December  18,  1902. 
JOURNAL  CF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
559 
Gadding  and  Gathering. 
“Here  awa\  There  awa’." 
cross  and  column.  The  plinth  and  base  were  formed  of  white 
Chrysanthemums,  with  a  huge  spray-bouquet  of  Lily  of  the  Valley 
and  Violets  enwreathing  the  base  of  the  column. 
Three  Dessert  Apples. 
“Special  Lines”  at  Exmouth. 
ers  and  Veget 
Cypripedium  niveum. 
The  three  varieties  are  Ross  Nonpareil,  Mannington’s  Pearmain, 
and  the  sweet  little  Wyken  Pippin.  The  first  and  last  named  are 
small  Apples,  the  other  is  of  medium  size;  it  is  also  the  more 
beautiful,  having  a  crimson  skin  on  the  sunny  side.  Ross  Nonpareil 
has  a  flavour  akin  to  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin ;  Mannington’s  Pearmain 
has  also  a  spicy,  delicious  flavour;  and  Wykin  Pippin  (also  named 
Warwickshire  Pippin)  is  distinctly  aromatic,  juicy,  and  pleasantly 
sweet.  In  point  of  flavour  these  Apples  appear  to  leave  nothing  to 
be  desired,  and  this  is  surely  the  strongest  feature  of  merit  in  any 
dessert  Apple.  Mannington’s  Pearmain  and  Ross  Nonpareil  arc 
both  easy  to  digest,  though  the  Wyken  appears  less  easy  to  dissolve. 
In  Messrs.  James  Veitch  &  Sons’  new  fruit  catalogue,  just  published, 
I  find  the  following  reference  to  the  three  Apples  named : — 
Ross  Nonpareil. — Excellent,  medium  size,  l-ichly  flavoured,  and 
highly  perfumed ;  a  very  pretty  Apple,  covered  with  russet,  and  having 
a  crimson  tinge  on  the  side  facing  the  sun  ;  this  variety,  which  forms 
a  medium-sized  pyramid,  will  succeed  in  almost  any  soil ;  suitable  for 
orchard  culture.  November  to  May. 
Mannington’s  Pearmain. — Excellent,  medium  size,  juicy  and 
sweet ;  the  flavour  is  rich,  but  in  order  to  have  it  in  perfection  the 
fruit  should  be  allowed  to  hang  late  on  the  tree,  it  being  one  of  the 
best  late  varieties  ;  though  the  tree  as  a  pyramid  bears  abundantly, 
it  only  attains  a  medium  size.  November  to  March. 
[It  requires  a  well  drained  soil.] 
Wyken  Pippin. — Small  and  handsome,  juicy,  crisp,  and  rich 
flavoured  ;  the  tree  forms  a  dwarf  pyramid,  and  bears  well ;  suitable 
for  orchard  or  garden  culture.  December  to  April. 
Floral  Decorations. 
Now  that  the  Cyclamens  are  in  flower,  pot  plants  can  be  put  to 
use.  In  Regent  Street,  London,  a  few  days  ago,  I  saw  an  oblong 
basket,  15in.  by  9in.,  and 
4in.  to  5in.  deep,  raised  on  a 
pedestal,  and  having  simply 
a  thickly  flowered  pot  Cycla¬ 
men  in  the  centre,  a  tiny 
Cocos  Weddelliana  a  little 
to  one  side,  in  front,  and  a 
bosky  setting  of  Asparagus 
Sprengeri  at  the  back.  Be¬ 
hind  all,  broad  silk  ribbons, 
of  a  colour  that  matched  the 
flowers,  depended. 
A  huge  circular  wreath 
w'as  composed  of  Heather, 
closely  pegged  down  upon 
the  framework,  and 
having  an  outer  and  inner 
fringe  of  the  silver-edged 
Euonymus  leaves,  each  laid 
evenly  over  the  other.  A 
large,  loosely  expanding 
bouquet  of  light  pink  Chrys¬ 
anthemums,  matching  the 
Heather,  was  fastened  at 
the  top  (the  wreath  sus¬ 
pended).  From  the  back  of 
this  bouquet  hung  two 
broad  ribbons,  thus  screen¬ 
ing  the  vacuum  within  the 
circle.  Another  magnificent 
wreath  was  composed  of 
rose-pink  Chrysanthemums, 
with  a  spray  bouquet  of  pink 
Erica  at  the  top,  and  a  tiny 
banquet  of  the  same,  fixed 
three  parts  down  on  the 
right-hand  side.  No  ribbons 
or  t: fringe”  was  used. 
Yet  another  wreath,  and 
this  was  furnished  with 
Erica,  close  laid,  and  a  huge 
spray  of  Lily  of  the  Valley, 
with  A.  Sprengeri  at  the 
top,  from  which  two  very 
broad  white  silk  ribbons 
were  fixed.  The  ribbons 
hung  obliquely,  one  to  either 
side,  making  the  shape  of 
an  invei’ted  V.  Other  flowers  in  use  now  are  Lorraine  Begonias, 
Persian  Ranunculi,  Roses,  Lilium  speciosum,  Lilac,  Carnations,  and 
Gardenias. 
