December 19, 1878. J 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
467 
Collections of fruit were received from Mr. Gardiner, The 
Gardens, Hatington Park, Stratford-on-Avon, consisting of forty 
varieties of Apples and six of Pears, to which a silver Knightian 
medal was awarded ; from Mr. Killick, Langley, Kent, thirty 
varieties of Apples, to which a cultural commendation was 
awarded. 
FLoRAL ComMITTEE.—Mr. C, Noble inthe chair. The entrance 
vestibule was completely filled with Messrs. Lee’s imposing col- 
lection of “hardy winter-bedding plants.” Some of the “ plants ” 
were pyramid variegated Hollies 10 to 15 feet high, and standard 
Hollies, standard and pyramid Bays, Yews in great variety and of 
yarlous sizes, some of them drooping, some pyramids, some table- 
shaped, some cones, some vase-shaped, a few of the common being 
gratted with variegated kinds, thus having golden heads. Some 
trees of the Golden Spruce showed to advantage, also Crypto- 
merias in yarious sizes, with smaller specimens of Taxodiums, 
Junipers, Thujas, Cupressuses, Retinosporas, and such-like ele- 
gant Conifers, amongst which were arranged with great effect 
standards of Euonymuses and Ivies of the Arborea section—some 
green, others variegated. These were on stems from 2 to 4 feet 
1 height, with compact heads about a foot in diameter, and were 
extremely ornamental. The collection was further relieved by 
Yuccas and several plants of Gynerium compactum elegans. Along 
the sides of the group were flat baskets artistically filled with 
dwarf plants, such as concentric lines of Retinosporas and Enony- 
muses, panels of plants of the same kinds ; and some baskets con- 
tained masses of such plants as Ligustrum sinensis tricolor and 
Huonymuses edged with Box. This extensive collection embraced 
upwards of eighty species and varieties of shrubs and Conifers, 
all of which were in excellent condition, and attracted, and de- 
servedly so, great attention. A gold medal was recommended 
for the collection. 
Mr, Bull was awarded a first-class certificate for Lelia anceps 
alba, a charming acquisition that was described on page 449. It 
will find its way into all collections. Mr. Heims, gardener to 
¥. A. Phillbrick, Esq., Q.C., Avenue Road, Regent’s Park, was 
worthily and unanimously awarded a cultural commendation for 
a fine example of Sophronites grandiflora. It was growing on 
cork, and had upwards of fifty brilliant flowers. The same 
exhibitor sent Odontoglossum Warscewiczii, which somewhat 
resembles a pale variety of O. vexillarium. Messrs. Hugh Low 
and Co,, Clapton, were awarded a botanical commendation for 
Masdevallia Triglochin, a tiny plant with leaves an inch long 
and one-eighth of an inch in diameter, and equally miniature 
flowers. Mr. Green, gardener to Sir G. Macleay, Bart., Pendell 
Court, Bletchingley, was awarded botanical certificates for Bill- 
bergia nutans, with small drooping red flowers margined with 
purple ; and Greyillea fasciculata. Mr. Green also exhibited 
Aichmea Weilbeckii. 
Mr. Gilbert, The Gardens, Burghley, Stamford, sent plants of 
dis double Primulas with large flowers in various colours and fine 
foliage. Most of them had been previously certificated, and only 
one variety, Earl of Beaconsfield, was honoured on this occasion 
with a certificate. The flowers are very double, 14 inch in dia- 
meter ; petals slightly fimbriated ; colour bright rosy magenta. 
‘The long stems of the individual flowers of these varieties render 
the pips valuable for bouquets. A vote of thanks was awarded 
for the collection. Mr. Smith, Ealing Dean Nursery, Ealing, 
exhibited about fifty plants of Cyclamens representing an excel- 
lent strain, the flowers being very fine, the whites pure, and the 
dark varieties rich, especially those ruby crimson in colour, A 
vote of thanks was awarded. Mr. Hepper, gardener to C. O, Led- 
ward, Esq., The Elms, Acton, sent well-grown plants of Solanum 
pendulum, which resembles the old 8. Capsicastrum, but the 
leaves have distinct light midribs. It is an elegant variety. A 
vote of thanks was awarded. 
Mr. Cannell exhibited stands of cut Zonal Pelargoniums of 
wonderful excellence. The varieties were Henry Jacoby, Lizzie 
Brookes, Belle of Surrey, 8. Holden, Dr. Denny, D. Thomson, 
M. Panton, The Shah, Mrs. Leavers, Mr. Pollett, Rienzi, Circu- 
Jator, Kleon, Remus, Mr. Chandler, A. Henderson, Titania, Louisa, 
Miss Gladstone, Mrs. Whiteley, Col. Seeley, Lady Sheffield, and 
Mz. Palmer, all represented by grand trusses, and produced a rich 
effect. A stand containing twenty-four trusses of White Vesuvius 
was charming, and almost equally so was Salmon Vesuvius ; the 
striped variety was also well exhibited. It is noteworthy that 
one pip of White Vesuvius had two bright scarlet petals, the 
other three being pure white. This was the finest collection of 
its kind that has ever been seen in December; in fact it would 
hhaye done credit to any man at any season. A vote of thanks 
was worthily awarded. 
