304 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
October  20,  1898. 
Grapes,  and  as  a  result  several  are  seedlines  under  trial,  and  will 
no  doubt  be  heard  of  later  when  more  fully  developed.  The  fruit 
of  one  Vine,  the  result  of  a  cross  between  Gros  Colman  and  Lady 
Hastings,  bore  a  striking  resemblance  to  the  former  in  appearance, 
embodying  a  strong  touch  of  the  Lady  Hastings’  flavour.®  It  this  quality 
can  be  perpetuated  a  distinct  gain  will  be  the  result.  A  Vine  from 
Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  Gros  Maroc  was  exhibiting  features  of 
interest.  Taken  as  a  whole  the  Grape  culture  in  this  garden  demon¬ 
strates  that  the  routine  is  thoroughly  understood  by  Mr.  Shingler.  A 
word  of  praise,  too,  is  due  to  the  young  man  in  c^arue  for  carrying  out 
the  details  so  intelligently.  It  would  be  difficult  to  find  Grapes 
better  thinned  than  the  bunches  are  at  Melton  Constable.  It  is  clear 
that  Lord  Hastings  has  good  men  in  his  cherished  garden,  and  his 
lordship  is  certainly  highly  esteemed  by  them  as  a  master. — 
E.  Molyneux. 
[®  Mr.  Shingler  has  sent  us  a  fine  bunch  of  this  Grape  from 
a  Vine  in  a  pot.  We  illustrate  the  point  of  the  bunch  with  exactituue, 
berries  a  little  rubbed  in  transit.  We  have  never  seen  such  berries 
produced  by  a  pot  Vine.  One  of  them  taken  from  the  shoulder 
measuied  4f  inches  in  circumference,  and  several  4J  inches.  A  few 
berries  of  Lady  Hastings  were  remarkable  by  their  intensified  Madres 
field  Court  flavour.  The  skin,  as  suggested,  was  thick.  Mr 
Molyneux  knows  good  Grapes  when  he  sees  them ;  he  has  not  often 
seen  finer  than  at  Melton  Constable,  and  Mr.  Shingler  is  to  be  con 
gratulated  on  their  production.] 
INTERMEDIATE  STOCKS. 
The  observations  by  Mr.  Picker  on  page  246,  with  respect  to  the 
deterioration  or  degeneration  of  double-flowering  Stocks  and  Asters, 
are  deserving  of  something  more  than  pissing  notice,  as  they  are 
doubtless  of  interest  to  many  growers  whose  recent  experience  has  not 
widely  differed  from  that  of  himself.  Others  may  be  able  to  explain 
more  particularly  the  cause  of  their  deterioration  better  than  myself, 
but  the  mention  of  Intermediate  Stocks  leads  me  to  offer  a  few  remarks 
based  on  some  personal  knowledge  of  the  continuous  care  necessary 
to  be  exercised  in  perpetuating  the  best  double  strains  of  these  flowers. 
Obviously  they  can  be  prodi  ced  quite  as  well  and  as  certainly  at 
the  present  time  as  they  were  fifteen  or  more  years  ago,  when,  as  your 
correspondent  remarks,  really  good  strains  of  them  were  readily 
obtainable.  As  self-coloured  fragrant  flowers  they  are  just  as  beautiful 
now  as  they  were  then,  but  alas  !  it  is  written  of  them,  “they  have 
sadly  deteriorated.”  It  is  as  though  they  missed,  as  pet  plants,  some 
of  the  particular  attention  they  formerly  received  at  the  hands  of  the 
older  growers  of  them,  wThose  aim  it  was  to  make  them  more  con¬ 
sistently  double,  and  keep  fhem  so. 
The  process  by  which  this  was,  in  great  measure,  accomplished* 
was  by  extermination  and  selection,  the  rejection  of  the  inferior  and 
the  selection  of  the  fittest  flowers  for  the  purpose  of  seeding.  It  can 
be  easily  imagined  what  a  fine  crop  of  seed  could  be  harvested  from  a 
strain  producing  60  per  cent,  of  plants  having  single  flowers,  and 
these  are  the  figures  given  by  your  correspondent,  and  his  experience 
of  them  doubtless  accords  with  that  of  others  who,  like  himself,  would 
fain  renew  the  pleasure  afforded  by  the  cultivation  of  the  older  strains 
of  these  flowers  in  years  gone  by. 
