6 
JOURNAL  OP  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
January  2,  1896. 
exhibitor,  and  market  supplier  of  fruit,  and  their  appreciation  of  the 
material  help  which  he  has  given  to  other  growers  by  his  published 
articles  and  personal  advice.  It  was  expected  that  Mr.  Wright  would 
shortly  be  leaving  for  his  new  sphere  of  labour,  in  consequence  of  which 
there  was  no  time  for  an  extended  canvass  of  his  friends  in  this  and 
surrounding  counties.  Mr.  John  Ough,  of  Hereford,  who  acted  as 
hon.  secretary,  therefore  confined  the  testimonial  to  a  more  central  area, 
which  culminated  in  a  very  gratifying  and  enjoyable  presentation,  for  it 
was  arranged  by  Mr.  Ough  and  a  presentation  committee  consisting  of 
Messrs.  John  Watkins,  R.  Grindrod,  John  Wilson,  Charles  Williams, 
Charles  Whiting,  and  W.  Nash,  that  the  testimonial  should  consist  of  a 
timepiece  and  a  framed  address,  to  be  presented  at  a  complimentary 
dinner.  The  Committee  selected  from  designs  submitted  to  them  by 
Mr.  J.  Coates,  jeweller,  of  Commercial  Street,  Hereford,  a  handsome 
-dining-room  clock,  for  which  Mr.  Coates  specially  telegraphed  to  the 
manufacturers.  It  is  a  11-day  timepiece,  striking  the  hours  and 
half-hours  on  a  gong,  and  is  set  on  a  massive  black  marble  stand, 
fashioned  with  pillars  like  the  front  of  a  building  in  the  Corinthian 
style  of  architecture  ;  around  the  pillars  are  gold  bands,  and  at  the  base 
of  the  marble  is  a  silver  plate  engraved  with  the  words,  “  Presented 
to  Mr.  S.  T.  Wright,  by  his  Herefordshire  gardening  friendB,  as  a 
token  of  regard,  December  21at,  1895.”  Mr.  W.  J.  Davies  of  Hereford 
was  commissioned  to  execute  the  address,  which  he  has  written  in  an 
exceedingly  neat  and  artistic  style  in  rose,  green,  and  blue,  with 
slight  foliage  ornamentation,  surrounded  by  a  border  of  black  lines.  It 
is  framed  in  oak,  and  reads  as  follows  : — 
Presented  to  Mr.  S.  T.  Wright,  F.R.H.S.,  by  the  undersigned  gardening 
friends  in  the  county  of  Hereford,  together  with  the  accompanying  timepiece, 
upon  the  occasion  of  his  appointment  as  Superintendent  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chiswick,  as  a  mark  of  their  high  regard  for 
his  merits,  and  with  their  best  wishes  for  his  future  welfare. 
The  signatures  to  the  address  are  John  Cranston,  F.E.H.S.  (Chairman), 
John  Watkins  (Vice-Chairman),  John  Ough,  F.R.H.S.  (Hon.  Secretary'), 
E.  E.  Rosley,  S.  M.  Biggs,  James  Davies  (Ilodenham),  Alfred  Guyott,  Henry 
Godwin,  F.  Harris,  Robert  Grindrod,  Arthur  Johnson,  F.R.H.S.,  Henry 
Langston,  W.  Nash,  William  Parry,  J.  Randall,  W.  J.  Sherlock,  P.  MacCabe, 
Henry  Stokoe,  A.  Ward,  John  H.  Wootton,  John  Wilson,  Charles  Whiting, 
Charles  Williams.  Hereford,  December,  1895. 
The  dinner,  at  which  the  presentation  was  made,  took  place  at  the 
Old  Harp,  Hereford,  on  Saturday  afternoon  last.  Mr.  John  Oranston, 
formerly  of  the  world-famed  King’s  Acre  Nurseries,  occupied  the  chair, 
Mr.  S.  T.  Wright,  as  the  guest  of  the  evening,  being  on  his  right. 
Mr.  John  Watkins,  founder  of  the  Pomona  Farm  Plantations, 
Withington,  took  the  vice-chair. 
Letters  were  received  from  a  number  of  horticulturists  in  the  county 
who  were  unable  to  attend  the  dinner,  and  expressing  kindest  wishes 
for  Mr.  Wright’s  welfare.  Mr.  C.  Lee  Campbell,  of  Glewstone  Court, 
in  the  course  of  a  most  complimentary  letter,  said  that  he  and  Mr. 
