150 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ August 22, 1878. 
fortunately alone suffered on that occasion, and his extensive 
collection of plants was saved. 
This is indeed a grand assortment of Flora’s gifts. Itextends 
to nearly every species of flower, beginning with stove and 
greenhouse plants and ending with hardy Alpines and her- 
baceous plants. He has a great amount of glass, all constructed 
in a plain useful manner, which says, as plainly as if it spoke, 
“We mean business, not show.” 
On my arrival I was joined by that enthusiastic florist the 
proprietor, who took me round everywhele, and in the evening 
drove me to his distant nursery at Exminster. It would take 
up too much of your space were I to attempt to describe to you 
half of what I saw. I can only give you a few details as to 
the most striking features of the place. : 
First, the houses are full of young plants in a most flourish- 
ing state, but the grand specimens which took London by 
storm at the Westminster Aquarium no longer grace their old 
home. They had become too big for theirhome. The children 
had outgrown their cradles and required rocking chairs. Dr. 
Woodman would have had to build new houses for them, and 
this he did not feel inclined to do, so he sold them, and at the 
Crystal Palace and Kensington I have recognised old favourites 
that once smiled down on the fair lasses of Devon at Northern- 
hay. But though the giants have sought new hunting grounds, 
yet their children remain to keep up the reputation of their old 
home, and a nicer cleaner lot of young stuff I never saw. 
I need not dilate on Allamandas with their golden flowers, 
or Bougainvilleas with their sheen of dewy pink, or seek to 
tickle your readers’ ears with descriptions of Dipladenias and 
Ixoras. I can leave the charms of the virgin Eucharis unsung, 
or the pure waxen blooms of the bridal Stephanotis uncele- 
brated. I can simply say that all the flowers, the names of 
which are household words among florists, were there in all 
their beauty. 
And now let me go outside and tell your readers of the rock 
garden. This was to me a perfect wonder. It exceeds all I 
have ever seen. It is finer than the one in the Battersea Park, 
and could not in my opinion be excelled. How any man could | 
go to the expense and trouble of making that maze of rocks 
and winding paths when there was nothing in a trade point of 
view to be gained by it passes the comprehension of many who 
see it. But the late Mr. Pince had a soulabove such a low con- 
sideration ; he was a true horticulturist at heart, and lavished 
his money and labour upon what was to him a work of love. 
You may wander in that rock garden in the noon heat of a 
summer day, and you will be as cool as if you were sitting by | 
the sad sea waves ; you may stroll about and admire the | 
Alpine plants, and Ferns, and Lycopodiums which abound, and 
forget altogether that within 20 yards of where you are is the 
great high road to Exeter; you may bend down and see your 
ugly face reflected in a pool of limpid water where the Water 
Lily and other aquatic plants, like the mermaids or syrens, 
seem to woo you to kiss them, and within two miles of you is 
the metropolis of the west, the lovely city of Exeter. The 
botanical student may spend hours and days, and yet find 
plenty to learn when he had done. The Editors of this Journal 
would be enchanted with it if they would but come so far, and 
would be the better for a few hours or even minutes spent 
there. 
In the general nursery the most prominent features are the 
pinetum and the Italian garden. The numbers of fine Pinuses 
—nobilis, insignis, austriaca, and excelsa—would delight the 
lover of these grand Conifers, while the numerous specimens of 
Golden Yew and Arbor-Vitz would enchant the painter with 
their rich colour and shapely form. 
Dr. Woodman is also a cultivator of the Rose upon (I hope 
he will forgive me, but I am trying to describe truthfully what 
I say) a small scale. He has evidently the wish to grow good 
plants, but up to the present he seems to have had bad iuck. 
His rows contain more failures than are usually seen in first- 
class nurseries, but he intends to persevere, and no doubt will 
soon succeed, and be in this, as in many other departments, 
nulli secundus. He has, however, a fine collection of Niphetos, 
which he finds so useful for bridal bouquets and cut flowers. 
While I was there Sisters of Mercy were wandering through the 
houses collecting flowers for the altar vases of their chapel, and 
they find Niphetos a most valuable Rose. 
A small space in the nursery is devoted to hardy herbaceous 
plants. Here may be seen excellent specimens of Delphinium, 
Dianthus in its various species and varieties, Phlox, Pentste- 
mons, &c., and the proprietor is commencing to form a good 
collection of Pansies. 
Here, as elsewhere, I met with the greatest kindness and 
hospitality from the owner, and I shall hope before the winter 
to pay him another visit—WYLD SAVAGE. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
AUGUST 20TH. 
ALTHOUGH fruit, plants, and cut flowers were exhibited they 
were not represented in large numbers, and the meeting on the 
whole was not a large one; yet several of the exhibits were of 
great merit, and first-class certificates were awarded accordingly. 
