AprU 20, 1871. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



287 



Catharma. In Selfs: The first to Mr. Tamer for Bessie Bell; se- 

 cond to Mr. James for Mrs. Smith ; and third to Rev. H. H. Dombrain 

 for Pizarro. There were also some very beautiful Alpine Auriculas 

 exhibited by Mr. Turner and Mr. James. Some of the newer va- 

 rieties exhibited by the former gentleman showed a great advance 

 in form, size, and colour. I must leave others to tell of the other 

 features of the Show, and can only hope that as the Metropolitan 

 Floral Society has made a good commencement, so it may be en- 

 couraged to proceed, and that at another spring show we may see an 

 accession of exhibitors. — D., Deal. 



Fruit CoMatiTTEE. — G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. Mr. 

 Cadger, The Gardens, Luton Hoo, sent fruit of the seedling Cucumber 

 exhibited at last meeting, in a younger state than those last sent. The 

 Committee named it Luton Hoo, and awarded it a first-class certificate. 

 Mr. Turner, of Slough, sent a plant of his Prolific Black Spine Cucum- 

 ber in a pot. The plant was only a yard high, and had seven good 

 fruits upon it. It was awarded a special certificate. Mr. Rendle sent 

 specimens of Endive and Lettuce grown under his plant protectors at 

 Belvoir ; members of the Committee remarted that chey had better 

 examples grown iu the open air without protection. Mr. Barron 

 brought from Chiswicb specimens of Dandelion of the selected stock 

 obtained by the late Madame Vilmorin of Paris. One was named Cceur 

 plein, and the other Broad-leaved. They were very large, and pro- 

 duced a great profusion of leaf and root. Mr. C. M. McCrow, the 

 Gardens, Nash Court, Faversham, sent two Queen Pines, produced on 

 plants two years old from the sucker, each weighing 4 lbs. They were 

 awarded a special certificate. 



Mr. C. Osman, The Gardens, Stanmore Hall, sent a dish of Straw- 

 berries, and Mr. Stalker, of Hemsted Park, Staplehurst, sent a dish 

 of good Keens' Seedling. Mr. Rivers, of Sawbridgeworth, sent shoots 

 of Apricots from an orchard house densely set with fruit, and also a 

 collection of March an<l April Apples in very sound condition. The 

 Spring Ribston was a little past in flavour, but sound in fl.esh. Rei- 

 nette du Canada was more highly flavonred, and equally sound ; 

 Duke of Devonshire very rich ; Brownlees' Russet very tender in 

 flesh, and with a fine brisk flavour. Cornish Aromatic was rich and 

 tender; Newtown Pippin very firm, juicy, and of excellent flavour. 

 Sturmer Pippin was equally firm and juicy, and rather acid ; Clay- 

 gate Pearmain very good. Lord Bnvgbley was high-coloured and 

 handsome, very solid and firm, with a fine flavour; Manuington's 

 Pearmain tender-fleshed, a little past, but with good flavour ; Allen's 

 Everlasting, an excellent Apple, firm, and full of juice, with a delicate 

 flesh, and fine flavour ; Melon Apple, rather woolly and past. Brad- 

 dick's Nonpareil was flat and tasteless; Reinette de Friesland, a fine, 

 fresh, briskly- flavoured Apple. A collection of very handsome and 

 well-kept kitchen Apples was also exhibited. A special certificate was 

 awarded to each collection. Mr. Rivers also sent three dishes of 

 large and well-coloured Uvedale's St. Germain Pears equal in 

 colour to those nsuallv imported under the name of Belle Angevine. 



Mr. Gardiner, of Lower Eatington Park, Stratford-on-Avon, sent a 

 collection of thirty-four varieties of Apples all named, to which a 

 special certificate was awarded. 



