September 14, 1889. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
29 
by the takings at the gates. It is worthy of remark 
that though the population in the immediate district is 
wholly rural, as many as 7,600 persons paid for ad¬ 
mission on the last occasion, the large sum of £235 11s. 
having been taken at the gates. One might have 
literally walked upon the heads of the visitors as the 
excursion trains on the Great Northern and Midland 
lines discharged their passengers. In the horticultural 
department there were classes open to all comers ; to all 
exclusive of nurserymen ; for amateurs, for farmers, for 
market gardeners, and for cottagers ; 193 classes being 
devoted to these. Farmers’ produce included roots ; 
Wheat and Barley in bushels of threshed corn ; Wheat, 
Barley, and Oat i in ears ; stalks of Beans ; Swedes, 
Turnips, Mangel, Kohl Rabi, and Cattle Cabbages, one 
tent being set apart for these, and they were numerously 
shown. Another tent contained the produce of market 
gardeners, such as Potatos in collections and in single 
dishes; Onions, in collections, and also in single dishes ; 
Carrots, Cucumbers, Cabbages (red and white) ; heads 
of Onion seed, &c.—quite an interesting exhibition in 
themselves ; fancy classes for one rope of Onions ; for 
three roots of the heaviest and best garnishing Parsley, 
and such-like. Another division included classes for 
needlework, ornamental work, stuffed animals, &c.— 
quite a comprehensive group, and filled another tent. 
Classes for stuffed animals or fishes, stuffed birds, 
insects, birds’ eggs, shells, mounted horns, and any such 
trophies were also provided, the exhibits being numerous. 
Then came a division for honey, butter, eggs, trussed 
fowls, &c.; then one for bouquets and table decorations, 
and lastly one for cage birds. In this way the 226 classes 
were exhausted. In addition there were classes for 
poultry, pigeons, rabbits, and dogs, altogether about a 
dozen tents being required for the entire exhibits. It 
will thus be seen that the exhibition throughout was one 
of an extremely interesting character for country people. 
The show took place in the park of Sandy Place, 
the residence of J. N. Foster, Esq., and the tents were 
placed in a circle round the grounds ; that for the 
committee and secretary being like a disc in the 
centre. There is plenty of shade, and one of the 
tributaries of the river Ouse runs through the grounds. 
The show was supplemented by horticultural buildings, 
appliances, &c. Strange to say, not a single seat was 
provided, although a leading band like that of the 
Royal Horse Guards Blue was engaged. 
The classes that were open to all comers greatly helped 
to make the horticultural show. £27 were offered in 
four prizes, for ten stove and greenhouse plants, and 
the first prize was enough to tempt that cosmopolitan 
exhibitor, Mr. James Cypher, of Cheltenham, to put in 
an appearance, which he did, and was placed first with 
capital specimens ; Mr. Finch, gardener to J. Marriott, 
Esq., Coventry, being second ; Mr. G. Redmond, 
gardener to J. H. Goodgames, Esq., Eynesbury, St. 
Neots, was third ; and Mr. J. F. Mould, nurseryman, 
Pewsey, fourth. These collections filled one side of a 
large tent. In the class for twelve zonal Pelargoniums, 
Mr. Rabbit, gardener to General Pearson, The Hazels, 
Sandy, was first, with very good plants ; and Mr. G. 
Redman, second. In the class for forty-eight Roses, 
not less than twenty-four varieties, Messrs. Paul & Son, 
Old Nurseries, Cheshunt, were first; Messrs. G. & W. 
Burch, nurserymen, Peterborough, second; and Messrs. 
Laxton Bros., of Sandy, third. In the class for twenty- 
four spikes of Gladioli, Messrs. J. Burrell & Co., Howe 
House Nurseries, Cambridge, were first with a very fine 
lot of grand spikes ; Mr. E. B. Lindsell, of Hitchin, 
was second. The best twenty-four show Dahlias came 
from Messrs. Heath & Son, nurserymen, Cheltenham ; 
Mr. Henry Glasscock, Bishop’s Stortford, was second. 
In some other classes for Dahlias, Mr. Glasscock 
took leading prizes with excellent blooms. French and 
African Marigolds were good features, and bunches of 
stove and greenhouse, and also of hardy flowers, were 
very fine. Vegetables were the same, largely and well 
shown throughout, and the fruit was excellent for the 
district. As many as twenty-six judges were employed 
to make the awards. 
The Sandy society is fortunate in having a hard¬ 
working and excellent secretary in Mr. William Green. 
He is ubiquitous on the show morning, cool, collected, 
never out of temper, and almost omniscient. Good 
luck to the Sandy show, I say ! Its annual recurrence 
offers a pleasant outing to thousands of country people, 
and when the weather is fine they are not slow to take 
advantage of it. May I be there to see next year ! — 
R. D. 
Harpenden Horticultural. —August 28th. 
