110 
THE FLORIST AND POMOLOGIST. 
Primula Jcermesina plena and Queen of England , the former a large double 
flower of a rosy carmine tint, and the latter, also double, white tinged with 
blush, are two varieties of Messrs. "W indebank & Kingsbury’s fine strain. 
OUR MONTHLY CHRONICLE. 
Royal Horticultural Society— The se¬ 
cond spring Show took place on the 12th of 
April, and was rather an extensive display for 
so early in the season. Azaleas and Roses 
constituted the principal features, but there 
was also a very respectable array of stove and 
greenhouse plants, contributed by Messrs. 
Lee, of Hammersmith, F. & A. Smith, Mr. 
Faii-bairn, Sion, and Mr. Bartlett, Hammer¬ 
smith, while Mr. Bull, as usual, brought for¬ 
ward a numerous collection of new plants. 
The Azaleas from Mr. Turner, who was first 
in every class for that flower in which he 
could compete, were remarkably fine pyra¬ 
midal plants, exhibiting less of that stiffness 
of training and crinoline character so much 
complained of a year or two ago, and they 
were, moreover, beautiful masses of bloom. 
The varieties which he exhibited were Louise 
Yon Baden, Queen Victoria, Belle Gantoise, 
Berry ana, Magnificans, Hue de A assau, Eu- 
lalie Van Geert, Flower of the Day, Prince 
Jerome, Brilliant, Iveryana, Magnifica flore 
pleno, Magnet, and a plant called Union, being 
Etoile de Gand and Yariegata superba on the 
same root. A fine plant of Criterion, about 
5 feet high, also from Mr. Turner, received 
the first prize as a single specimen. The 
plants from Messrs. Lane, who took the se¬ 
cond honours, were smaller than those from 
Mr. Turner, but likewise in beautiful bloom: 
and from the same firm came also a fine col¬ 
lection, very even in size and bloom. . George 
Eyles and Fire King, two new varieties, were 
shown by Mr. Turner; the flowers of these 
were very large, orange scarlet, with the up¬ 
per petals lightly spotted with crimson in the 
one, and heavily in the other; both are likely 
to prove acquisitions. Of Roses, fine groups 
were exhibited by Mr. Turner ana Mr. "VV. 
Paul; but the chief interest in this part of 
the exhibition centered in the new Roses of 
1865 and 1866. Of these, numerous collec¬ 
tions came from Mr. "W. Paul, Messrs. Paul 
and Son, and Mr. Turner, who took positions 
in the prize list in the order in which they 
are named. Among the varieties seen to most 
advantage were Glory of Waltham, John 
Keynes, Dr. Lindley, Dr. Andry, Xavier 
Olibo, Duchesse de Caylus, Rushton Rad- 
clyffe, Marechal Kiel, Mademoiselle Amelie 
Halphen, Madame Moreau, and Duke of Wel¬ 
lington. Several collections of Cinerarias were 
produced, but their appearance was not strik¬ 
ing, and some excellent Calceolarias came from 
Mr. James. Auriculas were confined to a fine 
set of twelve, shown by Mr. Turner, the same 
number exhibited by Mr. James, and good 
Alpines from Mr. Turner. Other subjects 
chiefly consisted of a number of finely-bloomed 
dwarf Rhododendrons in small pots, contri¬ 
buted by Messrs. Lane; a new variety of Cli- 
anthus Dampieri, in which the flowers have a 
white keel tipped with scarlet, Genista pros¬ 
trata, compact in growth and bearing bright 
yellow flowers, and variegated Japanese Ivy, 
all three from Messrs. E. G. Henderson; and 
a variegated-leaved Kerria japonica, better 
known as Oorchorus, from Mr. Turner, and 
which is likely to be a useful addition to hardy 
variegated plants. T. Luscombe, Esq., of 
Combe Royal, sent a basket of Oranges, Le¬ 
mons, and other fruit of the Citrus family, 
grown in that part of Devonshire with merely 
the protection of reed-frames in winter; also 
Camellias and Sikkim Rhododendrons bloomed 
in the open air. Mr. Bull exhibited among 
other novelties the beautiful Maranta splen- * 
dida noticed in another page, Bignonia argy- 
raea violascens, and Psychotria macrocephala 
with large heads of white flowers produced 
from amidst the leaves. 
The fortnightly meetings continue to be well 
attended, and are frequently the means of 
directing attention to matters that might other¬ 
wise escape notice. Thus at the meeting of 
the 3rd the Rev. M. J. Berkeley made some 
remarks on Truffles, and, after recounting 
various attempts which had been unsuccess¬ 
fully made to cultivate those refractory but 
delicious fungi, it was stated that the ex¬ 
periment would be tried at Chiswick this year, 
and he hoped that though the season was 
rather far advanced some result might be 
obtained, either in the shape of a crop or a 
further insight into the conditions likely to 
insure success. The great desideratum was 
to grow Truffles by spawn in the same way as 
the Mushroom. At a subsequent meeting— 
that held on the 17th—Mr. Berkeley again 
returned to the subject of edible fungi, and 
stated that an attempt would be made at 
Chiswick to cultivate these as well. Their 
value as an article of food was insisted upon, 
and particularly the fact of their containing 
a considerable amount of nitrogen, which 
forms so important a nutritive constituent in 
the flesh of animals. Afterwards Mr. Bate¬ 
man, who was to have given a lecture on 
Dendrobium MacCarthise, the Rainy-month 
flower of Ceylon, had the flower arrived, 
made some interesting remarks on the Or¬ 
chids, particularly directing attention to a 
magnificent spike of OdontoglossumPescatorei 
shown by Mr. Rucker, who, when the meet¬ 
ing terminated, kindly allowed it to be distri- 
