April IS, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUKE AND COTTAGE GAEDEKEE. 



325 



prize, tUe secoad aud third goiug to Mr. James, aud Mr. Goddard, 

 gardener to H. Little, Esq., Twickeuham. 



Of Pausies in pots very {;ood examples were shown. The 

 prizes went to Mr. James; Mr. Hooper, Widcomba Hill, Bath; 

 and Mr. Ware, Tottenham. 



The best collection of hardy spring-flowering plants in a basket 

 not exceeding i feet in diameter came from Mr. Ware, Hale 

 Farm Nursery, Tottenham; a truly charming group it was, and 

 very effectively arranged. Among its occupants were Lily 

 of the Valley aud Solomon's Seal, Primula cortusoides amo3na, 

 Trillium grandiflorum, Trollius altissimus, the Lady's Slipper, 

 varieties of Ii'is pumila, and numerous other plants. The second 

 prize went to Mr. G. Wheeler. 



The miscellaneous groups formed more than one-half, and to 

 most persons the more attractive half, of the Show. Fore- 

 most among them was a large collection of valuable plants sent 

 in beautiful condition by Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea. Among 

 them may be noticed two very handsome Dracaenas — Weis- 

 Tnannii and Younghii, the latter with very broad deep bronzy 

 JoUage — Crotou Weismanuii, a very handsome kind, CyjJri- 

 pedium niveum figured in No. 528, Odontoglossum AlexandriE 

 very fine, splendid specimens of Anthurium Scherzeriauum, 

 'Oncidium hastatum, O. bifolium, Masdevallia Lindeni, lovely 

 violet rose, M. Harryana, andM. Veitchii ; a number of Japanese 

 Maples with beautifully cut leaves, brownish red or green, and 

 several plants of Clematis Lord and Lady Loudesborough 

 .and Miss Bateman. Messrs. Veitch also exhibited a plant of 

 CUanthus puniceus, flowered in the open ground, and that freely. 

 Mr. Bull sent also a large and well-varied gi-oup of Orchids and 



though handsome, was quite void of flavour. Mr. Baldwin, 

 gardener to B. Drew, Esq., Streatham, sent a dish of new Black 

 Hamburgh Grapes. J. E. Feruyhough, Esq., sent a plant of 

 the Avocado Pear, Persea gratissima, growing out of the fruit 

 which had been placed in a Hyacinth glass filled with water in 

 his drawing-room. 



Floeal Committee. — W. Marshall, Esq., in the chair. Messrs. 

 Veitch had a first-class certificate for Croton laoteum, a hand- 

 some species with broad leaves and cream-colour variegation ; 

 from the same firm came Acer polymorphum marmoratum 

 with pale yellow leaves veined with green ; Gravesia berto- 

 lonioides with handsome silver-veined leaves ; and Eriopsis ini- 

 tidobulbon seen before. Mr. Linden, of Brussels, sent several 

 Odontoglossums, inchiding a pretty variety of Pescatorei. From 

 Mr. Hubberstey, gardener to C. Wrigley, Esq., Bury, Lanca- 

 shire, came a magnificent specimen of Odontoglossum Phalffi- 

 nopsis vrith. upwards of sixty flowers. This, we believe, w^as 

 recommended to the Council for a medal. Mr. Williams, Hol- 

 loway, sent Rhopala elegantissima with dark gi'eeu foliage, a 

 very ornamental species, which received a first-class certificate, 

 likewise two or- three other plants. Messrs. Eollisson had a 

 fii'st-class certificate for Erica Neitneriana, noticed last week at 

 page 307 ; together with this they sent three Gloxinias. Messrs. 

 Ivery & Son, of Dorking, exhibited several seedling Ferns, and 

 took a first-class certificate for Polystichum angulare confiuens 

 var'iegatum, mthslightly yellow variegation. Messrs. Ivery had 

 a like award for a pretty little dark-leaved Ivy, called Hedera 

 conglomerata. 

