July 11, IHfiS. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



27 



EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



July H. 



Tun SIuiw ol' (>i iiainrntal aud Vtirieti(ittul-foliii^(ul Plants iind S('arli*t 

 l\'liii>;tniimii-^. nil Siiturdtiy last, wa;i prohiiltly tlm iiio^it tJxtenHivu ami 

 imst of tin- 1I1IM..1 showB held this year. thon;^h, doiihtlusH, tho general 

 t'ffoct wouhl have been improved by the iiitrodiu'tion litsro nud thuro of 

 flowering phuits, to relievo tho monotouy of so niuoli j^roeu foliage. 



lu Class I., twelve stove aud greeuliouse plants with ornunicntal 

 foliaj^tS Mr. Kaiufs, gardener to H. Mit-iiolls. Ks<j., was first with a 

 remarkuhly tine collection, nearly the same as that wliich ho exhibited 

 at th«! Keyent's Park, aud which is noticed in auotlu r column. Messrs. 

 Loe were second with au excellent coUeotioii, in which were Alocasiii 

 metallica, ven* tine, Theophrastas, Rliopalas. Draca-na indivisa, varie- 

 pited Yucca, and Ananassa, a fine Bird's-nest Fern, Alsophila australis, 

 Oreopauax dactylifolium, aud Cordyline indivisa. Mr. Bull was third 

 with a culk'ctiou, in which wo noticed tall specimens of Draciena 

 flustralis and Khupala corcovadeusis, Dicksouia aiitarctica, aud other 

 Kenis. and the cinnamon-stemmed Sphujro-^yue. Mr. Carr, gardener 

 to P. lliuds, Esq., Bytieet, had an extra prize for a collection in which 

 were a magnificent example of the Sugar Cane, Saccharum otticinarum, 

 Cissus discolor, Sphnnragyne latifolia, aud Musa Caveudishii, iu the 

 culture of which hist he is au adept. 



In Chiss II., six plants, equal first pnzes were given to Mr. Donald, 

 gardener to J. Ci. Banday, Esq., Loytou, aud Mr. Baiues, tho latter exhi- 

 biting his fine Sarraceuias aud Amectochils, noticed iu the report of 

 the Koj'al Botauic Show. Mr. Donald had a fine specimen of the 

 white variegated Alocasia macrorhiza, variegated Crotou, Maranta 

 zebrina, AhxNisia zebrina, aud Dicksouia antarctica. From Mr. Young, 

 gardeuer to R. Barclay, Esq., who was second, came a large and fine 

 Alocasia metallica, tho pretty white-blotched Caladium argj-rites, a 

 Rhopala, and Dieffenbachia ; aud iu a collection from Mr. Taylor, 

 gardener to J. Yates, Esq.. Highgate, were the Rush-like Littiea juucea, 

 Cireuligo vecurvata, and Marauta zehrina. 



In Class III., six plants (Nurserymen), Messrs. Lee were first with 

 a tiue Alocasia Lowii, Dracieua indivisa, Croton pictum. Latauia rubra, 

 Rhopala corcovndensis, aud Cyathea Smitkii ; aud Mr. Bull second 

 with, among others, a handsome Araucaria called gracilis. 



Classes IV. and V. were for Dracaenas and Cordylines. These 

 chietiy consisted of Dractena terminalis, ferrea, di'aco, rubra, australis, 

 stricta, arborea, Cooperi, helicouifolia, Veitchii, and Cordyline iuilivisa. 

 The first prize iu the Nurserymen's class was taken by Mr. Bull, the 

 second by Messrs. Lee ; and in the Amateurs' class Mr. Donald was 

 first, Mr. BiUTiard, gardener to J. Taylor, Esq., second, aud Mr. Y'oung 

 third. 



In Class VI. nine Palms, Mr. Bull was the only exhibitor ; 

 among those which he exhibited wero Euterpe edulis, Seaforthia 

 elegans, Brahea dulcis, and the Date Palm. 



