8 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 7, 1889. 
_ 
The Growls from Oxford—and Elsewhere. 
I think the cause of the lack of success this year at 
Oxford of many usually good exhibitors is not very far 
to seek. The 1st of August is always a late date for 
southern exhibitors—of whom I will assume the 
“Disappointed Novice” to be one—and in this ab¬ 
normally early season it was equivalent to fully a week 
later in an ordinary year. Add to this the sudden 
return of hot weather on the day before and day of the 
show, and the agony further piled up by the prolonged 
baking which the blooms, already aged, had to undergo, 
in the heated and crowded exhibition tent before they 
could meet the eyes of the judges, and there ceases to 
be much cause for wonder at the comparatively crippled 
state of the southern contingent, and that it had in so 
many cases to retire before the younger and fresher 
levies from the Midlands. 
Your correspondent “V.,’’ however, is quite right 
in saying we need to adopt a similar rule to that of the 
“National,” restricting the number of the single 
blooms put up for exhibition, while the hampering of 
exhibitors and mobbing of judges at their work by 
idle spectators has become a crying evil, which we 
shall certainly have to remedy next year. 
“ W. AY.,” I see, is on the war-path again. This 
time, it seems, he is indignant at the dressing of Car¬ 
nations for show. His is but one more variation of the 
ever charming fable of the Fox with no Tail. “AY. AV.,” 
it appears, though an old decorator, is not an expert 
dresser ; therefore, those who are not old decorators 
and are expert dressers should at once efface themselves 
so far as this latter faculty is concerned, and thus make 
things “ekal ” between them and “AV. AV.” It is no 
use “AV. W.”—it has been tried before, and the other 
foxes never could be got to see it, and they don’t now. 
“ W. AV.” must continue to “love the beautiful” 
without “distorting it,” as in all probability he would 
do, not being an expert dresser, and he is wise, under 
these circumstances, in letting his blooms alone. 
But “AY. AY.” says he has hundreds of beautiful 
blooms—Germania, to wit, being magnificent—but 
unless he almost tears them to pieces, he cannot pos¬ 
sibly make them cover above half the surface of the 
card. Then all I can say is there must be something 
amiss in “AY. AY.’s” system of cultivation. The 
bloom of Germania to which the “premier” was 
awarded on the 1st was only an expanding bud four 
days before the show, and though not fully grown, it 
had already covered the whole surface of the card when 
cut. The calyx was not split down, and the bloom was 
but little touched in dressing. 
Too much is made of the dresser’s powers, especially 
by those who do not take the needful trouble to grow 
their blooms into show form. All such it may be well 
to remind that though the dresser may develop, he can¬ 
not create. He cannot make poor flowers into fine ones. 
I would advise younger growers not to be discouraged 
by these wails and jeremiads. The elder brethren are 
but too pleased to indoctrinate the “ youngsters ” into 
all the very simple mysteries of our “ gentle craft,” and 
while in the neophyte stage let them remember that 
though dressing may be a fine thing, culture is the 
thing. 
And now, perhaps, I may be permitted a word in 
reply to the indictment of “AY. K. G.,” who says 
our mode of exhibiting Carnations is “simply hideous 
from an artistic point of view.” Of local shows I have 
no knowledge, but pace “ AY. K. G.” I submit that 
such flowers as were shown this season in London and 
Oxford were not “hideous” from any point of view 
whatever. 
But the truth is, “AY. K. G.,”like others of the 
same class of critics, quite misconceives the object of an 
exhibition of Carnations or other florist flowers. Their 
preconception is always a floral bazaar or fancy fair 
where the general picturesque effect is everything and 
the standard types of flowers nothing at all. 
It is not pretended that our mode of exhibiting the 
flowers is a perfectly artistic one, though it is by no 
means one where scope for the exercise of artistic skill 
in arrangement is wholly wanting, as “ AV. K. G.” 
would find out if he had to stage a twelve or twenty- 
four in competition with those who had learned their 
lesson from men like Dodwell and Simonite. 
The prime object sought is a strict comparison, by 
which the individual meii;s of the flowers can be 
thoroughly tested, and this, experience has shown, can 
be done in no surer way than by the existing system. 
An exhibition of Carnations, like an exhibition of dogs 
or horses, should be a presentment of the best types. 
The horses may be made picturesque with trappings and 
caparisons, and gaily-attired riders, but those are not 
the conditions which painter or sculptor would select 
for the proper judgment or study of the animals, what¬ 
ever might be the way in which he meant to represent 
them afterwards. So with our flowers. 
