2)4 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  21,  1899, 
type,  as  the  plant  beiDg  of  dwarf  habit  of  growth  makes  a  good 
specimen,  and  the  flowers  are  of  a  wonderfully  bright  scarlet  colour,  a 
colour  so  much  needed  during  the  dull  days  of  autumn.  If  only  one 
variety  can  be  grown,  let  it  be  S.  Bruanti.  Pitched  produces  beautiful 
bright  blue  flowers,  a  colour  always  acceptable  and  not  very  plentiful 
in  other  flowers  during  October.  The  piant  branches  freely  and  grows 
to  a  height  of  3  or  4  feet,  a  grand  companion  for  the  scarlet  flowering 
varieties.  Betheli  is  quite  distinct  from  all  other  Salvias.  The 
flowers,  which  are  of  a  rose  colour,  delicately  shaded  with  white, 
grow  in  large  panicles  above  bold  striking  foliage.  It  was,  I  believe, 
raised  by  Mr.  Bethel  when  in  charge  of  the  extensive  and  beautiful 
gardens  at  Ashton  Court,  near  Bristol,  and  when  visiting  there  some 
twelve  years  ago  during  the  autumn,  I  was  greatly  impressed  with  the 
beautiful  groups  ot  this  and  other  varieties  of  Salvias,  which  were 
flowering  grandly  in  the  conservatory.  Chrysanthemums  there  were 
in  plenty,  but  the  Salvias  seemed  to  strike  one  as  being  an  uncommon 
and  brilliant  display. 
Rutjlans  is  a  neat  growing  variety,  which  produces  freely  long  thin 
spikes  of  magenta  coloured  flowers.  It  blooms  throughout  the  year, 
and  the  fragrant  foliage  resembles  the  scent  of  the  Pine  Apple. 
Leucantha  bears  woolly  looking  leaves,  and  the  flowers  are  a  peculiar 
mixture  of  rosy  mauve  and  white.  Coccinea  grandiflora  is  a  dwarf 
branching  variety,  bearing  deep  reddish  salmon  flowers.  Gesneneflora 
is  an  old  and  well-known  sort,  which  makes  a  brilliant  display  of 
scarlet  during  the  spring  months,  and  in  well-grown  plants  the  large 
deep  green  leaves  show  Up  the  flowers  to  advantage.  Those  who  have 
a  larue  old-fashioned  conservatory  to  keep  gay  should  grow  this 
extensively,  as  it  succeeds  well  in  a  house  in  which  the  light  is  not 
intense.  In  modern  structures  the  leaves  sometimes  turn  brown, 
especially  if  the  atmosphere  is  not  kept  moist. 
Cuttings  of  all  the  above  varieties  should  be  inserted  in  March  or 
April ;  they  root  freely  enough  in  quite  a  cool  house  if  kept  in 
a  close  frame  or  hand-light.  During  the  early  stages  of  growth  a  soil 
mixture  of  two  parts  loam  and  one  of  leaf  soil  with  sand  added  suits 
them  admirably.  For  the  final  potting  use  four  parts  loam,  one  of 
horse  manure,  prepared  as  for  a  Mushroom  bed,  one  of  leaf  soil,  and  a 
48-potful  of  soot  to  each  barrowload.  Pot  firmly  and  place  in  a 
shady  position  in  the  open  air  for  a  time,  and  syringe  freely.  When 
established  arrange  in  a  sunny  position  shell ered  from  cutting  winds, 
as  the  plants  frequently  became  stunted  through  being  placed  in  an 
unfavourable  position.  Through  the  summer,  when  the  weather  is 
bright,  syringe  thoroughly  during  the  afternoons  or  evenings  to 
promote  healthy  growth  and  keep  red  spider  at  bay.  Frequent 
applications  of  weak  soot  water  are  of  immense  benefit  to  the  plants ; 
they  seem  to  revel  in  such  stimulating  food  quite  as  much  as  Chrys¬ 
anthemums  do.  An  occasional  top-dressing  of  chemical  manure 
should  also  be  given. 
In  some  gardens  Salvias  are  disappointing,  and  fail  to  grow 
satisfactorily,  but  the  cause  lies  in  their  neglect.  They  do  not  get 
enough  feeding  and  regular  attention  in  watering,  and  I  make  bold  to 
assert  that  if  anyone  will  grow  a  good  collection  of  Salvias,  and  bestow 
as  much  care  on  them  as  on  a  similar  number  of  Chrysanthemums, 
the  former  will  prove  quite  as  attractive  and  useful  as  the  latter. — H.  D. 
