Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society. 34«7 



small premium was awarded to Mr. Arthur Calder, gardener to George Sligo, 

 Esq., of Seacliffe ; the sorts being swan's egg, Spanish bon Chretien, and 

 crassanne. 



For the prize offered for the best six sorts of apples, either dessert or culi- 

 nary, no fewer than seven competitors appeared ; and, after a minute examina- 

 tion, the medal was assigned to Mr. Arthur Calder, for the collection sent from 

 SeacIifFe garden; the names of the apples being royal pearmain, Ribston, 

 nonpareil, Stoup Leadington, Norfolk beaufin, and Yorkshire greening. For 

 the collection considered as next in merit, a premium was voted to Mr. James 

 Macintosh, gardener to Robert Ferguson, Esq., Archerfield : the sorts were 

 Borsddrffer, hollow-eyed pippin, nonpareil, Rymer, Yorkshire greening, and 

 Ribston : the fruit had been preserved in pounded charcoal, and were firm and 

 glossy. A third premium was awarded to Mr. John Braid, gardener to 

 George Simson, Esq., Pitcorthie House, Colinsburgh, for a collection con- 

 sisting of the Woolbedding pippin, Ribston, Newton, Cambusnethan, winter 

 ruby, and Ganges. 



For forced asparagus, two premiums were given j one to Mr. Robert An- 

 derson, gardener to Laurence Buchan, Esq., of Balchrystie ; and another to 

 Mr. James Smith, gardener to the Earl of Hopetoun, Hopetoun House. 



Four cultivators competed for the prize offered for the best Scots pint of 

 mushrooms, all of them producing the article of excellent qualitj'. The medal 

 was found due to Mr. John Young, gardener at Riccarton ; and an extra 

 premium was voted to Mr. John Macnaughton, for the mushrooms sent from 

 the garden of John Wauchope, Esq., of Edmonstone. 



The greatest novelty at the exhibition was a cluster of the fruit of the 

 plantain tree(Musa paradisiaca), the first time of its being ripened in Scotland. 

 It was from the palm-house of the Royal Botanic Garden ; and thanks were 

 unanimously voted to the excellent superintendent, Mr. WiUiam M'Nab, 

 under whose care it was produced. 



Premiums were awarded to Mr. James Murray, gardener to Andrew 

 Fletcher, Esq., of Saltoun, for a beautiful large citron, and for clusters of the 

 muscat of Alexandria grape, recently cut from the tree; and to Mr. William 

 Thorn, gardener to David Anderson, Esq., of St. Germains, for very fine forced 

 rhubarb, the stalks being three feet long. 



The attention of florists was attracted by a seedling camellia raised from 

 seed of the old waratah, saved at Sunnyside, near Edinburgh, in 1833 ; and a 

 premium was voted to Mr. John Christie, gardener to Mrs. Gilchrist of Sun- 

 nyside ; Mr. Christie being a zealous and successful cultivator, who has many 

 seedling camellias in progress. 



In the council-room were placed a beautiful large plant of a hybrid jRho- 

 dodendron arboreum in flower; and a collection of the flowers of the rarer 

 camellias, particularly C. imbricata (which was much admired), Gray's invin- 

 cible, Press's eclipse, Chandleri, and speciosa. These productions were from 

 the Inverleith Nurseries, and the thanks of the meeting were voted to Thomas 

 Dickson, Esq., the proprietor. The room was farther decorated with beau- 

 tiful flowery specimens of Phaius maculatus, Lodsa laterltia, and Bletz'a 

 Tankervllfe, from the hot-houses in the Society's garden, which, at present, 

 form a singular contrast to the exterior borders, where very many fine shrubs 

 have been killed by the severity and long continuance of the frost. 



It may be mentioned, that, besides the pears sent from Riccarton for compe- 



tion, the following first-rate kinds were sent for exhibition only, all of them in 



high preservation : — Beurre d'hiver, beurre de Ranz, Easter beurre, and glout 



morceau. Also that specimens of excellent nonpareil apples from Claremont 



. were exhibited by James Nairne, Esq. 



The following presents to the garden were announced : — Nuts of Trapa 

 natans, or water-caltrops, and tubers of Cyperus esculentus, or rush-nut, from 

 Charles Lawson, Esq., seedsman to the Highland Society; tubers of a 

 double-flowering potato (^olan urn tuberosum), from Sir George S. Mackenzie, 



