May 34, 1877. 1 



JOUKXAL OP HORTIOULTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



381 



a huadred before I eonnted them. I nai reoommend the plan 

 mentioued for growing thU glorious Poae in perfection, and I 

 think wherever room can be aSjrded to train one under gUs3 

 similar to a Vine it will prove worthy of the space it oconpies. 

 — W. Christison. 



[We onoe saw a large honse planted with Maryohal Niel 

 Roses. It was originally a vinery from whence the Grapes 

 were sold, bat the sale of Maruchal Niel blooms proved much 

 more profitable than the Grapes. — Eds ] 



EOYAL BOTANIC GABDENS, MANCHESTER. 



GREAT FLOWER AND FRUIT SHOW. 



The great Whitsantide Show (which has long been one of the 

 principil meetings of the year for exhibitors and visitors from 

 all parts of Great Britiin) opened thia year on the ISth and 

 closes on the '2oth. There is a traly grand display of plants, 

 flowers, and fruits. It is said by those who hive been exhibi- 

 tors since the oommaacemsnt of the exhibition) to be the best 

 Show yet held. If there is a slight falling oft in soma of the 

 classes, which mast be expected owing to changes in taste or 

 fashion — as, for instance, the great pyramid plants of Azaleas — 

 these could very well be dispensed with in the presence of the 

 magnificent specimens of Rjses exhibited by Messrs. Turner of 

 Slongh, and Paul & Sons, The Old Nurseries, Cheshunt. It is 

 also admitted that Orchids were never shown better. The trade 

 collections of Mr. B. S. Williams of HoUoway, and the Messrs. 

 Eollisson of Tooting, London, contain well-grown specimens 

 of the rarest and choicest species and varieties in cnltivation. 

 Private collections, too, have a magnificent effect arranged on the 

 opposite side of the building. Especially fine are the collec- 

 tions of 0. O. Wrigley, E^q. ; and equally well grown, if smaller 

 specimens are those staged by Dr. Aiusworth, J. Broome, Edq., 

 and others. And here we may state that some little dissatis- 

 faction was expressed at the way in which some of the speci- 

 mens are made-np, and we do confess that making-up pans 

 and pots of Orchids is carried a little too tar. A great grower 

 has, perhaps, scores or hundreds of some species, and he fills a 

 pot or pan with a dozen plants or more, sometimes with aa many 

 distinct varieties of the same species. Of course the larger the 

 specimens are the greater is the effect of the collection. It 

 would stop the mnrmurs if promoters of bhows would clearly 

 specify in their schedules the requisite number of pots or pans 

 of Orchids ; when the schedule says " Twelve Orchids, distinct," 

 then the exhibitor who raakes-up pots or pans with several 

 varieties in each does not comply with the terms of the schedule. 



Another very pleasing feature in the Show is the herbaceous 

 plants. It seems a descent in the scale from exotic Orchids to 

 the humble alpines, but it is not so. Orchids aa showu at Man- 

 chester are the flowers of the very few ; alpine and herbaceous 

 plants are the flowers of the many. Messrs. J. Dickson A- Sons, 

 Newton Nurseries. Chester, and Messrs. Rollisson of Tooting, 

 deserve great credit for the care they have taken in exhibiting 

 such finished collections as they exhibited on this occasion. A 

 word of praise ought also to be given to a collection of exotic 

 Ferns from 0. O. Wrigley, Esq., of Eury. Such well-grown 

 specimens of the choicest species of Gleichenias, Davallias, &c., 

 were never before exhibited. Hardy Ferus, too, are well grown, 

 and two collections at the bottom of the large tent command 



teneral admiratioa. Besides the large conservatory, which is 

 evoted to exotic plants, there are two other large tents filled 

 with plants, and the arrangements of the different classes are 

 admirably carried out to give the best effect. This, of course, 

 entails additional labour on those entrusted with the duty of 

 reporting for the public press, but of this we make no complaint 

 as it is unavoidable ; but we would suggest one improvement. 

 The Judges are divided into sections, two in each section, under 

 the care of a " Steward ;" one set judges, say, from Class 1 to 12, 

 "Why cannot the Steward be furnished with prize cards, and aa 

 one class is judged place first, second, and third to the col- 

 lections ? Aa it was no awards were fixed until the Judges had 

 finished their work, and whit makes the matter worse is that 

 the names of the exhibitors arc not known until the prize cards 

 are fixed. In the case of the principal collections this was not 

 done until very nearly the time for opening the Show. 



The annual dinner of the Council nod Judges was held at the 

 Trafford Hotel near the Girdeni. Dr. Witts, President of the 

 Council, presided, Mr. Bruce Findlay occupying the vicech»ir. 

 The Treasurer's report by Mr. J. Broome congratulated the 

 Society, on this its jubilee year, on the prosperous state of its 

 finances, and if the Show is successful it is expected that it will 

 be entirely free from debt this year. Certainly th? present 

 Conncil deserve great credit for the exertions they have made 

 to place the Society on a sound bjsis, and S'lma extent of their 

 difficultiea may be ascertained from the fact thit the Council 

 liave paid j£30,000 in interest on debts. It ought also t) be 



known that, like the Royal norticultural Society of London, 

 neither the Council nor anyone else have a personal interest in 

 the matter, and that after the debt has been paid all superfluous 

 cash will be devoted to the cause of horticulture or floriculture. 

