September 17, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
251 
surveyor of open spaces attends on behalf of the superintending architect 
to works of a structural kind only, and the suDerintendent of constables 
attends on behalf of the Clerk of the Board.’’ 
- We learn from “ Meehan’s Gardeners’ Monthly ” that at a 
recent meeting of American florists in Cincinnati there were 400 
delegates present, twenty-one being from Philadelphia and sixteen from 
New York, those two cities sending the largest numbers. The President, 
Mr. John Thorpe, delivered an address, in which he stated that 24,000,000 
cut Roses were sold last year, and of Carnation flowers about 125,000,000. 
During the last year 200,000 dollars, or nearly £40,000, had been paid 
for imported bulbs, chiefly Hyacinths and Tulips. It is supposed that 
there are 700 persons “ engaged in selling florists’ supplies, and there are 
2000 cut-flower sellers. Florists have increased fourfold in ten years; 
catalogues have increased fivefold. These make trade for those who do 
not catalogue. There are 2000 first-class gardeners in the United States, 
and thousands of amateurs without professional help." 
-A packet of Messrs. Cassell’s Monthly Works is just to 
hand, and contains the following :—Part 79 of “ Familiar Garden 
Flowers,’’ with coloured plates and interesting descriptions of the common 
Barberry and the Hepatica ; Part 2 of “ Familiar Trees " gives a plate 
and history of the Cherry ; Part 17 of “ Popular Gardening ” contains 
continuations of chapters on Rose Culture, Glass Structures, Window 
Gardening, Orchids, Life History of Plant 0 , Bulbous Plants, and Ferns, 
freely illustrated ; Part 20 of the “ Encyclopaedic Dictionary ’’ continues 
this thoroughly useful work frofn Contagious to “ Cost,” page 512; Parts 17 
of the “ Book of Health,” and 41 of the “ Illustrated Book of Canaries and 
Cage Birds,” being also continued in the same satisfactory style which 
distinguished the earlier numbers. 
JUDGING GRAPES. 
I HAVE frequently read the articles in this valuable paper from the 
pen of Mr. Iggulden, but to none do I give my full support, with the excep¬ 
tion of the article of September 3rd, “Remarks on Judging Grapes.’’ I 
most fully endorse what he there states. It appears to me that judges of 
black Grapes allow colour to take the precedence over all other points, 
while they have no regard whatever to flavour, size of berry, or difficulty 
in culture. I am also a successful exhibitor, and have therefore frequently 
heard remarks from experienced gardeners which lead me to the conclu¬ 
sion I have arrived at and now state. My opinion thus gathered is that 
all Grapes shown out of season, however good in colour, ought to be dis¬ 
qualified. If Alicante were judged for flavour in August they would at 
once be placed out of the prize list, but now they are frequently found 
filling first and second place from their colouring before Grapes that are 
well grown and well ripened, full of flavour, and appearing at their 
proper season. 
My favourite Grape among the black varieties is Madresfield Court. I 
hold it to be the best Grape for July, August, and September, and I am 
sure it is worthy of greater encouragement than it at present enjoys. It 
is difficult to finish well at the footstalk, but this would be overcome were 
it patronised more, and did it take what I believe to be its proper place. 
A short time ago I was exhibiting at a large show in the midlands, and 
there I found Alnwick Seedling preferred to many other good black 
Grapes, and my surprise was increased when I saw how judges, compe¬ 
tent to form a reliable opinion, would place Alicante and Alnwick Seedling 
before good, well-finished Madresfield Court, and this, too, in August, 
when both Alicante and Alnwick Seedling are known to be sour. It 
seems useless to expend much labour on the production of Madresfield 
Court in a high state of finish, when Alicante and Alnwick Seedling, both 
known to be most easily grown for colour, should supersede it on every 
hand. It appears tome there should be a revision of schedules, the earliest 
shows having a class for Black Hamburghs, also a class for any other 
variety in season, when, I believe, Madresfield Court would hold its own. 
Then a little later on, when Black Hamburgh is past perfection, the first 
class should be for varieties then at their best, and Black Hamburgh 
should take its place among the second class, while Alicante and Alnwick 
beedling would come to the front at the later fruit shows, and deservedly 
secure appreciation. I feel sure that were growers to devote their atten- 
11 >n less to the good old well-established Black Hamburgh at all seasons, 
and more to the varieties that follow it, they will not be disappointed in 
tne result. Madresfield Court is a splendid Grape, fine in berry, good in 
weight, noble in appearance, and exquisite in flavour. Why should it, then, 
be passed for Grapes less fine in berry, less in weight, less noble in 
appearance, and lacking in flavour? 
Itrust others may fully endorse Mr. Iggulden’s and my opinion that 
Alicante and Alnwick Seedling ought not to appear before the judges’ 
inspection till September has nearly past into October, and that other good 
vaiieties of Grapes ought to prevent Black Hamburgh always standing 
in the first place during July, August, and September. I emphatically 
Mipport Mr. Iggulden in his opinion that Foster’s Seedling among white 
Grapes deserves better treatment at the judges’ hands. It is certainly pos- 
. e->sed of better flavour than either Golden Champion or Buckland Sweet¬ 
water, and yet how seldom we see it placed in an honourable position 1— 
A ioung Exhibitor. 
