April 21, 1888. 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
583 
The first thing which takes the attention of a visitor 
to French nurseries is the number of houses, which are 
constructed entirely of iron. In some establishments 
the entire range is of this material. Many of these 
glass structures, with the frame work of light iron 
instead of wood, are very neat in appearance, and must 
keep good for a long time, without requiring much in 
the way of repairs, though the original expense is, of 
course, greater. Another feature is the use of copper 
instead of iron pipes for the hot-water apparatus, and 
one is astonished at seeing how few pipes are allowed in 
proportion to the size of the houses, compared with 
what we are accustomed to in Britain. This is coun¬ 
teracted by matting up all the houses, large and small, 
with thick straw mats, when the weather is cold. 
Another point is, the exceedingly small provision that 
is made in most of the houses for ventilation. We are 
accustomed to seeing houses provided with liberal ven¬ 
tilation, whether it is used or not; but in France 
many houses may be seen with no ventilation whatever, 
except a few small apertures about the ground level. 
This is compensated for by the use of heavy shadings, 
usually wooden blinds (something after the style of the 
Venetian blind), which makes quite a twilight effect 
inside the house. Such plants as Palms, Dracaenas, 
Aspidistras, &e., seem to thrive exceedingly well under 
this treatment. 
The system of culture employed with Palms, 
Dracaenas, Aspidistras, and some other plants of a like 
nature, is to grow them planted out. After these are 
ready to be shifted from the pots in which they have 
first been started, they are never again in pots until 
they are of sufficient size to pot up for sale. During 
this interval they are grown in beds specially made up 
for them, usually on the side stages of pits, but some¬ 
times in a large bed occupying nearly the whole house, 
the path going round it. This system seems to answer 
exceedingly well, judging from the appearance of the 
plants, and must save much labour in watering. With 
Draceenas, such as D. terminalis rosea and others 
requiring to be coloured up, the shadings are taken 
almost entirely off the houses at the end of July, to 
allow them to get the full benefit of the sun’s rays. 
Plants for decoration are greatly in demand in France; 
they are seen in the windows of almost every house, 
both of the rich and poor, in shops also. It is an 
almost universal custom to have a plant or two, though 
in some cases it may only be a pot of Wallflower or 
Stock, or even the humble Daisy. In the market place 
plants are always to be found in quantity, and they are 
very cheap, those for market in the provincial towns 
being almost entirely grown by small growers in the 
suburbs or immediate neighbourhood .—James Wilson , 
Nancy, 14 th April. 
--—- 
DOUBLE-FLOWERED SILENE. 
Where spring bedding plants are much grown—as at 
Cliveden and Belvoir Castle—Silene pendula, in its 
best forms, are familiar objects ; but there are few 
gardens of any pretensions where it is not grown, in 
some form or other, throughout the country. The new 
plant is a double variety of the old and well-known 
dwarf form, and delights in a somewhat lengthy name— 
Silene pendula compacta flore pleno, which grows to 
the height of 2 ins. or 3 ins., and spreads over the 
ground, forming dense patches 9 ins. to 12 ins. in 
diameter. The flowers are fully double (as shown in 
the illustration), most abundantly produced, rosy pink 
in colour, and darker than in the single variety. These 
characters have been proved on the St. Osyth Seed 
Farm of Messrs. J. Carter & Co., High Holborn, 
London. In addition to its great utility in the spring 
garden, it may also be grown as a pot plant for cool 
houses, where plenty of ventilation can be given, which 
adds greatly to its lasting powers. 
-- 
GREAT INTERNATIONAL EXHI¬ 
BITION AT GHENT. 
We cannot attempt anything like a description of the 
beauties of the last—and, perhaps, the most successful— 
floral exhibition and fete that has been held in this old 
Flemish city. Such an attempt would meet with a very 
imperfect and unsatisfactory result in the columns of a 
popular journal; but we cannot let the great event pass 
by without endeavouring to give some slight idea of the 
display at that great gathering. Not an inconsiderable 
feature in Ghent, on Friday, April 12th, and the fol¬ 
lowing days, was the presence of a large number of 
British horticulturists, evidently on the best of terms 
with those whose country they came to visit, and very 
noticeable in the great reunion was the hearty hospitality 
with which they were treated. His Majesty the King 
visited the show on Saturday, and, with his usual 
affability, conversed with Mr. Harry Yeitch, Mr. B. S. 
Williams, Mr. Cannell, Sir. Bull, and other repre¬ 
sentatives of British horticulture, expressing his 
admiration especially of the splendid group of Amaryllis 
shown by Messrs. Yeitch, and the no less showy group 
of Cyclamens from Mr. Williams, which occupied the 
two sides of the vestibule. His Majesty also presented 
Professor Reichenbach with a gold medal, in recognition 
of his services to botanical science. After the de¬ 
parture of the King, the jury commenced their arduous 
duties, meeting with their reward in the ampleand 
enjoyable spread which followed. 
On Sunday, of course, Ghent was en ft.te ; every one of 
any consequence went to the show, and it may safely 
be said that seldom in the varied annals of horticultural 
exhibitions has it been possible to record such a grand 
display as that arranged in the extensive buildings and 
premises of the Casino. In the grounds we found 
many fine groups of rare Conifers and other hardy 
plants, and some few examples of horticultural building 
and heating, together with many appliances useful in 
horticulture, and in the large and lofty annexe a 
brilliant display of hardy and cold house plants, such 
as Rhododendrons, Azaleas, Camellias, Cytisus, An- 
dromedas, &c. In this part of the exhibition one of the 
most str king objects was a group of double Cinerarias 
from Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, of Swanley, who also 
exhibited flowers of their single strain, which far out¬ 
stripped in quality those of other exhibitors. They also 
staged two vases of Carnation Pride of Penshurst, 
which were much admired. Proceeding to the main 
building, and mounting the stairs, we came to the 
before-mentioned display of Amaryllis of Messrs. Yeitch, 
and Cyclamens of Mr. Williams. The Amaryllis were 
pronounced to be such an exceptional exhibit that for 
them Messrs. Veitch were adjudged not only the Gold 
Medal, but also the special prize, an object of art placed 
at the disposal of the society by Madame Ambroise 
Yerschaffelt in memory of her late respected husband. 
