408 



JOUKNAL OF HORTICOLTUBE AND COTTAGE GABDENER. 



[ May 22, 1873. 



lot of different Kales, Broccolis, &c, as he saw ou one border, 

 but really very little more trouble was involved than sowing 

 them in the usual way. The ground was trodden and made 

 fine on the surface by raking. For Peas I use a flat dish for 

 coloui-ing. For all these small Kale and Turnip seeds I use 

 a small plate or saucer. When many kinds have to be sown 

 ■we take from half a dozen to a dozen saucers, put into each as 

 much seed as we wish to sow, mark out the ground it is to 

 occupy — always too small with us — and put its appropriate 

 tally with it. A man follows carrying one saucer with the red 

 lead, emptying the next saucer he comes to in it, and thus one 

 saucer for leading does for aU the sorts, and for the season if 

 deemed necessai-y. We generally finish by patting the seeds 

 into the earth gently, and then covering with a mixture of fine 

 sou and charred refuse, the latter helping to keep insects away 

 from the young leaves. — E. F. 



CEYSTAL PALACE FLOWER SHOW. 



May 17th. 



Saturday last, the day of the Crystal Palace Flowet Show, 

 was cold and uuinvitiug throughout the afternoon, though early 

 in the forenoon there was warm sunshine accompanied by a 

 keen wind. Upwards of 15,000 persons, however, visited the 

 Palace, where there were sundry other special attractions besides 

 the Flower Show, but of the latter alone it is our province to 

 speak. The collections exhibited were not quite so numerous 

 as usual, but still they were sufficiently so to constitute a 

 large floral display, in point of general excellence quite ou a par 

 ■with the corresponding exhibitions in former years. 



Stove and gi-eenhouse plants always form the leading fea- 

 ture at this Show, and for these Mr. T. Baines, gardener to 

 H. MiohoUs, Esq., Soutbgate, took the foremost place for twelve 

 ■with a collection consisting, with one or two exceptions, of the 

 specimens which he exhibited ou the previous Wednesday at 

 the Regent's Park. Indeed, most of the plants shown on Satur- 

 day last had already made their appearance there and at South 

 Kensington, and have been noticed in previous reports. Mr. 

 Baines again brought forward his splendid Anthurium Scherzeri- 

 anum. Azalea Iveryana, Erica ventricosa coccinea minor, a large 

 bush of Erica Cavendishiana, Eriostemons, Franciscea conf erti- 

 flora vei-y fine, a splendid plant of Hedaroma tulipiferum, and a 

 fine example of Boronia pinnata. Mr. W. Chapman, gardener 

 to J. Spode, Esq., Hawkesyard Park, Rugeley, came second ■with 

 a very large plant of Pimelea spectabilis rosea in fine bloom; 

 Chorozema Chandlerii, excellent ; Clerodendron Balfourii, fine 

 Azaleas, Heaths, &c. The other successful exhibitors in this 

 class were Mr. I'eed, gardener to Mrs. Tredwell, Lower Nor- 

 ■wood, and Mr. G. Wheeler, gardener to Sir F. Goldsmid, Bart., 

 Regent's Park. 



In the nurserymen's class for nine plants Messrs. Jackson and 

 Son, Kingston-on-Thames, took the lead with, among others, 

 fine plants of AcrophyUum venosum, Aphelexis macrantha pur- 

 purea, aud Imantophyllum miniatum. Mr. W. Cutbush, of 

 Bamet, came second, and Mr. Morse, Epsom, third, the last- 

 named having a very good example of Mediuilla magnifica. 



In the amateurs' class for nine Mr. Peed exhibited an excellent 

 group, comprising a large and remarkably well-flowered Epacris 

 miniata splendens, Ixora coccinea. Erica Cavendishiana, Stepha- 

 notis floribunda, large, well bloomed, but much tied-in ; Fran- 

 ciscea calycina very fine, and Chorozema cordatum. Mr. J. 

