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Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2011  with  funding  from 

LYRASIS  IVIembers  and  Sloan  Foundation 


http://www.archive.org/details/annalsofhorticul1849unse 


J'.^iiruZr&>4's^  DeLf&Zcnco; 


:EHrvtea,  '^C.C7uLbot. 


THE 


ANNALS  OF  HORTICULTURE; 


^tnv=^oofi  of  mtovmntlon 


PRACTICAL  GARDENING, 


FOR    1849. 


LONDON: 
CHARLES  COX,  KING  WILLIAM  STREET,  STRAND. 

1849. 


TO 


THE  RIGHT  HONOUKABLE 


THE    EARL   OF   AUCKLAND 


KNIGHT   GBAND   CKOSS   OF   THE   ORDER   OF   THE   BATH 


VICE-PRESIDENT    OF    THE     HORTICULTURAL     SOCIETY     OF   LONDON 


&c.  &c.  &c. 


THE  PROMOTER  OF  HORTICULTURE  IN  BRITISH  INDIA 


AND  ITS  FRIEND  AND  PATRON  AT  HOME 


'EM§  Wdmmz 


IS  WITH  HIS  LORDSHIP'S  PERMISSION 


RESPECTFULLY  DEDICATED 


BY  HIS  LORDSHIP'S 


MOST  OBLIGED  AND  DEVOTED  SERVANT 


THE  EDITOIl. 


PREFACE. 


There  are  very  few  pursuits  influenced  by  so  many  circumstances  as 
Gardening;  and  we  can  imagine  nothing  more  interesting  to  a  lover  of 
that  healthful  and  delightful  study  than  a  collection  of  all  the  facts  and 
figures  that  relate  to  it. 

The  raising  of  new  varieties  of  Flowers,  Fruits,  and  Vegetables,  the 
importation  of  Foreign  Plants,  the  scientific  discoveries,  the  improvements 
in  Culture,  the  results  of  experiments,  &c. — are  all  matters  of  the  deepest 
interest  to  the  Amateur  and  the  Professional  Gardener,  and  indeed  to  all 
who  take  pleasure  in,  or  who  would  keep  pace  with  the  advancement  of 
Horticulture. 

A  faithful  record  of  all  these  subjects,  and  indeed  of  all  subjects 
of  practical  utility  connected  with  Gardening,  has  been  the  object  of  this 
Publication;  so  that  the  "Annals  of  Horticulture"  literally  form  a 
comprehensive  History  of  Modern  Gardening,  embodying  every  improve- 
ment in  the  Science  to  the  present  day. 


ILLUSTRATIONS. 


Adiantum  CAPILLUS-VENERIS,  554; 
Agapanthus  umbellatus,  65. 
Alibrexia  rupicola,  241. 
AUamanda  Schottii,  201. 
Anacharis  Alsinastrum,  139,  140. 
Angelonia  angustifolia,  411. 
Aquilegia  vulgaris,  566, 
Arecha  Catechu,  98. 
Armeria  maritima,  470. 
Asplenium  Adiantum-nigrum,  555. 
Athyriutn  Filix-femina,  551. 
Athyrium  Filix-femina  var.crispum, 
552. 

Bejaria  ledifolia,  107. 
Betel-nut  palm,  98. 
Botanical  illustrations,  565. 
Botrychium  Lunaria,  553. 
British  ferns,  547 — 555. 

Camellia  japonica,  76. 
Cantua  depeiidens,  277. 
Cattleya  sphenophora,  273. 
Ceratostema  longifiorum,  155. 
Child's  flower-garden,  563. 
Chrysanthemums,  1. 
Clematis  tuhulosa,  93. 
Columbine,  566. 
Comarum  palustre,  368. 
Convolvulus  Soldanella,  366. 
Coryanthes  Albertina,  134. 
Cuckoo,  the,  184. 
Cuscuta  Epithymum,  365. 

Dendrobium  pulchelium,  324. 
Dielytra  spectabilis,  385. 
Dipladenia  nobilis,  96. 
Dodder,  the,  365. 
Draining,  diagrams  of,  508 — 510. 

Episcia  bicolor,  467. 
Ericas,  wild,  367. 
Eugenia  Moritzianum,  190. 

Fence,  diagram  of,  537. 
Ferns,  wild,  547 — 555.  » 

Flower  stands,  ornamental,  456. 


Flower  stands,  rustic,  340 — 344. 
Fountain,  simple,  39. 
Frogbit,  the,  356. 
Fuchsia  loxensis  285. 
Fuchsia,    diagrams    of   perfection, 
523. 

Gardenia  nitida,  29. 

Geometrical  gardens,  diagrams  of, 

204—206. 
Geraniums,  145. 
Gesnera  libanensis,  325, 
Grass  of  Parnassus,  393. 
Grislea  tomentosa,  496. 
Gutta  percha  tree,  73. 

Heaths,  wild,  367. 
Helianthemum  polifolium,  526. 
Holly,  the,  576. 
Hoya  imperialis,  457. 
Hydrocharis  Morsus-ranse,  356. 

Isonandra  Gutta,  73,  74. 
Ixia  columellaris,  IS. 

Lathyrus  odoratus,  565. 
Leuchtenbergia  principis,  512. 

Metrosideros  robusta,  541. 
Metternichia  princeps,  193. 
Milkwort,  the,  226. 
Mitraria  coccinea,  473. 
Moonwort,  the,  553, 
Mutisia  ilicifolia,  329, 

Nemophila  maculata,  529. 

insignis,  565. 

Nordmannia  cordifolia,  471. 

Ornamental  water,  diagram  of  con- 
struction, 60. 

Pardanthus  chinensis,  14. 
Parnassia  paluslris,  393. 
Pelargoniums,  145, 
Pentstemon  lanceolatus,  268. 
Plant,  parts  of  a,  565,  566. 


Pleasure  ground,  design  for,  433. 
Plumbago  Larpentse,  31. 
Polygala  vulgaris,  226. 
Pond,  section  of,  60. 
Pyrola  rotundifolia,  314. 

Restrepia  elegans,  251. 
Rhododendron  barbatum,  392. 

' verticillatum,  216. 

Rock  scenery,  361. 

plants,  289. 

Rose,  460. 

Rural  scenery,  337,  481,  482,488. 

Rustic  work,  338—344. 

tables,  339—342. 

seats,  338— 343. 

flower-stands,  340 — 344. 


Schwerinia  superba,  137, 
Seats,  rustic,  338—343. 
Shipwreck,  483. 
Solandra  lavis,  88. 
Staking  trees,  51. 
Stands  for  flowers,  456. 
Statices,  wild,  368. 
Steriphoma  paradoxum,  179. 
Summer  houses,  449,  450. 
Sweet  pea,  565. 

Tables,  rustic,  339—342. 
Thibaudia      pinchinchensis      var, 

glabra,  36. 
Thrift,  368,  470. 
Thunbergia  alata,  127. 
Trefoils,  wild,  369. 
Trichomanes  radicans,  550. 
radicans     var.     An- 


drewsii,  547. 
Tropseolum  umbellatum,  25 

Verbena,  ideal,  75. 

Wahlenbergia  hederacea,  286. 
Weed  pincers,  231. 

Zauschneria  californica,  420. 


CONTENTS. 


Abies  escelsa,  for  fences,  539. 

Absinthium  congestum,  295  ;  A,  gla- 
ciate, 295. 

Acacias,  culture  of,  468. 

Acacia  leptoneura,  91  ;  A.  oncino- 
phylla,  137;  A.  ixiophylla,  196; 
A.  viscidula,  197  j  A.  argyro- 
phylla,  370. 

Acclimatizing,  542. 

Achillea  alpina,  293 ;  A.  tomen- 
tosa,  293  ;  A.  erisfata,  293  ;  A. 
punctata,  293. 

Achimenes  ocellata,  159;  A.  rosea, 
var.violacea  Hoordiana,  269  ;  A. 
Candida,  524  ;  A.  atrosanguinea, 
525  ;  A.  misera,  525  ;  A.  longi- 
flora,  var.  macrantha,  556. 

Acropera  Batemanni,  557. 

Actinia,  or  sea  anemone,  421. 

Adonis  vernalis,  293  ;  A.  apennina, 
293;  A.  Hellehorus,  293. 

Adyseton  saxatile,  293. 

^^Sginetia  multiflora,  371. 

Aerides  odoratum,  substitute  for 
tea,  40. 

j^Cthiouema  membranaeeum,  293. 

Agalmyla  staminea,  28. 

Agapanthus,  culture  of,  Q5. 

Agaric,  phosphorescent,  573. 

Agricultural  schools,  199  ;  chemis- 
try, 493. 

Ajuga  bracteosa,  293  ;  A.  Lax- 
manni,  293  ;  A.  integrifolia,  293. 

Alchemilla  alpina,  293 ;  A.  argentea, 
293. 

Alder,  for  fences,  539. 

Alibrexia  rupicola,  241  ;  sugges- 
tions for  cultivating, 242. 

Allamandas,  culture  of,  202 ;  spe- 
cies of,  202. 

Allamanda viola cea,  94  ;  A.  Schot- 
tii,  130,  201  ;  A.  puberula,  var. 
Gardner!,  158. 

Alloplectus  concolor,  271 ;  A. 
eriocalyr,  271. 

Allotment  gardens,  management 
of,  9. 

Alnus  giutinosa,  for  fences,  539. 

Aloe,  American,  120. 

Alpine  strawberries,  culture  of,  as 
annuals,  336. 

Alpine  plants,  289  ;  culture  of,  289 ; 
in  pots,  289;  calendarial instruc- 
tions, 290 ;  selection  of,  des- 
cribed, 292. 

Alstromerias,  description  of,  319  ; 
culture  of,  320. 

Alstromeria  aurea,  486  ;  A.  hae- 
mantha,  var.  Simsiana,  486  ;  A. 
pulchella,  486  ;  A.  peregrin  a,  va"-. 
Errembaultii,  486 ;  A.  caryo- 
phyllaea,  489;  A.  Ligtii,  489; 
A.  peregrina,  489  ;  A.  pelegrina, 
489  ;  A.  peregrina,  var.  flore  alba. 
491;  A.  pulchra,  491  ;  A.  tricolor, 


Astriimeria,  (-continued :) 

492  ;  A.  Flos-Martini,  492  ;  A. 
pulchra,  var.  bicolor,  493 ;  A. 
Nielliana,  493. 

Alyssoides  tomentosa,  312. 

Alyssum  saxatile,  293  ;  A.  deltnide- 
um,  296  ;  A.  ciliatum,  299  ;  A. 
Besseri,  309  ;    A.  podoUcum,  309. 

Amaryllis,  culture  of,  458. 

Amaryllis  Atamasco,  487;  A.advena, 
487  ;  A.  advena,  var.  cerina,  491 ; 
A.  maranensis ,  487  ;  A.  regincB, 
487  ;  A.  minuta,  488  ;  A.  psitta- 
ci7ia,  489  ;  A.Solandrceflora,  489  ; 
A.  tuhispatha,  492;  A.  Ber- 
teri,  492. 

Amateurs,  hints  to,  478. 

American  Aloe,  320. 

Amygdalus  persiea  sanguinea  pie- 
no,  371. 

Anacharis  Alsinastrum,  139. 

Anacyclus  tomentosus,  294  ;  A.  pu- 
hesceiis,  294. 

Anchusa  rupestris,  304 ;  A,  echioides, 
556. 

Androsace  carnea,  293;  A.  Chamas- 
jasme,  293  ;  A.  lactea,  293  ;  A, 
sarmentosa,  294;  A.  villosa,  294  ; 
A.  villosa,  293 ;  A.  aciitifolia, 
293;  A.  Lehma7iniana,  293;  A. 
pauciflora,  294  ;  A.  lanuginosa, 
294  ;  A.  incana,  294  ;  A.capitata, 

294  ;   A.  alpina,  295  ;    A.  ciliata, 

295  :  A.  pubescens,  295  ;  A.  Are- 
tia,  295  ;  A.  diapensia,  295  ;  A. 
helvetica,  295  ;  A.  Vitaliana,  295  ; 
A.  Intea,  295  ;  A.farinosa,  HOT  ; 
A.  primuloides,  307. 

Andryala  aurea,  302. 

Angelique  Jamm  strawberry,  288. 

Angelonia  birsuta,  93;  A.  arguta, 

93  ;  A.  biflora,  93  ;  A.  bracteata, 

93  ;  A.  angustifolia,  410  ;  culture 

of,  411. 
Anemone  ranunculoides,  294  ;    A. 
flava,  294  ;  A.  luiea,  294  ;  A.  nemo- 

rosalutea,  29i; A. grcsnlandica,298. 
Annuals,  hardy,  374. 
Anonymus  erecta,  301. 
Anopterus  glandulosa,  322. 
Antennaria  dioica,  294  ;  A.  alpina, 

294. 
Anthemis  tomentosa,   294  ;  A.  pu- 
bescens, 294. 
Anthyllis  erinacea,  294 ;  A.  mon- 

tana,  294. 
Antiaris  toxicaria,  the  poison  tree,  ' 

233. 
Antiphylla  coerulea,  309. 
Antirrhinum  Asarina,  294;  A.  al- 

pinum,  303  ]  A.  pubescens,    303  ; 

A.  snpinum,  303  ;  A.  iriste,  303 ; 

A.  aruginetcm ,  303. 
Apargia  aurea,  302;  A.  alpina,  303  ; 

A.  pyrenaica,  303. 


Aphelandra  longiscapa,  322. 

Aphides,  to  destroy,  43. 

Aphorisms,  garden,  478. 

Apple  trees,  standard,  training, 
240  ;  in  pots,  381  ;  for  fences, 
539. 

Apples,  the  best,  188. 

April,  gardening  memoranda  for, 
189. 

Aquilegia  alpina,  294 ;  A.  cana- 
densis, 294  ;  A.  elegans,  294  ; 
A.  variegata,  294  ;  A.  leptoceras, 
294;  A.  glandulosa,  488. 

Arabis  albida,  295  ;  A.  undulata, 
295  ;  A.  caitcasica,  295  ;  A.  lep- 
tocarpiBa,  295. 

Arboretum,  formation  of,  55  ;  trees 
and  shrubs  for,  55. 

Architecture,  garden,  449. 

Areca  Catechu,  99. 

Arenaria  balearica,  295  ;  A.  nuiscc- 
ides,  295. 

Aretia  alpina,  295  ;  A.  Halleri,  293; 
A.  ciliata,  295 ;  A.  pubescens, 
295  ;  A.  helvetica,  295 ;  A.  bry- 
oides,  295;  A.  Vitaliana,  295; 
A.  rugosa,  295. 

Argemone  mexicana,  medical  pro- 
perties of,  570. 

Arisaema  Murrayi,  424. 

Aristolochia  aiiguicida,  157. 

Armeria  alpina,  295  ;  A.  maritima, 
470. 

Arnebia  echioides,  556. 

Arnica  BelUdiastrum,  296. 

Arpophyllum  giganteum,  272. 

Artemisia  glacialis,  295. 

Arthrostemma  fragile,  90. 

Athyrium  Filix-femina,  and  its 
varieties,  550. 

Arum  Murrayi,  424. 

Asarina  cordifolia,  294 ;  A.  proctim- 

bens,  294. 
Asarum  virginicum,  295. 
Asparagus,   wild,   368 ;    blanching, 

476. 
Asperula  alpina,  295;  A.  cynanchica, 

295  ;   A.  ciliata,  298. 
Aster   alpinus,    295 ;    A.   hirsutus, 

295  ;  A.  obovatus,  295 ;  A.  BelU- 
diastrum, 296. 

Asteroccphalus  Columbaria,  309. 
Astragalus  leontinus,  296  ;  A.  Tra- 
gacantha,    296  ;     A.  massiliensis, 

296  ;  A.  aristatus,  296;  A.nralen- 
sis,  296  ;  A.  velutinus,  296 ;  A. 
alpinus,  305  ;  A.  minimus,  305 ; 
A.  montanus,  305. 

Astrantia  minor,  296 ;  A.  digilata, 

296  ;  A.  Epipactis,  301. 
Auriculas,  the  best  varieties,  23. 
Auricula  ursi,  307. 
Aubretia  deltoidea,   296 ;   A,  flori 

bunda,  296. 
Autumn  radishes,  418. 
d 


CONTENTS. 


Azalea   indica,  the   best  varieties, 

24  ;  culture  of,  44,  •532. 
Azalea  procumbeiis,  296. 

