790 
Gardeners’ M.I. Association held their second 
annual exhibition, and that it was a pro¬ 
nounced success. Five guineas was sent to 
the local cottage hospital out of the takings 
for admission. 
H. Hemslei', Hon. Sec. 
United Horticultural Benefit and Provi¬ 
dent Society. 
The annual dinner of this society will he 
held at the Holborn Restaurant (Royal 
Venetian Chamber), High Holborn, W.C., on 
Tuesday, October 10th, 1905, at 6.30 p.m. 
William Marshall, Esq., the first president 
of the society, has kindly consented to take 
the chair on this occasion. It is hoped that 
all members and friends of the society who 
possibly can attend will endeavour to do so. 
Tickets may be had of the secretary, W. Col¬ 
lins, 9, Martindale Road, Balliam, S.W. 
Censuring the Shrewsbury Show. 
Greatly daring, as some may think, 
“ Heather Bell,” a frequent contributor to 
The ' Gardening World, has a tilt at the 
Shrewsbury Show. Our correspondent is 
alive to the temerity of this attack, for the 
indictment, or, rather, series of indictments, 
is prefaced by the 'remark that “ to criticise 
the Shrewsbury Show will probably bring 
down a storm of abuse upon my head.” He 
considers that the recent show “ was a very, 
fine one,” but adds that, as Shrewsbury’s ex¬ 
hibition is looked up to as the greatest and 
best of the provincial horticultural fixtures, 
it should be a model as a grand display, and 
set an example in respect to methods. It is 
the opinion of our bold scribe that “ the recent 
show, good though it certainly was, fell far 
short of the high-water mark of the standard 
which it might well occupy.” 
Higgledy-Piggledy Arrangements. 
The letter of our correspondent is too long 
to quote in extenso, but the points preferred 
against the show we will state as briefly as 
may be. Imprimis, the marquees bear no ex¬ 
terior indication for the guidance of visitors 
as to a particular description of the exhibits 
to be found therein, and on entering, “ one 
was even more puzzled, for no particular class 
of plants or produce was contained therein, 
but all sorts and conditions were mixed up 
in hopeless confusion.” For instance, “ one 
could see stove plants side by side with hardy 
herbaceous flowers ; pot plants, cut flowers, 
and fruit rubbing shoulders at every turn, 
and even Onions and Potatos dumped down 
between more ornamental exhibits.” It might 
and ought to be insisted, considers “ Heather 
Bell,” that prospective exhibitors “should 
acquaint the secretary in good time of their 
intention to show this or that, so that the 
various exhibits could be classified, and space 
set apart for each class of exhibit in its 
proper section. Then, at the entrance to each 
tent a board could be displayed intimating 
the character of the exhibits inside.” Our 
correspondent fears, however, that such a de¬ 
sirable arrangement is “ not practicable so 
long as the present custom prevails of grant¬ 
ing space to commercial exhibitors, who in 
many cases fill their stands with a regular 
medley of things—heaps of vegetables inter¬ 
spersed with bits of fruit and a few plants in 
pots, backed up by cut flowers, both hardy 
and tender.” 
Ineffective Staging. 
Next, “Heather Bell” animadverts upon 
the “ careless, clumsy staging of exhibits. 
Some of the stands,” he says, “ were anything 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
but attractive, not because of poor stuff, but 
because of lack of taste in staging.” He 
expresses the opinion that herbaceous flowers 
will never be staged in a manner calculated 
to do full justice to their beauty and worth 
“ until we break away from the tier-above-tier 
stage on a narrow bench, and group the 
flowers upon the ground, and thus obtain a 
natural and artistic effect.” He concludes 
his attack under this head by observing : 
“ There were, however, some exhibits on the 
ground, and also on the stages, that—well, 
the less said about them the better.” 
Some Other Shortcomings. 
“Heather Bell’s ” strictures on the Shrews¬ 
bury Show include the charge that hardy 
trees and shrubs were practically unrepre- 
Abbreviations used. 
A.-Association > G.~Gardening or ga rdenerg 
Am.—Amateurs ) H.—Horticultural 
Chy.—Chrysanthemum ) M.I.—Mutual Improvement 
c.m.—Committee meeting ) m.m.—Monthly meeting 
Cott.—Cottage or cottagers ) S.—Society 
D.—District ) w.m.—Weekly meeting 
Thus:—The Templeton G. Am. ami Cott. M. I. H. S.— 
(Gardeners, Amateurs, and Cottagers' Mutual Improvement 
Horticultural Society.) 
vvvvwwv 
October. 
9th—Maldon H.S. (show); Hastings, St. 
Leonards and D. H.M.I.S. (tn.m.); 
Cranbrook and Weald of Kent G. 
and Cott. M.I.S. (m.m.) ; Charing 
H.S. (m.m.); Birstall and D. Ohy. 
and Paxton S. (c.m.); Sutton-in- 
Ashfield H.S. (m.m.); Horsforth 
G.M.I.S. (w.m.). 
10th—R.H.S. (Exhibition of British-grown 
fruit ; Conference each day in con¬ 
junction with the National Fruit 
Growers’ Federation. - Three days) ; 
United H. Benefit and Provident S. 
