4(50 
■JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENEk. 
May  ‘h, 
take  a  trip  to  Scotland  now  and  then  for  buying  the  best  cattle  to 
be  found  for  his  master,  with  a  few  animals  for  himself,  and 
turning  them  over  at  a  profit  ;  passing  for  a  change  into  the 
Poultry  arena,  obtaining  high-class  birds,  winning  prizes  at  the 
Crystal  Palace  and  other  great  shows  with  them,  then  advertising 
eggs  in  the  paper  called  “  Poultry,”  and  sending  them  at  “  long  ” 
prices  all  over  Europe  ;  next  as  a  further  change  turning  his 
attention  to  the  canine  world,  and  now  marching  from  the  garden 
to  his  brickfield,  with  a  gold  medal  colley  at  his  heels  that 
much  more  than  £200  would  not  buy  of  any  man’s  money. 
This  is  not  fiction  but  fact — no  mere  pen  picture,  but  a  record 
that  numbers  of  people  know  to  be  true  in  every  detail  ;  but  not 
the  whole  truth,  for  this  working  gardener  did  not  let  bees  alone. 
He  bought  modern  hives  and  all  kinds  of  apiarian  appliances, 
“  bothered  about  ”  with  them,  eventually  taking  to  large  straw 
skeps,  then  came  the  honey,  the  multifarious  utensils  forming  a  sort 
of  museum  in  his  workshop.  For  making  this  comfortable  he  made 
himself  a  boiler,  just  an  ordinary  fire-grate  with  hollow  bars,  and 
from  them  pipes  all  round  the  shop  for  heating.  He  stocked  this 
laboratory  with  various  tools,  morticing  and  other  machines,  and 
made  frame-lights  in  scores  when  many  men  were  sleeping, 
preparatory  to  buying  land  for  market  gardening. 
In  his  search  for  this  land  was  found  a  tract  so  bad,  so  heavy 
and  unworkable,  so  useless,  that  it  would  grow  nothing,  and  no  one 
seemed  to  want  it.  The  gardener  examined  it,  crushed  it,  caked  it, 
weighed  it,  baked  it,  tramped  on  it,  thought  about  it,  slept  over  it, 
and  eventually  bought  it,  as  he  had  arrived  at  the  conclusion  that 
it  would  grow  something — bricks.  He  was  right,  and  these  it  is 
growing  now  at  the  rate  of  2,000,000  a  year — a  good  crop  it  will 
be  admitted,  but  not  equal  to  the  demands. 
This  is  done  under  his  leisurely  superintendence,  a  once  a  week 
visit  or  so  to  “  pay  the  men  ”  (on  contract  work),  except  when  the 
duty  is  done  by  the  queen  of  his  heart  and  home,  his  chancelloress 
of  the  exchequer.  It  is  all  true,  every  word  of  it  ;  true  also  that 
the  bees  have  gone  and  most  of  the  fowls,  also  the  machinery, 
sashes,  and  all  the  paraphernalia  for  market  gardening  since  he  has 
found  the  crop  that  pays  the  best,  the  result  of  knowledge, 
judgment,  and  work — bricks. 
This  little  narrative  is  not  without  its  lessons.  Here  is  a 
gardener  who  before  reaching  the  meridian  of  life  has  won  his 
independence  by  his  own  efforts  from  youth  upwards.  When 
earning  little  in  his  early  days  he  always  saved  a  little,  if  only 
6d.  a  week,  then  spent  not  all  his  spare  time  in  cricketing,  but  a 
full  share  of  it  in  educational  acquirements  in  the  determination 
to  prepare  himself  for  every  duty  that  a  gardener  might  be  called 
on  to  fulfil.  He,  in  fact,  made  himself  an  accomplished  gardener, 
a  valuable  and  trusted  overseer,  yet  always  a  worker,  never  a 
dandy,  and  could  now  “  ride  in  his  carriage”  if  he  liked. 
Was  success  ever  achieved  without  great  diligence,  clear 
thought,  strenuous  endeavour,  and  persistent  work  ?  Notable 
achievements  seem  easy  when  accomplished.  Look  at  a  great 
flower  show  like  the  brilliant  example  in  the  Temple  Gardens. 
