204 London Horticultural Society and Garden. 



In this potato, while many of the flowers were perfect, and produced fruit 

 without any thing remarkable being observed in them, others formed tubers 

 between the fruit and the calyx, as is shown in the accompanying cuts, where 

 Jig. 38. represents a cluster of fruit and tubers as they appeared when grow- 

 ing, and fig. 39. a single flower, separated from the remainder, with the ripe 

 fruit, in the middle, a single tuber on one side, and on the other side a tuber 

 itself sprouting into other tubers. 



In this instance there was no alteration of position, or transformation of 

 parts into leaves ; but the floral organs, and especially the sepals, evinced the 

 power, inherent in them as leaves, of producing in their axils buds which grew 

 into branches in the form of tubers. 



From the Society's garden, among many kinds of flowers and fruit, a speci- 

 men of Philadelphus Govdomdnus, a new and handsome hardy shrub, sent 

 from North-West America by the late Mr. Douglas. 



The silver Knightian medal was awarded to Mr. William Cock, jun., for 

 his very fine specimens of Pelargonium. 



August!. 1838. — Ordinary Meeting. The chairman announced that the 

 president, His Grace the Duke of Devonshire, had had the honour of an 

 audience with Her Majesty, who had been graciously pleased to inscribe her 

 name in the obligation book as Patron of the Society. 



A paper by Mr. Thomas Sellers was read " upon the cultivation of Com- 

 bretum purpureum." 



The author of this communication stated that, in the year 1834, there 

 existed, at Mostyn Hall, near Holywell, a plant of this species, which occupied 

 308 superficial feet of the trellis on the back wall of a hot-house. Its shoots 

 were trained upon wires at the distance of from 7 to 8 inches, and produced in 

 one season 557 panicles of crimson flowers, all expanded at the same time, 

 namely, in the month of July; from which period it continued to flower till 

 late in the autumn, although not so abundantly as at first. 



The author ascribed the healthy vigorous state of this specimen to the manner 

 in which it was grown. It was described as occupying with its roots a chamber 

 about- 3 ft. deep, and 18 in. square, formed in the corner of a pine-pit, from 

 which it was separated by a 4-inch wall, pigeon-holed at the bottom ; within 

 the chamber, as high as the last of the pigeon-holes, stones and brickbats were 

 deposited, so as to insure a perfect drainage. The soil consisted of strong 

 loam, mixed with £ of rotten dung, and -J^ of river sand, and left in a heap 

 some time previous to using. Great importance was assigned to the drainage. 



The trellis upon which the plant was trained had been gradually covered, 

 by successively stopping the leading shoots, so that the result was a uniform 

 distribution of branches. In the first instance a leading shoot was conducted 

 up the trellis, over the walk which separated the bark-bed from the back wall 

 of" the house, at such a height as to leave room to pass under it. It was first 

 stopped at the third wire on the back wall j of the vigorous side shoots subse- 

 quently produced, three were selected to cover the first three wires, and the 



