b74 
JOURNAL OF HORTICULTURE AND COTTAGE GARDENER. 
[ May 12, 1887 
Pitcairlie, staging thirty sorts in strong well grown plants, Alexander 
Meiklejohn, and-a plant'of Rev. F. D. Horner, with thirteen pips, being 
tine. From Mr. Stratton came about fifty plants. Messrs. Dickson and 
Co., Mr. Forbes, Hawick ; Mr. Kilgour, Mr. Bryson, Helensburgh ; and 
Mr. Boyd, Fnldonside, Melrose, staging small collections. From Mr. 
Boyd came also some noteworthy species of Primula Reidi from 
Tirsul. 12,000 feet up the Himalayas, being especially fine, the flowers 
of r. whitish tint of grey, and with a surprisingly delicious fragrance. 
Primula floribunda, P. fainosa, P. Murettiana, P. mollis, P. dentieulata 
nrna, and varieties of Sieboldi were also represented. In the same ; 
group was a specimen of P, Reidi from the Botanic Garden, and of 
P. Btuarti purpurea, and a fine truss of Rhododendron Nuttnlli from th'e ’ 
same place. Mr. Calder, Bellevue, Edinburgh, showed some beautiful 
seedlings (six) of Primula viscosa, and eight of P. viscosa, to three of the 
latter first class certificates being awarded. These were Rob Roy, of a 
reddish crimson shade j Flag of Truce, white ; and Calderi, rose 
magenta. 
A first class certificate wa6 also awarded to Mr. Kilgour for a dark 
maroon self Auricula named Edward Miller. Mr. Simonite brought 
for inspection a boxful of pips of the newer of Rev. F. D. Horner’s seed¬ 
lings. as well as a few of his. own. 
At a general meeting of the Royal Horticultural Society 
at South Kensington, Maxwell T. Masters, M.D., F.R.S. in the chair, the 
following gentlemen were elected—viz., Rev. William Page, B.A., as a 
Fellow ; Jean Van Yolxem, 1, Rue Zinner, Brussels, as a Foreign 
Member ; and Dr. G. Dieck, Zoschen, near Merseburg, Prussia, as a 
Corresponding Member. 
-- At the meeting of the Linnman Society at Burlington House on 
the- 5th inst., Mr. A. H. Kent of the Royal Exotic Nursery (Messrs. 
James Veitch k Sons), was elected an Associate of the Society. 
- Gardeners’ Orphan Fund. — Will you allow me through 
your columns to urge uj on gardeners the desirability of filling up and 
returning by Saturday, the 21st inst., forms relative to the above in order 
to enable the Committee to decide upon future action in .this important 
and interesting undertaking ?— Geo. Deal. 
• —— Mr. E. Mawley informs us that the date of Hitchin Rose 
Show has been changed from Thursday, July 7th, ter Friday, July 8th. 
Some more alterations are in contemplation, and later on he will send 
us a revised and final list of Rose show fixtures for the season. We are 
Also requested to notify that the Reigate Rose Show is postponed from 
July 1st to Thursday, July 7th. 
- We are desired to state that Mr. Yiccars Collyer is now in 
Palestine on a visit to Mr. Lawrence Oliphant, at Haifa (or Caifa) with 
a view to open up commercial relations with that country in connection 
with horticulture, Ac. 
- We have received fr.om Rev. W. Kingsley of South Kilvington, 
near Thirsk, flowers of a Moncecious Aucuba japonica. It. is usual 
for male and female flowers to be produced in different plants. In 
this case, however, the two sexes are on the same plant. We remember 
some years ago seeing an instance of this on a seedling plant raised by 
the late Mr. Standish of Ascot. Whether this character has been perpe¬ 
tuated or not we do not know, but it is no doubt an advantage to have 
an Aucuba with both sexes on the same plant, as a supply of berries is 
thereby insured. 
- Hyacinth Exhibition in Reading.— Messrs. Oakshott and 
Millard, Royal Counties Seed Establishment, Reading, have had on 
exhibition, during the week a very interesting collection of Hyacinths. 
The flowers haye been grown on the large Dutch bulb farms in the 
neighbourhood of Haarlem. The collection numbered seventy varieties, 
tastefully arranged in Messrs. Oakshott & Millard’s front premises in 
Belgrave Street, and have been a source of admiration to those persons 
who accepted invitations to inspect them.— (Berkshire Chronid?.') 
