332 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AHD  COTTAGE  GARUEKER. 
October  189?. 
TAVO  NOTABLE  KENTISH  EBHIT  MEN. 
We  give  two  portraits  in  the  ])resent  issue  (figs.  50  and  51)  of  men 
who  over  a  series  of  years  have  exhibited  hardy  fruit  as  well,  we  doubt 
not,  as  it  has  ever  been  exhibited  at  home  or  abroad.  True,  they  may 
have  soil  and  climate,  which  conduce  to  both  the  size  and  the  colour 
of  hardy  fruit ;  but  neither  iNlr.  George  Bunyard  the  nurseryman,  nor 
.Mr.  George  Woodward  the  gardener,  could  have  accomplished  what  they 
have  in  the  absence  of  skill  in  cultivation.  As  a  matter  of  fact  we  have 
seen  fruit  as  small,  scrubby,  specked,  and  inferior  in  Kent  as  in  any 
other  county;  and  that  wliich  is  so  good  is  made  so  by  making  the 
best  of  such  natural  advantages  as  exist  in  climate  and  in  soil.  Both 
these  growers  and  exhibitors  have  done  yeoman’s  work  in  hardy  fruit 
cultivation.  To  enumerate  the  honours  they  have  won  would  fill  a 
page,  and  we  shrink  from  the  task  of  compilation.  Maidstone  is  at 
present  in  an  unfortunate  position,  but  the  fruit-growing  area  of  both 
our  friends  is  some  two  to  four  miles  from  the  town,  and  though  they 
deeply  regret  the  calamity  that  has 
befallen  it,  they  happily  feel  as  safe  _ 
as  if  they  were  a  hundred  miles  away. 
We  congratulate  both  IMr.  Bunyard 
and  ^Ir.  AVoodward  on  what  they 
have  done  in  the  past,  and  trust  that 
health  and  strength  will  be  vouchsafed 
to  them  for  not  less 
in  the  future, 
signal  successes 
CRYSTAL  PALACE  FRUIT 
snow. 
September  30th,  October  1st 
AND  2nd. 
Once  again  the  Royal  Horticultural 
Society  has  to  be  congratulated  upon 
a  very  successful  exhibition  of  fruit. 
Opinions  had  been  very  freely  ex¬ 
pressed  as  to  the  probable  poorness 
of  the  show  owing  to  the  adverse 
weather  causing  a  light  crop.  Not¬ 
withstanding  this,  the  show  was  a 
very  fine  one  indeed,  and  we  learnt 
that  1000  more  dishes  were  staged 
than  was  the  case  last  year.  This 
would  not  strike  one  as  being  the 
case,  as  the  exhibits  were  arranged  in 
a  different  manner  and  place  from 
what  has  hitherto  been  the  custom- 
As  is  well  known,  on  previous  occa¬ 
sions  the  tables  have  occupied  both 
ends  of  the  centre  transept,  and  thus 
made  an  effective  and  imposing  display. 
This  year,  with  the  exception  of  a  few 
nurserymen’s  stands  in  the  transept,  the  majority 
in  the  central  s<juare  before  the  large  organ.  If  the 
Tig.  50.-  ;Mr.  George  Bunyard. 
of  the  tables  were 
show  lost  somewhat 
in  effectiveness  by'  this  system,  the  public  were  the  gainers  in  being  able 
to  find  the  classes  much  quicker  and  easier  than  in  former  shows. 
It  is  superfluous  for  us  to  say  that  the  Apples  were  the  best  feature  of  the 
whole  show.  If  the  fruits  were  not  quite  so  large  as  is  customary,  there  was 
a  richness  of  colouration  that  easily  rivals  that  of  the  fruit  sent  to  us  from 
America.  A  few  exhibitors  had  evidently  spent  some  time  in  polishing 
up  their  specimens,  for  they  shone  like  burnished  gold.  It  is  probable 
that  this  j)olishing  is  carried  a  little  too  far,  as  we  heard  several  visitors 
ex.press  the  opinion  that  they  looked  as  though  they  had  just  come  from 
a  fruiterer’s  shop.  However,  no  one  is  likely  to  set  up  their  fruits  covered 
with  travelling  dust,  so  the  chances  are  that  the  ])olishing  will  continue  to 
hold  the  sway.  An  examination  of  the  Apples  showed  many  of  them  to 
be  maggoty,  which  is  exceedingly  regrettable.  Some  magnificent  Bears 
were  shown  as  well  by  private  as  by  professional  growers,  the  colour  of 
many  of  them  being  very  rich,  though  as  a  rule  the  fruits  were  smaller 
than  usual.  In  some  of  the  smaller  classes,  for  both  Apples  and  Pears, 
the  competition  was  remarkably  keen,  and  the  produce  staged  of  excellent 
quality. 
Of  the  kinds  of  fruits  not  yet  mentioned  the  Grapes  are  the  most 
important,  and  claim  the  greatest  amount  of  individual  attention.  It 
cannot  be  said  that  these  wore  of  such  high  quality  as  it  was  thought  would 
be  staged  ;  indeed,  some  of  the  bunches  ought  not  to  have  found  their 
way  to  the  Palace.  In  many  instances  it  is  true  the  berries  were  of 
immense  size,  but  the  colouring  and  the  finish  were  not,  as  a  rule,  up  to 
the  mark.  Some  of  the  Muscat  of  Alexandria  were  withered  and  very 
green,  richly  coloured  berries  being  very  rare.  The  IMadresfield  Court 
were,  almost  without  exception,  red  at  the  stalk,  while  many  of  the 
Black  Hamburghs  were  past  their  best,  and  rapidly  losing  colour.  Gros 
Maroc  was  well  staged  as  regards  finish,  but  the  same  can  hardly  be  said 
of  Gros  Colman,  Mrs.  Pearson,  Lady  Downe’s,  and  one  or  two  others. 
