November 21, 1878. 1 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
387 
Royal Ashleaf, which is still by far the best early garden 
Potato. 
For an amateur who depends upon his garden for his table 
supply of Potatoes the following will be a capital half-dozen 
to grow—viz., Walnut Leaf, and Early Handsworth (Messrs. 
Fisher & Holmes’ stock) both dwarf sorts for frames; and 
Myatt’s, Rector of Woodstock, Lady Godiva, Schoolmaster, 
and Oxfordshire Kidney for the open ground. I hear excel- 
lent accounts also of Woodstock Kidney, Beckenham Beauty, 
Trophy, and Beauty of Hebron; and if to these be added 
Snowflake and Sutton’s Magnum Bonum—two invaluable and 
very fertile sorts—an excellent trial twelve will be found, and 
the trial will, I feel sure, combine some pleasure with little 
disappointment.—T. Laxton, Bedford. 
LILY OF THE VALLEY. 
THE detailed account from R. P. Brotherston at page 344 of 
your number for November 7th on Lily of the Valley, describes 
a good system of preparing the plants to produce flowers early 
and annually with much better returns from home-grown 
plants than from imported clumps. It is easier to have these 
lovely sweet flowers after the new year than before. Where 
the flowers are expected from the early part of November and 
onwards it is not the work of a season to prepare the plants. 
If forced early for two or three seasons, and the plants are en- 
couraged to make an early growth under the influence of plenty 
of light, air, and warmth, and after growth is completed placed 
utside to mature their crowns, so that they can receive an 
early rest, they will then produce flowers in November if re- 
‘quired. We find ours come best when plunged in strong bottom 
heat with their crowns covered, so that they are not exposed 
to the light. We have introduced imported plants into heat 
as soon as they have arrived, and they have remained dormant 
for six or eight months and then produced flowers. We pot 
ours in 6-inch pots, in which they give quantities of flowers 
for several seasons without repotting if liberally supplied with 
liquid manure while making their growth.—W. BARDNEY, 
Norris Green, West Derby. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
NOVEMBER 19TH. 
WE have to record a very full, gay, instructive, and interesting 
meeting. The Council-room was rendered brilliant by large 
groups of Chrysanthemums from Messrs. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, 
and Turner, Slough, and excellent stands of cut blooms were also 
staged. Mr. Bull arranged an extremely attractive group of 
ornamental-foliaged plants and Orchids, Mr. Wills excellently 
coloured Dracznas, Mr. Smith, Ealing Dean Nursery, Cyclamens, 
and Mr. Cannell splendidly bloomed Geraniums. These with 
some fruit were in the Council-room, and the vestibule was filled 
with fine collections of fruit and vegetables, groups of flowers, and 
a wonderful collection of Conifers and winter bedding plants from 
Messrs. Veitch’s, Coombe Wood Nursery. 
FRUIT CoMMITTEE.—Henry Webb, Esq., V.P., in the chair. Mr. 
Ross, gardener to Charles Eyre, Esq., Welford Park, Newbury, 
sent nine Smooth-leaved Cayenne Pines. They were fine speci- 
mens of culture, but had unfortunately been kept too long, having 
‘become discoloured and spongy. A vote of thanks was awarded. 
Mr. Muir, The Gardens, Margam Park, Taibach, sent a Smooth- 
Jeaved Cayenne Pine. It had been grown in 20° less fire heat 
than is usually recommended for Pine culture, and the object in 
exhibiting it was to test its flavour grown under these circum- 
stances. The flavour was excellent, yet the fruit being cold it 
was not so fully developed as it would otherwise have been. It 
was briskly acid and rather deficient in sweetness. Mr. Hunter, 
The Gardens, Lambton Castle, sent a seedling Pine Apple raised 
from seed of the Queen fertilised with the Smooth-leavyed Cayenne. 
Tt is a large handsome Pine much resembling the Queen, and 
weighs 5} Ibs. The fruit had been ripe for six weeks, and had 
‘begun to decay. It was the first fruit.that had been produced, 
and the Committee recommended that it should be seen again 
before giving an opinion. Mr. Charles Howe, The Gardens, 
Benham Park, Newbury, sent six well-finished bunches of Black 
Alicante Grapes, to which a cultural commendation was awarded. 
Mr. Joshua Atkins, gardener to Col. Loyd Lindsay, sent six very 
handsome bunches beautifully coloured of Muscat of Alexandria 
Grapes, to which a cultural commendation was awarded. Mr. 
Johnson, The Gardens, Bayham Abbey, sent three bunches of 
Mrs. Pince Grape, which were good but had begun to shrivel. 
Mr. Wood, gardener to Lady Augusta Mostyn, Leybourne Grange, 
Kent, sent fourteen handsome bunches of Gros Colman Grape. 
‘They were very large in the berries and remarkably well coloured. 
A cultural commendation was awarded. Mr. Harrison Weir, 
Weirleigh, Kent, sent bunches of Muscat Champion grown in a 
ground vinery. They were remarkably well grown, and a cul- 
tural commendation was awarded. 
