70 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
July  58,  1HV3 
plant,  which  is  a  yearling,  and  has  all  its  energies  concentrated  on  the 
production  of  fine  layers.  It  is  an  open  question  which  is  the  more 
impressive  — a  glance  along  the  rows  of  fruiters  with  their  rich  burden,  or 
one  along  the  lines  of  breeders.  The  latter  are  yielding  splendid 
little  tufts,  all  hand-pegged  into  small  pots  plunged  to  the  rims,  and  the 
long  streams  of  red  runners  are  full  of  promise  for  the  future. 
The  demand  for  good  Strawberries  was  probably  never  greater  than 
it  is  at  the  present  time,  and  the  success  of  Royal  Sovereign  proves  that 
there  is  no  locked  door.  That  which  is  superior  will  come  to  the  top. 
There  are  plants  of  other  candidates  in  the  school,  some  with  one  quality, 
some  with  another.  King  of  the  Earlies  has  two  very  important  ones  — 
flavour  and  precocity.  Tastes  differ,  but  if  a  vote  were  taken  for  eating 
quality  alone,  the  King  would  be  very  nearly  at  the  top  of  the  class. 
There  are  two  Augustes,  one  remarkabie  for  its  forcing  merits,  as  proved 
so  well  by  Mr.  Norman,  the  other  a  grand  “all-rounder,”  a  free  grower 
and  good  bearer,  with  large  fruit  of  excellent  quality.  The  forcer,  I  need 
hardly  say,  is  Auguste  Nicaise,  the  other  Auguste  Boisselot.  No  need  to 
say  much  about  British  Queen  and  Dr.  Hogg.  The  latter  Mr.  Bunyard 
holds  to  bo  about  the  best  garden  Strawberry  in  cultivation.  It  has, 
however  no  mean  rival  in  Countess.  A  little-known  Strawberry  that  is 
certain  of  popularity  is  Edward  Lefort.  It  is  early,  it  is  a  capital  doer, 
and,  almost  better  than  either,  it  has  delicious  flavour.  Mr.  Castle  spoke 
of  its  excellence  to  me  at  Ridgmont  last  spring,  and  I  have  never 
regretted  adding  it  to  my  small  collection. 
The  most  distinct  Strawberry  in  the  whole  collection,  and  very  far 
indeed  from  being  the  worst,  is  the  new  Louis  Gauthier.  It  is  a 
tremendous  bearer,  the  fruits  surrounding  the  plant  in  heavy  clusters. 
In  colour  they  are  salmon-pink  ;  the  flavour  is  excellent.  Queen  of 
Denmark,  a  variety  of  Carmichael’s,  with  Waterloo  blood  in  it,  presents 
powerful  claims  as  a  late,  combining  rich  flavour  with  free  fruiting.  La 
France  is  a  delicious  sort — indeed,  one  of  the  pick  of  the  continentals. 
Two  lates,  which  ought  to  appeal  to  Scottish  sentiment,  are  New  Dum¬ 
barton  Castle  and  Aberdeen.  Both  are  good.  A  German  might  be 
divided  between  Ivonig  Albert  and  WallufE.  Each  would  just  about 
secure  the  coveted  three  crosses.  A  little  known  sort  that  gave  great 
satisfaction  under  the  tasting  test  is  Newton  Seedling,  and  it  is  a  heavy 
bearer.  The  irrepressible  Laxtons  are,  as  might  be  expected,  well  in 
evidence.  Besides  Royal  Sovereign  there  are  No.  1,  very  early  and  good  ; 
Leader,  big  and  plentiful,  but  lacking  in  flavour  ;  Sensation,  also  a  poor 
eater  ;  Monarch,  excellent  in  crop,  and  caught  just  at  its  best  good  in 
flavour  ;  Noble,  now  well  known  ;  and  Latest  of  All.  The  latter  is  not 
the  latest  of  all  the  Chiltern  champions,  but  it  is  a  good  one — in  fact,  all 
qualities  weighed,  one  of  the  very  best  of  the  Laxton  contingent. 
