AUGUST. 245 



Primus was the best specimen in the bed. We admired Walker's 

 Duchess of Sutherland. This is a good feathered and flamed bybloemen. 

 Napoleon fetched the highest price. The bed realised something over 

 100/. 



Mr. Edwards' collection has also been distributed this season by 

 auction. Mr. Edwards' flowers were very well grown, but were past 

 their best when sold ; and being the last of three important sales, did 

 not realise the amount that might have been reasonably expected, 

 when such flowers as Strong's King, Charles Brown, Arlette, Pan- 

 dora, Bion, &c., were amongst them, including large numbers of the 

 best of the Chellaston varieties. Charles Brown fetched 50^., which 

 was the highest price given. 



HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S JULY EXHIBITION. 



The last Exhibition of this Society this year took place on July 11 th, 

 under very unfavourable circumstances, the rain falling in torrents the 

 greater part of the day, and consequently a thin company only was 

 enabled to visit the gardens in the afternoon — much to our regret, as the 

 exhibition was in many respects an excellent one. 



Agreeably with alterations made in the Society's schedule for this 

 season, the principal feature on this occasion was to be fruit and cut 

 flowers, collections of plants with variegated or otherwise fine foliage. 

 Ferns, Lycopods, and Orchids ; and in addition variegated and horse- 

 shoe leaved Geraniums were exhibited, besides other ornamental plants, 

 which will be noticed in detail hereafter. It wiU be gathered from the 

 above, that the collections of miscellaneous plants, &c., shoAvn on former 

 occasions were not expected, it having been decided in forming the 

 schedule that more variety should be introduced into these exhibitions, 

 and therefore the experiment was tried of altering the schedule so as to 

 comprise a larger dis play of novelties ; how far this succeeded remains 

 in some measure to be proved, for unfortunately little company came to 

 give their verdict either for or against the plan. Some modification, to 

 alter the extreme sameness of collections, both in such classes as Heaths 

 and miscellaneous plants, was necessary ; but whether to their entire 

 exclusion we are not prepared to say. Our own opinion is, that at this 

 season, '•' mi xed collections of plants, in or out of flower," would have 

 produced the most eflective display, and could easily have been fur- 

 nished by exhibitors. Be this as it may, the idea of giving prizes for 

 collections of fine foliaged plants is good and sound in principle, though 

 perhaps a little ahead of the times. To the eye of the artist and man 

 of taste, how infinitely superior are the beautiful variations of outline, 

 and exquisite texture, which the leaves of some plants assume, to the 

 most brilliant flowers. Both have, and will have, their admirers, and 

 both should find a place in our public exhibitions. But as regards their 

 effect on the public taste, and as furnishing examples of the purest 

 kind for imitation, no comparison can exist, and therefore we maintain 

 the principle of introducing plants not otherwise remarkable than for 



