574 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
Decamber  19, 1895 
with  well-built  hollow  walls  on  the  exposed  sides,  double-glazed 
windows,  double  doors,  and  a  non-conducting  roof,  to  keep  out  any 
amount  of  frost.  I  remember  the  case  of  a  plant  pit  built  with  hollow 
9-inch  walls  that  protected  its  inmates  from  frost  when  the  thermometer 
touched  zero.  Has  the  refrigerator  been  tried  for  keeping  home-grown 
Grapes,  say  Muscats,  till  April  ?  I  am  of  opinion,  but  cannot  now  say 
for  certain,  that  frost  does  not  take  much  of  the  flavour  from  Grapes. — 
Wm.  Tatloe.  (qiq  continued.) 
“SWINDLING  AT  FLOWER  SHOWS.” 
Such  is  the  heading  of  an  article  which  appeared  in  one  of  the 
leading  Scotch  papers  some  time  ago,  and  its  perusal  makes  one  almost 
feel  ashamed  to  have  anything  to  do  with  flower  shows.  It  seems  that 
the  honour  of  beating  one’s  neighbour  at  a  show  is  no  longer  sufficient 
for  the  exhibitor;  but  such  an  old-fashioned  satisfaction  has  given  place 
to  the  desire  of  obtaining  the  prize  money  by  some  means  or  other. 
1  have  long  had  a  faint  suspicion  that  the  flower  show  as  an  institu¬ 
tion  for  the  promotion  of  higher  gardening  was  fast  becoming  a  failure. 
The  exposures  of  exhibitors  from  time  to  time  who  have  taken  prizes 
with  other  persons’  fruits,  flowers,  plants,  and  vegetables,  or  by  tying 
two  bunches  of  Grapes  together  to  appear  as  one,  or  potting  two  or  three 
plants  together  to  make  believe  it  is  one,  have  all  tended  to  make  me 
think  that  the  original  idea  of  flower  shows  was  being  frustrated.  This 
suspicion  is  now  becoming  a  conviction,  and  when  the  outside  Press  is 
taking  up  the  matter  I  think  that  it  is  time  we  ourselves  should  look  into 
it  and  see  what  we  can  do  to  mend  it. 
That  abuses  will  creep  into  every  institution,  let  it  be  ever  so  good 
and  noble,  is  almost  as  certain  as  that  darkness  follows  light,  and  there¬ 
fore  it  would  be  very  unreasonable  to  condemn  the  flower  show  simply 
because  abuses  have  crept  into  it.  Still,  when  the  abuse  has  a  more 
baneful  effect  than  the  unsullied  aim  has  of  good,  I  think  the  time  has 
arrived  when  it  would  be  better  for  the  community  that  the  institution 
in  question  should  cease  to  exist.  In  expressing  an  opinion  that  such 
a  time  has  arrived  in  the  history  of  the  flower  show  as  at  present 
conducted,  I  shall,  no  doubt,  be  in  danger  of  bringing  down  a  hornets’ 
nest  about  my  head.  “But  facts  are  chiels  that  winno  ding,  an  darna 
be  disputed.” 
The  general  public  seem  to  have  but  very  little  sympathy  with  the 
flower  show  if  we  are  to  judge  by  their  unwillingness  to  attend.  The 
majority  of  horticultural  societies  whose  shows  are  well  attended  have 
to  resort  to  all  sorts  of  means  to  draw  the  public,  such  as  military  bands, 
fireworks,  ballooning,  and  other  exhibitions,  all  as  far  removed  from 
horticulture  as  the  poles  are  apart.  Why  is  this?  Simply  because  year 
after  year  the  exhibits  are  almost  identical,  and  one  year’s  show  is  just  a 
reproduction  of  another.  Of  course,  this  in  itself  is  no  argument  against 
a  show,  as  we  may  say  the  same  of  our  gardens,  for  year  after  year  we 
produce  the  same  crops,  sometimes  heavier,  sometimes  lighter,  but  always 
the  same  in  character.  It  does,  however,  in  my  opinion  point  out  that  we 
have  no  right  to  expect  the  general  public  to  support  our  horticultural 
exhibitions,  but  rather  that  they  should  be  supported  by  gardeners 
themselves,  and  genuine  lovers  of  gardening. 
Why  do  we  want  the  public  at  our  shows  ?  Probably  that  they  may 
get  enlightened  and  educated,  though  the  strongest  reason  for  wishing 
their  presence  is  to  obtain  gate  money  to  pay  for  the  prizes  and  other 
expenses  incurred  in  making  the  show  a  success.  Now  I  think  the  only 
means  of  having  shows  as  they  ought  to  be  is  to  do  away  with  money 
prizes  altogether  and  substitute  instead  certificates,  and  thus  go  back  to 
the  original  aim  of  shows  by  letting  the  emulation  be  the  honour  pure 
and  simple  of  growing  the  best  samples,  and  not  in  obtaining  the  money. 
