406 



JOUBNAL OF HOBTICXJLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



[ Jane 17, 18«9. 



to cnt. At a neighbonring -village one of his friends has 

 oarried on this plan for more than forty years with this addition, 

 that, having eight beds, two are .\early sacred, not a single 

 lead large or fmall being cut, aud the size of the Asparagus 

 is almost fabnloas. Had such a vegetable been known in 

 Brobdingnag, these heads feem to bo about the size that we 

 might have expected to fiod in those regions, and I am almost 

 disposed to think that if the same treatment be continued, we 

 may by-and-by hear of cutting a bead of Asparagus, as yon 

 irould a head of Broccoli, and making one do duty for a party ! 

 I may mention, further, that my friend rarely cuts after the 

 7th of June unless the season is very late, and at the present 

 time his beds look like small woods. Looking at the results I 

 feel bound to say that his treatment seems the right course, 

 snd to ssy the least of it, a dish of Asparagus, with the heads 

 sll of about the same size, looks far more presentable than a 

 dish in which the master of the garden appears to have cut 

 eTerything that came to hand, large or smalh — Y. B. A. Z. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



June 15th. 

 Fbtiit Committee.— G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., intlio <;hair. Mr. 

 Stevens, the Gardens, Trentbani, sent a seedling kitchen Apple, 

 irhich was said to be an excellent keeper, and of first-rate qnality, bnt 

 it was stated that the fruit had been packed for a week, and the tiavonr 

 ■was qnite pone. Mr. Stevens likewise pent specimens of Calville 

 Blanche, also quite destitute of flavour. Mr. Hallett, of Cossinirfon, 

 aiear Bridgewater, sent two large specimens of the Madras Citron, 

 •which bad been produced in a pot. MeBsrs. Barr & Sufjden sent 

 ■pecimens of a handsome Cabbage Letlnce, which was recognised as 

 a variety ffrown for many years at Brotkett Hall, nnder the name of 

 INichoIsou's Cabbape Lettuce. The pame gentlemen also exhibited, 

 specimens of Hicks's Hardy White Cos, a splendid Lettuce, the 

 iardiest of all the Cos Lettuces. Mr. John Ronald, nurseryman, 

 Chichester, sent good samples of a brown Cos liettace, which was 

 considered a good stock of Brown Cos. 



Floral Comjuttee. — Rev. J. Dix in the chair. This was one of 

 the most su'^cepsfnl meetings that Lave be^n held this year; the prizes 

 offered for double Zonal Pelargoniums. Pinks, and Calceolarias were 

 ■well competed for. and we can most truly assert that the double Zonal 

 !Pelargouinms were never seen bo fine before. Messrs. Carter's plants 

 ^rere magnificent. 



MeRsrB. Yeitch exhibited a collection of GloxiniaB and other plants, 

 •which was awarded a special certificate ; also three boxes of very fine 

 «tit Roses, which received the same award. Mr. Cripps, Tnnbridge 

 "Wells, exhibited two new seedlinLj Clematises, and a greyish-blno 

 called Kxcelsior, showing a disposition to produce donble flowers, was 

 awarded a first-class certificate. Should this tendency to form double 

 fclosBoms be maintained, we shall have a new race of these bcantifnl 

 flowers. The other was Lady Cicely Nevill, a large white flower, but 

 ^e petals too flimsy, and not equal to Madame Van Houtte, which was 

 exhibited last year. 



Mr. B. Williams. Holloway, received a first-class certificate for 

 Calamus ciliaris, and a special certificate for his collection of plants ; 

 »mong them were a fine specimen Aralia Sieboldii anreo-variegata, 

 Pandanus glaucophyllus, Thrinax grandis, Lselia Wolstenholmi, and 

 Echeveria agavoides. Mr. B. Fiadlay. Botanical Garden, Man- 

 ehftfeter, received a first-class certificate for a fino specimen of Miltonia 

 epectabilis, variety. Mr. Wm. Paul likewise received a first-class certifi- 

 cate for a new pillflr Rose Prince Lcopohl, a fine, rich crimson, very 

 full flower. Tbis Rose was sent as a climber, but the Committee ob- 

 jected to Ibis term, the plant not being strictly of the climbing character. 

