JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  3,  1333. 
33*> 
-  Mr.  Martin  Smith’s  Carnations.— Messrs.  W.  Cutbush 
and  Son  send  us  a  large  coloured  plate  of  the  following  varieties  :  — 
.Tane  Seymour,  carmine,  pink  reverse ;  Calypso,  soft  pink  ;  Mrs.  M.  Smith, 
pink  ;  Lord  Welby,  crimson  maroon  ;  Madame  de  Salge,  scarlet ;  Taora, 
white  ;  Margot,  coral  pink  ;  Mrs.  Torrens,  pale  carmine  ;  Albion,  rose 
pink  ;  The  Shah,  carmine  ;  Lady  Ulrica,  salmon  pink  ;  and  Iolanthe, 
pale  carmine.  The  blooms  are  of  the  Malmaison  type,  and  beautifully 
represented. 
-  Ladywell  Cottage  Gardeners’  Society.— The  Ladywell, 
Lewisham  and  District  Cottagers’  Horticultural  Society  held  its  fifteenth 
annual  dinner  at  the  Parish  Church  Hall,  Ladywell,  on  Thursday, 
October  27th.  Mr.  T.  W.  Sanders  took  the  chair,  being  supported  by  Mr. 
T,  White  os  Vice-Chairman,  and  Mr.  A.  Pratt  the  Secretary.  The 
prizes,  consisting  of  medals,  cash,  certificates,  &c.,  were  presented  to  the 
■winners  by  Mrs.  Bickerstetb,  wife  of  the  Vicar  of  Lewisham.  There  was 
a  large  gathering  of  members  and  friends,  and  the  proceedings  were  of 
the  heartiest  nature. 
-  An  Onion  Room. — In  most  well-appointed  gardens  we  find  a 
fruit  room  of  some  kind,  but  it  is  not  often  we  see  a  specially  constructed 
Onion  room.  When  at  Harptree  Court,  the  beautifully  situated  residence 
of  W.  W.  Kettlewell,  Esq ,  the  other  day,  I  was  9hown  such  a  room, 
newly  built,  on  exactly  the  same  principle  as  most  of  our  fruit  rooms.  It 
is  fitted  with  a  stove  for  use  in  severe  weather,  and  the  racks  will  be  used, 
when  the  Onions  are  gone,  for  seed  Potatoes.  Mr.  Curtis,  the  gardener, 
is  justly  proud  of  his  Onions,  some  of  which  are  of  exhibition  size,  but 
the  greater  part  are  smaller,  and  more  useful  in  the  kitchen. — J.  E. 
-  Orchids  eor  Madame  Patti.— At  her  recent  Edinburgh 
concert,  Madame  Adelina  Patti  was  presented  by  one  of  our  Scottish 
contributors  with  a  magnificent  bouquet  of  Orchids,  including  Cattleya 
labiata,  sent  to  him  for  this  special  purpose  by  Messrs.  F.  Sander  &  Co  , 
St.  Albans.  These,  and  a  bouquet  of  Lapageria  alba,  one  of  her  favourite 
flowers,  were  immensely  appreciated  by  the  recipient,  whose  voice,  as 
the  “Scotsman”  asserted,  was  richer  and  fuller  in  tone  than  it  has  been 
tor  many  years.  Last  winter  Madame  Patti,  who  is  an  ardent  lover  and 
cultivator  of  flowers,  planted  at  Craig-y-Nos  Castle  5000  Rose  trees, 
which  have  since  afforded  her  great  gratification. 
-  Garden  Pinks. — I  saw  a  week  or  two  since  large  breadths 
some  thousands  in  extent  of  varieties  of  hardy  border  Pinks  that 
had,  like  the  Carnations,  done  wonderfully  well  in  the  drought.  All  these 
were  planted  late  in  the  summer,  having  been  in  the  old  plant  stage  lifted, 
pulled  to  pieces,  then  dibbled  out,  perhaps  wintered  once,  and  then  left  to 
their  own  resources.  I  have  never  seen  clearer,  brighter,  and  more 
compact  stock  for  lifting  and  planting  now  than  these  Pinks  were.  The 
varieties  included  Her  Majesty,  Mrs.  Sinkins,  Ernest  Ladhams, 
^Paddington,  and  several  others,  all  good  free  blooming  ones,  and  just 
such  as  all  who  love  sweetly  perfumed  flowers  may  like  to  have  in  their 
gardens.  Lifted  and  planted  at  once  they  would  soon  make  new  roots, 
and  become  very  strong  blooming  clumps  next  year. — D. 
