October 9, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
93 
varieties receiving them have been superseded. Be¬ 
sides those that have been superseded led directly 
to those improvements which tcok their places. 
Mr. Bunyard was of opinion that the 1883 con¬ 
ference at Chiswick was of the greatest benefit to 
fruit culture, the list of synonyms then drawn up 
and subsequently published being of inestimable 
value. The show held at the Guildhall in 1890 
served to convince Londoners that first-class fruit 
could be grown in the old country. Conferences on 
fruit have been held at Exeter, Hereford, Chester, 
Pershore, and Worcester, and have all helped the 
cause. County Councils have during the last few 
years engaged experts to teach the people in their 
various spheres of operation the way to grow fruit 
well, and what varieties to invest in. Sir H. Stan¬ 
hope, of Holme Lacy, might be regarded as the 
fore-runner of hardy fruit culture, whilst Messrs. 
Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, Pearson, of Chilwell, 
Wildsmitb, of Heckfield, Ford, of Leonardslee, Ross, 
of Welford, Ingram, Jones, Dr. Robert Hogg, and 
Robert Thomson were all men who had rendered 
yeoman service. 
The tendency to popularise fruit and fruit-growing 
is doubtless largely responsible for the improved 
state of health in our large towns and cities. 
In summing up Mr. Bunyard averred that the rate 
of progress in horticulture during the Victorian era 
had been fully as great as in the case of other 
industries. 
In the appendix to Mr. Bunyard's paper, which 
was not read, appeared (a) a list of varieties of fruits 
cultivated in 1837, and comprising Apples, Pears, 
Plums, Cherries, Nectarines, Peaches, Apricots, 
Figs, and Strawberries ; (b) a list of the varieties in¬ 
troduced to commerce between the years 1837 and 
1897, with the respective dates; (c) a list of those 
varieties likely to prove permanent additions. 
Sir Trevor Lawrence rose to open the discussion at 
the close of the reading of the paper. He stated that 
while on a visit to South Wales he had bought good 
Muscat Grapes at is. 6d., and 2s. per lb., which 
twenty-five or thirty years ago would have fetched 
7s. 6d., ios., or even 15s. per lb. He further 
remarked that first-class fruit was hardly to be found 
out of the British Isles, or bought at reasonable 
prices. Speaking of the improvement in size, he 
stated that naere size should not be sacrificed to 
quality. Sir Trevor was very emphatic upon the 
point that we ought to guard against the idea that 
anybody can grow good fruit and find a market for it. 
Fruit growing is a skilled industry,and it was like show¬ 
ing a Will o' the Wisp to farmers, who could not learn 
quickly, to try to induce them to plant fruit instead 
of grain. We are very much obliged to gentlemen 
like Mr. Bunyard for bringing so much energy and 
skill to bear upon the industry. 
Mr. C. Lee Campbell, of Glewstone Court, Ross, 
Hereford, was of opinion that fifteen sorts of Apples 
were enough for everything. Gardeners come to 
their work with too much prejudice. They send 
samples to market carelessly and fraudulently packed, 
and grumbled at the result. He always graded and 
packed his fruit in the same way, and found that the 
bales went like hot rolls. He should advise others 
to do the same if only as a matter of common honesty. 
In Mr. S. T. Wright he had had the pleasure of 
supplying the Royal Horticultural Society with a 
superintendent for their gardens at Chiswick. 
Mr. E. Pool, The Gardens, Cleve Hall, near 
Bristol, gave some of his experiences, and spoke of 
the success that had attended his practice of re¬ 
planting old orchards with young trees. 
Mr. Pearson did not believe in this system, and 
stated that he had never known Apples to do well 
when planted on the site of old orchards. 
Mr. Roupell stated that all the old Apples were of 
a russety character. He disagreed with the remarks 
of the president anent fruit culture by farmers. He 
believed that it could be made to pay. Strawberries, 
for instance, were grown by hundreds of broad acres. 
Tomatos again were one of the marvels of the age. 
The best varieties were those bearing fruits which 
went about five to the lb., and were perfectly smooth, 
and not corrugated. He could remember the time 
when market growers’ carls used to run from Batter¬ 
sea, Clapham, and Camberwell. These districts 
have long been given up to building purposes how¬ 
ever, and the radius has consequently extended. 
Mr. John Wright in rising to propose a vote of 
thanks to the lecturer spoke of the Guildhall Fruit 
Show of 1890 as being mainly due to Mr. Bunyard’s 
efforts and influence, for when it was almost decided 
to abandon the idea of bolding a show Mr. A. H. 
Smee, of Carshalton, offered to fill half of the ball 
by the help of his friends, and amidst cheers Mr. 
