July  6,  1899. 
9 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER .. 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  in  1899. 
July  7th  (Friday). — Hereford. 
,,  8th  (Saturday). — Manchester. 
»  11th  (Tuesday). — Reading  and  Wolverhampton.f 
„  13th  (  Thursday). — Bedale,  Brentwood,  Eltham,  Helensburgh, 
Norwich,  and  Woodbridge. 
„  14th  (Friday). — Ulverston. 
„  15th  (Saturday). — New  Brighton. 
„  19th  (Wednesday). — Cardiff0,  Newcastle-on-Tyne.j" 
„  20th  (Thursday). — Salterhebble  and  Sidcup. 
„  22nd  (Saturday). — Newton  Mearns. 
„  25th  (Tuesday).— Tibshelf. 
Aug.  3rd  (Thursday). — Liverpool  J 
*  Shows  lasting  two  days.  f  Shows  lasting  three  days, 
t  Show  lasting  four  days. 
Edward  Mawley,  Itosebank,  Berkhamsted ,  Ilerts . 
Rub  it  in. 
A  good  many  amateur  rosarians  will  he  about  this  time  beginning 
to  be  troubled  with  the  first  appearance  of  mildew  on  their  plants. 
Sulphur  is  the  usual  remedy,  and  is  generally,  I  take  it,  the  active 
principle  in  advertised  preparations.  It  is  to  be  “dusted  on,”  “  blown 
on,”  or  “  sprayed  on  ”  to  the  affected  parts,  but  it  does  not  always  seem 
so  effectual  as  it  should  be. 
A  certain  old  farmer  wishing  to  convey,  in  what  he  thought  was 
picturesque  language,  the  idea  that  he  had  patieutly  endured  injury, 
but  resented  added  insult  on  the  same  subject,  said,  “  I  ha’  put 
op  wi’  being  spat  on,  but  I  can’t  abide  its  being  rubbed  in.” 
Our  enemy  the  mildew  is  of  the  same  opinion.  It  can  put  up  with 
the  sulphur  being  dusted  or  sprayed  on,  for  a  shower  or  a  breeze  will 
soon  remove  it,  and  the  under  parts  of  the  leaves,  where  it  is  strongest, 
•will  have  had  little  of  the  application;  but  it  “can’t  abide  its  being 
rubbed  in.”  There  is  as  much  difference  as  there  would  be  between 
sprinkling  poison  on  the  human  skin  and  rubbing  it  into  an  open 
wound.  For  mildew  is  an  organism  consisting  in  its  early  stage  of 
the  mycelium  threads,  to  which  sulphur  is  poison.  Rubbing  breaks 
these  threads,  and  not  only  causes  the  sulphur  to  adhere,  but  rubs  it 
into  the  broken  threads,  or  open  sore9,  so  to  speak,  of  the  mildew. 
Of  course  this  remedy  is  of  use  only  for  the  small  amateur,  or 
where  the  first  appearance  has  been  detected  in  time  among  a  lot  of 
otherwise  untouched  plants.  I  found  tbiB  afternoon  a  couple  of 
plants  infected,  and  after  rubbing  it  in  well  all  over  them,  I  went 
across  the  rows  among  other  plants,  and  found  a  curl  or  a  spot  just 
here  or  there,  and  firmly  believe  that  I  have  for  the  time  repulsed 
the  enemy,  though  of  course  there  may  be  a  fresh  attack  very  soon. 
I  have  the  sulphur  in  an  open  vessel  in  one  hand,  and,  taking 
a  pinch  between  finger  and  thumb  with  the  other,  just  rub  every 
affected  leaf  with  it,  the  thumb  being  on  one  side  of  the  leaf  and 
the  finger  on  the  other.  In  one  case  which  I  thus  treated  lately,  the 
leaves  which  before  the  operation  were  folded  together,  wrinkled,  and 
white,  and  looked  wretched,  were  the  next  morning  open  again  and 
green,  and  brown  scars  only  remained  where  the  mildew  had  been. 
"White  •’pots  on  the  wood,  or  even  on  the  buds,  should  not  be  overlooked. 
— W.  R.  Raillem. 
