December 7, 1882. ) JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 531 
middle of January, having been ripe for more than six months. 
—Northern. 
MAXILLARIA PICTA. 
Three properties are possessed by this plant that ought to re¬ 
commend it to everybody. It is extremely easy to grow, it flowers 
freely at midwinter, and it is sweet-scented. Some, whose olfac¬ 
tory nerves may be more delicate than usual, may consider that the 
scent is rather too pronounced, and certainly a plant of mode¬ 
rate size will perfume a large house and a few blooms be quite 
sufficient for any ordinary room, but when not overdone the smell 
is delightful. Just now (November) it is here highly prized both 
for its odour and its beauty. In a floral arrangement when scent 
may be absent it will make up for the shortcomings of all the rest, 
and, as we have said, a few blooms are sufficient. 
Two years ago a rather large potful of it in neglected condition 
came into my possession, and this was broken up into three and 
potted in a mixture of equal parts fresh sphagnum and charcoal, 
surfaced with growing sphagnum, and thoroughly well diained by 
having the pots half filled with potsherds. The plants have not 
been touched since, but as they are now grown solid they will have 
to be broken up at next potting time ; otherwise they have had 
the treatment of ordinary stove plants, except that they have cost 
much less trouble, for beyond watering nothing has been done, 
and the reward is that from three plants in 8-inch pots we have a 
handful of flowers every week for a couple of months simply by 
retarding one and pushing one forward. 
A few years ago we had only to say that a plant was an Orchid 
in order to frighten people from having anything to do with it; 
and though the old feeling is not quite removed yet, most gardeners 
are now aware that many Orchids are very easy to cultivate, and 
none more so than this.—S. 
AN AMATEUR’S HOLIDAY. 
Once again the holidays have come and gone. As usual, happy 
meetings took place with former friends among the flowers, and new 
acquaintances were formed, some of which seem already old. I may 
be able to present some things of interest to your readers respecting 
the shows, the gardens, and more fully the nurseries I visited. 
Besides the more prominent exhibitions in Scotland I saw a number 
of “ locals,” and many things in these that would have done credit to 
any show. From these smaller displays, better than from the others, 
we learn with pleasure something of the extent to which gardening 
is prosecuted among our working classes in Scotland. We know 
what an important part the “ kail-pat ” plays in their families, and at 
some of these smaller shows collections and separate exhibits of 
vegetables were met that were not surpassed at any of the leading 
exhibitions. While in an amateur’s garden I was amused by an old 
lady—by-the-by, she demurred good humouredly to my styling her 
old, and I promptly and humbly apologised. Bustling forward she 
exultingly challenged my friend, who had shortly before defeated her 
at their village competition, to produce the match of a fine Cauli¬ 
flower she had with her. No hero of Tel-el-Kebir could seem prouder 
of his laurels than was the cheery old body—I again beg her pardon : 
she was only somewhat over eighty!—satisfied that she had triumph¬ 
antly vindicated her assertion that she would beat the victor yet. 
At one of these “ locals ” the best collection of annuals I have seen 
was shown by an amateur ; at another Roses were scarcely inferior to 
any I saw elsewhere ; at a third a neighbour of my own staged 
Gladioli that would have made their mark at any exhibition. But I 
do not think the display of flowers was such as to mark this as a 
really good flower year. I found a deficiency throughout in those 
flowers especially that bloom in spikes. Phloxes, for instance, were 
nowhere first-rate, and really good Antirrhinums were rare. Dahlias 
and many other flowers were scarcely to be seen in perfection either 
on the tables or in the garden. At the opening of one show I was 
surprised to hear it stated that in the district, which has long been 
noted for its florists, the TuliD had at one time been predominant. 
This had been succeeded by the Auricula, that in turn by the Pansy, 
and that now all of these had been superseded by newer and more 
beautiful flowers. And this where the memory of Lightbody is yet 
green I I thus translated the look of indignant protest on the face 
of a friend : “ What ho, there ! Campbell and Jeffrey and Gair. 
Treason in camp 1 ” 
Of the leading shows I saw in Scotland I would mention three as 
the more notable—the Rose Show at Helensburgh, where the collec¬ 
tions of the Messrs. Dickson of Belfast and of Newtonards, with that 
of Mr. Smith, Stranraer, and others, the Pinks from Paisley, and the 
Pansies combined to form a fine display. What a glow those Roses 
from Ireland have I The usual joke was passed with the Messrs. 
Dickson about the desirability of getting hold of their varnish pot ; 
but it seems it cannot be imported into Scotland. One bloom—an 
Alfred K. Williams—in one of their stands recalled and almost justi¬ 
fied the words of a living writer : If there were only a single Rose 
here and there upon earth, men and women would pass their years on 
their knees before its beauty.” An ardent lover of the Rose informed 
me that he and a brother rosarian, at a show in England shortly 
before, had loyally doffed their hats to the queen—in the person of 
even a superior bloom of the same variety. 
