8h 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ Jnnaarj Sil, 18£C. 



the second crop. Have yon seen any as large as these before 

 this season ? and what sort are they ? They were growing in 

 an orchard. 



[The Apples are as hirgo as bantams' eggs. They may be 

 Joannctings, but they are too immature for identification.] 



ROSES. 

 " Loon Ness," at page 22, speaks in the highest terms of 

 " King's Acre." I do not think his experience of this flower 

 will be borne out by many amateurs. I have only one plant 

 of it, but it had several blooms on it last summer, and I saw 

 a stand of blooms (I think there were two dozen or so), at the 

 Crystal Palace Rose Show, and out of all these there was but 

 one fit to put into a stand of first-class flowers. Moreover, I 

 met at the same Rose Show a gentleman who is a very success- 

 ful exliibitor, though he does not exliibit largely, and he told 

 me that he considered this flower not worth propagating, and, 

 in fact, although I had plenty of stocks I did not, after seeing 

 the stand I have mentioned, think it worth while to add to my 

 stock of plants by puttiuj* in any buds. I shall be very glad 

 to find that I have been mistaken as to this Rose ; but as to its 

 ever superseding JiUes ilargottin, even if it were the same 

 shade of colour, which it is not — why, when that happens 

 Seuateur Vaisse must give way to GCnural .Jacqueminot. 



It is interesting to observe how differently some Roses do in 

 different situations. " Locit Ness," I gather from his letter, 

 finds Gloire de Santenay open well, and Due de Rohan and 

 Maurice Bemardin indifferently. Now, with me, the last 

 alw.iys opens perfectly, whilst of the other two the Due never 

 opens well, and Gloire de Santenay is more often than not like 

 a bullet. 



General Washington, too, never yet opened well with me, 

 and I had more than a dozen plants of it. 



I think if "LociiNess" is patient with Prince Camjlle de 

 Rohan, and wait till his plants become strong, he will consider 

 that flower Al. Its coloui- is superb, and the petals are wonder- 

 ful in velvety appearance and substance. It might be a little 

 fuller and larger ; but such as it is, it is a splendid flower. — P. 



ROYAL HORTICULTUR.VL SOCIETY. 

 January 23rd. 

 Floral Committee.— The fust meeting in 1866 was held this day 

 at South Kensin^-ton, and jml','in{> from the excellent collections of 

 plants sent, we may safely conchije that the Tuesday meetings will 

 continne to be well supported. There were not many plants sent for 

 examination, and at this verj- early period of the year few could be 

 expected. Mr. Bull sent three plaiits. of Pandanus ornatus. an orna- 

 mental- foliagcd plant with bright, flossy, dark preen leaves edged with 

 white spines. This will prove a veiy handsome decorative plant — first- 

 cUss certificate ; Selaginella Mcrteusii variegata, which was awarded 

 a second-class certificate in 1865 ; Herrania palmata, a plant re- 

 sembling a Palm, with handsome foliage — first-class certificate ; and 

 Agave americona longifolia. Mr. Bull also exhibited a large col- 

 lection of stove and grcenbou!;e plants, some of them of considerable 

 merit m jioinl of cultivation, and many of them rare ; the Lindley 

 medal, at the recommendation of the Committee, was awarded to Mr. 

 Bull by the Council. It should bo clearly understood that this medal 

 is not intended as a prize for large collections of miscellaneous plants. 

 bat for specimens showing meritorious cultivation. See regulation 

 No. 10, for the guidance of the Committees. " Medals will be awarded 

 by the Conned for subjects rccommeuded by tlie Committee as evinc- 

 ing meritorious cultivation, but which arc not exhibited as novelties." 

 Mr. Earicy, Digswell, sent a hybrid Begonia with deeply serrated 

 fohage and pale pink flowers ; and Messrs. A. Henderson & Co., Pine- 

 Apple Place, a fine specimen of Lastrea Sieholdii variegata, a decided 

 acquisition among the variegated forms of Ferns in cultivation ; a 

 first-class certificate was awarded it. Mr. Veitch exhibited a magnifi- 

 cent collection of plants, fonning quite a bank of splendid flowers. 

 Among them were several Orchids— to one, a fine specuneu of Angrre- 

 cum ebnrnenm, was awarded a special certificate. A similar award 

 was made for the collection. Mr. Willcock. gardener to Dr. Pattison. 

 seut a fine specimen of Angraicum sesquipedale. and Barkeria Skinneri! 

 with deep rosy spikes of flowers. Mr. Williams, Hollowav, sent 

 Calanthe species nova, but which was decided to be a form of C. vestita ; 

 also, Angrjecum ebumcnm, and .\ngKeenm snperbum virens, both of 

 which received special certificates. Mr. Revnohk, gardener to Dr. 

 Sankey. sent a specimen of Selaginella denticnlata, the iioints of the 

 shoots being nearly white. It is doubtful whether this variegated form 

 will prove constant. Several specimens were hrought from tlie Societv's 

 gardens, among them Odontoglossum hystrii, and a very fine speci- 

 men of Sophronitis grandiflora, which wias awarded a special certifi- 



cate ; also, a fine plant of the well-known PycuoBtochys orticifoUfl 

 with bright dark blue tufts of flowers. 



