606 Provincial Horticultural Societies : — 



Yorkshire. — Doncaster Horticultural Society. April 15. The exhibition 

 of vegetables was excellent ; and among them were some tubers of the O'xalis 

 crenata, for which a prize was given. The onions and carrots, preserved from 

 the last year, were excellent. There were but few green-house or stove 

 plants, and only a few hardy azaleas. Mr. Appleby exhibited by far the 

 greatest number, and the most beautiful varieties, of plants. {Doncaster, 

 Nottingham, and Lincoln Gazette, April 18.) 



May 13. The show of plants, flowers, fruit, and vegetables was excellent. 

 The room, which was crowded, was very tastefully decorated ; and several 

 remarkably fine portions of cut pink thorns, &c, sent by Lady Cooke of 

 Wheatley, had a very pleasing effect. The show of pelargoniums, azaleas, and 

 calceolarias was remarkably striking ; as well as the exotic and hardy bouquets, 

 cut flowers, and the collection of British plants, embracing 156 named species. 

 The exhibition of fruit presented some very luxuriant specimens of cut oranges, 

 from the gardens of P. Davies Cooke, Esq., of Owston. The show of vege- 

 tables, too, was extremely good ; and, in point of size, much larger than 

 (considering the character of the season) might have been anticipated. Those 

 from the market-gardens of Mr. Milan of Doncaster excited much and 

 deserved admiration, as evincing, in the cultivation, the utmost degree of 

 skill and attention. There were some fine prizes for the tulips given, for 

 which Mr. Fearn, Mr. Short, and Mr. Thorpe were the most successful com- 

 petitors. {Ibid., May 16.) 



July 23. The most striking feature in this exhibition was the splendid 

 show of yuccas, belonging to Messrs. Crowder of the Botanic Nursery opposite 

 Christ Church : they met with universal admiration. The pelargoniums of 

 Mrs. Walker of Wilsic attracted deserved attention; as did also the calceo- 

 larias and Fuchsia of Mr. Appleby; and the -Mimulus of Mr. J. L. Crowther 

 of Bennetthorpe. The show of georginas, too, at this early season, was exten- 

 sive and strikingly beautiful. The bouquets of Mr. Stone and Mr. Hopkinson, 

 presenting almost every variety of tint, were much admired. The fruits were 

 all excellent. Mr. Mearns (one of the judges), gardener to His Grace the 

 Duke of Portland, exhibited some fine specimens of grapes, the result of his 

 method of coiling vines (one of which was shown, loaded with a crop of fruit) ; 

 a method which has been attended with the highest success, and which is 

 worthy of general adoption. (See Mr. Mearns's account of his practice in 

 p. 138.) The vegetables, too, were remarkably good ; particularly rhubarb, 

 cucumbers, and celery. {Ibid., July 25.) 



Oct. 6. As this was the last, so it was by far the best, show of the season. 



The show of fruit and vegetables was extremely fine. Some of the spe- 

 cimens were astonishingly large : evincing, in the most satisfactory manner, 

 how much can be attained by care and skill in cultivation. The show of 

 georginas, staged next the wall on the right from the entrance, was remarkably 

 splendid, and, in point of perfection and brilliancy of colour, perhaps un- 

 equalled : from the palest white, the deepest crimson, the flaming red, and the 

 modest rose, to almost the perfectly black ; every shade, in short, except blue. 

 The show of plants, arranged on the opposite side of the room, was far more 

 numerous than (considering the lateness of the season) might have been 

 expected. The eye of the spectator was attracted to the lower end of the 

 room, which was ornamented by a representation of the corporation arms, 

 formed of various coloured georginas ; surmounted by a star, and containing, 

 on each side, the letters W. R., also formed of georginas, in different colours. 

 The latter had a very gratifying effect ; but the arms were on too small a 

 scale, too diminutive to come within the reach of general admiration. A 

 pyramid of georginas, however, which occupied one end of the centre table, 

 was extremely beautiful. The colours of the respective flowers presented no 

 confusion; and the effect of the whole was very striking. KJleur-de-lis, too, 

 at the other end of the table, formed of various flowers, excited much admir- 

 ation. A self-acting fountain [we should be glad of an account of it, with a 

 sketch], invented and manufactured by Mr. Hopkinson, tinner and brazier 



