October 21, 1836. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
8G1 
instead of being a mistake are grand, most acceptable at dessert> 
and pay better than early forced, which dig deep into the pocket 
of the grower, and the prices are as h : gh in October as they are 
in June, and this year are much better for the seller. The late 
Peaches command a good price if only for their noble appearance, 
and if done well are juicy and well flavoured.— Utilitarian. 
BARKERIAS. 
The species of this genus are all extremely handsome when in bloom, 
and as several of them produce their elegant flowers during autumn and 
winter they become doubly valuable. Pot culture is not suitable or 
congenial to Barkerias, they should therefore be grown upon blocks ; but 
as they do not adhere very firmly to these perhaps the very best con¬ 
trivance for them is a rough cork basket. The plants should be made fast 
with copper wire and a little live sphagnum used amongst the roots ; tut 
very little moss or peat is necessary, as the roots, which are thick and 
fleshy, usually grow straight out into the air. During the Beason of rest 
the plants lose their leaves, and at this time amateurs generally dry the 
life out of them. This, however, is wrong treatment, as the blocks or 
baskets should be occasionally syringed, even when the plants are 
dormant, otherwise the following season’s growth will be very weak and 
the flowers somewhat microscopical. 
B. Skinnebi. —No more charming object for a Christmas bouquet 
could be wished for than a few spikes of this plant. The stems are from 
9 to 12 inches high ; the spikes are long, produced from the top of the 
shoots, and bear a quantity of lovely deep rose-coloured flowers, which 
last many weeks in perfection if kept from damp. It blooms during the 
dull autumn and winter months. Native of Guatemala. 
B. spectabilis. —Another fine species. It grows erect, and 
from the top of its stem-like p : eudo-bulbs are produced long racemes of 
large bright lilac and pink flowers, which are in some varieties freckled 
with crimson dots. Its flowers are freely produced during the months of 
June and July and last a long time, especially when cut for bouquet¬ 
making. Native of Guatemala. 
B. elegans. —This is also a native of Guatemala, and is at the same 
time one of the most beautiful and rarest of the whole genus. Like the 
others its growths are slender and stem-like, whilst the flowers are very 
large and richly coloured, the sepals and petals being dark rose and the 
lip deep red shading into crimson. When I add that these beautiful 
spikes of bloom are produced during midwinter, enough will have been 
said to recommend it to all interested in this order. A representation of 
this beautiful species is given in fig. 51. —E. C. G. 
AMATEUR?. 
A QUESTION has been raised in the pages of the Journal, presumably 
for discussion before taking definite steps, if any. in regard to it. As a 
southern amateur, I beg to submit a few thoughts on the subject, viewing 
the question on the side of the amateurs. 
The question may be stated thus—Shall we have a separate challenge 
trophy for the northern amateurs ? Shall we divide the competition for 
the championship ? The first thing one would ask is, What do the 
northerners say ? I should very much like to hear. For my part, I fail 
to see the wisdom of allowing the present trophies subscribed for by all 
to become the exclusive property of the southerners, and of getting other 
trophies for the exhibitors of the north. The idea has certainly been 
encouraged by competing for the trophies year by year at the southern 
exhibitions of the N.R S. Is there not a plan by which the north can 
stand on an equal footing with the eouth ? Are there not northerners 
who grow as good Roses as those of the south? I think so. Messrs. 
Hall of Liverpool, Whitwell of Drrliogton, and Garnet of Chester, for 
instance. Think of Mr. Whitwell’s Roses of a few years ago, Mr. Hal’ s 
at Liverpool and Manchester this year and last, were they not as goo l 
a=, if not better than any southerners 1 Why, then, if this he so, talk 
and propose to act as if their R >ses were so inferior that they must have 
a trophy to themselves for second-rate blooms. Give them a right date, 
and they will be a match for the ; r friends of the south. Don’t let us 
always choose the date that best suits us of the south, and then, having 
placed others at a disadvantage, turn round and say, See how small are 
the chances of the trophies ever getting farther north than Essex, Herts, 
and Hertford. But what is a right date ? Clearly not the first Tuesday 
in July, for some Rose gardens in the south are barely out by that time, 
but give them a week or a fortnight later and then see. 
Now, someone may say, Why not, then, have trophies for north and 
south as proposed, to be compete 1 for at dates suitable to each respec- 
tivel y ? Because the division will so weaken the competition in the north 
that the trophy will not be worth winning. I will show why I think so. 
Suppose you divide the country by the line as suggested by “ T. W. G ,”~ 
how many amateurs in the northern provinces can be reckoned upon to 
compete? Think of the first division amateurs at the N.R.S. provincial 
exhibitions for the last three years (Salisbury excepted), and call to m : n 1 
how many amateurs in the northern provinces have compete i. As far as 
my memory goes there have been but two—viz., Messrs. Hill and W iit- 
well, and to these might perhaps be aided next year the name of the Rev. 
L. Garnet. But here the list, to me, seems to end. Now consider, given 
wo classes for thirty-six, one open to all amateurs, the other for 
^ortherners only, in the class where the competition is the strongest 
“there will ba the best Roses. The competition will be strongest, not in 
he class for the northern trophy, hut in the class in which southerners 
and northerners meet. Where, then, in all likelihood will the northerner 
place his best blooms? WI1 anyone like to see the challenge trophy won 
by second-rate blooms? Union is strength, by unity a good competition 
will be guaranteed. Carry the proposed idea into effect, and it may end- 
in there being a walk-over for one northern amateur, as there certainly 
would have been in the years 1885 and 1886. I cannot, however, help 
saying in passing that this northern amateur is a very good fellow, who 
dearly loves a good stand-up fight, and no one would rejoice more than 
myself to see him carry off the trophy next year. I should like to hear 
his views on the subject. I know he has some. 
Now I will make a suggestion which will, I think entirely meet the 
case. It is this : Let the present trophies be competed for, not always at 
the metropolitan exhibition, but year by year alternately at the metropo¬ 
litan and provincial exhibitions ; this will give all a good chance ef win¬ 
ning the challenge trophy of the United Kingdom of the queen of 
flowers. 
Let us keep together, do not divide us, give us suitable dates, carry 
out this suggestion to have turn and turn about, and then the northern 
amateur will again see his name engraved on the trophy, as he has done 
already.— Southern Amateur. 
THE FLORA OF THE BRITISH POSSESSIONS. 
At the inaugural meeting for the winter session of the Horticul¬ 
tural Club held Tuesday 12th inst., at their rooms, 1, Henrietta Street, 
Covent Garden, Mr. J. G. Baker of the Royal Herbarium, Kew, in¬ 
troduced for discussion the subject of the flora of the British posses¬ 
sions, of which the following is a resume :— 
He pointed out that the British Empire contains the whole or a 
portion of seven distinct botanical provinces, as follows :— 
I. Britain itself is botanically a mere appendage of the European 
continent. Including Malta and Gibraltar we can claim about 8000 
of the 10,000 plants of the European flora. He thought that iu 
