Ma; 13, 186S. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICUIiTUBB AND OOTTAQE QABDBNEB. 



333 



Konkias, Bambasa Fortnnei, Sednm SielolJii variogatnm, Veratrnm 

 viride, anil Vitis heterophylla variegata. 



For KLododendrous, Mr. Wilkie, Oali liOdfje, Addison Road, Ken- 

 sington, took the first priza for six plants of tUroe kinds, and for a 

 single sppoimen, tlie plants in every instance unnamed. Messrs. 

 Standish & Co., Ascot, sent a large plant of Kegina, pale rose, with a 

 deeper-coloared edge, bnt not fully expamlej ; and, as mentioned last 

 week, the fine Sikkim Rhododendron Nuttallii was blooming in the 

 oonaenratory, where, as Mr. Kylos informs us, it now does so every year. 



Messrs. Standish received the first prize in the miscellaneous class 

 for a collection of plants, most of which had been shown at the Floral 

 Committee on the previous Tuesday, aa Khododcndiims Madame Van- 

 der Cruysson and Mdllo. Christine Nilasen, doubletlowercd Pelargo- 

 niums, Struthioploris orientalis, and variegated Maples, besides which 

 they had four plauts of the green-leaved Aucuba, grafted on clean 

 stems about 2 feet high, and loaded with berries. Mr. Turner re- 

 ceived second and third prizes for sixty-four Tulips and a collection of 

 plants, including Colcus Princess Koyal, b.lsketa of Mdllo. Christine 

 Nilsson and Mrs. Headly Tricolor Pe"largoninms, Bright Star, white- 

 variegated, and Azalea Mrs. Turner, pale salmon, distinctly spotted 

 with crimsou in the upper petals. Mr. Kiughorn, of Sheen Nursery, 

 Richmond, sent a group of his Azalea Lizzie, which received a first- 

 class certificate from the Floral Committee two or three years ago ; 

 Mr. James, herbaceous Calceolarias aud hardy Ferns, for which ho 

 had an extra prize ; and Mr. Hooper, Bath, received a similar award 

 for Ranunculuses. Lastly, Messrs. Low & Co., of Clapton, sent a 

 dozen plants of Genista Everestiana, covered with showy golden- 

 coloared flowers. 



AUCUBA JAPONICA FERTILISING. 



" Gdlielhus " ia correct when be remarks that his article 

 on the Ancuba japonica has been misread by me, and I beg to 

 apologise for my error, and at the same time admit my inability 

 to offer any explanation of M. Carrif're's Aucabas producing 

 berries long after the male plants had flowered ; for even allow- 

 ing the possibility of pollen having been shed over the imma- 

 ture and consequently closed female blossoms, and that for 

 weeks it retained its fertilising properties, how could that 

 pollen gain access to their pistils ? Permit me to add that the 

 opinion I hazarded, that unfertilised Aucuba berries, which for 

 weeks maintain a healthy appearance, may during that period 

 bo susceptible of impregnation, is still an open question, and 

 one that merits investigation. The reasons that induced me 

 to arrive at this conclusion arose from having observed that a 

 plant of maculata that had been all the winter in a dwelling- 

 house and quite apart from male influence, had flowered and 

 formed berries long before it was brought into the vinery where 

 my Aucubas were seeding. These berries were carefully exa- 

 mined with a pocket lens, when to my surprise several of them 

 exhibited the same viscid appearance as unfertilised flowers. A 

 professional gardener was requested to examine them, he con- 

 firmed my opinion, and as we both have had considerable 

 experience in hybridising, I felt that there were sufficient data 

 to warrant me in calling attention to an apparently novel 

 fact.— A. C. 



[Cucumbers and other fruits are produced without the female 

 flowers being fertilised, and so may Aucubas, but they never 

 produce seeds capable of germinating. — Eds.] 



CATS VERSUS NEMOPHILA INSIGNIS. 

 I THINK if your correspondent will try the following simple 

 remedy he may save himself the trouble of taking cats and 

 bricks to the river. Let him purchase a few ounces of cayenne 

 pepper, put it in a pepper box, and the last thing before dark, 

 dredge the pepper lightly all over the plants. A calm and dry 

 night will be the best for doing it, and let it be repeated every 

 few nights, especially after rain. I saw this remedy tried some 

 years ago with effect. A large yard dog when let loose in the 

 morning would go to a line young plant of Laurustinus, and 

 back himself right into the middle of the bush ; this was rather 

 an annoyance to the gardener, who thought of the remedy as 

 above, and applied it as I have stated with the most complete 

 success. A man had to go and open the gate every morning 

 after that to let " Bingo " out into the road, for neither that 

 plant nor any other would ever serve Bingo's purpose afterwards. 

