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THE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[December 15, 1888. 



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 rpHE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE 

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Now ready, in cloth, lis. 6d 



J 'HE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE, 

 Vol. HI., Third Series. JAN. to JUNE, 1888. 

 W. RICHARDS. 41, Wellington Street, Strand. W.C. 



APPOINTMENTS FOR THE ENSUING WEEK.- 



MEETING. 

 THURSDAY, Dec. 20— linnean Society. 



SALES- 

 MONDAY, Dec. 17— Dutch Bulbs, at Stevens' Rooms. 



( Nursery Stock and Greenhouse 

 TUESDAY, Dec. 18-j Plants, at Protheroe & Morris' 



( Rooms. 



)' 15,000 Lilium auratum and other 

 Bulbs, Greenhouse Plants, &c, at 

 -. .„, P™theroe& Morris' Rooms- 



} Roses, Fruit Trees, Shrubs, Border 

 Plants, Dutch Bulbs, &c, at 

 V, Stevens' Rooms. 

 /Large quantity of Dutch Bulbs and 

 J English-grown Lilies, at Pro- 



I ^ """ 



THURSDAY, Dec. 20 < 



theroe & Morris' Rooms. 



ilium auratum from Japan, at 



Stevens' Rooms. 



/Sale by order of Messrs. F. Sander 

 " Co., of Cypripedium Elliotl- 

 num, Cattleya amethysto- 

 Dec. 21 { glossa, and numerous otherchoice 

 Orchids; also many Orchids in 

 bloom, at Protheroe & Morris' 

 Rooms. 



1 Roses, Fruit Trees, Shrubs, Border 

 Dec. 22.? Plants, Dutch Bulbs, &c, at 

 ( Stevens' Rooms. 



\* OUR ALMANAC. — Secretaries of societies and 

 others would greatly oblige by forwarding imme- 

 diately, or as early as possible, to the Editor, 

 notices of fixtures for the ensuing year, for insertion 

 in the Almanac to be published in the first number 

 of the new year. Communications should reach us 

 not later than the 29th inst. 



Horticultural Mr, John Dawson, the Secretary 

 Shows in of the Royal Horticultural So- 

 bygone days. c i e t y f Perthshire, has done 

 good service by publishing his address on the 

 history of the Society, which dates from 1808, 

 and which, therefore, may claim to be the oldest 

 existing horticultural society in Scotland. It 

 appears that the minutes and other proceedings 

 of the Society are still in existence, and from 

 them Mr. Dawson has compiled a very amusing 

 and interesting history. The first show of 

 which any detailed account remains was held 

 on July 13,1813, and consisted of Pinks and Let- 

 tuces, Melons and Strawberries, with three judges 

 for each of these two groups. In order to prevent 

 disputes and altercations the exhibits were locked 

 up after the decision of the judges and not re- 

 stored to their owners till after dinner. Harmony 

 then prevailed and the members joined in the 

 chorus " We'll rival the lads about Lunan wi' Flora, 

 Pomona, and a'." A second show was held a month 

 later, comprising Carnations and Cauliflowers 

 only. In 181G three shows were held, the first 

 in April, for Seakale or Colewort, Broccoli, and Cu- 

 cumbers, Polyanthuses and Auriculas; the second 



in June, for Tulips, Ranunculuses, and Anemones ; 

 and the third in August, for Melons and Carna- 

 tions. At this meeting the first mention of 

 Roses is made ; they were not, however, shown 

 in competition on that occasion, though the 

 specimens of seedling Roses then shown by 

 Messrs. Dickson & Brown were declared to be 

 worthy of the highest praise. Discontented ex- 

 hibitors were not unknown in those days ; indeed, 

 they were proportionately more numerous then 

 than now ; and the Perth Society seems to have 

 had no little trouble with one cantankerous ex- 

 hibitor, who, year after year, made himself 

 foolish, and proved a source of vexation to the 

 Committee, till at length things came to such a 

 pass that the President declined to receive any 

 apology from him, or to remain a member of the 

 Society with him ; and we find the committee, 

 with characteristic Scottish use of the future 

 tense, expressing their regret that " one or two of 

 the brethren are still determined that they shall 

 not be pleased " — (the italics are ours) ; after which 

 nothing more is heard of the discontented one 

 for some time. In 1821 Turnips, Dahlias, and 

 Hollyhocks were shown. In 1821 Carnations 

 were distinguished at these shows into flakes, 

 bizarres, and Picotees. In 1825 Lettuces were 

 in like manner distinguished as Cos and Cabbage, 

 while the Pansies of our days were foreshadowed 

 by the Violets of that time. In 1831 the can- 

 tankerous exhibitor again appeared, but was 

 disqualified, according to the record before ns, 

 because his collection of herbaceous plants in- 

 cluded Gladiolus cardinalis, " which was held to 

 be Liliaceous, and by the rule all bulbous roots 

 were excluded." This seems to show that the 

 botanical knowledge of the judges was some- 

 what at fault; at any rate, according to 

 our present knowledge, there are three distinct 

 misstatements in the rule we have quoted. 

 Pelargoniums and Irises appeared for the first 

 time in 1833, and in the summer show of that 

 year Messrs. Jackson & Turnbull exhibited 

 upwards of 300 named Roses and " a numerous 

 assortment of Ayrshire and China Roses." In 

 1810 seedling Pansies and Larkspurs were shown, 

 Campanula pyramidalis in 1811, and in 1818 an 

 extra prize for Ferns — their first appearance at 

 these shows. These extracts must suffice to 

 illustrate what was done in the way of busines". 

