46 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 15, 1875. 



have no chance of being extricated from its difficultieE. Less 

 than this I do not think I could say. 



Mr. PowNALL. — I rise in order to ask this question : — Are we 

 going to rip-up all the proceedings of the Council and discuss 

 what brought about the resignations of these gentlemen ? I 

 submit our business now is to deal with the resignations. We 

 onght rather throw oil than oil and vinegar upon the troubled 

 waters [hear and laughter]. 



Lord Alfred Churchill, — I beg to move a vote of thanks to 

 Lord Bury and the other gentlemen who have tendered their 

 resignations. 



A Fellow. — You thank them for doing their best, and then 

 deal with them harshly [cries of " no "]. 



The Chairman. — All I can say as to a vote of thanks, that I 

 will not accept a vote of thanks in the shape of an insult [" no, 

 no," and "hear, hear]. 



Mr. Pinches.— When Lord Alfred Churchill rose I thought it 

 was upon a point on which we might agree. It is not the fault 

 of those gentlemen who are retiring that they have not been 

 euccessfal. Lord Bury and his colleagues had given a great 

 deal of valuable time to the work of the Society, and for this his 

 lordship had been insulted and abused in the public papers. I 

 think our groteful thanks are due to Lord Bury, Sir Coutts 

 Lindsay, Mr. Dobree, and Mr. Hume for their efforts to promote 

 the prosperity of the Society [hear, hear]. 



Mr. GuEDALLA seconded the resolution, which was carried, 

 and the protracted proceedings were then brought to a close. 



BICHMOND HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



July 8th. 



As the first Show of a new Society we are glad to note the 

 Exhibition a great success. The district is good, the patronage 

 distinguished and influential, the Committee practical, and the 

 Hon. Sec, Mr. Chancellor, indefatigable. The site — the old 

 Deer Park — is also admirably suited for a horticultural gathering. 

 These are elements that can hardly fail to ensure the continued 

 success of a Society which is now thoroughly established. The 

 schedule was well arranged, the prizes liberal, and the classes 

 were well filled. Messrs. Jackson & Sons were successful with 

 their fine specimen plants ; Mr. Legge, Clapham Park, with his 

 splendidly grown fine-foliaged plants; and Mr. Murrell, Cam- 

 berwell Park, with Ferns and Caladiums. The groups of plants 

 arranged for effect were an attractive feature of the Show. 

 Messrs. Jackson & Sons, Mr. Kinghorn, and Mr. Atrill, gardener 

 to C. J. Freake, Esq., were the successful competitors. Fuchsias 

 and Pelargoniums were very fine from Mr. James and Mr. Atrill. 



In the miscellaneous classes Messrs. Veitch & Sons had an 

 extra award for a beautiful collection of plants, as had also 

 Messrs. Jackson S: Sons, Mr. Dean, Mr. Kinghorn, Mr. Chambers, 

 and Mr. Herbst. Mr. Young, East Sheen, had a special award 

 for splendidly grown Cockscombs. Mr. Turner, Slough, was to 

 the front with Roses. Mr. James, Mr. Moorman, Mr. Crafter, 

 and Mr. Ellis were also successful exhibitors of Roses. For 

 glasses of flowers and bouquets Miss Kinghorn, Miss Letheam, 

 Miss Mackinnon, and Messrs. Dobson & Sons were successful 

 exhibitors. 



Of Fruit there was a good display, especially the collections 

 from Mr. Wagstaff, gardener to T. H. Fairsleigh, Esq., and Mr. 

 Cornhill, gardener to J. S. Virtue, Esq. Mr. Pepper, Mr. Fan- 

 ning, and Mr. James were also successful exhibitors. Grapes, 

 Melons, Peaches, Cherries, and Strawberries were all well re- 

 presented. Vegetables were also very good, the principal prize 

 being a silver cup offered by Messrs. James Carter & Co., and 

 won by Mr. James, gardener to G. F. Watson, Esq., Isleworth. 

 Altogether the Exhibition was such as to afford gratification to 

 the visitors and encouragement to the promoters. 



A LEASH OF FLOWER SHOWS. 



WISBEACH, SPALDING, AND TUNBRIDOE WELLS. 



What a time for flower shows we have had lately, and how it 

 must have tried the nerves, and pockets too, of many a Society. 

 The Royal Botanic, Birmingham, Hereford, Chislfthnrst, Wis- 

 beach, Spalding, Tunbridge Wells, and many others selected it 

 fortheir annual gathering ; and as morning after morning opened 

 with its portentous-looking black clouds, and as the rain, some- 

 times in drizzling mist, at other times in perfect torrents, de- 

 scended, how many must have felt that the fate of the Societies 

 they were interested in was trembling in the balance ! It re- 

 quired courage of no mean order to bear up under these trying 

 circumstances, but in the two instances at which I was present 

 I saw no symptoms of despair, but a steady determination to 

 make the best of bad circumstances and to put a good face on 

 the matter. It was so at Wisbeach and at Spalding. Tunbridge 

 Wells was favoured with a perfect day and a large gathering of 

 people, and a great success must have been the result. Let me 

 now record a few notes in connection with the three Shows 

 above named, at which I was present. 



