PELARGONIUMS. 45 



the Earl of Rosslyn, mentioned by Mr. Gray, which bore exposure 

 Avell and excited great admiration. He spoke with the highest ap- 

 proval of Mr. Gray's system of annotation, in a book ruled with col- 

 umns for the names, dates of planting, dates of flowering, and 

 value or worthlessness of tlie different varieties, so as to give at a 

 glance a perfect view of the daily condition, flowering, and desir- 

 ability of every kind. Mr. Gray imported four hundred and fifty 

 varieties last yeav, out of which he will probably throw away four 

 hundred, preserving only the elect. 



Mr. Gray said, in answer to the President, that he had made his 

 selections from eight hundred green foliaged, flowering varieties, 

 and two hundred and fifty tricolored. He added that he would like 

 to have some gentleman who understood the difference between the 

 Pelargonium, Geranium, and Erodium, state it succinctly. 



E. S. Rand, Jr., read from " Tilton's Journal of Horticulture," 

 vol. iv. p. 89, — "Pelargoniums are known in gardens as gerani- 

 ums, but are very different from them in their spurred calyx, usu- 

 ally irregular corolla, and the number of perfect stamens, which 

 varies from seven down to four. The Geraniums are distinguished 

 by having regular flowers, ten stamens with the filaments united 

 at the base, and five carpels, each tipped by a long glabrous arm 

 (the persistent style) , which becomes recurved when it separates 

 from the central axis," 



Charles M. Hovey said that Mr. Gra^^ had given us much valua- 

 ble information that we could hardly have got from any one else. 

 In regard to splendid specimen plants the question of their pro- 

 duction is simply one of time, labor, and expense. They require 

 much attention, and more room than most cultivators can afford, 

 in order to give the necessary circulation of air. Although it gen- 

 erally requires two years to get a decent specimen, he knew of a 

 gentleman who grew a plant two feet in diameter in ten months. 

 An imported plant, like the Princess of Wales, shown by Mr. 

 Gray, becomes sickly and stunted like an old pear tree. An Eng- 

 lish gardener would take this plant, and from a cutting would raise 

 a large plant in a short time. It is unnecessary to point out the 

 difference between the Pelargonium and Geranium, but there is a 

 difference, as there is between the Cydonia^ Japonica and the Py- 

 rus malus. He would continue to use the old and familiar name 

 of Geranium. The geraniums of the botanists are our native 

 species. 



