September 16, 1869. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTTJBE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



227 



arrangement by oar German friends. We shall not, however, be going 

 beyond the bounds of truth when we say that out of the whole collec- 

 tion (some 200) there was not a single good arrangement of flowers 

 shown. The common error of attempting to do too much was hero 

 fully displayed. Instead of a few simple colours being used, har- 

 monising well the one with the other, the endeavour in every instance 

 seemed to have been to have variety, the whole being without harmony 

 and without taste. That which pleased us most was truly the most 

 simple — composed entirely of sprigs of green Myrtle, with the pretty 

 white Myrtle dowers intermixed, or stndded over the surface. A little 

 wreath, composed of the same materials, was also pretty. In contrast 

 with this modest quiet beauty there was another wreath formed entirely 

 of the flowers of the double red Pelargonium, also a bouquet in a vase 

 of the same, intermixed with a little green Fern, which pleased greatly. 

 These had such an artificial look that it was necessaiy to inspect them 

 very closely to mate sure of their reality. The novelty of the articles 

 aged, added to their tasteful arrangement, attracted much attention. 

 A large bouquet of Roses, measuring about 2 feet in diameter, attracted 

 a considerable amount of attention, the flowers being beautifully shaded 

 off in their lUfferent colours, from white in the centre to deep red 

 outside, reminding one much of the shading of colour in Berlin wool 

 work. Some of the bouquets and vases of flowers were of an enormous 

 size, from 2 to ii feet across, and composed of every possible variety 

 of flower. 



Here we observed also, for which prizes were awarded, some fronds 

 of Cycas revoluta. having attached a small bouquet of white flowers tied 

 apwith white satin ribbon. It is a custom peculiar to some parts of 

 Germany, on funeral occasions, for the mourners to carry fronds or 

 leaves of this plant, and for the coflin, iSrc, to be similarly arrayed. 

 For this purpose these plants are largely cultivated in Germany, and 

 the sale of theii- leaves forms one of the most lucrative portions of the 

 Irade in some of the nurseries. 



MACHINERY AND UIPLEMENTS. 

 In this important section the Exhibition was not so good as might 

 have been anticipated. Here, however, the English exhibitors greatly 

 predominated over the German, both in the number and quality of 

 their articles. Prizes were offered for the best machine for trans- 

 planting large trees, and for this Messrs. Barron & Son, of BoiTowash, 

 Derby, Messrs. Peter Smith & Co., of Hamburg, and others competed. 

 The iirst prize was awarded to Messrs. Smith & Co. ; but upon what 

 grotmds this judgment could have been arrived at, excepting that in 

 the one case the machine was altogether larger, and happened to be 

 loaded with a bigger tree, we, like everyone else who saw the two 

 machines, entirely failed to make out. We consider this judgment 

 very unjust, and a piece of gross partiality. We all know in this 

 country with what perfection Messrs. Barron can and have for many 

 years conducted this sort of work, and we confess we think it rather 

 hard for them to be thus beaten by a clumsy lumbering machine like 

 Messrs. Smith's, which is entirely incapable of performing its work. 

 The prizes were awarded without a trial of the machines, so that the 

 Jtiry had nothing to guide them. If Messrs. Barron's request for a 

 trial had been allowed, the decision must certainly have been reversed. 

 For mowing machines several English firms competed — viz., Messrs. 

 Green, Bonlton, Kansomes 6c Sims, and others, the first prize being 

 awarded to Messrs. Ransomes for, no doubt, a very excellent machine. 

 Williams's new patent Archimedean lawn mower was also shown. 

 This, it may be observed, is of an entirely novel construction, the 

 most simple of aU. There is no box for gathering the grass, that being 

 scattered on the lawn. It is, in our opinion, the best lawn mower yet 

 introduced, and the greatest eonomiser of time in the operation. 



Messrs. W. S. Boulton, of Norwich, horticultural engineers rising 

 rapidly into notice, exhibited a large number of garden engines, water- 

 barrows, garden chairs, Arc, for which they received the prize given 

 for the largest and best assortment of garden furnitui'e. We can 

 speak in very favourable terms of their garden engines, which are of 

 extremely powerful action, and of simple adjustment. Avery inge- 

 nious watering-pot engine, or syringe combined, was also exhibited, 

 and for small gardens it might prove extremely useful. Messrs. 

 Boulton's swing water-barrows are also a great improvement, and 

 deserve to be better known. The new hydronettts were also exhibited. 

 We cannot, however, say we admire their action much; the water is 

 thrown forth in too jerky a fashion instead of gently continuous. 

 Messrs. Schmidt & Francke, of Osnabruck and New York, exhibited a 

 great quantity of garden tools — hoes, forks, rakes, axes, hatchets, bill- 

 hooks, tfcc, of many peculiar forms and patterns. Excepting in the 

 case of some of the hatchets, which were certainly very recommend- 

 able. we could see little to take our attention. Messrs. Ch. Delacroix, 

 Ghent, exhibited a peculiar style of heating apparatus, so peculiar that 

 we did not in the least understand it, or how the water was made 

 to circulate ; all the three pipes proceeding from the boiler, and con- 

 tinuing exactly on the same level the entire distance, which was the 

 flow or which the return we knew not. All were equally hot through- 

 out a distance of 50 feet. A first prize was awarded. Shading for 

 hothouses was also exhibited largely ; the prize was awarded to an 

 article peculiar to the Continent, where the houses require a thicker 

 shade than in this country. This shading is simply thin laths, about 

 an inch in breadth, fastened together by some thick string. This, when 

 painted green, as it usually is, has a very pretty appearance on the 

 roofs of the bonses, and may be rolled up as easily as canvas. We 

 wonder it has never been adopted in this country. 



