184 THE FLORAL WORLD AND GARDEN GUIDE. 



shaded with violet, a grand, telling flower, should be in every collection ; Con- 

 cinnum ; Marie Vervaene, a fine white, striped with lake ; Eulalie Van Geert, a 

 fine variegated flower ; Rubens, fine large flower, dark scarlet. Florist's flowers 

 comprised Auriculas, which were shown well by Mr. James, gardener to "W. F. 

 Watson, Esq., Isleworth, considering the lateness of the season, the first prize both 

 in the show and alpine varieties going to him. Pansies in pots were shown by 

 several exhibitors, Mr, James again occupying the first place with fine, well- 

 grown, and beautifully-flowered plants of Cherub, Lady Staneiz, Dr. Ingler, J. B. 

 Downie, Baroness de Rothschild, Vesta, Rev. H. Dombrain; Messrs. Dobson and 

 Son, Isleworth, second. Two good stands of cut flowers were shown by Mr. 

 James, and Mr. Shenton, Biggleswade ; both were awarded extra prizes, but Mr. 

 James had decidedly the best. The principal blooms in his stand were the follow- 

 ing, all of which are good : Beautiful Star, Lavinia, Cream of Creams, General 

 Young, Dr. Smith, Snowball, Chancellor, Queen of Queens, Harry, John Downie, 

 Vesta, Cherub, Masterpiece, Emily Lyle, General Early, A. Whamond, and Rev. 

 H. Dombrain. Polyanthuses were shown by Mr. James and Mr. Wiggins, but 

 they were rather past their best. Mr. James was also awarded extra prizes for 

 Calceolarias and Cinerarias, and richly they deserved it, for they presented full 

 evidences of having received the highest cultural skill. The calceolarias were 

 beyond all praise. 



Very good collections of alpine and hardy variegated plants were contributed by 

 Mr. John Salter, Hammersmith, and Mr. Ware, Tottenham. For twelve alpines, 

 Mr. Salter first, with Arenaria halearica, a pretty little species with white flowers, 

 suitable for creeping over rocks; Aubrietia deltoides variegata, Arabis mollis, Saxi' 

 fraga hypnoides, S. Inngifdia, Sempervivum arachnoideum, S. cornidum, S. Pettoni. and 

 Sediim glaucum. Mr. Ware second, with a scarcely inferior lot. Two good collec- 

 tions of hardy ornamental-leaved plants came from the same exhibitors. Mr. 

 Salter had Beta rMliensis, with fine, clear, highly-coloured leaf-stalks ; Funkia alba 

 marginatum, F. undulata, Arundo colorata, TrifoUum repens, the variegated Lily of 

 the Valleg, Sedum Sieboldi, and S. fahurium voiiegaium. Mr. Ware also had some 

 choice things amongst his twelve, and also a good collection of spring-flowering 

 plants. 



The Royal Agkicultural Society's great meeting in 1869 is fixed to take 

 place in Manchester. 



FouRCKOYA LOXG.TLVA, a scarcc and noble member of the Amaryllidaceae, is now 

 in flower at the Regent's Park Botanic Gardens. In 1863 a plant of this species 

 flowered in the garden of M. Louis de Smet, at Ghent, and an account of it was pub- 

 lished in the Gardener's Magazine of Octobtr 31, 1863. 



The National HoRTicuLTrRAL Exhibitiox was opened in the Manchester 

 Botanical Gardens on the 29th of last month, and will continue until the 5th of 

 June. It is one of the most attractive and important exhibitions of the kind ever 

 held out of the metropolis. In all the leading classes entries are plentiful; there 

 are upwards of 300 entries in all, and they include a considerable number of the 

 foremost exhibitors in the country. In one or two classes this surpasses the Inter- 

 national Exhibition of 1866. 



Crystal Palace Flower Show. — This exhibition was held on Saturday, 

 May 23, and was one of the best and most attractive features of the whole season. 

 That the liberality of the directors in providing this treat for their patrons was 

 fully appreciated, there can be no doubt. When the barriers were thrown open to 

 admit the public into the enclosure in which the plants were placed, they were so 

 densely crowded up to the removal of the plants, that it was a most difficult 

 matter to get near them. Azaleas were shown in grand condition. The best 

 collections were in most instances made up of huge plants trained cone shape, and 

 a mass of flower with a few green leaves peeping out here and there amongst them, 

 giving the plants a most charming appearance. The principal kinds shown upon 

 this occasion were the following, and we n2ed scarcely say that they are the best in 

 the respective colours which they represent. Our readers, therefore, when making 

 up collections, can add any of these to their list with advantage : Alba lutescens, 

 white, striped red ; Optima, dark scarlet ; Iveryana, pure white striped rose, fine ; 

 Distinction, salmon, margined with white ; Coronata, Magnet, bright rosy salmon, 

 fine ; Napoleon III., dark rose, fine large flowers ; Murrayana, bright rose ; Crite- 

 rion, salmon pink, margined with white, and spotted with red on upper segments ; 



