August 27, 1885. ] 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
181 
not matters little; the p’ant- is a peculiar one, and is grown in botanic 
gardens and other collections of singular plants chiefly as a curiosity, 
though we rarely see a plant of more than a few feet in diameter, and 
that is quite large enough for most gardens. At Antwerp, however, an 
extraordinary specimen was shown, and it is doubtful if there is such 
another example in cultivation. This was of columnar form, about 
3 feet in diameter and 12 feet high, a dense mass of growth the whole 
height, and so plentifully armed with its sharp little white spines as 
almost to deserve the title ‘‘ferox,” which botanists bestow upon some 
of the most formidable plants. It was exhibited by Madame Olivier 
Le Jeune, Cbdteau de Trogenten, Berchem, who was awarded a silver 
medal for it in the class for an ornamental-foliage plant, and no doubt she 
is proud of her plant as a unique specimen of its kind. 
Coccoloba pubescens.— In many English gardens may be seen a 
curious and interesting little plant named Coccoloba platyclada, which is 
remarkable for its strangely flattened leafless branches, that look as if 
they had been very carefully pressed out with a heavy iron, or as if some 
antiquated herbarium specimen had been suddenly resuscitated without 
having time to resume its normal rotundity of stem or fill its vessels with 
sap. Between this plant and that named at the head of the paragraph, 
Coccoloba pubescens, the contrast is very striking, and though visitors 
to the Antwerp Show had not the opportunity of seeing the two plants 
together, yet those who remembered the little plant in collections at 
home could not help remarking how great was the difference between 
them. C. pubescens was shown by several exhibitors in capital con¬ 
dition, notably by M. Pierre P. Boutmans, of the Lille Botanic Garden, 
who obtained a silver medal for it, and by M. A. Dalliere of Ghent, who 
had it in a class for three foliage plants, and gained a silver-gilt medal. 
These were large specimens 10 feet high or more, and the immense 
leaves, 2 or 3 feet in diameter, cla3p the stem closely at the base, im¬ 
parting a most strange appearance to the plant, especially as they have 
a rough “ bullated ” or Savoy-like surface. In a few botanical collec¬ 
tions it may be seen in England, and then, perhaps, as at Kew, can also 
be seen the Grias cauliflora, which has even larger leaves, but scarcely 
has a more peculiar appearance. 
A Variegated Palm.— The two large families of Palms and Ferns 
do not give us many examples of variegation, and the former have still 
fewer than the latter, for amongst the Ferns, especially in the Pterises, 
occur some cases of diverse colouration, whereas any approach to this 
condition is very rarely seen in the Palms ; therefore the plant shown 
by M. Arthur de Smet, Ghent, named Areca Baueri variegata, pos¬ 
sessed some interest as a departure. It was, however, very young, 
being described as a seedling of the present year, and in consequence, 
though there were evident signs of variegation, it would be quite im¬ 
possible to say whether it woul 1 be likely to keep this character as it 
developed ; still we may hear something more about it, and really well- 
marked variegated Palm would be a good addition to our foliage plants, 
though even if the variegation were fixed in one plant it is not very clear 
how it could be propagated. 
Carnation Souvenir de la Malhaison. —At Kensington recently 
we had a grand exhibit of these handsome Carnations recently from 
vigorous plants with abundant beautiful flowers, but it was satisfactory 
also to find that in Belgium the culture of these useful plants is also 
understood, and that they are as highly appreciated as they are here. M. 
B. de Lombaerde, 52, Rue de Jerusalem, Schaerbeeck, had some particu¬ 
larly fine plants, and well merited the silver-gilt medal awarded for them ; 
but several other exhibitors had nearly equally creditable specimens, 
especially notable being those from M. Jean Everaerts, Vieux-Dieu, who 
contributed so liberally from his charming garden, though the same ex¬ 
hibitor had some admirable groups of Gloxinias, Colenses, and Pelar¬ 
goniums ; the Carnations were unquestionably the best, and their culture 
is evidently well understood by M. Everaerts. 
It is not necessary to make special reference to any others of the 
numerous notable plants exhibited, but a few words as to the general system 
of management may be given, especially as some reference has already been 
made to some slight shortcomings as viewed from a British standpoint. 
In the first place there is one regulation which is carried out in such a 
satisfactory manner that it deserves the highest commendation, and this is 
the labelling of the plants. The great majority of the labels are printed 
in clear bold type, and the names being correctly spelled they serve an 
educational use, which is too seldom the case at British exhibitions, where 
labelling the plants is often left to assistants who occasionally have 
somewhat erratic ideas in regard to botanical names, and give expression 
to them in a very peculiar caligraphy, so that between mis-spelling and 
illegibility visitors who are unversed in the mysteries of plant-nomen¬ 
clature are not likely to gain very clear notions on the subject. At 
Antwerp the exhibitors had their cards printed at their own expense, but 
this even when several hundred plants are shown is not a large outlay, and 
an ample return is afforded in the satisfaction of having them neatly and 
correctly named. 
The exhibits are distinguished until the judging is completed in a 
similar manner to that adopted at many of our provincial shows—namely, 
all are numbered, and those of each exhibitor run consecutively in the 
order of the classes in the schedule.. As the prizes are awarded the 
numbers of the winning exhibitors are entered in a book under the class 
by the secretary of each group of judges. This is then returned to clerks, 
who are entrusted with duty of writing out the prize cards, which are then 
placed to each exhibit as with us. The system is not so simple and ex- 
pedious as that adopted at South Kensington, but it ha3 the advantage, if 
it can be considered one, of removing all means of determining the re¬ 
spective exhibitors while the plants are being judged, unless the 
specimens can themselves be recognised, as must be frequently the case 
there as it is here. It cannot, however, be commended. Judges should 
be above all suspicion, and these evident signs of doubt must be unpleasant 
to all who wish to perform their duties conscientiously. 
A word of praise is also due to the excellent catalogue of the exhibits 
Fig. 33.—Sarracenia Patersoni. (See page 186). 
and prizetakers, which considering its size (260 pages), was issued very 
quickly, being on sale by noon of the opening day, or within twenty-four 
hours of the time the Judges made their awards, In this the first part 
was devoted to the names of the exhibitors, under whieh were given their 
entries in each class, and in many cases the names of the plants shown. 
In the second part the classes were given in the order of the schedule, and 
the names of the prizetakers with reference to their entry number. Full 
lists of the Jury were also included, and the whole was neatly printed on 
good paper. Our exhibitions are rarely of sufficient duration to necessitate 
