July 10, 1886. J 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



WEATHER IN NORTH OF IRELAND. 



TniNKiNn that the weather we have hail lately in this " far 

 north" part of Her Majesty's dominions may be of somo 

 interest, I send the following observations made during tho 

 week ending Juno 29th. 



I'll' rm. during llyarom. at 



24 hours in shade. 12 o'clock noon. 

 Max. Min. Dry Bulb. Wot Bulb. Wind. 



Juno 22nd.... 67 J .. 47° 67° .. 62° S.W. Showery. 



„ 28rd.... 78° .. 66° .... 78° .. 70° . . . . S. Cloudy. 



24th.... 83" .. 4D° .... 81° .. 70° .... S.W. and tt> N. Cloav. 

 „ 25th.... 87° .. 49° .... 87° .. 75° .... N.E.E. Clear. 

 „ 26th.... 91° .. ob° .... 88° .. 74' .... S.E. Clear. 

 „ 27th.... 75° .. 54° .... 72° .. 66" .... N. Cloudy. 

 „ 28th.... 76° .. 48° .... 72° .. 64° .... N. Clear. 



„ 29th 85° .. 61° 85° .. 72°.... S. Clear, but with 



[heavy rain at night. 

 — Aldan Goodman, The Palace Gardens, Londonderry. 



CULTURE OF FERNS FROM THE SPORE. 



This is easily accomplished with most of the families both 

 native and exotic. The following will be found a very effectual 

 mode of treatment for natives : — 



At the beginning of March, select a warm corner of the side 

 stage of the greenhouse ; place in a board 2 feet square, then 

 break small a quantity of crocks, and cover the board to the 

 depth of half an inch, chop up very tine a little sphagnum moss, 

 and cover the crocks ; next sift through a fine sieve a quantity 

 of sandy peat, with a small proportion of fresh loam, then mix 

 np with a quantity of silver sand equal to both, press the moss 

 level, and lay this compost on an inch deep, and when done, 

 slightly smooth and press lightly over the surface, then give a 

 slight watering out of a fine rose, and when the water has sub- 

 sided, sprinkle on the spores pretty thick, and finish by putting 

 a hand-glass over all, first painting or whitewashing the glass 

 to cast off the sun's rays ; keep the glass close, excepting on 

 days of strong sunshine, when the glass ought to be raised a 

 little at one side up to the moment the plants make their appear- 

 ance, giving a sprinkling of water when the surface shows signs 

 of getting dry ; thus continue to keep the soil damp, but stag- 

 nant water must be avoided. 



The plants, in the first stages of formation, will be recognised 

 in the minute cups that make their appearance on the beds, 

 and which will soon start up fronds. As soon as they can be 

 handled, remove the board off the stage, and place another in 

 its stead, which cover as recommended for the others, only 

 making the bed of earth double the thickness. Take the plants 

 singly out with a pointed stick, and prick into narrow rows on 

 the new bed ; give a slight watering out of a fine rose, and re- 

 turn the glass as before ; keep shaded for a few days until the 

 plants have begun root-action. When air can be admitted by 

 degrees, in a few weeks the plants will be fit for pots, when all 

 danger is past. — A. Kerb (in Scottish Gardener). 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 July 3rd. 

 Floral Committee. — At this meeting Messrs. Backhouse, of York, 

 exhibited a very tine specimen of a new Dipladenia, D. amabilis, with 

 very large bright rosy flowers, a very superb variety, which was 

 awarded a first-class certificate ; also a good variety of Ladia purpurata. 

 Mr. Bartleman, Leyboorn Grange, received a first-class certificate for 

 a seedling hytrid Zonale Pelorgoninm, King of the Nosegays, with 

 large trusses of bright orange-scarlet flowers, which promises to be a 

 most nseful bedding plant. Mr. William Paul received a first-class 

 certificate for Zonale hybrid Nosegay Ninirod, trasses of bright 

 orange scarlet, very free flowering. Mr. W. Paul also exhibited 

 several other seedlings, which have been noticed before, Rebecca, St. 

