September  24,  1903.  JOURNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AXD  COTTAGE  GARDENER, 
293 
Pointers  for  the  National  Dahlia  Society. 
Tlie  following  letter  lias  been  laid  before  the  Committee  of 
the  National  Dahlia  Society:  — 
During  this  my  first  year  as  secretary  of  the  National  Dahlia 
Society,  I  have  been  considerably  impressed  by  the  fact  that 
whereas  the  number  of  applications  for  schedules  from  non¬ 
members  since  January  has  reached  thirty-five,  in  only  four  cases 
have  the  applicants  subsequently  joined  the  society,  and  in  look¬ 
ing  through  the  list  of  applications  received  by  Mr.  J.  F.  Hudson 
in  1902  and  the  preceding  years,  I  find  the  pi’oportion  to  have 
been  even  less  than  this.  The  above  fact  suggests  two  reflections 
to  my  mind  :  firstly,  that  these  persons  are  Dahlia,  growers,  and 
are  inclined  to  become  members  in  order  to  exhibit  at  our  shows  ; 
secondly,  that  having  seen  our  schedide  they  do  not  consider 
the  prizes  sufficiently  tempting. 
There  is  without  doubt  a  large  field  for  recruiting  amongst 
gentlemen’s  gardeners  and  amateurs  of  the  industrial  and  trade 
class,  Avho  grow  a  limited  number  of  plants;  but  these  will  not 
join  unless  the  prize  money  offered  is  sufficient  to  cover  the 
expense  of  getting  to,  and  returning  from,  the  show.  I  there¬ 
fore  wish  to  propose  at  the  next  meeting  of  the  committee,  that 
certain  classes  at  present  included  in  the  schedule  be  abolished, 
and  that  the  prize  money,  plus  something  in  addition  which, 
I  think,  we  shall  be  warranted  in  offering,  be  transferred  to 
other  and  more  popular  classes.  To  enable  you  to  arrive  at 
which  classes  can  best  be  dispensed  with,  and  which  are  the  most 
deseiwing  of  additional  prize  money,  I  append  a  list  of  the  entries 
for  1902  and  1903.  The  figures  of  previous  years  are  not  avail¬ 
able,  as  the  Crystal  Palace  Company  kept  the  entries.  [Here 
follow  figures  which  we  have  omitted. — Ed.] 
What  I  should  like  to  propose  is  that  CTa,sses  5,  16,  17,  and 
21  be  abolished,  and  that  Class  19  be  for  “  Twelve  Show  and 
Fancy  Dahlias,”  instead  of  “Twelve  Fancy  Dahlias”  as  at 
present.  This  would  release  £10  2s.  6d.  of  prize  money,  to 
which  I  propose  to  add  the  sum  of  £5  2s.  from  the  increased 
revenue  of  the  society,  making  a  total  of  £15  4s.  6d.,  which  I 
suggest  should  be  spread  over  classes  in  the  Show  and  Fancy, 
and  Cactus  sections  for  amateurs  fwhich  are  named  in  letter. 
—Ed.] 
In  recommending  the  deletion  of  three  classes  from  the  Show 
and  Fancy  section  it  mmst  be  pointed  out  that  even  then  this 
section  will  have  more  than  its  share  of  the  total  prize  money 
offered,  as  shown  by  the  following  figures:- — 
Number  Total  Prize 
Total  Entries, 
Prize 
Prize 
of 
Money 
average  of, 
Money 
Mon-y 
Classes.  Offered. 
1902-03. 
per  class. 
per  Entry 
Sho'v  and  Fanev 
..  12 
&  s.  d. 
28  10  0  . 
40i  .. 
£  .=.  d. 
2  7  6 
.s.  d. 
..  14  1 
Car:  us,  including  De- 
cor.itive  classes..  16 
oj  15  6  . 
.  .. 
2  4  8 
7  3 
Pompon . 
,.  5 
10  0  0  . 
.  2k 
2  0  0 
8  4 
Single . 
,.  6 
10  0  0  . 
17 
1  13  4 
..  11  9 
NEW 
SCHEDULE  AS 
PROPOSED, 
Show  and  Fancy 
.  9 
27  5  0  . 
40§  .. 
2  19  8 
..  13  5 
Cactus  .. 
.  16 
42  2  (i 
9S.i  .. 
