624 
fHE GARDENING WORLD. 
June 4, 1892. 
good, and the interest shown in the compe¬ 
titions remarkable. It is long since such a 
show for prizes has been seen in the metro¬ 
polis, and although it may be matter for 
regret that the entire display could not 
have been held in one building, where a 
truly superb effect might have been pro¬ 
duced, yet there were the exhibits, and in 
such ample abundance that material was not 
lacking, only the opportunity to make the 
most of it. 
We were again enabled to see that there 
are still numerous fine exhibition plants in 
the country, and it was a special pleasure 
to meet with them in the South once again. 
The Shows, too, proved to be remarkabl}' 
attractive to gardeners, for they came from 
far and near to see them, and such gather¬ 
ings have a valuable social aspect. Men 
who are all the rest of the year removed from 
each other byperhaps hundreds of miles come 
together and enjoy each other’s society as 
well as the shows amazingly. We shall 
expect to see many of such friends at Earl's 
Court again during the season, especially at 
the Autumn Shows. 
TJorced Strawberries.— There can be no 
doubt but that of edible material 
exhibited at the Temple and Earl’s Court 
Shows by far the greatest interest was 
centred in the extraordinary fine Straw¬ 
berries shown by Mr. Norman, Gardener 
to the Marquis of Salisbury, at Hatfield. 
Scores of other good Strawberry growers 
saw them and sighed in vain for the 
capacity to produce such enormous yet 
handsome fruits. It is one of the misfor¬ 
tunes of this kind of exhibit that they create 
jealousy in the bosoms of not a few, espe¬ 
cially wealthy employers, and we heard of 
one millionaire—who is, if anything, rather 
coarsely exacting—who going round the 
Temple Show was by his astute gardener 
whisked aside to some other exhibit just as 
the wonderful Strawberries were being 
reached, and thus avoided a round of 
bullying. 
But whilst we give to Mr. Norman all 
credit for the skill shown in producing such 
huge fruits, we may well ask after all what, 
beyond being grand to look at, are they 
worth ? We have far too many of these 
large fruited varieties, which in a correct 
sense are worthless, and would never be 
grown were they not big. Will anyone 
venture to affirm that mere bulk is every¬ 
thing in Strawberries, or that, indeed, it 
bears one-half the value that flavour does ? 
Who but vulgar purse-proud people want 
gigantic Strawberries on their table at the 
cost of one shilling each, and which are but 
mere bags of sugary flesh, as devoid of 
flavour as a turnip. Certainly these are 
not the best Strawberries. Even with the 
very best flavoured sorts we have, it is 
lar from being a matter of ease to obtain 
that flavour under forced pot culture, and 
therefore to secure that high flavour inci¬ 
dental to out-door grown fruit allied to good 
size and appearance is after all much more 
meritorious in the case of pot Strawberries 
than is the production of mere giants, how¬ 
ever handsome yet flavourless. However, 
let us haste to do Mr. Norman full justice. 
He grows all kinds of Strawberries in pots 
remarkably well, and if he favours mere 
size in preference to quality perhaps he 
best understands his employer’s taste. We 
in common with many others still prefer 
lesser sized fruits conjoined to good colour 
and high flavour. 
each Buds Dropping. —An experienced 
gardener with whom we recently con¬ 
versed concerning the many complaints 
made in the spring with respect of Peach 
bloom buds dropping just prior to the time for 
expanding, said that he attributed the evil 
to the common fault of neglecting to keep 
the roots sufficiently moist during the late 
autumn and winter months. “ It is,” 
said he, “ so very commonly the practice to 
withhold water from the roots, when the 
leaves fall in the expectation that by so 
doing the ripening of the wood will be 
hastened. This is done in their forgetful¬ 
ness of the fact that out in the open root 
moisture is invariably the greater after leaf 
fall than before, yet we never hear of buds 
dropping on outside trees.” 
Then there is again a common practice 
that because the borders have been kept 
somewhat dry during the Winter to water 
very freely during Spring so soon as heat is 
applied. Natuially the result is that the 
very exuberant flow of sap thus created, 
tends rather to loosen the bloom buds than 
retain them. The best practice by far is 
to keep the roots and borders fairly moist 
through the winter, so that when leaf 
growth commences it is not needful to 
water too freely until the fruits are set. 
Then ample waterings will prove to be of 
great service, and if there be too heavy a 
set of fruit it is so easy to thin it. 
We were in a series of very large Peach 
houses the other day where the planted out 
trees of different sizes and ages were carry¬ 
ing heavy crops, whilst the trees in pots, 
several hundreds, had very poor crops, 
indeed many none at all; yet we knew that 
they bloomed profusely in the spring. The 
planted out trees had ample root moisture 
—the pot trees must have suffered very 
much for want of it. It is indeed very 
difficult to obtain for pot trees anything like 
the same conditions for the roots which 
free growing trees find, and that the soil 
should often get very dry is most probable. 
