232 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



r September 14, 1876. 



■with scarcely a visible eye, are found to be yellow in flesh, and, 

 perhaps, overgrown and black in the centre. 



Outward appearance is very commendable, and when judging 

 flowers it should receive every encouragement, but we must 

 remember that vegetables are grown to be eaten, and should be 

 •judged accordingly. We want good appearance, but we must 

 not have it at the expense of quality. Our Warminster friends 

 through the shrewdness and liberality of Mr. Joseph Smith 

 have come to acknowledge this, so far as the most popular 

 vegetable is concerned, and offer prizes for the best dishes of 

 cooked Potatoes, and a most interesting class it is ; the dif- 

 ference in the appearance of the different dishes is marvellous, 

 and thereis no difficulty in awarding the prizes. — Wm. Taylor. 



DUNDEE INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL 

 EXHIBITION. 



September 7th, 8th, and 9th. 



International horticultural shows have become quite com- 

 mon in Scotland of late years, but hitherto they have been con- 

 fined to Edinburgh and Glasgow. This is the first time that an 

 " international " has been held further north than either of 

 these cities. Dundee is only second to Glasgow for commerce 

 in Scotland, and the inhabitants number cIoeo upon 150,000. 

 Proceeding to it via, Stirling and Perth the scenery is exceedingly 

 picturesque, especially when passing through the Carse of 

 Gowrie, where the ground is well adapted for high-class farm- 

 ing and fruit-growing. Apples, Pears, and such-like frnit ap- 

 pear to he a much more abundant crop there than in the south. 



Dundee has long been celebrated for the excellency of its 

 autumn shows, but the very best of their former exhibitions 

 was entirely eclipsed on this occasion. As waB stated at p. 191 

 .prizes were offered amounting to about £1000 The classes 

 numbered 206, and there were 2927 entries. Two very large 

 halls and an extensive marquee could barely contain the im- 

 mense number of exhibits, and so far as the various horticul- 

 tural productions were concerned the Exhibition was quite a 

 success, but the arrangement of the Committee was far from 

 encouraging. It was late before many of the Judges arrived on 

 Wednesday night, and no arrangement whatever had been made 

 for their accommodation. Each one was told to find shelter 

 where he liked. Any exhibitor who wanted to see his products 

 next morning had to pay 5s. for admittance. Even nurserymen 

 ■from London, to whom the Committee were greatly indebted for 

 the success of their Show, were treated in this short-sighted 

 manner. At Edinburgh and Glasgow the Judges were always 

 accommodated together, and all gardeners had the appreciated 

 privilege of seeing the Show at a very cheap rate before the 

 public were admitted, but no such liberality characterised the 

 Dundee gathering. The luncheon tickets were 15s. each, which 

 placed what might have been a sociable meeting to many gar- 

 deners quite beyond the reach of ordinary people. No doubt 

 this is a paying way of doing things at present, but on a future 

 occasion it is more than probable that it will be found to be a 

 penny- wise-and-pound-fooliBh system. 



That munificent patron of horticulture, the Earl of Strath- 

 more, Glamis Castle, opened the proceedings with a speech, in 

 which he remarked that the wish he expressed two years ago 

 to have an international show in Dundee had been speedily 

 realised. They had disadvantages in the northern climes which 

 southern competitors had no cause to complain of, and it was 

 overcoming these disadvantages which had made Scottish gar- 

 deners so successful and distinguished in their profession. He 

 hoped the Show would be the means of increasing in many the 

 desire to encourage horticulture, as he thought there was no 

 science more worthy to be encouraged than this. 



It may be stated that the Show was not equal to other shows 

 which have been held in Scotland. Comparison was rife, and 

 locally it was asserted to be the best exhibition that had ever 

 been seen in the kingdom, but this was not the case. Taking the 

 Grapes altogether, they were inferior to what was at any of the 

 Edinburgh Internationals, and collections of fruit and Pines 

 were not so numerous as at previous exhibitions. 



Collections of Fruit. — For the twenty varieties there were 

 only three competitors. The first prize (£15) and a gold cup 

 valued at £20, presented by the Earl of Strathmore, was won by 

 the Earl's own gardener, Mr. Johnston, Glamis CaBtle. His 

 Grapes were superb, and consisted of Muscat of Alexandria; 

 a neat bunch, very large in berry, of Madresfield Court; 

 Lady Downe's, fine ; Buckland Sweetwater, which is always 

 shown in grand condition from Glamis; excellent Black 

 Hamburghs ; two small but well-formed and ripened Smooth 

 Cayenne Pine Apples ; Lord Strathmore and Meredith's Hybrid 

 Cashmere Melons ; Elruge, Due de Telliers, and Pitmaston 

 Orange Nectarines; Gros Mignonneand Red Magdalen Peaches; 

 Jargonelle Pears; Morello Cherries; Victoria, Jefferson's, and 

 Green Gage Plums; Shipley's Apricots, and Stirling Castle 

 Apples. The strongest part of this collection was the Grapes. 



