August 19, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
805 
Cricket.—Hurst & Son v. Aberdeen C.C.: This 
match was played at Walthamstow, August i2tb., 
and won by Hurst & Son. The scores were, Hurst 
& Son 113 (Squires 56), Aberdeen 62. 
When Science unbends.—The Fellows of the Royal 
Botanic Society held their annual meeting on Thurs¬ 
day, August nth. From what the chairman said, 
it would seem that the converting of their Botanic 
Garden, occasionally into a pleasure ground, with the 
additional attractions of floral fetes and the Welcome 
Club, has brought a tide of prosperity to the 
society. 
Shelter for Trained Fruit Trees. —A good idea comes 
to us from America. There, with espalier-trained 
fruit trees, a shelter above them is made by having 
a protection on (sloping 1 ft. out) both sides, and got 
from mats or straw, and borne out from the centre 
rod above the trees by a horizontal bar at intervals 
along the trellis. Of course, stout standard posts 
are needed all along, because of the heavier top rod, 
the outward sloping mat protectors and the hori¬ 
zontal rods which keep them fixed in position. 
Silver Wedding of an Ayrshire Gardener. —Mr. 
Bogie, the well known and respected head gardener 
at Auchans, Kilmarnock, has just celebrated his 
silver wedding and has been the recipient of many 
tokens of the esteem in which he is held. Mr. 
Bogie has been twenty-five years gardener at 
Auchans, and was lately presented by the Hon. G. 
R. and Mrs. Vernon with a handsome silver watch 
as a token of esteem and respect for his long and 
valuable services. Mr. Bogie, while being a first- 
class all round gardener, has had his favourites and 
he has been a very successful cultivator of Apples 
and a frequent prize-winner at Edinburgh, Glasgow, 
and Kilmarnock, where the competition is always 
keen. Sweet Violets have also claimed his attention 
and his success has been gratifying. He has made 
their cultivation a study for the last twenty years, 
and a year or two ago read an excellent paper on this 
charming flower before the members of the Scottish 
Horticultural Association. At the Chrysanthemum 
shows Mr. Bogie has proved his ability, and in 1896 
secured first prize for a beautiful table of Chrysan¬ 
themums. As a judge at flower shows Mr. Bogie has 
more than a local reputation and his services are 
greatly in demand. During his twenty-five years 
service at Auchans many improvements have been 
made, and there is not a better kept place in Ayrshire 
everything being 'done well. Mr. Bogie has been 
blessed with a good wife, and much of his success 
must be placed to her credit. We wish them both 
long life and happiness, and trust we may be in a 
position to write a notice of their golden weddin" — 
R. L. 
Gardeners at Red Braes Nursery —The annual 
meeting of the Scottish Horticultural Association at 
the Red Braes Nursery of Messrs. James Grieve & 
Sons, in the Broughton Road, Edinburgh, is an 
event looked forward to with great interest every 
year by the members and their friends. This took 
place on the sth inst., when the party was conducted 
over the place by the members of the firm. They at 
once proceeded to inspect the Violas, of which a 
great collection is grown. The varieties Bullion and 
Grievei are well known bedding sorts. Beautiful 
Snow is pure white and free; Colleen Bawn, white 
with purple lacing ; Pilrig Clock, creamy-white; 
Rosea pallida, rosy-lilac; Joseph, bronze; and 
Holyrood, deep blue. The Tomatos and Ferns were 
next inspected in succesion. Gloxinias also attracted 
a considerable amount of attention, by reason of 
their bright colours. Carnations are a speciality 
here, many fine varieties having been raised here. 
Pentstemons, Phloxes, Gaillardias, alpine and her¬ 
baceous plants, generally, were closely examined by 
the visitors. A tank of the new ^Vater Lilies came 
in for a large share of appreciation. Forest and 
fruit trees, shrubs, bedding plants are also grown to 
meet the general requirements of private establish¬ 
ments. At the close of the proceedings Mr. Hugh 
Fraser, an ex-president of the Scottish Horticultural 
Association, proposed a vote of thanks to the Messrs. 
Grieve & Sons for their attention to the visitors ; 
and spoke at some length on the skill of Mr. Grieve, 
Sen., as a horticulturist, and the many useful sub¬ 
jects he has raised during his long experience. 