 Ward, gardener to F. G. Wilkins, Esq., Leyton, had Erica 

 tricolor Wilsoni, between 3J and 4 feet in diameter ; Statioe 

 profusa, some 5 feet through, aud in fine bloom ; well-grown 

 specimens of Genetyllis Hookeriana and Boronia pinnata, with 

 Clerodendron Balfourianum, &c. Mr. Bain, gardener to J. 

 Scott, Esq., Bickley Park, and Mr. J. Wheeler, gardener to J. 

 Phillpott, Esq., were the other prizetakers. 



In the class for six fine-foliaged or variegated stove and green- 

 house i)lants, Mr. Balnea again took the first position, showing 

 a splendidly-coloured plant of Croton pictum, grand Sarracenias, 

 Cordylineindivisa, Theophrastaimperialis in beautiful condition, 

 and Dasylirion acrotricbum. Mr. Wilhams, of HoUoway, came 

 second with a gi-oup consisting of noble examples of Chamajrops 

 hurnilis, Croton pictum, Cycas revoluta 10 feet in diameter, 

 Gleichenia spehmcas, and Dasylirion plumosum. A remarkably 

 fine specimen of Aloeasia metalUca was shown in the same class 

 by Mr. Foreman, gardener to E. C. Nicholson, Esq., Heme Hill. 



Heaths were shown in excellent condition, both as large and 

 small specimens. The most conspicuous were Cavendishiana, 

 ■ventricosa magnifica and coccinea minor, tricolor elegans, 

 tricolor Wilsoni, and depressa. The chief prizetakers were 

 Messrs. Jackson & Son, Ward, Peed, aud J. Wheeler. 



Azaleas for the most part were the same as shown at the ex- 

 hibitions of the previous ten days. Mr. Turner, of Slough, had 

 a very fine thirty in 8-inch pots. Among these the most con- 

 spicuous for their quality were Monsieur Thibaut, orange 

 scarlet; Comtesse de Flandxe, rose; Baronne Osy, semi-double, 



scarlet ; Ferdinand Kegeljan, salmon red ; Due de Nassau ; 

 Etendard de Flandre ; Koi d'HoUande, and James Veitch. 

 From Messrs. Jackson & Son, the only other exhibitors of 

 thirty, came some of the above, though not so well grown, and 

 Venus and Grand Crimson, both beautifully flushed with 

 magenta. In the other classes Mr. Turner, Messrs. Jackson, 

 and Messrs. Lane among nurserymen, and Messrs. Roach, Chap- 

 man, and G. Wheeler, exhibited successfully, and some of the 

 specimens were worthy of commendation. 



Orchids were not so numerous as usual at this Show, but some 

 very good specimens were shown, most of which had appeared 

 on the previous Wednesday. Mr. Ward was first for fifteen, 

 showing Phalwnopsis grandiflora with three spikes of remark- 

 ably fine flowers, Cypripedium Stonei, Odontoglossum Phalfe- 

 nopsis, O. radiatum, O. hystrix, &c. ; whilst Mr. J. Wheeler aud 

 Mr. Peed exhibited creditable collections of six. In the nursery- 

 men's class Mr. Williams stood first with the fine Cypripediums 

 noticed last week, Saccolabium retusum with four racemes, Pha- 

 lasnopsis grandiflora, and the beautiful Cattleya Mendelii. 



Among miscellaneous subjects Mr. Noble, of Bagshot, sent a 

 collection of pot plauts of his beautiful Clematises, and another 

 collection of the same flower came from Mr. W. Cutbush, of 

 Barnet. Mr. Ware, of Tottenham, contributed a group of 

 hardy plants for the flower garden, as well as cut blooms of 

 Fancy aud bedding Pansies ; Messrs. Carter & Co., High Hol- 

 born, fine baskets of Tricolor and Bronze Pelargoniums, some 

 new flowering Zonals, and a large group of Ferns, Palms, Or- 

 chids, and fiue-fohaged plants of recent introduction ; and 

 Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing a charming and tastefuUy- 

 arranged group of Palms, Ferns, Caladiums, and other fiue- 

 fohaged plants, together with Blue King bedding Pansy, a fine 

 violet blue variety, which is found to bloom in Scotland even in 

 the summer months, and Perpetual Yellow, another very useful 

 variety. Mr. J. H. Ley, Lansdowne Road, Croydon, sent a good 

 mixed group of Palms, Ferns, and fine-foliaged plants, taking a 

 first-class certificate for Lastrea denticulata ; and Mr. J. 

