May 12, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
579 
MT 
DAHLIA 
CATALOGUE 
POE 1888 
IS NOW READY, 
And ■will be found a very useful guide for DAHLIAS, 
CARNATIONS, PICOTEES, and many other families 
of useful plants adapted for present planting. 
My collections of Dahlias are complete with every variety 
worth cultivating, embracing all the best of the 
CACTUS or Decorative Varieties, 
POMPONS, SHOW, FANCY, BEDDING, 
and SINGLES, 
Also many Novelties offered for the first time. 
All of which are great improvements upon existing varieties, and 
are quite as meritorious as the novelties previously sent out, 
which have made my nurseries so celebrated. 
CARNATIONS & PICOTEES 
I need not say much about these favourite flowers. My 
collection is probably the LARGEST IN EXISTENCE, and 
the quantity grown every year is simply enormous. 
All other popular families, such as 
CAILLARDIAS, HOLLYHOCKS, NEW GANNAS, 
PHLOX, PENTSTEMONS, PYRETHRUiVl, PINKS, 
And many other important families will be found in this 
Catalogue, and can be had free on application to 
TH 08 .S.WARE, 
HALE FARM NURSERIES, 
TOTTENHAM, LONDON 
ORCHID 
EXHIBITION. 
One of the Most Beautiful Sights in London. 
O RCHIDS.—The Orchid Exhibition at Mr. 
WILLIAM BULL’S Establishment for New and Rare 
Plants, 536, King’s Road, Chelsea, London, S.W., is now open 
daily from 10 to 6 o’clock. 
O RCHIDS—A vision of loveliness unpa¬ 
ralleled in Europe. 
the greatest 
O RCHIDS.— “A scene of 
Orchidic beauty, baffling description and defying ex¬ 
aggeration.” 
The Exhibition is worth going 
O RCHIDS. 
any distance to see at Mr. WILLIAM BULL’S Establish 
ment for New and Rare Plants, 536, King’s Road, Chelsea, 
London, S.W. 
NEW PLANTS FOR 1888. 
MR. WILLIAM BULL’S 
NEW CATALOGUE FOR 1888 
Is now ready. Price, Is. 
Contains names, description and prices of many beau¬ 
tiful New Plants offered for the first time. 
WILLIAM BULL, f.l.s., 
Establishment for New and Rare Plants, 
536, KING’S ROAD, CHELSEA, S.W. 
R oyal botanic society 
of MANCHESTER. 
The GRAND NATIONAL HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITION 
of 1888 will open on FRIDAY NEXT, the 18th inst., at 2 p.m. 
Entries close on the 14th inst. For Schedules apply to the 
undersigned, BRUCE FINDLAY, Manchester. 
Next Week's Engagements. 
Monday, May 14th.—Opening of the Anglo-Danish Exhibition 
at South Kensington. Sale of Imported Orchids at Stevens’ 
Rooms. 
Tuesday, May 15th.—Sale of the first portion of Mr. J. South¬ 
gate's Orchids at Protheroe & Morris’s Rooms. 
Wednesday, May 16th.—Royal Botanic Society’s Summer Show. 
Bath Floral Fete. Sale of Bedding and Greenhouse Plants 
at the Nurseries, Richmond, S.W., by Protheroe & Morris. 
Thursday, May 17th.—Royal Horticultural Society's Show in 
the Inner Temple Gardens (2 days). Sale of Orchids in 
Flower and Bud at Stevens’ Rooms. Sale of Bedding and 
Greenhouse Plants at the Child’s Hill Farm Nurseries, 
Finchley, by Protheroe & Morris. 
Friday, May ISth.—Opeuirg of the Great Whitsuntide Grand 
National Horticultural Exhibition at Old Trafford, Man¬ 
chester. Sale of Imported Orchids at Stevens’ Rooms. 
FOR INDEX TO CONTENTS, SEE P. 590. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
SATURDAY, MAY 12, 188S. 
The Temple Flower Show. —There can be no 
doubt but that considerable interest is being 
felt in the Flower Show which the Royal 
Horticultural Society will hold in the Inner 
Temple Gardens on Thursday and Friday next. 
The show will he the first real appearance of 
the Society in the City, in its more pretentious 
aspect, and the nature of the success which 
will attend the venture—if successful it be—- 
may exercise the greatest possible influence on 
the Society’s future. There is a considerable 
risk in holding a flower show under canvas so 
early in the year as the middle of May—as 
some recent weather has shown us that the 
month is far from summerish and is often wild 
and stormy. This fact renders the Temple 
Gardens venture all the more interesting, as 
bad wreather may do irrevocable injury, whilst 
the access of pleasant warm weather—so very 
much needed—may help to insure a brilliant 
result. 