Mr. Williams was awarded a Gold Medal for his 
Cyclamens. 
Passing through the next gallery, which was taste¬ 
fully decorated with Palms and other foliaged plants 
by the resident members of the Cercle Florale d’Anver 
et d’Agriculture et Botanique de Gand, and the one 
devoted to Hyacinths, &c., we came to the galleries 
chiefly furnished with the various Orchid displays, 
around which it may safely be said the greatest amount 
of interest, both of residents and visitors, was centred. 
Of these favourite plants a magnificent display was got 
together, which, regarded as a whole, has seldom been 
equalled. In the arrangement of these great taste was 
displayed, and the effect was very fine. Some of the 
groups contained most excellent examples of culture as 
well as rare specimens : suffice it to mention the largest 
and most meritorious collection, that of Mr. A. Peeters, 
of Brussels (over 100 plants), which secured the chief 
prize. This included among other good things, fine 
examples of Cymbidium Lowianum, Odontoglossum 
Jenningsianum, Lycaste Skinneri alba, Lselia pur- 
purata, L. grandis, Ccelogyne cristata alba, Cypripe- 
dium Schroderae splendens, C. Sedeni candidulum, and 
C. Sallieri. The first prize lot of fifty Orchids, shown 
by Mr. James Bray, of Ghent, were also magnificent, his 
Cypripedium caudatum, C. selligerum majus, and C. 
Harrisianum superbum, being especially noteworthy. 
Among other fine and successful exhibits were some 
grand groups of Orchids from Messrs. Vervaet & Co., 
M. Aug. Van Geert, M. Charles Vuylsteke, M. de 
Smet-Duvivier, r and M. Jules Hye-Leysen, the first 
prize group of thirty Orchids staged by the last-named 
exhibitor being especially good, the noble Cypripedium 
grande there appearing in such splendid condition of 
size, and fine red-tinted colour of the flowers, as to 
astonish even its raisers, the Messrs. Yeitch. M. 
Hye’s group also contained some good examples of 
Masdevallias and Cypripediums, in which he is par¬ 
ticularly strong, taking first prize in the class for those 
plants. Among these C. Lawrenceanum Hyeanum is 
certainly the most novel and striking, its yellow pouch 
and white dorsal sepal, lined with emerald green, being 
very striking. C. argus Moensii also is a large and 
beautiful variety. The prize for a single specimen 
Orchid brought but one response—a good example of 
Cymbidium Lowianum with six spikes, and that for a 
new seedling Orchid secured also a single representative 
in Cypripedium Leniomieri, a near approach to the 
Sedeni form C. calurum, from M. Raymond Lemomier. 
The prizes for new plants brought nothing startling, 
although a few worthy things were exhibited by Mr. 
Ed. Pynaert—Van Geert, and others. Cut flowers 
and bouquets were not numerously shown, but the 
quality of the exhibits was fine, and it is pleasant to 
note that our countryman, Mr. Brown, of Richmond, 
secured first honours. Among cut blooms, too, should 
be mentioned a three-flowered spike of a marvellous 
variety of Cattleya Trianae, with crimson marbled sepals 
and petals, from Sydney Courtauld, Esq., which 
attracted, perhaps, more attention than any other 
Orchid in the show. Passing from the galleries to the 
balcony overlooking the main building, we came to 
what, as a matter of effective and extensive display, was 
the main feature of the show, and to describe the beauty 
of this fairy scene words are inadequate. Imagine 
that at the back the view is bounded by groups of 
magnificent Palms, many of them over 20 ft. in height; 
in the centre, in large massive groups, appear the 
glowing colours of the fine specimen Azaleas, which 
Ghent alone, perhaps, can now produce ; then the 
brilliant groups of Clivias, Anthuriums, Rhododen¬ 
drons, and other flowering plants, the near view and 
sides of the whole being bounded by lofty Palms and 
tree Ferns, and some feeble idea of the magnificent 
display may be obtained. In addition to the awards 
already mentioned, M. Van Houtte took the "V eitch 
Memorial Prize for new Azaleas ; M. Ghellincke de 
Walle, the King’s Medal for 25 Palms ; M. Yercanteran 
the De Smet Memorial Medal ; Mr. B. S. Williams, a 
Silver-gilt Medal for the Orchid Album ; Messrs. 
Veitch & Sons, Silver-gilt Medals for their works on 
Conifers and Orchids. In the whole of this fine 
show, as well as in the other details connected with it, 
the head and hand of the affable president, M. Le 
Comte de Kerchove, was visible. Nor did this pleasant 
enthusiast despise the more laborious part of the work, 
for everywhere was he present, directing and actually 
helping in the necessary work of arrangement, being 
evidently well supported in these endeavours by his 
committee. 
Finally it may be said that the great International 
Exhibition of Ghent of 1888 has been a grand success, 
and one of the most pleasant incidents connected with 
it was the great reunion of horticulturists from all 
parts of the world, which took place at the banquet on 
Sunday, April 15th, and which those who were present 
will not soon forget, or the amiahle and manly speeches 
of the president, and the kindly responses by represen¬ 
tatives of all sections of horticulture. 
