490 JOURNAL OF THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Break up lines of hardy herbaceous plants with grasses. Let the 

 terminals leave off with fine grasses, so as to leave no break, but lead away 

 into space. At the same time, do not think that all decorations must needs 

 have grasses. The use of grasses may easily be overdone, and then it has 

 the same effect upon the eye which a constant and fidgeting little noise has 

 upon the ear. 



Another point. Do not try to improve your flowers ; let them be as 

 Nature made them. I remember, at Holland House last year, the R.H.S.'s 

 Summer Show, a grand, bold, and striking arrangement of Lilies came for 

 judgment, but was absolutely spoilt by the golden centres of the flowers 

 having been cut away for fear of the beautiful yellow-brown pollen stain- 

 ing the flowers ! The Lilies evidently had been lovely, but, as one of the 

 judges remarked : " If you saw a man with his nose cut off could you call 

 him a handsome man ? " You might as well do so as expect to gain a 

 prize for mutilated flowers. 



Strict adherence to the rules as laid down in the schedule I would 

 commend to all exhibitors ; many and many a prize has been lost, not by 

 inferiority of the flowers, but simply through not obeying the rules. An 

 arrangement, beautiful in itself, is disqualified by judges because of the 

 introduction of things other than those specified, as you doubtless will 

 have seen. 



At an Essex Agricultural Show some years ago I showed a design for 

 a dinner-table. Another lady had entered the lists with me with a very 

 beautiful arrangement, but, alas for her ! she had introduced fruit with 

 her flowers (the schedule specified flowers only), and so the cup fell to me. 

 On another occasion (this time I was one of the judges), at a County 

 Show, no fewer than three tables were disqualified by the introduction of 

 small pot plants (Ferns) being covered up with moss or sand. Here again 

 the rules were ignored. I mention these things in order to illustrate a 

 warning, without which my paper would not be complete. 



The general principles I have been trying to lay down are, I think, 

 of abiding significance, but there is such a thing as fashion in table 

 decorations (in what is there not ?), so that what is best now may not be 

 considered so a few years hence. Before taking up judging, I had had 

 some experience in exhibiting and in arranging dinner-tables, and I have 

 had the honour of decorating the dinner-table for the then Prince and 

 Princess of Wales, now our gracious King and Queen (whom God 

 preserve !), and of also making a bouquet for the then Princess Alexandra. 

 In those days the decoration of the table for their Majesties consisted of 

 a combination of fruit and flowers, the centre-piece bearing Grapes 

 suspended from the top, flowers occupying the base and rising above the 

 fruit, the side vases being arranged entirely with flowers. This was an 

 arrangement which deserved no criticism then, but now we have learned 

 better, and no longer mix up fruit and flowers together. 



Another instance or two I will give you of not adhering strictly to 

 rules. Only last summer, at a large show in the sister county — when five 

 judges had a long and pleasant task, so many lovely arrangements met 

 our view and came for judgment — in one arrangement of flowers dried 

 seed-vessels were employed as well, and, alas ! it brought disqualifica- 

 tion and disappointment. And in a very beautiful basket of Sweet Peas 



