March 20, 1873. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



239 



great alternations of heat and cold ; in other words, hot and 

 4raughty. 



Although the disease in question appears also in vineyards, 

 still there may be some similar reason even there why Grapes 

 should be affected by the change from a very burning day to 

 a night of cold evaporating rain, else why in four instances 

 ■where there were cold draughts, and iu these only out of 

 some ten houses, should the mildew show itself? In the 

 Potato disease, which is akin to this one, sudden atmospherical 

 changes are highly predisposing to blight. Vie must, however, 

 confess to our ignorance, as yet, as to the true causes of mil- 

 dew, il-c, though we seem to be on the right track. 



During the period of the blooming of the orchard-house trees 

 here many days were unfavourable, from violent winds accom- 

 panied by cold sleet and rain. It was certainly a triumph of 

 iorticultural skill to be able to witness the trees in full beauty 

 under a downfall of deadly sleet on the glass, so calm and 

 sheltered, and to know they were safe. In the open air 

 nothing could have saved the crop, except the glazed copings 

 now in fashion, and which I admire greatly when combined 

 with good front defences. I prefer orchard houses, of course, 

 and where very stormy winds prevail, I should do so espe- 

 cially. The other evening a furious squall of wind and sleet 

 broke over us. Fearing lest the servants should have for- 

 gotten to secure some portion of the many ropes and weights 

 of the houses, I took a light and wandered all over them, exa- 

 mining them thoroughly (the more so, as there is access from 

 the sitting-room to several hundred feet of glass), and whilst 

 the frantic storm raged without, bending every rafter, and the 

 panes were thick with melting snow, it was a picture of true 

 beauty to see each pink blossom nestling near its friendly group 

 •of leaves, illumined by the Ught I carried, which waved and 

 flickered in the draught. Though I have a famUiar experience 

 of storms such as are unknown to inland dwellers, there is still 

 to me an ever-new source of admiration in the perfect security 

 of the trees, and of their two-thousand yearly produce, which 

 has never as yet these many years been diminished. — T. C. 

 BBfiHioi, liichmond House, Guernsey. 



EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S SHOW 



AND COMMITTEE MEETINGS. 



Maech 19th and 20th. 



The Show of Hyacinths and other spring flowers opened on 

 Wednesday, and wiU be continued to-day. We remarked on 

 the last occasion, but a fortnight ago, that horticulturists 

 seemed to be thoroughly determined to support the Society, and 

 that remark holds good of the present Exhibition as it did of 

 that which is past. Marvellous, indeed, are the Hyacinths 

 shown ; when such men as Messrs. Veitch " go in " to win they 

 do so with a will, and, what is more, with a skill that must 

 carry them to the front. Nor need the defeated repine at their 

 fate ; there is not a discreditable collection in the Show. 

 Fourth prizes in some cases were awarded ; they were well 

 earned — better earned than many first ijrizes in former years. 

 This more ijarticularly applies to the amateurs' classes, for the 

 -names of Paul and Cutbush have always maintained their own 

 most honourably, and with varying success in those which be- 

 longed to them. A very great improvement is manifest in the 

 amateurs' classes for Hyacinths, tlie first and even second-prize 

 ■collections being of such excellence as would do great credit 

 even to the largest growers. The same remark apphes to the 

 TuUps, which, it is true, are comparatively few, but still what 

 there are, are very good. Of miscellaneous subjects there is as 

 usual an ample and attractive display. 



Class 1 was for fifty distinct Hyacinths, nurserymen only. 

 "There are two exhibitors — viz., Messrs. Veitch, of Chelsea, and 

 Messrs. Cutbush, of Highgate. Messrs. Veitch are first with, pro- 

 bably, the rnost magnificent collection ever exhibited, the spikes 

 heing of the most massive description, and the bells large and 

 beautifully coloured. The varieties are : — Single Bed — Howard, 

 L'Ornemeut de la Nature, Gigantea, very fine blush ; Scarlet 

 Light, Vuurbaak, splendid ; Princess Alexandra, very large and 

 foeautitul in colour ; Princess Clothilde, Emmeline, blush ; Ma- 

 caulay. Princess Charlotte, Beauty of Waltham, bright rose 

 with a white eye ; Prince Albert Victor, a splendid deep crim- 

 son ; Fabiola, Cavaignac, Lina, large and extremely brilUant ; 

 Garibaldi, Victor Emanuel, Koh-i-Noor, and Von Schiller. 

 Single Blue — Grand Lilas, Czar Peter, very large; Charles 

 Dickens, Admiral de Ruyter, with immense spike and bells ; 

 Orondates, De Candolle, King of the Blues, Lord Palmerston, 

 Marie, very fine ; Lord Byron, Blondin, Sir John Lawrence, 

 Prince Albert, General Havelock, and Lothair. Single Lilac or 

 Mauae — Sir Henry Havelock, Charles Dickens, and Haydn. 

 Single lK/u7e— Paix de I'Earope, Miss Nightingale, Alba Max- 



ima, Grandeur a MerveiUe.L'Iuuocence, Snowball, La Grandesse, 

 Queen of the Netherlands, and Baroness Van Tuyll. Single 

 Yfliow — Ida and Bu-d of Paradise. Double Red. — Princess 

 Louise. Double Blue — Van Speyk. Messrs. Cutbush's second- 

 prize lot contains fine examples of Gigantea, Milton, Grand 

 Lilas, King of the Blues, Mimosa, Queen of the Netherlands, 

 and many of the kinds already named, though not equal in size 

 and symmetry of spike to the first-prize collection. 



In the nurserymen's class for eighteen Hyacinths, Messrs. 

