June 30, 1900. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
691 
Cacti, Hardy Herbaceous Plants, Greenhouse Plants, &c. 
CACTI, our selection . 6/- to io/- per doz. 
HARDY HERBACEOUS PLANTS 6/ to 12/- per doz. 
Our Firm has been awarded over 160 Medals, Prizes, &c. 
A. W. YOUNG, F.R.H.S., & CO., 
Tire Nurseries, STEYENAGE, HERTS. 
ORCHIDS. 
Olean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit of inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue , 
JAMEi CYPHER, 
Eiotlc nurseries, CHELTENHAM. 
VmRLD-WIBE S\EG0WN- STRIKING flOVELTIES 
CATALOGUE POST FREEST 
cl- ChtaLrgwvt, 
T. JANNOCH 
BEGS TO OFFER 
RETARDED LILY OF THE VALLEY 
CROWNS in best possible condition, for delivery 
in small and large quantities, throughout the season. 
PRICES ON APPLICATION. 
Dersingham, King’s Lynn, NORFOLK. 
BE6QNSAS 
For Bedding. 
H. J. JONES’ unrivalled strain in great varieties 
of colour, erect, vigorous and free flowering ; good 
stuff ready for planting. Singles, 5/6 per doz , 50 for 
16/-. 100 for 28/-; Doubles, 6/- per doz. 
For Cash Only. 
Ryecroft Nursery, LEWISHAM. 
FREDERICK WARNE & Co’s BOOKS. 
ANNE PRATT’S FLOWERING PLANTS, GRASSES, 
SEDGES and FERNS OF GREAT BRITAIN. 
Is now published complete in Four Vols. 
Royal 8vo, cloth gilt, gilt top, £2 8s. net; in Four Vols., medium 
8vo, half morocco, gilt top, £3 net. 
The Standard Work on the British Flora. 
ANNE PRATT'S 
Flowering Plants, 
GRASSES, SEDGES AND FERNS OF GREAT 
BRITAIN. 
Edited and Revised by EDW. STEP, F.L.S. 
Illustrated with 319 Coloured Plates, accurately reproduced 
In the Natural Tints, and Four Black and White Diagrams. 
Royal 8vo, with 1,100 pages. 
ROMANCE OF WILD FLOWERS. 
A Companion to the British Flora. 
By EDWARD STEP. F.L.S. 
With upwards of 200 Illustrations. Crown 8vo, cloth gilt, 
gilt top, 6s. 
CHANDOS HOUSE, BEDFORD STREET, STRAND, 
LONDON. 
GACTI & SUCCULENT PLANTS 
Amateurs’ Guide and Price List, 6d., contains 170 Illustra¬ 
tions with names and prices of 3,350 varieties of Cacti, etc., 
with Cultural Notes. 
F. A WALTON, Handsworth Wood, Birmingham. 
Then let us piay that come it may, 
As come it will for a’ that, 
For a’ that and a’ that— 
It’s coming yet for a’ that.”— Burns. 
FORBES’ G K D BEGONIA 
“CALEDONIA.” 
(A Pure White Variety of “Gloire de Lorraine.") 
For all particulars regarding this surpassingly GRAND 
STERLING NOVELTY apply to- 
JOHN FORBES, Nurseryman, HAWICK, Scotland. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man "— Bacon. 
Hjift 4^#$ IjMw 
Edited by J. FRASER. F.L.S. 
SATURDAY, JUNE 30 th, 1900. 
T^ritish Grown Fruit at the Crystal 
^ Palace. —The great annual exhibition 
of British grown fruit at the Crystal Palace, 
under the auspices of the Royal Horticul¬ 
tural Society, again draws near, and of this 
we are reminded by the recent publication 
of the schedule of prizes. The general 
arrangement is similar to that of former 
years though there are minor alterations, 
one of which might have been made with 
advantage in the paragraph which states 
that “ exhibitors can commence staging at 
6 a.m. on September 28th, and may remove 
their exhibits at 6 p.m. on the 30th,” which 
would be Sunday. These dates should 
have been moved a day backward as the 
show will commence on the 27th of Sep¬ 
tember, and remain open for three days. 
