April 11th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
509 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 
Royal Caledonian, April 8th and 9th. —The 
Spring Show of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society was held in the Waverley Market, Edinburgh, 
on Wednesday and Thursday, and, on the whole, was 
a marked success. The Azaleas of Mr. John Pater¬ 
son, Millbank, the Rhododendrons of Messrs. R. B. 
Laird & Sons, West Coates, the Orchids of Messrs. 
Ireland & Thomson, Craigleith, and Mr. Robert 
Grossart, Oswald Road, the Heaths, and stove and 
greenhouse plants of Mr. Paterson, and the Azalea 
Mollis varieties of Mr. Robert Grieve, Falconhall, 
were the chief features of the show, and all were of 
unusual excellence. Mr. Grieve’s forced plants also 
deserve a word of praise. Hardy spring flowers were 
well represented, and the first prize for twenty plants 
was deservedly awarded to Mr. Sinclair, of East 
Linton, for an admirable collection. The competition 
with a “ table of plants, 40 ft. by 10ft.”—always a 
strong feature here—again brought Messrs. Ireland 
& Thomson to the front, with Messrs. R. B. Laird & 
Sons a good second. Excellent tables of flowering 
and other plants were also furnished by Messrs. T. 
Methven & Sons, Messrs. Dicksons & Co., Messrs. 
James Dickson & Sons, Messrs. Gordon & Son, and 
Messrs. Cunningham, Eraser & Co. 
The best table of plants shown in the amateurs’ and 
gardeners’ division came from Mr. Robert Grossart, 
and in the class for a table of hardy spring-flowering 
plants the highest honours went to Mr. Charles Smith, 
Itestalrig House. Other first-prize winners in this 
section were Mr. James Gordon and Mr. G. Greig, 
for greenhouse Rhododendrons; Mr. R. Cockburn, 
for three Orchids; Mr. J. MTntyre, for pitcher 
plants; Mr. G. Mackinnon, Melville Castle, for exotic 
Ferns ; Mr. John Richardson, Morningside Cemetery, 
for Standard Mignonette; Mr. J. Matheson, for Alpine 
Auriculas; Mr. R. Stewart, for Hyacinths; Mr. 
Grossart and Mr. Johnston, for Tulips; and Mr. 
Graham, for Polyanthus Narcissus. Mr. James 
Gordon, of Niddrie, exhibited the best twenty-four 
cut Roses, and Mr. J. L. Hunter, Lauriston Castle, 
had the best dozen. In other classes, the cut blooms 
of Camellias from Mr. J. Pearson and Mr. James 
Wynter, the Rhododendrons from Mr. McLeod, 
Brentham Park, and Mr. John Cumming, St. Roque, 
and the table bouquet of Mr. James Cocker, Bonny- 
bridge, all won high praise. 
In the classes confined to trade growers, Messrs. 
R. B. Laird & Sons were first, with twelve hardy 
Rhododendrons, four greenhouse Rhododendrons, six 
Palms, six new or rare plants, twelve Cyclamens, 
twenty-four Hyacinths, six pots of Tulips, Marechal 
Niel Roses, Camellias, &c. In addition to the table 
prize before mentioned, Messrs. Ireland & Thomson 
had the best hardy Rhododendrons in 9-in. pots, 
Crotons and Dracaenas, and twelve plants for table 
decoration. 
Fruits and vegetables were well shown for the 
season. With a single Pine Apple Mr. George 
Johnston, Glamis Castle, was first, and Mr. McIntyre, 
The Glen, second; and with two bunches of black 
Grapes Mr. George Mackinnon, of Melville Castle, 
beat Mr. McKelvie, of Broxmouth Park. Mr. L. Dow, 
of Newbythe, was invincible with forced Strawberries ; 
and of Apples, Mr. A. T. Killick, Weavering, near 
Maidstone, sent a fine collection, which secured the 
highest award. Mr. Peter Robertson, Hartrigge, 
Jedburgh, staged a collection of twelve sorts of 
vegetables of great excellence, which came in first; 
and from Mr. C, Smith came the finest lot of salads. 
The Cucumbers of Mr. C. Smith, Mushrooms of Mr. 
S. Smith, French Beans of Mr. Thomas Hogg, and 
the Asparagus and new Potatos of Mr. Peter Robert¬ 
son, also secured leading awards. 
Gooseberry Caterpillars.— For destroying cater¬ 
pillars on Gooseberry and Currant bushes there is no 
better or cheaper remedy than the powder of White 
Hellebore. It has many advantages, not the least of 
which is that it does not spoil the fruit, nor leave any 
poisonous properties on the berry when washed. 
