272 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
September  19,  1895. 
should  be  completed  iu  a  warm  temperature,  and  if  some  three  or 
four  growths  take  the  lead,  as  is  usual  in  these  plants,  particularly  with 
R.  cordata,  they  should  be  pinched  back  to  within  three  or  four  joints 
from  the  break,  to  insure  a  uniform  growth.  This  completed  they  may 
be  stood  out  of  doors,  after  the  manner  of  Azaleas,  in  a  sunny  spot,  and 
so  get  the  wood  thoroughly  ripened.  The  species  above  named  is  a 
rigorous  grower,  and  in  consequence  pot  room  should  be  limited,  by 
adopting  which  a  great  number  of  smaller  growths  will  be  forthcoming, 
and  consequently  smaller  trusses  of  bloom,  which  may  be  taken  as  a  still 
further  advantage,  as  they  are  much  more  useful,  and  in  a  greater 
variety  of  ways. 
R.  gratissima  is  smaller  in  all  its  parts,  and  produces  exceedingly 
pretty  trusses  of  bloom,  which  in  bouquet  arrangements  have  an  almost 
unique  appearance.  This  species  is  generally  more  compact  than  the 
first  named.  Bjth  species  are  readily  increased  by  cuttings  made  of 
half-ripe  wood,  and  plunged  in  a  good  brisk  heat  as  soon  as  rooted  and 
the  cutting  pots  have  left  the  propagating  frame.  Attention  should  be 
given  them  at  once,  and  as  soon  as  fairly  hardened  they  should  be 
stopped,  for  they  are  in  this  respect  similar  to  Bouvardias,  and  should 
never  be  allowed  to  become  leggy,  which  they  soon  do  if  neglected  in 
their  early  days.  This  species  is  more  inclined  to  be  bushy  than  the 
first,  and  it  makes  shorter-jointed  wood. 
Brown  scale  sometimes  attacks  both  species,  but  not  to  the  same 
injurious  extent  as  red  spider,  which  is  best  kept  at  bay  with  the 
syringe.  Should  it  gain  ground,  however,  it  can  be  dispelled  by  using 
quassia  chips  and  softsoap.  Take  a  48-potful  of  the  chips  (I  name  the 
size  pot,  which  is  more  likely  to  be  at  hand  than  weights  and  scales) 
and  gallons  of  soft  water,  boiling  the  same  for  a  quarter  of  an  hour, 
or  if  the  chips  have  not  sunk  in  that  time  boil  a  little  longer,  pour  off 
the  liquid,  and  add  about  2  ozs.  of  the  soap  and  stir  well  together. 
When  cooled  down  it  will  be  ready  for  use. — H.  J. 
YEGETABLE  JUDGING  AT  SHREWSBURY. 
When  I  read  the  remarks  of  your  reporter  with  respect  to  the 
judgment  in  the  vegetable  department  of  the  Shrewsbury  show,  I  was 
both  grieved  and  indignant.  I  knew  those  remarks  were  untrue.  I  felt 
that  they  were  unjust  and,  that,  in  addition,  there  was  the  suspicion 
of  a  sneer  in  them.  Indeed,  in  the  words  of  a  London  ditty,  “  it  aint 
what  he  said,  as  the  nasty  way  he  said  it,”  which  so  much  disturbed 
me.  His  implied  accusation,  that  the  judges  were  annually  setting  up 
a  false  and  a  degrading  standard,  and  that  the  exhibitors  were  acting  up 
to  it,  or  down  rather,  showed  a  great  want  of  knowledge,  both  past  and 
present. 
I  considered  that  the  present  year  reporter  had  little  or  no  knowledge 
of  past  Salopian  shows,  or  he  could  never  have  come  to  the  conclusion 
he  did,  because  the  very  opposite  of  his  conclusion  is  the  right  one.  As 
a  matter  of  fact  the  standard  of  excellence  of  vegetable  exhibits  at 
Shrewsbury  has  risen  annually  for  many  years,  up  to  the  high 
standard  of  the  present  time.  This  fact  every  one  of  the  vegetable 
judges  will  confirm,  as  also  will  such  high-class  exhibitors  as  Messrs. 
Wilkins,  Waite,  Pope,  and  Milner.  I  heartily  endorse  all  that  ”  One  of 
the  Judges”  has  written  to  you  on  the  subject.  “  E.  M.’s  ”  letter, 
seeing  that  his  conclusions  are  drawn  from  second-hand  information, 
does  not  help  the  matter  much  ;  but  nothing  could  be  more  sound  and 
sensible  than  his  last  two  lines. 
Thirty  years  ago  I  should  have  fired  up  at  your  reporter’s  remarks, 
and  rushed  into  the  fray  ;  but  I  am  getting  an  old  man,  and  take  things 
more  quietly,  hence  my  delay  in  writing  until  I  saw  the  letter  of  ”  One 
of  the  Judges.”  After  reading  it,  I  could  no  less  than  back  him  up, 
which  I  do  most  sincerely. — Another  of  the  Judges. 
