281 
BERBERIS TRIFOLIATA. 
Azalea Indica. — Mr. Kinghorn exhibited 
a variety called Murrayana, a very handsome, 
rosy-coloured flower, of a better form than 
almost any of the family ; and, seeing that all 
the other new ones were very different in this 
important quality, the less we say of them the 
better. 
Gompiiolobiuih. — A new one, from the 
Swan River, was shown by Messrs. Lucombe, 
Pince, and Co. These plants are all bright 
and pretty, with the yellow and orange pea- 
flowers, which so abundantly cover them. 
The subject of the present notice is of elegant 
habit, the flowers larger and richer in colour 
than the others ; the bloom, in fact, is orange 
and brown ; and expand well. 
Calceolarias. — A great abundance of 
these flowers was exhibited by many persons ; 
but, although we were informed that certifi- 
cates had been granted for some, there was not 
one that deserved such distinction. 
Paxsies were rather plentiful, and Mr. 
Brown had a number of seedlings in his stand 
of thirty-six ; but, as they were not all named, 
so that we could refer publicly to them, we 
can only say there were one or two very 
promising. 
Taking the Show as a whole, it was very 
grand ; and every pains seems to have been 
taken to render bad weather as tolerable as 
possible. But there must be more care in 
distributing certificates to new subjects. There 
is nothing assists more completely to deceive 
the public than ill-adjudged prizes ; nor does it 
advance the permanent interests of the Society 
or the science; for indulgence in such matters 
pleases none but the receiver, and he is imme- 
diately pointed out as the possessor of a prize, 
or a notice which he does not deserve : thus 
it does not serve the permanent interests of 
even the man who receives the prize. We are 
quite aware that the motive for being liberal 
is good, that the judges think they had better 
err on the indulgent side than the reverse ; 
and in all things but novelties, they are right ; 
for it does no one harm — it deceives nobody ; 
on the contrary, when prizes are given libe- 
rally to things which do not deserve them, 
that fact is made use of to recommend them 
to the public, who, hearing that prizes were 
awarded at the Royal Botanical Society, make 
sure that there was some quality about it 
which makes it worth buying. They had 
better err on the illiberal side than the liberal 
in dealing with new subjects. 
RIPENING GRAPES ON OPEN WALLS. 
BY B. MAUND, F.L.S. 
As the Vine is a native of a climate warmer 
than that of Great Britain, artificial heat must 
be used to produce grapes in their greatest 
perfection; still, if this fruit be not desired in 
undue season, it is not indispensable that ex- 
pensive erections, with fires, be employed to 
produce crops of well-ripened, high-flavoured 
fruit. It is not generally known how very 
little assistance, in regard to warmth, the Vine 
requires to enable it to mature its produce in 
England. 
In the summer of 1813,1 enclosed the shoot 
of a Vine, having on it several bunches of 
fruit, in a small glass-case, only two feet 
nine inches long, thirteen inches wide, and 
projecting five or six inches from the wall. 
This protection was not given till the latter 
end of May, but had the effect of ripening 
fruit three weeks or more before that which 
was exposed, and of greatly superior quality. 
The fruit was exhibited to the Horticultural 
Society, and particulars appeared in No. 51 
of the Gardeners' Chronicle. 
To ascertain the effect produced by an ex- 
periment on even a smaller scale, I last year 
enclosed a single bunch of the Pitmaston 
Grape in a small glass-case, made for the pur- 
pose, only about nine inches square. It was 
placed over the fruit, and fastened to the wall, 
when the flowers were falling, and not removed 
till it was ripe. A finer bunch of fruit, ripened 
without fire-heat, I never but once saw; not- 
withstanding the exposed fruit was imperfect, 
and but partially ripened before frosty nights 
destroyed it. 
These experiments, in themselves, are of 
little value, excepting as indicators of what 
may so easily be effected. This, at the present 
time, is of more importance to the fruitist; 
inasmuch, as both nature and our Government 
encourage the employment of glass for the 
produce of this valuable fruit. I should men- 
tion that Thomas Clarke, Esq., of Birmingham, 
used glazed frames before his out-of-door Vines, 
three or four years ago, with great success, 
and would, I am quite sure, have pleasure in 
affording information on the subject. 
BERBERIS TRIFOLIATA. 
(Harlweg.) 
THE THREE-LEAFLETTED BERBERRY. 
This is a very handsome, half-hardy, ever- 
green shrub, which, both when in bloom and 
otherwise, has an ornamental appearance. The 
leaves, on long stalks, are compounded three- 
leaflets, each of which is prickly at the mar- 
gin, like those of the holly; in colour they are 
dull green, with pale bluish, or ash-coloured 
veins or lines, giving them quite an orna- 
mental appearance. The flowers are borne in 
short axillary racemes ; they are small, 
yellow, and cup-shaped, consisting of six little 
rounded hollow petals ; and, though indi- 
vidually small, they are produced up the 