EXHIBITING  GRAPES— A  DISQUALIFICATION, 
I  HAVE  been  away  from  home,  and  have  i.ot  therefore  had  an  earlier 
opportunity  to  reply  to  Mr.  Jones,  who  complains  (page  208)  about  the 
judging  at  Malvern  Show.  I  am  surprised  at  the  misstatements,  and  wish 
to  endorse  all  Mr.  Mullins,  my  co-judge,  has  written. 
We  did  not  give  Mr.  Jones  first  prize  and  then  disqualify  him,  and  our 
attention  was  not  called  to  the  error  made  by  your  correspondent  by  the 
officials  present,  but  we  noticed  it  ourselves,  and  after  again  reading 
the  wording  in  the  schedule  we  consulted  the  officials  present,  whose 
interpretation  coincided  with  our  own,  that  six  distinct  kinds  were 
required.  I  therefore  maintain  that  our  decision  was  strictly  correct. 
Judges  are  bound  to  follow  the  rules  laid  down  by  the  society  for  whom 
they  are  officiating 
In  this  case  we  found  two  exhibitors  only.  We  avoided  writing  the 
objectional  word,  disqualified,  on  Mr.  Jones’  card,  but  instead  wrote,  *•  only 
five  distinct  kinds  of  fruit.”  If  we  wounded  Mr.  Jones’  feelings  we 
brought  him  the  best  physician  we  could  to  heal  them,  through  the 
kindness  of  the  officials  present,  and  awarded  a  special  prize,  in  value 
above  the  second  prize  and  only  ten  shillings  under  the  first  prize,  so  that 
I  think  Mr.  Jones  has  little  of  which  to  complain.  Had  Mr.  Jones’  table 
been  deserving  of  first  prize,  and  had  we  awarded  it  to  him,  the  other 
exhibitor  could  have  entered  a  protest  on  the  grounds  that  our  decision 
was  i.ot  according  to  the  wording  of  the  schedule. 
After  all  that  has  been  written  in  our  gardening  periodicals  during  the 
last  twenty-five  years  for  the  guidance  of  exhibitors,  judges,  and  officials 
relative  to  the  difference  between  kinds  and  varieties,  I  am  surprised  that 
anyone  should  fall  into  error  or  expect  judges  to  deviate  from  the  precise 
wording  of  the  schedule.  All  similar  trouble  would  be  avoided  if,  like 
Shrewsbury,  other  societies  would  definitely  state  that  “  black  and  white 
Grapes  will  be  allowed  as  distinct.” — Jno.  Lambert,  Powis  Castle. 
WORK  AMONG  PEACH  TREES. 
The  successful  Peach  grower  requires  to  be  a  man  of  many  parts, 
a  man  of  resource  and  ingenuity,  dealing  out  to  each  tree  under  his 
charge  the  special  treatment  needed.  In  the  case  of  large  healthy 
trees,  which  have  been  bearing  for  years,  very  little  trouble  is,  as  a 
rule,  given  if  the  culture  throughout  the  year  is  good,  for  by  keeping 
the  foliage  clean,  top-dressing  in  winter,  and  feeding  liberally  during 
the  growing  season,  active  roots  are  secured  near  the  surface  of  the 
soil,  and  the  trees  bear  good  crops  aunually  with  unfailing  regularity 
— i.e.,  when  grown  under  glass.  Trees,  however,  like  human 
individuals,  seem  to  differ  in  their  capacity  to  do  good  work  and  keep 
in  robust  health,  and  it  is  certainly  a  little  puzzling  sometimes  to  find 
Peach  trees,  treated  in  every  respect  the  same  as  those  adjoining,  in  a 
short  time  showing  signs  of  ill-health  and  feebleness.  The  present  is 
an  excellent  time  to  attempt  to  put  matters  right  by  giving  the  needed 
attention  at  the  loots.  Early  Peach  houses  at  this  season  are  generally 
free  from  plants,  and  if  the  borders  can  be  renovated  before  the  leaves 
fall,  young  roots  work  quickly  into  the  new  soil,  and  the  trees  show 
signs  of  improvement  earlier  than  when  the  renovation  is  performed 
at  a  later  date. 
A  trench  2  feet  in  width  should  be  taken  out  along  the  border  at 
the  farthest  point  from  the  tree  stems.  Remove  the  soil  down 
to  the  drainage,  rearrange  this,  and  if  a  fair  number  of  roots  is  found 
cut  them  off  at  the  edge  of  the  trench,  and  fill  in  with  fresh  soil.  If 
only  few  roots  are  found,  another  section  of  the  border  should  be 
removed,  this  time  preserving  the  roots  carefully,  notching  the  strong 
ones,  and  spreading  them  out  carefully  in  the  fresh  soil,  taking  care 
to  bring  a  good  portion  of  them  as  near  to  the  surface  as  practicable. 
