1C4 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. f February 27. IRCC, 



Koses to U( oxn. Wo have here, on the side o{ a hill, a fine 

 lUiododenilrou iu fall bluom. which lias been expanded since 

 the 6th of .Januftrv, and on the loth followed numerous patches 

 of Suowdn-ps and Crocuses, exhibiting their early blooms. 

 Peaches and Nectarines are swelling their buds and promipc a 

 good crop. Gooseberries are pushing into leaf, and, in fact, 

 vegetation is. here, in an active state, and, as Mr. Record stated 

 in your Number of the 13th inst., every gardener should keep 

 a sharp eye to the weather, and be in readiness for any of those 

 severe frosts and winds which so often prevail in March. — 



H. OOLK. 



'ROYAL HOPiTICITLTrRAL SOCIETY. 

 Fkbiuary 20th. 

 Tlor-VL CoMStiTTKE. — Consiclerinp the cold and frosty day, this 

 meeting may lie cou^idered a great success. Hud it not been for the 

 int*'Use coKl niauy other specimens, wo art- informed, would have been 

 Beut. Mr. John Grftbam, Crauford. exliil'it»tl u lur^o collectiou of 

 The Czar Violet, which maintains its character, and was universally 

 admired both for the size of the Hower, its swit*t scent, and the noblo 

 foliage. Mr. Graham sent another seedling from this variety named 

 Dapnar, bnt terv inferior. A special certificate was awarded for the 

 collection. Mr. Vonnp. Hijihcate. sent a small collection of Drticft^nns, 

 and a specimen of Erv-ophyllnm calycinnm. Mr. John Watson, St. 

 Alban's. sent pl.ints of Cyathodes oxycedrns. vars. nlba and mbra. 

 These plants appeared to be novelties. The foliage was similar to 

 that of the .Fiiniper; but as the merits of the plants consist iu ihc 

 hemes thiy produce, not hearing any they could not he noticed. Mr. 

 Smally. Norton Hall, exhibited a seedhns Primula sinensis with lurpt) 

 bright flowers ; and Mcssre. Garraway. Bristol, five seedling ITippe- 

 astrums — Nos. 1. 2. and -i very showy flowers, hut not equal to many 

 reared. From i^Ir. Bull came three varieties of Camellia japoniea — 

 Benanzio. pale binsh flower, good shape, bnt small; Archduke Carlo 

 di Toseano, bright red. with occasional white centre petals, giving a 

 very pleasing character, flowers small ; also Countess Novello, white 

 flowers, with pale blush blotches. Messrs. Cutbush. Highgatc, ex- 

 hibited a laru'e and interesting collection of Azaleas, Majjnolia Sou- 

 langeana. Primulas, Prnnns sinensis. Hyacinths, Narcissus, Tuhps, 

 Crocuses, &c., for which a special certiticate was awarded. Mr. 

 Lucking sent a nice specimen of Pcpcromia arifolia, one of the plants 

 collected by Mr. "NVeir, and which has been previously noticed. From 

 Messrs. AVatcrer & Godfrey came three specimens of Ancnba japoniea 

 vera in full herry. One specimen was extremely ornamental. A 

 Bpccial certificate was awarded them. W. W. Saunders, Esq.. exhi- 

 bited a group of vei*y small -/.owe ring Orchiils, among them some 

 cnrions and interesting species, some of them highly scented, and 

 others of botanical interest ; a special certificate was awarded thorn. 

 From the same Kcntlemnn came Peperomia species nova, with hri^^ht 

 green, small, ovate foliajfe — a trailing plant, useful for baskets and 

 wall decoration. This curious Peperomia was much admired, and was 

 awarded a t:r?-t-class certificate. This is another of Mr. Weir's plants. 

 Also TillantUia bulbosa, a great curiosity, growing on a small branch of 

 a tree, and prodncintj from the scaly stems long roundish leaves, which 

 become brif]:ht si-arlet at the part where the purplish flowers are pro- 

 duced. Although an old and well-laiown plant, few ]>ersons present 

 had seen it in such a state of perfection. A second-class certificate 

 ■was awarded it. Several very excellent sp«;cimens were sent from the 

 Society's gardens, among which wereDracu'Uus ; Cineraria populifolia ; 

 a terrestrial Orchid, Petesia bicolor. with broad spotted folinj^e ; and 

 Lihonia floribunda, a beautiful and decorative printer plant, with dark 

 oranM and bright yellow flowers. To ihh a first-class certiticate was 

 awarded; also to a Cattleya collected by Mr. Weir, a beautiful variety 

 of C. Trianai, having a blush flower with a deeppur^jUsh lip, differing 

 from C. labiata and Mossia?. 



