September  27,  1900 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
29& 
Boyal  Horticultural  Society. 
Drill  Hall,  September  25th. 
The  Drill  Hall  on  Tuesday  was  as  closely  packed  as  we  have  seen  it 
for  a  very  considerable  period.  Dahlias  were  shown  in  immense 
numbers,  bub  in  some  of  the  exhibits  there  was  far  too  much  duplication 
of  varieties.  Michaelmas  Daisies  were  also  fine.  Both  fruit  and 
Orchids  were  few  in  numbers.  The  vegetables  from  Mr.  Keif,  Regent’s 
Park,  were  most  creditable. 
Fruit  Committee. 
Present :  P.  Crowley,  Esq.  (in  the  chair)  ;  with  the  Rev.  W.  Wilks, 
and  Messrs.  W.  Poupart,  P.  C.  M.  Veitch,  H.  Esling,  A.  P.  Barron, 
E.  Shaw  Blaker,  A.  H.  Pearson,  G.  Keif,  A.  Dean,  S.  Mortimer, 
W.  Bates,  E.  Beckett,  G.  Wythes,  E.  Q.  Lane,  J.  H.  Veitch,  J.  Smith, 
and  T.  Coomber. 
Mr.  Owen  Thomas,  gardener  to  her  Majesty  the  Queen,  Windsor, 
contributed  a  magnificent  collection  of  Plums  and  Damsons.  The  fruits 
were  mainly  of  excellent  quality.  Among  the  most  conspicuous  were 
Monarch,  Belle  de  Septembre,  Pond's  Seedling,  Coe’s  Golden  Drop, 
Guthrie’s  Late  Gage,  Transparent  Gage,  Nouvelle  de  Dorelle,  Jefferson, 
Golden  Esperen,  Archduke,  Diamond,  Reine  Claude  de  Bavay,  Ickworth 
Imp^ratrice,  Lawson’s  Golden  Gage,  Denniston’s  Superb,  Autumn 
Compote,  Kirke’s,  Grand  Duke,  Transparent  Gaere,  Prince  Engelbert, 
Braby’s  Green  Gage,  Gisborne’s,  Late  Rivers,  B'ue  Imperatrice,  and 
White  Magnum  Bonum  Plums,  with  Damsons  King,  Hereford,  White, 
Common  and  Cluster,  and  The  Bullace  (silver  Knightian  medal). 
Mr.  E.  Beckett  showed  a  handsome  collection  of  Capsicums.  There 
were  several  varieties,  and  all  the  fruits  were  beautifully  developed 
(silver  Knightian  medal).  Mr.  E.  Beckett  also  sent  Parsnips  Tender 
and  True  and  The  Student,  the  former  being  conspicuously  superior. 
Mr.  Key  Allen,  Southampton,  showed  some  grand  dishes  of  Plum 
Pond’s  Seedling.  Messrs.  Dobbie  &  Co.,  Rothesay,  were  repre- 
sented  by  Turnip  Dobbie’s  Model,  a  most  excellent  variety  of  the 
Snowball  type.  Messrs.  R.  Veitch  &  Son,  Exeter,  sent  Peach  Late 
Devonian,  and  Mr.  W.  H.  Dyer,  Frimley,  Tomato  Dyer’s  Seedling.  Odd 
dishes  of  fruit  were  exhibited  by  several  exhibitors.  Messrs.  J.  Cheal 
and  Sons,  Crawley,  showed  a  small  but  interesting  collection  of  Crabs. 
Mr.  G.  Keif,  gardener  to  Miss  Adamson,  South  Villa,  Regent’s 
Park,  contributed  a  collection  of  vegetables  comprising  all  the  kinds 
now  in  season.  Particularly  conspicuous  were  Cauliflowers,  Lettuces, 
Vegetable  Marrows,  Tomatoes,  Beet,  Onions,  Turnips,  Celery,  and  Kale 
(silver  Knightian  medal). 
Floral  Committee. 
Present :  W.  Marshall,  Esq.  (in  the  chair) ;  with  Messrs.  C.  T. 
Druery,  H.  B.  May,  R.  Dean,  G.  Paul,  H.  Turner,  H.  J.  Jones,  E.  H. 
