100 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
October 19, 1889. 
How well the Kentish growers came out 
of the competitive ordeal the prize lists will 
show. "We have never seen a grander lot of 
fruit than was shown by Mr. Haycock’s 
successor at Barham Court, whilst Mr. 
"Waterman, from Aylesford, was also in fine 
form. Mr. O. Bunyard also well merited the 
honours which his superb collection of 100 
dishes won for Maidstone. There is in some 
kinds a wealth of colour as well as of finish, 
and although some house-grown sanqfles did 
evidence wonderful size and finish, yet the 
colour was chiefly found in the outdoor fruit. 
We could wish that exhibitors of house- 
grown fruits would indicate all so produced, 
whilst we even go rather farther, and would 
suggest that house-grown fruits should form 
honorary collections, only the competitive 
classes being severely limited to outdoor 
fruits. 
The show was to be one of hardy fruits, 
and for consistency’s sake, as also that the 
public may not be misled, the course advised 
is most desirable. Some indication of how 
each dish was grown, whether on cordon, 
wall, pyramid, bush, or standard trees would 
be very helpful and instructive. The Pears 
generally were very fine, but somehow the 
general public takes much less interest in 
Pear culture, whilst the interest in Apples is 
growing apace. __ 
he British Fruit-Growers’ Association.— 
Our country readers must, we fear, hy 
this time have come to the conclusion that in 
London we are living in a perpetual atmo¬ 
sphere of horticultural conferences—so rapid in 
succession do they follow one another. Well, 
they must be taken as signs of the times, 
as evidence of the fact that the old dead¬ 
head ways in gardening will no longer 
answer, and that there must be an awakening 
of thought and labour in every branch of 
the profession. 
Our friends of the ambitiously-termed 
association above named, suddenly awakening 
from a long slumber, as suddenly called a 
conference at the Crystal Palace, on the 
first day of the late fruit show, and 
as the members of the committee of the 
association were in no way consulted in the 
matter, there was naturally some amount of 
heartburning, which was intensified when 
the indefinite programme—the papers and 
the consequent discussion thereon—led up 
to an undoubted jumble. The proceedings 
at the outset, very tame and utterly 
wanting in earnestness and go, became 
exciting later on, especially when it became 
apparent that the real object of the gathering 
was to pat the Fruiterers’ Company on the 
back, because—fearing the pressure of public 
opinion—it proposes to do something for 
fruit culture in the country at last, but 
only in its own dubious way. The public 
are invited to subscribe £5,000 to enable 
the Company to do this “something”; the 
Company is to handle the money and reap 
all the kudos incidental to its distribution 
in prizes, while the thoughtless people who find 
the money are to look on and admire the 
process—exclaiming, “Great is Diana of the 
Ephesians ! ” or in other words, the aroused 
Fruiterers’ Company. 
When the company, composed as it is of 
persons who are notfruiterers, excepting of course 
the few members who are foreign fruit merchants, 
accomplishes something worthy of its name, 
it may merit a vote of thanks, but to present 
it with such a compliment while the Royal 
Horticultural and other horticultural societies, 
which have done so much to promote fruit 
culture in the past, and the Nursery and Seed 
Trade Association, which at present is doing 
such good work in connection with the Railway 
Rates question, are to be absolutely ignored, is 
an act quite unworthy of thoughtful, earnest, 
practical men. 
It would almost seem as if the vote of 
thanks to the company was the real motive of 
the conference. It was called hastily, and its 
programme was crude and aimless. Unless 
the British Fruit Growers’ Association can 
perform its business in a more practical 
fashion, it had better close the shop, and give 
place to other and more useful organisations. 
he Begonias in Autumn. —So brilliantly 
rich were the colours found on many of 
the glorious Apples at the Crystal Palace last 
week that we might have well termed them 
the flowers of the hardy fruit garden. But in 
the presence of the truly glorious display of 
Begonias made by Messrs. J. Laing & Sons the 
metaphor will not be found sufficiently expres¬ 
sive. Before the glorious hues of the Begonia 
flower even the wondrous colours found on the 
Apples remained unpretentiously modest. The 
Messrs. Laing set up on the occasion named 
one of the most beautiful exhibits of Begonias 
we have ever seen outside of a nursery. The 
array was not on a long narrow table as is the 
common method of making a bank of flowers, 
but were thrown back on a broad table of 
some depth, perhaps some 10 ft., the whole 
being surrounded by light Palms and other 
decorative plants. The Begonias absolutely 
filled the internal area of the huge table, and 
being yearling plants—that is, from spring- 
sown seed, were not large, but all luxuriantly 
blooming, and carrying not merely glorious 
flowers, but in such variety of colour as to 
beggar description. Big specimen plants of 
these now favourite greenhouse flowers may 
make a brave show, but as compared with the 
effect produced by the many small plants 
thus beautifully grouped on the table, the 
specimens would have been nowhere. 
We hope the firm will repeat this charming 
feature at the Royal Aquarium in November 
next, if possible. Our good friend and en¬ 
thusiastic florist, Mr. Cannell, who undoubtedly 
has a superb lot of Begonias, both double 
and single, must look to his laurels. His 
plants and strains are beautiful, but they are 
not seen in London in the mass as Messrs. 
