166 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  1,  1898. 
-  Correction. — We  regret  to  observe  a  slight  error  in  our 
report  of  Shrewsbury.  In  the  gold  medal  group,  staged  by  Messrs. 
E.  Webb  &  Son,  Wordsley,  reference  was  made  to  the  Gaillardias  instead 
of  Gloxinias.  The  latter  were  splendid,  and  made  a  very  brilliant  display. 
- Vine  Roots  through  a  Slate  Tank.— Regarding  the 
wonderful  power  which  Vine  or  other  roots  have  of  overcoming  or 
penetrating  obstacles,  I  may  draw  attention  to  the  following.  During  a 
visit  to  the  famous  vineries  at  Norwood,  Alloa,  N.B.,  in  July  last,  there 
was  pointed  out  to  me  a  healthy  Vine  root  growing  at  the  bottom  of  the 
vinery  tank.  It  had  forced  its  way  through  the  apparently  waterproof 
joints  of  the  slate,  and  if  it  is  kept  growing  in  the  water  as  at  present, 
there  will  be  danger  of  the  slate  slabs  being  forced  apart  where  it  enters 
the  tank. — X.  L.  C.  R. 
-  A  Visit  to  Reading. — A  party  numbering  over  thirty, 
representing  the  Committee  and  members  of  the  Lee,  Blackheath, 
Lewisham,  and  West  Kent  Horticultural  Society,  visited  Messrs.  Sutton 
and  Sons,  Reading,  recently.  The  party  walked  to  the  market  place, 
being  there  met  by  Mr.  L.  G.  Sutton  and  his  nephew.  Mr.  H.  F. 
Sutton,  and  after  seeing  the  offices  and  seed  warehouses,  partook  of  an 
excellent  luncheon.  This  pleasant  part  of  the  day’s  proceedings  being 
over,  Mr.  Martin  conducted  the  company  to  the  seed  trial  grounds,  and 
thence  to  the  nurseries,  where  everything  was  fully  and  pleasantly 
explained. — F.  F. 
-  Carnations  from  Scotland. — We  have  been  favoured  by 
Messrs.  Laing  &  Mather  of  Kelso-on-Tweed  with  a  few  blooms  of 
Carnations  grown  from  layers  taken  last  season.  Despite  the  long 
distance  they  had  travelled  they  reached  us  in  such  a  fresh  state  as  to 
allow  of  their  richness  and  beauty  being  readily  appreciated.  The 
flowers  were  of  moderate  size,  of  bright  colour,  and  excellent  quality 
so  far  a3  form  and  substance  are  concerned.  Amongst  the  best  were 
Lady  Waldie  Griffith,  The  Pasha,  Dundas  Scarlet,  Lady  Nina  Balfour, 
Queen  of  Bedders,  Valkyrie,  Kelso  Abbey,  Miss  Eastlake,  Primrose 
League,  and  Queen  of  Yellows. 
-  Kentish  Fruit  Sales. — Numerous  sales  of  growing  crops  of 
fruit  have  been  held  in  Kent  during  the  past  fortnight,  and  the  prices 
realised  have  on  the  whole  been  satisfactory  to  growers.  On  Friday,  the 
19th,  a  sale  was  held  at  Paddock  Wood  by  Mr.  Tompsett  of  the  crops  of 
about  five  hundred  acres,  consisting  of  Apples,  Pears,  Plums,  and 
Damsons,  and  the  prices  obtained  for  the  more  important  crops  were  as 
follows  : — Hale  Street  Farm,  Apples  only,  5a.  2r.,  £45.  Tanners  and 
Church  Farms,  Apples  only,  4a.  2r.,  £40.  The  Grange  Farm,  Apples, 
Plums,  end  Damsons,  6a.,  £200  ;  Damsons,  Pears,  and  Apples,’  2a.,  £10  ; 
Apples,  25a.,  £210.  Badsell  Farm,  Apples,  10a.  3r.,  £155.  Hadlow 
Place — Damson  plantation,  la.  2r„  £34  ;  young  plantation,  Apples  and 
Plums,  3a.  2r.,  £60  ;  Apples,  Pears,  and  Plums,  3a.  Or.  28p.,  £54  ;  Gold 
Hill  Farm,  Apples,  Pears,  and  Walnuts,  3a.  2r„  £37.  Cronk’s 
Farm,  Apples,  4a.  2r.,  £105.  Bainden,  Damsons  and  Apples,  18a.; 
Apples,  Plums,  and  Damsons,  19a.  ;  and  Apples,  2a.  2r.,  £455. 
