166 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
November 14, 1891. 
Christmas Roses, of which the most popular is 
Helleborus niger, require very little protection to 
bring the flowers to perfection. A frame light placed 
over the roots is sufficient for this, but when a few 
blooms are wanted earlier a plant or two should be 
lifted and potted, placing them in a warm house. 
They amply repay any little trouble which may be 
given by their beautiful snow-white blossoms.— 
Vesiitnts, 
SCOTTISH NOTES. 
Chrysanthemum and Fruit Exhibition at 
Edinburgh. —The winter exhibition of the Scottish 
Horticultural Association, which is now looked 
forward to as one of the most attractive events 
of the year in Edinburgh, will be held in 
the Waverley market from the 19th to the 21st 
inst., and promises to equal, if it does not 
surpass, all previous shows of Chrysanthemums. 
The fruit section will be a source of the greatest 
interest and attraction to our pomologists, as the 
government of the United States have intimated, 
through Mr. H. E. Van Deman, their intention of ex¬ 
hibiting a collection of the fruits of the United States. 
As this is believed to be the first occasion on which 
such an interesting exhibit has appeared at a horti¬ 
cultural exhibition in the north, it will, no doubt, be 
examined with great care and zest; and will be an 
object of much attraction to the multitude who con¬ 
sume fruit. Intimation has also been received from 
the government of Nova Scotia, through Dr. George 
Lawson, secretary for agriculture, that one of the 
splendid displays of the Apples for which that enter¬ 
prising colony is so famed, and which of late years 
have been so well exhibited at the Edinburgh fruit 
shows, will be sent over. From the Channel Islands, 
also, considerable collections are expected. 
Scottish Horticultural Association.— Under 
the auspices of this association, Mr. John Methven de¬ 
livered alecture on “Reminiscences of Alpine Scenes,” 
on the 4th inst., at 14, St. Andrew Street, Edinburgh. 
Mr. W. M. Welsh was in the chair. Mr. Methven dealt 
chiefly with the climate and vegetation of Switzerland, 
and pointed out what the Government there had 
done for forestry by establishing schools for the 
teaching of that science. The lecture was illustrated 
by limelight views. At the close, Mr. Methven re¬ 
ceived a hearty vote of thanks from a large audience. 
The subjects exhibited included a fine Seedling 
Lapageria rosea, and Asparagus plumosus cristata, 
from Mr. Mackenzie, gardener to Alex. Thomson, Esq., 
Trinity Grove ; a new American seedling Chrysanth¬ 
emum named L’Angelus, from Mr. Carruthers, 
gardener to Mrs. Fleming, Hillwood, Corstorphine ; 
and fruits of Stephanotis floribunda, from Messrs. 
R. B. Laird & Sons. 
The Glasgow and West of Scotland Horti¬ 
cultural Society.— A Glasgow correspondent 
writes:—I regret to have to tell you that the report 
of the committee of this once flourishing society, 
read at the annual meeting held on the 4th inst., 
disclosed a state of affairs that is a positive dis¬ 
grace to the second city of the Empire. Through 
nothing but bad management the society, which has 
been in existence nearly 100 years, has been brought 
to such a state of insolvency that steps will have to 
be taken at once either to end or mend it. The 
financial report disclosed the fact that there was a 
loss on the year's working of £109 ; and that neither 
the prizes, amounting to /205, nor the rent of St. 
Andrew's Hall had been paid. The committee 
resolved to do what they could in the way of raising 
money to meet their obligations, and the meeting 
was adjourned for a month to give an opportunity 
for considering what steps shall be taken to remedy 
matters. 
The Peruvian Swan's Neck. — A new form 
of Cycnoches has been introduced from Peru by 
Messrs. Linden, of Brussels, and a coloured 
plate is given of it in the Lindenia, pi. 301, under the 
name of C. peruvianum. The sportive nature of 
the flowers of this genus, no less than that of Cata- 
setum, makes it difficult for one at first acquaintance 
to say whether it will remain constant and true to 
character, or whether at' the next flowering it may 
produce flowers of a totally different character, it 
may be, identical with those of some species already 
described. Male flowers only of the Peruvian Swan's 
Neck have yet been seen. 
