656 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
June 16, 1894. 
remember distresses long. That we do very 
often forget harsh atmospheric conditions, 
that like the late frosts come to harm us 
now and then, but happily not very often, 
is also the case, and at the moment of pain 
and disappointment think that what has 
done so much of mischief has never been 
experienced before. We could, however, 
were a true and accurate account of these 
harmful visitations a^t disposal, find during 
the past hundred years that as much and 
even more of harm has been done by great 
cold at the end of May, and even in June. 
Great as was the harm done by the May 
frosts, we have found numerous reasons to 
feel surprise that it was not worse. Still, 
so far as our fruit crop is concerned, and 
that creates the greater anxiety, for but 
just before a fruit crop never gave greater 
promise, we may not know all of the mis¬ 
chief wrought until the autumn. 
That matters might have been even worse 
had not all these crops been so far advanced 
there can be no doubt, although there are 
not wanting those who think the earliness 
of the crops led to the greater mischief. 
That matter may be very well left for 
future discussion, and indeed little good can 
come, because over the seasons we have no 
control. Many things harmed will presently 
grow out of their trouble. Some cannot, 
but we all the same trust that at the close 
of the summer we may all find cause to 
rejoice that matters are not so bad as was 
anticipated. 
Gardeners’ Royal Benevolent Institution.—We may 
again remind our readers that the annual festival of 
this Institution will take place at the Hotel Mctropole 
on the 2 tst inst., and that applications for tickets 
should be made without delay to the secretary, Mr. 
G. J. Ingram, 50 , Parliament Street, S.W. 
The New Patent Travelling Hot-housas.—We learn 
from the inventor that so impressed with the value 
of this invention lately noticed in our columns are 
several of the great growers of fruit, Tomatos, and 
flowers in Kent, Essex, Herts, and Middlesex, that 
they are already making arrangements for large 
installations of the new houses. 
Mr. C. B. Clarke has recently been elected Presi¬ 
dent of the Linnean Society in succession to Professor 
Stewart. 
The British Bee-Keepers' Association are, it is said, 
experiencing considerable difficulty in obtaining 
honey exhibits for the Royal Counties Show, in 
consequence of the unfavourable weather, and have 
resolved to receive entries up to the time of opening 
the exhibition. 
Sale of Early Potatos.—Considerable transactions 
have taken place in the sale of early Potatos in the 
Girvan district, the most important being the sale of 
about ninety imperial acres on the farm of Chapel- 
donan. They are in a very forward condition, 
having escaped the recent frosts, which have done a 
great amount of damage to the Potato crop in 
Ayrshire. They are expected to be ready for lifting 
about the last week in June. The price is con¬ 
siderably in advance of that of last year. 
Ditchling Currant and Gooseberry Show.—It is by 
no means the “ big gooseberry " season, says the 
Sussex Daily News, but in the village of Ditchling 
interest is already being taken in big gooseberries. 
The Ditchling Currant and Gooseberry Show 
Society has for many years oS'ered copper kettles 
and other prizes for certain quantities of goose¬ 
berries. The idea originally came south from 
Lancashire, but up till this year no one has 
seemed to hit upon the notion of a prize for the 
heaviest single berry. The prize, it is understood, 
has now been offered, and the largest individual 
gooseberry in the famous Ditchling show will 
probably be discovered. There ought to be much 
competition among the Ditchling growers to secure 
the honour ot being the proud possessor of " the 
biggest gooseberry," of the year. 
Finger-and-Toe Experiments.—At the meeting of 
the Council of the Royal Agricultural Society on 
the 6 th inst.. Lord Moreton reported that the con¬ 
sulting botanist had carefully distributed the spores 
of the fungus which causes the " finger-and-toe’’ in 
Turnips in eleven plots, and that in ten of them he 
had added the following substances to observe their 
action on the fungus:—Three strengths of lime, 
gypsum, soot, kainit, copper sulphate, iron sulphate, 
bleaching powder, and corrosive sublimate, one plot 
having nothing added to it. In all the plots the 
seedling Turnips were attacked and destroyed by 
the little parasitic fungus Pythium de Baryanum, 
except in that dressed with corrosive sublimate. 
