February  18,  1897. 
rOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
“  Your  husband  must  take  a  great  interest  in  the  plants,”  we 
ventured. 
“  Oh,  yes  ;  he  nearly  lives  amongst  them  when  he  is  not  at  work,  and 
I  help  him  when  any  assistance  is  required.” 
“  How  often  are  they  potted  ?  ” 
“Early  every  spring,”  was  the  reply,  “and  when  the  plants  are 
commencing  to  bloom  we  give  them  liquid  manure.” 
To  make  an  examination  of  the  Pelargoniums  was  a  more  difficult 
matter,  as  they  were  on  shelves  near  the  glass,  this  rendering  it  quite 
impossible  to  see  them  from  the  inside.  However,  with  the  aid  of  a  pair 
of  steps  we  were  enabled  to  see  them  through  the  glass  roof.  Never 
have  we  seen  better  plants  ;  staked  out  in  circular  manner,  and  crowned 
with  numerous  large  trussps  of  flower,  both  single  and  double.  Amongst 
others  we  noted  Raspail,  Eureka,  Minnie  Parker,  and  Mark  Twain  We 
could  only  surmise  the  amount  of  trouble  and  care  that  had  been 
expended  on  the  plants  to  bring  them  to  such  a  high  state  of  excellence. 
“  Your  husband  must  have  been  very  disappointed  that  he  was  not 
able  to  show,”  we  remarked. 
“  Oh  yes,  he  was,”  replied  our  informant.  “You  see  he  has  taken 
first  prize  for  ‘Geraniums’  at  Cardiff  for  nineteen  years,  and  would 
have  stood  a  good  chance  again  this  time.” 
With  this  we  fully  agreed,  as  both  Pelargoniums  and  Fuchsias  were 
much  superior  to  anything  there  was  in  the  show.  Proudly  Mrs.  Hillard 
displayed  a  trophy  in  the  shape  of  a  silver  medal  which  was  granted  by 
the  Cardiff  Horticultural  Society  to  her  husband  in  1893. 
The  visit  to  Hodge’s  Yard  taught  its  lessons,  as  it  was  a  striking 
instance  of  what  can  be  done  by  a  man  amid  adverse  surroundings,  and 
it  seems  a  pity  that  such  plants  were  not  exhibited  and  honoured  at  the 
show.— G.  H.  H. 
WEBB’S  SENATOR  PEA. 
This  fine  early  variety,  of  which  a  very  correct  life-size  illustration 
is  here  given,  had  the  merit  of  being  not  merely  the  earliest  but  the 
heaviest  cropping  of  all  the  wrinkled  Marrow  Peas  grown  in  the  Surrey 
county  trials  at  Richmond  and  Chertsey  last  year.  I  am  not  in  a 
position  to  compare  it  with  such  early  rounds  as  William  the  First  or 
Eclipse,  or  with  the  dwarf  wrinkled  Chelsea  Gem  or  William  Hurst ; 
but  I  have  no  hesitation  in  classing  it  also  as  one  of  the  best  and  most 
productive  early  wrinkled  Marrows  in  cultivation. 
The  trials  at  Richmond  and  Chertsey  were  limited  to  varieties  of 
medium  height  and  suitable  for  second  early  or  main  crops.  In  both 
places  Senator  was  noted  by  the  allotment  holders  with  great  avidity  ; 
indeed,  a  better  early  Pea  for  their  purposes,  and  to  furnish  fine,  hand¬ 
some,  well-filled  pods  early,  could  hardly  have  been  found.  It  was  as 
well  at  home  on  the  stiff  loam  of  Chertsey  as  on  the  light  fibrous  soil 
of  Richmond,  and  some  grown  in  boys’  gardens  at  Reigate  on  pure  sand 
gave  the  instructor  there  the  greatest  satisfaction.  The  variety  will  be 
grown  with  twenty  others  at  Surbiton  this  season  and  also  at  Bookhau 
on  Very  diverse  soil.  In  many  if  not  moBt  cases  fine  Peas  are  seriously 
handicapped  by  thick  sowing.  All  varieties  are  sown  thinly  in  the 
Surrey  trials,  so  as  to  do  justice  to  them  and  insure  a  correct  test  of 
merit.  Half  a  pint  of  good  seed  is  sufficient  for  a  row  40  feet  in  length- 
— A.  Dean. 
MEMORIES  OF  EXHIBITIONS. 
What  I  have  to  say  on  this  subject  will  be  simply  recollections  of 
what  I  have  seen  at  flower  shows  during  the  past  thirty-five  years.  My 
first  visit  to  a  flower  show  was  in  1861,  at  which  time  I  was  garden  boy 
under  a  noted  Hollyhock  and  Dahlia  grower.  We  used  to  grow  blooms 
of  the  first  named  equal  to  any  I  have  seen  since,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted 
that  such  a  noble  decorative  plant  as  the  Hollyhock  should  have  become 
almost  a  thing  of  the  past. 
The  first  large  flower  show  that  I  attended  was  held  at  Grantham, 
under  the  auspices  of  the  South  Lincolnshire  Horticultural  Society. 
The  principal  features  in  the  plant  department  were  some  splendid 
Fuchsias,  ranging  from  3  to  5  feet  in  height,  forming  perfect  pyramids 
of  flowers.  The  plants  in  this  class  were  not  to  exceed  one  year  old. 
Stove  and  greenhouse  plants  were  also  well  represented. 
