112 



JOUENAL OF HOBTICTJLTURE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ August 11, 1863. 



seedling Fuchsia, of a di-ooping habit, but of no other 

 merit. 



Mr. Veitch again exhibited Mutisia decuiTcns, a handsome 

 hardy climbing plant, which had received a fii-st-class cer- 

 tificate on a former occasion ; also two plants of Canna 

 nigricaiis, a dark-foliaged vaiiety. 



Mr. Keynes, Salisbury, brought three seedling Dahlias, 

 John Wyatt, a bright purple or j)uce flower, distinct, and of 

 very promising qualities. A second-class certificate was 

 awarded. This flower will, doubtless, when shown again, 

 obtain a higher awaa'd. The other seedlings were of no par- 

 ticular' merit, and much resembled named varieties in cul- 

 tivation. 



Mr. Toogood, Westergate, sent a bright scaiiet, highly- 

 scented Clove Carnation, a vei-y usefiil border plant, as a 

 companion to the old red and white Cloves ; Mr. Dobree, 

 WeUing-ton, cut flowers of four seedling Verbenas, which had 

 faded in their journey ; Mr. George Jackman, Woking, two 

 very showy and beautifid seedling Clematises, hybrids be- 

 tween lanuginosa and Hendersonii — C. Jackmanii, a beauti- 

 ful broad-petalled, violet flower ; C. nibro-violaeea, a finely- 

 formed, reddish-violet-colom-ed flower, very distinct. Both 

 these varieties will prove a great acquisition to our Ust of 

 hardy climbers. 



Ml-. Whiting, Deepdene, again sent some pleasing va- 

 rieties of Calendula officinalis, varying in colour from deep 

 orange to bright priuu-ose ; some of the flowers shaded or 

 mottled with each of these colour-s, perfect in form, much 

 resembling a depressed Ranunculus. 



Mr. Eyles placed three fine plants of the noble terrestrial 

 Orchid, Disa grancUflora superba on the table. These plants 

 had been grown at the Society's gardens at Chiswick in a 

 cool frame, and were specimens of good cultivation. 



Fkuit Committee. — Mr. Rivers in the chair. Numerous 

 prizes were offered at this meeting, but the only classes in 

 which there were any entries were Apricots and Melons. 

 In the former Mr. Cox, of Redleaf, exhibited very fine speci- 

 mens of the Moorpark and a dish of Kaisha. The latter was 

 the only one that could compete as one of the newer varie- 

 ties, and it was awarded a second prize, because the fruit 

 were not first-rate examples of that variety. In Melons 

 there were three competitors. Mr. Wliiting, of the Deepdene, 

 exhibited Pottle's Hybrid Green-fiesh, which was not 

 thoroughly ripe, but is evidently an excellent variety. Mr. 

 Txu-ner, of Slough, sent a variety called Hybrid Green-flesh, 

 wliich, however, proved to be a white-flesh, and not in good 

 condition. Mr. Crawshay, of Cyfarthfa Castle, sent a Rock 

 Cantaloup Scaiiet-flesh, which was also umipe. As the 

 conditions expressly stated that all fi-uit must be ripe and 

 fit for table, the prizes were not awarded. 



A seedling Grape was sent fi-om Mr. Samuel James, 

 gardener to Lord Dartmouth, PatshuU, Albrighton, near- 

 Wolverhampton. It was raised fi-om seed of Black Morocco 

 fertilised with Black Frontignan. The bunch is vei-j' small, 

 and thinly set; the berries are small, round, black, and 

 covered with a fine blue bloom. The skin is vei-y thick and 

 tough, and the little flesh there is adheres very closely to it ; 

 the flavour is brisk and good. Judging from the specimens 

 of the fi-uit exhibited the Committee did not consider it 

 possessed any merit. 



Ml-. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, exhibited fruit of his 

 Victoria Nectarine, which were fine large specimens of that 

 valuable novelty, but unfortunately they were oven-ipe, and 

 did not convey an idea of the ti-ue flavour-. Tiie same may 

 be said of Victoria Peach, also an excellent sort, which Mr. 

 Rivers has found to be much earUer than Early York. Two 

 new Chenies were also exhibited — Rival, a Black Heart 

 Chen-y of good size, heartshaped and uneven in its outline, 

 which has the valuable property of hanging tDl September. 

