JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  14  1800. 
2:u 
EXHIBITING  GRAPES— A  DISQUALIFICATION. 
On  page  208  of  lost  week’s  Journal  I  note  that  Mr.  Jones 
expresses  his  disappointment  at  being  disqualified  in  the  class  for 
decorated  dessert  table  at  the  Great  Malvern  Show,  and  as  you,  Mr.  Editor, 
wish  to  hear  “the  other  side,”  I,  as  one  of  the  Judges,  would  like  to 
correct  one  of  Mr.  Jones’  statements — viz,  that  he  was  awarded  first 
prize  for  the  decorated  dessert  table.  This  statement  must  be  purely 
from  imagination,  as  Mr.  Jones’  exhibit  was  never  spoken  of  as 
Icingfirst.  The  first  thing  noticed  by  us  (tho  Judges)  in  this  particular 
exhibit  was  that  it  only  contained  five  distinct  kinds  of  fruit,  and,  chiefly 
through  the  Secretary,  he  was  awarded  a  special  prize.  Mr.  Jones 
would  have  us  believe  by  the  wording  of  his  note  that  we  awarded  him 
the  first  prize  and  then  our  attention  was  called  to  the  fact  that  his  table 
contained  only  five  distinct  kinds  instead  of  six. 
The  only  persons  present  w  ith  us  were  three  officials — the  Secretary 
and  two  non-exhibiting  members  of  the  Committee,  who  agreed  with  us 
that  the  wording  of  the  schedule  was  deliberate  and  clear  ;  kinds,  not 
varieties,  were  distinctly  meant.  Apart  from  my  own  experience,  I  have 
ascertained  from  several  experienced  judges  the  fact  that  if  black  and 
white  Grapes  are  to  count  as  distinct  kinds  of  fruit  it  should  be  so  stated 
in  the  schedule,  as  is  the  case,  for  instance,  at  Shrewsbury  and  elsewhere, 
when  exhibitors  and  judges  would  be  able  to  follow  lines  which  would 
not  end  in  disappointment. 
I  cannot  see  how  black  and  white  Grapes  can  be  admitted  as  two 
distinct  kinds  of  fruit  unless  a  note  to  this  effect  be  inserted  in  the  schedule. 
One  might  as  reasonably  admit  that  Red  and  White  Currants,  or  golden 
and  purple  Plums,  form  respectively  two  distinct  kinds.  I  admit  that 
black  and  white  Grapes  add  considerably  to  the  value  and  appearance  of 
a  collection  of  fruit,  und  should  always  be  included  if  possible,  but  they 
would  only  form  two  varieties  of  one  kind  of  fruit,  therefore  permission 
for  their  inclusion  as  two  kinds  should  be  made  quite  clear  in  the 
schedule. 
lhe  Malvern  schedule  does  not  allow  this  latitude,  a3  the  class  under 
discussion  is  only  a  six  dish  one,  and  the  Show  being  held  in  the  month 
of  August,  when  there  is  such  an  abundance  of  all  kinds  of  fruit  in 
perfection?  the  Committee  does  not  consider  it  necessary  to  allow  two 
varieties  of  Grapes,  or  any  other  kind  of  fruit.  Again,  if  an  exhibitor 
who  properly  follows  the  rule  of  the  Malvern  schedule,  and  stages  one 
dish  of  Grapes  only,  and  his  opponent  erroneously  takes  it  for  granted 
that  he  can  show  bl»ek  and  white  Grapes  as  two  distinct  kinds  of  fruit, 
the  former  finds  himself  at  a  disadvantage,  because  he  must  in  all 
probability  insert  a  fruit  which  is  inferior  in  point  value  to  his  opponent's 
second  dish  of  Grapes,  especially  in  such  a  limited  collection  as  that 
under  discussion.  Those  who  read  and  judge  the  case  on  its  merits  will 
probably  agree  that  justice  was  only  intended  and  delivered.— GEORGE 
Mullins,  Easlnor  Castle  Gardens. 
