THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

Evening Star, Issue 3927, 25 September 1875, Page 3

THE HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY.

'To the Editor.

Sir, —In perusing' the prize schedule of the above society for the forthcoming show, 1 find that, with few exceptions, the prizes for pot plants are offered for collections. This i» to be regretted, as in the first place it has a tendency to till the show-room with small pots and inferior grown plants, an] objection which should always be guarded against. Secondly, so long as prizes are offered for collections, there will never be a Well-trained or carefully grown specimen in the show. Thirdly, it |discourages competition, as the man with only a limited number of the certain varieties to be competed for must either purchase more plants than he has perhaps room for, or abstain altogether from competing ; and I maintain that the success of any horticultural society depends more upon the quality than the number of the plants shown, combining useful information to the public in classifying them. There is a'so a prize of 10s (Id offered for a single specimen plant in flower, and immediately afterwards 10-s for three heaths—of what class is not stab d, either for the information of the competitor or the guidance of the judges. Had the committee offered a prominent prize for six or eight plan's of ('ape heaths which had proved hardy in the Province, valuable information would have been given regarding this noble tribe of plants, bound to take a leading part in the decoration of our gardens. There ;s also offered a p;i/e of LI for twelve conifers. Year after year t his prize has been offered and competed for, but in such a mann r as to mislead rather than enlighten. There is no class of plants which should engage the attention of the people of Otago more than the conifeno, almost all of them being adapted to onr soil anil climate ; and whether it be for reclamation, shelter, forestry, or ornamental purposes, it should be the first dut. of the Society to otter prizes in such a manner as would ensure proper classfication, so that the adaptability of each kind for certain purposes might be known at a glance. There are other grave errors in the framing of.thfe pnze-list, but to deal with them all would trespass too much on your space.-—I am, &c,, H. M. West. Dunedin, September 24.

Most any sort of a tight between men is a do ill.

Most Provoking.—“He provoked me into loving him ! ’ was a pret'y girl’s excuse for engaging herself to a man whom she had always professed to hate. An honest old burgher of Peebles was recently enabled, by some strange chance, to visit Paris, and was eagerly que-tioued when ho came back as to the character of that capital of capitals ; to which, it is said, he answered that “ Paris, of a’ things considered, was a worn!eiiu’ place; but still Peebles for nleasu:e.”