596 
THE GAKDENING WORLD. 
May 21, 1887. 
to detect its advantages. At the late annual 
general meeting of the society, a suggestion 
was made that because the society Avas so well 
favoured by the late Prince Consort, and 
formed in his day an integral part of the 
South Kensington scheme, that the Queen 
should be appealed to to grant the society special 
favour and encouragement in its difficulties. 
Her Majesty, we learn, does so far accord to 
the prayer made as to express a wish that the 
society should not leave South Kensington ; 
but of what avail is that? Is it likely that 
the Commissioners for the 1851 Exhibition 
will do anything to benefit the Society 1 
The experiment has proved a failure, and, 
probably, now some of the Council and 
Fellows are satisfied that the Royal favour 
is but a broken reed. It is of no use to shut 
our eyes to the fact that the only hope for 
the society lies in the people ; and to the 
jieople, or, at least, the horticultural portion 
of the people must the Council appeal. We 
make these references with deep pain, but 
with a strong sense of responsibility, and if 
the Council will but make a stout effort on 
behalf of the society, we are sure that the 
whole of the gardening press and all true lovers 
of horticulture will--render them cordial assist¬ 
ance and support. 
The Ratixg of Market Gardens.— The 
case of Purser v. the "Worthing District Local 
Board, which has created so much interest 
among market growers throughout the country, 
having been carried into the High Court of 
Appeal, came on for hearing on Wednesday, 
before the Master of the Rolls, Lord Justice 
Fry and Lord Justice Lopes, who, after hearing 
the arguments of counsel on both sides, con¬ 
firmed the decision of the Court below, which 
was in favour of the appellant with costs. 
It will be remembered that in this case— 
which was tried in March last, before Mr. 
Justice Day—Mr. Purser, a market gardener, 
of Worthing, claimed, under the 211th section 
of the Public Health Act, to be rated on not 
more than one-fourth of the net annual value 
of the land used by him for the cultivation of 
fruits, flowers, and vegetables for market, and 
the learned judge decided in his favour ; but as 
some misconception seems to have arisen through 
the facts of the case not having been clearly 
made public in the first instance, it is important 
it should be now stated that Mr. Purser’s 
appeal was not against the full assessment for 
the poor rate, but only against a higher assess¬ 
ment than one-fourth for the local district rates 
levied by the Board. Having, however, got a 
decision in his favour in the one case, it may 
not be long before a test action is brought with 
a view to getting an authoritative decision on 
the question of poor-law rating. 
-- 
A meeting of the Committee of the Gardeners’ 
Orphan Fund will he held at South Kensington on 
Tuesday next, at 1.30 p.m. 
Ve learn from Mr, G. F. "Wilson, of Weybridge, 
that as attention to his hardy and half-hardy plants 
absorbs all his available time, he has decided to dispose 
of his collection of Orchids, and the plants will, there¬ 
fore, be sold at Stevens’ Rooms on the 2nd of June. 
Mr. James Powell, brother of Mr. John Powell, 
who for so many years was foreman of the hardy fruit 
department at Frogmore, died on April 17tli at New 
Centreville, near Philadelphia, U.S.A., aged seventy- 
three years. He went to Philadelphia many years ago 
as a nursery foreman to the late Mr. Robert Buist, 
and subsequently started in business for himself. 
The dispute between the Kentish Fruit-growers 
and the Railway Companies has been amicably 
settled, the companies having agreed to a reduction of 
twenty per cent, in the railway rates for carriage of 
fruit. The necessity of conveying this class of goods 
by water instead of rail is thus averted, and fruit will 
be forwarded to London direct by rail as before. We 
understand that the growers are now attempting to 
get better terms from the commission agents. 
-- 
HORTICULTURE AT THE 
MANCHESTER EXHIBITION. 
