588 Provincial Horticultural Societies : — 



sown very thinly in drills, 3 ft. apart, at about the same season as barley, and 

 the plants afterwards thinned to the distance of 1 ft. apart. There appears, 

 at present, no reason whatever why it should not become as common in the 

 fields of Europe as barley, wherever that grain can be cultivated. In the 

 mean time, we hope it will be tried first in gardens, in order to raise abun- 

 dance of seed for future experiments in the field. 



Dombey, the botanical traveller, on his return from Peru, was lavish in 

 praise of the Quinoa as a valuable esculent, and took great pains to naturalise 

 it in France ; but the seeds which he brought with him failed, and it is un- 

 certain, at this moment, whether the plant is any where on the Continent of 

 Europe, unless, perhaps, in Spain. Great credit is due to Mr. Lambert for 

 having been the first to prove that it may be grown in England as well, in all 

 respects, as it can in Mexico and Peru ; and for directing public attention to 

 it (at a meeting of the Linnaean Society, Nov. 4. 1834) as a plant calculated 

 to rank with the potato in its copious supply of human food. The circum- 

 stance of its having been in the country since 1822 (see Hort. Brit., p. 99., in 

 which a green and a red variety are mentioned), shows that it is not sufficient 

 to bring useful plants into the country, but that, to make them truly service- 

 able to society, they must be properly introduced as such, by forcibly pointing- 

 out the purposes to which they are applied in their native country. Mr. 

 Lambert has kindly promised us a few seeds for distribution, which we shall 

 leave for that purpose with Mr. Charlwood, at his seedshop, 14. Tavistock 

 Row, Covent Garden. 



Art. IV. Notices of the Exhibitions of the Provincial Horticultural 

 Societies for 1834. 



Though some new Horticultural, or rather Floricultural, Societies have 

 been established in England during the present year, we have missed accounts 

 of some that have been long established ; and several formerly flourishing 

 societies have, we fear, been given up, or are in a declining state. We have 

 had no account of any of the Lancaster exhibitions ; and only a list of the 

 number of prizes gained by each individual at those of Manchester. We 

 have, likewise, only one very slight notice of the exhibitions at Bristol, which 

 used to be of a very superior description ; and have received either no account, 

 or, at least, very slight ones, of several others. 



To counterbalance this apparent falling off, the newly established society 

 at Bath seems to have met with the most brilliant success. Between 2000 

 and 3000 persons have attended each Meeting ; and the only complaints have 

 been of want of room to view the flowers. 



Several new societies have been formed in Berkshire, chiefly for florists' 

 flowers ; and in Birmingham, and some other places, societies, already esta- 

 blished, have been partially remodelled, and greatly improved. 



In Yorkshire, the exhibitions have been very numerous and very good ; 

 and, in Devonshire and Cornwall, we have been much pleased to observe ac- 

 counts, not only of the superiority of the exhibitions, but also of the great num- 

 ber and excellence of the cottagers' prizes. These have not been so numerous 

 in the North : for what reason we know not. The accounts from Jersey and 

 Guernsey are very satisfactory ; in the latter island, especially, the progress 

 of horticultural pursuits, since the establishment of the society, has been 

 equally rapid and decided. In Wales there is very little change. In Scotland, 

 a taste for modelling, drawing plans, preserving specimens, &c, which we are 

 very g' ad to see, appears spreading among the young gardeners; and this 

 taste has, no doubt, received an impetus from the moss-houses, &c, displayed 

 in the admirable exhibitions of the Messrs. Drummond at Stirling. In Ireland 

 there is a remarkable improvement ; and we attribute it, in a great measure, 

 to that excellent periodical the Irish Farmer'' s aniLGardener 's Magazine ; the 

 best, as we have always said, of all the Gardeners' Magazines that have sprung 

 up since ours commenced. 



