104 
THE COTTAGE GARDENER AND COUNTRY GENTLEMAN, Mat 24, 1859. 
himn aggregatum, one solid mass of the clearest yellow, 
almost two feet across; Vanda teres, never better; Cama- 
rotis purpurea, ditto. Mr. Bullen, Ccelogyne Lowii, with 
five monstrous spikes ; Epidendrum bicornutum, the most 
lady-like, the most difficult Orchid to introduce alive, and 
the most difficult to bloom well, of all the Epidendrums, 
a love of a thing, and all but white; his Chyses, Aerides, 
Vandas, and Saccolabiums, were equally fine, hut, un¬ 
fortunately, the writing of all his tallies was a bastard 
cockney style of sign-painting for poi'k-pies and sausages ! 
Then there was one collection of early Achimenes, and 
too early for them. 
Pelargoniums next, and they were good for a May 
Show, June being their month; they began with seed¬ 
lings from Mr. Turner, and Mr. Beck. The only step out 
of the common was Rifleman, in Mr. Turner’s group. 
Rifleman is a downright good thing; and the next genera¬ 
tion will not hear the end of it as sure as we were born. 
The style of it is the French, spotted all round; the 
colour is taken from Governor-General. Bridesmaid, in 
Mr. Beck’s, is an improvement on the Bride. Mr. 
Turner was first, as usual, with a collection of twelve, in 
three rows, and this is how he placed them, beginning 
each row from the right-hand side :— 
First row. Symmetry,Empress, Mr .Marnoclc, and Etna. 
Second. Sanspareil, Rose Celestial, Governor-General, 
and Viola. 
Third. Review, Mazeppa, Carlos, and Candidate. 
Mr. Dobson was second, and Mr. Windsor third, and 
Mr. Gaines had an extra prize—all in twelves. 
In tens, Mr. Wiggins, gardener to E. Beck, Esq., the 
great florist, was first, with Bride, Fairest of the Fair, 
and Vestal, three whites ; Fair Seller, the next light; 
Sanspareil, Governor-General, Sesperus, Laura, Fanny, 
and Wonderful. Mr. Weir, gardener to Mr. Hodgson, 
second, with Lucy, Empress, Petruccio, and Conqueror, 
being different from the others- 
There were eight or ten collections of Fancy Pelar¬ 
goniums in sixes. Mr. Turner taking the lead with the 
charming Madame Van de Weyer, the celebrated Madame 
Sontag, and Madame Liongwire, Attraction, Rosabella, 
and Acme —the acme of perfection and feeling, one should 
say. Mr. Gaines was second; and for private growers, 
Mr. Weir was first with Jenny Lind, JDelicatum, Princess 
Alice Maud, Lady Same Campbell, Lady Alice Peel, 
and Annette. Mr. Gaines was second ; Mr. Holland and 
Mr. Windsor both third; and Mr. Holland had Cloth of 
Silver, an improvement on Delicatum. 
Then Boses, and such Boses as no man living had ever 
seen before. Mr. Lane was first; Mr. Francis second ; 
and Mr. Paul third. Among amateurs, A. Eolland, Esq., 
was first, and Mr. Terry second. All the kinds have been 
told a thousand times. General Jacqueminot was the 
highest colour; Grant des Batailles was never seen half 
so good as it stood at the end of Mr. Paul’s group; 
Chenedolle and Coup d'Sebe, were most magnificent: 
a nobleman who stood near, said, that Coup d’Sebe is 
Her Majesty’s favourite Bose ; Souvenir d’un Ami, as 
a blush Bose, and as pure white as the driven snow, 
and as creamy as cream cheese, was in the stands in 
all these colours; Paul Ricaut, and Paul Pc was, just 
the same colours as they always show ; Devoniensis was 
never done so before as it was by Mr. Francis ; and 
Gloire de Dijon, in Mr. Paul’s, the same ; and the same 
of Chenedolle and Blairii So. 2, by Mr. Holland. 
A specimen plant of Genetyllis niacrostegia, from Mr. 
Dods, was admired as the best of that group by every 
one who knows them; and a Dciviesia, wrongly called 
Umbellata, took a prize to Mr. Green. 