Frvuir CoMMITTEE.—Mr. W. Paulin the chair. The following 
fruits were brought from the Society’s garden at Chiswieck—LHarly 
Silver Peach from a wall, one of Mr. Rivers’s seedlings. The fruit. 
was large and more highly coloured than usual. It was of fine 
flayour, and as an early variety one of the most desirable. Au- 
guste Jurie Pear, an early variety ripening in the middle of August > 
a crisp-fleshed, juicy, sweet, and finely perfumed variety, coming 
into use at the same time as Beurré Giffard. Mr. Francis Dancer, 
Little Sutton, exhibited dishes of Rivers’s Sultan Plum raised by 
Mr. Rivers. It is a valuable early Plum, excellent bearer, and 
vigorous grower. It was awarded a first-class certificate. Also 
a good dish of Victoria Plum. A letter of thanks was awarded 
for the collection. A collection of Russian Apples was sent from 
the garden at Chiswick, none of which was worthy of cultivation. 
Messrs. William Paul & Son of Waltham Cross sent fourteen 
dishes of early Apples, to which a letter of thanks was awarded. 
Mr. Coleman, Eastnor Castle, sent a red-fleshed seedling Melon 
called Dr. Hogg, raised by Mr. R. Gilbert, Burghley, but it was. 
not of sufficient merit to warrant a certificate. Mr. Henry 
Prinsep, The Gardens, Buxted Park, Uckfield, sent a seedling 
Melon called Beswick’s Hybrid, but it was not equal to others in 
cultivation. He also sent another called Buxted Hybrid which 
was not ripe. Mr. Osman, South Metropolitan Distriet Schools, 
Sutton, Surrey, sent two seedling Melons which were not good. 
Mr. Fraser, The Gardens, Ashby Hall, Sleaford, sent four seedling 
Melons, all of which were inferior in flavour. Mr. Hinds, gardener 
to Sir Thomas Edwardes Moss, Otterspool, sent a fine bunch of 
Golden Champion Grape which was completely spoiled in the 
carriage. Mr. J. G. Cheek, gardener to G. D. Clapham, Esq., 
Great Dunmow, sent a seedling Cucumber called Lord Beacons= 
field, which was not better than othersin cultivation. Mr. Young 
of the Milford Nurseries sent jam made of Elaagnus edulis, which 
was considered deficient in pulp. 
FLoRAL COMMITTEE.—Dr. Denny in the chair. Prominent 
amongst the plants submitted to the Committee was the grand 
new Orchid raised by Mr. Dominy, and which has recently 
flowered in the collection of Messrs. Veitch & Sons. This re- 
markable variety was alluded to on page 132, and it is only neces- 
sary to say now that in addition to its remarkable colour the 
flowers are deliciously perfumed. The growth of the plant is free 
and upright, the pseudobulbs being somewhat slender and 5 to 
6 inches long, the leaves being 8 or 9 inches in length and 13 inch 
in diameter. It is a grand acquisition, and has been named 
Cattleya Veitchiana. A first-class certificate was unanimously 
awarded for this fine plant. 
Sir Trevor Laurence, Bart., Burford Lodge, Dorking, sent a fine 
plant of Odontoglossum Reichenheimii. The pseudobulbs are: 
large, and the flower spike about 5 feet long. The upper half 
contained the flowers, which are produced on short branchlets and 
are beautifully marked. The sepals are chestnut coloar marked 
with buff, and the lip purplish mauve tipped with pinkish white. 
From the same collection came Dendrobium McCarthie. The 
flowers are very large and drooping; sepals very pale lavender, 
the margin of the lip being a deeper shade of the same colour ; 
throat violet with a dark bar, and surrounded by a zone oF 
creamy white. A vote of thanks was awarded. 
Mr. Mitchell, gardener to Dr. Ainsworth, Manchester, sent a 
seedling Cattleya named Mitchellii, the result of a cross between 
C. Eldorado and C. Leopoldi. The sepals and petals of the 
uew variety are purplish salmon in colour, the lip, which is 
rather small, being violet mauve, and the throat orange. The 
flower is distinct alike in form and colour, and was awarded a 
first-class certificate. 
Mr. B. 8. Williams, Holloway, exhibited a small collection of 
plants, to one of which, Croton Williamsii, a first-class certificate 
was awarded. The plant is a strong grower, with smooth, large, 
lanrel-shaped foliage 8 to 9inches long and2 broad. The ground 
colour is very dark green heavily veined and mottled with crimson. 
It will make a fine companion plant to C. undulatus, but is 
brighter in colour than that good old variety. <A large-leaved 
variety named Henryanus, exhibited by Mr. Williams, was very 
effective by its fine golden yellow foliage. 
Mr. R. Johnson, gardener to T. T. Clarke, Esq., Swakeleys, Ux- 
bridge, exhibited two very fine plants of Vallotas as seedlings from 
VY. purpurea. The flowers are very clear and bright in colour, 
and the plants are extremely floriferous, one of them having 
twenty-five spikes. A cultural commendation was awarded by 
the Committee. Mr. H. Clayton, The Gardens, Grimston Park , 
