302 



JOURNAL OF HOKTICULTUEE AND COTTAGE GAEDENEE. 



[ AprU 27, 1871. 



likely to produce striking varieties of foliage — perchance also 

 of flowers — as those which he has introduced to the notice of 

 your readers. 



Passionately fond of wild flowers from childhood, I have 

 heretofore been prevented from making experiments such as 

 those suggested by " W. E.," owing to want of space in my 

 little garden allotment. Last year, however, I made a start on 

 a very limited scale, bat the result has been such as to em- 

 bolden me in prosecuting the experiment. 



Geranium columbinum is somewhat scarce in this part of 

 the kingdom (West Cumberland). The species which I have 

 taken into favour are G.lucidum.moUe, sylvaticum, sangnineum, 

 and pratense. Of the last-named I have occasionally met with 

 wild specimens having variegated leaves ; others I have noticed 

 bearing beautiful white flowers, instead of the normal bluish- 

 purple, and I wondered much whether these forms could be 

 reproduced from seed " true to their kinds." 



Sangnineum, from the brilliancy of its flowers, has made its 

 way into many a cottage garden in this locality, having been 

 transplanted from the shores of the Solway Frith, where it 

 may sometimes be met with abundantly ; its bright blossoms 

 forming a striking contrast to the surrounding colours, espe- 

 cially when seen just peeping above the surface of the closely- 

 cropped green sward, level almost as a carpet, its own proper 

 foliage being completely hidden among the grass. — H. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY OF 

 IRELAND'S SPRING EXHIBITION. 

 Theke are drawbacks connected with most of our enjoy- 

 ments, and so with revisiting scenes where one has played a 

 part in times past. It is pleasant to see the old places, to meet 

 friends whom one has known and not seen for years ; but it 

 is a little drawback to be told, "Dear me! how old you are 

 getting ! "Well, I declare, I should never have known you ! " 

 and such like. Bat yet we must be prepared for all this, and 

 after the first brush one becomes accustomed to it, begins to 

 think that a bald head is venerable, and that grey hairs are 

 perhaps preferable to brown. 



I had just had time to pack up my Auriculas on Wednesday 

 at Kensington, see them oft, and then drive as hard as I could 

 to Euston Square and get off to Dublin, where I was to judge 

 at the spring exhibition of the Royal Horticultural Society of 

 Ireland, and the remarks that I have to make are thus made 

 with both exhibitions in my mind. 



The show was held in the gardens attached to the exhibition 

 building, which those liberal citizens of Dublin, the Guinnesses, 

 have purchased in order to secure it as a recreation place for 

 the inhabitants of the city. The plants were all staged in 

 tents, of which there were live, while the building was used as 

 a promenade — an arrangement infinitely better than the old 

 plan of holding shows in the dark gloomy Rotunda, and with 

 the tents in the garden ; still, I cannot but think that a better 

 plan would be to hold the show in the building, with an awning 

 stretched over the plants as at the Crystal Palace. I need not 

 say the arrangement was immeasurably beyond Kensington, 

 for one tent was devoted to greenhou=e plants, &c., another 

 to Azaleas, another to florists' flowers, <t3. ; and I could not 

 but be struck with the immense strides that had been made in 

 plant-growing since my younger days. 



In looking at the plants, as compared with the London shows 

 I could see very little in the Azaleas of inferiority. The large 

 plants were very fine, although in some few cases they were 

 not evenly bloomed ; whether owing to their having been in a 

 house and not sufficiently turned, or being neglected when set 

 out of doors in the summer, I ctnnot say, but there were a 

 few plants tl:a'. exhibited this detect. The smaller plants were 

 perfect and these are to me more pleasing. Amongst other 

 things I may say Roses in pots wei p vary well done, and I have 

 nowhere seen so good a plant of Adinotum farleyense as that 

 exhibited by Mr. Watson, nor a fint An hurium Scherzerianum 

 than that of Capt. Coote. 



Florists' flowers consisted of Hyacinths, Auriculas, Roses, 

 and Pansies. Wilh regard to the first, it was of course much 

 too late, yet a superb set of eighteen was exhibited by Mr. 

 S. M. Tandy, who may be styled the champion Hyacinth grower 

 of Ireland, as he won the cup last year and again this season. 

