6. 
This was strongly in evidence at the 
Royal A.H. and F. Society, the Mount 
Barker A. and H. Society, and the Mount 
Pleasant A. and H. Society's Shows, all 
held during March. The Autumn Shows 
as a rule are not regarded on the plains 
with anything like the interest that at- 
taches to the Spring Show. But fast 
month the products compared equally 
with anything that was ever exhibited at 
a Spring Show. The fruit were as fine 
as it is possible for fruit to be, while the 
vegetables were superb. This is not usual 
at the Adelaide Autumn Show, and the 
flowers, too, were better than anything 
for the time of year that we had seen. But 
here we must put in a plea to the officials 
on behalf of the flowers. The gardeners 
do their best, the flowers do their utmost 
to put their fanciest blooms up for show, 
then why should not some better effort 
at arrangement be made. We are quite 
fred to admit that the disposition of the 
pot plants, seating and promenading ar- 
rangements were an improvement on pre- 
vious years, but the show pots, and cut 
flowers we are positive could be arranged 
with greater effect. For instance, a 
space left between each exhibit would re- 
lieve the dense mass of wloom and give 
the visitors a chance of criticising the 
judging of the prizes. It often happens 
that in Carnations there is not much to 
choose between two or three exhibits, but 
it is sometimes difficult to discover which 
have gained honors. It is time, too, that 
those old wooden boxes to carry the cut 
flewers were shied out and offered to some 
juvenile Society, that would be glad to be 
saved the expense of making them. The 
flowers are beautiful, and have a right to 
ba shown in all their beauty, which they 
certainly cannot be when dumped down 
up to their necks on a straght, flat piece 
of timber. The Horticultural Society, at 
their last Show, led the way with one or 
two Douglas cases, and the Royal should 
follow suit after seeing the splendid effect 
attained by exhibiting the flowers in some- 
thing like their natural habit. 
Then again, we-would disqualify every 
exhibit that did not possess a correct 
name, neatly and visibly shown. If the 
Show is not to be in some measure educa- 
tive, and of some value commercially, 
then we say that if the flowers are merely 
looked at the object of the Show is largely 
missed. . It is gratifying to look at pretty 
flowers, but it worth something to know 
what they are, even if only to satisfy the 
curiosity of the ignorant. But there is 
something more in it than that, and the 
wonder is that the nurserymen, who are 
the largest prizetakers, do not for their 
own benefit attach the names to their ex- 
hibits. It would surely lead to business. 
But apart from all that, we contend that 
it should be recognised*as part of the suc- 
cess of the exhibition to have the flowers 
properly named and displayed. 
From a competitive point of view the 
Show was not exactly disappointing, but 
we could wish to see a few more competi- 
tors. It is a pity that gardeners allow 
the same competitors year after year to 
THE AUSTRALIAN GARDENER. 
APRIL I, 1903. 
carry off the same prizes. 
is agreed that this 
Of course, it 
does not deteriorate 
the bloom. If they are worth the prize 
they get it. True; but if the names of 
Newman, Smith, Halliday, Giles, and 
Sewell were taken out of the prize-list, 
there would be practically no Show at all. 
This means that these growers take the 
prizes year after year in endless succession, 
and there is no inducement to others to 
come in. It would be unfair and unwise 
to exclude any gardener from exhibiting, 
but some arrangement might be made in 
classifying nursery exhibits, gentlemen’s 
gardeners’ exhibits, and amateur exhibits. 
This might induce a better class of com- 
petition. 
The Gloxinias were good, but there was 
no competition, and the same with Bego- 
nias, there was only a contest between 
two exhibits. In view of the fact that 
there are scores of houses where these 
beauties can be raised, it seems a little 
absurd that there should be piractically 
no competition in them. Pelargoniums 
were little better favored, but nothing to 
what it should be, and as for the grace- 
ful Fuchsia, it seems to have gone out of 
cultivation. Cannas appear to be settling 
into popularity, and some fine blooms 
were shown. An old-time favorite, the 
Delphinium, seems now to be making for 
popularity, and we werd glad to notice 
some fine spikes, and Gladioli have come 
witharush. There were some fine cuts of 
these. Dahlias, too, are staying well in 
popular regard, and notwithstanding the 
opinion of some leading growers that the 
Cactus varieties would not last in favor, 
they were greatly admired for their lovely 
tints. 
