September 19, 1872 ] 



JOUENAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



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success of this Exhibition, generously postponed their annual 

 autumn show, which was formerly held in September, until 

 December. 



The Judges for Fruit were — Messrs. Carmichael, Sandringham; 

 Barron, Chiswick; Dunn, Dalkeith; Rust, Bridge Castle; 

 Allan, Broomlow, Lurgan; McLellau, Invergary; and Speed, 

 Chatsworth. For Plants — Messrs. Moore, Chelsea ; Bruce Find- 

 lay, Manchester ; Fraser, Lea Bridge Road, London. For Cut 

 Flowers — D. T. Fish, Hardwicke; B. S. Williams, Victoria and 

 Paradise Nurseries, London ; Mitchell, the Nurseries, Dean Park, 

 Edinburgh. For Florists' Flowers — Messrs. Turner, Slough; 

 Downie,ForestHill, London; Paul, Crossflat Nurseries, Paisley. 

 For Vegetables — Turnbull, Bothwell Castle; Henderson, Castle 

 Wemyss ; Campbell, Buchanan Castle. 



BKIGHTON AUTUMN SHOW. 



The various aspects under which a horticultural exhibition 

 may be regarded offer much that is interesting, instructive, and 

 amusing. Such an institution is not always devoid of certain 

 trifling blemishes perhaps, yet on the whole it is calculated to 

 foster and improve all branches of horticulture ; but it takes 

 even a higher grade of usefulness in its humanising tendency, 

 promoting, as it does, much kindly feeling and genial intercourse. 

 Certainly there is at times a slight per contra in the shape of an 

 irate non-successful exhibitor or two, with whom one would 

 always feel disposed to deal tenderly, remembering how bitter 

 is the first feeling of disappointment that failure brings, though 

 generally followed by a healthy resolve at least to endeavour to 

 gain some instruction from failure, and to try again with more 

 earnest effort and better skill. 



The extensive and very excellent autumn Exhibition of the 

 Brighton Horticultural Society was held at the Pavilion on 

 Wednesday and Thursday, the 11th and 12th inst. It em- 

 braced ornamental-foUaged plants, stove and greenhouse plants, 

 Fuchsias, Pelargoniums, a class for single specimens, &c. ; then 

 there were table decorations, and cut flowers in a variety of 

 classes and degrees, with fruit, vegetables, and various miscel- 

 laneous subjects. All the classes were well represented except- 

 ing vegetables, of which there was a miserable paucity. 



A ten-guinea cup offered for ten variegated and ornamental 

 plants by the London and Brighton Bailway Company brought 

 . together four collections, forming a noble group of plants, occu- 

 pying the whole of the banqueting room. The cup was won by 

 Mr. j. Hudson, gardener to J. iinthurn, Esq., with noble tree 

 Ferns, a huge Chama?rops humilis, Alocasia macrorhiza varie- 

 gata, A. metallica, Croton picturn, C. angustifolium, Yucca 

 quadricolor, and a magnificent Stevensonia grandifolia. 



Of stove and greenhouse plants there was a really splendid 

 display, not unworthy of South Kensington. The first prize for 

 eight was won by Mr. S. Hudson, gardener to F. Barchard, Esq., 

 with Allarnanda cathartica, A. nobilis, an even well-shaped 

 plant of Erica retorta vittata, a splendid specimen of Vinca 

 oculata; a fine plant, somewhat over-tall and thin, of Ixora 

 javanica noribimda, the charming Echites splendens, with its 

 lovely flowers of a delicate peach shade, Ixora amboynensis, and 

 a magnificent Bondeletia speciosa major, which was quite the 

 gem of the collection. Mr. Parsons, who took the second 

 honours, had a capital Stephanotis, a fine example of skilful 

 training and culture, and the beautiful Dipladenia arnabilis. 

 The third and fourth prizes were also taken with good plants, 

 among which was a fine Clerodendron Balfourianum, with a pro- 

 fusion of its creamy white and crimson flowers. In the class for 

 fours were fine examples of Vinca rosea and Bougainvillea 

 glabra. Ericas were represented, but the plants were of no great 

 merit. Liliums, too, were of indifferent quality. I note this with 

 regret, for they are a most desirable class of plants, useful for a 

 variety of decorative purposes, and of very easy culture. The 

 class for single specimens contained a few good plants ; the first 

 prize was given to a healthy but very ragged plant of Ixora 

 amboynensis, the second going to a splendid specimen of Statice 

 imbricata, which, although of a large size, presented a singu- 

 larly graceful and elegant appearance. 



Of Fuchsias there was a considerable number of large plants, 

 which, although well and even profusely flowered, were deficient 

 iu symmetry ; one plant only of Mrs. Marshall — a white-flowered 

 variety — was well-shaped, and even this was disfigured by having 

 a portion of the rough stake that supported it protruding from 

 the top of the plant. 



Zonal Pelargoniums were numerous and fine, notably Mr. G. 

