HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S SHOW.

Poverty Bay Standard, Volume I, Issue 22, 15 December 1883, Page 2

HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY’S SHOW.

The above show was opened in the old Volunteer Hall on Thursday afternoon last. The Committee had no choice in the selection of a proper building for holding their exhibitiou iu, as Porter’s, McFarlane’s, and Parnell and Boylan’s Hulls were all engaged; but we cannot help thinking, that it would have been wise on the part of the Committee to have postponed the show until a more suitable building could have been obtained. Not alone were the flowers much crowded and, consequently, a great deal of their beauty hidden, but the visitors were so closely packed together as to render it extremely uncomfortable and unpleasant to the ladies. The show of pot plants was very tine indeed, the calcelarias, geraniums, fuchsias, and pelargoniums being especially beautiful. The ferns exhibited, though not numerous, were exquisitely pretty; whilst the ornamental foliage plants displayed a varied and pleasing variety of colors. The cut flowers were not alone iu variety, but displayed considerable skill iu their arrangement. The show of fruit wai not large, as far as variety goes, though the quality of that exhibited was exceptional. The vegetables certainly showed a marked improvement upon last year. We cannot agree with the suggestion that this group of exhibits should be divided into two classes one for professionals and one for amateurs—inasmuch as it would be calculated to induce amateurs to relax their efforts in endeavouring to reach the highest point of excellence. Surely if a man devotes himself entirely to any object and attains a greater proficiency than a man who only partially gives himself to the same object, he deserves a proportionate amount of honor, not alone for his proficiency but also for his devotion. Let the man who grudges the professional gardener his hard-won honors devote himself to gardening, and not, like a “feather bed soldier,” begrudge the old veteran his scant reward. The best answer to this is given in the person of Mr. Bently who plainly demonstrates the fact that amateurs can very successfully cope with professionals. Some people who cannot climb the mountain want the mountain brought down to them.

At the conclusion of the show a Dutch auction was begun in order to get rid of the bouquets, fruit, &c., but it was found that the phlegmatic Mincer method of doing business was unsuitable to our more genial southern temperament, and the attempt was speedily abandoned and recourse had to the colonial method of negotiating a transfer of property, the fruit found ready purchasers at a good price whilst the bouquets were “given away.” The following are the prize winners :—

In the Ist class, pot plants in bloom Mr Bently took Ist prize for calcarias, fuchsias, single and double ; geraniums, single and double ; pelargoniums, pansies, mimulus, and pot plants. Dr. Pollen, Ist prize for six vanet.es of geraniums aud pelargoniums. Mrs Pollen Ist prize for four varieties of potplants, grown by ladies, and Mrs Sheriff 3nd prize. xVlrs Bees Ist prize for heliotrope. For pot-plants, not necessarily iu bloom. Mr Bently took seven Ist prizes out of twelve : the remaining honors falling to E. Woon, Mrs P. Bourke, and Mrs Rees.

In class 2, Mr I. C. Taylor carried off Ist Srize for carnations, picotees, and gladiolus | Ir Bull for gladiolus (6 varieties), pansies, roses (12 varieties) and verbenas ; Mr Bently for phlox (6 varieties), roses (6 varieties) and peonias; Afts Skeet, two prizes ; Mrs Sheriff, seven prizes ; Misses Baker, Bull, Aston, and Reynolds, and Mess.’a Adams and Bourke also took prizes. In class 3, Messrs Bull, Nairn, Allen, Parker, Sheriff, East, and Bushnell carried i off prizes. J In class 4, Messrs Adams, Schmidt (Mr |fl H. J. Finn’s gardner), Cannon, Bushnell, I. C. Taylor, Parker, Allen, Nairn, and Siddons secured the honors.