Hearty cheers were accorded the Messrs. Grieve & 
Sons. 
It is said that in New York a general flower market 
is to be established. It seems that the individual and 
unconnected retailers alone provide the supply at 
present. 
Weather in London. —During the last eight days 
there has been no rain. Everything needs a proper 
steeping. The days have generally been moderately 
bright and perceptibly cooler at morning and even¬ 
ing. Lamps have now to be lit at sharp eight 
o’clock. Monday, August 13th, was warm, and 
Tuesday, the 14th, was very close and oppressive. 
Wednesday opens cooler. 
Great Hurricane in the West Indies. —At eight 
o'clock on the morning of the 8th inst., a tremend¬ 
ous cyclone struck various islands of the West 
Indian group, and at Ponce, on the south coast of 
Porto Rico, it raged till 3 p.m., passing in succession 
to other islands westwards. Torrents of rain fell, 
causing tbe rivers to overflow their banks and flood 
the towns. The Coffee and Cocoa crops were 
destroyed at Pointe a Pitre. Montserrat, one of the 
islands of the Leeward group belonging to Great 
Britain, suffered severely. The island is noted for 
its sugar plantations and Lime groves for the manu¬ 
facture of Lime juice, which is largely exported to 
this country and much used as a cooling drink. 
Other Islands also suffered terribly, there beiDg 
great loss of human life. 
Scottish Horticultural Association.—At the last 
monthly meeting of this society, at the rooms, 5, St. 
Andrew Square, Edinburgh, the paper was from 
Mr. D. Buchanan, of the Forth Vineyards, Kippen, 
who treated on ” Judging and Showing Grapes,” a 
subject which was as clear as A B C from such an 
expert. He pointed out that Grape classes to-day 
were virtually the same as were scheduled twenty 
years ago. Shrewsbury, however, has taken the lead 
in an educational way. The Edinburgh Association 
gave the greater impetus to Grape culture, by pro¬ 
viding a larger number of classes than any other 
horticultural society. Exhibitors should always show 
their very best, and it was put forth too, that if one 
has taken fewer or less valuable prizes than he ex¬ 
pected to, he was not to make the case worse by say¬ 
ing he bad better Grapes at home. In staging 
Grapes on the boards, they should be put at as steep 
an angle as possible so as to save the shoulders. And 
even the placing of the boxes in railway vans called 
for attention. The vans shake sideways, but never 
endways ; so that the backs of tbe Grapes should be 
placed to the sides of the van. Pure white paper is 
the best for covering Grapes with. Another practi¬ 
cal hint was, never to-put a yellow bunch at the end 
of two black ones, but rather between them. The 
chief want in schedules is definite and clearly- 
worded rules and conditions, as well as some hints as 
to the qualities the collections are to be judged for, 
or by. In the present collections for four, or six or 
eight bunches, in so many varielies, we constantly 
find, said the lecturer, the higher quality of Grapes 
classed against those of inferior flavour, but superior, 
perhaps, in every other respect. This increases the 
difficulties of just judging. Some judges have a 
reputation for affecting flavour for the greatest 
points. Others care as much for size and 
appearance as denoting bunches of good culture. 
Ftxy Muscat Hamburghs, judged by quality only, 
win easily against perfect Alicantes or Gros Maroc. 
Again, such fine Grapes as Alnwick Seedling, are 
also often beaten because that flavour has not 
developed with their appearance. Classification for 
varieties is almost as needful as for qualities. Some 
contend that all Hamburghs and Muscats are one 
and the same ; Cooper's Black and Black Maroc are 
alike also. It was pointed out or hinted at, that if 
schedules were to declare, for the purpose of great 
Grape classes, that certain varieties would be treated 
as one sort, something certainly would be gained. 
Another worthy step would be to merge all our 
Grapes into the two classes of flavour and 
appearance. Point judging was said to be the most 
accurate method. The number of points to form a 
maximum upon respective varieties should never be 
left to the judges, but should be previously stated in 
the schedules. The judges, too, said Mr Buchanan, 
should be men of cultural experience. Other judges 
were of insufficient practical knowledge to be truly 
correct in their decisions. Cordial votes of thanks 
closed the meeting. 
