35S 



JOUENAL OF HOKTICTJLTUEE AND COTTAGE GAKDENEE. 



[ II>7 9, 18M. 



donbt a striking flower, but it has a tendency under high 

 cultivation to become coarse, a fault of a grave character in 

 an Auricula — no more to be tolerated in it than in one of the 

 gentle sex. 



Campbell's Lord Palmerston was a good green edge, but 

 it has a tendency to tlu-ow off ofi'sets — a good plant for a 

 nurseryman therefore, but at the same time preventing it 

 from having a good truss. When it is so caught, notwith- 

 standing being slightly thrum-eyed, it is a nice flower, 

 apparently a seedling from Beeston's Apollo. 



Booth's Freedom was the very finest of green edges, even 

 although the trusses were not equal to what I have seen 

 before under Dr. Plant's care. 



Colonel Taylor, notwithstanding the high price it still 

 commands, is mainly to be valued for the intense beauty and 

 purity of the edge, for the shape of the flower is starry, and 

 the paste is thin, but nothing can be more pure than the 

 bright green of the edge. 



Blackbird. Dr. Plant was loud in his praise of this, which 

 is certainly a most beautiful self and a free grower. It is 

 not, however, I think, equal to Lijhtbody'a Lord Clyde, 

 which was not, however, in this collection, where I fancy 

 the favourite still is Hey's Apollo, than which nothing can 

 be more beautiful. The colour is something like that of 

 Spalding's Metropolitan, but it is a larger trusser than that 

 variety. 



PoppleweU's Conqueror, albeit the edge lias somewhat 

 of a greyish tint in the white, is largely grown here, and 

 is always a commanding flower, but it is not equal to 

 Taylor's Glory, which, despite new additions to the class, I 

 must still regard as the best of white edges. 



Heap's Smiling Beauty, it is true, is iinv, but it is some- 

 what cropped, and has not that beautiful flatness and 

 smoothness that marts Glory. I had a good opijortunity of 

 comparing all three, and must still hold to the opinion I 

 have mentioned, and yet Glory is scarce, one can with diifi- 

 culty procure it. Whether this arises from the demand or 

 from a difficulty of growth I know not, but I do know that 

 I have found it very hard to keep. 



These were amongst the most remarkable flowers I noticed 

 here, and I should say that while Dr. Plant's collection is 

 very large, it is also very select, and comprises, compara- 

 tively speaking, but few varieties. And now, as I sit in early 

 morn jotting down these few notes, in the house of a dear 

 and valued friend, and my eye rests on one of the finest 

 scenes it could well behold, wliere a rising and prosperous 

 city lies beneath one's feet, embosomed in the midst of ver- | 

 dant hills, and nestling on the banks of a wide and world- 

 renowned river, for the maiden city of Den-y is before me 

 with all its historic recollections, so dear to every lover 

 of freedom and of truth, whOe the past comes with all 

 its powerful recollections of happy days, my thoughts 

 wander off to my own wee lot, and I wonder what I shall 

 have to record of them, whether they have felt the loss of 

 my care, or whether I shall find them full of vigour and 

 life ; and as the gathering clouds in the west portend that 

 the long-looked-for rain is coming at last, I (for we all think 

 of ourselves) wonder whether my own little plot is getting 

 the refreshment it needs. Here, too, let me add that The 

 Journal op Hobticultctee is making itself heard in tills far 

 northern part of the island, and floriculture is making its 

 way. Amidst the signs of progress in "ould Ireland" let 

 not this be unnoticed, for amongst those things that tend to 

 Boftcn and to elevate floriculture must take a prominent 

 place. It cannot take the place of higher and holier things, 

 but it can do much in its own peculiar way, and I am sure 

 all who wish well to old Ireland will say. May the taste for 

 floriculture take the place of the snipe-sliooting, the jockey- 

 ing, and the revelry of the good (?) old times.— D., Deal. 



boiling, which liberates the carbonic acid, and thus precipi- 

 tates the chalk ; the second, which is applicable to large 

 quantities, is the addition of lime water, which, uniting with 

 the acid, becomes itself chalk, and is precipitated with the 

 chalk originally contained in the water. The mixture 

 should remain undisturbed for twenty-four hours, and then 

 be poured oft'. 



