IS8 



THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[May. 



Florida, and some parts of California. I expect it 

 is a variety of Solanum. Some of the fruit are 

 also on exhibition, and I take the liberty to send 

 you a few as you may not have seen them. 



Outside the south entrance to Horticultural Hall 

 I notice two large circular beds of roses, donated 

 — I think — by the Dingee & Conard Co. They 

 are looking just splendid now, but some one ought 

 to be detailed to clean them. They will be 

 smothered with weeds in no time. 



The Universal Bulb Co. make a good display in 

 the grounds, but as none of their exhibits are 

 labeled it is one in a thousand that know what 

 they are. Passing a bed of Anemones I heard 

 some ladies remark, " O see the double poppies." 



When I get in amongst the Cactus Agave, Dasy- 

 lirion, &c., I can't get away ! I get more and 

 more interested in them every time. Huge Cereus 

 speciosismus, C. Engelmannii, C. dasyacanthus 

 Fourcroya glauca, and two splendid specimens of 

 Agave Shawii, all in bloom. Opuntia Coccinilli- 

 fera with the cochineal insects on and at work ; 

 and thousands of others, both large and small. 



Gabriel Marc, of Queens, Long Island, has a 

 fine collection of Azaleas on exhibition. 



Mr. John Saul sent a fine collection of Begonias, 

 specimen Ferns, &c., in fact, a fine miscellaneous 

 collection, early in the season, which, unfortunately 

 were caught with frost in transit. 



Immediately after the first prize "for Oranges 

 grown in the United States " was awarded to the 

 California collection, a large basket of the fruit 

 was taken from Horticultural Hall to the California 

 "State" exhibit, in the Government building, and 

 placed convenient to a pile of circulars, on 

 which was a card inscribed " please take one." 

 Some one passing changed the card from the cir- 

 culars to the Oranges, and the gentleman in charge 

 of the exhibit is ready to swear those Oranges flew 

 out of that basket, while he had his back turned 

 for a minute. He does not see how they could pos- 

 sibly have got away so quick otherwise. 



SPRING SHO'W OF THE MASSACHUSETTS 

 HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



BY W. A. MAND.'V. 



The spring show of the Massachusetts Horticul- 

 tural Society, notwithstanding the inclemency of 

 the weather, came out above all expectations; and 

 coming out of zero weather into a hall filled with 

 the best of floral beauties seemed like being trans- 

 ported into some fairy land of eternal spring. 



The chief attraction was certainly the Orchids, 

 of which about one hundred plants were shown. 



The contributors were the well-known gentlemen, 

 F. L. Ames, H. H. Hunnewell, R. Pratt and E. \V. 

 Gilmore. There were three plants of Dendro- 

 bium Ainsworthii, a hybrid between D. nobile 

 and D. heterocarpum, one plant having about loo 

 fully expanded flowers, while another one, pseudo 

 bulb, had 21 of its white and purple blossoms. D. 

 Wardianum was represented with several fine 

 plants, having pseudo bulbs 3 feet long and well 

 flowered, as was also the rare D. Wardianum al- 

 bum ; the old D. nobile was also shown in good 

 specimens, beside D. heterocarpum, D. crassinode, 

 D. primulinum, D. chrysotoxum, D. Pierardii and 

 the odd D. Brymerianum, with its golden flowers 

 and hp curiously cut. Phatenopsis were unusually 

 good ; some fine varieties of P. Stuartiana, also 

 several P. Schilleriana, — one spike supported 49 

 expanded flowers. -Several plants of P. grandi- 

 flora were also fine, one had a spike of 11 flowers 

 and buds ; this is not at all common for this spe- 

 cies. The rare P. Brymeriana had also a nice 

 spike of white and rose flowers. Of Odontoglos- 

 sums, too, there were several species ; some fine 

 varieties of O. Alexandrae, one plant of O. crispum, 

 the true type ; a nice plant of O. Insleayi had 

 about 50 flowers. O. Rossii majus was also shown 

 in varieties ; also some good O. Roezlii and O. 

 triumphans. Cattleya Trianae was shown in sev- 

 eral vars., beside C. amethystoglossa and C. War- 

 scewieczii delicata, showing 17 flowers. Lselia 

 anceps in vars., one specially dark color, and the 

 new L. harpophylla. Cypripedium insigne, a big 

 plant; also C. Harrisii and C. venustum. Coelo- 

 gyne cristata, Chatsworth var. was shown in two 

 specimens, one with 36 spikes, 7 flowers to each 

 spike; Cymbidium eburneum ; C. Lowii with sev- 

 eral spikes, one having 17 flowers; Calanthe 

 nivalis, Masdevallia tovarensis, Dendrochilum 

 glumaceum, with about 50 arching spikes of its 

 sweet flowers ; while Ada aurantiaca and a fine 

 pan of Sophronites grandiflora made a fine con- 

 trast in color with their brilliant scarlet flowers. 

 All this intermixed with palms, ferns, choice cut 

 flowers of orchids, aroids, etc., presented a mag- 

 nificent sight. All the plants were in perfect 

 health and well flowered, for which I). .Allan, F. 

 Harris and W. Robinson, growers to the above 

 named gentlemen, were awarded each a silver 

 medal for skillful orchid culture. 



The spring bulbs were very good, too ; Mr. Gar- 

 dener had fine flowered Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcis- 

 sus, Primula sinensis, Convallaria majalis and a 

 fine specimen of Imantophyllum miniatum. Mr. 

 £. L. Beard showed very good Cyclamens, Nar- 



