396 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
February 19, 1898. 
away from Vineries and Peach houses, though within 
easy reach of hot-water pipes. The dimensions are 
40 ft. long by 7 ft. wide, the front being glass some 
12 ft. in height, made of large and convenient doors 
6 ft. high, the remaining 6 ft. being fixed sashes. 
This facilitates the removing of old soil and the 
placing in of fresh soil or mulching material when 
such are required. The ends tco are of glass ; and 
it will thus be seen that as the bouse faces the south 
it commands a large share of light and sunheat. 
The inside space is just a 2-ft. path, being iron 
gratings laid on bricks, and the remaining 5-ft. 
border, running the whole length, is divided into 
squares cf 5 ft., divided with loose brick partitions, 
into each of which a plant of Banana is planted. 
Some small drainage is necessary if the subsoil is 
sand or gravel, a greater amount of rubbish, brick 
ends, &c., being used if the under layer is of a clayey 
nature. Of good loam, say three parts, to one of well 
rotted manure, with a little gritty substance thrown 
in to keep the soil from getting too solid, is all that 
is needed. After placing the soil in the spaces, 
allowing it to become a trifle warm, the young plants 
as they are obtained should be planted in the centre, 
care being taken that they are not put in too deep. 
It is better to keep them up, as atop-dressing should 
be given as growth advances, and leaves and stem 
need large supplies of nourishment. 
When once a house of this kind is secured there 
will be a constant supply of suckers to take the 
place of those that fcave fruited and been cut away. 
It is not wise to let the soil remain for more than 
two fruitings; it should then be all cleared out of the 
one or two separate spaces that are being lenewed, 
and a fresh start made, when a new lease seems to 
be given, and the plants come away with great 
vigour. When the sunlight and heat are too 
strong some limewash scattered over the sides and 
roof are the best breaks that can be given for the 
intense rays. Abundance of water in the growing 
season and a high temperature at the same time are 
absolute essentials— W. Swan, Bystock, Exmouth. 
— .|.- 
JUDGING AT HORTICULTURAL 
EXHIBITIONS. 
Anyone who takes a prominent part in judging at 
horticultural shows must be prepared to be severely 
criticised not only by the exhibitors but also by the 
general public, for to please all is simply impossible. 
I am quite at one with your correspondent, Mr. 
M. Temple, in your issue for February 12th, page 
379. As an exhibitor I care not who judges my 
exhibits providing they are practical men, and I am 
always satisfied with their decision ; but I distinctly 
favour giving equal prizes taken after carefully 
examining the productions, either by pointing or 
otherwise, if they are considered of equal merit, and I 
consider it most unfair to do otherwise. I know it is 
urged by some that it is an easy way out of a diffi¬ 
culty. Allowing it to be so, surely it is just, and so 
long as it is my privilege and pleasure to act as a 
judge I shall certainly support the awarding of equal 
prizes when I consider it my duty to do so. 
I have received equal prizes myself, and have never 
questioned the award. I will mention one instance 
which is still quite fresh in my memory. In 1881 
when the Kingston Chrysanthemum Society was 
considered to be one of the most important, if not 
the most important, show of the kind then held, valu¬ 
able prizes were offered for trained specimens, and 
some of the very best judges of the day were 
appointed to make the awards. The judges deputed 
to judge the plants were unable to come to a decision 
and the others were called in, the consequence being 
the awarding of equal first prizes, which the society 
generously paid in full, my opponent being my old 
friend and tutor, Mr. G. King, of Esher. We were 
both perfectly satisfied with the awa r ds.— Edwin 
Beckett, Aldenham House Gardens, Elstree. 
