260 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



Apri *- 23, 1898. 



in bringing to a successful conclusion the quinquennial exhibition. Comte de 

 Kerchove then addressed the jury, and directed attention to the remarkable 

 development whicn the Ghent exhibitions had undergone since they were instituted. 

 The first exhibition was held under the auspices of the society on February 7 and 

 the three following days, i<So9, and a room of comparaiively small dimensions 

 was sufficient for the accommodation of the plants shown ; but on this occasion 

 six thousand seven hundred and fifty-two square metres were required for the 

 display of the collections in competition. The exhibition afforded ample evidence 

 of the great development which the taste for horticulture had undergone, and of 

 the assistance the society had received from the State, the province, the city, and its 

 members in carrying out the project. Comte de Kerchove also testified to the 

 support received from the King of the Belgians, whom he described as the foremost 

 amateur in the kingdom. The society had, he believed, done much useful work 

 in aiding in the development of a taste for plants, which were now so largely 

 employed in beauti r ying the home. The art of horticulture had, he s^id, greatly 

 extended in and near the city of Ghent of late years, and in proof of the correctness 

 of his views upon that point, he said that whereas there were one hundred and 

 right nurseries in 1889, there are now two hundred and thirty-nine establish- 

 ments. The Count then spoke of the large number of beautiful plants which had 

 been introduced from their native habitats, or produced by the skill of the hybridist, 

 and of the valuable work accomplished by previous occupants of the presidental 

 chair. He also paid a warm tribute to the memory of the late M. Jean Linden, 

 and directed attention to the interesting collection of plants introduced by that 

 great collector and explorer which had been arranged in the winter garden. Speaking 

 of the labouis of the jury, Comte de Kerchove said the exhibitors were eagerly 

 awaiting the decision of the jury as to the relative merits of the production, for 

 awards made by the eminent horticulturists he had the honour of addressing were 

 the greatest honours that could be obtained. 



At the close of the address the members were arranged in thirty-nine sections, 

 with M. Leon de Bruyn, the Belgian Minister of Agriculture, as honorary presi- 

 dent, and M. O. Viger, president of the National Horticultural Society of France, 

 as president general. The jury then proceeded to make the awards, and this was 

 in many instances a very difficult task. At the close of rheir labours the members 

 were entertained at lunch, Comte de Kerchove occupying the chair. This func- 

 tion occupied the greater part of the afternoon, owing to the number and length 

 of the speeches. The speeches, if of greater length than those to which we are 

 accustomed in the United Kingdom, were for the most part remarkably good. In 

 the course of the proceedings, Dr. Masters presented in felicitous terms the Veitch 

 Memorial medals that had been granted by the trustees to M. Ed. Andre and 

 Comte de Kerchove, both of whom acknowledged in suitable terms the honour 

 that had been done them. This presentation was followed by M. Viger investing 

 M. E. Pynaert with the insignia of a knight of the order of Merite Agricole, a 

 proceeding which invoked much enthusiasm, as indeed did the presentation of the 

 Veiichian medals. In the evening the members of the jury were invited to a 

 reception by the liurgermaster and a concert at the Hotel de Ville. The recep- 

 tion was a very pleasant function, but the concert was not well suited to the occa- 

 sion, and but few members remained for any length of time. 



On Saturday morning, the 16th, the exhibition was formally opened by the 

 King of the Belgians, under the most favourable climatic conditions. His Majesty, 

 accompanied by the Queen of the Belgians, Princess Clementine, and suite, 

 reached the Casino a few minutes af er eight o'clock After a few of the members 

 of the executive had l>een introduced to the King, the royal party made a leisurely 

 inspection of the exhibition, leaving shortly bef.ire noon. In passing through the 

 grand saloon a pause was made by the royal party for the purpose of enabling 

 his Majesty to receive the members of the jury. Saturday was practically a free day, 

 the only public function being the Raout in the evening offered to the visitors by 

 the Cham lire Syndicate de Horticulture. This gathering took place in the saloons 

 of the Union Society, and was a pleasant afTair. The 17th inst. was a busy 

 day, for the jury was imited by the king to a garden party in the winter garden 

 at Laeken, and this was an exceedingly brilliant afTair, some fifteen hundred being 

 present. This was followed by a grand banquet to the jury in the saloons of the 

 (.rand Theatre, Ghent, at which the Comte de Kerchove presided. The principal 

 speakers were the same as at the luncheon on the previous Friday, and, as on 

 that occasion, the speeches were, in most cases, long ; but the whole of 

 the proceedings were so extremely pleasant that the prolixity of some of the 

 speakers in no way troubled the guests, and, after all, so important and successful 

 a gathering justified the many matters of interest being talked about, and it must 

 be sa>d that the banquet was not less satisfactory than were the other arrangements. 



Indian Azaleas. 



