492 
May  2§,  1686. 
tOOkNAh  Ok  HOtmcttL't'tmE  AND  GODTaGb  GA kbfiNRR 
Rose  Show  Fixtures  in  1896. 
June  17th  (Wednesday). — York.f 
„  18  h  (Thursday). — Colchester  and  Tile  of  Wight  (Ryde). 
,,  24th  (Wednesday). — Reading  (N.R.S.),  Richmond  (Surrey). 
„  25 th  (Thursday). — Hereford. 
„  27ch  (Saturday). — Canterbury,  Southsea,  and  Windsor. 
„  30th  (Tuesday). — Maidstone  and  Sutton. 
July  1st  (Wednesday). — Croydon,  Ealing,  Farnham,  Farningham,  and 
Leatherhead. 
„  2nd  (Thursday^  — Bath,  Eltbam,  and  Norwich. 
„  4th  (Saturday). — Crystal  Palace  (N.R.S.) 
„  7t’n  (Tuesday). — Harrow,  Wolverhampton. f 
„  8th  (Wednesday).— Canterbury  (Hospital  Ffite),  Chelmsford, 
Hitchin,  Lee,*  Newcastle-on-Tyne,f  Redbili  (Reigate),  and 
Tunbridge  Wells. 
„  9th  (Thursday). — Helensburgh,  Woodbridge,  and  Worksop. 
„  14th  ^Tuesday). — Westminster  (R.H.S.). 
„  15th  (Wednesday). — Ulverston  (N.R.S.) 
„  16th  (Thursday). — Halifax. 
,,  18th  (Saturday). — New  Brighton. 
,,  2l8t  (Tuesday). — Tibshelf. 
,,  29th  (Wednesday). — Cbesteifield. 
„  30th  (Thursday). — Trentham. 
Aug.  5th  (Wednesday). — Chester.* 
„  19th  (Wednesday). — Shrewsbury.* 
t  A  show  lasting  three  days.  *  A  show  lasting  two  days. 
Any  dates  not  appearing  in  the  present  list  I  shall  be  glad  to  publish 
in  the  next  one. — Edward  Mawley,  Roselank,  Berlihamsted ,  Herts. 
National  Rose  Society’s  Shows 
We  are  reminded  (f  how  close  we  are  to  the  “reign  of  the  Roses” 
by  the  receipt  of  the  schedules  of  the  three  shows  that  are  held  annually 
under  the  au»pices  of  the  National  Rose  Society.  Toe  first  to  come  will 
be  on  June  24th  at  Reading  (the  southern  show),  which  will  be  held 
in  the  Forbury  Gardens,  situated  about  five  minutes  from  both  the 
iailway  stations.  Messrs.  Sutton  &  Sons  are  offering  a  silver  cup  in  an 
open  amateurs’  class  for  twelve  distinct,  single  trusses,  as  a  first  prize, 
the  other  prizes  being  medals  and  money.  This  should  bring  strong 
competition.  There  is  also  for  competition  here  a  silver  challenge  cup, 
the  residential  qualification  for  which  is  “  within  ten  miles  of  Reading 
Market  Place,’’  while  the  flowers  must  be  twelve  Teas  or  Noisettes,  not 
less  than  six  varieties,  or  more  than  two  of  aDy  one  variety.  In  all 
there  are  thirty-nine  classes,  and  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  the  competition 
will  be  keen  throughout.  At  the  Crystal  Palace  on  July  4th  we  shall 
see  the  Metropolitan  show,  while  on  the  15th  of  the  same  month  the 
northern  exhibition  will  be  held  in  Ulverston,  but  to  these  we  hope  to 
refer  at  a  later  date. 
Only  One  ! 
Apropos  of  aphides,  in  “  W.  R.  Raillem’s  ”  notes,  it  is  the  being  on 
the  watch  for  No.  1,  and  administering  the  coup  de  grace  speedily,  that 
will  save  an  infinity  of  after  trouble.  Only  this  past  few  days  have  I 
seen  the  black  aphis  on  the  Morello  ;  but  in  those  few  days  the  monster 
maternal  aphis,  that  might  have  been  crushed  a  week  ago,  has  on  many 
shoots  a  numerous  offspring. 
