April 7, 1887. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER 
275 
growers, and others not being able to exbibit owing to the great demand 
privately for flowers, <fc;., for the Queen’s visit the week before, this was 
still to a great ext-nt compensated for by incretsed size in many of the 
plants, and good quality ruled throughout the Exhibit'on. 
There are very few prizes open to nurserymen at these exhibitions, only 
Auriculas, Pansies. Polyanthus, and bouquts, everything else is for gentle¬ 
men's gardeners and amit“urs. In the class for eighteen Hyacinths, not 
less than nine varieties, Mr. G. T. Blake, gardener to Henry Payton, Esq., 
Edgbaston took the first prize with evenly grown sturdy plants—Czar Peter, 
Mont Blanc, La Grandest, Grande Maitro, a very fine blue ; Marie, Lord 
Macaulay, and King of the Blues, being all fine. Second, Mr. Morgan, 
gardener to A. W. Wills. Es<^., Wyld Green, who had good examples of 
La Gr&nde-se, a very tine Koh-i-noor, and two splendid yellow s, Obelisk and 
Marchioness of Lome. In the cl«ss for twelve Hyacinths, Mr. Cooper, 
gardener to the Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M.P., was first with capital 
plants of Leonidas, Czar Peter, Grande MaStre, and Mont Blanc especially 
tine. For eix pots of single Tulips, Mr. J. Crook, gardener to W . Milward, 
Esq., Edgbaston, took the fir^t prize for well-grown specimens of Cerise 
Gris de Lin, Fabiola, Keizsrs Kroon, and Vermilion Brillant, not less than 
three varieties being the restriction. For six pots of double Tulips, Mr. 
Cooper was first with distinct varieties, also with six pots of Lily of the 
Valley. 
Die’.ytras were well shown, Mr Dyer, gardener to Mrs. Marigold, being 
first with large plant*. Spirajas also were numerous and good, the first 
prize for six specimens being taken by Mr. F. Cooper, gardener to Charles 
Showell, Esq. The first prize tbr e Deutzias, staged by Mrs. Grice, Har- 
borne, were very fine, and the second, from Mr. Dyer, were healthy, but 
not sufficiently in flower. Tue Right Hon. Joseph Chamberlain took first 
prize for six Roses and six Cinerarias. Some excellent specimen Azaleas 
were staged, Mr. Crooks’ six being so well done and flowered, Mrs. Grice 
being second with fair plants, but not sufficiently in bloom. Mr. Crook was 
also first for three Azaleas. Two grand specimen whites from the Right 
Hon. Joseph Chamberlain, M P., took first prize; second, Mr. Crook. Some 
good plants of Azaha mollis were staged, and some unusually fine specimen 
Cytisuses. The Cyclamens were good, quite up to the London standard, 
Mr. Cooper taking the first prizes, as well as for stove and greenhouse 
plants, and six plants of Primula cortusoides varieties. 
Orchids were numerous and in greater force than before, and added 
materially to the beauty of the Exhibition. In the class for six Chas. Winn, 
Esq., Selly Oak, who contributed such a large quantity last week for Her 
Majesty’s reception, staged an excellent collection, in which were Cattleya 
Trian® formosa with five superb blooms, a grand variety; Dendrobium 
crassinode, Cymbidium eburneum, Cattleya Trianae, Calanthe Rognieri, and 
Odontoglossnm Roezli. A. J. Wills, Esq., came second with Dendrobium 
crastinode, Oncidium Marshallianum, Cypripedium lmvigatum, Cattleya 
Trian®, Odontoglossum Alexandrite, and a fine Dendrobium Wardianum. 
In addition four fine groups were set up, not for competition, by Mr. Winn, 
amongst them some fine varieties of Cattleya Trianae, Odontoglossum Pesca- 
torei, Cattleya Mendelli, the upper part pure white, the lower half of the 
dower bright rose, a beautiful form ; Odontoglossum Alexandra guttatum, 
highly coloured ; and Oncidium Krameri, were conspicuous. Messrs. Pope 
and Son, nurserym n and seedsmen, Birmingham, showed a fine collection of 
Cattleya Trianas, ro ne fine forms amongst them, some Odontoglossum Alex- 
andraj varieties, and some plants of O. Rossi majtts. Mr Cooper also con¬ 
tributed a well arrranged group, comprising fine plants of Cymbidium 
eburneum, Cypripedium niveum, Phalaenopsis amabilis, Odontoglossum 
triumphans, DenHrobium Jamesianum, the rare and beautiful Dendrobium 
Brymerianum, ./Eranthis Leoni, with the spur 2$ inches long, but Mr. 
Latham has a plant in the Botanicil Gardens with the spur from 12 to 
18 inches long. Another pretty group of Orchids, not for competition, was 
staged by A. W. Wi Is, Esq., the most striking being a good plant of 
Masdevallia Shuttleworthi and D ndrobium primulinum giganteum. 
It was much too early for Auriculas, and there was only one exhibitor, 
Mr. J. Crook, gardener to W. Milward, Esq., who*e Alpines were flowering 
well, but in the other classes some of the varieties were not sufficiently 
open. In the gentlemen’s gardeners’ class for bridal and ball bouquets 
Mr. George Fawkes was first in each class with well-made bouquets. Mr. 
