Oct. 25th, 1884. 
THE GARDENING WORLD, 
117 
little at the base, and when in flower produces a most 
beautiful effect. There are one or two varieties in 
gardens differing in stature, size of leaf, and diameter 
and colour of flower—the colour in different forms 
varies from lilac to violet-purple—but these differences 
are very slight, and the names very loosely applied. 
Aster Amellus is a native of South Europe, and occurs 
over a very wide area, from France to the Caucasus 
and Siberia. It is a classical flower, and is one of the 
few Asters which has been certainly identified from 
the old description. Virgil often gathered it when a 
boy near his native town of Mantua, in Lombardy. 
Its local name is Amellus, and this is said to be derived 
from Mellas, a river in Lombardy, in pastures on the 
banks of which the plant grows abundantly. It was 
introduced to England as early as 159G. Virgil’s 
description of the plant is very good, but the original 
will perhaps be less intelligible than the interpretation 
of Mr. E. D. Blackmore, the gardener-poet, which we 
append :— 
“ A flower there is, in meadows oft espied, 
Yclept 1 Amellus ’ round the country side 
A plant right easy to be found, sithence 
From one small tuft it rears a forest dense. 
The disc of gold ; the countless petal rays 
Of deepest violet shot with purple haze.” 
A. punctatus. —This forms a dense bush, often only 
8 ins. to 15 ins. high ; the leaves are inear, dull green 
with three nerves, and distinctly 
punctate with numerous minute 
dots. The flower-heads are 
very numerous, and corymbosely 
arranged, the rays are long, and 
varying in colour from lilac to 
purple-blue. It is a neat and 
showy plant, and is a native of 
South Europe. This, with the 
three following species, belongs 
to the section Galatella, often 
considered as a distinct genus. 
The section may readily be dis¬ 
tinguished by the ray-florets not 
possessing a style, a character 
easily seen; another character 
which helps to identify them is 
the long rays, which are usually 
few and somewhat irregular, 
the flower-heads are invariably 
corymbose. Galatella is con¬ 
fined to South Europe and Asia. 
A. kigida is somewhat taller, 
the leaves three - nerved, very 
similar but a little broader and 
without dots. The inflorescence, 
too, is very similar; but unfor¬ 
tunately the flowers are over, and 
no note was taken of the colour. 
It is decidedly earlier than the 
other three. 
A. dracunculoides grows from 
2 ins. to 24 ft. high, forming a 
dense tuft; the leaves are very 
narrow, one-nerved, and slightly punctate ; the 
flower-heads are very numerous, the rays very long 
and irregular, and the colour lilac-purple. The bush 
is very showy by reason of the great profusion of its 
flowering. 
A. cana is easily distinguished from all other species 
which at all resemble it in habit by its hoary or 
whitish tomentose leaves ; these are lanceolate and 
three-nerved; the flower-heads are corymbose, rather 
small, and the rays deep lilac-blue. It grows to 2 ft. 
high, the habit is somewhat looser than the preced¬ 
ing, and not so showy.— X. 
(To be continued.) 
Meissonier as a Horticultural Joker.— This inci¬ 
dent, which you quote from The Gardeners' Monthly, 
was set forth in much more circumstantial detail, and 
with entirely new characters, in Once a Week about 
the year 1865, under the heading of “ Mr. Lorquison’s 
Story.” Which is the oldest of the two versions I 
cannot say, but the latter is to my mind very much 
the best. It can be found in the monthly part of The 
West of Scotland Horticultural Magazine for September, 
1865, where it is given as quoted from Once a Week, 
In the days of Penny Headings I used sometimes to 
read it, and it is so droll a story that it was always 
well received by the audience.— B. D. 
ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM. 
Odontoglossum crispum, of which we give an illus¬ 
tration, taken from a very fine pure white form of it 
in the possession of Wm. Vanner, Esq., Camden Wood, 
Chislehurst, needs no laudation, for it may almost 
now be called a favourite florist’s flower, needing no 
apprenticeship to cultivate it well. Wherever it is 
grown in a cool, moist, tolerably shady house and kept 
liberally supplied with water, it is sure to produce its 
lovely flowers, be it under the care of amateur 
or professional. Indeed, in some cases that we know 
of ladies have taken them in hand and attended to 
them themselves, and need it be said always with 
success. 
One of the greatest charms about Odontoglossum 
crispum is the great variety which exists in the flowers 
of the different specimens, so that with plants flower¬ 
ing for the first time great interest is experienced 
in watching the opening of the buds. A glance at the 
illustration of the variety figured to-day and at that of 
0. crispum Veitchianum published in the number for 
September 20th, p. 37, will suffice to show the great 
range the plant has for variety, innumerable grades 
existing between the two types figured. We hope to 
see the day when Odontoglossum crispum will be 
found in many of our suburban greenhouses, as it is 
ODONTOGLOSSUM CRISPUM : A WHITE VARIETY. 
now in a few. It is already cheap enough and surely 
easy enough to grow.— J. 