A  long  time  ago  I  was  smitten  with  a  fancy  for  them,  and  then 
had  the  good  fortune  to  become  possessed  of  very  satisfactory  strains 
of  three  varieties,  all  of  them  remarkable  for  the  large  proportion  of 
plants  producing  double  flowers  year  after  year;  more  notably  was 
this  the  case  with  the  purple,  which  was  of  a  very  delightful  shade. 
Now  it  is  in  respect  to  this  last  one  that  some  interest  attaches,  and 
that  has  led  me  so  far  with  this  infliction.  These  improved  in  double¬ 
ness  under  cultivation  in  pots,  until  finally  only  a  dozen  or  so  “single 
bloomers  ”  appeared  in*a  collection  of  more  than  200  plants,  and  of  these 
a  few  only  were  considered  to  be  good  enough  to  retain  as  seed  pro¬ 
ducers.  This  incident  is  mentioned  simply  to  illustrate  the  difficulty 
of  perpetuating  a  really  good  strain  of  Intermediate  Stocks  as  compared 
with  the  ease  with  which  a  plentiful  supply  of  seed  can  be  obtained  from 
a  strain  in  which  single  flowers  appear  in  excess  of  the  double  ones. 
Notwithstanding  the  great  care  exercised  in  saving  seed  by  some 
growers,  it  was  their  custom  to  sow  only  a  portion  for  trial  of  a  certain 
season’s  growth,  and  when  by  this  means  they  had  ascertained  its 
quality  the  bulk  would  be  reserved  for  future  general  sowings. 
Doubtless  it  is  the  promiscuous  saving  of  seed  for  commercial  purposes 
that  tends  so  much  to  the  rapid  degeneracy  of  some  strains  of  seeds, 
more  particularly  with  those  who  rejoice  rather  in  having  “  a  good 
crop  ”  than  in  preserving  the  qualities  that  the  perseverance  of  others 
has  effected,  and  that  may  have  contributed  most  to  their  popularity. 
However,  it  is  gratifying  to  know  that  some  of  the  best  strains  of 
them  are  not  yet  entirely  extinct,  and  we  may  still  count  on  again 
regaling  our  senses  with  the  delight  that,  like  the  flowers  that  brought 
it,  still  refreshes  our  remembrances. — J.  E.  J. 
fCH  R 
Um  S 
C  HRYSANTHEMUM  SHOWS. 
As  is  usual  at  this  time  of  the  year  we  have  received  numerous 
intimations  of  Chrysanthemum  shows  which  are  to  be  held  during  the 
comiDg  season.  Space,  however,  can  only  be  found  for  mentioning 
those  that  have  been  advertised  in  our  columns.  We  append  the 
dates  of  such  fixtures,  with  the  names  and  addresses  of  the  various 
secretaries. 
Oct.  27th  and  28th. — Exmouth. — R.  Pearce,  Chippenham  Lodge  Gardens, 
Exmouth. 
Nov.  1st  and  2nd. — Croydon.— W.  B.  Beckett,  272,  Portland  Road, 
South  Norwood. 
„  1st  and  2nd. — Kingston. — W.  D.  Elsam,  Clarence  Chambers, 
Kingston-on-Thames. 
„  2nd  and  3rd — ASCOT  —Henry  C.  Needham,  The  Glen,  Ascot. 
„  3rd  and  4th —Maidenhead. — J.  W.  Stone,  Cookham  Dean, 
Maidenhead. 
„  4th  and  5th.— Battersea.— J.  O.  Langrish,  167,  Elsley  Road, 
Battersea,  S.W. 
„  Sth,  9th,  and  10th. —ROYAL  AQUARIUM  (N.C.S.).  —  R.  Dean 
Ranelagh  Road,  Ealing. 
„  9th  and  10th. — Hanley  (Start's). — ,T.  and  A.  Kent,  Hanley  Park. 
„  9th  and  lOih. — Liverpool. — Dickson  and  Sadler,  7,  Victoria  Street, 
Liverpool. 