In the Amateurs' Class VII., very fine specimens of Cycas revoluta 

 wore exliibited by Mr. Taylor, who also bad a gigantic Sabal Black- 

 buruiaua ; aud Mr. Young had the Date Palm, Chamcerops chinensis, 

 and a large plant of Thriuax elegans. 



Calatliums shown iu Class VIII. were not remarkable for their 

 uovelty. Of lands with red markings, we noticed Chautini, Wighti, 

 precile, bieolor sjjlendens, and Schmitzi; aud of others arg}TJtes, 

 Belleymei, and Lowii. Mr. Carr was first, Mr. Young second, aud 

 Messrs. Lee third. 



For a collection of twelve hardy variegated plants, a first prize was 

 awarded to Mr. Salter for the variegated Sedum Sieboldi, Japanese 

 Honeysuckle, Ivies, Coltsfoot, Fortune's Bamboo, Jasmine, Sedum 

 telephium, and others ; and the second to Mr. Bull for Aucubas, 

 Eurya, Euonyuius, and his variegated Chrj.sauthemum and Verbena. 



The show of Zouale and other Pelargoniums, was tolerably effective, 

 though the plants were not at their best as regards bloom. For twelve 

 kinds of any colour, Mr. Eraser was first with good plants of Herald 

 of Spring, Clipper, Roi d'ltalie, Amiral Protet, Malakoff, and 

 L'Abbe Krensi, scarlet ; Mr. Rendatler, Eugenie Mezard, Souvenir de 

 Nancy, aud Henri Etienue, different shades of salmon ; Virgo Marie, 

 white, aud Rose Keudatler. Among those from Mr. Salter, who was 

 second, were Amelina Griseau, a tine large white with a large salmon 

 eye, MiUle. Marie Mezard, white, Germauia, orange scarlet, aud 

 Beaute de Suresnes, a verj' good deep rose. 



Iu the Amateurs' Class for sis, Mr. Word, gardener to W. G.Willdns, 

 Esq., Le\-tou, was first ; Mr. Hawes, gardener to J. Noble Esq., 

 Fiuchley, second. 



Amoug variegated Geraniums, Mrs. Pollock, Glowwonn.aud Sunset 

 wore the best of the tricolor-leaved varieties ; Mma, Mountain of 

 Suow, aud some others of the white-variegated kinds wero also 

 exhibited iu good bloom. The only collection of Nosegays entered for 

 competition came from Mr. Salter. Mr. Eraser and Mr. Hally were 

 first and se<:oud for variegated Gerauiuuis, and Mr. Ward first for 

 BIX in the Amateurs* Class. 



Of Miscellaneous objects, Messrs. Lee exhibited good mixed collec- 

 tions of Heaths, Orchids, Ferns, Ixoras, and Statices ; Mr. W. Paul 

 and Mr. Clarke, several boxes of Roses, the former also showing 

 Beaton's (ieraniums ; Messrs. Downie, Laird and Laing, tine Holly- 

 hock blooms ; Mr. Salter, hardy Ferns ; Mr. Bartlett, Hammersmith, 

 very fine pans of Adiantum cuneatum ; Mr. Bull, the Radiuh noticed 

 in another column ; Mr. Thompson, Ipswich, Trichininm Manglesii ; 

 Itfr. Catleugh, Chelsea, Liliam aaratam ; Mx. Hooper, Bath, Coiua* 



tions and Picoteea; and Mr. Taylor, Highgato, tho singular f rait (rf 

 Dion edule, a cono measuring about 17 inches by 9 in diameter. 

 Messrs. E. G. Henderson had new Kurli^<ias of 1HI>5, consisting of 

 Father Ignatius, J'inocli Arden. ltoderi<'k Dhu, and War Eagle, all 

 having violet purple coroUas an<l retlexed scarlet sepals ; Light Heart, 

 with a blackish purple corolla ; aud Hose of Denmark, aud Lucy Mills 

 light kinds. A Ro.se huddiug Verbena called Ariel, aud Pink Stella 

 tleranium also came from the same iirm. 