Wisbeach ought to be dear to all lovers of the Rose, for here 



first were those large prizes offered which have been followed 

 in other places, and which have tended in no slight degree to 

 make more popular still tbe queen of flowers. It is favoured, 

 too, in possessing in Mr. Baker of Coiville House one of those 

 public-spirited men whom nothing will daunt, and who carries 

 out all he undertakes with the energy and pluck which are the 

 distinguishing characteristics of the Englishman. He throws 

 open his grounds for the purpose of holding the Show, and 

 indeed I may say throws open bis house also, where a large- 

 handed hospitality is shown. Notwithstanding the counter- 

 attraction of Birmingham, which doubtless carried off such 

 competitors as Paul & Son, Turner, and Cranston, the All-Eng- 

 land prizes of MO, £7, and A'5 were ably contested for by Messrs. 

 Keynes, Cant, and Prince, and taken in the order named. I 

 begin to think that it is quite useless to enumerate the varieties 

 in each winning stand. I daresay I could name beforehand 

 without much difficulty thirty-six out of the forty-eight which 

 were to be seen in each stand, for what stand can do without 

 Charles Lefebvre, John Hopper, Alfred Colomb, Marie Baumann, 

 and other well-known Roses ? Suffice it to say, then, that Mr. 

 Keynes's stand exhibited that finish for which his flowers are 

 always remarkable, and they combined size with finish, which 

 is not often the case. Mr. Cant's flowers were also very fine, 

 especially his Teas and Noisettes. Who can exhibit La Boule 

 d'Or as he does ? while Mr. Prince's from the seedling Briar 

 were very fine. Indeed these three stands ran very closely one 

 on the other. Prizes of £7 for twenty-four Roses and i'5 for 

 twelve will show the liberal character of the schedule, and I 

 have no doubt but for the Birmingham and Royal Botanic being 

 on the same day there would have been a larger competition. 

 The class for twelve blooms of any one Rose and that for twelve 

 new Roses did not bring out any remarkable competition, Mme. 

 La Baronne de Rothschild being set up by two exhibitors, but 

 with inferior blooms. 



Liberal prizes for stove and greenhouse plants and exotio 

 Ferns brought together some fine collections, of which the most 

 noticeable were those of Mr. Cypher of Cheltenham, Mr. House 

 of Peterborough, and Mr. Dixon of Beverley. There were 

 amongst them some really grand plants, which would not have 

 been out of place in any of our metropolitan shows. 



Table Decorations were pretty, showing that the correct taste 

 in such matters is rapidly extending, and that we have nearly 

 left behind those heavy monstrosities which used at one time to 

 be considered en regie. I shall have, however, more to say on 

 this subject in my notes on the Tunbridge Wells Exhibition, 

 where they were largely shown. 



The only classes which were indifferently filled were those 

 for Pelargoniums, and I cannot but think that an alteration in 

 the schedule as to these would be desirable. The cottagers' 

 classes were well filled, and showed that there is in these dis- 

 tricts a strong spirit of emulation which cannot but be helpful to 

 the well-being of the labouring poor. 



Spalding. — As this was held the day after Wisbeach many o£ 

 the fine plants exhibited there, notably the specimens of Messrs. 

 Cypher, House, and Dixon, found their way here, while to them 

 were superadded a large number of most excellent plants from 

 the neighbourhood. The Pelargoniums and other plants exhi- 

 bited by Mr. G. F. Barrell showed that good culture may be as 

 confidently looked for in the provinces as around the metropolis. 

 And let me say that I have never seen near London a finer col- 

 lection of herbaceous plants than those exLibited by Dr. Stiles; 

 and as they were to my mind one of the most distinguishing fea- 

 tures of the Show I shall dwell a little on them, more especially 

 as I had the opportunity of seeing their home. Dr. Stiles's garden 

 is an instance of how ainor vincit omnia; for in a small piece 

 at the back of his house, no way different in size or character 

 from those " bricklayers' gardens " which abound in all towns, 

 he has managed to collect some of the rarest and best of hardy 

 plants ; and those who maintain that an herbaceous garden 

 must always be rubbishy would find how erroneous this was, for 

 Dr. Stiles's garden is a model of neatness. The twelve plants 

 which took first prize comprised excellent examples of the fol- 

 lowing — Equisetum sylvaticum (nothing could be more graceful 

 than this common British plant ; grown as it had been, standing 

 in water and shaded, it would make an admirable table plant); 

 Bupthalmum salicifolium with large yellow flowers, Campanula 

 pcreicifniia alba, Campanula cordata, Lychnis Haageana (admir- 

 ably done), Spirwa tihpendula, Delphiuinm Beauty of Peronne, 

 Campanula Van Houttei, Dianthus barbatus magnificus (Mr. 

 Ware's very beautiful double Sweet William). In the other 

 collections and in the boxes of cut blooms I noticed Campanula 

 carpatica bicolor, Spiriea arenaria, Epilobium angustifolium 

 album, Geum lancastriense, Catananche crerulea, Geum cocci- 

 neum flore-pleno, Aquilegia chrysantha (very beautiful), Gladi- 

 olus Colvilh, &c. Altogether the herbaceous plants were a great 

 feature of the Show. Referring again to the plants, Mr. Cypher 

 had Ixora amabilis, Clerodendron Balfourianum, Allamanda 

 prandiflora, Pboenocoma prolifera, Dipladenia insignis. In 

 Ferns Mr. Cypher had fine examples of Adiantum Farleyense, 

 Gleichenia dicarpa and epeluncffi, Davallia Mooreana, Cibotium 



