,_ >>>'■■ :^^ :^-. 312066 0333 2884 5 m THE GARDENER'S MAGAZINE. {Forming \a\. III. of the Srcniiii Decade.) CONDUCTED By J. C. LOUDON, F.L.S. H.S. &c. AUTHOR OF THE K\CYCI.OP/KniAS OF GARDENING, OF AGRICULTURE, AND OF COTTAGE, FARM, AND VILLA ARCHITECTURE, AND EDITOR OF THE ENCVCLOP-JiUIA OF PLA>TS. LONDON: PRINTED FOR LONGMAN, ORME, BROWN, GREEN, AND LONGMANS PATKKNOSTEU-ROW, 1837. T (06 V. \3 Loxnn.v : Printed by A. SporrtswooDC, New . Street- Square. CONTENTS. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. GENERAL SUBJECT. Historical and. Geographical. p A Summary View of the Progress of Gar- dening, and of Rural Improvement gene- rally, in Britain, during the Year 18j7 ; with some Notices relative to the State of both in Foreign Countries. By the Con- ductor - . . - . 529 Notices of Gardens and Country Seats in Great Britain and Ireland, supplementary to, or corrective of, the Notices given in the Encyclopedia of Gardening. By various Contributors - - - - 59. 121 Brief Notices, made on several Occasions, when visiting some Noblemen's and Gen- tlemen's Seats, in the Autumn of 1836. By Thomas Rutger - - -1. 109 Some Account of Gardens and the State of Gardening in tlie North and West Ridings of Yorkshire. By J. B. W. - - .201 Some Account of Gardens and the State of Gardening in the County of Durham. By J. B. W. - - - . 439 Remarks on the State of Gardening, and of Cultivation generally, in Belgium. By John Maddison . . - . . 341 On the Gardeners and Gardening of Russia. By N. N 55 Botanical and Horticultural Tour in Lom- bardy. By Giuseppe Manetti - -56 Scientijic. On the Importance of Gardeners' possessing general and scientific Knowledge, for the Purpose of effecting Improvements in their Art. By Robert Fish . - - 49 On the Discrepancy of Terrestrial and At- mospheric Temperature, with regard to the Cidtivation of Exotics, more particularly the Vine; and on the proper Application of Water, so as to render it a beneficial Agent in elevating the Temperature of the Soil. ByN. - . - . .14 Remarks on the Origin and Direction of the woody Fibre of the Stems of Palms. By James Main, A.L.S. - - - 489 Report on. the Hardy Fruits for the Year 18.37 ; with some preliminary Observations on Climate. By Robert Thompson - - 544 Suggestions relative to the Amelioration of our edible Fruits with more certainty than . has hitherto been done ; with some pre- liminary Observations on Grafting, Dis- budding, kc. By D. Beaton - . 203 Further Suggestions relative to the Amelio- ration of our edible Fruits. By D. Beaton 245 On acclimatising exotic Plants in British Gardens. By N. M. T. - - - 442 Remarks on Tile.Draining, and on certain Benefits which might result from the Use of Draining Tiles in supplying Air to the Subsoil. By Robert Arthur, Gardener at Wall Tower Gardens, North Berwick - 296 An improved Mode of painting, lettering, and varnishing Tallies. By W. A. Nes- tield . - . . .58 A neat and convenient Tally for ornamental "^ Plants in Borders. By Charles Lawrence, F.H.S.,&c. . - - - .'300 An economical Substitute for Hand-Glasses in Gardening. By N. M. T. - -77 Insects. A Series of Articles on the Insects most inju. rious to Cultivators. By J. O. Wcstwood : No. 1. The Turnip Flea Beetle - - 97 No. 2. The Weevil destructive to Collec- tions of succulent Plants . . 1.57 No. .3. The Turnip Saw-Fly . . 193 No. 4. The Onion Fly . . . 241 No. 5. Wheat Flies . . . ogc) No. 6. Tlie Asparagus Beetle - . 337 No. 7. Rose Rloths - . . 385 No. 8. The small Ermine Moth - . 433 No. 9. Slimy Grub of the Pear and other Fruit Trees - - - .481 Farther Information respecting the Coleop- terous Insect Otiorhynchus sulciltus, and its Ravages on the Vine. By W. Linwood, F.H.S., &.C. ; with some Remarks from J. O. West wood, F.L.S. - . . e9* Notice of a Mode of destroying a Species of Moth injurious to the Vineyards of the South of France, employed by M. Audouin. Professor of Entomology in the Museum d'Histoire Naturelle - . . 486 On the Balaninus nncum, or common Nut Weevil. By J. Wighlon ; with a Note by J. O. Westwood - - - . 213 An Account of some Trials made with the Leaves of the common Laurel, for Destroy, ing Insects. By J. H. A. - - - 550 LANDSCAPE-GARDENING AND GARDEN ARCHITECTURE. Suggestions for tlie Improvement of Kensing- ton Ciardens ; and which are applicable, also, in a greater or less Degree, to Hyde Park, the Green Park, Regent's Park, and Greenwich Park, and to Parks and I'lea- sure-grounds generally. By the Conductor 145 Plan of the Cjrounds of Chester Holme Cot- tage, laid out by Mr. George Harland - 161 On the Formation and Planting of a Suburban Kitchen-Garden. By A. Forsytli - . l'J5 Design for combining all the Forcing-houses, Botanical Houses, and Pits and Frames, re- required for a moderate Establishment, in One Group. By A. Forsyth - - 61 Description of an early Forcing Pit, and a Boiler for an early Forcing Stove, erected at Oakhill Gardens. By A. Forsytli - - 348 Plans, Sections, &c., of a small span-roofed Pit, for Green-house Plants, recently erected at Stratford Green, Essex. By John Bevis - - - - 247 Elevation and Description of a Cast-iron Espalier Rail, erected in the Gardens of Maeslaugh Castle, Radnorshire. By James Alexander ----- 205 Description of Hogg's Patent conical Boiler, for heating Hot-houses, and other Build-. A 2 IV CONTENTS. ings, by hot Water. By James Hogg, Vew York, United States - - - - i^97 ARBORICULTURE. •^'■I'oricultural Notices ; or. Notices of new hardv Trees and Shrubs deserving of gene- ral Cultivation in useful and ornamental Plantations - - - - . - On the Growth of Trees in exposed Situa- tions. Bv T. Davis - - - On the Transplanting or Removal of Ever- green Shrubs. By R. Glendinning - - On the Propag.itiiig and Transplanting of Evergreens. Bv John TurnhiU - - Notes on the Growth of Trees at Flasby Hall, near Garprave, in Craven, Yorkshire. By George \Vintersgill Notice of a remarkable Woodland District in Scotland, still in its natural State; com- prising the Head of Strathspey, in Bade- noch, and the Forest of Braeinar. By H. B. Dimensions of some Trees, and Notes on the Growth of other Trees and Shrubs, indi- genous and exotic, on the Estate of Poloc, in Lanarkshire, the Propertv of Sir John Maxwell, Bart. By John Maxwell, M.P. - An Account of some remarkable Trees of the Norway Spruce (.^'bies excclsa Puii:) now growing at the Whim, in Peeblesshire, the Property of Sir James Montgomery of Bartstanhope and Stobo. By J. M'Nab, Superintendent of the Experimental Gar- dens, Inverleith - - - - A new Guard for single Trees in Parks, &C. By Charles Lawrence - - - Notice of the Wilton Shrub-lifter. By its Inventor, Harry Alcock - - - An Account of a Method of pruning orna- mental Trees, chieflv Beech. By J. W. B. Instances of the Mistletoe being found on the Oak ; with Remarks on grafting and budding the Mistletoe. By D. Beaton On the (irowth of the Pine and Kir Tribe m exposed and stormy Situations. By John Nuttall, Tiltoun, Mount Kennedy, County Wicklow - - - - On the Propagation of the Pine and Fir Tribe and other Conifera?, by Cuttings. By T. M. Lindsay, Gardener at High Clere Notice of the Mode of treating the more rare Species of the Pine and Fir Tribe at Drop- more. By P. Frost - - - A Mode of transplanting a large Cedar Tree described By J. Cuthill, Gardener to Capt. Trotter, Dyrham Park - - - Notice respecting the State of a Plantation of Salix alba, of which some Account was given, in 182,^, in this Magazine. By Archi- bald Gorrie, F.H.S., M.C.H.S. Account of a Plant of /i'rbutus ylndrAchne in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, supposed to be the largest in Britain. By William M'Nab, A.L.S., Superintendent of the Garden - - - - 352 FLORICULTURE. Floricultural and Botanical Notices on Kinds of Plants newly introduced into our Gar- dens, and that have originated in them, and on Kinds of laterest previously ex- tant in them ; supplementary to the latest Editions of the " EncyclopcEdia of Plants" and of the " Horlus Bri/annicus," 35. 78. 176. 2U. 26G. 311. m). 430. 451. 503. On enlivening Flower or other small Ciardens that surround Dwelling-houses, by Means of Zoology. By Th. Nietner - - 140 On a proper Arrangement of Plants, both as to their Height and the Colour of their Flowers, being indispensably necessary in a Flower-Gardeii. By John Caie, Gardener to Her Grace the Duchess of Bedford, at Camden Hill - - - - 301 On some of the Advantages attending the Culture of Hardy Annuals. By John Caie, Gardener to His (iracc the Duke of Bed- ford, at Bedford Lodge, CamUien Hill . 498 List of Plants which have stood the open Air at Pendarves, in ("ornwall. By James Mitchinson, Gardener - - . 354 Notice of some Green.house and Half-hardy ligneous Plants, which have endured the open Air, for several Winters, in the Handsworth Nursery, near Birmingham. By .\lexander Pope . - - 135 Results of an Attempt to grow some tender .•Vquatics in hot Water, in the open Air. By Richard Christie - - - 71 An Account of the Mode in which the large Palm at HalelHall, Lancashire, was low- ered Five Feet. By John Nicksoii, Gar- dener to J. J. Blackburn, Esq., M.P., at Hale Hall - - - - 445 Description of an oiled Paper Cap for pro- tecting Dahlias, when in Flower, from au- tumnal Frosts. By John TurnbuU - -211 On the Culture of Epiph^llum truncatum. Bv T. Symons - - - - 138 On the Culture of Cape Heaths. By R. Glen- dinning - - - . - 74 On the Management of Cape Heaths in the open Air during the Summer Season. Bv John Fyfte . - . ". 171 On the Culture of Chrysanthemums. Bv .Tames Cuthill - . - - 75 A mode of training the Sweet Pea in Flovver- (iardcns. By John Fyffe, Gardener at Milton Bryant - - - - 446 On protecting the Crocus, when in Blossom, from Sparrow.s. By William Anderson, F.L.S. . - - - -172 HORTICULTURE. Report on the Hardy Fruit Trees for 1837, \c. - - - - - 514 Instructions for Truffle-Searching. Trans- lated from the German of V. F. Fischer. By I'rancis Mascall, Esq., of Eppleton, Durham - - - - - 389 A Treatise on the Cultivation of Truffles. By Alexander Von Bornholz. Translated from the German by Francis Mascall, Esq., of Eppleton, Durham . . - 408 Olitorial Notices ; or, Noticesof new Culinary Vegetables deserving of general Cultiva- tioii in British Gardens - - - 33 Notice of some new, or little known, sorts of culinary Vegetables, cultivated in the North Riding of Yorkshire. By J. B. Whiting -499 A Method of training Pear Trees which might be advantageously adopted in Gar- dens where Walls cannot be aflfbrded, and Standards will not thrive; with preliminary Observations respecting the List of Pears in the last Edition of the " Eiicyclopiedia of Gardening." By J. B. W. - - - 259 On the Culture of the Milsn Cavendish//, as practised at Chatsworth. By Joseph Pax- ton, F.L.S., H.S., &c. - - - 141 On the Management of the Vine. By A. Forsyth - - - -172 On the Shriveling of Grapes, and Recom- mendations of the early White Frontignac. By J. Robertson, Nurseryman - - 2fil On the Shriveling of Grapes. By Agronome's Nephew - - - - .261 On the Rust on Vines. By J. Wighton, Gar. doner to Lord Stafford, Cosscy Hall . 263 On Part of the Vines, in the same Forcing- house, being suspended, and Part not. By Charles Pullen, Gardener to F. L. Gold- smid, Esq., Champion Hill - - 306 On a new Method of grafting Vines. By William Smith, Gardener at the Priory, St. Andrew's, Fifeshire ... 306 On the Necessity of thinning the Berries on Bunches of Grapes as soon as the Fruit is set. By John FyfTe, Gardener at Milton Bryant, Woburn ... 305 On the Rust on Vines. By John M'Evoy, Gardener, Leweston House, near Sher- borne, Dorsetshire - - . - 355 Critical Remarks on the Pot Culture of the Cirape Vine. By William Grey, Gardener to Sir M. W. Ridley, Bart. . - - 500 CONTENTS. On a new Mode of grafting the Vine. By William Gowans - - - 117 Oil the Culture of an early Crop of Melons. By James Cuthill - - - - •l-W On tlie forcing of early Cucumbers in Pits heated by Fires. Bv J. Wighton, Gar- dener to Lord .Stafford, Cossey Hall - - 4-19 On the Spot, or Canker, on Cucumbers. By John Wighton, Gardener at Cossey Hall - 502 On the forcing of early Cucumbers. By John Wighton, Gardener to Lord Stafford at Cossey Hall - - - - 356 On the Cultivation of Currants. By T. Sy- mons . - - - 263 On the Strawberry. By A. Forsyth - - 307 On forcing Strawberries. By James Cuthill, Gardener at Dyrhara Park - - 309 Hints on raising Asparagus. By John Wighton, Gardener at Cossey Hall - - 358 On the Culture of Asparagus. By A. For- syth - - - - - 76 A Mode of preserving Cauliflowers through the Winter. By Peter Mackenzie, Gar- dener, West Plean ... 264 On Kidneybeans. By A. Forsyth - . 265 On the Culture of the Pea. By A. Forsyth - 450 On the Potato, particularly the early Va- rieties. By A. Forsyth ... 174 On the Culture of the Turnip. By A. For- syth 357 On the Culture of White and Red Cabbages, Savoys, and Brussels Sprouts. By Alex- ander Forsyth, Gardener - - - 358 On raising Salads of Chicory. By James Cuthill - - - . SIO On a Method of obtaining Green Mint during Winter. By James Cuthill - -311 AGRICULTURE. List of Fifty-four Sorts of Wheat, Seeds and Ears of which have been received from M. Vilmorin . - - - - 45 REVIEWS. An Essay on the Nature, the Means, and the End of Imitation in the Fine Arts. By J. C. Kent - - . - . Botanical Periodicals . . - Transactions of the Horticultural Society of London ..... First Annual Report, Laws, and Transac. tions of the Botanical Society of Edinburgh Journal of a Horticultural Tour through Germany, Belgium, and Part of France, in the Autumn of 1835. To which is added, a Catalogue of th? ditierent Species of Cacteae in the Gardens at Woburn Abbey. By James Forbes, A.L.S., Corresponding Member of the Horticultural Society, Au- thor of Hortus Woburnensis, Sec. - Ladies' Botany ; or, a familiar Introduction to the Study of the Natural System of Botany - - - - - Lectures on Landscape-Gardening in A us- tralia. By the late Mr. Thomas Shepherd The Flora of Jamaica ; a Descriptioii of the Plants of that Island, arranged according to the Natural Orders ; with an Appendix, containing an Enumeration of the Genera, according to the LinuEean System, and an Essay on the Geographical Distribution of the Species. By James Macfadyen, M.D. - The New Botanist's Guide to the Localities of the rarer Plants of Britain. By Hewett Cottrel Watson - . - - AmaryllidaceiB ; preceded by an Attempt to arrange the Monocotyledonous Orders, and followed by a Treatise on cross-bred Vege. tables, and Supplement. By the Hon. and Rev. W. Herbert Illustrations and Descriptions of the Plants which compose the Natural Order Camel- lieae, and of the Varieties of Camellia japonica cvdtivated in the Gardens of Great Britain. The Drawings by Alfred Chan- dler ; the Descriptions by William Beattie Booth . . - . - Icones PUmtarum ; or. Figures, with brief descriptive Characters and Remarks, of new or rare Plants, selected from the Au- ■ thor's Herbarium . . - . The Northern Flora ; containing the Wild Plants of the North of Scotland. By Alexander Murray, M.D. - - - Salicetum, sive Salicum Formae qu£E hodie innotuere, descriptfe et systematice dis- posits . . - - . The Orchidaceae of Mexico and Guatemala - An Analysis of the British Ferns and their Allies, with Copperplate Engravings of every Species and Variety. By George W. Francis - - - The Flower-Garden ; including Directions for the Arrangement and Cultivation of all Ciarden Flowers ; the Management of the Green-house, Hot-house, and Stove ; with selected Lists of the most beautiful annual, biennial, perennial, and exotic Flowering Plants .... 602 The Parterre; or. Whole Art of forming Flower. Gardens. By C. F. Ferris, Esq. . 600 The Florist's Magazine ; a Register of the newest and most beautiful Varieties of Florists' Flowers. Drawn from Nature, engraved and coloured in the most finished Style. By Frederick W. Smith . . 318 A Catalogue of Herbaceous Plants cultivated and sold by John Crec, Addlestone Nur. scry, Chertsey, Surrey ; with numerous Synonymes, and References to Figures in the leading Botanical Periodicals ; and also a select List of Fruit Trees, with Descrip. tions .... . 5223 Catalogue of the Cellulares, or Flowerless Plants, of Great Britain ; or those in- cluded in the Linnsean Class Crypto- gamia ; compiled from Sir W. J. Hooker's " English Flora," vol. v. ; Sir J. E. Smith's " English Flora," vol. iv. ; Mackay's " Flora Hibernica ; " Henslow's " Cata. logue of British Plants," and other Sources. By W. A. Leighton, B.A. F.B.S. Edin., &c. . . - . . 365 Practical Remarks on the Failure of the Potato Crop ; with Instructions how to remedy the Evil. By William Stent, Nursery and Seedsman, East Stockwith, near Gainsburgh, Lincolnshire - - 319 Catalogue of Works on Gardening, Agricul. ture. Botany, Rural Architecture, ^rc, lately published, with some Account of those considered the more interesting . 2i?3. 3i.'l. 605. Sowerby's Small Edition of English Bo- tany . - - - .606 Baxter's British Flowering Plants . - 6t)6 Hooker's Icones Plantarum . . 606 The Gardener's Gazette - . . 606 The Magazine of Domestic Economy . 607 Le Couteur on the Varieties, Properties, and Classification of Wheats - . 607 Reid's Chemistry of Nature, designed as a popular Exposition of the Chemical Constitution and Relations of Natural Objects, and as a General Introduction to the Study of Chemical Science . 609 Stonehouse's History and Topography of the Isle of Axholme ... 609 EUistson's Hobart Town Almanack, and Ross's Van Diemen's Land Annual, for 1837. 610 Barker- Webb, et Sabin Berthelot, His- toire Naturelle des lies Canaries . 610 Allgemeine Gartenzeitung . . fill Verhandlungen des Vcreins zur Befor- derung des Garttnbau'es in den Koni- glich Prussifchen Staaten. Transactions of the Horticultural Society of Prns.sia 611 A'erhandlungen dos Vcreins zur Belcir. dcrung des Garten und Felbaues, als A 3 VI CONTENTS. Section der Frankfiirtischen Gesells- chart zur Beforderiing Ntltzlicher Kunsteuiulileren Hulfswissen shaften, fee. Transactions of the Fran Tort So- ciety for the Advancement of Garden and Kield Culture ; tieing a Section of the Frankfort Institution for the Ad. vancemcnt of the Useful Arts and their subservient Sciences, &c. - - 611 Scchtes Preiss-Verseichniss der verschie- denen feincn Tafcls Obstsorten, Ge- holze fur Girten-Anlagen, Gewiichs- hauz.Pflanzcn, S:c., fur 1837-8, welche bei S. und J. Kinz. Kunst und Handels- Girtncrin Frankfurt am Main lu haben sind ; that is. The Sixth priced Cata- logue of Fruit 'I'rees, Ornamental and Useful Plants, &c., propagated and sold by S. and J. Kinz, Nurserymen, Frank, fort on the Maine . - . 612 Verzeichniss der GrUnhaus-Pflanzen des Freyherm Carl von HOgel, No. IX. Catalogue of Green-house Plants, cul- tivated in the Garden of Baron Hiigcl at Hiefzing, near Vienna; with the Prices indicated at which they will be sold or exchanged - - - 612 New Works on Gardening, Agriculture, .S.C., published in Italy, during the Years ISSo and 1833 - - - 513 Literary Notices : — Bateman's Orchidaccae of .^lexico and Guatemala, 224. Hand- bibliothek fUr Giirtner und Liebhaber der Giirtnerei ; or, a Pocket Library for Gar- deners and Amateurs of Gardening, 225. KoUar's History of the Insects injurious to Gardeners and Farmers, 612. Waterton's Essays on Natural History, 612. Rivers's Rose Amateur's Guide, 612. Gauen's Treatise on the Concentration of the Sun's Rays as applied to Horticulture and Agri. culture, 612. MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. General Notices. Malaria, 47 ; Ash at Moccas Court, J. Webster, 47 ; The Stumps of the Silver Fir (Picen pec- tinata) increase in Diameter after the Tree is felled, 142 ; Value of .Specific Characters, 226 ; Conservatory, 226 ; Budding's Grass-cutter, 227 ; A Stage for Green-house Plants on a new Plan, 228 ; Trees and Shrubs of the Canary Islands likely to prove hardy or half-hardy in the Climate of London, 22S ; Management of Plantations, 228; Tulips, 228 ; The Influence of Vapour on Vegetation, 280 ; Connexion between Meteorology and Vegetation, 281 ; Kyanising Wood for Garden Purposes, 281 ; Anticorrosive Paint, 282 ; An improved Mode of Land sur. veying, 282; jP6a nemoralis var. nerv5sa,282; New Varieties of Potatoes, 28o ; Transmitting Seeds from China, R. Mallet, 283; Plant Markers, 283; A Hybrid between the Cabbage and Horseradish, 283 ; Grapes ripened without the Sun's Rays, 283 ; Equitable Rent for farm, ing Land, 323 ; A simple Mouse-trap, 323 ; To destroy the Larva? of the Cockchafer, 323; Flued Borders, 323 ; The Kyanising of Wood for (Jarden Purposes, 365 ; Hints for a Botanical Collector, ^Ci5j The Geography of Evergreen Trees, .366 ; Eflfect of Forests on the Size of River Currents, 336 ; Amber discovered to be only an indurated Resin, 366; On the Relations of Colour and Smell in the more important Families of the Vegetable Kingdom, 367 ; En- tomology, 369 ; New Silkworm, 370 ; On the Use of Steam in the economising of Fuel, 370 ; Washing by .Steam, 371 ; Reid's new Hydraulic Engine, 4.')9 ; Mr. Gowan's Mode of grafting the Vine, 460; //eraclfe«;« peri nne, 460; Rhubarl> Jelly, 460 ; Rhubarb Wine, 460 ; Keeping of Filberts, 460 ; The Wood of the Phillyrea, 461 ; Fibre of the Pine-apple Plant, 461 ; To render Fuci and Lichens edible, 461 ; Plants rich in Potash can never be petrified, 461 ; Dry Rot, 516; Uses of Garlic, 517; New esculent Sea- Wced, 517 ; Retaining and absorbing Heat in tlie open Ground, 517; Powerful Antiseptic, 518 ; What is Science ? 612 ; Anomalous Struc- ture in Dirotyledoncs, 613; Transplanting Seeds and Plants from abroad, 614; Buds pro- duce Roots, r,14; Carbon, Hydrogen, and Oxy- gen, in dillereiit Kinds of Wood, 615; Efl'ccts of difTercnt Kinds of Salt on Plants, 615 ; Salt has a wonderful Influence in subduing Flame, 615; Coal, or Gas, Tar in the Formation of Gravel Walks, 615; Cultivation of Potatoes, 615 ; Filberts preserved a Year and Upwards, 616 ; Brambleberry Jelly, 616. Foreign Notices. France. — The exotic Trees blown down in the Park at Versailles, 82; Singular Phenomena in the Vegetation of Trees, 82 ; A Lime Tree in I>orrainc, 82 ; Parish Libraries 82 ; The Cli- mate of Montpclicr as compared with that of Toulouse, 229 ; The Formation of Cork, 229 ; A Hybrid Apple, 230; The beautiful Hot- houses of M. Tassin, 324 ; Artesian Wells, 371, 372; Colossal Elm Tree at Brignoles, 372; Mo- nograph on the Genus CamcH/nr, Soulange-Bo- din, 461 ; Summary of Subjects proposed for Prizes by the Agricultural Society of France at their Meeting in July, 1837, 462 ; Insects de- structive to the Vine, 46.2 ; Acclimatising Plants at Hidres, in the south of France, 462 ; A'epen- thes distillatbria, 464; Improvement of Agri. culture, 518 ; Remarkable Oak and Beech, 518 ; Baumann's priced Catalogue of hardy Trees and Shrubs at Bolwyller, 518; /"inusmonterej-- cnsis, and keeping Pines clear of Insects, 616; Holland Prizes offered by the Academy of Sciences at Haarlem, 465. Be/frium. — New Local for the Exhibition of Plants at Ghent, 82 ; New Rants, S3 ; Hybrid Fern, 372. Germani/. — A Flora Excursoria Exotica Germa- nica, 83 ; The Pfauen Insel at Potsdam, 84 ; Palms for Sale at Hamburg, 230 ; The Loran- thus europas^us, 284 ; Kerner's Hortus seitiper- virens, 284 ; Kollar's History of Insects injurious to Cultivators, and to the Proprietors of forests and Plantations, 464 ; Botanic Garden, Berlin, 519; Frankfort Flower Show, 519. Spain. — Th uja articulkta, 324 ; Gardens of Spain, 325; Andna Chcrimblia, 326; The Botanic Gar- den of Madrid, 327 ; The Appearance of the Country, 327; Agriculture, 328; Cochineal Culture, 329; The Roads of Spain, 330; General Improvement of Spain, 332. Switzerland. — Lausanne, Difference of Climate and Production, 373. Sweden and Norway. — Zones of Vegetation ob- served in the Scandinavian Peninsula, 373. Denmark. — M. Petersen's Stay in this Country, 466 ; Agave americana, 84. India. — Singular Form which many of the Trees assume in the Island of Little Carimon, near Singapore, 374 ; extraordinary Plant in the.Se- chang Islands, 374 ; The Melon of Bokhara, 375 ; Vegetation of the Mountains of Nill- gherry, 375 ; The Madras Agricultural and Horticultural Society, 617. China. — The Botany and Gardening of China, 3.32. 2T - 348 - 31 Vinus U'cbbiana. Wall. Ah\kt\n!& .... 350 Acac\a • - - - 231 affinis - - - 170 afTinis,/^. - - - 135 A. dealbata Arb. Brit armata dealbata . farnesiana floribunda heterophylla Julibrissin 556 - 189. 229 . 229. 463 - 463 - 229 . i29 Acacia latifftlia - - 463 lophantha - - - 463 A\cr - - - - 169 ;)latanoides LobtliV - - 19 Pseitdo-Platanus, at Po- loc - - - - 163 saccharinum - - 285. .378 * Acropcra * LoddigdSK - 512,, ./?. 218 Maxillctria galeiita Bot. Cab. A 4 LIST OF PLANTS. Adrnocarpus fraiikciii'olrfrt 228 ^diantuiii iietiatum . - 2y;) Aerides odoratum - . 51'J vE'sculus Hippocastanum 2. 122. 168 rubiciiiida . - 22 Jgave araericana - Si. 526. 621 Agrostemma * succica,j?. - 36 .^latt^rnus - . . - 327 Alctris uvSiria - - 369 yl'llium . ... 36tl t't'pa var. ... 226 ./I'lmis cordif&lia - 31., Jig. 143 glutiii6sa Jacinikta - 57. 170 incana - . 86., Jig. 143 viridis,^^. - .143 A.friiticosa Schmidt. A. ovi'ita Lodd. Be'tula ovt'ita Wats. yf'loe frutic6sa - . 229 Alonsfta acutif61ia - - 498 linearis . . - 498 AloJ^'sia citriodi)ra - - 229 Alstroenitr/iz Hookeriano - 277 AmaryWdfcC ... 367 Amaryllii - . 324 psittacina var. •hy- bnda,Jl. . . 45 A. psittacina Johnshm Gouian. A. Grijfiin Swt. Ameldnchicr - . - 22 fl6rida./j». . .22 sanguliiea.Jf^. - -22 AnilicrstM uobilis - 539. 620 yjiiiygdalus coininilnis var. raacrocarpa, inum,fl. - - 314 * salUtbrium,y/. - 36; i?oraginea; ... 362 Boron/n serrulita . - 582 Bouvirdfrt triph^lla . . 498 .Brassicaoleracea vars., cu/A 358. 592 Tfapa, cult. - - - 357 Brassav6Ifl * cordSta,yf. - 44 nod6sa ... 512 tBrought6n/a sanguinca, fl. 43 Bnmghtuma coccinea Hook. Dcndrubium sangtti- ncum Swt. Epitlcrulrum sangui- ncum Swt. BrugmaiiSM suav^olens 2. 463. 582 Brunsvig;'« ... 324 Buddlear glob6sa - - 229 »alicitf)lia - - .229 .valvif61ia . - 229. 463 BOphane ... 324 * Curliiigtdm'a *c'uidida . 512. fl. 80 .Buxus sempervirens . - 10 Cactea: - . - 318. 376 Cactus - ... 327 Opuntia - - - 329 speci6sa * var. lateritia, fl. - - - 179 Calceolaria angustif61ia - 498 arachnfiidea - - 354 *niirabilis,y/. - . 80 * punctata,])?. . . 39 rugftsa ... 498 salviftlia . . - 498 thyrsiflbra - - - 498 Calendula . . . 465 * Callichioa * platyglossa, fl. 180 Calli6|)sis tinctbria - - 466 Ca.m(\\ia japiinica - 324. 354 Bealfei/ . . - 222 ColvilliV ... 222 Donkladrji - - 565 eximia - -T - 564 GilfesH - - .222 Parks/7 ... 223 rilt)ra plena . . 137 reticulata - - 565 Campftnuta * Barreli^r^', fl. 37 Aederacea - . 494 * muralis, y?. - - 362 Campanuiacese ... 367 Canna coccinea . - 73 fiaccida - - - 73 indica . . - 354 CanneiE - • - 367 C^pparis spinbsa ... 229 Carpinus .BetuUis, at Poloc 168 Cassia coryrp.bbsa - 229. 463 tomentftsa - . 463 Castanea vesca - 10. 168. S47 The Washington chest- nut - . - 468 Casuarina rquisetifdlia - 229 Caliilpa syringaXbWa. - 57. 524 Catasfetum * maculiitum, fl. 506 Cattlevn intermddia var. * pallida, y?. - . . 44 Cean6thus azureus, Jig. - 135 cajriileus ... 4ti3 * collinus.j?./^. "- 36. 13.5. Cedrcla odorata . - .594 Cddrus - - - . 170 Cedrus Deodara - - 186. 351 Libai'.i - . 4. .57. 351. a")3 Cephalanthus occidentalis - 522 Ci5rasus Hixa - - 228 Laurocerasus . 318. 478. 550 lusit&nica - 318. 348. 355 serrulSta.J?^. - - 21 Ceratftnia Siiiqiw - - 229 Oercis canadensis - - 11 Cfereus Ackermanu«« . - 277 heptagbnus - - 47 peruvianas - - 229 specibsus . - - 277 speciosissimus - - 277 Chimonanthus fragrans, flg. 85 grandifl6rus,/fg-. - - 86 Chrysanthemum sinense, c«//. 75 * Cliryse/s (Eschscholtzm) cahlVirnica ... 499 * compacta, fl. - - 215 Chryseis (Eschscholtz/n) crbcea ... 499 * Chrysostemma + tripteris, fl 313 Cayedpsis tiipteris, L. * ChJ^sis»aurea,y?. - -182 Cineraria nmelloldes - - 498 ;)latanil'61ia - - 4(13 Ci.ssftmpelos . - - 613 CistOptcris - - - 221 Cistus creticus ... 463 Citrus Aurantium - - 593 bizzaria ... 463 »«yrtif61ia ... 463 Clnrkw elegans . - 499 *gaur6ides,^. . -216 gauroides, fl. - - 431 C. rhom/iiildca Doug, in Hook. Fl. Bor. Amer. pulchella - . - 499 Claytt)n!V7 nlsiniildes - - 606 *gvpsophiloides,j?. - - 178 Clematis • ca-rulea, fl. 266. 556 C. ctcriUea. grandifliira. florida * var. 3 Sieboldtj, fl. . . . 430. 566 montana, desc. - - 20 tClerodcndrum squamatum, fl. . . - - 39. 566 C. spicioslssitnum Pax- ton. Clethra arb6rea ... 463 Clianthus punfceus . 551. .567 Clintbn/a * pulchella, J?. - 38 Ci)ba>\( sc&ndens - . 46;3 Coccoloba pubcscens - . 85 Ciicculus /aurifblius . .613 Cochleiria Armoracea . - 143 Cqff'ea Arahica - - 329 Collet/a si)'mbsa,flg. - - 138 C. Iwrrtda W. alicina.^g-. - - 138 CoUlnsf'a blcolor - - 499. 576 grandiflbra - - 499 verna - - - 499 CoUbmia grandiflbra - . 499 linearis - - - 499 ConiferEE, cult. - - 444 Cbnium Arracucha . • 524 Convolvuliicea; . - 367 Convolvulus Batatas - - 329 Cnebrum ... 46.3 oleafblius - - 463 Corcijnsis 16ngipcs,jf. - 361 Corra? a alba pulchella specibsa C(>Ty\uf,fl/berts Cotoneaster acuminata affinis frigida - nummularia 355. 463 - 277 - 277 - 460 - 23 - 23 - 23 - 23 - 23 *Cow&n/n *plicClta, 521.,y?. 452. 536 Craspidia * glailca,/. - 37 Hichea. glauca Lab. LIST OF PLANTS. CratffiVus - - - 23 Aronia - . - 86 ^ coccinea.y?. - ■ 267 C. glandulosa Arb. Brit, var. macracantha, Jl- 267 C. glandulosa ma- cracantha Bot. C. macrncantna Arb. Brit, flava, j7. - - - 1'° „ MespHus MichauxW Pers. var. lobala,.;?. - - 177 Mespilus lobHia Poir. C. lobata Bosc. C. tiirhinaia Pursh. glandulbsa,.;?. - - 267 C. spathulata Bot. Reg. var. macrantha, J?. - o/6 C. macr&nlha Lodd. maurocc^na - - 86 mexicana,j?. - - 36 orientalis var. sanguinea, desc. axiAfig. - - 23 Oxyacantha . - - 395 var. 01iverM«« Bosc,j?. 178 punctata var. brevispina, desc. and^ff. - - 23 saiisjui'nea,}?. - • 267 /anacetifblia var.Leedna, desc. awAfig. - - 23 Crlnum - - - - 323 ainabile - - - 552 octoflMrum - - - 279 rrotbn sebffera - - 229 Cruci&ta! - - - 367. 369 Cryptogramtna crispa - - 221 rilcuinis Me]o, cult. • - 447 sativa, cult. - 3.56, 449 Cuprcssus - - - 170.299 semyierv i reus var. stricta 11 torulbsa - - - 186 Cyclamen p^rsicum . - 295 Cycnbches cucullata - - 219 LoddigesiV . - 219. 512 *ventricb.sa,/?. - - 506 Cymbidium ensifulium *var. estriatum, _/?. - - 4,57 Cyiiombrium cocclneum - 85 *Cyn6rchis * fastigiata,^?. - 505 Cypripediura Calceolus - 494 * purpuratum,^. - - 457 Cytisus asoliciis,,^^. 22., Jl. 266 iaburnum * var. purpu- r&scens,j?. . - - 312 nubigenus - - 228 * racembsus.j?. • - 361 scoparius - - 238 Sp(irtiu?n scoparium L. Ddmmara austr^lis - - 186 Dntura ceratocaulon - - 579 Z)aphne - - - 28. 318 Delphin» - - - 463 Delphinium Ajacis - - 465 intermfidium * CEerules- cens,^. - - - 451 *var. pMlidum, ^. 360 * var. BarlowK, Jl. 215 * tenuissimum,^. - 79 D. divaricAtttm Led. triste - - - 369 * vimineum,y?. - - 177 Dendrbbium anceps,^. - 505 A'poruni anccps Lindl. moschktutn - . - 512 Desmbdium canadense - 522 Deiitzm sc^bra - - 582 Dianthus ferrugineus * var. sulphCireus,^. - - - 312 Dolichos lignbsus - - 463 Dracfe^na fragrans - - 3.54 Drvandrfl nervbsa - - - 567 Echever/n gibbiflbra - - 188 *iacem6sa,y?. - - 179 Echinocactus * Mackieuna, Jl. - - - - 179 * mammillaribMes,^?. - 179 *sessilifl6ra,j?. - - 216 Echinus candicans - - 463 iJ'chium c&ndicans - - 355 £lae&gnus orientalis - - 186 song&ria - - - 136 Encephalartos Altenstein« 230 Caffer - - - 230 Frederick Gulielmi - 230 horridus - - - 230 pungens ... 230 E'pacris campanulatarilbra 565 sp. - - . 573 Epidendrum * ^'mulum, Jl. . . - - 42 anisatum - - 512 aromiticum - - - 512 *chloroleiicum,j?. - 182 *coria.ceum,^. - - 456 *macrochilum - - 43 nocturnum - - 512 * var. latifblium.yZ. 314 umbellJltum - - 512 Epigse'a rfepens * var. rubi- cunda,^. - - - 268 Epimedium * macr^nthum, Jl. - - . - tib IJitifrons - - - 566 Epiphyllum splendidum . 566 trunc^tum - 285., cult. 138 £rica, cult. - - 74. 171 cinerca monstrbsa - 554 Linn^owa superba - - 565 vulgaris - . . 6 Eriobutrya japonica -463.,^^. 136 Eriodendron anfractubsum 592 Erythrina Crista-galli - 463 Escallbnia - - - 24 illinita,^^. - - 24 montevidensis, Jig. - 24 Eucalyptus alpina - 231. 471 diversifblia - - 463 obliqua ... 463 resinffera - - 231 robiista . - - 187. 231 * Eucharidium*concinnum, Jl. . . . 313 EClcomis punct&ta . - 355 Eulbphia * macrost^chya, Jl. . . - - 363 fiuphorbm * B6jer»,j?. - 41 *fulgens,^. - - - 181 E. jacquinn&hxn Hort. phosphbrea ... 465 splendens - - - 573 Eutaxia B&xteri K. et W. 452 Eutoca * WrangeUona, Ji. - 38 Fagus sylvatica '256. 347. 491, 492. 496. 518. The fern.leaved . . 439 The Marriage Beech at Inverary ... 472 i^estilca Xi'xii - - - 333 Ficus C^rica - - 186. 229 Dum6r\tia - - 229 elastica . . - 463 Fragaria vesca, cult. - 307. 309 Fraxinus .... 316 americkna - - '. 27 juglandifblia - - 27 Moccas Court Ash - . 47 Ash at Poloc - - 167 Fuchsi'o arborescens - . 277 excorticata - . - 277 globbsa - . - 498 * elegans, Jl- - - - 268 Thoinpsonzaraa - . 555 GaWlirAia bicolor var. Druminondw integerrima, Jl. . - - 180 Garden/fl * pannea, Jl. . . 258 Garrya ell/ptica - - 86 mas, 7?g. . - - 24 Genista inicrophylla - - 228 f monosperma, _/?... 36 splendens - . . 228 stenopetala - - - 228 GentXayiete - - - 367 Gt'sneras * elong Jlta, y?. . 362 * laterltia,^. - - .217 Lindley?,^?. - . 455 G. rutila atrosangui- nea Lindl. *sceptrum var. *igneum, Jl - . .268 Sellbw«,^. . . 180 GWia ach'MecL'f blia . - 499 tricolor . . .499 Gladiolus Dallfeni . . 348 Gleditsch(o triac&nthos . 57. 348 Gongbra atropurpQrea . 512. 560 Grabowsk ia boerhaav/^/o//a, Ji. - . - 455 Crabdwskia. G. Don. IJ/cium boer/iaavi^fb- lium L. Ehritla, halimifdlia L'Herit. 'Lycimn hetcrophyllum Murray. Grammltis Ceterach . 61. 221 Grevilleojuniperina . . 135 GrewM orientalis . . 463 Guaiacvm officinale . 595 Gunddl^a Tournef6rt/V,j?g. 186 Gyranogramma calomelanos 372 chrysophylla . . 372 Gypsocallis vagans . . 121 Habr&nthus Andersbnz var. 5. texanus.j?. . - 457 gracilifblius *var.Booth. ianus,Jl. - - 314 Hsemanthus - . . 324 Hakea ? acicularis - - 135 australis ... 463 7/amamdlis virginica,jf^. - 25 * Hartwdg;a,y?. ■ . 363 lielenmm * undulatum,J?. - 313 //eliotrbpeaj - . .367 i/eliotrbpium corymbbsum . 354 • sp. . . . . 498 J7emcrocalh'de£e - - 367 Heracleum perenne - - 460 HeClchera *cylindracea,^. . 79 /iibiscus mutabilis - - 463 * Hippeastrum * ambiguum, Jl. - . . 81 *brevifl6rum,^. . 182 Horkfelia *fusca,^. . .503 Hosack/iz * stolonifera.J?. -431 Hbvens Cels/ . - .582 Hume« elegans . . 576 i/ypericum baleiricum - 229 chinense - - - 21 H. nepaUnse Hort. /beris *coronaria,j?. - 35 riex .... 327 ^quifT)lium . - 149 var. albo-marginata 11 var.aOreo-marginata 11 Impatiens *scapiflbra,j?. .360 /. bulbhsa Moon Cat. I. acaulis Arn. lonbpsis *tenera,^. . 43 /ridefE - - - 367 Isopbgon Baxter/,^. - 41 Isotoma axillaris . - 498 Jasniineae ... 367 Jasminum azoricum - 463 grandiflbrum - - 463 odoratissimum . - 523 revolfitum - - 229 Juglans, Hickory Nuts, and Bl. Walnut - . 467 rfegia, at Poloc - - 168 ,/uniperus Cedrus . . 228 rec6rva - - - 186 Justic/a coccinea - - 562 Kageneckm crataegciides - 24 Kaulfussea ainellbides - - 498 LIST OF PLANTS. Kcnndd/a coccinea • - 556 Zactuca virbsa - - - 61 LaMirt aiiccps var. Barker. iilna,Ji. - . - 218 Lagerstrcr'm/'n indica - 57 LaiUAna Sellowi - - 463 Z.arix curopx'a - 351. 492, 493 iathvrus grancUflbrus - 277 latil"6Iius filbus - - 579 iai'irus niibilis - - 327 Lavatern arbbrca - - 229 Lechcnaiilt/(i - - 276 LentU-ulariv-c ... 367 Leptosiphdii «iidrosaceus - 499 deiisifliirus - - 499 LcptosptTmura grandifoli- um, Jig. - - 135 triiierve ... 135 l.cyccst6rw formbsa,^^. . 18 iigi'istrum vulgare . .95 iiliaceic ... 367 JLilium bulbffcrum - - 465 percgr'iiiuni.j? . .81 L. cdndidum var. Hort. Brit. • L. byzantinuyn Swert. supcrbum - - - 347 Limnocharis Hiinibi\a. spccidbiUs. Madia elcgans . . 499 Jl. - - . 80 Madilria clegans Dec. Mangifcra indica . . 595 Magnblw ... . 376 acuminata . • .11 conspicua . . 201 Alexandriiin . 21 Soulange(,^. - - 504 Phalingium poracridi&num, fl. - . . 269 Anth^ricum pomcri- di('inum Bot. Hcg. Sciltii pomcridiAna Dec. * Pharbitis *diversifblia, y?. 455 Phaseolus Caraci'illa - - 463 vulgaris, cult. . - 265 Philadtlphus, ,sp. . - 465 * Philibtrt;Vj • gracilis, fl. - .504 Phillyrea - - 327. 461 * Phiiodcndron * crassincr. vium,j?. - . .270 Phlbmis *armenlaca,y?. . 39 LeoniJrus . . 463 Phormium tenax - . 463 Pholinia serrulJita, ^/T. . 136 Phycella*brevituba,yi. - 183 Ph^salis peruviana - - 574 Pimelea * nfvea,yZ. . .41 Plnus - 169, 170., ck/A 'M4 austriaca . . - 32 Banksidna - - 186 brOtia - - 85. 186 canariensis - . 186 cebennensis - - 622 Cc'tnbra - . 186. So6 halep^nsis - - 170 insignis - .32 Laricio ... 186 montereyensis - - 614 Pallasiona . - 186 palAstris - - 186 patula ... 186 pondcrbsa . - 179. 186 pumilio ... 186 rigida ... 170 Sabini^na - - 186 Smiths . . .186 Strbbus [? var. pygmoi'a] 136 sylv^stris,/g-. - - 67 taiirica ... 170 (^"bies) Webb/ana . 186 Pisum, sp. - - - .379 Pittosporum nanum . - 463 sinense ... 229 Tohira,flg. - . 136 Platystemon californicus - 575 i'latanus occidcntaiis ."121. 201 Plcurothallis * ciliita,^. - 80 Pba ncmoralis var. nervbsa 282 Polembnea; - . - 367 LIST OF PLANTS. Xi PoIycSrpia carnbsa - • 228 Polypfidium - - 221 PonteddnVi aziirea - - 71 P. crdssipes Hort. /•opulus . - 169, 170, 171 alba - - - 342 canadensis - - 342 cordifi)lia - - 32 P heterophylla Arb. Brit. - '- - 187 dilatata - V.fastigiuta'Oeii. nionilil'era '- n'lgra salicifblia - viridis P. n\gra var. viridis. Potentilla argentea - - 61 glandulbsa * var. incisa,^. 361 Pbthos sp. ... 565 Pren&iithes arborea - - 228 Prescuttf'rt • colbrans, J?. Primulacese Primula *venusta,^. farinbsa Psidium jiyrfferum . Psoralea * orbiculSiris, J?. Ptdris ... Pterocarpiis marstipium Pimica Gran^tum Pyrola rotundifblia . jP^rus nepalensis tiui5rcus . 1. 3. 31. 124. 342. 492, 493. 518. vE'gilops 61ba Cerris /Ncx - infect()ria palustris pedunculata and vars. Prinns RhhuT - sessilifli)rum - rubra - sessilifiara and vars. SClber . . 31. 229. 462 tinctftria - . 462 vircns . . 31. 229 sp. var. variegata . 11. 201 Oak at Poloc . 168. 170 Singular Oak in the Western Highlands - 472 ilanuncul&cea; . . 367 iianunculus repens . . 591 * Ratab'lda column^ris var. *pulcherrima,j?. - Rudbeckia. column&ris Pursh. Rudbeckia. colum- nifera Forst. Rudbeckia Tagiies James It. Obeliscdria colum- naris Dec. Obeliscd.ria pulch4r- rima Dec. * Rchmannia * chinensis,^. 314 R. glutinosa Libosch. Gerdrd'xa. glutinusa Bunge. Dijiitalis glutinusa Gsrtn. Rctanilla E phedra.^.a^. - 138 Colletia E'phcdra Vent - 536 . 31 - 230 - 44 . 367 . 456 . 552 - 463 . 361 . 221 - 614 - 229 . 61 . 229 31. 462 - 31. 201 . 31. 201 - 31. 149 - 462 . 152 . 237 . 31 . 31 - 31 . 31 . 237 37 /ihcum australe Embdi - Rhizomorpha iihododendron arbbreum . 34 - 619 - 465 - 25. 324. 376 - . 334 var. cinnamdmeum, Jl. - - 431 'R.citinamcimetcmWaW. hybridum - - . 519 CunninghamM - . 565 lerrugincum fibre albo 347 phoeniccum * var. splcn. dcns,^. . . . 313 ponticuin - - 318 Ribcs a • - 93 Gyllcnhall - - . ]08 Hackwood Park . -31 Hale Hall - . . 445 Ham House - . .25 Hampton Court - - 8 High Clerc ' - rs3 Hopctoun House . 93 Isleworth House - 10!) Kinfauns Castle - 60 Kinrara - 67 Kirkmichael House - - 577 Lake House - 361 Laycock Abbey - 312 Lee Park - 31 Luffliess - 93 Lyndhurst - - 588 Maeslaugh Castle -•205 Mar Lodge . 68 May's Park - . 30 Mothvcn Castle - 124. 282 Moccas Court - 31. 47 Moncriefl' House - 122 Moor Park - - 255. 285 Newbattle Abbey - - 579 Newby Hall - - -201 Newington Lodge . - 93 New Posso ... 5:>6 Nunholm ... 577 Nurseries : — Addlestone - - 223 Albion Road - - 268 Allen and Rogers's - 18 Ayr - - - 460 Backhouse's - - 37. 41 Booth's - - 19 Bristol - . 37. 312 Canterbury . - 28 Chichester - - 268 Clapton - 25. 182. 218. 266. 362. 456 DarUng, Sydney . - 584 Epsom - - 361. 456 Exeter - . 39. 74. 181 Ford's . . - 29 Fulham - . 23. 32. 35 Handsworth . - 362 Hammersmith . - 23 Knight's - 32. 218. 269. 376. 4.';7 Lakcnham - . 179 Lawson's . - 32 Layton - . -23 I.e Roy et Fils - - 21 Loddiges's - 28. 31, 32. 44. 138. 143. 152. 181, 182. 218. 324. 365 Mpthven Castle - - 581 Milford - - - 31 Moss's, Mr. - . 207 Norwich - - 216. 231 Rollisson's - . 142. 215 Roy's - - -135 Nurseries : — St Peter's - - 187 Storr's, H. and Sons - 452 Walton - - - 80 Woking - - 31 Oakhill - - - 348 Oakwood - - - 562 Oatlands - - - 112 Oldfield - . - 219 Pendarves - - 122. 354 Pfauen Insel - - 84 Pitfour . - .579 Polam Hill - . - 441 Poloc - . - 167 Pope's Villa - - 22. 27 Powis House - - 580 Povnton - - - 72 Raith - - - 581 Rankcillour - - 579 Saint Margaret's - - 111 Scone - - - 123 Shaw Park . . - 580 Spofforth . - - 431 Stackpole Court - - 28 Stamford Hill . . 453 St. Anne's Hill . - 113 Steuart's, Sir Henry - - 23S Stoke Farm - . 3 Stoke Place - - - 2 Stourhead - - - 255 .Strathficldsayc - - 31 Strood House - - 31 Syon . . . 136. 255 Taplow House . - 6 Ttddington Grove - - 9, 10 Teddington Park House - 9 Tchidy Park - - 122 Tregothnan ... 121 Trelowarren ... 121 Trentham Hall - 470. 535. 510 Trevethow - - - 122 Tuliallan - - 93. 577 Valleyfield Bank - .211 Vicarage, Rickmansworth . 471 Wadley - - - 188 Walton - . - 11*2 Wentworth House - 43. 219 Werrington Park - - 121 West Lodge - - 44<) Weston - - - 41 Woymysshall - - 579 White Knights - 21. 31. 471. 541 Whitton - - - 254 Wimbledon House - - 115 Woburn Abbey - 333. 470. ryiO Woburn Farm - - 113 LIST OF ENGRAVINGS. INSTRUMENTS. Entomological Net - - 107 For removing Caterpillars - 200, 201 Paper Cap for protecting Dahlias - . - 212 Beid's new Hydraulic En. ginc - . . 459 Wilton Shrulvlifter . - 495 GARDEN STRUCTURES. Boiler for an early Forcing. Stove ... 350 Cast-iron Espalier Railing - 206 Curvilinear Trellises - 126, 127 Desigli for combining all the Forcing. houses. Botanical Houses, and Pits and Frames, re<|uircd for a moderate Establishment, . in one Group : — Ground Plan . . 62 Isometrical View of the whole Group - - 63 Transverse Section of the whole Group - G4 Transverse Section of the Vinery - .65 Transverse Section of the Orchideous. House 65 Transverse Section of the Peach-House - 65 Transverse Section of the Plant-Stove - -65 Guard for protecting single Trees - - - 160 Hogg's Patent Conical Boiler 298, 299 Plan, Section, ,"vc.,of a small span-roofed Pit, for Green- house Plants, erected at Stratford Green - 247, 248 Protection for Strawberries 308 Section of an early Forcing Pit, erected at Oakhill Gardens . - . 348 Trellis for training Pear Trees on . - 260 DIAGRAMS. One, Two, or Three Years old Wood of a Pear Tree 123 Illustrative of planting Trees 1.06, 157 Mode of grafting Epiphyl- lum trunciitum on Pe- resk/d aculeata - . 285 Mode of training the Sweet Pea - - - 447 New Mode of grafting the Vine . . -US Peach Tree before Winter pruning . 128 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. Peach Tree aftei winter. |)runing - . - 128 Peach Tree in Fruit - - 12'J Pear Tree on a Wall, or Trellis - - - 128 Section of a proposed Foot- path between Bayswater and Knightsbridge - - 157 Showing the Growth of Trees in exposed Situa- tions - - - 256, 257 BUILDINGS. Chester Holme Cottage 161 Kint'auns Castle 60 PLANTS. Acacia afflnis 135 J'lnus cor.lifblia U3 incana - - - 1+3 viridis 1+3 Amcliinchier florida . 23 sanguinea 22 CeanJithus azureus - 136 coUinus 136 Terasus serrulita 22 Chimonanthus fr^igrans 86 (irandifliirus . - . 86 Colletirt £ phedra - 138 spinbsa . - - 138 jilicina - - - 138 Crat»''gus punctata var. bre- vispina . - - 23 tanacetifdlia var. Lee- dna - - 24 r^tisus aeolicus . . - 22 Eriobi'itrya japonica - - 136 Escallbna. R)bcs multiflbrum niveum sp. 19 19 - 20 - 20 - 19 . 26 - 471 - 137 - 136 - 137 - 137 - 138 - 27 - 27 - 133 Samb'Clcus nigra var. lacini- ata - . . 27 racembsa - - - 28 rciber cibarium, the Truf- fle - - - 413 J'iscum album . - - 209 Yucca rtloifulia - - 623 ENTIRE TREES. /4'bies excelsa, Norway Spruce, at the Whim 250, 251, 253 Man -of- War Spruce at the Whim - - - 252 Spruce Fir Hedge at the Whim - - - 253 nigra at Braco Castle - 255 .^'rbutus /Indr&chne in the Edinburgh Botanic Garden 352 //amam&lis virginica - • 2G 3/urus nigra, the Canter- bury Mulberry ... 187 i^inus sylvestris - - - 68 INSECTS. Anthomjfia cepSrum, the Onion Fly - - - 242 Argyrotbza Bergmanniona, the Rose Moth - . 387 AthMiacentifulia,the Tur- nip Saw-Fly - - - 196 Chl&rops glabra, the Wheat Fly - - - 290, 291, 292 Crioceris asp&ragi, the As- paragus Beetle - . 338 Haltica intermddia - - 108 nemorum. The Turnip Flea- Beetle - - 108 parallela - - - 108 Otiorhynchus sulcatus - 158 Selindria iEUhiops - - 484 Slimy Grub of the Pear Tree - - - 483 Yponomedta padella, the small Ermine Moth - 435 Caterpillars of ditto - 436 PLANS OF GARDENS, THE GROUNDS OF SMALL VILLAS, &c. Design for a Suburban Kitchen-Garden - - 130, 131 Plan of a Flower- (iarden of a regular Pattern - - 302 Plan of the Grounds of Chester Holme Cottage - 163 LIST OF CONTRIBUTORS. A. C, 477. A Constant Reader, 287. A Gen- tleman residing in Berkshire, 521. Agronome's Nephew, 235, 236. 261. Alcock, Harry, 495. Alexander, James, 205. Anderson, William. F.L.S., &c., 172. An Enquirer, 622. Arthur, Robert, 296. Baumann, Napoleon, 518. Beaton, D., 203. 206. 231. 238. 245. Bedford, His Grace the Duke of, 94. Brown, Thomas, 379. Caie, John, 301. Campbell, A., 450. Castles, J., 286. Cathie, Nicol, 189. C. G. M., 191. 240. 288. 336.384.432.480. Christie, Richard, 71. Christy, W., jun., 187. C. L. C. B., 521. C. L. C. G., 189. C. M. G., 47, 48. Conductor, IS. 46, 47. 84. 87. 94. 138. 143, 144, 145, 184, 185, 186. 188, 189. 211. 228. 231,232. 256. 282,283, 284. 286. 333. 365. 376. 460. 464, 465. 467, 468. 471, 472. 478. 516. 518, 519. 591, 522. 524. 526. 529. 617. 620. 621, 622. 824. Cuthill, James, 75. 94. 309. 310, 311. 353. 447. David," A, -323. Davis, T, 256. D. B., 280. Drummond, James, 59. Dupe, William, 517. E. B., 522. E. L., 96. Fish, Robert, 49. 89. 232. Fletcher, John, 95. Forrest, Richard, 185. Forsyth, A., 61. 76. 125. 172. 174. 265. 307. 348. 357, 358. 450. Frost, P., 497, 498. Fyffe, John, 171. 305. 446. G. C, 96., G. G., 9,5. Glendinning, R., 68. 74. G. M., 188. 228. Gorric, Archibald, F.H.S., M.C. H.S., 70. Gowans, William, 117. Grey, Wil- liam, 500. Harland, George, 161. Hassell, Samuel, 461. 477. H. B., 66. Hogg, James, 297. J. W. B., 496. J. A., 477. J. B.,82. J. B. W., 201. 259. 287. 375. 439. 628. J. H. A., 550. J. J., 616. J. M. 286 379. J. O. W., 233. 286, 287. 471. 524. J. P., 621. J. R., 84. L, 520. Lambert, A. B., 186. Lawrence, Charles, 166. 237. 300. Le Couteur, John, 231. Lindsay, T. M., 444. Linwood, W., 2'.)4. M., 378. Mackenzie, Peter, 190. 264. Mackio, Frederick, 231. 471. Maddison, John, 83. 341. M'Evoy, John, 355. Main, J., 234. 489. Major, J., 228. Mallet, R., 283. Manetti, Giuseppe, 56. 476. 624. Mascall, Francis, 389. 408. Masters, W., 187. Maxwell, John, M.P., 167. Mease, James, 468. 476. Mitchinson, James, 354. M'Leay, Alexander, 477. M'Nab, J.,249. M'Nab, William, A.L.S., 352. Munro, James, 61-5. N., 14. Nesfield, W. A., 68. 166. Nickson, John, 445. Nietner, Thomas, 140. N. M. T., 77. 442. N. N., 55. Nuttall, John, 350. Otto, E.,519. Paxton, Joseph, F.L.S. H.S. &c., 141. Pearson, John, 2.37. Pope, Alexander, 135. PuUar, C.,94. Pullen, Charles, 306. Rauch, C, 465. Rinz, J., jun., 519. R. G., 94. Robertson, J., 237. 261. Rutger, Thomas, 1. 109. Selim, 235. Smith, James, 460. Smith, William, 306. Soulange-Bodin, 461. Sowerby, J. De C, 526. Spoor, A. D., 464. :Stock, Daniel, 477. Symonds, Sir W., 188. Symons, T., 138. 263. Taylor, Samuel, 188. 228. Thomas, J. C, 377. Thompson, Robert, 544. T. S., 519. Turnbull. John, 1:34. 211. T. W., 379. Vilmorin, 616. W. A. B., 61. Ward, John, 18S. W. B., 238. .616. W. C, jun., 74. 621. Webster. J., 47. Westwood, J. O., 97. 157. 193. 214. 241. 289. 296. 337. 385. 433. 481. Westwood, M., 285. W. H. B., 285. 615. Whiting, J. B., 499. 524 Wighton, John, 213. 263. 356. 358. 449. 502. Wintersgill, George, 491. (r,^j^*^ Publishing in -MiJiitlily Numbers, at Is. e.ich, to be completed in One Volume 8vo, No. VIII. appearing on January 1., THE SUBURBAN GARDENER, VILLA COMPANION: COMl'RISIXG THE CHOICE OF A SUBIRBAN OR VILLA RESIDENCE, OR OF A SITUATION ON WHICH TO FORM ONE ; THE ARRANGEMENT AND FURNISHING OF THE HOUSE ; THE LAVING OUT, PLANTING, AND GENERAL CULTURE OF THE GARDEN AND GROUNDS ; AND THE MANAGEMENT OF THE VILLA FARM, INCLUDING THE DAIRY AND POULTRY. THE WHOLE ADAPTED FOn GROUNDS FROM ONE PERCH TO FIFTY ACRES AND IJPWARD.S IN EXTENT; AND INTENDED FOR THE INSTRUCTION OF THOSE WHO KNOW LITTLE OF GARDENING AND RURAL AFFAIRS, AND MORE PARTICULARLY FOR THE USE OF LADIES. Illustrated by numerous Engravings, chiefly Ground Plans for laying irut Gardens and Pleasure-Grounds. By J. C. Loudon, F.L.S. H.S., &c. Besides original Designs for laying out and planting grounds, of various degrees of extent, from a few perches to 50 or 60 acres, with analytical and critical remarks on each design. Plans and Views will be given of some of the most celebrated small places in the neighbourhood of London, with tlie Mode of Management, the more remarkable Plants grown, &c. ; and including also, in some ca'^es, the Plan of the House and the Domestic and Farm Offices. Among these will be com- prised the Residence of Mrs. Lawrence at Drayton Green, of the Rev. T. Williams at Hendon Rectory, of Mrs. Marryatt at Wimbledon ; of T. N. Longman, Esq., at Hampstead; of the Duke of Bedford at Camden Hill ; of W. Wells, Esq., at Rcdleaf, &c. ; and, as a conclusion to the whole, will be given an Itinerary of all the more remarkable Suburban Gardens within ten miles of London, pointing out their characteristic beauties. The information respecting fruit trees and culinary vege- tables, in this work, will either be supplied or revised by Mr. Tliompson of tiie London Horticultural Society's Garden, by special permission of the Council of tlie Society. LoNnov : Longman, Ormc, Brown, Green, and Longmans. THE GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, JANUARY, 1837. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. Art. I. Brief Notices, made on several Occasions, mhen visiting some Noblemen s and Gentlemen s Seats, in the Autumn of 1836. By Thomas Rutger. As many of the places named below are, in some instances, amply described in the Ninth Volume of this Magazine, I have endeavoured to avoid repetition, and only noticed such things as may be considered useful and interesting to the gardening world in general, as well as to those who may feel a particular interest in the places visited. Ditton Park. — In taking a view of Ditton Park, the seat of Lord Montagu, I was particularly struck with the fine and lofty timber trees which are arowinfj in a soil which seems to be well adapted for all the kinds indigenous to Britain. Mr. Hutchinson, the gardener, pointed out a lime which, he said, measured nearly 1 30 ft. in height. In the park are some declining oaks of gigantic dimensions. In surveying the lawns, divided, as they are, into several sections, by trees and shrubs of stately growth, it occurred to me that very few places at an equal distance from the metro- polis could be found to offer such advantages for the introduction of all the choice and newly introduced trees and plants, which are now becoming the ornaments of many of the principal gentle- men's seats and villas in this country. Here they would find ample protection, as Well as a soil apparently well suited to their growth. Near one of the small lawns is a green-house, or con- servatory, with a trellis at the back, furnished with young orange trees, which appear healthy : in front of the conservatory is the flower-garden, in a situation which I approve of, it being pretty near the house, and, at the same, time so separated from the lawns as not to interfere with them. The flower-garden is in the Dutch style, with an erection in the centre for seats, which is covered with ivy. On one side of the flower-garden there is a handsome pyramid, or cone, of the giant ivy, mixed with the Ayrshire rose, and the Virginian creeper, supported by the re- VoL, XIII. — No. 82. B 2 Notes on Gardens and Country Seals : — mains of a large red cedar, to the height of about 2.5 ft., which (particularly when the rose is in bloom) is much admired. On walking through the grounds, Mr. Hutchinson pointed out a small vista, through which, in the distance, is seen the statue of George III., erected on the summit of the rising ground, opposite the avenue in Windsor Park, and at a distance, in a straight line from Ditton Park, of about five miles. This was recently discovered by one of the labourers, who iiappened to be at work on a clump situate in the direct line of the vista through which it is seen : in a fine clear day the statue is perfectly visible. Upon the whole, I was much pleased with Ditton Park ; not having seen, for many a long day, such a number of fine specimens of forest trees of all the different kinds, apparently competing with each other which should gain the preeminence in height and bulk of timber. At one corner of the mansion stand a horsechestnut and two other trees, which were severely scorched when the former mansion was burnt down, some twent}' or more years ago ; and, from their appearance, it would seem that the fire had actually laid hold of their leading branches. However, they have withstood the shock; and it is worthy of observation to see how rapidly the fine healthy new bark and wood are extending round the injured branches, and which, in a few years, will hide all defects; a j)roof, this, of the superior quality of the soil. Mr. Hutchinson very kindly received me with my friend, to whom he was before known ; and the latter informed me that he saw considerable improvement in the kitchen-garden since he last visited Ditton Park. At the end of one of the houses, I ob- served three fine and vigorous young plants of the Brugmans/a suaveolens in full flower, nearly 3 ft. high, grov^n from early cuttings, and planted out in May. Stoke Place ; Colonel Vi/sc. — On entering the kitchen-garden, which stands on a fine loamy soil, I was immediately impressed with the luxuriance of the crops. The garden being long, it is divided into several compartments by cross walls, which, together with those at the sides, afford sufficient room lor trees of all the kinds of fruits for which walls are necessary. The trees bore ample testimony to Mr. Patrick's (the gardener) skill in their treatment; the walls nearly all being literally covered from the top to the bottom with fine wood. A few of the peach trees had a slight attack of mildew this season; but, as it came on late, they will not suffer materially. I could not help admiring a wall of morello cherries, both as it respectect the trees, and on ac- count of the very full and fine crop of fruit which they bore. On viewing this garden, I was led to consider whether or not I had ever seen one equal to it ; and the only one I could bring to mind that, in mj' opinion, approached near to it in excellence, was at Wyke House, near Brentford ; which, some thirty years Stoke Place, Stoke Farm. 3 ago, was considered as one of the best gardens round London. There the garden has also the advantage of a loamy soil, but, I think, of a less soapy nature than that at Stoke Place ; and it may, in consequence, be somewhat less productive. In taking a hasty view of the pleasure-ground, Mr. Patrick pointed out what had been done by him by way of improvement ; such as enlarging the water, disposing of the walks, and undu- lating the ground in various places with the excavated soil accumulated by adding to the water, together with the necessary work in forming the clumps and borders, planting trees and shrubs, &c. ; the whole of which must, I think, be highly appre- ciated by all who may visit this place. The earthed up elms and cedars, noticed during your tour here in 1833 (Vol. IX. p. 525.), are still in vigour, and were doubtless saved by the causes you mentioned ; namely, that " the elms spread their roots to a great distance; and, as the earthing up does not extend far from their trunks, they may be saved by that circumstance." However, a fine large oak has fallen a victim to this mode of treatment. For a farther description of the place, your readers may refer to the above page, as my principal design, in this article, is to induce all gardeners to visit this place, who may have the opportunity to do so, as I think a sight of the kitchen-garden alone will well recompense them for their pains. Stoke Farm. — On calling at Stoke Farm, the seat of Lord Sefton, I was pleased to learn that Mr. Oldacre was at home; and, looking at him now as a father in the gardening world, the kind reception I met with was very gratifying. He took me round the kitchen-£>'arden, which has been enlarged at the north side, and a fine wall erected, with a slip at the back. His wall trees were in fine order ; and he has some handsome young pear trees coming on against the walls, which, in a few years, will no doubt be much admired. His late crops of peas were admirable, to the perfection of which the soil seems to be peculiarly adapted. Here, as well as at several places in this neighbourhood, the iJrtissica tribe has suffered severely from an attack of insects, which seem to baffle every means taken to retard their ravages ; and whole crops of broccoli, coleworts, &c., have been destroyed by myriads of these insects in the course of a few days. I hope Mr. Oldacre, or some one in his neighbourhood, will inform you more particularly as to the nature of this apparently new enemy which has made its appearance.* The grapes here were very fine, as were most of the other things that came under my notice. The orchard particularly attracted my attention, as the trees in it, by Mr. Oldacre's judicious mode of pruning, * Since writing the above, I have received the Gardencr''s Magazine for Octo- ber, and read the account at p. 553. of the new species of A^phis, which is, no doubt, the same as above alluded to. B 2 4 Noies on Gardens and Countrij Scats : — pi'esent nearly a fac-siniile of each other ; forming fine round heads, witli handsome boles, and most of them being loaded with frnit. Mr. Oldacre does not permit the branches of the trees to touch the ground, but, by pruning, keeps them about 3 ft. or 4 ft. from the surface. The family being at Stoke Farm, it was not convenient for me to have a view of the flower-gardens and grounds, wiiich I could not help regretting; but, nevertheless, felt myself amply repaid by a sight of the kitchen-garden, and by the kind attention of Mr. Oldacre, who, as a kitchen-gardener, has for so many years preserved a high reputation. Dropmorc. — On approaching Dropmore from the Burnham side, my anticipations, as far as it regards the approach to a place of such celebrity, were not realised ; the soil, apparently, not being congenial to the growth of fine E)iglish timber trees ; and too few of them are to be seen to give that character to the place which is to be found in some others of less magnitude. To landscape-gardeners in general, I conceive that Dropmore, with regard to the scenery of its interioi", does not yield that satisfaction which they may be led to expect from mere report; but to the admirers of Flora, in all her richest varieties of beauty and splendour, when heightened by the free introduction of ar- chitectural ornaments, such as vases, pedestals, statues, &c., it cannot fail to afford a rich repast. In short, there seems to be almost a redundancy of beauty and variety here, a description of which a transient visitor can scarcely attempt to give. Mr. Frost, with a limited number of hands, when compared with former years, perseveres with the utmost ardour in improve- ments, and in keeping up a perpetual succession of all that is most select, rare, and beautiful in the flower-garden and its appendages ; to accomplish which thousands of pots nuist be necessary, in the course of the season, for a constant reserve, to replace such of the flowers as are dying off* in the numerous clumps and borders which he has to supply. The pinetum is still progressing, and many specimens are to be seen thriving admirably, in a soil which seems better adapted for pines than for most of the indigenous and deciduous trees of Britain. Im- provements in enlarging the water, and making rough banks with the excavated soil alluded to in Vol. III. p. 263., are still carrying on, at a great outlay of labour and expense ; and, for convenience as well as for ornament, a bridge is to be constructed over a part of the water. Upon these rough banks the pinetum is extending, and eventually must give a character of no ordinary kind to that portion of the grounds. "^I'lie cedar drive, as it is called, consisting of a winding avenue of the cedar of Lebanon of about one third of a mile in length, begins to assume a strik- ing appearance. The trees are of about 25 years' growth, and are planted at a distance from each other sufficient to show their Dropmore, Cliefden House. 5 beauty when arrived at maturity. At present, they may average about 25 ft. or 30 ft. in height, and are backed up by a plantation on each side. As a matter of taste, perhaps some may think that, in some parts of the grounds at Dropmore, the transitions are too sudden, from those which are in high keeping, to those which are rough and nearly in a state of nature ; but this could be easily remedied, should it be thought desirable. In the kitchen-garden, Mr. Frost has begun to try his skill at pine-growing, in which, I think, there is but little doubt of his succeeding, as his small young stock is in a fine healthy state, and promises to make fine plants for fruiting. I regretted much that the day was so far spent as to afford much less time than I desired, not only for viewing the premises, but also for conversing with Mr. Frost, whom I found very intelligent, and not less kind in his attentions. He has a nice little library, which augurs well. Cliefden House. — The approach on the Dropmore side to Cliefden House, the seat of Sir George Warrender, is by a lodge; after passing which the road curves to the right, sheltered by trees on each side, for about a hundred yards; when it enters the grand avenue, and, with a turn to the left when it reaches the centre, proceeds in a straight line of about a quarter of a mile to the iron gates, on each side of which there is an iron palisade, attached to walls built at right angles, and extending on either side towards the extreme wings of the mansion. These walls, together with the house and palisades, form a large qua- drangle, which may be considered as the court of honour. The avenue, with its broad road and wide verges, or rather slips, together with the mansion and court of honour, cannot fail to produce a striking effect on the visitor when enteiing on that side of the premises. The walls on each side of the q^uadrangle form parts of the boundaries of two gardens detached from each other, in which are carried on the forcing and growing of fruit, vegetables, &c. The lawn on the terrace side of the mansion (described in Vol. IX. p. 6^5.)^ and intended to be laid out as a flower-garden, remains in statu quo. Mr. Dodds retains his ardour as a florist as well as a gardener, and, apparently, excels in both. His pines w^ere in fine condition ; and he showed me a fine light-coloured seedling dahlia, which gained the first prize at the Euglefield Green show, on the following day. On leaving Cliefden on the Taplow side, the road leads down, and winds through a woody glen, where there is a small lake, and some dressed ground. The trees here look fine ; and Mr. Dodds has made some improvements in enlarging the water, &c. One thing struck me with regard to Cliefden; namely, that, to make a place of such a character complete, there should be at least two or three hundred acres of park attached to it. I observed, on a B 3 6 Notes oil Gardens and Country Seats : — piece of lawn at the commencement of the avenue near the lodge, some patches of >Erica vulgaris, which, perhaps, to many might appear to*look out of place ; there could be no objection, however, to this plant being introduced as a skirting at each side of the avenue, close to the bottom of the branches of the trees. Taploxv House. — I was highly delighted with the grounds at Taplovv House, the seat of Pascoe Grenfell, Esq. ; and I know of no place of equal extent that could afford me greater satis- faction ; but, as you have given in detail most of the beauties of this place (Vol. IX. p. 658.), I shall refrain, and only notice a few things which may be interesting to some of your readers. Mr. Springall is still here, and, I believe, enjoys the respect of all who know him. He is a good gardener, and indefatigable in his pursuits to bring to, and keep in, perfection all that comes under his management. The cones of pelargoniums noticed by you are more splendid than ever, and form very delightful objects on the lawn ; but, as they arc taken up every autumn, it is almost wonderful how they are so well kept, as to be brought out every spring, with little or no injury. I think Mr. Springall told me that now one or two of them were 7 ft. high, and S^ ft. in di- ameter. Mr. Springall, in common with many of his profession, is a lover of dahlias ; but, perhaps, not so much in the way of a florist as some others ; as he retains a prime dahlia, if a good bor- der flower, as answering his purpose equally with any new variety that may turn up. Hence, he has many excellent varieties which, as show flowers, would be thought little of. His mode of en- livening the clumps of evergreens on the lawn, as well as the shrubberies which may chance to fall on the sides of the walks, may be worthy of notice, as being not generally adopted. He allows about 4 ft, space of border round the clumps, and along the shrubberies ; which, during the summer, is well supplied with a portion of every thing that is showy and beautiful ; and it is astonishing what effect he produces by this means. On one side of the lawn is a small oval flower-garden, quite in seclusion : the beds are on grass, and most of them filled with masses of the most choice flowering plants of the present day. This is a very pleasing retreat, in which there is a small recess with a seat, overhunn; with foliasje. There was a beautiful cone of trained purple petunias on the lawn, which, with the cones of geraniums, and other tasteful devices, rendered the whole most delightful. In walking round the kitchen-garden, I was arrested by the appearance of a fine and full crop of raspberries just coming in forgathering: this, on the first day of September, I thought a rare thing, i:)articularly as I saw that they were not of the old double-bearing kind. Mr. Springall told me they were a distinct variety from any other, and that he received them, some years ago, from the north ; but, nevertheless, that a different kind of Tapl&w House, Ciimberland Lodge Gardens. 7 treatment was necessary than that of the common mode. It is this : — At the spring season, when the common kinds begin to shoot, these are all cut down nearly to the surface of the ground : the consequence is, that, histead of fruit, new shoots are produced, which in the autumn bring forth a crop. However, it is necessary, from this mode of procedure, to keep up a constant succession of young plants, as in two or three years, at most, the old ones will be worn out: hence Mr. Springall, every season, plants out two or three rows of young plants ; which plan is, year after year, fol- lowed on through the quarter, at the same tinie destroying the old plants that have become useless. There are, doubtless, many gai'deners who are acquainted with the above mode of producing a late crop of raspberries; but to such as are strangers to it the above may be useful. Here I saw a crop of the large-veined white beet, the leaves of which, I was given to understand, were used as a substitute for spinach, by first separating all the small veins from the leafy part, and then boiling it in the common way; and that the large white rib in the centre was used as a substitute for sea-kale. A friend of mine has since favoured me with a root of this plant; and I am willing to allow that the leaf, when separated from the veins, and well boiled, may be considered as a very good substitute for spinach ; but I cannot speak so favour- ably of the midrib answering instead of sea-kale, as its flavour is far less delicate, and accompanied with a taste that is much less agreeable. But to return, Mr. Springall's peach trees under frames do him great credit: he has had an abundant crop of fine fruit this year; and the wood promises equal success for the en- suing season. On bidding adieu to Mr. Springall, I considered that I was parting from one who possessed that complete devo- tion to his calling, upon which success, in general, depends, and in which he has pi'eeminently distinguished himself. Cumberland Lodge Gardens. — The object of my visit to these gardens was principally to have a sight of the celebrated vine growing there ; and my expectations, from what I had heard, were more than realised. I was informed by one, but which was contradicted by another, that this vine was raised from a cutting of the laroe vine at Hampton Court. Be this as it may, it is but of little consequence : it is sufficient to know that they are both of the black Hamburg kind. The vine at Cumberland Lodge Gardens is '2,5 years old, and is planted inside about mid- way from back to front, standing at nearly equal distances from each end of a house, which, by repeated lengthenings, is now 138 ft. long. The breadth of the house is 15 ft. The last ad- dition to it was made at the eastern end, about a year ago ; it will consequently take a year or two more before the vine will have completely filled that end of the house : when it has, I was in- formed, it is in contemplation to widen the house at the front, B 4 8 Notes on Gardens and Countri) Seats : — in the same way as that has been clone which is at Hampton Court. The vine is in a vigorous state, and has made fine long and strong wood this season, at that end of the house which was lengthened last. I was told there were about 2000 bunches hanghig on it when I saw it. The berries were finely swelled, and coming to a good colour ; and some of the bunches towards the eastern extremity of the plant, upon the youngest wood, must, I think, have weighed 2 lb. The sight was splendid, and left me no room for regret in going a few miles out of my way to see it. If the dimensions which have been given me of the house at Hampton Court be correct, namely, 72 ft, by 28 ft., it will be found that there are 54 square feet more in the area of the house at Cumberland Lodge, than in that at Hampton Court. Hampton Court Gardens. — These gardens, now under the control of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, and under the improving hand of Mr. Johnson, are renovating, and be- ginning to assume a more pleasing character than they did a few years ago. The fine broad walks are in good order, and most of them now appear nearly full of gravel, which has been effected by the addition of gravel at the sides, and lowering the verges. Mr. Johnson intends to proceed in this way until the whole are completed. The large middle walk, running lengthwise, and formerly of gravel, has been thrown into grass, which, I think, will be considered an improvement. The walks in the wilder- ness are also being renovated, and, when completed, will form fine shady promenades for the visitors. Mr. Johnson has been introducing as many of the climbing roses as he has been able to get against the long wall, which has been effected by budding chiefly upon the common china rose, in which he has been more than ordinarily successful. He finds a difficulty in bringing many of the showy herbaceous plants and annuals to that perfection which is desirable in the borders, on account of the numerous old yews, hollies, &c., that are growing there, and which, much as they may be considered in character with the place, prove highly detrimental to the flowers. The introduction of new soil for the herbaceous plants avails but little, as, by the time they get established, the roots of the trees are fpund penetrating through it in all directions, and thus robbing them of their intended nourishment. However, by Mr. Johnson's judicious management, no doubt all will be done that can be towards em- bellishment, and particularly with the assistance of such kinds of plants and flowers as vvill be found to be most in character with the place. The number of visitors at Hampton Court during the summer months is almost beyond calculation. Sundays and Mondays are the principal days for mechanics, artisans, &c., who pour out of London in multitudes for a day's recreation. On these Hamilton Court Gardens^ Teddington. 