October  1,  1903. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARLENER, 
319 
Oxfoi’ilsMre  County  Council. 
Trial  Allotments  Competition. 
The  fifth  annual  exhibition  of  the  produce  grown  on  the 
Trial  Allotments  took  place  at  St.  John’s  College,  Oxford,  on 
Thursday,  the  17th  ult.  Nine  plo-ts  competed,  viz.,  Bicester, 
Bodicote,  Crowmarsh,  Chipping  Norton,  Clifton  Hampden,  Dor¬ 
chester,  Goring,  Witney,  and  Woodstock.  There  was  a  marked 
progress  on  previous  years,  both  in  the  quality  and  keenness  of 
the  competition.  The  plot  gaining  the  highest  number  of  points 
at  the  show,  plus  the  points  aAvarded  at  thei  three  visits  made 
during  the  .season  to  the'  allotments,  carries  off  the  cup  and  a 
gold  medal. 
This  year  Bodicote  claimed  premier  position  with  36.5  jDoints, 
Witney  (silver  medal)  following  very  closely  with  363^  points, 
Crowmarsh  (silver  medal)  360^  points,  Bicester  356^  points, 
Clifton  Hampden  320^  points,  Dorchester  297  points.  Chipping 
Norton  287^  points.  Goring  260f,  and  Woodstock  226  points. 
Each  plot  exhibited  as  per  schedule. 
The  Potatoes  shown  were  above  the  average  in  quality ; 
thirty-one  out  of  thirty-six  dishes  staged  gaining  five'  to  seven 
points  each  out  of  a  maximum  of  seven.  The  twelve  dishes  of 
Peas  staged  were  excellent  for  the  season.  Broad  Beans, 
Brussels  Sprouts,  Cauliflower,  Onions,  and  Leeks  were  excep¬ 
tionally  good.  Mr.  P.  Elford,  M.A.,  County  Education  Secre- 
tarv,  entertained  the  stewards,  iudges,  and  others  to  lunch  in 
the  College  Hall. 
SCHEDULE  OF  THE  VEGETABLES  EXHIBITED  BY  EACH  TRIAL 
ALLOT.MENT  ON  THURSDAY,  SEPTEMBER  17,  19C3,  IN  .ST.  JOHN’S 
COLLEGE,  OXFORD. 
Class. 
Subject. 
Number 
for  a 
dish. 
V.ariety. 
1 
Potatoes . 
6 
a.  The  Sutton  Flourball.  S.  Duke  of  York, 
c.  Ninety-fold.  d.  AATndsor  Castle. 
2 
Peas  . 
20 
a.  Early  Giant.  6.  Perpetual. 
3 
Climbing  French  Beans 
20 
Tender  and  True. 
4 
Broad  Beans 
12 
a.  Mammoth  Longpod.  b.  Prolific 
Longpod. 
5 
Runner  Beans  .. 
20 
Best  of  All. 
6 
Beet  . 
2 
Pine-apple. 
7 
Bru.ssels  Sprouts 
2-) 
a.  Exhibition.  6.  Dwarf  Gera. 
8 
Caulidower 
2 
a.  Purity,  b.  Autumn  Mammoth. 
9 
Cabbage  . 
2 
Sutton’s  Earliest. 
10 
Savoys  . 
2 
a.  Perfection,  b.  Best  of  All. 
11 
Cos  Lettuce 
3 
Superb  White. 
12 
Cabbage  do . 
3 
Satisfaction. 
13 
Celery  . 
2 
a.  At.  b.  Solid  White,  c.  Gibbs’  Pink. 
14 
Carrots . 
6 
a.  Favourite.  6.  Scarlet  Intermediate. 
15 
Leeks 
6 
Royal  Favourite. 
16 
Onions  . 
9 
a.  Al.  i.-  Bedfordshire  Champion,  c. 
N uneham  Pk.  d.  Cranston’s  Excelsior 
17 
Parsnips . 
6 
Tender  and  True. 
18 
Turnips . 
6 
Red  Globe. 
19 
Jerusalem  Artichokes 
'.0 
Sutton’s  White. 
20 
Vegetable  Marrows 
2 
a.  Bush  White,  b.  Long  Cream. 
N.B. — Par.sley  is  allowed  for  garnish'iig. 
