70S 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
July 12, 1890. 
inconsistent with the'clue productiorfof flowers 
and fruit. The Strawberry crop has been 
severely injured, and what fruit is not rotten 
is devoid of sweetness through lack of sun¬ 
shine. .. 
With trees comparatively resting from fruit 
production, an average summer of warmth and 
sunshine was much needed to develop and 
mature fruit buds for next year. The danger 
now is that far too much wood may he made, 
and that not of a hard, ripened, fruitful nature. 
Certainly we could secure no greater blessing 
for the crops of all kinds just now than ample 
sunshine and warmth. 
elphixiums. — Without doubt we are greatly 
indebted to the persistent action of Alessrs. 
Kelway & Son, of Langport, in constantly 
exhibiting spikes of their fine strain of Del¬ 
phiniums, for the undoubted popularity which 
this old herbaceous plant now enjoys. That 
the field is not absolutely held by this firm, 
however, is evident now, because we see many 
other growers following their lead, but that 
they were the promoters of the popularity there 
can be no doubt. We find in the newer 
strain of the Larkspur, some of the most varied 
and beautiful tints of blue, mauve, and allied 
colours to be found in flowers. Probably no 
other flower gives us in the same spikes 
distinct shades of blue such as the double and 
semi-double flowers exhibit. Pew, indeed, are 
lovelier than are the semi-doubles, the outer pip 
having petals of a dark hue, and the front or 
inner pip, a pleasing delicate hue of mauve or 
pale blue. 
Such flowers as these remind us of the old 
shot silk shades, once so popular in feminine 
attire ; without doubt we shall find the tints 
varying considerably later on. We can have 
no conception what_ the breeder may yet 
accomplish with the tardy Delphinium. It is 
specially a plant for the million, for it is easily 
raised in quantity, and the intending grower 
has but to secure a packet of seed of the best 
strain, and sow in the open ground in the month 
of May, to have plenty of stout seedlings to 
plant out in the autumn, and a noble lot of fine 
spikes in a year or two, and for years after. 
There are few more noble-looking plants for 
the border than is a large three-year old 
Delphinium, with some half-dozen grand spikes 
of bloom rising fully 5 ft. or 6 ft. in height, and 
borne on a base of ample and handsome 
foliage. We strongly advise the wide culture 
of Delphiniums. 
-->£«*-- 
B. S. Williams" Memorial.—In connection with the 
letter from Mr. Bruce Findlay which appears in another 
column, we may say that a committee is being formed 
to raise a memorial to the memory of the late Mr. 
B. S. Williams, full particulars of which will be shortly 
announced. 
Proposed Exhibition of Preserved Fruits.—In 
conversation the other day with the Rev. W. Wilks, 
M.A., the secretary of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
he was good enough to inform us ( Fruit Trade. Journal) 
that under the auspices of the before-mentioned 
organisation, an exhibition of preserved fruits in 
various forms will be held in London duiing the 
month of October—commencing either on the 14th or 
28th of that month. 
Death of Mr. -John Stewart of Edinburgh. — The 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society has just lost 
one of its oldest and most faithful supporters in the 
person of Mr. John Stewart, W. S., who for about 
twenty-five years most ably filled the office of secretary 
to the society, and by his genial, kindly manner 
endeared himself to all its supporters. The deceased 
gentleman was seventy-six years of age, and was in¬ 
terred on the 4th inst. in the beautiful cemetery at 
Inveresk, a few miles from Edinburgh, in the presence 
some 150 personal friends, many of whom were leading 
horticulturists of the north. 
The Crops in Kincardineshire.—In a note from a 
correspondent about the middle of Kincardineshire, we 
are informed that the crops are much later than they 
were at the same time last year. Roses are just coming 
into bloom. The Strawberry season (out of doors) 
commenced with the picking of a dish of fruit on the 
2nd of July; but Peas and Potatos required about a 
week later before they were fit for use. The crop of 
garden produce generally is bountiful, but more favour¬ 
able weather is necessary to bring it to maturity. Ho 
real summer weather has yet been experienced, as it 
rains almost every day, and sunshine is deficient or 
almost nil, thus keeping the ground in a sodden and 
cold condition. Grapes and Peaches under glass are an 
excellent crop, but unless sunshine iutervenes presently 
they will be greatly deficient in flavour. 