I AM perfectly aware, and stated as much, that it would be an im¬ 
possibility for the framers of schedules to meet the wishes of all classes of 
exhibitors, as the funds would not permit it, even if the committees were 
disposed to take any proffered well-meant advice, as it happens in too 
many instances gardeners’ advice is not solicited or accepted, and not a 
few of those responsible for the wording of a schedule know next to 
nothing about it. One secretary of an important show in this county 
actually prides himself in the fact that he knows no distinction between 
Onions and Turnips, Peaches and Plums, and in an off-handed, careless 
fashion, states so when the numerous complaints are brought before him. 
In this case it usually happens that it is not the wording of the schedule 
that is to blame, but the fault lays rather in the selection of incompetent 
judges. One rule is to the effect that “Judges have the discretionary 
power to cut and taste all fruits, Pine Apples excluded, also to withhold 
any prize or prizes where specimens are not deserving of an award,” and 
it is further added that “ all fruit must be perfectly ripe and well 
coloured.” If the judges enforced this rule we should hear fewer com¬ 
plaints about unripe and inferior, if well-grown, late varieties being placed 
before equally well-grown examples of superior and quite ripe sorts. The 
former may have an advantage in point of colour or “ finish,” and yet be 
perfectly sour, therefore unripe and ought to be disqualified. 
It appears, however, that “ S.” (page 223) thinks differently, and he 
would support the judges in their preference for colour rather than ripe¬ 
ness; but if he extends this doctrine to Grapes he cannot consistently object 
to unripe examples of any other kind of fruit, say of Peaches, Nectarines, 
Plums, and even Melons, being awarded prizes. All may be beautifully 
coloured, and yet quite hard and unripe, but because the show is held 
(to borrow somewhat of “ S.”) in August and September, or before these 
particularly fine examples of showy sorts are fit to eat, the grower is to 
have “no reward for them.” It is quite certain he would get no reward 
for them if he exhibited them, and exhibitors of unripe Grapes ought 
also to be made to feel that it is a veryunwise proceeding to cut them. How 
often we see the practice of exhibiting green Grapes strongly condemned, 
yet in many cases these are nearer ripe than such sorts as Alicante, 
Alnwick Seedling, Gros Colman, Lady Downe’s, and Gros Marocare when 
shown during August or early in September. Are they fit to send to an 
employer’s table after the show is over ? and if not ought they to be 
sacrificed ? That is the point which I wished to convey in my original 
remarks, and which “ S.” evidently misses. If his advice is taken, and 
the preference is generally given to showy sorts, these will be much more 
extensively grown and cut for early exhibitions, with the inevitable result 
of disgusting employers, a result, which I, for one, should be glad to see 
avoided. 
I have always been an admirer of the Alicante Grape, and in my time 
have tasted some really good examples of it, this being principally in 
December, when it is at its best, and during the same month I have tasted 
some that were perfect in every respect as far as appearance was con¬ 
cerned, and yet were quite sour, consequently the fact of a fine appear¬ 
ance is no proof of superior quality. I have before admitted that I am 
of opinion that extra well-grown Alicante may sometimes be placed before 
Madresfield Court when the latter is not shown in good condition, but 
when we see really good Madresfield Court placed third with two lots of 
only fairly good Alicante first and second the time has arrived for fault¬ 
finding. This happened at Taunton last August, and the season before 
Alicante was placed first in preference to Madresfield Court with this 
rather amusing difference ; the grower, who staged Alicante in 1884 had 
the Madresfield Court in 1885, and was naturally aggrieved at the con¬ 
sistency of the judges. This man will “ try his luck ” with Alicante 
again next year, and several others will have the same variety. To make 
matters worse, Alicante is now becoming the favourite variety for collec¬ 
tions of fruit in August, thus displacing the less easily coloured but good old 
Black Hamburgh. The Chrysanthemum and fruits shows are the proper 
places to stage Alicante and other late sorts, and for these they may 
safely be cut, and either sent in to the employer’s table shortly after or 
they may be bottled and kept. 
Since writing the above I have read the remarks on judging at ex¬ 
hibitions by Mr. W. Williamson, page 220, and am glad to find this 
evidently very practical and experienced gardener is of the same opinion 
as myself as to the relative value of late sorts on the summer and early 
autumn exhibition tables. For instance, he remarks that “ Grapes 
valuable for their late-keeping properties should be discouraged for early 
autumn shows, because they are seldom ripe though well coloured, and it 
is injudicious to try to ripen them.” Unless I am much mistaken many 
more readers of the Journal of Horticulture will fully endorse this 
opinion, and if some of them will give expression to their ideas on the 
subject much good may eventually result.—W. Iggulden. 
EXHIBITING DAHLIAS. 
When I read in the Journal of September 11th, 1884, the qualities 
which constitute a good Dahlia, I considered that anyone who judged at the 
different shows should take them as a standard, and the defects stated 
also were so clear that even an inexperienced person could not err therein. 
I have always considered the greatest faults iu a show Dahlia are green 
and sunken centres, with high shoulder, and old blooms with open centres 
or the back florets fallen. If this view is right, were the Judges at Ken¬ 
sington correct in awarding prizes for overgrown, open-eyed, exhausted 
blooms in preference to equally as well grown blooms for quality with¬ 
out those defects, but smaller and younger ? A young bloom has the 
general preference over an old exhausted bloom, even if not so large. 
The Standard newpaper of the 10th iuat. has an article upon the Show, 
