236 



JOtJENAL OF HORTICULTUKB AND COTTAGE GAKDENEK. 



[ AprU 20, 1871. 



selected, but the Committee had no alternative but to choose 

 the days now announced, as the Town Hall, in which the Show 

 has always been held, is bespoken for all other eUgible days. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY, 



April 19th. 

 Though the special subjects of the Show were not so nnmerons as 

 desirable, there was on this occasion an excellent miscellaneous ex- 

 hibition, and the attendance of visitors was much better than could 

 have been expected in such mild and fitful, but truly April weather, 

 though, no doubt, many were attracted by the bazaar in aid of the 

 French rehef fund. 



The Azaleas were, on the whole, not equal to those shown in former 

 years, the specimens small, and many of them not in full bloom. lu 

 the open class for nine, Messrs. Lane, of Great Berkhampstead, were 

 first with weU-bloomed pyramidal plants about 3 feet high, of President 

 Humann and Murryana ; among the others, which were of much leas 

 size, were Enbens and Duchesse de Nassau, two brilliant -coloured 

 varieties. In the nniserjmen's class for six, Messrs. Lane were again 

 first — President Humann ; Cedo NuUi, purple ; Bride of Abydos, white 

 flaked with rose ; and Minerva were the most noteworthy. Messrs. 

 Dobson, of Isleworth, were second. In the amateurs' class for the 

 same number, Mr. "Wheeler, gardener to Sir F. Goldsmid, Bart., was 

 awarded a second prize. The best single specimen was a remarkably 

 fine example of President Humann, forming a mass of rosy blossom 

 5 feet, or so, in height. 



For six forced Ehododendrons, Messrs. Lane were first with ex- 

 cellentlj -bloomed compact plants of Sir Isaac Newton, purple; Sir 

 Charles Napier, rose, with a fine head of bloom ; Minnie, Leviathan, 

 and Exquisite, blush and white kinds, and Maculatum grandiflorum, 

 rosy purple. Messrs. Standish & Co., of Ascot, took the second prize; 

 Eoseum compactum and Charles Crauham were bright -coloured and 

 free -flowering, though not yet at their best. Miss Brisco appeared to 

 be a good, dark-spotted, white variety. The third prize went to Mr. 

 Woodward, gardener to Mrs. Torr, for plants forming large masses of 

 bloom. For twelve cut trusses, Messrs. Lane were first with fine 

 trusses of richly-eolonred varieties. Equal second prizes were given 

 to Mr. J. Woodward, gardener to Mrs. Torr, Garbrand Hall, Eweil, 

 and to Messrs. Standish & Co. The latter had among others the fine 

 white Rhododendron Aucklandii. 



Prizes were offered for Auriculas, not only by the Society, but also 

 by the recently instituted Metropolitan Floral Society, and the result 

 was a better show of this flower than we have of late had near London. 

 As, however, this part of the Exhibition will be reported on by "D., 

 Deal" it wiU be merely necessary to state here, that for collections of 

 twelve the prizes were awarded to Mr. Turner, of Slough, and Mr. 

 James, gardener to W.F.Watson, Esq., Isleworth ; for sis, to Mr. James 

 and the Eev. H H. Dombrain ; and for twelve Alpines, to Mr. Turner 

 and Mr. James. Mr. Turner likewise exhibited fine collections, both 

 of the Show and Alpine kinds. 



Of Pansies in pots, only one collection was shown. This came from 

 Mr. James, and well deserved the first prize. Rev. H. H. Dombrain, 

 W. B. Spiers, selfs, Robert Bums, and Beauty were excellent. Only 

 one collection of LachenaUas was shown, but that was not deemed 

 worthy of an award. For a basket of spring-flowering plants a second 

 prize was given to Mr. Wheeler, gardener to Sir F. Goldsmid, Bart 

 It contained Dielytra spectabiHs, Primroses, Polyanthuses, Wall- 

 flowers, Tuhps, Pansies, &c. Mr. William Paul offered prizes for the 

 best three plants of Princess Christian Rose, bnt no exhibitor came 

 forward to claim them. 



