AtTGUsT 17, 1912 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



635 



EXHIBITIONS AND 



MEETINGS. 



Brug^es lnterna.tional Horticul 



tural Exhibition. 



As far back as 1651 Bruges liad a horticul- 

 tural society, and there are catalogues or 

 schedules dating from that early time to 

 prove that the society held exhibitions with 

 some degree of regularity. In those days 

 every member wae expected to bring a plant 

 to each exhibition, one plant — no more, no 

 less. Years rolled by for a long period, 

 and the numerous trade imem»bers gradually 

 drew together, and at the same time 



drew apart from the old parent society, 

 devoting their attention to plants and 

 flowers of commercial value, and troubling 

 their heads little about plants notable for 

 their curious character, botanical interest, or 



centre, and especially ajs a fine district lor 

 the development of horticulture on commer- 

 cial lines. M. Vincke, M, Beemaert, and Mr. 

 F. Sander may be cited among thase who knew 

 when to take occasion by the hand. Under 

 the guidance of such master minds business 

 increased, acre was added to acre, and glase 

 house to glass house outside the old gates 

 or "ports" of the moat-encircled city, and 

 Britishers found it was worth while to stop 

 at Bruges, even though Ghent was their 



ultimate destination. Everyone who has a 

 close acquaintance with the history of hor- 

 ticulture during the last score of years knows 

 that Bruges has taken a very prominent part 

 in the development of trade, especially in 

 the cultivation of palms, orchids, and bay 

 trees, but it needs a visit to Bruges ere one 

 can understand the possibilities and pros- 

 pects for the future. 



The idea of holding an international ex- 

 hibition at Bruges found birth in the fertile 

 brain of Mr. F. Sander, sen. He had en- 

 deavoured to bring the two horticultural 



help. The Province and the GoYernment 

 also lent their aid, and, in addition to the 

 market place, the use of the great hall that 

 runs along three sides of the courtyard of the 

 famous Belfry of Bruges, was granted. 



In the market place of Bruges stands 



the Belfry, old and brown; 

 Thrice consumed and thrice rebuilded, 



still it watches o'er the town/' 



From Sunday, August 11, to Sunday, 

 August 18, the historic belfry had a new 

 watch to keep, i.e., over an horticultural ex- 

 hibition of great importance, and there 

 seemed to be an added gaiety in the caril- 

 lons rung out by the smaller bells, and 

 an added dignity in the sonorous notes of 

 the great bells. 



THE EXHIBITION. 



With that special genius which our hor- 

 ticultural confreres on the Continent seem to 

 ]h>Steess, the great Market Place of Bruges was 

 transformed into a large garden. Halif a 

 dozen rows of stou t wire st ra i ned to i ro n 



INTEENATIONAL HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITION AT BRUGES. 

 View of the Market Place, showing a large part of the Outdoor Section of the Exhibition 



extreme rarity. At last there came to be 

 two societies, and the tendency for them to 

 stray farther and farther apart grew 

 stronger and stronger with the procession of 

 the years. 



For centuries a great horticultural indus- 

 try had been growing up in and around the 

 old Flemish city of Ghent, but the trading 

 spirit seemed to be very scant in the rival 

 city of Bruges; indeed, in this, as in many 

 other things, Bruges seemed to be satisfied 

 with its ancient glory, its beauty, pictur- 

 esqueness, and wonderful interest. On the 

 one hand Ostend developed into a thriving 

 port, and an immense and fashionable seaside 

 resort ; on the other hand, with modern 



niethods added to unique business ability, 

 handed down from generation to generation, 

 the Gantoise made their city the great hor- 

 ticultural centre on the Continent. Bruges 

 slept peacefully between the two. 



In later times a few keen business men 

 saw the possibilities of Bruges as a business 



societies together, believing that a co: 

 munity of interests would be of the greatest 

 possible -advantage, and be the means of 

 bringing business to all those interested. 

 Two difficulties appeared; who would be the 

 best individual to bring everyone together 

 harmoniously and where could a big exhibi- 

 tion be held ? Mons. Chas. Steinmetz, well 

 liked and highly respected, was obviously the 

 man for the business. The place ? The 

 audacious idea of securing the loan of the 

 old market place — the largest market place 

 in Europe so the people of Bruges say — was 

 conceived. The city fathers granted the re- 

 quest and so eleven years ago the first in- 

 ternational, a quite modest affair, was duly 



held. . 



Success breeds success, and so, notwith- 

 standing the great exhibition at Chelsea m 

 May last, the horticulteurs of Bruges re- 

 solved to hold a great exhibition thi^ year. 

 Again the city lent the market place, per- 

 mitted many alterations, and gave financial 



uprights, with some thin green canvas at- 

 tached to them, formed the fence to enclose 

 this part of the exhibition — ^a fence that was 

 fully respected at Bruges, but which London 

 gamins would have swarmed through or over 

 with huge delight. 



In the centre of the Market Place stands 

 a large monument surmounted by statues 

 of Bruges' two famous heroes, Jan Bradel 

 and Pietar da Coning, and all round is 

 cobble-stone paving. On this occasion the 

 stones were completely covered and hidden 

 by roads and paths of firm sand, by green 

 turf lawns, by beds of gay tuberous begonias, 

 of zonal and ivy-leaved pelargoniums and of 

 cannas, and by g'reat groups of dracaenas and 

 masses of fine shrubs from Au>tralasia or the 

 Medite^rranean region. Just inside the 

 fence, and ranged high in each corner wtu'c 

 quantities of wonderful bay trees, their deep 

 green colouring harmonising finely with the 

 grey and brown of the surrounding build- 

 ings. The pathways a*»d the temporary en- 