Jenkins,  J.  'Walker,  J.  T.  Bennett-Poe,  J.  D.  Pawle,  E.  T.  Cook,  J.  P. 
McLeod,  J.  Hudson,  J.  Fraser,  and  H.  Selfe  Leonard. 
A  beautiful  display  of  autumnal  Roses  came  from  Messrs.  Paul  and 
Son,  Cheshunt,  which  were  well  staged.  The  chief  forms  were  Papa 
Gontier,  Kaiserin  Augusta  Victoria,  Madame  Abel  Chatenay,  Gruss  au 
Teplitz,  Francois  Dubreuil,  White  Mamau  Cochet,  Catherine  Mermet, 
Princess  Beatrice,  and  Sunset ;  also  a  collection  of  hardy  border 
flowers,  which  comprised  Colchicums  in  variety,  a  good  collection  of 
Phloxes,  in  which  Iris,  Coquelicot,  Flo^on  de  Neiae,  Fiancee,  and 
Eclaireur  were  conspicuous  ;  also  Cyclamen  hederaefolium,  and  a  variety 
of  Asters  were  certainly  worthy  of  note. 
Messrs.  W.  Wells,  Ltd.,  Redhill,  exhibited  a  box  of  Chrysanthemums. 
Madame  Marie  Masse,  with  the  variety  Crimson  Marie  Masse,  >.nd  a 
buff  orange  sport  labelled  Orange  Masse,  surely  a  ouGous  name. 
The  same  firm  also  had  an  exhibit  in  another  part  of  the  ball, 
which  included  some  really  good  sports.  Goucher’s  Ciimson,  a 
good  seedling  from  Harvest  Home,  Mrs.  E.  Stacey,  a  buff  sport 
from  Mr.  Selby,  Madame  R.  de  Molmain,  a  beautiful  terra  cotta 
shade,  Jules  Mary,  Victor  Mew,  in  grand  form,  and  Mobere.  Mr. 
B.  R.  Cant,  Colchester,  had  an  exceedingly  pretty  display  of  Tea  and 
other  Roses  stagea  in  splendid  condition.  The  be.-t  were  Queen 
Mab,  Laurette  Messimy,  Madame  Palcot,  Papa  Gontier,  Perle  d  Or, 
Killarney,  L’ldeale,  W.  A.  Richardson,  and  Souvenir  de  Catherine 
Guillot.  A  collection  of  Phloxes  and  Pentstemons  were  staged  by 
Messrs.  I.  House  &  Son,  Westbury-on-Trym.  The  Phloxes  were 
B.  Comte,  Coquelicot,  Lis,  Eclaireur,  Wm.  Robinson,  Etna,  Dervishe, 
and  Jocelyn  ;  the  Fentstemous  were  also  fresh  and  bright,  and  made  a 
good  foreground  to  the  Phloxes. 
Messrs.  W.  W.  Johnston  &  Son,  Ltd.,  Boston,  demonstrated  the  second 
crop  of  Sweet  Peas  by  staging  a  gcod  collection.  The  flowers  were 
clean  and  fresh,  and  the  vaiieties  very  varied.  The  best  were  Salopian, 
Aurora,  Royal  Rose,  Othello,  Her  Majesty,  Miss  Hunt,  and  the  Hon. 
P.  Bouverie.  A  choice  display  of  hardy  flowers  were  also  staged  by 
Messrs.  Barr  &  Sons,  C  vent  Garden.  The  arrangement  was  decidedly 
good.  The  most  striking  features  were  the  collection  of  Phloxes,  Asters, 
Helianthu-es,  Tiiton]as,  Vallotas,  Gladioli,  and  a  small  collection  of 
Pompon  Dahlias,  which  were  all  much  too  large.  Mr.  J.  Hudson, 
gardener  to  Leopold  de  Rothschild,  Esq.,  Gunnersbury  House,  sent  a 
most  interesting,  though  small,  collection  of  bulbous  plants  in  flower. 
They  were  arranged  in  a  box,  and  the  blooms  of  Sternbergia  macrantha 
were  superb,  as  also  were  S.  lutea  and  others.  Colchicum  speciosum 
album  was  of  the  chastest  beauty. 
