JOTJBNAIi OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t April 2, 1868. 



considerable portion of the ontside world. Your correspondent has 

 not heard how many individnals paid their rupees for tickets for ad- 

 misBioii, bnt he imagines there coald not have been less than eight or 

 nine hundred people present, of whom, owing to careful and wise 

 arrangements on the part of the Committee, a very small portion were 

 natives. It was long after dark before the last carriage reached home 

 from a very pleasant entertainment. 



The following extracts from the official Report in the supplement to 

 the Mysore O'u'xttc, dated Bangalore, 1st February, relate to this 

 Show. 



There was a marked improvement in'the quantity, as well as quality of 

 Cauliflowers. Those exhibited by Nunjoondappah, and a single specimen 

 by Nnnjap.ah, were remarkably fine ; whilst those displayed by the Lunatic 

 Asylum and Colonel Clerk were also very good. In Carrots throughout 

 there was a marked improvement this year, as likewise in Turnips and 

 Red Cabbages. The Savoy and ordinary Cabbages and Potatoes also 

 decidedly came up to the mark, as likewise some very line Celery of 

 Colonel Clerk's. The Celery of Mrs. Eowring was second best : but 

 native production in Celery was too old and coarse. There was a falling- 

 off in Asparagus and Vegetable Marrows, the Jurors missing as regards 

 the latter the crinkled varieties of last year. Parsnips, Artichokes, 

 Leeks and Sea-kale, which were hardly represented at the last Show, 

 were very fairly represented this time ; and there was the novelty of a 

 dish of Brussels Sprouts. 



The following flowers and plants were exhibited :— Arum indicum, 

 Achillea, Asters, Victoria; Achimenes gigantea ; Antirrhinum, seven 

 varieties ; Camellia Balsams ; Bellis perennis (Daisy), Begonia discolor, 

 grandiflora, dipetala, racemiflora, nigricans, fuchsioides. Rex; Cal- 

 ceolaria, one shrubby kind ; Calliopsis nigra speciosa, Burridgi, 

 Brmnmondi, tinctoria ; Callii-hne involucrata ; Camellia, one specimen 

 in bud ; Campanula, common kind ; Canna Warscewiczii, Chrysanthe- 

 mnhi, a dark red variety ; Cineraria maritima, Clarkia elegans, 

 pink and white ; Cleome speciosa ; Convolvulus mauritanicus ; Caladium 

 bicolor, Wightii, marmoratum, argyrites, picturatum, amabile ; Crotou ; 

 Cnphea eminens, Deeringia celosioidos ; Dahlia dwarf, ene specimen ; 

 Dianthus, (Carnations) three varieties; D. llcddcwigi, five varieties; 

 Erysimum arkansanum ; Euphorbia fulgens ; Ferns, thirteen varieties ; 

 Fuchsia, seven varieties : Zonal Pelargoniums, scarlet series, thi'oo 

 varieties ; pink, two varieties ; cherry and white, one variety ; Cape 

 Sweet-scented, two varieties; Heartsease, six varieties. Heliotrope, 

 Ivy, Larkspur, common blue, pink, and v.iriegated ; Linum coccineum ; 

 Lobelia cardinalis, L. speciosa, three varieties; Maurandya, three 

 colonrs; Myosotis, one common kind ; Nemophibi maculatn, Nolana 

 lanceolata, (Enothera Drummoudi nana, Papaver (Poppy), two colours ; 

 Pentstemon, three kinds; Petunia, one hybrid, Dunnett's ; also rose- 

 coloured and common white ; Phlox alba, P. Black Warrior, Empress 

 Eugenie, common ; Portulaca single, three colours ; Roses, nine distinct 

 varieties; Russelia, one variety; Salvia splendens, S. argentea; San- 

 vitalia, single and double; TropiEolmn Tom Thumb Scarlet, golden 

 yellow, Trentham Rose, common orange, common dark rod ; Tacsonia 

 ignea; Verbena, white, coral, pm-ple, pink, scarlet, dark red; Zinnia, 

 double. 



Fruits consisted of Apples, Peaches, Strawberries, Raspberries, Oranges, 

 Guavas, Pomegranates. Shaddocks, Plantains, Plums, and a dwarf Vino 

 in a pot just one year old with five bunches of ripe Grapes on it. 



The vegetables were as follows:— Potatoes, Savoys, red and white, 

 Cabbage, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower, Carrots, Knol Khol, Beet, 

 Lettuce, Endive, Artichokes, Jerusalem Artichokes, Celery, Onions, 

 Vegetable Marrow, Cucumber, Parsnips, Radishes (long and Turnip), 

 Kidney Beans, Asparagus, Windsor Beans, Peas, Tomatoes, collections 

 of Pot Herbs— viz, Thvme, Parslev, Mint, Sage, Ac, in bunches. Sweet 

 Potatoes, fresh Capsicums, fresh Ncpaul Chillies, Pumpkins, Bendakai 

 (Hibiscus esculentuB), Brinjals (Solanum melongena), Turnips, and Yams. 

 Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, had written to the Secretary of the 

 Society, and the following is an extract from the letter: — 



" From your height, 3000 feet above sea level, I am quite inclined to 

 think yon could cultivate Peaches, Nectarines, Plums, Pears, and Cherries, 

 on low bush trees, for this reason, that they are more easily protected, 

 when necessary, from a too powerful sun. Near Sydney the climate of 

 which is far too hot for Gooseberries and Currants, they succeed in their 

 culture by planting them in selected sites, and protecting them by a roof 

 of strips of Eucalyptus bark, not too close so as to exclude all the sun 

 and air: you might do it by a light caUco awning. If you can grow 

 •excellent Apples ' you need not feel any doubt about succeeding with 

 other European fruits. Tour courageous knife work is very interesting 

 to read of; as far as I have learnt, it is the want of it that leads to so 

 many failures in fruit culture in hot climates. The present gardener to 

 the Pasha of Egvpt, an EugUshmau, on his first arrival cut down all the 

 Muscat Grapa Vines which were in a very neglected state ; the native 

 gardeners were horrified ; and would not believe their eyes when they 

 saw them full of fine fruits a few months alter they were ' ruined.' lour 

 method of pot-making seems sound, but 13-inch pots would give you less 

 trouble, as trees will grow ui them tor several years. I now endeavour to 

 encourage the roots to come to the surface for warmth, by giving the 

 trees three or four surface-dressings during the summer. It is well, as 

 yon suggest, to keep the roots from going too far down, not, as here, to 

 prevent their striking down into too cold a medium, deep earth, but to 

 prevent their becoming too large, in which case breaking them proves 

 ofteu.too great a shock to the tree." 



TPJTELEIA UNIFLORA REJIAINING DORMANT. 



Whilst travelling in Italy during the winter of 186.5-66 

 nothing pleased me more in the various gardens I visited 

 than the numerous pots and patches of that lovely little flower 

 Triteleia uniflora, and I made up my mind to grow it in my 

 garden as soon as I got home. 



Before I left Rome one of the gardeners at the Botanic Gar- 

 dens gave me a large potful of bulbs. These I carefully planted 

 as soon as I reached home in April. They came up very luxu- 



riantly before Christmas, and though planted in a very exposed 

 situation, and totally unprotected during that extremely sever© 

 winter, bloomed beautifully in May, 1867. 



I was somewhat annoyed this spring to find no green leaves 

 appearing from any of my patches of bulbs ; so I dug down to 

 the roots, and foimd every bulb in a dormant state, and show- 

 ing no sign of growth. I should like to know whether any of 

 your readers have noticed this peculiarity in Triteleia uniflora. 

 — H. Hir.PUK Ceewe, The Rectory, Drayton-Bcauchamp, Triny. 



FLOWERS OF OTHER DAYS. 



I w.>.s very much pleased to see the article with the above 

 heading, in the Journal of March l'2th, and I have no doubt 

 with such resuscitating tendencies as that communication in- 

 dicates, the flowers of the past will be the flowers of the future. 

 If, after the manner of "H. H.vepur Ckewe," those who admire 

 these old denizens of our old gardens, would bring before us 

 what good things they possess, and inquire after the good 

 things they are desirous to obtain, very much good might be 

 done ; and if a small spacn in the Journal were devoted to in- 

 quiries after these old favourites, and offering others in ex- 

 change, very many plants supposed to be lost would be brought 

 into notice ; and here goes for a start. 



Any plant out of a collection of seven hundred will be given 

 for a plant of Ramondia pyrenaica, or Verbascum Myconi, as 

 it is sometimes called ; also for Dracocephalum grandiflortim, 

 and if " H. Hakpur Ckewe " will communicate with me, I can 

 tell who has both Baptisia australis and Narcissus triandrus 

 to spare. 



Michauxia campanuloides is a fine and a rare plant. I intro- 

 duced it a few years ago to the Liverpool Botanic Garden, 

 where it was much thought of, but I should say it is more of a 

 Passionflower-looking plant than a Lily. I do not grow it 

 now, as I have no room for biennials. 



The old Double White Cowslip has become extinct with me. 

 The Double Yellow, or Hose-in-Hose, has been charming for 

 some time. I have been gladdened with a pretty little plant 

 from Lapland, which has been in flower for some weeks — Cax- 

 damine trifoliata, a real gem, pure and white as its native 

 snows. 



Fumaria cava is also charming, and Draba aizoon is showing 

 its golden tufts of bloom, and Gentiana verna is aU but in 

 flower ; but I must rein-in my horse, or I know not where I shall 

 gallop to. — Tnos. Williams, Bath Lodye, Onnskirk. 



[You reined-in too soon, you might have kept on lor another 

 stage — that is, another sheet of paper. — Eds.] 



NEPETA NEPETELLA. 



I riND, since I wrote to you about the Nepeta, that I have 

 made a mistake in the specific name ; it is nepeteUa not 

 nepetos. I have also heard it called Macrantba balsamea and 

 fragrans. 



The first time I saw it bedded-out was at Hampton Court, in 

 1865, and on referring to some notes made at the time, I find 

 it was labelled Nepeta nepeteUa. I thought it looked very 

 pretty there, but from the appearance of the beds I think the 

 old plants were allowed to remain in them, a course I would 

 not advise, as I find it looks and does best when treated as an 

 ordinary bedding plant. 



It was bedded here last year as a third row from the front, 

 Crystal Palace Pelargonium being the row in front, and Tren- 

 tliam Calceolaria immediately behind. There is another pecu- 

 liarity in this plant which I have not seen in any other. When 

 seen from a distance on a bright sunny day, it seems to throw 

 np a blue light for. 9 inches or a foot immediately above it, 

 which gives it a singtilarly pleasing effect. 



With regard to where it may be purchased, Messrs. Veitch 

 had a stock of it two years since, but as it was not much in de- 

 mand it may have shared the fate of some others of our old 

 plants. 



If treated as an ordinary bedding plant, I can vouch for its 

 succeeding and looking well in lines in long borders. I do_ npt 

 think it looks quite so well in masses, bnt as I only saw it in 

 masses at Hampton Court, and as probably the plants were old, 

 it may look as well in masses as lines when treated differently. 

 It has been used largely here for the last six years, and it has 

 never failed to look and do well, whether the seasons were dry 

 or wet. 



I should like to say a word for our old herbaceous borders. 



