July 13, 1882, 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
31 
with three handsome bunches of Buckland Sweetwater beautifully 
coloured. For three bunches of distinct varieties Mr. Adams won 
chief honours with Buckland Sweetwater, Madresfield Court, and 
Foster’s Seedling, all well ripened. Messrs. Johnston and Barnes 
followed, both showing fairly well. 
Pine Apples, Peaches, Nectarines, and Melons were contributed by 
several exhibitors, the samples of the two first staged being especially 
good. 
Vegetables and the cottagers’ productions occupied a marquee of 
considerable size, and the majority of the exhibits were distinguished 
by their clean fresh appearance. The collections of vegetables were 
extremely fine, Messrs. Waterman, Barnes, Bolton, and Johnston 
being the prizewinners in the gardeners’ class. 
TWO MASDEVALLIAS. 
From recent importations that pretty species of Masdevallia 
M. Shuttleworthi is now becoming much more abundant in 
gardens ; and though it cannot be considered as a rival to such 
showy forms as M. Lindeni and M. Veitchiana, still it deserves to 
rank amongst the most interesting of the smaller-flowered species. 
It is a native of New Grenada, where it was found by Mr. Shuttle- 
worth when travelling in search of plants, and it was first intro¬ 
duced to Mr. W. Bull’s collection at Chelsea four or five years 
ago. It speedily attracted the attention of Orchid-growers, and 
now few collections of moderate size will be found without a few 
representatives. Like other species, this is found to vary in the 
size and colouring of the flowers, some being much finer than 
others. That shown in the woodcut, fig. 6, is from Mr. Dorman’s 
garden at Sydenham, and is one of the best we have seen, though 
the woodcut fails to convey an accurate idea of its beauty. There 
is a peculiar delicate semi-transparency in the sepals which renders 
the numerous rosy purple dots which are thickly strewn over 
the surface very noticeable. It is dwarf, of easy culture, and 
extremely floriferous. 
M. triangularis (fig. 7) is another notable species with small 
flowers, these being yellowish dotted with purple—a rather striking 
contrast of colours. It is also a South American form from 
Caraccas, but it has been in cultivation much longer than the 
preceding. We believe that it first appeared in the Royal Gardens, 
Kew, but it has since passed into the hands of the nurserymen. 
The flowej from which the woodcut was prepared was from one 
Fig. 7.—Masdevallia triangularis. 
of Mr. B. S. Williams’ plants at Upper Holloway, where it thrives 
well with the numerous other species forming that collection. 
MUSHROOMS IN THE OPEN AIR. 
It may be useful to state that the present is the time to get the 
manure together and commence turning for outdoor, autumn, and 
winter beds. I shall begin the latter end of the week to turn my 
heaps for the first beds. There is no better method of preparing 
the manure than that so fully detailed in the Journal of May 25th, 
and no one can err if they follow carefully the instructions there 
given. It may also be well to state if those having Cucumber, 
Melon, or Vegetable Marrow beds now were to insert a few pieces 
of spawn round the outsides they would probably find how easy it 
is to raise a good supply of Mushrooms.—J. F. Barter, Lance- 
field Street , Harrow Road, 
[We have grown excellent Mushrooms by the simple practice 
recommended, and had an abundant supply the whole of last 
winter from a spent hotbed on which a frame was placed. The 
Mushrooms were produced with great freedom both inside and 
outside the frame for months, but that, we apprehend, was in a 
great measure due to the mildness of the winter ; still, our experi¬ 
ence of many years warrants us in recommending a trial of the 
simple method of Mushroom-growing referred to.] 
OXFORD ROSE SHOW. 
July Gth. 
The Oxford Rose Society was established in 1851, and has held an 
exhibition each year without interruption successfully, save in the 
matter of weather, as on several occasions it has been very rainy. 
Started as an “ amateur ” society it maintained its position as such 
for some sixteen or seventeen years, when it was felt desirable to 
throw open its show to all comers, and a very wise step it proved, 
for some of its shows since have compared favourably with many 
exhibitions of larger means. 
