September 17, 1892. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
83 
AMATEURS AND THE 
R.H.S. 
In your issue of the 3rd inst. your leading article on 
the recent Chiswick Conferences and the deplorable 
exhibits of Begonias, Fruit, &c., contains the follow¬ 
ing, “ So great a failure has proved to be the offering 
ot prizes to amateur growers at the various meet¬ 
ings,” to which I am constrained to take exception, 
inasmuch as it casts an unfair reflection upon a body 
of Horticulturists who little deserve it. 
To those of your readers who are acquainted with 
the ways of the R.H.S. it perhaps was not surprising, 
but to the many who are not familiar with that 
society's working it must have been read with some¬ 
thing akin to astonishment. For my part I do not 
think one need look very far to find the cause for so 
feeble a response, there being but little doubt that it 
is all brought about by the unfortunate fact that the 
R.H.S. only divide the horticultural world into two 
parts, viz. : 1, The trade, 2, Amateurs, thus bringing 
under the latter heading all that great army of light, 
learning, and skill collectively known as Gentlemen’s 
Gardeners, with whom therefore the bona fide 
amateur has to compete if he exhibits at all. 
Can it be wondered at that the amateur proper, 
subjected to such onerous handicapping, keeps out of 
the show tent ? I think it would be much more 
wonderful were he to put in an appearance, though 
frequently he could do so and come out with flying 
colours. Only last month at the meeting of the 
National Amateur Gardeners’ Association, when but 
one prize was offered for 6 Begonias in pots (3 doubles 
and 3 singles), there were quite a number of exhibi¬ 
tors and keen competition, and what is more to the 
point, any one of these exhibits might have been 
termed “grand” by comparison with the solitary 
example at Chiswick. 
I know it is quite the fashion in certain quarters to 
scout the idea of the bona fide amateur being worth 
consideration, but pray do not throw the blame for 
the Chiswick failure on to their shoulders, when ob¬ 
viously they were practically shut out by those who 
are now complaining of their absence. Rather let 
the authorities of the R.H.S. and others whom it 
may concern take a lesson from experience, and for 
the future recognise and encourage, instead of dis¬ 
courage, the amateur gardener. Deal liberally with 
the Trade by all means, for they richly deserve it, as 
it goes without saying that “ they make the show,” 
also stir up to action and by a generous schedule of 
prizes encourage the Gentlemen’s Gardener to render 
his aid to the society, and lastly put out the kindly, 
helping, leading hand to the poor amateur who no 
doubt will, when he has become accustomed to the 
new order of things, render a good account of himself 
and justify the fullest recognition.— H. A. Needs, 
Heath View, Horsell, Woking. 
--*•- 
THE ELEVATION OF GARDENING AS 
A PROFESSION. 
While we must all agree as to the desirability of 
such elevation, we probably differ materially as to 
the best means of attaining such a result. Unques¬ 
tionably there is much room for self-improvement in 
the rank and file, even in the way of acquiring an 
ordinary education, and such improvement lies with 
the gardener himself. In this, as in all other cases, 
virtue is its own reward, the increased knowledge 
opening up fresh channels of enjoyment and interest 
far beyond the mere joys of a pipe and its inevitable 
accompaniment, so that it is surely worth prosecut¬ 
ing for this result alone. Increased knowledge 
unlocks the gate to a larger sphere of usefulness ; it 
is the "open sesame ” of the horticultural world. 
Truly, horticulture is an exhaustless subject, and 
were there only greater facilites for acquiring a 
scientific as well as practical knowledge of it, we 
would have a race of gardeners in the rising genera¬ 
tion who would force up wages, and make positions 
for themselves. I consider one of the very best 
•things a young gardener can do is to spend a year in 
a good nursery, where his scope of observation will 
be very much enlarged, and his knowledge of the 
nomenclature of plants much increased. Here also 
he can have facilities for attending evening classes 
in town ; he should strive to attain besides the three 
R’s, a knowledge of drawing, which is as rare as it 
is desirable among gardeners. Of course he should 
study botany, and if he is fortunate enough to be 
.near a town where, as in some, he can attend a course 
of lectures on horticulture he should be a happy 
man. 
