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JOUBNAL OF HORTICULTURE: AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t M ufeb 90, UB8. 



THE ilOYAL BOTANIC SOCIETY'S FIRST 

 SPRING SHOW.— Mahcu 17. 



This took place on Satnrday lust, and was a cbarnnng diBpIay of 

 spring tlowprs most t'ffcctivily nrrant^ed on turf banks in tbe oxbibitioii 

 tent. lu ibe backjn*ound, iilonR the cauvaa wuUiut;, wuro runted 

 Arnurarifts on the one side, specimen Camellias on the otber ; iu front, 

 Hjraciutlis, Talii>s. Crocuses, and other pprinj,' bulbs ; in llie centre, a 

 basJt of Roses in all their freshness and beauty ; at oue end, Howori&f; 

 and fine folluji*-'d stove and f^reouhouso plants, at the otber, a group of 

 rich-coloured HbododonJrons. Following so closely the show at Keu- 

 singiou, Ibu subjects exhibited there were to a great extent reprodncod 

 OD this occasion, and as these hare been already uotlced, it wul be on* 

 necessary to do more than mention their presence. 



Hyacinths were nnraeronsly shoim, both in special classes and in 

 coUtH-tioU'^. In the Xurseri'miuis Clast for twelve, Mr. W. Paul was 

 tirst, vv-ith Lord Wellington, King of the Bines, tiaiibalJi. Vun Siwyk, 

 Koh-i-Noor, a magnificent spike; Macaulay, SolfateiTc, UranJ Lilas, 

 Al)^ maxima, Lanreus Koster, Garrick, and Ida. Of the size and 

 beanty of these it would bo superfluous to say more than that they 

 were characterised by the Bume excellence as at Kensington, and ou 

 a second ins])cction it even seemed enhanced. The second prize was 

 awarded to Mr. Ba\'ies, Stanley Nursery, Old Swan, Liverpool, a new 

 - exhibitor ;it these tdiows, for a very creditable collection, in which Von 

 Schiller, Macanlay, Grand Lilas, and Ida were particnlarly good. 

 Due de Malakoff, Madame Van der Hoop. Mont Blanc, Sultan's Fa- 

 Toorite, Gmndenr a Men-eille, Grootvoorst, Laurens Ivoster, and 

 Charles Difkvus completed the number. 



In the Amateur^i" Class Mr. Young, gardener to R. Barclay, Esq., 

 High^ftte, was tirst ; Mr. Wheeler, gardener to Sir F. H. Goldsmidt, 

 Bart., Kcgent'fl Park, second ; and Mrs. Young, Kentish ToTrn, third, 

 those from the latter being in glasses. 



For six new ITyacinths Mr. W. Paul was fir.^t and Mr. Y'onng second, 

 the kinds brinj:: the same as those shown at KLUsiu^tou. The former 

 al^o exhibited a beautiful collection of established kinds ; and others 

 C^e from Mr. Young and Mr. I>a^'ie3. 



For eighteen Tulips the two exhibitors aboTO named took a similar 

 position in tb.c prize list, and both fnmished numerous collections in 

 addition. Of the single kinds, Keizerskroon, Yellow and White Pot- 

 tebakker, Rose Luisante, Proserpine, and Cerise Oris de Lin on 

 account of its affording a change of colour, were six of the best ; and 

 to these may be added Vermiliou Brilliant, and of doubles, Tonmesol 

 and its yellow variety, and Leonardo di Vinci, very showy, red, edged 

 with ycUow. Lac Oris de Lin, similar in colour to Cerise Gris de 

 Tan, but double, will afford a further variety of colour. Unfortunately 

 the day was too dull for the Tulips to be set. n in perfection. 



Of other bulbous plants fine collections of Narcissi, Lilies of the 

 Valley, and Crocuses came from Mr. W\ Paul ; of Narcissi from Mi". 

 Young; and of Cyclamens from Messrs. E. G. Henderson. Mr. Wiggins, 

 gardener to W. Beck, Esq., Isleworth, and Mr. W^heeler. All the 

 Cyclamens were iu ^^ood bloom, but those from Messrs. Henderson 

 aad Wiggins were particularly so. Prizes were awarded to the three 

 exhibitors in the order in which they are named. 



