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JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER. 
November  8,  1900. 
plants  (Chrysanthemums  excluded),  arranged  in  a  space  of  3(3  square 
feet,  Mr.  H.  Boswell,  gardener  to  Purnell  Purnell,  Esq.,  Woodlands, 
Streatham,  was  first  with  a  graceful  combination  of  Celosias,  Primulas, 
Ferns,  Begonias,  Roman  Hyacinths,  Palms,  and  a  few  well  coloured 
Crotons.  Mr.  J.  Hudd.  gardener  to  J.  Price,  Esq.,  Clapham  Common, 
was  second  with  admirably  grown  plants  of  Dracaenas,  Crotons,  and 
Palms,  but  the  arrangement  lacked  lightness  and  colour.  In  the 
amateurs’  group  of  Chrysanthemums  Mr.  W.  Forth,  Wandsworth,  was 
an  excellent  first  with  well  grown  plants  of  some  of  the  leading 
varieties.  Mr.  W.  Stringer,  Battersea  was  second ;  and  Mr.  W.  Marklin, 
Brixton  Hill,  third. 
Amateurs  in  the  districts  named  showed  some  excellent  flowers,  but 
we  are  unable  to  particularise.  Mr.  R.  Neal,  Wandsworth  Common, 
sent  a  group  of  miscellaneous  plants;  and  Messrs.  W.  Wells  &  Co.,  Ltd., 
Earlswood,  splendid  Japanese  Chrysanthemums. 
Hereford. 
This  the  ninth  annual  exhibition  was  held  in  the  Shire  Hall, 
Hereford,  and  for  the  magnitude  and  excellence  of  the  fruit  shown 
was  a  distinct  advance  on  any  that  had  been  held  previously.  The 
arrangements  as  to  the  two  outside  rows  of  tables  being  broken  up  in 
the  middle  gave  a  much  freer  circulation  to  the  public,  while  the  middle 
row  being  decorated  with  small  and  choice  foliage  plants,  and  all  the 
rows  covered  with  white  cloths,  much  enhanced  the  general  effect  as 
well  as  the  rich  colour  of  the  fruit.  Not  less  than  1000  feet  of  tabling 
was  required  mostly  for  the  Apples  and  Pears,  which  gives  some  idea 
of  the  scale  of  the  exhibits — for  reporters  here  would  like  to  put  on 
record  two  points  for  consideration,  whether  it  is  worth  while  to 
handicap  so  grand  a  display  of  fruit  by  delaying  the  day  so  late — 
more  than  a  month  after  the  Crystal  Palace — for  the  sake  of  combining 
a  fruit  with  a  Chrysanthemum  Show,  to  the  great  detriment  of  the 
former,  while  the  latter  was  quite  on  a  small  and  third  rate  scale  ;  the 
second  point  he  would  raise,  and  one  of  more  general  bearing,  is, 
whether  the  present  fashion  of  giving  such  prominence  to  the  high 
colouring  of  Apples  (not  that  Herefordshire  is  a  loser  in  this  respect) 
is  not  carried  too  far  ?  To  take  a  single  instance,  Warner’s  King, 
which  was  shown  quite  highly  coloured,  but  of  a  thoroughly  non¬ 
typical  character,  which  surely  should  be  the  object  of  every  exhibitor 
and  judge. 
The  president.  Sir  James  Rankin,  Bart.,  M.P.,  on  the  occasion  of 
opening  the  exhibition  by  Lady  Rankin,  made  some  useful  remarks  on 
the  value  of  such  exhibitions;  pointing  out  the  importance  of  fruit 
growers  only  getting  the  very  choicest  and  most  profitable  varieties, 
which  they  had  full  opportunities  of  doing  from  what  they  saw  before 
them  ;  he  also  recommended  every  advantage  being  taken  from  the 
instructors  of  the  Technical  Instruction  Committee  of  the  County  Council. 