Bunyard rose and offered to fill the other half. 
Mr. Bunyard acknowledged the vote of thanks in 
suitable terms, and spoke of the necessity of reducing 
the number of varieties of Apples grown for market 
purposes. 
- mf -— 
ARDENING §fISCELLANY. 
PEAR BEURRE HARDY. 
This is classed as an October Pear, but was in 
excellent condition for the table by the end of Sep¬ 
tember with Mr. H. C. Prinsep, gardener to the 
Hon. Mrs. Portman, Buxted Park, Uckfield. The 
fruits are pyriform or obovale, and of a greenish- 
yellow, more or less heavily overlaid with brown 
russet on the exposed side. The flesh is greenish- 
wbi e, very tender, melting and very juicy. The 
gritty flesh, characteristic of such as Beurre Diel, is 
imperceptible here, Beurre Hardy, on the contrary, 
possessing a richly-flavoured and tender, melting 
flesh. If the fruit growers of Kent and Sussex 
would grow the variety in quantity to meet the home 
demand the British public could well afford to be 
independent of the Californian or any other foreign 
supply. Hitherto, of course, we have been indebted 
to California for a supply of excellent quality, but 
the individual fruits are not by any means larger 
than those grown in the southern counties of England 
at least. 
COLCHICUM PARKINSONI. 
In this we have one of the finest of the Colchicums. 
The flower is much larger and more heavily 
tesselated than that of C. variegatum, but is not so 
hardy as the latter species since very hard winters 
endangers its existence. The flower is stellate in 
form with lanceolate-acuminate segments. The 
ground colour is flesh-pink and the markings are of 
light purple. Where a sheltered position can be 
given it, C. Parkinsoni will render a capital account 
of itself, although being so close to the ground the 
flowers are apt to get splashed and spoiled with 
mud as the result of heavy rains. Messrs. Barr & 
Sons have a fine stock of it at Long Ditton, where it 
is thought very highly of. 
CHRYSANTHEMUM LADY FITZWIGRAM. 
The fine group of this grand early-flowering Chry¬ 
santhemum sent to the Drill Hall at the last meeting 
of the Royal Horticultural Society by Mr. George 
Wythes, of Syon House Gardens, amply demon¬ 
strated the value of the variety when grown in pots 
for early work. The habit of the plants is dwarf and 
symmetrical, and the height is a little over 2 ft. The 
flowers are pure white and produced in abundance. 
It is indeed a great improvement on Madame C. 
Desgranges as far as habit, floriferousness and 
purity of colour goes. The flowers come well when 
the plants are out-of-doors, and the variety is thus an 
acquisition for border work. We recently observed 
a batch of plarts flowering out-of-doors at Messrs. 
Barr & Sons’ nursery at Long Dicton, and in every 
case the bushy and shapely habit of the plants was 
well-demonstrated. The flowers, too, were remark¬ 
able for their purity. 
-- 
ONION SHOW AT BANBURY. 
H. Deverill, florist, seed-grower, and Onion 
specialist, Banbury, held his annual Onion show in 
his business premises, Cornhill, Banbury, on 
Thursday., 16th ult. There was a large turnout of 
exhibits, and the competition was very keen. Mr. 
Deverill had on exhibition a very large collection of 
herbaceous flowers, Gladioli, and Dahlias, which 
enhanced the appearance of the show, and proved a 
very great attraction. 
The great attraction of the show, however, was the 
magnificent Onions staged by Mr. James Bowerman, 
Hackwood Park Gardens, Basingstoke, whose speci¬ 
mens were of perfect shape and large size, his 
champion six weighing 14J lbs., and his dozen 
weighing 26 lbs., both of the now famous Ailsa Craig 
vaiiety. The collections of vegetables shown in the 
open and confined classes were exceptionally good, 
and it would be hard to equal them at some of the 
largest shows in the country. Some magnificent 
Leeks were also shown, those by Mr. R Lye, Syd- 
monton Court Gardens, Newbury, taking first place. 
The show w as open to the public from 12 30 to 8 p.m., 
and it is estimated that it was visited by upwards of 
3 000 people. Mr. R. Dean, Ealing, London, and 
Mr. G. Ioglefield, Tedworth House Gardens, Marl¬ 
borough, acted as judges, and whose decisions gave 
every satisfaction. The prize list is as follows :— 
The Champion Prize for six Onions was taken by 
Mr. James Bowerman, Hackwood Park Gardens, 
Basingstoke (variety, Ailsa Craig; weight, 14I lbs ). 