[We  always  like  to  hear  “both  sides”  of  a  case,  and  our  correspondent 
has  put  his  side  admirably.  Botanieally  speaking,  he  is  perfectly  right, 
and  on  that  basis  his  analogies  of  Black  and  White  Currants  and  golden  and 
p  irple  Plums  are  valid.  It  is  clear,  also,  that  Mr.  Jones  did  not  comply  with 
the  precise  terms  of  the  schedule,  and  as  the  Secretary  and  Committee 
say  that  six  distinct  “kinds  only  were  meant,  the  wording  of  the  schedule 
must  be  the  law  of  the  Show  in  this  reference  (see  par.  8,  page  6,  R  II.S. 
Rules).  Garden  products  are  not,  however,  exhibited  on  botanical  lines  ; 
it  they  were,  a  dish  of  Peaches  and  a  dish  of  Nectarines  on  the  dessert 
table  would  not  have  been  admissible  as  distinct  “  kinds,”  as  the  Nectarine 
is  a  smooth-skinned  Peach,  but  by  custom  they  are  allowed  as  distinct ; 
so,  in  the  same  manner,  are  black  and  white  Grapes  in  collections.  This 
is  ratified  by  the  R.H,  rule  3,  page  6,  which  does  not  say  they  may  be 
allowed  as  distinct,  but  that  they  “  are,”  after  the  manner  of  Peaches  and 
Nectarines  and  varietal  members  of  the  Cabbage  tribe  ;  and  though  it  is 
well  to  insert  words  to  emphasise  a  custom,  it  is  not  less  desirable  to 
make  clear  any  departure  from  it  that  a  committee  may  desire  in  the 
schedule  of  the  show.  The  Malvern  schedule  is  so  clear  that  it  would  be 
difficult,  we  think,  for  an  exhibitor  to  misunderstand  any  of  the  classes 
'but  one,  and  this  one  evidently  was  misunderstood.  If  a  parenthetical 
sentence  had  been  inserted  (only  one  variety  of  Grape  allowed),  as  we 
have  more  than  once  seen  in  such  cases,  it  would  have  been  better, 
because  it  is  impossible  to  make  the  terms  of  any  class  too  clear,  and  it  is 
surely  desirable  to  avoid  all  risks  of  misinterpretation  when  this  can  be 
done  in  half  a  dozen  words.  It  ought  to  be  remembered  that  exhib;tors 
should  know  as  well  as  committees  and  judges  exactly  what  is  meant  by  the 
terms  of  the  schedule  of  every  show.] 
A  CALL  AT  WEM. 
That  is  the  subject  of  my  “visiting  note,”  mentiored  last  week. 
For  a  few  years  we— wife  and  I,  both  keen  flower  lovers— have  decided 
to  see  the  far-famed  Sweet  Peas  of  Mr.  Henry  Eckford  on  our  journey  to 
Salopia,  but  something  has  arisen  to  put  the  visit  off.  This  year  we 
determined  that  nothing  should  stand  between,  and  we  took  the  first 
day  of  the  week— Monday,  the  21st— to  go  on  to  Wem,  the  Mecca  of  all 
Sweet  Pea  devotees.  Wem  is  only  a  few  miles  out  of  Shrewsbury,  and 
the  line  runs  through  a  lovely  part  of  the  county,  and  you  get  beautiful 
views  of  the  rock  of  Grinshill  and  the  Ilawkstone  Park  country. 
