July 17.] 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
237 
merit, we were pleased with Mr. Hunt’s Pansey, Rotunda, 
and Mr. Turner’s Black Diamond , both good, but rather de¬ 
ficient in size. 
Messrs. Henderson, of Pine-apple-place, sent a new, clear 
white, large-flowered Gloxinia, named Alba yrandiflora; an 
example of the noble-flowered Gloxinia grandis; a plant of 
a New Annual, named Eschotziu alba, neat and useful, and 
some other plants. Mr. E. G. Henderson sent again, in a 
better condition, his new bedding, shrubby, bright yellow 
Calceolaria, named Wellington Hero. The censors were 
Messrs. Fairbairn, Catleugh, Ambrose, Robinson, Neville, 
Keynes, Newliall, Norman, Lidgard, Ivery, Lochner, Turner, 
and Parsons. 
The Victoria regia, at Messrs. Weeks and Co.’s Nur¬ 
sery, in the King's-road, is now fairly growing and 
flowering in the open air, for the temporary covering 
which was used at night lias been removed these three 
weeks. 
The plant looks extremely healthy, is interesting from its 
peculiar situation, and is growing and flowering beautifully; 
there are 12 leaves on the plant, which, with the petioles, 
are 11 feet in length, and completely fill the pond, which is 
22 feet in diameter. 
Messrs. Ivnight and Perry’s Exotic Nursery, King’s- 
road, is attractive just now, for they have an aquarium 
well stocked with several beautiful water-lilies, and 
among them Victoria regia; in fact, the great tank is 
richly furnished with lilies of various hues, in full bloom. 
Turner’s Nursery, at Slough, is in fine order; pinks 
and geraniums, abundant and fine; carnations and 
picotees, rapidly approaching perfection; pansies, though 
past their time, still brightening the scene; and dahlias, 
as strong as young oaks, form a perfect forest in embryo- 
The recommendation of Mr. Paxton, as to the future 
use of The Crystal Palace, is not new : 
Mr. Glenny stated before the building was completed, 
that the conversion to a winter garden was the only thing 
that could be entertained, and that the poorest man in the 
country would hold up his hand for it, if it were to be open, 
as it undoubtedly ought to be, to all classes, with no restric¬ 
tion but cleanliness and order. We are certain that a 
building which is the pride of the whole world, will never 
be demolished with the consent of the English people. 
Mr. Paxton estimates the expense of keeping it up at 
£12,000 per annum, a sum which, considering it will go 
in labour and be expended among a useful class, ought 
not to weigh a moment against the important, the all-im¬ 
portant object of finding rational enjoyment for the million. 
In short, if Saturdays were made shilling days, and the 
profits, after paying expenses, were to be devoted to other 
means of providing amusement and instruction for the mil¬ 
lion, there would be no small balance arising from it; gi¬ 
gantic flower-shows, and various other exhibitions requiring 
room, might be held witli advantage. 
The Rose Exhibition at the Botanic Society, in the 
Regent’s Park, lias, as we predicted, proved a complete 
failure; there is hardly a single variety which is, in size 
or colour, a fair representation of its kind. 
The Oxford Horticultural Exhibition being held at 
the same time as the comemmoration, was attended by 
all the fashionables within a wide circle, and it was 
remarkable for a splendid show of fuchsias, which were 
never grown better, and of roses, which were exhibited 
in great style. The cottagers tent gave splendid proof 
of the growing intelligence of a class in whose welfare 
everybody must take great interest. Oxford encourages 
the cottager as growing those subjects which are useful 
and profitable, and fritters away no prizes for trumpery 
flowers and useless fruits. 
Two incidents occurred worth recording as lessons :— 
A young exhibitor, prompted by one of those mischief¬ 
making people who delight in “ setting people by the ears,” | 
complained, under rule eight, that the pansies were wrongly | 
judged, paid five shillings to appeal against the judgment, 
and the judges and committee were re-summoned to the 
tent four hours after the judgment. He was heard, he 
insisted that the stand above him was disqualified, because 
there were two flowers with split petals. The judges pro¬ 
tested against any change, on the ground of the alterations 
which occur in four hours of scorching winds and in broil¬ 
ing hot weather. One of the judges added—“ Every stand 
was disqualified, but as it would have been mortifying to all, 
they are judged upon their general merits, and placed 
accordingly; and as the young gentleman has courted this 
inquiry, he must take the consequences ; as all were dis¬ 
qualified, we passed over in that young gentleman’s stand 
j two flowers of a sort." These were pointed out to the satis- 
j faction of the committee, whereupon, one of the members 
I moved, that as the fact of there being only twenty-three 
varieties was brought before them, and their prize was only 
; for twenty four, the complainant be deprived of his prize, 
| and forfeit his five shillings, for bringing forward a frivolous 
! and vexatious complaint. After some discussion, however, 
it was considered the forfeiture of the five shillings would 
be punishment enough, and he was let off with that and a 
caution. 
Another instance, arising out of the same injudicious rule, 
occurred immediately after. Five shillings and an appeal 
against the judgment were sent up by one of the officers of j 
the Society. The cut roses having been in the tent four 
hours and a half, on going to the tent it was seen that the 
first stand which was nearest the entrance had withered 
most ruinously, and the second and third had suffered in pro¬ 
portion. The judges protested against the slightest change; 
when they awarded the prizes every stand was very carefully 
placed according to their merits, and it was absurd to re¬ 
examine cut roses after four hours-and-a-half exposure. 
In this case the committee fell in with the views of the 
judges; but certainly the first, and by far tbe best, stand 
had become like so many rags, even the green leaves had 
flagged. All we have to say upon the rose affair is, that any 
cultivator ought to have known better than at four o’clock 
to disturb a judgment given on cut roses at eleven or twelve, | 
and that too in melting weather, on single blooms, exposed 
all over. The first stand was found, in addition to other 
evils, to have suffered for want of water in one of the tubes. 
These two incidents will do much good to the Oxford 
Society, for, if such complaints were encouraged, no rightly- 
constituted judge, with a reputation to sustain, would ever 
condescend to act for it. Two seedling pinks and two ranun¬ 
culuses were commended, but there being only one bloom 
of each, we can only say they are well worth growing. The 
Oxford Horticultural Society is generally uWImanaged, and 
on enquiry, as to how the rule encouraging appeals against 
the judgments came to be adopted, we were informed that 
previous to the rule which enacted that five shillings were 
to be deposited with the complaints, such complaints were 
numerous, but since it was adopted, the present was the 
first that had been lodged. The Metropolitan Society’s rule 
was better—“ Any complaint, by word or deed, against the 
decision of the censors shall be considered a resignation, 
and the name be struck out acordingly.” E. Y. 
THE ERUIT-GARDEN. 
Summer fruit dressing. —(Continued from page 226.) 
The Plum. — A little more remains to he said on this 
useful fruit. It is much to he feared that the crop is 
very scanty indeed in most parts this year, and the 
greengages, &c. will be much missed, forming as they 
do such a handsome and valuable preserve. And 
setting aside the delicious flavour of some of our best 
plums, when well ripened, in the dessert, who hut 
admires the delightful aroma the plum produces, re¬ 
minding one of the enchanting and fabled perfumes of 
the East. Now, the failure of a fruit crop of any kind 
is, generally, the signal for the production of a super- 
