20 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
eptember 12, 1891. 
THE ROYAL CALEDONIAN 
HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
The celebration of the fifth great International 
exhibition of horticultural produce in Edinburgh 
this week, under the auspices of the Royal Cale¬ 
donian Horticultural Society, is an event which has 
drawn to the Scottish capital a greater number of 
British horticulturists than has been brought 
together in any place since the memorable Inter¬ 
national exhibition held in London in 1866. Did 
space permit we should have been glad on such an 
interesting occasion to have given some account of 
the Society's history, which embraces a long and 
honourable record of faithful devotion to the cause 
of Scottish horticulture, but for the nonce we must 
content ourselves with a less ambitious programme. 
It must be said, however, that the Society has ever 
been fortunate in securing for its governing body the 
best business talent to be found among the nursery, 
men, gardeners, and amateurs of Edinburgh, and it 
has been well served by many able men, who not 
being so closely identified for the moment with the 
management of the Society’s affairs as the gentlemen 
whose portraits are given herewith, find no place in 
our gallery to day, yet whom we should have been 
delighted to honour had circumstances permitted. 
Mr. William Young has been well known among 
the gardening fraternity for a great number of years, 
having filled the office he now holds as Assistant 
Secretary to the Society for about thirty years, and 
for many years previous he filled similar offices in 
connection with other horticultural societies in 
Edinburgh and in his native town of Haddington. 
From his earliest days Mr. Young has displayed a 
keen natural taste for flowers, and has won consider¬ 
able fame as an amateur grower of Auriculas, Car¬ 
nations, and Hyacinths. Since he retired from 
business as a boot and shoe maker, some ten years 
ago, he has devoted his time to the affairs of the 
Society, and carries on his duties with unflagging 
enthusiasm, although considerably beyond the 
allotted span of threescore years and ten. To Mr. 
Young, in a very great measure, is due the honour of 
having initiated the movement for holding the present 
International exhibition, and conducting it to such a 
successful issue. 
Mr. Malcolm Dunn, gardener to the Duke of 
Buccleuch, at Dalkeith Palace, Midlothian, is one of 
the most popular men in the Scottish horticultural 
world. He has served the office of member of the 
Council of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society, and is a member of the committee appointed 
to carry out this year’s “ International.’’ He has 
also rendered the Society valuable service as Editor 
of some of its publications. He was the first Presi¬ 
dent of the Scottish Horticultural Association, and 
has always been one of its most active supporters. 
Besides all matters appertaining to horticulture, the 
science of Arboriculture also claims from him a large 
share of interest and attention, and for many years 
he has been an active member of the Council of the 
Royal Scottish Arboriculture Society. Mr. Dunn 
was for a few years gardener at Powerscourt, and 
succeeded Mr. William Thomson at Dalkeith, when 
that gentleman established the famous vineyard at 
Clovenfords. 
Mr. Angus A. McLeod, the much respected and 
able superintendent of the public parks and gardens of 
Edinburgh, is a member of the Council of the Royal 
Caledonian Horticultural Society. He has been 
connected with the management of the Society’s ex¬ 
hibitions for 27 years, and is one of the comparatively 
few recipients of the “Neil Prize.’’ Mr. McLeod 
has had an extensive gardening experience. He 
served as foreman in the gardens of the Marquis of 
Exeter, at Burghley Park, at Milton, near Peter¬ 
borough, and at Earl Fitzwilliam’s, Wentworth, 
Yorkshire, and for nineteen years was gardener to 
the late and present Marquis of Lothian, at New- 
battle Abbey, near Dalkeith, before being appointed 
to the important office under the Corporation of 
Edinburgh, which he has filled for some years with 
so much dignity and ability. 
Mr. David Pringle Laird is the eldest son of 
Mr. R. B. Laird, senior partner of the firm of Messrs. 
R. B. Laird & Sons, nurserymen and seedsmen, of 
Edinburgh, and a young man of rare energy and busi¬ 
ness capacity. He is a member of the Council of the 
Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society, an ex- 
President of the Scottish Horticultural Association, 
which he largely helped to establish, and of which 
he was also the first Treasurer. A popular man in 
the horticultural community, Mr. Laird has a warm 
place in his heart for all horticultural movements of 
a progressive character, and has done as much as 
anyone to promote advanced education among young 
gardeners in Edinburgh at the Heriot Watt -College. 