2  12  8 
8  6 
Pompon  . 
.  5 
10  0  0 
24 
2  0  0 
8  4 
Single . 
,.  6 
10  0  0  . 
17 
1  13  4 
.,  11  9 
As  I  ventured  to 
predict  la.st  year,  Avhen  the  new  Class  21 
was  put  in,  this  class  has  proved  to  be  beyond  the  capacity  of 
our  amateurs,  the  one  exhibit  .staged  being  of  inferior  quality, 
with  the  blooms  tied  together  like  an  ordinary  market  bunch. 
I  have  suggested  the  addition  of  a  fourth  class  for  amateurs, 
“  who  have  never  won  a  prize,”  &c.,  and  the  raising  of  the  prizes 
in  this  section  to  the  level  of  similar  classes  in  the  general 
amateur  section.  My  reason  is  that  the  entries  prove  this 
section  to  be  the  chief  attraction  to  new  members,  and  as  our 
main  object  is  to  increase  the  membership,  it  seems  doubtful 
policy  to  treat  the  new  comers  as  inferiors  by  offering  them 
prizes  of  considerably  less  value  than  we  give  for  exactly  similar 
exhibits  in  the  old  classes. 
The  net  income  of  the  society  for  this  year  promises  to  show 
a  surplus  balance  of  not  less  than  £15,  and  probably  of  £20. 
Should  the  sale  of  advertisements  in  the  new  official  catalogue 
realise  the  same  sum  as  on  the  last  occasion,  namely  £12  10s., 
the  cost  of  the  catalogue  will  be  about  met  out  of  this  year’s 
income  wdthout  reckoning  on  the  proceeds  of  sale  of  copies  to 
non-members,  which  on  the  last  occasion  came  to  £4  10s. 
Assuming,,  then,  that  we  start  next  year  with  the  official  cata¬ 
logue  paid  for,  and  with  an  evenly  balanced  account,  as  com¬ 
pared  with  a  balance  of  £4  16s.  8d.  at  the  end  of  last  year,  and 
that  next  year  we  make  no  progress,  but  obtain  the  .same  income 
as  during  the  present  year — our  surplus  at  the  end  of  1904  would 
be  about  £15,  .so  that  I  think  we  should  be  justified  in  taking 
£5  2s.  out  of  this  for  additions  to  prizes.  I  much  regret  being 
unable  to  sugge.st  better  prizes  in  the  open  classes,  but  am  sure 
that  our  professional  supporters,  who  have  been  so  generous  to 
the  society  in  the  past,  will  cheerfully  forego  any  addition  to 
prizes  in  this  section  at  present  if  they  are  of  opinion  that  the 
above  suggestioms  are  in  the  true  interest  of  the  society. — P.  M . 
Tulloch,  Sterndale,  New  Church  Road,  Hove,  September,  1903. 
Oxfordshire  County  Council  Horticultural  Students'  Association 
At  a  meeting  of  the  above  association  held  at  St.  John’s 
College,  Oxford,  on  Saturday,  September  19,  at  3  p.m.,  Mr.  P. 
Elford,  M.A.,  County  Education  Secretary,  read  a  paper  on 
“Nitrogen-forming  Organisms,”  illustrated  by  lantern  slides. 
This  association  is  formed  for  the  purpose  of  continuing  the 
studies  in  horticulture  and  botany  of  those  who  have  obtained  the 
R.H.S.  certificate  through  the  County  Council  classes.— S.  H., 
Hort.  In.str. 
Oichid  Sold  for  the  R.H.S.  Hall. 
Possibly  most  of  our  readers  noticed  in  last  Aveek’s  report  cf 
the  R.H.S.  meeting,  that  the  Zygopetalum  which  received  a  first- 
class  certificate,  was  to  be  sold,  and  the  proceeds  were  to  go  to 
the  building  fund  of  the  Society.  We  are  informed  that  it 
(Zygopetalum  Roeblingianum)  was  sold  at  Messrs.  Protheroe  and 
Morris’s  rooms  for  fifty  guineas.  Sir  Frederick  WTgan,  Bart., 
being  the  purcha.ser,  the  auctioneers  foregoing  their  commi.'-sion. 
This  Zygopetalum  is  a  new  hybrid  raised  by  Mr.  H.  T.  Clinka- 
berry  in  the  gardens  of  C.  G.  Roebling,  Esq.,  of  Trenton. 
