182 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ An just 26, 1888. 
they were awarded the first prize, the stand comprising some of their finest 
varieties. 
Bouquets were exhibited by several competitors, and some very tasteful 
arrangements were contributed. Mr. Hans Niemand, Harborne Road, Bir¬ 
mingham, had the best hall bouquet, and Messrs. Perkins & Son the best 
bridal bouquet, Messrs. Jones & Son and Messrs. Pearson & Sons following 
closely. With stands and displays of cut flowers Messrs. Jones ifc Son were 
the leading exhibitors, Messrs. Perkins & Sons being successful with button¬ 
holes. 
Fbutt. —Excellent prizes were offered for Grapes and collections, and 
the result was the finest show of fruit that has been provided in the pro¬ 
vinces this season. Indeed, the fruit section was one of the strongest in 
the Show, and this part of the Exhibition was a special success. It was 
notified in the prize list that “ All fruit exhibited must be fit for table,” and 
the whole of it was above the average in merit; in fact, inferior examples 
in the open classes were very few. Much attention was directed to the 
opening class in fruit, as this was one for six bunches of Grapes of three 
varieties, the Society’s prize being £5, and to this was added £5 by the Pre¬ 
sident, W. J. Foster, Esq. There were seven competitors, and many excel¬ 
lent bunches were staged. The Judges, after much consideration, finally 
awarded the first prize to Mr. Pratt, gardener to the Marquis of Bath, 
Longleat, Warminster, who showed two bunches of Black Hamburgh, 
weighing lbs., large in berry and grand in colour ; two bunches Alicante, 
8f lbs., quite ripe, finely coloured, and well Bhown ; and two bunches of 
Mrs. Pince, 6| lbs., but these, although good, were the weakest, as the b rries 
in some instances were slightly deficient in colour near the footstalks ; 
altogether these made a showy and meritorious stand. Mr. Stevenson, 
gardener to Colonel Pilkington, Liverpool, was second with Alicante, fiuely 
coloured, but the bunches were deficient in form; Madresfield Court was 
good in bunch and berry, but one of the bunches was unfortunately much 
rubbed; and Black Hamburghs of fine quality. Mr. Goodacre, gardener 
to the Earl of Harrington, Elvaston Castle, Derby, was third with Alnwick 
Seedling, beautifully coloured ; Madresfield Court, green at the footstalk; 
and Muscat Hamburgh too red. The other exhibits were so good that the 
Committee very generously added two good prizes, and the fourth was 
awarded to Mr. (Gilman, gardener to the Earl of Shrewsbury, Ingestre 
Hall, Stafford, who had Madresfield Court, Lady Downe’s, and Black Ham¬ 
burgh of great excellence so far as finish is concerned, but smallness of the 
bunches lowered them in the prize list. 
Eighteen dishes of three bunches of black Grapes were staged. This 
was also a good class, and Mr. J. Barker, gardener to A. Baynes, E?q., Birken¬ 
head, was placed first with magnificent bunches of Madresfield Court of fine 
form, berries very massive, and altogether superior. Second, Mr. J. Bennett, 
gardener to the Hon. C. H. Wynne-Corwin, with Alnwick Seedling of extra¬ 
ordinary merit, indeed perfict. Third, Mr. R. Brownliill, Ravenswood, Rock- 
ferry, with Black Hamburgh of capital quality. Additional fourth, Mr. 
Ferguson, gardener to Mrs. Paterson, Rockferry, with the same variety ; and 
additional fifth prize, Mr. Gilman, with small Black Hamburgh. In the 
class for four bunches of white Grapes there were eleven competitors, the 
first prize going to Mr. J. Roberts, gardener to the Messrs. Rothschild, 
Gunnersbury House, Acton, who had excellent samples, comprising Muscat 
of Alexandria, fine in berry, very clean, and well coloured; and Foster’s 
Seedling, large in bunch, fine in berry, and of a beautiful colour. Second, 
Mr. R. Pilkington, Rainford Hall, Sr. Helens, with Muscat of Alexandria, 
fine in berry, good in colour, but showing signs of having been too much 
syringed; and Foster’s Seedling, not so grand in colour as in first stand. 
Third, Mr. J. Wilkes, gardener to J. Meakin, Esq., the Hares, Stone, Staf¬ 
fordshire, with Muscat of Alexandria, not well matched, but good, and 
Foster’s Seedling, of fine size. Mr. J. Stevenson, was awarded an extra 
prize. In the class of three bunches of white Grapes fourteen lots were 
staged, the first prize going to Mr. Pratt for Muscat of Alexandria, the 
bunches being very large, finely formed, and moderately well coloured. 
Second, Mr. W. Weir, gardener to Sir R. A. Cunliffe, Acton Park, Wrexham, 
with Muscat of Alexandria, not so large, and of equal quality to the first. 
Third, Mr. R. Milner, gardener to the Rev. J. D. Corbett, Sundorne Castle, 
Shrewsbury, with Muscat of Alexandria, small in bunch but excellent in 
quality. 