Floral Coicmittee. — Mr. J. Fraser in the chair, On this occa- 

 sion the novelties were not very numerous. Foremost among them 

 was Cjpripedium niveum from Mr. G. Ward, gardener to D. Berring- 

 ton, Esq., Pant -y- Goitre, Abergavenny. This was remarkable in every 

 sense — remarkable for its free flowering, one of the specimens having 

 ten flowers, which from the compactness of the plant formed quite a 

 close mass of flowers, and remarkable from its entire distinctness of 

 colour from any other Ladies' Slipper which we know, being pure 

 white, with some faint dottings of purple, externally more marked, 

 and with delicate lemon blotches in the lip. This received a first- 

 class certificate. A like award was made to Mr. Denning, gardener to 

 Lord Londesborough for Odontoglossum odoratum, yellow, spotted 

 with brown, not, however, remarkable for its beauty. He also exhi- 

 bited a Sarcopodium from Rangoon, with a large showy flower, buff 

 lined longitudinally with crimson, and a pretty lilac variety of Epiden- 

 drum ibaguense. 



Mr. Dixon, nurseryman, Beverley, received a first-class certificate 

 for his singular variety of Anthurium Scherzerianum named Dixoni, 

 which has been already noticed ; and similar awards were made to 

 Messrs. Veitch for Acer japonicura disaectum and ornatum, two beau- 

 tiful-leaved varieties shown also in a collection previously noticed. 

 Mr. Fairbairn, gardener to J. Noakes, Esq., Lewisham, sent seedling 

 Rhododendron The Bride, with large pure white flowers, apparently a 

 hybrid raised from some of the Indian species. This had a first-class 

 certificate and promises to be an acquisition. Mr. Chambers, gar- 

 dener to J. Lawrence, Esq., Beddington, had special certificates for 

 cut blooms of Rhododendrons Dalhousiie and Beaumontia grandiflora, 

 the large white flowers of the latter being especially beautiful, though 

 those of the former were not considered to equal the Mnd figured by 

 Dr. Hooker. 



Mr. Turner, of Slough, had first-class certificates for Tea Rose 

 Belle Lyonnaise, a seedling from Gloire de Dijon, to which it bears 

 considerable resemblance, but, as shown, of finer form and rather dif- 

 ferent in colour ; and for Alpine Auriculas Sultan and Marquis of 

 Westminster, reddish maroon, of tine form. A splendid scarlet Pink 

 called Princess Louise, from Mr. W. Lee, also received a first-class 



certificate. This was shown at the previous meeting, but not equally 

 fine._ Mr. Stalker, gardener to the Right Hon. G. Hardy, M.P., had a 

 special certificate for his specimen of Dendrobium densiflorum alreadv 

 noticed; and Mr. Williams, Holloway, for a group of Orchids, Palms. 

 &c. In this was Restrepia antennifera, a singular and pretty little 

 insect-like Orchid. For Maxillaria lute o- grandiflora in another col- 

 lection from the same exhibitor a first-class certificate was awarded. 

 The flowers are brownish yellow, purple, and white, and more efiective 

 than those of many of the genus. Mr. Williams also exhibited Ama- 

 ryUids and Palms, which must be seen again. 



Mr. Bull had a first-class certificate for Azalea Marvel with small 

 magenta flowers. M. Van Houtte, of Ghent, sent a beautiful collec- 

 tion of new Indian Azaleas, admirably grown and flowered, and very 

 striking, though deficient in some qualities These were much ad- 

 mired, and the task of selection was diflicult. The Committee gave 

 first-class certificates to Marquis of Lorne, salmon red; Comtesse de 

 Beaufort, rosy crimson, with a dark crimson blotch in the upper petals ; 

 Alice, a fine semi-double, bright rosy crimson; President de Ghel- 

 linck de Warlle, semi-double, rosy crimson ; and George Loddiges, 

 salmon red, with a large deep crimson blotch. 



Of other subjects shown there were Ferns planted on and in im- 

 ported stems of Tree Ferns, from Mr. Woodward, Ewell, after the 

 manner pursued at the establishments of Messrs. Veitch and Mr. 