Batiana,  culture  of,  14  ;  descriptive 

list  of,  19. 
Ballota  pseudo-dictamnus,  296. 
Balsam,  cultivation   of,   275  ;  pro- 
perties of,  275. 
Banksias,  culture  of,  447. 
Banyan  tree,  habit  of,  336. 
Barha-jovis  montana,  294. 
Barberry,  for  fences,  540. 
Barkeria  Skinneri,  var.  major,  28. 
Bartsla  pallida,  297. 
Baskets  for  flowers  on  lawns,  376. 
Bastard  iron-wood  of  New  Zealand, 

270. 
Batscliia  canescens,  425  ;  B.  conspi- 

cua,  425. 
Beans,  culture  of,  166, 
Bee-keeping,  176. 
Ikecli,  for  fences,  538. 
Bret,  culture  of,  165. 
Bejaria  ledifolia,  107  ;   B.  sestuans, 

158,  315;  B.  coarctata,  197;  B. 

cinnamomea,  197. 
Bellidiastrum    Michelii,     296 ;    B. 

montanum,  296. 
Bellis  sylvestris,  296. 
Bellium  minutum,  296. 
Berberis,    evergreen  species,    their 

management,    318;    B.    vulgaris 

for  fenceSj  540. 
Beri7igeria  pseudo-dictamnus,  296. 
Bernoullia  montana,  310. 
Betel-nut  palm,  99. 
Black  Prince  Hamburgh  grape,  527. 
Blue  -bell,  poetical  associations,  517. 
Blussard  Noir  grape,  527. 
Bolbophyllum  hirtum,  27. 
Borneo,  vegetation  of,  233. 
Botanical  distinctions,  431. 
Botanical    Magazine,    new    series, 

review  of,  232  ;  new  plants  pub- 
lished in,  in  1845,  232;  in  1846, 

232  ;  in  1847,  233. 
Botany  of  the  Lizard,  361. 
Bouquets,  Italian,  500. 
Bouvardia    Cavanillesii,    371;     B. 

multiflora,  371. 
Bowmannia  speciosa,  91. 
Box  edgings,  397. 
Box  thorn  for  fences,  538. 
Bracken,  uses  of,  553. 
Brazil,  vegetation  of.  111,  568. 
Bristle  fern,  549. 
British  ferns,    547 ;  Handbook   of, 

review  of,  548. 
British  orchids,  128. 
Browallia  speciosa,  26. 
Buckthorn  for  fences,  540. 
Budding  rose  stocks,  419;  different 

kinds  on  one  stock,  474. 
Buildings,  rustic,  337. 
Burlingtonia  fragrans.  271. 
Burtonia  pulchella,  425  ;  B.  villosa, 

555. 
Buy  nothing  in  a  hurry,  373. 

Cabbage  palm,  384. 

Cabbage  root  maggot,  43.        « 

Cabbage    tribe,    culture    of,    164 ; 

saving   for   seed,   476 ;     rearing 

from  sprouts,  476. 
Cacti,  culture  of,  513. 
Calamintha   rupeslria,  308  ;    C.  tliy- 

mi/olia,  308. 


Calceolarias,  the  best  varieties,  24  ; 

culture  of,  533. 
Calceolaria  Fothergillii,  296. 
California,  vegetation  of,  344 ;  new 

plants  from,  355. 
Callianthemum  coriandrifoUum,  308  ; 

C.     riittjB folium,     308. 
Calliopia  aurea,  302. 
Camellias,  the  best  varieties,  24; 

culture  of,  76,  532  ;  treatment  of 

young  plants,  76  ;  inarching,  78  ; 

grafting,  78  ;  cuttings,  79  ;  treat- 
ment   of  lai  ge   plants,   80  ;    the 

camellia  house,  81  ;    calendarial 

directions,  82  ;  properties  of,  86  ; 

select  varieties,  86. 
Camelliajaponica,  var.  Storeyi,  195; 

var.  Leda  alba,  269  ;    var.  cary- 

ophylloides,  270. 
Campanula  caespitosa,  296  ;  C.  y/n- 

iirrhinum,  297  ;  C.  Bellardi,  297 

C.  pumila,  297;   C.  uniflora,  297 

C.  fragilis,  297  ;  C.  Cavolini,  297 

C.  cochlearifolia,   297  ;    C.  crassi- 
folia,  297  ;  C.  pulla,  297  ;  C.  gar- 

ganica,   297;     C.    Elatine,   297; 

C.  graminifolia,  313. 
Cantua   dependens,    271,   277;    C. 

tomentosa,  271  ;  C.  buxifolia,  271 ; 

C,  pyrifolia,   27 1  ;    C.  peruviana, 

271 ;  C  loxensis,  271  ;  C.flexuosa, 

271 ;   C.  Ucolor,  278. 
Capnoides  nohiUs,  298. 
Capnorchis  spectabilis,  299. 
Capsicums  and  Chilies,  culture  of, 

425. 
Cardamine  trifolia,  297. 
Carnations,  the  best  varieties,  23. 
Carrot,  culture  of,  165. 
Caryophyllata  montana,  310. 
Caryophyllus    deltoideus,    299 ;     C. 

superbus,  299. 
Casselia  integrifolia,  239. 
Castille  japallida,  297  ;    C,  septen- 

trionalis,  297. 
Caterpillars  on  Gooseberry  bushes, 

to  destroy,  240. 
Cattleya  sphenophora,    270,    273  ; 

culture  of,  274  ;  C.  lobata,  372. 
Cauliflower  plants,  protecting,  333. 
Cedronella  cordata,  297. 
Ccrastium   tomentosum,    297 ;    C. 

ColumneB,  297. 
Ceratostema  longiflorum,  137,  155. 
Cerbera  Tanghien,  443. 
Cereus,  culture  of,  534. 
Cerinthe  alpina,  297  ;   C.  maculata, 

297  ;   C.  orientalis,  305. 
Chasnestes  lanceolata,  26. 
Chaixia  Myconi,  308. 
Chamacistus  serpilUfolius,  296. 
Chamaledon  procumbens,  296. 
Cheiranthus  alpinus,  297  ;  C.  mollis, 

295;  C.  ochroleucus,  297  ;  C.  de- 

cumbens,  297  ;   C.  dubius,  297. 
Chemistry,  a  few  remarks  on,  394  ; 

agricultural     and     horticultural, 

493. 
Chilies,  culture  of,  425. 
Chimaphila  maculata,  297  ;  C.  um- 

bellata,  297  ;    C.  conjmbosa,  298. 
Chirita  Moonii,  555. 
Chondrosea  pyramidalis,  309. 
Chlorasa  fimbiiata,  372. 
Chorisia  speciosa,  94. 
Chorozema,  culture  of,  421,  533  ; 

the  best  kinds,  421. 


Chresta  sphserocephala,  ^Z  ;  C. 
pycnocephala,  94. 

Chrysa  borealis,  298. 

Chrysanthemums,  culture  of,  1  ; 
as  herbaceous  plants,  2  ;  as,  dwarf 
plants  in  borders,  2  ;  in  pots  as 
dwarf  flowering  plants,  3  ;  dwarf- 
ing large  specimens,  4  ;  showing 
cut  blooms,  5  ;  properties,  6  ;  a 
few  of  the  best  sorts,  6  ;  calen- 
darial instructions,  7  ;  the  best 
varieties,  24  ;  Mr.  Munro's  me- 
thod of  cultivating,  239. 

Chrysanthemum  alpinum,  308. 

Chrysion  biflorum,  312. 

Cinerarias,  the  best  varieties,  24  j 
culture  of,  533. 

Cineraria  populifolia,  490. 

Cilharexylon  perforatum,  270. 

Citrus  japonica,  371. 

Claytoiiia  virgiiiica,  298. 

Clematis  tubulosa,  92  ;  C.  indivisa, 
var.  lobata,  525  ;  C.  integrifolia^ 
525. 

Clerodendron  scandens,  136;  C. 
cjpitat'im,  137;  C.  Bethunea- 
num,  237. 

Clusia  fragrans,  92. 

Cochlearia  grsenlandica,  298 ;  C. 
acaulis,  303  ;   C.  pusilla,  303. 

Coelogyne  brunnea,  137. 

Colonization,  remarks  on,  390. 

Columbaria  rubella,  309. 

Colutea  astragalina,  305. 

Commercial  productions  ofBorneOy 
234. 

Comrnilobium  polygalaEflorum,94  ; 
medical  properties  of,  571. 

Compte  de  Paris  strawberry,  288. 

Coniferous  trees,  33. 

Conradia  floribunda,  322. 

Conservatory,  temperature  of:  Janu- 
ary, 25  ;  February,  87  ;  March, 
119;  April,  190;  May,  204; 
June,  275;  July,  318;  August, 
358  ;  September,  393  ;  October, 
456  ;  November,  506 ;  December, 
541. 

Continental  Gardens,  497. 

Convallaria  bifolia,  298  ;  C.  quad- 
rifida,  298. 

Convolvulus  Soldanella,  366. 

Coptis  trifolia,  298. 

Coris  monspeliensis,  298. 

Cornus  canadensis,  298. 

Corrigiola  littoralis,  365. 

Cortusa  Matthioli,  298. 

Corj'anthes  Fieldingii,  89  ;  C.  AI- 
bertinse,  134,  157 ;  culture  of, 
135;  C.  maculata,  492. 

Corydalis  nobilis,  298  ;  C.  specta- 
bilis,  299. 

Corynocarpus  laevigata,  322. 

Cottage  gardening,  162;  calen- 
darial instructions,  168. 

Cotyledon  rupestris,  312;  C.um- 
bilicata,  312. 

Crassula,  culture  of,  534. 

Crassula  lactea,  487. 

Crepis  aurea,  302. 

Crucianella  stylosa,  298. 

Cucubalus  acaulis,  SIO  ;  C.muscosus, 
310;   C.  Saxifragus,  310. 

Cucumbers,  frame — open  air,  377  ; 
impregnation  of,  477. 

Cuckoo,  description  of,  184. 

Cumbula,  472. 


CONTENTS. 


Cunila  capitata,  313. 
Cuphea  silenoid.es,  195. 
Curiosities  of  Vegetable  Kingdom, 

443. 
Cixscuta  californica,   195  ;    C.  Epi- 

thymum,  365. 
Cyclamen  Coum,  298  ;  C,  neapoli- 

tanutn,     298  ;     C.    Iiederesfolium, 

298  ;  C.  autumnale,  298  ;  C. 
europaum,  298. 

Cydonia  japonica,  383. 
Cymbidium  eburneum,  28. 
Cypella,  culture  of,  14  ;  description 

of,  20. 
Cypripedium  Lowei,  28. 
Cyrtandra  staini7iea,  29. 
Cyrtantlius  striatus,   488  ;    C.  an- 

gustifolius,  488. 
Cytisus  racemosus,  491. 

Dahlia,  and  its  progress,  12;  new 
flowers  of  1847,  13;  the  best 
varieties,  23 ;  estimate  of  best 
varieties,  358  ; 

Daisy,  garden,  culture  of,  320 ; 
poetic  associations,  515. 

Dammar,  233. 

Daphne  Fortuni,  48  ;  D.  indica 
odorata,  culture  of,  67. 

Day  in  the  woods,  252. 

Deep  planting,  effects  of,  191. 

Dendrobium  tortile,  28. 

Dianthus  alpinus,  298  ;  D.  deltoi- 
deus,  299  ;  D.  crenatus,  299  ; 
Z).  supwu.t,  299 ;  D.  superbus, 
299;  D.  fimbriatus,  299 ;  D.mul- 
tifidus,  299  ;   D.  plumarius,  299. 

Diapensia  lapponica,  299  ;  D.  hel- 
vetica, 295  ;   D.  obtusifolia,  299. 

Didymocarpus  Rexii,  108. 

Dieiytra  spectabilis,  299,  385. 

Digitalis  minor,  299. 

Dipladenia  nobilis,  28  ;  culture  of, 
95  ;  D.  tenuifolia,  94. 

Dondia  Epipactis,  301. 

Doronicum  Bellidiastrum,  296. 

Double  Stocks,  377. 

Draba  aizoides,  299  ;  D.  alpina, 
299,  302;  D.  ciliaris,  299;  D. 
monlana,  299  ;  D.  uraleiisia,  309. 

Dracocephalum  altaiense,  299  ;  D. 
cordatum,  297  ;  D.  grandiflorum, 

299  ;  D.  botry aides,  299. 
Draining,    506;     depth    of  drains, 

507  ;  arrangement,  508 ;  pro- 
cess, 508  ;  materials  for,  509  ; 
tools  required,  511. 

Drain  tiles,  509. 

Dryas  octopetala,  299. 

Drypis  spinosa,  299. 

Duranta  Fischeri,  269. 

Echinocactus  chloropthalmus,  271. 

Echioides  paluitris,  304. 

Echium  Mertensii,  299  ;  E  albi- 
cans, 299. 

Edgings,  box,  397. 

Edraiantlius  graminifollus,  3 1 3. 

Elder  for  fences,  540, 

Elementary  substances  of  vege- 
tables, 394. 

Emigration,  remarks  on,  390. 

Empetrum  nigrum,  299. 

Epacris,  culture  of,  533. 

Epacris  WiJlmoreana,  197;  E.  im- 
pressa,  486. 

Epidendrum  urabellatum,  490 ;  E. 


difforvie,  490 ;  E.  corymbosum, 
490;    E.  nutans,  492. 

Epimedium  macranthum,  300  ; 
E.'  violaceum,  300  ;  E.  grandi- 
florum, 300  ;   E.  colchicum,  27. 

Epiphyllum,  culture  of,  534. 

Episcia  bicolor,  425,  467,  culture 
of,  468. 

Equisetums,  gigantic,  574. 

Eranthemum  coccineum,  322, 

Eranthis  sibiricus,  300. 

Eria  leucostachya,  90. 

Erica,  culture  of,  533. 

Ericacetum,  formation  of,  53, 

Ericala  alpina,  301  ;  E.  verna,  301. 

Ericas,  at  the  Lizard,  366. 

Erigeron  alpinum,  300. 

Krinus  alpinus,  300  ;  E.  hispanicus, 
300. 

Eriostemon  neriifolium,  269. 

Eritrichium  nanum,  304  ;  E.  rupes- 
tre,  304. 

Erpetion  reniformis,  300 ;  E.  he- 
deracea,  300. 

Eryngium  maritimum,  366. 

Erysimum  ochroleucum,  297. 

Erytliorhixa  rotiindifoUa,  300. 

Esculents  of  Van  Diemen's  Land, 
446. 

Estates,  dilapidated,  464. 

Estates,rural,  improvements  of,  433. 

Eugenia  Moritziana,  159,  190. 

Euonymus  fimbriatus,  269. 

Every  Man  his  own  Gardener,  re- 
view of,  185. 

Euphorbia  veneta,  300  ;  E.  jacqui- 
niasfolia,  379. 

Eurythalia  sepiemfida,  301. 

Evening  primrose,  poetic  associa- 
tions, 519. 

Evergreens,  advantage  of  planting, 
372. 

Exacum  tetragonum,  var.bicolor,26. 

Fagus  sylvatica  for  fences,  538, 

Farsetia  deltoidea,  296, 

February,  gardening  memoranda 
for,  87. 

Fecundation  of  vegetables,  41. 

Ferns,  British,  Handbook  of,  re- 
view of,  548, 

Ferns,  hardy,  culture  of,  547 ;  select, 
555, 

Ficus  indica,  336, 

Field  flowers,  poetical  associations, 
516, 

Fig-trees,  management  in  the  open 
air,  238, 

Floriculture,  interests  of,  414  ;  pro- 
gress of,  544, 

Florist's  flowers,  the  best  varieties 
of,  23  ;  review  of  the  past  and 
present  condition  of,  as  to  their 
ideal  properties,  242, 

Flower-garden,  the  lady's,  374, 

Flower-garden  of  the  ])oets,  514, 
558; daisy,  515;  snow- 
drop, 515  ;  primrose,  516  ;  heath, 
516  ;  lily  of  the  valley,  516; 
tulip,  517;  fleld  flowers,  517; 
blue-bell,  517  ;  forget-me-not, 
518;  rose,  518;  myrtle,  518; 
sunflower,  519;  evening  prim- 
rose, 519  ;  harebell,  519  ;  ivy,  519. 

Flower-lists,  select,  4oO. 

Flowers  of  Borneo,  236. 

Flower- stands,  ornamental,  456. 


Flowers  in  baskets  on  Tawns,  376. 

Flowers,  the  standards  of,  450. 

.Food  for  the  people,  197  ;  of  plants, 
compounds  of,  394,  413. 

Forcing  plants,  principles  of,  316  ; 
of  grapes,  413. 