But lime often exists in water either as a muriate or sul- 

 phate. In this case there is no absolute and perfect remedy, 

 but the best thing is to add kitchen soda to the water ; this 

 precipitates the lime as chalk, but the water is not left 

 pm-e, as it will contain either muriate or sulphate of soda. 

 These, however, are not injurious to roots generally, though 

 not desirable when the water is used for syringing. I be- 

 lieve that much of the evil of hard well water arises from its 

 low temperature. — G. S. 



SOFTENING HARD WATER. 

 In reply to Mr. Kobson's inquiry in your No. 213, ea to 

 the best motlo of softening chalky water, I beg to inform 

 him that lime exists in hard water in two dilferent states. 

 Sometimes it exists as a bicarbonate — that is to say, as chalk 

 rendered solnble by carbonic acid. Sucli ia the water of the 

 Thames. In this case there are two remedies — th^irst is 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 

 Mat 2. 



Floeal Committee. — This was the most successful meet- 

 ing that has been yet held. The number of entries of the 

 plants sent for examination exceeded one hundred, and the 

 collections so numerously sent, containing plants for com- 

 parison, were most excellent. The Orchids formed quite an 

 exhibition of themselves. Mr. Williams, Holloway, received 

 iirst-class certificates for Phcenicophorium sechellarum, a 

 new and beautiful Palm, and Asplenium alatum, an elegant 

 Fern ; a special certificate for a fine specimen of Cypripedium 

 caudatum ; also a special certificate for his general collec- 

 tion, among which were Smilax macrophylla, a handsome 

 variegated-foliaged plant, Anthurium magnificum, identical 

 with Anthurium cordifolium, and Maranta Van den Heckei, 

 too small a plant to judge of its merits. Mr. Turner re- 

 ceived first-class certificates for two most beautiful seedling 

 Alpine Auriculas, John Leech and Meridian, and a second- 

 class for Auricula Titian. Such a collection of Alpines or 

 selfs has never been exhibited in public before : the neat- 

 ness of the plants, the size of the pips, and the varied tints 

 of colour from dark blown to purplish black, from bright 

 scarlet to pale lilac, commanded universal admiration. For 

 this collection a special certificate was awarded to Mr. 

 Turner, and another was given for his large and beautiful 

 collection of grey and green-edged florists' varieties of 

 Auriculas. A special certificate was likewise given for a 

 collection of Pelargoniums, whi^h were in great perfection 

 and beauty, also one for the general collection of plants. 

 Mr. Turner exhibited several seedling Pelargoniums and 

 Auriculas, which were good in their way, but not equal to 

 other varieties. 



Messrs. Low, Clapton, sent a collection of very beautiful 

 and interesting Orchids. A first-class certificate was awarded 

 to a new and very beautiful Phatenopsis, Luddemanniana, 

 a very distinct kind with mottled rosy flowers ; and a special 

 certificate was awarded to the collection. Dr. Pattison, 

 St. John's Wood, had also a first-class certificate for Phalse- 

 nopsis Luddemanniana. Mr. Stone, gardener to J. Day, | 

 Esq., exhibited an extremely interesting collection of Orchids, 

 containing many valuable kinds. A first-class certificate 

 was awarded to I'halsenopsis sp. Moulmein, a very minute 

 but lovely form of this genus; and a special certificate 

 was awarded to a finely grown specimen of Dendrobium 

 densiHorum, covered with its exquisite spikes of yellow 

 flowers. Among others in this collection were Dendrobium 

 chlorops, D. Farmer!, D. tortile roseum (a very fine speci- 

 men), and CoBlogyne corniculata. There were some of these 

 which deserved to have been specially noticed, but not 

 having been entered for examination did not receive certi- 

 ficates. A special certificate was awarded to this extremely 

 beautiful group of Orchids. Mr. Lawrence, gardener to the 

 Bishop of Winchester, sent an unusually fine specimen of 

 Epidendrum prismatocarpum, which received a first-class 

 certificate ; and Mr. Lloyd, gardener to C. M. Caldecott, 

 Esq., sent a seedling plant of a variegated form of the Ivy- 

 leaf I'elargonium, called Silver Gem ; the white variegation 

 was very remarkable, and a second-class certificate was 

 awarded. Mr. Wilson, gardener to W. Marshall, Esq., sent 

 Dendrobium tortile roseum, which received a first-class cer- 

 tificate. Mr. Veitch most liberally contributed to the in- 