Mr. Turner had a gay set of Cinerarias, of which 
Eclipse and Brilliant, two seifs in two shades of purple, 
were most beautiful, and most admired. 
Fruit. —The fruit, except the black Grapes, were not 
first-rate, or very plentiful. Mr. Hill and Mr. Frost 
were neck and neck with splendid black Grapes, and both 
took first prizes. Basket of 12 lbs. of black Grapes, Mr. 
French, Burnham, Bucks, first. Second best to Mr. 
Davies, Hammersmith. The first prize for white Grapes 
went to Mr. Euston, gardener to Sir James Duckworth, 
Exeter; the second to Mr. Chambers, gardener to Lord 
Southampton ; and the third to Mr. Bones, gardener to 
J. Barnett, Esq., Woodford, Essex. Mr. Gillham took 
first and second prizes for Pines, and Mr. Constantine, 
gardener to C. Mills, Esq., Hxbridge, took the first prize 
in Peaches. Mr. Smith, the great Strawberry grower, 
took the first prize with a splendid dish of Sir Charles 
Napier. I could not get near to note the rest of the 
prizes for the crowd. 
The fountains played beautifully at four o’clock ; but 
the wet kept the crowds to the front galleries. 
The Tulips were still in prime order on the terraces. 
The beds were ready to plant lower down. The Bhodo- 
dendrons, Azaleas, and tree Pseonies, were splendidly in 
bloom, and the cold seemed to do less harm than in more 
sheltered places. D. Beaton. 
PINE APPLE CULTUEE. 
(Continued from page 90.) 
5. Moisture.- —This, likewise, must be proportioned 
to heat, sunlight, and the season of the year. In winter 
the soil should not be dry, but it should be dryish rather 
than wet. In mild weather, the fire heat being moderate, 
the soil will not dry quickly if the pots are plunged. 
In severe weather evaporating pans should he placed on 
the heating medium, a little water be sprinkled on the 
path, the surface of the bed syringed, and even the plants 
gently dewed from a fine syringe in a sunny day. If the 
atmosphere be thus kept moist the plants will suffer little 
from dryness. In tank-heating, like our correspondent’s, 
it will presently be seen that it is easy to give moisture 
to the atmosphere, and also supply moist vapour to the 
plunging medium from beneath, so that the soil in the 
pots may safely be dry rather than wet. In dull weather 
in winter I have preferred watering the tan, or other 
plunging medium, instead of watering the soil in the pots. 
The pots and their soil absorbed about as much moisture 
as they wanted. The perspiring power from the leaves 
in such circumstances is reduced to a minimum, and, 
therefore, the roots should not be kept in a saturated 
state. There is less danger if even in winter there is a 
likelihood of a few sunny days. In summer waterings 
may be given freely, and syringings frequently in the 
afternoon. 
6. Air. —This, too, must he given in proportion to the 
season, so far as quantity is concerned ; but if the roof is 
at all close, a little to change the atmosphere should be 
given every day. Paradoxical though it may seem, it is 
no less true, that fresh air is most wanted in dull, muggy 
weather. Then it helps to counteract mere expansion by 
heat. In summer, in bright weather, air must be given 
somewhat freely to keep the heat in due bounds beneath 
glass. In clear frosty weather, in winter, it should be 
given rather sparingly ; a little given early at the highest 
point of the roof will generally be sufficient. It is better, 
instead of giving much, to let the fires out in the morning. 
7. Shading. — This will be less wanted in our corre¬ 
spondent’s case, as the Vines will be apt to give rather 
too much shade at times. If air is given early, to prevent 
the house rising rapidly and heated vapour accumulating, 
shading will be little necessary, unless when the plants 
are not established at the roots, and they stand very close 
to the glass, or very bright weather suddenly succeeds 
that which was just- as dull and cloudy. A slight shading 
will be advantageous in the first case until the roots are 
freely at work, and, in the last ease, until the plants are 
used to the change; but, as a rule, the more sunlight the 
plants have the sturdier they will be. 
8. Insects.—T he worst are the white scale and mealy 