Vauxhall Park.—The new Park at Yauxhall was 
formally opened on Monday by the Prince of Wales, 
who was accompanied by the Princess of Wales, the 
Duke of Edinburgh, and the Princess Louise, the two 
latter being present in their capacity as president and 
vice-president respectively of the Kyrle Society, to 
whose exertions in the main the neighbourhood owes 
the park, which has been laid out from plans prepared 
by Miss Wilkinson, and planted by Mr. William Holmes, 
of Hackney. Before leaving the park the Prince of 
Wales planleda Plane tree in commemoration of his visit. 
Fruit Prospects in the North.—The fruit prospect 
in the neighbourhood of Aberdeen is favourable on the 
whole. The Strawberry crop, for which the district is 
noted, will, with bright sunshiny weather, be fully up 
to the average, there being generally a good appearance 
of berries, which now want strong sunshine to ripen 
them. Mr. S. Angus, Bonnymuir, Aberdeen, had the 
first picking of his in the market last week, which is 
about the first in the locality. They are of the Eliza 
Rivers and Black Seedling varieties, and were from 
three-years’ plants. A new feature has been introduced 
into the fruit trade in Aberdeen this season, several 
fruiterers having opened auction sales for the disposal 
of fruit of all kinds, as in the large cities in the south. 
Black Currants are reported to have suffered from 
insects to an extent that will considerably affect the 
quantity produced in this district, but there is a good 
crop of Gooseberries, and Red Currants are likely to be 
abundant. 
The Carnation and Fern Conference at Chiswick.— 
There will be a conference and exhibition of Carnations 
and Ferns in the Royal Horticultural Society’s gardens 
at Chiswick on July 22nd and 23rd. The National 
Carnation Society (southern section) offers prizes for 
Carnations and Picotees, and two silver challenge cups 
will be awarded to amateurs by the R. H. S.—viz., one 
for the best collection of hardy Ferns, the other for the 
best collection of filmy Ferns grown without heat. The 
conference on Carnations will begin on the 22nd inst. 
at 2.30 p.m., and the following papers will he read— 
viz., “ The. Carnation, from a botanical point of view r ” 
by Mr. F. N. Williams, F.L.S. ; “the Florists’ 
Carnation and Picotee as Exhibition Flowers,” by Mr. 
Harry Turner ; “Carnations and Picotees in towns,’’ 
by Mr. Martin R dwarf; “Border Carnations,” by Mr. 
Richard Dean. rt)n the 23rd inst. the conference bn 
Ferns will open at 2 p.m., and papers will be read as 
follows:—“The Systematic Relations of Ferns,” by 
Professor Bower, F.L.S.; “ Hybrid Ferns,” by Mr. E. 
•J. Lowe, F.R.S. ; “Plumose British Ferns,” by Mr. 
C. T. Druery, F.L.S.; “ Hardy Ferns and their 
Cultivation,” by Mr. J. Birkenhead. Intending exhi¬ 
bitors are requested to communicate with Mr. Barron, 
superintendent, R, H. S. Gardens, Chiswick, on or 
before Friday, July 18th, stating the classes in which 
they propose exhibiting, and giving an approximate 
idea of the amount of space they will require. 
-- 
SPECIMEN EXHIBITION PLANTS. 
Although at Richmond very good prizes are offered 
for specimen stove and greenhouse plants, it was not 
possible to do other than deplore the falling off in 
quality presented in the competition in the open class 
at the recent show, although plants were sent from 
Pewsey (Wilts), from Salisbury, and from Norwood. 
It looked in each case as if, had the respective 
exhibitors better ones, they had sent their third- 
rate stuff to Richmond, and the best elsewhere. The 
falling off in the quality seen in these once so favoured 
exhibition plants, makes one to wish that they may 
speedily disappear altogether, rather than that only 
the ghost of their former selves should be exhibited. 
The local plants at Richmond were, on the whole, 
better than were those from a distance. The fine 
specimens, which Messrs. Jackson & Son, of Kingston, 
formerly kept in stock, have been dispersed to the 
winds, and are sadly missing at the local shows. Mr. 
