20 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 14, 1889. 
the first of the singles, the beautiful Paragon, 
and of Juarezii, the still inimitable scarlet 
Cactus form by Mr. Cannell, was told by that 
admirable florist. Altogether Mr. Cfirdlestone, 
the secretary, merits congratulation for his 
efforts to render the centenary of the intro¬ 
duction of the Dahlia into this country as 
notable as possible. 
The centenary or group class of the show 
is, it seems, largely due to the generosity of 
the Marquis of Bute, who sent the committee 
a liberal donation in remembrance of the fact 
that a Countess of Bute, an ancestor, was the 
introducer of the Dahlia to England 100 years 
since. The class brought considerable com¬ 
petition and a big display, but of true decorative 
art little was seen. It may be that the Dahlia 
does not well lend itself to decorative effect, 
but still something more tasteful might well 
have been looked for. 
he Crystal Palace Fruit Show. —If the 
Dahlias were beautiful, and rarely have 
they been seen in better form, the grand 
display of fruit in the North Transept was 
one worthy of British horticulture. Generally 
the fruits were superb, especially in the larger 
classes, into which the leading growers entered 
with zest and fine material. We have, of 
course, seen plenty of grand Grapes at shows, 
but at the Palace the all round excellence was 
high, and merits special notice. It is better 
to see a high average of excellence than some 
specially superb samples and a lot of poor 
ones. 
So far as Ave could note, there was hardly 
a poor dish of any fruit shown; and this, too, 
in a season when the weather has been not 
at all of the best for fruit production. The 
Plums Avere perhaps weaker than Ave have 
seen them previously here, but the present 
is a poor Plum season. Glass-grown Apples 
and Tomatos presented some difficulty to the 
judges. The former naturally shoAv fruits in 
form such as outdoor groAvth cannot hope to 
aspire to and, therefore, good samples from 
outdoors merit not less appreciation than do 
extra handsome and fine samples from under 
glass. A special class for house-produced 
Apples seems to be needful. In the case of 
Tomatos it looks as if it Avere easy enough for 
anyone to gather six kinds, so-called, from the 
same sort. We want in Tomatos broader and 
clearer distinctions than can be seen on the 
shoAv table between one Perfection and another, 
for there seems to be a dozen Perfections all 
alike in commerce. Judges do not like to be 
humbugged by expert exhibitors Avhose notions 
of distinctness are foggy. 
J Dngle Dahlias. —Mr. Girdlestone exhibited 
} at the National Dahlia SIioav last week 
plants of his neiv strain of dAvarf single 
Dahlias. These are in height about 16 ins., 
and seem as if they would make good bedders. 
It Avas a pity that the original of our parent 
race of garden Single Dahlias, Paragon, could 
not have been exhibited in contrast, as that 
is one of the very tallest of all the race, 
reaching, as Ave have seen this year, to a height of 
7 ft., a glaring contrast to Mr. Girdlestone’s 
pumila strain. Still, for ordinary decorative 
purposes and for furnishing floAvers for cutting 
it is obvious that a happy medium betAveen 
the very tall and the very short seems to be 
needed. 
A height ranging from 2 ft. to 3 ft. seems 
to be the most desirable for plants intended 
for the uses to which single Dahlias are usually 
put. We do not want to see all our garden 
plants reduced to a dead level of dwarfness 
any more than Ave desire to see all of exceeding- 
tallness. Varying heights give most variety 
in the garden apart from floral effects. The 
Hollyhock is not the less admired because 
it runs up tall, and a dwarf race would be 
regarded as absurd. Still, we do not admire 
stems 8 ft. in height, but at from 5 to 8 ft. 
none will complain. If raisers of single 
Dahlias could be sure that the flowers would 
stand longer after being cut, they would render 
floral decorators good service. 