„  9th  and  10th. — Cardiff.  -  H.  Gillett,  66,  Woodville  Road,  Cardiff. 
„  11th  and  12th.— Altrincham.h-E.  C.  Moore,  22,  Railway  Street, 
Altrincham. 
,,  11th  and  12th. — Huddersfield. — J.  Bell.  Marsh,  Huddersfield. 
,,  11th  and  12th. — Eccles — H.  Huber,  Hazeldene,  Winton,  Patri- 
croft. 
„  11th  and  12th. — Brighton. — Secretary,  1,  Dyke  Road  Drive, 
Brighton. 
„  11th  and  12th. — Bradford. — R.  Eichel,  16,  Westcliffe  Road, 
Shipley. 
„  15th  and  1 6th. — BELFAST. — J.  MacBride,  Victoria  Square,  Belfast. 
„  loth  and  16th.— Leeds. — James  Campbell,  The  Gardens,  Methley 
Park,  Leeds. 
„  16th,  17th,  and  18th. —  Bristol. — Edwin  J.  Cooper,  Mervyn  Road, 
Bishopston,  Bristol. 
NATIONAL  CHRYSANTHEMUM  SOCIETY. 
Royal  Aquarium  v.  Crystal  Palace. 
It  may  be  in  the  recollection  of  our  readers  that  a  sub-Committee 
was  appointed  by  the  N.C.S.  to  consider,  among  other  things,  the 
most  suitable  places  for  holding  the  Society’s  exhibitions.  We  believe 
the  report  of  this  Committee  was  presented  to  the  Executive  on 
Monday  night,  with  the  result  that,  though  the  recommendations  of 
the  Examining  Committee,  who  had  devoted  much  time  in  inspecting 
various  buildings,  almost  unanimously  favoured  the  Crystal  Palace  as 
the  most  suitable  building  for  the  purpose  in  question,  they  were,  we 
understand,  rejected,  notwithstanding  that  the  financial  grant  of  the 
Pabice  would  have  equalled  that  of  the  Aquarium.  It  is  a  matter  of 
indifference  to  us  where  the  shows  are  held,  but  it  is  an  extraordinary 
event  for  a  special  Committee  to  be’ snubbed  for  their  pains  in  the 
manner  that  has  fallen  to  the  lot  of  Messrs.  Bevan,  Crane,  Moorman, 
Simpson,  Taylor,  and  Waterer,  all  of  whom  are  said  to  have  been  in 
favour  of  the  Crystal  Palace,  Mr.  Ballantine  alone  voting  for  the 
Aquarium  ;  the  Secretary,  though  against  any  change,  having  no  vote. 
The  work  of  the  sub-Committee  serms  to  have  been  regarded  as  very 
much  of  a  solemn  farce.  Mr.  Dean,  however,  and  his  little  band  of 
workers  are  said  to  have  had  the  honour  of  dining  with  the  General 
Manager  of  the  Crystal  Palace,  with  a  view  to  negotiations,  so  their 
labours  were  not  entirely  in  vain. 
Floral  Committee. 
The  Floral  Committee  of  this  Society  held  a  meeting  at  the  Royal 
Aquarium,  Westminster,  on  the  11th  inst.,  when  Mr.  T.  Bevan  occu¬ 
pied  the  chair.  The  following  novelties  were  awarded  first-class 
certificates — viz., 
Mr.  F.  Brewer— A.  very  large  incurving  Japanese,  with  deeply 
grooved  florets  of  great  length  and  very  broad,  the  centre  being  deep 
golden  yellow,  with  a  reverse  of  pale  straw  yellow.  Shown  by  Mr.  R. 
Owen,  Maidenhead. 
Reginald  Godfrey. — Japanese  of  close  build,  with  flat  reflexing 
florets,  colour  reddish  terra  cotta,  reverse  golden.  From  Mr.  Godfrey, 
Exmouth. 
Soleil  d'Octobre. — A  useful  October  flowering  show  Japanese,  or 
good  build  and  substance.  Colour,  pale  canary  yellow.  Also  shown 
by  Mr.  Godfrey. 
