166 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ August 29, 1878. 
Returning to Ryde somewhat later I was glad to find the 
“silver streak’? rather more reasonable, and regained my 
quarters on the other side after a very pleasant day. May my 
hospitable entertainer when he reads forgive this. I trust not 
too intelligible, intrusion into his Rose privacy.—A. C. 
GLAMORGANSHIRE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
THE sixteenth annual Show of this Society was held at Cardiff 
on the 21st inst, When this Society was formed its pretensions 
were small, but under the able and courteous secretaryship of Mr. 
Payne, with the help of an excellent Committee, it has gradually 
expanded until it is now one of the best provincial shows in the 
kingdom. 
The Show now under notice was much superior to last year’s 
Exhibition both in extent and quality, and the arrangements were 
also much more perfect. The exhibits were so numerous that it 
took six large tents to contain them. The largest tent, some 
200 feet in length, had the interior arranged in a most effective 
manner. The centre consisted of a beautiful fountain with a 
large basin surrounded with virgin cork; next to this there was 
a band about 2 feet in width of Maidenhair Fern, and then a 
margin of choice cut flowers set in a cushion of green moss. This 
was justly much admired, and so were the small moveable beds, 
which were elegantly filled with flowering plants in pots plunged 
in cocoa-nut fibre and lying a short distance from the centre 
figure. We were so highly pleased with these moveable beds that 
we remarked to several gardeners how useful a number of them 
would be about private gardens to shift about and arrange as 
desirable on such occasions as garden parties, &c. On each side 
of the fountain large groups of plants, Tree Ferns, Palms, and ; 
other choice plants of this description were placed in the centre 
of the groups, and the whole was banded with zonal Pelargoniums, 
Fuchsias, Balsams, &c. The effect of this combination was ex- 
tremely imposing; and although Mr. Payne is not a practical 
gardener, his ideas of distributing plants in an artistic manner to 
insure the very best effect were strongly exemplified here. 
The other tents were similarly attractive, only on a smaller 
scale. There was a broad stage raised for plants in the centre of 
one of the tents, however, which was not at all in harmony with 
the others. The plan was good enough, but the materials with 
which it was carried out were bad, and as the Society is in such 
a flourishing condition it would be a simple matter, and one sure 
to be appreciated, if stages and mounds on which to arrange the 
plants were made permanently with earth and turf as they are for 
the shows in Regent’s Park and at South Kensington. 
In the open plant class for twelve stove and greenhouse plants 
Mr. J. Cypher, Cheltenham, came in first (£15); second Mr. 
Williams, Worcester (£10); third Mr. W. Pilgrim, Cheltenham (£5). 
All the plants in these collections were of the usual class shown 
by those well-known exhibitors, and all the principal prizes in the 
open class for smaller numbers of plants were pretty evenly 
divided between Mr. Pilgrim and Mr. Cypher. In hardy Ferns 
Mr. Fowler, Pontypool, was first ; and Sir George Walker, Castle- 
ton, second. In the amateur plant class Mr. Pilgrim was again 
prominent and won many of the first prizes. Lord Tredegar, the 
Marquis of Bute, Mr. Jones, Maindee Park, Newport, and several 
others, also showed in a very creditable manner in this class. 
In the section for gentlemen not having regular gardeners there 
were some excellent Fuchsias, Geraniums, Achimenes, Balsams, 
and cut Gladioli, Asters, &c., exhibited; Mr. R. W. Williams, 
Newport Road, Mr. J. Watson, Mr. E. Fowler, Mr. J. T. Francis, 
and Mr. J. Elliot being awarded the principal prizes. In the open 
section for cut flowers Roses were the most attractive feature. 
Here Mr. W. Earl, Newport, secured the leading prize; Mr. 
Stephen Treseder, Ely Road Nurseries, Cardiff, second ; and Mr. 
Davidson, Hereford, third. Some excellent blooms were shown 
by each of these gentlemen. 
In the special prize section for Roses, the three prizes offered by 
Mr. Treseder for eighteen blooms, the first prize was well won by 
Mr. Pettigrew, gardener to the Marquis of Bute; the second by 
Mr, Thomas ; and the third by Mr. Crosslin, gardener to Lady 
Clive. Tea Roses were also shown well by these exhibitors, but 
space will not allow us to yo into detail on their merits, we must 
simply say of all cut flowers that they were shown in high style. 
The table decorations were a splendid feature of the Show ; Mr. 
Ellis, nurseryman, Cardiff, being first, and Mr. Slocombe, Canton, 
Cardiff, second. 
