September 7, 1871. 3 



JOURNAL OF HORTIGULTUKE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



Legouve, &c. The second position for six Gladiolas of 1S70 ■was 

 taken by the Eev. H. H. Dombrain. 



Asters on the whole were good, and some of them quite as fine as in 

 more favourable seasons. The principal prizetakers, were Mr. "Wheeler, 

 Messrs. Kelway, and Mr. Matthews, Hoston, and Mr. Walker, Thame. 



Roses conld hardly be expected to be fine after bo much hot sun. 

 The best came from Messrs. Paul & Son, and Mr. C. J. Perry, Mr. 

 Coppin and Mr. Fewkes also showing creditable trusses. The latter 

 also sent Verbenas and French Marigolds, taking the second prize for 

 the former, Mr. Perry being first with very fine trusses. Of other 

 subjects, Mr. Edwards, florist, Upper Norwood, sent two very fine 

 specimen Hydrangeas in, tubs ; Mr. Faradell, "Wandsworth Common, 

 &ie examples of White and Red Tripoli and other Onions ; Messrs. 

 Downie, Laird, & Laing a group of fine-foliaged plants ; Messrs. 

 Dickson, of Edinburgh, a collection of hybrid bedding Violas, which 

 were dwarf in habit, good in colour, and likely to be useful ; and Mr. 

 Eckford, Coleshill, seedling Verbenas. 



In table decorations there was a marked improvement as compared 

 with those shown on August 5th, more originality, and a great deal 

 more elegance. The arrangements of Mr. Buster, St. Mai-y's Cray, 

 and Miss Hassard, Upper Norwood, were very graceful. Mr. Buster, 

 Goring, was third, and Miss E. Blair and the Rev. H. H. Dombrain 

 Tvere commended. 



At -the risk of being thought presumptuous, I have made up my 

 mind to write a few notes of my impressions of the recent flower show 

 of the Metropolitan Society at the Crystal Palace, and to trust to the 

 tender mercies of the Editors for their insertion in "our Journal," 

 hoping to repeat the attempt on another occasion if successful. 



As the names of the prizewinners will be supplied by the usual 

 authorities, I need not repeat a list of names, which, however well 

 known, have but little interest for those who are not practical gardeners. 

 I went to the flower show simply as one who is very fond of flowers 

 and gardening — a description which will, I daresay, apply to four out 

 of every five spectators, who generally pay very much more attention 

 to the flowers than to the names of the exhibitors. I might take as 

 my text " Flowers not Exhibitors." 



I shall plunge at once in medias res, without reference to classes or 

 arrangements, and commence with Roses. There were not many 

 specimens of the queen of flowers, and those which were exhibited soon 

 showed the effects of the heat, which was very great on each day. The 

 best Rose in the Show to my mind was a Charles Lefebrre exhibited 

 by Mr. Perry. Some of the specimens exhibited under the same 

 name were of such very different shades, that it was almost impossible 

 to believe that they could be the same. Alfred Colomb was a most 

 conspicuous example of this, and were I to order it, I am sure I do 

 not know what coloured Rose I should get. Judging from the speci- 

 mens I saw I should select Charles Lefebvre, Alfred Colomb, Celine 

 Forestier, Marechal Niel, La France, Madame Alice Dureau, Mdlle. 

 Marie Rady, and Madame Willermoz as among the best Roses on the 

 tables. The heat of the day and the lateness of the season were much 

 against them. 



Verbenas were not plentiful but very good. None beat my old 

 favourite Geant des Batailles. 



Asters were very good indeed, but the prizes were not awarded in 

 every instance quite in accordance with my ideas. I was not the only 

 person who considered the twelve flowers exhibited by Mr. Silver, gar- 

 dener to J. P. Saunders, Esq., better than either of the collections 

 "which took the second and third prizes. All the prize collections of 

 thirty-sixes were most excellent, and it must have been an unenviable 

 task to try to distinguish between them. I shall for the future discard 

 German Asters and stick to the French. 



