108 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ August 8, 1878. 
arrangement was given that one could not help wishing every 
gardener in the district had been there to profit by it. Pro- 
bably most of them did go at some time during the week with 
pleasure and some profit, for no thoughtful man could inspect 
the Show without being impressed by its usefulness. It takes 
high ground, nothing but what is really meritorious being 
admitted ; the highest standard of horticulture in each district 
thus being fairly represented. Moreover, no one is made to 
hide his light under a bushel; every fine plant or group of 
plants bears the name of its owner and the gardener upon a 
handsome card placed in a conspicuous position, and adequate 
remuneration is made to every exhibitor for the time, trouble, 
and expense of taking produce to the Show. 
Surely the managers of horticultural societies generally 
might take a hint from this and extend the scope and useful- 
ness of their exhibitions by affording space for mixed groups 
of plants useful for the decoration of a drawing room, corridor, 
vestibule, or conservatory. Much good might also be done 
by offering premiums of some kind or other for single 
specimens or groups of plants limited to certain sorts either 
uncommon or of difficult culture, of which a list should be 
given.—EDWARD LUCKHURST. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
AUGUST 6TH. 
Fruit CoMMITTEE—John Lee, Esq., in the chair. Messrs. 
Charles Lee & Son sent ripe fruit of Lawton Raspberry, to which 
a letter of thanks was awarded. They also sent fruit of Hampton 
Court Peach, a form of Grosse Mignonne. Mr. Sidney Ford, gar- 
dener to W. E. Hubbard, Esq., Leonardslee, Horsham, sent a seed- 
ling yellow-fleshed Peach which was unripe. The following fruit 
was received from the garden at Chiswick—Galopin, a very large 
Nectarine of good sprightly flavour, and Duke of Buccleuch 
Grape. Messrs. Rivers & Son of Sawbridgeworth sent fruit of 
Advance Nectarine, which was excellent in flayour, as also Pine 
Apple Nectarine. Mr. W. Thomson of Clovenfords sent a splendid 
bunch of Duke of Buccleuch Grape weighing 2 Ibs. 14 ozs., to 
which a cultural commendation was awarded. The berries were 
enormous and of fine colour, and there was no trace of the spot 
which is sometimes found in it. Mr. John Chater, gardener to 
Sir Charles Isham, Bart., Lamport Hall, sent a seedling Melon 
raised between Cox’s Golden Gem and Bloxholm Hall, but it was 
not in good concition. Mr. H. A. Mann, St. Vincent’s, Grantham, 
also sent a seedling Melon which was inferior in flayour. 
The following were brought from the garden at Chiswick— 
Vick’s Criterion Tomato, Trebons Onion very fine, four varieties 
of Beet, consisting of Bassano, Egyptian Turnip-rooted, Nutting’s 
Dark Red, and Richardson’s Pine Apple. It is noteworthy that 
these being all sown at the same time, the Turnip-rooted varieties 
were almost fully grown and fit for use, but the long varieties 
were but little advanced and would not be ready fora long time. 
Mr. Sidney Ford sent a collection of forty varieties of Potatoes, 
to which a silver Knightian medal was awarded. <A very fine 
collection of twenty sorts of Cabbages was received from the 
garden at Chiswick, which evidenced very good cultivation, and 
a cultural commendation was awarded. 
FLORAL CoMMITTEE.—Dr. Denny in the chair. The great 
attraction at this meeting was the numerous quantity of Tuberous 
flowering Begonias which came from the Society’s garden, Chis- 
wick; Messrs. J. Laing & Co., Stanstead Park ; Messrs. Veitch 
and Sons, Chelsea; and Messrs. Hooper & Co., Covent Garden. 
An exquisite collection of forty-eight varieties of Gladiolus came 
from Messrs. Kelway'& Sons, Langport, to which a gold medal 
was worthily awarded, fifteen varieties of which were Mr. Kelway’s 
seedlings of this season, and three of them received first-class 
certificates—namely, Telamon, a large flower of good substance 
with a fleshy ground, and flaked with scarlet with a light throat. 
Gogonius, an immense flower, measuring 4 inches in diameter and 
having twelve fully expanded flowers on the truss ; the pips were 
ared ground heayily blotched with a deeper red, the throat car- 
mine—a very attractive variety. Herios, bright rose flaked with 
carmine, ivory white throat ; very showy and distinct. 
Messrs. Laing & Co.’s collection of eighty plants of Tuberous 
Begonias were much admired, and were nearly all raised from 
seed sown on January 24th of this year. A few large plants of 
Paul Masurel, Emperor, and Madame Oscar Lamarche added to 
the beauty of the background of the group, and the whole col- 
lection was most highly attractive and deserved the gold medal 
awarded to them. Messrs. Hooper & Co. also sent a large collec- 
tion of Begonias, including Lustre, Paul Masurel, Sedeni, Eldorado, 
Salmonea plena, and Montrose. 
A very interesting collection of seedling Gloxinias raised in 
1878 also came from Messrs. Hooper, to whom a silver Banksian 
medal was awarded. Mr. B. 8. Williams, Holloway, also received 
a silver Banksian medal for a tastefully arranged group of fine- 
foliaged plants, amongst which were Crotons Jamesii, Williamsii, 
Prince of Wales, and the compact and bushy variety C. campto- 
phyllus ; Draczenas, Caladiums, numerous Palms, and Coleus Lords. 
