October  26,  '  899. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
359 
-  Heavy  Vegetable  Marrows. — In  your  issue  of  October 
12th  last  a  Marrow  41  lbs.  is  referred  to.  A  little  chap  has  recently  been 
cut  at  Solihull,  Warwickshire,  which  can  beat  this  by  lbs.  Its  girth 
is  3  feet  4  inches,  and  it  turns  the  scale  at  45^  lbs.  The  variety  is  Long 
Cream,  and  the  grower  is  Mr.  J.  Eales,  gardener  at  The  Grove,  Solihull. 
This’s  the  largest  yet  recorded  round  “they  parts.”  What  can  other 
districts  show  ? — G.  A.  W. 
-  “Amateur  World  of  Horticulture.”  — This  is  the  official 
organ  of  the  National  Amateur  Gardeners’ Association,  and  its  quarterly 
parts  always  contain  a  good  fund  of  useful  information.  In  the  April 
to  June  issue,  now  before  us,  we  find,  in  addition  to  the  reports  of  routine 
business,  excellent  papers  on  Town  Gardening,  by  Mr.  B.  Tourle  ;  About 
Exhibiting  Hoses,  by  Mr.  G.  W.  Cook  ;  and  The  Artistic  Arrangement 
of  Cut  Flowers,  by  Mr.  D.  B.  Crane. 
-  Mr.  G.  W.  Cummins. — We  are  sorry  to  hear  that,  owing  to 
the  effects  of  the  northern  climate  on  the  health  of  a  member  of  his 
family,  Mr.  Cummins  feels  compelled,  acting  on  medical  advice,  to  return 
to  the  south  again.  His  employer,  W.  H.  Lumsden,  Esq.,  of  Balmedie, 
Aberdeen,  is  desirous  of  assisting  his  able  and  experienced  gardener  into 
another  situation  in  a  milder  district.  As  is  well  known,  Mr.  Cummins 
is  an  expert  grower  of  Orchids,  hardy  flowers  and  fruit. 
-  Aster  diffusus  horizontalis.  —  In  the  midst  of  many 
varieties  at  present  in  full  flower  in  the  garden,  this  exquisite  small- 
flowered  variety  convinces  everyone  by  its  sweet  simplicity  and  freedom 
of  flower.  Quite  amongst  the  smallest  of  the  “Michaelmas  Daisies,”  as 
regards  the  individual  flowers,  the  branching  habit,  and  stems  not  more 
than  feet  high,  it  is  worthy  of  its  position,  and  if  placed  in  a  good 
situation  and  liberally  treated  will  give  an  excellent  return,  lasting  long 
when  cut.  From  the  many  shades  of  blue,  lilac,  and  lavender,  the  pretty 
pink  and  white  flowers  of  this  little  gem  come  as  a  great  relief,  and  in 
striking  contrast  to  many  other  flowers. — R.  gj 
-  Ampelopsis  Veitchi  and  IIaggi. — One  of  the  most  interest¬ 
ing  and  unique  creeper-clad  garden  walls  that  it  has  ever  been  my  good 
fortune  to  behold  is  a  boundary  brick  wall  bordering  the  cartway  leading 
down  to  the  fruit  and  vegetable  garden  belonging  to  Mr.  Fred.  A.  Mole, 
Westfield  Road,  Edgbastou  (one  of  the  most  practical  and  successful 
amateur  Apple  and  Bear  suburban  cultivators  in  the  United  Kingdom, 
and  in  evidence  of  which  may  be  mentioned  the  publication  in  the  Journal 
of  Horticulture,  April  28th,  1892,  of  his  instructive  lecture,  read  before 
the  members  of  the  Birmingham  Gardeners’  Association).  Clothed  with 
alternately  arranged  plants  of  the  above  climbers,  the  wall  is 
240  feet  long,  and  about  8  feet  high,  each  plant  covering  a  space  of  about 
120  square  teet.  Thus  it  may  readily  be  imagined  what  a  splendid 
picture  of  coloured  foliage  is  presented  thereby,  and  never  more  so  than 
during  the  present  season’s  sunny  weather ;  the  harmonious  colouration 
of  the  rich,  crimson-purple,  bronzy,  tricuspidate  leaves  of  Veitchi,  with 
the  amber  mottled,  lanceolate,  ternate,  large  leaves  of  IIaggi  forming  a 
picture  that  must  be  seen  to  be  fully  appreciated,  as  it  is  by  the  numerous 
passers-by.  It  should  be  remarked  that  the  face  of  the  wall  in  question 
has  a  southern  aspect. — W.  Gardiner. 
