430 Foreign JYotices. 



Poihecary's Lord Nelson, Metropolitan Perfection, Conqueror of Eu- 

 rope, Diadem of Flora, Girlin^'s Surtblk Hero and Ruby, Shakspeare, 

 Grant Tliorburn, Queen of Trumps, Topaz and Sir H. Fletcher. 



A greater part of these flowers were exhil)ited at the annual exhibi- 

 tion of the Massachusetts Hoiticiiltural Society this season, and we are 

 glad to notice that Widnall's Marchioness of Tavistock is one of the 

 best, as it has been pronounced by some cultivators, who consider 

 themselves as judges of the dahlia, as possessing about etjual!! beauty 

 with the Beauty of Cambridge. We blush to record such a decision of 

 so extremely superb a variety; and we envy not the taste of those 

 who think so little of it. 



We look with some interest to the reports of the grand shows which 

 are to be held throughout the kingdom in September: they will probably 

 inform us what are fine and w hat inferior varieties. — Cond. 



Dahlia Shows. — We give the following list of several of the different 

 dahlia shows, as advertised to be held in the various counties of England, 

 together with the amount, (where stated,) of the value of prizes to be 

 distributed. It shows at once the great zeal manifested in the cultiva- 

 tion of this splendid flower: — 



Cambridge Grand Dahlia Show, open to all England, Sept. 8th, £75 

 to be awarded. Birmingham Grand Dahlia Show, Sept. 20, 21 and 22, 

 about £100 to be aw-arded. Oxford Grand Dahlia Show, Sept. 4th, 

 £50 to be awarded. Bath Royal Horticultural and Floral Society's 

 Grand Dahlia Show-, Sept. 19th, £60 to be awarded. Nottingham 

 Grand Dahlia Show , Sept. 20th, £70 to be awarded. AVindsor Royal 

 Horticultural Society, Sept. 12th, about £40 to be awarded. Grand 

 Dahlia Exhibition of the Chip])enham Horticultural and Floral Society, 

 Sept. Sth, about £50 to be awarded. Ashborne Floral and Horticultu- 

 ral Society's Dahlia Show, Sept. 26th, about £25 to be awarded. Eton 

 Floricultural Society's Annual Show of Dahlias, Sept. 19th, about £50 

 to be aw-arded. Warwickshire Horticultural Flower Show, Sept. Sth, 

 about £30 to be awarded. 



Thei'e are six or eight other Societies which hold Dahlia Shows. The 

 whole amount given away in prizes at all these, for dahlias alone, will 

 probably amount to upwards of $3000! This is truly encouragement 

 to dahlia growers. — ik. 



FRANCE. 



Colossal Elm-tree at Brignohs. — M. C. Aquillon, member of the 

 Horticultural Society of Paris, &.C., gives the following details respect- 

 ing the large elm which exists in the Place Carami, atBrignoles, a town 

 about twenty miles north of Toulon: — " On the 25th of October, 1564, 

 Charles IX, being at Brignoles, lodged in the house of M. Desparra, 

 which is opposite to this tree, and witnessed, with great pleasure, a ball 

 which took place under it. Michel de I'Hospital, who was born in 

 1503, was chancellor in 1560, and died in 1573, speaks of this tree (as 

 one even at that time likely to attract the attention of travellers,) in 

 one of his works in Latin verse, composed on the occasion of his being 

 exiled into Provence. Tradition supposes that this elm was in existence 

 when the River Carami, which at present runs without the town, flowed 

 by the place of that name. This colossus of vegetation has been for a 

 \o\\g time supported on one side by a wooden post, and on the other by 

 a piece of masonry, which fills up a large hollow in the trunk. With- 

 out these supports the tree would have been infallibly blown down; for 

 the part supported by the wooden prop is hollowed out to the origin of 

 the branches, and even serves as a retreat for poor artizans. The cir- 



