260 



JOCENAL OF HORTICDLTDEE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t March 27, 187S. 



splendid foUection of Clematises. Messrs. Veitch seut a small 

 collection of new plants, including Dracfcna imperialis, one of 

 the finest of the genus; Phormium atropurpureum, a striking 

 dark purple kind ; and the beautifully marked Maranta Ma- 

 koyana. Messrs. EoUisson, of Tooting, contributed large bushes 

 of Mignonette, which were examples of successful cultivation ; 

 and besides a large collection of plants for spring ornamentation, 

 Mr. Ware, of Tottenham, exhibited a very dark-leaved variety of 

 the Sweet William, which may prove u.seful for bedding purposes. 

 A new Eose, called Abbe Bramere), exhibited by Mr. W. Paul, 

 had extremely rich maroon crimson flowers, and appeared to be 

 a very desirable addition. 



VEITCH MEMORIAL PHIZES. 

 The trustees of the Veitch Memorial have decided to offer 

 medals accompanied with the following prizes at the Meeting 

 of the Eoyal Horticultural Society to be held at Bath from the 

 24th to the 28th of June next. 



1. For the best dish of Black Grapes exhibited in the 



Show £5 



2. Ditto of "White Grapes in the Show, not Muscat 5 



3. Ditto of White Muscat Grapes in the Show 5 



4. For the best cultivated Orchid in bloom in the Show 5 



5. Ditto Stove Plant in bloom in the Show 5 



6. Ditto Greenhouse Plant in bloom in the Show 5 



Any dispute that may arise as to the definition of stove or 

 greenhouse plants or to any other matter in reference to these 

 prizes is to be settled by the Judges, whose decision shall be 

 final. 



GLADIOLUS, GLADIOLUS, OE GLADIOLUS? 



The pronunciation of Gladiolus and similar Latin words is 

 not a mere question of analogy, as " P. D." would suggest, 

 but of rules recognised by all classical authors ; and by these 

 rules Mr. Dombrain's pronunciation is the only correct one, 

 for the following reasons — " Where two vowels meet, the first 

 is always short," with a few well-known exceptions, but of 

 which Gladiolus is not one. This disposes of the letter i, 

 which must therefore be shortened. As to the letter o, there 

 is also a more positive rule — namely, " The penultimate syl- 

 lable of diminutives is short ;" and Gladiolus is a dimiuutive 

 of (jladiiis, a sword, and therefore signifies " a little sword 

 and these two rules decide the disputed question in favour cf 

 Mr. Dombrain's decision. 



Of course " P. D." may not like to depart from established 

 usage, however corrupt it be ; but as there are three distinct 

 usages in this case it is desirable to reduce them to uniformit-\ 

 and in doing so to establish that which is correct ; and as the 

 word imder consideration is a purely Latin word we should 1 

 guided in the decision, not by rules of taste, fancy, or anak^^ 

 but by those of the prosody of the language to which it belonj,^, 

 and bj' which alone it should be determined. — A. M. 



front a row of Tulips, Chinese Primroses, and Cyclamens. An 

 effective centre to the whole is formed round a large standard 

 Bay by means of Camellias, Cinerarias, I'runus triloba, and 

 plants of Chama^rops humilis, surrounded with a ring of Lily of 

 the Valley. Hyacinths in particular are numerously exhibited, 

 but as we have lately devoted so much space to that deservedly 

 popular flower, we will not enter into details of varieties ; suffice 

 it to say that the best kinds are well represented. Year by 

 year they are becoming more popular, year by j'ear the speci- 

 mens jiroduced improve ; and they are, besides, an unselfish 

 flower, for both from necessity in their culture and a not unpar- 

 donable pride in the amateur owner, they belong as much to 

 the public by '' right of eye " as to him by right of possession. 

 We hope that such exhibitions as that which Messrs. Downie 

 and Co. have opened will become more general, for many an 

 amateur will thus be enabled to select for hiinself plants which 

 suit his means and tastes. 



