["It is a good omen for the future of agriculture that the upper classes are beginning to take a practical interest in it."—A Morning Paper.]
Extracts from the "World," June, 1900.
Despite the unfavourable weather, Lady Tipton's garden-party on Wednesday was a great success. Strawberry-picking was the principal amusement, and some well-known performers were present. Miss De Mure, as usual, beat all her rivals, but the Bishop of Pulborough was only half-a-basket behind. Like most of her friends, Lady Tipton has now converted all her croquet and tennis lawns into fruit-beds.
Lord Grayson is entertaining a large party of friends for bird-scaring this week. Starlings are somewhat scarce this year, but sparrows are very plentiful and strong on the wing. Some capital sport was enjoyed over these well-known fields last week, and the host (who used a blunderbuss manufactured by Messrs. Murdey) is credited with having frightened away about 5000 brace in a single day.
Truth is quite wrong in stating that the Marquis of Coombe intends to sell his well-known potato-patch in Hammersmith. On the contrary, he has just laid down two dozen new plants. It is true, however, that several of the smartest people are growing onions instead of potatoes this year.
As the show-season will soon be with us again, it may be well to remark that the committees should make certain of the genuine character of the exhibits. It would be disgraceful were there to be any repetition of such a scandal as occurred last autumn at a leading exhibition, when it was discovered that the apples belonging to a certain lady of title, to which the prize already had been awarded, owed their brilliant appearance to the fact that her Grace had tinted them with water-colours.