Chinese Primulas in good bloom, and of good colours, were shown by 

 Sir. Todman, gardener to R. Hudson, Esq. ; and Mr. Wheeler, who 

 were first and second ; bnt the greatest attractions in this way were two 

 new and remarkably fine varieties exhibited by Messrs. E. G. Hender- 

 son. One, called Stt-warti. had flowers as lar^'eas a five -shilling -piece, 

 white, beautifully mottled and striped with piu^>lish crimson ; the other, 

 Mrs. Eyre Crabbo, was smaller than Stewarti, but double, and the white 

 ground suffused with pink. Both are decided acquisitions, and a great 

 advance on older kinds. 



Camellias in pots were furnished by Messi-s. Lee and Mr. Bull, to 

 whom first aud second prizes were awarded. The varieties were 

 Fulgens nova, Valtcvuredo, Mailame TiOngelicr, Rossii. Alba illustrata. 

 Prince .iVlbert, Sarah Frost. Double ^Vhitc, aud Marchioness of Exeter, 

 large deep red. Cut blooms iu great beauty were furaished by Messrs. 

 Lee, Todman, and Trussler, gardener to D. J. Kay, Esq., Hoddesdon. 

 and Y'oung, Among the varieties seen to most advantage were Double 

 Whit-e. Fimbriata ; Reine des Flenrs. Mathotiana, red; Optima and 

 Caryopbylloides, carnation-striped ; Varie^ata, very showj-, red, with 

 some of the petals nearly entirely white; Valtevarcdo, fose; Fra 

 Axnoldo da Brescia, rose, with a white stripe up the centre of each 

 petal ; Countess of Orkney, and Lady Humes Blush. To Messrs. 

 jjee and Todman fii-st prizes were awarded, Mr. Trussler and Mr. 

 Yonng being second and third. 



Of Roses in pots, though no j^rizes were specially offered, beautiful 

 examples were shown by Mr. W. Paul aud Messrs. Paul & Son. to 

 each of whom a silver medal was given. Those fiom the former 

 comprised Dr. Lindley, very rich in colour ; Senateur Yaisso, Elizabeth 

 Vigneron, Mrs. Bosunquet, Duchess of Sntherland, Madame de St. 

 Joseph, verj- full of bloom ; Victor Vcrdier. and G( utral Jaequcminot ; 

 whilst from the latter came Model of Perfection. Maurice Bemardin, 

 Louise de Saroie, Victor Verdier, Alba liosea. Madame de St. Joseph, 

 Beauty of Waltham, Prince Camille de Rohan, Princess Mary of 

 Cambridge, President, and others. Among novelties, Calauthe 

 Tomeri, pure white, with a purple eye. :ind Deudrobium primulinum 

 gigauteum, with a pale primrose lip, and lilac .sepals aud petals, came 

 from Mr. Williams, of Holloway ; aud from Messrs. Paul & Son, 

 Philadelphos grandifioms speciosissimns, with fragrant white flowers 



2| inches across ; and Dienilla mnltiflorn, with tnbalar maroon 

 flowurri, with white anthers and a long ])istil, snrmonntcd by a whito 

 stigma. Both the alxivc appear to be acquisitions iu the way of flower- 

 ing shrubs. Mr. Bull u^^ain exhibited a lar^^u collection of new aud 

 rare plants, the same as tliat shown at Kensington, as well as handsome 

 standard Orange trees, aud was awarded a t^tlver medal. Some seed- 

 ling Cinerarias were also showu by Messrs. F. il* A. Smith, of Dulwich, 

 but the season was too early to form a dcllnite opinion of them. 

