150 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGHST. 
[ October, 
with tlie above compost, mixing in a handful of 
small lumps of charcoal. I used 7-in. pots 
for a single plant, and none others. I was 
very chary of water all through the year, and 
never top-dressed, or gave manure in any way, 
till the blooms were all coming well out, and I 
thought they would be late for the show, so on 
July 6tli, 10th, and 14th, I gave manure-water 
made as follows :—Two handfuls of well-rotted 
stable-manure, to a six-gallon watering-pot of 
rain-water. This I used diluted, half and half 
with rain-water, filling up the six-gallon pot 
with water as I used up the fluid in it, but 
adding no more manure. My blooms were a 
little late, and next year I shall begin water¬ 
ing with this mixture on the 20th of June. I 
only had two run plants, both of which were 
sickly from the very first (Admiral Curzon and 
William Spoor), and one run bloom on an 
otherwise good plant of Edward H. Allen, s.F. 
(Dodwell). I think this shows that stimulants 
are not necessaiy for the plants, unless grown 
in a most unfavourable position. —Edward H. 
Allen, St. John's , Putney , A W. 
THE INTERNATIONAL FRUIT 
SHOW : SOME OF ITS LESSONS. 
« HE grand show of Fruit tabled at the 
great International Show at Manchester 
was, without doubt, the most mag¬ 
nificent display ever seen in this country. 
Larger bunches of grapes have been shown, and, 
perhaps, heavier peaches, pines, and melons; 
but never has so much good fruit been seen at 
one time in this or any other country. It is not 
merely that the prize fruits, whether in single 
dishes or collections, were well nigh perfect, but 
that most of the fruits shown were worthy of 
prizes. The number of indifferent fruits could 
almost be counted on the fingers of one hand, 
while the good grapes, peaches, and nectarines 
could be seen by scores, fifties, hundreds. This 
shows how much average cultivation has ad¬ 
vanced within the last few years. Early in 
the history of great shows, exceptionally fine 
fruits were exhibited, but the difference be¬ 
tween these and the rank and file could only 
be fitly described as nowhere, in relation to the 
prize-takers. Doubtless, largely owing to the 
continuance and multiplication of exhibitions of 
fruit, the margin between prize dishes or collec¬ 
tions, and others, has become less and less, until 
the former merge, as it were, into the latter. The 
same results are seen at most provincial shows, 
and the work of the judges is daily becoming 
more difficult, in consequence of the striking 
improvements in the generality of subjects shown 
for competition. But as most jurors are zeal¬ 
ous horticulturists, no class can witness with 
more lively satisfaction this conclusive proof 
of the general advancement in cultivation. 
Another striking feature, vividly illustrated 
by the Great International Show, is the tenacious 
clinging of the most successful cultivators to 
old-established varieties of fruits. Had not 
special prizes been offered for special varieties of 
Grapes, it is exceedingly doubtful if many sorts 
besides the Black Hamburgh and Muscat of 
Alexandria would have put in an appearance. 
Several others, notably Mrs. Pince’s Muscat, 
the Black Muscat Hamburgh, and Madresfield 
Court were remarkably well shown. Dukes, 
Champions, Golden Hamburgh, also came 
to order in creditable condition. But in 
the open classes, it was interesting and in¬ 
structive to note how popular were the 
Hamburghs and Muscats. Foster’s Seedling 
and the old Buckland Sweetwater, Barbarossa, 
Black Morocco, and Black Prince appeared in 
units, while the two best and most popular of 
all grapes cropped up everywhere. 
In the classes for Peaches and Nectarines, 
where exhibitors were left free to choose varie¬ 
ties, the same clinging to old sorts was more 
strongly developed. Amid about six score 
dishes of peaches, there were no fewer than 
fourteen of Royal George, eleven of Grosse 
Mignonne, ten of Noblesse, and ten of Belle- 
garde. Neither did this favouritism of old 
sorts arise from the fact that others were 
neither grown nor represented; for besides 
these popular varieties, nearly a score of other 
sorts were represented at the show. The only 
ones amongst them that mustered in force 
being the Princess of Wales, a large, rich, 
yellowish-fleshed late peach, of most exquisite 
flavour when grown under glass ; this does not 
ripen well in the open air, unless in the most 
favoured localities, but in such situations or 
under glass it is likely to prove a most formid¬ 
able rival to the Walburton Admirable. 
In Nectarines, this clinging to old favourites 
was still more apparent. In about 120 dishes, 
there were twenty-four of the Pitmaston Orange, 
while Rivers’s Orange and the Pine-apple, both 