At Mount Barker Show the flowers were 
good, but Messrs. Halliday, Smith, Haw- 
ker, and Giles swept up the prize-money. 
A‘ Mount Pleasant, however, the honors 
were divided up amongst a greater num- 
ber of exhibitors. 
Taking them altogether the Autumn 
Shows were very successful. 
PESSOSO 69562 
Huropean Notes. 
26Soen 
(From Our Own Correspondent.) 
‘Middleburg, Holland, February 23, 1903. 
Middleburg, province Zeeland, under 51 
deg. N. lat., has the mildest winter climate 
of Holland, the lowest mean being yet 34 
deg. Of course, many periods of severe 
weather occupy every winter here, but the 
thermometer seldom goes as low as 140 
Fahr. 
times a temperature of 90 has occurred, 
and only once 50 was registered, this being 
in the very severe winter of 1890-1891, 
when in Britain, Germany, and France the 
minimum registered was very much below 
zero. But very mild winters also occur 
when vegetation is not stopped at all, and 
For twenty-five years only four. 
Australian or Cape plants survive in the 
open. : 
Of Cape plants only the genus Tritoma 
is hardy here ; Phygelius Capensis is killed 
every winter to the ground, but springs up 
every year from the root. Laurus nobilis, 
Prunus Lauricerasus, Tilanthus glandalosa, 
(Tree of Heaven) are hardy here. Acacia 
Melanoscylon is killed to the ground, but 
the root sends up strong shoots in April. 
Of the many thousands of species in my 
garden I have often tried tender plants to 
winter in the open, with very curious re- 
sults. They proved that every species of 
plant has its own minimum of temperature. 
The name of the genus does not indicate 
that all the ypecies of that genus have the 
same degree of hardiness. 
In very mild winters all the Australian 
plants can be left in the open, especially if 
planted out. They will gain sufficient 
strength to stand light frosts, but as we do 
not know if a winter will be severe or mild 
this is of little importance to the gardener. 
The Californian Giant Tree (Sequoia 
gigantea) has made fair growth in my gar- 
den. I have now a specimen of about five 
meters in height, with good erect stem. 
There is another specimen in a garden 
here measuring fifteen meters. 
The first plant flowering this early 
spring was the green Hellebore (Hellebo- 
rus viridis), often in mild winters flowering 
already in December. The winter Aconite 
(Evanthis hyemalis), the Snowdrop (Galan- 
thus vigralis), and others are now follow- 
ing. But as we now have had about five 
weeks of very mild weather we are sure to 
get a very cold March. Many plants are 
developing their leaves, which, of course, 
will be ruined if frosts occur. 
I have made observations about the first 
flower opening of several plants in my gar- 
den since 1881, and have found a very 
great difference if one year is compared 
with another, as the difference in mean 
temperature between two-years is often 
very great also. 
The usual spring drought and very cold 
weather following in the first half of May 
hinders very much the sowing of seeds, 
while the second half of May or the first 
days of June is too late to get flowering 
plants the same season. This unfavorable 
weather we are to expect this year also 
owing to the permanent south-west and 
westerly winds, with gales of great force for 
the latter five weeks, which will be coun- 
ter-balanced by permanent cold east and 
north-east winds, with severe frosts next 
month (March). 
The fifteenth International Horticul- 
tural Exhibition at Gent (Belgium) of the 
Societe d’Agriculture et de Botanique will 
be held from the 18th to 26th April next, 
and consist of twenty-eight groups, with 
620 collections of plants, cut flowers, gar- 
den requisites, glasshouses with heating 
apparatus, &c., &c. The building contain- 
ing all this will be of enormous dimensions. 
Rubus deliciosus (Torr), a North Ameri- 
can shrub with very large rose-like flowers, 
is now much cultivated on account of the 
latter, with which it is covered in abun- 
dance. 
