iBi 



JOURNAL OP H0RTIC1JLTURb''aND COTTAGB OARDEIIEB.' 



I Jane 19. 1866. 



Salter, doable Pyrethmmft, exhibiting a prcai varietv of colonr. and 

 approaching to Cfarysouthemuuis in size aud regularity of flower ; also 

 Oerman Irises and vtry tine herbaceoas Pa^onies. Mr. Salter rcreivcd 

 extra prizes for these and for the Pvrf thmmR. nud a Kimilar award was 

 made to Mr. Turner for a dwiirf double early-flowerinjij rink, called 

 KabcDS, which was stated to he excellent for forcing. Mr. Turner and 

 the Rev. ii. Chccre. Papwortb Hall, also exhibited good Pinks of the 

 florists' varieties. Larpe fruit of the Castle Kennedy Fig were shown 

 by Mr. Fowler ; ami other subjects exbibit<^ consisted of several hand- 

 some plant-coses from Messrs. Barr A; Sudden, fonvhich an extra 

 prize was awarded ; drawing-room omonirnts in glass and china fi-om 

 HcBsrs. Melliship tt Ilttrris. Westboume Grove ; and wedding bouquets 

 from Messrs. Lucking Brothers. 



Sub-Floral CosraiTXEE.— There were not many subjects for ex- 

 amination ; probably, the next Tuesday meeting beiug so ue»r at hand, 

 many plants were reserved for that occasion. Messrs. Jackman, "Woking, 

 exhibited seedling Clematises in iive varieties — viz.. Jackmannii, which 

 had been awarded a first-class certiticate in 180-1 ; Magnifica, a dull 

 red and purple flower ; A'eliitina purjiurea. to which a first-class cer- 

 tificate was awarded, a brifrht plnm or reddish purple colour, and 

 distinct ; Alexandra, a lighter purple ; ami rubella. These flowers 

 ■were not equal to tho first seedlinqa sent out by this firm. From Mr. 

 "W. Barnes, Cambenvell. camo Azalea Her Majesty, a sport from 

 Criterion, distinct in colour, a pale silvery grey with occasional pink 

 stripes, the back petals distinctly spotted ; flower of good substance — 

 a first-class certificate was awarded it. Messrs. Perkins, Coventr}-, 

 sent Verbena Shakespeare, bright orange scarlet, very fine truss, with 

 very large pips, having a yellow centre. We have seen no flowers of 

 Verbena eqnal to this in size. It will be useful as a show flower, but 

 we should question its properties ; as a hedder, it will be a universal 

 favourite and be much admired. It received a first-class certificate. ' 

 From Mr. W. Thompson, Ipswich, came cut spikes of Pentstemon 

 glaber, a bluish and pale lavender colour : also Eriogonnm umlella- 

 tum, producing clusters or umbels of small pale yellow flowers. Messrs. 

