171B 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t March 7, 1867. 



Mr. "Wells, Holme Lacy Gardens, Gnbmitted what he believed to be a 

 Tariety of Sea-kale, with yellow instead of purple tops to the leafstalks, 

 but the Committee did uot consider it distinct. From Mr. Earley, 

 gardener to F. Pryor, Esq., Digswell, came Hamburgh Perennial 

 Spinach, which proved to bo only the old Patience Dock or Herb 

 Patience. 



FoHTNiGHTLT MEETING. — Sir Philip De Malpas Grey Egerton, 

 Sart., in the chair. After the election of thirteen new Fellows, and 

 the admission into union of the Sorbio Pari^^h Cottage Gardeninf,' 

 Society, andWotton-uuder-Edf^e Horticultural Society, the Kev. M. J. 

 Berkeley offered remarks on some of the subjects exhibited. 



Mr. Berkeley first remarked, that the plant with pretty white 

 flowers shown at the last mcctiuf* by Mr. Earley, and which was said 

 to produce red berries, proved to be Trichosanthes colubrina, and that, 

 therefore, its bearinj^ berries was a mistake. He then noticed Messrs. 

 Henderson's Cyclamens whicli were deservedly much admired, and 

 more particularly one wliich jtroduced white aud rose-coloured flowers, 

 the former also very different from the latter in structure. Most of 

 the varieties were said to be crosses between C. coum and C. persicum. 

 The peculiar structure of the pretty Dalechampia, from Mr. Bull, was 

 then noticed, and some remarks were made on the Herb Patience, 

 which had been sent as Spinach, instead of whicli it is still used on 

 the Continent, though now almost obsolete in English gardens. The 

 remarkable tiower of Brownea grandiceps, from the gardtn of Sir 

 Hugh Williams next occupied attention, and Mr. Berkeley remarked 

 that in a natural state the flowers are pendent. Dr. Liudley, who 

 figured in the "Botanical Register," in 1841, a specimen flowered by 

 Richai"d Harrison. Esq., of Livcrjiool, related a circumstance which 

 he (Mr. Berkeley) did not think had since been veriiied. Dr. Lindley, 

 writing of the blossoms, said, "They are prodnced in a short spike, 

 tier above tier ; every day witnessed the expansion of a new tier above 

 those of the former days, till at last the whole mass became a globe of 

 living aud glomng crimson. This brilliant bend appeared on the side 

 of the main stem among the leaves, which at that time presented a 

 singular phenomenon. Every eve7iing they rose up and lifted them- 

 Eelves from the blossoms to expose them to the dew, so that each 

 morning these beautiful objects were uncovered; but as day advanced 

 the leaves gradually drooped, aud bent down over the flowers to guard 

 them from the rays of the sun." Mr. Berkeley added that he did not 

 think this circumstance had been observed since, although the plant, 

 which was related to the Amherstia nobilis and Jonesia asoca, had 

 been flowered at Chat.sworth, Glasnevin, and other places. The plant 

 at Bodelwyddan was of considerable age, and the house in which it 

 was grown had been raised twice or thrice to give it room. He might 

 also mention that Lady Williams was the daughter of the Earl and 

 Countess of Amherst, in honour of whom aud of her mother the Am- 

 herstia had been named. Mr. Berkeley next referred to the Apples sent 

 by Mr. Lee, of Clevedon, and which were produced on the same branch 

 of a tree of Orange Pearmain. The branch was about 4 feet long, 

 and the Kussetlookiug fruit was produced near its base. The cir- 

 cumstance of the two kinds of fruit being borne on the same branch 

 called to mind n plant well known to most cultivators, Cytisus Adami, 

 which is generally believed to have been prodnced by giafting Cytisus 

 purpureas on the Laburnum, and, by some accident, one cell of the stock 

 and one of the graft having each become divided and then united 

 together, the result had been a plant partaldng of the nature of both. It 

 would be very interesting to know what stock Mr. Lee's Orange Pear- 

 main was grafted on. and whether this was another case similar to 

 Cytisus Adami. Passing to another subject, Mr. Berkeley said he 

 had received a letter from Mr. Arthur Trollope on raising seedless 

 Grapes, and suggesting crossing varieties which have no seeds, such as 

 the Sultana and Black Monukka, with the view of obtaining an early 

 seedless race of high tlavour ; but Mr. Berkeley said he could not re- 

 commend the Sultana, as the berries were too far apart, but if a 

 seedless Hamburgh could be produced it would bo a great acquisition. 

