May  6,  1897. 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
383 
of  our  home  one*.  The  lighting  and  motor  power  are  both  com¬ 
municated  by  electricity,  the  latter  in  a  very  ingenious  way,  from 
overhead  wires.  The  prejudice  against  the  latter  in  this  country 
seems  baseless.  So  far  as  could  be  judged,  no  particularly  devastat¬ 
ing  results  attend  their  use  in  Germany,  and  the  car  system  is  a 
very  complete  one,  admirably  worked. 
In  now  referring  to  a  few  features  of  the  show  no  attempt  will 
be  made  to  give  detailed  results  of  the  competitions,  which  would 
be  but  poor  reading  out  of  Germany.  As  in  the  case  o£  Berlin,  a 
general  survey  will  be  made.  It  is  too  early  to  speak  about  the 
grounds ;  even  the  Tulips  are  not  at  their  best  yet,  but  they  will 
be  beautiful  by-and-by.  The  provision  for  the  special  show 
consists  of  a  long  range  of  buildings  on  the  right-hand  side  of  the 
grounds,  terminating  in  a  splendid  hall  of  great  size  and  handsome 
construction.  Altogether,  the  accommodation  is  equal  to  about  six 
Drill  Halls.  There  is  not  much  tabling  ;  the  Germans  do  not 
appear  to  believe  in  that,  but  there  is  extensive  provision  of  ground 
space  in  flats,  mounds,  recesses,  and  banks.  The  leading  idea  is 
spectacular  effect.  The  exhibition  is  to  please  and  educate  the 
public,  but  first  of  all  to  please  them  ;  and  the  German  gardeners 
are  real  artists.  They  group  their  plants  boldly,  blend  their 
colours  cunningly.  They  are  equal  to  very  striking  and  vigorous 
effects  ;  they  are  also  equal  to  exceedingly  quiet  and  subdued  ones, 
of  which  more  later. 
By  way  of  tickling  the  palate  and  preparing  it  for  the  good 
things  to  follow,  the  first  building,  the  one  nearest  the  main 
enfrance,  is  given  up  to  groups  and  blocks  of  plants,  very  skilfully 
arranged.  Take  one  side.  There  was  a  central  group,  oval  in 
shape,  of  Anthuriums,  giving  a  rich  block  of  colour.  To  right  and 
left  of  it  were  beds  of  Amaryllis  in  various  colours  ;  outside  of 
these  beds  of  Carnations,  different  sorts,  the  whole  flanked  by  a 
beautiful  bank  of  Primula  Sieboldi.  In  every  case  the  plants  were 
in  pots  plunged  to  the  rims.  The  Primulas  came  from  Messrs. 
Goes  and  Koenemann,  and  were  a  splendid  collection,  embracing 
many  beautiful  *orts,  but  there  was  a  slight  confusion  of  nomencla¬ 
ture,  which  a  knowledge  of  English  would  have  averted.  For 
example,  a  block  of  a  fine  white  was  cheerfullv  disguised  under  the 
name  of  Ruby  Queen.  Mrs.  Ryder,  Peach  Blossom,  Miss  Nellie 
Barnard,  Maiden’s  Blush,  and  Arthur  were  all  very  conspicuous 
amongst  the  varieties.  The  tame  building  contained  two  other 
exceedingly  attractive  features — namely,  fine  groups  of  Roses  and 
Lilacs,  also  plunged.  The  Lilacs  were  particularly  fine,  and  we  do 
not  often  see  them  like  it  in  England.  There  were  large  bushes, 
small  bushes,  and  standards,  all  full  of  bloom,  the  sorts  including 
such  excellent  ones  a*  Charles  X.,  Madame  Lemoine,  Leon  Simon, 
and  Michel  Buchner.  They  came  from  Mr.  Harms  of  Hamburg. 
