June V„ 1P08 



HORTICULTURE 



783 



British Horticulture 



The Temple Show. 



The absorbing event of the week has been the great 

 show of the Boyal Horticultural Society in the old- 

 world Temple Gardens, in the centre of the busy 

 metropolis. The l>est which can be produced by lead- 

 ing specialists in all branches of the floral art was 

 brought together to form the finest horticultural dis- 

 play which is seen in this country. It was a cosmopoli- 

 tan crowd one encountered in the congested tents. 

 Here one rubbed shoulders witli the owners of priceless 

 orchids, as well as the leading British nurserymen and 

 amateurs, who were augmented by florists from France, 

 Belgium and Germany and by growers from the lead- 

 ing bulb centres in Holland. Visitors who had at- 

 tended the recent Ghent exhil)ition were able to make 

 comparisons. It was generally admitted that the cpali- 

 ty of the exhibit could not be surpassed but there seemed 

 to be a consensus of opinion that the Ghent exhibition 

 was superior as regards tlie originality and effective- 

 ness of the displays. There is something stereotyped 

 and conventional in the methods adopted in arranging 

 the groups and collections. The exigencies of the site 

 were in some measure responsible for this. Although 

 splendidly situated as regards convenience of access, 

 the Temple Gardens in the niidst of the seat of legal 

 learning, are restricted in area. The Society has to ex- 

 ercise economy in allotting space to the 135 exhibitors, 

 and even then it is impossible to comply with all the 

 demands. A large amount of space was devoted to the 

 orchids, the treasures of the leading orchidists being on 

 view. The Veitchian gold cup was awarded in this 

 section, this being taken by Mr. F. Menteith Ogilvie. 

 Messrs. Sander & Sons had a pleasing arrangement of 

 orchids intermixed with graceful ferns. 



Roses were, of course, to the front and formed a 

 magnetic attraction to countless admirers. The old 

 favorites were well represented. Mr. G. Mount, of Can- 

 terbury, showed Joseph Lowe, a new H. T., which is 

 a sport from Mrs. W. J. Grant. English and Channel 

 Island growers of carnations vied with one another in 

 the splendor of their displays ; the American introduc- 

 tions being well to the fore. Ehododrendrons and aza- 

 leas added a wealth of color to the show. A grand selec- 

 tion was sent by the noted firm of John Waterer & 

 Sons, Ltd., of Bagshot, Surrey, whose productions are 

 well known on both sides of the Atlantic. Pink Pearl 

 was seen at its best, the other varieties comprising ilar- 

 Cjuis of Waterford, Francis B. Hayes, Gomer Waterer, 

 Mrs. Holford, etc. The whole collection was of a very 

 meritorious character and well deserved the silver cup 

 awarded. A notable exhibit was the group of extra fine 

 hippeastrums shown by Messrs. E. P. Ker & Sons, of 

 Liverpool, the tints being very effectively arranged. 

 Fruits and vegetables formed a somewhat small section. 



Some Xevv Inteoductioxs. 

 In the orchid section first class certificates were 

 given to the undermentioned exhibits: — Lffilio-Cattleya 

 Elva "Westonbirt variety, shown by Major G. L. Hol- 

 ford, Westonbirt: Cattleya Mendelli His Majesty, 

 shown by ^Ir. Francis Wellesley, "Woking; Odontioda 

 Charlesworthii, shown bv Charlesworth & Co.; Odonto- 

 glossum illustre luxurians, and 0. eximeum Queen 

 Alexandra, shown by M. Chas. Yuylstake, Ghent: Cy- 

 pripedium ventricosum, shown by W. Cutbush and Son. 

 A striking new draca?na (D. Doiicetti var. De Grootsi) 

 shown by Yeitch & Co., gained a first-class certificate. 

 This has long, narrow leaves, margined and striped 



with yellow, with a red mid-rib. A golden-orange 

 May-tlowering tulip, Walter T. Ware, shown by Mr. 

 Walter T. Ware, and Barr & Sons, awarded a first- 

 class certificate. In addition awards of merit were 

 granted to the undermentioned exhibits: E. and 6. 

 Cuthbert sliowed Azalea oecidentalis graciosa, with 

 white blooms and blotchings of yellow on the upper 

 petals. Begonias were displayed in profusion by Black- 

 more and Langdon, amongst them being Empress 

 .Marie, a graceful white bloom of the tuberous-rooting 

 section.- Codi.eum (Croton) Fred Sander, who was in- 

 cluded in Sander & Sons' group at Ghent, is a valuable 

 addition to this section. The leaves of the handsome 

 plant are golden yellow in the upper half and bright 

 green in the lower part. There were three rose novelties. 

 Eose Elaine, shown by W. Paul and Sons, is a dwarf 

 habited H. T., white with a faint trace of rose. White 

 Doroth}-, is a sport of the well-known Dorothy Perkins, 

 this being seen in the exhibit of Paul & Son, and A. 

 Cant & Sons. Dimorpliotheea aurantiaca is an intro- 

 duction from the Cape which Barr & Sons are distrib- 

 uting. This is of an orange-gold hue, with a dark-tint- 

 ed disc. Tulips were displayed in all their grandeur by 

 Alex M. Wilson, the most notable being Duchess of 

 Westminster, a shapely rose-colored Darwin variety. R. 

 Wallace & Co. showed Pseonia decora alba, of a pleasing 

 form and tint. These are but a sample of the many in- 

 teresting exhibits. To give a complete list would fill 

 the pages of a week's issue of Horticulture. 



J^r/, CkdieXU. 



Superfluous Bulb Flowers 



Editor Horticulture : — • 



I noticed your editorial in your issue of April 18. 

 leferring to Dutch bulbs as a superfluous commodity in 

 the cut flower market. You certainly exjjress the sit- 

 uation pretty clearly and I heartily endorse those 

 sentiments. 



Xo doubt Dutch bulbs liave a place in gardens and 

 in pots and pans, but as cut flowers they are no longer 

 a necessity but a detriment to the general florist busi- 

 Jiess exce})t to a few wlio find good use for them in de- 

 sign work, etc. 



From a growers' standpoint, the primary fact for 

 him to consider is how does the cut product of bulbs 

 affect the sale of his own grown products. Wliy not 

 foster home productions? Look at the grand varieties 

 of roses and carnations, for instance, which we now 

 have in abundance to take the place of cut bulbous 

 blooms. 



Times have changed. It goes without question that 

 one-third of the Dutcii bulbs forced during the season 

 1!)07 to 1908 would have netted a larger profit than 

 was realized on the total, showing conclusively that 

 something is radically wrong. The quicker it is righted 

 tlie better for everyone in the business. 

 Yours trulv. 



Chicago. 



