Jan. 17th, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
311 
By tlie regulations made for the exhibitions it is 
enacted that one metropolitan show shall be held 
in each year, and provincial shows where practicable, 
and also that exhibitions of the Society, or of the 
societies affiliated with it, shall not extend over more 
than one day. By the third regulation exhibitors 
cannot enter in more than one division in the 
schedule, in addition to the extra and open classes, 
and by the fifth no exhibitor can take more than one 
prize in any class, unless specially permitted by the 
schedule, neither may two or more persons exhibit 
from the same garden, or nursery. Itegulation six 
deals with synonymous Boses, as follows :— 
“ The following Boses which are bracketed together 
are considered synonymous, and therefore must not be 
shown in the same stand. For instance, Marie Finger 
mustnotbe shown in the same stand as Eugenie Verdier. 
I Charles Lefebvre 
Margeurite Brassae 
Paul Jamain 
Exposition de Brie’ 
Ferdinand de Lesseps 
Maurice Bernardin 
Sir Garnet Wolseley 
La Eosiere 
Prince C. de Bohan 
Comtesse de Choiseul 
Marie Bady 
Chromatella 
Cloth of Gold 
Climbing Devoniensis 
Devoniensis 
Baron de Bonstetten 
Monsieur Boncenne 
Avocat Duvivier 
Mardchal Vaillant 
Eugenie Verdier 
Marie Finger 
Duchess de Caylus 
Penelope Mayo 
Adam 
President 
Alba Bosea 
Josephine Malton 
Madame Bravy 
Madame de Sertot.” 
By the eighth regulation “ all Boses must be 
exhibited as cut from the plants,” and “ artificial aid 
of any and every kind is strictly prohibited, with the 
exception of wire or other supports, which are to be 
used only to keep the blooms erect.” It is provided by 
the ninth regulation that “ Under exceptional circum¬ 
stances any three members of the general committee 
have power either before or after the decision of the 
judges has been given to declare any exhibit disqualified; 
and their decision will be final.” The competition at 
the Society’s exhibitions is limited to the members, 
except the members of a provincial society on the 
occasion of the National Bose Society holding an 
exhibition in conjunction therewith. No seedling 
Bose which has won a prize is to be shown in the 
class for new seedling Boses, and “ No person shall be 
allowed to compete as an amateur who habitually 
sells Bose plants or Bose blooms, nor any person in 
the employ of a nurseryman.” Any objection raised as 
to the rightful qualification of an exhibitor shall be 
referred to the executive committee for arbitration, 
and their decision shall be final and binding on both 
parties. 
THE ISLE OF PURBECK. 
There are, doubtless, many amongst your readers 
who are unacquainted with the Purbeck Island, both 
as regards its name and its geographical position, 
and to whom a few notes respecting it may not be 
altogether uninteresting. It is generally said that in 
connection with the least known place, as with 
individuals, there is something in connection there¬ 
with which may in a greater or lesser degree be 
described as a characteristic; such is certainly the 
case with Purbeck; its distinguishing feature, how¬ 
ever, shall be noticed later on. Having a choice of 
two routes, we take the most circuitous one, for the 
double purpose of meeting with a greater variety of 
scenery and of enjoying a short sea voyage, or to be 
more accurate, we should say a pleasant trip in the 
English Channel—for there it is, be it remarked, 
where our objective point is situated. A journey by 
rail of some fifty miles or thereabouts from our 
starting point near the far-famed Westbury White 
Horse, through a delightful country on a bright warm 
August morning, and we arrive at that fashionable 
and well-known sea-side resort Weymouth. 
Finding we shall have a few hours to spare here, 
a portion of our time is devoted to visiting the prin¬ 
cipal points of interest, but which may be said to 
consist chiefly of such objects as have no special 
claim for comment in the pages of a horticultural 
paper. From the admirable and slightly crescent¬ 
shaped esplanade, we have a good view of the bay 
with its many craft of pleasure parties flitting hither 
and thither, the sands with their bathing machines 
and innumerable other attractions for young and old, 
in the way of performing acrobats, niggers, quack 
doctors, &c., all of whom with their varied and non¬ 
descript paraphernalia seem to be plying a good 
trade. Having enjoyed a little of this diversion, our 
footsteps are directed towards the low white cliffs in 
the distance on the left, in quest of wild flowers. 
