340 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
April  22,  1897* 
-  Hamburg  Exhibition.  —  We  are  informed  that  at  the 
Hamburg  Exhibition,  extending  throughout  the  summer  months,  prizes 
to  the  amount  of  £7500  will  be  given.  This  considerable  amount  has 
been  raised  by  subscription,  the  Emperor  and  many  nobles,  besides 
the  officials  and  citizens  of  Hamburg,  having  given  substantial  assistance. 
In  addition  to  money  prizes  several  medals  will  be  awarded.  English 
visitors  must  remember  that  the  next  show  opens  on  May  1st.  The 
route  by  Great  Eastern  Railway  and  General  Steam  Navigation  Co.’s 
express  trains  and  magnificent  steamers  will  be  found  quick  and 
comfortable. 
-  Shows  at  Cardiff. — Two  schedules  of  shows  to  be  held  in 
Cardiff  during  1897  have  reached  us.  One  is  of  the  Cardiff  and  County 
Horticultural  Society,  whose  exhibition  will  be  held  on  August  11th  and 
12th.  in  the  Sophia  Gardens.  The  classes  are  numerous,  and  the  prizes) 
as  a  rule,  high,  at  least  sufficiently  so  to  promise  a  first-rate  show. 
Schedule  No.  2  is  of  the  Cardiff  and  District  Chrysanthemum 
Society,  of  which  the  show  will  be  held  in  the  Park  Hall  on  November 
3rd  and  4th.  There  are  open  and  restricted  classes,  and  it  is  to  be 
hoped  that  the  exhibition  will  be  an  unqualified  success. 
-  Sutton’s  A1  Kale. — When  at  Woodside,  Farnham  Royal 
recently,  I  saw  a  breadth  of  this  wonderfully  fine  green  Kale,  with 
respect  to  which  it  was  not  at  all  needful  for  Mr.  James  to  draw  atten¬ 
tion  and  to  praise  it.  The  breadth  told  its  own  tale.  The  variety  is  of 
the  tall  Scotch  character,  but  has  leafage  much  more  densely  set  on 
the  stems,  and  carries  a  thick  massive  head.  How  different  in  this 
respect  from  the  comparatively  thin-leaved  head  of  the  common  form. 
But  the  great  feature  of  the  A1  variety  is  its  wonderful  sprouting 
qualities,  for  the  stems  are  so  thickly  coated  with  sprouts  that  it  is 
difficult  to  keep  them  fully  bard  gathered.  Whilst  pieces  of  common 
Scotch  in  other  gardens  were  stripped  bare  this  greatly  improved  form 
was  giving  a  literal  wealth  of  curly  sprouts.  It  is  a  grand  addition  to 
our  late  winter  garden  Kales. — A.  D. 
-  “  Florilegjum  Harlemense.” — Such  is  the  title  of  a  work 
of  which  we  have  received  two  parts,  after  the  style  of  the  “  Album 
Yan  Eeden,”  that  is  now  being  published  under  the  auspices  of  the 
“  Algemeene  Vereeniging  Voor  Bloembollencultuur  ”  at  Haarlem,  Hol¬ 
land.  The  plates  are  magnificent  chromo-lithographs  after  well  known 
Dutch  artists,  and  the  admirably  written  letterpress  accompanying  each 
is  given  in  four  languages — Dutch,  English,  French,  and  German.  The 
pictures  are  almost  perfect  portrayals  of  life,  andi  editors  in  their  selec¬ 
tion,  artists  in  their  paintings,  and  printers  in  their  reproduction  are 
deserving  of  every  congratulation  and  support.  The  plates,  which  are 
all  of  bulbs,  as  is  inferred  by  the  title,  that  have  already  appeared,  are  as 
follows  : — Hyacinth  La  Grandesse  ;  single  Tulips,  Keizers  Kroon,  Potte- 
bakker  white,  Proserpine  and  Vermilion  Brilliant  ;  Narcissus  pseudo- 
Narcissus  maximus,  bicolor  Horsfieldi,  and  moschatus  albicans  ; 
Hyacinth,  Gigantea  ;  single  Tulips,  Chrysolora,  Canary  Bird,  Wouver- 
man,  and  L’lmmaculee  ;  and  Fritillaria  imperialis  rubra  maxima.  The 
work  will  appear  in  four  parts  yearly,  the  annual  subscription  being 
153.,  and  a  speciman  copy  may  be  bad  free  on  application  to  the 
publisher,  De  Erven  Loosjes,  Haarlem,  Holland. 
