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JOURNAL  OR  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
March  S6,  1846. 
-  Gardening  Appointment. — Mr.  W.  Kemp,  for  five  years 
gardener  at  Kirkbam  Abbey,  Yorks,  the  last  three  in  the  service  of  the 
Dowager  Lady  St.  Oswald,  has  been  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the 
gardens  at  Appleby  Hall,  Lincolnshire. 
Carrots  in  Belgium. — Belgium  is  a  Carrot  country,  and  no 
seed  is  used  here  other  than  beardless.  The  practical  manipulation  of 
the  one  as  compared  to  the  other  is  manifest  to  those  who  have  to  sow 
the  seed,  and  those  who  have  had  to  sow  it  with  its  hindrances  and  time- 
wastedness.— H.  K.,  Laehen. 
Violet  Princess  of  Wales. — When  Mr.  Henry  Cannell 
visits  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  meetings  at  Westminster  he 
generally  contrives  in  some  way  to  let  his  friends  know  he  is  there. 
On  Tuesday  last  he  distributed  bunches  of  Princess  of  Wales  Violet 
as  something  worth  bringing  from  his  floral  home.  It  is  a  fine  dark 
single  fragrant  Violet,  as  large  as  some  of  the  smaller  Violas,  one  bloom 
we  measured  being  If  inch  across  and  deep,  petals  stout,  well  over¬ 
lapping,  and  the  flower  of  good  shape.  This  Violet  seems  worthy  of  the 
name  it  bears. 
-  An  Effect  of  the  Heat, — The  warm  weather  experienced 
on  Sunday,  following  upon  the  heavy  rain  of  last  week,  had  a  curious 
effect  on  some  of  the  wood  paving  in  Fleet  Street  on  Monday.  In  one 
spot,  near  Ludgate  Circus,  the  paving  was  raised  into  an  immense 
“  blister,”  as  though  it  were  being  forced  upwards  by  gas  or  water. 
Some  alarm  was  at  first  created  by  the  strange  sight,  especially  as  the 
“  blister  ”  was  spreading  over  the  whole  road,  and  it  was  at  first  thought 
that  an  explosion  was  imminent.  The  paviors  arrived  on  the  spot  later 
on,  and  put  matters  right, 
-  Mr.  Kay’s  Canon  Hall  Muscat  Grape.— I  can  tell  Mr. 
Easter,  Nostell  Priory  Gardens  (page  2S4)  that  I  have  known  the  Canon 
Hall  Muscat  for  many  years.  Very  fine  samples  of  it  appeared  occa¬ 
sionally  when  Chiswick  was  famous  for  fine  exhibitions.  I  have  fruited 
it  from  grafts  received  from  Mr.  Kay,  and  if  it  is  not  the  true  Canon 
Hall  that  he  so  successfully  grows,  then  I  have  never  seen  it.  Mr. 
Barron  and  Dr.  Hogg  look  upon  Escholata  as  synonymous  with  Muscat 
of  Alexandria.  Canon  Hall,  though  an  oval  Grape,  is  not  so  much  so  as 
Muscatof  Alexandria.  Very  round  berries  in  considerable  numbers  may 
sometimes  be  seen  in  bunches  of  Canon  Hall,  and  if  dissected  will  be 
found  to  contain  fewer  seeds  than  the  oval  oneB. — D.  Thomson.  [Dr. 
Hogg’s  “  Fruit  Manual  ”  contains  the  following  elucidatory  note  : — “  This 
Grape  (Muscat  of  Alexandria)  was  called  Escholata  by  Daniel  Money, 
a  nursery  and  Vine  grower  at  Haverstock  Hill,  on  the  road  to  Hamp¬ 
stead,  from  his  having  named  his  home  “  Eschol  Place,”  in  allusion  to 
the  brook  Eschol,  where  the  Israelite  spies  got  the  large  bunch  of 
Grapes.  The  berries  are  oval,  though  somewhat  variable,  those  of  Canon 
Hall  Muscat  sometimes  nearly  or  quite  round.”] 
