August'29th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
821 
mention, is Phacelia campanularia, flowers of the 
finest deep Gentian satiny blue, a fine thing for the 
front of borders, growing from 6 ins. to 8 ins. high ; 
the French Poppies sown in bare places at the back 
have also proved most useful and very beautiful. A 
correspondent a few weeks back, was loud in his 
praise of Chrysanthemum maximus (Pyrethrum laeus- 
tre), but here, with everything in its favour, we cannot 
say very much in its praise, because it rarely produces 
a perfect flower ; the Ox-eye Daisy of the fields is 
infinitely better. Considering the almost marvellous 
variety of these, it seems strange it has never varied 
in colour, or produced a double flower. By selection 
and cultivation there may be had much finer blooms 
than what are gathered in the fields, and the habit of the 
plants will be found to vary very considerably. I once 
tried my hand at cross-breeding with this, and for 
some time, owing to the great diversity of habit 
among my seedlings, I thought a great success was 
achieved, till this led me to notice more particularly 
the wild plants, when I found the same diversity of 
habit among them, so that when they all flowered 
white, my disappointment was not quite so great as it 
would have been had I not previously noticed this. 
Among Campanulas, C. Hendersoni is especially 
worth calling the attention of your readers to. This 
received a First-Class Certificate at Kensington this 
year, and well deserved it. It may in habit be 
described as a dwarf pyramidalis, as it only grows a 
foot or so in height, but the flowers are large and very 
abundant. What glorious things the blue and white 
C. pryamidalis are when seen at their best, but it 
seems only now and again that we come across them 
really first-rate. I saw some growing the other day 
some 8 ft. in height in No. 16 pots, perfect in flower 
from a few inches above the rims of the pots to the 
top of the flower spikes. Among other things that 
have come into flower since I wrote last, are Monarda 
didyma, Cyclamen europteum, several of the Funkias, 
Alstrcemeria aurantiaca, A. psittacina, Papaver 
nudicaule in variety, Lilium philadelphicum 
L. chalcedonicum, L. pardalinum Michauxi, 
Acanthus candelabrum, a fine thing for planting out 
in grass—very ornamental, Lathyrus latifolius and 
L. latifolius albus, and Allium Molle. 
The Sunflower dotted about the garden served to 
enliven the place. Harpalium rigidum is, take it all 
round, the most beautiful and useful plant of the com¬ 
posite class, flowering freely and being very bright and 
attractive; it will grow anywhere. The herbaceous 
plants are supplemented just now with single and 
Pompone Dahlias, including the red and white Cactus 
varieties, and too much cannot be said in praise of 
the red one, Juarezii. The white variety is certainly 
not so fine a thing. A fine plant of Magnoliagrandiflora 
is blooming freely against the house.—IF. B. G. 
Angmecuji Leoni. —The floriferous character of this 
pretty white species, introduced by Messrs. Sander & 
Co., was proved at South Kensington on Tuesday last, 
when no less than five exhibitors had it in flower. 
TOMATOS AT READING. 
The successful culture of Tomatos in the open 
ground is, without doubt, a matter of great difficulty 
when the season is both late and cold, and very 
specially so when Peronospora is prevalent. Still, it 
is not possible to look over the remarkable trial of 
Tomatos in the open ground now seen at the London 
Hoad Nursery, Reading, without feeling that favourable 
as the season has been so far, the trial is a remark¬ 
ably good one, and shows that there is very much to 
be learned as to the art of cultivating these plants, 
both for market and (private purposes, in the open 
ground from the practice here adopted. The plants 
are all put out in couples, about 8 ins. apart, but not 
turned out of the same pot. They are also planted 
in braces of couples, about 3 ft. apart, and thus may 
be said to form lines in beds of kinds, so that the beds 
contain about thirty lines of four plants each. 
Of the sorts grown no special mention need be made 
where all are doing so well, but a note as to their 
ripening and average cropping qualities a month or so 
hence would indeed be interesting, as where all are 
impartially treated precisely alike, it would be of 
material interest to learn what kinds proved earliest 
to ripen in the open air, and also gave in the season 
the best average produce of matured fruit. It may be 
remarked that the oval-shaped Chiswick Red kind is 
fruiting wonderfully, carrying big clusters of good¬ 
sized fruits. This kind should always be exhibited in 
clusters, and not in the form of single and specially 
thinned fruits. Should the Messrs. Sutton & Sons 
again offer prizes for this prolific variety, it is hoped 
they will call for the best six clusters rather than for 
single fruits. 
