April 24, 1866. ] 



Jdt?RNAIi 6P HORTIOULTURB AND COTTAGE GARDBNE'R. 



305 



Chimrick House, brought some inaijnificent cut flowers of Camollia 

 reticulata and othor varieties for ili3tril)ution. A special certifii^iitf 

 w»8^ awarded them. Mr, Greeu, sarjenor to W. W. Saunders, E<^., 

 exhibited several carious plants. Amont; them were Scuticaria Steelii, 

 a pretty Orchid with very long, narrow, Uush-like foliage ; Araorpho- 

 phallns papillosus, and Peperomia species, of which tlie name at 

 present is not known. This received a first-class certificate. Mr. 

 Pilcher, gardener to S. Rucker, Esq., brought cut specimens of Odonto- 

 glossnm Pescatorei, most superb ; also, Schombnrgkia tibioinis, and 

 beantifnl blooms of Cattleya Skinneri. A special certificate was 

 awarded for this exhibition. Several specimens were sent from the 

 Society's gardens. Two larije plants of the I'ersian Lilac, iu full flower, 

 received a special certificate. Mr. Barron brought two large boxes of 

 cut Camellia flowers, from plants growing out of doors under a north 

 wall at the Chiswick Crardens. The flowers were particularly perfect 

 and well-coloured, and proved very acceptable to the ladies after the 

 meeting was over. 



Fruit Committee.— G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. On 

 this occasion Mr. R. Ruffett, gardener to Viscountess Palmerston, 

 Brockett Hall, received a first-class certificate for three dishes of 

 Apples in a most excellent state of preservation. They consisted of 

 Mickleham Pearmain, Scarlet Nonpareil, largo and fine, and Cox's 

 Orange Pippin. They had been kept on open wooden trellises in a 

 low, lean-to, slate-roofed house, rather damp, through which a current 

 of air was constantly passing from ventilating-opeuings to an air-shaft 

 in the roof. The seedling Apple raised by Mr. Balchiu, of Dorking, and 

 which received a first-class certificate at the last meeting, was again 

 produced, and it was named by the Committee Balchiu's Pearmain. 

 In addition to the above, a dish of jEsopns Spitzemberg Apnle came 

 from _T. Hall Bailey, Esq., Leigh ; and from G. Blenkins, Esq., 

 Warwick Square, the fruit sold in Coveut Garden under the name of 

 * Japonicas." They were stated to be the produce of the Zizyphus 

 vulgaris, cultivated in the south of France, and other parts on the 

 shores of the Mediterranean, from the fruit of whiih the jajnbes of the 

 shops are made. It was, therefore, concluded that the fruit sold in 

 the market as being from China, did not come from there, and had 

 nothing to do mth Japan. 



FoRTNKiHTLT Meetino.— W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.R.S., iu 

 the chair. After the awards of the Committees had been announced, 

 the Rev. M. .1. Berkeley said, as Mr. Bateman was present, he would 

 leave to him that which constituted so interesting a part of the display 

 —the Orchids. With reference to Aspidistra Sieboldi, it was doubtful 

 whether the variegation would remain permanent, as green leaves were 

 occasionally thrown up. The genns to which it belonged was a curious 

 ene, with peculiar flowers, having a stigma very closely resembling a 

 common Mushroom. Of Crinnm capense, it was remarked that it 

 might prove useful to hybridise with, on account of the fragrance of 

 its flowers ; but Crinums were a class of plauts not popular with cul- 

 tivators. Nidularia Pinelii closely allied to the Pine Apple, and 

 Pitcairnca tabulroformis, both of which were exhibited by Mr. Bull, 

 having been mentioned, Psychutria macrooephala, also from the same, 

 came under notice, and Mr. Berkeley said he did not think any 

 Psychotria had flowers like the plant exhibited, for they bore more re- 

 semblance to those of a Rudgea. The genus Psychotria was closely 

 allied to Coffea. One species (P. emetica) was used for the same pur- 

 pose as ipecacuanha, to which, however, it was inferior, and another, 

 P. noxia, was employed iu Brazil as a jioison for mice and rats. At 

 the previous meeting Rhododendron Grittithii had been exliibited, and 

 it was then stated that there existed a close resemblance between it 

 and R. Aucklaudii. There was this difference, however, as would bo 

 seen by the flower of Aucklaudii before the meetmg, that Grilfithii had 

 a more tubular flower than -Aucklaudii. the limb not being so much 

 expanded. .Attention was next dii-ected to the Camellia blooms from 

 Mr. Edmonds, and the Society's gardens at Chiswick. The latter 

 were the produce of three plants of an old variety called the Mid- 

 dlemiss Red, which, being very large, wore some years ago, at Mr. 

