August 30, 1864. ] 



JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER, 



169 



which may be in season than it would he possible to collect 

 together in London. 



I have dwelt somewhat at length on this point, because I 

 believe that to attempt changes which are impracticable is 

 to miss the object altogether ; and the calling together of 

 these various committees, and asking the opinion of the 

 most experienced growers, while at the same time the deter- 

 mination has been come to that no change shall be made in 

 the most important point — viz., where the exhibition is to 

 be held, is very much like the Prussian dodge of sending an 

 ambassador to a conference, while all the time it has been 

 determined to gobble up the unfortunate provinces that 

 once belonged to Denmark, but are now " nobody's child." — 

 D., Deal. 



THE ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY'S 

 HEW AJSTD RARE PLANT SHOW. 



The subjects exhibited having for the most part been 

 before the Floral Committee, as well as at most of the 

 metropolitan shows, and duly reported on at the time, it will 

 only be necessary to notice a few of the most remarkable. 



Mr. Bull, who was the principal exhibitor, sent the female 

 Aucuba in fruit — a plant of the green-leaved type. This 

 we believe is the third time the plant has fruited in Europe, 

 Mr. Standish, of Ascot, being the first to show it producing 

 its ornamental coral red berries. Mi-. Bull also exhibited 

 the male plant hitherto so scarce, Aucuba himalaica, and 

 several varieties of Eurya and Euonymus which have been 

 noticed before. Saccolabium Dayi in his collection, with 

 mauve and white flowers, appeared to be a desirable acquisi- 

 tion ; and Gesnera Badiancy, with rich velvety crimson and 

 green-mottled leaves, was very showy. Yallota eximia, having 

 bright light scarlet flowers with a light centre and con- 

 spicuous yellow anthers, attracted considerable attention on 

 account of the brilliancy of its colours. 



Mr. Linden, of Brussels, sent a few plants, of which the 

 most remarkable was Bogiera gratissima with leaves and 

 flowers somewhat resembling those of the Laurustinus, the 

 buds are pink and the flowers of the same colour but paler. 

 Being very free flowering it promises to be a great acquisi- 

 tion. Of the others the most remarkable were Maranta 

 picturata with olive green leaves, distinctly marked with 

 white for some distance on each side of the midrib, and with 

 a pencilled band of the same hue at some distance within 

 the margin; Cyanophyllum cinnamomeum with cinnamon- 

 coloured stalks; and Doryopteris Aleyonis with bold dark 

 green fronds. 



From Messrs. Jaekman Sc Son, of Woking, came several 

 plants of their fine new hybrid Clematises rubro-violacea 

 and Jackmanni, together with coloured drawings of the 

 flowers ; and we can safely predict, from the richness of the 

 colours, that these beautiful hardy climbers will be exten- 

 sively grown. 



Messrs. A. Henderson <5b Co. contributed the variegated 

 Arabia Sieboldi, Gardenia fiorida variegata, Oreopanax dac- 

 tyliferum, and Bhyncospermum jasminoides variegatuni, all 

 of which have been previously noticed ; also, new Caladiums ; 

 Messrs. Herbst & Stenger, Richmond, an excellent collec- 

 tion of Japanese plants, the Vanilla plant, the Custard 

 Apple, and Ire3ine Herbstii, with bronzy dark crimson leaves, 

 having bright midribs, which is likely to prove useful for 

 bedding ; and Mr. McArthur, Maida Will, two nice plants of 

 Bonapartea juncea filamentosa. Lastly, Mr. T. Ingram, 

 gardener to Her Majesty, at Windsor, sent Japan Lilies, in- 

 cluding L. auratum, Bougainvillaea glabra, Enonymus japon- 

 icus aureo-variegatus, with shining dark green and yellow 

 leaves; and some other plants. 



A collection of plants, including some of Mr. Weir's recent 

 introductions from South America;- came from Chiswiek 

 Garden ; the Cotton plant (Gossypium vitifohum), presented 

 by Major Trevor Clarke, of Welton Place, Daventry, was 

 also shown in the conservatory, as well as the beautiful 

 Peristeria elata, of which the flowers bear so striking a re- 

 semblance to a milt- white dove. 



