THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



243 



s 



*• 



^5Ta\MVERSARY MEETING, for the Election 



rpHE A^^* rouvclL , and Officers for the year ensuing:, 

 1 « rfp "*- ,D ^ The Annual Report of the Auditors, will take 



*•• i ?Jhe ?st of May next. The Cha-r will be taken pre- 

 ' f *^One o'clock- Horticultural Soci ety, 21, Regent-sr. 



— TX^TnFpAfRbtfAGE OF HER MAJESTY- 



^nvu ^OUTH [LONDON FLORICULTURAL 



TJ °}^TFTY -The First Grand FLOWER-SHOW of the 



X -i kp held at the Horns Tavern, Kenninffton, on Ti/ks- 



Scasonwi lljen eiu ^ Qm Qne tiH Half . past Six< 



MT iiext, Apr" ». v R. H. Cuming, Hon. Sec. 

 Admittance, i<- 



<Cfy &avDmtt& ©^rontcle 



SATURDAY, APRIL 20, 1844. 



MEETINGS FOR THE TWO FOLLOWING WEEKS. 



Tr-iut April 23 . South London Floricultural 1 p.m. 

 1C " ' J Horticultural Anniversary 1p.m. 



Imlil,M»T 1 -\ Society of Arts . . » 8 pm. 

 Fsiiut, May 3 . Botanical . . • 8 p.m. 



If the irreat Horticultural Societies of Europe 

 hive produced much good for Gardening by the 

 jiiistance and stimulus they have given to cultivation, 

 we suspect that a still greater amount of beneficial 

 action would be found to result from the feebler 

 efforts of local institutions of a similar kind, pro- 

 Tided those efforts are as well directed as they might 

 be. The great Societies are few in number, and they 

 chiefly tell upon the great ; their operations are 

 necessarily on a large scale ; small details are missed 

 in the extensive field over which their attention is 

 directed ; to apply their power to trifling objects is 

 like harnessing an elephant to a pony carriage, or 

 introducing the paraphernalia of the Queen's Bench 

 into a parish vestry. 



It is by local Associations, with smaller means at 

 their disposal, and a more limited sphere of action, 

 that the minute details of Gardening can best be cared 

 for, and more especially those which relate to the 

 objects of the poor. In a country village the principal 

 person, or at least the resident clergyman, knows, or 

 should know, the wants and character of every indi- 

 vidual within its limits. He is able to judge correctly 

 what the aim of a Horticultural Society there should 

 be, to devise the best manner of inducing the poor to 

 interest themselves in it, and to frame judicious and 

 practicable rules for its governance. Moreover, his 

 station enables him to maintain authority, without 

 which no Society, great or small, can effect real good. 

 If powers like these are well administered the esta- 

 blishment of little village Societies would be produc- 

 tive of very extensive benefit ; for they would be at 

 once the means of increasing the comforts of the 

 ^Uger, and raising his mind to something higher 

 tnan the beer-shop, or at best the keep of a pig and the 

 growth of a few Potatoes. 



Happily the effect of village Gardening associations, 

 weii conducted, is by no means a matter of speculation, 

 out has been most successfully put to the test of 

 experiment. 



of Pv^k? suffic i entI y Proved by the case of the village 

 k Z 1 7' ln Northam Ptonshire, an account of which 

 60? tl, 'l 2 ' The Population of this village is 

 SwinoK T* hlt ™ is have no Conservatory, nor any 

 no ll„ 1 mgS ^ vond Cucumber frames ; there is 

 littl! IT ger than those of the farmers : and the 

 or Lr ragC garden - Pytchley is in fact what a 

 and rl: accustomed to the splendid forcing-houses 

 *M»ulT tm r? 0f the S reat > "light possibly regard 

 hhJlt US Hortic "ltural helplessness. Ancfvet 



savThat th.' ?* itS Prizes > and we wil1 er W to 

 tplendid 1 .1 P • Uce as much real enjoyment as the 

 of g Z i? *> enngS round London - They have been 

 duceof Z °° ln the P arish > by increasing the pro- 

 good amon e C ti!p a f gardens ' and b ^ s P readi »S moral 

 t« 6 Lli c poor, 



j**et as P t°h e noh£ f?> M . ha PPy in his frieze 

 ^ablwlir Clad m ermine i his little show of 

 oreast as nth Ult excites as much interest in his 



fo r admiss ont , h the St - Le S er >" his P enn y P aid 

 ^ndsas hi" • * ,arge a contribution from his little 

 h * exneripno gUlnea of the fine gentleman of May Fair ; 

 ^ x Pennv nri!! / S mUch gratification in winning a 

 of the metrnLr r a ? ose ^Y' as the " great growers " 



Va n-load of r aL 1S W ^ en they S et a S oId medal for a 

 encourages him ^ xotlcs — and perhaps more. Success 



to exertfon if • P ers ? vere > defeat may excite him 

 jeers of his L.^ 1 influence him, the sneers and 



^ if he i s wortK!i COmpanions wil1 rouse *>im to a trial 

 ^rse of irnnrL rousing. That accomplished, the 



T ° us it 11T T eXi V m not q uickl y -top- 

 tre "pon the «h i at u V ules of the 1'ytchley Society 

 we would rp ,nl , ^t that w e have seen ; and 



them for a rno^^n ° Ur , countr y friends to take 

 fhibitor shall hT e of these rules is > th at every 

 h,s annual suhJrLf- member ot ' the Society, paying 



effect, ami L. , reas °n to believe, nrnrinrpc th* h* C r 



■ The Histoid — I -^^j^fV jjis m many town 



Aj *Sfet t^tt?- %& *^^^w 



«* if ^"X*. By tie Rev AK° f "S PytChley Land 



■° a » london. 1 2 mtj ; Tf AhncT Brown. Parker ; 



Societies, prizes are given to cottagers, simply as such. 

