254 



€\t iarktttr's Ilontljlj. 



very fine. In Messrs. Ellwanger & Barry's collec- 

 tion there were seventy-five varieties of Hybrid 

 Perpetuals, of which the following were very fine 

 and are recommended for general cultivation, viz : 

 Greneral Washington, Grenerai Jacqueminot, Alex. 

 Fontaine, Augusta Mie, Greant des Battailes, 

 Christian Puttner, Cardinal Patrizzi, Coupe de 

 Hebe, Pourpre d' Orleans, Leon des Combats, Jules 

 Margottin, Mad. Boll, Imperatrice Eugenie. Of 

 Moss Koses there were fifteen varieties, among 

 which the following were very good and highly 

 recommended, viz : Crested Moss, Salet, Mad. 

 Alvoni, White Bath, Captain John Ingraham, 

 Luxembourg. 



• The display of Herbaceous Peonies was superb, 

 particularly two new seedlings, one called Fulgora — 

 a deep rose pink and very large flower. The other 

 named Mrs. Dagge — a large and beautiful white — 

 attracted a good deal of attention. The following, 

 although older varieties, were magnificent and very 

 conspicuous : Papaveriflora, Delachii, Louis Van 

 Houtte, Pinpenea Superb, Chas. Morel, Violacea, 

 Washington. 



From the list of subjects presented by the Busi- 

 ness Committee the first topic taken up for discus- 

 sion was — "Which are the best four varieties of 

 Strawberries for market? " 



There were in all twenty-eight ballots cast, with 

 six names on each ballot. Triomphe de Gand was 

 on every ballot, 28 ; Wilson's next, 22 ; Hooker, 

 22; Jucunda, 17; Agriculturist, 16; Russell's 

 Prolific, 9 ; Grreen Prolific, 4 ; Trollope's Victoria, 

 4. The other varieties named were scattered 

 among twenty other kinds, each of which had from 

 one to four votes. — Rural New Yorker. 



CHICAGO HOETICULTTJUAL SOCIETY. 



FIRST FLORAL EXHIBITION. 



The first exhibition of this young Society came 

 off according to programme, at Crosby's Music Hall 

 in this city on Tuesday and Wednesday, May 7th 

 and 8th. 



Had the good people been so inclined, the pass- 

 ing through the city with their huge plants, should 

 alone have been enough to have enlisted their 

 sympathies and secured a good attendance. But 

 alack, the Chicago people are too hard to wake up 

 in this direction, to hope for very extended patron- 

 age ; and there seems to be no hope, but to wait 

 patiently while they are being educated up to an 

 appreciation of the beautiful in nature. 



Their parks lag, their homes often present any- 

 thing but a tastily kept garden, and we opine will 

 continue to, until they know how to enjoy such a 



treat as was brought together by the first exhibi- 

 tion of this Society. 



The room, on entering, after the tables were ar- 

 ranged, presented a most beautiful appearance. 

 Immediately before you was a grand arch of living 

 English Ivy — some 7 or 8 feet high, brought there 

 intact as it grows at the fine greenhouse of tT. 

 Young Scammon ; on the right, supported by a 

 noble specimen of Cryptomeria Japonica, (too ten- 

 der here to stand our winters) ; on the left, by as 

 noble a plant of the upright or pyramidal Cypress. 



The centre table was an oval, filled up with choice 

 exotics from the greenhouse of E. B. McCagg, 

 Esq., Robert Kuntze, gardener. It is difficult to 

 describe the enchanting effect produced by the 

 tropic-like scene on this table ; two huge Dracoenas, 

 and a Charleswoodia beautifully in flower, forming 

 a centre, around which were arranged the curious 

 Plectogynea with its variegated foliage ; a hand- 

 some old specimen of the Rhynchospermum, redo- 

 lent with perfume ; very handsome Caladiums, 

 always attractive at an exhibition, not the less so, 

 however, than the richly colored leaves of the hosts 

 of Begonias, nor the curious Cyperus alternifolius, 

 the economic Coffee Tree at present without ber- 

 ries, not forgetting the well done plant of Plectogy- 

 nea with its handsome variegated foliage, nor the 

 Nephrolepis neglecta. 



Mr. Kuntze too, had another Rhododendron 

 finely in flower ; a genus of plants much too seldom 

 met with, as they are certainly a gorgeous flower at 

 this season of the year. 



J ust beyond the centre was a group of three 

 plants from the same establishment, of most royal 

 proportions. The centre a Maranta Zebrina, on 

 each side — by equally large Plectogyneas. 



The first table on the right was occupied with 

 the plants from the late Mr. Williams' establish- 

 ment, now carried on by his widow ; conspicuous 

 among these were the ro'^es, certainly the best 

 flowered in the room. We noticed particularly well 

 done, the old Hermosa, always acceptable, Mrs. 

 Bosanquet, a pretty, creamy white, and a very 

 handsome flo^jjp, of the Souvenir de la Malmaison, 

 a rose, when seen in its best, hard to beat. 



The next table was occupied by plants from J. 

 Y. Scammon's establishment, F. Eastman, gar- 

 dener. His table was well filled, and having a 

 large proportion of the rich Coleus Verschaffeltii, 

 formed quite an attractive feature. He had very 

 good Crotons, a Centradenia florabunda, a good 

 specimen of the Begonia sanguinea ; capital Cal- 

 ceolarias and Carnations, and several specimens of 

 Musas, or bread-fruit, as they are called, along with 



i 