 Mr. Trollope also drew attention to another curious matter — namely, 

 that if such Grapes could be produced the vital energy of the Vine 

 would be employed iu producing pulji instead of being diverted to the 

 formation of seeds, and heuco that finer fruit would be the result. 

 [Some remarks on this subject will be found at page 385 of our last 

 Volume.] 



Major R. Trevor Clarke said that Mr. Berkeley's remarks on that 

 curious, paradoxical plant. Cytisns Adami, had recalled to his recol- 

 lection the fact that he had a plant of it many years ago, which not 

 only produced seeds from the flowers of the yellow Laburnum and 

 Purple Cytisus, but from the intermediate form as well. In those sea- 

 sons in which the latter perfected seeds he noticed that the flower-stalks 

 were persistent, remaining green during the winter, and from every 

 place from which a flower had fallen a small shoot was produced, 

 which in every case was that of the Purple Cytisus. At the last 

 Tuesday meeting, said Major Clarke, ho had occasion to mention the 

 hardy nature of Dyckia rariflora, a plant belonging to a family, 

 perhaps one of the last we should look to for such a tendency, the 

 Bromeliads being tropical or semi-tropical plants, but it was un- 

 doubtedly hardy in a warm place. He now produced another member 

 of the same class which bad stood one winter covered only with a hand- 

 ful of moss, and more than this, it flowered strongly in the succeed- 

 ing summer. In the spring following the next or second winter, the 

 main stem or crown was found to have perished, but a small sucker ' 



remained alive, and did in fact grow on healthily till destroyed by 

 accident. He was not quite certain of the name of the plant, but he 

 thought it belonged to the section of Bromeliads called Pnya. Another 

 of them, and a very fine one, P. Altensteinii, grew freely with him in 

 the open air during the summer. Then he had another, quite a little 

 pet, but he was not sure of the hardiness of this member of the 

 family ; and he next produced another specimen of the same plant 

 which bad been wintered in the greenhouse, and which was conse- 

 queutly dormant, but it would flower by-and-by in the warm sum- 

 mer time even iu the greenhouse or conservatory. Two other Brome- 

 liads, Bilbergia purjiurea and an old zebra-striped plant of which he 

 had forgotten the name, served to make up a little collection of in- 

 teresting tropical plants grown in common moss — three of them at 

 least greenhouse plants as to habit, two hardy under careful treat- 

 ment, and all thriving in glass cases kept in a sitting-room. He had 

 also brought with him a cut spike of an old African plant, Antholyza 

 prrealta, a most picturesque pLant, but rarely seen in flower. Un- 

 fortunately its habit of beginning to grow at the end of the year aud 

 producing its blossoms in early spring, added to a total inability to 

 stand a few degrees of frost, will always be against its cultivation in 

 the ojien air, except in the south of England or in very favourable 

 spots near the seaside. He well remembered the fine effect of some 

 patches of it m the garden of the Chiaya, at Naples, on one fine 

 February sunset. The next morning every plant was killed by frost. 

 He mentioned this because evei-y now and then the Antholyzas 

 cropped out in the catalogues as plants cultivable out of doors. 



