206 



JOUBNAL OF HOKTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GAUDENER. 



[ Soptember 17, 1863. 



good decorative shrub ; a large specimen of Monstera doliciosft in 

 flower ; Amaryllia Josephina lateritia, with a large trns3 of pale red- 

 dish flowers, &c. A special certificate was awarded to the gronp. 

 Prom Mr. William Holah, The Gardens, Rnfford Abbey, Ollerton, 

 came a plant of a yellow bedding Pansy, which he has used this season 

 •with fip'eat effect, but which did not appear to differ from the Cliveden 

 Yellow bedding kind. 



A very interesting gi-onp of plants was also furnished by Messrs. 

 Veitch & Sons, including Ficus dealbata, which bears an exceUent 

 character, but tlie specimen shown was considered too small to justify 

 the Committee in giving it an award ; Maranta Wallsii with bright 

 pale green leaves, having patches of dark shading ; M. Wagneri, in 

 the way of fasciata, but not so good or so bright-looking as M. roseo- 

 picta and others ; M. Baraquiniana. considered to be no improvement 

 on the old vittata ; Guzmannia tricolor, an old plant, in flower, but 

 •well grown ; Chirirta sinensis foliis variegatis, the foliage slightly 

 pale-veined, but the veining said to be often more apparent on the leaves ; 

 Sinningia purpurea major, a cool stove plant, with ornamental foliage, 

 having a greenish bronze colour on the upper side of the leaves, and 

 red on the under side, scarcely striking in character as shown ; Also- 

 phila Van Geertii, a distinct and handsome Fern, but some doubt 

 being expressed as to its being an Alsophila, it was requested to bo 

 Bent again ; Caladium Auguste Riviire, a distinct and beautiful kind, 

 the bright green leaves stained and blotched with carmine, very hand- 

 some and effective, and deservedly awarded a first-class certificate ; 

 Caladium Lucy, the leaves stained red ; Yucca albo-spica, the long 

 iance-shaped and somewhat drooping leaves having white filaments on 

 either side, also awarded a first-class certificate ; AUamauda nobihs 

 in bloom ; some specimens of Odontoglossum grande ; the beautiful 

 Cattleya Domiuiaua alba ; a small jilant of the handsome Hippo astrnm 

 pardinnm, with two fine flowers ; the curious Masdevallia Veitchiaua, 

 ifec. A special certificate was awarded to the group. 



Mr. William Paul, Waltham Cross, sent Ancnba salicifolia, a 

 slender-leaved form of the A. longifolia type, the character not suffi- 

 ciently developed. Mr. Paul also contribnted a charming collection 

 of cut Koses, among which the light flowers predominated, and a large 

 group of cut flowers of bedding Pelargoniums. To each group a 

 special certificate was awarded. From Mr. Aslett, gardener to C. 

 Bntler, Esq., of Hatfield, came a good-sized and well-gi"own plant of 

 Impatiens Jerdonife, a plant seldom seen now-a-days, though well 

 worthy of cultivation. Frem Mr. Green, gardener to W. Wilson 

 Saunders, Esq., came Odontoglossum Alexandrie, var. Bowmani, 

 ■with six handsome fully expanded flowers, and examples of Vallota 

 purpurea major and V. eximia, the flowers of the last-named being of 

 a fine round shape, and the truss much larger, and quite distinct 

 from the foregoing. 



An interesting lot of plants was furnished by Messrs. Carter & Co., 

 of Holbom, consisting of two triangnlar-shaped baskets, the one tilled 

 with Echeveria metallica, having a car^iet of Sedum glaucum ; the 

 other filled with Echeveria sauguiuea, cai-peted with Antennaria 

 tomentosa. Th^re were also two circular baskets, one filled with the 

 dwarf double golden French Marigold, edged with Altemanthera 

 fipathulata ; the other with Amaranthus tricolor Gordoni, var. pumila, 

 a compact -growing kind, with bright reddish foliage, broadly edged 

 with claret, in the way of A. elegantissimus ; also capital and well-grown 

 Specimens of the two new Ivy-leaved Pelargoniums, L'Elegante and 

 Duke of Edinburgh. A special certificate was awarded to the 

 group. 



From Mr. John Coomber, gardener to Col. Wilkinson. Highgatc, 

 came plants of Variegated Zonal Pelargonium, Mrs. Wilkinson, a 

 bright-looking variety with a regular edging of creamy white, and 

 regular narrow zone of deep pink ; it promises to make an effective 

 bedder. 



A collection of Odontoglossum grande was also famished from the 

 gardens of the Society. 



Dahlias and Verbenas were plentiful, the former bearing traces of 

 feeing out of condition. A first-class certificate was awarded to Mr. 

