THE COTTAGE GARDENER. 
June di. 
10.3 
white ; form and substance good. Emily , very similar 
to the last, with larger flowers, and the colours in every 
part of a lighter hue. Rosamond: this beautiful variety 
was never before seen in such perfection; it is a real 
good standing kind; colours, light rose, and large 
white centre. Magnificent: the prevailing colour of 
this showy variety is a glowing crimson, approaching to 
scarlet, with dark crimson spots; form and substance 
good. Alonzo: rather an old variety, but a very good 
one; upper petals, a rich dark purple, with a very 
narrow edging of scarlet; edges very smooth; lower 
petals, dark rose; form and substance first-rate. Ocella- 
turn, a name meaning “ eyed,” and a good name it is, for 
every petal has, as it were, a dark eye. It has more the 
appearance of a fancy geranium, and Mr. Beaton says 
it is one to all intents and purposes; most likely he will 
claim it as one : let it be whichever it will it is a beau¬ 
tiful kind, and desirable for any body, or for any purpose 
where a mixture of gay colours is required. Gulielma, 
we never remember to have seen in better trim, but 
Rosamond beats it hollow, though there is a resemblance 
in colour, form, and substance. The plants of all the 
collections were most excellent; no sticks were visible, 
and the pots scarcely so. We must except one lot, 
which were too well grown ; that is, the foliage was so 
large that the flowers were almost smothered by them; 
they had evidently had too rich stimulants applied, thus 
disappointing the grower of a fine bloom. There is a 
medium in all things, and he who hits the happy one of 
neither under nor over feeding his plants is the clever 
cultivator, and will stand No. 1 on the prize card. 
Mr. Hoyle exhibited in one stand twelve quite new 
varieties. Though the plants were in small pots, and 
the foliage but middling, tire flowers were all first-rate as 
far as culture went. The best of these will stand, 1. 
Zaria. In the whole race of show Pelargoniums, there 
is not one that approaches, in form and substance, so 
near perfection as this charming variety. Even our 
somewhat sceptical friend, Mr. Beaton, was obliged to 
confess that there was great merit in this variety in the 
above properties, independent of his hobby — bright 
glaring colour. Even in the colour it was not behind; 
the ground was a pleasing buff-white, the upper petals 
largely clouded with chocolate, and the lower small spots 
of the same. 2. Astrea; form and substance good; 
colour, upper petals dark, edged with white, lower petals, 
rose; eye or centre, large and pure white. 3. Leonora, 
something like Astrea, with a better outline, and lower 
petals of a paler rose; trusses not large, d. Dion; dark 
upper petals, broadly edged with scarlet; form excellent, 
o. Kuna, dark upper petals, edged with fiery red; lower 
petals, pink, with a dark blotch on each ; form good ; a 
showy variety. 0. Diadem, a fine thing in the way of 
Rosamond, with larger flowers and better defined colours. 
There was a showy freely-blooming one, called Butterfly, 
which will be useful as an ornament to an amateur's 
greenhouse stage. The whole formed a group of seed¬ 
lings quite a wonder as one man’s raising. 
In new seedlings, shown in fewer numbers, Mr. Foster 
had several plants of his Optimum, which was shown last 
year, and is a fine dark variety, but the colours run too 
much into each other. Whether high cultivation will 
correct that fault remains to be proved. Mr. Foster’s 
Queen of May is a decided improvement upon Optimum 
1 by the same raiser, and when seen in a large plant will 
no doubt be effective as a show flower. 
Hoyles’s Albina, though shown as belonging to this 
class, is too flimsy and starry. It would, like Ocellatum, 
be more at home amongst the fancy varieties. 
Pelargoniums—Fancy Varieties. —Gaines’s Hero of 
Surrey still holds the first rank amongst these lady like 
varieties; the next best being Ambrose’s Gaiety. These 
stood together in one collection, and were deservedly 
i admired. There was one named Nourmajed (Hill’s) that 
was truly showy, and remarkably brilliant in colours. 