Maidstone  Show. 
Tiie  annual  show  in  connection  with  the  Maidstone  Rose  Club  took 
place  at  the  Church  Institute  on  the  28th  ult.,  when  a  good  display  of 
blooms  was  made,  but  the  attendance  of  visitors  was  small.  Colonel 
Pitt,  of  Hayle  Place,  was  a  large  exhibitor  and  carried  off  the  Mayor’s 
silver  cup  with  a  fine  collection  of  twenty-four  blooms.  He  also 
secured  the  National  Rose  Society’s  bronze  medal  for  the  best  bloom 
in  the  show  with  a  Mrs.  John  Laing.  Mr.  R.  E.  West,  Reigate, 
was  a  strong  exhibitor,  and  took  several  prizes.  Messrs.  G.  Bunyard 
and  Co.  made  a  fine  display  of  Roses,  plants,  Palms  and  hothouse 
fruits  in  the  halL 
SUNNINGDALE  PARK. 
To  those  horticulturists  whose  journeyings  do  not  take  them  into 
Berkshire,  not  even  to  Royal  Ascot  in  the  “  leafy  month,”  and  whose 
knowledge  of  the  estates  that  are  scattered  throughout  its  many  acres 
is  derived  from  the  pages  of  the  several  horticultural  journals,  the  name 
of  Sunningdale  Park  will  conjure  up  visions  of  Orchids  beautiful  and  rare. 
And  they  have  some  justification  for  this,  as  it  is  seldom  that  nowadays 
Mr.  F.  J.  Thorne,  who  has  charge  of  Major  Joicey’s  gardens,  exhibits 
anything  but  Orchids,  and  those  only  when  there  is  something  of  excep¬ 
tional  merit  in  flower.  Thus  it  is  that  on  these  occasions  the  observa¬ 
tions  of  the  reporters  are  confined  to  the  plants  shown,  and  nothing  is 
said  beyond.  Erstwhile  groups  of  Chrysanthemums  and  miscellaneous 
plants  found  their  way  from  Sunningdale  Park  and  returned  not  until 
the  magic  “first  prize”  had  been  attached  to  the  cards.  But  those  days 
are  past,  and  the  plants  that  are  grttWn  go  not,  unhappily  for  visitors,  to 
the  exhibition;  they  remain  for  the  further  adornment  of  an  already 
charming  home.  They  are  still  of  the  same  excellence,  but  the  exigencies 
of  the  supply  of  a  large  establishment  demand  their  retention,  and  even 
then  the  resources  of  the  gardener  and  his  staff  are  often  taxed  to  the 
last  proverbial  straw.  _ 
It  is  the  intention  at  this  moment,  then,  to  tell  not  of  the  Orchids 
alone,  but  of  other  points  of  attraction  in  this  compact  yet  varied  domain. 
Fortunate,  indeed,  is  it  for  us  Londoners  that  there  are  within  their  ring 
fences  many  places  that  take  us  from  the  smoke  and  grime  for  a  day, 
and  in  giving  us  fiesh  air  add  to  our  lives  what  the  sulphurous  metropolis 
might  take  off,  and  provide  at  the  same  time  health-giving  food  for  the 
mind.  At  Sunningdale  there  is  much  which  gladdens  the  eye  as  the 
pleasure  gardens  are  traversed,  the  splendid  trees  noted,  and  stock,  if  no 
more,  is  taken  of  the  fruits  within  doors  and  the  crops  in  the  vegetable 
garden.  There  is  material  for  the  Orchid  enthusiast  to  feast  upon,  the 
fruitarian  and  vegetarian  have  their  appetites  whetted  and  their  palates 
tickled  ;  while  the  hardy  plantsman  finds  in  the  many  shrubbery  borders, 
and  in  the  rocks  that  margin  the  lake,  many  of  those  treasures  in  which 
his  soul  delights.  Fpr  the  nonce  the  several  specialists  must  be  rolled 
into  one  generalist,  and  each  of  the  phases  of  gardening  be  dealt  with,  if 
in  only  a  perfunctory  manner.  _ 
»  It  is  about  six  years  ago  since  the  writer  went  first  to  Sunningdale, 
and  was  then  much  interested  in  the  grounds  and  the  glass  structures, 
