March 16, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



193 







WEEKLY 



CALENDAR. 















Montli 



Week. 



MARCH 16-22, 1871. 



Average Tempera- 

 ture near London. 



Rain in 

 43 years. 



Sun 

 Rises. 



Sun 



Sets. 



Moon 

 Rises. 



Moon 

 Sets. 



Moon's 

 Age. 



Clock 



before 



Sun. 



Day 

 of 



Year. 



16 

 17 

 18 

 19 

 20 

 21 

 22 



Th 



F 



S 



Son 



M 



Tn 



W 



Meeting of Royal and Linnean Societies. 



4 Sunday in Lent. 



Meeting of Entomological Society, 7 p.m. 

 Meeting of Zoolosical Society, 9 P.m. 

 Royal Botanic Society's Spring Show, 2 p.m. 



Day. 



51.0 



52.0 



49.9 



50.9 



51.1 



60.7 



50.4 



Night. 

 84.0 

 32.5 

 83.0 

 33.0 

 33.8 

 82.5 

 34.3 



Mean. 

 42.5 

 42.3 

 41.5 

 41.9 

 42.5 

 41.6 

 42.3 



Days. 

 14 

 13 

 13 

 15 

 17 

 19 

 20 



m. h. 



13 ate 



11 6 

 9 6 

 7 6 

 6 6 

 3 6 

 1 6 



m. h. 

 4af6 

 6 6 

 8 6 



10 6 



11 6 



12 6 

 14 6 



m. h. 

 22af4 



5 5 

 38 5 



3 6 

 25 6 

 43 6 



7 



m. h. 



after. 

 86 1 

 61 2 



5 4 

 19 6 

 31 6 

 41 7 



Days. 

 25 

 26 

 27 

 28 

 29 

 ® 

 1 



m. s. 

 8 51 

 8 34 

 8 16 

 7 58 

 7 40 

 7 22 

 7 4 



76 

 76 

 77 

 78 

 79 

 80 

 81 



From observations taken near London during forty-three years, the average day temperature of the week is 52 3^, and its night tem- 

 perature S3,8°. The greatest heat was 58°, on the 21st, 1846 and 1869 ; and the lowest cold 2°, on the 17th, 1865. The greatest fall of 

 rain was 0.51 inch. 



PRIZES FOR HYBRID AND CROSS-BRED 

 PLANTS. 



WISH to call the attention of onr liorticnl- 

 tiiral friends, and especially those interested 

 in the growth of a really scientific feeling in 

 the Royal Horticultural Society, to a set of 

 premiums offered for hybrid plants under a 

 certain general condition or proviso — namely, 

 that the plants exhibited shall be shown in a 

 manner calculated to illustrate the phenomena 

 of hybridism and cross-breeding. 



As it was obviously impossible to collect 

 and produce on one given day anything approaching to a 

 really high-class exhibition, it was thought that a special 

 and continuous series of exliibitions through a whole season 

 would give the necessary facilities. 



In any gardening establishment, large or small, pro- 

 fessional or private, the sowing, rearing, and flowering of 

 seedlings, whether cross-bred or not, is a distinct pursuit, 

 independent, as it were, of times and seasons. The sub- 

 jects come into flower at all soi'ts of odd times, and have to 

 be hunted for in odd corners. Some showy and valuable, 

 some uncomely though interesting — fruits, flowers, weeds ; 

 branch and spray from the forest or shrubbery — these can- 

 not be shown as you would show Geraniums or Azaleas, 

 where the proper period ot perfection for exhibition can be 

 timed to a minute. 



A larger number of premiums than usual is also resorted 

 to in order to take in the productions of those humble 

 aspirants who, having more brains than means and appli- 

 ances, or who have taken up one special line of work alone, 

 may yet bring forward small but important collections. 