The  Testimonial  to  Mr.  W.  B.  Latham. 
At  a  general  meeting  of  subscribers  held  at  the  Athletic 
Imstitute,  John  Bright  Street,  Birmingham,  on  September  14, 
after  consideration  it  was  decided  that  it  was  advisable  to  post¬ 
pone  the  dinner  from  September  24  (as  originally  fixed)  to 
October  22,  in  order  that  Mr.  Latham’s  many  friends  at  a  di.stanco 
may  have  an  opportunity  of  shoAving  their  appreciation  of  his 
many  kindnesses  and  life-long  service  to  horticulture.  We  learn 
that  Mr.  Owen  Thomas  (late  head  gardener  to  His  Majesty)  and 
now  of  25,  Waldeck  Road,  West  Ealing,  W.,  has  kindly  pro¬ 
mised  to  preside  at  the  dinner  and  present  the  testimonial,  and 
he  Avill  be  glad  to  receive  subscriptions,  or  they  may  be  sent  to  the 
Secretary,  Mr.  J.  Hughes,  140,  High  St.,  Harborne,  Birmingham. 
County  School  of  Gardening,  Pymmes  Park,  Edmonton. 
It  is  proposed  to  form  a  Gardeners’  Mutual  Improvement 
Society,  and  a  meeting  for  this  purpose  Avill  be  held  on  Monday, 
September  28,  in  the  Garden  Library,  Pymmes  Park,  Edmonton, 
at  8  p.m.  The  gardeners  of  Edmonton  and  the  surrounding 
district  are  invited  to  attend  this  preliminary  meeting  Avith  a 
vieAV  to  arranging  the  details.  The  Middlesex  Education  Com¬ 
mittee  have  kindly  placed  the  garden  library  at  the  disposal  of 
the  proposed  society;  and  the  valuable  collection  of  gardening 
and  botanical  books  may  also  be  utilised  for  the  purpose  of  refer¬ 
ence.  Meetings  Avill  be  held  once  a  Aveek,  at  which  papers  dealing 
with  some  branch  of  gardening  Avill  be  read  and  discussed. 
Gardeners  in  the  neighbourhood  Avho  are  Avilling  to  join  the 
societj',  or  to  read  papers,  are  invited  to  communicate  AA’ith  Mr. 
J.  Weathers,  Pymmes  Park,  Edmonton. 
Fruit  and  "Vegetable  ShoAW  at  Chiswick. 
The  Royal  Horticultural  Society  Avill  hold  an  Exhibition  of 
British  grown  fruits  and  vegetables  in  their  gardens  at  ChisAvick 
on  September  29,  30,  and  October  1.  A  Conference  on  Vege¬ 
tables  will  be  held  on  Tuesday,  September  29,  at  2.30  p.m.,  Mr. 
George  Bunyard,  V.M.H.,  in  the  chair.  The  following  gentle¬ 
men  have  been  asked  to  read  papers: — 1,  “On  Cooking  Vege¬ 
tables,”  Dr.  Bonavia  and  Mr.  James  Hudson,  V.M.H.  ;  2,  “  On 
Vegetables  all  the  Year  Round  for  a  Private  Family,”  Mr. 
W.  H.  Divers ;  3,  “  On  Vegetables  for  Exhibition,”  Mr.  Edwin 
Beckett ;  4,  “  On  Vegetables  for  Market,”  Mr.  W.  Poupart.  The 
exhibition  Avill  open  at  12  noon,  on  September  29,  and  at  10  a.m. 
on  the  two  folloAving  days,  closing  at  6  p.m.  FelloAvs  of  the 
Society,  on  shoAving  their  tickets  at  the  entrance,  will  be 
admitted  free,  and  the  public  on  payment  of  2s.  6d.  on  the  first 
day,  and  Is.  on  the  second  and  third  day.  At  a  general  meeting 
of  the  Royal  Horticultural  Society,  held  on  Tuesday,  Septem¬ 
ber  15,  twenty-four  new  Fellows  Avere  elected,  making  a  total 
of  1,141  elected  since  the  beginning  of  the  pre.sent  year. 
Our  next  issue  Avill  contain  a  full  report  of  the  gardeners’ 
dinner  and  of  tlie  shoAV. 
