iSyi.] ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 187 



being a distinct yellow, the margin of the leaf green and yellow, Mr Speed, 

 gardener to the Duke of Devonshire, Chatsworth, sent cut spikes of Amherstia 

 nobilis ; this was stated by Mr Bateman to be the most noble and beautiful of 

 all vegetable productions, and to have been introduced from India by the Duke 

 of Devonshire, who sent Mr Gibson out for this special purpose. Mr Needle, 

 gardener to H.R.H. the Comte de Paris, York, House, Twickenham, sent a box 

 containing a number of fine healthy plants of Ophrys tenthredenifera, a very 

 beautiful and interesting species of the Bee or Mimetic Orchids. 



To all the above special aw^ards were voted. 



Also in the miscellaneous class there remains to be noticed the splendid col- 

 lection of Eoses from Messrs J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, comprising the best 

 sorts in the finest possible health and vigour, and a collection of 150 pots of 

 Hyacinths, with grand massive spikes, mostly single varieties. There are but 

 few double Hyacinths adapted for exhibition purposes. Koh-i-noor, Lord Wel- 

 lington, and Prince of Orange, double red ; Garrick, Van Speyk, and Louis 

 Philippe, double blue, are nearly all the doubles that are worth growing. The 

 same firm had a collection of Tulips, which, for the effective way in which 

 they were set up, and for the freshness and beauty of the individual speci- 

 mens, have seldom been equalled. Extra prizes were awarded to the Eoses 

 and to the collections of Tulips and Hyacinths. Mr W. Paul also sent groups 

 of Hyacinths, Tulips, and Narcissus. His Hyacinths were very effectively ar- 

 ranged, six plants of a sort in rows of six deep. 



There were very few objects before the Fruit Committee. Mr Looker sent 

 Lettuces and Endive grown under his "Acme Garden-Frame" and "Looker's 

 Patent Plant Covers ; " the examples were as good as, but no better than, with 

 ordinary attention, could be grown under any other sort of glass protection. 

 A collection of five sorts of Grapes was sent by Mr W. Phipps, gardener to 

 the Earl of Shrewsbury, Ingestrie Hall, Stafford ; there were three magnifi- 

 cent well - kept bunches of Gros Guillaume, to which a special certificate was 

 awarded, and a special award was also given to four bunches, one each, of 

 White Tokay, Trebbiano, Lady Downes, and Alicante ; all were excellent in 

 flavour, the Tokay being particularly fine. Mr W. Thomson, of Dalkeith, sent 

 the White Lady Downes; the bunch and berries were large, the shape of the 

 bunch unmistakably showing the parentage, the berries of a fine golden colour, 

 but not so good in flavour as the examples of Black Lady Downes or the White 

 Tokay sent by the other exhibitor. Mr Sage, Ashridge, sent a fine box of 

 Keen's Seedling Strawberry, very fresh, and of good colour. 



Floeal Committee. — On this occasion first-class certificates were very liber- 

 ally dispensed. The best objects in the room wei-e splendid plants of Hip- 

 peastrum pardinum and the beautiful and distinct H. Leopoldii, to which a special 

 certificate was awarded. A first-class certificate was awarded to Amaryllis Chel- 

 soni, one of the very best varieties ever seen : the petals are very broad, and 

 of the richest crimson scarlet. All the above came from Messrs Veitch. A 

 first-class certificate was also given to Mr W. Bull for Areca regalis, a robust- 

 growing species of Palm. 



On this occasion Messrs W. Rollisson & Sons, Tooting, had a first-class certifi- 

 cate for Davallia clavata, a slender-growing, very graceful species, with fronds 

 about 6 inches high. E. G. Henderson & Son, St John's Wood, sent a new 

 species of Asplenium, from New Zealand, with pinnate fronds finely serrated at 

 the edges. This also had a first-class certificate. Cyclamen persicum (Snowflake) 

 from Mr Goddard, gardener to H. Little, Esq., with very large pure-white 

 flowers, had a first-class certificate. The following Hyacinths had first-class 



