72 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 27, 1871. 



staged, judged, and the prizes awarded before the great expecting 

 public were admitted ; but I found that even for them the hour was 

 too early, and some of the judging had to be done in crowds. 



Then, again, I thought how powerless the lords of creation were, 

 even helped by all the bitonning, and banter, and sarcasm of Punch, to 

 change in one iota the line or the dimensions of a lady's dress. I have 

 had my own notions of the swelled-out ballooning that made a road- 

 ■way necessary for a single lady ; of the danger to your own limbs, if 

 you courted iiropinquity, from the rubs and thumps from iron hoops ; 

 and of the worse than waste involved in having the bottoms of 

 •dresses so long as to make the work of the scavenger unnecessary in 

 clearing pathways from filth and dust, as if it were the very height of 

 perfection to turn the skirt of a dress into a sweeping broom. But to 

 the astonishment of such a comparative hermit as I, here were some 

 thousands of beautifully dressed ladies, the width of whose garments 

 at the base would hardly exceed a perpendicular line dropped from the 

 shoulder, and, what is more, the most comely of these dresses were as 

 many inches above the ground level as to show a pretty foot and ankle. 

 The wondrous goddess Fashion seems to regulate these things at will, 

 ^nd when invention is rare just repeats the past. I have a strong 

 recollection of having seen just such dresses many years ago. An old 

 friend of mine, long gone to his rest, used to say that his home-spun, 

 iiome-weaved wedding coat, which lasted his lifetime for Sundays and 

 seemed little the worse at last — for shoddy was then unknown — had 

 been three times the very pink of cut and fashion. Tastes in gardening 

 matters change much in the same way. "With all the excess of hoop- 

 ing a little of it was very good, as it enabled a lady to walk with com- 

 fort and ease. We are often surprised that it is not thoroughly seen, 

 that every bundling-up of skirts, holding them up — anything and every- 

 thing that impedes the free use of feet and hands in walking, just so 

 ■far interferes with ease and gracefulness of motion, and thus lessens 

 ihe attractions of the sweetest flowers of earth. 



Though Agi-iculture and Horticulture are such twin sisters that they 

 ■ought to go hand in hand with each other, we have had reasons for 

 ■coming to the conclusion that it was not advisable for them to have 

 their great fete days at the same time ; the greater interest was so apt 

 to overshadow the less if more attractive one. There seemed no room 

 for such a sui'mise at Bedford. I know nothing of the arrangements 

 Ibetween the sister Societies and saw no schedules, but a mere fence 

 and wicket separated the show grounds of the one from the other, and 

 that of itself was a great advantage ; and at whatever show-ground you 

 entered you passed into the other at half price, and to save trouble 

 there were no returns from one to the other. I was told that both 

 Societies were satisfied with the number of visitors, and however the 

 ■agricultural might have been visited in the forenoon, the great prepon- 

 derance of numbers seemed to be in the horticultural department in the 

 afternoon. The show of fine stock and of the newest and best imple- 

 iments in the agricultural department was very attractive. 



In the horticultural department preparations had been made on the 

 most extensive scale in the shape of tents and marquees, almost snlli- 

 ■cient for a metropolitan gathering. If a drenching rain had suddenly 

 come, how the spare space would have been prized! In judging from 

 the quality exhibited, I should hope that in future the lovers of 

 quantity will also be gratified. The show of vegetables from cottagers 

 and gentlemen's garoeners was, as is generally the case in this and 

 neighbouriDg counties, very fine, well worthy the appellations of good, 

 foetter, best, and the only difiiculty seemed to be, where all was good, 

 to find the best. Eidney Potatoes were shown as if they had been 

 previously cast in a mould, so uniform in size and shape were they ; 

 ■and in Rounds the prizes were awarded to beautiful flattish Potatoes, 

 "without showing the indentation of an eye, and only wanting the least 

 thing in length to make them in every feature and look a Kidney. 