 Fortune's suggestion, planted on the north side of a wall, that position 

 being chosen because Camellias, notwithstanding their hardiness, fre- 

 quently suffer from the direct rays of the sun. This proceetling was 

 attended with such success, that the plants now present a magnificent 

 appearance. The male catkins of "VVellingtouia gigantea from Mr. 

 Cox, of ReiUeaf, were then adverted to, and Mr. Berkeley reminded 

 his hearers that a few weeks ago he had brought with him specimens 

 from the Marquis of Huntly's. and which were believed to have been 

 the first male catkins of the Wellingtouia seen iu England. Mr. 

 Berkeley ne.vt called attention to Peziza lanuginosa, a species never 

 recorded as British till recently. It had. however, been discovered by 

 Mrs. Sumner, and he had called it Sumneriana ; but Mr. Edmonds had 

 brought a basket of it to the meetijig, it being found by hundreds 

 under Cedar trees in the grounds at Chiswick House, where it grows 

 like Trufllcs under the ground, and bui-.ts forth with great force. 

 Mention had been made at the previous meeting of an experiment 

 being made to grow Truffles, and another had been set on foot with a 

 Tiew to the cultivation of other esculent fungi. In connection with 

 this subject it was remarked that spawn of a Mushroom said to be 

 ranch superior to the common kind, bad been imported from Swan 

 River, and the attempt had been made to cultivate it by Mr. Hen- 

 derson, gardener to Lord Fitzwilliam, but in consequence of the long 

 voyage the spawn had lost its vegetative power. Kndeavoura, how- 



ever, would be made to procore what appeared to bo so valuable a 

 variety. Although it was gcnorallv supposed that in Mnshrooin beds 

 but one species was to be found, this was not the case, for not merely 

 were there v.arieties of that spe.-ies, but species belonging to other 

 genera. It was often the case, tliat where Mushrooms succeeded at 

 hrst, they afterwards failed, through being attacked by a parasite 

 analogous to the caterpillar fungus of New Zealand. The production 

 of Mushrooms from spawn had been used as an argument in favour of 

 spontaneous generation, but like all others in support of that theory. 

 It fell to the ground : for though spawn bricks were prepared from tha 

 droppmgs of the horse and other animals, according to various re- 

 ceipts, yet the seeds, to speak familiarly, of the Mushroom, had passed 

 through the body of the animal. The' municipal authorities of Paris 

 only allowed three kinds of fungi to be sold in the markets of Paris— 

 VIZ., the Agaricus campostris. Truffles, and the Morel ; but many 

 erroneous notions prevail as to the number of edible fungi, for, after 

 all, the poisonous species are few in comparison to those which are not 

 so. Hence it is desirable that information should be more generally 

 diffused as to the latter, especially as from their containing nitrogen 

 they are valuable in a nutritive point of view. As an instance of their 

 utility in this respect. Mr. Berkeley cited the case of a schoolmaster 

 who almost snpportcil his family oii fungi in the autumn months, and 

 that of a gentleman who, whilst in a wild mountainous district in South 

 Wales, had for some time nearly subsisted ou the Boleli which he 

 there found. Once or twice, however, he was nearly poisoned, and it 

 should, therefore, bo borne in mind that the unwholesome species of 

 Boletus turn blue when wounded. Of the Mushrooms sold iu Covent 

 Garden comparatively few belonged to Agaricus campestris, nearly all 

 being the Horse Mushroom (Agaricus arvensis). In the use of fungi 

 however, it was necessary to use some discretion, and as an example of 

 the evil results which might arise from theii- incautious nse, a case 

 was mentioned iu which Dr. Baclham had sent Agaricus musearin=, a 

 poisonous species, to a gentleman for the purpose of making a de- 

 coction to destroy flics, and the gentleman being from home, the ladies, 

 thinking that Dr. Badliam would never have sent what was not per- 

 fectly wholesome, had some for breakfast. Now this Agaricus was in 

 the north of Asia mixed with Cranberry leaves, in order to produce 

 an intoxicating drink, and with the ladies it produced a similar result. 

