469 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
-  Gardening  Appointment.  —  Mr.  W.  Christison,  late  of 
Homewood,  Chislehurst,  has  been  appointed  gardener  to  Mrs.  Fresh- 
field,  Kedbrooke  Park,  East  Grinstead. 
-  At  the  Building  Trades  Exhibition,  held  in  St.  James’  Hall, 
Manchester,  Messrs.  Messenger  &  Company,  horticultural  builders, 
Loughborough  and  London,  were  awaided  a  silver  medal  for  their  glass 
house  exhibit. 
-  The  Weather  and — no  Plums. — A  Leicestershire  corre¬ 
spondent  writes; — “  We  are  having  and  suffering  from  exceedingly  dry 
weather.  Our  Plum  crop  has  been  utterly  destroyed  by  the  fro3t  on 
morning  of  the  2ud,  when  our  thermometer  fell  to  22°.” 
- ■  Broccoli  Methven’s  June.  —  This  is  the  very  latest  of 
Broccolis  I  have  seen  this  season.  Ordinarily  of  course  this  spring  all 
the  assumed  late  ones  are  early,  and  have  turned  in  several  weeks  sooner 
than  usual.  Model  and  Late  Queen  were  found  heading  in  abundantly 
towards  the  end  of  April.  Methven’s  June,  as  I  saw  it  the  other  day 
in  two  gardens,  is  a  free-leafing  variety,  and  the  foliage  is  very  crimpled. 
Perhaps  that  abundance  of  leafage  helps  materially  to  the  keeping  of 
the  heads  somewhat  late.  In  any  case  there  were  plenty  of  plants  not 
likely  to  be  ready  for  cutting  until  quite  the  end  of  May,  or  even  later, 
though  the  weather  has  been  of  such  forcing  description. — A. 
-  Clianthus  puniceus. — This  old  and  somewhat  neglected 
climber  is  extremely  showy  when  well  grown  and  flowered.  Although 
known  to  be  hardy  enough  to  succeed  against  a  wall  in  the  south  of 
England,  my  opinion  is  that  an  ideal  position  for  it  is  in  a  greenhouse, 
where  it  can  be  trained  to  the  roof.  The  flowers  are  then  freely 
produced,  and  are  shown  off  to  advantage.  During  a  recent  visit  to 
Burford  Hill  Gardens,  near  Warwick,  I  saw  a  grand  plant  in  full 
beauty.  The  wondrous  profusion  of  peculiar  scarlet  flowers  formed  a 
sight  to  be  remembered.  The  plant  was  growing  in  a  brick  pit  about 
2  feet  square,  situated  in  front  of  the  house  under  the  stage.  The 
rafters  of  the  house  were  16  feet  in  length,  and  although  planted  in 
quite  a  young  state  two  years  previously,  the  plant  had  grown  to  the  top 
of  the  rafters  and  had  covered  much  of  the  available  space  under  two 
lights,  each  1  feet  in  width.  Mr.  Jones  informed  me  that  the  soil  used 
was  formed  of  three  parts  loam  to  one  of  leaf  soil,  a  compost  evidently 
well  suited  to  the  reqirements  of  this  Clianthus.  To  all  who  require  a 
showy  climber  for  a  greenhouse,  which  has  the  merit  of  being  uncommon 
as  well,  I  commend  Clianthus  puniceus. — H.  D. 
— —  Preservation  op  Fresh  Fruit.— The  preservation  of  fresh 
fruit  is  a  matter  which  perplexes  many  people,  and  great  losses 
are  incurred  which  could  easily  be  avoided  by  the  exercise  of  a  little 
common  sense  and  care.  The  more  valuable  a  fruit  is  the  more  difficult 
it  is  to  preserve.  The  young  fruit,  while  still  on  the  tree  and  in  a 
hard,  green  condition,  is,  like  a  leaf,  to  be  looked  upon  as  a  kind  of 
chemical  laboratory.  The  separated  fruit  merely  serves  as  a  protection 
to  the  seeds  within  it.  All  fruits  go  through  a  certain  ripening  process, 
which  is  complete  when  flesh  and  juice  have  reached  their  full  develop¬ 
ment.  From  this  time  on  the  value  of  the  fruit  begins  to  diminish. 