Mr. Bateman said he was indebted to the Society for the oppor- 

 tunity of presenting to them a Grape introduced from the Deccan by 

 Colonel Sykes, and called Ahbee, and it was well deserving of atten- 

 tion on account of its property of keeping so late in the season. It 

 was now March, and though there were a few Grapes such as Lady 

 Downe's and Barbarossa that would keep till then, still he did not 

 know a better Grape than Ahbee at the present season, as it was still 

 exceedingly juicy. Though certainly not equal to Mr. Kelk's Muscats 

 exhibited two years ago, iu fact, nothing to compare with them iu 

 flavour, it was really a most desirable variety to grow ou account of 

 its late keeping ; besides which, it had another merit in its colour be- 

 ing BO very lovely. Till he had seen this Grape he had never believed 

 m the tints of the old Dutch pictures ; but of what beautiful tints there 

 were in the vegetable kingdom there was abundant proof around, and 

 the only question was, Could these tints be copied'? — and to that ques- 

 tion he found an answer in a book (Knoop's " Pomologia"), in which 

 thoaij;h now more than a hundred years old, the colours were as fresh 

 as when they came from the studio of the artist. For the opportunity 

 of seeing this book they had to thank Mr. Bohu, who had found it 

 out and given it to Dr. Hogg. 



Among Orchids, remarked Mr. Bateman, there was a flower-spike of 

 the white variety of Epidcndrum macrochilum which had been growu 

 iu a Pine-stove by Mr. Warren, gardener to T. J. Levett, Esq., Wichuor 

 Park, Burton-on-Trent. Every one knew that Orchids generally could 

 not be grown successfully in Pine-stoves, as such structures are too warm 

 and dry ; still there were some salamanders, and the Epidendrum in 

 question, coming fi'ora the hot climate of Caraccas, was one of them. 

 Among novelties, with the exception of a new Lycasto from Mr. 

 Wright, of Gravelly Hill, Birmingham, and LR?lia Pilcheri, one of Mr. 

 Dominy's hybrids, there was not much. Ho might remark of Deu- 

 drobium luteolum, from his own garden, that it was only beginning to 

 fight its way into notice, and that next year he hoped to be able to 

 exhibit it with a dozen spikes in a pot. Mr. Bull's Cyqiripediums 

 were then referred to, and nothing, Mr. Bateman said, would please 

 him better than to see ten or twenty species shown at the same time, 

 for there were as many as a score of species already in this country. 

 Of Odoutoglossum Alexandrre, of which two or three small plants 

 came from Mr. Bull, it was remarked that it is one of the easiest of 

 Orchids to flower. Coelogyne cristata from Messrs. Veitch was a 

 most meritorious example of good cultivation, being quite a cascade of 

 flowers. It was one of those Orchids which he termed bridal Orchids, 

 and iu cultivation required to be kept cool to flower well. Another 

 beautiful Orchid of the same class and requiring similar treatment 

 was Cymbidiuni eburneum, which had the merit of continuing a long 

 time iu flower. Messrs. Veitch had also a remarkable spike of the 

 golden-flowered Dendrobium Farmeri. and one or two good Cattleyas 

 — among them Cattleya Trianan, a name which, as stati'd at the pre- 

 vious meeting, could not bo retained. One other of Messrs. Veitch's 

 plants was the lovely and sweet-scented Trifho])ilia suavis. to which 

 a painful association was attached, for it had been sent to this country 

 by Vou Warscewicz, to whom we are also indebted for Trichopilia 

 coccinea and other Orchids. After remarking ou the news of Wars- 

 cewicz's death following so soon after the loss of Mr. Skinner having 

 become known, Mr. Batemau said that although Warscewicz had 

 travelled over a great portion of New Grenada, Quito, and Peru, he 

 had not left us more than half a dozen plants ; not because he waa 

 uot indefatigable, but owing to our ignorance of how to treat those 

 which he sent home, most of wliich required a cooler treatment than 

 that which had been afforded them, and they consequently perished. 

 There was one other plant which must be mentioned, the lovely Pha- 

 lasnopsis Schillcriana, exhibited by Mr. Cooper, after whom had 

 been named at the last meeting Epidendrum Cooperiauum. Though 

 he (Mr. Bateman), had seen as good plants, he had never seen the 

 flowers of that Phalfenopsis so large and so beautiful. 