9 days may be seen humble vehicles of all descriptions brimful of visitors, to the amount, on a fine day, of from two to three hundred : many of these are vans, which hold from twenty to twenty-five persons each. The house which contains the large vine at Hampton Court, having been widened about 8 ft., the branches have been laid out so as cover the whole of the trellis beneath the glass ; conse- quently, the bunches of grapes (whether they are so, or not) ap- pear by far less numerous than heretofore: added to this, a kind of rust has spread itself over a vast number of the berries, which lias prevented their swelling; so that, altogether, the vine with its fruit does not present such a striking effect now as it has done in former years. This disease, whatever it may be, has been still more fatal in its effects in a vinery at Bushy Park, in which nearly every bunch of grapes has been affected ; and it has so prevented the fruit from swelling, as that the berries of the black Hamburg; in some of the bunches are not larjjer than marrowfat peas. It seems that tlie disease is nearly, if not quite, confined to the late crops, as in a house adjoining, which has been forced, nothing of the kind has appeared. It is to be hoped that the cause of this disease will be ascertained, as, if not, and should it increase in future on the vine at Hampton Court, it must, in a ^ew years, greatly detract, not only from the beauty, but from the value, of that celebrated vine. Teddington. — In this comparatively quiet and peaceable village are several small places that are interesting, two of which have more particularly come under my view, namely, that of Parle House, belonging to Miss Mercer ; and Teddington Grove, the residence of J. M. Strachan, Esq. The former is comprised in less than four acres of ground, including the kitchen-garden, stables, &c. Considerable taste has been here displayed in the formation of the walks and shrubberies ; and there is as much variety in them as could be well introduced into so small a place. The house, with a conservatory attached, is beautifully situated, immediately opposite the entrance to Bushy Park ; and from the upper rooms there is a delightful view of the grand avenue leading to Hampton Court. Bushy Park may therefore be considered as a valuable appendage to this place. Unfortunately, for want of ground on the west side, the stables and kitchen-garden are so placed as to render it necessary to go through the pleasure-ground to get to them ; which is objection- able, and should always be avoided if possible. Hence the lawn, which surrounds three sides of the house, is divided by a shrub- bery, in order to have a walk through it as private as may be to the stables and kitchen-garden. One portion of the lawn, bounded by a shrubbery on one side, and a walk on the other, forms something like an oval of about 100 ft. in length, in the 1 0 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats : — - centre of which stands a large Spanish chestnut, covering with its foHage nearly one third of the length of the oval; and on the verge of the same oval there is a large walnut tree. The other, and larger, portion of the lawn is studded with about a dozen fruit trees, consisting of two mulberry trees, two walnut trees, and the remainder with apples and pears. All this is so inconsistent with taste, that the bare mentioning of it is sufficient ; and par- ticularly in this case, where there are so many choice things in the shrubberies, that are on the point of being ruined unless removed ; and Mv. Brownlee, the gardener, would doubtless be happy could he gain permission to have some of them transferred as embellishments to the lawn, in place of the trees above men- tioned. He has already made considerable alterations and im- provements in the walks and shrubberies since their original formation, and has more in contemplation, which he hopes he shall have permission to carry into execution. The beauty of this place might- also be much heightened by the introduction of vases, and other embellishments, which might be procured at Mr. Austin's manufactory, in the New Road. Mr. Brownlee is zealous in his pursuit after dahlias, and, in proportion to the number he is able to grow, has been very successful, this season, in obtaining prizes at the shows in the neighbourhood. The grounds at Teddington Grove are larger than those at Park House, and, consequently, capable of greater variety. It is situate on the side of the road, a little distance from the village of Teddington, on the Twickenham side ; and from the upper rooms of the house there is a ijood view of the Thames and Richmond Hill. The kitchen-garden, forcing-houses, and frame ground lie contiguous to the stable-yard, which is always advan- tageous. A pretty good share of judgment has been here dis- played in laying out the walks, shrubberies, and lawn. At the north side of the lawn there is a neat conservatory, fronted by a flower-garden, and partly surrounded by a shrubbery, the beds of which are on the grass at the south eni\. In the shrubbery, raised on a mound, stands a rustic summer-house, neatly con- structed, partly in the Gothic style, from which through a vista is seen the Star and Garter on Richmond Plill. At the front of the summer-house there is another flower-<;arden on turf; and nearly adjoining, in a kind of recess, stands what has been an ornamental dairy; in front of which is a circular basin, surrounded by rockwork, with a fountain in its centre. In proceeding by the side of a sort of wilderness, a walk leads down to a tunnel, which they call the grotto, and which is constructed under the public road. This forms the approach to a field, round the verge of which a walk, backed up by a shrubbery, leads down to the Thames. On the lawn stands a very fine box tree, forming a com- plete cone of 27 yards round, and 14ft.high; and another, which Teddington Grove. 11 forms part of the frontage of the shrubbery, measures in front 18 ft. in the hne of the shrubbery, and is 16 ft. high. At the south end of the lawn grows a handsome round-headed variegated oak, about 30 ft. high ; there are also two good specimens of the red cedar, one of which is about 30 ft. high ; and likewise a handsome upright cypress, in full vigour, about ^O ft. high. Here are also some fine-growing plants of the gold and silver variegated holly, but, unfortunately, in situations where they do not appear to advantage. Fine specimens of Magnoh'a acuminata and M. tripetala are growing on the lawn, and, in a few years, will make handsome trees. Cercis canadensis grows well here, and there is one handsome specimen about 25 ft. high. In walking through the grounds I was pleased with the formation of the shrubberies, they being so disposed as to relieve each other, as well as the eye of the observer, and thus presenting a continued variety in passing onward through the walks of the place. Mr. Bear, the gardener, in common widi his brother gardeners in this neigh- bourhood, grows some good dahlias ; his camellias in the con- servatory look extremely well ; and he has grown some fine petunias and thunbergias in pots this year, trained to cone- shaped trellises, which were introduced at the dahlia show at Teddington, on Sept. 12,, with considerable effect. Mr. Steers of Teddington is considered a good grower of pines : his ground, containing about a quarter of an acre, is full of houses and pits; and from these he has ripened 700 fruit this year. His fruiting plants for next year are now (the 1st of October) in a fine healthy growing state. The fruiting-houses, at present empty, are in preparation to receive the plants from the pits, which have been shifted into the fruiting-pots for some time; he, therefore, has nothing to do farther in removing them, than to carry them, and at once to plunge them in the tan-beds, which is done without their being tied up. Mr. Steers occa- sionally keeps a few of the old stock of the queen pine over year, and on each suffers two suckers to remain, from which, in the following season, he says he cuts fruit of about 2J lb, in weight. The largest queen pine he ever cut weighed 4 lb, ; and, if he pre- serves, his plants well through the coming winter, I think there is a probability of his having many nearly, if not quite, equal to that in weight. The compost which he uses appears very simple, being nothing more, apparently, than a light yellow rich loam, somewhat of a calcareous natuie, with a small portion of old tan or vegetable mould mixed up with it towards the bottom of the pots. In turning out a few of the plants which had been potted about three weeks, the roots of several had made considerable progress towards covering the outside circle of the ball, and ap- peared as healthy as possible ; the leaves, at the same time, exhi- biting a breadth and verdure not often to be seen. Here, as 12 Notes on Gardc7is and Countrjj Seats : — well as in all the places I have seen in this neighbourhood where pines are grown, the plants are quite free from insects of every description, which may be in a great measure attributed to the suckers and crowns being brought forward in dung heat, the steam of which destroys every thing of the kind. Mr. Steers says that it is of little consequence to him, in getting suckers or crowns from other places, whether they are clean or not; as, by first plunging them in dung heat, he is never after troubled with insects of any kind. His beds were all uniformly, or nearly so, of a milk-warm temperature. Cambridge House. — On approaching Richmond from Twick- enham, this place is situate on the right, near Richmond Bridge, and, of course, on the bank of the Thames. The house stands on a flat park-like lawn, of about sixty acres in extent, on which there are some fine handsome elms. The present proprietor is H. Bevan, Esq., who, since the purchase, a little more than two years ago, has made considerable improvements, among which are a new lodge entrance, and an approach to the house. The kitchen-garden contains about an acre and a half within the walls, in which Mr. Bevan has erected two good ranges of forcing-houses and four ranges of pits. One of the ranges, nearly 100 ft, in length, is divided into three compartments, which are appropriated for an early and late peach-house, and a grapery. The trellis under the glass for the early peach-house is continued up straight for nearly two thirds the length of the lights ; and that for the late peach-house forms a complete quarter of a circle from the front ; thus letting in a larger poi-- tion of sun and light to the trees at the back. The other range, for pineries, about 70 ft. long, is also divided into three, which appear admirably constructed for fruiting-houses. The four ranges of pits are in front of each other, and each about 40 ft. in length, and of different widths. The widest one, at the back, is for pines; and the others for melons, cucumbers, &c. All these pits are heated with dung linings, which are well covered all round with sloping shutters. The whole of these houses and pits are constructed in the most substantial manner, and, ap- parently, without regard to expense; much to the credit both of the proprietor, and of the person who gave the designs. All the houses are heated with hot water, which Mr. Wilson, the gardener, approves of beyond any other system of heating. Mr. Wilson practises largely the drilling system with his garden crops ; which, while it gives a neatness in appearance, is highly advantageous for thinning and cleaning. On the side of the approach from the kitchen-garden towards the house, a lofty sj^an-roofed orangery has been erected: its dimensions are 50 ft. long, by 25 ft. wide. The roof is hipped, or sloped back, at the ends ; and half the roof at the back is of glass, and half Cambridge House. 13 of slate. The house is warmed with hot water ; but, on account of its loftiness, and of the quantity of glass used in its con- struction, the frost must be with difficulty kept out in severe weather. Attached to the mansion stands a conservatory, or green-house, which is constructed in a superior style when com- pared with the orangery. It is about 40 ft. long, with a span roof of glass, heightened at the top, by the upper range of lights on each side being raised on an upright range of glass constructed upon the extremity of the lower range, and sup- ported by elliptical and ornamental iron brackets, whicli give a good relief, and particularly when they are clothed with creepers. This house has a stage in the centre, and is well furnished with plants ; while, by the assistance of several ornamental devices, and a large vase containing gold fishes, it is rendered attractive, and forms a handsome appendage to the drawingroom. The principal point of attraction from the grounds is the bank on the opposite side of the Thames, which, rising suddenly, forms Richmond Hill ; the slope of which, interspersed as it is with villas, and covered with trees and shrubs of various kinds, presents to the eye one of the most charming views conceivable for so contracted a prospect. On driving through Petersham, I was invited in to see a small place, the residence of R. Thorley, Esq., where I was pleasingly struck with a small orange grove, consisting of about fifty or more trees, neatly arranged in four rows ; the highest of them being about 8 ft. Very many of these trees were loaded with fruit, and all of them in a good healthy state: some of them are of the blood-red, and others of different kinds of sweet oranges, the fruit from which are sent to the table. Mr. Jones, the gardener, may be reckoned a complete dahlia florist; and as such he has a regular, though small, dahlia ground of sixteen yards long by eleven yards wide, which is fancifully laid out in borders and walks with box edgings. He has gained several prizes this year. He has to struggle against a sandy soil for his peach border, but which he manages admirably, so as, in general, to have a full crop every year. In order to secure the bloom in the spring, he has a length of bunting for the whole of the wall, which is drawn up and let down at pleasure. The roots of his trees run under the gravel walk, which is parallel with the wall, leaving only about 5 ft. of border, on which scarcely anything is suffered to grow. This small portion of border is kept well mulched every summer, I think he said with cow-dung, which is afterwards pricked in with the fork. In dry summers, almost daily watering is resorted to, as otherwise the fruit would drop before it arrived at maturity. Mr. Jones is not particular about handsome training, but labours chiefly to have his wall filled ; in which he succeeds extremely well ; and, at the present time, little 14" Discrepanci/ of Tei-restrial and Atmosplieric Temperature, of it is to be seen but what is well furnished with wood. Here are a plant-house and grapery ; and, adjoining the latter, there is what is called the ball-room, but which is at present used for wintering the orange trees, for which it is very well adapted. This little place is the picture of neatness during the summer, and is particularly gay with flowers, especially along a line of border, which separates the peach wall from the view of the house. (7*0 he continued.^ Art. II. On the Discrepancy of Ter^-estrial and Atmospheric Tem- perature, ivith regard to the Cultivation of Exotics, more particularly the Vine; and on the proper Application of Water, so as to render it a henejicial Agent in elevating the Temperature of the Soil. By N. Most of the objects of British horticulture being natives of warmer climates than that to which they are transferred, it becomes an important study to afford them, by artificial means, a climate as nearly as possible approaching to that of their respective habitats. Hence many are placed so as to receive additional warmth, from the accumulation of solar heat, against walls, or some other intercepting medium; and this accumula- tion will be found to be in proportion to the privation of heat, which the medium, whatever it may be, occasions to the space or objects on the opposite side. We can, to a certain extent, divert the elements from one object to another ; but, although we can do this to a great extent, we cannot unlimitedly : and better it is that such is the case, otherwise the surface of the earth, from the monopolisation of light, for instance, in some places, would have been rendered a chequer of light and dark- ness. If, instead of a wall of opaque materials, a plane of perfectly translucent glass could be raised, no privation of heat would be the consequence as regards the north side; and, according to what is above stated, no accumulation towards the south would take place. The transparency of this plane, so beneficial under other circumstances, would, in this case, be totally unavailing in the acceleration of vegetation. Glass, highly transparent, when properly situated, has the property of transmitting nearly the whole of the solar rays to the interior of a house ; and their lieat, by diffusion, raises the interior atmosphere of the dwell- ing. This diffusion is, however, not unlimited ; for the intensity of communicated heat must bear a relation to the proportion of the volume of air to that of the surface of glass ; and will tend to diminish inversely as the former is increased in proportion to the latter. Most gardeners will agree that very wide houses 'with regard to the Cnltivatioji of Exotics. 15 are objectionable; and many have experienced their ill effects. Those who have houses to erect would, therefore, do well to turn their attention to a thorough investigation of this subject, on which the result of one slight calculation may incline them to enter more seriously. Supposing, for the sake of easy num- bers, one house to be 20 ft. high, and 20 ft. wide; and another to be soft, high, and only 10ft. wide: the contents of the for- mer are exactly double those of the latter ; and, at the same time, instead of containing double the surface of glass in its roof, it has scarcely one third more; being nearly in the pro- portion of 28 for the house of double volume, to, not 14, but 22, for the one of half the internal capacitj". In the wide house, every square foot of glass has to heat upwards of 7 cubic feet of air; in the narrow house, about 4|;ft. In what may be termed the higher department of forcing, there are, perhaps, fewer objectionable points than in the lower scale; where the plants are not kept in pots, and are conse- quently liable to great discrepancy between their terrestrial and atmospheric temperatures. Much has been written on the latter; and in practice it has been found best to approximate it as nearly as possible to that climate in which the given species of exotic plants naturally acquires the highest perfection. Beyond this, nothing need or can be advanced ; but, with regard to what may be termed terrestrial temperature, something useful may be stated. The vine, for instance, as regards temperature, may be, and often is, so situated as to have its shoots in the climate of Syria, whilst at the same time its roots are in that of Britain. Such being the case, there need be less surprise at the ill success which occasionally accompanies its cultivation, than at the reputed inexplicable causes of bad setting, shriveling, and shanking of the grapes. The mean temperature of the soil, or that portion of the earth extending to several feet below its surface, is nearly the same as the mean temperature of the incumbent atmosphere. The soil of England, so far as the generality of roots penetrate, may therefore be estimated at about 50° Fahr, for the average. In Armenia and Syria (which may be reckoned the native region of the vine, for there, since the remotest accounts of history, it has felt itself at home,) the mean temperature of the soil will not be below 60° ; and in the growing season its tem- perature will, doubtless, be above 70°, corresponding with the temperature of the atmosphere which is imitated in the vineries of Britain ; but forming a great discrepancy with the temperature of the soil of this country. But, although this will be allowed to be bad, still the worst of the evil remains to be noticed : the above is only a medium case of general occurrence ; and, although some may not be so widely different as 10° in the action of tem- perature on root and branch, yet there are, in all probability, 16 Discrepancy/ of Terrestrial and Atmospheric Tem-perature, a greater number of cases in which the difference is considerably increased, from various causes powerfully tending to lower the temperature of the border. In order to illustrate some of the causes which have this ten- dency, let us make an experiment wherein the agencies bear close analogy to what actually occurs. Let a box, water-tight, be nearly filled with loose mould or peat, or sand, or even the composition of a vine border ; let this be tolerably dry^ in order to increase its capacity for water cooled to the temperature of 50°; then saturated with snow water a little above the freezing point. This process, with the aid of a frosty night, will bring the contents of the box below 40°, and is supposed to take place in the winter or early part of spring. If the box be 3 ft. deep, the sun's rays will not affect it far below the surface, since water is not easily heated from above ; and, besides, the heat through the day will, at that season, be greatly counteracted by the cold at night. As the season advances, rain may be expected of a temperature above 60°; and this, under some circumstances, to be hereafter explained, would produce a very considerable effect. Unfortunately, however, the box was made water-tight; and its contents, being completely saturated with nearly gelid water, cold and heavy, and mechanically immovable by the descending warmer and lighter fluid, the latter must recede by the surface in quest of an unoccupied lower level, after producing only a slight effect on the surface of the contents of the box. The analogy between this and a badly drained outside vine border is so obvious that it need not be traced : similarity might, indeed, be substituted for analogy. Nor is it necessary to point out the injurious consequences that must accrue to the forcing vine. He that is not sufficiently impressed with this, has only to imagine his feet to be plunged in the one temperature, and his body in the other : the bare idea of such will make him shudder. Let us now, with the same box, and similar materials, en- deavour to produce a different result ; commencing by piercing the bottom, and making a complete drainage; and, further, keeping the contents as dry as possible, and neither exposing them to the sleety shower, nor placing them exterior to the front of the vinery, where it would receive an overshot of snow from the slippery roof; but letting the surface be snugly covered, or thatched from all such drenching, till genial showers of the tem- perature of 60° or more begin to fall. The latter may find it below 50°, but it is not likely to be much below. If it should be thus low, the water of the above warmth would percolate speedily from top to bottom, and communicate its heat during its progressive descent. The soil being diy, a portion of the water would be held by capillary attraction among the particles xvith regard to the Cultivation of Exotics. 1 7 of the former in the first instance ; superabundance to this would be carried off by the drainage at the bottom, making room for a fresh supply of water, imparting a farther elevation of temper- ature, till the whole became ultimately on a par with the rain, or very nearly so. This process might be greatly accelerated by stirring the sur- face, or inverting it, when well heated by the sun's rays, so as to turn up a fresh portion to their influence. A considerable heat might be rvorked in by this means, even to the depth of the upper roots of the plants, and farther than that penetrated by the rain ; but, the presence of the latter being necessary in other respects, it becomes a useful and appropriate conveyer of heat to a greater depth among the roots than could be accomplished in the open ground otherwise than by its soft insinuation. It is hoped that the preceding remarks will be the means of directing attention to the necessity' of an approximation of ter- restrial and atmospheric temperature as regards the cultivation of exoticsj and particularly that of the vine ; and also to the use of water as a medium by which an increase of terrestrial heat is speedily communicated, when the former is properly applied, that is, when it is of a higher temperature than the substances with which it is brought in contact; and to the negative injurious consequences which follow its application at a low temperature. It is presumed that it will not be transgressing the limits of this Magazine, to mention some of the advantages which the agriculturist, and, consequently, mankind in general, may derive from operations of culture, when conducted on principles that are founded on a knowledge of the laws of nature. These laws produce the effects attempted to be exhibited in the preceding observations; for such they may properly be termed, being penned from the result of actual observation, and, therefore, not to be considered as mere theory. The wastes of Britain might be made to support all the un- employed able-bodied poor; and also to repay the advance of capital necessary in the first instance, before any I'etuin could be expected. The return must result from a judicious system of diainage, keeping in view the principles I have stated. There are places so low, that drains will not act; yet human ingenuity might easily surmount this difficulty. There are, however, many slopes to which this objection is not applicable, which are yet declared to be so cold, that grain, &c., will not succeed on them, and, therefore, not at all likely to repay any expenditure. We will select a sample of such a situation, and that a very un- favourable one ; viz. the sloping base of the north side of a hill. It is wet, and so cold, from the descent of snoxa-vsaterfrom the upper part of the hill, that mosses, natives of the frigid regions, greatly abound on it. It is evident the first proceeding must Vol. XIII.— No. 82. c 1 8 New harily Trees and Shrubs be to cut off, by a large drain or ditch, the communication of the mountain water, and render the intended fields insulated. The tract is then to be drained in the most obvious directions. By these proceedings, the character of the vegetation will begin to change, even before the surface is broken up by plough or spade. I mention the latter, for the land may now be considered redeemed for ever, with a little attention towards keeping the conduits in a clear state ; and, therefore, may have a trenching bestowed upon it. The mosses would be annihilated, and even their seeds would not vegetate in a habitat so metamorphosed. This hitherto undisturbed tribe of vegetation would be resolved into vegetable mould, and afford excellent food for turnips, hay, or corn. The distinction between warm and cold soils, bearing the same relation to the solar heat, will be nearly done away with, if w-e can render the cold soil so pervious as to enable us to deprive it of its store of gelid moisture, in order that it may imbibe the summer showers. Wheat succeeds in Morayshire, though not at all in parts of Scotland much farther south. That county suffers from the drought in the early part of the season, which shows it to be deprived then of all cold moisture; but, when the summer rains begin to tall, vegetation proceeds most rapidly ; and the wheat grown in it brings a fair price in the London market. N. Art. III. Arboriculiural Notices; or. Notices of new hardy Trees and Shrubs deserving oj" general Cidtivation in useful or ornamental Plantations. Some new ligneous plants have been raised from Nepal seeds in the Horticultural Society's Garden ; though but few of them are sufficiently advanced to be either correctly named, or fit for distribution. That splendid plant, Leycester/a for- mosa Wall. {Arboretum Britanniciim, p. 1060., and our Jig. 1.), is a most beautiful shrub when in a flowering state, from the contrast of the deep green hue of its stem and leaves with the purple colour of its large bracteas and berries. It was introduced into British gardens in 1824; and it flowered soon afterwards in the nursery of Messrs. Allen and Rogers at Battersea, whence specimens were sent to the late Mr. Sweet and Mr. G. Don. It is a rambling shrub, with the general appearance of a honeysuckle ; and it will probably prove somewhat tender in this country ; but, as it is easily propa- gated by cuttings, or by seeds, w-hich it produces in abun- dance, a stock of plants might be kept in readiness to provide for accidental losses. Trained against a conservative wall, it (lescrvi^ig of general Cultivation. 19 would have a brilliant effect ill autumn ; or it niioht even merit a place in a conserva- tory. As soon as the plants -= raised in the Horticultural Society's Garden are fit to distribute, this fine plant will probably find its way into all choice collections. A'cev jglatanoides Lo- be!// [Arboretuvi Britan- nicum., p. 409.) is now in several British nurseries ; and plants may also be pro- cured from Messrs. Booth of Hamburg. It forms a fine ornamental tree, and well deserves a place in pleasure-grounds. The mahonias, ever- green berberries, or ash berberries, of wliich there are four species, M. ^qui- folium (,yfo-. 2.), M. repens i^fig' 3.), M. fascicularis {,Jig. 4.), and M. nervosa {^g' 5), (all which figures are taken from our Arbore- tum et Fruticetum Britaunicum), cannot be too strongly recom- mended. M. ^quif()lium, a native of the north-west coast of North America, and introduced by Douglas, according to Dr. Lindley, is, " perhaps the handsomest hardy evergreen we yet V 2 20 New hardy Trees and S/iri/bs possess. Its foliage is of a rich, deep, shining ereen, be- coming purple in the winter. It bears fruit in some abund- ance, which consists of clusters of round- ish black berries, having their surface covered with a rich violet bloom. It most resembles M. fasci- cularis, from which its large shining -: leaves at once dis- tinguish it." {Pe7my Cyclop., iv. p. 262.) It is propagated very slowly by layers ; and, for some years, plants were sold in the nurseries at ten guineas each. Lately, however, a number of ripe seeds have been produced in England, or imported from Ame- rica, through the Hud- son's Bay Company ; and from these many young plants have been raised in the Epsom, Fulham, and other nur- series ; so that small plants in pots, which may be sent to all parts of the country, may now be obtained for 5s. each. In Prince's Catalogue for 1825, the price is ' stated as 25 dollars {51. 5s.) each. (Arb. Brit., p. 310.) Being so very hardy, and so very ornamental, it ought to be in every garden, from the Orkney Islands to the Land's End. Clematis montana yirb. B)it., p. 245. figs. 23. and 24., is a beautiful species, introduced from the Himalayas by Lady Amherst, and tjuite hardy. It resembles C. florida, but it is far more beautiful ; producing numerous flowers, about the size and form of tiiose of ^^nemone sylvestris. It well deserves a place among every collection of climbers. deserving of general Cultivation. 21 -Hypericum chinense Arh. Brit., p. 399., the nurseryman's name of which is H. nepalense, is a very handsome species, which has not yet flowered, but of which there are plants in the Horticultural Society's Garden, and in some nurseries. Magnoh'a conspicua vars. Soulangea;ia, speciosa, and Alex- andrine Arb. Brit., p. 278., though they have been in the country for some years, and flowered splendidly as standards in the climate of London, are not half so much planted as they ought to be. Plants are from 2s. 6d. to 5s. each. Some new varieties of M. grandiflora, more hardy than any that have hitherto been produced, are expected this autumn from M. Le Roy et Fils, nurserymen at Angers, who cultivate the fol- lowing varieties, some of which are unknown in this country. We give them in M. Le Roy's own words : — . M. grandiflora des Anglais. M. g. canalicule, avec feuilles en gout- M. g. Mayardiere, le plus fleurissant tiere. (the most abundant flowerer). [Most M. g. rotundifolia ordiniire. probably M. g. Maillardiere. See M. g. rotundifolia des Anglais. Arb. Brit., p. 263.] M. g. rotundifolia ferrugineuse. M. g. Galissoniere, le plus rustique M. g. floribunda. (the most hardy). [M. le Roy in- M. g. Semis de Bictin. [Probably from formed us that this variety will bear Bicton.] several degrees of cold more than M. g. /aurifolia. any of the others.] M, g. crispa. M. g. stricta, or bouton blanc. M. g. subrotundifolia. M. g. exoniensis, a fleur demi-double. M. g. foliis variegatis. M. g. longifolia undulata. M. g. pr^coce du Masis [Pprecoce de M. g. longlssima. Mars]. Tilia americana Arb. Brit., p. 373., and its varieties, ai'e far too much neglected. We wish our readers could see the fine tree of this species at White Knights, of which we have just had a beautiful drawing made by an artist whom we sent down on purpose. yimygdalus communis var. macrocarpa Arh. Brit., p. 675., is a splendid shrubbery tree, and as hardy as the common almond. Its flowers are much larger, and of a paler colour, than those of the species ; and they appear from a week to a fortnight earlier. The fruit is lai'ger ; and its kernel is so sweet, that the French call it Vamandier des dames. The tree has a more compact fastigiate habit than that of the common almond. Dwarf plants are Is. 6d., and standards 2s. 6d., each. ^rmeniaca sibirica Arb. Brit., p. 683., is the very earliest of all flowerinff trees in the nei' Hort. " The V. Lambert/ was originally imported by the late Mr. Lyon, by whom it was gathered in Carolina. The present very pretty variety was collected in Texas by the late Mr. Drum- mond, and is cultivated in gardens, as a distinct species, under the name of /^. Drummond/V; but we have looked in vain for characters to separate it from Lambert/ ; and we must confess that the line of distinction even between this last and Aublet/a is not easily drawn." {Sweet's FL-Gard., Dec.) •28421a Tweediea/ifl Hook. Tweedie's £ lAJ el ... s S Brazil ?1834 C p.l Bot. mag. 3541. " Dried specimens of this most lovely plant were sent, by the kindness of Mr. Niven, the able and zealous curator of the Glasnevin Botanic Garden, under the name here adopted." " It will be seen at once that the species has much affinity with V. chamaedrifolia B. M. {V. Melindres Gill., in Bot. Reg.\ Hort. Brit.., No. 28421. ; but it is a tall upright-growing plant, clothed with soft downy hairs; of a much more delicate texture, especially in the leaves, which are considerably larger, more acuminate and serrated, more cuneate at the base, and decidedly petioled. The flowers are larger, and more inclining to rose colour ('rich rosy crimson'), in greater number, and the raceme more capitate. Hitherto it has only been treated as a stove plant ; but it will, in all probability, be found to bear the open air as well as V. chamaedrifolia." {Bot. Mag., Dec.) Begoti'iaceae. 2r)54. BEGO'isIA *Fischeri otto Fischer's «.norlJ f.tnr W ... 1835 C l.p Bot. mag. 3532. This {ilant was introduced into the Edinburgh Botanic Garden from Berlin. It has small flowers, but foliage exquisitely beau- tiful in its colouring, this being as follows : — The leaves, when young, are bright red behind, paler at the veins, and pink above, siipplementa7-y to Encrjc, of Plants and Hort. Brit. 41 with a peculiar silvery lustre, which continues on the old leaves; the colour being then beautifully delicate yellowish green, and the redness behind much less considerable. The disk of the leaf is in figure broadly lanceolate, with a heart-shaped base ; the lobes there unequal : it is a little waved, and is toothed. {Bot. Mag., Nov.) Proteh.cex. 303. ISOPO^GON Baxten R. Br., noticed Vol. XII. p. 74., is figured in Bot. Mag. t. 3539. A ristoloch idcece. 2582. />latanifolia, of the same age, 50 ft. high, diameter of the trunk 2 ft., and the head 38 ft. Tiiis is the most beautiful specimen of the species I have ever seen. It does not stand unprotected at Monza. Lagerstroe^m/a indica, 25 ft. high, and its principal trunk 1 ft. in diameter. The Garden of SS. Negri^ Brothers. — This small garden is kept so well, that it shows the owners to be devoted to Flora. Messrs. Negri were the first in Lombardy who flowered a camellia they had raised from seed : they called it Cameli/a 7?eriiflora, from its having the appearance of the flower of the iVerium Oleander splendens. In their green-house are more than 1500 plants of camellias, a beautiful plant of Arancdria brasiliana, A. excelsa, Banks/a yagifcMia ; and, in the hot-house, Eugen/a nervosa, E. macrophylla, Chamai^rops Pabnetfo, Strelilz/a regina^, S. Juncea, Dillenia speciosa, Zamia piingens, Corypha hystrix, C. mitis, Latdnia sinensis, Theophrasta longifcMla, and the Miisa rosacea, were in full flower on the 10th of June. The nights of the 1st and 2d of the current month, the tem- perature was so low as 3° below zero. I was afraid of my O'xalis crenata, as the haulm was gone, and took them up; when from the 28 tubers which I planted I found 5 lb. Milanese, that is 140 oz., which were from the size of a pea to that of a walnut. Tlie 58 Improved Mode of forming Tallies. largest weighed 9 dcnari (6 gr.), and was of the length of 1 ptinti, and the diameter If in. of the Milan yard. — Mo7iza, Nov, 1. 1836. Art. IV. An improved Mode of painting, lettering, and varnishing Tallies. By W. A. Nesfield. You requested me to forward my observations on the tallies in the arboretum at Chatsworth, which, in September last, I perceived had already suffered from the weather; that is, some of the white letters had begun to run together, or wash away ; which I attribute to the use of common house-painters' vehicle and colour. Whether lettering be on an extensive scale or not, it is a matter of much importance to obviate this defect. 1 there- fore feel persuaded that the following method is worth notice, as it will resist the effect of damp for many years, although it incurs a trifling additional expense. Mr. Paxton's preparation of the wood cannot be better ; viz. "steaming the heart of oak, in order to draw out the sap, and then boiling it in linseed oil ; " but, instead of painting a black ground, I would substitute a very dark lead-colour, composed of ivory black (not lampblack) and flake white, mixed with boiled linseed oil. My reason for disapproving of a pure black ground is founded on the fact, that certain colours, having a greater affinity for water than for oil (such as blacks, umbers, and ochres), are liable to be affected by damp, unless they are held together by a powerfully oleaginous vehicle, with a small portion of white lead; the latter not only resisting wet admirably, but causing whatever is incorporated with it to dry harder and sooner, and likewise giving a degree of consistency to the ivory black, which is in itself very transparent. The tint of the dark lead-coloured ground, which I would prefer to the black, would have the same relief for the letters ; because I should use pure white, which is so much more brilliant than that which is com- monly used, and which is so much adulterated with Paris lohite. In fact, what the proposed ground loses in intensity, the white letters would gain in brilliancy ; which, therefore, would about equal real black and bad yellow-looking white. Again, I would, after three coats of the lead-coloured ground, use, as a vehicle for the white lead, copal varnish and nut oil, mixed in nearly equal quantities, allowing the latter rather to predominate, that the painter's pencil may not clog. It is also desirable that the white should be used as thick (or, more technically, asjat) as it will flow, because the letters would be so much the more opaque ; and the varnish should be mixed with only a small quantity at a time, such as enough for half a day's work, since it sets very rapidly. Turpentine must be avoided m toto (except Notices of Gardens and Country Seats. 59 for cleaning pencils), as it not only soon evaporates, but causes colour to look dead and chalky ; whereas the varnish bears out and hardens as it becomes older. My reason for proposing varnish to be used with the letters only is, because damp is apt to cause what is termed a chill, which would be visible on the dark colour, but 7iot on the lohite. The best quality of the colours in question is to be had at Messrs. Robertson and Mil- ler's, 51. Long Acre, whose prices are, for flake white, per bladder, weighing 5^ lb., Is.; ivory black, ditto. Is.; oil, per pint, 2s. ; copal varnish, per pint, 6s. Two shilling bottles of copal would be sufficient for an immense quantity of lettering. Fmc/ilet/, Nov. 11. 1836. Art. V. Notices of Gardens and Country Seats in Great Britain and Ireland, supplementary to, or corrective of, the Notices given in the " Encijclopcedia of Gardening." By various Contributors. Some of our readers having expressed surprise at our having noticed small residences in our EncyclopcBclia of Gardening, while we omitted all notice of larger ones ; and others having complained of inaccuracy in our statements, we have determined on commencing the present article, and continuing it for some time, so as to give such of our readers as wish to supply us with correc- tions and additions an opportunity of doing so. As the article will always be printed in a smaller type than that of the other original communications, it will not interfere much with the usual matter of the Magazine. If those who send us notices will, at the same time, send us views, ground plans, or sketches of trees, or of any remarkable object on the residence of which they send us a notice, we shall endeavour to have them neatly engraved, unless in cases where the expense would be too great. SCOTLAND. The Park of Blairdrummond, near Stirling, the Residence of William Holm Drianmond, Esq., is laid out in the English style : it lies on the south-west bank of the river Teith, about six miles from Stirhng. To the south and east of the house it has a beautiful level surface ; on the south-west is an artificial lake, about 1000 yards in length, encompassing a beautiful wooded island ; to the north and west of the house the ground is more elevated, and finely undulated. Next to the house, on the north and west, is a fine grove of large oaks, beeches, larches, Weymouth pines, &c. The walks in this grove com- mand a fine view of the western extremity of the Ochil Hills, Abbey Craig, Castle of Stirling, Craigforth, Campsie Hills, and several gentlemen's seats. From the park and approaches, north-west of this, are views of Ben Lomond, and some of the Grampian Hills, such as Ben Ledie, Ben Voirloch, and the fine old ruin of Doune Castle. The extensive walks and shrubberies lie on the north-west of the grove. The shrubberies, at the time they had been planted, contained a first-rate collection of hardy shrubs and trees; some of which are now very ornamental, and of great size. The garden and nursery lie on the north-west of the shrubberies : the garden contains about 2 acres and 3 roods, enclosed by a brick wall 13ft. high; and the side slips contain about 2 acres. There are two peach houses, a vinery, a stove, and two ranges of melon pits, erected in 1834, on a somewhat new principle, which you can have an account of, at some future period, for your Magazine. The nursery contains about an acre and a half. — James Drummond, Gardener. Blair- drummond, July 7. 1836. 60 Notices of Gardens and Counlry Seats. Kinfauns Castle, near Perth, the Scat of the Right Hon, Lord Grey. — This residence, about three miles to the east of Perth, is situated on the south side of the Sidlaw Hills, a range of hills and mountains which stretches along the north side of the river Tay, from Perth towards Forfar. Tiic scener}' be- longing to Kinfauns, wliether really or by appropriation, may, therefore, easily be conceived to consist of two grand divisions; the hilly background of pasture and woodlands, and the alluvial cultivated plain bounded by the Tay. These alluvial soils are known in Scotland by the name of carse lands: they are considered the richest in the country, and particularly adapted to the growth of beans and wheat. The Kinfauns estate consists of a portion both of the hilly grounds and carse lands; and no inconsiderable part of the rental arises from the right of fishing on the Tay. The castle (^fig. 21.) is in the Gothic style, by Sir Robert Smirke, and was completed about 1824 ; and Mr. Gilpin, and various other landscape-gartleners, have been consulted respecting the laying out of the grounds. The kitchen- ganlen was formed about twenty years ago, by Mr. Campbell, an excellent gardener : it is situated at the bottom of the rising grounds, and consists of about tsvo acres of alluvial soil, enclosed by brick walls, in the form of a square. These walls are covered with beautifully trained fruit trees, which are highly productive. ' The soil and situation are peculiarly favourable for the apple : some of the sort known as the Tower of Glamis have been grown here, measuring l^in. and 15 in. in circumference, and weighing lib. each. The Kinfauns pippin was raised here from seed by Mr. Campbell, for which he obtained the gold medal of the Caledonian Horticultural Society. He also raised the white apple of Kinfauns, a fruit of great merit. There is a range of hot-houses, 219ft. in length, devoted to peaches and grapes; with a small stove for |)lants, ami some pits. There are a few herbaceous plants, but not many American or other exotic trees and shrubs. The present gardener is Mr. Kobertson, from Kew. The plantations on the elevated grounds arc considerable : the castle appears backed by an amphitheatre of wood, the lower part chiefly of deci- duous timber trees, and the upper terminating in Scotch pine. The trunks of tlrese trees, rising boldly from tlie surface of the steepest declivities, and clothing them with verdure, excite ideas of the creative power of vegetable nature, and leave a grand impression upon the imagination. To the eastward is a conical hill, entirely covered with wood, the most elevated i)ortion being Scotch pine. Upon the summit a tower has been erected. The two grand features in the views from Kinfauns are, the Tay and the Hill of Kinoul. In the former are several islands ; one, nearly opposite to the Design for combiiimg Forcmg-Ziouses, Sfc, in 0?ie Grmq). 61 Castle, contains 30 or 10 acres of arable land ; another, a little farther down, and of less dimensions, is entirely covered with wood. In following the course of the river to the eastward, the junction of the Erne is perceived, and a con- siderable variety produced by the different islands, and the sinuosities of the shore. The Hill of Kinoul is seen about a mile to the westward of the Castle, presenting a broken range of rocks of various heights, and, in some places, with perpendicular precipices of 300 ft. Half the height of this hill, indeed, ap|)ears to be of perpendicular rocks, rising out of a slope of debris, which, about ten or twelve years ago, was planted. This hill has been long cele- brated for the agates found on it : bloodstone has also been found there ; and, also, the Linnae^a boreiilis. Potentilla argentea, Lactuca virosa, Pyrola ro- tundifolia, Grammitis Ceterach, with other plants generally consiilered rare in Scotland, are also to be met with on or about this hill. On the whole. Kin- fauns, whether considered with regard to the beauty and grandeur of its scenery, or the fertility of its soil, may rank among the finest places of Scotland. — JF. A. B. Art. VI. Design for combining all the Forcing-houses, Bolanical Houses, and Pits and Frames, required for a moderate Establish- ment, in One Group. By A. Forsyth. Figs. 22. and 23. are intended to represent a range of liot- houses, to be erected in a square of 100 ft., and to include all the houses necessary for the supply of a suburban establishment ; embracing the newest and most rational arrangements, by which the various productions will be displayed to the greatest advan- tage ; rendering the forcing-houses an elegant adjunct to the pleasure-ground ; and, instead of the dismembered and dung- clad aspect for which, at the present time, they are justly excluded, forming a picturesque assemblage of buildings, con- nected by an agreeable promenade, and this, too, at considerably less prime cost and annual expenditure. Without saying a word about the manner in which fruits and flowers are exhibited generally in our gardens, I come to the point of how I consider they ought to be ; and, as gardening, in all its branches, has now happily become the delight of all classes, it is no inconsiderable part of the duty of a gardener to display things advantageously. A house of grapes looks best from the front, when the up))er side of the leaves above the trelHs, and the broad side of the clusters below, can be viewed at once; peaches, abreast; flowering plants, near the eye; cucum- bers and strawberries, overhead ; pines, like an amphitheatre ; and melons, elevated above their foliage, under the eye. Every one is aware that, when the eye is shaded, it expands, and is gratified ; and, on the contrary, when exposed to intense light, it becomes contracted and fatigued. We are likewise aware that, if the lines of houses in a street, or the lines of apartments in a house, were separated in such a manner that a cubic room should have its base on the damp earth, and its other 62 Design for comhming all the ForciJig-hoJises, S^-c, a a Jirc the entrances ; 6 b, boilers ; d d, vineries ; e c, pine stoves, with cucumbers in boxes on a trellis over the path ; /, orchideous house ; g i;, peach houses ; h, green. house; i, jjlant stove ; /, early strawberry and late melon house ; m, early melon house; n and o, nursing pine stoves ; p, miscellaneous pits ; 7, passage for containing the lining for heating both pits ; i s, paved pas- sages for inspecting the different houses; K, potting-shed ; ;r, tool-shed; j', fruit-room ; 5: z, bed- room and kitchen for the foreman and his assistant. sides exposed to the external air, and acted upon by rain, wind, and frost, it would require greater fires, and closer doors, to resist of a moderate Establishment, i?i One Givnj). 23 65 cold and moisture, than it does under the present system, where the warm dry walls of one apartment materially assist to warm and dry the walls of another. We are likewise aware that light and heat pass through glass in greater portions, and to more profitable purpose, when the rays make right angles with the 64 DesigJi for combining all the Forcing-houses, S^x., Transverse Section through the Tool-shed, Pine Stoves, Green-house, Nursing Pine Stove, Pit, Jjr. surface of the glass ; therefore, a roof elevated to an angle equal to the latitude of the locality will be found the best receiver of solar light and heat. Peaches require a comparatively low temperature, much light, and a free circulation of air ; therefore, a span-roofed house, running north and south, the length of which is to its breadth as 3 to 2, and the diagonal ends of which are elevated to the same angle as the sides, will be found the most satisfactory for the growth of the peach ; the equilibrium of temperature being more easily preserved, since the surface exposed to vertical action will recede and increase in the inverse ratio of the supply, in the same manner as the director of a windmill exposes less canvass to the gale than to the gentle breeze. Flowering plants are beautiful, and admired by every one ; but flower-pots are a necessary encumbrance by no means orna- mental ; therefore, they ought to be hidden from the guests, and exposed only to the gardeners. The kitchen and bed-room for young gardeners, in this design, will have no loft over, and but one window. Sift, broad by 2 ft. high, in each : the kitchen will be paved with stone, and fur- nished with an efficient fire-grate and appendages, a lock-up cupboard, a table, and two stout chairs. The bed-room will have a wooden floor, 1 ft. higher than the kitchen, and will con- tain an iron bedstead, a curtained bookcase, and a small table. The fruit-room is to have a ventilator in the top, and a win- dow in front with a wire-cloth screen, a wooden floor, and a small charcoal stove ; and to be fitted up with two tiers of shelves, ]8in. apart, leaving a walk in the middle 4 ft. wide. The tool-shed is to be fitted up with a rack, in which all long- handled tools will be placed, with the handles inwards, so that they can be selected from and inspected at a glance ; and a few large drawers, in which small tools, such as hammers, &c., vvill be kept; and, for the comfort and convenience of all parties, every thing should be regularly cleaned and laid up : this, also, will have a window in the front, and a loft over. The potting-shed will be paved with stone; and vvill contain a table 9 ft. long, 2 ft. 9 in. broad, and 2 ft. 6 in. high : it is to have a window in front, and a loft over. of a moderate Establishment, in One Group. 65 Figs. 22. and 25. will explain all that is neces- sary respecting the vineries, except a leaden pipe, three fourths of an inch in diameter, per- forated with holes from the upper side, about half a line in diameter, and 1 ft. apart, conducted all round, about 1 in. above the uppermost hot- water pipe, and connected with a cistern, a little elevated, for the purpose of raising vapour, by ~T^ansverse section of moistening the hot pipes. '''^ ^'""'■'^■ Through the pine stoves, the leading and return pipes will pass to the green-house. In the back of the pine stoves cucum- bers may be gi'own in pots, 2|^ ft. deep, and 13 in. in diameter, filled with rich turf (turf is indispensable ; and, whether rich or poor, let it be turf); one half of the pot plunged in the tan, and the other let into the wall of the pit, leaving only a brick on edge between the hot-water pipes and the cucumber pot ; and let the cucumber vines be trained on a trellis over the back path, 16 in. from the glass. The orchideous house will have, also, ferns and mosses on the back, and over the ^^ 27 circular stand of con- glomerated bricks in the centre; the stage around the front and ends will be cemented so as to hold water, in which pans will ^'''^" "■f"" ^''"'' ""'"'■ be placed, for the purpose of putting the orchideous pots upon them. Of the peach houses nothing need oe said, only that the trel- lises will be circular at the ends. The centre of the green-house will be supported by ten pillars, on which creepers and twjiners may be trained. The plant stove will be for forcing flowers and propagating, as vvell as for stove plants. The pits and frames will have a dung lining between them. The walks will be of stone, 4 ft. wide, raised section of the pimit stove. 1 in. in the middle, with gratings in the gutters, 9 ft. apart. The roofs of all the houses will be supported on hollow cast-iron pillars; and all round the walks, on both sides, there will be 3^ ft. of lath and plaster, and 2^ ft. of upright glass, made to slide into the opaque part, after the manner of a coach window ; and through this window every thing must be exhibited, as no guest is to be admitted into any of the houses. It will be observed, that the wall between the sheds and stoves will be lath and plaster ; and that the hollow pillars around the walks will be in pairs : one will contain the window-sinkers, and the other conduct the water Vol. XIII. — No. 83. f Section of the Orchideous House. 66 Scenery of the Head of Sirathspeij from the gutters to the sewer. The pathway will be covered with lead or zinc, and have several ventilators in the roof. The rafters of all the houses will be of iron, and all the sashes of wood, with every lap of glass made air-tight. Every house shall contain a water-tank, built of bricks and cement, below the level of the floor, and be supplied from a leaden pipe, with a ball- cock. Let no one imagine, by this arrangement, that I prefer having flowers in the kitchen-garden ; on the contrary, I think the de- partments should always be separated where there is sufficient extent : but in the villa gardens near London, for which this paper is designed, structures for exotic plants are not unfre- quently strewn about like the tents of a Turkish camp : here a vinery pi'opping up the walls of a mansion, and there a house of flowering plants, in an obscure nook of the culinary department, with a border of lettuce in front. IsleXGorth, Am. 18. 1836. Art. VII. Notice of a remarJcahle Woodland District in Scotland, still in its natural State ; comprising the Head of Strathspey, in Badenoch, and the Forest of Braemar. By H. B. Having read with much pleasure several of the articles in your late Numbers headed " Scottish Arboricultural Notices," I think it may not be unacceptable to your readers to send you a few particulars regarding a forest district, the only one of the kind now remaining of those impenetrable woods, which, in former days, proved such an impassable barrier to the Romans under Agricola; but which, I regret to say, have sufiljred so much, during these late years, from the axe, that in a very short period they will probably only form matter for history. The district I allude to comprises the Head of Strathspey, in Badenoch, and that part of Deeside knoM'n as Braemar Forest. About three weeks ago, I determined to visit this district ; and, having accompanied a friend up Athol to his shooting lodge, after remaining a few days there, visiting the noble larches at Dunkeld and Blair, and the Pass of Killiecrankie, and being charmed with the romantic scenery of Stralhtay, we crossed over through Gaick Forest to Pitmain, in Strathspey, by Glentromie. Here nothing can equal the solemn still grandeur of the scenery, with the majestic red deer stalking solitarily through the glens. We at last approached the Spey at the Ford of Pitmain. The Spey is a very dark-coloured rapid river; and we made our hench- man, or guide, go first, he being mounted on a taller pony than ours. He was presently afloat ; and my friend got so much alarmed, that we drew up ; and it was then only we became aware of the force of the water, as the ponies could not stand ; and the Forest of Braemar. 67 and we were compelled, with difficulty, to return, and ride six miles higher up to the Bridge of Spey. This part of Badenoch is bleak, with little wood, and that stunted birch. Lower down, you enter the woods of Invereishie and Rothiemurchus, which are of the Pinus sylvestris, or native pine. Nothing can exceed their beauty, measuring, in some instance, 17 ft. and 18 ft. in cir- cumference, and the wood equal in cleanness to foreign. Great part of the Rothiemurchus woods have been cut, and floated down the Spey. As much as l^jOOO/. for wood, we were told, had been realised in a single year, while the ground rental of the estate rose not much above 1000/. We visited Kinrara, the wild and favourite residence of the celebrated Jane Duchess of Gordon; also the Donne of Rothiemurchus, the shooting box of the Duke of Bedford. From Avicenara we struck over, by Rothiemurchus, Cairngorm, and Ben Mac-dhui (the highest land in Britain by the last survey), to the head of the Dee; and we launched (in the middle of July) into a field of snow on the top of the pass, taking a copious th'aught of iced water flowing from "Those rills which nurse the source of infant Dee." The scenery here is as wild as any part of the Alps I had ever seen, and put me much in mind of les Aiguilles in the Valley of Charaouni. We had, within two days, seen the sources of three of the finest rivers in Scotland ; viz. the Tay, the Spey, and the Dee, and all rising within a circuit of twenty miles. We then descended the deer forest of Braemar, the upper part of which is, in a manner, destitute of vegetation ; rocks rising in the most precipitous manner, and all primitive granite, porphyry, and gneiss. Shortly after passing one of Lord Caermarthen's keepers' lodges (who has taken the forest, and pays nearly 3000/. of rent), we entered the woods, which are entirely of Pinus sylves- tris, and some finer than those of Rothiemurchus. One must come here to see the Scotch pine in its native grandeur. The average dimensions were as much as our guide and myself (both 6 ft. high) could span with arms joined. The clean vermilion colour of the bark, and darkness of the foliage, showed -that this spot was their native soil. It was with regret that we saw, in many parts, the sawpit in full operation. The lower part of the trunk only is taken, and the rest left to rot on the ground, the Dee not being deep enough to float down wood. The soil this forest grows upon is a light gravel : wherever the moss exists is without wood. It is about twenty miles long, and stocked wholly with from 7000 to 8000 red deer, no sheep or cattle being allowed to pasture in it. It is admirably adapted for a deer forest : the upper part, being entirely bare of wood, F 2 68 Transplantmg of Evergreen Shnibs. forms the summer resort, and the lower the winter one. At the bottom of the forest is the Lynn of Dee, a boiling caldron of 100 yards or so in diameter; the Dee being confined within precipitous rocks, not above a step from bank to bank. Shortly after this you approach Mar Lodge, beautifully situated in a recess formed by the river, with a wooded hill above ; and, shortly after this, the picturesque alpine village of Braemar, one side of which belongs to Lord Fife, with the Fife Arms inn ; and the othei", and more modern, to the Invercaulds, who have built a beautiful inn close to the spot where the luifortunate Earl of Mar hoisted his standard in 1715. The remains of Malcolm Canmore's shooting lodge is also shown here. You are now fairly in Deeside ; and, as I have already diverged from my subject, of its beauties 1 shall not descant; merely remarking that I observed every where that the planted Scotch pine is, in every instance, a totally different tree from the plant which springs indigenously ; and that a sight of Braemar Forest is well worth a visit of any arboriculturist, even from the more southern parts of the island. Midrdrum, Dec. 27. 1836. A very characteristic sketch of a group of Scotch pines was made for our Arboretum Britannicum by W. Nesfieldj Esq., landscape-gardener, of which^^'-. 29. is an engraving, reduced to the scale of 1 in. to 50 ft. The highest of these trees is 75 ft.; and the diameter of the trunk, at 6 ft. from the ground, is 6 ft. Art. VIII. On the Transplanting or Removal of Evergreen Shrubs. By R. Glendinning. The removal of evergreen shrubs is a very important con- sideration in ornamental gardening; and much, therefore, is due to your intelligent correspondent Mr. Rutger, in directing the attention of your readers to it, so as to resolve the proceeding into something other than a mere speculative operation. The following hints are applied to the transplanting of large plants, as small ones may be removed at almost any season with nearly equal success. In the prosecution of some alterations, which have involved the planting of numerous large evergreens, and in considerable variety, immediate effect being desired, opportunities presented themselves of comparing extensively the result of the various seasons, and marking the effect of each. I may premise that an opinion, and not an erroneous one, is com- Transplanting of Evergreen Shrubs. 69 monly entertained, that, should evergreen shrubs be removed during the months of November, December, January, and February, the effect will be nearly the same. Notwithstanding this, I am still, however, persuaded that there is a certain time better than any other for performing every operation, especially of gardening, the data for the fixing of which are found in the immutable laws of vegetable economy. The various scientific operations of the skilful horticulturist are guided by these axioms ; and a knowledge of them, he is aware, is indispensable to the success of his performances. Hence, such an acquaint- ance with the physiology of plants points out to him the seasons of grafting and budding, the removal of shrubs, and every other operation which he has to perform ; and enables him, also, to calculate with certainty on his success. Having said thus much by the way of preliminary remark, I come now to what more immediately forms the subject of this paper; viz. the proper season at which evergreen shrubs should be transplanted, so as to sustain the least injury from their removal. The period, thenj of the greatest action in the economy of these shrubs is surely not the desirable time ; neither can that be the most fitting season when they are in a comparatively torpid state. In the former instance, the plants will suffer from the natural season of excitement, which the more or less un- avoidable mutilation of the roots will render them unfit to sus- tain ; whereas, in the latter case, the fibrous roots will perish from the extended period during which the plants will be com- pelled to remain in a torpid condition. Well, then, a time between the two extremes (say during the month of April) may be suggested ; but this would be a fatal suggestion, as at this season all vegetable life is, as it were, charged, like a voltaic battery, waiting the influence of a genial sun to discharge its accumulated provisions into leaves, flowers, and fruit. The branches must sympathise with the roots, which, at the three periods cited, ought not to be disquieted. It will be perceptible, from the preceding observations, that there is yet another season at which the proceedings of the skilful and cautious maybe ren- dered successful ; and the guide for discovering this period is a very simple one. The time I propose shall be alike free from the extremes of either present or inmiediate prospective excite- ment, and shall yet not be the season of maximum transpira- tion. It is a well-known and understood fact, as well as a matter of common practice, that the successful propagation of a great number of evergreen shrubs is prosj)erously effected at the time the young shoots have attained a firmness of texture, easily distinguished by the practical operator. We may instance the laurel, camellia, Sec, which will have arrived at this condition about F 3 70 Present Staic of the JVilloxt'S at Bait Hill. the end of Aufrust. These cuttings then contain abundance of the active circulating fluid, which, in its downward course, forms a callosity w-hich presently emits roots. It is this time, during the declining year, which I have found the most desirable season to conduct the operation of transplanting evergreen shrubs. I have thus laid down a general rule for removinij evergreens familiar to every body, and mentioned a law upon which it is founded, which is within the comprehension of all. The young shoots, at this season, will have attained sufficient maturity to render their suffering from removal, or from the aridity of the season, very trifling ; as the whole plant will contain enough of the active sap to propel fresh spongioles when located ; so that, after a copious watering, the general appearance of the plant will have sustained little chano;e. Tile preceding statement may be rather loose ; still, my re- commendation is founded on some degree of reason, as in prac- tice it has proved successful. Should you select it as worthy of a place in your Magazine, I may just add that, if it does not render the contending, and apparently somewhat anomalous, opinions held on this subject reducible into one regular and rational mode of proceeding, it may, at least, have a tendency to that end ; and it is to be desired, also, that any further discus- sions on a subject so important as the one under review may be conducted in a spirit anxious only to establish gardening operations on philosophical principles, apart from the tone of vindictive acrimony too frequently adopted in similar investi- gations. Bicton^ near Exeter^ Dec. 1836. Art. IX. Notice respecting the State of a Plantation of Satix alba, of which some Account tvas given, in 1825, in this Magazine, By Archibald Gorrie, F.H.S., M.C.H.S. In the First Volume of your valuable Magazine is an account from me of the progress made by the Huntingdon willow on gravelly soil, by the side of a rivulet, at the bottom of Rait Hill, up to the period of writing (Dec. 6. 1825) ; being fourteen years from the time of planting. On referring to that commu- nication (Vol. I. p. 46, )? I find that several of the trees mea- sured 46 in. in circumference tvt 4 ft. from the ground ; and that their average height was from 5.5 ft. to 60 ft. On receiving your request to give an account of their present state, I took Mr. Tyrie, a carpenter, with me, and measured several of those for- merly measured ; and found that ten years' growth has added considerably to their girt. Not having referred to my former paper, the measurement was taken at lliis time at 1 ft. from the ground ; and the following is a copy of Mr. T^-rie's notes : — Aquatics ill hot Watery in the open Air. 71 One tree measures in circumference 7l^in. ; two trees, 68 in.; and one tree, 67 in. Tlie average of those near the rivulet is from 62 in. to 68 in. ; but those farther from the stream are smaller. The measurable solid wood, above 6 in. in diameter, is 30 solid feet on two of the largest ; and other two measured 25 solid feet. Two have lately been blown over by the wind, which stood without the reach of the stream, and which measured 76 ft. in leno-th : the tallest measured about 80 ft. in length. On cuttino- up the wood in deals, it has a beautifully waved bird's- eye appearance, and acquires a smooth glossy surface. The trees have now stood twenty-four years ; and one of the largest measures within a fraction of 1 in. in diameter for every year it has stood ; and now the accumulation of solid wood is yearly in- creasing in proportion to the extent of the circumference. The solid wood of the largest measures 1 ft. 3 in. for every year it has been in the ground. Upon the whole, I continue of opinion that few trees can come in competition with the *Salix alba for rapidity of o-rowth, elegance of appearance, and value as timber. Those who have the First Volume of your Magazine will be kind enough to correct an error in p. 45., line 11. from bottom, and write with a pen, " bulk" in place of ^^hark for fuel." Aimat Garden, Oct. 11. 