258 



JOUENAL OF HOETICULTDBE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEB. 



[ October 5, 1871. 



Iq the companion bed, which was intended to match it, the 

 Amaranthua had entirely failed. It is apparently as precarious . 

 as it is beantifal. 



The sloping bank round the rosery, always one of the great 

 features of these gardens, is very tffeetively planted with 

 Ssarlet Geranium Christine, Golden Gem Geranium, Coleus, 

 and Bijou. The design, which is very pretty, is, I am afraid, 

 beyond my powers of description. The eli'ect is somewhat 

 marred by the Geraniums, which are introduced for their 

 foliage only, being allowed to blossom. There are similar in- 

 stances of neglect in other parts of the garden. I must not 

 pass over the beds inside the rosery. Two of them, filled with 

 Lucius Geranium, Beetroot, and Golden Feverfew, will bear 

 comparison with any in the gardens. The dark polished leaves 

 of the Beetroot have a splendid effect. 



The line of beds running nearly the whole length of the 

 upper terrace present the most startling appearance of any in 

 the grounds. The oblong beds are filled with Waltham Seed- 

 ling Geranium, Bijou, Coleus, and Golden Feverfew. The 

 round beds are planted with Cileeolarias, Christine and Madame 

 Yaucher Geraniums, and L jbelias. I have never seen anything 

 inore rich and beautiful than these beds, looking at them from 

 one end. The efiect of the Coleus between Bijou Geranium 

 and Golden Feverfew is very grand, but it is marred by Bijou 

 being allowed to blossom. 



The chain border, generally such a success, is this year a 

 comparative failure — a result caused in some measure by the 

 rather ragged and neglected condition of the turf, which re- 

 quires a more liberal use of both watering-pot and mowing- 

 machine. It is planted with Christine and Scarlet Geraniums, 

 Marigold, and Alyssum. The beds are joined with links of 

 Golden Feverfew. This is a very great mistake, for it is the 

 very essence of a chain border that the outer edging should be 

 carried unbroken round the whole design. 



There are some very successful beds of Verbenas and Pe- 

 tunias — as good, indeed, as any I have seen, the former being 

 unusually good. One bed of John \Yilson, cerise, edged, with 

 White Perfection, is very handsome. The Lobelia does not 

 appear to have been at all successful ; it has grown bat not 

 flowered well. The blossom of Christine seems to have been 

 very short-lived. The Colons I have never seen richer in 

 colour or more transparent, in spite of the early summer 

 having been so very ungenial. The Geraniums Waltham Seed- 

 ling, Dachess of Sutherland, and Lucius have made a great 

 show, and are very extensively used in the gardens. The last- 

 named looks best beside a dark-foliaged plant. How we ever 

 got on without the Golden Feverfew I cannot think ! It goes 

 80 well with everything, especially all dark-foliaged plants, and 

 is so compact in its habit, and so true in its colour. 



I have only mentioned a few of the arrangements which 

 seemed to me most worthy of remark. There are many others 

 which are very pretty, and some which could only be men- 

 tioned in order that tb§y may be avoided. Of these latter I 

 may point out the only two beds out of the four inside the 

 rosery, which I have not alluded to. Taken altogether the 

 Crystal Palace gardens quite come up to their usual standard, 

 and some of the arrangements cannot, I think, be surpassed. 

 The garden superintendent would confer a benefit on thousands 

 of amateur gardeners if he would place in each bed tallies 

 with the names of the plants. It may not have been the aim 

 of the Crystal Palace Company, but it is none the less the case, 

 that these gardens give their character not only to others in 

 the neighbourhood, but also to many in distant parts of the 

 country. I know one garden nearly two hundred miles from 

 London where year after year the most efiective arrangements 

 of the previous year at the Crystal Palace have been adopted. 

 It is very easy to make a mistake if one trusts too implicitly 

 to the gardeners, for their pronunciation of names and their 

 orthography are at times somewhat eccentric, to say the 

 least.— W. H. B. 



CKYSTAiiisED Flowees. — Coustruct some baskets of fancy 

 form with pliable copper wire, and wrap them with gauze. Into 

 these tie to the bottom Violets, Ferns, Geranium leaves — in 

 fact, any flowers escept full-blown Roses — and sink them in a 

 solution of alum of 1 lb. to a gallon of water, after the solution 

 has cooled. The colours will then be preserved in their original 

 beauty, and the crystallised alum will hold faster than when 

 from a hot solution. When you have alight covering of crystals 

 that completely covers the articles, remove the basket carefully, 

 and allow it to drip for twelve hours. These baskets make a 

 beautiful parlour ornament, and for a long time preserve the 



freshness of the flowers. — (English Mechanic and World of 

 Science.) 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



OCTOBEP. 4th. 



Ox one of the finest of autumnal days iras held the combined Fruit 

 Show of the Koyal Horticultural Society and the International Exhi- 

 bition of 1S71. The two were from their very nature combined, and 

 the two were also to a very considerable extent intermixed. " It was 

 a heavy day," said the Judges, and it was not till late in the day that 

 they had completed their task. We cannot, therefore, give, as is our 

 wont, a detailed Ust of the honours that were gained, as we make our 

 report ; we must refer for that to another column, for the exigencies 

 of the press required all notes to be completed before even in other, 

 and the most competent quarters, the decision had been arrived at. And 

 who that had seen, as we saw, the long array of fruits from divers 

 parts — who that had seen the multitudinous fruits (and these, too, of 

 the finest quaUty) sent by Messrs. Baltet, of Troyes, could say that 

 the Judges were slow in their work ? They had work to do, they kept 

 at it till late in the day, but they did it, and we only wish we could do 

 ours as well. On all hands it was admitted, and we know it, that this 

 Fruit Show, got up in so little time, has been the most successful ever 

 held since the memorable one of 1862, and to that it would hardly 

 yield, though not so extensive, and, owing to the season, not taking, as 

 regards out-djor fruit, such a high position in the size, and perhaja 

 quaUty of the productions shown. 



