800 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
August 17, 1889. 
Sometimes samples wonderfully diverse in 
character are shown in these classes, thus 
evidencing that exhibitors in such classes are 
not too much burthened with exhibition 
morality, or else that the varieties in question 
sport literally to anything. 
It is not difficult to understand that some 
kinds, if really true, may be not handsome, and 
yet prove more fitted for forcing than are 
other kinds of high show repute. Still, 
Cucumbers, whether as adapted for forcing or 
as croppers, do not differ so materially as is 
ofttimes assumed, and therefore it ought to be 
easy to exhibit really handsome sample fruits at 
almost any time of the year. 
omato Culture under Glass. —Whilst this 
year there seems to be some hope of securing 
good Tomatos out-doors, yet somehow the 
greater the supply, the more does the demand 
for this excellent fruit increase, and all sorts of 
devices are adopted to furnish the needful 
supply especially early. A forcing house now 
coming into vogue with market-growers, is one 
about 6 ft. wide, the roof rising direct from the 
ground, running up on either side to a sharp 
span or point about 6 ft. 6 ins. in height, 
giving inside narrow borders about 2 ft. in 
width, and sunken paths about 20 ins. Avide. 
The plants are tied up to either stout erect 
wires, or some run along the house. They are 
also planted somewhat thickly, but kept hard 
pruned, bloom being encouraged from the main 
stem. In such houses, of course, only very 
limited head-room is allowed, and it is very 
stuffy certainly. The heating is for early houses 
done by a 3-in. flow and return on either side, 
or for later houses with one flow and return 
only. In any case some wonderful crops are 
got out of houses thus very cheaply erected. 
-- 
Gardening Engagements.—Mr. Alfred Gaut, late 
of Copped Hall, Totteridge, Herts, as gardener to J. 
Watson, Esq., M.P., Berwick House, Shrewsbury. 
A Plum Show at Edinburgh.—The Plum crop being 
generally a good one this season in Scotland, the 
Council of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society 
have decided to hold a Plum Congress in connection 
with the exhibition to be held in the Waverley Market 
on September 11th and 12th. A circular giving further 
information to growers will be issued immediately. 
Begonias at Manchester.—Messrs. Ryder & Son, of 
Sale, showed the visitors to the Botanical Gardens at 
Old Trafford, last Saturday, what could be done with 
the tuberous Begonia, both under glass and in the open 
air in that smoky district. They showed a fine 
collection in pots, and also a good batch lifted from the 
open ground, and all were greatly admired. The 
society’s Gold Medal was most worthily awarded to the 
exhibitors. 
Prize Gooseberries.—Some Gooseberries—very fine 
and large—were shown at Old Trafford last Saturday, 
in conjunction with the Carnation and Picotee show. 
Some of the berries were of enormous size, one of them 
weighing 24 pennyweights 14 grains. The principal 
prize-winners were Mr. J. Harvey, of Stone, and Mr. J. 
Threlfall. A meeting of the members of the Gooseberry 
Society was held in the gardens in the afternoon. 
Zonal Pelargonium, Duke of Fife.—We saw this 
very fine double scarlet Pelargonium at Messrs. Hawkins 
& Bennett’s place at Twickenham the other day, 
and again at the Drill Hall on Tuesday. The 
flowers are large, and really of a brilliant crimson- 
scarlet. The firm report it as being apparently a 
seedling from E. Y. Raspail, crossed with King of 
Doubles. The new kind, Duke of Fife, has a good, 
robust, yet compact habit, blooms freely, and should 
make a grand market variety. It received an Award 
of Merit. 
White Carnation, Perdita.—This was a seedling of 
1887, but bloomed for the first time this year at the 
Bedfont seed grounds. A plant carrying some forty 
flower-stalks and a big head of pure white double 
flowers, with myriads of buds to follow, and plenty of 
grass to layer, is not an ordinary feature. The flowers, 
too, are sweetly perfumed, and though not large in size 
are very full. The stems are of medium height and 
very stiff. This promises to make one of the very best 
pure white border Carnations we have seen, 
Chrysanthemum, Mrs. Hawkins.—The same firm 
has a grand lot of plants of this fine early golden 
yellow, a sport from G. Wermig, but evidently more 
robust. It was doubly certificated last year, and ought 
to become one of the finest early yellows for market as 
also for ordinary culture. We hope to see it in fine 
form at the “National’s” September show, as well as 
in November from late-struck plants. 
