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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  October  14,  1897 
Weathee  in  London. — During  the  past  week  several  mornings 
and  evenings  have  brought  indications  of  the  approach  of  winter.  On 
one  occasion  six  degrees  of  frost  were  registered,  and  has  severely 
crippled  Dahlias  and  other  tender  plants.  On  Friday  evening  it  rained 
heavily  for  a  time,  but  otherwise  the  weather  has  been  very  pleasant  and 
seasonable. 
-  Gaedening  Appointments.  —  Mr.  William  Swan,  senior 
foreman  at  Drumlanrig,  has  been  appointed  gardener  and  estate  manager 
to  Eobert  Gordon,  Esq.,  Ohipstead  Place,  Sevenoaks,  Kent.  Mr. 
.Joseph  Stoney,  for  the  past  fourteen  years  head  gardener  to  Sir  Thomas 
Earle,  Bart.,  Allerton  Tower,  Woolton,  Lancashire,  has  been  appointed 
head  gardener  to  the  Hon.  Frederick  G.  Wynn,  Glynllifon  Park,  Carnarvon. 
-  Peesentation  to  Me.  G.  A.  Bishop.  — On  severing  his 
connection  with  horticultural  matters  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Wolver¬ 
hampton,  Mr.  Bishop  has  become  the  recipient  of  a  handsome  testimonial. 
Besides  a  splendid  gold  watch  and  chain,  an  address  signed  by  many 
influential  Wolverhampton  men  was  read  at  a  recent  meeting  called  for 
the  purpose.  The  Mayor  made  the  presentation  and  read  the  address, 
and  Air.  Bishop  replied  in  a  suitable  manner. 
- The  Beduington,  AA^allington,  and  Caeshalton  Hoe- 
Ticultueal  Society. — At  the  annual  meeting  of  this  useful  Surrey 
Society,  which  was  held  last  week,  it  was  stated  that,  notwithstanding 
the  many  .Jubilee  claims  for  subscriptions,  as  well  as  counter-attractions, 
the  last  year’s  show  resulted  in  a  balance  of  £53.  Air.  G.  AA^.  Cummins 
was  re-nominated  for  Secretary,  but  he  stated  that  as  he  had  given  up 
his  appointment  as  gardener  at  The  Grange,  and  that  his  next  one 
might  be  many  miles  away,  it  was  with  the  greatest  regret  be  had  to 
decline  the  honour  and  the  position  he  had  held  from  the  commence¬ 
ment  of  the  Society.  He  acknowledged  the  great  help  and  encourage¬ 
ment  rendered  him  by  Air.  Smee,  Dr.  Cressy,  the  Committee,  and  other 
officers  of  the  Society,  and  mentioned  that  recently  he  had  received  a 
letter  from  Air.  Halsey  (Chairman  of  the  Surrey  County  Council)  com¬ 
plimenting  him  and  the  Society  on  the  advance  made  in  cottage  garden 
and  allotment  cultivation  in  various  parts  of  the  county,  which  advance 
dated  from  the  Carshalton  Show  of  1892.  The  Chairman  and  others 
spoke  of  the  able  way  in  which  the  management  had  been  conducted, 
and  a  vote  of  thanks  was  heartily  passed,  as  was  also  a  resolution  that 
an  honorarium  of  10  guineas-  be  awarded  to  Air.  Cummins  in  recognition 
of  his  services.  Mr.  W.  T.  Toogood  (late  Assistant  Secretary)  was  then 
elected  Secretary,  and  Air.  C.  F.  F.  Hutchings  Assistant. 
