rHE GARDENING WORLD. 
245 
December 19, 1896. 
PEOPLE I HAVE MET. 
Mr. Thos. Lunt. 
Mr. Lunt’s name is familiar to the majority of my 
readers because of the frequency with which it is 
associated with the prize lists at the various shows ; 
but the subject of this sketch has a host of personal 
friends, who know him not only to be an excellent 
competitor, but a rare good example of his race. 
Mr, Thos. Lunt, 
Born in Ardgowan, in Renfrewshire, of English 
parents, who still reside there, Mr. Lunt owes to his 
father his early instruction in horticulture, for he was 
apprenticed with him at Ardgowan, where, for so 
many years, Mr. T. Lunt, sen. has superintended the 
gardens of Sir R. Shaw Stewart, Bart. Then Lunt 
pen sent his son to the famous Dalkeith establish¬ 
ment, and he successively passed on through useful 
years at Thorsby, Mentmore, and Crichel. It was 
nice years ago when Mr. Lunt, jun. received his 
present appointment at the old family seat of the 
StirliDgs of Keir. The estate is situate in Perth¬ 
shire,near Bridge of Allan, Dunblane,and the gardens 
themselves contain some 45 acres walled in, of which 
the pleasure grounds, kitchen garden, hot-houses, &c., 
find ample work for a considerable staff under the 
direction of Mr. Lunt. For close upon six years as 
an exhibitor of foliage plants, Peaches, Nectarines, 
and Cyclamen, he has achieved a great fame, partic¬ 
ularly at the last International Show at Edinburgh, 
four years back. He has since added considerably 
to his list of achievements in the high position he 
has taken up, and successfully maintained as an 
exhibitor in the front rank classes for cut blooms of 
Chrysanthemums ; his recent notable entries at 
Glasgow and Edinburgh affording ample evidence of 
high cultural skill. 
Mr. Lunt married, in 1888, Miss Thomas, of Wood¬ 
ford, Essex, and that lady is as enthusiastic as him¬ 
self in all that appertains to horticulture, and 
delights to visit the Edinburgh shows with the two 
charming youngsters, of whom both father and 
mother are equally proud. 
Mr Lunt's cheery, good-natured manner, and the 
kindliness with which he is always ready to extend 
the principles of good fellowship commend him as 
one of the best, which indeed he is.— Gyp. 
-- 
PLANTS RECENTLY CERTIFICATED. 
The undermentioned Chrysanthemum received a 
First-class Certificate at the meeting of the Floral 
Committee of the National Chrysanthemum Society, 
at the Royal Aquarium, on December gth. 
King of Orange.—A medium-sized incurved 
bloom of fair depth, old gold in colour, the lower 
florets being suffused and striated with bronzy 
chesnut. The bloom fills up well in the centre, as 
the florets are of great length. T. W. Flight, Esq., 
Cornstiles, Twyford, Plants. 
ORCHID NOTES & GLEANINGS. 
By The Editor. 
Cattleya labiata superba, Nov var —Some 
weeks ago, when Chrysanthemums were monopol¬ 
ising all our space, we no'.ed the above grand variety 
in the collection of R. I. Measures, Esq., Cambridge 
Lodge, Flodden Road, Camberwell. The flowers 
measured 7J in. across each way, and were massive in 
appearance. The sepals were of a deep rose, and 
the petals, similar in colour, folded back, widely out¬ 
spread, of great breadth and prepossessing. The 
intense crimson, orbicular, and wavy lamina of the 
lip measured 2J in. across. The margins were lilac, 
and two pale blotches ornamented the throat, while 
the crimson was continued down the centre to the 
base of the tube. On the whole the variety strongly 
resembled an autumn-flowering C. Warneri in colour. 
It came out of one of Messrs. Linden’s importations. 
Mr. H. Chapman, the gardener, places great value 
on it, and that not without reason. 
Oncidium Forbesii.—Some flowers of a magni¬ 
ficent form of this species have been sent us by Mr. 
Alexander Grigor, gardener to Alex. O. Gill, Esq., 
Fairfield, Aberdeen. He also sent a bloom of an 
inferior variety grown in the neighbourhood, and the 
contrast was great. The flowers of the large form 
measured 2f in. across the petals, being slightly 
larger than the recorded size, but agreeing in colour, 
and scarcely warranting a new name. The whole 
flower was of a glossy, shining, chestnut-red, and the 
margins of the petals and lip beautifully marbled 
with irregular blotches of the same hue on a yellow 
ground. They were also beautifully undulated at 
the margins. This fine form was recently imported, 
and the spike carried fifteen of these large and finely 
formed flowers. The owner and the grower may 
well be proud of this fine form. The inferior flower 
only measured 2 in. across, and by comparison was of 
a pale dull chestnut-red. 
---- 
FAMOUS GARDENS ABROAD AND 
AT HOME. 
At a meeting of the Devon and Exeter Gardeners’ 
Association, in the Guildhall, Exeter, on the 2nd 
inst., Mr. F. W. Meyer, landscape gardener to 
Messrs. R. Veitch and Son, Exeter, gave a most 
interesting lecture on this subject, illustrated by 
about 100 lime-light views. The lantern threw 
pictures about 12 ft. in diameter on the screen. 
