428 



JODBKAL OF HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ May 28, 1874. 



scope, and the smallness of the pest and its spores when com- 

 pared with the hairs and breathing pores of the HoUyhock 

 leaf itseU.— W. G. Smith. 



MANCHESTER HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITION. 



Those who are accustomed only to think of Manchester in 

 connection with huge warehouses, smoky chimneys, dirty 

 streets, and an impenetrable atmosphere of smoke, would be 

 not a little surprised if they were to drop in as I did last week 

 on one of their grand horticultural fi'tes, and would be still 

 more astonished were they to hear that the greater portion by 

 far of the productions were sent from the neighbourhood — nay 

 more, that exhibitors from Manchester can enter the lists witia 

 the most experienced plantsmen in the kingdom, and beat 

 them, as Mr. C. Cole did Mr. Baines at Bath last year; and 

 therefore in recording this Show I feel that I am not recording 

 a mere provincial exhibition, but one that has an interest for 

 all horticulturists, and at which it is as great an honour to 

 gain a prize as at any metropolitan exhibition. 



Whitsuntide being kept almost universally as a holiday in 

 the manufacturing districts, it was a happy thought of the 

 Manchester Botanical Society to inaugurate an exhibition 

 what should remain open for the whole week, and so afford the 

 operatives an opportunity of enjoying a rational and elevating 

 amusement when so many of a questionable character are pre- 

 sented to them. It is well known how enthusiastic were the 

 Manchester operatives of former days in their cultivation of the 

 Auricula, Tulip, &c., and to awaken or foster the taste the Society 

 has now for seven years held these exhibitions. I have been pretty 

 well used-up in exhibitions, but I can say that in some points 

 the Show that is now being held at Manchester is far beyond 

 anything that I have seen of late in Loudon ; while under the 

 courteous yet firm administration of Mr. Findlay everything 

 goes on as smoothly as possible, and Judges, exhibitors, and 

 the general public testify to the excellence of arrangements, 

 seconded as he is by an able Secretary and an efficient staff, 

 with a thoroughly good working Committee. 



The foremost place in the Exhibition must be given, I think, 

 to the Orchids, a class which we have seen in the metropolis to 

 have wofuUy fallen off, but which in and about Manchester is 

 cultivated with great zeal and success. The class for nursery- 

 men was well filled, Mr. Yates, of Manchester, taking equal 

 honours with Mr. Williams, while that for amateurs was repre- 

 sented by some noble specimens. In the first-prize lot of 

 Mr. Oswald Wrigley, of Bridge Ilall, Bury, are some grand 

 plants, such as Phaln^nopsiB amabilis, Vanda suavis, Odonto- 

 glosBum AlexandriT', Cattleya Mendelii, Anguloa Clowesii, Ca- 

 lanthe veratrifolia, and a grand mass of Odontoglossum Phalae- 

 nopsis. In Dr. Ainsworth's were some notable plants of Vanda 

 piiayis, Aerides nobilis, and a Masdevallia Harryana. Mr. E. 

 Wrigley had fine plants of Sobralia macrantha and the lovely 

 and rare Odontoglossum vexillarium ; and Mr. Broome had erand 

 planf6_ of Oncidium sphacelatum, Cattleya lobata, and Aerides 

 Lobbii. 



In the nurserymen's class, to which contributions came from 

 Mr. Tates, Mr. Williams, Messrs. Eollisson, and Mr. Spenee, 

 were fine plants of Cypripepinm barbatum and eaudatum, Den- 

 drobium densiflorum, Vanda tricolor, La'lia purpurata, On- 

 cidium sphacelatum, Odontoglossum citrosmum, Vanda suavis 

 and tricolor, iSro. ; while Mr. Spenee had a large quantity of the 

 lovely Cattleya Mossioe of various shades of colour and in excel- 

 lent condition. In the same large conservatory were arranged 

 the grand stove and greenhouse plants contributed by Messrs. 

 Cole & Son, Jackson & Son, and others. The former had mag- 

 nificent plants of Anthurium Scherzerianum, Aphelexis humilis 

 rosea. Erica Cavendishii, Azaleas Magnificent and Conqueror, 

 Ixora coccinea, and Cycas revoluta. They had also the veiy 

 best box of cut blooms of stove and greenhouse plants I ever re- 

 member to have seen. There was the lovely and pure Nymph.-Ea 

 dentata with its snow-white petals, the gorgeous and glowing 

 Musa coccinea, beautiful bunches of Vanda teres and Vanda 

 tricolor, the rich yellow of Allamanda grandifiora ; and for rarity 

 of bloom and variety of colour it would have been impossible to 

 excel and difficult to equal this box. Amongst those contributed 

 by amateurs were some excellent boxes, that shown by Mr. 

 Wrigley containing nine Orchids out of the twelve blooms 

 exhibited. 



Nor must I omit my meed of praise to the hand bouquets. 

 This is a subject I have much studied, and 1 hope know a little 

 about ; and I willingly testify that the very best, taking them 

 altogether, I have ever seen (taking into account their number) 

 were exhibited here, especially those contributed by Messrs. 

 Yates, of Manchester, Mr. Wrigley, and the Messrs. Turner, of 

 Liverpool and West Derby. There was a lightness and elegance 

 about them that was positively charming; all vulgarisms were 



absent, and the flowers employed were rare and beautiful, 

 Orchids entering largely into their composition ; and although 

 in a few cases somewhat large, yet they were not more so than 

 fashion demands, and they were beyond all praise for their light- 

 ness and elegance. 



