108 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
May 15. 
beauty and symmetry of a plant.. There was nothing in J 
the. flowers of Mr. Maokio, nor in those of Messrs. 
Johnson and Gardener, that were an improvement 
upon, or hardly up to the mark, as respects form and 
texture of former years, but the plants were mostly all 
distinguished for health and vigour of growth, while in 
some of the plants shown by Mr. Gardener, in addition 
to the large foliage, and the large flowers of the her¬ 
baceous group, the plants seemed to throw up one 
strong stem, while from that stem side-shoots branched 
out in a more regular manner than even in the shrubby 
kinds, so that with one stick, and concealed by the 
foliage, the plants, with scarcely any training, might 
easily assume the shape of a nearly regular cone, with 
bloom from top to bottom; and thus bo peculiarly fitted 
for specimen plants, in positions where flat-headed 
specimens might be objectionable. I have never noticed, 
previously, such a tendency, in this group, to assume 
the conical or pyramidal form, and though the flowers 
were not what florists would call perfect, the singular 
style of growth would be well worth preserving for 
purposes of ornament. 
With the exception of several collections of splendid 
Mignonette, the best of which, again, was in the 
smallest pots (lb’s), while very large bushes were in 8’s, 
and the second best in I2’s, the very best besides being, 
1 believe, not the common Mignonette, but the sort 
sent out by the Messrs. Henderson, as the tree, and dis¬ 
tinguished by the size of its spikes, and the size and 
deep green of the foliage, marking it out as a distinct 
and desirable variety. A good assortment of single 
Anemones, but one collection of which had been 
gathered too early, the blooms refusing to open. A 
number of beautiful bompiets, tastefully got up, the 
best being exhibited by Mr. Barker, in a small hand 
vase, the sides being nearly concealed by drooping 
flowers of the Glycine sinensis; and a miscellaneous 
collection of plants, not for competition, from Mr. 
Smith, the Azaleas not being quite so fully open as last 
year, and reminding us of one whose happy tact used 
to bring sunshine with him to these meetings. The 
remaining, and the really most striking, objects, were 
two collections of stove and greenhouse plants, and two 
groups of Azaleas, belonging, respectively, to Messrs. 
Gardener and Mackie, and with respect to which these 
gentlemen again divided the honours. 
Of the Azaleas, Mr. Mackie showed nice conical 
specimens, supported by one concealed stake in the 
centre, of Jacksonii, lateritia, formosa, Rosea, punctata, 
splendens, mirabilis, and magnijicapleno, they were beauti- 
tiful dense bushes ; one mass of blooms, about two-and- 
a-half feet high, and from three-and-a-half feet across 
at the base, and a beautiful plant of Prestantissima, the 
highest conical part in the centre being not much more 
than a foot above the rim of the pot, while the width of 
the base was more than three feet, and the branches 
hanging down nearly to the table. Mr. Gardener 
showed pyramidal plants of Peryana with fine bloom, 
but the branches rather thin ; similar pyramids full of 
bloom of magnifica, prestantissima, and Jaclcsonii, and 
nice dwarf plants of variegata, two-and-half feet by three, 
lateritia, one-and-a-half by two-and-a-half; and a sweet 
little specimen of exquisita, and a second variegata, a 
little more than a foot high, and two feet through at the 
base. 
The most striking plants in the collections were a 
dense bush of Acacia grandis, a good Pimelea spectabilis, 
a huge bush of Diosvui fragrans, a good Tropaolum, 
and a Clwrozema Henchmanni, exhibited by Mr. 
Gardener; and a huge bush of Eutaxia, a yellow Erica, 
an Eriostemon, a Pimelea,, and a large Cytisus, exhibited 
by Mr. Mack ie. Mr. Mackie also exhibited a small 
collection of Heaths, and a group of Roses, chiefly dwarf 
standards, and which, for the size of the plants, were 
admirably bloomed. They were exhibited without a 
single stake. No amount of whittling could have added 
either interest or beauty. 
GENERAL REMARKS AS TO PROVINCIAL 
EXHIBITIONS. 
Why do not thousands instead of hundreds visit such 
exhibitions as these? Why is it that there is, too 
generally, a time of great prosperity followed by decline, 
and either a future renewal of vigour, or extinction ? As 
a general rule, 1 have found that small towns, with their 
one or two exhibitions in the year, are more lusting and 
less liable to change than the three or five shows in a 
larger town. One of the most successful provincial 
shows, as respects variety and number of objects, I liave 
lately seen, was held at Davcntry last season. The 
numbers attending seemed very large. The show' was 
held, in a beautiful meadow, out of-doors. Daventry is a 
small place in comparison with Northampton. But 
then, at Davcntry the flower shows are the great events 
of the season. There is a lack of these fetes, and soirees, 
and concerts, and lectures, and sights of various kinds, 
that are so abundant in Northampton. In large towns, 
therefore, the flower show has to contend with many 
objects of attraction. Much real prudence is also often 
exhibited by obtaining large numbers of members, 
though the subscription should be low, giving members 
tickets accordingly. 
Again, it is desirable to have early exhibitions in¬ 
doors; but after that they rarely succeed so well as 
when held out-of-doors, in a garden or park. We pride 
ourselves, and justly, on the variety of the flowers ; but 
to vast numbers these are greatly enhanced when the 
seeing of them forms a decent pretext for at least part of a 
holiday. Have your exhibition in a room, however large, 
and it is soon traversed and retraversed. There is little 
opportunity for conversation, and breathing those sweet 
thoughts that are mere nothings to all but the interested 
parties. We would not change human nature ; we have 
no desire to see ladies so careless of even their attire, as 
to cease, even by the tints and the graceful outline of 
their dresses, as well as the happiness beaming in their 
countenance, to be too successful rivals in attracting 
admiration, even from our favourite flowers. But think 
of the crushings round tables in a crowded room ; 
the closeness of the atmosphere, even when ventilation 
is attended to ; and the deafening crashes of music, that 
cannot be mellowed for want of sufficient space. Ob¬ 
serve the difference of the wdiole affair, when the foot 
presses the green sod, and there are walks, and avenues, 
and benches, where friends and acquaintances can con¬ 
gratulate each other. 1 know an instance where great 
success attended exhibitions in a little town, so long as 
the gentlemen in the town and vicinity had the exhibi¬ 
tion held in their gardens in turn. 1 am not aware that 
one of them had ever to complain of the slightest injury 
being done. By-and-by, however, they seemed to get 
tired of it, and the shows were transferred to large and 
commodious rooms; the first but sure step to decline, 
and then to total extinction. There are places in, or, at 
least, close to, Northampton, well-fitted for such a 
purpose. It would not become me to be too specific ; 
but if held in a place in my mind’s eye, there could bo 
no difficulty in transferring the show to the Exchange, 
provided the day was decidedly unpropitious. Then 
there is the tastefully laid out Tea Gardens at Blisworth ; 
just a nice run out and in for the young people, and old 
folks too. The only drawback to having sue!) exhibi¬ 
tions out-of-doors is the expenses they involve if the 
weather should be unpropitious. This would land us 
in the thick of another question as to financial affairs; 
the mere touching of the surface of which would show 
the importance of depending for revenue almost entirely 
