1873.] THE MANCHESTER FRUIT SHOW. 479 



the judges, and the public have every reason to be satisfied with the success and 

 good feeling Avhich pervaded the whole. The Banquet, under the presidency of 

 the Earl of Derby, came off with great eclat, and the Rev. Reynolds Hole made, 

 as he always does, a speech which will long be remembered for pith, point, and 

 humour. 



The Fruit and Vegetables were the great features of the Show. Never before 

 was such a large and superlative lot of vegetables brought together at one Show. 

 Turning to the Fruit there were several very remarkable productions. And we 

 think the most conspicuously so was the Queen Pine-apple from Mr Sandford, 

 gardener to the Earl of Bective, Westmoreland. This is, as far as we are aware, 

 the most handsome and huge Queen Pine ever produced in this country. It 

 weighed 8 lb. 4 oz., and was of most perfect symmetry. The number of Pines ex- 

 hibited was below what might have been looked for, and, with the exception of the 

 Queen named and two Envilles from Mr Miles, gardener to Lord Carrington, 

 their quality was not remarkable. These Envilles weighed, the one 9 lb- 14 oz,, 

 and the other 9 lb. 9 oz. Mr Miller, AVorksop Manor, had two very pretty Queens 

 weighing about 5 lb. each. Mr Hunter, Lambton Castle, showed three plants in 

 fruit of the Lambton Castle Seedling as examples of this fine pine in various 

 stages of growth — one on a mere sucker, which, when fully swollen, must be 

 over 6 lb. weight ; and fruit on larger plants that will swell to 10 or 11 lb. We 

 have tasted this pine when ripe, and found it one of the finest flavoured and most 

 juicy pines known. It was awarded a first prize. 



There were some very remarkable exhibitions of Grapes, probably the most 

 splendid ever shown before. At the same time there were a great many very 

 inferior, and not many of the White Grapes could be said to be high coloured, 

 while many were positively green and unripe. Mr Hunter, gardener to Earl 

 Durham, held the post of honour with great ease in all the chief classes for 

 Grapes, and Mr Johnston of Glamis the second place, in the collection of ten. 

 It is generally admitted that both in the collection of ten and in that of five 

 varieties, the clusters Mr Hunter exhibited were never surpassed, if indeed 

 equalled, at any previous exhibition. They were of gigantic size and splendid 

 finish ; and the perfect manner in which they had been carried and staged 

 was most creditable. Mr Hill of Keele Hall, one of our oldest and most success- 

 ful exhibitors, showed in capital style for the collection of ten. In the col- 

 lection of five, Mr Bruce, gardener to James Field, Esq., made an excellent 

 second, though his bunches were considerably less than Mr Hunter's. In the 

 collection of Grapes not included in the other classes, Mr Hunter was again first 

 with fourteen varieties, all of excellent quality. There was a very spirited com- 

 petition for the three bunches of Black Hamburg, and Mr Coleman, Eastnor 

 Castle, won the place of honour with ease, having three bunches absolutely per- 

 fect in finish, as well as large in bunch and berry. Mr Temple of Blenheim took 

 the second place with moderate sized but beautifully finished bunches, and Mr 

 Bruce was third with three very pretty bunches. For three bunches of Muscats 

 there was also great competition, and Mr Hunter took the lead in this class also, 

 hut w^as closely pressed by Mr Roberts, gardener to the Earl of Charleville, Ire- 

 land. Mr Roberts' berries were larger, but they had been rather too severely 

 thinned, and showed here and there too much of the stalks of the berries. Mr 

 Hunter's were less in berry, heavier in bunch, and compact and highly finished. 

 Mr Meads of Farnborough was third with three very handsome bunches. For 

 the three best bunches of any other White Grapes, Mr Hunter again took the lead 

 with three fine bunches of the well-abused Golden Champion. Mr Hill, Keele 

 Hall, was second with splendid examples of Foster's White Seedling, a very hand- 