Hollyhocks were magnificent, particularly the collections of Mr. 

 Oats, and of those exhibited by him notably his twelve cut blooms. 

 It was necessary to see them in order to believe that this flower could 

 be brought to such perfection. It was not the least satisfactory feature 

 in this class that the amateur carried all before him. 



Dahlias were a sight to see, though I must confess that it is not a 

 favourite flower with me. Mr. Keynes had in one of his collections a 

 magnificent Queen of Primroses, which was, I think, the best speci- 

 men among them all. It excited great admiration. Of the others I 

 shall select Julia Wyatt, Monarch, Golden Gem, Lord Palmerston, 

 and John Neville Keynes as among the best. 



Gladioluses I have kept tUl last, as to my mind they formed the 

 feature of the Exhibition. They were simply magnificent. I would 

 use a stronger word if I had one at command. Oh ! what a feast of 

 glorious colours and delicate shades ! I could not help asking myself 

 why this splendid flower is not more generally grown. If the Metro- 

 politan Society should succeed in bringing it into greater notice, and 

 accomplish nothing else, it would still have done a great work. Messrs. 

 Kelway 's thirty-six were very grand, and presented a sight well worth 

 a journey. Mr. J. Douglas exhibited some very beautiful spikes, and 

 amongst others one of Meyerbeer, which was to my mind the finest in 

 the Show. There was not a single collection exhibited which would 

 not have been a splendid feature in any garden. There was scarcely 

 a spike which was not " a thing of beauty.^' The fact that *' D.," of 

 Deal, was among the prizewinners gave an additional interest in my 

 eyes to this part of the Exhibition. 



Of table decorations I confess I have scarcely patience to write. I 

 do not know what were the conditions of the competition, and I defy 



anyone to guess at them after an inspection of the awards. There 

 were but few specimens which were fit to be placed on any well-dressed 

 table. In many instances the receptacle for the flowers was of the 

 very commonest shape, and dressed in the worst taste. The design of 

 Mr. W. Dedmon, Jan., which appeared to me the most tasty and suit- 

 able, being light and capable of being prettily dressed, was passed 

 over without even a commendation, while a second prize was awarded 

 to a contrivance from Messrs Barnicott & Banfield, consisting of 

 flower-glasses and candelabra combined, in which the top flowers must 

 have caught fire if the candles had been lighted. 



The same remarks will apply to vases and baskets. Most of the 

 articles exhibited were of the very commonest description. The third- 

 prize vase was preferable to either of those to which the first and 

 second prizes were awarded. In one instance a commended was 

 bestowed on a common unshapely vase, containing a bunch of nn- 

 arranged flowers. This was, I think, the climax. I was, and still am, 

 in doubt whether the whole thing was not a joke. If it were not, I 

 can only say I think this part of the Exhibition was very humiliating. 

 I should have left the building in a state of great disgust after an in- 

 spection of these so-caUed " decorations," but the sight of the Gladi- 

 oluses and the soand of that grand Handel Festival organ restored 

 my equanimity. 



To sum up, I should say, speaking as an amateur and an ignoramus, 

 that the Dahlias and Verbenas were good, Asters and Hollyhocks very 

 fine, and Gladioluses magnificent ; but that the table decorations 

 showed a sad lack of invention in the designs, and in many instances 

 great want of taste in the dressing, but, taken as a whole, the Show 

 was a source of very great enjoyment. — W. H. B. 



ROYAIi HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Septehbee 6th. 



The Show on this occasion was held in the Council-room, which 

 barely afl'orded space enough for the fall display of the subjects sent, 

 which were not, however, sufficiently numerous to have filled a tent, 

 even had the appearances of the early morning been more inviting than 

 they actually were. Still the day was fair, the Show was interesting, 

 and the attendance of visitors much better than one could expect now 

 that London is out of town. 



