306 



THE GARDENERS' CHR ONI GL E. 



[September 15, 18SS. 



Bride, Mrs. Hawkins, Empress of India, and Mrs. 

 Tait. 



Pompon Dahlia. — These made a delightful feature, 

 and being set up in large bunches, proved a very 

 great attraction also. With twenty-four varieties, 

 distinct, Mr. Charles Turner was 1st, with Darkness, 

 Juliette (yellow tufted with orange-red), William 

 Carlisle, Golden Gem, Thomas Moore, White Aster, 

 Cupid, Admiration, Mabel, Dandy, Leila, Ernest, 

 Innocence, Favourite, Lady Blanche, Gem, The 

 Khedive, Rosalind, Rubens, Isabel, Adonis, Don 

 Juan, E. F. Jungker, and Gazelle. 2nd, Messrs. 

 Keynes & Co., their stand comprising some charm- 

 ing new varieties, such as Red Indian, Eurydice, 

 Eden, White Aster, Rosalie, Karl Guldensuch, Fairy 

 Tales, Favourite, Lady Blanche, Darkness, Janet, 

 Little Ethel, Little Duchess, Little Bobby, Rosetta, 

 Gem, and Whisper, pale golden-yellow. With twelve 

 varieties, out of eight competitors, Messrs. J. 

 Burrell & Co., were 1st with Isabel, E. F. Jungker, 

 Mabel, Rosalie, Gem, White Aster, Favourite, Cupid, 

 Darkness, Comtesse von Sternberg, Fanny Weimer, 

 and Golden Gem. 2nd, Mr. G. Humphries with 

 E. F. Jungker. Favourite, H. Melesky, Dora, Golden 

 Gem, Little Nigger, Isabel, Leila, Royalty, and Lady 

 Blanche. 



A class of six bunches was open to amateurs 

 only, and there were seven competitors, Mr. J. T. 

 West being 1st, with Mabel, E. F. Jungker, Gen', 

 Isabel, Little Nigger, and Leila. 2nd, M'\ 11. 

 Glasscock ; 3rd, Mr. J. Harris. Broomtield, Chelms- 

 ford ; 4th, Mr. R. Spinks. 



Single Dahlias. — These were a highly popular 

 feature also, and they were admirably shown. There 

 was but one exhibitor of twenty-four bunches — 

 Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons — who had a superb stand 

 set up in triangular bunches of ten blooms on their 

 registered wire supports. 



In the class for twelve varieties there were seven 

 stands/Messrs. Paul & Son beinglst,with W. Kennett, 

 The Quair, White Queen, Canterbury Tales, Lutea 

 grandiiiora, Harlequin, Mrs. H. Whitfield (pale 

 yellow, new), Miss Gordon, Mrs. Bowman, The 

 Bruce, Miss Henshaw, and Duleinea ; 2nd, Mrs. M. 

 V. Seale. 



In the class for six varieties, open to amateurs, 

 there were but two collections, Mr. T. W. Girdle- 

 stone, Sunningdale, Bagshot, being 1st ; 2nd, Mr. H. 

 Glasscock. 



Seedlings— 0{ these there were a goodly number, 

 the show and fancy varieties being sparingly repre- 

 sented. A First-class Certificate of Merit was 

 awarded Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co. for fancy 

 Dahlia Matthew Campbell, a distinct and very 

 pleasing variety, bright buff ground, shaded with 

 apricot, and striped crimson ; they also had show 

 Dahlia William Jackson, shaded crimson, with bright 

 purple edging. The same award was also made for 

 decorative Dahlia Panthea, very bright pale reddish- 

 cerise, a flower of the Juarezi type, and very pleasing; 

