OCTOBER 



GARDENERS' MAGAZINE. 



643 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY 



G 



F 



Show 



C rystal 



fourth of the series ol great autumn rrun snows nciu at u« v^.jo^. *«**^ 

 IS, the auspices of the Royal Horticultural Society was opened at mid-day on 

 JwLtv and, although weak in one or two features, may be described as a 

 2d success. The great palace of glass is filled from end to end with fruit 

 kable for its high quality, and regarded as a whole no better demonstration 

 Jj^lendid capabilities of the United Kingdom for the production of hot-house 

 *\ f ru its could well be desired. Apples, as in former years, constitute 

 the chief feature, and, as might have been expected, they are in consequence of 

 the prolonged drought somewhat below the average in size. Excepting in bulk 

 (tee useful fruits are fully equal to the high average of previous years, and the 

 Wve number of classes devoted to them contain much to interest both cultivator 

 jjjjeoosamer. The comparative scarcity of pears in this country is made evident 

 ■1 several of the classes for these fruits, but less so than might have been 

 eipected. Miscellaneous collections form as usual a great and attractive feature, 

 fotwe must defer notice of them until our next issue. 



The present exhibition is of a more comprehensive character than any of its 

 predecessors, for the Council very wisely introduced a section for market growers, 

 with 1 view to demonstrate the best methods of packing fruits for commercial 

 porposes, and they also added some twenty classes, two each for specified zones in 

 Endtnd, and two each for Scotland, Ireland, and Wales. The second of these 

 two sections was introduced to enable exhibitors to compete under more equal 

 cooditions than is possible in classes open to the United Kingdom ; and the great 

 natural advantages of Kent are shown by the fact that no other county is associated 

 with it. The arrangements of this immense gathering have been skilfully planned 

 tod admirably carried out, and the warmest praise is due to the Rev. W. Wilks, 

 Y S. T. Wright, and other members of the Royal Horticultural Society's staff 

 far the services rendered. 



Collections of Fruit. 



Collections of hothouse and hardy fruits were comparatively few in number, 

 but those staged were all more or less good, and the contributions to the several 

 classes formed a feature at once interesting and attractive. In competition for the 

 pmes for twelve dishes, to include at least six kinds, Mr. J. Mclndoe, gardener 

 to Sir Joseph Pease, Bart., Hutton Hall, Guisborough, Yorks, obtained premier 

 honours with a collection remarkable for its evenness and general excellence. The 

 Ofccuon comprised a shapely, well-ripened Queen pine, good Muscat of Alex- 

 ia** and GroslMaroc grapes, remarkably fine Sea Eagle and Admirable 

 partes, Pitmaston Orange nectarines, Souvenir du Congres and Williams' Bon 

 UKUen pears and Lady Sudeley apples, fairly good Brown Turkey figs, excellent 

 ftFtttton Green Gage plums, and a well-finished Champion melon ; Mr. T. H 

 Ooodtoe, gardener to the Earl of Harrington, Elvaston Castle, Derby, was a 



>: W1 ^ in which Muscat of Alexandria 



JdEack Hamburgh grapes, Washington and Gascoyne's Scarlet apples, and 



Ujtnne Boussoch and Doyenne du Cornice were especially well represented 



terhid ofSS in iM" 5 for eight dishes to ^^s^& 



m* Jic head of^he several of the competitors was Mr. J. Dawes, gardener to M 



Esq M.P., Ledbury Park, Ledbury. The collection for which Mr. 



peach 



far see .rid 

 Waitwtor 



Eagl 



med melon. Mr. Tidey, 

 iddlesex, followed closely 

 ceptionally fine dishes of 



P 



Heading, was 

 te and Muscat 



««k Collet* Zt Ts t%?re KZZ™i ^'J*'* R> P °" er ' S ardener to S " 

 •BMddumlL nil .r_H ere : K ?">»ng, Sevenoaks, won the covetedaward with 



r^gPon gooseberries 



™ white curnmn, m 



Se ^ng; and Gros MkS! ~- T**' Wh ° showed Black Hamburgh; 



Wished, some m^ •^ PeS, P ^ mSi B j« es ' P eaches > nectarines, al 

 2^J specimens 0 T4daK %"V PPlC? an T d ^ ^ latter including 

 iS'JF* Pi ^aston DuchesT - A I ? erm f. m ^ 1 T nomphe de Vienne, Bcurre 



.r'- : - sardener to S Ve J n 'T S "S^ £ Splendid fruk « J- 



1+*** second p e b h?hiT' r^V^ 1 ' Guisborough, had to 



Seedling grapes ' 6 * d fine Gr0S Maroc > iter's Sealing, and 



nlmi' iJ^ c\V ~° whom the P^ 8 were awarded in the order of their 

 SI it: adresfield Court were but little in advance of the Black Hamburgh, the 



cesstul in obtaining premier honours with medium-sized bunches with good berries, 

 and finely coloured. Mr. J. Jones, York House, Malvernf and Mr. 