This poison not only completely destroyed the 
Plasmodiophora, but the Pythium also, though it 
did not affect the seedling Turnips. Some indica¬ 
tions of the attack were observed, but the rapid 
injury caused by the Pythium overpowered the 
plants, and prevented the "finger-and-toe” deve¬ 
loping. 
Market Gardening in Cornwall.—Our Cornwall 
correspondent writes : " The Potato crop is excellent 
in quality and enormous in quantity, with no trace 
of murrain. It is well, however, to point out that 
the market gardeners are not over careful how they 
protect the remainder of their Potato* crop from 
murrain attack by the oversight of letting the 
Potato refuse remain in the fields instead of carefully 
collecting.and burning it. No sane person would 
remain in a place tainted with the contagia of dead 
and diseased animals, and it is equally unsafe to 
have sound plants, tubers, or seeds amongst dying or 
diseased vegetable refuse. In the one case as in the 
the other, certain individuals may perchance escape, 
but the general result is that the healthy organisms 
are at length 13estroyed by the effluvia—germs from 
the dead ones. There are instances on record of 
whole fields being attacked by night and by morning 
the Potato crops have had the appearance of being 
burnt by fire. It would be a thousand pities that for 
the want of taking an easy precaution the market 
gardeners of Cornwall should allow misfortune to 
come upon them. 
Veitch Memorial Medals.—At the meeting of the 
Royal Horticultural Society on Tuesday afternoon, 
before Mr. Nicholson read his paper on " Hardy 
Trees and Shrubs," the President, Sir Trevor 
Lawrence, Bart., on behalf of the Veitch Memorial 
Trustees, presented medals to Col. R. Trevor Clarke, 
Welton Place, Daventry, an old and much esteemed 
member of the Council of the Royal Horticultural 
Society, for life-long labours in promoting the 
advancement of scientific and practical horticulture ; 
to Mr. Charles Moore, Sydney, New South Wales, 
for life-long services to horticulture and for the 
introduction of many new and beautiful plants to 
British gardens; to Mr. Thomas Francis Rivers, of 
Sawbridgeworth, for his successful exertions in 
raising new varieties of fruits and in improving fruit 
culture; to Mr. George Nicholson, Kew, in recogni¬ 
tion of his valuable labours in the preparation of the 
“ Dictionary of Gardening to Mr. Adolphus Henry 
Kent, Royal Exotic Nursery, Chelsea, for eminent 
services rendered to Botany and horticulture in the 
preparation of Veitch’s “ Manuals of Coniferae and 
Orchidaceous Plants "; and to Mr. James Martin, of 
Messrs. Sutton & Sons' Nursery, Reading, in 
recognition of his services to horticulture in the im¬ 
provement of races of popular flowers by hybridisa¬ 
tion. All the gentlemen named were present except 
Mr. Moore, whose medal was received by Mr. Harry 
J. Veitch for transmission to him. 
Scottish Horticultural Society.—A meeting of the 
Scottish Horticultural Society was held at 5 , St. 
Andrew Square, Edinburgh, on the 5 th inst. Mr. 
Jas. Grieve, Pilrig Park, presiding. Mr. Thomas 
Boyd, gardener to William Forbes, Esq., of Callender, 
read a paper on “ The Cultivation of the Vine." He 
dealt with the subject under several heads, and gave 
his views on the questions of the house and border, 
propagation, purchasing, planting, general culture, 
including manuring and watering, and competitions 
and judging. In commenting upon the last named, 
he remarked that no doubt shows, whatever their 
faults and shortcomings, had done much to stimulate 
the grower to produce better fruits. At the show in 
Edinburgh thirty-four years ago the Grape display was 
limited to two entries of two bunches each. At that 
period only the wealthy had vineries, and not many 
even of them, but at the present time many a 
journeyman mason, shoemaker, and labourer had 
his small vinery, and could turn out fruit superior 
to that of thirty-four years ago. Referring more 
especially to the question of judging, he declared 
that he did not insist upon every judge being a 
prize-taker in the class he was judging, but he did 
insist upon him having a full knowledge of the 
points of good Grapes before he was called upon to 
give an award for excellence. He contended that 
the points of a Grape] were—ist., flavour; 2 nd, 
bloom ; 3 rd, regularity in bunch and berry; 4 th, 
size of berry ; 5 th, size of bunch. He had him¬ 
self seen judges dispose of a whole table of grapes 
without tasting a single berry. They seemed to 
have only one organ to satisfy, and that organ the 
eye. Till better rules for judging got a footing 
among them, many a meritorious exhibitor would 
have to go to the wall. Mr. Boyd was accorded a 
hearty vote of thanks for his paper. In the course 
of the evening, Mr. Mungo Chapman, Easter Dud- 
dingston Lodge, exhibited numerous fine specimens 
of flowering shrubs. Mr. J. W. M'Hattie, gardener 
to the Duke of Wellington at Strathfieldsaye, Berks, 
sent some exhibits of figs, strawberries, tomatos, 
peaches and a melon. The specimens were all 
grown in pots and were very fine. 
