September 19, 1878. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
227 
gardeners’ classes. Two fine bunches of Dr. Hogg proved that 
this variety is worthy of its name, the colour being a very rich 
amber, and the bunches large. In Melons Sutton’s Hero of Bath 
and Gilbert’s A. F. Barron were the best. _Peaches and Nectarines 
were scarcely up to the average, but Apples, Pears, and Plums 
were well and largely represented. Amongst Apples Lord 
Nelson, Bedfordshire Foundling, and Northern Spy were con- 
spicuous for size; Lord Suffield, and a small streaked Pippin 
named Lord Lennox, seem to be two of the most popular varieties 
in this locality ; Williams’ Bon Chrétien in Pears and Coe’s Golden 
Drop in Plums occupying a similar position. But the finest dish 
of Pears was one of Souvenir du Congrés from Mr. Marshall of 
Whittlebury, to which the first prize in the amateurs’ class was 
awarded; this is evidently one of the best Pears of modern 
introduction. 
Vegetables, especially Potatoes and Onions, were very good 
and clean. For the collection of six varieties Mr. Day was first, 
and Mr. T. Eads, gardener to J. Beck, Esq., Northampton, second. 
For a collection of twelve varieties of Potatoes in the open class 
Mr. W. Emerton, Cold. Ashby, Rugby, was first, having Heather 
Bell (a fine purple-splashed kidney), Lye’s Favourite, Robertson’s 
New White (a roundish flat sort), Schoolmaster (large, clean, and 
good), Snowflake, Countess, Trophy, Red Emperor, Purple Fluke, 
Farquhar’s Favourite, and Beauty of Hebron (good). Messrs. 
Ball & Co. were second. The best Potatoes, however, in the Show 
and one of the cleanest and most select lots I have seen anywhere, 
came from Mr. Eads, who showed for six varieties in the gardeners’ 
class Fenn’s International and Model, two veritable models; 
Schoolmaster, Sutton’s Magnum Bonum, Snowflake, and Porter’s 
Excelsior, all likewise nearly perfect, and, perhaps, these six 
varieties constitute the créme de la créme of exhibition varieties, 
as in so small a selection coloured sorts are’ hardly admissible. 
Mr. Emerton was second with larger and very fine specimens, but 
his lot had evidently seen the “light of other days” before coming 
to Northampton. Mr. Emerton staged two collections, and 
amongst them were Trophy, Henderson’s Prolific (a roundish-flat 
variety of the Handsworth type), Grampian, Lady Webster, 
Excelsior, and Blanchard. For single dishes in the amateurs’ 
class Mr. A. Coates was first for kidneys with Snowflake, and for 
rounds Mr. George Wilcox with Red-skin Flourball. The best 
Onions were White Spanish, shown by George Turner, Esq., Mr. 
Eads, and Mr. Russell, gardener, Boughton House. Mr. Turner's 
were the largest (15 inches in circumference), but those shown by 
Mr. Eads of the yellowish-skinned variety were very clean and 
sound. Cucumbers and Peas appeared generally past, but Inter- 
mediate Carrots were good. In the cottagers’ class remarkably good 
vegetables were shown. 
The Show was altogether a successful and an attractive one, 
and the perseverance and tact of the Committee and the Hon. Sec. 
(Mz. Cordeux), have well sustained the reputation of the North- 
ampton Shows. A goodand thoughtful feature was the admission 
on the second day at four o’clock of school children at 1d. each, 
a privilege which seemed to be well appreciated —T. Laxton, 
Bedford. : 
EXHIBITING CARNATIONS AND PICOTEES. 
“TIME bringeth its revenge,” and it has done so to me in 
this matter. Some two or three years ago I deprecated the 
barbarous system of showing these flowers, and said I hoped 
the day was coming when it would no longer be practised. 
Had I committed the seven mortal sins I could not have been 
more bitterly assailed. I have no wish to recall these things, 
and I do it in no irritation. I knew Iwas right; andalthough 
my notions were considered crude, the result of incapacity and 
ignorance. and I was not even deemed worthy of the name of 
florist and had never done anything to benefit floriculture, yet 
somehow or other I believed I was taking a course which 
would commend itself to common sense, and if it did so would 
win its way. As far as I recollect I said—Ist. That there was 
no flower exposed to the same treatment with the exception 
of the Pink, so nearly allied to it ; 2nd, That it was misleading 
_ to the general public, who know nothing of the mysteries of 
dressing ; 3rd, That however skilful the cultivation might be, 
success was really with the most skilful dresser ; 4th, That it 
was absurd to make a ruje that no mutilated flower was to be 
exhibited when any number of petals might be taken out, 
mutilation meaning in this connection not taking from but 
adding to; 5th, That it was strange that to cut out the eye of 
a Dahlia should disqualify, while the exhibiting of even half 
the petals of a Picotee was allowable. 
