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172 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, June 22, 1858. 
j building as outside on the terraces. Yet, although 
| the visitors were in their usual high spirits, there was 
■ not a dry eye in the crowd, and cambric was. ne\ei 
! more in requisition. The fallacy of the anti-crinoline 
movement was practically proved to the very lettei on 
I that day; that fashion is the best of all the fashions, 
1 and did not come in one day too soon for this tropical 
season! 
The flower show was very much better than any of 
us practicals expected to find it, after six weeks of 
dog day’s weather. The Roses suffered the most. 
The champions of the times, Mr. Dods, gardener to 
Sir John Cathcart, and Mr. Whitbread, gardener to 
Mr. Collyer, of Dartford, were pitched against one 
another, under the Handel organ, and where the fruit 
| stood in May. The large circle in the centre of the 
Palace was done away with. The fruit table stood in 
| advance of that part, and the rest of the arrangements 
! were as last May, Bnt the Palace itself was more re¬ 
lieved than in May. The Pomegranate trees, the Bay 
standards, and many of the large Orange trees, Rho¬ 
dodendrons, and Camellias in tubs, were removed to 
the south wing, and placed artistically, and with 
marked good taste, all along where the Poultry Shows 
are held, and on to the top platform, or upper end of 
the colonnade. There was a festooned-like line of 
hanging-baskets on each side of the great Handel 
organ, which had a singularly good effect, “ cutting, 
as it were, the wings of the amphitheatre diagonally, 
without hurting any view or movement under them. 
The canvass, to keep in the stove heat, in the north or 
tropical end, being removed for the season, the whole 
length of the Palace was seen, or could be seen, at 
one view, or, rather in two views, one on each side of 
the central division, which separated the “ How ” ol 
the visitors, from the “return” movement. Along 
this central division, and at twenty yards apart, were 
placed graceful figures of statuary, on redlow pedestals, 
“ to break the view,” and throw it on both sides. The 
eating and drinking was upon an enormous scale; and 
the iceing department, behind the scenes, put me. in 
mind of the ease, simplicity, and comfort with which 
iceing could be indulged in “at home,” if the great 
body of the people but knew how to keep ice and use 
it. The flowers in the vases out on the terraces were 
all in full bloom, as formerly. The trees and shrubs 
were never in more perfect and fresh foliage. The grass 
was charming, but the walks are harsh to the toes 
and corns ; and I suppose it is difficult to convince a 
| whole generation at once, that walks, as smooth as 
this page, can be made, and kept, on such declivities as 
any man or woman, in their senses, can safely walk 
up or down. I cannot point out, just now, one single 
yard of a thorough good garden walk within fifty 
miles of London, in any public place. 
The bedding-out is finished, and they do “ come out” 
this season in proper and improved style. But I have 
only room to mention one large corner bed, on the 
south-side of the rosery, which is filled with Geranium 
Ignesceris major, —the one which Mr. Wills spoke of 
lately in The Cottage Gaedenek, as being the best 
bedder of that race. He sent me his promised plants 
and others, and I agree with him, that Verbena jaquinta 
is the best purple we have: the habit seems equally 
good. 
The grand feature of the day was the large fountains. 
When the bell announced “ dressing time,” the flowers, 
the ices, and the lemon and all other ades, were 
deserted, and the living masses moved in streams and 
waves down along the slopes : those who knew the way 
to the best points, took it to the opposite side of the great 
lakes, opposite the cascades and water-falls. It was to 
that point Her Majesty was conducted to get the best 
sight, when the fountains were first opened, and I 
wished the Queen had been there, on this occasion, to 
see a totally different play of this “ element.” Some 
like the “ awfully grand,” and I am one of them ; and 
some prefer the “ majestically grand,” and this was 
the first time that the weather allowed the latter mode 
in full perfection. After the huge pressure had washed 
out the rusty water, it rose in clear silvery spouts of all 
shapes and sizes, to the top of its bent and bearing; 
and then fell down as easily, and as gentle, and soft, 
and silvery, as if all the play was for escorting Juno 
herself, in one of her visits to this lower world,—not an 
extra ripple for any other goddess. Majestically 
grand is the proper name for that style of play. After 
that, over the hill to the beasts before the flood: 
here the roar of the rushing waters was deliciously re¬ 
freshing for its close resemblance to natural scenes. 
In a few years, this will be the most delightful part of 
the ground. In hot sultry weather, shade and shelter 
from the sun, without the sight and sound of water, 
give no more idea of natural luxury than to see a lot of 
cows whisking their tails under the trees at the corner 
of a meadow. Our Chiswick seems destined for 
Alderneys and Short Horns, with its “ connecting 
avenues of Lime trees,” as the Doctor says, but the 
blood of the nation, depend upon it, will How in the 
direction of Sydenham, and we can no more help our¬ 
selves than we can stop these fountains and Show 
days. 
Mr. Dods was first, this time, in the large collections 
of twenty stove and greenhouse plants in bloom ; and 
Mr. Whitbread, his opponent, was first in May. 
While I stood before the two collections, making up 
my mind, up comes one of the first and best authorities, 
not among the Tories, but among the florists, and he put 
my own thoughts in words, before I could speak. Mr. 
Whitbread, he said, was best ten days ago, but Mr. 
Dod’s is best to day, and his collection will lose 
nothing of its shine for the next ten days to come. Mr. 
Dods is the first who brought out the Crassula coccinea, 
alias Kalosanthes, a false name, so early as the 9th of 
June, at Chiswick ; and in the collection he had the 
oldest woody plant at the Show,— Melhania squarrosa, 
the yellow bedding plant,—if it would hold on all the 
season. 
Mr. Whitbread hadj a fine Clerodendrum sjolendens, 
and several others from those he had in May, and he 
threw away the bad-spelled, wrong tally, from Heda- 
roma tulijpifera : all his other names were right this 
time. But, after all my power and influence to get 
at the proper spelling of names, another exhibitor had 
the bareface to write Hederoma, instead of Hednroma, 
on his plant. Instead of the pruning hook, I shall take 
out the battleaxe, next year, if I live, and shall smash 
every pot with a wrong tally ; or else shame the gar¬ 
dener out of the country, by arguments, to show 
clearly that he is not fit to live amongst us any longer : 
then we shall see what that will do. To give prizes for 
good spelling is the worst thing that happened to 
gardeners in my time : the plan acts exactly the con¬ 
trary of what is meant or supposed. The plan began 
with Dr. Bindley, who knew just as much how to do 
good for, and manage gardeners, as the man in the 
moon, under the very best intentions. The Doctor 
often began at the wrong end of the wedge, and this is 
one of that way of his working : Mr. Mari lock has 
been hammering at the wrong end of the wedge ever 
since ; and the best customer at the Park, and the best 
plant grower in England, does not choose to spell a 
common name, for the Crystal Palace Show, because 
he is not paid for writing correctly ; and why should 
he, if they were foolish enough to pay. 
The Messrs. Jackson, of Langston, and Mr. Cut- 
bush, of Barnet, were the most successful nurserymen 
for large collections of fine-leaved and variegated 
