The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1869-09-15
CITY INTELLIGEN CE.
TNE PARTERRE AND THE TRUCK
GARDEN,

We yesterday noticed the Grand National Pc
mologieal Exhibition at horticultural Hall, undeI
the auspices of the Pennsylvania horticultural SO
Siety and the National Association OF Fruit Growers
and commented upon the attractive appearance o
the display, as it met our delighted eyes YESTERDAY
morning. II was not until last evening, however
that all the glores OF the great fruit and ower show
were disclosed. It needed the brilliant lighting o
the room, the gay dresses and the futtering ribbons
of Philadelphias fairest daughters, the soft murmu
OF small talk, the band in the gallery discoursinl
some Of Onenbachs most envening strains, ant
The other sights and sounds OF an evening gathering
Of the pears, peaches, apples, and apricots, The
luscious plumpness OF the grapes, the fragrance
Of the rare curious, and beautiful flowers, the
culence of the cabbages and the gigantic virtues o
the big pumpkins. The FLASHING waterfall amid its
bower Of rare exotcs and tropical plants, with the
great aloe almost ready TO burst into exquisite
blossom ere fading away forever, formed suitable
background for the tables covered with the rares
products OF the hothouse, the grapery and the
fully cultivated orchard with an appreciation o.
the eternal fitness OF things, the whole Of the upper
saloon s devoted to the rare and the beautiful in the
way OF downy peaches, luscious mellow pears
grapes ready to burst with the weight Of their own
juices red-cheeked apples and flowers of an infinite mite
variety of form, color and fragrance while the less
beautiful but not to be despised vegetables the
beets the cabbages, the turnips, the oggpiants the
corn, the potatoes, the beans, and all the Other
triumphs Of the truck gardeners art are reegaIed 10
the basement, where they can be examined anu
stout ladies' in s5ectacies, with market baskets on
their arms, and elderly gentlemen, Win prOau-.
rural respectablity in their costume. Indeed, the
people who for the most part I'LL the rooms az ds,
NAV of this Kind are not less worthy OF study than
the fruts flowers, and vegetables. Dweers In the
city weary of the theatres the opera, balls and all
the usual round of town amusements, aud searching
for new sensation stroll eisurely around the tables,
their mouths watering at the sight OF the rare and
luscious fruits and their fingers itching to slyly aO
stract from its place on the table particularly
appetiZmg pear or peach; wondering whether the
potatoes grow on trees ana Wnat klnd Oh C chGSens @
lay the eggplants, and finally winding up IN the re-
freshment room to finish the evening with plate of
real Delaware county ice-cream But large por-
tiOn Of the audience is composed OF people
TO whom the opera and the theatre
unknown and forbidden enjoyments. Young
ladies, whose freckled faces indicate
love for sunshine, fresh air, wholesome exercise,
and a total contempt or innocent want of know
ledge of such specifics as the "Boom of Roses or
UEmail de Bagdad," warranted to remove bemishes
and restore the complexion without Injury to the
skin; stout matrons who view the potatoes and
cauli1owers with critical eyes, calculating to a
nicely the value of particular varieties for the garni
ture of frst-class dinner for large, healthy and
hungry family; gentlemen who black their boots
carefully as matter of conscience when they show
themselves in public, but show genuine rural dis
regard the latest Partisan novelties in the way of
fancy vests and neckties and who are not over par
ticular about the cut OF their pantaloons. Indeed,
how could they be when their undivided attention
has been given the whole summer long to the pre-
paraton OF such vegetable curiOsities as yonder
gigantic pumpkin, that beet that cant be beat or
that remarkab3 cabbage that The excited fancy OF the
owner imagnes TO have singular resemblance to
himself, so that he is rather offended than otherwise
if the visitors do not see the resemblance as he
stands proudly beside it,
Speaking of vegetable curostties reminds us that
there are quite a number in this exhibition which
attract the attention of VISITORS and seem to relieve
IN an agreeable manner the mere excellence of the
greater portion of the contributions or course.
among the outTe grOwths the big pumpkins figure
conspicuous, and If any bigger pumpkins than a
couple now at horticultural Hall have ever been
produced, we have not been lucky enough to see
them. One Of those great, gold d1n-rinded fellows
would make pumpkin pies enough to have lasted
Shermans army duringits march through Georgia.
