450 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBB AND COTTAGE GABDENEB. 



[ June 23, 1863. 



Heatb, for Chasselas Musque ; and the third to Mr. Cross, for 

 Sweetwater. In the same class Mr. Turner exhibited large but 

 unripe bunches of Golden Hamburgh ; Mr. Pottle, Buckland 

 Sweetwater ; and Mr. Widdowson, Dutch Sweetwater. There 

 was a sad lack of competition in this class, which is one well 

 calculated to give encouragement to and bring out the qualities 

 of new varieties. 



Peaches were numerous, and generally very fine. The first 

 prize was awarded to Mr. .Rutland, for Noblesse, large and hand- 

 some ; the second to Mr. Snow, Wrest Park, for Violette 

 Hative, remarkably fine ; and third prizes to Mr. Allen, of Hop- 

 wood Hall, Lancashire, for Boyal George, and Mr. Brown, gar- 

 dener to Sir C. Knightly, for large fruit of the NoblesBe. Grosse 

 Mignonne came from Messr3. Boreham, Turner, Cross, and 

 Dawson ; Boyal George from Messrs. Wills, Turnbull, Cruiek- 

 shank, and Horwood ; and Bellegarde, from Mr. Bichards. 



Nectarines were also shown in abundance, and some in great 

 perfection. Mr. Butland had first prize for large and well- 

 ripened Elruge ; Mr. Brown was second with Violette Hative ; 

 and Mr. Horwood third with the same kind. The finest Nec- 

 tarines shown, however, were those from Mr. Allen, gardener to 

 J. B. Glegg, Esq., of Withington Hall, Cheshire. They were 

 exhibited as the Scarlet, but were to all appearance the Elruge, 

 and wonderfully fine they were, but from being in the Miscel- 

 laneous Class they were necessarily passed over without re- 

 ceiving an award. 



In Cherries, Mr. Henderson, of Trentham, had first prize for 



Elton ; Mr. Snow was second with Knight's Early Black ; and 



Mr. Enstone third with Elton. Seine Hortense was sent by 



.Mr. Curd, Boyal Duke by Mr. Tillery, and May Duke by 



Messrs. Turner, Ford, Dunn, and Cross. 



Strawberries, as exhibited by Mr. Smith, of Twickenham, 

 could not have been surpassed. He was first for a single dish 

 of British Queen, and in three dishes, for the same kind, Empress 

 Eugenie, and Sir Charles Napier, the fruit being of the extra- 

 ordinary size which he usually exhibits. Mr. Widdowson was 

 second with Sir Harry, and took a similar prize in the Class for 

 three dishes with that kind, Sir C. Napier, and Crimson Queen. 

 Messrs. Turner, Turnbull, and Dwerrihouse, had also excellent 

 exhibitions of Strawberries. 



Several handsome Melons were shown. Mr. Terry, gardener 

 to L. Ames, Esq , St. Albans, had the first prize in the Scarlet- 

 fleshed class, and Mr. Meredith, of Garstone, Liverpool, took a 

 similar position for a White-fleshed Hybrid Persian, of very fine 

 flavour. 



In the Miscellaneous Class, besides the Nectarines before 

 alluded to, there were several excellent exhibitions of Boyal 

 George Peaches, and Violette Hative Nectarines, coming from 

 Mr. Allen, of Hopwood Hall, Mr. Horwood, and Mr. Brown ; 

 and good Brown Turkey Figs were shown by Mr. Henderson, of 

 Trentham, Mr. Smith, of Syon, and Mr. Cross, the two last- 

 named receiving third and fourth prizes, whilst Messrs. Lane 

 were awarded the first prize for a collection of Apples, Pears, and 

 Cherries in pots, which bore every evidence of health, and were 

 covered with fruit swelling, colouring, and ripe. Messrs. Lee 

 had Cherries in pots ; and Strawberries in pots were exhibited 

 by Mr. Horwood and Mr. Cross, the former having Eleanor, 

 the latter Alice Maude and Trollope's Victoria. The fruit of 

 Passiflora quadrangularis was also shown, and some well- 

 coloured Tomatoes, as well as a few Apples of last year. 



TABLE DECOBATIONS AND FLOBISTS FXOWEBS. 

 A 'frET, cold and damp morning seemed to portend one of the 

 old Chiswiek days of the Horticultural Society ; but before 

 twelve o'clock the sun shone forth with great brilliancy, and a 

 splendid afternoon attracted a large number of lovers of flowers, 

 lovers of display, and lovers of sight-seeing from all quarters. 