As  at  Berlin,  there  were  beautiful  collections  of  dwarf  pot  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons,  the  plants  about  a  foot  high  and  through,  and  full  of 
bloom.  Many  people  would  regard  these  as  even  more  attractive 
than  the  quarter  specimen  Azaleas  which  are  so  popular.  There  is 
a  great  range  of  colour  amongst  them,  and  they  are  in  every  way 
pleasing  and  effective.  In  one  of  the  groups  in  this  building  were 
some  beautiful  objects  in  the  form  of  Prunus  triloba,  in  6  and 
7-inch  pots,  the  plant*  from  1  to  2  feet  high,  and  smothered  in 
their  soft  pink  flowers.  A  charming  effect  had  been  produced  in 
one  part  by  plunging  a  collection  of  the  lovely  little  Saintpaulia 
ionantha,  which  with  its  soft  heart-shaped  leaves  and  violet  flowers 
presented  as  pretty  a  picture  in  the  turf  as  a  clump  of  Yiolets  in 
an  English  hedgerow.  _ 
The  Orchid  section  was  entirely  dominated  by  a  contribution 
from  Baron  Schroder.  There  is  no  wish  to  disparage  the  other 
exhibits,  several  of  which  were  good,  and  all  admirably  arranged  ; 
but  in  horticultural  interest  the  Baron’s  group  was  paramount.  It 
contained  a  large  number  of  good  and  interesting  things,  amongst 
them  being  Luddemannia  Lehmanni ;  Cattleyas  speciosissima  and 
Parthenia  ;  Lselia  Latona  ;  Cypripediums  bellatulum  album,  Gertrude 
Hoffington  (this  striking  chocolate  flower  was  a  cynosure),  Clonius, 
Mastersianum,  Rothschildianum,  nitidissimum,  and  Dayanum  ; 
Odontoglossums  crispum  Rex,  Wilckeanum,  Queen  Empress,  and 
Cervantesi  roseum  ;  Maxillaria  Sanderiana  ;  Lselio-Cattleya 
Marriottiana  ;  Yanda  Gottschalckei,  and  Masdevallia  Benedicti. 
It  was  very  appropriate  that  so  splendid  an  exhibit  should  come 
from  a  distinguished  Anglo-German  like  the  Baron.  Messrs. 
Sander  had  a  mixed  group,  chiefly  composed  of  Orchids  and  new 
plants.  In  the  centre  was  a  glass  ca»e,  enshrining  a  treasure  in  the 
form  of  the  ruby  Cypripedium  Oakes  Ames  (Rothschildianum 
X  ciliare).  Amongst  other  plants  were  Cattleya  Schroder®  and 
C.  S.  ccerulescens,  Asparagus  albanensis,  Cyrtanthus  obliquus  major, 
Calla  Elliottiana,  Araucaria  excelsa  (Sander’s  variety),  Sander’s 
Variegated  Canna,  Dracaenas  Godseffiana  and  Sanderiana, 
Caladium  albanense,  Renanthera  Imschootiana,  Licuala  grandis, 
and  Heliconia  illustris  rubricaulis.  Special  honours  were  awarded. 
France  had  a  notable  contribution  in  the  shape  of  a  group  of 
Nidulariums  and  Yriesias,  which  came  from  the  nursery  of  Messrs. 
Daval  et  Fils,  Versailles.  They  comprised  Nidulariums  rutilans 
and  striatum,  Yriesias  Eros,  fenestralis,  splendens,  Kittcuiana, 
Duvali  major,  Duereti,  and  Manoti.  They  were  all  in  flower,  and 
made  a  very  singular,  interesting,  and  attractive  group.  Mr. 
Theodore  Reimers  also  had  a  collection  of  much  interest,  com¬ 
prising  a  number  of  Bertolonia*,  Nidularium*,  Ereocnema 
Sanderiana,  and  a  magnificent  specimen  of  Medinilla  mag- 
nifica.  Mr.  F.  A.  Haage,  jun.,  of  Erfurt  sent  a  large  number  of 
Cactuses  in  thumb  pots,  which  would  arouse  admiration  from 
specialists  if  not  from  the  general  public.  The  one  notable  fruit 
exhibit  came  from  France  (M.  Nohle).  It  was  composed  of 
splendid  Peaches,  Cherries,  Strawberries,  and  Raspberries.  The 
jury  rightly  gave  a  special  prize. 
More  might  be  said  about  various  exhibits,  but  having  by  this 
time  found  his  way  into  the  great  hall,  the  writer  found  so  much 
to  admire  that  small  matters  were  passed.  Imagine  an  Albert 
Hall-like  building,  of  immense  height,  supported  by  lofty  pillars, 
and  of  the  most  ornate  construction.  Imagine  the  interior  to 
consist  of  an  orchestral-like  elevation  at  each  end,  a  long,  broad 
terrace  on  each  side,  and  a  central  floor  surrounding  a  small  lake, 
fed  by  winding  streams.  Finish  by  imagining  the  whole  place 
packed  with  plants,  not  lumped  together,  but  disposed  in  the  most 
artistic  way,  and  you  have  a  faint  idea  of  what  cannot  possibly  be 
described.  The  whole  thing  was  a  work  of  supreme  art,  of  plant 
and  flower  grouping  on  the  most  magnificent  scale.  There  was  a 
general  effect  which  struck  every  visitor  with  the  liveliest  admira¬ 
tion,  and  there  were  numerous  individual  effects  of  the  most 
beautiful  nature. 
