THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



fine umbel of orange-scarlet, and cinnamon-spotted 

 tubular-shaped flowers ; and to Mr. James Atkins, 

 Painswick, Bath, for a dwarf purplish-flowered Saxi- 

 frage, named calyciflora. A Second-class Certificate 

 was awarded to Messrs. James Veitch and Sons, for 

 Azalea Kaiser Wilhelm, bright rose with double 

 flowers, and apparently very free. 



At the meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 

 on May 21, Mr. B. S. Williams was awarded First-class 

 Certificates for Sadleria cyathoides, Adiantum Negai- 

 nense, Alsophila plamosa, and Ptycho sperma rupicola, 

 all good additions in their several classes. The same 

 award was made to Messrs. James Veitch and Sons, 

 for Gloxinia Monb Blanc, an improved Boule de 

 Neige, and a capital pure white Gloxinia ; this is we 

 believe a continental variety : to Begonia President 

 Burelle, a large and full rich coloured double variety, 

 resembling the type Veitchii in its growth ; from 

 Messrs. John Laing aud Co., Staustead Park Nursery, 

 Forest Hill : to a charming pale pinkish lilac double 

 Ivyleaf Pelargonium, at present unnamed, raised by 

 M. Lemoine, and which we hope to figure shortly : to 

 the pale red Haanianthus Kalbreyi : and to 

 Gloxinia Boule de Feu, bright rosy scarlet ; from 

 Messrs. Veitch & Sons. A Botanical Certificate 

 was awarded to Liparis elegantissima, also from Messrs. 

 Veitch and Sous. 



AN INTERNATIONAL HORTICULTURAL 

 EXHIBITION AND BOTANICAL CONGRESS 

 FOR 1879. 



We may announce that there is considerable proba- 

 bility that this movement, which has been much dis- 

 cussed of late, is shaping itself into something like a 

 practical character. Two or three preliminary meet- 

 ings of Botanists and Horticulturists have been held, 

 at which the project was somewhat warmly supported, 

 and a preliminary Committee appointed to institute 

 the necessary inquiries. Should anything like suc- 

 cess attend the labours of the Committee, an Inter- 

 national Horticultural Exhibition in London, in May, 

 1879, is, we think, more than probable. 



CALCEOLARIAS AT READING. 



A magnificent collection of herbaceous Calceolai'ias 

 has bloomed this season in the London Road Nurseries 

 of Messrs. Sutton & Sons, at Reading. One large 

 house was quite filled with many fine specimen plants, 

 carrying enormous heads of flower of remarkably fine 

 quality. Messrs. Sutton and Sons have adopted the 

 practice of obtaining the very best types of Calceolarias 

 in cultivation, and then crossing these with a view 

 to getting the utmost perfection in the flowers and 

 habit of growth. The result is large and finely formed 

 flowers, showing much variety of colour and some 

 particularly pleasing new shades, in combination with 

 a robust habit of growth. Complaints are often made 

 that Calceolarias have had their constitutions improved 

 out of them, and we think there is some reason for 

 the complaint, for growers and improvers have looked 

 exclusively to the flowers, forgetful that the habit 

 of growth is of equal importance. Calceolaria plants 

 should not only have good heads of bloom but a good 

 habit also, meaning thereby leaves furnished in abun- 

 dance, large and of a healthy green, feathering right 

 down to the pots. This is what we saw in the case 

 of the plants at Reading ; and as they were being 

 grown exclusively for seed purposes, there is every 

 probability that the same excellent characters will 

 be produced from the seed when sown. Calceolarias 

 have been greatly improved during the past 10 

 or 12 years, and this improvement is yet being 

 continued. But we want to see the plants treated 

 more as hardy and less as tender greenhouse plants 

 during the winter ; many plants have gone wrong at 

 that time of year through being kept in too warm and 

 dry an atmosphere. 



BOOK RECEIVED. 



Phantom Flowers, and How to Produce them. By 

 Mrs. D. K. Cussons, Southport. Gives complete 

 instruction in the art of producing Phantom Flowers, 

 Skeleton Leaves, Fairy Ferns, etc. with list of sub- 

 jects most suitable for such manipulation. An 

 excellent little manual. 



