436 



JOUENAL OP HORTICOLTDBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE, 



[ May 29, 1873. 



state, for they do not then shrivel, as the tender living ones are 

 apt to do ; but proficiency in this art can only be acquired by 

 practice, this, combined with good natural taste, is a far better 

 guide than any rules that can be laid down." 



" AsPLENiuM M\TiiopHYLLUM.— This vcry elegant plant cannot 

 be described so as to do it justice. The fronds are from 6 to 

 20 inches long, tripinnate, lanceolate, and proliferous at the 

 apex ; the pinnules are very small, and dark green in colour. 

 But to obtain a proper idea of its exquisite beauty, we must 

 refer the reader to the illuBtration. Native of Mexico, &c." 



SEVERE FROST. 



It is sad to read in last week's .Journal the account of the 

 destruction caused by the frost of the morning of the 20th 

 inst., but I am inclined to think that the injury to our fruit 

 crops is not general throughout the country. Frosts at Chis- 

 wiek are usually more severe than those in other parts south 

 of the Trent, and the thermometer there falls lower than at 

 places even in its own immediate neighbourhood. To show 

 how local some frosts are I send you tops of Ash-leaf Kidney 

 and Bresee's Prolific Potatoes from my garden, which is less 

 than a mile and a half east from the Chiswick garden ; these 

 are perfectly uninjured, yet in a garden close to Chiswick, and 

 not half a mile from me, but nearer the river, the tops, as you 

 describe, are " black to the surface of the ground." Vege- 

 table Marrows recently planted out are also untouched with 

 me, but they are close to a waU. — C. 



I AM sorry to say on the night of the 19th inst. we had at 

 Vinters, Maidstone, a severe frost, which out up Potatoes, 

 Asparagus, and such-like very much, but I think the Apple 

 bloom is not injured. Pears are droppingoff. — TnoiiAS Becokd. 



Tou record, nnder " Severe Frost," that on the morning of 

 Tuesday, the 20th inst., the thermometer at Chiswick regis- 

 tered 22°, but you do not say whether this was on the grass or 

 in the shade at 4 feet from the ground. Here my thermometer 

 registered on Tuesday morning 22° on the grass, and 30° at 

 4 feet. I see Mr. Symons reports at Camden Square 2<J.G° on 

 grass, and .82.9° at 4 feet. Some Potatoes here are partially 

 blackened, but I think they are not so bad as they would have 

 been had I not coversd them with mats before the sun shone 

 on them, and aUowed the mats to remain all that day and the 

 next night. Some of the Strawberry blossom and that of 

 Currants is blackened also. Apples do not seem iujui-ed, but 

 the blossom is not fully out generally. Do you know the old 

 doggrel ? — 



" If Apples blow in March, 



For Apples you may search. 



If Apples blow in April, 



Apples may be plentiful. 



If Apples blow in May, 



You may eat Apples night and day." 



— A. Atkinson, Gainford, Darlington. 



THE ALEXANDRA PALACE INTERNATIONAL 



FLOWER SHOW. 



After many attempts, and the propounding of various schemes 

 which ultimately came to nothing, this new place of amusement, 

 intended mainly for the inhabitants of northern London, was 

 opened uuder the most favourable auspices on Saturday last. 

 The details of that opening, the beauty of the building, the gran- 

 deur of the concert, and such other matters I must leave to the 

 numerous "dailies" who now supply food to the teeming mil- 

 lions of our metropolis. My business is with the floricultural 

 department, and remembering what a hberal schedule the Com- 

 pany had prepared, and the grandeur of the show held in the 

 same grounds many years ago, I was prepared to see a grand 

 exhibition ; and notwithstanding that it trod so closely on the 

 heels of the Royal Horticultural, the Botanic, and the Crystal 

 Palace Shows, a marvellous collection of plauts was brought 

 together. Doubtless the keeping of the Show open for so many 

 days was a hindrance to the exhibition of Orchids, of which 

 there were comparatively few ; while the international character 

 of the Exhibition was a negative quantity, the only exhibit from 

 abroad being a basket of indifferent P.aio'nies from M. Jean Ver- 

 schaffelt, of Ghent — at least this was all that I saw. A new 

 feature was attempted and carried out by Mr. McKenzie— the 

 plan, adopted in foreign exhibitions, of grouping the plants for 

 effect instead of in consecutive divisions, a plan which certainly 

 did give an admirable character to the Show but in no way con- 

 tributed to the comfort of the Judges. I have judged at many 

 shows, but I never had so hard work as on Saturday. A pair of 

 plants would be at one end of the building, aud then another at 



the middle, and another at the further end, so that it was a 

 continual walk, walk for the two hours in which I was engaged. 

 When this is done abroad the Judges meet the day before and 

 have the whole day to perform their duties in. 



