S92 
THE GARDENING WORLD. 
r ebruary 17, 1894. 
ARUM CRETICUM. 
Amongst the new tuberous plants which appeared in 
Italy for the first time last year, Arum creticum 
appears to possess considerable merit. The leaves 
are hastate and slightly wavy, with the lateral lobes 
projecting at right angles to the middle lobe, giving 
them a firm and leathery appearance. The flower 
scape is sufficiently long to carry the spathe just 
above the flowers. The base only of the spathe is 
convolute or rolled round the spadix, while the rest 
is flattened and slightly rolled backward at the tip ; 
it is greenish yellow, heavily blotched all over with 
purple in an interesting way. 
FREESIA XANTHOSPILA BELLA. 
The typical F. xanthospila is a native of South 
Africa, whence come the three forms which have 
been described as species, but which there is reason 
to suppose are merely forms of one and the same 
species. Of the three, only F. refracta and F. 
Leichtlinii appear to have been introduced to this 
country. F. xanthospila is evidently cultivated in 
Italy, for amongst the new forms of bulbous and 
tuberous plants that appeared before the public last 
year was a variety to which the name F. x. bella 
was given. In form and the curious bend at the top 
of the flower stalk it agrees strictly with F. refracta. 
It differs from the type in having larger flowers and 
a great many of them on the raceme. The flowers 
are creamy-white with a solitary canary-yellow 
blotch on the lower segment; they are also very 
fragrant and must meet with favour for that quality 
alone. A woodcut of it is given in the Biilletino 
della R. Societa Toscana di Orticultnra for January. 
GALANTHUS ROBUSTUS. 
Snowdrops still continue to turn up and claim 
attention for their greater or less distinctness. That 
under notice seems to be a large form of G. nivalis 
and grows wild on Mount Taurus in Asia Minor. 
Like several other forms it is evidently only a 
geographical variety characterised by its great 
vigour, size of flowers, breadth of leaves, and size of 
bulbs, the latter being almost as large as those of a 
Narcissus. The shape of the leaves reminds one of 
G. nivalis caucasicus and other varieties ranged 
under it. The flowers are somewhat peculiar on 
account of the great length of the segments, which 
are narrowed to the base into a slender claw, so 
that the inner ones are well shown. The latter 
have the green markings almost identical with those 
of G. Elwesii. It is figured in the Bulletino della R. 
Societa Toscana di Orticnltura as one of the new things 
of last year. 
ONION OULTURE. 
Kindly allow me a short space in your journal to 
note a few remarks on the universal interest that is 
now taken in the cultivation of theOnion. Twent)-- 
seven years ago, as an amateur, I exhibited in this 
town twenty-four bulbs, weighing in the aggregate 
twenty-three pounds. But this seems nothing in 
comparison to the size you continually speak of in 
your columns. Now that allotments are coming to 
the front, it is impracticable for labourers and 
amateurs to grow Onions sown in boxes, and partly 
raised in greenhouses. What, then, is the object of 
growing such enormous bulbs, when we take these 
things into consideration ? Besides, we all know 
that bulbs grown in this way will not keep. 
They are only used for exhibition purposes, 
and in this, I think, the various judges prefer an 
Onion raised direct on the ground. An Onion to 
weigh a pound grown in this way should, I think, 
be preferable for culinary and all other purposes, to 
one weighing three pounds, grown under glass, and 
transplanted in the natural ground. I may say, I have 
by me at the present time. Onions sown on the bed 
the beginning of March last, and raised the middle 
of September, perfectly sound, weighing from three 
quarters to a pound each.— J. A. Taplin, Banbury, 
February 6 th, 1894. 
QUINCE MAMMOTH. 
Quin'Ces seem to enjoy greater favour in America 
than here, and a number of varieties of the Apple¬ 
shaped type of the common Quince are cultivated. 
They are characterised by their great fruitfulness, 
and by the beauty and quality of the fruit. Amongst 
others is a variety named Mammoth, which is 
Apple-shaped and of remarkable size, as the name 
itself would indicate. 
Ijar^epef?’ )pipfolie|iiept jippociatiop?, 
Birmingham Amateur Gardeners.—The meeting 
of the above association, held on Wednesday even¬ 
ing, February 7th, was well attended; the paper read 
on this occasion being on a very popular subject, 
" Hardy Fruits for Suburban Gardens and their 
Culture.” The lecturer said that for town gardens 
he would recommend Apples, Pears, Plums, Goose¬ 
berries, Raspberries, and Strawberries; he gave 
splendid hints on the cultivation of each kind and 
the varieties most suited for this district. For 
Apples and Pears he recommended the pyramid 
form as being the best adapted for amateurs. The 
various insects which are troublesome in the growth 
of fruit were also treated upon, and the lecture was 
in every way a most instructive and interesting 
one. Messrs. T. P. Cope, Daniell, .W. B. Griffin, 
and F. Gosling exhibiied plants and flowers, and the 
usual awards were made. The next meeting will be 
held on Wednesday, the 21st, when a discussion will 
take place. Copies ot the new programme and rules 
will be gladly supplied by the hon. sec., Mr. W. B. 