Climate affects Vegetation. — It is noted that dry 
lands are more favourable to the production of 
flowering plants, while rather damp and dull climates 
are the best for grasses. It is for this reason that 
grass and herbage grows so well on the ” Emerald 
Isle.” 
Bacterial Purification of Sewage.— The paper read 
before the Society of Arts on January i6tb, 1893, by 
Dr Samuel Rideal, F.I.C., appears in that society's 
journal for July 7th. He opens with a slight history 
of the primary means for disposing of excretae and 
describes the studies and observations of sanitorists 
for the perfect and speedy clearance of sewage from 
conglomerate communities. He also goes on to 
reason out the effects of dilution and the amounts of 
sewage certain proportions of water (rivers) can 
properly carry, treating also on the bacterial agents 
and their work as found in the rivers. The paper is 
not dry but interesting. 
Sage has long been a favourite with the housewife 
in the preparation of sundry savoury dishes, but in 
some parts of the country the favour in which the 
herb is held goes even further than this. In parts of 
old Cheshire it used to be regarded as "a very 
singular good gift of Goa.” In the days of good 
Queen Bess there lived and practised at Middlewich 
an old physician who, it is said, never passed a plant 
of Sage without pulling off his cap, for he said the 
plant possessed ” three hundred and sixty and five 
secret vertues, havynge one for each severall daye in 
the yeere.” He also accounted red sage to contain 
" the verie elixir vitae ” if men but knew how to 
extract it. 
--f—- 
EYNSFORD, IN KENT. 
The privilege of a mid-summer ramble over the 
breezy, sunny, beautiful nursery of Messrs. H. Can- 
nell & Sons, of Swanley and Eynsford, lingers in the 
writer’s recollection as a very pleasant outing. But 
it was Dot for pleasure the visit was made. Some¬ 
how or other, Mr. Cannell, Senior, can manage, how¬ 
ever, to dish up in the same embodiment for his 
visitors’ pleasurable acceptance a judicious blendiDg 
of recreative indulgence and true work. Notes upon 
what was viewed at the Swanley branch, where the 
firm’s headquarters are, were published in these 
columns some few weeks ago. Now Eynsford lies a 
few miles to the south of Swanley, lovely in itself, 
and entirely surrounded with stretching measures of 
fertile country. To one who has visited the ” Land 
o’ Scott ” in the border land, the resemblance in 
most of the physical characters of that part 
and the country around Swanley, seemed well 
matched. There are numerous wooded parts, varied 
upland and lowland, orchards, meadows, meandering 
country roads, lanes, and bye-ways, with here and 
there a village nestling with peaceful simplicity 
around this Kentish " Home of Flowers,” and one 
may find such scenes repeated away hundreds of 
miles north. Yet Kent is and claims properly to be 
the Garden of England and Swanley is “ The Home 
of Flowers.” 
On the way from Swanley to Eynsford, Mr. 
Cannell had much of interest to point out on either 
hand. The fruit orchards by the way'were pointed 
out. Many of them showed the directing power of a 
sound pomologist. Other ownerships were just the 
opposite. On dry soils also could be seen very 
healthy stocks of Brussels Sprouts which, from hav¬ 
ing been sown in August of last year, and afterwards 
carefully brought on, had thus been given plenty of 
time and a good start. 
But now for Eynsford itself. This nursery is 
managed by Mr. Robert Cannell, the second son of 
the founder of Messrs. Cannell & Sons. From Eyns^ 
ford all the vegetable seeds come, and here most of 
the Roses, hardy herbaceous plants, fruit and orna¬ 
mental trees of all kinds are grown. The extent of 
the whole runs to tbe handsome total of about 400 
acres. Every position, every possible site and in¬ 
cline is at the command of Mr. Cannell. Running as 
it seemed south-east and north-west, this large 
nursery spreads itself over both sides and all along 
the base of a winding, smiling vale. There is shelter 
and there is exposure. There are very dry 
places and there are places where moisture 
always rises sufficiently. Water is taken 
all over the nursery, getting plenty of force 
from its cistern bead high up on the west side. Mr 
