February 1, 1890. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
339 
GREAT VEGETABLE CONFERENCE, 
CHISWICK, 1889. 
49 CERTIFICATES OF MERIT 
AWARDED TO THE PRODUCE OF 
VEITCH’S GENUINE SEEDS. 
See Page Advertisement, January 25th, 1890. 
VEITCH’S NEW MELON, 
T55E3 Countess, 
First Class Certificate Royal Horticultural Society, 18S0, 
is 
THE MOST PROLIFIC MELON, 
THE HANDSOMEST MELON, 
And SURE TO GIVE SATISFACTION. 
Per. packet, 3s. 6d. 
VEITCH’S NEW CUCUMBER 
Fayourite, 
First Class Certificate Royal Horticultural Society, 1880, 
A STRIKINGLY HANDSOME, 
SYMMETRICAL CUCUMBER, 
And MOST DESIRABLE FOR EXHIBITION. 
Per packet, 2s. 6d. 
For full descriptions of above and other Choice Novelties, see SEED CATALOGUE for 1890 , forwarded 
Gratis and Post Free on application. 
JAS. YEITCH & SONS, Royal Exotic Nursery,Chelsea,London,S.W. 
KELWAY’S 
GOLD MEDAL 
(PARIS, 1889) 
SPECIALITIES. 
CATALOGUES are now ready, Gratis and Post Free, 
containing Priced and Descriptive Lists of all our 
SPECIALITIES FOR 1890, and everything needful 
for the Garden. 
LANGPORT, SOMERSET. 
JERSEY FRUIT TREES AND ROSES. 
Carriage paid. Packed gratis. 
Strong healthy trees, the finest that money can buy. 
Roses wonderfully cheap. Cordons a speciality. Before 
ordering be sure to write for our Illustrated Catalogues. 
Joshua Le Cornu & Son, High View Nurseries. 
SODDY’S 
Seed Collections. 
COMPLETE CATALOGUES GRATIS. 
Collection J5. 
100 varieties . 
. /- 
Collection JE5 
72 varieties . 
. 21/- 
Collection C 
50 varieties . 
. 10/6 
( 23 varieties ) 
Collection IO> 
) large pkts. ) 
5/- 
Collection E 
23 varieties .. 
3 - 
Collection EE... 
14 varieties . 
1/- 
AL_I_ CARRIAGE PAID. 
Extract from Letters received lately : — 
“CERTAINLY SPLENDID VALUE.” 
“ I have had wonderful success with your seeds.” 
“ I am highly pleased with the collection.” 
O C 1 Seed Merchant 
DlIM. o U U T 5 & Bulb Importer, 
243, WALWORTH ROAD, LONDON, S.E. 
WEBBS’SEEDS 
CELEBRATED 
FOR 
All Seeds Delivered Free. 
WEBB&SOffS, 
The Royal Seed Establishment, 
WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
WEBBS’ NEW WHITE QUEEN. 
Is. 6d. per Packet. 
WEBBS’ NEW SCARLET KING. 
Is. 6d. per Packet. 
These are an entirely distinct race of 
Asters, dwarf in habit of growth, and 
specially adapted for massing and bed¬ 
ding purposes ; they grow about 8 ins. 
high, and each plant bears from 20 to 
30 large and perfectly-formed flowers. 
QUALITY. 
Should be sown by all who wish 
to excel in the cultivation of Vege¬ 
tables and Flowers. For full 
particulars see WEBBS’ SPRING 
CATALOGUE for 1890. Beautifully 
illustrated and containing cultural 
notes. Post free, Is. Gratis to 
Customers. 
PRIZE ASTERS 
ALL SEEDS WARRANTED. 
ROBERT SYDENHAM, 
NEW TENBY ST., BIRMINGHAM, 
THE CELEBRATED AMATEUR IMPORTER OF BULBS. 
Having been continually solicited by a large number of my Bulb 
friends to keep a select stock of the best and most reliable 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds, I have decided to do so. 
“Quality before Quantity” being my “motto," I shall 
spare no expense to get the very best strain of every variety 
offered in this list, and send out all fresh new seeds of the latest 
growth. The majority, if not nearly all ordinary Seedsmen say 
they will not be responsible for the failure of any Seeds. I 
cannot guarantee there shall be no failures, but as the best 
guarantee it is possible to give of my wish to sell only genuine 
Seeds, 1 will undertake to replace, free of charge, any Vegetable 
or Flower Seeds from which a fair proportion fail to germinate 
in due course, under fair and proper treatment, or which do not 
come true to name. 
I stall not confuse my friends with a long list of six or eight 
hundred varieties of Flower Seeds, but confine myself to about 
two hundred varieties that will be satisfactory to purchaser as 
well as seller. In Vegetable Seeds, I contend that few want 
more than six or eight varieties of Peas, three or four sorts of 
Cabbage or Broccoli, two or three of Carrots, one of Parsnips, 
and so on, and where the list is much increased, it often contains 
names manufactured to suit a particular locality, or selected 
stocks of old varieties slightly improved under new names. As 
a proof of this, I have often heard of two or three so-called 
varieties of Seeds being taken from the same bag or drawer. 
One gentleman in the trade went so far as to tell me, in his cata¬ 
logue were four varieties of Parsnips, but all were taken from 
one bag. 
TERMS, strictly cash with order from unknown correspon¬ 
dents ; references given if required. 
All Flower Seeds sent post free ; all general Seed Orders over 
10s. carriage paid ; Orders over £3, 5 ptr cent, discount ; Orders 
over £5, 10 per cent, discount. 
My “UNIQUE SEED LIST,” entered at Stationers' Hall and 
Copyright, is the most original and useful List ever published 
for amateurs. It contains only the most select varieties of 
Vegetable and Flower Seeds in cultivation, and gives full cul¬ 
tural directions. This List was sent, post free, to all my Bulb 
friends about the middle of December. To all new applicants 
the price will be 6d., but this may be deducted from the tirst 
order of 5s. or over. 
Choice Primula, Calceolaria, Carnation, and Picotee 
Seeds will be of a specially good strain. 
Best white Raffia Fibre, 6d. per pound. 
(Please Mention this Paper.) 
Letter Orders have same care as for my own planting. 
ROBERT SYDENHAM, 
NEW TENBY STREET, BIRMINGHAM. 
Next Week's Engagements. 
Monday, February 3rd. —Sale of Lily Bulbs at Protheroe & 
Morris’s Rooms. 
Tuesday, February 4th.—Sale of Orchids in Flower at 
Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms. 
"Wednesday, February 6th.—Sale of Lily Bulbs, &c., at 
Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms. 
Thursday, February 6th.—Sale of Nursery Stock by Sample, 
at Prolheroe & Morris’s Rooms. 
Friday, February 7th.— Sale of Imported Orchids at Protheroe 
& Morris's Rooms. 
For Indexto Contents & Advertisements, see p. 349. 
tl Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.” —Bacon. 
SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1890. 
CURRENT TOPICS. 
@ cience Run Wild. — Professor Symes 
Thompson has been lecturing at Gresham 
College on the influenza epidemic, and the 
daily papers have given his utterances wide 
publicity. That some of his observations 
must have provoked numerous grim smiles 
from genuine scientists there can be no doubt, 
whilst on the other hand some of his other 
remarks may have been the most scientifically 
exact. But when scientists tread on unfamiliar 
ground they are apt to blunder, and amongst 
the somewhat absurd remarks which the 
Professor is reported to have made was one 
in which he said, “ The disease was specially 
prevalent when the air had been still and 
.stagnant and there had been fogs. On clayey 
soils a sort of blackness was noticed to settle 