•Gardening Q’iscellany. 
THE PROPOSED FRUIT SHOW. 
Your leader of last week^apropo of the “ dog-in-the- 
manger ” policy of the Royal Horticultural Society 
is most refreshing. This self-esteemed but effete 
body has long lost touch with the general public as 
well as all provincial Horticulturists, and seems to 
exist now only for the glorification of a small clique 
in the council, who think themselves the light of the 
Horticultural world, and to whose authority and 
dictation all are expected to submit. As far as,can 
be gathered from reports of their mysterious works 
they ring their own changes, by appointing them¬ 
selves to their offices, making no efforts to introduce 
fresh blood of any value into the management, or 
seeking that assistance from outside which would 
bring in an infusion of new life. They ignore pro¬ 
vincial Horticulturists, and in particular show no 
courtesy to gardeners. They display a kind of 
“stand off’’sort of air whenever they venture 
within the sacred precincts of their meetings, and 
they quite lose sight of the fact that exhibitors are, 
after all, one of the principal mainstays of the 
whole. It is to be hoped Sir James Whitehead's 
supporters will pursue their own scheme 
independently, holding their first great show in 
London, and afterwards an annual migratory exhi¬ 
bition in such provincial towns as will guarantee 
support, similar to that accorded to the migratory 
sister Society of Agriculture, leaving the clique 
who govern the Royal Horticultural Society to their 
own fate. The scheme for holding a great show, in¬ 
dependent of the R. H. S. will command the support 
of the country Horticulturists.— C. M. 
MRS. PINCE'S BLACK MUSCAT GRAPE. 
Having grown this Grape under various conditions 
may I be allowed to give my experience. I have 
never been able to give it a house to itself, though I 
have had the Muscat of Alexandria fill a house 25 ft. 
long, by 14 ft. u'ide, and so located it could be treated 
very different to a mixed house. These two varieties 
resemble each other in the shape and size of bunches 
and berries ; they also both require a little help at 
fertilizing when in bloom, as the berries at the tips 
of the bunches in both kinds will testify if they have 
not had a little assistance. Mrs. Pince on its own 
roots must not be over cropped, as if it is they will 
not colour up well, but take on that nasty reddish 
tint, which is so very objectionable in Grapes. It 
requires to be started early in the year, and to be 
ripened up well, before the dull autumn months come 
in. After that the longer it is kept the better is its 
flavour. It is a good keeper, will keep longer 
in bottles of v'ater, or suspended in a storeroom with 
the ends of the hard wood sealed better than any 
other kindj am acquaintedhvith. Mrs. Pince is also 
a strong grower, and in a tolerably good border 
makes a gross growth, at least with me it did, but 
when worked on the Black Hamburgh it is not so 
rampant a grower In a lean-to house, nearly 40 ft, 
long, and 11 ft. wide I had it so worked, and it used 
to fruit freely, and colour up much better than any 
I had growing on their own roots. This house was 
filled with a mixed collection, there were ten varieties 
which had to be humoured, but it was most interest¬ 
ing and enjoyable to make comparisons when the 
fruits were ripe.— T. W., Yclverton, Norfolk. 
DISSOTIS PLUMOSA. 
It is unusual to find basket plants amongst the 
Melastomads, to which this subject belongs. Many 
of the dwarf kinds are grown in pans for the sake of 
their beautiful foliage, and are often covered with 
bell glasses to preserve the delicacy of the bright 
and lively markings. The plant under notice is a 
native of West Africa, and is notable for the length 
and slender character of its stems, which can only 
be seen to advantage when the plant is grown in a 
basket and suspended from the roof of a house. 
Stove treatment is necessary, but if suspended in an 
aquatic house where the atmosphere is kept con¬ 
tinually moist by the vapour arising from the tank, 
then the stems develop to 6 ft. or 8 ft. in length, and 
continue to produce flowers singly from the apex of 
short, lateral branches so long as fresh growth is 
being developed. The flowers measure i.Jin. across, 
and are rosy-purple, with yellow filaments and 
violet anthers The calyx is covered with bristly 
processes, having numerous short hairs at their 
apices, adding considerably to the interest of the 
plant, which is anything but common in cultivation, 
A fine specimen may be seen in the Lily house at 
Kew. 