The flowers aud plauts were arranged in all parts of the tran- 

 septs, the centre under the dome being kept for the reserved 

 seats for the concert ; and to enumerate the fine productions 

 here placed wovdd be simply to reproduce the lists which have 

 appeared lately in the gardening papers. Here were the mag- 

 nificent plants of Mr. Baines aud Mr. Ward; of EoUisson, Dixon 

 of Beverley, Jackson, WilHams, itc. ; here, again, were the mar- 

 %'ellous Rose bushes of Paul and Turner, the Geraniums of Ward, 

 the Azaleas of Turner and others ; but in addition to these a 

 large number of classes had been made for Palms, Agaves, 

 Cycads, Beaucarneas, tree Ferns, and such-Hke plants — these, 

 towering above the others, and briUiaut with their greenery, 

 added greatly to the beauty of the scene. The fruit, of wliich 

 there was but a small display, was exhibited in one of the side 

 rooms ; and here, too, were placed the cut flowers, for which no 

 prizes had been offered, the bouquets and table decorations, and 

 new and rare plants. The contents of this room do not call for 

 auy special notice. Some fine sliow and fancy Pansies were ex- 

 liibited by Messrs. Dowuie, Laird, & Laing, by Mr. Ware of 

 Tottenham, and Mr. Hooper of Bath ; Tulips by Mr. Hooper aud 

 others. 



I have only to add that all tliat courtesy and kindness could 

 do was done by the able Superintendent, Mr. McKenzie ; that 

 the comfort of the exhibitors and Judges was well looked after ; 

 and that he had taken the occasion of gathering together from 

 aU parts of the United Kingdom men well known in horticulture 

 and botany. Dr. Moore from Glasnevin, Mr. Findlay from Man- 

 chester, Mr. Jones from the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, Mr. 

 Penny from Saudringham, Mr. Anderson from Meadowbank, 

 Mr. Downie from Edinburgh, and many others met together 

 with their more southern brethren ; and these retinions tend 

 not a httle to keep up that kindly aud brotherly feeUng which 

 ought to exist in the craft, more gentle than that of which Izaak 

 Walton so sweetly discoursed. On the whole, the Alexandra 

 Palace and park, while bearing no comparison with the Palace 

 at Sydenham, will, it is to be hoped, form another and agreeable 

 place of recreation to those who, in this day of excessive labour 

 and struggle for life, require healthy amusement and recreation. 

 — D., Deal. 



The general features of this Show have been so ably and 

 faithfully sketched by "D., Deal," that he has left but little 

 for us to say. To enter into particulars of the subjects ex- 

 hibited would be little else thau to give a resumi' of the reports 

 of the Royal Horticultural, Royal Botanic, and Crystal Palace 

 Shows, for of the plants brought before the public on these 

 occasions this Exhibition was mainly composed, there being, 

 however, some additions. 



Foremost in the class for sixteen stove and greenhouse plauts 

 came Mr. Baines, gardener to H. MichoUs, Esq., Southgate, 

 with a collection of magnificent plants, notably his Anthurium 

 Scherzerianum, Ixora coccinea, and fine young Dipladenia ama- 

 bilis. The same exhibitor was first for the best single speci- 

 men, showing his large plant of Hedaroma tulipiferum, Mr. 

 Williams, of HoUoway, being second ; aud Mr. Baines was like- 

 wise first for noble collections of twelve fine-foliaged plants, aud 

 for a like number of Exotic Ferns. In the nurserymen's class 

 tor the former Mr. Williams took the lead, Mr. W. E. Dixon, 

 Norwood Nursery, Beverley, following iu a spirited manner, 

 Mr. Williams was again first for a fine collection of exotic 

 Ferns. Palms, Tree Ferns, Cycads, and Dracamas were freely 

 exhibited by Messrs. Williams, Rollisson, W. E. Dixon, Ley, of 

 Croydon, and others, and some of the specimens were of truly 

 noble proportions. A fine collection of Agaves came from Mr. 

 Croucher, gardener to J. Peacock, Esq., Hammersmith ; and 

 returning again to plants in flower, Messrs. Williams, W. Cut- 

 bush, and W. E. Dixon sent good groups; while from Mr. 

 Cooper, Rose Hill Nursery, Derby, came an excellent sixteen, 

 half-flowering and half-tine-foliaged plants, containing a very 

 large Hedaroma tulipiferum. In Heaths, Mr. Ward took the 

 lead among amateurs ; and in Azaleas, Messrs. Jackson it Son 

 and Turner were respectively first and second for six. Pelar- 

 goniums and Roses have been already alluded to, and Calceo- 

 larias were shown iu excellent bloom by Mr. James, and Messrs. 

 Dobson, of Isleworth. 



Orchids, as already remarked, were far from numerous, Mr. 

 Cuthbert, gardener to Mrs. Adanxs, Enfield, took the lead in 

 the amateurs' class with, among others, fine siiecimens of 

 Thunia Bensoni.'B and Odontoglossum crispum, Mr. G. Wheeler 

 being second. In the nurserymen's class Mr. Williams and 

 Messrs. Rollisson were the leading prizetakers. 



Prizes were offered for the best twelve new plants sent out in 

 the years 1871-3. Messrs. Veitch were first with a collection 

 containing Croton Weismanui, Dracama imperialis, D. mag- 

 nifica, DictTenl)achia Bausei, Cypripediura Dominianum, Odon- 

 toglossum vexiUarium, MasdevaUia Karrjaua, Maranta Makoy- 