The fruit was not wholly of the very first description, but this 
could hardly be expected, as the prizes in this section and for 
vegetables are much too small to bring out a really first-class 
competition ; and as eyery person knows there is nothing gives 
tone to a show more than fine fruit, we would suggest to the 
Society that great benefit would be sure to result if the prizes 
here were augmented. For nine sorts of frnit Lord Tredegar was 
first, Lieut.-Col. Page second, and Mr. J. Barnes, Hucclecote, 
Gloucester, third. For the Queen Pine Apple Mr. Pettigrew was first, 
and Mr. J. Muir, gardener to C. R. M. Talbot, Esq., M.P., Margam 
Park, second, with nicely swelled fruit. Muscat Grapes were not 
shown well, but in the class for any other white Grape Mr. Petti- 
grew was placed first with some splendid bunches of Foster's 
Seedling ; and Mr. Crosslin second with large fine-coloured bunches 
of Buckland Sweetwater. For Black Hamburghs, three bunches, 
the position of these two prizetakers was reversed. For the col- 
lection of Grapes Mr. Pettigrew had first for a really fine lot, con- 
sisting of two bunches each of Muscat of Alexandria, Madresfield 
Court, Foster’s Seedling, Buckland Sweetwater, Black Alicante, 
Gros Colman,and Black Hamburgh. Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, 
&c., were small in size as a rule, but were shown in abundance. 
Melons were also plentifully shown, and so were all sorts of vege- 
tables, the competition for everything here being exceedingly keen. 
Altogether this was a surprisingly good Show, and this was the 
opinion of several gentlemen who were down from London judging, 
who told us they had seen nothing to equal it in the provinces, 
and commented highly on Mr. Payne’s successful abilities in con- 
nection with it, and in all this we heartily concur. 
There is only one thing we would be pleased to see better con- 
ducted, or stopped altogether at future shows, and that is the 
way in which one exhibitor shifts about another one’s produce, 
and one taking advantage of the other’s absence to change posi- 
tions. This, of course, is very injurious to fruit in bruismg and 
rubbing. When once an exhibitor has placed his productions on 
the table they should be entirely out of his hands. This we are 
confident would be just, and would give satisfaction to all parties. 
We must not omit to state that Messrs. Cranston & Co., King’s 
Acre Nurseries, Hereford, sent a splendid collection of Roses for 
exhibition ; and Mr. J. Muir, Margam, was awarded a special 
prize for a fine collection of Oranges and fruit of this tribe, which 
were garnished with their leaves and blossom, and were greatly 
admired. A WELSH READER, 
WINTER TREATMENT OF STRAWBERRIES 
IN POTS. 
THE potting of Strawberry plants for next season is now 
pretty well at anend. They are placed upon a level bed of 
coal ashes in narrow strips with intervening spaces for conye- 
nience in watering, weeding, and picking off runners, to all of 
which diligent attention will be given. Meanwhile we must 
not forget to give a thought to what we are to do with them 
in the coming winter. 
At one time it was the rule to pile the pots upon their sides 
one upon another ; but I never liked the plan, for the plants 
always suffered from drought in some degree, and I was very 
glad when a lot of Melon frames could be spared to afford the 
plants shelter right end upwards. Now, thought I, we shall 
be right ; the glass lights can be drawn off, always excepting 
during heavy showers of rain or snow or during frosty weather, 
when they can be shut, and we can always give water if requi- 
site, or throw on litter if frost falls very severe. But I was 
disappointed, for sometimes the glass lights were left on when 
they should have been off, or off when they should have been 
on; and worse still—infinitely worse—many of the plants 
suffered so much from careless watering that many of the roots 
perished outright, inducing much subsequent feebleness and 
an indifferent crop of fruit, or rather no fruit at all upon many 
plants. A reform was needed, and a little cogitation soon 
brought conviction that all this coddling was wrong. I reasoned 
thus: The Strawberry is not exactly an aquatic, but then it 
never suffers from rain in winter unless the soil becomes water- 
logged : it is, moreover, perfectly hardy. Why, then, protect 
it or keep rain from it? On the approach of winter, therefore, 
a bed of coal ashes was spread upon a level space sufficiently 
elevated to be safe from any accumulation of water. Upon 
this the plants were placed close together, the spaces between 
the pots packed full with some half-decayed leayes, and they 
were settled for winter, requiring only a glance after heayy 
rainfall to see if any pot was waterlogged, and in severe frost 
a slight covering of dry fern. The plan proved a complete 
success, for when the plants came in due course to be taken 
into the glass houses the full plump crowns, stout green foliage, 
and abundant white roots gaye ampie promise of the fine 
crop of fruit which was subsequently brought to maturity 
FRAGARIA. 
CORDICEPS ROBERTSII—THE RATA TREE. 
I HAYE read with interest the Journal of the 14th February 
last, containing an account of the New Zealand vegetable 
caterpillar, and I may add that this curious creative anomaly 
is invariably found at the foot of the Rata Tree—not a plant, 
but a great forest tree. The fungus in first planting itself on 
the caterpillar does not kill it at once, but the animal can 
wriggle till its vital powers become exhausted. 
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