JOHNSONVILLE FLOWER SHOW

Dominion, Volume 9, Issue 2633, 2 December 1915, Page 3

JOHNSONVILLE FLOWER SHOW

FOR WOUNDED SOLDIERS' 'FUND. The summer show of the Johnsonville Horticultural and Industrial Society was opened by the Right Honourable the Primo Minister in Moore Brothers' Hall at Johnsonville yesterday afternoon. The proceeds of the show are to bo devoted to the Wounded Soldiers' Fund.

'i'ho Prime Minister, who was accompanied by Miss Massey, was received by the president of the society, Mr. W. Cook, and briefly introduced by the latter to the gathering of people in the hall. In declaring the show open, the Primo Minister expressed the pleasure he felt at being able to perform the ceremony, the more so in that it was to aid such a cause as that of the Wounded Soldiers' Fund. He then proceeded "to speak about' the war ana of tho determination of Great Britain to see it through to the bitter end. Although England had in the course of her history lost battles in the past; and had lost ,some in this war, yet she had always in the long run emerged viotorious, and she would do so to-day. In connection with tile soldiers of New Zoaland, there w ( ere two things with which he had been particularly struck, and that was by their, bravery and their cheerfulness. Their bravery had been proved, and all had heard of it, and their cheerfulness ho had seen for himbelf in camp, in saying good-bye when' leaving New Zealand, and when coming back to it sick and disabled. At all times they had been cheerful. Mr. Massey announced himself as being much struck by the excellence of the show, and by the fact that upon this occasion, as on that of last year, tne society was handing over the proceeds tc the Wounded Soldiers' Fund.

It was rather curious that in spite of tho stormy, and unseasonable •veather that has ben experienced, the show, in the number of exhibits and in the quality of quite a number of tliera, »as better than it had been for some time. The roses were very good, and the display of pot plants and cut blooms was interesting. The.winner of the champion rose, ''Mrs. J. H. Welch," ' a bright pink rose with a high-pointed centre, was Mr. Porteous, while the winner of the Belgian; bowl was Mr. Hirschberg, with his display of tiyenjyfour blooms (roses). Sweet peas were having suffered sevorely by the storms. Mr. .Holder, who had intended to send in as usual a large collection of sweet peas for exhibit, had bad to forego them, liko every other exhibitor. ' Nurserymen wero represented by Mr. Sbailer, of. Palmerston North, and Mr. Westbury, of the Upper 'lutfc. The judges wore Messrs. Shailer and Westbury and Miss Cooper. The chief prize-winners in tho pot'plant section were: Mr. W. Mildeiihnll, Miss Taylor, Mrs. Thompson, and Mrs. W. Cook; for the cut blooms (roses), Mrs. llodda, Messrs. Porteous, Hirschberg, Petrie, and Styles, and for other classes of cut blooms, Mesdamos Bethune, Pattle, W. C-ook, Thompson, and Mr. Mildenhall.

The display of vegetables and fruit, particularly vegetables, was very nood, and here the chief prize-winners wcic. Mrs. Carman, Messrs. 0. Cook, Wolf, 1 S. Grant, Lutzky, Pattle, J. Blair, Jlanderson, Larsen, Field,_ f\nd Tvirkpatrick. In the decorative classes, Mrs. Bethune, Mrs. 0. Cook, and Miss M'Clure wero chief prize-winners. In the children's classes, prize-winners were the Misses Wolf (2), Master Thompson, Bore Thompson, Dulcio Bowler, Rose Larsen, and G. Rodda. The afternoon tea was in the hands of Mrs. O. Cook and assistants.

To Mr. F. H. Petrie, tho honorary secretary, was again due much of the success which attended t'he show, which will'bo open this afternoon and f/eniug.