May 21, 1874. ] 



JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUKK AND COTTAGE GABDKNEB. 



403 



and Morse took several prizes for well-flowered Heaths ; whilst 

 of Pelargouinms by far the best were those from Mr. Ward, iu 

 whose nine Bob Roy, Patroness, Lady CanaiuR, Koae Celestial, 

 smd Warrior were especially good. Palms, Exotic Ferns, and 

 fine-foliaged plants were amply represented, those from Mr. 

 Williams being large and remarkably fine specimens. We may 

 note of the first his Livistonas, Cooos Weddeliaua, Phamico- 

 phoriura sechellarum, and of the second his Gleichenias ; whilst 

 of the lait ho had many noble specimens. Among amateurs, for 

 line-foliaged plants Mr. Donald, gardener to J. G. Barclay, Esq., 

 Leyton, was first with an excellent half-dozen, in which were 

 a magnificent specimen of Alocasia metallica, and a very fine 

 Corypha austvalis. Mr. Cole, Ealing Park, was an excellent 

 second ; and Mr. Douglas, gardener to Mrs. Robinson, Mount 

 Pleasant, a good third. 



Mr. James and Messrs. Dobson, of Isleworth, also Messrs. 

 Jackson, of Kingston, sent excellent groups of lierbaceous Cal- 

 ceolarias; Mr. Turner, Tulips; Mr. Williams, of HoUoway, new 

 plants, especially noticeable among which were the white-spathed 

 Anthurium Williamsii, Amaryllis virginalis, a striking white 

 kind, Adiantum gracillimum, noticed last week, &c. Messrs 

 E. G. Henderson sent seedliug Mimulusea and some other new 

 plants; and Mr. B. Smith, of Worcester, a collection of Japanese 

 Aeera and one of oruameutal Oaks, which were very interesting. 



FLORENCE INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL 



EXHIBITION AND BOTANICAL CONGRESS. 



The Exhibition was opened on the 11th iust.,iu the building 

 which has been erected for the new markets. The building 

 may be said to consist of a nave and two aisles, and covers a 

 space about '230 feet long by 270 broad. On entering it from 

 the Via Chiara we find the area laid out in groups round a 

 large basin of water, from the centre of which a jet -10 to 

 50 feet in height is kept constantly playing. This is a feature 

 we have never seen in any of the previous International Ex- 

 hibitions, and we would commend it as a suggestion to be 

 •followed wherever practicable on future occasions. It has the 

 effect of giving life and action, in contrast to the calm repose 

 which is associated with the surrounding groups of plants, 

 and is certainly much more effective than the miserable at- 

 tempts at waterfalls which we have seen made at some of the 

 previous exhibitions we have visited. 



At the extreme end facing the entrance there is a rather 

 extensive and well-constructed piece of rockwork formed of 

 masses of tufa, which is found plentifully in the Apennlne 

 Mountains close by ; and this is surmounted with fine speci- 

 mens of Magnolia grandiflora 20 feet high. Yuccas, Dasylirions, 

 Phormiums, and Azaleas, behind which there is a cascade with 

 a fall of 8 or 10 feet. The centre in front of the fouutain is 

 occupied with a large oval in the direction of the length of the 

 building, and this is filled with small plants of Azalea indica, 

 snch as one sees iu the Belgian exhibitions, but they do not 

 ■furnish such a blaze of colour from the almost equal admixture 

 of leaves and flowers. To some this may be more agreeable 

 than the excess of colour which is prevalent in our exhibitions 

 of Azaleas at home. 



Flanking these, and forming groups round the iron columns 

 that support the nave, are splendid specimens of fine-foliaged 

 5)lants sent by Prince Demidoff from his villa at Florence, and 

 the Marquis Corsi-Salviati, on the right ; and those on the left 

 are supplied from the garden of the Museum of Natural History 

 and of the city of Florence. Just beyond the fountain, and 

 between it and the rockwork already mentioned, are two groups 

 of well-bloomed Azaleas backed-up with good specimen Cya- 

 theas, Philodendrons, Dicksonia antarctica, and interspersed 

 among them were Azaleas. 



On the left, beyond these groups, and under the left aisle, 

 there are three glazed pavilions erected for the more tender 

 plants, to which we shall again refer, and these are surrounded 

 by sinuous banks of fine-foliaged and flowering plants supplied 

 by M. Dalliere, of Ghent. In a corresponding position under 

 the right aisle there is Neptune blowing water out of a conk 

 Ghell, and surrounded with a gi'oup of fine-foliaged and flower- 

 ing plants, in the centre of which is a towering specimen of 

 a. hybrid Rhododendron arboreum, very large cylindrical speci- 

 mens of Hoya carnosa and Stephanotis floribunda. This 

 group also contains large specimens of Polygala alternifolia 

 and a Kalmia latifolia of very large size, which one would have 

 supposed to have come from Knaphill had it not been that it 

 bore a ticket int'mating that it had been grown iu the garden 

 of Count Bouturlin since AprU, 1831. Here also is a fine 

 group furnished by M. Linden, of Ghent and Brussels. 



