266 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 
[ September 18, 1884. 
it appear exactly fair that autumn-sown Onions should he 
awarded prizes that are offered for Onions raised from spring- 
sown seeds. 
I don’t think very much of Dr. Nichols’ theory of stratified 
Vine borders, however well such borders may have answered in his 
practice. I have seen such borders made and fail to give remark¬ 
able results, and I have very grave doubts if anything like such 
fine Grapes have ever been grown in America in stratified borders 
as are produced every year in England when fertilising ingredients 
are judiciously incorporated with the soil. There is, however, 
no doubt as to the value of the mixtui’e recommended of bone- 
meal, wood ashes, and gypsum for Vines, as bones give phos¬ 
phate of lime, wood ashes potash, and gypsum sulphate of lime, 
all of which are constituents of Vines and fruit trees. Such a 
mixture would benefit many garden crops, notably Potatoes, nor 
is it necessary to use w’ater in the preparation as recommended 
on page 220. 
And so it is at “ Kendal, Ulverston, Barrow, and many places 
around,” where all kinds of fruit grown under glass ai’e admitted 
in'o competition in classes for “small” frui s. I think under 
such circums ances the sooner the word “small” is expunged 
from the schedules the better, for anything more misleading and 
even absurd was perhaps never heard of in the his ory of 
exhibitions.—A Thinkee. 
PLUMS IN POTS. 
Last year Mr. Hawkins, gardener to Col. Tarbeville, Ewenny Priory, 
Bridgend, sent us a fine example of his success in growing Pears in pots ; 
he has now sent us a cluster of Plums which the engraving fairly 
represents, and we suspect not many of our readers have seen a better 
cluster of finer fruit cut from a tree in a pot. As regards culture, Mr. 
Hawkins states, “ The Plums are grown in a cold house, the trees being 
repotted annually just before the leaves drop. Soil is taken from waste 
patches on the roadside. The soil is only got a week or two before using, 
and it is mixed with about a fourth part of its bulk with manure from a 
Cucumber bed. After potting the trees are heavily watered and placed 
back in the house as close together as possible. They are then syringed 
once or twice a day until most of their leaves drop ; this is considered 
important for keeping the buds plump. When signs of frost appear 
the pots are covered with straw to prevent their bursting. The house is 
never closed until trees commence to start into growth and spring frosts 
are imminent. They receive in the growing season liquid manure which 
drains from the dung heap, this being all that has been used for some 
years, and it is given twice a week. A little bone manure mixed with 
the -soil for potting is found advantageous.” Such is the method of 
culture that has resulted so satisfactorily. Many persons fail in growing 
fruit trees in pots by keeping the houses too close during the winter, and 
thereby dangerously accelerating the expansion of the blossoms. Mr. 
Hp wkins makes no such mistake, and we congratulate him on his success. 
The variety is Coe’s Golden Drop, the exact size of the fruit being shown 
in the figure on the preceding page. 
THE DUNDEE INTERNATIONAL SHOW. 
September 11th, 12th, and 13th. 
It is now' eight years since the last great International Exhibition was 
held in Dundee, and the present season having been thought a suitable one 
for another attempt to prove that the love of horticulture is not diminishing 
in Scotland, the Committee of the flourishing Horticultural Society deter¬ 
mined to inaugurate a similar Show. In this object they have been liberally 
assisted by numerous friends, and were thus enabled to issue a prize list 
offering unusual encouragements to exhibitors, the result being a correspond¬ 
ing influx of entries and proportionately high quality of exhibits. It has 
been repeatedly proved that the only way to obtain an exhibition of more 
than ordinary merit is to render the prizes so substantial that growers will 
be induced to send their choicest productions, and, by exciting a certain 
rivalry amongst the leading cultivators, bring them into the arena to test 
their respective strengths. Fully recognising the importance of this matter 
the Dundee Committee have very carefully prepared their schedule, making 
liberal provision for all the most important productions, and when it is stated 
that 350 competitors entered the lists suflflcient evidence is afforded that the 
efforts were appreciated. 
Fruits were afforded the first place, seventy-one classes being devoted to 
them, the first fifty-nine of which were open to all, and the remainder con¬ 
fined to amateurs. In the first-mentioned classes the principal were for a 
collection of sixteen sorts of fruits,the prizes being £20, £15,and£10, which 
is regarded as the leading class in the Show. Next in importance were the 
classes for twelve and eight sorts of fruits respectively, for which the prizes 
offered varied from £15 to £4. Pine Apples had five classes appropriated to 
them, the prizes being from 60s. to 10s. For Grapes very liberal provision 
was made. In the most important class for eight varieties, one bunch of each, 
the prizes were £15, £10, and £5 ; while for six and four varieties the highest 
prize was £8 and the lowest £2. Thirteen classes were devoted to special 
varieties of Grapes, two bunches of each, and fourteen were provided for 
single bunches of the principal varieties, including special classes for the 
heaviest, the finest-bloomed, and the best-flavoured Grapes. This was a 
highly important portion of the Exhibition, and attracted much attention 
from the numerous gardeners who assembled at the Show on the morning of 
the opening day. Melons, Figs, Peaches, Nectarines, Apricots, Plums, Pears, 
Apples, Cherries, Gooseberries, and Currants all had classes devoted to them, 
and in the majority the competition was exceedingly keen, the total number 
of entries in the fruit section being 530. 
