152 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
{ August 22, 1878. 
system of only giving two prizes in each class, although having 
its objectionable side, does doubtless discourage people from 
sending indifferent things, as they feel they would have but little 
prospect of gaining a prize. On this occasion, too, there was no 
padding—that is, no plants sent in not for competition. Messrs. 
Lucombe & Pince, having given up exhibiting, were not present, 
while the awfully sudden death of Mr. Bryant of Bristol prevented 
his plants from being there; so that it will be seen that there 
must have been good strength put forth by exhibitors to make 
such an excellent show. Mr. Cypher was there with his beauti- 
fully finished plants, so clean, neat, and well grown; so was Mr. 
Tudgey, gardener to Mr. Williams of Worcester ; while amongst 
amateurs Mr. Marshall of Belmont occupied the foremost place. 
His plants were exceedingly well grown, and some of our best 
and newest introductions were to be found amongst them. The 
Roses of Mr. Prince of Oxford and the Dahlias of Mr. Dobree were 
very fine, but we missed altogether the Gladioli of Mr. Kelway. 
It was indeed a loss, especially to.me, as I had hoped (not having 
been able to stop at Langport, although I passed it) to have seen 
some of his famous seedlings, but he was not there. Zonal and 
other Pelargoniums were exhibited in a manner that other places 
nearer home might well copy; not huge overgrown masses, all 
hoops, sticks, and ties, but neat compact little bushes, full of 
bloom and fresh and lively. There was a good display of fruit 
and a most excellent collection of vegetables, while the cottagers’ 
productions were worthy of all praise. But I think the most 
marked improvement that I saw was in the table decorations and 
bouquets. I remember animadverting on these last year, when 
only two very miserable attempts were exhibited ; this year there 
were five, and of these four were highly creditable. When I say 
that Miss Cypher took the first prize it will be readily conceived 
that all that good taste and deft hands could effect was done, and 
the result was charming. The centre of the table was a nice 
plant of Cocos Weddelliana ; the two end pieces being glass stands 
light and elegant, and the flowers arranged in them being also 
very elegant and lightly arranged, amongst them sprays of Francoa 
racemosa being very freely used, and a most capital flower it seems 
to be for decorative purposes. Plumbago capensis was also used, 
and its delicate light blue tint of colour is always attractive. The 
other three tables were also arranged in good taste, and exhibited 
a most striking contrast to those of last year, The drawing-room 
stands were also good. while Miss Cypher’s bouquet with its 
flowers of Pancratium attracted universal admiration. It is not 
always that so unanimous a consensus of public approval is given 
to a successful exhibition of table decorations as was given on 
this occasion to Miss Cypher. 
The courtesy and kindly feeling which are always shown at 
Taunton were not absent on this occasion. Mr. Clement Smith, 
the able and indefatigable Secretary, and the members of the 
Committee vied with one another in making everything go plea- 
santly, and I am sure felt amply rewarded by the success that 
attended their efforts. I cannot close these few notes without 
mentioning a laudable attempt to turn the day to good account— 
the opening of a coffee stall in the town, which seemed to have 
secured a large share of patronage, and in which the-ladies of the 
house where I was staying (Mr. Newton’s of Barton Grange) took 
a lively interest. They sent in a large number of button-hole 
bouquets, which were sold at 1d. each, and sold well, one gay 
Lothario having purchased eleven. Talk of two strings to their 
bow, what is that to a beau with eleven ——? So that altogether 
promoters of flower shows would do well to take a lesson from 
Taunton.—D., Deal. 
RHODODENDRON OCCIDENTALE. 
ONE of the grandest flowers I ever beheld is the Rhododen- 
dron occidentale, or Californian Azalea. It is a native of 
California, where it grows along streams of crystal water in 
thickly wooded districts throughout the State. The finest are 
found in the Sierra Nevadas, and the best I ever saw were in 
the section. of county around the Silver Creeks, where they are 
covered with snow for four months in the year. 
Rhododendron occidentale is a shrub growing 3 to 6 feet 
high; the foliage is the handsomest I ever saw. The leaves 
are lanceolate in shape, about 4 inches long, and 1 to 1}inch 
across, of a rather firm texture when fully developed; in colour 
they are a bright shining green. When half grown they have 
all the appearance of being freshly varnished, and, as will be 
readily admitted by all who have seen it, this bright green 
foliage is half the charm of the plant, and makes a most 
charming setting for the large and conspicuous flowers. 
