100 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 18, 1890. 
and moral and social improvement of the 
rising generation of gardeners. 
T^order Carnations.— If the planting out of 
layers can he performed during October it 
is universally advised to do so, as the result is 
a great gain to the plants in early rooting, and a 
fine bloom for the growers the following season. 
We ought to have a good breadth of layered 
plants put out this winter, as the autumn 
generally has been favourable to rooting, 
although the weather has been relatively so 
very dry. The Carnation rather prefers a dry 
soil to one too moist, especially when imper¬ 
fectly rooted, hence there has been less 
damping of layers than usual during the 
autumn. 
It may be that, in spite of the favourable 
aspect of the layers, most persons will prefer to 
wait till some fair amount of rain has fallen 
before largely transplanting. It will take a 
considerable rainfall ere the soil is materially 
moistened, and the planting process will be 
best done when the ground is moderately 
moist, whilst other rains later will help to 
settle the plants into their places. Were the 
soil, on the other hand, as wet now as it is 
relatively dry, we should prefer allowing the 
layers to remain where they are until better 
conditions prevailed. 
Ordinary garden soil does Carnations ad¬ 
mirably if helped by the addition of a little 
well-decayed manure and some sand or sharp 
grit. Intending planters should have these 
useful ingredients at hand, so that the manuring 
and the planting may be done simultaneously. 
With the strong tasce now existing for hardy 
border Carnations, we cannot but advise pre¬ 
paration for its gratification being made early. 
TRAWBERRIE3. — One of our contemporaries— 
The Garden —during the past summer, 
instituted an enquiry through its readers into 
the relative merits of the various sorts of 
Strawberries at present in cultivation, with a 
view to ascertain which had the best flavour, 
were best for forcing, and had various other 
good properties. So far as the replies have 
gone the conclusions derivable from them are, 
first, that fairly old sorts seem to be the most 
generally favoured, both for forcing and 
ordinary out-door culture; and secondly that in 
our newer sorts, whatever may be their other 
merits, we have made no advance in respect 
of flavour. 
It may perhaps be that we shall never 
find a variety which excels British Queen, 
without doubt our finest-flavoured variety, but' 
one of our least satisfactory fruiters generally, 
Those who can do British Queen well, securing 
abundant crops of finely-ripened fruits, are 
indeed to be envied, for they have the very 
best. Failing so admirable a result, the next 
best is found in really nicely-flavoured sorts, 
such as Keen’s Seedling, Yicomtesse Hericart 
de Thury, President, Sir Joseph Paxton, Sir 
Charles Kapier, and Elton Pine, all very 
satisfactory growers, and some are our very 
finest croppers. Outside of these we have, 
fluctuating in popularity just as soils and 
situations suit or otherwise, the large and 
early Koble, La Gros Sucree, highly favoured 
by many, Loxford Hall Seedling, Auguste 
Kicaise, Eleanor, and Waterloo, making up an 
uncertain half-dozen, but never having the 
same broad unanimity in cultivation that is 
found with the older varieties above quoted. 
We have in Strawberries almost all that is 
possible in productiveness: we have sorts 
which seem to suit every description of soil, 
and in the kinds generally one of the most 
reliable and, as a rule, profitable of all 
fruits. It seems that, could we but get higher 
flavour, we should be absolutely happy, but 
as is proved with all' other fruits, so with 
Strawberries: we will have size, and size and 
flavour are rarely found in unison. After all 
there is very little to complain of. 
qfAMS and Fruit Preserves.— Whilst there 
© was a small but respectable show of 
preserved fruits at the recent great exhibition 
at the Guildhall, the so-called national ex¬ 
hibition held this week at the Drill Hall, 
and from which so much was expected, was, 
we regret to say, a 'miserable failure. But 
for some three or four trade exhibits, the 
Guildhall show would have been poor indeed ; 
at the Drill Hall there was practically nothing 
else, the products of some four tradesmen 
dividing the counters between them. 
Perhaps after all this is not to be wondered 
at, for domestically we can hardly hope to see 
preserves turned out with that very remarkable 
attractiveness and perfection which marks the 
trade products, hence the fear of comparison 
on the part of the amateurs. Still it should 
be the aim of the housewife to emulate the 
professional jam maker as far as possible. 
That in the form of jam or preserves in bottles 
fruits will be more largely appreciated than 
bottled or canned fruits there can be no doubt, 
as in the former condition they come cheaply 
and very plentifully into the homes of the 
poorest. 
But it is in the household itself that we 
wish to see jams and fruit preserves of all 
kinds made. Were it more largely the practice 
than at present, we should not have such 
frequent cause to complain of gluts in the 
fruit markets when fruit is exceptionally 
abundant. Vast quantities of excellent fruits 
are in such seasons spoiled purely from the 
want of purchasers at the moment, and if 
preserve exhibitions help to stimulate home 
jam-making they will do good service. 
-- 
The Chrysanthemum Shows in Finsbury and 
Battersea Parks are now open to the public, but will 
not be at their best for another week or two. 
Death of 3Ir. Brighton.—We regret to learn that Mr. 
George Brighton, for many years gardener to the Earl 
of Mount Edgcumbe, at Mount Edgcumbe, near Ply¬ 
mouth, died on Saturday last, aged sixty-eight years. 
Mr. Brighton was one of the old-fashioned school of 
practitioners, but he had charge of a pretty place, greatly 
favoured by climate, and kept it in excellent order. 
