WINTER FLOWER SHOW.

Otago Witness, Issue 3609, 15 May 1923, Page 9

WINTER FLOWER SHOW.

MAGNIFICENT CHRYSANTHEMUMS. The Dunedin Horticultural Society opened its winter show in the Art Gallery on Wednesday. The weather of late has been anything but favourable to growers of flowers, and in the circumstances the display that the society has reen able to make i 3 surprisingly beautiful and bears striking tribute to the skill and patience of the exhibitors. The dominating feature of the show is, cf course, the chrysanthemums; and though the competition as a whole has been left to one or two outstanding enthusiasts this docs not alter the fact that the standard reached is exceedingly high. The champion competition for 13 varieties of Japanese chrysanthemums brought out a splendid stand from Mr H. T. Trevena. His collection included two premier blooms, J. S. Lloyd, the premier yellow, and Edith Cavell, which was adjudged the premier bloom of the show. The same exhibit included a very fine William Turner, a beautifully-coloured R. C. Pulling, and a Louisa Pockott and Rose Day of outstanding merit. But. indeed every Hoorn of the 18 was well worthy of admiration. Having won the open championship in the past two years, Mr Trevena, by liis third successive win, has now won the cup outright.. Mr L. S. Perrett’s exhibit in the open class for 12 varieties, was another very attractive display. The blooms were very clean, nicely grown and finished and made a very even stand. Among them were particularly good specimens of E. L. Cahill, Lady Stradbroke, Primrose, and Drabble. Mr H. T. Trevena’s board of six varieties wfts another fine sight. The A. J. Witcher in this entry was the premier bloom of any other shade. Edith Cavell, J. S. Lloyd, 3rd William Turner all caught the eye as splen-didly-grown specimens. In the same exhibitor’s board of six, excluding whiles rnd yellows, the outstanding feature v.ts the Rose Day. In the open class for six vases, Mr Perrett, in his display, relied iarg fiy cn J. J. Williams (a lovely yellow) and Edith Cavell and Rose Day. The stand of 12 varieties for amateus sent in by Mr A. Doodeward,son., was considered by several good judges to lie the best stand in the show. In this case c.r-o the cup, having been won thrice in succession, now becomes the property of the winner. The exhibit included two premier blooms, the premier white (Roma Bayles) and the premier pink (Miss Tucketl). Hadthe colouring of the latter been mere perfect, it would no doubt have been the champion bloom of the show. Beautifully even specimens of William Turner, J. S. Lloyd, Rupert Wilks, and Lady Talbot were conspicuous in this exhibit. In Mr Dooieward’s six varieties the outstanding features were Louisa Pockett, Miss Tackett, and a beautifully-coloured Alice Finch. Mr Doodew.ird was equally successful in the classes for three or four in vases and for single blooms. Mr W. Cornish took first and second in (lie class for single blooms of William Turner with two splendid specimens. In view of the weather conditions of late, the outside-grown flowers were a great credit to the growers and were scarcely if at all inferior to the blooms produced inside. Mr A. E. Rigby and Mr G. Allan took prizes in this section. Rose Day, Gallipoli, and Edith Cavell were r.reminent in Mr Allan’s six. In the class for one Japanese chrysanthemum grown in open ground, Mr Cormaok took first, with William Turner and Mr A. Reddell second with Edith Cavell. Strikinn- blooms put forward for exhibition only in this section were a single bloom called Phyllis Cooper, of wonderfully beautiful daffodil colour grown by

Mrs H. T. Trevena, and a Lady Stradbroke sent in by A. Doodeward, juri., whose work in this and other entries is all the more remarkable because he is still but a schoolboy. There was a good show of vegetables, particularly of cauliflower, onions, carrots, cabbages, and leeks. Savoy cabbages of monster size caught the attention, but they did not secure first prize, as the competition was for savoys most suitable for table use. Brussels sprouts and potatoes wore also well represented. A special award was given for a particularly fine bunc-h of silver beet put in for exhibition only by Mr A. Burgess, of Mornington. The quality of the vegetables as a whole was quite up to the customary standard, but the numbers were lacking largely as ft result of the damage done to gardens by the flood. The Kari-tane-Harris Hospital won most of the honours in the open classes. The decorative and floral work arranged in the inner gallery makes a beautiful pictuie, in which the gold of chrysanthemums and the rich hues of autumn leaves are the prevailing colours. Miss A. MTnty.ro was responsible for the great bulk of the work in the open classes, and Mrs W. Jones was almost unchallenged among the amateurs. A novelty in the fruit section was the class for fruiterers, which drew three very atti active displays. The first prize went to Mr W. Jones. In the open classes Mr H. F. Kitto secured the honours, and Mrs W. King was most conspicuous among the amateur prize-takers. Pot plants were not a large section, the honours in it being divided between Mrs A. Doodeward, A. Dcodeward, jun., and Mr C. A. Beal. A great deal of the beauty and interest of the show is due to a variety of displays that have been arranged for exhibition only. Prominent among these is the collection of flowers, fruits, and vegetables shown by Miss Burton, whose gardener is Mr J. Fleming. Among the fruits in this fine collection are apples, pears, passion fruit, grapes, and plums. Vegetables are represented by savoys, red cabbage, and green cabbage, fine well-blanched leeks, carrots, parsnips, marrows, onions, artichokes, Brussels sprouts, potatoes, and broad beans. Among the flowers are fine dahlias, cinerarias, marguerites (Mrs Saunders), clematis, and a berberis Wilsoni seedling grown continuously for three years in a pot and in this manner stunted. The table was given a. well-earned award of merit. Among fruit displays for exhibition only there, is a very handsome one of 30 packed half-cases of Jonathans from Mr H. Thomson’s “Hiawatha” orchard at Kttrick, and a display of varieties of apples and pears on dishes from Messrs Loudon arid Brown s orchard at Nithdale, Ettrick. Visitors to the show wil l also find much to admire and to interest in the collection of shrubs and po' phnt.3 and flowers exhibited by Mr F. b. Perrett, of No-rmanby. With these he shows also tomatoes of his own raising. Mr G. Edwards has an exhibition table of fruit and nuts. A collection of pot plants kindlylent from the Botanical Gardens is being effectively used for decorative purposes on the stage. On one of the centre tables are grouped a number of interesting single seedlings sent down from “Elderslie” by Mr A. K. VV ilson. On the same table Mr Doodeward, jun., has for exhibition only five chrysanthemums in pots very finely grown and shown. The chrysanthemums, cut flowers, ana shrubs have been judged by Mr A. K. Wilson, of Elderslie. the vegetables by Mr p. H. Hollingworth, the fruit by Messrs IT oiling worth and Wilson, and the decorative work by Mr John Whyte.