308 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ April 26, 1877. 



Aloes, &o., were dotted, the groundwork being composed of 

 Lycopods arranged so as to form a series of diamonds. In 

 these and the angles Pachyphytons ami other curious plants 

 were grouped, the entire table being edged with Sempervivum 

 tabnlajforme— a fine stock in which the parent plant of the 

 whole was prominently placed— a little stunted object about 

 2 inches in diameter and bent with age. Near it was a youthful 

 child quite 9 inches across. 



Such was the Show— a Show to which visitors came, as Mr. 

 Douglas said, from the north and from the south, from Ireland 

 and from Wales. It was refreshing to observe the intensity of 

 the interest that was manifested in the Auriculas, not by florists 

 only, but by the general visitors, and we doubt not that many 

 a spark of love was lighted on behalf of these peerless town and 

 country flowers. It is almost certain that in time— it must 

 necessarily be a question of time — that new exhibitors will 

 arise, for it is not conceivable that an exhibition such as this 

 can pass away without attracting recruits to the ranks of the 

 little— too little — army of Auricula-growers. 



The Luncheon. — This was partaken of, after the judging was 

 completed, by the executives of the Show, Judges, exhibitors, 

 and friends. In the absence of the President of this branch 

 of the National Auricula Society (Francis Whitburn, Esq.) the 

 chair was occupied by the Vice-President, Mr. Charles Turner ; 

 Vice-Chau-man, Mr. Moore. After the toaat of loyalty the Chair- 

 man proposed success to floriculture, and especially to the 

 Auricula Society. Mr. Horner responded. The northerners, 

 he remarked, like short sturdy Auriculas and short pithy 

 speeches ; that they in the north were anxious to unite with 

 growers in the south ; and that the secret of success in culti- 

 vating the Auricula might be expressed in two words— loving 

 care. *' The Judges " were responded to by the Rev. F. 

 Tymons. " The exhibitors," proposed by Mr. Llewellin, were 

 acknowledged by Mr. Ben. Simonite and Mr. Douglas, Loxford. 

 " The Press," proposed by Rev. F. Tymons, was replied to by Mr. 

 Shirley Hibberd in an excellent speech. The "Executive" 

 was proposed by Mr. Horner, and acknowledged by Mr. Dodwell, 

 who concluded by honouring Mr. Wilson and Mr. Thompson, 

 the Palace Managers of the Show, for their efficient services. 

 The whole of the speakers were much applauded, and a success- 

 ful Show was pleasantly terminated. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 



We learn that the Exhibition which is to be held in the 

 Boyal Horticultural Society's Gardens at South Kensington 

 on the occasion of Her Majesty the Queen's visit on May 2nd 

 ie expected to be one of unusual extent, variety, and excellence. 

 Not only are the principal nurserymen intending to exhibit in 

 their best manner, but several private collections will be 

 staged. Commercial horticulture is also to be represented, for 

 many of the growers of plants for Covent Garden Market, also 

 bouquetista and others, are intending to exhibit their pro- 

 ductions on the same liberal scale as at the last exhibition ; so 

 that altogether a right royal display is anticipated. 



At a General Meeting of the Royal HoRTicuLTURiL 



Society, held on the 18th inst., the following candidates were 

 duly elected Fellows of the Society :— Thos. Ainsworth, A. J. 

 Baker, Fredk. Bramwell, Edward Brooke, James Conper, E. W. 

 Cox, T. A. Dickson, Mrs. M. Goldingham, H. I. Hardy, John 

 Hayes, Mrs. Kennedy, Mrs. Alfred Kirby, J. T. MeCallum, 

 C. McLean McHardy, Joseph Fyke, W. Richards, Talfourd 

 Salter, Q.C. ; Jas. Tinker, Philip Wright. A list of fifty-one 

 guinea members elected by the Council was also announced. 

 At the previous meeting, held on April 4th, twenty-five Fellows 

 and eighty-five guinea members were elected. 



Mrs. Charles Woolloton, Elstree, Surrey, informs us 



that her gardener, Mr. Edward Tidey, has succeeded in making 

 a valuable cross between Long Gun and Telegraph Cucum- 

 bers. The result is highly satisfactory. In a small house 

 about 12 feet square this Cucumber is growing. The first 

 Cucumber was cut the last week in March ; since then thirty 

 more have been cut, and there are forty-eight now hanging on 

 the vine nearly ready for cutting. Atone joint six Cucumbers 

 are hanging, and most of the joints have five. The fruit 

 averages from 18 to 20 inches in length, and is most delicious 

 in flavour. We think the same cross was effected by Mr. Booth 

 at Osmaston, from which resulted that fine Cucumber Oamaston 

 Manor. 



Although in February accounts reached us from 



various districts of the danger of fruit blossoms owing to their 

 then advanced state, yet the protracted period of cold weather 

 since then has so retarded them that they are later than usual 

 in expanding, and the fruit croi' of the year is hopeful. 

