716 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
July 11, 1891. 
Pansies. 
"With reference to the controversy which has recently 
appeared in The Gardening World (vide pp. 653, 
668 and 685,) I may say that when I went to reside m 
Wolverhampton some years ago I found there was a 
great rage throughout the district for Pansy growing, 
and at nearly every flower show held in the counties of 
Staffordshire, Worcestershire, and Warwickshire about 
June and July, there could be seen numerous stands of 
Pansies staged for competition. 
At one of the great Whitsuntide flower shows held 
at the Botanical Gardens, Manchester, about ten years 
ago, and on which occasion I was exhibiting Tulips, 
I had the opportunity of seeing a great number 
of Pansies exhibited there in pots, and amongst the 
exhibitors was the late Mr. Hooper, of Bath. 1 was 
so much attracted by the general excellence of his 
collection that I gave him an order for three dozen 
plants, and when I bloomed them the following year I 
was bold enough to enter into competition with the 
numerous competitors in the Wolverhampton district, 
with the following result:—at the Wolverhampton 
Floral and Horticultural Show held July 10th, 11th 
and 12th, 1882, I won the first prizes they awarded, 
viz., for twelve and six distinct varieties. 1 also 
exhibited the same year at the Stafford Horticultural 
and Floral Society’s Show, and won the first prizes they 
awarded, viz , twelve and eight distinct varieties, and 
here the show was open to the county. In the follow¬ 
ing year I repeated my success at both places, and at 
the Great Floral and Horticultural Show held in 
Dudley Castle grounds the same year I was equally 
fortunate by carrying off the first prize offered for 
twenty-four Pansies open to all. I had to compete 
against the best growers which Birmingham and the 
counties could produce. In 1S84 I was again first at 
Wolverhampton. I did not exhibit that year at 
Stafford, and there was no show held at Dudley Castle. 
On each occasion my stand contained no blooms except 
those I obtained from the plants I had from Mr. 
Hooper. These are facts which speak for themselves as 
to the quality of English-raised varieties at that period. 
My career as a Pansy exhibitor only lasted for three 
years, so that it was both short and sweet. —James 
Thurstan, Finsbury House, Richmond Road, Cardiff. 
Pansies. 
I am sure that your editorial remarks in last week’s 
issue will be greatly appreciate!! by Pansy growers, and 
earn their grateful thanks, and I beg, on behalf of our 
committee, to thank you sincerely for such kindly notice 
of our Midland Counties Pansy Society. We started 
the society with the best intentions, and with a deter¬ 
mination to act justly to all, to encourage the small 
growers, and with the hope of inducing many who had 
not hitherto grown Pansies to do so. 
I will leave to others who saw our exhibition to say 
anything about it, merely mentioning that we ourselves 
were surprised and pleased, and that our income will 
equal the expenditure. I find there is a determination 
amongst our members to commence operations at once 
for the 1892 exhibition, and already medals and sub¬ 
scriptions are being liberally and generously offered. 
I hope that the committee will be able to issue in 
September or October at the latest a preliminary 
schedule, greater than that of 1891, and more of a 
national character, and I have received letters from 
two or three southern growers suggesting that three or 
four classes may be arranged for them. Our wish is to 
encourage growing in and exhibiting from all quarters. 
And now just a few words with regard to Pansy 
growing in the south. I know something about that 
and the difficulties experienced there, of which the 
greatest is a hot, dry summer. For wintering the 
plants in robust health, the Southerners have a great 
advantage over the Midlanders and Northerners, for 
obvious reasons. I cannot too strongly advise pur¬ 
chasing plants in the autumn, so as to get them well 
established before the winter sets in, no matter whether 
the winter quarters will be out-of-doors or in a frame. 
The Pansy is a very hardy plant, but coddling, and 
insufficient air, or damp, are very injurious. As cool a 
situation as possible is best, where the plants can be 
protected from the sun for four -or five mid-day hours 
without the shading being close upon them. 
Trees which do not overhang the plants afford this. 
A retentive loamy soil in which any lighter material, 
such as good leaf-soil or well-rotted manure, may be 
added, suits best, with good manure dug in deeper for 
the roots to work into in hot weather. Some of my 
friends have manured too freely, with the view of 
getting large blooms, and although succeeding in this, 
many of the plants gave way and died as soon as 
the hot weather came. Artificial manures have also 
been used, but they are best avoided. Large blooms 
alone do not carry weight with experienced judges, 
unless accompanied by other important points—form, 
substance and refinement; and to obtain large size, 
the three last named important points are often 
sacrificed. If the Royal Horticultural Society or the 
Royal Aquarium managers would take the Pansy and 
Viola in hand for an earlier display, say at the end of 
May, and offer a few prizes, I think the response from 
the south and west would be a surprise, and some of 
the Midland growers would also be able to put in an 
appearance, and the Pansy would go ahead in the 
south. 
To those who admire Pansies I would just say, get a 
packet of seed of a first-rate strain and sow it in August, 
and when the young plants are large enough to handle 
prick them off into boxes, and keep them hardy, grow¬ 
ing in readiness for planting out later on to make good 
sturdy plants for early spring blooming. A half-crown 
or five shillings would be well spent in this way in 
securing seed from good prize varieties, and if a London 
exhibition could be arranged, why not offer prizes in a 
class for twelve or twenty-four seedlings, for those who 
do not cultivate named varieties ? 