(annual dinner at Holborn Restau¬ 
rant); National Rose S. (c.m.); 
Society of Jersey 'Gardeners (m.m.) ; 
Tunbridge Wells Chy. and G.M.I.A. 
(m.m. and competition); Milton and 
Sittingboume H.S. (m.m.); Bidden- 
dale Gott. G.M.I.S. (annual m.); 
Hunton Cott. G.M.I.'S. (m.m.). 
11th—Nottingham and Notts Chy. S. (m.m.) ; 
East Anglian H. Club (m.m.) ; New¬ 
port (Mon.) and D. G.M.I.A. (bi- 
m.m.) ; Sheffield Chy. S. (m.m.). 
12th—Sherborne and D. G.M.I.S. (show); 
Working H.A. (m.m.) ; Studley H.S. 
(m.m.). 
13th—Ulster H.S. (c.m.) ; Ambergate Cott. 
G. S. (m.m.); Weybridge and D. 
H. S. (m.m.). 
14th—Leeds Paxton S. (w.m.) ; Thornton 
Heath and D. H.S. (m.m.). 
sented. Surely a prize of sufficient value 
could be offered to tempt some of the large 
growers to put up a good collection in pots 
or tubs. It looks as though we are sadly 
behind our Continental neighbours in this 
branch of the profession, for at exhibitions 
on the Continent trees and shrubs always 
figure largely, and are made most attractive 
features.” Good collections of Orchids were, 
he complains, also conspicuously absent. 
“ A special class for a group of this popular 
and attractive flower might surely be man- 
aged.” “Criticism is a good tonic,” remarks 
our correspondent. He does not wish it to be , 
thought that he writes in a carping spirit; 
October 7, 1905. 
his fault-finding is prompted by the benevo¬ 
lent desire “ to spur on the committee and 
exhibitors to greater efforts ” in the future. 
Echoes from the Scottish International 
Flower Show. 
The R.H.S. of London sent a deputation to 
the great Edinburgh Exhibition, headed by 
their president, Sir Trevor Lawrence. His 
testimony was that all were agreed that it 
had seldom been their good fortune to see 
a more satisfactory show, or one which gave 
evidence of greater horticultural skill and 
enterprise. In the course of the day this 
deputation made a tour of the market hall, 
and awarded a number of gold and silver 
medals for the excellent exhibits in different 
classes. 
Much in Little. 
On the 13th ult. the officials and some 
friends of the Middle Ward (Hamilton) Pansy 
Society and Floral Association took their 
annual outing, journeying to Edinburgh, 
whence they drove to Hopetoun House, the 
residence of the Marquis of Linlithgow, and, 
after inspecting the beautiful policies, re¬ 
turned to “ Auld Reekie,” and visited the In¬ 
ternational Exhibition in Waverley Market. 
■-It was announced at the annual general 
meeting of the Bradwell, Brough, and Hazle- 
badge (Derbyshire) Floral and H.S. that there 
was an adverse balance of £2 14s. 6d., but 
the prize-winners agreed to a reduction in 
the prize-money, and that left a small balance 
in hand.-With a view of encouraging the 
cultivation of the summer-flowering Chrysan¬ 
themum amongst Nottingham growers a 
society was inaugurated in the early part of 
the year, and has met with so much success 
that the first show was opened on the 16th 
ult., with every prospect of being the fore¬ 
runner of many others.--The Disaster Fund 
of the Darwen H.S. now totals over £80 ; 
Major Huntington, D.S.O., sent a handsome 
donation of £25.——The Guisborough 
(Yorks) Gardeners’ Benefit Society have de¬ 
voted the proceeds of their late successful 
flower show to a Christmas-box for the old 
and infirm of the neighbourhood.-Mr. 
Fisher, Colonel Ewing Crawford, Mr. D. H. 
Mack, and the Rev. John A. Macdonald 
have been elected respectively president, vice- 
president, treasurer, and secretary of the 
Buchlyvie H.S.-The committee of the 
Broughton and District H.S. at a recent meet¬ 
ing appointed a sub-committee to inquire 
into a claim made by an exhibitor for a broken 
centre-table vase, with instructions to settle 
on the best terms possible. 
ON THE EDITOR’S TABLE. 
Blue Hydrangeas. 
Some time ago Mr. W. Yandell, of Grantham, 
wrote a supplementary reply concerning blue 
Hydrangeas on page 662 and promised to send 
us flowers. This he has done, and we may say 
that the flowers were of rich blue, not only 
when fresh but after they were perfectly dried 
up. The plant from which the flowers were 
cut is 4 ft. by 4 ft., and is planted out in a 
sunny position. It has evidently been here for 
some time, and when planted iron peelings 
from the blacksmith’s anvil were used in the 
soil. This bush produces perfectly blue flowers 
every year, but gets no treatment at the pre¬ 
sent time either in the way of substances in 
the soil or watering. Our correspondent took 
cuttings from the plant, but when rooted they 
merely gave the ordinary pink flowers, so that 
soil and situation evidently have something to 
do with the regular production of blue flowers. 
Diary of Shows and Meetings. 
