March 28, 1896. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
477 
show, was taken by Mr. G. Crabbe. Amongst the 
miscellaneous and non-competitive exhibits were 
Messrs. R. Veitch & Son’s, who had seventy-two 
varieties of Hyacinths, including all the best 
varieties, also Veitch’s Blue Primrose, a collection 
of cut Daffodils, Birdsfoot Trefoil from Teneriffe, 
and many other interesting subjects; the president 
of the association, C. R. Collins, Esq., J.P., Hart¬ 
well House, Exeter, who sent a number of beautiful 
plants; Trehawke Kekewich, Esq., Peamore, Mrs. 
A. D. Sim, The Knowle, who both sent something ; 
and Mr. W. J. Godfrey, Exmouth, who sent a collec¬ 
tion of well-grown Pelargoniums, including many 
novelties. Messrs. Rush & Co., Exeter, were also 
exhibitors. The show was highly patronised during 
the afternoon and evening. 
Technical Education.—A series of six weekly 
lectures was delivered by Mr. Crook, gardener to W. 
H. Evans, Esq., Ford Abbey, in the schoolroom, 
Haselbury, Somerset. The first of the series was 
commenced on the 13th of February, so that the 
last was delivered on the 19th inst. Mr. Crook is a 
good all-round gardener, so that we are not surprised 
his lectures were well attended. We learn from an 
independent source that there was an attendance of 
forty to fifty each night, and the students included 
farmers, gardeners and amateurs of the district. 
This must have been satisfactory to the lecturer as 
well as the County Council, and must lead to some 
good results. The lectures dealt with the culture of 
fruits, vegetables and flowers as well as the prepara¬ 
tion of the soil for the same. 
Grassendale Spring Show—This pretty little ex¬ 
hibition was held on Saturday in the Parish Rooms, 
and whether judged from a financial point of view 
or the quality of the exhibits, must be pronounced a 
success. The statement of accounts is in a most 
healthy condition—last year the receipts being 
£100 9s. 6d., including subscriptions, £&i 14s. The 
expenditure included prize money, £49; or a total of 
^95 12s. ud., leaving the balance at £6 8s. iod., an 
increase of nearly £4. The show was a distinct 
advance upon all previous efforts, the classes being 
well contested, and in some cases the exhibits were 
of high merit. The following are the first prize 
Reproduction of Gerarde’s Engraving of the 
Virginian Potato (See p. 481). 
winners in their respective classes;—For twelve 
Hyacinths distinct: R. Singlehurst, Esq. (gardener, 
Mr. J. Kelly) led with good massive spikes. For six 
varieties, W. J. Davey, Esq. (gardener, G. Lead- 
better) took the lead. For six varieties, three in a 
pot (prizes presented by Mr. Geo. Rose, Liverpool), 
W. B. Bowring, Esq. (gardener, T. Ankers) staged a 
superblot. R. Singlehurst, Esq., had the best six 
pots of single Tulips and the best six pots of double 
varieties. Mr. T. Johnson was well to the 
front with Amaryllis. A. L. Jones, Esq. (gardener, 
J. Bounds) had the best stove plant in a well-flowered 
pan of Coelogyne cristata. E. Pryor, Esq (gardener, 
Mr. E. Taylor) took the lead with Acacia armata as 
a greenhouse plant. For two and one Orchid and a 
Fern, A. L. Jones, Esq., got the honours. A. Lang- 
ton, Esq (gardener, R. Fawkes) took the lead with a 
finely-flowered standard Azalea. For three Azaleas, 
distinct, in pots not exceeding 3 in , R. Singlehurst 
was first, with good varieties ; and E. Pryor, Esq., 
awarded Prizes for Hyacinths, and Messrs. Phoenix 
Oliver Brasier, and Haynes for Tulips. 
Mr. William Falconer, a native of Invernessshire, 
Scotland, has been appointed superintendent of the 
Pittsburg Parks, Pennsylvania, U.S.A. While in 
this country he occupied several important positions 
in Scotland and England respectively before he went 
to America in 1874. At first he entered the employ¬ 
ment of F. L. Ames, Esq., and afterwards engaged 
Potato, Sutton’s Windsor Castle (See p. 481). 
for a hardy Rhododendron. For three forced hardy 
plants, W. B. Bowring, Esq., led with Azalea amoena, 
Azalea mollis and Deutzia gracilis. R. Singlehurst, 
Esq., had the best Palm in Kentia fosteriana, about 
8 ft. in diameter. The mcst tastefully arranged 
hamper (prizes given by Messrs. R. P. Kerr & Sons, 
Aigburth), was secured by E. Pryor, Esq., vith a 
pretty combination, including Dendrobiums, Odonto- 
glossums, &c. The judging was entrusted to the 
able hands of Messrs. J. Glover, Gateacre, and W. 