- 0_* ■ ' i T-_ 9—— 
ARALIA SIEBOLDI. 
I think that for a cold-house scarcely any other 
hardy plant is more useful than this. I have a large 
house that I can heat only by means of a spirit lamp- 
stove, and cannot therefore grow during the winter, 
unless it is a very mild one, anything of a tender char¬ 
acter. This Aralia does capitally for such a house. It 
requires to be grown generously in pots, and must not 
be suffered to want water if it gets at all pot-bound. 
A fine specimen in a pot about 4 ft. in height is now 
throwing up a huge panicle of white flowers, and 
during November it will be an object of considerable 
interest. 
This is not only a most useful addition to our 
nearly hardy foliage plants, but it is a capital subject 
for amateurs. A few plants of this, of male and 
female Aucubas, Phormium tenax variegatum, Retinos- 
poras, Olearia Hastii, Aspidistra lurida variegata, 
Hydrangeas, Golden Box, Yucca recurva, and a few 
others of like character, make an excellent and very 
useful lot of plants for an amateur to cultivate for the 
embellishment of his greenhouse during winter. Add 
to these a few Chrysanthemums, Christmas Roses, 
Deutzia gracilis, the double-flowered Plum, Dielytra 
spectabilis, Pulmonarias, large-leaved Megaseas 
(Saxifrages), and he has something to look forward 
to for a supply of flowers up to late spring or early 
summer.-— Quo. 
— c u- •~~u — 
THE INTERNATIONAL POTATO 
SHOW. 
Whilst the subject of Potato Exhibitions is still 
fresh it may not be out of place to invite some 
attention to the International Potato Show and its 
future work. Most persons who have studied the 
progress of these annual Potato displays can hardly 
have failed to arrive at the conclusion that the original 
design of the shows seems to have been worked out, 
and their mission in its present form accomplished. 
We cheerfully admit that the past season has on the 
whole been detrimental to the production of first-class 
tubers, but still it is not possible to admit that the 
latest exhibitions offered any advance upon those 
of some three or four preceding years. Really we 
have got the Potato up to its very best form. For 
beauty, form, brightness of skin, and variety of 
colouring, we can hardly hope to excel what kinds 
we now have, and even in the varieties put into 
prominence as superior seedlings of the present 
season we find only moderate 
improvements, for the simple 
reason that improvements are 
now at least difficult if not 
impossible. W T e may go farther 
and say that it is doubtful 
whether we can ever hope to 
excel the best of our present 
varieties in productiveness. In¬ 
deed we have little to gain in 
adding to that quality so plentiful 
are Potatos now. As to quality 
we have plenty that are so good 
that it seems difficult to excel in 
that respect, and as far as disease- 
resistance is concerned why we 
could ahnost welcome a little 
decimation sometimes when 
Potatos become a glut in tl e 
market. 
We are not writing in cry 
pessimist spirit, but rather to 
show that in a considerable 
degree we are drifting on in the 
matter of Potato Shows some¬ 
what aimlessly, and feel that the 
time has arrived when stock 
should be taken of our present 
position, and future movements 
be determined. The schedule 
of prizes put forth from year to 
year by the committee of the 
International Potato Show is, by 
virtue of its position amongst 
such issues, always regarded with exceeding interest, 
yet from year to year it shows little change or 
variety. We are not alone in thinking that some 
diversity is desirable, indeed we may say essential, 
if the shows are to maintain their former prestige 
and popularity. Very specially is it desirable that 
such a re-arrangement of the classes should be 
made as would prevent any one competitor who 
may be exceptionally strong from literally sweeping 
the board, and this year we have seen some half- 
dozen growers clearing off nearly all the best prizes, 
whilst the bulk of the competitors have had to 
content themselves with little or nothing. That 
such things will result in dissatisfaction and dis¬ 
content is inevitable. 
Now, the prizes offered through the schedule a;e 
liberal—perhaps too liberal, and whilst we would 
deprecate the lessening of the total sum, we should 
like to see that more equitably and widely distributed. 
To accomplish that we would suggest the cutting 
clean away of all classes that call for more than 
twelve kinds, as a dozen, eighteen, or twenty-four 
soon become monotonous and uninteresting. The 
public interest will centre in the Champion collection 
and all the rest are neglected. Yet for the two 
classes for twenty-four dishes and eighteen dishes . t 
has been the rule to set apart so large an amount as 