Its grth is so immense that a man cannot encrcle
II with his arms, and the only thing that troubles its
owner is to know what to do with it after the fair is
over and the admiration of the public has ceased.
III WOulU be q SIN to throw anV portion OF IL aWaY,
and yet the capacity of any ordinary family for
would be winters task that few would care to I'M
dertake. Next to the pumpkins come the squashes,
and we have an assortment OF these from the tender
cymbellne, not larger than mOderate-siZed TO-
mato to the great yard-Ong affairs, shaped like
boomerangs or Indian war-clubs. Among these
vegetables there are one or two curious and inte-
resting specimens of japanese squashes, in which a
portion Of the vine IS mbeddCd in the fruit In spite
Of this snglarty, this variety is said to be of more
than usually excellent favor, when properly
treated by an experienced cook. In the
way of beets the vagaries of nature
specimen that attracts much attention is quite scp
turesque, and the resemblance to the human form
divine is so exact that an old lady, evidently from
the country. after surveying it atentvely for some
moments, hurried OIL in high dudgeon, taking with
her fair creature of perhaps some eighteen sum
mers, and suggesting, as she went, that the horrld
thing ought to have some clothes on it. We hope
that the managers of the show will heed this sug-
gestlon, for good many of their visitors have not
yet had their morals corrupted by the leg drama,
and allowances must be made for the deficiencies of
bucolic education.
The display of egg-plants is very fine. There is a
great number both OF the white and the purple va
rieties, and they are of all sizes, from that of the
legitimate hen-frut to the twenty-four inch heads
which George Francis Train asserts are the dstin-
gushing characteristic OF the newspaper men OF
America. We tried our hat on one of the largest
specimens in the exhibition, and it fitted about an
inch too much. Besides the white and the purple egg
plants there is mixed variety, in which the white
is decatey striped with the purple suggestive OF
the streak of fat and the streak of lean in the Irish
mans bacon. But we might go on forever If We
undertook describe all the noticeable vegetables
detail, and for fear OF trenchng upon the reserved
space OF our scientific editor, who is jealous of h
rights, we can only recommend our readers to q
and for themselves, and we can assure them tina
they will be much more edited than by reading AM
description of ours, no matter how eloquenty We
10 come from the merely useful and curious t
the beautiful and rare, we doubt whether there ha
ever been so fine display of delicious fruits seen IL
this city before. Upon the tables in the main hal
are an almost endless variety of Mowers and fruits
of the most delicious perfume and appetizing favor
Pennsylvania, of course, is the most largely repre-
sented but New York, Massachusetts, Tennessee
Virginia, Kansas Illinois, and California are all re
presented with fine specimens Of their orchards
graperies. The contributions from Kansas are par
tcnlarly fine, and evident pains have been taken tt
give favorable impression OF the horticultural pro
gress OF one OF our newest States. The contri6u
uons represent thirty cOuRtes and an extent OF 30
miles north and south and 150 miles east and west
the Legislature, with commendable Hberality, ap
proprlated $500 to assist the State Horticultural SO
ciety in making as fine show as possible and the
society has certainly done itself and the State credit
From California there are some very fine speci
mems or native wine, which the best judges assert
will vie in flavor with the most yaunted foreigr
brands. The grape show is also very attractive
There are all kinds and Sizes from the little Della
ware grapes, scarcely larger than peas TO the Black
Hamburgs and Muscatels with berries nearly as big
as walnuts Some OF thel grape-growers have eX.
erted themselves TO produce superior specimens fol
the exhibition, and some OF the punches are as much
as grown man can well carry without assistance
One splendid cluster that held up before our de.
lighted gaze measured more than two feet from the
stem 10 Jhe lowermOst berry, and the size and lus-
clOus naVor OF the fruit were in keeping with The