DecemMjte, 1864. ] JOUENAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GABDENEE. 



451 



portraits of the hybrid varieties of the Columbine, Aquilegia 

 glandulosa and Skinneri ; Ehododendron Countess of Had- 

 dington ; variegated Pelargoniums Lucy Grieve and Eosette; 

 Gomphia decora ; hybrid Pink, Garibaldi ; and Genista pros- 

 trata. The illustrations are excellent and the information 

 relative to each useful. 



5IEMINGHAM FEUIT and CHRYSANTHEMUM 



SHOW. 



Conctokently with the great show at Bingley Hall, the 

 Handsworth Horticultural Society, an old and well managed 

 institution, held its annual Exhibition in the noble Town 

 Hall. Formerly this Exhibition was held in June, but the 

 ■Society most wisely decided on changing the time to the 

 cattle show week, when the great influx of visitors afforded 

 the prospect of its proving more remunerative. 



The subjects composing the exhibition were arranged with 

 great taste on six tables running the entire length of the 

 Hall, whilst a brilliant bank of Chrysanthemums placed 

 ■beneath the organ, and flanked on each side by a Holly 

 tree in berry, faced the visitors on entering. 



The Chrysanthemums, both large-flowering and Pompons, 

 did great credit to the skill of the growers, particularly those 

 of Mr. C. J. Perry, of Castle Bromwich. Messrs. T. Eyland, 

 Milward, and Fewkes. Among the large-flowering kinds 

 were excellent examples of Annie Salter, Golden Chris- 

 tine, Prince Albert, Alfred Salter, Vesta, Lady Hardinge, 

 Chevalier Homage, and other well-known sorts. A very 

 fine specimen of Christine was exhibited by T. Eyland, 

 Esq., and Golden Christine, from Mr. Milward, was very 

 good. For collections of nine, the first prize was taken by 

 Mr. C. J. Perry ; the second by Mr. Eyland, who also had 

 the first prize for six, and for the best single specimen. For 

 six, Mr. Perry was second, and for single specimens, Mr. 

 Milward occupied a similar position. 



If anything, the Pompons were still better than the large- 

 flowering plants ; and of the three kinds of Cedo Nulli — 

 namely, the old, Lilac, and Golden, there were several ex- 

 cellent specimens contributed by Mr. Perry, Mr. Eyland, 

 and Mr. Fewkes. Mr. Fewkes exhibited a very fine 

 single specimen of the first-named covered with large 

 blooms, and Mr. Perry, Cedo Nulli, compactly and well 

 grown, and likewise in beautiful bloom. Of other kinds 

 there were good examples of Mrs. Dix, blush bordered with 

 rose, Daniie, Andromeda, Salamon, Helene, and Modele. 

 Mr. F. Chitty, gardener to T. Webley, Esq., sent handsome 

 plants of Bob, Miss Julia, and Bijou de l'Horticulture, with 

 which he took an extra prize offered by Mr. Perry. 



Cut blooms were not equal to what we have seen at the 

 metropolitan shows, being less in size, and some had evi- 

 dently been taken from plants not grown for the purpose. 

 Mr. George, of Stamford Hill, and Mr. Tonilin, contributed 

 good stands, in which most of the leading varieties were re- 

 presented. 



Of Primulas, excellent plants were shown by Messrs. 

 Chitty, Eyland, and Greaves, and the new Fern-leaved 

 kinds by Mi-. Vertigans, the latter also exhibiting a good 

 collection of Celosias. A large plant of Poinsettia pul- 

 cherrima, from Mi'. Chitty, was much admired. 



The show of fruit was very good, particularly that fur- 

 nished by Mr. Perry, Mr. Evans, gardener to C. Newdegate, 

 Esq., M.P., Mr. Hargreave, and Mr. Pluck, of Jersey. A 

 collection of twenty-four kinds from Mr. Perry, consisted of 

 a Smooth-leaved Cayenne, of about 7 lbs., a good Queen, a 

 Melon, Barbarossa Grapes, Pomegranates, magnificent Chau- 

 montel and Beurre Diel Pears of foreign growth, besides 

 several dishes of other kinds, Cox's Orange Pippin, very 

 good; Alfriston, large, and some other kinds. In a col- 

 lection of twelve also shown by Mr. Perry, were two bottles 

 containing Pears, but these being much larger than the 

 necks of the bottles, most of the visitors were puzzled how 

 they could have been got in whole. Of course, they had been 

 grown in the bottles. Large Eeinette du Canada Apples, 

 Sarazin, a good stewing Pear, well-ripened Muscat and 

 Black Hamburgh Grapes, and Webb's Prize Cob Nuts, were 

 also shown in this collection. 



Good collections also came from Mr. Stevens, and Mr. 

