42 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
September 19, 1896. 
gardener to A. M. Dorman, Esq., Ashford. The 
latter came to the front for yellow Tomatos, and for 
dessert varieties, showing Sunbeam and Bunyard’s 
New Green Gage. 
Mr. W. Lewis took the premier award for six 
dishes of Pears, which were large and handsome. 
Mr. J. Rabjohn had the best three dishes of Pears, 
which were of great size and nicely coloured ; those 
shown by Mr. Graves, gardener to the Rev. E. 
Bartram, Wakes Colne, were very creditable, but 
less mature ; Mr. J. Sims, gardener to W. B. Prcsser, 
Esq., Maidstone, was third with large samples. 
Mr. W. Lewis took the premier honours for twelve 
dishes of cooking Apples which were of enormous 
size and looked as if they had been polished. Pease- 
goods, Nonsuch, and Lane’s Prince Albert were 
grand. He also had the best six dishes which fully 
maintained his reputation, Mr. Graves took the 
second place; and Mr. A. Browning was third, all 
having Apples of such grand proportions as can only 
be seen in the south. 
Mr. A. Browning led the way in the class for six 
dishes of dessert Apples, which were marvels of 
colouring. Mr. Graves took the second place here 
with a beautiful lot ; and Mr. W. Lewis was third. 
The latter took the first prize for a dish of Lady 
Sudeley Apple, now ripe. 
Vegetables (Division B. Open Classes). 
This class of garden produce was quite a feature of 
the exhibition. Mr. Thorner, gardener to Miss Bals- 
ton, Thornhill, Maidstone, had the best Beet, the 
roots being of fine form. Mr. C. J. Beale, ng, 
Wheeler Street, had the best Runner Beans. Mr. 
W. Munn, Hollingbourne, had the finest stump- 
rooted Carrots. Mr. Thos. Hosmer, Meopham, took 
the lead for long-rooted Carrots showing Bunyard's 
Scarlet Perfection in admirable form. 
Mr. Thos. Hosmer rightly took the lead for a dish 
of twelve bulbs of Bunyard’s White Spanish Onion 
which were the finest in the show. Mr. W. Jarman 
was second with smaller but nicely ripened speci¬ 
mens. Mr. E. Clements staged the best St. John’s 
Day Cabbages. Mr. W. Froud, gardener to T. B. 
Henson, Esq., Tonbridge, had the best Ellam’s Early 
Cabbage. Mr. E. Clements had the best dish of 
Puritan Potato, and took the same honour for 
Windsor Castle Potato. Mr. S. Coward, gardener 
to V. de Michell, Esq., Ashford, showed the best 
Snowdrop variety, in beautiful samples. 
Competition of Societies. 
Division D, was open to societies of cottage gar¬ 
deners or allotment holders. There was a great 
competition, and the variety and excellence of the 
vegetables were truly remarkable. Tbe Milton 
Society (secretary, Mr. W. W. Budds) took the lead¬ 
ing award, with splendid samples of Cauliflower, 
Onions, Potatos, Tomatos, Celery, Cabbages, Leeks, 
Carrots, &c. The Ightham Cottage Gardeners’ Society 
(secretary, Mr. Jas. Williams) took the second place 
with an imposing display of Cauliflower, Brussels 
Sprouts, Onions, Beans, Potatos, Carrots, Beet, &c. 
The Higham Horticultural Society (secretary, Mr. 
F. W. Duckrell) was third. The Westwell Cottage 
Gardeners’ Society was fourth ; St. Michael’s and 
St. Peter’s Horticultural Society, Maidstone, fifth ; 
Yalding Cottage Gardeners’ United Improvement 
Society, sixth; North and South, KiDg Street 
Cottage Gardeners’ Society, Maidstone, seventh; 
and the Goudhurst and Cottage Gardeners’ Society, 
was eighth. There were ten entries making a most 
imposing display. 
Cut Flowers and Cottager’s Exhibits. 
The gardeners of Kent did not take advantage of the 
prizes offered for cut flowers, a deficiency which 
was made good by Messrs. Geo. Bunyard & Co. 
The quantity of vegetables shown, however, by the 
gardeners, amply demonstrated the wide spread 
enthusiasm for this class of garden produce. The 
soil and climatic conditions that prevail in Kent, 
coupled with the skill of the gardeners, have made 
such a name for this part of Britain, that it might 
well be termed the " Garden of England.” 