The eleventh show of this society was held in 
Rothamsted Park, the residence of Sir John Bennet 
Lawes, Bart., the president. The weather, which for 
some weeks previously had been anything but favour¬ 
able for flower shows, was all that could be wished for, 
the tents were crowded with visitors during the after¬ 
noon and evening, and the arrangements reflected great 
credit on the committee, and the able and painstaking 
secretary, Mr. J. J. Willis. The show itself was 
certainly the best ever held at Harpenden. Large 
stove and greenhouse flowering plants, as at many 
other places, were weak, the grand specimens usually 
exhibited by Mr. G. W. Underwood, of High Firs, 
being sadly missed, but we hope another year to see 
him in full force again. For four plants Mr. J. Turk, 
gardener to P. Bosanquet, Esq., Lowfield, Little 
Berkhamstead, secured the first prize ; Mr. T. 
Nutting, gardener to J. B. Maple, Esq., M.P., coming 
in second with fresh but smaller plants; 
third, Mr. W. Pepper, gardener to J. Bernand, Esq., 
Tewin Water, Welwyn. For six foliage plants, Mr. 
Nutting was first with a grand lot, including one of 
the most perfect specimens of Areca lutescens ever 
staged, 16 ft. in height, and 15 ft. through, with 
seventy-two fronds and ten stems, and in the best 
possible condition. The groups for effect brought out 
a good competition, in which Mr. Nutting secured the 
first prize with a very light and tastefully arranged 
group ; second, Mr. Sconce; third, Mr. Pepper. 
Zonal Pelargoniums made a good show, as also did 
the Fuchsias, exotic Ferns, tuberous Begonias, Coleus, 
and table plants. 
Cut flowers always prove a very attractive and 
important feature at Harpenden, and most of the 
autumn flowers were represented on this occasion. 
Fruit made a good show, and in the open class for 
eight dishes six collections were staged, Mr. Nutting 
once again coming first with good Black Hamburgh 
and Muscat Grapes, Peaches, Nectarines, Melon, a very 
fine dish of Brunswick Figs, Florence Cherries, and 
Plums. Mr. Aiming, gardener to W. S. Brown, Esq , 
was second, his Grapes being very fine, but a little 
weak in other dishes ; Mr. Tilbury third. Mr. Faint, 
gardener to H. Hoare, Esq., was an easy first with black 
Grapes, showing well-finished bunches of Black Ham¬ 
burgh ; second, Dir. Anning, with some large bunches 
of Black Alicante. For white, Mr. Anning was first 
with grand Muscats, and Mr. Nutting second with the 
same variety. 
Vegetables were excellent. In the open class for a 
collection of nine, Mr. Faint was first, the whole of his 
dishes being of the finest quality ; but his six dishes of 
Potatos, perhaps, attracted the public attention as 
much as any exhibit in the show ; they were certainly 
as near perfection as one could wish. 
Tomatos were well shown, some splendid dishes of 
Sutton’s Perfection standing well above all others. 
Amateurs and cottagers showed in full strength, and 
among the honorary exhibits were some very fine Grapes 
from Messrs. Lane & Son, Berkhamstead. 
Royal Horticultural.— September 5th. 
A meeting of tho Floral Committee was held in the 
gardens at Chiswick on Thursday, September 5th, 
when the collections of Heliotropes, Ageratums, Pelar¬ 
goniums, Asters, and Dahlias were inspected, and 
awards were made for the following, three marks being 
equivalent to a First Class Certificate, and two indi¬ 
cating an Award of Merit. 
Asters.— These constituted a fine display, a large 
space of ground being occupied with them, the trials of 
strains and varieties being numerous and thoroughly 
representative. Certificates were awarded for Hedgehog, 
Imbricated Pompon, Half Dwarf Pompon, Victoria, 
New Liliput, Victoria Needle, Cocardeau or Crown, 
Dwarf Pyramidal, Large-flowered Dwarf Queen, and 
Improved Rose. Awards of Merit were granted for 
Dwarf Chrysanthemum, Dwarf Queen Victoria, Dwarf 
Bouquet, and New Victoria (Barr), most of those 
named being grown from seed supplied by Messrs. 
Putz and Dippe respectively. 
African Marigolds. —Certificates were awarded for 
the following :—Prince of Orange, a compact growing 
variety, 2 fc. high, large, well formed, richly coloured 
flowers. Lemon Queen, similar height to the above, 
very even, flowers good shape, soft clear lemon tint. 
Dwarf Orange, about 20 ins. high, and would probably 
be less in an open situation, good habit, flowers, and 
colour. Dwarf Golden, compact, free, and useful 
variety. 
French Marigolds. —Electric Light, dwarf, free, 
and good, flowers pale lemon. Dobbie’s French 
Selected, tall, flowers yellow, with a few stripes, excel¬ 
lent shape ; awarded a Certificate for its floral quality. 
