May 30, 18ti5. ] 



JOUBNAL OP HORTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GARDENEE. 



413 



noticed in previous reports. Among other jjlants from the 

 same firm were Leptopteris superba, one of the most beau- 

 tiful of Ferns, with dense translucid and extremely graceful 

 fronds, a fine pan of Anthurium Scherzerianum, remarkable 

 for its curiously-formed spathe and spadix and briUiaut 

 colour, and Dieffenbachia Baraquiniana, having the foot- 

 stalks and midribs of the leaves ivory white. Messrs. Ivery 

 again exhibited the new Ferns, shown at the Crystal 

 Palace. Fii-st-class certificates were given to all but Sco- 

 lopendrium fissum-latum, which had a second-class, a similar 

 award being made for Asplenium adiantum-nigrum microdon. 

 Mr. Bull likewise exhibited new plants, a most extensive 

 collection, but most of them have been seen before at Floral 

 Committee meetings from time to time. First-class certifi- 

 cates were given i'or Ficus Porteana, the variegated Au- 

 brietia purjjurea, Sphoirogyue cinnamomea, the beautiful 

 Bertolonia margaritacea, Athyrium f. f. Vernonife. Eetino- 

 . spora leptoclada, the new red-bracted Bougainvillsea, Cu- 

 pania undulata, Asplenium myriophyllum, Maranta Van den 

 Heekei, and Calonyction sauguineum, for several of tlie new 

 Aucubas, and for "VVoodsia polystichoides Yeitchii. Besides 

 these he sent several plants, such as Amorphophallus ze- 

 brinus, the variegated Sedum azoides and IPrivet, &o. 

 Messrs. Jackson, of Kingston, exhibited Columnea erythropa 

 with scarlet flowers 3 inches long, and a variety of Cleroden- 

 dron ThomsonDe with larger flowers ; and Mr. Thompson, 

 Ipswich, Aquilegia ccerulea, all of which had certificates of 

 the fii-st class. 



Among miscellaneous objects were a group of hardy Ferns 

 from Messrs. Ivery, Palms from Mr. Bull, Calceolarias of a 

 good strain both in large and small pots trom Mr. James of 

 Isleworth, Pausies, aud a wreath of Bougainvillcea from Mr. 

 Fleming of Cliveden, covered with its beautiful rosy bracts, 

 the peculiarity of which was that it had been grown without 

 bottom heat. The Castle Kennedy Fig was exhibited by 

 Mr. Fowler, the gardener at that place ; two dishes of Straw- 

 berries by Mr. Carmichael, gardener to H.K.H. the Prince 

 of Wales at Sandringham ; and a basket of excellent Grana- 

 diUas by Messrs. Mart, of Oxford Street. 



The American plants of Mr. John Waterer added an 

 additional attraction to the Show, and in a few days the 

 Rhododendron valley will present a gorgeous spectacle. As 

 it was, it constituted a show of itself, and one of no small 

 merit. 



EOYAL HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 



Floeal Dbcoeation FiiTE, Mat 24. 

 The array of titled dames and other notabilities, the fact 

 of its being the Queen's birthday, and the amount of prizes 

 offered, were all insuiEeient to produce anything but a most 

 wi-etched display ; and sorely did I grudge the two hours 

 that it took me to reach Kensington irom the Eegent"s 

 Park, make my notes, and return. My own inclination would 

 lead me to say nothing about it, for folks will hardly credit 

 what a miserable failure it was. The Show, if such it can 

 be called, was held in a corner of one arcade, which was 

 more than enougti to receive all the subjects for competition. 

 There were decorations for churches, a few bouqiiets, a few 

 wreaths, aud some flower-stauds for tables of artificial and 

 natui-al flowers. With regard to the first of these, I must 

 own I do not see why the Eoyal Horticultural Society is to 

 assume that all its members approve of the system of church 

 decorations. There are many persons who think that this 

 wants checking rather than encouraging, and it seems to be 

 not quite correct to throw the influence of a large Society 

 into one side of the question. However, let that pass, for I 

 do not think the decorations exhibited would be likely to 

 induce any one to wander in that dh-ection. There was a 

 motto, "Alleluia! The Lord is risen! Alleluia!" formed 

 of yellow Everlastings on a brown ground, which obtained 

 the fii-st prize for Miss Sutherland ; a cross with Lilies of 

 the Valley, and a motto entwined round it ; then there was 

 another cross formed of Narcissus with green background. 

