July 24. 
COUNTRY GENTLEMAN’S COMPANION. 
295 
Marks on Tea Chests. —When a ship loaded with 
Tea arrives in a Dock in London, each chest is marked 
with tlie rotation number, that is, the number she is as to 
arrival in the Dock ; the first ship in January is marked j 
].; this is cut With a scribe; also the date of the year 
shortly, as/55; also each chest is numbered, as, if 
there are 3000 chests on board, they are numbered from 
one upwards; no mark of the whole number on hoard 
is made on each ; the weight of each chest is also cut on 
it after being weighed. 
The Strawberry' “ Sir Harry.” — I have much 
satisfaction in announcing the result of my crop of 
“Sir Harry” Strawberry; I must confess that I have 
never eaten anything so delicious ;and 1 assure you that 
Mr. Underhill did not speak too highly of the qualities 
of this beautiful fruit, which, in reality, is far superior 
to any other known, aud, consequently, cannot fail to 
find its way into the garden of every true “ amateur.” 
The plants which I kept under glass proved that “Sir 
Harry” is equally well adapted for forcing; it even 
seemed to me that its fruit had a better flavour than 
those grown afterwards in the open air.—E. Gloedk, 
A ux Sablons, near Moret sur Loing, Seine Marne, 
France. 
BIRMINGHAM BOTANIC GARDEN AND 
HORTICULTURAL EXHIBITION. 
At this Exhibition I had to adjudge the prizes, ably 
assisted by my friend Mr. Baxter, Curator of the 
University Gardens at Oxford. The arrangement for 
the Exhibition was so excellent that I took notes, and 
shall now endeavour to put them into shape, to give our 
readers some idea how they manage their shows in the 
Botanical Gardens at Birmingham, under the judicious 
direction of Mr. Catling, the Curator. 
As the Judges were not allowed to enter the Exhi¬ 
bition tent till all was arranged, I took a quiet, early 
stroll through the hothouses, greenhouses, and pleasure- 
grounds, and I am happy to bear testimony to the very 
excellent condition, in respect to management, they are 
in. 1 mentioned, in a report of these gardens, last year, 
that the Council of Management, with a liberality that 
did them honour, erected a house for the especial purposo 
of growing the Queen of Aquatics, the Victoria Regia. 
By the advice of their Curator, this building was put 
up large enough not only to hold the large tank for the 
Lily, but also with plenty of space arouud it for a 
roomy promenade, and also accommodation for groups 
of Exotic Ferns, and a platform all round the house 
for Stove Plants. By thus having plenty of room for 
such plants the house is interesting, and gay with 
foliage aud flowers all the year. The heat and moisture 
necessary for the Victoria, when growing, suits other 
Exotics admirably; and in winter, when there is no Lily 
to draw attention, these plants render the house nearly 
equally as attractive. Without making any comparison 
with other places where they grow the Victoria alone, I 
may venture to suggest, that whoever, hereafter, is at the 
expense of a house to grow this truly noble acquatic, 
would find it advantageous to visit these gardens, and 
judge for themselves whether this example is not worthy 
of adoption. There is one point in the form, or rather 
level, of the tank of this house that might be improved. 
At present, the tank is nearly level with the floor of the 
house ; I think it would be better if it was raised two or 
three feet, that is, if water can be had conveniently to 
fill it when so raised. The great advantage to be 
attained by thus raising the sides of the tank would be 
the heat given to the water by the rays of the sun, and 
also by bringing the leaves and flowers of the Lily 
nearer to the eye. 1 was glad to find my friend, Mr. 
Baxter, was of the same opinion as I was, that this 
alteration of the level of the tank would be a great 
improvement; and he instanced the one at Oxford, 
under his care, as a proof of the benefit the Victoria 
derived from the walls of the tank being raised, and 
thereby exposed to the warming rays of the summer’s 
sun. 
These gardens have been famed for years for a large 
collection of Ferns. Mr. David Cameron, the late 
Curator, was indefatigable in collecting them. He, how¬ 
ever, had no such largo house as the Victoria House, 
and, consequently, was obliged to grow them in small 
pots, and place them in nooks and corners, and on 
shelves, wherever he could find space to stow them. 
Now the case is widely different; Mr. Catling can pot 
and repot, and grow them into fine specimens. As an 
instance, I may mention that I saw a single plant of 
that beautiful Fern the Adiantum cuneatum, two feet 
high, and three feet through. 1 might mention many 
others equally fine, had I space; but I must curtail 
my notes, or I should have matter enough to fill an 
entire number. Last year, 1 described the groups of 
Ferns, and, to my agreeable surprise, I find them this 
year arranged in a new style, and, I think, with better 
effect. Two groups still remain as then ; but the rest 
are arranged aud combined with good effect with Palms, 
Musas, and large-leaved Arums. These form a noble 
back ground, and the tall, broad-leaved Ferns are placed 
before them, and the low-growing, line-leaved Ferns in 
front. These, altogether, form a rich circle of beautiful, 
evergreen foliage, at the furthest end of the house. 
In front of this circle is a broad walk, and between it 
and the tank is placed a noble Cycas revoluta, with its 
long, feather-like leaves. This plant is now flowering, 
aud has, certainly, one of the most curious blooms in 
the whole kingdom of Flora. It is a male plant, and 
the male flowers arc in a cluster, in the heart of the 
plant. This cluster is fully a foot in diameter. The 
bracts, or floral leaves, are something in the shape of a 
man’s hand, with the fingers distorted, shortened, thick 
at the base, and pointed at the top. They are of a 
buff colour, aud covered with a downy substance. The 
pollen masses are in pairs on each of this hand-like 
processes. When I saw them they were in a bud state, 
and about the size of a large Pea. I should have been 
pleased to have seen them when the pollen burst from 
the cases. It certainly is one of the wonders of 
vegetable flowering, and well worthy of a visit to 
inspect it. 
The following Stove Plants were in flower on the 
platforms. Begonias, many species, arranged in one 
group. B. nitvda, one of the handsomest species, with 
large cymes of beautiful, rosy flowers, made the best 
show. This species is apt to run up high, and has 
naked branches. To remedy this, and to form a dense 
bush, the branches were gently bent down, and pegged 
in the soil hi the pot. The buds on the branches broke, 
aud filled up the centre. The plants, by this manage¬ 
ment, were of a handsome, dense form, and flowered 
most profusely. So managed, this species would be 
no despicable addition to a collection of fifteen or 
twenty plants exhibited for a golden prize. Euphorbia 
splendens and E. Bojeri, both well bloomed. Hoya 
carnosa, on an upright cylindrical trellis; H. bella, 
grown in a suspended wire-basket. Mussomda macro- 
pliylla, with its large, single-leaved bracts and small 
yellow flowers. Rondeletia speciosa, a dwarf bush, covered 
with blooms. AEschynanthus pulcher major, trained 
upright. Potlios, a curious tribe of stove plants, many 
species in bloom. Tabernamontana coronaria, the single- 
flowered, a handsome plant. Oesnera tubijiora, very 
effective with its tall spikes of large trumpet-shaped 
