522 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Dcoembei 26, 1865. 



were well in, owing to thp liot weather whiQli we had in May 

 aud the assistance of some liberal doses of iimnure water ap- 

 plied to it at that time. Cuuliflowers did nut do much here, 

 not so well as the^' usually do, and every phin tliat I adopted 

 failed to prevent them from buttoning and running to seed. 

 Peas were very good in the early part of the season, aud some 

 tolerable gatherings were made in the latter part ot it ; but in 

 the middle of the summer, when they ought to have been fir-^it- 

 rate, they were hardly worth gathering, with tlio exception of 

 one or two sorts, Yurkshire Hero and a second growth of Dick- 

 son's Favourite were the only ones with me that in any wa}' 

 repaid the extra trouble uf watering and mulching. On the 

 whole the Pea crop this year has been indifferent. Spring and 

 summer Cabbages were in early and hearted well, in shcrt they 

 could not have been better, though I heard that in some parts 

 they were not so good as usual. Spring Spinach did well, but 

 the summer crop run tu seed too quickly, in fact, I came to the 

 conclusion that it was a witstc of time to sow Spinach. Dwarf 

 Kidney Beans and Scarlet Paumers did exceedingly well, but re- 

 quired much more water than they would have received had not 

 the winter stuff been planted between the rows, and as that re- 

 quired frequent waterings and surface-stirrings, the Beans came 

 in for their share of the bentfits. They were in I e iring later 

 in the year than usual, as they were picked here late in October. 

 Broad Beans did not do much, as Ihey ripened too quickly. 

 Vegetable ilarrows did very good serv ce all throngli the season, 

 but they were planted iu a good position, and received regular 

 attention in watering, stojtping, &:c., us much, indeed, as a pit 

 of Cucumbers. It has been rather dilMcult to keep tlie supply 

 of salading uj), especially where space is limited iind the ground 

 all exposed. Celery had a hard struggle, and took up much 

 time, but after all it is very passable, and the late Celery will 

 be good, as the autumn has been favourable. Carrots, Parsnips, 

 Beet, and Onions me not so large as usual ; but still they are 

 just the right useful size. In the latter part of the season the 

 winter stuff did wonders, and it is now in lirst-class condition. 

 Turnips here are a very good croji, and Brussels Sprouts xm- 

 exceptionable. Taking the season altogether there is little to 

 grumble at, and very much to be thankful for, aud I hopo 

 from the ditficuUies of the jtast year we may have gained ex- 

 perienct;, and summoned resolution to meet similar difficulties 

 with a good heart in the next. . 



The pre.sent is the concluding' article on'this sxibject, and, ' 

 like its predecessors, it has been written lii the hope of impart- 

 ing some little information, and I tra^t that any little defects 

 that may have been seen will be overlooked on that account. 

 In conclusion, I hope tbat if these few remarks of mine have 

 been read by a master, that he will treat his servant well, and 

 if by a servant, that he will do his duty to his master, and re- 

 member that a gardener's work is never done. — Brr.NTWOOD, 

 P.P. , 



KOYAL IIORTICIILTURAL SOCIETY. 

 December IOth. 



