July, 1912.] 



43 



Horticulture. 



flowers do not lend themselves to this 

 kind of " improvement." 



In arranging cut flowers in vases two 

 or three rows deep, the vases must be 

 carefully graded, so that the back row is 

 not hidden. Some cut flowers (Lilac, for 

 example) have a good deal of foliage 

 attached to the wood. Some of this 

 should be removed otherwise the flowers 

 will soon fade. The foliage may be used 

 but separately, that is not attached to 

 the blossom. 



The stagicg of fruits is done nowadays 

 much better than formerly, owing to 

 the incentive offered by the fact of extra 

 marks being given for artistic effect. It is 

 sometimes even a little over-done— deco- 

 rative dessert tables, especially, being 

 often far too ornate to find favour in 

 any dining room. In the case of Grapes, 

 it is common custom to use white paper 

 for black, and pink for white Grapes, 

 Why not use a pale, neutral green for 

 both ? The effect would be far better, 

 in my opiuion. Each individual fruit 

 should have its own place in the scheme 

 — this will not be the case if overcrowd- 

 ing is permitted. For decoration, trail- 

 ing slender growths may be used such as 

 Smilax, early in the season ; and later 

 on the well-coloured sprays of Ampelop- 

 sis Veitchii. The name of this creeper 

 reminds me of an example of effective 

 staging which I once saw. It was, I 

 believe, the first occasion on which 

 Messrs, Veitch & Son showed this plant, 

 at South Kensington. The exhibit was 

 composed of dense growths which had 

 attached themselves to a length of scrim 

 canvas. A more effective method of 

 staging could hardly be conceived. 



With reference to vegetables, I do not 

 think there is much to be said. Those 

 who have seen Mr. Edwin Beckett's 

 method of staging will have received 

 sufficient hints how to stage to the best 

 possible effect ; he never overcrowds his 

 exhibits, and every dish is conspicuous. 

 Parsley is essential as a ground-work ; 

 there is nothing better in my opinion — 

 but it takes a large quantity if it is to 

 look well, The method of staging in 



shallow baskets has much to recommend 

 it as by this means all the subjects are 

 kept quite separate from one another. 



I should like to remind exhibitors 

 always to carry with them a syringe or 

 a sppayer, where-with to diffuse a gentle 

 moisture upon Ferns, cut flowers and 

 vegetables. Fruit; of course, must never 

 on any account be moistened. 



The Naming of Exhibits. 



(From the Gardener's Chronicle No. 1, 325. 

 Vol. LI., May 18, 1912.) 

 The naming of exhibits is a most im- 

 portant item in any horticultural ex- 

 hibition. It is often, however, done 

 extremely carelessly, and I have seen 

 exhibitions in which the naming was a 

 positive disgrace. There are two main 

 faults which are common in this respect- 

 bad, indistinct writing and incorrect 

 spelling. The latter is a frequent cause 

 of mistakes in local papers ; the reporters 

 are often entirely ignorant of Latin, and 

 take the spelling blindly from the label. 

 Proper names, too, are often misspelt — I 

 remember once seeing the Rose " Jules 

 Finger" reported as '' Jewel's Finger ! " 



Every name should be written in a 

 clear, medium-sized hand for individual 

 small exhibits and for cut flowers, picked 

 fruits and vegetables ; and in a large, 

 bold hand for specimen plants. Of 

 course, it is really much better to take 

 the trouble to have the names printed. 

 In the schedule of the International 

 Show there is some excellent advice on 

 the subject of naming, and it is to be 

 hoped that exhibitors will not fail to 

 avail themselves of it (see rule 8, and 

 example). The size, of course, is too large 

 for a small exhibit- it is intended to 

 show the maximum. A card of this size 

 could easily be cut into three for small 

 exhibits— it is a stock size, and can be 

 obtained at any stationer's. Where it is 

 possible to add the name of the country 

 from which a plant has been obtained it 

 is desirable to do so, and also the date of 

 introduction into England. In the case 

 of plants that have been raised from 

 seed, the name of the raiser should be 

 acknowledged, if known, 