This year the second annual exhibition of the southern 
section of the National Carnation and Picotee Society was 
held at South Kensington, and I subjoin a few, and a few only, 
of the comments made upon it. One of your contemporaries 
says, after alluding to the success of the show regarded from 
the point of view of the professed florist, “ At the risk of being 
considered rash heretics we venture to dispute the assumed 
excellence of the present mode of exhibiting these flowers. Is 
it necessary, for instance, that the flowers, no matter what 
their colour may be, should be throttled by a stiff collar of 
dead white cardboard projecting all round the flower for some 
distance ?” 
Another says, “It is high time to protest against the way in 
which these lovely flowers are made hideous at shows. <A bed 
of seedlings left alone has a better effect than all the collared 
Carnations ever seen. We do not wish to quarrel with the 
florist for his ideal, and let him lay down all the rules and 
standards of perfection which he likes. What we have to 
deplore is the fact, that after ages of effort and not a little 
vaunting of what has been done, the ideal flower is only to be 
seen in a deep paper collar, with all its delicate beauty of 
varied petal destroyed, flattened, or pushed ont. Each exhi- 
bitor is armed with a small series of instruments, reminding 
one of a dentist’s collection, wherewith the said exhibitor 
extracts small petals, flattens others, and goes through a variety 
of operations to force the flower to assume for an hour or two. 
before its death a shape which he calls perfect. All this might 
be tolerated if at the same time these beautiful flowers could 
be seen as they grow. This is all we ask for. A show of 
Carnations and Picotees well grown in pots, and allowed .to 
bloom without mutilation or objectionable collars, would be a 
charming novelty, and we should see in what way the flowers 
look best. We believe the usual way of showing them is that 
calculated to exhibit to the least possible advantage the beauty 
and grace which Carnations and Picotees naturally possess.” 
A third gardening paper says, “ As usual at these shows each 
flower had a paper collar affixed round its neck. Exhibitors 
say this is not to keep the flowers from splitting or the petals 
from falling, but to show them off to the best advantage. If 
this is so why are these flowers shown in stands provided with 
collars? Would not a sheet of paper placed over the boxes 
answer as well? This practice, as well as that of mutilating 
the flowers with pincers and other instruments, are a disgrace 
to lovers of flowers, and are a means of deceiving the public 
who are ignorant of such maltreatment ; and it is no more 
right for exhibitors to take from or add to their flowers than 
it is for exhibitors of animals to cut off their ears or tails.” 
The Journal of Horticulture, our Journal, through one of 
its most welcome contributors gave the same last week, and 
my excellent friend “‘WYLD SAVAGE” writes so trenchantly 
that I must add a few of his words to this array of authorities. 
“T have never seen florists dressing their flowers before, and 
I must express my opinion that it was a very unedifying sight. 
The lovely flower was seized by the scruff of its tender throat, 
much like a poor victim is seized by the dentist, and a pair of 
ivory tweezers were employed in pulling every single petal out 
of its place. ‘I say, old fellow, have you seen these Carnation 
fellows dressing their flowers?’ said a brother rosarian to me. 
‘They are like a lot of ladies’ maids’ I answered. ‘preparing 
their mistresses’ heads for a ball.’ If this practice goes on 
we shall come to this: It will not be the best florists or the 
best flowers that will win ; it will be the most skilful operators 
and the most highly dressed and artificial flowers that will 
carry off the prizes.” 
Now I know it will be said, “These are all outsiders : they 
do not look at it from the florist’s point of view, and hence 
their opinion is worthless.” But I am convinced of this, that 
when outsiders have common sense on their side they must 
ultimately prevail. But I have the last shot in my gun as the 
best. I read in the account of the northern show of Carnations 
and Picotees that the premier prize for the best Carnation was 
awarded to Mr. Rudd for a bloom of Mercury as cut from the 
plant. When I saw this, remembering that the north is the 
very Mecca of the florist, I could not help exclaiming, Hurrah ! 
I thus see in these extracts all that I contended for advanced, 
and I cannot but hope that something may arise from this 
unanimous chorus of disapproyal. If the Committee would 
offer prizes for unmutilated flowers—i.c., flowers from which 
no petals are extracted, I am quite sure it would be accepted 
as a boon by the public, and unquestionably those who now 
exhibit these marvellous specimens of dressed flowers would be 
equally able to show well the raw material out of which they 
are manipulated. Thearranging of the petalsin order Ishould 
no more consider wrong than the arranging the bells of a 
Hyacinth or the truss of an Auricula, but it is this mutilation, 
this metamorphosis of the flower, which is to me so contrary 
to all ideas of fair treatment.—D., Deal. 2 
_P.S.—By the way, if one man grows Carnations and Picotees 
