442 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ December 5, 1872. 



always hidden by the leaves, and so always escapes being killed 

 by spring frosts ; fruits in the centre of the plant, hidden from 

 birds, protected from wet, never splashed with soil. Fruit a 

 beautiful colour, most regular in shape, delicious and distinct 

 flavour, comes to table bright and good after forty-eight hours 

 of drenching rain. Plant a moderate but continuous bearer. 

 Being dwarf, it may be planted nearer than others, so 20 yards 

 of La Constante will give a weight of fruit equal to the same 

 extent of other sorts. What other variety will come up to this 

 description of La Constante ? It is said to make runners 

 sparingly. I only know my gardener gave Mr. Dean eight 

 hundred runners of it in one season, besides supplying my own 

 wants. 



Have you grown Crimson Queen ? It is a petted sort, when 

 you can coax it to do well. It gives the most magnificent 

 crop of fruit I ever saw. The richest-flavoured Strawberry I 

 have ever tasted. 



List of twelve Strawberries — 



1. Keens' Seedling 



2. Sir Joseph Paxton 



3. President 



4. Prince of Wales (Ingram) 



5. Lucas 



0. Dr. Hogg 



Best sis for amateurs for succession 



1. Sir Joseph Paxton 



2. President 



3. Prince of Wales (Ingram) | 



7. Mr. Radclyfie 



8. British Queen 



9. Crimson Queen 



10. La Constante 



11. Eleanor 



12. Elton Pine 



4. Dr. Hogg 



5. La Constante 



6. Elton Pine 



The most prolific market garden Strawberry I know is 

 Waite's Seedling, much grown in Lancashire for this purpose. 

 Wonderful is nowhere beside it. Filbert Pine and Rivers's 

 Eliza do admirably in clay soils, worthless here. Carolina 

 Superba is valuable in a soil of hazel yellow loam and red sand, 

 where the sand abounds. 



Best three for general purposes — 1, Sir Joseph Paxton ; 

 2, President ; 3, Dr. Hogg. 



My own selection for myself would be — if only three, Prince 

 of Wales, La Constante, Dr. Hogg. If six, add Sir Joseph 

 Paxton, British Queen, Elton Pine. I like Sir Joseph because 

 of its earliness ; I omit President, because I like Prince of 

 Wales better. — C. Mabsden, Vicarage, Gargrave. 



ROYAL HOETICULTUEAL SOCIETY. 

 December 4th. 



This was the concluding meeting of the year, but instead of 

 being in " gloomy December," from the brightness and fresh- 

 ness of the flowers and their number, one could readily have 

 supposed that it was May. The magnificent group of Orchids 

 from Messrs. Veitch, along with the gorgeous Poinsettias from 

 the same firm, at once rivetted the attention of everyone enter- 

 ing the room, and facing these on the opposite side was another 

 very fine group of plants from Mr. BuU. 



Class 1 was for twelve Tree Carnations. Of these, Mr. Turner, 

 of Slough, exhibited a splendid collection both as regards 

 growth and colour, taking the first prize. The varieties were 

 Avalanche, Blanche, Purity, Empress of Germany, and Vestal, 

 white ; Rosy Morn, Alice, Princess Christian, and "Kin g of the 

 Belgians, rose ; Valiant, crimson scarlet; Attila, scarlet-flaked; 

 and Minerva with rose-picotee markings. Mr. W. Lee, Cross- 

 bush, Arundel, was second; and Messrs. E. G. Henderson, 

 Wellington Nursery, third, with good groups. There was no 

 exhibition in the amateurs' class for six. 



For twenty-four Japanese and late-flowering Chrysanthe- 

 mums, Mr. E. Rowe, gardener to Mrs. Lewis, The Rookery, 

 Roehampton, was first with Japanese varieties Madame Chinard, 

 Dr. Masters, and Grandiflora ; and of others, John Salter, Miss 

 Mary Morgan, Princess of Teck, Lady Shade, Empress (Anemone), 

 Rev. J. Dix, &c, all of which were very fine. Second came Mr. 

 Douglas with beautiful examples of Grandiflora, Dr. Masters, 

 and Magnum Bonum, Japanese ; and of large-flowering kinds 

 Princess Teck, Pink Perfection, and Rev. J. Dix. Mr. Kemp, 

 gardener to D. B. Chapman, Esq., Roehampton, was third. Mr. 

 Hennell, gardener to F. A. Davis, Esq., Surbiton ; Mr. Walker, 

 nurseryman, Thame ; Mr. Goddard, gardener to H. Little, Esq., 

 Twickenham ; and Mr. Clarke, Roehampton, also exhibited. 



The only collection of hardy evergreens bearing fruit came 

 from Mr. George, gardener to Miss Nicholson, Putney Heath. 

 It contained well-fruited plants of Pernettya mucronata, P. spe- 

 ciosa, and P. angustifolia, Skimmia japonica, and S. oblata. 



No coUectionof Hollies was exhibited except that from Messrs. 

 Veitch, which was shown not for competition. This was, how- 

 ever, one of the finest collections we have ever seen, beautiful 

 in shape as well as in colours. — Waterer's Golden, Perry's New 



Weeping, finely berried ; Small Silver Queen, Silver Queen, both 

 very handsome ; Gold Queen, very fine ; Weeping Green with 

 semi-pendulous branches, finely berried; Silver Hedgehog, 

 Golden Milkmaid, and Gold with dark shoots, both very effective 

 by their golden variegation ; Ilex tortuosa with contorted leaves, 

 I. ovata, and I. Sheppherdi were also very handsome. An extra 

 prize was awarded. 