-  The  Nurserymen,  Market  Gardeners’,  and  General 
Hailstorm  Insurance  Corporation,  Limited —The  first  annual 
general  meeting  of  this  Corporation  was  held  on  Friday,  20th  March, 
1896,  when  the  Directors’  report  and  statement  of  accounts  were  sub¬ 
mitted.  The  Chairman  (Mr.  Harry  J.  Veitch)  stated  that  3830  shares  of 
£5  each  had  been  subscribed,  making  the  subscribed  capital  £19,150, 
which  was  invested  by  the  Trustees  in  Government  and  Corporation 
Stock.  Forty-seven  agents  had  been  appointed  —viz.,  forty-one  in  the 
United  Kingdom,  five  in  the  Channel  Islands,  and  one  in  the  Scilly  Isles. 
The  agents  were  paid  by  commission  only.  Two  hundred  and  forty-four 
policies  had  already  been  issued.  The  premiums  and  interest  amounted 
to  £701  17s.  9d.  The  claims  amounted  to  £283  17s.  4d.  for  21  oz. 
glass  broken  by  hail  at  Harpenden.  The  claims  were  assessed  the  day 
the  storm  occurred,  and  were  paid  in  cash  within  five  days.  This 
prompt  settlement  had  brought  a  considerable  accession  of  business,  and 
proposals  for  insurance  were  coming  in  daily.  Many  insurers  were  avail¬ 
ing  themselves  of  the  special  advantage  of  being  able  to  cover  the  value 
of  the  contents  of  their  glass  houses  by  increased  insurance  of  their 
glass,  an  advantage  offered  by  no  other  insurance  company.  The  work¬ 
ing  expenses  had  been  kept  as  low  as  possible.  The  Directors,  who  had 
met  sixteen  times  during  the  year,  had  received  no  fees  ;  20  per  cent,  of 
formation  expenses  had  been  written  off.  The  Directors  did  not  recom¬ 
mend  the  payment  this  year  of  any  dividend  to  shareholders,  but 
suggested  that  the  balance  of  all  monies  in  hand  be  held  in  reserve  to 
meet  any  claims  on  unexpired  policies.  The  report  was  received  with 
approval  and  unanimously  adopted.  The  retiring  Directors  and  Auditors 
were  re-elected.  A  vote  of  thanks  was  given  to  the  Manager  and 
Secretary  (Mr.  A.  J.  Monro)  and  to  the  agents,  and  the  meeting  closed 
With  a  hearty  vote  of  thanks  to  the  Chairman. 
-  Primula  Snowdon. — This  is  the  name  that  has  been  given 
by  Mr.  W.  Bull,  King’s  Road,  Chelsea,  to  a  new  variety  of  Primula 
sinensis.  Though  there  are  so  many  fine  white  varieties  of  this 
Primula,  this  one  must  be  accorded  a  place.  The  flowers  are  large, 
beautifully  fimbriated,  of  great  substance,  and  pure  white.  The  habit 
of  growth  and  flowering  is  in  every  way  satisfactory. 
-  The  Hessle  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement  Society. 
— At  a  meeting  of  the  above  Society,  held  in  the  Parish  Schoolroom, 
March  17th,  a  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  A.  Coult,  gardener  to  Mrs.  Willers, 
Woodfield  House,  on  “  Soils  and  Manures.”  The  essayist  described  the 
composition  of  clay,  loamy,  sandy,  and  other  soils,  and  the  manner  in 
which  each  should  be  dealt  with  for  the  different  crops.  Mineral, 
natural,  chemical,  and  other  manures  were  most  ably  entered  into  and 
discussed. — F.  L.  T. 
-  Myrobalan  Plum. — "  E.  M.”  (page  205)  does  not  state  the 
nature  of  the  soil  where  the  above  is  growing.  My  experience  of 
it  as  a  hedge  plant  in  several  counties  is  that  it  is  splendid  for  the 
purpose,  and  much  quickerdfaan  Thorn.  We  planted  it  here  last  winter, 
and  it  made  splendid  growth,  3  to  4  feet,  in  spite  of  the  dry  summer. 
I  hope  to  try  it  as  an  orchard  standard.  Some  years  ago  I  know  it 
used  to  fruit  at  Audley  End  in  Essex,  where  there  were  some  fine 
standards  of  it,  and  for  all  I  know  may  be  now. — Chas.  Page,  Boconnoct 
Cornwall.  _ 
-  With  reference  to  the  inquiry  by  “  E.  M.”  .in  your  number  of 
the  5th  inst.  as  to  the  value  of  the  Myrobalan  Plum  for  hedgemaking,  my 
experience  is  that  if  closely  clipped  it  makes  a  poor  thin  hedge,  throwing 
up  a  few  strong  rampant  shoots  each  season,  but  making  only  weak 
growths  at  the  sides.  On  these  weak  growths  the  thorns  are  not  produced 
which  characterise  the  strong  shoots  and  which  are  said  to  make  a  hedge 
of  this  plant  impenetrable.  Possibly  if  allowed  to  grow  wild  the  Myro¬ 
balan  might  form  a  hedge  more  equal  to  its  reputation. — K.  J.  M. 
