The monthly meeting was held on the evening of Tuesday the 4th ult., in the hall, 5 St Andrew Square, Edinburgh - Mr M. Dunn, president, occupied the chair. There was an unusually large attendance. A paper was read from Mr John Cail, The Gardens, Inverary Castle, on "The arrangement of Trees, Shrubs, and Climbing Plants in Ornamental Grounds." After a few remarks upon the growing popularity of these plants, which, he observed, was not without good reason, seeing that they possessed such a great variety of outline and beauty of form, the author went on to describe some of the principles necessary to be acted upon in order to insure success in their grouping in the pleasure-grounds. First of all, it was essential for planting to consider carefully the character and capabilities of the ground to be operated upon. The clumps should be laid out so as to secure a wavy or irregular outline - overcrowding to be carefully avoided; and in the dispositions of the various sorts in planting, care should be taken that each may have sufficient space to admit of the development of its peculiar character.

Regard should also be had to the contrasting of tints of foliage, without which some of the finest effects were liable to be marred.

A paper was also read from Mr Burns, The Gardens, Thingwall Hall, Birkenhead, on the "Acclimatisation of Plants." He defined this as the "bringing of plants from other countries, and endeavouring to naturalise or habituate them to our changeable and ever-varying weather," and describes some of the effects produced by light, heat, moisture, and elevation - contrasting the climatic conditions of this country with those of other regions, illustrating his remarks by giving accounts of experiments made by himself and others on the subject. The paper, which was full of instructive facts and suggestions, called forth a long and very interesting discussion, the speakers for the most part stating as their opinion that it was impossible to acclimatise or habituate a plant to a greater amount either of cold or heat than that for which it was naturally constituted.

Among the articles sent for exhibition were a number of plants of a new strain of Beet from Mr John Clark, The Gardens, Dysart House. These were very much admired, some of them being beautifully variegated, and others of the most brilliant crimson, quite equal in effect to the finest Dracaemas. They had been in the greenhouse all winter; but if, as was stated, they are equally brilliant in summer in the open air, they will soon become popular as bedding-plants. It was announced that the Council had awarded them a first-class certificate. Mr Macmillan, Broadmeadows, Berwick, sent collections of Zonale Geranium and Chrysanthemum blooms; and Mr Buchanan, Penicuik House, had three branches of Clerodendron Balfouriana, with unusually large bunches of flowers, in full perfection. These, he stated, were taken from a plant growing in the border of an intermediate house, which had at present something like forty flowers of a similar size.

The Secretary intimated that five plans of kitchen-gardens and greenhouses had been sent in for competition for prizes offered by the Association to young Gardeners, and that the judges, after careful examination, had made the following awards:- 1st, Mr Charles Warrick; 2d, Mr Webster - both of Dalkeith Gardens; and equal 3d to Mr Richard Parker, Hatton Hall, Guis-boro', Yorkshire; Mr William Taylor, 17 Frederick Street, Edinburgh; and Mr W. H. Divers, Messrs Veitch's Nursery, London. These plans will be exhibited to the Association at its next meeting.

Reports on the weather at Broadmeadows and Dalkeith were submitted, from which it appeared that at both places the frost was most intense on the evening of the 14th December, the thermometer registering at the former 35°, and at the latter 22°.

Calender.