August 26, 1893. 
THE GARDENING WORLD 
815 
NOTHING is too small. 
NOTHING is too much trouble. 
Inspection InYited. The Trade Supplied. 
You will NOT be worried to order. 
E. D. SHUTTLEWORTH & CO. 
{LIMITED), 
Albert Nurseries, 
Palms, Ferns, Stove & Greenhouse Plants, &c., 
PECKHAM RYE, LONDON, S.E. 
Herbaceous Plants, General Nursery Stock, 
Bulbs, &c. 
FLEET, HANTS. 
GRAND CARNATIONS. 
THE FINEST GROWN 
All Classes, 10/6 per dozen. 
Mr. Dodwell’s List of Specialties is now ready. 
Send Stamp and get copy. 
The Cottage, Stanley Road, Oxford 
STRAWBERRIES. 
A fine collection of the best varieties can be supplied. Orders 
should be booked now. 
DESCRIPTIVE CATALOGUE POST FREE. 
THOMAS RIVERS & SON, 
SAWBRIDGEWORTH. 
ORCHIDS. 
Clean Healthy Plants at Low Prices. 
Always worth a visit of inspection. Kindly send for Catalogue. 
JAMES CYPHER, 
Exotic Nurseries, CHELTENHAM. 
FERNS! TRADE! 
STOVE AND GREENHOUSE. 
25 best sorts in 2j-in. pots 12s. 100, large in 10 best sorts 5-in. 
pots 6s. per doz. Seedlings in variety 6s. 100. Palms, Ficus, 
Dracaenas, in 5-in. pots is. each; Hydrangeas, Marguerites, 
Pelargoniums, gd. each. Cyperus, Auraiias, Grevellias, and 
Rhodanthe, in 5-in. pots 6s. dozen. A. cuneatum, large, in 5-in. 
pots, value in fronds, 6s. and 8s. dozen. Pteris tremula and A. 
cuneatum for making large plants quickly, 16s. and 20s. 100. 
Packed, put on rail, free for Cash. J. SMITH, LONDON FERN 
NURSERIES. L0UGHB0R0 JUNCTION S.W. _ 
WILLIAMS’ 
WORLD-RENOWNED 
HYACINTHS, 
TULIPS, 
NARCISSI, 
CROCUS, 
SNO 1ST DROPS. 
For particulars see Illustrated Catalogue, forwarded 
Gratis and Post Free to all applicants. 
From the Daily Graphic -.—“A splendid group of spring 
blooms, Hyacinths, Tulips, Narcissus, &c., from B. S. 
Williams & Son.” 
B. S. WILLIAMS & SON 
Victoria and Paradise Nurseries, 
UPPER HOX.RQ'W’AV, EOBBQK, E®. 
CYPRIPEDIUM CURTIS 11 , 
CYPRIPEDIUM ELLIOTTIANUM, 
CYPRIPEDIUM HOOKERS, 
CYPRIPEDIUM LAWRENCEANUM, 
SACCOLABIUM CCELESTE, extra grand 
masses. 
Grand Importations of the above just received. 
Inspection Invited. 
HUGH LOW & CO., 
CLAPTON NURSERY, LONDON, N.E. 
For Index to Contents see page 826. 
“ Gardening is the purest of human pleasures, and the greatest 
refreshment to the spirit of man.”— Bacon. 
NEXT WEEK’S ENGAGEMENTS. 
Monday, August 28th.—Bulb Sale at Protheroe & Morris’ 
Rooms. 
Tuesday, August 29th.—Royal Horticultural Society’s Show 
at the Agricultural Hall (four days). Committees meet at 
11 a.m. 
Wednesday, August 30th.—Bath Autumn Show (two days). 
Easingwokl Flower Show. 
Thursday, August 31st.--Thame Flower Show. 
Bulb Sale at Protheroe & Morris' Rooms. 
Friday, September 1st.—National Dahlia Show at the 
Crystal Palace (two days). 
Orchid and Bulb Sale at Protheroe & Morris' Rooms. 
Saturday, September 2nd.—Stretford Flower Show. 
Bridge of Allan Flower Show. 
Bulb Sale at Protheroe & Morris’ Rooms. 
ifte ^aijt!i}!|ttig iflorl! 
Edited by BRIAN WYNNE, F.R.H.S. 
SATURDAY, AUGUST 26th, 1893. 
he Royal Botanic Society.— The in¬ 
formation recently given as to the 
present position of the Royal Botanic 
Society will have been by no means un¬ 
expected by many of our readers, whilst it 
has undoubtedly surprised many others. 