Can  it  be  that  exhibitors  do  not  bring  their  best  produce  owing  to  the 
comparative  smallness  of  the  prizes  ?  Me  trust  such  is  not  the  case,  but 
it  certainly  seems  to  point  in  that  direction. 
There  is  another  point  which  has  a  very  material  effect  on  the  value, 
or  otherwise,  of  the  show  from  an  educational  point  of  view,  and  that 
is  the  naming  of  the  fruit.  Every  exhibition,  whether  it  be  of  a  horti¬ 
cultural  nature  or  not,  must  be  of  value  for  the  purposes  of  education, 
and  the  more  correct  the  information  the  greater  the  value  of  the 
show.  Bearing  this  in  mind,  we  were 
extremely  sorry  to  see  so  many  names 
of  Apples,  Pears,  and  other  fruits  spelt 
wrongly.  For  example,  one  exhibitor 
had  printed  tickets,  and  we  observed 
Apple  Pott’s  Seedling  instead  of 
Potts’,  and  Pear  Nouveau  Poitean, 
whereas  it  should  have  been  Nouveau 
Poiteau,  while  a  prominent  grower 
had  staged  Pears  Pitmaston  Dutchess. 
These  may  seem  trivial  points,  but 
several  visitors  copied  the  names  as 
they  were  written,  and  of  course  there 
were  many  examples  besides  those 
mentioned.  We  trust  that  in  the 
future  every  exhibitor  will  make  per¬ 
fectly  sure  that  his  cards  are  correctly 
inscribed,  which  may  be  easily  done 
by  consultation  of  some  standard  work 
on  fruit.  In  staging  plants  and  flowers 
the  same  rule  ought  always  to  be 
observed. 
GARDENERS’  AND  AMATEURS’ 
SECTION. 
Collections. 
The  principal  class  in  the  first- 
division,  which  included  fruit  grown 
either  out  of  doors  or  under  glass,  was 
for  a  collection  of  twelve  dishes  of 
ripe  dessert  fruit  of  at  least  six  kinds ; 
only  one  Pine,  one  Melon,  one  dish 
of  black  and  one  of  white  Grapes 
allowed  ;  not  more  than  two  varieties 
of  any  other  kind,  and  no  two  dishes 
of  the  same  variety.  Mr.  F.  Harris, 
gardener  to  Lady  Henry  Somerset, 
Eastnor  Castle,  Ledbury,  was  adjudged 
the  premier  award  of  £7  10s.  The 
stand  comprised  Grapes  Muscat  of  Alexandria,  good  in  berry  but 
unfinished,  and  Gros  Maroc,  in  splendid  form  ;  a  good  Smooth  Cayenne 
Pine;  Sea  Eagle  and  Prince  of  Wales  Peaches,  in  capital  condition  ; 
King  of  the  Pippins  and  Ribston  Pippin  Apples,  Brunswick  Figs,  Coe’s 
Golden  Drop  Plums,  and  a  seedling  Melon,  with  a  dish  of  Nectarines  and 
Pears.  As  a  whole  the  exhibit  was  very  creditable.  Mr.  J.  H.  Goodacre, 
gardener  to  the  Earl  of  Harrington,  Elvaston  Hall,  Derby',  was  a  good 
second,  his  best  dishes  being  Muscat  of  Alexandria  Grapes,  Souvenir  du 
Congres  Pears,  and  American  Mother  Apple.  Mr.  J.  Mclndoe,  gardener 
to  Sir  J.  W.  Pease,  Bart.,  Hutton  Hall,  Guisl)orough,  was  a  fair  third. 
There  w'as  a  smaller  class  for  a  collection  of  eight  dishes  of  ripe  dessert 
fruit  in  at  least  four  kinds.  Pines  being  excluded.  One  Melon,  one  dish  of 
black  and  one  oi  white  Grapes  were  allowed,  but  not  more  than  two 
varieties  of  any  other  kind,  and  no  two  dishes  of  any  one  variety.  Com¬ 
petitors  in  the  larger  class  were  not  eligible  to  enter  in  this  one,  and  about 
half  a  dozen  staged.  Mr.  Geo.  Reynolds,  gardener  to  Messrs.  De  Roth¬ 
schild,  Gunnersbury  Park,  Acton,  was  a  splendid  first  with  a  handsome 
exhibit.  It  comprised  Grapes  Muscat  of  Alexandria  and  Gros  Maroc,  Apple 
Ribston  Pippin,  Plum  Coe’s  Golden  Drop,  Peaches  Princess  of  Wales  and 
Gladstone,  a  seedling  Melon,  and  Nectarine  Pineapple.  The  second 
position  was  adjudged  to  Mr.  W.  J.  Empson,  gardener  to  Mrs.  IVingfield, 
Ampthill,  who  showed  amongst  others  Grapes  Black  Alicante  and  Golden 
Queen,  Fig  Brown  Turkey,  and  Pear  Doyenne  du  Comice.  Mr.  W.  Tidy, 
gardener  to  W.  K.  D’Arcy,  Esq.,  Stanmore,  was  placed  third. 
Grapes  and  Figs. 
Seven  exhibitors  came  foi’ward  in  the  class  for  a  collection  of  Grapes 
in  sLx  distinct  varieties,  two  bunches  of  each,  and  in  which  it  was  com- 