Hordeum jubatum is found in plenty, but of such 
a stunted appearance as compared with the same 
plant under cultivation, that a tyro might easily 
mistake it for something else ; and let us here paren¬ 
thetically remark that this plant is worthy of the 
attentions of any gardener and deserves to be more 
widely cultivated than it seems to be, as it is very 
useful for cutting when in flower for decorative pur¬ 
poses. Echium vulgare, Viper’s Bugloss, and a few 
other plants of a less noteworthy character, are all 
we meet with in this direction. 
Leaving the pier in the steamboat “ Victoria,” we 
have a pleasant trip of two hours up the Channel, and 
are delighted with the beautiful coast scenery of this 
part of Dorsetshire, which surpasses in loveliness our 
most sanguine expectations, being as such things 
invariably are, in marked contrast to our preconceived 
ideas respecting it. Lulworth Castle standing on a 
lofty hill and almost hidden by trees, together with 
the pretty village of Lulworth at no great distance 
from the waters edge, are pointed out as objects of 
interest, and with the aid of a Binocular, a desire is 
soon created for a closer acquaintance 'with the place. 
Nearing St. Albans’ Head, the coast assumes quite a 
rugged appearance, and is exceedingly picturesque. 
Bocks and cliffs of various hues and tints and forms, 
jutting out into the sea here and there, forming 
miniature bays and promontories, with caves in 
various places, the rocks towering in the air in a 
perpendicular direction and of just sufficient height 
to give them an awe-inspiring look, rendering them 
inaccessible to everything save the feathered tribe, is 
the best description we can give, though it falls far 
short of accurately depicting the true character of 
this part of the coast. 
Bounding St. Albans’ Head, we find ourselves in 
close proximity to Swanage, our port of debarkation. 
The town is delightfully situated, and the formation of 
the land in its immediate vicinity is of such a character 
as cannot fail to rivet the attention and draw forth 
involuntary remarks of admiration from anyone 
viewing it from the sea for the first time. A ramble 
up the hill side reveals nothing of an exceptional 
nature in the -way of botanical treasures. Senecio 
Jacobasa, S. erucEefolius, Galium Mollugo, G. verum, 
Hieracium Pilosella and Echium vulgare may be 
mentioned as being met with. The last named plant 
is very abundant, and never do we remember to have 
seen it so dwarf, or looking so pretty as on these hills 
at Swanage. 
The chief feature of the Isle of Purbeck may be 
said to consist of its extensive quarries of stone, 
which varies in quality from beautiful freestone to the 
finest granite and which have gained a high reputation 
of long standing amongst builders and contractors. A 
drive of five miles through a pleasant country, the 
centre of the stone industry, and passing on the way 
the villages of Langton and Acton, brings us to the 
Kingston end of our first day’s journey. We are early 
astir the following morning, wending our way in the 
direction of Chapman’s Pool, in the hope of meeting 
with something new and acquainting ourselves with 
the local flora. Most of the above-mentioned plants 
were found, also Campanula patula, C. rotundifolia 
and Carex glauca, the latter being somewhat scarce. 
A dense fog rising from the sea and coming inland at 
a rapid rate, made a hasty retreat to our starting 
point sine qua non and brought an end to botanising 
for a short time. The village of Kingston merits a 
passing word of comment, if only for the purpose of 
noting its new church, a truly noble structure, built, 
we believe, entirely of stone excavated in the locality. 
It certainly is the prettiest village church we have 
hitherto seen. Much might be written respecting it, 
but space forbids, and long may it stand as a memento 
of the kindness of heart of the noble person at whose 
expense it was built. Examining the walls of the old 
churchyard, we find no less than four species of 
British ferns, viz. :—Scolopendrium vulgare, Ceterach 
officinarum, Asplenum marinum, and A. Adiantum 
nigrum. 
From Kingston to Encombe, the seat of the Earl of 
Eldon, is but a short distance, and in the extensive 
park here, with its undulating surface, well-kept 
drives and stately trees, there is much to admire. 