The flowers were larger than ordinary, and had the form 
been good it would have been a first-rate variety, but 
that was deficient; the edges being all almost as much 
curled as Cattleya crispa; still it is worth growing for 
its fine rosy colours and large size both of flower and 
truss. Ayre’s Caliban and Formossissima well sustained 
their fame as fancy varieties. Our readers will remember 
that they obtained several certificates of merit last year. 
Amongst a crowd of seedlings there was only one of 
superior merit, and it had only one bloom open ; and as 
the rule is not to give a prize to only one, the judges 
were obliged to pass it over at present; when exhibited 
again, it will no doubt receive an award. Form excel¬ 
lent; upper petal dark, large white eye; lower petals 
had a distinct vein of crimson running in a line through 
them all; outer edge, white. It was named Aveiron. 
Pansies were shown in pans of cut blooms, and did 
credit to the growers. The best were Nonpareil, Blue¬ 
eyed Maid, Smolensko, Falkirk Hero, Madonna, Lady 
Cartwright, Beauty of Haverhill, King, Pandora, Flower 
of the Day, Ibrahim Pacha, and Sambo. There was a 
seedling named Turner’s Nonsuch, a bright yellow, with 
a well-defined dark spot; form good; and another 
named Bragg’s Sir Harry Smith, yellow ground, dark 
eye, and rich purple blotch, very distinct, and of a good 
form. In this class of flowers there is a decided advance. 
That beautiful flower the Ranunculus was shown in 
fine order. Wo noted as the best, Duke of Devonshire, 
Pucella, Princess le GalUzin, Nixon’s Queen, Eliza, 
Venus, Orange Banksian, Violet Fonce, and Miss H. 
More. There was one stand of Pinks, which might 
have been better had the season allowed. The following 
were tolerable—Brinkler’s Queen, Holmes's Coronation, 
Wilmer’s Laura, Independent, Morning Star, and Wil- 
mer’s Surplus. There was also a pan of beautiful 
double Anemones. These flowers are so charming, 
and have such splendid colours, that it is wonderful 
they are not more grown; they were not named. 
Fuchsias were large enough, but the season was too 
early for them; they were generally deficient in bloom, 
and had evidently been grown in beat. Kossuth was the 
finest in dark varieties, and Elizabeth in the light ones. 
Why do not the competitors grow better varieties; there 
are plenty in the nurseries? Bank’s Glory was shown 
again as a seedling, and proves to be a considerable im¬ 
provement ; it deservedly obtained a prize. 
Calceolarias. —Several collections were present in 
fair condition. There is an improvement in this favourite 
flower. The best were Fascination, a smooth, round 
flower; colour, orange-ground, shaded and streaked with 
yellow. Remarkable, a seedling,'obtained a certificate 
amongst a host of inferior varieties; ground-colour, 
shaded rose, spotted and shaded with yellow; shape ex¬ 
cellent. Of old varieties, Grenadier, dark; Marian, light; 
Prima Donna, dark; Earl of Rosslyn, light; Triumph, 
dark; Nil desperandum, dark; all more or less spotted 
with yellow and crimson. 
There was a seedling calceolaria, with bright, rich 
crimson, large flower; a self, very showy, and attractive, 
but sadly deficient in form ; yet, as an ornamental plant, 
possessing great merit. It is to be hoped the owner will 
propagate it largely. It will make an excellent breeder. 
Mr. Griffin, of Uxbridge, exhibited some seedling 
Rhododendrons of considerable merit. One named R. 
compactum, will be useful to grow in pots, and for forcing, 
flowering as it does on plants not a foot high. He had 
a good yellow one, named Prince of Orange, and another 
named Captivation, which was somewhat paler, but had 
more dark spots on the upper petal. There were some 
seedling Bedding Geraniums of merit, especially one 
from Mr. Kinghorn, of Twickenham, named Attraction. 
Our readers will learn of these from Mr. Beaton; they 
arc exactly in bis way, but we must say that Attraction 