Brenchlev,  Apples  and  Damsons,  8a.,  £125.  Matfield,  2a.  lr.  15p.,  £22. 
-  Some  Rainy  Weather. — In  the  east  and  south-east  of 
England,  and  also  in  neighbouring  parts  of  the  Midlands,  the  showers 
of  Saturday  and  Sunday  have  been  far  too  slight  to  effect  any  relief  in 
places  where  the  water  supply  is  running  short.  As  a  rule  the  total  fall 
of  rain  has  not  amounted  to  more  than  a  tenth  or  two  of  an  inch,  and  in 
some  localities  it  has  been  even  less.  In  London  some  attempts  at  rain 
were  observed  several  times  on  Saturday,  but  nothing  of  any  importance 
fell  until  late  in  the  afternoon,  when  there  was  a  heavy  shower,  lasting, 
however,  but  a  short  time.  The  amount  of  rain  varied  considerably  even 
in  closely  adjacent  places,  for  while  Brixton  had  only  0*09  inch,  Wands¬ 
worth  Common  had  0*14  inch,  or  half  as  much  again,  Tulse  Hill  coming 
between  the  two  with  0*1 1  inch.  At  times,  says  the  “  Daily  News,"  the 
appearance  in  London  on  Sunday  was  again  threatening,  but  no  appre¬ 
ciable  rain  fell  until  the  evening,  when  another  smart  shower  occurred 
shortly  after  seven  o’clock.  Upon  the  whole  the  day  was  bright  and 
breezy,  with  a  temperature  ranging  from  52°  in  the  early  morning  to  70° 
about  midday.  In  all  the  more  western  and  northern  parts  of  the  kingdom, 
where  by  the  way  it  was  not  needed,  the  rainfall  has  been  fairly  heavy. 
At  Liverpool,  for  instance,  on  Saturday  there  was  nearly  half  an  inch, 
at  York  more  than  six-tenths,  and  at  Pembroke  just  seven-tenths  of  an 
inch.  In  some  parts  of  Ireland  the  fall  was  still  heavier,  and  over  the 
entire  western  half  of  the  kingdom,  the  total  rainfall  for  last  week  was, 
as  a  rule,  considerably  in  excess  of  the  average,  the  amount  at  Holyhead 
and  Liverpool  being  more  than  twice,  and  at  Pembroke  more  than  three 
times  as  much  as  the  normal. 
-  Death  of  Mr.  John  Knight. — We  learn  with  regret  of  the 
recent  death  of  Mr.  Knight,  who  was  until  1887  Superintendent  of  the 
private  gardens  at  Hampton  Court.  The  deceased  was  appointed  foreman 
of  Frogmore  Pleasure  Grounds  nearly  seventy-three  years  ago,  and  for 
twenty  years  he  was  head  gardener  to  the  late  Duchess  of  Kent.  In  1861 
he  was  transferred  to  Hampton  Court  Palace. 
-  Flower  Show  Amenities. — A  well-known  exhibitor  at  a 
recent  important  southern  show  mentioned  to  me  an  exceedingly 
unpleasant  and  I  trust  absolutely  unusual  experience.  The  rules  stated 
that  no  exhibits  could  be  removed  till  the  close  of  the  show  at  10  P.M. 
on  the  evening  of  the  second  day.  When,  therefore,  the  exhibitors 
proceeded  at  once  to  pack  up  their  fruit  and  other  valuable  products, 
that  they  might  get  them  away  to  the  railway  station  to  catch  the  early 
morning  trains,  they  were  peremptorily  ordered  out,  and  the  lights 
were  at  once  extinguished.  Surely  that  is  at  once  very  wanton  and 
discourteous  treatment.  I  invited  some  explanation,  as  I  concluded  there 
must  be  special  reason  for  such  a  strange  and  unwarrantable  action. 
My  informant  said  that  there  were  some  old  exhibitors  at  the  show  on 
the  Committee,  and  an  impression  prevailed  that  there  was  a  desire  to 
make  for  more  successful  ones  from  a  distance  things  as  unpleasant  and 
inconvenient  as  possible.  Assuming  that  what  was  told  me  to  be  true,  I 
should  certainly  give  the  show  in  the  future  a  wide  berth.  I  find  in 
some  directions  every  desire  to  encourage  the  presence  of  exhibitors 
from  anywhere,  because  the  making  of  a  really  great  show  is  the  object. 