It seems that the sooner they are cut after 
the petals open the better, as the full expansion 
Avill be completed later, and the flowers endure 
twice as long as Avhen cut after full expansion 
Also the buds should be cut at night or early 
in the morning. The introduction of striped 
or edged flowers have helped to give more 
A r ariety to the section, and some of these, 
such as Queen Victoria, white and scarlet, 
and Duchess of Albany, fawn and mauve, are 
v r ery pretty, but on the Avhole the brilliant 
self scarlets, purples, crimsons, whites, &c., 
seem to find most favour. In any case there 
is a long life before single Dahlias Ave are 
assured. 
TPIater Bouquets.—W e referred in our last 
'“h. number to the charming bouquets shoAvn 
in Avater at Basingstoke recently, but as Ave 
have no doubt our lady readers Avill be only 
too pleased to obtain all needful information 
concerning their construction, we append 
from the pen of Mrs. H. Loe, of Basingstoke, 
the lady Avho first introduced these novel 
floral ornaments to that toAvn, the folloAving 
instructions :— 
“In the first place procure a glass shade 
or globe, and a glass dish on Avhich the shade 
Avill stand evenly. A stand on a short 
pedestal so as to lift the ornament someAvhat 
up from the table is best. Then proceed to 
arrange the floAvers and foliage in bouquet 
form, the stems being shortened and tied 
securely to something heavy, Avhich will serve 
to keep the flowers erect yet fixed to the 
stand. Next get a large bath or tub, fill it 
full of clear water, and high enough to not 
only fully immerse the floAvers, but to cover 
the shade when placed over the bouquet. 
“ Place the dish or stand at the bottom of 
the tub, put the floAvers on to it, in erect 
form, then take the shade and lay it side- 
Avays in the Avater, the bottom edge touching 
the edge of the dish or stand on Avhich the 
floAvers are placed. The shade must then be 
gradually and very carefully brought over the 
floAvers so that no air is retained. It is im¬ 
portant that this act should be performed 
quite beneath the Avater, as if air bubbles are 
admitted the attempt must be repeated until 
the experiment is successful. Small bouquets, 
and floAvers of but tAvo or three pleasing 
colour are best. Novices may Avell try their 
hands first with a tiny bouquet beneath a 
tumbler glass, and on a small plate.” We 
hope to see Avater bouquets a standing dish 
at all floAver shows another year. 
he Glorious Weather.—T he remarkable 
heat and beauty of the Aveather of the last 
few days, Avhilst assisting in the maturing and 
conclusion of the harvest, southwards more 
especially, have been most serviceable horti- 
culturally in the hardening of the Avood of 
trees and shrubs, and specially so in the 
ripening and plumping up of fruit buds on 
all kinds of trees. A few days of such 
Aveather as Ave have recently passed through 
could hardly fail to be of incalculable ad¬ 
vantage in relation to the fruit crop of next 
year, and probably has done more to render 
a fine fruit year possible than has any art of 
cultivation. We may plant and Avater, but in 
fruit culture the sun alone may be said to 
give the increase, and it is not enough that 
Ave should have sun in the spring to assist 
in the fertilisation of the bloom, but Ave need 
it during the previous summer and autumn 
to ripen the Avood and render the buds fertile. 
If Ave do not have a grand fruit season 
generally next year it Avill not be the fault 
of the present year, for the trees and bushes 
have, so far as weather is concerned, had all 
the help that warmth and moisture allied can 
afford. 
The warmth came too late for the earlier 
Potatos, but it has done wonders to help 
SAvell and ripen the late ones, and all other 
products are thriving in the renewal of 
summer-like weather. 
-->=£<-- 
Vegetable Conference at Chiswick.—Intending 
exhibitors are reminded that entries should be made to 
Mr. Barron, at Chiswick, on or before Friday next, the 
20th inst. 
The Apple and Pear Conference.—We note Avith 
pleasure the publication this week of the Apple and 
Pear Conference Report, which forms vol. x. of the 
Royal Horticultural Society’s Journal. The price to 
non-Fellows is Is. 6 d. 
The Tottenham and Edmonton Chrysanthemum 
Society have fixed upon November the 14th and 15th 
as the days upon which to hold their exhibition in the 
Drill Hall, Park Lane, Tottenham. 