 A third prize was awarded to a double triangle, an ornament 

 intended for Trinity Sunday ; one was decorated with Corn- 

 flowers, the second with red Pelargoniums. Such were the 

 church decorations. Then Mr. Lucking exhibited some pretty 

 bouquets, nearly equal to what one may see in Covent 

 Garden any day. They were, of course, pretty; and the 



bridal one, formed mainly of Orange flowers, double Pri" 

 mulas, Lilies of the Valley interspersed with Maiden-hair, 

 was doubly good. There were two or three wreaths with 

 the motto, " God Save the Queen," the taste of which was 

 not, I hope, a test of the loyalty of the makers, for they 

 were very confused and ugly. A group of rice-paper flowers 

 arranged in one of Miss March's stands for the dinner-table, 

 exhibited by Miss Austin, Hector Villa, Wilmot Eoad, Dal- 

 ston, was very pretty indeed, but did not come within the 

 terms of the Exhibition. There was another stand of a 

 similar character formed of natural flowers, but not by any 

 means remarkable. There was also a contrivance for light- 

 ing a dining-room, of which I can only say it reminded me 

 forcibly of the system of lighting which I remember when a 

 boy some of us adopted in a magnificent display of private 

 theatricals, which we held in the coach-loft to the admiring 

 gaze of a dozen of our schoolfellows. We cannot find fault 

 with the Society for endeavouring to create a better taste 

 in these matters ; but I think all will feel that after the 

 failures of last year and this, it will be better to try some 

 other plan of " evolving it out of the depth of our ajsthetic 

 consciousness." — D., Deal. 



Messes. Watekek & Godfket's Amekican Show is now 

 in full perfection, and the immense tent in which it is held, 

 covering an area of 350 feet long by 150 feet wide, and con- 

 taining several imndreds of Rhododendrons and Azaleas, 

 presents a glorious spectacle, for though many of the plants 

 suffered considerably from the severe frost of the 30th of 

 April, they are nevertheless in excellent bloom. In the 

 centre, which is sunk considerably below the sides, is a 

 gravelled walk at least 30 feet wide, with several circular 

 and oblong beds containing specimen plants, and on each 

 side of this central walk arc banks of Ehododendrons edged 

 with tui'f; then walks, 8 feet wide and other beds on a 

 higher level, and finally a walk surrounding and overlooking 

 the whole, with Conifers intermixed with Ehododendrons 

 next the walls of the tent. The following are the best of 

 the different colours : — Purple : Nero, Currieanum, Ne Plus 

 Ultra, and Sir Isaac Newton. Crimson : Atrosanguineum, 

 Blandyanum, Brayanuni, Mrs. W. Bovill, Archimedes, 

 Charles Bayley, and Vandyke. Eose: Sir Charles Napier, 

 Eoseum pietum, Elfrida, Giganteum, Titian. Crimson- 

 edged: Alarm, Bylsianum, and Concessum. Lilac: Ever- 

 estianum and Pastuosum flore pleno. White : Mrs. John 

 Clutton, very fine and of beautiful form ; and Purity, 

 which, though not equal to the former, is cheaper. Of 

 new kinds, Stella is a pale rose with a dark blotch in the 

 upper petal, and a great improvement on Lady Eleanor 

 Cathcart, having larger flowers ; Lady Clermont is a fine 

 salmon with dark spots ; and Charles Dickens and H. H. 

 HunneweU. are beautiful additions to the bright crimson 

 class, the latter in particular having a very large truss. 

 Alexander Dancer, with large rosy crimson flowers with a 

 slight magenta tinge, is also a fine variety. 



FLO WEE SHOW AT THE CEYSTAL PAIACE, 



Floeists' Flowees. 



The excision of cut flowers from the schedide, a step taken 

 in order to enable the Company to throw more weight into 

 the more showy and important classes, had the effect of 

 considerably diminishing the number of florists' flowers at 

 the Great Show ; for with the exception of a box of Eoses, 

 two of Pausies and Tulips, respectively from Messrs. Paul 

 and Sou, Downie, Laird, & Laing, and Mr. Ayres and Mr. 

 Turner, there were none to be seen in a cut state. The 

 value of the two former collections, beautiful as they were, 

 was considerably diminished by their not having any names 

 attached. I have never seen cleaner or more beautiful 

 Tulips than were in the stand of Mr. Turner, their shape, 

 texture, and size being all that could be desh-ed. The 

 Pansies were also exceedingly clean and well grown; but 

 there was nothing very striking amongst the Eoses, a tew 

 blooms of Teas being, however, as they always are, pleasing. 



In Pelargoniums in eight-inch pots the two principal ex- 

 hibitors were Mr. Eraser, of Lee Bridge, and Mr. Charles 

 Turner, of Slough, who were placed first and second. Those 

 sent in by amateurs were very inferior ; so much so that in. 



