March 24, 1S63. ] 



JOURNAL OP HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



225 



the correspondent alluded to, we hope to hear of his success 

 with other plants not usually regarded hardy. 



With regard to the Rhododendron from the Neilgherry Hills, 

 its hardihood or otherwise entirely depends on the altitude it 

 was found at. Plants found at the base of these hills require 

 stove heat iu England, and midway up the greenhouse will do, 

 and it is possible some of the extreme heights may furnish hardy 

 plants ; but as rhe Indian and Home Government hare of late 

 been at considerable expense in importing the Peruvian bark 

 tree to this district, and a friend of the writer has gone to 

 superintend a |'l»ntation of Coifee there, it is evident that in the 

 district where these plants are cultivated — and both are destined 

 for the Neilgherry Hills — Rhododendrons capable of with- 

 standing the cold and changes of this country are out of the 

 question. The greatest elevations must, therefore, be the only 

 sites where hardy plants are found; and unless the severities of 

 the cold season of their abode exceed those of an ordinary English 

 winter, there is but faint hope of their doing well out of doors 

 here ; for, be it remembered, we have not the hot summer to 

 ripen and perfect the wood which they have in India, so that it 

 would not be prudent to trust more than a few plants to the 

 rigour of an English winter until their hardihood has been in 

 some measure confirmed. Takinginto consideration the tropical 

 heats of Madras, I should think the Neilgherry Hills do not 

 attain sufficient altitude to furnish plants hardy enough to with- 

 stand the changes they are subjected to in England.— J. RoBSOlf.] 



MESSES. CTJTBTJSH'S HYACINTH SHOW. 



The annual Exhibition of Hyacinths at the Highgate Nur- 

 series is one of those sights which no one should omit seein°-. 

 It has also the great advantage that one can inspect the floral 

 beauties in quiet, and with a minuteness which is impossible at 

 shows where the public are admitted in any number. Besides, 

 the display of flowering-plants in the house in which the Show 

 is held represents the decorative resources available at the 

 season ; and, from their number and excellent arrangement, they 

 afford a good example of what a show-house may be made in 

 skilful hands, and this with materials -within the reach of per- 

 sons with moderate means. Azaleas of various colours. Kalmias, 

 Dielytra speetabilis, Acacias, Deutzias, Cinerarias, Cyclamens, 

 early Tulips, &c, fill the whole of the back stage of the house, 

 forming a dense mass of foliage and bloom, reaching nearly to 

 the roof, and alike hiding stages and hack wall. 



It is, however, in Hyacinths more especially that Messrs. 

 Cutbush. possess an eminence, which is certainly surpassed by 

 none ; and this season their display of these attractive flowers is 

 in no way inferior to that of last year. Added to this there are 

 several attractive novelties which deserve attention. Where 

 all the flowers are fine, it would be merely repetition to say in 

 almost every instance fine spikes or fine bells. "We shall, there- 

 fore, confine ourselves to giving a list of the names and colours 

 of tie best varieties. These were — 



Double Reds. — Duke of Wellington, very pale rose, a, large 

 and splendid spike with bells closely arranged; Noble par 

 Merite, deep rose ; Koh-i-Noor. a very fine salmon ; and Susan- 

 nah Maria, salmon rose. Jenny Lind, deep rose ; and Princess 

 Royal, rose striped with pink,. axe also excellent. 



Single Seds. — Solfaterre, bright orange scarlet; Yon Schiller, 

 deep salmon pink ; and A ictoria Alexandrina, a new crimson, 

 are all splendid kinds, producing immense spikes. Macaulay, 

 from its beautiful colour and size of hells, should be in every 

 collection however small ; and the following are also all of the 

 highest excellence : — Amy, bright crimson ; Cavaignac, salmon, 

 striped with deep rose ; Cosmos, rosy pink ; Florence Nightingale, 

 with large pale pink bells, striped with carmine ; Howard, 

 orange crimson ; La Dame du Lac, pale rosy pink ; La Pro- 

 phete, pale pink striped with carmine ; Lady Sale ; Lina, 

 crimson; Mrs. Beecher Stowe, deep rosy pink; Norma, delicate 

 pink ; Pelissier, a new crimson scarlet ; Princess Charlotte, deli- 

 cate rosy pink ; Princess Clothilde, pale pink, striped with car- 

 mine ; Queen Victoria, pale pink striped with red ; Queen of 

 Hyacinths and Robert Steiger, bright crimson. Aurora Rutilans, 

 dark red; Belle Quirine, bright pink; Circe, salmon riink ; 

 Desdemona, dark crimson ; Duchess of Richmond, dark red ; 

 Duke of Wellington, rose with carmine stripes ; Johanna Chris- 

 tina ; Madame Hodgson ; Monsieur Feasch, pink ; and Sultan's 

 Favourite, rose striped with deep pink, can also be highly recom- 

 mended. 



