August 22nd, 1885. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
803 
Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
€j)e (Odrknmg ItlorA 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 22nd, 1885. 
The South Kensington Exhibitions. — 
With, the exception of a group of Chrysanthe¬ 
mums in pots, prizes for which are offered at the 
last October show, there will be no other plant 
competitions at South Kensington this season, 
and judging by the comparative failure of those 
competitions which have been held, we should 
think classes of that character will hardly be 
repeated in future years. There is no lack of 
fairly good plants grown about the metropolis ; 
but it must be admitted that here we are a long 
way behind the provinces, where plant culture 
for exhibition still retains some vitality. Cer¬ 
tainly, those of our country cousins who visited 
the Inventories, and strayed into the Conservatory 
to see the recent flower shows, must have found 
ample cause to believe that many provincial 
towns could make a much braver display of 
plants and some other things. Without doubt 
the greatest plant show of the season at South 
Kensington was the so-called Orchid Conference, 
when results were secured that owe nothing to 
prizes; indeed, such a grand collection of Orchids 
was perhaps never before seen together at any one 
time ; thus showing conclusively that those who 
grow plants for love and loyalty to horticulture, 
need none of that stimulus to exhibit their 
productions which is found in prize competitions. 
Whatever may be the case elsewhere, it does 
seem as if the exhibitions of all kinds of garden 
products were becoming far too much fields for 
the display of mercenary tastes, and that not love 
for horticulture, but love of money, was the 
prevailing attribute. 
The Apple Congress of two years since was 
another marvellous evidence of the thorough un¬ 
selfishness which characterizes those whose tastes 
are purely horticultural, and not pecuniary, and 
it is to be hoped that the coming Pear Congress 
will find the same noble sentiment widely exem¬ 
plified, Certainly, a little more of love, and a 
little less of selfishness would materially help 
to improve our horticultural displays. Whilst 
practically omitting plants altogether, and con¬ 
fined entirely to articles of food, fruits, and vege¬ 
tables, the series of shows held last year in connec¬ 
tion with the Health Exhibition was throughout 
first-class, the exhibits good, and the competition 
considerable. Perhaps the difference between 
the bulk of plants and the more costly nature of 
their transit and that of other garden products, 
had much to do with the result. That fact, how¬ 
ever, leads us to hope that the few later shows 
which are so exclusively devoted to fruits and 
vegetables will be as good as were those of last year, 
and wfe, indeed, shall be very much disappointed 
if the Grape Show of next month be not one of 
the most interesting, though probably far from 
being the largest, that has yet been seen. Myriads 
of bunches of some half-dozen kinds in a score of 
classes do but satiate without interesting. The 
coming show can hardly create satiety, especially 
if there is found amongst Grape-growers a 
general interest in the exhibition, and an earnest 
desire to afford to all possible kinds of Grapes 
the fullest representation. 
The October hardy fruit and vegetable shows 
will doubtless be also popular ones, and well 
patronized by exhibitors. The Potato classes at 
the latter may be thin perhaps, as, generally, the 
crop is small this season, though, so far, very 
sound. Next year, should tbe series of shows be 
continued, some effort should be made to asso¬ 
ciate them, if possible, with the special objects of 
the National Exhibition—that of colonial produce. 
If there are any fruits or vegetables grown here 
that are of colonial origin, it would be a fitting 
opportunity, by means of prizes, to bring them 
into prominence. Perhaps the Cape has been 
most prolific in this respect, but it may be that 
other colonies have not been lacking. It also 
may be that some of our leading seed-houses will 
take the hint during the autumn, and secure 
seeds, &c., of colonial garden produce, which we 
here may purchase and grow in time to exhibit 
at South Kensington, English-raised samples, 
to the eyes of those colonists who may favour 
us with their presence next year. 
- —»$-*.- 
Ambiguities in Schedules of Pbizes. —If 
only committees of horticultural societies, or 
those who frame schedules of prizes and their 
conditions, would explain them so that there 
could be no difficulty in ascertaining their exact 
intentions, what a relief to judges it would some¬ 
times prove. This was the thought which passed 
through our mind the other day when brought 
face to face with a definition in a schedule of 
prizes that appeared to be very plain to the 
framer of it. The class ran, a “ collection of 
fruits, six kinds.” One exhibitor had put up in 
this class white and black Grapes, and it was 
objected to that “ kind ” was not to be inter¬ 
preted in the sense of variety, but simply as 
meaning one variety of Grape, Peach, Fig, 
Melon, &c. Our contention was that judges 
should always (and capable judges invariably 
do) put a wide interpretation upon schedules of 
prizes, and that, if any doubt arose, the exhibitor 
should have the benefit of it. We, therefore, 
contended that it was a usual rule with judges to 
regard kind and variety as synonymous terms ; 
and it is well known that gardeners will speak of 
a kind of Cabbage, or Potato, or Celery, or Pea, 
&c. Kind is a noun widely interpreted by 
dictionary compilers. It is sometimes used in 
the more narrow sense of race or genus, but 
as often (perhaps oftener) in its wider sense of 
sorts. Thus, a man is said to speak with a kind 
of scorn or contempt. Hence it is that judges, 
as before stated, invariably interpret kind in the 
broad sense of variety. In the particular case 
mentioned, the committee interposed, and stated 
that their intention was to have only one variety 
of any particular fruit. The decision of the 
judges was overruled, and the collection dis¬ 
qualified. 