What  every  gardener  needs  is  the  watchfulness  of  the  first  perfect 
insect  in  all  insect  troubles.  Being  certain  that  your  insect  is  injurious 
to  your  foliage  or  fruit,  have  no  mercy.  In  this  insect  slaughter  no 
doubt  we,  in  our  ignorance,  often  do  wrong,  and  kill  a  friend  in  place  of 
a  foe  ;  but  the  rapid  increase  in  insect  life  is  so  great  that  this  evil  has 
to  be  risked.  The  enemies  of  the  aphis  are  the  ladybird,  the  lacewing 
fly,  and  the  smaller  wasp-like  balance  flies  ;  and  it  always  seems  to  me 
that  every  gardener  should  Earn  to  recognise  these  either  as  larvae  or 
perfect  insects. 
But  as  an  instance  of  the  folly  of  leaving  the  first  observed  insects 
unmolested,  1  give  the  following,  which  occurred  to  me  some  fifteen 
years  or  so  ago  I  premise  that  in  my  boyhood  I  had  closely  watched 
all  the  changes  of  the  vapourer  moth  (Orgyia  antiqua)  from  egg  to 
perfect  insect,  even  to  making  the  acquaintance  of  the  ichneumon  that 
preys  on  it.  Well,  in  the  year  I  am  writing  of,  I  found  one  or  two 
caterpillars  on  a  very  large  Pear  tree  trained  against  my  house.  Old 
regards  for  the  insect  led  me  astray,  and  I  did  not  kill  the  same. 
Now,  be  it  recollected,  that  iD  this  case  the  female  does  not  lay  many 
eggs— rarely,  I  should  say,  over  300  ;  but  the  following  year— not  only 
on  the  Pear  tree,  but  on  my  Roses — the  pretty  caterpillar,  with  its  hairy 
horns  and  coloured  tufts,  was  a  pest.  Daily  I  used  to  take  a  long  stick 
and  brush  upwards  the  Pear  leaves  to  dislodge  the  larvae,  and  the 
slaughter  on  the  pavement  beneath  was  constant,  for  the  foliage  of  the 
Pear  was  suffering  greatly.  Not  content  with  this  constant  worrying,  I 
had  the  hedges  under  the  windows  and  the  roof  searched  in  the  winter 
for  the  cocoons  covered  as  they  are  by  the  eggs  laid  by  the  female,  and 
brought  down  and  burnt.  It  was  miniature  independent  file  firing  1 
But  it  took  me  two  or  three  seasons  to  get  perfectly  clear  of  them,  and 
it  was  only  accomplished  by  diligent  search  both  for  larvae  and  cocoons  ; 
and  this  trouble  might  all  have  been  avoided  by  slaughtering  the 
No.  L— Y.  B.  A.  Z. 
NECTARINE  CARDINAL  (RIVERS). 
As  was  indicated  in  our  report  of  the  Temple  show  last  week,  where 
this  Nectarine  was  certificated,  the  variety  is  the  earliest  to  ripen  of  all, 
and  as  the  fruits  are  of  good  medium  size  and  where  exposed  of  a 
glowing  reddish  crimson  colour,  Cardinal  bids  fair  to  become  a  favourite 
for  forcing  purposes.  It  has  certainly  been  well  tried  by  its  raisers  for 
some  years  and  not  found  wanting  in  making  money  in  Covent  Garden 
Market.  It  is  not  recommended  by  Mr.  Rivers  as  a  robust  hardy  variety 
for  open  air  culture,  but  only  for  growing  under  glass,  and  as  growing 
in  pots  at  Sawbridgeworth  the  trees  are  as  healthy  and  fruitful  as 
the  most  fastidious  could  desire.  The  fruits  are  usually  too  numerous, 
and  have  to  be  thinned  freely.  For  having  them  of  full  size  they  should 
not  be  allowed  to  grow  in  pairs  as  shown,  but  remain  5  or  6  inches  apart 
on  the  branches  of  well-fed  trees.  The  fruits  are  round,  some  of  them 
inclining  to  oblate,  though  occasionally  a  small  nipple  is  produced.  The 
skin  is,  when  not  shaded,  a  sort  of  cardinal  red  and  more  or  lees  mottled. 
The  flesh  is  tinged  with  green,  slightly  adhering,  rich,  juicy,  and 
.delicately  flavoured — a  fruit  for  a  connoisseur.  The  flowers  are  large 
and  very  beautiful,  and  the  leaves  have  small  kidney  shaped  glands. 
As  has  been  previously  stated  the  fruits  ripen  ten  days  in  advance  of 
Early  Rivers.  They  are  not  quite  so  large  as  that  famous  variety,  but 
are  equal  to  it  in  quality,  and  more  need  not  be  said. 
