May 3, 1883. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
359 
rant in plant culture, or the culture of Lily of the "Valley ; hut for the 
benefit of the younger members of our craft I think it necessary that 
plain instructions be given, so as to be easily understood. I may 
further state I am fully borne out in my views by more than one 
head gardener in this locality.— A. J. Sanders. 
USEFUL VEGETABLES. 
Asparagus Kale is a most useful vegetable for this time of 
year. Other Kales make way for the Potato crop, but this keeps 
up a supply till June, when it may be followed by Celery ; and 
for my own taste I prefer Asparagus Kale to spring Cabbages. 
Unfortunately there are so many different vegetables sold as 
Asparagus Kale, that in buying seed one cannot tell what he is 
likely to get. All are good, but the true variety is very hardy 
and very productive. The last week in April or the first in May 
is the time to sow it. I have not yet tried friend Gilbert’s Chou 
de Burghley, which is said to have the property of pleasing every¬ 
body, but 1 mean to give it a fair trial this season. 
Coleworts are not so much grown as they ought to be in private 
establishments. There is generally plenty of ground vacant after 
second early Potatoes, too late for Broccoli and Kales, but in good 
time for Coleworts, yet such ground is often wasted. 
Another flagrant piece of waste occurs when vegetables are 
gathered in frosty weather. In many gardens there is more 
Spinach, Parsley, Sorrel, Sec., spoiled by being bruised while it 
is frozen than would suffice to supply a moderate-sized esta¬ 
blishment. 
I do not know what is the experience of others with regard to 
Parsley, but I am obliged to sow twice a year, and then cannot 
keep up a satisfactory supply. At one time it was very different 
to this. A plant would last several years, and be as good as it 
was at first. Have the recent improvements in appearance been 
gained at the expense of constitution ?—W. T. L. 
THE AURICULAS AT SOUTH KENSINGTON. 
Again has this most pleasant gathering of florists from the 
north and south taken place, and if no other end were gained by 
it than the friendly intercourse and exchange of views and opinions 
with one another we should all feel indebted to the organisers of 
the Exhibition for the treat they have thus given us. But much 
more has been done ; and while I despair still of ever seeing the 
same/tf/'ore on behalf of florists’ flowers in the south that charac¬ 
terises the north, yet I am equally convinced that the encourage¬ 
ment thus given to this especial florists’ flower must greatly 
increase its popularity, and therefore earnestly hope its success 
may be assured. 
In the observations which as a florist of the old. and I believe 
the correct school, I may, in my notice of the Exhibition, say 
some things which may provoke controversy ; yet, as my sole 
object is the welfare of the flower and the maintenance of its true 
character, I must be excused for not taking notice of any dissident 
remarks that may be made on my notes. Controversy on paper 
rarely does good : words are given a meaning that they were 
never intended to have : people read between the lines, instead of 
taking the lines themselves as they were intended. 
I have seen it stated that the Exhibition was the best ever held 
by the Society. As far as the Auricula is concerned this is un¬ 
questionably a mistake ; there were not so many exhibitors, nor 
were the flowers as good as they have been before. 1 ventured 
some little time ago to express the opinion that this would be the 
case. The cold blasts that we had in March I felt would so retard 
the flowers that many would not be able to put in an appearance, 
and that those flowers that were shown would exhibit the effects 
of that cold time. Now let us see how it was. In the class for 
twelve varieties there were this year four exhibitors instead of six 
last year; in the class for six there were but two exhibitors 
instead of seven ; in the class for four there were eight exhibitors 
instead of ten ; and in the class for pairs—the only one in which 
there was an increase—there were fourteen instead of nine, 
showing unmistakeably the wisdom of making this class so as to 
admit small growers, although I cannot but think an unfair use 
was made by some exhibitors in the class. Then Messrs. Simonite, 
Booth, and Rudd were conspicuous by their absence amongst 
northern growers; and the Rev. E. Fellowes and Mr. S. Robins, 
among more southern growers, were unable to compete owing to 
their flowers not being in bloom. 
And then as to the quality of the flowers, I can safely say with¬ 
out fear of contradiction that they were by no means equal to the 
quality of former years. There was hardly a first-class bloom of 
George Lightbody or Lancashire Hero in the Show ; and although, 
as usual, the former flower carried off most of the prizes in the 
single classes, yet in almost all instances there was the defect of 
that thin reddish line between the paste and body colour which 
this grand flower displays when it is not in first-rate condition. 
