76 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ July 26, 1877. 



made seven out of it. A. pulcherrima rubra is a distinct free- 

 blooming sort, and worthy of attention. A. pyrenaica is a 

 dwarf alpine variety, but in my opinion not so good as those I 

 have named, and never flowered freely with me. A. chrysantha 

 is a great beauty, and blooms later than any other I know, 

 flowering very profusely. I have a plant of it with at least 

 150 flowers on it in all stages, and it has been blooming for 

 ten days and will continue till the middle of August ; it is 

 nearly 5 feet in circumference and grows 2 feet high. It is 

 the beat plant I ever saw of it, and has not any attention 

 beyond a good soaking of water in dry weather. The colour 

 is yellow. I consider it the most interesting Columbine I have 

 seen. I saw a seedling named A. trinityensis at the Eose 

 Show in Edinburgh last week which had a firBt-dass certifi- 

 cate ; it resembles a variety of A. casrulea in form, but is yellow 

 in colour. — J. Addison, Ormiston, Edinburgh. 



TWO-DAYS SHOWS— FIXTUEES. 



Had the late Show of Eoses at the Westminster Aquarium 

 been a special show of that flower it would not have been sup- 

 ported so well as it was by rosarians. They know that two- 

 days Eose shows only bring disgrace on a beautiful flower, 

 for the Eose on the second day is as ugly as a Eose can be, 

 hence the almost unanimously expressed wish that Eose shows 

 be limited to " one day only." That is a principle that has 

 been adopted by the National Eose Society, the influence of 

 which has been sufficiently powerful during the first year of 

 its existence almost, or quite, to " stamp-out " the plague of 

 two-days shows. But Eoses were exhibited at the Aquarium 

 as subsidiary to the Carnations, the Eose Bection having been 

 a mere adjunct of the National Carnation Society's Southern 

 Show. 



No doubt the Aquarium Company had good reasons for con- 

 tinuing the Show for two days. In all probability the returns 

 on one day would not have compensated for the cOBt that had 

 been incurred, and it is not in human nature to " lose money " 

 if the loss can be averted. No doubt also it was considered 

 that Carnations would continue fresh and attractive during 

 two days, and that a shadow of beauty would remain with the 

 Roses. Generally Carnations keep well in water, but the Show 

 of last week proved that they will not keep at the Aquarium. 

 The Show of these flowers was on the first day a gratifying 

 success, but on the second day it was a miserable failure. The 

 gas-lighted and vitiated atmosphere of the structure makes it 

 a very charnel house for flowers. The condition of the plants 

 tell how destructive the building is to vegetation. It is no 

 longer a " garden," neither can it be made one, except by 

 introducing fresh plants almost daily; and as to cut flowers, 

 the very breath of the place during a few hours of gaslight is 

 deadly poison. 



Flower shows in Buch a placo can only be made successful by 

 adapting them to circumstances. There have been two two-days 

 RoBe shows, and the results were the same in both instances — 

 namely, the Roses on the second day withered and dying, and 

 many visitors consequently disappointed and grumbling. It is 

 to be hoped that we have seen the last of such Bhows in the 

 Aquarium. The Carnations on the second day were, to the 

 surprise of many and the disappointment of not a few, almoBt 

 or quite as unsightly as were the Eoses. It is to be hoped that 

 the first failure (the second day's failure) will be the last, and 

 that no move two-days Carnation shows will be seen in the 

 building. Exhibiting flowers when in such a miserable state 

 can only do harm by bringing both flowers and exhibitors into 

 popular disrepute. 



Admitting that it is necessary to continue an exhibition 

 such as the one alluded to for two days, would it not be far 

 more satisfactory to have the Carnation treat on one day and 

 the Eose feast the next ? The Carnation Society has proved 

 itself strong enough to produce a show of considerable extent 

 and undeniably attractive ; is it not Btrong enough to Btand 

 alone ? At any rate, if it needs a prop let it be of plants or 

 fruit — Covent Garden commodities ; anything but Roses. The 

 Eose is worthy of a better position. Let the Carnations come 

 on the first day and the Eoses on the second, and the public 

 will come in as great numbers as if both were shown together 

 and half the time in a miserable state, and will return much 

 better satisfied than if they had inspected faded and unattrac- 

 tive flowers. Is not this proposition worthy of consideration 

 and discussion ? What do the exhibitors say ? 



