September 27, 1861, ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



251 



ment in 1S59, for assistance to enable him to demonstrate, 

 by practical experience, that the climate of Canada is 

 peculiarly adapted to the successful cultivation of the 

 Vine. The opinion was in the first instance founded on 

 the authority of Count de Gasperin, that for Grape culture 

 the " climates most favourable are those where the duration 

 of the season of vegetation is shortest, and where, in such 

 season, the total heat is the highest; where the difference 

 between the solar heat and the minimum heat is the greatest, 

 and where, consequently, vegetation proceeds by shocks and 

 not by a uniform march." M. de Courtenay stated to the 

 Committee that his experiments have been successful both 

 with the wild Vine of the country and with several delicate 

 varieties of European Vines, and that these adapt them- 

 selves without difficulty to the rigour of the climate ; and he 

 has manufactured good sound wines from these Grapes. Mr. 

 Justice Day cautiously certifies that the wine " is of a quality 

 to justify confidence in a high degree of ultimate success." 

 Chief Justice Drummond, after testing two kinds of it, pro- 

 nounces " one of them especially superior to the vms ordi- 

 naires of France." Mr. W. J. Brickie, of Quebec, who has 

 been in the wine trade for years, affirms that the native wine 

 in question "is such as would be of high marketable value in 

 any country." Mr. Lemoine, more enthusiastic, pronounces 

 it "delicious," and another witness assures the Committee 

 that it would have been "pronounced good in any wine-pro- 

 ducing country." This enterprise is to be prosecuted both 

 in Upper and Lower Canada, and also the cultivation of the 

 Mulberry, and we heartily wish success to the undertaking. 

 {Toronto Leader.) 



EOYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Flokal Committee, September 13th. — At this meeting 

 many interesting plants and flowers were exhibited, seedling 

 Dahlias prevailing. There were many good ones among 

 them, but very few of extraordinary merit. Mr. Salter, Ham- 

 mersmith, brought plants of a new variety of Cineraria mari- 

 tima, named compacta, of dwarf habit, but the foliage not 

 so white as with the old well-known kind; scarlet Pelar- 

 gonium nudtiflorum, a semi-Nosegay, with bright scarlet 

 flowers and zonate foliage, but there were not sufficient 

 trusses to test its merits ; and scarlet Pelargonium Crimson 

 Mantle, a Nosegay, with crimson flowers shaded with rosy 

 purple. 



Mr. Turner, Slough, sent seedling Dahlia Leah, deep 

 golden yellow tipped with rose, exquisite form, and in every 

 respect a first-rate flower — first-class certificate; and 

 Dahlia Miss Roberts, deep lilac rose, rather too flat, and 

 inclined to be coarse, the colour was the great recommen- 

 dation — second-class certificate. Mr. Rawlings exhibited 

 several seedling Dahlias. Spitfire, a dull red, of good form, 

 a promising flower, had a second-class certificate. The other 

 seedlings were not thought worthy of distinction — viz., 

 Queen Victoria, Exquisite, Sparkler, Modesty, Mr. Sladden, 

 Constancy, Prince, Mrs. Sladden, and Humility. Mr. Pope, 

 Chelsea, had seedling Dahlia "Walter Newman ; and Mr. 

 Legge, Edmonton, seedling Dahlias Mi-. Golding, Ellen, 

 Crimson Perfection, Beautiful, Royalty, Glory, and. Ex- 

 cellent, none of which were thought worthy of a certificate. 



Mr. Perkins, Coventry, exhibited seedling Verbena Shake- 

 spear, scarlet, like Lord Leigh and Foxhunter a very fine 

 flower. Mr. Saltmarsh brought several seedling Pelargo- 

 niums with highly coloured and variegated foliage, much 

 resembling Mrs. Pollock and Sunset. One called Meteor 

 seemed rather in advance of the others. It is equal to Mrs. 

 Pollock, of good habit, the zonale markings distinct and 

 beautiful. It is a variety well worth growing. A plant of 

 Mrs. Pollock was sent for comparison, but it was a sad speci- 

 men of that truly exquisite kind." Sunrise, with highly- 

 coloured foliage, was also good. The others were Luna, Hon. 

 Mrs. Mildmay, too much like Mrs. Milford, and Admiration, a 

 pleasing white variegated-leaved variety with crimson zone, 

 but inferior to the beautiful Italia Unita. Little Treasure, a 

 free-flowering dwarf variety, with scarlet flowers, like Tom 

 Thumb, of very compact habit, producing a profusion of 

 trusses of flower, and very useful for bedding purposes, 

 received a first-class certificate. Mr. Cooling, of Bath, again 

 exhibited his beautiful striped Verbena Annie, it now re- 



ceived a first-class certificate, having secured a second on a 

 previous occasion. It is a very pretty variety. 



