206 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. t September 1 , mi. 
Clipper, Admiral Curznn, Lord Milton, James Merryweather, and Eccentric 
Jack. Fifth to Mr. Thomas Mellor, Ashton-under-Lyne ; and sixth to Mr. 
Joseph Chadwick, with a lot unnamed. 
Cl, ass D, TWELVE Picotees, nine dissimilar.—First to Mr. Robert Scott, 
with Thos. Williams, the premier Picotee, and a most exquisite flower; Miss 
Wood (2), fine ; J. B. Bryant, Minnie, Mary, Zerlina, Mrs. Dodwell, Northern 
Star, and Mrs. Summers. Third to Mr. Geo. Thornley, with John Smith, Miss 
Wood, Zerlina (2), Nymph, Ann Lord (2), Miss Horner (2), Brunette, Alice, 
and Lucy. Third, no name stated, with J. B. Bryant (2), Zerlina (2), Wm. Sum¬ 
mers, Mary, Mrs. Summers, Beauty of Plumstead, Mrs. Allcroft, Ann Lord, and 
two seedlings. Fourth to Mr. Thomas Bower ; and fifth Mr. Thos. Mellor. 
Class E, Six Carnations, dissimilar.—First, Mr. Edward Pohlman, Halifax, 
with Lord Milton, Sportsman, John Keats, Ur. Foster, Fanny Gardiner, and 
John Simonite, good. Second to Mr. James Whitham, Hebden Bridge, with 
Fanny Gardiner, James Merryweather, James Douglas, Purity, Sportsman, and 
Admiral C'urzon. Third to Mr. James Whittaker, Royton, with Admiral Cur- 
zon, Sybil, Earl Wilton, William IV., Lovely Ann, and James Taylor. Fourth, 
Mr. Samuel Barlow, Stakehill, near Middleton. 
CLASS F, Six Picotees, all dissimilar.— First to Mr. J. Whitham for Zer- 
bna, Fanny Ellen, Thos. Williams, good ; Minnie, Alliance, and J. B. Bryant. 
Second to Mr. S. Barlow’, with Morna, Zerlina, Ann Lord, Fanny Ellen, Ur. 
Epps, and Norfolk Beauty. Third to Mr. E. Pohlman, with John Smith, Thos. 
Williams, Zerlina, Cynthia, Alice, and Minnie. Fourth to Mr. James Whittaker. 
Extra Prizes for Twelve Selfs, Yellow or other Flowers.—First, Mr. 
Robert Lord, with a lot of run bizarres, that looked anything but seifs. Second, 
Mr. Samuel Barlow, for twelve flowers, all seifs, both lots being well grown. 
Class G, Single Blooms. — Scarlet Bizarres: First, second, third, fourth, 
and fifth, Mr. R. Lord, with Curzon. Sixth. Mr. S. Bower, with same. Crimson 
Bizarres: First, second, third, fourth, and fifth, Mr. R. Lord, with Lord Milton (3), 
Rifleman, and Unexpected respectively. Sixth, Mr. T. Bower, with Rifleman. 
Bin/: and Purple Bizarres: First, Mr. T. Bower, with Sarah Payne. Second, Mr. 
I!. Lord, with Shirley Hibberd. Third, Mr. T. Bower, with Falconbridge. 
Fourth and fifth, Mr. It. Lord, with Albion’s Pride and Eccentric Jack. Sixth, 
Mr. B. Simonite, with a seedling. Scarlet Flakes: First, Mr. Thos. Flowdy, with 
Wm. Harland. Second, third, fourth, and fifth, Mr. R. Lord, with Sportsman (2) 
and Clipper. Bose Flakes: First and second, Mr. R. Lord, with Lovely Ann and 
Mrs. Dodwell. Third, Mr. T. Bower, with John Keats. Fourth, Mr. R. Lord. 
Fifth, Mr. T. Bower, with the same varieties. Sixth, Mr. W. Taylor, with 
Apollo. Purple Flakes: First, second, and fifth, Mr. R. Lord, with James 
Douglas. Third and fourth, with Earl Wilton. Sixth, Mr. Wm. Whittaker, 
with Lady Peel. 
