My 8, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
21 
in design, consisting of a central arch upon which were placed the Grasses, 
chiefly Brizas, variegated Ivies and Hollies employed on the stands. Mrs. 
Edith Sperling and Mr. W. L. Buster, St. Mary Cray, were second and third, 
principally Eaonymuses, Berberises, and variegated Taxus in the second, and 
miscellaneous variegated foliage in the third. The groups for a recess 
were not distinguished by any remarkable merit and do not require 
comment. 
In the classes for wreaths, bouquets, and single stands the Judges 
evidently gave their favour to the most simple arrangements, which are 
becoming much more popular than the elaborate designs too often at¬ 
tempted by floral decorators. With flowers for personal adornment Mr. F. 
Perkins. Leamington, was placed first with wreaths chiefly of white and 
purple Pansies. The second prize was secured by Mrs, E. Clingo, 2, Swan 
Terrace, Belsize Park, for similar wreaths of purple Pansies and Heliotropes. 
With three stands for a dinner-table Mr. W. L. Buster won first honours 
with a simple arrangement of Alstromerias in the centre, with English 
Irises and foliage at the ends. Mr. Chard took the second place with three 
large stands and six smaller ones of Chrysanthemum frutescens and Grasses 
with pink Carnations. The competition was keen with bouquets, but there 
was a great diversity in the styles adopted, and in the merits of the respec¬ 
tive exhibits. Messrs. Hooper & Co., Covent Garden, had the best bride’s 
bouquet, composed of Phalfenopsis, white Boses, Pancratiums, and Stepha- 
notis, with Fern fronds not too much crowded. Messrs. Henry & Co., 
#, Victoria Buildings, staged the second-prize bouquet, which chiefly con¬ 
sisted of Lilium longiflorum, Eucharises, Tuberoses, and Odontoglossum 
Alexandra, but the two first named were rather too large, and somewhat 
inirred the otherwise good effect. Mr. W. Wood, 6S, Conduit Street, was 
placed third with a combination of Bo3es, Gardenias, Orange blossom, and 
Tuberoses, but it was a trifle too heavy. Over a dozen competitors staged 
ball bouquets, and some had spent considerable time in producing painfully 
formal and enormous masses of flowers that few beyond the exhibitors 
could admire. A bold but simple yet magnificent bouquet of dark crimson 
Roses gained Mr. W. Wood the first prize, and attracted the admiration of 
the majority, though some objected to it on the score of heaviness. Mr. 
Prewett, Hammersmith, followed with a tasteful combination of light and 
dark Heliotropes, which under artificial light would have a rather dull 
appearance, but this quietness was pleasing, and its fragrance delicious. 
Messrs. Nieman & Cornish, Orchard Street, were third with a bouquet of 
Pansies and yellow Roses, which we did not admire. A class was also pro¬ 
vided for an untied bouquet in water, and Mr. A. F. Youens, Leigham Court, 
Streatham, won chief honours with a most graceful and simple arrangement 
of Paeonies, Lagurus ovatus, other Grasses and Ferns. The great charm of 
this stand was the apparently careless, yet eminently artistic manner, in 
which the materials were associated, and Mr. Youens evidently possesses an 
accurate taste in such matters. Messrs. Niemen and Cornish followed with 
Fink Carnations, Asparagus, and Brizas lightly arranged. 
Not the least important portion of the Exhibition was that comprising 
the groups not in competition, and especial praise must be given to Messrs. 
T. Rivers & Son’s two extensive groups of fruit trees, comprising about 
sixty specimens of Cherries, Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pears, and Apples, 
and representing some of the choicest varieties from the Sawbridgeworth 
collections. Most of the trees were heavily fruited, and the silver medal 
awarded for the group was a suitable recognition of its merit. Messrs. 
Barr & Son, Covent Garden, also obtained a similar award for large collec¬ 
tion of hardy flowers that formed beautiful groups in the marquee. J. T. 
Peacock, Esq., Sudbury House, Hammersmith, contributed a remarkably 
handsome group of Orchids, in which the superb Odontoglossum vexillarium 
predominated. This sp?cies is one of the features in the Sudbury House 
collection, and the condition of the plants shown prove how well they are 
grown. Many other Odontoglossums were included, and some richly 
coloured Cattleyas imparted much warmth to the groups. Miscellaneous 
ornamental articles were also shown in the corridor by several firms. 