Peaches and Nectarines were not of the largest size, but were 

 finely coloured. Mr. Goodacre, gardener to the Earl of Har- 

 rington, Elvaston CaEtle, Derby, who is a young exhibitor of con- 

 siderable promise, was second. His collection was composed of 

 excellent Canon Hall Muscats, Madresfield Court, Foster's White 

 Seedling, Black Hamburghs, and Muscat of Alexandria Grapes ; 

 one Smooth Cayenne and one Queen Pine Apple, a Victory of Bath 

 (green-flesh), and a Hero of Bath (scarlet-flesh) Melons ; Violette 

 Hative and Princess of Wales Peaches; Victoria and Violette 

 Hative Nectarines ; Moor Park Apricots, Morello Cherries, Im- 

 perial Gage and Jefferson's Plums, Jargonelle Pears, and Brown 

 Turkey Figs. The Grapes here were inferior to the first, but 

 many of the other fruits were equally good. The third prize 

 was awarded to Mr. DoDald Matheson, Meikleour, Perth, for a 

 collection in which there were some very good Foster's Seed- 

 ling, Black Hamburgh, fine Black Alicante, MuEcat of Alexan- 

 dria and Lady Downe's Grapes ; small Queen Pine Apples, 

 Golden Perfection and Emerald Isle Melons, Jefferson's and Kirk's 

 Plums ; Rivers's crimson Galande.. Belle Beauce, and Noblesse 

 Peaches, Elruge and Violet Musque Nectarines, Moor Park 

 Apricots, White Marseilles Figs, and Louise Bonne of Jersey and 

 Beurre d'Amanlis Pears. Some considered this collection equal 

 to the second, but many of the small fruits were not perfectly 

 ripe. Owing to Mr. Johnston carrying off the cup, the Earl of 

 Strathmore decided on presenting Mr. Goodacre with one of 

 equal value. It is to be regretted that there was not more com- 

 petition for the handsome prizes offered in this class. 



For the collection of fifteen sorts of fruit, Mr. Upjohn, gar- 

 dener to Lord Ellesmere, Worsley Hall, Manchester, was easily 

 first. His GrapeB were not large in bunch but were finely 

 finished. The Gros Colmans in thi3 collection were the best 

 of this variety in the hali, and the only bunches of Waltham 

 Cross which were exhibited were staged here. They were 

 barely ripe, but the berries were well swelled and very equal in 

 size. The Black Hamburgh and Muscat of Alexandria Grapes 

 were also good, and the remainder of the collection was com- 

 posed of Queen Emma and Methven's Early Gem Melons, Hard- 

 wick's Seedling Nectarines, Bellegarde and Violette Hative 

 Peaches, Guthrie's Late Green and Kirk's Plums, Fondante 

 d'Automne Pears, and Golden Pippin Apples. This was a first- 

 rate collection. Mr. McDonald, gardener to J. Paterson, Esq , 

 Kinnettles, Forfar, came second. The Smooth and Queen Pine 

 Apples were not large, but the Black Alicante Grapes were weU 

 finished, and Royal George Peaches were also in good condition. 

 Mr. John Thomson, gardener to the Right Hon. Lord Rollo and 

 Dunning, Duncrub, Perth, was third. 



Mr. Dickson, gardener to J. Whyte-Melville, Esq., Mount 

 Melville, St. Andrew's, Fife, was first for ten varieties of frnit. 

 Golden Champion and Duke of Buccleuch were well repre- 

 sented here. The former was as near free from spot or blemish as 

 possible. The Barrington and Noblesse Peaches were also fine, 

 but Oranges constituted a dish that might have been replaced 

 with advantage by some other fruit. The second prize was 

 awarded to Mr. McConochie, gardener to A. Smollet, Esq., 

 Cameron House, Dumbarton. The Grapes were excellent in 

 this collection. A finely coloured bunch named Muscat of Alex- 

 andria had a greater resemblance to Buckland Sweetwater than 

 anything else. The Lady Downe's were well finished; and a 

 Melon, the Colston Basset variety, was an excellent fruit. Mr. 

 D. Ross, St. Martin's Abbey, Perth, was third, his Black Ham- 

 burghs being well coloured but small in berry. The Noblesse 

 Peaches were the best among6t the stone fruit, and the Golden 

 Perfection and Reed's Hybrid MelonB were fair samples. For 

 the collection of eight varieties of hardy fruit Mr. Fairgrjeve, 

 gardener to the Dowager Duchess of Athol, Dunkeld, was first; 

 Mr. A. Stewart, Glendrick, second ; and Mr. McDonald, Kin- 

 fauns, third. Victoria, Kirk's, Jefferson's, and Golden Drop 

 Plums were conspicuous in all these collections. 



Grapes. — There was an immense quantity of Grapes shown. 

 As at previous Internationals the eight- variety class, one bunch 

 of each, was the great ceDtre of attraction. The first prize for 

 these was £15 and a gold medal (£5). Here again Mr. JonnBton 

 of Glamis Becured the first place. His bunches were even supe- 

 rior to those he had in the collection cf twenty sorts. One of 

 the most perfectly finished bunches of Black Hamburghs that 

 has ever been exhibited was in this lot. The bunch was not eo 

 extraordinarily large, but the berries were splendid, and not a 

 speck of anything had disturbed the bloom. The other varieties 

 were Lady Downe's, Chasselas Napoleon, Royal Vineyard (a 

 sort not often cultivated), Madresfield Court (extra good), Mus- 

 cat of Alexandria, Burchardt's Prince, and Black Alicante. 

 There was not the slightest perception of decline from Mr. 

 Johnston's previous high standing in ODe of these bunches. Mr. 

 Hunter, gardener to the Earl of Durham, Lambton Castle, was 

 placed second. His varieties were Calabrian Raisin, Black 

 Alicante, Burchardt's PriDce, White Tokay, Black Hamburgh, 

 Barbarossa, Muscat of Alexandria, and Trebbiano. Every one 

 of theEe bunches was of the same enormous size that Mr. Hunter 

 has always been in the habit of showing. They only lacked one 

 important particular, and that was colour. Another fortnight 



