274 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
vigorous health, and only has the weak old wood cut out. It has 
now about three hundred blooms on it in various stages. I cut 
the first about a fortnight ago, and I purpose sending you a 
sample Rose and foliage as soon as we have had a few more sunny 
days to colour the flowers well. I give liquid manure liberally to 
the Eose as soon as it commences growing.— Thomas Renshaw, 
The Gardens , Ashbourne Hall. 
[The blooms are very beautiful, rich, and full; and the foliage 
is equally indicative of good health and culture.— Ed.] 
TRINITY COLLEGE BOTANIC GARDENS, DUBLIN. 
Spring flowers here are lovely. Hepaticas, Dog’s-tooth Violets 
pink and white, Iris reticulata, I. caucasica, I. Kolpakowskiana, 
Violets of sorts, Primula rosea, P. erosa, P. pulcherrima, P. abys- 
sinica (verticillata), P. acaulis in variety, P. Henryi, and others. 
Narcissuses are strong ; and some, as N. minor, N. maximus, and 
vars. of N. Tazetta, are very effective in the open air. Mr. Harpur 
Crewe’s tiny Bulbocodia are charming in pots ; and the rare 
double N. Eystettensis, figured by Parkinson 250 years ago, is 
fresh and lovely. One of the prettiest of all Primulas is P. mar- 
ginata ; and year-old seedlings of the tiny P. scotica, or Bird’s-eye 
Primrose, are pushing up strong and fresh, as are also Dr. Regel’s 
bulbs from Turkestan and the Caucasus. Tulipa biflora (white 
var.) is now pretty, so also are T. triphylla and T. iliensis. Cory- 
dalis Ledebouriana and the giant species of Eremurus are pro¬ 
ducing their great glaucous clusters of leaves. Lilium giganteum 
in a cold frame is a most effective fine-foliage plant; and the other 
Lilies—L. auratum, L. Hansoni, L. Washingtonianum, L. speci- 
osum, L. japonicum, L. longiflorum, and L. Krameri—are pushing 
up their great Asparagus-like shoots both in pots in cold frames 
and in open sunny borders. L. testaceum is stronger than last 
year, when it bore fifteen flowers on a stem 7 feet high. 
There are two sides to Lily culture in the open air—sun versus 
shade. L. auratum and longiflorum and others on sunny borders 
are now growing, and I hope they may not be injured by those 
erratic frosts of April and even May. The same species planted 
at the same time in shady places are still below ground, and so 
may be better off eventually than their early neighbours. 
Ouvirandra fenestralis is doing well in the .Orchid house. It 
is now making leaves 10 inches long by 4 broad. It grows in 
a milk pan placed on two 4-inch hot-water pipes. The plant is 
potted in pure peat in a 4-inch pot, the water being thus kept 
clean and sweet around and below the plant by watering overhead 
with a fine-rosed waterpot. Conferva is kept away by dense shade, 
a mat being nailed permanently on the roof above the plant,— 
Visitor. 
It is announced that the SocifiTfi Royale de Flore de 
Bruxelles will hold the 103rd Horticultural Exhibition in that 
city on the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd of May of the present year. The 
schedule enumerates 118 classes in three divisions; about forty 
gold medals being offered ranging in value from 100 to 500 francs, 
and a large number of silver and gilt medals are also offered. 
Fourteen classes are devoted to new plants ; fine-foliage plants 
such as Ferns, Dracaenas, Palms, and Crotons are similarly well 
provided for ; Orchids, miscellaneous flowering plants, and groups 
have also numerous classes devoted to them. One section is 
devoted to fruits, in which fourteen classes are named, for Apples, 
Pears, Pine Apples, Grapes, Strawberries, and general collections. 
As the period of the year is one at which the Belgian horticul¬ 
turists can exhibit to the best advantage, a satisfactory Show may 
be confidently expected. 
