594> Provincial Horticultural Societies : — 



the least interesting feature in this exhibition, that a large proportion of them 

 were from the gardens of cottagers. The vegetables grown on Dartmoor, by 

 Thomas Spears, were of extraordinary size. The turnips varied from 15 in. 

 to 20 in. in circumference; and the carrots and eschalots were equally good. 

 (Ibid., Oct. 9.) ^ 



[Camellia japbnica var. Fordii. — This is a variety between Lady Hume's 

 Blush and the myrtle-leaved. We have just (Oct. 26.) seen a plant sent to 

 London for exhibition, by Messrs. Lucombe, Pince, and Co., and consider it 

 very beautiful, and very distinct. We understand from Mr. Townsend, the 

 foreman of the plant department in the Lucombe Nursery, who has shown 

 the specimen to many of the amateurs about London, that it is universally 

 admired.] 



North Devon Horticultural Society. — June 4. The brilliancy of the deco- 

 rations was injured by a deficiency of georginas ; but the show, in the choice 

 variety of the plants, exceeded, in the estimation of the scientific judges, every 

 preceding display for the season of the year. The table of culinary vegetables 

 presented a fine display ; and the fruits were rich and abundant. An object 

 of great curiosity was a miniature vine, growing in a pot, with fruit on it, pro- • 

 duced by the Rev. J. L. Harding. The cottagers' exhibition was not at all 

 inferior to the productions of their wealthier neighbours; comprising the 

 finest specimens of peas, potatoes, cabbages, onions, strawberries, apples, &c. 

 The exhibition attracted the attendance of Messrs. Pontey and Rendle, from 

 Plymouth, and Messrs. Lucombe and Pince, from Exeter. The latter ex- 

 hibited a beautiful collection of pelargoniums ; a great variety of calceolarias ; 

 and a Rhododendron arboreum album, in flower, for the first time, in Devon- 

 shire : but the plant most admired was a Gesnen'a maculata. Mr. Pontey 

 had a very beautiful collection, embracing upwards of forty sorts of ranun- 

 culuses ; a splendid specimen of the Alstrcemen'a aurantiaca, &c. &c. Mr. 

 Rendle's stand contained a numerous and beautiful assortment of pelar- 

 goniums. Among the articles exhibited by amateurs were two by the Rev. 

 C. Mules; one, a bouquet containing 100 different sorts of flowers; and the 

 other, some cabbages, weighing above 20 lb. each. Thirty-seven cottagers' 

 prizes were distributed. ( Woolmer's Exeter and Plymouth Gazette, June 7. ; 

 and the County and North Devon Advertiser, June 6.) 



Aug. 20. At the top of the room, the letter B., in compliment to Mr. 

 Buck, the president for the present year, and the letters N. D. H. S. (North 

 Devon Horticultural Society), were formed with an extensive selection of 

 georginas of various shades ; and in the centre of the scroll was represented 

 a cornucopias, with some very choice fruit. On each side of this were festoons 

 of flower wreaths and large bouquets. The orchestra, as upon former occa- 

 sions, was ornamented in front with flowers and evergreens, having intermixed 

 with them the largest bouquet in the room, from the garden of the Rev. 

 C. Mules of Muddiford : it was a most splendid specimen of the kind. The 

 walls at the lower end of the room were richly decorated with flowers, plants, 

 &c. Over the chimneypiece was an extraordinary production of about 

 twenty stupendous bunches of black grapes on a single shoot, from the garden 

 of Earl Fortescue. Mr. Burge, nurseryman, of Barnstaple, contributed largely 

 to the attraction in this part of the room. We observed his name neatly 

 worked with yellow flowers on a ground of moss, which had a good effect 

 among a fair collection of georginas, eighteen sorts of hollyhocks (some of 

 them very choice), about fifteen sorts of China asters, twenty sorts of seed- 

 ling heartsease, noisette roses, calceolarias, lobelias, and an All Saints cherry 

 tree, beautifully covered with its pendulous fruits and full-blown flowers. The 

 walls on the west side of the room were decorated with splendid bouquets of 

 flowers, one of which, belonging to Mr. Bale, nurseryman, of Westacott, was 

 about 5 ft. in height. Among the vegetables were several exceedingly large 

 onions, belonging to Mr. H. Trix of Southmolton ; they were sown on the 

 20th of February, in a box [?bed] 3ft. 3 in. by lift.; and the box yielded 

 126 onions, weighing 105J lb. There were also some fine specimens of 