The  raised  ground  at  the  upper  end  was  covered  with  groups  of 
Clivias  and  Hydrangeas,  flanked  by  Palms  and  Tree  Fern*.  Sloping 
from  it  to  the  floor  level  was  a  huge  bank  of  Azaleas  and  Rhodo¬ 
dendrons,  all  fine  specimen  plants,  densely  flowered.  These  were 
arranged  in  blocks  of  colour.  In  a  sunny  recess  amongst  rocks,  on 
which  the  sun  fell  obliquely,  was  a  glistening  group  of  Azalea 
mollis,  and  beneath  a  large  skylight,  through  which  a  softened  light 
fell,  was  a  semicircular  group  of  Lilacs,  Gueldres  Roses,  and  Prunus 
triloba.  This  was  the  triumph  of  the  whole  exhibition.  The 
white  and  lavender  tints  of  the  Lilacs,  the  greenish  white  of  the 
Viburnum,  and  the  soft  flesh  pink  of  the  Prunus  blended  in  the 
most  chaste  and  delicate  way.  In  other  parts  of  the  hall  were 
huge  groups  of  flowering  and  foliage  plants.  On  the  ground  floor 
an  area  of  perhaps  200  feet  by  150  was  given  up  to  groups  of 
different  plants,  surrounding  the  water  already  referred  to,  and 
which  was  dotted  with  Arums.  There  were  groups  of  Cinerarias, 
of  Azaleas,  of  Clivias,  of  Oranges,  of  Gloxinias,  of  Anthuriums, 
of  Hyacinths,  of  Yriesias,  of  Roses,  of  Camellias,  of  Genistas,  of 
Draemna  Lindeni,  and  of  Maidenhair  Ferns,  and  in  one  corner  was 
a  block  of  Lilies  of  the  Valley,  snugly  shaded  by  the  leafage  of 
huge  Palms.  At  every  turn  some  new  feature  met  the  eye.  In 
short  it  was,  as  before  said,  a  triumph. 
Amongst  the  numerous  officials  conspicuous  good  work  was 
done  by  Prof.  Zacharias  (the  general  Superintendent),  Herr  Jurgens, 
Dr.  Herz  (the  foreign  Secretary),  Herr  Siebert  of  Frankfort,  and 
Herr  Lauche  of  Eisgrub,  Austria.  There  was  the  usual  opening 
ceremony,  which  took  place  on  the  morning  of  May  1st,  and  the 
usual  banquet,  which  was  held  on  the  Monday  evening,  May  3rd. 
The  Journal  representative  boarded  the  swift  Peregrine  en  route 
for  England  before  the  festivities  began,  but  he  carried  away  an 
impression  that  the  Germans  had  set  themselves  a  great  task  in  this 
exhibition,  and  that  they  had  risen  to  the  occasion  like  men. 
A  Simple  Indoor  Adornment.  —  Recently  a  fine  example  of 
what  can  be  done  in  the  way  of  indoor  decoration  by  a  simple 
arrangement  came  under  my  notice,  and  as  anybody  can  adopt  the 
expedient  in  an  ordinary  sitting  room,  a  few  observations  may  be 
interesting  to  some  readers.  About  two  years  ago  a  seed  of  the  common 
Horse  Chestnut  was  inserted  in  a  pot  along  with  an  established  plant 
of  Asparagus  tenuissimus,  and  the  result  is  now  a  stately  little  tree, 
rising  above  its  more  aristocratic  companion.  The  combination  perhaps 
is  not  quite  harmonious,  but  nevertheless  is  pleasing  and  suggestive. 
The  Chestnnt  waB  picked  from  a  noble  tree  growing  at  Versailles— a 
name  which  carries  the  memory  back  to  war’s  alarms  and  devastation, 
and  the  overthrow  of  Imperial  France.  If  trees  could  see  and  speak, 
as  well  as  “  think,”  like  Mr.  Thomson’s  Vine,  what  a  story  the  parent 
of  this  sprightly  and  ambitious  little  foreigner  could  tell  I— J.  M. 
