380 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ October 29, 1885. 
22nd inst., appears to have been a great success. There were ninety-five 
exhibitors as compared with eighty last year; the number of classes 
fifty-three, as against thirty-eight; and the number of entries 734, against 
522. In the competing classes 1690 dishes of Apples were arranged, 
representing 10,000 fruits ; and 338 dishes of Pears, representing 1680. 
The entries in Tomatoes and other fruit brought up the total to 12,190. 
Besides these there were numerous exhibits not for competition. Among 
them the magnificent fruits exhibited by Messrs. Lucombe, Pince & Co. 
were conspicuous for their excellence. They had on view 336 dishes. The 
firm’s collection of Pears was a splendid assortment of some of the 
choicest kinds. Messrs. Veitch Sc Son had an exquisite assortment of 
130 dishes well displayed; and other exhibitors, not for competition, 
were Mr. Stokes, St. Thomas, who sent thirty boxes of French Pears ; 
Mr. Moore, Torquay, whose collection of Tomatoes was very much 
admired ; and Mr. Bunyard of Maidstone. 
- At the Yeovil Chrysanthemum Show, which is to take 
place on November 17th in the Corn Exchange of that town, a silver cup, 
value £5, or cash if preferred, will be offered for twenty-four blooms, 
twelve Japanese, and the same number of incurved. Two of the National 
Society’s silver medals and two certificates are also offered, as well as 
numerous prizes for table plants and fruits. The Hon. Sec. is Mr. C. 
Tite, Fair View, Yeovil. 
- The sixty-second ordinary meeting of the Essex Field Club will 
be held in the Loughton Public Hall, Loughton, Essex, on Saturday, October 
31st, 1885, at half-past six o’clock. The following paper will be read :— 
“ Mosses and their Allies, with special reference to those of Essex,” by 
Professor Boulger, F.L.S., F.G.S., &c., Vice-President, E.F.C. In con¬ 
nection with Professor Boulger’s paper, exhibits of herbaria and fresh 
specimens of Mosses (especially Essex forms) will be very welcome. The 
Secretary will be happy to pay carriage or other expenses incurred in 
sending up such collections to the head-quarters or to the meeting-room. 
Mr. W. Cole will exhibit on behalf of the Rev. O. W. Kenworthy, M.A., 
Vicar of Braintree, an interesting collection of stone implements, mainly 
found in the neighbourhood of Braintree and Booking, Essex. The Hall 
will open at six o’clock for the convenience of exhibitors. 
-- The Floral Committee of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society held their second meeting of the year on Wednesday, October 
28th, in the Westminster Aquarium. There was a small display of 
exhibits, although Dahlias and Tuberous Begonias were admitted besides 
Chrysanthemums. Several of the latter shown as new varieties were 
worthless as far as could be judged from the blooms sent, and the Com¬ 
mittee will act wisely in restricting their certificates to really meritorious 
varieties. If they wish to add interest to the meetings they could invite 
growers to send blooms, and award cultural commendations for those 
deserving them. Mr. Wright of the Middle Temple; Mr. R. Owen 
Maidenhead ; Mr. W. E. Boyce, Holloway; and Mr. Forbes, Roehampton, 
were the principal exhibitors, the first-named having some of the best 
blooms and varieties. Val d’Andorre, certificated at Kensington was also 
honoured here, and Mons. Freeman, an incurved scarcely in condition, was 
certificated. Mr. Wright also had good blooms of Souvenir d’Haarlem, 
a rosy-crimson Japanese. Mr. Forbes had M. Mousillac, Fleur de Bas, 
and M. Lecn Brunei, the latter a curious quilled variety. 
- Mr. Sydney J. Hickson, Batavia, contributes some notes to 
Nature on Botanic Gardens in Java, of which the two following 
paragraphs are interesting: —“ On entering the gardens at Buitenzorg 
the stranger is at once struck with the wealth and luxuriance of the 
vegetation he sees, the great height of the trees whose trunks and 
branches are in many cases covered with heavy creepers, the dense 
copses of the different species of Bamboo, the eccentric-looking Screw 
Pines and the handsome Palm trees; but the scientific observer is also 
struck with the care that has been taken to arrange all these many 
varieties of tropical plant life iD, as far as possible, their systematic 
order, and that each specimen has its scientific, and in many cases its 
Malay name also, clearly and distinctly printed on a little board by its 
side. Many families have probably more representatives in these gardens 
than in any in the world. The Sapotaceae, for instance, so rarely seen in 
Europe, are here represented by a great variety of genera and species 
and the Pal mace re, the Rubiaceas, the Burscracese, the Orchidaceas, and 
other families have now a large number of rare and interesting repre¬ 
sentatives. The herbarium which is attached to the garden contains a 
. arge collection of dried plants and seeds collected together from the 
many expeditions into the little or unknown parts of the Archipelago and 
from other sources.” 
