September 5, 1872. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



191 



Godahning, came a new Golden Juniper, Juniperus cbinensis 

 aurea, which seems to be a desirable variety. Messrs. Standish 

 and Co., of Ascot, also sent a Golden Juniper, Juniperus japonica 

 aurea, having a fine golden hue, and being apparently of dwarf 

 habit. From the same firm came also Cupressns nootkatensis 

 variegata, nicely variegated with white. 



Fruit Committee. — G. F. Wilson, Esq., in the chair. Mr. 

 Roberts, gardener to Lord Derby, Holwood Park, Bromley, sent 

 very good examples of Frankenthal Grapes, grown on Vines 

 over a hundred years old. Mr. East, gardener to F. Wigan, 

 Esq., Clare Lodge, East Sheen, sent examples of Lady Downe's, 

 Mrs. Pince's Black Muscat, and Muscat of Alexandria Grapes. 



Mr. Pearson, nurseryman, Chilwell, Nottingham, sent ex- 

 amples of four seedling Grapes : — No. 1, a long oval amber 

 yellow, with thick skin and a pleasant flavour, evidently a long 

 keeper — Mr. Pearson was requested to send this again to show 

 its keeping qualities ; — No. 2, a medium-sized roundish-oval 

 greenish white, with an exceedingly rich flavour ; this was 

 greatly approved of by the Committee ; No. 3, a medium-sized 

 round white, with large bunch, and rich flavour ; No. 4, a long 

 oval black, like the Black Morocco, but not quite ripe. The 

 most of these were seedlings from the Black Alicante. 



Mr, J. Clarke, Lower Grove House, Roehampton, sent a dish 

 of Brown Turkey Figs. Mr. S. Wilderspeed, gardener to G. 

 Jennings, Esq., Bothisham Hall, sent a Pear, stated to be a seed- 

 ling from Marie Louise and Williams's Bon Chretien, but which 

 appeared identical with the latter. Mr. Dancer, Chiswick, sent 

 some fine examples of Williams's Bon Chretien Pears, grown 

 on open standards. These were of fine flavour. G. F. Wilson, 

 Esq., Heatherbank Cottage, Weybridge Heath, sent good ex- 

 amples of the Melon Apple. 



Mr. Halstead, seedsman, Lancaster, exhibited examples of 

 Duchess of Lancaster Cucumber, a variety of fine shape and 

 appearance, but not sufficiently distinct from others in cultiva- 

 tion. Mr. R. Dean, seedsman, Ealing, W., sent examples of a 

 small fresh-looking Cucumber, named Green Gem. Mr. Allan, 

 gardener, Gunton Hall, Norwich, sent examples of selected 

 White Spanish Onions, from seed sown in autumn and in spring. 

 Lady Charles Wellesley, Conholt Park, Andover, sent a large 

 fully-developed cone of Araucaria imbricata, with a quantity of 

 ripe seed, which had been grown at Conholt Park on a small 

 tree heai*iug about twenty-two cones. 



Mr. Alexander Dean, of the Nurseries, Bedfont, sent examples 

 •o; jellies made from the fruit of Berberis Aquifolium, which was 

 much appreciated, being very rich and pleasant ; also examples 

 of jam made from Blackberries, which, although good, was not 

 equal to the Barberry example. In a season like the present, 

 when fruit is so scarce, it is a very important matter to utilise 

 the wild fruits of the country. 



Mr. Muirhead, gardener to Lady C. Wellesley, Conholt Park, 

 sent a fine fruit of Golden Perfection Melon, and one of Mr. 

 Smith's Green-flesh. Mr. N. Kneller, gardener to W. S. Portall, 

 Esq., Malshanger Park, Basingstoke, sent a Melon named Mal- 

 shanger Hybrid, a small netted variety. Mr. J. Farquharson, 

 Acton Nursery Gardens, Wrexham, sent a' fruit of a fine hand- 

 some golden Melon. None of these varieties were of any merit 

 as regards flavour. 



Floral Committee. — Mr. J. Fraser in the chair. Mr. G. 

 Prince, of Oxford, sent examples of a number of Roses worked 

 on a cultivated seedling Briar stock; they were of extraordinary 

 vigour, but the only means of arriving at a just conclusion in 

 these matters is cultivation in a trial ground. Certainly the 

 blooms exhibited by Mr. Prince were a good proof of the excel- 

 lence of this stock. Mr. Eckford, gardener to the Earl of Radnor, 

 Coleshill, had first-class certificates for Verbena Fanny Pur- 

 chase, pale lilac, with a purple eye ; Star, rose, with a deeper- 

 coloured centre ; and Dahlia Crown Prince, maroon, of fine 

 lorra. Mr. G. Smith, Edmonton, Mr. G. Parker, Maiden Green, 

 Winkfield, and Mr. Harris, of Orpington, also sent seedling 

 Dahlias. Mr. Turner, Slough, had a first-class certificate for 

 Florence Pontin, blush, tipped with rosy purple, a well-built 

 Hower, and Lord Hawke, yellow; Mr. Keynes for Egyptian 

 Prince, orange red, veined with darker red ; Matilda Mary Pur- 

 chase, delicate lilac rose, with a light centre ; Ada Tiffin ; W. 

 Mewman, rosy purple ; and W. Sinclair, blush, tipped with crim- 

 son, a bright-looking flower. From Mr. R. Dean, Ealing and 

 Bedfont, came cut flowers of his new Violas, Victoria Asters, 

 and Trop;eolums, together with a plant of Aurea Floribunda 

 French Marigold, which received a first-class certificate as a 

 dwarf, free-flowering, very double sort. 



