November 8, 1877. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



363 



Laelia Perrini, Odontoglossum cirrhosum, Co'.ax jugosus, Onci- 

 dium Weltoni, and the charming Indian Crocuses (Pleioaee) 

 "Wallichiana maculata and lagenaria. Stenia fimbriata was 

 singular by its beard-like lip, and Stelia Bruckmulleri by its 

 small triangular-shaped flowers. Cypripediums Sedeni, Schlimii, 

 Arthurianum, inBigne Maulei, selligernra,marmorophyllum, tes- 

 sellatnm, euryandrum, Crossianum, and a new variety, C. cenan- 

 thum, the result of a cross between C. insigne Maulei and 

 C Harrisiauum, a rich maroon, sepals margined with white, 

 proved their great decorative usefulness. Calanthes Veitchii, 

 Sedeni, and vestita rubra were represented in the group. 

 Amongst the Ferns were an elegant specimen of Adiantum 

 speciosum, Lomaria discolor bipinnatifida, Osmunda palustris, 

 and A. Luddemanniana. The Geraniums Heather Bell, At- 

 lanta, Amazon, and Egeria, raised by Dr. Denny, were all ex- 

 cellent. A medal was recommended to be given for the collection. 

 Mr. Ollerhead, gardener to Sir Henry W. Peek, Bart , M.P , 

 Wimbledon House, staged a bright, varied, and beautiful assort- 

 ment of Orchids. ThePieiones were excellently grown. Calan- 

 thes, Cypripediums, Vanda casrulea, Cattleya Dowiana, Dendro- 

 bium formosum giganteum, Odontoglossum Roezli, and Miltonia 

 Morelliana were noticeable in this creditable collection, for 

 which a vote of thankB was worthily awarded. 



From the collection of Sir Trevor Laurence, Bart., M.P., 

 Burford Lodge, Dorking, came a Bplendid example of Oncidium 

 erispum, with six robust spikes and probably three hundred 

 flowers, for which Mr. Spyers, the grower, was deservedly 

 awarded a cultural certificate. 



A remarkably fine example of Vanda casrulea with six spikeB 

 and eighty-nine flowers was exhibited by Mr. Smith, gardener 

 to C. Lane, Esq., Badgemore, Henley-on-Thames. It afforded 

 evidence of superior cultivation, and the Committee recom- 

 mended that a medal be awarded by the Council to Mr. Smith. 

 Mr. B. Parker, Exotic Nursery, Tooting, exhibited an exten- 

 tive and attractive collection of hardy cut flowers. The varieties 

 of Chrysanthemum indicum proved their value as border flowers 

 — notably nanum, silvery white ; Frederick Pete, crimson; Hen- 

 dersonii, yellow; and Scarlet Gem, reddish crimson. Amongst 

 the Asters (Michaelmas Daisies) A. Novss-Anglise, A. spectabilis, 

 A. Novi-Belgii, A. Amellus, and A. laxuB were fine; and the 

 smaller A. ericoides, A. Reevesii, A. discolor, A. pendulns, and 

 A. multiflorus were also very elegant. Budbeckia hirta, Chry- 

 eanthemuni lacuBtre, Tritoma grandis, Schizostylis coccinea, 

 Trollius asiaticus, and Gynerium argentenm album were very 

 striking ; Helleborns niger maxima was extremely fine ; Col- 

 ehicum autumnale flore plenum, rosy lilac ; and C. a. album 

 plenum ; Pansy Queen, creamy white with purple blotch ; 

 Viola Sir Walter Scott, purplish violet; Aponogeton distachyon, 

 very fine ; Physalis Alkekengi (Winter Cherry), and Violet The 

 Czar contributed to this fine November display. A vote of 

 thanks was deservedly recorded by the Committee. 



Mr. Smith, Ealing Dean Nursery, Ealing, sent a collection of 

 Cyclamen perBicum. Some of the flowers were very large and 

 all good. The foliage was well marbled, and an agreeable per- 

 fume pervaded the group. The colours were varied and the 

 collection attractive. A vote of thanks was awarded. 



Mr. Cannell, The Nurseries, Swanley, Kent, sent cut trusses 

 of twenty-four varieties of zonal Pelargoniums quite as fine and 

 as richly coloured as if exhibited in July. Jean d'Arc, pure 

 white; Fairest of the Fair, white, salmon eye; Mrs. Leavers, 

 rich ro6y pink ; Louisa, lilac pink ; David Thomson, crimson ; 

 and The Shah, deep scarlet, were extremely fine. New Life, 

 the remarkable striped variety, was also exhibited. A vote of 

 thanks was awarded. 



Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Sons, Pine Apple Nurserv, Maida 

 Vale, were awarded a vote of thanks for a stand of Japanese 

 Chrysanthemums. Gloire de Toulouse, purplish crimson with 

 white Bpots, is distinct and good ; Harlequin, silvery pink; Ful- 

 gare, rosy pink; B. T. Biggs, crimson scarlet, were the more 

 noteworthy varieties. A vote of thanks was awarded. Mr. 

 Davis, Park Nursery, Plumstead Common, exhibited a stand of 

 incurved Chrysanthemums. Mr. B. Dean was awarded a vote 

 of thankB for Godetia Lady Albemarle grown in a pot; the 

 plant was very dwarf and attractive. 