I did not see the article Mr. Temple refers to 
(page 379), but it is a puzzle to me how judges can 
find an equal first or second. It is as great a puzzle 
how they manage to award the prizes in any case 
" where there are different species tabled ” or where 
it is only " a score each of Roses, Dahlias, Carna¬ 
tions, or Chrysanthemums,” if each score contains 
different varieties, and give anything like an intelli¬ 
gent explanation of how they did it. I have no 
doubt Mr. Temple will make this clear to the hum¬ 
blest mind in his next article. He assumes that 
everyone is satisfied wiih the present method of 
judging by points. Now, I think it is on this part 
of the subject that the greatest misunderstanding 
takes place. I would like to ask if these points were 
points of quality, and if one point in one subject was 
balanced against a similar point in an opposing sub¬ 
ject, or if it is only a term used with no definite 
meaning, but simply used in a general way to mean 
that figures have been placed to the credit of each 
subject examined. 
If this is so those points are merely figures to 
remind the judge of the opinions he had formed, 
and is only a measure of his opinion instead of a 
sum of qualities, and seeing that men's opinions 
vary as much as their faces, their judgments must 
vary in accordance with their opinions, and this is 
the cause of the " twaddle ” that Mr. Temple refers 
to. There can be no uniformity of judgment till 
there is a uniformity of opinion, and there can be no 
uniformity of opinion till we have well defined rules 
for judging. [There is a small pamphlet of 11 Rules 
for Judging," Ed ] The principal cause of disputes 
at horticultural exhibitions is the attempt to balance 
qualities against each other which are not the same, 
and as long as this continues the judgments will be 
crude and unintelligible. Of course, the remedy for 
this is to have the same kind of exhibit competing 
against others of the same kind or variety.-—IF. K. 
It is something fresh, to be sure, as related by Mr. 
Temple, to read of anyone who does not believe in 
giving equal firsts to equal points. When two and two 
do not make four, it is about time to be serious. But 
after all, it was perhaps a deviation from the usual 
twaddle. The centre of the laws of gravitation is 
balance—justice ; but there are some who are more 
proud of being out of fulcrum than others of being 
in. My belief is that such an exposition of unequal 
judgment upon equal exhibits would do good by 
exciting pity for a second exhibitor, and wholesale 
indignation against the abettors and purveyors of 
their duty. — A Judge. 
-. f 
QUESTIONABLE EXHIBITS. 
The affairs of the National Chrysanthemum Society 
have been subjected of late to a good d eal of criticism, 
and the discussion thusevoked may not be entirely lost 
as long as it is conducted in a fair and frank spirit. 
But does not A Member of the N.C.S. (p. 364 of The 
Gardening World) go a step too far when he 
questions the honesty of certain proceedings ? Any 
firm, no matter of what standing, has a perfect right 
to offer prizes for produce grown from its own seeds, 
and as perfect a right to make what conditions it 
likes to govern the competition, provided these con¬ 
ditions apply with equal force to all who enter. 
Most people will admit that it is not a fair 
condition to rule that all produce entered in a com¬ 
petition for vegetables grown from seeds supplied by 
the firm giving the prizes shall become the property 
of the donors of the prizes ; but what then ? Surely 
if the conditions are not in accordance with the 
exhibitors’ ideas of justice they have the remedy in 
their own hands, viz., to refrain from exhibiting in 
that class. There is no dishonesty in imposing any 
particular conditions, althongh there may be, and is 
in this case, inexpediency. 
Secretary on p. 375 of last week’s issue says that 
" the offering of these prizes leads to a great deal of 
dishonesty, and should not be encouraged.” 
Just so ! but dots not the jeweller who hangs up in 
his window a tempting selection of jewellery lead men 
to dishonesty by exciting their cupidity ? but we do 
not shut up the jeweller’s shop all the same, although 
we take steps to guard it. 
Neither Secretary nor anyone else has a right to 
impugn the honesty of the gardeners who show, 
even in classes where the exhibits become the 
property of the donors of the prizes ; indeed, it is 
only fair to such men to assume, in the lack of 
evidence to the contrary, that they have their 
employer’s consent to exhibit in the class, and, of 
course, to abide by the conditions imposed. 
Secretary says also that ” some firms evidently con¬ 
sider this a cheap way of advertising.” Of course it 
is advertising ! what else could it be ? what else 
could a business man expect it to be ? but whether 
cheap or not is another question. 
