130 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 10, 1893. 
grass ; several pretty villages are passed, and the country is watered by 
many sluggish creeks of dirty brown water. There are also large patches 
od original bush. Crossing the Nepean river and the Emu Plains, we 
arrive at the foot of the Blue Mountains, thirty-seven miles from Sydney. 
The line ascends a spur of the hills, and when the train has climbed 
some 400 feet high there is a beautiful view of the Emu Plains and the 
great expanse of level country extending as far as the eye can reach 
towards the sea. In the distance the country looks as if covered with 
bush, ridge upon ridge, but near by it is seen to be cultivated and 
occupied with innumerable orchards of Orange, Lemon, Vines, and fields 
of Maize, Lucerne, Sorghum, &c. 
At Springwood we are at a height of 1200 feet, and the air is already 
fresh and eool ; this is a pretty township, surrounded with clearings out 
of the forest, in which Oranges and Lemons are cultivated. As we rush 
through the woods we see cottages peeping through clearings; small 
farms here and there with Maize, Potatoes, Pumpkins, Melons, and 
Oranges, and we pass a picnic party, where hundreds of children are 
being feasted and amused in a little vale among the bush. At Went¬ 
worth Falls we are 2840 feet above the sea ; here is a pretty village 
built on a small flat surrounded with deep gullies, with a fine view over 
a wooded country. To the south-west appears the town of Lawson, on 
the same level, two miles off, and a semicircular ridge enclosing a deep 
wooded valley shows the course the railway takes on top of the ridge 
from this town to that. Here we see trim orchards of Apricots, Peaches, 
Apples, &c., and grass fields and cottages all surrounded by the bush. 
And so on to Katoomba. This is a scattered village built on a command¬ 
ing ridge jutting out towards the deep valley mentioned above ; there 
are here some very grand hotels, as this is the favourite resort of Sydney 
people seeking to avoid the heats of summer ; the elevation being 
3450 feet, the air is delightfully fresh and cool, creeks and running 
water are seen everywhere, not brown and sluggish, as is usual in 
Australia ; but clear, sparkling, briskly flowing creeks. 
Beyond Lithgow we traverse a fine valley partly cultivated and partly 
covered with good pasture, here we saw very long trains loaded with 
coal and others with sheep ; the valley with its village and cottages, its 
grassy uplands, gardens, and orchards, surrounded with dark wooded 
hills, makes a very pretty pass through a wooded, hilly district, and 
again open out a country of lovely hills and vales, covered with rich 
pasture and dotted over with scattered trees, making the park-like 
scenery so characteristic of Australia. Crossing the Macquarrie River 
we reach the town of Bathurst at 145 miles from Sydney, and 2150 feet 
above the sea. This is a beautiful town built on the gently rising slopes 
of the river with fine streets, shops, public buildings, and churches, and 
scattered all around it are villas, cottages, and mansions, surrounded by 
beautiful gardens. The valley is seven or eight miles wide, and is 
bounded by grassy rolling downs. This is a very fertile district. The 
river winds through this fine valley, its course marked by a Weeping 
Willow, Poplar, and native trees. 
Passing through fine grassy and cultivated country with several com¬ 
fortable looking villages, we come to George’s Plains, which consist of 
high wooded ridges, grassy uplands and vales, with a good deal of culti¬ 
vation round scattered farm cottages. At 8 p.m. we arrive at Orange, 
192 miles, and 2840 feet high. This is a flourishing town with several 
fine streets, in which are some good buildings, fine shops, large hotels, 
and two or three handsome churches. All the buildings are of brick, as 
are almost all the towns and villages I have seen in N.S.W. This is 
the prettiest country I have seen on this route; round about the town 
are many cottages and farm houses, and a few villas surrounded with 
lawns, gardens, and groves of trees. The country has apparently not 
been long cleared, as the fields are still encumbered with dead ring- 
barked Gum Trees ; the air is deliciously fresh and cool, and the sky 
without a cloud. 
Leaving Orange we pass through many miles of fine country, among 
orchards and fields of grass. Rape and Lucerne. All along the line 
within the railway fences there is a brilliant display of Sunflowers and 
Hollyhocks. We pass ten or twelve miles of dry rocky bush, then come 
again to park-like glades and rolling land, a sweetly pretty country, in 
this fresh, cool air and brilliant sunshine. 