Primula capitata from the Society's gardens was exhibited. 

 It is a charming species, the leaveB growing close to the sur- 

 face of the pots, the flower trusses being bjrne on farinose 

 stems. The trusses are as globular almost as large heads of 

 clover, colour like mauve; a very charming alpine plant. A 

 first-class certificate was awarded. First-cla6s certificates were 

 also awarded to Messrs. Veitch for a fine Tree Fern, Dickscn : a 

 Berteroana, from Juan Fernandez. It is a stately plant with 

 robust spreading fronds of great subBtance and elegance ; and 

 to Sarracenia Chelsoni, the result of a cross between S. rubra 

 a^d S. purpurea with purplish crimson pitchers. 



BOCCONIA JAPONICA. 



This is one ot our most stately and majestic-looking hardy 

 herbaceous plants, and it is very surprising that in these days | 



of subtropical effects Bocconia japonica has not found a more 

 prominent position. In fact, one may visit a hundred gardens 

 and not see a plant of it ; and recent works on hardy plants 

 have omitted to notice it at all. There is scarcely another 

 hardy herbaceous plant that is so far removed from what is 

 termed a weedy appearance, nor one that has larger or more 

 elegantly pennilobed foliage. In good soil it grows to the 

 height of 6 to 7 feet, producing spikes of elegant creamy-white 

 flowers from 1J to 2 feet long. It lasts a long time in flower, 

 and for centres to large clumps; or back lines there are few 

 more effective plants. It masses by itself, it has much more 

 of a subtropical appearance than many tender plants used for 

 that purpose. No garden should he without this plant. — T. M. 

 (in The Gardener). 



GRAPES CRACKING. 



PiWiiiNENCE has been given to the mysterious subject of 

 Grapes cracking, and I for one consider that both the subject 

 itself and the letter of " J. S. W." are worthy of their position 

 on page 7. I shall await with a little anxiety Mr. W.Taylor's 

 reply, for I think he has found a " foeman worthy of his 3teel," 

 which is not a small compliment, and the reply I am antici- 

 pating cannot fail being instructive. 



"J. S. W." has broached a somewhat new theory of the 

 cracking of Grapes, and his remarks on the juice not issuing 

 out of the split berries are certainly significant. I am inclined 

 to agree with your correspondent that cracking does not neces- 

 sarily result from the " force of sap from within." My reason 

 for this is that the finest crop of Madresfield Court Grape that 

 I ever saw wa3 produced by Vines in great luxuriance, and 

 which received more water at the roots than falls to the lot of 

 Vines generally. There was a great force of sap in the case 

 of these Vines, but much of it was doubtless dealt with by 

 the foliage, which was ample, for the laterals were not all 

 stopped at one joint beyond the bunch, but two or three joints 

 were left according as there was room for the leaves to expand. 

 That, however, was not the sole cau«e of the immunity of the 

 Grapes from cracking, because I have seen other crops which 

 have been similarly treated in respect of summer- pinching 

 ruined by the splitting of the berries, and on the other hand 

 I have seen sound crops under a close system of pinching. It 

 is this — the presence of cracking under various aspects of 

 summer-pinching — that has shaken my confidence in the 

 " inner propulsion " theory. 



When the owner of the Vines in question was advised by the 

 writer to water his borders thoroughly just when the Madres- 

 field Courts were Bhowing colour, he expressed his fear of 

 doing so on account of accelerating the splitting of the 

 berries. The borders, however, were thoroughly watered, and 

 not one berry cracked. The force of sap was, I know, con- 

 siderable, for the berries swelled to a great size, and they 

 coloured admirably. Their colouring may not afford evidence 

 of the great ^propulsion of sap, but the matter is worthy of 

 mention simply because they did colour under the treatment 

 given, and that was not a dry, but a comparatively moist atmo- 

 sphere. I may be wrong, but I have an idea that it is owing to 

 a reasonable degree of atmospherio moisture that prevented 

 the Grapes from splitting. 



I think it is admitted that there is great difference in the 

 skins of different varieties of Grapes. Some are thick, 

 leathery, and opaque ; others thin and transparent. The effect 

 of the atmosphere, too, is different on these different cuticles. 

 Under a very dry air the thick skins appear to turn soft, the 

 thin skins brittle. The subject may, perhaps, be made more 

 clear by a very familiar example afforded by very common 

 material — paper. Thick brown paper when it is very much 

 dried is not necessarily rendered brittle, but thin glossy paper 

 is so brittle that it tears almost by a touch. Are not the skins 

 of GrapeB affected much in the same manner ? I think so, 

 and acted on that thought when I advised' the atmosphere of 

 the house of MadreBfield Courts referred to to be kept mode- 

 rately moist throughout the whole colouring and ripening 

 period. 



Usually the air of vineries is kept moist, in some caseB very 

 much so, when the berries are green, but on the first signs of 

 colour moisture is withheld lest the fruit should not " finish " 

 well. A diminution of moisture at that period may be advis- 

 able, but the sudden withholding of it entirely is another 

 matter, and especially when coupled with what is not at all 

 an uncommon circumstance — increased ventilation. I cannot 

 conceive it sound practice to keep the air of a vinery almost 