When a Society like this becomes indebted 
to the amount of some ^18,000, and that, 
too, in spite of its Royal patronage, it 
certainly looks as if bankruptcy was im¬ 
pending, and that further existence only 
means increased indebtedness. The position 
of the Society is, indeed, a serious one, and 
it may be that, amongst other economies, 
it may have to close its series of shows, for 
it is the shows, and that alone, that give 
the Society any form of horticultural 
status. 
What seems absolutely certain is that 
whether as a botanic garden, as a place of 
resort for the wealthy, or as an exhibition 
area for flowers, the gardens have lament¬ 
ably failed, and there can be no doubt but 
that presently they must revert to the 
Crown to be converted into a sort of 
Regent’s Park Kew, when they will become 
a most popular place of resort without 
doubt, but hardly so under any other 
conditions. The suggestion that the 
Society shouldstrive to convert thegardens 
into a sort of swell Cremorne is an intoler¬ 
able one, and likely to meet with rigorous 
opposition from the other leaseholders of 
Crown property in the neighbourhood. The 
land was originally taken from the Regent’s 
Park, and must, of necessity, and in 
due course, revert to the Park and the 
public. 
There can be no fair comparison institu¬ 
ted between the merits of the Zoological 
Gardens and the Botanic Gardens. The 
former command our highest admiration, 
and are open to the poor as well as to the 
wealthy. They constitute, also, the finest 
object lesson in Zoology to be found almost 
in the world. The Botanic Gardens have 
no sucli claim, either horticulturally or 
botanically, indeed, in the latter sense, 
they constitute only a tenth rate Kew. It is 
but to d obvious that the Government will 
have to relieve the Society of its liabilities 
and take possession of the Gardens. 
J^hloxes at Chiswick. — A suggestion 
which has been made in favour of the 
holding of a Phlox conference at Chiswick 
next summer is one that it would be 
pleasant to have acted upon, if for no other 
reason than that the collection of these 
beautiful hardy flowers, now growing there, 
is one of the best in the kingdom. All 
lovers of hardy plants may well be pleased 
at the proposal, because the Phlox is one 
of the most beautiful of all hardy border 
flowers. It is curious, however, that we 
rarely see these Phloxes grown as pot 
plants, and yet if propagated from crown 
cuttings early in the spring, when they soon 
make root and become strong young single 
stem plants in a few weeks, really fine 
heads and charming dwarf plants result. 
Provided the suggestion referred to be 
acted upon, we should like to see all the 
best varieties so treated, not only to show 
their adaptability for pot culture, but also 
evidence the fine form in pip and truss, the 
bast varieties nowpossess. The Blue Thistle¬ 
like Eryngiums and Echinops, would make 
a beautiful class, both for show and for a 
paper at the same time. Delphiniums and 
Campanulas might also be available for the 
same purposes at the time Phloxes are at 
their best. The practice of setting up 
hardy flower* in bewildering profusion on 
these occasions is much to be deprecated, 
and new ideas on the more effective and 
more instructive arrangement of such 
materials might also well be invited. 
One or two papers at the most to any 
section of flowers is ample, and only two 
or three striking sections should be taken 
at any one time. So far as Phloxes are 
concerned, we are certain that knowledge 
concerning them and their wondrous variety 
is very limited. Very few gardeners, for 
instance, know anything about the grand 
new dwarf forms which present such a 
striking contrast to the old tall section, and 
are so valuable for massing. 
T^edding Pelargoniums. —When last 
year all descriptions of bedding Pelar¬ 
goniums under the effects of the frequent 
heavy rains collapsed so uttely, and so 
far from being gaudy masses of flowers, 
became literally masses of leafage, whilst 
the tuberous Begonias presented so bright 
an appearance, it was felt that the days of 
the Pelargonium were numbered and that 
the Begonia was the bedder of the period. 
This season, however, we are treated to a 
remarkable transformation, for what do we 
now see almost everywhere in bedding dis¬ 
plays but Pelargoniums in wondrous bloom, 
giving splendid masses of colour and invi¬ 
ting, by their beauty, returning admiration. 
It is really a bedding Pelargonium sea¬ 
son, one of the finest indeed for our old 
favourites, and big beds of Henry Jacoby 
so gorgeously brilliant under the hot sun¬ 
shine, Vesuvius, Tom Bowling and others, 
besides the beautiful soft pinks and salmons 
are in their very best form. We are rather 
glad, than otherwise, that this should be so, 
because in bedding arrangements we have 
always felt some degree of affection for an 
old favourite, which has in the past, 
whether florally or by means of its various 
forms of foliage, won so much of admiration, 
and rendered such exceeding service. 
All the same, the Begonia has nothing 
to fear from this resuscitation of the Pelar- 
