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JOURNAL OF HOBTICULTUBE AND COTTAGE GARDENEB. 



[ December 7, IbTl. 



son ; in fact, he thinks the difference between the hottest and 

 coolest temperatures they are eubjected to in a general way 

 might be increased. We next follow him into some Fern 

 housep, which are also mostly low structures, as best adapted 

 for maintaining the required moisture. Here there was one 

 small house devoted almost entirely to the cultivation of that 

 class of Ferns rtquiring constant moisture, and amongst them 

 were some choice specimens. On coming out we found our- 

 selves near to a collection of herbaceous plants, which Mr. 

 Findlay observed were but little looked at — a fact much to be 

 regretted. The whole coUeotion, in-door and out, was in a 

 most praiseworthy condition for such a place, and if the shrubs 

 were not all that could be desired, it was from causes beyond 

 control. This is easily understood, and Mr. Findlay may justly 

 claim a great amount of credit for the good condition of the 

 plants in the bnufes, and also for that of the flower beds on 

 the lawn. — J. Eobson. 



EOTAL HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY'S ExilllNATION OF Gab- 



BENEES. — We have to remind young gardeners that the nest 

 examination in Fruit and Vegetable Culture and Floriculture is 

 to be held in the Council Eoom, South Kensington, on the 

 12th inst,, at 10 o'clock a.m. Those intending to compete 

 should write at once to James Kichards, Etq., Eoyal Horticul- 

 ttiral Society, South Kensington. 



A FEW WORDS ABOUT LILIES. 



I WONDEE what the honest opinion now is about Lilinm au- 

 latum? We were all taken by storm by it; but after all, was 

 there not a little of the barbaiian element in our admiration ? 

 Did not size captivate us more than beauly ? and can it be true 

 that, with all our civilisation, if you scratch the skin the old 



untutored nature comes out? When Bishop • went out to 



Sierra Leone the natives crowded down to the beach to see 

 their great preaching chief; what was their disgust, instead of 

 seeing a tolerable-sized giant, to behold a diminutive dapper 

 little man, whom we even should have called small ! And this 

 element of size is, I fear, far too much regarded amongst us. 

 Big Pine Apples, big Potatoes, big bunches of Grapes with big 

 berries ; and so it runs through the gamut. " I have Celery 

 that weighs I do not know how many pounds ; Potatoes of 

 which half a one is enough for a man's dinner," and so on. 

 Xes, and in nine cases out of ten lose flavour to gain size. 

 Not but that Lilium auratum is very beautiful, but can it be 

 compared in beauty and elegance with L. lancitolium, which 

 is beginning again to assert its position as the elder and better 

 of the two ? and it is mainly in reference to it that I have a 

 word or two to say about Lilies. 



There is unquestionably much confusion in the catalogues 

 with regard to the nomenclature. Speciosum, by which name 

 it is called in some, is, we are told, totally incorrect, and that 

 it has never yet been introduced into Europe; while we find 

 roseum, rubrum, cruentum, and a number of names applied 

 to it. Desirous of unravelling some of this mystery it possible, 

 I received through the kindness of the following firms bulbs of 

 the different varieties in their possession — viz., Messrs. Carter 

 and Sons, Holborn ; Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Eeading ; Messrs. 

 Veitch & Suns, Chelsea ; and Messrs. W. Cutbush and Son, 

 Highgate. 



The impression that has forced itself on my mind is simply 

 that it will be hopeless to determine now which is roseum and 

 rnbrnm. Album is, of course, plain enough. Punctatum, 

 which I believe when correct to be white with very pale pink 

 spots, is also not difficult to determine, although sometimes it 

 is called roseum, and the term punctatum does not appear with 

 it; but beyond this all is confusion. Tbe fact is, that large 

 quantities have been raised from seed ; that, like all seedlings, 

 they vary somewhat in the marking ; and that they have been 

 placed indiscriminately under rubrum, roseum, or cruentum, 

 according as they were more or less dark in their markings. 



I feel a great affection for these Lilies. They are associated 

 with pleasant thoughts of the first sight of them I had — dear 

 me ! how many years ago !— of the triumph I felt in the pos- 

 session of a small bulb, and of the excitement connected with 

 its growth and flowering. Ah ! how very difficult to feel now 

 as one did then ! and what a very fine flower it would be that 

 could excite the enthusiasm of those days ! And so one feels 

 in reading " At Last." Fine as are the descriptions of tropical 

 scenery, one cennot help asking. What would Kirgsley have 

 written if he had visited Trinidad when he wrote ' ' Al ton Loeke ?" 

 Eat to return to the Lilies. In beauty of marking they are 



quite equal to auratum ; they excel in the contour of the flower, 

 in the permanence of bloom, and in the delicacy of its perfume. 

