44 
JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE 
bited  in  the  very  pink  of  perfection.  There,  too,  would  be 
found  every  conceivable  kind  of  machinery  which,  directly 
or  indirectly,  facilitates  the  work  of  the  farm,  exhibits  by 
no  means  confined  to  England,  but  the  witty  inventions  of 
the  cosmopolitan.'  Feeding  stuffs,  fertilisers,  vehicles,  horse 
trappings,  and  a  thousand  and  one  things  too  numerous  to 
mention.  It  is  at  the  Royal  and  other  shows  of  large 
dimensions  that  all  these  treasures  are  congregated,  and  for 
-  whom'?  The  man  with  the  long  purse,  the  man  to  whom 
the  expense  of  railway  journeys  were  as  nothing?  No,  we 
hold  that  in  this  instance  the  catering  was  done  for  those 
poorer  stay-at-home  agriculturists  to  whom  the  great  show 
and  its  adjuncts  would  come  as  a  revelation.  As  an 
itinerant  exhibition  it  took  year  by  year  its  glorious  wealth 
of  objects  to  the  doors  of  those  who  otherwise  would  never 
have  a  chance  of  seeing  such  things.  The  shilling  day  of  the 
Royal  was  a  royal  holiday  for  all  the  rustics  within  a  wide 
radius,  and  it  is  marvellous  how  much  they  would  manage 
to  see  between  sun  and  sun.  The  class  a  little  above  the 
labourer  would  perhaps  allow  themselves  the  treat  of  two 
days,  and  the  members  would  avail  themselves  of  the  full 
privileges  conferred  by  their  ticket  of  admission. 
The  shows  would  be  but  poorly  attended  if  they  de¬ 
pended  entirely  on  the  presence  of  the  male  element.  The 
ladies  are  catered  for,  and  show  up  in  great  numbers.  Many 
of  them  are  keen  judges  of  stock  ;  some  of  them  are  exhi- 
-Ritors,  and  all  are  interested  in  the  working  dairy.  Some 
go  to  criticise,  some  to  learn,  and  the  influential  farmer’s 
wife  will  be  equally  as  interested  as  the  woman  from  her 
husband’s  cottages.  Hitherto  every  country  district  has  had 
its  turn  ;  the  big  show  has  been,  and  certainly  left  its 
mark.  Now,  how  can  it  be  hoped  that  these  simple  country 
folk  can  get  themselves  up  to  Park  Royal?  It  is  an  impos¬ 
sibility  ;  and,  after  all,  it  is  the  Shillings  of  the  groundlings 
that  swell  the  receipts. 
When,  twenty-four  years  ago,  the  Royal  was  held  at  Kil- 
burn,  the  windows  of  heaven  were  opened,  and  down  came 
the  deluge — pitiless  rain,  unfathomable  mud.  Of  course, 
everyone  said  the  weather  alone  w^as  responsible  for  the 
short  attendance.  When,  in  1886  (that  is  the  date  we 
believe),  the  show  was  in  Windsor  Great  Park,  the  intense 
heat  was  blamed.  This  year  at  Park  Royal  the  weather  was 
perfection,  real  outdoor  weather,  after  much  wet  and  storm 
and  cold  wind  ;  weather  to  tempt  people  abroad,  and  yet 
where  were  the  multitudes  ?  Alas  !  that  it  should  be  written, 
they  failed  lamentably  to  present  themselves  before  the 
turnstiles.  The  teeming  hordes  of  London  would  not  be 
drawn  forth  from  their  haunts.  The  objects  and  aims  of ! 
