Octoter 20, 1863. ] 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTITEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



307 



a different colovu- — a decided blemisli to my mind; while 

 4 seems from description to be good, a seedling of Triomphe 

 de I'Exposition. Of 1, i, and 5, then, we may entertain 

 reasonable hopes. 



MAEGOTTIN. 



6. Bernard PaJissy, vivid carmine red. 



7. Marechal Forey, velvety crimson. 



The first of these is a seedling from Jules Margottin ; the 

 second from Triomphe de I'Erposition. This I saw, and a 

 fine noble-looking flower it is. I hope well of both of these. 



EUGENE VEKDIEE, PILS AINE. 



9. Claude Mellon, beautiful scarlet. 



10. George Paul, beautiful lively red. 



11. George Prince, dazzling red ; reverse of petals whitish. 



12. H. Laiu'entius, beautiful crimson red, cupped. 



13. John Nasmith, lively crimson red, veined with purple 

 and violet. 



14. Joseph Fiola, lively velvety red. 



15. La Duchesse de Morny, beautiful tender rose ; reverse 

 of petals silvery rose. 



16. Madame Victor Verdier, brilliant cherry rose. 



Too many, Mons. Verdier, too many ; yet he has given us 

 some good Roses — Prince CamOle de Rohan, Professor Koch, 

 and others. 9 Looks well on paper ; so does 10. 11 Has the 

 fault of two colours. 12 Ought to be good. 13 Not fuU 

 enough. 14, Good. 15, Same fault as 11. 16, Good — that 

 is, so far as description goes. 



GUILLOT PERE. 



17. La Reine de la Pape. (What is the meaning of this ?) 

 This variety is said to be a beautiful violet rose. 



18. Mademoiselle Lobay, blush. 



19. Pavilion de Pregny, half white and half rosy purple. 

 Of these 17 sounds well, and 19 looks Uke a novelty. Of 



18 I do not think much expectation can be formed ; but 

 the raiser of Senateur Vaisse and Madame WiUiam Paul 

 deserves the highest consideration. 



GUILLOT FILS. 



20. Abbe Reynaud, dark slaty violet. 



21. Amii'al La Peyrouse, dazzling superb red. 



22. Eugene Verdier, superb dark violet. 



23. Marechal Suchet, beautiful crimson red, shaded with 

 maroon. 



24. Paul de la MeiUeray, purplish cherry rose. 



Of these I should say that 20 and 22 are not colours that 

 are smtable for us. 21 And 23 I should hope will be desir- 

 able varieties ; while 24 with its large petals promises to be 

 an acquisition. 



I must for this week close here, for I shall be occupying 

 too much space, and must only repeat that they are con- 

 jectural notes save in a very few instances; but were I a 

 grower for sale I should not be at all afraid to take them as I 

 have noted. Time alone can prove whether one's views are 

 right or not. — D., Deal. 



Amalgamated Chetsanthemum Society. — Our readers 

 will have observed an announcement in our advertising 

 columns that this Society intend holding theii- first Show 

 in the Agricultural Hall, Islington, on the 11th, 12th, and 

 13th of next month, and we are happy to state that there 

 is every prospect of its being the most extensive Exhibi- 

 tion of the kind which has ever been held. The prizes 

 offered are both numerous and liberal, amounting to £260 

 in all ; and we ai-e informed that, vast as the area is which 

 the HaU affords, there is every likelihood of its being fully 

 occupied. 



Arrangements are also to be made for gi-atilying the ear 

 as well as the eye by an ample provision of musical skiU. 



A General Meeting of the Society was held on the 12th 

 inst., Shirley Hibberd, Esq., in the chau-, when, after the 

 election of several new members, the following gentlemen 

 were chosen as censors at the forthcoming Show : — For 

 Specimen Plants: Mr. G. Smith, Hornsey; Mi-. R. WeatheriU, 

 and Mr. Walker, Upper Clapton. For Cut Blooms : Mr. 