Bates, of Poulett Lodge, Twickenham, who has kept 
together a very nice collection of specimen plants, some 
of them remarkably well done —mentioned the other 
day that they were all to be disposed of by auction, 
shortly, the house and glasshouses, with riverside 
gardens, having recently been sold. Thus the local 
shows will be still further shorn of one of their chief 
features. The same thiDg seems to be going on every¬ 
where, and, except that Begonias and Gloxinias have 
become more popular and widely shown, little of new 
material has been found to take the places of the old 
specimens. 
Perhaps to the visitor of flower shows the removal of 
these big plants is no great loss. Certainly it is not 
so when they are indifferent samples. The days of 
the great growers seem to have finally departed —the 
mixed group has displaced the giants of the show tents. 
The worst feature incidental to their loss is that, being 
large, they cannot easily be replaced, even with plants 
which bloom profusely. Really, the old fashion of 
growing fine handsome show plants of all kinds seems 
to be fast dying out, and in time their culture will 
have become a lost art.— A. D. 
-- 
SOME NEW FRUITS. 
Fig, St. Johns. 
A small tree of this Fig about 3 ft. high, grown in a 
pot and bearing fourteen fruits, was shown by Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons at the last meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society. The same plant was exhibited 
at the Temple Show on the 2Sth and 29th of May. The 
fruits are short, obovate, light green, and smooth, with 
the exception of some slender, elevated lines. It is the 
earliest Fig in cultivation, and retains its first crop 
better than any other. The plant had a crop of ripe 
fruit at the Temple Show, and is now well cropped 
again. A First Class Certificate was awarded it. 
St r awe eery, I xco m pap. able. 
The fruits of this variety are large, wedge-shaped and 
often trigonous. The surface is rather deeply pitted at 
the insertion of the achenes, popularly termed seeds. 
The skin is firm, causing it to carry well, of a dark 
red colour ; and the flavour is very good. It was 
raised from Keen’s Seedling, and was supposed to he 
fertilised by another kind growing close by.. Six boxes 
of it were shown by Mr. Henry Ridgewell, Cambridge, 
at the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
when an Award of Merit was granted. 
Strawberry, Auguste Boisselot. 
The fruits'of this variety are of medium or large size 
and light red. They are bluntly wedge-shaped, with 
thfrachenes or true fruits inserted almost on the surface. 
It is a comparatively old Strawberry, hut of delicious 
flavour, not much known or cultivated at the present 
day. It was exhibited at the last meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, by Messrs. Paul & Son, 
when a First Class Certificate was awarded. 
Allan’s Favourite Cucumber. 
Some fruits of this variety, measuring 1 fc. 9 ins., were 
shown by Mr. W. Allan, Gunton Park, Norwich, at 
the last meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, 
and received an Award of Merit. They were straight, 
smooth, cylindrical, tapered but little at the end dose 
to the stalk, and were of a rich green colour, slightly 
suffused with a glaucous bloom. 
Sion House Seedling Melon. 
The fruits of this new Melon are of medium size, 
globose-oblong, short, yellow, and much netted when 
mature. The flesh is thick, scarlet, slightly tinted 
with green towards the rind, melting, and of exquisite 
flavour. It was exhibited at the last meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society by Mr. Wythes, gardener 
to the Duke of Northumberland, Sion House, Brent¬ 
ford, and was accorded a First Class Certificate. 
Seedling Melon. 
A fruit shown at the Di ill Hall on the 8th inst. by 
Mr. W. A. Cook, gardener to Major C. Y. Heneage, 5 .C., 
Compton Basset, was the result of a cross between Hero 
of Lockinge and Golden Perfection. It is of large size, 
globose, umbilicate at the stalk, pale, dull yellow, and 
closely reticulated with grey. The flesh is scarlet and 
of great depth. An Award of Merit was granted it. 
Highland's Hybrid Melon. 
This Melon was exhibited at the Drill Hall on the 
same date as the above by Mr. F. Y ilkinson, The 
Gardens, Highlands, MinehinhamptoD, and also re¬ 
ceived an Award of Merit. It is globose, of medium 
size, sulphur-yellow, and closely netted. The flesh is 
scarlet, and slightly tinted with green towards the 
skin. 