-  Fruits  at  Welbeck. — When  calling  a  few  days  ago  on  my 
neighbour,  Mr.  Horton,  the  well  known  gardener  at  Welbeck,  I  was  much 
struck  at  seeing  a  quarter  of  a  mile  of  Apricot  trees  in  full  bloom  (under 
glass).  They  were  well  trained  healthy  trees,  the  wall  being  completely 
covered.  A  Peach  house  244  yards  long,  planted  with  fine  healthy  young 
trees,  was  also  a  pretty  sight,  and  looked  like  carrying  grand  crops.  Pot 
Vines  are  largely  grown  here  for  early  work,  and  all  are  carrying  good 
crops  which  promise  to  finish  well.  Figs  are  also  largely  and  well  grown> 
and  the  1000  fine  fruits  swelling  now  show  the  trees  to  be  in  the  pink  of 
condition.  A  long  lean-to  house  has  the  back  wall  covered  with  Tomato 
plants,  on  which  the  fruits  are  setting  well.  Long  houses  of  Cucumbers, 
Melons,  Potatoes,  French  Beans,  and  Asparagus  are  all  looking  remark¬ 
ably  well.  Most  of  these  houses  are  70  or  80  yards  long.  Malmaisons 
are  grown  in  thousands,  and  I  noticed  one  span-roofed  house  filled  with 
healthy  plants  in  32’s.  Altogether  there  are  1315  yards  of  glass  at 
Welbeck,  not  including  the  Rose  houses  and  conservatories.  — 
T.  H.  Crasp. 
-  Summer  Stocks. — What  a  beautiful  effect  might  be  produced 
were  a  parterre  garden  planted  with  summer  Stocks  alone,  and  in  all 
their  full  variety.  Apart  from  the  great  variations, in  colour  found  in 
the  flowers,  and  also  in  leafage,  so  far  as  smooth  and  woolly  characteristics 
are  concerned,  there  are  dwarf  or  almost  miniature  Stocks,  pyramidal, 
Ten-weeks,  Giant  ditto,  and  others,  so  that  it  is  not  difficult  to  make  up 
a  collection  of  several  dozens  that  have  some  distinct  features.  Last 
year  was  a  specially  favourable  one  for  summer  Stocks,  the  plants 
blooming  profusely  everywhere.  No  doubt  they  like  plenty  of  warmth  ; 
still,  these  plants  usually  thrive  well,  and  they  do  repay  us  in  their 
summer  beauty  for  the  absence,  all  too  common,  of  those  grand 
Brompton  Stocks  that  once  were  found  in  every  garden,  but  are  now  so 
rarely  seen.  The  previous  winter  killed  them  so  completely  that  none 
were  left  to  produce  seed,  and  it  is  doubtless  to  such  frequent  destruction 
during  hard  winters  that  the  comparative  absence,  not  only  of  Bromptons, 
but  the  branching  biennial  Queens  is  also  due.  Seed  of  summer  Stocks 
may  be  sown  early  in  April  in  a  frame  or  in  shallow  boxes  in  a  green¬ 
house.  A  very  little  extra  warmth  then  suffices  to  promote  good 
germination,  and  the  stouter  and  sturdier  the  plants  come  the  better. 
After  being  well  seasoned  they  may  be  dibbled  out  into  the  open  ground 
where  required  to  bloom,  and  if  care  be  taken  in  lifting  from  the  seedbox 
or  frame  to  preserve  all  the  roots,  and  these  are  as  carefully  buried  in  the 
soil,  growth  quickly  follows.  It  is  a  good  plan  to  have  a  quantity  of 
each  variety  in  a  nursery  bed,  so  that  the  doubles  may  be  transplanted 
with  balls  of  soil  and  roots  to  fill  places  in  the  flower  garden  from  whence 
singles  have  been  pulled. — A.  D. 
