August 10, 1876. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



119 



of the debentnre-holdera to do so. Without that consent we 

 cannot stir one step, and even if we could it is open to doubt 

 whether the debenture-holders could not follow us, as far as 

 their claims are concerned, to Chiswick gardens. That is the 

 legal position of the question. As to practical action, the 

 Council do not see their way to go to the Commissioners and ask 

 them to take any. The Royal Commissioners have positively de- 

 clined to take upon themselves the burden of the debenture debt. 

 The negotiations tending to that result have fallen through, and 

 whether they will be re-opened or not we cannot say, but under 

 the circumstances by which you are surrounded the first thing 

 you have to do is to make up your minds either to keep these 

 gardens or to lose them altogether [hear, hear]. One thing is 

 certain, that if you want to keep the gardens you must put your 

 hands in your pockets, or you must give a guarantee to provide 

 for the expenses of the year 1877. With the sum of £4500 

 actual subscriptions we cannot go on with the maintenance of 

 the gardenB for next year, and you should understand that the 

 meaning of a guarantee is that each person puts down his or her 

 name for a certain sum, which he or she guarantees to be 

 responsible for. If it should unfortunately happen that no more 

 new subscribers should come in, the guarantors for the sum of 

 =£1500 would have to pay the whole of it. If you really do wish 

 to appoint a committee, do not appoint one to investigate 

 matters which have been looked into over and over again [hear, 

 hear]-, but appoint one whose duty it will be to see how you can 

 raise the money to keep the gardens next year. If that is not 

 done we must only shut up the gardens. 



After a short desultory conversation the resolution was carried 

 With a couple of dissentients, and amid some cheering. 



A Fellow asked the President how it was proposed, in case 

 of dissolution, the interests or tastes of the two classes of 

 Fellows — the horticultural and the resident, should be con- 

 sulted 1 



The President. — It will, I believe, be open to the two por- 

 tions of them to take two different courses — that is to say, the 

 horticulturists proper can form themselves into a society for the 

 promotion of horticulture, whilst the inhabitants of this neigh- 

 bourhood can place themselves in communication with the Com- 

 missioners and see whether these gardens cannot be kept up. 

 It seems to me that is the only course to be pursued by either 

 party. I should mislead you if I led you to think that by any- 

 thing we could do we could get the inhabitants of thiB neigh- 

 bourhood to do anything more for the maintenance of the gar- 

 dens. For myself I know a number of gentlemen who have 

 done their best in the business, but the disaffection and dissatis- 

 faction are bo deeply seated that there is no chance of anything 

 farther being done. We are doing the beat we can in closing 

 this connection, to close it not with discredit [cheers] . In the 

 meantime all we can do is to keep the Horticultural Society 

 afloat by our own efforts and those of the Fellows. As far as I 

 am concerned myself I am largely interested in this locality; 

 but quite apart from that I shall be most anxious to do all I can 

 to keep these gardens for the benefit of the neighbourhood, 

 which would suffer a great deprivation were they closed [loud 

 cheers] . 



Mr. S. H. Godson. — Gentlemen, I rise to propose a vote of 

 thanks to our Chairman for his able conduct in the chair as our 

 President, not only on this but on many former occasions, and 

 with respect to whom it is difficult to say whether his ability or 

 great courtesy is the more deserving of admiration [cheerB]. 



Mr. Bateman. — I have very great pleasure indeed in second- 

 ing the vote of thanks, and I do not think any man in the king- 

 dom could have occupied the position of Chairman of this meet- 

 ing more dispassionately, more courteously, or more thoroughly 

 honestly [cheers |. 



The motion was put by the mover, Mr. Godson, and carried 

 with expressions of hearty assent. 



The President. — I thank you very heartily, the more so 

 because it is not very often that a society on the point of dis- 

 solution gives to its President a vote of thanks. It is, I can 

 assure you, very pleasing to me that it is so. We have exerted 

 ourselves to the utmost to prevent this catastrophe, and if we 

 have failed ours is not the fault [applauBe]. 



Thereupon the meeting terminated. 



FLOWER SHOW AT HEWORTH. 



Fine weather only was required to make the third annual 

 «xhibition of the Heworth Horticultural Society, which was 

 held on the 2nd inst., by the kind permission of Mrs. Starkey in 

 the grounds of Tang Hall at Heworth near York, a complete suc- 

 cess. Through the strenuous and untiring efforts of Mr. R. H. 