I  AM  of  opinion  those  who  grumble  at  the  judging  of  the  vegetables 
at  the  recent  Shrewsbury  show  must  be  representatives  of  two  classes, 
one  of  these  is  the  disappointed  exhibitors,  the  other  aspirants  to  be 
engaged  as  judges  themselves.  Both  are  common  in  the  community; 
they  always  have  existed,  and  always  will  do  so.  You  know  who  the 
writer  of  this  note  is,  and  I  think  you  will  admit  I  ought  to  know  as 
well  as  anyone,  the  condition  of  vegetables  at  Shrewsbury.  I  went 
over  them  carefully,  being  a  section  in  which  I  am  always  interested, 
and  I  assert,  and  would  have  argued  the  point  with  anyone  who  had 
told  me  of  it  while  there,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  judge  the 
vegetables  better  than  they  were  done  at  Shrewsbury. 
Take  a  collection  of  twelve  varieties,  or  even  nine,  it  is  a  most 
difficult  matter  for  anyone  to  stage  each  dish  in  a  perfect  condition ; 
you  may  find  nine,  ten,  or  eleven  excellent,  and  one,  two,  or  three  just  a 
little  “  bit  off,’  but  none  except  the  judges  seem  to  take  them  into 
consideration,  and  if  some  of  your  smart  critics  only  see  one  overgrown 
or  faulty  dish  in  a  collection,  they  at  once  fall  into  the  inexperienced 
error  of  condemning  the  whole  collection,  and  rush  off  to  another  in 
which  this  particular  dish  may  be  strong,  and  wonder  why  the  whole 
collection  was  not  put  first. 
I  do  not  think  many  of  those  who  won  in  the  vegetable  classes  at 
Shrewsbury  can  be  regarded  as  inferior  cultivators,  as  they  are  widely 
known,  and  able  to  produce  and  stage  vegetables  that  indicate  the  very 
highest  state  of  excellence.  In  some  cases  this  may  be  a  medium  size, 
in  others  large,  the  judges  knowing,  I  believe,  what  the  right  types 
ought  to  be,  and  they  act  accordingly  ;  but  I  do  not  think  the  most 
stupid  or  sanguine  of  them  ever  expect  to  get  all  who  visit  the  show  to 
consider  the  points  in  that  light.  Let  me  give  a  case  in  point.  As  you 
know,  some  of  the  Giant  Runner  Beans  produce  monster  pods.  They 
might  be  considered  too  rough  to  suit  some,  but  good  types  were  shown 
at  Shrewsbury,  though  there  were  other  dishes  shown  with  pods  of  only 
medium  size  and  although  good  and  of  fine  quality,  it  was  useless  anyone 
trying  to  say  they  were  “  Giants,”  although  no  doubt,  as  your  critics 
write,  they  would  have  gone  for  them. 
Most  judges  of  experience  know  by  this  time  what  fine  proportions 
Veitch’s  Autumn  Giant  Caulifiower  is  capable  of  attaining.  Heads  the 
size  of  the  crown  of  your  hat  are  never  thought  to  be  overgrown  repre¬ 
sentatives,  but  they  take  some  getting  up,  and  to  reject  these  and  favour 
heads  the  size  of  one’s  fist  that  are  generally  produced  without  any  skill 
or  effort  would  be  going  back  to  a  mode  of  culture  that  is  not  in 
harmony  with  the  advantages  that  growers  now  enjoy  from  those  who 
have  done  so  much  to  improve  vegetables. 
I  am  writing  more  than  I  anticipated  when  I  began,  but  I  defy  any¬ 
one  to  say  that  the  biggest  of  the  prize  vegetables  at  Shrewsbury  were 
deficient  of  a  corresponding  amount  of  prominence  in  other  points 
which  are  known  to  all  good  vegetable  judges.  Many  frequenters  of 
Shrewsbury  show  still  assert  that  Mr.  Lambert  of  Powis  Castle  (one  of 
the  unfortunate  judges)  exhibited  vegetables  in  a  manner  that  has  not 
since  been  excelled.  His  collections,  I  can  very  well  remember,  were 
very  striking  for  the  extreme  size  of  the  produce,  but  I  never  once  heard 
a  whisper  that  they  were  deficient  in  quality.  However,  let  those  who 
may  be  pleased  or  displeased,  I  will  be  glad  if  you  will  let  me  take  this 
opportunity  of  congratulating  the  Shrewsbury  Society  on  this  year 
having  the  finest  display  of  vegetables  I  have  yet  seen  anywhere,  and 
my  experience  is  not  very  limited. — An  Old  Hand. 
