THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] FEBRUARY, 1878. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



The January meeting of the Society showed no falling 

 off in respect to the quantity and interesting 

 character of the subjects staged at the meeting of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society on January 15th; and 

 its being the first meeting of the year, there was a 

 strong muster of members. Foremost among new 

 plants was the lovely purple flowered Dendrobium 

 Superbiens, now figured, which is flowering with Mr. 

 B. S. Williams, of the Victoria Nurseries, Holloway, 

 for the first time in this country. It was unanimously 

 awarded a First-class Certificate of merit. The same 

 award was made to Mr. Williams for Microlepia hirta 

 cristata, which the c Gardeners' Chronicle ' describes as 

 " a strong growing and handsomely crested Green- 

 house Fern. In addition, Mr. Williams staged an in- 

 teresting group of choice plants, including a collection 

 of his handsome hybrid Solanums, some of which have 

 been so improved that they are almost perfect as 

 berried plants : excellent examples of Sarracenia 

 Drummondii alba, with the white variegation well 

 displayed ; also S. purpurea major; and fine flowering 

 examples of the following Orchids among others : — 

 Cypripedium Boxallii, C. insigne, and C. venustum, 

 Dendrobium moniliforme, and Cattleya Trianaa. Mr. 

 Williams received a Botanical commendation for 

 Pterostylis Baptistii, a very singular green flowered 

 Orchid. 



Mr. William Bull, Kings Road, Chelsea, was as 

 usual strong in new and rare plants, and staged a 

 remarkable group. Among them were two new 

 Zamias, viz., corrugata and lucida, and a First-class 

 Certificate of merit was awarded to each. Mr. Bull 

 has an extensive collection of these peculiarly handsome 

 stove foliaged plants, and on tins occasion he had fine 

 examples of Z. mexicana, Z. Lindeni, and Z. Roezlii, 

 Encephalartos villosus ampliatus, E. cyadaafolius, E. 

 Yroomii, E. Ghellincki, E. Hildebrandii, and E. horrida 

 multiflexus; Cycas Armstrongi, Dion Edule, Cera- 

 tozamia noblilis, Catakidozamia Hopei, and Bowenia 

 spectabilis serrulata. 



Messrs. James Veitck & Sons, Kings Road, 

 Chelsea, also contributed a bold and showy group 

 of plants, containing capital examples of one of the 

 most charming of the early flowering Rhododendrons, 

 Early Gem. This is an excellent decorative plant for 



[No. 74. 



this season of the year, freely bearing flowers of a 

 yellowish white colour. Primulas, Cyclamens, and 

 Orchids were very bright and effective ; among the 

 latter was a good specimen of the pretty white 

 flowered Masdevallia tovarensis, carrying sixteen 

 blossoms; another good specimen of the singularly 

 interesting little Masdevallia polysticta ; a fine plant 

 of Angrajcuni sesquipedale, and various Odonto- 

 glossums, Cattleyas, Sophronites, Saccolabiums. 



Mr. John Wills, Royal Exotic Nursery, Onslow 

 Crescent, had a choice group of Palms, Ferns, and 

 Orchids ; the latter including some fine spikes of 

 Odontoglossum Alexandra} and the pretty Lrelia 

 anceps. From Wimbledon House, the residence of 

 Sir H. W. Peck, Bart, M. P., was sent, what on the 

 authority of the ' Gardeners Chronicle/ and indeed the 

 whole of the Orchid growers present, was considered 

 the finest example of Odontoglossum cirrhosum yet 

 seen. Other specialities (and they always prove of much 

 interest) comprised the pretty Crocus Imperatonius, 

 from Mr. R. Dean, Ealing, a charming species that is 

 not nearly so much grown as it deserves to be ; some 

 beautiful cut blooms of Zonal Pelargoniums from Mr. 

 Henry Cannell, Nurseryman, Swanley, to further 

 illustrate their adaptability for winter blooming ; some 

 very fine heads of Pointsettia pulcherrima, from Mr. 

 Wildsmith, gardener to Lord Eversley, Heckfield 

 Place; and from the Gardens of the Royal Horticultural 

 Society, at Chiswick, came half-a-dozen admirably 

 grown and flowered specimens of the bold foliaged and 

 bright yellow flowered Senecio Ghiesbreghtii. It was 

 stated that the plants had been grown on under green- 

 house treatment, from cuttings put in early last year, 

 and now stand about two feet in height, with heads 

 of bloom a foot and more across. 



Among novelties in fruits was a collection of dessert 

 Oranges in ten varieties, which came from Messrs. 

 Rivers & Sons, Sawbridgeworth. The collection in- 

 cluded the Long Orange, which, on account of its 

 distinctness and excellent quality, was awarded a 

 First-class Certificate of merit : — also the St. Michael's, 

 Maltese Blood, Bijou Lemon, Buttercourt, and the 

 white Orange. Mr. Miller, gardener to the Earl 

 of Craven, Combe Abbey, Coventry, contributed a 

 half-dozen bunches of Gros Guillaume Grape, fine in 

 berry and well coloured, and weighing in the aggre- 

 gate 261bs. It is further interesting to know these 



