142 THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION, December 2, 1856. 
former occasions; and a great number of unripe Pears 
were sent by the friends of progress to help to “ make 
up.” Apples were never seen here in better condition, 
as far as I recollect. Oranges and Citrons of home 
growth were good-looking, but not numerous; and, in 
addition, we had American Cranberries in fine style, and 
in two ways of dishing them for the dessert. The 
smaller dark purple and the large yellow Guavas, and 
the newest of all our good fruit, that of Eugenia Ugni, 
together with one dish of Strawberries, one of Red 
Currants, and one or two of Raspberries; and, to finish 
this “ course,” we had plenty of boiled Beet, cut up 
through the middle, which is the right way to exhibit 
that vegetable for competition; then one sees into the 
very heart of the thing. A uniform deep purple or plum 
colour, without veins, and mild to the palate, is allowed 
to be the perfection of first-rate Beet; but the last 
qualification depends so much on the cook that I would 
never insist on it. 
Then we had heaps of the new China Yam; Pear-trees 
worked on Quince stocks, with Palms, Ferns, and 
Lycopods, to dress the dessert-tables, and a few col¬ 
lections of plants in bloom; Orchids and other stove 
plants, Pompone Chrysanthemums, and some few new 
plants, the best of which, and really the very best plant 
that has been introduced for the last ten years, was a 
new hardy Coltsfoot from Java, from Mr. Glendinning. 
But let us understand each other, and have no bother 
about the “ best plant.” First of all, can you tell us 
decidedly which of these two was the best for this 
country, the Cedar of Lebanon or the common China 
Rose ? According to your own decision, therefore, will 
I allow your judgment between Wellingtonia gigantea 
and this new Coltsfoot from Java or Japan. 
Everybody seemed in good spirits at the success of the 
new Council, and I heard no complaints; but I know 
there was a little disappointment in one instance, which 
I can explain. There was one collection of plants in 
another room which escaped a passing notice in the 
lecture; but I know personally that Dr. Lindley took an 
interest in that very collection; for there was one par¬ 
ticular plant in it—an ew Cycnoches — which I did not 
know, and I applied to the Doctor about it. We both 
examined it together, and he told me it was also new to 
him, and he seemed to take a good deal of interest in the 
whole collection; therefore there need be no misgivings 
about any intentional neglect. 
Another exhibition of fruit supplied just twelve times 
more than was required by the schedule through mis¬ 
reading the rule on that head. The rule said, “ For 
table Pears of home growth in twelves,” and Apples the 
same. Now, did that mean twelve Pears of a kind, or 
twelve Pears in all? It reads both ways, and was, there¬ 
fore, not sufficiently explicit. What was meant was twelve 
kinds, and, to make sure of the mark, this exhibitor pro¬ 
duced twelve kinds, and twelve Pears and twelve Apples 
of each kind, whereas one, or at least two, of each kind 
would have answered the purpose. This same kind of 
puzzle was in the schedule of the Crystal Palace Show 
for last June, and the error was mentioned to me at the 
time as a grievance, in the hope that I should draw 
attention to it, which escaped my notice to do at the 
time. All the practicals apply to me on such occasions, 
on the understanding that The Cottage Gardener is 
perfectly independent, and can therefore speak out with¬ 
out fear of consequences; but, even with this safety- 
valve, we have had too much pressure on the engine at 
times. 
The first prize of £5, offered by Dr. Lindley for the 
best collection of fruit of home growth, was carried off 
by Mr. Tilyard, gardener to the Bight Hon. the Speaker; 
and the second prize, which was offered by C. W. Dilke, 
Esq., was won by Mr. Ingram, of the Boyal Gardens, 
Windsor. Mr. Tilyard exhibited thus: five Pines across 
the top, two on the right and two on the left, with a 
dish of Cranberries on the stalks or shoots; between each 
pair and the centre Pine two dishes of Black Hamburghs, 
and three bunches in each ; a large dish of Cranberries 
picked oft'the shoots, and lying like peas in a dish; in 
the centre, one dish of Otalieite Oranges, and seven 
dishes of Pears, and one dish of Raspberries, and one of 
Red Currants. This arrangement had a very excellent 
effect. The two match-dishes of Cranberries, on short 
pieces of the plant heaped up conically, will be new to 
many who pride themselves on the arrangement of the 
dessert-table, and every good gardener ought most cer¬ 
tainly to be the sole manager of his own-grown fruit 
till it is so arranged. 
