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September 22 , 1881. ] JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 267 
hibited six plants all measuring over 40 inches. The Cockscomb 
is of the “ Empress ” strain, sent out by the Messrs. Carter & Co.” 
- “ It is surprising,” writes “ W. J. M.” “in how many ways 
Vallotas can be utilised for decorative purposes, and how 
beautiful they are when well and generously cultivated. Two- 
year-old bulbs,” our correspondent goes on to say, “are now 
producing four spikes, each bearing that number of flowers. The 
plants are in 4|-inch pots, and placed in vases for room decoration 
at Summerhill. Thus grown there is no better window plant 
than the Vallota.” 
- The September number of the American “ Gardeners’ 
Monthly ” gives a woodcut illustration of a new Lily under the 
name of Lilium longiflorum floribundum. It is said to 
have been introduced by Messrs. Kift & Sons, West Chester, and 
is thus described—“ The flowers and foliage indicate that it has a 
close relationship to the form of L. longiflorum, recently named 
L. Harrisii. The difference is, that while that seems to produce 
flowers ranging from three to twelve on a stem, this one runs 
from that to fifty-two, the number on this one engraved. It is 
simply more floriferous than that one has been found to be. This 
arises of course from some fasciation of the stems, and its value 
will depend on the permanency of this fasciation. For our part 
we see no reason why such a character may not be permanent in 
plants raised from offsets, as Lilies are. If it prove so it will be 
an extremely valuable plant to the cut-flower grower.” 
- Mr. William Fell, of the firm of Messrs. W. Fell & Co., 
Hexham, states that he has lately seen at Hardreding, Haltwhistle, 
the seat of J. Armstrong, Esq., a spike of Lilium auratum 
HAYING seventy-fiye flowers. The stem is fasciated, and 
the flowers overlap each other and produce a singular effect. The 
gardener, Mr. Jackson, states the bulb has been in his possession 
for four years. 
- Mr. Cowan writes on Potato culture in Ireland :— 
“ However small the Potato plots are, whether in fields or in 
vacant spots between the rocks on The mountain sides, the best is 
always made of the little patches. Cabbages are grown amongst 
the Potatoes at 15 to 20 feet from each other. These come in 
useful for the cows and do not interfere with the Potatoes in any 
way. Nearly all the Potatoes are grown on the ‘ lazy-bed ’ 
system, which is of great advantage in wet summers.” 
- It is surprising that such an ornamental shrub as 
Euonymus latifolius, which has been known in this country 
for about a century and a half, should have waited so many years 
to receive the honorary distinction of a certificate from the Royal 
Horticultural Society, Many must have been pleased with the 
recognition the shrub received on the occasion of the last meet¬ 
ing, when specimens were shown by the two firms — Messrs. 
Veitch, Chelsea, and W. Paul & Son of Waltham Cross. Nearly forty 
years ago Loudon wrote respecting it as follows —“ In British 
gardens this form, much the handsomest species of the genus from 
its broad shining leaves and its large red pendulous fruits with 
orange-coloured seeds, which when the capsules open are sus¬ 
pended from the cells somewhat in the manner that the seeds of 
the Magnolias hang from their strobils. Even the wood of this 
species during winter is much handsomer than that of any other, 
the branches being regularly divaricate, with a clear bark of a 
reddish green, and with long pointed dark brown buds, by which 
alone this species may be distinguished from the others.” 
- A Guernsey correspondent sends us flower spikes of 
the peculiar little Orchid PholidotA imbricata, which was 
described some time ago in this Journal as follows :—“ The species 
is a native of various parts of India, in the same mountainous 
districts where P. pallida abounds—viz., Sylhet, Chittagong, &c., 
where it is found growing on the stems and branches of trees. 
The flowers are small, of a yellowish tinge, and are produced in 
dense, pendulous, slender flattened spikes, each flower being 
subtended by a small, brownish, acute bract, from which charac¬ 
ter the specific name is derived. The appearance of these spikes 
is suggestive of the Dendrochilums, but the flowers are devoid 
of the fragrance that distinguish those charming little plants. 