 M. Van Houtte, of Ghent, who exhibited a numerous group of 



mixed stove and greenhouse plants, among which we noticed seedling Azaleas, took first-class certificates for J. G. Veitch, 

 Eudgea macrophylla, a variety of Cj^pripedium caudatum, Mas- Mdlle. Marie Van Houtte, semi-double white, flakedwith salmon; 

 devsJlia ignea, Cypripedium niveum, aud several good speci- S. Eucker, pink, bordered with white, nicely painted; and a 

 mens of other plants. From Mr. Denning, gardener to Lord certificate of the second class for Comtesse Eugenie deKerchove. 

 Londesborough, Grimston Park, Tadcaster, came a splendid ] Mr. Brown, Elmdou Hall Gardens, also sent seedling Azaleas ; 

 ■ collection of Orchids, in which were very fine specimens of i Mr. Turner a collection of new Alpine Auriculas, of which Col. 

 Arpophyllum gigauteum, one with nine the other with thirteen | Scott, almost black, was fine both in outline and colour ; and 

 spikes — we do not remember ever having seen this plant finer, ' Messrs. Osborn, Fulham, a Statice very like brassiciefolia, and a 



'Cattleya Skinneri, Odontoglossum radiatum, Dendi'obium Jen 

 kinsi, and Epidendrum ibaguense. 



From Messrs. Eollisson came an excellent group containing 

 several Orchids ; from Mr. C. Noble, Sunniugdale, a collection 

 of fine Clematis, in which Mrs. Howard Vyse, Albert Victor, 

 and Miss Bateman were conspicuous, the first two as mauve 

 blue, the last as an almost white variety. Messrs. J. Standish 

 and Co., of Ascot, sent a fine basket of Bouvardia jasminiflora, 

 some beautifully-coloured Cinerarias, and a number of the 

 singularly cut-leaved Japanese Maples. Mr. G. Bland, gardener 

 to Earl Kilmorey, Gordon House, Isleworth, had a cultural 

 commendation for Anthurium Scherzeriauum with twelve large 

 spathes, besides some going off and others expanding. M. Louis 

 Van Houtte, of Ghent, sent fine gi'oups of new Chinese Azaleas, 

 .also varieties of A. molUs. Of the former several received first- 

 class certificates from the Floral Committee. Messrs. Veitch sent 

 a small group of excellently-bloomed Azaleas ; M. J. Vervaene, 

 Faubourg St. Lieken, Ghent, a very good specimen of Beaiitc 

 Supreme Azalea ; Messrs. Osborn, a small gi-oup of plants ; 

 Messrs. Eollisson, two fine plants of Chamferops ; Mr. James, a 

 gi-oup of Cinerarias ; Mr. 'WiUiam Paul, Waltham Cross, splen- 

 did stands of cut blooms of Eoses, including very large ones of 

 Madame Deeoui', Paul N6ron. Marquise de Castellane, and several 

 of Marechal Niel G inches in diameter. Messrs. Kelway & Sou, 

 Langport, Somerset, had a fine box of this variety, containing 

 sixty blooms, and from the same plant we understand no less 

 than 120 flowers were sent to Covent Garden on the day of the 

 Show. Mr. Ware, of Tottenham, in addition to stands of Pausies, 

 -contributed a large and very fine collection of spring-flowering 

 plants; Mr. Hooper, Widcombe HiU, Bath, stands of Pansies; 

 Mr. Tm'ner, Slough, a fine collection of Tricolor Pelargoniums 

 .and Auriculas ; and Mr. Wimsett, Ashburnham Park Nursery, 

 Chelsea, a group of Palms aud fine-foliaged plants. Several 

 -extra prizes were awarded for the above exhibitions, for which 

 we refer our readers to the published prize list. 



