X\ PROCEEDINGS. 



February 20, 1849. (Regent Street.) 



Awards. Knightian Medal: To C. «!. Darbisliire, Esq., of 

 Rivington, near Bolton, for a finely-flowered specimen in a 

 pot of the Primula altaica of the Russian botanists, a scape- 

 less species with beautiful orange-eyed purple flowers. It 

 was stated by the Vice-Secretary to be quite new to gar- 

 dens ; and the account which Mr. Darbishire gives of its 

 introduction is as follows. He says, " My friend Mr. Beck, 

 of Isleworth, will place upon the table for exhibition to-day 

 a specimen plant of what I believe to be an entirely new 

 and beautiful variety of Primula, which I found on a late visit 

 to Constantinople. It was growing on grassy land, which had 

 recently been cleared of the brushwood, in the neighbourhood 

 of Karak, a quarantine station on the Asiatic side of the Bos- 

 phorus near the mouth of the Black Sea. As it was Mid- 

 summer when I met with it, and being of course out of bloom, 

 I had no reason to suppose it to be anything more than our 

 common yellow primrose until it flowered in the following 

 spring. I have since found it to be perfectly hardy, stand- 

 ing our winters well out of doors ; but as it appears to have 

 a disposition to flower very early, when we have only cold 

 and wet weather (this season I have had a successive bloom 

 from the end of October), I prefer taking the roots into the 

 house at the latter end of the year ; they then form a beau- 

 tiful and useful ornament to the conservatory during a daik 

 and dull season. Its rich and delicate colour, however, is 

 not fully displayed except in the sunshine. When grown 

 freely its foliage is very large and robust, it is a most pro- 

 fuse bloomer and possesses a slight but delicious fragrance." 



J3anksian Medals: To J. Allnutt, Esq., of Clapham, for a fine 

 specimen of Camellia rosea Sasanqua, about 10 feet high and 

 well flowered. To its appearance as a plant, it added 

 another feature of interest. It is well known that when 

 large masses of soil like that in wliich Camellias are grown 

 get dry, it is difficult to water them all through on account 

 of the water passing oft" speedily by the sides of the pots. 

 To prevent this Mr. Allnutt inserts into the surface of the 

 ball, some two or three inches from the side of the pot 

 or tub, a hoop of zinc or other metal, which retains the 

 water within its circumference, and compels it to pass down 

 through the mass of soil instead of escaping by its side. It 

 was stated that he practises this plan with all his large 

 specimens, and with advantage not only to the plant, but 

 with regard to saving time and labour. To Mr. Hamp, 