-  Fantastic  Summee  Bedding. — Although  we  have  here  in 
sober  Britain  sometimes  indulged  in  bedding  designs  that  have  been 
fantastic — indeed,  rather  ludicrous,  and  always  in  abominably  bad  taste  — 
still  may  we,  without  any  charge  of  phariseeism  being  laid  against  us, 
yet  take  some  comfort  from  the  fact  that  we  are  not  quite  so  far  gone 
in  relation  to  this  matter  as  some  of  our  horticultural  brethren  across 
the  Atlantic  seem  to  be.  The  “  Strand  Magazine  ”  reproduces  in  the  form 
of  illustrations  some  of  the  bedding  monstrosities  from  which,  happily,  so 
far  we  have  been  saved.  It  is  most  earnestly  to  be  hoped  that  no  gardener 
in  Britain  will  think  he  has  a  heaven-sent  mission  to  out-Herod  the 
Americans  in  efforts  of  this  nature.  AVashington  Park,  Chicago,  seems 
to  be  the  corpus  vile  for  the  designs  of  the  florally  insane,  and  that  park  is 
nearly  rivalled  by  the  South  Park  of  the  same  town.  Gigantic  globes, 
gates,  sundials,  elephants,  a  running  ape,  a  man  in  a  canoe,  are  some  of 
the  floral  cranks  thus  presented.  It  is  a  gross  libel  on  gardening  to  term 
this  sort  of  thing  horticulture.  AVe  have  in  some  places  at  home  gone 
perilously  near  to  the  ridiculous  in  bedding  designs,  scrolls,  .Jubilee  dates, 
crowns,  and  diamonds,  but  at  least  some  little  allowance  could  be  made 
for  so  remarkable  a  celebration  as  that  of  the  Diamond  .Jubilee,  when, 
too,  so  many  greater  persons  than  gardeners  almost  ran  mad.  AVe  may 
take  it  for  granted  that  at  home  at  least  the  craze  for  fantastic  designs 
and  inscriptions  has  run  itself  out.  Doubtless  by  the  masses  they  were 
immensely  admired,  and  the  originators  were  very  proud  of  them.  Still 
that  sort  of  thing  is  not  only  not  gardening,  but  it  is  pandering  to  sickly 
sentiment  and  depraved  taste.  AA'^e  can  make  our  summer  bedding  most 
beautiful,  and  because  of  that  there  is  all  the  less  reason  for  making  it 
fantastic.  —A.  D. 
-  A  Peolific  AIaeeow. — Three  large  well-ripened  Alarrows 
were  last  w'eek  cut  from  one  plant,  weighing  respectively  41  lbs.,  28  Ibs.i 
and  16  lbs.,  or  an  aggregate  weight  of  85  lbs.,  besides  several  j'ounger 
and  edible  fruits  being  supported  from  the  same  source.  The  variety 
was  Long  Green,  and  grown  by  Air.  G.  Alaxey,  gardener  at  The  Toft, 
Sharnbrook,  Beds.  Surely  this  is  a  creditable  achievement.  AVill  some 
reader  kindly  say  what  is  the  heaviest  individual  fruit  on  record  ?— H.  T. 
-  Lespedeza  Sieboldi. — The  warm  weather  of  the  last  few 
weeks  has  been  most  favourable  for  this  plant,  and  at  present  it  is  flowering 
very  freely.  From  the  tender  sub-shi’ubby  nature  of  the  growth  a  frost 
or  two  in  September  sometimes  kills  the  young  wood,  and  consequently 
the  flowers  before  they  open.  In  seasons  like  the  present,  however,  the 
flowers  open  well,  and  make  a  pretty  show  during  the  last  fortnight  of 
September  and  first  fortnight  of  October.  In  winter  the  growths  die  to- 
the  ground  line,  but  start  away  strongly  again  on  the  approach  of  spring. 
During  summer  the  shoots  grow  6  or  7  feet  in  length,  from  (juite  half 
of  which  the  loose,  droo})ing  racemes  of  rosy  purple  flowers  are  produced* 
The  racemes  spring  from  every  joint  on  the  upper  portion  of  the  stem. 
The  lower  ones  are  often  1:5  foot  in  length,  and  vary  from  that  length  to 
3  inches  on  the  upper  parts.  Although  a  plant  which  cannot  be  relied 
on  to  produce  a  good  show  of  flowers  every  year,  it  is  worth  growing 
(from  the  lateness  of  its  flowering)  in  favoured  localities. — D. 
* 
-  Antieehinum  Hendeesoni.— I  send  you  herewith  a  few 
spikes  of  Antirrhinum  Hendersoni.  I  suppose  it  will  one  of  these  days 
attain  its  Jubilee.  Perhaps  some  of  your  correspondents  can  tell  the  date 
of  its  introduction.  But  though  so  long  in  cultivation  it  is  still  certainly 
the  most  distinct,  and  one  without  which  no  collection  can  be  considered 
complete,  while  for  competition  it  is  quite  indispensable. — .John  Foebes. 