From the Society's garden at Chiswick came a collection of 

 Tydaaas and Nffigelias. Messrs. Veitch, Royal Exotic Nursery, 

 Chelsea, sent a very extensive and excellently-flowered collec- 

 tion of nearly all the different tribes of Asters. Mr. Rawlings, 

 Romford, sent bouquet Dahlias ; Mr. Kneller, gardener to W. S. 

 Portal, Esq., Malshanger Park, Basingstoke, seedling Antirrhi- 

 nums ; Mr. B. Porter, seedling varieties of TropEeolum Lobbia- 

 num; Rev. C. Baker, Fillesford Rectory, Bath, a seedling 

 purple Verbena, deeper in colour, but not equal to Purple King ; 



Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing, Colens Golden Prince, with 

 nice golden tinted leaves, with red midribs ; and Mr. C. J. 

 Perry, Verbena Mrs. Reynolds Hole, with large trusses and pips, 

 blush with a lilac eye. This received a first-class certificate. 



Mr. A. Parsons, gardener to W. J. Blake, Esq., Danesbury, 

 sent Achimenes Firefly, rich scarlet with a blush of magenta. 

 It received a first-class certificate. The Rev. H. H. Dornbrain, 

 Westwell Vicarage, Asbiord, exhibited Gladiolus Phoebus 

 (Souchet), rosy red, with white stripe in the segments. From 

 Messrs. E. G. Henderson came Cineraria ceratophylla with 

 elegantly-cut frosted leaves ; this was awarded a first-class cer- 

 tificate, as also Ceanothus Gloire de Versailles, of better habit 

 than C. azureus, and of the same colour. Mr. Chambers, gar- 

 dener to J. Laurence, Esq., Beddiugton, had first-class certifi- 

 cates for Pteris fimbriata, a nicely crested form, and Pteris 

 serrulata cristata. Lastly, Messrs. Veitch exhibited a splendid 

 Dipladenia named insignis, deeper in colour than any we know, 

 and with flowers 4J inches in diameter. To this a first-class, 

 certificate was likewise awarded. 



SELECT GEBANITJMS. 



Having- grown this summer most of the varieties of Mr. 

 Pearson's Geraniums mentioned by Mr. Q. Read in your 

 number of August 22nd, I can endorse nearly all he says con- 

 cerning them. I do not think, however, he is right in con- 

 demning Violet Hill as looking pale, and washy, and meagre by 

 the side of Mrs. Vincent Fenn, Red Dwarf, and Shakspere. 

 Violet Hill ought not to be classified as a scarlet, which these 

 three are. I have always of late years been very much im- 

 pressed in favour of Violet Hill, but this year has more than 

 ever confirmed me in my favourable impression, as it has been 

 far superior to any other Geranium in the garden ; and while 

 other plants have gone to leaf and grown leggy, it has been 

 full of flower, compact, and dwarf to the last. One of its 

 especial merits to my mind is that it is not a scarlet but a soft 

 violet cerise, and that it gives a mass of colour without being 

 garish. Those of Mr. Pearson's that have undoubtedly a good 

 deal of Violet Hill blood and type are Miss Rose Peach, Mrs. 

 Hole, Amy Robsart, Lady Louisa Egerton, Chunder Sen, and 

 Red Dwarf. I am still inclined to think Miss Rose Peach by far 

 the best pink I have yet seen. Amaranth has too much lilac ; 

 and Florence Durand, which is nearly alike, is with me the 

 better of the two, the trusses of Amaranth being too close. 

 Chunder Sen has a better truss^ than Red Dwarf, and will 

 make a first-rate light scarlet bedder. I think none of Mr. 

 Pearson's scarlets has surpassed niy own namesake in point of 

 colour (a very pure scarlet crimson), and for size of truss. I 

 only fear the stem will not have the power of supporting the 

 very large truss. Of deep crimsons the Rev. J. F. Fenn is an 

 improvement on any Mr. Pearson has yet sent out. 



However, I am anticipating some notes on Geraniums which 

 I intended to send later on, and these remarks were only called 

 forth in advocacy chiefly of Violet Hill, and also because I 

 was glad to find that in spite of the tendency to growth which 

 the hot forcing weather there has been at times this summer 

 after rains has caused, Mr. Read could speak favourably of 

 the compactness of some of the best of Mr. Pearson's Gera- 

 niums. This is the point we want to aim at now. We have 

 plenty of strong-growing kinds in every shade of colour, but 

 our really good dwarfs may be numbered on two hands, and 

 then when we have them many persons discard them and say 

 they will not grow, and propagate the coarser kinds instead, 

 because they will not be at the trouble to give them good 

 treatment. An older variety of Mr. Pearson's, Douglas Pearson, 

 has been with me this year all that could be wished for ; and. 

 C. Casbon is another of the really dwarf type. — C. P. Peach. 



AGAVE AMEEICANA. 



The first of our herbalists who mentions the American Aloe 

 is Parkinson. In his " Theatrum Botanicum," published in 

 1610, he says, " It grew first in America, which being brought 

 into Spaine was from thence spread into all quarters." He 

 also observes on its early flowering in the hotter countries, 

 " but never in these colder," so that at that time we may con- 

 clude it had not flowered in England, although we know that 

 it had flowered in France and Italy. The first instance 

 recorded of its flowering in England is in the garden of Mr. 

 Versprit, at Lambeth. This was before the year 1698, and 

 was considered a very rare occurrence. A few years later 

 several instances of the blooming are known. The two speci- 

 mens now flowering in the conservatory in the Royal Horti- 

 cultural Society's garden at South Kensington were cultivated 



