292 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 16, 1873. 



the J ear. Perhaps your correspondent would kindly give us 

 a few hints to enable us to accomplish this. With me, in 

 the neighbourhood of London, it always blooms during eai'ly 

 summer ; but if I could have it in bloom now it would be a 

 valuable acquisition. — W. G. 



PEOPOSED SHOWoF THE ROYAL HOETICULTUEAL 

 SOCIETY AT ABERDEEN. 



Ox the 7th iust. a meeting was held in the Imperial Hotel, 

 Aberdeen, to take into consideration a proposal to invite the 

 Eoyal Horticultural Society of England to hold their annual 

 provincial show there. The meeting was called by circular by 

 the Lord Provost, in whose absence the Marquis of Huntly 

 took the chair. There were present the Earl of Kintore ; Mr. 

 J. Farley Leith, M.P. ; Mr. Gordon, of ParkhiU; Sheriffs Dove, 

 Wilson, and Comrie Thomson ; Sir John Clark, of Tillypronie ; 

 Major Turner, of Turner Hall; Mr. Leith, of Whitehaugh; 

 Mr. Gordon, of Craigmyle; Mr. Ferguson, of Kinmundy ; Mr. 

 George Eeid, seedsman; Mr. James Cocker, nurseryman; Mr. 

 W. Smith, nurseryman; Mr. Foggo, Invercauld; Mr. Milne, 

 accountant ; Mr. Tough ; Mr. Taylor, AUanvale ; Mr. Symon ; 

 Mr. J. S. Henderson, Secretary of the Horticultural Society, etc. 



Mr. Henderson stated the nature of an interview he had had 

 with Mr. Lindsay, Secretary of the Eoyal Horticultural Society 

 of England. They should consider themselves very highly 

 honoured by the proposal coming from such a quarter, it being 

 the first time the show had been suggested to be held in Scot- 

 land. Mr. Lindsay then stated that having occasion to caU 

 upon Mr. Henderson, it had occurred to him to ask whether it 

 would be possible at any time to hold the English show at 

 Aberdeen. He could not pledge the Society to accept their 

 invitation, but Aberdeen had many recommendations, especi- 

 ally in its continuous sea connection with London. Glasgow 

 has great wealth, but it lacked that advantage ; and although 

 application had been made to Glasgow, it was quite open to 

 Aberdeen to send an invitation. These shows had been held 

 for live or six years, and, with one or two exceptions, had been 

 very successful. It was the object of the Society to make the 

 shows a means of introducing scientific lectures, and having 

 the most experienced horticulturists and botanists in the world 

 in the Society, this feature could not fail to be a success. If 

 the show were held at Aberdeen five or six acres of ground 

 would be required, and it would be necessary to raise in the 

 locality £1000 for prizes, and to raise a guarantee fund of 

 £.500. The Society give £500, and pay any deficit after draw- 

 ing upon the guarantee fund, should that be necessai'y, and 

 the half of the profits would go to the guarantors. Some con- 

 versation took place, and the general feeling was that, while 

 thinking well of the proposal, it would not be possible to raise 

 the necessary funds in the district. 



The following Committee was appointed to make inquiries 

 on the subject, and to report to another meeting — viz., the 

 Lord Provost, Lord Kintore, Mr. Irvine of Drum, the Marquis 

 of Huntly, Mr. Fordyce, M.P., Sheriff Thomson, Mr. Lindsay, 

 Sheriff' Wilson, Mr. Ciordon of Craigmyle, Mr. George Reid, 

 Dr. Geddes, Mr. Smith, and Mr. Henderson, Secretary. — 

 {3Iontrose Sfview.) 



THE FUNGUS EXHIBITION AT SOUTH 



KENSINGTON. 

 EvEEYONE who visits the annual Fungus Show of the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society, must be struck Ijy the extremely beauti- 

 ful colouring of many of the Fungi exhibited. Species tinted 

 with crimson, carmine, and vermilion are very common, and 

 most of these belong to the genus Russula, so named on account 

 of the red colours of so many of its members. Itussula rosacea, 

 E. rubra, B. sanguinea, and many other highly-tinted species 

 are always found upon the tables : most of the species of this 

 section are highly poisonous, though a few are mild or even 

 edible. A scarlet Fungus of great beauty is seen in Agaricus 

 muBcarius, a plant by no means uncommon in Birch woods 

 and other places. It is a narcotic poison, and is always well re- 

 presented at the shows. Every visitor to the recent display 

 must have been struck with the extreme beauty of a group of 

 plants of Eussula aurata never before seen at the South Ken- 

 sington shows, and this time brought by Miss Louisa E. Hub- 

 bard from Horsham. The colour was dazzling yellow shaded 

 into vermilion ; the gills pale buff with a sulphur-coloured edge. 