At Wellington we are getting down to the plains. This is a pretty 
village of good brick houses and, as usual, surrounded by cottages 
amidst groves of Acacia and Pepper tree ; there are wooded hills sur¬ 
rounding a fine vale of rich grass, with some cultivation in Lucerne and 
other crops ; the soil is dark red and appears very rich. After this we 
pass over to the Macquarie river, 180 feet wide, with the water standing 
in pools, separated by sandy beds, and then pass through scattered bush 
and wide grass fields, in which are many haystacks and a few farm 
cottages ; the beautiful sweeping uplands are ploughed, showing the 
dark red soil, and there are many fine fields of deep green Lucerne, 
This is a beautiful part of the country, cottages are seen all along with 
verandahs densely shaded with Vines and Passion-flower ; some have 
walks or bowers leading from the house door to the garden gate, covered 
over with Vines, and in the gardens are Sunflowers, Hollyhocks, Fig, 
Quince, Peach, Apricot and Mulberry trees. I saw, also, large patches 
of Pumpkins, Melons and Maize. 
At Murrumbidgerie the monotony of the eternal Gum bush begins to 
to_ be relieved by groves of native Pines which grow tall and straight 
with a conical form like Noah’s Ark trees, and this tree is said to indi¬ 
cate good soil, still there is no lack of Gum Trees ; in fact, the great 
Eucalyptus family has taken possession of Australia, and nothing can 
dislodge it. One often hears of the danger of drought from disforesting 
a country ; but Australia, the land of droughts, is all covered with bush 
or scrub of one kind or another. 
At Dubbo, 278 miles from Sydney and 865 feet above the sea, we are 
on the great plains of the interior. The temperature is pleasantly warm, 
the sky is pale blue flecked with clouds, and a balmy breeze tempers the 
glaring sunshine. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
August 8th. 
CONTKAEY to expectations the first of the August exhibitions was a 
large and varied one, the holiday season failing to have the effect generally 
anticipated. The display was a marked advance on the last one. 
Fruit Committee. —Present : John Lee, Esq. (in the chair); Messrs. 
T. L Saltmarsh. Joseph Cheal, Geo. Bunyard, J. Willard, Geo. Wythes, 
H. Balderson, F. Lane, George Taber, Jas. Hudson, Rev. W. Wilks 
and Dr. Hogg. 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons sent an admirable collection of hardy fruit 
comprising Apples, Pears, Plums, Raspberries, and Cherries. The Apples 
included fine examples of Winter llawthornden, Frogmore Prolific, Lord 
Grosvenor, Stirling Castle, Cellini, Lord Suffield, Seaton House, Early 
Strawberry, and Domino. Amongst the Plums Sultan, Kirke’s, Belgian 
Purple, Belle de Louvaine, and Early Transparent Gage were exceed¬ 
ingly good. A silver Knightian medal was recommended. The Apples, 
it should be noted, were from pyramids in the open ground. Mr. 
Nicholas, Castle Hill Gardens, South Molton, received a silver Banksian 
medal for a group of splendid Pine Apples which aroused the admiration 
of all present. Numerous Melons were staged. Three received awards 
of merit, and are referred to below. Messrs. Cheal & Sons, Crawley, 
sent a large and varied collection of Ornamental Gourds, and a splendid 
display of Apples, Pears, Crabs, and Plums. The Apples were large, 
handsome, and excellently coloured. Queen, Gladstone, Lady Sudeley, 
Peter the Great, and White Astrachan being very fine. There were 
seventy dishes in all, open ground fruit of the best quality (silver 
Banksian medal). Mr. Thomas, Royal Gardens, Windsor, contributed 
an excellent collection of Peaches and Nectarines representing the 
produce of outdoor trees, also two seedling Melons. The Peaches and 
Nectarines included Goshawk, Alexandra Noblesse,^ Stirling Castle, 
Premier, Violette Hative, Grosse Mignonne, Dr. Hogg, A Bee, Bellegarde, 
T6ton de Venus, Pineapple, Elruge, Lord Napier, and many other 
varieties (silver Banksian medal). Messrs. G. Bunyard & Go. sent Pears 
Beurr6 Gififard, Pr^coce de Tr6vouf, and Petite Marguerite, also a dish 
of Lady Sudeley Apple exhibiting remarkably rich colour. The Apples 
were stated to have been grown in very poor land, and received a 
cultural commendation. 
