The gardens of the Temple and Inner 
Temple are a mass of these regal flow¬ 
ers. They are arranged in beds and 
borders, thousands and thousands of 
them, showing every variety and 
colour, and massed to display them to 
the best advantage. No invitation or 
permit is necessary, and the whole 
world of London may visit and enjoy 
them; and it does. During the cold 
nights the flowers are protected by 
muslin curtains drawn over them. 
These exhibitions have been held 
since 1850, each year in November. 
At the first show about five hundred 
varieties were exhibited, and it was 
considered a marvellous number. Last 
year there were over two thousand,, 
and each year sees anywhere from a) 
dozen to twenty new varieties. 
The Lord Mayor’s show, held on 
November 10 in London, is one of the 
great events of the year, and there is 
181 
