Jo); 16, 1674. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



49 



3. „ „ rou'^h ^*rasB. 



4. t, „ wet ^'raHB. 



6. To oat close to an object, such as a pedestal. 



The competitors were Meears. Crowley & Co, of Sheffield; 

 Green <t Son, of London and Leeda ; Hartley & Sugdeu, Hali- 

 fax ; Barnard, Bisiiop, tfc Barnard, of Norwich ; and Mr. Harris, 

 of Birmiugham. MeBsrs. Green's new " lloyal," cutting 3U-iuch, 

 worked by two men, made the first work. Cutting one breadth 

 twice and another once it did its work well, and did not rib the 

 grass so much as some of the other machines. When worked 

 with a pony it did not do the work nearly so well as by hand. 

 Barnard, Bishop, & Barnard were the only other firm that tried 

 pony machiues, and theirs cut well on level ground, and threw 

 the grass out well. It cut very close to the pedestal (a round 

 and square one were on the ground) ; it was very noisy, but this 

 was owing to their using a galvanised collecting- box, which was 

 stated to be more durable than those made of wood and iron. 

 It also worked well round a small circular bed, but the work was 

 ribbed on uneven ground. 



Twenty-inch machines. — Hartley & Sugden, cut the first 

 widths with the Windsor, followed by a " Silens Messor," sent 

 by Mr. Harris. The first-named cut pretty well on the dry 

 grass, but ribbed badly and was ditiicult to work when set to 

 work where it was wet. The " Silens Messor" cut better than 

 the " Wiudsor " on wet grass, and was more easily workt-d. 



Edwards's patent machine, " The Invincible," sent by Crowley 

 and Co., certainly made the best work on the dry ground, and 

 its superiority was more evident on the wet grass ; and when the 

 grass is long and peculiarly stubborn to cut, the roller is by a 

 contrivance made to be shifted from the front to behind the 

 knives, and when it was tested on the longest of the wet grass 

 in this way, the work was also well performed. Barnard & Co.'s 

 20-iuch machine was hard to work, but it cut without leaving 

 the grass badly ribbed. It did not, however, take the bents so 

 clean as some of the others. Their 30-inch pony machine on 

 the wet threw the grass out well, and did not rib so much as 

 Green's. The 14-inch machines made beautiful work in nearly 

 every case. 



Crowley & Co.'s and Mr. Harris's machines worked the easiest, 

 though all of them threw the wet grass well forward, and the 

 grass was well wetted. It was thoroughly soaked before the 

 machines — so much so, that one came to the end having the bos 

 half full of water. After the trial one machine from each exhi- 

 bitor was taken to pieces by the exhibitor himself, and minutely 

 examined by the Judges, all the points being minutely con- 

 sidered. The first prize, a gold medal, was then given to Messrs. 

 Crowley & Co. for "The Invincible;" second, a silver medal, 

 to Mr. Harris for the " Silens Messor ;" third, a bronze medal, 

 to Messrs. Hartley & Sugden for " The Windsor." 



Two machines were also submitted to the Judges for cutting 

 grass edgings, one from Mr. Han-is, which is attached to a lawn 

 mower; and thn other from Messrs. Green, which is either 

 attached to a lawn mower or small roller. The principle in 

 both is the same — a set of revolving knives cutting against a 

 steel plate. Green's machine worked much better than the 

 other, and it will, no doubt, be very useful where miles of adging 

 have to be cut ; but as shown, it will not supersede the old- 

 fashioned shears for beds in geometrical gardens. It may be 

 improved, as it is yet in its infancy. Even as it is, it is a step 

 in the rit;ht direction. The silver medal was awarded to it. 

 Messrs. Green also exhibited a machine for cutting the turf 

 round edgings, which also requires some improvement to make 

 it serviceable. 



The Judges in this department were Messrs. Bennett, of Hat- 

 field; Fleming, of Cliveden; Lowe, of Wolverhampton; and 

 Hassall, of Birmingham. 



LOVE AMONGST THE EOSES. 

 And why not ? True I am not exactly the model for unpetit 

 cupidon; my beard is grey and my head bald, but these elight 

 drawbacks have often not prevented many a possessor of them 

 from making a fool of himself — the worst, according to the 

 proverb, fool of all. Yet for all this I may lay claim to being a 

 lover ; and it is one charming feature in the fair queen whose 

 devoted servant I am, but whose eyes I never wish to gaze 

 upon, that she does not disdain the homage of a very old 

 lover. In fact our affection is platonic. I never look for a 

 nearer embrace than to get a whi3 of the gentle fragrance 

 which she diffuses around her, and if I sound her praises or 

 tell of her triumphs, it is because I delight in all that brings 

 honour to her name; and when I see "young men and 

 maidens, old men and children " hovering round her, I feel 

 that she has rightly assumed the throne from whence no 

 rebellious spirit in the domain of Flora will attempt to de- 

 throne her. And as I have been lately doing homage at her 

 court in various places, I would now summarise a little the 

 result of my attendance, and firstly 



THE WISBEACH SHOW. 



