Pecember 15, 1663. ]; 



JOURNAL OP HOETICULTUBE AKD COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



469 



of wall ; and in the immediate neia;hbourhood of our garden 

 fine plants of Eusselia juneea covered with its scai'let flowers. 



I had long been intending to have a private communica- 

 tion with one of your able writers, Mr. D. Beaton, my old 

 apprentice master at Shi-ubland, and was in the act of doing 

 so when, to my great sorrow, I heai'd that he was no more. 

 I feel sure, fi-oni the pains which he took in teaching me, 

 that he would have been much interested with my simple 

 description of this beautiful climate. I feel his death is to 

 me as a foundation stone of a house removed. Although, 

 fortunately, I never had occasion to apply to him, I always 

 looked upon hiui as a sure support to fall back upon if 

 necessary ; but my loss is a simple one compared with that 

 of the horticultiu-al world, for which he spared no time or 

 pains. 



In conclusion, I cannot omit giving one remai-kable in- 

 stance of the rapidity of vegetation at Cannes. In March, 

 1862, I sowed seeds of different kinds of Eucalyptus, and 

 planted them out less than 3 feet high in May, 1863 ; they 

 have now attained the height of 16 feet, and are fine, large, 

 graceful trees. I recollect the interesting account in the 

 reports of the last great exhibition given as to the various 

 produce of these trees, and I think that they ^vill soon be- 

 come timber trees of this country. — John Taylor, Gardetwr 

 to T. B. Wooljield, Esq., Villa Victoria, Cannes. 



FEUITIjSTG stephanotis floeibunda. 



TouE cori-espondent, Mx. John Edlington, Crom Castle, 

 asks for information on fruiting the above. I will explain 

 how a plant of it was treated when under my care at Eipley 

 Castle. The plant in question was in a border resting on 

 an old brick flue. The soil in which it grew was composed 

 of light loam, peat soil, and sand. The border was 1 foot 

 6 inches in width, and the same in depth. This was at the 

 back of a succession Pine stove. During the season of rest 

 the soil was kept dust dry. Early in the spring the plant 

 was supplied with plenty of water at the roots and a bottom 

 heat of 7S° ; and a moist humid atmosphere ranging from 

 70° to 84° was preserved during the day, and a night 

 temperature of 68°. The same plant produced eight or ten 

 fruit two years in succession. — W. Claek, Chesterford Park. 



EXHIBITION OF BEDDING PLANTS. 



I WAS very glad to see, by the very interesting communica- 

 tion of your correspondent, Mr. E. W. Adey, in The Joitenal 

 OF HoETicuLTUKE of the 1st inst., that this subject is not 

 entirely forgotten. 



I t Viinlr that it was first alluded to by the late lamented 

 "Mr. Beaton, and the matter is, I think, well worthy of the 

 consideration of nurserymen, and in fact of all interested in 

 the growing of bedding plants ; a,nd this, no doubt, com- 

 prises a large portion of the readers of The Journal of 



HOBTICULTUEE. 



It must be evident to all in any way conversant with the 

 subject, that but a very imperfect estimation of the adapta- 

 bility of any variety of plant for bedding purposes can be 

 formed from seeing a specimen or two exhibited growing in 

 pots, and produced under glass. 



The question which next presents itself is. How should 

 they be grown and exhibited ? I cannot at present turn to 

 the remarks of Mr. Beaton in The Jottenal of Hoeticul- 

 TUEE, but I think he recommended them to be gi'own and 

 shown in boxes. When I read his remarks on the subject 

 I thought the idea was very good, and I cannot now see any 

 objection to it. 



It would, of course, be very desii'able that a uniformity of 

 "size and shape of the boxes or pans in which the plants are 

 ■grown should be adhered to ; so with your permission and 

 with the greatest deference, I woidd beg to suggest that 

 they be 2 feet 6 inches long, by 1 foot wide, and about 6 or 

 7 inches deep. This depth, I think, would be quite sufficient. 

 They ought to be fiUed with plants struck fr-om cuttings in 

 the preceding autumn or spring, and plunged to the rim in 

 the open border, fully exposed to all sorts of weather, not 

 •-i}ater than the 1st of June. Supposing the exhibition to be 

 ■iield in Jidy, the plants would by that time iave sufficiently 



developed themselves to cover the entire siu-face of the boxes 

 or pans, and these might be placed upon the exhibition- 

 table in all respects miniatui-e and portable flower-beds. 