In the class for twelve Onions, Ailsa Craig or Cocoa- 
nut, Mr. J. Bowerman was again first, showing 
Ailsa Craig, weight 26 lbs. Mr. N. Kneller, Mals- 
hanger Gardens, Basingstoke, was second with 
Ailsa Craig, weight, 25$ lbs Mr. J. Masterson, 
Weston Park Gardens, Shipston-on-Stour, came in 
third with Ailsa Craig, weight 23J lbs. Mr. R. Lye, 
Sydmonton Court Gardens, Newbury, was fourth, 
showing Ailsa Craig, weight 20$ lbs. For twelve 
Onions,either Anglo-Spanish.The Lord Keeper,Royal 
Jubilee, or Rousham Park Hero, Mr. Keep, Faringdon 
House Gardens, Faringdon, took the lead with 
Rousham Park Hero, weight 2i^lbs.; Mr. R. Lye 
took the second place; Mr. C. J. Waite, Glenhurst 
Gardens, Esher, the third; and Mr. R. Horton, 
Tysce, the fourth. For twelve Improved Wroxton 
Onions, Mr. E. Thorne, Oxford, had the best lot, 
weighing 12^ lbs., and Mr. R. Lye followed. In 
Class V., twelve Challenge Onions, Mr. R. Lye and 
Mr. C. J. Waite, were first and second respectively. 
For a single specimen of any of Deverill's pedigree 
Onions, Mr. J. Bowerman, was first with Ailsa 
Craig (weight, 2 lbs. 13 ozs.) ; Mr. N. Kneller, second 
with Anglo-Spanish (weight, 2 lbs. 7$ ozs.); and Mr. 
R. Lye, third with Ailsa Craig (weight, 2 lbs. 1 oz ). 
In the class for twelve Onions, open to amateurs and 
cottagers, Mr. H. Elmer, Cuckfield, Sussex, took the 
lead with Ailsa Craig (weight, i8f lbs). He was 
followed by Mr. W. Woodcraft, Nuthrop, Banbury, 
and Mr. R. Horton, respectively. Extra prizes were 
awarded to Mr. W. Goodwin, Adderbury, Banbury ; 
Mr. W. Butcher, Tysoe, Warwick ; and Mr. E. Cove, 
Falfield, Gloucestershire. 
For six Deverill’s Oxonion Leek, Mr. R. Lye took 
the lead, followed by Mr. James Bowerman, and Mr. 
N. Kneller respectively. In the class for a collection 
of vegetables, open, eight distinct kinds, Mr. R. Lye 
was to the fore, and was succeeded by Mr. C. J. 
Waite, and Mr. George Wells, Tysoe, in this order. 
For a collection of vegetables, eight distinct kinds 
open to amateurs and cottagers only, Mr. George 
Wells took the first award. Mr. H. Ellmer and Mr. 
W. Butcher were second and third respectively ; and 
Mr. R. Horton and Mr. D. Wilson, Keighley, Yorks, 
were equal fourth. 
-- 
Questions add Answens 
Muscat of Alexandria Grape.— Allan Cameron-. We 
do not think that any advantage is to be gained by 
inarching Muscat of Alexandria upon Black Ham¬ 
burgh. In the former case the variety is naturally a 
late Grape, whereas Black Hamburgh is early. We 
doubt if this, however, is the true cause of the berries 
shanking In the first place you should ascertain 
whether the drainage is good, and, secondly, the roots 
should have an abundance of moisture during the 
growing season. The border may be kept drier in 
winter, but not so dry as to kill the roots. If the 
latter are in good condition, then see that the border 
is thoroughly supplied with moisture during summer 
as well as plenty of nourishment. See that the 
aspect of the vinery is to the south or south-east. By 
close observation you should soon be able to detect 
what is the root of the evil. Your own experience 
and observation, as you have admitted, shows that 
Muscat of Alexandria does better on its own roots 
than on the Black Hamburgh. 
Gardener’s Directory. — Daniel Campbell : The 
Garden Annual is published at the "Garden” 
Office, 37, Southampton Street, Covent GardeD, 
London, W.C. The Horticultural Directory is pub¬ 
lished at the office of the "Journal of Horticulture," 
171, Fleet Street, London. 
' Raising Dog Roses.—/. T. Thurston : There is no 
difficulty as a rule in raising tbe-e, if the seed is 
good, and you exercise a little patience. As soon as 
the fruits are perfectly ripe rub them cut of the heps 
and sow them at once. Prepare a bed or l e Js in a 
situation where the ground will not be disturbed for 
two years. Spread a quantity of old potting soil 
from under the benches upon the ground, adding a 
quantity of leaf soil and sand, unless there is already 