-  Hardy  Fruit  Bloom.  —  Whatever  may  be  the  ultimate 
product  it  is  certain  that  fruit  trees  on  every  hand  are  making  a 
magnificent  floral  display.  It  will  be  interesting  later  to  compare 
results  with  present  promise  when  the  annual  fruit  census  is  taken. 
Pears  are  universally  blooming,  almost  marvellously,  the  flowers  being 
so  densely  set  on  many  trees  that  little  but  the  bloom  is  seen,  A 
remarkable  sight  just  recently  has  been  Mr.  W.  D.  Blackmore’s  garden 
at  Teddington,  where  the  many  trees  of  free  growth  tower  up 
above  the  enclosing  walls,  and  show  every  one  irrespective  of  variety 
literally  a  mass  of  bloom.  Whether  this  abundance  of  flower  is 
good  or  the  reverse  remains  to  be  seen,  but  there  have  been  previous 
seasons  when  such  great  masses  of  bloom  were  seen  and  the  fruit 
product  has  been  indifferent.  The  present  abundance  has  had  in  its 
favour  abundant  moisture,  whilst  the  individual  flowers  are  large.  Some 
no  doubt  have  suffered  from  frost,  but  the  greater  portion  has  escaped 
harm.  It  i«  nothing  new  to  see  Cherries  blooming  profusely.  The  trees 
nearly 'always  do  so,  yet  the  fruit  crop  appreciably  varies.  Much 
now  depends  on  the  Dature  of  the  weather  for  the  next  week  or  two  ; 
at  present  it  is  wild  and  stormy,  and  not  all  that  can  be  desired. 
Plums  are  blooming  moderately.  The  trees  will  no  doubt  carry  an 
ample  crop  of  their  soft  fruits  without  being  unduly  exhausted.  As  for 
Apple  trees,  they  will  in  every  direction  be  grand  masses  of  colour  in  a 
few  days,  and  so  far  no  harm  has  been  done.  The  present  prospect  for 
a  fruit  crop  is  of  the  very  best,— D. 
-  Southport  and  Birkdale  Gardeners’  Society. — A  copy 
of  the  annual  report  of  the  Mutual  Improvement  Department  of  this 
Society  has  reached  us.  From  this  it  appears  that  excellent  work  is 
being  done  in  diffusing  knowledge  on  practical  points  in  gardening  by 
the  aid  of  papers  by  men  thoroughly  versed  in  the  best  methods  of 
procedure.  Such  societies  as  this  do  a  great  amount  of  good  to  the 
world  of  gardening,  and  are  deserving  of  all  support.  The  Secretary,. 
Mr.  H.  R.  Goddard,  having  resigned,  Mr.  J.  E.  Swift  was  elected  to  fill 
the  vacancy,  and  his  address  is  11,  Pine  Grove,  Southport. 
-  Unwelcome  Guests. — Messrs.  Laing  &  Mather,  the  well- 
known  nurserymen  of  Kelso-on-Tweed,  are  renowned  for  the  courtesy 
with  which  they  greet  visitors,  but  they  have  recently  had  invaders  who 
were  decidedly  unwelcome.  They  came  in  the  form  of  voles  or  field- 
mice,  which  mustered  an  army,  and  ate  out  the  points  of  a  plantation  of 
two-year-old  Scots  Firs.  The  firm,  not  being  sure  of  the  cause  of  the 
trouble,  sent  specimens  of  the  damaged  stock  to  Mr.  Malcolm  Dunn  of 
Dalkeith,  who  pronounced  the  enemies  to  be  voles.  Traps  were  set 
after  the  whole  of  the  damaged  trees  had  been  burned,  and  a  good 
“bag”  was  the  result.  We  trust  Messrs.  Laing  &  Mather  will  come 
off  victorious  in  their  war  with  the  rodents. 