 Not that such prizes are without their use ; but the 



poor certainly do not feel the same interest in them as 

 in those which give them a persona/ stake in the In- 

 stitution, and in which part of the prize comes from 

 their own money. 



We wish we could find room for the very interest- 

 ing description given by Mr. Brown of one of the 

 Pytchley meetings. A scrap or two from it will, we 

 trust, induce our readers to procure his work for 

 themselves. 



" On Tuesday, after school was over, two or three 

 who managed the Show began to prepare the school- 

 room, which is about twenty feet square. They set up 

 the stages, which consist of green painted shelves and 

 benches, long but light ; some meant to be fitted 

 above each other round the room, and some to be piled 

 into a little scaffolding in the middle, leaving a wide 

 passage all round for the company. They ornamented 

 the walls with green Asparagus-tops and small boughs 

 mixed with Dahlias and other large flowers ; adding 

 an archway of the same outside the door, and a crown 

 withV. R. made of Dahlias inside. The Society's 

 name, made by fixing small flowers in the shape of 

 the letters upon green painted hoards, was hung 

 against the w*tll inside. According to the season this 

 is made of Daisies, Primroses, blue Cornflowers, Dam- 

 sons, Chesnuts, &c. 



" Some of the Members had been at work by day- 

 break in their own gardens, gathering their fruits and 

 vegetables, washing their roots, and tying their nose- 

 gays. The managers also were very early in the 

 Show-room, and at length the specimens began to be 

 brought to them. The first who brought his basket 

 of specimens was perhaps a cottager. His name was 

 entered in the Show-book, with a list of everything 

 he had brought; his Potatoes, Kidney-beans, Onions, 

 bunch of Pot-herbs and Currants were put upon 

 separate plates. The next perhaps was a child with 

 a large tastefully-made wild nosegay of field and 

 hedge-flowers; gathered the day before and kept 

 fresh in water all night. In this way about 150 

 specimens were brought by 23 cottagers and children ; 

 to each of which was fixed a red ticket with a num- 

 ber on it, which referred to the order in which 

 its owner had been entered in the Show-book. It is 

 surprising how many plates there were of beautiful 

 Potatoes, Peas, Beans, Kidney-beans, Currants, 

 Gooseberries, Plums, Apples, Radishes ; how many 

 nosegays both of garden and wild flowers ; and how 

 many flower-pots with Fuchsias, Geraniums, Carna- 

 tions, Calceolarias, Balsams, &c. There were Cauli- 

 flowers and Cabbages, Parsnips and Carrots, Rhu- 

 barb and Celery, Filberts, Mushrooms, &c, &c. 

 Some cottagers brought a dozen or more specimens 



all different; some had but a single nosegay or a Bal- 

 sam from their cottage window. 



* f At three o'clock the room was "opened to visitors, 

 and a person stood at the door to receive the admission 

 money. All members (and their wives also, if mar- 

 ried], are admitted free. A half- penny is charged 

 for the admission of children if they are not members, 

 one penny for cottagers, and sixpence for other 

 visitors ; but kind friends have often paid a shilling in 

 order to help the funds. Six shillings and fivepence 

 was received at the door that day, but on a fine day 

 four or five times as much is found in the bag at 

 night. When visitors came in there was many an 

 anxious search made, many an eager look cast round 

 to see which numbers had the prizes ; and many a 

 busy knot of members, young and old, gathered 

 together to talk over the matter. None, however, 

 touched even their own specimens until the Show was 

 quite done. 



" When dusk was drawing near, the room was 

 cleared of visitors, and the members stayed with their 

 baskets and received back their specimens, the tickets 

 showing to whom each article belonged. Many of 

 the prize specimens, however, had been already sold 

 by their owners to different visitors, and were now 

 given up to them. Many also of the members (some 

 even of the cottagers) left all or part of their fruits 

 and vegetables to be sold for the good of the Society ; 

 which was accordingly done (at whatever price they 

 would bring) to the crowd round the door. This sale, 

 which is always much counted on by such villagers 

 as have no gardens, produced 6s. 7d., but it sometimes 

 produces much more. One or two who had gained 

 prizes, gave a portion of their gains to the Church 

 Missionary box. 



" Early next morning the stages were taken to pieces, 

 and along with the plates and tickets, put back into 

 the store until next Show ; the schoolroom was 

 cleaned, and by the usual hour the scholars were in 

 their places, as if nothing had happened, except that 

 along with the whole village they had enjoyed a holi- 

 day the day before at the flower show. 