Forest  Trees  of  Britain,  (Johns,)  re- 
view of,  31. 

Forget-me-not,  poetical  associa- 
tions, 517. 

Fountain,  simple  method  of  mak- 
ing, 39. 

Fragaria  alba,  307;  F.  aurea,  307. 

Frankenia  corymbosa,  300  ;  F,  re- 
vobita,  300. 

French  weed-pincers,  231, 

Frogbit,  culture  and  description  of, 

-    356. 

Fruit,  thinning  of,  383. 

Fruit-tree  walls,  cheap,  40, 

Fruit  trees,  seedling,  43  ;  forcing 
of,  317. 

Fuchsia  spectabilis,  268  ;  F.  lox- 
ensis,  285. 

Fuchsias,  the  best  varieties,  23 ; 
the  perfection  of,  523. 

Fumaria  nobilis,  298 ;  F,  saliva, 
298  ;  F.  spectabilis,  299. 

Furze,  the  species  of,  109. 

Gain  de  Montreuil  peach,  2S8. 

Galanthus  plicatus  for  greenhouse 
decoration,  143, 

Galax  aphylla,  300  ;  G.  rotundifolia, 
300, 

Galeandra  Devonlana,  486, 

Garden  architecture,  449 ;  allot- 
ments, 9,  163  ;  aphorisms,  478. 

Garden  establishments,  v.ords  to 
the  owners  of,  254, 

Garden  stakes,  colour  for,  42, 

Gardeners,  titled,  511. 

Gardens,  impiovement  of,  433  ; 
continental,  497. 

Gardens,  suburban,  204;  plants  for, 
207  ;  calendarial  instructions, 
214  ;  geometrical,  204  ;  un- 
drained,  381. 

Gardening,  progress  of,  484. 

Gardening  for  children,  563. 

Gardening  for  cottagers,  162  ;  cal- 
endarial instructions,  168 ;  bee- 
keeping, 176;  poultry  keeping, 
177;  pig-keeping,  178, 

Gardening  memoranda  for  January, 
24;  February,  87;  March,  118; 
April,  189  ;  May,  203  ;  June, 
274;  July,  317;  August,  357; 
Septetnber,  392  ;  October,  455  ; 
November,  506  ;  December,  540. 

Gardenia  nitida,  27,  29  ;  culture 
of,  30. 

Gardening  produces  pleasure,  why, 
400. 

Gas-tar  walks,  144. 

Gastronema  sanguineum,  524. 

Geissorhiza,  culture  of,  descriptive 
list  of,  20. 

Genera,  species,  and  hybrids,  455. 

Genista  anglic;i,  300  ;  G.  minor, 
301  ;  G.  bracteolata,  490. 

Gentiana  alpina,  301  ;  G.  excisa, 
301  ;  G.  fimbriata,  301  ;  G.  ci- 
liata,  301  ;  G.  verna,  301,  4S7  ; 
G.  verna,  var.  alba,  301  ;  G.  sep- 
temfidii,  301 ,  489  ;  G.  asclepi  idea, 
490 ;  G.  macrophylla,  490  ;   G, 


CONTENTS. 


Gentiana,  (continued  :) 

acaulis,  491  ;  G.  saponaria,  491  ; 
G.septemfida,  vav.  punctata,  492. 

Gentianella  fimbriata^  301. 

Geology  of  the  Lizard,  361. 

Geometrical  gardens,  204. 

Geranium  argenteum,  300  ;  G.  san- 
guineum,  300. 

Geranium :  see  Pelargonium. 

Gesnera  triflora,  26  ;  G.  pardina, 
91;  G.  breviflora,  195;  G.  liba- 
ncnsis,  322,  325. 

Geum  chamcBdrifoHum,  299  ;  G.  mon- 
tanum,  310. 

Glechoma  grandiflora,  311. 

Glenny  on  the  chrysanthemum,  1  ; 
camellia,  76;  hollyhock,  122;  pelar- 
gonium, 145;  rhododendron,  216. 

Glenny's  Garden  Almanac  (184S), 
review  of,  37;   (1849),  575. 

Globu'aria  vulgaris,  301. 

Gloxinia  Teiclileri,  272. 

GmeJina  Rheedii,  472. 

Gna-plialium  alplnum,  294  ;  G.  dioi- 
cum,  294. 

Goldfussia  isophylla,  195. 

Gomphrena  officinalis,  94,  472. 

Gooseberry,  its  properties,  culture, 
and  management,  180  ;  prize  va- 
rieties, ISO  ;  pruning,  183  ;  thin- 
ning fruit,  183;  as  standard  trees, 
183^  raising  seedlings,  183;  to 
destroy  caterpillars  on,  240? 

Grafting  pelargoniums,  S79 ;  dif- 
ferent kinds  on  one  stock,  474. 

Granadilla,  culture  of,  477. 

Grapes,  new,  42,  527  ;  mildew,  141. 

Gratiola  aurea,  301. 

Greenhouse  orchids,  culture  of,  278; 
selection  of,  281. 

Greenhouse,  temperature  of,  Jan- 
uary, 24  ;  February,  87  ;  March, 
.  119;  April,  190;  May,204;  June, 
275;  July,  3 18;  August,  35 8;  Sep- 
tember, 393  ;  October,  456  ;  No- 
vember, 506 ;  December,  541. 

Greenhouses,  economical,  41  ; 
spring-flowering  bulbs  for,  142. 

Greenhouses,  management  of,  530  ; 
soils  required,  530;  choice  of 
plants,  531  ;  temperature,  531  ; 
watering,  532  ;  stages,  532; 
general  rules,  534. 

Gregoria  Vitaliana,  295. 

Grischowia  hirta,  136. 

Grislea  tomentosa,  496. 

Gros  Groinier  du  Cantal  grape,  527. 

Guano,  adulteration  of,  575. 

Gutta  percha  tiee,  73. 

Gypsophila  prostrata,  301  ;  G.  the- 
siifolia,  301. 

Gijromia  virginica,  304. 

Habranthus  hesperius,  var.  advena, 
-   487  ;  H.  hesperius,  var.  miniatus, 

490  ;  H.  Bagnoldianus,  490  ;  H. 

hesperius,  var.  pallida,  491 ;  H. 

versicolor,  491  ;  H.  Andersonia- 

nus,  491 ;  H.  robustus,  492. 
Hacquetia  Epipactis,  301. 
Hakeae  Victorias,  95.  » 

Harebell,  poetical  associations,  5  1 9. 
Hartweg's    Mission  to   California; 

344  ;  new  plant?  obtained,  355. 
Hawthorn,  large,  41. 
Heath,  poetic  associations,  516. 
Hedyotis  ccerulea,  301. 


Hedypnois  pyrenaica,  303. 

Helianthemums,  culture  of,  410; 
descriptive  list  of,  401 ; 

Helianthemum  cupreum,  301 ;  H. 
grandiflorum,  301 ;  H.  polifolium, 
526. 

Heliotrope,  to  dwarf  for  beds,  375. 

Helleborus  odorus,  302  ;  H.  trifo- 
lius,  298;  II.  trilobus,  298;  H. 
pumilus,  298 ;  H.  sibiricus,  SOO. 

Herbs,  culture  of,  167. 

Hesperantha,  culture  of,  14;  de- 
scriptive list  of^  20. 

Hibiscus  splendens,  192 ;  H.  Tel- 
fairiae,  493  ;  H.  ferox,  526. 

Hieracium  angustifolium,  302  ; 
H.Juricula,  302;  II.glaciale,302. 
H.  aureum,  302. 

Hints  to  amateurs,  478. 

Hippeastrum  stylosum,  487  ;  H.re- 
gium,  487  ;  H.  psittacinum,  489  ; 
H.  Solandriflorum,489. 

Hippion  alpinum,  301  ;  H.  vernum, 
301. 

Hippocrepis  helvetica,  302. 

liirculus  hieraciuides,  309  ;  H.  pro- 
pinquus,  309. 

Hollies,  planting,  143. 

Hollyhock,  culture  of,  122  ;  soil 
and  situation,  122  ;  planting,  123; 
blooming,  123  ;  treatment  after 
blooming,  123  ;  propagation,  124; 
properties,  125;  calendarial  in- 
structions, 126. 

Horminara  pyrenaicum,  302. 

Horticultural  literature:  Hamilton 
on  the  Pine,  Vine,  and  Cucum- 
ber, 45 ;  Every  Lady  her  own 
Gardener,  46 ;  Tlie  Gooseberry 
Register,  46 ;  The  Rose  Aina- 
teur's  Guide,  46;  Gardener's 
Monthly  volume,  tlie  Dahlia,  47; 
Roberts  on  the  Vine,  47 ;  The 
Muck  Manual,  47 ;  Glenny's 
Properties  of  Flowers,  48;  Moore 
on  the  Cucvimber,  132 ;  Botani- 
cal Looker-out,  132;  Companion 
to  Gardener's  Almanac,  133 
The  Forester,  (Brown),  133 
Gray's  Manual  of  Fruits,  133 
Smith  on  the  Peach,  133.  See 
also  Reviews. 

Horticultural  schools,  199 ;  che- 
mistry, 493. 

Horticulture,  influences  of,  246. 

Hosackia  bicolor,  302. 

Houstonia  cegrulea,  301  ;  //.  gran- 
diflora, 301  ;  H.  Linnai,  301.. 

Hoya  cinnamomifolia,  91  ;  H.  im- 
perialis,  457  ;  H.  bella,  524. 

Hugelia  lanata,  90. 

Hutchinsia  alpina,  302  :  H.  rotun- 
difolia,  302. 

Hyacinths,  the  best  varieties,  23. 

Hybrid  vegetables,  the  production 

of,  334. 
Hybridizing,  68,  455. 

Hydrocharis   Morsus-ranse,  356. 

Hypericum  elegans,  302  ;  H.  anagal- 
lidifolium,  302 ;  H.  Kohlianum, 
302  ;  H.  putchrum,  302. 

Hypocyrta  glabra,  91. 

Iberis  gibraltarica,  302  ;  I.  Teno- 
reana,  302  ;  I.  dentata,  302  ; 
/.  speciosa,  302  ;  /.  Tenorii,  302  ; 
/.  sepafolid,  302  ;    /.  pilosa,  302. 


Imhuzeiro,  384. 

Impatiens  repens,  523. 

Indian -Islands,  vegetation  of,  26L 

lonopsidium  acaule,  302. 

Ipomssa  hirsutissima,  94. 

Isonandra  Gutta,  73,  158. 

Italian  Bouquets,  500. 

Ivy,  poetical  associations,  519. 

Ixia  and  allied  plants,  culture  of, 
14  :  in  the  greenhouse,  15  ;  in 
frames  and  pits,  16  ;  in  protected 
beds,  16;  raising  from  seeds  and 
offsets,  17 ;  select  descriptive 
list,  18. 

Ixora  javanaca,  92;  I.  lanceolaria, 
525. 

Jahuticaha,  384. 

January,  gardening  memoranda  for, 

24. 
Jasione  perennis,  303  ;  /.  lavis,  303. 
Jatropha  podagrica,  321. 
Jeffersonia  diphylla,  303  ;    J.  Bar- 

tonis,  303. 
Johns  on  the  Forest  Trees  of  Britain, 

31  ;  on  Native  Trees  ;  or,  a  Day  in 

the  Woods,  252  ;    on  the  Botany 

and  Geology  of  the  Lizard,  361  ; 

Gardening  for  Children,  563. 
Johnson's  Principles  of  Gardening, 

review  of,  326. 
Justicia   parasitica,  29  ;    J.    longi- 

racemosa,  322. 
Karaka  of  New  Zealand,  322. 
Keilmey era  rosea,  94. 
KewGardensin  1837,&  in  1847,100. 

Lachenalias  for  greenhouse  decora- 
tion, 142. 

Lady  Fern,  550. 

Lady's  flower  garden,  374. 

Laminaria  saccharina,  422. 

Landscape  gardening,  compendium 
of,  186;  remarks  on  as  regards 
the  improvement  of  parks,  gar- 
dens, and  estates,  433  ;  general 
rules,  433  ;  the  best  trees  should 
be  saved ;  436 ;  working  of  a 
ground  plan,  437  ;  forming  roads, 
438  ;  planting,  440  ;  the  flower 
garden,  442 ;  buildings  and 
offices,  442. 

Larch,  for  fences,  538. 

Larix  europsea,  for  fences,  538. 

Lavanxia  mutica,  305. 

Lawns,  formation  of,  49 ;  grasses 
for,  50  ;  baskets  for  flowers,  on, 
376. 

Laxmannia  fasciculata,  298. 

Lemon  trees,  culture  of,  GQ. 

Leontodon  squamosus,  303 ;  L. 
aureus,  302 ;  L.  nlpinus,  303  ;  L. 
pyrenaicus,  303. 

Lepia  membranacea,  293. 

Lepidium  alpiyium,  302;  L.  Halleri, 
302;  L.  rotundifolium,  302;  L. 
violifornie,  303. 

Leptotes  bicolor,  272. 

Leucanihemum  alpinum,  308. 

Leuchtenbergiaprincipis,  472,  512 ; 
culture  of,  513. 

Lily  of  the  valley,  poetic  associa- 
tions, 516. 

Lime,  use  of,  in  a  garden,  520. 

Limodorum  callosum,  321. 

Limonium  reticulatum,  311;  L. 
sinuatum,  311. 


CONTENTS. 


Linaria    alpina,    303 ;    L.    pilosa, 

303 ;     L.    puhescems,      303  ;    L. 

supina,  303  ;  L.  tristis,  303. 
Linnsea  borealis,  303. 
Linum  austriacum,  303  ;  L.  angusti- 

Jolium,  303  ;   L.  flavum,  303. 
Liparis  ferruginea,  137. 
Liquid  manure,  39. 
Lithospermum  graminifolium,  303 ; 

L.fruticosum,  304  ;  L.  canescens, 

424 ;    L.   conspicuum,    425  ;     L. 

erectiim,  556. 
Lizard,  the,  geology  and  botany  of, 

361. 
Lobelia  Cavanillesii,  490  ;    L.  per- 

sicifolia,  490. 
Loiseleuria  procumhens,  296. 
Lonicera  angustifolia,  371. 
Lotus  corniculatus  flore-pleno,  304 ; 

L.  pinnatus,  302. 
Lupinus  affinis,  524. 
Lychnis   alpina,  304  ;    L.  acaulis, 

310;  L.  alpestris,  310;  L.  quad- 

rifida,  310;    L.  pusilla,  Z\Q  ;    L. 

saxifraga,  310. 
Lycium  europseura  for  fences,  538. 
Lycopsis  echioides,  556. 
Lycoris  straminea,  90. 

Madagascar,  poison  tree  of,  443. 
Mahonias,  selection  of,  318  ;  culture 

of,  318. 
Maianthemum     hifolium,     298 ;    M. 

Convallaria,  298  ;  M.  cordifulium, 

298. 
Maid  of  Malines  peach,  288. 
Mamniillaria  clava,  158. 
Marcetia  decussatn,-  487. 
March,  gardening  memoranda  for, 

118. 
Margarita  Bellidiastrum,  296. 
Marrubium  pseudo-dictamnus,  296. 
Martynia  lanceolata,  556. 
Matricaria  alpina,  308. 
Meconopsis  cambrictim,  304. 
Medeola  virginica,  304. 
Melastoma  elseagnoides,  370. 
Melissa  pyrenaica,  302. 
Melons,  Persian,  culture  of  330. 
Merretia  lucida,  322. 
Mesembryanthemums,    culture    of, 

332. 
Metternichiaprinceps,  193  ;  culture 

of,  194. 
Metrosideros  robusta,  523,  541. 
Miconia  urophylla,  323. 
Mildew  on  grapes,  141. 
Milkwort,  culture  and  description 

of,  226. 
Miltonia  flava,  557. 
Mitchellia  repens,  30 1-. 
-Mitella  diphylla,  304. 
Mitraria  ccccinea,  425,  473  ;  culture 

of,  474. 
Mnemion  calcaratum,  313. 
Moehringia  muscosa,  304. 
Mcencliia  aizoides,  299. 
Mollucella fruticosa,    296. 
Monardella  undulata,  524. 
Monesis  grandiflora,  304. 
Moon's     supposed     influence     on 

vegetation,  37. 
Moss,  growing  plants  in,  474. 
Mountain    Ash,    account    of    the 

33. 
M'.ilgedium  macrorhizon,  30  K 
Mushrooms,  culture  of,  528. 


Mutisia  campanulata,  94;  M.  ilici- 
folia,  323,  327. 

