4 92 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
March 30,1895. 
Preston and Fulwood Horticultural.—The seventeenth 
spring show of this Society was held in the Public 
Hall, Preston, on the 20th and 21st inst. The 
exhibition was opened by Mr. Councillor Charnley, 
the President of the year, who was supported by 
members of the Town Council and a large gathering 
of ladies and gentlemen. The President afterwards 
entertained his colleagues on the Town Council, the 
officers of the Society, and the judges to a luncheon 
in one of the crush rooms of the hall. It was feared 
at one time that there would be a falling off in the 
display on account of two good plant collections 
having been dispersed since last March, but two or 
three fresh exhibitors came forward, and the verdict 
was that we had after all one of the best shows ever 
held in Preston. 
The President, who is now the owner of Howick 
House—once noted for its collection of Orchids 
during the time it was in the possession of Mr. 
Wrigley. and previously for its hard-wooded plants 
when it was the home of Mr. T. M. Shuttleworth— 
came forward with forty-four entries, with which he 
took twenty-three firsts, fifteen seconds, and five 
thirds. His most notable exhibits were the Azaleas, 
and the group of plants arranged for effect, which 
was the most artistic ever put up in Preston, 
Mr. Wood, the gardener, having departed from the 
usual stereotyped sloping bank practice, and after 
forming a background cut up the remainder of the 
space and formed several small groups on a ground¬ 
work of moss, succulents, Panicum and Coleus, etc., 
turned out of pots. The pots of all the other plants 
were hidden by moss and cork. 
The President offered a gold medal, value £5, for 
the best exhibit in the show, and it was thought by 
many that it would be given to the group, but for 
this award the judges selected a huge well-flowered 
specimen of Roi de Holland Azalea (in the single 
specimen class) from the same collection, and, as the 
medal was f or the gardener, Mr. Wood takes the 
prize offered by his employer. The six miscellaneous 
stove and greenhouse plants put up by the same 
exhibitor were far in advance of anything that has 
been staged before at the Preston spring show, his 
best plants being large specimens of Hedaroma 
fuchioides and Erica Victoria. J. B. Dixon, Esq., 
the treasurer, also showed well in the above com¬ 
petitions, as well as in the bulb classes, coming in 
first in all the leading contests. He also secured the 
much coveted prize for twenty pots of bulbs, corms, 
tubers, or rhizomes in flower in 6 in. pots, Hymcinths, 
Tulips, and Narcissus excluded; also the prize 
offered by Mr. Starkie for the best hanging basket. 
In all he took sixteen firsts, twenty seconds, and 
seven thirds, most of the classes being strongly 
contested. The next largest exhibitor was Mr. C. 
Lamb, gardener to_ R, Smith Longridge, Esq., who 
took first for exotic Ferns, double Primulas, six 
Tulips, and table plants. Altogether he got six 
firsts, ten seconds, and twenty-three thirds. Mr. 
Pius Rigby, gardener to J. Smith, Esq., Whitingham 
House, secured twelve firsts out of twenty entries for 
collections and single dishes of vegetables, 
Mignonette, hardy Primroses, and Musk. 
Orchids were not very numerous, only four com¬ 
petitors, and Mr. Brindle, gardener to H. C. 
Sowerbutts, Esq., was awarded the first for three, 
and Mr. J. B. Dixon for single specimens. Primulas 
were very fine and numerous, and Mr. Brindle was 
first with singles ; he also staged a splendid lot of 
Freesias not for competition. Mr. Parkinson, 
gardener to J. Whitaker, Esq., Ley land, was awarded 
first for six creditable Cyclamens ; and Mr. Wm. 
Gillet, gardener to M. B. Copland, Esq., Farington 
Lodge, received a similar award for three; also for 
Spiraeas and bouquets. 
In the nurserymen’s classes Mr. Payne, Fulwood, 
had no opposition except in the bouquets, the first 
for a hand bouquet and the same for bridal being 
awarded to Mr. Troughton. 
-. 1 ^ 
Ijafilepef?’ Ipiprofemejit feociatiop?. 
Brighton and Sussex.—The usual monthly meeting 
of this Society was held at the Imperial Hotel, 
Brighton, on Thursday, March 21st. Mr. George 
Miles presided, and there was a large attendance of 
members. Mr. H. C. Princep, of Buxted Park, read 
a most excellent paper on “Salads and Salading." 