In the any other white variety class Mr. W. Leadbetter was placed first 
with Buckland Sweetwater, Mr. Milner second with the same variety, both 
first-rate, and Mrs. Darby, Adcott (gardener, Mr. R. Lawley) third with the 
same variety overthinned. 
For a collection of fruit, twelve dishes, seven lots were staged, and Mr. 
J. Roberts, Gunnersbury, secured the first prize with an excellent collection. 
His dishes were Gros Maroo Grape, Muscat of Alexandria, Madresfield 
Court, and Buckland Sweetwater Grapes, a handsome Lady Beatrice 
Lambton Pine Apple, but poor in crown, Brown Turkey Fig, Sea Eagle 
Peach, Golden Perfection Melon, Lord Napier Nectarine, Hemskerk Apricot, 
Grosse Sucrde Strawberry, and Bigarresu Napoleon Cherries; a very fine 
collection. Second Mr. Gilman with Black Hamburgh, Muscat of Alex¬ 
andria, Black Alioante, and Foster’s Seedling Grapes, not large in bunch, 
but of fine quality. A Smooth Cayenne Pine Apple, Royal George Peach, 
Brown Turkey Fig, Hero of Loekinge Melon, Morello Cherry, Violette 
Hative Nectarine, Early Favourite Plum, and Moor Park Apricot, all finely 
matured and only one or two points behind the first collection. Mr. Good- 
acre was third with fine Grapes, but small fruits, deficient in colour. Fcurth 
Mr. R. Parker, gardener to John Corbett, Esq., Impney Hall, Droitwich, with 
fruit of excellent quality, but some of it was over-ripe. Fifth Mr. Edmonds, 
gardener to the Duke of St. Albans, Bestwood, Notts, also had a good col¬ 
lection, but Figs and other fruit were over-ripe. 
For a collection of nine dishes Mr. Pratt won first honours, his Black 
Hamburgh Grapes as well as the Muscat of Alexandria being the best two 
bunches, the former weighing 9^ lbs. and the latter 7 lbs. 14 ozs. The small 
fruits in this collection Were of fair quality, but they were better in the 
collection from Mr. Lambert, gardener to Col. Wingfield, who was second, 
only the Grapes lost some points. Mrs. Paterson was third, and there were 
more local exhibits in this class than the larger one. Peaches were repre¬ 
sented by eleven dishes, Nectarines by twelve, Apricots by fourteen, Plums 
fifteen, and Cherries eight en. There were twenty green-fleshed Melons 
staged, and twenty-two scarlet-fleshed fruits. Mr. Lambert, Mr. Wallis 
(Keele Hall Gardens), Mr. Gilman, Mr. Milner, Mr. Goodacre, and Mr. 
Meakin were the chief prizetakers in these classes. The collection of six 
dishes of hardy fruits was a very interesting feature, there b ing some fine 
Apples, Pears, Gooseberries, Cherries, Strawberries, Currants, Raspberries, 
ifec., shown here, and the prizewinners were Mr. Goodacre, Mr. Purser (gar¬ 
dener to James Watson, Esq., M.P., Berwick House, Shrewsbury), Mr. Lam¬ 
bert, and Mr. G. Maylett. Amongst special exhibits of fruit Mr. Laxton, 
Bedford, had a fine dish of Mr. Gladstone Apple, and these were the ripest 
Apples in the Show. 
Vegetables. —An important department in the Exhibition was that de¬ 
voted to vegetables, the competition being remarkably keen in all the 
classes. With a collection of twelve varieties Mr. J. Lambert, a very 
successful exhibitor in other classes, was awarded premier honours for hand¬ 
some, even, and w 11 grown samples of Autumn Giant Cauliflower; Lyon 
L eks, excellent; Snowball Turnips, good ; Major Clarke’s Celery, wonder¬ 
fully larg-q heavy heads ; Veitch’s Improved Carrots, clean, even, and bright 
colour ; Rowsham Park Hero Onions, Sutton’s Seedling Potatoes, capital 
Beet, Canadian Wonder Beans, Trophy Tomatoes, Culverwell’s Marrow 
Peas, and Purley Park Cucumbers. This collection attracted much admira¬ 
tion for the fine quality of the vegetables, which were, moreover, very taste¬ 
fully set up on Moss and Parsley. Mr. R Milner was second with a good 
collection, but several points behind the first ; Mr. A. Purser, gardener to 
J. Watson, Esq., Berwick, being third. The last-named exhibitor was, 
however, an excellent first with six dishes of Potatoes, clean even tubers of 
Beauty of Hebron, Webb’s Surprise, Cosmopolitan, Reading Russet, 
Blanchard, and Vicar of Laleham. Mr. S. Bremnell, gardener to J. Beattie, 
Esq., Overley, was second, and Mr. J. Lambert third amongst nine com¬ 
petitors. There were several other classes for Potatoes, in which there were 
from eleven to twenty competitors ; Messrs. Shepherd, Milner, Lambert, 
Bremnill, Withers, and Purser winning the principal prizes. Ten dishes of 
Tomatoes were staged. Mr. W. Shaw, Mr. E. Gilman, and Mr. M. Owen, 
gardener to Viscount Combermere, Combermere Abbey, were first, second, 
and third respectively, but in the opinions of some gardeners the second 
fruits were fully equal to those placed first. There were fifteen exhibitors 
of Peas, the same number of Onions, Carrots twenty-eight, Cucumbers 
fifteen, Cauliflowers twenty-one, Celery thirteen, Beans sixteen, Parsnips 
fourteen, and Turnips twenty-one, all open classes, and the exhibits were so 
nearly equal in many cases that this portion of the Exhibition occupied the 
Judges a considerable time. 