But the true artist knows how to value flowers, 
whether seen on the exhibition table, in the garden, or 
in the woods and fields. He has appreciation and 
admiration for all—disparagement for none. — M. Rowan. 
Dressing Carnations. 
AYhat is this I read in denunciation of the ancient, 
honourable and sacred practice of dressing Carnations 
for exhibition ? It was practised years ago by past 
generations of revered florists ; it is hallowed by 
memories going back almost to the foundations of 
time ; it is a pious heritage, bequeathed by the past 
to be held in trust and practised for the benefit of 
succeeding generations, and I vehemently protest 
against anything being said and done that will in any 
way restrict the practice. The true florist feels a 
conscious pride in exhibiting to his friends the beauties 
of the flowers he has grown with so much care—flowers 
that he values beyond all other earthly possessions, and 
illustrates the high value he puts upon them by naming 
them after kings and queens, dukes and duchesses, 
squires and councillors, prophets and lord chancellors, 
warriors and philosophers, actresses and missionaries, 
archbishops and race-horses, sweethearts and soldiers, 
who have inscribed a name for themselves upon the 
rolls of fame, and these beautiful flowers he makes 
more beautiful still by a little judicious dressing. He 
but unfolds to view beauties Nature has herself pro¬ 
duced, but temporarily obscured, as if she were too 
modest and blushed to unfold all her charms at once. 
The cunning hand of the florist steps in to her aid ; 
he adds nothing ; he but smooths out rough petals and 
hides defects, and, lo ! an enchanting revelation of 
beauty is the result. 
AYhat if tricks were played with exhibition flowers 
in the past—they are no longer known among us. A 
higher morality exists among florists than among any 
other class of men. A florist scorns to deceive. The 
day has passed for ever when a split pod, which is a 
disqualification, was patched with a piece of green silk 
tied cleverly round close up to the petals ; when bad 
petals were taken out and good ones substituted, a 
pellet of cotton-wool being crammed into the calyx to 
keep them in their places ; or a Carnation bloom made 
up wholly of petals taken from other flowers, the best 
that could be selected from perhaps a dozen blooms 1 
All these tricks are done with—they are buried in a 
grave of oblivion, which no resurrection shall ever rend. 
AVe no longer, at our convivial meetings, drink the 
toast, “ May we never be found out!” There is abso¬ 
lutely nothing to find out. 
AVe want a weeding out of our ranks of mere cavillers. 
I am in favour of setting up a kind of Floral Star 
Chamber before which all offenders who rail against the 
hallowed practice of dressing flowers may be hauled 
and summarily punished. They ought to be made 
judges of Carnations without receiving any pay or 
luncheon, or they should be layered and piped until 
there is but little of them left. 
Drat the croaker, starve ’im, bless ’im— 
Anything to save the dressin’. 
—An Indignant Florist. 
Dahlias. 
Taunton and Trowbridge are pretty famous for their 
displays of Dahlias. At the former exhibition Messrs. 
Keynes, AVilliams & Co., of Salisbury, did not compete 
as usual, but Mr. AV. J. Jones, of Bath, had a good 
stand of twelve varieties, the best blooms being 
AVilliam Rawlings, Buttercup, Colonist, Imperial, 
Henry AValton, Airs. Gladstone, Artist, Air. G. Harris, 
and Airs. Harris, but the flowers showed indications of 
the effects of stormy weather. The fancy varieties at 
Taunton were fairly good, the best blooms being Airs. 
Saunders, A. F. Barron, Gaiety, Rev. J. B. Al. Camm, 
Professor Fawcett, AVizard, Duchess of Albany, and 
Jessie Alclntosh ; at Trowbridge there was among the 
classes open to all one for twenty-four blooms, when 
Alessrs. Keynes, AVilliams & Co., of Salisbury, were 
first with some very good flowers, among them being 
Colonist, Richard Dean, perhaps the best purple self 
in cultivation ; Airs. Foreman, Air. Spofforth, Aladame 
Soubveyre, in its self form ; Imperial, Henry AValton, 
Herbert Turner, Air. Glasscock, Perfection, Gloire de 
Lyons, R. T. Rawlings, Airs. Gladstone, Lord Chelmsford 
and Charles AYyatt. In the class for twelve varieties, 
Air. S. Cooper, Chippenham, who took the first prize, 
had good blooms of R. T. Rawlings, Harry Keith, 
Harrison AVeir, Earl of Ravensworth, T. J. Saltmarsh, 
Burgundy, Henry AValton, Thomas Hobbs, Goldfinder, 
Airs. Dodds and Airs. Gladstone. In the class for twelve 
fancy Dahlias, Alessrs. Keynes & Co., who failed to 
stage flowers of their usual fine quality, were beaten by 
Air. George Humphreys, of Chippenham, who had good 
blooms of the Rev. J. B. AI. Camm, Plutarch, Hercules, 
Henry Eckford, Airs. Saunders, Chorister, Salamander, 
Duchess of Albany and Hugh Austin. 
