September 17,1898. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
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were brought up to the meeting at the Drill Hall on 
the 6th inst., when the following varieties were 
granted an Award of Merit. All have proved to be 
good croppers at Chiswick :— 
Challenge. —Tubers uniform, round pebble in 
shape, of medium size, with rough skin and rather 
deep eyes. 
Miss Ellen Terry. —Tubers round, large, and 
very heavy, with rough skin and rather deep eyes. 
Mr. C. F. Blinco, x, Laddon Villas, Derbyshire Lane, 
Hucknall Torkard. 
Ivo.—Here again we have tubers intermediate in 
shape between the round pebble and the kidney. 
The skin is smooth and the eyes shallow, the tubers 
being of great weight relative to their size. Mr. John 
Wright, 8, Rose Hill Road, Wandsworth. 
Awards of Merit were also given to the under¬ 
mentioned Onions:— 
Nuneham Park. —A large and heavy variety of 
the improved Spanish type. Messrs. W. J. Nutting 
& Sons, 106, Southwark Street, S.E. 
Wroxton. —Bulbs very large and heavy, and 
globular in shape. Messrs. Watkins & Simpson, 
Exeter Street, Strand. 
Boscold’s Banbury Cross. —Here we have an 
intermediate type between the Spanish and the globe- 
shaped Onion, the bulbs being very heavy, firm and 
good. Messrs. Nutting & Sons. 
Banbury Cross. —Here the bulbs are rather 
rounder and thicker in proportion to their horizontal 
development, but otherwise there is but little if any 
difference. Messrs. Hurst & Son, Houndsditch. 
Beet Red Globe. —This is a large-rooted dark 
red, dwarf growing variety of great merit. It is an 
excellent type of a good round-rooted Beet. Messrs. 
Watkins & Simpson. 
The Major. —This variety has tubers of medium 
size, and in shape may be called a long pebble. The 
skin is smooth, and the eyes shallow. 
Fishcroft Seedling. —Tubers very large, pebble¬ 
shaped ; eyes rather deep ; skin rough. Messrs. W. 
W. Johnson & Son, Boston, Lines. 
Devonian. —Tubers of elongated pebble-shape, 
and medium size; eyes deep; skin smooth. Mr. 
Owen Thomas. 
Fidler’s Queen. —Tubers round pebble-shape, 
rather irregular, of medium size, with rough skin, 
and eyes of average depth. Messrs. Fidler & Son, 
Reading. 
First-class Certificates were awarded to the under¬ 
mentioned subjects by the National Chrysanthemum 
Society at the early autumn show held at the Royal 
Aquarium on September 6th, 7th, and 8th : — 
Chrysanthemum May Manser. —This is a large, 
early-flowering Japanese variety of great promise. 
Save for g flushing of yellow in the centre the flowers 
are pure white, whilst the florets are long and droop¬ 
ing. Mr. H. J. Jones, Ryecroft Nursery, Lewisham, 
S.E. 
C. Louis Lemaire. —This decorative Japanese is a 
sport from the pink Gustave Grunerwald, which it 
much resembles in habit, and with which it is 
identical in height. The flowers, which are rich 
bronze-yellow in hue, flushed and striped with 
orange, are freely produced, and are of great value 
for cutting. Mr. W. Wells, Earlswood Nurseries, 
Redhill, Surrey. 
Dahlia David Johnson. —For description see 
p. 22. Mr. G. Humphries, Kington-Langley, 
Chippenham. 
Dahlia Magnificent. —F'or description see p. 22. 
Mr. J. Stredwick, Silverhill, St. Leonard’s-on-Sea. 
Dahlia Countess of Lonsdale. —For description 
see p. 22. Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., Salis¬ 
bury. 
Dahlia Antelope. —For description see p. 22. 
Messrs. J. Burrell & Co., Howe House Nurseries, 
Cambridge. 
Dahlia The Clown.— For description see p. 22. 
Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co. 
Dahlia Ranji. —This is the darkest Cactus Dahlia 
in existence, being well nigh black. The flowers are 
of medium size and the form good. Mr. G. 
Humphries. 