The cottage gardeners responded to the offer of 
prizes by forwarding a great variety and quantity of 
vegetables which were arranged in a long corridor 
by themselves. This part of the competition was 
confined to cottagers and allotment holders, using 
less than a quarter of an acre of land ; and judging 
by the exhibits put up, they made a good use of the 
land. The vegetables shown comprised Runner 
Beans, Carrots, Onions, Cabbages, Potatos, Parsnips, 
&C., all of Bunyard’s strains and varieties. Space 
forbids detail concerning these exhibits, further than 
to say that a great many of them were of a high order 
of merit. 
Luncheon. 
The firm provided the judges, and others forming 
a large party with an excellent luncheon. Mr. Geo. 
Bunyard presided, and in due course proposed the 
toast of “ The Queen, the Prince and Princess of 
Wales and other members of the Royal Family,” 
which was loyally responded to. The chairman said 
that The Queen was the best monarch we have ever 
had upon the throne, and compared her rule with 
that of other countries. He then proposed "The 
Judges," at the same time explaining the absence of 
Mr. Owen Thomas (the Queen’s gardener), and the 
Rev. W. Wilks. He called upon Mr. G. Gordon and 
Mr. J. Hudson to respond. 
Mr. Gordon said that the vegetables had given the 
judges a great amount of trouble in allocating the 
awards, and that they were worthy of the exhibition 
and the exhibitors. Mr. J. Hudson corroborated 
this evidence, and said that they were sorry to have 
to disqualify two exhibits for not complying with the 
schedule, and advised the gardeners to carefully read 
the schedule before making up their collections. 
Mr. J. Wright proposed " The Chairman,” and 
said that Mr. G. Bunyard had been engaged in the 
trade for over forty years, and that all present were 
proud to see him at the head of the firm, and occupy¬ 
ing the proud position he held that day. He had 
done magnificent work for the cause of fruit, and was 
now at the head of the most important fruit growing 
establishment in the country or in the world. He 
had the freedom of London conferred upon him at 
the Fruiterer s Show in 1893. Some people had put 
forward the fallacious statement that fruit was being 
overdone in this country, but he (Mr. Wright) quoted 
facts to the contrary. He was pleased to state thatMr. 
Bunyard, Junr., had been taken into the business 
that day. Maidstone was the metropolis of fruit 
growing in the United Kingdom. The Rev. H. H. 
D’Ombrain was described as the father of theNational 
Rose Society. The reverend gentleman in speaking 
of the firm of Messrs. Geo. Bunyard & Co., said that 
honesty and integrity were the foundation of its whole 
reputation. 
Mr. G. Bunyard, sen., in replying, said that his 
son had been introduced to the business, but had 
to earn his spurs before he should receive them, 
that is, before beiDg made a partner; but he was 
to train his son to regular and careful habits of 
observation, and business tactics, for he intended 
to keep his establishment in the front rank of 
everything that was good. With reference to the 
exhibition, if there was any surplus after paying 
expenses, it was to be divided between the Gar¬ 
deners’ Royal Benevolent Institution, Royal Gar¬ 
deners’ Orphan Fund, and the Church Institute, 
Maidstone. In connection with these institutions 
he introduced Mr. G. J. Ingram, and Mr. A. F. 
Barron, who were present; also Mr. J. Hudson, 
treasurer of the Gardeners' United Horticultural 
Benefit and Provident Society. Before sitting 
down he paid a tribute of praise to his manager 
and his men for the assistance they had rendered 
him. 
A large party was afterwards conveyed to the 
Allington Nursery to see the trees. We must 
defer notice of this for another occasion. The 
accompanying illustration (p.41) represents the Apple, 
Mrs. Barron, a kitchen variety of great merit, 
which is grown to handsome size on dwarf bushes 
at the Allington Nursery. 
ROSES IN CALIFORNIA. 
Beautiful as the Rose gardens of cur own island 
are, they give us but a feeble idea of the glory, 
the beauty and luxuries of the Roses of Southern 
California when in the height of their flowering 
season the whole country side seems to be one blaze 
of colours. Go where you will, look in which direction 
you please, thousands of richly coloured blooms 
meet the eye. Delicate Tea Roses grow beside the 
lowliest mountain cabin with an abandon of which 
we can have but faint conception, whilst the sides of 
old barns, deserted cattle and horse corrals, and 
ruined buildings of all descriptions, are covered o'er 
with the choicest climbing Roses in many varieties, 
all of them growing with tropical luxuriance. 
