113 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 22, 1898. 
where a bright scarlet is required is not admissible. 
The splendid scarlet Easpail Improved is an all-round 
variety, being equally adapted ior both indoor and 
outdoor cultivation. The flowers are fully double, 
the petals being broad and in no way crowded.— 
W. B. G. 
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST. 
The truth of Darwin's doctrine respecting the sur¬ 
vival of the fittest is amply attested among the 
innumerable varieties of flowering plants that 
during the last fifty years have been submitted to 
the sometimes too confiding public for their patron¬ 
age and approval. Turning to the Roses I well 
remember the advent of Gloire de Dijon and 
General Jacqueminot. These made their appearance 
among us during the early fifties, and the first 
especially still holds an honourable position after a 
host of later introductions have been consigned to 
oblivion. Among fruits may be instanced Williams' 
Bon Chretien Pear, of which I have a plate pub¬ 
lished in 1727 ; and where is there a better all-round 
or more popular Pear ? Descending to the, in some 
respects, more humble, zonal Pelargonium, we find 
among the tricolors Mrs. Pollock and one or two of 
the very first varieties put upon the market still 
holding their own after a multitude of newer 
aspirants to popular favour have passed away.— 
W. B. G. 
LESSONS FROM THE FRUIT SHOW. 
The observant and aspiring exhibitor does not 
always count his gains or losses by money value. 
One failure sometimes has sufficient to convey a life¬ 
long lesson, and it is the unsuccessful exhibitor of 
to-day who profits by his experience, and becomes 
the successful man of the future ; for by placing his 
products for comparison with others in competition 
he ascertains his strength or weakness, his skill or 
shortcomings, as the case may be. 
The experience which the unsuccessful man gains, 
especially if he is a beginner, is to him of more 
value than a favourable award from the judges, be¬ 
cause he finds his weakness and his mistake, and does 
not repeat it, but repairs his weakness and avoids 
former errors. To illustrate this I noted at the 
recent fruit show at the Crystal Palace put up in 
competition for prizes several dishes of Peaches, 
quite green and unripe. Well, no gardener in his right 
senses would place on his employer’s table such un¬ 
ripe Peaches as were then showD, and a little re¬ 
flection would show one that dessert fruit unfit to 
place on a dinner table was also unfit to place upon 
an exhibition table. At any rate he might have 
known it stood no chance of gaining an award at the 
R.H.S. Fruit Show. Surely it's a sine qua non that 
such fruits should be presented fit to eat and pleas¬ 
ant to the eye. 
Again, with regard to dessert Apples, very many 
dishes were staged whose appearance belied the fact 
that they were shown as such. Size does not appear 
to count for much, nor does extra polishing find 
favour. No n atter how bright the natural colouring 
of the fruit may be, when rubbed it is no improve¬ 
ment. It may do for a greengrocer's window, per¬ 
haps, to bestow a little labour. Surely, it must 
have been at a second-rate fruiterer's stores that the 
secretary of the R.H.S., the Rev. W. Wilks, gained 
the information he imparted to the judges (according 
to a contemporary), that oil, cream and saliva were 
amongst the several ingredients used for polishing 
Apples. 
A conspicuous three dishes at the late fruit show, 
beautifully coloured and highly polished, shining out 
clear and bright, mounted on pink paper, a plate high 
above their fellows, gave evidence of the attempt to 
improve upon Nature; but it did not commend itself 
. to the judges, as the M too highly polished ” on the 
cards testified. 
Those dessert fruits which met with the judges' 
approbation were of good size, not too large, well 
coloured, clean and ripe, of attractive appearance, in 
short, fit to place upon a dinner table. Of course, 
late dessert varieties cannot be artificially ripened 
months before their natural time, and the above re¬ 
marks apply more particularly to those of which 
there were some good samples in a fit condition for 
use. 
It is astonishing how loosely the schedules are 
made, even by experienced exhibitors, else how was it 
that in the market growers’ class for a box of packed 
Peaches a nobleman's gardener was stated to have 
gained the second prize ? 
