370 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ November 8, 1877. 



very beautiful in bud, extremely charming. Tenth I would 

 mention Soupert et Notting, a Perpetual Moss; there are so 

 few good Mosses, and this is very sweet, very double, and one 

 thoroughly to be recommended. Eleventh must come Monsieur 

 Etienne Levet, a fine crimson Rose, as good as possible of its 

 class, and blooming this September grandly. Twelfth, for Sir 

 Garnet Wolseley must be included in the dozen St. John's 

 Nursery Roses that particularly struck my eye ; he, the 

 military-named Rose, Ehowedup well. Thirteenth — but hold ! 

 I spoke of a dozen picked Roses ; but there is such a thing as 

 a " baker's dozen." Go into the first country parsonage you 

 come to, and I warrant you will find " a baker's dozen of curly 

 heads ; " so still I say thirteenth Souvenir de Spa, the colour 

 of Eugene Appert, but, unlike that velvety Rose, very full and 

 globular, Such I would give as a short bat very charming 

 selection. Of course there were hundreds of others. Reynolds 

 Hole I noticed, perhaps still the best of dark Roses ; and Presi- 

 dent Thiers, a Rose which will help to a recent great states- 

 man's name in our memories. 



The Rose quarter at St. John's fairly surprised me, for I did 

 not know that Mr. Smith gave so much attention to that 

 flower, or so much room — 12 acres to one flower. One seemed 

 fairly Burrounded by an array of Roses of all classes. Some 

 for the Scotch markets, where very high standards are b?st 

 liked, down to the lowest, the most being worked on the 

 Manetti stock. — Wiltshire Rectob. 



THE VEITCH MEMORIAL FUND. 

 The Trustees of the Veitch Memorial Fu*id have not during 

 the past year offered any prizes at horticultural exhibitions, 

 and the consequence is that they find themselves with a con- 

 siderable balance in their favour, which enables them to make 

 their trust more widely useful, and consequently to keep up 

 ■greater interest in the memory of Mr. Veitch. They have 

 decided this year to offer ten prizes, consisting of a Veitch 

 commemoration medal and £5 each, to be given at ten pro- 

 vincial exhibitions as follows : — 



Belfast. — For twelve new Eoses, cut blooms, sent out since 1873, inclusive. 



Brighton. — One bridal and one ball bouquet. 



Clay Cross. — One dish of Peaches, one ditto Nectarines. 



Dublin. — Three bunches of Muscat of Alexandria Grapes. 



Exeter —Collection of twelve vegetables, dis'inct. 



Hereford. — Twelve new Eoses, cut blooms, sent out since 1873, inclusive. 



Manchester. — Specimen Orchid. 



Heading. — Three stove or greenhouse plants. 



Woodbridge. — Three stove or greenhouse plants. 



Yofin. — Three bunches of Blactc Hamburgh Grapes. 



We highly commend this way of diffusing horticultural 

 interest by means of this excellent fund. 



IN THE NORTH.— No. 4. 



GLASGOW. 



The Botanic Gardens I only hurriedly passed through, 

 but I saw sufficient to make me ask my friend who went 

 through them with me, Cannot the wealthy citizens of Glasgow 

 afford something better in the way of glass ? We all know 

 what an excellent Curator they have in Mr. Bullen, but all the 

 curators in the world cannot fight against badly constructed 

 and dilapidated houses. The new nursery grounds of Messrs. 

 J. & W. Thynne in the same suburb (Hillside) show that great 

 care and skill are exercised in the management of the concern. 

 Mr. McCullum, so well known to the frequenters of the Man- 

 chester shows, is doing much for it ; and as the extension of 

 building is going on conside-ably in that direction, each year 

 will add to its importance. The houses were full of good 

 plants in excellent health, but it would be needless to parti- 

 cularise where all is well managed. 



On my way to Mr. A. B. Stewart at Rawcliffe Lodge I had 

 to pass through Queen's Park, which comprises an elevated 

 position from whence a good view of the city is obtained, and 

 is carefully and tastefully laid out. It is in such places that 

 ribbon bordering, carpet and embossed bedding, and eub-tro- 

 pical gardening are in place. They give a blaze of colour and 

 make a grand effect. They are in perfection when the people 

 are moBt likely to frequent them, and the emptiness of the 

 beds in winter and spriDg is not of so much consequence. One 

 long ribbon border stretching the whole length of the terrace 

 particularly struck me. It was composed of 1, yellow Pansies ; 

 2, dwarf scarlet Tropfeolum; 3, white Pansy and variegated 

 Grass ; and the centre blue Pansy. Such a ribbon in the 

 south would be a dangerous experiment, but in this cool and 



moist climate Pansies and Violas succeed to a degree that 

 would astonish most southerners. 



