392 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 26, 1892, 
kinds which lose colour slowly, such as cream-coloured Teas — for 
example, Alba Eosea ; or full crimson, such as Marie Baumann ; or 
bright yellow, such as Mar4chal Niel, are, on that account, of much 
more value to the exhibitor than quickly fleeting colours such as Xavier 
Olibo and Horace Vernet .... I should therefore adhere to my point, 
that a flower which, in the opinion of the judges, has lost its character¬ 
istic colour, is a bad flower. This should be the degree of fadedness 
for which you inquired.” 
I have only quoted such parts of Mr. G. Paul’s letter as bear directly 
upon the point. He says much more in support of his views, but I think 
1 have quoted enough to show plainly what he thinks. Now, here is 
my original difficulty perfectly plain. Mr. Eaillem is of opinion, as I 
gather, that a flower of good form, no matter how faded it may be, 
deserves a point or points. Mr, G. Paul thinks that a flower which in 
the opinion of the judges has lost its characteristic colour, is a bad one 
and should be treated as such. Whose lead is to be followed by judges, 
Sproughton or Cheshunt ? I, without hesitation, subscribe to the latter. 
Differing from my friend, “ D., Deal," I think that Gme would be 
saved in judging if it were decided that a flower which in the opinion 
of the judges is a faded one should be utterly condemned. The instruc¬ 
tions of the N.E.S. plainly point to this. There are other degrees of 
excellence or deficiency which may be dealt with according to points, 
but in all cases of decided badness, of which faded colour is one, I would 
utterly condemn the flower. 
It is a very difficult matter to keep quite to one point in such a dis¬ 
cussion as this, but I am anxious to escape the lash of “ W, R. Eaillem ” 
if possible. I will apologise to him beforehand, as if I have wandered 
from the point of fadedness my erring has not been wilful. I think I 
have done with the matter now. The Rose season will, I hope, soon be 
on, and we shall then see by their decisions what the opinion of judges 
really is. I only wish, both as a judge and an exhibitor, that some more 
decided rule than is acted on at present could be laid down.— Heney 
I .Bikon. 
SotrvENiE d’un Ami. 
I DO not think that there is any better Rose for growing in a cool 
house, providing it gets proper treatment, than Souvenir d’un Ami, as 
I can testify from the quantity of blooms I have cut this season from an 
old tree which I am informed has been planted over twelve years. It 
is growing in a large round house with glass sides, without any heat 
except in very severe weather, when we have to resort to a small coke 
stove placed at one end of the house. The tree is trained close to the 
glass, so that it gets all the light available, and whenever the weather is 
genial the bottom sashes are either pushed up or the top ones pulled 
down, so that it has almost as much air playing among its branches as 
if it was outside, thoroughly ripening the wood, which is so essential 
to success. I have sent three blooms for your inspeetion.— Honington. 
[They are very neat blooms of a good old Rose.] 
LIVERPOOL NOTES. 
Odontoglossum vexillakium at Aymestky Couet, Woolton. 
“ You wo’n’t flower them so well next season” was a remark made 
by many who saw the splendid show of vexillariums which Mr. Osborne, 
the able gardener to H. J. Robinson, Esq., had last year, and I must 
confess that I shared in that opinion. But if proof is wanted of what 
good care and attention can do it may be s. en in the plants flowering 
not merely as well, but three times as well as last year, and it is 
questionable if (for the size of house) there is a finer batch of plants in 
the country. Imported a little over four years ago, the plants were 
potted into 3-inch pots. There are about eighteen plants at present in 
5, 6, 7, and 8-inch pots, arranged amongst healthy plants of Maidenhair 
Fern. They have collectively 129 spikes, many of the stronger bulbs 
having four spikes each. A grand form of vexillarium roseum, admitted 
by travellers to be one of the finest in existence, is growing in an 8-inch 
pot. It had last year ninety-seven flowers. This season it has twenty- 
five spikes and just 200 flowers. The plants are never allowed to be in 
a temperature below 50“ during the winter, and they have 60° to 75°, 
many times more during the summer. When in active growth weak 
applications of guano water are given ; this seems to be a great factor 
to their well being. Judging from the healthy appearance of the plants 
they are likely to give the greatest amount of satisfaction for years to 
come. The term “ cool Orchids,” as applied to this class, seems to be a 
misnomer. 
Death of Me. A. R. Cox. 
By the death of Mr. A. R. Cox, after a brief illness, from pneumonia, 
Liverpool loses one of its most persevering and able gardeners. For the 
past thirteen years the deceased was head gardener to W. H. Watts, 
Esq., Elm Hall, Wavertree, and had previously worked in Yorkshire. 
As an exhibitor of almost all descriptions of plants, fruit, and vege¬ 
tables Mr. Cox took very high honours, but perhaps his great successes 
were won with Chrysanthemums. Not only in Liverpool, hut at most 
of the leading shows in England, has his name figured as a first prize 
winner. He has on two occasions secured the premier position for 
forty-eight out blooms at Liverpool, winning a silver tea and coffee 
service and the silver cup. Last year he won the handsome silver 
challenge vase, valued at 20 guineas, and the cash prize presented by 
Messrs. Ker, Aigburth Nursery, for twelve incurved, twelve Japanese, 
and twelve reflexed, this vase having to be won two years in succession 
or three times in all. In addition he was second to Mr. Parker at 
Birmingham in the large class, in which there were sixteen lots staged, 
and was successful in some of the minor classes. He was also con¬ 
spicuously successful as an exhibitor of stove and greenhouse plants. 
