JOURNAL OF HOETIODLTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEK. 



[ January 7, 1875. 



Society's Gardens, Regent's Park, from the 3rd to the 10th 

 May inolnsive. 



LILIES. 



I PBETEND to not One atom of scientific knowledge on this 

 beautiful tribe of plants. I could not allocate any new species 

 to its true position in either the Isolirion or Eulirion group, but 

 I do pretend to a great love for the whole family. From my 

 very earliest floral days 1 have delighted in them, and it 

 rejoices me now that they are once more coming to the front. 

 Collectors are adding to our lists, or re-introdueing species 

 that have either gone out of cultivation or become scarce ; and 

 although exhibitors have not brought them forward liberally 

 (and they are not easy plants to send any distance), yet we 

 may rest assured that it the taste for their culture progresses, 

 and some of our metropolitan growers take them in hand, we 

 shall see them in greater numbers than we have hitherto 

 done. 



Amongst those who are busily engaged in adding to our 

 stores are Mr. Bull of Chelsea, and The New Bulb and Seed 

 Company (late Teutschel & Co.) of Colchester, while Lily sales 

 at Stevens's are a regular feature of the season. In these sales 

 Auratum still holds the prominent place, and is undoubtedly 

 the most popular of the tribe, although personally I do not 

 give it that position. Amongst the Lilies which have been lately 

 introduced by the Colchester firm it may be well to mention 

 LUium dalmaticum, belonging to the Martagon group, a large 

 quantity of it having been coUected by Herr Max Leitchlin of 

 Carlsruhe, and forwarded to them. It is of an intense deep 

 pnrpUsh colour, and until the present time has been com- 

 paratively rare in our gardens ; and L. neilgherricum, a fine 

 plant of the longiflorum type, and gathered near Ootacamund, 

 in the Neilgherries, at an elevation of about 8000 feet. It is, 

 undoubtedly, for the form of its flowers, one of the very finest 

 species of this widely distributed genus, and is well deserving 

 of the notice of all lovers of the tribe. It was exhibited, I 

 believe, some twelve years ago by the Messrs. Veitch, but 

 has not been seen since. Mr. Bull has also a very scarce 

 Lily from Santa Eosa Island (Bloomerianum oseellatum), of 

 which I know nothing, but hope to make its acquaintance this 

 season. 



Lilium Humboldtii is a grand species. I was greatly 

 charmed with a fine plant of it I had last year. There is some- 

 thing peculiar in the shade of orange yellow, it is very clear, and 

 the claret-coloured spots add greatly to its beauty ; it varies 

 very much in the markings. Already we have maculatum and 

 punctatum, and doubtless other varieties will be found. It is a 

 robust-growing form, and bears from fifteen to twenty blooms. 

 I dare not, in the presence of such a grower of Lilies as my 

 friend Mr. Wilson, say anything of culture, in which he is 

 a master, and I only give these few observations, as they are 

 indications of the favour into which the tribe is coming. — 

 D., Deal. 



KEMOVING THE OUTER BARK OP VINES. 



I CAN endorse the opinion of your correspondent, Mr. J. 

 Wright, respecting the peeling of Vines. I do not approve of 

 the practice. 



In my younger days, by the order of others, I have spent 

 weeks in peeling and painting with the abominable admixture 

 of sulphur, soft soap, clay, &o. At the time I remember, too, 

 that I could not come near a tire without causing a most dis- 

 agreeable odour to all present. I determined that, shouldit fall 

 to my lot to have Vines in care, I would, if possible, dispense 

 with that obnoxious practice. 



It appears to me to be an unnatural process to strip off what 

 was intended for a protection. A gentle rub with the hand is 

 sufBcient to remove the loose bark, and beyond that point I 

 attempt not to go. 



I have known Vine buds injured by the process of scraping, 

 as it used to be termed. For more than twenty years I have 

 dispensed with that practice. 



Years ago I was asked for the best destroyer of red spider. 

 " Do not have to deal with it," was the reply. But how to 

 manage? inquired the man of sixty years of paring, painting, 

 &a. By giving pure air, pure water, and a judicious use of the 

 syringe, for I believe in syringing, and have a good soil for 

 the roots, with careful attention to the same. 



