May 28, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
435 
freely flowered Lady Blanche, Edward Perking, Empress of Russia, Rob 
Roy, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Rose Celestial, were staged by Mr. W. J. 
Mould, the second prize going to Mr. W. F. Biggs, and the third to Mr. J. 
G-ibbs. Classes were also provided for “ Spotted Geraniums ” and Fancy 
Pelargoniums, the former serving to mystify many who are and who are not 
acquainted with the modern classifications of this popular race of plants, 
and in these Mr. Vv r . F. Biggs was the most successful. The prizewinners 
with Cinerarias were Messrs. W. Marchant, gardener to J. Murch, Esq., H. 
Pictor, and A. Hawkins ; and with Calceolarias, Messrs. W. Marchant, G. 
Tucker, and W. Robinson, gardener to Sir Henry Lopes, Bart., were the 
most successful, the prizes going in the order named in each instance. 
Cut Flowers .—Several excellent stands of Roses were in competition, and 
as usual with the visitors to the Bath meetings, proved exceptionally attrac¬ 
tive. ^ Mr. W. Taylor, gardener to S. P. Budd, Esq., secured the first prize 
for eighteen blooms, among these being very fine examples of Catherine 
Mermet, Countess, of Pembroke, Pauline Labonte, Marie Van Houtte, 
Souvenir d’un Ami, and Souvenir d’Elise Vardon. Mr. Taylor, gardener to 
Jas. Chaffin, Esq., was a very close second, his blooms being perhaps 
scarcely forward enough, while those in the winning stand were rather too 
fully expanded. In the second-prize stand were lovely blooms of Teas 
Bouquet d’Or, Caroline Kuster, Isabella Sprunt, Catherine Mermet, Perle de 
Lyon, Niphetos, Anna Ollivier, and Souvenir de Madame Pernet. Mr. J. E. 
Morris was placed third, and Mr. J. Mattock, Oxford, also staged creditably. 
Messrs. Keynes, Williams, & Co., Salisbury, brought two stands of Teas not 
for competition, which were greatly admired. Among these were several 
large bunches of Niphetos, Souvenir de Paul Neyron, Madame Lambard, 
Perle des Jardins, Comtesse de Nadaillac, Catherine Mermet, and Ma 
Capucine, the latter being singularly beautiful in a bud state. Tulips were 
sh own in good style by Messrs. F. Hooper and H. J. Hooper, while Messrs. 
E.rHooper, W. Meddick, and Geo. Meddick were the most successful exhibi- 
toas of Pansies. The best box of twenty-four varieties of cut flowers was 
stoged by Mr. F. Perry, half the number being Orchid blooms. Mr. W. J. 
Meuld was a good second. There were several very tastefully arranged 
ep.rgnes, the prizewinners being Messrs. E. T. Hill, E. S. Cole, gardener to 
W Pethick, Esq , and J. Stapleton, gardener to H. Mardon, Esq. The first 
prize for a bouquet was awarded to Mr. S. Garraway, the second going to 
Mr. E. P. Cole for a lighter and more pleasing arrangement, and Mr. S. 
Wakeham was third. 
Fruit and Vegetables. —Strawberries, Apples, and Pears were shown in 
fair ly large numbers, and as a rule in excellent condition. With six pots of 
Strawberries Mr. W. Burridge was easily first, having a variety said to be 
Oscar, but resembling Marguerite, very fine. Mr. S. Wakeham was a good 
second with President, and Mr. J. Weston, gardener to the Rev. C. C. Layard, 
third. Mr. Burridge was also first for thirty fruit, staging Oscar in fine 
condition. Mr. W. Robinson was second and D. Williams third. Several 
dishes of Pears were shown, Mr. R. Hooper Taylor winning first prize with 
well-kept Beurrb Ranee, the second prize going to Mr. Burridge for Uvedale’s 
St. Germain, while the prizewinners with Apples were Messrs. G. Garraway, 
A. W. Southard, and J. S. W. Bush. Nine classes were provided for vegetables, 
and the competition in every case was close. The best or presumably best 
collection of nine sorts was staged by Mr. T. Evry, the second prize going 
to Mr. J. Weston for an equally good lot, and Mr. Smith was third. The 
best vegetables, however, were to be seen in the class for six sorts, and here 
Messrs. J. Kitching, S. H. Richards, and G. Ricketts were successful. These 
exhibitors were successful in some of tie other classes, as also were Messrs. 
G. Pymm, G. Wiltshire, H. Marchant, J. Curtis, H. Jones, J. Stuckey, H. 
Beavis, T. Mead, and W. W. Kettlewell. 
Not for Competition .—Messrs Cooling & Sons, Bath, arranged a very 
pretty group of plants in pots, which included Clematises in variety, Rhodo¬ 
dendrons of sorts, Roses, conspicuous among which were several pretty 
single varieties, and various other popular kinds of plants grown and shown 
in their well-known excellent style. 
CULTURE OF NEPENTHES. 
Nepenthes are curious but very interesting plants. They should 
be grown in baskets, as they show their pitchers more to advantage; in 
fact a great many of them could not be grown in pots, as some of them 
throw out the point of the leaf as long as 4 feet before forming the pitcher. 
Some of them are very easy to grow, and will do well hanging up in a 
plant stove, which makes the house look very effective. They require 
plenty of heat and moisture—that is to say, the temperature should not fall 
below 65° at this time of the year, and in the winter nights not below 60 c . 
During the day the heat can be regulated according to the other plants in 
the house, as it will not hurt the Nepenthes on sunny days if the tem¬ 
perature should be 100°, or even more provided there is plenty of moisture. 
When dry the baskets must be taken carefully down and dipped in tepid 
water, also sprinkled with the syringe morning and evening, according to 
the state of the weather. 
