so 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October iO, 1891. 
Potatos from home sources, that it is very 
difficult indeed to create a panic respecting 
the supply of this important vegetable. 
Still it is evident that it is a vegetable of 
such prime importance, is indeed as a-n 
arcticle of food for the masses, one of such 
first-rate value, that it is not possible to 
regard the crop when disease prevails with 
other than the gravest concern. 
Happily, raisers of new varieties of 
Potatos have succeeded in setting up a 
barrier to the progress of the disease which 
has saved our crops to us fully. We hear 
of Potato Fungus Antidotes, and believe 
that they are in some respect efficacious. 
Still we have even with the disease such a 
wealth of tubers, that it seems hardly 
worth while to trouble much about Anti¬ 
dotes. Growers lind prices now so low 
that it is difficult to meet the cost of any 
ameliorative efforts in Potato cultivation. 
unflowers. — Whilst we laughed heart¬ 
ily over the sesthetic craze, which a 
few years ago made the annual Sunflower 
its floral diety, v T e acknowledge gratefully 
the benefit which has accrued to autumn 
flower gardening, by the bringing into 
popularity of all those numerous and varied 
forms of the perennial Sunflower, which 
now are found blooming profusely on every 
hand. The Exhibition of Sunflowers on 
Tuesday last, and following days, in the 
gardens at Chiswick, and to which more 
detailed reference is made elsewhere, 
serves to show how large is the family of 
the Helianthus, how useful an one it is in 
garden decoration, and how in thus being 
brought into notice, it has manifested a 
much greater fecundity than the most 
devout admirers of Sunflowers a few years 
since imagined. 
We have Sunflowers now both single 
and double, large and small, tall and 
dwarf, hardy and tender, or annual, but 
with one defect, if v T e can so regard it, and 
that is a deficiency of variety in colour, as 
yellow in some shade or other forms the 
normal hue of all the family. Still we 
will not cavil because such is the case, as 
some other families are more profuse in 
colouration. Few, however, for the time 
of year, give us more effective decorative 
plants. We find Sunflowers annual and 
perennial, but the latter especially in 
almost every carden. The huge black 
centred blooms of Helianthus annuus are 
rather too big and coarse to gratify all 
tastes, and ours with many others. 
It has been a pleasant thing to find how 
the smaller and many flowered perennial 
forms have ousted the old giant annual 
variety, and in place thereof has given us 
a wealth of really beautiful flowers suitable 
for cutting, and specially for all domestic 
decorative purposes. Amongst the families 
which have found prosperity arising from 
the growing taste for hardy plants none 
have thriven better than the Sunflowers. 
%* We have to claim the indulgence of our readers for the 
non-appearance of any illustrations in this number, - 
our artist having failed us at the last moment. 
Mr H A. Needs has resigned the post he has so 
ably filled as secretary of the Kent County Chrysan- 
hemum Society since its formation, and is succeeded 
by Mr. E. A. Searle, Vale House, Park Road, 
Forest Hill, S.E. 
What is a Hardy Perennial ? — We are requested 
by a “ Lover of Hardy Flowers," who was present 
at the exhibition at Chiswick on Tuesday, to allow 
him to ask the chairman of the Floral Committee of 
the Royal Horticultural Society if he will be so good 
as to give his definition of a hardy perennial. 
National Florists’ Societies. -— The annual 
general meeting of the National Auricula and Primula 
Society (Southern section) and National Carnation 
and Picotee Society (Southern section) will be held 
in the room of the Horticultural Club, at the Hotel 
Windsor, Victoria Street, S.W., at 4.30 p.m. on 
Tuesday, October 27th. 
Mr. W. J. Coppin, foreman at High Cross, Fram- 
field, Sussex, has been engaged as - gardener to 
C. E. Lambert, Esq., Effingham House, Leather- 
head. 
