Royal Aquarium, the classes for Roses 
brought some most beautiful blooms—flowers 
which quite took all who saw them by 
surprise. 
During the preceding week Messrs. W. 
Paul & Son, of Waltham Cross, made, 
at the Crystal Palace, one of the most 
charming displays, largely with cut Roses, 
that Ave have seen this year; Avhilst in all 
directions Ave learn of the Avealth of beauty 
Avhich autumn Roses have furnished. What 
a pity it is that the National Rose Society, 
Avhich is ostensibly the special protector and 
sujAporter of Rose culture, does not establish 
at least one good autumn sIioav for Roses, so 
that the fullest opportunity might be afforded 
those Avho have flowers to sIioav Avliat can be 
done in the Avay of bloom production in 
September as Avell as in -July! Of course Ave 
may never hope to find the glorious blooms 
of midsummer excelled at Michaelmas, but 
at least it may be shoAvn that the autumn 
can produce an abundance of beautiful 
flowers. It is even just possible that under 
the cooler skies some of the delicately-tinted 
floAvers may come even more richly coloured 
in the autumn than in summer. 
The National Society prefers to spend its 
efforts in one or two summer exhibitions, 
and as Ave have too often seen, the beauties of 
the blooms have been early destroyed by the 
prevalent heat. In the autumn, if florvers 
are not so large, they are at least enduring, 
because of more favourable temperature, Avhilst 
the long dewy nights help so much to keep 
aphis in check. If a feAv of the trade groAvers 
would just for once combine and make up a 
sort of honorary autumn Rose shoAv, they 
would do much to give impetus to Rose culture. 
HjOAiATOs.—Whilst avc have been revelling in 
gloriously warm weather, Avhich Avould 
have helped splendidly to ripen our outdoor 
Tomato crops, the growers of these look upon 
scenes of blackened devastation, produced by 
the Avell-knoAvn Potato fungus, which, under 
Avhatever scientific name, remains a deadly 
enemy to the exotic Tomato Perhaps Ave 
may go rather farther and say that the uoav 
popular fruit is this season the victim of 
unusual cold and Avet, for did Avarmth prevail 
the disease Avould be set at defiance. It is a 
fact Avhich must' be fully faced by would-be 
growers of Tomatos outdoors henceforth that 
this disease is far more harmful to the Tomato 
than to the Potato, relatively. 
Let the fungus strike the Potato plant 
ever so badly Ave certainly find the root fruit 
produced fairly intact in many cases, and in 
others always a greater or lesser produce, so 
that something is always plucked from the 
fire. The Tomato plant, however, carries on 
all its productive force above ground, and 
has no reserve belorv as the Potato has. Not 
only does the plant exhibit evidences of the 
wretched black fungus first, but the fruits, 
AA'liilst still immature, are affected also, and 
fruit and plant soon decays and dies. 
There is absolutely nothing left useful but 
the stakes to Avhich the plants have been 
attached. It is thus made obvious that out¬ 
door Tomato culture is of a specially risky 
nature. We cannot hope to see disease-resist¬ 
ing varieties raised as we have of Potatos, 
because even these latter do not resist, so far 
as the plant groAvth is concerned. To be 
successful Avith outdoor Tomatos Ave should 
have previous knoAvledge as to the nature of 
the season—that is, hoAvever, impossible. The 
next best thing is to create the conditions 
essential for successful culture by erecting 
large areas of glass-houses, and that produces 
Tomatos Avith assured certainty. Probably 
those who have done so have found the results 
on the average better than are those resulting 
from outdoor culture, Avhen so many seasons 
prove to be disastrous. 
-- 
Ware and District Horticultural Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Society.—The monthly meeting of this society 
was held on the 9 th inst., the Rev. A. Lofts presiding. 
The members assembled in force to hear a paper read 
by Mr. H. Brown on “Strawberries.” The subject was 
dealt with in a very practical manner, and evoked a 
lengthy discussion. A hearty vote of thanks was 
accorded Mr. Brown for his paper. 