 I heard some ladies and gentlemen asking each other what consti- 

 tuted a round Potato, and I heard no satisfactoi-y answer given. No 

 real round Potato with eyes much sunk would have had the least 

 chance with these flattish symmetrical tubers, which are in reality 

 more Iridney-shaped than round. Until a cleai'er definition be given, 

 the great bulk of good round Potatoes that show much of an eye have 

 no chance at an exhibition table. I should be inclined to take the 

 word "round" in its natural sense, and apply it to a Potato where 

 the longest and shortest diameter were as nearly of the same length 

 as possible. I listened to a discussion between two great gardeners, 

 each an authority on such subjects, in relation to the Early Rose Potato, 

 a long Kidney, with eyes rather deep, and a buff-coloured skin. Cue 

 otated that, for early forcing, with him it beat by a fortnight the earliest 

 varieties of Ash-leaved, Handsworth, &c., and turned out as mealy 

 as a flour-ball. The other contended that in such dripping seasons as 

 this, out of doors this vaunted sort was only fit for cattle. Both agreed 

 it was very prolific. More information would be desirable, especially 

 to all who have but little room to try improved sorts. There was one 

 -drawback as respects the vegetables, and especially the Potatoes, none 

 were named, and I heard many inquiries in this direction, that a 

 legibly-written card would at once have satisfied. Societies and exhi- 

 bitors should bear in mind that visitors come for improvement and 

 instruction as well as jjleasure and sightseeing. Some Peas were new 

 to me, but I could not ascertain what they were. The only vegetable 

 1 noticed named was a large basket of fine specimens of Laxton's 

 Supreme Pea, not for competition, brought by Mr. Manning, of Tin- 

 grith, not from the garden, but his own freehold farm. Taken alto- 

 gether, whether in separate dishes or collections in baskets, the vege- 



tables were well worth going a journey to see. There were some fine 

 Cucumbers, one brace long and symmetrical, with a small girth, but 

 no name was appended. 



As a hint to young gardeners, I may say that if one has to provide 

 for a large establishment, he must make vegetables the first speciality, 

 and fruit the second, for after all our refinement we must eat to live, 

 and thus what satisfies the appetite will ever among the masses have 

 stronger claims than that which merely gratifies the eye. 



"With the exception of a few good bunches of Grapes for com- 

 petition, the fruit was chiefly confined to Raspberries, Gooseberries, 

 and Currants. I noticed only two small dishes of Strawberries. True, 

 the tdble was graced with fine Grapes, Melons, and Pines from Mr. 

 McKay, of AVoburn, and Mr. Manning, but these were merely for look- 

 ing at before going to gi'ace the dinner-table. With the fine gardens 

 round Bedford there is great room for extension here. 



The ornamental department was more distinguished for quality 

 than quantity, and here fine foliage reigned supreme over the merely 

 bright in flowers. True, there were fine cut Roses, well-arranged 

 bouquets, baskets of flowers, and floral stands for the table, which I 

 could scarcely see for the crowds round them, and the judging of which 

 when I am concerned, I always desire to escape from, and to give 

 up to a committee of ladies. I think, too, in the country, and especi- 

 ally in summer, the stems of these hand flowers should be real, and 

 the handle not a make-up of wires and sticks. With so much of the 

 artificial, why not have artificial flowers at once ? A little dusting and 

 washing would make them always fresh, and the perfume most desired 

 could at once be supplied. There is a danger that we forget the 

 natural too much in wooing the artificial. One great speciality was a 

 number of baskets of wild flowers and grasses, made up, I presume, 

 by young ladies, who each, no doubt, thought she ought to have the 

 one prize of a sewing machine. Pity the judges who were compelled 

 to pass so many and fix on merely one. More interest would have been 

 attached to this attractive feature, if there had been more diversity in 

 the arrangement, if each kind had been kept more separate, and if 

 there had been even an attempt at nomenclature. 



In mixed collections of plants Messrs. Wood & Ingi-am stood first. 

