512 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
June  22,  1899. 
- Marriage  of  Mr,  E.  T.  Gilman, — On  Wednesday,  14ih 
inst,,  the  marriage  of  Mr.  E.  T.  Gilman  with  Miss  E.  Butters  was 
solemnised  at  St.  George’s,  Hanover  Square.  Mr.  Gilman  has  for 
some  years  had  charge  of  the  gardens  at  Alton  Towers,  one  of  the 
estates  of  the  Earl  of  Shrewsbury  and  Talbot.  The  ceremony  was 
largely  attended  by  the  friends  of  both  parties,  and  the  reception  was 
held,  by  the  kindness  of  Mrs.  Alfred  Morrison,  at  2-5,  Bruton  Street. 
Mr.  and  Mrs.  Gilman  left  for  Brighton  in  the  afternoon. 
-  A  Eailitre  at  Maidstone. — Amidst  the  many  successes  at 
the  Royal  Agricultural  Society’s  show  at  Maidstone  a  daily  paper  records 
a  failure  in  one  section  as  follows  : — “  Kent  is  a  great  fruit  count}’,  and  it 
was  supposed  that  there  would  have  been  competition  for  the  special  prizes 
for  (1)  Machine  for  the  evaporation  of  fruit  and  vegetables  ;  (2)  Carriage 
packages  for  soft  fruit ;  (3)  Ditto  for  hard  fruit.  But  the  offers  of  the 
Maidstone  Committee  do  not  seem  to  have  aroused  enthusiasm,  for  No.  1 
there  was  no  entry,  upon  No.  2  the  .Judges  decided  there  were  ‘  no  entries 
worthy  of  merit,’  and  upon  No,  3,  ‘no  entries  suitable  for  commercial 
purposes.’  ” 
-  Late  Broccoli. — As  your  correspondent,  “A.,”  page  491, 
asks  “  If  in  Yorkshire  there  are  white  Broccoli  well  into  June,”  I  have 
pleasure  in  informing  him  that  I  am  now,  June  17th,  cutting  heads  of 
Dicksons’  June  King  10  inches  over  perfectly  solid  and  white,  and  shall 
go  on  cutting  for  at  least  another  week.  Last  year  we  cut  the  last  head 
of  this  variety  on  June  24th.  It  is  a  long  way  the  latest  Broccoli  I 
know.  Model,  Late  Queen,  and  others,  were  over  with  me  at  the  end  of 
May.  It  is  very  dwarf,  perfectly  hardy,  tender,  and  mild  in  flavour  when 
cooked.— South  Yorks.  _ 
-  “A,”  seems  to  think  June  late  for  Broccoli,  but  we  are  then 
seldom  without  good  heads,  and  I  have  still  some  fine  Queens  left.  There 
is  nothing  extraordinary  in' this,  and  any  other  gardener  may  get  them 
easily,  but  as  a  rule  in  private  gardens  there  are  plenty  of  nice  young 
heads  of  Cauliflower  from  hand>light  or  frame  plants,  and  this  being  the 
case  Broccoli  is  not  in  demand.  Want  of  space  to  devote  to  the  former  is 
the  cause  of  my  planting  more  late  Broccoli  than  I  should  otherwise  do. 
I  may  say  that  far  from  being  in  a  cold  place,  the  bed  devoted  to  Late 
Queen  this  year  is  a  warm  and  sheltered  one,  a  high  bank  covered  with 
Laurels  screening  it  from  north  and  east  winds.  Had  a  few  of  the  plants 
been  pulled  and  laid  in  a  cool  place  they  would  have  held  out  at  least 
until  the  end  of  the  month. — H.  B.,  Suffolk.  [We  have  received  (though 
misdirected)  two  close  heads  of  Broccoli  well  enveloped  in  their  own 
leaves,  but'no  letter  concerning  them.  They  appear  to  have  been  posted 
in  Leicestershire.] 
-  Waterer's  Rhododendrons. — Londoners  are  not  likely  to  see 
in  town  this  season  a  finer  display  of  Rhododendrons  than  that  now 
being  made  by  Messrs.  John  Waterer  &  Sons  in  the  Royal  Botanic 
Society’s  gardens.  There  are  in  the  collection  a  thousand  plants, 
differing  largely  as  to  size  and  colour,  and  arranged  with  a  very  clear 
perception  of  artistic  beauty.  In  form  the  plants  are  mostly  standards, 
ranging,  both  in  height  and  breadth,  from  a  foot  or  two  to  several  feet. 