Mr. Bull, Chelsea, exhibited Caladium splendidissimum ; 

 the plants sent had but one leaf each. It is a promising 

 kind; and the immense leaf of pale green being richly 

 stained in its centre with deep rosy crimson, renders the 

 plant very attractive. There is little doubt that it will take a 

 good position among other Caladiums when grown stronger. 

 The Committee requested that it might be sent again. 

 Gesnera Chromatella, also from Mr. Bull, producing a pale 

 golden flower, with dark velvety foliage of green and black, 

 received a second-class certificate. He likewise contributed 

 a weak plant of Saccolabiuin Dayii, not in condition; a 

 pale variety of Liliurn auratum, Liliuni lancifoliuni densum, 

 refiexing its bright rosy petals, and producing a good head 

 of flowers; Dahlia Gem of the Dwarfs, flowering in 60-pots 

 (the flower was bad and out of character) ; Petunia Rigo- 

 lette, purple shaded with white on a pale purple ground ; 

 and double Antirrhinums General Manara and Guiseppe 

 Garibaldi. The latter was awarded a label of commendation. 

 We doubt whether these double varieties will be very useful, 

 they have a ragged and untidy appearance not unlike a 

 faded semi-double German Wallflower. From the same ex- 

 hibitor came also Pentstemon Conquest, deep marked throat, 

 with four others ; and Aucuba japonica vera, with berries, a 

 plant of'which received a first-class certificate when shown 

 by Mr. Standish at one of the spring meetings. 



Messrs. Downie, Laird, & Laing sent two seedling Pentste- 

 nions, and Mr. Parsons, gardener to W. J. Blake, Esq., Wel- 

 wyn, four seedling Achimenes — Aurora, a perfect gem with 

 its superb finely-formed bright rosy carmine flowers — first- 

 class certificate ; Rose Queen, deep purplish rose, fine broad 

 flower — first-class certificate. From Mr. Burgess, Chelsea, 

 came Dahlia George Gris wold, and from Mr. Tillery, Welbeck, 

 a box of seedling Hollyhocks, the flowers produced on plants 

 raised from seed sown in February, 1S64 ; also four seedling 

 Dahlias, which, having sustained much injury in the journey, 

 could not be examined. The seedling Hollyhocks were 

 many of them very good varieties. Mr. Wm. Paul brought 

 cut flowers of his seedling Roses, Dr. Lindley, and Rose 

 globosa, proving their character as Perpetuals. 



The FKtnT Committee did not meet on this day. Mr. 

 Bousie, gardener to Lord Taunton, Stoke Park, sent three 

 bunches of white seedling Grapes, which were unripe ; Mr. 

 Wm. Paul two bunches of a very superior seedling Grape of 

 the Hamburgh class, with rich Frontignan flavour ; and 

 Messrs. Lee, Hammersmith, a seedling yellow Plum some- 

 what similar in character to Coe's Golden Drop. 



Flokal Committee, September 19Wt. — A meeting of the 

 Floral Committee took place at the Society's gardens, Chis- 

 wick, this day, at which the majority of its members were 

 present. It was intended to have included Verbenas, Pe- 

 tunias, &c, among the plants for examination, but the ex- 

 tensive collection of scarlet Pelargoniums alone occupied the 

 whole attention of the Committee. It was most satisfactory 

 to hear from every member present an approval of the new 

 arrangement of the trial plants, which, however imperfect 

 this present season, will, we trust, from several useful sug- 

 gestions made, be greatly improved next year; and when 

 wo consider the delay in making these new beds which pro- 

 ceeded from the reluctance on the part of the Council to 

 attend to a letter addressed to them on this subject by the 

 Floral Committee, and the very late period at which many 

 of the trial plants were sent to the gardens, as well as the 

 unusually dry season the plants have had to contend against, 

 we may congratulate those interested in this matter that so 

 much of great interest is to be seen in the old gardens. 



It was difficult in many cases to decide the merits of some 

 varieties which had not attained their usual vigour or 

 character of habit, but a great number received their re- 

 spective marks of estimation, a list of which we shall furnish 

 at some future time. The plants marked x x x were 

 considered worthy of a first-class certificate, those marked 

 x x meriting a second-class certificate. We cannot refrain 

 from observing how very injudicious it was to invite the 

 public to examine these trial plants before the Floral Com- 

 mittee had passed judgment upon them. Who is to blame 

 for this we do not stop to inquire, bat it is very evident that 

 whenever any attempt is made to carry out some practical 

 point in horticulture, it is certain to be marred by the ill- 