 Shields; BIr. Croxford, West Ham; and Mr. Taylor, Stoke 

 Newington. For Miscellaneous Exhibitions : Mr. Monk ; 

 Mr. Wilkinson, Bow ; and Mr. Boff, Ball's Pond. Mr. Cole, 



of St. John's Wood, and Mr. Burton, of Mr. Williams's 

 nursery, were chosen to sxiperintend the an'angement of the 

 specimens and blooms to be exhibited. 



THE A^IAEYLLIS. 



It would not be easy to calculate how very much the great 

 improvement which has been effected in several sections of 

 oui' decorative plants within the last quarter of a centvu-y, 

 has been stimulated and du-ected by the various florioultural 

 societies which have been in operation throughout the length 

 and breadth of the kingdom. There is scarcely a class of 

 plants which are capable of improvement by cross-breeding 

 or otherwise, and for which prizes have been offered, that has 

 not been brought up to a stand-point in the way of im- 

 provement in size, shape, substance, and colour, so far that 

 any further advance is now almost beyond conception. 

 Taie for example the Azalea, Cineraria, Pelai-goniiun, 

 Pansy, Hollyhock, Rose, Verbena, &c., and call to remem- 

 brance what they were at the time that has been named, 

 and compare them with what they are now, so far advanced 

 on their way toward the ideal of perfection, and it must be 

 admitted that great things have been accomplished. And 

 the improvement that has been attained is not more marked 

 in the superior varieties that now exist than it is in the 

 superior cultivation which has been simultaneously going 

 on. Indeed, it could scarcely have been expected fr-om the 

 varieties and the cultivation that existed at the time re- 

 feiTcd to that such a high position could have been gained. 

 Few will question that the censorship and prizes offered by 

 the various societies have been among the chief stimulatants 

 of the action and entei-jirise which has accomplished so much. 

 Gardening, therefore, owes a good deal to such societies in 

 conjunction with individual enterprise and public emulation, 

 not only in the way of improved flowers and culture, but 

 also — and largely through such improvement — the promo- 

 tion of correct taste and a general diffusion of the love and 

 beneficial effects of gardening as one of the most wholesome 

 recreations, both morally and physically, which lie within the 

 reach of a large portion of our population. 



Of late years it is pleasing to see the enlarged encourage- 

 ment which several of our leading societies, both in Eng- 

 land and Scotland, have afforded to the Hyacinth and other 

 spring-flowering bulbs, which truly may be said to possess 

 a charm peculiarly their own. And on this field of com- 

 petition combatants have contested the honours with praise- 

 worthy determination, and several of them have covered 

 themselves, shall we say ? -with a glory, if not so exalted, 

 yet much more innocent and becoming than that of battle- 

 fields. 



Bulb catalogues are now as thick as leaves in autumn, 

 and in some cases wonderfully elaborate. One important 

 addition has of late yeaa-s been made to these catalogues, 

 and it threatens to swell to yet greater dimensions^so much 

 so, that already the Gladiolus, to which we refer, is thought 

 worthy of a separate issue for itself. No fault can be found 

 for giving such prominence to so valuable and lovely an 

 autimin flower. The last few years have wi-oiight a wonder- 

 ful improvement in the Gladiolus, and every village society 

 offers prises for its production, and it forms no mean 

 feature in our autumn exhibitions. If the same rate of im- 

 provement goes on for the next dozen years, who can predict 

 the gorgeousness of this flower at that period ? Since the 

 days — not very long ago — when Psittacinus reigned supreme, 

 how great and striking is the advance which has been made ! 



While almost every society, however obscvure and unpre- 

 tending, offers prizes for the plants to which reference has 

 been made, it is stu-prising — almost unaccountable — that 

 the Amaryllis, which has existed so long among us, should 

 have been next to entu-ely overlooked by almost all our 

 societies. True, of late yeai-s a few nui-sei-y firms both in 

 England and Scotland have staged for exhibition some ex- 

 quisite varieties of this bulboias plant, and many are now 

 talking of the beauty and usefulness of the Amaryllis ; but 

 stiU little or no encouragement has come fr-om any of the 

 societies. Without under-estimating either the beauty or 

 general usefulness of any other tribe which meets with a 

 Su'ge share of encom-agement, it is well known that the 

 Amaryllis is not only one of the most beautiful but most 



