November 2S, 1872. ] 



JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



425 



U.R.H. the Prince of Wales, H.E.H. the Princess Louise, the 

 Duke of Wellington, the Marquis of Aileshury, Marquis of 

 Bristol, Hon. Mrs. Hay, Lord Calthorpe, Lord Ormathwaite, 

 Sir Paul Hunter, Sir Charles Russell, Henry Allsopp, Esq., 

 E. Attenborough, Esq., James Blyth, Esq., E. AUfrey, Esq., 

 E. W. Hall Dare, Esq., William Joyce, Esq., Messrs. Hepburn 

 and Son, Mrs. Morten, Messrs. Boxall, Cave, Ellis, W. Martin 

 Tagg, S. Eobinson, N. Stilgoe, J. Bulford, E. Humfrey, W. 

 Looker, jun., E. Webb, W. J. Strange, and also that there were 

 420 exhibits. The Show was held in their new premises, one 

 floor alone being 400 feet in length and 40 feet in width. The 

 •Judges were Messrs. Long, Binfield; Wilkins, Mortimer; JenMn 

 Dalies, Englefield ; Bell, gardener to the Duke of Wellington ; 

 Higgs, gardener to Miss Crawshay; and Tegg, gardener to J. 

 Walter, Esq., M.P., and they were occupied the whole of Friday 

 in fulfilling their arduous task. It would be impossible for me 

 to enter into the details of this remarkable Exhibition at the 

 length that I could wish or that its merits entitle it to. Farmers 

 will have an opportunity of seeing the most remarkable roots 

 at the Sroithfield Club Show, and horticulturists who have not 

 seen it must rest satisfied with my assertion that at no metro- 

 politan or provincial show have I seen finer collections of vege- 

 tables than those which were exhibited ; but I will, neverthe- 

 less, select a few salient points, which may give an idea of its 

 general excellence. The highest prize, a handsome silver cup, 

 "value ten guineas, was offered for twenty-four roots of Sutton's 

 Improved Champion Swede. This was won by W. Bullen, Esq., 

 Weyford, Crewkerne, with roots which were perfection for 

 growth, the bulbs being large with small necks, and very sym- 

 metrical, for it must not be supposed that size is the one thing 

 sought after, size without quality being of little value. Then 

 -what marvellous roots of Mangold Wurtzel were those of Sutton's 

 Long Eed Mammoth, exhibited by the Marquis of .ailesbury , 

 ■Savernake, the twelve roots weighing 489 lbs., and several of 

 them weighing 55 lbs. each. The Marquis of Ailesbury also took 

 the first prize for Sutton's New Golden Tankard Mangold, a 

 splendid variety, of which the flesh is yellow throughout instead 

 of white, as in other Mangolds. For Sutton's Improved Green 

 Kohl Eabi there was a very spirited competition with splendid 

 roots, the first prize going to Mr. Joseph Cave. Her Most 

 Gracious Majesty the Queen exhibited in this and in many other 

 ■classes ; the productions were highly commended. A very 

 interesting feature of the Show was the exhibition for Potatoes, 

 lor which there were several classes. A prize was offered for 

 Sutton's Bed-skinned Flourball, and this brought together a 

 large number of splendid specimens, showing the value of this 

 Potato for size and quality, it having been stated by many 

 growers and exhibitors to have been entirely free from disease 

 in this year of such prevalent calamity to the noble tuber. 

 There were also some excellent collections of Potatoes ; and a 

 remarkably handsome seedling round Potato from Mr. Bette- 

 ridge, will, I think, be heard of by-and-by, as it looked exceed- 

 ingly promising. There were some fine samples of Sutton's 

 Improved Beading Onion, one of the very best keeping Onions 

 we have. The white Turnips were an exhibition in themselves, 

 so remarkably clean and well-shaped were they. 



I wish that it were allowable for me to enter into a fall de- 

 scription of the excellent manner in which all the arrangements 

 of this admirable establishment are carried on ; but I cannot 

 omit to mention that they have a splendid lecture hall, capable 

 of containing three hundred persons, and that each morning a 

 Scripture-reader, who is entirely supported by the Messrs. 

 Sutton, opens the day's proceedings with reading the Scriptures 

 and prayer. Being there early I had the pleasure of being 

 present at it, and could not but; feel that in these days, when it 

 is more popular to scoff and sneer at all outward demonstrations 

 of religion, it was pleasurable to find a firm employing, so large 

 . a number of men thus endeavouring to honour Him from whom 

 all good things do come. A correspondent mentioned some 

 time ago in the Journal that this was done at Mr. Eobert Han- 

 bury's, The Poles. It is gratifying to find that the good work 

 is not confined to private gentlemen alone, and I am of those 

 old-fashioned folk who believe that "He honoureth them who 

 honour Him." They have also a reading-room for their young 

 men, and have lately opened close to their premises a house, 

 called " The British Workman," where their men can obtain 

 •coffee, etc., without the evils that too often accompany the 

 public house. — Le Boi Carotte. 



MESSES. 



CAETEB'S BOOT SHOW, 

 PALACE. 