 Pears, Plums, and Cherries have never been more covered with 

 bloBSom than at the present time, and Apple trees generally 



are showing snfiicient for full crops. Apricots and Peaches, 

 we hear, have not set well in many places owing to the cold 

 winds having prevented the blossoms from expanding so well 

 as was desirable. 



■ Mr. Richard Maries, nurseryman, Lytham, has sent 



us a photograph of a plant of Cyclamen persicum. The plant, 

 which is in a 7-inch pot, has more than a hundred flowers, 

 and is similar to the plants usually exhibited at the London 

 shows. The plant has never been allowed to become too dry 

 when at rest. Mr. Maries considers overdrying the cause of 

 much injury in Cyclamen culture. The variety submitted is 

 pure white, and evidently belongs to a good strain. 



A valuable Pink for forcing is the white variety 



Lady Blanche. We recently noticed some plants of this in 

 the greenhouse at Loxford Hall in admirable condition. The 

 plants were in 5-inch pots, each plant having more than a 

 dozen flowers as fine and as sturdy as if the plants had been 

 grown in the open air. The flowers are pure white, smooth 

 and perfect, and Mr. Douglas informs us that they never split. 

 This Pink is much prized at Loxford, and it is worthy of being 

 similarly grown in many more gardens than we now find it. 



Writing to us on insects and ammonia, "B. G." 



states that plants growing in an atmosphere impregnated 

 with ammonia will soon prove the eflieacy of its invigorating 

 influences, but he is of opinion that when Pines are free from 

 red spider the immunity arises from cleanliness in winter as 

 well as during summer, and a course of general good manage- 

 ment which prevents the insects being established. Our 

 correspondent doubts if ammonia will destroy red spider, and 

 he is certain that it will not kill mealy bug, for he dissolved 

 half a pound of guano in a quart of water, heated it, and then 

 held some mealy bugs over the steam until he was tired ; when 

 the liquid was a little cooled he threw the insects into it, 

 taking them out six hours afterwards, " when they seemed in 

 good health and walked away in search of green pastures." 



Probably no plants are more attractive at this period 



of the year than Tea-scented Roses. Amongst a large col- 

 lection now flowering in Mr. Merryweather's nurseries at South- 

 well the following varieties are particularly beautiful : — Aline 

 Sisley, Catherine Mermet, Climbing Devoniensis, Devoniensis, 

 Gloire de Dijon, La Boule d'Or, Madame Bravy, Madame 

 Willermoz, Letty Coles, Louise de Savoie, Marie Van Houtte 

 (very beautiful) , Marie GniUot, Niphetos, President, Souvenir 

 d'Elise, Souvenir d'un Ami, Souvenir de Paul Neron, and 

 Marechal Niel. The new Hybrid Perpetuals Comtesse de 

 Serenye and Duchess de Vallombrosa are proving valuable for 

 forcing. 



We inadvertently omitted in our report of the Royal 



Horticultural Society's Show last week that a gold medal was 

 awarded to Messrs. Beckwith & Son, The Nurseries, Tooting, 

 for their grand collection of early-flowering Pelargoniums. 

 The new variety which was submitted by Messrs. Beckwith to 

 the Floral Committee, who awarded it a first-class certificate, 

 was Duchess of Bedford, white with pink blotch and exceed- 

 ingly floriferons ; it is a great acquisition for decorative pur- 

 poses early in the season. 



We quite agree with a correspondent who writes — " I 



have an idea that there are numbers of valuable Apples whioli 

 remain hidden in their respective localities and are not known 

 to the general public — Greasy Coat, for instance, has only just 

 raised its head again. I write in the hope that others may be 

 persuaded to send lists of the most suitable kinds in their own 

 neighbourhood." We join in the hope. 



The most favourite of flowers for button-holes are 



Tea-scented Roses, and one of the best of them for this pur- 

 pose is Isabella Sprunt. We observed some charming buds of 

 this the other day in the gardens at Wimbledon House, and 

 we were informed by Mr. Ollerhead that it is regarded as the 

 best of all Roses for button-hole bouquets. The flowers are 

 small and perfectly formed, the colours merging from white 

 to creamy buff. As grown in pots at Wimbledon this Rose 

 blooms profusely. Another favourite variety in the Rose house 

 at Wimbledon is Madame Trifle. It is trained up one of the 

 rafters. It has the free-growing and flowering properties of 

 Gloire de Dijon, and is considered an improvement on that 

 good old Rose — no small recommendation. 



A fine old trunk of Cycas revoluta in the stove of 



S. Ralli, Esq., Cleveland HouEe, Clapham Park, is now throw- 

 ing a crown of fifty-eight new fronds. The plant has been in 

 a quiescent state for nearly two years, and was a comparatively 