-“ B.” writes, The difficulty of procuring Good Mignonette 
Seed is a source of yearly provocation to many gardeners. My method 
puts an end to that. Just now we have a number of beautiful plants from 
seed saved at home, and the best of all is set aside for seed. We do not 
overburden the plant. The top of each,flower spike is pinched off, and 
about ten capsules left to swell. Fifty capsules to a 6-inch pot are quite- 
enough to yield a supply, and the quality is good;”' 
- How very beautiful a well-grown ami profusely flowered, speci¬ 
men of Rhododendron Countess of Haddington is, vtfehaflevidence- 
the other day in Mr. C. M. Major’s garden at Croydon, a pRintpor rather 
small tree there, haying cqnsiderably over a.tho.usand. floweiA- expandedr 
.the trusses comprising from-six to twelve Blooms. Some rijistirict. anil 
•richly coloured seedling Phyllocacti were also flowering, mud .the very 
rare Cereus graridiflorus Maynard! will flower in a short time- ., « • 
- —The American Exhibition.— This has been previously re¬ 
ferred'to in our columns, or rather the pleasure, grounds, whihjpcomprise- 
several acres, well designed and planted by Mr. IVilliam-Goklrihg.For 
obvious reasons a little time must elapse Lor the development of the 
attractions of this section of the Exhibition, and on Monday last public 
attention centred on the opening ceremony in the chief building, and the- 
delineation of life in the “ Wild West.” This was an extraordinary 
spectacle, or rather a series of spectacles, totally unlike anything that 
has hitherto been seen in England or in Europe. Circuses and hippo¬ 
dromes are mimics in comparison with the magnitude and wild realism 
of the scenes in which skill, in horsemanship and the useof the rifle is 
displayed, in a manner that drives gardens and civilisation out o‘f the 
mind for the time being. 1 This Exhibition is not for London alone, but 
for the kingdom, and visitors to the metropolis will be certain to find 
their way to Earl’s Court, and they will riot be likely to forget what 
they see, if they see all that is to be seen, at this wonderful Exhibition, 
-At the ordinary meeting of the Royal Meteorological. 
Society, to be held at 25, Great George Street, Westminster, on> 
Wednesday, the 18th instant, at ; ? p.m., the following, papers will be- 
read ;—“ Brocken Spectres and the Bows that often accompany them,'’’ 
by H. Sharpe ; “Results of Thermometrical Observations made at 4170- 
and 260 feet above the ground at Boston, Lincolnshire, 1882-86," by 
William Marriott, F.R.Met,Soc. ; “ Snow Storm of. March 14th and 15th 
1887, at Shirenowton Hall, near Chepstow,” by E. J. Lowe, F.R.S., 
F.R.Met.Soc, ■ 
- Mr. T. Laxton has sent us for cooking a sample of his New 
Champion x Magnum Bonum Potato. We had some steamed, in 
their jackets, others steamed without. No Potatoes could be more light- 
They were like balls, not of flour, but pale sulphur, and decidedly fuller 
and better in flavour than , some good white flopry . Potatoes .with which 
they were tested. Those cooked afteT peeling were the more delicate in 
flavour, and better Potatoes we could not desire ; but as most persons- 
know Potatoes are influenced by soil and cooking, those .referred to- 
were evidently grown in .good soil, and. we think they were prepared by 
a good cook. . 
— We have received a schedule of the ALEXANDRA Palace Rose; 
Show, which is to be held on July 14th, 15th, and 16th this year, the 
Secretary being Mr. J. S. Cooke. Twenty classes are provided, five for 
nurserymen, six for amateurs, and the remainder open. The largest 
prizes are offered in the nurserymen’s class for seventy-two Roses, single 
trusses, first AT, second £5, and third £3. The principalamateurs’ class 
is that for forty-eight Roses, single trusses, first prize £5, second prize £3 r 
and third prize £2. The otheis ranging from £4 to 10s. 
-- Messrs. Alex. Dickson & Sons, Royal-' Nurseries, New- 
townards, Co. Down, Ireland, send us a colbured illtrstration of their 
“ new pedigree seedling Hybrid Perpetual Rose' Earl'Dufferin,’’' 
which pourtrays a rich dark crimson marqon Rose of good size and 
excellent shape, with vigorous growth and foliage; ' It is one of several 
seedlings now being offered to the public, and in raising which Messrs.. 
Dickson & Sons state that they have “ proceeded on well thought-out 
lines, using as parents the most perfect varieties only, and the results in 
several instances have been most gratifying.” Earl Dufferin is said to 
be deliciously fragrant, and -has been honoured with seven first-class 
certificates in. Ireland and Scotland.' A great, authority on Roses has 
characterised it as “ undoubtedly a grand Rose,” and judging by the 
plate before us it fully deserves such commendation. -Lady Helen 
Stewart (crimson scarlet), ami Miss Ethel Brownlow (salmon pink), are 
others of thd same series, the former a Hybrid Perpetual and the. Latter 
a Tea. ' . . 
-— The Exhibition of Orchids provided in Mr. B. S, Williams* 
