358 EEPOETS OF THE FLORAL COMMITTEE, 



and elastic, and, with respect to these desirable properties, it 

 has a great advantage over all other grafting compositions that 

 hare been tried in the Society's Garden. ^ 



"The Mastic Tljomme Lefort was tried for Apple and Pear 

 grafting this spring, and recently it has been used for grafting 

 Vines, The Apples and Pears are doing very well. It was tried 

 comparatively with well-tempered grafting clay, the same variety 

 of Apple or Pear being employed in both cases, and all other 

 circumstances being as nearly as possible alike. Owing to the 

 backward spring, the grafts are not so far advanced in growth as 

 they usually are at this season, and consec[uently any difference 

 that ^lay result from using ^ different substances for covering the 

 graft cannot be so apparent as it might be some time hence. 

 The result of careful inspection to-day led to the conclusion that 

 the vegetation of the grafts covered by the Mastic THomme 

 Lefort was progressing very favourably. More recently it has 

 been employed in grafting Vines under glass. In this case it is 

 tnuch better than grafting clay, because a crowd of rootlets are 

 apt to be emitted into the latter. The Mastic is said to prevent 

 the bleeding of the Vine : it was tried, but it was found not quite 

 effective for that purpose ; the sap of the Vine destroyed the 

 elastic principle of the composition — in fact, partially decomposed 

 the substance. 



'* With the exception just mentioned, the statements received 

 along with the boxes containing the Mastic THomme Lefort, and 

 descriptive of its properties, are so far perfectly well borne out. 



17th May, 1862, 



(Signed) " Robert Thompson." 



XLIII. REPORTS OF THE FLORAL COMMITTEE. 



{CoTUimied from p. 123.) 



MarcJi 4, 1862.— TA^ Eev. Joshua Dix in the Chair. 

 The subjects exhibited on this occasion were as follows ; 



Salpigophora ch iloen sis :— from Messrs. Veitch & Son, 



Exeter and Chelsea. This dwarf evergreen shrub was stated to 

 be a native of Chili. Being of a free-branching compact habit of 

 growth, as well as showing a disposition to flower freely, it was 

 considered a very desirable plant, and was awarded a Fiest-Class 

 Certificate. The leaves were impari-pinnate, with from two to 

 four pairs of oblong obtuse leaflets attached to a slightly winged 