Single Dahlia, Scarlet Bedder.—This very beautiful 
variety we saw recently growing at the Bedfont seed 
grounds. It is a seedling of last year’s, height 30 ins., 
stands sturdily erect and stiff, without stakes, and 
blooms profusely, carrying very rich deep scarlet flowers 
of fine form. It should become a favourite, as its 
height is such an advantage, and in that respect will 
become the precursor of a strain of really stout singles 
of very moderate height and needing no sticks. It 
would make a grand bedder for a large mass. 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Journal.—The second 
part of vol. xi. was issued at the end of last week, and 
contains the lectures and papers read at the meetings of 
the society from March 11th to June 12th inclusive. 
We note that, for some unexplained reason, the price of 
the journal to non-fellows has been raised from one to 
five shillings, which is simply prohibitive. How the 
Council can expect anyone to pay five shillings for 
what would be dear at one—104 pages, large octavo, 
is more than we can tell. 
The Mother-in-law 7 Plant is a name suggested by 
Mr. Smith for the Dieffenbachia. It happened in this 
way : At a horticultural exhibition, at Baltimore, some 
years ago, a newspaper reporter wishing to get some 
points about the plants, buttonholed Mr. Smith. Mr. 
S., in the course of his explanations, came upon the 
Dieffenbachia, and began telling the reporter the effect 
of the Dumb Cane (the old name for the Dieffenbachia) 
upon the tongue of anyone who should be unfortunate 
enough to taste it. A bright light sprang into the 
poor scribe’s eye, for no doubt he was a victim, and he 
exclaimed, “ Oh, what a splendid plant it would be for 
a mother-in-law ! ” Mr. S. at once saw the point, and 
advised him to call it the Mother-in-law Plant, which 
the newspaper-man did for all it was worth. And next 
day thousands of people rushed to the exhibition and 
gladly paid their quarter for the privilege of beholding 
the salve for their domestic affliction .—American 
Florist. 
The Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.—A special meeting 
of the committee took place at the Caledonian Hotel on 
the 12th inst., Mr. Geo. Deal presiding. The hon. 
secretary announced that the sum of £111 8s. 6 d. had 
been subscribed in response to Mr. H. J. Veitch’s 
challenge at the annual dinner, and a letter was read 
from Messrs. J. Yeitch & Sons, enclosing a cheque for 
£100. It was announced that in the case of four of the 
recently elected children the mother was the responsible 
guardian ; in the case of the fifth, the uncle ; and the 
sixth, an orphan child of the name of Allen, will be 
under the care of Mr. R. Lye, Sydmonton Court 
Gardens, Newbury. It was unanimously resolved, 
“ That in consequence of the sum of £200 being ob¬ 
tained by reason of Mr. Veitch’s challenge, that R. J. 
Todd and Olive Chapelow be placed at once upon the 
Fund.” Mr. Assbee brought up the names of the forty 
standholders who had been elected from among that 
body as life voters under section B of Rule xii., and the 
same were ordered to be added to the list. The com¬ 
mittee will not meet again until the last Friday in 
October. 
Presentation to Mr. J. H. Witty.—At the dis¬ 
tribution of the prizes awarded at the recent exhibition 
of the Brookfield Horticultural Society, held at Highgate 
—a cottagers society, of which Mr. Witty was the 
founder, and for some years the secretary —the Rev. 
C. T. Acland, who presided, presented Mr. Witty 
with a handsome clock, subscribed for by his late 
colleagues. The reverend gentleman, in making the 
presentation, said there was always a degree of 
melancholy attached to these testimonials, inasmuch 
as they were generally given at the end of the re¬ 
cipient’s career. It was so in the present case. They 
would no longer have Mr. Witty’s presence among 
them, or get the benefit of his advice and assistance on 
all the occasions when they would be wanted. The 
long and devoted labours of Mr. Witty they had all 
been witnesses to. There was nothing connected with 
the society that had not occupied his thought and 
taken up his time and attention. It was, therefore, in 
no terms of ordinary thanks that he asked him to 
accept the present as an expression of their gratitude. 
Whenever he looked at the clock it would remind him 
of what were pleasant labours at Highgate, and of the 
many friends he had left behind. He believed the 
testimonial was the outcome of the affection of those 
who contributed to it, and many of those who did not 
know a word about it would endorse what he had said. 