Fbcit CoMSfiTTEE. — G. F. WUson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. But 

 few subjects were broaght forward on this occasion. A first-claaa 

 certificate was awarded to Mr. K. H. Betteridge, of Milton Hill, 

 Stcventon, for a seedling Pear, which was of excellent flavour. From 

 Mr. Page, Southam]>ton, came fruit of P^tus nepalensis, resembling a 

 Pear in appearance, hut having a shght qniuce flavour, and though 

 too hard for eating, possibly useful for preserving. The Chairman 

 contributed some Uveoale's St. Germain Pears, grown in an orchard- 

 house, and which, though not so large as those sometimes prodoced 

 out of (looi-s, were much more highly coloured. Mr. Tillcri*, gardener 

 to the Duke of Portland. Welheck, sent Trebbiono, Black St. Peter's, 

 l^Iuscat of Alexandria, and Welbeck Block Tripoli Cirapes, in ex- 

 cellent condition. The last-named has been considered by some a 

 distuict variety, but Dr. Hogg, in his " Fruit Manual." states it to be 

 identical with the Frankenthul. From Mr. Culverwell, gardener to 

 Mark Milbankc, Esq.. Thorpe Perrow, near Bedale, came a bunch of 

 Ferral Grape, unnamed ; and from Mr. Sherratt, gardener to J. Bate- 

 man, Ksq., Knypersley, a fine cluster of the fruit of Musa Cavendisbii. 

 A few Pears from the Societv's Garden at Chiswick were also shown. 



SciKXTinc Meeting. — Lord H. Gordon Lennox, MP., in the chair. 

 The Rev. .Joshua Dix having reported the awards of the Floral Com- 

 mittee to the meeting. Mr. Wilson, in performing a similar task with 

 regard to the Fruit Committee, mentioned an electrical apparatus 

 which he bad seen at Professor Wheatstoue's, which being set at any 

 two temperatures — say -10^ and 70°, would ring a bell at the gardener's 

 liedside, if the temperature of any bouse in which the ajiparatas was 

 placed fell below the one limit or exceeded the other. 



The Rev. M. J. Berkeley in reviewing the subjects exhibited, re- 

 marked that a new Calanthe exhibited by Mr. Williams, only differed 

 from Calanthe vestita in the centre of the flower being marked with 

 rose colonr instead of yellow as in that species, and to which he had 

 no doubt it belonged. An Odontoglossum sent home by Mr. Weir, 

 and shown at the last meeting, was stated to be O. bystrix. Mr. 

 Berkeley then directed attention to one of the .\roidea' in Mr. Bull's 

 collection, Xanthosoma appeudiculata, in which there is a curious 

 process formed by the upper portion of the midrib being reverted, and 

 forming as it were a second leaf at the buck of the first, but facing in 

 a contraiy direction, and he observed that he had seen a similar 

 peculiari^' of structure in a Fig which bad been sent home from 

 India. Of Dracwna fragrans, a plant of which came from the Society's 

 garden, it was remarked that though not very attractive it was very 

 fragrant at night, ha\"ing the odour of new hay : and of Ficus 

 Cooperi. that it was a native either of tropical .Vustralia or the warmer 

 parts of Natal. Palicourea discolor, belonging to the natural order of 

 Cinchonacew, and Pycnostachys nrticifolia, closely allied to the well- 

 known Colens, were next adverted to, and the latter, though of a 

 rather straggling habit, was stated to be worthy of some consideration 

 on account of its fine blue heads of flowers. Herrania y^mata, 

 exhibited by Mr. Bull, and belonging to the natural order of Byttner- 

 iace.-e, was closely allied to the Theobroma, from the seeds of 

 which chocolate is made ; and in connection with Pj-rus nepalensis, 

 Mr. Berkeley remarked that notwithstanduig the distinctions drawn 

 between Pynis and Cydonia, those botanists are right who unite the 

 two. He next directed attention to one of the fme fruiting Ancnbas 

 from Mr. Bull, remarking that such a plant was worth from fifteen to 

 twenty guineas, though a similar one not in fruit might be purchased 

 for about halfa-crown, and that a small example of the male plant 

 was now worth two guineas. The pretty variegated Selaginella Mor- 

 tensii variegata was also alluded to in terms of commendation. 



The Chairman said his next duty was to introduce Mr. Hungerford 

 Pollen to the meeting, who would state his views on the arrangement 

 of floral displays, a subject which had excited a considerable amount 

 of discussion of late. 



Mr. H. Pollen began by observing, that the best mode of arranging 

 plants and fruit at exhibitions was a subject of considerable interest, 

 and he quoted the views advanced by Professor Rcichenhach and 

 Dr. Masters on the subject. Here the materials of such exhibitions 

 were mostly arranged together, but on the Continent they were grouped 

 so as to produce the best pictorial effect, though this system might 

 not always be so well for displaying the properties of the plants ; yet 

 he thought it perfectly possible to unite both objects. Professor 

 Ueicbeubach bad spoken of the great difficulties of finding and com- 

 paring plants arranged on the continental system, but without going so 

 far as that, each exhibitor's productions might be so placed as to pro- 

 duce an artistic effect. In order to see bow plants and flowers look 

 best we ought to go to Nature, and what struck one most there was the 

 enormous amount of light which was present. The consideration 

 which followed was, how plants were situated in regard to that element 

 in arcades, buildings, and tents ; in the first two the light was almost 

 invariably from one side, but in a tent it was diffused all round, and 

 that in the most agreeable manner : hence, he considered that the tent 

 carried the day for the exhibition of plants. In art, as in the ease of 

 statues and paintings, it was an object to concentrate all the light on 

 a certain point, and the rest of the ohject was, therefore, left more or 

 less in the shade ; but to do justice to flowers they should have a very 

 large amount of light. In buildings, however, as already stated, this 

 was not the case, for the light coming from one side the greater part of 