- The same writer continues—“ The Gardens at Tsi-Bodas 
are situated on the slopes of the Gedeh Mountains, at an altitude of 5000 
feet, and here I found Dr. Treub at work in the comfortable little house 
which is attached to the gardens. From this spot a very wide range of 
vegetation may be studied, from the rich and varied vegetation of the 
plains to the interesting vegetation of the Gedeh and Pangeranso peaks, 
at an elevation of 10,000 feet. In the gardens themselves a very fine 
collection of Conifer® from America, China, Australia, and other parts 
of the world has been got together, and spaces have been cleared for the 
growth of the various species of Eucalyptus, Cinchona, and other plants 
Year by year the surrounding forest is being encroached upon by these 
gardens to make room for new importations. I saw, however, enough to 
convince me of the great importance of these gardens for the advance¬ 
ment of our botanical knowledge and the great opportunities they afford 
for research into all branches of the science. I need hardly say that the 
climate in this region is extremely pleasant and invigorating, and the 
neighbouring village of Sindanlaya is much resorted to by Europeans 
and others whose health has suffered on the coasts or low-lying districts 
of the Archipelago. At Buitenzorg the climate is by no means unpleasant 
or unhealthy, but as it lies a few thousand feet lower than Tsi-Bodas, it 
is naturally a good deal warmer; but I am assured that several Europeans 
have worked there for several years without feeling their health the least 
affected.” 
- Mr. Walter Kruse thus describes his method of making zinc 
LABELS FOR FRUIT AND OTHER TREES WITH INK FOR WRITING ON 
them. Sheet zinc is cut of the desired shape, and a hole punched in it 
large enough for admitting a piece of No. 8 galvanised wire, the top of this 
is bent into S shape for securing the label, the lower part for inserting in 
the ground. This is the purport of what appears on one side of the 
paper, on the other the writer proceeds—“ To make the ink for the label 
purchase some sulphate of copper, which is very cheap, at a chemist’s, and 
make a saturated solution of it in water; that means that you cannot 
add too much copper, as the water will only dissolve a limited quantity, 
and the rest remains at the bottom of the bottle until more water be 
added. Use a quill pen. Shortly before being written on—as with all 
zinc labels—the surface of the label will probably require cleaning by 
being rubbed with some fine emery paper. The above-described label 
will last for years, does not force itself on the observation, especially as 
with some plants it can be placed almost out of sight among the foliage, 
and it can be made at home on a wet day when the men have not much 
to do. They can be used for a different name after being rubbed with 
emery paper. For tieing without the galvanised stem to fruit trees 
I use strips of leather, as I consider wire dangerous, because if not seen to 
occasionally when the tree enlarges the wire injures it. With dwarf 
Rose trees tied labels are a nuisance, because every time the old wood 
is pruned away the label has to be shifted.” 
JUDGING AT FLOWER SHOWS. 
Mr. Williamson’s well-timed and able paper on “ Judging at 
Flower Shows ” I expected would ere this have received the attention of 
the critics, for the subject surely is of some interest. That some rules for 
the guidance of all concerned is fast becoming a necessity will, I think, 
be admitted by all practical men, whether from the standpoint of judge 
or of competitor. When Mr. Williamson tells us how his friend the 
nurseryman proceeded with the Roses judging—page 257—he shows the 
absurdity of our present system of judging cut flowers; and that plants, 
fruits, and vegetables are in many cases equally mismanaged is, I think, 
perfectly apparent. How all this may be remedied is a question of im¬ 
portance, and one calling for the consideration of our most experienced 
horticulturists. I consider Mr. Williamson’s most able paper a step in 
the right direction. The plan he recommends seems practicable, and 
requires only to be more definitely put into form to pass the theoretical 
and find its place in actual practice. Convinced of this, and knowing 
that a thing well begun is more than half done, I beg to supplement Mr. 
Williamson’s and submit the following. 
First, Fruits and Vegetables.—Let a fixed national standard of 
maximum value be given to every kind of fruit and vegetable usually 
shown, and in accordance with Buch have test sheets printed and made up 
into books of convenient size, and which every horticultural society can 
procure for the use of its judges. I send two sketches, based on Mr. 
Williamson’s model, to illustrate my meaning. 
Second, Plants and cut flowers.—Here I must modify our system, for 
no fixed value can possibly be admitted, and the question may even arise, 
Are they then worth the trouble of a test sheet 7 This point I will not 
attempt to decide. 