An exhibitor of three bunches of Grapes showed 
a want of another week or so on the rods to gain 
the superlative degree of finish. It seems a pity 
that an experienced and succeessful grower, who 
knows exactly the degree of finish necessary for a 
first-rate exhibit, should forfeit his chance of finish¬ 
ing them by cutting them before they are ready. 
These are points, however, the observant man can 
profit by taking note of.— A. P. 
— 1 - - 
MANCHESTER BOTANIC GARDENS. 
A few days ago I paid a visit to this establishment 
for the first time. On entering I was agreeably sur¬ 
prised to find myself in such a beautiful recreation 
ground, and so near to the smoke of Manchester. After 
a short ramble I found my way into the large glass 
structure at the end of the conservatory, and was 
particularly struck with the beauty of the Ampelopsis 
hanging down in festoons from the roof, just chang¬ 
ing the colour of its foliage. It really was a very 
pretty sight. 
From there I went to the Palm house, in which 
are some very fine specimens of many of the well- 
known varieties, and for the most part in excellent 
health. Stove and greenhouse plants, too, are fairly 
well done, clean and healthy. The grounds were in 
good order, except that the labels on the plants in 
the beds and borders were in many cases quite mis¬ 
leading, or, at any rate, in their wrong places ; and 
that, in a place like a botanic garden, they certainly 
ought to see to. 
Chrysanthemums are well done there, both in 
quantity and quality. Roughly speaking, I should 
think there were over a thousand plants, and many of 
the earliest buds were showing colour. Orchids 
were there in quantity, and among them some very 
good things, and fairly well done ; but the impression 
I had was that there was need of a more efficient 
staff to keep everything up as it ought to be. Still, 
I was pleased with my visit, and hope at some 
future time to spend more time there.— J. Williams. 
TUBEROUS BEGONIAS FROM BEXLEY 
HEATH. 
Mr. Thos. S. Ware, of Tottenham, has long been 
famous for his grand strains of single and double 
Begonias, and the new firm of T. S. Ware, Ltd., is 
carrying on with vigour the work of the old firm. 
The season of 1898, although it has been a very try¬ 
ing one in many respects, seems to have suited the 
tuberous Begonia, if we may judge from the boxes 
of superb flowers recently forwarded to us from the 
Tottenham firm’s nurseries at Bexley Heath. Not 
only were the colours exceedingly vivid and distinct, 
but the size and substance of the flowers were far 
above the average, and yet these self-same blooms 
were all picked from plants growing in the open. 
Amongst the single blooms was a number of very 
fine things. The colours ranged from pure white to 
deepest crimson and richest yellow, whilst the 
subtle shades of orange-scarlet and rose were both 
delicate and attractive. Most of the flowers were 
as round as if their outlines had been drawn by a 
pair of compasses. The size and strength of the 
flower stalks are other points well worthy of men¬ 
tion, for it is of no use to have a large flower if it is 
too hidden by the foliage nnd dragged in the dirt. 
Taking them all round we have never seen finer blooms 
either on pot plants or from the open ground. The 
doubles were equally good, but, like the singles, the 
flowers were all picked from unnamed seedlings; 
hence we are prevented from speaking of the varie¬ 
ties in detail. We may say, however, that it would 
not matter if all the named varieties were lost, for 
they, or their superiors, might all be reproduced 
from amoDgst such seedlings; as these. A great deal 
of attention has evidently been paid to form, for 
these were not of the clumsy, multi-centred flowers, 
but instead neat and shapely blooms of the Camellia 
type, with petals of great substance, piled one above 
the other, and rising to form a perfect Rosebud-like 
centre. Some of the shades of orange, orange- 
scarlet and crimson were as delicate as they were 
beautiful, whilst the more decided, but not less 
lovely, yellows and whites spoks of the richness and 
completeness of the collection with regard to range 
and variety of colour. The stout footstalks were as 
remarkable in the double varieties as in the single. 
VINE CULTURE AT PARK HALL, 
STIRLINGSHIRE. 
