708 
July 11th, 1885. 
A FLOWER SHOW AT BOOKING 
PLACE. 
Lovely weather favoured the summer show of 
the Braintree and Booking Horticultural Society, 
which was held on July 2nd in the extensive grounds 
belonging to Sydney Courtauld, Esq., at Booking 
Place, and the fine day was all the more appreciated 
by the large company assembled, inasmuch as in the 
two previous years the shows had been held on pour¬ 
ing wet days. The four large tents devoted to the 
exhibits (nearly 600 entries) were well arranged 
throughout, reflecting great credit on the committee 
of management. Of the quality of the things staged 
in the different classes, it may be said that it was 
good throughout, and some of the collections con¬ 
tained specimens which would be fit to appear anywhere 
with credit. All the plants in Mr. Dance’s group, 
which took Mrs. Harrison’s cup of three guineas, were 
in splendid condition; the Cycas media and Cocos 
Weddelliana in Mr. Courtald’s group, which was 
second, and the Cyathea Burkei in Miss Cawston’s 
(third) were superb. 
Mr. Sydney Courtauld’s cup (three guineas), for a 
group of plants, went to Messrs. Saltmarsh & Son, 
but those of Mr. W. Dance and Miss Cawston, which 
took second and third prizes, ran them very close, all 
being at the first glance equally good. Mrs. Lowe’s 
cup (three guineas) for eight Zonal Pelargoniums, 
also went to Messrs. Saltmarsh, as well as high 
honours in other classes. The prizes given by Mr. 
Sydney Courtauld for cottagers’ window plants were 
well competed for, and so also were all the other 
cottagers’ prizes, showing the usefulness of this 
healthy stimulus to labour and pleasure. 
For six specimen exotic Ferns, Mr. Sydney 
Courtauld took the first prize with a grand and 
even lot, among which were a large and perfect 
Adiantum Farleyense, and a charming great speci¬ 
men of the feathery Pteris scaberula. The specimen 
Coleus of Mr. F. Smoothy (first prize) were very fine, 
and the Gloxinias shown by the same exhibitor were 
equally good. Mr. W. Dance and Mr. Vaisey, who 
took the first and second prizes respectively for Fuchsias 
and Achimenes, contributed as well other good things, 
and Miss Cawston, Mr. Bishop, Mr. Sodor, Mr. J. W. 
Eolfe, appeared as victors in several important 
classes. 
In the cut-flower tent some very excellent devices 
for table decoration and dress ornament were 
arranged, the judges seemingly having exercised great 
discretion and taste in making the awards. That 
given the first prize in the open class, belonging to 
Mr. W. Soder, gardener to W. V. Felton, Esq., 
Holfield Grange, was very neat and pretty; it was 
made principally of Boses, Bhodanthes, Forget-me- 
nots, and light foliage, with Water Lilies at the base. 
The first-prize stand in the amateurs’ class was novel, 
beautiful, and all that could be desired, if its sur¬ 
roundings had been suitable ; it was arranged by Miss 
Tufnell, and composed wholly of the bright golden 
Chrysanthemum segetum, and different varieties 
of Maiden-hair. The second prize arrangement of 
Miss M. E. Parmenter, composed of white Iris and 
scarlet Pelargoniums, was bright and tastefully set 
up, and altogether beyond reproach. Mrs. Holmes 
also made a very showy display in yellow with 
yellow Lilies, Eschscholtzias, &c. 
Among the entries not for competition, a magni¬ 
ficent specimen of Cycas revoluta, nearly 12 ft. across, 
and heading up for fruit, and a fine Banana plant, 
were sent by George Courtauld, Esq., M.P. Fruit, 
vegetables, cottagers’ produce, honey, and wild 
flowers, were well represented, and a numerous 
company attended to feast their eyes on the lovely 
flowers, their ears being well provided for by the 
really good music of the Braintree and Booking Band, 
under Bandmaster Brown. It should also be stated 
that by the kindness of Sydney Courtauld, Esq., 
throwing open his garden and fine ranges of Orchid- 
houses to the visitors, the interest of the show must 
have been doubled, for it must have been a rare treat 
to all to inspect the fine collection of Pitcher plants, 
which are not easily to be matched, the grandly- 
flowered Cattleyas, Odontoglossums, Oncidiums, 
Masdevallias, &e., and the great number of curious 
insect-like flowers at present open in the interest¬ 
ing and valuable collection of Orchids at Booking 
Place. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
THE GOOSEBERRY CATER¬ 
PILLAR. 
