THE ILLUSTRATION HORTICOLE. 



shining leaves resembling those of Magnolia Soulangeana, 

 and its luxuriant habit render it highly ornamental ; and 

 its handsome orange fruit, as large as a peach, ripening 

 towards the end of Autumn, give it rank as a valuable 

 fruit-tree. 



There are, then , four well marked species of Date Plum, 

 which we possess in Europe at the present time. 



But there are also several badly defined varieties of North 

 American origin in cultivation. Indeed they are scarcely 

 worth the trouble of distinguishing, but we may roughly 

 characterise them as follows, from an examination of the 

 living plants in the nursery of Mr. Andre Leroy, at Angers. 

 What is generally held to be the typical D. virginiana is 

 a handsome tree with a spreading crown, flat, acuminate, 

 of glabrous and shining leaves, and a nearly spherical, 

 slightly depressed fruit encircled at the base by a large 

 collar formed of the persistent calyx : and besides this there 

 are the following varieties : 



1. Z>. v. insignis, of very slender habit with willow-like 

 foliage. 



2. D. v. pubescens, described as a species by the botanist 

 Pursh, but in our opinion a mere variety having oblong 

 acute leaves, clothed with soft hairs beneath and borne on 

 long petioles. 



3. D. v. angusti folia, the same as the type except that it 

 has narrower leaves. 



4. D. v. lillosa, a very remarkable variety, of which the 

 obtuse leaves recall D. Kaki, but its fruit is not yet known 

 at Angers. 



5. D. v. purpurea, a pretty variety, the leaves of which 

 when fully developed change to a purple red. 



6. D. v. Perquini, a beautiful tree with acuminate, shin- 

 ing leaves , closely approaching what we have seen in many 

 other nurseries under the name of D. calycina. 



7. D. v. lucida, the last, which we consider the most valu- 

 able of all. It is a slender, graceful tree with spreading cylin- 

 drical smooth ash-gray branches , medium-sized , glabrous 

 and shining, yellow-veined leaves tapering to both ends, and 

 supported on fine petioles. Its abundant sessile fruits are as 

 large as a Green Gage Plum, perfectly spherical, slightly 

 ribbed, surmounted by ;i cylindrical mucro, surrounded at 



the , base *«* accrescent calyx, about an i 



and Winning when ri ]R. ., ,, eauliflll 



with M' 



other va 



that of 1). Kaki in Japan, of whirl, w recently 1 



is also employed in making a kind of cider, spiri 

 with the addition of hops. Oven-dried thev r< 

 French prunes. 

 May the Date Plum be more widely grown i 



cool soil of our parks and gardens, and especially 

 lucida, which M 1 Leroy possesses quite true, an 



have another handsome tree and another good 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF LONDON 

 The following notes on this important show are from a 

 more detailed report which appeared in the Gardener's Chro- 

 nicle. Taking the amount (about £ 200) and the number of 

 classes (sixty-six) into consideration , it is doubtful whether 

 such a display as was brought together on this occasion in 

 the conservatory and western arcade could anywhere else 

 have been brought together, and the members of the Council 

 may take the flattering unction to their souls that their 

 vigourous management is meeting with its due reward in 

 undiminished popularity amongst the craft. The display of 

 Chrysanthemums in pots , which occupied the whole of a 

 wide stage down the centre of the conservatory, was decid- 

 edly the best that has been held here for many years ; while 

 amongst the cut flowers, all of great merit, there were two 

 of the finest groups of Japanese varieties it has ever been 

 °ur good fortune to see, and which, earned deserved praise 



for the skil 



Pears 



of their producers. Of the fru 



Apple 



especially, it is a question whether greater numbers 



; SHOW OF CHRYSANTHEMUMS. Fill IT. ETC. 

 have not been staged at previous exhibitions (about loOt) 

 dishes were shown on this occasion), but our recollection 

 does not enable us to say that the quality, which ran of a 

 high order of merit throughout, was ever better. The Jersey 

 growers were, as usual, well to the front, carrying on' the 

 leading prizes for Tears, and many for Apples. It was a sub- 

 ject of general comment among the horticulturists present 

 that by having all the classes open, English growers who 

 desire to compete are obliged to do so at an immense disad- 

 vantage with their ^.-./Vc/v.v j u the Channel Mauds : and as 

 for all the other shows held during the year, the Society- 

 is almost entirely dependent upon the co-operation of the 

 English growers, it is a question of very great importance 

 for the Council to consider, whether they should not modify 

 their schedule of prizes issued for next year, so as to contine 

 the Channel Islands' growers to competition amongst tliem- 



;. 





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