Floral Committee. —Present: W. Marshall, Esq. (in the chair) ; 
Messrs. John Fraser, John Laing, H. Herbst, Richard Dean, George 
Stevens, C. F. Bause, J. Jennings, H. B. May, Thos. Godfrey, Harry 
Turner, George Paul, William Bain, Chas. E. Shea, J. T. Bennett Poe, 
Thos. Baines, Henry Cannell, George Gordon, Peter Barr, and Robert 
Owen. 
Mr. John Forbes, nurseryman, Hawick, Scotland, arranged a 
magnificent collection of Hollyhocks. Numerous varieties were shown, 
all the blooms being very double and of excellent shape. Amongst the 
best may be mentioned Cygnet, Miss Dawson, Walden Queen, Golden 
Drop, James Macdonald, Alba Superbissima, J. M. Lindsay, Excelsior, 
Conquest, Mrs. Edgar, Tecoma, Purple Prince and Earl of Breadalbane 
(silver Flora medal). The same exhibitor also staged Digitalis and 
Antirrhinums in variety, for which he was accorded a vote of 
thanks. 
An excellent feature of the Show was the collection of hardy flowers 
staged by Messrs. E. D. Shuttleworth & Co., Peckham Rye, and Fleet, 
Hants. This exhibit included cut Roses, amongst the best of which 
were Fisher Holmes, Baroness Rothschild, Ulrich Brunner, Paul Neyron, 
and Charles Lefebvre. Perennial Phloxes, Gladioli, Lilium superbum, 
L. longiflorum, L. tigrinum plenum, Rudbeckia californica, Scabiosa 
caucasica grandiflora, Pentstemons, Asclepias tuberosa and Helenium 
pumilum (silver Banksian medal). Mr. C. Holden, 61, Warwick Road, 
Ealing, exhibited a fine group of foliage and flowering plants, including 
Coleus Distinction, Begonias, Ferns, Dracaenas, and Palms (vote of 
thanks). Mr. H. J. Jones, Hither Green, Lewisham, sent a basket of 
Zonal Pelargonium Mrs. Wright, the plants in which were carrying 
very fine trusses. The same exhibitor also had a basket of Chrysan¬ 
themum Lady Fitzwilliam in grand condition. 
Mr. J. Hudson, Gunnersbury House Gardens, Acton, showed some 
magnificently flowered plants of Campanula pyramidalis and C. p. alba. 
This group produced a fine effect, which was enhanced by the edging of 
finely grown Aspleniums (silver-gilt Banksian medal). Messrs. Kelway 
and Son, Langport, Somerset, furnished almost the whole length of one 
side of the hall with blooms of Gaillardias, the best of which were 
James Kelway, Topaz, Hero, Oceola, Magenta King, and Splendidissima 
plena ; Eryngium plenum, Helianthus Soleil d’Or, Veronica longifolia 
subsessilis, Amaryllis belladonna (Belladonna Lily), Achillea eupatoria. 
Chrysanthemum maximum, Solidago altissima. Delphiniums in variety, 
Centaurea montana rosea, Helenium pumilum. Dahlia serratipetala Duke 
of Vork, and a truly magnificent collection of Gladioli, of which Castro, 
Countess of Craven, Shakespeare, Duchess of Fife, Besler, Electra, Galatea, 
Hemon, Baroness Burdett Coutts, Jas. Payne, Mrs. D’Ombrain, Lord 
Hawke, Duke of Edinburgh, Jas. Wood, Leonard Kelway, Rev. H. H. 
D’Ombrain, Sir F. Bolton, John Warner, Mariana, Oriana, Duchess of York, 
Grover Cleveland, Mr. Fowler, J. C. Vaughan, Alfred Henderson, Marengo, 
and Mary Anderson were particularly striking. Several were honoured 
by the Committee, and are referred to below. The same firm also showed 
Gannas in good condition, amongst the best of which were Duke of 