The great Jubilee Exhibition of products of economic 
industry and the fine arts is declaring itself already as 
certain to be a magnificent success. The newspapers 
have told us that it was opened on Tuesday, the 3rd 
inst., by their RoyaBiHighnesses the Prince and 
Princess of Wales, amid circumstances of befitting 
splendour ; but little has yet been done in the way of 
description of the contents. It is refreshing to observe 
that among other illustrations of economic industry in 
its best form, the results of sound and sensible horti¬ 
culture have had a fairly proportionate amount of space 
allotted to them—partly under cover, partly in the 
open air. To provide for the latter was easy, the 
ground in which the exhibition is held including the ■ 
whole of the well-known Old Trafford Botanical Gar¬ 
dens, the scene of so many magnificent Whitsuntide 
flower shows—twenty for certain, if not more, without 
reckoning the grand annual Rose and Carnation shows. 
As soon as it was decided that horticulture should be 
represented, the greater portion of the immense lawn 
was placed at the command of any nurserymen who 
might care to come, and very capitally has the invi¬ 
tation been responded to. 
To attempt to deal with the whole after only a single 
walk round would not be possible. We must content 
ourselves for the present with mention of the very 
beautiful display of conifers, Hollies, and other deco¬ 
rative evergreens, made by Messrs. Dickson, Brown, & 
Tait, of Corporation Street, Manchester. Their spacious 
plot of smooth turf is secured from all trampling upon 
by a light railing, strong enough for defence, but so 
neat in character as to be an improvement rather than 
otherwise. The interior of this pleasaut green quad¬ 
rangle—measuring about 100 ft. by 70 ft. — is laid out 
with beds eighteen in number, not so close together 
as to hinder easy access and inspection of the contents, 
yet so skilfully adjusted that not an inch of room is 
really lost. The man who planned these beds—we 
have not the remotest idea who it was—is very plainly 
a mathematician as well as one of good taste. The 
symmetrical balance and their proportions are all that 
could be desired, and might, in fifty places, be imitated 
to advantage. One of the special charms of the 
arrangement consists in the opposition of the plants. 
Four species, for instance, of Pinus are introduced : 
Nordmanniana, magnifica, lasiocarpa and nobilis. A 
couple of most beautiful lasiocarpa, 8 ft. high, well- 
developed gems of their kind, occupied respective 
centres ; around these we find either Cupressus Law- 
soniana lutea, C. Fraseri, the golden Irish Yew, Thujas 
in variety, Thujopsis dolabrata, Retinosporas, Crypto- 
merias, Hollies, especially Golden Queen andWaterer’s 
Golden, or whatever else is needed in the particular 
spot where it has been deposited to give the best 
possible relief in respect alike of figure and hue. 
That in a picture gallery every picture has an influence 
for either good or evil upon its immediate neighbours is 
well known; it is precisely the same with the position of 
decorative evergreen shrubs and small trees, when in¬ 
dividuals, and, indeed, when small groups are placed 
side by side. If they do not exert upon one another a 
beneficial effect, the influence is detrimental. We 
could not help but feel how thoroughly well this great 
and momentous principle is understood by Messrs. 
Dickson, Brown & Tait, or whoever operated under 
their instructions, for to change the position of any one 
of their plants with the idea of improving the com¬ 
plexion of the aggregate, would not, we fancy, be 
practicable, while it would, most likely, be injurious. 
Plenty of dwarf Rhododendrons are interspersed, and 
as soon as their plentiful promise of bloom is fulfilled, 
the gaiety of the scene will be quite inviting. Skim- 
mias, Hardy Ericas and similar addenda, go towards 
the completion of a display altogether praiseworthy. 
The introduction of these pretty and instructive horti¬ 
cultural bits, we regard as one of the most useful facts 
of the exhibition. It is not everyone who wants to 
buy pictures, even if he can afford to do so. Nor is it 
everyone who wants to begin manufacturing; but 
everyone who has a garden or pleasure ground, wants 
to be shown how to lay it out, aud then to furnish it 
in the best manner. 
MR. CYPHER’S NURSERY, 
CHELTENHAM. 
There have been some fine things in bloom lately in 
the various houses devoted to this class of plants, a sight 
of which would now well repay a visit to anyone in¬ 
terested in Orchids. The plants are well grown, and 
those in flower are tastefully arranged so as to give the 
best effect. The heating arrangement is also perfect, to 
which I attribute a good deal of Mr. Cypher’s success. 