It is amusing to note the old idea that still 
lingers round the Tomato as to whether it 
is a fruit or a vegetable. Possibly the man 
of common sense will be expected to declare 
that it is both. Like many other undecided 
questions it frequently crops up in connec¬ 
tion with societies all over the country. 
Another is whether a dish of fruit (Grapes 
for instance) should consist of one or more 
varieties, but here it is distinctly limited to 
one dish. To prevent disagreement amongst 
judges at provincial shows this method of 
dealing with the question might well be 
adopted. The settlement of the differences 
to be observed between the terms “ kind 
and “ variety ” leaves the matter much as 
it was, namely, in an arrangement that is 
purely arbitrary or of convenience, so that 
exhibitors will have to take the examples 
laid down for their guidance. The Nec¬ 
tarine is a smooth fruited variety of the 
Peach (Prunus Persica), yet the Peach and 
Nectarine for exhibition purposes must be 
regarded as distinct kinds. The arbitrary 
nature of the case is carried still further 
when it is remembered that white and black 
Grapes are regarded as distinct kinds. 
From a botanical point of view Royal 
George, Noblesse, and Alexander would 
have to be considered as sub-varieties in 
any scheme of classification. From a 
garden point of view they are given a 
higher status; hence the reason why it is 
necessary to follow the special rules laid 
down by this or any other society at whose 
shows an exhibitor may be competing. 
The minor alterations made in the 
schedule reduce the number of classes from 
174, last year, to 170, this year. In addition 
to money prizes a Silver Cup and a Silver 
Knightian Medal are offered as first prizes 
for nine and six dishes of fruit respectively. 
The Challenge Cup, offered by Messrs. 
Wm. Wood & Son for six distinct varieties 
of Grapes, still holds out inducements to 
the bold exhibitor who can take it three 
times in as many successive years. This 
will be no easy matter even to the best of 
gardeners and amateur growers, unless the 
seasons are propitious ; though the case is 
far less risky than in the case of hardy 
fruits, the prospects of which might be 
destroyed by hailstorms considerably in 
advance of the show. The collection of 
hardy fruit, grown entirely out of doors, 
and open only to gardeners and amateurs, 
has been raised from thirty-six to fifty 
dishes. Not more than thirty dishes is 
allowed for Apples and Pears, so that 
twenty dishes, at least, of other kinds will 
have to be found by those who intend pre¬ 
senting themselves in this class. The nature 
cf the season and prospects will largely deter¬ 
mine whether Peaches, Nectarines, Apri¬ 
cots, Gooseberries, and Cherries can be 
largely drawn upon to make up the twenty 
dishes. An early season would favour 
northern growers, and an average or late 
one would be more in favour of gardeners 
in the southern counties. This class should 
certainly test the capabilities of private 
gardens for supplying fruit at that season 
of the year, and if competition is weak it 
may be taken for granted that fifty dishes 
in September are too many. With good 
crops, such as seem to be everywhere 
promised this year, and a propitious season, 
the class might be made both instructive 
and interesting to all concerned. Hitherto 
the large classes have not been well 
patronised by the gardener and amateur 
element. The “ Hogg Medal ” has been 
offered in addition to last year’s money 
prizes as an incentive to exhibitors. 
The same extent of staging is allotted to 
nurserymen as last year; and they are not 
limited as to the number of fruits which 
they may arrange in the space at their dis¬ 
posal. Duplicate varieties of trees in fruit 
are permissible; but not of gathered fruit. 
The number of varieties may therefore be 
great, unless the exhibitors choose to in¬ 
crease the number of baskets for the pur¬ 
pose of displaying fine fruits to the best 
advantage. The society, we notice, has 
profited by the case of combined exhibiting 
which cropped up last year from the Channel 
Islands. No syndicate for the purpose of 
exhibiting will be permitted at the forth¬ 
coming exhibition. There must be no com¬ 
bination of individuals, or firms, nor col¬ 
lections of fruit from a district to be shown 
as one exhibit. Nor must gardeners from 
two or more gardens, even if the latter 
belong to one and the same proprietor, 
combine for the purpose of competing in 
any one class, but must exhibit separati ly. 
This latter case would appear to be some¬ 
what stringent; but in the case of com- 