 Amphion, yellow, flushed with cerise ; and Honoria, 

 pale bright yellow, very promising. Also to pompon 

 Dahlias Little Ethel, white, slightly tipped with deep 

 purple, very distinct, pretty, and pleasing ; Fairy 

 Tales, delicate primrose, extra fine quality ; Whis- 

 per, bright yellow, with beautiful petal and out- 

 line — extra fine ; and Eden, deep bright and shaded 

 crimson — very fine shape. They also had Little 

 Darkie, bright maroon— small, good shape; Red 

 Indian, deep bright red — distinct in colour; and 

 Eurydice, blush, tipped with purple. The same 

 award was made to the following single Dahlias, 

 shown by Mr. T. S. AVare : — R. C. Harvey, yellow, 

 shaded with salmon, and having a red ring round 

 the eye — distinct ; Florrie Fisher, having a white 

 ring round the eye, with edging of shaded mauve — 

 very distinct and pleasing ; and Mrs. Ramsbottom, 

 pink, shaded with cerise, a charming and distinct 

 variety of great merit. Mr. T. S. Ware also had 

 Kate, orange-maroon — a bright looking flower ; and 

 the following decorative varieties: — William Rayner, 

 yellow, shaded with cerise, and tinted with purple ; 

 Sydney Hollings, maroon, shaded with purple ; and 

 Professor Baldwin, pale orange-scarlet type of 

 Juarezi. The same award to Mr. J. T. West, for 

 decorative Dahlia Beauty of Brentwood, pale shaded 

 purple, with bright purple on the petal edges — dis- 

 tinct and very fine, and quite of the Juarezi type ; 

 and also for pompon Dolly Keith, white, the centre 

 yellow, tipped with white, the exterior petals occa- 

 sionally taking this form, the centre being quite 

 white. The same award to Mr. T. W. Girdlestone, 

 Sunningdale, for single Dahlia Daisy, white, broadly 

 edged with mottled rosy-pink— pretty and distinct ; 

 and The Mikado, having a yellow ring round the eye, 

 then a broad zone of deep scarlet, edged with prim- 



rose — distinct and fine ; Marguerite, shaded crim- 

 son, is a pleasing flower of excellent form. Some 

 pretty seedlings, single varieties, were shown by Mr. 

 D. T. Fish, Bury St. Edmunds, but they were not 

 considered sufficiently distinct. 



: Mr. C. Turner had a First-class Certificate for 

 pompon Dahlia Rubens, maroon-crimson, shaded 

 with bright crimson — a small and attractive flower 

 of decided merit, and had the following varieties 

 also : — Kathleen, Innocence, much in the way of 

 Keynes' Little Ethel — thought to be inferior to it ; 

 Juliette, yellow, tipped with orange-red ; and Admi- 

 ration, tipped with purple. Mr. Turner also 

 had the following show Dahlias : — Glowworm, a 

 bright scarlet; a reflexed flower of the W. H. 

 Williams type; Mary Anderson, a light flower 

 like Mrs. Gladstone ; and Corsair, buff shaded with 

 gold, the reverse pale purple. The same award to 

 Messrs. J. Cheal & Son, for single Dahlia Queen 

 Victoria, white, with side margins of crimson, 

 medium-sized, and good form ; and Duchess of 

 Albany, silvery-white in the faint pink lines, and 

 edging of orange-brown, both valuable additions to 

 their class ; to Mr. Henry Glasscock, for single 

 Dahlia Gertrude, a charming variety, having a yel- 

 low ring round the eye, then a white zone, a broad 

 ring of pale rosy-purple, with delicate edging of 

 silvery-white. The same award to Messrs. Cannell 

 & Sons, for decorative Dahlia Yellow Juarezi, pale 

 primrose-yellow, good and distinct. They also had 

 W. T. Abery, Lilian Abery, white, with side 

 edgings of yellow ; Conspicua, white, shaded with 

 crimson on the petal margins ; Sir Trevor Lawrence, 

 and Lady Ardilaun. 



The Fruit Show. 



Friday and Saturday, September 7 and 8, saw the 

 inauguration of the important Congresses on fruit 

 cultivation which have been announced in the public 

 prints for some few months past. It was thought by 

 the managers of the Crystal Palace Co. that a fruit 

 show would be an appropriate adjunct to the chief 

 proceedings on that occasion. The quantity of exhi- 

 bits brought together was very creditable, and in 

 quality these were quite as good as could be ex- 

 pected. Fruit from the outside is late, and deficient 

 in size and brightness of colour, but that from forcing 

 and orchard-houses was very well coloured, and the 

 bloom and finish of the numerous bunches of Grapes 

 shown was remarkable. 