-  Onions.— There  is  danger  of  getting  reference  to  these  bulbs 
ad  nauseam,  and  therefore  I  apologise  for  such  reference  now,  because  I 
find  in  the  report  of  the  interesting  trial  of  Onions  conducted  at  Chiswick 
during  the  year,  published  in  the  recently  issued  Journal  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society’,  that  the  position  I  have  taken  up  in  favour  of  the 
varieties  of  the  ordinary  summer  Spanish  and  Globe  types  being  preferred 
for  autumn  sowing  over  the  customarily'  advised  Tripolis  and  Lisbon 
is  fully  sustained.  Probably  these  latter  varieties  are  chiefly  sown  in  the 
autumn  because  the  seed  is  cheap,  because  so  persistently  boomed  by 
seedsmen  and  calender  writers,  and  because  of  traditional  practice.  None 
the  less  these  things  establish  proof  that  such  varieties  are  best  for 
the  purpose  named.  The  preamble  to  the  report  states  that  sixty-nine 
stocks  of  Onions  were  sown  in  August,  1897.  Early  in  March  last  a  row 
lifted  from  each  stock  was  transplanted  close  beside  the  sown  one,  and  a 
few  days  later  a  third  row  was  sown  with  seed  from  the  same  packet. 
“  The  trial  proved  that  many  of  the  varieties  usually  sown  in  spring  are 
fully  as  hardy  for  autumn  sowing  as  is  the  Tripoli  type,  when  sown 
under  exactly  similar  conditions  ;  and  further,  that  the  Onion  maggot 
will  attack  both  autumn  and  spring- sown  plants.  A  few  bulbs  in  each 
stock  were  infested  by  this  pest,  but  an  application  of  1  oz.  of  sulphate  of 
ammonia  to  each  square  yard  of  ground  checked  the  attack.  In  every 
case  the  transplanted  autumn-sown  bulbs  were  the  largest  and  most 
shapely.”  Then  of  the  varieties  selected  from  this  valuable  trial  for 
awards  of  merit,  not  one  of  the  Tripoli  or  ordinary  autumn-sown  varieties 
wfas  found  worthy,  as  compared  with  the  superior  bull)*  furnished  by  the 
ordinary  spring-sowing  stocks. — A.  D. 
-  Carnation  Layers. — I  have  be>  n  interested  to  find  how  wed 
Carnation  layers  generally  have  rooted  this  autumn,  in  spite  of  the 
great  dryness  of  the  soil  they  had  to  experience.  No  doubt  where 
water  could  now  and  then  be  given  they  have  done  even  better,  but  I  am 
rather  referring  to  cases  where  thousands  of  layers  had  been  put  down 
during  August,  or  even  early  in  September,  and  could  have  no  water. 
Apparently  the  plants  liked  the  dry  atmosphere,  and  that  helped  to  promote 
root  action  on  the  part  of  the  layers  even  more  rapidly  than  would  have 
been  the  case  had  much  rainfall  taken  place.  Certainly  when  the  weather 
is  damp  the  wood  somewhat  softens  through  excess  of  sap  ;  whilst  in  dry 
weather  it  hardens,  and  all  the  more  rapidly  exudes  oxygenised  sap  on 
the  layer  tongues,  and  roots  directly  result.  With  such  good  hard,  well 
rooted  layers,  Carnations  should  be  excellent  next  summer.— A.  D. 
-  Hedychium  Gardnerianum. — As  a  rule  Hedychiums  are- 
associated  with  warm  -house  plants  rather  than  cool ;  but  this  one,  at  any 
rate,  gives  greater  satisfaction  under  cool  treatment  than  under  warm. 
In  the  temperate  houses  at  Ivew  two  large  groups  are  to  be  seen  planted 
in  a  border  where  they  have  been  flowering  freely  for  the  past  two 
months,  and  are  still  carrying  a  number  of  fine  racemes.  Under  cool 
treatment  the  growths  grow  between  5  and  6  feet  in  height.  They  are 
short-jointed  and  sturdy,  and  thickly  coated  with  a  glaucous  bloom.  The 
leaves  are  dark  green  on  the  upper  and  silvery  on  the  under  surface, 
15  to  18  inches  long  and  5  inches  wide.  The  strongest  of  the  shoots  are 
terminated  with  cylindrical  racemes  of  yellow'  flowers.  The  racemes  are 
often  15  inches  long  by  7  inches  through.  No  special  treatment  is  neces¬ 
sary,  given  a  loamy  soil  and  an  annual  top-dressing  of  cow  manure  with 
abundance  of  water  while  growing. — D.  Iv. 