Dahlia Demon. —Here again we have appropri¬ 
ately enough a dark crimson flower, but of the Pom¬ 
pon section. The blooms are neat and well shaped. 
Mr. M. V. Seale, Vine Nursery, Sevenoaks. 
D. Snowflake. —For description see p. 23. Mr. 
M V. Seale. 
D. Distinction. —In this we have an exceedingly 
neat and pretty Pompon Dahlia, bright crimson- 
majenta in hue. Mr. M. V. Seale. 
D. Madeline. —This we may best describe as a 
fancy Pompon variety, the ground colour being dull 
yellow, and the centre florets tipped with crimson, 
so as to form a central zone of mixed yellow and 
crimson. Mr. Chas. Turner, Slough. 
D. The Duke. —Another fancy Pompon of con¬ 
siderable merit. The ground colour is yellow, the 
florets being blotched and tipped with white to a 
varying extent. Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co. 
D. Columbine. —A pretty fancy single variety, in 
colour rosy-orange, flushed and obscurely striped 
with rose—a neat flower. Mr. T. W. Girdlestone, 
M.A., F.L.S., Sunningdale, Berks. 
D. Louisette. —Another fancy single Dahlia of 
handsome presence. The colour is crimson-majenta, 
relieved by several large crimson blotches in the 
centre of each ray floret. Mr. T. W. Girdlestone. 
Gladiolus Andrew Harkness.—A new seedling 
of the gandavensis type, with huge individual flowers 
and spike. The colour is rich rose with a white blotch 
on the centre of each of the three lower segments, and 
a single carmine stripe down the centre of each of the 
three upper ones. Messrs. Harkness & Sons, Bedale, 
Yorks. 
G. Esther Lindsell.— Another fine flower of the 
same type, and equally as large as Andrew Hark¬ 
ness. The colour is delicate blush rose, fading to 
blush white towards the centre, and with the margins 
of the segments prettily feathered with rose. Messrs. 
Harkness & Sons. 
G. Dora Craven.- A huge flower and spike, the 
colour being blush, with a rosy throat, and a few 
obscure rose stripes at the edges of the segments. 
Messrs. J. Burrell & Co. 
G. Lauretta.— Another handsome variety of the 
gandavensis type, in colour rosy-blush, striped and 
edged deeper rose. Both spike and flower are of 
great size. Messrs. J. Burrell & Co. 
Tomato The Champion. —This is a really good 
variety of the Perfection type. The fruit is above 
average size, with thick flesh and very heavy. The 
colour is a deep rich scarlet. The variety is a capital 
cropper. Mr. H. J. Jones. 
--» 1—- 
Kltcfien Garden Calendar. 
The long-continued spell of dry weather is having a 
serious effect on kitchen garden crops, so much so 
that unless rain falls soon in some districts many of 
the Brassica tribe will be dried up. While the dry 
weather continues every effort should be made to 
lift and store the Potato crop, which, owing to the 
dryness of the soil, has ripened somewhat prema¬ 
turely this season. As a rule there is not sufficient 
care taken in storing the tubers, for often they 
remain too long exposed to the light and air, which 
exposure causes them to be of inferior quality when 
cooked. If room can be provided for them in a cool 
cellar they will keep far better than when stored 
away in " clamps” ; besides this there is the advan¬ 
tage of being able to look over them in case any 
should show signs of decay. 
The "seed ” may be left exposed with advantage, 
as by so doing the skins become hardened and 
growth does not so soon take place in spring. If 
medium sized sets be chosen these will be found 
more serviceable than larger ones for planting. 
As the land is cleared manure should be wheeled 
on in readiness to be dug up roughly for winter. 
Onions should now be lifted and stored away in 
as cool a place as possible. A close atmosphere is 
detrimental to the preservation of these bulbs, 
therefore, a dry airy place should be selected. 
There is no necessity to preserve them from frost so 
long as they are kept dry. The ground from which 
the crop was lifted should be dug and manured for 
future planting. 
Take advantage of the present favourable weather 
to rid the ground of any weeds, as more can be done 
in a day when the sun is bright in destroying small 
seedlings, than in a week when they have been 
allowed to grow so as to require pulling up and 
wheeling away. 