 The Rev, Canon Hole, in proposing " Prosperity to the Royal 

 Botanical and Horticultural Society," said that the present Ex- 

 hibition afforded tha working classes an admirable opportunity 

 to become acquainted with the works of Nature at a low charge, 

 and spoke strongly in favour of the opening of such gardens on 

 Sunday. If ho was told, " Would not you rather that the people 

 went to a place of worship?" he would say, "Why shouldn't 

 a garden be a place of worship ?" At all events it was a better 

 place of worship than a pnblichouse [applause]. Mr. Shirley 

 Hibberd proposed "The Exhibitors," to which Messrs. B. S. 

 Williams, Rollisson, and J. McCallum responded, all of them 

 uniting in the warmest tribute to Mr. Bruce Findlay for his 

 courtesy and for the admirable arrangements made for their 

 comfort and convenience, stating that they looked forward with 

 the greatest pleasure to the Manchester Exhibition. 



A show of Tulips and other cut flowers was announced for 

 Friday (to-morrow), but it is certain that the Tulips will not be 

 in, and the show is poatponed. Florists and others have been 

 much gratified at the increasing favour in which florist flowers 

 are held all over the country — a result priocipally due to the 

 patronage they have received from the Council of this Society, 

 and if they had not been hampered with difficulties much more 

 would have been done. 



Stove and Greenhouse Pl.ints (amateurs). — In Class 1 — 

 twenty plants, ten foliage and ten in flower — the prizes are i:30, 

 .i'20, and £10. The groups are well arranged, with the flowering 

 plants in front, backed with large handsome specimens of foliage 

 plants. The first and second collections are very nearly equally 

 balanced, and at first sight we placed the collection from Preston 

 first ; but we doubt not that the Judges were right, as on a closer 

 inspection one of Mr. Shuttleworth's large Gleichenias we found 

 was paat its best, and his flowering plants are certainly not quite 

 equal in merit to the Cheltenham collection. Mr. B. Pilgrim, 

 Fern Lawn, Cheltenham, is first with a well-flowered healthy 

 specimen of Boronia serrulata ; Tetratheca oricajfolia hirsuta, a 

 grand specimen; a well-grown example of Pimelea spectabilis ; 

 Acrophyllnm venosum, very fine ; Azalea Flag of Truce ; Erica 

 Victoria Regina, and E. Cavendishiana; Clerodendron Bal- 

 fourii ; and a fine variety of Anthurium Scherzeriauum. His 

 foliage plants comprise some noble Palms, a grand Encepha- 

 lartos villosus ; Crotona pictum and Wieamannii, also a very fine 

 C. longifolium variegatum ; Paudanus Veitohii, well marked; 

 and a handsome specimen of the rare Geonoma Seemanii. 

 Second T. M. Shuttleworth, Esq., who has a very handsome 

 opecimen of Boronia pinnata, exceedingly well grown and 

 covered with its pretty rase-coloured flowers ; Dendrobium 

 nobile, well flowered; Statice profusa ; Aphelexis macrantha 

 purpurea, and the variety rosea ; Dracophyllum gracile ; Erica 

 Victoria Regina nnd E. Cavendishiana; Anthurium Scherzeria- 

 num, and a white Azalea. Hia foliage plants are Gleichenia 

 spelunca3and G.dichotoma;Cycascircinali8; Crotonundnlatum, 

 remarkably well coloured ; Stevensonia grandifolia, with noble 

 foliage; Cordyline indivisa; Dion edule ; Dasylirion gracile; 

 and a fine Cooos Weddelliana. So keen was this contest that the 

 Judges had 1 1 go by points, and after careful examination found 

 only three more for the first collection than the second. Mr. J. 

 Rylands, Longford Hall, Stretford, Manchester (Mr. G. Smith, 

 gardener), is third with very creditable examples. He has a 

 fine Pimelea spectabilis and a well-grown Alocasia Lowii. 



Twelve plants, six flowering and six foliage. — H. Samson, Esq., 

 Brunswick House. Bowdon (Mr. W. Lingford, gardener), is first. 

 He has a grand Hedaroma tulipifera, a well-grown specimen of 

 Ixora coccinea, exceedingly fresh and healthy exatnples of 

 Gleichenia flahellata, G. rupestris, and as fine a specimen of 

 Cocos Weddelliana as any in the Show. T. M. Shuttleworth, 

 Esq., is a good second. Boronia pinnata and Hedaroma tulipi- 

 fera are tine amongst flowering plants. In foliage plants there 

 are two handsome Gleichenias and a grandly coloured Croton 

 majeaticum. Mr. E- Pilgrim, Cheltenham, ia third. Ten fine- 

 foliaged plants are shown in excellent condition by T. H. Birley, 

 E^q , Hart Hill, Pendleton (Mr. E. Elkin, gardener). He has a 

 good Cordyline indivisa, a noble Seaforthia elegans, and a grace- 

 ful Cocos Weddelliana. The second prize goes to S. Schloss, 

 Esq., Osborn Villa, Bowdon (Mr. W. Cardwell, gardener). Mrs. 

 Leech, Gorse Hall, Staleybridge (Mr. C. Goodal, gardener) ia 

 third. In the nurserymen's class for twelve stove and green- 

 house plants in flower there is only one exhibit; it is from 

 Mrs. E. Cole & Sons, Fog Lane Nurseries, Withington, and to 

 it the first prize is awarded. The plants are not of large size, 

 but very healthy. The collection includes examples of those 

 already named and a Bougainvilloa glabra. 



AzALE.\s. — (.''iO, £12, and is are offered in three prizes for 

 ten specimens, and yet only one exhibitor came forward 

 — H. T. Broadhurst, E^q , Wondhill, Prestwloh (Mr. J. Mellor, 

 gardener). The plants arc mostly of old varieties and of 

 good size, being also fairly well flowered. The Judges awarded 



