January 21, 1675. J 



JOUENAL OF EOETICHLTCEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



51 



What I wish to name is Connoissenr. Tliis Pea is remarkable, 

 and it woulJ be of interest to l;now its history. My trial was 

 on the limestone, and after sowing scarcely any rain fell during 

 the growth. After all the other Peas were dead Connoisseur 

 was " as green as a Leek." It was a perpetual bloomer and 

 cropper, commenced to fill in July, and bloomed until Octobei'. 

 I have heard that there is a difficulty to grow Peas in hot 

 climates, but I fancy we have one in Connoisseur that will be 

 of great service abroad, and also to those that require Peas, 

 Bay, in October. — E. H. D., Seaham. 



EOYAL HOBTICULTDRAL SOCIETY. 



Janu.iby 20th. 



Fkuit Cojimittee. — G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 

 A seedling Apple was exhibited by Mr. John Cox of Kedleaf, 

 raised from Golden Kuob. It is somewhat larger than Golden 

 Knob, of a bright golden russet colour, and with a flesh as tender 

 as that of Cox's Orange Pippin — juicy, rich, and vinous. It was 

 called Eedleaf Basset, and received a first-class certificate. 

 Messrs. James Carter & Co. of Holborn sent handsome speci- 

 mens of Esopus Spitzenberg Apple from California. They were 

 highly coloured, and, though past their best, still retained some 

 of the fine flavour of that excellent Apple. Messrs. Stuart and 

 Mein of Kelso sent several dishes of Apples they had received 

 from Mr. G. Taylor, of Kalamazoo in the State of Michigan, 

 which were much admired for their beauty of colour ; but it was 

 the general opinion that they were deficient in flavour. A letter of 

 thanks was awarded to Messrs. Stuart it Meiu. A collection also 

 came from Rev. R. O. Bromfield, of Sprouston, N.B., consisting 

 of Goldea Noble, Northern Spy, Cellini, American Mother, Mere 

 de Mijuage, Gravenstein, Small's Admirable, Eoyal Pearmain, and 

 Cox's Orange Pippin, all of which were well grown and hand- 

 some. Cox's Orange was excellent in flavour. A cultural com- 

 mendation was unanimously awarded to them. Alfred Smee, 

 Esq., exhibited a dish of Spanish Chestnuts of the crop of 1873, 

 which had been preserved in dry sand, and kept in a dry garden 

 bed. They were as plump and fresh as if they had been newly- 

 githered, and preserved all their original flavour. 



Mr. Batters, gardener, Chil worth Manor, Romsey, exhibited a 

 dish of New Potatoes and Mushrooms, and a fruit of the Varie- 

 gated Pine Apple, to which a letter of thanks was awarded 

 Mr. John Stirling of Park Wern, Swansea, sent a dish of- 

 Mushrooms. Mr. E.. Bennett, gardener to the Marquis of Salis- 

 bury, Hatfield, sent four varieties of Cucumbers — Masters' Pro- 

 hfic. Improved Sion House, Duke of Edinburgh, and Telegraph. 

 That which was shown for Improved Sion House was Masters' 

 Prolific ; the former being spineless, and the latter having 

 white spines. Mr. Denning, gardener to Lord Loudesborough, 

 sent a Cucumber called Epicurean. Mr. G. T. Miles, gardener 

 to Lord Carriugton, Wycombe Abbey, sent two very handsome 

 Charlotte Rothschild Pines, which were awarded a cultural 

 commendation. 



Flokax. Committee. — Mr. B. S.Williams in the chair. It was 

 not to be expected that large collections of plants would be sent 

 so early in the year, although for the season the day was remark- 

 ably mild, so much so that Orchids and other tender plants 

 might have been brought without fear of damage. A few nice 

 groups of exotic plants were sent by some of the trade growers. 

 Mr. John Wills of Onslow Square staged a very effective group, 

 comprising some nice plants adapted for dinner-table decoration, 

 notably Cocos Weddeliaua, uuiversally acknowledged as the 

 most graceful of Palms, Aralia Veitcbii also a most famous 

 table plant, Araha leptophylla, Chamsedorea elegans, and Ficus 

 Cooperi, a good decorative species with crimson veins on the 

 leaves. Messrs. Veitch of the Royal Exotic Nursery, King's 

 Road, Chelsea, sent a very fine group of Cyclamens, and a 

 very fine strain of double Chinese Primula from seed. The 

 collection of Primula contained thirty-six pots, the flowers and 

 plants so much alike that one would have thought that aU had 

 been propagated from cuttings from a common centre. This 

 strain is named P. sinensis kermesina flore-pleno. The collec- 

 tion of Cyclamens contained some very fine varieties, of which 

 the pure white and deep purplish crimson flowers are the most 

 desirable. 



Mr. W. Bull of King's Road, Chelsea, sent a collection of 

 Cycadaceous plants, comprising Dion edule, a very neat-habited 

 species; Macrozamia spiralis, Eucephalartos villosus, ampli- 

 atus, and others rare and flue, many of them remarkable for 

 the very small pots in which they are grown; but it maybe 

 useful to note in passing that all this class of plants succeed 

 most satisfactorily in small pots. To the above collections votes 

 of thanks were given. 