Gardening Engagements.—Mr. Edward Jones, late 
foreman at Dogmersfield Park, as gardener to J. M. 
Carr Lloyd, Esq., Lancing Manor, Sussex. Mr. E. 
Bryant, late general foreman at the Hoo Gardens, 
Welwyn, as gardener to T. Gill, Esq., Bickham, 
Roborough, South Devon. Mr. T. Gale, formerly 
gardener to Sir Francis Burdett, Bart, Ramsbury 
Manor, near Hungerford, Wilts, as gardener to the 
Hon. Richard Dawson, Holne Park, Ashburton, 
Devon. Mr. John Pearce, formerly of Shalimar, 
Ewell, Surrey, as gardener to John Wainewright, 
Esq., Belmont, Lee, Kent. 
Syndical Chamber of Belgian Horticulturists, &c.— 
At a meeting of this body in the rooms of the Casino, 
Ghent, on Monday the 8th inst., a Certificate of Merit 
was awarded to M. Baumann and to MM. Edm. 
Yervaet & Co. for Araucaria excelsa Yervaeti. A 
similar award was made to the latter for Cattleya 
Gaskelliana delicata. Aerides Ballantinianum and 
A. Sanderianum were exhibited by M. A. Yan Imschoot, 
who received Certificates of Merit for them. A like 
award was made to M. Ch. Blocykens for five seedlings 
of Anthurium Rothschildianum. 
Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums. — The flowers of a 
variety named Edith Owen are semi-double, deep 
rose, and tinted Avith violet. Both the flowers and 
trusses are large, and if the plant is floriferous it 
should be a very ornamental variety. Beauty of 
Castle Hill has equally large semi-double flowers as 
the last, but the petals are broad, and of a soft orange- 
red. Both varieties were shown by Mr. R. Owen, 
Maidenhead, at the Royal Aquarium on the 10th inst., 
when First Class Certificates were awarded. 
Pentstemons from Rothesay. — Some spikes of 
seedling Pentstemons have been sent us by Messrs. 
Bell, Stuart & Co., Chapel-Hill Nursery, Rothesay, 
N. B. The finest one has a pale rose or nearly 
Avhite tube, but the lamina is a warm carmine, 
with a broad deep crimson band across the base of the 
three lower segments. The spike was densely arranged 
with flowers, the stalks of which were short, giving 
the Avhole a very compact appearance. The flowers of 
another kind were of a deep purple-red, with a more 
Avidely expanded lamina, and the throat was Avhite, 
richly striped Avith crimson-purple along the lower 
side of the tube, and towards the mouth. 
Gladioli.—A variety named Purity was exhibited at 
the Royal Aquariumon the 10th inst., by the Rev. H. H. 
D’Ombrain, who received a First Class Certificate for it. 
The flowers are of medium size and blush-white. There 
are about nine open flowers on the spike, and ten buds 
in various stages of progress. The floAvers of Vicar of 
Westwell are of large size and deep salmon-orange, with 
two of the lower segments of a French-Avhite on the 
lower half, on which Avas a median purple blotch. 
There were thirteen open flowers and eight buds on the 
spike shown by Messrs. J. Burrell & Co., Howe House, 
Cambridge, at the same time and place as the above. 
A First Class Certificate was arvarded it. 
Chrysanthemum Golden Shah. — The floAver heads 
of this are ol good average size for a Pompon, and 
produced in great abundance. They are of a golden 
buff-yellow lading to a bright yelloAV Avhen old. A 
First Class Certificate Avas aAvarded it when shown 
at the Royal Aquarium on the 10th inst., by Mr. H. 
J. Jones, Hither Green, Lewisham. 
The Eradicating Weeder.— Before us lies a novel 
sort of a tool patented by Messrs. G. R. King & Co., 
seedsmen and ironmongers, Torquay. It has little in 
common with the hand hoes usually seen in gardens, 
and used amongst such things as Onions, Carrots and 
other seed crops ; it may be utilised for exactly the 
same purposes. It consists of a handle and a steel 
blade bent below the middle at less than a right angle. 