What  does  this  great  rendezvous  of  delight,  this  source  of  pleasure 
in  its  highest  form  to  thousands,  mean  ?  It  means  “  work.”  That 
is  the  root  and  mainspring  of  it  all.  It  is  an  aggregation  of 
splendid  work  by  devoted  cultivators  of  flowers,  a  representation 
of  zealous  work  by  secretaries,  clerks,  managers,  and  industrious 
assistants — a  concentration  of  endeavour  in  various  ways  on  a 
central  object,  a  great  organised  stimulus  to  floriculture,  and 
a  great  success. 
One  more  duty  remains.  The  excellent  work  so  well  done  by 
cultivators  and  officials  is  acknowledged  ;  yet  it  cannot  exert  its 
fullest  and  widest  influence  on  the  world  if  the  world  does  not 
know  something  of  its  nature,  and  thus  other  workers  enter  on 
the  scene  with  sharp  eyes,  quick  pens,  and  no  time  for  luncheon. 
We  make  way  then  for  men  whose  labours  are  not  always  too 
fully  appreciated  in  connection  with  shows  and  the  diffusion  of 
matter  that  widens  the  interest  in  horticulture — the  reporters. 
TEMPLE  SHOW. 
MAY  19th,  20th,  and  21st. 
For  the  ninth  successive  year  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society  has, 
by  the  courtesy  of  the  Benchers  of  the  Inner  Temple,  held  its  great 
flower  show  in  these  charming  gardens.  Each  year  has  shown  an 
improvement  up  to  the  present  one.  Last  year  it  will  be  remembered 
the  space  at  the  disposal  of  the  accepted  exhibitors  was  totally 
inadequate,  with  the  consequence  that  crowding  was  much  too  apparent. 
To  a  certain  extent  this  is  the  fault  of  the  stagers,  to  whom  the 
packing  of  as  many  plants  or  flowers  in  a  given  space  appears  to  be 
of  the  utmost  importance.  This  is  to  be  regretted,  and  though  not, 
perhaps,  so  obvious  this  year,  there  still  remains  room  for  considerable 
improvement.  The  most  marked  advance  at  the  present  year  was  in 
Roses  and  Caladiums. 
Notwithstanding  the  fact  that  the  tents  were  the  same  size  and 
occupied  last  year’s  positions  there  was  rather  more  table  space,  secured 
by  the  widening  of  the  central  staging  in  the  three  erected  parallel 
with  the  Embankment.  The  gross  space  of  tabling  amounted  to 
12,000  square  feet,  and  every  available  inch  was  utilised.  For  the 
manner  in  which  each  exhibitor’s  space  was  allotted  to  him  Mr.  Wright 
seems  to  have  acted  judiciously,  and  is  to  be  congratulated  on  the 
management  of  his  first  Temple  show.  It  will  be  interesting  to  many  to 
know  that  applications  were  made  for  18,000  square  feet  of  tabling,  of 
which  one-third  had  to  be  declined.  The  Benchers  of  the  Temple  will 
not  sanction  the  erection  of  more  tents,  but  it  is  regretable  that  so 
many  would-be  exhibitors  must  be  refused.  Nurserymen’s  exhibits  have 
also  had  to  be  greatly  curtailed,  but  each  firm  has  succeeded  in  doing 
itself  credit. 
The  plants  allotted  to  the  various  tents,  ranged  in  very  much  the 
same  style  as  last  year,  the  Orchids,  for  example,  being  grouped  mainly 
on  the  central  staging  of  the  big  marquee.  Round  the  sides  of  this  tent 
were  the  foliage  plants,  the  Roses,  the  Carnations  in  pots,  and  others  in 
pots.  In  the  four  remaining  tents  were  the  remainder  of  the  Orchids 
and  Roses,  with  flowering  and  foliage  plants,  fruits,  vegetables,  and 
hardy  flowers.  Quantity  was  there,  but  so  also  was  quality,  each  per¬ 
haps  a  little  in  advance  of  what  has  previously  been  seen.  It  was 
with  regret  that  many  people  discovered  the  absence  of  the  customary 
exhibit  from  Baron  Schroder,  who  always  stages  in  such  magnificent 
form.  It  is  to  be  hoped  that  Toe  Dell  Orchids  will  be  seen  at  future 
exhibitions,  though,  of  course,  everyone  knows  what  an  ordeal  it  is  for 
the  plants  to  be  packed  in  those  tents  for  three  days. 
