July 20, 1895. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
749 
Street, Covent Garden, came hardy herbaceous cut 
flowers in quantity. Hemerocallis Thunbergii, 
Liliums Brownii, testaceum, Krameri, pardalinum 
Michauxi, and candidum, Sweet Peas, and Poppies 
were very gay and showy (small Silver Medal). A 
like award went to Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Craw¬ 
ley, Sussex, who had a small collection of hardy cut 
flowers including bedding Violas. 
In the exhibits of wreaths, sprays, bouquets, &c., 
much that was worthy of praise was to be seen, and 
the competition in the various classes was keen and 
well sustained throughout. Mr. H. O. Garford, 
Floral Depot, Stoke Newington, was adjudged to 
have the prettiest dinner table. His arrangement 
of Asparagus, Gypsophila paniculata, Lilium candi¬ 
dum, and the showy yellow Sweet Sultan was very 
light and effective. Mr. J. R. Chard won the first 
prize for a dinner table dressed for dessert. Sweet 
Sultan, yellow Aquilegias, Maidenhair Fern, Aspara¬ 
gus, and variegated Honeysuckle were well and taste¬ 
fully employed here. Very pretty tables also came 
from Mr. W. L. Buster, St. Mary Cray, Kent, 
and Messrs. F. & O. Osier, ioo, Oxford Street, 
W., second prizes being given in both cases. 
Floral stands, epergnes, bouquets, &c., were present 
in almost unlimited profusion, some of them being 
exceedingly elaborate and well executed. A stand 
suitable for a sideboard was contributed by Messrs. 
Perkins & Sons. Coventry, in which Cattleyas, 
Oncidiums, Cypripediums, and Tuberoses were 
lavishly employed, the first award it received being 
well merited. From the same firm came a magnifi¬ 
cent bridal bouquet, in which Odontoglossums, 
Lilies of the Valley, and Jasminum pubescens 
figured conspicuously. Also a ballroom bouquet, 
which was a marvel of beauty. First prizes were 
deservedly given in both these instances. Very 
pretty was a bouquet of unusual form sent by Miss 
Alice Perkins, Warwick Road, Coventry. Con¬ 
siderable originality was displayed in its elaboration, 
and the first prize it received was only a just tribute 
to its beauty. Messrs. Perkins & Sons followed up 
their previous successes by winning a Silver Medal 
for a number of very fine sprays suitable for personal 
adornment. Messrs. B. S. Williams and Son, 169, 
Piccadilly, W., exhibited a table of bouquets, 
wreaths, &c , in first-class style, some very imposing 
combinations being on view. 
-—I--- 
©bttuarp. 
With deep regret we have to announce the 
death, on the 9th inst., after a long illness, of Mr. 
John Wills, of the firm of Messrs. Wills & Segar, 
Onslow Crescent, South Kensington, aged 64 years, 
and our regret we are sure will be shared by 
all who intimately knew him. Mr. Wills was born 
at Cricket St. Thomas, near Chard, Somersetshire, 
and gained his first gardening experience in the 
Vicarage garden at that place. When a young man 
he came to London and found employment in the old 
nursery of Messrs. Arthur Henderson & Son, at Pine 
Apple Place, and subsequently assisted in the 
laying out of the grounds at the Crystal Palace 
under Sir Joseph Paxton, and afterwards under Mr. 
Eyles helped to make the Royal Horticultural 
Society’s Garden, at South Kensington, years after¬ 
wards to be the scene of his many triumphs as a 
floral decorator. He subsequently became gardener 
to Sir Philip Egerton, Bart., at Oulton Park, Cheshire, 
and then at Huntroyde Park, near Burnley, 
Lancashire. While at both places he made his 
name known in horticultural circles throughout 
the land as a voluminous writer on popular garden¬ 
ing topics, and as a raiser of a large number of 
popular bedding Pelargoniums of the bicolor and 
tricolor sections, which were sent out by Mr. Ball. 
He gave us also the first hybrid Ivy-leaved Pelar¬ 
goniums, Willsi and Willsi rosea, and the famous 
Viola cornuta, which brought Pansies and Violas 
to the front for spring gardening, and led to the 
introduction of the many grand things in this family 
which have been introduced of late years. 