 Parsons's Hydrangea, a desirable variety, having large trusses of 

 fine pink dark flowers, and Mdlle. Nilsson, of a deeper shade of 

 pink, and with immense but very compact trusses. Among the 

 plants of other exhibitors the bright scarlet Leonidas was con- 

 spicuous, as was Mons. Thomas, a really splendid variety, with 

 fine large compact trusses of a soft pleasing shade of scarlet ; 

 Bride, with pretty compact trusses of white flowers with pink 

 centre, and Mrs. W. Paul, an old but useful delicate pink 

 variety, were also good. Achimenes were all good and Well- 

 finished plants. 



Among numerous other excellent plants were a noble San- 

 chezia nobilis variegata, a quantity of Begonias of the flowering 

 section, and collections of Ferns, including fine examples of 

 Lomaria gibba, Adiantum farleyense, Davallia divaricata, and 

 Gleichenia glauca. 



The table decorations were most excellent, and were a remark- 

 able advance upon anything of the kind one is accustomed to 

 meet with at provincial shows ; the whole of them — and there 

 were some two dozen stands — were characterised more or less by 

 an air of lightness and elegance, obtained in almost every 

 instauce by the judicious use of spikes of Grass and Maidenhair 

 Fern. 



Cut flowers were in great force, and generally were very good. 

 Mr. Mitchell, of Piltdown, took the leading position with Roses, as 

 did Mr. Keynes, of Salisbury, with Dahlias, of which there was 

 a fine display. Gladioli, Asters, Hollyhocks, Phlox, and Cle- 

 matis were all well represented. Of the latter Mr. Cripps, of 

 Tunbridge Wells, had an interesting collection, both of well- 

 known kinds and of seedlings of considerable merit. 



The display of fruit was an excellent one. Mr. G. Ward, 

 gardener to J. N. Miller, Esq., Bishop Stortford, took the 

 premier prizes for three bunches each of black and white Grapes, 

 with splendid bunches of Black Hamburgh, and equally fine 

 fruit of Muscat of Alexandria. The same exhibitor also stood 

 first in the class for baskets of 12 lbs. ; but the victory was by no 

 means an easy one, for the basket of Black Hamburgh from Mr. 

 R. Norris, gardener to R. Bosanquet, Esq., which was placed 

 second, contained some extraordinary fruit, immensely superior 

 in size, and very little inferior in colour to Mr. Ward's. Pines 

 though not numerous were good, notably a Queen Pine weigh- 

 ing 5J lbs. by Mr. Rochford, Page Green, Tottenham. The first 

 prize for Melons was taken by good examples of that fine old 

 kind Egyptian Queen, both in the open class and in that 

 restricted to local growers. Apples, Plums, and Cherries were 

 all good. Pears, too, were in great abundance ; Williams's Bon 

 Chretien predominating, but of no great merit in any instance. 

 Here again first honours in both classes were taken by fruit of 

 the same kind, which was Marie Louise. 



I have thus sketched the most prominent features of this suc- 

 cessful Exhibition, and will conclude my report by observing 

 that while in its plants and table decorations a marked improve- 

 ment was visible on former efforts, it was as a whole worthy of 

 London-super-Mare, and in some points not unworthy of London 

 itself. — Edwaed Luckhuest. 



ADAKE MANOR.— No. i. 

 County Limerick, Ireland. 



We cannot but linger and take note of the surroundings of 

 the grand old Franciscan Abbey, 



" Where inauy a saint and many a hero trod." 

 The rich pasture is striking, but that part of the demesne op- 

 posite the Manor is poor in landscape beauty compared with 

 the other sides of the park. However, the young plantations, 

 to which we shall afterwards refer, on the south, or Mount 

 William side of the park, will in a few years vastly improve the 

 landscape of this part. 



From the old Abbey we obtain a glimpse of the giant Elms 

 and of the Manor. The broad swelling knoll, so finely wooded, 

 behind the Manor, is a great central feature in the park, and on 

 this rise we still see traces of the Elms for which Adare was 

 so famous in the last century. The first great breach made in 

 the majestic avenues of Elms was caused by a storm in 1814, 

 when hundreds of the large trees were uprooted ; again much 

 havoc was caused by the storm of January, 1839 ; and that of 

 January, 1842, left only a few fragments of the grand avenues 

 of Adare. Arthur Young, on visiting Adare ninety-six years 

 ago, spoke in raptures of the Elm trees, and of the Oaks in the 

 large deer park, and " hoary Thorns of great size." The deer 

 park is isolated from the demesne, and contains about 400 acres. 



Close to the Abbey the approach to the Manor crosses the 

 river by an old stone bridge. As giving access to a mansion 

 of such a stately character, occupying a central position in a 

 large park, this approach is the very worst in design that can 

 be conceived. We hope the present noble owner of Adare will 

 remedy this weak point ; the late Earl had serious intentions 

 of rnaiing a grand approach from the gate near Desmond 

 Castle, and then sweeping it round the hill to the noble entrance 

 of the Manor. 



On crossing the bridge from the Abbey we follow a walk 

 winding along the river's bank ; from here there is a very 

 beautiful evening view of the Manor seen past the row of 

 towering Elms. Between the walk and the carriage drive on 

 the right is a considerable strip of ground, on which we noted 

 the following thriving trees — Pinus pyrenaica, P. excelsa, 



