582 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ December 14, 1893. 
“ Only Chrysanthemum?, with any hardy foliage, to be used in its 
decoration.” The word “ only ” settles the business.—A. D. 
Mr. Harland has given us a very queer nut to crack. If the framers 
of the prize schedule of the Hull Chrysanthemum Show had tried to 
word the conditions governing the class for a ” dessert table,” so as to 
cause confusion among both exhibitors and judges, they could not well 
have done it more effectively. Personally I am inclined to agree with 
those judges who, when they have to decide a knotty point, lean towards 
sustaining the framers of schedules in what they intended should be 
understood by certain conditions, and not towards those of the exhibitors 
who prefer to put their own, and perhaps a very different construction 
upon the wording. In particular would I favour what has been accepted 
as the right construction in former years. In the course of a fairly 
long career as an exhibitor I have been either disqualified or lost 
points more than once for putting my own construction upon the 
wording of certain rules, and can therefore sympathise with those who 
also have to suffer if not exactly for “ conscience sake,” at any rate for 
“ backing their own opinion.” 
As a Judge I thoroughly dislike disqualifying exhibits, though it has 
to be done occasionally; and all things considered I should have hesitated 
about voting against the table at Hull on which there was no fruit. If 
it had been worded ‘‘ only fruit and Chrysanthemums, with any kind of 
foliage to be used,” there could have been no mistaking the conditions ; 
but unfortunately fruit was left out, and this gives a good opening for 
a lawyer. Candidly I think the Judges took the only way out of the 
diflBculty. It is unfortunately too true that in some quarters it has 
become the custom to keep the dessert off the table, this being served 
very much as the earlier part of the dinner is done. This practice is to 
be commended in all cases where the dessert will not bear much 
inspection, but is not likely to prevail where the host or hostess has 
some good home-grown fruit to offer. By all means serve Grapes 
without bloom, bruised Pears, shabby Apples, and imported fruit 
generally from the sideboards; but if my brother gardeners are well 
advised they will endeavour, to the best of their ability, to keep up the 
old custom of placing some of the best of their fruit on the table. Not 
only does it add greatly to the general effect, but it often leads to 
an acknowledgement—that is to say, a commendatory notice from the 
guests, and subsequently the master or mistress as the case may be. 
If I intended to compete for the prizes oifered at Hull I should 
certainly feel justified is using four good dishes of fruit, both because 
the wording admits of this being done, and more especially because I 
am certain that would gain me a few points with the Judges. Seeing 
that the wording of the schedule must stand, my advice to the Hull 
Committee is to let matters take their course, beyond intimating to the 
Judges, if they are diflerent to those engaged this year, that there must 
be no disqualifying tables, whether fruit is or is not used in their 
decoration, providing the competitors adhere to the other conditions. They 
have established a precedent, which ought now to stand till the end of 
the competition.— W. Iggulden. 
With Mr. Harland, I fully agree that the first prize was rightly 
awarded to Mrs. Douglas Joy, of Welton Hill, her table being much the 
best artistic arrangement of Chrysanthemums and foliage, and that, I 
take it, is the principal object for offering these prizes. Yet, on the 
other hand, I must entirely differ from Mr. Harland when he states 
that “ if a protest had been entered, this table must have been dis¬ 
qualified,” because, forsooth, it was not “ completely laid out.” In this 
instance, what a bugbear that word “completely ” can be made. Was 
every exhibitor to load her table with all the known wines and cordials, 
also all the home and foreign fruit, both fresh and dried, that our 
fruiterers could supply ? I think if such were^the case there would be 
a terrible crowding out of everything in the way of floral decorations. 
Your correspondent wishes ‘* to know what is the correct view.” I 
quote the following from “ The Gentlewoman ” (no mean authority, by 
the way) :—“ Fruit is not often put on the table for dessert, but instead 
very small dishes of salted almonds, olives, and French bonbons.” 
—A Yorkshire Bite. 
Referring to “Dessert Table Decoration,” I have come to the 
decision that fruit and every requisite should have been placed on the 
table to accord with the wording of the schedule. At Southampton, as 
far as I can now recollect, it mentions in the schedule, “ in the dessert 
table class,” that fruit need not be placed on the table. I do not see 
how a table can be complete without the fruit and all requisites.— 
F. W. Flight, Cornstiles, Tioyford. 
I think a Judge would take a bold step if disqualification was 
enforced because a table was devoid of fruit in its adornment. I 
know of no rule that bids the placing dishes of fruit on the table. This 
is entirely a matter of personal taste, and in the absence of such a rule 
the laying down of individual law is liable to bring complications. I 
have repeatedly seen tables this year win premier honours that had no 
fruit on them beyond dishes similar to those described by Mr. Harland 
on the winning table at the Hull Show. 