Coming to London about 1867 or 1868 Mr. Wills 
soon set the fashion in floral decorations and in this 
particular line may be said to have held his own 
from that day to this, and, given a free hand, we 
know of none who could surpass him in originality 
of design or artistic taste. Vast are the sums 
that have passed through his hands for the floral 
decorations he had carried out. What John Wills 
did for the market plant growers in the metropolitan 
district alone no man can realise ; suffice it to say 
that it was his style of decoration that brought 
about the enormous development of the taste lor 
floral decorations of all kinds that has been 
witnessed during the last quarter of a century, and 
from which the plant growing trade has been so 
greatly benefited. Indeed, it is not too much to say 
that if there is one man more than another deserving 
of a lasting memorial from the market trade growers, 
that man assuredly is John Wills. Besides being 
in a sense a great destroyer of plants of other 
people's growth, he was a large raiser and grower 
of plants himself, and gave to the world some 
dozens of splendid new Dracaenas, Ferns, Gloxinias, 
and other subjects, raised by his old foreman at 
Anerley, Mr. Bause, all of which have been of great 
value as decorative subjects. He exhibited largely 
at Foreign Exhibitions such as Paris, Brussels, and 
Ghent, and planted the famous Winter Garden at 
Laaken for the King of the Belgians. For his fine 
displays in France he was decorated with the Legion 
of Honour. A warm-hearted, generous-handed 
man, Mr. Wills’ memory will long be cherished by 
his friends. He had his share of tribulation, trials, 
and troubles—indeed, as many think, more than bis 
share, but his courage and enthusiasm in his calling 
never failed him, and he lived through difficulties 
under which a less plucky, resourceful, and energetic 
man would have hopelessly succumbed. For his 
widow we are sure his many friends will have the 
deepest sympathy in her bereavement. 
He was buried at West Brompton last Saturday 
afternoon, many old friends and members of the 
trade being present. He was likewise a generous 
friend of the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, and a 
member of the Committee. 
--S—-- 
Questions add Ansaiens 
*,* Will our friends who send us newspapers he so good 
as to mark the paragraphs or articles they wish us to see 
We shall be greatly obliged by their so doing. 
Names of Plants.— D.P.F.: 1, Quercus rubra; 
2, Lonicera alpigena ; 3, Fagus sylvatica hetero- 
phylla .—Peach Blossoms : 3, Dendrobium chrysan¬ 
themum in rather abnormal form or perhaps from a 
plant not yet established.— A.M.L.: 1, Linaria 
pallida ; 2, Orchis maculata ; 3, Neillia opulifolia ; 4, 
Listera ovata; 5, Spiraea cana; 6, Spiraea salici- 
folia; 7, Stachys grandiflora; 8, Deutzia crenata 
flore pleno; 9, Spiraea discolor ariaefolia; 10, 
Metrosideros floribunda ; 11, Lonicera involucrata. 
Tree to name. — G. Wood: The specimen sent 
was Ginkgo biloba, the Maidenhair tree. It is 
valuable for town planting, but is not so frequently 
seen as it might be. There is a monetary value 
attached to it, but all nurserymen who grow trees 
and shrubs to any extent, already possess it. 
Chrysanthemums Unhealthy.— R. H. F. : We 
carefully examined the specimens sent and believe 
there can be little doubt that the injury is due to 
insect agency as well as the crippling the plants got 
from the ice storm. The leaves have been battered 
about by the latter, or they were in all probability 
eaten by earwigs in the early stages. The brown 
patches on the stems, but particularly in the axils of 
the leaves, must have been punctured by the larvae 
of froghoppers, and possibly other plant bugs, while 
still in the bud stage. The insects would have 
reached the perfect stage by this time, but may ba 
found upon the plants. A boy might be set to catch 
them on dull days, when they are more sluggish. 
The damage is very quickly done by these creatures 
Defore they are noticed. Set traps for earwigs if any 
are present. Some green fly was noticeable on the 
specimens sent, and might be subdued by syringing 
and then dusting the young shoots with tobacco 
powder. It is still early in the season and we have 
seen Chrysanthemums greatly recover from attacks 
of this kind before the flowering period. 
Aralia Sieboldii.— Market Gardener : Have you 
obtained your seed of this from a reliable source ? 