But  it  is  the  wealth  of  colour  that  attracts.  White,  blush-w’hite,  ivory, 
pink,  purple,  red,  scarlet,  crimson,  and  many  other  tints  are  there,  and 
wherever  one  looks  there  is  some  striking  view.  This  is  partly  due  to  the 
fact  that  within  a  commodious  marquee  beds  and  banka  and  undulating 
walks  have  been  made  with  an  eye  to  effect,  and  that  the  plants  have 
been  grouped  with  discriminating  taste.  The  show  has  been  visited  by 
the  Duke  of  Connaught. 
-  Our  Happy  Octogenarian. — When  the  subject  of  anti¬ 
blight  cropped  up  in  “our  Journal”  last  spring,  ie  the  prevention  of 
mildew  on  Roses  and  Honeysuckles  in  my  greenhouse,  a  number  of 
letters  on  the  subject  arrived  to  me,  including  one  from  Mr.  John 
Strange  of  Aldermaston,  our  noted  amateur  rosarian,  asking  where 
he  could  get  the  powder  and  the  bellow’s  I  recommended.  He  was  in 
great  tribulation,  being  pestered  with  the  mildew  in  his  house.?.  Of 
course  I  gave  him  all  particulars.  As  time  passed  I  felt  anxi'’'us  to 
know  what  success  had  attended  my  instructions,  so  I  wrote  and 
asked  him  to  kindly  lot  me  know.  Mr.  Strange  “  hiked  ”  over  to  me 
the  day  after  he  received  my  letter,  and  said  the  powder  with  him  was 
a  grand  success,  had  eradicated  the  mildew,  and  he  “  now  felt  glad 
for  three  things  ” — the  dispersion  of  fungoids,  the  annihilation  of  aphis, 
and  the  possession  of  a  manure  to  grow  his  favourite  flower  to  perfec¬ 
tion,  which  he  d^es.  The  new  hybrid  seedling  Potatoes  from  the 
Pendleri,  and  my  old  International  Kidney,  were  planted  on  her 
Majesty  s  birthday,  and  at  the  termination  of  their  committal  to  the 
ground  we  sang  “God  Save  the  Queen.” — Robt.  Fenn. 
-  Pot  Vines. — I  am  taking  nice  bunches  of  Black  Hamburgh' 
from  pot  Vines,  the  eyes  having  been  inserted  in  March,  1898.  Where- 
there  is  room  in  any  of  the  fruit  houses  to  train  a  few  canes  of  this  and 
Foster’s  Seedling,  they  are  well  worth  growing.  The  chief  points  to  be 
considered  are  the  choice  of  hard  well- ripened  wood  for  the  e3'e8,  careful 
treatment  in  the  earlier  stages,  so  that  no  check  occurs  to  the  growth» 
and  a  regular  system  of  pinching  the  leader  at  every  couple  of  feet, 
so  that  the  canes  when  finished  are  about  an  equal  thickness- 
throughout.  The  last  repotting  should  take  place  not  later  than  the  end 
of  June,  and  feeding  with  a  good  ferti  iser  should  commerce  as  soon  as 
the  roots  are  through  the  soil.  Place  the  young  Vines  outside  in  August, 
and  allow  them  to  be  thoroughly  ripened  by  the  waning  sun  in  nutumu- 
In  any  warm,  moist,  and  light  house  these  canes  may  be  forced,  and 
useful  Grapes  produced  before  midsummer. — H.  R. 
LIVERPOOL  NOTES. 
Gardeners’  Royal  Benevolent  Institution. 
Lancashire  gardeners  especially  will  rejoice  that  the  Earl  of  Derby 
is  to  take  the  chair  at  the  forthcoming  festival  dinner,  to  be  held  on 
June  28th.  Lord  Derby’s  sympathy  with  all  charitable  movements  is  so 
far-reaching,  and  his  ability  as  a  speaker  so  well  known,  that  we  feel  sure 
he  will  plead  the  cause  with  no  uncertain  sound,  and  it  would  not  be 
astonishing  to  find  more  support  from  Lancashire  than  has  previously  been 
forthcoming. 
Already  a  Liverpool  citizen,  T.  Sutton  Timmis,  Esq.,  of  Cleveley, 
Allerton,  has  signified  his  intention  of  contributing  £50,  and  no  doubt 
other  Liverpool  gentlemen  will  follow  in  his  steps,  and  so  make  up  a  most 
favourable  sum.  Mr.  Timmis’  sympathy  is  with  all  classes,  but  none  more^ 
so  than  with  gardens  and  gardeners,  his  beautiful  house  and  grounds^ 
with  model  greenhouses,  stocked  with  the  choicest  plants,  and  so  ably 
presided  over  by  Mr.  B.  Cromwell,  the  respected  hi  ad  gardener,  being 
kept  up  in  the  best  possible  manner. 