New plants were exhibited by Messrs. Veitch, who had Ne- 

 penthes Intermedia, a hybrid between N. Eaiflesiana and an 

 unnamed species with spotted pitchers. It is a very neat-grow- 

 ing species, and the pitchers are very prettily spotted. A first- 

 class certificate was awarded. Mr. Bull had Sophronitis grandi- 

 flora Buperba, flowers large, but not so brilliant as many we have 



seen ; Arisfema sp. ; Oncidium pelicauura, with a small spike 

 of yellow and brown-spotted flowers; Hippeastrura Acme, the 

 flower is badly shaped, but the colour a brilliant crimson ; Zamia 

 Roezlii, in too small a state to form an opinion of it. A new 

 double Primula sinensis. The Champion, was sent by Mr. H. 

 Harris, gardener to A. Ashby, Esq., Naseby Wooleys, Rugby; 

 the flowers are quite double, of a dull red colour, and freely 

 produced. From Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son, Wellington 

 Road, St. Joh;..'8 Wood, came Hippeastrum Hendersonii Adrian 

 and Minnie Warren, good flowers, but not superior to many 

 already sent out; Dracajna Diiflii, a species with bold, bronzy, 

 metallic leaves edged with crimson. Mr. C. Green, Holmesdale 

 Road, Reigate, sent Prenanthes hybrida elegans, the leaves 

 finely cut. From the Society's own gardens came a group of 

 Chinese Primula of a distinct strain. Mr. R. Parker of Tooting 

 sent cut flowers of Aponogeton distachyon grown in the open 

 air without any protection. This is a very pretty thing, and 

 flowers freely in shallow water in the open air about London. 

 The pure white flowers are very sweet. 



GARDENERS' ROYAL BENEVOLENT 

 INSTITUTION. 

 The annual Meeting of the Gardeners' Benevolent Institution 

 was held at the Bedford Hotel, Covent Garden, on the evening 

 of Thursday last the 14th inst.. Dr. Hogg in the chair. The 

 annual report of the Institution was read, by which it appeared 

 that there were seventy-two pensioners on the Charity receiv- 

 ing £930 annually, that the income amounted to £1747, and 

 that there was now an invested capital of £10,400 in consols. 

 Dr. Hogg was elected a Trustee of the Institution in room of 

 Mr. Huggins, deceased. 



Testimonial to Me. Chtlee. — After the close of the annual 

 Meeting a supper was provided at Simpson's in the Strand, 

 at which between sixty and seventy members of the Institution 

 were present, to celebrate the presentation of a Testimonial to 

 Mr. Cutler, after thirty-two years' service as Secretary to the 

 Institution. The chair was taken by Dr. Hogg, supported on 

 the right by Mr. John Lee of Hammersmith, and on the left 

 by Mr. Robert Wrench of London Bridge. The company 

 included many of the leading representatives of horticulture. 

 The Testimonial was a very handsome one, the sum realised 

 being £250. It consisted of a very handsome silver tea and 

 coffee service with salver, t^ble forks and spoons, and a massive 

 gold watch-chain ; in additiun to which were a. valuable dia- 

 mond half-hoop ring and gold watch-chain to Mrs. Cutler. 



PORTRAITS OF PLANTS, FLOWERS, and FRUITS. 



EuavLYPTUS COKNDTA. Nat. ord., Myrtaceae. Linn., loos- 

 andria Monogyuia. — Flowers scarlet and yellow. " Amongst 

 the wonderful forms of Australian vegetation this is not the 

 least striking, whether from its singular structure or the 

 colouring of its inflorescence. It is a native of South- Western 

 Australia, where it was discovered by Libillardicre iu the 

 beginning of the century ; and from whence numerous dried 

 specimens are in the Kew H3rbarium, from Cunningham, 

 Drummond, Oldfield, Harvey, and others, collected from King 

 George's Sound eastward to Cape Riche. It is the ' Yeit ' of 

 the colonists, and, according to Oldfield's notes, it must be a 

 very variable tree, as he describes some specimens as from 

 trees 10 feet high, others from trees 30 to 40 feet high, and 

 others still from trees of 80 to 100 feet high. The bark he 

 describes as rough, hard, persistent, and light brown in the 

 larger trees; as black and half fibrous in others ; and as smooth 

 In the smaller trees. At Kew, where two specimens are cul- 

 tivated in tubs in the south octagon of the temperate house, 

 it forms a slender tree about 9 feet high, with smooth bark and 

 spreading branches." — (Bot. 3Iarj., t. 6140.) 



Ckocds btzantinus. Nat. ord., Iridacese. /,mn , Triandria 

 Monogynia. — Flowers nurple. Native of Transylvania. — 

 {Ihid., t. 6141.) 



Jamesia AMERICANA. Nat. ord., Saxifragacese. Linn., Dec. 

 andria Digynia. — Native of Rocky Mountains. Flowers white 

 "First described from imperfect specimens by Torrey and 

 Gray in 1840, and named by them ' in commemoration of the 

 scientific services of Dr. Edwin James, its worthy discoverer, 

 the botanist and historian of Major Long's expedition to the 

 Rocky Mountains iu 1820, and who during the journey made 

 an excellent collection of plants under the most unfavourable 

 circumstances.' Those were the days when every traveller 

 iu the Rocky Mountains carried his life in his hand, and 