It is our experience that seeds of this plant 
germinate very readily when sown in light soil in a 
temperature like that of a warm greenhouse. Make 
another sowing, and take care not to cover the seed 
too deeply, as this may have been the cause of your 
previous failures. Place a piece of glass over the 
seed-pan, as this assists germination. Ordinary 
greenhous ■ treatment suits the plants admirably, 
and for soil we should recommend a mixture of two 
parts loam to one of leaf soil with sand. 
Toads.— A.J.: It would be very unwise to 
disturb the toads whether in the houses or in the 
garden. They are harmless to plants and friends to 
all cultivators seeing that they feed solely upon 
insects, grubs and other vermin of that nature. By 
setting up a brick or two in some moist out-of-the- 
way corner of ) our houses, they will afford con¬ 
venient lodging for the toads during the day. 
Begonia seedlings.— W.A.: These are having 
a bad time of it everywhere in the open ground. 
They lack moisture, and the best thing you can do 
is to mulch the beds with a thin coating of short 
stable manure, leaf soil, cocoanut fibre, or something 
of that sort which will retain the moisture, and then 
give them a good watering at least once a week 
while the dry weather continues. Even then they 
will not grow so quickly as they would if the atmos¬ 
phere were moist. You should not depend upon 
seedlings for a display in case of a dry season like 
the present, but always have a stock of one or two 
year old tubers on hand, and which will flower earlier 
than seedlings any year. The seedlings, however, 
will do better later on. 
Communications Received.— W. L.—A. Med- 
hurst.—C. B. G.—Omega.—A. K.—W. B. G — R J. 
—A. L. C.—E. 
-* »— - ■ — 
LONDON SEED TRADE. 
July 16th, 1895. 
Messrs. Hurst & Son, 152, Houndsditch, and 39, 
Seed Market, Mark Lane, report larger supplies of 
Trifolium incarnatum which offers on easier terms. 
New samples Trefoil and English White Clover show 
useful qualities, prices not established. Mustard 
and Rape steady. 
COVENT GARDEN MARKET. 
July 17 th, 1895. 
Fruit,—Average Wholesale Prices. 
1. d s. d. 
s. d. s. d. 
Apples.per bushel 
Nova Scotia Apples 
per barrel 12 0 21 0 
Cob Nuts and Fil¬ 
berts, per 100 lbs. 
Cherries, half sieve 36 50 
Currants, Black...half 
sieve 40 00 
Currants, Red... half 
sieve 30 00 
Grapes, per lb. 616 
Pine-apples. 
—St. Mlohael's each 26 60 
Strawberries . 02 10 
Peaches.per doz. 20 80 
Tasmanian Apples, 
per case 8 0 it 0 
Vegetables.—Average Retail Prices 
1. d. 1. d. 1. d. 
ArtlchokesGlobedoz. 30 60 
Asparagus,per bundle 16 40 
Beans, French, perlb. 1 0 
Beet.per dozen 20 30 
Cabbages ... per doz. 30 40 
Carrots ... per bunch 0 6 
Cauliflowers.doz. 30 60 
Celery.per bundle 16 20 
Cucumbers .each 03 06 
Endive, French, djz. 26 30 
Herbs .per bunch 02 06 
Horse Radish, bundle 3 0 
Lettuces ...per dozen 2 0 
Mushrooms, p. basket 1 0 
Onions.per bunoh 0 4 
Parsley ... per bunch 0 6 
Radishes... per dozen 1 6 
Seakale...per basket 
Smallsalading,punnet 0 4 
Spinach .per lb. 0 6 
Tomatos. per lb. o 6 
Turnips.per bun. 0 6 
1. d. 
4 0 
1 6 
0 6 
1 0 
Cut Flowers.—Average Wholesale Prices. 
1. d. 5. d 1. d 
2 6 Pelargoniums,12 bun. 6 o 
6 0 Primula, double, doz. 
