SPRING FLOWERS.
[TO THE EDITOR OF THE " SPECTATOR."] SIR,—The appended extract from an account of a show of forced spring flowers reveals one of the many weak joints in the nation's armour— one of the many channels through which the time and men and money of the nation are being squandered, when every man and every minute and every penny are precious. What can the exhibitors be thinking of at this period of the war to fritter away their resources—the nation's resources—on the forced hyacinths or the early tulips or crocuses, that should have no place in men's minds while their brothers lie bleeding in the trenches or starving in German prisons ? Our land lacks workers and fertilizers ; our factories lack coal ; our railways lack rolling-stock ; our Treasury lacks money ; our wounded lack bandages and anaesthetics and restoratives ; our prisoners lack food and clothes. And all the while these precious things—or the money to buy them—aro wasted and squandered and lost. There are cat shows, and dog shows, and flower shows, and fashion shows, and I know not what other shows. All the while the blood of our martyred sons is reddening the battlefields abroad. Is the life-blood of the nation to ebb away in useless expenditure and frivolous waste 7-1 am, Sir, &c., NEDIESIS.
" The Royal Horticultural Society's Show of forced bulbs opened yesterday at Vincent Square, and continues to-day. Hyacinths are especially fine, their colours telling well in rich and varied masses, notably in the bed arranged by Messrs. Cuthbert, who have carried out an extensive scheme in red, white, and blue with splendid spikes of La Victoire, Correzio, and Grand Maitre. The Duke of Portland is the most successful exhibitor in the competitive classes and is closely followed by the Marquess of Ripon, among other winners being Mr. Mr. J. Haslam and Mr. W. Joyce. In contrast with closely-packed and somewhat formal specimens of the ordinary type are the results obtained by Messrs. Barr in aiming at lightness and grace by a special process of cultivation. Instead of the bulb producing a single large and heavily. laden spike, it throws out half-a-dozen or so smaller ones of more sparse florescence. Crocuses are also prominent, and Messrs. Dobbie exhibit some novelties of much beauty, the bright purple, Ovidus, the light- edged purple, Dandy, and the violet-striped white, Madame Melba, being particularly admirable. Crocuses are also seen to advantage on a lawn prettily staged by Messrs. Carter with a box-hedge background and beneath it a border of various flowers."
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