 Henderson, Wellington Road Nurseries, sent a collection of novelties, 

 which were entered in the Miscellaneous class, but which they re- 

 quested should be inspected by the Committee. In this collection 

 were several tricolor-leaved Pelargoniums, among them tlie old favourite 

 liticy Grieve and Sophia Dumaresque, the latter very brilliant in its 

 colours ; also, six other unnamed seedlings. One with very circular 

 foliage, with an intense dark zone, relieved by brilliant colours, pro- 

 mises to be of considerable merit ; but the number of seedlings of this 

 section of the Zonales makes it difficult to select specimens entirely 

 distinct and novel, there is a great similarity, and Mrs. Pollock has 

 not yet been eclipsed. A large pan of the variegated Poa tririalis, 

 which was very beautiful, among the best of the variegated Grasses, 

 was exhibited by the same firm — it had received a first-class certificate 

 at a previous meeting ; also two forms of variegated Stella Pelargonium, 

 one a sport with yellow variegation, and orauge scarlet flowers ; the 

 other white-variegated, with deep red flowers. There seems to be no 

 limit to variegated Stellas; we have heard of five or six, and have seen 

 better than those exhibited. Messrs. E. G. Henderson likewise con- 

 tributed Santolina incaua, a plant used for edgings, and hating a 

 strong aromatic scent ; a variegated Zonale Pelarguninm, with broad 

 white edges to the leaves ; a double Zonale Pelargonium, called Gloire 

 de Nancy, with deep carmine flowers, the best double Zonale yet ex- 

 hibited, but by no means an improvement on the glorious trusses of 

 the single scarlets : flowers of four seedling varieties of Clianthns 

 Dampieri, one a bright red with dark red markings in the place of 

 the usual black spots at the centre of the flower — this appeared a very 

 distinct variety ; and some plants of the new yariegated Maize or 

 Indian Com. with very handsome foliage. Should this plant retain, 

 when planted out in the border, its variegation through the summer, 

 it will prove very ornamental. 



\Ye understand that at the fortniphtly meeting to be held this day, 

 l£r. Anderson, of Meadow Bank, Glasgow, will exhibit a magnificent 

 ■pike of Odontoglossum Pcscatorei. bearing upwards of sixty flowers, 

 and which has been in blossom for the last three months. 



easily transplanted, if remoTed when about a foot high. It 

 8oon makeu a beautiful tree, and might be called the Farmer's 

 Barometer." — {Canada, Farmer.) 



A Natural Barometer. — Mr. Wm. McCIathy, postmaster of 

 Katesville. in "West Middlesex, N.A., says, " As I know that 

 you wish to give every information that would be of use to 

 your numerous readers, I send you st>me remarks I have made 

 on the changes which have taken place in the atmosphere for 

 forty years past. I first observed in the rows of young "Wey- 

 mouth (or White Pine) trees in my nurseries, that the last year's 

 growth and all the leaves or spines stand straight upright in 

 dry weather, and on the leapt change to rain or snow the 

 branches bend and the leaves fall back and appear in a dying 

 state, even before the snow or rain commences. When a change 

 comes for dry weather, they all recover again, and remain so 

 until the next change is going to take place, giving the farmer 

 warning in time for him to prepare for it. The White Pine 

 (P. Btrobus) grows in this neighbourhood spontaneously. It is 



FRAGMENTS ABOUT THE INTERNATIONAL 

 HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITION. 



AZALEAS. 

 I^ anything eould more strongly than another &how the extrem* 

 absartUtyof the present system of exhibiting Azaleas — a system againiii 

 which for years I have entered my humble protest, it ia the sketch 

 given in a late number of The Journal of HoBTicrLTURE of tho in- 

 terior uf tlio Exhibition tent. And yet one know8 that amongst th« 

 marvelfl of cultivation there were perhaps no plants in the whole £x- 

 hibition that bore greater testimony to the skill, care and continn«d 

 attention of the gardener than did these masses of bloom ; but sorely 

 these qualitioB are wasted in producing what I cannot but regard as 

 deformities. Nearly every one says the same, and yet on the samft 

 track we go year after year. What is to be the remedy ? Either ou9 

 of two plans : Either the schedules must state that the plants are to 

 bo grown as naturally as possible, or else some successful cultivator 

 must be daring enouj^h to ruu the risk of losing his prize, and send in 

 a collection naturally grown. This is what has occurred with Fochaiaa. 

 They used to be as much crinolined and twisted about aa the poor 

 Azalea was ; bat one day Mr. Cannell, to his credit be it said, entered 

 the Usts with a set not nearly so large as those of his competitors ; and 

 the Judges, equally to their credit be it said, recognised the cooraga 

 and rightness of the attempt, and awarded it the first prize. Since 

 then Fuchsiae have been uncriuolined : and now that the veritable 

 crinoline is going out of fashion and giving way to the train, will our 

 great Azalea- growers follow in the wake, and give os plants equally 

 well grown but not so much cramped ? 