4*^ 
Meteorological  Observations  at  Chiswick. 
Taken  in  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chis¬ 
wick,  height  above  sea  level  24  feet. 
Date. 
Temperature  of  the 
Air. 
Temperature  of 
the  Soil. 
At  9  A.M. 
1903. 
September. 
ection  c 
Wind. 
At  9  A.M. 
Day. 
Night 
Rain. 
At 
1-ft. 
deep. 
At 
2-ft. 
deep. 
At 
4-ft. 
deep. 
Lowest 
Temperatur( 
on  Grass. 
U 
S 
- 
Drv 
Bulb. 
Wet 
Bulb. 
Highest. 
Lowest. 
Sundav  ...20 
E.S.E. 
deg. 
61-5 
deg. 
57-3 
deg. 
68-8 
deg. 
58'2 
Ins. 
deg. 
57-9 
deg. 
5T2 
deg. 
57-3 
deg. 
54  9 
Monday  ...21 
E.8.E. 
63-4 
57-0 
66-6 
56-5 
— 
58T 
57-7 
57-5 
50-2 
Tuesday  ...22 
S.E. 
59-4 
56-8 
63'2 
57  0 
0-06 
58-5 
58-0 
57-3 
54  0 
Wed’sday  23 
S.E. 
58-9 
53-8 
68-8 
50-9 
— 
58-2 
■5S-0 
57 '3 
■  44 ’0 
Thursday  24 
S.E. 
58-7 
58  0 
e6'7 
56  2 
0-06 
59-5 
58-3 
57-3 
56-2 
Fridav  ...25 
S.W. 
6U7 
60-3 
67-6 
55-3 
59'8 
58-6 
57-3 
48-6 
Saturday  26 
S.S.W. 
54-7 
54-3 
67-6 
52-2 
0-15 
59  5 
590 
57-5 
47-2 
Means  ... 
59-8 
568 
67'0 
55-2 
Total. 
0-27 
53’8 
58-1 
57  3 
50  7 
WOKK.foiitheWEEK.. 
Hardy  Fruit  Garden. 
FILBERTS  AND  COB  NUTS.— The  nuts  .should  be  gathered 
during  a  dry  period  while  they  .still  remain  in  the  hu.sks, 
if  they  are  to  be  pre.served  until  Christmas  or  later.  After 
gathering  them,  lay  on  a  board  in  a  drj’  place,  shading  from 
the  sun,  but  admirting  plenty  of  air.  The  object  is  to  dry 
all  the  moisture  out  of  the  husks,  as  if  this  is  not  done 
mouldiness  will  set  in.  Drying  in  the  sun  extracts  the  moisture 
too  quickly,  and  causes  the  hu.sks  to  become  brittle.  The  nuts 
may  be  stored  in  jars  in  a  dry,  cool,  fro.st-proof  .structure,  or  laid 
thinly  in  a  dry  loft,  covering  them  wdth  straw. 
STRAWBERRIES. — The  present  is  a  suitable  time  to  estab¬ 
lish  a  plantation  of  Strawberries.  Such  plantations,  however, 
ought  not  to  be  expected  to  give  a  full  crop  the  following 
season,  especially  if  the  plants  inserted  now  are  small  or 
not  well  rooted.  Good  plants  with  well  developed  crowns,  and 
a  mass  of  fibrous  roots  adhering  to  a  ball  of  soil,  can  be  lifted 
and  planted  almost  wnthout  their  receiving  the  slightest  check, 
so  long  as  they  are  dealt  with  when  the  ground  is  moi.st.  The 
position  for  planting  should  have  received  previous  preparation, 
the  digging  and  trenching  being  liberal  and  deeply  carried  out, 
a  free  use  being  made  of  rotted  manure  for  enriching  the  ground. 
Prior  to  planting,  firm  the  ground  by  w’ell  treading.  As  a  general 
rule  arrange  the  rows  2ft  apart.  Some  of  the  strongest  growers 
may  require  a  wider  distance  of  3in  to  6in  beyond  this,  giving 
them  also  more  space  in  the  row.  Ordinaiw  growers  may  be  15in, 
while  the  strongest  need  not  be  more  than  18in  asunder  in  the 
rows. 