Instead of the bend being angled it is rounded. There 
is also a bent portion close to the handle for the con¬ 
venience of the workman when using the tool. The 
whole length of the blade, including the curved angle, 
is sharpened on both edges and also at the point, 
which is slightly over an inch in Avidth. Owing to the 
peculiar bending of the blade, the long and also the 
short portion, as well as the curved angle or the point, 
may be used alternately at will, according to the width 
or otherwise of the space between the rows of seedlings. 
It would therefore, as elsewhere stated to do, prove a 
great saving of time and labour often spent upon 
weeding by the unaided hand. The different widths 
would also be an advantage gained over the hoe of 
the ordinary type of any particular length. 
Reappearance of Vegetation in the Island of 
Krakatau.—Dr. Treub, the director of the botanic 
garden of Buitenzorg, Java, has just published the 
results of his investigations with regard to the re¬ 
appearance of vegetation in the island of Krakatan. 
It may be remembered that seven years ago part of the 
island was sunk in the sea, and the rest covered Avith 
ashes and pumice stone by a volcano during the terrible 
eruption which took place in 1883. The island was 
visited by Dr. Treub three years afterwards, when he 
found it covered with vegetation to the summit of the 
mountain. It is reckoned that the plants could not 
have groAvn up from the roots, nor from seeds that had 
existed before the eruption, because the excessive heat 
of the volcano must have killed everything, however 
tenacious of life. The whole island that remained 
above water Avas covered with volcanic matter to a 
depth varying from 3 ft. to 240 ft. The vegetation 
could not have been introduced by man, for the island 
is uninhabited and difficult of access. It is believed 
that seeds have been carried by birds, the Avind, or sea 
currents. The greater part of the vegetation consisted 
of Ferns, of which Dr. Treub picked up eleven species, 
along with stray specimens of Phanerogams in flower, 
such as may be found on coral reefs. Ferns - Avere not 
aboriginally inhabitants of the island, according to Dr. 
Treub’s finding. Everywhere there are green patches 
of vegetation of an algal nature, Avhich have covered 
the debris, and enabled it to absorb moisture, thus 
preparing the way for Ferns, and those again for 
flowering plants. 
- — - >x< -- 
MRS. PINGE’S BLACK MUSCAT 
GRAPE. 
Recently there has been some discussion on the merits 
of this variety in your contemporary The Garden, but it 
is somewhat difficult to understand what the Avriter of 
the paragraph (p. 135) really means ; it seems so like 
laughing and crying all in one breath, that it reminds 
us of the old familiar story of “First she would, and 
then she wouldn’t, then she smiled and said she 
couldn’t.” There is, however, one thing certain, and that 
is, that Mr. Iggulden has had the courage to confess, 
in an unmistakable manner, that he is a dead failure in 
growing highly-finished fruit of Mrs. Pince’s Black 
Muscat Grape. 
This, forsooth, might be no fault of his, as I have 
heard it said that some districts are more favourable to 
its successful culture than others. Be this as it may, 
I have for many years seen the handiwork of most of 
the more important gardeners and Grape-growers in the 
western and southern counties, aud during the long 
time I was Messrs. Lucombe, Pince & Co. ’s traveller, 
have frequently met Avith extraordinary samples of this 
superb Grape, and have no hesitation in saying that 
if an enthusiast would offer substantial prizes at one 
of the great shows for the best fruits of this kind, there 
would be no difficulty in bringing together such an 
array of exhibits as would dispel all the prejudice which 
such an effusion as at p. 135 is likely to cause. Never 
was there a more miserable attempt to damn the reputa¬ 
tion of the most distinct Grape known ; and now, with 
a view of making the subject an interesting one, I Avill 
tell you something of its secret history. 
If there is one gentleman’s seat in the Exeter district 
lovelier than another, it Avould be Pitt House, near 
Chudleigli. Its gardens and charming grounds Avere 
designed and planted by my old master, the late Mr. 
Pince, about the year 1852, and the gardener there 
