April 98, 1868. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



311 



are objects of f^eat intcregt. and the inemliers of the Society would 

 b« preatly pleased to have more frequent exhibition of them. 



Mr. Sherratt, piidener to J. Bateman, Esq., received a special cer- 

 tificate for some very fine spikes of J>cndrobinm Diilhouaianura. Mr. 

 Baxter, f.;ardenertoC. Keiser, Esq., Broxbourue, exhibited a cut flower 

 of a Cattlcya sent oat from the Society's gardens four years aj^o, one 

 of Mr. Weir's introduction, and which was found to be C. intermedia. 

 A si>ecial certificate was awarded to Mr. Baxter for his collection of 

 Amaryllids. A seedlinj^ dark crimson variety of fine form, named 

 Rembrandt, was awarded a first-clasa certificate. Mr. Stone, Rardener 

 to J. Day, Esq., Tottenham, received a first-class certificate for Sacco- 

 labium cnrvifolium lutonm, with deep jellow flowers, and a special 

 for his collection of Orchids. 



Mr. Dean. Shipley Nurseries, Bradford, bad a first-class certificate 

 for Lomariagibba major, a very fine Fern ; Messrs. E. G. Henderson 

 a special certificate for pood specimens of Blandfordia, also for a nice 

 collection of Orchids. Mr. lireen, gardener to W. W. Saunders, 

 Esq., was awarded a special certificate for a vei-y cunous and interest- 

 ing eolloctinu of plants. Mr. Stevens, Ealing, sent a double white 

 Petunia named Excellent, two variegated Pelargoniums out of con- 

 dition, but very promising, and called Beauty of Ealing and Mrs. 

 Stevens ; also a rough-leaved seedling variegated Ivy-leaved Pelargo- 

 nium, too coarso for bedding or any purpose. Mr. Mills, gardener to 

 Dr. Pattison, St. John's Wood, sent a tine specimen of Oncidium 

 bifolium, which was awarded a special certificate ; and Mr. R.J. Veitch, 

 Exeter, cut specimens of a seedling white Azalea not named, and 

 rather rough in outline. Mr. Kinghom exhibited a small specimen of 

 his striped seedling Azalea Lizzie, which well maintains its character 

 and desert of a first-class certificate. 



Gener.vl Meetixg. — W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.R.S., in the 

 chair. After a list of donations of plants and seeds had been read, 

 and a vote of thanks accorded to the donors, ten new Fellows were 

 elected, and the South Nottinghamshire Horticultural Society was ad- 

 mitted into union. The awards of the Fruit and Floral Committees 

 liaving beeu reported as usual to the Meeting, the Chairman called on 

 the Rev. M. J. Berkeley to make any remarks which he might have 

 to offer. 



Mr. Berkeley said that at the last Meeting a magnifioent Gesnera 

 had been exhibited by Mr. R. Tanton, nursei-yman, of Epsom, and 

 which had been sent home by Mr. Tanton's brother. Two members 

 of the Floral Committee thought at the time it was exhibited that it 

 was identical with Gesnera macrantha purpurea ; and on referring to 

 the " Gai'deners' Magazine of Botany," published some years ago, 

 he found a very exact representation of the plant, and it was there 

 stated that an unk-nown Gesnera crossed with Gesnera Cooperi, which 

 is a foiTQ of Gesnera bulbosa, gave Gesnera macrantha ; that Gesnera 

 macrantha crossed with another variety gave Gesnera macrantha pur- 

 purea which agrees perfectly with the natural hybrid. Here then, if 

 the two plants — that naturally and that artificially produced — were 

 identical, we had an important illustration of the Darwinian theory. 

