500 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
NoTembur  19,  1896. 
to  Major  Bosworth,  third.  Mr.  C.  Bentley  was  to  the  fore  with  six 
banches  of  singles,  being  the  only  exhibitor. 
We  have  to  tender  thanks  to  the  contributors  of  the  reports  of 
other  shows  which  arrived  after  our  pages  were  filled,  and  must 
perforce  stand  over.  At  the  Ghent  Show  silver-gilt  medals  were  awarded 
to  Messrs.  M.  J.  Jones  and  H.  Canuell  &  Sons. 
STORING  FRUIT. 
A  CORBESPONnENT  writes : — “  I  was  looking  through  a  garden 
recently,  well  planned  and  well  managed  in  all  respects,  also  furnished 
with  most  kinds  of  requisites,  bat  with  one  notable  exception.  There 
was  no  fruit  store  or  room  worthy  of  the  name,  and  certainly  no  person 
but  the  gardener  would  think  of  climbing  up  a  rough  ladder  to  see  the 
fruit.  I  think  this  is  a  mistake.  A  fruit  room  should  be  a  recognised  | 
necessity  and  an  attractive  adjunct  to  a  garden,  to  be  entered  with  as 
much  pleasure  as  a  range  of  glass.” 
We  are  quite  of  the  same  opinion,  and  we  know  of  hundreds  of 
gardens  where  no  such  suitable  fruit  store  is  provided.  Almost  by  the 
same  post  one  of  Mr.  Orr’s  circulars  arrived,  and  it  seemed  to  ratify  the 
great  wanr.  and  point  a  way  to  better  things.  We  liked  the  idea  of  a 
FIG.  87.— GRADING  FRUIT. 
rustic  thatched  summer  honse,  or  what  might  be  used  as  such  from  June 
to  October,  and  then  turned  to  a  not  less  useful  account  as  a  store  for 
fruit.  We  liked  also  the  idea  of  sorting  the  fruits  at  gathering  time, 
placing  in  trays,  stacking  these  one  on  another  and  carrying  them  to  the 
store.  The  illustrations  (figs.  85,  page  485,  and  87) — two  out  of  several — 
show  these  ideas  at  least  in  part,  and  some  such  provision  as  they  indicate 
would  not  only  be  of  real  service,  but  add  a  feature  of  interest  to  many 
gardens.  The  trays,  which  we  have  seen  in  use,  are  excellent  for  the 
purpose,  and  obviously  suitable  for  storing  other  products  besides  fruit. 
This  question  of  fruit  stores  in  gardens  is  one  that  is  worthy  of  more 
consideration  than  has  been  generally  accorded,  and  the  matter  may  well  j 
be  thought  over  during  the  winter  in  order  that  better  provision  may  be 
made  in  time  to  be  of  service.  It  may  perhaps  be  remembered  that  the 
silver  Banksian  medal  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  has  been  granted 
to  Mr.  Orr  for  his  neat  and  usefal  contrivances,  and  no  better  proof  of 
their  value  can  be  adduced. 
THE  YOUNG  GARDENERb’  DOMAIN. 
Useful  Plants  for  Table  Decoration. 
In  consideriag  the  material  required  for  the  embellishment  of  a 
dinner  table,  we  must  possess  an  acute  eye  for  gracefulness  and  diversity 
of  form  in  the  objects  which  we  utilise.  The  subject  is  somewhat 
lengthy,  so  brevity  is  a  necessary  component. 
I  shall  start  by  introducing  the  Croton,  one  of  the  best  suited  plants 
for  decorative  purposes  known.  Crotons  revel  in  a  compost  of  three  j 
parts  rich  loam  to  one  of  peat  and  leaf  mould,  adding  a  fair  quantity  of  j 
sharp  sand.  Firm  potting,  with  an  abundant  allowance  of  heat  and  mois-  1 
ture,  are  essential .  Crotons  are  generally  propagated  from  cuttings  taken 
daring  April  or  May,  and  inserted  in  thumb  pots,  using  a  light  compost. 