-  Native  Guano. — Although  this  manure  is  manufactured  in 
Kingston  from  the  sewage  of  this  place  and  adjoining  towns,  I  had 
not  given  it  any  trial  as  a  Potato  manure  previous  to  the  present  year, 
ordinary  chemical  or  artificial  manures  having  generally  been  employed, 
and  these  with  very  little  success.  But  this  year,  having  arranged  to 
plant  numerous  varieties  of  Potatoes,  as  a  trial,  on  a  pure  sandy  soil  at 
Egham,  I  asked  the  Native  Guano  Company  for  a  bag  of  their  manure 
to  try  its  effects  on  the  breadth,  and  that  was  readily  granted.  The 
planting  took  place  early  in  April,  the  ground  having  been  previously 
deeply  dug  but  not  manured.  The  furrows,  thrown  out  6  inches  deep 
and  fairly  wide,  enabled  the  manure,  at  the  rate  of  about  2  lbs.  per  row, 
or  from  10  lbs.  to  12  lbs.  per  rod,  to  be  strewn  in  with  the  sets.  Of  some 
eighteen  varieties  planted,  two  rows  of  each,  only  the  first  planted  row  in 
every  case  was  thus  dressed  with  the  manure,  but  the  sets  in  each  row 
were  of  equal  size  and  number.  In  the  early  stages  of  growth  the  tops 
of  the  dressed  rows  showed  greater  robustness  than  did  those  of  the 
undressed  rows.  The  crop  was  carefully  lifted  last  week,  and  in  every 
case,  although  the  season  has  been  so  hot  and  dry,  the  results  showed 
clearly  that  the  manure-dressed  rows  gave  the  best  crops.  So 
good  were  they  generally,  especially  with  robust  growers  like  Prime 
Minister,  Up-to-Date,  Cnancellor,  Syon  House  Prolific,  Sutton’s  Reliance, 
Webb’s  Motor,  and  Industry,  and  a  few  others,  that  allotment  holders 
having  near  plots  quite  marvelled,  as  being  far  better  than  their  cropq 
had  been.  Of  four  plots  in  different  localities  the  Egham  plot  gave  this 
season  by  far  the  heaviest  Potato  crops. — A.  Dean. 
•  -  Rubus  LEUCODERMIS. — A  very  fine  specimen  of  this,  the 
whitewashed  Bramble,  can  be  observed  in  the  spacious  gardens  which 
are  attached  to  Clontarf  Castle,  the  property  of  Colonel  Vernon.  The 
plant  in  question  measures  about  8  feet  in  height  and  10  feet  across.  The 
position  mars  its  effect,  being  in  a  corner,  and  in  too  close  a  juxtaposition 
with  a  Pear  tree  ;  the  tree  is  one  of  the  finest  in  Dublin. 
-  Flowers  in  South  Africa. — A  war  correspondent  in 
traversing  the  Karoo  in  South  Africa  says,  “  Startling  were  the  patches 
of  brilliant  wild  flowers,  bursting  suddenly  into  view  at  some  points. 
The  sandy  soil  and  rocky  hills  were  still  beneath,  but  clothed  with  a 
gorgeous  wealth  of  purple  Heather,  dwarf  shrubs,  the  flowers  of  which 
were  like  the  gold  of  Gorse  in  full  bloom,  and  bushes  bearing  trumpet¬ 
shaped  flowers  of  flaming  scarlet.  All  this  colour  stretched  away  in 
endless  gradations  as  far  as  one’s  vision  reached.  It  seemed  as  if  the 
desert  sand,  touched  by  a  magician’s  wand,  had  suddenly  ‘  blossomed  in 
purple  and  gold.’  ” 
-  Tea  Culture  in  America. — Attention  is  again  being  given 
to  the  propriety  of  extending  Tea  culture  in  America.  The  plants  thrive 
as  well  along  the  lines  of  the  Allegheny  Mountains  as  they  do  in  their 
native  country.  About  this  there  is  no  need  for  any  further  experiments  by 
the  Government  Stations.  What  is  needed,  however,  says  a  transatlantic 
journal,  is  to  find  out  how  to  gather  the  leaves  and  prepare  them  as 
cheaply  as  they  do  in  China.  It  is  said  we  can  have  Chinamen  here  to 
do  the  same  work  for  us  that  they  do  in  their  own  native  land,  but  it  is 
found  that  when  a  Chinaman  emigrates  to  this  country  he  soon  finds  out 
that  his  labour  his“alle  samme  Melican  man.” 