The show of Dahlias, though not by any means so extensive as 

 that at the Crystal Palace, was superior in quality ; a week has made 

 a great difference in the blooms, and it was generally admitted that 

 the Metropolitan Society's Show was for this season fully a week too 

 soon. For twenty-four Messrs. Kelway, of Langport, were first with 

 splendid blooms of King of Primroses, Pandora, Julia Wyatt, King 

 of Sweden, Master of A.rts, Mr. Dix, Jenny Austin, Vice-President, 

 Miss Hensbaw, Lord Napier, Charlotte Dorling, Volunteer, Lord 

 Shaftesbury, Flag of Truce, Lord Derby, Andrew Dodd, Ellen Potter, 

 Sydney Herbert, Princess of Wales, Hugh Miller, Mrs. Boston, Lady 

 G. Herbert, and good examples of some others. The second-prize 

 twenty-four came from Mr. Tamer, of Slough, and consisted entirely 

 of seedlings, several of which were very fine in size, form, and colour. 

 Mr. C. .J. Perry, Castle Bromwich, was third, showing fine blooms of 

 James Cocker, Mary Keynes, Gipsy King, Vice-President, Hebe, and 

 Miss Koberts. Mr. Burpitt, gardener to C. Lambert, Esq., Wands- 

 worth Common, and Mr. Walker, Thame, also exhibited in this 

 class. 



In the amateurs' class for twelve Mr. C. J. Perry took the lead with 

 Vice-President, John Keynes, Flora Wyatt, Lord Derby, &c. The 

 second prize went to Mi-. E. Parsons, Waterstock, Oxon, and the 

 third to Mr. Beach, gardener to C. J. Herries, Esq., Sevenoaks. 



Of Asters not quilled there was an excellent show, many of the 

 heads being very nearly 4 inches in diameter, and the colours fine and 

 distinct. Mr. Wheeler, of Warminster, was first for twenty-four with 

 a remarkably fine stand. The second prize went to Messrs. Kelway, 

 of Langport, who had some very fine blooms both as regards size and 

 colours, the latter in several of the varieties being very brilUant. Mr. 

 Chater, Gonville Nurseries, Cambridge, was third. Mr. Walker, 

 Thame, and Mr. Rowe, The Rookery, Koehampton, also competed. 



In the open class for twelve Asters Mr. Chater and Mr. Wheeler 

 were respectively first and second, both with excellent blooms. -i 



In the amateurs' class for the same number of blooms the prizes 

 went to Mr. Eowe, Mr. Famdeil, Surrey County Asylum, Tooting, 

 and to Mr. Porter, gardener to Mrs. Benham, Isleworth. 



For six Asters in pots Mr. Rowe and Mr. Porter were the only exhi- 

 bitors, showing very well-bloomed plants. Messrs. Veitch exhibited,, 

 not for competition, a splendid collection of Truffaut's Pfeony-flowered, 

 Chrysanthemum-flowered, and other varieties. 



Of Verbenas, stands of twenty-four were exhibited by Mr. C. J. Perry, 

 and Mr. Chater, Gonville Nurseries, Cambridge ; the former being 

 first with splendid trusses of Edwin Day, scarlet, Charles Perry, Lilae 

 King, Szc. Mr. Chater's trusses were somewhat past. 



Of six plants of Lilium speciosnm in not fewer than three varieties 

 only one collection was shown ; that came from Mr. Bull, of Chelsea, 

 and consioted of L. speciosum (lancifolinm) album, sub-varieties of 

 rnbrnm, also rosenm and punctatnm. The plants ranged from 2 to 

 3 feet in height, and were in splendid bloom. 



In six distinct Liliums Mr. Bull again was the only exhibitor, show- 

 ing L. auratum in magnificent bloom, a variety of it called pictum 

 with the band in the centre of each division purple- tinged, L. specio- 



