228 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
December 7, 1895, 
The secretary, Mr, Richard Dean, next proceeded 
to make his brief annual statement as to the position 
of the society generally, and congratulated his 
hearers upon its continued prosperity. During the 
present year they had elected 115 members and five 
Fellows, and had admitted seven societies into 
affiliation, while their exhibition all round had been 
better than ever. With regard to the last show 
their good friend, Mr. Taylor, had given him the result 
of his annual stocktaking among the flowers exhibited 
and it would doubtless interest the members to know 
that the total number of cut blooms staged for com¬ 
petition was 3,720, comprising 1,950 Japanese in 203 
varieties, 594 incurved in 76 varieties, and 1,174 
blooms in other sections. The varieties staged in 
the greatest numbers were Col. W. B. Smith, 113 
times; Viviand Morel, 99; Sunflower, 90; Charles 
Davis, 88; Mdlle. Therese Rey, 55 ; and Phila¬ 
delphia, 61 times. 
The chairman of the committee, Mr. B. Wynne, 
then proposed “The Health of the President,” remark¬ 
ing that it was a fortunate day for the society when 
Sir Edwin Saunders did them the honour of accept¬ 
ing the office he held. Their president had taken 
the keenest interest in the management of the society 
since he came among them, and had been a most 
generous supporter of their prize fund. His last 
special prize, the handsome clock won by Mr. H. J. 
Jones, had been the means of bringing out two such 
groups as had never before been seen at the Aquarium, 
and in bringing about a welcome departure from the 
old style groups, had done the society a service, the 
good effects of which would be felt at each succeed¬ 
ing show. He hoped and believed that their 
president had himself derived some amount of 
pleasure and satisfaction from his connection with 
their society, for he had seen it steadily grow in 
numbers and prosperity, and its exhibitions increase 
in beauty and extent each succeeding year, until at 
their last show they had had such a display as the 
most sanguine among them ten years ago could not 
have anticipated. If what they had seen in this, the 
forty-ninth year of the society’s existence was to be 
taken as a foretaste of the future, what might they 
not reasonably anticipate next year, when they would 
celebrate the society's jubilee, with their greatly 
enhanced prize list ? Present appearances indicated 
that they were in for a magnificent success, and it 
was his most earnest wish that they might all be 
spared to meet their president twelve months hence, 
and at their jubilee banquet to congratulate each 
other on the triumphant success which they meant 
to achieve. The toast was received with the utmost 
enthusiasm and accorded musical honours. 
The president having gracefully acknowledged the 
compliments, Mr. J. W. Wilkinson, secretary of the 
Royal Aquarium Company, gave “ The Vice-presi¬ 
dents and other Officers,” which was acknowledged 
by Mr. T. Bevan, chairman of the floral committee, 
and Mr. C. Harman Payne, foreign corresponding 
secretary. Mr. A. E Stubbs, Ipswich, proposed “The 
Donors of Special Prizes,” which was responded 
to by Mr. W. H. Cutbush. “ The Visitors ” was 
proposed by Mr. T. C. Ward and responded to by 
Dr. Grigg and Mr. Sowerby, and “ The Press,” 
given by Mr. Richard Dean, was acknowledged by 
Mr. Charles H. Curtis. 
- — - 
OCCASIONAL NOTES FROM THE 
WEST. 
I cannot recollect a season when change has 
followed change in such rapid succession. In one 
month we have clearly passed through three seasons 
—a hot summer, a keen autumn, and all that could 
be expected of a severe winter. Indeed, so far as 
the West is concerned, many years have passed since 
such altogether severe weatner as we had recently 
has been experienced even at Christmas or after. 
It is hardly necessary to say how much this 
inclement weather has affected the fruit trees, which, 
in abundance, are still laden with Apples, in many 
cases a second blooming. Matters gardening, indeed, 
are quite reversed. It will be remembered that at 
the beginning of the year the weather was very bad 
in the West. The result of this was most disastrous 
to the Scilly flowers. This was shown to be the 
case at the annual meeting of the steamship company 
which carries the flowers from Scilly to Penzance. 