the  society  find  no  response  in  their  breasts.  Give  them 
Olympia,  Earl’s  Court,  Buffalo  Bill,  Barnum,  that  is  more  in 
their  line.  They  can  see  no  beauty  in  the  faultless  sym¬ 
metry  of  form  in  the  stock.  They  might  be  amused  at  some 
odd  variety — say,  horned  sheep,  Liliputian  ponies,  or  some 
"  American  notions  ”  among  the  machinery  ;  but  the  real 
lessons  of  the  show  are  quite  lost  upon  them.  We  doubt 
whether  people  quite  realise  how  small  the  attendance  has 
been.  Since  the  year  1860,  of  the  forty-one  shows  held, 
only  two  have  been  less  attended  than  this  London  one, 
and  they  were  held  at  very  out-of-the-way  places ;  namely, 
at  Bury  St.  Edmunds  and  Taunton.  Here  are  some  figures 
for  previous  years.  Carlisle  and  Cardiff  were  both  at 
extreme  points  ;  Maidstone  ought  to  have  drained  the  metro¬ 
polis  ;  Birmingham  was  a  fixture  arranged  in  a  hurry.  We 
will  not  analyse  the  days  with  their  three  classes  of  admis¬ 
sion  price,  we  just  take  the  totals: — • 
1903,  London .  65,103 
1902,  Carlisle .  93,187 
1901,  CardiflF  (gallant  little  Wales)  ...  167,423 
1900,  York  . .  87,511 
1899,  Maidstone  .  68,576 
1898,  Birmingham  .  98,277 
1897,  Manchester  .  217,980 
1896,  Leicester  .  146,277 
1895,  Darlington  .  100,310 
These  figures  are  significant.  We  gave  the  people 
Royalty,  we  gave  them  a  Khedive,  and  yet  they  were  not 
satisfied.  To  give  the  show  a  local  colour  there  were  trot¬ 
ting  competitions  for  cab  horses,  and  there  were  also  prizes 
offered  for  the  best  two  or  four  wheeled  cab  horse.  There 
was  horse  leaping,  there  were  “  four-in-hands,”  parades  of 
Torize  stock,  excellent  music,  and  peerless  weather.  We 
hear  those  in  authority  talk  of  “  educating  ”  the  Londoner, 
and 'so  making  him  appreciate  the  show.  How  is  it  to  be 
done,  and  why  should  it  be  done  ?  How  to  do  it  might  be 
answered  thus:  Make  the  show  proper  subservient  to  an 
AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  '  July  9,  19C3 
outdoor  vai’iety  entertainment ;  erect  big  wheels,  have  sen¬ 
sational  acrobats,  impo'rt  freaks,  have  Roman  chariot  races, 
ransack  history  for  curious  spectacular  effects,  wind  up  with 
fireworks  and  free  beer,  then  the  multitude  would  come  ; 
but  it  would  be  time  that  the  Royal  forfeited  its  charter. 
It  has  hitherto  been  a  meeting  for  business  and  pleasure, 
to  be  worked  at  a  profit  if  possible.  The  expenses  this  year 
must  have  been  abnormal,  and  the  receipts  terribly  small. 
Of  course,  next  year’s  show  will  be  run  at  less  expense  ; 
but  what  about  those  north  country  exhibitors  who  have 
been  absent?  Will  the  road  be  more  open  to  them  than  it 
was  last  year?  We  fear  not.  Exhibiting  is  always  more  or 
less  a  risk,  and  a  long  railway  journey  adds  materially  to 
that  risk.  For  the  winter  fat  stock  shows  distance  is  not  of 
much  moment,  for  the  stock  is  bound  for  that  bourne  from 
which  there  is  no  return. 
This  permanent  fixture  at  Park  Royal  will,  we  think, 
have  one  good  effect  on  local  shows.  Owners  will  concen¬ 
trate  their  forces  on  the  home  and  local  show.  They  will 
be  inclined  to  leave  London  for  the  home  counties.  We 
are  rather  reminded  of  parental  relations — the  father  in 
course  of  time  relinquishes  his  duties  and  relegates  them 
to  his  stalwart  sons.  We  think  no  worse  of  the  father  for 
his  graceful  retirement,  and  the  sons  infuse  new  blood  into 
the  old  business.  It  is  well  when  fathers  know  when  to 
retire ! 
We  are  rather  disposed  to  think  that  the  Royal,  having 
shown  the  way  in  the  matter  of  shows,  might  usefully  de¬ 
vote  its  energies  to  other  means  for  the  betterment  of  the 
agricultural  community.  Is  there  no  means  by  which 
education  may  be  stimulated?  Can  no  help  be  given  to 
hardworking  men  who  only  need  a  little  capital  to  ensure 
their  success?  Have  all  available  means  been  taken  to 
stamp  out  disease?  Do  we  know  all  that  is  possible  to 
know  respecting  the  best  modes  of  cultivation  ?  Are  we,  in 
fact,  as  much  “  up  to  date  ”  as  European  countries  and  the 
lands  beyond  the  seas?  We  doubt  it. 
