352 



77//; GARDENER'S MONTHLY 



{November^ 



The Maryland Horticultural Society. 

 By the full report of the proceedings in the 

 American Fanner it appeal's that tlie Annual 

 Exliibition was an eminently suecessful affair. 

 Most of the articles exhibited seem to have been 

 Ferns, Palms, or variegated leaf plants ; the 

 only llowering plants among them appearing 

 to be Cliina Asters and Orchids from our excel- 

 lent correspondent, Captain Snow. In cut tlow- 

 ers, and designs formed of them, the competition 

 seems to have been heavy. Among the fruits 

 there were eighteen different exhiliitors. 



XURSEUVMEX AXD IIORTICULTUItAL EXHIBI- 

 TIONS. — A prominent nurseryman hands us the 

 following for publication, which was sent to him 

 by an energetic secretary of a leading agricultu- 

 ral association, who deserves every success for 

 his endeavors to make the exhibition of his 

 society attractive and every way successful. The 

 object of handing it for publication is to draw 

 attention to the fact that a large number of lead- 

 ing nurserymen and florists seem to take no 

 part in these exhibitions, and, therefore, it is 

 worth inquiring why they do not do so. The 

 letter suggests that exhibitions ought to be good 

 advertising mediums for really meritorous arti- 

 cles, and yet it is a well known fact that these 

 advertising facilities ai'e rejected, even by those 

 who are known as liberal advertisers, and who 

 spend hundreds of dollars in hard cash for their 

 advertisements. It is to the interest of the 

 public who attend exhibitions to have the best 

 things there to look at, and it is to the pecuniary 

 interest of the exhibition to have them. It 

 therefore becomes a ver}- important inquiry why 

 growers take so little interest. And we shall be 

 very glad to have the experience and yiews of 

 others on this subject : 



" The exhibition promises to be the finest, and 

 the turnout the largest that ]SI'ew Jersey has ever 

 witnessed. Outside of the premiums, a schedule 

 of which I send you, you will observe that it 

 will be a grand opportunity to advertise your 

 business. No charge will be made for space, 

 and every attention given your exhibit to show 

 it to the best advantage. It is the first exhibi- 

 tion that our society has held, and I am desirous 

 of making our floral display a creditable one. 

 A number of our members have promised ex- 

 hibits of considerable extent, nearly all of which 

 will be entered 'not for competition,' thereby 

 swelling the exhibition without carrying off the 

 premiums, .should you not feel disposed to 



send an exhibit of both plants and flowers, we 

 hope that you will at least send a floral })iece. 

 Send something. It will pay you and be doing 

 a favor to our society." 



Horticultural Exhiiution in England. 

 — The (J ardcner'' s Magazine says: 



"Horticultural Exhibitions multiply and pros- 

 per in every part of the British Isles. Tlie re- 

 gions in which they occur but rarely and re- 

 motely do not usually lack the needful enthusiasm 

 so much as the neeful material, for in moun- 

 tainous districts where gardens are few, the 

 people travel far to enjoy the healthy excitement 

 of a flower show. But in the fat lands, and such 

 as may be termed par excellence horticultural 

 districts, the exhibitions interest all classes and 

 create an immense amount of work for the local 

 press, the centres of attraction being near to- 

 gether, and the shows following each other in 

 rapid succession all the summer long. It is an 

 agreeable testimony in favor of their general 

 acceptance and usefulness that it is a quite rare 

 event for the owners of gardens to raise objec- 

 tions to the exhibitions of such subjects as they 

 themselves may desire to place in competion ; 

 or, that their gardeners with a view to honor 

 and grist combined, may select to represent both 

 their employers liberalitj^ and their own skill. 

 Occasionally, perhaps, the objection to permit 

 the gardeners to ^ exhibit is the expression 

 of combined indifference and selfishness and 

 exclusiveness ; but not unseldom it represents 

 sheer prudence, for it has sometimes happened 

 that the desire to shine at exhibitions has made 

 gardeners careless as to the general keeping, and 

 productiveness of the garden — a matter always 

 to be regretted. But all things considered, the 

 good so far and so emphatically exceeds the 

 evil, that the favor in which horticultural exhibi- 

 tions everywhere enjoy, is fully accounted for. 

 They provide a delightful and instructive recre- 

 ation for all classes ; they spread a taste for hor- 

 ticultural pursuits and encourage a spirit of 

 emulation amongst both amateurs and gar- 

 deners. Moreover, they bring to the test 

 of critical comparison the plants, fruits, and 

 flowers that are most valued, as well as the 

 methods that are followed in their production. 

 To such as are willing to learn, an exhibition is 

 as good a school as can be desired, for it consists 

 wholly of object lessons and compels the learner 

 to the Pestalozzian process of analyzing facts 

 and appealing to the moral consciousness for 

 self-made commentaries upon them.'' 