 A pillar Rose would bo its more appropriate designation. Mr. Ley 

 Teceived a first-cluss certificate for Adiantum excisum Leyi. 



Messrs. Rolli^^son received a first-class certificate for Epidendrom 

 Titellinum majus, a very fine Orchid, thontrh by no means new. A 

 Special certificate was awarded the collection of plants, containing 

 Bome verv bi rtntifnl Orchids, among them Cypripedium Dayanum 

 and Cypripedium Scblimii. 



Mr. I'nrner exhibited two boxes of cnt Roses, Bome of the finest 

 flowers ever seen, so bright in colour, and of such onusnal size. A 

 special certificate wa« awarded them. 



Messrs. E. G. Henderson. Wellington Rnad, sent several Tricolor 

 Zonal Pelargoniums, more remarkable for "heir names than as distinct 

 or improved varieties ; also Gnaphalium tomcntosum. Cineraria acan- 

 Ihifolia and Acbyroelme Saundersii, three bedding plants. Mr. Foster 

 cibibited several seedling Show Pelargoniums, many of them very 

 i>eftutiful, bat not d stinct from known varieties. Admiration received 

 »fir»^t-clas9 certificate, and PoUie a second-class certificate. 



Messrs. Smith. DnUvich, brout;ht a very beautiful Cactus violacens, 

 a hybrid between speclosissimus and Ackermanni. A first-class cer- 

 tificate was awarded it. A special certificate was also given for their 

 collection of Bicolor and Bronze Zonal Pflar^'oninras. 



Messrs. Carter brought three Tricolor Zonal Pelargoniums — viz., 

 Stiie Beale, Prince Teck, and Priucess Mary, all of which had been 

 aoticed before. Messrs. Lee, Hammersmith, exhibited a golden form 



of Zonal Pelargonium BriUiantissima. Mr. Ford, gardener to E. 

 Hubbard, Esq., received a first-class certificate for a very beantiiol 

 seedling Ivy-leaved Pelargonium, a hybrid between the large white- 

 flowering Ivyleaf aud Mrs. Pollock ; the broad-petaled salmon flowers 

 were very attractive. 



G. F. Wilson, Esq.. brought several cut specimouB of Lilies. 

 Messrs. Standish sent several promising seedling Rhododendrons ; 

 Mr. Noble, fine specimens of Spiriea palraata, one of the most beauti- 

 ful hardy plants Mr. Fortune ever introduced ; also a curious seedling 

 Rhododendron Fra Diavolo, with malformed flowers. Mr. Jamee, 

 gardener to W. F. Watson, Esq., sent a seedling Tricolor Zonal Pelar- 

 gonium, called Mary James. -Mr J. Chambers, gardener to J. Law- 

 rence, Esq , bronght a seedling Lobelia speciosa auperba, a tall-grow- 

 ing variety, of no use as a bedding plant. 



A special ceiiificate was awarded to Monsieur Banlant for Ilia 

 well-arranged collection of artificial plants and flowers. Nothing has 

 ever been seen to equal this collection ; the Caladiums, Lilacs, Violets. 

 Rosea, &c , were true to life, so tme that they were with difficulty diB- 

 tiuguisbed from the plants placed next to tliem. The Council hava 

 voted the Society's large silver medal to M. Banlant, as a compliment 

 and a mark of their approbation of the great ekdl displayed. These 

 flowers are made of mnslin. silk, or velvet, according to circumstancea, 

 then painted to accurately resemble nature, and covered with a this 

 coating of wax. 



Special prizes offered this fTay ^ere well competed for. The best 

 six double-tlowering Zonal Pelargoniums came from Messrs. Carter; 

 the kinds were Marie Lemoine, Madame Lemoino, Wilhelm Pfitzer, 

 and Gloire de Nancy. Messrs. Standish & Co. were second with 

 Marie Lemoine, Gloire de Nancy, Wilhelm Pfitzer, Capitaine I'Her- 

 mito ; these were large specimens, and not in fall flower. Mr. G. 