On  arriving  at  Wem  Station,  on  inquiring  for  Mr.  Eckford’s  place  we 
are  readily  told,  “Oh  !  yes  ;  over  the  crossing  and  down  the  road,  and 
you  will  be  there  in  two  or  three  minutes.”  Our  noses  would  have 
guided  us  aright  if  nothing  else  would,  for  there  is  on  the  air  the  delicate 
perfume  from  the  Sweet  Peas.  We  found  Mr.  Henry  Eckford  (a  real 
“grand  old  gardener”)  and  his  son  goiDg  over  their  experimental  ground 
of  annuals,  and  noting  and  tabulating  their  respective  merits.  We  had 
only  to  say  who  we  were  to  get  the  most  hearty  of  welcomes,  and  young 
Mr.  Eckford  laid  himself  out  to  show  us  some  of  the  treasures  of  their 
nurseries.  I  say  some  of  the  treasures,  because  after  walking  through 
alley  after  alley  over  acres  of  ground,  lined  with  Sweet  Peps  in  the  most 
regular  order,  we  were  told  t fiat  most  of  the  culinary  Peas  were  on  a 
farm  some  two  miles  awav. 
And  what,  can  bo  said  of  the  S»eet  Peas  ?  Just  this,  there  is  surely 
no  suqb  ( i^ht  in  the  world  !  Being  An . mi -t  mid  n  droughty  season,  and 
the  gryut  object  of  the  firm  to  get  clean,  well-ripened  seed,  the  flowering 
in  mags  was  praetic  illy  over,  only  a  few  belated  flowers  being  left  in  each 
row  to  give  the  visitor  some  idea  of  what  a  wealth  of  flowers  there  had 
been  in  July  ;  and,  the  great  thing  of  all,  to  show  in  reality  the  varieties 
faithfully  kept  separate,  all  rogues  being  rigidly  weeded  out  and  burnt. 
Shall  1  give  the  names  of  the  best  varieties?  No,  certainly  not;  lam 
not  a  recorder  of  details.  Send  to  Mr.  Eckford  for  one  of  his  catalogues, 
pick  ynur  own  varieties  according  to  choice,  and  send  your  order  in,  and 
you  will  get,  I  am  sure,  Peas  true  to  name  and  healihy  in  seed  that  will 
give  satisfactory  results  if  you  grow  the  plants  well.  As  to  culinary  Peas, 
Mr.  Eckford’s  up-to-date  varieties  are  worth  a  trial  too. 
Mr.  Eckford  is  not  only  great  in  Sweet  and  culinary  Peas,  hut  being 
a  thorough  florist,  and  one  ot  the  old  school,  he  has  a  splendid  collection 
of  Pansies,  from  the  finest  florist  kinds,  Fancy  kinds,  to  the  very  beautiful 
Peacock  varieties  ;  also,  he  is  great  in  Dahlias  and  Verbenas.  His 
Verbena  bed  was  in  full  flower,  and  looked  like  a  piece  of  tapestry  from 
the  singularly  happy  blend  of  colour.  Ornamental  Grasses  are  also 
largely  grown,  and  very  uncommon  and  graceful  varieties  too,  and  a 
hardy  Maize,  which  ripens  its  spikes  of  seed  though  sown  and  grown  in 
open  ground,  will  be  more  heard  of  in  the  future,  or  I  am  much  mistaken. 
But  1  need  not  particulurise,  the  houses  and  grounds  are  full  ot  good 
things. 
After  a  round  of  inspection  of  more  plants,  flowers,  and  seeds  than 
the  memory  can  give  an  account  of,  Mr.  Eckford  said  ho  was  not  going 
to  part  with  us  as  if  we  were  strangers  :  we  must  go  to  his  home  in  the 
town  and  have  some  refreshment.  We  went,  and  found  a  perfectly 
charming  home  with  three  generations  in  it,  from  whom  we  received  the 
warmest  and  most  homely  welcome.  We  spent  the  afternoon  in  a  pi  rfect 
oasis  of  a  little  garden,  a  square  of  brick  walls  clothed  with  Ivy, 
Ampelopsis,  and  other  creepers,  and  made  deliciously  green,  sweet,  and 
charming  by  skilful  and  dainty  arrangements  of  Ferns,  foliage  and 
flowering  plants.  Here  the  veteran  and  bis  wife  and  daughter  and  grand¬ 
children  entertained  us  delightfully  until  our  train  was  due,  and  then 
they  gave  us  a  send  off  down  to  ithe  station.  The  visit  to  Wem  will  long 
be  a  bright  spot  in  the  memor}'  of  the  good  wilo  and — N.  II.  P. 