In  planting  varieties  without  balls  of  soil  attached  to  the 
roots,  some  care  must  be  expended  in  spreading  out  the  fibres  in 
the  soil.  The  best  way  is  to  form  little  mounds,  and  spread  them 
out  round  this,  having  .some  fine  .soil  handy  to  sprinkle  over  and 
make  firm.  Should  the  weather  be  dry  give  a  watering  imme¬ 
diately. 
Beds  of  old  plants  from  which  the  young  rooted  runners  have 
been  obtained  will  require  after  this,  the  removal  of  all  the  super¬ 
fluous  growth.  Cut  off  the  runner  wires  close  to  the  old  plants,  at 
the  same  time  clearing  off  any  dead  foliage.  The  runners  which 
have  rooted  into  the  soil  between  the  rows,  and  are  not  other’ivi.se 
required,  .should  be  hoed  up  along  with  weeds,  unles;s  the  latter 
are  deep  rooted,  or  of  a  perennial  character,  when  it  is  best  to 
fork  these  out,  though  involving,  as  it  does,  a  little  more  trouble. 
Follow  with  a  light  mulching  of  short  manure  and  soil. 
ROOT-PRENING  FRFIT  TREES. — Any  fruit  trees  Tvhich 
have  made  more  than  usually  luxuriant  growth  should  receive  a 
wholesome  check,  which  root-pruning  will  give.  Trees  or  bushes 
that  have  made  3ft  or  more  of  current  year’s  wood  have  strong 
roots  descending  deeply  into  the  .subsoil,  and  these  must  be 
judiciously  .shortened.  Where  the  root-pruning  must  necessarily 
be  severe  it  will  be  best  to  only  treat  one  half  of  the  tree  in  one 
season,  leaving  the  other  half  for  the  following  year.  The  opera¬ 
tion  of  root-pruning  consists  in  fir,st  taking  out  a  trench  3ft  from 
the  .stem,  going  down  a  fair  depth.  Any  .strong  roots  met  with 
may  be  cleanly  severed  on  the  side  of  the  trench  nearest  the  tree, 
but  preserve  all  the  fibres.  The  .strongest  roots  will  be  found 
probably  descending  straight  down.  If  so.  cut  them  transversely 
acro.ss,  paring  the  ends  .smoothly  and  cover  with  a  coat  of  tar. 
Having  done  this  satisfactorily,  fill  in  the  soil  again,  using  a 
little  fresh,  loamy  material  mixed  with  bonemeal  and  wood 
ashes.  Make  the  soil  firm  as  the  work  proceeds,  and  lay  out  the 
fibres,  raising  them  also  to  a  more  horizontal  po.sition  than  they 
previously  were.  A  good  watei'ing  will  prove  beneficial  if  the 
w  eather  is  dry  and  the  .soil  is  rather  crumbly  in  character. 
PEACHES  AND  NECTARINES. — The  crop  has  been 
gathered  from  tlie  majority  of  the  trees,  therefore  give  .special 
attention  to  relieving  them  also  of  .superfluous  shoots.  Tho.se 
which  have  borne  the  fruits  are  no  longer  required,  and  weakly, 
as  well  as  crowded  shoots  may  be  dispensed  with.  Keep  the 
roots  active  near  the  surface  by  maintaining  the  soil  fairly  moist. 
Very  often  the  trees  are  suffering  from  lack  of  moisture,  which 
produces  many  ills,  and  throws  trees  into  a  debilitated  state, 
rendering  them  an  easy  prey  to  insect  attacks.  Young  trees 
growing  strongly  should  be  lifted  and  slightly  root-pruned,  re¬ 
planting  quickly.  A  little  bonemeal  and  Avood  ashes  may  be 
used  with  the  fresh  compost  employed  for  renovating  the  roota 
of  old  trees.  Freely  .syringe  old  trees,  or  young  ones  either,  if 
the  foliage  has  been  attacked  Avith  red  spider. 
GATHERING  FRUIT. — Continue  to  gather  all  the  varietie,s 
of  Apples  and  Pear.s  A\liich  are  in  a  proper  condition  for  so  doing. 
Unfortunately,  many  fine  fruits  have  been  damaged  by  tlie  Avind 
Misty  mornings,  and  dull  but  fine  days. 
