jmie 5, wee. ] 



JbtJENAli OP HOETICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



421 



and obliquely, in which ways, as a matter of necessity, they 

 must be held. Doubtless, it was for this reason that the 

 prizes were awarded to bonquets of the ordinary form, as 

 practice has found out that they endure the wear of use best. 

 I was, however, glad to see, that the largest of these mono- 

 tonous objects were passed by, and I hope to see a further reform 

 in these monsters. Much allowance, however, must be made 

 for these things, as the public are very jealous of any inno- 

 vation, and I noticed one very nice bouquet to which no card 

 of approbation was aSixed. Its flowers and arrangement were 

 faultless, but it had in addition a few sprigs of " Forget-me- 

 not," which, independent of the poetic feeling attaching to 

 the name, improved the appearance of the bouquet very much ; 

 but I suppose it was not held orthodox, and if allowed, Roses 

 of colour. Heartsease, and many other plants alike poetical 

 and emblematical might claim a place, so that, perhaps, it was 

 best to exclude it. 



"Bouquets ron Balls were in great force, but did not pre- 

 sent anything remarkable in outUne. I have for some time 

 regarded these objects in much the same light as if they were 

 made of wax or artificial work, so truly mechanical are they 

 in their make, and when dissected ii will be seen that wire 

 forms a very important item in their construction. Generally 

 on passing through the middle row of Covent Garden, one may 

 see some examples of the class of bouquets here described, and 

 quite as good. As a whole they were much too large, but the 

 flowers were good. 



" Head Dresses oe Wreaths were shown only by one ex- 

 hibitor, and I think such ornaments cannot well be exhi- 

 bited without something else with them. The foundation of 

 the flower-wreaths I think ought to be defined by something 

 which the merchant of finery can enter more fully into than I 

 can do ; at the same time natural flowers as objects of orna- 

 ment cannot be too strongly advocated, but let moderation 

 guide the manufacturer. The example at the Show was cer- 

 tainly too bulky." 



The following is an approximation to the number of visitors 

 to the Exhibition during the past week — viz., Monday, 16,000; 

 Tuesday, 30,000 ; AVednesday, 25,000 ; and Thursday, 11,000. 



In giving an account of an Exhibition so extensive as that 

 which has just closed, where the subjects numbered thousands 

 and covered acres, many omissions have occurred, and these, 

 as well as a reb~mne of the papers read at the Botanical Con- 

 gress, we purpose to supply in future Numbers. 



On Friday and Saturday last Mr. J. C. Stevens, the well-known 

 Auctioneer of King Street, Covent Garden, held a sale of plants 

 exhibited by Messrs. Bull, Lee, Standish, Turner, Lane, 

 W. Paul, Fraser, Ivery & Son, Jackman & Son, Osbom, 

 J. Verschaffelt, and others. The following are the prices 

 realised by some of the lots : — Three specimen Hollies from 

 Mr. W. Paul, £2 8s. and £2 Ws. ; a specimen Taxus cheshunt- 

 iensis and T. Dovastoni, £3 ; Thuja gigantea and aurea, £4. 

 From Mr. Fraser, Lea Bridge, Azalea Etoile de Gand, 2J feet 

 by 2, and A. Lateritia, 4 feet by 2}, £3 ; A. Perryana, 4 feet 

 by 2J, and A. Lateritia, 3' feet by 2J,£3; Pleroma elegans, 

 4 feet by 3}, .£1 lis. From Mr. Tiuner, Slough, Thujopsis 

 borealis, £1 lfi.<. ; Picea Nordmanniana, £4 ; Pseudolarix 

 Kasmpferi and Eetinospora obtusa, £3 17s. 6d. From Mr. 

 Watson, St. Albans, Dicksonia squarrosa, £5 ; Cyathea deal- 

 bata, £8 10s.; C. Smithii, £4; Hymenophyllum cristatum, £5; 

 H. dilatatum, £4 4s. ; H. scabrum, £5 5s. ; H. demissum, £5 ; 

 H. flexuosum, £5 10s. From Messrs. Jackman ct Son, Ilex 

 dipyrena, 3{ feet, and I. Watereriana, 5 feet, £3 12s. Gd. ; 

 PhiUyrea angustifolia, 3i feet, and P. ilicifolia, 5 feet, £1 12s. ; 

 Arbutus unedo, 5 feet, .i'l 14s. ; and lots of twenty-five choice 

 Ehododendrons from £2 10s. to £3 .5s. From M. Bleu, Cala- 

 dium Impfiratrice Eugenie, £12 12s. From Mr. Standish, Ascot, 

 Ehododendrons Nelsoni and Prince Ai-thur, £5 10s. ; General 

 Cabrera and Star of England, £3 .5s. ; other lots of two, £1 12s. 

 to £1 17s. From Messrs. Lane a large specimen Azalea Alba 

 melior, £2 6s. ; Criterion, 4 feet high, and Chelsoni, £2 ; two 

 Chelsoni, £2 10s. ; two Madame A. Verschaffelt, £2 ; standards 

 of Chelsoni and Koi Leopold, £1 10s. each. From M.Jean 

 Verschaffelt, Ghent, Agave Ousselghemiana, £2 ; A. americana 

 medio-picta, £1 10s. ; A. univittata, £1 12s. ; A. Schidigera, £1 ; 

 A. cocoinea, £1 16s. ; A. filifera longifolia, £2 ; A. Ghies- 

 breghtii, £2 2s. ; A. species jalapa, .£2 4s. ; A. filifera, £1 10s. ; 

 A. chloracantha, £1 5s. ; A. americana fol. var., £1 10s. ; 

 A. Xalapensis, £1 5s. ; A. virginica, £2 ; A. stenophylla, £2 ; 

 Dasylirium serratum, £1 10s. ; Bonapartea gracilis, £1 10s. ; 



a fine specimen Yucca aloifolia variegata, £2 8s. From Messrs. 