Plants were accorded the second place in the schedule, twelve classes 
being confined to nurserymen, thirty-seven to gardeners and amateurs, and 
twenty-one to amateurs only. In the first section the leading class was for 
a table of plants 20 feet by 8 feet, for which £20, £15, and £10 were offered, 
similar amounts being contributed in the second section for twelve stove and 
greenhouse plants. Proportionate prizes were also offered for miscellaneous 
plants, such as Begonias, Pelargoniums, Liliums, Heaths, Fuchsias, Eucharis, 
Perns, Palms, Coleuses, &c. The entries of plants were 330, the smallest 
number in any of the sections, and with the exception of some of the groups 
for effect and a few collections of specimens they were the least remarkable 
in merit, though the majority were clean and healthy. 
Cut flowers formed an extensive portion of the Show, and the number of 
entries far exceeded those in the other sections, 835 collections being staged, 
which, as may be readily imagined, occupied considerable space, and arranged 
as they were on tables in front of the main hall, they had a beautiful 
effect. Ffty-two classes were appropriated to them, the prizes ranging 
from £3 to 3s. 
Vegetables also constituted an exhibition of much interest, and competi¬ 
tion was all that could be desired, some of the 765 collections being dis¬ 
tinguished by extraordinary size and merit, for there are several redoubtable 
growers in the district round Dundee, but particularly in Perthshire. Thirty 
classes were included in this section, and the prizes varied from £4 to 3s. 
It has, however, been pointed out that there were some little inconsisten¬ 
cies in the proportionate value of the prizes offered for different vegetables, 
but these could not be readily avoided, and if the Committee erred in giving 
rather higher prizes for some vegetables than they deserved, it was an error 
on the right side. 
The total value of prizes offered was thus over £1000, and in addition to 
those provided by the Society, the special prizes offered by the Veitch 
Memorial Trustees were amongst the most interesting. These were three 
Memorial medals and £5 with each for the best specimen Orchid in flower, 
for the best stove or greenhouse plant in flower, and for the best two bunches 
of Grapes, one variety. They were to be awarded for specimens shown ip 
any class by amateurs or gentlemen’s gardeners, and were intended as addi¬ 
tional honours for exhibits of unusual merit, but unfortunately in the case 
of the plants the Judges had great difficulty in finding any specimens worthy 
of such high honours. 
As on the occasion of the International Show at Dundee in 1876, the 
spacious Drill Hall and grounds were devoted to the exhibits. Abundant 
room is there afforded for the entries at all ordinary shows, but at this one 
considerable difficulty was experienced in disposing the numerous produc¬ 
tions to the best advantage, which was still further increased by the for¬ 
mality of the building. Advantageous as it may be in many respects, such 
as proximity to the stations, its central position permitting the townspeople 
to readily visit it, and facilitating the conveyance of exhibits, yet it must be 
admitted that it is not one of the best for a flower show, at least in a 
picturesque point of view. With the utmost care it would be impossible to 
produce the same general effect which is secured in the large exhibition house 
at Manchester, the great marquee at the Botanic Gardens, Regent’s Park, or 
even in the series of marquees at the York gala. To compensate for this defect, 
however, it must be remembered that the weather in September is very 
uncertain, and it would be impossible to hold a three-days show under 
canvas with the same degree of safety to the exhibits as in such a hall as 
this, so that the Committee are fully justified in sacrificing the ornamental to 
the useful; and as the chief object of a horticultural exhibition is to afford 
gardeners an opportunity of comparing and thus improving their produce, 
the mere effective beauty is of little consequence, more especially in this case, 
where fruits and vegetables formed the principal portions of the display. As 
regards the plants, however, much taste was exercised in their arrangement. 
The groups and larger collections were elevated on low tables 2 feet high, 
which enabled visitors to see them to the best advantage. The clothing of 
the edges of these was, however, left to the exhibitors, and in some instances 
there was a bareness that was far from pleasant; in fact, wherever the wood 
was visible it detracted from the appearance of the groups, and had it been 
covered with baize or painted a dull green the effect would have been greatly 
improved. In several other cases the higher tables devoted to fruit and 
vegetables were similarly unsightly, and was remarked by many visitors. 
The Dundee Horticultural Society has latterly gained the well-deserved 
reputation of holding the best shows in Scotland, and it is therefore doubly 
satisfactory to be able to record another decided success, for though the 
Exhibition now under notice was international only in name, it yet deserves a 
high position amongst the best of the kind held in recent years. The Society 
is under most influential patronage, has a large pracical and energetic Com¬ 
mittee of gardeners, nurserymen, and amateurs, and is, moreover, particularly 
fortunate in securing Mr. J. P. Scott as Secretary. The success of a .show is 
greatly dependent upon its Secretary, and Mr. Scott appears to possess in a 
high degree the qualities most needed in such a functionary—namely, 
courtesy, energy, and a methodical system of working, the consequence 
being that the multiplicity of details connected with such a show were all 
disposed of with a smoothness that was most creditable. In marking out 
the positions of the exhibits considerable care was also exercised, every 
place being numbered, and in affixing the prize cards a simple but effectual 
system was adopted. An envelope with the name of the exhibitor written 
under the flap was placed face upwards to each entry; upon these the Judges 
marked the awards, and different coloured cards for first, second, and third 
were then filled in and placed upon the exhibits. The only disadvantage in 
this was that a large number of clerks had to be employed, but the work was 
quickly and correctly performed, and that is of the most importance. 
The total space occupied by the Show was about 46,000 square feet, the 
ground in front of the main hall where the covered tables were occupied with 
