240 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
September  13,  19C0. 
A  Kote  on  an  Original  Show. 
I  WAS  one  of  a  set  of  judges  wlio  were  called  upon  on  September  1st 
to  adjudicate  upon  the  garden  produce  at  an  exhibition  which  is,  in 
my  experience,  so  unique  and  original  in  its  object  and  character,  and 
withal  so  good  a  show  in  a  gardening  sense,  that  I  thought  I  would 
call  your  attention  and  the  attention  of  your  readers  to  it.  It  is  called 
the  Old  Aspley  and  District  Charity  Flower  Show,  and  is  held  in  a 
large  tent  in  a  field  at  Bobbers  Mill,  a  country  district  almost  within 
the  boundaries  of  the  city  of  Nottingham,  but  just  outside,  and  is  one 
of  the  many  busy  centres  of  allotment  gardens  which  so  distinguish 
Nottingham  over  any  other  midland  town.  These  allotment  gardens 
are  all,  or  nearly  all,  cultivated  by  the  working  classes,  with  an 
admixture  of  tradesmen!  They  are  chiefly  colliers,  or  machinists,  or 
lace  hands,  or  railway  men. 
The  promoters  and  supporters  of  the  show  are  the  local  gentry  and 
tradesmen,  backed  up  by  the  municipal  rej  resentatives  of  some 
portion  of  the  town.  The  object  of  the  show  is  to  assist  the  various 
medical  charities  of  Nottingham  and  neighbourhood,  and  all  the 
subscriptions,  gate  money,  and  other  sources  of  income,  are,  after 
paying  working  expenses,  divided  in  proportion  to  their  claims  and 
needs  amongst  those  benevolent  and  philanthropic  agencies.  Last 
year,  for  instance,  over  £46  was  so  divided,  beginning  with  the 
Dispensary  twenty-six  guineas,  General  Hospital  five.  Nursing 
Association  five,  Children’s  Hospital  three.  Convalescent  Homes  three, 
Throat  and  Ear  Hospital  one.  Eye  Infirmary  one,  and  Blind 
Institution  one. 
1  here  is  no  prize  list  made  out  on  the  sending  out  of.  the  schedule, 
and  no  money  is  offered  as  prizes  in  the  first  instance  ;  but  so  many 
are  the  friends  of  the  society,  that  before  the  time  of  the  show  one 
first,  and  in  some  classes  a  second  prize  is  given — not  in  money,  but 
in  kind ;  and  some  of  the  prizes  thus  given  are  such  as  to  raise  a 
smile.  For  instance,  a  fat  lamb  was  given  for  a  collection  of  early 
flowering  Chrysanthtmums,  sprays  and  blocms,  and  the  lamb  was  on 
the  spot,  to  be  recdved  by  the  successful  exhibitor  as  soon  as  the 
awards  were  made ;  as  also  was  a  big  pig  for  five  kitchen  Apples 
(Lord  Suffields  exclirded),  and  there  was  no  doubt  as  to  the  pig  being 
in  evidence,  as  the  crate  in  which  it  was  placed  was  a  conspicuous 
object  in  the  tent,  and  the  peculiar  pig  perfumery  was  in  evidence 
also,  as  the  noses  of  those  who  came  near  it  testified.  A  collection  of 
vegetables  were  curiously  rewarded,  the  first  prize  being  an  automatic 
piano  stool,  and  the  second  a  cask  of  ale.  Indeed,  something  was 
found  for  a  first  prize,  and  occasionally  a  second  for  all  the  seventy-five 
classes  in  the  schedule,  from  the  fat  lamb,  big  pig,  automatic  piano 
stool,  cask  of  ale  afoiesaid,  down  to  a  pound  of  tea  and  a  tobacco  pipe  ; 
indeed,  the  prize  list  is  so  much  of  a  curiosity  that  I  enclose  one  for 
the  Editor’s  inspection. 
The  produce  set  up  on  the  tables  on  the  show  day  was  of  a  high 
order  of  excellence,  the  land  of  the  district  being  of  a  strong  holding 
loam  gives  off  healthy  stuff,  both  of  fruit,  flowers,  and  vegetables.  It 
is  such  produce  as  makes  it  a  pleasure  to  judge,  and  the  competition 
is  so  keen  that  it  puts  the  judges  on  their  m ettle  to  decide  the  respective 
merits  of  the  different  exhibits,  and  do  justice  betwren  exhibit  and 
exhibit ;  and  so  anxious  are  the  exhibitors  as  to  the  merits  ot  each  one’s 
productions  and  the  criteria  of  judgment,  that  the  judges  are 
occasionally  cornered  and  catechised  as  to  the  why  and  wherefore 
of  such  and  such  a  decision.  But  sound  and  true  is  the  gardening  spirit 
amongst  the  men,  and  they  readily  recognise  the  rightfulness  of  the 
decisions,  and  lay  up  the  lesson  thus  gained  for  use  at  the  next  show. 