 Williams ; seedling Zonal Pelargoniums from Mr. Peeke, nurseryman, 

 Tunbridge Wells ; and a white variety of Azalea pontica from Mr. 

 Tanton, of Epsom. Azalea obtnsa, from Mr. Woodward, formed a 

 pretty pyramid of red blossom. 



General Meeting. — W. Marshall, Esq., in the chair. After the 

 election of twenty-two new members the awards of the Committees 

 were announced by the Rev. M. J. Berkeley and Mr. Wilson, Chair- 

 man of the Fruit Committee. 



The Rev. M. J. Berkeley then said the Rev. Mr. Ellacombe, of 

 Bitterne Vicarage, Bath, had sent a most interesting collection, al- 

 though it was rather late in the season for that neighbourhood ; others 

 had come from Mr. Moore at Chelsea, and Mrs. Lloyd Wynne. Mr. 

 Berkeley then remarked that Helleborus lividus and orientalis, of 

 which examples were produced, were good plants for shrubberies and 

 planting among low trees, and that H. fo&tidns was also so, though 

 formerly, where plentiful in Northamptonshire, it had been everywhere 

 grubbed up. He also exhibited a spike of Ornithogalum nutans. 

 This he said was commonly admitted, when its shoots weie pushing, 

 to the markets at Bath as Asparagus, for which it formed a very good 

 substitute. He next referred to a very important communication from 

 Mr. Alfred Smee, respecting the heating of horticultural structures. 

 In this Mr. Smee stated that a double circulation of water could be 

 established in one pipe, which could, therefore, be made at once a flow 

 and return ; that such circulation was rapid, provided the flow were 

 carried in at the top of the circulation pipe, the return at the bottom, 

 but not so as to cross each other ; that he had tested this system in 

 the case of a frame, and found it very successful ; and that on patting 

 the question to Mr. Easton, the eminent engineer, whether such a 

 thing had been done, the latter answered that it had by one of his 

 pupils, and much to his (Mr. Easton's) surprise it had worked well. 

 Mr. Berkeley again produced a Morel which had been sent to him, 

 and said this fungus appeared to be more than usually common this 

 season, and concluded by calling attention to the fact that this year the 

 Vines at Melbourne had been atiacked to a frightful extent by a disease 

 closely resembling that which occurs on the Peaches and Nectarines 

 in Kent, and which, like it, seems entirely due to climatic influences. 



Mr. Bateman having made a few remarks on the subject of the 

 bazaar, and stated that Lord Londesborough had devoted the flowers 

 of his Orchids in aid of the fund for the French, the proceedings closed 

 with the announcement that the next meeting would be held on May 5th. 



LIFTING BROCCOLI IN THE AUTUMN. 



It appears that there are various opinions about the efficacy 

 of this operation, some asserting that they derive no benefit 

 from it, and one writer affirming that it is positively injurious. 

 My own experience is quite opposed to this. I grow upwards 

 of 12,000 plants every winter, and I regret to say that there 

 are not more than 2000 saved. Owing to our comparative 

 immunity from frosts during the recent winters, I neglected 

 lifting Broccoli, except on a small scale, and the results were 

 such as to leave no doubt in my mind as to its efficacy. I had 

 about one thousand plants of Backhouse's Winter Broccoli ; 

 one half I had transplanted, the other half were allowed to 

 stand. Out of those which stood not one escaped, whilst of 

 those that were laid-in only about ten per cent, succumbed. 

 These I have been cutting for two months. This is a useful 

 variety, and when it can be had true, is one of the beat of 

 winter Broecolis. My other sorts were not laid in, and of these 

 Dilcock's Bride stood the best ; Penzance and Ambler's Early 

 went entirely ; Richmond Late White stood next best. Curled 

 Kale and Brussels Sprouts were not in the least injured. 



The prevailing opinion is, that inclining the plants towards 