THE BEAUTIFUL AND USEFUL INSECTS OF 

 OUE GARDENS.— No. 2. 

 Owing to the singular transformations which take place in the 

 insect world, we are apt to overlook some of the most beautiful 

 objects {in fiitnro) just because we happen only to see them in 

 some preparatory stage, when they are unattractive or seeni 

 even repulsive. Thus in the chrysalis or pupa state it is 

 almost needless to say that in nine cases out of ten neither 

 butterflies nor moths show any elegance of form or richness 

 of colour, and the temporary vesture of the enclosed insect 

 gives no sign of the winged being shortly to emerge. Of 

 course the gardener, pursuing his routine of work in the early 

 months of the year, cannot fail to turn up many pupai as he 

 digs the ground, some of these receiving fatal injuries from 

 the implement employed. I know it is the practice with some 

 persons to pick-out from the earth thrown up everything that 

 is supposed to be an insect, and destroy it ; and I have seen 

 on gravel walks numerous pupa? which had been crushed in- 

 tentionally, a good part of which were probably quite innocu>. 

 ous to the garden. Amongst the beautiful insects which thus 

 occasionally come to a sudden yet painless end is the Lim* 



The analogy by which " P. D." wishes to show from baliolu'! 

 filiolus, unciola, and alveolus that the i in Gladiolus is loni- 

 and that the accent should accordingly fall upon it, tends to 

 the very opposite he wishes to establish ; thus filiolus is i 

 dimiuutive of filius, in which the first i is long and the second 

 short. Derivatives as a rule retain the same principal vowel 

 accents as their primaries : hence filiolus, similarly unciola is 

 a diminutive of uncia, alveolus of alvcus, and Gladiolus of 

 gladius. If the prosody of baUolus requires the i long in the 

 single instance in which it occurs in Plautus, yet eminent 

 scholars have expressed their opinion that the word itself is 

 doubtful. Mr. Dombrain has, therefore, manifestly strong 

 grounds for believing Gladiulua to be the correct pronunciation, 

 in which I fully concur. — A. H. K. 



MESSRS. DOWNIE, LAIRD, & LAIXGS SHOW 

 OP SPRING-FLOWERING PLANTS. 

 At the Crystal Palace on Saturday last Messrs. Dowuie, 

 Laird, ct Laing, of the Staustead Park'Nurseries, Forest Hill, 

 and of Edinburgh, opened an attractive exhibition of spring- 

 flowering plants, which is to close on the 5th of April. It is 

 comprised in a double row of tabling occupying 13G feet run. 

 Palms, Drac.Tuas, and other graceful-leaved plants are ranged 

 along the centre between the two rows, backcd-up on each side 

 with Epaorises, Cytisuses, Spirje i japonica, Lily of the Valley, 

 and other plants ; then come two rows of Hyacinths, and in 



Lime Hawk Moth {Smeiriiithus Tilire). 



Hawk ]Moth (Smeirinthus Tiliw), the caterpillar feeding not 

 infrequently on that tree growing in gardens, though also 

 occurring upon the Elm. I must acknowledge, however, that 

 the first specimens of this caterpillar I ever saw were procured 

 for me by a worthy old gardener at Norwood, who had watched 

 their growth amongst the leaves of a tree, .and obtained them 

 with some trouble by mounting for them. Earely, if ever, are 

 thrse caterpillars sufficiently abundant in one spot to do any 

 injury, and therefore we may seriously plead that cither in the 

 larval or pupal state the insect should be spared, and suffered 

 to come forth as a handsome and strong- winged moth to career 

 about the garden and roadside in the dusk of evening. As 

 do others of its relatives, it prefers the " gloaming," being 

 popularly classed aiuongst those called in some country places 

 " Owl Moths." Sometimes these Hawk Moths are mistaken 

 for bats. 



During the day this moth, in its position of repose, offere 

 a striking instance of Nature's mimicry. An individual will 

 suspend itself from a twig or branch, with the wings so folded 