Indeed,  the  enthusiasm  amongst  the  growers  and  exhibitors  is  so  great 
that,  despite  the  absence  of  a  financial  prize  list  in  the  schedule,  the 
entries  are  many,  and  the  competition  in  all  the  three  departments  o' 
fruit,  flowers,  and  vegetables  keen.  The  show  is  looked  forward  to 
eagerly  by  the  whole  population  of  the  district,  old  and  young,  and  the 
bands  of  music  make  things  very  gala  like,  and  provide  the  young 
peojrle  with  their  much  loved  dancing  in  the  evening,  besides  the 
juvenile  sports  for  both  girls  and  boys. 
It  will  be  noticed  that  in  the  class  for  five  kitchen  Apples  Lord 
Suffields  are  excluded,  and  the  reason  for  this  is  in  this  wise  ;  the 
first  two  exhibitions  were  so  glutted  in  the  kitchen  Apple  class  by 
the  very  numerous  and  excellent  dishes  of  Lord  SuflSelds  that 
the  judges  were  bothered.  The  dishes  were  all  so  good  that  they 
could  not  be  passed  over,  and  yet  it  did  not  seem  right  that  this 
variety  should  monopolise  a'l  the  three  prizes ;  they,  therefore, 
advised  the  committee  to  make  a  class  for  Lord  Suffields  alone,  and 
this  is  now  done,  which  reduces  the  difficulty  of  differentiating  the 
respective  merits  of  these  and  other  kitchen  Apples. 
To  a  true  gardener  the  evidence  of  this  gardening  spirit  amongst 
the  people  is  most  inspiring,  and  the  gentlemen’s  gardeners  of  the 
neighbourhood  are  all  willing  to  assist  it  in  every  way  they  can. 
There  may  be  an  idea  in  the  conduct  of  this  original  show  which 
probably  will  bo  of  use  to  some  readers  of  the  Journal,  and  that  is 
the  chief  reason  why  I  send  this  note. — N.  H.  P. 
Cactus  Dalilias. 
Judging  by  the  product  of  the  class  for  Cactus  Dahlias  grown  in 
pots,  as  seen  at  the  Crystal  Palace  last  week,  it  is  very  evident  that 
creating  such  a  class  was  an  error  of  judgment.  Nine  plants  in 
10-inch  pots,  with  some  six  expanded  flowers  over  the  whole,  did  not 
constitute  a  very  attractive  feature.  No  doubt  Pompon  varieties 
would  have  given  much  better  results ;  but  surely  it  is  not  worth 
while  to  encourage  the  growth  of  Dahlias  in  pots  when  they  do  so 
mi  ch  better  in  the  open  ground,  and  there  are  thousands  of  other 
plants  that  will  give  really  fine  effects  in  pots.  Doubtless  the 
National  Dahlia  Society  will  not  insert  such  a  class  again  in  succeeding 
schedules. 
Cactus  Dahlias  set  up  in  vases  with  any  foliage  should  and  do 
make  a  pleasing  clas.s.  There  was,  however,  in  the  judging  of  the 
large  class  for  twelve  vases  a  serious  wrong  dot  e  to  the  competitor 
who  had  much  the  best  flowers,  but  whose  setting  up  was  not  over- 
elaborate,  as  the  schedule  expressly  stipulated  that  “quality  of  bloom 
should  have  the  first  consideration.”  I  should  not  have  found  any 
fault  with  the  awards  had  not  quality  been  thus  prominently  indicated. 