AUSTRALIAN  ALPINE  FLOWERS. 
Australia  has  frequently,  and  with  justice,  been  described  as  the 
botunist’s  paradise,  and  Sir  Joseph  Banks  has  left  on  record  the  impres¬ 
sions  of  surprised  delight  produced  by  the  variety,  beauty,  and  luxuriance 
of  the  vegetation  encountered  by  him  on  the  shores  of  what  now  consti¬ 
tutes  the  rich  and  prosperous  colony  of  Now  South  Wales.  It  has  been 
estimated  that  the  colony  possesses  about  47f>0  kinds  of  indigenous  plants, 
in  addition  to  a  largo  number  of  useful  plants  and  weeds  introduced  from 
other  countries.  The  number  of  native  plants  is  being  increased  by  recent 
discoveries  in  the  snow  country,  in  the  extreme  south-eastern  portion  of 
the  colony,  which  is  extremely  mountainous,  extensive  portions  of  the 
country  being  above  the  snow  line,  one  of  the  peaks,  Mount  Kosciusko, 
rising  7328  feet  above  sea  level. 
Recently  Mr.  ,T.  H.  Maiden,  Director  of  the  S\dney  Botanic  Gardens, 
described  the  results  of  a  visit  to  Mount  Kosciusko.  He  said  the  region 
did  t  ot  boast  the  possession  of  what  might  be  called  showy  flowers,  but 
so  many  of  them  had  a  beauty  and  a  sweetness  particularly  their  own 
that,  it  it  did  not,  seem  an  exaggeration  to  call  them  gems.  Their  beauty 
grew  upon  one  the  more  they  were  studied.  They  were  ncithrr  garish 
nor  coarse,  if  such  expressions  could  be  used  in  regard  to  any  member 
of  the  vegetable  kingdom.  The  range  of  which  Mount  Kosciusko,  with 
its  snow-capped  summit  formed  such  a  prominent  feature,  extended  over 
a  considerable  area,  and  possessed  an  extensive  flora.  Vegetution  ceased 
at  an  altitude  of  6500  feet.  For  some  distance  only  one  kind  of  tree  was 
seen  (Eucalyptus  coriacea,  the  Snow  Gum),  and  it  gradually  d'minished, 
until  at  what  w  as  called  the  “  tree  line  ”  it  assumed  the  size  and  much  of 
the  appearance  of  scrub.  Above  were  wind-swept  plains,  plentifully 
bestrewn  with  dwarf  shrubs  and  tiny  herbs. 
Botanieally  the  most  interesting  portion  of  Kosciusko  consisted  of 
these  plains,  which  were  dotted  over  with  granite  masses,  in  the  inter¬ 
stices  of  which  a  number  of  interesting  plants  thrived,  in  addition  to 
those  most  commonly  found  in  the  more  open  country.  Some  of  the 
plants  took  a  rock-climbing  habit,  assuming  the  shape  of  the  rock  to  a 
remat kable  degree.  Others  formed  mats  consisting  ot  dwarf  plants, 
most  ot  them  constituting  a  mass  of  flowers  in  the  summer.  By  far 
the  greater  number  of  the  flowers  were  white  in  colour,  yellows  ranking 
next,  though  greatly  inferior  in  number.  Green  and  inconspicuous  dull 
yellow,  and  purple  and  pink  were  fewer  still.  There  was  only  one  plant 
hearing  a  blue  flower,  but  it  was  a  very  showy  one.  It  had  long  sword¬ 
shaped  leaves,  and  was  called  Dianella  tasmanica,  and  was  not  found 
higher  than  the  tree  line,  attaining  its  greatest  luxuriance  in  the  belt  of 
stunted  Gums  forming  the  tree  limit. 