 Wheeler, gardener to Capt. Christie, Westerham, thirty-six 

 blooms of Marechal Niel Rose, all cut from the same plant, and 

 of such large size that a person at our elbow remarked they 

 were "like Cabbages." Messrs. Lane & Son contributed a col- 

 lection of jiot Roses ; Mr. Turner, Tulips ; Messrs. Dobson, 

 herbaceous Calceolarias; Miss Thomson, 4, Adelaide Road, 

 Penge, charming button-hole bouquets of Orchids, Roses, 

 Ferns, Ac. ; and Miss A. Hassard, Upper Norwood, had a similar 

 exhibition, likewise one of table-decorations. From W. Thom- 

 son, Esq., Penge, came the Multiple Flower- vases, permitting of 

 a number of variations of arrangement, but which could not be 

 well understood ■without the aid of illustrative engravings. 

 They are, nevertheless, very simple and effective, and if, as they 

 no doubt are, inexpensive, we anticipate they will be extensively 

 adopted by those who do not care to go to the expense of more 

 elaborate contrivances. 



Mr. WiUiams exhibited a number of new plants, including 

 Cattleya Mendelii, Drac.'cna Fraseri and splendens, Maranta 

 Mackoyana, andColax jugosus ; and Mr. Thomas Cotterall, Rho- 

 dodendron Princess Louise ■with pure white flowers, for which 

 he had a first-class certificate. Messrs. Dick Radclyffe & Co. 

 sent rustic stands and Fern cases, and Mr. Voice, Horley, 

 Surrey, samples of his ground vineries and pits, which appear 

 to be very useful structures. 



Excellence rather than quantity was the characteristic of 

 the florists' flowers exhibited on Saturday. The season was 

 not propitious, and the fact that owing to the MetropoUtau 

 Floral Society's arraugements being so uucertain that they were 

 unable to offer prizes as last year for Tulips and Pansies, led to 

 fewer of these flowers being exhibited than on late occasions. 

 The Roses exhibited by Mr. Charles Turner have never been 

 surpassed, and rarely, if ever, equalled. I have, perhaps, seen 

 larger plants, but they were more leggy; these were thoroughly 

 symmetrical, the foUage ample, and the flowers would, many of 

 them, not have been out of place in a stand of cut blooms. A 

 splendid plant of Celine Forestier, and another of Souvenir da 

 la Malmaison, were, perhaps, the cream of the first ten ; while 

 his Duke of Edinburgh, Marquise de Castellane, and Charles 

 Lawson were amongst the best of his twenty. In the class for 

 twelve in smaller pots, Edouard Morron, Marie Baumann, 

 Madame Victor Verdier, and Marechal VaiUant were excessively 

 beautiful ; indeed, it almost seems in^vidious, where all were so 

 beautiful, to select any as more so than others. Mr. Turner ex- 

 hibited also a plant of the new Rose, Madame Lacharme, in 

 much better condition than it has been previously shown ; un- 

 Uke most Roses of the class, which die blush, this opens with a 

 considerable suffusion of blush, and then changes to white. 

 Mr. Turner himself looks upon it favourably, and believes that 

 it will prove to be a Perpetual ; as sho^wn to-day it was very 

 much like Souvenir de la Malmaison. He also exhibited some 

 seedling Azaleas, among ■which one .-Apollo seemed to be a desir- 

 able semi-double white ■with pink stripe, and received a first- 

 class certificate, as it had previously done at Kensington. 