Messrs. C. Buhring & Co., Hamburg, and Silver Street, London, 

 exhibited a quantity of their new Charcoal Flower Pot. which they are 

 attempting to introduce. We can as yet say but little about these, 

 only that we know charcoal is a material very much relished by the 

 roots of plants. The pots themselves, which are made of a composition 

 of pitch and charcoal, afterwards burnt, are of very firm substance, yet 

 very porous, absorbing a great quantity of water, which the charcoal 

 sweetens, the material acting as a filter. Slabs are also made of this, 

 which are intended for use as stages, instead of slates, also linings for 

 walls, &c. We are of opinion that some good will come out of this, 

 aud that if these charcoal pots, &c., can be produced at a reasonable 

 price, they will prove very serviceable for some classes of plants. 

 They deserve a trial, at all events, 



Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, exhibited also a great quantity of 

 garden tools, knives, tSrc, and there were, besides, many other exhi- 

 bitions in this section which our space forbids us to notice. 



MISCELLANEOUS SUBJECTS. 



One large building was entirely devoted to subjects of a miscellaneons 

 character — a sort of horticultural museum. Here Senator Goddeffroy, 

 of Holstein, exhibited an extremely interesting selection of articles 

 from his private museum — an immense variety of dried Fungi and 

 Herbaria, &c. Here also Dr. Landois and Dr. Altun exhibited one 

 of the most interesting collections of Insects, itc, such as are useful or 

 injurious to vegetable life, that has perhaps ever been seen, these being 

 accompanied with specimens of their works or depredations on the 

 various plants. In their various stages of development, they formed a 

 really useful and instructive exhibition. There was also exhibited a 

 very tine collection of all resinous matters, copal and other gums, Sec. 

 Immense quantities of fruits, preserved and dried in every conceivable 

 way, were likewise shown. 



Messrs. Ernst & Von Spreckelsen, -seedsmen, Hamburg, exhibited a 

 very large and excellent assortment of all kinds of grain, garden seeds, 

 &"c., arranged in very beautiful order in pretty conical glass bottles. 

 Messrs. Veitch & Sons also showed a fine collectiou of English garden 

 seeds. 



Messrs. J. M. Krannick, Thuringen, F. & A. Haage, Erftirt, and 

 A. H. Hdbbel, Hamburg, each exhibited great quantities of flower 

 stakes, labels, trellises, and fruit boxes, all made and arranged so neatly 

 that, simple objects as they were, they did not fail to attract a consider- 

 able amount of attention. 



Dried flowers. Everlastings as we call them, were also exhibited in 

 endless array by Messrs. Hobbel, Hamburg, Handel, & Co., Hamburg, 

 and others. This is a feature in the floral line which is carried to a 

 great extent in Germany, and enormous qnantities of these dried 

 flowers are annually exported. Almost every flower, even the Rose, ia 

 dried and preserved in the same manner. We believe it is accomplished 

 by some process of slow baking. The dark colours seem to hold 

 pretty well ; the light ones, however, are all dingy, and all the bouquets 

 we have seen made of them have a very flimsy tinselly look, not at all 

 pretty, 



A very remarkable lot of bouquet papers and holders was here also 

 shown by M. VoUmer and Gustav Demmier, of Berlin. Everj-one who 

 has had any practice in bouquet-making, and the fitting of the papers 

 now in common use, well knows what ill-fitting, inconvenient things 

 they are. Some of the papers exhibited were exceedingly well adapted 

 for their intended purposes, being made of such a shape as exactly 

 to fit the shape of the bouquet without cutting or pinning. Some 

 others of these papers were so elaborately got up — so much fancywork 

 executed upon them, and so bedecked with ribbons, &c., that, as many 

 observed, even with the choicest flowers it would be diliicult to teU 

 which were the prettier, the flowers or the paper holders. These, how- 

 ever, were simply overdone, in order to show the maker's skill in orna- 

 mentation. 



In the gallery of the great plant house were exhibited a number of 

 di'awings of horticultural buildings, &c., amongst which there was 

 nothing very striking. Herr W. Hochstetter, University gardener, 

 Tubingen, Wuilemburg, exhibited here a vei-y extensive and excellent 

 collection of dried Conifers — some hundreds of species, all in most 

 excellent condition, and full of interest. 



A very splendid lot of drawings of fruits — Apples and Pears — was 

 also exhibited by Dr. Ed. Lucas, Director of the Pomological Institut, 

 Rutlingen. These were well and faithfully executed in colours, and 

 deservedly admired. 



We now close our report of this great Show. Many objects in this vast 

 gathering, although of much interest, must have necessarily escaped 

 our notice. It would have been, indeed, impossible to have noticed 

 all. We have, however, we hope, reported faithfully, and if at times 

 we have been severe, we believe we have been just. 



In the report of last week read " Blankenase," not " Blankenose ; ' 

 " Nie/istadten," not " Nie^/stadten ; " "Bo.vkoop," not "Borkoop;" 

 " Brockenberg,'' not " Brockenberg ;" " Aulnay Lez-Sceaux," not 

 " Av€iia.y liiz-Seea-ux ;" " Villa Monrepos," not^Maunssas :" "Bigar- 

 reau Monrepos," not " Bigarreau Jllauresses ;'* "Marien, Baumanns 

 rother winter," not "Marien Baumanns rother winter." 



Crystal Palace. — A fine spar of Abies Douglasii (135 feet 

 above the ground) has been erected as a flag mast adjoining the 

 Tropical Department on the road front of the Palace ; a flag 



