2 THE BOOK OF THE FLOWER SHOW 



Mr Jones has displayed, and he says so to his friends. 

 The friends pass on this half challenge to Mr Jones, 

 through Mr Jones' friends, and eventually a competi- 

 tion is arranged. Then other challenges are given and 

 accepted, and so an exhibition is made, and eventually a 

 prize list is drawn up each year, and the Flower Show 

 becomes an institution. 



These are ways in which a Flower Show begins. 

 Sometimes an active, zealous man conceives the idea that 

 an exhibition would be a success in his district. He 

 invites a few friends to his house to discuss the matter, 

 and then proceeds to interview the leading ladies and 

 gentlemen of the place. Having received fair encourage- 

 ment, he persuades the Vicar, Mayor, or Chairman of the 

 District Council to call or preside over a public meeting. 

 He acts as Honorary Secretary, and, having a carefully 

 prepared scheme to place before the meeting, backed up 

 by promises of prizes from the local nobility and gentry, 

 seedsmen, and local traders, a Horticultural Society is at 

 once created and an exhibition arranged for. The latter 

 is usually held in a park, garden, or meadow, kindly lent 

 by a local celebrity and enthusiast. 



In some few instances a Flower Show has been started 

 by, or with the encouragement of, the local authorities 

 for the purpose of adding to the attractions of the 

 town. Other exhibitions are held for the purpose of 

 assisting local charities. The famous Shrewsbury Fete, 

 begun in a small way, has grown to be the largest Flower 

 Show in the country. Side shows, horse-leaping, etc., 

 add to the attractions of the splendid plants, flowers, 

 fruits, and vegetables, and enormous sums of money are 

 taken at the gate. The Fete has become an annual 

 holiday for folks all along the Welsh Border, and still 

 farther afield also. It has been my lot to visit the Fete 

 for seventeen successive years, and watch some of the 

 progress made, as well as see some of the many advantages 