3 o sprays 0 6 
1 0 J Pyrethrum doz. bun. 2 0 
3 0 Ranunculus, doz. 2 o 
4 0 Roses (indoor), doz. 0 6 
30 „ Tea,white, doz. 1 0 
20 
Asters.per bch. 2 
Arum Lilies. 12 blms, 3 o 
Asparagus Fern, bun. 2 o 
Bouvardlas, per bun. 0 6 
Carnations doz.blms. 2 0 
Euoharls ...per doz. 3 0 
Gardenias ...per doz. 2 0 
Geranium, scarlet, 
doz. bunches 40 60 
Lilac (French) 
per bch. 4650 
Lilium lancifolium 
per doz. 30 40 
Lilium longiflorum 
per doz. 20 40 
Lilium candidum, 
per bch. 1 
Mr rguerltes, 12 bun. 1 
MaiTenhairFern,i2bs.4 
Orchids, doz. blooms 1 
2 0 
3 o 
6 0 
12 o 
Pansies, doz. bun.1 020 
,, Yellow, doz. 
,, Safrano 
(English), doz. ... z o 
Red Roses.3 0 
Pink Roses .5 0 
Roses (French) 
Moss, doz. 1 0 
Roses (French) red, 
doz. blooms. ... 1 0 
Smilax, per bunch ... 4 o 
Stephanotis, doz. 
sprays .1 6 
Tuberoses, doz. 
blooms .0 4 
Plants in Pots.—Average Wholesale Prices 
s. d. 
9 o 
o 9 
4 o 
4 o 
1 o 
2 o 
3 0 
2 O 
6 0 
7 0 
1 6 
1 6 
5 ° 
2 O 
o 6 
1. d. t. d. 
Aibor Vitae (golden) 
per doz. 60120 
Aspidistra, doz. 18 0 36 o 
„ specimen 
plants. 5 0 10 6 
Ca ceolaria, per doz. 40 80 
Didcaena, various, 
per doz. 12 0 30 0 
Dracaena vlrldis.doz. 9 0 18 0 
Euonymus, var. doz. 6 o 18 0 
Evergreens,Invar.doz 6 0 24 0 
pe: ns, invar.,per doz. 4 0 18 0 
Fe. jus, small, per 100 4 0 60 
Ficus elastica, each 10 50 
Foliage Plants, var., 
each 2 0 10 0 
>. d. 1. d 
Fuchsia, per doz. 60 9 o' 
Heliotrope, per doz. 60 80 
Hydrangea, per doz. 9 o 18 o 
Ivy Geraniums, per 
doz. 4080 
Lobelia, per doz. 40 60 
Lycopodiums, doz. 30 40 
Mignonette, per doz. 40 60 
Marguerite Daisy doz.6 0 12 o 
Myrtles, doz. 60 90 
Palms in variety,each 1 o 15 o 
Palms, Specimen ...21 o 63 o 
Pelargoniums,perdoz. 9 o 15 e 
Rhodanth, per doz. 40 60 
Scarlets, per doz. 30 90 
Stocky per doz. 40 6 • 
OOIsTTEHsTTS 
PAGE 
Altai Mountain Rose, the...747 
Ardisia crenulata...747 
Carnations at Chelsea .742 
Chelmsford and Essex 
Horticultural......748 
English and Spanish Irises746 
Gardening Miscellany .747 
Hints for Amateurs .744 
Horticulture, Summer 
School of . 74 1 
Interesting Plants .746 
Ipswich and East of 
England Horticultural...748 
Is Gardening Hard Work ? 741 
Kewites, past and present 
at play.741 
Lilium Dalhansoni.747 
Lilium giganteum .747 
Lord Napier Nectarine.744 
PAGE 
Orchid Houses, the.743 
Peas, Early . 741 
Photographs at the 
Aquarium ..740 
Pink Society, the.......748 
Plant Houses, the .743 
Plants recently certificated 742 
Prairie Rose, the.747 
Rose Wichuriana .747 
Rose, a white .747 
Roses and Rose Shows in 
1895 . 739 
Royal Botanic Fete.748 
Royal Gardens at Frogmore 745 
Science Gleanings.743 
Veronica incana.747 
Wills, death of Mr. John...749 
Woodbridge Horticultural 748 
Worthing Horticultural.747 
Insects on Plants and Fruit Trees cheaply cleared by 
Calvert’s Carbolic Soft Soap, if used as directed on label. 
The best preparation. Highly recommended by users. 1 and 
2 lb. jars, is. and 2S. each ; 4 and 7 lb. tins, 3s. and 5s. each, 
At chemists, &c.. or tins post free for value,—F. C. CAL¬ 
VERT & CO., Manchester. 
