September 29, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
63 
WEBBS 
FREE BY POST | 
OR RAIL, 
FINEST SELECTED 
ROOTS. 
BULBS 
For GREENHOUSE DECORATION. 
Collection A, containing 461 Bulbs 
s. d. 
... Price 42 0 
B 
}) 
262 „ ... 
.. „ 21 
0 
C 
J) 
207 „ ... 
■ „ 15 
0 
D 
134 „ ... 
• i, io 
6 
E 
J) 
96 „ ... 
• „ 7 
6 
F 
JJ 
60 „ ... 
• „ 5 
0 
For GARDEN BEDS, BORDERS, &c. 
Collection M, containing 2,923 Bulbs 
s. d. 
Price 105 0 
) J 
N 
JJ 
1,909 „ 
„ 63 
0 
JJ 
O 
JJ 
1,286 „ 
„ 42 
0 
jj 
P 
J J 
6S0 „ 
„ 21 
0 
jj 
Q 
J J 
424 ., 
,, 15 
0 
j j 
R 
315 ,, 
„ 10 
6 
> > 
S 
J J 
203 „ 
„ 7 
6 
jj 
T 
JJ 
114 „ 
5 
0 
5 per cent, discount for Cash. 
W EBBS’ 6ULB~Q ATALOGUE 
Beautifully Illustrated, and containing complete cultural 
instructions. Now ready ; Gratis and Post Free. 
Seedsmen by Royal Warrants to H. M. the Queen 
and H.R H. the Prince of Wales. 
WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
GLADIOLUS, THE BRIDE 
WINTER ACONITES 
SNOWDROPS, DOUBLE and SINGLE 
„ ELWESII GIANT 
„ CRIMEAN „ 
S EE our Special Wholesale Catalogue of 
Bulbs, containing LIST of all the best varieties of 
HYACINTHS, .TULIPS, CROCUS, LILIUMS, DAFFODILS, 
SNOWDROPS, IRIS, &c., free on application.—WATKINS & 
SIMPSON, Seed and Bulb Merchants, Exeter Street,.Strand, 
W.C. 
STRAWBERR I ES. 
Strong Roots, 4s. per 100. Plants in small pots, IBs. per 100 ; 
ditto, In large pots, 25s. per 100. Descriptive LIST free. 
RICHARD SMITH & Co., Nurserymen and Seed Merchants, 
Worcester. 
FERNS A SPECIALITY. 
GARTERS 
CH EAP BUL BS 
Why Send to Holland for Bulbs 
When Better Quality can be obtained in England 
at Less Prices? Note the Contents and Compare 
Carters’ Box with others. 
CARTERS’ GUINEA BOX 
Sontains 1250 Bulbs, 
And is sent, PACKING and CARRIAGE FREE to any station 
in England and Wales on receipt of cheque or postal order for 
20s. It comprises the pick of the world, as follows :— 
50 Hyacinths, named, in 9 
colours 
50 Tulips, double early 
50 Tulips, single early 
100 Narcissus poeticus 
50 Narcissus biflorus 
25 Scilla siberica 
25 Scilla canipanulata 
100 Crocus, white 
100 Crocus, purple 
100 Crocus, striped 
Half the Box, 11s., carriage free 
100 Crocus, yellow 
50 Anemones 
100 Daffodils 
50 Ranunculus, Persian 
50 Spanish Iris 
50 Triteleia uniflora 
50 Snowdrops 
100 Winter Aconites 
36 Star of Bethlehem 
14 Muscari botryoides 
; Quarter, 7s., carriage free. 
For full particulars of other Boxes from 5s. upwards, see 
CARTERS’ ILLUSTRATED CATALOGUE of BULBS, 
Gratis and Post Free. 
Seedsmen by Royal Warrants to H.M. the Queen and 
H.R.H. the Prince of Wales, 
237 & 238,-HIGH H0LB0RN 5 LONDON. 
Crystal Palace. 
G reat autumn exhibition oe 
FRUIT, October 11th to 13th inclusive. Schedules on 
application to Mr. HEAD, Superintendent, Gardens Department. 
Entries close October 4th. 
*** Conference of Fruit Growers on first day of Show. 
Next Week’s Engagements. 
Monday, October 1st—Sales of Dutch! Bulbs at Protberoe & 
Morris’s and Stevens’ Rooms. Clearance Sale of Green¬ 
house Plants, live and dead stock at the Kingston Nurseries, 
Protheroe & Morris (3 days). 
Wednesday, October 3rd.—Sale _of Dutch Bulbs at Stevens’ 
Rooms. 
Thursday, October 4th —Sale of Dutch Bulbs at Stevens’ and 
Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms. 
Friday, October 5th.—Sale of Imported and Established Or¬ 
chids at Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms. 
Saturday, October 6th.—Sale of Dutch Bulbs at Protheroe 
& Morris’s and Stevens’ Rooms. 
has proved to be not an unprofitable one 
to the Church at large, for they are now 
universal. Gardeners have some reason to 
dread these annual renderings to Ceres, 
Pomona and Flora, for the demand upon 
garden products invariably exceed largely 
the display of mere farm produce, and 
nothing is too good or too choice for the 
ecclesiastical decoration. Churches and 
. chapels now at festivals hear some re¬ 
semblance to flower and vegetable markets, 
the worst possible taste and the greatest 
incongruity prevailing. The chief maintain¬ 
ing element in these displays seems to he 
local rivalry — not a very elevating senti¬ 
ment in association with any form of 
religious ceremony, or desirable aid to their 
usefulness. 