This was held in the grounds of J. T. Baker, Esq., at Colville 

 House, and, indeed, the whole Exhibition was due to hid 

 energy and good will. There had been some diflereaco of 

 opinion about an Exhibition, and he took upon himself to bear 

 all the risks. It was unfortunate in one renpect, that it was 

 fixed on the same day as the National Rose Show at the Royal 

 Horticultural Society ; and to those who imagine that exhi- 

 bitors are influenced by mere greed, it will be, I think, worthy 

 of notice that not even the tempting prizes offered here could 

 induce them to forego the hope o£ winning the prizes at South 

 Kensington. It must have been a disappointment to Mr. 

 Baker to miss the well-known names of Paul, Cranston, 

 Turner, and Keynes, the result being that it was an easy walk- 

 over for Mr. Cant, who was eo far in advance of the only other 

 stand exhibited in this class, that the Judges withheld the 

 second prize altogether, for they felt that a prize of £10 ought 

 to have brought together better Roses. Amateurs were fairly 

 represented, but neither amongst their stands were there any 

 remarkably fine flowers. I think that the Wi.^beach people 

 ia setting the example of offering these large prizes for Rotes 

 deserve well of their country, and the neighbourhood cannot 

 but reap the advantage of having such competition among-t 

 them. I pass by the stove and greenhouse plants. Ferns, &e., 

 because my notes are to be upon the Rose, but I wish at the 

 same time to do honour to the excellent plants contributed 

 by Messrs. Dixon, of Beverley ; House, of Peterborough ; and 

 Cypher, of Cheltenham. 



Hive any of our readers any experience of Sutton Bridge 

 Station ? If not, amongst their delightful outings for the 

 autumn, let me advise them to essay the journey from Wis- 

 bech to Spalding by that route. You have such delightful 

 leisure that you may see the country to the greatest advantage, 

 knock up a lifelong acquaintance with the amphibious animals 

 whom we should designate as porters, but who, in this region 

 of canals and dykes, have " pilot " in red letters on their caps ; 

 and engage in statistical inquiries as to whether a wet country 

 like this tends to a greater or less consumption of beer and 

 baccy. .Be this as it may, we were glad, as we were obliged 

 to leave Mr. Biker's hospitable mansion earlier than v;o 

 wished, to make the eighteen miles from Wi.-beach to Spalding 

 in two hours, and to find ourselves very comfortably established 

 there in the evening ; and so the second court where our queen 

 was to be viewed was 



THE SPALDING SHOW. 

 And first as to the place itself, charmiag in its quaintuess, 

 reminding one much of Holland, with the river flowing through 

 its streets, the quaint old houses, narrow alleys, and the wtll- 

 kept gardens; and, indeed, although I was not aware of it 

 until this visit, it is so called in all documents — " parts of 

 Holland in Lincolnshire." Originally colonised from thence it 

 retains its name, and has, of late years at any rate, made a 

 greater claim in the eyes of florists at least to be so called, 

 from its being a famous centre for the growth of Dutch bulbs, 

 especially the Snowdrop and the Crocus. Nearly all of the 

 former bulbs sold in England are gro«n here, while acres upon 

 acres of Crocus, Tulips, LiUes, &c., find their way from hereto 

 the London market. One of the first things I saw on entering 

 the town was a small pony-cart, with the owner's name and 

 " buyer of Snowdrops and Crocuses" painted on it, while over 

 several shops one saw the same. I took the opportunity of 

 asking a few questions, and was surprised to find that the 

 Snowdrop was peculiarly subject to disease, I having thought 

 that it was hardy enough to resist anything, and that it take3 

 a hundred pounds' worth of small bulbs, or, as they are called 

 here, " seed," to plant an acre ; so that it requires some capital 

 to invest in a bulbfarm. The soil seems particularly well suited 

 to it, and the bulbs come out with that clean shining look we 

 are accustomed to admire so much in the Dutch bulbs. The 

 Show at Spalding is held in gardens which are a fitting adjunct 

 to the place itself both in name and character, Ayscough Hall, 

 The gardens are filled with the finest Yew hedges and curved 

 walks, trees clipped into curious forms, the inevitabie pond or 

 canal, and old-fashioned herbaceous borders; while on the 

 green lawn the band of the 2ud Life Guards gathered round it 

 such an assemblage of fair ladies as one does not often see, 

 aud of which I, a venerable old gentlt-mau, may speik without 

 an arriere penshe ; while the kindness, hospitality, and good 

 fellowship of all those who had to do with the arrangements 

 tended to make it for us strangers a day of real enjoyment. 

 Those who as Judges are lookers-on in the fray, while having 