In any case the solution of the great trouble 
seems to be found in this direction. 
he Gardeners’ Orphan Fund.— We 
would not again so soon intrude this 
fund upon the notice of our readers but for 
two things. First a well-known retired 
gardener, who has some claim to regard the 
fund with interest, has written to a contem¬ 
porary objecting to a course of action 
which he assumes (on the strength of some 
erroneous statements which he has 
read) that the committee are about to 
take in putting some children on the fund 
“ on the strength of a very good dinner 
subscription.” Had the writer half the 
serious interest in the fund which he 
professes, he would by this time have made 
himself acquainted with the rules under 
which the fund is managed, and, that 
accomplished, he would have saved himself 
the trouble of kicking at a shadow and 
airing valueless opinions. 
We deem it necessary in the interest of the 
charity to state that the committee have 
never thought of doing anything of the 
kind suggested, for the simple reason that, 
except in the case of “memorials,” for 
which funds are specially provided, the}' 
have no power to put even a single child 
on the fund. It is the subscribers -who by 
their votes decide what orphans shall enjoy 
the benefits of the fund, not the committee, 
and while that rule remains in force it will 
we are sure be loyally respected by the 
executive. 
Our second reason is that we heard the 
other day from another and very highly 
esteemed gardener, who mentioned the 
fact that when the fund was first proposed 
he thought that objects for its charity could 
not be found and did not exist. Now he 
admits their too great abundance and has 
become one of the fund’s warmest 
supporters. Apart from the orphans who 
could not be elected last February there 
seems already to be many others likely to 
become candidates, and the friends' of 
several we know are anxiously waiting for 
the time to come to nominate them. If the 
ordinary income of the fund suffers nothing 
from the liberal contributions at the recent 
dinner, then will it be possible to satisfy a 
good proportion of the claimants at the 
next election. 
To that end, however, it becomes 
obvious that there must be no lack of 
energy shown, especially by gardeners, and 
these cannot too clearly understand that 
just as much as ever is it necessary that they 
should subscribe, as after all there is no 
form of income so valuable as is that 
derived from regular contributions. We 
think the ex-gardener we first referred to 
need not be in trouble lest at some time the 
fund may fall upon evil days. None the 
less it is and will be a duty to see that 
whatever may happen no actual recipient 
orphan shall suffer. 
- ■*- - 
Mr. David Syme. of Peter Lawson & Son, Ltd., 
Edinburgh, was presented in London on Monday- 
evening, by his friends in the seed trade, with 300 
guineas, and a handsome silver tea and coffee service 
for Mrs. Syme. A report of the proceedings will be 
found in another column. 
The Welsh National Dinner. —Gardeners in general 
and Welsh gardeners in particular may be interested 
to know that their order was represented at the 
Welsh National Dinner given at the Mansion House, 
on Saturday evening last, by the Lord Mayor, the 
Right Honourable David Evans, by Mr. Owen 
Thomas, gardener to H. M. the Queen, at Windsor. 
The Ealing Horticultural Society's annual summer 
show will be held this year in the grounds of Gun- 
nersbury Park, on July 13th, and the autumn 
Chrysanthemum Show on November 2nd and 3rd. 
Windsor and District Rose Society. —In conse¬ 
quence of the lateness of the season this new 
Society’s show has been postponed to Thursday, 
July 7th. 
The Mansfield Horticultural Society will hold its 
annual show on Monday, August 1, and this year 
offers increased prizes for groups of plants and 
Roses. 
The Parks Committee have recommended the 
London County Council to authorise an expenditure 
of /400 for the enlargement of the Chrysanthemum 
House in Southwark Park, and we sincerely hope 
the Council will make the grant. 
The Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. —We have much 
pleasure in recording the fact that recent contribu¬ 
tions to this fund include /20, the proceeds of a con¬ 
cert given at Altrincham, Cheshire, under the 
auspices of the Manchester Local Committee ; and 
£10, the proceeds of a lecture given at a meeting of 
the Ealing Gardeners' Improvement Society, by the 
Rev. Thain Davidson. 
Potatos from Egypt. — In a recent paper on 
Egyptian Agriculture, read at the Society of Arts, 
Prof. Robert Wallace stated that the Egyptian 
would grow anything for which he could secure a 
ready market and a remunerative return, and Egypt 
was at the present time aiding in supplying the London 
market early in the season with young Potatos. 
“ Chestnuts.” —Our Chicago correspondents com¬ 
menting upon some remarksof ours on *■ Chestnuts," 
at p. 528, writes “ Please note that the phrase is 
used in connection with an old threadbare anecdote 
(not merely a ' yarn ') and sometimes with the 
accompaniment of a small bell being rung by the 
listener, when the story is told. The origin of the 
custom I do not know.” 
Rhododendrons on the Thames Embankment — 
Messrs. John Waterer & Sons, of Bagshot, Surrey, 
have obtained from the Corporation of London the 
use of the spare land on Victoria Embankment, 
adjoining Temple Gardens East, for holding their 
usual exhibition of Rhododendrons, and the proceeds 
of the same are to be devoted to the funds of the 
London Hospital. The show will be on view 
throughout the month of June. 
The Midlothian F. ose and Pansy Society will hold 
its Jubilee show at Penicuick on July 23rd, the 
society having been instituted in 1842. In honour of 
the interesting occasion the schedule of prizes has 