In Class 1, for the most complete collection of Apples, three fmits 

 of each variety, there were numerous fine collections. Messrs. Lu- 

 combe, Pince, &: Co., of Exeter, sent upwards of a hundred varieties. 

 Among them were excellent specimens of the Gooseberry Apple, Kerry 

 Pippin, Eing of the Pippins, Waterford Nonpareil, Hoary Morning, 

 Dutch Mighonne. Harrow Pippin is a clean-looking handsome 

 variety. Mr. Ford, gardener to W. E. Hubbard, Esq., Leonardslee, 

 Horsham, had a coUection of 130 sorts, many of them, as usual with 

 his exhibitions, highly coloured, but not nearly so large-sized as his 

 fruit generally is — a circumstance, no doubt, due in his case, as in 

 many others, to the season. Blenheim Pippin, Warner's Eing, 

 Manks Codlin, Adams' Pearmain, Alexander were a few of the best 

 represented. There were, besides, several seedling varieties. Messrs. 

 Baltet friires, of Troyes, contributed a splendid coUection of 150 kinds, 

 including large and fine specimens of Eymer, Mere de Menage, 

 Eeinette du Canada, Calville Saint-Saureur, President Dufays Du- 

 monceau. Golden Winter Pearmain, Ehode Island Greening, Wad- 

 hurst Pippin, BeUe Dubois, &c. Of sorts remarkable for the beauty 

 or depth of their colour, we noticed Fenouiliet Gris, Archiduc Antoine, 

 Bellelieur, Eamsdell's Sweet, Calville rouge d'hiver, Borsdorffer, Alex- 

 ander, Apis petit, and Api noir. E. Webb, Esq., Culham House, 

 Eeading, had a fine collection of highly-coloured fruit. 



Mr. W. Paul contributed a collection of 171 of the best varieties 

 for kitchen and dessert. Of the former there were excellent examples 

 of Tower of Glammis, Lord Derby, Calville Malingre, Blenheim 

 Pippin, Cellini, Dredge's Fame, Rhode Island Greening ; of the 

 latter the beautiful little Lady Apple, Feams' Pippin, Fairy Pippin, 

 Cornish GiUiflower, one of the ughest and best of Apples, Margil, and 

 many more. 



From Mr. A. Moffat, gardener to H. AUsopp, Esq., Hindlip Hall, 

 Worcester, came a very fine collection of fifty sorts, some grown on 

 bush trees, others on horizontal cordons, and others again on pyramids 

 and standards. From bush trees Lord Sufiield, Winter Hawthomden, 

 King of the Pippins, Blenheim Pippin, Bess Pool, Warner's Eing, 

 and Eibston Pippin were very fine, so were Belle Josephine. Alexander, 

 Dumelow's Seedling, Eeinette du Canada, aud Beauty of Eent from 

 cordons. Mr. Chaff, gardener to A. Smee, Esq., sent a collection of 

 15.5 kinds. Nelson's Codlin, Lord Derby, Pott's Seedling, Lord Suf- 

 field. Striped Beefing, and Blenheim Pippin were represented by large 

 and fine specimens, and among dessert kinds King of the Pippins, 

 Eibston Pippin, Cox's Orange iPippin, &c., were very good. Mr. E. 

 Spivey, Hallingbury Place, Bishop's Stortford, sent seventy-five varie- 

 ties, and Mr. Carniichael, gardener to H.E.H. the Prince of Wales, 

 Sandringham, contributed a fine collection of sixty-two kinds. 



Class 2 was for the best collection of Dessert Apples. Mr. W. G. 

 Pragnell, gardener to D. W. Digby, Esq., Castle Gardens, Sherborne, 

 Dorset, sent fifty kinds, Mr. A. MoSat a small but good collection, 

 and Mr. Chaff fifty varieties. In these were very good specimens of 

 Pearson's Plate, Eibston Pippin, Eing of the Pippins, and Blenheim 

 Pippin. Mr. Ford, Leonardslee, had forty-eight kinds, among which 

 was First-class, a showy high-coloured sort ; Wax Apple, a pretty little 

 yellow kind, several seedlings, and good specimens of well-kiiowii 

 varieties. Mr. Spivey sent a small collection ; E. Webb, Esq., one of 

 fifty ; and Mr. Scott, Merriott Nurseries, 290 sorts. 



In Class 3, for the best collection of Culinary Apples, Mr. Ford 

 exhibited eighty kinds, of which Beauty of Kent, Blenheim Pippin, 

 and Shepherd's Seedling were very good. Mr. Stephenson, gardener to 

 T. C. Barker, Esq., Leigh Hill, Essex, had fine specimens of Alexander, 

 Cox's Pomona, &c. Mr. Spivey, Mr. Chaff, Mr. Lydiard, Batheaston, 

 Mr. Mitchell, and Mr. W. Thompson, Clements, Ilford, also sent 

 good coUections. 



In Class 4, for the most complete collection of Pears, Mr. Gardiner, 

 gardener to E. P. Shirley, Esq., Lower Eatington Park, Stratford-on- 



