HORTICULTURE

Greymouth Evening Star, 12 September 1927, Page 4

HORTICULTURE

STATE COLLIERIES’ SHOW After a period of comparative dearth of flowers owing to the winter season, the Miners’ Hall at Runanga seemed to be a veritable “Aladdin’s Cave” with its treasure of daffodils, .which were on exhibition at the State Collieries’ Horticultural Show, held on Saturday. It may be that quantity was not as large as one might expect in a little town where there are so many enthusiastic and successful flowergrowers: what was lacking in quantity, however, was fully made up for in the high grade quality of the many fine blooms which were exhibited. Indeed, the judge, Mr. D. M. Bradbury of Christchurch, when chatting with a “Star” reporter at the Show, gave it as his honest opinion that the stands, especially in the Cup Class, could not be beaten in the Dominion. The blooms in that section were practically perfection, and were without any blemishes of weather or over “ripeness,” and were staged in expert style. The Bradbury Cup was won by Mr. A. B. Spiers of Kumara, the runner up being Mr. James Unwin, who has been “running neck and neck” with Mr. Spiers throughout the competition, each having three wins to their credit until recently, when Mr. Spiers won the trophy outright and it became his property for “keeps.” The premier bloom of the show, was one in Mr. James Unwin’s collection, a very fine specimen of the trumpet

variety named “General Learmont.” The variety possesses the peculiarity of having each alternate outer leaf of its perianth curled inwards. The trumpet is large and bell shaped and of a light orange hue. During the evening, it was announced that Mr. Bradbury had presented another cup for competition on terms similar to the last. A noticeable feature of the show was the excellent exhibit of bouquets of wild flowers arranged by the children of the schools, the number exhibited being thirty-three. The exhibit, besides being a useful one from an educational point, showed a wonderful sense of arrangement possessed by the juveniles. The winning and second bouquets were very fine both in point

of the number of specimens of wild flowers and artistic arrangement. Mr. Bradbury was loud in his praise of the section, and said each exhibit deserved some prize, there being so little difference in the marks secured by the competitors after the first six had been placed. The buttonhole class for school children was also most interesting, containing as it did, no less than eighty-nine entries. Some of the posies extremely pretty and considerable artistic merit was apparent in the selection and arrangement of the small flowers used for the purpose. The arrangement of the tables and stands was effective, and in all sections it was noticeable that staging was well done. Of a truth the Runanga horticultural enthusiasts “know their business!”

A splendid exhibition stand, containing eighty-three varieties of daffodils, some of which ran to prices out of the reach of the modest aspirant at daffodil growing, was shown by Mr. Bradbury, and was the centre of much interest. The stand contained bunches of each of the varieties, many being shown for thp first time, having only reached maturity this season. 11 The results were as follow, the number of entries in each class being shown in parentheses:—

DAFFODILS Premier 8100m —Jas Unwin “General Learniont” trumpet variety. CUP CLASS 12 Distinct Varieties of Daffodils, one spike each (4) —A. B. Spiers 1 (won cup), S. Unwin and J. Unwin equal 2. Mrs. G. Dalzell 3. Six Trumpets varieties (2) —A. B. Spiers 1, J. Unwin 2. Six Daffodils, distinct varieties cups or crowns (2) —J. Unwin 1. Six Daffodils, 3 distinct varieties (3) —J. Unwin 1, I. Mossop 2. Three Daffodils, ‘varieties (4)—-J. Unwin 1, A. B. Spiers 2. Three Trumpets, varieties (6) —A. B. Spiers 1, I. Mossop 2. -Three Daffodils varieties, cup or crown (4) —A. B. Spiers 1, J. Unwin 2. Three Incomparablis—A. B. Spiers 1, I. Mossop 2. Three Leedsii (8)—I. Mossop 1, A. B. Spiers 2. Three Barrii (2)—J. Braithwaite 1. Collection Daffodils (4)—J. Unwin 1, Mrs. T. Currie 2. Bowl Daffodils (6) —Mrs. T. Currie 1, S. Unwin 2, Mrs. D. Syme 3. A very fine section.

CUT FLOWERS Three Hyacinths (2)—Mr. M. Malone 1. Three Camelias (3)—T. Currie 1 and 2. Three Flowers not classed (S) — Mrs. G. Dalzell 1, M. Malone 2. Three Varieties Spring Flowers (2) *—S. Unwin 1. Vase Daffodils, not classified (1) — Mrs. A. Syme 1. ' Collection Anemones (7) —G, D. Smart 1, M. Haldane 2. Vase Polyanthi Narcissus (3)—M. Dalzell 1, S. Unwin 2. Vase Wallflower (s)—State School 1, R. Wilson 2. Vase Snowdrops (4) —S. Unwin. 1, D. Piner 2. Vase Freesias (3) —Mrs. R. McTaggart 1, I. Mossop 2. Bunch Polyanthi (11) —M. Haldane and H. Webb equal 1, T. E. Kennedy 2. Bunch Primroses (6) —M. Haldane 1, S. Unwin 2. Collection Cut Flowers (2)—J. Unwin 1. Collection Spring Flowers (I)—Mrs. G. Dalzell 1.

Pot Plant in Bloom (5) —J. Unwin 1, Mrs. G. Dalzell 2. Decorated Table, girls (1) —M. Hal danel. Bouquet Native Flowers, school children (33) —Bertha Currie 1, A. Hill 2, J. Maris 3, R. McTaggart 4, C. Armstrong 5, M. Greening 6. Buttonhole for School Children (SJD —A. Southward 1, J. Howard 2, C. Wylde 3, R. McTaggart 4, J. Evendcn 5, F. Wilson 6.