My own drawing career came to an abrupt close 
in consequence of the remarks passed by my master 
on my first study from still life. I remember he 
characterised it as “ a thing a child might draw on a 
slate ” ; hence the conclusion that any talent I pos¬ 
sessed in that line was decidedly dormant. Armed 
with such qualifications, a young gardener should be 
indeed well equipped against such evils as low wages 
and servile conditions ; but will the employer recog¬ 
nise that this man is worth more than a mere cab¬ 
bage gardener ? For one thing, in order to displace 
the inferior man, he must be able to prove that he 
will be the better investment; that because of his 
superior knowledge his skill will be greater, and will 
produce greater results. That once demonstrated, I 
have no fear for the status of the gardener. A man 
who can show his employer'that it is cheaper to pay 
him more wages because of the better returns from 
his labour is in the right track to raise himself and 
his fellows. 
He must not disdain manual labour because of his 
scientific lore, but rather glory in the fact that, 
rightly understood, all labour is holy and ennobling. 
May we not hope for such results in the near future ? 
But what of my old friend, the gardener of to-day, 
whose spelling is somewhat shaky, who has “ little 
of Latin and less of Greek,” whose kindly face 
gleams athwart my memory ? Alack and alas ! that 
we must leave him where we found him !— C. Mac¬ 
quarie, Chicago. 
--J—- 
PLANTS RECENTLY 
CERTIFICATED. 
The plants certificated at the meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society on the 6th inst., were chiefly 
florists’ flowers and Orchids. 
Canna Star of 91.—The stems of this Canna are 
dwarf, and the lanceolate moderate sized leaves of a 
light glaucous green. The flowers are large with 
broad, obovate, bright scarlet segments lightly 
flushed with yellow, especially along the veins. The 
plants shown had been grown at the society's 
gardens, Chiswick, where they had been sent by Mr. 
C. L. Allen, Floral Park, New York, and an Award 
of Merit was accorded the variety. 
Gladioli. 
Numa.—T he flowers of this variety are large and 
white, flushed with lilac, and striped from the edge 
inwards with broad crimson lines. The two lower 
segments are smaller and paler, with a creamy blotch 
on the centre. 
Poetess. —This is somewhat similar in type to the 
last, but paler in colour, being white, flushed with 
flesh, and lined with pink at the edges. The lower 
segment is yellow with a crimson blotch on the 
centre, and the throat is also of the latter hue. Both 
were exhibited by Messrs. Kelway & Son, Langport, 
Somerset, and received Awards of Merit. 
Dahlias. 
Bertha Mawley. —The blooms of this Cactus 
Dahlia vary from medium to large size, and are of a 
brilliant red flushed with scarlet or crimson in the 
centre, but showing a tint of violet towards the tips 
of the florets which are long, pointed, and revolute 
at the edges. 
Mrs. Barham. —The florets of this variety are 
oblong, pointed,-nearly flat, rosy-pink, and yellow at 
the base and in the centre. The blooms are of 
medium size, and of that type which would be 
reckoned a Cactus variety, but it is really on the bor¬ 
der land between a truly Cactus type and a decora¬ 
tive variety. 
Kaiserin. —This more nearly reaches the true 
ideal of a Cactus Dahlia, having long pointed and 
clear or soft yellow florets. The blooms are of 
medium size, and the variety is likely to become 
popular as the best of its colour, at least for the 
time being. 
Countess of Radnor. —The heads of this Cactus 
Dahlia are of medium to large size, with long 
pointed, more or less twisted florets, richly overlaid 
with lilac-purple on a yellow ground, the latter ap¬ 
pearing more distinctly towards the base of the 
florets, especially in the centre of the flower. All 
the four Dahlias received Awards of Merit when 
shown by Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., Salis¬ 
bury. 
The following subjects were exhibited at 
the International Horticultural Exhibition, Earl’s 
Court, on the gth and 10th inst., and each received a 
First-class Certificate. 