Chimonanthus Grandiflora. —This, the large- 
flowered and scarce species, which blooms abun¬ 
dantly every Christmas for the last fifteen years, 
and which emits a fragrant, narcissus-like perfume, 
and is therefore most acceptable for cutting for 
table decoration at that season of the year, is now 
ripening seed for the first time in the garden of 
W. E. Gumbleton, Esq., Belgrove, Queenstown, 
County Cork. Mr. Gumbleton has a huge bush of 
it in one of the corners of the wall of his kitchen 
garden. It is ten feet high and as many through. 
The seeding of this fine sweet-scented shrub is one 
of those occurrences which marks a record in horti¬ 
cultural matters. 
Mr. F. Simmonds, formerly gardener at Long 
Ditton Hill, has been engaged as gardener to Sir 
Lydston Newman, Bart., Mainhead Park, Devon. 
Ealing and District Gardeners' Mutual Improvement 
Society. —The annual general meeting of this society 
was held on the 29th ult., when the officers for the 
ensuing session were elected. The chairman stated 
that the membership had risen from 90 to 120 
during the previous year, which in itself was a good 
indication that the society is in a flourishing and 
progressive state. Some prizes are again offered in 
competition amongst the members for essays on 
"The Utilization of Open Public Spaces," and on 
“ Hardy Border Flowers." In order to encourage 
under gardeners, prizes are offered for " The Best 
Plan of a Kitchen Garden of One Acre in Extent, 
Planted for the Year and Showing the Rotation of 
Cropping." It is to be drawn to the scale of 1 in. to 
a foot. There will also be a competition on the 27th 
inst. amongst the members, " For the Decoration of 
the Dinner Table for Twelve Persons.” 
A Hardy Moth. —It is frequently remarked that 
a severe winter kills insects, but many of our British 
kinds including Moths seem to defy any amount of 
cold. The Silver Y moth (Plusia Gamma) is a case 
in point. The perfect insect commences to hatch 
out from the chrysalis in June, and continues up till 
October, while instances of it have been known to 
occur in December. Another proof of its hardiness 
is its wide distribution. It not only occurs all over 
Britain but also on the continents of Europe, Africa, 
Asia and America, from Abyssinia to Greenland, and 
eastward it is believed to the confines of China. Its 
omnivorous propensities no doubt serve it in good 
stead as it never fails to find food, even if driven to 
feed up6n grass. All kinds of low herbs prove 
agreeable to it, whether the weeds of waste places or 
the choice vegetables of cultivated and well tended 
gardens. There are records against the caterpillars 
of this moth, of serious damage to garden crops, at 
different times for a period extending back more than 
150 years. 
Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ Association. — At a 
meeting of gardeners and others interested in horti¬ 
culture, held on the 5th inst., in the City Guildhall, 
Exeter, it was unanimously resolved to establish a 
Mutual Improvement Association in the city, and an 
influential committee was formed to carry out the 
programme laid down, with Mr. A. Hope (Messrs. R. 
Veitch & Sons) and Mr. T. Bartlett as honorary secre¬ 
taries. It was also decided that the subscription from 
head gardeners should be 2 s. 6 d. per annum, under 
gardeners is. 6 d. per annum, and hon. members 5s. per 
annum and upwards. It was resolved to hold the 
meetings fortnightly, on Wednesday evenings, during 
the winter months at 8 o'clock, the place of meeting 
to be left for the committee to arrange. 
. ♦ 
THE VEGETABLE GARDEN, 
Pea, Daniels’ Matchless Marrow. 
For the last crop of Peas I sow the above-named 
variety in the last week in June, and it comes into 
bearing during September, extending into October. 
It is the best late sort I know, growing about 4 ft. 
in height. It is a good cropper, the pods are large 
and of a dark green colour, and well filled. Peas to 
go with the Michaelmas Green Goose are a desidera¬ 
tum, and this is the variety to give the supply. The 
gales we had during August blew them about very 
much, but still they produce their crop, and are 
most serviceable. — T. W. 