As soon as rain falls planting of spring Cabbage 
should be commenced. Water must be liberally 
given to Peas, Beans, Spinach, Turnips, and other 
crops of like nature or they will fail to make satis¬ 
factory progress. Make another sowing of Lettuce 
and Endive for spring use .—Kitchen Gardener. 
-H-- 
THE FLOWER GAR&EN. 
With such a long spell of dry weather the labour of 
watering has been an exceedingly heavy item in the 
bill, and yet even although hoses and watering-cans 
have been kept going everything is presenting a very 
scorched-up appearance. Many deciduous trees, 
particularly Limes and Beeches, have been drop¬ 
ping their leaves wholesale, and this again has 
caused work in clearing up. As long as the dry 
weather lasts, however, there is nothing for it but to 
keep watering away, keeping a specially keen look¬ 
out for trees and shrubs that are suffering. 
The Herbaceous Border.— One advantage at 
least the dry weather has afforded,and that is that it 
has given every opportunity for the removal of 
weeds, and the result is that the beds and borders are 
cleaner and more free from weeds than they have 
been for a number of years past. There are many 
things in the border that may now be cut down, and 
rubbish and stakes removed. Seeds of such annuals 
as are now over may be collected as soon as they are 
nearly ripe, and allowed to finish indoors. This will 
give a chance to get rid of all the rubbish and litter. 
Such things as perennial Asters, Phloxes, and Sun¬ 
flowers must be kept well watered, for we depend 
upon them to keep the garden gay and furnish us 
with something to cut from for some weeks yet. 
Dahlias. —Although the season has been a trying 
one, Dahlias have done fairly well. Growth has not 
been so rank as usual, and the plants are dwarfer 
than they generally are, but these are advantages 
rather than otherwise. Rather more serious is the 
way in which the bright sunlight has taken the colour 
out of the flowers. Many of the popular shades of 
colour are very liable to bleaching by bright sun¬ 
light. 
Single varieties have not had a good season at all. 
For some reason or other, more’s the pity, they 
appear to be going out of fashion. At any rate, 
their usefulness for cutting from is a feature 
in their favour, although if they are to do really 
well the flower heads should be picked off as soon as 
flowering is past. Copious supplies of liquid 
manure should be frequently given in hot weather to 
these as to all Dahlias, for the plants are rich 
feeders, and this practice should be followed up as 
long as frost holds off, and there is a chance of 
obtaining any flowers from them. 
Two sections of this showy autumn flower should 
be largely grown in all establishments. They are 
the Tom Thumb singles and the Pompon Cactus 
varieties. The former make capital little beddiDg 
plants, and although they are not showy for a 
sufficient length of time to warrant their being ex¬ 
tensively used for bedding, yet they come in well for 
mixed beds, and make good clumps in the border. 
The Pompon Cactus are, as the name signifies, sim¬ 
ply a smaller strain of Cactus vatieties, and their 
great usefulness consists in their free blooming 
qualities. Not only are the flowers very useful for 
cutting, but the flowers are mounted on long, stiff 
stems, and thus the tendency to hide the blooms 
beneath the foliage, so much to be deplored in the 
modern Cactus Dahlia, is absent. 
Propagation of Bedding Plants.— If advan¬ 
tage has been taken of the fine weather the propaga¬ 
tion of all the tender bedding plants is now com¬ 
pleted, or nearly so. With firmer and better 
ripened wood a heavy percentage of these cuttings 
should strike, and there should, moreover, be fewer 
subsequent losses from damping in the winter. 
Sweet Peas. —One of the easiest methods of 
ensuring a crop of bloom until the advent of frost is 
to cut back the plants after they have finished their 
first flowering, which in most establishments is also 
allowed to be their last. By taking them in hand at 
that time, say about the end of July, cutting the 
haulm back to a good bud, giving a top dressing and 
a good soaking of water the plants are started on a 
new lease of life, and flower splendidly during the 
latter part of the summer and the beginning of 
autumn. This practice entails very little trouble, 
and is economical of both seed and ground, since it 
obviates the necessity for sowing on purpose to 
obtain late flowers.— A. S. G. 
