THE ELOEAL MAGAZINE 
NEW SERIES,] OCTOBER, 1873. [No. 22. 
EXHIBITIONS. 
At this period of the year we are obliged to look to the 
provinces and not to the metropolis for lai’ge exhibitions. 
The Royal Horticultural Society has only held one or 
two of very insignificant character ; the Botanic Society 
has ceased for the season ; the Crystal Palace Company 
has only held an Autumn Exhibition of Fruit, with a few 
Gladioli ; but at Manchester, at Brighton, and in other 
large provineial cities, grand shows have been held. At 
the former place the finest Autumn Exhibition that was 
ever held took place on the 3rd of September and fol- 
lowing days; it was under the auspices of the Man- 
chester Botanical Society, and was ojiened at their 
Gardens at Old Traffbrd, under the presidency of the 
Earl of Derby; 1400b was offered in prizes, and such a 
collection of fruit and vegetables has perhaps never been 
brought together before. This portion of the show is 
outside our province, but we cannot forbear alluding to 
the bunch of black Hamburg Grapes weighing 13^ lbs., 
or to the Queen Pine-apple weighing 8^ lbs. The flowers 
consisted of Dahlias, Hollyhocks, and Gladiolus; the 
first were exhibited well, and the stands contained most 
of the leading varieties, such as John Staudish, Toison 
d’Or, Mrs. Saunders, Yellow Boy, &c., while Mr. Charles 
Turner exhibited a very fine seedling, which deservedly 
received a first-class certificate : it is called Ovid, and we 
hope to figure it ere long in the IMagazine. The Gladioli 
were magnificent, Mr. Kelway exhibiting a large bank 
of several hundred blooms of his seedlings, and some 
grand spikes on his -stands. He had some which seemed 
to surpass anything we had as yet seen, such as Orange 
Boven, which had sixteen expanded blooms on it at the 
same time, but they were surpassed by some he had at 
the Crystal Palace, such as Lord Hawke, Rev. II. H. 
Dombrain (the finest Gladiolus ever raised), Harrison 
AYeir, Mrs. Reynolds Hole, &c. ; he is leaving the French 
varieties in the rear, and if only they retain a good habit, 
this will supersede them. Lord Hawke, who has for 
many years occupied the first position as an amateur in 
exhibiting Hollyhocks, has taken, at a bound, the same 
place as an exhibitor of Gladioli, and both in these and 
in Hollyhocks he made a grand display, his twelve spikes 
of the latter flower, all but two his own seedlings, were 
marvels of fine cultivation and excellence. 
At the Crystal Palace, on the 6th, there was opened 
a large exhibition of Fruit, and a small one of Gladioli ; 
here, as usual, Mr. Kelway was in great strength, and 
his stand of six seedlings, not yet sent out, was exceed- 
ingly fine : the flowers were Rev. II. II. Dombrain, light 
red with white centre ; Rev. Reynolds Hole, pale lilac, 
something in the style of Laeepede; Lord Derby, fine 
white; Lord Hawke; Harrison Weir, salmon rose; and 
Sirs. Reynolds Hole, white. jVIr. Douglas, gardener to 
J. Whitbourne, Esq., Loxford Hall, exhibited some fine 
flowers, several of them being his own seedlings; ami 
the Rev. H. II. Dombrain and Mr. Harrison Weir were 
also exhibitors. 
The great Southern Exhibition took place at Brighton 
on the loth, and there was here again a fine display of 
fruit and autumn flowers. Gladioli were not so fully 
represented as at Manchester and the Crystal Palace, the 
prizes being small, and not sufficient to induce exhibitors 
to come forward. Owing to the non-fulfilment of an 
engagement made by the proprietor of the Surrey Gar- 
dens, the Metropolitan Floral Society were unable to hold 
their Annual Autumn Exhibition, so that we may say 
the metropclis is the only place of any note whore such 
a show has not been held; we trust that this will not 
take place again, for it is a great loss to all lovers of 
flowers. 
THE AURICULA. 
The growing interest in florists^ flowers is bringing once 
more into more prominent notice this beautiful spring 
flower, and we are glad to see that the North, as has alway s 
been its wont, is coming out strongly in its favour. A 
revival of the National Auricula Show took place this 
year, mainly owing to the vigorous efforts of the Rev. 
T. D. Horner, the son of one of the best knowmand most 
successful florists of the olden time, and a good be- 
ginning has been made for a repetition of the show in 
the ensuing season. In the South we hear of several 
gentlemen commencing its cultivation, and we doubt not, 
that if people could get rid of the idea that it requires so 
much extra care and attention, they would be more ready 
to attempt its cultivation ; the quackery (for it w’as 
nothing else) that was connected with it in former days, 
gave people an exaggerated notion of its difficulty of 
culture, and prevented them from attempting it; it is 
now being found out that, like a great many other 
plants, simple treatment succeeds with it best. The past 
season was not a particularly good one for it, the flowers 
were late in coming into bloom, and consequently at the 
