10-1 ON HORTICULTURAL SOCIETIES. 



nine cases out of ten, the great bulk of the prizes are carried off by 

 noblemen's gardeners, and extensive florists, for their splendid collec- 

 tions of rare and choice plants, fruits, &c, while the humble amateur 

 and common grower must be satisfied with little or nothing. It is 

 also the same with florists' flowers, especially Dahlias; the principal 

 prizes are given for large pans and collections, which of course are 

 won by large growers, thereby affording no chance to the amateur 

 with his/t?ie specimens. Now this, according to my notion, is not 

 fair; every exhibitor, great or small, ought to have the same chance 

 afforded him of obtaining prizes as his neighbour, for as all have paid 

 subscriptions alike, so have all an equal right to the means of regain- 

 ing that money in the form of prizes, whatsoever department they 

 show in, and according to their scale as growers. It is all very well 

 to offer large premiums to induce a grand display of stove plants and 

 other rarities ; but this is not doing justice to all, because, as it sel- 

 dom hapens that an individual exhibits specimens in more than one 

 department out of the four, and only enters for the sake of showing 

 in that department, he is therefore entitled to the same chance of 

 getting prizes in whatever department that may be. I would there- 

 fore suggest that, at the end of the year, first, all the prize-money be 

 divided into as many parts as there have been shows, and that again 

 subdivided among the four departments of fruits and vegetables, 

 greenhouse, hardy plants, stove and orchideous plants, and jlorista' 

 flowers, affording a proportionate amount to each, according to the 

 number of prizes to be distributed in each. And with regard to 

 Dahlias, I consider class-showing as by far the fairest way of com- 

 peting, especially for amateurs. However, as pans are very orna- 

 mental and beautiful objects in a show, I would have general growers 

 show in pans, and amateurs only in classes, an equal amount of prizes 

 being given to each. For there are many amateurs growing their 

 fifty or a hundred plants, who, though they may have some half dozen 

 first-rate blooms, cannot always muster sufficient for a pan ; a pro- 

 vision ought therefore to be made for these, and a necessary distinc- 

 tion observed betwixt the two, for unless amateurs be encouraged in 

 this way, horticultural societies will never prosper. The same also 

 with regard to other flowers. Another great evil in these societies is 

 the very common practice of parties showing specimens of other 

 people's growth. Nothing is more daunting to inexperienced ama- 



