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JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 20, 18C1. 



vie in spring with the move costly flower garden. The time 

 •will soon come when our parks, our woods, and our woodland 

 walks will be ornamented with such plants as the Snowdrop 

 and Aconite in winter ; Crocuses peering on their margins, 

 and on mounds ; Daffodils decking the pastures and making 

 them yellow, as if strewn with Buttercups ; Primroses and 

 Cowslips adding their charms. Crowfoot and Orchises will 

 be in the hollows of many meadows, and most woods, as 

 well as the common Wood Anemone, the Violet, and very 

 many more, all in place of Nettles, Thistles, and other 

 rubbish, for which such places are now so conspicuous. 

 That the walks in woods will soon be made fit for the foot to 

 tread upon once more, that employers will see that such 

 places are not robbed for the sake of sensation gardens, and 

 that there will be a return to things purely horticultural, is 

 the firm conviction of — G. Abbey. 



BIRMINGHAM FRUIT and CHRYSANTHEMUM 

 SHOW : 



OR, THE HANDSWORTH HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Pbom what has been written of this Society from time to 

 time, we might have been led to believe that it offered fair 

 for a Midland Counties Exhibition. Than Birmingham no 

 town could be better chosen, and no time more wisely se- 

 lected than the week of the Cattle and Dog Shows. It is 

 worthy of remark that whilst a horticultural society seems 

 to be maintained with difficulty, a Cattle or Dog Show when- 

 ever attempted meets with every success, and the rush of 

 visitors is something extraordinary. We have been so long 

 used to a cattle show, that we do not now wonder at the 

 fittings and preparations for these occasions. A dog show 

 is of more recent introduction, and who could visit this 

 show at Birmingham without feelings of admiration? A 

 building to all appearance erected for the express purpose, 

 beautifully fitted up and subdivided for the accommodation 

 of the different classes of animals, and even abundantly 

 heated by the introduction of gas — a multiplicity of dogs in 

 every class, clean, and well cared for — at one end of the 

 building a magnificent display of silver cups for distribution 

 amongst the successful competitors — all this showed strength 

 and a healthily-conducted exhibition. 



We do not find in the Cattle and Dog Shows such re- 

 strictions as to the locality of the subjects for exhibition as 

 we do in the Horticultural Show. The two former are most 

 liberal, and have acquired a fame worthy of the great town 

 in which they are held; the latter is remarkable for its 

 being so extremely two-sided. The Class No. 1 limits the 

 competition of fruit to that which is grown within fifteen 

 miles of Birmingham j and Class No. 2 is open to all the 

 world. Thus an English gardener who wishes honestly to 

 compete for any of these prizes, pits himself against others 

 who get up their collection out of a garden in size nothing 

 less than that of the whole world. I am inclined to think 

 that before this Society can claim to itself much credit for 

 being the cause of advancing the "science of horticulture 

 more than any other provincial one" (as stated by one of 

 your contemporaries), an infusion of much new blood will 

 be required. I had a schedule sent me which I took for 

 granted was an invitation to compete, but on looking it over 

 I found that in Class No. 1, I was precluded from the simple 

 fact that I was beyond the restricted radius of fifteen miles. 

 On reference to Richmond's new map of theMidland Counties, 

 I am about twenty miles from Birmingham, as the crow 

 flies. Referring further to this class, there were no prizes 

 for Pine Apples, or single dishes of Grapes, which at this 

 season of the year are very interesting. Then, again, for a 

 collection of twelve dishes of fruit, a prize of 30s. is offered. 

 This is the highest prize in this class. A goodly sum for such 

 a boastful Society. This Exhibition, be it remembered, is 

 open for four consecutive days during the great show week, 

 and is afforded the use of the "noble Town Hall granted by 

 the Mayor," yet the total amount of prize money, including 

 the ten-guinea cup, does not amount to .£100. How does 

 this small amount contrast with the reported account that 

 "several thousands visited the Exhibition during the four 

 days?" This is the amount which does so much for the 

 " science of horticulture." It seems strange that a medium 

 cannot be given between on the one hand, a radius of fifteen 



miles aonnd Birmingham, and on the other the ends of he 

 earth; The true gardening skill of this country is not en« 

 oouraged or represented by the Handsworth Exhibition,, 

 We' dio not find such restrictions and extremes in the Cattls- 1 

 or Dog Exhibitions. 