Helianthus multiflorus.Bouquet d’Or. —This 
may be reckoned one of the best, if not the very best, 
of the three double forms of this Sunflower we now 
possess. The heads are of large size, golden yellow, 
and perfectly double or full, with rather narrow and 
closely arranged florets without any outer ray. H. 
m. plenus, the old double form, is characterised by 
having a smaller centre with a distinct ray of longer 
florets surrounding the head. The third double 
form, namely H. m. grandiplenus, otherwise known 
as Soleil d'Or comes nearest the variety under notice, 
but the head is made up of fewer and rather broader 
florets. All three were shown by Mr. T. S. Ware, 
and the Certificate was awarded to Bouquet d'Or. 
Dahlias. 
Sir Roger. — One of the prettiest of the new 
varieties of Cactus Dahlias is that herehamed. The 
bloom is of medium size, very neat, of a striking 
orange-scarlet, with long-pointed, ascending florets. 
Robert Cannell.— The blooms of this beautiful 
Cactus Dahlia are of medium size or above it with 
long, rich purple florets shaded with scarlet and 
tinted with violet at the tips. Both varieties were 
exhibited by Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley. 
Dazzler.— This is a fancy Dahlia of very large 
size, distinctly splashed here and there, and thinly 
mottled with crimson on a clear yellow ground. 
Virginale. —The heads of this show variety are 
soft lilac deepening to a pale purple, but always soft 
and delicate, with the younger centre always the 
paler. 
Niobe.— The neatness of this beautiful Dahlia is 
due to the way in which the florets are compressed 
or flattened vertically. The heads are large, dark 
crimson and therefore belong to the show type. 
Miss Violet Morgan, —Heads of this Cactus 
variety, small or medium sized, soft salmon-pink 
overlying the tips of the florets, which are otherwise 
yellow, as well as the younger ones in the centre. 
Avalanche.— The florets of this Cactus variety are 
of considerable length, pointed, recurved, and narrow 
owing to the way in which they are incurved at the 
sides. This latter character is unusually developed, 
and in most varieties the edges are revolute, instead 
of being involute. The head is of medium to large 
size, and white or ultimately becoming blush. 
Countess of Pembroke.— The florets of this 
Dahlia are ovate, acute, slightly concave, and of a 
uniform bright lilac-purple. The heads are of 
medium to large size, and more strictly a decorative 
than a Cactus variety, but very pretty on account of 
their decided colour. 
Daphne.— The heads of this Cactus variety are 
small or medium sized with long ascending florets, 
suddenly pointed, and of a bright rose-pink shaded 
with yellow in the centre. 
Madge.— This is a Pompon of average size, neat 
and bright red tipped with white. 
Little Frank. —The heads of this Pompon are 
very neat and of a soft yellow, shaded with flesh or 
pink at the tips of the florets after they are fully 
expanded, but more decidedly yellow in the centre. 
Bacchus.— The blooms of this Pompon are very 
neat and of a bright red or scarlet. 
Ceres.— This is of large size for a Pompon, or at 
least above the average, but neat, of a soft primrose 
yellow and pretty All of the above eleven Dahlias, 
from Dazzler to Ceres inclusive, were exhibited by 
Messrs. Keynes, Williams & Co., Salisbury, besides 
Kaiserin, Bertha, Mawley and Countess of Radnor, 
previously described. 
Winifred.— Here we have a Pompon of very 
small size, neat, pretty and pure white or slightly 
tinted with lilac on the tips of the younger florets. 
Tommy Keith.— The florets of this Pompon 
variety are crimson tipped with white, the crimson 
being the more prominent in the early stages of the 
bloom and the white ultimately. This and the 
previous variety were shown by Mr. J. T. West, 
gardener to W. Keith, Esq , Cornwall*, Brentwood. 
Florence Woodland.— The small blooms of this 
pretty Pompon are clear yellow, margined with 
bright red or crimson round the outer edge. 
Delicata.— In this we have a Cactus variety of 
great beauty, but of medium size or above it, and 
delicate in hue ?.s the name indicates. The long 
pointed florets are slightly recurved at the margins 
towards the tip and of a delicate pink flushed with 
white, while the centre is flushed with pale yellow. 