Plunge  the  pots  among  cocoa  fibre  in  a  pit  or  case,  place  them  in  S-inch 
or  4-inch  pots  as  soon  as  rooted,  allowing  them  more  light  and  air. 
Syringe  on  all  favourable  occasions  from  May  till  October,  Abundance 
of  water  ought  to  be  given  provided  the  drainage  is  as  it  ought  to  be. 
The  following  list  contains  good  varieties  for  our  present  purpose — 
Eleeantissima,  Aigbunh  Gem,  Archibaldi,  Superbe,  Wilsoni,  Domei, 
and  Golden  Ring. 
Compeers  with  Crotons  we  have  the  Dracaenas ;  these  plants  have 
much  the  same  treatment  as  Crotons.  Propagating  is  frequently  done  by 
root-cuttings.  Procure  pieces  of  root  an  inch  or  more  in  length,  place 
them  in  fibre,  whence  they  emit  roots  (fibrils)  and  shoots.  These  may 
be  placed  in  a  small  potto,  begin  with,  and  this  method  is  probably  the 
best,  as  no  time  is  lost  in  potting,  and  the  tender  roots  are  not  injured, 
j  By  propagating  with  shoots  we  obtain  a  young  stock  much  sooner,  and 
perhaps  the  plants  are  sturdier  and  better  coloured.  In  making  cuttings, 
two  pairs  of  leaves  may  be  removed,  but  leave  all  possible,  even  inserting 
some  in  the  soil  when  dibbing  in.  Syringing  ought  to  be  discontinued 
when  the  plants  are  a  foot  or  so  high,  as  the  water  lodging  in  the  axils  of 
the  leaves  may  cause  decay.  A  compost  of  two  parts  loam  and  one  of  peat 
with  sharp  sand,  is  their  delight.  The  selection  is  at  hand  :  Dracaenas 
angustifolia,  Mrs.  D,  P.  Laird,  elegantissima,  Princess  May,  Frederick!, 
norwoodiensis,  Goldieana,  and  Lindeni,  when  young  and  well  grown. 
We  next  survey  the  Palm  familv,  but  seem  lost  in  the  array. 
Palms  are  placed  in  centrepieces.  Taking  them  alphabetically,  we 
have  Areca  Intescens,  a  noble  specimen  for  decoration  at  any  time.  The 
wavy  golden  stems  of  the  plants  are  like  fairy  structures.  A.  alba,  aurea, 
and  rubfa  are  also  employed.  Calamus  ciliaris,  C,  Draco,  and  C.  Rotang 
are  all  choice  Palms.  Cbammdorea  elegantissima  and  graminifolia  must 
be  included,  while  Euterpe  edulis  is  handsome  and  useful. 
Kentias  gracilis,  Belmoreana,  and  Fosteriana  are  beautiful  ; 
very  difficult  to  excel  when  young.  Malortiea  gracilis  is  a  fine  small 
Palm.  Phoenix  tenuis  and  P.  rupicola  are  good  ;  the  latter  is 
rather  stiff,  and  ought  to  be  used  when  quite  small.  This  selection 
ought  to  give  a  large  and  varied  choice.  Palms  are  raised  from 
seeds  sown  in  cocoa  fibre,  and  placed  in  boxes  over  the  hot-water 
pipes,  keeping  all  well  moist.  The  compost  for  most  Palms  consists 
of  peat  and  loam  in  equal  parts,  increasing  the  loam  with  each 
shift  or  dressing.  Sound  drainage  allows  us  to  water  copiously^ 
syringing  during  the  summer.  Avoid  potting  if  top-dressing  can 
be  made  to  answer.  But  enough  for  the  present.  More  remains 
for  another  week.— A  Young  Scot. 
Hoiv  TO  Prevent  Chrysanthemums  Damping. 