 Mr. Tanton, who some years ago was one of the foremen at Chiswick, 

 remarked in a letter : — " I have for years grown and been very fond 

 of this family, especially the old species. The true Gesnera ma- 

 crantha purpurea has a blackish purple lip, while my imported species 

 has only two small purplish blotches on each side of the lip and par- 

 tially down the throat. Again, in growing, it is dwarfer in habit, leaves 

 larger and more ficshy, e:^pecially the lamina, and has withal a ten- 

 dency to flower perpetually. The plant I exhibited has been in flower 

 npwards of two months, and to all appearance from tho buds which 

 continue to emanate from the axils of the flowers it will bloom two or 

 three months longer. Now, G. macrantha purpurea flowers and is 

 gone in a month, and the growth immediately dies away and the bulb 

 goes to rest. The same is the case with G. bulbosa. Cooperi, iVc."' 



Mr. Tanton had promised to send the plant again, and he (Mr. 

 Berkeley), had requested Messrs. Veitch to send a plant of G. ma- 

 crantha pui-purea for comparison, and he hoped others would do the 

 same. 



On two or three occasions lately they had had instances of abnormal 

 structure in Orchids. In one case there was a double column, in 

 another a double Up ; and in a Cypripedium at the last meeting the 

 lip was almost altogether obliterated, whilst at this there was a flower 

 of Cattleya amethystina with only three of its divisions developed. 

 Attention was then directed to Ismene calathiua from Mr. Wilson 

 Saunders, and au extremely interesting Sauromatum, S. aspenim, 

 from the same gentleman, and which was one of those species which 

 throw up a beautifully variegated stem, this being produced after the 

 flowers. The latter were not remarkable for their beauty, and in 

 some plants of this order are extremely offensive ; so much so that 

 one — Conophallus bnlhifer, was kept outside the room. Blandfordia 

 flammea and Cunninghami then came under notice : and Mr. Berkeley 

 observed that Sir William Hooker, in describing B. flammea, remarked 

 on tho extreme variability of the species, saying of B. Cunninghami, 

 discovered by Allan Cunningham, " Fine specimens of the plant are 

 in our herbarium, gathered in the Blue Mountains ; but so variable 

 were the species of Blandfordia considered by that practical botanist 

 Mr. Cunningham, that ho has indicated it as ' B. nobilis: very luxu- 

 riant specimens from a stifi" and clayey bank, beneath a permanent 

 elevated peaty bog.* " Tho specimens before the meeting confirmed 

 the remark of Sir W. Hooker. 



Mr. Berkeley said ho would next call attention to a beautiful Fern, 

 a sport of Lomaria gibba, sent by Mr. Dean, of tho Shipley Nurseries, 

 and which, if examined, would be found to possess no characteristic of 

 Lomaria gibba, but to be a true Blechnum; and other instances were 

 quoted of tho extreme instability of the genera of Fcsms, in some of 

 which as many as three or four so-called genera might be observed, 

 according to the degree of development acquired under tho circum- 

 stances in which they were growing. With regard to Cibotium regale 

 and spectabilo which were also shown, he understood from persons 

 who had seen them at Ghent, that they were there quite magnificent, 

 ha^ang stems as thick as one's ann. Ho had lately drawn attention 

 to a case of fasciation in Primula denticulata, in which tho flower 

 stems had become flattened— in fact, incorporated together, but he 

 had never seen fasciation carried to such an extent as in the Poly- 

 anthus sent by Mr. Cox, of Redleaf, to the present meeting, and the 

 effect of which was extremely beautiful. A plant sent by Messrs. 

 Veitch under the name of Echoveria agavoidcs, but whose proper 

 specific name was aloides, it was stated might prove useful for edgings 

 to bods or borders. 



Mr. Berkeley said he had now a subject of some importance to bring 

 before tho Society. At a meeting of tho Society of Arts on Wednes- 

 day last the subject of Fungi as an article of food was under discussion, 

 and it was suggested that the Royal Horticultural Society should offer 

 a prize for collectious of edible Fungi. One of these, Agaricus gam- 

 bosus, which was sometimes sold in Covent Garden, would probably 

 come in in a few days, and, therefore, it might not be possible to have 

 that in autumn, still there were many that came in together at that 

 season, and a friend of his had proposed a prize for edible Fungi in 

 September. At the same time it was suggested that those known to 

 be poisonous should also be shown. 