Floral Co:\niiTTEE. — Tlie ln<!t mectiufj of the Committee was lield 

 this (lav. Three pltiiits ouly were sent for ( x lUiiiiiition — viz., three 

 O(lonto;_do<!simis from Mr. Robsou. gardeuer to ii. Cciper. Esq., Old 

 Kent Ko:i.<l, and which were iu mauy respects similiir to the vm-ieties 

 sent home by Jlr. Wviv : they were uot niioied, uud it was i"eeiuested 

 that they might he ^een ii^aiu. Mr. VeitLh luudly seut a large col- 

 leetiou of plauts, coasistiug of Lycaste Skiuiicri in gi-eat variety ; Eho- 

 dodendions Princess Ah xuuclra uud Priucess Heleuii : beautiful speii- 

 iriens of Puinsettia, Barkeriu Skiuuen, Urceoliiia aiireiv, Aucuba 

 "'apcniea lonj^ifolia, vera, and the eommnii variety, in berry, and many 

 other phmts. The ii-rul spi'eial cei'titjcatc ^vlls awarded, aud the 

 .Committee re com men tied tliis beautiful collection to tlic Conncil for a 

 medal, vrhioh ^vas granted. Plants of Aut-nba japoiiica bearing bright 

 redberrios "were evhibited froni the frarden, aud also the tine specimen 

 of Musa cftccinoa &o much admired at the last meetiii;5. Cut speci- 

 mens of tliftt exquisitely scented wiuter-lioweriug shrub, Chimonauthus 

 fragi'ans, and the vanety C. fratjiaus ^rauditlorus. were sent from the 

 gajrdens at Chiswiek, where it is grown under a south wall. These 

 flowers proved veiy attractive, and were eagerly soujght after by the 

 ladies and Pellows present. 



Thus terminated the last meeting of the Floral Committee for 19fl5, 

 Of the success aud popnlanty oi! these meetings there can he no donbt. 

 They have been well attended, and the interestiufj plants exhilnted 

 have never been sui-passed. TluxHigh the liberality and courtesy of 

 the Fellows, both anjateni-s and uiu-serymen. plont.^ have this yeiu* 

 been bronoht before the pubhe which were probably unknown to many. 

 The number of cti-titicateK awarded has exeeeded that of any pre- 

 ^^ous year, and valuable new jibuits and Horists' flowers of the highest 

 merit have been adt^ed to the lists of those already IvROwti. "VV« sin- 

 cerely hope that these meetings will sfill continue to he as well sup- 



ported daring the next j-ear ; find that Fellows and others possessin? 

 1 lants, however insignihcant in theu- cwn estimation, if they display 

 Huy extraordinary iealure or character, will kiudly send them to these 

 mettiugs ; and most esjieeially is it to be desired that when improve- 

 ments have been made in any seedling iionsts' llower by hybridieation, 

 the older or paveut plauts should be sent for eoniparisou. It is not 

 always an easy matter to curry in the mind's eye the liower on which 

 an improvement is said to have been made. It is the earnest wish of 

 thu Committee that justice should always be done. That the awards 

 should satisfy ever}' one is not to be expected, and it is only fair to 

 ask that credit be given for integiity of purpo^t^ in all the decisions. 

 It was with the greatest satisfaction and plea.-ure that we heard from 

 the Chairmau at the meetni^, W. W. Saunders, Esq., that the Council 

 had that dtty determined on establishing^ auotlier medal, to be used 

 solely at these meetings, and to bo awarded either to new plants of 

 lirst-class excellence or collections of plants. Tlie value of this medal 

 \vill be iu no slight dej^-ee enhanced by the name which it is to bear. 

 It is to be cuUed the LiiuUeyau medal — an appropi-i-.'.te comphment to 

 the memory of one who held the interest ot the Society so much at 

 heait. Mr. Yeitch will have the honour of recei\ inj:; the first Lindleyan 

 medal tliat is struck for his superl) collection < f plauts exhibited this 

 day. ^S'e cannot omit to notice the interest that is so frequently ex- 

 pressed in the pleasant and easily understood remarks made by the 

 Kev. 51. .1. Berkeley on the new aud curious plants nud fruits exhibited. 

 The ohjeeticn too frequcntlv made to botuuit al study is the dittieulty 

 of mnsterinjj; the terms U!*ed by botanists. Science surely never loses 

 any of its interest from simidicity of language. It is very obvious, that 

 the more attractive the study of plauts can be made by divesting it of 

 ditlicnlt terms the more uumtrous will be iU admirers aud followers. 

 On the ether papers which have bewi read at these meetiufjs we need 

 not eommeut, Ibey have already been noticed in this Journal. It 

 remains, then, for us to e>prcss an earnest hope that every one inter- 

 ested in horticulture, whether a Fellow of the Society or not, should 

 endeavour to promote the Societv's object in maldn-' these meetings 

 attractive and successful, and to keep alive uud active that work which 

 is fjoing on, small and unimportant as it may seem to some, but which 

 the C'ouucil most earaestly deriire this Committee should be able to 

 carry on with credit to the Koyal Horticultural Society. 