Azaleas were exhibited in immense numbers and in magnificent condition, and 

 arranged in huge beds and bold group; they produced a wealth of col iur and 

 constituted a glorious feature. The Indian azaleas, for which the Ghent exhibi- 

 10ns nave long been famous, were of exceptional excellence, and produced si 

 hriinant a display as to prove highly attractive to the many Britishers present, 

 l he specimens were mostly in the form of standards with rather flat heads, and 

 altnough rather too formal to satisfy aesthetic tastes they were so attractive as to 

 disarm criticism with regard to the style of training that finds favour with the 

 Meigian cultivators. In the class for twelve specimens the Comte de Kerchove, 

 t.hent was awarded the gold medal offered as the first prize with large, neatly- 

 tm.ned, and densely-flowered specimens. The varieties staged included Louise 

 Margottin, a beautiful variety, the flowers white flaked deep rose ; Roi Leopold, 

 scanet very hne ; Pnncess Louise, semi-double, salmon pink, the specimen 

 seven teet in diameter, and so freely flowered that hardly a leaf was visible ; Le 

 the C R, " win 8 ro?e « the edges elegantly frilled ; Louise Vervaen, pure white, 

 £mte de rr,7 r l TJ doub,e white > one of the best of its section 



S^^^try fin 3 "" ^ J?* ^ *«* fiM = 



thc^ouSon^ from » spectacular point of view was 



Tpecim^ M. Ghellinck de Walle, Ghent. The 



bUK,r^dX 8 s' thlTJant ° e ' ght i eet in diametCr ' WCre Htera,, y SO,id with 

 exhibition hou" ' pr I ucec a ^r 8 ^ form a at the north end of the 



size of the individual ;pT c d in : e ;f;'7 th effect - taking the number of plants, the 

 consideration the collection may be" de^ ^ development of the flowers into 

 sented at a public exhibition ^d^ "' 1 ^ M the hnest that has ? et bwn P re " 



prire to M. GhelSS! deWa?l e J t 2*! ° f art ° ffered M the nrst 



the*e mtimificem examnte. " * S wel1 d e ser ved. The most remarkable of 



1 Larry Veitch. 



Verschaffelt 



M Ad rt'M,- Jwaaame AmDroise 



ZLT.\ d L ,aene ' who also was awarded an object of art; had 



fl 



was 



leautiful ; Gloriam, fl. pi. , white, suffused green in early 

 e Rothschild, rich purple, semi-double, effective ; Comte 



the several collections all the best of the new and old varieties were 

 The premier award was a work of art of the value of two hundrVd 1 presented - 

 sented by MM. de Smet ; and gold medals were offered as the serL 

 prizes. The several collections were so evenly matched in point of mc S L t J 

 have given rise to considerable difficulty in determining their relative meH « 1 

 the result the premier award was made in favour of Societe Anonvme w , 

 (Louis Van Houtte. pere), who had superbly-flowered example ^ wuh S 

 ranging from eighteen inches to two feet in diameter, and remarkable for fl- 

 extreme freshness. Among the many fine varieties represented in the collerr 

 the following were made note of as being of exceptional excellence • M if 

 Fontanier, glowing rose, semi-double ; Souvenir of Duke of Albany nuW whi, 

 with an occasional flake of rose ; Louise Cuvilier, white, flaked 1 ermilion sem'' 

 doub'e ; Pauline Mardier, soft rose, pleasing, double ; Madame Ad d'Hae 

 bright pink, carmine blotch ; x^ronne de Vriere, pure white, with an'occasSS 

 rose stripe, margin elegantly frilled ; Oberst von Kutzinci, rich scarlet ^emi 

 double, very fine ; Perle de Ledeberg, white, freelv flaked 

 double, exquisitely beautiful 



stages ; Baron N. de ... , ^ wti _ ^ unn 



Charabord, delicate pink, with carmine blotch ; President Pfaff, scarlet ; Madame 

 J. Vervaen, soft pink, with rose blotch ; Aristides EfTendi Azarian, deep pink 

 with white margin, singularly beautiful ; President Oswald de Kerchove 

 salmon-pink, semi-double,^ beautiful ; Madame W. Van Houtte, pink, paler 

 margin ; Princess Mathilde, white, with vermilion stripes and flakes • 

 Comte Ernest Turati, rich crimson - purple ; Germania, glowing rose-red ; 

 M. Leopold Botelberg, Melle by-Gand, was a close second, his plants being a 

 size smaller than were those in the first-prize collection, but they were super! 

 bloomed, and the flowers were in the highest state of development. The varieties 

 of exceptional excellence represented in the collection included Verwi-neana soft 

 salmon-pink with carmine blotch and white margin, semi-double ; Anna Kleine. 

 pure white semi-double ; Comte Charles de Kerchove, pink with carmine blotch 

 Madame Vandercruyssen, glowing rose, superb form, very effective; Koi 

 de Holland, vermilion ; Niobe, double white ; Baronne de Puynode, flesh freely 

 flaked like a carnation, exquisitely beautiful. The small gold meJal in this clan 

 was awarded to M. A. Van Acker, Loochristy with an excellent collection, and 

 the silver-gilt medal was awarded Messrs, F. Sander and Co., St. Albans, with 

 a collection that in the opinion of some experts deserved a higher position in the 

 competition. The plants were remarkable for their uniform size and for the 

 superb development of the individual blooms. It included several exceedingly 

 beautiful varieties not represented in the other collections, notably Konigen der 

 Weissen, pure white, immense size, and grand form ; Frau Herman Seidel, pure 

 white, semi-double ; Arlequin, rose-pink striped, and flaked purple, distinct and 

 showy ; Violacea multiflora, purple, rich and effective in contiast with the red and 

 salmon shades ; Miss Bertha Frobel, green-white, distinct flower ; Apollo, 

 brilliant scarlet ; Rosea picta, flesh white, freely flaked with rose, a charming 

 and attractive variety ; Baron Von Horn, rich rose flower, finely frilled. 



