372 THE GARDENER. [Aug. 



awarded a first-class certificate. It has good -sized pale rosy -lilac 

 coloured flowers, of excellent dwarf habit, and to all appearance 

 a continuous bloomer. It is a capital addition to these charming rose- 

 coloured bedding Lobelias. Another thoroughly good thing was Per- 

 petual Picotee, Prince of Orange, shown by Mr Perkins of Leamington, 

 and awarded a first-class certificate. It has pale yellow flowers, of 

 good size and substance, heavily edged with bright red, and will be of 

 creat service both for house decoration and to cut from. 



A grand new imported Cypripedium, named Parishi, recently im- 

 ported by INIessrs Veitch &, Son, has received a first-class certificate. It 

 is quite distinct in character, and may be said to have the sepals of C. 

 Ifeviojatum and the labellum of C. Hookeri. The same award was 

 made to Mr Bull for a very fine form of Miltonia Regnelli named 

 purpurea ; the same award to Mr Green, gardener to W. Wilson 

 Saunders, Esq., for Catasema, vSjDecies nova ; and to Brassavola lineata, 

 a white flowering species much fancied by Orchid-growers. Mr Ed- 

 wards of Nuttall received a first-class certificate for Pteris serrulata 

 cristata magnifica, a large growing crested form of this useful decora- 

 tive Fern. Mr C. J. Perry of Birmingham has received first-class 

 certificates for Verbenas, J. Lawdon, Kate Lawdon, and J. Sanders. 

 As I am just about to inspect at Birmingham Mr Perry's new lot of 

 seedling Verbenas, I will defer any description of these till I can place 

 them before your readers as a whole. 



Mr C. Noble, Bagshot, has been exhibiting his fine new red Spirsea 

 palmata of late. It still maintains its reputation, and cannot fail to 

 please all who may become purchasers of it, though it is somewhat 

 doubtful if it will force well. 



The Fruit Committee have just awarded Messrs James Carter & Co, 

 and Messrs Hurst & Son a first-class certificate for Laxton's Alpha 

 Pea, a very early blue variety, having a half-wrinkled character, and 

 said to be as early as Sangster's No. 1 , It is one of a very fine lot 

 raised by Mr Thomas Laxton of Stamford, the entire stock of vrhich 

 has passed into the hands of the well-known firms named above. 

 There are several points about these Peas worthy of a more extended 

 notice, and I hope to devote a paper to them ere long. As an early 

 variety. Alpha must stand Al at the present time. R. D. 



UNDER- GARDENERS' DIFFICULTIES. 



Sir, — Will you allow me space in your magazine, the ' Gardener,' to say a few 

 words respecting the young man's difiBculties 1 At page 276 I have read F. W. B.'s 

 remarks, headed 'A Word to Young Gardeners,' and I think some of F. W. B. 's 

 remarks are very good ; but he tells us at page 277 that he first started as " crock- 



