128 



JOURNAL OF HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



C August 15, 1865. 



amount, at the top of the case. I would suggest a small louwe 

 hoard, say 4 inches wide, hung on a jjivot in the centre, auj 

 running the entire length of the case. If it opened an inch at 

 the top and bottom that would be quite sufficient, and the top 

 part of the louvre board should butt up underneath a lap in 

 order that the wet may he carried off. I am induced to send 

 you these remarks fi-om having visited the excellent kitchen 

 garden of Mr. Heywood at South Norwood, who takes great 

 interest in ground vineries ; hut although he has followed out 

 youi' instructions as given in No. 28, the whole of his Grapes 

 inside these cases are scorched. This result I attribute to the 

 moisture arising from the earth condensing on the berries, and 

 in diUl mornings the sun biu'sting out with sudden force upon 

 the glass and stagnant air inside. The pigeon-holes in the 

 bricks upon which the case is placed receive ah- that has 

 passed along the ground only, and therefore laden with mois- 

 ture, but ventilation at the top would create a current and diy 

 the berries before the sun's rays struck directly on them. We 

 Imow how beneficial this is for large vineries. A little air 

 should be given at six o'clock in the morning, and the cases 

 t:.keu off at mid-day. For my own part I consider it a mistake 

 to place the cases so low, they should be raised upon some dry 

 material that would filter the air before it reached the inside 

 of the case. 



There can be no doubt that cordon training of the Vine is a 

 great success, in this instance there were several cordon Vines 

 not imder cases completely covered with bunches, some of 

 which, if they come to perfection, may average from 2 to 3 lbs. 

 I forgot to inquire of Mr. Heywood if the Grapes ripened last 

 season, but I have no doubt he will readily answer that, or any 

 other inquii-y yovir readers may wish to make through yom- 

 Journal. — F. 



ROY.VL HORTICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



AnorsT 8th. 



Floral Comotttee. — Tlie meeting held this <lay was n voi-y inter- 

 esting one. There were 124 entries of plants and Hnwers for' exami- 

 nation, and among them were some very good things. The magnificent 

 specimen of LUium auratum. with twenty nine dowers npon it, was 

 alone worthy of a jom-ney to South Kensington. Some idea can now 

 be foi-med as to the character and value of this snperb Lily. The 

 seedling Hollyhocks were also very good, consideiing the hot and diy 

 season : tlie only thing wanting was the Fellows to sec them. It wiU 

 be well for those members of the Society who arc still in London to 

 remember that, although the fashionable world is out of town, flowers 

 and fruit aie stUI to be seen at the Floral Committee meetings. 

 Florists' flowers are now very numerous. Seedling Dahlias, Holly- 

 hocks, Scarlet Pelargoniums. A'erbenas, &c., are now in perfection, 

 and are sent for examination to have their merits or demerits assigned 

 thdu. 



Many certificates were awarded at this meeting. Mr. Bull exhibited 

 Aucuha japonica medio-variegata ; Spha;rogj-ne cinnamomea. which 

 was awarded a second-class certificate in June last ; S. ferruginea — 

 second-class certificate ; a variety of Lilinm auratum called pictum, 

 one of the red-handed kinds ; and Verbena Fascination, a white flower 

 striped with dark red. Mr. Oshorn, Fulham, sent cut specimens of 

 Ehexia virginica, Gaultheria Shallon, C'astanea pumila, Sophora 

 japonica, and Cerasus rubra, bearing numerous hunches of dark 

 brown berries. Mi-. A. May, FuLham, sent a specimen of Opuutia 

 vnlgaiis glowu in a window ; the plant was covered with fruit, and 

 had a very singular appearance. Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing 

 sent a collection of cut flowers of Hollyhocks, and four seedlings 

 shown in spikes ; Charles Eyre was awarded a first-class certificate, 

 Mrs. B. B. Todd, a second-class certificate. The Rev. G. Hawke 

 sent three cut flowers of a seedling Hollyhock, Senior Wrangler, a 

 very fine variety, dark chocolate with a reddish tinge. It was awiirded 

 a first-class certificate. Mr. Porter. Epping. sent a collection of Hol- 

 lyhocks, and four spikes of seeiUiugs — La Brillante, Shiiley Hihherd, 

 Volunteer Improved, a seedling of 18C4 ; and John Laiiig, a hght 

 rosy cai-niii]|, fine full flower — first-class certificate. Mr. Chater, 

 Cambridge, exhibited a collection of Hollyhocks and five seedling 

 Zonale Pelargoniums. Mr. W. Chater, Saffron Walden, sent a col" 