-  Late  Roses  and  Lilies.— The  season  of  these  beautiful 
flowers— at  least,  in  south-western  Scotland  -  promises  to  be  an  excep¬ 
tional  one  this  year.  To-day  (October  27:  h)  I  obtained  some  fine  blooms 
from  the  following  varieties — viz  ,  Countess  of  Caledon,  Madame  Abel 
Chatenay,  A.  Iv.  Williams,  Mrs.  IV.  ,T.  Grant,  Mrs.  Paul,  Madame  Charles, 
Marie  Van  Iloutte,  Hon.  Edith  Gifford,  Caroline  Testout,  and  Souvenir 
de  S.  A.  Prince.  My  finest  Crimson  Rambler,  growing  on  a  sheltered 
and  sunny  west  wall,  has,  mirabile  dicta  !  within  the  last  fortnight  produced 
a  second  crop  of  buds.  Whether  or  not  these  will  come  to  maturity  will 
depend  upon  atmospheric  influences.  At  present  the  weather  is  mild  and 
abnormally  warm  ;  they  are,  consequently,  developing  with  great  rapidity’. 
My  latest  speciosum  Lily  (L.  s.  Kraetzeri)  is  just  beginning  to  expand  its 
flowers.  A  still  later  longiflorum  Harrisi,  born  out  of  due  time,  will  not 
be  in  flower  for  a  fortnight  yet. — David  II.  Williamson. 
VEGETABLE  SHOW  AT  BIRMINGHAM. 
October  26th  and  27th. 
With  characteristic  enterprise  Mr.  Robert  Sydenham,  Tenby  Street, 
Birmingham,  promoted  an  exhibition  of  vegetables,  held  in  the  largo 
Mason  Hall,  on  the  above  dates.  Hitherto  the  prizes  have  been  awarded 
in  connection  with  the  Pdrmingham  Chrysanthemum  Society’s  Show,  but 
this  season  the  connection  was  severed,  and  the  show  was,  of  its  kind, 
such  as  had  never  been  seen  in  Birmingham  before.  The  judging  was  by 
“points,”  the  same  being  notified  on  the  exhibition  cards,  and  the  com¬ 
petition  was  remarkably  keen. 
Altogether  prizes  were  offered  in  twenty-five  classes,  and  the  silver 
challenge  cup,  value  £15,  to  be  held  for  one  year  by  the  winner,  and 
when  he  is  successful  in  winning  it  a  second  time  it  will  become  his 
absolute  property,  was  won  in  the  open  class  by  Mr.  T.  Wilkins,  gardener 
to  Lady  Theodora  Guest,  Blandford.  In  addition  to  the  money  prizes 
for  the  separate  dishes,  there  being  no  prizes  offered  for  collections  of 
vegetables,  a  watch  or  gold  chain,  value  £3  3s.,  was  added  as  a  first  prize 
to  the  winner  of  the  cup.  The  second  prize  was  secured  by  Mr.  II.  Folks, 
gardener  to  I.  F.  Halsey,  Esq.,  Hemel  Hempstead  ;  the  third  to  Mr. 
J.  Read,  gardener  to  the  Earl  of  Carnarvon,  Bretby  Park  ;  the  fourth  to 
Mr.  W.  Pope,  Highclere  Castle  ;  and  the  fifth  to  Mr.  Robert  Lye, 
gardener  to  W.  A.  Kingsmill,  Esq.,  Newbury.  Exceptionally  fine  were 
the  Onions,  Carrots,  Parsnips,  Potatoes,  Beet,  Leeks,  Cauliflowers,  and 
Tomatoes  in  the  open  classes. 
Prizes  w  ere  also  offered  for  local  gardeners  or  amateurs  residing  within 
five  miles  of  Stephenson  Place,  Birmingham,  the  competition  being  keen 
and  the  produce  most  creditable.  The  local  silver  challenge  cup,  value 
£10,  fell  to  Mr.  Samuel  Gibbs,  gardener  to  J.  B.  Manley,  Esq.,  The 
Oaklands,  Harborne,  and  the  addition  of  a  watch  or  chain,  value  £2  2s. 
as  a  first  prize.  The  second  prize  went  to  Mr.  F.  Dunn,  gardener  to 
E.  Edkins,  Egq.,  Erdington  ;  the  third  to  Mr.  A.  Cry  er,  gardener  to  J.  A. 
Ivenrick,  Esq.,  Berrow  Court,  Edgbaston  ;  the  fourth  to  Mr.  George 
Stacey,  Harborne  ;  and  the  fifth  to  Mr.  Palmer,  gardener  to  G.  S. 
Mathew’s,  Esq.,  Edgbaston.  A  special  certificate  was  awarded  to  Mr. 
H.  A.  Burberry,  King’s  Heath,  Birmingham,  for  a  collection  of  Orchids! 
Mr.  W.  Sydenham,  Tamworth,  made  a  charming  display  of  Pansies  and 
Violas,  and  the  enterprising  promoter  of  the  Show  also  staged  an 
attract  ve  exhibit  with  hi3  rustic  table  decorations  filled  with  miscel¬ 
laneous  flowers. 
