114 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. c February 10, issi 
ones, have shown that, as to prevalent position, the popular belief 
has a certain foundation in fact. The lines in ‘ Evangeline ’ 
were inspired by a personal communication made by Gen. Alvord 
to the poet Longfellow. 
* Look at this delicate plant that lifts its head from the meadow. 
See how its leaves are turned north, as true as the magnet; 
This is the Compass Flower, that the finger of God has planted 
Here in the houseless wild, to direct the traveller’s journey 
Over the sea-like, pathless, limitless waste of the desert. 
Such in the soul of man is faith.” 
“ I cannot congratulate the poet on the'fidelity of the description 
of the plant as a ‘ delicate ’ one. 
“ Since the leaves tend to assume a position in which the two 
faces are about equally illuminated by the sun, it might be sus¬ 
pected that their anatomical structure was conformed to this 
position. This has been confirmed, first by Mr. Edward Burgess, 
who, when a pupil of mine, observed that stomata were about 
equally abundant on the two faces of the leaf ; and next by Mr. 
Arthur of Iowa, who has recently published in Prof. Bersey’s 
‘ Introduction to Botany,’ a figure of a section of a leaf, showing 
that the arrangement of the ‘ palisade cells ’ of the upper and 
lower strata is nearly the same. The leaves always maintain a 
vertical position, except when overborne by their weight. As 
to their orientation, not only is this rather vague in the cultivated 
plant, but subject to one singular anomaly which may be com¬ 
mended to Mr. Darwin’s attention. I have several times met 
with a leaf abruptly and permanently twisted to a right angle 
in the middle ; so that, while the lobes of the basal half pointed 
east and west, those of the apical half pointed north and south.” 
To the above I have little to add. I have not been able to 
detect any orientation of the leaves in the Kew cultivated 
specimens, but these, not being planted in a good exposure all 
round, are out of court as witnesses. On the other hand, when 
traversing the prairies with Dr. Gray in 1877 I watched the 
position of the leaves of many hundred plants from the window 
of the railway car, and, after some time, persuaded myself 
that the younger more erect leaves, especially, had their faces 
parallel approximately to the meridian line. I may mention 
that I, on the same occasion, convinced myself that the flower- 
heads of various of the great Helianthoid Compositas, that grew 
in hosts on the prairie, did follow the sun’s motion in the heavens 
to a very appreciable degree—their morning and evening posi¬ 
tions being reversed. This observation did not, however, extend 
to the Compass Plant, the rigid stout peduncles of whose flower- 
heads would not be expected to favour such a motion. 
Though never before figured in any English work, the Compass 
Plant has been for many years in cultivation in Kew, where it 
forms a very striking object, growing 8 feet high, and flowering 
profusely in August and September in the herbaceous ground. 
In the United States its range is from Michigan and Wisconsin 
westward to the Eocky Mountains, and south to Texas and 
Alabama, 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
February 8th. 
Primulas, Orchids, and Grapes constituted the chief features at 
this meeting, the first-named occupying a large space, and forming 
an attractive group. There was a large attendance of the members 
of the Committees. 
Fruit Committee. —W. Paul, Esq., in the chair. Mr. J. Wallis, 
The Gardens, Keele Hall, sent a box of Grapes consisting of Gros 
Colman in fine condition, and Golden Queen, which was not so good. 
A cultural commendation was awarded. Mr. G. T. Miles, Wycombe 
Abbey Gardens, sent samples of new and old Grapes, the former 
being Black Hamburgh, and the latter Lady Downe’s. The Black 
Hamburghs were very fine. A cultural commendation was awarded. 
Mr. Hudson, The Gardens, Gunnersbury House, Acton, sent twelve 
bunches of very handsome Lady Downe’s Grape. They had been 
kept in bottles for five weeks. A cultural commendation was 
unanimously awarded. Mr. Miles also exhibited three very fine speci¬ 
mens of Lord Carington Pine Apple, for which a cultural commenda¬ 
tion was awarded. Messrs. Saltmarsh & Son exhibited a seedling 
Apple of deep yellow colour with an orange cheek, marked with 
broken streaks of crimson. It had a tender flesh and an agreeable 
sub-acid flavour. It was not of sufficient merit to obtain a certificate. 
Mr. Miles, gardener to Lord Carington, exhibited eight handsome 
fruits of Petch’s Favourite Cucumber, to which a letter of thanks 
was awarded. Mr. Gilbert, The Gardens, Burghley, sent a pair of 
Montrose Seedling Cucumber, a cross between Sion House and 
Kenyon’s Freebearer. It is a pretty Cucumber, about a foot long and 
very symmetrical. Another seedling called Yerdant Green was 
exhibited by Mr. J. Mclndoe, The Gardens, Hutton Hall, Guisboro’. 
Messrs. Backhouse & Son of York again exhibited a seedling Onion 
which had been sent to a former meeting. The Committee were still 
of the same opinion as they expressed on a former occasion, that 
there is no difference between it and the Red Spanish. Mr. John 
Clarke, Sycamore Gardens, Rowledge, sent a dish of Tomatoes. Mr. 
Lyon, gardener to Sir Edward Scott, Sundridge Park, Bromley, sent 
a very fine dish of Mushrooms, which were much admired, and to 
which a cultural commendation was awarded. 