NOTES FROM 
COVENTRY. 
When in Coventry the other day I called to see the 
plants owned by Mr. Marriott, which are now well 
known and which have been greatly admired by 
thousands at various exhibitions this season. Mr. 
Finch, to whom the credit is due of growing these 
magnificent specimens, is one of the very few' who 
have beaten the much-respected Cheltenham Cham¬ 
pion Cypher, and it is well known that any man who 
can lower his colours must have good plants to do it. 
I found Mr. Finch hard at work arranging his two 
Chrysanthemum houses, full of magnificently grown 
plants, which will give a grand show' later on when 
the dull winter days are with us. I found most of 
his specimen plants in their winter quarters. The 
fine specimen Ericas were just housed. I alwaj's 
enjoy the sight of a good hard wooded plant whether 
in or out of flower, and here I could feast my eves 
on many old favourites all in the best of health and 
condition. Allamandas, Dipladenias, Ixoras, etc., 
are just past. Whilst mentioning these let me com¬ 
mend to those who have not seen it, I.xora Duffii, or 
as it should properly be called I.xora macrothyrsa. 
The splendid specimen recently shown by Mr. 
Finch called forth many expressions of admiration. 
It is one of the finest of stove flowering plants for 
exhibition purposes, its immense trusses of scarlet 
flowers being most attractive. The specimen recently 
shown by him at the International at Edinburgh 
w'as awarded the highest honours for the best 
flowering specimen in the show', and well it deserved 
it. The various specimen Palms, Crotons, etc., had 
been housed in their w'inter quarters. A great many 
plants, and Mr. Marriott’s included, suffered most 
severely at Edinburgh, no doubt the dr)- heat and 
the gas being the cause of it. I have had many 
complaints on this head. Mr. Marriott has also a 
fine lot of Ferns and Orchids, and all are being well 
cared for by Mr. Finch. 
Visitors to Coventry, interested in horticulture, 
might do worse than drop into the famous establish¬ 
ment of Messrs. Perkins & Son, who have gained a 
world-renowned reputation for their bouquets, floral 
designs, etc. A great many houses are devoted to 
the culture of flowers that are useful for decorative 
art. Bouvardias, White Primulas, Chrysanthemums, 
Azaleas, Camellias, Odontoglossums, and that indis¬ 
pensable plant, Adiantum cuneatum, are grown in 
great quantities, but still the Messrs. Perkins have 
to buy enormous quantities to meet their require¬ 
ments. From sixteen to twenty young ladies are 
engaged in making up the floral works of art, and the 
nimble way in which they handle the flowers shows 
that they are no nov-ices at the work Hundreds of 
button-hole sprays and bouquets are made here 
every week, and sent to all parts of the United 
Kingdom. The sale in Birmingham Market for these 
is also very great, and the stand of this firm is 
always worth going to see. The Messrs. Perkins 
have been most successful this season at the various 
exhibitions, having won upwards of 100 first 
prizes for floral designs alone, in many instances, in 
very strong competitions. They also grow' great 
quantities of Roses, and have figured very con¬ 
spicuously at many of the leading shows in the 
classes for the Queen of flow’ers.— Rusticus. 
Hotes. 
Apple New Haw'thornden. 
There are two very distinct varieties of Apple in 
cultivation competing for the title of New Hawthorn- 
den. Whether they have originated from the same 
tree or not, there is evidently great similarity in the 
foliage, habit and growth of the tree, although the 
fruit is very distinct. The most generally recognised 
form is a large flattened fruit of a pale green, or with 
a large bronzy-red patch on the exposed side ; occa¬ 
sionally this bright hue extends over the greater part 
of the surface according to the locality in which the 
fruit has been grown and the exposure of the indi¬ 
vidual fruits. Large as this form is there, is a larger 
enjoying the same name. Both may be seen in the 
gardens of the Royal Horticultural Society at Chis- 