Nepenthes Mastersiana is a fine hybrid, which does well in a plant 
stove; it is a good grower, at the same time dwarf in habit. The pitchers 
are richly coloured, and 1 have seen them quite 8 inches in length and 
2 in breadth, and would no doubt grow larger a3 the plant gains in 
strength. A little water should always be kept in the bottom of the 
pitcher, as if allowed to get dry they will soon perish. One great 
curiosity is the number of wasps which one pitcher will catch during the 
season. I have taken out as many as six dozen from one pitcher. I do 
not know what attracts them, but when they get just inside the pitcher 
they seem to be drawn down and drowned. Sometimes the plants will 
grow so strongly that they will cease to form pitchers ; the only way then 
is to cut the plants down and propagate from them. 
Propagation of Nepenthes .—Procure some good fibry peat and well 
beat it with a stick until all the fine portions are beaten out, pick out tbe 
fibre, usg about the same quantity of chopped sphagnum, mix some sharp 
sand with it, break up some charcoal about the size of a hazel nut, mix 
it all well together, and it will do either for cuttings or established plants. 
Have some thumb po‘s half filled with the compost recommended. If I 
wished to take the top of the plant I should leave three leaves on it, as it 
makes a plant much more quickly. At the bottom of the cutting an incision 
should be made crossways, as it roots mors evenly ; place a little sand a r - 
the base of each cutting, fill the pot nearly to the rim and press the soil 
firmly down, well water it before placing it in the propagating frame, 
where a bottom heat of 80° should be kept. The stem of the plant can be 
cut into several pieces about 14 inch long, but it is best to have a 
leaf at the top where it can be done. 
The frame should be opened in the morning for about an hour, and 
the cuttings syringed In about six or seven weeks they will be rooted 
enough to put into baskets, care being taken not to disturb the roots 
while doing so.— A Worker. 
BROCCOLI. 
Amongst the many things which fidget a gardener, where the 
demand is heavy for winter and spring vegetables, is his Broccoli crop. 
Undoubtedly much depends upon the severity of the weather. Hence we 
can easily account for the abundant supplies of Broccoli that have and 
still are teeming into the markets this season. We have been cutting 
Broccoli here almost daily for the last six months. Veitch’s Self-protect¬ 
ing was ready at the latter end of November, and was succeeded by 
Snow’s Superb and Knight’s Protecting. Snow’s is a particular favourite, 
but we find it difficult to get true. Gilbert’s Burghley Champion and 
Gordon’s Niddrie-Protecting have succeeded, the two latter varieties 
admirably ; and for the month of May we could hardly desire a better 
variety than Lauder’s Goshen. In passing I may state that our be^t 
heads of Broccoli have been cut from a break that has lain in Asparagus 
for the last twelve years, and during that time it has neither been dug 
nor trenched. The Asparagus was merely hard cut well on in the season, 
and all further growth kept under by the hoe. The plants were put in 
by means of the crowbar, and the weather being dry at the time we were 
obliged to fill up ,the holes with water ; and we experienced some difficulty 
in getting sufficient loose soil to run in with the water to fill them up. 
The soil here is of a calcareous nature, rather light, hence our experience 
leads us to grow Broccoli on the firmest quarter available.—A. Smith, 
Cardiff. 
NICOTIANA AFFINIS. 
This is a great favourite with many ladies, and deservedly so. It 
is easily grown, and will take care of itself where many other less use¬ 
ful plants would not. The way to grow it is to sow seed early in the 
spring, and when placed in a warm house the young plants 
soon appear, and require to be pricked oft’ when they have made two 
or three good-sized leaves. For this purpose I prefer a frame, as if 
put in pots or boxes they are apt to get dry at a time when there are 
many other things wanting careful attention. They will grow in 
almost any soil, but a good rich loam produces the best flowers and 
plenty of clean foliage. 
This plant is called a half-hardy annual, but I prefer not to plant 
it in the borders till all danger of frost is over, unless ample protection 
can be given. If wanted to flower early a few of the strongest plants 
can be potted. The way we manage is to select a few of the best as 
soon as up, and pot them at once, placing three in a 24-size pot, and 
grow them in a house devoted principally to early Peas and a few 
other choice vegetables till they begin to show T the flower spikes. 
They are then removed to the conservatory, where they are not only 
very attractive, but the fragrance of the expanded flowers is much 
appreciated. 
In the conservatory here there are now a few plants which seem 
to me to be worthy of a passing note. They were throwing up several 
spikes late last autumn, and knowing they would be greatly valued in 
December if they could be induced to flower then, I lifted them and 
planted them with a ball of soil in the conservatory. They were well 
watered in, and did not lose many leaves, but soon grew away among 
the Chrysanthemums and other plants, and gave us a nice lot of 
flowers at a time when they were much valued. They have been 
growing all the winter, and for the last three months have supplied 
many fine spikes of capital flowers. They are very useful for cutting 
for room-decoration. They are not injured by packing, as many 
flowers are, as they are folded up when they are cut early in the morn¬ 
ing, and open in the evening when they are most wanted. 
There are one or two other varieties worth growing, but I think 
none so good as N. affinis. I shall in future grow a few good 
pots, especially for winter and spring flowering, and would advise 
others to do so where sweet-scented flowers are valued.—G. M. W. 
AMASONIA PUNICEA. 
This is one of the distinct new plants which Messrs. Veitch & Sons 
(to whom we are indebted for the illustration) from time to time intro¬ 
duce to the public, and their description of it, as follows, appears to 
to be very accurate :— 
“ This is unquestionably one of the most beautiful flowering shrubs 
that have been brought under the notice of horticulturists for many 