- A correspondent thus describes the good old mode of 
forcing Kidney Beans in Boxes —“ These Beans are frequently 
grown in pots, being either sown in the pots and top-dressed as 
they advance, or are sown in small pots and shifted. At Long- 
leat a simpler and a commendable practice is adopted. Boxes 
about 9 inches wide and 12 inches deep and made of a portable 
length are employed, thereby saving much labour in watering. 
Labour is also economised by sowing the seed in the full depth 
of soil, no top-dressing being then required. Bean roots certainly 
do to a certain extent find their way up into rich top-dressing. At 
the same time the stems, as Mr. Taylor pointed out, emit no roots ; 
and why not, then, give them the full depth of soil in the first 
instance ? Top-dressing unless properly performed—that is to say, 
at the right time and with warmed soil, is apt to seriously check 
the growth of the Beans, and in other ways do more harm than 
good.” 
- The same writer observes—“The list of Late-keeping 
Grapes is small, and what few we have do not meet with 
general approval. Much of course depends on the culture given, 
especially with Gros Colman and Black Alicante. Both are more 
attractive in appearance than Lady Downe’s, but oftentimes are 
far from equal to it in point of quality. Black Alicante as grown 
at Longleat is excellent, but neither this nor Lady Downe’s can 
compare with Mrs. Pince for quality. Mr. Taylor is one of the 
few who has retained this variety, hoping that it may recover its 
constitution so much impaired by over-propagation, and it would 
seem he is perfectly correct in his anticipations. Its great fault 
is the extreme redness of the berries, and this has improved ; so 
that if not actually black it will still be Very acceptable at the 
table on account of its noble appearance, plumpness and solidity 
of berries, and very agreeable flavour.” 
•- The second edition of the schedule of the Manchester 
International Exhibition, to be held in August next, as 
already noted, contains, in addition to the classes there mentioned, 
one for the best collection of Apples, “ three of a kind, in distinct 
kinds. The fruit to be grown north of a straight line drawn 
from Carnarvon through Chester and Lincoln to the German 
Ocean,” the prizes being £5 and £3, offered by Messrs. Paul and 
Son of the Old Nurseries, Cheshunt, the same firm also offering 
£2 for the best dish of autumn Strawberries. Messrs. Webb and 
Sons, Wordsley, Stourbridge, offer four prizes of the collective 
value of £G 165. Gd. for six distinct kinds of vegetables. 
- A correspondent writing from Canterbury observes—“ I 
have read with much pleasure the account of a lovely plant I have 
had for the last three or four years, the Chorozema cordatum 
YAR. splendens, which is now blooming in my greenhouse. It 
is 8 feet high, and planted in the’ground like a Vine ; it covers 
14 feet of glass, and almost reaches the top of the house. It com¬ 
menced flowering at the beginning of February, and will continue 
for some weeks. It spreads out in many branches, the tips of each 
bearing flowers profusely like the specimen I send you. The tem¬ 
perature of the house does not exceed 50°.” The spray sent indi¬ 
cates that the plant is in vigorous health, the leaves being large 
and deep green, and the flowers also of good size and richly 
coloured. 
- At the recent sale of the first portion of Mr. Day’s 
Orchids the total amount realised was £1847 7s., which included 
the following sums for rare species and varieties, and unusually 
fine specimens :—Aerides Fieldingii, £11 ID.; A. Lobbi, fine speci¬ 
men, £19 19^. ; A. Schroderi, £31 105. ; Angraecum Ellisii, £11 65. ; 
Calanthe Textori, very rare, £10 10.?. ; Cattleya Blunti, said to be 
the only two plants in the country, £17 175. and £44 25. each ; 
C. exoniensis, very strong plant, £23 2s. ; C. Mendelii, fine variety, 
£11 ID.; C. labiata Warneri, £7 105. ; C. labiata, £23 2s. 
and £13 ; Cypripedium Stonei var. platytmnium, 140 guineas ; 
C. Spicerianum, £26 55. ; Coelogyne cristata Lemoniana, £34 135. ; 
L edia elegans euspatha, £16 55. Gel. ; and L. alba, £23 2s. 
- “ W. J. M.” sends the following upon the weather in 
Munster :—“ The weather for the past fortnight has been very 