He pointed out that there were a large number of 
plants used for this purpose ; and having dealt with 
these in detail, mentioned that the Watercress was 
sard to have been first cultivated in this country in 
1804 by a gentleman named Bradbury, and that the 
Lettuce was believed to have been introduced in 
England in 1562, more than three centuries ago, but 
from what country was not known Endive had 
been imported from China. The Dandelion was 
generally considered a tiresome weed, but the young 
leaves were much in demand in the London market, 
and formed a delicious salad. He described the 
cultivation of Celery ; mentioned that the Radish 
had come to us from the mysterious land, China, 
and showed how the Tomato (the “ Love Apple ” of 
ancient times) had, from being a luxury reserved for 
the rich, become, within the past 25 years, popularised 
among all classes, thanks to the enterprise of some 
Guernsey fishermen The Cucumber, another 
essential ingredient in good salad, had been intro¬ 
duced from East India in 15G3, although it was 
known in Egypt a thousand years ago at least He 
warmly recommended the general use of salads, 
expressing the opinion that they should be as 
common among the poor as the rich, and that those 
who used them regularly would save many a 
doctor's bill. The Chairman thanked Mr. Prinsep 
for, and complimented him upon his valuable paper, 
which, while it would not fail to be very helpful to 
the young beginner, would at the same time be an 
advantageous reminder to older gardeners. Mr. 
Lewis moved a vote of thanks to Mr. Prinsep, which 
was cordially agreed to, Mr. Lewis urging that it 
would be well for the health of the community if 
salads were more generally used. Personally he 
was not much in favour of the Cucumber, the 
Tomato being his favourite. He was certain that if 
more salads were eaten there wmuld be less disease. 
Woolton.—The concluding meeting of this session 
was held on Thursday evening of last week, Mr. 
Henry Middlehurst presiding. There was a good 
attendance of members present to hear the prize 
essay read on “Hardy Bulbs’’ (excluding bedding 
varieties). The prize was the gift of the chairman, 
and the winner proved to be Mr. Webster, the 
Secretary of the Society. The paper seemed to be 
a fairly comprehensive one, but an important 
omission was pointed out by Mr. Storey in the dis¬ 
cussion which followed—the Daffodil did not receive 
any recognition Others who took part in the 
discussion were Messrs. Todd, Carling, and the 
Chairman. A vote of thanks was accorded to Mr. 
Middlehurst for the prize and also for presiding at 
the meeting. 
—-=**= -- 
©IntnaiT. 
We regret to record the death on the 23rd inst , 
somewhat suddenly, at Sparkhill, Birmingham, of 
Mr. William Dean, in his 71st year. He had been 
in failing health for a long time, and for several 
winters past had been a martyr to bronchial troubles 
ofadistressingand exhausting nature Mr Dean, who 
may be said to have been born in the nursery trade, 
and continued in it all his life so long as he was able 
to do so, for many years W’as held in high repute as 
a florist, and to the last was regarded with esteem 
and affection by Pansy and Viola growers, so much 
had he done in his day to improve and make popular 
these delightful hardy flowers, in which he took a 
keen interest to the last. 
Some fifty and more years ago Mr. William Dean 
was a grower of the old show Pansy, and rememberod 
the time when Silverlock's “Black Knight" came 
out with such a furore “ as a wonderful break away 
in quality,” and years afterwards he it was who 
originated the name of “ Fancy Pansy ” for the con¬ 
tinental strain, so opposite in their markings and 
colour to the white and yellow ground, belted 
flowers so long cherished by old time florists. 
About the year 1848, the late Mr. John Salter, of 
Hammersmith, when he returned to England from 
Versailles, brought with him some seed of striped 
and blotch-coloured flowers, which were subse¬ 
quently exhibited, only to be derided by many 
florists as French rubbish But rubbish or not, they 
took the public fancy, and about this time the late 
Mr. John Downie, of Edinburgh, commenced his 
annual pilgrimages to London, and obtaining plants 
of the new strain, set to work upon them in the 
north and exhibited six varieties in London in 1832, 
but we do not know if they were of his own raising, 
as Mr. John Laing, of Forest Hill, then gardener at 
Dysart, had taken the Fancy or Belgian Pansy in 
hand before him, and was in all probability the first 
grower of the type in Scotland. It was about the 
year 1858 when Mr. William Dean, then in business 
at Shipley, commenced to grow the improved forms 
of the Fancy Pansy for Mr. Andrew Henderson, 
then head of the old firm of E G Henderson 
& Son, of Wellington Road, St. John's Wood, and it 
was the novelties raised by William Dean, and sent 
out from Wellington Road, that brought about the 
revival of Pansy culture in the south that has con¬ 
tinued to the present time. 