THE  R.H.S.  AND  PROVINCIAL  SHOWS. 
Whilst  “D.  T.  F.”  says  truly  enough  (page  449)  that  it  is  not 
possible  to  convey  all  our  horticultural  treasures  from  the  provinces  to 
London,  and  under  no  conditions  is  there  any  need  for  such  transporta¬ 
tion,  yet  when  he  shows  what  wonders  in  that  direction  the  exhibitors 
from  all  parts  of  the  kingdom  do  at  the  Crystal  Palace  Co-operative 
Exhibition  in  August,  he  largely  gives  away  his  case.  But  I  may  go 
farther  and  show  that  these  provincial  treasures  do  come  to  Londou 
largely  from  considerable  distances  to  the  Temple  show  annually,  and 
ere  this  appears  in  print  there  will  be  ample  demonstration  of  that  fact 
on  the  Thames  Embankment. 
But  after  all  this  is  a  small  matter  in  comparison  with  what  was 
shadowed  forth  in  your  leader  of  April  30cb,  wherein  you  intimate  that 
when  the  deputations  appointed  by  the  Council  of  the  Royal  Horti¬ 
cultural  Society  visit  Chester  and  York,  as  it  ia  purposed  they  shall  do 
during  the  summer,  they  will  be  empowered,  apart  from  granting 
medals,  with  respect  to  which  no  exception  can  be  taken,  also  to  award 
certificates  of  merit  to  what  may  be  regarded  as  worthy  exhibits.  If  I 
am  incorrect  in  my  assumption  then  I  apologise,  but  I  am  writing  solely 
in  the  belief  that  my  surmise  is  correct.  If  it  be  so  then  the  deputation, 
let  it  be  made  up  from  who  it  may,  will  be  seriously  infringing  upon  the 
rights  and  duties  of  the  respective  Committees,  who,  so  far,  have  always 
been  regarded  as  the  sole  depository  of  the  power  to  grant  certificates  of 
merit. 
ltiwould  be  very  peculiar  indeed  if  after  promulgating  the  regula¬ 
tion  that  even  awards  of  merit  may  not  be  granted  at  Chiswick  by  the 
members  of  the  Fruit  Committee  except  eleven  be  present,  should  a 
lesser  number  of  persons,  some  of  whom  may  not  be  members  of  either 
Committee,  proceed  to  grant  certificates  at  provincial  shows.  If  such 
certificates  are  to  constitute  awards  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society 
on  the  same  basis  as  are  those  made  by  the  respective  Committees  at 
present,  then  may  the  Council  or  the  deputations  in  question  come  into 
serious  conflict  with  the  Committees. 
Disappointing  as  it  may  be  to  provincial  exhibitors,  I  trust  that 
there  is  after  all  no  such  intention  as  your  leader  foreshadowed.  Could 
the  Committees  respectively  be  summoned  to  sit  at  Chester  or  York,  and 
sufficient  numbers  of  those  bodies  could  accept  the  summons  and  do  so, 
all  might  be  well ;  but  it  is  hardly  probable  that  members  could  afford 
to  pay,  say  from  £3  to  £5  each  expenses,  or  that  either  the  Council  of 
the  R  H.S.  or  the  Chester  or  York  authorities  would  care  to  do  so  much 
for  the  members.  The  matter  is  a  serious  one,  as  one  of  the  great 
characteristics  of  the  R  H.S.,  through  its  Committees,  has  from  the  first 
been  a  policy  of  continuity,  and  that  policy  would  be  uturly  broken 
down  and  old-established  rules  violated  were  other  persons  than  the 
Committees  respectively  authorised  to  giant  certificates.  The  subject 
does  but  show  after  all  how  much  room  there  is  for  re-arrangement  of 
the  present  position  of  the  R.H.8.  in  relation  to  provincial  societies. 
—A  D.  _ 
As  an  outsider,  but  not  uninterested  in  the  visit  of  the  R  >yal 
Horticultural  Society  to  my  native  county,  I  should  like  to  notice  one  or 
two  points  in  the  letter  of  “  F.  U.  Y.”  in  your  issue  of  the  14th  inst. 
(page  449).  It  is  no  part  of  my  intention  to  discuss  the  propositions 
of  your  correspondent,  because  for  one  thing  I  am  not  able,  and  for 
another  they  do  not  concern  me.  Nor  am  I  going  to  bother  myself  about 
