378 



THE GARDENER'S MONTHLY' 



[ Decern betj 



attraction. Only two collections of plants Avere 

 exhibited. Michel & Son, florists, made a fine 

 display of crotons, palms, ferns, agaves and cac- 

 tuses. A large Erica rubra, eight feet high, was 

 conspicuous; a fine specimen of the rare 

 Ceroxylon niveum was prominent among the 

 palms. This firm also exhibited a Mississippi 

 steamer six feet long from stem to stern, of cut 

 flowers, a beautiful design. The first premium 

 was awarded this firm. The second collection 

 was from William Syred, florist, to which the 

 committee awarded the third premium. 



The display of pears was good. Ellwanger & 

 Barry, of New York, taking the first premium. 

 The pears from California looked like painted 

 fruit. P. Earle &Sons, Cobden, 111., received the 

 premium for the best dish of any variety, 

 "Sheldon " carrying off" the honor. 



The premiums for the best five varieties for 

 market use, awarded to J. S. Ragan, Indepen- 

 dence, Mo. They were Bartlett, Sheldon, Beurre 

 d'Anjou, Lawrence, and the Duchesse. For the 

 best plates of Bartletts, premium to I. Rhodes, 

 Bridgeton, Mo. ; these were extra fine specimens. 

 Ellwanger & Barry showed fifty varieties of 

 plums. All that were exhibited, excepting two 

 plates of Damsons from J. Rhodes and one or 

 two plates from other parties. 

 . The display of grapes was something worth 

 seeing. T. S. Hubbard, New York, awarded first 

 premium for the best collection ; one hundred 

 and twenty-five varieties, the "Rogers' Hybrids" 

 being very conspicuous for size and beauty. 

 This firm exhibited a bearing cane, about two 

 feet long, with twenty-five bunches of grapes 

 on it. A seedling, the '"Prentiss." awarded 

 premium for bes^t bearing cane of new seedling 

 for table and market use, quality and {)i-oductive- 

 ness to rule. Your correspondent mistook this 

 grape for a White Delaware. Bush, Son & Meiss- 

 ner, of Missouri, awarded the second premium. 

 This firm made an elegant exhibit. The Maxa 

 tawny, the Elvira and the Triumph, the latter 

 being considered the finest dish of grapes for 

 table use on exhibition, the bunches weighing 

 from one to one and a half pounds, being well 

 grown and handsomely shouldered. The Tele- 

 graph was also good and received the premium 

 for that variety. This firm received the premium 

 for the best ten grapes for wine. Messrs. Bush, 

 Son & Meissner are extensive wine growers, and 

 it may be of general interest to name the win- 

 ning ten : Elvira, Missouri Riesling, Cynthiana, 

 Rulander. CataM'ba, Herman, Herbemont, Tav 

 lor*s Bullett, Cunningham, Norton's (Va.) Seed- 

 ling. Mr. Isidore Bush considers Cynthiana the 

 best wine, and Triumph the best table giape. 

 Two dishes of foreign grapes grown out of doors 

 were among this collection. A printed card 

 stated they were grown from vines grafted on the 

 American stock, and thus treated resisted the 

 attacks of the Phylloxera, all of which may be 

 true, but the fruit thus grown was a miserable 

 failure. 



James H. Ricketts, New York, was another 

 large exhibitor ; his seedlings looked very promis- 



ing, particularly No, 97; a piece of cane one foot 

 long, of " Lady Washington," a large white ber- 

 ried grape contained three bunches, weighing in 

 the aggregate, five pounds, (guessing,) they were 

 much admired and looked very tempting. This 

 gentleman was also awarded premium to the 

 best ten table grapes : They are, Jefferson, lona, 

 Delaware, Concord,Secretary, Naomi, Lady Wash- 

 ington, Excelsior, Allen and Quars-aick, (Queer- 

 sick.) Premium for the best wine grape award- 

 ed to Romuel & Sobbe, Mo., for " Cynthiana," 

 and best table grape for "Triumph." Surprise, 

 a large berried amber-colored grape by S. H. 

 Smallcrop, Ky., received honorable mention. 



Mr. .Jefferson Davis exhibited a plate of Scup- 

 pernongs. The table ofsemi-tropical fruits from 

 Louisiana, and Southern California, consisted of 

 shaddocks, oranges, lemons, bud and blossom of 

 bananas, of the growth of 1880, from the former 

 State, .and lemons, guavas, citrons, limes, al- 

 monds, pomegranates and quinces from San 

 Diego, Cal , of the growth of 1879. 



The apple collection is said to have been the 

 largest ever exhibited, 6,000 plates being on the 

 tables and many more not unpacked for which 

 no room could be had The best and largest 

 came from Illinois. Missouri, Kansas, Michigan 

 and Arkansas. In strong contrast to those from 

 Missouri, was a collection from Minnesota; these 

 were about half the size of the former, but very 

 sound and handsome. On the same table and 

 running parallel to each other were the Kansas 

 collection, great, big, jolly-looking fellows, and a 

 collection of the smallest, scrubbiest, and the 

 wormiest looking things from the capital of the 

 nation. Washington, D. C. It looked very much 

 as if all the scrubs of the country had been 

 gathered into one big collection and labelled^ 

 Washington, D. C. 



The largest and handsomest plate of apples in 

 the hall were labelled, " Beauty of the West." 

 The premium for the best variety was awarded 

 to the ■' Summer Pearmain." The following 

 premiums were awarded. For best ten varieties 

 North of 41st parallel of latitude : 



Baldwin, Twenty Ounce, Spy, Golden Russet, 

 Red Canada, Wagoner, Duchess of Oldenburgh, 

 Maiden's Blush, Talman's Sweet, and Chenango 

 Strawberry. 



For the best ten varieties south of 37th parallel : 



Buckingham, Kinnard's Choice, Fulton, Shoek- 

 ley. Smith's Cider, Yellow Bellflower, Wine Sap, 

 Ben Davis, Kentucky Streak, and Penn.sylvania 

 Red Streak. 



For the best ten varieties between the 37th and 

 41st parallel : 



Willow Twig, Jonathan, Stark, Ben Davis, 

 Rome Beauty, McAfee's Red, Smith's Cider, 

 Rawle's Janet, Wine Sap, and Lawver, 



The Mississippi Valley Horticultural Society 

 is now an established fact and with the follow- 

 ing named gentlemen as officers of the society itM 

 future success and prosperity is ensured : 



Parker Earle, Cobden, ill., President; Gov. 

 Furnass of Nebraska, Vice-President ; Prof. S. 

 M. Tracy of Columbia, Mo., Secretary ; and H. 

 G. McPike of Alton, 111.. Treasurer. 