 George, and Blue Bell, and a variegated form of Hibiscus syriacus. 

 From Mr. R. Burcham came a small collection of British plants found 

 on Hampstead Heath, two varieties of Drosera rotundifolia, and 

 Maianthemum bifolium, considered rather a rare plant. Messrs. 

 Osborn, Fulham, Bent six fine Heaths, which were awarded a special 

 certificate ; and Mr. Watson, St. Albans, received first-class certificates 

 for two seedling tricolor Zonale Pelargoniums — Miss Watson, a variety 

 quite eqnal to Mrs. Pollock, the colours perhaps brighter, and Mrs. 

 Dix, a compact-growing plant with medium foliage, with a dark almost 

 black zone, encircling a bright red inner zone. Mr. Watson likewise 

 exhibited Zonale tricolor Nosegay King of Nosegays, and Zonale En- 

 chantress, with dark zonate foliage. Mr. Brewer, gardener to — Terry-, 

 Esq., Fulliam, received a Bpecial certificate for a very handsome plant 

 of Liham auratum, bearing twelve lovely flowers. Mr. James Keeler, 



gardener to John Todd, Ksq., sent two seedling Zonale Pelargoniums 

 — Delicatum, and Sambo, a very dark scarlet ; and Mr. Anderson, 

 gardener to T. Dawson, Ksq., Meadow Bank, exhibited some fine 

 specimens of cut Orchids, which were awarded a Bpecial certificate. 



Mi..:- IS. I'l. ( i. II rin |i 1 si Hi in iivid II I'll I rhts:, ri I t itinitt' i '1 CabldiuiU 



Napoleon III., a line variety with bright green foliage, mottled with 

 deep rosy markings and veins ; and they also exhibited cut specimens 

 of Allainanda Sehotti Ileudcrsoni, with fine, large, deep yellow flowers ; 

 doubts were expressed as to its being a distinct variety. From the 

 same firm camo also Orchis maculata superbu, and three most magni- 

 ficent spikes of seedling Zonale Pelargonium Duke of Edinburgh, with 

 pale yellowish leaves, marked with a bronzy zone ; also fine specimens 

 ol' Pelargoniums Italia Unita, Luey Grieve, Arc. Messrs. Stuart and 

 Mi'in. Kelso, had a seedling hybrid Statice Duchess, very much like 

 profusa ; and Messrs. Lee, Hammersmith, two seedling Kricas — viz., 

 E. tricolor pulchella, a pale-coloured flower, but pretty, to which was 

 awarded a second-class certificate, and E. ampullacea oblata, a white 

 variety of no particular merit. 



W. Wentworth Buller, Esq., sent some beautiful specimens of cut 

 Orchids, which were awarded a special certificate ; also, a plant of an 

 old and well-known Orchid, Proinenam stapelioides. Messrs. Veiteh, 

 as usual, contributed largely to the exhibition both novel and in- 

 teresting plants. First-class certificates were awarded to the follow- 

 ing: — Nepenthes lanata, a very curious Pitcher-plant; Nepenthes sp., 

 from Borneo ; Lomaria dura, a valuable hardy greenhouse Fern ; 

 Loraaria eiliata, very beautiful and distinct; Davallia alpina, Davallia, 

 parvula ; Acalypha tricolor, a stove plant with dark yellow and red- 

 mottled leaves ; Niercmbergia sp., quite hardy, with pale flowers like 

 N. filicaulis ; and a cut specimen of Dipladenia arnabilis. A second- 

 class certificate was awarded for Pescatorea, or Huntleya, cerina ; and a 

 special certificate for a very handsome specimen of Blandfordia nobilis. 

