"Spectator" Competitions

RULES AND CONDITIONS Entries must be typed or very clearly written on one side of the paper only. The name and address, or pseudonym, of the competitor must be on each" entryand not on a separate sheet. When a word limit is set words must be counted and the number given. No entries 'can be returned. Prizes may be divided at the discretion of the judge, or withheld if no entry reaches• the required standard. The judge reserves the right to-print or qucite from any entry. The judge's decision is final, and no correspondence can be entered into on the subject of the award. Entries must be addressed to :—The Editor, the Spectator, 99 Gower Street,

London, W.C. 1, and be marked on the"envelope Competition No. (--).

Competition No. 7 (Set by "Dural.") A PRIZE of £.8 8s. is offered for a Thumb-nail Short Story (true or otherwise) beginning " On Whit Monday . • . . ." The length, including a title, must not exceed 850 words.

Entries must be received not later than Monday, June 1st, 1931. The result of this competition will be announced in our issue of June 13th.

Competition No. 8 (Set by. " SCADAVAY.") A PRIZE of £8 8s. is offered for the best paragraph of pure nonsense made up of sentences or clauses taken from this issue of the Spectator. The paragraph must not exceed 850 words in length. For the purposes of this competition a clause consists of not less than four words enclosed by two stops of any sort, and may not be taken from the advertising matter. _ Page-references must be appended. Competitors are reminded that the purest nonsense is never wholly meaningless nor wholly inconse- quent. We give below a specimen opening for such a paragraph from our issue of May 16th : " Sir Edward is a man of wide experience in public affairs, beside whom Dick Turpin was a mere cowardly. hooligan. But he has a good deal of 'pigment buried. in cells close to the nerve ends. This knowledge is terrifying. Landing at Hamburg with a cage of eagles as personal luggage, he gave up boxing, cricket, and his ambition to be an actor, but not for fear of icebergs and

seldom from want of nourishment . ." (From pages 763, 791, 765, 786, 793, 779.) Entries must be received not later than Monday, June 7th, 1931. The result of this competition will appear in our issue of June 20th.

The result of Competition No 6 will appear in our next issue.

Report of Competition No. 5

(REPORT AND AWARD BY " DTIGLI.")

A PRIZE of £8 8s. was offered for a list of suggested familiar names for the following flowers : chrysanthemum, nasturtium, dahlia, geranium, gladiolus, fuchsia. (Examples of familiar names are cherry:pie for heliotrope, snapdragon for antirrhinuin, &c.) Only one name might be suggested for each flower.

It is possible for a thorough ignoramus in garden matters to gain the reputation of an expert by the judicious use of a few long Latin names. But such formality is really the sign of the stranger, as of the visitor to- London who sets his watch by Great Benjamin's Clock and sees Shakespeare acted at the Victorian Theatre.

The six flowers that were the subject of this competition should have been long enough among us to have earned their familiar names. Such names cannot be conferred by order of the Royal Horticultural Society. As Elspeth Ryan reminds us—quoting from Mr. de la Mare, " for the most part the meaning and reference of the names of wild flowers shines out of their faces. . . ."

The interest of this competition has been the way in which certain suggested names do appear to " shine out of the faces', of the chosen flowers. Another interesting point has been the almost general agreement that chrysanthemum, nas- turtium, geranium and gladiolus are male flowers, while dahlia and fuchsia are female. There were exceptions, of course. Chrysanthemum was Shaggy Jane to one com- petitor ; gladioli were Duchess Flowers or Proud Ladies ; geranium was Emily or even Grandmanuua I But on the

whole the sex, as well as the character, of each flower seems to have been tacitly accepted by all those who knew them well enough to 'give them their " little names."

Geranium was on the whole unpopular. It was City Pride, Villapride, Tell-tale, Gossip. It is also credited with a military character and appears on many lists as Soldier, Gerry Red-Coat, Musketeer. Several competitors remem- bered Dahlia's old name of Georgina. Both Dahlias and Chrysanthemums figure as Autumn Pr'd -.: or Autumn Glory. Dahlia suffered under such names as Earwig's Cradle, Donkey's Doughnuts, and seems aptly described as " Proud Polly " ! The most remarkable name given to any flower is that of Baby Eels For Breakfast for Chrysanthemum! Nasturtium's cheerful adaptability is shown as Jack-Run-Over-All, Hardy Brightness, Forbid-Me-Not, Blazer. Gladiolus is dignified as Lords-in-Waiting, Knights-Ride-By and Sword and Sceptre.

Excellent lists were sent by the Rev. L. B. Towner, D. Carlton, Jabberwock, C. C. Vyvyan, B. Noel Saxby, Guy Ines, Mrs. Michael Joseph (whose Ladywax is a happy suggestion for Dahlia), Miss Montresor and Kimmer.

The prize of three guineas is divided equally between MIss D. N. D-4I.GLISH,

6 Macaulay Road, S.W. 4, and

MRS. BLANCHE WINDER

Graythwaite Manor, Grange-over-Sands.

Miss Dalglish's Rosabel and Mrs. Winder's Herb-Lucifer are particularly good..

Mrs. G. E. Church nearly won a third share. But Pavlova is too much of a nurseryman's name to fit the friendly fuchsia of West country and Irish cottage walls.. (Her Honourably Mentioned list is given below.)

The ,Winning Lists.

Chrysanthemum : Count-my-petals. Nasturtium : Wan- derspur. Dahlia : Glorishears. Geranium : Captain Crane. Gladiolus : Sword Lily. Fuchsia : Rosabel.

D. N. DALGLISIL

Chrysanthemum : Venus's Mop. Nasturtium : Salad-bite. Dahlia : Collars and Ruffs. Geranium : Herb-Lucifer, Gladiolus : King's Rocket. Fuchsia : Dancing-Ladies.

BLANCHE WINDER.

Honourably Mentioned.

Chrysanthemum : Late Love. Nasturtium : Punchinello. Dahlia : Queen's Favour. Geranium: Grenadier. Gladiolus: Summer's Spear. Fuchsia : Pavlova.

G. E. CHURCH.

Chrysanthemum : Tatters. Nasturtium : Climbing-Jack. Dahlia : Quillie. Geranium : Bright-eye. Gladiolus : Flaming-sword. Fuchsia : Merry-bell.

C. C. VYVYAN.

Chrysanthemum : Winter Glory. Nasturtium : Brass- face. Dahlia : None-so-solemn. Geranium : Gardeners' Joy. Gladiolus : Death's vintage. Fuchsia : Queen Anne's Bells. M. L.

Chrysanthemum : Winter's Pride. Nasturtium : Bright- weed. Dahlia : Ladywax. Geranium : Suntrap. Gladiolus : C,olourspike. Fuchsia : Chinese Bells.

Mrs. MICHAEL JOSEPH'.

Chrysanthemum : Wintercheer. Nasturium : Penny-leaf. Dahlia : Finger-root. Geranium : Windowjoy. . Gladiolus : Swordstiff. Fuchsia : Ring-the-bell. Kmmrsa.