Mr. Witty suitably acknowledged the gift. 
A New Wire Mat.—The Sphincter Grip Armoured 
Hose Co., 63, Fore Street, E.C., are introducing an 
improved patent clamp steel wire door mat, which 
consists of coils of the well-known Sphincter Grip 
Armour inter-twined and locked together to form the 
body of the mat. Cross or diagonal wires, which add 
considerably to the weight, and also obstruct the free 
passage of dirt, are dispensed with in the new mat, the 
coils or body of which are firmly secured to the frame 
of four strong tubular steel pipes, to which the ends of 
the coils are clamped and adjusted in such a way as to 
render stretching or contraction impossible. The great 
advantage of these mats is that after use the dirt drops 
through on the floor, and may be swept away at any 
time by raising the mat. 
Tom-tits and the Flame Flower.—The Flame 
Flower (Tropteolum speciosum) has been flowering 
uncommonly well this year in the nursery of Mr. 
Charles Noble, at Bagshot, Surrey. It appears that 
an appreciable quantity of nectar is produced in the 
long spur of the flower, and that tom-tits and wasps 
have recently found this out, and visit the plant in 
large numbers. The former strike their bills into the 
spur of the flower and cut it open, in order to secure 
the object of which they are in quest. After being cut 
open in this manner it is an easy matter for the wasps 
to follow up their marauding inclinations, and plunder 
the rich food then at their disposal. There can hardly be 
much doubt as to the object of wasps, but we should be 
inclined to think that the tom-tits had by some means 
or other discovered the presence of thrips or other small 
insects in the nectary, and had thus been led to cut it 
open, just as they serve buds containing insects. 
Thrips and other small creaturesmre frequently present 
in large numbers in narrow-tubed flowers, where many 
larger visitors cannot find an entrance. 
Gardeners’ Visits to Chester. —On "Wednesday 
morning, July 31st, ninety members of the Birming¬ 
ham Gardeners Mutual Improvement Association left 
Birmingham on a visit to Messrs. Dickson at Chester, 
and Eaton Hall, the noble seat of the Duke of 
Westminster. The weather was delightfully fine, 
and the party on arriving at Chester about 10 a.m. 
were met by a representative of Messrs. Dickson, who 
had vehicles in readiness to convey the whole party 
through their very extensive nurseries, and after a two 
hours continuous ride through the nurseries a halt was 
made at the central department, where a marquee had 
been erected, and a sumptuous luncheon provided by 
the Messrs. Dickson for the whole of the party. Mr. 
G. Dickson presided, and expressed the pleasure it gave 
to himself and every member of the firm to entertain 
such a party of gardeners from the Midlands. 
After luncheon the members were conveyed through 
the principal streets of the city, thence to the river 
Dee, where a steamboat had been provided by Messrs. 
Dickson to convey the party to Eaton Hall, and here 
the gardens, and especially the interior of the hall, was 
viewed with the greatest interest. A run through the 
very extensive ranges of fruit and plant houses com¬ 
pleted the visit. The party then returned to Eccleston 
Ferry, where tea had been provided by Messrs. Dickson, 
after partaking of which, and an hour’s pleasant ride 
down the river, the party arrived in Chester about 
7 p.m. A very pleasant hour was then spent in visit¬ 
ing the ancient rows, the city walls, and other places 
of interest, a start being made at 8.35 p.m. for the 
return journey to Birmingham, where they arrived 
safely, having spent a most enjoyable day, and one to 
be remembered for many years to come. This thriving 
and most useful society now numbers 300 members, 
and is recognised by the Council of the Midland 
Institute as one of the educational institutions of the 
town. On the 7th inst., some fifty-four members of 
the Bolton and District Gardeners’ Mutual Improve¬ 
ment Society also visited the nurseries of Messrs. 
Dickson and the Gardens at Eaton Hall, and were 
hospitably entertained by Mr. George Dickson on 
behalf of his firm. 
National Chrysanthemum Society.—On Monday 
last the annual outing of the members of this society 
took place, when visits were paid to Hatfield House 
and Knebworth. The party, numbering about sixty- 
five, left King’s Cross at 10.35 a.m., and were met at 
Hatfield Station by Mr. Norman, who conducted them 
