THE FLOWER SHOW.

Southern Cross, Volume 1, Issue 41, 6 January 1894, Page 7

THE FLOWER SHOW.

The Summer show of the Southland Horticultural Society was held in the Temperance Hall on Monday and Tuesday. On the first evening the accommodation of the building was taxed to its utmost. Although not equal to that of former years, the number who attended could not walk about without jostling, and consequently the exhibits did not receive as close attention as the visitors could have given them in a larger building. The theatre is engaged on the Ist and 2nd of each year by the Caledonian Dramatic Society, and the horticulturalists will no doubt find a more suitable building for their summer exhibitions in future. On the whole the show was quite equal to that of previous years in point of qualify, although perhaps not in the number of exhibits. In vegetables, the potatoes (especially some of “Breeze’s Prolific”) onions, peas, carrots, and rhubarb were remarked upon as being very good. That class of exhibits were laid out in different apartments. The roses deserve special mention, as they were undoubtedly a feature of the show. Notwithstanding the frequent frosts of late, the blooms, generally speaking, were in good show order, Mr Cleave, as usual, led the van. The pansies, especially the show' pansies, were of high quality. Messrs Lennie (first) and Cleave ran each other very close for first honours with the collection of cut flowers, w-hich were such as are seldom seen excepting at a summer show. The picotces found many admirers, and the graceful growth of the pot plants, including some very early chrysanthemums, fuchsias, &c., were a special attraction to not a few.

Good competition took place among the fruit exhibits, the display of currants, gooseberries, and strawberries being excellent. Two beau-tifully-dressed epergnes in the fancy department, as examples of the art of selection and arrangement, elicited expressions of admiration on all sides, and the smaller exhibits, hand bouquets, &c., included some very choice specimens. Part of the floor space in the back room was effectively relieved by some of Mr Longuet’s fine ferns. An efficient orchestra rendered good music, and made the evening very enjoyable to those who chose to spend an hour in promenading and inspecting the various exhibits.