I  mentioned  to  Mr.  Bunyard  the  case  of  a  3-acre  man,  who  makes  a 
good  deal  of  money  out  of  John  Powell,  and  he  promptly  pointed  out  the 
variety  under  the  name  of  Kitley’s  Goliath.  It  is,  of  course,  a  very  old 
one  ;  but  strange  to  say,  considering  its  excellence,  it  is  new  to  many\ 
Much  the  same  might  be  said  of  Trollope’s  Victoria,  which,  with  its 
smooth  bright  leafage,  is  the  true  town  Strawberry.  Needless  to  say  that 
such  standard  varieties  as  Sir  Joseph  Paxton,  Vicomtesse  H.  de  Thury, 
La  Grosse  Sucrde,  Lord  Napier,  President,  Eleanor,  and  Elton  Pine  (so 
good,  like  Grove  End  Scarlet,  for  preserving)  have  their  place,  and  an 
honoured  one  it  is  in  every  instance.  It  is  quite  unnecessary  to  recom¬ 
mend  such  vatieties  as  these  to  the  intelligent  electorate  which  I  am 
permitted  to  address,  but  if  1  might  venture  on  a  pick  of  the  novelties  I 
should  name  Auguste  Boisselot,  Edouard  Lefort,  King  of  the  Earlies  (if 
it  may  be  admitted  as  a  novelty).  La  France,  Latest  of  All,  Louis 
Gauthier,  St.  Joseph  (a  splendid  perpetual  or  autumnal  sort),  and  Royal 
Sovereign, 
Alongside  the  Strawberry  quarters  are  the  Peas,  and  my  guide  proves 
himself  to  be  just  as  much  at  home  with  the  one  as  the  other.  I  happened 
to  encounter  that  splendid  fruit  grower,  Mr.  Woodward,  in  Maidstone,  and 
he  prepared  me  for  something  good  by  his  reference  to  the  style  in  which 
the  popular  summer  vegetable  is  grown  at  the  Chiltern  Hundreds  nursery. 
But  he  might  have  said  a  good  deal  more  without  being  accused  of 
exaggeration.  Rarely  is  such  wonderful  culture  seen.  The  pods  hung 
like  pins  on  a  card  from  top  to  bottom  of  the  plants.  About  the  most 
remarkable  for  productiveness  was  Marvel,  but  many  others  ran  it  very 
close.  It  was  pleasant  to  see  Gradus  so  fine  ;  it  is  a  grand  Pea.  The 
best  of  the  dwarfs  were  Wm.  Hurst,  Daisy',  Juno,  and  Bunyard’s  Early. 
Of  taller  Peas,  all  rich  in  flavour,  Boston  Unrivalled  (Johnson),  Con¬ 
summate,  Autocrat,  Alderman,  Superiority,  Duke  of  Albany,  Duchess, 
and  Epicure  were  the  pick.  I  leave  to  the  last  Kentish  Hero,  a  splendid 
selection  of  the  Ne  Plus  Ultra  type,  smothered  all  over  its  6  feet  of  height 
with  pods. 
A  ramble  through  the  fields  (with  an  eye  to  the  breadth  of  60,000 
Superlative  Raspberries),  a  passing  call  at  the  picturesque  old  farm-house, 
which  is  the  summer  home  of  the  family,  and  then — why  then  I  espy  a 
waiting  bicycle  and  the  first  stretch  of  twenty  miles  of  road,  where  dust 
is  deep  and  Strawberries  grow  not.  Alas  1  for  the  forgotten  basket 
— W.  PEA. 
Pea  Daisy. —  As  a  second  early,  this  Pea  certainly  would 
appear  to  have  a  claim  to  a  foremost  place  among  future  favourites, 
particularly  with  those  needing  dwarf-growing  sorts.  With  me  it  grows 
to  about  16  inches  high,  the  haulm  robust,  and  the  pods  and  seed  of 
large  size.  It  is  very  productive  too,  which,  however,  can  be  said  of 
most  dwarf  Peas.  There  is  a  unanimous  verdict  in  its  favour  among 
those  who  have  both  grown  it  or  seen  it  in  other  gardens.  It  has  all 
the  qualities  needed  in  a  second  early,  but  it  cannot  compete  with  the 
American  Wonder  type  for  first  crops — W.  S. 
ROYAL  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
DRILL  HALL. — July  26th. 