It  has  been  said  that  the  Charity  does  not  benefit  Liverpool  to  any 
great  extent,  but  the  fact  remains  that  many  aged  and  distressed  are 
waiting  patiently  for  willing  hearts  and  hands  to  come  to  their  assistance,, 
and  we  should  not  be  surprised  if  Mr.  R.  G.  Waterman — who  is  a  life 
member  for  this  district— does  not  send  something  tangible  for  charity’s 
sake,  apart  from  any  benefits  that  might  accrue. 
Hardy  Azaleas. 
Equally  useful  for  forcing  or  planting  out,  these  floriferous  Azaleas 
score  a  decided  success,  for  surely  nothing  looks  more  charming  in  a 
greenhouse  in  the  spring  months,  or  outdoors  in  early  summer.  I  was^ 
privileged  to  see  a  fine  collection  recenti}’,  not  all  the  mollis  types,  as  are 
too  often  met  with,  but  types,  although  smaller  in  flower,  which  give  a 
welcome  relief  when  used  for  decorative  purposes.  I  noted  the  following,, 
as  they  are  all  so  well  worth  growing — occidentalis,  rustica  plena,. 
Davicsi,  Anthony  Koster,  and  mollis  sinensis. 
Potatoes  and  Peas. 
We  are  about  commencing  to  lift  our  first  outdoor  Potatoes,  and 
despite  the  fact  that  the  tops  of  Harbinger  were  cut  down  once  by  the 
early  frosts,  it  is  a  long  way  in  advance  as  a  cropper  of  any  other  early 
variety  in  the  garden.  The  habit  is  so  compact  as  to  allow  of  any 
Winter  Greens  to  be  planted  in  between,  and  not  at  all  interfere  with  the 
Potatoes.  Having  tried  the  variety,  I  have  come  to  the  conclusion  that 
it  wants  some  beating. 
A  fine  early  Pea  is  Indispensable,  which  we  are  now  picking.  In 
habit  of  growth  it  resembles  Telephone,  but  is  much  dwarfer,  growing 
to  a  height  of  3  feet.  The  peas  are  large,  sugary,  and  pods  well  filled — 
altogether  an  acquisition,  and  earlier  than  William  Hurst. 
The  Weather. 
For  the  past  twenty-two  days  we  have  been  entirely  without  rain,  the 
sun  meanwhile  being  so  hot  as  to  cause  nearly  all  kinds  of  crops  to  begin 
to  feel  the  effects  from  it,  and  in  many  cases  only  persistent  watering  has 
kept  vegetation  in  a  healthy  condition.  The  ground,  too,  has  been  in  a 
soddened  condition  owing  to  so  much  wet  and  cold,  followed  by  a  baking 
sun  ;  but  a  change  has  taken  place,  and  we  are  now  having  gentle 
showers,  and  dust-laden  trees  look  quite  refreshed.  The  rain  is  all  the 
more  welcome  on  account  of  the  Strawberry  crop,  the  fruits  of  which 
were  almost  at  a  standstill,  whilst  aphides  on  Gooseberry  bushes  have 
never  been  seen  in  such  numbers. 
Dry  Weather  Flowers. 
Scarcely  ever  have  we  had  such  a  fleeting  time  amongst  outdoor 
flowers,  Azaleas,  Rhododendrons,  and  other  flowering  shrubs  exposed  to 
the  full  sunshine  going  more  rapidly  than  usual.  Yet  in  spite  ot  this  we 
have  at  the  present  time  three  sorts  that  have  done  us  good  service — 
viz,,  the  chaste  and  beautiful  Spanish  Irises  planted  on  a  dry  southern 
bank  have  contained  in  mixture  such  exquisi  e  hues  as  to  rival  any  class 
of  plants  in  cultivation.  The  Pyrethrums,  too,  are  of  the  greatest, 
importance,  and  have  been  for  the  past  three  weeks  able  to  defy  the 
hottest  weather.  I  have  noticed  some  magnificent  new  shades  among  the- 
single  varieties,  and  judging  from  the  appearance  of  lady  purchasers  in 
the  shops  and  markets,  there  is  no  disputing  the  fact  as  to  which  aro  held!/ 
most  in  popular  favour.  The  Oriental  Poppies  have  been  unusually 
handsome,  their  giant  flowers  and  intense  colouring  making  them  worthy 
objects  for  all  classes.— R.  P.  R. 