Mr. R. Gilbert, The Gardens, Burghley, sent a bunch of Treb- 
biano, large and handsome. He also sent his new Melon Netted 
Victory, which was awarded a first-class certificate a short time 
ago. The fruit which was sent on the present occasion was, con- 
sidering the late season, very highly flavoured, and maintained 
the high character it had received. He also exhibited a seedling 
Apple called The Student, which had passed its best, and the 
flavour had gone. It is a handsome good-looking Apple, and the 
Committee requested to see it in better condition before giving an 
opinion upon it. Mr. Plester, The Gardens, Elsenham Hall, Thet- 
ford, sent a seedling Apple not named, which is of a very promis- 
ing character, and it was recommended to be shown again cooked 
at the next meeting. Messrs. J. & C. Lee & Son of Hammersmith 
sent a dish of Russian Transparent Apple, a good-sized Apple with 
a tender flesh like Calville Blanche. They also showed a seedling 
called Barnack Beauty, a small Reinette-shaped fruit highly 
coloured with a tender flesh, and of good flavour. The tree is said 
to be very productive. 
Mr. J. Dobell, Island House, Loughborough, sent a dish of a 
seedling Apple which too much resembled Bess Pool to be con- 
sidered distinct. Messrs. W. Paul & Son of Waltham Cross sent 
a seedling Apple called Waltham Cross, a very pretty roundish 
oblate and highly coloured fruit of good flavour. Messrs. Paul 
exhibited two others which did not possess great merit. Mr. © 
Gilbert of Burghley sent, besides his other exhibits, a dish of To- 
matoes, six Telegraph Cucumbers, Lettuce Selected Brown Cos, 
seedling Cucumber Dispatch, to which a letter of thanks was 
awarded, <A seedling Potato called Lady Godiva (Kittoe), was of 
handsome form and good quality. 
Mr. Ross, Welford Park, Newbury, sent a seedling Cucumber 
raised from Duke of Edinburgh crossed with Tender-and-True, 
but it was not considered an advance on existing varieties. Mr. 
Charles Frisby, The Gardens, Blankney Hall, Sleaford, sent a 
seedling Beet Frisby’s Excelsior, of long narrow shape and gocd 
colour. Mr. R. Dean, Ealing, sent a dish of Vicar of Laleham 
Potato. Mr. George Donaldson, Keithall, Inverurie, sent a seed- 
ling Potato ; and Mr. Ironside, Ingleston, Keithall, sent another 
seedling called Oliver Cromwell, both of which were to be tested 
at Chiswick. Two varieties of Turnip grown in the Chiswick 
Garden from seed received from Mr. W. Porter, Old Meldrum, 
N.B., were exhibited. They were received under the respective 
names of White Prize and Yellow Prize, and proved to be Snow- 
ball and Golden Ball. Mr. Sidney Ford, The Gardens, Leonards- 
lee, Horsham, sent a dish of a seedling Apple called Dr. Hogg, 
very much resembling Calville Blanche in shape and colour, and 
with the delicate flesh of that variety. It was referred till next 
meeting, and was to be cooked when exhibited. Mr. Ford also 
exhibited a very fine collection of thirty-six dishes of Apples and 
a fine dish of Red Currants, to which a silver Knightian medal 
was awarded. 
FLORAL COMMITTEE.—G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 
Taking the collections in the order of their arrangement we first 
arrived at a very large group of Chrysanthemums arranged by 
Messrs. James Veitch & Sons. The plants were grown in a 
natural menner—that is, they were not trained, nor had their 
buds been much thinned out. The group included all the best 
varieties in cultivation, and had an extremely gay appearance. 
A silver Banksian medal was recommended. Mr. Turner exhi- 
bited standard plants, models of their kind, with heads resembling 
those of well-grown standard Roses, and remarkable for the short 
flowering branches, which needed no tying to render the heads 
compact. All the best old and new varieties were included, two 
especially fine being La Nymph, pink Japanese, and Sceur Melanie 
resembling a small Elaine, and very floriferous —a splendid 
group, for which a small gold Banksian medal was recommended. 
Mr. Turner also exhibited a collection of cut blooms of good 
quality. Mr. Smith, gardener to Miss Sullivan, Broom House, 
Fulham, exhibited a dozen plants of Chrysanthemums remarkable 
for the size of their blooms, especially those of Golden Queen and 
Empress of India. A small bronze Banksian medal was recom- 
mended. Messrs. Jackson & Son, Kingston-on-Thames, exhibited 
cut blooms of Japanese Chrysanthemums, for one of which— 
Mons. Crousse, coral red, compact, and good—a first-class certifi- 
cate was awarded. 
Mr. Wills’s group of Draczenas included the finest of the Anerley 
varieties, and striking amongst them was a well-coloured plant 
of D. Goldieana. The group was margined with small plants of 
Adiantum farleyense. A silver medal wasrecommended. Mr. Wills 
also exhibited Anthurium Gustayii, with green roundish cordate 
leaves nearly 18 inches long and 15 wide, the surface containing 
prominent white radiating veins. 
Mr. Bull’s group was very rich, the Orchids comprising Lelia 
marginata, very fine; Cattleya Skinneri; the new and distinct 
Dendrobium superbiens, also D. bigibbum ; Calanthes in variety ; 
Odontoglossums vexillarium rubrum yery: fine, Insleayi leopar- 
dinum, crispum, and Forbesii ; Oncidiums varicosum and tigrinum ; 
Cypripediums, Masdevallias and Sophronites. The group also in- 
cluded small and highly attractive plants of Sarracenia Drum- 