It  may  be  added  here  that  the  liberal  prizes  offered  by  that  body  had 
been  freely  availed  of,  no  less  than  twenty  entries  being  admirably 
competed  for.  This  remark,  indeed,  holds  good  throughout  the  whole 
exhibition,  every  class  being  keenly  contested,  and  while  the  size  of 
individual  specimens — as  at  the  Crystal  Palace — failed  to  reach, 
perhaps,  the  standard  of  last  year,  the  collective  merits  of  the  Apples 
as  to  colour  and  smoothness  throughout  the  exhibition  was  admirable. 
Specially  noticeable  were  the  following  varieties : — Stirling  Castle, 
The  Queen,  Mere  de  Menage,  Warner’s  King,  Emperor  Alexander, 
Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  Striped  Beefing,  Nelson’s  Codlin,  Flanders  Pippin, 
Hollandbury,  King  of  Tompkins’  County,  Gascoyne’s  Scarlet  Seedling, 
Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  Egremont  Russet,  Scarlet  Nonpareil. 
In  the  matter  of  dessert  Pears  Herefordshire  does  not  hold  quite  the 
unique  position  she  does  with  Apples.  Late  frosts,  except  in  very 
favourable  situations,  are  generally  fatal,  and  although  Pears  were 
shown  this  year  creditably,  and  far  better  than  last  year,  yet  now  that 
the  celebrated  cordon  wall  at  Holme  Lacey  is  past  its  best  there  is  no 
one  to  cross  weapons  with  Mr.  Woodward,  armed  with  the  irresistible 
products  of  the  Barham  Court  Gardens,  as  was  the  case  on  former 
occasions  in  the  lifetime  of  the  late  Lord  Chesterfield.  Your  reporter 
remembers  an  amusing  incident  if,  Mr.  Editor,  you  can  find  space,  about 
Mr.  Woodward’s  predecessor  (we  forget  his  name)  on  his  paying  him  a 
visit  some  years  ago,  while  the  Hereford  Fruit  Show  was 
going  on,  how  the  Kentish  gardener  suddenly  collapsed  on 
crossing  an  orchard,  and  falling  on  his  knees  before  several  freshly 
turned  up  mole  heaps  rapturously  exclaimed  to  Dr.  Hogg,  who  was  also 
present,  “  Oh,  that  I  had  this  Herefordshire  loam,  I  could  whip  all 
creation !  ”  “  Ah,  but,  my  friend,”  was  the  answer,  “  how  about  this 
climate  and  the  nipping  frosts  ?  ” 
Appended  is  a  list  of  most  noticeable  collections.  First  prize,  Mr. 
John  Watkins,  Pomona  Nurseries,  Withington.  Fifty  dishes. — First 
row  :  Stirling  Castle,  very  fine,  clean  ;  Byford  Wonder,  Waltham 
Abbey  Seedling,  The  Queen,  finely  coloured ;  Cats-head,  Ecklinville 
Seedling,  Bismarck,  Lord  Grosvenor,  good  ;  Mere  de  Menage,  grand 
dark  colour ;  Banks’  Exhibition,  Warner’s  King,  unusually  coloured  ; 
Annie  Elizabeth,  Emperor  Alexander,  splendid  ;  Gloria  Mundi,  Peas¬ 
good’s  Nonesuch,  Scorpion,  grand  ;  Striped  Beefing,  heavy,  fine 
specimen  ;  Bramley  Seedling.  Second  row  :  Pomona  Pride,  Golden 
Noble,  Dutch  Fulwood,  Seedling  139,  Jacque  Levet,  attractively 
striped  ;  Nelson  Codliq,  good  ;  Beauty  of  Kent,  rich  colour ;  Loddington, 
Costard,  Flanders  Pippin,  high  colour;  Hollandbury,  superb;  Blenheim, 
Sergende  Reinette,  fine  quality;  New  Hawthornden,  Twenty  Ounce. 
