744 
July 25, 1891. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
themum Society with the company has been 
productive of good in the matter of deputa¬ 
tion. The society’s shows have brought 
the largest attendance, and of the best 
class, and’we know that it has been with a 
view to improvement of the character of 
the attendance that a series of flower shows 
has been held by the company of late. 
Still all must for the present be uncertain. 
Of course no arrangements made with the 
Chrysanthemum Society for the present 
year can be upset. We may not all regard 
the Aquarium as the best place for the 
society’s shows, but it is hard to find one 
more central or affording more- available 
space. Another year will probably see the 
solution of the difficulty. 
HILANTHROPIC PENSIONING.- —-It was 
anticipated by some that at the recent 
Annual Dinner of the Gardeners' Royal 
Benevolent Institution, that distinguished 
statesman, Mr. Chamberlain, who so ably 
presided, would have taken advantage of 
so favourable an opportunity to refer some¬ 
what at length to his proposed scheme 
with respect to national pensions. At least 
we will not say Mr. Chamberlain’s scheme, 
as it has long been advocated by the Rev. 
Canon Blacklejq who is entitled to all 
credit for its origination, if, indeed, any 
one can claim such an honour. 
But Mr. Chamberlain belongs to the 
order of practical reducers—that is to say, 
those statesmen who, finding certain crude 
suggestions or proposals becoming popular, 
love to lick them into practical form; 
hence, it is a great step in advance to find 
that many able men besides the Right 
Honourable Member for West Birmingham 
are favouring Canon Blackley’s proposals. 
Perhaps Mr. Chamberlain refrained from 
referring largely to national pensions as 
compared with charitable pensions at the 
recent Benevolent Dinner because he 
thought one might conflict with the welfare 
of the other, and once, as is the case of 
the Benevolent, a charitable system of 
pensioning is established it cannot be 
destroyed until a national system has been 
created to take its place. That, however 
practical, can hardly be created for many 
years to come. 
But all the same it must be admitted 
that any system which is national, which 
compels all alike, no matter of what class, 
to make some provision in youth for the 
troubles of old age, and towards which 
the State adds liberally, must be far prefer¬ 
able to one so unstable as is that based 
upon charitable subscriptions. The fact 
that some such pension system is found to 
be a necessity in connection with garden¬ 
ing does but show how much greater must 
be the necessity in connection with some 
other vocations, and emphasises the need 
for a national system of insurance or pen¬ 
sioning. We are on the eve of important 
changes in relation to these matters there 
can be no doubt, as another twenty y'ears 
will testify. - 
XHIBITIONS OF COTTAGERS’ PRODUCE.— 
With the approach of the month of 
August we get the best of the Cottage 
Garden Produce Exhibitions, and as a rule 
very interesting they are. Some are held 
earlier, when in association with ordinary 
Flower Shows, but, except for special 
summer fruits and vegetables, the display 
is rarely meritorious so soon in the season, 
and cottagers are too often tempted to 
injure their crops in their desire to secure 
something with which to win prizes far 
beyond what the result justifies. Later, 
however, matters assume a different aspect, 
and where promoters of exhibitions of this 
sort take a practical view of the question, 
they invariably hold their shows towards 
the end of August, that the poorer culti¬ 
vator may be enabled to exhibit of his 
more enduring crops, and do so with less 
probability of harm to them and himself. 
If the Peas are over, there are Runners, 
Beans, Potatos, Vegetable Marrows, 
perhaps some Tomatos, Carrots,- Onions, 
Cabbages, Cauliflowers, Turnips, &c., all 
good, substantial vegetables, with Apples 
and Plums for fruits, and plenty of flowers, 
both on plants and in a cut condition. 
Perhaps we have in the past rather too 
largely encouraged, at Cottagers’ Shows, 
the belief that the chief aim at exhibitions 
is to win prizes. If it cannot be shown 
that exhibitions of this description aid in 
promoting a love for gardening and its 
improvement, then these shows have no 
value whatever. Probably one of their best 
features is found in the awards made to 
cottage gardens and allotments, because 
these have to be taken as they are, and 
cannot in any way impose upon the hard- 
headed practical men who judge them. 
Probably it may be said of all garden 
exhibitions, no matter of what kind, that, 
unless they educate or help to promote 
taste for horticulture, they have no reason 
for existence. If it be pleaded that these 
shows be promoted solely to furnish sights 
for the curious, or holidays for the dis¬ 
trict, we must object to have them placed 
on such a low level. So far as the 
cottagers’ produce is concerned, we look 
to see it of excellent quality this season, 
but, like all others who garden, cottagers 
are very dependent on the elements for 
success. 
T1 >unner Beans. —There is just now a 
wonderful glow of bright scarlet colour 
to be seen over the breadths of Runner 
Beans, when of the red-flowered type. 
Some of the large growers, who have an 
eye to the picturesque, sow white and 
scarlet-flowered Beans in alternate rows. 
Others do so in blocks of colour, and the 
effect during the flowering season is very 
charming. Sometimes the old Painted 
Lady, with its white and scarlet blooms, 
fills the fields, but white and scarlet seifs 
are the predominating varieties. There is 
always a tendency on the part of the 
Runner Bean to sport or break, and 
whilst a scarlet Bean will produce a white- 
flpwered plant, so will a white Bean do the 
reverse. These, however, are matters of 
small moment. They simply serve to show 
that variations in the Scarlet Runner, so- 
called, are but sportive ones, and that of 
whatsoever sort they are Scarlet Runners 
all the same. 