The arrangements were rather puzzling, and not 

 quite understandable. Exigencies of space, con- 

 venience of promenading may have had something to 

 dowith it; butinabsence ofknowledge on these points 

 we failed to see why Grapes, for instance, should not 

 be so placed that a comparison between the various 

 lots were easy ; and likewise the collections of fruit, 

 which were in some instances on opposite sides of 

 the same table, and hidden from each other by a row 

 of tall plants, or were still further off, making com- 

 parisons in this case impossible. 



Collections of Fruit (open). — In this class Mr. 

 Goodacre, gr. to the Earl of Harrington, Elvaston, 

 Derby, was 1st. The number of dishes shown was 

 twenty, and comprised excellent fruits of the follow- 

 ing kinds and varieties : — Downshire Peach, very 

 bright, and of fair size ; Oranges, Pitmaston Orange 

 Nectarine, Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury Straw- 

 berry, Alnwick Seedling, and Foster's Seedling 

 Grapes, two Queen Pine-apples, and Negro Largo 

 Fig, the remainder being small fruits, &c. Mr. 11. 

 Ward, gr. to the Earl of Radnor, Longford Castle, 

 Salisbury, was awarded the 2nd place ; his finest 

 examples were — Castle Kennedy Fig, Foster's Seed- 

 ling Grapes, Queen and Smooth Cayenne Pine-apples, 

 Columbier Plum, and Stirling Castle Peach. Mr. 

 Evans, gr. to J. S. Hodgins, Lythe Hill, Haslemere, 

 was 3rd, but he might have stood a chance for a better 

 position had his very fine Hamburgh Grapes not been 

 spoiled in transit ; La Favorita Melon shown by 

 him was a handsome netted variety, with a flavour 

 said to be excellent. Only three persons competed 

 in the above class. 



For twelve dishes of fruit, Mr. A. Miller, gr., 

 Rood Ashton Point, Trowbridge, was 1st., with fine 

 even bunches of Black Alicante and Muscat of 

 Alexandria Grapes ; a good Smooth Cayenne Pine- 

 apple, Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, Blenheim Orange 

 and Rood Ashton Melons, &c. 



Mr. W. Pratt, gr. to the Marquis of Bath, Longleat, 

 was 2nd., having fine Grapes, beautifully finished, 

 and other fruit of great excellence ; and Mr. H. W. 

 Ward, Longford Castle, was 3rd. 

 For eight dishes there were fourteen competing 



lots. The 1st prize fell to Mr. R. Parker, gr. to J. 

 Corbett, Esq., M.P., Impney, Worcestershire. Fine 

 fruits were observed in this collection of Princess of 

 Wales Peach, Best of All Melons, Muscat of Alexan- 

 dria, and Black Alicante Grapes. 2nd, Mr. Water- 

 man, gr. to H. Brassey, Esq., Preston Hall, Kent — 

 Bananas, Royal George Peaches, and Lord Napier 

 Nectarines were well done. 3rd, Mr. C. J. Goldsmith, 

 gr., Kelsey Manor, Beckenham, in this collection 

 were fine Bellegarde Peaches and Newton Nectarines. 

 Fine fruits of the true Beechwood Melon, Rood 

 Ashton Melon, Jefferson Plums, aud Stanwick Nec- 

 tarine were observed in other lots. 



Collections of Grapes, ten varieties. — 1st, Mr. 

 Pratt, Longleat, with Trebbiano, Black Alicante, 

 Black Hamburgh, Foster's Seedling, Gros Maroc, 

 Madresfield Court, Muscat of Alexandria, Black Bar- 

 barossa, and Lady Downe's, these being all very good 

 specimens of their respective varieties. Mr. H. W. 

 Ward was 2nd, his finest being Gros Maroc, Lady 

 Downe's Madresfield, Black Hamburgh, Gros Colmar 

 and Foster's Seedling. 



