470 
THE HARDENING WORLD 
March 29, 1890. 
of Potato-growers, farmers or gardeners of all 
classes, has the soil been found in a more 
friable state than now. We find it amply 
moist for all purposes, and yet it has been a 
remarkably dry time since February ; indeed, 
three has been relatively little rain since the 
year began, and yet one-fourth of the new year 
lias already gone. 
Then we have got beyond the dread of the 
disease which once so very heavily afflicted 
our Potato crops. There has been raised 
during the past twenty years a wealth of 
varieties of Potatos, most of which, if not 
disease-proof, are, at least, less amenable to the 
attacks of the Peronospora, than were the older 
varieties. We are not going to aver that we 
have gone m advance of the delicate-eating 
Regents and Fortyfolds in quality, but that this 
excellence in quality was the weakness of those 
good old varieties ; ; and those, if less delicate, 
yet of much stouter constitutions, have had to 
take their places. Some day, should the Potato 
disease be absolutely'expelled, we may be able 
to return to the softer fleshed forms with com¬ 
parative safety. Till then, however, we do 
well to grow only varieties which are fairly 
safe, and are also great croppers, for more than 
ever have Potatos become an integral part of 
the food of the people. 
-- 
Flower Show Fixtures.—-Newcastle-upon-Tyne, 
spring show, April 16th and 17th ; autumn show, 
August 20th, 21st and 22nd. Bolton and District 
Chrysanthemum Show, November 14th and 15th. 
Wimbledon Horticultural, July 9th. 
The Best Wheats for the Miller. — Probably the 
most important article on modern improvements in 
Wheats yet published in the English language, will 
appear in the Mark Lane Express on Monday next. 
The author is the famous French horticulturist, 
agriculturist and botanist, M. Henri de Yilmorin, and 
his paper will be illustrated by nearly 100 woodcuts. 
Gardening Engagements.—Mr. Tye, of Clovenfords, 
and formerly of Stanfield Hall Gardens, Todmorden, 
as gardener to T. Eccles, Esq., Farington House, Ley- 
land, near Preston. Mr. G. Potts, Jnn., recently of 
Elmside, Northiam, Sussex, as gardener to Dampier 
Palmer, Esq., Heronden Hall, Tenterden, Kent. Mr. 
Wm. Smith, late foreman at Broxmouth Park, Dunbar, 
as gardener to R. Ovey, Esq., Badgemore, Henley-on- 
Thames. 
The Wildsmith Orphan Fund Memorial.—We 
understand that the amount subscribed up to the end 
of last week for the above object was about £90—a 
really good beginning. As some £40 more are only 
needed to make up the sum required, there ought to 
he no difficulty in making the memorial a success. 
The sum needed cannot be subscribed too soon, as in 
such case the child which the committee propose 
electing on to the Orphan Fund, will not then have to 
he nominated for election in July next. A further list 
of subscribers will be published at an early date. 
Hardiness of Photinia serrulata.—We learn from 
a St. Leonards correspondent that the young leaves of 
this shrub, which is usually regarded as not being 
quite hardy, at Beauport, near St. Leonards, do not 
appear to have suffered the least injury from the recent 
hard frost, though specimens of Qnercus Ilex in the 
same park seem to have been a good deal damaged. At 
Kew the Photinia has suffered with a number of other 
things of a similar character, and it would be interest¬ 
ing to know what other localities have escaped injury. 
Presentation to the Secretary of the Dundee 
Horticultural Society.—On the 17th inst. Mr. D. P. 
Scott, who has been a member of the Dundee Horti¬ 
cultural Society for twenty-five years, and secretary for 
the last twelve years, was presented, in recognition of 
his labours, with a valuable gold keyless watch and a 
handsome drawing-room clock and candelabra in brass, 
along with a beautiful diamond and pearl brooch and 
pearl pendant for Mrs. Scott. The presentation was 
made by Mr. D. Croll, at a meeting presided over by 
Mr. R. B. Laird. Mr. Scott returned thanks for the gifts, 
which he valued for the visible evidence they afforded 
that his work—or, at least, his honest and strenuous 
efforts to perform his work—had been appreciated by 
those who had had the best opportunities, and were also 
the best qualified, to judge of the motives which 
inspired it, and the measure of success which attended it. 
