1876. ] 
GARDEN GOSSir. 
143 
first week of May. Tlie plants were very fine, but were dwarfed to an appre¬ 
ciable extont by the height of tho structure, and. by the large space over which they wore 
distributed. It had been intended to meet this by planting, in the more conspicuous points of 
view, suitable clumps of pictorial trees, such as the variegated Acer Negundo, the golden and 
silver-leaved Elder, the Purple Nut, the Sea Buckthorn, Ac.; but from tho lateness of the 
season, the trees refused to clothe themselves with foliage, in aid of the blossoms of the Roses. 
These latter left nothing to be desired, being there in hundreds, old and new, large and small, 
all superbly flowered. The new Star of Waltham was shown very fine, as also were Princess 
Christian, Princess Beatrice, and Peach-Blossom. Madame Hippolyto Jamin, Captain Christy, 
Marquis de Castellane, Madame Lackarme, Catherine Mermet, and Marie Van Houtte, were 
also very attrativo. 
- 0/HE National Auricula Society held its annual Exhibition on April 27, 
in the Town Hall, Manchester, in connection with one of the meetings of the 
Manchester Botanical and Horticultural Society, and appears to have had a fairly 
successful gathering. The exhibition wa3 de rigeur; the trusses having to be shown free 
from all artificial packing and support; and all plants in the“ pans,” i.e., collections not being 
eligible with less than five expanded pips. The leading prizes were won by the Rev. F. I). 
Horner, Kirkby Malzeard, Ripon; Mr. C. Royds, Rochdale ; Mr. R. Lord, Todmorden; and Mr. 
G. Turner, Slough. 
- ®he annual Whitsun Exhibition of the Manchester Botanical and 
Horticultural Society , which opened on May 14, was probably, as a display of 
practical horticulture, equal to any of its predecessors. The glass pavilion formed 
an exhibition in itself, so thoroughly good were the stove and greenhouse plants, of which a 
grand lot came from Messrs. E. Cole and Sons,, of Withington, Mr, Cypher, of Cheltenham, 
and Mr. B. S. Williams, of Holloway; v r kile tho orchids, though not so well represented as 
on former occasions, were still exceedingly fine ; and the ferns, hardy and exotic, called for 
special admiration. A specimen of Gleichenia Speluncse, 6 ft. high, and from 7 ft. to 8 ft. 
through, grandly furnished, from T. M. Shuttlewortli, Esq., of Preston, was a noble specimen 
indeed. Such Roses as those shown by Mr. Turner and Mr. Cl. Paul had never before been 
seen at Manchester. Now and rare plants came from Mr. Wills, of Old Brompton, and Mr. 
Williams, of Holloway; and among other striking features of the exhibition was a charming 
group of Clematis, from Messrs. G. Jackman and Son. 
- H'OME of the most beautiful of recent acquisitions occur in the genus 
Bertolonia , of which M. Louis Van Houtte has been successful in raising three hybrid 
varieties of the most superb character. They are plants with short erect stems, 
bearing large opposite ribbed leaves, beautifully striped and spotted. B. Van Houttei has these 
ample leaves of a rich olive velvet ground-colour, traversed lengthwise by distinct bars of 
beautiful magenta, and dotted all over with hundreds of spots of the same colour. B. 
Mirandcei is similar to the foregoing, only the leaves are not marked with bars, but are 
uniformly dotted with crowds of magenta spots on a dark olive velvet surface. B. Marchandii 
has dark velvet green leaves, striped with silver bars, which constitutes it a very pleasing 
contrast to the other sorts. The Bertolonias, including one of Mr. Bull’s, called B. superbissima , 
are remarkable for the brilliancy of their magenta-coloured markings, which gives tho 
appearance of the leaves being sprinkled over with gems that emit a brilliant purple light. 
- ffi. E. Mayer, of Carlsruke, has lately published the results of a 
series of experiments in liaising Ferns from Spores , more particularly the 
Gleicheniacecc , Marattiacece , and Hymenophyllacece. One species of Gleichenia, 
G. dicarpa, he has raised in large numbers. From the first development of the prothallium 
until the appearance of the first frond exactly five months were consumed; tho dark green 
prothallium is nearly circular, about half an inch in diameter, and remarkable for its peculiar 
root-hairs, which are short, thick, bristly, of equal length, and of a lustrous metallic-brown 
colour. The spores of tho Gleiclioniaceae observed Avere of a sulpliur-yelloAv. Among the 
Marattiacoas, also, only one representative, Marattia latifolia, was raised from spores; from 
the day of sowing until the appearance of tho prothallium a month elapsed, and another 
month passed before the plantlots were sufficiently large to bo pricked out; the first frond 
did not shoAV itself for a period of six to eight months, or oven longeiv The prothallium in 