Circumstances over which I had no control com¬ 
pelled me, four years ago, to abandon the practice of 
digging amongst our bush fruit-trees, which till then 
had been performed more for appearance sake than 
from any belief we entertained that it benefited the 
trees. Fruit-growers attach much importance to the 
roots of fruit-trees being kept near the surface, and 
much labour has been and is annually spent in raising 
them to that position ; and it may be truthfully 
stated that more labour still is incurred in ruthlessly 
destroying annually the surface roots of our bush 
fruits, and so keep them as far down, in many 
instances, as the depth the spade will go. I have 
occasionally asked why this should be, but have not 
hitherto got a satisfactory reply, and I doubt very 
much if a reasonable one can be given. 
It is noteworthy that since we have discontinued 
the practice we have not been troubled with the 
caterpillar on our Gooseberry trees, which confirms 
the evidence given by Mr. T. Swann, in The Garden¬ 
ing World of June 27th, p. 677, and the deduction 
therefrom, that to dig amongst the trees is to 
encourage the presence of these destructive creatures, 
by preparing suitable lodgings for them in the winter. 
Before reading Mr. Swann’s remarks I had shared 
the credit of our immunity from this annual plague 
between ducklings that are turned into the garden 
early in the season and our practice of scraping the 
surface of the soil about 1 in. deep after the leaves 
have fallen, which we either burn or deeply bury. 
Even this operation was really not conducted in a 
hostile spirit against insect life, but as a ready means 
of clearing the surface of weeds and any seeds that 
may have been deposited. 
Ducks are great scavengers, and I have long dis¬ 
covered that they will greedily devour these cater¬ 
pillars as well as,the larger ones that visit our Cabbages 
and Cauliflowers towards autumn, and they will pick 
them off the plants as far as they can reach when 
their attention has once been drawn to them. The 
Gooseberry trees should be well shaken when the 
ducks are enticed under them. I have been highly 
amused at the sideway toss of the head and the 
inquiring upward look if after shaking a few I have 
left off and the last one is picked up. It is then that 
the ducks become aware of the source of their feast, 
and without ceremony they will begin to help them¬ 
selves. It is customary with us to wheel the remains of 
old hotbeds, which are chiefly made of leaves, amongst 
our bush fruit trees. This we do when the weather 
is favourable, advantage being usually taken of the 
first frost, and the material is placed in heaps at 
convenient distances, and after pruning and the neces¬ 
sary cleaning up, it is spread from 2 ins. to 3 ins. 
thick over the whole surface of the ground. 
In this material the ducklings as they get older are 
always foraging, and as the ground under it is quite 
hard, there is no lodgment beyond the ducks’ reach 
for the insect to go through its transformations. 
The year previous to my adopting this plan, three 
parts of the leaves on our trees were devoured, so 
that nothing remained but the petiole. Should we 
not experience any further inroads, we shall conclude 
that we have hit upon an inexpensive and effectual 
preventitive for this destructive pest.— W. P. B. 
GARDENS ROUND ECCLES. 
Claremont, Eccles Old Boad. —This is one of the 
finest mansions on the south-west side of Manchester, 
and is situated most pleasantly in park-like grounds. 
It is the seat of that well-known philanthrophist, 
Oliver Heywood, Esq., J.P., whose large-hearted 
generosity and kindness it is not our intention here 
to dilate upon. Mr. Heywood is a descendant of an 
old Lancashire family which can be traced back to 
one John Heywood, who lived in the reign of 
Edward YI. The mansion is of the Georgian style 
of architecture, with the main front facing the south, 
while on the west side are obtained good views of 
Worsley and across Chat Moss. On the west end of 
the mansion, but facing south, is a grand mass of the 
Golden Ivy—quite an exceptional example in size and 
colour. 