Wallflowers.— The general quality of the Market 
Blood-red Wallflower bloom is very much complained 
of this season, as not only do the spikes come imperfect, 
but the petals are small, and badly coloured. The 
result is doubtless due to the severe frosts of the early 
part of the mouth, which did severely harm much of 
what is called semi-hardy vegetation. We do not know 
whether in this matter the red forms are more tender 
than the yellow, but certain it is that the latter seem 
not to have suffered from the cold. It is true that, on 
the whole, the yellow varieties are a little later in 
blooming than are the early sown and planted Market 
Reds. As a rule, the seeds of these are sown so early 
that the plants are got out early in May, to make large 
heads of growth by October. 
Helleborus fcetidus.— “D. S. H.” writes:—Rather 
a distressing name, but the flower is not so stinking 
after all, and is really a pleasing object in certain places. 
It is a wild plant in some parts of the south and west, 
I believe, hut I met with a batch of it growing within 
a few miles of Warwick, on the Birmingham side, 
luxuriating near to a plantation on sloping ground 
towards the south-east, and seeing it from the road I 
could not at first make out what it was. The mass of 
greenish white flowers, with faint pink markings, made 
the group look bright and pretty, and the plant is 
worthy of cultivation under trees where the soil is not 
wet and heavy. 
Birmingham Gardeners’ Association.—At the fort¬ 
nightly meeting, February 18th, Mr. W. Spinks read 
an instructive paper on “ The Tomato,” giving culture 
and a list of the best varieties, at the head of which 
he placed Ham Green Favourite, Sutton’s Perfection, 
and Hackwood Park, On March 4th, Mr. H. Hope, 
horticultural builder, read a very practical paper on 
‘ ‘ Tlie Construction and Heating of Horticultural 
Buildings,” which elicited a good discussion, and many 
questions were answered. On March 18 th, Mr. W. 
Stevens, The Gardens, Walton Grange, Stone, read a 
highly interesting paper on “ Odontoglossum: Varieties 
and Cultivation.” Cut specimens of some were also 
exhibited by Mr. Stevens, and cultural hints as to each 
species separately were concisely given. A very warm 
vote of thanks was awarded for a practical and very 
interesting lecture. 
Liverpool Horticultural Association. — A special 
general meeting of this society was recently held in the 
Lecture Hall of the Free Public Library, Liverpool, 
Mr. T. Powell presiding. In his opening remarks the 
chairman stated that the committee had decided, by a 
majority of members present at meetings held in 
February and March, to hold the summer exhibition on 
the August Bank Holiday and the Saturday before, as 
in previous years, but that this decision had not met 
with general approval, hence the meeting then being 
held to further consider the matter. Mr. J. Glover 
proposed that the date of the summer show be the 16th 
and 17th of July, for the reason that these dates would 
better suit the convenience of their subscribers, and be 
more likely to resrrlt in a successful “gate.” Mr. J. 
Jellieoe seconded the resolution, which was supported 
by Messrs. T. F. Hill, R. Todd, G. Thomson, J. Barker, 
aud R. G. Waterman. Mr. A. R. Cox moved, as an 
amendment, that the committee’s arrangement be sus¬ 
tained, for the reason that the show should he held 
whilst the thousands were in the parks and the thou¬ 
sands of visitors were in the streets of Liverpool. Mr. 
T. Foster seconded the amendment, which was sup¬ 
ported by Messrs. J. Hurst and R. Curie. On the 
amendment being put, twenty-four voted for it and 
forty-one against, the motion in favour of July 16th 
and 17th being thus carried. A vote of thanks to the 
chairman was carried unanimously. 
Saladings.—The attention called to the visit of 
M. Henri de Vilmorin in our last issue, and in one or 
two of our agricultural contemporaries on Monday, had 
the effect of drawing a larger number of Fellows and 
visitors to the afternoon meeting of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society in the Drill Hall on Tuesday, than 
has been present at any previous meeting in the same 
place. There was also a bright little show of the 
flowers that bloom in the spring, so that our distin¬ 
guished visitor and his compatriot, M. Albert Truffaut, 
of Versailles, who was also present, at least did not see 
the place at its worst. Unfortunately, owing to the 
wretchedly bad acoustic properties of the building, 
beyond the first two or three rows, but little could be 
heard of what M. de Vilmorin had to say on a subject 
in which our countrymen require yet a good deal of 
education. We are not a salad-eating people, hut there 
is abundant evidence to show that the taste is being 
acquired and developed among all classes at a rate 
which is hardly realised by the old-fashioned among us, 
who still air their prejudices against “green-stuff.” 
