The summer exhibition of the above Society was held in the Waverley Market on 9th July, and seldom, indeed, has any of the shows of the Society been held under more unfavourable circumstances as regards weather. The very unpropitious climate which had prevailed for such a long time seemed to reach the culminating point, as it was almost a continuous downpour of rain the whole day. Notwithstanding so many drawbacks, the show-was a very successful one - in some respects, even better than any similar show of the Society. This was largely due to the grand turn - out of nurserymen and florists, for whose exhibits eight additional 20-feet tables had to be provided. A magnificent assortment of plants, consisting of the finer varieties of Rhododendrons, Standard Sweet-bays, and the fine kinds of Thujas, Retinosporas, etc. etc, numbering many hundreds of plants, all in pots and tubs, were ranged along the circular space in front of the aquarium. These were furnished by the Lawson Company, and were awarded a special prize of £10. Besides this, the same firm furnished one of the large tables with Roses in pots, Rhododendrons, Pelargoniums, Heaths, Tree-Ferns, and foliage plants.

On this table we noticed some nice pans of the hardy Orchid, Orchis foliosa.

The next long table was furnished by Ireland & Thomson with beautiful Crotons, Dracaenas, Caladium3, tuberous Begonias, Spirseas, Petunias, and a splendid lot of plants suitable for room and table decoration; also cut Roses, and Orchids in bloom.

The next table was very effectively furnished by Downie & Laird, and consisted of Palms, Rhododendrons, Gloxinias, Pelargoniums, Ferns, Heaths, and other flowering and foliaged plants; also an assortment of blooms of Pyreth-rums, Pansies, and bedding Violas. A table furnished by Messrs Methven & Sons consisted of beautiful Pelargoniums, Heaths, Tree and other Ferns, Palms, etc. Conspicuous on this table were a large number of the New Zealand Filmy Fern (Todea superba), and a collection of cut blooms of Iris. The last of the large tables in the centre of the market was furnished by Dicksons & Co., "Waterloo Place, and was made up of Tree-Ferns, Pelargoniums, and foliage plants; also a large display of Pansies, Violas, Geraniums, Pyrethrums, herbaceous plants, and alpine plants.

One of the most interesting tables in the show was furnished from the Botanic Gardens, and consisted of Pitcher-plants, Darlingtonias, Sarracenias, Droseras, Dionaea muscipula, Filmy Ferns, a large specimen of the Elk-horn Fern (Platycerium grande), and a beautiful specimen of the Lattice-leaf plant of Madagascar; also a large basin filled with the water-plants Pistia strati-otes and Pontederia crassipes. It is to be hoped that this or similar collections may be exhibited on future occasions, as they attracted a very great amount of attention.

For the table of plants in the gardeners' section, three competitors entered the lists - viz., Mr JamesSpence, Grange; Mr Robert Grieve, Falcon Hall; and Mr A. Stalker, St Roque. The prizes were awarded in the order named. The tables were all beautifully arranged, and the judges had some difficulty in awarding the prizes. They consisted generally of Palms, Dracaenas, Crotons, Ferns, Heaths, Pelargoniums, Achimenes, Fuchsias, Petunias, etc. etc. A very showy table came from Drummond Brothers, George Street, and consisted of well-bloomed plants, in 5-inch pots, of the finest kinds of Pelargoniums, set in a groundwork of small plants of Adiantum cuneatum, and edged with a very fine Lobelia named "Brighton".

A similar table at the opposite end of the market was furnished by John Makenzie, florist, Grange Loan, on which were some very fine Petunias, Fuchsias, and a large quantity of bouquets for hand, table, and button-holes. A table consisting of Palms, Ferns, and cut flowers was also exhibited by Todd & Co., Maitland Street. As usual, Mr Robertson Munro, of the Aber-corn Nursery, sent a very interesting display of hardy herbaceous and alpine plants, and also a box of cut Roses.

The greenhouse flowering-plants were not up to the usual standard, though some good specimen Heaths were shown, but not well flowered. The same may be said of the Pelargoniums. Some well - grown Fuchsias were exhibited in 9-inch pots, which were of considerable merit. The show of fruit was a very small one, only one collection of six sorts being staged, and which came from Mr Johnstone, Glamis, but as usual was very fine. Some excellent Peaches, Nectarines, Figs, and Melons were also shown. Very few vegetables were shown, and those poor in quality.

In cut flowers, Mr Dickson, Belmont, Belfast, was to the front with his Roses, very little inferior to those usually exhibited by him. There were some nice boxes of Tea-Roses shown also. The arrangement of the tables, etc, was chiefly under the superintendence of Mr M'Leod of the City Gardens, who carried out a new feature in the way of large hanging-baskets suspended from the girders, and draped with Palms, Ferns, sprays of Ivy, Box, and other evergreens: the effect was very good indeed. Large specimen Palms from the Botanic Gardens were dotted at intervals over the bare spaces on the floor, which also looked well.

We must not omit to notice a collection of cool Orchids, exhibited by Mr M'Gregor, Braefield, Lanark, which consisted of Odontoglossums vexillarium, cirrhosum, Alexandrae, and Bluntii. The British and Exotic Ferns were a strong feature of the show - some grand examples of Adiantum gracillimum, A. Farleyense, A. Flemingii, etc, being shown; and the British Ferns exhibited by Mr M'Cormick, Canaan Park, were very good. The competition in table plants was also a strong one, and were very good and healthy.