 Agaricus ostreatus found on the bark of dead trees, and bearing con- 

 siderable resemblance to an oyster, was then pointed out as being 

 wholesome ; and A. rubcscens, one of the most common species, Mr. 

 Berkeley said, he had been informed by Dr. Hogg, was very desirable 

 and excellent. For those who were interested in edible fungi, he 

 would mention two or three books which they might consult. First 

 there was Dr. Badham's "Esculent Fungi," which was rather ex- 

 pensive ; there was a little work by Mr. Cooke ; and " .K Selection of 

 the Eatable Funguses of Great Britain," edited by Dr. Hogg and Mr. 

 Johnson, and illustrated by Mr. W. G. Smith. Mr. Smith, he might 

 add, had recently been commissioned to make a series of drawings of 

 edible fungi for the Science and Art Department at South Kensington. 



Mr. Bateman having been called upon by the Chairman, apologised 

 for the absence of Dendrobium MacCarthiai, or the Kaiuy-month 

 flower of Ceylon, which, through some mischance, had not arrived, 

 but ho hoped to bring it before the next meeting. In respect to F.pi- 

 dendrum erubescens, which was perhaps the most beautiful of all 

 Orchids, he had also sustained a dis.appointment. Happily there were 

 in the room a few Orchids on which he would offer some observations, 

 and the first to which he would direct attention was Schombnrgkia 

 tibicini.5. This had received its specific name not in consequence of 

 the flowers being trumpet-shaped, but in allusion to the peculiar form 

 of the pseudo-bulbs, wliich are large, long, and hollow, exactly like a 

 cow's horn, and used by boys in Honduras to make a similar dis- 

 cordant sound to that obtained from the latter. The pseudo-bulbg, 

 however, in the plant's native country were not so easily taken possession 

 of as one would imagine, for they were frequently tenanted by iit-ry 

 auts. Cattleya Slrinneri, and the Trichopilias from Messrs. Veitch, 

 were then noticed ; and in connection with the latter, Mr. Bateman 

 remarked that a Liudlcy medal had been awarded to Mersrs. Veitcli on 

 that day, and that they had also carried off the challenge mcilal which ho 

 himself had offered for the exhibitor gaining the greatest number of marks 

 for Orchids in two consecutive years. A magnificent spike of Odimto- 

 glossuiu Pescatorei was the next subject which occupied attention. 

 This, it was stated, had been groivn by Mr. Rucker on the cool system 

 of culture, which was eulogised as being the means, in the case of 

 certain Orchids, of producing visions of beauty such as had never been 

 expected ou the old system. The difference in the appearance of 

 Orchids as flowered soon after their introduction and in subsequent 

 years was then touched updo, and a drawing of Odontoglossum .\lex- ' 

 audrffi from a living plant in flower, but the number of blossoms taken ' 

 from dried specimens, was offered as an illustration of what that 

 species is likely to prove. The distinction between it and O. Pescatorei 

 was also stated to be that the one produced its flowers in racemes, 

 whilst the other — Pescatorei, iiroduced them Lu branching panicles* ■ 

 Dendrobium Heyueanum was then adverted to, as likely in a year or 

 two to present quite a different appearance. Mr. Bateman next di- " 

 rected attention to two species of Callixcne or Luzuriaga. which would 

 give a charm to the coolest greenhouse. They were Hrst noticed about ' 

 ten years ago in the catalogue of the then firm of Messrs. Standish 

 and Noble, and were stated to bo hardy. Having received them along 

 with some Rhododendrons, they wer« plantad out of doors, bat, not 