All efforts to introduce Butter Beans, or 
Runner selections from the dwarf French 
type, have failed, because they all lack that 
admirable flavour which the true Scarlet 
Runner gives. But we have of late 
added materially to our selections from 
the Runner, and in improved forms. 
The very best of these without doubt is the 
Ne Plus Ultra, but that fine variety has 
had to pay the usual penalty of popularity 
in being put into commerce under some 
other names. This beautiful green, hand¬ 
some podded Bean seems to be the 
favourite type at all exhibitions, and the 
old coarse, broad, rugged giant types are 
put out of court. We shall hardly fail to 
excel when for exhibition we can stage a 
really well-selected dish of Ne Plus Ultra. 
Almost directly we shall have Runner 
Beans in abundance in our markets. 
Almost ere the Peas are over the Runners 
are in, and they are looked for with con¬ 
siderable eagerness by the masses, because 
always so much liked and so pleasantly 
flavoured. We shall have a heavy crop 
of Runners this year without doubt. Some 
recent showers have helped to set the 
early blooms, and the soil is in a favour¬ 
able condition as to moisture for driving 
up a good marketable sample of pods. The 
vegetable is a favourite one with growers, 
dealers, and consumers. It is usually 
cultivated roughly in rows literally on the 
ground, for staking vast breadths is indeed 
out of the question. 
Green Peas for the London Markets —It is stated 
that nine hundred tons of Green Peas were delivered 
in London on the nth inst. by the Great Eastern 
Railway Company. This large quantity so depressed 
the price that most of them are said to have been 
sold at a loss to the growers. 
Helensburgh Flower Show.— At this exhibition, 
which was held last week, a special feature was a fine 
contribution of hardy border flowers, made by Mr. 
M. Cuthbertson, of the Public Park Nursery, 
Rothesay, the great merit of which was recognised 
by the judges by the award of a Silver Medal as an 
extra special prize. 
The Midland Counties Carnation and Picotee 
Society. —We may remind intending exhibitors that 
the first exhibition of this Society will be held at 
the Botanic Gardens, Birmingham, on Saturday', 
August 8th. Nearly £70 is offered in prizes. There 
is every reason to believe that a very fine display of 
blooms will be sent, especially as liberal prizes are 
offered, with from six to seven prizes in a class. 
Notice of entries must reach the secretary, Mr. W. 
Dean, Dolphin Road, Spark Hill, Birmingham, not 
later than the morning of Tuesday, August 4th. 
There is a special class for border Carnations also. 
The Nursery and Seed Trade Association. —The 
report of the Committee of this Association for the 
past year has just been issued, and from it we learn 
that the work of the Association has in all respects 
steadily increased. The number of debts applied for 
since May, 1890, was 1,156, being an increase of 286 
on the previous year, and the amount recovered was 
^3,582. The total amount recovered since 1885 
amounts to /iS.gSy. Twenty-one new members 
have joined the Association during the year. The 
annual meetirg will be held later in the year than 
usual, but the date has not yet been fixed. 
Woodford Horticultural Society. —The nineteenth 
exhibition held under the auspices of this Society 
took place on the 16th inst., in the beautiful grounds 
of " Harts,” by the kind permission of Mrs. Spicer. 
The exhibition showed considerable improvement in 
the plants, which, although not large, were bright 
and fresh and in many cases well flowered. The 
committeee, with Mr. Point as secretary, are to be 
congratulated on their successful arrangements. 
Royal Counties Agricultural Society’s Show at 
Portsmouth.— The Council of the Royal Counties 
Agricultural Society gratefully accepted the offer 
made by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading, to gratui¬ 
tously undertake the floral decorations of the royal 
box in the grand stand, and we need hardly state 
(after the magnificent display Messrs. Sutton made 
at Her Majesty's pavilion at the meeting of the 
Royal Agricultural Society of England, at Windsor, 
in 1889) that it was carried out worthy of the 
occasion. The whole interior of the box was taste¬ 
fully decorated with flowers consisting of Calendula, 
Canterbury Bells, Annual Chrysanthemums, Clarkia, 
Delphinium, Hawkweed, Linaria, Sweet Peas, Sweet 
William, &c., from Messrs. Sutton's Seed Trial Farm 
at Reading. In front of the Royal visitors was a 
charming display of a new Begonia raised by the 
firm, named Duchess of Edinburgh ; colour, white 
suffused with pink ; this being the first time of its 
exhibition. 
Manchester Horticulturists at Chatsworth. — On the 
9th inst. the members of the Manchester Horticultu¬ 
ral Improvement Society, of which Mr. Bruce Find¬ 
lay is president, and Mr. Upjohn secretary, had 
their annual picnic, the rendezvous being the Palace 
of the Peaks. The party left the Central Station 
Manchester at 9 30. a.m., and reached Chatsworth at 
noon. The walk through the gardens, the noble 
conservatory, the plant and fruit houses, &c.-—under 
the guidance of Mr. Owen Thomas — was much 
enjoyed, and that gentleman’s high cultivation in all 
departments much admired. A feature that specially 
attracted attention was the trunks of some tall tree 
Ferns in the Great Conservatory, clothed with masses 
of the orange-berried Nertera depressa. 
4 
