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THE GARDENERS' MONTHLY 



[May, 



was interesting to note that in all the collections of 

 pot plants by florists, the kinds used by them for 

 cut flowers were prominently grown. For instance, 

 in a very pretty collection for which a third 

 premium was awarded to Charles Fox, Roses, 

 Callas, Azaleas, Geraniums, and Rhododendrons, 

 were the chief ornaments. Rhododendrons, by 

 the way, were in many collections, and showed 

 how easily they can be had in bloom in the winter. 

 Nearly all the leading amateur premiums were 

 taken by Mr. Alfred Warne, gardener to Clarence 

 H. Clark, Esq., and they were so well and admir- 

 ably grown that those who propose to contest the 

 honors with him in future, will have some tolerably 

 hard work to do. He had first for Azaleas, which 

 were admirable specimens of care and skill. They 

 were mostly grown on a depressed globose style, 

 and were about 2 to 3 feet across the top. Here 

 one might have a choice between kinds that 

 were so full of flowers that not a leaf was visible 

 on any part of the plants, and kinds that had here 

 and there a few shoots pushing through the mass 

 of flowers. Our taste runs toward the latter class, 

 and we therefore feel like giving more praise to 

 Stella, an orange crimson, and Marquis of Lome, 

 a brick red, than to Madame Vonder Creysson, 

 where not one leaf was to be seen. Mr. Warne 

 had first premium for 12 Rhododendrons, among 

 which was one distinct species, called Rhododen- 

 dron speciossimus, with the leaves and flowers in 

 so many respects like a Kalmia, that those who 

 love botany could see how closely the two genera 

 were united through this intermediate. 



Again we have Mr. Warne first for tulips. These 

 were mostly of the Due Van ThoU pattern, and 

 were mostly five bulbs to a pot. Also was the first 

 for Hyacinths, and we doubt whether better spe- 

 cimens of good culture were ever seen, even by the 

 famous Holland growers. They were grown in 

 8-inch pots, and the green healthy-looking leaves 

 were about si.x inches long and an inch wide. 

 The flowers were on stout stalks about eighteen 

 inches long, about one third of which were covered 

 with the large and sweet flowers. A specimen 

 Rhododendron by Mr. Warne was of the Augusta 

 Van Geert, was about 2 feet by 2, and had thirteen 

 heads of expanded flowers. Pergusson's Sons had 

 the second for Rhododendrons. These were good 

 plants with about eight heads on an average. 

 Fergusson's second for Hyacinths were good 

 plants in 4-inch pots. His second premium 

 Cinerarias, were but about 12 inches high, with 

 the panicles about 6 inches across, but the flowers 

 were unusually large and very showy. The first 



premium Cinerarias, were by J. H. Campbell ; 

 these were also about a foot high, but the panicles 

 were 9 or 10 inches across, and more branching 

 bushy plants. Fergusson Sons had a showy col- 

 lection of Orchids. Phalasnopsis amabile had 5 

 flowers, and a pretty specimen of the lovely 

 Vanda tricolor, about 2 feet high, had 3 spikes 

 with about ten flowers on a spike. Mr. Warne 

 had a specimen of Camellia candidissima which 

 though only about 3 feet by 2, had 36 flower buds 

 on it. Craig Brothers had a remarkably beautiful 

 collection of Ferns, particularly attractive because 

 they were not large coarse things, but just such 

 kinds as could be found room for in an ordinary 

 conservatory. Adiantum Wiegandii, a bluish- 

 green Maiden-hair Fern, we noted particularly for 

 its pretty compact habit, and Polypodium spor- 

 deocarpum was of much the same character as the 

 well-known P. glaucum, but much more genteel in 

 its behavior, not so intrusively pressing as that. 

 Of course the indispensable Adiantum Farleyense 

 was among them, and there was a plant of the 

 curious pitcher leaf, Sarracenia Drummondii, the 

 pitchers being about 2 feet long. Craig & Brother 

 the first for Roses, but though the two to five Roses 

 on each plant were large and fine, the plants were 

 long and straggly, 2 or 3 feet high, in 8-inch pots. 

 John Dick had first for double and single Gera- 

 niums. These were in loinch pots, about 18 

 inches high and 18 wide. The foliage was large 

 and healthy, but the 7 or 8 heads to each plant 

 rather small for the foliage. Mr. Charles F. 

 Evans had magnificent blooms of W. F. Ben- 

 nett rose. The petals were of the color of Jacque- 

 minot, and extended three inches from the insertion 

 at the calyx. Craig & Brother had a collection of 

 20 kinds of cut flowers of Carnations. Everybody 

 admired them, and wondered why amateurs did 

 not more appreciate their worth. 



Lonsdale & Burton, the leading rose growers 

 of Philadelphia, had a fine display of flowering 

 branches, and the first premium Baroness Roths- 

 child were five inches across, and the pretty 

 globular buds of Perle des Jardins about three 

 inches. Their Bon Silene showed that this ad- 

 mirable old Rose can by no means be displaced 

 by any competitor. The other leading Roses in 

 this collection were Cornelia Koch, and Catherine 

 Mermet. 



If the horticulturists of Philadelphia, especially 

 the amateurs, will continue to encourage the society 

 in the future, as they did on this occasion, it will 

 not be long before they may sing : 



" The good old times have come again.'* 