 If your correspondent had seen him try every corner of that 

 garden to get out after being cayenned by the Laurustinus, I 

 think he would have concluded that Bingo did not like it, or 

 that he was mad, as the owner thought him at first. — Bobin 

 KovE. 



HoRTicDLTCRAi, CRICKETING. — The members of Carter's 

 cricket club (employees of Jas. Carter & Co.), commenced the 



season at Battersea Park on Saturday last. The married con- 

 tended with the single, and the Benedicts secured an easy 

 victory. 



FLOWER SHOWS. 



3iNCE my last paper on this matter was written, it has hap- 

 pened singularly enough, that the subject has apparently forced 

 itself on the consideration of the Council of the Koyal Horti- 

 cultural Society, and a meeting has been summoned for the 

 purpose of consideiing the very point on which I laid a good 

 deal of stress— viz., the size of the pots in which plants are 

 exhibited. 



In advocating, as I do, an alteration in this matter, let me 

 distinctly say that I do it entirely irrespective of the complaint 

 made on the subject of flower shows. I do not believe in there 

 being just ground for complaint. I do not say it in any spirit of 

 ill-feeling, however others may give me credit for it, but there 

 never can be a show at Kensington worth looking at in aa 

 artistic point of view. Why, I have seen there plants nu- 

 merous enough, and good enough, to form two or three good 

 exhibitions ; bnt what can you make of those long gloomy 

 corridors, with side lights, and a hot broiling conservatory, 

 where cut flowers wither before the day is well begun ? and all 

 these choppings and changings will never mend the matter. 

 Now that the Council have no money, it will be, I suppose, 

 impossible to retrace their steps, and let us hope that when 

 the Central Hall of Arts and Sciences is open, they may find a 

 more fitting place, for, as I have said, there ia room enough 

 for all ; but I have mentioned this because these complaints 

 about the non-success of flower shows come mainly from 

 Kensington. 



I hold that it is the duty of all who have the managernent 

 of these things, not to give way to that spirit of sensation- 

 seeking, which is one of the curses of the present day. An 

 international exhibition is a very good thing, but it can only 

 be held very rarely, and it would be very absurd to find fault 

 with other shows because of the recollection of the Great 

 International Exhibition, which so far surpassed all others, 

 being fresh in our memories. Flora is too modest a maiden 

 to need any meretricious ornament ; only let her productions be 

 set forth in a plain and good setting, and she needs and ought 

 to need nothing else, but sHe is worthy of that at least. Music 

 is admirable, of course, but I would never, where I had a voice 

 in the matter, in town or country, degrade a flower show by 

 mixing up with it the genteel vulgarities I sometimes see and 

 often hear of. 



In advocating the introduction of classes for smaller-sizea 

 pots for all kinds of plants, whether hardwooded or otherwise, 

 I do so for several reasons, and as much in the interest of ex- 

 hibitors as of visitors ; and let me say what I mean by small 

 pots to be, 6-inch pots for Pelargoniums, Fuchsias, Calceolarias, 

 and other softwooded plants, and 16's, or 9-inch pots, for stove 

 and greenhouse plants, Orchids, &c. I have named a larger 

 size for the latter, because the same method of culture cannot 

 be adopted for both. Copious supplies of liquid manure may 

 be given to the Pelargoniums for example, and so you may 

 produce large plants in very small-sized pots, whereas yott 

 cannot treat the Heath in the same way. 



1. /( ivould greatly curtail the expense to u-hich exhibitors are 

 exposed by the present system.— liooV, for example, at Mr. 

 Turner bringing up his nine Azaleas from Slough, or Mr. 

 Fraser his Pelargoniums from Lea Bridge. Leaving out of 

 the question such distances as Rugby, Cheltenham, &c., what 

 will the largest prize offered and obtained do towards the ex- 

 pense of such an exhibition ? Consider that one large house 

 that would grow some hundereds of pounds worth of saleable 

 stock is devoted to that which may produce only £15; then 

 put to the account the time occupied in potting, training, 

 tying these plants; then hire of horses and vans for a couple 

 or three days, the expense of men in London at the exhibition, 

 &c., and then what margin of profit will be there? None ; 

 and hence it is no wonder that such men get tired of it, even 

 though they maybe at the top of the tree, and one after another 

 withdraw from it. " Look," said a nurseryman to me the other 

 day, pointing to a house full of nice little Kose plants, worth 

 at least 2s. a-piece, " what should I do with this if I were to 

 grow Pelargoniums for exhibition ? it would hold about a dozen 

 plants. No, no, I can manage better than that." I know it is 

 sometimes said it is an advertisement for the exhibitor, and 

 brings him into notice ; very true, but it is a very expensive kind 

 of one, and he could manage quite as well with smaller plants. 