1836. Art. X. Results of an Attempt to grow some tender Aquatics in hot IVater, in the open Air. By Richard Christie, in a Letter to W. Christie, jun. Communicated by the latter ; with Remarks. In reply to your request that I would send you some account of the plants grown here last spring, I must first premise that they were intended for an attempt at cultivating them in the hot-water reservoirs in the garden attached to the factory. The water used for condensing in the engine-house soon becomes very hot ; and, in order to cool it for subsequent use, it is conducted about the garden in shallow stone gutters, and from them into several large reservoirs, 6 ft. or 7 ft. deep. The temperature of the reservoir in which the plants were placed has varied considerably during the summer, as I will notice hereafter. The plants, consisting of three small roots of A^ymphae a caerulea, several of Limnocharis Humboldt//, and a very small one of Ponteder/a aziirea Bat. Mag. (P. crassipes Hart.), arrived about May 8. The Ponteder/« having been lost almost immediately, I shall take no farther notice of it, but confine my remarks to the iVymphaB\a and Lim- nocharis. Two i:)lants of the former, and one of the latter, I merely threw in with the roots enclosed in a ball of clay to sink them : the others were sunk in two small baskets filled with clay. The reservoir being puddled with clay at the bottom, the roots, in 72 Attetnpt to groii.' some fender Aquatks either case, soon reached it, and established themselves. On being first placed there, they did not grow at all for some weeks ; but on my return, after several weeks' absence, I found them beginning to grow; and, about the middle of June, one of the limnocharises flowered. In the begimiing of July, there were five or six flowers out in a day, and they kept on increasing. Two plants of the iS^ympha^^a came on very well, and, about the middle of July, each plant put out two flowers. The weather was excessively cold ; but they managed to stand it, and opened pretty well. One plant seemed stronger than the other ; and its flowers, when fully expanded, measured more than Sin. across; the other about 2^ in. The leaves of the former are 7 in., 8 in., and even 9 in., long ; but those of the second, although the plant appears very healthy, are not above from 3 in. to 5 in. in length. One plant of the A^ymphae^a has never altered since it was put in. The one which has flowered the best has never had more than a dozen leaves up at a time. Early in August, 1 took up a basket con- taining several plants of Limnocharis and the smaller iVymphse^a, and sent them over to Poynton (Lord Vernon's collieries, near Stockport). I enquired about them the other day, and found they were doing well ; but I intend to ride over, and getfurtherpar- ticulars. When I left here for Jersey (Aug. 5.), the Limnocharis covered 4 or 5 square yards ; but on my return on Sept. 19., 1 found at least 60 yards covered ; and, without exaggeration (from actual counting), 500 flowers out in a day. They are now in- creflsing at such an inordinate rate, and sometimes choking the pipes, that I gave orders to have all within reach at the sides raked off"; though there is still plenty left in 6 or 7 feet water out of reach. I found, also, that the largest Nymphag^i had flowered again during my absence, and had still one unexpanded bud just above water. This opened better than those in July, the weather being warmer. The flowers of the Aymphce'a lasted several days : in our stove, 1 think, they only lasted one. With regard to temjierature ; for nearly two months after the plants were placed in the reservoirs, the heat of the water varied at the surface from 60° to J 00°, and sometimes appeared uncom- fortably hot for the plants ; but an alteration having been made in the conducting troughs, which cooled the water 15° to 20°, they appeared to thrive better. It was just after this that theNymphae^a first flowered, though the Limnocharis had commenced long before. I am sure I am correct in saying that, during the first flowering of this latter plant, the water at the surface was little short of 100°, and at the bottom 80°. I ascertained this by putting a thermometer down at the end of a long stick, and drawing it up so quickly, that it had not time to rise. The temperature since the alterations, I think, has never been above 80° at the surface, and 65° to 70° at iii hot Water, in the open Ah\ 73 the bottom ; and I have no doubt that on Sunday nights (when the enghie has not been working for 24> hours) the water must be almost cold, as in the afternoon I have found it scarcely half so warm as new milk. Tiie Limnocharis has put some buds above water to-day; but I doubt if they will expand ; the ground being covered with snow and the air bitterly cold. I had forgotten the cannas.* They have certainly grown, but do not seem to succeed here, and are this morning covered with snow, which will pretty well finish them. It is my opinion, that low-growing plants succeed best in this way, because, if they do not grow above 4 in. from the surface of the water, the steam will keep them warm. Although we have merely tried these two plants, only one of which is properly a stove species, 1 think enough has been done to show how easily we may cultivate such species as, under other circumstances, are neglected in our collections, from the high temperature and large space they require. R. C. Stockport, Cheshire, Oct. 29, 1836. I CANNOT entirely agree with the opinion expressed above, as to growing only small aquatics in the water. The garden where the above experiment was tried is close to a very smoky town, and very much exposed, being open to the north-east; while the cannas were onlv seedlings of the present year. But, in a more sheltered situation, I am persuaded we miglit cultivate, during summer, not only most species of Canna, but also of Bambusa, Papyrus, Calddium, Sic. &c. But, even supposing we can only grow such plants as float on the surface of the water, or rise but little above it, sui'ely these are sufficiently beautiful and interest- ing. What a fine object would be presented by a large sheet of water adorned with the flowers of A^ymphae^a casrulea, rubra, rosea, pubescens, and Lotus ! Who knows, too, but that the splendid iVeliimbium speciosum and liiteum, so often lost in our collections, would succeed better under this treatment ; while, certainly, the magnificent-leaved Euryale" ferox would here find that room which, although requi- site to its perfection, it so seldom meets with in our stoves. Many of the opulent manufacturers of Lancashire have fine gardens, and rich collections of plants; and I much wish to call their attention to the above mode of growing tender aquatics. * C. flacckla and coccinea, sent in September, and planted in the border, at tlie edge of the reservoir, where the hot water finds its wa}^ thrcjugh the upper courses ot" masonr}', into the adjacent soil. Asparagus beds in the same situa- tion are very prolific, the plants extending their roots through the crevices of the brickwork into the water, and producing abundant crops vei'y early in the year. — IV. C. "74 Culture of Cape Heaths. Many of them, doubtless, possess reservoirs similar to those above dei^cribed ; and any one, who would go to the expense of covering one of these with a suitable glazed house, might form an unrival- led collection of stove aquatics. The moisture of atmosphere induced by the exhalation from the water would be peculiarly congenial to the growth of ferns, which might be placed on artificial rocks round the basin. Many of the hardier epiphytes could be suspended in various parts, and the house further adorned by some of the most showy species of Passiflora, a genus delighting to grow in the neighbourhood of water. Let us hope that the above imperfect experiments, and sketch of what might be done, may be worked out on a large scale, by some of your readers w ho are possessed of greater facilities for so doing. Clapham Road, Nov. 4. 1836. W. C, jun. Art. XI. On the Ctiliure of Cape Heaths. By R. Glendinning, Gardener to Lord llolle. The -Erica, among exotics, has always been one of our first favourites, and most deservedly so, on account of its compara- tive hardiness and frequently successful propagation, as well as from the numberless variety of colours, of forms, and of habits, which are embodied in the genus. It is a general complaint about London, and which, also, I believe, prevails among the many in the country who are for- tunate in cultivating and flowering small plants, that, with all their eflForts and attention, they have not completely succeeded in growing large specimens. Mr. M'Nab, as far as I know, was the first to direct the pub- lic attention to a pretty successful plan of preserving the Cape heaths, with the luxuriance of youth, to a good old age. The noble specimens which 1 saw at the Edinburgh Botanic Garden do more than entitle Mr. M'Nab's Treatise to be read : indeed, in Devonshire, it has been variously acted upon, and with con- siderable success ; but most conspicuously so by Lucombe and Pince of the Exeter Nurserv, who grow ail the rarest kinds in wonderful luxuriance. Lidependently, however, of the success which has attended Mr. M'Nab's mode^ I have been informed by cultivators of these plants, both in this county and in the vicinity of London, that, after having flattered themselves of the entirety of this system, when some of the more choice and deli- cate kinds were in the apparent zenith of health, they have sud- denly gone off", and this, too, after years of prosperous culture. Those with whom I have conversed regarding this unexpected and signal failure concurred in attributing it to the completely desiccated condition in which a great portion of the under part Culhire of Chrysanthemums. 75 of the ball was found, while the surface retained a superabun- dance of moisture. A uniform temperament of the whole mass of materials in the pot is the desideratum sought after, and which, by the introduction of pieces of stone into the soil, as recom- mended by Mr. M'Nab, was effected to some extent. Still, after a continuation of dry weather, when frequent watering became necessary, I found even then, on examination, the bottom and centre part of the ball to be sufficiently dry to ac- count for the seemingly inexplicable failure of the plants. To overcome this, and to equalise the temperament of the material used, the idea suggested itself of employing something of a more retentive nature than bog-earth, sand, and broken stones; and recourse was had to the following compost : — Equal quantities of the knobs of turfy loam, turfy peat, pieces of broken freestone, and chopped moss, mixed together ; and this, in potting, will form the centre. Moss only is used to cover the drainage. The surface and sides are of that soil usually recommended in cul- tivating the Exicvi. During the extreme aridity of the bygone season, I made a point of frequently examining the balls of some plants thus treated, which, on comparison, I found most satis- factory, and in such a state as fully justifies me in sending you this communication. Didon, near Exeter, Nov. 2. 1836. Art. XII. On the Culture of Chrysanlhemums. By James Cuthill. Chrysanthemums have long been considered a great orna- ment to the conservatory ; and their beautiful blossoms are fre- quently brought to great perfection, though we never see what may be considered as a handsome plant; and we never shall, till the old system of growing the plants in pots the whole year round is done away with. 1 have given my plan two years' trial ; and can, with confidence, recommend it as a great and decided improvement. In the month of April, I take as many suckers of each sort as are wanting, and I plant them out, in good prepared ground, about 2 ft. apart. As soon as they begin to grow I top them, and continue doing so with each succeeding growth, until they begin to assume a shrubby ap- pearance ; not staking them, but allowing them to grow at plea- sure. If a succession of plants is wanting to blossom very late, or rather in the commencement of the year, I keep topping a few on purpose; and, in dry weather, I water them, from a pump I have got fixed in our new melon ground, with the drainings of all the manure : this is the very essence, and no gardener should lose it. On the Lst of September, I pot my late chrysanthemums into thirty-twos, and start them, by putting 76 CnJiwe of Asparagus. them into a close house for about seven days, until they have made young roots ; not allowing the sun to shine upon them, and syringing them twice a day. Our chrysanthemums, this season, are very fine ; the plants that stand in front of our conservatory had scarcely lost a leaf on the 5th of December, and about forty of them had not opened all their flowers. Durham Park Gardens, Dec. 1836. Art. XIIL On the Culture of Asparagus. By A. Forsyth. There is, perhaps, no article in the culture of which more unnecessary forms are gone through than with this. We see the plant (a native of Britain) covered with 6 in., or perhaps 1 ft., of soil or litter, in winter, to keep the frost from it, or to mulch it when it is in a dormant state ; though we may as well mulch a layer of seed potatoes at Michaelmas, to benefit their buds for the succeeding summer. But to come to the point, and that is, to cultivate asparagus to the highest state of perfection at the lowest charges. Let a heap of manure, equal to a layer of 9 in. deep all over the ground intended for asparagus, be prepared of the following materials : — One third good loamy turf, or turf of sandy peat; and two thirds of the best dung from the stables and cattle layers; with about two bushels of drill bones to every pole of ground. The turf ought to be pared off, and piled up, a year previous to its being wanted ; and the dung properly mixed and fermented at least six weeks before. The bone manure may be spread over the rest before they are trenched into the quarter. In the process of trenching, let the manure be equally incorporated with every part. In planting, let one-year-old plants be inserted 1 in. below the level of the surface, in lines alternately 9 in. and 3 ft. apart, in the same way as peas are generally planted. If the plot be extensive, paths, 3g ft. wide, may be run across the rows, at the distance of 16 ft. apart, to prevent wheeling, and, as much as possible, walking, between the lines. The plants may be from 4" in. to 6 in. apart in the row, bedded and covered with leaf-soil, or dung reduced to a soil; and, as mulching with half- rotten dung, and extensive waterings in dry weather, are the principal features of culture, it is indispensably necessary that the ground be effectually drained, summer drought and winter saturation being the grand evils to be guarded against. From the latter end of May till Michaelmas is the time that asparagus is generally left without any culture, except routine weeding, &c. Now, this is almost the only season that any culture can be of much service to the plant; for it is evident, that, if we encourage the plants whilst they are in a state of active developement, that Economical Substitute for Hand-Glasses. 77 is, wlien they are shooting up to seed, by forking, frequent hoeing, mulching, and watering between the rows, as if flowers and seed were all we wanted, we shall invigorate the plants, and enable them to form fine plump crowns for next season : but I cannot see how banking the beds up with soil, or mulching them with strawy litter before winter (the roots being then in a state of rest), can be of any great service to the plants. A short time before the buds appear in spring, a little fine soil may be drawn over the crowns, in order to blanch the lower halves of the buds. In cutting, let the earth be first scraped away from the bud, that the gatherer may see where and what he is about to cut. Two or three years must elapse, after planting, before any buds can be profitably gathered for use ; after which term, the lines may be allowed to remain until they become strago-Hno- and unproductive. In most gardens, however, they are generally wanted for forcing after six or seven years' bearing ; in which case only a very slight hot-bed is necessary (say 80° bottom heat), with 2 in. or 3 in. of any soil under and about the roots ; and 5 in. or 6 in. of old tan, or any light soil, over them : atmo- spheric temperature about 55°. Roots, placed between two layers of soil in pots or boxes, may be introduced into any early forcing-house at work; or trenches may be cut between the lines in the open ground, and hot duno- or leaves introduced under hoops and mats. Beds for forcinn- asparagus, with trenches between cased with brickwork, I con- sider as expensive and unprofitable. Isleiwrth, Dec. 14-. 1836. Art. XIV. An economical Substitute for Hand-Glasses in Gardenino; By N. M. T. ^ Having always had the misfortune to live where there was a scarcity of hand-glasses, to obviate this defect I have lately grown my cauliflower plants in pots. I do not adopt the com- monplace plan of stuffing the roots into a pot, and leaving the head out. I do the very reverse of this: I put the head in, and leave the roots out. But a description of my present plant- ation will develope the whole system. The cauliflowers are planted in rows across a 10 ft. border, 3 ft. between the rows, and six plants in a row. After they are planted, I provide a flower-pot (32.) for each plant, introducing it through the hole (1 in. in diameter) in the bottom of the pot. The pot is then firmly pressed down, earthed up about half way outside, to prevent its being upset, and the operation is completed. When protection becomes necessary, I provide a board, 9 ft. long and 78 Tloricidtural and Botanical Notices, 7 in. wide, for each row. These can be hiid on the hne of pots, by a person at each end, as fast as they can walk, and without setting a foot on the border. When the phints begin to look over the pots, the boards can no longer be used as a covering : they are then laid between the rows, to walk upon. The pots are earthed level with the brim outside, and as much mould put in them as the state of the plants will admit. A pot, a size larger than those plunged, is then placed beside each, and in- verted over it when the plant requires shelter. When no longer vi^anted, the covers are removed, and the plants earthed up as they require it. The pots they grow in are, consequently, soon buried, where they remain till the cauliflowers are cut: they are then dug up, and laid aside for further use. The advantages of tills simple plan are numerous; the economy is self-evident; the appearance neat and orderly, entirely doing awa}^ with the lumpish unnatural growths the plants exhibit when grown in hand-glasses. Here each plant, forming the centre of its own little world, is left to luxuriate in single blessedness, safely guarded from its enemy the slug : the worms cannot even pull a leaf under ground. Notwithstanding all these advantages, I do not expect to be much patronised by gardeners, since I fear my brethren of the spade "are a stiff-necked and rebellious race." It is to the "cottage homes of England" that I look for sup- port ; and proud indeed shall I be if I can introduce an addi- tional comfoit there. Many of their inmates, who cannot spare 105., 125., or 155., for a hand-glass, would buy a cast of my pots, and enjoy through them a luxury at a season when it is confined to the tables of the rich. London, Dec. 1836. Art. XV. FloricuUural and Botanical Notices on Kinds of Plants neivlt/ introduced into our Gardens, and that Iiave originated in them, and on Kinds of Interest previously extant in them ; supplementary to the latest Editions of the " Encijclopccdia of Plantsf and of the " Hortus Di-itannicus." Curtis s Botanical Magazine ; in monthly numbers, each containing eight plates; 35. 6d. coloured, 35. plain. Edited by Sir William Jackson Hooker, LL.D., Sec. Edwards's Botanical Register ; in monthly mnibers, each containing eight plates; 45. coloured, 35. plain. Edited by Dr. Lindley, Professor of Botany in the London University. Siveet's British Flower-Garden ; in niontlily numbers, each containing four plates; 35. coloured, 2s. 'id. plain. Edited by David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in King's College, and Librarian to the Linnaian Society. The Floral Cabinet ; in monthly numbers, 4-to ; 2s. Qd. each. Con- ducted by G. B. Knowles, Esq., and Frederick Westcott, Esq., mipplementari) to Encyc. of Plants and Hort. Brit. 79 Honorary Secretaries of the Birmingham Botanical and Horticul- tural Society. 'Ranuncula' ceje. 1159. DELPHI'NIUM [Fl. Gra!C., 6. t. SOS. ; Swt. fl-gard. n. s. t 366. *tenuissimum Sibth. slendereit-branc/icd O or 1 au P Greece 1835 S r.m Sibth. et Sm, Si/noni/?>ie: D. divaricatum Lcdeb. in Fisch. et Mcy. Ind. Sem. Hort. hnper. Petrop., 1835, p. 7.; and Flor. Cab., No. 16. A very distinct and delicate annual specie.? of larkspur, which perfects its seeds freely in the open border. (B?: F/.-Gard., Jan.) J^alsaynindcccE § Tropcculccu. 1148. TROP^^OLUM ■[29307 brach^ceras Huok. short-spurred ± uAJ pr 12 au Y Chili C l.p Bot. reg. t. 1926. " A beautiful little Tropoe''oluin, forming the prettiest possible match for T. tricolor, whose habit it possesses, witli a substitution of clear delicate yellow in the petals for the rich crimson of that species. Like it, the present species is not uncommon about Valparaiso, in bushy places in the mountains. The Chilians call it Flor dc Perdiz. It is not a little singidar that our gardens should still be without the other tropaeolums that grow wild near Valparaiso. Weeds enough, including common lucern, and the corn plants that were car- ried out from Spain, have been sent home ; while some of the most interesting parts of the Chilian flora remain neglected. For instance, it was only the other day that the first species of Chlorse^a, of which there are probably 20 in Chili, reached England, through Capt. James Mangles ; and of the genus before us we are still without T. polyphyllum, whose flowers grow in heads as large as the fist; and T. azureum, which, to the herbage of T. tricolor, adds the colour of the deep blue of a Siberian larkspur." {^Bot. Reg., Jan.) RosacecB. 1522. iJO'SA 13493 sinica Ait. ; Arb. Brit., No. 75. p. 776. Synony7)ies : R. tritolikta Bosc ; R. ternata Pair. ; R. cherokei^nsis Donn ; R. nivea Dec. Hort, Monsp. Prod., 2. p. 599. ; R. h^strix Lindl. Monog. ; R. Isvigata Michx. Fl. Bar. Amer. " A very common rose in the gardens of Italy and the south of Fi-ance, where it is highly ornamental, from the profusion of its snow-white flowr, s, and the handsome shining appearance of its evergreen leaves. It is less su c\ to this climate, in consequence of being rather tender ; but it flowers be .uti- fuUy in the climate of London, when trained to a south wall. It is a native of China, where it appears to be the common dog rose of the country. Now that the races of cultivated roses have become so much improved by hybrid intermixture, it is well worth ascertaining how far this is suited to alter the foliage and size of blossoms of some of the other Chinese species. What would be most to be feared is, that its delicate constitution should be commu- nicated to its offspring : but this might be avoided by mixing it with some very hardy species, and then using the variety so obtained as the subject of a second intermixture. There is so much beauty in the foliage, and sucli re- markable firmness, combined with delicacy, in the petals of R. sinica, as to make it highly deserving of a trial." (^Bot. Reg., Jan.) Onagrdcece. 1183. ffiNOTHE'RA 10021 fruticftsa. 2 ambigua Hook, ambiguous ^ A or 1 jl Y N. America 1813 D co Bot. mag. 3545. Synonijmes: ffinothera ambigua Spi-erig. Si/st. Veg., Dec. Prod. ; ffinothera canadensis Gold, in Edin. Phil. Journ., Dec. Prod. " ffinothera fruticosa is a species widely extended throughout North America, from Canada to Carolina ; but so variable in its foliage and hairi- ness, as to have suggested the idea of the species ; " (E, ambigua Sjyreng. and Dec. ; (E. canadensis Gold, and Dec. ; CE. serotina Swt. and Lindl. ; CE. in- cana Xidt., Dec, and Torrey ; (E. Frascri Pursh ; and, in all probability, t£\ linearis MicLv, ; being nothing more than varieties. [Bot. Mag., Jan.) Sacfifragdcecs. 805. HEU^CHER^ pt. 1904 ♦cylindricea Lindl. cyVmdncal-panicled ;3i A el 2 my G N. America 183- D l.p Bot. reg." 80 Floriculhiral and Botanical Notices, A hardy herbaceous plant, found b\' Douglas near the Kettle Falls, in dry mountain wooiis, in the north-west part of North America. " Saxifragaceous plants are generally described as destitute of stipules : those organs are, how- ever, visible enough in the genus Heucher«." (^liot. Reg., Jan.) Aslcniccce, or Compositcc. 2331. MADIA 29SS9 clegans Bot. Mng., t. 354S. Synonyme: Madaria {madaros, bald ; the achenia) elegans Dec. Prod., 5. p. 692. A well-known, favourite, hardy annual, clothed with the same clammy and fetid pubescence as the common Madia viscosa (sativa Dec.) of Chili ; but, instead of having very small and imperfect rays, as in that species, they are developed and spreading, so as to give a totally different appearance to the plant. {Bot. JMag.y Jan.) Scrop/i ularia.ce(F. 63. C.'^LCEOLA'RIA [Floral Cabinet, No. 17. *miral>ilis A'noii'/cs 4: fyestcott admirable £ \ | s.p.l 2 ... P Eng. hyb. 183-1 D r.m Intermediate between C pendula and C. insignis. " This splendid hybrid excels in richness of colour most of the varieties of this favourite genus that have hitherto come imder our observation. Our drawing was made from a plant in the collection of J. Willmore, Esq., of Old- ford. It was raised in 1834', by Mr. Skirving of the Walton Nursery, near Liverpool, who informs us that it was obtainetl from C. pendula, impregnated with C. insfgnis ; and that the specimen plant grown in the Walton Nursery this year (183G) disj)layed at one time upwards of 800 blooms, and continued in fuill flower upwards of three months. Such a plant may justly claim the specific name which it has received." {Floral Cabinet, Jan.) Ycrbendcca'. 1749. rERBE'N.\ 1;';641 Aublfetm 2 Drummond; Lindl. Drummond's ^ A or I3 J' L Texas ... D co Bot. reg. t. 1925. ', Synoiiyme: J'. Druramondi; Hort. " The Terbena Lamberts var. rosea of the Brit. Fl.-Gard., stated to have been found by Mr. Drunnr.ond in Texas, seems a different plant from this ; and, if so, there are two sorts of J^. Drummondi in the gardens. (But. Beg., Jan.) Orchidace(S § MalaxidecB. 2539. PLEUROTHA'LLIS [Floral Cabinet, No. 19. •ciliita Knoivles ts Wcsicott ciliated-;;rfate/ ^ El cu h ••• Br Demerara 1831 D p.r.w "This species of Pleurothallis is perfectly new to this country." It was received by J. Willmore, Esq., of Oldford, " in 183+, from Mr. Henchman, who collected it near the Falls of Oiu-ipano, on the Masseroni river, Demerara. It was found attached by its long fibrous roots to the main stems of large trees, in company with P. picta, P. Grobyi, ami others not yet described. The flowers, though minute, are elegant in form, and pleasing in colour." {Floral Cabinet, Jan.) Orc/iiducecE § Vandeae. 2521(1. *BURLINGTO"N/.4 Lindl. Burlingtonia. (Cauntes.^ of Burlington.) Orchidciceic. Sp. 1—5. ♦Candida Lijidl. snoui-white ^ E] GH/.4 jLudwigiuraa Harvey Ludwig's ? lAI or 2 o G C.G.H ... O r.m Bot. mag. t. 3547. t In many characters this species approaches T. alliacea. It is not yet intro- duced ; but, there can be no doubt, plants will soon be obtained from Baron Ludwig, a Well-known patron of botany. (Bot. Mag., Jan.) Commelinacett. 1000. TRADESCA'N^T/.^ S190a *caricif(>lia Hook. Sedge-leaved ^ A f"" 1 au.s B Texas 1835 D r.m "IBot. mag. 35^. " Allied to the common garden spiderwort (T. virginica) ; difiering, how- ever, in its much smaller size, slenderer habit, much narrower leaves and Vol. XIII. — No. 83. g 82 ForeigJi Notices : — France. bracteas, and in the entire freedom from hairs of every part of tlie surface of tile plant, the margins of the sheatli alone being ciliated." It is a native of Texas, where it was found by Mr. Drummond. In the Glasgow Botanic Gar- den, it flowered in August and September, under a cool frame. {Bot. Mag., Jan.) MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. Art. I. Foreign Notices. FRANCE. The exotic Trees btown down in tJie Parti at Versailles are not very nu- merous ; because some of the largest trees in that park are deciduous cy- presses, and these are among the most powerful of all trees for resisting storms of wind. A good many white poplars and elms have been blown down, and some lime trees ; but, on the whole, I believe the damage in France has been less than in England ; because, the truth is, we have few old trees of any kind.— J". B. Paris, Dec. 21. 1836. Singular Ptienomena in ttie Vegetation of Trees, — More than a month ago, the trees of the public walks and gardens in and about Paris had ripened their wood and lost all their leaves; but they have now budded afresh, and are covered with a fine green velvety foliage like that of spring. (^Hermes, Nov. 19. 1836.) A Lime Tree in Lorraine, in a village near Salins, is supposed to be 800 years old. It is 10 ft. high from the ground to the commencement of the branches, by 35 ft. in circumference. Its trunk is hollow, and a door has been cut in it, by which means eight people have dined within it, seated at a round table. {Hcrtnes.') Paristi Libraries. — The Minister of Public Instruction is at present occu- pied with measures the result of which will be the establishment of a small library, not only in every town, but in every village, in France. (Hermes, Nov. 26. 1836.) BELGIUM. Gtient, Dec. 1831. — Our new local for the exhibition of plants is now completed, and, I believe, will be capable of containing 8000 plants. The building itself consists of a caj'e, an exhibition-room, and concert and ball-rooms; to all of which members of our Society are admitted. On the 10th of next March our first exhibition will take place, when upwards of fifty prizes will be distributed ; and, it being the first exhibition in our new build- ing, it will be very grand. Most of the prizes are open to all the world ; and there will be a splemlid banquet. The Brussels Botanic Garden is now under the direction of M. Van Houtte, who has lately returned from Brazil ; and, the funds not being very well supplied for the carrying on of the establish- ment, a kind of flower bazaar is established in the houses for the sale of plants. Of this the gardeners in the neighbouriiood complain, and with reason : nevertheless, unless such were the case, the establisinnent would run the risk of being ruined; for the municipality of Brussels is too much in debt to be more liberal, and the government will not advance a sufficient sum of money. At Ghent, we have got M. Donkelaar for our director and gardener in chief. The garden is much improved ; and the town has built a new span- roofed ]5ropagating-house, to be heated with hot water, much too large for the garden ; but, as only about 50/. is allowed to the head gardener, I believe it is intended to permit M. Donkelaar to sell, for his own profit, such plants as he himself propagates, provided specimens of each plant are kept for the botanic establishment. This is, certainly, better than being without a botanic establishment, but, at the same time, gives poor encouragement to the com- mercial gardener, who, at Ghent and still more at Brussels, has the govern- Foreign Votlccs : — Belgium, Germany. 83 ment selling in opposition to him. At Brussels, the range of houses is superb in point of architecture ; but, from want of funds, the garden is, in many- respects, much inferior to the establishment of a commercial gardener. At Ghent the collection is better, having still many rare plants, which Sieboldt sent over; but neither the funds allowed are sufficient to carry on the esta- blishment with tc/af, nor is the situation such as to enable the director to cultivate plants of any rarity in the open ground ; the establishment being placed in the centre of the town, and so low that, in winter, it more resembles a badly drained marsh than a botanic garden. Ghent, nevertheless, is, at this moment, very prosperous in the gardening way ; and is daily receiving new plants from England, and distributing them to all parts of Europe. New liouses are erecting every where; and, though there are, at least, one hundred commercial gardeners within the walls, yet new ones are continually setting up in business. So much are flowers esteemed, that this autumn considerable robberies of plants have taken place; and, in one instance, by a confidential workman, to a large amount. I am sorry to add that the receivers of many of the stolen plants rank amongst the gentry of the place, who were not ashamed to pay an inferior price for them to a workman, though they must have known that the said workman had no right to sell his master's plants. As every one here has a great taste for flowers, plants are as good as money ; and, I am sorry to say, there are persons who do not hesitate to corrupt the uneducated workmen, by giving them a slight recompence on condition that they provide them with plants. I believe I could trust the greatest thief in Belgium to walk in my garden, and a flower would not be touched, or the least mischief done to my plants; but, once his back turned, and out of the garden, he woukl to a certainty try to corrupt my gardener, or plan a way to enter it during the night. During the time I have lived in this country, I have never known a flower to be taken by any visitor who has paid my garden a visit; and, during the dahlia and geranium seasons, I have many hundreds, of a// kinds of people, who request to see my collections ; and, though it is im- possible for me or my gardeners to attend to every one, yet not even a leaf has been taken without permission, nor the least mischief done. Whatever thefts are committed are generally done by your confidential workmen, who» knowing the value of plants, cannot resist the temptation. They are without education ; and even those who have a smattering of learning are often the worst. Tliey are not readers, but spend all their evenings in the cabarets, where tliey are sure to meet with too many temptations to be resisted ; and many, moreover, think that, so long as they do not steal money, the}' may make free with their master's goods as much as they think fit. It will require many years before a reform can be managed here, in respect to rendering the working gardener honest. Three things absolutely are wanting at present ; viz. higher wages, education, and morality. The last, in my opinion, is the most wanted, and the most difficult to be attained. The two first will come in time. — John AInddeson. Ghent, Dec. 1836. New Plants. — A considerable number of new plants have been brought home from Japan by Dr. Von Sieboldt, and deposited in the Botanic Garden of Ghent, whence some of them have alread}' found their way to British gardens. Among these are, a beautiful new clematis, described and figured in a former page; and £pimedium macranthum, to be hereafter noticed. The total number of species brought to Europe alive, by Dr. Von Sieboldt, is said to be IGO. Dr. Lindley observes that " this is by far the most considerable importation from Japan that has yet been made ; and its results have been so satisfactory, as to lead us to hope that the Dutch may be the means of bringing us acquainted with a larger portion of the beautiful plants of that most singular country." {Bot. Reg., Nov. 1836.) GERMANY. A Flora Excnrsoria Exotica Gcrmanica is, I understand, about to be under- taken by one of the Berlin professors. It is to be a catalogue of all the foreign G 2 84 Foreign Notices : — Dcnmnrl: plants, hardy and tender, wliich arc, or have been, in cultivation in Germany, with references to figures, &.C., in the manner of your Hortus Britannicus ; but with the further vahiablc addition of a reference to gardens in which they may be found growing, and with the prices at which they are usually sold, as in your Arboretum Britanniciim. — J. R. Frankfurt, Dec. 10. 1836. The Pjaiien Insel nt Potsdam. — On leaving Berlin, we stopped for a couple of hours at the lovely Pfauen Insel, or Isle of Peacocks, in the Havel, near Potsdam. It is nearly an English mile long, and belongs to the king, who has a curious kind of picd-d-terre, or shooting-box, on it ; and it is laid out partly as a zoological, partly as a botanical, garden. In the former depart- ment, the animals are more remarkable for their fine state of health than for their number or variety. In the botanical department, the palm-house, built in 1830, to receive the palms bought by the king at Paris, is very handsome; not so much, perhaps, for its exterior form, as lor the interior arrangement. In the centre is a latania in full vigour, above 30 ft. in diameter in the spread of its foliage. The remainder of the house is occupied by many fine palms, Cycadeas, bamhusas, dracaenas, &c., interspersed with lower plants ; and what adds much to the beauty is, the very tasteful manner in which the Passiflora qua- drangularis, racemosa, kermesina, and other flowering creepers, are made to hang in festoons wherever the want of taller palms leaves a vacancy. The garden is under the care of M. Fintelmann, the nephew of the older Fin- telmann, who is removed to the Royal Gardens of Charlottenburg, and has taken with him the fine collection of dahlias which used to be at the Pfauen Insel. (Comp. Bot. Mag., vol. ii. p. 78.) DENMARK. Agave americdna is now magnificently in flower in the Botanic Garden, Copenhagen ; a circumstance which has only happened in that garden twice before; viz. in \12i and 1745. The flower stem is 18ft. high, with twenty- two branches, on which are upwards of 3000 flower buds. The leaves cover a space of 26 ft. in circumference. (^Hermes, Nov. 30. 1836.) Art. II. Domestic Notices. ENGLAND. DoVGLAs's Monument. — The subscriptions for Douglas's monument being, so far as we are concerned, now nearly brought to a close, though the sum raised has not equalled our expectations, yet we cannot help doing justice to the extraordinary zeal which on this occasion has been shown by several gar- deners, both at home and abroad. M. Ch. Rauch, at Vienna, has raised no less than 7/.; and M. Rinz, jun., at Frankfort, \bl. Neither of these per- sons, we believe, ever saw Douglas ; nor is it likely that any one of those wiiom they induced to subscribe ever did. They must, therefore, have been influenced only by a love of the plants which Douglas introduced into Ger- man gardens, in common with those of all the rest of Europe; and by the true German spirit, which limits its approbation of merit, and its sympathy for misfortune, to no country. In England, Mr. Glendinning has been very zealous and successful ; and the lady of his emplo3er. Lady Rolle, was the first of the nobility to subscribe. Mr. Booth of Carclew (who raised 4/. 8*.), Mr. Cuthill, Mr. Carton, and a number of otiier gardeners, might be men- tioned as havmg been very active and zealous, down to the last sum which we have (Jan. 10.) just received; viz. 4/. 7*., collected by Mr. James Clark, gardener to the Earl of Lonsdale at Whitehaven Castle. To show the exer- tions which it is necessary to make in order to collect money for purposes of this kind, we make the following quotation from Mr. Clark's letter : — " On receiving the August Number of the Gardener^ jStagaz'me, containing the • List for Subscriptions ' for a monument to the late Mr. D. Douglas, the botanist, I left the paper in one of the most public places in our town, a Do7ncsfic Notices : — EnghnuL 85 stationer's shop. This vvouUI not do ; no one took any notice of it, or seemed at all acquainted with tlie history of that worthy man. So I took the three Numbers of the Gardener's jMagazine for May, August, and November, and commenced a canvass. The delay in collecting, however, was very great : I had to leave the Numbers for a night or two with almost every person who subscribed, in order that they might become acquainted with Douglas's history. I am now happy to have it in my power to hand }ou the trifling sum of 4/. 7*. towards the memory of one who stands high in my estimation. The following is a list of subscribers' names," Sec. &c. [This list will be given, with that of all the otiier subscribers, in a future Number.] His Grace the Duke of Bedford, with that liberality and public spirit which always distinguish him, has not only sLibscril)eJ to the monument which is to be erected to Douglas in his native village, but expresses a hope that, at some future day, a monument more worthy of forming a national record of the merits of this intrepid but unfortunate collector may be erected, either in the Chiswick Gardens, or in the cemetery at Kensall Green. In this hope we cor- dially concur; and we should like to see a second subscription set on foot among the employers of gardeners, as the present one has been chiefly confined to gar- deners themselves, for this purpose; the monument, in that case, being placed in a wood or garden of Douglas's introductions. In the mean time, we think, for the reasons stated in our preceding Volimie (j). 386.), that what may be called the gardeners' monument to Douglas may be most appropriately and usefully placed in his native village. The time may probably come when a temple for the busts of British worthies will be erected in the metropolis ; in which the bust of Douglas might appropriately claim a place among the British naturalists. J'bies Douglas//, however, will make his name known amongst the profession to which he belonged better than a hundred temples. We ought not to omit to mention here, that very great exertions have been made by many nurserymen and others, most of whom have sent their subscriptions direct to the treasurer at Perth ; and Messrs. Pope and Sons, of Ilandsworth, near Birmingham, have raised and sent to us no less a sum than 8/. We intend to publish a complete list of subscribers, and an engrav- ing of the monument, as soon as the latter is erected, and the whole affair completed. Linmean Society. — Dcc.%. 1836. Flowering specimens of the sea-side grape (Coccoloba pubescens), from the Botanic Garden, Cambridge, were exhibited. Mr. Lambert exhibited two sorts of the Peruvian grain called quinoa, from his garden at Boyton House, Wilts ; one of which, now termed black quinoa, he regards as a distinct species, and proposes to call it Cheno- podium altissimum ; the stems of it exhibited to the meeting being upwards of 12 ft. in height. Mi*. Ward exhibited specimens of two remarkable para- sitic plants ; one, the Aphyteia hydnora, from the Cape of Good Hope, and related to the gigantic rafflesia of the Indian Islands ; the other, the Cyno- morium coccineum, from the vicinity of Mount Sinai, where it is eaten by the natives.. The last is also found in Malta, Sicily, and Barbary; where, how- ever, the plant is extremely local. A notice by the chairman was read on the culture of the quinoa in Upper Peru, where, on the high plains, at an eleva- tion of 13,000 ft. above the level of the sea, scarcely any other grain is grown ; though, since the introduction of corn from Europe, the cultivation of the quinoa has greatly diininished in Lower Peru and Chili. Read, also, descriptions of two species of the natural order Conifera;, by Professor Don, librarian to the Linnaean Society. One of these is the /'inus briitia, a native of Brutium or Calabria, and nearly related to the maritime pine of Greece: the other is the Araucaria Cunningham/. (^Literary Gazette, Dec. 10.) In the Penny Cyclopcedia, under the article Chenopodiaceae, vol. vii. p. 39., it is stated that the seeds of quinoa " arc ripened in England, and may now be pur- chased at any of the seed shops; but the plant can hardly be considered worth the attempt at cultivating it where any thing else will grow." Horticultural Society's Garden. — Jan. II. Chimonanthus frsigrans and G 3 S6 Domestic Noliccs : — Ejiisland. 50 to tlie rains of autumn and the C. f. grandiflorus (Arb. Brit., p. 938.; ani\Ji<." 14. The show of plants, flowers, fruits, and vegetables, was most excellent ; but to enumerate individually the different specimens exhibited would far exceed our limits ; and we can only express our decided opinion, that, with a continuance of the industry, perseverance, and attention hitherto paid by the subscribers who have so spiritedly come forward with the produc- tions of their gardens, the Society will flourish beyond the expectations of the most sanguine of its promoters, and that every good anticipated at its forma- tion will be fully realised. The doors were opened about one o'clock, and in a few minutes so great was the influx of subscribers and visitors as barely to admit of passing betsveen the stand and the tables. In conclusion, we must not omit to notice the cottagers' and artisans' table, upon which we observed a good show of vegetables and flowers ; and we hope that an increasing emu- lation will be excited amongst that class of persons ; and that much benefit, as well as pleasure, will be derived from their attention to horticultural pur- suits. (Coventri/ Herald, Sept. 16.) Kov. 15. The show of flowers, when taken in consideration with the late unfavourable state of the weather, far exceeded what might have been ex- pected ; and of the fruit, it is not too much to say that it might, without hesitation, have been put in competition with that of any place in England. The grapes, pears, and apples were particularly admired ; as were the vegeta- bles, which, considering the season of the year, were in great abundance. The prizes were gained principally by Earl Craven (to whose gardener, Mr. Oliver, the specimens shown were highly creditable). Lady Hood, Chandos Leigh, Esq , and Messrs. Howe, Herbert, and Ogden. The chrysanthemums shown by Mr. Joseph Howe and Mr. Abraham Herbert deserved the highest praise. (Ibid, Nov. 18.) WALES. General Meeting of the Swansea aiid Neath Horliciillural Society. — Dec. 1. After the company had viewed the chrysanthemums, and other flowers and fruit, J. H. Vivian, Esq., M.P., took the chair as president, and, having briefly introduced the object of the meeting to the company, called on the honorary secretary to read the report of the managing committee, from which the fol- lowing is an extract : — " The conmiittee think it unnecessary, but in general terms, to allude to the decided advance in the last three or four years in all the leading branches of horticulture in this town and neighbourhood ; and one striking benefit is, the far better supply, in quantity and quality, of these things in our market: this is one of the substantial good works of the Swan- sea and Neath Horticultural Society. The gardens of the rich, as well as of the poor, have productions in them now that were never heard of, much less seen : every new seed is tried, and the result made known, by which means all share in the advantage, and may select those most approved. The nursery and seedsmen vie in obtaining the very best and newest varieties, knowing that, as a spirit of competition is afloat, their only chance of success depends on the excellence of their articles." The report, after alluding to the number of prizes distributed during the last year among the cottagers (eighty-seven Retrospective Criticism. 93 \n number), proposed the establishment of a cottagers' fund. This proposal was adopted, and about two guineas were collected from the ladies at the time, and ten names were put down as subscribers. We are happy to learn that the cottagers have applied for apple trees, according to the plan pro- posed in the last year's schedule. The flowers and fruit exhibited were very fine ; and the principal prizes were gained by L. W. Dillwyn and J. H. Vivian, Esqrs., and M.P.s for the county. The chrysanthemums shown by Mr. Dill- wyn were extremely splendid. The silver challenge box was won by Dillwyn Llewelyn, Esq. (^Cambrian, Dec. 10.) SCOTLAND. Horticultural Socicti/ of Edinburgh. — Dec. \. Premiums were awarded for the best six sorts of French, Flemish, or German pears, from walls : to Mr. James Arklie, gardener at Congalton, the first prize; and the second to Mr. James Smith, Hopetoun House. 2. For the finest Continental pears, from standard strees, to Mr. James Smith, Hopetoun House ; the collection in- cluding beurre Diel, Marie-Louise, and Easter beurre. 3. For the best eighteen sorts of Chrysanthemum sinense in flower, to Mr. John Young, gardener to Thomas Oliver, Esq., Newington Lodge, the collection containing several varieties not hitherto seen at Edinburgh. A second premium was voted for another meritorious collection, sent by Mr. John Gow, gardener to Count Flahault, Tuliallau. Specimens of the Gogar pippin, of very small size, and of very large size, taken from the same tree, were placed on the table ; the contrast strikingly evincing the signal effects of climate. The tree happening to be trained against the back wall of a peach house, with a north aspect, a branch was turned over, and introduced within the peach house ; the small fruit were from the open air with little sun, and the large fruit from under the glass with full sun. These curious specimens were communicated by Mr. William Buchanan, gardener at Culdees Castle, to whom a small honorary premium was voted. Several stocks of Cardoon, as large and as well blanched as the Paris market could produce, were exhibited by Mr. James Cowan, gardener at St. Ger- mains, to whom, likewise, a small premium was awarded. A small collection of most beautiful apples was placed on the table, and much admired. There being no competitor in this fruit on the present occasion, thanks were voted to Mr. John Clark, gardener at Gosford House, who transmitted the speci- mens. The most important communication made to the meeting remains to be noticed. In consisted of a suite of named specimens of fine Flemish pears, which come into use for the dessert, in regular succession, from mid-October till mid-April, as established by many years' experiment by Sir Alexander Hope of Luffness, partly on wall trees and partly on dwarf standards. The Society's honorary gold meflal was unanimously voted for this interesting communication, which we hope the Society will speedily make public, for the benefit and encouragement of horticultural improvers. A small premium was, at the same time, awarded to Mr. Peter Lockhart, the gardener at Luffness. At this meeting we remarked that several ladies were admitted members of the Society, and that this was done by acclamation, while gentlemen were sub- jected to the ballot. The office-bearers for 1837 were also elected. Among the new elections we are happy to find that of Mr. Charles H. J. Smith, ap- pointed garden-architect to the Society, and Mr. James Macnab, superintendent of the Experimental Garden. (^Edinburgh Advertiser, Dec. 9.) Art. V. Restrospective Criticism. Erratum. — In Vol. XII. p 695., towards the end of the first paragraph, for " painting the wood over with coal tar," read " painting the wall over with coal tar." 94< Queries and Ans'xers. Johnsou^s Willoic. (p. 715. and 71G.) — In consequence of our remarks on this subject, and the communication from our correspondent at Liclifield, relative to the frontispiece to the Salictum Wobiirncnxc, we have received the following explanation from His Grace the Duke of Bedford : — "1 have seen in the Gtirdciur's J\Iaga~inc of December last a sort of controversial discus- sion on what is called ' Johnson's Willow,' a portrait of which I have given as a frontispiece to the Sa/ictinu Woburnsnse. I will therefore state shortl}' what are the facts respecting that engraving. In a work which was professedly a monograph of willows, I thought I could not introduce it more appropriately than by an engraving of the celebrated tree of that genus, so connnonly known by the name of 'Johnson's Willow.' I therefore commissioned Mr. Burgess, so well known for his correct delineation of trees, and the author of that beautiful work the Eidodcndroti, to go to Lichfield to take a sketch of that celebrated tree. Unfortunately, the tree was entirely destroyed by a storm before Mr. Burgess could reach Lichfield ; but Lady Chetw3 nd, who resides in the neighbourhood, kindly sent him some sketches and an etching, said to be an exact representation of the tree a few years before it fell. Therefore Mr. Burgess certainly did not ' compile a tree,' as stated by your correspondent from Lichfield. With regard to the species of willow, it was undoubtedly the 6'alix KusselhV/Hff, as I was personally assured by the Rev. Samuel Dickenson, rector of Blymhill, Staffordshire, an excellent botanist, and author of the natural history portion of Shaw's Staffordshire." — Bedford, liaron's Court, Jan. 15. 1837. Destroijing the Thr'ips. (Vol. XII. p. 495.) — The receipt for the destruc- tion of the thrips on cucumber plants, given by Agronome's Nephew, Vol. XII. p. 495., ought to be used with a great deal of caution. About a week ago, I had cucumber plants, in boxes, in a fruiting state, and in good health, in the pine pit. They were beginning to have some of the thrips appearing ; I applied the smoke, as stated, only for a short time, early in the afternoon, and not more than half an hour under the operation, when the leaves re- ceived a complete check, and never recovered ; and at the same time, upon examining the leaves, the thrips were as sprightly as ever; in consequence of which I had to sow and raise plants afresh. I state these remarks, that you may have an opportunity of cautioning others. — C. Pullar. Chamj^ion Hill, near London, Nov. 29. 1836. The Deanston Plough and lieaping-Machine. — I am very glad to see my early friend and benevolent patron, Mr. Smith of Deanston House, Downe, Perthshire, so very successful in his new plough. I saw him work his reaping- machine nearly twenty years ago. He is the inventor of many machines in cotton-spinning and other manufactures. — J. Cidlull. Durham Park Gardens, Dec. 1836. Art. VI. Queries and Ansivers. Choice of Soil from a Common. — In selecting soil from commons or pasture lands, for potting plants, njaking or renewing borders, or any other purpose in gardening, care is usually taken to avoid that tinctured with oxide of iron. If such soil, oxidised from mineral springs or other cnuses, be detrimental to the growth of plants, to what extent is it injurious? Or have any of your reailers tried artificial impregnation of soil with iron, so as to ascertain accu- rately the result ? — R. G. Bicton, near Exeter, Dec., 1836. The Black Irish Elm. — There is a tree with this name in the Horticultural Society's garden ; but it does not seem to be known in Ireland. We have written to several correspondents on the subject, including Mr. Mackay and Mr. Niven, who know nothing about it. Of course, it is not mentioned in Mackay's Flora Iliberuica. We slioidd be glad to get information on this elm from any onej and also on the Scampston elm. — Cond. Covent Garden Mavltct. 95 A Hedge of Furze and young Privet is recommended as a close fence, as being evergreen, and as flowering beautifully in early spring, by — G. G. Edge- haston, Dec. 13. 1836. Fietc/ier's Mode of training and managing the Black Hamburg Grape, (Vol. XII. p. 712.) — After a good deal of trouble taken by Mr. Turner, curator of the Bury Botanic Garden, and Mr. Wild, fruiterer, Tavern Street, Bury, for which we hereby acknowledge our obligations, the result is, that Mr. Fletcher would be happy to make the public acquainted with his system of management, provided, to use his own words, " 1 thought 1 had reached the summit of perfection ; but, as I flatter myself somctliing more yet remaius to be accomplished, I must decline making anytliing public at present. After another year or two's trial, it is very probable that I shall make known every particular." — John Fletcher, Miller at Fyke, in a Letter to Mr. Wild, dated Dec. 12. 1836. Art. VII. Covent Garden Market. The Cabbage Tribe. Cabbage Plants, or Coleworts Brussels Sprouts, per | sieve Broccoli, per bunch : White Purple - - - Legumes. Kidneybeans (forced), per hun. Tubers and Roots. rper ton Potatoes - ^percwt. Cper bushel - Kidney, per bushel Scotch, per bushel Jerusalem Artichokes, i sieve Turnips, White, per bunch - Carrots, old, per bunch Parsneps, per dozen Red Beet, per dozen Horseradish, per bundle The Onion Tribe. Onions, old, per bushel For pickling, per | sieve Green (Ciboules), per bunch Leeks, per dozen bunches - Garlic, per pound Shallots, per pound Asparaginous Plants, Salads, SfC. Asparagus, per hundred : Large - I- - Second, or middling Sprue, or small .Sea-kale, per punnet Lettuce, Cabbage, per score Endive, per score Celery, per bundle (12 to 15) Small Salads, per punnet W'atercress, per dozen small bunches . . - Pot and Sweet Herbs. Parsley, per half sieve Tarragon, dried, per doz. bun. From £ s. d. 0 2 0 0 16 0 10 0 10 4 10 0 0 4 6 2 2 0 0 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 3 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 6 6 6 0 0 9 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 7 0 4 0 2 0 1 0 0 0 0 8 0 1 6 0 3 0 To £ s. 0 3 0 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 9 6 0 2 6 0 0 0 Thyme, per dozen bunches Siige, per dozen bunches Mint, dried, per doz. bunches Peppermint, dried, p. doz. bun Marjoram, dried, per doz. bun. .Savory, dried, per doz. bun. Basil, dried, per doz. bunches Rosemary, green, per doz. bun. Lavender, dried, per dozen bunches ... Tansy, per dozen bunches Stalks and Fruits for Tarts Pickling, SiC. Rhubarb Stalks, per bundle Edible Fungi and Fuci, Mushrooms, per pottle Morels, per score Truffles, English, dried, per pound . . - Fruits. Apples, Dessert, per bushel : Nonpareils Ribston Pippins American Jersey ... Pears, Dessert, per half sieve Passc-Colmar Beurre de Penlecote Ne plus Meuris Chestnuts, French, per peck Pine-apples, per pound Grapes, Lisbon, per pound - r, „ f per dozen Oranges \ J,^^ \,,,,,Are6. . Bitter, per hundred I— [ifel^Sed- : Sweet Almonds, per pound . Nuts, per bushel : Brazil ... Spanish ... I Barcelona Fron £ s. t d. 0 2 0 0 2 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 6 0 0 4 0 0 1 0 0 1 3 0 1 0 1 .0 0 0 14 0 0 10 0 0 7 0 0 15 0 0 3 0 0 10 0 0 15 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 6 0 0 6 0 4 0 0 7 0 0 0 9 0 5 0 0 3 0 0 16 0 0 18 0 1 0 0 £ s. d. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 6 14 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 8 0 1 0 0 0 4 0 0 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 8 0 0 6 0 0 2 0 0 1 6 0 10 0 0 14 0 0 1 6 0 10 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Observations. — Since my report in October, the market has been steadil3'^ supplied with all articles usually furnished during this season of the year. Prices have been moderate, and the demand having been limited to the supply, there has, consequently, been but little variation in prices. Since the frost, which interrupted the supplies materially for a week or ten days, we have received everything as before ; but, as the demand has been much lessened by the prevailing illness, and the general absence, up to this time, of all the principal families, a slight reduction in price has been effected in all the lead- ing articles. But, after all, it is only in the London mai'kets that, at this 96 Obituary. season of the year, the different varieties of broccoli are to be observed in such perfection, and in such abundance. Already, also, are asparagus and sea- kale in good supply, and certainly very reasonable in price. Forced rhubarb is also [jlentiful ; and some French beans have been offered. Of savoys, the market is deficient ; but coleworts, cabbage plants, Brussels sprouts, and bore- cole are liberally furnished. Turnips, although not plentiful, are moderately supplied ; carrots, very generally ; potatoes, as yet, come to hand freely ; onions, also, with all the minor articles, as usual. Of fruits, generally, the supply is quite equal to the demand, which suffers, with the vegetables, from the previously quoted causes. Some singularly handsome specimens of pine- apples have been recently furnished, but could not be disposed of at the very low prices quoted in the list. There are but few pears now on hand ; those mentioned constitute materially the supply. Of apples, we have abundance, of excellent quality; but few importations, those principally from Jersey, of the common varieties. Until within the last week, oranges have been scarce, and much dearer than at present quoted : lemons, also, have been scarce, but are now more plentiful. Foreign grapes have come to hand in great quanti- ties, and of excellent quality ; many of them have been forwarded by steam. Nuts and chestnuts are not so abundant as usual at this season ; but several cargoes are immediately expected, which may reduce the present prices. — G.C. Jan. 21. 1837. Art. VIII. The London Horticultural Society and Garden. Mef.TISG, Jan. 17. 1837. — Exhibited. Primula sinensis, with double flowers, from Mr. J. Henderson, of the Wellington Nursery. Varieties of Primula, from Mr. J. A. Henderson. Renanthcra coccinea, from S. F. Phelps, Esq. Oncidium papilio, i^uph6rbi« splendens, Lechenault/« formosa, E'pacris campanulata, and E. impressa, from Mrs. Lawrence. West's St. Peter's grapes, from Mr. J. Paxton. From the Garden of the Society. Plants. Echeven'a gibbiflora, Calanthe veratrifolia, Rhodochiton volubilis, Lithospennum rosmarinifolium, Garrya elliptica, Chimonanthus fragrans, and C. f. grandiflorus. — Fruits. Apples : Royal reinette, London pippin. Court pendu plat, Baxter's pearmain, Dutch mifnonne, Herefordshire pearmain. Pile's russet, Haggerston pippin, and northern greening. This last sort keeps long, and never shrivels. — Pears : Easter beurre, Beurr^ ranee, Dowler's seedling, Bezi de Cassoy, Rouse lench, Bellissime d' hiver. The first three were from standards, and had been kept in white sand, a method that has been long practised by some ; but it may be proper to state that the flavour is not so good if the fruit be packed immediately when gathered. This is probably owing to the fruit con- taining at that time much watery substance ; which may be eva|)orated by laying the fruit some weeks on the shelves. The sand should be well dried and cool, when the fruit is packed in it. Art. IX. Obituary. M. Persoon, the learned botanist, author of Sj/tiopsis P/antarum, and other works, died lately in Paris, at an advanced age. He had enjoyed for some years a small pension fiom the French government, to whom he had sold his magnificent herbarium, the result of 30 years of research, and which was more especially rich in cryptogamic plants, (llernus, Nov. 19. 1836.) C. M. Fischer, the curator of tiie Botanic Garden of Gcittingen, died on Dec. 19. last, after an illness of several months. He was a scientific botanist, an intelligent cultivator, and an amiable and much respected man. — E. L. 47. Eaton Square, Piinlico, Jan. 4. 1837. Died at Edinburgh, on Nov. 2. 183G, Mr. John Hay, garden-architect, aged 78 years. (^Eilin. Weekly Journal, Nov. 23.) We should be glad of a biographical notice of this worthy man. THE GARDENER'S MAGAZINE, MARCH, 1837. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. Art. I. A Series of Articles on the Insects most injurious to Culti- vators. By J. O. Westwood, Secretary to the Entomological Society. No. 1. The Turnip Flea-Beetle, commonly called the Turnip Fly. In commencing a series of articles upon those particular species of insects which are especially obnoxious to the horti- culturist and agriculturist, a kw introductory general observa- tions will not be deemed inappropriate. It was a doctrine maintained and supported by a celebrated naturalist and poli- tical economist, whom I am proud to name as my friend, W. Spence, Esq., F.R.S. (one of the authors of the invaluable Introduction to Entomology)^ that our country was capable of maintaining its distinguished rank among nations independently of commerce, by a reliance upon its agricultural sources alone. Without, however, eitiier admitting or denying the truth of this doctrine, one proposition is evidently deducible therefrom, namely, that the cultivation of the soil in this country is a sub- ject of such vital importance to the general economy of the state, that every thing immediately or remotely connected there- with must necessarily possess a degree of importance, of course varying in amount according to the amount of influence which it exercises upon the productions of the soil, either in advancing the successes of the agriculturist, or defeating his long and arduous exertions. Chemistry, whereby the nature of soils and manures is obtained ; mineralogy and geology, whereby the nature of the various strata of any particular district of the country, and its fitness for particular crops, may be ascertained ; meteorology, in its most extended sense, whereby the changes of the weather and their causes may be learned ; and botany, whereby the distinctions of vegetables, and the comparative advantages resulting from the culture of each, are shown; are all so completely part and parcel of the knowledge required by Vol. XIII. —No. 84. ii 98 Insects most injurious to Cidtixiators : — every cultivator, that it would be deemed mere waste of words to enter into any argument in proof of the assertion. But there ai'e other branches of natural science in the know- ledore of which the cultivator ought not to be deficient. To say that an acquaintance with the leading principles of zoology and of comparative anatomy, at least so far as regards the animals which are more especially the objects of his care, is not almost, if not quite, as requisite as a knowledge of any other of the branches of natural science mentioned above, would be an assertion capable of the easiest disproof. But it is not alone as connected with the horse, ox, or sheep, that a knowledge of the structure and habits of animals is required. There are many creatures, and especially birds, which are greatly serviceable to the farmer, by whom, through ignorance of their habits and good qualities, they are too often destroyed, being mistaken for the authors of mischief. I need not enter into the details of many instances in support of this assertion ; but there is an anecdote so charac- teristically told by Mr. Spence in the work above alluded to, and which so forcibly illustrates this view of the subject, that I am sure it will not be deemed out of place here. The grubs of the cockchafer (Meloloutha vulgaris) are very destructive in pas- tures, eating the roots of the grass, and causing it to die. Of these grubs rooks are very fond, and they are too well aware of the dainty treat which awaits them to be far behind the plough : they will also even pull up the dead roots of grass where the larvae harbour, and hence they are mistaken by ignorant persons for the real cause of the mischief, and scarecrows are placed to drive these useful auxiliaries away. To the remonstrances of Mr. Spence against this mode of proceeding, one of these self- willed gentlemen replied that " he could'nt beer to see d'nasty craws pull up all d'gress, and sae he'd set d'bairns to hing up some auld clauts to flay em awey. Gin he'd letten em alean, they'd scan hev reated up all d'close." Let us hope, however, that this state of ignorance is fast dying away. The publication of numerous excellent works, at low prices, has, within a very few years, done wonders in distributing knowledge ; but this is not the only, nor even the chief, good which has resulted from the diffusion of cheap literature. An ardent thirst for knowledge has been produced, which can be allayed only by good and substantial information ; and now, perhaps, more than ever, is the time arrived that the character of the rising generation (may we not even say, the future prosperity of our country?) depends entirely upon the nature of the materials with which this thirst for knowledge is appeased. Amongst the benefits resulting from the desire of obtaining useful knowledge, not the least is the uprooting of many, if not all, of those absurd notions respecting the nature of numerous, and Turnip Flea-Beetle. 99 especially the smaller, animals, of which one can but wonder how they could ever have been entertained by reasonable men, and the planting in their stead of facts deduced from strict ob- servation. Still, however, much remains to be learned repecting the proceedings of many of the smaller animals, and especially insects, even of those which are detrimental to mankind. The reader need not be told that, until within the last five or ten years, the entomologist was almost universally deemed little better than a fool; and yet, at the very same time, hundreds of persons who joined in the cry were suffering from the devastations of insects from ignorance of their habits, which it was the especial province of the entomologist to make known. The public have now, however, learned not only that entomology is capable of affording the highest gratification from the contemplation of the beautiful structure of the creatures themselves, as well as from the observation of their curious habits and singular transform- ations, but, also, that it is only by a precise acquaintance with the economy of the various obnoxious species, founded upon a minute series of observations, that we shall be enabled to obtain a clue to the more efTectually checking their devastating career. It is impossible that this can be done in any other manner. We may generalise till doomsday ; but, in practical, as well as theoretical, science, it is only by careful examination of details, either of habits or structure, that any ultimate benefit can be obtained. Books have been written professing to give the natural history of subjects injurious to the agriculturist and horticulturist; but these have been written by persons who, although very good gardeners or farmers, knew scarcely any- thing of the real natural history of insects*, and who have con- sequently failed in giving us any new facts upon the subjects upon which they have professed to treat. In the series of articles of which this is the first, I hope, after nearly twenty years' investigation of insects and their habits, to be able to lay before the reader facts, old and new, which may tend to the beneficial result which is so much to be desired. Let us not, however, be too sanguine : the facts of the entomologist, as I have elsewhere observed [British Cyclopedia of Natural Historij, vol. ii. p. 829.), are but a step towards the fulfilment of our wishes. The cultivator must take his share in the labour ; the discovery of serviceable remedies being to be ascertained only by persons perfectly conversant with the chemical nature of soils, as well as the action of various ingredients which may be employed as remedies, not only upon the insects themselves, but also upon the plants which may be attacked. Such persons, too, are alone * I here more especially allude to a thick octavo volume, by Mr. Major, upon the insects destructive to fruit trees, which, as regards the details of insect life, is completely deficient. H 2 100 Insects most injurious to Cultivators : — able to judge of the practicability of the application of the proposed remedies; since it would be useless for an in-door entomologist to endeavour, by experiment, to discover remedies which, when discovered, could not be adopted, from the great expense of the remedy itself, the impossibility of applying it, or the liability of the destruction, not only of the insect, but also of the plant. No. I. The Tlrmp Flea-Beetle* (Haltica nemoruni). Class, In=ecta (Insects; that is, insected, or segmented, animals). Order, Coleoptera (Beetles ; that is, insects having tiie wings enclosed in wing-cases). Family, Galerucidae (Plant Beetles ; so named after the principal genus, Galeruca). Genus, Haltica (of Illiger ; so named from a Greek word expressive of the powers of leaping, which these insects possess). Species, Haltica nemoruni (Linnaeus, 5j/A-/r?H« i\7//?