 I had long known the Huntingdon Nurseries to be distinguished for 

 fruit trees, ornamental tree-, shrubs, florists' flowers, and small glass 

 houses that turned out immense quantities of small plants, but the 

 size of the plants exhibited showed there must have been great progress 

 in glass houses, &c., since I saw the nursery years ago. Among their 

 plants were a hu,£;e dense bush of Croton pictnm ; a beautiful glossy- 

 green plant of Neottopteris australa?ica with fronds fnlly 4 feet in 

 ienoth, and 11 inches in width ; a very fine plant of Cibotium Schiedei, 

 with fronds more than 6 feet in length and wide in proportion ; a fine 

 plant, with large round foliage, of Verschafeltia splendida ; a huge 

 healthy bush shrub of Croton variegatum ; a fine plant with bright 

 green leaves of Dracaena australis ; a large plant with fine foliage of 

 Theophrasta imperialis ; a good specimen of Phormium tenas varie- 

 gatum, showing a high flower-stalk with swelling buds ; a good plant 

 of Croton angustifolium ; more Dracjenas, including the white and 

 yellow-edged green-leaved Reginte; fiuithiDg with a noble specimen of 

 Dicksonia antarctica. 



Mr. D. McKellar, gardener at Colworth Hall, took the second place 

 for a more mixed collection containing the good old Rush like plant 

 Russellia juncea, Cissus discolor, ChamEerops humilis, Hibiscus Coop- 

 eri with finely mottled foliage, Coleus Albert Victor as a pyramid, a 

 very tall standard Fuchsia, Begonia fuchsioides well bloomed, Croton 

 variegatum, and a huge plant of Musa Ensete which must have required 

 a waggon to bring it, and would have needed a tent on purpose high 

 enough to show it off. 



Just to show what could be done in very little houses and in very 

 little room, Mr. Sbeppard, the well-known nurseryman at Bedford, 

 who had hands and head full enough for one day, had beautiful, com- 

 pact, yet perfect specimens, fit for the best table decoraticn, of such 

 plants. A fine bright variety of Ixora crocata, Sanchezia nobilis varie- 

 gata from Ecuador, with white-striped leaves, Ficus elastica, Dicksonia 

 antarctica, Neottopteris nidus, Euryalatifolia, Clerodendron Balfourii, 

 Pandanus elegantissimus, Pteris cretica, Allamanda neriifolia, Cala- 

 dium Chantini, and a pretty little plant of Pandanus javanious. Many 

 would be frightened at the room required for largo specimens but 

 might take courage and find space enough for such compact little spe- 

 cimens as the above. Mr. Sheppard. among a mixed collection, chiefly 

 of hardy Ferns, exhibited a nice little shrub with white coi-ymhs of 

 flowers, called, I think, Sweetia caft'ra, that seemed as if it would like 

 an intermediate house. 



Besides what I have noticed, the bulk of the plants in pnts consisted 

 of Ferns, Mosses, and Coleus. Owing to the pressure I could not 

 catch the names of the different exhibitors who showed nice plants; 

 but Mr. McKellar, who was not afraid to bring the Musa Ensete, 

 had less reason to dread bringing huge Ferns from Colworth, thus 

 standing first. For instance, the name has escaped my memory of a 

 fine Fern with a diameter of head 8 feet across ; a Lomaria gibba, 

 with a pretty head, 5 feet in heighc and 6 feet across ; a fine dense 

 plant of Gymnogramma chrysophylla with a diameter of head of 6 feet ; 

 an Adiantum formosum, S feet ; Adinntum trapezoides, 8 feet 6 inches ; 

 and a noble specimen of the Bird's-nest Fern, Neottopteris nidus, 

 close on 9 feet in diameter of head, length of average-sized loaves 

 5 feet, and width of each across, 11 inches. Then among hardy Ferns 

 there were the cambricum variety of the common Polypodinm, 2^ feet 