In  a  tall  cross — the  cross-piece  fixed  obliquely — were  used  white 
Chrysanthemums,  set  in  evenly  on  the  column  and  cross-piece,  and  a 
narrow  crescent  of  Violets  slung  over  the  point  of  intersection  of 
Mr.  W.  J.  Godfrey,  of  Exmouth,  Devon,  grows  many  other 
subjects  besides  Chrysanthemums,  including  such  diversified  garden 
stock  as  Vines  in  one  direction,  with  Japanese  Rhododendrons  and 
Kalanchoe  flammea  in  another.  Hardy  fruit  trees  he  also  cultivates 
considerably  in  a  special  branch  nursery,  whilst  the  best  known 
ornamental  shrubs  also  find  a  place.  The  Vines,  be  it  noted,  are 
principally  grown  to  supply  Grapes  for  his  handsome  seed,  bulb,  and 
florist  shop  in  Rolle  Street,  Exmouth. 
Winter-flowering  Carnations  were  seen  in  considerable  numbers 
at  his  main  nursery  in  November.  Queen  of  Pinks  was  throwing 
abundance  of  bloom.  It  is  deeper  in  colour  than  Duchess  of  Fife. 
Godfrey’s  King  is  an  intense  deep  crimson,  a  very  free  flowerer,  and 
good  grower.  Mrs.  Thos.  W.  Lawson  has  quite  recovered  from  the 
effects  of  over-propagation  in  its  early  career,  and  at  Exmouth,  as 
elsewhere,  its  brilliant  colour  and  finely  fringed  large  flowers  were 
amongst  the  best  in  the  collection.  Beauty  of  Exmouth  is  another 
fine  variety.  Roses,  too,  are  represented  by  the  latest  novelties, 
Liberty  seeming  to  do  especially  well.  Zonal  Pelargoniums  furnish 
a  feature  here,  and  such  reputed  sorts  as  Duchess  of  Cornwall,  of  a 
pale  salmon  and  flesh  colour,  was  represented  in  large  batches.  The 
trusses  are  large  ;  the  colour  is  exceedingly  pleasing  ;  it  is  floriferous, 
and  the  habit  is  dwarf  and  sturdy.  Alice  of  Venensis,  with  its  white 
centre  and  scarlet  edge,  was  also  very  brilliant. 
The  Show  and  Fancy  Pelargoniums  find  more  than  the  usual  recog¬ 
nition,  a  fact  which  affords  one  satisfaction  to  chronicle.  Is  it 
because  these  plants  require  a  trifle  more  attention  than  some  other 
plants  do  to  grow  them,  well,  that  they  arc  not  more  liberally  taken 
in  hand  ?  Novelties  amongst  Heliotropes  were  noted.  The  newer 
Heliotropes  have  larger  flower  heads,  and  afford  a  variety  of  colour, 
from  white  to  purple,  and  they  are  dwarf  and  fragrant.  Amongst 
other  plants  that  enjoy  special  prominence  are  Callas.  These  brief 
notes  refer  to  Mr.  Godfrey’s 
main  lines  in  nursery  stock, 
and  it  must  suffice  to  say 
that  he  manages  them  as 
successfully  as  he  does 
Chrysanthemums.  —  Wan¬ 
dering  Willie. 
London,  happily,  is  in  no 
likelihood  of  suffering  from 
a  vegetable  famine  this 
Christmas  such  as  is  just 
now  causing  dismay  in  Paris, 
though  the  increased  prices 
obtained  at  Covent  Garden 
for  many  vegetables  and 
fruits  showed  the  effects  of 
the  recent  severe  weather. 
A  few  special  forced  things 
were  indeed  costly.  In  the 
vegetable  market  good 
Potatoes  are  very  scarce, 
and  Is.  6d.  to  2s.  a  ewt. 
dearer  than  usual.  Ordinary 
French  Asparagus  is  now 
7s.  6d.  a  bundle,  but  the 
epieurian  Asparagus  of  Ar- 
genteuil  cannot  be  got  there 
under  35s.  a  bundle,  and  is  sold 
in  London  at  42s.  and  45s.  a 
bundle.  Haricots  Verts  have 
gone  up  4d.,  and  are  now 
Is.  6d.  a  pound.  English 
Beans  are  2s.  a  pound. 
French  salads  have  been 
practically  off  the  market 
altogether,  because  they  have 
reached  London  frozen,  and 
consequently  useless. 
English  Apples  are  very 
scarce,  and  Cox’s  Orange 
Pippins,  the  favourite  dessert 
Apple,  are  4s.  a  dozen.  On 
the  other  hand,  Grapes  arc 
cheap,  and  Nuts  are  much  cheaper  than  at  last  Christmas.  Cob 
Nuts  are  6d.  instead  of  10d.,  Brazils  7d.  against  9d.,  and  Almonds  6d. 
instead  of  7gd.  Oranges  also  are  cheap.  Flowers,  too,  were  very 
dear.  The  funeral  of  Colonel  MeCalmont  had  caused  an  enormous 
demand,  and  prices,  which  had  already  been  made  high  by  the  weather, 
reached  a  point  quite  50per  cent,  above  the  normal  average. 