 Turner took the third prize with Victor Lemoine, Donble Tom Thumb, 

 and Snrpasse Gloire de Nancy. For single plants of donble Zonal 

 Pelargoniums, tlie fir=t prize went to Messrs. Carter for Marie Le- 

 moine ; the second 'o Mr. Turner for Madame Lemoine. 



For tweut}-four Pinks. Mr. Turner was first; Mr. Flooper, Bath, 

 second; and Mr. Bra;3g, Slough, thi:d. For twelve. Mr. Pizzey, gar- 

 dener to Sir E. Perry, was first; Mr. Kingston, Militia Barracke, 

 Bath, second ; and Mr. James Smith, Bath, third. 



For six Calceolarias, the first prize was taken by Mr. James, gar- 

 dener to W. F. Watson, Esq., Isleworth, with plants in splendid bloom : 

 the second by Messrs. Dobson, of Islewoith. 



Mr. Wilson Saunders' first prize for twelve hardy herbaoeous plants 

 in flower was awarded to Mr. \Vare, of Tottenham, who exhibited the 

 following — viz., Giuothera marginata, Silene alpestris, Calceolaria 

 Kcllynua, Aster alpiuus, Hesperia matronalis purpurea flore-pleno. 

 Delphinium alopecuroides. D. Belladonna, Ouosma tauricum, Lilinm 

 nmbellatnm, Fuukia albo-marginata. Orchis latifolia macolata, and 

 Lychnis fulgens. 



An extra prize was awarded to Mr. Hooper, Bath, for his oolleotiost 

 of Pausics and Rannncalus. 



General Meeting. — Lord Londesborongh in the chair. Nine now 

 Fellows were elected, and the Koighley I-'loral and Horticultural So- 

 ciety was admitted into nnion, after which the Rev. M. J. Berkeley 

 read a papi-^r by Mr. Fenn, on the Potatoes exhibited by him at the 

 meeting of tht; 1st inst., and of which the substance was given in p. 370. 

 Mr. Beikeley said it appeared to him that Mr. Fenn's observations 

 were very valuable, both in a scientific and practical point of view, 

 and remarked tbat he had himself pursued a similar practice for some 

 years, and with uniform success; but that he exposed the seed Pota- 

 toes to the sun tt) green. He hoped that experiments on the subject 

 at Chisrtii k wuuld lead to valuable results. Mr. Fenn also stated he 

 had grafted the Ribston Pip)an on the Blenheim Pippin, and the 

 result had been tbat the former lost its properties as a dessert Apple, 

 bnt became a good cnliuary fruit, which it was not wben not thus 

 grafted. With regard to a plant shown as Goodoya splendida at the 

 last meeting, some doubt was entertained whether it was correctly 

 named or not; but in Hookers "Journal of Botany"' a species was 

 figured, in wbich the leaves were of similar character to those of the 

 pfant exhibited. Rhododendron Fra Diavolo, from Mr. Noble, waa 

 noticed as being interesting, from showing how a monstrosity was 

 transmitted from one parent to its progeny; and attention was alsa 

 directed to a Pelargonium in a miserable state, from being attacked by 

 Orobancbe minor, which had nearly killed tl,e plant. At Florence. 

 Mr. Beikeley addend, a species of Orobanche a't:ick3 tbe Peas to such 

 an extent, that it is very difficult to gather a dhh. A wliite Lily, in 

 the collection from Chiswick, and which had been received from Pern 

 bv Mr. Wilson Saunders, was then stated to be ni<t a distinct species, 

 but merely a form of the common white Lily. Spira>a palmata was 

 then referred to as one of the most promising of herbaceous plants 

 introduced of late years. It had been described by Tliunberg a hnn- 

 dred years ago, but the plant known under tbe samii name in onr 

 gardens was not identical with it. A curious condition of the common 

 Sloe, and the curl in Peach-tree leaves, next occupied attention. 

 Mr. Berkeley considered that one form of this disease is caused by 

 a fundus. ai,d another by an aphij!. Allium orsinum, a British plant, 

 of which a number of the white flowers had been brought by Major 

 Trevor Clarke, was pointed out as bi-ing worthy of more attention as 

 an ornamental plant than it had received, notwithstau'ling its odour ; 

 ■ likewise Mantisia saltatoria, familiarly known as *' Opera Girls," 