(?'<^, vol. ii. p. 595. ; Mar- sham, Entomologia Brilnnmca, vol. i. p. 197. ; Donovan, NaUiral History of British Insects, vol. xvi. pi. 569. fig. 1. {Jig. 33. 1, p. 108.) The generic character of this insect corsists in the oblonof- ovate foini of the body ; the posterior thighs greatly thickened, and formed for leaping ; the tarsi of the hind legs short, and inserted at the tip of the tibiae ; the elytra punctured, not striated ; the thorax not transversely impressed behind ; and the posterior tibite not toothed. The specific character is : Body subdepressed, of an oblong- ovate form, and brassy black colour, thickly dotted ; elytra, greenish black, having an entire, broad, longitudinal pale yellow line on each wing-case, and the base of the antennas, as well as the tibiee and tarsi, pale clay-coloured. Length of the body, one eighth of an inch. This insect (together with several other species belonging to the same genus, and differing from it chiefly in size, in the form of the mark upon the wing-cases, and in the colour of the legs) may be justly regarded as affording a most convincing proof of the injurious properties possessed by creatures of the smallest size. Other creatures there are of obnoxious habits ; but these, in many instances, are either so conspicuous from their size, or so repulsive from their form, colour, sounds, or other properties incident to their nature, that the attention is roused, and directed at once to the remedy of injuries com- mitted, or the avoidance of such injuries ; but the turnip flea, * This insect is usually termed the turnip fly ; but, as there are several hymenopterous flies which are very destructive to the turnip, I have altered the name fly to flea, in allusion to its extraordinary leaping powers ; in which respect, as well as in its small size, it bears a resemblance to the common flea. Perhaps, indeed, to prevent any mistake which might arise from calling it a turnip flea, when it is in no degree actually related to the insect after which it is named, it would be better to call it the turnip flea-beetle. Tiamip Flea-Beetle. 101 possessing as it does the power of inflicting damage to the annual amount of many hundreds of pounds*, and defended not only by its minute size, but by its astonishing powers of leaping to a very great distance on the least approach of danger, is surely an animal, above all others, calculated to teach the un- thinking that, in the operations of the mighty economy of nature, size is of the least importance; and hence, that the tiny creatures which swarm around us are as worthy of our regard as those of the largest size. It is not, however, in the destruction of the turnip plant alone that the turnip flea is obnoxious. From the improved method of agriculture, having for its object a succession of the various kinds of crops, it has been ascertained that it is most beneficial to commence the series with a crop of turnips; and, if this fails, the subsequent crops are more or less injured, and prevented from arriving at their full extent. Convinced, therefore, of the great importance of the subject, and unable to obtain, either in entomological or agricultural works, any decisive information respecting the real natural history of the turnip flea, the Com- mittee of the Doncaster Agricultural Association issued, very extensively, in the year 1830, the following series of ques- tions : — 1. In what sort of weather have you generally observed the fly do most mischief to the turnips ? 2. At how early a period of the year have you ever known the fly begin to attack the young turnip plants ? 3. Is there any period of the year after which you have ever known the fly to attack the young turnip plants? 4. Have you known instances where the fly has attacked turnips after they have put out the rough leaf? 5. When this was the case, were there any peculiarities in the season or weather ? 6. Have you observed that the fly was more destructive on one kind of soil than on another ? State the soil on which it has been most destructive. 7. Have you observed that the nature of the manure used has tended to increase or diminish the injury done by the fly? State the nature of the manure which you think tends most to diminish the attacks of the fly. 8. Have you observed the fly to be more prevalent in broad- cast than in drilled turnips, or the reverse? 9. Have you ever tried any method to prevent or to cure the damage done by the fly ? State what, and the result. * It has been calculated by an eminent agriculturist, that, from the attacks of the Haltica alone, the loss sustained in the turnip crops in Devonshire, in one year, amounted to not less than 100,000/. (Young's Annals of Agriculture, vol, vii. p. 102., quoted by Kirby and Spence.) H 3 102 Insects most injurious to Cultivators : — 10. Have you ever made any observations as to the mode in which the turnip fly is generated? State what these observations have led to. 11. Is it your opinion that the fly is more prevalent now than it used to be? If so, can you account for this, and how ? 12. State any general observations you may wish on this subject. In answer to these queries, an extensive series of replies were received from more than a hundred persons, chiefly intelligent and extensive farmers, from different parts of the country, from York- shire to Cornwall ; from which it appears that no sooner does the plant make its appearance above ground, than it is attacked by the insect iii the ■perfect state ; and the first, or cotyledon, leaves being devoured, the plant immediately dies. The case is the same whether the crop be sown early or late ; the insect being in full activity from April to September, and even earlier than the former, and later than the latter, month. Hence, as the chief time for eff'ectively sowing the crop is from about mid- sunmier until the end of July, it is evident that an alteration of the period for sowing, so as not to coincide with the time of the appearance of the insect, cannot be adopted. The answers like- wise show that hot seasons are favourable for the increase of the insect ; and wet ones equally obnoxious to its developement. In like manner, it is equally ascertained that it continues its attacks upon the plant after the expansion of the rough leaves. It will be observed, that the preceding observations, and the replies obtained in answer to the queries above given, refer only to the insect in its perfect state, and that neither contain any information as to the earlier stages of the insect's life ; although it is evident that, as it must undergo the changes to which other coleopterous insects are subject, and must consequently pass through the larva and pupa states, a considerable time must be occupied before the perfect beetle appears in the state in which its attack upon the young leaves is made. There is not the least shadow of ground tor supposing that this is not the case, or for adopting the opinion expressed by Mr. Sutton in a pamphlet which has obtained great celebrity ; namely, that the egg is de- posited in the ground, and that exposing it to the influence of the sun and air is the immediate cause of the vivification of the perfect beetle. Mr. Sutton, in pursuance of this doctrine, directs the preparing of the fallows for the seed, and then leav- ing the land for ten days or a fortnight, whereby, for want of proper exposure, the egg is supposed to be destroyed. This opinion is, however, so unquestionably erroneous, that, if success has followed the adoption of the plan founded thereupon, it must certainly have been caused by other and incidental causes. Another gentleman, whose conununications are published. Turnip Flea-Beetle. 103 from time to time, in the Entomological Magazine^ under the signature of Rusticus, and who brought to the enquiry a knowledge of the habits of insects, instituted a series of experi- ments in order to ascertain whence the turnip beetle comes in such numbers. He says that he had always observed that there was the greatest quantity of grubs on very young plants, of very various size; and that it was not till the plants were a fortnight or three weeks old, that the beetles appeared in any numbers ; yet that there were some beetles from the very first coming up of the plant. He was next anxious to ascertain whence it happened that there were such numbers of grubs covering the cotyledons, and states his opinion that they must have sprung from eggs, either left in the ground from the previous year, or laid on the turnip seed itself, and harvested with it in the autumn. He then details a series of experiments which led him, from their results, to suppose that the eggs of the beetle are deposited upon the seed of the turnip previously to its being harvested : indeed, he discovered on the seed a number of white flattish substances, which he concluded to be the eggs of the Haltica. Hence he adopted the practice of steeping the seeds in brine sufficiently strong to kill the supposed eggs, and yet not to injure the seed; and he states, in conclusion, that the plan was attended with very satisfactory success. In support of these statements, he adduces several facts : 1st, That self-sown turnip seed is more infested than that which is sown in the usual way ; 2dly, That, when the seed is gathered in very hot dry seasons, the produce is more infested than when the seed is harvested in wet and cold seasons ; and, 3dly, That, on shaking the flowers of the turnips, the perfect beetles are found amongst them. There were, however, ample reasons for doubting the correct- ness of this view of the subject. The facts adduced in its sup- port were unsatisfactory ; it having been proved that the appear- ance of the insect was greatly influenced by the hotness or wetness of the season, and that it was found in the perfect state through the summer and autumn ; so that, from the circumstance of its feeding throughout its perfect state upon the turnip, the discovery of it amongst the flowers of that plant was no proof of its intention to deposit its eggs upon the seed. But the fact that the seed of the turnip is harvested before the pods have burst open, is sufficient to show that the Halticaj cannot deposit their eggs upon the enclosed seeds. Moreover, it is quite incon- sistent with the economy of insect life, to suppose that an egg^ the grub of which, when hatched, is destined to feed above ground, should be placed by the parent insect in a situation where it must necessarily be buried. Again, if the turnip fly be produced, as Rusticus presumes, from eggs laid upon the seeds, how did it happen that there were some beetles from the II 4 104 Insects most injurious to Cultivators : — very first coming up of the plant ? since there would be no necessity for tb.eir living through the winter, like some butter- flies, to deposit their eggs in the following spring or summer; that is, at the period when they are thus stated to be found alive. Again, if the eggs were deposited upon the seed, how did it happen that the grubs were very various in size? 1 have not entered into any detail relative to the experiments of Rusticus, because, having stated the substance of these ob- jections to the views of that writer in the Magazine of Natural Histonj for the year ISS*, he subsequently, in a flippant article upon the subject (Entomological Magazine, vol. ii. p. 505.), says, " I will hint (to others writing on the subject) that the eggs are not laid upon the seed, as I once supposed."* After such an admission, it might, perhaps, be thought needless to have entered at all upon the objections to the hypothesis that the egg is laid upon the seed, and., consequently, deposited in the ground ; but the same line of reasoning may be employed in opposition to the very common opinion, that the eggs are deposited in manure. With the view, therefore, of obtaining a more precise know- ledge of the natural history of the insect than had before been made known, the Entomological Society, in 1834, offered a prize for the best essay on the subject; and consequently received several communications, embodying many facts relative to the habits of the insects. These documents have not yet been pub- lished by the Society ; and it must, therefore, be evident, that I, as its secretar}', am, for the present, precluded from making any use of the materials thus collected together. I think myself justified, however, in stating that it has been ascertained that the eggs are deposited upon the leaves of the turnip ; a fact, indeed, which analogy would have led us to expect, in conjunction with the assertion of Latreille, that the Halticse " devastent souvent les feuilles des vegetans qui sont propres a leur nourriture : leurs larves en rongent le parenchyme et s'y metamorphosent ;" [often destroy the leaves of the plants suitable for their nourishment, by their larvae devouring the parenchyma, and these undergoing their metamorphoses;] and of Rusticus, who says that the grubs feed upon the leaves of the plant. Let us now endeavour to combine the knowledge thus ob- tained (in the absence of the further details in the possession of the Entomological Society) with the facts already known. It is known that, as soon as the plant appears, it is attacked by the perfect insect, which cannot, therefore, have been produced from * It is essential that tliis statement should be made as public as possible, to counteract the erroneous impressions produced by the publication of the former observations of" this writer, which have been ti'anslated and published in the Horlicultcur liclgc, tlie Aniialcs dc la Socicte Entomologiqiic dc France ; and in Newman's Granimar of Enlomologi/. Turnip Flea-Beetle. 105 eggs which have had any connexion with the plant in question ; either as regards the seed of such plant, or the manure in which it is sown. Whence, then, do these perfect insects come ? Every one accustomed to entomological excursions during the winter is acquainted with the fact that the Halticae hybernate in moss, &c. ; whilst it is equally well known that they feed upon other cruciform plants in the spring months, preferring, however, the turnip. It scarcely, therefore, admits of a doubt, that the perfect insects which attack the early leaves of the turnip are insects of the preceding year, produced from eggs deposited by parent beetles upon the turnip plants, after they have attained a growth sufficient to be secure from destruction from the attacks of the insects or their grubs. I have traced the metamorphoses of some of the insects belonging to the same family as the Haltica; and, from analogy, I have little hesitation in consider- ing it as the most probable, that the transformations of these beetles are comparatively rapid. It is thus probable, that the eggs are deposited, the larvae hatched and full-fed, and the transition to the pupa, and, ultimately, to the imago, state, effected in the course of a few weeks ; so that, before the close of the summer, a generation of insects is produced, which are destined, in the following spring and summer, to become the terror of the farmer. Probably the period of the egg state is very short; so that the grubs of various sizes observed by Rusticus were, in all probability, the progeny of the beetles, few in number, observed at the first; whilst the subsequent in- crease in the numbers of the perfect insect may be accounted for, by supposing that the larvae had thus soon attained their perfect state. These observations are perfectly in unison with the known economy of some of the insects belonging to the same family as the Haltica : they violate none of the well-known principles of insect economy ; and they offer a clue to the discovery of more successful, because more certain, modes of procedure, with a view to prevent the attacks of the insect. These may be divided into those which have reference, 1st, to the more healthy growth of the plant; and, 2dl3', to the destruction of the insect. With regard to the former, I cannot render greater service than by transcribing the recommendations appended to the Report of the Committee of the Doncaster Association already mentioned, which are as follows : — " That, most eflrectually to insure the speedy growth of the plant, the land should be kept in the best possible state of culti- vation . " That the fallow should be completed as early as possible, so as to give an opportunity for choosing a favourable season for sowingr. 106 Imects ?nosi hijurions to Cultivators : — " That the system of ridging the land with manure under the rows, and drilling on the ridge, be in every possible case adopted. " That the most favourable opportunity for ridging be chosen, particularly that the land be not ridged in too dry a state. " That, as soon as the land is opened for the manure, it be laid in the ridges formed, and the seed drilled in immediately. The quicker these operations follow each other, the better chance there is of a good crop. *' That the manure chosen be adapted to the soil, and such as is likely to insure the speediest growth of the young plant; and that a full quantity be allowed. " That the seed be not deposited in the manure ; but the manure be thinly covered with soil, and the seed drilled in this soil. " That a very liberal allowance of seed be given : as much as 3 lb. or 4 lb. per acre for drill, and 6 lb. or 7 lb. for broad-cast ; and that the seed be of one year's growth." With regard to those measures which have for their object the destruction of the insect, it is evident, that, as it passes the winter in the perfect state, the clearing of the hedge bottoms, and of every other place which can harbour it during the winter, should be systematically attended to. In like manner, the root- ing up of all kinds of wild cruciferous plants growing in the hedges, or their immediate vicinity, which may serve for the food of the beetles until the turnips make their appearance above ground, should also be adopted. It is also evident, from what has already been said, that, as the insects, both in the larva and perfect state, continue their attacks upon the turnip after it has put on the rough leaf, and, indeed, throughout the summer, it must be advantageous to pursue some mode of proceeding for the purpose of dislodging them from the plants. Various plans have been proposed for this purpose. By some, a board, newly painted or tarred, is drawn over the field, when the insect, jump- ing up at its approach, is caught in the paint or tar, and de- stroyed.* By others, a branch of elder is drawn over the field, the insect being affirmed to be greatly annoyed by the smell of that plant. Fumigation, by burning stubble, &c., to the wind- ward, and the spreading of ashes and soot by the hand over the plants, from time to time, as it is washed off by the rain, or swept off by the wind, have also been adopted with partial success ; as well as watering the plants with a watering-machine, when the weather is particularly dry. * 1 learn from M. Hoffmann of Munich, that a somewhat similar practice is adopted to prevent the attacks of the turnip fly, in the neighbourhood of that city. Turnip Flea- Beetle. 107 I would, also, strenu- ously suggest the employ- ment of a bag-net, similar to one invented by Mr. Paul of Starston, in Nor- folk, and employed by him to clear his turnips of the Haltica. It is described and figured by Kirby and Spence [Introd.^ vol. iv. pi. 24. fig. 3.); and the mode of its application will be evident from Jig. 32., which is copied from the figure given by these au- thors. I would recommend that this instrument should be employed not only in sweeping the grown turnips frequented by the Haltica in the latter part of the summer and autumn, but also the young plants on their first appearance, as well as the wild mustard, and other cruciform plants growing in the hedge- rows. The insects, being swept into the bag, may be easily destroyed. The last and, perhaps, the most successful remedy for the destruction of the insect, is, to spread quicklime over the young plant as soon as it appears above ground, to lay it on and around the plant, and to repeat it as often as wind and rain shall clear it off, until the plant be out of danger. This plan is strongly I'ecom mended by the Report of the Doncaster Committee, with these observations : — "Lime is so common, that it can be had in all situations ; and it is so cheap, that the cost need not at all embarrass the farmer. The labour in applying it is so compara- tively small, that it is capable of being generally adopted. If the fly should not appear, the lime can be used for other pur- poses ; and no loss beyond the labour of carriage will be sus- tained. We may congratulate the farmer on the satisfactory testimonials in favour of this last method of preservation, and may hope it will be found of the greatest possible benefit, con- joined with other steps which have been before alluded to. We trust the careful and systematic use of lime will obviate, in a great degree, the danger which has been experienced from the turnip fly." To these observations I will merely add that, by carefully examining the turnips at a later period of their growth, the time when the larvae are feeding upon the leaves may be easily as- certained ; and that a repetition of the process of sprinkling the lime, having first well washed the plants with water, will, in all 108 Insects mosl injurious to Cultivators. })rol)ability, have the effect of destroying the grubs, which are quite inactive, and unable to escape like the parent insects. On the Species of Beetles allied to the Turnip Flea-Beetle. The striped species of Haltica, of which the turnip flea-beetle may be considered as the type, are so much confused in entomo- logical works [Entomologische Hcftc, ii., G////^'?;//^//, vol. iii. and iv., Panzer, Laicharting, Stephens), that I have found it very diffi- cult to ascertain with precision the identity of the Linna:^an H. nemorum ; the original description of which is, " Saltatoria, elytris linea flava, pedibus pallidis." This description agrees with an insect sent from England by Mr. Kirby to Gyllenhall, and mentioned by him as a variety of H. flexuosa (vol. iii. p. FJ33.) ; which species is larger, according to Entom. Hefte and Stephens, than the Linn^ean species, \n my collection I observe, however, that the yellow-legged individuals are inva- riably larger than those with black legs. The largest individuals which I possess have yellow legs, and are labelled by Mr. Stephens himself " nemorum." I have drawn up the following descriptions from my own specimens, and have affixed thereto the synonymes which appear to me to be the most correct. Haltica nemarzim. (See /v. S3. 1.) — Brassy black, thickly punctured ; elytra with a lon- •jjitudinal fulvous stripe (about one third of thebreadth of each elytron), not quite straight on the outside, and incurved at the tip; basal joints of antennae, and legs, buff; the femora, especially of the hind legs, being more or less suflused with black; male antennae with the fourth joint enlarged. Length, If lines. Syn. Haltica flexuosa var. {Entom, Hefte and Stephens.) The description given above perfectly agrees with the speci- mens of Haltica nemorum preserved in the Linnaean cabinet, which I have purposely examined, to clear up all doubt upon the subject. Haltica ochripes Curtis Brit. Ent., pi. 630. — Agrees with the preceding, except that the outside of the stripe on the elytra is incurved in the middle, forming a semicircular black emargin- ation ; the base of this stripe is also, on the outside, incurved ; the legs are yellow, except the tips of the posterior femora ; male antennae with the fifth joint enlarged. Length, 1^ lines. Syn. Haltica flexuosa var. /3. {Ent. Hefte, Gyllenh., vol. iii. p. 533.) He'll tica intermedia Westw. {Seefg. 33. 2.) — Black, scarcely Notes on Gat dots and Country Seats. 109 jeneous; elytra with a narrow pale line, nearly straight, on the inside, but slightly curved in the nutldle of the outside; antennae black, with the three basal joints fulvous; legs black; base of the tibiae reddish ; tarsi pitchy. Length, 1 line. I have this species, named flexuosa by Mr. Stephens, with whose description it indeed agrees ; but he says it is l^ — if lines long. It seems to agree with the variety of nemorum mentioned in the Ent. Hefte, p. 71., with "ganz schwarz" (wholly black) legs. I have so many specimens agreeing in size and colour with this description, from different })arts of the country, that I have no doubt of its being distinct. In Oxfordshire, I have observed its devastations upon turnips. The H. sinuata of Stephens (Il/us., vol. iii. p. 297.) is most probably a variety of this species, with the yellow stripe externally incised. Hahica paraliela Westw. {See Jig. 33. 3.) — Black, scarcely tinged with brassy ; much narrower and smaller than any of the pi'eceding; the elytra have a narrow central pale buff stripe, nearly straight, and not extending to the extremity ; antennae brown, with the basal joints reddish ; legs black, the tai'si alone pitchy. Length, five sixths of a line. [These representations are magnified ; and it may be neces- sary to state, for the sake of such of our readers as are unac- customed to consult entomological works, that the actual length of each insect is indicated by the short black line placed near its head.] At the meeting of the Entomological Society on Jan. 2. 1837, a memoir, by Mr. G. R. Waterhouse, was read, containing descriptions of eighteen species of Haltica, brought from New Holland by Mr. Darwin, amongst which one was described as being almost identical with the English turnip fly ; and, in Mr. Cunningham's Account of the Agriculture of New Ho/land, it is stated that the turnips are attacked in that country in the same manner as in England. T/ie Grove, Hammersmith, Jan. 23. 1837. Art. II. Brief Notices, made on several Occasions, token visiting some Noblemen's and Gentlemen s Seats, in the Autumn of 1836. By Thomas Rutger. (^Continued from p. 14.) IsLEWORTH House ; Lady Cooper. — This residence is situated on the left of the road leading from Isleworth to Twickenham, and is approached by a lodge entrance. With regard to the gardens and shrubberies, they may be considered in a state of infancy. The house, with its handsome front, stands on a lawn which gently slopes down to the Thames, and from which there is a good view of the river towards Richmond Bridge. On the 110 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats : — Isleworth side of the house, an arcade is formed of treUisvvork, covered with creepers, through whicli a walk leads to a span- roofed green-house of about 50 ft. in length, which is entered at the centre by a circular projection. In front of the green- house, on the lawn, is a neat circular flower-garden, having a basin in its centre, with a vase fountain, the water having been obtained by boring to the depth of 327 ft. The extremity of the lawn, on the Twickenham side, seems to have been arti- ficially undulated ; and from this point there is a fine view of the pagoda in Kew Gardens, and also of Isleworth church. Immediately opposite the house there is an ait, or small island, in the river, which has been lately planted with Lombardy pop- lars, alders, &c. The lawn, on each side of the house, is sprinkled over with beds for flowers ; but how far in accordance with good taste I could not ascertain, being at too great a dis- tance from them. From the Twickenham side of the lawn, a walk leads down, through an excellent tunnel, constructed under the public road, to the kitchen-garden. The slopes at each end of the tunnel are extremely well covered with rhododendrons and laurels, kept dwarf, with a few laurustinuses sprinkled among them. The kitchen-garden within the walls contains about three acres, and has a fine wall running lengthwise, east and west, through the centre, against which are constructed two separate metallic curvilinear vineries, each of about 30 ft. long, and each stocked with fine young vines, that are very promising, and have already borne some fine fruit. At the eastern end of the kitchen-garden stands a very neat gardener's cottage, apparently with every convenience attached, and fronted by a pretty little flower-garden. At the western end is the frame-ground, which is spacious, and contains, in addition to the frames, a pine stove and a large pine pit ; and also some ranges of brick pits for forcing asparagus, wherein the roots are intended to remain permanently. This being rather a novelty, it may not be amiss to give a description of them. The pits, which are about 4 ft. wide in the clear, 3 ft. deep, and 2 ft. in the clear from each other, are built of brick, with pigeon-holes, similarly to M'Phail's system for cucumbers: the 2ft. space between the pits is, of course, for the hot dung. Mr. Over, the gardener, says that the plan answers remarkably well. He has about 200 ft. in length of these pits, which were planted, three years ago, with two-years-old roots ; and it is satisfactory to see the progress they have made, some of the stalks now dying off" being nearly as thick as a man's thumb. What Mr. Over has hitherto forced has been covered with hoops and mats ; but, to do the work to perfection, small frames are necessary, made to the width of the pits, and a few of them, by shifting, would be sufficient to go through the season. It is likely, in the formation of these pits, St. Margaret's. HI that a hint has been taken from the mode practised by the gar- deners in the vicinity of Paris for forcing asparagus, a notice of which will be found in this Magazine, Vol. X. p. 147. and p. 293. The well-kept gravel walks, and cleanliness of the quarters, in this garden, together with the state of the many fine young fruit trees against the walls, and the abundance of fruit they already produce, are highly creditable to Mr. Over. St. Margaret's ; Marquess of Ailsa. — This place nearly ad- joins that of Lady Cooper, on the Twickenham side ; and is situated, also, on the banks of the Thames, from which the lawn is separated by a wall to its level, on which is constructed a substantial iron palisade. In taking a rapid glance through the kitchen-garden, 1 observed some asparagus pits, constructed similarly to those at Lady Cooper's. There is a considerable length of wall in this garden. One of the walls is devoted to pears : the trees are fine, and the walls well filled. In the border in front of this wall, a fanciful mode of pear-training is carrying on, by training the trees to circular iron trellises, of about 7 ft. in diameter, formed exactly in the shape of an in- verted umbrella ; the stocks of the trees being about 9 in. high. There being no pines grown here, the forcing-houses are all devoted to peaches, grapes, &c., of which there are several ranges, placed in different parts of the garden. At the back of a lawn, the exterior of which forms the section of a circle, stands a plant-house, with two circular ends, projecting in front con- siderably beyond the line of the centre. Round the back of the lawn is a laurel hedge ; and inside the hedge a permanent iron stage is placed, of three or four steps high, to receive the green- house plants in summer. At the extremity of the lawn, on the Isleworth side, stands an opaque-roofed green-house, which is now (Oct. 12.) furnished with hybrid rhododendrons in large pots. Nothing can exceed the beauty of these plants, as respects their handsome growth and luxuriancy of foliage. One of them, I was given to understand, was purchased at the enormous price of thirty guineas. On the lawn are some of the largest speci- mens of the abele tree that I ever saw, with other trees of in- ferior note, both with respect to size and ornament. Leaving the front lawn, from which the observatory at Richmond is seen, and proceeding by the walk which leads towards the Twicken- ham side, we enter the flower-garden, which is laid out with gravel walks, but has the flower-beds on gi'ass. At the back of the flower-garden, the shape of which is the segment of a circle, stands the orangery, consisting of a centre and two wings, the centre running back some 30 ft. beyond the back line of the wings. There are some orange trees, with the finest heads I have seen for many years : I counted ten among them, the average of the heads of which was about 10 ft. in diameter; 112 No/es on Gardens and Countrij Seats : — which, as far as I can recollect, is not much exceeded by the far-lamed orange trees at Versailles, those having only the ad- vantage in the length of their boles; whilst these, including about 4' ft., the height of the tubs, do not much exceed 1 1 ft. in height. This flower-garden, with its conservatory, has a strik- ing effect; and, at the moment of entering it, my thoughts were involuntarily led to Dropmore. Opposite to the orangery, a straight walk leads to the opposite extremity of the flower- garden, where there is a recess constructed, somewhat corre- sponding in its architecture with the orangery, in which an ornamental seat is j^laced. Upon the whole, I was much pleased with this place; and, were it in keeping equal to what it deserves, and were exotics introduced on the lawns, such as are agreeable to the taste of modern gardening, there would be but few places, in proj)ortion to its size, on the banks of the Thames, and so near London, that could compete with it. Oatlands. — Persons of taste, who may have visited this place in days long gone by, must view it now with regret. The present occupier, Lord Egerton, holds it on a lease, which is fast draw- ing to a close : hence, perhaps, the little interest His Lord- ship feels in keeping up the grounds. The number of hands formerly employed for the forcing-houses and kitchen-garden alone are only now allowed for the whole place, which is in- formation sufficient to judge from, as far as it regards the keep- ing up of the pleasure-grounds, &c. It is, however, satisfactory to know that the beautiful grotto, which has been admired by thousands, still exists unimpaired, although divested of its almost indispensable accompaniment, the water: inattention to the pipes has led to this result ; and now, instead of the bath being full, and the limpid stream seen, broken, and trickling over, and down between the interstices of a portion of rock and shellvvork on one side, to fill the pond in front of the grotto, all is dry and cheerless. Whoever, in future, may become the occupant of this once-admired place, it is to be hoped, will endeavour to restore all that is calculated to make this spot, in particular, regain its former fame. Walton : Ladij Tankerville. — This place retains all the variety and beauty for which it has been remarkable for many years. The fine specimens of plants and trees, both exotic and indigenous, are still improving, and becoming more imi)osing as their years increase. Mr. Richardson, the gardener, with un- diminished ardour in his profession, still holds on "the noiseless tenour of his way." It is now more than forty years since our first acquaintance took place at Kew, where we worked together for some time. I always feel a more than ordinary satisfaction in visiting a place where I can recognise an old Kew companion ; and, as such, I felt a particular gratification in once more liaving Wobum Farm, Si. A?i?ie's Hill. 1 13 an hour's conversation with Mr. Richardson. Your description o^ Walton in Vol. X. p. 335. preckides the necessity of my enterinff into any details respecting it. I will, therefore, only notice a few things which came under my observation. Here, grapes, in most seasons, ripen well in the open air ; and, in con- sequence, a good portion of wall is devoted to them. Many of the bunches, I observed, were protected with bell glasses, the bunches being introduced through a hole at the top of the glasses when young, and then the glasses hung to the wall. In order to secure the grapes from the birds, Mr. Richardson sticks a line of rods into the ground, about 4 ft. from the wall, at proper distances. These rods are bent at their tops to the wall, and fixed under the coping; and over them a net is thrown. A convenient aperture, or doorway, is formed at one or both ends ; so that a person, on entering, can walk the whole length of the wall, beneath the netting, without disturbing it. There is a good fig wall here, which, by a mode of pruning rather peculiar to Mr. Richardson, and somewhat on the spurring system, produces annually a fine crop. He still cultivates the dahlia with ardour, and with corresponding success; having, from time to time, been successful in bringing some good va- rieties into notice, some of which are well known to the flori- culturists. Wobum Farm. — Having, about thirty years ago, passed nearly six weeks at this place, I was anxious to have a view of some of the fine specimens of trees which I remember to have seen, as well as once more to take a walk over the high grounds, to have a view of the Thames, and the fine tract of country which they command ; including Harrow on the Hill on one side, and Windsor Castle on the other. However, I could not succeed, as Mr. Anderson, the bailiff and gai'dener, informed me, that he had not been long enough in the service of the Dowager Lady King and her family to ascertain their feelings upon the subject. All, therefore, 1 could see was, that a new lodge had been built at the entrance of the avenue, and that the whole of the house presented quite a new aspect to what it did formerly. By taking away trees, shrubs, &.C., in order to have another approach to the house, they have completely exposed to view the stables, which stand nearly opposite the avenue; and it must be some years, at least, before they can be again ob- scured : at present, they have a very unsightly appearance. However, it may be, perhaps, in contemplation to I'emove them to some other situation. A great deal of work seems to have been done to the house, and which still appears to be going- forward. St. Anne's Hill ; Mrs. Fox. — The afternoon bein<; far ad- vanced, it subtracted considerably from the gratification 1 should Vol. XIII. — No. 84. i 114 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats : — have enjoyed had there been time to have walked deliberately through this delightful and beautiful place. Elevated as it is, the prospects are extensive, over a fine tract of country ; whilst in its internal arrangements there is every thing that is calcu- lated to yield satisfaction and delight. Although quite a stranger, I was A'ery kindly received by Mr. Stucker, the gardener, who has now, for about thirty years, had the management of the gardens. Being afflicted with the rheumatism, he kindly sent his son to show me through the grounds, which every where indicated care and attention, with a neatness which is seldom surpassed. The walks are numerous and diversified, displaying, at the same time, taste blended with variety. There are several erections in the pleasure ground, one of which is named the " Temple of Friendship," in which is a fine bust of the late Mr. Fox, and also one of Lord Holland. On the lawn I ob- served a fine specimen of the Taxodium distichum (deciduous cypress), about 30 ft. high. In a glass-fronted house, there are some of the finest specimens of camellias, in tubs, I ever saw: one of the striped reached to the lop of the house, about 16 ft. high, with its top bent down, which is preferred to shortening it. There is also a very fine plant of the double white, with many others, all in a fine thriving state, with deep green foliage. The house they are in has a flat opaque roof, where they re- main throughout the year, and which is devoted entirely to camellias. Mrs. Fox, now (1836) in her eighty-ninth year, still enjoys the variety that the place is so highly capable of yielding, by being drawn round the grounds, in fine weather, by one of the domestics. Cojjse Hill, Wimhledoi ; Lord Cottenham. — This residence is situated on the left of the road leading from Wimbledon Common to Kingston, via Coombe Wood ; and stands on high ground, overlooking a large tract of country towards the south- west : hence the trees on the lawn, near the house, consisting of the cedar of Lebanon, tulip tree, &c., wear a less luxuriant appearance than in many situations less exposed. The mansion has a conservatory attached, and a flower-garden in front, laid out in beds on the turf. Improvement is necessary to make this garden more agreeable to taste, as well as convenient for keep- ing it in order. The kitchen-garden would be an excellent one were it walled round, and a cross wall built through the centre; but, being deficient of these, less interest is felt in walking through it. It is situated at a considerable distance from the house, which makes it rather inconvenient ; but its being placed in the lower part of the grounds, and sheltered on the north, renders it excellent for vegetation. Proceeding from the kitchen- garden to the house, the walk leads through a very interesting piece of lawn and shrubbery, where rhododendrons, and other Copse Hilli Wimbledon House. 115 ornaiviental shrubs, grow exceedingly well. On leaving this shrubbery, the rising ground is nearly covered with forest trees ; and here a fine opportunity is offered for an undergrowth of the common laurel, kept full, and pruned to the height of about 3 ft., as exhibited so beautifully at Claremont, and which would add great beauty to this part of the grounds. Lady Cottenham is excessively fond of the flower-garden, and His Lordship has made a great improvement at the bottom of the park, in front of the house, by grubbing up an old wood, and laying it down into pasture. Wimbledon House ; Mrs. Marryatt. — I was anxious to see this place, having heard and read so much about it ; but, unfor- tunately, the day was wet and far advanced before I could reach it : however, I saw enough to convince me that the character of the place is kept up quite equal to your description of it in the spring of 1834 (Vol. X. p. 337. )• The flower-garden was in a high state of perfection ; and some alterations were in progress, which, when finished, will still heighten its beauties. Were I permitted to make one observation with respect to the straight walk which leads from the house to the flower-garden, it would be, that, instead of the row of elms on each side, I should pre- fer a shrubbery, which, as a matter of taste, I think would be more in unison with the clumps, and with the handsome row of vases which stand on each side of the walk : besides, in the course of a few years, the elms will destroy the possibility of keeping up in the clumps that display of floral beauty which might be with ease accomplished if they were more exposed to the light. I regretted leaving this place without being fully gratified in seeing all that was to be seen ; which being under- stood by Mr. Redding, the gardener, he kindly told me that, at any future period, when I found it convenient to give him a call, he should be happy to accompany me round the whole. During these excursions to the places above named, I could not help contrasting the state of gardening in general at the present period, with what it was only twenty years ago; and particularly in that department of it which is connected with floriculture, which has taken rapid strides indeed. The intro- duction of the great variety of hardy handsome flowering plants within the above period, together with the practice of partially ac- climatising many others of great beauty, form an epoch such as, perhaps, was never calculated upon ; and the mode now almost generally adopted of planting in masses, it must be acknow- ledged, produces a far more striking effect than that of planting in mixtures, as was done formerly. While much of beauty is thus added to the flower-garden, it has, also, been the means of ac- celerating the art of propagating. Formerly, a gardener might rest satisfied in the possession of two or three plants of a kind ; I 2 116 Notes on Gardens and Country Seats. but now, in order to form masses in places of large extent (for instance, Dropmore), hundreds of those kinds which are held in the highest estimation must be annually propagated, in order to have a full and rich suppl}'. It is also necessary for the gardener to study, not only the art of propagating, but, also, that of ar- rangement with regard to succession ; so as at all times to have in his possession such a stock of plants in pots as to enable him, at any given period, to replace such of the masses as are dying off, in order to keep up a constant display of flowers throughout the season. Taste, also, by this mode is called into exercise ; upon which much must depend as to the success that will be gained in the arrangement of the masses, so as to produce an har- monious whole. It is gratifying to observe that, in proportion to the numerous plants lately introduced, there seems to be a corresponding stimulus produced among the generality of those gardeners who have flower-gardens under their care, and through which nothing less than the possession of every new plant that is introduced will satisfy them. It is, also, worthy of remark, that the present system of propagating is so far in advance of what it was in former days, that, in many instances, with one tenth of the care and labour formerly bestowed, ten times the success is gained. It has been remarked, that " there is no rule without an exception ; " and I wish to apply this to the practice of fringing round clumps of evergreens with flowers, which, upon a general system, has been condemned, and I think justly so, for places on a large scale ; and more especially in arboretums, or where the shrubs are considered of primary importance. In small places, however, or in compartments where it is desirable to make a floral display the distinguishing feature, I think the rule may be lawfully transgressed. A corroborating instance of this, as far as my judgment goes, may be seen at Taplow House, the seat of Pascoe Grenfell, Esq., which has been already alluded to in the above notices. Before I close these remarks, I beg to venture an observation or two upon what I have too frequently witnessed with respect to the situations made choice of for planting such trees and shrubs as are most proper for embellishing the lawn. In many instances, it has been painful to observe trees, such as the red cedar, deciduous cypress, magnolia, with many others of, per- haps, more rare qualities, crammed into the shrubbery ; while on the lawn might be seen walnuts, Spanish chestnuts, and other trees of less value ; and that, frequently, within a few yards of the mansion, and to the complete exclusion of such trees and shrubs as are peculiarly adapted for the lawn. Thus, although there might be a profusion of the latter scattered through the shrubberies, not a single specimen could be found Neu) Mode of grafting the Vine, 117 to give a just idea of the beauty, or the nature of the habits, of any of the beautiful exotic trees introduced during the last century. It therefore follows that, in the formation of lawns and shrub- beries, attention is requisite in order to give trees and shrubs their proper place, either in the shrubbery or on the lawn ; as sacrifice, in some way or other, must attend an opposite pro- cedure. A simple rule, if acted upon, would, I think, be suf- ficient to cure this unscientific mode of planting ; namely, sup- posing, on a lawn, after the clumps and shrubberies are formed agreeably to the taste of the designer, there should be room enough for a dozen or two of lawn shrubs and trees : it should then be his first object to select his plants for the lawn, making choice of the handsomest, most rare, and appropriate for that purpose ; and, in planting, to keep the largest and most robust- growing kinds at the greatest distance from the house. If the lawn be too small for him to introduce all he could wish, let him begin by making choice of the most select sorts, and descend, by degrees, to those of less value. I do not mean it to be understood that, upon lawns of great extent, specimens of kinds which may be considered common, but at the same time ornamental, should be entirely excluded ; as, at proper distances from the house, in many instances, they might be valuable. Nor, on the other hand, is it intended to exclude altogether such as may be considered as the best kinds of lawn plants from the shrubbery : only let it be observed that, in all cases, handsome lawn plants or trees should take the precedence of common trees upon the lawn, and especially near the house ; and that no lawn plant or tree should find a place in the shrub- bery prior to having one, at least, of its species planted on the lawn. Perhaps it might be almost impossible, in some cases, to strictly adhere to this system ; but I think, as a general prin- ciple, it should be carried out as far as possible. Portland Place, Nov. 1836. Art. III. On a netv Mode of grafting ike Vine. By Wm. Gowans, Cadder Gardens, near Glasgow. I FELT somewhat interested in an article which appeared in this Magazine (Vol. XII. p. 171.), entitled "A new Method of grafting, or rather budding. Vines. By Mr. George M'Leish." Through the Glasgow Horticultural Society, I had, so early as September, 1834, transmitted to the London Society a commu- nication, for which I received their large silver medal of that year, describing a mode of detached vine grafting far more simple and perfect, and far more likely to be successful, tlian that proposed by Mr. M'Leish. The following extract from I 3 118 Nev) Mode of grafting the Vine. this communication will show the superior simplicity and per- fection of the mode proposed by me : — " I select a scion with one eye {Jig. 34-. a), and cut it into the form of a wedge. For a stock, I select a shoot of the preceding year, about the same thickness as the scion (or stocks of several years I have found attended with equal success), and cut it over a little above the second eye from the old wood {b). With a sharp knife I cut it down the centre nearly to the old wood. Out of each half of the stock, but chiefly out of that half which is opposite to the eye, or bud (6), I pare, with a penknife, as much as is necessary to make it fit the cuttings on the sides of the scion. I insert the scion with its eye {a) opposite to that left on tiie top of the stock {b). I tie it up, and clay it over in the usual manner ; with this difference, that I cover nearly the whole of the scion with the clay, leaving only a small hole for its eye. I tie a little moss over the cla}', upon which I sprinkle a little water occasionally, to keep the whole in a moist state for some time. " What seems of essential importance in this mode, is the eye, or young shoot {b), left on the top of the stock, which I allow to grow for ten or fourteen days, and then cut it off; leaving only one eye and one leaf to draw sap to the scion, till it be fairly united to the stock. " As to the time for grafting, I find that it will succeed very well when the stocks are about to break into leaf; but I think there is more certainty of success when the shoots of the stock into vvhich the ffraft is to be inserted have made four or five eyes of new wood. By this time the sap has begun to flow freely, and there is no danger of the stock suffering from bleed- ing : but, indeed, if vines are in good health, and thoroughly ripened, there is no danger of bleeding at any time." As a voucher of the success of this plan, I transmitted to the Glasgow Society, along with my communication, a bunch of grapes, the produce of a graft which had been sent me from Ireland in the month of February preceding; and which, besides maturing this bunch, had grown into a strong vigorous shoot, about 22 ft. long, fully as well ripened as the rest of the wood on the same vine. With a later communication to the London Society, I sent equally splendid vouchers. But of this anon. Suffice it, in the mean time, to say, that (not to speak of fruit, but merely of the wood produced) Mr. M'Leish's inches of success have been doubled or trebled in feet by my very worst specimens. On comparing the two methods as to principle, it must ap- pear that Mr. M'Leish has complicated and ruined his method, Ne'iio Mode of grajling the Vine. 119 by mistaking for essential requisites to success two things which are not requisite. First, he has deemed the method of budding essential to success. Now, it is true, as he seems to have dimly perceived, that, to secure a union between the stock and the scion, it is requisite to have the suction of some vegetation on the stock above the junction ; but, had he known that this requisite may be supplied by a single shoot, or bud, on the stock a little above the junction, he would never have thought of in- serting his scion, or bud, below whole branches of the stock, which must draw from it all the sap, and leave it to dwindle, as appears from his statement, in the puny inches of wood pro- duced. The second thing which he has reckoned essential to success is, the fitting of a flower-pot, filled with mould, around the grafts : but this, not to speak of its clumsiness, is altogether unnecessary. My second communication on the subject to the London Society was in July, 1835. In it I proposed the practical application of my mode of grafting to the economical and ex- peditious proving of the unproved varieties of the vine. This was suggested by the following notice in the Catalogue oj' Fruits gro'wn in the London Horticultural Society^ s Garden in 1831, under the article " Grapes : " — " The varieties of grapes are found to be in great confusion ; and much difference of opinion exists respecting the comparative merits, as well as the nomen- clature, of many of the sorts. In order to obtain sufficient knowledge on this subject, it is evident that a large extent of glass is requisite, under which the various kinds may be satis- factorily proved, and their synonymes ascertained. Until such is provided, much uncertainty must remain in regard to this important class of fruits. In the meantime, the generally known and acknowledged merits and characters of some have been given ; and others, less certain, have been left without attaching any remark, till circumstances admit of the whole being properly examined." On referring to the list of grapes succeeding this notice, I observed that, out of the 182 sorts mentioned, only 77 are described as having been proved, leaving 105 unproved; and, looking at the reason assigned, I thought myself warranted to suppose that the sorts yet unproved were little short of 100. I proposed and sketched a plan, by which all these unproved sorts in the catalogue might, on n)y method of grafting, be proved in the space of three 3'ears, with an extent of only 64 ft. of glass, and with the sacrifice of not more than one half the usual crop already in culture, on an average of the three years; provided that the extent of glass required were already furnished with good healthy vines. As an assurance of the success that might be expected from I 4 120 Neiv Mode of grafting the Vine. the adoption of this suggestion, I mentioned that, of twenty-three grafts which I had put on that season, in the earliest division of the vinery, at various periods of advancement in the growth of the stock, two only had failed, leaving twenty-one vigorously shooting grafts; that part of these were inserted when the vines were breaking into leaf, and part when the vines had made four or five eyes of new wood ; that the latter had come away much more vigorously than the former; that, in four weeks, several of the grafts had grown 7 ft.; that, when stopped, some of them hatl arrived from the bottom to the top of the house (17 ft.), being well-ripened wood ; tiiat several, of both periods, had shown fruit, some of which was maturing ; that a considerable number of these scions (sent from the Edinburgh Society) were small and weakly, being taken, apparently, from vines growing in pots ; that no further sacrifice of wood was made in their favour, than the spur on which they were inserted; and that not a single bunch was sacrificed of the main crop. In regard to some grafts transmitted from the London Society in April that year, I also mentioned, that, having inserted them in April and May, when the vines had made four or five eyes of new wood, they had all abundantly succeeded ; and that some of them bad been stopped, having made from 8 ft. to 10 ft. of wood. Three of these, cut off below the junction with the stock, one of them bearing a bunch of ripe grapes, I transmitted with my commu- nication. May I beg your acceptance of a graft of that year, cut off in the same manner, for your inspection ? It is not so vigorous as many of its neighbours, nor does it so clearly show the junc- tion, the union being very complete ; but it retains the bud, or shoot, on the top of the stock, so important to success in my method of grafting. I may mention that similar success has attended all my graft- ings during the past season. I may also mention, that several gardeners, my acquaintances, have gratified me with the intelli- gence of their complete success in this method. In particular, Mr. Smith of Hopetoun Gardens, a very intelligent friend, has informed me of his success, not only in producing vigorous shoots, but also in maturing a considerable number of bunches. I am not awai-e whether the above suggestions have been adopted by the London Society, as no answer has been sent to my communication ; but, trusting that you may deem the sub- ject worthy of attention, and of some practical importance, I have sent you the above. Cadder Gardens, Dec. 28. 1836. Notices of Gardens and Country Seats. ] 2 1 Art. IV. Notices of Gardens and Country Seats in Great Britain and Ireland, supplement arij to, or corrective of, the Notices given in the ** Encyclopci'dia of Gardening." By various Contributors. {Continued from p. 61.) ENGLAND. Treg0TH\AN, near Truro, Cortiwall, on the river Fal ; Earl of Falmouth. — The house is superbly built, with an exterior embellished with a profusion of small towers and pinnacles. The walks, which are delightfully shaded, extend in different directions over an eminence j and the whole is well wooded. The park is large, and stocked with deer, and commands a beautiful variety of scenery over the navigable waters of the Fal. The drives, which are several miles in length, afford the most enchanting prospects. JVcrrington Park, near Launceston ; Uuke of Korthumhcrland. — Although it lies on the Cornish side of the river Tamar, it is nevertheless considered to be in Devonshire ; at least, the temporal causes of the parish of Werrington are subject to the county of Devon, while its ecclesiastical polity is connected with the archdeaconry of Cornwall ; and with these circumstances, with some others, it may be considered to be attached to both counties. The iiouse is a noble structure, situated on the southern side of the Tamar. The new buildings of this mansion, which compose a large part of the whole, have three fronts, in eacii of which there is a door that opens into an extensive park ; the scenery of which is exceedingly rich and diversified, and has an air of great magnificence, particularly in a southern direction, where the view takes in an elegant bridge of great extent thrown across the Tamar. Here the grounds spring up in abrupt knolls, covered with foliage, which shades the waters that are winding down among the rocks, whence they burst forth, and form an expansive lake below. Boconnoc, some distance from Bodmin ; Lord Grenville. — The mansion was new modelled by Governor Pitt, who added a new wing ; and the first Lord Camelford added a second, in which there is a handsome gallery, 100 ft. long. It is situated in a delightful lawn, of nearly 100 acres, which is varied by plantations and trees ; and the wooded hills around rise in beautiful suc- cession ; among which a drive is carried on for six miles in circuit, giving access to every part of the grounds, and affording fine views of the scenery. The oak is more flourishing here than in most parts of Cornwall ; and the beech and elm grow luxuriantly. An elegantly proportioned obelisk, at some distance, on the northern side of the house, forms a prominent feature : it was erected to the memory of Sir Richard Lyttleton, and is now surrounded by a plantation of firs. Boconnoc will be long interesting in the annals of Great Britain, from its having been alternately the liead quarters of the Earl of Essex, and the court of His Majesty King Charles I. in the year 1644.. Treloiuarren, five Miles South of Helstone ; Sir Richard Vyvyan, Bart. — A fine old castellated building. The plantations here are very extensive, and in some parts of them the wood thrives remarkably well, and produces fine timber. The grounds about the house are of a pleasing description ; and a part of the garden was, a few years ago, devoted to a systematic arrangement of plants. Near to this place are the Goonhilly Downs, on which the Cornish heath (Gypsocallis vagans) grow* spontaneously. Clowance, near Hayle, between Helstone and Camborne. — A large portion of the estate is surrounded by a stone wall, nearly four miles in length, erected by the present Sir John St. Aubyn, which encloses the mansion, park, pleasure- grounds, garden, &c. Trees grow here better than in most places in the west of Cornwall. A fine sheet of water adds great beauty to the place, which is generally much admired by visiters. This is the first place in Cornwall where the western plane (Platanus occidentalis) was introduced. 122 Notices of' Gardens and Country Seats. Pendarves ; Edward WiUiam Wyivie Pendarvcs, Esq. (son to the late John Stackhouse, Esq., who, some years since, took the name of Pendarves). — The present proprietor has greatly improved this place, by extending the grounds, and giving them a park-like appearance ; also by altering the ap- proach on the south-west, and adding another at the north-east; which, with many acres of new plantations, adds considerably to the beauty of the place. The mansion has, also, been much enlarged, and, situated as it is on an emi- nence, presents a striking appearance when approaching it from the south- west. TeJiidi/ Park ; Lord De Dunstanvillc. — His Lordship is a great planter, and, with the assistance of the pinaster, or cluster pine, has succeeded greatly in raising plantations on the bleak parts of the estate. Trevetliow ; Pracd, Ksq. — This seat is worthy of notice on account of its antiquity. It stands on the west side of the river Hayle, near St. Ives, and is a place of considerable extent. The late Mr. Praed, I am informed, first introduced the pinaster into Cornwall. SCOTLAND. Moncricff House, the Seat of Sir David Moncricjf, is situated about a mile to the east of the public road leading from Perth to Edinburgh, and is distant about three miles from the former town. This estate includes a large portion of the tongue of land formed by the junction of the rivers Tay and Erne. A range of hills, commencing at the jiuiction of these rivers, extends from east to west, in a direction nearl}' parallel with the Erne: these gradually diminish in height as they extend to the westward, and are finally lost in the plain. Immediately to the north of the house, is the highest hill of the range, named Moncrieff Hill : the greater part of which is clothed with wood, as are the other hills extending to the east and west, in the immediate vicinity. The foreground descends gradually, with gentle undulations, from the house to the river Erne; and the greater part of it consists of grass land, interspersed with trees and plantations. The soil of these grounds is of various kinds, but all of them productive. The house is an old square building, four stories high. An approach from the south has been made, which leaves the public road at the village of Dum- barny, or Bridge of Erne, and passes along the Old Bridge onward in a winding direction to the house. The kitchen-garden is situated at a short distance to the eastward of the house; and the hill rises abru])tly behind it. The form is a parallelogram, en- closed with a rubble wall of whinstone; and it contains about two acres of ground. It has been long famous for producing excellent peaches. In 1824, an addition of more than an acre was made to the east end of the old garden ; and it was enclosed on the north and east sides with a very neat wall, 10 ft. high, built of tooled freestone. At the eastern extremity of this addition stands the gardener's house; from which a sunk fence extends all the way to the mansion-house, enclosing a number of acres in the front of the kitchen-gar- den ; the whole of which is intended to serve as a flower-garden and shrubbery. The soil and situation render this a place peculiarly well adapted for either. The collection of exotic plants at Moncrieff) considered as a private collection, is superior to those of most places. In the kitchen-garden is a neat conser- vatory, of an octagonal form, 4.5 ft. diameter, with a stove on the east, and vinery on the west, the length of each of which is 33 ft. Upon a steep bank to the north, and adjoining the garden, is an enclosed space, with a range of pine and melon pits, about 15.?ft. in length. Adjacent to the house are two fine specimens of the horscchestnut ; one of which, in 1825, measured 15 ft. in circumference at the height of 3 ft. from the ground ; and near it is a walnut, evidently planted at the same time, which, at 3 ft. from the ground, measured 13 ft. in circumference. This horsechest- nut is, probabi)', not only one of the largest, but at the same time one of the oldest, in North Britain. The greater part of the plantations upon this estate Notices of Garde7is and Country Seats. 1 23 are treated with a view to timber ; and there is little or no coppice-wood. The trees occupying the hilly grounds are of various ages, up to sixty years. Very fine agates, or pebbles, are found among the rocks of these hills ; and they are said to be very superior to what are generally found in the neigh- bouring hill of Kinnoul. A pair of ravens build their nest annually among the rocks of this hill ; and I have been informed by a gamekeeper residing in the neighbourhood, that a pair of these birds will not permit another pair to reside within ten or twelve miles of their residence. The view from the summit of MoncriefFHill has been justly celebrated : it extends over one of the most fertile and picturesque parts of Scotland. Scone, the Seat of the Earl of Mansfield, is one of those few residences which, in Scotland, are called palaces; certain Scottish kings having been crowned there. It is situated on the eastern bank of the river Tay, two miles north of Perth, on a small portion of table land, separated from the river by a considerable extent of level meadow. To the right and left of the house the grounds descend to the Tay with an irregular surface ; and behind they rise in a longitudinal winding bank, which terminates in an elevated plain. The views in front look across the river to a fertile and well-wooded distance, in which the plantations of Methven and Lyndoch are prominent features. Looking down the river, to the south, are to be seen Perth, and its very hand- some bridge ; and up the river, to the north, the mountains in the vicinity of Dunkeld. Full in front, the horizon closes upon Ben Voirlich, Ben More, and other mountains of the Grampian range, distant between thirty and forty miles. The present house is built on the site of the ancient palace. It is in the castellated Gothic style, from the designs of Mr. Atkinson, and substan- tially executed with a redilish sandstone of great durability, found on the estate. Many persons consider that it would have been in better taste to have preserved the old palace, and built a new one adjoining, connecting the two, both for effect and convenience. The surrounding grounds, and especially towards the east, are rather un- fortunately situated in respect to public roads and intervening property; the latter, chiefly cottages and gardens. This has hitherto prevented such a general arrangement as is necessary to form a suitable park. There are no proper approaches in any direction ; but a number of plantations are made in different places, as component parts of a general plan, which may, or may not, be com- pleted at some future period. The kitchen-garden is situated to the east of the house, at the bottom of a wooded bank, and consists of about five English acres, enclosed by a brick wall. The form is nearly that of a square, subdivided into two parallelograms by a wall in the direction of east and west. The walls are covered with neatly trained fruit trees, that seldom fail to produce good crops. The hot-houses are upon the north wall of the garden : they consist of three divisions of 100ft. each, with two houses in each division; they are l-tft. in height, and about 10 ft. in breadth ; and are wholly devoted to peaches and grapes. They are erected in a very substantial manner. The remaining forcing consists of some pine and melon pits. In one of the peach houses, the trees are trained on a curved trellis, which reaches from the front to the back wall, and is sufUciently high to admit of walking under it. From the point where it touches the back wall, another trellis reaches to the top of the house. By this means a greater surface for training on is obtained than if there had been only one trellis, either against the back wall, or close under the glass ; and the fruit is brought nearer the light than if a dwarf front trellis and upright trellis, the whole height of the back wall, had been employed. The flower-garden lies about half way between the house and kitchen-garden : it contains a good collection of deciduous shrubs and herbaceous plants ; but most sorts of evergreens are liable to be destroyed by frosts. This estate contains from 3000 to 4000 acres, of which 14-34 are under plantation. One plantation, distant about three miles to the n.e. of the house, 124 Notices of Gardens and Coimhi/ Seats. which was planted about 100 years ago, contains 261 acres; but a very great portion has been planted witiiin these last twenty-five years, and is in a very thriving state. It is common, where extensive plantations have been made, that they are neglected while young, and have not that attention paid to thin- ning, (Src, that they require ; but this is not the case at Scone : the young plantations here are kept in a manner that does credit to the proprietor and his ganleners. Alelhvcn Castle^ the Seal of Robert Smt/the, Esq., is situated five miles to the westward of Perth. The house stands on elevated ground, richly wooded on all sides. Its form is that of a square, with four circular towers, one at each angle. To the right and left are appendages connected with it of recent erection ; to the north-east, the wood of Methven is seen occupying the high grounds and sloping banks : it is of considerable extent, and bounded on the north by the river Almond, the banks of which are precipitous. This wood consists chiefly of oak, with a mixture of birch, Scotch pine, hazel, <*v;c. The greater part is in coppice, with large trees from 60 ft. to 100 ft. apart. The view to the south-east extends over a nearly level tract of country to tile high grounds north of Duplin, a distance of several miles. That part of the plain adjacent to the castle consists chiefly of meadows and orna- mental plantations : beyond this, all along the valley to the westward, and the high grounds to the south, the country has a bare and bleak appearance. South-west of the Castle is a small hill, crowned witii plantation. The road leading from Perth to Criett' passes along the valley between the Castle and this hill. To the north-west, the grounds consist of undulated grass lands, finely wooded. An approach-road leads from the west, and another from the cast, to the Castle. That from the west is about a quarter of a mile in length, with a very neat lf)dge at the entrance; that from the east may be a mile or more in length, and is allowed to be one of the handsomest in Scotland. The entrance is at tlie village of Almond Bank, soon after it passes a beautiful small lake with slojjing banks and clumps of plantation. From hence it gradually ascends in a winding direction, passing through part of the old wood, and onward to the Castle. The kitchen-garden is situated to the west of the Castle : its form is that of a parallelogram. It contains about five acres, and is enclosed with a substan- tial wall, lined with brick. The western part has a declivity towards the south ; that of the eastern slopes towards the south-west, and is divided by a brick wall from the former. The north wall of the western division is a hot- wall, 400 ft. in length. No houses are as yet erected. Abundant crops of culinary vegetables, apples, pears, plums, &c., are produced in this garden. A shrubjjery extends from the kitchen-garden to the Castle, where it joins a neat flower-garden. There are some fine old trees upon the bank, immediately below the Castle ; one of which, an oak, has a beautiful spreading top, which, in 1825, measured 90 ft. diameter, and covers an area of 707 yards. Its trunk measured 18^ ft. circumference, and it has increased greatly in size within these thirty years. One hundred merks were offered for this tree about 120 years ago. Adjacent was a black poplar, under 60 years of age, that measured 10 ft. in circum- ference at 3 ft. from the ground, and contained about 90 ft. of timber. The woods upon this estate are very extensive, and are kept in good order ; an excellent proof of which is, that they are found to yield a rent equal to the best corn land. The plantations of Lyndoch join those of Methven on the north, and form an extensive tract of wooded country. The soil of this estate is various, but the greater portion approaches to that of a reddish-coloured clay : the extensive tract of low ground upon the south of the estate consists chiefly of water-worn stones and gravel, with a slight covering of decomposed gravel and vegetable matter. I am of opinion that the river Erne once flowed along this track : there is a line of bogs and lakes that have very much the appearance of the course of a river. Formation aiid Planti7ig of a Siihirban Kitchen- Garden. 