but  in  the  interim  the  face  of  Nature  has  been  changed,  and  one  would, 
but  for  some  salient  features  that  must  never  be  removed,  scarcely 
recognise  the  place.  The  pleasure  grounds  have  been  altered  in  a  most 
skilful  manner,  and  the  result  is  that  though  their  dimensions  remain 
practically  the  same  the  extent  is  apparently  much  greater.  It  is  in 
cases  such  as  these  that  the  skill  of  the  landscape  gardener  is  evidenced, 
as  he  siezes  salient  points,  emphasises  them,  and  covers  defects  in  some 
manner  that  must  be  governed  by  the  immediate  surroundings.  Ferhaps 
the  most  marked  improvement  has  been  effected  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  lake,  which  was  originally  of  somewhat  formal  design,  anil  of  such 
shape  that  the  whole  of  the  water  could  be  seen  in  one  covp  d  oeif  from 
several  different  points.  _ 
The  gardener  in  chief  was,  of  course,  anxious  that  this  should  bo 
improved  upon,  and  being  a  very  considerable  piece  ot  work  ic  was  plaaed 
in  the  hands  of  Fulham  &  Son,  whose  bkill  in  such  matters  as  these  is  world 
renowned.  The  water  has  now  been  margined  with  rock,  and  as  the 
banks  have  been  skilfully  contracted  here  and  expanded  there,  the  appear¬ 
ance  of  a  great  deal  more  water  has  been  secured.  .Tutting  rocks  have 
formed  a  congenial  resting  place  lor  hardy  plants,  which  in  a  tew  years 
will  produce  a  very  handsome  effect.  At  the  head  of  the  lake  the  rocks 
have  been  thrown  up  to  form  cascades,  with  divisional  resting  pools,  and 
already,  though  scarcely  completed,  looks  charming.  The  topmost  rocks 
are  almost  lost  in  the  immense  bank  of  Rhododendrons,  this  favouring 
the  impression  that  there  is  more  water  beyond.  From  the  carriage 
drive,  which  extends  for  nearly  a  mile,  mostly  within  banks  ot  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons,  one  best  grasps  the  importance  ot  ihe  several  changes  that 
have  been  made,  as  they  have  added  variety,  depth,  and  charm  to  an 
already  varied  scene.  The  designers  are  to  be  congratulated  on  the 
excellence  of  their  work. 
It  is  perhaps  unfortunate  that  neither  of  the  photographs  sent  for 
reproduction  by  Mr.  II.  E.  Ree,  Sunninghill,  depicts  the  full  area  ot  the 
water,  and  the  only  one  that  is  sufficiently  sharp  for  use  is  seen  in  fig.  3. 
The  water  in  the  foreground  of  the  picture  serves  one  purpose  and  that 
is  to  throw  into  bold  relief  the  splendid  trees  with  which  the  greensward 
is  studded.  An  idea,  too,  of  the  lake  borders  is  given  by  the  photograph. 
The  Rhododendron  bank  mentioned  in  the  preceding  paragraph  has  on 
its  first  terrace  Rose  arches  and  beds,  and  on  its  summit  the  home  of 
Major  and  Mrs.  Joicey.  The  mansion  (fig.  4)  is  beautifully  situated,  and 
commands  some  charming  glimpses  of  the  surrounding  country.  As  may 
be  seen,  it  is  a  formal  structure,  that  makes  up  in  solidity  and  comlort 
the  architectural  beauties  it  certainly  lacks.  In  the  second  picture  the 
head  of  the  lake  is  at  the  left  hand,  there  being,  besides  the  easily  recog¬ 
nisable  trees.  Rhododendrons,  Azaleas,  and  the  Roses  beyond.  Ihe  most 
attractive  spot  of  all,  however,  when  this  visit  was  paid,  was  ft  mass  of 
Lithospermum  prostratum,  whose  blue  flowers  made  a  lovely  picture. 
As  Rhododendrons  have  been  mentioned  several  times  already,  readers- 
will  have  grasped  the  fact  that  they  are  favourites  at  Sunningdale,  and 