Two excellent collections were staged in the great class for one hundred varieties 

 of azaleas without restriction as to the size of pots. The class was of interest 

 from the fact of its affording the large cultivators an opportunity of exhibiting ill 

 the most noteworthy varieties in one collection. M. Ad. d'Haene, Gendbrugge, 

 occupied the post of honour with medium sized and superbly flowered examples, 

 in which the following varieties were conspicuous by reason of their ^ high merit: 

 Noble Belgique, salmon and pink ; Hermione, brilliant rose ; Gloria Belgique, 

 white, prettily striped like a scarlet-flaked carnation ; Charles Liel>er, white, 



, • 1 •. 1 , 1 ■ /- *"t ••• TT i 'II' „# .~-m r.. 1 • 



jit rost- 

 er vaen, 



red carmine 



u« muca, UCI1UUC |#lUJti Willi n. uvkivi , r 



ine; Roi de Holland, an old but excellent scarlet variety; Memoirc U 

 itte, fulgent rose, large and of superb form ; Una Boreim, pink, iWml 

 kn» ki^ f.^ rn^u- r^f /Mit firmer* • Princess Mathilde. 



The 



Van Houtte, o , 



double, but very desirable for the suppiy of cut flowers ; Princess 

 Madame Leon Chabot, pink with carmine blotch, exquisitely beautiful 

 second award was made in favour of Societe Anonyme (L. Van Houtte, pere), 

 Ghent, who had large densely flowered specimens. The most noteworthy vane u« 

 were : Cocarde Orange, brilliant orange scarlet, semi-double ; Victor Cuviher,r« 



9 



rose carmine 



magenta ; Mons. J. de Fontanier^ semi-double, rosy red ; Noblissima, doable 

 white, flowers very large, grand form ; Stephenson Clark 

 semi-double, very fine ; Souvenir d'Arthur Veitch, deep 

 Greve, pale pink, white margin, carmine markings ; Dr. N 

 very effective; Duches - " 

 white, vermilion flakes, 



rose magenta, 

 • P. Nathalie. 



large 



Professor 

 margin, one 



very effective ; Madame J. E. Pbmchon, *hn< 

 effective ; Theodore Reimers, nch purple, xm 

 M. Planchon, pure white, elegantly fni** 

 ilion blotch on upper segments and _paie £ 



r * 1 . uL.tr. olnwirii --tar 



efiecti 



the finest of its colour ; J. T. D. Llewellyn, flesh pink, deeper in cent 

 superb form; Eugene Mazel, orange scarlet, with violet blotch, 

 Hermosa, soft rose pink, double ; Archduke Ernest, orange red, large. 



The groups of twenty azaleas were of great excellence, an * 

 number of collections in the two classes for this number of plants con in ^ 

 full share to the display produced by the Indian azaleas. lfte " r ~ Tl« 

 chiefly the same as the larger classes to which reference is mao^M***^ 

 Comte de Kerchove was the recipient of the work of art offered in or c ^ 

 class for twenty plants, and M. Ad. d'Haene was awarded an oojec : 01 ^ 

 trade class for twenty, and MM. Vervaen freres were awarded » Zto&d * 

 The premier award for a specimen azalea with double n owe ' s > r~ tr -j Dt d ii» 

 M. J. F. Vervaen-Vaveart, Ledeberg, Gand, with a grafted plant 1 • ^ 



I 



St 



pyramid with the several varieties to form distinct bands of colour 

 was a broad band of rose-coloured flowers; following this was 

 flowers, next rose-coloured flowers deeper in hue than those at tne J /jg^gl 



:x was a cone ot pure white flowers, specimen* ^« — - 

 indicating the ingenuity of the cultivator, but ihey have liuic 

 m for the purpose of embellishing the greenhouse *nd conservai 



Mollis and Ghent Azaleas. 



Varieties of Azalea mollis are stronely represented, both m p« 



It* 



ma-ses 



of jello 



^ p t The'noe^ ^jj 



orange and buff flowera ^produce" a bright' and t^^^JC?.^ wis 

 lection is that of thirty plants from M. A. de Smet, Gh ^ t ' dif d 

 the gold medal. The whole of the plants were grown in * ^ ^ 

 carry large finely-developed heads of bloom. In a second ci ^ ^ggm 



developed bushes. M. B. Spae obtained premier l 

 MM. Koster et fils, Boskrop, were first for the si 

 intercrossing of mollis and sinensis, with well -grown 



twenty 

 obtained fr- 



There was a spiriled competition, and in 



immense 



appear 



nurrite r 

 :h prop** 



tlx* 