Over  the  remaining  surface  of  the  border  the  soil  should  be  removed 
to  a  depth  of  from  3  to  9  inches,  this  being  regulated  by  the  number 
of  roots  found. 
Cut  away  the  ends  of  the  strong  roots,  notch  them  when  they  are 
destitute  of  fibres,  lay  them  in  fresh  soil,  and  also  spread  a  thin  layer 
all  over  the  border.  Make  no  attempt,  however,  to  bring  the  surface 
of  the  border  up  to  its  former  level,  all  that  is  necessary  is  to  cover 
the  roots  with  2  inches  of  soil — thick  top-dressings  often  do  more 
harm  than  good.  A  good  compost  to  use  for  the  above  purpose  is  one 
formed  ot  five  parts  loam,  one  of  fresh  horse  manure,  a  tenth  of  bone- 
meal,  and  an  equal  quantity  of  wood  ashes.  This  partial  renovation 
of  Peach  borders  often  insures  greatly  improved  results,  and  is  far 
safer  than  taking  more  radical  measures.  While  the  work  is  being 
done,  and  for  a  couple  of  weeks  after,  the  trees  should  be  shaded. 
Now  let  us  turn  to  the  consideration  of  young  trees  which  have 
produced  very  strong  wood,  and  need  a  check  to  insure  fruitfulness. 
In  such  instances  take  out  a  trench  from  2  to  4  feet  from  the  bole  of 
the  tree,  cut  off  all  roots  to  the  inner  edge  of  the  trench,  and  fill  in 
with  good  turfy  loam,  to  which  a  tenth  of  lime  rubble  has  been  added. 
Tread  the  soil  very  firmly  as  each  layer  is  filled  in. 
Many  trees  in  the  ooen  air,  as  well  as  those  under  glass,  need  such 
attention  some  time  during  the  autumn,  and  in  nearly  all  instances  it 
is  better  to  do  the  work  before,  rather  than  after  the  leaves  have 
fallen.  In  successful  Peach  growing  abundance  of  fibrous  roots  play 
an  important  part,  and  I  know  of  no  better  way  to  secure  these  than 
by  following  the  sound  though  ancient  doctrine  which  says,  “keep 
pulling  the  roots  about.” — Practice. 
SHOWS. 
ROYAL  CALEDONIAN  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 
September  13th  and  14th. 
Though  the  entries  for  the  above  show  were  in  number  slightly 
under  those  of  last  year,  the  results  as  seen  in  the  Waverley  Market 
when  staging  was  completed  and  everything  in  shipshape  order,  proved 
the  exhibition  to  be  one  of  the  finest  ever  held  by  the  Society.  Grapes, 
always  a  grand  feature,  were  surpassingly  fine.  Hardy  fruits,  and  more 
particularly  Apples,  were  exhibited  in  enormous  quantities.  A  fair 
estimate  of  the  number  of  dishes  staged  would  be  at  least  500,  the  early 
varieties  in  particular  being  characterised  by  good  size  and  clean  growth. 
Of  cut  flowers  there  was  perhaps  the  finest  display  ever  seen  in 
Edinburgh  at  this  season,  all  the  popular  kinds  being  largely  represented 
and  generally  good  in  quality,  and  certainly  of  purer  and  brighter 
colouration  than  usually  seen  in  Scotland.  The  quantity  of  Dahlias 
alone  shown  was  marvellous,  while  herbaceous  plants,  Gladioli,  Roses, 
Pentstemons,  and  Sweet  Peas,  not  to  mention  others,  were  in  each  case 
exhibited  profusely.  Vegetables  have  been  surpassed,  nevertheless  they 
formed  an  excellent  contribution,  and  pot  plants  were  up  to  the  usual 
standard  for  these. 
To  the  enterprise  of  nurserymen  the  success  of  the  Exhibition  as  a 
whole  was  largely,  very  largely,  due,  and  to  say  that  as  a  body  they 
merited  the  highest  praise  for  the  generally  hi^h-class  and  up-to-date 
character  of  their  several  exhibits  is  the  very  weakest  expression  that  can 
be  employed  regarding  them. 
Fruit. 
In  specifying  the  chief  exhibits  we  shall  follow  the  schedule  and  begin 
with  the  fruit  classes,  of  which  the  decorated  table  of  dessert  fruit  heads 