Amongst ancient gardens were excellent reproduc¬ 
tions of Egyptian gardens, the hanging gardens of 
Babylon, Roman gardens, and the glacier garden at 
Lucerne. The latter was formed by a prehistoric 
glacier, and is well-known to geologists. Mr. Meyer 
then passed on to modern gardens, and remarked 
that because he presented them with numerous 
pictures of foreign gardens his hearers must not 
infer that English gardens were less beautiful. He 
merely presented them for the sake of comparison, 
because they were less generally known in this 
country. About 12 views of Japanese and Chinese 
gardens were then given, followed by views from 
Jerusalem, India, Madeira, and Italy. Some of 
Nature’s gardens, amongst the peaks of Switzerland, 
were thrown on the screen. Gardens of Paris and 
the famous gardens at Versailles, with their artificial 
adornments, were well represented. Germany was 
well represented by views from the Berlin Exhibition 
of 1896, the public gardens of Berlin, Cologne i 
Wiesbaden, and Frankfort. The celebrated Palm 
gardens of the latter place were illustrated by several 
fine pictures ; and Mr. Meyer said they were 
some of the most beautiful he had seen on 
account of the happy way with which their 
designer, Mr. Siesmeyer, had combined the 
regular and irregular style of landscape garden¬ 
ing. English gardens were then represented by 
22 pictures, including views of Her Majesty’s 
private grounds at Buckingham Palace and Virginia 
Water. Other views were of Hampton Court, 
Crystal Palace, London parks, Kew Gardens, Sefton 
Park, Liverpool, Birkenhead Park, Chatsworth, and 
Tresco Abbey in the Scilly Isles. The interior of 
the conservatory of Col. Halford Thompson, East 
Cliff, Teignmouth, was thrown on the screen and 
described as famous, in the sense that it was possibly 
the only structure of its kind filled with plants grown 
entirely in Jadoo fibre. The Devon and Exeter 
gardeners were then entertained with a view of 
themselves as they appeared as the guests of Col. 
Halford Thompson during their summer outing last 
July. Some of the gardens laid out by Mr. Meyer 
for Messrs. R. Veitch and Son were then shown on 
the screen. Mr. A. Hope proposed a vote of thanks 
to Mr. J. I. Pengelly for assisting with the lantern, 
and other votes of thanks brought a most interesting 
meeting to a close. 
-- 
OUR GARDENING CHARITIES. 
During the past few weeks much has been written 
as to the best way of commemorating the sixtieth 
year of Her Majesty’s reign from a gardener's and a 
gardening point of view. 
Undoubtedly a horticultural hall in London is a 
much needed establishment, and the more so.if it 
was arranged so that gardeners, when going to 
London, could find good hotel accommodation at a 
moderate charge; and on show days arrangement 
should be made for a luncheon at a moderate cost. 
This would afford gardeners and all those connected 
with horticulture an opportunity of meeting their 
friends, and form a connecting link amongst horti¬ 
culturists generally. 
I could name several other benefits ; but it is on 
behalf of the gardening charities that I am thinking 
just now. If such a thing could be obtained as a 
horticultural hall, what a splendid place for holding 
the annual meeting of these charities, as there are 
many gardeners from the country who would often 
attend these meetings were it not for the obstruction 
of hotel accommodation. We want a horticultural 
club on a lower grade so as to meet the wants and 
the pocket of the working gardener. 
Should he not be able to scale as high as a horti¬ 
cultural hall, there is one way whereby every 
gardener (let his position be what it may) could help 
to commemorate Her Majesty's sixtieth year of reigD, 
namely, by making a strong effort to give what he 
can afford and by collecting from others with 
whom he is acquainted. I venture to think every 
gardener (let his position be what it may) has some 
opportunities of helping on the funds of these 
institutions. It often occurs to me that gardeners 
have many openings so that they could bring these 
institutions before the flower-loving public. 
It would be a good thing in many places if the 
gardeners would have a collecting card or box in the 
gardens, and whenever anyone wished to look round 
the place, before they leave, make a point of intro¬ 
ducing the card or box ; or whenever anyone wanted 
a few plants or any favour, the gardener might make 
a point not to give unless the visitor put some coin 
into the box. In some country places this would be 
a good method, as the gardener gets these callers 
often from the tenants on the estate, and many 
owners are only too pleased that gardeners should 
give such surplus to their tenants rather than throw 
it away. Tbe owner of the establishment under 
my care takes this view of the matter. 
I have resolved to adopt either the card or the 
box during the coming year. I may add that I shall 
show it to any brother gardener or member of the 
craft should he show his face inside of this garden, 
so that I may catch his offering in the event he 
may not have a box at home. 
There is another way that may be adopted with 
good results. Every gardeners’ mutual society 
might make a point of having collections at one or 
more meetings each year, at the close of the meeting 
in aid of these charities ; or they might have an open 
night, allowing the public to be admitted free or by 
a small payment, or having a collection at the close. 
I have suggested this to several societies for the 
coming year, and to one in this neighbourhood. I 
have offered to give them a lecture, am set down for 
paying my own expenses, and have a considerable 
distance to go by rail, providing they will make it an 
open night. I think all these meetings should be 
open to the public by payment of an admittance fee 
for the evening. 
It is gratifying to see how much is raised by the 
sale of flowers, &c., at flower shows, and much more 
could be done if those for whom these charities are 
for, would but make a larger effort to assist them in 
small ways. During the past summer, I was 
astonished at the indifference many gardeners 
showed toward these institutions, when I was at a 
flower show and had resolved to sell my flowers, &c., 
in aid of the Royal Gardeners’ Orphan Fund, at the 