BEGONIA CANNELLIANA. 
The hybrids of the B. semperflorens type are now 
very numerous, and some of them are so different 
from that species that it hardly seems proper to use 
that name. The plant under notice is one of them, 
and has broadly and obliquely ovate, deep shining 
green leaves, and are both smaller and quite of a 
different appearance from those of B. semperflorens. 
The flowers are of a beautiful rosy-carmine and 
not very large, but so profusely and so continuously 
produced that they cannot fail to find admirers. 
They are produced on short axillary racemes, and 
continue to appear so long as the stems and branches 
continue to elongate. A large batch of the plant 
has been flowering profusely for the past three 
months in the nursery of Messrs. H. Cannell& Sons, 
at Swanley, and it seems only a question of removing 
the seed pods, which are produced in abundance, and 
repotting the plants, to get a succession of bloom 
for some considerable time. The habit of the plant 
is close, compact, and bushy, and only about 12 in. 
to 15 in. high, notwithstanding the amount of service 
it has already been. Further, it may be used as a 
pot plant for greenhouses, conservatories, cottage 
windows, and would doubtless prove serviceable in 
the flower garden during the summer months, where 
it would, no doubt, be mnch dwarfer than B. asco- 
tensis and sturdier than B. Worthiar.a, 
GESNERA ZEBRINA. 
The leaves of this autumn flowering plant are 
roundly heart-shaped and of a rich bronzy velvet, 
covered with purple hairs for a wide space on each 
side of the midrib and principal veins, while the 
interspaces are of a rich shade of green. The droop¬ 
ing inflated flowers are orange externally and yellow 
internally, closely spotted with crimson. The scape 
is long and loosely racemose, rising well above 
the foliage, and offering a rare illustration of a 
plant having both fine and highly ornamental 
flowers. We noted a batch of it in the nursery of 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Sons, Swanley, Kent. It 
should prove valuable to those who require some¬ 
thing good to enliven the stove during some of the 
dullest months of the year. 
PEAR HACON S INCOMPARABLE. 
The usual ripening period of this Pear is given as 
the end of November, but curiously enough, and 
notwithstanding the late and bad season, it was fit 
for use by the end of October at least. The tree is 
usually a good bearer, and has upheld its character 
at Devonhurst, Chiswick, this year. The fruit is 
roundly obovate, and of medium to large size, with 
a slightly roughish, greenish-yellow skin more or less 
shaded and speckled with russet. The flesh is white, 
juicy, and moderately sweet, but only half melting, 
and breaks when eaten as if it were inclined to be 
mealy. The unusual amount of rain which occurred 
during the ripening period may be held accountable 
in part for the flavour and richness not being so good 
as it might otherwise be in favourable seasons ; but, 
taking an average of summers, it cannot be consi¬ 
dered otherwise than of second-rate quality. The 
fruit, however, continues in season till the end o 
January. The tree succeeds as a standard or large 
bush in the southern counties of Britain. 
PEAR BEURRE SUPERFIN. 
The fruit of this variety is roundly obovate, often 
above the middle size, and tapering to an unusually 
stout stalk, which serves greatly to distinguish it at 
sight. The stalk is, moreover, often very obliquely 
inserted, causing the fruit to appear unsymmetrical. 
The clear yellow skin is somewhat roughish, finely 
speckled all over with russet, and often irregularly 
splashed with a dense russet, sometimes to the extent 
that the whole of the exposed side is covered. The 
appearance of the fruit on the whole is therefore 
neither gainly nor attractive, but the quality is ex¬ 
cellent. The flesh is white, remarakably juicy, 
slightly aromatic, and before being dead ripe cuts 
with the firmness of butter during the cold season 
while not actually frosty. It is now in season, and 
in the south commenced to be usable in September, 
while in Scotland the month of October is the ripen¬ 
ing period. 