Griffin, Derwent House, Moseley Road, and as the 
time is drawing near for greater activity in outdoor 
gardening, the committee are looking forward to a 
large accession of new members. 
-- 
SOCIETIES. 
Royal Horticultural, F«o. ist/i. —This was one of the 
brightest and most interesting shows seen in the 
Drill Hall for some time. Orchids, new, rare, and 
beautiful, were in very strong force, and so were 
stove and greenhouse plants generally, including 
fine groups of Cyclamens. Hardy plants were well 
represented by forced Daffodils and early-flowering 
Alpine plants. A Silver Flora Medal was awarded 
to Sir Trevor Lawrence, Bart, (grower, Mr. W. H. 
White), Burford Lodge, Dorking, for a varied and 
interesting collection of Orchids. Dendrobiums 
were a strong feature of it, and Phalaenopsis 
Schilleriana with a large branching spike, the 
curious Catasetum barbatum spinosum, Dendrobium 
purpureum candidum, Cypripedium Laurebel, 
Masdevallia picturata, M. irrorata, M. Schroderiana, 
were all either beautiful or most interesting in their 
way. A Silver Flora Medal was also awarded to 
Messrs. F. Sander & Co., St. Albans, fora similarly 
varied and interesting group of Orchids. In this 
case Odontoglossum Edwardii, Lycaste costata 
superba, L. lanipes, Cattleya amethystoglossa, 
Catasetum fimbriatum, and Dendrobium Phalaen¬ 
opsis Schroderianum were fine. The foliage of 
Anoectochilus Boyleanus was fine, and both foliage 
and flowers of the stove plant, Strobilanthes 
Dyerianus were also good. A Silver Flora Medal 
was awarded to Messrs. B. S. Williams & Son, 
Upper Holloway, for a collection of Orchids inter¬ 
spersed with stove plants. A large piece of Dendro¬ 
bium nobile was well flowered, and there were beau¬ 
tiful and interesting pieces of Oncidium splendidum, 
Laelia anceps Sanderiana, Cypripedium Elliottia- 
num, C. Rothschildianum, Angraecum citratum, 
Oncidium bifrons, and others. Dracaena Coullingii, 
in small plants, was in excellently well variegated 
condition, and Cytisus filipes was flowering freely. 
A Silver Flora Medal was also awarded to Messrs. 
J. Veitch & Sons, Chelsea, for a group of Orchids, 
including fine specimens of Cymbidium eburneo- 
Lowianum, Cypripedium Lathamianum, C. Ger- 
minyanum, Trichopilia fragrans, Laelio-Cattleya 
Tydea, and the sweet-scented Angraecum Kimballi- 
ana. Phalaenopsis amabilis Leeana and P. 
Stuartiana were shown by C. J. Lucas, Esq., Wafn- 
ham Court, Horsham. Vanda teres alba was 
exhibited by Mr. Whillans, Blenheim Gardens, 
Woodstock. A Cultural Commendation was 
awarded to T. Statter, Esq. (gardener,Mr.R. Johnson), 
Stand Hall, Manchester, for a fine piece of Lycaste 
Skinneri alba; he also showed C. Bragsianum. 
Cypripedium Captain Lendy was shown by C. L. M. 
Ingram, Esq., Elstead House, Godaiming. Dendro¬ 
bium atro-violaceum was exhibited by G. D. Owen, 
Esq. (gardener, Mr. M. Watts), Selwood, Rother¬ 
ham. Phalaenopsis Youngi was shown by Mr. 
G. Young, Keyfield Nursery, St. Albans. Mr. 
Joseph Fitt, Panshanger, Hertford, showed Cypri¬ 
pedium Robertii. Several Cypripediums, including 
C. Argus Moensii, the hybrid C. Fraseri, and 
Pleurothallis Roezlii, were exhibited by R. I. 
Measures, Esq. (gardener, Mr. Henry Chapman), 
Cambridge Lodge, Camberwell. Several Orchids 
W'ere sent up from the Royal Botanic Gardens, 
Glasnevin, including Cypripedium Lindleyanum, 
Listrostachys porrigens, and others. Calanthe 
William Murray was shown by Norman C. Cookson, 
Esq., Oakwood, Wylam-on-Tyne. A splendid piece 
of Dendrobium speciosum, with five spikes, was 
shown by G. T. Cole, Esq., Charters, Sunningdale. 