As nothing merits success like boldness, we 
earnestly hope that all things—and the weather 
especially—will favour this City exhibition, 
and that the invasion of the Temple Gardens 
by the public will be such as to astonish 
exhibitors and rejoice the hearts of the Council. 
Just as it is hardly safe to swop horses while 
crossing a stream, so also is it unwise to change 
important fixtures when made and published. 
The show was originally advertised in the 
schedules issued as being for one day only, 
and unless the Gouncil withdrew all those 
schedules, or obtained the sanction of the 
exhibitors to the new arrangements, it is diffi¬ 
cult to see how the latter can be bound by the 
alteration, assuming that they object to it. Of 
course, we hope that no difficulty will arise on 
that head, but it is obvious that this sort of 
irresolution hardly tends to inspire public con¬ 
fidence. With respect to the original inten¬ 
tions of exhibitors, which we hope will show 
no change oil their part now, it is evident— 
if all we hear he true—that a fine show is in 
prospect, and the chief danger seems to be 
that space will he hard to find to satisfy the 
requirements of those wishing to display their 
products. 
We see in this new feeling of warmth to¬ 
wards the old Society further evidence of the 
satisfaction, so general, that the Society has 
got away from the chilling atmosphere at 
South Kensington, and more’s the pity the 
change was not made long ago. However, 
let us hope that “ better late than never ” may 
prove to be a prophetic adage in the Society’s 
case. It now remains to be seen how far the 
general public may he anxious—as the exhi¬ 
bitors are—to favour the Society in its new 
departure. Here, however, it will be well to 
remind the Council that success in a financial 
aspect will probably depend more upon pub¬ 
licity than upon any other cause; and we 
trust, at any rate, that as they are certain to 
have a good show that they will take care that 
the public are well informed of the fact in 
good time. Having regard to the fact that tlie 
mountain is in this case literally brought to 
Mahomet, not only the prophet in the person 
of the Lord Mayor, but myriads of bis fol¬ 
lowers in the persons of the citizens of London, 
should flock in and crowd the tents and fill 
the cash boxes, as though the Temple Gardens 
were a sort of Mecca and the flower tents its 
shrines. 
The sum of money set apart by tlie Council 
for the remuneration of the numerous exhi¬ 
bitors is the weak element in the programme, 
for if divided amongst twenty-four classes, and 
such classes as some are, it is a wretchedly 
insufficient sum. At the most, the cost of 
cartage, in many cases, can only he met, so 
that to term the sums awarded to the respec¬ 
tive collections, “ prizes,” would be a mis-use 
of language. It is very evident that the shorv 
will be created more from love of the Society 
—or, at least, of horticulture—than from direct 
pecuniary aims, and the sentiment first named 
is likely to be very nobly evidenced. Of 
course, there is a limit to human virtue when 
it becomes too exacting of one’s generosity, 
and, therefore, it will be unwise to make many 
demands of a similar nature. Specially for 
that reason do we hope, that should the 
Council find the result" of their two days’ 
exhibition to be a financial success beyond 
anticipation, they will permit the exhibitors 
to share a little more in the product than is at 
present proposed. We can very well under¬ 
stand that tlie Council could hardly hope to 
recoup all the expense incurred by having one 
day’s show outy, unless the attendance proved 
to be in excess of all expectations, but a large 
attendance on two days may prove all that can 
be desired. The matter should have been 
duly considered before the schedules were 
issued. 
There is one matter growing out of the show 
which may well he regarded with interest. 
No specific amounts are set against the respective 
classes in the schedule, the sum of =£100 
being allocated by the Council to be distributed 
by the judges, according to the merits of the 
respective exhibits. Naturally this places 
upon the judges weighty responsibility ; still it 
is a responsibility from which no man qualified 
to act as judge should shrink. But we refer 
specially to this matter because a capital ojipor- 
tunity is thus afforded to make the pecuniary 
awards commensurate with the merits of the 
exhibits. Thus, if <£6 be set apart for a class 
in which there may he three good collections, 
differing only from each other but slightly in 
merit, it would be unfair to make the awards 
according to the old method as £3, £2 and £1, 
but the amount should be much more fairly 
apportioned, as for instance, in sums of 45s., 
40s. and 35s., as being so much more fair to 
exhibitors. We could wish that. the sum set 
apart for this purpose bad been three times as 
much, hut the best has been done which 
present circumstances will admit of. Should 
the brilliant success anticipated follow, it is 
hoped tlie efforts of the exhibitors will not be 
overlooked. 
-- 
Tlie Royal Horticultural Society.—We understand 
that the council have elected Mr. James Douglas, 
gardener to F. Whitbourn, Esq., Great Gearies, Ilford, 
as a member of their body in the place of the late Air. 
John Woodbridge. At the general meeting, on Tuesday 
last, seventy-five candidates were elected Fellows of 
the society. 