There  is  one  new  feature  at  the  Royal  which  may  tend 
to  increase  its  popularity  as  time  goes  on,  and  that  is  the 
auction  sale  for  stock.  The  intelligent  foreigner  is  always 
on  the  look  out  for  a  “  good  thing, and  should  the  reserves 
be  not  too  high  he  will  be  a  likely  buyer.  Against  that 
theory  will  be  put  the  fact  that  already  the  foreigner  knows 
where  to  go  for  what  he  wants.  He  is  quite  in  touch  with 
the  principal  breeders,  and  is  a  welcome  guest  at  their 
hospitable  homes.  We  know  what  a  feature  the  sale  ring 
has  become  at  the  Shire  and  other  horse  shows  at  Islington, 
and  it  may  be  in  this  faoLwill  rest  the  salvation  of  the  Royal. 
Work  on  the  Home  Farm. 
Hay  cutting  and  making  has  largely  occupied  the  past  week, 
and  with  glorious  weather  for  it,  everything  has  gone  well,  a  nice 
quantity  is  in  stack,  and  a  great  deal  more  in  process  of  making. 
In  fact,  the  hay  harvest  is  decidedly  forward  about  here,  and 
some  good  stuff  is  being  got.  Clover  bulks  up  well,  but  grass  hay 
is  much  lighter  than  most  farmers  expected,  and,  as  regards  this 
district,  will  certainly  not  exceed  the  average,  if  it  reaches  it. 
The  last  two  weeks  have  seen  great  progress  made  by  all  grain 
crops.  All  the  forward  Wheat  is  fully  shot,  and  looks  very  well, 
it  will  be  ready  for  cutting  a  little  earlier  than  we  expected.  All 
the  best  Barleys  are  shooting  nicely,  and  present  a  promising 
appearance,  but  they  are  not  so  forward  as  Wheat.  > 
Swedes  want  rain  again  rather  badly ;  they  are  not  growing 
as  fast  as  we  should  like  to  see  them,  and  do  not  get  big  enough 
for  striking.  Common  Turnips  are  growing  past  them  ;  even  the 
last  sown  are  up,  and  showing  beautifully  in  the  row,  and  what¬ 
ever  may  be  the  result  as  regards  Swedes,  common  Turnips  are  a 
certain  crop.  There  has  been  no  fly  trouble  since  the  rain,  a 
most  satisfactory  circumstance.  The  horses  have  been  occupied 
w'itli  the  hay,  but  we  have  always  maimged  to  keep  two  skerries 
running  amongst  the  Swedes  and  Turnips. 
There  are  one  or  two  fields  of  Potatoes  yet  unearthed  up,  but, 
as  a  rule,  work  amongst  this  crop  is  always  on  until  lifting 
time  comes.  Crops  are  looking  well,  thanks  to  the  fact  that  we 
escaped  both  frost  and  flood.  Early  Potatoes  are  just  ready  in 
the  gardens,  but  the  second  earlier  in  the  fields  will  be  some  time 
yet.  No  doubt  growers  will  not  be  lax  at  marketing  them  as 
soon  as  they  are  large  enough  for  profit. 
We  are  feeding  our  horses  largely  on  Tares,  and  as  the  cow 
pasture  is  showing  signs  of  becoming  bare  shall  add  some  Tares 
also  to  the  cows’  ration.  A  good  armful  of  Tares  at  milking  time 
saves  grass,  and  helps  to  keep  up  the  milk  flow.  Butter  is  cheap 
now,  but  July  is  a  month  when  the  tide  of  prices  generally  tunm. 
Cow's  must  have  plenty  of  fresh  water  now,  or  the  milk  pails  will 
show  the  neglect.  Pigs  in  the  yard  are  living  on  Mangolds  and 
Corn.  They,  too,  require  plenty  of  liquid  in  hot  weather.  Old 
or  separated  milk  may  be  mixed  with  water  for  this  purpo.se. 