When you enter the hottest houses there is no “fiery” 
smell from the hot-water pipes, but at the same time a 
genial growing temperature is maintained. 
The large Cattleya house is filled with healthy 
specimens of the different varieties of Cattleyas and 
Lslias. Of the latter, L. purpurata is largely repre¬ 
sented with numerous Rower-sheaths, and one compact 
mass had twelve upon it. Of Cattleya intermedia there 
are some of the finest plants in the country, one of 
which bore thirteen flower-spikes, and one of the latter 
had nine buds upon it. C. amethystoglossa had fifteen 
buds upon a spike, and C. Skinneri oculata is showing 
flower. C. Warneri and C. crispa are also good, the 
latter with numerous sheaths. 
The flowering Orchids in this house formed a large 
bank opposite the entrance doors. It would fail me to 
do the Cattleya Triame justice if I attempted to describe 
them fully, so rich and so varied were the numerous 
forms, ranging in colour from the deepest magenta- 
crimson to almost pure white. One vigorous specimen 
was bearing, in addition to three large seed-pods, twenty- 
five flowers ! Another variety is thought to be a near 
approach to C. T. Leeana, and another, yet to be 
described, hangs suspended on a block, and which 
carried three spikes of flowers, with sepals, petals, and 
lip nearly white, the latter having a few pale rose- 
coloured blotches upon it—a very distinct and delicate 
form, that puts one in mind of C. Mendelii; C. L. 
rosea is also very distinct and good. Mr. Cypher is to 
be congratulated upon having got together such a good 
collection of C. Triames. There was one flower of 
C. Percivaliana still open, unusually dark and fine. 
Unfortunately, this Cattleya produces too many inferior 
flowers to become a general favourite, and if it does not 
flower before C. Triame it is still iess esteemed. 
Dendrobium thrysiflorum, D. "Wardianum, D. nobile, 
D. crepidatum, D. Pierardi, together with Oncidium 
Cavendishianum and Cmlogyne cristata, helped to 
enlarge and improve this grand floral bank ; the whole 
mass of flower being relieved by an admixture of Ferns, 
Grasses, Panicum variegatum ; and a piece of roekwork 
beneath, as a base, was planted with Begonias, Ferns, 
Tradescantias, Ficus repens, &c. A few other remark¬ 
able plants, not yet in flower, were in this house. 
Calanthe veratrifolia, in a small pot, was showing eight 
flower-spikes ; masses of Oncidium Jonesianum were 
quite at home, one being in flower ; Dendrobium 
Parishi, with monster bulbs ; and D. Falconeri, 
suspended from the roof in small pans (baskets are very 
seldom used in this nursery), were there by the dozen, 
with fat well-ripened growths. 
Another Cattleya house is filled chiefly with semi- 
established Cattleyas and Lielias in very promising 
condition, but the chief feature in this house is the 
well-grown Yandas — sturdy plants well feathered to 
the pot, some with fourteen pairs of leaves. Many 
were in flower, including an extra fine form of Y. 
tricolor, known as Heyworth's var. ; the Fox Brush 
Aerides were also at home in company with the Yandas, 
and a plant was showing three flower-spikes, one of 
which had three branches. 
The Mexican house contained another showy group 
of flowering Orchids, consisting of specimen Coelogync 
cristata, Chatworth var. This is considered to be one 
and the same thing as the St. Albans var. or C. c. 
maxima ; Odontoglossum Rossi majus had several very 
dark forms, and some very peculiar ones with pale rose 
sepals and petals and green spots ; 0. Ruckeriauum 
and O. Sanderianum had three spikes each, one of 
which had thirty-four flowers upon it ; O. aspersum, a 
natural hybrid between 0. Rossi and 0. maculatuni, 
was very fine, and was accompanied by Cypripedium 
villosum, C. Boxalli, C. violaceum punctatum, &e. 
This house also contained a nice healthy batch of 
Epidendrum Brassavoke, E. vitellinum majus and white 
forms of Lrelia anceps. 
In the East Indian house’the Orchids in flower are 
arranged on either side the whole length of the 
house, and very pretty they look associated with 