*' The money which had been spent for the Show 

 (that is, the prizes really paid, and the little expenses) 

 was *2/. 4s. But there had been received at the door 

 either for admission or by the sale, 1 3*. ; so that the 

 Show only cost tne Society J#. lis* {lad the weather 



been fine there would have been more money received, 

 and the expense would thus have been less. The 

 spring Show only took 5s. 6d. out of the Society's 

 stock" 



Surely there will be a blessing on these things. 

 Surely such simple yet effectual means of raising the 

 character and condition of the village poor will meet 

 in all directions with imitators. We can well believe 

 that it was indeed u delightful and cheering to see the 

 beautiful rows of large and fine fruits, vegetables, and 

 roots, shelf above shelf; the numerous flower-pot 

 plants in full blossom piled up on the middle scaffold- 

 ing or stage; the various handsome nosegays made 

 up of every flower th«t grows in garden, field, or 

 hedge. And the inhabitants could point to them and 

 feel that all this show of useful food and natural 

 beauty was grown within their own parish and by 

 themselves." 



The English villager is easily managed by kindness ; 

 but he is brutalised by ill-treatment. Help him to 

 rise and he will aid your efforts with all his energy — 

 which is not small ; encourage him and his natural 

 good feelings will sprout forth and flourish; but 

 beware of trying to crush him, for he can become his 

 own avenger. Nothing is more likely to gratify him 

 than little well-conducted village meetings, main- 

 tained out of his own funds and decorated by his own 

 hands ; they are all that can now be offered in 

 exchange for the fairs and holidays that are passing 

 away for ever. To support them is the best kind of 

 charity, for they tend to assist the poor man in 

 acquiring an honest independence, and they offer a 

 just basis on which to raise both character and feeling. 

 Those are the truest friends of their country who, 

 like the Vicar of Pytchley, give their leisure and their 

 influence to the support of such meetings, which we 

 firmly believe to be so many foci from which rays of 

 moral improvement may spread in all directions. 



Ripe Peaches on the 7th of April! The thing 

 seems impossible ; and yet it is really so ; for on the 

 1 6th a late gathering was exhibited to the Members of 

 the Horticultural Society. 



This feat has been performed by Mr. Wm. Hut- 

 chison, gardener to E. J. Shirley, Esq., M.P., of 

 Eatington Park, near Sh ipston -on -S tour, in Warwick- 

 shire ; and, considering how cold the months of 

 February and March have this year been, is certainly 

 a very remarkable one. In a note which accompanied 

 his specimens, .Mr. Hutchison gives the following 

 account of his operations : — 



"The Peaches were grown in pots in the Pine-house. 

 My first trees were put in on Nov. 25th, 1843 ; and 

 on Good Friday, the 7th of April last, I gathered the 

 first fruit. Those sent were gathered from the 7th to 

 the 10th. They are superior to what I sent last year, 

 and five days earlier. My trees look better than they 

 did last year, having made very fine wood, which 

 shows that the Peach-tree will stand hard forcing an- 

 nually, if judiciously managed. / have Utile doubt of 

 being able to ripen Peaches in March. A valuable lesson 

 may be learned from this example in making borders 

 for Peach-trees. To make them wide and deep with 

 rich manures is a mere waste of money. Six feet wide 

 and eighteen inches deep is what I would advise, the 

 border being thoroughly drained and filled up with 

 goodloam from apasture of medium strength, put in as 

 rough as possible. This would grow the Peach well, and 

 if the trees are well managed would secure a good 

 crop. This may be the more readily believed, from 

 what my specimens prove can be done with a tree 

 growing in the compass of a pot, where a small quan- 

 tity of soil suffices to produce perfect fruit. I never 

 fumigate my trees. The syringe is all that is required 

 to keep them perfectly clean, if you begin with it 



in time." 



We recommend these statements to the consider- 

 ation of Peach-growers. 



FUCHSIAS. 



(Continued from page 22J.) 



The stages of growth in Fuchsias may be considered, 

 1st, as primary ; 2d, intermediate ; and 3d, mature. The 

 first stage includes the period of the first shift (March to 

 May and June), from 60s to 3*2s, or 24s, and where plants 

 have previously been badly managed this may be regarded 

 as the starting point for an attainment of accumulative 

 vigour, previous to the final shift. The highest degree of 

 artificial heat is maintained during this period, and de- 

 creased as the plants advance to their mature growth. As 

 the plants acquire vigour, and form their low side-shoots, 

 attention is required to the uniformity of their growtH, 

 which is essential, according to the habit they are intended 

 to assume. 



The perfect growth of Fuchsias and similarly habited 

 plants depends in a great measure upon the accumulation 

 or secretion of sap in their first stages of growth, and its 

 due exposure to the agencies of light, heat, &c. Sec. An. 

 accumulated growth differs from an attenuated one, in the 

 former being rendered capable, by a uniform appropria- 

 tion of the agencies which are essential to growth, of 

 forming a due succession of leaf-buds, which are essential 

 to bloom ; whilst the latter, by an inefficient application 