-  Seakale.  —  Mr.  C.  Herrin  is  so  much  impressed  at  Dropmore 
with  the  exceeding  value  of  a  good  supply  of  Seakale  roots  for  forcing 
and  blanching,  that  he  puts  out  annually  several  thousands  of  root 
cuttings,  quite  a  large  breadth  of  ground  being  thus  occupied.  Blest, 
indeed,  is  the  gardener  in  winter  who  has  his  quiver  full  of  Seakale 
roots,  for  he  can  run  a  supply  of  the  delicious  blanched  heads  for  a  period 
of  six  months  with  the  least  possible  trouble.  None  is  blanched  in  the 
ground  at  Dropmore,  because  such  methods  would  interfere  with  the 
routine  of  cropping  in  the  spring.  The  latest  can  easily  be  blanched 
with  the  aid  of  leaves  only,  and  it  is  so  produced  beautifully  white  and 
perfectly  developed.  It  is  surprising  that  the  production  of  big  breaks 
of  Seakale  roots  in  this  way  is  not  common  practice  in  every  large 
garden. — A.  D. 
-  Sutton’s  Favourite  Cabbage.— This  compact,  firm,  tender 
looking  little  Cabbage,  as  exhibited  at  the  Drill  Hall  last  week  by  Mr. 
G.  Wythes,  was,  as  stated  in  our  report  of  the  meeting,  admired  by 
many  visitors.  At  this  season  of  the  year,  when  the  ordinary  winter 
Greens  are  as  a  rule  getting  exhausted,  or  the  flower  stems  tough  and 
stringy,  a  supply  of  such  Cabbages  would  come  as  a  boon  to  many  a 
gardener.  Mr.  Wythes  showed  cne  of  the  plants  as  drawn  from  the 
ground,  and  it  was  scarcely  less  remarkable  for  its  short  slender  stem 
than  for  its  close  shapely  head,  with  the  fewest  possible  loose  leaves  for 
removal.  Dwarfness  is,  however,  very  much  a  question  of  thin  sowing 
and  intelligent  management.  The  Cabbages  were  only  a  little  larger 
than  good  sized  plump  partridges.  We  do  not  know  Mr.  Wythes’ 
planting  distance,  but  it  is  certain  that  he  could  have  grown  them  as 
they  were  by  allowing  each  plant  a  square  superficial  foot  of  space. 
Cabbages  decidedly  inferior  to  those  in  question  have  been  selling  freely 
in  London,  and  are  yet  at  l£d.  each.  An  acre  of  the  Wythes  brand,  if 
fortunately  free  from  blanks,  would  at  Id.  each  be  worth  upwards  of 
£180.  There  is  thus  money  in  Cabbages  when  full  crops  of  the  right 
sort  are  placed  on  sale  at  the  right  time,  and  that  is  when  London  is 
hungering  for  the  first  spring  ^supplies. 
-  Societe  Fran^aise  d’Horticulture  de  Londres. — The 
Secretary  of  this  Association,  which  has  now  reached  its  eighth  year, 
has  forwarded  to  us  the  Bulletin  of  1896,  and  if  judgment  were  passed 
according  to  the  size  of  the  book  the  verdict  would  be  distinctly  favour¬ 
able,  as  it  reaches  a  total  of  140  pages.  The  favourable  impression 
created  by  the  clear  printing  on  slightly  toned  paper  is  justified  on  a 
perusal  of  its  contents,  which  are  very  interesting.  The  frontispiece  is  a 
speaking  likeness  of  the  indefatigable  President  of  the  Society,  Mr.  G. 
Schneider,  better  known  to  English  gardeners  as  the  genial,  versatile, 
and  courteous  Frenchman  who  so  admirably  presides  over  the  Fern 
department  in  Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons’  Chelsea  nursery.  The  Hon. 
Secretary,  Mons.  Louis  Gentil,  has  written  in  a  graceful,  pleasing  style 
of  Mr.  Schneider’s  life  and  work,  paying  thoroughly  deserved  compli¬ 
ments  to  the  author  of  “The  Book  of  Chfice  Ferns.”  The  general 
report  by  Mons.  Ren6  Moser  tells  of  good  work,  well  done,  and  looks 
hopefully  to  the  future.  Reports  are  given  of  the  various  meetings  that 
have  been  held  during  the  year,  while  Messrs.  L.  Pynaert  and  L.  Gentil 
in  collaboration  have  written  an  extremely  interesting  account  of  Messrs' 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons’  (Ltd.)  various  nurseriep.  The  bulletin  is  entirely 
satisfactory,  and  we  wish  the  Society  increased  success  and  prosperity, 
in  the  future. 