Nestling in a deep depression at the foot of a steep 
hill, and surrounded by beautiful woodland is Encombe 
House, a square-built mansion of stone, in front of 
which is the flower-garden and a fine expanse of 
ornamental water, with water-fowl, and numerous 
aquatic plants growing therein. The shrubberies and 
private grounds which stretch away to the not far 
distant sea beyond, are highly favoured by nature in 
their formation, being rich in dingles and dells, rock- 
work and vistas. One very interesting feature here, 
from a botanical point of view, is the vast quantity of 
Scolopendrium vulgare to be met with at almost every 
turning; there must be acres of it, and as evidence of 
its being in its most favoured natural habitat and of 
its robustness, one has only to mention the fact of 
huge clumps with from one to two hundred fronds in 
each, and some of the latter measuring 30 ins. in 
length and 4 ins. in width. 
No description of the Isle of Purbeck, however 
brief, would be complete without some reference to 
the historical Corfe Castle, situated little more than a 
mile from Encombe and standing on a high hill 
commanding extensive views of the surrounding 
country, as well as a good strip of the Channel, with 
Bournemouth and Poole Harbour in the distance. 
The present state of the ruins together with the 
massive blocks of solid masonry scattered about as it 
were in the wildest confusion testifies to the substantial 
character of the work of our forefathers and of the 
“ troublous times ” in which they lived, and is evidence 
of the strong fortress, as it once was, having been the 
scene of many a hard-fought battle. Corfe Castle is 
said to have been built so far back as the reign of 
Alfred, to protect that part of the coast from the 
invasion of the Danes. In the following century it 
came into the hands of King Edgar, was enlarged by 
him, and at his death bequeathed as a dowry mansion 
to his wife Elfrida. We next find King John occupying 
it as a royal residence, and as a place of confinement 
for State prisoners, amongst whom, at one time, were 
no less than twenty-two knights and barons, captured 
with Arthur, Duke of Brittany, and who met with the 
horrible fate of being starved to death. It was here 
where Peter of Pomfret was hanged on a gibbet with 
his son, for having ventured to foretell the year in 
which the cruel tyrant would lose his crown, and 
previous to his execution was dragged at horses’ heels 
to Wareham, a distance of five miles, thence through 
the streets of the town and back to Corfe. 
In 1471 its possessor was Edmund Beaufort, Duke 
of Somerset, he having taken up the cause of Queen 
Margaret when she landed at Weymouth,, lost the 
battle of Tewkesbury on the 4th of May, and two 
days afterwards was beheaded, with the forfeiture of 
all his estates and honours. Centuries roll by, and in 
1634 it passed into the hands of Sir John Banks, by 
purchase, but like so many old English castles in 
Cromwellian days was reduced to ruins, and serves 
now as a landmark of the country and as a grand 
historical relic of bygone days. With this our remarks 
must come to a close, but of our first personal acquaint¬ 
ance with the Isle of Purbeck and some of its people 
we shall hope to retain pleasant recollections in our 
memory so long as that faculty is given to us to 
enjoy.— J. Horsefield, The Gardens, Heytesbury, Wilts, 
Vegetarianism. —At a meeting of the Vegetarian 
Society held at Exeter Hall, on Monday evening, Miss 
Anna Kingsford, M.D., protested against the repre¬ 
sentations of those who seemed to think that vege¬ 
tarians wished to send men out like Nebuchadnezzar 
to graze, to make them eat Cabbages in the morning 
and grass in the evening. She maintained, however, 
that men were classed anatomically and physiologi¬ 
cally with the apes, whose teeth were not flesh-tearing 
teeth. The apes used then teeth for cracking nuts, 
and never for masticating mutton chops or eating 
saddle of mutton. Flesh-eaters were liable to many 
diseases from which vegetarians were free. She had 
cured herself of tubercular consumption by living on 
vegetable food. Having been told that she had not 
six months to live, and that she must eat raw meat 
and drink port wine, she had gone into the country 
and tried cold porridge and fruit, and was there that 
day on that platform. She had found the shoemaker 
to make her shoes without leather, and she assured 
her audience that they did equally well for the muddy 
streets of London and for climbing the hills of 
Switzerland. 
