October 19, 1912. 



THE GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



799 



GREAT EXHIBITION 



OF 



BRITISH-GROWN FRUIT. 



Although the fine fruit show held at the 

 Royal Horticultural Hall, Westminster, on 

 October 10 and 11, was not the be^t of its 

 series it must rank quite high, especially 

 when the peculiarities of the season of 1912 

 are taken into full consideration. Apples 

 were abundant and good, and the colouring 

 fine, while pears were of particularly high 

 quality. Tlie choice dessert fruit classes, 

 and the grape classes, brought out keen com- 

 petition, but disqualification for the use of 

 Washington as a dessert apple in the chief 

 of the former classes caused not a little dis- 

 appointment, but as this variety is listM as 

 a cooking apple, the Council could do no other 

 than disqualify it. Most folks would class 

 "Washington as a dessert apple, and say the 

 list is wrongly compiled, but that does not 

 help matters for the moment, and it adds 

 further emphasis to the need on the part of 

 competitors for a careful consideration of the 

 schedule. The nurserymens exhibits made 

 a remarkably fine display, and Messrs. Gas- 

 kain and Whiting's set of twenty baskets of 

 apples in the market growers' class was of 

 exceptional excellence. 



of Harrington^ Elvaston Castle, Derby, who 

 had beautiful bunches of Madresfield Court 

 grapes, and grand dishes of Cox's Orange 

 Pippin and ^^ ashington apples, and Golden 

 peaches. 



Subsequently both second and third sets in 

 the foregoing class were disqualified, to 

 everyone s regret, and the disqualification 

 occurred because both Mr. Barker and Mr. 

 Goodacre showed Washington applets, and 

 the R.H.S. lists include this as a cooking, 

 and not as a dessert variety, Mr. T. Pate- 

 man was awarded the second place, as a 

 result of these disqualifications. Extra prizes 

 were awarded by the Council to Mr. Barker 

 and Mr. Goodacre. 



Six competitors came forward with collec- 

 tions of six dishes of ripe dessert fruits, and 

 here Mr, W. H. Cooke, gardener to Lord Bel- 

 per, Kingston Hall, Derby, led with Gros 

 Colmar and Muscat of Alexandria grapes in 

 good condition, Cox*s Orange Pippin and 

 Charles Ross apples, Pitmaston Duchess 

 pears, and a fine dish of the pale Gladstone 

 peaches. Mr. G. Shelton, gardener to Lord 

 Hillingdon, Wildernesse, Sevenoaks, secured 



finely berried and of excellent colour; Mr. S. 

 Barker second, and Mr. J. H. (Hnidatre 

 third. Only one exhibit was stagid in tlie 

 class for a collection of hardy fruits, ar- 

 ranged on a space 12ft. by 3ft., and tliis was 

 from Mr. Hacoii, gard<'iier to Sir Marcus 

 Samuel. Dart.. Mole l*ark, Mai4l>tone. Lady 

 Palmersi'on and Sea Kagle peaches, damsons. 

 Monarch and Wycdale plums, nuts, figs, 

 cherries, and a tine sele<*tion of a])])]es and 

 pears were put up, and the first ])ri/*' was 

 worthily awarded. 



The best pair of bunches of Mrs. Pince 

 came from Mr. G. Richardson, gardener to 

 H. St. Maur, Esq., Stover Park. Newton 

 Abbot, and were large clusters; Mr. J. Kidd, 

 gardener to G. Miller, I^q., Newberries, 

 Radlett, second. Eleven competitors came 

 forward in the class for two bunches of Ali- 

 cante, and grand bunches from Mr. H. Brown, 

 gardener to Mrs. W, G. Raphael, Cavstle Hill, 

 Englefield Green, secured the first prize. 

 Mr, G. MuUins, gardener to Lady Henry 

 Somerset. Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, >v( oiid ; 

 and Mr. Howe, gardener to Ladv Tati'. Park 

 Hill, Strea.tham, third; while "^Mr. W. H. 



R.H.S. FRUIT SHOW.— GOLD MEDAL COLLECTION OF HARDY FRUITS. 



Exhibited by Messrs. G. Bunyard and Co., Maidstone. 



The effectiveness of the display as a whole 

 ^vas marred by the arrangement of all the 

 trade displays in one-half of the hall, and 

 the single dish and other flat exhibits at the 

 other end. 



CHOICE DESSERT FRUITS. 



