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JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 



[ October 18, 1864. 



meeting, and these are expensive items. The hire of half a 

 dozen large tents or marquees will cost from .£20 to .£30, 

 perhaps, and music is also costly ; added to which the hire 

 of seats, the payment of assistants, and other charges, 

 trench heavily on the funds ; but it sometimes happens that 

 a hold move in this direction is successful. The advisability 

 of changing the established head-quarters in the Market 

 Hall, to a place out of doors, is a subject that can only be 

 judged of by those well acquainted with the neighbour- 

 hood, but it is very possible it might succeed. A spirited 

 attempt is often followed by success, and the projectors 

 receive their meed of public approbation. If an out-door 

 exhibition be decided on, then by all means have it in the 

 end of June or beginning of July, if the situation is late ; 

 the length of the days and other things favouring out-door 

 amusements at that time more than at a later period. By 

 well considering all the arrangements beforehand, and 

 perhaps revising the schedule, or in fact making a fresh 

 one, a feature may be given to the show which it has 

 never yet had. It might also be announced, if the June 

 show were successful, and the funds of the Society would 

 afford it, that a second would be held in September for 

 fruits and cut flowers, &c, as at present; this show, of 

 course, being held in the market-room. For such a show we 

 should say that about the 10th of September is a good time, 

 as Peaches and Nectarines would then be ripe ; the end of 

 that month is too late for them. It may be thought that 

 the interval between the two shows is too great, but the 

 public do not like too frequent repetitions, and July and 

 August do not present much that is important beyond what 

 may have good representatives at one or other of the shows 

 here recommended. As the show is well supported by exhi- 

 bitors, it is very likely that a spirited move in the way 

 suggested will meet the support of the public, and that the 

 local press will have the opportunity of recording a complete 

 success, everybody being pleased with the affair, and that 

 thousands of visitors will retire to their homes with the 

 remembrance of a social and intellectual treat, which such 

 meetings afford. We have little hesitation in recommend- 

 ing a June show ; but in the event of such not being decided 

 on our ignorance of the locality and its peculiarities prevents 

 our giving an opinion on the subject of the show being 

 held either out-doors or in. We would have the September 

 ■one as early as convenient, but ge nerally about the 10th wil 

 be found the best time. 



ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



October 11th. 



Floral Committee. — The scarcity of plants and flowers 

 sent for the examination of the Committee this day fully 

 realised the fact of the departure of sunny days and beau- 

 tiful flowers ; but we have no reason for complaint. The 

 interesting meetings held by the Committee during the 

 past season, and the number of plants and florists' flowers 

 that have been examined, fully prove that a deep and lively 

 interest in horticulture still exists. George Cooper Esq., 

 Alpha House, Coburg Road, exhibited a small plant of an 

 Oncidium from Brazil. It was recognised as a well-known 

 variety. Mr. Legge, Edmonton, sent three seedling Dahlias 

 — Lord Warden, deep orange red, tipped with white ; Mr. 

 Bolton, dark lilac rose ; and Lightning, yellowish buff 

 striped with red, of good form. This latter seedling re- 

 ceived a second-class certificate. 



From Mr. Bull, Chelsea, came three very pretty and in- 

 teresting varieties of British Ferns — Polystichum angulare 

 rotundatum, Polystichum angulare grandiceps, and a form 

 of Athyrium Filix-fcemina ; but the plants were too young to 

 decide upon their merits, though they are all of them ex- 

 cellent varieties. Aucuba japonica picta (mas), in flower, a 

 very beautiful variety with broad white variegation, received 

 a first-class certificate, and Aucuba japonica vera was also 

 shown with two clusters of its brilliant red berries. Mr. 

 Macintosh, Hammersmitli, sent Solanum capsicastrum hy- 

 bridum, a cross between S. capsicastrum and S. pseudo- 

 capsicum; it will form a nice plant, intermediate in size 

 and habit between its parents — second-class certificate. Mr. 

 Macintosh also had a seedling Capsicum with round seed- 

 vessels the size of marbles. 



Messrs. Stuart & Mein exhibited cut specimens of seed- 

 ling Pentstemons and Antirrhinums, some of the latter 

 good flowers, but not an advance on varieties in cultivation. 