Double Blues. — Garrick ; Laurens Roster ; Sir Colin Camp- 



bell, light blue ; Yan Speyk, pale blue striped with dark blue are 

 of the best. And Belle Mode, porcelain ; Conito de St. Priest, 

 light blue; General Antitick, pale blue; Paarlboot and Prills 

 Van Saxe Weimar, dark blue, are likewise excellent. 



Single Blues. — Argus, bright blue, with white eye ; Baron 

 Yon TuyU ; Charles Dickens ; Couroune de Celle, azure ; Grand 

 Lilas, and Orandates are the most choice. Bleu Mourant is 

 also a very useful dark blue. 



Double Wldtes. — Of these Sir Bulwer Lytton, cream, with 

 a purple eye, is a splendid new variety. Geeur Noir, pale blush ; 

 La Tour d'Auvergne ; La Vestale, and Prince of Waterloo, are 

 all excellent. 



Single Whites.— Alba Maxima, pure white; Gigantea, deep 

 blush ; Grandeur a Merveilb ; Madame Van der Hoop ; Mont 

 Blanc; Paix de l'Europe, and Snowball, 'are all of the highest 

 excellence; the last-named in particular has the broadest seg- 

 ments of any Hyacinth known. The best of the others are 

 Cleopatra, deep blush ; Elfrida, creamy blush ; Queen of the 

 Netherlands, pure white, new and fine ; Seraphine, pale blush ; 

 Tubaflora, blush, very large bells, stained on the outer side with 

 purple ; and Voltaire. Mirandoline is also a very good pure 

 white. 



Lilac and Mauve. — Of these Haydn and Prince of Wales 

 take the first place; the former is of a splendid colour, and 

 has a large spike. Dandy, bronzy lilac, is also good. 



In Blacks, Othello is an excellent double ; and of the single 

 flowers General Havelock, of the deepest purple, is a splendid 

 sort. La Nuit, Mimosa, Prince Albert, and Von Humboldt, 

 deep purplish-black, are all first-rate. 



In Yellows, Due de Malakoff is new and very fine. Ida and 

 Victor Hugo, are fine deep yellows. Aurora, pale straw, striped 

 with pink, is also excellent. 



Of the new varieties, Maria Theresa is a capital pale pink, 

 with light carrnine stripes. Prince of Orange, of a deep rose, 

 with a bright crimson stripe up the centre of each petal, is a 

 very fine double variety ; and so is Rouge Eclatante, of a 

 splendid deep crimson. Estella, another double red, is of a very 

 delicate rose, with a narrow pink stripe up the centre of each 

 petal. Fan- Maid of Denmark is a most beautiful pure white, 

 with immense beBs; and San Francisco, a bright yellow, with 

 a close spike, is a great acquisition in tha r . colour. Feruk Khan 

 has a very close, fine spike ; the colour- a dark violet purple. 

 Pieneman, with very large porcelain blue bells, is also very fine. 

 Lord Palmerston, a single bright blue, has a fine close spike ; 

 and Marie, deep blue, with an indigo stripe, is also good. 

 Lamplighter, a purplish-black, with a very distinct white eye, 

 appears a promising sort ; hut the spike which we saw was small, 

 owing to the small size of the bulb which produced it. Probably 

 another year it will improve in size, and if so the variety will 

 prove an acquisition. 



In addition to the Hyacinths, several very pietty varieties of 

 early Tulips are also shown, as well as the collection of Ama- 

 ryllids exhibited at Kensington. 



We cannot do better than conclude by recommending our 

 readers not to lose the opportunity of seeing Messrs. Cuibush's 

 Exhibition, which will continue open till the end of the month. 



METEOEOLOGY OF CAEDLNGTON, 



BEDFOEDSHIEE. 



The following table shows the monthly End annual fall of rain 

 at Cardington in 1S62, and the average during the last seven- 

 teen years. The greatest quantity was in 1S4S, 3O.S60 inches ; and 

 the smallest quantity in 1S54, 16.245 inches : being 5.S05 inches 

 below the average of the seventeen years. The greatest monthly 

 average fall is in October, July, and August ; the least in 

 February, March, and December ; and the year ending Decem- 

 ber 31st, 1S62, is 0.565 below the average : — 



Month. 



January ... 

 February 



March 



April 



May 



June 



July 





Average 

 in 



1S62. 





1" years. 



Inches. 



Inches. 1 



1.350 



1.661 



0.320 



1.089 



3.115 



1.300 



2.110 



1.704 



2.750 



1.900 



1.S10 



2.0B4 



1.260 



2.378 



August ... 

 September. 

 October ..., 

 November . 

 December . 



Total amount 



1 



Average 



1802. 



in 





17 years. 



Inches. 



Inches. 



1.S20 



2.337 



2.310 



1.880 



2.410 



2.024 



0.9S0 



1.634 



1.250 



1.419 



21.485 



22.050 



The following table shows the highest and the lowest readings 