MISCELLANEOUS EXHIBITS. 
The non-competing exhibits did not form so large a portion of the Show 
as is usual at large exhibitions. Messrs. James Dickson & Sons and Messrs. 
F. & A. Dickson, Chester, had choice collections of stove and greenhouse 
plants and hardy flowers. Mr. E. Murrell had a group of select Conifers and 
healthy well-fruited Apple trees in pots. Mr. T. Laxton, Bedford, con¬ 
tributed a collection of novelties in vegetables and flowers, comprising some 
pretty Sweet Peas, a very bright scarlet hybrid Dianthus named Mrs. 
Laxton, which was certificated, miscellaneous hardy flowers, Girtford Giant 
Runner Beans of immense size, Evolution Peas, Sandy Prize White Spanish 
Onions, and a dish of Mr. Gladstone Apple of good flavour. 
Messrs. Webb & Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge, had a handsome stand of 
vegetables representing their improved varieties and arranged by their 
Shrewsbury agent, Mr. Gouclier, of Shoplatch. Some of the most notable 
varieti s staged were Early Six Weeks Turnips, Red Globe Tripoli Onions, 
Mammoth Red Celery, Selected Scarlet Runner Beans, Wordsley Wonder 
Peas, very fine ; Defiance Intermediate Carrots, New Colossal Leeks, Golden 
Queen Beans, and a handsome fruit of Marquis of Bute Melon beautifully 
netted. Several local tradesmen also contributed collections of plants and 
flowers. 
The cottagers' tent was well filled with exhibits, there being about 
900 entries, and the general quality of vegetables and fruits was most 
satisfactory. 
YEOVIL.— August 17th. 
The county of Somerset can boast of having several good horticultural 
societies, who annually hold very successful exhibitions, and among these 
must be included Yeovil. Better prizes are given elsewhere, these naturally 
attracting the leading exhibitors ; but although the Society under not ce 
cannot attain to this, they yet, thanks to the energy and ability of the Hot 1 . 
Secretary (Mr. W. T. Maynard) and Mr. B. R. Davis, on whom falls the 
onerous duty of arranging the exhibits, succeed in collecting a generally 
good and most interesting exhibition. It should be added the Society does 
not receive the support locally it deserves, or otherwise under its present 
management it would soon attain to the front rank. 
Groups of miscellaneous plants are always the principal feature in the 
principal plant tent, and these are more remarkable for their brightness 
than for effective arrangement. Of the four in competition the Judges 
rightly preferred that by Mr. W. Appleby, gardener to T. W. Dampier Bide, 
Esq., who had larger central plants, including good Arecas and other Palms 
and Crotons, while interspersed among commoner plants were well-flowered 
specimens of Epidendron prismatocarpum, Odontoglossura Uro-Skinneri, and 
other Orchids. The s cond prize was awarded to Mr. T. Hannan, gardener 
to E. Whitby, Esq., who had a rather flat but very bright group, in which 
Tuberous Begonias largely figured ; while the third prize was well won by 
Mr. C. Anthony, gardener to T. Moore. Esq. The best twelve stove and 
greenhouse plants were staged by Mr. T. Wilkins, gardener to T. Merthjr 
Guest, Esq., who had fine specimens of Pandanus Veitchi, Latania borbonica, 
Croton Johannis, Acilypha tricolor, Caladium Madame Fritz Kmchlin, 
Cissus discolor, Bougainvillea glabra, a handsome globular specimen of the 
pretty but nearly hardy Solanum jasminoides, Vinca rosea, Cassia coiym- 
bosa, and Begonia weltoniensis. Mr. W. Appleby was a good second, and 
Mr. J. Bowles, gardener to J. P. Godden, Esq., third. Mr. Wilkins was also 
easily first for nine Ferns, having among others large healthy specimens of 
Nephrolepis davallioides furcans, Gymnogramma chrysophyjla, Microlepia 
hirta cristata, and Davallia Mooreana. Mr. Appleby was a creditable second, 
his group including an immense plant of Asplenium lucidum and a good 
Microlepia hirta cristata ; and Mr. Giles Rendle, gardener to Mrs. Nicholson, 
third. Fuchsias on the whole were not well shown. Mr. C. Anthony was 
a creditable first for six specimens; Mr. T. Hannan second ; and Mr. G. 
Gillingham, gardener to R. Phelps, Esq., third. The best six Coleus were 