 Evana, and a large bunch of Barbarossa Grapes from Mr. 



Craddock, gardener to Lord Willoughby de Broke, as welt 

 as good examples of Lady Downes', and other Grapes. 



In dessert Pears, some very fine dishes were shown by 

 Mr. Perry, particularly of Chaumontel, Eas'ter Beurse, 

 Beurre Diel, and Beurre Clairgeau ; Huyshe's Victoria was 

 also in one of his collections. Mr. Pluck, of Jersey, had 

 also several fine specimens, as well as Mr. Eoyd, and others. 



In stewing Pears, Uvedale's St. Germain was shown in 

 several collections as Belle de Jersey, and the others con- 

 sisted of Verulam, an excellent stewing Pear, Poux de 

 l'Eveque, very showy, and Governor of Boulogne, a yellow- 

 ish green, covered more or less with reddish russet ; Ca- 

 tillac, Gilogil, Bellissime d'Hiver, Pound Pear, Sarazin, &c. 

 The principal prizes both for dessert and kitchen varieties, 

 were taken by Messrs. Perry, Hargreave, and Pluck. 



Of Apples, both dessert and kitchen, there was also a good 

 display, comprising good examples of Blenheim Pippin, 

 Court Pendu-Plat, Cox's Orange Pippin, and many other 

 sorts, whfist of those for culinary purposes we noticed large 

 fruit of the Alfriston, Mere de Menage, Cellini, highly 

 coloured, Dumelow's Seedling, and other well known varieties. 



In a collection of Gourds from Mr. Perry, who was the 

 largest and most successful exhibitor, there was a ripe Ve- 

 getable Marrow of 14 lbs. in weight, and among the orna- 

 mental kinds, one called Lurline, was very prettily marked. 



Altogether the Show was creditable to the town; the 

 setting up of the plants could hardly have been improved, 

 and the general arrangements of Messrs. Perry and Tye, 

 the Secretaries, were excellent. 



BIRMINGHAM EOOT SHOW. 



Such a subject may seem out of place in the horticultural 

 columns of this Journal, but it is not our intention to trench 

 upon the domains of the sister art of agriculture, by can- 

 vassing the merits of cattle and sheep and pigs, of ploughs 

 and scarifiers and clod-crushers, or of thrashing-machines 

 and winnowing-machines and turnip-cutters ; but there 

 were some exhibitions at the great Midland farmers' meet- 

 ing just held, which were deserving of mention. The stand 

 of Messrs. Sutton, of Eeading, was in particular well worthy 

 of inspection. It formed a neat centre to the end gallery 

 of Bingley Hall, and besides a great variety of roots there 

 was a collection of Grasses at the back amounting to about 

 two hundred sorts, consisting of the beautiful Pampas Grass, 

 so ornamental on lawns and by the side of water, the 

 various Poas, and other ornamental and useful Grasses. 

 The roots were of large size and weight, notwithstanding 

 the dryness of the season ; among them were between thirty 

 and forty varieties of Potatoes, the Student Parsnip, Inter- 

 mediate Carrots, Mangolds, White Globe Turnip, and Cham- 

 pion Swede, the former a quick-growing early kind, the latter 

 one which attains an enormous size, and excellent for feeding. 

 A root of this grown by H. Crawshay, Esq., of Newnham, 

 Gloucestershire, weighed 25 lbs. Giant Tankard was another - 

 quick-growing heavy Swede. Kohl Eabi though not strictly 

 speaking a root, is classed as such, and has been found this 

 season to withstand the drought better than Turnips and 

 Swedes. Some examples of the Green and Purple kinds were 

 very large and solid, both in Messrs. Sutton's and other 

 stands. Of course, when to be used as a garden vegetable 

 it should be taken when very young, and in dry seasons it 

 may be advantageously grown in case of Turnips failing. 



Seeds of two early Peas were also shown in this stand. 

 One, Eingleader, is stated to grow 2J feet high, and to be 

 very early and productive ; the other, Sutton's Longpodded 

 Tom Thumb, grows a foot high, and is said to be equally 

 early and more productive than the old Tom Thumb, bearing 

 pods double the length of that kind. 



Messrs. F. & A. Dickson, of 106, Eastgate Street, Chester, 

 had also a large stand, in which were specimens of forest 

 and ornamental trees and shrubs, Lawhead Green-top and 

 other large Swedes, Mangolds, some very fine Altrincham 

 Carrots, Dickson's Mousetail Turnip, a yellow garden kind 

 between Orange Jelly and Yellow Stone; also, Dickson's 

 " First and Best " Early Pea, said to be extremely early, 

 coming into bearing a week or ten days earlier than Dilli- 

 stone's Early Prolific, very productive, and of fine quality. 



From Messrs. James Dickson & Sons, 102, Eastgate Street, 