The question of Bhow fixtures is alBO a matter of some im- 

 portance, and especially Rose-show fixtures. It is compulsory 



that many shows must be held during an extremely limited 

 period, and their dates cannot be arranged with advantage 

 unless arranged systematically. 



Every Rose show of importance requires the presence of the 

 great growers to make it successful ; but even they, great as 

 are their resources, cannot be in two or three places at once, 

 nor can they cut to advantage and travel with reasonable 

 comfort without a day occurring between the shows. A very 

 practical rosarian and great exhibitor remarked at one of the 

 meetings that his firm could show oftener and better if the 

 shows were systematically arranged, and he thought that the 

 Committee of the National Rose Society might do much in 

 co-operation with committees of local affiliated societies in 

 preventing such a crowding of shows and a clashing of dates 

 as not unfrequently occur. The holding of two shows in 

 which so many people have an identity of interest on the 

 same day cannot but do injury to both. Common prudence 

 suggests the desirability of keeping clear of collisions by every 

 possible means. The holding of two shows on the same day 

 is akin to running two trains in opposite directions on the 

 same line of rails. The result is a collision and disaster to 

 both. 



It is not to be expected that any particular day can suit any 

 particular individual ; that is not the question. The indi- 

 vidual must stand aside if he is an impediment to the general 

 community. No day can be mentioned for a show to which 

 objection cannot be urged. Not long ago I heard complaint 

 that a show in a certain place on a Tuesday was too near 

 Sunday, yet in the same week all the chief nurserymen were 

 exhibiting some distance from London on a Saturday. 



Saturday does not appear to be an unsuitable day for a Rose 

 Bhow at least ; at any rate some of the best shows have been 

 held on that day. It is a popular day. Why, then, should 

 not Tuesdays and Thursdays be popular also? That would 

 bring in three days of each week and one day between each for 

 preparation, advantages which cannot be secured by any other 

 arrangement — that is, of course, applying the days to districts 

 where the same exhibitors have a chance of meeting. 



Under some such system of arrangement I think the Rose 

 shows would be better — better for societies, exhibitors, and 

 judges. Would it not be advisable for the Committee of the 

 National Rose Society to have a voice in the selection of show 

 days of such societies as are in amalgamation? Rosarians, 

 consider the matter. — Ex-Exhibitob. 



BEAUTY OF OXTON PELARGONIUM SPOKTS. 



I sexd you two blooms of Pelargoniums. The semi-double 

 one is taken from an old plant of Beauty of Oxton. Last 

 season, wishing to increase our stock of this variety, we took 

 some cuttings from the roots of this plant, and had the labels 

 marked " Stock" in order to keep them from being sold. On 

 looking through our stock plants we found the enclosed bloom, 

 which is quite dissimilar to any other variety we have, grow- 

 ing on a plant marked Beauty of Oxton, and on further ex- 

 amination found another plant which had sported in a similar 

 manner. Can any of your readers say whether they have 

 found the same thing occur from propagating from the roots 

 of Pelargoniums ? Those cuttings taken in the ordinary way 

 are quite true, but these are not only sports in flower but also 

 in foliage. As you know, the foliage of the semi-double Pelar- 

 goniums is somewhat crimped at the edges, whilst this is per- 

 fectly flat like any ordinary show Pelargonium. — Alfred H. 

 Peaeson, Cliilwcll. 



[The flower of Beauty of Oxton is true ; the other is a flower 

 of a plain, not crimped leaved, French Pelargonium, quite 

 UDlike Beauty of Oxton. We had previously heard that some 

 of the " regal " Pelargoniums do not come true if propagated 

 by the roots, and shall be glad to have further information on 

 the subject. — Eds.j 



ECONOMY IN FUEL. 



I have no doubt that it has often occurred to persons when 

 they have seen the glow from the furnaces at night that a 

 large amount of heat must pass off unutilised into the atmo- 

 sphere. In all probability half passes off in this way, and 

 where coals coat 30s. a ton any plan to reduce the consump- 

 tion to one-half would suit the pockets of some people. I 

 need not enter into the different plans I tried before I dis- 

 covered one to prevent the heat passing out of the flue. I 

 had 60 feet of iron tube of 1 inch in diameter (inside measure- 