125 Art. V. On the Formation and Planting of a Suburban Kitchen- Garden. By A. Forsyth. I HAD almost considered it a waste of laboui* to give even an outline of a garden of this class, since the general practice is to lay out the pleasure-ground first, and afterwards to enclose a part of the paddock for an orchard and vegetable-ground ; forming the walks of any hard rubbish coated with cinder ashes (seldom gravel), with here and there a sprig of box along the margins of the principal walks, and rows of strawberries or parsley, by way of edgings, to the subordinate alleys ; while, in the orchard and against the walls, the fanciful modes of pruning and training really baffle all description ; for they are in every form, from the natural mushroom shape to the tortuous zig-zag. This, though it may appear to some a hideous-looking carica- ture, is certainly a true representation of the state of some gar- dens near London, where better things might be expected. However, it is certainly good economy to have useful edgings instead of ornamental ones, where ground is scarce ; and this is pretty often the case in suburban gardens. The scarceness of room is, indeed, one of the greatest causes of complaint among all the proprietors of suburban residences ; and it is one that money cannot remove; since, however wealthy their proprietors may be, they are hemmed in on every side by neighbours equally wealthy with themselves, that would not give them an acre of the land adjoining, perhaps, for several hundred pounds. So much for the present state of suburban gardens in general ; though there are many honourable exceptions, and many gar- dens handsomely laid out, and scientifically conducted, on the state of which I am altogether incompetent to offer a criticism. From observing these defects, and what I believe to be the cause of them, I have drawn up the system of gardening de- tailed below, from which, I think, I may safely guarantee to the proprietor the following results : — The use of one fourth more land; a great deal more fruit of superior quality, and of the sorts most difficult, under present circumstances, to obtain (I mean, particularly, the finer sorts of apples, and the new Flemish pears) ; metamorphosing the walks of the kitchen- garden into bowers, covered, in spring, summer, and autumn with abundance of flowers or fruit. Every species of hardy fruit-bearing tree and shrub may be trained on curvilinear trellises {see figs. 35, 36, and 37.) over the walks and thoroughfares of the garden ; which walks, when once properly drained, paved, and trellised with cast-iron arches and wire rods, will, according to the closest calculation 126 On the Formation and Planting that I can make, remain cost free, painting excepted, for twenty years ; at the end of which term, independently of the increase of fruit, and of the grateful shade and pleasing promenade that they will afford, they will be found cheaper than walks made of gi'avel, in the same way that a slated roof is found cheaper, in the long run, than one thatched, like a corn- stack, with straw and ropes every year. Besides the difference in daily comfort and annual expendi- ture in walks paved with beautiful blue slab slate, at all seasons clean, and ready to be traversed by the foot or the wheelbarrow, with equal im- punity in frost or in thaw, there will be no more danger of des- sert strawberries or garnishing parsley being mingled with the coal of a S^ihiirhan Kitchen-Garde^i. 127 ashes in the walks; no more cleaning and rolling of gravel; and no planting and clipping of box edgings. I should no more think of planting box in a kitchen- garden, than I should of placing a cabbage leaf as a back to a nosegay. It is high time to lay aside such medleys, and to place articles essentially ornamental in an esta- blishment of their own. Fig. 38, shows the ar- rangement of the paving and pillars at the intersec- tionsof the walks, with the small footpath outside, for conducting the cul- ture of the compartments. The present article is an humble but hearty attempt to combine economy of room with a high degree of excellence in the articles produced ; and I trust that this will be completely effected by the plan proposed. If you exa- mine a healthy young pear branch {fg. 40.), trained horizontally on a wall (for that is the fairest sample), you will find, at the end of the shoot, first, wood of the present year ; next to that, the wood of the last year, which is now forming fruitful spurs; and, next to that, on the two-years- old wood, you will find the fruits. This is, unquestionably, the nature of the pear; and, though fruit spurs are produced on older wood, I have always observed the finest fruits growing on maiden spurs. To make sure work, therefore, I confine myself to them ; and I hope to see breast wood, as it is called, converted to some better purpose than robbing the fruit tree border to enrich the rubbish heap. Surely, nature never meant this : neither do gardeners ; yet, assuredly, they practise it. Figs. 39. and 40. will show the manner in which I propose to treat the pear ti'ees in pruning; and figs. 41. and 42. the peaches. Every year's wood will be kept by itself; and every unnecessary leader and lateral twig removed while quite young ; and not a leaf allowed to remain without a reason being found in 38 128 On the Fotmation atid Playitini' Pear tree on a wall or trellis. the principal crops ; yet its behalf. Strange as it may appear, a careful observation will satisfy any one of the truth of this statement ; and, in the end, it will be found that the gardener may safely trust for a crop to that very breast wood which we have been accustomed to cut off and throw away. In cropping the garden, every article, without exception, should be in rows; as this will save much labour in weeding, and also allow the crops to be benefited by hoeing. In Jig. 4-3. I have allotted compartments for it must not be supposed that anything like an arbitrary settle ment of crops is attempted, or meant to be laid down. What I have stated is only a sketch of the propor- tions that one class of vege- tables bears to another; and that neither borrowed nor guessed at, but taken from the slips and quarters of existing establishments to which I have had access. The boundary of the ac- companying sketch is — what ? A hedge ? No ; clipped hedges bear walk overarched with stubborn or prickly fruit-bearing plants; One, two, and three-years-otd wood of a pear tree. no fruit. It is a Peach tree before winter pruning. After winter pruning. of a Suburban Kitchen-Garden. 129 Iti fruit : showing also the seams of the bricks. such as filberts, gooseberries, berberries, closely trained up on one side to the centre of the arch ; and on the other side scarlet runners, tall peas, fruit trees, &c. Where the kitchen-garden adjoins the pleasure-ground, common laurels, carefully pruned with the knife (not clipped), will form a handsome fence and shelter. A hedge of laurels pruned in this way may be seen, at Dropmore, 33 ft. high. The following is the arrangement of trees for the walls and arches : — South Wall. 18 Peach trees, at 13 ft. apart - 270ft. 6 Nectarine trees, at 15ft. apt. 90 15 Vines, at 6 ft. apart - - 90 10 Apricot trees, at 15 ft. apart 150 10 Fig trees, at 15 ft. apart - 150 Total lengtli of south wall, 750 North Wall. 20 Morello cherry trees, at 15 ft. apart - -300ft. 140 Gooseberry and currant trees, 3 ft. apart - - 420 Total length of north wall, 720 East and West Wall. 30 Pear trees, 20 ft. apart - 600 ft. 10 Cherry tiees, 15 ft. apart - 150 10 Plum trees, 15 ft. apart - 150 Total length - 900 Esjjalier Arches. 130 Apple trees, at 15 ft apart . . . 70 Pear trees, 15 ft. apart - 50 Cherry trees, at 15 ft a[)art - _ . 50 Plum trees, 1 5 ft. apart - 750 Gooseberry trees, 3 ft. apart 300 Currant trees, ^t 3 ft apart 300 Raspberry plants, l^ft. apart - - - Outer half of boundary arch occupied with laurel, fil- berts, berberries 6 Quince trees, 15 ft. apart - 8 Medlar trees, 15 ft. apart - 1950 ft. 1050 750 730 2250 - 1500 750 1260 90 120 Total length - 10470 being 3235 ft. of archway. Now, 10470 ft. of espalier arch gives space for 3490 goose- berry trees at 3ft. apart; which, in the open quarter, in rows 6 ft. by 4 ft., would occupy 1 acre, 3 roods, 27 pole«f, 20 yards ; only 12 poles less than 2 acres, or half the garden. And il is well known that espalier trees are surer and greater bearers Vol. XIII. — No. 84. k 130 On the Formation and Planting Strawberries, 13 Poles. Asparaj^us, 29 Poles. Globe Artichoke, 6 Poles. Rhubarb, G Poles. Sea-kale, 14 Poles. Horse-radish, 3 Poles. Strawberries, 13 Poles. 43 V- Early Peas interlined with Spinach, to be succeeded by Endive. 18 Poles. Mushroom Vaults. Cauliflower & Cucumber under Hand Glasses. Glass Structures, Sheds, 37 Onions and Leeks, 8 Poles. Beet, 6 Poles. Salsafy and Scorzonera, 2 Poles. I'arsnips and Carrots, 16 Poles. -o ■a OJ T3 . a) tn ^ a ll tn ^ a u o a u a a o ca c '5. in a y- Cabbages, Borecole, &c 16 Poles. Cabbages, ■ Savoys, &c 16 Poles. S Sorrel. J Winter Onions succeeded by Kidney Beiins. Celery preceded by Peas, 2.5 Poles. Cardoons, 4 Poles. of a Snbtirban Kitchen-Garden. 3-t Coraposi Ground, &c. Poles. Cauliflowei, 16 Poles. ^ Turnips, 16 Poles. a. Early Potatoes, to be suc- ceeded by Lettuce and late Celery, protected. 18 Poles. Beans, 16 Poles. Nurslings. Kidney Beans. Potatoes succeeded by Coleworts, 24 Poles. Jerusalem Artichokes, 5 Poles. c. ij ^ Cucumber succeedinBCauli- 1 flouer, under Hand Glassta a • X. 'I- 3. -6 25 0) t» S s Brocoli, 3 o 16 Poles. bO C >^ 3 '^ , . Peas with Spinach interlining, 29 Poles. / \f)l Strawberries. 13 Poles. Peas with Lettuce, &c. interlining, 29 Poles. Strawberries, 13 Poles. Ft. 60 50 hh-i-H — 1 — t so 20 ID I L 132 On the Formation and Planting tlian standard ones ; and, the wood and leaves being exposed to the full and equal action of the sun, perfect handsome fruits, fit for the banqueting table, whicli on standards would have only swelled the heap of waste and windfalls. I Avant rouge 1 Early Anne 1 Pourpree hative Select List of Peaches. 4 French, or grosse mignonne 3 Royal George 2 Montauban 3 Noblesse 1 Bellegarde 2 Late admirable. Nectarines. 3 EInige 1 Violette hative 2 New white. This fruit is said to ripen in the latter end of August and beginning of September; and I have proved that it sometimes ripens thirty days later. It is a small fruit, adhering closely to the tree till the skin gets shrivelled. These remarks I made on speci- mens planted against a south wall ten miles from London. 3 White Sweetwater 3 Es{)enone, black 3 Black cluster 2 Red masculine 2 Black Ischia 2 Brunswick Reds, 400. 50 Rough red 30 Champagne 50 Scotch small jam 100 Red Warrington 100 Ironmonger 50 Wilmot's early red. Whites, 100. 25 Taylor's bright Venus 25 Wellington 50 Crystal. Vines. 3 White muscadine, or musque chas- selas 3 Verdelho Apricots. 2 Royal orange 2 Breda Figs. 2 Large white Genoa 2 Marseilles. Gooseberries, 4 Moorpark 2 Lee's perpetual Greens, 100. 50 Early rough 30 Green Walnut 20 Pitmaston green gage. Yellows, 200. 100 Champagne 50 Early sulphur 50 Rumbullion. Total, 800 gooseberry trees, including those for preserving, under mats, on the north wall. CiirranfSy 590. 290 Wilmot's large red. Whoever for no other variety of red currant. has seen the sfjlendid specimens exhibited by Mr. Wilmot will wish 150 Black Naples 150 White Dutch. 200 Red Antwerp 100 Barnet Kitchen Apples, 70. 10 Keswick codlin Hasphcrries, 500. 50 DoubL-bearing 100 Yellow Antwerp Ajyjyles. 5 Carlisle codlin 10 Hawthornden 50 Cornish. 3 Manks codlin 2 Alexander of a Sttburhan Kitchen-Garden. 133 5 Nonsuch 3 Gravensteln 2 Yorkshire greening 5 Blenheim pippin 5 Bedfordshirefoundling 3 Royal russet 2 White Calville 3 Norfolk beaufin 4 French crab 3 Kerry pippin 3 French reinette. Dessert Apples, 60. 3 White juneating 3 Red Quarrenden 2 Wormsley pippin 2 Yellow Ingestrie 2 Brookes's 3 King of pippins 3 Golden reinette 2 Cockle pippin 5 Golden pippin, old, and varieties 3 Lemon pippin 2 Downton pippin 3 Margil 7 Ribston pippin 5 Dutch mignonne 10 Nonpareils — Brad- dick's old,and Searle's 2 Loan's pearmain 1 Dredge's fnir maid 1 Hall door 1 Shepherd's fame. 2 Glout morceau 4 Jargonelle 1 Autumn bergamot 3 Beurre Diel 3 Marie- Louise 6 Glout morceau 3 Jargonelle 4 Windsor 3 Autumn bergamot 30 Pears for the East and West Walls. 2 Crassane ] Passe-Cohnar 1 Bezi Vaet 3 Old Colmar 2 Pound pear 2 Uvedale's St. Germain 3 Duchesse d'Angouleme 2 Aston town 1 Cadillac. 70 Pears for the Espalier Arches. 2 Beurre Diel 2 Gansell's bergamot 6 Marie-Louise 3 Crassane 4 WiUiams's bonChretien 2 Passe-Colmar 6 Beurre de Capiaumont 2 Bezi Vaet 2 Forelle 3 Old Colmar 5 Napoleon 2 Brown beurre, 2 Bon Chretien 2 Chaumontelle 3 Pound pear 5 St. Germain 3 Cadillac. East and West Walls, 10 6 May duke 1 Blackheart 1 Whiteheart 2 Archduke. North Wall. 20 Morellos. East and West Walls, 10. 1 Jaune hative 1 Early violet 1 Drap d'or 1 Green gage 1 St, Catherine 1 Purple gage 1 Coe's golden drop 1 Blue imperatrice I White magnum bonum 1 Red magnum bonum Cherries, 80. Espalier Arches, 50. 14 May duke 10 Bigarreau 4 Whiteheart 4 Florence 3 Blackheart 3 Kentish 3 Archduke 3 Morello. Plums, 60. Espalier Arches, 30. 3 Drap d'or 10 Green gage 3 Coe's golden drop 4 Blue imperatrice 6 Orleans 3 Diamond 7 Shropshire damson 3 White magnum bonum 2 Red magnum bonum 3 Coe's late red. Filbei-ts, 100, at 4 ft. apart, on the boundary Arch, by way of Hedge, thickly trained on the outer Half of the Espalier Arch. 23 Red 23 White 25 Barcelona 23 Cosford. 100 Red Berberries, 133, at 3 ft. apart on the Fence. 20 Black 13 White. One side (the most exposed), it is presumed, is covered with laurels, 3 ft. apart, spurred and tied w^ith wire. 134 Propagating a?id Transplanting of Evergreens. Anx. VI. On the Propagating and Transplanting of Evergreens. By John Tuknhill, Gardener to Charles Cowan, Esq., Valleyfield Bank, near Pennycuick. On reading over Mr. Rutger's remarks upon the transplant- ing of evergreens (Vol. XII. p. 567.), I observe that he does not give the size of the plants which he has been so successful in transplanting, or the best method of propagating them. In the few remarks which I am about to make, I intend to give what appears to me the simplest and best method of propa- gating and planting evergreens ; and it is one which I have prac- tised for these ten years past. I take as many cuttings as I want from branches that are lying on the ground, which I prefer, because they are generally formed with small fibres, like maggots; and, when I cannot find any in this state, I select a plant or plants of the kind which 1 intend to propagate ; and, taking a barrow load of good mould, I lay it all round the plant, keeping the soil shaded and damp. In the course of four months, the lower branches begin to form small fibres ; and, when these are sufficiently advanced, which is generally about July 15., I prepare my cuttings, and plant them in rows; 1 ft. between the rows, and 3 in. apart in the row. By the July following, that is, twelve months after being planted, the cut- tings will be found to have formed shoots from 9 in. to 12 in. long, and to have very handsome little balls. Such plants I prefer for transplanting to plants six times their age; as I can transplant them with safety at any season of the year, provided the weather be fine. I could carry such plants fifty miles, and not injure their balls. A plant of the common laurel, raised, in 1828, from a cutting treated in this manner, is now 7 ft. in height, with a head 49 ft. in circumference. No doubt it may sometimes, for a particular purpose, be proper to transplant large plants; and, if very carefully done, in a sheltered spot, and the plants be well watered and sup- ported afterwards, they may succeed : but a plantation of any considerable extent will acquire a body and figure sooner by being formed with small plants than with large ones. Large tall plants require to have a staff placed near them, on which they may lean, and wait patiently till small ones have grown over their lieads. When I remove any evergreen shrubs or trees, I always carry a little bast matting along with me, for my labourers to tie on the south side of the shrub or tree, as a mark to enable me to plant it in the same position with regard to north or south that it was in before ; as I know from experience that it will not thrive unless this is attended to, especially if it belongs to the pine or fir tribe. Valleyfield, Nov. 21. 1836. Green-house Plants in the open Air. 13.5 Art. VII. Notice of some Gree^i-hoiise and HatJ-hardy ligneous Plants, •vohich have endured the open Air, for several Winters, in the Handsxvorth Nursery, near Birmingham. By Alexander Pope. I HAVE herewith sent you a few specimens of shrubs, which have endured the open air with us without any protection. They are as follows : — BdnJcsxa. austrdlis [Arb. Brit., p. 1306.], planted out last sum- mer, is now (Feb. 7.) as green as a common holly ; and appears quite' hardy, being in an exposed situation. Hdkea. sp. [? aciculdris Arb. Brit., p. 1306.] has been planted four or five years, and has not been in the least injured by the frost. Last summer it bloomed, and has ripened seed. Lepiospermum trinerve has stood out several years in an ex- posed situation, as a hardy evergreen shrub ; and, last year, was so profusely covered with bloom as to appear a white mass, 3 ft. high. [The specimen sent was covered with ripe seeds. For the extreme hardiness of this genus, see Arb. Brit., p. 9G1. ; and Card, Mag., vol. xii. p. 706. ; in which last place it is stated to have stood out in the open garden quite well, in -^^^ the climate of Aberdeen, in Mr. Roy's nursery.] Leptospermimi sp. has also stood exposed for several years, and bloomed. It is now 6 ft. high. [L. grandifolium Arb. Brit., p. 961., ai\d Jig. 44., is much hardier than the common myrtle.] Acdcia ajffhiis \_A. dealbata Arb. Brit., p. 766. ; and Jig. 45.] has stood out exposed to the south. It is now 10 ft. high, after being four years planted ; and forms a beautiful tree, with its finely pinnated glaucous leaves, as green as in the summer. Grevillea ymiperina. [Arb. Brit., p. 1306.] One plant stood out for two years, in a cold and damp situation ; but, being removed, it died, and we have not since tried it out. Ceandthus collhiiis, [See Birm. Bot. Gard., as quoted in Gard. Mag., p. 36. ; andj%.46.] This is a very hardy ever- green, and produces its white flowers, f^^^ from the axils of the leaves, in great abundance. Last summer it flowered twice. [The leaves are oval or roundish, glabrous and shining above, and slightly pubescent beneath : the largest is 2^ in. long, and If in. broad.] C. aziireus [Arb. Brit., p. 539. ; and^g^.47.] has stood out as a shrub two winters, in a sheltered situation. The ends of the young branches were injured by the frost; but they produced fresh shoots in the spring, and bloomed profusely. K 4 136 Gyeen-hoKse Plan fa in the open Air, Pitlosporuvi Tobira \_Aib. Brit., p. 358.; aiKl7^^'.48.] stands in a southern ex- posure, is 3 ft. high, and as green as a common aurel. Yjhcagnus sungaria we have iirowing as a shrub. You do not mention it in tiie Arb. Brit., with llie other eieagnuses. [P'rom the sprig of winter's wood sent, and from the specific name, we should deem this identical with the E. orientalis, or, at all events, only a variety of it ; but we should like to see a speci- men in foliage and flower. We have written to Messrs. Pope and Son, to re- quest them to send us specimens at the proper season ; and we shall give our re- A. 48 marks on them in the supjilementary notices to our Arb. Brit., which will appear from time to time in this Magazine.] Eriobotryajajionica [Arb. Brit., p. 933,; and Jig. 49.] has stood out three years as a hardy shrub or tree, in a sheltered spot, re- taining its foliage all the winter. It is 6 ft. high. [No garden wall, either in England or Scotland, ought to be without this magnificent evergreen. In the warmest parts of Devonshire and Cornwall, it mi<>ht be grafted here and there on a common haw- thorn hedge.] P/iotinia serrnldta [Arb. Brit., p. 868.; and 7%. 50.] has been planted four ye;n in a sheltered situation, and is now 6 ft. high. [There are trees 1 0 ft. and J 2 ft. high of this noble ever- green at Syon ; a portrait of one of which is given in the Arb. Brit.'] Phiiis Strobus [? var. pygmce^a], upwards of thirty years old, forms a compact tuft, about 1 ft. in height, and the same in diameter. in IVinlc'i^ near Bitming/iain. 50 137 CamellxQ. japonica rubra plena [Arb. Brit., p. 384-.] has stood out five years as a shrub, sheltered from the north-west, and is as green as the common laurel ; but does not bloom. Cummighdm'vA lanceoldta has been planted out seven years in a very exposed situation, and stands well; but, having been raised from a lii^^er, it has not yet assumed a tree-like appear- ance, but promises to do so. It is at present a dense bush, about 3 ft. hifjh, and 3 ft. across the head. Pomaderris priany'olia, [Arb. Brit., p. 542.], when planted out, is generally killed to the ground every winter ; but springs up again in a weak state. [_P. ellip- tica, Arb. Brit,, 1. c, and ^g. 51. is doubtless equally hardy with P. /^runifolia]. Ribes sp. The plant from which the specimen sent was taken is an evergreen, with small yellow flowers; and very sweet-scented. [,Fig. 52. represents this specimen, which we have sent to Mr. Gordon, who agrees with us in thinking that it comes nearest R. punctatum, which is albo evergreen, or nearly so. See Arb. Brit., p. 982. ; and Jg. 53.] 138 Culture of Epiphylliim truncatum. Collet'xa. apinbsa Kiinth; C. horrida /r., Arb. Brit., p. 541., and ^^. 54. c; appears to be as hardy as the common furze, and is a most desirable ever- green shrub. [RetanillaE'yV/t'^/raBron. CoUetm £'phedra Vent., Jig. 54;. b, and Collet'm ul'ici?}a Gil.,_y%. 54. a, of which tliere are plants in the open air at Messrs. Loddiges's, appear equally hardy, and add two other handsome evergreen shrubs to the British arboretum.] Hands'iioorth Nursery, Feb. 7. 1837. The specimens sent are remarkably healthy and vigorous. We would strongly recommend for trial, as common shrubbery evergreens, on dry soils, all the leptospermums that can be procured ; and also Ceanothus, Grevillea, Hakea, and Acacia. As to that delightful evergreen Photinia, it is about as hardy as the common laurel ; and the splendid Eriobotrya is nearly so, when trained against a wall. We are equally astonished and delighted to find that so many half-hardy plants stand out in the neighljourhood of Birmingham ; which, we suppose, must be chiefly owing to the dryness of the air, since the temperature is considerably lower than that of London. For the same reason, some trees and shrubs stand out better in the neighbourhood of Paris, the climate of which, during winter, is also colder than that of London. — Cond. A ax. VIII. On the Culture of Epiphyllum truncatum. By T. Symons, Gardener, Clowance. Among the numerous beauties of Flora which adorn our stoves, there are few, in my opinion, possessing a higher claim to admiration than the Epiphyllum truncatum. This plant should have a place in every stove ; and, in the absence of a stove, a trial should be given it in every green-house. Feeling an ardent desire that this exotic may be more extensively cultivated. Culture of Epiphyllum truncatum. 139 and its exquisitely beautiful blossoms be witnessed by every ad- mirer of flowers, I beg these remarks may appear in the columns of your interesting Magazine. I could never satisfactorily grow the Epiphyllum truncatum upon its own bottom ; and, therefore, was induced to try what could be effected by grafting. In the spring of 1830, I inserted a graft on Cactus triangularis, about 6 in. above the pot: the result of this experiment has been highly gratifying, and the plant is now 15 in. in height, and has pendulous branches falling in all directions to the bottom of the pot. For four years suc- cessively the plant has flowered freely, increasing the number of its blossoms as it has increased in size. In November last it produced 107 flowers, and was greatly admired by all who saw it. The compost used was one half loam, the other half equal proportions of peat and leaf mould, and the pot was well crocked at the bottom. I have several plants of E. truncatum growing wild upon Peresk/a aculeata ; but whether they will ultimately arrive at the desired perfection, remains to be proved : the wood of the latter being in texture more of the nature of a shrub than that of the former, I have my doubts ; yet, having a fine plant of Cereus flagelliformis growing upon Peresk/a, I feel encouraged to hope for success. I have a border 18 in. wide round the inside of the pit of a stove, filled with compost, in which I put such plants as I imagine will grow better in this situation than in pots. In this border, a plant of Epiphyllum speciosum, grafted, also, on Cereus triangularis, was planted about eight years ago ; and it is now 3 ft. 6 in. high, and 4 ft. 6 in. in diameter, and would have been much larger had it not been pruned back occasionally, to prevent it from hanging over the pathway. The plant is supported by a wood frame, the formation of which is nearly that of a parasol ; and the profusion of flowers which it produces every spring is really astonishing. Last spring it presented a complete cone of flowers, to the number of above 1000. This plant having pro- duced such a striking effect, 1 have planted two of the E. trun- catum in the same border, and I hope to realise similar results. This border I find to be excellent for the varieties of Gesner/a, Gloxin/fl', Trevirana coccinea, &c. ; and they make a splendid show in it during the summer months. P. S. The solandra of which I reported to you, and the ac- count of which is published in Vol. XII. p. 413. of this Magazine, ripens its seed ; and I have seedlings of it in great abundance. Cloivaiice, Jan. 14. 1837. i 1-0 Ititroditdiun qfZuulogical Objects into Flower-Gardens. Art. IX. On enlivening Floiver or other small Gardens that surround Dwelling-houses, by Means of Zoology. By Th. Nietner. Trans- lated from the Garten Zeitung, No. 45., for Nov. 1836. The followiiig idea will, perhaps, at first sight appear whim- sical, and wilt be laughed at by many; but those who understand it better, and who are admireis of nature, will be pleased when they see her combinations imitated. The picture which I form to myself of a flower-garden requires it to be filled, to the greatest degree of richness and luxuriance, with all the plants which please and gratify the senses ; and which should be so arranged as to afford the highest enjoyment to the mind ; and, therefore, neither simplicity nor harmony in the whole should be wanting. Openness and clearness of space should also be attended to. But the charms of the flower-garden, as the frequent haunt of men, are heightened when it presents not only the beauties of still life, but is enlivened by those of ani- mated nature ; either by the delightffil melody of birds, or by the brilliant colours of butterflies, and numerous other insects, which flutter around the flowers, or crawl over the beds. Animated nature everywhere carries with it cheerfulness and delight, and produces in the sensitive man feelings of contem- plation and wonder ! But it is not by means of insects only that the enjoyment of a flower-garden, or of other gardens, is most heightened ; but by one of a hitherto not favourite family of reptiles ; which, however, have always been beloved by me, and which I have always been delighted to find inhabitants of the garden. This reptile is neither more nor less than the leaf- frog, i?ana arborea. (See Vol. XII. fig. 47.) An unusual number of leaf-frogs were seen here (Berlin) last summer, from what cause I cannot pretend to say; but it is a fact that was observed by many persons. In the month of May, when the plants were unfolding their buds to new life, and the soil covered with a lively green, I had the opportunity of obtaining thirty leaf-frogs from the pleasure-ground which surrounds the king's palace. I put them in the flower-garden which surrounds my house ; and, as the year advanced, I obtained more, till the number might be said to amount to 150. Whether they were not comfortable in their new situation, or whether it was from instinct, I do not know, but I found the greater part of them generally sitting on those plants that had either large and soft, or stiff' leaves. They particularly fre- quented the Heniclewn, T^heum, Lophospermum, Canna, jRho- dodendron, and Hydrangea. 1 sometimes observed two of them sitting on one leaf sunning themselves. However agree- able to me these harmless creatures were, even when silent, I was much more delighted when the approaching warm weather caused their voices to be heard. Rain was not, indeed, always Culture of the Mitsa CavcndishW. 141 the cause of their song; and they often deceived themselves, as well as me, in this respect : at least, there was a striking instance of it, when, from the continued drought of last summer, the plants were obliged to be watered every day: if a drop by chance fell from the watering-pot on the chin of any of the leaf-frogs, they raised their voices in all the varieties of tones, and seemed perfectly happy. On such occasions other leaf- frogs joined in the song, which had not received any drop from the watering- pot, and probably only did so from the example of their com- panions. Later in the season, when the weather changed, and heavy clouds darkened the horizon, the concerts of my frogs never ceased. In all creeks and corners, in every plant thickly clothed with leaves, whether high or low, they poured out their song : not, indeed, very melodiously, but not in discordant tones, and certainly to the best of their ability. A friend on a visit was often agreeably surprised by a hundred unexpected voices, which suddenly saluted his ears, as if by magic, from behhid him, before him, near him, and on all sides. [Garten Zeitimg, No. 45., 1836.) Art. X. On the Culture of the Mtisa CavendisliW, as practised at Chatsworth. By Joseph Paxton, F.L.S., H.S., &c. [If any of our readers have forgotten, or should not be fully aware of, the interest which attaches to the culture of the Musa Cavendish// as a new atove fruit, we request they will turn to Vol. XII. pp. 316. and 618. In November last, we wrote to Mr. Paxton, requesting to know whether the plant was still promising to answer his expectations. We have alluded to Mr. Paxton's answer in Vol. XII. p. 619., and the following is the letter itself. We have subsequently written to Mr. Paxton on the subject, and his answer, dated Jan. 29., is confirmatory of what is con- tained in this letter.] The Musa Cavendish/z is progressing beyond any expectation I had formed of it in April last : when the fruit ripened off in May, -a young one started from the bottom of the plant, which is now (Nov. 8. 1836.) of the following dimensions : — At the soil, or round the base of the stem, 2 ft. 6 in.; one foot from the soil, 2 ft. 1 in. ; two feet from the soil, 1 ft. 9 in. ; extreme height of the plant, 7 ft. The leaves average 4 ft. long each, and 2 ft. 6 in. broad : it has every appearance of showing fruit now, which will, no doubt, ripen about May next. From the extraordinary size of the stem, I expect a spike of fruit weighing at least 30 or 40 lb. The plant has had plenty of tub room, and plenty of water. The soil used is rich loam, with a little well-rotted dung. The temperature for this plant has been not quite so high as 14-2 General Notices. has been used to two others, which are not so thick in the stem, yet have rather longer leaves. I expect we shall fruit these plants next season. I intend to build a small house to fruit about two dozen every year. The only plants that I know to be true of Musa Cavendish// are at Lord Fitzwilliam's, and A. B. Lambert's, Esq., and one at the Edinburgh Botanic Garden. Mr. Cameron, with whom I have recently had some talk on this subject, assures me that he never received but two plants from the Mauritius, one of which was purchased at Mr. Barclay's sale by a Continental botanist. Messrs. Rollisson of Tooting have plants that very much resemble it ; but, as there are so many kinds of dwarf musas in the Mauritius, and as the Messrs. Rol- lisson cannot give any satisfactory account of the introduction of their plants, I am led to doubt their origin. By this time next season I shall have 100 plants of the M. Cavendish//, part of which I shall have to distribute. I forgot to mention that the fruit, when ripe, was larger than any I ever saw produced by M. sapientum, or M. paradisiaca; and that the flavour, when in perfection, combines that of the pine-apple, the melon, and the pear. Mr. Richard Harrison, of Aighburgh, who tasted the fruit exhibited at the London Horticultural Society, pronounced it much finer flavoured than any kind of banana he had ever tasted in the West Indies. The spike of fruit, when exhibited at the Society, was rather over ripe. ChaWworth, Nov. 8. 1836. MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. Art. I. Genei-al Notices. The Stionps of the Silver Fir (A^bics Picea) increase in Diameter after the Tree is felled. — M. Dutrochet, wishing to verify tliis fact, which he had previously observed in 1833, procured, in 1835, from the forests of the Jura, several stumps of this tree, which were in a living state when taken up. One, which was the stump of a tree felled in 1821, had thus been increasing in diameter during fourteen years ; the new wood and bark being easily distin- guishable from the former wood and bark, which were in a state of incipient decomposition. The total thickness of the fourteen layers of this new ligneous production was 5-669 lines (nearly half an inch) in the vertical part of the stump ; and this thickness is increased to about 8'032 lines (three quarters of an inch) in the ligneous part of the callosity {bourrelet) protruded over a part of the section made by the axe. Another stump was that of a tree felled in 1743; and it was still full of life when it was examined at the commencement of the year 1836. The wood formed since the tree was felled consisted of ninety-two layers, the total thickness of which was nearly 2 in. The wood of which the stump was composed when the tree was felled had entirely disap- peared ; and the thick rim, or callositj^, w hich had formed round the margin, had curled over so as almost to cover the top of the stump. This stump, which had lived and increased in diameter during ninety-two years, would, in all probability, have endured much longer: so that we are ignorant how far this singular prolongation of life and increase of growth may extend in stumps Domestic Notices : — Eyisland. Ireland. 143 deprived of their trunk and leaves, and vvhicli only receive liquid nourishment from the roots. It results from this, that the growth of trees in diameter is the result of a local developement ; and that the organic matter of this increase does not descend from the upper parts of the trunk, as some physiologists still think. {UHermes, Dec. 24. 1836 ) Art. II. Domestic Notices. ENGLAND. A'LSUS incana is now beautifully in flower in the Horticultural Society's Garden; and Jig- 55. will give some, though but a faint, idea of the beauty of the male catkins of this tree. Fig. 36. represents A. viridis Dec, and our Arb. 56 \ Brit.; A. fruticosa Schmidt; A. ovata Lodd. Bot. Cab,, t. 1141.; and i?etula ovata Wats. Dend. Brit., t. 96. This beautiful shrub, to which botanists have given so many different names, forms the connecting link between the alders and the birches ; having the branching female catkins of the alder, and the samara, or vdnged seed, of the birch. It is now in flower, both in the Horti- cultural Society's Garden and at Messrs. Loddiges's ; and we earnestly recom- mend our readers to purchase a plant of it, of A. incana, and of A. cordifolia (see Arb. Brit., No. viii. pi. 232.), and to plant them in good soil, within the reach of water, where they will soon grow ^^^ vigorously, and flower freely every winter. A. cor- difolia (^Jig. 57.) is a magnificent tree, with fine, large, smooth, deep green, cordate leaves, by far the hand- somest of the genus ; and, though there are abun- dance of plants of it in the nurseries, it is rarely to be met with beyond their precincts. The only tree, not in the environs of London, that we know of, is at Britwell House, Bucks, the residence of W. H. Miller, Esq., M.P., from which a specimen was lately sent to us by W. Christy, jun., Esq. — Cond. IRELAND. A Root of Horseradish, 7 ft. 4 in. long, was shown us, Feb. 10., b}' Mr. Arthur Kimber, late cottage-gardener to the Duke of Leinster at Waters- town, near Maynooth, and now out of place, and at work in the Hammer- smith Nursery. It was grown in soil trenched to the depth of 10 ft., and mixed with rotten leaves, sand, and a little spent hot-bed dung, and placed on a stratum of small stones, as drainage, 1ft. thick. The cutting, about 3 in. long, was planted in Feb., 1833, and the plant taken up on Jan. 8. 1837. The upper part of the root is more than half an inch in diameter, and the lower 144 Obituary. extremity about lialf an inch. It was broken off by accident in taking up ; otlierwise there can be no doubt it would have been at least 10 ft. in length, before it began to ramify in consequence of reaching the drainage. — Cond. Art. III. Obituary. Died, Jan. 2+., in the sixty-seventh jear of his age, Joaeph Sabine, Esq., F.R.S., L.S., H.S., &c., for many years honorary secretary to the London Horticultural Society, and a well-known amateur of botany and gardening. Mr. Sabine was brought up to the bar ; but, shortly after he had begun to practise, he was appointed by government one of the inspectors-general of the assessed taxes, at a salary of GOO/, a year, with travelling expenses and other emoluments. This office he retained till 1835, when he was put upon the retired allowance, said to be about 350/. per annum. In 1810, Mr. Sabine joined the Horticultural Society, of which he was made honorary secretary on May 1 . of the same year, Richard Anthony Salisbury, Esq., having re- signed. The accounts of the Society were, previously to that time, in a state of great confusion ; and Mr. Sabine having restored them to order, the gold medal of the Society was awarded to him in June, 1816. Mr. Sabine, about this time, took a decided lead in the management of the Society's affairs ; and, by his exertions, greatly increased the number of fellows, as well as led to the establishment of the Society's Garden, first at Hammersmith, and afterwards at Chiswick. In short, the flourishing state of the Horticultural Society, from 1816 to 1828, and all the immense good that it effected during that interval of time, are mainly to be attributed to the activity and ardour of Mr. Sabine. To him we owe the admirable collection of fruits in the Horti- cultural Society's Garden, unequalled in the world; and the best kinds of which are gradually becoming substituted, all over Britain, for the inferior sorts previously in cultivation ; and to Mr. Sabine it may also be said that we owe all the fine plants sent home by Douglas, and other collectors sent out by the Society, as these collectors were all sent during the time he had the di- rectorship of it. This statement we consider to be due to the memory of IN'Ir. Sabine. The defective part of his management of the affairs of the Society was, his being too secret and despotic ; in consequence of which, he could not avail himself of either the advice or the corrections of his colleagues in the Council, or of other members of the Society. In short, as it has truly been said, he was, during the time specified, not only the secretary, but the president, council, and even the head gardener, of the Society. His ardour led to enormous expenses, which the funds were inadequate to defray ; and, in consequence, the Society became deeply in debt. The amount of this debt, which the Society had been gradually incurring, was concealed by Mr. Sabine (see Vol. VI. p. 236.), till it burst upon the fellows hke a thunderbolt in 1830, and had nearly occasioned the dissolntion of the Society. It may be neces- sary here to state, for the sake of those persons who did not know Mr. Sa- bine's personal character, that no one ever entertained the most distant idea of any part of the debt having been incurred by himself individuall}' ; on the contrary, he not only gave up every spare moment of his time to the Society without receiving any remuneration, but, we believe, even incurred expenses on its account. Mr. Sabine was ever a warm friend to practical gardeners, many of whom, now filling eminent situations, were indebted for them to his recomn)endation. After Mr. Sabine ceased to be honorary secretary of the Horticnltural Society, he became an active member of the Zoological So- ciety, and was the means of greatly increasing its collection of ornamental plants in the garden of that Society, in the Regent's Park. "Mr. Sabine's remains were interred, Feb. 1., in the Cemetery in the Harrow Road, attended by his nephew, Capt. Brown; Capt. Bowles, R.N. ; Dr. Beattie; and Edward Barnard, Robert Brown, E. S. Hardisty, and Thomas Goode, Esqrs." (^Lit. Gaz.) THE GARDENERS MAGAZINE, APRIL, 1837. ORIGINAL COMMUNICATIONS. Art. I. Suggestions for the Improvement of Kensington Gardens; and zvhich are applicable, also, in a greater or less Degree, to Hyde Park, the Green Park, Regent's Park, and Greenivich Park, and to Parks and Pleasure-grounds generallij. By the Conductor. Having resided during the last twenty years in the imme- diate vicinity of Kensington Gardens and Hyde Park, it will not be wondered at that we feel an interest in whatever changes may be going forward in these places of public recreation. For upwards of a year past, we have wished to say something on the alterations which have lately been making in Kensington Gardens ; but we have never found time to do so ; and, though we have now resolved to make the attempt, we cannot enter into the subject as we could wish. We must therefore confine our- selves to giving a few crude hints, which, we hope, will receive the consideration of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests before they commence planting; and, more especially, before they commence planting in Kensington Gardens the mass of common forest trees now standing in nursery lines on the north-east margin. We intend to do this, because, even if our hints should fail in producing all the effect we wish, we feel confident that they will be useful to readers of this Magazine, and to gardeners and planters generally; and this will be a sufficient compensation to us for the time occupied in making them, and for their printing and publication. We shall give the hints 6nder separate paragraphs, as they occur to us, without much regard to their connexion. 1. The Scolytus destructor is making extensive ravages on the elms, and some hundreds of trees have, on that account, been cut down ; besides those, amounting to above 100, which were blown down by the hurricane of Nov. 29. 1836. Nine tenths of the remaining elm trees in the gardens will, in all pro- bability, also fall in a year or two ; considering that, relatively Vol. XIII. — No. 85. l 146 Suggestions for the Improvement to the soil in which they grow, they have arrived at maturity, and, indeed, have most of them begun to decay. 2. A mode of deterring the scolytus will be found detailed in the Arboretum Britanniciim, p. 1 390., and in a future page of this Magazine; but the best practical method, in our opinion, to guard against this, or any other insect that attacks trees in such a scene as Kensington Gardens, and to limit the extent of their ravages where they have made an attack, is, to introduce a number of different species of trees, natives of different countries and climates; in short, to render the garden an arboretum; avoiding, however, all trees not decidedly hardy and of vigorous growth in the climate of London ; and all that require peat earth, any soil difficult to procure, or any situation either very moist or very dry. 3. All the trees ought to be planted in pits of prepared soil. These pits ought to be 4 ft. or 5 ft. deep, and not less than from 12 ft. to 16 ft. in diameter; or to occupy from 16 to 20 superficial yards of surface. The pits should neither be round nor square, but star-shaped, or cross-shaped ; that is, eitlier of such a form as would be produced by placing one equilateriil triangle on an- other, the points of one triangle being opposite the middle of the sides of the other; or as would be produced by placing two parallelograms across each other at right angles, so as to form a Greek cross. The object of departing from the square or round form is, to introduce the growing fibres of the trees into the firm and poor soil by degrees, and not all at once, as would be the case were the pits made of square or circular forms, in the usual manner. The trees, thus planted, would also be better able to resist high winds, as they would take a firmer hold of the soil. When a tree is planted in a round or square pit, dug in hard bad soil, it is in much the same situation as if its I'oots were confined in a pot or tub. The dovetailing, so to speak, of the prepared soil and of the moisture which it will retain, with the hard impenetrable soil by which it is surrounded, will gra- dually prepare the latter for being penetrated by the roots of the trees, and prevent the sides of the pit from giving the same check to these roots which the sides of a pot or tub do to the plant contained in it. 4. The earth being entirely taken out of the pits, ought to be mixed with from a quarter to a half its quantity of good loamy rich soil, and then the whole returned to the pit; and, wherever more than one fourth part of new soil is added to that taken out of the pits, a corresponding quantity of the worst of the soil dug out of them ought to be removed, in order that, when the mixture is thrown into each pit, and heaped up on it, it may contain exactly one fourth part more soil, and no more, than was taken out of it. By these means, the pits, when filled up, of Kensington Gardens. li? will at fii'st form knolls, all of the same height, which will ulti- mately all sink down to the same height, or about the fifth part of the depth of the pit above the general surface. After the earth, with its accession of good soil, is returned to the pit, it should be formed into a flattened cone, with the sides towards the base rather concave than convex, in order that they may join easily into the general surface. The soil not returned to the pits may be used for filling up inequalities in different parts of the grounds ; or, where it is chiefly gravel, it may be screened for supplying stones for mulching the trees to be planted. On the centre of the flattened cone, in a shallow basin of 3 ft. in di- ameter, the tree ought to be planted, watered, and mulched with small stones, or chopped turf. The hill, or cone, should be sloped down all round, and sown with grass seeds ; among which, however, there ought to be no seeds of clover, or of any taprooted plants. In a very ^ew years, hills of this kind will sink down so as to leave their apex, on which the tree is planted, not more than 1 8 in. higher than the general surface ; and in ten years, not above half that height ; in consequence of which every tree will rise out of a gently elevated base, as trees are found to do that have sprung up naturally on open commons, from the rising and swelling of the collar ; and, indeed, as all trees whatever do that look well ; there being no such thing, either in nature or in refined art, as the shaft of a tree rising abruptly out of a flat surface, and appearing no thicker at its base than it is higher up. Such trees are, however, very com- mon in pleasure-grounds, from the neglect of keeping their roots considerably higher than the general surface, at the time of planting. Wherever a tree is planted in a pit that has been dug 3 ft. or 4 ft. deep, or even half as much, and, after planting, and even watering and treading the ground about it, has been brought to a level ; in a few years afterwards, by the sinking of the soil of the pit, the stem of the tree will stand in a hollow. As this hollow, at least in all ornamental grounds, will be filled up from time to time by the gardener, the result is, that, in a few years, the collar of the tree, instead of being above the surface rather than under it, is buried in firm soil to the depth of 5 in. or 6 in., or perhaps a foot. This greatly retards the growth of all trees whatever, and occasions the death of many kinds ; for example, the pine and fir tribe. It has, also, the un- natural revolting appearance above mentioned. It is always better to plant a tree so high, that, after the ground on which it is planted has become consolidated by time, the knoll should re- quire lowering by scraping away some soil from the collar of the tree, so as to leave a portion of the main roots bare, than that it should require raising by adding soil there. This important point ought never to be lost sight of by planters, and especially l^S Suggestions for the Improvement by those who plant single trees or scattered groups for orna- ment. 5. A plan of the gardens, on a large scale, with the situation of every existing tree marked on it, ought to be made out ;■ and on this plan the situation of all the pits for the proposed new trees ought to be marked, and the kinds of trees to be planted in them determined, before a single pit is dug. Each pit ought to be numbered on the plan, and to each number a page in a small 8vo book ought to be devoted. In each page, the superintendent will insert the history, or journal, of the pit, and of the tree planted in it; which, of course, can only be done as the work is performed, and in the course of several years. The first record will be of the price contracted to be paid for digging out the soil of the pit ; the next, for removing a certain proportion of the worst of this soil ; the next, for supplying the requisite portion of good soil ; the next, for mixing the soils together on the outside of the pit; the next, for throwing the soil in, and so on ; including the purchase of the tree to be planted ; its name, which ought to be written on the plan, as well as on the top of the page containing its number in the 8vo book ; the date of planting, fencing, mulching, &c. In the execution of the operations, we would have them all subdivided as much as possible, and all of them, except the planting of the trees, executed by separate contracts, and not by day work ; while, after the execution of every particular operation, the superintendent should ascertain that it had been properly per- formed. Thus, after the soil was thrown out of the pit, before proceeding to separate the bad soil from the good, the pit should be examined, to ascertain that it had been dug to the proper depth, &c. Then, again, after the bad soil was sepa- rated from the good into a heap or heaps by itself, before being taken away, these heaps ought to be examined, and the point determined, whether or not the proportion of bad soil had been separated, or not, and so on. If the pits were let to be dugout, the bad soil taken away and good brought, mixed, and filled in again, at so much, the work, in most cases, would not be half done, and the result contemplated would not be attained. On the other hand, if the operations were executed by day work, they would be more expensive and tedious in the performance ; and, besides, as a general principle in the execution of all kinds of work, whether of the hands or of tlie head, nothing ought to be done by the day that can be done by estimate. Day work, even in common labourers, has a tendency to check all exertion, and reduce the man of strength and skill to the level of him who has very little of either. 6. The mud taken out of the canal in Kensington Gardens, and recently used in filling up the old gravel pit near the Bays- of Kensington Gardens. 149 water entrance, amounting to some thousands of loads, would, when dry, have formed the best of all soil for mixing with that taken out of the pits ; and there would, it is believed, have been a sufficient quantity for all the pits required in Ken- sington Gardens, which we do not think would be more than from 600 to 800. Such an immense mass of soil, so valuable, that it could not be procured for money, instead of being buried in a pit, where, as soil, it can be of no use whatever, ought rather to have been used as a top dressing over the whole of the gardens. 7. If the mode of planting suggested should be adopted, it would be worth while to take all the rich soil just mentioned out of the old gravel pit, and plant the pit with hollies, or with Quercus 7^1ex, either of which evergreens would soon turn it into a thicket, and render it impossible for any one to know that a pit was there ; but, if it is absolutely determined that this pit shall be filled up with earth, then let the bad earth taken out of the pits be substituted for the good soil, no more good soil being taken out of the pit than what there was bad soil to replace it with. This would leave the pit as full as it is at present, and, at the same time, save some thousand loads of rich compost. For our own part, we should never think of filling up a chalk or gravel pit, or stone quarry, even in Kensington Gardens, though there were a dozen there, considering such accidental inequalities of surface as the best of all situations for display- ing gardening to advantage. We may refer to what Addison said in the Spectator on the gravel pits in these grounds, which were turned into parterres by London and Wise ; and to the chalk pit turned into a garden by the celebrated Whately, the author of Ohservations on M.odern Gardening. 8. Among the kinds of trees planted, there ought to be a number of American oaks, cedars, pines, and firs ; and, as of some of the species of these trees only small plants can be pro- cured in the nurseries, they should, as soon as planted, be fenced round with wicker hurdles ; not only to protect them from ex- ternal injury, but to shelter and shade them. Instead of a triangle formed by three square wicker hurdles, cylindrical, or tube-like, hurdles may be woven by the hurdle-maker, and placed over each plant; which will have a very neat appearance, and will not only effectually screen the plants from danger, but promote their growth. Larger plants may either have a handful of thorns tied round them, as in the Regent's Park ; a few laths applied close to their stems, and made fast there by wire, to be annually examined, and an additional lath put in where requisite \ or, where cattle, horses, or deer are to be admitted, as in Hyde Park, the admirable method of Mr. Lawrence, described in a future page, may be resorted to, as the cheapest and very best tree guard hitherto discovered. L 3 1 50 Suggesiions for the Improvement 9. By selecting them from different nurseries, within a few miles of London, plants of all the kinds of trees required may be had of from 8 ft. to 10 ft. high, or upwards, with the exception of some of the pine and fir tribe, and of some of the American oaks. In planting such trees, the French method of heading the tree down, or closely cutting it in, will require to be borne in mind, rather than the method of keeping on the entire head, re- commended by Sir Henry Steuart ; which, though it will suc- ceed in the cold moist climate of Renfrewshire, where Sir Henry lived, never will answer in the climate of London, or, indeed, in most parts of England, on account of the greater warmth and dryness of the air, and consequent increased evaporation from the leaves. (See the Brussels practice, described in Vol. IL p. 226. and p. 461., and Vol. X. p. 8. ; and also in the Arhoretitm Britannicum^ p. 1383.) 10. The circumstance of being obliged to plant young trees among the old trees in Kensington Gardens will add greatly to the variety and interest of the scenery ; for though, in grounds laid out in the geometrical style, and especially in the case of straight avenues, it is desirable to have all the trees of the same age and magnitude, yet the reverse of this is the case in planting with a view either to the gardenesque, picturesque, or fac-simile imitation of natural scenery. In self-sown forests, there are trees of all ages ; and, though in gardening it is not desirable to pro- duce fac-simile imitations of such forests, yet those characteristics of them which are most productive of agreeable associations ought to be kept constantly in view. 11. Though the most rapid mode of drawing up trees with a view to profit is to plant thick, especially in exposed situations; yet the very reverse of thick planting should be followed where beauty is the object, and the climate comparatively mild. No beautiful wood was ever yet seen, in which the trees did not stand at such a distance apart as to show their individual shapes to a person walking through the wood ; and the natural shape of every tree ought to be obvious after the plantation is of four or five years' growth ; thinning being resorted to, wherever equality of height, or the meeting of the branches, has a ten- dency to obliterate it. It is only by this degree of thinness that the fine tufted appearance, which some woods have at a distance, can be produced; an appearance the very i*everse of what is ex- hibited by the two central masses of trees in Kensington Gardens, when looking eastward from the palace directly across the basin of water. 12. In order to preserve as many full-grown trees as possible in Kensington Gardens, the masses will require to be consider- ably thinned, so as to produce a more vigorous growth in those trees that are left. For the same object, all such trees as are of Kensington Gardens. 151 allowed to remain, having no longer the shelter of those taken away, will require to have their tops lightened by severe pruning. 13. The thinning of these masses will also be required, in order to make room for the pits to contain the new trees which it is intended to introduce to a certain extent in the masses, no less than where the old trees have been felled or blown down. li. In order to encourage the growth of the trees in the masses, and also the growth of all the other trees in the garden, the surface of the ground ought to be top-dressed with a rich compost; beginning at those places where the soil is poorest, and where the trees have most need of assistance. Next to ad- mitting light and air to the existing trees, there are no means whatever that will so effectually add to their strength and beauty as enriching the surface soil : it will add greatly to the strength of the fibrous and slender roots vvhich run along the surface, and, in a few years, will change them into ramose roots, which will have sufficient strength to enable the trees to resist storms, even though the hearts of the trunks, and all the larger roots that are deep in the soil, should be completely rotten. A new coating of wood will be deposited on the outer surface of the trunk, however rotten it may be in the inside, provided the bark be uninjured ; by which means the tree will not only be strengthened and enlarged, but its period of duration greatly prolonged. The vigour thus infused into the trees will enable them, in a great measure, to resist the attacks of insects. The grand causes of the diseases and the death of trees in artificial plantations are, the want of organic nourishment, and the want of water, light, and air. Were these duly supplied for ever, it is difficult to conceive, from the physiology of a tree, how it could die otherwise than by accident. Nourishment is supplied by top-dressing, and light and air by thinning. Water is not so easily supplied; and, for want of this, many trees, after they have attained a certain size above ground, and filled the soil in which they grow with their roots, die, in consequence of the evaporation by the leaves being greater than the absorption of moisture by the roots. It is not easy to supply water to a wood or grove of full-grown trees, otherwise than by intersecting the ground with very deep and wide drains, filling these half full of loose stones, and then connecting the ends of the di'ains with a supply of water. This mode may be considered too expensive for general practice, except in scenes of limited extent; and, therefore, the principal thing is to prepare the soil to the depth of 6 ft. or 8 ft., or even 10 ft., before planting the trees ; for, as prepared soil acts like a sponge in retaining the water, so this would add greatly to the size of that sponge, and thus prevent a greater portion of what fell from the atmosphere from sinking into the subsoil, or running- off along the surface ; and, in either case, being lost. L 4 152 Suggestions Jur the Improvement 15. No new tree ought to be placed nearer to any other tree, either existing or to be planted, than 20 ft. ; even in places where it is intended to jiroduce a mass, either tor its own sake, or for concealing a boundary fence or other object. Trees, whether of the small kind, sue!) as thorns and laburnums ; or forest trees, such as oaks and cedars; will, in the climate of Ken- sington Gardens, when planted in pits prepared as above directed, grow so rapidly, that, even when planted 20 ft. asunder, their branches will meet in from seven to ten years. An exception to the above rule, of never planting nearer than 20 ft., is, when picturesque groups are to be formed ; in which case two trees of different kinds may be placed in the same hole, or within 2 ft. or 3 ft. of each other; and sometimes with a third tree, or with a strong-growing shrub or shrub-like tree ; as with a holly, thorn, box tree, yew, &;c. In cases of this kind, the pits should be made proportionately large, and the general shape may I'e- quire to be varied accordingly. 16. -Where belts or masses are to be planted, low-growing trees, such as thorns, hollies, ilexes, &c., ought to be inter- spersed among lofty-growing trees ; in consequence of which, little or no thinning will become necessary at any future period, unless it should be desired to turn a wood into an open grove. 17. In fixing on the situations for single plants and scattered groups of young trees, care must be taken not to destroy what is technically called " breadth " of surface, by distributing the trees equally over the ground, as is done in the Regent's Park. All the trees planted must be thrown into constellations, or groups ; for even the masses, considered relatively to the whole, are only to be looked upon as groups of a larger size. Some attention must, also, be paid to the native localities and the habit of growth of different trees : for example, a cedar of Lebanon should be planted in an open rather elevated situation, where it will have room to extend its branches on every side from the ground upvtards. Trees with graceful drooping branches ought also to be placed where they will exhibit their characteristic features; and such trees as the Quercus palustris, the most graceful of all oaks, whether European or American, and of which there are abundance of young plants for sale from 10 ft. to 15 ft. in height in Loddiges's Nursery, ought not only to have room to display their beauty, but to be placed in situations where the soil is rather moist than dry. 18. If all the preceding directions were properly attended to, and trees of not less than five or six years' growth selected for planting, except in the case of those of the pine and fir tribe, and some sorts of oak, their growth would be such, that, in ten years from tlie time of planting, they would be from 30 ft. to 40 ft. high. If any of our readers should doubt this, we refer of Kensington Gardens. 153 them to the Horticultural Society's Garden, in which they will find many species of trees that have advanced in growth in rates pro- portionate to those mentioned. Of course, we do not mean to state that low trees, such as hollies, thorns, laburnums, &c., which naturally do not grow above 25 ft. or 30 ft. high, will exceed that height in consequence of the treatment we recommend ; which would be by no means desirable, since it would change the character of the trees ; but, simply, that large trees will grow with the rapidity we have mentioned. 19. The greatest care must be taken not to mix the new species of trees indiscriminately ; because, as Sir William Chambers and Sir Uvedale Price have long since shown, the effect of that mode of mixing, let the number of species be ever so great, is to produce monotony, instead of variety. One genus of deci- duous tall trees, one genus of deciduous low trees, and one of evergreen trees, whether large or small, ought always to prevail in one place ; in order that the impression made on the mind of the spectator, by the view of that place, may be different from the impression of any other place or part of the scene. 20. It appears to us much to be regretted that no evergreen trees have been introduced among the scattered trees planted, of late years, either in Hyde Park or in the Regent's Park. We can conceive no reason for this, except the extra expense of en- closing, which, of course, a nurseryman who undertakes to plant by contract will not do, unless by specific agreement. We would have cedars, pines, and firs interspersed, throughout these parks, together with the ilex, the new Lucombe, and other evergreen oaks. The ilex is one of the most rapid-growing and hardiest of oaks when properly treated; and, in Cornwall and on the sea coast, it is planted to shelter and draw up the common oak, as the Scotch pine is, with so much success, in the govern- ment plantations in the New Forest. 21. All the yew trees and hollies, in Kensington Gardens, which had branched down to the ground, and assumed the cha- racter of shrub-like trees, and all the ancient yew hedges, which had been allowed, for many years, to grow without being clipped, together with many of the deciduous shrubs, have been removed; so that now the eye ranges every where among the stems of the trees : nothing is concealed, and the whole extent of the gardens is seen to the boundary fence from almost all the principal walks. This, it is reported, has been done in order to prevent offences against decency from being committed in the concealed places. It seems singular that these gardens should have existed with all the evergreens which produced these concealed places, for upwards of a century, and that now (when the people are allowed by all parties to be much more civilised and refined than heretofore) it becomes necessary to remove them. In our ISi Suggestions for the Improvement opinion, the removal of these everorreens and hedges was an act not warranted by a due regard for public ornament ; be- cause there can be no doubt that a few additional policemen or constables would have more effectually prevented the com- mission of these offences than the means resorted to. Besides, the removal of all but the large trees from these gardens seems equivalent to saying that they shall not be ornamented with groups of flowering and evergreen shrubs, as pnblic gardens are on the Continent. We hope, however, that they will one day be interspersed with groups of flowering and evergreen shrubs, and with beds of flowers, intersected with gravel walks, and ornamented with statues, vases, fountains, and models of celebrated ancient buildings; and, at the same time, that they will contain some fac-simile imitations of wild nature, where the hand of art will not be suspected to have been at work, except by the artist. A fine effect was produced by a hayrick, which, some years ago, used annually to be built in a glade, in one of the larger masses of wood ; and which glade and rick unex- pectedly occurred when passing along a footpath. The rambler in the gardens might be decoyed by a similar path through some other thicket to an immense gravel pit planted with thorns, briars, brambles, elder bushes, with a small piece of water in the bottom shaded by alders ; the whole being, apparently, in a state of utter neglect. Such violent contrasts to highly refined art can only be sparingly introduced; but every one must feel that they are not without a very important use. 22. We have been for several years past (see Vol. I.) recom- mending, as a great public improvement, the removal of the wall on the north side of Hyde Park and Kensington Gardens, and also on the south side of these gardens, and the substitution of an open iron railing. This has, in part, been effected, as far as respects Hyde Park ; and the improvement is so great, that we cannot but hope it will soon be extended to Kensington Gar- dens. Another great improvement would be the addition of the Royal kitchen-garden, and of the field lying to the south of it, to the public gardens; which, of course, implies the removal of a wall 25 ft. high, which forms the northern boundary to the kitchen-garden, and which, by shading the public road, obstruct- in'"- the free current of air, and shutting out all view to the south from the houses on the north side of the road, is, in foct, the frreatest public and private nuisance between London and Ux- bridge. The kitchen-garden, whatever it might have been thirty years ago, can, at present, be of little use to the Royal family; because everything grown in it, even the commonest vegetables, must be poisoned by the smoke and soot produced by the houses, which surround it in dense masses on every side. 23. In justice to that part of the public who walk on foot. of Kensington Gardens. 