August 21, 1897. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
803 
ORCHIDS. 
Clean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit of inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue. 
JAMES CYPHER, 
Exotic Nurseries, CHELTENHAM. 
H, CANNELL & SONS’ 
Carinas, Begonias, Pelargoniums, 
Carnations, Gloxinias, &c., &c- 
FINEST DISPLAY & COLLECTIONS IN THE WORLD. 
Our Nurseries will be found now and all the 
season the most interesting and edifyiDg probably 
of any similar establishment in England. All ad¬ 
mirers of good gardening will save and derive con¬ 
siderable benefit by sending for Catalogues and 
making themselves thoroughly acquainted with 
our firm. All kinds of Bedding Plants are ready 
and sent off at an hour’s notice. 
SWANLEY, KENT. 
O RCHIDS of the highest quality, every 
plant guaranteed true to name, from 2/6 each. Please 
send for free list.—P. McARTHUR, The London Nurseries, 
4, MaldaVale. London W. 
Edited by J. FRASER, F.L.S. 
SATURDAY , AUGUST 21st, 1897. 
NEXT WEEK'S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday, August 23th.—Special trade sale of Dutch bulbs by 
Messrs. Protheroe& Morris. 
Tuesday, August 24th.—Royal Horticultural Society; meeting 
of committees at 12 o'clock. 
Royal Oxfordshire Show. 
Brighton Show (’ days). 
Wednesday, August 25 ih.—Cheltenham Show. 
Kingswood, St. George, and West Gloucester Show. 
Thursday, August 25 th.— Swanley Show. 
Sale of Dutch bulbs by Messrs. Protheroe and Morris. 
Friday, August 27th.—R.H S. of Ireland Show. 
Falkirk Show. 
Sale of imported and established Orchids by Messrs. 
Protheroe & Morris. 
'JjjjfHE Flower Shows.— Judging from those 
which have come under our notice, 
flower shows have been taking place at the 
rate of a hundred a week, or more, for the 
last three or four weeks in various parts of 
the British Isles, but particularly in the 
more populous districts of England, as 
might be expected. .The dwellers in towns 
like shows, but are better supplied in this 
respect than the inhabitants of the more 
rural parishes and villages. To these latter 
places the flower show, coming as it does 
only once a year, is a notable event. Such 
people are not so likely to get satiated with 
flower shows as those who annually visit a 
large number for some purpose or other. 
Some take it as a matter of daily business, 
but others rail at the custom in its entirety, 
and ask of what use are modern flower 
shows. They even affirm that exhibitions 
are worthless from an educational point of 
view ; but that we consider is too sweeping 
a statement to make. True, some people 
may visit a hundred .shows and see practi¬ 
cally nothing, but that sort of thing occurs 
in all vocations. It depends as much upon 
the visitor as upon the show itself, as to 
whether anything can be learnt or other¬ 
wise. 
Even exhibitors may be successful so fre¬ 
quently at the shows they attend annually, 
that they become remiss and lax in their 
efforts till younger hands steal a march 
upon, and displace them. This in itself 
goes to show that younger, and probably 
more enthusiastic, exhibitors are learning 
something. The result is beneficial in many 
instances even to the shows themselves by 
inducing fresh competitors to come forward, 
for in healthful rivalry vital force is renewed 
and prolonged. Instead of the old hands 
trotting out their last year’s plants in the 
full assurance of securing the awards as a 
matter of course, an element of uncertainty 
stimulates the exhibitor not merely to 
maintain bis previous excellence, but to 
improve upon it. To take a first prize 
in good competition means good cultivation, 
and in that the community at large should 
be benefited. It is sometimes stated that 
exhibitions encourage the production of 
flowers or vegetables that are worthless for 
anything except exhibitions. That, of 
course, is a matter for the judges, and if 
due to conventional methods of judging, 
should be rectified or amended from time to 
time. Public taste may have something to 
do with it, as for instance in the encourage¬ 
ment of large Chrysanthemum blooms : but 
surely the cultivation of such things is 
merely an endeavour to meet a legitimate 
want for which the public has to pay in 
some way or other. Private tastes and 
authority can always play the part of the 
conservative party in keeping such things 
within legitimate bounds. The multiplica¬ 
tion or plurality of shows is reckoned an 
evil ; but many local shows are a necessity 
in order to reach the various classes of the 
community which never go far from home 
to attend shows or anything else. Where 
one good show would answer the purpose 
of two small or bad ones, it is a point for 
local authorities to discuss and ameliorate 
by amalgamation. It is good, however, to 
reach all classes of the community in every 
part of the country by some means or other, 
for by so doing, a maximum number of the 
population gets an opportunity for becoming 
interested in gardening in some form or 
other. If all the shows in the country were 
suddenly brought to a termination, garden¬ 
ing would suffer immensely, and soon 
become reduced to a state of stagnation by 
apathy and indifference. 
. We see no indication of this, however ; 
and if through lack of vitality or other 
cause, some societies cease to exist, others 
spring into existence and maintain or even 
increase the number. Besides general 
shows a large number of special shows 
exist, and their number even increases. 
The failure to revive a Pink show was 
exemplified a few years ago; but some 
fresh stimulus to its cultivation on 
fairly' broad lines will have to be given 
before such a show can be resuscitated. 
Carnation shows lagged for a time, now 
those that exist are being better supported, 
while new ones are being inaugurated or 
discussed in order that people in various 
parts of the country may be reached. Rose 
and Dahlia shows are numerous; but some 
interest attaches to special shows which 
have relatively a much smaller hold upon 
the community generally. The Viola show 
held recently at Regent’s Park is an 
instance. Another was the Fuchsia show 
held at Broadbottom, Hyde, Cheshire, at 
the beginning of the month. Carnations 
and Hollyhocks made another exhibition at 
Loughborough, Leicester. A Gooseberry 
show seems to have been the speciality of 
Swalwell, Durham, for generations ; as 
Leeks have been at Howdon, Northumber¬ 
land. 
-——•>«*——- 
Kent Apples and Pears promise well in point of 
quality, though the yield, more particularly of Pears, 
is reported to be thin. Owing to the lack of rain all 
the fruit is small. 