Mr. Tilyard’s Pears were— Winter Nelis, TJrbaniste, 
Delice d'Hardenpont (t not sounded), Passe Colmar, 
Bear re Diet, Ne Plus Meuris (pronounced Plue Mure), 
and a pretty middle-sized Pear, in the way of Glout 
j Morceau, for which the authorities could not furnish a 
name. Mr. Ingram’s collection consisted of three 
Pines, a Queen, Cayenne, and a Bahia ; two dishes of 
Black Hamburgh, one of Muscat of Alexandria, three 
of Pears, three of Apples, three of Oranges and Shad¬ 
docks, one of Guavas (Psidium pomiferum?), like small 
Golden Pippin Apples. The Apples were Court Pendu 
Plat, one of our very best; Blenheim Pippin, and Cox's 
Orange Pippin. The Pears— Ne Plus Meuris, Chau- 
montelle, and Glout Morceau. Mr. Ingram exhibited a 
cock’s-comb-shaped Cayenne Pine, with thirty-four little 
gills or suckers round the comb, and twenty or more 
inside—a most prolific progeny to increase from, if that 
kind of Pine was new or scarce; the weight was hard 
on ten pounds. 
Mr. Solomons, of Covent Garden, took the first prize 
of Tl 10s. for foreign fruit, such as is to be had now at 
Covent Garden, namely — Chaumontelle, Beurre Diel, 
Duchesse d'Angouleme, Glout Morceau, Easter Beurre, 
Crassane, Vicar of Wakefield, Boncliretien dHiver, and 
another Boncliretien, with Belle d'Angers, all noble¬ 
looking Pears. His Apples were the pretty little 
American Lady Apple, Reinette du Canada, and Col¬ 
ville. 
Mr. ^Yebber, of Covent Garden, sent fine Glout 
Morceau, Beurre Diel, and Easter Beurre Pears. 
Mr. Hill, gardener to R. Sneyd, Esq., Keele Hall, 
Staffordshire, had the finest Muscats of Alexandria and 
Black Hamburgh Grapes that were ever seen in this 
room. They were those of which Mr. Errington wrote 
at page 106. Mr. Errington’s hand in these matters is 
like the hands of the electric clock opposite Hunger- 
ford Market, with which I square the hands of my own 
repeater every time I come near it, and, between the 
two, I have the best time and the best of the season. 
I noted the following Grapes, Black Hamburghs, all 
in dishes of three bunches each, from Mr. Ingram, gar¬ 
dener to J. Blandy, Esq.; Mr. Frost, gardener, Preston 
Hall, Kent; Mr. Nash, Bishop Stortford; Mr. Gye, 
Wandsworth; Mr. Lancaster, Deptford; Mr. Povey, 
gardener to the Bev. J. Thorncroft, Thorncroft Hall, 
Congleton; Mr. Hull, gardener, Putney Heath; and 
Mr. Tilyard. Muscats, in three bunches, from the said 
Mr. Ingram, Mr. Povey, Mr. Glendinning, Ash Grove, 
Sevenoaks; Mr. Wortly, gardener to Mrs. Maubert, 
Norwood; Mr. Nash, Mr. Gye, Mr. Frost; and Cannon 
Hall, from Mr. Nash. 
Pines, from Mr. Solomon, Pine-Apple Lodge, Peck- 
ham Bye—two Ripley Queens, and two Black Jamaica- 
looking Pines from suckers, said to be imported from 
Sierra Leone; three Black Jamaicas from Mr. Jones, 
the great Welsh grower. 
Dessert Pears. —First, Mr. Snow, gardener to Earl de 
Grey; second, Mr. Ingram, of the Boyal Gardens; and 
third, Mr. Tilyard. Dessert Apples. — First, Mr. Snow; 
second, Mr. Ingram; third, Mr. Muuro, gardener to C. 
