iSyi.] ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 185 



THE KOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



FRUIT AND FLORAL MEETING, MARCH 1. 



The following prizes were offered by the Society, all in open classes. 

 Class 1, — 6 Camellias in pots. 



Class 2. — 12 Camellias cut blooms. Mr W. Howard, gardener to J. Brand, Esq., 

 Bedford Hill, Balham, was placed first with, a stand containing 36 blooms, 

 some of which were very fine, particularly Mazeppa, Alba plena. Jubilee, La Reine, 

 Valtevaredo, Fimbriata, and Imbricata. Mr E. Baxter, gardener to C. Keiser, 

 Esq., Broxbourne, second. Mr A. Wilkie, gardener, Addison Road, Kensington, 

 third. 



Class 3, — 6 Shrubs in flower, forced or unforced. Mr AVilkie was the only ex- 

 hibitor in this class, and received a second prize. 



Class 4. — Lily of the Valley, 6 pots. The first prize was awarded to Mr 

 Howard, who exhibited grand masses in pans 11 inches in diameter : each clump 

 had, on an average, from 60 to 70 fine spikes of flowers. Mr Searle, gardener to 

 R. C. Steel, Esq., Hammersmith, was second, and Mr Wilkie third. 



Class 5. — Early Grapes, single bunch. Mr Tribe, gardener to J. Sharpe, Esq., 

 Waltham Cross, received the second prize for a small bunch of Black Hambui'gs. 

 Class 6. — Late Grapes, single bunch. Mr Sage, gardener to Earl Brownlow, 

 Ashridge, was first, with a small bunch of Alicante, well coloured, and of ex- 

 cellent flavour. Mr Bannerman, gardener to Lord Bagot, Blithfield, was second, 

 with a well-kept bunch of Lady Downes ; and Mr Lynn, gardener to Lord Boston, 

 Hedsor, was third with Alicante. 



Class 7. — Asparagus, Sea-Kale, and Rhubarb, one dish of each. Mr T. Bray, 

 gardener to E. A. Sandford, Esq., Nynehead Court, ^Vellington, was first; Mr 

 G. T. Miles, gardener to Lord Carrington, Wycombe Abbey, being second. 



Fruit Committee. — A novelty was exhibited by Mr Osman, gardener, Stan- 

 more Hall, in the shape of a dish of Loquats, Eriobotrya japonica ; the fruit 

 were small, but of excellent flavour for home-grown fruit. A special certificate 

 was awarded. Mr Cannell, of "Woolwich, exhibited a hothouse boiler of a very 

 complicated construction. Mr Smith, gardener to T. Brassey, Esq., Norman- 

 hurst Court, Battle, also sent a model of a tubular saddle boiler, with hollow fire- 

 bars. From its construction it must be a powerful one, but would, I fancy, be 

 quite as liable to accidents as the upright tubular form. The Committee decided 

 that no opinion could be expressed on any boiler which had not been practically 

 tested. 



Floral Committee, — The following first-class certificates were awarded. To Mr 

 Pilcher, gardener to S. Rucker, Esq., for Masdevallia coccinea, var. It was 

 exhibited as Elephanticeps, but the flowers are not so large as that variety is 

 stated to be. The Masdevallias are cool Orchids, and were stated by Mr 

 Bateman to grow near the limits of perpetual snow. To Messrs Backhouse & 

 Son, York, for Odontoglossum retusum latro, with small deep orange flowers. 

 Also to Mr Denning, gardener to Lord Londesborough, for an unnamed Chelianthes, 

 with narrow finely-divided fronds; and to Mr C. Turner, Slough, for a basket of 

 Mr Rutter, Golden Tricolor Pelargonium ; the leaf-colouring was very bright, 

 and the plants had made an unusually robust healthy growth for the time of the 

 year. 



Special certificates were awarded for Orchids, and for groups of flowering and 

 foliage plants. Mr Denning had a grand specimen of Dendrobium nobile covered 

 with flowers, Oncidium splendidum with a fine spike, and Cymbidium eburneum 