The  exhibition  at  the  Drill  Hall,  on  the  above  date,  was  an  excellent 
one  for  the  time  of  the  year,  though  it  consisted  mainly  of  hardy 
flowers.  The  several  collections  of  Bamboos  were  most  interesting,  and 
a  complete  change  from  what  is  usually  seen  at  these  fortnightly  shows. 
Messrs.  Yeitch’s  Gooseberries  and  Currants  in  pots  were  admirable 
examples  of  good  culture.  The  standard  and  other  forms  of  trained 
trees  were  all  splendidly  fruited.  Orchids,  as  is  customary  at  this  season, 
were  not  at  all  numerous. 
Fruit  Committee. — Present :  Phillip  Crowley.  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ; 
with  Messrs.  Geo.  Bunyard,  T.  F.  Rivers,  W.  Poupart,  A.  F.  Barron, 
M.  Gleeson,  T.  J.  Saltmarsh,  J.  H.  Veitch,  A.  H.  Pearson,  A.  Dean, 
C.  Herrin,  W.  Bates,  G.  Wythes,  J.  Smith,  F.  Q.  Lane,  J.  Willard,  and 
W.  H  Divers. 
Messrs.  J.  Veitch  &  Sons  made  a  magnificent  display  wiih  Goose¬ 
berries,  Red  and  White  Currants,  and  Nectarines  in  pots.  Of  the 
Gooseberries  and  Currants  there  were  several  forms  of  training  repre¬ 
sented,  and  the  way  in  which  they  were  roped  with  fruits  was  a  splendid 
illustration  of  their  adaptability  to  this  form  of  culture.  All  varieties 
were  cropping  with  almost  equal  freedom,  some  being  perhaps  a  little 
better  than  others.  There  were  seventy-four  trained  plants  in  pots,  of 
which  over  fifty  were  distinct  varieties,  while  in  addition  there  were 
eighteen  grown  in  standard  form.  The  Nectarine  was  Precoce  de 
Croncels,  of  which  the  fruit  had  ripened  in  a  cold  house  at  the  firm’s 
Southfield  nursery.  Fruits  of  eight  varieties  of  Cherries  were  sent  by 
the  same  firm.  The  varieties  were  Black  Eagle,  Governor  Wood,  Kentish, 
Early  Red  Gean,  White  Heart,  Cleveland  Bigarreau,  Baumann's  May, 
and  Bigarreau  Napoleon.  Strawberries  were  also  well  shown,  Veitch’s 
Perfection  being  very  conspicuous.  Mr.  Owen  Thomas,  Rtyal  Gardens, 
Windsor,  sent  handsome  fruits  of  Melon  Lord  E.  Cavendish. 
Messrs.  T.  Rivers  &  Son,  Sawbridgewortb,  exhibited  Plums  Belgian 
Purple  and  Rivers’  Early  Transparent  Gage,  with  Cherries  Lewis  de 
Burr,  Large  Black  Bigarreau,  White  Bigarreau,  Early  Rivers,  Bigarreau 
Napoleon,  Hative  de  Boulbon,  Ludwig’s  Bigarreau,  May  Duke,  Bigarreau 
de  Schreken,  and  Frogmore  Bigarreau,  all  in  splendid  condition. 
Messrs.  W.  Johnson  &  Son,  Ltd.,  Boston,  sent  about  four  dozen  dishes  of 
Green  Peas,  amongst  which  some  varieties  of  decided  excellence  were 
noted.  Critic,  Consummate,  Alderman,  Duchess.  Memorial,  Majestic, 
Heroine,  John  Howard,  and  Epicure  were  fine.  Peas  were  also  contri¬ 
buted  by  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons,  Wright  Bros.,  H.  Eckford,  Nutting  and 
Son,  and  other  growers.  Mr.  Allan,  Gunton  Park,  sent  Strawberry  Lady 
Suffield,  a  dark  coloured  free  fruiting  variety. 
Mr.  W.  Carmichael,  Edinburgh,  staged  a  few  dishes  of  Strawberries, 
but  no  awards  were  made  by  the  Committee.  Mr.  W.  Taylor,  gardener 
to  C.  Bayer,  Esq.,  Forest  Hill,  sent  fine  fruits  of  Pineapple  Nectarine  ; 
and  Messrs.  Laxton  Bros.,  Bedford,  Strawberry  Trafalgar,  a  dark  coloured 
variety  resulting  from  a  cross  between  Waterloo  and  Elton  Pine.  Mr. 
