August  1, 1895 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
107 
-  Disease  in  Chestnut  Trees. — French  journals  state  that  a 
•disease,  called  in  France  “Javart,”has  appeared  among  the  Chestnut 
trees  in  France,  and  is  doing  considerable  injury.  It  appears  on  the 
bark  of  the  young  shoots  about  the  time  when  the  branch  is  about 
to  complete  its  growth  for  the  season.  The  first  appearance  on  the 
bark  Is  like  a  bruise,  and  a  short  time  afterwards  it  becomes  dry 
and  cracks  into  thin  plates.  It  resembles  in  some  respects  the  canker 
in  the  Apple  tree.  Two  French  microscopists,  Prillieux  and  Delacroix, 
have  found  that  the  disease  is  due  to  a  microscopic  fungus  of  the 
genus  Diplodina. 
-  Water  Melons — These  are  better  appreciated  in  warmer 
■climates  than  that  which  we  possess,  says  the  “  Garden  and  Forest,” 
consequently  their  cultivation  forms  a  great  industry  in  drier  hotter 
countries.  In  the  Southern  United  States  of  Georgia,  Alabama,  and 
Florida  there  will  be  about  22,000  acres  of  Water  Melons  planted  this 
season.  This  means,  with  a  favourable  season,  that  10,000  car  loads  of 
fruit  will  be  shipped.  An  average  freight  train  consists  of  twenty  cars, 
so  500  train  loads  may  be  despatched,  or  an  average  of  a  dozen  train 
Hoads  a  day  for  about  six  weeks  ;  the  greater  portion  of  these  Melons 
go  to  more  northern  States. 
-  The  24°  of  Frost  in  Yorkshire. — I  did  not  intend  taking 
any  notice  of  Mr.  Thos.  Pitts’  astounding  frost  last  month  ;  but  after 
seeing  the  three  letters  on  page  80, 1  thought  I  would  send  our  minimum 
readings  covering  the  period  mentioned  by  Mr.  Pitts,  Our  instruments 
are  Negretti  &  Zambra’s,  and  guaranteed  accurate.  The  one  I  am 
quoting  from  is  a  terrestrial  radiation  thermometer,  placed  on  the  grass 
and  exposed  to  the  sky.  Here  are  the  minimum  readings  for  the  eight 
nights  in  question  : — June  15tb,  312° ;  16th,  34°;  17th,  35°;  18th,  43°; 
19th,  32° ;  20th,  40°  ;  2l8t,  33°  ;  and  22nd,  46°.  I  may  say  these 
temperatures  were  taken  within  a  few  miles  of  Mr.  Pitts. — J.  Easter, 
Kostell  Priory  Gardens,  Wahefield. 
-  Shady  Corners. — How  unhappy  many  people  are,  says  a 
writer  in  a  transatlantic  journal,  over  the  shady  spots  under  trees  where 
the  grass  will  not  grow,  and  how  much  time  and  money  they  expend  in 
trying  to  keep  out  plants  that  enjoy  such  places,  and  in  trying  to  keep 
in  grass  that  cannot  be  made  to  succeed.  These  shady  places  can  be 
made  more  interesting  with  less  care  than  almost  any  other  part  of  the 
grounds  if  the  conditions  are  once  made  right.  To  learn  what  is  right 
one  may  study  to  good  advantage  similar  localities  in  the  edge  of  woods 
or  in  fields  that  are  not  too  closely  browsed  by  cattle  or  sheep.  You  will 
find  a  fringing  of  shrubs  under  the  ends  of  the  branches  of  the  trees 
that  almost  completely  bides  the  wild  and  leafy  mould  from  the  more 
^finished  hayfield  or  pasture  outside  of  the  group.  Under  the  trees  is  a 
covering  of  rich,  loose  leaf  mould,  and  in  this  leaf  mould  there  are 
growing,  or  there  can  be  made  to  grow,  many  of  our  most  beautiful 
flowers,  such  as  the  Trilliums,  Hepaticas,  Solomon’s  Seal,  Anemones, 
Violets,  and  no  less  than  thirty  kinds  of  Ferns.  Nothing  can  give 
&  lover  of  Nature  more  pleasure  than  to  personally  superintend  the 
making  and  filling  of  such  a  wild  garden,  and  if  he  joe  [a  travelling 
man  he  will  have  an  opportunity  of  picking  up  many  choice  me¬ 
mentoes  in  the  way  of  plants. 