The flowers are 24 to 3inches long, with a conspicuous calyx 
composed of distinct oblong sepals; the corolla is usually 
snow-white with the upper lobe yellow inside. They are 
sometimes, however, found with rose-tinged flowers. The 
stamens and style are much exserted, moderately curved, and 
very conspicuous, The flowers are borne in large clusters of 
from ten to twenty each. Rhododendron occidentale blooms 
in the summer, and is constantly in flower during July and 
August.—W. C. L. DREW (inthe American Gardener's Monthly). 
REVIEW OF BOOK. 
The Bulb Garden. By SAMUEL Woop. 
Lockwood & Co. 
MESSRS. SPOTTISWOODE can print books better than Mr.. 
Wood can write them. The very title of the book is a mis- 
nomer, for it implies that all the plants treated of are bulbs, 
whereas in fact only a very small portion of them belonz to- 
that category. The author himself reminds us that it is 
through ignorance that he has dragged in so many plants under 
the title, for he makes a sort of quasi apology in the case of 
one plant, Saxifraga granulata, which he says “can scarcely 
be classed in the category of bulbs, yet it is a bulb.” There 
is only one way of meeting a distinct assertion of that kind’ 
which is calculated to misiead, and that is by a distinct deni]. 
Saxifraga granulata is not a bulb, but a hardy herbaceous plant, 
producing small granular tubers. As no apology is advanced. 
nor excuse made for including other plants under the heading 
of bulbs, we can only conclude that the author does not know 
what a bulb is. He appears ignorant of the very rudiments 
of his subject, and ought not to be encouraged to circulate a. 
mass of inaccuracies. Lychnis fulgens is described as a 
“tuberous-rooted bulb,’ whatever that means, whereas it is a 
hardy herbaceous perennial. Then alluding to the Winter 
Aconite the author remarks that “it is almost superfluous to. 
write about this common, little, hardy, ‘bulbous’ plant.” It 
isa not a-bulb at all, and we must say that we never saw it 
associated with more sentimental rubbish than in this book. 
The author claims above all things to be plain and practical, 
but the Winter Aconite appears to have prompted him to try 
his hand at poetry, for we find amongst more of the same 
character such lines as these :—‘ Ah! pretty little flower, let 
no one ever despise thee on account of thy smallness or colour. 
Thou hast a voice like the Rose or the Lily, or the less gay 
songster among the feathered tribes.” Then we have amongst: 
other “bulbs” chapters on the Hepatica, the Hellebore, the 
Dielytra, the Agapanthus, the Calla, the Lily of the Valley, 
Solomon’s Seal, and other herbaceous perennials. Then Cycla- 
mens, Begonias, Irises, and even Pceonies are included ; it is 
a wonder that Primroses and Violets were not added, but 
perhaps their omission was an oversight. 
We regret very much that any gardener should have been 
tempted to display his want of knowledge by compiling such 
a book as the one before us, for it cannot but convey to the 
general public who read it much that is flagrantly erroneous, 
and which ought never to have been published. 
As to the practical portion of the volume, we have only to 
remark that equally good information is supplied gratis to 
purchasers of bulbs in the catalogues of the principal nursery-- 
men and seedsmen. Amongst other things we are told that. 
£2500 per acre can be realised by growing Hyacinths in 
England—information, we presume, for the “speculative pro— 
fessional man” referred to in the preface. Modern cultivators 
will wonder that no mention is made of the value of Solomon’s 
Seal for forcing in the chapter on that plant, and they will 
smile at the display that may be made by planting three 
Triteleja bulbs in a 48-pot, knowing that three times three are 
necessary ; but compensating information is supplied in the 
sentence that T. uniflora may be planted in “dwarf beds.” 
But while many plants are included in the “ Bulb Garden’” 
that are not bulbs there are omissions of other plants that- 
might legitimately have had a place in the book. Snowdrops 
are mentioned, but not Snowflakes (Leucojums), neither are: 
Roman Hyacinths, Muscaris, Lachenalias, Tritonias, Guernsey 
and Belladonna Lilies, Tigridias, Antholyzas, Cyclobothras, &c.,. 
all of which are popular decorative plants of the type which 
one might expect to have found mentioned in a book of this. 
description. 
We have referred to this book at greater length than we 
otherwise should have done inorder to conyey warning to those 
who may be really good practical gardeners not to jeopardise. 
their reputations by attempting to write on subjects that they 
do not understand. We cannot join the author in recommend- 
ing the book either to the “amateur or the speculative pro- 
fessional man.” 
London: Crosby 
SEXUAL CONDITIONS IN THE RED MAPLE.—It is com- 
monly stated that Maples bear hermaphrodite (male and 
female) flowers, but Mr. Thomas Meehan of Philadelphia 
