February 21, 1867. ] 



JOURNAli OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



U5 



time that it takes to carry it out. In all anch cases, however, 

 it shouM never be forgotten that the decision at last rests with 

 the master, and when that decision is given an honest assis- 

 tant will carefully carry it out, though it be not what he thinks 

 the best under the circumstances. 



3. The whole account of the management of the furnaces 

 does you credit. Your examining the appearances of the sky, 

 your noticing the outside thermometer and the changes since 

 the last visit, your reading the thermometer imide the forcing- 

 houses, and satisfying yourself as to the heat in the pipes or 

 heating medium, are all very simple matters ; but such it is 

 very difficult to get young men to look upon as of much im- 

 portance, and without attending to them the management of 

 fires is a mere matter of chance. You showed also the neces- 

 sary attention in lighting the greenhouse fires, and in such a 

 case of overheating as that to whicli you refer, I would have 

 preferred giving a very little air, damping the path and floor, 

 and allowing the house to coo! gradually. 



4. While approving of your attention and consideration, I 

 cannot for a moment give up the right and duty of the master 

 to come to a different conclusion, and to express his wishes 

 accordingly, so as to have some more heat in the pipes before 

 banking the fires up ; and I fear it must be added that he 

 would have too much right to feel dissatisfied and annoyed, 

 when, instead of the little more heat in such a changeable night 

 as the 4th of February, there should be such a fiery heat in 

 the house in the morning, and the thermometer about 17° 

 higher than was deemed necessary. Such a result gives too 

 much reason for the suspicion that, not thoroughly knowing 

 your place as a servant, you were annoyed that your arrange- 

 ments were in the least interfered with, and since heat was 

 wanted, heat should be given, and in a pet you piled on the 

 fuel careless of consequences. If I am right in this conclusion, 

 then I would impress on you in all kindliness, that such out- 

 bursts of spleen and impatience of control will more than 

 counterbalance your other good qualities— intelligence, dili- 

 gence, and attention. — E. F.] 



THE ROY.\L HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY,' 



AND THE EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE OF THE IXTEENATIONAL 

 HOKTICri/.-llUL EXHir.ITION. 



We are informed that at a meeting of the Eiecutive Com- 

 mittee of the International Horticultural Exhibition, held on 

 Thursday the 14th inst., the motion which was placed on the 

 minutes at the meeting of the 20th of November last, was 

 carried unanimously. Itesolved — 



" That a commuuicatiou be made to tlie Comtnissiouors of the Es- 

 Iiibition of 1851, informing them that the Committee of the Inter- 

 national Horticaltural Exhibition have now remaining a balance of 

 eighteen hunched pounds (flsufJI, which sum they are wdling to 

 invest in the purchase of the Limlley library and other books, to form 

 the foundation of a Botanical and Horticultural Librarv-, to be attached 

 to the Koyal Horticultural Society, provided Her Majesty's Commis- 

 sioners, who are interested in the advancement of the South Kensing- 

 ton estate, are willing to provide a suitable readim^-room, with glass 

 «aSBS. for the reception of snch library. The room and books to be 

 for the use of Fellows of the Koyal Horticultural Society, members of 

 other Bocieties, and gardeners generally, under such rules as may be 

 agreed on. The Horticultm-al Society to nominate one of its othcers 

 er a clerk to look after the same. The room and lihrarv to be invested 

 in the names of seven Trustee^ — two appointed bv the Commissioners, 

 two by the Koyal Horticultural Society, two by the International 

 Committee, and one by the six above named." 



The above is the best reply that could be given to the con- 

 rersation that took place at the annual meeting of the Eoyal 

 Horticultural Society, a report of which appeared in our last 

 number. It is now apparent that the proposal for the munifi- 

 eent donation which the International Committee have placed 

 at the service of the Eoyal Horticultural Society has been on 

 the minutes ever since the 20th of November last ; and we 

 were not wrong when we stated in our last that some misun- 

 ierstanding must have existed on the subject, for we believe 

 that on an mterview having taken place between SirWentworlh 

 Dilke and Mr. Wilson Saunders, a perfect understanding was 

 at once come to. It is much to be regretted that Mr. Edgar 

 Bowring, who, as a member of the Expenses Committee, evi- 

 dently came prepared to raise the question at the meeting, did 

 not signify his intention to Sir Wentworth Dilke, who would 

 no doubt have been in his place to make a full explanation, 

 both on behalf of himself and of the Executive Committee, and 

 thereby have prevented an impression going abroad that the 



Intern.ational Committee did not intend doing anything for the 

 Society with the surplus fund derived from the Exhibition. 



It was perfectly natural that on such a subject the Fellows 

 of the Society should desire to have some information, and we 

 are not surprised that the question should have been raised, so 

 that they might know the relation in which the Society stood 

 to the International Committee. 