PICOTEES.— Heavy-edged Red. —First and second. Mr. R. Lord, with John 
Smith. Third, Mr. T. Flowdy, with J. B. Bryant. Fourth, Mr. R. Lord, w r ith 
John Smith. Fifth, Mr. T. Flowdy, with J. B. Bryant. Sixth, Mr. G. Rudd, 
with John Smith. Light-edged Red: First and third, Mr. T. Flowdy, with 
Thomas Williams. Second, fourth, fifth, and sixth, Mr. R. Lord, with same. 
Heavy-edged Purple: First, Mr. R. Lord, with Zerlina. Second and third, Mr. J. 
Beswick, with same. Fourth, Mr. E. Pohlman, with Miss Summers. Fifth and 
sixth, Mr. J. Beswick, with same. Light-edged Purple: First and second, Mr. T. 
Flowdy, with Minnie. Third, Mr. G-. Thornley, with Ann Lord. Fourth, Mr. 
B. Simonite, with Mary. Fifth, Mr. R. Lord, with Minnie. Sixth, Mr. J. Bes¬ 
wick, with Ann Lord. Heavy-edged Rose. —First and second, Mr. R. Lord, with 
Miss Horner and Fanny Ellen. Third, Mr. J. Chadwick, with Miss D’Ombrain. 
Fourth, Mr. W. Taylor, with Edith D'Ombrain. Fifth, Mr. R. Lord, with Miss 
Horner. Sixth, Mr. G. Rudd, with Edith D’Ombrain. Light-edged R \se: First, 
second, and fourth, Mr. T. Flowdy, with Miss Wood. Third, Mr. J. Beswick, 
with Teresa. Fifth, Mr. S. Barlow, with Unknown. Sixth, Mr. W. Taylor, with 
a seedling. —WILLIAM Bolton, Warrington. 
TROPrEOLUM SPECIOSUM. 
Undoubtedly “D., Deal," has selected the right aspect—north 
—for growing this gorgeous plant in England. In Scotland it 
will grow anywhere, at least in the south where the rainfall is 
great, and perhaps in other parts also. I have seen it in Dumfries¬ 
shire rambling over shrubs and making them look like bushes of 
fire, and the gardener’s cottage at Arkleton was, a few years ago, 
covered from the ground to the roof—a veritable blaze of beauty. 
I have never seen anything in England so brilliant as this plant 
is in Scotland, and attempts should certainly be made to estab¬ 
lish it in gardens in the south. This is no easy task, as I know 
from experience. I have planted it many times and oft in 
Lincolnshire, but always failed ; my successor, however, succeeded. 
He planted it on the north side of a mansion where there was 
either a leak or a stoppage in the spout above, and the ground, 
by the constant trickling of the water whenever it rained, was 
always wet. In fact it is the wettest and coolest place in the 
garden, and it suited the Tropaeolum, for there it grew, and is 
probably flowering at the present time at Branston Hall. About 
three years ago I saw it growing and flowering freely at Holme 
Lacy near Hereford, and there, too, it was on the north side of a 
wall and in a cool and moist position. When once the plant 
is established it is no trouble. It will grow if it is let alone. Its 
fleshy roots are extremely liable to be injured when disturbed, 
or in transit when sent from the north. If some nurseryman 
could establish a number of plants in pots, like so many pots of 
Musk, they would no doubt sell readily, and it is quite certain 
if they became established in English gardens and flowered the 
same as they do in Scotland that the vendor would leave behind 
him a monument brilliant and durable.—J. W. 
Matricaria inodora flore-pleno.— With respect to the 
Matricaria inodora flore-pleno being comparatively a new plant 
as is stated last week, I have known it growing in gardens in the 
neighbourhood of Prestwich more than twenty years ago. It is no 
doubt one of those good old plants that has long been neglected 
and is now brought to light again. The name of Mitraria was, 
I presume, simply a misprint.— James Percival. 
[Yes ; the name was an obvious misprint, which escaped our 
notice in time for correction.—E d.] 
TURNIP-ROOTED BEET. 