 Prom having been treated in every way the same as the 

 ordinary occupants of the parteiTC, the appearance of the 

 plants on the exhibition-table would convey a tolerably 

 correct idea of their merits as bedding plants. 



All plants used as bedders might, I think, be grown and 

 shown in this manner, including Verbenas, Petunias, Lo- 

 belias, variegated Geraniums, &c. Also, the new golden 

 Tricolor Geraniums, of which the variety called Mrs. Pollock 

 may be taken as the type. With regard to these an im- 

 pression appears to prevail that they require something 

 like protection or shelter ; but that such is not the case I 

 have no doubt many of your readers have discovered during 

 the last summer, and have found that the more they are ex- 

 posed to light and air the more intense become the ooloui's 

 of then- b^mtiful foliage, and in most soils they grow as 

 freely as the common Seailet varieties. 



I am rather pleased to think that I am not alone in my 

 endeavours to raise a Ghost in the form of a variegated 

 Geranium with Madame Vaiicher, i. e., pui'e white, flowers. 

 I trust that your correspondent, Mr. Adey, may succeed in 

 doing so ; but I have heard that a silver variegated Grera- 

 nium with white flowers does afready exist, and is to be seen 

 in the establishment of the Messrs. Lee, at Hammsrsmith. 

 But my ambition soars still higher than this, and I have 

 not yet despaired of raising a Geranium with golden Tricolor 

 foliage, and producing pure white flowers. This wiU con- 

 tinue in one individual plant four distinct coloiirs — viz., 

 green, scarlet, yeUow, and white. If I succeed in doing this 

 before your correspondent, Mr. Adey, or any other person, I 

 will with his permission (not without it, as he has already 

 bespoken the name), call it The Ghost. — G. 



EOYAX HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY'S 

 COMMITTEES.— December 8, 1863. 



Ploeal CoMiiiTTEE. — This was the last meeting of the 

 present year, and, as might be expected, at this late season 

 there were very few plants for inspection. 



Mr. Veitch sent four very interesting varieties of a seed- 

 ling hybrid Orchid, the result of Mr. Dominy's persever- 

 ing skill. Th« plants are the produce of a cross between 

 Calanthe vestita and Limatodes rosea. One seedling, 

 which is named Calanthe superba, was particularly beau- 

 tifid, with a long spike of deep bright rose flowers, the 

 centre marked with a dark spot. This was awarded a first- 

 class certificate. The three other plants were of a lighter 

 shade, and two of them with white centres. These had 

 been before the Committee before, and received certificates. 



Messrs. Smith, Dulwieh, sent plants of double and single- 

 flowering Primulas. The rosy purple double variety, and 

 the double white, were fine flowers, but not superior to others 

 previously exhibited by the same fimi. The single variety, 

 a fi'inged deep rose, appeared to be fi'Om the strain of Str. 

 Benares' Primulas. The plants were very young, and not 

 in condition for it to be decided whether this deep colour 

 will remain as the plants a Jvance in growth. 



Mr. W. K. Brown, Great Marlow, sent cut specimens of 

 an Anemone-flowered Pompone Chrysanthemum, with a 

 deep, full centre of pale lemon ; the white back petals were 

 irregular, and too reflexed to make it a perfect flower. It 

 received a second-class certificate. 



Mr. Macintosh, Hammersmith, also sent cut flowers of 

 Chrysamthemum Magenta. Flower small, coloui' not new. 



Mr. McMorland, Haverstock Hdl, sent Odontogiossum 

 phaJsenopsis, an old and well-known Orchid, but not very 

 often exhibited. It is one of those which require a cool- 

 house treatment, and like many of its family has sufliered 

 much from the high-temperatm-e treatment. The plant 

 though small produced a spike of four or five very beautiful 

 moth-ldke flowers, white gi-ound, marked on the lower lobes 

 with pale lilac spots and blotches. Not being a new variety 

 a special certiflcate was awarded to denote its value. When 

 the cool treatment of Orchids which will not endure high 

 pressure becomes more generally adopted, we may expect t© 

 see again many excellent old varieties, which for a time 