Serious Illness of Mr. Dodwell.—We regret to learn 
from Oxford that Mr. E. S. Dodwell is critically ill with 
a severe attack of bronchitis, and his medical attendant 
orders absolute quiet and repose as the sole condition of 
his possible recovery. His illness greatly retards the 
work of the garden ; but diligent efforts are being made 
to send out his surplus plants to the friends and 
subscribers of the Carnation and Picotee Union. In 
the mean time kindly forbearance is requested. 
Strawberries flowering in October.—A Hudders¬ 
field correspondent informs us that some fine beds of 
Strawberries were recently in full bloom in the garden 
of E. Learoyd, Esq., Ellerslie, Edgerton. The variety 
was Due de Malakoff. 
Chrysanthemums Damping.—Those growers whose 
“sticks” are much stouter this year than usual, and 
there are many of them—are having a bad time of it 
just now with “ damping,” notwithstanding the grand 
ripening weather of the last few weeks. One noted 
grower informs us that he has lost all his best blooms 
up to now, and cannot stop it. 
Gardening Engagements. — Mr. J. Watson, late 
gardener at Burden Hall (Sir A. S. Gooch, Bart), as 
gardener to Sir Hugh Cholmeley, Bart., Easton Hall, 
Grantham, in succession to the late Mr. Nixon. Mr. 
A. Willis, late foreman at Waddesdon Manor, as 
gardener to W. Showell, Esq., Bell Hall, near Stour¬ 
bridge. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provident Society. 
—The quarterly meeting of this society was held at the 
Caledonian Hotel on Monday evening, when the 
secretary reported that no deaths had occurred among 
the members during the month ; and that there was 
only one sick member on the funds. The committee 
invite all the members to contribute to the voluntary 
convalescent fund -which was started in July last, as the 
result of Mr. Sherwood’s generous proposal at the last 
annual dinner, and which entitles members to a sum 
not exceeding 30s. to enable them to get a change of air 
after illness. The annual dinner will take place at the 
Cannon Street Hotel, on Thursday next, when it is 
expected that there will be a large attendance. Mr. 
Edward Roger Cutler will preside. 
--- 
THE GUILDHALL FRUIT SHOW. 
The Fruiterers Company is to be congratulated on the 
success of the recent show, much of which must be due 
to the wise arrangement of dividing the country into 
zones, so as to put competitors on a comparatively 
equal footing. Some years ago I threw out a hint in 
the press that the Royal Horticultural Society should 
offer prizes to northern growers, as it was unreasonable 
to expect those living north of the Trent to compete 
with any chance of success against their brethren in 
the south or in more favourable fruit-growing districts. 
Whether from apathy or from want of information 
that such a show was to be held I know not, but the 
north has not come forward as it might have done, for 
when I have gone to the Liverpool Chrysanthemum 
Show I have seen some excellent specimens staged by 
local growers. However, it is not unlikely that many 
of these are reserving their strength for their own 
local show. 
Cottagers and tenant farmers again, in any number, 
are not likely to be informed of such a project, for only 
those in the habit of reading the gardening papers could 
know anything of it. The secretary of our society rook 
an early opportunity of acquainting the members at our 
monthly meeting, and the members in turn were urged 
to make it known in their respective neighbourhoods. 
I see that two cottagers residing in districts from which 
members of our society hail have been most successful. 
When sending a collection of Apples to the Royal 
Horticultural Society’s Conference, in the memorandum 
or form to be filled, I suggested what might appear as 
an Irishism, that a conference should be held in a non- 
Apple year, as those trees that bear in a year of scarcity 
should be the most reliable. It does seem strange that 
this great show should take place in one of the worst 
years for fruit, when the common cry is, “I have no 
Apples nor Pears, or only a very few.” 
It would be interesting to many like myself who 
did not see the show, to have some analysis of the 
varieties exhibited. If the Company repeats the show, 
I would suggest that .Apples and Pears grown under 
glass be excluded, or that they have a class to them¬ 
selves, and that every exhibitor be asked to declare 
that his fruit has been grown in the open air.— 
W. P. II., Preston. 
- ->$<« - 
THE MORAL OF THE GUILD- 
hall SHOW. 
Setting out with the undoubted fact that the great 
Fruit Show at the Guildhall practically resolved itself 
into one of Apples chiefly, it is not at all a matter for 
surprise to find that non-practical persons, astounded 
at the wonderful show made by these fruits in a some¬ 
what barren season, should rush to the conclusion that 
we can, if we like, grow Apples of the grandest form, 
and in enormous abundance, and thus shut out foreign 
competition. I read just such sentiments as these set 
out in a leading provincial paper, the writer having 
without enquiry jumped to the conclusion that the 
samples presented on the show tables represented what 
may be called home-orchard production, and showing 
how easy it would be for us, if we would, to compete 
with the American grower. 
But did we enquire into the method by which these 
truly superb Apples, seen in such abundance at the 
Guildhall, were produced, we should have to admit 
that the cost of production enormously exceeded what 
has to be paid for the very finest of the American fruits, 
and to hope to compete with foreigners under such 
conditions would be folly. The superb samples pro¬ 
duced in nurseries are entirely outside comparison. 
These, as you have shown, are profitable as advertise¬ 
ments, but were they to be appraised commercially 
according to actual cost of production, would probably 
be found worth from 6 d. to Is. each. 
The nearest approach to commercial culture, with a 
view to profit, is found in the bush-produced fruits, 
such as come from our private gardens, but of the cost 
of which it would be impossible to obtain any reliable 
data. Apples grown on walls, espaliers, cordons, and 
especially in houses, superb as the fruits may be, are 
entirely out of the question. Under no circumstances 
could Apples be grown for profit in that way in this 
country, unless exorbitant prices could be secured for 
them. After all, the show, except to those who really 
knew how the fruits were produced, musl have been 