And what was that relation ? Ijooking at the correspondence 

 and the documents that were published in our last, we gather 

 that there was an understanding of a vague and indefinite 

 character that the Committee were to do " something." To 

 this both parties seem to assent, and in the correspondence 

 both admit the principle. The minute of the Council says, 

 " Should there be any surplus in the takings of the Comuiittee, 

 the liberality of the Eoyal Horticultural Society will be diUy 

 acknowledged." Sir Wentworth Dilke says, " In conversation 

 something was said about doing something.'' Mr. Wilson 

 Saunders says, " That Sir Wentworth Dilke, on the part of the 

 Committee, acknowledged the principle, thut in case of any 

 surplus accruing to the International Horticidtural Exhibition 

 the Eoyal Horticultural Society should have a claim therein." 

 Now, on the part of the International Committee the principle 

 was accepted and acted upon so long ago as the 20th of No- 

 vember last, when the motion which was carried at the meeting 

 on the I4th inst. was placed on the minutes. We cannot, 

 therefore, but regard the action taken by Mr. Bowring as preci- 

 pitate, particularly as allusion was made to the purchase of the 

 Lindley library in the report of the Council, thereby indicating 

 that the International Committee did intend to do " some- 

 thing." 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 Febku.^kt 19ih. 



Floral CoiiMiTTEE. — This was a deeply interesting meeting from 

 the number of the Orchids exhibited, among which were several of 

 great beauty and rarity. A group of cut Orchids, from Mr. Anderson, 

 of Meadow Bank, contained some species that are exceediiiglv rare, 

 such as Batemannia Beanmontii, Epidendrum Cooperiauum, Vanda 

 gignutea, a beautiful Oucichnm of -jrcat value, and Lielia superbiens ; 

 the latter having a magnificeut hnucb of tlowers was awarded a special 

 certiiifate. Mr. itucker also exhibited a cut specimen of the last 

 species, but in size and depth of coloro" it was far exceeded by Mr. 

 .\nderson's flower. Cut blooms of some Lycuste Skinneri were shown 

 by Mr. C. Penny, gardener to H. H. ffiblis, Esq., of St. Dnnstan's, 

 Kegent's Park, and were described bv Mr. Bateman, as '' the Unest ever 

 fi-ien." They were of unusual size and beautifully mr.rked. and wero 

 awarded a special certiticate. Messrs. Veitch it Sons received a special 

 certiticate for a large and beautiful collection of Lycaste Sldnneri, 

 shown in honour of the memory of the late Mr. G. U. Skinner. 

 It was remarkable how freely many of these had bloomed. Mr. Wil- 

 son, gardener to W. Marshall, Esq.. of Clay Hdl, Enfield, had a large 

 poup of Cattleya Warscewiczii. in varieties, some of them of great 

 beauty, to which a special certificate was also awarded. The same 

 award was made to Messrs. Low it Co., for collections of Lycaste 

 Skinneri and Oucidiums, the latter containing some varieties of great 

 interest. Dr. Pattison. of St. John's Wood, also received a special 

 certiticate for a collection of Orchids, among which was Odonto- 

 glossum species, a supposed vaiiety of O. Wamerianum, and resem- 

 bling O. CervantesU. The same award was made to Messrs. E. G. 

 Henderson & Son, for a group of Cyclamens, comprising varieties of 

 C. persicum, coum. and ,\tkinsii. The former contained some mar- 

 vellous dowers, of great depth of colour and larj^e size. They were 

 one-year.old seedhng plants, and literally masses of bloom. 



First-cla?3 certiticates were awarded to Oacidium species, from 

 Mexico, shown by Messrs. Low it' Co.. a new variety, bavins a great 

 resemblance to O. pelicanum, without the browni.h lines. The habit 

 was vei-y close and compact ; to the same for Odontoglossum macu- 

 latnm superbum. considered to be a vei-y distinct variety, the dark 

 ccilonr being much deeper in this than in any other, the petals also 

 being tliick and broad, and to Messrs. James Garaway it Co.. Durdham 

 Down. Bristol, for the following varieties of seedling .\mar>lh3, a mag- 

 uilicent lot of which were produced by them, apparently seedlings 

 from A., anhca and vittata — viz.. Olivia, rich scarlet and crimson shaded, 

 pure li{;ht threat : Cleopatra, bright oran.L^e scarlet, shaded and veined 

 with flossy crimson, the colour reaching; to the base of the segments ; 

 11. Gibbs, carmine crimson, the spine of the segments pure white and 

 feathered with the same ; and Helena, orange scarlet, with slight 

 shading of crimson, dwarf habit, and of tine form. A second-class 

 certificate was awarded for Juliet, bright orange scarlet, shaded with 

 jmrplish crimson, and clear throat ; and a special certificate to six 

 plants of A. .-Vckermanni pulcherrima, also very rich. 



Second-class certificates were awarded to a variety of .^splenium 

 diiforme, from New Holland, shown by Messrs. Yeitch — it was con- 

 sidered by the Committee to be a good basket Fern for a hardy green- 

 house — and to GritBnia Blumaria, from Messrs. E.G.Henderson and 

 Son. The small lanceolate foliage resembles that of Eucharis ama- 