The main point in awarding the prizes for table decoration is to 
recognise the greatest skill and taste in disposal of the flowers allowed. 
It would be a peculiar law, I think, that permitted an exhibitor to take 
a premier honour with an arrangement of flowers of diverse colours, as 
well as being huddled together, for the reason that it contained a soli¬ 
tary dish or two of any ripe fruit which its opponent, intentionally or 
otherwise, had omitted. In the absence of definite instructions that 
dishes of fruit must be employed, I cannot see how disqualification can 
be supported. I have examined many schedules containing classes of 
this kind, and in nearly all the conditions are similar to those named 
in the Hull schedule. The definition applied to the words, “ completely 
laid out,” I take it means that such articles as plates, knives and forks 
must be present.— E. Molyneux. 
[Those letters from exhibitors, judges, secretaries of shows, and 
accomplished table decorators, are overwhelmingly in favour of the 
interpretation of the conditions by the adjudicators at Hull—Mr. 
Cypher of Cheltenham, and Mr. Hudson of Gunnersbury.] 
The Weather in London. —Much rain has fallen in the 
metropolis since publishing our last issue. A slight frost was apparent 
on Sunday morning, but as the day advanced it rained heavily. Mon¬ 
day proved fine, but on Tuesday it was very squally. Wednesday 
opened wet, and at the time of going to press the weather is very un¬ 
settled, but mild. 
-Weather in the North.— There has been very little frost 
during the past week, but many sleet showers and much high wind. 
Throughout Thursday night and all Friday a gale from the south¬ 
west blew, causing much damage to property, and Saturday was alsO’ 
gusty with heavy showers of sleet. Roads were slippery, and driving 
difficult from frost on Sunday morning, but there was high wind 
and drizzle in the evening. Monday was the best day of the eight, 
and this morning (12th) the ground is white with snow.—B. D,, 
S. Ferthsliire. 
- Mons. Ed. Ortgies.—I t is announced that Mons. Ed. Ortgies, 
who for the last thirty-eight years has been Curator of the Botanic 
Gardens, Zurich, is about to retire into private life, and will resign his 
office on April 1st, 1894. As a young gardener, Mons. Ortgies served 
at Chatsworth, also in some of the London nurseries, and was a foreign 
member of the Royal Horticultural Society. 
- Rugby and District Horticultural Society. — May I, 
through your columns, express to those exhibitors who so kindly gave 
their spare blooms and fruit to the stall held at our late Show on 
behalf of the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, and also to Messrs. 
E. D. Shuttleworth & Co. for sending a case of small Ferns and Palms 
for the same object, our Committee’s sincere and hearty thanks, and to 
state the amount realised was £6 17s. 8d., a cheque for which has been 
forwarded to the Hon. Secretary to the Fund.— William Bryant, See, 
- Tee Season.—W hat is to be done with regard to the more 
“ precocious ” belonging to our herbaceous plants ? Many of these are 
pushing vigorously—bulbous plants, too. I have already gathered 
Crocuses, shallow planted ones of course. My idea is to have a supply 
at once at hand of cocoa-fibre refuse, and when serious frosts attack 
us to drop it into the centre of the plants, and for 4 or 5 inches 
around them. Do not put it on before it is absolutely necessary. 
Pfeonies are very hardy, but still the early growth must be susceptible to 
frost. Whatever should be put on must be light stuff, and dry.—J. A. W. 
-The December Number of “ Curtis’ Botanical Maga¬ 
zine ” has just been received by us. It contains representations of 
Amorphophallus oncophyllus, Eulophia Zeyheri, Protea rhodantha, 
Abutilon vitifolium, and Eria Meirax. 
- We acknowledge the receipt of the Christmas number of Sylvia’s 
“ Home Journal,” which is a most tastefully arranged and profusely 
illustrated sixpennyworth, and conspicuous among the exceptional 
numbers issued at this season. 
- Royal Meteorological Society.—A t the next meeting of 
the Society, to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on 
Wednesday, the 20th inst, at 8 p.m., the following papers will be read : 
—“ The Great Storm of November 16th to 20th, 1893,” by Charles 
Harding, F.R.Met.Soc. “Rainfall and Evaporation Observations at 
the Bombay Water Works,” by S. Tomlinson, M.Inst.C.E , F.R.Met.Soc. 
“ On Changes in the Character of Certain Months,” by A. E. Watson, 
B.A,, F.R.Met.Soc. 