ROSE SHOWS. 
NATIONAL ROSE SOCIETY.— July 7th. 
LTHOUGH the weather 
had been disastrously dry 
for a considerable time 
before this important event in 
the rosarian season, yet an exten¬ 
sive and beautiful Exhibition was 
provided at Kensington on 
Tuesday last, the competition 
being extremely close in nearly 
all the classes. It was not the 
largest nor the best that the Society has 
held, but it deserves a position as a good 
average shew as regards quality of 
blooms, and in numbers it was highly 
satisfactory. The Tea Roses were in grand 
condition and really took the foremost position in merit, 
for though there was an abundance of handsome Hybrid 
Perpetuals they were scattered through the stands, and there 
was a preponderance of smaller or rougher blooms that could 
not fail to be noticed on a most cursory glance round the tables. 
As at the Crystal Palace Show, the light and dark varieties were 
better proportioned than is usually the case, and this imparted much beauty 
to the display viewed generally, while in brightness or clearness of tint the 
blooms were admirable. 
About 7000 blooms were staged in competition, and to these four rows 
of tables extending the whole length of the conservatory were appropriated. 
The centre table had two rows of stands, and for a portion of its length 
three rows, while on the other Bide tables were arranged single lines of 
boxes. The large central table had a grand appearance, which was due 
nearly as much to the line of Carnations separating the stands as to the 
Robss themselves. These Carnations, all of the variety Souvenir de Mal- 
maison, were exhibited by Leopold de Rothschild, Esq., Ascott, Leighton 
Buzzard (gardener, Mr. Jennings), and never has so large a number of 
superbly grown plants been shown from one garden. The plants, of which 
187 were exhibited, were in 8 to 10-inch pots, and bore from six to twelve 
expanded flowers of great size and substance, with numerous buds, the 
foliage and growth being extraordinarily vigorous. They constituted a 
grand feature in the Show and will long be remembered as a triumph of 
skilful culture. 
Another triumph will render 'this Exhibition memorable, and that was 
the award of a gold medal to Mr. W. Bennett for his Rose Mrs. John Laing, 
which is the second honour of a similar character that has been obtained by 
this successfnl raiser. Her Majesty was the variety previously recognised, 
and those who saw the two together at Kensington on Tuesday did not 
hesitate to give the preference to the new comer. It was shown some time 
ago, but has not fully developed its characters until the present season, 
and now it has come in magnificent form ; for probably over 100 blooms 
have been staged at three Exhibitions during the past week—namely, at 
Shepperton on Thursday, the Crystal Palace on Saturday, at both of which 
it was certificated, and at Kensington on Tuesday. It may be described 
as resembling Frangois Michelon in build, with somewhat of the curl of 
petal in Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, but it is more globular than that Rose; 
and is, moreover, a Hybrid Perpetual, with the powerful fragrance of the 
old Cabbage Rose. The colour is a clear rosy pink, a delicate and pretty, but 
not strongly marked shade. If it maintain the characters it has displayed 
recently it will take a foremost place amongst exhibition Roses, as it 
possesses both substance and symmetry. 
NURSERYMEN’S CLASSES. 
In the larger classes devoted to nurserymen the blooms shown were not 
so fine as we have seen them at many previous Shows of the National Rose 
Society, and some extremely weak blooms were observable even in the 
winning stands. This was especially noticeable in the class for seventy-two 
single trusses, in which the Challenge Trophy, value sixty guineas, and £5 
were offered as the first prize, for not one of the four collections staged were 
equal to some that have won the honours in preceding years. Yet consider¬ 
able difficulty was experienced by the Judges in awarding the prizes, parti¬ 
cularly as regards the first and second, and after they had accomplished 
their task much difference of opinion prevailed as to whether those selected 
for the first were really superior to the second. Mr. B. R. Cant, Colchester, 
was the fortunate winner of the Trophy, and no doubt he chiefly owed his 
Buccess to the fine Tea blooms his stand contained, as many of the Hybrid 
Perpetuals were much weaker than those he had at the Crystal Palace on 
Saturday, and altogether we did not consider his collection up to his standard 
of preceding seasons. They were, however, bright, fresh, and clean, the 
light and dark varieties being well proportioned to produce a good effect. 