Looking  back  after  this  long  lapse  of  years,  I  feel  sure  the  display 
of  fruit  was  fully  equal  both  in  quantity  and  quality  to  that  seen  at  our 
best  shows  at  the  present  time.  In  the  principal  classes  six  or  seven 
competitors  exhibited  splendid  Grapes,  both  Hamburghs  and  Muscats  ; 
also  grand  Melons,  Peaches,  Nectarines,  and  Figs.  Four  of  the  ex¬ 
hibitors  had  fine  specimens  of  the  Queen  and  Smooth  Cayenne  Pines ;  in 
fact,  in  those  days  Pines  were  well  grown  in  nearly  all  the  principal 
gardens  in  the  country,  but  in  these  more  go-a-head  times  the  culture  of 
Pines  has  almost  gone  out  of  date.  Still,  after  all,  there  is  nothing 
equal  to  a  noble  Pine  amongst  the  dishes  of  dessert  at  a  large  dinner 
party. 
My  next  experience  in  the  exhibiting  line  was  when  sent  with 
several  boxes  of  fruit  to  the  summer  show  at  the  Crystal  Palace  in  1864, 
and  never  shall  I  forget  the  day  of  delight  Bpent  in  examining  the 
different  exhibits.  The  monster  Azaleas  of  Mr.  Turner  of  Slough  and 
others  impressed  me  greatly  ;  perfect  pyramids,  ranging  from  6  to  9  feet 
high,  and  from  4  to  6  feet  through  at  the  base,  every  plant  completely 
143 
covered  with  bloom,  many  of  the  brighter  coloured  varietier  being 
dazzling  in  their  beauty.  The  stove  and  greenhouse  plants  were  also 
marvels  of  culture,  and  there  seemed  to  be  hundreds  of  specimens  ; 
amongst  them  splendid  examples  of  Ixoras,  Allamandap,  Dipladenias, 
Francisceas,  Stephanotis,  Ipomseas,  Ericas,  Aphelexis,  Leschenaultias 
(both  biloba  and  formosa),  and  many  New  Holland  plants  now  almost 
out  of  cultivatition. 
Orchids  also  were  largely  represented,  mostly  bond  fide  specimens, 
not  made-up  plants.  Vandas  and  Aerides  from  3  to  6  feet  high,  some 
having  eight  and  ten  splendid  growths  in  No.  1  pots.  Cattleyas  and 
Laelias  were  equally  well  grown  and  flowered,  while  PhalseDopses, 
Cymbidiums,  Dendrobiums,  and  others  could  scarcely  be  equalled  at 
the  present  day.  The  Roses  in  pots  of  Messrs.  Paul  of  CheBhunt  and 
Waltham  Cross,  Turner  of  Slough,  and  others  were  better  than  it  has 
been  my  pleasure  to  look  upon  in  later  years. 
My  next  show  was  at  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Regent’s  Park, 
and  here  the  arrangements  fcr  the  display  of  the  plants  exhibited  were 
the  most  perfect  I  have  ever  seen — namely,  large  mounds  and  tiers  of 
growing  turf  in  circles  and  semicircles,  some  mounds  having  two  tiersr 
FIG.  32  —WEBBS'  SENATOR  PEA. 
and  others  three  or  four.  I  have  often  thought  that  many  of  our  leading 
societies  might  with  advantage  copy  this  excellent  method,  for  what  can 
be  more  incongruous  than  to  see  splendid  specimen  plants  elevated  on 
rough  wooden  stages  varying  in  height  from  2  to  6  feet  ?  Some  at  York 
last  year  were,  I  think,  higher  in  one  of  the  tents. 
Twenty  years  ago  very  few  specimens  of  Palms  were  seen,  either  at 
the  shows  or  in  private  gardens,  and  no  one  ca2  deny  that  the  intro¬ 
duction  of  such  plants  as  Kentias,  Cocoses,  and  jGeonomas  has  done 
much  to  elevate  the  taste  of  the  British  public.  '  We  sometimes  saw 
good  plants  of  Latania  borbonica,  Cycas  revoluta.,  and  Cordyline  indivisa. 
Our  foliage  plants  then  included  Tree  Feins,  the  Bird’s-nest  Fern,  and 
Yuccas.  Marantas  and  Alocasias  were  also  well  grown  at  that  time,  and 
the  Crotons  were  simply  marvellous.  Their  size  and  colouring,  although 
there  were  only  three  species  then  in  general  cultivation — viz.,  varie- 
gatus,  pictus,  and  angustifolius  ;  but  theplants  of  the  latter,  as  shown 
by  Messrs.  Baines  and  Cole,  were  superior  to  any  exhibited  before  or 
since  being  almost  like  fountains  of  gold  in  their  matchless  beauty. 
I  have  mentioned  the  names  of  Messrs.  Baines  and  Cole,  and  I  have 
no  hesitation  in  saying  that  they  were  the  very  best  plantsmen  of  this 
century.  It  was  the  custom  for  many  of  our  societies  to  offer  valuable 
prizes  for  twenty-five  and  in  some  cases  fifty  distinct  varieties  of  flowering 
and  foliage  stove  and  greenhouse  plants,  and  even  in  these  large  classes 
a  weak  plant  could  not  be  found.  A  few  years  ago  it  almost  seemed  as 
if  specimen  stove  and  greenhouse  plants  in  bloom  were  vanishing,  but 
thanks  to  such  men  as  Messrs.  Cypher,  Finch,  and  a  few  other  growers 
there  is  a  proof  that  the  culture  of  these  triumphs  of  the  floral  world  has 
not  altogether  become  a  lost  art,  and  I  trust  the  day  is  far  distant  when 
