506 JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER . t December 2, isso. 
of similar size was filled with the foliage of Pheasants’-foot Pelar¬ 
gonium, the flowers being scarlet Pelargoniums and sprays of 
Aster turbinellus. Small low glasses have a single truss of Pelar¬ 
gonium with a large leaf for setting. Camellias with their foliage, 
also Chrysanthemums, are much used at this season for the same 
kind of glasses. Large glasses can be very effectively filled with 
four or five Richardia blooms set on their own foliage, and a few 
Pelargonium trusses or red Bouvardias added to impart colour. 
Glasses filled with Mignonette require only a very few good flowers 
to give a finish. Good-sized glasses can be filled exclusively with 
Chinese Primroses set in their own foliage. Tulips may also be 
used by themselves with their leaves. Cyclamens never look so 
well when associated with other flowers as they do by themselves 
with their foliage. The spikes and foliage of Lily of the Valley 
make a most chaste arrangement. Violets should always be ar¬ 
ranged by themselves, so should Roses if there is a sufficient 
number of them to work on. Of course these can all be worked 
up in mixed arrangements with other flowers, such as Orchids and 
other flowers which do not make effective bouquets alone. But 
wherever the foliage of a plant and its flowers go well together 
they ought to be occasionally employed in that way. The har¬ 
monising and contrasting of colours is also a question of some 
importance, but in this the varied tastes of employers have in 
a great degree to be studied. White flowers and the few yellow 
ones that may be used do well with any colour ; dark blue or 
purple flowers are not suitable at this season ; pink shades are best 
with white or yellow flowers. 
All flowers, Ferns, and foliage should be cut with the longest pos¬ 
sible stems. I do not strip the leaves off flower stems and Ferns, 
more especially Maidenhair Ferns ; I also have a portion of the 
fronds inserted in the water. These last much longer for various 
purposes if cut and placed for two days in water before using. 
In hot rooms the glasses require periodically filling. When the 
flowers are freshly arranged the glasses should be washed before 
being refilled. Many flowers last a long time at this season, such 
as Cyclamens, Pelargoniums, Orchids, and others ; these should 
never be left longer than three or four days without having fresh 
water and being re-arranged.— R. P. Brotherston. 
At the annual general meeting of the National Auricula, 
Carnation, and Picotee Societies, held on the 28th ult., it 
was decided to hold thej Exhibition for 1881 under the auspices 
of the Royal Horticultural Society. The Auricula Exhibition is 
to be held on April 10th ; the Carnation and Picotee on July 19th. 
The annual report and balance sheet for 1880 was adopted by the 
meeting, the Treasurer’s statement showing a balance in hand 
for the Auricula Society of £10 15.?. Id. ; that of the Carnation 
and Picotee, £36 8,f. 1 \d. Additional prizes have been added to 
some of the classes, and a new class is added for yellow-ground 
Picotees. 
- The Royal Caledonian Horticultural Society 
will, it is announced, hold the following exhibitions in 1881. The 
spring show on April 6th and 7th, and the autumn show on 
September the 7th and 8th. 
- In addition to the white sport from James Salter 
Chrysanthemum shown at the Brixton Exhibition, a competitor 
(Mr. H. A. Rolt, Wimbledon), at the Kingston and Surbiton 
Society’s Show had also a white sport from James Salter. 
Whether these forms can be perpetuated remains to be seen, but 
if they can be fixed the variety will soon become as established a 
favourite as the one from wffiich it originated. 
- We understand that the Canterbury Rose Show is 
fixed for the 30th June, under the presidency of the Marquis of 
Conyngham, and that a schedule as liberal, if not more so, than 
that of the present year will be arranged. The Society is a 
prosperous one, and we hope will continue to be so. 