Then, again, if we take the two leading collections, Mr. Horner’s 
and Mr. Douglas’s, in the class for twelves, there were in one case 
seven and the other five blooms which were not of first-rate 
character. When we recollect that Mr. Horner has, 1 suppose, 
the finest collection of any amateur in England, and that Mr. 
Douglas has a house 50 feet long full of them (including Alpines), 
it must be evident that the season could not have been a favour¬ 
able one when such growers were obliged to compete with blooms 
not in good form. It was in this class especially that the differ¬ 
ence between the correct taste of the north and the not-equally- 
cultivated taste of the south was apparent, and I think in the 
interests of the true standard of taste the facts should be known. 
The two collections were most carefully judged by points (the 
only true way of judging), and one of them had five more points 
than the other, and in consequence was adjudged the first prize. 
A protest w T as immediately lodged, and the Judges were told that 
they were to consider them again, and that allowances were to be 
made for effect! Now effect means size and the number of pips 
on a truss, and it seems to me that to take this into account is to 
violate all true standards of judgment in florist flowers. It might 
be taken into consideration in a group of Azaleas or Pelargoniums, 
but it is utterly out of place in a class of Auriculas or a stand of 
Carnations or Picotees. It was impossible that the Judges could 
stultify themselves by altering the places which they had assigned 
after most careful judging, and so the collections were placed 
equal, the points being given to the second one for effect. It was 
an unsatisfactory method of meeting the case, as all compromises 
are more or less so, and I cannot but hope that at future exhibi¬ 
tions of the Society the absurdity of allowing points for effect will 
not be insisted on. 
I have said that in the classes of four and two plant?, exhibitors 
showed who I do not think in all fairness ought to be there. When 
one states that he has an overstock of a thousand plants that he 
wants to dispose of, it cannot but be that he must swamp the young 
exhibitor, who with his forty or fifty plants is desirous of gaining 
a place. He may be equally a good grower, but the certainty is 
that on the day of exhibition he who has a much larger number 
of plants to choose from must always have an advantage. In 
ordinary cases this of course is expected, but when classes are 
made for the especial purpose of allowing small growers to com¬ 
pete I hardly think it is desirable for the large growers to enter. 
I have no personal feeling in the matter. I have said the same 
thing with regard to Roses, in which I never exhibit ; and I con¬ 
fess that I would much sooner win a third or fourth in sixes than 
be first or second in the smaller classes if I had a collection of such 
magnitude. I am aware that no rules can be made on the matter, 
and no hard-and-fast line as to what constitutes a large or a small 
collection, but that it must be left to individual feeling. 
The opinions that one has formed of varieties already in growth 
are not likely to be modified in unfavourable seasons, but there 
are always times when some especial varieties come out stronger 
than at other times and others do not show to advantage. I have 
already said that it was not a good year for those fine varieties 
George Lightbody and Lancashire Hero ; on the other hand, 
Colonel Taylor was shown in fine condition, and very beautiful 
it is when thus seen. Another variety that came out unusually 
well was Read’s Acme. Some years ago, before this was sent out, 
I saw it at Mr. Booth’s at Failsworth, and stated then in the 
Journal that I believed it would prove to be one of the best of 
the white edges. It has done so, and is, I think, far in advance 
of Frank Simonite, whom no “eye-opener” can quicken into 
loveliness ; but I think the judgment of all Auricula growers will 
be with me when I say that all white edges must give place to 
Mr. Douglas’s seedling “ Conservative.” It is a flower of first- 
rate properties, large, but not coarse, with a distinct white edge 
and good yellow tube. There is but one defect as far as very 
critical judgment can decide, and that is, that the paste has not 
the solidity which makes such a flower as Acme ; it is not thin, the 
colour does not show through, but it has a granulated appear¬ 
ance. However, notwithstanding this it is, if it maintain its 
character, the best white edge in cultivation. The same may be 
said of Mr. Horner’s Heroine amongst seifs. In point of form, 
flatness, colour, and size it leaves nothing to be desired, and its 
value may be seen from the fact that it secured in the classes for 
single specimens the first four prizes. A seedling from Mr. Barlow 
in the green-edged class, “ Greenfinch,” a very neat and refined 
flower, promises well. 1 believe that I am correct in saying that 
it is of the Kirkby Malzeard brood. Although several prizes were 
awarded for seedlings I do not think that there was anything very 
noteworthy amongst them. Prince of Greens was shown well, and 
