556 Provincial Horticultural Societies : •— 



The vegetables were highly creditable to the cottagers, who have wonderfully 

 improved in the practice of horticulture since the establishment of this very 

 useful society. The following choice plants from Mr. Veitch's nursery re- 

 ceived the particular approval of the judges: — Terbena Tweedidna, Clianthus 

 puniceus, Clematis azureus grandiflorus, and Oncidium bifolium ; and, from 

 Mr. Hewitt's gardens, Brugmansm sanguinea, a seedling heartsease, a superb 

 J?hodod^ndron caucasicum, and a collection of ericas and cactuses. (^The 

 Western Luminary, May 15. 1837.) 



Sept, 14. The show of fruit, plants, and vegetables was very fine. At two 

 o'clock N. Down, Esq., took the chair ; and in the course of his address ob- 

 served, that " the amelioration of the condition of the humble cottager has been 

 considered by the committee a subject of so much importance, that a consider- 

 able share of their time and attention has been devoted to this interesting 

 branch of our exhibitions ; and we have reason to believe that many persons of 

 this class have been reclaimed from habits of profligacy and intemperance, by 

 the various rewards and encouragements which have been offered by us for 

 the promotion of industry, and by the useful and practical treatises on garden- 

 ing which we have dispersed among them." In accordance with this feeling, 

 among the prizes, were the following awarded to cottagers for personal merit : 

 — To the cottager or labourer with small weekly wages, who has reared the 

 largest family in habits of industry, without parochial assistance : 1/. 10*. to 

 David Pain, of Saltash, 76 years of age, reared ten children. To the cottager 

 or laboiu"er with small weekly wages, who cultivates his garden in a superior 

 manner, the interior of whose cottage displays the greatest neatness and 

 economy, and whose children are educated in habits of industry and sobriety : 

 10s. to John Davis, Elbarton. To the servant in the rural districts who has 

 remained the largest number of years in the service of the same master or 

 mistress, and whose conduct has been exemplar}' : 1/. to Robert Pawley, of 

 St. Stephens by Saltash, 40 years' service. (^Plymouth Herald, Sept. 16. 1837.) 



Devonshire Floral Society. — May 4. Among the contributors, Mrs. Wells, 

 of Cowley House, sent some magnificent specimens, of which were the Tro- 

 pse^olum tricolorum, Clianthus coccuieiis, and Kenned} « coccinea : also a very 

 fine collection of roses. J. B. Sanders, Esq., exhibited a splendid specimen of 

 Acacm armata and a fine collection of green-house plants. Luke Ponsford, 

 Esq., a magnificent collection of auriculas. S. T. Kekewich, Esq., a splendid 

 seedling cactus, a collection of pansies, and a fine seedling mimulus. J. J. 

 Tanner, Esq., a most beautiful collection of single anemones. R. Walker, 

 Esq., a rich self-coloured auricula, and a very singular white polyanthus. 

 Some fine specimens of pelargoniums were exhibited by Messrs. Meggs, Rowe, 

 and Newbury. Mr. R. Webber, seedling polyanthus of great beauty. Mr. 

 Veitch, of the Killerton and Mount Radford nurseries, had a most splendid 

 collection of plants, amongst which were a very beautiful new Chinese azalea, 

 with variegated flowers of the purest white and pink ; this plant has never 

 before bloomed in this county, and was quite a centre of attraction. In the 

 same collection we noticed some superb ericas, and some very fine auricu- 

 las, and a white Tropae'olum tricolorum, with from 500 to 600 flowers, which 

 had the first and second prizes awarded them. 



In Mr. C. Sclater's choice collection we observed Camell/a japonica var. 

 eximia, a fine red and very large and double seedling amaryllis, beautifully 

 striped and veined with rich dark crimson. Mr. Charles Hewett exhibited a 

 highly creditable collection of Cape ericas. (^Freema7i's Exeter Flying Post, 

 May 11.) 



Sept. 21. The show of plants and flowers were not on so large a scale as 

 on former occasions ; but the dahlias, the principal object of attraction, were of 

 a very superior description. Among the prizes was one for an ornamental 

 desig"; ^ pheasant made of flowers, to Mr. Webber. (76«V/., Sept. 28.) 



Taunton and West Somerset Horticidtural Society. — Alay 19. This was 

 the first meeting of this society. The company was respectable, but not 

 mimerous. There was a very fine show of plants. Amongst the gentlemen's 



