68 



JOITENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGB GARDENER. 



July 8 18C3. 



indivisa came from Messi-s. Lee, and a magnificent Gleichenia 

 hecistophylla from Mi-. Williams, who had also Dion ediile, 

 and Latania borbonica, both of wliich were lai'ge and handsome 

 specimens. Messrs. Lee had first prize ; Mr. Williams the 

 second ; and Messrs. A. Henderson, who had also an ex- 

 cellent collection, were third. In the Amateurs' Class for 

 ten, Mr. Taylor, gardener to J. Yates, Esq., Highgate, had 

 £rst piTze for some lai-ge specimens, among which were good 

 specimens of Encephalartos latifrons, Dion edule, Theo- 

 phi-asta imperialis, etc. Mr. Young, of Highgate, was 

 second ; and Mr. Donald, Leyton, thii-d. The most remark- 

 able Ferns were the tree Ferns fi'om Mr. Williams, consist- 

 ing of Dicksonia antarctica, Cyathea sen-a, Smithii and 

 excelsa, and AlsophUa austraJis, aU of which were of great 

 size. For these Mr. Williams received a ffrst prize, and he 

 gained a similar award in the Class for twelve exotic species. 

 His collection contained large specimens of Cyathea Smithii, 

 Cibotium Schiedei, and Gleichenias dichotoma, semivestita, 

 flabeData, and speluncos. Mi-. WooUey, of Cheshunt, was 

 second ; Messrs. A. Henderson third. In the Amateurs' 

 Class the best collection was that of Mr. Y'oimg, of Highgate. 

 Miscellaneous. — Some good pans of Lycopods came fr-om 

 Mr. Young, of Highgate ; Lonicera am-eo-reticulata from 

 Mr Shenton, of Hendon; and from Mr. WiUiams an in- 

 teresting collection of new and rai-e plants, most of which 

 have been noticed at previous shows. Among them was 

 the fine vaiiety of Disa grandiflora called superba, Dendro- 

 biuni Parishii, Epidendrum prismatociu-pum, Cupania pin- 

 daiba, Alocasia Lowii, Pogonanthera refiexa, CheHanthes 

 Borsigiana, &c. 



FRUIT. 



There was an excellent show of fi-mt, particularly of 

 Grapes and Peaches, most of the exhibitions being very good. 



In collections of eight dishes. Mi-. Tiu-ner, of Slough, had 

 the first piTze for Black Hamburgh Grapes, Queen Pine, 

 Golden Perfection Melon, Moorpark Apricots, Royal George 

 Peaches, Bigai-reau Chen-ies, and Violette Hative Nectai-ines. 

 Ml-. A. Henderson, gai-dener to the Duke of Sutherland at 

 Trentham, was second ivith West's St. Peter's, Frankenthal, 

 and Black Hamburgh Grapes, a Ripley Queen Pine, two 

 Melons, Royal George Peaches, Ek-uge, and Violette Hative 

 Nectarines, Moorpai-k Apricots, Brown Turkey Figs, Denyer's 

 Victoria and Green Gage Plums, and Morello Chei-iies. A 

 second pi-ize was also awarded to Mi-. Young, of Havant ; I 

 and Mr. Carr, of Byfleet Lodge, Surrey, was third. 



Pines were generally good. For four, two of a sort, 

 second, and fourth prizes were awai-ded to Mr. Hannan, 

 gardener to R. T. Crawshay, Esq., for Queen and Eipley 

 Queen ; thu-d to Mi-. Henderson, of Trentham ; and fourth 

 to Mr. Penny, Regent's Park, for Moscow Queen. The most 

 remarkable exhibition among Pines, however, was a Queen 

 stated to be of the enormous weight of 7 lbs. 2 ozs., and 

 wliich was also a handsome-shaped fruit. It came from Mr. 

 Hall, gardener to the Eai-l of Scarborough, Sandback Park, 

 and, of com-se, received the liighest prize. Mr. Cai-r who 

 was second, had also a finely-gi-own fruit of large size, its 

 weight being 5 lbs. 13 ozs. ; and a similar award was made 

 to Mr. Kaile. 



Grapes.^ — The best of these came from Mr. Meredith, of 

 Garston, who was fii-st for three dishes, first for a single dish of 

 Black Hambiu-glis, fii-st for a single dish of Any other variety 

 with splendid bunches of Trentham Black, also for a box of 

 Black Hanibiu-ghs weighing 20^ lbs., the ben-ies in every case 

 being lai-ge and well-ripened, and the bunches of Ham- 

 burghs large and compact. The second prize for Black 

 Hamburghs was taken by Mi-. Wallis, gai-dener to J. Dixon, 

 Esq., Astle Hall, Congleton, who had also similai- awards 

 for a good box of the same variety, and three bunches of 

 Black Prince in the Any variety Class, one of them being 

 fine, though far from equal to those exhibited by Mi-. Hill 

 at the Royal Botanic and Kensington Shows. Muscats as 

 usual were generally unripe. The best came fi-om Mr. Tiu-ner, 

 of Slough, his bunches being fai- in advance of all the rest 

 in point of ripeness, and the hemes were of good size. 

