150 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



t Angus* 22, 1872. 



elude Carter's Champion Runners. The first prize went to Mr. 

 C. Ross, gardener to C. Eyre, Esq.., Welford, for Sir J. Paxton, 

 Negro, and "White Dutch and Champion Runners — the last- 

 named not so long by 2 inches as -see have seen them. The 

 second prize went to Mr. Frishy, gardener to H. Chaplin, Esq., 

 Blankney Hall, Sleaford, for very good pods; whilst Mr. Lums- 

 den, Bloxholni Hall Gardens, ceded to none in the quality for 

 culinary purposes of the pods he exhibited, for they were crisp, 

 just as a Kidney Bean should be. 



Floral Committee. — W. Marshall, Esq., in the chair. From 

 Mr. Wilson, Mr. Marshall's gardener, Clay Hill, Enfield, came 

 Lffllia elegans Marshall^, darker than the usual form ; it received 

 a first-class certificate. Mr. Eckford, gardener to Earl Eadnor, 

 Coleshill, sent stands of seedling Verbenas, of which Memorial, 

 purple, and Mrs. Lewington, shaded rose, were very fine. 

 From Mr. Keynes, Salisbury, came stands of new Dahlias. 

 First-class certificates were awarded for James Service, dark 

 maroon, very fine both in shape and colour ; for the Rev. J. M. 

 Camm, large, yellow flaked with red ; for Ne Plus Ultra, pale 

 lilac, very pretty; second-class certificates for Lucy Fawcett, 

 milk white, slightly tipped in some of the florets with purple, 

 and for Mr. Sinclair, rose tipped with purple. 



First-class certificates were awarded to Messrs. Kelway for 

 the following varieties of Gladiolus — namely, Lamirus, salmon, 

 scarlet, and white ; Oreus ; Helores, white and lilac ; Osci, 

 magenta and cream colour ; Grandeur ; Lycoris, orange streaked 

 with crimson, and in the lower segments marked with white. 

 Mr. Douglas had first-class certificates for Rosy Morn, white 

 ground, veined, and suffused with rosy purple; Gwendoline 

 Morgan, purplish rose and cream colour; and Day Dream, 

 salmon scarlet arid white, with a slight purple feather. 



Messrs. Veitch sent a fine group of Orchids, including On- 

 cidium macranthum, Dendrohiumchrysotis, and Mesospinidium 

 vulcanicum ; also a group of Amaranthus salicifolius lifted from 

 the open ground, and fully justifying the high opinions which 

 have been entertained of it. Messrs. Rollisson, Tooting, ex- 

 hibited a white-flowered Saceolabinm, which proved to be 

 S. Wightianum album, seemingly a desirable addition to. this 

 family of Orchids; and Mr. Laurence, gardener to Bishop Sum- 

 ner, a species of Oncidium from New Grenada, with a spike 

 10 feet in length, also a good specimen of Acineta Hnmboldtii. 



By far the finest specimen exhibited was, however, a plant of 

 Nepenthes Rafflesiana from Mr. Baines, gardener to H. Micholls, 

 Esq., Southgate, and which was, indeed, a magnificent example 

 of that noble Pitcher Plant. It had no less than fifty pitchers, 

 of which forty-seven were fully developed. It was awarded a 

 well-deserved cultural commendation. Similar commendations 

 were also given to Mr. J. J. Chafer's Zinnias, and Mr. W. 

 Chafer's Hollyhocks. Mr. J. J. Chater sent a cross-bred Ever- 

 lasting Pea, white streaked with rose colour, also seedling 

 Verbenas. Mr. G. Smith, Tollington Nursery, Hornsey, had a 

 first-class certificate for Fuchsia Delight, white corolla and 

 scarlet sepals, probably a good market kind. T.R.Tumell, Esq., 

 Belmont, Uxbridge, had also a first-class certificate for Lilium 

 Lishmanni, orange, much spotted with dark crimson. From 

 the Society's garden at Chiswick came some of the best-grown 

 plants of Amaranthus salicifolius that we have seen, also a very 

 dwarf free-flowering Phlox, called Heynholdii, with orange 

 flowers. This had a first-class certificate. 



NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 

 Metropolitan Floral Society. — With reference to the notice 

 given in last week's Journal of our contemplated Show, I am 

 glad to tell all lovers of the Gladiolus that the finest exhibition 

 of this flower ever held will be at the Palace on the 28th and 

 29th ; for in addition to numerous entries in the classes, 

 Messrs. Kelway & Son will exhibit a collection of nearly five 

 hundred spikes of the very best and choicest varieties in culti- 

 vation, including many of their own seedlings. Nothing equal 

 to this exhibition has ever been seen in the metropolis as far 

 as I am able to judge. Messrs. Kelway's display at Kensington 

 last year was very fine, but when to this is added the large 

 number in the competing classes the Show will indeed be a 

 grand sight. — D., Deal, Hon. Sec. 