Fp-m CoinriTTEE. — On this occasion there was an excellent, it might 

 almost be said extensive, display of fruit, collections being furnished 

 by Mr. Ford, pardener to W. K. Hubbard. Esq.. St. Leonard's Lodt^e. 

 Horsham; Messrs. llivers A Sou; and Mr. Lvnn, gardener to Lord 

 Boston, Hedsor. Each of these exhibitors received a first-class cer- 

 tificate. Mr. Ford's collection comprised a dish of Limes (Citrus 

 limetta), one of Oranges, and a seedhnj; Apple, which the Committee 

 requested miuht be sent again at an earlier period of the season, as it 

 appeared to have been kept too long to be at its beat ; also, many dif- 

 ferent kinds of Apples and Pears. Among the former were good 

 dishes of Norfolk Beetinp, London Pippin (very well coloured). Pear- 

 son's Plate. Keddleston Pippin, Shepherd s Seedlint:. New Rock Pippin, 

 Dutch Mi'-nionne, Golden Hurv. y, Conrt-PendnPlat. BUnheim 

 Pippin, Scttilet Nonpareil. Adams" Pearmain. French Crab of ISGl and 

 18t>o ; Mauniugton's. Koyal. and Herefordshire IVarmains, Cornish 

 Gilliflower, Bess I'ool, verj* highly coloured, under the name of Black 

 Jack, and several local varieties, one of which, called Elstead Pippin. 

 was handsome in appearance, and was said to be nsefnl both for dessert 

 and culiuitry purposes. Mr. Ford had also some good tTvedale's St. 

 .Germain Pc:irs,^ Heijuine Muv:.ini , another stewing variety, March 

 Borgamot, and Easter Benrre, well kept. 



Messrs. Rivors's collection consinted of Apples, chiefly American, 

 grown on dwarf boshes worked on the English Paradise stock, and 



was exhibited to show the effect of the warm season on the colouring and 

 smoothness of their skins. They compriised Calrille Blanche, to tho 

 merits of which attention was drawn Ia«t week ; Calville St. Saarenr, 

 Melon Apple, hij^h coloured and very showy ; A'.^iopns Spitzemberg, 

 Illi"de Island Greening. Boston Russet, Baldwin, Newtown Pippin, 

 Alh ii'i Everhistiu^'. and some others. 



Mr. Lvnn sent Rlael: Harnhnryh Grapes, jdnmp and in excellent 

 preservation ; Hedsor Winter Prolific Cncumber. of the Sion House 

 race, and from tho cluster of young frnit accompanying it apparently 

 juhtifyinn its name: and a collection of Apples. con^stiuR of Cox'b 

 Orange Pippin. Lewis's Incomparable, IJcrs Pool (vtn.- sound I, Stormcr 

 Pippin. Scarlet Nonpareil, Cockle Pippin, Domeluw's Seedling, French 

 Crab, itc. 



Mr. Watson, St. Allan's, sent a ecedlinf? Apple, supposed to have 

 teen raised from a seed of Wheeler's Hossct, bnt the Committee 

 wiirhed to SCO it again earlier in the season before passing an opinion 

 on its merits. 



Mr. Hill, gardener to R. Sneyd. Esq.. Keele Holl. sent remarkably 

 fine frnit of the Madras Citron, alon^ with the fidiatic. likewise pre- 

 serves made from the t,Teeu and the ripe fruit, of which tho former 

 was declared by the Committee to be the better. This exhibition well 

 merited the first-class certiticate which was awarded to it. Mr. Hill 

 also contributed bunches of Ladv Downe's and Golden Lady Dovne's 

 Grapes, to show their excellent keeping properties. 



