THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] APRIL, 1878. [No. 76. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



The meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society ou 

 March 5th was held in the Conservatory, a much 

 better place in which to display plants than the cold 

 dark Council Chamber near to the entrance gates. On 

 the other hand, the practice of holding the meetings 

 of the Society in the Conservatory is not to be com- 

 mended ; but few can hear what is going on, and 

 their attention is distracted by the passing to and fro 

 and the conversation of visitors. 



Of the new plants staged on this occasion, the follow- 

 ing received First-class Certificates of merit : — Azalea 

 William Carmichael, a finely improved variety of the 

 amoena type, the size of the flowers and brilliancy of 

 colour having probably obtained by crossing with one 

 of the Indian varieties, colour, clear purple rose, 

 flowers of fine form ; from Mr. B. S. Williams, 

 Victoria Nursery, Holloway : Amaryllis, Mrs. Rawson, 

 having long-pointed petals, a little twisted, the bod}!-- 

 colour orange crimson, shaded at the base, and dis- 

 tinctly feathered with white, thus imparting to it 

 much novelty of character ; this also came from Mr. 

 B. S. Williams. Primrose Scott- Wilson, a variety of 

 the common Primrose, the colour violet, with a slight 

 magenta ring round a lemon eye ; it has what the 

 florists term " a pin eye," but it is so distinct as to 

 well merit the award made ; from G. F. Wilson, 

 Esq., Weybridge. Primrose Octoroon, rich bright 

 maroon crimson; with a bold and striking golden 

 centre, fine form and very free ; and Primrose Ealing 

 Crimson, bright magenta crimson, with golden 

 centre, very fine and free ; both from the collec- 

 tion raised by Mr. R. Dean, at Bedfort, Middlesex. 

 EpidendrumWallisii, from Messrs. James Veitch & Son, 

 King's Road, Chelsea, was awarded a botanical com- 

 mendation ; it is very pretty, the ground colour yellow, 

 with slight dark stripes and spots. 



A new interest was added to this meeting from the 

 fact that prizes were offered by an amateur for the 

 best new light and dark varieties of Amaryllis. Mr. B. 

 S. Williams was first with Fair Star, a very fine variety 

 of a dull bright red hue, and large, broad, finely 

 formed petals, without the presence of that tint of 

 green in the throat, so common to Amaryllis, but so 

 disfiguring at the same time ; and second with Prince 



Teck, very rich brilliant orauge-red, of the finest form, 

 not enough advanced in bloom or it might have been 

 placed first. In a class for a light variety, the first 

 prize was awarded to Mrs. Rawson, described above, 

 but no second prize was awarded. 



A splendid group of Orchids, from Sir Trevor 

 Lawrence, Bart., M.P., was so much admired as 

 to deserve a record in this relation. This included 

 a magnificent example of Dendrobium Wardia- 

 num, growing on a block, and bearing eight spokes 

 of flower, on which there were at least between 

 130 and 150 blossoms of fine size, rich colour, and 

 perfect freshness ; a grand specimen of Dendrobium 

 lituifolium, with ten long spokes of blossoms ; fine 

 varieties of Odontoglossum crispum ; Sophronites gran- 

 diflora, with very large richly coloured flowers ; and 

 lastly, a finely marked form of Odontoglossum Rossii 

 inajus, which was awarded a cultural commendation. 

 The Floral Committee recommended the highest award 

 that the council could give should be made to this 

 group, naming the Lindley medal as the selected one. 



A collection of Cyclamen Persicum came from Henry 

 Little, Esq., Hillingdon, which included a very splendid 

 variety named Purple Emperor, one of the large 

 flowered type, remarkable for the size of the flowers 

 and their richness of colour. From B. Hooke, Esq., 

 Bradfield, Reading, came some seedling varieties of 

 Christmas Roses, two or three of which, having- the 

 blood of H. olympicus, were considered very promising. 

 From Messrs. James Veitch & Sons came a large 

 and valuable collection of Amaryllis, among which 

 Hippeastrum Leopoldi was very fine ; also plants 

 of Rhododendron Early Gem, representing flowering 

 plants lifted from the open ground ; and examples of 

 Spirea Thunbergi, a free flowering dwarf shrub, 

 bearing white flowers, and suitable for forcing. A 

 remarkable collection of cut Camellias, affording 

 a study of some of the best varieties of this fine 

 spring flowering plant, came from Messrs. William 

 Paul & Sou, the Nurseries, Waltham Cross. 



At the meeting of the Society on March 19th, 

 Hyacinths formed the leading feature : and Messrs. W. 

 Cutbush & Sons, Highgate ; Messrs. Veitch & Sons, 

 Chelsea; Messrs. Osborn & Sons, Fulham; and Messrs. 

 James Carter & Co., Holborn, — had large collections. 

 It was generally remarked that the spikes of flowers 