W.  H.  Divers,  gardener  to  Duke  of  Rutland,  Belvoir  Castle,  Grantham, 
sent  splendid  examples  of  Strawberries  Dr.  Hogg,  Gunton  Park,  and 
Waterloo. 
Floral  Committee. — Present  :  W.  Marshall,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  • 
with  Messrs.  J.  Fraser,  O.  Thomas,  H.  B.  May,  R.  Dean,  C.  J.  Salter, 
J.  Walker,  C.  E.  Shea,  D.  B  Crane,  E.  Jeffries,  H.  J.  Cutbush,  J.  W. 
Barr,  H.  J.  Jones,  E.  T.  Cook,  J.  Jennings,  J.  Hudson,  H.  S.  Leonard, 
G.  Gordon,  and  J.  Fraser  (Kew). 
Mr.  H.  B.  May,  Upper  Edmonton,  sent  a  splendid  group  of  Pteris 
comprising  100  species  and  varieties.  The  plants  were  splendidly  grown, 
and  the  diversity  made  the  exhibit  very  interesting.  Mr.  T.  S.  Ware, 
Hale  Farm  Nurseries,  Tottenham,  arranged  hardy  flowers  in  variety, 
Liliums  being  particularly  attractive.  Messrs.  W.  Cutbush  &  Son,  High- 
gate,  exhibited  an  effective  stand  of  herbaceous  flowers,  together  with 
fine  Malmaison  and  border  Carnations.  Unfortunately  the  position 
assigned  to  the  group  prevented  much  of  the  beauty  of  the  flowers  being 
seen.  Mr.  T.  Tomlinson,  gardener  to  R.  Hoffman,  Esq.,  West  Dulwich, 
contributed  an  assortment  of  well-grown  Caladiums.  The  leaves  were 
finely  developed  and  of  good  colour. 
Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons,  Covent  Garden,  sent  their  customary  exhibit  of 
hardy  flowers.  Good  culture  was,  as  usual,  in  evidence,  the  Iris 
Krempferi,  Phloxes,  Gaillardias,  Liliums,  and  Romneya  Coulteri  being 
particularly  conspicuous.  A  large  collection  of  Sweet  Peas  was  shown 
by  Messrs.  J.  Carter  &  Co.,  High  Ilolborn.  They  were  staged  in  bunches 
in  small  glasses,  which  did  not  enhance  their  beauty.  The  stand 
comprised  upwards  of  100  varieties.  Mr.  W.  Eckford,  Wem,  sent  a 
number  of  Sweet  Peas,  representing  several  of  the  best  varieties,  all 
excellently  grown.  Mr.  Amos  Perry,  Winchmore  Hill,  showed  a  few 
bunches  of  herbaceous  flowers,  quality  taking  the  place  of  quantity. 
Acalypha  Sanderi,  A.  Godseffiana,  with  a  few  other  plants,  made  a 
bold  show  as  arranged  by  Messrs.  F.  Sander  &  Co.,  St.  Albans.  Messrs. 
J.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Chelsea,  contributed  a  collection  of  Carnations  in  boxes. 
Several  of  the  flowers  w  ere  of  excellent  quality,  and  represented  a  con¬ 
siderable  number  of  the  most  popular  varieties.  The  same  firm  sent 
plants  of  the  handsome  Althaea  Primrose  Queen,  with  a  few  bunches  of 
hardy  flowers.  A  large  portion  of  one  of  the  central  tables  was  occupied 
by  Cacti,  staged  by  Messrs.  H.  Cannell  &  Sons,  Swanley.  The  group 
was  well  diversified  and  most  interesting  to  lovers  of  these  plants. 
The  decorative  Roses  from  Messrs.  Wm.  Paul  &  Son,  Cheshunt,  made 
a  bright  and  fragrant  display,  and  were  a  change  from  the  other  exhibits 
in  the  hall.  Very  handsome  were  Marquise  de  Salisbury,  Perle  d'Or 