Want of success in using Hellebore is caused by the 
article used being often coarse and containing the 
outside and parings of the root, instead of the sound 
portion, which only should be used. — E. Griffiths 
Hughes, 
THE WEATHER OF 1884. 
For the agriculturist the year 1884 cannot, I think, 
everything considered, be regarded as having been 
by any means a remunerative one, although no doubt 
a decided improvement on many recent years. Yet 
it is not difficult to see in the weather of the past 
twelve months several features of an encouraging 
kind. For instance, in all the work of preparing and 
cleaning the land it proved the best known for some 
years past. The paucity of rain throughout its 
course must also have greatly tended towards an 
improved condition of the soil, which had become 
impoverished by a long series of wet years. On the 
other hand, this continued dry weather, although bene¬ 
ficial to the land itself, proved the reverse to all the 
farm crops growing upon it except the Wheat, which, in 
the metropolitan counties at least, appears to have 
been rather above the average in yield, and of excellent 
quality. This important cereal is, however, especially 
when planted under such favourable conditions as was 
the case with the last crop, well-known to resist drought 
better than any of the others, and indeed in most 
instances to be greatly benefited by prolonged dry 
weather. Barley, Oats, Peas, and Beans, although 
fairly good in quality, were, as a rule, more or less 
under average. In the early part of the year, owing 
to the very open winter, all kinds of fodder were 
unusually abundant. The Hay crop, through the dry 
spring, was necessarily very light, but in most cases 
gathered in excellent order. Roots generally had very 
unfavourable conditions, owing to insufficient moisture 
at sowing time, and from this cause, and the absence 
of good rains afterwards, were, as a rule, small and 
scanty. Potatos, although poor in quality, again 
proved a heavy crop, and were even freer from disease 
than in 1883. In the autumn, Wheat planting, except 
on the dry soils, was once more carried on very satis¬ 
factorily, and at the close of the year the young 
Wheats were looking as well as could be desired. 
In the garden the horticulturist had many adverse 
circumstances to contend with, in front of which must 
be placed the want for weeks together of any rains 
sufficient to bring about more than a surface-wetting of 
the ground, and that too during some of the hottest 
months of the year. Next in order should be placed 
those bitter winds and frosts of April, which in one 
or two nights entirely destroyed the prospect of a 
most abundant crop of our so-called hardy fruits. 
And scarcely had the fruit trees begun to recover 
somewhat from this disaster than they, together with 
Roses and many other plants, were subjected to an 
exceptionally severe attack of green fly, which crippled 
much of their young foliage. In the flower gardens 
the dry weather was much felt throughout the year, 
but during the late autumn they were, owing to the 
open character of that season, looking particularly gay 
for the time of year. Throughout the winter and 
early spring vegetables were unusually abundant, but 
their growth after this was greatly retarded by the 
dry condition of the ground. Among kitchen-garden 
crops those noticed as being least able to withstand 
a prolonged drought were Peas, Lettuces, and Parsley. 
At the close of the year the wood of fruit and other 
trees, as well as that of hard-wooded plants, had 
become most satisfactorily ripened. The yield of 
fruit may be stated as follows :—Strawberries, Apricots, 
Peaches, Nectarines, and bush fruits about an average 
crop, while such fruits as Plums, Cherries, Apples, 
Pears, and Nuts were all below average, and in many 
cases their yield was very poor indeed. 
During the early months of 1884 the number of 
“survivals” from the previous year amongst wild 
flowers was singularly large. Spring flowers also 
abounded, and made their appearance in most cases 
very much earlier than usual. The cold weather of 
the previous month, however, caused the Dates in 
May to be only about average. Throughout a great 
part of the summer the hot dry weather forced most 
of the wild plants into blossom before their accus¬ 
tomed time, but from the same cause their duration of 
flowering was comparatively very limited. Conse¬ 
quently, when the autumn came, the banks, -woods, 
and fields were looking particularly bare of blossom. 
In fact, up to the close of the year, although the 
weather continued in general very open and mild, yet 
but few flowers of any kind were to be had, and, 
strange to say, none at all of those early spring 
varieties which in mild winters almost invariably 
appear in December, During the early summer the 
foliage of timber trees was noticed as being singularly 
luxuriant, and in October the autumnal tints were, if 
anything, even finer than in the previous year. 