Four competitors entered in the class for 

 a collection of nine dishes of ripe dessert 

 fruits, and the leading award was made in 

 favour of Mr. G. Mullms, gardener to Lady 

 Henry Somerset, Eastnor Castle, Ledbury, 

 who staged Gros Maroc and Muscat of 

 Alexandria grapes, Pitmaston Duchess and 

 Doyenne du Cornice pears, Chas. Ross apples, 

 Late Devonian and Harrington peaches, Pine- 

 ^ipple nectarines, and Countess melon. It 

 inust have been a tough fight between Mr. 

 Mullins and Mr. S. Barker, gardener to the 

 Duke of Newcastle, Clumber, Worksop, who 

 was placed second, though many of the visi- 

 tors who "judged the judges," placed him 

 first. He had Applev Towers and Muscat of 

 Alexandria grapes, the latter not so good as 

 Mr. Mullin's; Hero of Lockinge melon, splen- 

 did Pitmaston Duchess and Doyenne du 

 Cornice pears, good dishes of Washington and 

 Cox's Orange Pippin apples, Golden Eagle 

 and Salway peaches. Mr. Barker evidentlv 

 lost ground on his grapes. Third prize fell 

 to Mr. J. H. Goodacre, gardener to the Earl 



the second prize, and showed Pitmaston 

 Duchess and Doyenne du Comice pears finely, 

 and also had a good dish of Cox's Orange 

 Pippin apple; Mr. J. Vert, gardener to Lord 

 Howard de Walden, Audley End, Saffron 

 Walden, third. 



GRAPES. 



Mr. S. Barker won the silver cup for a col- 

 lection of five varieties of grapes, two 

 bunches of each. There were five competi- 

 tors. Mr. Barker disp^lyed heavy, well- 

 finished bunches of Gros Colmar, Muscat of 

 Alexandria, Black Hamburgh, Buckland 

 Sweetwater, and Madresfield Court. Mr. 

 J. H. Goodacre was a good second, and his 

 s?Iec^ion of varieties was Madresfield Court, 

 Muscat of Alexandria, Muscat Hamburgh, 

 Golden Queen, and Gros Maroc. 



For four varieties of grapes, selected from 

 Madresfield Court, Mrs. Pince, Muscat Ham- 

 burgh, Muscat of Alexandria or Canon Hall 

 Muscat Mrs. Pearson, and Dr. Hogg, Mr. J. 

 Shelton led with Madresfield Court, Mrs. 

 Pearson, Muscat of Alexandria, and Mrs. 

 Pince; Mr. G. Richardson second. 



The popular Black Hamburgh grape was 

 shown by six competitors, and the best pair 

 of hunches were those set up by Mr. A. 

 Hcakl, gardener to Rev. W. Beecher, Weh 

 low Hall, Newark, whose small clusters were 



Allen, gardener to L. Currie, Esq., Mmley 

 Manor, Farnborough, was highly commended 

 for finely-l>erried bunches. 



In the Madresfield Court class, Mr. J. H. 

 Goodacre encored with beautifully-finished, 

 medium-sized bunches, and he was followed 

 in order by Mr. J. Doe, gardener to Lord 

 Savile, Rufford Abbey, Ollerton; and Mr. S. 

 Barker, gardener to the Duke of Newcastle, 

 Clumber, Worksop. Mr. Doe was first for 

 Prince of Wales with rather ungainly bunches 

 of wonderfully fine berries; Mr. H. J. Alder- 

 man, gardener to H. H. Kouig, Esq., Arden- 

 run Place, Blindley Heath, second. In the 

 any other black class, there were thirteen 

 entries and fir.st prize fell to Mr. R. Lear- 

 mouth, gardener to J. Liddell, Esq., Sher- 

 field Manor. Basingstoke, for large-berried 

 examples of Appley Towers; Mr. H. Brown 

 second with Lady Downes. Some enormous 

 bunches of Gros Guillame were staged in 

 this class by Mr. S. Barker. 



About a dozen competitors staged a pair of 

 bunches of Muscat of Alexandria, and first 

 prize was given to Mr. J. Simon, gardener 

 to W. W. Mann, Esq., Ravenswood, Bexley, 

 whose large-berried bunches were a trifle 

 shrivelled; Mr. A. R. Allan, gardener to 

 Lord Hillingdon, Hillingdon Cr^nrt, Ux- 

 bridge, aecoad with longer, fre>uer-l>erried 

 bunches. For any other white grape, Mr. T. 