Dahlias.— A large number came under notice, and 
Certificates were awarded to the following :—Single : 
Florrie Fisher (Ware), Chilwell Beauty (Ware), Miss 
L. Pryor (Ware), Kate (Ware), Paragon (Turner), Amos 
Perry (Turner), Mr. Kennett (Turner), Fashion (Cheal), 
Victory (Cheal), Magpie (Cheal), and Mrs. Kennett 
(Cheal). Awards of Merit were adjudged for Duchess 
of Westminster (Ware), Miss Gordon (Turner), Guards¬ 
man (Turner), Hugo (Cheal), Negro (Cheal), and Edith 
(Cheal). A Certificate was also awarded for Empress 
of India (Turner), a crimson Cactus Dahlia ; and Awards 
of Merit for Professor Baldwin (Ware), a scarlet Cactus 
Dahlia ; and North Light (Turner), a brilliant scarlet 
Pompon. 
Heliotropes.— First Class Certificates were adjudged 
for the following :—Capus (Lemoine), a remarkable 
variety with deep purple flowers, large truss, and good 
habit. Fleur d’Etc (Lemoine), light colour, large 
flowers and truss, dwarf compact habit; free, and useful. 
Victor Durny (Lemoine), a tall strong-growing variety, 
having an enormous truss of purplish flowers ; effective 
and useful for training against a wall. 
Zonal Pelargoniums. — Souvenir de Mirande 
(Lemoine), single, white centre, cerise edge, finely- 
formed flower and truss, very distinct. Opal (Pearson), 
single, dark salmon, darker centre, fine bold flower ; 
good habit, free. Charbon Ardent (Lemoine), double, 
brilliant orange-scarlet, a dazzling and distinct shade. 
Seedling 137 (Lemoine), single, very large truss, of a 
peculiar rosy tint. Semis (Lemoine), purplish crimson, 
rich colour, large semi-globular truss ; one of the Nose¬ 
gay type (Award of Merit). 
Scabious.— Half Dwarf Blood Red (Vilmorin), an 
excellent strain, of an intensely light yet rich crimson 
colour ; fine compact habit. 
Zinnias (Putz), a capital strain of these was also 
commended. 
National Chrysanthemum. — September 11 th 
and 12th. 
The first show of the season of this society was 
held in the Royal Aquarium, Westminster, on the 
above dates, but was not wholly a display of Chrysan¬ 
themums, for Dahlias constituted the more prominent 
feature. The Chrysanthemums consisted for the most 
part, as might be expected, of early flowering and 
Pompon varieties. They certainly looked very fresh, 
and as far as the groups were concerned those that were 
well arranged looked very pretty, more so according 
to the taste of some than would have been the case 
with groups of the larger and later flowering kinds 
only, because more graceful and less lumpy. 
The first prize for a group consisting of any varieties 
arranged in a space not to exceed 60 sq. ft., was 
awarded to Messrs. John Laing & Sons. The colours 
were well mixed, and with the exception of Madame 
Desgranges, Gustav Wermig, Grace Attick, and a few 
others, the varieties were mostly Pompons. The second 
prize went to Mr. J. R. Chard, Brunswick Nursery, 
Stoke Newington. His plants were taller, and not so 
evenly arranged, otherwise there was a good amount of 
bloom. The third prize was awarded to Mr. George 
Stevens, St. John’s Nursery, Putney, whose group was 
mainly composed of Japanese, and the larger-flowering 
early kinds. There were three collections of cut 
blooms, and the first place was awarded to Mr. 
Robert Owen, Castle Hill, Maidenhead, who had 
by far the largest number of varieties. They 
were done up in bunches of one variety each, and being 
accompanied with foliage, were more loosely arranged 
than were those in the other collections. With the 
exception, perhaps, of Mons. Pymert Van Geert, an 
orange-yellow, Japanese variety ; the rest were early- 
flowering and Pompon sorts. Messrs. J. Laing & Sons, 
Forest Hill, were second ; and Mr. E. F. Such, Maiden¬ 
head, was third. Mr. Joseph Blackburne, Chislehurst, 
was deservedly awarded the first prize for twelve 
blooms of Madame Desgranges, the grandest lot 
ever seen, the heads measuring 5 ins. to 6| ins. across. 
The first prize for twelve blooms of any other sort 
was also awarded to Mr. Blackburne, who staged blooms 
of Gustav Wermig equal in all respects to the Des¬ 
granges. Mr. D. B. Crane, Archway Road, Higligate, 
had the best twelve Pompons in threes. Mr. Joseph 
Blackburne was again first for six bunches of Madame 
Desgranges ; and Mr. James Pratt, 42, Gloucester 
Terrace, Hyde Park, who grew his plants within 100 
yards of Paddington Railway Station, came in second, 
with a good lot arranged with their buds and foliage. 
There were eight entries, and most of them looked very 
fine. The first prize for six bunches of any of the 
yellow varieties went to Mr. H. Neary, gardener to 
