ut six inches long, elegantly cut and gracefully recurved on all
sides of the pot. It is looked upon by specialists as just the sort
of plant that will take in the market. The other certificated fern,
_Adiantum Reginae_, is a good deal like _A. Victoriae_ and is supposed
to be a sport from it. But _A. Reginae_, while it has broad pinnae of a
rich emerald green like _A. Victoriae_, has fronds from nine to twelve
inches long, giving it a lighter and more elegant appearance. I don't
know that the Victoria Maidenhair is grown in America yet, but I am
sure those who do floral decorating will welcome it as well as the
newer _A. Reginae_. A third Maidenhair of a similar character is _A.
rhodophyllum_ and these form a trio that will become the standard
kinds for decorating. The young fronds of all three are of a beautiful
coppery red tint, the contrast of which with the emerald green of the
mature fronds is quite charming. They are warm green-house ferns and
of easy culture, and are supposed to be hybrid forms of the old _A.
scutum_.

_Nerine Mansellii_, a new variety of the Guernsey Lily, was one of
the loveliest flowers at the show. From the common Guernsey Lily it
differs only in color of the flowers. These have crimpled-edged petals
of clear rose tints; and the umbel of flowers is fully six inches
across, borne on a stalk eighteen inches high. These Guernsey Lilies
have of recent years come into prominence in English gardens since
so many beautiful varieties have been raised, and as they flower from
September onward to Christmas they are found to be indispensable
for the green-house, and indoor decoration. The old _N. Fothergillii
major_, with vivid scarlet-crimson flowers and crystalline cells in
the petals which sparkle in the sunlight like myriads of tiny rubies,
remains a favorite among amateurs. Baron Schroeder, who has the finest
collection in Europe, grows this one only in quantity. An entire house
is filled with them, and when hundreds of spikes are in bloom at once,
the display is singularly brilliant.

A NEW VEGETABLE, a Japanese plant called Choro-Gi, belonging to the
Sage family, was exhibited. Its botanical name is _Stachys tuberifera_
and it was introduced first to Europe by the Vilmorins of Paris under
the name of _Crosnes du Japon_. The edible part of the plant is
the tubers, which are produced in abundance on the tips of the wiry
fibrous roots. These are one and a half inches long, pointed at both
ends, a