Papaver bracteatum.—Without a doubt this is the 
King of the Poppies. Three years ago I planted a bed 
of them, since when they have been left alone. At the 
present moment they stand in close order and are one 
mass of bloom, like a regiment of soldiers. This plant 
does not like being disturbed. Therefore, it should be 
given fairly permanent quarters. The true variety has 
dark green, well-cut, hairy foliage, and the flowers, of 
a deep crimson hue, stand up boldly oa a stiff stalk of 
one to two feet clean out of the foliage, the leafy bract 
acting as a frill under the head of the bloom. It is 
a perfect evergreen and never looks tawdry. A week 
ago I cut three blooms each of P. bracteatum and 
P. orientale. The orientale with its bright orange 
red looked handsome while it lasted, but in four days 
it had shed its petals, while the bracteatum not only 
possessed a greater dignity, but still holds itself 
together, because of its greater substance. I cordially 
commend this Poppy for the herbaceous border or 
for the shrubbery. In both places it is an ornament, 
and under no conditions does it ever look common 
— St. Andrew. 
The Annual Cricket Match between the employees 
of Messrs. Protheroe and Morris, of Cheapside, and 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, took place at 
the Essex County Ground, Leyton, on the 6 th inst., 
and resulted in the defeat of the Orchid men on the 
first inning by forty runs. The weather was very 
threatening all day, and eventually rain put a stop 
to the play at a quarter to six. Protheroe & Morris 
had first innings and made the respectable total of 
eighty-five. Sanders’ men followed, and at one time 
looked like winning, but Mr. W. Sudbury Protheroe's 
bowling was too deadly for the last few batmen. A 
capital dinner and tea was enjoyed by the players 
and friends, Mr. W. H. Protheroe and Mr. G. F. 
Morris presiding. We append the score of the first 
innings;— 
Protheroe & Morris, j 
W. S. Protheroe b I 
Walters . 7 I 
E. Protheroe c Dyer 
b Lewis . 14 
H. G. Morris b 
Lewis . 22 
A. Humphrey b 
Lewis . 6 
G. Taylor c Walker 
b Lewis . 6 
T. A. -Morris b 
Coningsby . 7 
J. B. Slade st Walker 
b Coningsby .... 4 
W. Kelk c Coningsby 
b Lewis . o 
A. Spiers b Lewis .. 2 
J. M. Hamilton b 
Lewis . 10 
G. Clarke c Dyer b 
Baum . I 
E. Hocken not out o 
Extras. 6 
85 
Sander & Co. 
T. Walters b S. Pro¬ 
theroe . o 
F. Rogers run out.. 23 
L. Baum b S. Pro¬ 
theroe . 2 
Walker cT. A. Morris 
b S. Protheroe .. 5 
Dyer b S. Protheroe 10 
J. Lewis c Slade b S. 
Protheroe . i 
C. R. Coningsby b S. 
Protheroe . o 
C. Bond b S. Pro¬ 
theroe . o 
F. Knight b E. Pro¬ 
theroe . o 
Baldwin b S. Pro¬ 
theroe . o 
L. Perfect b S. Pro¬ 
theroe . o 
F. Laker not out .. o 
Extras. 4 
45 
Ferns and Fern Culture. By J. Birkenhead, F.R.H.S.— 
How to grew Ferns, with selections for stove, warm, cool and 
cold greenhouses ; for baskets, walls, wardian cases, dwelling 
houses, &c. Price, IS. ; by post, is. 6d. Publisher, GardeN- 
ING World, i, Clement’s Inn, Strand, London, W.C. 