Third  row  :  King  of  Tompkins  County,  fine  colour;  Lord  Baacoosfield, 
rare  colour  ;  Ribston  Pippin,  true  ;  Warner’s  King,  prettily  striped  ; 
Washington,  Monmouthshire  Beauty,  Cox’s  Pomona,  splendid  plate; 
Wealthy,  fine  ;  British  Queen,  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  smooth  and  bright ; 
James  Grieve,  Wadhurst  Pippin,  Tyler’s  Seedling,  Blue  Pearmain, 
Worcester  Pearmain,  high  coloured ;  and  Maltster.  Second  prize. 
King’s  Acre  Nurseries;  a  remarkably  fine,  smooth,  but  not  quite  so 
highly  coloured  and  level  a  collection.  Moat  noticeable  specimens  were 
Gascoyne’s  Scarlet  Seedling,  superb  j  Hollandbury,  unusually  well 
shown  dish ;  Warner’s  King,  grand ;  Lord  Grosveoor,  and  Striped 
Beefing,  fine.  Third  prize,  Pewtress  Brothers  ;  a  very  fine  collection, 
but  not  so  level  as  the  former  collections. 
Collection  of  Pears,  open  to  all,  twenty-four  dishes.  First  prize, 
H.  C.  Moffatt,  Esq  ,  Goodrich  (gardener,  Mr.  C.  Spencer),  with  Pitmaston 
Duchess,  fine ;  Catillac,  Marie  Louise  d’Hccle,  very  smooth  and  fine; 
Beurre  Baltet  Pere,  Beurre  Clairgeau,  good  colour;  General  Todtleben, 
Beurre  d’ Avalon, Beurre  Diel, clean  and  fine;  Durondean,  Beurre  Superfin, 
Glou  Morejeau,  Duchesse  d’Angouleme,  fine ;  Crasane,  Nouvelle  Fulvie, 
poor  ;  Marechal  de  Cour,  Doyenne  du  Cornice,  Josephine  de  Malines, 
Forelle,  bright  colour ;  unknown,  Marie  Louise,  Hughes’  Victoria, 
Beurre  d’Assomption,  Bergamot  d’Esperen,  Winter  Nelis.  Second 
prize,  Mr.  John  Watkins,  Pomona  Nurseries,  who  had  extra  fine 
specimens  of  Hacon’s  Incomparable  and  Pitmaston  Duchess.  Third 
prize,  Mr.  R.  M.  Whiting,  Credenhill,  Hereford. 
Class  3,  Amateurs. — Collection  of  Apples,  thirty  dishes.  First  prize, 
G.  T.  Bates,  Esq.,  Whitfield  (gardener,  Mr.  R.  Grindrod).  Especially 
noticeable  varieties  in  an  excellent  collection  ware — culinary  :  The 
Queen,  Mere  de  Meaage,  grand  size  and  colour  ;  Emperor  Alexander, 
finest  dish  in  show;  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  grand;  Tyler’s  Seedling, 
Newton  Wonder,  very  good.  Dessert :  Egremont  Russet,  Tewkesbury 
Baron, very  fine  colour;  Adam’s  Pearmain,  good;  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin. 
Second  prize,  Mr.  R.  M.  Whiting,  with  fine  specimens,  only  a  few 
points  behind,  Devonshire  Red,  superb  colour ;  Lane’s  Prince  Albert, 
Stirling  Castle,  very  clean  and  fine;  Hormead  Pearmain,  excellent. 
Third  prize,  Mr.  R.  Morrow,  Leominster,  with  fine  specimens,  including 
Tyler’s  Seedling,  very  fine  colottr;  Cox’s  Pomona,  and  Man ks  Codlin, 
clean  and  well  shown. 
Class  4,  collection  of  Pears,  twelve  dishes.  First  prize,  G.  T.  Bates, 
Esq.,  Whitfield,  especially  noticeable  being  specimens  of  Beurre 
Diel  curiously  elongated ;  Doyenne  du  Cornice,  finest  in  show ;  and 
Pitmaston  Duchess.  Second,  G.  H.  Hadfield,  Esq.  Third,  Sir  Joseph 
Pulley. 