The chief entrance is by a lodge in character with 
the age in which the mansion was built, off the 
Eccles Old Boad, overshadowed by some fine young 
Beeches. The coach-drive is more in harmony with 
the surroundings than any I have seen in the county, 
and were I to make a guess as to who designed it, I 
should say that, taking into consideration the graceful 
undulations of the park, with the haw-haw which 
separates the garden from the park, and the disposi¬ 
tion of the trees, it would be the work of either 
Bepton, or one of the early efforts of Loudon. As a 
whole, it is most harmonious, and Mr. Heywood is to 
be congratulated on possessing such a delightful bit of 
landscape so near town. The main portion of the 
lawn is on the south side, but there is also a fine 
stretch on the west, and some grand masses of choice 
Bhododendrons and Hollies are seen in various 
directions. Here, also, is a handsome young speci¬ 
men of the Moss-cupped Oak, perhaps 50 ft. or more 
high, and having a spread of branches of many yards, 
nearly reaching the ground, and growing out of a bed 
of Ivy. At the extreme end of the lawn is a pretty 
miniature rockery with bubbling fountain. 
The kitchen-garden and plant-houses are on the 
north-east side of the mansion, well sheltered with 
trees and shrubs. The belting of choice Bhododen¬ 
drons round it has been a grand sight this season 
The garden is well cropped, and a cross-walk with 
herbaceous borders on either side is very interesting 
at all times. As to the houses, well, they are just 
such as we should like to see more frequently. Cut- 
flowers are in great demand; and Mr. Bridden, the 
intelligent gardener, seems to have the happy knack 
of producing them in abundance, yet always keeping 
his houses gay. When we say that there are more 
flowers given away to hospitals, infirmaries, sick and 
invalid friends, and for church decoration, than 
many grow with more glass houses at command, we 
are not exaggerating, for such is the fact. It is a 
pleasure with this large-hearted gentleman to thus 
dispose of his flowers among those who are suffering, 
and who see only too few of Nature’s lovely offerings; 
and right well does Mr. Bridden carry out his em¬ 
ployer’s wishes. 
Among the many good things we saw at Claremont, 
there were few which pleased us more than a fine 
mass of the old Camellia Donkelaari, covering the 
wall of the Camellia-house ; the flowers were grandly 
coloured. There are a few good kinds of Orchids 
here, and also some noble Azaleas, which are worth 
seeing when in bloom. Claremont is the best speci¬ 
men of the landscape gardener’s art to be seen on 
this side of Manchester, judged from the laws laid 
down from time to time by our best authorities ; and, 
happily, it was laid out before the days of the 
so-called “ landscape day gardener,” that nonde¬ 
script combination of labourer and jobbing gardener 
who has so much disfigured the suburbs of our large 
towns.— N. J. D. 
- Q—- 'T j —- 
THE GARDENERS’ ROYAL BENE¬ 
VOLENT INSTITUTION. 
The forty-second anniversary festival of this 
flourishing institution was celebrated on the evening 
of July 3rd, at the Albion, Aldersgate Street, under the 
Presidency of the Treasurer, Mr. Edward Tidswell, 
whose portrait we had the pleasure to present to the 
readers of The Gardening World in our last number. 
The fact that while many other charitable institutions 
are feeling the effects of the depression in trade, the 
Gardeners’ Benevolent Institution is in a more 
flourishing condition than it ever was, was abundantly 
demonstrated by the large and influential company 
assembled to do honour to the occasion, and the 
handsome sum collected for the charity—about £750. 
The decoration of the tables with flowers and fruits— 
always a strong feature at these gatherings—was in 
advance, for good taste and quality, of any previous 
displays, and not the least interesting floral feature of 
the evening was the presentation (by an anonymous 
donor) of two lovely bouquets to Miss Mary Belval 
and Miss Cockburn, who during the evening enlivened 
the proceedings with some appropriate songs, charm¬ 
ingly rendered. 
The usual loyal and patriotic toasts having been 
duly honoured, the Chairman, in giving the toast of 
the evening, “ Success to the Gardeners’ Benevolent 
Institution,” said the institution had now been in 
useful service since the year 1838. For two or three 
years it had a lingering existence, but about 1842 fresh 