- We learn with pleasure that the Royal Caledonian Horti¬ 
cultural Society has awarded the Neill prize for the biennial 
period 1878 to 1880 to Mr. David Thomson, gardener to the Duke 
of Buccleuch, Drumlanrig, as a distinguished horticulturist. Our 
readers may remember that this prize, which is so highly valued 
by Scottish gardeners, is derived from a fund left for the purpose 
by Dr. Patrick Neill of Cannonmills Cottage. He bequeathed 
£500, the interest of which was to be allowed to accumulate, and 
be awarded every two or three years by the Royal Caledonian 
Horticultural Society a3 Trustees, to a distinguished Scottish 
botanist or horticulturist. The Society’s choice will on this 
occasion undoubtedly meet with general approval. 
•- A correspondent, in a report that arrived too late for 
publication, states that Fruit at the Shrewsbury Show 
was remarkably fine. The successful competitors in the class 
for black Grapes were Mr. Hannagan, gardener to R. C. Naylor, 
Esq., Hooton Hall, Cheshire, and Mr. Milner, gardener to the 
Rev. J. W. Corbet, and Mr. Boody, gardener to Viscount Boyne, 
For white Grapes Mr. Breese, The Gardens, Moreton Hall, 
Cheshire, Mr. Lambert, gardener to C. G. Wingfield, Esq., and 
Mr. Pratt, gardener to Lord Hill, were the prizetakers, all with 
superior produce. Mr. Pratt had the chief prize for a Pine Apple. 
Mr. Young, gardener to Sir Henry S. Stanhope, Bart., Holme 
Lacy, was awarded the first 'prize for a collection of Pears, thirty 
fine dishes, also for twelve and six dishes of Pears, and the same 
number of dishes of Apples. Mr. Rite, gardener to A. Maw, Esq., 
Severn House, Tonbridge, Mr. Lambert, and Mr. Bain, gardener 
to Sir C. R. Bough ton-Knight, Bart., Downton Hall, Ludlow, were 
the other prizewinners in the same classes. Messrs. Juson, Abbey, 
Forgate, and Pratt were among the most successful exhibitors in 
the Chrysanthemum classes. The Show is described as one of 
great excellence and admirably managed throughout. 
- Mr. Abram Bass has sent us some specimens of 
Apples grown under glass at Moat Bank. The Cox’s 
Orange Pippins are the finest we have seen this year and of 
superior quality. Keddleston Pippin is also splendid in appear¬ 
ance and of good quality, the Ribstons having passed their bast 
condition. Mr. Bass states that the only Apples that have not 
improved by being grown in an orchard home are the variety last 
named and Nonpareils. 
- In the corridor near the large conservatory at the Royal 
Botanic Society’s Gardens, Regent’s Park, there is now a pleasing 
display of Chrysanthemums in pots, the plants being healthy, 
the varieties well selected, and the blooms generally of good form 
and substance, though, not, perhaps, up to the exhibition standard. 
The specimens are not formally trained but allowed a consider¬ 
able degree of freedom, the number of blooms being sufficient to 
produce a very satisfactory array of colours. A number of 
thoroughly good varieties are represented, among which the 
following are especially notable for their excellent condition— 
Golden George Glenny, Queen of England, Guernsey Nugget, 
Antonelli, Lord Derby, Mrs. G. Rundle, and the Japanese varie¬ 
ties La Nymphe, Elaine, Gloire de Toulouse, Fulton, and Red 
Dragon. 
-At the Dublin Royal Horticultural Society’s 
A utumn Show, held on the 25th ult., Apples, Grapes, and Chrys¬ 
anthemums are stated by the Irish Farmers' Gazette to have 
been very fine. Mr. Lombard’s first-prize dish of Warner’s King 
Apple weighed nearly half a stone, one fruit weighing 21 ozs. 
The Countess of Charleville, Charleville Forest, Tullamore (gar¬ 
dener, Mr. Roberts), secured the chief prizes for Grapes with 
splendid produce—he also exhibited a bunch of black Grapes 
weighing stone, for which the Society’s medal was recom¬ 
mended ; L. Lepoy and T. P. Hogg, Esq., for Pears with Marie 