 J. ti. C^oodacre were second and third. There was a strong com- 

 petition in the class for Gros Colmar and Gros Maroc, and the 



d« p W i W u aS rf? in fevour of Mr - W - A1Ian > gardener to Lord Suffield, 

 ^unton Fark, who had huge clusters of Gros Maroc, distinguished by the large 

 size and superb colour of the berries ; Mr. W. Mitchell was second, with small 

 clusters 01 the Gros Maroc ; and Mr. George Reynolds was third, staging well- 

 Imisned bunches of the same variety as that for which the first and second awards 

 were made. The class for Alicante was well filled, and the long line of huge, 

 highly-coloured clusters produced a striking effect. Mr. W. Allan was awarded 

 tne nrst prize m the class, and deservedly so, for the bunches were of the largest 

 size, finely shouldered, and superbly coloured; Mr. W. Howe, 

 gardener to Sir H. Tate, Bart., Park Hill House, Streatham 

 Common, came a close second, with bunches remarkable for high finish: 

 and Mr. F. Cole, who was third, had excellent bunches. Lady Downes was 



AT Pre 4? n u £ y disheS, and the **** of these was shown b y Mr > W - Taylor ; 

 Mr. W. H. Bacon, gardener at Mote Park, Maidstone, and Mr J. Dawes were 



second and third. In competition for the prizes for any black grape other than 

 those referred to above, Mr. W. Mitchell was first, with huge superbly- coloured 

 bunches of Mrs. Pmce's Muscat ; Mr. J. Hudson was second, with rather spare 

 clusters of Appley Towers ; and Mr. Tidey was third, staging Alnwick Seedling. 

 The class for Muscat of Alexandria was the strongest of the grape classes, and 

 included a considerable number of entries evincing high class cultural skill. Mr. 

 A. R. Allan, gardener to Lord Hillingdon, Hillingdon Court, Uxbridge, was 

 awarded the clock, value ^5, offered by Messrs. Wood and Son as 

 the first prize for magnificent clusters ; Mr. G. Duncan, gardener to C. J. Lucas, 

 Esq., Warnham Court, Horsham, was second with large well-finished bunches. 

 There were four entries in the class for Mrs. Pearson, and the awards were made 

 in favour of Mr. W. J. Empson, gardener to Mrs. Wingfield, Ampthill House ; Mr. 

 Reynolds and Mr. G. Lane were awarded the remaining prizes in the order of 

 their names. There were some interesting contributions to the class for any white 

 grapes other than those mentioned, and, as a result of the competition, Mr. G. 

 Reynolds was first with excellent bunches of Chasselas Napoleon ; Mr. G. Lane 

 was second with the same variety ; and Mr. W. Allan was third with Duke of 

 Buccleuch. 



Nurserymen's Classes. 



In the class for a collection of fruit trees bearing fruit, in pots, three prizes 

 were offered, viz., gold, silver-gilt, and silver medals. There was, however, but 

 one exhibitor, Messrs. T. Rivers and Son, Sawbridgeworth, who gained the gold 

 medal with a grand display of grandly-grown plum, peach, apple, pear, and fig 

 trees, finely fruited, and in a beautiful condition. A few of the finest trees were : 

 Rivers' Late Orange plum, a golden variety ; President and Pond's Seedling 

 plums ; Albatross and Gladstone peaches ; Emperor Alexander, Blenheim Pippin, 

 Bijou, and Melon apples ; Marie Louise, Conference, Pitmaston Duchess, and 

 Louise Bonne of Jersey pears. The whole group was well set up, and on this 

 occasion no pulled fruits were staged beneath the trees, but a few dracasnas and 

 selaginellas were used as edging. 



Messrs. G. Bunyard and Co., Maidstone, Kent, secured the gold medal offered 

 as first prize in the class for a collection of hardy fruits grown partly or entirely 

 under glass, to illustrate orchard house culture ; splendidly fruited trees in pots 