Myconia  boraginea,  308  ;  M.  py- 
renaica, 308. 

Myoporum  laetum,  269. 

Myosotis  nana,  304  ;    M.  palustris, 

304  ;  M.  rupestris,  304  ;  M.  pau- 
ciflora,  304  ;  M.  perennis,  304. 

Myrtle,   culture   of,  119;    poetical 

associations,  518. 
Myrtus  robusta,  523,  542. 

Napoleona  imperialis,  424 ;  N.  Heu- 
delotii,  424. 

Natural  History,  instructing  chil- 
dren in,  412. 

Navarretia  atractyloides,  525. 

Neglected  plants  :  Agapanthus, 
Q5  ;  orange  and  lemon  trees,  66  ; 
Daphne  indica  odorata,  67  ;  myr- 
tle, 119  ;  Nerium  Oleander, 
120. 

Nemophila  maculata,  523,  529 ; 
N.  speciosa,  523,  529. 

Neottia  cinnabarina,  27. 

Nepenthes  RatHesiana,  237 ;  N. 
Hoekeriana,  238 ;  N.ampullacea, 
238  ;  N.  laevis,  557. 

Nepeta  pinnatifida,  299. 

Nerium  Oleander,  culture  of,  120. 

New  flowers  and  plants,  26,  89, 
136,  157,  194,  268,  321,  369, 
424,  472,  523,  555. 

New  grapes,  42,  527  :  Sahibee,  527 ; 
Olwer,  527  ;  Reeve's  Muscadine, 
527  ;  Gros  Gromier  dn  Cantal, 
527;  Blussard  Noir,  527  ;  Ver- 
dal,  527  ;  Nice  Black  Cluster, 
527  ;  Williams'  seedling,  527  ; 
Black  Prince  Hamburgh,  527. 

New  Holland,  climate  of,  557. 

New  peaches :  Maid  of  Malines, 
288  ;  Queen  of  Orchards,  288  ; 
Gain  de  Montreuil,  288. 

New  plants  from  Calilornia,  355. 

Newstrawberries:  Comptede  Paris, 
288  ;  Princesse  Royale,  288  ;  An- 
gelique  Jamin,  288. 

Nice  Black  Cluster  grape,  527. 

Nordmannia  cordifolia,  371,  471. 

Nymphaea  rubra,  333. 

Odontoglossum  Rossii,  4S8. 
CEnothern    acaulis,    304  ;     (E.   ta- 
raxacifolia,    305 ;     (E.   anisoloba, 

305  ;  ffi.  grandiflora,  305  ;  Q2. 
missourieusis,  305  ;  CE.  macro- 
carpa,  305. 

OidiumTuckeri,  142. 

Olvver  grape,  527. 

Oncidium  curturn,  27  ;  O.amictum, 
27  ;  O.  tenue,  90  ;  O.  Pinelli- 
anum,  90 ;  O.  phymatochilum, 
197 ;  O.  luridum,  var.  purpu- 
ratum,  197  ;  O.  Geertianum, 
269. 

Onion,  culture  of,  163. 

Onopordon  Acanthium,  357. 

Onosma  orientalis,  305  ;  O.  stellu- 
lata,  305  ;  0.  montana,  305  ;  0. 
taurica,  305. 

Orange  trees,  culture  of,  66  ;  Ota- 
heite,  144. 

Orchids,  British,  culture  and  de- 
scription of,  128. 

Orchids  for  house  decoration,  324. 

Orchid  house,  temperature  of,  Janu- 


ary, 25  ;  February,  87  ;  March, 
119;  April,  190;  May,  204; 
June,  275  ;  July,  318  ;  August, 
358  ;  September,  393  ;  October, 
456  ;  November,  506  ;  Decem- 
ber, 541. 

OrganMountains,vegetationof,114. 

Ornamental  woods  of  Borneo,  235. 

Ornamental  plantations,  51  ;  water, 
59  ;  plants  not  introduced,  93  ; 
flower  stands,  456. 

Ornaments,  rustic,  337. 

Orovtium  Asarina,  294. 

Orothamnus  Zeyheri,  158. 

Otaheite  orange,  144. 

Oxalis  Acetosella,  225  ;  properties 
of,  225;  culture  of,  226;  O. 
violacea,  305. 

Oxypetalum  solanoides,  196. 

Oxytropis  uralensis,  296. 

Padua,  Botanic  garden  of,  497. 
Peeonia  Moutan,  var.  atropurpxirea, 

371 ;  P.  M.  var.  salmonea,  371  ; 

P.  M.  globosa,  372. 
Palms,  products  of,  99  ;  culture  of, 

Q9  ;  betel-nut  palm,  99. 
Pansies,  the  best  varieties  of,  23. 
Pansy  and  its  progress,  110. 
Papaver  alpinum,  305  ;    P.  cambri- 

cum,  304  ;  P.  nudicaule,  305  ;  P. 

radicatum,  305. 
Paratoda  of  the  Brazilians,  473. 
Parks,  improvement  of,  433. 
Parnassia  palustris,  305,  393;  cul- 
ture of,  394  ;   P.  euroj>cea,  305  ; 

P.  vulgaris,  305 ;  P.  caroliniana, 

488. 
Parsnip,  culture  of,  165. 
Passiflora   quadrangularis;    culture 

of,  477  ;  P.  amabilis,  556. 
Pavetta  javanica,  92. 
Peach  trees,  training,  40 ;  raising 

new  varieties  of,  335. 
Peas,  culture  of,  166. 
Pears,  the  best,  188. 
Pelargoniums,  the  best  varieties,  24 ; 

culture   of,  145,534;  blooming, 

148;  growth  of  show  plants,  148  ; 

of  large  plants,  149  ;  propagating, 

150;  properties,  151 ;  calendarial 

instructions,  152;  useful  varieties, 

154;  grafting,  379. 
PeltopJioruvi  Vogelianum,  94. 
Penthorum  sedoides,  305. 
Pentstemon  lanceolatus,  267,  270  ; 

culture  of,  268;  P.  crassifolius, 

305. 
Peperomia  pallescens,  90. 
PeriiAragmos     dependens,    271 ; 

P.jlexuosus,  271. 
Periploca  graca,  491. 
Periwinkle,  gold-striped,  41. 
Persian  melon,  culture  of,  330. 
Pe.Tvinca  minor,  312;    P.  major, 

312. 
Petunias,  the  best  varieties,  24. 
Phiica  astragalina,  305;   P.  minima, 

305. 
Phaius  callosus,  321. 
Phalsenopsis    grandiflora,    92 ;    P. 

rosea,  557. 
PJdeboanthe  La:cmanni,  293. 
Phlomis  armeniaca,  305. 
Phlox  canadensis,  305  ;   P.  nivalis, 

305  ;  P.  pilosa,  306  ;  P.  amcena, 

306  ;    P.    procumhens,   306 ;    P, 


CONTENTS. 


Phlox,  (continued  :) 

reptans,  30G  ;  P.  obovata.  306  ; 
P.  jjrostrata,  306 ;  P.  stoloni- 
fera,  306;  P.  setacea,  306;  P. 
subulata,  306. 

Phyteunia  comosum,  306  ;  P.  liu- 
mile,  306 ;  P.  armericefolium. 
306  ;  P.graminifolium,oQQ  ;  P 
orbiculare,  306;  P.  capituliforme, 
306  ;  P.  hemisphericwni,  306. 

Picotees,  the  best  varieties,  23. 

Pirns  saxatilis,  303. 

Pig-keeping,  178. 

Pineapples  in  the  open  ground,  40  ; 
large,  417. 

Pinguicula  alpina,  306;  P.  alba, 
306;  P.alpestris,  306;  P.fla- 
vescens,  306 ;  P.  jjuipiirea,  306 ; 
P.  grandiflora,  306;  P.leptoceras, 

306  ;  P.  vulgaris,  306. 

Pinks,  the  best  varieties.  23  ;  to 
propagate,  42. 

Pinus  Benthamiana,  40,  349 ;  P. 
sylvestris,  for  fences,  537. 

Pitcher  plants  of  Borneo,  237. 

Pitombiera,  384. 

Plant,  the  parts  of  a,  5^Q. 

Planting,  deep  and  shallow,  191, 

Pleasure  gardens,  formation  of,  49. 

Plumbago  Larpentse,  30 ;  culture 
of,  31. 

Plumieria  rubra,  492. 

Pneumonanthe  sejytemjida,  301. 

Podophyllum  diphyllum,  303. 

Poets,  flower  garden  of  the,  514, 558. 

Poiretia  erecta,  301. 

Polemonium  pulcherrimum,  306  ; 
P.  reptans,  306. 

Polium  pyrenaicum,  311. 

Polyanthuses,  the  best  varieties,  23  ; 
mode  of  showing,  373. 

Polygala  vulgaris,  226 ;  proposed 
.  improvement  of,  227  ;  culture  of, 
228  ;  P.  Chamaebuxus,  306. 

Polygonum  viviparum,  307. 

Poor  lands,  pknting  of,  382. 

Poplar,  Lombardy,  for  fences,  538, 

Popularity  of  flowers,  41. 

Populus  fastigiata  for  fences,  538. 

Portulaca  Thellusonii,  487 ;  P. 
grandiflora  rutila,  487. 

Potato  disease,  extent  of,  399. 

Potatoes,  raising  from  cuttings,  144 ; 
planting,  159  ;  best  flavoured  and 
most  productive  kinds,  162  ;  cul- 
ture of,  163  ;  advantages  of  plant- 
ing whole  sets,  417;  quality  of, 
how  affected,  475. 

Potentilla  alba,  307 ;  P.  Clusiana, 
307 ;  P.  cordata,  307  ;  P.  nitida, 

307  ;  P.  aurea,  307  ;  P.  Halleri, 
307 ;  P.  maculata,  307 ;  P. 
crocea,  307  ;  P.  alp>estris,  307  ; 
P.  affinis,  307  ;  P.  dubia,  307; 
P.  2yi/renaica,  307  ;  P.  salisbur- 
gensis,  307;  P.filiformis,  307  ; 
P.  verna,  307  ;  P.  procumbens, 
310. 

Potted  apple  trees,  381. 

Poultry  keeping,  177. 

Prepusa  connata,  92.  > 

Primrose,  poetic  associations,  516. 

Primula  Stuartii,  157;  P.  lactea, 
294  ;  P.  villosa,  294  ;  P.  Vital- 
iana,  295  ;  P.  auricula,  307  ; 
P.  lutea,  307  ;  P.  cortusoides, 
307  ;  P.  farinosa,  307  ;  P.  denti- 


culata,  307  ;  P.  nivalis,  307  ;  P. 
algida,  307  ;  P.  orientalis,  307; 
P.  speciosa,  307  ;  P.  Palinuri, 
307. 

Princesse  Royale  strawberry,  288. 

Principles  of  gardening,  review  of, 
326. 

Properties  of  the  chrysanthemum,  6; 
camellia,  86;  hollyhock,  125; 
pelargonium,  151;  rhododendron, 
223  ;   balsam,  275. 

Prunella  grandiflora,  307  ;  P.  spe- 
ciosa, 307;  P.  laciniata,  307; 
P.  hyssopifolia,  307  ;  P.  Web- 
biana,  196. 

Prunus  spinosa  for  fenceS)  539. 

Ptarmica  alpina,  293. 

Pteris  aquilina,  uses  of,  553. 

Puimonaria  suffruticosa,  304. 

Pyrethrura  alpinum,  307  ;  P.  saxa- 
tile,  308. 

Pyrola  asarifolia,  308  ;  P.  macu- 
lata, 297  ;  P.  umbellata,  298  ; 
P.  urceolata,  300  ;  P.  uniflora, 
304;  P.  chlorantJia,  308;  P. 
rotundifolia,  308 ;  P.  America?m, 
308  ;  P.  dedinata,  308 ;  P.  gran- 
diflora, 308  ;  P.  major,  308  ; 
British  species  of,  313;  culture 
of,  314. 

Pyrus  japonica,  383  ;  P.  Malus  for 
fences,  519. 

Queen  of  Orchards  Peach,  288. 

Races,  improvement  of,  476. 

Radish,  Rose  of  Winter,  272. 

Radishes  for  autumn  and  winter, 
418. 

Rafllesia  Arnoldi,  265. 

Ramondia  pyrenaica,  308  ;  R.  My- 
coni,  308  ;  P.  scajngera,  308. 

Ranunculuses,  the  best  varieties,  24. 

Ranunculus  alpestris,  308  ;  R.  cre- 
natus,  308 ;  ^.  mugellensis,  308  ; 
R.  rutaefolius,  308  ;  R.  Berardi, 
308. 

Rapunculus  comosus,  306;  R.  orbi- 
cularis, 306. 

Ratu  of  the  New  Zealanders,  541. 

Reeve's  Muscadine  grape,  527. 

Restrepia  elegans,  159,  251  ;  cul- 
ture of  251  ;  R.  vittata,  524. 

Reviews  : — 

Forest  Trees  of  Britain,  (Johns) 
31;  Garden  Almanac,  1848, 
(Glenny)  37 ;  Travels  in  the 
Interior  of  Brazil,  (Gardner) 
111,  568;  Every  Man  his  own 
Gardener,  (Abercrombie)  185; 
Curtis's  BotanicalMagazine,  232 ; 
Sarawak,  its  Inhabitants  and  Pro- 
ductions, (Low)  233  ;  Principles 
of  Gardening,  (Johnson)  326;  A 
Week  at  the  Lizard,  (Johns)  361 ; 
Suggestive  Hints  towards  Im- 
proved Secular  Instruction,  411 ; 
Wonders  of  the  Sea-shore,  420; 
Handbook  of  British  Ferns, 
(Moore)  548 ;  Gardening  for 
Children,  (Johns)  563;  Garden 
Almanac,  1849,  (Glenny)  575. 

Rhamniis  catharticus  for  fences, 
540. 

Rhexia  mariana,  308  ;  R.  caudata, 
323  ;  R.  decussata,  488. 

Rhinactina  limonifolin,  295, 


Rhododendron  Brookeanum,  194 ; 
R.  gracile,  194  ;  R.  verticillatum, 
194;  R.  iongiflorum,  195;  R. 
javanicum  flavum,  270  ;  R.  Cha- 
msecistus,  308  ;  R.  nilagiricuni, 
370  ;  R.  barbatum,  370,  392  ;  R. 
setosum,  370. 

Rhododendrons,  their  culture,  216; 
various  kinds,  217  ;  raising  from 
seed,  218;  potting  and  planting, 
219  ;  plants  in  pots  for  bloom- 
ing, 221  ;  saving  seeds,  222  ;  as 
standards,  222  ;  the  best  varieties, 
24 ;  properties  of,  223 ;  calen- 
darial  instructions,  223. 

Rhododendrons,  parasitical,  237 ; 
forcing  of,  316. 

Rhodothamnus  Chamcecistus,  308. 

Robertsonia  dentata,  309, 

Rock  gardens,  formation  of,  61  ; 
rootwork  in,  64. 

Rock  plants,  289;  culture  of,  289; 
in  pots,  289  ;  calendarial  instruc- 
tions, 290 ;  selection  of,  described, 
292. 

Rosa  rugosa,  var.  purpurea  plena, 
525. 

Rose  of  Winter  radish,  272. 

Rose,  poetical  associations,  518. 

Roses,  the  best  varieties,  24  ;  of 
singular  habit,  24  ;  their  novel- 
ties, 156;  forcing,  316;  grafting 
and  budding,  331 ;  budding,  419 ; 
stocks  for,  419 ;  choice,  460 ; 
yellow,  budding,  477. 

Rosetum,  formation  of,  54, 

Royal  Botanic  Society,  323, 

Rubus  arcticus,  308, 

Ruellia  grandis,  196, 

Russelia  juncea,  489;  R.  equiseti- 
f or  mis,  489, 

Russian  mode  of  training  fruit 
trees,  417. 

Rustic  buildings,  ornaments,  and 
scenery,  337. 

Rytidophyllumjloribundum,  322, 

Sahibee  grape,  527. 
Salix  caprea  for  fences,  537, 
Sallow,  black,  for  fences,  537. 
Salpixantha  coccinea,  322. 
Salvertia  convallariodora,  94. 
Sambucus  nigra  for  fences,  540, 
Santolina  Chamaecyparissu^,    308  ; 
S.  cupressiformis,  308  ;  S.  dentata, 

308  ;   S.  incana,  308. 
Saponaria  ocymoides,   308;   S.  re- 
pens,  308, 

Sarawak,  its  inhabitants  and  pro- 
ductions, (Low's)  review  of,  233. 

