heikot: wiimmum. 



JOSIAH HOOPES, 



Sl'JiCIAL COKRESI-ONDENTS : 



ANDREW S. FULLER, 



JAMES TAPLIN. 



VOL. 29. 



DECEMBEE, 18T4. 



'EO. 342. 



A London Horticnltural 

 Show. 



BY JOSIAH HOOPES. 



IN no one department of gardening can we 

 form a better idea of the progress of the 

 times than by attending an exhibition, such as 

 the following paper attempts to describe. 

 And these fairs are the mediums by which 

 new plants become disseminated almost all 

 over the world ; for if a fortunate individual 

 becomes possessed of an honorable certificate 

 for his novelty, there seems to be very little 

 in the way of its speedy introduction. But 

 we in America have not been educated up to 

 the mark which admits nothing but the high- 

 est grades upon our exhibition tables ; and 

 yet, in a few of our leading societies, there is 

 a marked improvement in this respect, — the 

 members evidently cherishing a desire to cull 

 out the great amount of poorly-grown plants 

 and fruits, and substitute a few perfectly- 

 grown specimens, which, beyond a doubt, 

 23 



reflect credit upon their owners. With these 

 few preliminary remarks, I will now pass to 

 the impressions made upon my mind during a 

 first visit to a transatlantic horticultural show. 



The South Kensington Gardens, where the 

 exhibitions of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 are held, are a show of themselves ; and the 

 excellent examples of carpet or tapestry gar- 

 dening is of the finest character. The conserv- 

 atory contains many handsome Palms, Ferns, 

 Conifers, and other decorative plants; and in this 

 spacious, glass building, surrounded by tropical 

 vegetation, is where the Prince of Wales occa- 

 sionally gives a grand entertainment. 



As we step inside the visitors' entrance, 

 we notice a perpetual exhibition of florists' 

 wares, — glass vases for the decoration of ta- 

 bles, rustic work of every description, fancy 

 flower pots, bouquets and designs in dried flow- 

 ers and grasses, and, indeed, innumerable arti- 

 cles to tempt the eye, as well as exhaust the pock- 

 ets, of all enthusiastic gardeners like myself. 



This main hall opens into a large room, 

 where are arranged many articles, mostly of 

 a " novelty " character, to which the attention 

 of the various committees are especially re- 



