JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . 
8 
[ July 1, 1880. 
but all agreeing in habit. Some of the most attractive are the 
following :—Grandiflora, flowers large, of an intense blue shade ; 
Lactea, creamy white; Pallida, ground colour pale blue, netted 
with white ; Altissima, dark blue, with lighter veins ; Alba, white 
with pale purple markings; Plena, deep blue, a late-flowering 
variety. All are equally easy of culture, succeeding under most 
adverse circumstances even in clayey soil, and, being quite hardy, 
they may be safely grown in any border without protection. 
—L. C. _ 
NOTES AND GLEANINGS. 
We learn that the Maidstone Rose Club will hold their 
Exhibition in the Concert Hall at Maidstone on the 6th inst. In 
addition to the usual prizes a silver challenge cup, value £12, will 
be offered for the best box of eighteen Roses. This cup will be 
retained by the winner of the year, and becomes the property of 
the exhibitor’who'gains it three times, not necessarily in succes¬ 
sion. A challenge cup valued £5 will also be offered by the 
Members of’.the borough for the best ornamental device consist¬ 
ing of Ferns and Roses. The terms relating to the winning of 
this cup are^similar to those of the one previously mentioned, 
but only the winners of the first and second year can compete 
in the third. Silver and bronze medals are offered by the 
National Rose Society, and Mr. B. R. Cant of Colchester contri¬ 
butes three prizes. 
- A sale of peculiar interest to botanists and antiqua¬ 
rians took’'place last week when the Tubeet House Estate, 
South Lambeth Road, was disposed of by auction for building 
purposes. Turret House was formerly the residence of the noted 
John Tradescant, gardener to Queen Elizabeth, whose son 
served James I. in the same capacity, and his grandson was 
similarly employed _ by Charles I. It was on that estate the 
celebrated collection of plants and curiosities was formed which 
was subsequently transferred to Elias Ashmole, and is now at 
Oxford under the name of the Ashmolean Museum. 
- We have received from Messrs. Vilmorin, Andrieux, and 
Cie., of Quai de la Megisserie, Paris, a number of flowers of their 
choice strain of Caenations. They embrace almost every con¬ 
ceivable shade of colour, and are very beautiful, being perfectly 
double and of a hardy constitution. This strain of Messrs. Vil- 
morin’s house enjoys a very extended and old reputation, and we 
believe may be obtained through any seedsman in this country 
in the original sealed packets direct from Paris. 
- We recently observed in Messrs. Backhouse’s nursery at 
York an uncommonly fine display of Odontoglossum vexilla- 
eium with flowers of extraordinary size. Several handsome 
varieties were represented, the most remarkable being picturatum, 
giganteum, and floribundum, some of the flowers were 5^ inches 
long by 4 in width, of beautiful form and great substance. One 
spike had no less than a dozen similarly large flowers, and the 
effect produced by a fine bank of plants all flowering profusely 
was most attractive. This beautiful Orchid is now frequently 
seen in grand condition at the chief horticultural exhibitions, but 
rarely are such fine examples staged.as those referred to above. 
- Messes. J.f Carter & Co., High Holborn, have now on 
view in the Royal Botanic Society's Gardens their usual fine 
Exhibition of Annuals, which are in excellent condition, a 
very large number of species and varieties being represented. 
These attractivefplants are now attracting some of the attention 
they deserve, and the above collection affords a good opportunity 
to intending growers of making a selection of the most ornamental. 
- In a communication we have received from Tweedside in 
the district where the extremely low temperature of 17° below 
zero was recorded last winter, our correspondent writes—“I 
have not an Apple or Pear on my ninety trees in the orchard, and 
on the walls only one, two, or three. Many of the old Apple and 
Pear trees have died in the orchard here ; and close to Swinton 
House I saw rows of old Oaks probably one hundred years old 
without any appearance of vegetation. It has been a dreadful 
winter, but at Hope Park with the exception of one Peach tree 
and one Apple tree I have escaped with a little scorching. There 
is no fruit anywhere.” 
- Messes. Hooper & Co. of Covent Garden inform us that 
they have obtained several hundred plants of Selaginella le- 
pidophylla, which is termed the “ Resurrection Plant,” and is 
well known to possess peculiar hygrometric properties, similar to 
the Rose of Jericho. The old dry plants have all their fronds 
rolled inwards so as to form a brown ball-like object. When 
placed in water the fronds speedily commence unrolling, and in 
the course of several hours they are unfolded, the inner surface 
being green, and the specimen thus appears to be a living 
plant. The one submitted to our inspection was immersed in 
water for more than twenty-four hours before it was fully ex¬ 
panded, and when removed from the water about the same time 
was occupied in returning to its former condition. It is, however, 
not only a curiosity, but like other species of similar rosulate 
habit, living plants form pretty little tufts of dark green fronds, 
and may be grown in pots in an ordinary fernery. 
- The handsome variegated Coral Tree, Erythrina mar- 
morata, was exhibited by Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons at South 
Kensington on Thursday week in excellent condition, when a 
first-class certificate was awarded for it. The leaves are large, 
green, finely marbled with white, and render the plant very 
distinct and valuable for decoration. 
- J. McIntosh, Esq., Duneevan, Oatlands Park, Weybridge 
(gardener, Mr. Taylor), exhibited at the last meeting of the Royal 
Horticultural Society, as recorded in our report, a plant of Lilium 
polyphyllum, an extremely rare species, and has flowered very 
few times in this country. The flowers were large, of a greenish 
white colour, the inner part of the perianth being spotted and 
streaked with purple. It is not one of the most beautiful Lilies, 
but is interesting for its rarity. It is found in the Himalayas. 
- In the House of Commons the Irish Potato disease 
Committee is now engaged in investigating the causes of and 
possible remedies for the destructive fungus Peronospora infes- 
tans, the ravages of which are so severely felt in Ireland and 
elsewhere. Although a definite solution of the difficulty cannot be 
expected, yet we may confidently look for some advance in that 
direction if the matter is carefully and thoroughly examined. 
- We have had upon our table for the past month an umbel 
of Allium Moly, which has only just expanded the last of its 
flowers. It has not been placed in water once during the whole 
of that time, and yet the flowers have continued expanding, 
apparently deriving the necessary support from the substance 
of the peduncle, which is very fleshy. 
- An extremely handsome member of the Iris order is now 
flowering in the herbaceous ground at Kew—namely, Xiphion 
tingitanum, one of the beautiful bulbous section, of recent in¬ 
troduction. It has narrow leaves and large imposing flowers of 
a rich purplish blue colour, with rounded falls of great size. 
- Dr. R. Braithwaite is now publishing his monographs 
of the different families of Mosses, under the title of “ The Moss 
Flora.” The work is well illustrated by plates of all the 
species, and microscopical analyses of their parts. 
- We learn that with the view of forming a Park for 
Croydon the Board of Health have purchased 7 acres of land, 
which is about to be laid out in an ornamental manner. The 
total cost is estimated at £14,000. 
- Among the numerous beautiful Larkspurs two of the 