 were used as a background, especially fine being the specimens of Grand Duke 

 plum, Doyenne du Cornice, Durondeau, Vicar of Winkfield, and Pitmaston 

 Duchess pears ; Lady Palmerston peaches, and Cornish Aromatic apples ; square 

 boxes and baskets of highly-developed plums, pears, tomatos, &c, were arranged 

 next the trees, and dishes of fruit completed the arrangement. There were some 

 wonderfully fine examples of Washington, Reinette du Canada, Gascoigne's Scar- 

 let, Peasgood's Nonsuch, Belle Dubois, Cox's Orange Pippin, Ribston Pippin, 

 and Bismarck apples ; Emile d'Heyst, Beurr£ Ranee, Beurre) Hardy, Pitmaston 

 Duchess, Directeur Alphand, BeurrG Foqueray, Durondeau, Marie Benoist, and 

 Conference pears; Nectarine, Gladstone, Sea Eagle, and Princess of Wales 

 peaches. Altogether there were nearly one hundred dishes shown in this fine 



exhibit. _ , 



There were three competitors for the medals offered as prizes in the class for 



not less than thirty nor more than fifty distinct varieties of hardy fruit, in baskets or 



dishes, grown entirely in the open air. The exhibits were staged on a space 



twenty-four feet by three feet, and foliage plants were allowed to create effect. 



Here the chief award, a silver-gilt medal, was won by Mr. G. Mount, Rose 



Nurseries, Canterbury, who had an extremely pretty display set off by small 



ferns palms, bamboos, crotons, and selaginella ; the finest and most prominent 



fn,ifc iprp T^marck. Warner's King, Cox's Orange Pippin, Cellini, Peasgood's 



Thomp: 



■fcSS we,?' on thc whole, bel< 



, re numerous, and fnrm^ ~7 & ~ ~ 4 b"*-^uus years, dui tne 



■ *» * the class for six ' dSn^i^/"^ 6 fe . ature - T *«re were four com- 



Grapes. 



yal Jubilee, Gascoigne s Scarlet, and Worcester Pearmain apples, 

 n's Williams' Bon Chretien pears. Mr. Mount can grow apples 

 rvell as he can roses, and that is saying a good deal. Mr. J. Colwill, 

 )ad Sidmouth, Devon, came second ; and Mr. J. Basham, Bassa- 

 , third, the latter showing pears well. . 

 [ward for a collection of from thirty to thirty-six distinct varieties 

 pearVin baskets or dishes, all from the open air, and arranged in a space of 

 ^ I u.. .u— Cm*, was won bv Mr. II. Berwick. Sidmouth Nurseries, 



The chief 



^ «« of Aln Wl ck s^ni- M t of 32^^^ 



premier Doyenne 



Hamb 



SeedBna vP' an<1 Ahomtej ..... *. ^ oie was 



Devon, with a very even set of fruit, hw best sampl 



du Cornice, Doyenne Boussoch, V\ illiams Bon 

 geau, uiaumontel, Glou Morceau, Ilacon s Incomparabl, 

 There was but one competitor. 



1 . T t U <n maa mm «• mmt 



ling Edward 

 Beurr4 Clair 



s Black of exceptionally 



colour. 



the 



bach 



— in. ^ Ut the clusters 



•«£S2^T^- bunches of Muscat 



VSS&fi""* "^was^d^ Hh' ^rdener to Sir 



.-, A V, c *n'e Wtn the mes n' ■ • S S °° d c «»ection, in which 

 V^^-*! 0 ^ hSLh^SS^SSi ^ J" J° n « was third, and 



grown 



:y distinct 

 fruit, and 



t 



for size 



were mostly somewhat 



. , . of , Alexandria were the 

 size shapely, and of a rich golden hue. 



^wiW' tw ? bunc hes of each, 



Muscat 



of the best-coloured collections in ihe show ; the soecimens were alio of cood 

 size, as a whe 



one 



second 



Gascoigne's Scarlet, Vicar of Beighton, Sandringham, rit\ 

 u fu lied Beiticheimer, Twenty Ounce, Tyler's Kernel, Peasgood' 



S h c °h n Du n chefs If SSK. L«d Derby Lady Sudeley, Jubilee Wealthy 



Pearmain were all grandly represented ; the 



„ j Basham, Bassaleg, Newport, Mon.. who bruu^ut ; 



prize was ^ uth Wales, though some were spotted as if by hail 



• Bismarck Egremont Russett, Alfriston , King of the Pippins, and M ab 

 Pearmain were very good ; Messrs. Paul and Son, Cheshunt, won thir 



^fct S J of *e clascV; f "" • ? u Madr e s ^M Court 



Vc,. 0 ?? lUmbur,." ruSP S bunches of "Pecified 



prize 



There were two entries in the class for not less than seventy-five nor more 

 n a h„nHred varieties of hardy fruit staged in dishes or baskets, and all 



ff?* 1 - The' bSrSLS? ' ne b T hes most] y sma » 



grown in 

 and these 

 Maidstone, 

 it with a 



the 



open air. Foliage plants were allowed to decorate the table, 

 were used in both instances. Messrs. G. Bunyard and Co., 



the gold medal offered as first prize, and secured 



lot of fruitf chiefly apples, though 



gained 

 magnificen 