155 there ought to be a public footpath made directly across these gardens, from the Bayswater road to the Knightsbridge road; entering at the middle point between Cumberland Gate and Sil- ver Street, Kensington Gravel Pits, and coming out at the middle point between Hyde Park Corner and Kensington church. The distance between these extreme points, on both roads, is nearly two miles; so that a person living at the middle point on the one road wishing to go to the middle point on the other, as he cannot go across the gardens, is obliged to walk two miles and a half, instead of half a mile, which is the distance di- rectly across. No appropriation of property, either public or private, can, in our opinion justify such a nuisance. To prevent the path from interfering with the appearance of the gardens, it might be sunk to the depth of 8 ft., with the sides walled, the bottom paved, with drains on each side, and the top covered with a horizontal iron grating. As the direction of the path would be north and south, the sun would shine into it every day in the year ; and this, with small side drains, connected with proper main drains, leading to the public sewers, would render the path dry and comfortable at all seasons ; while a few lamps, and a policeman, would render it as fit for use by night as by day. If some such plan as this is not adopted, then there ought to be doors at the middle points above referred to, in order that persons might at least get directly across in the day time. 24. One great use of evergreen trees and shrubs in garden scenery is, the shelter which they afford to birds in the night time. There is abundance of suitable food for singing birds in the gardens and parks of the environs of London ; that being furnished by the insects which live almost always on de- ciduous trees, and by their buds, blossoms, and fruit; but, without evergreen trees or shrubs, there is no warmth or shelter for the more delicate birds in the winter season, and in the night time ; for birds, no more than other animals, can live on food alone. If evergreen trees were placed in Hyde Park, the Regent's Park, and the other parks, and bird-catchers prevented from pursuing their calling within twenty miles of the metropolis, the number of singing birds would be greatly increased all round London ; and myriads of those insects which are now so injurious to suburban gardens would disappear, because their larvae would be devoured by the birds. It is highly probable, also, that, under such circumstances, several foreign singing birds, or birds re- markable for the beauty of their plumage, might be acclimatised ; and the woods of Kensington Gardens might one day resound with the notes of the campanero, as they did a few years ago with those of the woodpigeon. What has been already done in St. James's Park, in acclimatising foreign aquatic birds, ap- pears, at all events, to justify us in suggesting the idea. 156 Suggestions for the Improvement of Kensington Gardens. 25. We have said nothing of certain alterations in the walks, and of the formation of several new walks, which, we think, would be great improvements to Kensington Gardens, or of various other matters connected with them : our great object, at present, being to prevent the ground to be planted from being filled with the common stuffing of plantations, planted in the common manner, twenty times too thick, and without any preparation of the soil, further than that of common trenching, to the depth of 18 in. or 2 ft. The following figures are intended to illustrate some parts of the preceding remarks : — -1 58 nr Fig. 58. a shows the plan of a stellate pit; 6, a cruciform pit ; and c, an irregular pit for a group of two trees and a shrub. Fig. 59. The earth taken out of the pit 59 returned to it, after being mixed with a proper proportion of rich compost or good _j soil. Fig. 60. The soil formed into a flattened cone, with concave sides, having a shallow basin at top, on which the tree is planted, and mulched with small stones. Fig, 61. The tree, after being ten years planted, with the ground under it con- solidated, and sunk as low as it ever will sink. Fig. 62. A group, consistingof two trees Uj y^ (^2 and a shrub, showing the result of the pro- per mode of planting them. Fig. 63. A tree planted in the mode usual in gardens and pleasure-grounds, the surface round it being made level, or nearly so. Fig. 64". The appearance of the surface five or six years after- wards, unless soil has been added as it sinks, so as to keep it up to the level. Fig. 65. The result ten years after planting, showing the collar (sec p. H?.) buried 5 in. or 6 in. deep in the soil; thus Natural History of the Otiorhynclms snlcdfus. 157 4. 63 66 greatly retarding the growth of the tree, and ultimately bringing on premature decay. Fig. 66. a, section of the proposed sunk footpath between Bayswater and Knightsbridge; entering at the middle point be- tween Cumberland Gate and Silver Street, Kensington Gravel Pits, on the one road, and coming out at the middle point between Hyde Park Corner and Kensington church on the other road : b shows a vertical profile of the path, covered by the horizontal iron jjratinff. Where this path is crossed by gravel walks on the surface, the gravel, and a margin of turf on each side of it, can easily be supported by a flat brick arch, or a trough of cast iron. Bayswater, March 5. 1837. Art. II. A Series of Articles on the Insects most injurious to Cul- tivators. By J. O. Westwood, F.L.S., Secretary to the Entomo- logical Society of London. No, 2. The Natural History of a Weevil which is very destructive to Collections of succulent Plants. The Linnaean genus Curculio comprises a very numerous assemblage of beetles, whose habits are entirely herbivorous, and which are distinguished by having the front of the head lengthened into a muzzle or snout, varying in its length and thickness in the different species ; and by the antennee beinf generally elbowed at the extremity of the long basal joint. The two Linn£ean genera i^ruchus and ^ttelabus belong to the same natural group to which the modern sectional name llhynchophora (or rostrum-bearers) has been aptly applied by Latreille, divi- sible into numerous subfamilies and genera. These insects are known by the common name of weevils; and amongst their num- ber are to be ranked some of the most destructive of the insect tribes. Of these, the more obnoxious are, the well-known corn weevil [Calandra granaria), the rice weevil {Calcindra oryzse), the sugar weevil [Caldndra sacchari), the pulse beetle (Bruchus granarius), the nut weevil (Balaninus nucum), and the vine 158 Insects most injurious to Cultivators : — weevil (Rhynchites Baccluu) ; a species which, although very rare in Engiantl, is but too common in the vine districts of France and Germany. The insect whose history I propose to detail in this commu- nication belongs to the same class and order as the turnip flea- beetle (p. 100.), and to the Family, Curculi6nid£e Leach. (So named from the LinnEean Genus Curculio, to which it is equivalent.) Genus, Otiorhyucluis Germar. (So named from two Greek words, otion, an ear, and rhiigchos, a rostrum ; expressive of the form of the rostrum, which has a lateral appendage on each side at the extremity.) Species, Otiorhynchus sulcatns Fabricius. (St/sfemn E/eut/ieraio7-iim, ii. p. 539. : Stephens, Illustrations of British Entomology ; Mandibulata, vol. iv. p. 114.) Curciilio sulcatus Linnccus. S|)ecific name expressive of the sulci, or grooves, upon the elytra. Fig. 67. G is a magnified view of this insect; and h the natural length. 67 In the month of December, 1827, my lamented friend, the late A. H. Haworth, Esq., so well known as the author of many works upon succulent plants, lamented to me the numerous losses which he annually sustained amongst these plants by some un- known enemy, which caused their death, especially during the mild winter months, and by which means many unique species had been lost to his collection. On going into his green-house, and examining, also, various plants in the open air, we found that, in several pots containing plants of a species of 5edum, the latter were evidently in a dying state; and, on taking up the plants, we found a quantity of footless grubs in each pot, at a little distance beneath the surface of the earth, which had eaten that part of the root close to the surface, leaving the lower part, as well as the leaves and stem, untouched. At the same time, we also found eggs and larvae of a smaller size. This larva {Jig. 67. A, natural size; and b, magnified) is nearly half an inch long, of a dirty white colour, without any legs ; of a thick fleshy substance, with the body slightly curved, and rather attenuated towards both extremities. It is of an uneven surface : its sides are furnished with fleshy tubercles ; and along its belly and back are also placed small tubercles, which evidently serve in pro- Otiorhynchus stilcahis. 159 gression, and are furnished with fine bristles ; the body is also sparingly clothed with hairs, thus differing in several respects from the well-known grub of the nut weevil. The skull (c) is round and horny, smaller than the following segment : the eyes and antennae appear to be entirely obsolete : the clypeus (cl) is transverse, as well as the upper lip (I l); the latter is furnished in front with a row of hairs, and is thickened in a tri- angular manner in the middle. The mandibles (m), which are the chief instruments with which the destruction of the plants is effected, are horny, and furnished at the tip with two teeth, which are, in fact, merely portions of the jaw, and not separate appendages, as in the higher animals ; the lower jaws, or max- illae (mx.), and the lower lip (1 2), are considerably advanced, so as to extend beyond the upper lip ; the maxillge are fleshy, with a rounded internal lobe, and a single, apparently two-jointed, palpus; the mentum (m 2), or basal part of the lower lip, is transverse, and larger than the lip (1 2), which is furnished with a pair of minute two-jointed palpi ; the hairs on the segments of the body seem disposed in transverse series, which are pro- bably serviceable in motion. Bouche {Naturgesch. Garten-Inseht.^ p. 28. ; and Nahirg. der Insekt., p. 201.) informs us that, in the neighbourhood of Berlin, this larva is found, in the autumn and winter, at the roots of plants belonging to the genera Saxifraga, T;o//n/s, &c. ; which it gnaws round the upper part of the roots, and so causes the plants to perish. It was especially abundant in the spring of 1832; at which period, the destruction which it caused in plants in pots was very great. Some of the larvae which I obtained from Mr. Haworth were placed by me in a pot, which I endeavoured to keep in a situa- tion as nearly agreeing with that in which they were found as possible. About the middle of the following May, I examined these insects, and still found them to be in the larva state ; but, on again examining them a fortnight afterwards, all had made their escape except one ; one of the perfect insects being still on the outside of the gauze covering of the pot, in which a hole had been made, evidently by the insects on arriving at the perfect state. On the 8th of June, the remaining larva had turned into a white pupa (d, natural size; E, ditto magnified, seen with a ventral aspect; and f, ditto seen laterally). I did not observe any appearance of a cocoon, the earth alone being scooped into an oval cell, the inside of which was very smooth. Bouche also states that the larva forms no cocoon. This pupa is of an oblong form, and exhibits all the limbs of the future beetle (belonging to that kind of pupa which is termed incomplete). The wing-covers (Eandr x ) are of a small size, and rest over the breast, leaving the back exposed ; the head is also 160 Insects most injurious to Cultivators. folded upon the breast, as well as the legs, each being enclosed in a distinct sheath ; the hind legs lying under the wing-covers, with the tips of the thigiis and of the tarsi alone exposed ; the head is depressed in the middle, with two short hairs ; the basal joints of the antennae (e °) are laid along the sides of the rostrum, with the terminal points forming an acute angle ; the tips of the thighs of all the legs are furnished with a strong bristle ; the abdomen is gradually narrowed to the extremity, which is trun- cated with two lateral points ; each of the dorsal segments of the abdomen (fx) is furnished at its posterior margin with a row of siiort strong spines, which are of great service to the pupa, by affording so many points of resistance to the insect in its movements, which are, however, but few ; the sides of the abdomen are furnished with a row of lateral fleshy tubercles. BoLiche states that this pupa descends 3 in. or 4 in. below the surface of the ground to undergo its transformation ; but I do not think that mine went more than 1 in. deep. The same author states that the period occupied in the pupa state is fourteen days. On June 19., my pupa appeared to have undergone no change, beino- still quite white. In three days, however (i. e. on June 22.), the insect had assumed its perfect form, appearing as \n fig. 67. g (magnified, h being the natural length of the weevil). At this period, the insect was of a rather pale pitchy colour, owing to its recent disclosure; but its natural colours are thus described by Mr. Stephens : — " Black ; head finely punctured, pubescent, with an impres- sion between the eyes ; rostrum rugose-punctate, with a deep broad channel ; thorax with an obsolete dorsal groove, slightly Mossy, with numerous thickly planted tubercles throughout, and some scattered pale ashy hairs ; scutellum black ; elytra some- what deeply sulcate, with the interstices and sulci very ruggedly tuberculate, and irregularly spotted with depressed pale ferru- ginous hairs ; legs rather long, with the femora obtusely dentate ; antennae piceous." The perfect insect varies in length from ^ in. to i in. This description, with the accompanying figure, will enable any person having collections of succulent plants to detect the beetle, in the month of June, lurking about the pots or plants of this kind ; and, indeed, it does not appear to me impracticable to train children to look over the plants, and destroy the insects as soon as caught: of course, care must be taken to destroy the insect as soon after it has attained its beetle form as possible, otherwise the great end of its existence, that of impregnation and deposi- tion of the eggs, will probably have taken place ; as it is to be observed that it is only in the grub state that the injury to the plants is committed, the perfect insect being quite innocent. That this is a generally dispersed insect must be evident from Grounds of Chester Holme Cottage. 161 Mr. Stephens's observation : " Very abundant in gardens within the metropohtan district. In my own garden (South Lambeth), and at Hertford, I have seen the insect in great abundance." Should the insects succeed in depositing their eggs, it will be advantageous, at the end of the autumn, to examine the plants carefully, and to take up such as appear at all sickly, in order to examine their roots, and destroy such larvse as may be found about them in a young state. If this be neglected until the middle of the winter, experience has shown that the plants will be destroyed. Several other species of the same genus are similarly destructive. R. Patterson, Esq., of Belfast, has forwarded to me specimens of Otiorhynchus vastator, which "destroyed a vast number of flowers in the Botanic Garden of that town, in June, 1830, by ascending the stem at night, and cutting it through." The Grove, Hammersmith, March 1. 1837. Art. III. Plan of the Grounds of Chester Holme Cottage, laid out by Mr. George Harland, and communicated by him. The Cottage of Chester Holme [Jig. 68.) was the resi- dence of the late Rev. Anthony Hedley. It is situated at the 68 head, or opening, of a deep rocky glen, which runs southward; the bottom of which is washed by the Chinely Burn, which falls from many a " shelvey rock " in its passage to the River Tyne, about five miles east from Haltwhistle. This opening gradually expands to a level green holme, at the north extremity of which Vol. XIIL — No. 85. m 162 Plan of the Grounds two streams meet, called Craig-Lough, and Brookey Burn. These, after being united, take the name of Chinely Burn, as above stated ; and this burn runs down the west side of the holme, past the foot of a steep green bank, on a level area, at the top of which is a famous Roman station, called Vindolana, having a rapid declivity to the water on the north and east sides. The cottage is wholly built of the stones from this ancient station, and without any dressing tool being applied to them. The burn, after leaving the foot of this station, continues on a southerly direction ; when, suddenly turning eastward, it approaches the house, and, just opposite to it, forms a beautiful natural cascade, which is seen to great advantage from some of the principal windows. It here turns at right angles, and runs southwards, down the west side of the ground?, over a complete bed of shelving rocks, and under a rustic bridge at the south extremity ; and, a short way below, it is turned aside westward by a very high rock, which is crowned with hanging woods, and produces a fine effect viewed from the house. On the east and south-east rises, with rapid ascent, Borcum Hill, the lower part of which is covered with hanging woods, with here and there the strata of sandstone cliffs protruding. The top of this hill is covered with heath, and there is a pillar of stone at the highest point. On the west side of the burn, there is a gentle swelling hill, which gradually rises to the north-west, where it joins the Roman station. Looking north over the holme, the view is tame, barren, and uninteresting, and only presents a very few clumps of hazel and hawthorn. The house {Jig- 69. a) is situated on an eminence on the west side of the grounds, immediately opposite the cascade and the turn of the water. The whole of the enclosed ground has a considerable descent southward ; and, previous to opei'ations being commenced on it, it was very uneven. From the elevated situation of the house, and the quick descent from it, it became necessary to make a considerable terrace (b) on the south side, to give ease and facility to the approach and walk round the house, and which is continued quite through to the east side, where it turns into the walk. Below this is another terrace (c), which also leads into the same walk, and upon which are clumps of American plants {(1). This is divided from the kitchen-garden by a narrow belt of shrubs ; from which a border [e) has a considerable incli- nation to the walk. Thegarden ( /) inclines rapidly to the southern extremity, and is only intended to produce common vegetables, and the commoner fruits ; as gooseberries, currants, raspberries, strawberries, and a few standard apples and pears, which were supplied by a neighbouring jobbing gardener, who assisted in the work, and who is afterwards to keep the place in order by coming to work at stated intervals. To enumerate the kinds of of Chester Holme Cottapc. 163 I M 2 164- Plan of the Grounds fruiting plants here, would be of no service, as they are such as I should not recommend generally. If the garden had been placed where I first proposed it, at g, on a part of the holme north of the house, with a good wall at the north extremity (which would have served both for a fruit wall and a boundary), with a good belt of trees outside to shelter the whole, and to hide the barren views in that direction, then the present garden would have made a proper and interesting addition to the pleasure- ground. I iiad proposed this part of the grounds to unite and communicate with the hanging wooded sides of the adjoining hill eastward, by pulling down a side wall, which now separates them from the present garden ; then by thinning out and varying the outline at the margin of the wood, and facing with ornamental trees and shrubs, with a winding walk through the skirts of the same leading to the rustic bridge //. As a further improvement, 1 proposed to continue the walk from the west side of the bridge //, by an easy curve, to another bridge (/), where it would again connect with the grounds. These additions were, however, declined ; but it appears very plainly they would have been great improvements. The natural and uneven lawn (Jc) is quite on the surface of rocks ; and its rugged descent harmo- nises well with the still more rugged rocky sides, and the bed of the water ; and any art, except planting, on this piece would evidently decrease its native beauty and effect. The ground at the north side of the approach road is a raised inclining mound (/), sloping from the north boundary to the road, and about 5 ft. high, with a view to shelter, and hiding as much as possible the before-mentioned barren views on that side. By the water side, and below the level of the ground, is a privy {in), and a subter- raneous passage, or arcade (;/), where are preserved many antique remains of Roman altars, with other figures and inscriptions on stone, from the adjoining Roman station. The approach road (o) is 10 ft. wide, and the walks {p) are 4 ft. wide. The flower borders are at q, and the stable and gig-house at r : s is a vista showing the Roman station from the house. The whole ground (exclu- sive of the woods {t) on the east, and the ground west of the water with the dotted walk u) amounts to very little more than one acre. The plan is laid down to a scale of 60 ft. to an inch. The garden contains one fourth of an acre ; and the ground marked for planting, about 4497 square ft, nearly 16^ perches. The whole is well sheltered, and the ground was prepared by deep trenching. This, at an average distance of 3i ft., I calcu- lated to take 350 shrubs, and 200 ornamental trees for the margins and conspicuous parts of the adjoining woods. Ornamental Trees. — 5 Scarlet maple, 5 Norway maple, 5 Scarlet-flowering horsechestnut, 5 Yellow-flowering horsechest- nut, 5 Cut-leaved alder, 5 Shining-leaved sweet chestnut, 5 Cut- of Chester Holme Collage. 165 leaved sweet chestnut, 5 Purple beech, 5 Weeping beech, 5 Flowering ash, 5 Black larch, 5 Red larch, 5 Mugho pine, 5 Weymouth pine, 5 Cembra pine, 5 Athenian poplar, 5 White Egyptian poplar, 5 Scarlet oak, 5 Evergreen oak, and 5 American limes ; in all 100. Shrubs for Cliunps a?id Screeti Plantations. — 50 Common laurel, 50 Portugal laurel, 20 Common green holly, 20 Lau- rustinus, 10 Shining-leaved laurustinus, 10 Tree box, 20 Arbor vitae, 10 English juniper, 10 Red cedar, 10 Aucuba japonica, 12 Alaternus, 6 Arbutus, 6 Sweet bay, 2 Weeping willow, 2 Weeping elm, 2 Weeping ash, 20 Scotch laburnum, 10 Com- mon lilac, 10 Persian lilac, 10 Yew, 10 Spindle tree, 10 Dog- wood, 10 Guelder rose, 10 Common syringa, 10 Bird-cherry, and 10 Snowberry ; in all 350. American^ or Bog, Plants. — 2 72hododendron ponticurn, 1 R. maximum, 1 R. catawbiense, 2 R. hirsutum, 2 R. ferrugineum, 2 Kalm/a latifolia, 2 K. angustifolia, 1 Azalea viscosa alba, 1 A. coccinea, 1 A. carnea, 2 A. pontica (white), 2 Erica, Tetralix alba, 2 E.vagans rubra, 1 E. vulgaris variegata, 1 E.multiflora, 1 Z/cdum latifcMium, 1 L. decumbens, 1 Andromeda joolifolia minor, 1 A. axillaris, I Faccinium ^rctostaphylos ; in all 28. Gateshead, May 18. 1836. The ground plan, of which fg. 69. is an engraving, is one of the most exquisitely delicate and beautiful productions of the kind which we have ever seen ; and at first sight it appears scarcely credible that it should be the work of a person who has spent the greater part of his life in handling a spade, rather than a pencil or pen. The copy from which the vignette [fg. 68.) is engraved is also executed with great taste, and an obvious knowledge of natural scenery and pictorial effect. The two latter qualities, indeed, were to be expected from the circumstance of Mr. Harland having been brought up partly in the county of Durham, and partly among the mountains and lakes of Cumber- land. Mr. Harland, who is somewhere about thirty years of age, has been regularly educated as a gardener, and had filled the situation of head gardener at one or two places before he came into the employ of Mr. Falla. Soon after the death of the latter, about a year ago, Mr. Harland came to London, and is now at work in Mr. Knight's nursery, King's Road. That a man with such talents is fitted for something very different, every reader, we think, will allow ; but the difficulty is to find a situ- ation suitable for him. Knowing the private worth and modesty of the man, as well as his knowledge and taste in surveying and drawing, we should wish to see him in the employ of some ex- tensive landed proprietor, who was acting as his own landscape- gardener and planter, and who only occasionally called in the M 3 166 New Guard for single Trees. assistance of an eminent artist ; such as Nesfield or Gilpin. To such a proprietor Mr. Harland would be invaluable. Palling this, we should like to see him assistant to an eminent architect and landscape-gardener ; or, lastly, in a good situation as head gardener, where there was a new place entirely to make. Some- thing suitable, we trust, is in store for him. — Cond. •\;->j^ Art. IV. A nevo Guard for single Trees in Parks, SfC. By Charles Lawrence. With respect to tree guards, I have found, by trial, decided objections to all in common use. Those which confine the tree, and thus prevent injury to the bark, are objectionable ; the free motion of the tree being essential to its health and growth. Those which stand at a distance from the tree, consisting of three or four posts connected by spars, are very injurious to the bark in high winds, and all are very expensive. I resolved to obtain some fence possess- ing the following desiderata : allowing free motion to the tree, without pro- ducing any friction on the bark ; per- fect security against the attacks of cattle; durability, cheapness, and neat- ness in appearance; and, having com- pletely succeeded, I will now describe it. (See^-. 70.) Procure stakes of ash or larch, on thinning young plantations, or cutting down coppices, 6 ft. in length, or more if requisite, and about 2 in. in diameter; and have holes drilled through the tops and bottoms, about 1 ft. from each end. Get a similar hole drilled up the centre of a stake, and saw it off in lengths of 2 in., or rather less ; pass a strong wire or thick tarred string through one stake, by the holes at the top and at the bottom ; then pass it through the hole made in one of the 2-in. pieces at each end, then through another stake ; separating each stake at top and bottom by a piece of wood, until you have enough to surround your tree loosely, leaving plenty of space for growth. .H^»-. Dimensions of some Trees at Poloc, Lanarkshire. 167 Place it round the tree, and fasten the ends of the wire or string. The guard is much the same as the cradle put round the neck of a blistered horse, to prevent his gnawing the irritated part. The stakes merely rest on the ground, and should be cut quite flat at thebottom, to prevent their sticking in the ground. At the upper end, they should have a sharp slanting cut with a bill- hook, and should be threaded with the slope towards the tree. The motion of the tree will not be in any degree impeded ; and the bark cannot be injured, let the wind blow as it may, for the guard moves freely with the tree in every direction. I can vouch for this guard affording perfect protection against cattle ; for I had two cows (the most determined barkers of trees I ever met with) in a field in which there were many single trees. They had, sooner or later, contrived to get at my trees, and ruined them ; and I was about to fatten them off", and condemn them to death for their offences, when I hit upon the mode of protection just described. My men and myself were curious to see the impression that would be made on these cows by the new guards when they were first turned into the field. They very soon proceeded to the trees, examined the cradles round them, and made several attempts with their mouths. Finding these unsuc- cessful, they made an attack with their horns ; but, as the fence yielded with every blow, and merely turned round, they made no progress in that way. Thereupon they began stamping with their feet, and, as we thought, from sheer vexation and disappoint- ment. Be this as it may, they were completely defeated; and my trees have now continued four years in perfect security, though these identical cows have remained amongst them to this, day. One man can fence in this way a great many trees in a day ; and the cost of the stakes, if purchased, would not exceed that of one of the posts necessary upon the ordinary plan. Cirencester,, Jan.., 1837. Art. V. Dimensions of some Trees, and Notes on the Groivth of other Trees and Shrubs, indigenous and exotic, on the Estate of Poloc, in Lanarkshire, the Property of Sir John Maxwell, Bart. By John Maxwell, M.P. The largest wych elm at Poloc, in Lanarkshire, figured by Mr. Strutt {Sylva Brit., p. 140.), was, in 1812, 86 ft. high, and 10ft. 10 in. in girt at 5 ft. from the ground; in October, 1836, it was 90 ft. high, and 1 1 ft. 9 in. in girt close to the ground : the girt, in 1836, was 16 ft. 2^in. The ash at Poloc was, in 1812, 9 ft. 6 in. in circumference ; and in 1836, it is 10 ft. 10 in. in circumference at 3 ft. from the ground; and at the surface the girt was 18 ft. 10 in. 168 Dimensions of some Trees The oak at Poloc, in 1812, was 7 ft. 9 in. in girt; and in 1836, 9 ft. 3 in. in girt. Close to the ground the girt was 14 ft. 10 in. The common sycamore, or, as it is called in Scotland, the plane (v^Ver Pseudo-Platanus), at Poloc, in 1812, was 10 ft. 11 in. in girt; and in 1836, 12ft. Sin. in girt. Close to the ground, in 1836, the girt was 17 ft. 3 in. The common walnut (Juglans r^gia), at Poloc, was, in 1835, 12 ft. in girt ; in 1836, 12 ft. 3 in. in girt. Close to the ground, the girt was 16 ft. 8 in. The hornbeam (Carpinus ^etulus), at Poloc, was, in 1812, 5 ft. in girt; in 1836, 6 ft. 6 in. in girt. Close to the ground, the girt was 8 ft. 6 in. Poloc is an estate about three miles and a half south-west of Glasgow, which is recorded in the History of Re7ifreii\ published in 1710, as being "well planted with barren timber." The trees, the dimensions of which are given above, grow upon alluvial soil, and are very healthy and rapidly growing trees. Their age is not known ; but the beech and sycamore appear to be much younger than the others. The wych or Scotch elm, figured by Mr. Strutt, is probably 180 years old ; for there is a tree of the same kind near the cas- cade, which is reported to have been planted by Sir Thomas Maxwell, Lord Advocate of William III., and one of the Com- missioners for settling the Union, when he was a child. The climate of Poloc is mild and moist, as this part of Scotland is narrow ; and the Firths of the Clyde and Forth rivers make it subject to sudden changes of temperature, and frequent storms. The elms have long been considered fine trees. The Earl of Bute, when minister, as I am informed, requested and obtained seed from them. Almost all of these trees grow in a deep soil, and are exposed to very severe gales of wind, and frosts late in the spring. I believe there is sandstone rock beneath the soil upon which most of them grow ; there are, however, five feet of soil above that bed of rock. The sycamore is the only tree which is scarcely, if ever, broken by the wind, and which yet does not yield to it, as most, if not all, the other trees do. The beech very seldom is broken by the wind, but it yields to it. The ash does break, as also do the elm and the oak : the elm less than the two others, as its top shoots incline from the wind until of two or three years' growth. The elm is seldom broken at its summit. The lime grows tall and healthily, and its young shoots incline a little from the wind, as do those of the elm. The horsechestnut breaks when young, but is a straight-growing tree, and very healthy ; and, when old, it resists the wind remarkably well. The sweet chest- nut yields to the wind when young ; but, when old, it grows erect, though slowly, and reaches the height of the ash, the elm, and at Poloc^ Lanarlcshire. 169 the beech ; but not that of the horsechestnut, which is a shorter and slower-growing tree than the sycamore. The sycamore is called the plane in Scotland, its true name, the great maple, being scarcely ever used to designate it; and the elms here alluded to are wych elms. The ash, sycamore, and wych elm and oak, I have seen in ravines of natural copse-woods, along with oak, ash, birch, and alder, a sort of dwarf aspen, and the mountain ash, or rowan tree, a sort of sorb tree ; and they are, I infer, on that account, indigenous to Scotland. I have introduced here the mossy-cupped oak, and an oak resembling the common one, which I received from Mr. Salis- bury. Both grow freely, and resist the wind ; and promise to be great acquisitions. The former seems as capable of resisting wind as the sycamore, although it grows like the wych elm, inclining from the wind until it gets strength. The ilex, also, and the Lucombe oak, flourish very much here, and resist the wind very successfully ; both grow very well on clay soil of the worst description ; viz. of a blue colour, and often of an aluminous nature, with iron, and other substances hostile to trees, contained in it. The sugar and Norway maples also thrive extremely well, even in unfavourable soils, and also resist the wind, and grow erect, like the sycamore. The liquidambar is equally thriving and capable of resisting wind. The common maple has the same qualities, and also the flowering one : indeed, all maples seem to resist wind, and thrive here : the wet climate prevents insects from hurting their leaves. The Canadian poplar is the fastest grower in all soils ; next to it, the abele, the aspen, and the Lombardy poplar. There is another species of poplar, resembling the Canadian, which I suppose to be the black Italian: it has a whiter bark, more pointed leaf, a more regular and closer form, and a handsomer appearance in winter. The walnut stands the wind well ; but, like the chestnut, is brittle, until it reaches a considerable age, and grows less lux- uriantly. Although often affected by spring and autumn frosts, it generally ripens its fruit, which the chestnut seldom does. The purple beech grows as well as the common one. The silver- leaved and Bedford willows grow rapidly, and to a large size, and resist the wind well, yet are sometimes broken by storms. The spruce of Norway grows rapidly when sheltered; but the white American is, I think, a better tree, and more capable of thriving in exposed situations; and the black American spruce is supe- rior to both for resisting wind, but a smaller tree. Neither of the latter are so much injured by hares : indeed, hares scarcely eat them at all. The white is highly aromatic, and on that ac- count, perhaps, less palatable than the Norway spruce. The silver 170 Dimetisious of some Trees at Puloc, Lanarkshire. fir does not grow well here ; and the balm of Gllead, very badly ; but the silver fir, upon high rocky soils, particularly upon ba- saltic rock, grows better, and stands the wind better, than any of the spruce or fir tribe. The pine, or Scotch fir, as it is gene- rally termed, grows well in deep sand, but is not a flourishing tree in our soil generally. The larch grows well in sheltered situations, where the soil is dry and hard, gravelly, or loamy; or in any kind of soil upon steep banks. The pinaster grows rapidly, and is the best pine for resisting wind. The cedar of Lebanon grows well here, particularly upon similar situations to those which I allege suitable to the larch. I have inarched several cedars upon the larch, which seem to pro- mise well ; and also upon spruce and silver firs, more recently. The cypress, when raised from seed, and not transplanted, grows luxuriantly. The acacias grow well, but break frequently in storms of wind. The y^cacia aff inis, a most beautiful ever- green, thrives well, but suffers by frosts. All the arbor vitses grow well here, and also the junipers, called American cedars. I have planted the stone, or cembra, pine of Siberia, Pinus rigida, P. ponderosa, P. taiirica, and the Corsican pine, all which promise to be very valuable trees in stormy and exposed situations. The Roman stone pine grows very well, particularly if not moved from the place in which it is sown; and P. Tae^da, I believe, and P. halepensis, thrive well here, although they grow slowly. I have several others, and amongst them the deodara; but they are too young yet to afford indication of their future character and capacity to grow well here. The Magnol/a grandi- flora has stood out as a standard for three or four years ; and the catalpa, Judas tree, and mulberry also. The other deciduous magnolias grow well; and the deciduous cypress grows luxuri- antly. The myrtle has been out of doors for two years in severe winters. The bay tree grows very well, and the arbutus in open exposed situations; but they require a dry subsoil. The kalmia grows well, also the cork tree, though very slowly. The common English elm stands the wind extremely well, and all the elms grow rapidly. The Cornish upright elm, which grows like a Lombardy poplar, is, I think, a very valuable tree for exposed places; as is, also, the weeping elm of America, which grows very luxuriantly and rapidly. The yew grows well, and to a good size, in this district, and resists the wind well. The Virginian scarlet oak grows slowly, and is brittle; but Quercus tinctoria promises to grow well. The hemlock spruce grows slowly here ; the weeping willow, luxuriantly ; but it suffers by the spring frosts, and sometimes is much injured from the same cause in winter. The cut-leaved alder seems to be a larger tree than the conniion one, and is a valuable tree; and a kind of ash with undivided leaves grows rapidly, and is a Summei- Management of Cape Heaths. 1 7 1 handsome tree. The balsam or tacamahac poplar, and the On- tario poplar, lately introduced, thrive well ; the former resists the storm admirably, and grows rapidly in all soils. Poloc, Oct. 30. 1836. Art. VI. On the Management of Cape Heaths in the open Air during the Summer Season. By John Fyffe, Gardener to the Rev. W. Mansfield, at Milton Bryant, Bedfordshire. Having been very successful with the " Cape ^riceae " in pots in the open air, I shall not, I trust, be considered intrusive in forwarding to you, for the benefit of some of your numerous subscribers, an account of the mode of treatment pursued by me, which is as follows : — After first taking out all the plants that I intend from the heath-house (say, at the begining of June), and removing them into pots according to their size, I have a bed of cinder ashes made to the depth of 12 in. or 15 in. and I then plunge the pots into it up to their brims, arranging them according to the height of the plants. Instead of giving large quantities of water in excessively dry weather (as is sometimes done), I give a mode- rate supply only ; at the same time taking care to have the cinder ashes well soaked with water, which keeps the pots in a moist state during the heat of the day. I find this to be much better than the common mode of placing the pots out, and leaving them destitute of any protection from the penetrating rays of a hot sun, which must be most injurious to this very beautiful tribe of plants. When the pots are exposed, in the manner above men- tioned, to the heat of the sun, they become quite hot : this con- sequently exhausts and dries up the soil ; and no heath whatever, in this state, can recover, the fibres of the roots being so small, that they lose all their vital action ; and the more you water, the sooner you hasten their decay. This error many gardeners fall into with respect to heaths, which are often set out, like other hardy green-house plants, without sheltering them from the scorching rays of the sun ; besides which, they are frequently crowded too closely together, which greatly injures them, and brings on that rusty and unsightly appearance so often to be met with in our gardens. I would venture to suggest that the heaths should never be allowed to touch each other, but that they should all stand separate, in whatever form they may be placed ; as, when this is the case, they cannot possibly injure each other. The principal rule to be observed in rearing heaths in houses is, to allow at all times free circulation of air ; likewise to keep the pots in a moist state ; taking care not to have them soaked too much with water, nor scorched with drought. 172 Mode of protecting the Crocus from Sparrows. I should also say, from my own experience, as well as from the practical instruction I received from the able curator of the Edinburgh Botanic Garden, that no heath ought to be put out of the house, when there is room to keep it in so that the plants may stand clear of each other ; as, by being exposed in the open air, they are liable to get drenched by the heavy rains so frequent in the summer months, and which can only be avoided by awn- ings of canvass being erected (this, too, at a considerable expense), to protect them from the rain as well as from the scorching rays of the sun. Milton Bryant, Feb. 20. 1837. Art. VII. On protecting the Crocus, tvhen in Blossom, from Spar- roivs. By William Anderson, F.L.S., &c., Curator of the Chelsea Botanic Garden. A BLACK thread, tightly stretched over an edging of crocuses, when in flower, completely protects them from being eaten by sparrows, as they generally are in the neighbourhood of Lon- don. The thread must not be nearer the crocuses than 10 in., nor higher than 1 ft. ; as the scare is effected by the sparrows not seeing the thread until they alight on the ground under it ; when, seeing something artificial, they think it is a trap, and fly oflF without waiting to examine whether it is so or not. Black threads are equally effectual when stretched over newly-sown seeds; but I find that the threads, in that case, must not be more than 3 ft. or 4 ft. apart; though this may only be applicable in the case of our cockney sparrows, which, you may have ob- served, when they alight on horse droppings on the public road, turn up one eye to see that all is safe. When they do this in gardens, they see the thread, and fly off. Botanic Garden. Chelsea, March 13. 1837. Art. VIII. On the Management of the Vine. By A. Forsyth. Let the Vine-bed or Border be made of the following earths : — Loamy turf that has been pared quite thin, and stocked in nar- row tiers, for one year at least, three parts ; and one part of the following mixture : any dry, well aerated animal manure that can most conveniently be got, such as horse droppings, or those of cattle, deer, or sheep, without litter, laid in alternate layers with old plaster or old building lime mortar (the older the better): no matter if there be a few brickbats in it. Let the whole be well pounded, and mixed with the dung, which ought to be in a proper state as to moisture, to ferment a little ; after which, Management of the Vine. 1 7 3 let it be frequently turned, always keeping it rather dry ; it may then be wheeled into the bed or border. The loam, when put into the bed or border, should be in pieces about the size of bricks and half bricks, brought from the stacks or tiers where they were originally piled, mixed with the manure, and laid once for all in the place where they are finally to remain ; without any turning, chopping, or pounding whatever, which only injures the loam, and renders it too compact, and too much akin to puddle, for vine roots to prosper in. About 16 ft. wide, and from 2 ft. 6 in. to 4 ft. deep, may be considered a moderate width and depth for a vine border, on a substratum of draining at least 1 ft. deep. On the top of this the vines reared in the manner hereafter stated may be planted. If out of doors, plant the vines 3 ft. from the front of the house, just covering the root- ball of each about 2 in. ; over which place a hand-glass. This will keep off rain and concentrate heat. Then lay the cane about 2 in. under ground, till it enters the aperture, or arch, into the house ; and over this place another hand-glass ; or, instead of hand-glasses, a layer of hot dung or leaves, 1 ft. thick and 6 ft. wide, may be laid along it. It is presumed that the border has been made in autumn ; in which case, this planting is to be done in February ; especial care being taken that the border does not get either too wet or too dry. In the former case, thatch it; and in the latter, mulch it with fermented dung from old linings or the like; and water it with clean water. This I consider preferable to recent drainings from the cattle layers. To grow the Vines. — Get some eyes from plants which you have seen and proved ; cut them at ^ in. above and below the eye, and insert them singly in pots (of the size 60), about ^ in. under the soil, about Christmas. Keep them growing in a moist heat (say 60° Fahrenheit), and shift them regularly as they require it ; training their stems against the wall or trellis in the hot-house. With good culture, in twelve months, they will have stems as thick as the little finger, with 4 ft. of well-ripened cane, and plenty of vigorous roots. WheJi planted in the Vinery, let them be grown in a like heat till autumn, when the house may be uncovei'ed to ripen the wood : but care must be taken to prevent their freezing. In winter, cut back till you find the wood of a firm texture and good size. Under good culture, from 6 ft. to 9 ft. of firm short-jointed wood may be got. It is always better to leave the canes rather short than otherwise. As regards stopping the leader in growing the canes, I should always grow 5 ft. or 6 ft. of useless vine ; that is, I should not stop the vine till it had got 5 ft. or 6 ft. beyond where I expected to cut to in the winter pruning. When you commence growing in the spring, which should not be too Hi On the Potato, early (say Feb. 15.), let the temperature be low (say 50° Fah- renheit), and the atmosphere moist, that the vines may break at all the eyes. The canes, for this purpose, ought to be laid quite level ; and, as soon as shoots have been protruded from the eyes, the canes may be fixed to the trellis, and the temperature in- creased ; but 1 should by no means allow them to bear fruit yet (unless, perhaps, a cluster on each vine, to prove the sorts). If I intended to force for early fruit the third year, to save repetition, I shall refer to the " Diary of Forcing," which I have already given (Vol. X. p. 547.). To have grapes in their proper season, I would begin to excite the vines in the middle of March, by keeping the temperature about 50° or 55° Fahr. : if it will keep at this without fire heat, so much the better. When the vines are coming into flower, 60° Fahr. would do them good ; and, after that is over, and the fruit thinned, they will do very well at 55° Fahr. as a minimum, and at 85° Fahr. as a maximum, of sun heat. I would cause the lateral shoots, or spurs, to bear the grapes, which I would stop at one joint beyond the fruit, and, in pruning, cut back to one eye. That I may be clearly understood, I shall assume dates : — Jan. 1. 1836, Vine eyes potted. Feb. 14. 18.38. Vines excited. Nov. 1. 1836. Vine border finished. Sept. 1. 18.38. Vines uncovered. Feb. 14. 1837. Vines planted. Jan. 1. 1839. Canes pruned. Jan. 1. 1838. Canes pruned or cut March 13. 1839. Vines excited, back. July, 1839. The fruit ripe. The sorts I would cultivate are, Muscat of Alexandria, Dutch Sweetwater, White Frontignan, White Muscadine, Black Hamburg, Black Prince, Black Frontignan for vineries, and Black Esp^rione and White Muscadine for walls. Art. IX. On the Potato, particularly the early Varieties. By A. Forsyth. My respected father cultivated this root during a period of half a century ; and I have prepared sets, planted and cultivated them, after his instructions, under his eye, and since that time, for a period of nearly twenty years. I have also had it in my power to mark their culture in different parts of Britain (some 500 miles between), in various soils, and under various circum- stances, with as various success ; and, notwithstanding all the experiments that have been made (as detailed in the Horticul- tural Transactions, and other papers on this subject to which I have had access), it does not appear to me that any of the writers have reached the root of the evil. In the first place, then, according to our theory, there is a radical error in the practice, much in vogue among the growers particularly the early Varieties. 175 around London, of taking up the tubers intended for sets before they are quite ripe : another practice, no less pernicious, in my opinion, is, the keeping of them in large heaps, with moist soil round them, or in warm sheds ; and another evil is, the growing of potatoes for years in the same kind of soil. A friend informs me that, in the black shallow soil of Dartmoor, in Devonshire, extensive potato plantations are made, the sets for which are every second or third year procured from the farmers where the soil is red or yellow loam. But to come to the point : and first, then, I will relate how we discovered what I consider a superior method of keeping the sets. On taking in a stack of corn, which had been built on a rustic platform of wood, about 4 in. clear of the soil, some beautiful specimens of potatoes were found in an admirable state of preservation (it being late in the season) in the soil; or I may rather say dust, for it was so dry that it would have drifted in the wind. This was taken as a hint ; and subse- quent practice confirmed the idea, that, to keep potatoes in the highest state of perfection (that is, perfectly dormant, and yet plump and full-flavoured), they require to be taken up in dry weather, when they are perfectly ripe (that is, when the sti'ings and tubers part freely), and deposited in layers, with dry soil between; say one layer of potatoes, 3 in. deep; I in. of soil; 3 in. more of potatoes ; then 6 in. of soil ; and over this a waterproof thatching, erected on props, 6 in. high, that the winds may act freely on the soil under the thatch. Gardeners, requiring but small quantities, should look out for seed potatoes in summer, from soils of a different nature to that which they intend to crop; and should have them brought home as soon as they are ripe, and get them deposited as above de- tailed ; they will thus obtain sound perfect sets, uninjured by fermentation or unwholesome damps. To prepare the sets, tubers, about the size of a hen's egg, may be cut in two, putting the crown sets by themselves, which should be planted for the earliest crop. Immediately after the sets are cut, let them be planted : no drying is necessary. Indeed, I should not allow a seed tuber to be exposed to the air, either in the autumn or spring, for a single hour, if I could prevent it. In planting, dig the ground one full spade or spit deep (if previously trenched, so much the better). When two spits have been dug all across the quarter, let the line be strained on the dug ground, and a drill chopped out, about 6 in. deep, in which a layer of any half-rotten manure may be put, such as old mushroom beds, half-decayed leaves, fermented stable dung, &c. ; on which (not under it) place the sets, eyes uppermost, 4 in. apart, and let them be covered with the broken soil in the trench ; after which the planter may proceed to dig for another row, which may be 2 ft. apart. A great many systems of planting potatoes are prac- 1 76 Flonadiural and Botanical Notices, tised round the metropolis, many of which, to say the least of them, are very unworkmanlike : planting with the dibber is a detestable practice in a garden. The best early sorts that I am acquainted with are, the ash-leaved kidney and the early manly : but any of the early sorts, if true, will succeed for all ordinary purposes. No vegetable is more easily forced, or forwarded, than the potato, if allowed plenty of light and air, and kept from frost: it will bear a strong heat, and thus suit itself to any forcing structure, from the pine stove at 70°, to the matted bed in the open border, that is only defended from the frost by coverings. A slight hot-bed is generally preferred, of dung, leaves, or tan, say 3 ft. or 4 ft. deep ; with a stratum 6 in. deep of any light soil, in which the sets are inserted about 3 in. deep, in rows 15 in. by 5 in. Time may be gained by forwarding the sets in a box of soil, placed in any of the forcing-houses, and planting them out, under some protection, after they have pushed and begun to root. There are various ways of getting young potatoes (as in cellars, and in boxes of sand) from large coarse varieties ; but, as the produce is both unwholesome and unpalatable, I should rather caution against the using of them, than recommend the practice. The earliest potatoes, in the open ground, may be planted about the 15th of March; and the latest, before the 1st of June. hle\i^orth, Jan. 11. 1837. Art. X. Floricultiiral and Botanical Notices on Kinds of Plants newly introduced into our Gardens, and that have originated in them, and on Kinds of Interest 'previously extant in them ; supplementary to the latest Editions of the " Encyclopcedia of Plants," and of the " Horlus Britannicus." Curtis s Botanical Magazitie ; in monthly numbers, each containing eight plates ; 35. 6d. coloured, 3*. plain. Edited by Sir William Jackson Hooker, LL.D., &c. Edwards's Botanical Register ; in monthly numbers, each containing eight plates; 4*. coloured, 35. plain. Edited by Dr. Lindley, Professor of Botany in the London University. Sweet's British Flower-Garden ; in monthly numbers, each containing four plates ; 35. coloured, 2s. 3d. plain. Edited by David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in King's College, and Librarian to the Linnaean Society. Paxtons Magazine of Botany, and Register of Flowering Plants; in monthly numbers; large 8vo ; 2s. 6d. each. The Botanist ; in monthly numbers, each containing four plates, with two pages of letterpress ; 8vo, large paper, 2s. 6d. ; small paper, l5. 6d. Conducted by B. Maund, Esq., F.L.S., assisted by the Rev. J. S. Henslow, M.A., F.L.S., &c., Professor of Botany in the University of Cambridge. The Floral Cabinet ; in monthly numbers, 4to ; 25. 6^. each. Con- suj)plementary to EncTt/c. of Plan Is and Horl. Brit. 177 ducted by G. B. Knowles, Esq , and Frederick Westcott, Esq., Honorary Secretaries of the Birininglmm Botanical and Horticul- tural Society. Ranunc ula^ ceje. 15P9. DELPHI'NIUM 137+- »vimiiicum U. Don. wand.like ^ A V 4 au B N. America 18S5 D p.l Swt. Br. fi.-gard. " 'Ihis, which we take to be a good species, was raised from seeds received from the late Mr. Thomas Driimmond; but in what particular part of America they were collected we ai-e not informed, but, most probably, either in Louisiana or IVxas." {Swt. Br. FL-Gard., March.) Crncifera;. •MENONVI'LLE.i Dec. Menonvillb.\. (In Iionour of iV/. TA/eri' df 3/enony.'7" 2 jl S Brazils 1835 O p.l Paxt. Mag. of bot. iv. p. 27. " This elegant stove plant is a native of the Brazils, and named after Mr. Sellow, a collector of plants for the Prussian govern- ment, who sent it, with many others, to the Botanic Garden at Berlin." {Paxt. Mag. of Bot., March.) 1698a. RYTIDOPHY'LLUM Martins. Rvtidohiyllum. (7?;(/«, a wrinkle, and pAM/Zon, a leaf; from the rough, or wrinkled, surface of the upper side of the foliage), •auriculatum //oo/c auriculated a. □ or 5 n Y.G.R Brazils 1836 C p.l Bot. mag. 3562. " The learned Martins has, I think, with justice, separated from Gesnerzcr, G. toment^sa L., G. grand is Sw., and G. scabra, all West Indian species, readily distinguished by their some- supplemetitary to Encyc. of Plants and Hott. Brit. 181 what arborescent or shrubby stems, fibrous roots, pedunculated cymes, scattered leaves, with the parenchyme singularly wrinkled on the upper surface, each little prominence surmounted by a hair, or papilla ; to which characters that author adds the pre- sence of stipules. To this group our present plant certainly belongs, although I can find no trace of stipules. From all the previously described species it is known by its entirely sessile and auriculated leaves. Seeds of it were brought to Mr. Mur- ray by the mate of a vessel from Rio Janeiro ; but, as no species of the genus has been desci'ibed as an inhabitant of Brazil, it is probable that it came originally from some of the West India Islands." {Bot. Beg., March.) Hydro'phylldcece. 478. NEMO'PHILA '[reg. 1940.; and Swt. fl.-gard. t. 376. •atomiiria jF/ic/i. speckled O el I ji-o W. spotted with purple California 1S36 S p.l Bot. " A new, but not very pretty, species of Nemophila, nearly allied to the beautiful N. insignis, but entirely destitute of that brilliant blue in the corolla of that species. The seeds were sent to the Horticultural Society, in 1836, from the Imperial Garden at St. Petersburg." {Bot. Beg., March.) Scrophularidcece. 1785. iVil'MULUS *cardinalis Doug/, cardinal O s.p.l 2 jl.s S N. W. America 1835 S co Hort. trans, n. », ii. p. 70. t. 3. ; Swt Br. fl.-gard. t. 358. ; Botanist, t. 2. ; Paxt. Mag. of bot. iii. p. 197. ; Bot mag. t. 3560. " One of the several species of ikfimulus discovered by Mr. Douglas on the fertile shores of North-west America. This was among the last, as it certainly is the most beautiful, of the whole; though its beauty is somewhat diminished by the reflexed po- sition of the scarlet lobes of the corolla. Readily increased both by seeds and cuttings." (Bot. Mag., March.) Begoniacese. 2651. BEGC^N/^ [3559. •octopetala L'H^rit. eight-petaled A El or 2 o.n Greenish W Peru 1835 C l.p Bot. mag. Synonyme : B. grandiflSra Fior. Cab. t. 25. "Tubers of this truly fine species of Begonia were sent in 1835, from Lima, by John McLean, Esq., to the Glasgow Bo- tanic Garden, where the large flowers, like those of an ane- moncj were produced in the stove during the months of October and November in the following year. We have found that those individuals bloomed best which were in the warmest situ- ation in the stove." (Bot. Mag., March.) ^tip/iorb'iaceae. 1460. £UPHO'RB7^ *fulgens A'ant). fulgent i*. 1 | p.r 4 jl.s & Mexico 1836 C s.p Paxt. Mag. of bot iv. p. 31 Synonyme: E. Jacquiniefldra Hort. This beautiful species of En\)\\bvhia was first introduced in 1835, by M. F. Ranch, from Vienna, and plants were communi- cated by him to Messrs. Loddiges. Plants were also communi- cated by him, in 1836, to Messrs. Lucombe, Pince, and Co., of N 3 182 Floricidtural and Botanical Notices, the Exeter Nursery, and to Messrs. Low and Co. of the Clapton Nursery; in both of which nurseries it flowered in the autumn of the same year. It was discovered in Mexico by the Baron Von Karwinsky. (See Gard. Mag., xii. p. 390.) Orchiddcea;. 2496a. •SPIRA'NTHES Lindl. Lady's Traces. (Spcira, a spiral, and anthos, a flower ; in allusion to the spiral manner in which the flowers of many species are arranged). [reg. 1934. •bractebsa Lindl. /on^-bracted ^ 23 pr 1 my G.Y.W St, Catherine's 1835 D l.p Bot. " An addition to the very difficult genus, of which our own sweet lady's traces forms a part. It was imported from St. Catherine's by Messrs. Loddiges. It is readily known by its long leafy bracts, downy stems and flowers, spreading oval roots, and peculiar lip." {Bot. Reg., Feb.) 2o40. ONCI'DIUM *lunatum Lindl. crescent-lipped £ (23 P.r 1 jn Y Demerara 1836 D p.r.w Bot. reg. 1929. " This very pretty species of Oncidium was imported from Demerara by Messrs. Loddiges, with whom it flowered in their stove for epiphytes in June last." [Bot. Reg., Feb.) *CHY'SISXwrf/. Chysis. (From chusis, a melting; because the pollen masses are, as it were, fused together.) *aurea Lindl. goMen-floivered £ E] or 1 s Y Venezuela 1834 D p.r.w Bot reg. 1937. "This beautiful epiphyte was collected in 1834-, by Mr. Henchman, for Messrs. Low and Co. of the Clapton Nursery, in the valley of Cumancoa in Venezuela. Mr. Henchman describes it as growing suspended by long fibrous roots from the lateral branches of trees ; so that its pseudo-bulbs, which, in their growing state, are uncommonly brittle, hang downwards, and wave in the wind, which would otherwise be sufficient to break them. It has a very delicate perfume in the morning, but appears to lose it in the heat of the day. The remains of spikes have been seen which had produced ten flowers." [Bot. Reg., March.) a554. EPIDENDRUM [p.r.w Bot. mag. 3557. 28832a *chloroleiicum //ooA-. green and whitev?oiiiererf .£ E] cu 1 s G.W Demerara 1836 D " Imported from Demerara by John Alcard, Esq., who justly remarks its near affinitj' with Encyclia patens iJo/.Mfl'o-., t. 3013.; Epidendrum odoratissimum Bot. Reg., t. 14 15." {Bot. Mag., March.) •BOLBOPHY'LLUM Tkouars. Bolbophyllum. (From fto/6os, a bulb, and pA;///on, a leaf; in allusion to the leaves universally arising from a bulb-like stem or pseudo-bulb), ♦barbigerura Lindl. bearded £ [Z3 cu J jn R Sierra Leone 1835 D p.r.w Bot. reg. 1942. " A most curious plant, introduced from Sierra Leone by Messrs. Loddiges, with whom it flowered in June, 183G. It grows pretty freely under the hot damp system of cultivating epiphytes." {Bot. Reg., March.) j^w«?v////daceae. IIIPPEA'STRUM Herbert (p. 81.) [mag. 3549. *brcvifli)rum Herbert short-flowered 5 (23 or 3 ap W.R Buenos Ayres 1836 O r.m Bot. " A very distinct species of a most difficult genus, of which roots and dried specimens have been sent by Mr. Tweedie from the neighbourhood of Buenos Ayres. It blossomed in the stove supplementary to Encijc. q/' Plants and Hurt. Brit. 183 of the Glasgow Botanic Garden in April, 1836." {Bat. Mag., Feb.) 970. PHYCELLA 59122a *brevitiiba Herbert short-tubed 5 lAJ or 1 jl S ... 1836 O r.m Bot. rog. 1943. Raised in Mr. Knight's nursery, King's Road, Chelsea. Dr. Lindley having been favoured with an early sight of an elaborate work, about to be published by Mr. Herbert, on the natural order Amaryllic^aV^^, gives the following extract from it : — " Some years ago, I planted three species of Phycella out of doors, in front of a green-house, throwing a small heap of saw- dust over them in winter. In that situation, one of them flowered early in the summer; and they go to rest in the hot dry season. They are tempted by mild weather to push their leaf in the winter, in which case they suffer severe injury from the frosts that may ensue, though they will endure a good deal; and their habit is to flower, after the leaf has acquired its growth, before they go to rest. The phycellas have been found difficult to cultivate, because they have been often set in peat, though they grow naturally in a sandy or strong soil on a dry rocky substra- tum, and proper rest has not been allowed them. They should be planted in light soil, well drained, and be left dry from the moment their leaves show a disposition to wither, till tlie bulbs, on examination, show a disposition to push out fresh fibres at their base. The old fibres in this genus seem always to perish before the plant vegetates again ; it cannot, therefore, be in- jurious, and may be advantageous, to take the bulbs out of the ground when the leaves perish, and set them again when they are disposed to move. They will be best preserved, while at rest, in dry sand. I consider that phycellas should begin to grow in February, and go to rest in August: if the leaf endures later than August, they should have six months' rest before they are watered again. A sunny aspect, at the foot of a south wail, appears to suit them." {Bot. Rcg.^ March.) Asphodelece R. Br. 1082. MUSCA'RI 8994a *commutatum Guss. darl-purple 5 A c | mar B Italy 1836 O s.l Br. fl.-gard. 2. s. 369. *' This pretty little bulbous plant is frequent in open grassy meadows in Italy and Sicily. It comes next to M. racemosum ; but in that the leaves are nearly filiform, and the perianthium longer, with the laciniae spreading, and the mouth, consequently, open." {Br. FL-Gard., Feb.) luilidccije § Antliericea; Lindl. 1026. TULBA^GH/^ *violacea //arv. y\o\&i-flowered tf lAl p.r 1 o P C.G.H ... O r.m Bot. mag. S.'jSS. This beautiful plant, a native of southern Africa, flowered in the Ludwigsburg Garden, at the Cape of Good Hope. The roots were immediately derived from the government gardens, the plant having been sent home, some years previously, to Lady Frances Cole. {Bot. Mag., Feb.) N 4 184 Domestic Notices .• — England, MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. Art. I. Domestic Notices. ENGLAND. PliESEXTS to the PuhVic Paris. — Earl Spenser has made a magnificent present of deer for the use of the Royal parks. They amount to 743, comprising selections from the most approved breeds ; and they have been distributed in the several lioyal parks of Windsor, Hampton Court, Bushy, Richmond, and Greenwich, {Thu-tecnOi Report of the Commissioners of Woods and Forests, as quoted in tlic JMoriu Cliron., INIarch 10.) Tiiis example of public spirit is highly gratifying. We have no doubt that, as the landed proprietors of this country increase in intelligence and benevolence (and the progress of the latter will be greatly accelerated by the education of the people, for intelligence can never properly sympathise with ignorance), they will present portions of land to towns and villages for public recreation ; strips along tlie public road, to allow of a margin of turf sprinkled here and there with trees, and so on. In ages of igno- rance, the wealtliy gave to the church ; and why should they not, in enlightened times like the present, derive satisfaction from giving to the public, and thus promote the health and the happiness of many thousands ? [See what we have said on tliis subject in Vol. X. p. 336.] — Cond. Open Spaces for Exercise and Recreation for the People. — " Mr. Hume," in the House of Commons, INIarch 9., " moved a resolution, that, in all enclosure bills, a provision should be made for leaving an open space sufficient for pur- jjoscs of exercise and recreation for the neighbouring population. He proposed that this should be one of the standing orders." The resolution was highly applauded by several honourable members, and unanimously agreed to. {J\Iorn. ("iron., March 10.) We greatly rejoice in this resolution, and have no doubt that manj' men in the neighbourhood of these spaces will readily contribute a few trees, so as to render them ornamental. — Cond. The Flora of Britain. — A paper was read at a meeting of the Botanical Society of London, held Nov. 19. 1836, by Mr. Irving, containing many facts relating to the science of botany, and the results of observations made by him in its pursuit in the neighbourhood of London. We select the following: — - It appears that the number of species of plants found in Great Britain is about 1500, of which about 1000 may be obtained within a circle of twenty-five miles round the metropolis. Mr. Irving had himself found 670 different species within two miles of Hampstead, and 903 within the same distance of tlie town of Croydon. The neighbourhood of London is considered the richest in the kingdom in the objects of botanical research ; and the inhabit- ants of this smoky city have thus every encouragement to pursue this delight- ful and healthful occupation. The 1500 different species found in Great Britain comprise all the species existing in Lapland and Sweden, with scarcely any exception. They also comprise about three fourths of those growing in (rermany, which is computed to contain about 2000; and about two fifths of tlie species found in France, which is said to number about 4000; the south- ern provinces bordering on the Mediterranean, adding greatly to the variety of the vegetable products of that kingdom. (Alorn. Cliron., Nov. 19.) A Botanical Collector has sailed for Madeira and the Canary Isles. — Our readers may recollect the advertisements of Dr. Lippold on the wrapper of former numbers of this Magazine, in some of which he proposed giving lessons in (icrnian, French, botan}-, the classics, natural history, theology, &c., for a shilling a lesson ; and, in others, he proposed to go out to some foreign country as a botanical collector. Through the exertions of a most benevolent individual, and an ardent lover ofiiotany and natural history (W. Ciiristy, Jiin., Esq.), Dr. Lippold has at last been able to accomplish the object which was nearest his heart — that of going out as a botanical collector. It was proposed that he should go out on a subscription principle ; the sub- Domestic Notices : — Englmid. 