-  Gathering  op  Gardeners  at  the  Chilwell  Nurseries, 
Nottingham  — By  the  invitation  of  Messrs.  Pearson  &  Sons  a  large 
company  of  gardeners  met, on  Tuesday,  July  30th,  to  enjoy  the  hospitality 
of  the  firm  at  luncheon,  and  then  a  visit  of  inspection  of  their  fruit  tree 
nurseries  under  the  guidanee  of  the  hosts  and  the  foremen.  The  visit 
may  be  considered  a  somewhat  historical  one,  it  being  a  sort  of  God 
speed  to  the  occupants  of  50  acres  of  fruit  trees  of  all  nursery  ages, 
from  the  bud  to  the  first  fruiting  stage  of  bush  or  tree.  These  50  acres 
of  splendidly  healthy  young  stock  of  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  Cherries, 
Gooseberries,  Currants,  besides  every  other  kind  of  garden  stuff,  are  to 
be  distributed  this  autumn  and  winter,  partly,  and  mainly,  to  supply 
the  demand  for  fruit  trees  which,  we  are  told,  is  increasing  every 
year,  and  the  other  part  to  be  removed  to  the  new  ground  which  the 
firm  has  bought  at  Lowdham  on  the  north-east  side  of  the  town  of 
Nottingham,  Here,  in  the  future,  their  fruit  tree  station  will  be, 
though  the  home  nurseries  will  remain,  as  at  present,  at  Chilwell, 
Mr.  A.  H.  Pearson,  in  a  very  happily  worded  speech,  gave  the 
assembled  gardeners  a  hearty  welcome  to  the  nurseries,  and  hoped 
that  they  would  enjoy  themselves,  so  that  they  would  be  able  to  look 
back  on  their  meeting  together  on  the  occasion  withlsatisfaction.  The 
day,  weathe.rwise,  was  all  that  could  be  desired,  and  the  hundred 
gardeners  will  long  remember  it,  and  all  that  the  day  brought  them. — 
N.  H.  PowNALL,  Lcnton  Hall  Gardens, 
-  Shepherd’s  Kale. — From  the  “Observer”  (a  Kent  local 
paper)  of  July  12th  the  following  note  is  extracted: — “Last  market 
day  quite  a  sensation  was  caused  at  Salisbury  by  the  exhibition  of  a 
mammoth  plant  in  full  bloom  of  what  is  known  as  Shepherd’s  Kale.  It 
measured  8  feet  in  height  and  11  feet  in  circumference,  and  it  was 
calculated  that  this  single  plant  raised  from  seed  sown  the  year 
previously  produced  sufficient  for  one  day’s  keep  for  an  ordinary 
bullock.  This  extraordinary  Kale  is  the  result  of  experiments  made  by 
Mr.  Walter  Shepherd  of  Over  Wallop,  Hants.  Three  pounds  of  seed  per 
acre  were  enough  to  produce  90  tons  of  this  most  prolific  food  for  sheep 
and  cattle.  The  report  reached  me  from  reliable  quarters,  and  is  so 
significant  that  I  cannot  withhold  it  from  your  agricultural  friends.” 
— Extractor. 
-  Thermopsis  caroliniana.  —  This  Pea-flowered  plant  is 
excellent  for  the  rear  line  of  the  herbaceous  border.  Its  unbranched 
stems  grow  from  4  to  5  feet  high,  and  are  well  covered  with  dark  green 
ternate  leaves.  The  showy  yellow  flowers  are  in  long  terminal  spikes, 
and  they  last  for  two  or  three  weeks  in  bloom.  It  likes  a  good  deep 
rich  soil,  and  a  position  where  it  is  not  shaded.  When  the  plants  are 
about  3  feet  high  it  is  beneficial  to  them  to  be  tied  loosely  to  a  stake, 
for  if  the  large  spikes  are  wet  with  rain  they  are  apt  to  fall  down,  and 
are  not  so  handsome  afterwards.  This  plant  can  be  increased  in  the 
spring  or  autumn  by  dividing  the  old  roots,  or  it  can  be  raised  from 
seed.  It  produces  an  abundance  of  seeds  annually,  but  they  are  slow  to 
germinate,  and  should  be  sown  soon  after  they  are  collected.  The 
plant,  says  the  “Garden  and  Forest,”  grows  wild  in  great  abundance 
among  the  mountains  of  North  Carolina. 
CARNATIONS  AT  THE  CRYSTAL  PALACE. 