For nine hardy evergreens of the Tew or Cypress tribe there 

 was likewise no competition, but Messrs. Standish & Co., of 

 Ascot, sent a collection in which there were fine specimens of 

 Libocedrus decurrens, Cupressus Lawsoniana stricta, Taxns 

 adpressa stricta, Retinosporas, and Cephalotaxus Fortimei ro- 

 busta. An extra prize was awarded. 



The only collection of Herbaceous plants suitable for out-door 

 winter decoration came from Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son. 

 This was arranged with great taste, and comprised numerous 

 interesting and very ornamental plants, especially some charm- 

 ing little Sempervivums and Saxifrages, Helleborus niger au- 

 tumnalis flore-maximo with very large flowers ; Ferula gigantea, 

 a Fennel-like plant ; Daisies, Centaureas, &c. A first prize was 

 awarded. 



Prizes were offered for pans of the pretty white Roman Hya- 

 cinth (Bellevalia). Mr. Farrow, gardener to G. Batters, Esq., 

 Brigadier House, Enfield, sent three excellent pans, and took 

 the first prize. Mr. Rowe was second, but the plants were not 

 sufficiently forward. 



The best collection of Endive and other Salading was exhi- 

 bited by Mr. W. G. Pragnell, gardener to G. D. Digby, Esq., 

 Castle Gardens, Sherborne, who had White and Green Curled 

 Endive, French Moss Curled, Wilhams's Gloria Mnndi, Digs- 

 well Prize, Staghorn, Green and White Batavian, and Fraser's 

 Broad-leaved ; Cabbage and Cos Lettuce ; Mustard, Cress, Ra- 

 dishes, Chicory, Chervil, Celery, Cucumbers, Water Cress, Beet, 

 and Tarragon. Mr. J. Hepper, The Elms, Acton, was second, 

 Mr. W. Earley, Valentines, Essex, third. 



Prizes were offered by the Messrs. Carter for collections of 

 twelve varieties of vegetables, to include Parsnips, Leeks, Sal- 

 safy, Scorzonera, Carter's Perfection of Beets, and Carter's Dwarf 

 Crimson Celery. Here again Mr. Pragnell was first with an 

 excellent collection, in which, besides the stipulated subjects, 

 were Paterson's Victoria Potatoes, fine White Spanish Onions, 

 large Brussels Sprouts, Walcheren Cauliflowers, and James's 

 Intermediate Carrots. Mr. Osman, South Metropolitan Schools, 

 Sutton, was second, and Mr. Earley third. 



Fkuit Committee. — G. F. Wilson, Esq., F.R.S., in the chair. 

 M. A. de Biseau d'Hauteville, Secretary of the Society of Agri- 

 culture and Horticulture at Binche, sent some seedling Pears. 

 Of the first of these, named Josephine de Binche, there were 

 two sets of specimens, one of fruit taken from the parent tree, 

 the other of that from a scion of the original grafted on a Pear 

 stock. The former was the smaller in size, but superior to the 

 latter in flavour. The Pear was highly commended by the Com- 

 mittee, but they did not feel themselves justified in awarding it 

 a certificate, as it had not been grown at home. The second 

 Pear was from a seedling of Bergamotte d'Esperen, of which two 

 specimens were shown, as in the former case. As before, the 

 fruit from the parent tree was the superior, but it was not so 

 good as to obtain special commendation. The third Pear, a seed- 

 ling from BeUe Fleurissienne, and in shape somewhat like 

 Benrre de Ranee, passed unremarked, as did the fourth, which 

 was a seedling from NouveUe Fulvie. 



Mr. James Lacey, gardener to James Dixon, Esq., Gothen- 

 burg, Sweden, sent the following varieties of Pears : — Josephine 

 de Malines, Duchesse d'Angouleme, Huyshe's Bergamotte, 

 Huyshe's Victoria, Beurre Diel, Beurre Bachelier, Winter Nelis ; 

 and the following varieties of Apples :— Court-Pendu-Plat, 

 Calville Blanche, Golden Reinette, Reinette de GranvUle, 

 Margil, Golden Pippin, Old Nonpareil, Reinette de Caux, King 

 of the Pippins, Mannington's Peramain, Van Mons Reinette. 

 They had all been grown under glass, were of splendid size and 

 beautifuUy coloured, but for the most part were lacking in 

 flavour. The Committee granted a cultural commendation for 

 the Apples and another for the Pears. Mr. Bye, Hampton 

 Court, Leominster, sent a small seedling Apple. A seedling 

 Melon, called Raby Hybrid, was submitted by Mr. Wescott, 

 of Raby Castle Gardens. Mr. Sage, of the Gardens, Ashridge, 

 sent a quantity of Tomatoes, which were admired for their fine 

 condition. 



Mr. James Taylor, gardener to Mr. R. H. PoweU, Maesgwynne, 

 sent a Turnip which he called Cream of the Earlies. It was, 

 however, identified as being the Green-Top Stone. Mr. Richard 

 Dean, Ealing, sent a specimen of the Californian Radish. Two 

 specimens of the Uim Savoy were shown by Mr. Horley. Mr. 

 Thomas Jones, of the Royal Gardens, Frogmore, exhibited a 

 dish of forced Asparagus. He also sent four Pine Apples, for 

 which he was awarded a cultural commendation. Messrs. 

 Veitch & Sons showed fifteen varieties of Celery. 



Flokai. Committee. — W. Marshall, Esq., in the chair. Messrs. 

 Veitch's splendid group, which has been already alluded to, 