 Ivery & Son, Azalea petuniteflora, £3 ; Empress Eugenie and 

 Madame Michel, £2 each. 



GARDENING PROGRESS IN NEW ZEALAND. 



To the French settlers of Akaroa we, the residents in Canter- 

 bury, are indebted for the introduction of Salix babylonica in 

 1840. Upon their way from France they put into the island 

 of St. Helena for the purpose of testifying their veneration for 

 the memory of Napoleon Buonaparte, and they brought thence 

 some cuttings of the Weeping Willow. We now have very 

 large Weeping Willow trees on the plains, and find their shade 

 very agreeable during the oppressive heat we experience at th» 

 present time ; thermometer in the shade 8S , and in the sun 

 118", hotter than ever previously known in Christchuroh 

 within the memory of "that extraordinary individual" the 

 oldest inhabitant. On the ',tth of January, at 13 p.m., the 

 thermometer stood at 83° in the shade. 



Akaroa, by us of the plains, is called, on account of its near 

 approach to the sea, its beautiful climate, and beautiful wood- 

 laud scenery — " our Brighton." Its romantic scenery is beyond 

 description, and it is considered to be very salubrious for siok 

 invalids. 



We are now raising seedling Ehododendrons by the thousand, 

 but it is only recently that we have been successful, after re- 

 peated trials year after year of imported seed. At last, I am 

 happy to state, we have succeeded in obtaining seedlings an 

 inch high, and others far beyond the seed-leaf. I look upon 

 these seedlings as a great boon to Canterbury at large ; they 

 will, no doubt, in course of time be sold like the Oak, Ash, and 

 Elm by the thousand, instead of one solitary plant of the com- 

 mon K. ponticuin for 5s. as at present. This is a very \m- 

 favourable climate for the germinating of small seeds like those 

 of the Ehododendron family, owing to the continued power 

 and intensity of the solar rays dui'ing summer. Evaporation 

 from the soil is so susceptible of change that it almost baffles 

 the skill of man here to retain a uniform moisture for seedlings. 

 — WiLLiAJt Swale, Avonside Butanic Garden, Xcw Xruland. 



WORK FOR THE WEEK. 



KITCHEN GARDEN. 



Let the gravel walks be occasionally gone over with the 

 weeding-knife, and keep them constantly rolled ; the best time 

 is after rain, when they are dry enough to bear the roller. 

 Detached leaves from Cabbage-beds in bearing to be removed 

 to some vacant quarter to be trenched in, and not left to wither 

 and rot amongst growing crops, forming a harbour for sings 

 and other vermin. Every spare piece of ground should be now 

 trenched up in readiness for planting early Savoys and Brussels 

 Sprouts. Befi, the full crops to be thinned out to about 

 9 inches apart. Bear in mind our former remarks on trans- 

 planting, if vacancies occur. Brvccnli, a few drills of Cape 

 may be sown in light rich groiind, to be thinned out and kept 

 standing. Cuctimbcm, thin out the young seedlings on ridges, 

 and see that the transplanted ones do not want for water. Tilt 

 the glasses for the admission of air, and shut down close in 

 the evening. Cauliflowers, liberal applications of liquid 

 manure must be given to them, if you would have them fine. 

 Cfhrij, prick out the late-sown, and keep the young advancing 

 crops well supplied with water. Prepare the trenches, and, 

 when fit, lift the plants with a good ball of earth, and plant 

 them at a foot apart, using a trowel or small fork in preference 

 to a dibble, (iive a liberal application of water, and after they 

 have started into growth plenty of liquid manure poured on 

 the soil from the spout of a watering-pot without the rose. 

 If from drought the tops want refreshing, a f prinkling of pure 

 water is best. Lettuce, continue at regular and short intervals 

 to tie them up for blanching, and thin out all advancing crops 

 of the Cabbage varieties, which are always best left to jicrfect 

 themselves where sown, and if small sowings are kept up at 

 short intervals transplanting will be superfluous. Bean and 

 Beans, continue to keep the surface well forked amongst the 

 growing crops ; this is at all times attended with the most 

 beneficial results, as it increases their productiveness, and, by 

 keeping them in a vigorous growing st.ite, assists greatly in 

 warding off the injurious effects of mildew, which often attacks 

 the later-sown ones. Pulverising the soil, besides exposing it 

 more to atmospheric influences, greatly assists in retaining 

 moisture about the roots during diy weather, and drought, 