 Messrs. Veitch, Chelsea, sent three seedling Cattleyas of 

 much interests— C. devoniensis, white narrow petals, with 

 deep purple lip— first-class certificate ; Cattleya Dominiana 

 alba, a white variety of C. Dominiana — first-class certificate ; 

 and Cattleya exoniensis, a beautiful variety, which received 

 a first-class certificate at the last meeting of the Committee. 

 Messrs. Henderson, Wellington Road, exhibited Pelargo- 

 nium Lady Cullum, another variety of those beautifully 

 varied-coloured Zonale Geraniums, the introduction of 

 which belongs solely to this well-known firm. Lady Cullum 

 is distinct in colour, and equally beautiful with Mrs. Pollock, 

 &c. It received a first-class certificate. Mrs. Gerard Leigh 

 was a white-edged variety with a coloured zone, but inferior 

 to Italia Unita. Mr. Fleming, Cliveden, brought cut speci- 

 mens of several seedling Pelargoniums not yet named, they 

 are of the intermediate section, having the truss of the 

 Nosegay, but broader petals. Some of them are novel in 

 colour, one being a bright orange scarlet, others deep purplish 

 rose of varied shades. Next season these will probably 

 appear with names, and will take a good position in that 

 section of Pelargoniums which they represent. 



VISITS TO GARDENS PUBLIC AND PRIVATE. 



REED HALL, COLCHESTER, THE SEAT OF J. T. HEDGE, ESQ. 



Has ever any Rose-grower had the homage paid to him 

 that Mr. Hedge has ? Have ever any others but he been 

 asked where he was to exhibit, as the questioners would 

 rather not enter into competition with him ? Has ever any 

 amateur held a more distinguished position as an exhibitor 

 than he has done ? Nay, is there any one, north, south, 

 east, or west, who has the courage to pluck the laurels from 

 him, or to deny him the place he has unquestionably won as 

 the champion exhibitor amongst amateurs ? Let us, then, 

 take a peep at the garden from whence these achievements 

 issue. 



Reed Hall is an old manor house, about a mile and a half 

 from the old Roman town of Colchester, and was so called 

 (its original name being Foxborough), because until a late 

 period it was thatched with reeds. There is nothing in the 

 house itself to call for remark, and I daresay thousands 

 might pas3 by and never so much as dream what marvela 

 of skill are produced there. The situation is high ; the soil 

 deep, rich, unctuous loam, such as the Rose delights in; 

 and the drainage excellent. Here are conditions to begin 

 with sufficient to encourage a grower, but not sufficient in 

 themselves to insure success. In such a soil the briar is at 

 home, and the Manetti comparatively .useless, so that Mr. 

 Hedge mainly depends on the former for his stocks. And 

 here let me say that he does not leave anything to chance 

 work. When he wishes to get briars he does not buy them 

 of those who go about for them, and perhaps have them for 

 days or weeks out of the ground, but he goes or sends some 

 of his men ; and the briars are dug out, carried home, and 

 planted at once, many of them in the situation where they 

 are to remain ; and on stocks so treated Teas, Noisettes, 

 and Bourbons, as well as Hybrid Perpetuals, flourish with 

 unwonted vigour. The Rose garden is arranged in beds; 

 and as these are of a convenient size and of various forms, 

 it is easy to go round them and examine every flower in the 

 bed with great ease : this, I think, is a great recommenda- 

 tion. Here is a bed of Teas, and there a'bed of Hybrid 

 Perpetuals ; and you can, moreover, see the names of them 

 all, for Mr. Hedge is methodical to a degree in everything 

 he does, and legible and accurate labelling is a matter on 

 which he prides himself. Where there are standards the 

 labels are attached to the trees ; where dwarfs, pieces of 

 slate — such pieces as are taken off by slaters, cut and pre- 

 pared afterwards — are used; they will then last for year3. 

 In everything there is the greatest neatness ; all his cards, 

 shades, slates, &c, display this, which is a great charm in a 

 garden, and always tends to set off flowers however good, 

 while the very best flowers are spoiled by want of it. 



I have said that he does not use the Manetti stock much, 

 for he finds that it very soon, on such stiff soil, kills the 

 Roses, so that they rarely last more than two years — in fact, 