Sasesa  tinctoria,  305, 

Satureja  rupestris,  308  ;  S.  ihymi- 
folia,  308. 

Saxifraga  Cotyledon,  808  ;  S.  mul- 
tiflora,  309  ;  S.  pyramidalis,  309  ; 
S.  pyramidata,  309  ;   S,    Geum, 

309  ;  S.  dentata,  309  ;  S.  Hircu- 
lus,  309  ;  S,  hypnoides,  309  ;  S, 
oppositifolia,  309;  S.  ccerulea, 
309. 

Scabiosa  Columbaria,  309. 
Scenery,  rustic,  337, 
Schivereckia  podolica,  309, 
Schizostemma  longifolhim.  196. 
Schools  of  Agriculture  and  Horti- 
culture, 199. 
Schwerinia  superba,  136,  137. 


CONTENTS. 


Scillas  for  greenliouse  decoration, 
142;   S.  verna,  365;   S.  autum- 
nalis,  366. 
Sciophila  convallarioides,  298. 
Sclerostemma  Columbaria,  309. 
Scotch  thistle,  357  ;  pine,  for  fences, 

537. 
Scutellaria   alpina,    309  ;    S.    cnm- 
pressa,    309  ;  S.  variegata,  309  ; 
S.  grandiflora,  309  ;  S.  pulchella, 
309  ;   S.  orientalis,  309  ;  S.  cau- 
casica,  309 ;  S.  Sicversil,  309. 
Sea  anemone,  421. 
Sea  holly,  366. 

Sea-shore,  Wonders  of,  420. 
Secular     Instruction,     Suggestive 
-     Hints  on,  review  of,  411. 
Seed  buyers,  hints  to,  397. 
Seedling  Society,  138  ;  crops,  care 

of,  430. 
Sedum  dasyphyllum,  309  ;  S.  glau- 
cum,    309;   S.  rupestre,    309;    S. 
minus,  309  ;  S.  reflexum,  310  ;  S. 
sempervivoides,  .310  ;  S.  Semper- 
vivum,  310. 
Sempervivum  arachnoideum,  310  ; 
S.    globiferum,    310;  .S".  grandi- 
florum,  310  ;  S.  suholiferum,  310. 
Senecio  populifolius,  490. 
Sericographis  Ghiesbregtiana,  196. 
Shallow  planting,  effects  of,  191. 
Shrubberies,    formation     of,     51  ; 

plants  for,  52  ;  effects  of,  52. 
Shrubs  : — evergreen,  wiih   conspi- 
cuous,   elegant,    variegated,    or 
fragrant  foliage,  flowering  early 
in  spring,  or  late  in   autumn,  or 
conspicuous   for  their  fruit,  52  ; 
deciduous,  with  conspicuous,  ele- 
gant, variegated,  or  fragrant  fo- 
liage, flowering  early  in  spring  or 
late   in  autumn,  or    conspictious 
for   their   fruit,    53 ;    American, 
53;    select  flowering,  416;    for 
fences,  537. 
Sibbaldia  procumbens,  310. 
Sida  integerrima,  159. 
Sideritis  calycantha,  311. 
Sieversia  montana,  310. 
Silene  acaulis,  310 ;    S.   alpestris, 
310;  S.viscida,  310;  S.  pusilla, 
310;     S.     Saxifraga,    310;     S. 
Schafta,  310. 
Siphocampylus   nitidus,    425,   (see 
p.   526);  S.  Cavanillesii,   490; 
S.  revolutus,  492;  S.  manetti3e- 
florus,  526. 
Sloe-thorn  for  fences,  539. 
Sraeathmannia  pubescens,  195. 
Smilacina  cordifolia,  298 ;  S.  bi- 

folia,  298, 
Snowdrop,  poetic  associations,  515. 
Sobralia  macrautha,  var.  splendens, 

28. 
Soil,  improvement  of,  476. 
Solandra  Igevis,  88,  90. 
Solanum  demissum,  89  ;  S.  cardio- 

phyllum,  89. 
Soldanella  alpina,  310;  ^S*.  Clusii, 
310  ;  S.  montana,  310  ;  8.  affinis, 
310. 
Solenandra  cordifolia,  300. 
Sonerila  stricta,  472. 
Sparaxis,  culture  of,  14;    descrip- 
tive list  of,  2i. 
Specimen   plants,   Glenny  on   the 
growing  of,  228. 


Spiraea  expansa,  89. 
Spring-flowering  bulbs   for  green- 
houses, 142. 
Stachvs   Corsica,  311;  S.  lavandu- 

laefolia,  311. 
Standard  apple  trees,  training,  240. 
Stanhopea  guttulata,  372. 
Stanhopeas,  stands  for,  42. 
Statice  minuta,  311;  S.  alpina,  295  ; 

S.   monlana,  295  ;    S.  reticulata, 

311  ;  S.  divaricata,  311  ;  S  olece- 
folia,  311  ;  S.  sinuata,  311. 
Slelis  liirta,  28. 
Stenactis  alpina,  300. 
Stenorrhjaichus  cinuabarinus,  27. 
Steriphoma  paradoxum,  157,  179. 
Stocks,  double  flowered,  377. 
Stove,  temperature  of,  January,  25; 

February,      87;     March,     119; 

April,    ]90;  May,    204;    June, 

275;  July,  318;  August,   358  ; 

September,  393  ;   October,  456  ; 

November,  506  ;  December,  541. 
Strawberry,  new :  Myatt's  Eleanor, 

42;  alpine,  culture  as  an  annual, 

336. 
Strawberries,  to  grow,  380. 
Streptocarpus  Rexii,  108. 
Strobilanthes  lactatus,  196. 
Stylidium  Drumraondii,  49. 
SfijlopJwrum  camhricum,  304. 
Styrandra  hifoUa,  298. 
Suburban  gardens,  204  ;  plants  for, 

207;  calendarialinstructions,2l4. 
Succisa  columbaria,  309. 
Sugar  Fucus,  422. 
Summer  houses,  449. 
Sunflowers,   economical   value    of, 

432;  poetical  associations,  519. 
Sun-rose,  descriptive  list  of,  401  ; 

culture  of,  410. 
Sjrmphitum  purpureum,  270. 
Synnetia,  culture  of,  14  ;  descriptive 

list  of,  21. 

Tanghien  tree,  443. 

Tara  fern,  446. 

Tea,  substitute  for,  40. 

Tetrazygia  elaeagnoides,  370. 

Teucrium  pumilum,  311  ;     T.  Lax- 

manni,  293  ;  T.  pyrenaicum,  311  ; 

T.  reptans,  311. 
Thalictrum   alpinum,   311  ;  T.  al- 

pestre,    311;     T.    saxatile,    311; 
Thibaudia  pichinchensis,  var.glabra, 

27,  36  ;    culture  of,  37  ;    T.  mi- 

crophylla,  92  ; 
Thinning  of  fruit,  383. 
Thunbergias,  culture  of,   127;     T. 

alata,   var.   aurantiaca    Doddsii, 

55Q. 
Thymbra  spicata,  311. 
Thymus  cephalotes,  311  ;  T.villosus, 

311;    T.  hirsutus,  311  ;    T.  in- 

canus,  311  ;    T.  lucidus,  313  ;    T. 

punctaius,  313. 
Thyrsacanthus    strictus,    322 ;     T. 

Lemairianus,  322. 
Tiarella  cordifolia,  311. 
Tillandsia  splendens,  370. 
Timber  woods  of  Borneo,  235. 
Tragacantha  massUiensis,  296. 
Training  fruit  trees,  Russian  mode 

of,  417. 
Tree  lilies,  573. 

Trees,  native,  252  ;  for  fences,  537. 
Tremella,  the,  429. 


Tribrachia  hirta,  28. 

Tricho.Tnanes  radicans,  549. 

Trichonema,  culture  of,  14;  de- 
scriptive list  of,  21. 

Trifolium  alpinum,  311;  T.  fim- 
briatum,  312;  T.  heterodon,  312  ; 
T.  Wormskioldii,  312. 

Triptilion  spinosum,  488. 

Tritonia,  culture  of,  14  ;  descriptive 
list  of,  22. 

Trollius  sibiricus,  300. 

Tropasolums,  the  best  kinds,  24  ; 
T.  tricolor,  propagation  of,  42. 

Tropeeolum   umbellatum,  25  ;  cul- 
ture   of,   26 ;    T.  Smithii,    370  ;  ' 
T.  Moritzianum,  488 ; 

Tropical  fruits,  330, 

Tulip,  properties  of,  358  ;  poetical 
associations,  516. 

Turnip,  culture  of,  165. 

Ulex,  culture  of,   109  ;  the  species 

of,  109. 
Umbilicus  pendulinus,  312. 
Undrained  Gardens,  381. 
Upas  tree,  233. 

Vacciniums,  descriptive  list  of,  386  ; 

culture  of,  389. 
Vaccinium  leucostomum,  91. 
Valeriana  saxatilis,  312;  V.celtica, 

312;  V,  Mikaniae,  525. 
Vanda  suavis,  321  ;  V.  fuscoviridis, 

321, 
Van  Dieman's  Land,  esculents  of, 

446. 
Vanilla   planifolia,    571  ;    economy 

of,  571. 
Vegetable  fecundation,  41. 
Vegetable  kingdom,  curiosities   of, 

443. 
Vegetable  life,  influences  of,  426. 
Vegetable  tallow,  235. 
Vegetation  of  Brazil,  111,568;  of 

Borneo,  283 ;  of  the  Indian  Is- 
lands, 261  ;  of  California,  344. 
Vellozias,  or  tree  lilies,   characters 

of,  573. 
Venice,    botanic  garden   of,     497  ; 

fruit  market  of,  497, 
Verhascwin  Mycotii,  308.  ^ 

Verbena  and  its  progress,  75. 
Verbenas,    the  best   varieties,    23  ; 

culture  of,  533. 
V^erdal  grape,  527. 
Veronica   caucasica,   312;   V.  osse- 

tica,  312;  V.  montana,  312;    V. 

subhiscutata,  312;  V.  orientalis, 

312;    V.  lieterophylla,  312;  V. 

saxatilis,  312. 
Vesicaria  cretica,  312;  V.deltoidea, 

296. 
Viburnum  dilatatum,  371. 
Villa  gardens,  management  of,  501  ; 

decoration  of  by  pot-culture,  503. 
Vinca  minor,  312;  V.  major,  312. 
Viola  biflora,  312;    V.  hederacea, 

300  ;  V.  blanda,  312  ;  V.  amoina. 

312  ;    V.  clandestina,  312  ;     V. 

Lecontiana,    312  ;     V.  obliqua, 

312;    V.pallens,  312;  V.  calca- 

rata,  312;     V.  alpina,  313;    V. 

decumbens,    313 ;     V.  gracilis, 

313;    V.  lieterophylla,  313  ;   V. 

.^o?/5u,313;  V.  pedata,  313;    V. 

digitata,  313;  V.  multijida,  313 ; 

V.  septemfida,  313. 


CONTENTS. 


Viscaria  alpina,  304;  V- helvetica, 

304. 
Volckameria  capitata,  137. 
Vriesia  speciosa,  370. 
Vulneraria  montcmia,  294. 

Wablenbergia  hederacea,  286  ;  cul- 
tivation of,  287 ;  W.  jiaccida, 
297  ;  W.  graminifolia,  3  J  3. 

Waldsteinia  geoides,  313. 

Walks,  gas-tar,  \M. 

Wallflowers,  culture  of,  422;  double, 
423  ;  dwarfing  plants,  423. 

Water,  ornamental,  formation  of,59 ; 
filtering  of,  144. 

Weatber-changes  indicated  by  ani- 
mals, 429. 

Weed-pincers,  231. 


Why  gardening  produces  pleasure, 
400. 

Wild  flowers  : — 

Oxalis  Acetosella,  225 ;  Polygala 
vulgaris,  226  ;  Wablenbergia 
liederacea,  286  ;  the  Pyrola,  or 
winter-green,  313;  Hydrocharis 
Morsus-ranBe,  366 ;  Onopordon 
Acantbium,  357  ;  Parnassia  pa- 
lustris,  393  ;  Armeria  maritima, 
470 ;  Heliantbemum  polifolium, 
526. 

Winter-green,    British    species   of, 
313. 

Winter  radishes,  418. 

Williams*  seedling  grape,  527. 

Wood  engraving,  progress  of,  481. 

Woods,  A  Day  in  the,  252. 


Woodsorrel,  culture  and  description 

of,  225. 
Wonders  of  the  Sea  Shore,  review 

of,  420. 

Zauschneria  californica,  369,  419. 
Zephyranthes   Atamasco,   487 ;    Z. 

Lindleyana,  488  ;  Z.  S2^offorthi- 

ana,  489;    Z.  tubispatha,   492 ; 

Z.  tubispatha,  var.  hybrida,  489. 
Zietenia  lavandulcefolia,  311 ;   Z. 

orientalis,  311. 
Zizania  aquatica,  543. 
Zizophora  clinopodioides,  313  ;    Z. 

capitata,  313;  Z.  Gunila,  313; 

Z.  dasyantha,  313;  Z.  Puschkini, 

313. 


ERRATUM. 

Page  294,  second  column,  for  Anthemis  read  Anthyllis. 


THE  FIG  : 

ITS  NATURE  AND  CULTUEE  UNDER  GLASS  AND  IN  THE  OPEN  AIR. 


The  Fig  is  one  of  those  singular  kinds  of 
frnit  that  are  totally  useless  unripe,  and  how- 
ever near  they  may  come  to  perfection,  any 
thing  short  makes  them  worthless.       When 
thoroughly  ripe  they  are  very  delicious, — when 
but  a  little  short  of  it,  they  are  mawkish,  sickly, 
and  even  rank.     It  would  appear  that  the  last 
few  days  of  solar  heat  changes  the  entire  cha- 
racter of  the  fig,  and  if  the  fruit  be  gathered 
before  this  change,  they  are  unfit  to  eat,  and, 
unlike  almost  every  other  of  Pomona's  gifts, 
they  will  do  for  nothing  but  the  pigs ;   they 
are  of  no  use  in  tarts,  they  cannot  be  made  into 
wine,  and  so  far  as  we  have  been  able  to  dis- 
cover   they   are   good   for  nothing.      Strictly 
speaking,  they  require  protection  to  bring  them 
forward,  although  they  will  fairly  ripen  in  a 
hot  summer,  on  the  open  wall  in  a  southern 
aspect,  and  we  have  even  known  them,  in  very 
favourable    seasons,    to   ripen    on  standards. 
They  are  sometliing  like  the  vine  fur  bearing 
frost,  and  bringing  fruit,  and  the  season  that 
vrill  ripen  the  black  Hamburgh  grape,  will  un- 
questionably perfect  the  fig.      Of  the  different 
modes  of  growing  the  fig,  we  shall  speak  in  the 
proper  place.     They  are  often  grown  in  a  house 
adapted  exclusively  to  them  ;  the  back  walls  of 
a  vinery,  if  the  grapes  are  not  allowed  to  cover 
the  glass  entirely,  is  a  very  good  situation  for 
a  tree  planted  out.      They  may  be  grown  in 
50. 


pots  in  any  part  of  a  grape-house.  They  do 
well  in  front  of  a  stove — we  mean  outside — for 
the  wall  being  always  warm  helps  them  on  a 
good  deal,  and  being  near  the  ground  they  have 
the  advantage  of  the  reflected  sun's  rays.  On 
a  south  wall  they  will  require  but  little  cover- 
ing, and  that  is  from  the  frost,  when  they  once 
start ;  any  thing  short  of  a  southern  aspect 
lessens  the  chance  of  their  doing  well ;  and  as  to 
standards,  although  we  have  gathered  them,  or 
rather  picked  up  a  few  fallen  fruit  under  tlie 
trees,  the  great  bulk  have  remained  on  and 
with  no  very  ready  prospect  of  coming  to  per- 
fection. Under  these  circumstances,  we  will 
give  a  few  directions  to  those  who  wish  to  cul- 
tivate the  fig,  premising,  that  first,  the  sorts 
must  be  well  chosen,  well  potted  or  planted, 
well  protected,  and  well  attended,  to  give  us  any 
chance  of  success.  We  will  treat  of  them  under 
the  several  heads,  dividing  the  subject  into — 
I. — The  sorts  to  be  chosen. 
II. — The  soil  they  grow  in. 