A Silver Banksian Medal was awarded to Messrs. 
W. L. Lewis & Co., Southgate, for a collection ot 
Orchids, including finely-flowered pieces of Tricho¬ 
pilia suavis, Phalaenopsis Stuartiana punctatissima, 
Laelia harpophylla, and others. A Silver Flora 
Medal was accorded to Messrs. H. Low & Co., 
Clapton, for a well-flowered group of Orchids, in¬ 
cluding a fine piece of Cattleya Percivalliana, as 
well as several varieties of it. They also had 
Phalaenopsis in variety, Odontoglossum Roezlii, 
and O. R. alba, as well as the cool house varieties. 
Brassavola glauca is by no means common. A small 
group of Cypripedium villosum Boxalli, C. concolor, 
and some Cattleyas were shown by Messrs. Heath 
& Son, Cheltenham. 
Messrs. J. Veitch & Sons showed well flow'ered 
pans of Begonia heracleicotyle, Dendrobium multi¬ 
color, Mrs. Heal, and some splendid new' varieties of 
Amaryllis, including Major Wilson and Gamos. A 
box of cut flowers of hybrid greenhouse Rhododen¬ 
drons were very showy, and a large collection of 
Polyanthus and Narcissus were both richly varied 
and sweetly scented. A Silver Flora Medal w'as 
awarded for this collection. They also exhibited a 
group of Amygdalus Davidiana alba, A. Persica 
magnifica, and the lilac flowered Daphne Genkwa. 
A Silver Flora Medal was awarded to Messrs. John 
Laing & Sons, Forest Hill, for a group of stove and 
greenhouse plants, including Palms, Crotons, 
Dracaenas, Clivias, Bertolonias, Acacia Drummondi, 
Orchids, and several other flowering plants, which 
served to brighten up the whole. A very rich blue 
Primrose named Bright-eye, and Passithaea caerulea, 
were exhibited by G. F. Wilson, Esq., Weybridge. 
A.Silver-gilt Flora Medal was awarded to Mr. C. F. 
Bause, Morland Nursery, South Norwood, for a 
large and very attractive collection of highly coloured 
Dracaenas, the dark and broad leaved varieties being 
the most predominant. 
A Bronze Banksian Medal was awarded to l\Ir. 
Charles Turner, Slough, for a well-flowered collec¬ 
tion of Cyclamen persicum. A Silver Gik Flora 
Medal was accorded to Mr. John May, Gordon 
Nursery, St. Margarets, Twickenham, for a large 
collection of Cyclamens mostly of the Giganteum 
type. A large collection of forced Daffodils in pots 
was exhibited by Mr. T. S. Ware, Hale Farm 
Nursery, Tottenham, for w'hich a Silver Flora 
Medal was accorded. Some of the more prominent 
and effective of the Daffodils were Golden Spur, 
Henry Irving, Princeps, Samian Belle, and Tela- 
monius plenus. Large quantities of Saxifraga 
Burseriana Major were most effective, as were the 
forms of Iris reticulata, Leucoium vernum, L. v. 
carpaticum and the Hepaticas. A great variety of 
Lenten Roses (Helleborus) were exhibited by Messrs. 
Barr & Son, Co vent Garden, for which a Bronze 
Banksian Medal was awarded. They also had 
hardy Cyclamens such as C. ibericum rubrum, C. i. 
lilacinum, C. i. roseum and others. Some interest¬ 
ing things were exhibited by Sir Trevor Lawrence; 
Bart., including Pavonia intermedia Cermesiana 
and Senecio grandifolius. Some Hyacinths were 
shown by Mr. W. Kemp, Upper Teddington. A 
group of Chinese Primulas was staged by Alessrs. J. 
Carter & Co., High Holborn, London, including 
Iris, Princess May, Hercules, Carter's Scarlet, and 
other fine varieties. A Silver Gilt Flora Medal was 
awarded to Messrs. Paul & Son for a group of forced 
Lilacs and Coelogyne cristata. A similar award 
was made to Messrs. Wm. Paul & Son, for a 
group of Camellias. A Silver Flora Medal was 
accorded to Mr. J. Odell, Goulds Green, Hillingdon, 
for a fine group of Cyclamens. A double white 
Primula sinensis, Mrs. A. F. Barron, with large 
flowers, was showm by IMr. C. Turner. A large and 
showy collection of Chinese Primulas was staged by 
Messrs. H. Cannell & Son, Swanley, Kent, in a great 
variety of colours. They were grown in various 
sized pots, and showed evidence of good cultivation. 
They also had a well-flowered group of Cyclamens, 
and were awarded a Silver Gilt Flora Medal. 
