May 25, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTIOULTURE AND COTTAGE QARDBNER. 



403 



were not exhibitors. As tlie Society was floated in the summer 

 we negotiatecJ with the Crystal Palace for the revival of their 

 autumn show ; they gave £100, and we issued a schedule of 

 £168 in prizes. This brought together probably the linest 

 show of Dahlias ever seen in London ; but it was clear we were 

 largely drawing on the north of England for exhibits, for the 

 names of May, Edwards, Stuart & Mein, and others figured in 

 our list of exhibitors. The following year we offered prizes for 

 Auriculas, Pansies, Tulips, Ranunculuees, Pinks, Picotees, and 

 Carnations, but in no instance save the first did we have more 

 than two exhibitors. Our autumn show was again held at the 

 Crystal Palace, but instead of £100 the Company gave but £75, 

 the other £25 being allocated to table decorations, which cer- 

 tainly did not fall within our province. The third year some- 

 what varied the tale ; our subscribers were increased in number 

 to seventy. three, but the autumn show at the Palace was com- 

 bined with fruit— outside our original intentions, but we could 

 not hold it on any other terms. 



In the fourth year, 1873, a great change took place. The 

 Crystal Palace Company said the autumn show did not pay 

 and abandoned it, substituting for it afterwards a fruit sliow 

 in September. In 187-1 arrangements had been made with the 

 Alexandra Park Company to hold it there, when the disastrous 

 fire occurred. An attempt was made to hold it at the Surrey 

 Gardens, the old home of florists' flowers, but I discovered 

 just in the nick of time that it was all a sham, or we should 

 have had a complete fiasco. Last year, which ends " this 

 strange eventful history," prizes were offered for Auriculas, 

 Carnations, and Picotees at South Kensington, and our autumn 

 show was held at the Alexandra Palace; but on attempting to 

 negotiate the matter for this year I was informed that it did 

 not pay, and so, as no other resource was open to us, we were 

 obliged to abandon it; and although the Society still exists, 

 yet its operations are nil. Nor do I wonder at it. I do not, 

 in fact, know how we are to get up an autumn exhibition. 

 Many of those who exhibited with us at first have given it up ; 

 and even since last year Mr. Walker of Thame tells me he has 

 given up Dahlia exhibiting, and Mr. Morgan, a large amateur 

 exhibitor, has also abandoned it. There remains now but one 

 large exhibitor of Dahlias amongst nurserymen, Mr. Keynes of 

 Salisbury, and I fancy from what he said that he will soon 

 abandon it. 



Such is my story, and now let me state what have been the 

 results as far as the bringing-forward of fresh exhibitors is 

 concerned. When we commenced in 1870 we had five exhi- 

 bitors in Auriculas — Mr. Turner, Mr. James, Mr. Little, Mr. 

 Butcher, and myself. Last year we had four ; Mr. Little and 

 Mr. Butcher (since dead) had retired, and Mr. Douglas had 

 come forward and taken a prominent place. No increase had 

 taken place in Carnations and Picotees : here again Mr. Douglas 

 had come forward, but Mr. Pizzey and Mr. Norman had retired. 

 In Gladiolus the same thing is to be said — three or four exhi- 

 bitors. Hence I cannot but feel that we have signally failed 

 in our attempts to bring forward fresh blood, and that some 

 insuperable obstacle exists in the south against the cultivation 

 of these charming flowers. 



I know in all these matters much depends on the Secretary, 

 and it is possible that I may be in some degree the cause of 

 the failure. To me, however, it has been no failure. It has 

 brought me more closely into contact with lovers of flowers of 

 all degrees, and it has enhanced both my own pleasure and 

 the opinion I have ever held of the craft. It has stirred me up 

 to more earnest attempts in the growth of two of my favourite 

 flowers, the Auricula and the Gladiolus ; and I shall never 

 forget the kindly feeling and courtesy which has been accorded 

 to me by so many while holding the ofiiee of Secretary of the 

 Metropolitan Floral Society.— D., Deal. 



PINCHING CURRANT SHOOTS. 