Mr.  J.  H.  Witty,  Nunhead  Cemetery,  arranged  a  group  of  early 
flowering  Chrysanthemums,  which  were  well  grown  and  full  of  bloom, 
while  the  form  of  grouping  in  three  mounds  was  most  pleasing.  Mr! 
John  Russell,  Richmond  Nursery,  Richmond,  sent  a  capital  collection  of 
Bambusas.  The  plants  were  all  in  good  leafage.  Some  of  the  best 
plants  were  Phyllostachys  aurea,  P.  mitis,  Bambusa  metake,  B.  palmata 
and  Arundinaria  Simoni.  Prom  Mr.  Norman  Davis,  Pramfield,  Sussex, 
came  a  grand  exhibit  of  Michaelmas  Daisies  ;  not  only  were  the  flowers 
well  grown,  but  they  were  also  artistically  arranged,  and  formed  a 
beautiful  exhibit.  A  few  of  the  best  forms  were  A.  amellus  var. 
Distinction,  A.  novi-belgii  ticturus,  A.  n.-b.  Purity,  novse-anglse  Mrs. 
P.  W.  Rayner,  amellus  bessarabicus,  and  A.  var.  Onward. 
Mr.  H.  J.  Jones,  Ryecroft  Nursery,  Lewisham,  staged  a  good 
collection  of  Asters  and  Begonias.  The  latter  included  some  well 
flowered  plants  of  B.  Richardsiana,  B.  Moonlight,  a  good  white  form, 
said  to  have  been  in  commerce  about  twenty  years,  the  flowers  are  about 
the  same  size  as  those  of  Gloire  de  Lorraine,  but  creamy  white  in 
colour.  The  spaces  between  the  plants  were  filled  in  with  Perns  and  a 
variety  of  other  foliage  plants. 
Messrs.  Jas.  Veitch  &  Sons,  Ltd.,  Chelsea,  staged  a  truly  autumnal 
exhibit  of  Tritomas,  Rudbeckias,  and  Helianthuses.  The  Tritomas  were 
excellent,  and  contrasted  well  with  the  bright  yellow  Sunflowers  and 
Rudbeckias.  The  same  firm  also  staged  a  grand  display  of  Nepenthes, 
arranged  with  a  bed  of  Adianlums  beneath.  Most  of  the  Nepenthes 
were  carrying  a  large  quantity  of  their  handsome  pitchers.  The  chief 
forms  were  N.  Dicksoniana  carrying  sixteen  pitchers,  N.  Amesiana, 
N.  Morganias,  N.  Domini,  N.  Wrigleyana,  N.  Balfouriana,  N.  Chelsoni 
excellens,  and  N.  Hookeriana ;  some  of  the  plants  were  truly  remark¬ 
able  for  the  number  they  were  carrying. 
Messrs.  W.  Paul  &  Son,  Waltham  Cross,  made  a  grand  display  of 
Roses,  chiefly  arranged  in  baskets  with  their  own  foliage.  Needless  to 
say  they  were  chiefly  of  the  Tea  section.  Those  most  notable  were 
Souvenir  de  J.  B.  Guillot,  Queen  Mab,  Queen  Olga  of  Greece,  Madame 
Hoste,  Boadicea,  Gruss  au  Teplitz,  Madame  Rene  Gerard,  White 
Maman  Cochet,  Corallina,  in  grand  form  ;  Enchantress,  and  Madame 
Abel  Chatenay.  A  pleasing  display  of  the  new  Begonia  of  the  Gloire 
de  Lorraine  type,  named  Mrs.  Leopold  de  Rothschild,  was  made  by 
Mr.  H.  B.  May,  Dyson’s  Lane  Nursery,  Edmonton,  arranged  in  a  ground¬ 
work  of  Adiautum,  all  well-grown  plants.  The  Begonias  were  beautifully 
flowered,  and  the  plants  appear  to  be  much  stronger  than  the  type. 
