July 17, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
723 
WEBBS’ 
EMPEROR CABBAGE. 
The Earliest and Best 
6d and Is. per packet; Is. 6d. per oz. 
From Mr. G. H. BALL, Comer Gardens. 
"I herewith forwarl you a photograph of your valuable 
Cabbage—the Empeior. I find it is .the earliest, largest, 
and most compact variety I ever grew.” 
WEBBS’, WORDSLEY, STOURBRIDGE. 
LILIES OF THE VALLEY 
For Everybody and at any Time! 
Retarded crowns, i.e., crowns kept dormant by 
means of refrigeration, can be supplied twice a 
month. These crowns will bloom within 14-20 days ; 
send for a list at once to 
T. JANNOCH, 
Lily Nursery, Dersingham, King's Lynn, Norfolk. 
ORCHIDS 
Clean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit 0/ inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue. 
JAMES CYPHER, 
Exotic Nurseries, CHELTENHAM. 
£25 in PRIZES. 
DANIELS’ GOLDEN ROCCA ONION. 
Splendid variety of fine globular form, pale golden 
yellow skin, and mild delicate flavour. When well 
grown wid produce bulbs 2 lbs to 3 lbs. in weight. 
A superb exhibition variety, and the best for Autumn 
sowing. We offer ^25 in prizes in 1898 for bulbs 
grown from seed sown this season. All purchasers 
of not less than one ounce of seed will be eligible to 
compete. Seed, with full cultural directions, peroz., 
is. 6d.; per packet, 6d. Post free. 
DANIELS BROS., Seed Growers, NORWICH. 
THE FINEST CABBAGE IN THE WORLD. 
DANIELS’ DEFIANCE. 
A very fine, short-legged, compact, and early 
variety; growing quickly to the weight of 8 lb. or 
10 lb. each; exceedingly tender and of the most 
delicate marrow flavour. A grand Cabbage alike for 
the market or private grower Our own splendid 
stock, specially selected, per oz., is. 6d.; per packet, 
6i. Post free. 
DANIELS BROS., Seed Growers, NORWICH. 
H. CANNELL & SONS’ 
Cannas, Begonias, Pelargoniums, 
Carnations, Gloxinias, &c., &c- 
FINE8T DISPLAY & COLLECTIONS IN THE WORLD. 
Our Nurseries will be found now and all the 
season the most interesting and edifying probably 
of any similar establishment in England. All ad¬ 
mirers of good gardening will save and derive con¬ 
siderable benefit by sending for Catalogues and 
making themselves thoroughly acquainted with 
our firm. All kinds of Bedding Plants are ready 
and sent off at an hour’s notice. 
SWANLEY, KENT. 
Now Ready. Price 10s. 
li Hortus Boissierianus.” 
A CATALOGUE OF PLANTS cultivated in 1885 at 
Valleyres (Vaud), and at La Pierriere 
Ctiambesy, near Geneva). 
By EUGENE AUTRAN, Curator of the Boissier 
Herbarium, Cbambesy, Geneva ; and THEOPHILE 
DURAND, Curator of the Botanic Gardens, 
Brussels. 
With a Portrait of EDMOND BOISSIER, and 
two plates. 
The Work, which extends over 572 pages, large 
octavo, enumerates, with carefully-compiled refer¬ 
ences, one of the most remarkable collections of 
plants ever cultivated. 
GEORG & CO., Libraires-Editeurs, Geneva; 
J. B. EAILLIERE & SONS, 19 , Rue Hautefeuille, 
Paris; and 
R. FRIEDLANDER & SON, 11 , Carlstrasse, Berlin, 
. OUR APPEAL. . 
We have pleasure in acknowledging a 
first list of donations received at this office 
in response to our last week’s appeal. 
We again wish to ask our Readers to 
assist their fellows who have lost the 
means of making a livelihood through the 
dreadful visitation of Hailstones. 
The Proprietors of The Gar- 
£ 
s. 
d. 
dening World 
2 
2 
O 
Messrs. Clay & Son ... 
2 
2 
O 
Mr. H. M. Hicks . 
0 
IO 
O 
Mr. Alexr. Wright 
0 
10 
O 
Mr. J. Mayne ... 
0 
2 
6 
" Gardening Is the pnrest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man."— Bacon. 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , JULY 17th , 1897. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Wednesday, July 21st.— National Carnation & Picotee 
Society’s show at Regent’s Park. 
Thursday, July 22nd.—Halifax Rose Show. 