Scientific Meetdcci. — Lord Henry Gordon Lennox. M.P., in the 

 chair. The awanls of the Fruit and Floral Committees having been 

 announced, the Rev. M. J. Berkeley proceeded to remark on the sub- 

 jects exhibited. A beautiful variety of Cattleya Trianni first came 

 under notice ; then plants of the common Hyacinth and Xarcissns 

 tazetta imported from Persia, and sent by lir. Ilooker to show tho 

 difference between the improved pardcn varieties and the s]>ecies from 

 which these have been derived Libonia floribunda, with Correa-like 

 flowers, from South Braxil, was next referred to, and the account of 

 it given by Professor Morren in " La Belgique Horticole," where it is 

 truthfully figured and described. The next subject which came under 

 notice was a male catkin of ^VeUingtonja giirantea. from the Marqois 

 of Huntley's, Orton Longville, ne:ir Peterborough, where there is 

 an avenue of Wellingtonias upwards of 20<)l) yards in lenpth, and 

 from a tree in which the specimen shown was cut. Mr. Berkeley 

 remarked, that although this noble Conifer had borne cones in \'arions 

 parts of Euj^land. this was the only instance which had come to his 

 knowledge of its having produced male catk-ins. luid there was now, 

 therefore, a chance of its seeding in this country. A Gourd grown 

 in Mr. Berkeley's garden in Northamptonshire then occupied at- 

 tention ; it was stated to be a variety of Cucnrbita maxima, of which 

 the seed had been imported from Valparaiso, to be excellent for 

 yrtf/vV.*, and to fax exceed C. o^-ifera in quality. He trusted to bo 

 able to make up a considerable number of packets for distribution ; 

 and whilst on the subject of Gourdt; he would mention that among the 

 Society's collections of flower and vegetable seeds to be distributed this 

 spring, was one called the Portmanteau de Navies, a large sort, very 

 distinct from others, and requiring the assistance of a wall to ripen it, 

 A mould infcstiui? the stems of Dahlias was then exhibited. Tlus was 

 stated to be the Botrytis pi-ofnsa of Grerille, and to he very beantifnl 

 under the microscope when tho threads were freed of air-plobnles, 

 which miRlit be done by the aid of alcohol. Attention wjus then di- 

 rected to the funpis attacking the leaves of the Pear tree, from which 

 almost every cultivator suffers more or less, and which had l»cen figured 

 by Siiwerby many years ago. This, which is known as *^"cidium can- 

 cellatum or RuL'stelia ciuicellata, bad been identified by M. Oersted, a 

 D:aiii-'h professor, as beini,'only a form of the Savin fungus (Podisoma 

 Saliin.T). and M. (Ersted had succeeded in developing the sporidia of 

 the la tir on the leaves of the Pear. It was further stated tiiat M. de 

 Bary had found that in a similar way the ^Vheat Rust fPuccinia 

 grnminis) and the Berl>erry Blight (j5^cidium berberidisi were fonns 

 of tlu* same fun<^s, and that therefore there was some foundation for 

 the popular notion as to the connection of the last two. (Some ac- 

 count of the experiment:* on the identity of tlK- above fungosea "was 

 given in the "Florist .ind Pomologist" of Oitober. lt>t>'».) 



Mr. \V. AVilson Saunders then offered a few observations on tho 

 small gioup of Orchids mentioned in our Floral Committee report, 

 and which some, he said, miqht call "miseries of Orchids." Altbongh 

 their flowers were minute, these Orchicb; were not nltopethcr devoid of 

 some points of interest — perhaps to others a.s well as to botanists, and 

 it was the duty of all FeUows to bring such subjects to the meetings. 

 Among them wasaLcoehilus.thc hlossoms of which possessed the merit 

 of exhaling a dclicion? scent like that of the Heliotrope, especially when 

 the sun shone on tliem ; those of another. Fpidendnim hormidium, 

 had a delicate perfume like that of uewlv- gathered Primroses ; whilst 

 Pelexia triloba was remarkable for the beauty of its stmcture. Mr. 

 Saundftrs stated, that from preat experience in the culture of these 

 small species ho had found them succeed 1>est on thin slabs of wood 

 or cork, and that theso should be constantly wetted with the syringe 

 on both sides, so as to afford a supply of moisture in addition to that 

 which the plants obtain from the :iir of the hon^e in which they are 

 growinj;. With respect to Tillandsia bulbosa. which t-omo found a 

 difficultv in growing, it was merely necessary to place it on a little 

 piece of wood, sorronnd it vith moss, and bang it np in the centre of a 

 stove. Another Tillandsia — nsneoides, hung down from trees like tufts 



