106 



JODBNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE QABDENBR. 



[ Aogut s, tees. 



a nice flower bnt wilh a small troaa, thonght not ennal to older white 

 Taneties. 



Messrs. Smitb, Uolwich. contribnted a collection of Balsams, for 

 which they received a special certificate. These were not equal to 

 collections sent in former years ; they had not the refined quality. Is 

 it that they are wearioR out, and require a change of soil and atmo- 

 sphere :' 



Mr. Lawrence, gardener to the Bishop of Winchester, received a 

 special certificate for two fine specimen Orchids— viz.. Dendrochilum 

 filiforme and Epidendrnm radiatum. Messrs. E. G. Henderson, of 

 Wellington Road, sent Cattleya El Dorado, Amarvllis reticulata. Gna- 

 phalium tomentosum, and Achyrocline Sandersoni. From Mr. Kinp. 

 horn came a dark banded variety of Lilium anratom ; and from Mr. 

 W. Earley. pardener to F. Prvor, Esq., DiRSwell, cut specimens of the 

 beautiful Passifiora Belloti. Mr. Green, qardener to W. W. Saunders, 

 Esq., eihiliiteJ n novel and curious form of Orchid, Trichotosia feroi. 

 A first-class certificate was awarded this specimen as an interesting 

 botanic specimen, and not for its beauty. In the some collection as 

 this were Myanthus species nova, t'atasetnm tridentatum, and a new 

 species of Dieffoubachia from Brazil, which received a first-class cer- 

 tificate. 



Mr. G. Smith, of Homsey Road, was awarded two first-class certifi- 

 cates for seedling Hybrid Nosegays Soleil and Claudius, the latter 

 producmg the finest globular truss of fiowers vet seen. Both varieties 

 are of the hii;he5t merit. Mr. Smith seems to have hit upon a very 

 distinct strain of Hybrid Nosegavs. Le Grand, Eclot, &c., have 

 proved themselves this season most'valuable. 



Mr. Pilcher. gardeiicr to S. Euclcer, Esq., exhibited a most exquisite 

 specimen of Hiumanlhns cinnabarinus, its globular truss of orange- 

 coloured flowers was much admired— first-class certificate. Mr. T. 

 Howlett, Oxford, sent a very beautiful form of Athyrium Filix-fo-miua— 

 Wlothrix. So delicate are the pinnules, that the plant reminded us of 

 a Todea ; it is a seedling variety from Athyrium F.f. plumosnm. A 

 first-class certificate was awarded it. Mr. B. Porter sent seedling 

 Pentstemons, in no way distinct or new. Messrs. Standish & Co. 

 sent specimens of their distinct Todea pelluciiU compacts, which had 

 received an award on a previous occasion. Mr. Ware, of Tottenham, 

 sent a golden variety of Lysimachia nummularia, and G. F. Wilson, 

 Esq., specimens of Lilium auratum, with an extra number of iietals, 

 stamens, itc, as a botanical cnriositv. 



GF.NF.R.U, Meeting.-G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 

 After the election of two new Fellows, and the announcement of the 

 Committee awards, the Kev. M. .1. Berkeley, in commenting on the 

 moat prominent of the subjects exhibited, directed attention in the 

 first place to Triteleia laxa, which, he said, he at first thought the 

 same as Broduea grandiflora. but he found that in the latter there were 

 three perfect stamens, m the Triteleia six. Cyclobothra, a genns of 

 plants which Mr. Wilson Saunders had lately brought under the 

 bociety a notice, was next referred to as being well worthy of reim- 

 portation, though rather difficult of cultivation, on which account a 

 fine collection which he had seen thirty vears ago had been lost. 

 Brownea grandiceps, of which Mr. BnU exhibited a specimen, though 

 handsome in leaf, was stated to be still more remarkable when in 

 flower and Mr. Berkeley said a plant of it in Flintshire had attained 

 snch dimensions, that the house in which it was growing had three 

 times to be raised. Leea excelsa was then noticed, as being nearly 

 related to the ^ me, and it was remarked that the genus was named 

 m honour of Mr. Lee, the author of an old work on botany, and 

 grandfather, the speaker believed, of Messrs. Lee, of Hammersmith. 

 Kendrochilum filiforme and Epidendrum radiatnm, from the Bishop 

 of Winchester s gardener, wore noticed as the most remarkable speci- 

 ^^ZJ<'S • """^ ""* f°™" "^^^ said to have as many as 



lU.OUO flowers. Another was Odontoglossnm SchHeperianum ; while 

 perhaps the most curious of all was Trichotosia ferox, from Mr. 

