1870 . ] 
THE NATIONAL CARNATION AND PICOTEE SOCIETY-SOUTHERN SECTION, 
133 
Mulbony would surely be one of which our 
first parents “might freely eat;” and it has 
extra good properties in the way of coming in 
succession and ripening by degrees. When I had 
shaken the old tree in Syon House grounds, the 
ripe fruit only fell to the ground, which, being 
in lawn grass, did not soil them ; and I could 
picture to myself our first parents in Eden, 
Adam shaking the tree, and the “ mother of 
all living ” gathering the berries in a vine-leaf. 
The Mulberry is of the easiest culture, for it 
strikes readily from cuttings of the young 
wood, and soon forms a small tree, but after it 
gets into a bearing state it exhausts all its 
strength in bearing fruit. Its character for 
longevity is marvellous, for it would only be a 
young tree when the oak had braved the 
storms of a hundred winters. There is little 
doubt that the remnants left around the reli¬ 
gious houses are older than the Eeformation, 
when they changed owners, and from the scat¬ 
tered specimens which we read of, or which we 
have seen, it is clear that “ the dull destroyer” 
had not spared the Mulberiy tree when he 
levelled the mansion ; indeed, how could any¬ 
thing be protected, when the very walls were 
battered with cannon, and the inmates W'ho 
claimed kindred there got licences to beg ? 
These heads of houses were the botanists 
and gardeners of the time, and they must 
have grieved, among other losses, to see 
their fair gardens and fruitful trees destroyed. 
The oak, the ash, and the elm trees might 
hold their own against the force of cannon- 
shot, but the Mulberry is all too weak and 
lowly to withstand ill-usage; and the tiny 
tree, unnoticed and unknown, would be faggoted 
for fuel, amid the “ top and lop ” of more valu¬ 
able timber. 
It is, therefore, no doubtful experiment to 
grow Mulberries, for surely 300 years is enough 
to satisfy any one that the thing is feasible; 
and let us hope that the time to come may be 
halcyon days, as compared with the stormy 
ages that English Mulberry trees have passed 
through. —Alex. Forsyth. 
THE NATIONAL CARNATION AND PICOTEE SOCIETY: 
SOUTHEEN SECTION. 
S T South Kensington on August 12th, a 
date late beyond precedent for a show 
of Carnations and Picotees in the 
London district, this Society held its third 
annual exhibition since its revival in the South, 
and we have great satisfaction in recording it 
was undoubtedly the best. Late, however, as 
was the date, so abnormal have been the con¬ 
ditions of the season and so slow and dragging 
the development of the flowers, that many 
competitors who last year contributed materi¬ 
ally to the display were unable oil this 
occasion to take any part, even to the extent 
of joining in the competition for the prizes in 
the classes for single specimens, and thus the 
number of the competitors and the extent of 
the exhibition were considerably diminished. 
But though diminished in extent, there ivas 
no lack of quality, and the less crowded state 
of the tables permitted a far more effective 
display of the flowers than was the case last 
year, when, from the number of specimens 
brought forward without sufficient notice, a 
degree of crowding quite destructive to general 
effect was inevitable. This year the exhibitors 
appear to have more perfectly performed their 
initiatory duties, and thus due preparation was 
possible by the executive, and everything went 
forward smoothly and in order. 
Above, we have said we believe the exhibi¬ 
tion to have been the best the Society has 3 ^et 
held, and no one who, like ourselves, had 
opportunity to study the magnificent collections 
contributed by Mr. Charles Turner, Mr. James 
Douglas, and Mr. E. S. Dodwell, would, wo 
think, have questioned this conclusion. We 
heard on some sides an expression of opinion 
that Mr. Douglas, who fell into second places, 
was scarcely up to his usual grand form, but 
with this opinion we could not concur. Bather, 
as we thought, it was Mr. Turner and Mr. 
Dodwell who had surpassed former efforts. At 
any rate, we know it w^as only after long ex¬ 
amination, and a patient analysis of minute, 
though not unimportant, points, that the de¬ 
cisions were arrived at, and we heartily con¬ 
curred in the expressed opinion of one of the 
competitors, uttered after the awards of the 
judges, that “ three grander collections both in 
Carnations and Picotees had never been 
staged.” Other collections of great merit were 
shown by Mr. Hines, of Ipswich; Mr. Job 
Mathews, of Wandsworth Eoad, S.W., a gentle¬ 
man who entered the arena of competition in 
these flowers, for the first time, we believe, on 
this occasion, and who made a very respectable 
first appearance indeed, winning fourth prizes 
both in Carnations and Picotees, against com¬ 
petitors of long standing and undoubted 
powers; Mr. George Eudd, of Bradford, 