He is a host in himself when there is hard work to 
be done, and lends a willing hand to any movement 
likely to be of benefit to gardeners and gardening. 
Mr. John Methven, senior partner of the firm of 
Messrs. Thomas Methven & Sons, nurserymen and 
seedsmen, has the reputation of being an excellent 
man of business, and popular among his fellow 
tradesmen. Still a comparatively young man, he 
takes a keen interest in all matters connected with 
improvements of horticulture and the advancement 
of the social status of gardeners. He is a member 
of the Council of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society, and holds office in most of the societies in 
Scotland devoted to the interests of gardening and 
rural affairs generally. 
Mr. Alexander Milne, sole proprietor of the old 
established firm of Messrs. James Dickson & Sons, 
nurserymen and seedsmen, Hanover Street, is an 
active member of the Council of the Royal Caledonian 
Horticultural Society, an ex-President of the 
Scottish Horticultural Association, and for several 
years the energetic Secretary of that useful institution 
after its foundation. To Mr. Milne indeed is due 
much of the prosperity which the Association has 
attained. He is also a keen Arborist, and member 
of Council, and a regular attendant at the meetings of 
the Royal Scottish Arboricultural Society. Nothing 
comes amiss to Mr. Milne in connection with the 
promotion and management of societies designed to 
advance the cultural arts, or to benefit his fellow-men. 
Mr. William M. Welsh is the senior partner of 
the firm of Messrs. Dicksons & Co., nurserymen 
and seedsmen, Waterloo Place, President of the 
Scottish Horticultural Association, and member of 
the Council of the Royal Caledonian Horticultural 
Society. He is well known as a skilful landscape 
gardener, as well as being an enterprising fruitgrower 
and farmer, in addition to being the moving spirit in 
the large business concern carried on by his firm, one 
of the oldest now in the nursery trade of Edinburgh. 
Of recent years the firm has worked up one of the 
best collections of hardy fruit trees in Scotland, to 
which important branch Mr. Welsh has devoted 
much skill and attention. 
Mr. Robert Lindsay, Curator of the Royal 
Botanic Gardens, Edinburgh, is President of the 
Edinburgh Botanical Society, and an active member 
of the governing bodies of several kindred societies 
in Edinburgh, including the Royal Caledonian 
Horticultural Society. Mr. Lindsay, who succeeded 
the late Mr. John Sadler at the famous Edinburgh 
Botanic Garden, has an unusually extensive know- 
ledge of the British Flora, and has distinguished 
himself as a raiser and cultivator of many tribes of 
plants which require more than an average amount 
of forethought and attention to command success, 
and which often baffle the most skilful horticulturists 
to grow them well. The fame of the Pitcher plants, 
Sarracenias and other “carnivorous" plants under 
his charge is world-wide ; and the splendid collec¬ 
tion of Alpine and hardy herbaceous plants is 
unrivalled ; while coniferous plants and hardy trees 
and shrubs are not excelled in any similar botanic 
garden in the world. 
Mr. George Mackinnon, gardener and local 
factor to the Right Honourable Viscount Melville, 
Melville Castle, Midlothian, is an active member of 
the Committee which has been engaged in the 
promotion and carrying out of the great International 
Fruit and Flower Show, and has served the office of 
member of the Council of the Royal Caledonian 
Horticultural Society. Mr. Mackinnon succeeded 
his brother Alexander (now gardener to the Earl of 
Mansfield at Scone Palace, Perth) about ten years 
ago, when quite a young man, and has greatly 
distinguished himself by the perfect state in which he 
has kept the garden establishment entrusted to his 
care, and the success he has attained at horticultural 
exhibitions with all kinds of garden produce, and 
especially in the fruit classes in which be is generally 
hard to beat- 
THE INTERNATIONAL 
SHOW AT EDINBURGH. 
Edinburgh, Wednesday Morning. 
The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society and 
its Council are to be most heartily congratulated on 
the success of the fifth international exhibition 
opened in the Waverley Market this morning. 