Mr. Saunders said, with regard to Ismene calathiua that it was 

 closely allied to Pancratium, and was of easy culture. Coming from 

 the warmer parts of Peru, the bulb, after resting, required to be re- 

 moved to a warmer place after it began to push. As to Echeveria 

 aloides, the plant, he believed, was now seen for the fir^t time in 

 flower in this country. It was closely allied to tho secunda section, 

 and might be useful for the same purposes ; but Echeveria glauca, he 

 believed, would beat it some day. 



Mr. Bateman said that the only drawback to an exhibition of Fungi 

 in September would be so many of the members of the Society being 

 out of to\vn, and suggested that the Fungi should be properly dressed, 

 for some that were othenvise poisonous became wholesome when 

 cooked. With regard to Orchids, there was one pre-eminently splen- 

 did — Oncidium Marshallianum, which must be admitted to bear away 

 the palm from all yellow Oncids. When at Berlin he had seen dried 

 specimens of it in the museum, but the first time he had seen it alive 

 was at one of tho Regent's Park shows, and then it had only half the 

 number of flowers, and probably in course of time the uamber of 

 these would be very largely increased. Referring then to Saccolabium 

 ampullaceum, the ordinary pale pink variety was considered very fine, 

 i but the power of rose could go no farther than in the fiue Moulmein 

 variety shown by Messrs. Rollisson, and which he believed formed 

 part of a small parcel of spotted-leaved varieties, imported by Messrs. 

 Low several years ago. Of Saccolabium cnrvifolium, the ordinary 

 colour was the richest cinnabar, but in the variety shown by Mr. Day 

 it was a fine yellow ; but though this variety was interesting as a sport, 

 it was not so beautiful as its original. With regard to Oncidium ser- 

 ratum, exhibited by Mr. Marshall, it afforded an examjile of abnormal 

 structure, two of the petals having become conjoined ; but when it 

 first flowered with the Bishop of Winchester some of the flowers were 

 without sepals, others without petals. 



Next came the genus Dendrobium, and among them was D. Tatto- 

 nianum, named after Lord Egerion, of Tatton, and which was not the 

 most remarkable plant of its family, still its flowers were agreeably 

 fragrant, and would last at least two months in perfection, if the 

 plant was pi'operly grown. Because D. speciosum also comes from 

 Australia, and would succeed in a greenhouse temperature, people 

 must not suppose that D. Tattonianum would do with the same tem- 

 perature, for the former came from the sonth, the latter from the 

 north of that island-eoutinent, and from withiu a few degrees of the 

 e(piator. Like Cape bulbs, it wanted a good roasting for half the 

 year, then with plenty of heat and moisture it would send up its 

 beautiful racemes. Messrs. Veitoh's new Dendrobium lasioglossum, 

 from India, he would for the present merely mention. After noticing 

 some cut blooms of Dendrobiums from his own garden, among which 

 were the white variety of Dendrobium nobile, sometimes misnamed 

 D. Wallichianum, and D. Dalhousiauum, a species producing noble 

 racemes of buff flowers, which remain long in perfection, Mr. Bateman 

 pointed out the splendid specimen of Oncidium bifolium, with a spike 

 2 feet 4 inches in length, shown by Mr. Mills, gardener to Dr. Pattison, 

 and which, he said, would have astonished Orchid-growers thirty 

 years ago. Of Odontoglossum luteo-puq)ureum a number was shown, 

 and in a cool house it did well to mis with other Orchids ; and of 

 Odontoglossum triumphans, the specimen from Mr. Marshall was 

 deserring of particular attention. 



Mr. Bateman next produced to the Meeting a small specimen of the 

 pretty Cy])ripedium concolor, with two flowers, which he believed 

 to be the normal number the plant produces. The genus Cypri- 

 pedium was remarkable for its different tints, and C. caudatum, which 

 produces long string-like appendages, which grow at the rate of 