Nothing in a cultural sense gives a greater amount 
of interest to practical gardeners than to hear of the 
doings of men whose names have been for many 
years before the public. And this we can truly say 
of Mr. William Murray, who rents the long ranges 
of glass structures at Park Hall,and whose success, as 
a grape grower in particular, is widely known ; and I 
may add it is difficult to find a more enthusiastic, 
genial and hospitable m an. During a recent visit I was 
accompanied by # that veteran through his i,6oo ft., 
and more of span-roofed and lean-to houses. All 
are large structures, but some of them are such as 
one seldom sees in any private establishment. 
Mr. Learmouth, the popular proprietor, did not do 
things by halves, nor was prompted, by false 
economy, to erect structures which would soon be 
under repair. All are substantial and well adapted 
for the purpose, for which they have given ample 
evidence during the last twenty years. 
Now that Mr. Murray has been the tenant for over 
two years (as Murray & Son) he has a free hand to 
profit his produce by what means he may choose. 
Mr. Learmouth retains extensive ranges still for 
the growth of Peaches, Grapes, plants, &c., for the 
supplies of his own house. 
At the time of our visit to Mr. Murray many 
hundredweights had been sent to market; but on 
few of the Vines could they be missed where the 
ripest had been thinned out. When twenty-five to 
thirty bunches on a Vine is not considered too heavy 
a crop, the half of them may be removed and a heavily 
crop would remain. Lady Downes, Alicante, 
Hamburgh,and Gros Maroc are exceptionally heavily 
cropped; and to know (as the writer does so well) that 
this has been the system in practice for many years, 
it might surprise some to learn that many of those 
large bunches which have competed so successfully 
at the Edinburgh Exhibitions, were taken from Vines 
which have carried, year after year, such immense 
crops of highly finished fruit. Pruning is dene very 
closely to the Vine. Spurs only two or three inches 
long, on old Vines which were early fruiters, are to 
be seen ; but the general system is the removal of 
old rods and the supplanting them with young ones, 
which make immense rods the first year, and are 
fruited the following season. Whether on young 
wood or from the buds left next to the old Vine (only 
one), the size of the bunches and berries appears to 
be the same. 
Shanking or red spider we have never seen at 
Park Hall. The foliage is large, green, and leathery 
in texture, and the stopping, generally, is not on 
hard and fast lines. 
It appears from what we observe that strong and 
gross growing varieties of Grapes receive special 
treatment. There seems to be nothing chimerical 
in the management, as everything is done con¬ 
summately, with a definite object in view. In one of 
the large span houses (two are 100 ft., respectively, 
in length, wide and lofty) a side for late Grapes has 
been planted. First of all the surface soil from the 
old border was removed, then trecched over. The 
roots of the Vines were cut round with a spade, and 
a bunch of fibre with each Vine was taken to the 
trenched up border, planted, well trodden, the rods 
cut down to the ground and well watered over all the 
beds ; and now (7th October) they are strong, sturdy 
rods, reaching to the top of the house. If Mr. 
Murray follows his general practice they will be 
loaded, next year, with fruit. This is no uncommon 
feat at Park Hall. 
Reverting to the condition of the roots of Vines at 
planting time, some sixteen years ago I visited one 
of the largest Vine growers in the South of England, 
and saw a Vine planted from a pot. The roots were 
pot-bound, but all they had done to them was 
firm ramming into a hole about 18 in., or less, in 
diameter, then well watered. Afterwards the surface 
had a spadeful of loose soil thrown over it, and the 
work was completed. This was during the early 
part of July. My friend (the proprietor of such 
immense ranges of vineries) stated that the Vines in 
all the structures had been planted in the same 
manner ! We could relate many similar instances 
in the Valley of the Thames, and elsewhere in 
market establishments. 
Some interesting items we noted at Park Hall on 
grafting. Alicantes are well done, grafted on 
Lady Downes. A large bunch of 13 lbs. weight, 
perfect in form and colour, was sent to Glasgow, and 