 He had immense difficulty in keeping them back, and the 

 manner in which the foliage was grown, stiff and upright, did 

 him great credit. Mr. Henry Eoe also exhibited a very fine 

 eighteen, but it is not fair to the Hyacinth to give prizes on 

 April 20th ; and although financially the HyacintU show did 



not succeed last year, yet I cannot but think, if held at the 

 Exhibition Palace, and Cyclamens and a few other spring 

 flowers were added, the experiment would be a success if tried 

 again. The cut blooms of Eoses were very good. I see that 

 here it is allowed to show foliage not belonging to the truss. 

 I cannot say I see the evil of it, and it certainly adds to the 

 appearance of the stand. 



Auriculas, I do not hesitate to say, were far in advance of 

 those exhibited at Kensington ; there were more competitors, 

 and the flowers were better. Here again Mr. Tandy came 

 in first in both classes of eight and four ; some of his flowers 

 were models of good cultivation, while the sorts were those 

 which are also considered on our side to be the best — George 

 Lightbody, Richard Headly, Chapman's Maria, Waterhonse's 

 Conqueror, Lord Clyde, Lancashire Hero, and others. There 

 was an inclination with some growers to grow them too strong, 

 and so get size at the expense of refinement. If any of them 

 should read these lines, will they bear with me it I say this is to 

 be deplored ? I look upon the Du'olin florists as in many things 

 in advance of the metropolitan ones, and do not let them get 

 into the vicious habit which we are endeavouring to correct by 

 our Metropolitan Floral Society. Pansies were very indifferent ; 

 badly grown, and badly set up. 



On the whole, I think the Dublin folks are to be congratulated 

 on the advance that they have made in plant and flower culture, 

 while whatever difference of opinion might exist as to the 

 relative merits of the two cities in floriculture, there is one 

 point in which Dublin holds, as it has ever done, its pre-emi- 

 nence : if one turned from the tents to the promenade, there 

 was no difficulty in seeing that in the beauty of the fair sex 

 Kensington could not for one moment bear the comparison. 



I have finally to thank many lovers of flowers who only know 

 me by name for their hearty welcome, and had I the time it 

 would have been no difficult matter to have made out my sum- 

 mer amongst the invitations showered upon me. — D., Deal. 



ROSES. 



My experience of the effect of the last severe winter on the 

 wood of Eoses is the same as Mr. Peach's. The old and very 

 strong wood was destroyed, and the green twigs were compara- 

 tively unharmed. The plants look well at present, and are in 

 forward and abundant bud. 



As no one has answered Mr. Peach's question about Souvenir 

 de Poiteau, I give my experience of it. I had only one little 

 plant of it, about 10 inches high, in a pot. It produced seven 

 or eight very nice blooms, presenting a level appearance, wilh 

 nicely-arranged petals. At the fall I received two fine plants 

 on the Manetti stock which testified its vigorous growth : hence 

 I recommended it. 



I have not bloomed the following, but they look very pro- 

 mising — viz., Comtesse d'Oxford, Paul Neron, Madame W. 

 Paul (Moss), and Abbe Giraudier. The growth, foliage, and 

 buds of the first are fine. In due time I shall be able to speak 

 of these and others. Louis Van Houtte, if it is a good grower, 

 is very choice. I think Mdlle. Eugenia Terdier, very sub- 

 stantial in the petals, will be one of the best of the new light- 

 coloured ones. It is a good grower, and free bloomer. — 

 W. F. Eadclytfe. 



TRAPPING -WOODLICE— EFFECTS OF LAST 

 WINTERS FROSTS. 



About twelve months ago some one wrote in " our Journal " 

 to say that a bell-glass plunged in soil up to the rim, with a 

 sliced potato at the bottom, was a good trap for woodlice. I 

 have to thank the writer for the information. I have at the 

 present time, in a hotbed, some hundreds crawling about in 

 the bell-glass. They cannot get out if the inside of the glass 

 is clean. My pans used to be nearly cleared of the seedlings, 

 now they are not injured by the woodlice. 



The sharpest frost we had here (near WaUingford) was on 

 the night of the 2ithof December, the thermometer (Negretti's) 

 on a south wall, at 4 feet from the ground, went down to only 

 5° above zero. 



Broocohs laid down were all killed. They were Snow's 

 Winter, Chappel's Cream, and Wilcove Late. Portugal Cab- 

 bages, which I thought the most tender of the tribe, were un- 

 injured, while Savoys adjoining, with firm heads, were destroyed. 

 Those partly closed were uniujured. Brussels Sprouts and Buda 

 Kale were not injured. Cauliflowers under hand-lights covered 

 with straw were all killed. Some of the same potted and in a 