 Passing from the red species into the orange, we have various 

 members of the genus Cortinarius, generally shaded with rich 

 orange-brown. C. sanguineus was well represented with its 



blood-red shading; but C. ciunabarinus was not at the Show 

 this year. One of the very best groups was that of Cortinarius 

 orellanus, the tints being of the richest orange. This plant, not 

 hitherto exhibited, or, indeed, pubhshed as British, was found 

 by Miss Sarah HolUman in Epping Forest, a district, though 

 well worked, which produces new species every year. The Cor- 

 tinarii are also known by their rusty gills and veil resembling 

 the web of the spider. Most of the yellow plants come under 

 the genus Hygrophorus, so named on account of the watery sub- 

 stance of many of the species. We noticed H. ceraceus and 

 many of the other yellow species well known for the extreme 

 luminosity of their tints. H. psittacinus is yellow and green, 

 after the manner of the colouring of parrots. A well-known 

 green Eussula, E. virescens, was poorly represented, though by 

 no means an uncommon plant in the London district. The black 

 Eussula nigricans had many representatives. 



Most white Agarics are found under the genus Agaricus, and 

 the majority of the white-spored species are very sober in their 

 hues, many or most of them being probably edible. The white 

 milky species comingunderLactarius, however, are bestavoided, 

 as many are known to be dangerous poisons. The curious para- 

 sitic Nyctailis parasitica was brought by Mr. English, growing, 

 as usual, upon a dead Eussula nigricans. At the north of 

 London, however, this plant generally grows upon Eussula 

 fcfitens. The odours of the Fungi exhibited are generally re- 

 marked. Phallus impudicus was on the table in all its glory; 

 and Miss Hubbard brought Agaricus cucumis, which has a 

 terrible odour of stale fish. A. sulphurous, potent of gas tar, 

 was abundantly represented. 



Some truly gigantic specimens of Polyporus were brought in 

 P. fraxineus and P. applanatus, with the huge polyporoid mass 

 recently found under the Bank of England. Some fine large 

 plants of Paxillus atro-tomentosus were brought from Wobum 

 by the Eev. W. W. Newbould, and many other Fungi of extreme 

 rarity and interest were gathered together from all quarters, 

 the room provided for the display being, however, altogether 

 insufficient. 



As on previous occasions, most if not all the well-known edible 

 and poisonous species were arranged in groups, and anyone 

 taking an interest in the stibject of Fungi as food could not fail 

 to be pleased with the enormous number of species brought 

 together. The Exhibition is always rendered doubly valuable 

 and attractive by the presence of Mr. Berkeley, Mr. Currey, 

 and others, who are ever both able and wilhng to answer 

 questions, impart instruction, and give their own experiences 

 of the plants exhibited. — W. G. S. 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND 

 FRUITS. 



LiLiusi (hydkiddm) Keamebi. Nat. ord., LiUaceae. Linn., 

 Hexandria Monogynia. — This cross-bred was raised from Ja- 

 panese parents. " Lilium Krameri has been forwarded for 

 figuring both by G. Wilson, Esq., F.L.S., and by Messrs. Barr 

 and Sugden, to the former of which gentlemen a first-class cer- 

 tificate was awarded for it by the Eoyal Horticultural Society. 

 According to Mr. Baker it is a hybrid between L. speciosum 

 and L. japonicum, an opinion which Mr. Wilson thinks con- 

 firmed by its foliage and odour. It would be interesting to 

 know precisely, respecting this relationship, which of the 

 parents took the father's part, and which the mother's duties. 

 Mr. Wilson informs me that he believes it was sent by Mr. 

 Kramer, of Japan, to Messrs. Teutschel, of Colchester, two 

 years ago under three varieties, accompanied by coloured 

 drawings. Of these No. 1 had rather expanded flowers like 

 L. lougiflorum, with mauve tint on the back of the petals. 

 No. 2 was wholly mauve. No. 'i was wholly white. Of these 

 Mr. Wilson has flowered Nos. 1 and 2, of which No. 1 had not 

 smooth edges to the petals, and No. 2 was of a deeper mauve 

 than in the drawing. Mr. Barr has been good enough to give 

 me precisely similar information as the result of his experi- 

 ence, with the addition that these Lilies vary much in size 

 according to cultivation." — (Bot. Mntj., t. 6058.) 



CAEAGU.iTA Zahnii. Nat. ord., Bromeliacea>. Linn., Hex- 

 andria Monogynia. — Flowers yellow, sheath crimson. Dr. 

 Hooker says he has " adopted the specific name proposed for 

 this splendid plant by its importers, Messrs. Veitch, in com- 

 memoration of the services of their excellent collector Mr. 

 Zahn, who discovered it in 1870 in Chiriqui, Central America, 

 shortly before he perished by drowning, a victim to his enter- 

 prise, on his way to Costa Kica. The genus Caraguata com- 

 prises the Tillandsias with united petals, and filaments adnate 

 to the tube of the coroUa."— {iio(. il/n,'/., (. 0059.) 



LiN.AEiA S.VG1TTATA. Nat. Ord., Scrophulariaccffi. Linn., 

 Didynamia Angiospermia. — Flowers yellow. " Linaria sagi- 

 tata is a common plant about Magador, and^xtends as far 



