534 
JOUBNAL  OF  HORTICULTURE  AND  COTTAGE  GARDENER.  December  lo,  1903. 
Large  Plants  of  Lorraine  Begonia. 
In  reply  to  J.  Clmes  (page  511)  regarding  the  above,  I  should 
.say  that  plaaits  of  such  dimensions  as  he  speaks  of  must  be  grand 
specimens,  and  are  certainly  a  record  size.  They  beat  all  that 
we  have  seen  exhibited  at  our  November  exhibition  here  in 
Edinburgh.  I  have  grown  them  trained  as  pyramids  on  a  wire 
trellis,  in  a  Gin  pot,  quite  3ft  through  at  the  base,  to  over  3ft 
liigh.  I  have  plants  of  this  season’.s  growth,  both  of  Lorraine, 
and  the  white  variety,  Turnford  Hall,  about  3ft  through,  by  fully 
2ft  Gin  high,  also  in  Gin  potis.  While  discussing  this,  which  is,  in 
my  opinion,  the  most  beautiful  of  all  winter-flowering  plant.s,  may 
I  ask.  Can  Mr.  Clues,  or  some  other  lover  of  this  graceful  subject, 
give  its  many  admirers  any  information  about  how  to^  prodiice 
large  flowers,  as  well  as  large  plants? — G.  C.,  Edinburgh. 
British  v.  Foreign  Apples. 
There  is  much  tmtli  in  what  your  correspondent,  “G.  C.,” 
says,  on  page  481  of  the  Journal,  respecting  imported  Apples  and 
Apples  grown  at  home  ;  and  one  has  only  to  taste  them  cooked  to 
prove  that  the  lionie-grown  fruits  are  far  superio^r  to  the  imported 
ones.  Granted  that  the  high-coloured  Baldwins,  and  some  of 
the  other  varieties  sent  to  this  country,  are  veiy  pleasing  to  the 
ej'e,  but  to  the  taste  they  do*  not  compare  favourably  to  English- 
grown  fruit,  neither  does  the  colour  of  the  flesh  recommend  them. 
Taking  luncheon  at  a  friend’s  house  a.  short  time  ago,  at  which, 
Apple-tart  was  served  as  a  sweet,  I  remarked  to  my  friend, 
‘‘  These  are  not  Englisli  Apples,  are  they  ?  •”  The  answer  was, 
“No,  they  are  foi’eign;  they  cost  threepence  per  pound.”  And 
although  I  do  not  remember  tasting  any  cooked  before,  I  felt  sure 
I  was  right  in  remarking  they  were"  not  English.  The  only 
Apple  that  I  know  which  resembles  the  foreigner  in  ta.ste  and 
colour  of  flesh,  is  the  noble-looking  variety.  Lord  Derby,  and 
this  I  only  consider  a  second-rate  Apple.  Were  I  planting  Apple.s 
extensively,  I  should  only  plant  one  of  this  variety,  although  a 
neighbouring  gardener,  who  presides  over  a  nobleman’s  garden, 
thinks  there  is  no  other  Apple  like  it.  But  I  am  inclined  to 
think  it  i.s  the  appearance  of  the  Apple  only  whicli  leads  him  to 
make  this  remark. — R.  Morse.  Bath. 
The  Raid  Against  Show  Boards. 
In  support  of  what  “  J.  D.”  says^  page  511,  I  know  of  no 
action  against  Chrysanthemum  societies  (and,  indeed,  against 
any  special  floricultural  society  at  whose  exhibitions  cut  flowers 
are  invited)  so  pregnant  with  disaster  as  the  ill-considered  pro¬ 
posal  to  abolish  show  boards.  We  have  lately  been  treated  to 
somewhat  gnshing  articles  in  one  of  the  gardening  papers  in 
praise  of  yases,  and  in  depreciation  of  the  show  boards.  Much 
can  be  said  in  favour  of  showing  specimen  blooms  on  long  stems 
in  vases,  and  they  are  most  effective  when  the  blooms  are  good, 
and  they  are  properly  staged.  In  reference  to  the  la,st  proposi¬ 
tion,  I  liave  to  state  that  I  have  attended  Chrysanthemum  shows 
during  November,  at  which  blooms  were  shown  in  vases,  and  they 
were  among  the  wor.st  staged  subjects.  Two  shows  in 
particular,  which  rank  among  the  best  held  in  the  provinces. 