Gardening Engagements. — Mr. F. Thirlby, for 
several years gardener at Broadlands, Romsey, as gar¬ 
dener to Earl Fitzwilliam, Wentworth, Rotherham, 
Yorkshire. Mr. F. Bowles, late gardener to the Hon. 
R. Capel, Watford, as gardener to Lord Lawrence, 
Chetwode Manor, Buckingham. Mr. J. S. Trevor, late 
gardener at Bryngwyn Hall, Oswestry, as gardener to 
Col. Heywood, Hatley St. George, Malvern. 
The Great Annual Trade Sales, conducted by Messrs. 
Protheroe & Morris, and which commenced at Swanley 
on Wednesday, will be continued next week as follows : 
— Monday, at Dyson’s Lane Nursery, Edmonton ; 
Tuesday, at Burnt Ash Lane Nurseries, Lee ; Wednes¬ 
day, at the Lea Bridge Road Nurseries, Leyton ; and 
Thursday, at the Brimsdown Nursery, Enfield Highway. 
The North Wales and Border Counties Pomo- 
logical Society has just issued a schedule of prizes for 
its fifth annual exhibition of fruits, Chrysanthemums, 
&c., which is to be held in Wrexham on the 21st of 
November next. The society is doing much good in 
its district, and promoting the culture of the best class 
of hardy fruits. The secretary, Mr. J. Jones, Gresford, 
will be glad to give any information. 
Scottish Horticultural Association.—A meeting of 
the members of this association took place on the 3rd 
inst. at No. 5, St. Andrew Square, Edinburgh, Mr. 
Robert Morison, vice-president, in the chair. Mr. John 
Wilson, St. Andrews University, communicated a paper 
on the education of gardeners. 
How Tall do Sunflowers Grow? — A Battersea 
correspondent asks what is the greatest height recorded 
of Sunflowers having been grown. He has a plant 
which is 8 ft. 4 ins. high, and still growing. We 
have seen them 10 ft. high, and perhaps another good 
dressing of manure and plenty of water will send our 
correspondent’s plant up to the same height. 
A Vine Fruiting from the Main Stem.—A very rare, 
but not unique, instance of a Vine bearing fruit on the 
main stem has occurred this season at Cliffe Castle, 
near Keighley. The Vine in question is a Muscat, with 
a stem about 4J ins. in circumference, from which, at 
about 18 ins. from the ground, hangs a bunch about 
1 lb. in weight, with well-swelled berries, and without 
a shoot or leaf near it. Mr. Maltby, the gardener in 
charge, will be pleased to show it to any one interested 
in such curiosities. 
The Edinburgh SIioav. —A brief telegram received 
from Edinburgh on Wednesday afternoon, states 
that the exhibition of the Royal Caledonian Horti¬ 
cultural Society, opened that morning in the 
Waverley Market, is a very fine one, the number 
of entries being 500 more than at the corresponding 
show of last year. Mr. G. McKinnon, Melville Castle, 
takes the leading fruit prizes ; and Messrs. R. B. Laird 
& Sons are first in the nurserymen’s class. There is a 
great competition with vegetables. 
Dwarf Scabious.—It is odd that such pretty things 
as these, so hardy and so very effective when in bloom, 
should not be more widely grown. Seed sown in the 
spring will give plenty of flowering plants through the 
summer and autumn, and if these be cut back and 
planted in sheltered places they will weather the winter 
admirably. There are found in the handsome double 
flowers many striking colours, notably white, blue, 
carmine, purple, maroon, &c. The plants grow to a 
height of 15 ins., and bloom profusely for a long season, 
the flowers being excellent for cutting. 
The Mrs. Hawkius Chrysanthemum Case — 
Hawkins v. Ware—was heard in the Arbitration Rooms, 
Chancery Lane, on Tuesday, before the arbitrators, Mr. 
Robert Ker, of Liverpool, Mr. W. Paul, Waltham Cross, 
and Mr. Steele, Covent Garden, the witnesses for the 