On the road to Los Angeles, and about Pomona, 
there abound hedges of Marechal Niel, Cherokee, 
and Jacqueminot Roses, all loading the air with 
their delicious perfume, and flooding the valleys with 
their brilliant beauty. Even in the streets of the 
older settled towns large branches bearing blooms 
every whit as perfect in form and colour as those 
sold in New York, Philadelphia, Boston, and other 
eastern cities at four dollars a dozen, thrust them¬ 
selves invitingly over fences, or clamber at their own 
sweet will over Cypress hedges. In scores of streets 
there are rows of Pepper trees, up the shaggy stems 
of which Cloth of Gold, Beauty of Glazenwood, and 
Devoniensis Roses have been trained so thickly as 
to entirely cover the trunks from sight. No pen can 
properly describe the right royal appearance of 
these trees during the summer months. Overhead is 
the grateful shade of the deep green leaves, whilst 
the branches bearing them are all festooned and 
mantled with thousands of brightly hued Roses, long 
sprays of which droop downwards to the very 
ground. 
Not only do Roses exhibit this wondrous freedom 
of growth, but under the influence of an exception¬ 
ally mild climate, and in the almost total absence of 
nipping frosts, vegetable life in all its forms attains 
an unwonted luxuriance of growth Only a few 
times in the year does tbe thermometer fall as low as 
37 0 Fahr., and thus plants of all descriptions are able 
to grow away without check or hindrance from youth 
to extreme old age. There are hundreds of climbing 
Roses in this part of the country that have grown 
from 25 to 30 ft. in three years, At Riverside there 
is a La Marque Rose bush, some fourteen years of 
age that has twisted its branches serpent like abcut 
the trunk and limbs of a patriarchal Pepper tree to 
such an extent that when the Roses are in bloom the 
tree presents the appearance of a huge bouquet of 
greenery, bestarred with thousands upon thousands 
of white blossoms. Such a sight must be seen to be 
appreciated for adequate description is beyond the 
realms of possibility. 
- -- 
FRITILLARIAS. 
Upwards of fifty species are included in the genus 
Fritillaria, many of them possessed of no mean share 
of beauty, although perhaps the majority are rather 
more curious than pretty. All are hardy, free 
flowering subjects, many of them suitable either for 
culture in pots or for a nook in the rockery, whilst 
several are perfectly at home when naturalised in 
the grass. Fritillarias love a rich, well-drained soil, 
and they are very impatient of stagnant water lying 
round their roots. Whenever they are planted, it 
should be in a position where they need not be dis¬ 
turbed oftener than every three or four years. When 
grown in pots a cold frame is the best place for them, 
and nothing like hard forcing should be attempted. 
F. Meleagris, or the Snake's Fritillary, as it is 
commonly called, is a native of this country, 
although Oxfordshire would seem to be the head¬ 
quarters of the wild plants. This is one of the most 
useful members of the genus, suitable for planting in 
the mixed border and the rockery, as well as for 
culture in pots. The plants run to about ift. in 
height, and bear large bell-shaped flowers, 
checkered heavily with rosy-purple. This species 
is very variable, and there are several handsome 
varieties in many shades of colour. Of these, the 
pure white form is one of the best. It should find a 
place in every garden. 
F. aurea. —A charming species from Asia Minor 
produces its large golden-yellow flowers in April. 
They are mottled with black and very showy. This 
plant usually reaches a height of 6 in. 
F. armena.— Another dwarf species was intro¬ 
duced from Armenia about the year 1878. It 
flowers at the same time as F. Meleagris, the blooms 
being large, solitary, and soft yellow in hue. F. a. 
rubra, a very pretty variety, has plum-coloured 
flowers. 
F. pudica, which hails from North-western 
America has bright yellow flowers with a brownish- 
purple zone at the base, externally. They measure 
fully 1 in. in diameter, and about the same in depth. 
They are also slightly fragrant. The stems are only 
3 in. or 4 in. in height. This is a charming plant for 
pot culture. 
F. imperialis, properly known as Crown Imperial, 
is totally different in habit from all the foregoing. 
Grown in good soil, the stems run to fully 3 ft. in 
height, and bear at the top a cluster of bell-shaped 
pendant flowers, surmounted by a tuft of bright green 
leaves. This is also a very variable species, and of 
its numerous forms the following are well worthy 
attention :—Sulphurine, buff; Orange Crown, orange- 
red ; Rubra, red; and Aurora, a curious shade of 
bronzy-crimson. 