The previous gatherings of a similar character 
showed a marked advance on each other, but this 
year's display eclipsed all at every point. The vast 
floor of the Waverley Market is filled to repletion 
and with the best of everything. 
The arrangements, too, are all that could be de¬ 
sired from the effective display of such widely 
diverse materials, the tables of plants and group of 
specimens being placed along the centre, with the 
fruits and vegetables along one side of the market 
and cut flowers on the other, the whole presenting 
from the galleries an exceedingly effective floral 
tableau. The three special features of the show are 
the Grapes, the Vegetables, and the tables ofplants ; 
and as usual here the preponderance of the former 
over all other fruits is very marked, but perhaps to 
the average gardener the show of vegetables, and 
especially of potatos, will prove the greatest source 
of interest ; the collections of the former are exceed¬ 
ingly numerous and of superb quality, while of the 
noble tuber in two classes there are no less 
than 1,500 plates, quite an extraordinary com¬ 
petition for a few, but liberal prizes offered. The total 
number of entries was 3,850, yet so admirably had 
the immense amount of clerical work been got through 
by Mr. Young and staff, and the stage arrangements 
been completed by the Show Committee, that the 
j udging w'as got through in about two hours. 
The champion collection of twelve dishes of fruit 
comes from Mr. Mclndoe, Hutton Hall, Guis- 
borough, a very fine lot; and the second and third 
prizes are taken by Mr. D. Murray, Culzean Castle, 
and Mr. J. Hunter, of Lambton, both, of course, 
showing well. 
In another class for twelve dishes, from which 
certain fruits are excluded, Mr. Hunter takes premier 
honours, closely followed by Mr. McKelvie, Brox- 
mouth Park, Dunbar, and Mr. P. W. Fairgrieve, of 
Dunkeld, Mr. Hunter, Mr. Mclndoe, and Mr. D. 
Melville, St. Boswells, also take the awards in 
another competition with twelve dishes, and the same 
exhibitors are also to the front with orchard-house 
fruits. 
There are eight competitors for Messrs. W. Thom¬ 
son & Sons’ special prices for eight bunches of 
Grapes, and the premier one stops in Scotland, having 
been well won by Mr. Kirk, gardener to J. T. Paton, 
Esq., of Alloa. Mr. Taylor, gardener to Alderman 
Chaffin, of Bath, being second, and Mr. W. Murray, 
Park Hall, Polmont, third. For six bunches in a 
strong competition, Mr. Kirk is again first, Mr. 
McHattie, Newbattle, second, and Mr. MacKinnon, 
Melville Castle, third. The pair and single bunch 
classes are all exceedingly well contested, but one 
exhibitor distinguished himself in the " finest bloom ” 
class in a manner that deserves the strongest condem¬ 
nation. He had “ faked ” his bunch until it stank of 
sulph ur, and so exposed his dishonesty. The heaviest 
bunch of black Grapes is one of Gros Colmar weigh¬ 
ing twelve and a half pounds, shown by Mr. J. 
Mattison, of Currie. Pines are not numerously 
represented, but all other kinds of fruit are plentiful 
and good- 
The amount of produce brought out by the vegetable 
classes, and the uniformly high character of all is most 
satisfactory, the competitions with collections and 
single dishes being exceedingly keen. All of Messrs. 
Methven & Sons’ prizes for a collection are taken by 
English gardeners, the awards going in the order 
named, to Mr. Pope, Highclere Castle, Newbury; 
Mr. Muir Margam, Port Talbot ; and Mr. Wilkins, 
Inwood House, Dorset. Miss Thomson’s prizes are 
taken by Mr. James Cocker, Lochryan, Stranraer. 
Mr. Low, Stirling, and Mr. G. Potter, North 
Bank, all exhibiting grand produce. The best 
collection of eighteen varieties of Potatos 
shown for Messrs. James Dickson & Son’s Prizes 
come from Mr. John Sinclair, Harveston Dollar; 
Mr. Robertson, Hartrigg House, coming in second ; 
Mr. John Gentleman, Armadale, third. (And in the 
class for six varieties, the last-named exhibitor takes 
the premier, Mr. McFarlane being second, and Mr. 
E. S, Wiles, Edgcote, third, 