Laing’s were last week. What greenhouse 
plant could give to us at this time of the year 
such a glorious body of colour as the Begonia 1 
Not one. Let us therefore pay all homage 
and honour to the enterprise of those florists 
who have made for us the Begonia what it is. 
) Dears. —We may remind our readers that 
' Mr. Wildsmith, of Heckfield, a well- 
known and esteemed gardener, is to deal 
with these fruits in a paper to be read at 
the Drill Hall, Westminster, on Tuesday 
next. We trust Mr. Wildsmith, who can 
handle this subject in a practical way and 
wastes no words on bunkum, will find a 
larger audience than greeted Mr. Coleman at 
the last meeting, when he dilated so ably 
upon Coniferas. The old objection to the 
hour at which these gatherings are held still 
holds good, as by three o’clock the greater 
portion of the practical people attending 
the meetings have gone home. It is a poor 
compliment to pay to distinguished gardeners 
who prepare valuable papers at considerable 
trouble to find that their hearers rarely 
exceed a score or so of ordinary attendants 
at the shows. 
The most marvellous thing concerning the 
Royal Horticultural Society is that whilst a 
large number of new Fellows are being 
constantly made, still there is no increase in 
the number of persons attending the Drill 
Hall meetings, so that it is evident other 
causes than a love of horticulture led to their 
joining the Society. However, we return 
to Pears from our digression, because there is 
a wide field open in relation to their selection, 
culture and methods of keeping, which leave 
room for wide discussion, in which all who 
are interested in their culture should next 
Tuesday stop and share in. We have had of 
late ample evidence that a poor Pear season 
can still show us grand fruits, and numerous 
good examples present will help to give effect 
as well as interest to Air. Wildsmith’s paper. 
Having demonstrated that we have a wealth 
of grand sorts, the chief question seems to 
be how to keep them. The bulk of oui 
best sorts are of so fugitive a kind that any 
method whereby we could keep them fresh 
and sound, if even but a month longer, 
would be hailed as a discovery indeed. To 
give a fine supply of luscious Pears from 
Christmas to Lady Day is indeed a nut which 
we should like to see satisfactorily cracked. 
he Gardeners’ Improvement Associations. 
—The season for action on the part of 
these associations is now upon us, and in 
numerous directions they are already active. 
It is one of the most gratifying features in 
gardening that those professing it, old and 
young, should be so willing to come together, 
and thus in pleasant intercourse, mentally and 
socially, learn from each other so much that is 
valuable for future garden life. How much 
better is it for gardeners thus to assemble and 
impart to one another their knowledge than 
to be like the selfish prig, who, knowing some¬ 
thing, keeps it all locked up in his brain, or 
that other not less objectionable being who 
passes his leisure in the local bar parlour. 
Both such sections of gardeners, and we 
deplore the fact that there are some so called, 
are a disgrace to a noble and an enlightened 
profession. How striking is the contrast seen 
in those who do not mind subscribing to 
bring good men from long distances to favour 
them with practical ideas. Such conduct 
shows that some at least make sacrifices for 
their professional welfare, and whilst some 
considerable technical good must result, there 
is much recompense found in the social inter¬ 
course from these weekly gatherings. 
We hope the heads of gardens will not 
forget their juniors in connection with these 
associations. All workers in gardens, and 
especially the younger men, who will be the 
heads of the future, may find in the improve¬ 
ment societies’ gatherings so much that is 
heljfful that we are assured they will in later 
life look back upon their connection with them 
with unfeigned pleasure and satisfaction. 
he Proposed Carnation Trial.— We are 
glad to find that the proposed trial of 
Carnations, Picotees, &c., at the Royal Horti¬ 
cultural Society’s Gardens, Chiswick, is now 
assuming practical shape. The Council of the 
society have not only issued a circular to 
persons interested in Carnations, inviting plants 
for trial, but have also arranged to hold a 
conference at Chiswick, and if the National 
Carnation and Picotee Society will agree, as 
doubtless it will, to hold the annual show there 
also at the same time, one of the most delight¬ 
ful of summer gatherings may be looked for. 
Those who have been privileged to take 
part in the now annual gatherings in Mr. 
Dodwell’s garden at Oxford, have found 
exceeding enjoyment in inspecting their host’s 
Carnations and Picotees growing so plentifully 
there. In the Westminster Drill Hall all such 
pleasant associations have been painfully 
lacking. Transfer the show to Chiswick, and 
have in the gardens a trial of hundreds of 
plants of all sorts and colours, and combined 
with many other beauties Chiswick can then 
furnish, a delightful show may be looked for. 
We hope the conference work will not be over¬ 
done, as the weather may be warm, and visitors 
will not want to be bored. Still, a pleasant 
gathering in one of the tents on the lawn may 
be realised. 
We hope, should the garden trial prove 
to be as extensive as it should be, that marks 
for merit in the plants grown will be awarded, 
not by the Floral Committee, few members of 
which are Carnation men, but by a body 
selected from growers and fanciers generally, as 
was the case at the recent Vegetable Conference. 