 In the general collection we noticed a new Spha'rogyne ; Lomaria Belli, 

 which bad received a first-class certificate ; Lomaria zamuefolia, and 

 Lomaria Moritziaua, which it was requested should be sent again. A 

 collection of plants from the Society's gardens at South Kensington, 

 contained Orchids and a very fine specimen of the late-flowering 

 Rhododendron Jenkinsii, which was awarded a special certificate. A 

 very interesting though small collection of plants was sent from the Chis- 

 wick Gardens. Among them were a very tine Fern, Stenochlffina tenui- 

 folia ; cut specimens of Liriodendron tulipiferum, the Tulip tree ; also 

 two kinds of Horse-chestnut, ^Esculas indica and ,/Eseulus californica. 

 Fruit Committee. — Mr. C. Oldham, Honorary Secretary of the 

 Wrexham Floral and Horticultural Society, exhibited two seedling 

 Strawberries, Sir Watkin and Denbigh Seedling ; and from Mr. 

 Turner, Slough, came a fine large-fruited variety called Dr. Hogg, to 

 which a first-class certificate was awarded. Further mention of these 

 will be found beneath. From the Society's garden at Chiswick came 

 fruit of Sir Charles Napier, Reeves's Eclipse, La CouBtante, and 

 Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury ; also three early varieties of Cherries. 

 The only other fruit shown consisted of British Queen Straw- 

 berries from Mr. Keeler, Wood House. Dulwieh ; and Grosse Mignonne 

 Peaches from Mr. Merett, Battersea Rise. 



Fortnightly Meeting. — Viscount Sandon, M.P., in the chair. 

 The awards of the Floral Committee having been announced, Dr. 

 Hogg made a few remarks on the subjects brought before the Fruit 

 Committee. Denbigh Seedling Strawberry, be said, was a large coarse- 

 looking variety with a peculiarly acid flavour, and Sir Watkin, a 

 seedling from Sir Harry impregnated with Black Prince, had a long 

 conical fruit, very similar to Williams's Black Roseberry. and black 

 firm flesh with an insipid flavour. With regard to Strawberry Dr. 

 Hogg, for which Mr. Turner had received a first-class certificate, it 

 was raised by Mr. Bradley, the gardener at Elton Manor, who was 

 also the raiser of Oscar, Sir- Joseph Paxton, and other varieties. The 

 fruit was described as being wedge-shaped, somewhat corrugated 

 longitudinally, of a pale red colour, with white flesh, aud a flavour 

 similar to^ that of the British Queen. Unlike that kind, however, it 

 was stated to colour regularly all over, and to be much more hardy 

 and a better bearer. With reference to the varieties from Chiswick, 

 Dr. Hogg said of Vicomtesse Hericart de Thury, that it is an abun- 

 dant bearer, having a high flavour perhaps unsurpassed by any other 

 kind. La Constante, raised by M. de Jonghe, of Brussels, bore 

 carriage better than, perhaps, any other kind, the flesh being firm 

 and solid, and the flavour was high. Eclipse, it was remarked, is of 

 all the varieties used for forcing that which possesses, perhaps, the 

 richest Pine flavour, but that this is not so good when the plants are 

 grown out of doors. 



The Rev. M. J. Berkeley then offered some remarks on the subjects 

 exhibited. The Eriogonum shown at the previous meeting by Mr. 

 Thompson, of Ipswich, was first alluded to, and then the hardy trail- 

 ing Niercmbergia, exhibited by Messrs. Veiteh. This was stated to 

 have come from Tucuman, and its soft, lilac flowers were said to bear 

 considerable resemblance to those of N. filicaulis. Acalypha tricolor, 

 imported from the New Hebrides by the same firm, next came under 

 notice, and though very unlike moot Euphorbiaceous plants, it never- 

 theless belonged to the same natural order as these. Davallia alpina 

 and parvula. as well as Lomaria eiliata, were then adverted to, and 

 the latter, however unlike a Tree Fern as exhibited, was stated to be 

 in reality such. Stenochlwna tenuifolia, from the Society's garden, 

 was the next plant noticed, and it was mentioned that the pinna; have 



