AnguBt l,ie«5. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTOBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



83 



WEEKLY CALENDAR. 



THE GREAT INTEIIN.VTIONAL HORTICULTURAL 

 KXHIIUTION OF lf^(Ui. 



HE Belgian liorticiiltiu-ists 

 have for a nuiribei- of years 

 lielclatriemiial Iiitdniutioiial 

 Exliibitioii of Horticiiltiu'e 

 ami a liolanical Coiifjress to 

 wldch the most eminent lior- 

 tieiilturists and botanists of Europe are iimted. Last rear 

 we reported in the pages of this Joni-nal wliat took pbice 

 at one of those meetings held at Biiissols, where there was 

 such a gatliering of horticulturists and botanists as had 

 not been u-itnessed, perhaps, in Europe l)efore. With 

 laudable rivalry and noble iKjspitality Holland stojiped 

 forward, and tliis j"ear gave a welcome to the nationalities, 

 who flocked to jVmsterdam to assist at a similar ovation 

 tliere ; and it was at this last meeting that the British 

 representatives were good-humoiu'edl.y reminded that they 

 had not yet lield out the hand of hosjiitality to their con- 

 tinental brethren, and invited them to a great exliibition 

 in their metropolis. 



At the great meeting held at Brussels last year the 

 proposal was made among some of tlie British representa- 

 tives to give a return invitation, and they opened a snb- 

 scripti(m among themselves for the piu-jiose of carrjdng out 

 that idea ; but it remamed an idea, and it was not till the 

 return of those who attended the Amsterdam meeting this 

 year that a Great Exliibition of Horticulture in London, 

 to be held in the year ls(i(i, was determinedly resolved 

 upon. That there will be such an exhibition in London 

 next year there can be no doubt. Already a committee 

 has been formed which has held munerous sittings, and 

 at whicli 7iot only a general progi'amme has been formed, 

 but an exhibition schedule (hawn out ofleiing piTzes 

 amounting to i':i.500. In tliis schedule every class of hor- 

 ticultural skill is represented, and is encouraged on a scale 

 which has never yet been acted upon in this coimtry. The 

 Committee will be composed of all the leading amateur 

 and professional horticultm-ists in the United ffingdom, 

 and already the list of Vice-Presidents bears sucli names 

 as those of the Dukes of Buccleuch, Rutland, Marlborough, 

 and Newcastle ; tho Marquis of Exeter ; Earls GraiuaUe, 

 Vane, Cowper, Craven, Ducie, Grosvenor, Manvers ; Lord 

 Henry Gordon Lennox : the Bishops of Winchester 

 Oxford, and Batlv and Wells (Lord Aucldand) ; Hon. 

 William Cowiier; J. Jackson Blandv, Esc].: W Wilson 

 Sannders, Esq.: Hon. and Rev. — Ciu-zon, &c. The 

 Executive Committee is composed of some of the leading 

 hortii-.ultimsts about London, ob\-iously with the \iew o1' 

 securing efficient aid on the spot in such an arduous under- 

 taking. The Secretary to the Exliibition is :Mi-. Moore, of 

 No. 227.— Vol. IX., New Series. 



Chelsea, Dr. Berthold Seeman takes the Congi-ess, and 

 Dr. H(jgg is General Secretary. Up to the jirescnt time, 

 without any eftbrt on tho part of the Committee and ^^^th- 

 out any apparent publicity being given to tho movement, 

 the suni of ;!;4200 has lieen subscribe' and guaranteed. 

 The intention is to obtaui, if possible, ' o co-operation of 

 the Hortic(ilt(n'al Society of Ijondon a> ;)eing the metro-- 

 politan representative of national horficulliire, and to hold 

 tho Exhibition somewhere in tlie region of South Ken- 

 sington in a stiiicture to be erected for the puipose, and 

 wliich will occupy an area of fi'om an acre and a half to two 

 acres. Failing negociations in this dii'eetion the Committee 

 will then tm-n their attention in some other direction, 

 wherever they may tind it convenient to cany out theit 

 arrangements. 



Oiu' object in directing the attention of om- readers to 

 this great national movement, which is to show the nations 

 of Europe the combined horticultural sldll for wliich tliis 

 coimtiy has as yet no equal, is that they may each and all 

 imite ui promoting tliis desirable undertaking, and if there 

 are any who arc desirous of rendering local services we shall 

 be glad- to be fimiishcd with then- names, so that the 

 Secretaries maj' be placed in communication with them. 

 Copies of the progranuue, with lists of the supporters and 

 subscribers, are now ready, and are being distributed mth 

 all expedition, and those who arc wiUmg to receive them 

 may obtain them by applying to the Secretaries. A great 

 undertaldng of tliis kind cannot be canied out without 

 funds, and we trust that all who have the welfare of hor- 

 ticulture at heart will ccmie forward and contribute, ae- 

 coi-ding to then- abilify, in furthering this very laudable 

 and important national movement. 



VISITS TO GARDENS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE 



BATTERSEA PARK. 



For once in my life I am a radical reformer ; and although 

 I showed my devotion to the old orange and purple by 

 travelling neaily a thousand miles to record my vote in its 

 favour, I now beg to propose, as a representative of the 

 horticultm-al interest, the most out-and-out radical I know 

 — Mr, Gibson of Battersea Park ; not that I have the 

 pleasui'e of knowing him personall}-. for unfortunately he 

 was out when I paid my visit there, but, judgmg of a man 

 by liis fruits, I hesitate not to say he is that. Farewell to 

 j'our flauutuig reds and yellows, a long adieu to your three 

 or foui' lands of flowers to produce elfect ; here is a gar- ' 

 dener wlio lays hold of everrthing lie can that wiU be 

 eftective, who ransacks the stove and the warm gi'eenliouse 

 for plants to produce the most be:iutifnl combinations, and ' 

 who has. moreover, succeeded d mcri-eille in bt doing. I 

 daresay there are some who say, " All this is very fine ; but 

 you know we have been accustomed to see such tilings done 

 on the continent, and this is no novelty to us. ' My good 

 hdhituc of the Champs Elysi'cs or the Pare de ilonceaux at 

 Paris, of the Com'sal at Homburg or the Caseino at Florence 

 there is not one of these that can for a moment cojnpare with 

 the sub-tropical garden at Battersea ; and Iihue as one is 

 No. 879.— Vol. XXXTV., Old Sbeies. 



