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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
f September 13, 1888, 
and Lord Chelmsford. Second Mr. M. V. Seale; third Mr. C. Turner, 
and fourth Mr. T. Hobbs. 
Class 12, sis light blooms, distinct, eight competitors. First Mr. C. 
Turner with Mrs. Gladstone, Flag of Truce, Mrs. Harris, Julia Wyatt, 
Mary Anderson, and Ethel Britton. Second Messrs. Saltmarsh & Son, 
third Mr. M. V. Seale, and fourth Messrs. Gilbert & Son. 
Class 13, six tipped blooms, distinct, seven competitors. First 
Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co. with Mrs. Kendal, H. Walton, Peacock, 
Mrs. Saunders, Fanny Sturt, and Miss Cannell. Second Messrs. Salt- 
marsh & Son, third Mr. J. Walker, and fourth Mr. J. T. West., 
Class 14, six striped blooms, distinct, seven exhibitors. Messrs. 
Keynes, Williams & Co. were to the fore here, winning well with capital 
■examples of Prince Henry, Jas. O’Brien, Hercules, Rebecca, Hugh 
Austin, and Rev. J. B. Camm. Second Messrs. H. Clark & Son, Rodley, 
Leeds, with smaller flowers, Messrs. Humphries and West being second and 
third. 
Decorative and Cactus Varieties. —Class 15, six varieties in bunches 
•of six blooms each, six competitors. The decorative Dahlias were 
shown in very fine condition, Mr. C. Turner’s first prize stand being 
most attractive. The varieties were—Empress of India, Mrs. Hawkins, 
Lady Marsham, William Rayner, Juarezi, and Henry Patrick, the latter a 
very fine pure white. Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co. were very little in 
the rear, showing amongst others a beautiful canary yellow named 
Honoria. Messrs. Cheal Bros, and M. Y. Seale were the remaining prize 
winners. 
Class 16, four varieties, five competitors. Mr. H. Glasscock, showing 
Mrs. Hawkins, Empress of India, Juarezi, and Henry Patrick, was 
■easily first, Messrs. H. Heeremans, jun., R. Spinks, and J. T. West 
taking the remaining prizes in the order given. 
Pompon varieties. —Class 17, twenty-four varieties, distinct. Pom¬ 
pons were very finely shown in this class, the flowers being perfect in 
form and colour, and not too large. These remarks particularly apply 
to the first prize blooms of Mr. C. Turner, his varieties being—Back row: 
Darkness, Juliette, W. Carlisle, Golden Gem, seedling, Favourite, Lady 
Blanche, and Gem. Middle row : Admiration, White Aster, Thos. 
Moore, Cupid, Isabel, Rubens, Rosalind, and Khedive. Front ' row : 
Mabel, Dandy, Leila, Ernest, Adonis, Don Juan, E. F. Jungker and 
Gazelle. Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co. showed finely for second prize, 
and Messrs. J. Cheal & Sons, Lowfield N urseries, Crawley, were a close 
third. 
- Class 18, twelve varieties, distinct, eight competitors. Messrs. J. 
Burrell & Co., Howe House Nurseries, showed admirably here, and 
scored a ready victory with the following varieties. Back row : Isabel, 
E. F. Jungker, Mabel, and Rosalie. Middle row : Cupid, Favourite, 
White Aster, and Gem. Front row : Darkness, Comte von Sternberg, 
Butterfly, and Fanny Weiner. Mr. G. Humphries was an excellent 
second ; Messrs. Paul & Son a good third, and Mr. John Henshaw, 
Rothamsted Cottage, Harpenden, fourth. These were all excellent 
■collections. 
Class 19, six varieties, distinct (amateurs). Mr. J. T. West was suc¬ 
cessful from eight opponents in this class, having Mabel, E. F. Jungker, 
Gem, Isabel, Little Nigger, and Leila. Mr. Glasscock followed, the 
minor prizes going to Mr. W. Harris, Broomfield, near Chelmsford ; and 
Mr. R. Spinks, Victoria Road, Horley. 
Single Varieties. —Class 20, twenty-four varieties, distinct. Messrs. 
J. Cheal & Sons, Lowfield Nurseries, Crawley, were unopposed in this 
class, and showed, taking the season into consideration, magnificently. 
