April G, 1876. 1 



JOURNAL OF HORTICDLTDRE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



267 



Creed, salmon ; Baron Tatmton, lilao ; Criterion, rosy lilac ; 

 Flag of Trace, white, flaked with lilac ; Flora Whyatt, orange ; 

 James Cocker, purple ; Hebe, light, edged with rosy lilac ; 

 James Service, crimson purple ; John Neville Keynes, yellow ; 

 John Standish, bright red ; Lady Gladys Herbert, light orange, 

 deeply edged with crimson ; Leah, bright orange ; Lady Derby, 

 white, tipped with deep purple ; Miss Heushaw, white ; Mr. 

 Seaman, buff, tipped with bright purple ; Monarch, the darkest 

 Dahliaont; Queenof York, light blush ; Vice-President, orange; 

 Ovid, bright crimson purple ; Princess of AVales, blush, slightly 

 edged with lilac ; Mrs. Harris, white, edged with pale lilao ; 

 Royal Queen, white ground, deeply edged with purplish 

 crimson. 



Eighteen Fancy Varieties. — Carnation, Dolly Varden, Ebor, 

 Egyptian Prince, Fanny Sturt, Grand Duchess, Hero of York, 

 Harlequin, John Sealy, Miss Saunders, Prospero, Rev. J. B. M. 

 Camm, Rose Flake, Flora Whyatt, Viceroy, Herbert Purchase, 

 Lady Spokes, Madame Sherrington. — J. T. C. 



EOYAL HORTICULTUKAL SOCIETY. 



Apell 5th. 



Fkhit CosnriTTEE. — Henry Webb, Esq., in the chair. The 

 Hon. aud Rev. J. T. Boscawen sent a brace of Cucumbers pro- 

 duced from a plant which was raised from a cutting. It is a 

 seedling raised by Mr. Boscawen thirteen years ago, but being a 

 bad seed-bearer it has ever since been propagated by cuttings. 

 It is a white-spined variety of the old-fashioned type. A letter 

 of thanks was awarded. Mr. Parsons, The Gardens, Danesbury, 

 sent a dish of the Magnum Bonum Onion, which is a finely 

 selected stock of Globe. It is a remarkably liandsome bulb, and 

 maintains the high reputation the Committee had previously 

 expressed. Mr. Bate of Bellbroughton, near Stourbridge, sent 

 a dish of Bellbroughton Pippin Apple, which was considered 

 very similar to Lincoln Codlin. 



Messrs. Rivers & Son of Sawbridgeworth sent a collection of 

 Apples and Pears. Louise Bonne de Printemps was thought 

 richly flavoured with a fine rose-water aroma. Fortunce was 

 rather coarse in flesh, but with a fine aroma. There were also 

 fine specimens of Herefordshire Pearmain, Sturmer Pippin, 

 Primate, Roxbury Russet, Golden Harvey, Api, and Mela Carlo 

 Apples. A vote of thanks was unanimously awarded for the 

 collection. 



Flobal CojnnTTEE. — W. B. Kellock, Esq., in the chair. 

 There was a good attendance in the Council room on this occa- 

 sion, and the contributions of plants and cut flowers rendered 

 the meeting both interesting and attractive. 



The plant which absorbed the lion's share of attention was 

 Odontoglossum cirrhosum, imported by Mr. Bull from Ecuador, 

 and exhibited by Mr. Henley, gardener to Spencer Brnnton, 

 Esq., Beckenham. This is a distinct and valuable addition to 

 this useful genus of free-growing and free-flowering Orchids. 

 O. cirrhosum is a plant that will be coveted by all growers of 

 Orchids. The plant is evidently of easy growth and is a pro- 

 fuse bloomer. As exhibited it had three spikes, one of which 

 was about 2 feet in height, gracefully arched, and supporting 

 twelve handsome flowers. The sepals and petals are long, 

 slender, and waved, terminating in sharp points ; the flowers 

 are white with a blush tinge, heavily spotted with maroon ; the 

 labellum being orange, with a fringed crest and brown-striped 

 lobes. The plant is after the character of 0. nrevium, but is 

 distinct from and superior to that species. 



Messrs. Veitch & Sons staged a small group of plants. Of 

 these Dendrobium Wardianum had five spikes, one of which 

 contained twenty grand flowers. This firm also exhibited Rho- 

 dodendron Princess of Wales, a cross between R. Princess Royal 

 and R. Lobbii. The truss contained twelve blooms of a warm 

 rose colour with lighter centre. This is a greenhouse variety 

 of great merit aud undoubted value. It received a first-class 

 certificate. A similar award was made to Adiantum digitatum, 

 which is one of the most elegant of Ferns, and is thoroughly 

 distinct from all others of the type. Cattleya Veitchii was ex- 

 hibited with six flowers of great beauty; for this plant a vote of 

 thanks was awarded. Messrs. Veitch also exhibited Odonto- 

 glosBums mulus and gloriosum, which are similar in their 

 flowers but different in foliage and form of spike. 



Mr. B. S. WiUiams exhibited an ornamental group of flne- 

 foliagcd and flowering plants. Amongst the former were Palms, 

 Cycads, Pandanus Veitchii, Ferns, Dractenas, and Bertolonias 

 Van Houttei and superbissima ; the flowering plants compris- 

 ing Orchids in variety, Sarracenia flava, Lasiaudra macrantha 

 vera, the flower being 4 inches in diameter and exceedincly rich ; 

 Toxicophlrca spectabile, and Tillandsia Lindeni. Mr. Williams 

 also staged a collection of brilliant AmaryUids. Votes of thanks 

 were awarded for both these collections. 