There has been some confusion in reference to P. imbricata and 
P. pallida, for the latter was figured and described as the former 
in vol. xxi. of the “Botanical Register,” but the mistake was 
subsequently corrected, and the one originally described was 
named P. pallida from its flowers being whitish. There are also 
other differences between the species which are patent to the 
most cursory examination ; for instance, the bracts in P. pallida 
are blunt, while they are acute in P. imbricata, and the spikes of 
the former are loose, whereas in the latter they are dense. The 
species under consideration has also the reputation of being more 
easily cultivated than the other.” 
- At the annual Show of the Royal Manchester, Liverpool, 
and North Lancashire Agricultural Society, held at Blackburn 
last week, a silver medal was awarded to Mr. J. Matthews, of 
the Royal Pottery, Weston-super-Mare, for the best collection of 
vases. This is the third silver medal for his pottery Mr. Matthews 
has taken this year. 
INTERNATIONAL POTATO EXHIBITION, 
CRYSTAL PALACE.— Sept. 20th and 21st. 
In the number and quality of the Potatoes shown the Exhibition 
of Tuesday and Wednesday last was unquestionably satisfactory, 
and though in scarcely any respect superior to that of last year, it 
was alike creditable to the exhibitors and the supporters of the In¬ 
stitution. Further, the occasion was rendered especially notable by 
the President, the Right Hon. the Lord Mayor of London, William 
McArthur, M.P., with the Sheriffs and several Aldermen, attending 
in state to open the Exhibition on Tuesday. His Lordship also sub¬ 
sequently presided at the luncheon held in the Marble Hall, when, in 
proposing the toast of success to the Potato Exhibition, he expressed 
high approval of the intentions of the promoters, and considered that 
the means they have adopted of encouraging Potato cultivation is 
likely to meet with much success. 
Class A, for twenty-four varieties. Six prizes were offered, the first 
of ten guineas being given by Messrs. J. Carter & Co., High Holborn ; 
the remaining five of seven guineas, five guineas, three guineas, two 
guineas, and one guinea, were given by the Crystal Palace Company. 
Thirteen collections were staged, all of good quality. The first prize 
was obtained by Mr. Ellington, West Row Gardens, Mildenhall, for a 
substantial collection of handsome even tubers, mostly of good size. 
The varieties were—Blanchard, Magnum Bonum, Rector of Wood- 
stock, Bedfont Prolific, Purple King, Bresee’s Prolific, Trophy, Wilt¬ 
shire Snowflake, Triumph, Schoolmaster, Beauty of Hebron, Covent 
Garden Perfection, Yicar of Laleham, Woodstock Kidney, Grampian, 
Mammoth Pearl, Beauty of Kent, Porter’s Excelsior, Manhattan, 
Pride of America, Matchless, International Kidney, Early King, and 
Jackson’s White Kidney. The second prize was obtained by Mr. W. 
Kerr, Dargavel, Dumfries, with clean satisfactory tubers, the follow¬ 
ing varieties being especially noteworthy—Matchless, International, 
Brownell’s Beauty, St. Patrick, Climax, Silver Skin, Grampian, Excel¬ 
sior, Triumph, Bresee’s Prolific, Early Ohio, White Seedling Kidney, 
and Trophy. Mr. J. Lye, gardener to the Hon. Mrs. Hay, Market 
Lavington, was third with a very creditable collection, the tubers 
being chiefly of moderate size and very clean. Bountiful, White 
Emperor, Ruby, Matchless, Porter’s Excelsior, and Breadfruit -were 
well shown. Mr. W. Finlay, Wroxton Abbey Garden, Banbury, was 
fourth; Mr. J. Millen, Hamstead Park Gardens, Newbury, was fifth ; 
and Mr. H. Gribble, gardener to the Right Hon. Sir Richard Malins, 
Maidenhead, was sixth. 
Class B, for eighteen varieties. This class was open only to gen¬ 
tlemen’s gardeners, the awards being made by gardeners who were 
not competitors ; the six prizes, varying from seven to one guinea, 
being given by Messrs. Sutton & Sons, Reading. The premier award 
was secured by Mr. J. Matthews, gardener to E. Twopenny, Esq., 
Sittingbourne, for even and creditable samples of Yicar of Laleham, 
Early Goodrich, Magnum Bonum, Porter’s Excelsior, Beauty of 
Hebron, Trophy, Reading Abbey, Woodstock Kidney, Schoolmaster, 
Manhattan, Holborn Favourite, Wiltshire Snowflake, Superior, Pride 
of America, Beauty of Kent, Pride of Ontario, Triumph, and Late 