Wright  had  been  associated  for  ten  years,  and  during  that  period  no 
unpleasant  word  had  ever  passed  their  lips.  The  result  of  the  combined 
work  had  been  that  Glewstone  Court  stood  at  the  top  of  the  tree  in 
fruit  producing,  and  during  the  whole  of  the  ten  years  they  had  not  had 
a  single  complaint  from  any  buyer.  He  ventured  to  say  that  such  a 
record  in  favour  of  any  gardener  was  unique.  But  he  wished  more 
particularly  to  say  what  he  felt  as  regarded  Mr.  Wright’s  relations  to 
his  brother  gardeners.  He  wa9  free  from  any  professional  jealousy,  and 
if  he  could  give  a  helping  hand  to  any  gardener,  either  by  advice  or 
material  assistance,  he  had  always  been  most  ready  to  do  so.  Another 
point  was  that  he  was  a  perfectly  fair  competitor  at  shows,  always 
recognising  the  merits  of  others,  and  never  thinking  unduly  of  his  own. 
Mr.  Campbell  thought  Mr.  Wright  not  only  merited  the  good  wishes  of 
his  brethren,  but  had  fairly  earned  the  high  post  which  had  fallen  to 
him.  Amongst  others,  Mr.  A.  Ward,  of  Stoke  Edith  Park  Gardens,  and 
Mr.  Arthur  Johnson,  F.R.H.S.,  wrote  in  equally  eulogistic  strains,  the 
latter  observing  that  Mr.  Wright’s  success  in  obtaining  so  important  a 
position  reflected  not  only  infinite  credit  upon  his  well-known  abilities 
as  a  horticulturist,  but  also  afforded  a  vast  deal  of  satisfaction  to  all  the 
members  of  his  profession  and  those  who  interested  themselves  in 
horticulture  who  had  the  pleasure  of  his  acquaintance. 
After  giving  the  usual  loyal  toasts,  the  Chairman  said  he  had  next  a 
very  pleasant  duty  to  perform.  It  was  to  propose  the  health  of  their 
guest,  whom  they  had  invited  there  to-day  to  congratulate  him  upon 
the  very  important  appointment  which  he  had  received  as  Superinten¬ 
dent  of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society’s  Gardens  at  Chiswick.  There 
was  no  doubt  that  Mr.  Wright  was  well  worthy  of  the  appointment,  and 
would  worthily  fulfil  the  duties  of  that  position.  He  had  undergone  a 
very  strict  examination,  and  unless  he  had  been  proficient  and  capable, 
he  would  not  have  been  appointed. 
Mr.  Wright,  in  acknowledging  the  presentation,  thanked  the 
chairman  and  all  of  them  for  the  good  wishes  they  had  so  generously 
expressed  on  his  entering  upon  his  new  sphere.  He  had  to  succeed  a 
most  able  man,  and  he  hoped  to  follow  worthily  in  his  footsteps,  and  to 
do  credit  to  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  and  himself.— (Abridged 
from  the  Hereford  Times.') 
[In  addition  to  the  presentation  above  mentioned,  Mr.  Wright  has 
received  a  handsome  14-day  clock  from  the  employes  at  Glewstou  Court, 
a  beautiful  tea  service  from  Mrs.  Campbell  and  daughters,  and  an 
excellent  reading  lamp  from  ex-foremen — men  who  have  from  time  to 
time  Berved  under  him  in  the  gardens,  which  he  has  so  successfully 
managed  during  the  past  ten  years.] 
FLORAL  DECORATIONS. 
A  pleasing  feature  of  floral  decorations  at  the  present  time  is 
their  simple  character.  Fairy  lamps,  so  common  only  a  few  years 
ago,  are  now  put  aside  ;  coloured  plushes,  done  up  in  tissue  paper, 
rest  in  cupboards  ;  and  the  abominable  zinc  designs,  common 
twenty  years  ago,  are  now  almost  forgotten.  We  are  getting 
sensibly  nearer  the  realisation  of  the  precept,  Ars  est  celare  artem. 
We  are  becomiug  sufficiently  clever  to  hide  our  cleverness,  and  we 
are  allowing  our  flowers  to  stand  on  their  own  merits.  Another 
matter  calling  for  thankfulness  is  the  sincere  appreciation  dis¬ 
cernible  towards  common  flowers,  and  indeed  for  any  form  of 
vegetation  intrinsically  beautiful.  I  have  known  the  advent  of 
certain  guests  cause  the  dismissal  from  the  table  of  any  but  the 
rarer  flowers.  That  is  now  a  thing  of  the  past.  The  lowliest  type, 
so  long  as  it  is  worthy,  is  as  welcome  as  the  more  recherchL  Last 
year,  at  this  season,  the  table  decoration  most  admired  was 
composed  solely  of  the  common  China  Rose,  flowers,  buds,  and 
foliage,  with  a  liberal  employment  of  the  greenish  yellow  blooms 
of  Ilelleborus  footidus.  The  material  was  displayed  on  the 
cloth,  and  it  was  relieved  by  tall  yellow-leaved  Crotons  in  silver 
vases. 
