1884.] 
GARDEN GOSSIP. 
31 
cultivated to any extent. Mr. Baker thinks that not 
more than six of them are really distinct, these being ; 
—1. >S'. tuberosum, a native of the dry regions of the 
Andes from Chili northwards, reappearing in Mexico 
and the Rocky Mountains. 2. S. Maglia, a native of 
the damp low regions of Chili near the coast, as far 
south as 44°—45°. 3. S. a low-level plant 
of Uruguay and S. Brazil, lately published as a novelty 
under the name of S. Ohrondii. 4. S. cardiopligllum, 
a native of the highlands of Central Mexico. 5. 8. 
Jamesii,o. native of New Mexico and Arizona, now 
being experimented upon in the United States. G. 
S. oxgcarpum, a little known plant from the Mexican 
highlands. Nos. 5 and 6 have very small tubers. 
All our cultivated Potatos belong to S. tuberosum, 
but the species gathered in the Clionos Archipelago 
by Darwin, and one experimented upon in 1826 at 
Chiswick by Sabine were both S. Maglia. The ordinary 
Potato is growm as if its sole object in life were to 
produce tubers, and, moreover, it is grown under 
artificial conditions of climate and soil. Under these 
circumstances, the plant naturally loses its vitalit}^ 
as indicated by the fact that after a time it ceases 
to produce flowers and seed, and it then readily be¬ 
comes a prey to the potato disease. The same rule 
applies to other plants, where one function is stimu¬ 
lated at the expense of another. Toe best method 
therefore of preventing the potato disease is to grow 
that Potato which is most suitable to the climate, 
and to restore the vitality as soon as the plants 
cease to flower and fruit by cutting oiT the stems 
which produce tubers and saving only the roots 
which obtain nourishment for the plant. Mr. Baker 
further suggests that Nos. 2 and 3 should be brought 
into cultivation, and tried both as specific types, and 
for hybridising with the best forms of the'common 
Potato. 
— (JIhe Crystal Palace Company an¬ 
nounce the following Horticultural Ex¬ 
hibitions to be held at the Palace this year : 
namely, an Exhibition of Spring Flowers on April 4 
and 5 ; a Summer Show on May 23 and 24; a Rose 
Show on July 5; a Fruit Show c:'mbined with the 
Grand National Dahlia Show on September 5 and 6 ; 
a Grand Harvest Festival, and Fruir, and Root Show 
incorporated with the International Pota'to Exhibition, 
from October 7 to 11, inclusive; and a Show of 
Chrysanthemums and Hardy Decorative Shrubs on 
November 14 and 15. 
■— JIThe Grand International Horticul¬ 
tural Exhibition to be held at Dundee during' 
the ensuing autumn is fixed to take place from 
September 11 to September 13. Upwards of 
£1,000 will be offered in prizes, which are fixed on 
a very liberal scale. The several classes for Trade 
growers. Gentlemen’s Gardeners, and Amateurs, leave 
a fair field for all. The schedules are now being 
issued. 
— ^IThe Veitch Memorial Trustees have 
decided to allot the following medals and prizes 
during the present year (1884), viz. :—I. A 
Veitch Memorial Medal and prize of £5 for each of 
the following subjects—(1) The be.st sped men Orchid 
in bloom ; (2) the best stove or greenhouse plant in 
bloom; (3) the best dish of two bunches of Grapes, 
one variety. These to be offered at the Dundee 
International Show, which takes places on Septem¬ 
ber 11—13. II. A Veitch Memorial Medal and 
prize of £5 for—■(!) The be.st specimen Orchid in 
bloom; (2) the best stove or greenhouse plant in 
bloom—these to be offered at the Rojal Botanic 
Society’s Show on May 21; and for—(3) the best 
dish of three bunches of Grapes, to be ofifered at the 
Royal Botanical Society’s Show on June 18. III. A 
Veitch Memorial Medal and prize of £5 were also 
placed at the disposal of the respective committees of 
the National Auricula Society (Southern section); of 
the National Carnation and Ficotee Society (Southern 
section) ; and of the committee having charge of the 
National Dahlia Show. These prizes are only eligible 
tr be competed for by amateurs and bond fide gentle¬ 
men’s gardeners. 
— ®)he Gardeners’ Koyal Benevolent 
Institution held its forty-sixth annual meet¬ 
ing on January 10. The balance sheet showed 
a revenue of £2,767 llv. Id., consisting of subscrip¬ 
tions £1,196 10^., donations £704 10^. 4(7., dividends 
on stock £441, advertisements £47 13s., and balance 
brought forward £377 17s. 9(7. The creditor ac¬ 
count showed pensions £1,312, invested in consols 
£600, working expenses, including salary, printing, 
stationery, advertising, expenses of annual dinner, 
(fco., £489 4s. Qd., leaving a balance of £366 6s. 4d. 
The amount realised by the simultaneous collection 
in aid of the Pension Augmentation Fund was 
£634 5s. 9J., and of this sum £600 has been in¬ 
vested in Victoria bonds. The total amount of the 
reserve fund is now £17,750. The forty-first annual 
festival has been fixed for July 2 next, when George 
Lambert, Esq., F.S.A., Master of the Worshipful 
Company of Patten-makers, and Warden of the 
TV’orshipful Company of Goldsmiths, had kindly 
consented to take the Chair. 
— ®^HE new Viola Chelsea Belle is au 
improved form of the well-known and excellent 
Viola Blue-bell, and was raised in the Chelsea 
Botanic Gardens from seed of that variety. It has 
been subjected to two seasons’ trial, and is considered a 
very decided advance upon the oiler variety in these 
particulars, namely, that the colour of the flowers 
is distinctly several shades deeper and brighter than 
in the parent, and that the form is improved, being 
less windmill-like and with the size slightly aug¬ 
mented. It has fully developed the continuous- 
blooming character, which is one of the best features 
of the Blue-bell, the numerous plants grown at 
Che'sea having, without any special treatment, con¬ 
tinued blooming without intermission throughout 
the summer, say from April till October. 
— 2123k look for Fragrance in the Rose, 
and therefore scentless Roses, however beau¬ 
tiful, are devoid of one great charm. From 
this point of view it has been recommended that 
those who are fond of highly scented H.P. roses, and 
who do not already possess Ulrich Brunner should 
at once obtain it. It is a really good variety, with 
enormous flowmrs of exquisite scent, and of fine 
form, the colour being a very pleasing one, described 
as a bright clear cherry rose. 
— In reference to Cytisus Adami M. C. de 
Candolle, at a meeting of the Helvetic Society 
of Natural Sciences, held in August last, 
described the results of his attempts to determine 
how far any light could be thrown on the disputed 
origin of this Cytisus by the anatomical structure of 
its leaves. This plant, which suddenly made its 
appearance in the nursery of M. Adam, at Vitry, 
near Paris, early in the present century, and which 
is remarkable for producing red and yellow blossoms 
mostly on separate branches, is usually regarded as 