Fruit was represented by a good (^ueen Pine from Mr. Ford, gar- 

 dener to W. Hubbard, Esq., aud three dishes of Black Currants, one 

 kind being a seedling wliich is said to hang a month later than auy 

 other sort ; and from the Society's garden came a collection of forty 

 sorts of Gooseberries. 



Miss Smith, Tooting, exhibited some beautifully-executed artificial 

 flowers, and Mr. Lowe. Maida Hill, a ueatly-fiUed plant ease. A 

 fine Phfeuocoma prolifera Baruesii came from Mr. liaines, and a varie- 

 gated Aloe-leaved Yucca, an excellent Bpecimeu, from Mr. Bull. 



POTTED VINE UNFRUITFUL. 



I HAVE iu a large pot a Vine which I am growing in a cool 

 Sreeuhouse, It has made shoots fiom about 1^ to 2 yards long. 

 It has no fruit on. Last year the wood did nut get wcdl ripened, 

 and I want to be sure of ripening it thoroughly this year. 

 Would it be advisable to turn it out of doors, exposed to the 

 air and sun now, to ripen the wood? I do not alter the tem- 

 perature of the house in the least on account of the Vine, but 

 keep it as cool as possible and moderately shaded. The Vine 

 will be two or three years old, and I suppose I might get some 

 fruit next year. — Eboracum. 



[As your house is kept cool and shaded, the best thing you 

 can do, is to choose a dull day and take your Vine iu its pot 

 and place the stem against a south wall or fence, giving all the 

 sun possible, and lessening the application of water after 

 September.] 



CHINESE GARDENING IN AUSTRALIA. 



The class of Chinamen most useful to their European neigh- 

 bours, next to the miners, who are adding to the wealth of the 

 country, are the gardeners. There are few townships in the 

 colony the inhabitants of which are not mainly dependant on 

 the Chinese for a constant and regular supply of fresh vege- 

 tables of the very finest quality. Such, at least, may be said 

 to be the case on the gold fields. Any idea of competing with 

 the Chinese amoug our gold-fields townships, in the production 

 and sale of vegetables, appears to be pi'etty generally abandoned ; 

 and, although farmers will bring Cabbages, Pumpkins, and 

 such like to the weekly markets, the Chinamen may be seen 

 moving from door to door, by seven or eight o'clock every 

 morning, laden with fresh green esculents. At all seasons, aud 

 iu every description of weather, the Chinese gardener has some 

 kind of vegetable for sale. Neither heat nor cold, drought nor 

 rain, affects this regiUar supply. There are a great many of 

 those vegetable gardens in various parts of the Castlemaine 

 district, being so distributed that it would seem as if it had 

 been arranged that enough of vegetables should be reared by 

 Chinese, in each locality, to supply tlie whole of the siu*round- 

 ing neighbourhood. The number of Chinamen employed in 

 each is generally about from four to six, and all appear to have 

 an equal interest iu the business. Each has allotted to him 

 the particular duties wliich ho has to perform. One hawks the 

 vegetables aud collects manure ; another is employed chiefly in 

 weeding ; a third in watering, and a fourth in digging, prepar- 

 ing the plots and sowing the seeds. These arrangements once 

 made are rigidly adhered to, and are universally carried out in 

 the most amicable spirit. In this respect they set an example 

 worthy of imitation by many Europeans. There is never any 

 wrangling or jealousy amimg them, aud one is not to be found 

 complaining that he has too much wt)rk to perform, and that 

 his partners do less than he. You will never find the Chiua- 

 man in a hurry ; but, at the same time, he never loses a minute, 

 and works on steadily from early morning until the light fails 

 him at night, for he has never dreamed of an eight-hour 

 movement. 



The Chinese are most successful gardeners, or rather farmers ; 

 for in their gardens in this colony we really get a specimen of 

 Chinese agriculture. Although we make a distinction between 

 farming and gardening, and conduct them dififercntly, there is 

 no such distinction made in China, every foot of which is 

 cultivated with as great carefulneaa as we find displayed here 