III. — Their  treatment  on  walls. 

IV. — Their  treatment  in  pots. 
V. — Their  treatm.ent  planted  under  glass. 

It  will  be  seen  that  there  is  no  more  difficulty 
in  growing  figs  than  in  growing  grapes  ;  that 
the  same  general  principles  govern  the  one  as 
govern  the  other.  That  is  to  say,  the  plant  that 
has  too  many  fruit  to  swell  and  ripen  will  not 

B 


THE    FIG,    ITS    NATURE    AND    CULTURE. 


do  it  well,  so  that  the  fruit  must  be  appor- 
tioned to  the  capacity  of  the  plant ;  the  i-oots 
must  be  in  good  soil,  and  they  must  be  watched 
and  attended  to  throughout  all  their  stages  of 
growth,  like  so  many  bunches  of  grapes,  and 
be  no  more  neglected  than  a  favourite  vine. 
There  are  early  and  late  figs,  as  well  as  early 
and  late  grapes,  and  according  to  our  intended 
object  of  getting  very  early  figs,  or  very  ripe 
ones,  so  must  we  choose  our  sorts  and  cultivate 
them.  It  is  well  known  that  a  goodly  supply 
was  kept  up  at  Covent  Garden,  by  Hill,  of 
Hammersmith,  who  grew  them  on  the  common 
walls  of  a  kitchen  garden  ;  while  others,  with 
to  all  appearance  a  better  chance,  were  unable 
to  produce  a  single  ripe  specimen.  Situation 
and  soil  may  therefore  have  more  to  do  with 
it  than  we  give  them  credit  for,  and  it  is  only 
by  tr}.ing  the  best  known  methods  that  we  can 
hope  to  succeed,  and  even  then  may  have  more 
trouble  than  we  anticipate. 

THE  CHOICE  OF  SORTS. 

The  principal  sorts  recognised  by  Miller, 
Lindley,  Loudon,  and  others,  who  have  written 
on  the  subject,  are  as  follows  : — 

Brown  Ischia,  Black  Genoa,  Small  Early 
White,  Large  Genoa  White.  These,  like 
some  of  our  eaiiiest  grapes,  have  a  better 
chance  of  ripening  than  any  others,  therefore 
they  are  chosen  in  preference  to  any  other  for 
out  of  door  culture.  There  are  many  others 
that  will  do  well  under  glass,  and  the  choice 
inay  be  made  from  the  following : — Malta, 
Murray  Brown  Naples,  Green  Ischia,  Black 
Ischia,  Small  Brown  Ischia,,  Yellow  Ischia, 
Small  Brown  Italian,  Small  Black  Italian, 
Common  Blue  or  Purple,  Long  Brown  Na- 
ples. Any  or  all  of  these  are  good  for  the  fig 
house,  and  nearly  all  are  fit  for  potting.  Lou- 
don thus  enumerates  and  describes  the  various 
kinds  of  fig  adopted  in  English  gardens,  but 
this  list  is  collected  from  other  authors. 

L  Brown  Chestnut-coloured  Ischia.  One  of 
the  largest  that  we  have  :  it  is  of  a  brown  or 
chestnut-colour  on  the  outside,  and  purple 
within.  The  grains  are  large,  and  the  pulp 
sweet  and  high  flavoured.  It  ripens  in  Au- 
gust, and  if  planted  against  a  hot  wall,  two 
crops  may  be  obtained  annually. 

2.  Blach  Genoa.  This  is  along  fruit,  of  a 
dark  purple  colour,  the  inside  being  of  a  bright 
red  and  the  flesh  very  high  flavoured  ;  it  ripens 
at  the  latter  end  of  August. 

3.  Small  White  Early.  The  skin  of  this 
fruit  is  of  a  pale  yellow,  when  ripe ;  the  flesh 
is  white  and  sweet  ;  it  is  ripe  about  the  latter 
end  of  August  or  the  beginning  of  Septem- 
ber. 

4.  La.rge  White  Genoa.  This  is  a  large 
fruit ;  the  skin  is  thin  and  yellow  when  ripe, 
and  red  within ;  it  is  a  good  fruit,  and  is  ripe 


about  the  latter  end  of  August.  This  and  the 
preceding  will  bear  two  crops  annually. 

5.  Black  Ischia.  This  is  a  middle-sized 
fruit ;  the  skin  is  almost  black  when  ripe,  and 
the  inside  of  a  deep  red ;  the  flesh  is  high 
flavoured,  and  the  trees  good  bearers. 

6  &  7.  Brown  and  Black  Small  Italian. 
These  are  cultivated  in  pots.  The  fruit  is 
small,  round,  and  very  delicious.  Forsyth 
gathered  from  one  plant,  in  a  twenty-four  pot, 
two  dozen  of  figs  at  one  gathering. 

8.  Malta.     This  is  a  small  brown  fig ;  the 
skin  of  a  pale  brown,  the  inside  of  the  same 
colour :  the  flesh  is  sweet  and  high  flavoured ; , 
it  is  ripe  in  August  and  September. 

9.  Murray  Brown  Naples.  This  is  a  pretty 
large  fruit,  of  a  light  brown  colour,  and  the 
inside  nearly  of  the  same  colour ;  the  flesh  is 
well  flavoured,  and  it  ripens  about  the  middle 
of  September. 

10.  Green  Ischia.  This  is  an  oblong  fruit, 
with  a  green  skin,  but  being  thin,  is  stained 
through  of  a  brownish  cast  by  the  pulp  when 
full  ripe.  The  inside  is  purple,  and  the  flesh 
high  flavoured  ;  it  is  ripe  about  the  middle  of 
September. 

11.  Madonna,  Brunswick  or  Hanover. 
This  is  a  large  pyramidal  fruit  ;  the  skin 
brown,  the  flesh  a  lighter  brown,  coarse,  and 
has  but  little  flavour;  it  ripens  about  the  middle 
of  September. 

12.  Common  Blue  or  Purple.  This  is  a 
large  oblong  fruit ;  ripens  in  August  and  a 
good  bearer. 

13.  Long  Brown  Naples.  The  skin  of  this 
fruit  is  a  dark  brown  when  ripe,  the  flesh  in- 
clining to  red  ;  it  has  large  grains  and  a  good 
flavour,  and  ripens  about  the  beginning  of 
October. 

14.  Small  Brown  Ischia.  This  is  a  small 
pyramidal  fruit;  the  skin  of  a  light  brown, 
the  flesh  of  a  purple  cast  and  a  high  flavour ; 
it  ripens  in  October. 

15.  Yellow  Ischia.  This  is  a  large  fruit ; 
the  skin  yellow,  the  flesh  purple  and  well 
flavoured  ;  it  ripens  in  October. 

16.  Gentile.  This  is  of  a  middle  size  ; 
roundish  fruit,  the  skin  yellow,  and  the  flesh 
inclining  to  the  same  colour  ;  it  has  large  grains 
and  a  good  flavour ;  ripens  very  late,  and  the 
trees  are  but  indififerent  bearers. 

It  is  quite  clear,  then,  that  from  these  de- 
scriptions, the  very  authority  that  quotes  them 
as  sorts  for  English  gardens  should  have  ex- 
cluded both  the  Madonna,  which  he  admits  as 
"  coarse  and  of  little  flavour,"  and  the  Gentile, 
which  "ripens  very  late  and  the  trees  but  in- 
different bearers."  The  best  for  out-of-door 
culture  are  unquestionably  the  first  four  we 
mentioned.  Brown  Ischia,  Black  Genoa,  Small 
Early  White,  and  Large  Genoa  White.  When 
you  have  obtained  these  and  are  doing  well 


THE  FIG,  ITS  NATURE  AND  CULTURE. 


with  them,  and,  moreover,  wish  to  increase 
your  varieties,  you  may  look  among  the  others. 
For  cuhure  in  pots  you  may,  in  addition  to 
these,  adopt  the  Small  Black  and  Brown 
Italian,  and  for  the  regular  fig-house  and  ge- 
neral in-door  culture  you  may  add  the  Black 
Ischia,  Green  Ischia,  Small  Brown  Ischia,  and 
Yellow  Ischia.  Many  authors  recommend 
others,  but  the  distinctions  are  not  for  the  bet- 
ter, and  we  have  no  notion  of  increasing  the 
varities  by  adding  worse. 

We  now  proceed  to  the  soil  or  compost. 
If  good  hazel  loam  from  rotted  turves,  ori- 
ginally cut  about  three  inches  thick,  could 
always  be  procui'ed,  not  a  single  addition  could 
be  made  with  advantage.  The  quantity  of 
decayed  vegetable  is  at  least  one-third,  or 
near  half,  and  if  the  loam  be  not  too  adhesive, 
make  no  change  or  mixture  whatever ;  if, 
howerer,  it  is  too  adhesive  or  marley,  or 
would  hold  wet  when  squeezed  together,  there 
must  be  an  addition  of  sand,  in  such  quantity 
as  will  effectually  make  it  porous,  and  as  much 
decayed  dung,  that  is  thoroughly  rotted  into 
mould,  as  will  compensate  for  the  quantity  of 
sand  introduced  ;  but  in  most  cases  turves  cut 
from  a  pasture,  laid  together  and  rotted,  form 
the  very  best  soil  in  which  to  grow  the  fig,  and, 
though  it  is  no  part  of  our  subject  to  touch  on 
other  fruit,  we  may  add,  most  other  fruit  trees, 
whetlier  in  the  house,  in  the  open  air,  on  walls, 
or  as  standards.  Other  mixtures  are  resorted 
to  and  recommended,  because  rotted  turves  are 
not  always  to  be  had,  and  we  then  have  to  sup- 
ply, as  nearly  as  we  can,  a  substitute  for  vege- 
table mould  and  for  the  dung  which  is  in  the 
top  spit  of  all  pastures.  It  has  to  be  remem- 
bered, too,  that  the  soil  of  the  top  spit  of  a 
pasture,  which  is  the  favourite  store  heap  of 
loam  in  all  gardens,  is  not  so  rich  in  vegetable 
mould  by  a  great  deal  as  turves  cut  three  inches 
thick,  or  under,  because  the  ordinary  soil  under 
the  roots  is  three  times  as  thick,  however 
lightly  it  may  be  dug,  and,  consequently  there 
is  only  as  much  decayed  turf  in  three  loads  as 
there  should  be  in  one,  and  the  rest  has  to  be 
made  up.  In  making,  therefore,  the  borders 
for  figs,  dig  out  about  eighteen  inches,  put 
two  or  three  inches  of  brick  rubbish  at  bottom, 
sloping  from  the  wall  to  the  front,  which  must 
for  any  tree  be  well  drained,  and  if  the 
soil  has  a  good  appearance,  that  is  to  say,  if  it 
is  good  loam,  mix  a  little  h-af  mould,  or,  for 
want  of  that,  rotten  dung  with  it,  and  return 
it  so  altered  to  its  place.  If,  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  cold,  black,  or  sour,  discard  it  altogether, 
and  substitute  peat,  loam  from  rotted  turves,  or 
loam,  dung,  and  leaf  mould,  and,  if  necessary, 
sand,  well  mixed,  and  on  that  border,  which 
should  be  a  south  wall  border,  plant  the  trees, 
which  should  be  one  or  two  years  old  ;  plant 
no  deeper  than  the  collar  of  tiie  root,  and  tread 


well  in.  You  may  then  regulate  your  border, 
but  never  use  it  for  any  crop  that  will  keep 
off  the  sun  from  the  roots.  Crowding  a  fruit 
border  is  highly  injurious  to  any  fruit  that  is 
growing  on  it,  for  the  roots  require  the  genial 
warmth  of  the  sun  as  much  as  the  branches. 

We  are  taught  by  some  writers  to  grow 
figs  as  standards,  but  where  they  succeed  in 
one  place  they  fail  in  twenty,  that  is  to  say, 
they  fail  to  produce  fruit  in  perfection  ;  they 
will  bear,  and  sometimes  nea^-ly  ripen  their 
iVuit,  but  rarely  bring  them  to  their  full 
flavour.  Espaliers  are  no  better  than  stand- 
ards. The  fruit  is  never  so  good  as  on  a  w^all, 
and  it  is  a^  waste  of  room  to  grow  them 
without  that,  except  as  a  mere  curiosity. 
Having  planted  your  trees  on  tlie  wall,  or 
rather  close  to  it,  nail  the  lowest  branches 
horizontally,  and  the  others  down  as  low  as 
will  give  them  only  room,  and  thus  bring 
down  the  two  sides  as  if  arms  of  the  tree,  leav- 
ing the  upper  part  or  centre  to  be  furnished 
by  new  wood.  Thus  far  we  have  placed  the 
fig  in  its  proper  soil  and  situation. 

If,  contrary  to  our  advice,  some  are  to  be 
grown  as  espaliers  and  standards,  all  we 
can  recommend  is,  that  they  be  planted  in  a 
sheltered  situation  as  near  a  south  wall  as 
they  can  be,  and  that  stakes  be  driven  into 
the  ground  to  make  standards  fast,  while  the 
espaliers  should  be  at  once  fixed  on  them, 
in  the  same  fashion  as  they  would  be  on  a 
wall.  A  standard  should  be  dwarf,  the  more 
so  the  greater  chance  of  ripening  the  fruit, 
and  the  espaliers  ought  not  to  be  more  than 
six  feet  high.  In  the  pruning  of  the  fig 
as  standards  or  espaliers,  there  is  little  else  to 
do  but  to  see  that  the  branches  are  not  in 
each  other's  way,  not  to  cut  back  the  wood 
of  the  present  or  past  yeai-,  but  to  cut  out 
whole  branches  that  are  too  close,  and  cut 
them  clean  back  to  their  parent  stem,  cutting 
out  old  wood  always  in  preference  to  young, 
and,  therefore,  when  it  is  necessary  to  take 
out  a  branch,  cut  that  which  has  the  least 
strong  healthy  young  wood.  The  only  chance 
for  standards  is  to  keep  the  heads  open,  that 
the  sun  and  air  may  have  free  passage  to  all 
the  branches.  When  it  is  necessary  to  thin 
the  young  wood,  do  not  shorten  any  of  it, 
but  take  out  the  weakest  and  thinnest  close 
home  to  its  base.  The  great  fault  of  all 
pruning  that  we  have  observed,  or  nearly  so, 
among  out-of-door  figs,  has  been  the  habit  of 
shortening  the  young  bearing  wood,  whereas 
this  should  be  retained.  There  is  only  one 
exception,  which  is,  that  as  the  fig  will 
struggle  to  yield  two  crops  a-year,  the 
spring  shoots  of  wood  yield  a  crop  towards 
the  autumn,  and,  if  permitted,  bear  them  just 
large  enough  to  be  totally  useless,  and  to 
spoil  the  branches  or  shoots  from  bearing  the 

B  2 


THE  FIG,  ITS  NATURE  AND  CULTURE. 


next  year  ;  thi^refore  the  object  is  to  advance 
the  wood  of  midsummer  slioots,  which  will 
bear  the  first  crop  in  the  early  part  of  the 
next  year,  and  to  prevent  the  advancement 
of  the  spring  shoots  by  way  of  encouraging  the 
others.  Therefore,  when  the  spring  shoots 
have  pretty  nearly  attained  their  growth, 
they  are  broken  ofi"  back  to  two  or  three  eyes, 
which  immediately  push  and  ripen  their  wood 
by  the  autumn,  and  this  wood  gives  you  the 
spring  ci'op,  which  will  ripen  ;  whereas,  had 
the  spi-ing  shoots  been  allowed  to  perfect 
their  growth,  they  would  have  been  full  of 
fruit  that  would  have  fallen  at  the  first  frost  not 
a  third  grown.  In  warmer  climates,  both  the 
spring  and  midsummer  shoots  produce  their 
crops  and  perfect  them. 

RAISING  AND  PROPAGATING  THE  FIG. 