When the Viola cornuta was brought out as a 
bedding plant by Mr. John Wills, Mr Dean took up 
that species and introduced a number of charming 
varieties from time to time, which led up to the re¬ 
fined flowers, and neat, dwarf spreading habit of the 
varieties now so popular With these two sections 
of the Viola family, Mr. Dean’s name will be 
indelibly associated ; but he was something more 
than a Pansy man, he was an all-round well-informed 
horticulturist, and with his pen could hold his own 
in any company on subjects that came within his 
ken, while as an expert at horticultural exhibitions 
so unerring was his judgment that seldom, indeed, 
were his decisions called in question At the York 
Gala in particular will he be missed, for he had 
annually been a judge there for a great miny years. 
After a brief illness Mr. Thomas Worth, for some 
years past in the employment of The Liverpool 
Horticultural , Co , and latterly of Messrs. John 
Cowan & Co., of the Vineyard and Nurseries, 
Garston, near Liverpool, died on Saturday, the 
23rd inst., from a severe attack of influenza 
complicated with pneumonia and erysipelas, at the 
age of 31 years His death is deeply regretted by 
his employers and fellow workmen Mr. Worth was 
a young man of considerable promise ; he was for 
some years in the employment of the late Mr. Enoch 
Harvey, and eventually became his Orchid grower, 
and when that gentleman sent his collection of 
Orchids to the Liverpool Horticultural Co. for dis¬ 
posal, Mr. Worth went with it and there remained. 
After some years he became Orchid grower to the 
Company, and for the past two years he has acted as 
traveller for Messrs. John Cowan &Co. 
LAW NOTES. 
Bad Tomatos at Covent Garden. 
At the Bow Street Police Court, on the 22nd inst., 
Mr. J. B, Thomas, salesman, of Covent Garden 
Market, was summoned to show cause why a quan¬ 
tity of Tomatos sold by him should not be destroyed 
as being unfit for human food. The defendant 
was represented by Mr. Gerald, his manager and 
auctioneer. The complainant was Thomas Gilby, a 
costermonger, who purchased a quantity of Tomatos 
from the defendant for 16s. When he opened the 
boxes in which they were packed, he found that 
the Tomatos were utterly bad ; so bad, in fact, that 
the paper in which they were wrapped could not be 
taken off. He went to the defendant's manager and 
explained matters, but was told that nothing could 
be done for him. After he had obtained the summons 
the defendant's manager offered to return the 16s , 
but refused to compensate him for loss of time. The 
defendant's representative stated that, as a rule, each 
box was broken open in front of the buyers When 
they had opened one or two boxes as samples, they 
generally asked the people present if they would like 
any more opened. If they said yes, their request was 
complied with; if they answered no, the sale pro¬ 
ceeded. Each box was purchased on its merits, and 
a placard to that effect was exhibited at every sale. 
As a rule, when a box proved to be bad the pur¬ 
chaser w^as compensated; but of late there had 
been such a shower of complaints that it had been 
impossible to do that. That day three boxes were 
opened in public, and the Tomatos they contained 
proved to be utterly bad. He at once gave orders 
for them to be taken away, but the Tomatos in 
the next box opened proved to be perfectly sound. 
There was no accounting for these things. The 
complainant said that he gave qid. a box for these 
Tomatos. Several men, of whom he was one, had 
offered qd. a box, and they all “ tossed up ” to see 
who should have them. He proved the winner, and 
had them at qid. It was explained that this tossing 
system was originated by the costermongers attend¬ 
ing Covent Garden Market, but the auctioneers took 
no part in it. Sir John Bridge ordered the Tomatos 
to be destroyed, and directed the defendant to return 
the 16s. to the complainant, and pay the cost of the 
summons. 