 Mr. Smith, of Norwood Grove was second, and Mr. Emberv 

 thii-d. 



Peaches and Nectarines foi-med a good show. In two 

 dishes of each Mr. Turner was fii-st with Violette Hative and 

 Eh-nge Nectarines, and Royal George under the name of 

 MUlet's Mignonne, and Violette Hative Peaches. Mr. Monro, 



of Rabley, Bai-net, was second ; Mr. Hill third. In two 

 dishes of Peaches Mr. Beech, gardener to F. Alcock, Esq., 

 Kingswood, was first with Grosse Mignonne ; Mr. Dawson, 

 gardener to Earl Cowper, Panshanger, second with Violette 

 Hative and Eai-ly Grosse Mignonne. Mr. Turner had a 

 most excellent dish of Royal George, also Violette Hative, 

 receiving the third prize. 



Miscellaneous. — Moorpai-k Apricots from Mr. Kaile and 

 Ml-. Knight, Rowfant, had first and second piizes ; Messrs. 

 Lane & Son received a first prize for Rivers' Early Favourite 

 Plum gi-own in pots ; Mi-. Tui-ner and Messrs. Lane fii-st and 

 second prizes respectively for Bigan-eau Cherries ; and Mr. 

 Turner first for some excellent Cfrcassian Cherries. In 

 Green-fleshed Melons the best was a white-fleshed Hybrid 

 Cashmere from Mr. Rutland, gai-dener to Captain Peploe, 

 Garnstone Castle, Hereford ; the second best. Golden Per- 

 fection from Mr. Monk, Tottenham ; and in the Scarlet- 

 fleshed class Mr. Stanley was fii-st with Scarlet Gem. 

 Messrs. Lee had a first, and Messrs. Lane a second prize 

 for Vines in pots. 



THE PROPOSED GAEDE^"EES• FEIE^'DLY 

 SOCIETY. 



I READ of yom- amazement at the apathy of gardeners to- 

 what concerns them so intimately, so vitally, with something 

 like sui-prise, but also, I must confess it, mth something 

 of shame as to my share in that painful perplexity. I have 

 been purposing writing to you ever since your very clever 

 con-espondent " (i. A." propounded, and you so thoroughly 

 perfected, the scheme ; but I fear that my evil genius. Pro- 

 crastination, has again stepped in and done me, and in a 

 certain sense the whole profession, this injui-y. To those 

 who could handle the subject perfectly and discuss it in all 

 its bearings, throwing light on its most minute ramifica- 

 tions, there is a fruitful field open ; and I long to hear Mr. 

 Fish give his ideas upon it, knowing as I do that he wiU see 

 in it, and tlu-ough it. and all round it, and teU us what he 

 sees with simple perspicuity. 



I, for one, unhesitatingly give in my most cordial and 

 thankftil .approval of the scheme. It is just the very thing 

 that I have been wanting for some time, ever since I was 

 mai-i-ied ijartieularly. I should be delighted if it could be 

 cai-ried out. I had been debating with myself whether or 

 not to enter the Gardeners' Benevolent Society, but the 

 funds of that Society (albeit it is a most noble institution), 

 are too precai-ious for my approval. I should be sorry to 

 be left, or that mj- wife and children should be left, to the 

 tender mercies of subscribers' votes. The machinery of can- 

 vassing is too cumbrous, too laborious, too expensive, too 

 uncertain in its issues. You may spend a small fortune in 

 canvassing subscribers' votes and then lose yoiu- election. — 

 St. a., Notts. 



I FULLY agree with " An Irish Subscriber," and Mi-. 

 P. Chitty, that gai-deners are strangely backward in the- 

 efforts they make for the furtherance of their good as a 

 class ; and I deeply regret the but-too-palpable inertness to 

 which they have seemingly given themselves up. I cannot 

 find a justifiable excuse for this ; nor can I even conscien- 

 tiously endorse that put forth by Mi-. Chitty — namely, a 

 want of greater and more immediate communication between 

 individual members of the class. I woidd not dispute the 

 probability, that were it possible for them to come within 

 more immediate communication the one with the other, that 

 this and many other kindred subjects would be effectively 

 ventilated, and the ^dews of each at such gatherings would 

 be the more readily communicated the one to the other; 

 but every gardener, however isolated, can sift a subject, and 

 settle what are its merits or demerits. To bring this in,to 

 more immediate beai-ing upon the proposed Society, I ask 

 what there really is therein to call for numerous minor 

 discussions ? Already we have in a plain readable form the 

 preliminaries, the very i-ides of a society, placed before us. 

 Our proved friends, the Conductors of this Journal, have 

 offered these pages for a free discussion of the subject — a 

 subject which, no one will dispute, is of deep and lasting 

 interest to us as a body. 