 Belle de Rocmont is a large black Chen-y of the Black Heart 

 race, which -will be highly valuable as a late Cherry. Neither 

 of these was as yet perfectly ripe, and gave every appear- 

 ance of hanging for six weeks to come. Mr. Rivers also 

 exhibited excellent specimens of Dove Banlc Plum, a large, 

 purple, round variety, grown in Derbyshii-e, and which is 

 frequently confounded with Goliath. It has quite a rich 

 flavoiu-. The Early Mirabelle is a small yellow Plum in the 

 way of .Taune Hative, and excellent for compotes. 



Mr. Whiting exhibited fruit of a rare variety of Peach 

 called Early Purple. It is not the sort that is generally 



known by that name, and which is a form of Grosse Mig- 

 nonne ; but a small Peach, the flesh of wluch has a tendency 

 to adhere to the stone. Tlie flowers are large, and the 

 leaves have kidney-shaped glands. It is the Early Pui-ple of 

 Hogg's " Fruit Manual," and the Pourprue hative a grandes 

 fleurs of the French. 



Mr. Rivers sent samples of the Royal Ash-leaved Kidney 

 Potato, a most prohfic variety, producing very large and 

 handsome tubers. 



THE PEOPOSED G.UJDENEE'S FEIENDLY 

 SOCIETY. 



It is difficult to account for the apathy and indifierence 

 with which the proposal for the formation of the above 

 Society has been received by the profession, more especially 

 as the benefits to accrue to each individual are so apparent 

 as to require no argument to demonstrate. So fai-, however, 

 it seems to have been received with a gi-eater amount of 

 indifference than one would have thought could possibly 

 have existed in a matter that so ne.ai-ly coneei-ns ourselves. 

 This is much to be regretted, inasmuch as it betrays a want 

 of unanimity and co-operation amongst gardeners generally. 

 It is equaUy clear that some such Society, thi-ough which, 

 by the expenditure of a compai-atively ti-ifling sum, a gardener 

 can secure for himself support in sickness and in old age, is 

 really wanted. 



Thanks are also due to the respected Editors of this 

 Jom-nal for the interest they have taken in the matter. 

 They supported the scheme from the fu-st, lent their aid 

 by promulgating a set of rules likely to meet the require- 

 ments of the case, and opened the pages of the Journal to 

 a free discussion of the subject. 



Gardeners are numerous enough and powerful enough to 

 estabhsh a Society of theii- own, and one is ti-uly astonished 

 that the matter was not taken up as soon as propoimded 

 and acted upon with vigoiu-. All that is wanted is a start ; 

 the Society once fau-ly put upon its legs, its success is cer- 

 tain. The " sth--'em-up " papers that have recently appeared 

 in the pages of the Journal from the pens of Messrs. Chitty, 

 Earley, and others will, I hope, have the effect of rousing- 

 up the lethai'gic amongst us into life and activity. I may 

 add, in conclusion, that I shall be happy to have mj' name 

 added to the list of subscribers. — J. Dunn, Horrock Rail 

 Gardens, Wlgan. 



On behalf of myself and many gardening friends, I thank, 

 you for your great kindness in opening the columns of your 

 valuable Joiu-nal for discussion on this subject, and giving 

 us the outlines of a Society. The original question seems 

 to me depai-ted from, and a Benefit Society substituted, 

 which I am sorry for, as, although a Gardener's Benefit 

 Society is very much wanted, I think a Gardener's Examina- 

 tion Society is wanted still more. Why are nearly all oiu- 

 gi-eat professional men silent ? Surely it is not because they 

 have been somewhat more fortunate than some of us, and 

 do not want it personally. 



As regards your very able and, I will say, good programme 

 of a new Society, mth its well digested scale of subscriptions 

 for sickness and old age, living as I do in Hampshire, I 

 know it is good in the working. But, as I opine, a great 

 many gardeners, like myself, are now in some sort of Benefit 

 Society — viz.. Oddfellows, Foresters, &c., and having perhaps 

 a family to bring up, could not afford to enter such a Society 

 as yoii propose ; but were there a separate subscription for an 

 annuity at sixty or seventy years of age, without the sick 

 pay, myself and I believe a great many others would join 

 both at reduced subscriptions for the sake of future benefit, 

 and help to form a very-much-wautcd Society; still I do 

 hope something of "G. A.'s " proposition will be added to 

 it. — J. A., Hants. 



[In our proposed rules of a Gardener's Benefit Society any 

 gardener could subscribe to the annuity fund perfectly irre- 

 spective of the sick fund. — Eds. J. of H.] 



The question of a Gai-deners' Society has, of late, been 

 frequently mooted in the jiages of The Jouenai. of Horti- 

 CULTUEE. Rides and suggestions have been given ; but to 

 assume a practical form it will be necessary to hold a pubEc 