In the directors’ report mention was made as 
follows :—“The falling off in the flower traffic was 
this year very considerable.” 
Considering all things, perhaps gardeners in the 
West of England have had up to the present less to 
complain of than those in the Midlands. The quan¬ 
tity of vegetables sent to the London markets has 
been fully up to the average, and the “ extraordinary 
growths” more so. I learn just now that a resident 
of Bideford has drawn Carrots from his garden 
weighing 6f lbs. each, and that over a score weighed 
6 lbs each. This is a good sample of what is being 
done. 
By far the most important recent event has 
been the opening of Devonport Park, which has been 
acquired by the town, and laid out with the choicest 
trees, shrubs, and annuals at a cost of £10.000. A 
tree was planted by the mayor to commemorate the 
event, and similar to the Ilex Oak planted by the 
mayor when the first sod was cut. The grass plots 
have been relaid and planted by Messrs. Veitch & 
Sons, of Exeter, to whom great praise is due for the 
skill and judgment exhibited. The paths have been 
constructed so that the water is led to the sewers 
through Willoughby’s patent sewers, which also 
prevent the escape of sewer gas.— Observer. 
--I-- 
DAFFODILS AND AMATEUR’S ENGLISH 
SHOW TULIPS. 
Messrs. Barr & Son’s outside sheet advertisement, 
which appears in The Gardening World for the 
9th ult., called to my mind the report in the same 
paper, p. 636, June 1st last, in respect to a visit 
which had been made to this firm’s nursery grounds 
at Long Ditton, where, as the writer remarks, 
Daffodils and the Amateur’s English Show Tulips 
are cultivated by the acre. This can be easily 
imagined when it is explained that in Daffodils alone 
they have over 550 varieties, and they have 
nearly 50,000 bulbs of the Amateur's English Show 
Tulips, in probably over 250 different varieties. All 
these witnessed in full bloom would present a 
glorious sight better imagined than explained ! 
Being an old cultivator of the English Show Tulip 
I know well the delight and pleasure a good bed of 
these produce to the grower, or to anyone who has 
the opportunity of seeing a well-grown bed blooming 
in a state of perfection. 
The stately forms of the blooms and the exquisite 
markings which constitute the feathers and the 
flames, are really marvellously grand. The late 
Doctor Hardy once, in my presence, asked an artist 
who was inspecting the doctor’s Tulips when in 
bloom, if he could paint for him a true representation 
of a feathered Rose named " Kate Connors,” and the 
artist remarked that he could not, for he could neither 
produce the exact tint of colour nor the refinement in 
the feathering. 
Amateur florists, who may venture to give the 
English Show Tulips a trial, will never regret taking 
such a step after they once witness a collection in 
bloom which has been fairly well grown ; and as 
the present is the time for planting, no delay should 
occur in getting the bulbs on the ground. According 
to Barr & Son’s advertisement a collection can be 
obtained at a very moderate cost. 
The Daffodils cannot boast of the gorgeous colours 
of the English Show Tulip, but they can pride them¬ 
selves of delicate and graceful shapes; and such 
varieties as the Emperor, Empress, Sir Watkin, 
Barrii Conspicuous, and others too numerous to 
mention, will thoroughly reward all who will give 
them a place amongst the “ gems ” of their gardens. 
—James Thurstan, The Green, Cannock, Nov. 14 th, 1895. 
-- 
ARDENING IflSCELLANY. 
RICHARDIAS IN SMALL POTS. 
Often enough we hear it urged against Richardias 
that they require such large pots to grow in, and as a 
natural result take up such a lot of room that it is 
only those who have good-sized greenhouses that can 
look after them properly. This, however, is a 
fallacy; for if properly treated Richardias may be 
made to grow and bloom, ay, and bloom well, in 
small pots quite suited for any cottage window. 
Whilst recently paying a visit to Mr. G. Stevens’ 
Nurseries at Putney, we observed there hundreds of 
plants growing in small thirty-two-sized pots, some 
of them not much over a foot in height, and all 
pictures of health. On enquiring as to whether such 
diminutive subjects would bloom this season, we 
received a confident affirmative, which received 
additional proof as we went on ; for some of the 
plants are even now throwing up their flowers, and a 
large number of them will be in bloom by Christmas, 
when white flowers of all sorts are at a premium. 