Floral Committee. —Dr. Denny in the chair. Messrs. James 
Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, exhibited a handsome group of Orchids in 
flower, among which Odontoglossums strongly predominated. Some 
examples of 0. Alexandras, 0. cirrhosum, and 0. Pescatorei were 
particularly noticeable. The charming little 0. blandum was well 
represented. 0. Roezli and the variety album, with 0. nevadense, 
O. Andersonianum, and 0. triumphans, were also well shown. A 
central plant of Ada aurantiaca had seven fine spikes, and a specimen 
of Anthurium Andreanum was staged with one of its peculiar brightly 
coloured spathes. A specimen of the Chimonanthus-like Hamamelis 
virginica var. arborea was shown in flower. A silver Flora medal 
was awarded for this collection. Mr. W. Bull, King’s Road, Chelsea, 
sent several new plants, including two Palms, one named Astro- 
caryum Malybo, and the other Kentia Lindeni, the latter rather 
elegant. A variety of Rhipidopteris peltata, appropriately named 
elegans, was also staged, together with a plant of Yriesia Falken- 
bergii and Maranta crocata, described below, for which first-class 
certificates were awarded. 
Mr. B. S. Williams contributed a grand collection of Primulas— 
dwarf, of good habit, and bearing fine trusses of bloom. P. fimbriata 
coccinea and fimbriata alba were especially noteworthy, the former 
for the size of the flowers and deep colour, and the latter for the 
purity of the white and the large trusses. P. fimbriata alba mag- 
nifica was in the size and form of the flow r ers remarkably fine, but 
the trusses were not sufficiently developed to show the variety to the 
best advantage. P. fimbriata Chiswick Red w’ere very bright, 
P. fimbriata rubra and several others being particularly fine. A 
group of Cyclamens was also contributed, the plants well flowered 
and of good habit, C. persicum Brilliant being remarkable for their 
intense crimson of the blooms. A silver Bankeian medal was awarded 
for these handsome groups. 
Mr. W. Taylor, The Gardens, Longleat, Warminster, was accorded 
a vote of thanks for cut flowers of Pelargonium Guillon Mangilli, 
which has been referred to so many times in these pages recently. 
Mr. John Odell, florist, Hillingdon, Middlesex, sent specimens of a 
large-flow r ered variety of Primula sinensis named Purity ; but it was 
not considered sufficiently distinct to merit a certificate. Mr. H. 
Boiler, Kensal New' Town, was accorded a vote of thanks for a group 
of miniature succulent plants. Mr. John Matthews, the Royal Pot¬ 
teries, Weston-super-Mare, sent some ornamental flower vases and 
small Orchid pans similar to those employed in Messrs. J. Yeitch and 
Sons’ nursery at Chelsea. From the Society’s garden came attractive 
groups of double Primulas, Cytisuses, Azaleas, Ferns, and Selaginellas. 
Mr. J. Osborn, gardener to H. J. Buchan, Esq , Wilton House, South¬ 
ampton, sent a plant of Odontoglossum Wallisi bearing a spike of 
yellowish flowers with a pink-tinted lip ; and Mr. A. Wright, gardener 
to J. Brightwen, Esq., The Grove, Great Stanmore, exhibited a plant of 
Aerides cylindrica, closely resembling in stems and habit the peculiar 
Yanda teres, but differing in the flowers, which were of moderate size 
and white. 
First-class certificates were awarded for the following plants :— 
Maranta crocata (Bull).—A pretty species, with elliptical leaves 3 or 
4 inches in length, shining green on the upper surface and purple 
beneath. It is dwarf and compact in habit, and produces scapes 5 to 
6 inches in height, terminating in a small head of orange-coloured 
imbricated bracts, in the axils of which the flow'ers are borne; but 
the beauty of the plants rests in the bracts. 
Vriesia Fallcenbergi (Bull).—One of the plants which Mr. Bull 
staged in his collection of new plants at the last summer exhibition 
of the Royal Horticultural Society. It has dark green leaves 1J inch 
in breadth, slightly recurving, and purplish beneath. The spike is 
about 8 inches high, with large closely imbricated crimson bracts, 
with white apices at the upper portion of the spike. 
Primula Dr. Denny (Cannell).—A variety of P. sinensis with very 
large flowers H inch in diameter, very rich crimson colour, good form, 
and distinct yellow eye. 
Lachenalia Nclsoni. —This was stated to be a seedling cross between 
L. luteola and L. aurea, and was exhibited by the Rev. J. G. Nelson, 
Aldborough Rectory, Norwich. The scape was 8 or 9 inches in 
height, with pendulous tubular yellow flowers, with a tint of orange 
in the buds and at the upper portion of the spike. It combined in a 
marked manner the characters of the two parents, but was superior 
to both in vigour of habit and size of the flowers. 
Cineraria William Jennings. —This and the following were exhibited 
by Mr. James, gardener to Mrs. Watson, Redlees, Isleworth, and 
occasioned some discussion as to the advisability of certificating 
varieties of Cineraria, but the majority were in favour of doing so. 
The variety named above had handsome symmetrical flowerheads 
about 1J inch in diameter, and in colour a remarkably rich purplish 
crimsou self. 
Cineraria Master Colvin (James).—Also of excellent form and sub¬ 
stance ; the colour being a warm shade of purple with a narrow 
clearly defined ring of white near the centre. 
Hamamelis virginica var. arborea (Veitch).—A peculiar Chimo¬ 
nanthus-like plant, with dense clusters of small flowers clothing the 
leafless branches. The flowers are small individually, but collective!}' 