An  experiment  we  have  tried  with  our  Chrysanthemums  this 
seasou  has  so  far  given  ua  the  greatest  satisfaction,  as  up  to  the 
time  of  writing  we  have  not  lost  a  single  bloom  through  damping' 
The  plants  were  housed  a  little  earlier  than  usual  and  treated  as 
follows : — A.  temperature  of  40“  is  maintained  by  night,  without 
the  aid  of  fire  heat  if  possible.  Air  is  admitted  freely  on  mild 
clear  days,  but  keeping  the  houses  closed  in  damp  foggy  weather 
and  the  atmosphere  inside  as  dry  as  possible.  The  roof  is  covered 
with  a  frigi  domo  blind  on  rollers  at  night  as  a  substitute  for  fire 
heat  and  to  prevent  drip  caused  by  the  glass  getting  frozen.  Fire 
heat  is  only  given  in  a  case  of  necessity,  and  then  only  what  will 
suffice  to  exclude  frost.  Chrysanthemums,  when  treated  in  this 
way,  are  much  richer  in  colour,  the  flowers  stronger,  and  the  petala 
broader  with  greater  substance  in  them  than  when  grown  under 
warmer  conditions. — J.  F,  D. 
Plodders  and  Butterflies. 
Seeing  the  encouragement  offered  through  the  Journal  to  young- 
j  gardeners  to  ventilate  their  ideas  on  gardening  matters,  I  should  like  to  - 
say  to  our  young  correspondent  (page  464  of  last  week),  and  to  all  those 
who  have  a  tendency  to  despair,  that  though  luck,  or  whatever  you  may 
choose  to  call  it,  does  not  set  you  on  the  highest  pinnacle  of  your 
ambition,  yet  you  must  derive  pleasure  from  the  work  you  are  engaged 
in  if  you  conscientiously  do  your  duty.  Having  passed  through  several 
bothies  in  places  of  repute,  I  have  been  acquainted  with  men  whose 
path  seemed  strewn  with  flowers.  Born  in  gardens,  with  good  oppor¬ 
tunities  of  acquiring  a  thorough  knowledge  of  their  profession,  they,  on 
leaving  home  and  entering  a  new  place,  imagined  they  knew  far  more 
than  their  less  favoured  brothers,  and  acted  like  the  bare  in  the  fable, 
while  the  lad  from  the  village,  working  and  plodding  on  quietly,  taking 
notes  of  work  done  during  the  day,  denying  himself  of  what  some  term 
pleasure,”  stores  his  mind  for  the  future.  Can  it  be  wondered  at  that 
these,  as  a  rule,  are  the  men  who  to-day  adorn  our  best  places  as  head 
gardeners  7  and  the  come-day -go-day  men  of  the  butterfly  species  talk 
their  tall  experiences,  but  after  a  season  turn  to  chrysalids.  Employers 
of  gardeners  want  Grapes,  not  leaves. — C.  Blackley. 
Perseverance. 
Since  you  have  kindly  devoted  a  small  space  to  us  juniors  we  feel  a 
deeper  interest  in  the  “  Journal.”  I  could  not  help  a  feeling  of  regret 
as  I  read  in  your  issue  of  October  8th  what  1  then  thought  was  the 
concluding  talk  of  our  mentor,  but  I  am  pleased  to  see  that  we  are  to 
enjoy  his  company  a  little  farther.  We  are  still  following,  in  spirit  I 
mean,  for  it  is  not  ours  to  tread  the  higher  path  yet,  but  we  are  living- 
in  hopes,  and  trying  to  educate  ourselves  for  it  when  the  time  comes 
and  I  venture  to  assert  that  there  are  those  of  us  who  will  bs  better  able 
to  fulfil  the  higher  position  through  having  read  your  very  able  articles 
week  by  week.  Then  let  ns  profit  by  the  advice  that  has  been  given, 
and  throw  ourselves  heart  and  aoul  into  our  work  whatever  it  may  be— 
crocking  pots  or  decorating  a  dinner  table ;  it  is  all  honourable,  which  I 
am  sure  will  in  due  time  receive  its  own  reward  according  to  the  spirit 
in  which  we  do  it. — A  Young  Boy. 
[We  are  only  able  to  insert  short  communications  this  week  for- 
obvious  reasons.] 