Mr. Bennett, formerly of Osberton, and recently gar- 

 dener to the Earl of Stamford and Warrington at Enville Hall, 

 has succeeded Mr. Record in the charge of the Marquis of 

 Salisbury's gardens at Hatfield. 



Cricket. — Walthah Cross Nurseries versus the Old 



Cheshunt Nurseries. — This match, which came off on Thurs- 

 day, the 8th inst., was played in the Cheshunt Cricket Ground, 

 and resulted in a victory, decided by the first innings, for the 

 former eleven. The scores were as follows : — Cheshunt Nur- 

 series, 1st innings, 27 ; 2nd innings, 68. VTaltham Cross Nur- 

 series, 1st innings, 40 ; 2nd innings, 26, with one wicket to 

 fall. Owing to the quantity of rain which fell in the early 



part of the day the game was much delayed, hut as soon as 

 the weather cleared up play was commenced, and a capital 

 match ensued. In the evening the party adjourned to the 

 " Green Dragon," where a few hours were spent in a very- 

 pleasant manner. 



HOLLAND HOUSE, 

 The Residence of Lady Holland. 



It must be told, though it seems superfluous, that this" 

 mansion is in the parish of Kensington, and it has been well 

 said, " The house is not handsome ; it is not ancient ; hut it 

 is of an age sufficient to make up for want of beauty. It shows 

 us how our ancestors built before Shakspere died. A crowd of 

 the reigning wits and beauties of that and of every succeeding 

 generation passes through it to the ' mind's eye ' brilliant; 

 with life and colour ; and there it stands yet, on its old rising 

 ground, with its proper accompaniments of sward and trees to- 

 gratify everybody that can appreciate it. May it everlastingly 

 be repaired, and never look otherwise than past times beheld 

 it." The De Veres, Earls of Oxford, were lords of the manor 

 in the Norman era, and some fragment of their residence is 

 believed to remain, but the existing mansion was erected by 

 Sir Walter Cope in the year 1607. By the marriage of his 

 daughter to one of the Eiches, who were ennobled as Earls of 

 Warwick and Holland, it passed to the family who are still its 

 possessors. 



We must not detail its very various tenants, nor dweU upoE 

 the events and acts of which it was the arena when Fairfax, 

 and Cromwell, and Monk were either residents or visitors- 

 Here Ormond was gay, and Addison died ; here James H.'s 

 daughter lived in state, and here dwelt William Penn the 

 Quaker. We could lengthen out our list of the tenants if we 

 included others of lesser fame, and could fill a volume if we 

 enumerated its celebrated visitors, and the events they have 

 planned and discussed. Of WilMe, TaUeyrand, Fox, and 

 Mackintosh we have many anecdotes connected with Holland 

 House ; but then we should enter upon that ocean of Whig 

 politics with which it has ever been associated. It is more 

 suited to these pages to remind our readers that the garden of 

 Holland House was the first successful home of the Dahlia in 

 England. Sir Joseph Paxton told us that " Indisputable 

 authority shows that this plant was first introduced into this 

 country from Spain by the Marchioness of Bute so early as 

 1789 ; but, as it was not subsequently heard of, it is supposed 

 to have been lost shortly after this introduction. 



" In 1801, accounts are recorded of seeds of this plant 

 [Dahlia sambucifolia] having been transmitted by Lady Hol- 

 land, from the Eoyal Garden at Madrid, to Mr. Buonaruti, 

 then resident in this country. From these seeds a few plants 

 were produced, and some of them flowered in the following 

 season ; while two others are said to have flowered in the 

 garden of Lord Holland in the autumn of the second year. 



" From this period to the year 1S14 the cultivation of the 

 Dahlia made very little progress with us, although during this 

 time it had been most successfully cultivated in the royal 

 gardens of Spain, France, and Germany ; and from thence 

 roots of several varieties were imported into this country. 

 After 1811 the Dahlia was introduced to more general notice,, 

 and cultivated in most collections, but it was reserved for the 

 intelligent cultivators of the last few years to circulate it more 

 extensively, and make the most rapid advances towards a state 

 of perfection. Indeed, so lately as less than thirty years since 

 it was considered a perfectly novel sight to witness Dahlias 

 with double flowers in the garden of a tradesman or cottager."' 



Any reader desirous of a fuDer history of this flower should 

 refer to the first volume of the second series of the Trans- 

 actions of the Eoyal Horticultural Society. 



The grounds of Holland House are entered by a splendid 

 pair of gates from the high road between Kensington and 

 Hammersmith, and is approached through an avenue of Elm 

 trees. Before the south front is a large square bowling-green 

 terrace hounded by balustrades adorned with flowers in vases, 

 and Orange trees, and in the centre with a large basin foun^ 

 tain. Before the east front is the carriage square. 



Before the north front is a terrace walk 200 yards long by 

 5 feet wide, with a colossal statue of Charles James Fox, which 

 overlooks it from the highest point. Parallel with the east side 

 of these grounds runs a long broad walk under a grove of fine 

 old Elm trees called Louis Philippe's walk, from the circum- 