 The Oxford Commemoration detracted, doubtless, from the 

 brilliancy of the fete, by keeping many distinguished personB 

 away ,- but notwithstanding, the DilTcoosha, as a writer in the 

 Times facetiously calls it, was crowded with a large assemblage 

 of the upper ten thousand, to witness a very fine display of 

 flowers, and, I believe, fruit ; but the latter was so far off from the 

 former, that I for one did not venture on it ; and was therefore 

 untempted by what I have no doubt was exceedingly good to 

 look at, but exceedingly sour to the bystanders. The mistake of 

 separating the music in ioto from the Show was not committed 

 this time, and the presence in the nave of the Bplendid band of 

 the Boyal Marines wa9 a great improvement, attracting a large 



number there who thus perforce visited the flowers, who would 

 otherwise have only loitered about the gardens. 



The plants and flowers were arranged, as before, down the 

 nave, and filled it from one end to the other. The subjects 

 entered for Sir W. Dilke's prizes were in the southern arcades 

 on entering, while the fruit was in the western arcade. Ample 

 space was thus given for promenading, and the subjects could 

 all be seen to great advantage. As before, however, I think the 

 plants looked dwarfed, owing to the great size of the place, and 

 a temporary awning would have greatly improved it. It is to be 

 hoped that when the Bose Show takes place something will be 

 adopted to protect them from the great heat and glare, or, as I 

 Eaw in the boxes exhibited to-day, they will not stand much 

 chance. 



1i imitation be the truest flattery, then assuredly Mr. March 

 ought to feel highly flattered, for nearly all the groups exhibited 

 for Sir Wentworth Dilke's prizes were modifications of his 

 original design ; so much so, indeed, that it is a question now, 

 I think, whether we have not had enough of this table decora- 

 tion. Originality of design there seems to be none; and the 

 differences between the groups are only differences of arrange- 

 ment. If the thing is attempted again, Sir W. ought to attach 

 one condition — " No birds, beasts, or fishes allowed ; " for, with 

 all due deference to the ladies who adjudicated, loves of humming- 

 birds were quite out of all character, and ought, in my opinion, 

 and that of many others whom I heard speaking about it, to 

 have disqualified the exhibitor. They were, too, in such 

 abundance, that the eye involuntarily rested on them, and this, 

 in my opinion, is a proof of incorrectness in taste. The per- 

 fection of dressing is when you can say, " How beautifully dressed 

 that lady is ! " though neither her bonnet, shawl, nor dreBS espe- 

 cially attract the eye. So here, too, if the principles were correct 

 which at the first Exhibition made the almost unanimous voice 

 of the multitude second the decision of the Judges in adjudi- 

 cating to Mr. March and his sister the first prize, because of 

 the simplicity and elegance of the design, then waa the decision 

 of to-day quite erroneous. 



The prettiest design there was in my opinion Lady Holmes- 

 dale's ; but this was spoiled by the introduction of some china 

 swans on the plateau. More of this anon — I am in duty bound 

 to take in the order of merit as arranged by the Judges. 



The first prize was awarded to Lady Bokeby. This group 

 was founded on the original design of Mr. March, the stand 

 consisting of a plateau, glass rod, and smaller dish on the top. 

 There was a deviation from it in small tubes, which sprang out 

 of the body of the stand, and in which were placed some fronds 

 of light Ferns. Around the base of each stand, instead of the 

 Ferns or Vine leaves recommended and used by Mr. March, 

 there was a wreath of Cissus discolor ; Caladium argyrites for 

 the centre, and Coleus Verschaffelti for the third. The Caladium, 

 we think, was a mistake, not being sufficiently in contrast to the 

 white cloth. There were some bunches of Grapes, some of which 

 the humming-birds were supposed to be eating, while others 

 rested on the Fern fronds. It was altogether pretty, but for 

 the reasons I have indicated above it did not stand Al. 



Mrs. J. Worthington Bliss, Langton, near Tunbridge Wells, 

 obtained second prize. This, too, was a modification of Mr. 

 March's, some fine fruit being both in the top and stand, with 

 Stephanotis floribunda twining up the stem. This in my opinion 

 was superior to Lady Bokeby's. 



The third prize was awarded to Mrs. Walter Fawcett, of 

 WeBtbourne Street, Hyde Park j and it is an evidence that much 

 latitude must be allowed to Judges of matters of taste, when I 

 know that many thought this should have been rewarded with 

 the premier prize. 



Those commended were Lady C. Kerrison, whose group con- 

 sisted almost exclusively of fruit, with a white china centre-piece. 

 Mr. A. Salter, William Street, Hammersmith, had a very pretty 

 set. The top diBh was supported, not by a glass rod, but by 

 four light wires, on which, to hide them, were tied some nice 

 fronds of Ferns. Lady Holmesdale had glass ovals instead of 

 a straight glass rod supporting the top, Ferns, Grapes, and some 

 choice Orchids being mixed with them. Mr. Thompson, of 17, 

 Boyal Crescent, had a very large plateau into which gold fish 

 were introduced— quite, as I think, out of place, unless it was 

 intended that each guest was to catch his own and have them 

 cooked according to his own fashion. It was, I think, very 

 properly passed over by the Judges. On the whole, my belief 

 is that the original design has never been equalled for simplicity, 

 elegance, and agreement with the principles of correct taste; 