I  could  mention  in  which  the  vases  of  three  blooms  were  crowded 
on  dark  side  tables,  where  only  a  few  of  the  front  blooms  could 
be  seen.  To  ascertain  the  names  of  the  varieties  wa,s  practically 
impos.sible.  One  of  the  drawbacks  of  a,  vase  class  is  that  they 
monopolise  so  much  table  space  when  they  are  properly  exhibited. 
M  hen  the  class  for  twelve  vases,  of  six  specimen  blooms  in  each, 
was  introduced  to  tlie  .schedule.s  of  prizes  of  the  National 
Chrysanthemum  Society,  some  members  of  the  societj^  appeared 
to  think  me  insane  when  I  aiTanged  that  a  table,  GOft  in  length, 
by  Gft  in  width,  should  contain  four  exhibits  only,  each  having 
a  run  of  30ft  by  3ft.  And  yet  this  proved  none  too  much  to  dis” 
play  the  contents  of  each  vase  to  the  best  advantage.  It  there¬ 
fore  came  about  that  three  such  tables,  representing  a  superficial 
area  of  1,080ft,  had  to  be  provided  in  this  one, class  alone.  At 
the  recent  exhibition  of  the  N.C.S.  at  the  Cry.stal  Palace,  I  was 
unable  to  give  each  twelve  vases  more  than  24ft  by  3ft ;  and  they 
did  not  look  nearl.y  .so  imposing  in  the  restricted  space.  In 
addition,  the  exhibitor  must  either  provide  vases,  or  the  .society 
offering  the  prizes  mu.st  do  so.  They  are  somewhat  costly  to  bujq 
and  most  inconvenient  to  store  on  the  part  of  the  exhibitor; 
while  if  they  are  purchased  by  the  .societ.v  and  .stored,  they 
become  an  expensive  asset,  especially  with  breakages  and  occa¬ 
sional  pilferings.  Such  points  as  these  are  scarcely  considered 
by  editors  and  writers  in  gardening  papers,  whose  knowledge  of 
the  business  side  of  flower  shows  is  a  very  scanty  one.  What 
“  J.  D.”  says  with  regard  to  the  necessity  for  providing  larger 
prizes,  and  the  restriction  of  the  would-be  exhibitors’  radius 
(owing  to  the  costliness  and  cumbersomeness  of  the  means  of 
conveyance)  I  support. 
“j.  D.”  is  therefore  the  champion  of  the  exhibitors  of  small 
numbers  of  flowers:  to  cripple  their  action  as  exhibitors,  or  to 
take  a  line  which  will  cool  their  ardour  as  cultivators  for  exhibi¬ 
tion,  is  a  great  mi.stake,  and  might  seriously  affect  the  income  of 
a  society.  More  attention  is  paid  to  blooms  .staged  on  show' 
boards  than  on  those  showm  in  any  other  way,  because  the  whole 
siurface  of  the  bloom  is  .seen,  and  the  qualities  of  purity,  sub¬ 
stance,  colour,  marking,  Ac.,  fully  comprehended.  Have  vase 
classe.s  by  all  means,  but  not  to  the  disadvantage  of  the  exhibitors 
in  small  claisses.  The  entire  abolition  of  show  boards  w'ould  mean, 
as  “  j.  D.”  says,  the  extinction  of  a  large  number  of  this  class  of 
exhibitor. — R.  Dean. 
The  Proposed  National  Potato  Society. 
I  am  glad  to  learn  from  Mr.  W.  P.  Wright,  the  promoter  ofi 
the  proposed  Potato  Society,  that  there  is  good  reason  to  believe 
that  a  meeting  may  be  held  in  London  early  after  Christmas. 
Mr.  Wright,  as  a  County  Council  horticultural  in.structor,  has 
naturally  been  anxious  to  secure  the  co-operation  of  instructors 
in  the  counties  generally,  as  all  the.se  must  be  of  necessity 
influential  agents.  The  response  to  the  invitations  to  the  meet¬ 
ing  recently  is.sued  .“^eems  to  have  been  very  favourable,  and  it 
is  hoped  that  as  a  result  it  may  be  possible  to  promote  a  national 
society  devoted  solely  to  the  interests  of  one  of  our  most  iinpoi'- 
tant  food  elements,  the  Potato.  It  is  desired  that  beyond  the 
holcling  of  occasional  exhibitions  there  .should  be  instituted  in 
diverse  parts  of  the  kingdom  trials  of  Potatoes,  all  conducted  on 
similar  lines,  ancl  thus  obtain  satisfactory  and  conclusive 
evidence  nationally  as  to  the  merits  of  any  te.sted  variety,  old  or 
new. — A.  Dean. 
