December 2, 1899. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
215 
duced fine crops of fruit, and the fortunate 
possessors have had a real good time, sending fruit 
to markets and because of scant supplies receiving 
good returns in the way of money in exchange. To 
commence with the Strawberries, certain localities 
had good crops but the fruit was never plentiful, nor 
did one see much of it on the coster’s barrow. In 
our local markets the price ranged from 8d. to 6d. 
a lb. and back again to 8 3 ., which would show that 
they were not in any way plentiful. Our local 
growers had an excellent crop and first-rate weather 
for picking, and consequently scored a great success, 
but in the county of Kent, where our largest supplies 
usually come from, one heard of hundreds of acres 
of Strawberries being ploughed in, as there was no 
crop worth picking. 
The cause of this disaster is not far to seek, and I 
think we may safely say that it was the long 
drought of 1898, for although we had a very trying 
spring this year, with late frosts and cold winds of 
long duration, I do not think that the spring weather 
would account for this total failure. Of course one 
knows that spring frosts will blacken and destroy 
Strawberry flowers when they are expanded, but the 
blooms do not all come out at once, and it takes 
a considerable frost to kill the unopened buds; 
moreover, many growers tell me that they had no 
blooms to begin with. 
Speaking of my own personal experience, our trial 
beds of one-year plants, set thickly, were rarely, if 
ever, better, and we had so much fruit that much of 
it was wasted. It would not be of much interest for 
me to give a list of those varieties which did best, 
for I find that no fruit varies more in cropping and 
quality in different districts than does the Straw¬ 
berry, and even from season to season one is 
compelled to form fresh opinions respecting many 
varieties ; for instance, during the past three or four 
years Latest of All has been grand, and (although it 
is not one of the latest, by the way), it has been 
greatly in demand and a general favourite ; this year, 
in spite of our having had a genial rain prior to their 
ripening, the fruits were many of them hollow and 
insipid. Royal Sovereign was Ar, immense crop 
and good flavour; and amongst the earlies nothing 
came up to Scarlet Queen. I often wonder why this 
variety has not come more to the front. During the 
Strawberry season I generally have a walk round the 
beds before breakfast, when the fruit is at its best, 
and one can best appreciate its flavour, and I found 
my steps generally led me this season first to 
the Scarlet Queen beds, later to Royal Sovereign, 
and afterwards to Auguste Boisselot and President, 
my special favourite, Dr. Hogg, having failed to crop 
this year. 
Speaking of the joy of eating these delicious fruits 
in perfection, is it not lamentable to see the stuff set 
before the general public for consumption ? I live 
now in the city of Nottingham, a place with 260,000 
inhabitants, many of whom are quite willing to pay 
a good price for a fair article, and yet I never once 
saw a nice punnet of clean fresh fruit which one 
would take a pleasure in eating, but only heaps 
of fruit which, however nice when first turned out of 
the baskets, by repeated handling and weighing 
being taken out of them, soon look as if the pro¬ 
prietor had made his bed upon them overnight. 
But to turn from this somewhat unsavoury subject, 
I may say that in the Midlands, despite the harsh 
springs, the crops of Gooseberries and Currants 
have been excellent, although in some localities the 
Black Currants suffered from lack of moisture. 
Speaking of these fruits reminds one of the boom 
which was made some years ago over Berry’s Early 
Kent Gooseberry, which turned out to be an 
extremely old friend—Keepsake- under another 
name, and this year we have fruited the new Comet 
Currant, which we are unable to distinguish in any 
way from La Versaillaise. There is a difference 
between the two, but it consists in the fact that the 
first named cost us 2s. 6d. a plant and the others did 
not. 
Whilst we are thinking about small fruits I should 
like to ask if anyone has fruited the Japanese 
Mayberry ? I have asked many, but cannot hear of 
anyone succeeding with it. With us it has been cut 
each year by the spring frosts, and although in 
America it withstands a very low temperature with a 
dry atmosphere I fear it is useless in this country. 
The Strawberry Raspberry we have most of us 
fruited, and I presume that you will agree with me 
that although it may be considered as an interesting 
and somewhat striking addition to our mixed border, 
it has scant claim to a position in the fruit garden. 