M. de Vilmorin divided his subject into two parts ; in 
the first, enumerating the various subjects used for 
salading to be obtained in the Paris markets in each 
season of the year, and devoting the second to the 
subject of blanching. He especially commented upon 
Dandelion, Chicory, Barbe de Capucin, and Whitlcef, 
and pointed out with regard to the former that two 
varieties were largely grown in France, the broad-leaved, 
which was very early, and the Solid-hearting or 
Cabbage Dandelion, which was most favoured by the 
market growers. M. de Vilmorin interspersed his 
remarks with many useful cultural hints, which we 
shall direct attention to when his paper is published in 
the society’s journal. 
Woolton Gardeners’ Association.—The last meet¬ 
ing of the present session was held on the 20th inst., 
Mr. T. Carling presiding. Sir. J. Cowan, Liverpool 
Horticultural Co., was expected to deliver a lecture 
on Orchids, hut was unfortunately prevented at 
the last moment from attending. The secretary was 
instructed to write Mr. Cowan, asking him to read his 
paper at the opening meeting of the next session. 
Mr. P. Ilarbordt, Covent Garden Seed Stores, Liver¬ 
pool, read an excellent paper on herbaceous plants, 
claiming for them a position as decorative subjects far 
in advance of the ordinary bedding plants. Regarding 
the statements of the wonderful old-fashioned flowers 
and gardens, the essayist claimed that to-day we had 
a hundred well-kept gardens in the place of one in the 
bygone days, and for one beautiful plant in those old 
days we have more than a hundred now. Special 
attention, it was urged, should he given in preparing 
the position, draining where needful, renovating and 
manuring the soil, and in some cases adding to or 
replacing if the natural soil was poor and hungry. 
Special advice was given as to grouping and the 
selecting of proper sites for their varied requirements, 
with feeding and watering during hot, dry weather. 
An interesting discussion followed, in which Messrs. 
R. G. Waterman, J. Glover, and R. Todd took part, 
each speaker supporting the essayist as to the value and 
beauty of this section of plants, with the desire and 
belief that they would be more utilised as they became 
better known. A cordial vote of thanks was accorded 
to the essayist, and a similar compliment to the chair¬ 
man concluded the proceedings. 
- ~ >X< ~ - 
THE GRAPE VINE.* 
As good wine is said to need no hush, neither does a 
new edition of a useful hook, and especially when that 
edition is the tenth, require any praise from the 
reviewers to recommend it to public favour. We have 
just received from Mr. William Thomson a copy of the 
tenth edition of his admirable treatise on the Vine, which 
was first issued from the press in 1862, and which has 
remained since a standard authority on all that relates 
to the cultivation under glass of this popular fruit. That 
another edition should be called for speaks volumes for 
the useful practical character of those which have gone 
before, and says much indeed for the exceedingly 
interesting and important nature of the subject with 
which the treatise deals. 
The experience gained from time to time in the famous 
Vineyard at Clovenfords, has been regularly utilised in 
the correction and improvement of the previous editions, 
and it would seem now, to a superficial observer, that 
but little more could be said on the subject, but that is 
a fallacy. The practical man is ever on the look- out for 
errors in practice, and when found, like Captain Cuttle, 
lie makes a note of it, for the benefit of succeeding 
generations of practitioners. In this way Mr. Thomson 
has noted several existing errors, and deals with them 
in his own plain, sensible manner. In connection with 
the important matter of making a Vine border, for 
instance, the author says 
“ In making up the border, if the soil is what may 
he termed light loam, let it be well beaten and made 
evenly firm with a steel fork ; but do not tread it hard 
with the feet, nor wheel harrows over it. If the soil is 
what may be termed heavy, and especially if damp 
when the border is made up, the above caution is even 
more necessary. I know of nothing in the field of 
horticulture that exhibits greater lack of scientific 
knowledge than ramming damp soil hard together in 
positions where it is to remain for years, unless it be 
the thumbing of soil in a damp state round the roots 
*A Practical Treatise on the Cultivation of the Grape 
Vine. By William Thomson, Tweed Vineyard, Clovenfords 
Tenth edition. (W. Blackwood & Sons). 