Prominent among the misceUaneous subjects, which, as usual, were 

 numerous, were splendid groups of Roses, exhibited by Mr. Turner, 

 of Slough, and Messrs. Veitch. The former had a splendid specimen 

 of Marechal Vaillant ; Miss Ingram, fine ; Marie Baumann very fresh 

 and bright, Baroness Rothschild, as well as many others, fine. In 

 Messrs. Veitch's group Princess Mary of Cambridge was very fine, and 

 there were beautifully -flowered examples of La France, Monsieur 

 Noman, Victor Verdier, and Duke of Edinburgh, the whole being ad- 

 mirably bloomed. Messrs. Veitch likewise contributed an interesting 

 group of Acers, as the bronze-leaved and variegated forms of Acer 

 dissectum, Acer polymorphum, and its variety atropurpureum, the 

 latter forming a good contrast with the Hvely green-leaved variety. A 

 mixed group from the same firm contained many fine Orchids, as 

 Dendrobium Wardii, D. Schrcederi, Cypripedium Itevigatum with five 

 spikes, and several flowers on each, Oncidium sarcodes, a fine Vanda 

 cristata, a beautiful plant of Odontoglossum ngevium, and the Lilac- 

 like Epidendrum paniculatnm. In the same group were the handsome 

 variegated Phormium Colensoi and Anthurium Scherzerianum. with 

 veiy large spathes. Mr. Denning, gardener to Lord Londesborough, 

 sent a group of Orchids, in which were remarkably fine specimens of 

 Cattleya SMimeri, the old Phajus Walhchi, and Arpophyllum gigan- 

 teum. Dendrobium Jenkinsi on a block formed a fine orange mass, 

 and of Cypripedium Lowii Mr. Denning had a plant with two branch- 

 ing spikes, each bearing four flowers. 



Mr. Bull contributed a numerous group of Orchids, including Ly- 

 castes, Odontoglossums, Oncidiums, &:c., together with Palms. Messrs. 

 Bollisson, of Tooting, sent a mixed group of flowering stove andgreen- 

 hoose plants and Orchids, with Palms and fine-foh'aged plants. 



Mr. Ware contributed a very extensive group of spring- flowering 



plants admirably bloomed, along with others having variegated foBage. 

 The hlac variety of Primula cortusoides was here very fine. Mr. 

 Osman, gardener to R. Holland, Esq., Stanmore, sent stands of cut 

 Roses, including blooms of Marechal Niel. 



From Mr. Woodward, gardener to Mrs. Torr, Ewell, came a speci- 

 men of Vanda suavis with two fine spikes, also Rhododendron Countess 

 of Haddington in fine bloom ; and from Mr. Stalker, gardener to the 

 Right Hon. G. Hardy, Hemsted Park, Staplehurst, a magnificent 

 specimen of Dendrobium densiflorum. Mr. Wheeler, gardener to Sir 

 F. Goldsmid, Bart., Regent's Park, contributed a group of fine-foliaged 

 and flowering stove and greenhouse plants; and Mr. W. E. Dixon, 

 Norwood Nursery, Beverley, a remarkable group of stove and green- 

 house plants. In this was a splendid specimen of Anthurium Scher- 

 zerianum, and a variety of the same with a duplication of the spathe 

 on the opposite side to that which the true spathe occurs in the ordi- 

 nary form of the species, and perhaps resulting from the partial trans- 

 formation of the spadix, which was of less size. Magnificent specimens 

 of Vanda suavis and Platyeerium giande, together with large and fine 

 plants of Adiantum farleyense, Phomium Colensoi, Palms, Cypri- 

 pedium Lowii, and several Orchids. 



Mr. Turner sent several baskets of Tricolor Pelargoniums ; Mr. 

 James and Mr. Hooper, of Bath, stands of Pansies, the latter also 

 exhibiting Sunshine, a fine free-growing orange-buff-and-brown bedding 

 Pansy. Messrs. Lane exhibited a vei-y extensive group of Rhodo- 

 dendrons, Roses, and forced shrubs, forming a grand mass of bloom ; 

 the Rhododendrons in particular were admirable, being dwarf plants 

 with large heads of blossom. 