Mr. George sent a seedling Abutilon Rose Queen, but it was 
passed by the Committee. Mr. Thomson, Crystal Palace, sent 
fruiting sprays of Eucalyptus globulus. Mr. Noble exhibited 
‘Thujopsis borealis aureo-variegata ; and an ornamental tin plant- 
suspender was exhibited by Mr. Peter Selby, 153, Nuttall Hill, 
Birmingham. 
The thanks of the Committees were tendered to the Chair- 
men and the Secretary, and the last of a successful series of 
gatherings during 1878 closed with a mutual interchange of 
courtesies, Many of the meetings have been rendered additionally 
instructive by elucidatory remarks by Mr. Jennings the Assistant 
Secretary, and other gentlemen ; and Mr. Barron and his assistants 
have exercised their usual assiduity in having the arrangements 
as complete as possible and convenient to all. 
MANETTI STOCKS SUCKERING. 
I HAVE received from Mr, Shackleton, Ireland, a plant of 
Charles Lefebvre budded on a Manetti with a decided shoot 
from a root of the stock and not from the stem. It is interest- 
ing to me as being the first I have ever seen, though Mr. Hinton 
says he has occasionally seen them; but I speak of it as a 
shoot, not a sucker, as the formation is decidedly different to 
that of the sucker of a Dog Rose or the sucker of a Raspberry 
or other plant that is accustomed to send up root suckers, 
which push the eye at the end of the underground root. The 
plant sent was budded on a healthy Manetti stock which had 
formed strong roots, and from one of the strongest roots a 
shoot has started as if a wood bud had been formed on the 
root. Iam afraid some of your readers will think, that as I 
have always so definitely asserted that Manetti stocks did not 
send up root suckers but shoots from the stem, that I am pre- 
judiced in making these remarks, especially as I have offered 
to cook and eat all true Manetti suckers ; but I am obliged to 
acknowledge that the plant sent kindly to me has a decided 
shoot from the root, even if it is not a regular root sucker. It 
came by post and travelled very safely, and I haye planted it 
with the Manetti shoot on it with the hopes of making further 
observations, and shall be glad if any other of your readers 
would kindly send me, if they find them when transplanting 
Roses on Manetti stocks, any plants that have either root 
shoots or definite root suckers.—C, P, PEACH, 
MR. DOUGLAS'S RECANTATIONS ON DETAILS OF 
VINE CULTURE. 
I VENTURE to trouble you with this communication because 
I think the Journal of Horticulture is the proper place for it, 
and also because I think it has a special interest for those of 
your readers who, like myself, remember what Mr. Douglas 
has written in your pages up till the end of last year, or 
rather the beginning of this. It is pretty well known that 
Mr. Douglas has altered his opinions on certain points of 
Grape-culture, though as yet the public do not know why. 
‘he fact only has been intimated that certain practices relating 
to Grape-culture which Mr. Douglas has all along recom- 
mended in your pages he now condemns. I was not, however, 
prepared for such a complete recantation, not to say a flat con- 
tradiction, of his own statements relating to matters of fact in 
reference to the said points as appears in the Gardener's 
Chronicle of November 30th, and with your permission I shall 
contrast his present statements and admissions in your con- 
temporary with those which have more than once appeared in 
your pages from the same pen. 
In the Gardener's Chronicle Mr. Douglas tells us that he 
thinks one “cause of exhaustion in early vineries is the 
custom of covering the outside and inside borders with fer- 
menting materials.’ In the Jowrnal of Horticulture only 
last year he says, on the strength of his past successful expe- 
rience, that his practice of using fermenting materials “ has 
always been successful.’ In the Gardener's Chronicle his 
experience of fermenting material is that it ‘ heats violently 
for two weeks or less, and then as rapidly cools down.” In 
the Jow'nal of Horticulture for the end of 1875 we find him 
using a “thick coating sufficient to cause a gentle heat” only, 
and in the same passage stating that a coating of fermenting 
materials “1 foot or 18 inches thick will keep the heat for 
six weeks, when it may be removed.” In the Gardener's 
Chronicle he states that the aforesaid “violent heat is not 
desirable, especially when the roots are near the surface.” 
In the Journal he has no fear on this head at all, but rather 
doubts the heat from the bed penetrating the border, ob- 
serving that, “although but little heat can be forced into 
the border by the heat of the fermenting materials, still it 
must warm it to the depth of a few inches.” This was only 
the year before last. In the confession which Mr. Douglas 
reserves for another place, but which it was fair he should 
have made to his old readers whom he has for years so misled 
according to his own showing, fermenting material is all that 
is bad; it exhausts the Vines, it burns the roots, it is uncer- 
tain in its action, and it is altogether worse than useless. 