Collection of five varieties of Grapes. — Here the 

 1st prize was taken by Mr. W. Allen, gr. to Lord 

 Suffield, Gunton Norfolk — Gros Maroc and Duke of 

 Buccleuch, being remarkable for their enormous 

 berries, and fine bloom ; Black Alicante was also 

 well finished. Mr. Osman, gr. Ottershaw, Chertsey, 

 was 2nd. 



Three bunches of Black Hamburghs. — 1st, Mr. J. 

 Taverner, gr. to Sir R. Macdonald, Bart., Woolmer 

 Lodge, Liphook, with medium-sized, very neat 

 bunches, the berries large and well coloured ; Mr. J. 

 Chalk, gr. to G. Read, Esq., Wilton Road, Salisbury, 

 was 2nd — the bunches massive, colour excellent but 

 the berries small ;by comparison with many others. 

 Some very large double bunches secured for Messrs. 

 Rivers & Sons, Sawbridgeworth, the 3rd prize. There 

 were seven competitors. 



Three bunches Muscat of Alexandria. — 1st, Mr. 

 W. Taylor, gr. to J. Charon, Esq., Bath, with un- 

 even bunches, but large and compact, and not too 

 well finished ; 2nd, Mr. Pratt, whose bunches were 

 nearly ripe, even as to size of bunches, and berries of 

 equal size. Six competed. 



Three bunches of Gros Maroc — 1st, Mr. Gleeson, 

 gr. to the Duke of Portland, Clumber, Notts — massive, 

 well coloured, good in every point ; 2nd, Mr. W. 

 Taylor, very large, weight of best bunch was pro- 

 bably 7 lb., long, symmetrical, but had too little 

 finish; 3rd, with Mr. W. Allan, with middling 

 bunches. Nine competed. 



In the next class — that for Madresfield Court — the 

 competition was much less, there being only three 

 entries. Here Mr. W. Taylor got the best position 

 with fine bunches ; Mr. J. H. Goodcre awith bunches 

 of better colour than Taylor's, was 2nd ; 3rd, Mr. 

 J. Bury, gr., at Tewkesbury Lodge, Forest Hill, with 

 bunches, which, if they had been better coloured, 

 would doubtless have taken a higher place. 



The class for Black Alicantes was better filled 

 than the preceding one, seven gardeners com-, 

 peting. 1st, Mr. Hollingsworth, gr., Woodseat 

 Uttoxeter, with bunches of massive proportions, and 

 deficiency in no good point ; Mr. W. Taylor, larger 

 bunches," but as with all Mr. Taylor's exhibits of 

 Grapes, deficient in colour ; 3rd, Mr. C. Griffin, gr. to 

 Miss Christy, Coombe Bank, Kingston-on-Thames, 

 excellent specimens but of medium size. 



Three bunches of any other white Grapes. — For 

 this competition we counted eight entries : 1st, Mr. 

 F. Lee, gr. to Mrs. Lyne Stephens, Lynford, Nor- 

 folk, with bunches of Buckland Sweetwater, caught 

 at the right time, and of goodly proportions ; 2nd, 

 Mr. Bury, Forest Hill, with Foster's Seedling ; Mr. 

 Hollingsworth taking 3rd, with Trebbiano. 



Mr. W. Allen showed some very large-berried 

 bunches of Duke of Buccleuch, but not of sufficietit- 

 ripeness to count. 



Three of any variety of black Grapes, seven 

 entries. — 1st, Mr. Goodacre, with finished Alnwick 

 Seedling ; 2nd, Mr, L. Jennings, gr., Forest Lodge, 

 Farnborough ; and Mr. F. Lee 3rd, with the same 

 variety. 



Black Grapes were likewise shown in 12 lb. 

 basket, with what object it is not clear, as Grapes 

 are never served up in this way outside a vineyard, 

 and there was no evidence of methods of packing for 

 carriage by road or rail. Mr. J. Bury was placed 1st 

 with Alnwick Seedling — very excellent fruit; Mr. 

 W. Taylor, 2nd, with the same variety; and Mr. 

 Taverner, 3rd, with Black Hamburgh. Alnwick 

 Seedling was mostly shown by the other ten com- 

 petitors. 



For the same quantity of white varieties, seven 

 competitors entered.— 1st, Mr. G. Duncan, gr. to C. 