Falmouth and Oxford. 
A gold medal was deservedly awarded to Messrs. Veitch & Sons 
for an extensive collection of Nepenthes, including Nepenthes 
Kennedyana, the only variety found in Australia ; Sarracenias, 
Cephalotus, Drosera, and other insectivorous plants; several 
varieties of Begonias, such as Begonia Veitchii, Roszeflora, and. 
Davisii, which illustrated the origin of the various types that are 
now intused in the numerous varieties of the present day, and a 
basket of that free-flowering and highly attractive hardy shrub 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora ; also fine cones of Araucaria 
imbricata, gathered at their Coombe Wood Nursery. 
From Mr. Cannell, Swanley, came cut flowers of Geraniums and 
Verbenas, which received a vote of thanks. Over two hundred 
plants of flowering Begonias were sent from the Society’s garden 
at Chiswick, and arranged on tables extending the whole length. 
of the entrance vestibule, and amongst the most attractive we 
noted Moonlight and Sunshine, raised by Col. Clark; Vesuvius 
and Emperor (well-known and attractive varieties), raised by 
Veitch & Sons; Solfaterre, by Froebel & Sons; Worthiana, Ori-. 
flamme, and John Laing, by Lemoine ; and a double-flowered variety 
(Gloire de Nancy) by the same raiser; Feu de Joie and Eldorado, 
raised by Chantrier. The whole of this extensive collection were 
remarkably well grown and flowered. 
First-class certificates were also awarded to Messrs. Laing & Co. 
for Begonia Mrs. Dr. Todd, a brilliant scarlet, large, free-flowering 
variety, with a good habit ; to the Royal Horticultural Society for 
Begonia Chiswick (blush), raised at the Society’s gardens ; flowers 
medium size, white inside and blush out, of fine habit and yery 
free flowering. Botanical commendations were awarded to Messrs.. 
Veitch & Sons for Torenia Bailloni,and to Mr. B. 8S. Williams for 
Dendrobium Albertisii, a curious Orchid of no great beauty from 
New Guinea; it is the first of the New Guinea Orchid introduc- 
tions that has ever been exhibited. Another very rare-flowering 
Orchid was sent by Mr. Osborn, gardener to — Buchanan, Esq., 
named Odontoglossum Lindenii, and originally introduced from 
Columbia. Mr. R. Dean, Ealing, exhibited a very dwarf form of 
Golden Feather, which must become useful for carpet-bedding 
purposes when better known. 
NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
THE violent THUNDERSTORM which swept over the metro- 
polis and its vicinity on Friday night has, we learn, done 
much damage in parks and gardens. Much destruction has 
been caused to timber trees, which are now heavy with foliage ; 
fruit has been dashed from the trees, flowers have been de- 
spoiled and broken, and gravel and soil have been washed into: 
heaps. A close murky atmosphere has prevailed for several 
days past, and unless a change speedily occurs the Potato. 
disease is almost certain to set in, it may be with virulence. 
On the nights of Sunday and Monday the storms continued at 
intervals, rain falling in places at the height of about an inch 
an hour. <A letter from Lancashire informs us that rain is 
much wanted there, and that late Rhododendrons are drooping 
and late-planted shrubs are dying by want of water. 
— Messrs. VEITCH’S NURSERIES at Chelsea are at al} 
times worthy of a visit. No one can visit them now without 
recognising the value of Yucca recurya as a lawn and garden, 
ornament of great value. The rows of fine specimens of this. 
Yucca, surrounded by groups of hardwooded plants and 
arranged in the main walk of the nursery, are quite imposing. 
In one of the cool houses a number of plants of the valuable 
Hydrangea paniculata grandiflora, grown in the open air at 
the Coombe Wood nursery, are just expanding their flowers. 
This fine hardy Hydrangea should be grown in every garden. 
Tuberous Begonias from the majestic Monarch and Emperor 
to the brilliant gem Davisii are yet in beauty, but some of them 
are fading. The rich, glowing, velvety crimson Mrs. Scorer is. 
quite one of the finest; but an older variety, Sedeni, is yet one 
of the most valuable of the section. Roszeflora and the newer 
Queen of the Whites are a distinct pair and very free. Many 
of these Begonias are flowering beautifully on the rockery,. 
where they have passed the winter without injury. Not many 
Orchids are flowering now. A few of the more striking are- 
Cattleya Eldorado with its rich golden throat, Oncidium ma- 
cranthum, Dendrobiums albo-sanguineum and formosum, 
several Cypripediums, including the richly spotted C. Veitchii 
(superbiens), and the new Spathoglottis Petri, recently imtro- 
duced by Mr. Peter Veitch. The new Ardisia Olivieri is 
flowering in one of the stoves. In foliage and habit of growth 
it is not unlike an Allamanda, and it has large terminal pyra~ 
midal heads of pink lilac-tinged small flowers. Ixoras are also. 
in beauty—they nearly always are—lI. Fraserii being notice- 
able by its fine habit and deep salmon flowers. In one of the 
trial flower beds a beautiful effect is produced by the new 