185 scriptions not to be less than 5/., paid in advance ; and the subscribers to receive for each subscription of 5/. a certain proportion of seeds, bulbs, or dried speci- mens. A dozen or tvi^o of subscribers were soon found ; some, as the Duke of Bedford, anxious to patronise so good a man, and so enthusiastic a botanist, advancing a double subscription; and, on Feb. 27., Dr. Lippold having been completely fitted out, and furnished with letters of credit and of recommendation by his patron and friend, Mr. Christy, sailed in a small vessel, called the Myrtle, for Madeira. The doctor is now in a fair way of realising what has been, as he informed us, his uppermost wish for the last twenty-five years ; viz, that of botanising in an extra-European country. We sincerely hope and trust his gratification may be equal to his expectations. We hope there are still a number of wealthy botanical amateurs, who will send their subscriptions for the doctor, in order that, after he has explored Madeira and the Canaries, he may be enabled to proceed to Madagascar, which is his ultimatum. It is highly gratifying to see so deserving a man as Dr. Lippold meet with such patrons as as he has done; men who have not only the will, but the power, to do good. It is most gratifying, also, to observe among the subscribers, not only noble and wealthy amateurs, but the first botanists and cultivators in the country', such as Professors Hooker, Graham, Daubeny, Dr. Greville, N. B. Ward, Esq., W. Borrer, Esq., Messrs. Loddiges, Messrs. Rollisson, &c. Such as are desirous of subscribing will be pleased to address themselves to W. Christy, jun., Esq., Clapham Road, London. — ConcL Pope and Sons' Catalogue of Herbaceous Plants, on a folio sheet, just pub- lished, indicates one of the very best collections of herbaceous plants in this, or perhaps in any, country. — Cond. Manchester Zoological Gardens. — The following is Mr. Forrest's "Report on the eligibility of the site of the Manchester Zoological Gardens: — Having surveyed and examined the ground for the intended Zoological Gardens, I have much pleasure in congratulating you on your judicious selection. In making arrangements for such establishments, certain requisites are indispen- sable; and the success or failure of the undertaking depends wholly upon them. The situation you have fixed upon contains so many of these essential qualities, that, while it reflects the greatest credit upon the directors, it cannot fail in claiming that support which will promote its interest, and carry speedily into execution so laudable an undertaking. The elevation of the ground, the purity of the air, the kindly nature of the soil, and the dryness of the sub- soil, will ensure the health of the animals, and, at the same time, promote the growth of all those ornamental trees and shrubs so essential in garden scenery. The more elevated portion of the ground, consisting of a fine mellow sandy loam, and the lower part, around the margins of the intended lake, of a dry and fertile surface, with peat earth, afford an opportunity of combining in your arrangements an arboretum, which seldom occurs, and which I hope the directors will not overlook ; for, as you have wisely given up all idea of a botanic garden being connected with this establishment, nothing can be more ajipropriate as an accompaniment to these gardens than a collection of all the interesting trees and shrubs that will bear the open air of this country, properly named and arranged. The inclination of the ground from north to south being well sheltered from the prevailing winds, having a general surface delightfully undulating, a powerful supply of water from an upper level, and a diversity of soil for every jjurpose, form a combination of advantages rarely met with in a space of fifteen acres. Having your instructions to prepare your general plan, it shall be gone into forthwith, and in three weeks from thence will be submitted for your approval. I am, gentlemen, your most obedient servant, — liicl/ard Forrest. Jioz/al Hotel, Nov. 21. 1836." A Horticultitral and Botanical Garden at Path has long been a desideratum. That deficienc}', it affords us pleasure to state, is now about to be supplied. The committee of our Horticultural and Floral Societj', with a view of ex- tending the utility and advantages of that society, have, for the above purpose, eecured a nios.t eligible piece of ground, nearly seven acres in extent, and 186 Domestic Notices : — Eii^tand. forming a terminus, on the western side, to the Royal Victoria Park. The piece of land to which we allude was, until recently, a part of the nursery ground in the occupation of ]VL'. CoUens. In selecting this locality for the proposed botanical garden, the committee have kept steadily in view the securing of a site combining a contiguity to the city, the advantages of fine air, a soutliern aspect, excellent soil, and an admirable approach. {Bath Gaz., Jan. 1837.) Clapham Common made a public Pleasiire-Groiuid and Arboretum. — Some of the gentlemen resident in the neighbourhood of this common have taken a lease of it from the lord of the manor, at a small rent, for the purpose of preventing the surface of the common from being disfigured by holes dug for gravel, and by the cutting and removal of turf for the nursery- men. Shoidd the lessees be properly supported by the contributions of the inhabitants, they intend to improve the common, and render this already beautiful spot still more interesting and attractive. An anonymous corre- spondent suggests that one of the simplest and most effective modes of im- provement would be to pare and burn the surface, manure it well, and lay it down with artificial grasses, in the same manner as was done with Hyde Park some years ago. After this it could be planted with the hardiest of the hardy, low, and middle-sized trees ; and these being properly fenced, the grass might be kept short by sheep, and thus the improvement made, in a great measure, to pay the costs. We have seldom heard of a more desirable improvement ; and the gentlemen who have taken on themselves the risk of becoming lessees are entitled to the ample support of all their neighbours, and to the thanks of them and of the public generally. — Cond. List of Pines and other Conifercs in Boy ton House Garden. — Pinus Banks/awrt, 4 ft. high ; P. ^ahmiana, 2 it. high ; P. Smithw ; P. palustris ; P. Pallasi«?ja, 70 ft. high; P. ponderosa, 2 ft. high ; P. patula, 6 ft. high ; P. Laricio, 30 ft. high ; P. pumilio, from 30 ft. to 33 ft. high ; P. bruttia ; P. Cembra, 4 ft. high ; P. cana- riensis ; a species from Timor, 25 years old, and IG ft. high, very distinct from any Pinus hitherto described j P. (J'bies) Wehhidna, 4 ft. high ; Araucdria Cunningham?, 10 ft. high; /L imbricata, quite hardy; J. excelsa, 1 2 ft. hii^h ; t'edrus Dcoddra, 3 ft. high, much branched, raised from the first seeds that were sent to England ; Udmmara australis, 4 ft. high ; J^uniperus recurva ; C'upressus torulosa. Besides the above, I have raised, this year, some good plants of that curious herbaceous perennial, Gunde/ia Tournefortw, [Compositaj. See fig. 12787. of p. 747. otEnct/c. of Plants, and ^g. 71.], which has been lost to this country since Miller's time ; and I have four plants of ^'iaeagnus orien- talis, 30 ft. high, raised from Persian seeds. — A. B. Lambert. Bot/ton House, Oct. 1. 1836. A large Fig Tree in Jersey. — I have just received from Jersey the dimen- sions of a fig tree which attracted my notice when there. It is reported to be the largest in the island, though it by no means ranks with an enormous one in Guernsey, mentioned by one of your correspondents. That tree, I believe, was a standard, whereas this was originally trained against a wall. The fol- lowing are its dimensions : — Height, 2.5 ft. ; horizontal extent, 63 ft. ; circum- ference of trunk, 3 ft, : age twenty years. Perhaps it is more remarkable for having attained such a size in so comparatively short a period, than for its actual dimensions. Rather a curious circumstance connected with it, is the fact of a dog, which was chained at the foot of it, acquiring the habit of eat- ing the figs as they dropped. So decided was his taste for them, that, when- ever he was let loose, he climbed a ladder (placed for the convenience of Domestic Notices : — Enslct7id. 187 gathering the fruit), and gathered the figs from the tree himself. The tree stands in the stable-yard of my friend Mrs. Janvrin, of St. Aubyn's, and is generally considered to be the largest in Jersey. I certainly saw none ap- proaching it in size. — Ji\ Christy, jun. Clapham Road, Jan. 1837. The Canterburi/ Mulberry (Morus nigra Lin. ; Arb. Brit.,^. 1343). — I now enclose you a sketch {fig. 72.) of the mulberry tree growing on the land formerly used as a garden by the monks of St. Augustine. The tree is situ- ated very near the elegant Gothic gateway of the Augustine Monastery, that attracts all lovers of antiquity, whilst sojourning in Canterbury, and is a correct representation of the tree intended to be delineated in the Journal of a Horticultural Tour, &c., in 1SI7, p. 1-t. Of its age nothing is precisely known ; but it appears at one time to have been of goodly growth, and no one remem- bers it in its original position. In the absence of all positive knowledge, a surmise may fairly be allowed ; and, if I were asked who was the person likely to have planted it, I should reply, Honest old John Tradescant, the friend and contemporary of Parkinson, who at one time was gardener to Lady Wootton, then residing at Canterbury, and afterwards to His Majesty Charles I. The Black Bigarreau Cherry is still called Tradescant's cherry by some persons in this neighbourhood, because it was first introduced by him into the same garden, and has thence been very generally distributed. The Lombardi/ Poplar (Vojndus dilatdta Hort. Kew., P. fastig>dta Desf. and Arb. Brit.) — A tree of this species, originally imported in 1758, that had attained nearly 100 ft. in height in the St. Peter's Nursery, was blown down during the hurricane of Tuesday last (Nov. 29.). It girted 16 ft. at the base ; and at 6 ft. from the ground, 12 ft. 6 in. It was the largest and best propor- tioned tree of the species that I ever saw, and, from the southern and western entrances to the town, was an object of considerable attraction. The wood of the trunk was in a complete state of deca}', and had produced an abundance of Polyporus igniarius for several of the past years. — W. Masters. Canterburi/, Dec. 1, 1836. The largest Yew Tree in England, according to Gilpin in his Forest Scenery, stood in Dibden churchyard, between Lyndhurst and Lymington ; and, during the late hurricane, it was completely torn up by the roots. It was 30 ft. in circumference, with three large stems, the weight of which greatly aided the power of the wind in its destruction. (^Newspaper.) Eucalyptus robusta, — In the garden of Mrs. Whitley of Newlands, near Lymington, Hants, there is a " Eucalyptus robusta " nearly 20 ft. high, and of proportionate circumference. After it had surmounted the height of the garden wall, it was necessary to create a hurdled protection from the effect of the south-west wind, which brings salt water spray from the sea, near the 188 Domestic Notices: — Scotlcmd- Needles. [A specimen of this plant was exhibited at the Linnaean Society on Feb. 7. It was sent, with the above communication, to Mr. Lambert by Sir W. Symonds.] The Jersey Cahhane^ or Cow Cabbage [see Vol. XII. p. 441. and 630.] grows frequently to the height of from 13 ft. to 14 ft. The Earl of Lauderdale has a specimen 13ft. Gin. high. Mrs. Whitley has also specimens from 12 ft. 6 in. to 13 ft. 6 in. high, procured for her in Jersey by Sir W. Symonds. \Slr W. Symonds to A. B. Lambert, Esq.'\ Echevcria gibbijiora, a beautiful and rare little plant belonging to the order Crassulaceae, is now finely in flower here in the green-house. — John Ward. White Knights, Dec. 21. 183G. Saul's Seedling Appls, of which a coloured engraving has been sent us, is said to be a good variety either for the kitchen or the table. It displays a great deal of colour, red and yellow ; is somewhat ribbed, like a melon ; and is said to be produced in clusters. Mr. Saul informs us that it is in season in Kovembcr. We hope he will send scions of it to the Horticultural Society, in order that it may be fairly tried by competent judges. — Cond. A Jiovel Method of making young Trees of the Swan Egg Pear bear Fruit. — Being in the garden of Wadley, the seat of Thomas Mills Goodlake, Esq., near Faringdon, I observed some trees of the above named sort, standards with their bark beaten to pieces. On enquiring the cause, I was much anuised on being informed by the gardener, Mr. Pill, that, the trees not bearing, he had been advised b}' a neighbour to give them a good thrashing ; which he did about three 3 ea>rs ago, by taking a stick and beating the trunks, or stems, as long as he Mas able; since which time they have borne abundantly. I saw them last summev loaded with fruit. — G. J\I. Faringdon House, Fa- ringdon, Berks, Nov. 24. 1836. Gourds, in Sussex, are grown of extraordinary size. One weighing nearly 40 lb., and measuring 4 ft. in circumference, was this }ear produced in the garden of a cottager at Portslade, and is now in the possession of J. Borrer, Esq., of that village. (Neius.) The Tunstall White Wheat, I have just learned from a friend of mine, is superior in quality to either the Hicklings or the golden drop wheat. The straw is stiff, and not so high by 9 in. or 1 ft., as that of any of the sorts of wheat in general cultivation. The plants are very productive, and the grain is a great favourite with the millers. — Samuel Taylor. Whittington, Stokeferry, Norfolk, Dec. 23. 1836. SCOTLAND. General Im2}rovement. — The commercial spirit has, in all ages and countries, been one of the most powerful instruments of civilisation and of liberal opinions. It is well known, that some of the greatest public characters and best men, both of France and England, are at once landed proprietors and manufacturers ; and we are happy to see the same thing taking place in Scot- land (our native country), a characteristic of which was formerly said to be " pride and poverty." " When in the west of Scotland, lately, we heard of a baronet who is building, on his own estate, a handsome cotton-mill (which will cost, as near as may be, 20,000/.), as the best inheritance he can leave to his second son. The eldest, as heir, is already provided for ; and the father remarks, very justly, that the law, army, and navy are now next to nothing ; that fighting men, in times of profound peace, have few opportunities of acquiring either fame or fortune ; that the crop of clients has been greatly thinned by the progress of moral cultivation ; and that, though sinecures still exist in the church and state, he has no wish to see any connexion of his battened on the public in the capacity o( fruges consumere nati. With these views and feelings, he has determined to set up his son as a cotton-spinner ; and, though some may blame, the many, we suspect, will applaud, an example which bids fair to become contagious up to the point of inducing many to go and do likewise." (Dun fries Courier, Dec. 1836.) Retrospective Criticism. 189 The Highland Society. — As a proof of the good which the Highland So- ciety of Scotland for the improvement of agriculture have effected through their operations, it was stated at a meeting of the Kirkcaldy Agricultural Association, last week, that the formerly wild and dreary country of Badenoch, lying 1,000 ft. above the level of the sea, and which one might have supposed was destined for ever to continue under the dominion of its native heath, even that country was now in a very high state of cultivation, yielding rich crops, and in a more forward state than many parts of the south. {The Times, Oct. 26. 183G.) Agricultural Museum in Dundee. — I intend, by another season, to commence an agricultural museum in this place, there being nothing of the kind in this part of the country. I have already begun to collect specimens for the pur- pose ; and, if you will send me a few seeds of the fifty-four sorts of wheat which you have received from M. Vilmorin, I will cultivate them, do them all the justice in my power, and send you an account of the result at the end of three years, or oftener if you wish it. — William Lnird, Seedsman. Dundee, January 11. 18.37. We have sent Mr. Laird the seeds of wheat alluded to, and most cordially wish success to his agricultural museum, which cannot fail to be of great use to that part of the country. — Cond. Acacia dealbdta, and the broad and narrow-leaved myrtle, have stood out here for five winters, without any protection whatever ; and a list of other exotics which have stood out here will be sent you by L. G. — C. L. C. G. Forres, Nov. 12. 1836. [This we shall be most happy to receive.] Onion Crops of 1833 and 1836. — I have just been comparing the weight of my transplanted onion crop of 1836 with that of former years. My heaviest, this season, is 20 oz. In 1833, some of the bulbs weighed 3 lb. Our onions are considered as mild as those imported from the Continent. Fruit is gene- rally small this season, and inferior in flavour, owing to so much wet and cold. On Oct. 28. I gave in new ice for the wine, and on Nov. 1. put in 10 carts into the ice-house. — Nicol Cathie. Airthrey Castle, near Stirling, A'^ov. 10. 1836. Improved Modes of bidlding Corn-ricks are encouraged in Stirlingshire, and other parts of Scotland, by premiums being awarded to the farmers, and their upper servants who build the ricks. Messrs. Drummond of Stirling have also, with their usual liberality, offered premiums for the best models for either corn, barley, or wheat stacks, and for the four best specimens of straw rope. (See Stirling Jourital and Advertiser of Dec. 30. 1836.) Art. II. Retrospective Criticism. Errata. — In Vol. XII. p.711., line 13., for " ara-^ojv" read " uToirm';" and for " tuoOuTwv " read " iiojOotoji'." The Principle, that no Soil tuill continue fertile tuhich luants calcareous Matter, made public thirty Years ago. — In Vol. XII. p. 630., you state that, " In agri- cultural science, the only point that we can recollect worthy of notice that has occurred during the past year, is the advancement of the principle by the American agricultural writer, Mr. Ruffin, that no soil whatever will con- tinue fertile for any length of time that does not contain calcareous matter. This, we believe, was never distinctly stated as a principle by Kirman, Chap- tal, Davy, or any other European chemist or agriculturist." In the Bath Society's Papers, vol. xii., there is an article headed, " Chemical Analyses of Soils," by C. Boyd ; in which, after giving the analyses of three soils belong- ing to Dr. Fox of Brislington, near Bristol, Mr. Boyd states that these soils were remarkably sterile, and that the leading fact discovered in the analysi. 0 0 4 0 0 5 0 0 2 0 0 3 0 0 1 6 0 4 0 0 0 6 0 0 9 0 2 0 0 3 6 0 0 9 0 1 6 0 0 2 0 0 3 Watercress, per dozen small bunches ... Pot and Sweet Herbs. Parsley, per half sieve Tarragon, dried, per doz. bun. Fennel, per dozen bunches . Thyme, per dozen bunches Sage, per dozen bunches Mint, dried, per doz. bunches Peppermint, dried, p. doz. bun. Marjoram, per doz. bun. Savory, green, per doz. bun. Basil, dried, per doz. bunches Kosemary, green, per doz. bun Lavender, dried, per doz. bun. Stalks and Fruits for Tarts Pickling, SjC. Rhubarb Stalks, per bundle Edible Fungi and Fuci. Mushrooms, per pottle Morels, per pound Truffles, English, per pound Fruits. Apples, Dessert, per bushel : Nonpareils Reinette de gris Baking - . . American Royals ... Pears, Dessert, per dozen : Bonne Chretienne Beurrc ranee Almonds, per peck Strawberries, forced, per oz. Chestnuts, French, per peck Pine-apples, per pound Grapes, per pound : Hot-house Spanish . . . Portugal ... Cucumbers, per brace Oranges [''"^°^e" ° I per hundred Bitter, per hundred Lemons i I'" ^"''^ , " " I per hundred Sweet Almonds, per pound . Nuts: Brazil, per bushel Spanish, per peck . Barcelona, per peck From 1 £ s. d. 0 0 3 0 0 2 0 3 0 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 2 0 0 6 0 0 1 0 0 0 10 0 2 0 0 1 6 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 0 9 0 2 0 1 4 0 0 16 0 0 12 0 0 8 0 0 6 0 0 12 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 4 0 0 7 0 0 3 0 0 4 0 0 8 0 1 0 0 0 0 9 0 1 0 0 8 0 0 0 9 0 4 0 0 12 0 0 0 9 0 5 0 0 2 6 0 16 0 0 4 6 0 5 0 To £ I. d. 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 16 0 3 6 0 0 0 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 10 0 0 7 0 1 0 0 0 6 0 0 6 0 0 8 0 0 0 0 0 4 0 0 8 0 0 12 0 1 10 0 0 1 0 0 3 0 0 12 0 0 2 6 0 16 0 1 10 0 0 2 0 0 14 0 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Londun Horticultural Society ctnd Garden. 191 Ohservntioiis. — The continued prevalence of cold weather up to this period has materially retarded the progress of vegetation : our supplies have been ver)- limited. Nevertheless, no great improvement in prices has been effected, in consequence, I presume, of the general depression which has more or less prevailed throughout the metropolis. The supply of potatoes was materially interrupted during the past month, by the prevalence of boisterous wind, which interfered with the regular navigation coastwise, in consequence of which the prices were considerably elevated, but have now nearly resumed their former standard. Carrots are now in demand, with a moderate supplj'. Turnips are rather scarce, and going out of season. As yet vve have had but few early cabbages : the crop is said to be much affected by the unsettled weather throughout the winter. Coleworts are scarce, and realise a good price. Broccolis are generally short in supply, nothing very particular having been offered for some time past. The prospect for vegetables for the ensuing months is by no means favourable. The supply of fruit has been moderate : apples have been furnished steadily. Prices have not varied materially, but few foreign have l)een imported this season. The crop of winter pears was very small ; the supply has consequently been limited. Some few forced strawberries have been produced, of middling quality. Hot-house grapes are, as yet, scarce; but, as the quality of those offered is indifferent, the price is moderate. Oranges, throughout the season, have been irregularly supplied, in consequence of interruption by bad weather : prices have been higher than usual. Chest- nuts and Spanish nuts have also been less abundant than usual. The crop of filberts was comparatively small, therefore few are left on hand : but little demand has existed, throughout the season, and prices have generally been steady and moderate. — C. G. M. March 21. 1837. Art. IV. The London Horticultural Society and Garden. Meeting, Feh 7. 1837. — Elected. The following gentlemen were elected Fellows : — George Cooke, Esq. ; Sir P. G. Egerton, Bart., M.P. ; Mr Richard Forrest, and Christopher Rawson, Esq. Read. A paper on the Cultivation of Cinnamon in England, by Mr. W. Buehan, gardener to Lord Bagot. MontMy Meteorological Journal. A statement showing the highest and lowest state of the barometer, the thermometer, and the amount of rain, as observed in the garden of the Horticultural Society, between the Jst. of January and 7th of Februarj-, 1837, was read; and notice was given that a monthly statement, similar to the above, would be suspended in the meeting room in future. A Silver Knightian Medal was awarded to Mr. (Jlenny, for his varieties of E'pacris ; and a Banlisian Aledal, to Mr. W. Buehan, for his cultivation of the cinnamon. Exhibited. Blood oranges, and Tangierine ditto, from Malta. Seeds of cin- namon, for cultivation in the open air in England, in favourable localities, from Mr. W. Buehan, gardener to Lord Bagot. Oncidium carthaginense, Phaius grandifolius and Bruce« macuh\ta, Pancratium speciosum, and Bill- bergk fridifoha, from Mrs. Lawrence. E'pacris impressa, E. campanulata alba, and E. pungens ; Veltheimirt viridiflora, Poinsettia pulcherrima, and camellias, from Mr. Glenny. From the Garden of the Society. Plants. Eulophia liirida, Echeven'ff gib- biflora, and i/elleborus odorus. — Fruit'. Pears : Beurre ranee, Easter beurre, and Rouse lench ; all which have ripened more early than usual. Apples. Kitchen : Royal reinette, northern greening, Yorkshire greening, Alfriston, royale rouge d'hiver. Kitchen and desert: Golden russet, London pippin. Desert : New rock pippin, Haggerstone pippin, court pendu plat, reinette du Canada, Dutch mignonne, gros faros, red everlasting (which is more for show 192 Londo7i Horticxdtural Society and Garden. than any other merit : it retains a bloom for a long time on the fruit), fe- nouillet rouge, and pigeonnet (the last an apple esteemed in France, and by some people in tliis country, but not generally so.) Cuttings of the following Fruits were distributed. Plums : Saint Martin's quetsche, an excellent late purple plum, received into the garden from the late M. Fischer of Gdttingen ; and reine Claude violette. Cherries : Late duke, and Elton. Pears : Beurre Bosc, Hacon's incomparable ; about the size of GanseU's bergamot, which keeps till December, and is of excellent flavour. The tree bears well as a standard. Feb. 21. 1837. — Papers Read. On the cultivation of the Melon' in open Frames, by John Williams, Esq., C.M.H.S. On the Cultivation of Figs, by T. A. Knight, Esq. Exhibited. E'pacris impressa from W. Bromley, Esq., F.H.S. Tro- pae^olum brachyceras, from the Rev. G. Gumming Rashleigh. Oucldium bifolium, Grevillea sulphurea, Euphorbia splendens. Azalea indica alba, A. pontica odorata, and a new white Cyclamen, from Mr. Glenny. Zycium aggregatum, from Sir G. T. Staunton, Bart. Camellias, from John Allnutt, Esq. Miscellaneous collection of plants from the Hon. \V. F. Strangvvays. Cut flowers from Mrs. Marryat. From the Garden of the Society. Plants. Azalea indica phcenicea, A. i. alba, Oncldium ampliatum, //elleborus odorus. — F'ruit. Pears : Easter beurr^, beurre ranee, Dowler's seedling, ne plus meuris. Apples : Rhode Island greening, api gros, fenouillet rouge, northern greening, and American pippin. — Grafts of the following Pears were distributed : Nelis d'hiver, monarch, Broom Park, and Eyewood. A Si/rer Knightian Medal was awarded to the Rev. G. Gumming Rashleigh, for the Tropae^olum brachyceras. March 7. 1837. — Read. A paper on the Management of Fruit Trees, by C. Williams, Esq., C.M.H.S. Exhibited, i^hododendron Russellw?Heir appearance in the perfect winged state. If, however (and here, again, we are de- ficient in our facts), there be several broods in the course of the autumn, it is most probable that the period between the full- grown larva and winged states does not extend beyond a few days. It is in the month of July that the first winged insects make their appearance from the ground. They are technically known under the name of Athali« centifcMipe. Order, Hymenoptera Linnceus. (Membranous four-winged flies, witli saws or stings at the extremity of tlie abdomen.) Section, Serrifera (Saw-bearers) Latrcille. Family, T'enthredlnidge ( Saw-flies) L(?«c/^ (So named from, and correspond- ing in extent with, the Linngean genus T'enthrcdo.) o 2 196 hisects most injurious io Cultivators : — Genus, Athalia Leach. (Synonymes of the genus: Allantus Jurine, Hylo- toma Fabriciits.') Species, Athiilifl centifolife Panzer. (Insects of Germanii, No. 49. fig. 18.: Stephens, Illustrations of British Entomology ; Manclih., vol. vii. p. 62. ( Syno- nyme of the species : AthaHa spinarum Curtis. (British Entomology, pi. 617. Fabricius, Ent. Syst., ii. p. 1 10. ? ; Syst. Piezatorum, p. 26.*) The perfect insect is about a quartei' of an inch long; the wings, when expanded, extending [Jig> 73. e) nearly two thirds of 73 a. Caterpillar; ft> caterpillar magnified; c, cocoon; rf, pupa magnified; x» its natural length ; e, perfect insect ; /, ditto magnified. an inch. It is, for its size, a very conspicuous insect, being of a bright orange colour ; the head black ; the upper lip pale yellow ; the antennae black, varied sometimes on the under side with dirty yellow, nine-jointed, the terminal joint having the appearance of an impression somewhat like a distinct articula- tion, the basal and terminal joints entirely black ; the thorax bright orange, with two large lateral spots ; the metathorax black above, with an orange spot in the centre ; the abdomen is pale orange, with a small black spot on each side of the basal seg- ment ; the wings are orange at the base, and colourless at the tips, the costa, or fore margin, being black and incrassated ; the legs are pale orange ; the tips of the tibiae and of the four basal joints of the tarsi black, as are also the entire fifth tarsal joint, and the tip of the ovipositor or saw-like instrument which is em- ployed in depositing the eggs, and of the curious construction of which a future opportunity will occur for the description. In the perfect state, the insect is in no manner injurious to the crop of turnips, the only objects being now the coupling, and depositing of the eggs. As to the time of the appearance of these insects in the winged state, we find Rusticus stating that, " about the middle of July, these real turnip flies were showered down upon us, as it were, from the clouds ; they fell thicker than * There is some confusion as to this species in the works of Fabricius. In the Ent. Syst., he describes the antennae as filiform and exarticulate, and the wings as white ; but, in the Syst. Ent., he seems to have had another insect in view, as he places it in his section with nine-jointed and filiform antennae, with the observation, " The larva is black, and feeds upon the ^rassica ^apa (or turnip), which it entirely destroys." The confusion as to the species pre- vails also in the specific name. Turnip Sww-Fly, 197 rain drops, and hovered about the turnips in such myriads, that the whole fields were coloured with a rainbowy tinge, when the hot sun shone on the filmy gauzy wings of the flies." Mr. Curtis says, " The fly appears principally in August and Sep- tember; but I have found them as early as March 29., and as late as the middle of October. I first observed these flies in abundance in a potato field at Battersea, and afterwards in a field near Heron Court: but last year they were distributed over the whole country, after an absence in many places, as I was informed, of upwards of thirty years. They have appeared again this year ; and Mr. R. Taylor and myself, in a botanical excur- sion last August, saw the flies coming out of the ground in myriads, in a ploughed field near Bristol, where potatoes had apparently been grown. The flies do not appear to be attached to any particular plant. Whether the larvae will attack any other than the English turnip, I cannot determine ; but it is a remark- able fact, that they will not destroy the Swedes;" a circumstance also confirmed by Messrs. Yarrell and Saunders, and one which, as it shows the nice distinctions which insects sometimes make in the choice of their food, may be turned to considerable ad- vantage in an agricultural point of view ; the former gentleman {Ent. Trails., vol. i. p, 77.) having observed that the Swedish turnip is not infested, in consequence of containing a greater quantity of oily matter, as well as from the more pungent taste of the leaf, and the stronger taste of the root. From the more prevalent appearance of this insect in the eastern and south-eastern parts of England, as well as from its periodical appearance, it has been supposed that it is not an in- digenous species, but that it is brought over from the opposite coast of Europe by wind. " From their more frequently ap- pearing on the sea coast," observes Mr. Marshall, in the memoir above referred to, " and from the vast quantities which have, I believe, at different times been observed on the beach washed up by the tide, it has been a received opinion among the farmers, that they are not natives of this country, but come across the ocean ; and observations this year greatly corroborate the idea. Fishermen upon the eastern coast declare that they actually saw them alight in cloud-like flights ; and, from the testimony of many, it seems to be an indisputable fact, that they first made their appearance on the eastern coast; and, moreover, that, on their first being observed, they lay upon and near the cliffs, so thick and so languid, that they might be collected into heaps, lying, it is said, in some places two inches thick. From thence they proceeded into the country ; and, even at the distance of three or four miles from the coast, they were seen in multitudes resembling swarms of bees." These facts are, however, so completely analogous to what o 3 198 Insects most injurious to Cultivators : — has been repeatedly observed with other insects which occasion- ally swarm; such as the lady-bird, Galeruca tanaceti {Trans. E7it. Soc.y No. 2.) ; that they are not sufficient to lead to the conclusion, that the insect is not originally a native of this country. It is also completely distributed through the southern parts of England, having been found in Hampshire, and in the neigh- bourhood of Bristol. The periodical appearance of the insects is, in like manner, no proof of their foreign origin ; for it is a circumstance of which the youngest entomologist is aware, that many insects are notoriously periodical ; and, indeed, in one in- stance, the jieriods of the reappearance of an insect (Cicada septendecim) have been recorded to take place at fixed distances of time; namely, seventeen years apart. In the turnip saw-fly, however, it is more probable that it is owing to some peculiar- ities of the weather ; not only of the year when the niggers do the most mischief, but also of the preceding year, and especially of the preceding winter, when the parents of the nigger cater- pillars were not subjected to the ordinarily controlling power of parasites, or other causes of destruction. That they are subject to some such check is evident ; and that one, at least, of these checks is an insect parasite, I have proved by discovering en- closed in one of the cocoons the pupa of a dipterous fly, which had undergone its change within the skin of the nigger, portions of which, greatly stretched, remained on the outside of the dip- terous pupa, as well as the head of the nigger, which remained entire. An analogous instance, in the case of the O'phion Do- sithea, has been recorded by M. Victor Audouin, in the Atmales de la Sociele Entomologique de France for 1834. As to the modes adopted for the destruction of the niggers, it has been su<>- effects are too visible about many of our fine old country residences. It should be here observed, that, in hastily looking at an extensive place, many things are unavoidably passed over, which. Amtiiorntion of our edible Fruits. 203 upon a more deliberate survey, would be found worthy of notice. Aimist 18. 1836. Art. III. Suggesiions relative to the Amelioration of our edible Fruits xvith more Certaintij than has hitherto been done ; with some preliminary Observations on Grafting, Disbudding, Sfc. By D. Beaton. Shoots of apple or pear trees, or, indeed, shoots of any tree of more than one year's growth, may be grafted from February to August, first divesting them of their leaves and the young wood of this season's growth. Oak shoots, three years old, may be readily grafted about the end of May, when prepared in this manner. I believe Mr. Knight is the author of this system, having grafted some walnuts according to it. I have grafted fruit trees for experiment in this way, in every month of the summer, and also seen the oak so grafted ; but one year's growth will not succeed. Another peculiarity of one-year-old wood is, if you cut out the buds of last summer's growth in the winter or spring, leaving only the bud at the extremity for extension, the part so disbudded will not form latent or adventitious buds. If, after following this system of disbudding for a few years, you cut out the bud at the extremity, the shoot will die down to where you first disbudded it, although it were the leading shoot of the strongest inhabitant of the forest. Again, a growing shoot, although divested of its leaves as soon as they are unfolded, will grow as fast, and increase as much in diameter, as another shoot with its leaves in full opera- tion, other circumstances being the same ; but, if you continue disleafing the second season, there will hardly be any addition to the diameter of the shoot. Disbudding in this manner the summer's shoots, as they proceed in growth, is the simplest mode I know of for reducing the strength of an over-luxuriant tree. As little or none of the sap taken up by such shoots is elaborated, it is entirely lost to the general secretion of the parent tree. By this method I have, in three years, reduced healthy vigorous young pear trees to the point of starvation. I have now several such trees, on free stocks, and in good rich soil, without more than a dozen of wood buds on a tree, the size of the trees being from 5 ft. to 7 ft. high, and from 4 ft. to 6 ft. in diameter at the lowest branches. When a tree fills the space allotted to it against a wall, and shows a disposition to still further growth, by throw- ing up strong vertical shoots above the v.'all, and luxuriant breast wood on the main boughs, instead of checking this disposition by any mode of j)runing or training, I assist the tree to throw off the superabundant sap by disleafing the breast wood and 204 Amelioratioji of our edible Fi-uits. vertical shoots ; and in the winter pruning I displace all the buds, even the topmost ones, of such shoots, after which they will die off by degrees. If your trees are not very lux- uriant indeed, one year of this treatment will reduce them to moderation ; otherwise you must continue it. From a long train of experiments and observations, which it would be of little interest to notice further, I have lately taken up certain ideas relative to the amelioration of our edible fruits with more certainty than has hitherto been done. The principle on which I would pro- ceed is in strict accordance with that laid down by the best writers on the subject; yet my application of it would indicate the very reverse. It is well known that the seed is nourished, in a great measure, by the constituent parts of what we call the fruit ; and it is equally well knov>'n how essential it is to con- centrate the saccharine secretions of a tree in its seed, when it is intended to obtain a new or improved variety from that seed. After dusting the stigma of the variety from which the future fruit is intended to originate with the pollen of the desired male parent, advantage is taken of every possible stimulant to pro- duce the largest and most perfectly formed fruit which the given variety is capable of producing ; inferring that the fruit, in the same degree, is capable of conveying the peculiar secretions of the tree to its seed. The inference is entitled to all the at- tention which has been paid to it ; and, in dissenting from this inference without proof of how far my own ideas may be found to supersede or corroborate it, I merely beg the attention of the amateur who has leisure and patience to prosecute the sub- ject ; circumstances over which I had no control having prevented myself from following it up for the present. The circulation of the juices of plants, and the office of leaves, are now known to every one. As soon as the circulation begins actively in the spring, the roots take up a fresh supply of sap ; which, in its ascent to the leaves, mixes with the juices already in the body of the tree; and, according as the supply of this solution is greater or less, so is the corresponding size of the fruit ; from which we may safely infer that the fruit is chiefly nourished by the solution, though it may be capable of rejecting or throwing off any matter foreign to its own nature. Now, if, instead of supplying this abundance of sap by means of stimu- lants, you prevent its accumulation, and force the fruit, as it were, to subsist on the already elaborated juices stored up in the body of the tree, you will insure the peculiar secretion of the tree in an unadulterated state, for the nourishment of the fruit and seed. On this rests my idea of improving our fruits ; and I recommend the following method to attain the end in view : — Take a healthy vigorous tree, trained against a south wall : if it has borne no fruit for the last season or two, so much the Cast-irofi Espalier Bails at Maeslaugh Castle. 205 better, provided it has previously attained a bearing size, having a greater store of its secretion for the next crop. In the winter, take up this tree, and cut away a ^ew of its best roots ; plant it again immediately in the same place, but in poor sandy earth ; apply the pollen in the usual way when in flower. The tree will be in a stunted state during the summer, as also the fruit ; but the leaves must perform their natural functions, which nn'ght, in the present instance, be called unnatural, as, having little or no supply from the roots, they are acting on the juices previously in the system, which is analogous to double distilling. Starved fruit, produced under such severe circumstances, though destitute of size and beauty, are sweet in an eminent degree, as any one may attest who has tasted the first crop of a newly or badly trans- planted bearing tree ; and it will be found that, notwithstanding the stuntedness of the tree and fruit, the seeds are greatly im- proved ; and many varieties of our best fruits will not seed at all without undergoing some such process. Hqffield, near Ledhury^ March 24-. 1837. Mr. Beaton, the author of the above interesting and most original paper, is the author of the " Account of the Vineyard and Plantations of the cele- brated Jacob Tonson, the Bookseller and Publisher, which were made at Haffield in 1727," in our preceding Volume, p. 114.; of the remarks on fuchsias, Vol. XI. p. 380. ; and of an article, in a future page, on the mistletoe. He has been gardener and general manager to Wilham Gordon, Esq., at Haffield, for the last eight years ; and only leave? his situation in conse- quence of the death of his employer, and the reduction of the establishment. While in the employment of Mi*. Gordon, he had, as he informs us, peculiar advantages for acquiring professional knowledge, being allowed the travelling expenses which he annually incurred in visiting gardens in distant parts of the country, including the London nurseries ; and even the expense of an exten- sive correspondence with gardeners was defrayed by Mr. Gordon, who allowed him the free use of his extensive library. Mr. Beaton is in the prime of life, and unmarried ; and, if he should not hear of a situation before, will, after visiting Scotland, to see the state of improvement in farming and garden- ing there, return to London. In the mean time he may be heard of by application to Mr. Munro of the Horticultural Society's Garden, or Mr. Low of the Clapton Nursery. How well deserving such a man is of a first-rate situation, it is unnecessary for us to state to any who have read his commu- nications. We sincerely hope he will soon meet with one adequate to his deserts. — Cond. Art. IV. Elevation and Description of a Cast-iron Espalier Rail erected in the Gardens of Maeslaugh Castle, Radnorshire. By James Alexander, Gardener there. Having erected, in the garden here, in 1834, upwards of 1200 ft. of cast-iron espalier railing, I herewith send you a plan and description of the same. The columns are l|in. square at the base, tapering a little upwards, with a small urn screwed on the top. They stand 9 ft. apart, and are leaded into large blocks 206 histayices of the Mistletoe on the Oal; of stone, placed a little below the surflice of the ground. There is a space of 3 ft. 9 in. between the two hoiizontal bars ; the lower one being 6 in, from the ground. They are 2^ in. broad, and I in. thick. The small upright bars are 4 in. square, 8 j in. asunder, and rise with a spear point 5 in. above the upper hori- zontal bar; the centre one resting in a small flat stone, as shown inj/'g. 79. f - ^ :z> 79 'JJlJJJ^JJ._ l-JLi 1 . I The castings, when delivered at the garden, cost 12/. per ton, which will give about 103 ft. of railing. The above is rather expensive at first; but, considering the durability, the conve- 'nience, and the elegant appearance, it must be considered much superior to wooden railing, and it will be cheaper in the long run. Maeilamh Castle, Oct. 1836. Art. V. Instances of the Mistletoe being found on the Onh ; tvith Remarks on grafting and budding the Mistletoe. By D. Beaton. Mr. Pitt, who has been upwards of forty years a farmer and grafter near Haffield, recollects seeing the mistletoe upon but one oak tree, which stood on a farm close to Ledbury. He is confi- dent the mistletoe grew on this tree for fifteen years. There was a laro-e willow tree close by the oak, loaded with mistletoe, from ■which the oak was supposed to have been supplied. This oak was cut down six years ago. Through the kindness of Mr. Moss, gardener to Earl Somers at Eastnor Castle, I have now before me a shoot of oak with two plants of the mistletoe growing on it. The oak tree on which this mistletoe grows is the only instance of the kind known to Mr. Moss. It grows not far from Eastnor Castle, on Earl "dcith Remarks on budding and grafting it, 207 Somers's estate. There are several plants of mistletoe growing on this tree, one of which is of great age, and nearly 5 ft. in dia- meter. It is more vigorous than the plants of mistletoe grow- ing on the apple, probably owing to the greater vigour of the oak, and to its being more shaded in the summer. The mistletoe does not form that swelling at its junction with the oak which it does on most other trees. Mr. Moss has a nursery of his own at Malvern, where he intends to try all the experiments on the mistletoe suggested in your Arboretum Britannicnm this season ; and will have for sale, next October, plenty of mistletoe plants, grafted standard high. Mr. Moss has hit upon an excellent plan for the successful propagation of the mistletoe for sale, which is, getting young shoots of apple and pear trees on which the mistletoe is established, and graft- ing them in his nursery. I think the first or second week in May is the best time to graft shoots of the mistletoe. I have no dt)ubt but the mistletoe may be grafted with suc- cess on the oak ; but, in all probability, the bark of the oak is too hard and dry for the frequent vegetation of the mistletoe seed. I have grafted the mistletoe on the balsam poplar only ; but Mr. Pitt says he has grafted it " on all kinds of trees ; " though he does not recollect having grafted it on the oak. The apple or crab is certainly the best stock for nurserymen to o-raft the mistletoe on ; the pear is the next best ; then the strongest- growing poplars and willows. It should never be grafted lower than 5 ft. from the ground, nor higher than 10 ft. Most nur- serymen have quantities of standard apple and pear trees, on which they could work these grafts ; and, if there were a demand for the plant, it would be a good way of getting rid of their stock of trees, wJiich they could not do by other means. Budding and grafting the mistletoe is very simple : merely an incision in the bark, into which a thin slice of mistletoe is in- serted, having a bud and one leaf at the end. Grafts less than half an inch in diameter may be put in in the same manner; but, in grafting larger pieces, a notch should be cut out of the branch, the incision made below the notch, and a shoulder left on the graft to rest on the notch, in the manner of crown-oraft- ing. AH that the nurserymen have to do is, to insert small scions in the largest shoots of their apple and pear standards. About the middle of May is the best time to bud the mis- tletoe. The budding is only a modification of grafting, as you retain a heel of wood below the bud for insertion. I send yon now some mistletoe grafts, and will bring more with me when I come to town ; and you may try both. I likewise send you an oak branch with the mistletoe on it. HaJJidd, near Lcdburij, March 24. 1837. 208 On budding a?id grafting the Mistletoe. The above are extracts from three letters received from Mr. Beaton ; and with the last we received the scions and branch of oak containing mistletoe on it referred to. The oak branch is about 3 ft. long, the bunch of mistletoe about 18 in. in diameter; and it appears to be a male plant. Its largest leaves measure 2i in. long, and 1 ,5 in. broad ; which is about one fourth larger than those of the mistletoe growing on the apple. No leaves or acorns were sent along with the oak ; but, from the large size of the buds, we should suppose it to be Quercus sessiliflora. The following extract from the Avboretiim Britannicwn ex- hibits all that we knew respecting the propagation of the mistle- toe in August, 1836: — " In a state of nature, the mistletoe is propagated by the berries being, by some means or other, made to adhere to the bark of a living tree. The common agency by which this is effected is supposed to be that of birds ; and more especially of the missel thrush, which, after having satisfied itself by eating the berries, wipes off such of them as may adhere to the outer part of its beak, by rubbing it against the branch of the tree on which it has alighted ; and some of the seeds are thus left sticking to the bark. If the bark should be smooth, and not much indurated, the seeds will germinate, and root into it the following spring; that is, supposing them to have been properly fecundated by the proximity of a male plant to the female one which produced them. Aristotle and Pliny among the ancients, and Dr. Walker among the moderns, considered that the mistletoe was propagated by the excrements of the birds which had fed on the berries ; supposing that the heat of the stomach, and the process of digestion, were necessary to pre- pare the seeds for vegetation. Ray first suggested the idea of trying by experiment whether the seed would vegetate without passing through the body of a bird; and, at his suggestion, Mr. Doody, an apothecary of London, inserted a seed of the mistletoe into the bark of a white poplar tree, which grew in his garden, with complete success. This, Professor Martin ob- serves, has been since done by many persons, both by rubbing the berries on the smooth bark of various trees, and by insert- ing them in a cleft, or in a small hole bored on purpose, which was the mode adopted by Doody. Mr. Baxter of the Oxford Botanic Garden, in the spring of 1833, rubbed nine mistletoe seeds on the smooth bark of an apple tree, all of which germi- nated : two produced only one radicle each, six produced two radicles each, and one produced three ; from which it follows, that two radicles are more common than one in the seeds of this plant. There as many embryos as radicles. " The celebrated Du Hamel, arguing that the seeds of the mistletoe, like the seeds of other plants, would germinate any- where, provided they had a suitable degree of humidity, made them sprout not only on the barks of different kinds of living On budding and grafting the Mistletoe. 209 trees, but on dead branches, on bricks, tiles, stones, the ground, &c. But, though they germinated in sucli situations, they did not Hve any time, except on tlie bark of Hving trees. M. Du Trochet made seeds of the mistletoe germinate on the two sides of the frame of a window, and in both cases the radicles directed themselves towards the interior of the room, as if in quest of darkness. (See Richard's Elements of Botany; and Baxter's Brit. FluxGering Plants, art. Viscum.) Tiie first indi- cation of germination is the appearance of one or more radicles, like the sucker of a house-fly, but larger; as at h i \Vi fg. 80., which are front " Mi views, and at k I in the same figure, which are side views, taken from mistletoe berries, which were stuck on the upright trunk of a cherry tree in our garden at Ba^^s- water, in March, 1836, and germi- nated there, as they appeared on the 20th of May of the same year. When the white, viscous, })ulpy matter of the mistletoe berry is re- moved, tiie kernel, or seed, appears of a greenish colour, and flat; sometimes oval, at other times angular, and at other times of various forms. In Jig. 80., a is the male blossom magnified ; 6, the female blossom magnified ; <■/, a berry cut through, transversely; c, a seed divided vertically, showing the two embryos ; g, the embryo magnified ; /;, the two embryos, with the two radicles germinating; ?', a single radicle ; /-, a side view, or section, of the two radicles ; and /, a side view, or section, of the single radicle. " It is remarked by Du Hamel, that, when the form of the seed is oval, generally one radicle only is protruded ; but, when it is trfangular or irregular, 2, 3, or more, appear. It is singular, that, while the radicle of almost all other plants descends, this is not the case with the misdetoe; the young root of which at first rises up, and then bends over till it reaches the body of the substance to which the seed has been attached, as at /(-.and /, in fig. 80. Having reached that substance, the point of the radicle Vol. XIII.— No. 86. v tri- 210 On budding and grafting the Mistletoe. swells out like the extremity of the sucker of a house-fly, or, according to the comparison of Du Hamel, like the mouth-piece of a hunting-horn. The extremity of the radicle having fixed itself to the bark, if more than one have proceeded from a single seed, the embryos all separate from it; and each, putting out leaves at its upper extremity, becomes a separate plant. In the case of the seeds which germinated on the bark of trees in our garden at Bayswater, the embryos had not separated from the seed on Aug. 15., the day on which we correct this proof. When the mistletoe germinates on the upper side of a branch, the shoots bend upwards ; but, if they are placed on the under side, they descend : when they are placed on the side of a per- pendicuhir trunk, they proceed horizontally, spreading, of course, with the growth of the plant, so as ultimately to form a hemi- spherical bush. The roots of the mistletoe, which penetrate the bark, extend themselves between the inner bark and the soft wood, where the sap is most abundant, sometimes sending up suckers at a distance from the point where the root entered ; and hence Professor Henslow concludes that the mistletoe is propa- gated in the bark or young wood of tlie trees in which it is parasitically established, in the same manner as those terrestrial plants which, like the potato, possess rhizomata, or underground stems, or suckers, from the surface of which young plants are developed at intervals. The I'oots of the mistletoe, as tlie tree on which it grows advances in growth, become embedded in the solid wood ; and hence has arisen the opinion of some, formed from sections of a branch on which the mistletoe had grown for many years, that it not only roots into the bark, but into the wood. This, however, would be contrary to the wise economy of nature, since it could serve no useful purpose to the plant. The effect of the mistletoe upon the tree on which it grows is injurious to the particular branch to which it is attached; and more particularly to the part of it which extends beyond the point from which the mistletoe protrudes. This is easily accounted for, from both the ascending and returning sap being in a great part absorbed by the roots of the parasite, and prevented from circulating properly. As it does not appear that any part of the sap returned by the leaves of the mistletoe enters into the general circulation of the tree, it is easy to conceive that a cer- tain number of plants growing on any branch would, after they had so far injured that branch as to prevent it from putting out leaves at its extremities, occasion its death, as well as their own speedy destruction. Hence, in orchards, the mistletoe is always removed as soon as it apjiears. The injury which it does is much greater than that effected by other plants which grow on the bark of trees; such as lichens, mosses, ferns, &c. ; which, though commonly called parasites, are, in botanical language, Cap for protecting Dahlias from atdumnal Frosts. 211 epiphytes; that is, inhabiting trees, but not living on their substance. The nutriment which supports epiphytes is derived from the decay of the outer bark, or from the atmospliere. Two experiments remain to be made with the mistletoe: the first is, whether it may be propagated bj' inserting cuttings in the live bark, in the manner of buds or grafts ; and the second, whether a plant of mistletoe would keep alive the tree on which it grows, after that tree was prevented from producing either leaves or shoots. " The propagation of the mistletoe in British nurseries has scarcely been attempted : but nothing could be easier on thorns or crab apples, planted in pots for the conveniency of removal. Perhaps, if it were propagated on shoots of the poplar or willow, truncheons of these trees with young plants of mistletoe on them might be taken off, and planted as cuttings, without injuring the parasite." {Arb. Brit., art. Fiscum, p. 1025.) As it is not yet too late to stick on berries of the mistletoe, the information communicated above may be turned to imme- diate use. Mistletoe berries may be most easily obtained through a Herefordshire or Worcestershire nurseryman ; for example, Godsall of Hereford, Smith of Worcester, or Moss at Mal- vern. From the latter, plants may be obtained next autumn, as stated above bv Mr. Beaton. — Omd. Art. VI. Description of an oiled Paper Cap for protecting Dahlias, token in Flovoer, from ajiiumnal Frosts. By John Turnbull, Gardener to Charles Cowan, Esq., of Valleyfield Bank, Pennycuick. I BEG leave to send you an account of an oiled paper cap (fg. 81.), for protecting the dahlia when in flower. For pro- tecting fruit trees when in blossom, oiled paper frames have been long in use, and one of the best modes of applying them has been shown by Mr. Smith, gardener at Grangemuir, in the Caledonian llorticidtiiral Society's Memoirs. I have been very successful in growing cucumbers and melons under oiled paper frames; and, though they suffer much from cats (for in one night my frames have been almost wholly destroyed by these maraud- ers), they are so very cheap, and easily made in any wet day, that the damage may soon be repaired. In making them, I commence first with the skeleton, and then paste on tlie paper ; after which I let them stand to dry. When they are fully dry, I put on one good coat of boiled linseed oil, mixed with a little white lead. These frames may be made of any shape or size wanted. Our garden is in a low situation, and near water; and my dahlias are generally frosted down five or six weeks before my 2 1 2 Cap for protecting Dahlia$ from autumnal Frosts. 81 neighbours', and before one half of them are in flower. These frames will protect the plants from the perpendicular frost until the roots are ripe. The supports of the frame answer, also, for supports to tie the plants to. The top of the frame may be taken off, and put on, at pleasure ; or bent back, by taking out the wire. When these frames are once made, they are easily kept up, and they will endure for many years, with little repair. In many places, supports for dahlias are not got without trouble and expense ; and, after all, they do not protect the plants from the frost ; but my shade will do so. My object, at present, is to protect my dahlias from autumnal frosts, which nip all the ten- derest plants, such as the Mrs. Elphinstone, the Lady Milner, and the Conqueror of Europe dahlias, when in full beauty. These frames will also shade fully expanded flowers from the sun, when you wish the fine colours to be preserved. If the above direc- tions be properly attended to, the result will be satisfactory. Vallerjjldd Bank^ Pcnnycuicli^ near Edinburgh^ March 12. 1837. The model sent to illustrate the above paper is 18 in. long. The cap, or head, which may be described as a four-sided cupola, is 13 in. on the side at the lowest part, or rim ; and the perpendicu- lar height of it is 5 in. \n Jig. 81. a represents the stake which supports the cap; b, the four side branches to which the dahlia shoots are tied ; c, a wooden peg for fastening the tenon of the cap into the mortise of the stake ; r/, a hooked wire attached to the stake, and adapted to an eye in the stem of the cap, to make sure of holding the latter fast; ^, the surface of the ground. The skeleton, or frame, of the cap is shown by the letters J" to I. This figure is a geometrical elevation of one side, in which / is the summit where the two ribs that form the four Common Nut Weevil. 213 angles of the cap cross each other, and into which the stem [g) is inserted ; // shows the edge of the mortise; /, the lower wire; X', the upper wire ; and /, half of one of the ribs ; the half of the other being represented on the opposite side of the figure. A perspective view of the skeleton of the cap is represented by VI, in which may be seen (at n) the hole in the tenon for the peg (c), and the eye, a little farther up, for the hook [d). A perspective elevation of the stake, with the cap on, is I'epre- sented aij). In constructing stakes of this kind, the workman will, of course, adjust the length of the stake, and the diameter of the cap, to the height and breadth of the plant to be protected. The model sent might answer for pelargoniums, fuchsias, and other green-house plants, when newly turned out into the borders. It would also answer for dahlias, when newly turned out ; but for full-grown dahlias the stake would require to be from 3 ft. to 5 ft. high. Caps of this sort, made sufficiently large, and with the stem coming through the cupola, so as to serve as a handle, might, perhaps, form a very good winter protection for cauliflowers, or spring protection for ridged-out cucumbers, &c. ; and it might serve to accelerate rhubarb in the open air, instead of hand- glasses, wliich were so successfully used for that purpose by Alexander M'Leary, Esq. A cap of basketwork, of the same form as that just described, with a stem to support it, in order that its rim might not rot by coming in contact with the ground, might, perhaps, be used as a protection for cauliflowers and other plants throughout the winter. — Cond. Art. VII. On the Balaninus nuciim, or common Nut Weevil. By J. WiGHTON, Gardener to Lord Stafford at Cossey Hall ; with a Note by J. O. Westwood, Sec. Ent. Soc. I HAVE never remarked in your pages any notice of the Cur- ciilio niicum of Linnaeus (Balaninus nucum Ger7nar) attack- ing vines ; nor is this insect mentioned among those which are found on vines. I never observed it before the spring of the present year; when, in the month of April, just as my vines began to show fruit, the young shoots began to drop off". Sup- posing that the mischief was caused by snails, I made diligent search for these destructive enemies ; but, to my great surprise, I discovered hundreds of the weevil underneath the old bark of the vines. Had I not fortunately made this discovery, and suc- ceeded in destroying the insects, the whole crop of fruit would have been gone in a few days. The method I adopted to de- stroy them was the following : — I took off all the old bark, examined the vines carefully, and killed all I could find. Then p 3 21 4- FloricuUural and Botanical Notices, I put bandages of woollen cloth round the stems, and rubbed over the bandages with grease and train oil. 1 never found them pass these bandages. At night, I found plenty of these insects on that part of the vine below the bandage, all making their way up the stem ; but they never ventured beyond the bandage. Night is the best time to look for them : but this must be done very cautiously ; for they drop off if the vines are ever so little shaken, or if a light is held near them. What few I found above the bandages were only those which had escaped my previous search : they are exactly the colour of the bark. I put oil and grease on the ends of the wires also, to prevent their approach that way. I cannot account for their presence in my hot-houses, except on the supposition that they were brought in with the leaves which I use in the pits. It is the same insect which attacks raspberries in cold sjirings. Cossci/ Hall, Noifolk, Nov. 8. 1836. Not having ever heard of any instance of the nut weevil so entirely changing its habits as is here detailed, and there being several other species of weevils which do mischief to the vine, I am induced to enquire whether Mr. Wighton is certain as to the specific identity of his insect with the nut weevil. The Baron Walckenaer, in his curious Memoir upon the Vine LisectSj which has already been translated and published, both in the Entomological Magaziiie and in Mr. Taylor's Philosophical Me- inoir, has described the economy of llhynchites Bacchus and R. betuleti, both of which are very destructive. The Otiorhynchus ligustici Fah. (figured by Olivier in his Ent., p. 7. fig. 77.)} also^ every year destroys great quantities of the vines in the neigh- bourhood of Paris, and devours the young shoots of asparagus, &c. It is found in sandy places, and in the hollows, and at the bottom, of old walls. (8ee Diet. Classiqiie cles Scien. Nat., art. Charanson.) It is curious that the Baron Walckenaer has omitted all reference to the injuries produced by this insect. Will Mr. Wighton oblige me by forwarding to Mr. Loudon, at his con- venience, one of his weevils for my inspection ? — J. O. JVestwoocL AuT. VIII. FloricuUural and Botanical Notices on Kinds of Plaiits newly introduced into our Gardens, and thai have originated in them, and on Kinds oj" Interest previousltj extant in them ; supplementary to the latest Editions of the " Encyclopcedia of Plants" and of the " Hortus Britannicus." Curl is' s Botanical Magazine ; in monthly numbers, each containing eiglit plates; 35. 6d. coloured, 3*. plain. Edited by Sir William Jackson Hooker, LL.D., &c. Ed\Kards's Botanical Register ; in monthly numbers, each conlainiug supplementary to Enq/c. of Plants and Hort. Brit. 215 eight plates ; 4*. coloured, Ss. plain. Edited by Dr. Lindley, Professor of Botany in the London University. Sweet's British Floxver-Gnrden ; in monthly numbers, each containing four plates ; Ss. coloured, 2^. 3rA plain. Edited by David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in King's College, and Librarian to the Linnaean Society. 'RjNUNC ULACEJE, 1599. DELPHI'NIUM var. *Barli)w;i Hort. Barlow's ^ A s.pl 2 jn.6 D.B Eng. hybrid ... D p.l Bot. rcg. ItMI. " This Delphinium presents to the eye the most gorgeous mass of deep lapis lazuli blue that I am acquainted with in the vegetable kingdom. It is quite impossible to describe, without an appearance of exaggeration, the effect of several plants grow- ing in a cluster, and well packed up with species whose colours harmonise with the blue." Messrs. Rollisson received this 7)elphinium from a friend at Manchester, several years ago, under the name of Delphinium Barlow//; and they believe it to have been raised by a florist of that name in the neighbourhood of Manchester ; probably from D. grandiflorum and D. elatum, as it partakes in growth and flower of the character of both. It is very eas}' of cultivation; and it appears to flourish in every soil and situation. Messrs. Rollisson have had plants in bloom throughout the whole of summer and autumn ; the principal stems sometimes attaining the height of 7 ft. and 8 ft., and much branched. It is met with sometimes also undei" the name of D. phoeniceum. {Bot. Reg., April.) Vajxtverdcece. 3370. *CHRYSE'IS Lindl. Ciiryseis. (Xamed after Chryseis, a celebrated Homeric beauty; in allusion to the golden colour of the flowers.) *compacta Lindl. compact, or dwarf A A or 1 jl.o Y California ... S co Bot. reg. 194S. " This plant seems to stand in much the same relation to Chryseis californica and crocea, as these to each other ; that is to say, if they are distinct, so is this ; but, if they are varieties only of one species, this must be reduced to that species also. It differs from both of them, in having a much more dwarf com- pact habit; the segments of the leaves very slightly toothed, instead of deeply lobed ; and in the flowers being far smaller. " With respect to the generic name, which, it will be per- ceived, is altered from Eschsch61tz/« to Chryseis, I beg to insert the following note from a botanical friend, on whose correct judgment I place great reliance: — *' ' It is surprising that so great a violation of an established botanical rule as is contained in the generic name Eschsch61tz/« should have been so long permitted to remain. The rule to which we refer is, that two different genera should not both be named in honour of the same individual, or of the same family. Thus, for example, the name Linna^^a must be held to comme- morate both the elder and the younger Linnyeus ; and it would p 4 216 FloricuUiiral and Botanical Notices^ not be allowable to establish a different genus Linnae^a in honour of the latter. It is evident that nothing but confusion would arise from neglecting a rule of such plain utility. " ' Now, in the present case, the generic name Eschscholtz/a has been previously appropriated to a genus among the Labi- atic, and dedicated to the memory of Eschscholtz senior. This genus has been universally received ; among others, by Mr. Beutham, in his recent arrangement of the Labiatce ; and, con- sequently, the same name cannot be applied, with any propriety, to designate a different genus of the order jPapaveraceae, in commemoration of his son, Eschscholtz junior, the botanist wlio accompanied Kotzebue in his voyage round the world. It is true, that we find the former name spelled Elsholtzm in bo- tanical works, which appears to make a difference between them ; but this has no better foundation than an error of the press ; the two individuals to whom the genera are dedicated standing to each other, as we liave already remarked, in tlie relation of father and son. It is time, therefore, that this anomaly should be removed from our nomenclature, and that the name should be preserved to the plant to which it was originally appropi'iated. " ' This beautiful genus was first discovered by Menzies, in Vancouver's voyage. It might, therefore, with propriety have been named Menzies/V?, had not that name been preoccupied.' " Unwilling as I am to become a party to change the established names of plants, in consequence of the great incon- venience to which it generally leads, I cannot but feel that the foregoing observations are unanswerable." {Bot. Reg., April.) Onagrdcccc. 1185. CLA'HK/W [379. «gaur6icles Doug. MS. Gaura-Iike O pr I au P California 1834 S pi Swt. Br. il.-gard. " A native of California, where it was discovered by the late Mr. Douglas, on his second visit to that country; and from seeds transmitted by him to the Horticultural Society plants were raised in the spring of 1835. Its claims to a place in the flower border will not stand in competition with its more showy congeners, C. pulchella and elegans ; but the plant is interesting to the botanist, as supplying a further link of connexion between Clark/« and ffinothera. The plant is a hardy annual, growing luxuriantly in the ordinary garden soil, and ripening its seeds freely in the open border." {Swi. Br. Fl.-Gard., April.) QaddcecE or Opuntidcea. 3359. ECHINOCA'CTUS *6essilifl6ra Hook, sessile-flowered *i. H] cu 4 ... Y Mexico 1836 O s.p Bot. mag. 3569. Communicated to Dr. Hooker by Messrs. Mackie of the Norwich Nursery. " The beautiful, short, white, and distinctly j:)laced fascicles of spines foi'm a singular contrast with the dark green of the plant, and, together with the short and de})ressed sujoplementary io Encyc. of Plants and Hort. Brit. 217 stem, readily tlistingiiish it from E. Otihnis Bot. Mag., t. 3107. It flowers freely, producing several blossoms every year." " Mr. Frederick Mackie, whose skill and experience in horti- culture are very great, observes that he is very successful in flowering the different species of Echinocactus, by growing them " very near the glass, and, during the summer time, in a very high temperature, by keeping the upper glasses of the house close ; strong light and heat being necessary for expanding their blossoms in perfection. Some of them will close immediately upon being removed to a cooler place. It is also very necessary to have the pots well drained, as the roots are liable to decay if the earth is at all sodden with moisture. I think that setting the free- growmg species in poor soil is quite a mistake ; for we invariably find that they thrive better in good soil, provided it be well drained, and if they are planted in small pots." {Bot. Reg., April.) Gesnerkcese. 1608. GE'SNER/1 •lateritia Lindl. brick-red A El or 2 jii 1834 S Brazil O p.l Bot. reg. 1950. " A native of Brazil, whence it was received by the Horti- cultural Society, in whose garden it flowered in June 1834. It is readily cultivated in peat and loam." {Bot. Reg., April.) Scrophularidcece. 