Mr.  Amos  Perry,  Winchmore  Hill,  made  a  fine  exhibit  of  hardy  flowers, 
which  were  well  staged.  A  few  of  the  most  notable  were  Solidago 
Short! ,  Tritomas  in  variety,  Rudbeckia  purpurea,  Senecio  pnlcher,  and 
a  variety  of  Asters.  Messrs.  J.  Burrell  &  Co.,  Cambridge,  staged  a 
beautiful  box  of  Zauschneria  mexicana,  which  were  a  mass  of  bright 
crimson-red  flowers. 
Dahlias. 
By  far  the  largest  exhibit  in  the  Hall  was  the  collection  of  Cactus 
Dahlias  from  Messrs.  Hobbies,  Ltd.,  Dereham,  who  occupied  nearly  the 
entire  length  of  the  Hall  with  a  high  bank  of  sprays  running  about 
seven  tiers  high,  relieved  somewhat  with  a  few  Cocos  Palms.  But  the 
arrangement  was  much  too  stiff  and  formal,  and  the  varieties  were 
duplicated  to  an  exceptional  extent,  at  the  same  time  a  gorgeous  display 
was  made.  The  most  noteworthy  varieties  were  Ajax,  Magnificent, 
Lucius,  Dr.  Nansen,  Mrs.  J.  J.  Crowe,  Red  Rover,  Eclair,  Exquisite! 
Staifish,  Zephyr,  Ethel,  Radiance,  Innovation,  and  Ranji.  Mr.  J.  T. 
West,  Tower  Hill,  Brentwood,  displayed  a  good  collection  of  Cactus, 
Pompon,  Show,  and  Fancy  varieties.  The  quality  was  certainly  good  in 
all  sections.  The  most  conspicuous  Cactus  varieties  were  Gleadless, 
Mrs.  J.  J.  Crowe,  in  grand  form;  Uncle  Tom,  Mrs.  Carter  Page, 
Loyalty,  Mary  Service,  and  Mayor  Tuppenny.  The  Pompons  were  good 
typical  sprays,  and  included  Little  Bugler,  Darkest  of  All,  grand; 
Violet,  Salamander,  Primrose,  Nerissa,  and  Adelaide.  The  Show  and 
Fancy  varieties  were  rather  small,  but  of  capital  quality,  almost  every 
bloom  being  of  show  form.  Mr.  M.  V.  Seale,  Seven' )aks,  had  a  table  of 
Dahlias.  The  back  was  formed  with  single  and  Pompon  varieties, 
while  the  front  was  composed  of  Show,  Fancy,  and  Cactus  varieties. 
In  the  single  section,  Beauty’s  Eye,  Alice  Nicholson,  Edie  Oblein,  Alice 
Seale,  and  The  Sirdar  were  most  conspicuous.  The  Pompons  were  of 
excellent  type,  some  of  the  best  being  Distinction,  Donovan,  The  Duke, 
Emily  Hopper,  Douglas,  and  Whisper;  while  the  Cactus  included  good 
specimens  of  Elsie,  Lucius,  Debonnair,  Innovation,  Britannia,  Mrs.  C. 
Page,  and  Couutess  of  Lonsdale. 
Messrs.  J.  Burrell  &  Co.,  Cambridge,  exhibited  a  couple  of  boxes  of 
Cactus  varieties,  alibis  own  raising — a  somewhat  unique  peiformanoe 
for  a  Dahlia  laiser.  The  varieties  were  Ignea,  Ajax,  Artus,  Regulus, 
Vida,  Rosine,  Debonnair,  Imperator,  Galliard,  Nevada,  Vesta,  J.  W. 
Wilkinson,  Casilda,  Elsie,  Grandee,  Lyric,  and  Dinorah.  Messrs. 
J.  Cheal  &  Sons,  Crawley,  staged  a  box  of  Pompon  Cactus  Dahlias, 
most  of  them  being  of  good  colour,  Venus  being  a  U'ieful  white.  Mars  a 
good  red  ;  but  surely  one  Mars  is  suflficieut ;  we  have  already  a  Pompon 
Mars  ;  no  doubt  the  section  will  prove  a  useful  one  for  decorative 
purposes. 
Mr.  J.  Stredwick,  Silverhill,  St.  Leonards,  also  presented  a  display 
of  Cactus,  Pompon,  and  Show  varieties.  The  sprays  in  the  Cactus 
section  were  undoubtedly  the  chief  feature,  aud  the  best  were- 
