THE FLORAL MAGAZINE. 



NEW SERIES.] DECEMBER, 1877. [No. 72. 



HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITIONS. 



On Tuesday, November 10th, the Royal Horticultural 

 Society held another interesting meeting, remarkable 

 for the variety and quality of the subjects brought to- 

 gether ; and though new plants were somewhat scarce, 

 which is to be expected during the autumn and 

 winter months, there were yet many things peculiar 

 to the season that had a warm interest for horti- 

 culturists. Among the new plants produced, the 

 following were awarded First-Class Certificates of 

 Merit : — Sarracenia Chelsoni, a beautiful bronzed- 

 leaved hybrid, raised at the Chelsea nurseries, 

 obtained from a cross between S. rubra and S. pur- 

 purea, and much resembling the first-named parent 

 (Messrs. Veitch and Sons) ; to Dicksonia Berteroana, 

 a graceful habited tree fern from Juan Fernandez, and 

 reported to be distinct from any yet put into com- 

 merce (Messrs. Veitch and Sons) ; to Primula capi- 

 tata, an Alpine species, something in the way of P. 

 farinosa, having mealed stems, bearing heads or 

 whorls of violet purple flowers, and likely to be use- 

 ful for cutting from ; it was raised at the Gardens of 

 the Royal Horticultural Society (by whom it was ex- 

 hibited) at Chiswick from seed sent home from the 

 East Indies. 



Messrs. Veitch and Sons showed a group of plants 

 of great interest, including good examples of winter- 

 flowering Calanthes, and a new hybrid, the result of 

 a cross between C. vestita and C. Veitchii, with 

 flowers remarkable for their brightness of colour ; also 

 some fine Oncidiums and Indian Crocuses (Pleiones) 

 in capital condition; a garden variety of Adiantum 

 cuneatum named Lawsoni, the pretty Vriesia brachy- 

 stachys, the singular Pavonia Wioti (figured in the 

 ' Floral Magazine ' for September) ; and some Pelar- 

 goniums in fine bloom for the season of the year. 

 From Mr. Ollerhead, gardener to Sir H. W. Peek, 

 Bart., M.P., Wimbledon House, came a good group 

 of Orchids, comprising Calanthe Veitchii. C. Vestita 

 rubra ; Oncidium pulverulenta, Odontoglossum 

 bictonense, O. Roezlii, Cypripedium Sedeni, Lycastes, 

 the handsome Cattleya Dowiana, Pleiones, etc. From 

 Mr. W. Smith, gardener, to C. Lane, Esq., Badgemore, 

 Henley-on-Thames, came a magnificently flowered ex- 



ample of Vanda ccerulea, having" two fine growths on 

 which were six spikes and eighty-nine flowers. The 

 Floral Committee recommended the Council to award 

 a Medal to this grand specimen. Sir Trevor Law- 

 rence, Bart., M.P., showed a superb specimen of the 

 dark-flowered Oncidium crispum, with half-a-dozen 

 remarkably fine spikes of bloom ; a cultural commen- 

 dation was awarded to it. Mr. Robert Parker, 

 Exotic Nurseries, Tooting, had a similar acknowledg- 

 ment for a very choice collection of cut flowers of 

 various hardy herbaceous plants, which included a 

 dozen species of the showy Asters, such as A. multi- 

 florus, horizontalis, Ericoides, laxus, Amellus, novae- 

 belgii, Reevesii, pendulus, discolor, novse-anglica?, 

 spectabilis, etc., and examples of such fine bedding 

 varieties of Chrysanthemum indicum, as scarlet gem, 

 Madame Pecoul, Hendersoni, Cassy, and Frederick 

 Pell ; also Lithospermum prostratum, Helleborus 

 niger maxima, Trollius asiaticus, Aponogeton dis- 

 tachyon, etc., an excellent collection of autumn flower- 

 ing plants. From the Gardens of the Royal Horticul- 

 tural Society also came some capital examples of 

 Colonel Trevor Clarke's new hybrid Begonia Moon- 

 light, which promises to be an invaluable winter 

 flowering plant, bearing large white flowers in a very 

 profuse manner. From Mr. R. Dean came a plant of 

 the new annual Godetia, Lady Albemarle, to show 

 what a fine thing it is for flowering in j;>ots. Some 

 fine Cyclamen persicum from Mr. H. B. Smith, 

 Ealing Dean Nursery, and cut blooms of Japanese 

 Chrysanthemums from Messrs. E. G. Henderson and 

 Son, Pine Apple Place Nurseries, were much admired 

 for their high-class quality. 



Among new fruits produced on this occasion was 

 a green-fleshed melon, named Exquisite, forwarded 

 by Mr. C. Tyler, gardener to W. R. Gosling, Esq., 

 Hassobury, Bishop's Stortforcl, and awarded a First- 

 Class Certificate of Merit. It had a thin rind, and 

 a particularly luscious and high-flavoured pale-green 

 flesh. Some new apples came from various ex- 

 hibitors, but they were not considered good enough 

 to merit awards. 