If  this  were  done  the  dubious  methods  spoken  of  would  soon  be  swept 
away  from  all  exhibitions,  as  I  cannot  conceive  of  anyone  resorting  to 
underhanded  practices  for  the  sake  of  pure  honour.  The  expensive 
character  of  the  flower  show  would  be  largely  done  away  with,  as  the 
only  expenditure  incurred  would  be  the  printing  of  certificates,  paying 
for  the  tents,  hall,  or  wherever  the  show  may  be  held,  and  thus  the 
committees  of  shows  would  be  much  less  dependent  upon  the  patronage 
of  the  public  than  they  are  at  the  present  time. 
No  doubt  there  are  many  good  and  sound  reasons  may  be  given 
against  such  an  innovation  as  indicated,  but  personally  I  cannot  see 
them,  although  I  can  see  many  other  reasons  besides  that  of  morality 
for  introducing  such  a  sweeping  change  in  the  character  of  our  flower 
shows.  It  does  not  cost  more  to  grow  good  vegetables,  fruit,  or  flowers, 
than  to  grow  inferior  ones,  consequently  a  gardener  in  ex’nibiting  his 
produce  does  not  put  himself  or  his  employer  to  any  extra  expense 
beyond  that  of  travelling  to  and  from  the  place  of  exhibition  with  the 
exhibits.  The  abolition  of  money  prizes  would  tend  to  keep  the  gardener 
from  exhibiting  away  from  home,  but  at  the  same  time  it  would  also 
tend  to  keep  exhibits  up  to  a  high  standard,  as  no  one  would  go  to  the 
trouble  of  sending  anything  to  a  distance  except  it  were  really  good. 
Some  may  think  that  provincial  shows  would  suffer  and  lose  many 
of  their  best  exhibits  from  the  large  gardening  centres  if  there  were  no 
money  prizes  ;  but  of  that  I  have  no  fear,  as  nurserymen  will  always 
look  after  their  own  interest  in  that  direction.  At  many  of  the  shows 
I  visited  this  year  the  best  exhibits  were  those  of  nursery  firms  who 
were  not  showing  for  competition,  hut  simply  as  a  means  of  advertising. 
I  am  afraid  unless  some  radical  change  takes  place,  and  the  defects 
of  the  present  system  of  showing  remedied,  that  the  flower  show  will 
soon  be  a  thing  of  the  past. — A  Scottish  Gardenek. 
tvVe  have  only  to  say  at  present  that  the  writer  of  this  article  is 
exactly  as  represented,  and  a  most  capable  man.  He  gives  in  a 
trenchant  way  prominence  to  one  side  of  the  question.  Now  let  us 
hear  what  can  be  said  on  the  other  by  persons  not  less  experienced  in 
the  subject  of  shows  and  showing  than  he  is,  and  whose  sense  of  honour 
is  equal  to  his  own.] 
WITH  A  VETERAN  FRUIT  TREE  GROWER. 
What!  late  to  talk  about  fruit  ?  Well,  yes,  so  it  is;  but  Chrysan¬ 
themums  have  recently  been  occupying  a  large  share  of  space,  so  Better 
late  than  never — at  least,  thus  thought  a  Journal  man  the  other  day  as 
he  wended  his  way  to  Hounslow,  a  Middlesex  suburb  of  London,  to  see 
the  fruit  tree  nursery  of  Messrs.  S.  Spooner  &  Sons,  and  have  a  chat 
with  the  veteran  principal  of  this  flourishing  firm  and  his  capable  sons. 
Like  most  successful  men  whose  success  is  due  entirely  to  their  own 
energy  and  dogged  perseverance,  Mr.  Spooner,  sen.,  is  brimming  with 
anecdote  and  useful  information,  the  result  of  more  than  hilf  a  century’s 
experience,  so  that  a  chat  with  him  is  not  only  interesting,  but  highly 
instructive.  With  becoming  modesty  he  tells  how  in  the  year  1820  the 
business  was  founded  on  a  small  plot  of  land,  and  little  by  little  it  has 
grown  and  extended  until  now  it  occupies  an  eminent  position  among 
the  fruit  tree  nurseries  of  this  country.  An  area  of  some  35  acres  is 
devoted  almost  entirely  to  the  culture  of  fruit  trees  and  Roses.  Their 
success  in  this  department  is  very  marked,  and  the  large  spaces  of  ground 
from  which  trees  have  recently  been  removed  prove  that  the  output 
must  be  exceedingly  large. 
A  hasty  and,  I  might  add,  muddy  walk  round  this  forest  of  fruit 
trees  suggested  many  thoughts,  and  passing  through  a  large  area  of 
Plum  trees  prompted  me  to  inquire  if  these  were  a  speciality.  “  Oh, 
yes,”  replied  Mr.  Spooner,  jun. ;  “  we  have  10  acres  or  more  allotted  to 
their  cultivation,  and  this  year  the  sale  has  reached  over  7000  two-year- 
old  trees.”  “  And  what  kinds  are  the  most  in  demand  ?”  “  Oh,  Victoria 
certainly,  followed  closely  by  The  Czar,  Grand  Duke,  Monarch,  Pond’s 
Seedling,  and  Rivers’  Early  Prolific.  Last  summer  we  budded  no  less  than 
50,000  Plums,  of  which  30,000  were  Victorias,  and  our  sale  of  all  kinds  of 
fruit  trees  lies  greatly  with  market  gardeners.”  The  last  remarks,  though 
spoken  insignificantly,  struck  me  as  being  important,  pointing  as  it 
does  unmistakably  towards  the  increase  of  fruit-growing  for  profit. 