I'nest had a glance at Class No. 2, open to all the world 

 fruiterers, dealers, and others. The bye-laws of this class 

 say — " It is not imperative that the fruit shown in this 

 class should have been grown by the exhibitor." This 

 piece of cooked jobbery would not do for me — pardon me foe 

 thus expressing myself, but to me it seems too plain, and I 

 eannot help it. If I were to compete in this class, having a 

 view to success, I would have to journey or telegram, to beat 

 up a eollection. Thus, without even the shadow of a garden, 

 without even seeing a single fruit necessary for any of these 

 collections for fifty consecutive weeks prior to the Show„ 

 may any one with a very ordinary amount of sagacity, 

 purchase or obtain by any similar means, all that is required, 

 and he who is most assiduous by these means in obtaining 

 the ten-guinea cup, will, according to this Society, be the 

 one who has contributed most to the advancement of the 

 " science of horticulture," without requiring to take any 

 pains as to culture, watering, budding, grafting, root-prun- 

 ing, and a thousand other cares. A man following any 

 occupation in kin as different to gardening as a lobster is 

 to a skylark, may, by means of "purchase, put himself in a 

 superior rank to those who have laboured indefatigably in 

 the trenches for twelve months." 



Societies are generally organised through the exertions 

 of some enterprising individual, and generally prosper 

 when they have for their object the common weal of his 

 country and fellow men, and with such philanthropic views 

 that individual is much to be admired. I do not profess to 

 know who are the actual managers of the Handsworth So- 

 ciety, but from a report which has appeared in this Journal, 

 for c its admirable arrangements much credit is due to the 

 Honorary Secretaries, Mr. George P. Tye, and Mr. Charles 

 James Perry, the latter maintaining throughout the play 

 a position resembling very much that of a " Hamlet." It 

 is indispensable to have a good Secretary for the manage- 

 ment of a Society, and few positions could offer better ,to 

 show the philanthropy of a man than that of an honorary 

 secretary giving his services in such a way as not to invite 

 the remark that those services are for any selfish end. At 

 this Show we find the Honorary Secretary, a resident near 

 Birmingham, competing for, and carrying off the ten-guinea 

 cup, and all the rest of the principal prizes, obtaining twelve 

 first prizes and four second, walking easily over every one, 

 including Mr. Pluck, a fruit merchant of Jersey, a resident 

 among the fruits in the Channel Islands, and to whose name 

 we only find one first and two second prizes recorded. It seems 

 strange that Mr. Pluck should send fruit all the way from 

 Jersey, and compete only for one or two secondary prizes. 

 The large collection of fruit of Mr. Perry's which did obtain 

 the cup, contained a tolerably free sprinkling of baking and 

 stewing Pears. Mention of this, however, did not appear 

 in any of the reports of the meeting which I saw. 



It will be necessary for the Handsworth Horticultural 

 Society, professing to do so much for the " science of hor- 

 ticulture," to give a public explanation as to the cause why 

 they limit their encouragement to fifteen miles round Bir- 

 mingham on the one hand, and on the other why they in- 

 vite competition from all parts of the world. These ex- 

 tremes without some explanation are not reconcilable, and 

 until this is done, the Birmingham Fruit Show will remain 

 a delusion. % 



A thoroughly healthy horticultural society is much wanted 

 in Birmingham, not only for the Midland Counties, but for 

 the north of England, Scotland, and Ireland. Many gar- 

 deners at this season could bring their productions to Bir- 

 mingham, who could not go so far as London, and on this 

 account their produce, no matter however meritorious, 

 would never be brought before the putilic. There is yet a 

 wide field open for the encouragement of horticulture. The 

 Royal Horticultural Society of London enjoys a great name, 

 but is exceedingly local in its efforts to do good. Those who 

 reap the most benefits from that Society are the London 

 nurserymen, and suburban gardeners, whilst the encourage- 

 ment of provincial nurserymen and country gardeners is 

 comparatively neglected. But now that they are fairly 



