STAGING FRUITS, QUANTITIES, ETC. 87 



State in the form of a note, or as a Rule, whether 

 Trade Cards will or will not be allowed on any of the 

 exhibits in the fruit classes. 



When hardy fruits are intended, a footnote should be 

 added, specifying the Classes thus : " In Classes oo to 

 ooo (except classes o and ooo), the trees from which 

 the fruits are gathered must be permanently planted (not 

 plunged) in the open, and grown without any protection 

 other than a coped-wall or netting. The fruits may be 

 ripe or unripe except in Classes Nos. o and o." 



Dessert tables, or tables for collections of fruits, vary 

 in size. There is no standard size. Each Society 

 makes its own specifications in the matter. At the 

 Autumn Show of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 

 Society, the space allowed for a collection of sixteen 

 dishes of fruit, with decorations, is lo ft. x 4^ ft. ; 

 whereas at Shrewsbury Autumn Show the space 

 allotted for exactly the same collection is 8 ft. x 4J ft. 

 For a collection of twelve dishes and decorations at 

 Shewsbury, the space allowed is 6 ft. x 4^ ft. 



The tabling for the staging of ordinary single dishes 

 may be 3 ft. to 4^ ft. broad, and of indefinite length. 

 A narrow raised staging, upon which table plants are 

 placed, is often in use along the centre at the smaller 

 exhibitions. This raised stage generally divides two 

 similar tables or stages, and furnishes a back to the 

 exhibits upon them and a break to the monotony of 

 regular dishes. 



The dishes are usually supplied by the Society con- 

 ducting the exhibition. They need not exceed 15 ins. 

 in diameter if circular, or 19 by 15 ins. if rectangular. 

 Exhibitors supply their own grape-stands. 



All fruit must be shown ripe (unless otherwise stated), 

 and correctly and legibly named. 



Nurserymen's and market gardeners' competitive 

 exhibits are usually stated in terms of so much tabling, 



