192 



HE GARDENERS' CHRONICLE. 



[March 23, 1912. 



Samuel Larkin, Esq., Ridgways, Haslemere, 

 sent Laelio-Cattleya Endymion with large and 

 well-coloured flowers. 



Mr. C. F. Waters, Deanlands Nursery, Bal- 

 comhe, showed a very distinct Cattleya Schroderae 

 with bite flowers tinted with pink and of good 

 shape, the petals and. lip being crimped, and 

 Lycaste Skinneri " Water's variety M of good 

 colour, the lip being ruby-red. 



G. M. Bird, Efq.. Manor House, West Wick- 

 ham (gr. Mr. V. [den), showed Odontoglossum 

 crispurn Luciani. 



AWARDS. 

 First-class Certificates. 



Odot'oglossuni crispurn " Samuel Gratrix" 

 from Samuel Gratrix, Esq., West Point, Whal 

 ley Range, Manchester (gr. Mr. Brown), a grand 

 variety, presumably a home-raised seedling from 

 •ome finely -blotched 0. crispurn. In shape 

 it is one of the best yet shown. The sepals 

 and petals are equally broad and beautifully 

 ma iked with light violet colour. The large, 

 crimped labellum i6 white with some reddish- 

 purple blotches in front of the yellow crest 



Award of Merit. 



Cattleya Dift€ " Westonb'irt variety M [C 

 Vulcan x C. Warscewrzii), from Lieut. -colonel 

 Sir George L. Holford, K.C.V.O. (gr. Mr. 



H. G. Alexander), a very handsome hybrid with 

 a great resemblance in colour and form, to G. 

 Vulcan. Flowers rosy -lilac, veined with claret- 

 pmple, and well indicating C. Schilleriana, one 

 of the parents of C. Miss Harris var. Vulcan. 



Cultural Commendation 



to Mr. H. G. Alexander, Orchid-grower to Lieut. - 

 colonel Sir Georhe Holford, K.C.V.O., for a 

 marvellous specimen of the brilliant-scarlet 

 Sophronitis grandiflora with nearly 100 flowers. 



Fruit and Vegetable Committee. 



V resent : A. H. Pearson, Esq. (in the Chair) ; 

 and Messrs. J, Cheat, C. G. A. Nix, W. Hates, 

 G. Woodward. E. Beckett, J. Vert, H. Markham, 

 H. W. Williams. A. R. Allan, G. Reynolds, J. 

 Davis, H. E. Humphreys, A. Grubb, P. C. M. 

 Veitch, G. Wythrs, A. Bullock, A. Dean, W. 

 Poupart, J. Harrison and A. \Y. Metcalfe. 



A Cultural Commendation was awarded to Mr. 

 G. Woodward, Barham Court Gardens, Maid- 

 stone, Kent, for handsome fruits of Lane's Prince 

 Albert Apple, which was exhibited to show its ex 

 cellent dessert qualities at this late season. The 



flesh was soft and of very pleasant flavour. 



F. E. Wikndholt, Esq., Rhodes Farm, In- 

 ganga, Rhodesia, sent a collection of South 

 African Apples, some of the fruits were very at- 

 tractive, although others were spotted. The host 

 specimens were those of Monro's Favourite, Cleo- 

 patra, a handsome yellow fruit tinted with rose; 

 Scarlet Nonpareil, rather large and much striped ; 

 Rome Beauty, and Sykehouse Russet. (Silver 

 Banksian Medal.) 



Sir Daniel Gooch, Hylands Park, Chelmsford 

 (gr. Mr. W. Heath), showed 17 dishes of Apples, 

 including nine of the variety Annie Elizabeth, 

 six rather small fruits of Newton Wonder, and 

 two of Royal Jubilee, which were sent as Golden 

 Spire. (Silver Banksian Medal.) 



Messrs. Dianellon & Veiujopoulos, Cyprus, 



sent baskets and dishes of the large oval Cyprus 

 Orange. The fruits had a very thick rind, hut 

 the flesh was fairly sweet and pleasant eating. 

 (Silver Banksian Medal.) 



Mr. Cotterfj.l, Elsenham, F ex, showed ex- 

 amples of saddle or crown grafting, in which one- 

 half the split base of the scion is carried over 

 the crown of the stock. 



Messrs. James Carter & Co., Raynes Park, 



set up three large mounds of excellent forcing 

 Cabbage Lettuces, generally with hearts firm 

 and weU blanched. (Cultural Commendation.) 

 Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, exhibited a 



collection of salads, including Early Paris, the 

 old Stanstead Park, and All-the- Year-Round 

 Cabbage Lettuces, Improved Telegraph Cucum- 

 bers, blanched Chicory, Dandelions and Endives, 

 Mustard " and Cress, Radishes, Celeriac, Blood- 

 red Beets, and, in pots, plants of Tarragon and 

 Lamb's Lettuce. Messrs. Sutton also snowed a 

 basket of well-blanched Seakale, fronted by 

 numerous firm, white hearts of Harbinger Cab- 

 bage. (Silver Knightian Medal.) 



BRITISH GARDENERS' ASSOCIATION. 



March 14.— The first dinner held by this asso- 

 ciation took place at the Holborn Restaurant on 

 this date. 'Hie President, the Right Hon. 

 the Earl of Plymouth, occupied the chair, and a 

 company of about 50 members and friends were 

 present. After the usual loyal toasts had been 

 observed, the chairman proposed the " British 

 Gardeners' Association." He expressed his ap- 

 preciation at having been asked to become presi- 

 dent of the association, and also to take the 

 chair at the first dinner. The attendance was 

 much smaller than both he and all present had 

 expected, owing to the serious state of affairs 

 from which the country was suffering. I know, 

 said his Lordship, you will acquit me of touch- 

 ing upon controversial matters, as I certainly 

 shall not do in my reference to this question, 

 which affects the whole country. I feel that in 

 this dispute we are forgetting the interdepend- 

 ence between Labour and Capital. The sta- 

 bility of our commerce is dependent upon a 

 working together of all the interests, whatever 

 they may be, in the commercial prosperity of the 

 country. It necessitates that there shall be some 



term themselves British gardeners. I feel that it 

 is in the first interests of your association to 

 consider not only the welfare of your own profes- 

 sion, but that of everyone in this country in- 

 terested in horticulture, which is far wider. With 

 those objects I am most heartily with you, and 

 therefore thank you for electing me as president. 

 I give you the toast of " The Association," and 

 hope that it may have many years of increasing 

 prosperity. 



Mr. R. J. Frogbrook, Chairman of the Execu- 

 tive Council, responded on behalf of the associa- 

 tion, and thanked the President for the kind 

 manner in which the toast had been given. He 

 said that many gardeners and others in different 

 parts of the country were mistaking the objects 

 of the association, they desired to assist em- 

 ployers by endeavouring to secure only good and 

 practical gardeners as members of their asso- 

 ciation. Last year an examination of the mem- 

 bers was held, and the results were satisfactory. 



The Earl of Plymouth then presented the Gold 

 Medal of the association to Mr. John Weathers, 

 and a resolution engrossed on vellum, thankin 

 him for the admirable manner in which he ha 





FlG. 83. — THE EARL OF PLYMOUTH. 

 (President of the British Gardeners' Association.) 



real confidence between those who have interests 

 to defend, and I do not think you will accuse me 

 of saying too much when I state that there can 

 be no confidence if obligations that have been 

 definitely entered into, with the sanction of those 

 concerned, are broken. Every fair-minded person 

 in this country desires to see a fair day's wage 

 given for a fair day's work. 



You are now in the very start and begin- 

 ning of this association. You are now recognising 

 the proper position of the great horticultural in- 

 dustry, and the gardeners of Great Britain. You 

 have, I think, most rightly formed an association 

 with the intention, I believe, amongst other 

 things, of bringing gardeners together, consider- 

 ing the interests you have to protect, and the 

 best and most practical way of protecting them. 

 You have the other objects of bringing 

 in touch with yourselves those who require your 

 services, and, furthermore, I believe, you are 

 doing what, among great and important societies, 

 all professional men have already done in this 

 country, and that is to put a seal upon the com- 

 petence of those who are and have the right to 



performed the duties of secretary. Mr. W. H. 

 Chandler was also presented with the Gold Medal 

 and Certificate won in the recent examination. 



Other toasts included those of "The Branches, 

 proposed by Mr. E. F. Hawes, and responded ti> 

 by Mr. J. Collier; "The Visitors," by Mr. T. 

 Bevan, for which Mr. H. C. Preece replied; 

 "The Press," by Mr. A. E. Cresswell, with re- 

 sponse by Mr. T. W. Sanders; "The Officers 

 and Committee," by Mr. C. H. Curtis, responded 

 to by Mr. T. Winter; and " The Chairman,' pro- 



the last toast, 



posed by Mr. R. S. Garnett. 



The President, replying to — 

 stated that though the gathering had been fewer 

 in numbers than desired, it would impress all 

 with the fact that the members were determinea 

 to make the value of the association as g r ^ at , a . 



He was sure that determination of tna 



I shall, said the 



ou 



possible. 



kind would assure success. 



speaker, always feel proud of the honour } 

 have done me by asking me to take the cnair 

 at this first dinner. * 



During the evening an excellent programme 01 

 vocal and instrumental music was rendered. 