Autumn Dahlias.— It is by no means an 
ordinary circumstance to find a brilliant 
show of Dahlias present at the end of 
September, yet the show at the West¬ 
minster Drill Hall on Tuesday was an 
exceptionally fine one. Rarely indeed have 
finer or more richly-coloured flowers been 
seen than our chief southern growers had 
arranged so admirably there. Literally it 
was a Dahlia field day, for no less than 
five new show varieties, eight bouquet 
varieties, two Cactus Dahlias, and one 
single variety received Certificates. The 
new things amongst Pompons show not 
only some needed variety, hut remarkable 
beauty and excellence. This is, indeed, a 
coming section of a very popular family, 
although looking at the wondrous variety 
and beauty found in all its members, it 
is hard to say what section is not coming 
to the front. What really is a fact, is' 
that the popularity of the Dahlia is now 
far from being dependent upon the large- 
flowered section—formerly the only show or 
exhibition Dahlia. How, thanks to the 
admirable style of setting up adopted, the 
bouquet, Cactus, and single forms make a 
marvellously beautiful display, and in future 
years these newly certificated varieties will 
greatly assist in that effect. 
The largest, most complete and profusely ILLUSTRATED 
CATALOGUE OF FERNS ever published, containing over 
120 Illustrations and much valuable practical information on 
the cultivation of Ferns, &c. 
One Shilling and Sixpence, post free. 
Smaller Catalogue of over 1,300 species and varieties free on 
application. 
W. £ J. BIRKENHEAD. 
FERN NURSERY, 
SALE, MANCHESTER. 
Lilies of the Vall ey at C hristmas! 
All who wish to have a good supply of the above in bloom by 
Christinas week should order at once to ensure early delivery. 
To obtain reliable crowns, order direct of the grower. I offer 
the same at 5s. per 100, packing included, for cash with order; 
cheaper by the 1,000 and 10,000. Orders are now booked for 
delivery early in November. 
J. JANNOCH, 
Lily of the ValleyGPower by Special Warrant to H.R.H. 
the Prince of Wales, 
DERSINGHAM, KING’S LYNN, NORFOLK. 
KENT: The Garden of England. 
STRAWBERRIES ZSe 10 
GEO. BUNYARD & Co.’s 
New List, embracing Noble, Waterloo, etc., and the 
30 best binds, may now be bad on application. 
Splendid plants in little pots, and runners. 
THE OLD NURSERIES, MAIDSTONE. 
/CALCEOLARIAS, CINERARIAS, AND 
KJ PRIMULAS, from the very best flowers and colours 
extant, all raised from home-grown seed, very superb strains 
cannot fail to give splendid flowers. Calceolarias Is 6 d 
per _d 02 .; Cinerarias, Is. 6 d. per doz.; Primulas, 2s. per'doz’ 
Miniature or Fairy Roses, White Pet (pure white), Laurenceana 
(crimson), Mignonette (pink), id, each, or 3s. per doz ■ all in 
good plants; carriage free.-From B. W. KNIGHT,’Florist, 
•Battle, Sussex. 1 
FOR INDEX TO CONTENTS, SEE P. 74. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29, 1888. 
CURRENT TOPICS. 
Harvest Festivals.— In the olden days—in 
what might, perhaps, be thought by some 
the golden days of agriculture—it was the 
custom for the farmer to hold Harvest 
Festival by giving his labourers a big 
feast, and generally also a big drink. The 
custom in time became the more happily 
honoured in the breach than in the obser¬ 
vance, because of the gross excesses which too 
commonly marked these gatherings, although 
even in their grossness they did show some 
desire .oil the part of the farmer to share 
of his abundance with his ill-paid work¬ 
people. The farmer now finds little 
apparently to be thankful for in connection 
with his crops—at least, harvest feasts are 
rare indeed. 
How, the festivities, such as they are, 
are of a semi - ecclesiastical order, and 
church and chapel alike have their annual 
thanksgiving services, he the harvest good, 
bad, or indifferent. Apparently this diversion 
of the method of keeping harvest festivals 
The Rain. —The intrusion of a thoroughly 
wet day into the midst of our recent very 
beautiful autumn weather, on Tuesday last, 
was no doubt a disagreeable incident, but on 
the whole has been productive of much good. 
It is, perhaps, not an odd circumstance that, 
after all, the soil should be found getting- 
dry in places, even after such a wet 
season. The constant percolation of rain 
through the soil does seem to leave it 
specially exposed to the action of the air, 
and it dries rapidly on the surface. Still 
farther, and in spite of all the tremendous 
rainfall of the season, it has been evident 
that we have not had a drop too much, 
and trees especially were beginning to shed 
leaves, even ere it was the time to do 
so. If, as we hope now, another period 
of fine dry weather ensues, we shall pre¬ 
sently have abundant reason to he glad that 
the rain fell on Tuesday last. 
Lobelia cardinalis. —Once a very popular, 
and ever a very beautiful bedding plant, 
we find that it is now comparatively little 
grown in gardens, and yet it gives us when 
in floiver one of the most glorious hues of 
scarlet to be found amongst flowers. The 
other day Ave lighted upon an old gardener 
Avho some forty years since was in charge 
of the once famous gardens at Cremorne, 
under the late Mr. T. Simpson, who Avas 
very fond of Lobelia cardinalis. “ On one 
occasion,” said our garrulous friend, “several 
Avell-knoAvn gardeners of that day, amongst 
whom Avas the late Mr. George Eyles, 
were assembled as Mr. Simpson’s guests 
at Cremorne, and being shown my stock 
of Lobelia cardinalis in pots ia cold 
