EXTRACTS OF PROCEEDINGS. 
lxxvii 
August 6 , 1878 . 
ORDINARY GENERAL MEETING. 
William Haughton, Esq., in the Chair. 
The Minutes of the last Meeting were read and signed. 
Elections .—James Derham, Sir Henry W. Gordon, K.C.B., 
Charles Kilmister, John Southgate. 
The Assistant Secretary announced the Awards of the Fruit 
and Floral Committees, and called attention to a few of the 
more prominent objects of interest exhibited. The special 
feature of that day’s Meeting having been Tuberous Begonias, 
of which several important collections were shown, Mr. 
Jennings remarked upon the history and wonderfully rapid 
development of this now favorite plant. He said that till 
within the last dozen years Begonias had been popularly known 
as ornamental-leaved plants, of which B. Rex was the most 
familiar type; there were several species in cultivation, but 
none were remarkable for their flowers until Messrs. Yeitch and 
Sons received from their traveller, Mr. Pearce, the brilliant 
B. Veitcliii, a native of Bolivia, in South America, a low- 
growing, stemless species, but throwing its conspicuous scarlet 
flowers well above the little tuft of roundish leaves. This was 
followed by B. rosceflora, specifically almost identical with the 
former, but having white flowers, deepening sometimes into 
pale rose. The discovery of B. boliviensis furnished a new 
feature, for in addition to its bright scarlet flowers, this species 
has a fine erect habit, branching stems, and graceful foliage. 
A novelty in colour had been found in B. Pearcei, with its clear 
yellow flowers, and all these new species being natives of the 
high mountainous regions of Peru and Bolivia, were soon proved 
to be almost hardy. 
With the above materials the hybridists had had a grateful 
task, and innumerable garden varieties had been raised, exhibit¬ 
ing every possible shade and combination of tint between scarlet, 
yellow, and white. 
M. Lemoine, of Nancy, had raised many interesting hybrids, 
and amongst them some with partly double flowers ; that was 
of course a monstrosity, in which the stamens had developed 
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