188 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ September 11, 1873. 



expanse of its branebes, so that while the avenue is unbroken, 

 yet each tree may be regarded with pleasure for its own in- 

 trinsic merit. — Edward Lockhubst. 



THE HORTICULTUEAL EXHIBITION AT 



MANCHESTER. 

 Septemeek 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th. 

 One of those great efforts at horticultur.al exhibitions which 

 are made periodically was held last week at Manchester under 

 the title of " The Grand International Horticultural Exhibition 

 of Fruits, Vegetables, Autumnal Flowers, &c." The Show 

 was held in the Botanical Gardens, and though inaugurated 

 and conducted throughout by an independent body, it was 

 under the auspices of the Botanical and Horticultural Society 

 of Manchester. The conception and execution of this was a 

 bold venture, involving, as it did, a prize list of £1400. But 

 if such a venture is to be made at all, Manchester is the place 

 wherein to make it, and where there are so many jjeople, as 

 Lord Derby said, " to whom the parting with £100 note could 

 be an operation so familiar and so customary, that they would 

 hardly know they had done it." Yet these Manchester men 

 are business men, and, liberal as they are, they do not give 

 their money without a shrewd idea that it will be spent to some 

 purpose ; and the result of the effort that has been made we 

 have no doubt has proved satisfactory to them in the produc- 

 tion of an autumnal show, the like of which has never yet been 

 seen in the provinces. 



The Show was formally oi^ened by Lord Berby on the 3nd 

 inst., and its leading feature was Grapes and a fine display of 

 vegetables. As concerned fruit generally, it may be said to have 

 been meagre. It was yet too early for our hardy fruits, and if 

 the Show had been postponed to embrace them it would, pro- 

 bably, have been too late for the Grapes. It is evident, there- 

 fore, that these were to be the great attractions of the Show, 

 and so they were. In our report, which follows, full particulars 

 will be given of them. Of autumn flowers there was also a good 

 exhibition, especially of Gladiolus, Dahlias, and cut flowers. 

 But in no respect was the Show international, except as between 

 " John Bull, Sandy MacDonald, and Pat Murphy," as old 

 Donald Beaton used to say. Our continental neighbours were 

 conspicuous by their absence, and so the British gardeners had 

 all the competition to themselves. 



The arrangements were very good, and admu'ably carried 

 out ; and whatever merit there is in this respect is due to Mr. 

 Bruce Findlay, Curator of the Botanical Gardens, to whom 

 the direction of the whole was entrusted, and with whom and 

 Mr. John Shaw, we are informed, the conception mainly origi- 

 nated. The fruit was shown in the conservatory, a h,Tndsome 

 spacious glass structure, 150 feet long by 60 wide, on six tables 

 running longitudinally the whole length of the building, and 

 the flat effect which always attends a fruit show without some 

 accessories was enth'ely relieved by the permanent climbers 

 that clothed the pillars and rambled in free luxuriance over- 

 head, while the available area of the house was furnished with 

 exhibitions contributed by Mr. B. S. Williams and Mr. William 

 Bull, of London ; Messrs. Cole, of Withington ; and Messrs. 

 Dixon, of Beverley. These consisted chiefly of fiue-foliaged 

 and new and rare plants, and were highly meritorious ; the 

 names of the exhibitors being a guarantee for the quality of 

 the plants. The fine fruit was, therefore, well set off, and the 

 eye was not wearied with monotony. 



Running at right angles to the western end of the conservatory 

 was a large canvas tent, probably 100 yards long and 20 wide. 

 This was skilfully laid-out in the gardenesque style with centre 

 beds, and raised winding terraces at the sides. To these were 

 devoted the exhibition of plants and autumnal flowers, with 

 groups and settings of fine-foliaged plants interspersed. This 

 great tent was supported by a frame of woodwork, the pillars 

 of which were covered with Ivy, thereby taking off the naked 

 look which they would otherwise have had, and which is so 

 objectionable in all such structures when they are unprotected. 

 One of the best coverings we have ever seen of this sort is of 

 sprays of Scotch Fir and Spruce nailed to the pillars. At one end 

 of this tent there was a bank of Gladiolus exhibited by Messrs. 

 Kelway, of Laugport, which could not but rivet the attention 

 of all lovers of this splendid autumn flower. A little lower 

 down was a trophy of vegetables exhibited by Messrs. Dickson, 

 Brown, & Tait, of Manchester, arranged with much skill and 

 taste, and forming a prominent object in this part of the 

 Exhibition. In the furnishing of this portion for effect the 



merit is due chiefly to Mr. John Shaw, of Bowden ; Messrs. 

 B.arron & Son, of Borrowash; and Mr. E. S. Yates, of Sale. 