The  aim  of  preservation  is,  therefore,  to  postpone  this  period,  and  by 
artificial  means  to  prevent  the  ripening  process  from  going  on  too 
rapidly.  Summer  fruits  ripen  very  quickly,  while  in  autumn  fruits  the 
chemical  processes  are  not  completed  with  the  maturation  of  the  kernel, 
but  continue  for  a  month  or  so  longer,  according  to  the  kind  of  fruit, 
until  complete  ripeness]  is  attained.  Winter  fruits,  again,  ripen  far 
more  slowly,  and  they  are,  therefore,  best  adapted  by  nature  for  preser¬ 
vation.  Light,  air,  warmth,  and  moisture  are  the  chief  means  by  which 
plant  life  is  furthered  ;  but,  on  the  other  hand,  says  a  transatlantic 
contemporary,  are  also  the  chief  agents  which  promote  decay.  It  is 
consequently  necessary,  in  preserving  fruit,  to  exclude  the  action  of 
these  agents  as  much  as  possible.  Certain  rules  should  be  followed,  and 
the  first  of  these  is  the  careful  choice  of  individual  specimens.  It  is  no 
use  attempting  to  preserve  worm-eaten,  injured,  or  crushed  fruits,  as 
they  only  serve  as  centres  from  which  decay  may  spread.  Under  all 
conditions  wounds  which  break  the  skin  are  dangerous.  The  store-room 
should  be  cool  and  possess  an  equable  temperature,  and  darkness  is  also 
requisite.  It  is  best  to  keep  the  fruit  loose,  spread  out.on  a  shelf  or  floor 
if  possible.  If  boxes  are  used  the  fruit  should  be  wrapped  in  tissue 
paper,  and  each  fruit  kept  separate.  In  all  cases  fruits  of  the  same 
degree  of  ripeness  should  be  put  in  the  same  receptacle,  and  the  stalks 
must  be  turned  downwards,  not  upwards,  as  has  been  recommended. 
Fruits  with  thin  soft  skins  and  fine-grained,  loose  flesh  keep  best  when 
the  air  is  excluded.  These  hints  apply  to  fruits  preserved  for  home  or 
for  export. 
-  Wakefield  Amateurs’  Tulip  Society. — The  sixty-first 
annual  exhibition  of  Tulips,  Ferns,  &c.,  will  be  held  at  the  Brunswick 
Hotel,  Borough  Market,  Wakefield,  on  May  25th  and  26th,  1896.  The 
show  will  be  open  to  the  public  after  two  o’clock  on  the  first  day,  and 
after  9  A.M.on  the  second  or  succeeding  days.  Admission  free. 
-  Royal  National  Tulip  Society.— The  exhibition  of  this 
Society  is  announced  to  be  held  in  the  Free  Library,  Middleton,  near 
Manchester,  on  Tuesday,  the  26th  inst.  Prizes  are  offered  in  thirteen 
classes,  and  certificates  will  be  awarded  for  rectified  seedlings. 
James  W.  Bentley,  Esq.,  Stakehill,  Castleton,  near  Manchester,  is  the 
Honorary  Secretary. 
- Shirley  Mutual  Improvement  Association.— The  monthly 
meeting  was  held  at  the  Parish  Room,  Shirley,  Southampton,  on 
Monday,  the  18th  inst.,  Mr.  G.  T.  Harper,  J.P.,  presiding,  there  being 
a  good  attendance  of  the  members.  Mr.  W.  Frank  Perkins  gave  a 
very  interesting  lecture  on  the  “  Fertilisation  of  Flowers,”  illustrated 
by  a  powerful  limelight  lantern,  with  slides  especially  prepared  for 
the  occasion  by  Mr.  J.  Hornell,  of  the  Biological  Station,  Jersey. 
— -  Degeneration  of  Fruits.— Will  varieties  of  fruit 
degenerate  1  has  long  been  a  mooted  question  with  fruit  growers,  the 
trend  of  opinion  being  against  the  Knightian  theory.  The  opposi¬ 
tion  has  been  mainly  on  physiological  grounds.  But  since  the 
discoveries  of  the  operations  of  minute  fungi,  which  after  awhile  find 
a  certain  variety  to  be  good  field  for  their  operations,  and  which 
then  travel  with  ihe  young  plants  raised,  the  objections  are  weakening. 