The greenhouse plants, tree Ferns, hardy shrubs, Hoses, &c., 

 were arranged in the large tent with which visitors to Manches- 

 ter are familiar. It was most tastefully arranged, the long vista 

 being broken up by tree Ferns, &c. The most conspicuous 

 object on entering was the collection of pot Eoses furnished by 

 Mr. Charles Turner, of Slough, which are exhibited in that per- 

 fection he so well knows how to attain. Amongst his large 

 plants were grand specimens of Juno, Charles Lawson, Alfred 

 Colomb, President, Souvenir d'un Ami, Miss Ingram, and Victor 

 Verdier; whilst amongst the fifty were beautiful little plants 

 of Edonard Morren, Madame Margottin, Duke of Edinburgh, and 

 Madame Victor Verdier. Messrs. Lane, of Berkhampstead, had 

 also fine plants of the best sorts, amongst them Souvenir de 

 Paul Nc-ron, La France, Madame Margottin, Alfred Colomb, and 

 Madame Victor Verdier. It would seem that the Manchester 

 folks cannot master the difficulties they labour under in the cul- 

 tivation of a flower which is so greedy of pure air as the Eose. 



Passing down the tent I noticed some grand plants of Azaleas, 

 exhibited by Messrs. Cole & Son, Lane & Son, and Mr. Charles 

 Turner, amongst them Eulalie Van Geert, Empress Euggnie, 

 President, etc., while Mr. Turner's contained some of the newer 

 varieties. Pelargoniums, as at the London shows, were indif- 

 ferently represented — a marvel to me when one regards their 

 exceeding beauty and their freeness and length of flowering. 

 The best as far as size was concerned, was exhibited by Mr. 

 Eylance, nurseryman, Ormskirk, and contained good examples 

 of Kingston Beauty, Betrothed, Le Vesuve, Beacon, &c. Mr. 

 Turner's were smaller and of finer quality ; amongst them were 

 Imperator, Pompey, Pericles, Brigand, and Claribel, varieties 

 which have emanated, as have, indeed, most of the good sorts 

 in cultivation, from his well-known establishment. 



There were some excellent collections of Ferns, both British 

 and foreign, contributed by Messrs. Pearson, Mr. Crow, Green- 

 heys, Mr. Shuttleworth, and Mr. Rylance. Amongst the British 

 Ferns were fine specimens of Athyrium F.-f., plumosum and 

 todeoides ; Lastrea Filix-mas angustatum, Barnesii, and cris- 

 tatum ; Polystichum aculeatum, and Athyrum Filix-f. grandi- 

 ceps ; while in the foreign Ferns were Todea superba, Brainea 

 insignis, Gleichenia superba, and Lomaria cycadiefolia. Somo 

 of these, the collection of Mr. Crow especially, did great credit 

 to the exhibitors, for his are grown in the very heart of Man- 

 chester, and they showed what perseverance and inteUigence 

 can do in overcoming difficulties. 



There were some excellent hardy shrubs contributed by 

 Messrs. Caldwell & Sons, and Mr. Shaw. Those of the former 

 were especially fine, and contained Retinospora plumosa aurea, 

 Buxus variegata, Thujopsis borealis, Golden Queen Holly, 

 Broad-leaved Holly, &o. The far end of the tent was occupied 

 with collections of hardy Ehododendrons, exhibited by Mr. 

 Yates, of Manchester; Mr. E. S.Yates, Messrs. Lane & Sons, 

 and Messrs. Waterer, of Bagshot. They proved a grand feature 

 of the Show; their varied colours and rich glossy foliage make 

 them very attractive. Amongst the better kinds were John 

 Walter, Eichard Waterer, Exquisite, Titian, Mrs. John Glutton, 

 Magniflcum, &c. 



For new plants there were some valuable prizes offered, and 

 the first prize was gained by Mr. Shuttleworth, amongst whose 

 exhibits were the beautiful Pandanus Veitchii, Vrietia reticu- 

 lata, Encelophartos villosus, and Dractcna metallica. There 

 were also nice collections of Palms, plants for dinner-table 

 decoration, S:c. 



I have thus enumerated the most salient points of this ex- 

 cellent Exhibition, but there were many other matters of in- 

 terest — collections of succulents and herbaceous plants, Palms, 

 Ericas, Crotons, &c. ; some beautiful vases of skeletonised leaves 

 prepared by Mr. Eay and some pupils who have managed by 

 the directions given in his book to approach somewhat to the 

 beauty he has attained ; but it would not be possible in the space 

 allotted me to notice more than I have done, and I hope it will 

 be sufficient to show how very successful is this Whitsuntide 

 Exhibition of the Manchester Society. Long may it flourish I 

 — D., Deal. 



SKELETONISING LEAVES. 

 On looking over the gardens of the well-known Squire of 

 Blankney the other day, my attention was drawn to a piece of 

 work by Mr. Eobert Frisby, son of the able and popular gar- 

 dener. This was a case of skeletonised foliage, on which the 

 young gardener has devoted his spare evening hours over a 

 period of several months. The way in which he has thus far 

 accompUshed his work is in the highest degree creditable to 

 his patience, perseverance, and manipulative skill. The foliage 

 is almost entirely composed of different kinds of evergreens, 

 the venation of which is of sounder texture than tropical plants, 



