764 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 1, 1891. 
FLiO^ICULiTU^E. 
Carnations. 
Whilst the recent exhibition of the National 
Carnation Society was held too early for the securing 
of a good representative show of out-door flowers— 
another proof, if such be wanting, that dates for 
shows of a special nature should be elastic—it seems 
equally probable that the supplementary exhibition, 
to be held on August nth, will be rather too late, 
because an interval of three weeks at this time of the 
year is all too long, and, with the continued warm 
weather, the flowers will be fully past their best ere 
then. 
It will be very unfortunate should Mr. Martin 
Smith's special prizes for bunches of out-door grown 
Carnations not be competed for as desired ; but all 
the same the difficulty which has grown up 
emphasizes the mistake, previously pointed out, of 
placing the prizes at the disposal of the Carnation 
Society, when they would have proved so much 
more satisfactory had they been at the disposal of 
the Royal Horticultural Society, and restricted to 
Carnations grown all through the winter at Chiswick 
and flowering there in the open ground. 
It would have hardly mattered in such case 
whether all the plants bloomed simultaneously or 
not. The persons appointed to make the awards 
would have arranged to visit the gardens some two 
or three times, and if the classes had been for the 
best twelve flowered plants, the best six, and the 
best three, then a capital competition, and one of a 
really bona-fide character, would have resulted. To 
give prizes to flowers presented as out-doors, without 
any proof as to how really grown, and especially how 
the plants were wintered, is a manifest absurdity. 
The Carnations did remarkably well on the whole 
at Chiswick last year, and again this year they look 
very well. Some few of the tenderer sorts seem to have 
been weeded out. Still there are many of the true 
hardy border set there, and these show, by their 
habit and stout robust growth, how much a good 
border variety difters from the puny-growers vhich 
will only thrive under the most careful attention.— 
A. D. 
National Pink Society, Northern Section. 
The annual exhibition of this society was held in 
the Botanical Gardens, Manchester, on Saturday, 
July 18th. There was a strong competition in most 
classes, and, altogether, the show was most gratify¬ 
ing, plainly showing that the taste for the Florists' 
Pink is reviving very fast. As at the Midland Show, 
the lion's share of the prizes was taken by Messrs. 
A. R. Brown and C. F. Thurstan, the former being 
again very successful. The following were the 
awards : —Twelve blooms, six at least dissimilar. 
First, Mr. A. R. Brown, Handsworth, Birmingham, 
with Boiard, large and full, fine ; Amy (Brown), a 
magnificent bloom which would have been awarded 
the premier but for having two of the guard petals 
split in dressing ; Bertram (Turner), Maud (Brown), 
very large and full, broad petal; Ethel (Brown), large 
and full; Minerva (Fellowes), very fine; Mrs. J. Cronk 
(Cronk), and Modesty (Paul) : second, Mr. S. 
Barlow, with Boiard, fine; John Dorrington 
(Thurstan); Nothing better (Campbell); Hooper’s 
No. i, Mrs. Barlow (Hooper) ; George Hodgkinson 
(Thurstan), fine in quality, and Defiance: third, Mr. 
Wm. Taylor, Middleton, Manchester : fourth, Mr. 
M. Campbell, Blantyre, N. B. : fifth, Mr. C. H. 
Thurstan. 
Six blooms, dissimilar : first, Mr. C. H. Thurstan, 
Penn Fields, Wolverhampton, with John Dorrington, 
Boiard, Mrs. Thurstan (Thurstan), and three seed¬ 
lings, one of them No. 97 being very promising, 
having a broad petal and beautifully laced ; second, 
Mr. Brown, with Mrs. Dark, Bertram, Ethel, Amy, 
Modesty, and George White (Paul) ; third, Mr. S. 
Barlow, Stakehill, Manchester ; fourth, Mr. J. 
Edwards, Blackley, Manchester; fifth, Mr. F. Morton, 
Meridale Grove, Wolverhampton. Six blooms, not 
less than three dissimilar: first, Mr. Brown, with 
Bertram, Amy, very fine, Minerva, The Rector 
(Fellowes), very smooth and good, and Mrs. J. Cronk; 
second, Mr. W. Taylor ; third, Mr. Barlow; fourth, 
Mr. Burgess ; fifth, Mr. Thurstan. Three blooms, 
a purple-laced, a red-laced, and a black and white : 
first, Mr. Taylor ; second, Mr. Barlow ; third, Mr. 