To myself personally this was a show of peculiar interest. Amongst 

 my manias for florists' fiowers, I think that perhaps my earUestlove is 

 still my strongest, and much as of late years the Rose and the Gla- 

 diolus have shared my attention, and, perhaps, robbed the Auricula of 

 some of the warmth of devotion I used to feel for it, yet, after all, 

 as the year rolls round I find the old love awakening, and the sight 

 of a stage of Auriculas stirs up feelings that even a rosarium or a 

 bed of Gladiolus fails to do. It may be that difficulty adds something 

 to this feehng. Everybody who has soil suitable can grow the Rose, 

 everybody can make a soil suitable for the Gladiolus ; but the Auri- 

 cula requires patient care and skill, watchfulness all the year round, 

 but I think it amply rewards the cultivator for his pains. I had 

 another point of interest in to-day's Show, it was the first time that 

 the Metropolitan Floral Society had offered prizes, and to see the 

 grand old flower taken up by a new agency was a pleasure indeed. 



The season, I hear on all sides, has been unfavourable to the 

 Auricula. It dehghts in a cool atmosphere, and the intense heat of 

 last summer necessitated such constant watering, that the good was 

 washed out of the soil. The plants had not the vigour they oughti 

 to have had. Very many plants, all the growers tell me, like my own* 

 failed to send up trusses at all, and many that did so contained only 

 two and three pips. The result of this was manifested to-day, for 

 although the Auriculas shown were very fine, yet in some instances 

 the trusses were small ; they were, however, very true to character, and 

 this is a great point as showing what they may be in size. I had a 

 bloom of Ne Plas Ultra on my stage with three pips on it, each 

 of which measured 2 inches across, but then this size was gained at 

 the expense of refinement, and I should no more have dreamed of 

 showing it than of flying, for, say what people wUl, the eye even of 

 those not educated to it, is attracted more by refinement and beauty 

 than size. 



Of the Royal Horticultural Society's prizes for twelve Auriculas 

 (open), the first prize was awarded to Mr. Turner for the following 

 varieties: — Omega (Turner), Colonel Champneys (Turner), Unique, 

 Mrs. Sturrock. Richard Headly, Miss Martin. Morning Star, Miss 

 Giddings (Read), Competitor, Trafalgar, and Galatea. With the ex- 

 ception of Richard Headly I regarded these fiowers as somewhat 

 coarse ; owing, doubtless, to very good feeding, the foUage was splen- 

 did. Mr. James, gardener to F. W. Watson, Esq., Isleworth, was 

 second with a seedling. Meteor Flag, Mrs. Sturrock, Bright Phcebua, 

 Blackbird, Royal Purple, General Bolivar, Mrs. Smith, Mrs. James, 

 Meteor, Alma, and Mayfield. In the clfiss for sixes, amateurs, the 

 first prize was awarded to Mr. James for Bright Phrebus, Mrs. Smith, 

 True Briton, Ne Plus Ultra, Lovely Anne, and Mrs. StuiTock ; the 

 second to the Rev. H. H. Dombrain, Westwell Vicarage, Ashford, 

 Kent, for George Lightbody, Imperator, Duke of Wellington, Hannibal, 

 True Briton, and Conqueror of Europe. 



There was a smart competition for the prizes offered by the Metro- 

 politan Floral Society. The first prize for six varieties, distinct, was 

 awarded to the Rev. H. H. Dombrain for the following : — George 

 Lightbody (very fine). Redwyn's Metropohtan, Martin's Mrs. Sturrock, 

 Traill's Mayflower, Miss Willoughby, and Popplewell's Conqueror. 

 The second was awarded to H. Little, Esq.. Cambridge Villa, Twicken- 

 ham, for Duke of Cambridge, Richard Headly, General Neill, Ne 

 Plus Ultra, Lancashire Hero, and Echpse. In the single class the 

 prizes were as follows : — Green edge : First, Mr. James, for Oliver's 

 Lovely Anne ; second, Mr. Turner, for Traill's Prince of Greens ; and 

 third, Mr. Butcher, for Mrs. Butcher. Grey edges : First to Mr. 

 Turner for Richard Headly; second to Rev. H. H. Dombrain for 

 George Lightbody ; third to Mr. James for Superb. In White edges : 

 The first to Mr. James for Ne Plus Ultra ; the second to Mr. James 

 for Earl Grosvenor ; the third to the Rev. H. H. Dombrain for 