At the winter meetings of the Liverpool Horticultural Association he 
was nearly always the recognised leader of a discussion, and was very 
seldom absent. It only seems the other day since he was in perfect 
health, and in a vigorous speech urging the members to keep to their 
old dates for the Summer Show. Afterwards he was speaking of the 
hopes he entertained of his success at that as well as the Autumn Show, 
and little did I think in my conversation with him that those hopes 
would be so soon shattered, and his useful work so soon close. Though 
at times his speeches had rather a sarcastic tinge, yet underneath was 
evident a kindly and generous disposition. He was greatly respected by 
Mr. and Mrs. Watts, as well as by the majority of those in the horticul¬ 
tural world to whom he was known. That a great loss in our ranks 
has been sustained is the feeling of all gardeners here. He was buried 
on the 13th inst., a large number of horticulturists being present. The 
deceased, who was forty-one years of age, leaves a widow and five young 
children. 
CucuMBEE Dickson’s Excelsioe. 
When visiting the gardens at Roby Hall recently I was much in¬ 
terested in this grand new variety, sent out by Dicksons, Limited, Chester. 
At any season of the year Cucumbers are to be seen fruiting, and a sterling 
variety which Mr. Jones has grown for a number of years has always had 
a good word from everyone. But it is entirely superseded by Excelsior, of 
which there were six plants in a house 16 feet long. We measured 
twenty fine fruits, all over 18 inches in length, some exceeding 24 inches, 
which were hanging at the time of my visit, and Mr. Jones informed 
me that he had cut four dozen the previous week. Fruits of various 
sizes were showing, and I counted on many joints from five to seven 
fruits. It is a robust grower. The fruits are dark green and perfectly 
staight from the handle, there being no waste. If it is prolific as a 
winter fruiter it will certainly oust many of the older varieties altogether 
and take a foremost position. Many of the so-called new varieties have 
very few points of merit superior to the older ones, but as this appears 
to be such a distinct gain, I could not refrain from sending a few lines 
regarding it. It is a cross between Kirklees Hall Defiance and 
Hamilton’s Invincible.—E. P. R. 
ROYAL HORTICULTURAL SOCIETY. 
May 17th. 
Scientific Committee. —Present : Dr. M. T. Masters (in the 
chair), Mr. Morris, Mr. McLachlan, the Rev. W. Wilks, and the Rev. 
G. Henslow, Hon. Sec. 
Orchids Attached hy Beetles. —With reference to the case brought 
before the last meeting, Mr. Pascoe reported that the beetles were 
Phytophaga, belonging, he believed, to the genus Galeruca. Although 
they were on imported Orchids, he considered them like an English 
species. 
Basal Bot. —Mr. Michael reported on this subject as follows :— 
“ I have examined the Narcissus bulbs sent up by Mr. W. Dod, and 
affected with ‘ basal rot.’ The bulbs looked rather gnawed, and I found 
one or two Rhizoglyphus echinopus on one of them ; but, in spite of the 
destructive character of this mite, it hardly seemed to me that there 
were enough to have done the damage. The bulbs were decayed just at 
the hase and nowhere else. There w'as fungus there, and they looked to 
me rather as if from some cause water had collected just round the base 
of the bulb, and had caused a sodden and unhealthy condition. I also 
examined some ‘ rusty ’ Narcissus bulbs, sent by Mr. Haydon, of Hatfield 
Vicarage, Doncaster, and received by me from Mr. Morris, of Kew. 
These bulbs were swaiming with the same acarus (Rhizoglyphus 
echinopus), which is quite capable of originating the destruction seen 
in the bulbs, and of carrying it out, with the assistance of the decay 
which naturally sets in on the wounded surfaces where the mites have 
been eating. The bulbs also contained Anguillulae. I believe some 
species of these are originators, some followers of decay. The Rhizo¬ 
glyphus, however, is quite sufficient to have done the damage, whether 
the worms assisted or not.” Mr. Morris observed that, in the case of the 
“ rusty ” bulbs forwarded to Mr. Michael by him, they were carefully 
examined by fungologists at Kew, and no fungus w^as present, as in 
those sent by Mr, Dod. Mr. Haydon mentions in his letter to Mr. Morris 
that three were seedlings from Cambricus ; the others were a variety 
called Miriam Barton. The rusted cernuus had been all burnt. Mr. 
W. Dod has written to observe that there was a mistake in the report of 
the last meeting, in that Trbilus is not a variety which is subject to 
basal rot. His words were:—“I enclose specimens belonging, in this 
case, to the variety Troilus, which show how thousands go off with me 
every year.” He now writes :—“ I meant to say that thousands of 
Trumpet Daffodils of different varieties die in my garden every year, 
showing the symptoms, of which I sent bulbs of Trbilus as an 
illustration.” 
China Silk. —Mr. Morris exhibited a specimen of this so-called 
material having the appearance of fine cat-gut, and read a report from 
the Foreign Office as follows :—“A very strong ‘silk’ is made from the 
grub called the ‘ celestial silkworm ’ (t’yn ts’am), or locally ‘ paddy 
insect’ (din fang). This grub is found on a sort of Maple, the F6ng 
tree, or Liquidambar formosana, Salisb. When the insect is full grown 
it is thrown into boiling vinegar, on which the ‘head’ of the gut or 
‘ silk ’ appears. This is sharply torn out with both hands drawn apart. 