We were pleased to see that British hortieulturo was not un- 



represented, Messrs. Veitoh & Sons being present with a select 

 collection of Pitcher-plants and a nice collection of rarities. 



Such is the general outline of the Exhibition in the great 

 central hall ; but there are two annexes in which are exhibited 

 miscellaneous objects, such as fruits dried and fresh, dried 

 plants, botanical and horticultural plates and books, woods of 

 various kinds, terra-ootta figures, bee bivea and honey ; aad 

 iu the open spaces collections of herbaceous and other hardy 

 plants, implements, and structures, all of which we shall refer 

 to in our continuation of the report next week. 



The paragraph we give above would have appeared last week 

 if the Italian post were as rapid as that iu England ; it was 

 written before the arraugemeuts were completed, and while tha 

 space outside of the building was in incomprehensible confusion. 

 At an early hour on the morning of the opening day, however, 

 the whole had an aspect of order and completeness of arrange- 

 ment which the managers of similar exhibitions in this country 

 would do well to imitate. Although complaints had been 

 made by the executive that exhibitors were late in making 

 their entries, it could not be said that on the morning of the 

 opening they retarded in any way the programme of the day. 

 By eight o'clock the place was in perfect order, and nothing 

 remained to be done before the arrival of the King at ten, but 

 to lay down carpets and finish other decorations which are 

 necessary on occasions when Royalty is present. It would be 

 well if our exhibitors were to practise similar promptitude, and 

 then there would not be the numerous complaints of faulty 

 grouping and bad placing which we are so much accustomed to 

 hear of. 



The first impression on entering the building was a sense 

 of emptiness from the great height of the nave, and from 

 the centre area being occupied with masses of dwarf plants, 

 which are elevated not more than i feet iu the highest 

 part, and the sides being filled with the larger plants, such as 

 Palms and Pandanuses. The great height of the building in 

 proportion to the size of the plants reminded us of the exhibi- 

 tions at the Crystal Palace, where the same effect is produced ; 

 but if the plants had been raised artificially much higher than 

 they were, so as to have shortened the space between them and 

 the roof, the elevation would have been too great, and the 

 beauty of the plants would have been sacrificed through being 

 so much above the eye. 



The method of arrangement here was that which we have long 

 observed to be the prevalent one on the Continent. It matters 

 not whether it be the grouping of a flower show, the arrange- 

 ment of clocks and candelab' a on a chimneypiece, or the setting- 

 out of a console table ; the lowest objects are always placed iu 

 the centre, and the highest on the outside. Look at the 

 chimneypiece of any English household, and you will find it 

 quite the contrary. Look at our horticultural exhibitions, and 

 you will find the tallest plants are generally placed in the 

 centre of the room or space where they are held. The large 

 tents at South Kensington are an exception to this, for there 

 the centre is hollow and the sides elevated; but in the gene- 

 rality of exhibition tents there will be fouud a high stage 

 running the whole length of the centre, with a passage and 

 low table on either side of it. This is what we have always 

 seen at the Crystal Palace. We express no opinion as to 

 which is the preferable way, and no doubt there will be advo- 

 cates found to justify both. 



This feeling of voidness was, however, soon dispelled, for the 

 constant playing of the high fountain which we have mentioned, 

 and the rockwork and waterfall behind, speedily attracted the 

 eye, and it was gradually carried round to the fine groups which 

 embellished the sides and led up to the picturesque arrangement 

 which occupied the side aisles. 



Before proceeding to remark upon the groups iu detail it may 

 be well to mention that they were all edged round with pieces 

 of tufa a foot high, the interstices between which were filled 

 with sphagnum, and the top very prettUy planted with flower- 

 ing plants, among which the most striking were the beautiful 

 and very effective Ixia croeata, Deutzia graeiUs, the charming 

 little Rose de Meaux or Pompone as the French generally call 

 it, Pansies, Cinerarias, small Draceuas, Alstromerias, striped 

 Curculigo, Mimulus guttata, and similar plants. This edging 

 looked well, and was a good contrast to the uniform green of 

 the fine-foliaged plants, which are so prevalent. 



Having given already a description of the general arrangement, 

 we shall no'v proceed to examine the collections and groups 

 more in detail. 



Ou tuo ii^ui, aswueuteiedthtbu'.lJiDg, the fi.-st object to which 