After the fine, hot, drying weather, I think there 
should be a fine display of Dahlias at the Crystal 
Palace on September 6th, and at the Royal Aquarium 
on the 11th. Though the season opened somewhat 
awkwardly, yet the Dahlia blooms have been both 
earlier and much better than might have been 
expected, and there will be a fine bloom during the 
first two weeks of September 
In the case of plants from which exhibition blooms 
are to be taken, there is little to be done but to 
attend to the bloom, if the disbudding and thinning of 
the shoots have been seen to. Late-flowering varieties 
will require more thinning. AVhen shading exhibition 
flowers, the grower should avoid the error too often 
committed of close-shading the blooms when young ; 
four or five days before the time they are required for 
exhibition is generally considered a sufficient time at 
the commencement of the season, to be extended to 
eight or ten days as the season advances. Previous to 
shading, the blooms should be securely tied to prevent 
them from being damaged by friction against the sur¬ 
rounding foliage. 
Some varieties of Dahlias not only come into 
flower earlier than others, but the flowers attain to 
maturity much more quickly. This is a matter 
requiring consideration by the grower for exhibition. 
Varieties that have soft centres take the shortest time 
in coming to perfection, those that have a hard green 
centre when young take the longest, and should be 
allowed more time in perfecting. 
At Trowbridge there is a class for seedling Dahlias of 
1838-89, certificates being awarded according to merit. 
On this occasion Alessrs. Keynes, AVilliams & Co. ex¬ 
hibited several varieties, those selected for certificates 
being Aliss Fox, in the way of Aliss Cannell, but 
heavily tipped with purple ; Crimson Globe, bright 
crimson self, of excellent shape ; Alice Emil} 7 , yellow, 
slightly suffused with orange-brown ; and Edith, a 
fancy variety, having the ground-colour of Duchess of 
Albany, but striped with crimson and tipped with 
white.— Ic. D. 
New Dahlias. 
AIarchioness op Bute. —The flower-heads of this new 
Cactus variety are pink, and almost white in the centre 
during the process of expansion. The florets are of 
moderate length and shortly pointed. It is rather an 
attractive variety, and received an Award of Alerit from 
the Royal Horticultural Society when shown on the 
27th ult. by Air. J. T. AVest, Cornwallis, Brentwood. 
T. L. Temple. —To all appearance this is closely 
allied to Paragon, and is likewise a single form. The 
ray-florets are very broad, overlapping, and of a rich 
velvety crimson with paler margins, more or less evi¬ 
dently tinted with purple. The disc is bright yellow. 
It was shown by Air. T. S. AVare, and received an 
Award of Alerit. 
Panthea. —The general form of the head, and the 
elongated, pointed florets of this variety, are similar to 
those of the old Juarezi, and like it, is, of course, a 
Cactus Dahlia, so called. The colour is of a uniform 
pale orange-scarlet, or nearly so. It makes a very 
conspicuous plant in the open ground, and is useful for 
cutting purposes. 
John Hickling. —This is an exhibition sort, with 
large, bright yellow, well-formed flower-heads, and 
compactly-arranged rounded florets. 
Reliance.— The flower-heads of this exhibition 
Dahlia are large and of a deep orange-buff colour. The 
tips and back of the florets are tinted with purple—a 
fact most noticeable in the centre of the flower-head 
before full expansion. 
Alice Emily.— This is a large deep yellow exhi¬ 
bition kind, often tinted with a bronze colour at the 
tips and backs of the florets. Six blooms of it were 
shown. 
Ciumson Globe. —As the name implies, this is 
globular, or nearly so, and of a rich dark crimson. It 
is an exhibition kind, and the best, perhaps, of all that 
type here mentioned, owing to the compact and beau- 