 lection of Hollyhocks containing many of the best varieties, which 

 was awarded a special certificate. He also sent nine seedlings shown 

 in spikes— Firefly, a deep bright crimson — first-class certificate ; Hebe, 

 a pale silveiy blush with deep rose centre — second-class certificate. 

 The others, which were good flowers but not specially noticed, were 

 Nymph, Favourite, Desdemona, Orange Boven, Gem "of Yellows, An- I 

 rantiacum, and Alice. Mr. Chater's seecUings are not equal to those 

 of 1864, hut doubtless the hot and diy weather has had its influence 

 npon them. Mr. Thompson, Ipswich, sent Palafoxia Hookeriana, a 

 dull pink half-hardy annual, producing clusters of composite flowers — 

 socond-class cei-tificate ; and Pectis angustifolia. a dwarf, flowering ' 

 annual with yellow composite flowers, the foliage strongly scented like 

 Lemon Thyme, ustfid for bedding purposes — lu-st-class certificate. ' 



Mr. Apted. Galton, sent double red Fuchsia Victory. Mr. Veitch sent 

 Dendrohium tattonense, from Australia, exhibited at the last meeting 

 — second-class certificate ; also Cattleya Sidneiana, a hybrid between 

 granulosa and crispa ; and a Cattleya, probably a variety of Mossiie, 

 with pale lilac flowers having a beautifully marked purple lip — 

 first-class certificate. Mr. Veitch also exhibited the fine specimen 

 of Lilium auratum gi-own by Mr. Constantine, gardener to C. Mills, 

 Esq., Hdlingdon, which was awarded a special certificate, and recom- 

 mended by the Committee to the Council as worthy of a medal for 

 good cultiva.tion. 



Mr. Davies, Bath, exhibited a seedling Pelargonium, said to have 

 been grown from seed sown in M.ai'ch last, and now in flower. There 

 must surely be some mistidie in this statement. Mr. Williams, 

 HoUoway, exhibited several variegated Zonale Pelargoniums ; they 

 were veiw good, but it was requested they should be seen again to be 

 compared with others. They were Miss Eleanor Scott ; Purity, with a 

 veiy white margin ; Mrs. Spicer, and Sally Miller. He also sent an 

 Orchid, a species of Brassia, probably caildata, with a spike of very 

 fine flowers. Mr. D. Windsor, gardener to .1. K. Ravenhill. Esq., sent 

 five seedling Zonale Pelargoniums — Gladiator, deep salmon ; Bright- 

 ness, scailet with white eye ; Modesty, white with salmon centre ; 

 Great Eastern, scarlet ; and Sir Kobert Peel, a bright orange scarlet, 

 compact truss, and good fii-m petals ; they were awarded a first-class 

 certificate. Mr. G. Smith, Hoi-nsey, sent double red Fuchsia Gladia- 

 teur, dark corolla, bi-ight crimson sepals. Mr. Cripps, Tunbridge 

 Wells, sent the new Coleus Verschaffelti aureo-maiginatus. We hear 

 this golden margiu does not last when the plant is gi-oim out of doors. 

 He also sent double scarlet Pelargonium ranunculifiora plenissima. 

 These double vai'ieties have never yet been exhibited in a condition 

 to deserve the sUghtest commendation. Zonale Pelargonium Lady 

 Caroline Neville ; and Lilium auratum, a variety with a pale red 

 band were likewise shown by Mr. Cripps. Mr. Turner, Slough, con- 

 tributed two seedling Phloxes — Edith, white with crimson centre, a 

 very finely formed and beautiful flower — first-class certificate ; and 

 Phlox Herbert, daik rose with shaded centre. He also sent DahUa 

 Ely, orange bulf tipped mth carmine ; and a collection of Lilinm 

 auratum, containing several beairtiful and distinct varieties — the 

 finest collection ever yet brought together. It was awarded a special 

 certificate, and was i-ecommended to the ComicU for a medal. A very 

 fine specimen of Authurium cordifolium fi-om the Society's garden, 

 one of Mr. Weir's plants, well grown, was exhibited. It was awarded 

 a special certificate. 