1717. PENTSTE'MON [1946. *brevifl6rus Lindl. ehort-flowered j£ A pr 2 s W. and P California ... D p.l Bot. reg. " A Californian perennial, I'aised in the garden of the Horti- cultural Society, from seeds picked off some of Mr. Douglas's dried specimens. In its native country, it appears to be a stout branching plant, bearing a profusion of small white and purple flowers ; but, when cultivated, it has been found so tender and difficult to manage, that little of its native beauty is developed." {Bot. Reg., April.) Prhmddce(E. 458. y^NAGA'LLIS 3851 Monelli *lilticina D. Don lUacJlowered £ lAl or 1 my Li ... 1836 C p.l Swt. Br. fl.-gard. 377- *' Few plants make a more brilliant display in the flower- border, especially if planted in groups, than do the different species and varieties of this elegant genus, which is therefore deservedly a general favourite with the cultivators of showy flowers. The present very pretty variety was communicated in May last, by the Hon. W. T. H. Fox Strangways, from his collection at Abbotsbury Castle, Dorset. The colour of the flower is intermediate between A. Monelh' and fruticosa, which, we are convinced, are nothing more than mere varieties of one and the same species, having no other mark except colour to distinguish them. Indeed, botanists have been disposed to place too much reliance upon colour in this genus, in which it is an equally fallacious test of specific difference as in the other genera of Primulaceae." {Swt. Br. Fl.-Gard., April.) 218 Floricultural and Butanical Noliccs, Begomlxcead. 2U54. BEGO-N/.i _. „ [map. Ix. pill •inonoptera Otto one-winged A 123 or 2 au W Brazil 1829 D l.p Bot. mag. omA. ; Oard. " This is one of the many species of this handsome genus for which our stoves are indebted to M. Otto of the Royal Berlin Garden. It was introduced from Brazil to that collection in 1826, by M. Deppe." {Bot. Mag., April.) OrchidaceiC. •ACllOPE^IlA J.intll. Acuopera. (From akros, the extremity, and pcra, a email sack, or bag ; from tlie little saccate appendage at the apex of the labellum.) [p.r.w Bot. reg. 3563. •Loddiges/< Lindl. Loddiges's £ USi or J au.9 Pale Yellow and Purple Mexico 1828. D Synonyme : Maxillaria galeata Hut. Cab. lG4j. " A very singular epiphytous orchideoiis plant, introduced into the stoves of this country from Xalapa in Mexico, by Mr. Georo-e Loddiges ; whence Dr. Lindley has been led to distin- iruish it by his name : a compliment which that liberal and able horticulturist well merits. The habit of the plant is quite peculiar : the racemes are quite pendent, and, in the state of bud, and after the first expansion, the long and regularly decurved ovaries are arranged in three rows." {Pot. Mag., April.) L.E'LU finccps Card. Mag. xi. 261. var. *Barkerid/ia Lindl. Barker's £ E] el IJ d P Mexico 1833 O p.r.w Bot. reg. 1947. " A native of IMexico, whence it was procured by Messrs. Low and Co. Dr. Lindley believes it to be common in some parts of that country, and that considerable quantities have been recently imported. Tiie drawing was received from the rich collection of George Barker, Esq., of Birmingham." {Bot. Reg., April.) *TRlCHOCE'NTRUM PiJppig. Trichocentri^m. (From ilirix, hair, and kentrun, either a spur or a centre: but the applicability of the word is not apparent.) •fiiscura r!'«rf/. hxovin.flowercd j« (SI cu J jl G.W.P Mexico 1835 D p.r.w Bot. reg. 1951. Synonyrne: Acoidium fuscum Lindl. Imported from Mexico, by Mr. Knight of the King's Road, from whom Dr. Lindley received it in flower in July of last year. It is a stove epiphyte, and, apparently, by no means of difficult cultivation. {Bot. Reg., April.) Mo7istrons Mifanihus cristdtus. — " Accustomed as botanists now are to the freaks and masqueradings of nature, and to the strangest departures from all rules, at every step among orchideous plants, there is certainly nothing upon record to be for a moment compared with the case now before us. It is that of a plant of Myanthus cristatus changing into a Mo- nachiinthus, related to Monachanthus viridis, and combining in its own proper person no fewer than three supposed genera : Myanthus, Monachanthus, and Catasetum." " I doubt," says Dr. Lindley, " very much whether any one would have believed in the possibility of such transmutations upon weaker evidence than that I am about to produce. In this very Botanical Register, vol. xii. fol. 9G6., in April, 1826, is the following note under Catasetum cristatuni : — supj}lcme?itari/ to Ena/c. of Plants and HorL Brit. 219 " * The unimportance of the peculiarity which exists in the labellum (namely, its flattened or fringed and crested state) is manifested in a singular manner by a curions monster of this plant, which we have observed on an individual in the Horticul- tural Society's Garden. Among flowers of the ordinary structure, two or three others were observed, in which the labellum was precisely of the same nature as tliat of Catasetum tridentatum ; that is to say, destitute of the crested appendage, and perfectly galeate and naked.' " This, I repeat, appeared to me so extraordinary a state- ment, especially as, after seven years, it had never been corro- borated by any other case of the same kind, that I concluded I must have made some mistake ; and I accordingly formed the genus Myanthus out of a species nearly allied to the very Ca- tasetum cristatum which, in 1826, I had seen sporting back to C. tridentatum. " Not content with this, I added the genus Monachanthus, distinguishing it from Catasetum by the want of cirrhi on its column, and by its peiianth being turned back ; and, when the original species, M. viridis, was sent me from Wentworth, pre- viously to publication in the Botanical Register, 1 752., I felt no doubt of its being an entirely distinct plant. Even when Lord Fitzwilliam assured me that it was beyond all doubt an accidental sport of Catasetum tridentatum, I still adhered to my idea that an imported plant of Monachanthus viridis had been accidentally taken for the latter common species. Nor do I think that, as a botanist, I was to be blamed for these errors ; the genera being founded upon characters that were apparently important, and which, most assuredly, no one could, a priori, have suspected could pass into each other in the manner that has now been seen. If, however, it should be thought that I ought to have been aware of such metamorphoses, I at least have lost no time in acknowledging the mistakes, and putting others on their guard against them for the future. " M. Schomburgh has lately sent to the Linnsean Society, from Demerara, a specimen of another Monachanthus sporting to a ciested Myanthus ; of which, I presume, some account will in due time be published. And I am acquainted with the following example of this tendency in a very different genus. " In 1836, Mr. Wilmore of Oldfield,' near Birmingham, sent me a specimen of Cycnoches, which had broad petals, a short column hooded and dilated at the apex, and a broad roundish lip gibbous at the base, and with its stalk much shorter than the column. It was, however, destitute of scent ; while Cycnoches Loddigcsu has, as is well known, a delicious odour of vanilla. I had no doubt of its being a distinct species, and called it C. cucullata. But, in the autumn of 1836, in the 220 Sowerbt/'s English Dotaiiij. garden of the Horticultural Society, a plant of Cycnoches pro- duced from the opposite sides of the same stem two racemes : those of one raceme were the well-known fragrant flowers of Cycnoches LoddigeszV; and of the other, the scentless flowers of the new C. cucullata." {Bot. Beg., April.) The circumstance of three kinds of flowers, so distinct as to have been considered by botanists as belonging to three different genera, being found upon one flower spike, is so very singular, that it ought to produce the greatest caution among species- makers ; even in constituting species in those orders and tribes of hardy, herbaceous, and ligneous plants, with which every one is comparatively familiar. We recommend such of our readers as take an interest in matters of this kind, to study the article in the Bofatiical Register, along with the beautiful coloured plate which accompanies it. REVIEWS, Art. I. Botanical Periodicals. 1. Soxjoerbys English Botany ; small edition, published in numbers, price 25. each, every alternate Saturday. Nos. 165. and 166. have just appeared. 2. Baxters British Floivering Plants ; in 8vo numbers, \s. plain, and 25. coloured. No. 57. appeared April 1. Our last notice of these works was in Vol. XI. p. 593. and 594. ; and we take blame to ourselves for not having, before this time, repeated our very strong recommendation of them to the public. They are both executed in the most superior manner, both as regards letterpress and engravings ; and they are both sold at a price so low, that nothing but a very extensive sale can remunerate their authors. Gardeners and others, who can at all afford it, ought to take in the one work or the other ; for either will be of the greatest use to them, as long as they live and have any taste for plants ; and if, at any time, they should wish to dispose of such a work, they will be able to do so for almost as much as it cost them. We refer to what we have said on this subject in our eleventh volume. Art. II. An Analysis of the British Ferns and their Allies, ivith Copperplate Engravings of every Species and Variety. By George W. f rancis, Author of a " Catalogue of British Flowering Plants and Ferns." 8vo, 68 pages, and 6 plates. London. Price 45. To the young gardener, who wishes to acquire a knowledge of British ferns, this work may safely be recommended, for its Francises A^ialysis of British Ferns. 221 accuracy, and for its cheapness. The engravings, which, as the titlepage expresses, exhibit every species and variety, are exe- cuted with extraordinary accuracy and beauty, by the author himself, from specimens in his possession. The following remarks on the soil, geography, and culture of ferns will interest every gardener : — " Geography. — The distribution of the ferns in Britiiin offers nothing pecuHar. They abound chiefly in the more woody and moist countries, arc rarely found growing upon chalk, nor, except two species, near the sea : some affect the highest mountainous situations, others only swampy valleys. Our larger species luxuriate on the banks of ditches, in shady lanes ; while the smaller and more filmy kinds are generally found in situations diametrically opposite to these, as on ruins, old walls, &c. As the latter stations cannot be natural to any plants whatever, we are bound to look for their real habitats in situations similar to these artificial ones, as on rocks and lofty banks ; and here we find all our delicate species furnished with ver}' long roots, to run into the interstices of the crags. Moisture and shade are equally necessary to all the fern tribe ; they grow, therefore, for the most part in northern aspects, and on damp porous stones. " Soil and Citlture. — ■ The soil which appears to agree best with the ferns is a mixture of leaf mould or bog earth, and sandy loam. There is some difficulty in transplanting them with success, and they are very impatient of the knife; so much so, that the common brakes may be entirely eradicated by cutting down the fronds as they arise for three or four years in succession. The species of Polypodiura, Cistopteris, Scolopendrium, Blechnum, Pteris, and most of the genus Aspidium and Asplenium, when once established in a garden, thrive well in the borders or on rockwork. Their place of growth must not be too exposed ; yet few plants suffer more from a contaminated at- mosphere than this tribe. Cryptogramma crispa, Grammitis Ceterach, Aspi- dium Lonchitis, Asplenium lanceolatum, marinum, viride and septentrionale, seem to languish for their native freedom. They require the shelter of a frame or green-house to compensate for the purity of the air of their lofty or exposed homes. "Ferns are easily propagated from the spores, nothing more being necessary than putting into a garden pot some stones or broken rubbish to within two inches of the top, covering these with an inch in depth of very finely sifted sandy loam, and then sowing the spores upon it, covering the whole with a flat piece of glass, and placing it in a green-house. " Virtues. — The uses of the ferns are not very conspicuous. Their bitter principle renders them unpalatable to all creatures. Neither men nor brutes employ any species as an article of food, unless driven by the necessity of hunger ; and even the little insects that infest the herbaria refuse to prey upon them. They are nor, however, wholly useless either in medicine or the arts. Their nauseous taste renders them efficacious in expelling intestinal worms : some of them have been used as a substitute for hops in brewing, and with better success than most other plants, on account of the tannin and galUc acid they contain precipitating the feculent matter in the wort. The same con- stituent principle renders them also serviceable in preparing kid and other light leathers; and they yield much comparatively pure potass when burnt. The dried fronds of the common brakes are valuable to pack fruit in, and, as they retain moisture less, are much better than straw to shield garden plants from frost. Except for these uses, the British ferns have been little em- ployed, unless, indeed, for those purposes to which most plants, when dry, are available; namely, for thatch, for fodder, and for fuel." 222 Chandler and Booth's Camelliecc. Art. III. Ilhi&tifil'ions and Tiescriplions of ihe Plants ivhich compose ihc Natural Older Camelliece, and of' the Varieties of Camellia japonica cultivated in the Gardens of Great Britain. The Draw- ings by Alfred Chandler ; the Descriptions by William Beattie Booth, A.L.S. Folio, Vol. II. Part I. London. The conchurmfT part of vol. i. of this splendid work was noticed in our \o\. MIL p. 21 1.; and, in introducing the first number of vol. ii., we have only to observe that the plates and the letterpress are of the same superior description as before. The colouring of the plates is so exquisitely beautiful, that it is superior to anytiiing of the kind we have previously seen. We particularly admire the plate of CamelhV/ japonica Giles//, in the present number. It is a picture which every cultivator of the camellia might delight to frame, to decorate the walls of his library. The diawings are all by Alfred Cliandler, and the colouring is executed under his superintendence; the en- graver is E. S. Weddell, the artist who was employed on Mr. Lambert's splendid work, the genus Pinus. The varieties figured in the present number are as follows : — 41. Cajucllin japonica Colvillu SioL Br. Fl.-Gard. ; Arb. Brit., p. 388. " A very fine variet}', although, in our opinion, it scarcely deserves the high character given to it by Sweet." (p. 41.) — 42. C.j. Bealen Palmer in Chand. Introduced by John Reeves, Esq., of Clapham, in 1831. The original phmt came from Japan to Macao, in China, in 1828, and was exchanged for Chinese plants with Thomas Beale, Esq., by whom it was increased, and in compliment to whom it was named by Mr. Palmer. Mr. Beale has been up- wards of forty years in China, and lias been indefatigable in collecting rare and beautiful plants, and sending them to England. The leaves of C. j. Beaie/z resemble those of llawes's variegated waratah, Arh. Brit., p. 387. The flowers are show}', though not very double ; and they are about 4 in. in diameter. They are of a fine clear red, and composed of four or five rows of nearly equal-sized petals. The outer ones, 1 in. or 1^ in. broad, being cupped and curved at the edges, resemble so many small red- coloured shells, and give a feature which is of itself sufficient to characterise this variety. — 43. C.j. Gilem Chand. Raised in 1826, from seed of the waratah, by Mr. William Giles, gardener to John Dodson, Esq., of Clapham, after whom it is named. The plant is weaker and more pendulous than the parent; but it grows freely, and is not so liable to lose its buds as some of the other kinds. The leaves are large, ovate-oblong, and pointed ; but not flat and thick, like those of the waratah. '* The flowers, though liable to vary, arc, when well striped, remarkably showy ; being of a fine dark red colour, with the white very clear and distinct, and from 4 in. to 5 in. in diameter. Sometimes, like the flowers of the double-striped, they come Works oil Gardefiing, Agn'adttire, S^c. 223 entirely of a deep red, without any white ; but their most usual character is to have nearly as much white as red." — 41-. C. j. Parksn Trans. Hort. Soc, vol. vii. ; Jrb. Brit., p. 386. " We consider it a very handsome and well-marked variety, and the only one we are acquainted with, besides the myrtle-leaved, which is distinguished for fragrance ns well as beauty." Art. IV. A Catalogue of Herbaceous Plants cultivated and sold hy John Crce, Addlestone Nursery., Chertsey, Surrey ; xvith numerous Synonymes, and References to Figures in the leading Botanical Periodicals ; and also a select List of Fruit Trees, ivilh Descrip- tions. Small 8vo, 94- pages. Price Ss. An excellent little pocket catalogue, rendered valuable by the authorities beiuff fjiven to all the names: bv the addition of the synonymes, with their authorities; and by reference to the figures contained in the English botanical periodicals. Letters are also placed after each species, indicating those which prefer heath soil, require protection from frost, are suitable for rockwork, &c. There is a list of ferns, of aquatic perennials, of bulbs, Orchideae, &c. ; and the fruit lists are arranged in tables, with brief descriptions. On the whole, this is a very desirable cata- logue : and it will be found very useful for those having private collections, which they wish either to have named or numbered with scientific accuracy. The naming of plants, in a private collection, adds very greatly to the enjoyment which they afford, both to the possessor and his visiters ; and there are very few cultivators in the neighbourhood of London so competent to undertake this task as Mr. Cree. We wish, indeed, it were customary to call in the aid of practical botanists, like Mr. Cree, to name not only herbaceous plants, but ornamental trees and shrubs, and fruit trees, in every garden in which its proprietor took an interest. Art. V. Catalogue of Works on Gardening, Agricidture, Botany, Rural Architecture, Sfc, lately published, with some Account of those considered the more interesting. Belief for Agricidtural Distress : a Locomotive Plough and Har- row ; ivith proffered Advice to all Landlords, Tenants, and La- bourers. By George Whitley, Esq., Inventor and Patentee of the Steam-Plough. Pamph. Svo, 24 pages. London. Price \s. 6d. This may truly be called a catchpenny pamphlet : there is no evidence in it that the author is either an inventor or a patentee 224 Lc'ifis^s State and Prospects of Agricnltitre. of a steam-plough ; and, in short, the tract is altogether con- temptible. Observations on the present State and future Prospects of Agricul- ture, illustrative of the Advantages of an Experimental Farm, being a fuller Developement of the Author's I'lcivs, first made public in a Communication addressed to the Highland Society of Scotland. By George Lewis, Tenant in Boglillie, near Kirk- aldy. 8vo, 123 pages. Price 2^. 6d. This work has been reviewed in the Qiiartcrljj Journal of Agri- culture, in which the reviewer draws a comparison between an experimental garden and an experimental farm, and arrives at the conclusion that, if an experimental farm were conducted on the same principles as an experimental garden, the same results might be confidently anticipated. We have no great faith in either, as far as respects the conducting of experiments, or ori- ginating new practices ; but we think both calcidated to be use- ful, by exhibiting, collected in one place, what may be called the materials of the respective arts : for example, masses of the different kinds of soils, specimens of all the different kinds of plants, of the different breeds of animals, and models or ex- amples of the different kinds of implements, machines, and buildings. The exhibition of the different kinds of plants and animals, however, would be the chief good ; because machines, buildings, &c., might be exhibited in models. As to teaching the practice of farming to young men, there seems to be no reason for deviating from the common practice, in gardening, carpentry, and other arts ; and the science, or principles of the art, can never be better (that is, more usefully) obtained than from books. Young men may be drilled into rules, but prin- ciples can only be obtained through the exercise of reason. Such is our opinion, formed after having seen two or three experi- mental gardens, including the Paris garden, which, under Thouin, was the first in the world ; and all the principal experi- mental farms, colleges of agriculture, &c., in France, Germany, and Italy. Nevertheless, good will arise from discussing the subject ; and Mr. Lewis deserves the best thanks of the agri- cultural public for having brought it forward in so respectable a shape. The farmers of Scotland, till within a very recent period, have paid very little attention to either the physiological or chemical principles of their art. Art. VL Liter ary Notices. The Orchidacece of Mexico and Guatemala. By James Bateman, Esq. To be completed in ten parts, elephant folio. Price 1/. \\s. Gd. each, or 15/. 155. the entire work. Bateman^s Orcliidacecc of Mexico and Guatemala. 225 Each part will contain five beautifully coloured figures of some of the most interesting species, after drawings by Miss Drake, and other eminent artists ; and the subjects selected for representation will be either entirely new to science, or such as have not previously flowered in the collections of Great Britain. The figures will be accompanied by scientific descriptions (both Latin and English), and a popular account of the habits of the species in a wild state, as well as directions for their treatment in a state of cultivation. Vignettes, illustrative of the scenery in which the plants are found, and of anecdotes connected with them, will also be introduced. As the publication advances, a " Treatise on the General Management of Tropical Orchidaceae " will be given ; and with the concluding parts there will appear a " Synopsis of the Orchidaceous Flora of the Countries compre- hended within the Plan of the Work." The first part is expected to appear in May, and the remainder at intervals of five months each. It may be well to state that the author's work will in no respect interfere with the splendid Scrtiim OycJiidcum of his friend Professor Lindlev, an arranfrement havino- been made between that gentleman and himself, that the same species shall not be figured in their respective publications. It is highly gratifying to see a man of property, like Mr. Bateman, engaging in intellectual pursuits in his youth. The splendid work which he has undertaken may occasion to him a loss of a few hundred pounds ; but not more than gentlemen of his own rank and age are daily throwing away on the turf, or at the gaming table. How different are the impressions left on the mind in the one case and in the other ! Even supposing Mr. Bateman, or any other private gentleman, to ruin himselli as it is called, by the publication of a splendid work, as several botanists have done, and some even noble authors ; still, there would be nothing in the slightest degree repugnant to the highest tone of moral feeling, either in the reflections of the individual, or in those of his friends, relative to his conduct; unless, indeed, he had acted immorally towards others. He might consider the monument he had raised to his memory as one which had, per- haps, cost too much; but still as a splendid and honourable monument, which, though it had injui'ed himself, had done good to mankind. Handhihliothekfilr Gartner nnd Liehhaher der G'drtncrei ; or, a PocJict Library for Gardeners and Amateurs of Gardening ; is about to be published at Berlin, conducted by JNI. Lenne, Royal Garden Director. The work will be in six parts: 1. Science, by Dr. Dietrich and M. Legeler, court gardener; 2. Culinary Gardening, by M. Nietner ; 3. Arboriculture, including Or- VoL. XIII. — No. 86. Q 226 General Notices. charding, by M. C. Fintelmann ; 4. Floriculture, by F. P. Buche, commercial florist; 5. Forcing, by M. Nietner ; and, 6. Laudscape-Gardening, by M. Lenne. MISCELLANEOUS INTELLIGENCE. Art. I. General Notices. Value of Specific Cliaraclo-s. — M. Wieginann, in a letter addressed to the conductor of the botanical periodical called the Flora, communicates some observations which he lias made on this subject. The results which he obtained are not at all favourable to the opinion of those authors who elevate to the rank of a species slight differences in form, commonl}' produced by the influence of the climate or the locality. Some genera, of which many species are cultivated in gardens, such as Veronica, J^erbascum, Z)elphlnium, Thalfc- trum, &c., contain many species of which the native country is unknown. Certainly, however, the change which culture produces, and the numerous hybrids to the production of which botanic gardens are so favourable, from the proximity of the species of a genus, may easily explain the origin of some hundreds of species in our catalogues. In 1833, the author saw a plant of >4 Ilium Cepa bearing a bulb in the place of seeds. In the following spring he planted the bulb ; and his astonishment was great when he saw, shortly after, springing up in his garden yl'lliuni proli- ferum of Schraderand Sprengcl, with anaked, flexible, weak stem, a proliferous umbel, and barren flowers on long footstalks. M. VViegmann cites the nume- rous forms of /'ris obtained by M. Berg; and the multiplicity of calceolarias, and other ornamental plants, as examples of these pseudo-species. To this we may add the fact stated by M. Soyer-Willemet {Bon Cuttivateur, Dec. 1835), that various forms were obtained from the seeds of Fuchsza globosa. M. Wiegmann, in noticing the results obtained by M. Koch from the cul- tivation of seeds of taraxacum palustre (which results are communicated in Ann. des Scien. Nat.,n. p. 119.), informs us that similar experiments made by him in 1828 furnished the same results; but that he was unwilling to publish them, fearing lest his observations should have been incorrectly made. The seeds of il/yosotis sylvatica Ehr. were sown by the author in the same locality, and produced five different sorts ; and those of Veronica agrestis gave birth to six different sorts. It is to be regretted that the author has not pointed out the names of the species thus obtained ; for, in the case of il/yosotis at least, this appears to us of considerable importance. He thinks that the numerous species of 7?ubus of Weihe have been produced in the same manner. {Flora, 1835, p. 106, as quoted in the Annates des Scien. Kat., 2 s., torn. v. p. 377.) Conservatory. — The following article on this subject is from the Penny Cyctopa'dia, vol. vii., just published, and bears internal evidence of being written by Dr. Lindley. To the scientific gardener, it will lead to very interesting and useful reflections ; though to the mere practical man it will be, to use the concluding expression of the article, " only a waste of words." " The names given to the garden buildings employed for preserving plants in an artificial climate are ap[)lied with so little precision, that it is almost a matter of in- difference which to select for the purpose of explaining the principles that ought to be observed in the construction and management of such houses. We shall therefore reserve for the article Green-house what we have to say upon that head, and briefly dismiss the others as their names occur. In illustration of this remark, we may observe that the term conservatory, which, as its meaning shows was originally intended for buildings in which plants were preserved during winter .lias come to be used, firstly, for glass houses, in General Notices. 227 which plants are cultivated by growing them in the open border, and, subse- quently, for all such glazed buildings whatsoever. A conservatory, properly so called, is a brick building heated by artificial means, having its whole southern part enclosed by large glazed sashes, which may be opened or shut at pleasure. Its floor is generally of stone, and a part of it is occupied by a stage, on which plants in pots can be placed. One of these buildings, but in a ruinous state, may be seen in the Physic Garden at Chelsea ; others are not uncommon in gardens that were laid out forty or fifty years ago ; but they are fast falling into neglect and disuse, in our opinion, undeservedly. Such a con- servatory was intended to preserve during the winter orange trees, myrtles, American aloes, and similar plants, which, during the summer, will flourish in the open air, but which require, in winter, to be protected against the incle- mency, or, to speak more exactly, against the cold and wet, of the English climate. Such plants are torpid during winter : their rest begins with that of our trees ; and it is easy to prevent a renewal of their growth at too early a time. To preserve them against too much wet, and from severe cold, especially in the spring, is all that is requisite for them; and these objects the old con- servatory answered perfectly well. It had, moreover, the advantages of being spacious, without being excessively costly ; of being easily heated ; and of requiring the smallest possible amount of labour for the plants preserved in it. Persons, however, gradually forgetting the original object of a conservatory, added to it numerous species requiring a very different treatment in winter, from those it was contrived for ; and, what was far worse, they attempted, by humidity and high temperature, to keep the plants in a growing state all the winter. The necessary consequence of this was, that those plants which for- merly succeeded in the conservatory became unhealthy ; the new comers dis- appointed the expectations of their cultivators ; and the building itself fell into discredit. The reason of this is sufficiently obvious : plants, when in a growing state, require an abundant supply of light. A conservatory is particularly ill calculated, on account of its solid roof and sides, for the admission of light; and, consequently, a conservatory is not suitable for plants in a growing state. But plants, when torpid, as in the winter season, require a very moderate supply of light, and this a conservatory is sufficiently calculated to admit. " A house of this kind is best suitetl for gardens of considerable extent, where a large number of plants is required, during the summer, for the ornament of the flower-garden and shrubbery. Under such circumstances, we strongly recommend the erection of conservatories, as the cheapest, the most efficient, and the most ornamental mode of preserving in a healthy state, during winter, not only oranges, myrtles, and similar plants, but, in general, all the species which are natives of countries that, without experiencing severe frost, are cold enough during winter to suspend the vital energies of vegetation. It will be perfectly within the gardener's power to keep the earth in which conservatory plants grow sufficiently damp, during winter, to enable them to accumulate, by the return of spring, an abundant supply of new sap ; and this is all that he need be particularly reminded of, if he understands his business scientifically : if he does not, advice to him would be only a waste of words." (^Penny Cyc, art. Conservatory.) Budding's Grass-cutter. — I mean to say a word on that very ingenious contrivance, Budding's grass-cutter, which I have used all through the summer, and still continue to use. The truth is, the use and value of this implement do not appear to me to be so well understood as they deserve to be. The general idea is, that, when a grass plot becomes rough with worm-casts, which it will do in the autumn, it is utterly hopeless to attempt to keep it in order; and so, I grant, it would be, were there nothing but the scythe to depend on for cutting it. But with ISIr. Budding the case is widely different ; for the wetter grass is, the better it seems to cut; and, as to the earth thrown up by the worms, it appears to put an edge on the knives, rather than injure them. I speak from experience ; for I alwaj's work mine myself. I have added a scraper to the main or iron roller; and, when the knives get clogged with dirt, Q 2 228 Gene^-al Notices. I take the machine to the pump, and, turning them briskly the contrary way, clean them better in half a minute, than, by scraping them, I could in half an hour. Of Mr. Budding I know nothing; and, therefore, all I have said or may say on this subject is perfectly disinterested. I believe that I shall be the means of selling him several machines here, and chiefly from the use I am seen to make of it in the winter months. My garden, as, I think, you are aware, abuts upon the turnpike road ; and I am seen at work by every body passing. If there should be any point on which, in your opinion, Mr, Budding could give me information, so as to promote the sale of this very valuable invention, perhaps he wouUl do it by letter. I had mine from Willett of Lynn. — Samuel Taylor. Whitthii^ton, Stokefcrri/, Nurfolk, Nov. 23. 1836. A Stage for Green-house Plants on a new Plan. — This stage is erected in an old pine pit. Having procured eight posts, I had the middle of them cut out 3 ft. downwards, and 2^ in. wide, so as to allow the rafters to pass through them ; a hole being made through each end of the rafters, and also through the posts, for pegs to pass through, to fiisten the posts and rafters together. There are holes at different distances down the posts, so that the rafters can be lowered at pleasure, by taking out the pegs, and lowering them to the next hole, and so on to the depression of 4 ft. Gin. The first hole is 1 ft. Gin. from the glass. There are also brackets placed on the rafters for shelves. The whole can be moved higher or lower in the space of a few miruites, — G. M. Faringdon House, Faringdon, Berks, Nov. 2-t. 1836. Trees and Shrubs of the Canary Islands likely to prove hardy or half-hardy in the Climate of London. — In the parts just published of the Histoire Naturelle des lies Canaries, by P, Barker-Webb and S, Berthelot, are beautiful en- gravings of the following species : — Jnagyris latifcMia, t, -10. ; Genista splendens, t. 43. ; Polycarpia carnosa, t. 22. ; Cerasus Hixa, t. 38. ; a splendid kind of Portugal laurel (see Arb. Brit., p. 714.) ; Genista microphylla, t. 42, ; Genista stenopetala, t, 45. ; and jS'empervivum Gooch/cc, t. 32. The views of entire trees in this work, given under the head of Facies, are exquisitely beautiful. 56nchus fruticosus, a seventh part of the natural size; and Prenanthes arborea, a ninth part of the natm-al size, in the Atlas, pi. vi., are very singular and beautiful objects ; but still more so are Adenocarpus frankeniwV/t-,?, and la Retama bianca, the white broom (C'ytisus nubigenus : see Arb. Brit., p. G02.), in pi. ix. These two shrubs are perfectly hardy, growing at the height of from 6000 ft. to 8400 ft. above the level of the sea. In a Vue Phytostatique, which forms pi. vii. of the Atlas, an immense plateau is shown, partially covered with these shrubs, and showing several bee-hives formed of sections of cork bark ; the retama being singularly productive of honey, and that of the Canaries being celebrated. Boehmeria rubra and O'lea excclsa (Facies, pi. xi.) are inte- resting objects; and more particularly so ./unipcrus t'edrus Webb et Berthelot^ Vue Phytostatique, pi. viii. fig. 1., which we shall, probably, have copied for the article ./uniperus in the Arboretum Britannicum. — Cond. Managenienl of Plantations. — Mr. Major, lanilscape-gardencr at Knosthorpe, near Leeds, strongly impressed with the importance of thiiuiing plantations with a view to ornament, has sent us a long paper on the subject ; and, as we are not likely to have room soon for it, we give the following as the essence of what he recommends: — 1. " Choose such trees as are likely to remain where they are planted ; and, at each successive thinning, clear off a few of their lower branches, till a clear stem is formed to the height of 3 ft. or 6 ft., or to a greater height in trees having pendent branches, such as the wych elm, lime, &c. 2. Cut down all the trees which are not intended finally to remain, by degrees." — J, Major. Knosthorpe, near Leeds, Dec. 7. 1836. Tulips, when raised from seed, require a peculiarity in management, which would not readily occur to any cultivator, who was not either a vegetable ph3'siol()gist, a reader of books on florists' flowers, or a tulip-grower of great experience. The young bulb of the tulip is formed on the radicle which descends from the seed; and, when the seed is sown in a bed or in a deep pot of light free soil, the radicle will often penetrate to the bottom of the pot or Foreign Notices : — France. 229 bed, and scarcely produce any bulb at all. The same thing takes place with the different species of bulbous 7ris v«'hen raised from seed, and, to a consider- able extent, with seedling bulbs of every kind. In order to prevent this, and to cause the radicle to exliaust itself in the form of a bulb, instead of in the form of a long slender root, the seeds should be sown in pots or pans, not above 3 in. or 4 in. deep ; or, if in beds, a bed of slates or tiles should be Ibrmed 3 in. or 4 in. beneath the surface. When this is properly attended to, the bulbs produced by seedlings the first year will be as large as those of three years' growth, where no stop was given to the descent of the roots. This doctrine is very well illustrated by an engraving in Smith's Flomfs Magazine, vol. i. p. 88. Art. II. Forewn Notices, FRANCE. The Climate of Monfpelier as compared luith that of Toulouse. — M. Raffeneau Delille, director of the Botanic Garden at Montpelier, has published, in the last numbers of the Bnlletin de la Soc. d'Agric. de V Herault, some observa- tions which show that tlie climate of Montpelier is not warmer than that of Toulouse, and that the winters there are more rigorous than in Avignon ; for many plants that endure the open air in the latter town were frozen at Mont- pelier in 1820, 1830, and 1835. M. Delille states that, on Nov. 11., a strong north wind began to blow; and that, during the following days, the frost was very severe. On the 14th, snow fell plentifully; and, at midnight on the 16th, the thermometer stood at 11° below zero in Reaumur (7° Fahr.) ; and even the Quercus virens, the arbutus, the cypresses, and the olives, suffered severely. Among exotic plants which were in the open air in the Botanic Garden, M. Delille mentions the following, as having totally perished: — Jcacia dealbata, and J.farnesiana, A'\o% fruticosa, Capparis spinosa. Cassia corymbosa, Casuarina ^•quisetifolia (which perished at 20" Fahr.), the orange, the citron, Croton sebffera, several figs (i^icus Carica), Lavatera arborea, young plants of ilfelia Azederdch, Opuntia Dillenw, Aristoteh'a Mucqui, Biiddle« ^alvifolia and B. salicifolia, &c. Others have only some of their branches or stalks frozen, and sprang up again from the roots; such as the Jcacia heterophylla and A. Jidibrlssin, A'stev caroliniunus, Tecoma capensis and T. grandiflora, Buddlea globosa, Ceratonia ^iliqua, T^'icus Dumont/W, i/ypericum balearicum, Jasminum revolutum, Melianthus major and M. minor, the common myrtle, the pomegranate, Pyrus nepalensis, ^Schinus JSlolle, Sophora secundifolia, Aloysi« citriodora, &c. Cereus peruvianus, Fitex ^I'gnus castus, and V. incisa, iS'empervivum arbo- reum, Bcrheris - asiatica, Wistan'a Consequa»«, Pittosporum sinense, and a few otiier plants, natives of a southern climate, have, on the other hand, stood out. {JO Hermes, Jan. 14. 1837.) The Formation of Cork. — M. Dutrochet communicated, at the last meeting of the Academy of Sciences, the results of his observations upon the form- ation of cork in various plants. Cork is generally supposed to be produced by a superabundance in the layer of cellular tissue, exterior to the fibrous layers of the bark, as in the Quercus ^S'uber ; but M. Dutrochet states that, according to his observations, this substance has a different origin. The ex- ternal coating of vegetables is composed of two parts : 1st, the epidermis, or cuticle, an extremely thin membrane, without any discernible organisation ; 2dly, of a second membrane, composed of small cells, which was for a long time confounded with the epidermis, but has been very clearly distinguished from it by M. Adolphe Brongniart. This membrane, which M. Dutrochet has Aq- nomma.t&di the tegument ov jieau ccllulaire, mcvediSQS in thickness by the pro- duction of new cells upon its interior surface. According to him, it is this Q 3 230 ■ Domestic Notices : — ■ England. centripetal developemcnt that produces the cork. The parenchyma of the bark has no share in the production of this substance, unless we consider it as furnishing liquid nourishment, for the extraordinary developement of the ceHular tissue. It is proved, by this mode of gro\\ th, that cork is entirely composed of transverse rows of small cells, of which the oldest are on the outside, and the last formed on the inside. The tissue formed by their assem- blage is disposed in layers. Each of these layers corresponds to one year's growth. There is also a variety of the elm which produces cork; but it is only found on the branches, which are from eight to ton years old. After this age the production of cork ceases. It is particularly in this sort of cork, which differs little from that of Quercus /Suber, that M. Dutrochet has observed the mode of growth of this substance. The interior of the prickles upon roses and brambles is occupied by true cork, of the same nature as the preceding. The same is tlie case in the prickles of Xanthoxylum /uglandifolium. Among monocotyledonous plants, we find an instance of the production of cork in the ramus elephantipes. It is upon the enormous rootstock of this plant that the formation takes place; and it is absolutely the same as otlier cork. (L'JIervics, Jan. 14. 1837.) A Iii/hrid Apple. — M. Legal!, president of the Society of Science and Arts of Rennes, has made known a very extraordinary instance of hybridity. It occurred in a variety of apple sprung from seeds probably fecundated by the pollen of a variety different from that wliicii bore the flower. These apples were grown at the Chateau of Brequigny : they are very large, and somewhat oblique at their base ; of a fine red on one side and yellowish or greenish on the other. The two sides are of imequal thickness, and have a different odour. The flavour is also different ; that of the red side being acid, whilst that of tlie yellow side is very sweet. It may be called an apple formed by the union of half a sweet apple, and half a sour apple. The seeds are scarcely ever perfectly developed, as in most hybrids ; being commonly reduced to the envelopes, which, however, are very thick. {Id., Jan. 14. 1837.) GERMANY. Palms for Sale at Hamhurg. — Messrs. Ecklon and Zeyher collected many plants of Encephalartos in South Africa in 1835; and the following species are now at Hamburg for sale, at prices varying from 50 to li^OO marcs, ac- cording to the size of the plants : — Encephalartos Frederici Gulielm/' Lehm., from 1ft. 8 in. to 8ft. Sin. high; from 3 ft. 4 in. to 4ft. 3 in. in circumference; price from 200 to 1200 marcs. E. Altensteluii Lehm., from 5 ft. 2 in. to 10 ft. G in. high ; from 3 ft. to 4 ft. Sin. in circumference; and price from 300 to 1000 marcs. E. differ Lehm., from 4 ft. I in. to 9 ft. 7 in. high ; from 3 ft. G in. to 4 ft. 10 in. in circumference; and price from 400 to 700 marcs. E. iiorridus Lehm., from 1 ft. 4 in. to 2 ft. 7 in. high ; from 2 ft. G in. to 3 ft. 5 in. in circumference ; and price from 50 to 200 marcs. E. pungens, from 2 ft. 5 in. to 2 ft. 9 in. high ; from 2 ft. 9 in. to 3 ft. 4 in. in circumference ; and price from 200 to 250 marcs. These are the dimensions of the naked stems, without any leaves ; the plants being at present lying in a dry room, and, consequently, in a fit state for transportation. A marc is nearly Is. 3d. Art. III. Domestic Notices. ENGLAND. The Popidus viridis Hort., P. nigra var. viridis Arb. Brit., p. 1652., I be- lieve to be a native of Suffolk, and to have been first discovered by a person of the name of Nurse, who lived at Bealings, near Woodbridge. Whether he Domestic Notices : — Scotland. 23 1 is now living, I cannot say, or he could furnish you with all particulars. We have grown it, I should think, twenty years ; which is, probably, as long as it has been cultivated; but of this I am not certain. It is distinguished by its bright green leaves (from which it takes its name), and also by the light colour and smooth round wood of the young shoots. — Frederick Maclcie. Nortvich Nursery, Dec. 1836. Acficia and Eucalijpfus in the Norwich Niirseri/. — The acacias are looking well, and are covered with flower buds. One of them lost its leader last winter, which somewhat spoils the appearance of it; but it has made a vigorous growth this season. I have tried a good many species of Eucalyptus abroad ; bat I think none will stand our winters so well as the E. alpina. It grows much slower than any of the others ; and its wood, therefore, gets better ripened. Both E. robusta and E. resinifera have had their younger shoots injured this autumn ; but E. alpina looks as well as it did at midsummer. It grows on the highest parts of Mount Wellington, and was thence sent to me by James Backhouse. — Id. Growing Grajjes in ilie open Air in Herefordshire. — Mr. Moss, gardener at Eastnor Castle, is one of the best and most successful grape-growers in Eng- land, both in and out of doors. He had 5001b. of grapes last season, from a black Hambui'g vine ; the circumference of the stem of which, at the collar, or surface of the ground, was under 4 in. In 1835, the crop on the same vine was equally as heavy. Mr. Low of Clapton, and many other nurserymen, saw both crops. In 1833, I had three bushels of bunches of the esperione grape on one plant, in the open air, 12 years old, and 5 in. in the circum- ference of its stem : several of the bunches were 2ilb. ; audit has produced equally good crops since. The border was neither dug nor dunged in any way whatever for the last eight \ears. The above is adduced in order to afford me an opportunity of saying that 1 do not think that the circumference or diameter of the stem of a vine has anything at all to do with the weight of crop that vine is capable of producing. Mr. Moss, 1VL-. Brown, gar- dener at Stoke Edith Park, and several other gardeners in this neighbourhood, are all of the same opinion ; but all of them approve of Mr. Hoare's Treatise on the Vine in every other respect but this. — D. Beaton. Haffield, near Ledbury, March 24. 1837. Trimestrian, or Three-month, Wheats. — I am persuaded that the term trimestrian is not applicable to wheats grown in any of our British climates. The shortest time in which I have raised wheat by culture, adapted for the general purposes of husbandry, has been 154 days, instead of 90 days, the trimestrian period. I suspect, however, that most kinds of wheat will ripen in six months, if judiciously treated. — John Le Couteur. Bellevue, Jersey, Feb. 27. 1837. Col. Le Couteur informs us that his collection of wheat in actual cultiva- tion, consisted of more than 150 varieties or subvarieties, previously to receiv- ing the 54 sorts which, through the kindness of M. Vilmorin (see p. 45.), we were enabled to send him. Col. Le Couteur has lately published a small work On the Varieties, Properties, and Classification of Wheat, of which a very interesting notice will be found in tlie British Press for Feb. 24., and another in the Scotsman of Feb. 8. Col. Le Couteur being in correspondence with Mr. Lawson of Edinburgh and M. Vilmorin of Paris, all his sorts of wheat will speedily be tried by the best cultivators in Europe. When an amateur cultivator, such as Col. Le Couteur, is seconded by tradesmen so scientific, so ardent, and so extensively connected, as Mr. Lawson and M. Vilmorin, the greatest good to society is likely to be the result. — Ccnd. SCOTLAND. Botanical Society of Edinburgh. — JMarch 9. Professor Graham, who was in the chair, alluded to the flourisiiing condition of the Society, wliich, although not yet a year old, had enrolled above a hundred members, ex- clusive of the British and Foreign honorary members recently elected. After Q 4 232 West London Gardeners' Association. various donations had been noticed, a paper was read by Mr. Nicol, " On the Microscopic Structure of the Wood of various Species of i?hamnus," showing that, in numerous instances, marked peculiarities of internal structure bore reference to obvious external characters. The i)aper was illustrated by several beautiful drawings, prepared by IMr. James M'Nab. A paper was also read from Mr. Sluittleworth, containing an account of a botanical excursion to the Alps of the Valais, Switzerland. March 17. being tlie anniversary of the Society, between twenty and thirty of the members supped together at the British Hotel ; Professor Graham in the chair, Dr. Walker-Arnott, croupier. It was arranged that the future anniversary mcethigs of the Society should take place on the second Thursday of March, and that the president should ]irepare for eacli occasion a report of the progress and state of botany in Britain. (Edin. Advert., March 21.) Fkva Pcrllioisis. — The writer of botanical notices in the Pertli Courier, who is generally understood to be ]Mr. Kobertson, the very intelligent gardener at Kinfauns Castle, contemplates publishing soon a flora of the plants in the neighbourhood of Perth. From the varied economical and practical know- ledge of the author, we have no doubt he will make it a very interesting work. — Cond. Art. IV. The West London Gardeners Association for mutual Instruction. Having formerly sent you a copy of the rules of the West London Gar- deners' Association, I now send you, by order of the committee, a short abstract of the minutes of the Society since it has met regularly. — li. Fish, Secrctmy. March 4. 1837. Dec. 5. 1837. The first discussion took place, when the first part of Mr. Fisli's essay was read, showing the importance of general and scientific know- ledge, from a consideration of the improvements which have already been effected, and the general interest felt for gardening pursuits. A very animated discussion followed ; but the objections brought forward were introduced more for the purpose of tempting discussion, than from a belief in their validit}'. Dec. 19. The latter part of Mr. Fish's Essay was read, showing the im- portance of the possession of general and scientific information by gardeners, from a consideration of the means by which improvements were likely to be effected ; and, also, from a consideration of the doubts and uncertainties under which they still labour. Mr. Acton expressed his general approval of the essay ; dwelt upon the importance of gardeners being acquainted with literature as well as with science ; and, above all, on the importance of making our knowledge subservient for the purpose of effecting good. He reprobated the cruel custom of torturing insects; and contended that gardeners might attain a sufficient knowledge of entomology from books. Mr. Fish contended that books were but a secondary means of obtaining knowledge, when compared with practical investigation. Mr. Russel mentioned a remedy for the turnip fly (turnip flea-beetle) ; namely, rolling the ground early in the morning, which crushed the beetle, which was at that time reposing in the hollow of the clod. Mr. Plunkett considered, that the only benefit that could arise from rolling, would be from the grit and dust left upon the plant by tiie roller, which would prevent the beetle from lodging upon it. Mr. Hardie mentioned a remedy which he had always found etlectual ; namely, watering the young plants with a>i infusion of the leaves and stalks of the elder. Mr. Gibbs had been long conversant with the practice of rolling, but considered it very ineffectual. Mr. Acton gave a recipe for destroying the thrips upon small plants, namely, enclosing them in a glass receiver, along with a piece of camphor in spirits of wine, when the fumes of the camphor would liave the desired effect. Mr, Bailie detailed a very interesting experiment, by which a large bell-glass, set air-tight over some orchideous plants, was burst by the expansion of the air within it, when exposed to the full influence of the sun. An interesting conversation followed, West London Gardeners^ Association. 233 respecting the growing and transporting of plants in close glazed cases ; the vitality of seeds ; the vegetating of white clover after the fires made b}' gipsies in their encampments, and the appearance of cruciferous plants, after great con- flagrations in town. Jan. 2. 1837. Exhibited, some fine specimens of French pears, and also some Ribston pippins, and other apples, by Mr. Plunkett, gardener to Dr. Sutherland, Otto House, Hammersmith. An essay was read by Mr. Russel, " On the Advantages we derive from the Cultivation of the Soil." Mr. Russel commenced his essay by referring to the ]n-evailing opinion, that man, at first, existed as a rude and savage being, depending upon the chances of the day for his support ; that a great advance in civilisation was made when man began to cultivate the soil, thus evidencing the presence of forethought; also, that agriculture ameliorates the climate, prevents extremes of heat and of cold, of heavy rains and excessive drought; and banishes famine, with all its evils, from a land. Mr. Fish contended that the savage state, instead of being the foremost state of man, existed only among those who had wandered or been banished from society; that the art of cultivating the soil preceded the keeping of flocks and of herds ; and that the latter must have been contemporary with hunting : that the mere cultivating of the soil exerts a very secondary influence in promoting civilisation, as countries, hitherto agricultural, without cities and without commerce, have been inhabited by despot rulers and by abject serfs; but that, undoubtedly, agriculture, arboriculture, and draining have effected much for the climate of our country, and the salubrity of its atmosphere. Jan. IG. 1837'. Exhibited, good specimens of apples, by Mr. Underwood, gardener to W. King, Esq., Hamlet House ; also some good pears from the Duke of Devonshire's, Chiswick House. Mi\ Bailie took occasion to remark that the Easter beurre, and other Flemish pears, were superior for kitchen use to the Uvedale, St. Germain, and other baking pears. Jan. 30. Exhibited a bunch of Russian violets, by Mr. Bailie, Hammersmith. Mr. Russel read a continuation of his essay, which was similar in matter to the former part. He adverted to the happiness enjoyed by man in different climates, in proportion as his energies were exercised ; and, following up his former re- marks, contended that the presence of corn in a country indicated the high civilisation of that country ; and instanced the finding of wheat in the pyra- mids of Egypt, as attesting the high state of civilisation which that country had then reached. Mr. Fish, in addition to other remarks, contended that the very existence of these pyramids, reared with immense labour, without one principle of utility, furnishes an incontrovertible proof of the low state of civilisation which then existed. Mr.W. Knight adverted to the condition of the natives of America, as a proof that cultivating the soil was not always associated with anything worthy of the name of civilisation. Mr. Caie considered that, where education and civilisation existed, the proper cultivation of the soil would follow. Mr. Parrot contended that civilisation had been more indebted to the mechanical orders, than to the cultivators of the soil. Mr. Keane followed up his former remarks, by speaking on behalf of the beneficial influence which the cultivation of the soil exercises in promoting civilisation. Feb. 15. Mr. Keane read an essay " On the Necessity of understanding the Properties of Soils, as affording the best Clue to the Cultivation of Fruits and Vegetables." Mr. Keane commenced with referring to some opinions of Sir Humphry Davy ; then hinted at the pleasure which chemistry aflPords when the first difficulties are got over; adverted to the fact, that simple earths will not sustain vegetable growth ; and noticed the means by which an undue pre- ponderance of any ingredient may be known and remedied; the importance of practical experimentalising ; the necessity for a proper nomenclature for soils ; the suiting of soils to the different habits of plants; and the usefulness of such knowledge, from the laws of nature remaining immutable. Mr. Fish agreed in the statements made by Mr. Keane, as showing the importance of even a slight acquaintance with chemical science; adverted to the use of cal- careous manures, and when their application would be profitable; the means 234 Retrospective Criticism. of detecting the presence of magnesian limestone ; and a simple method of ascertaining the value of marls. Mr. Stapleton brouglit forward a number of substances which remained insoluble after an analysis of the ashes of the vinej he also showed the principle of capillary attraction witli two panes of glass, and small glass tubes. J\lr, Ayres considered that Mr. Keane had paid too much attention to the opinions of Sir Humphry Davy, as that eminent chemist was in error in several points, more especially in his recommending the use of fresh manure ; it being now known that manure possesses the greatest fertilising inHucnce when used in a decomposed state, from the humic acid it contains. Mr. Stapleton informed the Society that Mr. Layton, a chemical gentleman, would be happy to give several lectures to the Society ; and the Society, having passed a vote of thanks to Mr. Layton, commissioned Mr. Stapleton to state that the Society would be obliged by his services. Art. V. Retrospective Criticism. Erratum. — In Vol. XII. p. 55i. line 15., for " 30 ft. high," read " 13 ft. high." Increase of the Stump of the Silver Fir, without tlie Aid of Leaves, (p. 142.) — I feel not a little gratified, and certainly much obliged to you, for inserting M. Dutrochet's account of the growth of the roots of the silver fir so long after the tree had been felled. It is some confirmation, I think, of my own ideas regarding the local developement of the vital membrane, and non-descent of the sap, published some years ago. M. Dutrochet's endeavours to ascertain the fact, in the first place, and his candour in afterwards publishing it, show him to be a lover of truth ; because this fact not only contradicts some of his own previously declared opinions, but those of many of his most intimate friends and coadjutors in the investigation of vegetable economy and botanical research. We have cause to regret that that eminent physiologist has not appended his own explanation of this curious phenomenon to the naked fact ; as it is probable he would have entered into a justification of the opinion of Du Hamel, Knight, De Candolle, Lindley, &c., who have all affirmed, as an indisputable doctrine, that the accretion of the stems and roots of trees is accomplished by the subsidence and organisable properties of the elaborated sap. This he (M. Dutrochet) would very naturally have done, not only in his own behalf and that of his friends, but for the sake of the science itself. It would be curious, too, to see how he would apply his own favourite doctrine of the cxosmose and endosmose currents of the sap in vascular tissue, where no cir- culation of the fluids could take place, anil where there were inlets, but no outlets, save a small degree of expansion. The only comment on the circumstance is the following sentence : — " It appears from this, that the growth of trees in diameter is the result of a local developement ; and that the organic matter of this increase does not descend from the upper parts of the trunk, as some physiologists still think." Whether this sentence was written by the reporter to U Hermes, or by M. Dutrochet himself, does not appear ; but, if by the latter gentleman, it will astonish many of his own admirers, as well as all those who consider the descent of the sap as an irrefragable truth. — .7. Main. March 14. 1837. Introducing the better Sorts of Vegetables to Cottagers. (Vol. XI. p. G3.) — I believe we need not trouble ourselves much about introducing the better sorts of vegetables to cottagers. I find many who cannot endure that general favourite, celery ; and 1 have amused myself to-day on the subject with a man at work here. I sent him some salad, nicely dressed for my own dinner, to try and make him like celery and beet-root. Even the dressing did not make it palatable to him, nor conquer his objections to the celery and beet-root ; and we had a hearty laugh together, when he closed the description of his dislike Betrospedive Criticism. 233 to them, by observing that " half the vegetables great folks eat, the poor man would not pick up in the road." In fact, half our tastes are acquired. — Selim. Feb. 5. 18.37. Destroi/ing the Thrips, SfC. — It appears, by the statement of IMr. C. Puller (Vol. XII. p. 352.), that my receipt for destroying the thrips is not applicable where there is fire-heat ; though I beg to assure him that my cucumber plants in the frame did very well after its application : but I sprinkled them with clean water next morning, and kept them shaded all day. The following recipe, re- commended by the worthy president of the Horticultural Society, J. A. Knight, Esq., for the destruction of both thrips and red spider, and which he has practised for some time, will, I think, be more applicable for Mr. C. Puller's stove cucumbers ; and, as I have not seen it stated in your pages, I take the liberty of sending it to Mr. C. Puller, by way of compensation for his loss. Mr. Knight knocked the small tube off tbe end of his old apparatus used for smoking the stoves, &c., and had small holes made in the end, which rendered it something like Curtis's lime-duster, figured in Vol. I. p. 4] 5. A small quantity of tbe flour of sulphur was put into this, now to be called the sulphur tube, along with a few pieces of feathers (cut off the ends of the strongest quills). This being done, the sulphur tube was put on a pair of bellows, and held under the leaves of vines, peaches, melons, cucumbers, &c. ; and, by the operator giving very gentle puffs, the rigidity of the feathers kept tossing the sulphur about in such a manner as only to allow it to come out in very small quantities, which deposits itself under and over every leaf in the house or frame, and bids defiance to every species of insect : the house or frame to be kept rather warmer than usual, and the plants not to be sprinkled afterwards. The above may be of great service to us in frame culture ; but I think there is nothing that will beat the old plan in vineries where there are whitewashed flues ; which is that of adding a handful of the flour of sulphur to the whitewash, and brushing it on the flues before the leaves come out. — Agronovie^s Nejihew. Feb. 15. 1837. Sir Henry Steiiarfs Mode of transplanting Trees, and relative Subjects. — Between twenty and thirty years ago, I M'as engaged at school in learning that part of arithmetic called Profit and Loss ; and for several years I have been engaged in planting for Profit and Loss ; for the young trees which I have planted I term Profit, and the large ones Loss. This aping of Sir Henry Steuart's plan I detest; but, though I said all I could to point out its defects to my employer, it was of no avail, he having read that part of the Planter^s Guide which states that, " where gentlemen are led by their gardeners, it is the blind leading the blind." Strange as it may appear to Sir Henry Steuart, it is a fact, that those who have been led by him have had reason to repent ; and are not so blind, but they can now see very clearly that their newly planted large trees look like stricken deer, and their large transplanting machines like lumber. I did not lay down the pruning-knife, and take up the pen, merely to write the above truth, but another, of a different nature. Having seen Mr. R. Glendinning's list of trees in Vol. XII. p. 515., which he recom- mends for planting an approach, it struck me how easy it was to write out a list of names of trees, and recommend it in print, but how difficult it is to get gentlemen to take any notice of it, particularly any of those gentlemen who have read the Planter^s Guide. During the last three years, I have planted, and am now completing, an approach about a mile long ; the ground very much undulated, and a variety of soil. I recommended a long list of hardy trees, such as ^^cer monspessulanum, Negundo fia^drnfoWum, different species of -^'sculus, the ash, different species of American oaks, &c. To form back and side scenes near the mansion, or, rather, to improve them, there being no evergreen trees in the immediate neighbourhood, but plenty of oak and beech, I recommended Cedrus Libani, Pinus Ccmbra, A^hies Dougliis//, vood to about 2 in. from the spurs whereon the bunches of fruit are formed, taking care not to pinch them oft' too close, in which case the young fruit would wither. By this simple means, the fruit, by receiving more light and air, as well as a greater portion of assistance from the tree, will swell to the greatest perfection. Should other superHuous branches shoot forth when the fruit is in a more advanced state, they are removed in a similar way, remembering, throughout the season, to keep the bushes as clear as possible of unnecessary wood. The result of this mode of treatment gained me the first prize last year at the Cornwall Horticultural Show at Truro. I should imaj^ine this mode of treatment will answer well for gooseberries; and I should like to know if the Lancashire growers pursue, in any way, a similar method to the above. The remarks in Vol. X. p. 41. first induced me to try the effect of summer pruning upon the currant ; and I shall cer- tainly now generally adopt it. I trust that others will follow the example. Clowa?icey Jpril 3. 1837. Art. XI. A Mode of preserving Catdijloivers through the Winter. By Peter Mackenzie, Gardener, West Plean. Cauliflowers are a great favourite with all ranks of society; and I believe that, ever since they have been cultivated, means have been used to preserve them through the winter. I, like the rest of my brethren, have tried various methods to effect this ; such as burying them in the earth, hanging them up by the roots, keeping them in frames, &c. But by none of these methods have I succeeded so well as by the one 1 will presently state, which I have not seen nor lieard of being practised by any one else. Towards the end of autunm, I make a bed, or beds, accord- ing to circumstances, of moist sand, in any cool house that will exclude the frost. The beds should be 4 in. deep. Having pre- viously planted a greater number number of cauliflower plants than would be required at the time they are to come into use, I take the surplus, when in a good condition, and cut off their roots, leaving a stalk about 3 in. or 4 in. long; I then cut off" all the leaves, except the innermost row ; and, after shortening these, I insert the stalk into the sand-bed, and cover the cau- liflower with a flower-pot. In this manner a large quantity maybe contained in a small space: for example, a bed 12ft. square will hold 288 heads, allowing 6 square inches to each head. Again, by taking those plants that are not in flower ■when the frost sets in, and preserving them, in a growing state, On Kid7ieybeans. 265 in any house or shed where light is admitted, and which will preserve them from a severe frost, these will come into use about the month of January; and, by cutting them, and putting them in the sand-bed, they will continue fit for use till tiie spring. In this way I have kept cauliflowers to the end of April. It will be necessary, from time to time, to examine and cut off any decayed part that may appear. West Plean, Jan. 7. 1837. Art. XII. On Kidneybeans. By A. Forsyth. To force Kidneybeans. — Plant any of the dwarf sorts (the dun-coloured is generally preferred) in equal parts of rotten dung, reduced to a soil, and loam, in shallow twenty-four sized pots : say 1 in. crocks, 1 in. soil ; then six beans, covering them with 1 in. more of soil. These pots may be stowed away in any corner of the stove, till the plants appear above ground, when they must be brought near the glass, and thinned out to three or four of the best plants. As they advance, they must be earthed up ; and the leader may be pinched off", to render them short and bushy. When they come into flower, air must be ad- mitted, to set the fruits ; and every one must be gathered as soon as it is fit for the table, not to rob the others that are forming. The plants may be grown in a house at any tempe- rature above freezing, and below blood-heat : the medium, 60° to 6b°i I should prefer. They succeed well when planted out in a pit or frame, with or without bottom heat, in rows 1 8 in. apart, and 3 in. in the row ; and, as they advance, they are to be topped as above, and sticked. Planted at Christmas, they re- quire about eight weeks to bring fruit fit for the table, in a tem- perature as preferred above. In the open border^ any of the sorts will answer well : rich light soil, well drained and sheltered, is best. They may be planted in rows 2 ft. apart, 2 in. asunder in the row, and 2 in. deep. It is seldom safe to have this plant, in leaf, unprotected, before the 1st of June, as the least frost would ruin all. They can be forwarded in any warm nook, planted in pots, or on strips of turf, in a cold frame or matted bed ; from which they can be easily removed, uninjured, to their final place of destination. They must be stopped, sticked, and picked, as directed above for those indoors. Isleiioorth, Jan. 6. 1837. 266 Floricultural and Botanical Notices, Art. XIII. Floricultural and Botanical Notices on Kinds of Plants nevoly introduced into our Gardens, and that have originated in them, and on Kinds oj" Interest previouslij extant in them ; supplementary to the latest Editions of the *' Encyclopcedia of Plants," and of the " Hortus Britannicus" Curtis s Botanical Magazine ; in monthly numbers, each containing eight plates ; 3^. 6d. coloured, Ss. plain. Edited by Sir William Jackson Hooker, LL.D., &c. Edwards's Botanical Register ; in monthly numbers, each containing eight plates ; 45. coloured, 35. plain. Edited by Dr. Lindley, Professor of Botany in the London University. Sweet's British Floiver-Garden ; in monthly numbers, each containing four plates ; 85. coloured, 2s. 3d. plain. Edited by David Don, Esq., Professor of Botany in King's College, and Librarian to the Linnaean Society. The Botanist ; in monthly numbers, each containing four plates, with two pages of letterpress ; 8vo, large paper, 2s. 6d. ; small paper, Is. 6d. Conducted by B. Maund, Esq., F.L.S., assisted by the Rev. J. S. Henslow, M.A., F.L.S., &c.. Professor of Botany in the University of Cambridge. Paxtons Magazine of Botany, and Register of Flowering Plants; in monthly numbers; large 8vo ; 25. 6f/. each. ^ANUNC VLACEM. 1631. CLE'MATIS *cEeraiea I.indl. \\a\