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EOTAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 



Dr. Masters placed on the table a box of soil sent by Mr. Fish, 

 to show that a dressing of lime was carried gradually down into 

 the soil, in opposition to the views of Mr. Darwin, by the mere 

 superdeposit of carbonaceous matter. Dr. Voelcker, however, 

 remarked, that lime so applied is always washed down gradually ; 

 and it was observed that a mere inspection of worm-stalls, where 

 the soil contained little stones, would prove the correctness of Mr. 

 Darwin's statement. 



GENEBAL MEETING. 

 Nov. 16, 1869. 

 W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., F.R.S., in the Chair. 



The awards of the Floral and Fruit Committees were announced 

 by the Eev. J. Dix and Mr. G. F. Wilson. 



Mr. Berkeley remarked that there was considerable difference 

 in the foliage of Picea Pinsapo, as grown in this country, and the 

 herbarium specimens of the variety from Algiers named var. 

 Baborensis. Plants of the more normal form, as cultivated, varied 

 with very acute and obtuse leaves. In both the leaves came 

 straight from the branch, but in the Algerian plant the leaves 

 closely resembled those of the common Silver Fir, and were twisted 

 at the base. The Algerian form might therefore be an inter- 

 mediate species with the leaves of the Silver Fir and the cones of 

 Pinsapo, or the three might be forms of one very variable species. 



Fruit of the Australian Proteaceous Macadamia ternifolia and 

 plants sent by Messrs. Henderson were then pointed out. The 

 nut is peculiarly good and free from all rancidity. The pretty 

 Coleus barhatus, a plant extending from India to Abyssinia, came 

 from Chiswick. Mr. Standish's collection of Evergreens was then 

 alluded to, and Podocarpus coriacea and Petinospora obtusa pointed 

 out as standing the winter, even of New York. Attention was 

 also called to a pretty Abies from Japan in the same collection, 

 named provisionally Abies Japonica. The Chairman then remarked 

 on the good effect produced by many of these plants for winter 

 bedding, and on the success of Mr. Salter in producing a dwarf 

 condition of the magnificent Dahlia imperialis, of which flowering 

 branches were sent from Chiswick, by grafting on the tubers of 

 a liliputian Dahlia. 