Prizes were offered for collections of forced vegetables, but no 

 ^award was made. Mr. Clai-ke, gardener to J. C. Brown, Esq., 

 Horsham, andMr.Batters, gardenerto J. W.Fleming, Esq., Chil- 

 worth Manor, Eomsey, sent small collections. 



Fruit Committee. — G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.E.S., in the chair. 

 "Mi-. Bland, gardener to Lord Kilmorey, exhibited Mushrooms 

 and Mushroom spawn. The former were very fine specimens, 

 and were cut from a bed which has been five mouths in bearing, 

 and the spawn is Mr. Bland's own manufacture. The Mush- 

 rooms were awarded a cultural commendation. Mr. PiciriUo, j tinds froni tropical countries are invariably more slender tliaii 

 41, Wigmore Street, Cavendish Square, sent fruit of Naples ji^oge from the temperate regions already named. 



small-leaved Anthurium Scherzeriauum called Osborni, which, 

 small as the leaves were, had broad-spathed flowers ; but else- 

 where it has been found that small leaved plants of this species 

 wiU do the same thing. Messrs. Barr & Sugdeu again con- 

 tributed a fine collection of Narcissus, also a plant of Liliuni 

 Thomijsoniauum. 



NOTES UPON FEENS.— No. 2. 



In resuming this subject in answer to your correspondent 

 " Ptekis," it will be necessary to state that the plants known 

 to amatem-s as Ferns, aud to the majority of our rural popula- 

 tion as Brakes, or Bracken,' constitute the highest order of 

 that division of the vegetable kingdom named by Linunsus 

 Cryptogamia, signifying concealed or hidden flowers, and 

 popularly they are known as flowerless plants. Ferns are 

 furnished with roots, stem, branches, and leaves ; and as 

 amongst phffinogamous plants, so amongst these, we find some 

 scaudeut species which climb the trunks of other trees. Some 

 form stout arborescent stems of their own ; whilst others form 

 low-growing beautiful undershrubs, the smaller kinds often 

 clothing the face of rocks with their refreshing verdure. An- 

 other section are deciduous, aud annually lose the whole of 

 their leaves, during whioli time they remain perfectly dormant. 



From the above brief outliue it wUl be evident that the 

 stems and other organs of the Fern tribe must vary cousider- 

 ablj- both in size aud appearance, aud a few details of their 

 various organs will be necessary in order to carry out the 

 views, or answer the queries of " Ptekis." 



First, then, about the stem. The Australian tree Fern, 

 Dicksonia antarotica, is said in its native gullies to grow to 

 immense proportions ; indeed I have seen it as cultivated in 

 English conservatories with superb trunks measuring 10 or 

 12 feet in height, and upwards of 4 feet in ch-cumferencc. 

 The Silver Tree Fern of "New Zealand also, and Dicksonia 

 squarrosa from the same country, in comparisou with the 

 denizens of our own islands that belong to this order, are in- 

 deed veritable giants. Tree Ferns are not by any means con- 

 fined to the antarctic regions, or, more properly speaking, to the 

 Australian continent aud its neighbouring islands, for they 

 exist in the greatest profusion throughout the tropics ; but 

 it would appear from our observation that these arborescent 



Lemons and Bergamot Limes. The former were large and 

 handsome, and the latter sweet and agreeable in flavour. A 

 letter of thanks was awarded to this exhibitor. Mr. W. MUeri, 

 Worksop Manor, sent fruit of selected Keens' Seedling Sta-aw- 

 ■berries. Mr. H. Kuight, gardener to the Duke of Eoxburghe, 

 Floors, seut a fine large specimen of Castle Kennedy Fig, which, 



. _ _ tempe 



Taking leave of the Ferns with arborescent stems I proceed 

 to examine plants of smaller size, which wUI be more familiar to 

 my readers because they are of sufliciently small proportions 

 to' be grown even in a 'Wardian case for the embeUishment cf 

 the drawing-room or boudoii-. Amongst these we find species 