Without  doubt  the  setting  up  of  Mr.  Seales’  vases  was  the  most 
attractive,  but  still  with  so  much  of  rather  heavy  foliage  somewhat 
overdone.  But  the  consideration  of  quality  in  the  flowers  should 
certainly  be  in  future  omitted,  as  the  object  in  such  competition  is  to 
show  how  far  Cactus  Dahlias  can  be  displayed  in  vases  effectively  for 
domestic  decoration.  It  should,  however,  be  a  condition  that  the 
varieties  of  flowers  used  he  of  those  named  in  the  society’s  schedule,, 
as  that  would  exclude  coarse  flowers.  On  the  other  hand,  judges 
ought  not  to  give  too  much  weight  to  foliage  dressing.  More  than 
one  competitor  thought  that  a  too  liberal  use  of  foliage  might  dis¬ 
qualify,  and  certainly  was  right  in  concluding  that  as  the  class  is  for 
Dahlia  flowers  these  shr uld  have  all  possible  prominence.  I  should 
advise,  to  give  more  effect  to  the  class,  that  nine  blooms  be  required 
for  each  vase,  and  also  that  each  competitor  have  9  feet  run  of 
staging,  so  that  his  vases  may  be  more  effectively  displayed  in  two 
lines  only,  and  not  be  made  to  look  flat  and  formal  in  three  rows. 
It  was  spec  ally  noticeable  that  in  the  three  best  stands  of 
eighteen  varieties  of  Cactus  blooms,  the  chief  competition  in  these 
flowers,  that  out  of  fifty-four  bunches  nearly  one-half  of  the  whole 
were  seedlings,  that  are  not,  and  c  nnot  be  in  commerce  for  some 
time,  and  when  they  are  will  be  offered  at  prohibitive  prices.  I 
strongly  protest  against  this  practice,  as  the  public,  unknowing  that 
fact,  take  notes  of  these  new  ones,  and  apply  for  them,  expecting  to 
find  them  catalogued  at  reasonable  prices,  ju-t  as  so  many  others  are. 
Of  course  they  are  in  the  end  apt  to  think  that  they  have  been  deceived. 
For  that  the  society  is  as  much  responsible  as  are  the  competitors,  and 
it  shows  how  much  the  raiser  el  ment  dominaies  the  committee.  Let 
there  be  a  class  for  six  bunches  of  distinct  varieties  not  in  commerce 
by  all  means,  and  even  one  of  three  bunches,  also  for  small  raisers,  but 
from  all  other  classes,  seedlings,  by  which  is  meant  varieties  not  in 
commerce,  should  be  rigidly  excluded.  The  public  would  then  not  be 
in  any  way  deceived. 
The  society  gives  in  its  schedule  a  list  of  no  less  than  fifty-six 
varieties,  which  it  regards  as  the  best  in  commerce,  and  surely  from 
that  large  number  it  would  be  easy  to  set  up  a  first-class  stand  of 
eighteen  bunches.  It  would  seem,  judging  hy  the  relatively  few  out 
of  the  fifty-six  varieties  referred  to  seen  in  the  various  stands,  that 
the  life  of  a  Cactus  Dahlia  is  a  very  short  one.  Cannot  that  fact  be 
impressed  on  the  committee  when  it  has  seedlings  before  it?  Card¬ 
board  seems  to  be  so  abundant  that  nothing  will  satisfy  less  than  a 
wholesale  distribution  of  it.  The  strong  man  on  the  committee  who 
will  set  up  a  standard  of  excellence  and  fight  for  it,  seems  sadly 
wanting.  And  yet  that  work  should  be  greatly  helped  now,  thanks  to 
Mr.  Burrell,  who  has  given  us  this  year  in  J.  W.  Wilkinson,  without 
question  the  finest  Cactus  Dahlia  ever  seen.  That  it  was  the  very 
best  new  variety,  so  far  as  true  Cactus  form  is  concerned  in  ihe  show, 
there  ci-uld  be  no  doubt,  and  with  such  a  standard  for  guide,  surely 
no  flower  should  henceforth  receive  an  award  that  does  not  come  up  to 
that  standard  of  quality. 
In  another  direction  in  Mr.  Burrell’s  singularly  superb  Kosine 
was  seen  a  stem  such  as  held  the  flower  stiff  and  erect — almost  an 
ideal  stem.  Heae  again  is  a  standard  to  aim  for  in  stems.  Some  of 
the  flowers  had  stems  that  in  their  curious  convolutions  resembled 
the  gyrations  of  runner  Bean  tops,  presenting  quite  ridiculous  aspects; 
yet  whilst  the  committee  require  that  seedling  flowers  shall  be  shown 
in  vases  unwired,  that  their  habit  may  be  seen,  no  one  seemed  to  be 
the  least  concerned  because  stems  were  so  weak  and  ungainly.  Clearly 
the  perfect  Cactus  is  yet  a  long  way  off. — A.  Dean. 
