310 



JOUBNAL OF HOETICULTUEB AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE, 



[ April 22, 1876. 



vantage. The Azaleas, Acacias, Narcissus, &o., were weU- 

 bloomed hardy plants. • ■ > • 



Withholding the prizes for last year's shows and diminiBhing 

 the amounts this year is having its natural effect on exhibitors, 

 and restricting the scope and interest of the exhihitions. 



Fruit was limited to the following contributions :—l' or two 

 bunches of Black Grapes the first prize was awarded to Mr. W. 

 Bones, gardener to D. Mcintosh, Esq., Havering Road, Bom- 

 ford, for compact and well-coloured bunches of Black Hamburgh, 

 the second honours going to Mr. Ridout, gardener to W. b. 

 Brown, Esq., Woodhatch Lodge, Eeigate, for Alicantes, hne in 

 berry and colour, but losing freshness. Two bunches of White 

 Grapes were represented by small bunches of Golden Ham- 

 burghs from Mr. Bones, who exhibited also a basket of highly- 

 coloured Tomatoes Earley's Defiance, which were worthy of 

 recognition. Cucumbers were represented by a good brace of 

 Tender and True from Mr. J. Lane, gardener to Major-General 

 Fytche, Pyrgo Park, Romford ; and a brace of Marqms of Lome 

 from Mr. Rapley, gardener to R. Hudson, Esq., Clapham Com- 

 mon, which took first and second prizes respectively. 



Fruit Committee.— Henry Webb, Esq., in the chair. Mr. 

 Sidney Ford, gardener to W. E. Hubbard, Esq., Leonard s Lee, 

 Horsham, sent six dishes of Apples and two of Pears, which 

 were very well kept, and to which a letter of thanks was awarded. 

 William Terry, Esq., Peterborough House, Parson's Green, sent 

 two large clusters of the fruit of Vanilla, perfectly ripe and 

 admirably grown. The Committee unanimously awarded a 

 cultural commendation. Mr. John Monro exhibited a basket of 

 Keens' Seedling Strawberries, grown from cuttings. Mr. Monro 

 also sent six fruit of his Cucumber Duke of Edinburgh, also 

 three bunches of Grapes, Foster's Seedling, Buckland Sweet- 

 water, and Madresfield Court. These fruit are from pot Vines 

 taken from the open ground on the 4th January, 1875, into 80 of 

 heat at once, where they have been kept ever since. There 

 were fifteen bunches on the Foster's Seedling, seventeen on the 

 Madresfield Court, and eight bunches on Buckland Sweetwater. 

 A letter of thanks was awarded for the collection. Mr. Bond, 

 gardener to G. A. Smith, Esq., The Beeches, Weybridge, Surrey, 

 sent two Vines in pots of Foster's Seedling, fifteen months from 

 the eye. They were awarded a cultural commendation. Messrs. 

 Lee of Hammersmith sent a dish of Bess Pool Apple. Rev. 

 George Kemp, The Vine, Sevenoaks, sent a dish of Sturmer 

 Pippin, very well kept, and of excellent flavour. 



Floral Committee.— R. B. Postans, Esq., in the chair. A 

 small but charming group of Orchids was contributed by Messrs. 

 James Veitch & Sons. Phalsenopsis Luddemanniana ochracea, 

 from the Phillipine Islands, is a distinct waxy gem of a curious 

 admixture of colour of green, pink, and scarlet. Cattleya 

 elegaus alba had a spike of four beautiful blooms. Saccolabium 

 ampuUaceum had half a dozen glowing spikes. Phalsenopsis 

 amabilis, and P. Schilleriana, and Odontoglossums in variety, 

 were in excellent order. The same firm also exhibited a very 

 distinct Draceena, named hybrida, for which a first-class certi- 



Mr. Kinghorn, of Sheen Nursery, Richmond, exhibited a 

 plant of his new and curious Fuchsia procumbens. It is very 

 singular and pretty, as much like a Tropfeolum as a Fuchsia. 

 It is undoubtedly interesting by its distinctness. Mr. B. S. 

 Williams sent a new Echeveria, E. de Smetiana, with very 

 silvery foliage ; also plants of Francisoea magnifioa with very 

 fine flowers. Mr. Z. Stevens, Trentham Gardens, sent a splendid 

 plant of Ccelogyne cristata (lemoniana), and received a vote ol 

 thanks. 



Mr. Boll sent Tillandsia musaica, Dracaenas, and AnguJoa Tur- 

 neri. Mr. Bond, gardener to G. A. Smith, Esq., sent good plants 

 of the Orchids Brassia maculata and Oncidium altissimum. 



Mr. H. Bennett, iStapleford, Salisbury, had a first-class certifi- 

 cate for twelve pot plants of the new and excellent Rose Capt. 

 Christy. He had also beautiful cut blooms of Duchess of Edin- 

 burgh, Madame Caroline Kuster a soft yellow, Hippolyte Ja- 

 main, and Mdlle. Marie Cointet. Mr. W. Paul exhibited a good 

 dark Rose Villaret de Joyeuse, and a sweet-scented light variety 

 Amelia Haste. 



Mr. Eckford again sent some of his fine laced Polyanthus ; 

 they are very distinct and bright. Mr. R. Dean exhibited a 

 double white quilled Daisy of fine form and substance, which 

 received a first-class certificate. A collection of fifty varieties 

 of Narcissus was sent by Rudolph Barr, Esq., Tooting. Their 

 variation in form and colour, their brightness and perfume, 

 rendered them very interesting. They merited the vote ol 

 thanks which was awarded them. 



THE LEAMINGTON BBOCOOLI. 

 The seed of this new sort of Broccoli was distributed with 

 the prestige of a first-class certificate from the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society, thus raising hopes and expectations that it 

 would prove not only different to, but a decided improvement 

 upon existing kinds. The earliest plants of it here are from 



seed sown March 18th, 1874, and they are now affording a fine 

 supply of what I consider to be the best heads of Broccoli I 

 have ever sent to table. 



In form the heads may be compared to a cone with the 

 sides slightly bulging out, some tapering more to a point than 

 others ; all are extremely compact, white, and delicate, and 

 are so closely enveloped — that is to say, protected by the 

 leaves, that some care and pains are necessary in cutting them 

 away in order to find the treasure which they guard so closely 

 and so well. 



Thus, then, the expectations of a " good thing" raised by 

 the certificate are in this, as in most other instances, fully 

 realised. 1 lay some stress upon this, because of late it has 

 become very much the fashion to decry the Eoyal Horticultural 

 Society, and to question its utility. Now, I for one can 

 undertake to say that if the Leamington Broccoli had been 

 offered for sale without having gained the high award which 

 its great excellence so justly merits, I should not have been 

 tempted to purchase. — Edward Ldckhuest. 



FLOWEE-BEDS IN AS WAKEY PABK GABDENS. 



The gardening at Aswarby Park, the seat of Sir Thomas 



Whichoote, Bart., near Folkingham in Lincolnshire, is well 



Fig. 76.— Flower Border on Grass at Aswarby Park. 



Boeder No. 2, 80 Feet bt 12. 



5. Lobelia pumila flore-pleno (one 



1. Contanrea candidiseima. 



2. Coleua Verechaffeltii. 

 8. ChrlBtine Geranium (pink), 



i, MiBs KingBton Geranium (silyer 

 variegated, with the flowers 

 picked off). 



mass of bloom). 



6. Golden Feather. 



7. EcheTeria giaaca metallioa. 