 Last year about this time, or rather later, I pinohed-back to 

 two leaves or so all the young growth on my Red Currant 

 trees. A friend witnessing the performance exclaimed, "Now 

 you will not have a Currant, the sun will scorch the fruit quite 

 np. Nature has provided the leaves," &a. Well, he followed 

 his plan of leaving all the growth on, and of course I could 

 not change mine. The result was that his ripe fruit was in- 

 visible — did not, I believe, furnish two tarts ; his bushes were 

 twice as many as mine, and the show of young fruit pro- 

 portionate. My very large crop ripened splendidly, very long 

 clusters, and each Currant very largo. I am afraid to pinch 

 all back this year, as the cold wind prevents a good number 



of the blossom setting, and I conclude the profuse foliage acts 

 as a shelter. I have, therefore, as yet only pinched-back the 

 branchlets which appear to be growing in a rampant manner 

 and sheltering nothing. Am I right ? I have pinched-bnck 

 the Gooseberry trees as the fruit is well set, and it is quite 

 extraordinary how rapidly it swells since. The year before 

 last I let Nature have its way, and only had a few miserable 

 Gooseberries and Currants, although the show of blossom was 

 enormous. Am I right in removing all Strawberry suckers 



now ? — A COEBESPONDENT. 



PROPOSED INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL 

 EXHIBITION. 



It is proposed to hold another international horticultural 

 exhibition in London similar to that which was held in 

 18GC. These international exhibitions have now gone the 

 round of almost all the nations of Europe, and in the ordinary 

 course it comes again to the turn of Great Britain. A meeting 

 with the view of carrying out this object was held at South 

 Kensington on Wednesday week of some of the snivivors of the 

 Committee of 1866, and the general feeling was that an attempt 

 should be made to hold an exhibition. The details, however, 

 were not settled either as to time or place ; but it was agreed 

 that a sum of £15,000 or £16,000 would be needed. 



We doubt very much whether it is prudent to agitate this 

 question at present. The event cannot possibly come off 

 before the next three years without interfering with other 

 great exhibitions which are already fixed. Next year we have 

 Amsterdam, in 1878 the very attractive quinquennial of Ghent, 

 and a great effort is to be made in Paris in that year also ; we 

 cannot therefore expect to do anything before 1879, and any 

 effort made now may cool down before the time arrives for 

 carrying it out. Our last great international, which was the 

 grandest thing of the kind ever attempted, was begun and 

 ended in less than nine months, and its great success as aa 

 exhibition was due to the concentration of effort swiftly and 

 energetically applied. 



We should rejoice to see such another exhibition as that was 

 in 1866, and we hope it may be repeated in 1879 ; but we also 

 hope that an untimely beginning will not also prove an un- 

 fortunate ending. 



EARLY STRA-WBEERIES. 



Last Michaelmas I selected from the nursery bed one score 

 each of the best plants of Keens' Seedling, President, and 

 Dr. Hogg, and planted them in 6-inch pots, plunging the pots 

 after planting up to the rim in a piece of land with a free 

 exposure to sun, wind, and rain. I covered the ground wiili 

 light manure, and they remained in this situation until the 

 first week in February without further attention. I then re- 

 moved them to the top shelves of my greenhouse. When they 

 began to show signs of life I carefully mulched each pot 

 with rich manure. Not a single plant in the whole lot was 

 barren, but all threw up one or more flower trusses. When 

 a sufficient number of berries had set I removed the surplus 

 blooms, leaving from eight to twelve Strawberries on each 

 plant. 



During the first week in May I prepared a piece of ground 

 in a sunny sheltered situation, by putting on the surface about 

 6 inches of manure, and placing on the manure 2 or 3 inches 

 of soil. I then removed my plants from the greenhouse on to 

 this bed, allowing to each plant about 1 square foot of space, 

 and plunging the pots to the depth of the soil. Over the bed 

 I have erected a framework to shelter the plants from frosts, 

 and I cover at nights with mats, bags, &o., when the ther- 

 mometer falls to 40°. In a few days I shall be able to gather 

 ripe fruit. I tried a similar way with about half the number 

 I had in the greenhouse last year, and found the quality 

 superior to those I kept to ripen in the house, to say nothing 

 about the much less trouble of watering. 



By this plan I can obtain ripe fruit fully a month earlier 

 than those grown in the open ground, as we never gather 

 any before the last week in June. Those that were planted 

 in the garden last autumn are showing signs of an abundant 

 crop, and with fine weather most of them will soon be in full 

 bloom. La Grosse Sucix-o is the only sort I have in bloom yet, 

 but Keens' Seedling, Princess Alice, and Refresher will be out 

 in a few days. The weather has been very cold, but if fine 

 weather follow from this date (May 15th) I do not think they 

 will be any worse for it. We have had during the present 