After reading the notes in the Journal last year respecting 
the high quality of this Beet I determined to give it a trial this 
year. I have known the variety for years by having occasionally 
seen it in gardens, but in some strange manner 1 could never 
help feeling it was a mistake to grow the round black Turnip-like 
roots, when there were, as I thought, so many better varieties 
with handsome tapering roots. So much for prejudice. This 
year for the first time—and I have been growing Beet for thirty 
years—I tried the globular Egyptian, and I must now say that it is 
not only the earliest of all, but is the sweetest and best flavoured 
I ever tasted. There is scarcely a suspicion of the earthy taste 
that is present more or less in all the long-rooted varieties, and I 
hope never to be without the Egyptian Beet again. A few of the 
roots are pale in colour, but the great majority of them are as 
dark as Nutting’s. My employer, I think, has a prejudice against 
it, the slices, he says, being too large. The quality is of little 
moment with him, as I believe he seldom touches this vegetable, 
though he likes to see it on the table. This is all the better for 
me ; and as I am entitled to all the vegetables I require, I shall 
reserve the round Beet for myself, and supply “ the house ” with 
Nutting’s as usual. Those who grow Beet to eat should try this 
sweet and excellent variety, for in quality it is the best of all. 
—An Old Hand. 
MR. BRUCE FINDLAY. 
On the occasion of the publication of the report of the Jubilee 
Exhibition of the Manchester Royal Botanical Society, the portrait 
of the highly skilled and successful Curator and Secretary of that 
Society (see fig. 33, page 197) will not be inappropriate, and we 
feel sure it will be acceptable to our readers. 
We extract the following particulars relative to Mr. Findlay, 
subject to some slight corrections, from a Manchester paper— 
“ In all Manchester there is not a steward of the public welfare to 
whom the community is more indebted, or to whom we should be 
more grateful, than the excellent Curator of the Botanical Gardens 
at Old TrafEord, to which during the last dozen years or so the shilling 
visitors have amounted to probably fully 800,000. The gardens are 
purely private property. They are not, like our magnificent public 
parks, open to any who like to enter. This makes it so much the 
more agreeable to remark that the gates are open so often, and at so 
low a rate of charge for admission. If we are not very profoundly 
mistaken it is to Mr. Findlay that such of the Manchester people as 
do not subscribe or call themselves 1 proprietors ’ owe the chance now 
so often afforded of contemplating and enjoying what they have to 
offer. 
“ The original proposal to establish botanical gardens in Man¬ 
chester, so we verify by reference to the copy of the celebrated old 
Manchester Iris at the Hulme branch of the Free Library, appeared 
in 1822. There were then very few establishments of the kind in 
England, but there was one at Liverpool, and it was in order to be on 
a par with the last-named that the proposal for a Manchester garden 
was issued. But the project was mooted before its time. Nobody 
cared to take it up, and not until about 1829 was it started anew. A 
Botanical and Horticultural Society was then established. Dr. 
Dalton went all round the suburbs of the town testing the compa¬ 
rative cleanliness of the leaves of the trees with a cambric handker¬ 
chief, so as to be sure of the purest atmosphere, and this being found 
at Old Trafford, the existing site was chosen. In 1831, exactly fifty 
years ago, the gardens were ready, and about midsummer that year 
there was a grand procession and an opening exhibition. The men 
employed in the grounds wore a rather fancy uniform, designed, it 
would appear, after the legends of classical Arcadia. With the 
orieinal Curators we need not here concern ourselves. They were 
most estimable men—Mr. Findlay’s immediate predecessor, the late 
Mr. Campbell, was one of the most genial gardeners that ever lived. 
Mr. Findlay himself came upon the scene in 1858. He was born at 
Streatham in Surrey. His father was a Scotchman, but as regards 
his horticultural education he is certainly a Londoner. Some of his 
earliest experience, we believe, was gained in Rolhsson’s nurseries at 
Tooting. When he received the appointment he has now held with 
so much credit for twenty-three years he was only twenty-three years 
of age ; he has thus spent just half of his life in his present position. 
Flower shows, when Mr, Findlay came to Manchester, were for the 
select few, the connoisseurs in plants, the fashionable and the 
wealthy. Taking up with his accustomed promptitude the capital 
idea set forth in the Great International Show at South Kensington 
in 1866, he determined that with proper support Manchester, through 
his personal effort, should be the first to follow suit. In Whitsun 
week 1867 began, accordingly, those splendid flower festivals we now 