Seed of these Tomatos was sown in gentle heat in 
March last, and the plants pricked up singly into large 
60-sized pots later ; then, when strong, turned out of 
the pots and laid into manure, close under a south 
fence or wall, where they could have the protection of 
mats at night. Here the plants were well hardened, 
and made abundant roots into the manure, so that 
when finally planted out into the open ground towards 
the end of May they were very robust and well stocked 
with roots. The soil in which they were planted was 
not freshly manured, as it was in excellent condition, 
neither was any added at the planting, as rich soil 
rather induces free growth than free fruiting. To 
each plant a stout stake 5 ft. in height was given, 
firmly fixed into the soil. The course of training is 
that known as single-stem culture, every side-shoot 
being ruthlessly cut off as soon as seen, so that 
each plant presents just a single stem tied to a 
stake and no more. 
No doubt there are Tomato growers who have not 
tried this system who hold that to cut away side- 
shoots is to destroy all hope of bloom and fruit; but 
that is a most erroneous conclusion. Those who have 
noted the blooming habits of the Tomato plant will 
not have failed to see that the bloom trusses burst out 
from the main stem distinct from leaf buds ; hence the 
cutting away of the side-shoots in no way affects 
the powers of the stem to produce bloom, and as all 
the strength of the plant goes into the fruit as it 
forms, it is naturally finer than is the case when 
several stems or branches are formed. Training, too, 
is of the simplest kind, and instead of plants needing 
several stakes each, or a sort of trellis to train them 
to, one single stake suffices, and the work of the culti¬ 
vator is the more devoted to cutting away superfluous 
growth than in tying. No doubt, in the case of large 
clusters of fruit grown for market, it is well to thin out 
to a few of the best and handsomest, as even size, 
good form, and colour go a long way, and the 
enhanced price compensates for the lessened number 
of fruits. 
SHREWSBURY FLOWER SHOW. 
As we stated in our last issue, the Shropshire 
Horticultural Society’s Show was held on August 
19th and 20th, and proved a splendid success, 
far exceeding anything previously achieved by the 
society. It is doubtful if any other society has 
such an advantage as this in being able to hold their 
shows in a place like “ The Quarry,” a position 
charmingly situated, and in every way adapted for 
the purpose. Its beautiful avenues of Limes, its 
undulating surface, and the river Severn, seen glisten¬ 
ing through the rich foliage of the trees, combine to 
make it a charming spot. Thanks, too, to the good 
fortune which has favoured the society, and enabled 
it to give handsome donations to the Corporation for 
the embellishment of “ The Quarry ” from time to 
time, it has been richly ornamented with choice trees 
and shrubs. The Committee, assisted by their excel¬ 
lent Hon. Secretaries, Messrs. Adnitt and Naunton, 
seem to adopt the right methods for attracting an 
immense assemblage of visitors, who come from all 
the neighbouring towns and villages, the fete being 
looked forward to for a very considerable time in 
advance. The Committee cater handsomely for the 
general public, as they have long since found out 
that something more than a flower show is required 
to make a brilliant success from a financial point 
of view, as this meeting certainly was, judging from 
the fact that on the second day £1,050 7s. was taken 
at the gates in shilling admittance fees up to seven 
o’clock, and £21 12s. subsequently in sixpences, and 
that there were besides some 10,000 ticket holders. 
The horticultural features, too, were of a highly 
successful character, the show in its various depart¬ 
ments being considerably better than on any previous 
occasion, and no wonder, when we consider the com¬ 
prehensive character of the schedule, embracing as it 
does, all subjects in season. We may express the 
hope, however, that the Committee may be enabled 
ere long to increase the amount of prizes in some of 
the classes, more in proportion to the merits of the 
subjects demanded. We may allude, for instance, 
to^ the collections of twelve varieties of vegetables, 
for which the first prize is only 30s., which seems 
hardly adequate, considering the time and trouble 
required to get up a first-rate collection. Viewed 
from the entrance to the large tent (which was a 
capacious one), and wherein was placed the monster 
stove and greenhouse plants, Ferns, groups for effect, 
and many other plants in their different sections, the 
effect was charming. 
Fruit made quite an imposing display, exhibited 
as it was in such large quantities, and of splendid 
quality, particularly the Grapes and hardy fruits. 
The nurserymen’s groups, “ not for competition,” 
were most imposing, showing the spirit in which 
horticulture is encouraged in the neighbourhood. 
The cottagers’ exhibits were very large in point of 
numbers, and of extraordinary good quality, showing 
well the spirit of emulation with which they are 
actuated, and it may honestly be said that their pro¬ 
ductions would make many a gardener blush, who, of 
course, is placed under much more favourable circum¬ 
stances. 
Plants, 
In the class for twenty stove and greenhouse plants, 
not less than ten in bloom, there were three com¬ 
petitors, whose contributions made an imposing bank. 
Mr. James Cypher, nurseryman, Cheltenham, was a 
long way ahead of the others. The foliage plants in 
his collection were of a very large size, and excel¬ 
lent in quality, while the blooming plants too were of 
mb. a. c. bofeey’s cucumber house. 