Messrs. Garaway sent seedling Zonale Pelargoniums Queen of Tri- 

 colors, a stronger-giowing plant than Sunset, of better habit — second- 

 class certificate ; Bronze Queen, Opliii-, Unique — second-class certifi- 

 cate ; Piincess Lichtenstein, and Volunteer. Mr. Dijkman, Haarlem, 

 sent over some seedling Gladioli, hybrids from Gandavensis, far behind 

 the flowers of the present day. Mr. Townsend, Hornsey, sent two 

 varieties of Lilium from Japan. Mr. Press sent Calceolaria Gem, dark 

 ruby ; and Calceolaria Fascination, yellow gi-ound. with dark crimson 

 blotch. Mr. Hopkins, Brentford, scut seedling Dahlia Lord Enfield, 

 deep claret, a veiw promising fiower. It was requested that it should 

 be shown again later in the season. Mr. WiUs, Oulton Piu-k, sent a cut 

 spike of an Epidendrum which had never before flowered in this 

 countiy. It was awarded a special certificate. Mr. Tilleiy, Welbeck, 

 sent a seedling GlacUolus, bright scarlet, with a white centre, very pretty, 

 but neither new nor distinct. He likewise sent Lihum auratum glori- 

 osum. an inferior red-banded variety. Mr. Pen-y, Castle Bromwich, 

 exhibited a collection of vei"y iine Verbenas, which received a special 

 certificate : also sevei-al seedlings. These were Verbena Cleopatra, a 

 vei-y deejj bright rose, vei-y fine truss, with extra large flowers — first- 

 class certificate ; WilUam Dean, deep maroon, the finest Verbena in 

 this shade of colour — first-class certificate. Thci-e were five or six 

 other good flowers, but not new or distinct. Mr. PeiTy also exhibited 

 seedhng Dahlias Modestv. pale lilac, tipj>ed with a darker shade ; Miss 

 Powell, a striped crimson or red variety ; John Powell, a deep yellow, 

 a promising fiower ; and Carnation. 



In the report of the Floral Committee, July *25th, in speaking of 

 a drawing of Mr. Cutbusb's Ldium auratum which was exhibited, 

 it is described as having dark red Inars, it should have been dark 

 red bmuh. tei-minating in yellow. 



Frcit Committee. — Mr. G. F. Wilsou, F.R.S., in the chair. Mr. 

 Rivers sent an interesting collection of miscellaneous varieties of fruit, 

 consisting of Jitjij Green G(if;c Plum, a vei-y early variety of Green Gage 

 ripening in .luly. It is in eveiy respect similar to a good, medium-sized, 

 and highly coloured Green Gage, very richly flavoured, and the flesh 

 separating from the stone ; a veiy valuable early Plum. Baroijs Early 

 Gage, another form of the Green Gage, a shade larger than .luly Green 

 Gage, but not so early nor so highly coloured. It is a most delicious 

 Plum, and is distinguished from the former by its flesh adhering very 

 closely to the stone. Bfiine ChmtJe tk IJciycr is not a Gage Plum at 

 all, but synonymous with the Peach Plum, for the confiimation of 

 which Mr. Rivers scut both these varieties to compare. Jlr./sffnrorth 

 Plitiii is a variety much grown about Minstenvorth, near tTloucester, 

 and appears to be synonymous with Damas Violet. It is a gi-eat 

 hearer and a good, early, black, market Plum. Chister Damson is a 

 very prolific form of the English Damsou gi'Own about Stroud. It 

 was of course still unripe, and was sent to show the great fertility of 

 the sort. Di't fians Ycllofr L/t/anrnn Cheny is a fine large Bigarreau 

 of clear sulplnr yellow colour, far superior in size and flavour to 