Figs  are  raised  from  seed,  and  propagated 
by  all  the   usual  means  of  the   most  hardy 
plants,    grafting,  budding,  layering,  suckers, 
and  cuttings  ;  the  two  latter  modes  are  by  far 
the  best.     From  seed  there  is  a  chance  of 
new  varieties,  but  the  fig  from  its  nature  is 
hardly  susceptible  of  much  improvement,  and 
the  period  required  is  much  longer  than  by 
any  of  the  other  methods  of  obtaining  young 
plants.     They  may  be   sown  in  a    common 
hot- bed  in  the  early  spring,  and  planted  out 
at  the  foot  of  a  south  wall  in  June,  where, 
with  due  attention  to  the  watering  required 
in  so  warm  a  situation,  they  will  grow  rather 
fast    until  the  cold   weather    cuts   oiF  their 
.leaves  and  puts  them  to  rest  for  the  winter. 
While  young  they  are  more  easily  affected 
by  frost  than  when   advanced  ;  a  little  loose 
litter,  such  as  broken  straw  or  peas-haulm, 
will  protect  them  through  the  winter,   and 
before  they  start  in  the  spring,  they  should 
be   all  taken  up,   their  long    shoots  pruned 
closer,  and  be  replanted  where  they  are  to 
fruit,   which    may  be   on  the  same  wall,  at 
proper  distances,  or  as  espaliers  or  even  as 
standards,  if  the   determination  be  to  grow 
standards  at  all.     There  is  nothing  obtained 
by   grafting  but  the   change  of  one  sort  of 
fruit  to  another.     It  may  be  available  where 
there  are  already  some  of  the  worthless  sorts 
in  a  good  situation,  because,  by  grafting  better 
upon  the  strong  old  wood  of  an  establislied 
tree,  the  formation  of  a  new  head  is  the  work 
of  a  very  short  time.     The  grafting  employed 
for  this  may  be  any  of  the  most  easy.      The 
cutting  of  an  angular  gutter  or  groove  down 
the  stock  on  the  side,  so  as  to  go  through  the 
bark,  and  then  cutting  two  sides  of  the  graft 
in  a  form  to  fit  in  the  hallow,    so  that  the 
bark  of  the  graft  and  the  bark  of  the  stock 
meet    at   the    edges,    is    perhaps    the   best, 
because,  in  grafting  old  stocks,  the  wood  to 
be  worked  is  always  so  much  larger  than  the 


wood  worked  into  it ;  otherwise,  when  there 
are  healthy  branches   that  may  be  cut  back 
only   so   far   as  to   make  the   graft  and  the 
stock  of  the  same  size,  a  common  splice  will 
do  as  well  as  any  other  mode  of  joining  ;  but 
it  must  always   be  borne  in   mind,  that  the 
more  stock  there  is,  the  more  danger  there  is 
of  its  growing,  and,  if  neglected,  it  will  soon 
conquer   and   outgrow    the    graft.     In    this, 
however,  as  in   all  kinds  of  grafting,  there 
are  two  or  three  conditions  to  attend  to,  and 
the  rest  may  be  managed  any  how.     These 
conditions  are,   first,   that   the  wood  should 
be  cut  clean  and  square  so  as    to  fit  close ; 
second,   that   one  edge  of   the  bark  of  the 
graft  should  exactly  meet  one  edge  of  the 
bark  of  the  stock  ;  third,  that  the  juices  of 
the  wood  should  not  have  time  to  dry  before 
the  graft  is  fixed  and  tied  ;  fourth,  that  the 
external    air   should   be   excluded  from  the 
place  of  union  until  the    parts   are    united. 
The  relative  size  of  the  graft  and  the  stock, 
the  mode  of  joining,  and  all  other  points,  are 
matters  of  little  or  no   consequence  ;    some 
will  cut  a  slit  down  the  stock  and  pare  the 
inside  out  almost  like  the  inside  of  a  common 
clothes-peg,  and  then  cut   the   graft  wedge 
fashion  to  fit  it;  others  will  cut  the  graft  in 
that  manner,  and  cut  the  stock  into  the  form 
of  the  wedge  ;  others,  again,  will  merely  cut 
two  long  slopes,    as  if  they  were  about  to 
splice  a  broken  stick  ;  but  it  matters  not  how- 
it  is  done  so  that  the  above  conditions  are 
attended  to,   and   the   season   chosen   is  the 
proper  one,  which  in  all  cases  should  be  when 
the    stock    and   graft   are   upon   the  eve   of 
growing.     The  lesser  operation  of  budding  is 
performed    with    little    difficulty.      The    in- 
cipient bud,  with  a  small  portion  of  the  bark 
attached,  is  inserted  beneath  the  bark  of  the 
stock,  which  is  slit  down  and  crossed  for  the 
purpose  of  lifting  it  the  easier  from  its  wood, 
that  the  bark  of  the  bud  may  be  placed  next 
the  wood,  and  the  bark  of  the  stock  lapped 
over  it  and  tied  down.     There  is  no  par- 
ticular object  attained  by  budding,  unless  it 
be  that  where  the  sort  wanted  is  scarce,  every 
bud  will  form  a  plant,  whereas,  in  a  general 
way,  half-a-dozen  buds  may  be  obtained  from 
a  piece  that  would  only  make  one  graft ;  yet 
the  grafted  plant  will  be  sooner  in  bearing 
by  a  good  deal,  inasmuch  as  all  the  eyes  will 
push  at  once  and    almost  form  a  head  the 
first  season.     The  propagation  by  suckers  is 
a  self-operation.     The  roots  of  the  fig,  like 
those  of  many  roses,  currant-trees,  gooseberry- 
bushes,     and    other    shrubby-growing     sub- 
jects, wander  and  throw  up  suckers  in  pro- 
fusion ;  and  there  is  scarcely  anything  more 
detrimental  to  a  tree  or  shrub  than  neglecting 
the  removal  of  such  suckers,  always  excepting 
when  we  desire  to  propagate  by  such  means. 


THE  FIG,  ITS  NATURE  AND  CULTURE. 


and  even  then  they  should  be  removed  before 
they  grow  too  large.  Suckers  should  be 
taken  off  with  roots  attached  at  the  fall  of  the 
leaf,  and  be  planted  at  once  where  they  are 
to  fruit,  or  in  nursery-beds,  to  grow  into 
strength.  If  they  are  wanted  for  training 
they  should  be  cut  down  to  three  or  four 
eyes;  if  for  standards  they  must  not  lose  their 
leaders.  But  perhaps  the  layering  is  the 
most  ready  means  of  propagating  strong 
plants.  The  branches  for  this  purpose  should 
be  not  the  most  vigorous  ;  on  the  contrary, 
the  short-jointed  wood  is  the  best.  The 
branches  have  only  to  be  pegged  down  two 
inches  under  the  surface,  and  the  end  bent 
upwards  rather  suddenly,  for  the  roots  will 
protrude  very  rapidly  from  the  joint  where 
the  bend  is  most  sudden,  and  there  is  no 
occasion  to  cut  a  notch  ;  but  if  it  be  deter- 
mined to  notch  the  place  by  way  of  directing 
where  the  root  shall  come,  let  the  notch  be 
just  below  a  joint,  but  on  the  upper  side  of 
the  branch.  You  will  have  to  be  careful 
that  the  joint  be  not  broken  off  by  the  peg- 
ging down.  If  the  operation  be  performed 
any  time  before  the  spring  growth  commences, 
the  layer  will  be  rooted  enough  to  take  off 
at  the  fall  of  the  leaf,  when  it  may  be  treated 
as  suckers  and  seedlings  are  treated.  Per- 
haps, however,  the  best  plants  are  from  cut- 
tings ;  these  should  be  taken  from  good 
short-jointed  bearing  wood,  that  is,  ripened 
wood  of  one  season  ;  cuttings  about  a  foot 
long,  taken  off  at  the  heel,  with  a  shield  of 
the  old  wood  at  the  base,  may  be  put  in 
pots,  with  the  heel  close  to  the  drainage,  and 
placed  in  slight  bottom  heat  in  early  spring  ; 
see  that  they  are  regularly  watered,  and  have 
air  as  soon  as  they  grow.  The  cuttings  may 
be  taken  off  in  the  autumn,  and  plunged 
into  the  ground  up  to  their  tops,  but  tliey 
must  be  covered  with  litter  or  they  will  lose 
their  tops.  They  are  none  the  worse  for 
either  cuttings  or  grafts  for  their  separation 
from  the  tree,  but  if  there  be  the  convenience 
for  giving  bottom  heat,  they  will  grow  early 
in  the  spring  and  make  good  progress  before 
they  need  be  planted  out  or  placed  in  the 
open  air.  These  plants  may  be  kept  in  their 
pots  till  the  autumn,  when  they  must  be 
planted  out  or  repotted  in  larger  pots  to  use 
for  forcing  or  growing  under  glass. 

TRAINING  AND  PRUNING  ON  WALLS. 

The  fig,  like  many  other  subjects  for  wall 
culture,  will  grow  best  when  trained  fan- 
fashion  ;  but  the.  blunder  which  too  many 
make  in  fan-training  is  neglecting  to  begin 
low  enough,  as  if  the  fan  were  to  be  half 
open  instead  of  quite  open.  The  lowest 
limbs  ought  to  be  horizontal,  and  within  four 
or   six  inches   of  the  ground  ;    there  is   no 


difficulty  in  filling  the  walls  upwards  ;  the 
branches  immediately  above  the  lower  ones 
should  be  brought  down  to  only  a  reason- 
able distance  from  the  lowest,  and  all  other 
branches  be  placed  at  regular  distances,  so 
that  the  wall,  as  far  as  the  branches  will 
reach,  shall  fairly  cover  it  ;  as  newer  shoots 
come  upwards,  let  them  also  be  brought  to 
their  proper  distances,  so  that  in  time  the 
wall  will  be  fairly  covered.  The  horizontal 
growth  should  be  encouraged,  and  the  tree 
will  in  a  very  few  years  cover  ten  or  fif- 
teen feet  on  each  side  of  the  stem,  and  it  is 
not  desirable  to  encourage  tall  growth  under 
any  circumstances.  The  spring  shoots  will 
bear  fruit  in  autumn  if  allowed  to  grow,  but 
except  where  they  are  wanted  to  fill  up  the 
wall,  and  the  ends  of  the  branches  extending 
sideways,  all  these  spring  shoots  should  be 
broken  back  to  three  or  four  eyes — not  broken 
off,  but  broken  down.  Midsummer  shoots, 
as  they  are  called,  will  come  from  the  eyes 
below  the  break,  and  these  shoots  will  bear 
the  crop  in  tlie  following  spring.  Of  course 
the  tree  looks  untidy  while  the  ends  of  the 
branches  are  hanging  about,  but  if  they  were 
cut  off  instead  of  bent  down,  they  would 
bleed  and  weaken  the  branch  ;  in  the  autumn 
they  are  pulled  or  cut  off,  the  shoots  from  the 
unbroken  part  being  properly  tacked  to  the 
wall.  In  the  spring  these  shoots  will  bear 
the  crop  that  will  ripen.  The  new  shoots  of 
the  spring  will  go  on  as  before,  and  would,  if 
not  disturbed,  bear  a  crop  that  could  not 
ripen,  but  by  breaking  them  again  as  soon  as 
they  have  nearly  done  their  growth,  the  mid- 
summer shoots  come  from  the  three  or  fcur 
eyes  left  undisturbed,  and  again  produce  the 
wood  for  the  next  year's  spring  crop.  Many 
gardeners  pull  off  a  good  deal  of  the  foliage, 
that  the  sun  may  get  at  the  fruit.  This  may 
be  carried  to  an  extreme  very  easily  as  in 
the  vine  ;  but  as  every  leaf  a  tree  loses  with- 
out the  branch  belonging  to  it,  weakens  it 
in  some  respects,  the  system  is  bad.  Take 
care  that  the  branches  are  not  too  close 
together  ;  and  to  prevent  this,  the  precaution 
of  lessening  the  number  must  be  taken  in 
the  early  growth  of  the  spring,  for  just  as  the 
bud  pushes  off  a  branch  not  wanted,  it  should 
be  rubbed  off.  You  have  therefore  to  con- 
sider, when  the  tree  first  pushes,  first,  that 
every  spring  shoot  shoi'tened  back  pro- 
duces three  or  four  midsummer  shoots  to  bear 
fruit  the  spring  following,  and  therefore  that 
you  ought  not  to  allow  one  more  spring 
shoot  than  is  necessary  to  grow  at  all  ;  by  rub- 
bing off  the  buds,  all  the  vigour  of  the  tree 
goes  to  the  few  you  allow  to  grow,  and  the 
chances  are  that  you  will  require  no  tliinning 
of  the  foliage  ;  a  leaf  over  a  fruit  is  not  too 
much   shade,   but  if  branches  be  allowed  to 


THE    FIG,    ITS    NATURE    AND    CULTURE. 


grow  too  thick,  it  may  ha  much  too   shady  to 
allow  of  solar  heat  at  all. 

TREATMENT  OF  FIGS  IN  POTS. 

This  of  course  is  in  oases  where  there  is 
the  means  of  protection,  if  not  of  ahsolute 
forcing.  We  have  already  provided  for  the 
striking  of  cuttings  and  raising  of  plants  in 
pots,  the  next  consideration  is,  how  to  fruit 
them.  The  grape  is  not  unlike  the  fig  in  the 
treatment  it  requires,  tlierefore  we  may  be 
safe  in  placing  the  pots  in  a  vinery  ;  but  they 
will,  like  the  vine,  do  in  the  common  green- 
house, and  all  other  houses  for  forcing.  The 
plants  must  be  checked  in  a  very  different  way 
to  those  out  of  doors ;  the  sorts  we  have 
mentioned  already  as  the  best  for  out-of-door 
culture  are  also  the  best  for  pots  under  protec- 
tion, except  that  the  Small  Black  and  Brown 
Italian  may  be  added.  It  will  be  taken  into 
the  account,  that  if  the  potted  plants  are  kept 
in  a  vinery,  they  will  yield  two  crops  a-year, 
and  therefore  that  tliere  must  be  no  shortening 
or  breaking  the  spring  shoots  ;  let  them  go  on 
to  bearing,  because  they  will,  if  well  managed, 
go  on  continually  bearing  and  ripening  one  lot 
of  fruit  while  another  is  only  swelling,  so  that  it 
will  be  found  quite  possible,  and  even  probable, 
that  three  crops  may  be  had  in  a  year.  The 
soil  for  pots  should  be  the  same  as  for  the  open 
ground  ;  in  thirty-two  sized  pots  they  may  be 
made  to  bear  ;  and,  if  the  fruit  be  not  so  large 
as  those  in  the  ground,  they  will  be  quite 
equal,  if  not  superior  in  flavour  to  any  other. 
As,  however,  we  want  no  knife  pruning,  or, 
at  least,  no  more  than  we  can  help,  there  must 
be  some  watchfulnc^ss  at  each  separate  start  of 
growth,  becau-e,  if  we  allow  a  dozen  branches 
to  grow  where  there  should  be  only  half  the 
number,  the  plant  will  require  that  which  is 
an  enemy  to  bearing,  amputation  with  the 
knife  ;  rub  the  buds  off  before  they  attain  any 
growth  of  consequence  ;  it  is  the  only  way  to 
keep  the  plant  within  bounds.  "When  the 
wood  gets  old,  let  young  shoots  come,  and  re- 
move a  whole  branch  to  the  very  stem,  by 
which  means  we  k^ep  up  a  succession  of  young 
wood,  and  get  rid  of  the  old  ;  for,  let  it  be 
perfectly  understood,  that  any  system  of 
shortening,  to  keep  a  fig- tree  in  order,  is  bad, 
that  is,  detrimental  to  tlie  bearing.  "  I  prune 
my  figs  every  year  very  carefully,  and  I  never 
get  any  fruit,"  said  a  gardener  to  us  one  day, 
and  his  wall-fruit  trees  generally  were  excel- 
lent and  effective.  "Let  them  alone  very 
carefully,"  said  we,  "  and  you  w  ill  see  a  dif- 
ference." He  did  as  he  was  told,  and  tiien  he 
had  two  crops,  one  of  whi«h  ripened,  and  the 
other  did  not  ;  from  this  time,  however,  he 
adopted  the  plan  before  laid  down  for  figs  on 
a  wall,  and  he  succeeded.  We  have  known 
a    market    gardener    to    cover    his    autumn 