The  National  Dahlia  Society. 
It  will  surpri.se  many  readers  of  the  Journal  of  Horticulture 
who  have  been  aware  that  the  National  Dahlia  Society  has 
found,  for  two  years  at  lea.st,  what  .seemed  to  be  a  sati.sfactoiy 
Ijlace  for  its  annual  exhibition  under  the  wing  of  the  Royal 
Horticultural  Society,  at  the  Drill  Hall ;  to  learn  that  the 
Dahlia  Society  will  not  carry  their  next  show  to  the  new  Horti¬ 
cultural  Hall  in  V'incent  Square,  but  rather  back  to  its  old  home 
at  the  Cry,stal  Palace.  When  it  is  remembered  that  one  special 
aim  of  the  promoters  of  the  new'  Horticultural  Hall  was  to 
furnish  a  central  home  for  all  the  special  societies  in  horticul¬ 
ture  (so  far  as  possible)  this  refu.sal  of  the  Dahlia  Society  to  come 
in  under  its  sheltering  roof  is  disappointing. 
But  the  Dahlia  Committee  are  not  to  be  held  absolutely 
re.spon.sible  for  this  deci.sion.  That  body  applied  to  the  Council 
of  the  R.H.S.  for  terms  as  to  the  annual  show  as  before,  and 
finding  these  terms  exceedingly  onerous,  also  invited  terms  from 
the  Crystal  Palace  Company,  which  seems  to  be  now'  in  a  more 
prosperous  condition  financially  than  it  was  a  few'  years  since, 
when  the  Dahlia  people  left  it.  When  the  terms 
in  each  case  were  read  to  a  full  meeting  of  the 
committee  recently  held,  it  was  unanimously  agreed  to  accept 
those  of  the  Palace  Directors  aiS  being  the  more  liberal.  The 
conditions  which  were  regarded  as  too  onerous,  offered  by  the 
Council  of  the  R.H.S. ,  were  fora  two  day.s’  .show,  taking  all  gate 
money,  requiring  that  R.H.S.  Fellows  should  compete  for  the 
Dahlia  Society’s  prizes,  and  imposing  on  all  visitors  to*  the  show, 
not  members  or  Fellows,  the  greatly  increased  charge  of  2s.  Gd.. 
instead  of  the  customary  nimble  .shilling.  The  R.H.S.  would 
provide  no  other  attraction  Avhatever  for  the  2s.  Gd.  charge.  At 
the  Crystal  Palace  the  charge  for  admi.ssion  would  remain  at  Is. 
There  would,  as  is  always  the  case,  be  many  extra  attractions, 
there  would  be  no  conditions  as  to  other  exhibitors  than  members 
of  the  Dahlia  Society.  Of  course  the  Crystal  Palace  people 
would  take  all  gate  money,  but  they  would  give  the  Dahlia 
Society  a  much  more  liberal  money  grant  than  the  Council  of  the 
R.H.S.  offered. 
The  Dahlia  Committee  and  officers  include  some  thirty  Fellow's 
of  the  R.H.S.,  so  that  the  R.H.S.  seems  to  be  treating  its  own 
people  very  meanly.  The  Dahlia  Committee  prote.sted  that  to 
allow'  Fellows  of  the  R.H.S.  to  show  for  their  prizes  w'ould 
weaken  their  own  .society  and  greatly  delete  members.  Also 
that  the  proposed  charge  of  2s.  Gd.  admis.sion  w  as  prohibitoi’y  to 
so  many  lovers  of  the  Dahlia  who  wished  to  see  the  show',  but 
would  not  pay  so  large  an  admission  fee.  It  was  pointed  out 
that  the  London  Dahlia  Enion,  Avhich  held  its  annual  exhibition 
at  Earl’s  Court,  met  with  far  more  favourable  terms  there,  and 
where  the  admission  fee  w'as  l)ut  Is.,  whilst  other  attractions 
were  numerous  than  the  R.H.S.  offered  to  w'hat  was  the  original 
National  Dahlia  Society. 