 Feltoe, the Honorary Secretary, this Society has gained during 

 its short existence a foremost place amongst local shows, and 

 although last year's show was one of the most succcessful held 

 in this district, yet it is thoroughly eclipsed by the exhibition of 

 this year. Mr. Feltoe and the Committee gathered together a 

 numerous and excellent collection of plants, flowers, fruits, and 

 vegetables. The entries were about double those of 1875, and 



comprised 118 classss, all of which, with the exception of about 

 thirteen, were fully represented, in many instances there being 

 as many aB five and six competitors in each class. The marquee 

 waB crowded in every part, some of the plants being arranged 

 under the higher stands. All the plants and flowers shown were 

 for competition. There was a splendid display of plants, and 

 occupying a conspicuous position in the centre of the tent were 

 a number of beautiful Ferns. For the President's (Captain 

 E. C. Starkey's) special prize for collections of eight exotic Ferns 

 there were four entries, each of which was excellent. Mr. 

 R. E. Noble, Clifton Lawn, York, obtained the firBt prize, and 

 Mrs. Starkey of Tang Hall was awarded the second. British 

 Ferns were also a capital Bhow, aa were also the Lilium lanci- 

 foliums. The Geraniums were a very fair lot, the double- 

 flowered Geraniums being especially worthy of commendation. 

 Id the Coleus classes there were many specimens exhibited, the 

 colour of which was richly shaded, especially that of those be- 

 longing to Mr. Noble, which were very beautifully tinted. De- 

 corative plants were also good. The specimens of cut flowerB 

 were numerous, and altogether the show in this department was 

 most creditable. There was only one collection of eighteen 

 Dahlias in the marquee, but this was fairly good for the season. 

 The Roses formed an excellent Bhow. Taken altogether the 

 different varieties of fruit were well represented, while vege- 

 tables were of a really excellent description. The exhibits for- 

 warded by the cottagers were creditable throughout, and if they 

 excelled in any portion more than another it was amongst the 

 vegetables. 



A WEST RIDING FLOWER SHOW. 



" Love surmounts all difficulties." Such was my conviction 

 as I saw the really wonderful display of flowerB brought together 

 at the Brighouae Horticultural Society's annual Show. The diffi- 

 culties of cultivation are so great in that district that nothing 

 but the most persistent labour, inspired by the most ardent 

 love, can overcome them. Smoke day and night proceeding 

 from hundreds of mills, poisonous vapours from numbers of 

 chemical works, a naturally cold temperature, long winters, 

 prolonged often till the middle of June — all these combined and 

 many others make the pursuit of horticulture a most arduouB 

 one. And yet I know of no district where flowers are more 

 loved, and where better results are obtained, at least from plants 

 under glass. 



The exhibition of stove and greenhouse plants at Brighouse, 

 both in the open and amateur classes, was equal to anything I 

 have yet seen, except at the London, Exeter, and Taunton 

 shows. Mr. Joseph Fox of Clayton near Bradford took the 

 first prize for eight Bplendid specimens. His Dipladenia ama- 

 bilis and Allamanda Hendereonii reminded me of those staged 

 by Messrs. Lucombe & Pince at Exeter. Vinca oculata, too, 

 was shown wonderfully well, and also Stephanotis floribunda 

 and Bougainvillea spectabilis. In the amateur classes some very 

 fine specimens were shown. I was talking to the man who won 

 the firBt prize for six stove and greenhouse plants, and asked 

 him whether he was not a gentleman's gardener. " Nay, I am 

 nobbut a tinner." " A tinner ? " " Yes, I live at Mirfield, in a 

 little place near the station." His name is James Manchester, 

 and from a very small greenhouse he brought Stephanotis, 

 Dipladenia amabilis, Vinca oculata, and Allamanda Hender- 

 sonii, which were wonderfully good. All honour to him and 

 such as he, who, instead of spending their money in the public 

 house, save it up till they can build a little glass house which 

 will defy the climate of the north and enable them to have 

 flowers all the year round. 



I was very much surprised to see several good collections of 

 Hollyhocks staged, for the red spider had made such raids on 

 these flowers last year that many nurserymen were unable to 

 send any plants out this Bpring ; but here we had these flowers 

 shown in perfection. VerbenaB, were, however, very weak. After 

 seeing Mr. Charles Turner's marvellous blooms at South Ken- 

 sington it was hard to believe that the trusses exhibited here 

 belonged to the same class of flowers. 



The vegetables were very fair, but were not so good as I 

 expected to see. The Committee accepted any number and 

 kind of extra prizes, and a wonderful miscellaneous collection of 

 articles these were. Among them I saw a whole salmon and 

 two pieces of meat exposed all day in the tent (fortunately the 

 weather was cool), two rocking chairs, a dozen of beer, a piece 

 of cloth, a box of cigars, &c. 



The arrangements were much better than last year, and the 

 crowd was enormous. It did me good to see the crowds crush- 

 ing round the flowers, and to listen to their original remarks was 

 great fun. I never yet saw so enthuaiastic a multitude, and the 

 amount of squeezing the people submitted to in order to see the 

 flowers would have finished-off most of our southern friends. 

 The receipts muat have been great, and I only hope that next 

 year the Committee will spend more money in prizes for flowers 

 and less in cupB for horBea, and braaa bands. The Committee of 

 course know their own neighbourhood best, but I am confident 