 Auratum is so strong that it is almost impossible to keep it 

 in-doors, and in a room it is intolerable. It would ill become 

 me to say a word on the tribe in general, but is it not a question 

 whether auratum iteelf is not a natural hybrid between lanci- 

 folium and longiflorum ? Again, can anyone grow Brownii? 

 Everybody that I have ever met with speaks of it as almost 

 hopeless. M. Jean Yerschaffelt told me that there was some 

 one in Germany who used to be able to do so, but he is dead, 

 and his secret died with him. I may say that I have never 

 seen L. auratum growing in greater perfection than amongst 

 the Ehododendrons in the peaty light soil of Weybridge Heatb, 

 where I saw it last summer in the garden of George F. Wilson, 

 Esq. ; and the mention of his name leads me to say that he 

 would confer a great favour on all admirers of the Lily if he 

 would give in the Journal some popular notes on the flower. 

 Mr. Baker has given a very elaborate synopsis in the pages 

 of a contemporary, and most valuable it is ; but the general 

 lovers of the flower would like much, I am sure, some descrip- 

 tive and cultural notes from one who loves and knows the tribe 

 so well as Mr. Wilson. — D., Deal. 



FLOWERING PLANTS FOR DECEMBER. 



December — dreary, the fag-end of the year, midwinter, and 

 a whole catalogue of dismal associations — has yet its cheerful 

 aspects. Ghtistmas, like May, is said to be merry, as we wish 

 all our readers will be at that season. From a floral point o£ 

 . view, we are not by any means certain that December is tho 

 most dismal month of the year. November, and even October, 

 are often greater floral blanks ; we appreciate all evergreens 

 more in December, especially those with berries, and in-doors 

 there is a greater wealth of flowers. 



We purpose to take a survey of the plants which occur to us 

 as being in season at that time, with comments ; and first we 

 shall begin with stove flowers, as they present themselves tO' 

 our mind's eye. One of Iho finest of all stove climbers for 

 winter is Thunbergia Harrisii, a most chaste and grand flower, 

 the colour a delicate blue, produced in large clusters ; flowers 

 all winter, and of the easiest culture : a cutting of September, 

 1870, planted out covers more than 50 feet of rafter with abund- 

 ance of its racemose clusters. Next comes Passiflora keime- 

 sina, with clouds of crimson bloom on its elegant spray : the 

 flowers make an elegant margin to a basket of cut flowers. 



Ipomaaa Horsfallije will be at its best in December, an im- 

 mense grower and bloomer, producing heavy bunches of flower- 

 buds at every joint, which open in succession ; it also is crim- 

 son. The crop of Passiflora princeps will not be over until 

 December ; it is, perhaps the prince of Passion-Flowers. 

 Bougainvillea glabra beats the Fuchsia as an accommodating 

 plant : it blooms perpetually, or may be bad perpetually in 

 bloom. Our largest supply of it will be in December. A cut- 

 ting of September twelvemonths is now an immense plant, and 

 has literally bushels of bloom on it ; it is one of the very best 

 plants for cut flowers, as the flower-stalks can be cut any 

 length. The last winter climber we shall mention is Manettiai 

 bicolor, a very elegant plant with a profusion of orange-scarlet 

 flowers, after the style of a Cuphea or Libonia. This is really 

 a very beautiful plant, and can be had in 6-inoh pots. Staked 

 with a few twigs of Birch, it is an elegant vase plant. 



Of stove flowering plants for pot culture there are abundance. 

 Gesnera elongate, an old and showy plant easily made into a. 

 specimen for a vase : small plants for furnishing can be eadly 

 propagated in spring, when the old plants should be well ou(j 

 back : it is a woody plant. The various herbaceous Gesneras 

 are now in perfection ; we specially like tbe green-foliaged 

 varieties. Tbyrsacanthus rntilans, a noble plant for the centres 

 of stands, should be grown in a moist cold pit in summer. - Se- 

 ricographis Ghiesbreghtiana, not so much grown as it deserves. 

 Jueticia formosa, which few new plants will equal when well 

 done, can be made into a huge specimen or tiny plants for 

 edging vases. Erauthemum pnlchellum, of which the same 

 may be repeated. Both have flowers of the richest colour. Li- 

 bonia floribunda, not strictly a stove plant, but requires a warm 

 place in winter. This, with a lot of other things, we intend 

 growing all summer, planted out in a cold pit, potting them 

 up in September. Cypripedium insigne and vennstum, Ca- 

 lantbe Veitchii and vestita, may be all classed with ordinary 

 stove plants for December. Begonia fuchsioides, Sauudersii, 

 and insignis, the last especially, are fine December plants, and 

 should be grown in quantity : insignis is a most useful plant 