In the old days of Pansy growing at Slough, the late 
Mr. Charles Turner grew Pansies in pots well, and I 
should like to see it more generally done now. Violas 
also, in pots and pans, would make an attractive feature 
at a May show, and show the character of the plant as 
a “ bedder ” better than when one sees flowers only.— 
The Secretary of the Midland Pansy Society. 
New Pinks. 
While Pinks are in season, I wish to call attention to 
two that well deserve cultivation. One is Mrs. Lakin, 
Mr. Joseph Lakin's pure white, for it is a really good 
whire, with just a slight tint of rosy purple in the 
centre; the petals only slightly fimbriated ; does not 
burst its calyx, an excellent grower and very free. I 
have two plants in bloom, but as they are weak and do 
not do the plants full justice, I am unwilling to show 
them in public. My strongest plant is not yet in 
flower. It is such a great advantage to have a Pink 
that does not burst its calyx, and therefore it is I 
strongly advise all to plant this variety for cutting 
from. The other is Souvenir de Sale, a charming 
delicate pink variety with fimbriated edges, but a sad 
pod-burster. From the florist’s point of view it cannot 
lay claim to the form which is so characteristic of Mrs. 
Lakin, but there is so much of novelty about its 
character ; being also a free grower and bloomer, that 
I am sure it will be valuable for cutting from. I trust 
both varieties may shortly be seen in public, so that 
opportunity may be afforded of becoming acquainted 
with them.— R. D. 
The Martin Smith Prizes for Border 
Carnations. 
The question as to whether the plants being grown to 
supply the cut blooms to compete in the special classes 
in which the above prizes are offered should be disbudded 
having been raised and submitted to Mr. Martin Smith, 
he has, on the suggestion of Mr. Harry Turner, authorised 
the publication of the following :—“Each stem to carry 
not less than three blooms or buds.” It is felt that it 
is impossible to prevent disbudding, especially as the 
act of removal cannot be detected, even supposing the 
practice to be disallowed. There is nothing in the 
•conditions governing the competition for these prizes 
which prohibits disbudding. The prizes will be com¬ 
peted for at the Drill Hall, James Street, Westminster, 
on July 21st. 
Rose, Margaret Dickson. 
This is one of the fine new Hybrid Perpetuals intro¬ 
duced by Mr. George Dickson, Newtownards, co. Down, 
and it was prominent at the exhibition of the National 
Rose Society at the Crystal Palace on Saturday last. Last 
year it was awarded the Gold Medal of the National Rose 
•Society as the best new Rose of the year, and on the 4th 
inst. it took the first prize as the best white Rose, twelve 
blooms of it being shown. It has something of the 
build of La France, the centre of the flower is delicately 
tinted with blush, and it is both large and full. It is, 
I think, destined to take a high place among our 
white Hybrid Perpetual Roses. I have not yet seen it 
in growth, but it is represented to be of very vigorous 
habit and a free bloomer. It comes from a quarter 
from which we have already received several fine new 
varieties.— R. D. 
THE CULTIVATION OF MUSH¬ 
ROOMS. 
By Henry* L. De Vilmorin. 
Of Mushrooms which are usually eaten, the field 
Agaricus (Campestris), often called the white or bed 
Mushroom (Fig 1), is the only one suitable for 
cultivation. It can be produced easily everywhere, 
and in all seasons with a little care ; and how this can 
be accomplished I will endeavour to show as briefly and 
as clearly as possible. 
Fig. 1.—Edible Mushroom. 
The essential conditions for obtaining a good result 
in the cultivation of Mushrooms in artificial ground, is 
to have very rich soil and a uniform temperature. The 
latter is the chief reason why caves and quarries are 
chosen for the making of beds ; but other places will 
be found equally suitable if, by using natural or 
artificial covering, the temperature is kept from rising 
above 86° or falling lower than 50° Fahr. 
The first thing to be done, after a convenient place is 
chosen, is to construct the bed. Although horse-dung 
is generally employed for this purpose, all other warm 
manures are suitable ; for instance, that of rabbits, 
sheep, goats, or fowls. The manure should not contain 
too much straw, neither should it be too close, or too 
highly charged with ammonia. If it has one of these 
latter faults, dung, with more and cleaner straw, should 
be mixed with it. 
The dung, whatever it is, should not be employed 
for making the beds without first having undergone a 
preparation to moderate the fermentation, which will 
at the same time make it more durable and equal. 
As soon as the dung has been taken from the stables, 
or very shortly after, it should be put into square 
Fig. 2.— Small Movable Beds against Wall. 
heaps, about 1 yard in height. All foreign substances 
should be removed from the dung, which should be 
well mixed and worked with a fork, so that it may be 
as homogeneous as possible. 
Moisten the parts which seem to be too dry, and 
then properly trim and press firmly together the sides 
of the heap. It is left in this.state until the heat 
becomes excessive, which condition will be recognised 