But here another difficulty arose, not foreseen 
by the committee, who thought they had hit 
upon a definition, absolutely clear and distinct. 
We pointed out that one competing collection 
consisted of Peaches and Nectarines, and asked 
if they regarded these as distinct kinds of fruits. 
“Certainly,” was the immediate and confident 
reply. But imagine their confusion when Dr. 
Hogg was quoted against them. Says this autho¬ 
rity in his Vegetable Kingdom, “ The Nectarine 
is only a variety of the Peach, the only difference 
being in its having a smooth skin ; and there can 
be no doubt that it originated in a mere freak of 
nature, as we have seen instances of Nectarines 
being produced on the branch of a Peach tree 
without having been budded.” This proved 
an astounding piece of intelligence, and out the 
collection had to go. 
But what folly it is for the managers of a coun¬ 
try show to set up such an arbitrary definition, 
because by doing so they heavily handicap the 
gardeners in small places, and place their best 
prizes at the mercy of those who manage large 
places. Out of a garden of moderate dimensions 
it is difficult to get six first-class kinds of fruit in 
the sense in which it was understood by these 
country managers. And this definition was 
applied with equally lamentable results in another 
class, one for “twelve kinds of blooms of cut- 
flowers.” One exhibitor had set up in a fine and 
striking collection three varieties of double and 
single Zonal Pelargoniums in separate bunches, 
and another two distinct varieties of Hollyhocks, 
but both were put by, and an inferior collection 
awarded the first prize. 
Is it any wonder that some exhibitions decline, 
if managed in this way ? Such actions, done in 
defiance of general usage, cause heartburnings 
and jealousies, exhibitors are dissatisfied, and 
the downward course is rapid and decisive, 
(Inrbxmng ]i$xm\lmx\) t 
Flowee Shows foe Next Week. — Tuesday : 
Meeting of Fruit and Floral Committes at 11 a.m. 
—Cottagers’ Show and Exhibition of Plums.—Maid¬ 
stone Horticultural Society’s Show. Thursday; 
Reading Horticultural Society’s second Show.—Lud¬ 
low Horticultural Society’s Show. Friday Sandy 
and District Annual Flower Show. 
At a meeting of the Council of the Royal Cale¬ 
donian Society, held last week, it was decided to hold 
an Apple and Pear Congress in Edinburgh, early in 
November. 
On Thursday next, Mr. J. C. Stevens will sell, in the 
King Street Rooms, the collection of Orchids formed 
by G. Heriot, Esq., Cholmeley Park, Highgate. 
Messes. Peotheeoe & Moebis’s great annual trade 
sales of winter-flowering Heaths will be held during 
the week ending September 19th. 
Me, Chaeles Russell, lately foreman at Byrkley 
Lodge, Burton-on-Trent, has been engaged as gardener 
to Mrs. Hopkinson, West Court, Finchhamstead. 
Me. William Seale, nurseryman, of Sevenoaks, a 
well known and much respected exhibitor of Roses 
and table decorations, died on the 6th inst., aged sixty 
years. 
Me. J. Mayne, late gardener at Pentillie Castle, 
Cornwall, has been engaged as gardener to E. Allen, 
Esq., Stowford Lodge, Ivy Bridge, Devon. 
The Metropolitan Board of Works have accepted 
the tender of Mr. B. S. Williams to supply the London 
Parks under the control of the Board with Dutch 
Bulbs for the ensuing season. 
At the recent “ Royal ” Show, Mr. G. W. Randolph, 
of Thirsk, showed a new machine for cleaning and 
sorting Potatos, which he had patented. It is designed 
to work very easily, a boy being sufficient to turn 
the handle, while the tubers are sorted as fast as a 
man can shovel them into the hopper. An excellent 
point in this machine is that all the Potatos pass 
under the eye of the operator in a single layer, and 
so bad ones can easily be detected. By using different- 
sized wire meshes, the Potatos are sorted into three 
sizes. 
The annual exhibition of the Shropshire Floral 
and Horticultural Society which was opened in The 
Quarry, Shrewsbury, on Wednesday and closed on 
Thursday evening was a great success, the show 
being a good one and the attendance on the first day 
larger than on any previous occasion. Mr. Cypher, 
of Cheltenham, was an easy first in the leading 
class, which was for twenty stove and greenhouse 
plants, ten in flower, his specimens being far in 
advance of any others. Mr. C. Roberts, gardener to 
E. C. Glover, Esq., Highfield Hall, was second; and 
Mr. Tudgey, The Nurseries, Waltham Cross, third. 
Fruit was shown in large quantity, and first-rate 
quality. For a collection of twelve dishes, Mr. Good- 
acre, gardener to the Earl of Harrington, was first, 
with a fine collection; and Mr. W. Parker, gardener 
to J. Corbett, Esq., Impney Hall, Droitwich, second. 
We shall give a full report of this important exhi¬ 
bition in our next. 
