In relation to the production of new plants, the first two months of the year may be regarded as a period of quiet and comparative rest - like a truce coming between two battles; it is at once a respite from the cares of a past campaign, and a time of preparation for another swiftly approaching. Particularly is the month of January a season of repose in this respect, as the production of new plants at this season is invariably small.

Messrs Veitch & Sons have received a first-class certificate for a new Asplenium from Monte Video, supposed to be a new species, but allied to A. erectum. It has a pretty dwarf-tufted habit of growth, and appeared to find great favour among fern-fanciers. The same award was made to Mr Green, gardener to W. Wilson Saunders, Esq., Heigate, for Agave Besseriana hystrix, a dwarf-growing plant of a very compact habit, the leaves narrow, in length from 4 to 5 inches, and of a glaucous hue, and tipped by a stout black spine an inch long, and bordered by smaller spines, also of the same colour.

From Mr Baxter, gardener to C. Keiser, Esq., of Broxbourne, came a box of cut Camellias, to one of which a first-class certificate was awarded. It was named Kelvingtonia, and was said to have been obtained from Guernsey. This flower was of remarkable beauty, as well as of unusual size, having immense guard petals and a tufted centre, and measured fully 5 inches across, the colour being of a dark carmine crimson, freely blotched with white. This flower really created some surprise, and did not appear to be known to the best Camellia-growers.

A remarkable Oncidium, shown by Mr Denning, gardener to Lord Londesborough, Grimston Park, Tadcaster, was awarded a second-class certificate. It was nearly allied in character to 0. sphacelatum, though it had been purchased as O. nebulosum. It had a flower-stem some 4 to 5 feet in length, the sepals and petals were pale-greenish yellow, spotted with brown; the lip of a pale-straw yellow, stained with brown at the base. Mr Denning also sent a very fine coloured variety of Lycaste Skinneri, the whole surface of the flower being deeply suffused with rose-colour, the petals mostly so, and the lip dotted with crimson. From Mr B. S. Williams came Lycaste Schil-leriana, a distinct and rather pleasing species, with long recurved olive-green sepals, and smaller white petals and lip.

In the way of ornamental-foliaged plants, Mr B. S. Williams has exhibited a striking-looking Aralia, named peltata, with leathery-lobate leaves on long slender leaf-stalks, and apparently well suited for indoor decoration, and Chamserops gracilis, an elegant erect-habited variety of C. humilis.

From Messrs Veitch & Sons came some forms of the New Zealand Flax, which excited a little discussion among plant-growers. One was under the name of Phormium Cookianum variegatum, which was said to differ from P. tenax in its narrower leaves and more erect habit, but which, according to the 'Gardeners' Chronicle,' was certainly not the P. Colensoi grown in some establishments, though, according to Dr Hooker, P. Colensoi and P. Cookianum are synonymous. There was also the green form of the foregoing, shown under the name of P. Cookianum, and beside these P. tenax and P. tenax variegatum. The Floral Committee, before whom these forms were exhibited, expressed a wish to see them again when more fully developed; and it was thought by some that the forms of P. Cookianum were simply undeveloped forms of P. tenax, and would be found to be nothing more when fully developed by growth.

At the meeting of the Floral Committee referred to, there were produced two splendid blooming plants of Phalcenopsis Schilleriana - the one exhibited by Mr Forsyth, gardener to Baron Rothschild of Gunnersby, the other by Messrs Carter & Co. of Holborn, London. The former, a very fine plant, bore two flower-panicles, one of which had seven branches; these had between sixty and seventy flowers and buds. The other was equally fine, and bore an eight-branched spike, one of the branches being again ramified. A special certificate was awarded to each. R. D.