NOVEMBER. 
249 
seldom be chosen for a small collection, it being a slow-growing, straggling, 
stunted, weather-beaten-looking tree; but it certainly offers a great con¬ 
trast when planted amongst a collection of robust, fine-foliaged, free-growing 
Conifers. Its singular, small, grey, crooked cones adhere closely to the wood, 
and all point in one direction. It is four years from their first appearance 
till the seed is ripe. The seeds are very small. There is a Banksian Pine 
here, having on some of its branches the crops of cones produced during 
twenty-seven years still adhering tightly to the wood. 
Bicton. James Barnes. 
NOTES AT THE FLORAL AND FRUIT COMMITTEES. 
October 2nd .—As the year draws near to its close, and the shadows of the 
coming winter deepen in the autumn evenings, there appears a falling-off 
in the number and quality of the subjects produced at these meetings. From 
Mr. George Batley, of Rugby, came some seedling Zonale Pelargoniums, a 
designation now, unfortunately, meaning anything, as there is now such a 
great variety of the Zonale kinds—bicolors, tricolors, quadripartites, and sub¬ 
divisions of these ; in fact, there is a great and urgent necessity for some 
concise and yet intelligible classification of these Pelargoniums. Mr. Batley’s 
varieties were Salmon King, with salmon flowers tinted and pencilled with 
carmine, to which a second-class certificate was awarded; Washington, bright 
scarlet, small trusses, but very free; Orange Perfection, orange scarlet, fine 
trusses, and very free, of the Nosegay section; and Queen of Beauties, pale 
rose, and very pretty. A Verbena, named Tom Brown, also came from 
Mr. Batley. It was of a rosy purple colour with a large white eye, but not in 
good condition. Mr. George Rawlings had six blooms of his seedling dark 
crimson Dahlia, John Sladden, which appears to be very constant. Mr. Bull 
had Lobelia Ruby, a variety of the Cardinalis section, having rich bright rosy 
crimson flowers, shaded with violet—this was awarded a first-class certificate; 
and from Messrs. E. G. Henderson & Son, came a number of seedling plants of 
Tricolor Pelargoniums, to show the process of developing their variegated 
foliage. Thus, on some of these plants would be seen two or three leaves that 
had broken off into variegation; on others fully one-half of the plant had done 
so. One variety, named Edwina Fitzpatrick, had been selected for the Floral 
Committee; it was very much in the way of Mrs. Pollock, but was considered to 
be inferior to it. The same firm also had Phlox Drummondi Louise Grelle, rosy 
carmine streaks with a white edging, an improved General Radetzky, the 
colours being much brighter; some flowers of Pompone Dahlias, and some 
blooms of the autumn-flowering Crocuses—speciosus, mottled violet, and nudi- 
florus, deep lilac. Mr. Tillery, of Welbeck, Mr. Wrigley, and Mr. Stevens, had 
seedling Gladioli, but not in good condition. From Messrs. E. P. Francis & Co., 
of Hertford, came sprigs of Jasminum officinale aureum, a golden variegated 
form of the common white Jasmine, said to be from seed, but which does 
not appear to be so very uncommon according to statements made to the 
Committee. The gem of this meeting was a specimen of the rare and magnifi¬ 
cent Cattleya Dowiana, from James Bateman, Esq., having two large flowers 
with pale yellow sepals and petals, and a large-veined claret-coloured lip. 
Before the Fruit Committee, the “ War of the Onions ” waged furiously. 
From the gardens of the Horticultural Society came samples of Trebons, Nune- 
ham Park, White Spanish, and Santa Anna; from Mr. Drewitt, the Nuneham 
Park; from Mr. Whiting, wonderful examples of White Spanish, large, hand¬ 
some, and very heavy; from Mr. Dean, good examples of Danvers* Yellow; from 
Cutbush & Son, Nuneham Park; and from Mr. G. Scrymger, of Reading, 