Taking the year 1884 as a whole, it was by no 
means a favourable one for insect life. The fact 
seems to have been that the larvae and pupae of many 
insects lay so much at the mercy of the birds and 
their other enemies during the very mild winter of 
1883-4 as to make it almost an impossibility for any 
unusually large numbers, at any rate of grubs or 
caterpillars, to make their appearance during the 
following seasons. In June and July there was a 
perfect plague of green fly, which did considerable 
damage to fruit trees, Roses, &e. Ants, as might 
have been expected in so dry a summer, everywhere 
abounded. In the north of London the larva; of the 
daddy longlegs (Tipula oleracea) are reported as 
having done much damage on lawns and pasture 
lands. Owing to the long continuance of dry weather, 
this proved but a poor year for bees and other 
Hymenoptera. Butterflies were also by no means 
numerous. On the other hand, in some localities, 
slugs and snails appear to have been particularly 
troublesome in gardens.— From “ The Weather of 
1834,” bg Mr. Ed. Mawley ( Stanford & Co.). 
■ -T^ -O- v l 7 - 1 —9 
NOTES AND QUERIES. 
Vine Borders (p. 494).—“Caractacus” will, I 
think, find all the information he requires on this 
subject under the heading of “ Fruit Culture under 
Glass” in another column. As regards varieties, 
Alnwick Seedling, and Madresfield Court Black Muscat, 
and Foster’s Seedling (white), may be grown in the 
same house with Black Hamburgh, under the con¬ 
ditions mentioned by your correspondent; but if the 
house is only heated sufficiently to keep frost out, 
water must be distributed very sparingly in the house 
in the absence of strong sun-heat, especially at closing 
time in the afternoon, otherwise mildew would 
probably attack the foliage of the Vines.— II. IF. IF. 
-**<- 
Carnations are of great service as border flowers, 
and should be much more largely grown by amateurs 
than they are, as, besides being very gay in borders or 
beds, they afford no end of flowers for cutting, which 
dress well in vases and last long in water. Although the 
named sorts are dear, plants propagated from seedlings, 
that are almost equal to those named, may be had 
cheap, and they answer every purpose except for show, 
for which they must come up to certain points that few 
care about except florists, who have a certain fixed 
standard. If the plants are got at once and planted 
without delay they will bloom freely during the 
summer, and by sowing seed now others may be 
raised that will be fine and strong for next year. The 
soil most suitable for Carnations is that fairly light, 
but they are not very particular, as they may be seen 
doing well in gardens ranging from clay nearly up to 
sharp sand.— Alpha. 
- g— . ~ T c.-<>' CT ' — 
ANSWERS TO CORRESPONDENTS. 
Annual Chrysanthemums.— Constant Reader.— They 
are very pretty border flowers, and may also be grown success¬ 
fully in pots. Sow the seeds now in a frame and transplant to 
the border when ready, or sow in the border at once, as they 
are quite hardy. If grown in pots the seedlings should he 
pricked oil singly, and 6-in. pots should be used. 
Orchids. — A. JE. Adlerstein. —Take the imported pieces of 
Cattleya aurea off the apple blocks, and put them in rather 
small baskets, with a little moss and peat. See the illustration 
of this species at p. 297. You should not leave Oncidium 
loxense on the apple block, but pot it like an Odontoglossum 
Alexandra, and put it in a cool house near the glass. It wants 
the same treatment as O. macranthum. What is the other 
Oncidium like, and what is your authority for the name ? We 
do not know it. 
Names of Plants.— E. K .—Clianthus puniceus, the scarlet, 
flowered Glory Pea of New Zealand, a hardy plant on a wall 
in favoured localities, but in most districts requiring the 
protection of a greenhouse. As to -whether it is suitable for 
church decoration is a matter of opinion, but we should not 
specially grow it for that purpose. W. D. 31. —Cypripedium 
venustum. Ireland. —1. Not recognized. Send again when 
in flower. 2. Anemone apennina. The orchid is Lyeaste 
cruenta. The Tropceolum is pretty, but not new. 
Communications Received.— E. D.—C. U.—H. P.—G. D. 
—W. E. D— D. P. L—0. H. S — M. McL.—H. & S.—D. C.— 
O. V. B.-C. Williams—Dr. B.-T.-X.—A. H—S. & S. 
- ' i ~ <> ^ l ' ^J> - 
Trade Catalogue Received. 
Henry Bennett, Shepperton, Middlesex. — New Roses of 
1488, and a selection of the best French Roses for 1885, 