[We  know  very  well  that  our  correspondent  has  won  prizes  for 
vegetables  in  many  a  keenly  contested  class,  and  that  he  is  an 
experienced  judge,  though  we  think  be  did  not  officiate  in  the  Shrews¬ 
bury  classes  referred  to.  It  is  just  because  of  his  experience  that  we 
are  surprised  he  should  weaken  his  communication  by  anything  in  the 
nature  of  an  insinuation  in  which  he  has  thought  it  appropriate  to 
indulge.  He  evidently  does  not  know  that  our  reporter  has  judged 
more  vegetables  this  year  than  either  the  “  Old  Hand  ”  has  o^  any  of 
the  judges  he  is  desirous  of  defending.  It  was  only  by  the  merest 
chance  that  he  (the  reporter)  had  a  break  in  his  many  engagements  to 
enable  him  to  visit  Shrewsbury.  He  is  convinced,  and  he  is  by  no 
means  alone  in  the  opinion,  that  where  a  compromise  has  to  be  made 
between  size  and  quality  that  the  latter  and  not  the  former  element 
should  have  the  greater  weight.  It  is  not  a  question  of  controversy  but 
of  fact  that  exhibitors  stage  their  produce  to  meet  the  understood  views 
of  certain  judges,  and  they  would  be  poor  judges  themselves  if  they  did 
not  do  so,  considering  the  object  in  view.  We  do  not  suggest  that  the 
Shrewsbury  judges  are  responsible  for  grave  errors.  That  is  a  matter  of 
opinion,  and  like  the  judges  of  most  shows  they  please  the  winners 
of  the  prizes  very  well.J 
It  is  a  matter  of  profound  sorrow  to  me  that  I  should  have  incurred 
the  displeasure  of  ”  One  of  the  Judges  ”  at  Shrewsbury.  I  fear  that  with 
all  my  native  modesty,  a  long  course  of  following  upon  the  heels  of 
judges,  even  of  noblemen’s  gardeners,  has  served  to  render  me  critically 
minded,  and  still  farther  indifferent  to  censure,  hence  the  recent 
scolding  falls  fiat.  There  was  a  time  when  even  a  cat  could  look  at  a 
king,  but  now  an  editor  is  sent  to  jail  if  he  criticises  his  Emperor.  I 
fear  horticultural  judges  are  getting  somewhat  autocratic  also,  and  the 
daring  reporter  must  look  to  bis  ears  if  he  ventures  to  pen  an  estimate 
of  show  awards  that  is  not  quite  complimentary  to  those  who  make  them. 
Why  do  not  these  distinguished  gentlemen  when  making  awards 
remember  that  other  and  not  less  capable  eyes  than  their  own  will  scan 
their  judgments  also  ? 
Judging  vegetables  or  anything  else  efficiently  and  correctly  is  no 
Royal  attribute.  A  judge,  with  all  his  knowledge,  can  only  be  such  if 
he  have  good  judicial  capacity  to  distinguish  the  best  points  of  exhibits, 
and  specially  makes  his  judgments  consistent.  When  judgments  vary 
in  character  the  public  are  confounded,  and  the  exhibitor  is  driven  mad. 
There  is  a  common  tradition,  by  many  show  committees  religiously  held, 
that  judicial  capacity  rests  only  with  gardeners  to  great  noblemen. 
They  “  can  do  no  wrong  of  course,”  yet  I  dare  to  aver  that  I  have  seen 
at  least  as  many  judicial  blunders  committed  by  these  “salts”  of  the 
horticultural  earth  as  by  “  common  ”  men. 
The  bombast  about  the  great  growers  who  exhibited  at  Shrews¬ 
bury  is  all  nonsense.  The  men  who  exhibited  there  have  learnt  the 
ideals  of  the  judges  at  that  famous  show,  and  cater  accordingly.  A 
week  later  the  very  same  men,  almost  certainly  four  at  least  of  the 
leading  vegetable  exhibitors  of  the  kingdom,  were  showing  at  Reading  ; 
not  in  such  small  classes  as  were  at  Shrewsbury,  where  the  judging 
relatively  was  mere  child’s  play,  but  in  a  class  of  forty  dishes.  Then 
here,  knowing  the  usual  requirements  of  Reading  judges,  who  invariably 
favour  quality  as  the  primary  feature,  the  general  character  of  the 
exhibits  was  in  that  respect  20  per  cent,  before  those  at  Shrewsbury  ; 
indeed,  a  more  perfect  lot  of  vegetables  was  never  seen  on  one  table 
than  those  four  men  had  in  their  160  dishes.  I  helped  in  the  judging, 
and  had  as  a  colleague  a  gardener  who  always  favours  quality,  and 
makes  no  mistakes.  The  job  was  the  toughest  I  ever  had,  but  when 
done  the  result  defied  criticism.  That  is  the  past  experience  which 
justifies  the  possible  temerity  of — Your  Shrewsbury  Vegetable 
Reporter. 
