THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
September 18 .] 
GARDENING GOSSIP. 
We insert the following from a correspondent, with 
our reporter’s reply:— 
“ National Floricultural Society. —I fear your gossip¬ 
ing correspondent is not free from the common failings of 
his class, and in his desire to supply gossip does not always 
adhere strictly to the truth; at least, in relation to the 
National Floricultural Society, he has said many things 
which have not the semblance of trutli about them. To 
take the most recent case, at p. 351, lie says, ‘ The rapidity 
with which things (flowers) are removed after the award is 
made gives every appearance of a disposition to avoid pub¬ 
licity instead of courting itmeaning, I presume, that the 
managers of the Society are afraid to have their proceedings 
criticised. Now the simple truth of the matter is this, the 
doors are thrown open to representatives of the press half- 
an-hour before the public are admitted, and after the chair¬ 
man for the day leaves the chan - , the productions are left on 
view for one hour. Thus your correspondent may view the 
flowers for two clear hours, if lie pleases; but if he does not 
please, the fault is his, not ours. 
“ Again, he appears quite determined not to understand 
the awards, and jumbles ‘ first-class certificates,’ ‘ certificates,’ 
and ‘ commendations,’ together in most unenviable con¬ 
fusion. Allow me, therefore, to remark, for the informa¬ 
tion of your readers, that the Society makes the following 
awards:— 
“ ‘ First-class certificates ’ to all such plants or flowers as 
are considered by the censors to he first-rate and distinct; 
‘ certificates ’ to what may be called good, but not first-rate 
flowers ; and ‘ commendations,’ to such things which, though 
they may be deficient in ‘ properties,’ as understood by 
florists, may still be very brilliant and showy, and hence are 
desirable market flowers. These awards, I can safely say, 
are never made without due deliberation ; and, as a regular 
attendant at the meetings, I am quite sure if the censors 
err at all, it is on the side of illiberality. For my own part, 
I should like to see the commendations much more liberally 
bestowed than they have hitherto been. That the National 
Floricultural Society should have the goodwill of all is not 
to be expected; and that private pique, jealousy, and un- 
cliaritableness, should sometimes find vent is quite in the 
nature of things. Let me, however, advise your correspon¬ 
dent to speak the truth, and fear not, and not find fault with 
awards to flowers which he never saw, and at meetings 
which he never attended; for I am quite sure he did not 
attend the meeting reported at p. 151, and I am equally 
sure that he was not present on Thursday last, Sept. 4tli. 
“ Index.” 
Our reporter says:— 
“ On Thursday, the 4th, I attended the National Society 
at half-past three. My friend and assistant had been there 
and left, and there was but one man in the room, who said 
the things had been packed and gone half-an-hour. I went 
to the place generally resorted to for refreshments, in hopes 
of seeing some of the members. There was, however, but 
one there, who said he had been there half-an-hour, waiting 
to see some, as they agreed to meet him at the usual place. 
I observed that at ‘ the National’ they removed flowers im¬ 
mediately, as if to prevent anybody questioning their judg¬ 
ment. He observed that they were moving them before he 
came away, and he perfectly agreed with me in saying that 
it was absurd to deprive the public of the opportunity of 
•seeing novelties, sent, perhaps, a good many miles for the 
very purpose of being seen. All articles are to be sent two 
hours before the meeting, but the public have only, accord¬ 
ing to the showing of the managers, one hour to see them in, 
although the judges have their two hours uninterrupted; 
and the public, if they have all they are allowed, have but one 
hour, and certainly impede one another; but I declare there 
has not been half-an-hour any one time I have been there, 
before some one or other has begun to pack up, an example 
soon followed by others.” 
[We will only add to what our reporter says, that this 
hurrying away of the flowers exhibited is injudicious, 
for it raises suspicions against the awards; and a 
379 
society should do nothing to justify even a suspicion on 
such a point.—E d. C. G.] 
There is a threat in some floral circles of establishing 
a Society upon the plan of the old Society of Amateur 
Florists, held under the presidency of Mr. J. Goldham 
so many years, but upon an extensive scale, and to 
which it has been suggested none but amateurs should 
be admitted. The object of that Society was to help 
one another to lessen the expenses of a garden. Had 
we been present when the suggestion about amateurs 
was made, we should have told them to lay aside 
any such project. Bearing in mind Punch’s “ Advice 
to persons about to marry,” we should ha.ve given the 
same to persons about to join the Society—“ Don't.” 
First, there is the insuperable difficulty of deciding who 
are amateurs, and who are dealers, or what exact amount of 
dealing would shut a man out; secondly, it is the mixture 
of dealers and amateurs at meetings that in reality promotes 
the science; thirdly, everything of an exclusive character 
fails to do good, if it does not fail to exist at all very long. We 
are of opinion that a revival of the old Amateur Florists’ 
Society, with its monthly meeting for social purposes, would 
be of great sendee. They always had an economical dinner, 
and an evening’s unrestrained conversation upon gardening 
subjects. We would not compel anybody to be present, nor 
fine them for absence, but we would render it imperative to 
make it known to the secretary what they intended to do, or 
he would never know how to arrange. Nor would we confine 
the dinners to one locality, but settle at one meeting where 
the next should be held. Again, we would unquestionably 
admit everybody who would conform to the rules. None 
but those who attended the Goldham dinners, for such we 
have heard them called, can form an idea of the pleasure 
derived from them ; not at all cramped by formal business 
of any kind, but perfectly unrestrained. Many a useful 
lesson has been picked up at those meetings, which were, 
at the period we speak of, attended by the oldest florists and 
amateurs of the time—Davey, Clarke, Strong, Tinder, Slater, 
Baron, Bray, and others, who have left this busy world, were 
among the visitors; and for ourselves, we can say we learned 
some of our best lessons in floriculture, and gathered from 
them much valuable information. We trust all thoughts of 
exclusiveness will be abandoned—it is good for nobody, and 
very bad for science. 
Hollyhock growers are reminded that, whatever may 
be the colour, flimsiness of petal is a fault not endurable, 
and the reverse of this, stoutness or thickness of petal, 
is a valuable acquisition, even without another redeem¬ 
ing point. This was the first good point achieved by 
Mr. Baron, of Saffron Walden. 
In giving prizes or certificates for new varieties, nothing 
should save a thin flower from condemnation but a decided 
new and desirable colour, and even this only for the purpose 
of seeding; flimsiness is the bane of all flowers; but having 
now got a good substance in some varieties of the Hollyhock, 
we need not despair of obtaining it in the Petunia, which is 
a weedy thing at present, and does not seem much inclined 
to be otherwise. 
In revising the Schedules for next years Shows, some, 
and it is desirable that all, Societies will be very distinct 
in the printed conditions of showing; first, to state the 
points of excellence to be regarded; secondly, to limit 
the size of pots for general competition; thirdly, to give 
prizes which the greatest number of showers can com¬ 
pete for; fourthly, to give prizes that will produce the 
greatest effect; fifthly, to allow a good deal more to be 
given, at the discretion of the judges, for specimen 
plants, which should be encouraged, because hundreds 
can show a single plant that cannot show collections; 