The varieties represented were as follows—Gloire de Vitry, Harrison Weir, 
Frangois Michelon, Souvenir de Mons. Boll, Innocents Pirola, Benoist 
Comte, Victor Yerdier, Marie Baumann, Boieldieu, Madame Prosper Laugier, 
La Boule d’Or, A. K. Williams, Countess of Pembroke, Madame Crapelet, 
Mdlle. Marie Cointet, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, Ferdinand Chaffolte, Madame 
de Watteville, very handsome; Alfred Colomb, Niphetos, Reynolds Hole, 
Madame Charles Wood, Souvenir d’Elise Vardon, Etienne Levet, Jules 
Margottin, Comtesse de Serenye, Comtesse de Nadaillac, Hippolyte Jamain, 
Horace Vernet, Emily Laxton, Merveille de Lyon, William Warden, Jules 
Chretien, Star of Waltham, excellent; Rubens, Duke of Wellington, large 
and handsome ; Duchesse de Vallombrosa, Marchioness of Exeter, Queen of 
Queens, Madame Gabriel Luizet, Louis Van Houtte, admirable ; Madame 
Eugene Verdier, Le Havre, Souvenir d’un Ami, Madame Annie Wood, Marie 
Baumann, Marbchal Niel, Duchess of Bedford, Baroness Rothschild, General 
Jacqueminot, Madame Caroline Kuster, Marquise de Castellane, Ferdinand 
de Lesseps, Mons. Noman, Ulrich Brunner, Etoile de Lyon, Ville de Lyon, 
Marie Rady, Catherine Mermet, Fisher Holmes, Madame Montet, Xavier 
Olibo, Madame Welche, La France, Beauty of Waltham, Annie Laxton, Mrs. 
Baker, Madame Marie Verdier, Dr. Andry, Madame Ducher, Madame H. 
Jamain, and Madame Victor Verdier. The second prize was adjudged to 
Messrs. Paul & Son, Cheshunt, for a collection which, like the first, con¬ 
tained many weak blooms, but it also included some of considerable merit, 
and the contest between the Colchester and Cheshunt champions was so 
close that Messrs. Paul had no reason to be ashamed of their defeat. The 
finest flowers were the following—Frangois Levet, Marquise de Castellane, 
Ulrich Brunner, Sultan of Zanzibar, Mrs. G. Paul, Comtesse de Serenye, 
Emily Laxton, Souvenir de Madame Alfred Vy, Prince Arthur, Madame 
Gabriel Luizet, Etoile de Lyon, and Edouard Andry. The Cranston Nursery 
Company, Hereford, was third, and Mr. C. Turner, Slough, fourth, both 
having rather small blooms. 
With forty-eight triplets Messrs. Paul & Son were the most successful 
of the six exhibitors, and in this class the general quality of the blooms was 
more satisfactory. ’The Cheshunt stand comprised good examples of the 
following varieties—Marie Rady, Madame Gabriel Luizet, Madame Prosper, 
Laugier, La F'rance, Star of Waltham, Queen of Queens, Mrs. G. Paul, 
Madame Lacharme, Marie Baumann, Baroness Rothschild, A. K. Williams 
Merveille de Lyon, Etienne Levet, Abel Grand, Dr. Andry, Frangois Levet’ 
Beauty of Waltham, Boieldieu, Duke of Teck, Caroline Kuster, Alfred, 
Colomb, Marquise de Castellane, Horace Vernet, Pride of Waltham, 
Niphetos, Marguerite de St. Amand, Heinrich Schultheis, Ulrich Brunner, 
Comtesse de Serenye, Madame Eugene Verdier, Comtesse de Paris, Frangois 
Michelon, Alba Rosea, Marbchal Vaillant, Devoniensis, Souvenir d’ Elise 
Vardon, Louis Van Houtte, Jean Ducher, Countess of Rosebery, Devienne 
Lamy, Centifolia Rosea, and Duchesse de Vallombrosa. Second honours 
■were secured by Mr. C. Turner, whose blooms of Etienne Levet, Duchesse 
de Vallombrosa, Frangois Michelon, Xavier Olibo, Capitaine Christy, 
Baroness Rothschild, Beauty of Waltham, Lady Mary Fitzwilliam, and 
Due de Montpensier were worthy of mention. Messrs, Keynes, Williams, 