Thurstan; fourth, Mr, Burgess. Single blooms, 
purple lace : first, Mr. Brown, with Eertha ; 
second and third, Mr. Barlow, with Boiard ; fourth, 
Mr. Taylor, with S. Barlow, and fifth, with a seed¬ 
ling. Single blooms, red lace : first and third, 
Mr. Brown, with Empress of India, and second, 
with Amy; fourth and fifth, Mr. Taylor, with 
seedlings. 
Collection of Pinks set up in bunches as cut from 
the borders: first, Mr. T. Walkden, Sale', near 
Manchester, with a group in which Souvenir de Sale, 
Wm. Brownhill, and Mrs. Walkden were the most 
conspicuous varieties. The premier red lace was 
the fine bloom of Empress of India, exhibited by Mr. 
Brown in the single class, and the premier purple 
lace was the grand bloom of Boiard, in the same 
exhibitors’ stand of twelve. 
First-class Certificates were awarded to Mr. Brown 
for Amy (Brown), a large flower with broad smooth 
petals, well continued to the crown and very correct 
lacing, and for Bertha (Paul), a smooth, finely-formed 
variety, with dark purple lacing ; to Mr. J. Edwards 
for James Percival, red lace, smooth, good petal, and 
clear lacing ; and to Mr. T. Walkden, for Mrs. Walk¬ 
den, a grand white self, with very broad petals and 
smooth edge, one of the finest whites yet raised. 
CHERRIES IN EXCELSIS. 
Without doubt the truly superb samples of these 
most wholesome and delicious of fruits, exhibited 
annually by Mr. T. F. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, 
show them in their very finest form. We see in them 
really Cherries in excelsis, because grown on trees 
under glass and produced at a cost which would 
perhaps equal 2s. 6 d. per lb. It may be said that to 
eat such fruit is literally to eat money, but then in how 
many cases do not even single flowers cost the grower 
as much to produce as do a pound of these superb 
Cherries, and after all the latter are most acceptable. 
Probably anyone who undertook to grow Cherries 
as Mr. Rivers does for profit, would soon find the 
profit was a heavy loss. But whilst there are very 
many wealthy people who care little for cost, so long 
as their gardens will produce them of the very best, 
there is no reason why such Cherries as those we have 
referred to may not be grown generally in private 
gardens and placed on the tables of the wealthy, be¬ 
cause they cannot otherwise be obtainable in the 
market. However produced, we have certainly 
varieties of Cherries which seem to be, for quality and 
productiveness under favourable conditions, abso¬ 
lutely unbeatable. 
There is no lack, too, of good, hardy Cherries, 
and beautiful fruit they will produce in the open, 
provided we get a favourable blooming period, and 
the birds, natural enemies of the Cherry grower, let 
the fruit alone. During the present season the crop 
on the whole has been a fairly good one, and the 
fine weather has allowed it to be gathered in excel¬ 
lent condition. Still it is the misfortune of the 
purchasing consumer that he seldom tastes Cherries 
at their best—nearly always they are gathered before 
being ripe, because there is much danger lest fully 
ripe fruits should soon spoil. 
To be able to gather Cherries at their very best 
and to eat them fresh and full-flavoured is one of 
the greatest treats fruit can give. Only a limited 
number can have that full enjoyment. We would 
wish to see a race of good flavoured sweet Cherries 
of the Morello type, for these are of the most con¬ 
stant and reliable croppers. Were such furnished 
there would be no doubt but that Cherry culture 
would become very popular, and the fruit acceptable 
to us all.— X. 
_ - ♦ - 
♦ ' 
BRAYTON HALL, 
CARLISLE. 