Perhaps  with  the  exception  of  “  the  Queen  of  Flowers,”  the  ever- 
popular  Rose,  no  gem  of  the  summer  occupies  a  higher  position  in  the 
estimation  of  florists  at  the  present  day  than  the  Carnation,  nor  need 
we  wonder  at  it,  as  no  flower  displays  a  greater  variety  in  form  and 
colour,  or  lends  itself  more  readily  to  improvement  by  the  hybridist's 
art  than  this.  The  perfect  form  of  the  exhibition  bloom  may  be  thought 
by  some  critics  to  be  somewhat  stiff  and  artificial,  but  any  tendency  in 
that  direction  is  counterbalanced  by  the  symmetry  of  shape,  the  exquisite 
delicacy  of  the  various  shades  of  colour,  crowned  in  many  cases  by  the 
rich  Clove  scent,  which  alone  has  done  much  towards  making  the 
Carnation  famous.  In  these  days  of  societies  and  combinations  there  is 
no  wonder  that  enthusiasts  in  Carnation  growing  amalgamated  into  a 
society  to  encourage  the  cultivation  of  and  advertise  still  more,  if  indeed 
such  was  necessary,  the  merits  of  their  favourite  flower. 
Enough,  therefore,  of  the  Society,  and  now  a  little  about  its  show 
held  under  the»auspices  of  the  southern  section  at  the  Crystal  Palace  on 
July  24th,  a  brief  account  of  which  was  duly  given  in  our  last  issue  ; 
but  our  reporter  was  only  ab'e  to  relate  facts  without  an  opportunity  of 
dwelling  on  the  high  condition  of  excellence  so  apparent  in  the  majority 
of  the  exhibits.  The  Crystal  Palace  is  famous  for  fine  flower  shows,  and 
it  perhaps  would  not  be  stretching  a  point  to  say  that  for  quality  a 
superior  show  of  Carnations  has  never  been  held  in  London. 
In  spite  of  the  fact  that  southern  growers  contributed  creditably 
towards  the  excellence  of  the  show,  it  cannot  be  denied  that  the  main 
features  were  formed  by  the  exhibits  of  Carnation  enthusiasts  in  the 
north,  and  Birmingham  growers  in  many  of  the  classes  proved  them¬ 
selves  to  be  more  than  a  match  for  the  southern  competitors.  Amongst 
the  latter  Mr.  Blick  (gardener  to  Martin  Smith,  Esq,),  and  Mr.  James 
Douglas,  both  well  known  in  the  Carnation  world,  upneld  their  reputa¬ 
tion  ;  while  Mr.  Martin  Rowan  secured  the  Turner  Memorial  cup,  and 
the  blooms  of  Mr.  Chas.  Turner  of  Slough  were  in  many  instances  well 
worthy  of  so  noted  a  grower. 
As  already  stated,  however,  it  was  northerners  who  carried  off  the 
chief  laurels  of  victory,  and  those  who  saw  the  superb  flowers  of  Mr. 
R.  Sydenham,  Birmingham,  will  agree  that  he  honestly  earned  his 
prominent  position  on  the  prize  list.  In  several  of  the  premier  classes 
he  was  head  of  the  list,  including  those  for  twenty-four  flakes  and 
bizarres,  twenty-four  Picotees  (which  owing  to  the  lateness  in  judging 
was  omitted  in  our  last  week’s  report),  twelve  dissimilar  self  or  fancy 
Carnations,  and  also  in  several  of  the  minor  classes.  It  is  a  most 
creditable  achievement  for  a  northern  grower  to  enter  the  stronghold  of 
the  southern  florists  and  carry  off  so  many  awards,  and  Mr.  R.  Sydenham 
has  every  reason  to  feel  satisfied  wdth  his  well-deserved  success.  Other 
representatives  of  the  great  provincial  town  also  proved  themselves 
worthy  of  honours,  and  in  Mr.  A.  R.  Brown,  Handsworth,  Birmingham, 
we  have  the  winner  for  twelve  dissimilar  Carnations,  twelve  dissimilar 
Picotees,  and  six  yellow-ground  Carnations;  while  Mr.  H.  W.  Jones, 
Birmingham,  proved  himself  equal  to  the  occasion  by  winning  the 
premier  award  in  several  other  classes.  Considering  that  the  season 
has  been  anything  but  an  ideal  one  from  a  Carnation  grower’s  point 
of  view,  the  show  generally  was  of  more  than  ordinary  merit ;  and 
while  the  winners  are  of  course  elated  by  their  success,  the  exhibits  of 
the  losers  were  such  that  brought  no  discredit  on  their  respective 
'  owners. 