I  was  of  course  too  late  to  see  specimens  of  Messrs.  Spooner’s  fruit, 
but  of  the  quality  of  that  those  who  have  visited  the  principal  of  the 
recent  autumn  shows  will  be  fully  satisfied,  as  their  exhibits  have 
elicited  more  than  one  complimentary  remark  from  competent  judges 
who  are  also  severe  critics.  Turning  to  the  Apples,  there  was  no  lack  of 
evidence  with  regard  to  either  the  quantity  or  the  excellent  quality  of 
the  trees,  while  empty  spaces  and  packing  operations  proved  that  the 
work  of  removal  was  still  going  on.  “Which  kinds  appear  to  be  most 
in  favour?”  I  inquired.  “Ecklinville  Seedling  and  Bismark  are  much  in 
demand,”  was  the  reply,  “  though  we  supply  largely  Beauty  of  Bath, 
Domino,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  Duchess  Favourite.  Gladstone, 
Grenadier,  Early  Julien,  Keswick  Codlin,  Lane’s  Prince  Albert,  Manks 
Codlin,  Potts’  Seedling,  Stirling  Castle,  Worcester  Pearmain,  Royal 
Jubilee,  and  Lords  Suffield,  Derby,  and  Grosvenor ;  and  of  these 
chiefly  two  and  three-year-old  trees  go  out. 
Extensive  breadths  of  Pears  of  various  sizes  and  forma  suggested 
inquiries  respecting  these,  to  which  my  guide  promptly  replied  that 
Fertility,  a  heavy  bearing  October  Pear  very  useful  for  market  purposes, 
and  Hessel,  another  prolific  and  profitable  market  sort,  were  in  great 
call,  also  mentioning  Pitmaston  Duchess  and  several  others  as  being 
favourites.  The  trees  were  all  clean,  in  good  condition,  and  reflected 
much  credit  on  the  cultivators. 
“You  appear  also  to  grow  Peaches  and  Nectarines  largely,”  I 
observed,  on  noticing  a  number  of  thoroughly  trained  trees.  “Oh,  yes, 
we  grow  a  considerable  number,”  replied  Mr.  Spooner,  “and  of  the 
former  Royal  George  and  Noblesse  do  well  with  us  and  are  greatly  in 
demand  ;  while  among  the  latter  I  think  the  premier  place  must  be 
given  to  Early  Rivers’,  which  we  have  proved  to  be  an  excellent  variety. 
We  can  safely  recommend  it,  and  predict  a  great  future  for  this  kind.” 
Cherries,  Apricots,  and  other  fruits  all  claimed  attention,  and  it 
would  be  easy  to  give  an  almost  unexhaustible  list  of  names.  This, 
however,  would  be  to  little  purpose,  and  sufficient  has  been  said  to  give 
an  idea  of  the  extent  of  Messrs,  Spooner’s  butiness.  The  soil  is  admirably 
suited  for  the  cultivation  of  fruit  trees,  and  the  nursery  adjoins  Hounslow 
Heath,  once,  according  to  history,  the  rendezvous  of  highwaymen  of  the 
Jack  Sheppard  and  Dick  Turpin  type,  but  now  frequented  by  fresh  air 
seekers  from  the  great  City.  A  hasty  glance  at  the  Roses,  shrubs,  and 
forest  trees  had  to  suffice,  as  a  nursery  on  a  wet  December  day  is  not  the 
most  pleasant  of  places.  “  Are  you  troubled  much  with  insect  pests  ?  ” 
I  asked  before  departing.  “  Oh,  no  !  ”  was  the  reply.  “  We  have  no 
pests  except  an  occasional  attack  of  American  blight,  which  is  eradicated 
as  promptly  as  it  appears.” 
“  What  do  you  think  of  the  fruit-growing  movement  as  an  industry  ?  ” 
I  further  inquired.  The  veteran’s  long  experience  and  sound  knowledge 
on  the  subject  asserted  themselves  in  his  pointed  remarks,  and  numerous 
instances  were  given  where,  in  spite  of  occasional  gluts  and  low  prices, 
the  culture  of  fruit  has  been  the  means  of  raising  many  from  the  quag¬ 
mire  of  adversity  in  which  they  had  fallen  through  the  depresiion  of 
agriculture.  That  fruit-growing  is  steadily  advancing  Mr,  Spooner  enter¬ 
tains  no  doubt,  and  in  its  advancement  he  sees  the  spread  of  a  great 
industry  in  which  we  have  much  lost  ground  to  regain.  Surely  such  a 
firm  as  Messrs.  Spooner  &  Sons  is  doing  its  share  towards  furthering  the 
movement,  as  in  order  to  obtain  profitable  fruit  growers  must  have 
suitable  trees,  and  that  these  can  be,  and  are,  supplied  from  the  Hounslow 
Nurseries  the  recent  visit  proved — at  any  rate,  to — Wanderer. 
