June 24. 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
101 
Mont Blanc, a pure virgin white, with a clear, scarlet, 
small spot in each ot the back petals ; Pearl is the next 
best white, and Emma the third and last. I put down 
these degrees of comparison at each show, as they occur 
on the spot, and at the end of the season I shall collect 
them in one place for reference; and very likely I may 
see others that I would prefer before some of these, so 
that I shall be forced to give the final choice some day 
or other. Out of the great mass of geraniums which 
look so much alike, I marked the following as the most 
distinct:— Oaliehna, Rosamond, Centurion, Negress, 
Pretty Polly, and Optima ; and out of a lot of new 
seedlings, Oscar and Aurelia were the only two I would 
select for myself. I saw two great blunders in this 
class of geraniums, of which I shall only mention one. 
Oeellatum, a true fancy sort, and a new strain, too, 
for that class, but it was placed among the florists’ 
varieties, where its character and beauty were entirely 
lost; it ought to stand between Gaity and Hero of 
Surrey, in the fancy class. Some mouths ago, I said, 
from memory, that this Oeellatum was a new strain in 
the fancies, got from some relationship of Yetmaniana 
grandifiora, and now I am confirmed in this opinion; 
and if Oeellatum is a breeder, it should be carefully 
worked back with the Yetmanianum class for bedders. 
The following fancies are to be added to those I have 
already named:— Lady St. Germains, Celestial, Gaity, 
Triumphant, and Miss Emily Fielding; their characters 
shall be given some other day. A variety of the scarlet 
breed, with flowers like those of Lucia Rosea, and the 
leaves of Compaction, will make a pretty pot plant for 
forcing in the spring; it is called Kingsbury Favourite, 
which does not make it the more favourable in my eyes. 
There was also a new form of the variegated scarlet, 
called Flower of the Day, with purple marking between 
the white and green of the leaf; and if that is perma¬ 
nent, and will stand the sun, this will be the best of the 
two for beds. Triumphant (Ambrose’s) is the most 
scarlet of all the fancies; what a splendid bed it would 
make if it stands the sun and rain, and be a perpetual 
bloomer! 
Of stove plants not mentioned before, Hoya bella was 
particularly neat and well grown; it really is a flue 
tiling when it comes to a large size. Franciscea auyusta, 
with fine heads of sweet flowers, more crowded together 
and much darker than those of acuminata. Ixora alba, 
in all respects like the size, shape, and profusion of 
bloom of the old coccinca, but the leaves are very dif¬ 
ferent, and much larger. I. javanica, of which there 
are two or three varieties, is also very good, a mixed 
colour of orange and brown ; and /. erocata, a bright 
yellowish flower. Alamanda grandifiora is a much 
smaller plant, at least, not near so large as cathartica; 
nor are the flowers generally so large as in the old sort, 
notwithstanding the name. 
Of new stove plants, we had one called Munronia 
javanica, which, I think, will turn out a nice thing for 
drawing-rooms; it belongs to the order of Meliads, but 
as yet few gardeners know many plants in this order, 
let me say that it looks exactly like a young plant of 
Gardenia Stanlyana, with the pure white flowers of 
some jasminum. Panax excelsa promises to be a good 
thing; leaves and growth similar to Broxonea, with 
umbrels of coral buds opening into small pink flowers— 
say like a bunch of elderberry flowers if they were of 
that colour. Artocarpus imperidlis was quite new to 
me; it is one of the bread-fruit trees, and looks not 
unlike a young Astraptea, but not in flower. Jacaranda 
caroba, looking like a young ash, would look fine in a 
large stove, if it would flower freely. D. Beaton. 
(To be continued.) 
EXHIBITIONS AND EXHIBITORS. 
It has been reported of an ancient worthy, that when 
defeated in a contest for honour and office he expressed 
his gratitude that his country possessed so many men 
better than himself. What a satire upon, and a rebuke 
to, the heart burnings left by political and official 
contests, and the grumblings and frettings of defeated 
ambition, when the chief reward was merely the honour ' 
of standing in a first, second, or third place ! Disagree¬ 
able at all times, these frettings are never more 
unseemly than when they manifest themselves at floral 
and horticultural exhibitions. Everything there invites 
to that delight which is blended with repose. How 
jarring, therefore, does one note of wrangle, or dis¬ 
content, from us blue aproners break in upon that 
harmony. Yet that harsh note has sometimes proved 
the source of a discord fatal to many a once flourishing 
society. So sensible were committees of management 
of this, that it used to be no uncommon thing to have an 
article inserted in their laws, that no exhibitor was to 
call the judges decision in question, without previously 
depositing a fine to a considerable amount. 1 say used, 
for I do not think such a law is now found to be requisite. 
Liable to errors and oversights as all judges are, still, 
in the vast majority of cases, they were in a position to 
form a better estimate of the productions exhibited than 
the exhibitors themselves. Men, cool and clear-headed, 
we have found in plenty, who, at a glance, could tell the 
position each exhibitor would occupy, and even direct 
your attention to something so superior to their own in 
their neighbour’s collection, but with young exhibitors 
this is the exception, and not the rule. We have all read 
the tale of the man driving his hog to market, and finding 
that every grog-shop he visited increased his hog in size, 
until it became a perfect mountain of pork. With much 
of the satirical, the tale conveys too true a picture of 
human nature when the mind is engrossed with one I 
object. Young exhibitors, as a class, are apt to be too j 
sanguine. They see beauties and perfections in their 
productions that other people fail to discover. I speak ; 
feelingly. Their enthusiasm is good, so long as it nerves j 
to the surmounting of difficulties; but it becomes an evil 
when it conceals defects that every body else can see, I 
and leads to fault-finding with judges, instead of looking 1 
for reasons nearer home. What a weight of irritated 
disappointment these poor judges must carry did they 
but know it. What an anxiety with committees to get 
judges that could give general satisfaction ! How multi¬ 
form the schemes of labelling the articles, so that the 
judge must give an unbiassed verdict! This last 
condition, a source of great trouble to the managing ■ 
committee, and, necessary it may be, to please suspicious 
and crotchety people, is, practically, of no use whatever. 
Get honourable men for judges, and you may place, at 
once, each man’s name on his collection. The decision 
will be just tbe same. Complaints of decision are now 
rare at the Metropolitan exhibitions, and statements of 
collusion are now unheard of, although every man’s name 
is placed conspicuously against his plants. True, the 
exhibitors there are generally so used to the results, and 
take the whole matter so calmly, that a keen observer 
would hardly know whether they were satisfied or not. 
It certainly redounds to the honour of all concerned, 
when, by the very openness of their conduct, suspicion is 
disarmed. With these preliminaries, let us glance at a 
few means for warding otf unpleasant disappointments. 
1st. Mal;e up your mind what you are to compete for — 
whether quality—fitness for a specified end—or cultural 
skill. Some societies specify these matters in their 
schedules; and did it not tend to confusion, it would be 
better if all would do so. Exhibitors, variously situated, 
would not then clash with each other. First, as respects 
quality in flowers. All florists’ flowers are now judged 