The great contest of the day lay in the class for eight plants between 

 Messrs. Turner and Veitch : but the Judges had, I should imagine, 

 little dithculty in coming to tho decision at which they arrived, tftlring 

 the present system as their model, for certainly never were such plants, 

 I think, staged as those contributed by Mr. Turner. His plants wer* 

 Perryana, Sir Charles Xapier. Variegata, Criterion, Chelsoni. lUustria. 

 nova, Barclayana, and Iverj-ana. In none of these plants was there 

 a single gap. Everj" portion was well filled up with bloom, and the 

 indiNndnal tlowers were also large and of good quality. Messrs. Veitch 

 and Sous' plants consisted of Carnea snperba, Trotteriana, Chelsoni, 

 Magniticent, Cedo NulU. Juliana, Eitranci, f.nd Iver\-ana. A third 

 collection from Mr. Rhodes was of a very inferior description. In the 

 class for single specimen Azaleas, Mr. Turner was lirst with a magni- 

 ficent plant of Etoile de Gand. a most beautifully marked variety, and 

 in every point a perfect picture. Messrs. Veitch were second with a 

 good plant of Chelsoni ; and Mr. Carson third with a fine Sinensis. 



In the very interesting collection of twenty plants Mr. Turner wag 

 also first with a varied collection containing some of the newest and 

 finest varieties in cultivation, including Louise von Baden, Madame 

 Ambroise Verschaffelt. Flower of the Day. Duchesse Adelaide do 

 Nassau, itc. Messrs. Ivery it Son. of Dorlong, took tho second place. 

 Their collection included some of the finest oif their own varieties, aft 

 well as those of foreign introduction. Messrs. Lane & Son were third, 

 and Messrs. Lee fourth. Amongst one of the improvements that 

 might have been made in the arrangement of the Exhibition. I think 

 that tho sinking of these pots in the earth, so as to have formed a bed, 

 would have been a very great one, somewhat in the manner in which 

 the small plants of Rhododendrons were treated. 



It was a wise and considerate measure to make classes which shonld 

 comprise smaller growers, and so give them some encouragement; 

 and hence very finely gro^vn collections, which would not have mado 

 their appearance had these classes not been made, were brought for* 

 ward, and in many instances the exhibitors received well-merited 

 prizes. Thus, not only do we find that the Messrs. Lee, Arc, were 

 prizetakers, but that Messrs. Dobson it Son, of Isleworth, Mr. Baxen- 

 dine, of Gaildford, and Mr. Drummond. of Bath, were also succesefnl, 

 these being quite new names for this class of plants. Nor were th» 

 amateurs behind ; some of their collections were indeed nearly, if net 

 quite, equal to those of tho professional growers. In the class for eight 

 plants Mr. Carson, gardener to W. K. G. Farmer, Esq., of Cheam, had 

 Formosa superba, Magnifica, Murrayaua, Exquisita, Malvina. Speciosis- 

 sim», Triumphans, and Broughtoui" ; and no exception could be taken 

 to any of the plants, so well wore they grown and dowered. Mr. Morse, 

 gardener to T. Canning, Esq., of Bristol, was second with Gledstanesif 

 Etoile de Gaud. Empress Eugenie, Gem. Criterion, Speciosiasima. 

 His plants were differently trained from those of some of the othee 

 growers, being more pyramidal, but still having a great deal too mneh 

 stiffness. Mr. Penny, gardener to H. H. Gibbs. Esq.. and Mr. Peed, 

 gardener to Mrs. Tredwell. two well-known names at our exhibitions, 

 were respectively third and fourth. The same considerate measure waa 

 adopted in this clas.s olso, and had the effect of bringing forward namea 

 hitherto unknown at our metropolitan exhibitions. In the class for 

 six Mr. Chalmers, gardener to E. J. Coleman, Esq.. took the firat 

 prize with Pra-stantihsima. Rosea punctata, Criterion. Gem, Lateritia 

 Buperba, and Perryana; Mj". Wheeler, gardener to J. Philpott, Esq., 

 of Stamford Hill, was second with Magnifica, Gledstaneai fonnoea* 