 Messrs. Jackman A Son, of Woking, had a splendid group of 

 their new popular Clematises, which attracted much attention ; 

 while Mr. J. T. Peacock contributed a fine collection of succu- 

 lents from his fine collection at Hammersmith. Messrs. Lane 

 and Son, of Berkhampstead, had a fine exhibition of Ivies; 

 and Mr. Richard Smith, of Worcester, one of evergreens. 



Besides these two departments there were others more 

 detached, one a great tent containing the vegetables, and the 

 other the Potatoes. On the terraces surrounding the con- 

 servatory were fine specimens of Conifers in tubs, shown by 

 Messrs. Barron A- Sou, of Barrowash, and Mr. Maurice Young, 

 of Godalming. Numerous implements and garden structures, 

 boilers, and heating apparatus were also exhibited, which will 

 be alluded to anon. 



Such an occasion would not have been complete without a 

 dinner, and this was seized by the President and Council of 

 the Manchester Botanical and Horticultural Society to issue 

 invitations to the leading horticulturists present at the Show. 

 About 150 accepted the invitation, and sat down to a splendid 

 banquet presided over by Lord Derby, in the Hulme Town 

 Hall. It is not usual publicly to criticise the hospitality of 

 one's host, but on such an occasion it is admissible, and 

 especially so when the preparations and arrangements are 

 such as to serve as a pattern to those who are fond of getting- 

 up public dinners and testimonial entertainments. Some of 

 our metropolitan caterers may profitably take coiinsel with Mr. 

 Bruce Findlay, to put them in the way of knowing how to 

 dine a large assembly, not only sumptuously but in comfort. 

 In concluding these preliminary remarks we have only to add 

 that the whole arrangements were perfect, and we neither saw 

 nor heard of anything occurring to ruffle the susceptibilities of 

 the most sensitive, or to cause pain or disappointment to 

 anyone. 



The great strength of the fruit display lay in the collec- 

 tions, which were truly grand, and for which valuable prize 

 were offered. Of Grapes, the show was very large, but that 

 of Apples and Pears very weak. The period of the season was, 

 of course, somewhat early for these fruits, and in October a 

 better show of them would, no doubt, have been secured. It 

 seems a pity that the promoters, having had the opportunity of 

 making a grand exhibition of the fruits of this and other coun- 

 tries, did not fix the date later, so that not only Grapes, but what 

 are after all the great standard fruits of the country, Apples and 

 Pears, would have been well represented. The Exhibition would 

 then have been, what it was not in any sense of the woid, inter- 

 national. 



Collections. — For a collection of twenty kiuds of fruits, com- 

 prising not more than six kinds of Grapes, two kinds of Pine 

 Apples, and two kinds of Melons, prizes of X'30, X'20, and £12 

 were offered. Here Mr. G. Johnston, gardener to the Earl of 

 Strathmore, Glamis Castle, Forfar, made a most magnificent 

 display, being a long way ahead of his competitors, and so he 

 was the winner of the premier prize of the Exhibition. His 

 Grapes — Black Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, Buckland 

 Sweetwater, and Black Alicante — were very fine ; likewise the 

 Nectarines — Pitmaston Orange, Elruge, i'C. Peaches were re- 

 presented by Sulharastead (a variety of the Noblesse), Grosse 

 Mignonne, and KedMngdalen ; Pines by the Smooth Cayenne and 

 Ripley Queen; with these were Brown Turkey Figs, Melons, &c. 

 la every respect this was a most meritorious display. Mr. Jones, 

 Royal Gardens, Frogmore, and Mr. Grant, gardener to J. B. 

 Glegg, Esq., Chelford, were second and third respectively. In 

 collections of fifteen kinds of fruits three very good lots were 

 staged. The first prize of i'20 was awarded to Mr. Simpson, 

 gardener to Lord Wharncliffe, Wortley Hall, who had good 

 Grapes — Black Hamburgh, Muscat of Alexandria, &c., and 

 Enville and Smooth Cayenne Pine Apples, Melons, Peaches, 

 Nectarines, .Jargonelle Pears. Mr. Upjohn, gardener to the 

 Earl of Ellesmere, Worsley, was awarded the second prize for 

 a lot nearly equally fine. The Grapes were very good, some 

 examples of Gros Colmar especially so, and a dish of Violette 

 Hative Nectarines in this collection were peculiarly pretty. For 

 the collection of ten kinls of fruits, exclusive of Pines, there 

 was also a good competition. Mr. Miles, gardener to Lord Car- 

 ington, Wycombe Abbey, Bucks, was awarded the first prize for 

 very exceileut Grapes, Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, Pears, ifco. 

 Mr. Bain, gardener to Sir C. R. Broughtou, Bart., Ludlow, ob- 

 tained the second prize for some very large, but rather coarse, 

 examples of Grapes, both black and white ; good Peaches, Nec- 

 tarines, A'c. The third prize fell to Mr. T. Banuerman, gardener 

 to Lord Bagot, for a very excellent lot. For the collection of 

 twelve kinds of hardy fruits on a basket or tray, the first prize 