A few days ago I had the pleasure of paying a visit 
to this beautiful place, the seat of Sir Wilfrid 
Lawson, Bart., M.P. The Hall is situated in a 
magnificently wooded park of large dimensions, and 
commands a splendid view of the adjacent hills 
which lie to the south. The flower garden consists 
of some very artistic beds, and the planting out has 
been very carefully done, so as to have the best possible 
effect when viewed from the Hall. Passing on to 
the glass department, I may remark that the first 
house was filled with Crotons, all of a most useful 
size for decorative purposes. The next house was 
^lso a plant house, and contained some grand speci¬ 
men Crotons in tubs, well furnished, and beautifully 
coloured, showing how well this genus delights in 
plenty of light, and the high culture which is 
bestowed on them at Brayton. I noticed the follow¬ 
ing sorts which seem to be favourites there :—Queen 
Victoria, Etna, Sunset, Chelsoni, Interruptum aurea, 
Princess of Wales, and a great many more, including 
some seedlings raised at Brayton. 
Some very good plants of Allamandas clothed the 
roof, and the flowers being produced in great pro¬ 
fusion, helped to enliven the house very much. 
Other heat-loving plants find a home in the same 
house. They are principally Anthuriums in variety, 
and the leaves of some of them are well developed. 
In another house, were some healthy specimen plants 
of Eucharis, showing no signs of that dreaded pest 
the mite. The Melon house was filled with vigorous 
plants approaching the fruiting stage; and in the 
next house, devoted to propagating, on a shelf 
close up to the glass were a batch of Calanthes, and 
a better lot I think it would be difficult to find. 
Good loam appeared to be the principal compost. 
The fruit houses next claimed our attention. They 
consist of four vineries, three of them being in full¬ 
bearing, and the fourth planted with young vines. 
The earliest house is filled with Black Hamburghs, 
showing good bunches, and the berries of a good size 
and well-coloured. The other two are devoted to 
later sorts, all carrying a very even crop of grapes. 
In the house containing the young vines, Tomatos 
are grown in pots, and show a heavy crop looking 
remarkably well. The sort is Perfection, the best of 
all when it can be had true. 
The Peach houses contain some well-trained trees 
which are carrying good crops. A nice conservatory 
is very gay with the usual run of flowering plants. 
Much more might be said about the things under 
glass, but as time was limited, I had to bid adieu to 
that department, and a walk round the kitchen 
garden brought my visit to a close, and very highly 
pleased I was with all I had seen. The condition of 
the place is highly creditable to the able gardener in 
charge, Mr. Stewart.—IF. Angus, Dumfriesshire. 
- ♦ - 
♦ 
THE NATIONAL 
CHRYSANTHEMUM SOCIETY’S 
PICNIC. 
The annual outing of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society was arranged to take place on the 20th of 
July, and, by the kind permission of Leopold de 
Rothschild, Esq., one of the vice-presidents of the 
Society, it took the form of a visit to his charming 
residence at Ascott Park, Leighton Buzzard. In 
spite of the intermittent and heavy downpour of rain 
of the previous day, Monday turned out fine, and the 
members of the Society and their friends, to a 
number somewhere between eighty and ninety, 
assembled by appointment at Euston and Willesden 
Stations, from whence they were conveyed at a 
rapid pace by train over the counties of Middlesex, 
Hertfordshire, and Bucks, to Leighton Buzzard in 
Bedfordshire. After dining at Leighton Buzzard 
the whole party was conveyed in brakes to the 
breeding stables and finally to the gardens and 
pleasure grounds of the generous host at Ascott 
Park, who left everything open for inspection by the 
party. 
The residence itself was originally built as a 
hunting lodge, but has been enlarged from time to 
time, without altering the original design, until it has 
now attained considerable dimensions. It, together 
with the garden, is pleasantly situated on the brow 
of rising ground overlooking the fertile vale of 
Aylesbury, and from here the spectator gets a magnifi¬ 
cent and panoramic view, extending for miles and 
miles over the flat valley, diversified by cultivated 
and meadow land and trees, to the Chiltern Hills 
bounding the horizon in the distance. The pleasure 
grounds occupy the slope, and at present constitute a 
feature of great beauty, so diversified and varied 
from different points of view that the visitor cannoj 
resist the temptation to inspect every nook and 
hidden spot. 
The gardens and glass-houses were first visited, 
as might naturally be expected from a party con¬ 
sisting largely of gardeners interested in the cultiva¬ 
tion of plants. Fine banks of shrubbery and hedges 
surrounded and intersected all parts of the garden, so 
that every turning revealed sortie fresh feature. The 
gardeners' bothy, a wooden structure of rustic 
appearance, is built on a principle to accord with 