The Loganberry has, I think, come to stay ; it has a 
flavour quite of its own, a mixture of Blackberry, 
Raspberry, and a decided dash of Mulberry ; it is by 
no means to be despised as a dessert fruit when 
fully ripe, and it is really excellent when preserved. 
Speaking of preserves, some of those present will 
possibly remember having tasted that most delicious 
Medlar jelly which our friend the late Mr. Rivers 
brought up some years ago to the Fruit Committee. 
I was privileged in my school days to be the 
recipient of divers boxes of Guava jelly, which a 
relative sent from Brazil, and I used to think that 
nothing could ever equal it in my estimation, but 
Mr. Rivers’ Medlar jelly would, I think, run it very 
close. Alas! I have tasted neither of late, so 
cannot well compare their merits, but I feel sure 
that Medlar jelly would find a ready sale if it were 
cunningly prepared, and as the Medlars can be 
worked on any hedgerow there need be no difficulty 
about providing ground for them. I throw this hint out 
to any who wish to make a fortune, and trust that 
when the money comes rolling in they will remember 
me substantially. I am not supposed to be writing 
about new fruits, but I may mention incidentally 
that two new Black Currants carried crops of fruit 
this season with me ; the first, called Early Black, 
had a large crop of very smail fruit, which dropped 
off as soon as ripe; the second, Golden Black, was a 
very sweet Currant, of a dirty, muddy brown colour 
and most unattractive appearance. 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The awards hereunder mentioned were made by the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 21st inst.:— 
Orchid Committee. 
Cattleya Mrs. J. W. Whiteley.— The parents 
of this beautiful hybrid were C. bowringiana and 
C. hardyana massaiana, the latter presumably being 
the pollen bearer. The sepals are rose coloured, and 
the petals several shades darker. The lamina of the 
lip is dark purple with a transverse crimson band at 
its base, below which a large orange blotch occupies 
the throat, extending into the tube. (Award of Merit) 
Sir James P. Miller, Bart, (gardener, Mr. James 
Hamilton), Manderston, Duns, Berwickshire. 
Cattleya Vestalis. —Here we have another 
hybrid Cattleya of chaste and soft beauty, the parents 
being C. maxima (female), and C. dowiana aurea 
(male). The sepals and broad oval petals are white, 
suffused with the faintest blush. The lamina of the 
lip is densely netted with purple like C. maxima, and 
white at the beautifully crisped margin. The tube 
is deep orange-crimson internally, and shaded with 
rose on the outer face. (Award of Merit.) Messrs. 
J. Veitch and Sons, Ltd., Chelsea. 
Odontoglossum loochristyanum Canary 
Bird. —The sepals of this pretty Odontoglot are 
lanceolate and bright yellow with numerous brown 
spots. The elliptic petals are of the same bright and 
cheerful yellow with a white band along the centre. 
The lip is similar to that of O. crispum (the parents 
evidently being O. crispum and O. triumphans), and 
is spotted with cinnamon on a creamy-white ground. 
The whole contour of the flower is very pretty. 
(Award of Merit). W. Thompson, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. W. Stevens), Walton Grange, Stone, Staffs. 
Cypripedium Milo Westonbirt var. —The dor¬ 
sal sepal is roundly elliptic, strongly reflexed at the 
sides below the middle and handsomely blotched 
with crimson-brown, and white towards the margin. 
The petals are brown, with a yellow edge, and glossy, 
like wax. The lip is brown and similarly shining. 
It is an improved variety of the hybrid C. Milo, 
intermediate between the parents C. insigne Chan- 
tini and C. oenanthum superbum. (Award of Merit.) 
Captain Holford (gardener, Mr. A. Chapman), 
Westonbirt, Tetbury, Gloucester. 
Floral Committee. 
Begonia Sylvia.— The winter-flowering race of 
Begonias, derived by hybridising B. socotrana and 
the tuberous rooted section, continues to be improved 
by additions to the already existing varieties. The 
flowers are rosy-pink and semi-double, with broad 
outer petals and numerous small inner ones filling up 
the centre. The roundly cordate and oblique leaves 
are of a rich dark green, forming a fine contrast to 
the numerous trusses of flowers. (Award cf Merit.) 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons, Ltd. 