I remember when the first bunches of the far-famed Lady 

 Downe's White and Black Seedling Grapes were cut from Vines 



growing in an outside border, the rods in a nursing Pine pit. 

 The border outside was concreted, and had not a drop of water 

 for three years. A gentle heat was kept up by fermenting 

 material on the concrete during February, March, and April, 

 and longer if found to be needed. The soil of the neighbour- 

 hood was of a strong retentive nature ; being in close proximity 

 to the river, on that account less water was wanted. I mention 

 this circumstance that others may have an idea what is being 

 done by others ; we cannot all be guided by one and the same 

 rule.— H. 



BIRMINGHAM HORTICULTURAL 

 EXHIBITIONS. 

 Mb. QniLTER, proprietor of the Lower Grounds at Aaton, 

 has made a generous offer to some of the public institutions 

 of Birmingham. Last year he began a series of horticultural 

 exhibitions on a scale equalled only by those of the Royal 

 Horticultural Society, and conducted with the same complete- 

 ness as the Show of that Society held at Aston when Prince 

 Arthur visited Birmingham. Mr. Quilter proposes to continue 

 these exhibitions for the benefit of public institutions, in which 

 he feels a strong interest. He proposes to take upon himself 

 the whole cost and risk of the exhibitions, and then to share 

 the profits with the selected institutions, after the expenses 

 are paid. The exhibition of this year will be for the benefit of 

 the Birmingham Institute, that next year for the Sanatorium, 

 that of 1S77 for the School of Art — leave being reserved for 

 the Queen's Hospital to take 1878 ; or otherwise, if the move- 

 ment proves successful, the rotation above mentioned wUl be 

 repeated. In return for his offer Mr. Quilter stipulates for the 

 formation of a General Committee from the Committees of 

 the institutions named, with the addition of other gentlemen 

 who may be disposed to assist. We do not believe in the 

 possibility of failure if the scheme is properly supported. 

 There is a growing demand for horticultural exhibitions on a 

 really important scale, the Lower Grounds afford unusual op- 

 portunities for holding them, Mr. Quilter himself has acquired 

 great experience in their management, and with these advan- 

 tages, combined with hearty work on the part of the Commit- 

 tee, there is no reason why a large profit should not be realised 

 for the institutions which have consented to accept Mr. Quil- 

 ter's proposal. That the proposal itself is very generous re- 

 quires no proof ; and we hope the pubUo will by liberal support 

 enable Mr. Quilter to realise his liberal design. The first 

 exhibition will be held on Thursday, July 1st, and on the fol- 

 lowing Friday, Saturday, and Monday for the benefit of the 

 Midland Institute Building fund ; and the details of the ar- 

 rangement will be shortly announced. 



COLLETIA HORRIDA. 



I WAS much pleased with the article in your Journal (page 

 562) relative to CoUetia cruciata, as I am quite sure the Col- 

 letias are not half so widely known or cultivated as they 

 should be. 



It may be interesting to your correspondent Mr. Robson and 

 others to know that C. horrida, when well established, flowers 

 much more profusely than cruciata; and as it also flowers 

 much earlier in the season than that species, it is less liable to 

 be injured by frost. Besides, it has time to mature its seeds, 

 which it does here by thousands in favourable seasons like 

 that just past. 



On referring to Loudon's " Encyclopa;dia of Trees and 

 Shrubs," the berry is there described as whitish ; here the seed 

 vessel is three-celled with small black seeds, seedlings from 

 which come up in a few days if sown in pots and placed in a 

 little bottom heat. Cuttings of C. cruciata strike readily in a 

 little sandy loam and peat, and placed on a little bottom heat ; 

 but I have failed in striking C. horrida under the same circum- 

 stances. 



Many trade plant catalogues mention four varieties of this 

 curious plant — Bictonensis, cruciata, horrida, and ferox. In 

 justice to the public who may be desirous of getting these 

 plants, these names should be reduced to two — viz.,C. cruciata 

 and C. horrida, as the first and second named are undoubtedly 

 the same, and the difference of the third and fourth, if any, 

 is so little that it is not worth retaining the two names. 

 There is a large bush of cruciata here about HO feet in cir- 

 cumference and 8 feet high, and also one large bush of horrida 

 about the same dimensions. 



