402 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. ( November 28, 1867. 



variety, weighing 26 ozs. In about ten days after it was pulled 

 it was eaten, and proved a splendid fruit.— Jaiies Pim, Monks- 

 town, Dublin. 



THE LIVERPOOL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



This Society liekl its fifth winter Flower aud Frait Show on the 20th 

 and 21st instant. The day, though cold, was Bne, and the Exhibition 

 on the whole was a very saccessfnl one. The arrangement of the 

 exhibition tables and stages was most creditable to all concerned, nnd 

 the Exhibition, when viewed from the galleries on each side of the 

 noble St. George's Hall, had a very pleasing effect. 



ChiTsanthemums and fruit formed the principal features of the 

 Show. There was a magnificent display of hardy fniits, such as 

 Apples and Pears. There were also numerous and good exhibitions 

 of Pine Apples and Grapes. The Judges must have found it very' 

 difficult to select the first-prize dishes in the classes for Apples anil 

 Pears, as there were so many collections of first-class quality. The 

 Pines exhibited by Mr. Freeman, gardener to Lord Derby, were fine 

 examples of cultivation ; and the Grapes from Mr. Hill, Mr. Meredith, 

 and others, were unusually good for this season of the year. 



The Chrysanthemums were splendid masses of bloom ; the plants 

 were also fresh, aud the foliage clean and good. Three or four of the 

 collections which won the premier prizes were superior to any I re- 

 member to have seen produced at the London exhibitions, and this is 

 saying much for cultivators of tliis pretty popular flower in the neigh- 

 bourhood of Liverpool, where the dampness of the atmosphere is so 

 unfavourable to the successful cultivation of the Chrysanthemum. 

 Much care and watchfulness must have been exercised to have enabled 

 the exhibitors to produce such magnificent plants, with foliage so fresh 

 and free from mildew — one of the greatest evils, I consider, which the 

 Chrysanthemum-cultivator has to contend with. Those exhibitors 

 who won the piincipal prizes therefore deserve much credit for pro- 

 ducing such fine results under great difficulties. There is, however, 

 room for improvement in the staging and arrangement of their plants. 

 There was perceptible in many instances a want of taste in the staging 

 of some of the collections, also in the blending of the colours ; the 

 sticks, also, with which the plants were trained, were much too large, and 

 the absence of paint made them look anything but artistic. If they 

 had been neater, and painted green, it would have added considerably 

 to the appearance of the plants, and in some instances the skill of the 

 cultivator was a little at fault in calculating the time the plants would 

 require to grow into proper form. It was noticeable in some instances 

 that the flowers on many of the plants were not made the most of, by 

 reason of their not appealing all one way. This was owing to the 

 shoots being tied into their proper places too late ; there was not time 

 for them to regain theii- proper position before the flower-buds were 

 formed. The last tying should always be done at least a month or 

 five weeks before the flower-buds appear on the points of the shoots. 

 These will all assume an upright and even appearance, and the flowers 

 ■will, as a natural consequence, all face one way, if the plant is formed 

 into whatever shape it is intended to assume at the proper time. 



In the class for twelve large-flowered varieties Mr. Matthews, nnr- 

 seryman, of Bootle, took the first prize with as finely finished and 

 highly cultivated a collection as ever gi-aced an exhibition. The 

 plants were all fresh and clean, and the foliage healthy and good ; the 

 flowers were large and of fine shape and substance, and nearly all at 

 one stage of expansion. The same may be s&id of all, or nearly all, 

 of the first and second-prize collections. Mr. Matthews also took the 

 first prize in the Nurseiymeu's class for nine Pompon Chrysanthe- 

 mnms. These were equally well grown ; each plant was perfection as 

 regards neatness and beauty. In the Amateurs' class for nine large- 

 flowered varieties, Mr. Hignett, gardener to C. Rowe, Esq., Anfield, 

 took the first prize with a splendid lot of plants of large size and well 

 grown. Mr. Hignett might aptly be called the king of the Lancashire 

 Chrysanthemum-growers, for he took the lead in every class with, I 

 believe, a single exception. The two collections which won the 

 second and third prizes for nine large-flowered varieties were also 

 splendidly grown, and were so near alike in every point of excellence, 

 that much difficulty was experienced in determining which really was 

 the better of the two collections. In the class for six large-flowered 

 varieties Mr. Hignett again took the lead, and Mr. Wilson was second 

 with a fine collection. In the class for three Mr. Whitefield was first 

 and Mr. Hignett second. The same gentlemen's names appeared 

 jast in the order in which they are given above throughout the classes 

 for single specimens, collections of Pompous, pyramids, standards, 

 &c. The same exhibitors also competed in the classes for cut blooms. 

 These were numerous, but the blooms were not so large as those 

 generally seen at the London Chrysanthemum shows. There was 

 also a great and perceptible difference in the style of exhibiting cut 

 blooms from that practised round London. The successful exhibitors 

 in the several classes for cat fiowers were Messrs. "Whitefield, Hignett, 

 and Smith. Mr. Whitefield's stand of eighteen cut blooms was cer- 

 tainly very good. 



Prizes were offered for Chinese Primulas ; but those shown were 

 not woi-thy of the awards they received. There was but a limited 

 number of subjects shown in the classes for stove and greenhouse 

 Ferns. This, probably, was owing to the sharp frost on the morning 

 of the 20th. which most likely detoned intending exhibitors from 

 bringing their plants out of their warm houses, lest they should have 



suffered injury in transit to the Hall. There were only two exhibitors 

 competing in this class. The tree Mignonette was not so good as I 

 have seen at other shows. The principal exhibitors in this class were 

 Messrs. WilsoU and Shaw. 