The  Hellebore  [is  so  common  a  flower  that,  paradoxical  as  the 
remark  may  appear,  it  is  comparatively  unknown.  Few  would 
think  of  introducing  it  to  their  borders.  Its  very  name  is  con¬ 
demnatory.  Nevertheless,  in  the  limited  list  of  plants  flowering  in 
the  winter  it  is  well  worthy  a  place,  while  as  a  cut  flower  its 
decorative  position  is  a  high  one.  China  Roses  are  on  the  other 
hand  to  be  found  in  most  gardens.  There  is,  however,  ground  for 
doubting  whether  their  surpassing  beauty  is  fully  recognised,  or 
if  their  charming  effect  a*  cut  flowers  is  known.  We  are  so 
accustomed  to  the  H.P.’s  and  Teas  that  the  ancient  China,  which 
Dean  Hole  has  designated  the  “  Ancestral  Cow,”  is  very  apt  to  bo 
overlooked.  Chrysanthemums  are  every  year  becoming  more 
beautiful,  and  consequently  in  themselves  form  a  bank  from 
which  to  draw  on  without  reserve.  I  quite  agree  that  a  vast 
amount  of  chaff  is  distributed  along  with  the  Wheat,  but 
subsequent  to  the  annual  siftings  the  remains  if  small  are  fine 
indeed.  Large  blooms  set  singly  in  small  receptacles  form  a  really 
handsome  decoration,  and  they  are  invariably  appreciated.  It  is 
possible  with  a  fair  number  of  plants  to  supply  quite  distinct  effects 
for  many  parties.  For  example,  the  blooms  may  be  all  distinct  in 
colour  and  form,  or  they  may  be  all  white,  either  one  variety  or  of 
distinct  forms,  or  blooms  all  of  one  colour  may  be  employed,  as, 
for  example,  Miss  D.  Shea  or  W.  K.  Woodcock,  or  two  or  three 
varieties  may  be  used  in  equal  numbers  of  each  with  good  effect. 
The  flowers  require  no  added  foliage  as  a  setting,  but  the  general 
effect  may  be  considerably  lightened  by  laying  light  sprays  of 
Smilax  on  the  cloth.  When  white  or  yellow  flowers  are  used  alone, 
a  very  pretty  effect  is  produced  by  the  addition  of  a  few  Dog  Heps 
or  of  fruiting  sprays  of  the  Spindle  tree  laid  with  the  greenery  on 
the  cloth.  For  Christmas  Day  well-fruited  sprays  of  Hodgson’s 
Holly  is  preferable. 
A  most  helpful  plant  at  this  season  is  found  in  the  old  Cypri- 
pedium  insigne.  The  flowers  every  year  do  us  good  work  for  table 
decorating.  They  are  generally  employed  alone,  laid  on  the  cloth  ; 
sometimes  shoots  of  a  small-foliaged  Croton,  such  as  interruptum 
aureum,  are  sparingly  employed  along  with  Maidenhair  Fern. 
Another  Orchid  for  table  work  is  the  easily  grown  Cymbidium  Lowi. 
We  have  this  for  January,  and  it  may  best  be  used  in  the  same  way 
as  the  Cypripedium.  The  latter  genus,  by  the  way,  is  singularly 
useful  in  providing  us  with  cut  flowers.  One  of  our  prettiest  summer 
tables  was  a  large  one  decorated  with  bunches  of  long-stemmed 
C.  barbatum  setup  in  silver  vases,  and  with  other  vases  filled  with 
W.  A.  Richardson  Rose.  Another  arrangement  that  gave  much  satis¬ 
faction  was  composed  of  an  equal  number  of  vases  filled  respectively 
with  Spanish  Iris  La  Dame  Blanche  and  Diana,  the  latter  yellow, 
and  the  former  white.  Summer  flowering  Tulips  of  all  kinds  are 
also  much  appreciated.  Tulips  are  somewhat  difficult  to  arrange, 
inasmuch  as  while  too  tall  stems  are  out  of  place,  on  the  other  hand 
stems  too  short  are  deplorable.  One  must,  therefore,  study  to 
secure  that  happy  medium  which  shows  off  the  beauty  of  the 
flower  most  effectively.  Crowding  Tulips  is  also  to  be  deprecated. 
To  Narcissus  the  same  remark  applies,  and  it  is  so  generally  the 
case  that  these  are  overcrowded. 
A  flower  that  does  us  great  service  during  the  summer  and 
autumn  is  the  Sweet  Pea.  There  is  now  such  a  variety  of  shades 
in  the  flower  that  with  these,  Roses,  Carnations,  and  Mignonette,  it 
is  possible  to  have  the  most  beautiful  and  sweetest  flowers  for 
months.  The  Sweet  Peas  that  are  most  suitable  for  bunching,  or 
I  should  rather  say  those  that  pleaso  me  best,  are  Countess  of 
Radnor,  Emily  Eckford,  Captain  of  the  Blues,  Alice  Eckford 
Eliza  Eckford,  Her  Majesty,  Venus,  Stanley,  Royal  Robe,  Meteor 