Dracaena The Queen. —The long, narrow, arch¬ 
ing leaves of this variety and the well marked or 
defined colours make this a decorative subject of the 
first water. The leaves are dark bronzy-purple 
with a red edge, the younger ones at the top being of 
a paler red on each side of the centre, wiih a creamy 
margin. The existence of all these colours on the 
plant at one time gives it a distinctive feature. 
(Award of Merit.) Messrs. J. Veilch & Sods, Ltd. 
Chrysanthemum Mrs. Alfred Tate. — This 
being a sport from Etoile de Lyon, the change of 
colour is remarkable. The broad, spreading florets 
are of a bright orange. (Award of Merit.) F. A. 
Bevan, Esq (gardener, Mr. W. H. Lees), Trent 
Park, New Barnet. 
Pelargonium Lilian. —The flowers of this 
charming zonal variety are of good average size, 
produced freely in large trusses and of a beautiful 
silvery-pink colour. (Award of Merit.) Captain 
Holford. 
Fruit Committee. 
Apple Bassaleg Pippin. —The fruit of this dessert 
variety is ovate and yellow, striped with red. (Award 
of Merit) Mr. John Basham, Fair Oak Gardens, 
Bassaleg, Newport, Mon. 
Pear Double de Guerre. — This is a large pyri¬ 
form brown or russety Pear, a heavy cropper, and 
suitable for stewing purposes. (Award of Merit.) 
Frank Lloyd, Esq. (gardener, Mr. M. E. Mills), 
Coombe House, Croydon, 
tub Oicftltl Brower’s Calendar. 
Flowers for Christmas. —We all like to have a 
good supply of choice flowers at this festive season, 
and to do so have to look ahead a bit. Dendrobiums 
lend themselves to the forcing or retarding systems 
about as well as any Orchid known, and are in ccn- 
sequence grown largely for supplying cut flowers. 
D. nobile and D. wardianum are about the two best 
for this work, although D. crassinode is not to be 
despised. A few plants put into strong heat will 
soon come along and prove invaluable for button¬ 
holes, &c. 
Calanthe Veitchi, too, is another grand Orchid, 
coming in well for church decoration. The long 
spikes cut and put into small bottles, which nave 
been bedded in pots of sand to keep them from 
ioppliDg over, can be massed or dotted about at wili. 
Cattleya labiata, which is cow finely in 
flower, is another that comes in well for this work, 
only they do not like being kept back much, si that 
when the spikes begin to push it is as well to let 
them come or the flowers will be poor. Keep the 
atmosphere about the dry side, and they will last 
pretty well with this end in view. We put those in 
flower at one end so that when the syringing is done 
the flowers do not get sprayed. 
Laelia anceps and its varieties are this season 
pretty forward. The first with us opened to-day, 
so that by the end of the year the bulk will be in 
flower. A little care in arranging the spikes before 
the flowers open will be appreciated later on ; it is 
so much better for the blooms to all face one way. 
Cool House. —This division should supply its 
full complement of flowers. What with Oncidium 
tigrinum, Odontoglossum Rossii majus, and a few 
stray spikes of O. crispum, flowers will be fairly 
plentiful. 
Work in the Houses.—T he principal work 
from now onwards is to keep ;he temperature 
within proper limits; this, of course, is not difficult 
with such wonderfully mild weather which now 
prevails. 
Sponging of the plants, too, will now form part cf 
the general routine of autumn and winter wcrk A 
little soft soap in the water is all we use. Such in¬ 
secticides as Fir-tree oil and the like we give a wide 
berth. 
Potting.— I know it is going against all old 
methods to even think about potting Orchids during 
the winter months, leave alone doing it; but we 
have to do it of necessity, and whilst we do not 
advise the re-pottiDg of Cattleyas and the like, we re¬ 
pot cool stuff with impunity during mild weather, 
but when it is frosty we hold off.—S. C. 