T. B ; Thomson’s extra prize for eighteen Hyacinths in pots was won by 
A. W. Wills, Esq., and for Messrs. R. Smith & Sons’ prizes for six dinner 
table plants there were four competitors, Mr. Cooper of Highbury taking 
the first prize. Mr. Hans Niemanl’s extra prize for six Azaleas in pots not 
exceeding 6.J inches in diameter, brought forward two excellent exhibits ; 
first, Mr. W. H. Dyer ; seoood, Mr. J. Crook. Messrs. Pope an t Jones and 
Mr. Hans Niemand contributed splendid bouquets, Mr. R. H. Vertegans a fine 
display of floral wreaths, crosses and anchors ; and Mr. T. B. Tnomson a 
fine wreath and a cross, each of a large size. Mr. J. Crook sent a dish of 
fine Mushrooms, Mr. Hans Niemand a group of p'ant*, in wh'ch artistic 
arrangement was very noticeable. A background of Helms, and in the 
group au exceptionally fine specimen Ara'ia Schulb-rti, 5 feet high, and 
four very fine Azalia mollis of large size. The remainder of the group was 
made up of Lilacs, Acers, Cleinati*, various Narcissus, Ericas, Primula 
oboonica, variegated Fuchsias, Tillandsia zebrina, and other plants. Mr. 
T. B. Thomson set up a bright handsome gn up in which Palm*, Azaleas 
Indies and mollis, Spirneas, Cinerarias, Crotons, Dracmnas, Lily of the 
Val oy, Adiantums, Golden Selaginella, and other plants Were used. Mr. 
Mr. R. H. Vertegans sent some boxes of alpine plants in which the varie¬ 
ties of Saxifraga oppositifolia were conspicuous. Mr. T. B. Thomson also 
Staged a grand group of Cyclamens, Hyacinths, and Tulips. Altogether the 
Exhibition was one of considerable merit, and the Orchids were an especial 
feature. 
FLOWERS AND GARDENS. 
At the Litton Hall, Leeson Park, Dublin, some time since, a very 
interesting lecture on this Bubject was delivered by F. W. Burbidge, 
F.L.S. The Rev. Dr. Maurice Nebgan presid-d. In the course or 
his remarks Mr. Burbidge said—Once upon a time it was my duty to 
travel in Borneo, where the natives have a custom of eating rats. An old 
chief whom I questioned solemnly told mi the following story“ A long 
time ago,” he said, “ all our villagers had marvellous crops of Rice. One 
morning a host of rats appeared and devoured the grain left in the fields. 
Then the head man arose and said, ‘ The rats have eaten up our Rice, and now 
we must eat up the rats.’ ” And it was so. No* this story you can believe 
or not, but something of the same kind of philosophy is going on amongst 
plants to-dav. Animals have lived on plants ever sine* the creation, but it 
is also true that some plants have begun to turn the tables on the animals 
by entrapping and eating them whenever they can. As you know, Mr. 
Darwin has proved beyond a doubt that some plants not ouly entrap, but 
ao;ually digest insects or small portions of fresh animal f< od. But I think 
it will be a long time ere evolution lands us into an age wherein the plants 
generally shall enter into a league to eat up all the animals, in the way the 
Borneans of to-day are trying to eat up ail the rats. But it is never¬ 
theless a fact that there are some few plants found in this and other 
countries, which are all the better for a meat diet now and then. 
Of all decorative arts, of all pleasant pastimes, gardening still remains 
one of the most generally popular to-day ; and one reason why it has 
afforded so much delight, and still remains to us as an attraction, may be 
found in its ever-changing character. One of the great charms of ga-dening 
is the inter st it excites, and the amount of pleasure gardeners obtain 
during their rambles, for I need scarcely tay they will be most anxious to 
see the plants grown in other gardens besides their own. Apart altogether 
from the decorative or beautiful aspect of flowers and green leaves, such 
things have a teaching power peculiarly their own, and this is especially so 
where there are children. One of the best of lessons to instil into the 
minds of young people is that all flowers are beautiful, for it is these that 
our greatest poets have most delighted to honour. Daisies, Bluebells, 
Primroses, Daffodils, Snowdrops, and Violets, wild Roses, and Woodbines, 
have all been woven into song and story from the time of Chancer to the 
days of Tennyson. 
The one great charm which lingers round our garden blossoms is their 
Fig. SI.—Ornithogalum arabicum (single flower natural size). 
beautiful reality. They are essentially genuine In art and literature 
generally the poor man must pat up with a makeshift, but a Lily, an Iris, 
or a Pansy in a cottage garden is as real and as beautiful as if grown in the 
garden of a Que.n. When we come to cor.a der the early history of flowers, 
as used for decoration or personal uses, we find that the wild or native 
flowers were first employed. Of course all plants are wild som-where »c 
other in the world, and the most showy of these were at first selected for 
decorative uses. The Champacs, Jasmine, Nelumbium, and Orchids of 
various kinds were so used in India from the earli st times, while in the 
Western tropics the most beautiful of the native will flrwcrs were aho 
