November  23,  1891*. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
453 
after  a  (fry  summer,  speaks  volumes  for  the  previous  preparation  of 
the  ground.  Just  without  the  west  wall  of  the  kitchen  garden  is  a 
splendid  Holly  hedge  about  12  feet  high,  which  is  carefully  tended, 
and  has  at  its  foot  a  border  of  hardy  flowers. 
V  The  glass  department  is  scarcely  commensurate  with  the  import¬ 
ance  of  the  othi  r  sections  of  the  (state,  but  excellent  use  is  made  of 
its  conveniences.  In  a  span-roofed  orchard  bouse  are  numbers 
of  Plums,  Gages,  Peaches,  and  Nectarines,  which  give  cap  tal  annual 
returns.  One  plant  of  Stanwick  Elruge  Nectarine  has  this  season 
produced  over  twenty  dozen  good  fruits.  Melons  find  room  in  a  small 
span  pit,  while  Vines  occupy  two  lean-to  houses.  Tomatoes  are 
magnificently  produced,  and  the  crop  on  some  plants  of  a  new 
unnamed  variety  from  Sutton’s  was  astonishing.  The  fruits  w<  re 
quite  smooth,  of  medium  siz>,  rich  colour,  and  exceUei  t  flavour. 
Polegate  also  bears  heavily.  The  collection  of  plants  is  not  pat- 
a  number  of  fine  plants  of  Salvia  fulgens,  which  were  very  showy  amid 
a  graceful  massing  of  Ferns  and  Eulalias  ;  the  second  prize,  though 
very  tasty,  was  somewhat  too  open  to  be  effective.  Primulas  were 
a  very  nice  feature,  but  the  single  varieties  on  view  demand  no  special 
comment. 
Cut  blooms  were  simply  grand  ;  the  long  lines  of  massive  blossoms 
appeared  very  striking.  The  big  class  for  two  dozen  Japanese  was  a 
feature,  the  collection  from  the  Blenheim  Gardens  overtopping  the  others 
for  size  and  quality.  The  varieties  were  Back  row  :  Madame  Carnot, 
Viviand  Morel,  Mrs.  H.  Weeks  (chosen  as  the  finest  Jap  in  the  whole 
show)  Mrs.  White  Popham,  G.  J.  Warren,  Baron  de  Rothschild,  Mrs. 
C.  H.  Payne.  Middle  row  :  Edith  Tabor,  Simplicity,  C.  W.  Richardson, 
Australie,  Le  Grand  Dragon,  Miss  Elsie  Teichman,  President  Nonin. 
Front  row  :  Madame  Deis,  Mary  Molyneux,  Phoebus,  Swanley  Giant, 
Abbd  Mendenhall,  Czarina,  and  Madame  Philip  Rivoire.  In  the  second 
prize  stand  the  blooms  were  large  and  beautifully  bright,  but  contained 
fewer  new  varieties.  The  class  for  a  dozen  blooms  of  one  variety  is 
Fig.  81.— DODDINGTON  HALL. 
ticularly  lar^e,  and  mainly  embodies  such  as  can  be  used  in  the  house 
when  occtsiou  demands,  and  more  than  that  cannot  now  be  said. 
Time  flies,  and,  much  as  a  longer  stay  would  have  been  enjoyed,  it 
was  quickly  necessary  to  bid  adieu  to  Doddington  and  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
l-'oster,  for  whose  kindness  I  would  hereby  accord  my  hearty 
thanks. — H.  J.  Wright. 
SHOWS. 
OXFORD.— November  14tii. 
The  Oxfordshire  bociety  Held  Us  tniriy-seventh  November  exhibition 
in  the  Town  Hull,  Oxford,  on  Tuesday  the  14th,  and,  favoured  with 
fine  weather,  it  proved  an  unqualified  success.  Interest  generally  centred 
on  the  groups  for  effect,  arranged  at  the  far  end  of  the  hall,  that  from 
the  Blenheim  Gardens  being  noted  as  carrying  flowers,  any  of  whi  h 
would  have  been  fit  to  have  exhibited  as  specimen  biooms.  The  second 
prize  group  of  Chiysanthemums  was  altogether  creditable.  The  two 
groups  of  mixed  plants  were  very  dissimilar,  that  taking  the  card  having 
always  a  showy  section,  the  cards  going  first  to  Tiddington  House 
Gardens  for  a  grand  dozen  of  Australian  Gold,  the  second  to  Madame 
Carnot,  the  third  to  Mons.  Chenon  de  Lechd.  There  were  eight  stands  of 
three  varieties  of  Japs,  four  blooms  of  each,  the  card  again  going  to  the 
Blenheim  Gardens  for  massive  blooms  of  Mrs.  C.  II.  Payne,  Mrs.  H. 
Weeks,  immense  flowers;  and  Mr  ns.  Panckoucke ;  the  second  prize 
ailing  to  the  Marston  H 11  Gardens^  Fairford,  with  Graphic,  Lady 
Hanham,  and  Robert  Powell.  Incurved  varieties  are  now  much  larger 
than  formerly,  the  premier  two  dozen,  from  Fairford,  being  generally 
high,  full-centred  examples  of  Ma  Perfection,  Mrs.  W.  0.  Egan,  Topaze 
Orientale.  Lady  Isobel,  Duchess  of  Fife,  Miss  M.  A.  Haggas,  Miss 
Dorothy  Foster,  and  Madame  Ferlat.  For  one  bloom  Blenheim  Gardens 
again  secured  the  first  card  for  a  dozen  from  one  variety  incurved,  with 
Ma  Perfection,  a  bloom  of  which  was  selected  as  the  premier  in  the  whole 
show  ;  the  second  twelve  were  Duchess  of  Fife,  the  third  falling  to  C.  H. 
Curtis.  Large  flower  Anemones  were  admirably  shown,  and  Pompons 
and  Anemone  Pompons  were  exceedingly  interesting. 
The  epergnes  for  dinner  table  were  a  fair  average,  but  the  one  from 
Blenheim  was  largely  composed  of  Orchids,  such  as  Cattleya  labiata, 