Mr. Stewart is well known as one of the most . successful 

 plant exhibitors in Scotland and the north of England, second 

 only to Mr. Shuttleworth of Preston; and therefore one was 

 quite prepared to find under the experienced care of his intel- 

 ligent gardener Mr. Todd a grand collection of plants, and in 

 this and its varied character I was not disappointed, while 

 every arrangement was made for the well-being of the men 

 employed. There is a capital working shed and an excellent 

 reading room, with 3 good library of books both for instruction 

 and amusement. There was a very nice collection of the 

 Filmy Ferns, including some rare species of Trichomanes and 

 Hymenopbyllum, and some fine specimens of Todea ; amongst 

 them were fine specimens of T. Bauerianum, T. Lusehnah- 

 anum, T. nitidum, T. trichoideum, T. reniforme, T. superba 

 and pellncida. Adjoining this was a small house contain- 

 ing some fine healthy specimens of Nepenthes and Ixoras. 

 In the large Orchid house was a fine collection of Orchids and 

 some choice stove Palms ; amongst them Brahea filamentosa 

 with its curious white filaments, Phoenix, and Stewartii. 

 Oneidium Rogersii waB very fine, as was also Odontoglossum 

 vexillarium with six fine growths upon it, giving promise of 

 great beauty. Bertolonia Van Houttei was also very fine. The 

 Azalea house contained some grand specimens, and Heaths 

 were cultivated with great care. Amongst them were some 

 fine plants of Ericas Mutabilis, Shannoni Ventricosa grandi- 

 flora and Eppsii, Massoni, &e , making one hope for a time 

 when they might once more be in favour. Countess of Had- 

 dington Rhododendron was also very fine, and so were soma 

 of the Tree Ferns. I have seldom seen Ouvirandra fenestralis 

 better done; the leaves were broad, and the latticing so very 

 clear and well defined. The Camellias were a marvel of good 

 cultivation. The plants were all planted out, and when in 

 full bloom and about four thousand flowers out it must have 

 been a grand sight. In this house was a plant of Eucalyptus 

 globulus which had very soon outgrown the place allotted to 

 it. The conservatory was exceedingly well arranged, and one 

 part of it made into an artificial rockery with Ferns planted 

 amongst it was very taking, and a long corridor with a fountain 

 at the end and reflecting glasses was very beautiful. There 

 were no fruit houses, as Mr. Stewart has a lovely place, Ossory 

 Hall in the Isle of Bute, where this is grown, Rawcliffe Lodge 

 being entirely devoted to flowers ; and under the able super- 

 intendence of Mr. Todd there is no doubt that the good report 

 which it has already obtained as the home of many valuable 

 plants will be fully maintained. — D., Deal. 



NEW BOOK. 



The Fern World. By Francis George Heath. London : 

 Sampson Low & Co., 188, Fleet Street. 



Encouraged by the success of smaller works on Ferns, " The 

 Fern Paradise," and " A Plea for the Culture of Ferns," the 

 author has produced the present volume. He has chosen a 

 comprehensive title, and has written an agreeable book. His 

 subject is popularly treated, the object, as stated, having been 

 to " inculcate a love for the study of Nature." The volume 

 contains chapters on Fern-hunting, descriptions of " Fern 

 Land," with notes on the distribution and culture of British 

 Fi-rns. It is illustrated with views of Fern scenes in Devon- 

 shire, and the more familiar species of hardy Ferns are repre- 

 sented by coloured figures, which are sufficiently well executed 

 to be recognisable. Here we observe a serious mistake : The 

 letterpress facing plate 3 would convey the impression that the 

 Royal Fern and Hay-scented Buckler Fern are thei-e repre- 

 sented ; No. 1, however, on the plate is Atbyrium Filix-feemina, 

 and No. 2 Lastrea Filix-mas. An extract from the chapter on 

 Fern-collecting will sufficiently Bhow the nature of the work. 



"Ferns may be freely taken up at any time. Where a Fern- 

 collecting tour is elecided on the collector should be provided 

 with a small garden fork, a stout chisel, a hammer, a strong 

 clasped knife, a trowel, and a covered basket made either of 

 rush or wicker, or other receptacle for carrying the Ferns. 

 Nothing so much promotes the rapid recovery of a plant after 

 removal as the exercise of great care in getting up the entire 

 mass of roots and rootlets. It must be remembered that it has 

 often taken the rootstock a long time to develope its network of 

 rootlets, which as they grew have penetrated into all the Bur- 

 rounding interstices of the soil or rock from which the plant 

 derives its sustenance. If, therefore, the work of months is 

 ruthlessly undone in a moment by the thoughtless tearing-up of 

 the plant without its maBS of root-feeders, it cannot be expected 