SUTTON'S EARLIEST OF ALL WALLFLOWER. 
A box of cut flowers of this beautiful Wallflower has 
just reached us from Messrs. Sutton & Sens, 
Reading. ComiDg at this season of the year when 
hardy outdoor flowers are at the lowest ebb, Wall¬ 
flower of any kind is very acceptable. That under 
notice diffused a powerful and agreeable fragrance 
through the office as soon as the box was opened- 
For this reason the variety should be a boon for the 
cut flower vase in dwelling rooms, where it cannot 
fail to kindle up old associations in the memory, and 
speak of the warmer, brighter and kindlier skies of 
springtide. The buds and the outer face of the 
petals are moderately heavily washed with orange- 
brown, or the iron-brown of the bard of the seasons. 
The buds and flowers are closely crowded in 
corymbs, gradually expanding in succession. The 
seeds were sown as recently as last May, and theplants 
have already been flowering since the middle of 
September, and are still full of blooms and bud, and, 
should the weather not prove too severe, will 
continue to yield acceptable gatherings throughout 
the winter months, bursting again into new vigour 
and beauty at the first touch of spring. The value 
of such a pretty spring flower in December must be 
apparent to all, especially growers for the market. 
PHENOMENAL PARSNIPS. 
It is generally admitted that “big” things usually 
come from America—the land of “ tall talk.” But 
that all big things are not invariably derived from 
that great continent was forced upon me recently, on 
the occasion of the National Chrysanthemum 
Society’s Show at the Royal Aquarium, as I stood 
over a collection of vegetables exhibited by Mr. 
James Gibson, The Gardens, Devonhurst, Chiswick. 
His Cauliflowers and Leeks were particularly 
" smart,” while his Parsnips (Sutton’s Student) 
were such as to elicit the highest praise from all—the 
judges, perhaps, excepted. I say the judges 
advisedly, because I fancy that the enormous size of 
these six esculent "roots,” which averaged 3 ft. 6in- 
long, and were stout in proportion, must have, some, 
how, operated to his disadvantage ; otherwise there 
were many keen and critical cultivators present who 
thought he merited the premier place. The com¬ 
petition, however, was very close : and, as a matter 
of fact, the differentiation between the exhibits of 
those that obtained the first three places was practi¬ 
cally nil. Doubtless, then, judging under certain 
conditions, must be very onerous; and when the 
competitors themselves are also men of nice 
perception, the task is doubly difficult. However, 
the point I wish to emphasize is the abnormal 
length of these Parsnips, and I would like to know 
whether or not this quality of size is detrimental to 
them.— C. B. G., Acton, W. 
SENECIO KAEMPFERI FLOWERING. 
In many a garden this is an old-fashioned and well- 
known plant; but one may see large plants of it in 
pots and planted out without ever seeing it make any 
attempt at flowering. A moderate-sized plant in a pot 
at Falkland Farm, South Norwood Hill, has made 
up its mind to bloom, throwing up two spikes of 
bloom, but for what reason is not apparent. It is 
the variegated variety (S. K. variegata) which is 
behaving in this way—that is, the form having an 
irregular variegation of creamy white. It has thrown 
up three flower scapes, which are about the same 
height as the leaves and bear a cluster of flower 
heads on the top. Another form of this same species 
is the well-known Farfugium grande with large 
yellow blotches all over its dark green, leathery 
leaves. This is the S. Kaempferi aureus maculatus 
of the botanist, and is as sparing of its flowers as the 
other. The flowers cannot be described as very 
ornamental, however. 
PLATYCERIUM ALCICORNE 
A well-grown specimen of the Stag’s-horn Fern is 
an ornament to any collection of plants. This would 
apply to samples of even moderate dimensions, but 
we do not remember having seen a larger one than 
that under Mr. Gibson’s care, at Devonhurst, 
Chiswick, the town residence of E. H. Watts, Esq. 
The Fern is grown in a wire basket which used to be 