Meanwhile, it is not fair to doubt the honesty of 
either prize givers or prize winners upon no other 
foundation than an opinion, for this is a breach of 
the laws that govern our country, as well as of the 
morally not less binding rules that hold society 
together — Fiat justitia. 
The winning exhibits to become the prcp;rly cf the 
donor is a stipulation which ought not to be tolerated 
and encouraged in any schedule ; be the show what 
it may, big or little, the principle is the same. 
Assuredly, committees in accepting donations 
admit it is a technical gain to them, and there leave 
it to the discretion of intending exhibitors to please 
themselves, but it is neither fair nor wise, and when 
exhibits are staged, the gardeners do so very often 
under protest. 
I have many times spoken of this restriction, for it 
is neither giving, selling, nor buying. Only last year 
in judging the fruit at one show (the extra prizes 
were mostly of this so-called liberal class) I could 
not help but remark to my fellow judge that it was a 
cheap way of purchase, for most of the prize winning 
kinds would have fetched double the value in the 
market.— A Judge. 
-- 
LOW-PRICED SEED. 
That good seed and pedigree under equally good 
conditions naturally give the best results is incon¬ 
testable, yet it requires some general insight into 
things before one can realise what is low, high, or a 
just position. Morality in explanations, descriptions, 
and commerce seems to be ignored by mutual con¬ 
sent, and men get so accustomed to misrepresenta¬ 
tions that to be open and frank would be to almost 
break faith with one another. 
I would neither condemn source nor seed as 
doubtful becouse it has a low selling quotation any 
more than I would guarantee a sound, costly 
pedigree animal to do well under a doubtful buyer. 
Starvation, unsuitable food, inferior conditions, poor, 
shallow, undrained and unweeded soils are equally 
as ruinous to all. Seedsmen are aware of these 
things, and as rightly give no warranty, expressed or 
implied, in their lists. 
Yet there is a dais of men who believe in the top 
price for everything, even for the same variety or 
pedigree. Indeed, I believe, there is more blame 
attaching to, and more mistakes are made by thick 
sowings, planting, and negligence in after cultivation 
than in all the bad seed put together. 
It is certainly unfortunate when some have been 
at so much trouble and expanse in manuring, pre¬ 
paration, &c , to find rubbish. The seed supplied 
may be good and sound, but choice of variety has 
been the mistake rather than an inferior price. 
Cheapness and quality, a go-and-come-again 
policy in these days, is an adage not to be disparaged, 
and nothing is more likely to deter the dishonest 
seedsman than the fear of publicity which the 
supply of his own seeds will inevitably bring 
him. 
Io the seed trade there are some of the most con¬ 
scientious and upright of men whose quotations 
are low-priced, yet who would scorn to send seed of 
doubtful quality. 
Our seeds are now to hand. I take a sample 
quart of a standard sort of Peas at random, and 
this item alone is 25 and 50 per cent, lower than 
some. I stake my responsibility, and trust our 
seedsmen's reputation. Roguing out is quite right, 
but the expense and trouble are not all this. The fact 
is many cannot bear brief descriptions, simple lists, 
small expenses, nett and little profits, but do not 
scrupl^to take off their hats, and nearly bow down 
to the ground to things the opposite.— B. Lockwood, 
Bindley. 
- -—- 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The undermentioned subjects were certificated by the 
Royal Horticultural Society on the 8th inst. 
Orchid Committee. 
Laelia anceps waddoniensis, Nov. var.— In this 
a choice and valuable variety has been added to the 
list of white forms of Laelia anceps. It comes 
between the varieties ashworthiana and hollidayana, 
minus the blotch on the lip of the latter, which 
circumstance reduces it to the group of L. a. vestalis. 
The sepals are broad, and the elliptic petals white. 
The lip is white, with violet lines on a very pale 
yellow ground on the inner face of the side lobes on 
first expansion; but as the flower gets fully developed, 