 Groups; of flowering imd fiue-foliaged stove niid greenhouse jtlants 

 from Mr. Williams, Messrs. Lee, and Mr. Wheeler, nceived first, 

 second, aud third prizes, and consisted of Azaleas, Camellias, HedA- 

 ronia fuchsioides, Eriostemou pulchellnm, a fiue flowering specimen of 

 Frauciscca confcrtiflora, Yucca aloifolia variegata, Dracnnas, Cordy- 

 linc iudivisa, Paudauus juvauieus variesntua, handsome plants of 

 Diiksonia antarctica, and a verj- fine sjn-cimen of Alocn-ia mctuUica, 

 which came from Mr. W'hteler, who also exhibited half a dozen exotic 

 Ferns. Messrs. Lee again produced their handsome fruiting Aacubas, 

 Mr, W. Paul a fine group of Rhododendrons, and Mr. Yonng green- 

 house Acacias and forced thrubs. From the Rev. George Cheere came 

 a pot of Anna Bolevn Pinks ; and lastly Mr. Reeves of the Jjadbrook 

 Nursery, Notting liill, showed a dozen admirable specimens of Deutzia 

 gracilis, which, though only in six-ineh pots, were corered with a pro- 

 fusion of their pretty white flowers. 



CRYST.VL PALACE SPRING FLOWER SHOW. 

 Tuis was opened on Saturday, and will reuiain open diuing 

 the present week. The flowers are from Messrp. Cutbueii, of 

 the Highgate Nurseries, and. as usual, are of very enperior 

 excellence. They are tastefully arranged on a platform at ono 

 end of the Palace aisle. We shall notice them fully next week. 



.UDING IN FERTILISING BLOSSOMS. 



It is a custom among gardeners to perform a work wluch 

 they deem necessary — namely, fertilising or setting their Peach 

 aud Nectarine flowers, a practice which I consider useless in 

 line weather. 



I presume the gardener considers that the pollen is carried 

 from the anthers to the stigmas by the means he uses, con- 

 sequently conducing to the setting of the fruit. Do you con- 

 sider such assistance really necesi^ary ? ^^'hy has nature 

 provided pendent flowers with a longer style than those growing 

 erect ? Most assuredly that the work may be performed natiii- 

 ally. — Investigatoh. 



[Precisely so ; hut all flowers are not pendulous, nor ai-e all 

 stamens and pistils uf such disproportionate length. If we had 

 the trees in a Peach-house in bloom iu February or March, 

 and in cold weather, and we did nothing to move the air so as 

 to scatter the pollen, an4 the fruit did not set to our mind, wG 

 should blame ourselves afterwards. The cultivator must not 

 always depend on Nature. How many of the handsomest Cu- 

 cumbers never will produce a seed if left to themselves ? How 

 seldom do the fine flowers of the Gmnadilla set fruit without 

 being helped ? Again, how many flowers, especially those 

 which are dioecious, depend for fertilisation upon insects carry- 

 ing the pollen to the female flowers ?j 



CUCUMBER CULTURE. 



TiTE cultivation of Cucumbers in winter is a subject which, 

 though very useful, ip very little touched upon ; for this reason 

 I will endeavour to give a sketch of the system I adopt, and 

 which has invariably proved successful in my hands, and with 

 others will no doubt do the same. It is very simple. About j 

 the end of September I cut down the old planls, which have I 

 been bearing since the previous Christmas. The house then i 

 undergoes a thorough cleansing and fumigating ; the walls are | 

 whitewashed with good lime and sulphur; the pipes are also 

 painted with boiled oil, which, besides adding to the neatness 

 of the house, keeps them from rusting. Thus cleaning the 

 house 1 consider to be one of the greatest advantsges to the 

 young plants, it destroys the haunts of insects ; and where do 

 insects thrive so well as in a dirty house ? | 



I shall now suppose the house to be clean ; I will therefore | 

 proceed to detail my method of raising the young plants neces- i 

 sary to fill it. I have for many years used plants from cuttings I 

 in preference to those from seed, and although there is thus a 

 little more trouble at first, it is amply repaid afterwards, I 

 have never found the plants degenerate under this treat- 

 ment, as many persons aver they will. The sort I cultivate is i 

 a black spine of my own raising, an improvement on the old ' 

 Lord Kenyon's Favourite. It has alwayB given me great satis- j 



