82 Domestic 'Notices: — Scotland. 



Ireland, Esq., in the possession of whose family it has remained ever since. 

 {Bath Chron,, Sept.) 



Gigantic Hydrangea. — There is at present in the garden of G. Sandes, 

 Esq., at Dimowen, a hydrangea, which measures 45 ft. in circumference, 

 is 7 ft. high, and had on its branches 176 flowers last season. {Stockport 

 Advertiser.) 



An extraordinary Cowslij) has been picked in the garden of Mr. She- 

 riff Hornby, in Stockton Lane, near York. The stem, which has the appear- 

 ance of six stalks grown into one, supports a head of flowers, comprising 

 1 14 pips. The stem itself was above 8 in. in length. Several other cow- 

 slips of unusual size were als9 growing from the same root. {Newsp., Aug.) 



The Billardih-a mutabilis is hardy enough to endure a moderate winter 

 like the last. — Causidicus. Nov. 24. 1828. 



A new Artificial Stone has been invented by Mr. Ranger of Brighton, much 

 harder than common stone or brick, being equal in durability to granite ; 

 and it has also the advantage of being considerably cheaper. It is capable 

 of being modelled to any shape, and has, when put up, the appearance of 

 Portland stone. Of course no cement is required in the construction of 

 buildings in which it is employed. {Scotsman, Jan. 16.) 



SCOTLAND. 



The Aberdeenshire Horticultu7-al Society held their last Competition 

 Meeting on the 6th of November ; on which occasion there were received 

 120 various packages for competition, viz. twenty-nine of apples, sixteen 

 of pears, fourteen of onions, nine of beet, eleven of carrots, fourteen of 

 celer}', eight of one and six of two year-old forest trees, two of ^naturalised 

 plants, and eleven various articles for the extra premium. The judges 

 awarded the Society's silver medal to William Dawnie, gardener to Henry 

 Lumsden, Esq., Invery, for onions, they being the articles possessing the 

 greatest merit of any at the Show. They also awarded premiums for the 

 best pears (the Crassane), to Alexander Crorabie, Esq., of Phesdo. Best car- 

 rots, and second best celer}', George Forbes, Esq., of Springhill. Also, 

 apples (the Ribston Pippin) : I.Alexander Brown, at Heathcot ; 2. \Vm. 

 Chalmers, at Lochhead. Second best pears (the Brown Auchan), John Da- 

 vidson, at Dunnottar House. Second best onions, Alexander Diack, Mile 

 End. Best red beet, William Barron, at Blackball. Best celery, William 

 Smith, at Grandholm Cottage. Second best carrots, from seeds saved by 

 himself, Alexander Malcolm, Damside. Forest Trees : best one-year-old, ' 

 Alexander Eraser, jun., Ferryhill nursery j best two-year-old, John R03', 

 jun., nurseryman and florist. 



Nothing was awarded either for naturalisation, or to those articles offered 

 for the extra-premium ; but there were amongst them some beautiful spe- 

 cimens, particularly a handsome plant of the Fuchs?« coccinea, raised in 

 the open ground at Fetteresso Castle. An elegant plant of the Datura ar- 

 borea, or Tree Stramonium, from Cornhill; a coxcomb, from Glenbervie 

 House, measuring 4i ft. high, the flower 8 by lOin. ; and five various 

 gourds, of beautiful colours, and in the most perfect state, from the gardens 

 at Arbuthnot House. 



Two medals were awarded to the amateur subscribers who had kept 

 their gardeners for the longest period, the one to Lady Burnet of Leys, 

 for the gardener at Crathes, George Hardy, who had been twenty-eight 

 years in the service of the family, without having had any charge of hot- 

 houses. The other medal to R. W. Cuff, Esq., of Fetteresso, for William 

 Wales, he having for the period of twenty-two years practised ail the 

 branches of the art, including hot-houses. 



The London Horticultural Society's silver medal, voted last season to 

 Mr. Alexander Diack, at Mile End, was presented to him on this occasion. 