 Veitch and Messrs. Cutbush again occupy the same relative 

 positions, Messrs. Veitch being first with a marvellously fine 

 collection, containing the largest spikes both for length and 

 breadth we have ever seen, and absolutely perfect. They are, 

 too, very even in size throughout, notwithstanding that the 

 collection includes several varieties not usually attaining the 

 largest size. The kinds are : — General Havelock, King of the 

 Blues, Feruck Khan, Grand Monarque, Blondin, Prince /Ubert 

 Victor, Fabiola, La Grandesse, Macaulay, Argus, Koh-i-Noor, 

 De Candolle, Gigantea, Haydn, Garibaldi, Grandeur a Merveille, 

 Ida, aud Gigantea. Messrs. Cutbush's are also of high excel- 

 lence. In it are remarkably fine examples of De Candolle, 

 Howard, La Grandesse, Prince Albert, Macaulay, Haydn, Graurl 

 Lilas, aud others. Messrs. Carter, Dunnett, & Beale, Crystal 

 Palace Nursery, Forest Hill, are third with a very good lot. 



In the amateurs' class 3, for twelve, Mr. G. Withall, gardener 

 to A. Travers, Esq., 28a, Addison Road, Kensington, is first with 

 large and extremely fine spikes ; Koh-i-Noor, Vuurbaak, Ca- 

 vaignac, Gigantea, Grandeur a Merveille, King of the Blues, 

 and La Grandesse being fespecially noteworthy. Mr. Douglas, 

 gardener to F. Whitbourn, Esq., Loxford Hall, Ilford, is second 

 with a collection of high quahty; Macaulay, Lord Derby, Leo- 

 nidas, aud Gigantea being specially noticeable for size and 

 quality. Mr. Weir, gardener to Mrs. Hodgson, The Elms, Hamp- 

 stead, is tlih-d with a very good twelve. In the class for six, 

 the Rev. H. H. Dombrain, Westwell Vicarage, Ashford, Kent, is 

 first with large and exceedingly well-grown spikes; Mrs. E. 

 Wilding, 1, Chesterfield Street, Eustou Eoad, being second; 

 Mr. E. Bowe, gardener to Mrs. Lewis, The Rookery, Roehamp- 

 ton, third ; and Mr. George, gardener to Miss Nicholson, Putney 

 Heath, fourth. 



The next, Class 5, is for amateurs who have not previously 

 tak»n the Society's prize for Hyacinths. Here Mr. G. Withal], 

 gardener to A. Travers, Esq., is first with superb examples of 

 Fabiola, Lothair, Macaulay, Feruck Khan, Mont Blanc, and 

 Koh-i-Noor. Mr. Farrow, gardener to G. Batters, Esq., Briga- 

 dier Hill House, Enfield, is second, Mrs. E. Wilding third, and 

 Mr. D. Pizzey, gardener to Sir E. Perry, Fulmer, Slough, 

 fourth, each having very good specimens. 



The next class was for six new kinds never before exhibited. 

 Messrs. Veitch were awarded the first prize, the half-dozen 

 consisting of S.almon King, with a broad compact spike, salmon, 

 with a deeper-coloured stripe in the centre of each segment; 

 Lady Tuyll, silvery rose with a bright pink stripe, fine spike; 

 Lord Cairns, a pecuUar-coloured blush, suffused with rose ; 

 Princess Beatrice, and Mary, pure white, with excellent spikes, 

 the bells closely set and with broad segments ; and Massini, 

 one of the single blue class, with immense spike and bells, 

 pale porcelain blue — this received a first-class certificate. Mr. 

 Douglas, Loxford Hall Gardens, took the second prize. In his 

 collection Hector is a splendid intense crimson, and if the spike 

 prove larger and more compact after cultivation it wUl be an 

 acquisition. Sybil, a new single red, has large bells with broad 

 segments, blush deepening to rose in the centre of the seg- 

 ments, and it promises to have a large spike. 



Tulips are not numerously shown, but the quality is very 

 good. Messrs. Veitch are the only exhibitors in the nursery- 

 men's class, and take a first prize with Proserpine, White Potte- 

 bakker, Vermilion Brillant, Canary Bird, Rose Luisante, aud 

 Keizer Kroon, bloomed to perfection. In the amateurs' class 

 the prizes go to Mr. Weir, Mr. Rowe, and Mr. Withall, in the 

 order in which their names are given. The varieties exhibited 

 are for the most part the same as those shown by Messrs. 

 Veitch. 



Of Crocuses there is only one collection — that from Messrs. 

 Veitch, which takes a well-merited first prize, being admirably 

 bloomed. It includes of white kinds Theba, Mont Blanc, and 

 Caroline Chisholm; of lilac, blue, aud striped, Othello, Sir 

 Walter Scott, Prince Regent, and Albion. 



The only exhibitors for Mrs. Lloyd Wynne's prizes for Nar- 

 cissus, and Messrs. Barr & Sugden's special prizes for the same 

 flower, were Miss Florence Barr aud Mr. Rudolph Barr, Lower 

 Tooting, and Mr. Ware, Tottenham. 



The first prize for six pots of Mignonette was awarded to Mr. 

 R. Laing, gardener to C. Flower, Esq., Tooting Common, for 

 large specimens trained in the pyramidal form, and pretty weU 

 flowered. Mr. J. Goddard, gardener to A. Chancellor, Esq., The 

 Retreat, Richmond, is second. For three standards Mr. Laing, 

 the only exhibitor, was awarded the first prize for well-growu 

 pLants. 



In Class 16, twelve Golden Tricolor Pelargoniums, distinct, 