 WUsou baunder.s, which had never flowered before in this country, 

 though other plants existed. After referring to Athyrium Filix- 

 tomina kaUothnx as being a remarkablv elegant variety of the Lady 

 Jfem, and more like a Todea than an Athyrium, Mr. Berkeley drew 

 attention to an insect Mr. Bateman had bro"nght him, and which was 

 a thing of great beauty, the eggs being borne on slender stems. It 

 was a species of Hemerobms, which he had more than twenty times 

 received as a Fungus, and which had actually been described by Corda 

 as such. Mr. Berkeley then stated that the "seeds of a Gherkin distri- 

 boted by the Society were those of Cucnmia prophetarum, which, 

 along with flowers and pieces of the fruit of the Papaw, is found in 

 West Indian pukles. Mention was next made of a variety of Cicho- 

 rimn Intybus. raised by Mr. Earley. of DigsweU, and which, though 

 It had white flowers, all the seedlings from it, numbering two hundred, 

 had, without exception, the ordinary blue flowers. A tree at Chiswick, 

 of which Mr. Berkeley produced a specimen, was stated to be Ptero- 

 Mrya caucasica. known also by several other names, a near relation of 

 the Wahiuts, and though it had been said to be extremely tender, it 

 had proved hardy at Chiswick. A number of monstrosities were then 

 shown and commented npon. Among them was a white Lily, each 

 flower forming a spike consisting of a number of bracts. Another 

 case was a Balsam, in which an immense develonment of coloured 

 leaves had given it the form of a Carnation ; another instance was an 

 Allium, m which bulbs had taken the place of what ought to have 



been flowers ; and. lastly, there trai a baneh of Gnpos which had 

 become, stalk and all, transformed into a fleshy mass. 

 The next meeting will bo held on the 17th inst. 



THE KOYAL HORTICULTURAI. SOCIETYS 

 ARRANGEMENTS FOR 1870. 



We need hardly Bay that the Council of the Boyal Horti- 

 cultural Society have done nell to make this timely announce- 

 ment of the Shows to be held next year. The fault in past 

 years has generally been that schedules are issued too late, and 

 the public have not the necessary time allowed them between 

 the appearance of the schedule and the holding of the shows 

 to make the requisite preparations. Plants are not like easily- 

 manufactured articles, that can be produced in exhibiting form 

 oS-hand, and in most cases more than one season is required 

 to enable the exhibitor to show them with any prospect of 

 success. 



It will he seen from what follows, that all the meetings of 

 next year will be held on Wednesdays. These will be, in fact, 

 the present Tuesday meetings held a day later in the week, so 

 as to enable the great mass of the upper classes, who keep 

 Wednesday as a holiday in the metropolis, to be present at 

 them. It must be borne in mind that the schedule now an- 

 nounced does not in any way supersede the present Committee 

 meetings, but is rather supplementary to them. The Com- 

 mittee will sit as usual for deliberation and decision on the 

 Wednesdays, and those beautiful exhibitions with which we 

 are now familiar being supplemented by the collections menr 

 tioned in tlie schedule, the Society will be enabled to offer to 

 its Fellows and the public attractions such as they have never 

 before been accustomed to. The present announcement being 

 merely general, as indicating the classes of subjects that will 

 be exhibited, the details as to the subjects and the amount of 

 prizes offered will be given shortly. 



It will be observed that there is no mention here of a " grand 

 show." " Grand shows " have been found by long and painful 

 experience to be synonymous with grand financial failures, and 

 no society, any more than individuals, is justified in pursuing 

 a course the end of which is ruin. We commend the Council 

 for having taken this bold step, and having asserted the prin- 

 ciple of honesty over generosity. There is no limit now-a-days 

 to " grand " undertakings, and grand shows are no exception. 

 Our notion is, that he who would attempt to satisfy the human 

 mind by his own conception of grandeur will signally fail. 

 There is nothing material too great or grand for the human 

 mind to compass, and, when once compassed, then begins the 

 thirst for something grander still. Witness our grand concerts, 

 with their thousands of singing men and singing women. 

 How much more numerous must they become before the crav- 

 ings of " the public " are satisfied ? Our grand organs, which 

 have grown so big there is nobody big enough to blow the 

 bellows, which must now be done by steam — how much 

 " grander " must they become before the public will be satisfied 

 with them ? It is so with everything else in the present day 

 which attempts to gratify the public craving ; and, therefore, 

 we believe the Council are right in deviating from that course, 

 and adopting one which, from the beauty rather than the 

 grandeur of their shows, will be a great source of attraction. 



There are other advantages of a personal kind to exhibitors 

 which make this new arrangement acceptable. One is, the 

 great saving of time which will be effected. There will be only 

 the number of days hitherto given to the meetings of com- 

 mittees to be provided for ; and all those extras in the form of 

 spring shows, special shows, and great shows, will be dispensed 

 with. 



January 19th. — Forced Flowers— Kitchen Apples and Pears. 

 February 16th. — Chinese Primroses — Dessert Apples and Pears. 

 March 'Jnd. — Hyacinths, Tulips — Apples, Pears, Early and 



Late Grape.', 

 llarch Kith. — (.'yclamens — Apples and Pears. 

 April 6th. — Camellias — Cucumbers and Forced Salads. 

 April 20th. — Pot Eoses — Forced Vegetables. 

 May 4th. — Azaleas — Forced Fruits. 

 May 18th. — Pelargoniums — Forced Strawberries. 

 June Ist. — Khododendrons — Forced Peaches and Nectarines. 

 June 15th. — Orchids — Strawberrief. 

 July 6th. — Kose Show. — Pine Apples. 



July 20th. — Picotees, Carnations, and Pinks — Cherries and 

 I Currants. 