Physiologically,  says  a  transatlantic  contemporary,  there  is  no  reason 
that  a  variety  should  wear  out ;  but  in  practice  it  is  found  that 
something  happens,  and  new  varieties  are  necessary. 
— —  Battersea  Chrysanthemum  and  Horticultural 
Society. — On  Wednesday,  the  13th  inst.,  the  members  of  this  Society 
held  the  monthly  meeting  in  the  frame  ground,  Battersea  Park,  under 
the  presidency  of  Mr.  F.  Coppin.  After  some  routine  business  had  been 
concluded  the  company  listened  appreciatively  to  a  lecture  dealing 
mainly  with  the  propagation  of  flowering  plants  by  Mr.  A.  B.  Green¬ 
field,  North  Street,  Wandsworth.  This  gentleman  is  Vice-Chairman  of 
the  Society,  and  works  assiduously  in  its  interests.  He  is  now  offering 
a  handsome  silver  challenge  cup  to  be  competed  for  by  the  members. 
The  prize,  which  was  on  the  table  at  the  meeting,  is  upwards  of  a  foot 
in  height,  and  is  of  elaborate  yet  chastely  beautiful  design.  It  is  to  go 
to  the  winner  of  the  most  first  prizes  at  all  the  shows  and  competitions 
throughout  the  year,  and  must  be  won  three  times  before  becoming 
absolute  property.  It  is  a  prize  worth  the  having. — A  Visitor. 
— —  An  Interesting  Herbaceous  Flower  Border.— Amongst 
the  numerous  mansions  and  first-class  villas  at  Harborne,  not  the  least 
interesting  is  Oaklands,  the  commodious  residence  and  grounds  of 
J.  B.  Manley,  Esq.  Mr.  Manley,  who  is  a  lover  especially  of  hardy 
garden  flowers,  recently  invited  the  writer  to  inspect  his  interesting  new 
herbaceous  and  alpine  garden,  which  is  nurtured  under  his  own  personal 
care,  leaving  the  older  established  flower  garden  department  to  the  care 
of  his  head  gardener,  Mr.  S.  Gibbs.  The  garden  in  question  was  formed 
about  three  years  ago,  and  occupies  a  sloping  Bite.  The  whole  width  of 
a  field  bordering  the  richly  treed  pleasure  grounds,  consists  of  two 
parallel  wide  borders,  with  a  walk  between  edged  with  stones,  rockery 
fashion,  and  is  pleasingly  planted  with  a  great  variety  of  choice  shrubs, 
trees,  and  flowers.  It  is  not,  however,  the  writer’s  purport  to  par¬ 
ticularise  the  numerous  plants  contained  in  these  borders,  but  more  with 
the  view  to  draw  attention  to  an  uncommon  display  of  Bluebells  (Scilla 
non-scripta),  occupying,  as  they  do,  a  considerable  width  of  one  of  the 
borders,  nearly  the  whole  of  its  length.  The  Bluebells  have  occupied  the 
same  spot  probably  for  hundreds  of  years,  being  on  the  confines  of  an 
old  Thorn  hedge  and  ditch,  with  overhanging  old  trees  ;  and  when  the 
borders  were  formed  for  the  purpose  already  indicated,  it  was  by  a  happy 
inspiration  that  the  owner  left  the  bulbs  in  situ. '  They  spring  up  in 
masses  under  and  between  the  young  trees  and  shrubs,  whilst  the  fore¬ 
ground  is  replete  with  the  alpines,  thus  forming  collectively  a  scene  of 
floral  beauty  more  easy  to  imagine  than  describe.  It  is  also  worthy  of 
note,  that  in  conjunction  with  this  floral  resource,  the  scene  is  further 
enhanced  by  the  presence  of  several  old,  gnarled,  boled  hedgerow  trees 
growing  along  the  outer  edging  of  the  border  ;  and  one  in  particular,  an 
Ash,  was  very  interesting,  its  large,  protuberant  butt  affording  spaces 
for  young  seedliDg  trees,  self  sown,  comprising  such  as  an  Oak,  Beech. 
Wood  Nut,  and  a  common  Bramble,  and  with  the  accompaniment  of  a 
vigorous  American  Blackberry,  forming  collectively  the  nucleus  of  an 
arboreal  curiosity,  if  left  undisturbed,  seldom  to  be  found. — W.  G. 