[Though  we  have  grown  this  distinct  Carnation- flaked  variety  for  years, 
commencing  some  forty  years  ago,  we  should  not  have  known  it  from  the 
specimens,  because  they  arrived  practically  dead.  They  wei’e  sent  to 
Fleet  Street  without  any  packing  to  keep  them  fresh  and  firm,  rested 
there  over  the  Sunday,  and  perhaps  longer,  then  forwarded  to  their 
proper  destination,  which  has  been  prominently  announced  in  two  or  three 
pages  for  weeks.  Flowers  in  other  boxes  have  arrived  much  in  the  same 
sad  state  from  the  same  cause— delay  through  misdirection.  AVe  regret 
it  .should  be  so,  but  have  done  all  we  could  to  prevent  such  mishaps.] 
-  AA'ill  of  the  IjAte  AIe.  Alfeed  Sutton.— Personal  estate 
valued  at  £114,388  has  been  left  by  Air.  Alfred  Sutton,  .J.l’.,  who  retired 
from  the  firm  of  Sutton  &  Sons  nine  years  ago,  and  who  died  at  Green- 
lands,  Beading,  on  August  7th,  aged  seventy-nine  years,  and  of  whose 
will,  which  bears  date  -January  31st,  1895,  the  executors  are  his  sons, 
-John  and  Herbert  Sutton,  power  being  reserved  to  grant  probate  also  to 
the  widow,  Mrs-  IHlen  Sutton,  to  whom  he  bequeathed  £1000,  his  furniture 
and  household  effects,  greenhouse  plants,  and  outdoor  effects,  and  horses 
and  carriages,  the  use  and  enjoyment  of  his  freehold  house  at  Beading, 
and  the  income  during  her  life  of  his  residuary  estate,  which,  subject  to 
Airs.  Sutton’s  life  interest,  he  leaves  in  trust  to  pay  after  her  death 
£12,000  in  2f  per  cent.  Consols,  and  £6000  in  3  per  cent.  I.,ocal  Loan 
Stock  to  each  of  his  thi’ee  daughters,  Alice,  Ellen,  and  Edith,  and  £7000 
each  to  his  five  sons,  -John,  Samuel,  Francis,  Edwin,  and  Henry,  and 
£10,000  to  his  son  Hugh  Beginald.  The  ultimate  residue  of  the  estate  is 
to  be  in  trust  in  equal  shares  for  his  six  sons,  as  having  admitted  his  son 
Herbert  to  partnership  in  his  business,  he  deemed  it  unnecessary  to  make 
further  provision  for  him. — (“  Alorning  Post.”) 
-  Geapes  and  Astees  at  Swanmoee.  —  Grapes  inside,  and 
Asters  out,  are  two  admirable  features  at  Swanmore  just  now.  A  late 
house  of  mixed  Grapes  is  something  to  be  proud  of,  especially  as  the  fine 
crop,  which  contains  many  prize  bunches,  is  produced  by  closely  spurred 
Amines  that  were  planted  nearly  twenty  years  ago.  They  seemed  to  be 
embued  with  all  the  vigour  of  robust  five-year-olds.  It  is  noteworthy  as 
showing  the  kind-heartedness  of  the  owner  of  these  Grapes,  AV.  11.  Alyers, 
Esq.,  AI.P.,  that  he  will  neither  have  them  consumed  in  his  own  house  nor 
sold.  They  are  set  aside  for  the  sick  poor,  so  that  these  grand  Grapes 
will  find  their  way  into  the  humblest  of  homes,  to  soothe  and  comfort 
those  who  need  them  most.  As  to  the  Asters  or  Alichaelmas  Daisies, 
there  seems  to  be  ([uite  a  museum  of  them,  and  as  growing  in  the  narrow 
boundary  border  in  one  of  the  hedge-enclosed  sections  of  the  garden,  they 
present  a  charming,  diversified,  and  most  elegant  appearance.  This  is, 
no  doubt,  one  of  the  finest  collections  of  these  dainty  autumn  flowers  in 
the  kingdom.  As  Chrysanthemums  are  not  “in,"  Air.  Alolyneux  seems 
to  be  dividing  his  affections  as  equitably  as  he  can  between  Asters, 
Grapes,  and  turkeys,  and  all  are  certainly  both  numerous  and  fine. — 
A  Callee. 