The Glasgow September Exhibition maintained its established fame. 
The usual variety of florists’ flowers was to be seen, and in most cases 
of capital quality. I would, if making exception at all, do so in the 
case of some of the Gladioli. In an extensive class including some 
really fine spikes not a few decidedly poor ones were observable. 
The Roses, too, owing to the weather were, with a few exceptions, 
not of much merit. The Pansies, as at the preceding Pansy Show in 
the same place, were beautiful. But why was such laxity in the 
naming of these observable ? Where a card is laid down with the 
names exhibitors ought to adhere to one system of numbering. Here 
one did so by rows in order from back to front, and there another 
from left to right. I know that mistakes were made by those who 
could not check themselves by coming upon known varieties, and 
thus those who supply such orders are likely to be unjustly censured. 
This need not be. 
The International at Edinburgh was too vast for me to say much 
upon now r . Besides, on most of the exhibits I do not claim the ability 
to pass an opinion. Here again the Roses from Ireland were pre¬ 
eminent ; and Mr. Dickson’s blue ribbon, which I was pleased to cee 
for the first time actually displayed on his stand, was another addition 
to the trophies of Belmont. Here, as elsewhere, Phloxes were poor. 
Some good Asters were present, especially a stand from East Linton. 
Hollyhocks, for some years conspicuous by their absence from our 
autumn shows, again made their appearance. Dahlias showed the 
effects of an unfavourable season and of frost on nights immediately 
before the Show. I take it as a matter of course that the Pentste- 
mons of Messrs. Dowmie & Laird’s collection carried all before them 
in both classes. Gladioli were well represented, and the same three 
exhibitors who at Glasgow the week before secured the first honours 
in their respective classes carried off the palm. But here again repre¬ 
hensible carelessness in naming occurred, suggesting the probability 
of intending purchasers being misled. In one stand for instance— 
I need not say not a winning one—a variety did service under three 
different names. I would bespeak a little consideration in the placing 
of a flower that when properly shown vies with the Rose itself in 
attracting attention. I know' that it is difficult to cope with every 
exigency and to meet every requirement in appropriate staging, but 
to give Gladioli a background of windov.s with, in the case of Glasgow', 
strong light falling upon them in front, does not do them justice. 
Were the object to discover defects if such existed, which they only 
too readily disclose in any circumstances, the end was fully attained. 
Happily the best flowers could stand even the severe test to which 
they were subjected, and visitors will find them out and throng to 
admire them even w'hen they are shunted into a recess unworthy of 
them, and where less attractive objects would be doomed to compa¬ 
rative neglect. 
At the risk of seeming invidious I would mention the grand Pan¬ 
cratium for which Mr. Souza, Touch Gardens, near Stirling, was 
awarded the first prize for the best greenhouse plant—a sample of 
the high-class culture which is noteworthy in every department of 
these gardens. The symmetrical Lapageria about 8 feet in height 
from Mr. Robertson, Springbank, Stirling, showed what skill can 
achieve even w’ith comparatively restricted facilities. 
In closing these random remarks I may state that all over the 
season four flowers stand out to be distinctly remembered—the 
Rose at Helensburgh already referred to ; in another place a bloom 
of Thomas Mills ; a spike of Gladiolus Camille, as seen in perfection 
on the first evening of the International; and another of Ondine, seen 
in the garden from which came the prize eighteen. Than these last 
two noble flowers I do not think it possible in all Flora’s wide domain 
to find anything more captivating or more imposingly beautiful. I 
will next crave indulgence for some notice of gardens I was privileged 
to visit.— A Northern Amateur. 
ABUTILONS FOR WINTER. 
Few plants are more useful for various decorative purposes at 
this season of the year and onwards than Abutilons. Few plants 
have been more improved of late years than these, and instead of 
plants that become several feet high before they produced a flower, 
and then sparingly, we have those that flower profusely when 
only a few inches high, and in comparatively small pots. 
To grow Abutilons for producing flowers in large quantities 
they should be planted out against a pillar, rafter, or where they 
can cover a wall. I think they show to greatest advantage against 
a pillar with their stem kept clean until they attain the desired 
height, and then the head can be allowed to form. Naturally 
they are of upright growth, but can be trained with but little 
care and attention to droop their branches in a downward direc¬ 
tion. Standards grown in large pots or tubs would be very 
effective in large conservatories amongst Palms and other foliage 
and flowering plants. These plants possess one great advantage 
over many others in flowering almost the whole year; in fact 
they will do this if properly and liberally treated. When 
plants have attained a fair size in either pots or tubs they 
require liberal feeding and rich top-dressings frequently to keep 