 George Rawliags, Eomford, for King of Primroses, a vei-y pleasing 

 flower of a soft primrose hue, of good substance, full high centre, and 

 outline. ScLond-class certificates were awarded to Mr. C. Turner for 

 Queen of Beauty, blush tipped with magenta, a very pleasing and 

 taking flower, but wanting outline and depth ; and to Louisa Burgess, 

 a Fancy flower of a salmon buff ground, striped and flaked with crim- 

 son, good petals and outline, but somewhat flat. Mr. Turner also 

 had twelve tine and finished blooms of Unique, which received a first- 

 class certificate at the last meeting of the Committee ; Firefly, bright 

 orange scarlet, a hue of colour much wanted, but the flowers coax-se 

 and thin ; Lady Dunmore, a Fancy, orange ground tipped white, 

 and slightly flaked with crimson ; Eclipse, shaded puce, good form 

 and substance ; Countess (Fellowcs), pale gi'ound, heavily tipped with 

 magenta; Formosa (Fellowcs), peach blush, a pleasing flower of 

 passing outline; Magdala (Fellowes), yellow ground, shaded on the 

 edge with rosy fawn, and flaked with crimson ; and six blooms of Polly 

 Perkins, a Fancy flower, awarded a second-class certificate at the last 

 meeting of the Committee. Mr. Rawliiigs also had Monarch, one 

 bloom a rich dark shaded but undersized flower ; the others tipped 

 red and white on the dark ground ; Goldfinch, pale yellow, tipped with 

 lake; two fine blooms of Indian Chief, awarded a first-class certifi- 

 cate at the last meeting of the Committee ; and some blooms of a 

 crimson bedding kind of a dullish hue, of good shape, but small in 



size. Mr. G. Wheeler, Warminster, had Lord Heytesbury, salmon 

 brick red ; and Mr. Keynes, Salisbnrj, had One in the King, pale 

 ground, edged with rosy purple, very promising ; one of the blooms was 

 of fine shape and substance ; Annie Neville, cream white ; Ladj 

 Alderson, a Fancy, bright crimson scarlet, tipped with white ; and Miss 

 Margaret Dombrain, yellow ground, tipped with pale rose. 



First-class certificates were awarded to Mr. C. J. Peny, Castl© 

 Bromwich, for the following Verbenas: — Perfection, silken pale pink, 

 the pip large and of very tine shape ; Model, salmon jiink, with large 

 deep rose centre, fine shape, and large size ; and Wonder, pale pink 

 with rosy purple eye, fine shape and good truss. The same award 

 was made to Mr. Eckford, of Coleshill, for Anna Keynes, a very fitne 

 and distinct variety, of a dark crimson purple hue, very fine pip and 

 truss ; and a second-class certificate was given for Lotty Eckford, 

 brilliant plum colour, with small lemon eye, very novel and bright. 

 Several other seedlings were shown bat not in good condition, the cold 

 weather having evidently affected them injuriously. 



General Meeting. — J. Russell Reeves, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 

 The business was chiefly confined to the election of three new Fellows, 

 and the announcement of the Committee awards. The next meeting 

 will be held October Gth, when prizes for edible Fungi will be com- 

 peted for. 



THE OPtANGEFIELD TOMATO AND ITS 

 CULTIVATION. 



After one season's experience with this Tomato, I am oi 

 opinion that it is an introduction of real worth. Its chief 

 qualities consist in its being early and dwarf, very prolific, and 

 that it bears forcing well. With regard to the quality and size 

 of its fruit it is, perhaps, not preferable to older varieties, the 

 best of which is yet the old Common Eed ; but for pot culti- 

 vation it is far superior to any variety I am acquainted with. 

 One plant well grown in an 8-ineh pot will bring to peifection 

 two dozen fair-sized fruit, and it does not grow more than 

 18 inches high. Pot plants have an excellent and very orna- 

 mental effect in forcing houses, or an-anged along each side of 

 the pathway among fruit trees in orchard houses. 



Though the Orangefield Tomato is so dwarf, and its fruit 

 produced almost at one time, it retains the property which the 

 older varieties possess of ripening the fruit by degrees, thereby 

 affording daily gatherings. Amateurs and others who have a 

 limited wall space will find this Tomato especially valuable, 

 for it produces and ripens its fruit well when planted out in a 

 sunny border, each plant about the samo distance apart as one 

 would plant Brussels Sprouts. They must be trained to a 

 stout stake on account of the heavy fruit, but the stake need 

 not be more than 2 feet out of the ground ; and if well planted 

 in a deep, rich, and rather heavy soil they will produce from 

 the bottom of the etake to the top, and have an appearance not 

 uniike that of a rope of Onions. 



The fruit must be thinned out when about to swell off, the 

 quantity left being regulated according to the vigour of the 

 plant ; at the same time apply a mulching of 4 inches in depth 

 of rotten manure. The Tomato being a gross feeder, frequent 

 applications of liquid manure will much improve the size of 

 the fruit, and increase the quantity of pulpy matter to be ex- 

 tracted for making either sauce or jam. 



The treatment which I have described is applicable to the 

 scarcer-growing sorts, with just this addition — they require 

 nailing and frequent thinnings of the shoots, while those that 

 are retained must be pinched just beyond the clusters of bloom. 

 With the exception of a gross shoot or two, the Orangefield 

 Tomato makes no more wood than it requires. 



With regard to sowing, my advice is to sow in pots early in 

 March, and encourage the growth of the plants so as to have 

 them planted out in the first week in May, and get the bulk 

 of the fruit ripened by September. After that time the weather 

 is often unfavourable to the ripening of the Tomato, and much 

 fine fruit is spoiled in consequence. — Thomas Kecobd, Liilcsden 

 Gardens, Ilawkhitrst. 



POPcTRiVITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, AND 



FKUITS. 



Spib.t;a palmata (Palmate-leaved Spira-a). Nat. ord., Bo- 

 sace^e. Linn., Icosandria Pentagynia. — Introduced by Messrs. 

 Noble, of Bagshot. Stems, branches, and flowers crimson 

 beautiful x:)lant. Native of Japan.^(L'o;. it/t///., f- 5726.) 



MvKicA Nagi (Yangmae Fruit of China — Yamamo-moki of 

 Japan). NaL ord.., Myricaceas. Linn.j Moncecia Tri-octandria. 



A 