How  that  policy  succeeds  Shrewsbury,  for  instance,  can  tell.  In  other 
directions  the  object  seems  to  be  to  keep  everything  for  the  local  men, 
with  the  result  that  a  poor  show  often  follows. — Critic. 
-  Trade  Groups  at  Shrewsbury.— When  I  see  the  attractive 
groups  of  plants  or  of  flowers  set  up  by  members  of  the  trade  at 
various  flower  shows  I  can  but  express  a  hope  that  they  find  ample 
repayment.  Still  both  show  committees  and  the  general  public  owe  to 
these  traders  a  deep  debt  of  gratitude  for  what  they  do  to  render 
exhibitions  so  effective.  What  a  remarkably  striking  feature  at  Shrews¬ 
bury  was  Messrs.  Cannell  &  Sons’  splendid  group  of  Cannas,  sent  all  the 
way  from  Swanley.  No  other  such  group  of  Cannas  was  there,  and 
the  public  gazed  upon  them  in  crowds  with  warm  admiration.  How  well 
was  the  gold  medal  awarded  deserved  !  What  a  superb  decorative  group 
would  Cannas  alone  as  flowering  plants  make  in  association  with  the  usual 
foliage  plants  !  From  far  off  Yeovil,  away  in  remote  Somersetshire,  came 
Mr.  B.  R.  Davis  with  bis  beautiful  Begonias,  really  the  best  of  their 
kind  in  the  show.  It  was  a  long  journey  for  plants  so  brittle  as  are  these 
huge  flowered  double  Begonias,  yet  they  reached  Shrewsbury  in  fine 
condition.  Messrs.  W.  &  J.  Birkenhead  of  Sale  had  one  of  their  remarkable 
collections  of  Ferns,  such  as  open  to  the  lover  of  these  singularly  interesting 
plants  a  wonderful  field  for  enthusiastic  inquiry  and  admiration.  Mr.  H. 
Eckford,  the  champion  raiser  of  Sweet  Peas,  was  not  far  from  home  with 
his  superb  group  of  these  lovely  flowers,  neither  were  Messrs.  Prichard 
and  Sons  with  their  grand  Carnations.  These  were  not  all,  but  they 
serve  to  show  how  wonderfully  the  trade  can  assist  in  making  a  great 
display  at  this  marvellous  exhibition.— A.  D. 
- The  Future  of  Glover’s  Island.— Inquiries  made  in 
Richmond  on  Saturday  showed  that  the  probabilities  of  the  Corpora¬ 
tion  acquiring  Glover’s  Island  for  the  inhabitants  have  increased 
considerably  since  the  announcement  of  his  intention  to  dispose  of  the 
property  by  auction  was  made  by  the  owner,  Mr.  Glover.  The  action 
taken  by  the  Mayor  of  the  borough,  in  conjunction  with  the  Town 
Clerk,  in  securing  for  the  town  the  option  to  purchase  up  to  the  20th 
of  next  month  (the  day  preceding  the  date  fixed  for  the  sale)  at  the 
reserve  price  of  £4000  has  met  with  general  approval.  In  this 
connection,  however,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that  the  offer  has  been 
directly  made  to  the  Corporation,  and  it  is  still  an  open  question 
whether  the  members  of  the  Town  Council  will  ratify  any  proposal  to 
expend  s,uch  a  large  sum  as  £4000  out  of  the  borough  cash  for  the 
purchase  of  the  island.  On  Saturday  the  Mayor  (Alderman  Chancellor) 
returned  to  town  and  visited  the  municipal  buildings,  where  he  had  a 
conference  with  Mr.  Senior,  the  Town  Clerk,  upon  the  matter.  As  a 
result  it  is  understood  that  a  special  meeting  of  the  Council  will  be 
called  at  an  early  date.  The  matter  will  be  fully  discussed  by  the 
members,  and  then  referred  to  the  Amenities  Committee  for  further 
consideration  and  report  to  the  Corporation.  Although  no  public  sub¬ 
scription  list  has  been  definitely  opened  up  to  the  present,  it  is  under¬ 
stood  that  an  appeal  to  the  townspeople  will  be  made  for  funds  in 
order  that  something  tangible  may  result  in  the  form  of  securing  the 
purchase  money  in  the  event  of  the  Corporation  refusing  to  sanction 
any  proposal  to  purchase  out  of  the  borough  funds. — (“  Daily  News.  ’) 