Tunnington, " Calderstones," Allerton. The 
staging and the general management were most 
creditable to Mr. R. Fawkes and his committee. 
Laing’s Chinese Primulas.—A box of blooms of 
Chinese Primulas was sent us last week by Messrs. 
J. Laing & Sons, Forest Hill. The season has been 
a very long one, but the plants being grown for seed, 
they are now past their first and best blush of beauty. 
Amongst the blooms sent there was a considerable 
variation of colour from pure white to deep carmine- 
crimson, with all the intermediate shades of pink, 
rose, rosy-purple, and dark purple. One white 
variety was notable for its great size, and a propor¬ 
tionately large eye, almost perfectly circular. It had 
counterparts in. a pink one with an angular eye, and 
another with a lobed eye. The dark colours were 
very rich, but belonged to the smaller flowers. Two 
forms of blue accompanied the rest, but a large one 
was by far the finer and more attractive. A deep sal¬ 
mon, tinted purple, was also good. A semi-double pink 
and a deep rose-purple, usually termed doubles, but 
as easily raised from seed as the rest were also good 
of their kind. 
Birmingham Gardeners’ Association.—An essay 
upon the Tulip and the Hyacinth was read by Mr. 
C. R. Bick, gardener to Mr. Walter Chamberlain, 
Harbourne Hall, Harbourne, at a recent meeting of 
this society, Mr. Walter Jones presiding. A very 
interesting and animated discussion followed, in the 
course of which Mr. W. Gardiner offered details as 
to the Tulip mania amongst the Dutch in the year 
1634. As large a sum as 2,000 florins had, he said, 
been obtained for a single bulb, and even in England 
only forty years ago Mr. Groom, of Clapham Rise, 
London, a then celebrated florist, sold some single 
bulbs for such enormous prices as 100, 51, 21, and 
10 guineas. Still farther back, in the year 1609, a 
single specimen of a choice variety fetched £200, 
whilst in 1818, another one sold for £500. This 
is quite worthy of comparison with the large sums 
that have been realised for Orchids during the last 
fifty years. In the usual competition for plants, 
Messrs. Haynes, Walter Jones, and Phoenix were 
in a nursery business in Texas. He was induced 
to accept the superintendence of Harvard University 
Botanic Garden. From there he went to Dosoris, 
Glen Cove, Long Island, New York, to take 
charge of the estate of Charles A. Dana, Esq., 
with whom he still remained when he made his 
present engagement. He is also editor of our con¬ 
temporary, Gardening. Pittsburg has reason to be 
proud of this appointment. 
Wood-pulp paper.—The enormous amount of wood 
now used for making paper every year may be 
judged from the fact that the Petit Journal , which 
has a circulation of over a million copies a day, and 
is printed on wood-pulp paper, consumes in a twelve- 
month 120,000 fir trees of an ave rage height of 66 ft. 
This is equivalent to the annual thinning of 25,000 
acres of forest. This prodigious amount of wood is 
required to form the raw material for a single 
paper! 
Sources of some of our fruits.—The sixteenth 
century (between 1500 and 1578) saw the introduc¬ 
tion of many varieties of fruits and vegetables into 
Italy from various countries. Spain contributed 
Lemons and Pomegranates, Portugal Limes and 
Grapes, Flanders Strawberries and Gooseberries, 
Persia Peaches, Brazil Pineapples, Epirus Apricots, 
Syria Apples, and Corinth Currants. In 1547 the 
Portuguese first brought the sweet or China Orange 
from China into Europe. In Lisbon, in the gardens 
of one of the nobility, the identical tree from which 
the European Orange trees of this variety were 
produced is said to be still preserved. 
Shirley Gardeners' Mutual Improvement Association. 
—The second annual general meeting took place at 
the Parish Room, Shirley, Soutliampton, on the 16th 
inst., there being a good attendance of the members, 
the president, Mr. W. F. G. Sprangar C.C., 
presiding. The report showed steady progress, 140 
members against in last year. There had been 
fifteen meetings, and the average attendance was 
fifty-two. The balance sheet showed a sum of £1 16s. 
to the credit of the association, a few subscriptions 
being still to come in. The retiring officers and 
committee were all re-elected, and a very sincere 
and hearty vote of thanks to the horticultural and 
local press was proposed by the president and carried 
by acclamation ; as also was a vote of thanks to the 
president for his kindness in conducting the business 
of the meeting. There was an entertainment after 
the business, which was attended by the public in 
good numbers, the songs, recitations, and instru¬ 
mental music being contributed by the members and 
their friends, and a very enjoyable evening was thus 
spent. 