Trentham and Hanford Rose Show. * 
Friday, July 23rd.—Sale of Orchids by Messrs, Protheroe 
& Morris. 
he Horticultural Examination. —The 
results of the annual examination held 
under the auspices of the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society have again been published 
and now lie before us. Whatever may 
come of such examinations, the necessary 
drilling in the science and art of their pro¬ 
fession, to which gardeners and others 
connected with horticulture are subjected, 
cannot but make for good to the community 
generally and the individuals themselves in 
the long run. The standard and merit of 
the papers submitted to the examiners, 
have been greatly raised compared with 
those of former years ; but as time goes on 
we should like to see a much larger number 
of young British gardeners coming boldly for¬ 
wards to sit for the examinations. The value 
of the latter to gardeners of either sex will 
largely depend upon the use to which the 
examinees put the knowledge, so gained in 
their daily practice, quite independently of 
any reputation which success may secure 
for them. A male student tops the list on 
this occasion with the full complement of 
the maximum number of marks obtainable, 
and takes the Society’s Silver Gilt Medal 
and Chiswick scholarship. He is closely 
followed by two lady gardeners, of whom 
there are seventeen who have passed in the 
first class 
The Horticultural College, Swanley, and 
the Technical Laboratory, Chelms¬ 
ford, again bring forward the largest 
number of students from any given centre 
of teaching. Twenty-three students from 
the former school pass in the first class, 
seven in the second, and one in the third, 
making a total of thirty-one. Chelmsford 
doubles its record of last year with sixteen 
in the first class, and six in the third. This 
speaks well for the teaching, considering the 
limited accomodation at the Technical 
Laboratory. The to wn of Tamworth, over¬ 
lapping the borders of the counties of 
Stafford and Warwick, comes nexf with 
five students in the first class and five in 
the second. The Horticultural School, 
Holmes Chapel, Cheshire, follows with five 
students who passed first class, three 
second, and one third. The other students 
are fairly well scattered over the country, 
but particularly the southern and midland 
counties, and serve to show where the 
interest in this modern phase of horticulture 
is keen. Scotland follows the lead of 
England ; but we should have liked to see a 
larger number of students from the northern 
part of the island. 
We note that two Kew students who 
wrote their examination papers under our 
superintendence have come out with flying 
colours in the first class. They attended 
no school nor special class in working up for 
this examination, at least during the past 
winter. Other students in more northern 
counties both in England and Scotland, 
who asked for instructions how to proceed 
in their studies through the medium of The 
Gardening World, have also passed 
first class. We commend them for their 
diligence and congratulate them upon their 
success. The examiners’ report of the 
examination will be found on another page, 
so that details are unnecessary here. 
Whe Strawberry Season.— Those who 
grow Strawberries for their own use or 
for sale are all too cognisant of the fleeting 
nature of the crop, and the favour with 
which it is received by old and young alike. 
This, of course, applies more particularly 
to the southern than the northern counties 
where the season is always later by virtue 
of latitude, and sometimes longer on account 
of the cooler and moister atmosphere. 
Strawberries appear in the London markets 
about the middle of May, and may even be 
procured earlier for special purposes by 
paying the price that the artificial forcing 
of them necessitates. Of course, these un¬ 
seasonable fruits are expensive luxuries, 
and of poor quality compared with those 
ripened naturally in the open air under the 
influence of sunshine. In the early days of 
the year the murky and sunless atmosphere 
of this island augurs ill for the flavour of 
any kind of fruit ripened under glass with 
the aid of fire heat. The price required for 
them prevents Strawberries from making a 
feature in the mirkets at that early period. 
Most of France lies considerably to the 
south of Britain, and for that reason culti¬ 
vators there are able to flood our markets 
with Strawberries from the open air ten to 
sixteen days earlier than the home grown 
supply. During that time steamers ply 
regularly every day between the nearest of 
the French ports and those of our shores. 
The countries lying to the north of France 
have no chance in our markets, at least till 
the home supply is over. This is, of course, 
due to the tardiness of their more northern 
clime as far as this fruit is concerned. The 
advent of the home grown fruit is the signal 
for the foreign supplies to cease, as the 
superior quality of home grown fruit, owing 
to its greater freshness and proximity to the 
market, enlists the sympathy of the con¬ 
sumers at once. The earliest supplies 
come from Hants, but Kent in a few days 
hurries up with her precious harvest by 
hundreds of tons. Strawberries are grown 
in greater or less quantities in different 
counties ; but those who travel on the South 
Eastern and London, Chatham and Dover 
Railways during the season, cannot fail to 
notice the broad acres covered with groups 
of men, women, boys and girls harvesting 