There was a lively competition in the class for bouquets for the 

 hand ; each exhibitor competing appeared to have an unlimited supply 

 of choice and good flowers to cut from, even at this dull season of the 

 year, for there was more than double the quantity of flowers in every 

 bouquet exhibited that there should have been. Half or one-third of 

 the flowers which each of the bouquets contained might have been 

 made to produce a much more graceful effect if a little more skill had 

 been exercised in the arrangement. In the Amateurs' class Mr. 

 Myers took the first prize, and Mr. "Wilson the second. In the Nnr- 

 serj'men's class Mr. John Delamere took the first prize. His bouquet I 

 considered the best of those exhibited, in all about thirty-six. It was 

 composed of white Camellias and fronds of the graceful Maiden-hair 

 Fern (Adiantum cuneatum), but I thought it too heavy. The second- 

 prize bouquet in this class was pretty, but contained too many flowers ; 

 although beautiful to look at, and very fragrant, no lady would have 

 liked to have carried it for any considerable length of time on accomit 

 of its weight. 



Mr. Freeman, gardener to Lord Derby, had in the class for oma- 

 mental-frnited trees, suitable for dinner-table decoration, some fine 

 plants of Solauum capsicastrnm, which weU deserved the first prize 

 which was awarded for them. They were fine plants, with straight stems, 

 and covered with bright coral berries ; certainly the best-grown plants I 

 have ever seen. Mr. Davies, of "Wavertree, took the second prize with 

 three plants of the pretty Skimmia japonica, very well covered with 

 berries. The latter plant, as well as the Solanum, is very suitable 

 either for dinner-table or conservatory decoration. Mr. Davies like- 

 wise exhibited several of the berry- producing Aucubas, showing their 

 adaptability for winter decorative purposes. 



From Mr. Davies came also a beautiful photograph of a fine plant 

 of Lilium auratum, grown at his establishment during the past sum- 

 mer. The plant was 9 feet high, aud matured fifty-three blooms; 

 these were supported by three stems, and all from a single bulb. This 

 bulb has been in Mr. Davies's possession about three years, and hag 

 had vei-y little care bestowed on it, all that was done being simply 

 shifting it into a larger pot every year without shaking any of the 

 old soil away. Some of the blooms, Mr. Davies told rae, measured 

 12 inches in iliameter. This shows what splendid results may be ob- 

 tained in the cultivation of this magnificent Lily by simply potting it 

 once a-year into larger pots. What a gi"and object this Lily will be when 

 grown amongst our Khododendrons and other American plants, where 

 it may be allowed to remain all through the winter. There is no 

 doubt that even greater results than those obtained by Mr. Davies may 

 be gained by growing it in the open air in beds of well-prepared soil. 

 Masses of it would certainly be most attractive if dotted over the 

 Rhododendron-beds, and the fiowers of the Lily would be shown off 

 to great advantage by the dark glossy foliage of the Khododendrons. 



There was a class for pans of the Roman Hyacinth, and those 

 shown were verj" pretty. This is certainly a most useful flower. At 

 jiresent, however, there is only the white variety in commerce : but 

 Mr. R, Kerr, of Basuett Street, Liverpool, told me that he should be 

 able to distribute a blue variety of it next year. I adrise all who 

 have not already tried this little gem to order it at once. I have 

 had it in bloom for the last six weeks ; it is most useful for cutting for 

 conseiTatory decoration, not a bulb but produces one or more spikes, 

 and it may be had in flower in the first week in October, and be con- 

 tinued by successions all through the winter. — J. Wills. 



ENTOMOLOGICAL SOCIETY'S MEETING. 



The first meeting of this Society for the present season, was held at 

 Burlington House, on Monday, the 4th inst., the attendance of mem- 

 bers being very numerous, and the chair occupied by Professor West- 

 wood, V.P. An extensive series of donations to the Society's library 

 was announced, including the publications of the Linnean and Zoo- 

 logical Societies, and the Societies of Moscow, Lyons, Boston, U.S., 

 New York, California, Essex, U.S., Stetten, Geneva, Konigshei^, 

 Brussels, &:c. Certificates in favour of A. H. Haliday, Esq., and sis 

 other candidates were read. 



Mr. F. Bond exhibited three new species of Moths, new to the 

 British lists — namely. Psyche crassiorella, Brnand ; Grapholitha ra- 

 vulana, H. S. ; and Coccyx vernana, Knaggs. 



Mr. McLachlan exhibited a female specimen of the very rare 

 Brazilian Mautispa (Trichoscelia) notha, of Erichson, the male of 

 which has densely hirsute legs ; also, some remarkable insect mon- 

 strosities — viz., Hylotoma fasciata having one of the hind tibiae divided 

 into two joints, the outline of which was clavate ; Tenthredo scutella- 

 tus ^rith five wings, the right side having a supplemental wing partak- 

 ing of the character both of the fore and bind wing, inserted between 

 the two normal wings (Professor Westwood instanced an analogous 

 case in the Stephensian collection, of a Butterfly with five wings) ; and 

 Tenthredo madidus with the right side female and the left side male, 

 the division being equal, but in a specimen of Limnephilus striola the 

 right side was partially male and the left female, the abdomen being 

 entirely female. 



Mr. Edward Saunders contributed a memoir containing a rerisioa 