The practice of crossing plants for amusement, curiosity, 

 or commercial purposes, has now become so common that 

 no gardener with any pretension to skill in his profession 

 would own to ignorance of it as part of his craft : but the 

 number of scientific observers in this direction has been, 

 and the conclusions arrived at, fewer ; even over these 

 hangs a shadow of doubt and uncertainty. We want 

 facts — facts accompanied by real evidence; the hybrid 

 plant, with its existence as such rendered evident to our 

 sight by the presence of its parents at the same time, is 

 such a fact. There it stands assured to our senses a living 

 syllogism. And so, if possible, we wish to have all subjects 

 shown in company with the two parents thereof 



That may be considered the main point. Of course, it 

 will not always be possible to exhibit all three plants 

 growing in so many pots. In such cases, one or even 

 both parents may be shown as cut specimens. Nay, there 

 are cases imaginable where neither parents nor offspring 

 could be shown growing. Imagine, for instance, a small 

 Oak tree with its two parents, venerable specimens of 

 Quercus Cerris and pedunculata ! 



I will read presently a short list of imaginary subjects 

 to explain what I mean by the following instructions to 

 judges. Marks v.'ill be given in consideration of — 

 Great botanical interest. 

 Great horticultural interest. 



No. 530.— YoL. XX., New Seeies. 



Great horticultural merit. 



New and hitherto unattempted crosses. 



Difficult crosses. 



Memoranda in writing to accompany objects exhibited 

 will carry much weight, especially if well written, and 

 evincing careful observation. 



Tlie above remarks were read by me at the last Wednes- 

 day meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society, when I 

 observed that it would be necessary to consult with one or 

 two competent authorities upon certain knotty points before 

 publishing in full the conditions under which we desired 

 the exhibition to be carried on. 



Our original intention was that the exhibition should be 

 a free and unrestricted one, admitting alike old and new 

 plants, whether raised by the exhibitor or not, preferring, 

 however, those raised by himself. The friends, however, 

 whom I consulted — namely, our two Superintendents and 

 several men of high standing in the profession, urged the 

 exclusion of plants shown previously, and of such as were 

 not raised by the exhibitor. These principles, if strictly 

 carried out, would, I think, narrow prejudicially a wide field, 

 and exclude a multitude of interesting objects. The follow- 

 ing modifying rule will, I believe, meet the case, which is 

 certainly one of some difficulty : — No plant to be exhibited 

 without the consent of the raiser. This will obviate any 

 clashing of interests, as in the case of one man exhibiting 

 and profiting by the valuable productions of another. 



It must be remembered that the premium is for a purely 

 scientific object, less regard being had, upon the whole, to 

 the intrinsic value of the objects than to their bearing upon 

 a certain definite subject — that of hybridism and cross- 

 breeding. It is to be hoped that it will be met in a like 

 spirit, and will be looked upon and forwarded as an attempt 

 in aid of the true interests of both the science and art of 

 horticulture. 



I conclude by expressing a hope that this may be the 

 forerunner of a series of premiums to be held in future 

 years for special scientific objects, and that the Fellows in 

 general, both private and professional, will come to the 

 aid of their Council in raising their Society to the position 

 it once held, and might hold again, as the fountain of 

 horticultural science. 



The following imaginary, or rather suggestive, list was 

 drawn up with the view of explaining some of the foregoing 

 remarks as to the nature of the objects to be exhibited. 



OBJECTS OF BOTANICAL INTEREST. 



Meconopsis with Papaver. 

 Tigridia with Phalocallis. 

 Corbularia with Narcissus. 

 Convolvulus, Calystegia, Ipomffia> 

 and Pharbitis with each other. 



Ixia, Sparasis, and Tritonia crossed 



with each other. 

 Primrose with Cowslip. 

 Elisena with Ismene. 

 Chelone with Pentstemon. 



All these crosses if effected would assist botanical science 

 by the determination of affinities. 



OBJECTS OF FLORICULTURAL INTEREST. 

 Tnlipa sylvestris, ocnlns-solis, suaveolens (Van Thol), and the early- 

 Tulips, crossed with each other, and with the best late-flowering show 

 sorts. -=:JS >!S 



Primrose and Polyanthus inter-crossed to produce new forms capable 

 of after-improvement by the florist. 

 Anemone coronaria with sylvestris, apennina, and various others. 

 No. im.-VoL. XL v.. Old Series. 