Fortunate  indeed  were  the  visitors  that  the  weather  kept  fine.  For 
several  days  there  have  been  threatenings  of  rain,  and  a  little  did  fall 
on  Tuesday  and  Wednesday,  but  it  was  only  a  slight  drizzle,  and  did  not 
last  long — in  fact,  late  in  the  morning  of  Tuesday  the  sun  shone 
brilliantly,  and  it  became  very  warm  indeed  in  the  tents.  As  usual,  the 
gardens  presented  a  gay  appearance  on  each  day,  especially  perhaps  in 
the  afternoon,  and  that  the  excellent  band  was  highly  appreciated 
cannot  be  doubted.  At  the  moment  of  going  to  press  we  were  informed 
that  the  attendance  on  the  first  day  exceeded  that  of  any  other  opening 
day  at  the  Temple. 
Orchids. 
The  Orchids  were  numerous,  unusually  diversified,  and  many  of 
splendid  quality.  The  central  stage  in  the  main  marquee  was  wholly 
given  up  to  them,  and  then  several  exhibitors  had  to  stage  their  produce 
in  the  adjoining  tent.  Besides  being  richly  coloured  the  flowers  were  of 
splendid  shape  and  substanc,  while  the  plants  themselves  were  in 
admirable  condition.  Generally  speaking  the  arrangements  showed 
considerable  artistic  taste,  though  here  and  there  signs  of  crowding  were 
perceptible. 
Prominent  on  entering  was  the  exhibit  arranged  by  Messrs.  F.  Sander 
and  Co.,  St.  Albans.  The  plants  were  large  in  numbers,  excellent  in 
quality,  and  very  varied.  Grand  specimens  of  culture  were  the  plants 
of  Odontoglossum  vexillarium,  while  equally  conspicuous  were  Cattleya 
gigas,  Lselia  purpurata,  Cypripedium  bellatulum,  Cattle^  as  intermedia 
virginalis,  Mossise  Ruby  King,  M.  maxima,  Philo,  William  Murray,  and 
Skinneri.  There  were  also  some  superb  forms  of  Lselia  purpurata, 
L.  elegans  speciosa,  Leelio-Cattleya  D.  S.  Brown,  L.  elegans  alba, 
Dendrobium  thyrsiflorum,  Maxillaria  Sanderiana,  Odontoglossum 
Pescatorei  ornata,  Vanda  teres,  Ansellia  africana,  Lycaste  Measuresire, 
Dendrobium  chrysotoxum,  D.  albo-saDguineum,  Cypripedium  caudatum 
Wallisi,  Odontoglossum  Harry  ana,  Oncidium  concolor,  Cymbidium 
Lowianum,  Cochlioda  Noezliana,  Angirecum  sesquipedale,  Dendrobium 
Parrishi  virginale,  D.  dixanthum,  with  a  beautiful  specimen  of  Ccelogyne 
Dayana  on  a  central  pedestal. 
Composed  of  plants  carrying  splendid  flowers  was  the  group  arranged 
by  Messrs.  Charlesworth  &  Co.,  Heaton,  Bradford.  Amongst  the  most 
conspicuous  were  Cypripedium  Lawrenceanum,  Cattleya  Scbioierse 
ccerulescen*,  Lselia  purpurata,  Cirrhopetalum  picturatum,  Spathoglottis 
KimballiaDa,  Cattleya  Schilleriana,  Oncidium  macrantbum,  Dendro¬ 
bium  thyrsiflorum,  Cattleya  Mossiae  Meteor,  C.  Mendeli,  C.  citrina, 
Odontoglossum  crispum,  Dendrobium  Deari,  Lycaste  Skinneri  eximia, 
Cypripedium  bellatulum,  C.  barbatum  Warneri,  Dendrobium  suavis- 
simum,  and  others. 
Mr.  J.  Davis,  gardener  to  J.  Gurney  Fowler,  Esq.,  Glehelands,  South 
Woodford,  was  represented  by  a  charming  collection  of  Orchids,  sprays 
of  Asparagus  plumosus  being  utilised  for  setting  off  the  flowers.  Amongst 
