PROCEEDINGS. 



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putrid animal matters in Vine borders. " The manure 

 which we sometimes must give, in order to keep up the 

 full vigour of the Vines, invariably injures the quality of 

 the fruit. It is, therefore, evident that manure should 

 always be withheld, except when indispensable to the 

 health of the Vine, and this is seldom the case, except in 

 hot, dry land." Mr. Glendinning, of the Chiswick Nur- 

 sery, sent Browalia speciosa, a rather pretty violet-flowered 

 plant; Mr. Summerfield, gardener to J. S. Venn, Esq., of 

 Highbury Park, a nice Odontoglossum grande ; Messrs. 

 Paul, of Cheshunt, boxes of Autumnal Roses, among which 

 were beautiful blooms of Acidalie, Buist, Breon, Abricote, 

 Elise Sauvage, Adam, Coronet, Dr. Marx, Safranot, Robin 

 Hood, Madame Angelina, Jacques Laffite, La Reine, and 

 Duchess of Sutherland. Mr. Munro, gardener to Mrs. Oddie, 

 St. Alban's, produced a box containing eight bunches of well- 

 ripened Muscat of Alexandria Grapes. Mr. Fleming exhi- 

 bited two specimens of his Trentham hybrid Melon, weighing 

 respectively 3 lbs. 6|- ozs. and 3 lbs. 3 ozs. This is an oblong, 

 bright yellow-coloured sort, raised between the Ispahan and 

 Hoosainee. It was remarked that specimens of it from Tren- 

 tham are generally well flavoured, but that it is rarely grown 

 so fine elsewhere. Mr. Turner, gardener to W. Blake, Esq., 

 of Danesbury, contributed a Gourd of the Potiron jaune 

 kind, which weighed 116£ lbs. It was mentioned that this 

 kind of Gourd makes good soup, and that it is used for that 

 purpose in France. Mr. Ivison, gardener to the Duchess 

 Dowager of Northumberland, sent a fruit of Trichosanthes 

 colubrina, or Serpent Cucumber. It was green, with lighter 

 stripes of the same, but when ripe it becomes red, and is 

 very ornamental. Dr. Lindley stated that some had en- 

 deavoured to obtain a cross between this and the common 

 Cucumber, with a view of getting long Cucumbers; but he 

 said it should be recollected that all Snake Cucumbers are 

 poisonous, and that such a cross might prove dangerous to 

 eat. Captain Martin, of Rutland Street, Regent's Park, 

 produced an ingenious contrivance for enabling plants in 

 pots to bear the dry climate of a drawing-room, and also to 

 hide the pots. The invention consisted of a bottomless 

 zinc case, painted ornamentally, and having the form of 

 a common flower-pot ; together with a zinc pan to hold it. 

 Water being poured into the pan, and the pot covered by 

 the zinc case, its sides will be necessarily kept moist by the 

 damp air passing over them from the pan below, It was 

 stated that the contrivance is apparently well suited for 

 plants in sitting-rooms, its principle being that of the hoi- 



V 