We consider this Exhibition a step in the right direction, 

 but, as usual now, it is spoilt by the muddling and ill-man- 

 agement. 



When exhibitors of plants which have been long in the 

 country, and which can be replaced with comparative ease 



in case of accident or injury, will not allow their specimens 

 to remain during a second day's show, how could the pos- 

 sessors of novelties and rarities be expected to expose them 

 to an ungenial atmosphere, not for two but several days ? Lf 

 any such expectation had been formed it was wofully dis- 

 appointed, for Messrs. Veitch, Lee, Standish, Williams, and 

 others, abstained from putting in an appearance. 



As an inducement to exhibitors one-fourth of the receipts 

 on the first day was to be divided amongst the holders of 

 certificates, and another fourth according to the space occu- 

 pied, but as at no time during the afternoon could there have 

 been more than fifty persons present, and probably not half 

 of them paying for their admission, the certificate-holders 

 cannot be congratulated on their prospects of a money 

 reward. 



We have much pleasure in putting it on record that 

 although 152,962 persons, a large proportion of them children, 

 visited the gardens on Friday last, the anniversary of the 

 late Prince Consort's birthday, no damage was done beyond 

 a few sprigs of Geraniums being inadvertently broken off. 

 The grass, and especially that on the slopes, suffered con- 

 siderably, but that, of course, was only what might have 

 been expected with so large a concourse of visitors. 



HORTICULTURAL PRIZES, AND FOR WHAT 

 THEY SHOULD BE AWARDED. 



In the Number of the Journal published on the 16th inst. 

 I observe an article written by Sir Joseph Paxton on flower 

 shows, &c, on which subject I should have ventured to send 

 you some remarks a long time back, had I not been diffident, 

 as an amateur, of intruding on the notice of those more 

 learned and practised than myself. I now take the oppor- 

 tunity of following so excellent a leader, and offer my ideas 

 for the consideration of your readers. 



Sir Joseph's remarks on the present practice of supplying 

 the market I think must strike every one : nor do I think it 

 in the least surprising that our continental neighbours give 

 us the name of a nation of shopkeepers, looking at the fact 

 that, our nobility and gentry are becoming wholesale poul- 

 terers and greengrocers. On the game question not so 

 much is to be said. It is essentially a wild production, and 

 cannot be supplied but by large estates and domains. Still 

 the " utile " is now-a-days pursued very much to the exclu- 

 sion of the " dulce ;" and although, after one has enjoyed for 

 some days the pleasant society and profuse hospitality of an 

 old friend, and has had his taste for slaughtering helpless 

 creatures fully gratified, he can scarcely expect to take away 

 all the spoil that may have fallen to his unerring gun, still 

 I have heard many confess slight feelings of disappoint- 

 ment, both at the quantity and quality of the share allotted 

 to him by the head keeper, and wish for the good old times, 

 back again. 



In the matter of garden produce the case is more serious, 

 as it directly interferes with an important branch of industry, 

 in itself subject to so many casualties from the vicissitudes of 

 climate and seasons as to require all the help possible to 

 render it remunerative. 



The subject on which I more particularly wish to make 

 some remarks is that of flower shows and their prize awards. 

 Their main object is the encouragement of gardening, and 1 

 think that some alterations might be well introduced in 

 furtherance of this end. 



First and foremost, I would disqualify any collection of 

 specimen stove and greenhouse plants from competing for a 

 prize after it had once made the ran of the season, for there 

 are very few who have had much experience in the metro- 

 politan exhibitions, who cannot predict as soon as the 

 schedules are published who will be the fortunate com- 

 petitors, and might even say what plants will make their 

 appearance. It seems to me that the prizes in these classes 

 should be more divided, and awarded to the best collections 

 of young plants of not more than two years growth, so as to 

 be hono, fide the result of the care and knowledge of the 

 party growing them, for as the matter now stands the prize 

 often falls to him who only shows, and not to the one who 

 grows the plants. 



The possession of noble specimen plants can only be ar- 