-  County  Potato  Competitions.— The  description  given  at 
page  243  of  the  competition  with  allotment  holders  and  cottagers  for  the 
Kent  County  Challenge  Shield  is  very  interesting,  and  makes  one  to  wish 
that  some  similar  forms  of  competition  were  instituted  in  every  county  in 
the  kingdom  that  includes  horticulture  in  its  technical  education.  But  I 
should  appreciate  very  much  more  a  county  competition  for  collections  of 
vegetables  generally,  as  well  as  for  Potatoes  specially,  either  for  some 
challenge  vase  or  shield,  with  money  prizes  added.  .  Were  such  competi¬ 
tions  instituted  there  can  be  no  doubt  but  that  they  would  evoke  strong 
competition  and  keen  interest.  But  in  relation  to  Potatoes,  there  is 
one  form  of  Potato  competition  which  would  be,  of  all  methods  of  testing 
cultural  ability,  the  best.  That  is,  to  offer  prizes  for  the  best  and  heaviest 
tuber  produce  from  twenty  sets  of  plants  grown  in  a  row  or  rows  specially 
for  the  purpose,  the  competitor  to  be  allowed  to  grow  which  variety  he 
chose,  and  use  whatever  sized  sets  he  may  prefer.  But  he  should  bo 
bound  to  plant  not  wider  than  15  inches  apart  in  the  rows,  and  his  rows 
not  to  exceed  36  inches  apart.  That  would,  so  far  as  area  of  ground  is 
concerned,  place  every  competitor  on  the  same  footing.  The  rest  would 
be  partially  a  question  of  variety,  but  chiefly  one  of  cultivation.  The 
twenty  roots  thus  in  competition  should  be  lifted  in  the  presence  of  a 
competent  judge,  at  a  specified  date,  say  the  end  of  August,  or  later  if 
preferred,  and  the  produce  be  accurately  weighed  ;  not  mere  bulk  alone 
to  be  the  test  of  excellence,  but  average  quality  of  each,  and  fitness  for 
table  use  or  market  sale.  Such  a  trial  would  be  very  different  from  a 
competition  which  admits  of  the  best  dish  or  dishes  picked  from  a  large 
breadth  of  Potatoes. — Observer. 
XVXETZ:OROI>OGZCA.I.  OBSERVATIONS  iVT  CHISWICK. 
— Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens — height  above 
sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
O 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
Lowest 
Temperature 
on  Grass. 
1899. 
gd 
’-+3 .2 
2^ 
.'5 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
.2 
*8 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ffc. 
deep. 
At 
October. 
Dry 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
03 
9 
A 
bfi 
B 
In 
£ 
O 
4-ft. 
deep. 
E.S  E. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
ins. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
deg. 
Sunday  .  .lo 
49-9 
44-7 
52-2 
39-3 
_ , 
47-3 
51-8 
54-9 
26  T 
Monday.  .10 
E.N.E. 
47-9 
44  0 
56T 
42-9 
_ 
47-3 
51-3 
54-6 
33  7 
Tuesday  17 
E.N.E. 
44-8 
44-2 
59T 
42-0 
_ 
47-8 
51-3 
54'4 
32-0 
Wed’sday  18 
E.N.E. 
40-0 
40'0 
61-7 
34-0 
_ 
47  T 
51-2 
54-3 
25-6 
Thursday  19 
E.N.E. 
43  9 
43-7 
57-7 
361 
_ 
46-8 
50 ‘9 
53-9 
25-5 
Friday  ..20 
E.N.E. 
40-8 
40-6 
62-6 
35-0 
■  _ 
41-2 
50 '5 
53-8 
26.5 
Saturday  21 
E.N.E. 
40-0 
40*0 
43-2 
33-9 
—  . 
45-6 
49'9 
53'5 
25-8 
Means  .. 
43-9 
42-5 
54-7 
37-6 
Total 
46’2 
51'0 
54-2 
27-9 
A  week  of  dense  smoky  fog,  which  has  leit  a  thick  deposit  ot  smut  on 
outdoor  vegetation,  and  caused  the  lpavps  pf  some  softwooded  plants 
^nder  glass  to  fall.  No  rain  has  fallen  since  the  12th. 