 Refreshment was, of course, needed after work, 

 and " the evening was spent in as friendly and 

 entertaining a manner as the circumstances of 

 the times would permit of." Some of the enter- 

 tainment consisted of snuff, for which 2s. Qd. 

 was paid. At this time the expenses of feasting 

 were only 32s. id. less than the whole amount 

 awarded as prize money. At present the more 

 reasonable course of each member paying for his 

 dinner is adopted, exceptions being made in 

 favour of the judges, officials, and distinguished 

 strangers. It would not be fair to Mr. Dawson 

 to reprint more of his pamphlet, which may bo 

 had from the Secretary to the Society, but we 

 commend it to the notice of our readers, and 

 hope the Society may long continue to " tend 

 their flowers " — 



"Roses and Lilies and a', 

 Daisies and Violets and a' ; 

 See what a profusion of beauty 

 And sweetness a garden can shaw." 



The Royal Horticultural Society.— 



Much needless alarm has been felt at the official 

 statement made last week to the effect that as many 

 as six members of the Council propose to resign 

 their seats at the next annual meeting, the number 

 comprising some of the most active and energetic 

 of the Council. These resignations are taken in 



some quarters as an indication of a divided policy, and 

 a sign that the ship is really at last sinking. In point 

 of fact, thanks to the gentlemen mentioned and their 

 colleagues, the Society exhibits far more buoyancy 

 than has been the case for years. Greacly as we 

 regret the approaching resignations, and earnestly as we 

 hope that some of them, at least, will be withdrawn, we 

 deprecate any ill omen being deduced from what is 

 a natural occurrence. Those who know what 

 exertions have been made to place the Society on a 

 better basis, and who are aware of the labour and 

 time that have been expended in so doing, will feel 

 no surprise that these gentlemen feel it incumbent 

 on them to retire, at the end of a year of reconstruc- 

 tion, now happily largely effected. The marvel has 

 been that men, so eminent, so heavily weighted 

 with other duties, and so disinterested, could be 

 induced to sacrifice so much for the benefit of 

 horticulturists. It will be the duty of the Fellows 

 at large to fill the vacancies; and though the task 

 will be difficult, we have no doubt that it can be 

 accomplished, but success will only be arrived at by 

 unity of purpose and co-operation. Disintegration 

 and dismemberment would simply ruin the Society, 

 to the great detriment of horticulture. This ten- 

 dency should, in the best interests of horticulture, 

 be instantly checked, and one way of effecting this 

 is by refraining from attaching a significance to the 

 retirements from the Council, which is not justified 

 by the facts of the case. 



Mr. G. F. WILSON.— The meeting of the Floral 

 Committee on the 11th inst., was not only the last 

 of the year, but was the last occasion on which Mr. 

 G. F. Wilson will preside as Chairman, that gentle- 

 man having signified his wish to retire from the 

 Council. Mr. Wilson has presided over the com- 

 mittee for many years with marked impartiality and 

 courtesy, while his extensive knowledge of Lilies 

 and herbaceous plants has always been at the service 

 of the committee. Mr. Wilson has fairly earned 

 the right to retire, as he has given up much time 

 and labour to the service of the Society, and 

 is one of the few amateurs who are sufficiently 

 interested in horticulture to take an active part in 

 the maintenance of the representative Society. The 

 cordial thanks of all who know and appreciate the 

 value of Mr. AVilson's services will be tendered to 

 him, with the hope that he may for many years to 

 come continue to take an active, if less responsible, 

 part in the work of the Society. 



Gardeners' Orphan Fund. — We understand 

 that Mr. A. J. Brown, Honorary Local Secretary 

 tj the Fund for the county of Sussex, is, in co- 

 operation with Mr. Hall, Lord Bolton's gardener, 

 making arrangements for an entertainment in aid 

 of the funds of the above charity. 



Devon Rosery Gardeners' Relief Fund. 



— We are requested by Messrs. Ccrtis, Sandford & 

 Co., Torquay — who, it will be remembered, were the 

 originators of the Fund — to call attention to the fact 

 that there is one bed vacant at the convalescent 

 home there for gardeners from the North. The 

 home is free, but the committee think that the 

 gardeners' employers should be asked, and would, no 

 doubt, be willing to contribute to the Fund; but this 

 is not a sine qua non. 



Paris Industrial Exhibition. — We have 



received from M. Charles Baltet, the President 

 of the Jury, a list of awards made at the Paris 

 Industrial Exhibition to English exhibitors in 

 the section of perry and cider. For collections 

 of fruits, a Gold Medal to Messrs. E. Veitch & 

 Sons, Exeter ; Silver-gilt, to Mr. J. Watkins, 

 Hereford ; Silver, to Mr. Jones, Ledbury ; and a 

 Bronze Medal to Mr. Ham, Exeter. Messrs. 

 Bulmer & Co., Credenhill, Hereford, was awarded 

 a Gold Medal for perry : and a Silver-gilt and 

 Silver to Mr. Watkins and Mr. Jones, Hereford, 

 respectively. For cider, Messrs. Bulmer and Mr. 

 Ham each received a Silver-gilt Medal ; Mr- 