Messrs. Paul & Sons, Choshunt, exhibited a very singular 

 plant, Heterothropa asaroides, having foUage similar to Cycla- 



men persicum, and flowers not unlike those of a Stapelia. A vote 

 of thanks was awarded for this plant. 



Messrs. Paul also staged some admirable boxes of out Roses, 

 all of which were good, bat Marcchal Niel was grand and re- 

 ceived a cultural certificate. They also exhibited Roses in pots ; 

 small plants with robust foliage and fine blooms of Jean 

 Ducher, a Tea Rose of great promise ; Hippolyte Jamain, Emily 

 Laston, and Comte de Serenyi. A vote of thanks was awarded. 

 Mr. Bennett, Manor Farm Nursery, Stapleford, exhibited a box 

 of cut Roses, including some seedlings of a promising character. 



Messrs. Fisher Holmes & Co., Handsworth Nursery, Sheffield, 

 exhibited Rhododendron Fisher Holmes, a sweet-scented white 

 variety of superior quality, which was highly commended. 

 G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.L.S., exhibited a basket of Primulas. 

 P. purpurea, of the P. denticnlata type, was very attractive; 

 and P. eiliata (Alpine Auricula) was distinct by its purple- 

 maroon flowers. Mr. WUson also exhibited a Primula having 

 flowers If inch in diameter. A new Primula from Japan was 

 exhibited by Messrs. F. Saunders & Co., seed-growers, St. Albans, 

 having flowers not unlike P. amcena, but with foliage perfectly 

 distinct. Mr. Harrison Weir, Weirleigh, exhibited a plant of 

 Myosotis Weirleigh Surprise, every petal of which is clearly 

 banded with white, not unlike the old Verbena Impiratrice 

 Elizabeth. It is a charming and distinct variety, and some 

 surprise was expressed that this and the preceding plant was 

 passed by the Committee. 



Mr. OUerhead, gardener to Sir H. Peek, Wimbledon House, 

 exhibited five baskets of Lachenalias. These were very novel. 

 The bulbs had been closely planted in the baskets, and when the 

 plants flowered the baskets were reversed, showing the hundreds 

 of flowers from beneath. Mr. OUerhead also exhibited Dendro- 

 bium lituiflorum densely bloomed, PhaliBuopsis Schilleriana with 

 grand flowers, Dendrochilum glnmaceum, and Odontoglossum 

 Alexandrfe. A vote of thanks was awarded for the collection, 

 Mr. B. T. Clarke exhibited a double Primula distinct by flowering 

 in umbels, also a fine primrose-coloured Polyanthus. A vote of 

 thanks was awarded. Mr. Noble, Bagshot, exhibited Clematis 

 The President, a purplish blue variety having a very large 

 flower, the colour also being very rich. A first-class certificate 

 was awarded. Messrs. Barr & Sugden received a vote of thanks 

 for a collection of Narcissuses in great variety ; they were very 

 bright and attractive. 



[Messrs. Paul submitted to the Scientific Committee a plant 

 of the Purple Birch, Betula purpurea, from which the upper 

 buds had been removed to increase the stock. From the 

 space beneath the bark removed other buds formed and pro- 

 duced green foliage, a lower bud from the bark producing purple 

 leaves, thus suggesting very clearly, if not deciding, that the 

 purple colour is in the bark alone and transmitted to the foliage.] 



DOUBLE NASTURTIUMS. 



It ia quite cheering to see that some of our old favourite 

 plants are again putting in an appearance. I was mnch pleased 

 to see an account in " our Journal " of that fine old winter- 

 blooming plant Eranthemnm pulchellum, known to us in our 

 youthful days as Jastieia cernlea; but we must have changes 

 so with names. Other plants used to be seen much more 

 frequently than at the present that did us good service in the 

 winter and spring — namely, Tropseolnm majus flore-plena and 

 T. minus flore-plena. 



It is a good time now to propagate these charming coloured 

 flowers if we intend to have them in good condition for next 

 winter's decoration, and they are useful where cut flowers are 

 ia demand. Cuttings root readily in moist sandy soil in gentle 

 bottom heat. When rooted they may be potted singly into 

 .3-inch pots in rich light sandy soil, and kept in gentle heat 

 until established ; they may then be hardened to a cool tem- 

 perature, stopped and grown-on as may be desired. They 

 should have thorough drainage and be kept free from damp, 

 but should not suffer for want of water. 



If they prosper till the autumn they must he taken into a 

 warm greenhouse, and with care will help to make a grand 

 display and yield a good supply of flowers for all purposes that 

 flowers are required for. 



These flowers are said to have been seen by a daughter of 

 the celebrated Linnaus emit spontaneously in the evening at 

 certain intervals electric sparks, but I have never been able to 

 detect them. If this ia a fact information would be appreciated 

 by a lover of — Indian Ceess. 



Pbimdla altaica. — A correspondent writes that this Primula 

 ia invaluable as a bedding plant for spring gardens. Some 

 beds edged with the common Primrose, and others with the 

 white Arabia, are now, and have been for some time, in great 