Many great growers have failed utterly with single Dahlias this year, 
but the Crawley growers showed in their usual form. The flowers were 
not so large as they have been shown previously, but this ought to be 
considered a point of merit, large single varieties being objectionable. 
The blooms were splendidly set up, the varieties represented being— 
Back row : Excelsior, Amos Perry, Alba Perfecta, Queen of Singles, Mrs. 
Kennett, Albert Victor, Alfonso, and Brutus. Middle row : Primrose, 
Mr. Rose, Monte Christo, Mrs. J. Connick, Miss Linniker, Duchess of 
Westminster, Negress, and Eleanor. Front row : Duchess of Albany, 
Hugo, Enchantment, Paragon, Sunset, Formosa, Miss Gordon, and 
Victoria. 
Class 21, twelve varieties, distinct, five competitors. This was more 
popular than the preceding class, and the flowers were again good. 
Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, were first, but the blooms were hardly so 
smooth as they should have been. The varieties weie—Back row : Mrs. 
Kennett, White Queen, Canterbury Tales, and another. Middle 
tow : Miss Gordon, Mrs. H. Whitfield, Harlequin, andLutea grandiflora. 
Front row : Mrs. Boorman, The Bruce, Miss Henshaw, and Dulcina. 
Mr. Seale was a fair second; Messrs. Jas. Gilbert & Sons, St. Margaret’s 
Nurseries, Ipswich, third ; and Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., fourth. 
Class 22, six varieties (amateurs), two competitors. Mr. T. W. 
Girdlestone, Sunningdale, won with Corney Grain, Maude Millet, Mar¬ 
guerite, Picotee, Daisy, and George Grossmith. These were all seedlings 
of 1887 and 1888, therefore additionally interesting. Mr. H. Glasscock 
was second. 
Seedlings. —Three or more blooms of any new seedling Dahlia. First 
class certificates of merit awarded to Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co. 
for Fancy Dahlia Matthew Campbell; decorative Dahlia, Panthea ; and 
Pompon Dahlias, Little Ethel, Whisper, Fairy Tales, and Eden. Mr. 
T. S. Ware, Hale Farm, Tottenham, for single Dahlias, R. C. Harvey, 
Florrie Fisher, and Mrs. Ramsbottom. Mr. J. T. West, for decorative 
Dahlia Beauty of Brentwood and Pompon Dahlia Dolly Keith. Mr. 
T. W. Girdlestone, for single Dahlias Daisy and Mikado. Messrs. H. 
Cannell & Sons, nurserymen, Swanley, for decorative Dahlia Yellow 
Juarezi. Messrs. J. Cheal Son, for single Dahlias Victoria and 
Duchess of Albany. Mr. H. Glasscock, for single Dahlia Gertrude. 
Mr. T. Glasscock, Bishop’s Stortford, for Aster Comet. Descriptive 
notes must be deferred. 
Attractive stands, not for competition, were arranged by Messrs. 
T. S. Ware of Tottenham, and II. Cannell & Sons, Swanley. 
URSINIA PULCHRA. 
This plant, under the old and well-known name of Sphenogyne 
speciosa, was introduced about 1837, and is first described by Knowles 
and Westcott in the second volume of the “ Floral Magazine,” a very 
useful old book rarely seen nowadays. Under the same name it was figured 
in “ Paxton’s Mag.,” 1839, page 77, and this is the name under which 
it is cultivated in gardens at the present time. The accompanying sketch 
(fig. 27) will give an idea of the value of this hardy annual for border 
decoration, as in spite of the unusually wet summer and early autumn 
we do not remember to have seen such an abundance of flowers as has 
been produced by the Sphenogyne. The seeds are sown in the open air 
along with the other annuals in early April; all that is required after¬ 
wards is simply thinning the seedlings to 6 or 9 inches apart, which is 
quite near enough, as they have a branching habit, each forming a well¬ 
shaped bush literally covered with its bright yellow flowers, the effect of 
which is greatly enhanced by the dark purple brown spot at the base of 
the rays and the rich dark disc. Its native country is so far unknown, 
Paxton states, that it was asserted to have been introduced from South 
America, and by some from South Africa. The latter guess is probably 
nearest the mark. It is not mentioned in Harvey and Sonder’s “ Flora 
Capensis,” and may possibly be a native of the unexplored parts of 