FuuiT CoM:iaTTEE. — (i. P. Wilson, Esq., P.K.S., in the chaii-. 

 The only fruit placed on the table consisted of twenty-one dishes of 

 Apjiles and nineteen of Pears, from M. Capeinick. of Ghent ; Tan- 

 gieiiue Oranges from Messrs. liivers A: Son ; and from the Chairman 

 some hue Chaumoutcl Pears, the produce of a pot tree grown iu an 

 orchard-house, and moved out of doors to ripen its fniit. All of the 

 above subjects had prenously appeared at the Fruit Show iu the pre- 

 vious week. No cei'tilicates were awarded at this meeting. 



Scientific MEF.tiyo. — AV. Wilson Saunders, K.sq.. F.K.S., in th 

 chair. The Chairman haviiig auuounced a donation of books to the 

 library which the Society is eudeavouriug to form, the Kev. Joshua 

 Dix stated that the Floral Committee had given a special certiticate 

 for Mr. Vtiteh's tine exhibition, aud hud further recommended it to 

 the Conncil for a medal. To meet this aaid similar eases the Council 

 had granted a new medal to bear Dr. Lindleys name. Mr. Dix con- 

 cluded by thanking the exhlbitor?^ at the Tuesday mcetiugs, and trusted 

 that these, next year, would be equally well, if not bettor, supported. 



Mr. Wilson Saunders said he had to state on the part of the Council 

 that, ^nth the view of briugiug fonvard really valuable things, it had 

 betn agieed to have a nev/ medal struck, which should bear the name 

 of one who had done so much for the Society, and whose loss they had. 

 so lately to lammt. It would, accoidiugiy, be euUed the Lindley 

 medal, and would be next in value to the gold Banksiau. It "was 

 always to ho given an a medal, and for things shown at Tuesday meet- 

 ings ouly. These were now over for the x>reseut year, but they would 

 be resumed iu Jaunary, when be trusted they would uot be lets appre- 

 ciated by the Fellows than they had been. Mr. Saunders concluded 

 by urijing every one possessing subjects, wh<-t!ur remarkable for 

 novelty, interest, or beauty, to send tliem to the Tuesday meetings, and 

 so add to the interest and utdity of these. 



The llev. M. .T. Berkeley remarked that onfe! of the OdontofTloBsnme 

 sh>wu by Mr. Robson. gaidener to G. Cooper, Kfiq., had some resem- 

 blance to O. Pescatorei, a species belonging to the sume category as 

 0. pulchelinm. and membranaceum, all three oi which have a single 

 lobe on each side of the colunm, but in Mr. itobsou's Odontoglossum 

 the column is fringed. With regard to Poinsettia pulcherrnua, of 

 which some plants were shown, Mr. Berkeley observed that it was not 

 so mnch cuUivated as so shtAvy aud eflective a plant deserved to be. 

 Mr. Berkeley thtn exhibited a specimen of Liboccdrus decurreni^ 

 {Toney). bearing fruit, and which came from the garden of the Mar- 

 quis of Huutly at Orton Longneville. This Libocedrus was originally 

 discoverfd by' Colonel Fremout, the gieat ti-aveUer and explorer. 

 who had made considerable additions to the tiora of North America. 

 It there formed a maguiticent tree 120 feet in height, ^vith a stem 

 7 feet in diameter. It seems, added IVfi-. Berkeley. ))ertVttly hardy in 

 this countiy. The tree from which the specimen siiown had been taken 

 was covered with fruit, and he trusted it would ripen seeds next year. 



Mr. Wilson Saunders {the Chahmanl. said that before separating 

 he, wished to .draw attention to Chimonanthus fragians, of which 

 nnraerous . llowei-ing shoots came from the Society's garden. The 

 plnnt wa?; diifecult to propagate from cuttings, and never seeded in tbi° 