For  single  plates  of  Apples  of  ten  named  varieties,  five  specimens, 
Cox’s  Orange  Pippin  was  admirably  shown  by  Mr.  John  Watkins  ; 
Dumelow’s  Seedling  by  the  King’s  Acre  Nurseries;  and  Peasgood’s 
Nonesuch  by  Campbell  &  Gettings. 
Class  22,  amateur  collection  of  Apples,  twenty-four  varieties.  First 
prize  fell  to  W.  E.  King  King,  Esq.  (gardener,  Mr.  Davis),  for  an 
admirable  collection — Tower  of  Glamis,  Warner’s  King,  fine  ;  Tyler’s 
Kernel,  wantiiig  colour  ;  Peasgood’s  Nonesuch,  Lord  Derby,  Mere  de 
Menage, best  in  show;  Waltham  Abbey  Seedling,  Cox’s  Pomona,  brilliant ; 
Scarlet  Crofton,  old  and  good  variety;  Stirling  Castle,  clean  and  smooth; 
Annie  Elizabeth,  fine  colour;  Striped  Beefing,  fine  everywhere; 
Ecklinville,  Blenheim  Orange,  small  everywhere  ;  Duke  of  Devonshire, 
King  of  the  Pippins,  very  good  ;  Cox’s  Orange  Pippin,  clean  and  fine  ; 
Adam’s  Pearmain,  Crimson  Queening,  good  looking  but  bad  eating; 
Ribston  Pippin,  Egremont  Russet,  excellent  ;  May  Queen,  Fearn’s 
Pippin.  Second,  Mrs.  Blashill,  running  the  first  prize  very  close  ; 
noticeably  fine  were  Lane’s  Prince  Albert,  well  shown  ;  Cornish 
Aromatic,  grand ;  and  a  promising  variety  named  Barnaok  Beauty, 
which  ought  to  be  useful  and  long- keeping.  The  nomenclature  through¬ 
out  the  classes  was  very  regular  and  accurate,  hardly  a  dish  not  being 
named.  A  useful  class  was  added  for  the  beet  packing,  in  which  a 
marked  improvement  from  last  year  was  noticeable.  First  prize, 
G.  Bates,  Esq.,  Wbitheld  ;  second,  P.  Walker,  Esq.,  Belmont; 
third,  Mr.  J.  Watkins,  Eaton  Bishop. 
It  will  suffice  to  mention,  as  regards  the  vintage  fruit — a  class 
perhaps  not  particularly  palatable  with  the  general  public,  except  in  the 
np-to-date  improved  shape  of  cider  and  perry — that  the  several  classes 
were  well  and  fully  filled  by  the  tenant  farmers.  It,  however,  is 
interesting  to  add  that  the  chief  and  best  known  early  variety,  the  Fox- 
whelp  Apple,  for  cider,  is  also  highly  to  be  recommended  as  an  excellent 
cooking  and  selling  variety,  as  also  for  its  free  bearing  properties,  year 
after  year,  soon  after  the  date  of  planting.  The  following  officials 
acted  as  judges  ;  Messrs.  A.  Haggart,  Moor  Park,  Ludlow;  W.  Crump, 
Madresfield ;  A.  Chapman,  Tenbury ;  M.  Biggs,  Garnstone  Castle ; 
E.  Mullins,  Eastnor  Castle ;  John  Watkins,  Pomona;  C.  Whiting, 
Hereford ;  H.  Rogers,  Hereford ;  and  H.  Pewtress,  Tillington. — 
Hekefoedshire  Incumbent. 
Tbe  County  Council  and  Garden  Sbeds. — A  correspondent 
at  Catford  calls  attention  to  a  grievance,  in  regard  to  which  he  will 
receive  considerable  sympathy.  Desiring  to  use  a  portion  of  his  garden 
for  keeping  a  motor  oar,  bicycle  and  tools,  he  roofed  it  in  without 
obtaining  permission  from  the  London  County  Council.  The  roofing  in 
question  cannot  be  seen  by  pedestrians,  and  apparently  is  in  no  way 
objectionable  to  anybody,  nevertheless  the  Council  has  informed  him 
that  tbe  roofing  must  be  removed. 
