380 THE GARDENER. [Aug. 



at Saffron Walden, called "The Floral and Horticultural Exhibition." Every- 

 thing appears to have been in excellent condition, Mr Chater, the well-known 

 nurseryman, and Lord Braybrook of Audleyend, carried off a great number of 

 prizes. The next recorded was "The Essex Agricultural Society's," held this 

 year at Bromford : there appears to have been a good collection of plants, cut 

 flowers, fruit, and vegetables of all kinds. Mr AV. Bones, of Havering Park, 

 quietly walked off with seventeen prizes. 



The third is the sixth anniversary of the Wanstead " Floricultural Society," 

 held in the grounds of G. H. Wilkinson, Esq., Grove House, Wanstead. This 

 appears to be a small affair, got up chiefly for that part of Essex : there were 

 good collections of plants and table devices ; the highest prize, a silver vase, value 

 £5, was appropriated to the best group of flowers arranged for table decoration. 

 The competition in this class was large, the silver vase being awarded to Miss 

 Child of Wanstead, whose pyramidal and beautiful design excited the greatest 

 admiration. 



Another, called "The Bishop-Stortford and Hertford Horticultural Society," 

 held their opening exhibition in the grounds of the Grange at Bishop-Stortford. 

 This was a sight well worth going to see : the Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Stove 

 plants, Roses, Ferns, and Pines were the finest I ever saw ; while Melons, Grapes, 

 and Cherries were very good. It would take up too much of your valuable space 

 to state who were the prize takers : suffice it to say that Mr Hill, of Poles, Ware, 

 in Herts ; Mr W. Weeks, Hyde Hall, Sawbridgeworth ;.and several others in the 

 neighboux'hood, were very successful exhibitors. 



Since that I have heard (without full particulars) of two more, one called 

 "The Halsted and North Essex Horticultural Society," and another held at 

 Chelmsford. W. Nokes. 



EoYAL Botanic Society's Show, June 14th and 15th. — On this occasion the 

 grand specimen plants of Mr Baines, gardener to H. L. Micholls, Esq. of South- 

 gate, were worthy of special notice, both in the stove and greenhouse flowering 

 and foliage plants; he, as usual, carried off first honours. The charming Dipla- 

 denia amabilis, a well-grown plant of large size of Hederoma tulipifera, and An- 

 thurium Scherzerianum, which no collection of flowering stove plants should be 

 without ; there are numerous inferior forms of it in commerce, the spathes of 

 some being very much smaller than in the best variety. Orchids from Mr B. S. 

 Williams of Holloway were well represented; his highly-coloured Cattleya lobata 

 and Cypripedium caudatum were the best. New plants were numerously shown. 

 Botanical certificates of merit were given to Messrs Veitch for Begonia intermedia, 

 Dieffenbachia Bansei, Dracaena amabilis, and D. Wisemanni ; Paullinia thalictri- 

 folia and a very distinct species of Selaginella from Japan ; to Mr W. Bull for 

 Cycas elegans, Lilium auratum virginale, Macrozamia Frazeri, Ptychosperma 

 regalis, Phormium texax albo variegatum, Thrinax elegantissima, and W^arsce- 

 wiczella velata ; to Mr B. S. W^illiams for Agave Ortgiesiana and Restrepia an- 

 tenifera ; and to Messrs Paul & Son for Cupressus Lawsoniana alba pendula. 

 Horticultural certificates were given to the following :— Zonal Pelargoniums, 

 Polly King, Flame, and Craven Fox, from Mr J. George, Putney Heath ; lanthe. 

 Sir C. Napier, and Wellington, green-leaved ; Mont Blanc, Lady Dorothea 

 Neville, and Countess of Flanders, variegated, from Mr W. Paul ; Bronze Queen, 

 and Tricolor Alice Maud Mary from E. G. Henderson & Son ; and Stage Pelar- 

 goniums, The Bride and Rubens from Mr Nye, gardener to E. B. Foster, Esq. 

 of Windsor. 

 ^ July 12th and 13th. — This is the last, and perhaps the best, show of the Royal 