CBYSTAL 



If Captain Gulliver wanted to give an account of the Brob- 

 dignag vegetable productions he would not now-a-days have to 

 draw on his imagination, for the size which has been attained 

 by the skill and intelligence of modern cultivators would have 

 enabled him to take his measurements from actual sight, and 

 not from fancy. Imagine Mangold Wurtzels 2i feet long and 

 50 lbs. in weight ; Swedes bigger than Daniel Lambert's head ; 

 Onions which might do for playing bowls with, &c. ; for all such 



might be seen at the Boot Show held by Messrs. Carter & Co., 

 the celebrated seedsmen of Holborn, at the Crystal Palace on 

 Friday and Saturday last. For some years the firm has been in 

 the habit of holding an exhibition on their extensive premises 

 at Holborn of roots grown from seed supplied by them, and of 

 offering a large sum in prizes for competition ; but as the num- 

 bers sent in have gradually so increased that there has ceased 

 to be sufficient accommodation for them there, they determined 

 this year on transferring it to the Crystal Palace. The Exhi- 

 bition was held on the eminence leading to the principal dining 

 rooms on the south side of the building. Tables had been 

 arranged down the centre of the space and on each side, and 

 these were all filled with a fine collection of roots of Turnips, 

 Swedes, Mangold Wurtzel, Carrots, Parsnips, &e. There were 

 twenty-three classes, and the exhibitors were from all parts of 

 the country; indeed Leland furnished a contingent also, one 

 exhibitor being from Bandon in the county of Cork. Among 

 the classes were some for Carter's Imperial Swede. For this 

 there were fifty-six entiles, the first prize being won by I. Jack- 

 son, Esq., with some beautifully formed, not-over-large roots. 

 Class 2, Any kind of Swede, the first prize was awarded to W. 

 Bose, Esq., for Carter's Purple-top Swede. The third class was for 

 white Turnips, in which there were no less than sixteen entries ; 

 the first went to B. Tanner, Esq., of Dorrington. Class!, for Grey 

 Stone Turnip, the prize was awarded to Mr. Gosling. Class 5, 

 Carter's Imperial Green Globe Turnip to Mr. Crote, Littlehamp- 

 ton. Class 7, Carter's Long Bed Mangold — in this the first 

 prize was awarded to J. Ensor, Esq. In Carter's Long Yellow 

 the first was taken by Messrs. Hepburn & Son, Dartlord. In 

 Class 11, Carter's Yellow Globe Mangold, some fine roots were 

 shown by Messrs. Ensor, Beaust, & Brown. In Class 12, for 

 Carter's Bed Globe Mangold, Mr. Sexton was first; and in 

 Class 13, for Intermediate Mangolds, Messrs. Hepburn & Son 

 were again first. There was a very fine collection of Naseby 

 Mammoth Onion, which promises to be a very valuable variety. 

 No prizes were offered for Potatoes, but Messrs. Carter & Son 

 put up a large collection of eighty sorts, amongst which I 

 noticed Carter's Main Crop, Dorrington Hero, Early Emperor, 

 Bresee's Climax, Prolific, and other American varieties, Haigh 

 Kidney, Prince of Wales, and Lapstone. 



Exhibitions like these show the enterprise of our leading 

 firms ; and it cannot but be a matter of congratulation that the 

 general public have thus a better opportunity of seeing the 

 result of modern intelligence and skill than when the Show was 

 held more privately ; and we fancy that many of the visitors to 

 the Crystal Palace on the two days on which the Show was held 

 must have been considerably surprised at the display made, so 

 creditable to the Messrs. Carter who supplied the seeds and the 

 growers who grew them. The Judges were Mr. Higgs, gardener 

 to Miss Crawshay, Caversham Park, and Mi - . Brebner, steward 

 at Her Majesty's Norfolk farm. — T. X. 



Emission of Light from Flowers. — A young Swedish 

 damsel, the daughter of the great Linnasus, was fond of amus- 

 ing herself in the summer twilight by setting fire to the in 

 flammable atmosphere which envelopes the essential-oil glands 

 of certain Fraxinellae : and one sultry summer evening when 

 seated in the garden, she was surprised to see luminous radia- 

 tions emitted by the flowers of a group of Nasturtiums ; and 

 she witnessed the same spectacle on several subsequent even- 

 ings, in June and July, 1762. Several naturalists have ob- 

 served the same phenomenon, and almost exclusively upon 

 yellow or orange-coloured flowers — such as the Sunflower, 

 Poppies, the Marigold, and the Orange Lily. 



Two interesting observations of such luminous flowers are 

 thus described by Dr. Phipson : — " The Swedish naturalist, 

 Professor Haggern, perceived, one evening, a faint flash of 

 light dart repeatedly from a Marigold. Surprised at such an 

 uncommon appearance, he resolved to examine it with atten- 

 tion ; and to be assured that it was no deception, he placed a 

 man near him, with orders to make a signal when he observed 

 the light. They both saw it constantly at the same moment. 

 The light was most brilliant upon Marigolds of an orange or 

 flame colour ; but scarcely visible upon pale ones. The flash 

 was frequently seen on the same flower two or three times in 

 quick succession, but more commonly at intervals of several 

 minutes. When several flowers, in the same place, emitted 

 their light together, it could be seen at a considerable distance. 

 This phenomenon was remarked in July and August, at sun- 

 set, and for half an hour, when the sky was clear ; but after a 

 rainy day, or when the air was loaded with vapours, nothing 

 of it was to be seen. 



"On the 18th of June, 1857, about ten o'clock in the evening, 

 M. Th. Fries, the well-known Swedish botanist, whilst wa lkin g 

 alone in the Botanic Garden at Upsal, remarked a group of 

 Poppies (Papaver orientale), in which three or four flowers 