formed  fruit  all  the  winter,  except  mild  days, 
and  to  save  them  by  that  means  ;  but  when 
he  built  a  small  house  against  the  wall,  and 
enclosed  one  tree,  he  could  ripen  all  the  fruit, 
and  grow  little  fig  trees  in  pots  in  the  size 
thirty-two,  and  produce  a  dozen  and  a  half  of 
ripe  fruit  at  once  on  a  single  little  plant.  It 
is  to  be  inferred,  that  the  warmer  the  tem- 
perature of  a  house,  the  earlier  will  the  fruit 
ripen  ;  but  it  is  possible  to  over-heat  a  fig 
house  at  a  time  when  it  will  cause  all  the 
fruit  to  fall  off ;  let  the  fig,  however,  share 
the  fate  of  a  vine  or  a  cherry,  and  there  is  no 
danger.  It  is  necessary  to  pot  the  fig  up  to 
the  size  thirty-two  ;  but,  if  it  is  in  a  good 
bearing  state  the  second  season,  and  unless 
you  want  to  increase  the  size  of  the  plants,  let 
size  twenty-four  be  the  maximum.  At  the 
end  of  the  summer,  when  the  fruit  is  gathered, 
say  September,  the  plants  should  be  turned 
out  of  the  pots,  the  matted  roots  be  removed 
with  a  sharp  knife,  and,  from  the  thirty-two, 
increase  the  pot  to  a  twenty-four,  putting 
fresh  soil  round  the  ball,  and  pressing  it  down 
close  between  the  ball  and  the  pot ;  place  the 
plant  any  where  out  of  the  weather  and  out  of 
the  way.  If  necessary  to  check  the  exuber- 
ance of  the  plant,  keep  it  in  the  same  pot 
another  year,  but  remember  that  there  be  no 
shortening  of  young  wood;  cut  small  branches 
clean  out  if  you  will,  and  it  is  a  good  plan  to 
do  so  when  there  are  any,  but  it  is  far  better 
to  be  looking  out  in  time,  and  to  rub  off  the 
buds  instead  of  allowing  weakly  branches  or 
shoots  to  grow.  In  pot  culture  a  good  deal 
of  water  is  required,  for  the  roots  cannot 
travel  after  it,  and  especially  when  pots  are 
small  in  proportion  to  the  plant  ;  when  the 
fruit  is  swelling,  the  watering  is  a  most  im- 
portant object,  and  liquid  manure  may  advan- 
tageously be  applied  if  the  pots  are  full  of 
roots,  and  this  is  far  better  than  enlarging  the 
pots,  except  at  the  proper  seasons.  The  largest 
pots  that  should  ever  be  used  for  figs  are  six- 
teens;  these  are  as  large  as  can  be  lifted  about 
easily,  and  are  quite  sufficient  for  growing 
the  best  fruit ;  these  pots  should  be  placed  in 
the  grapery,  stove,  cherry,  peach,  or  green- 
house, rather  in  the  shade  than  otherwise, 
and  there  according  to  the  climate,  or  rather 
the  temperature  kept  up,  so  will  the  fruit  ad- 
vance, and  it  will  not  be  at  all  uncommon  to 
find  the  fruit  in  two  or  three  different  stages, 
but  there  will  be  abundance  of  it,  with  only 
the  ordinary  care  and  means  that  we  have 
described.  Fig  houses  are  seldom  erected, 
partly  because,  so  far  as  temperature  is  con- 
cerned, the  fig  wants  no  other  than  the  vine  ; 
it  will  force,  or  come  natural,  or  be  merely 
aided  a  little  ;  in  cold  or  heat  it  is  equally 
healthy,  although  not  equally  prolific  ;  it  is 
not  worth  while  to  bestow  a  house  upon  the 


THE    RANUNCULUS. 


subject  ;  but  everybody  who  has  glass,  from 
a  greenhouse  up  to  a  stove,  ought  to  grow  a 
plant  or  two  of  the  fig  in  pots,  if  they  do  no- 
thing else  with  it. 

TREATMENT  OF  THE    FIG    UNDER    GLASS. 

The  fig  planted  against  the  wall  of  a  house 
requires  the  same  soil  as  elsewhere,  and  the 
house,  or  rather  the  roof  of  it,  will  be  all  the 
better  adapted  for  it  if  there  be  a  vine  trained 
along  the  rafters,  so  as  to  partially,  though 
not  wholly,  shade  the  tree  from  the  burning 
sun.  The  sorts  may  be  chosen  from  those  we 
have  mentioned,  the  descriptions  will  decide 
which  are  best  adapted  for  the  pui-pose  ;  the 
planting,  training,  pruning,  and  general  treat- 
ment must  be  founded  on  the  rules  already  laid 
down  ;  the  forcing  should  be  begun  gently 
in  January,  February,  March,  or  April,  and 
the  heat  gradually  increased  as  the  growth 
advances  ;  but  if  the  vines  on  the  roof  be 
forced,  there  needs  no  difference  on  account 
of  the  fig,  the  border  in  which  the  fig  is 
placed  being  under  glass,  and  consequently 
deprived  of  the  usual  supply  of  rain  which 
would  be  its  portion  out  of  doors,  must  be  re- 
gularly supplied.  If  the  fires  are  begun  in 
January,  the  fruit  will  be  ready  to  gather  in 
June  or  July,  according  to  the  sort  ;  and  this 
does  not  prevent  a  continuance  of  the  growth 
and  of  the  bearing  ;  but  we  cannot  help  con- 
sidering the  culture  of  the]  fig  on  walls 
under  glass  a  loss  of  room,  and  not  worth  the 
trouble.  We  recommend,  most  particularly, 
pot  culture  under  glass,  because  you  can  re- 
gulate the  seasons,  the  crops,  and  the  quantity, 
by  taking  them  into  heat  sooner  or  later,  and 
in  more  or  ie^-s  quantity  ;  all  not  in  use  may 
be  standing  out  under  a  south  wall,  but  con- 
stantly watered  and  looked  to  as  well  as  if 
they  were  in  the  house. 

GENERAL  OBSERVATIONS.^ 

The  fig  is  perhaps  understood  as  little  as 
any  fruit  under  culture  in  this  country,  and, 
in  general,  as  little  cared  for;  certainly  three- 
fourths  of  the  figs  produced  at  the  deserts  of 
the  rich,  or  the  markets  of  great  cities,  are  of 
very  inferior  flavour  to  those  imported;  they 
have,  for  the  most  part,  a  rankish,  earthy,  and 
unpleasant  twang  ;  the  best  are  but  mawkish 
and  insipid.  This  entirely  arises  from  imper- 
fect ripening;  and  the  same  fruit,  if  well  ripened, 
would  be  very  different.  They  are  as  precarious 
as  melons,  and  vary  from  insipidity  to  extreme 
richness;  but  the  former  so  greatly  predomi- 
nate in  number  over  the  latter,  as  to  be  the 
rule  instead  of  the  exception.  At  the  various 
horticultural  shows,  wheie  we  are  to  presume 
the  gardener  produces  his  best,  they  are  very 
often  poor,  though  we  have  discovered  here  and 
there  a  few  samples  that  remind  one  of  what 
the  fig  must  be  in  its  own  country  and  climate; 


but,  inasmuch  as  we  can  produce  the  grape, 
the  pine,  and  the  orange,  as  fine  as  they  can 
be  in  their  own  land,  there  is  no  obstacle  to 
our  producing  the  fig  in  equal  luxuriance  and 
quality  for  flavour  and  ripeness.  To  accom- 
plish this,  pot  culture  is  the  safest,  and  the 
half  dozen  sorts  we  have  recommended  are  the 
best  ;  vary  tlie  houses,  the  temperature,  and 
the  subjects  which  share  the  room  in  the 
houses  how  you  like,  you  will  soon  find  that 
the  fig  tree  is  as  obedient  as  the  vine,  and  will 
yield  to  proper  treatment,  at  all  seasons,  plenty 
of  good  fruit,  which  may  be  produced,  by  a 
little  trouble,  at  as  many  different  periods  as 
the  grape,  and  in  quite  as  great  perfection. 
Our  illustration  is  from  Loudon's  Arhoretum 
Britan. 


THE  RANUNCULUS. 
We  have  often  thought  it  a  gi-eat  pity  that 
this  most  splendid  flower  should  become  com- 
paratively neglected  ever  since  all  the  humble 
florists  of  Bethnal-green,  Hackney-road,  Mile- 
end,    and  other    localities  of   the    metropolis 
were    deprived    of   their  little  gardens — for 
those  were  the  classes  who  most  indulged  in 
the  culture  of  the  flower — and  whose  depri- 
vation of  their  gardens  to  make  way  for  brick 
and  mortar  dwellings  was  a  real  loss  to  flori- 
culture.    But  it  is  very  remarkable   that  a 
flower  which  is    so   superb  in  its  perfection, 
and  which  pi-esents  us  with  so  many  varieties 
that  have  nearly  attained   that  state,    should 
not  gain  ground  among  those  gentlemen  who 
take  some  pains  with  their  villa  gardens,  and 
grow  with  care  many  of  our  florist  flowers.    It 
is  true  that  many  cultivators  have,  as  they  call 
it,  tried  to  grow  them,  but  find  they  degenerate 
with    the    management  they   have   received. 
But  some  great  point  has  been  overlooked  in, 
we   had  nearly  said,  ninety-nine  gardens  out 
of   a  hundred    round  London,  and  that  one 
point  is  fatal  to  all  the  delicate  florist  flowers 
of  which  the  auricula,  the  ranunculus,  the  dou- 
ble anemone,  and  some  others  we  could  men- 
tion are  the  most  remarkable.    That  oversight 
is  want  of  draining.    Stagnant  water  is  death  ; 
it  is  to  the  ranunculus  plague,  pestilence,  and 
famine.     It  is  as  possible  to   transmute  lead 
into   silver  as  it  is   to  grow  the  ranunculus 
long  together  in  undrained  ground.     By  this 
we  mean  ground  which  has  stagnant  water  in 
it.    We  do  not  deny  that  there  are  gravelly 
soils  which  carry  off"  the  water  and  form  a 
natural  drainage,  but  there  are  also  hundreds 
of  gardens    on  gravelly  soils  which  do  not. 
There  are  those  who  smile  at  our  endeavours 
to  persuade  them  that  the  ranunculus,  which 
is  so  greedy  fur  water,  and  requires  so  much, 
should  fail  in  undrained  ground,  because  it  is 
undrained,  and  set  up  their  judgment  against 
ours  ;    but,   with  great   submission  to   their 


THE    GENUS    BURTON  [A. 


knowledge,  or  fancied  knowledge,  we  know 
from  actual  experience  that  they  are  wrong 
and  we  are  right.     But  one  of  these  gentle- 
men, who  knows  so  much,  and  is  fond  of  even 
writing  the  quantity  he  does  know,  assures  us, 
on  actual  experience,  that  he  has  followed  our 
directions,  well  drained  his  bed,  used  the  best 
loam  from  rotted  turves,  and  done  every  thing 
we  have  at  various  times  said  should  be  done, 
and  yet  he  failed  as  much  as  he  did  in  other 
parts   of  his  garden.     It  is  worth  noticing 
how  easily  a  man  may  deceive  himself.    We 
examined  his  bed  ;  we  found  a  foot-and-a-half 
of  excellent  loam,  and  at  the  bottom  of  this  a 
foot  of  brick  rubbish,  the  natural  soil  being 
a  stiff  loam  very  retentive   and   as  close   as 
clay ;  and  he  maintained  that  there  could  not 
be  a  better  drainage^  because  the  excess  of 
water  would  run  down  into  the  brick  rubbish. 
The  only  mistake  he  made  was,  that  when  it 
had  run  there  it  stopped  there.     He  had  for- 
gotten a  very  essential  point,  and  we  said  so. 
He  defied  us  to  suggest  better  drainage ;  it 
was  as  good  and  on  the  same  principle  as  the 
drainage  of  a  flower  pot ;  but  our  worthy  friend 
forgot  the  hole  in  the  bottom.     Pie  had  sides 
and  bottom  that  could  hold  water  like  a  leaden 
cistern,  but  there  was  no  outlet;  so  that  there 
jvas,  for  the  whole  season,  the  accumulation  of 
his  watering  as  well  as  of  the  rains  ;  and  his 
well  drained  bed,  as  he  called  it,  was  always 
full  of  stagnant  water.    Here  was,  and  here  is, 
the  grand  secret:  drainage  is  getting  rid  of  the 
water  ;  all  pretences  that  fail  of  this  are  use- 
less.    Had  this  gentleman  made  a  drain  from 
•  the  bottom  of  his  bed  to  run  the  water  off,  he 
had  been  right  enough  ;  but  brick  rubbish  is 
no  better  than  any  other  rubbish  if  the  water 
is  to  lay  in  it.     We  attribute  the  failure  of 
many  things  in  many  gardens  to  the  stagnant 
water  in  the  soil,  and  all  make-shifts,  all  par- 
tial   draining  is  not  so  effective  as  draining 
the  whole  garden.     If  a  man  grows  florist 
flowers — there  are  pounds'  worth  of  plants  go 
into  a  small  compass — his  crops,  as  it  were,  are 
beyond  price.     He  is  unable  to  estimate  the 
cost   of  his   stock,  because  the  plants  have 
been   bought  at   so  many  different   periods. 
Pansies  have  been  tried  and  failed,  pinks  have 
been  tried  apd  failed  ;  twenty  other  kinds  of 
flowers  have  been  tried,  but  by  degrees  have 
got  worse  and  worse.     It  has  all  been  attri- 
buted to  the  air  and  situation,  when  it  should 
have  been  laid  to  the  want  of  proper  drainage. 
But  it  may   be  said,  "Mr.  This  grows  them 
without  draining  his  garden,   and  Mr.  That 
has  never  drained  his  ;  it  cannot  be  that.  "  We 
say  it  can  be,  and  is  that. ,  Mr.  This  and  Mr. 
That  possess  only  two  out  of  the  hundreds  of 
gardens  in  which  they  have  been  grown ;  and 
they   occupy   gardens  which  have  good  na- 
tural drainage,  and  that    alone  accounts  for 


their  growing  successfully  flowers  which  other 
people  cannot  grow.  The  ranunculus  must 
be  left  alone  unless  the  ground  is  effectually 
drained  ;  the  soil  should  be  clear  loam  with 
vegetable  mould ;  and  when  dung  is  used  it 
must  be  clean  cow-dung,  rotted  into  mould; 
new  cow-dung,  though  strongly  recommended 
by  one  grower,  who  has  made  however  but  a 
poor  job  of  it,  brings  the  fly  and  the  maggot. 
Let  our  friends  around  London,  as  well  as 
elsewhere,  grow  them  again  with  fair  means, 
and  this  most  beautiful  flower  will  once  more 
progress.  Lightbody,  of  Falkirk,  and  Reid, 
of  Dunfermline,  have  always  been  successful; 
they  have  superb  varieties  which  nobody 
has  equalled,  and  a  lesson  out  of  their  book 
will  do  great  service. 


THE  GENUS  BURTONIA. 
A  LARGE  proportion  of  the  finer  hard- 
wooded  greenhouse  plants  belong  to  the 
group  of  Papilionaceous  plants  ;  that  is  to  say, 
those  which  have  butterfly-shaped  flowers, 
similar  in  structure  to  those  of  the  pea,  the 
bean,  the  lupine,  and  many  other  familiar 
flowers  and  plants.  This  race  of  plants  is 
invaluable  to  the  cultivator,  the  great  ma- 
jority of  the  plants  being  objects  of  the  great- 
est beauty  under  a  proper  course  of  culture. 
The  greatest  objection  that  arises  is,  that  the 
colour  prevailing  among  them  is  yellow — a 
common  colour — varied  indeed  through  many 
shades,  but  still  having  the  xanthic  tinge  con- 
spicuous. To  this  general  rule,  the  genus 
Burtonia  presents  some  exceptions,  the  flow- 
ers of  several  of  its  species  being  of  a  purple 
colour,  and  moreover  very  handsome.  Hence, 
they  are  most  desirable  plants  in  a  collection, 
however  limited  its  extent  may  be. 

Till  recently,  but  one  purple-flowered  spe- 
cies of  Burtonia  existed  in  our  gardens  ;  two 
others  have  however  been  recently  added. 
They  are  all  plants  of  high  merit,  and  though 
perhaps  too  similar  in  general  appearance  to 
be  all  admitted  to  a  very  limited  collection, 
yet  in  none  should  one  or  other  of  them  be 
omitted  ;  and  where  there  is  space  for  them, 
w^e  should  recommend  them  all  to  be  obtained. 

The  yellow-flowered  species  of  Burtonia 
introduced  to  this  country  in  a  living  state 
are  the  following  : — 

Burtonia  scahra,  Brown. — This  has  pube- 
scent branches,  scabrous  leaves,  formed  of 
three  linear-subulate  leaflets,  and  yellow  flow- 
ers. It  is  a  shrub  growing  to  a  foot-and-a- 
half  high.     Introduced  in  1803. 

Burtonia  sessilifolia,  De  Candolle. — This 
has  hairy  branches,  smooth  leaves  of  three 
linear- subulate  sessile  leaflets,  and  yellow 
flowers.  A  shrub  growing  about  the  same 
size  as  the  last.     Introduced  in  1824. 

Burtonia  minor,  De  Candolle. — This  has 


THE    GENUS    BURTONIA. 


hairy  branches,  smooth  leaves  of  three  leaflets 
as  ill  the  others,  and  yellow  flowers.  A  shrub 
growing  from  six  inches  to  a  foot  high.  Intro- 
ducer! in  1812. 

Three  purple-flowered  species  have  at  the 
present  time  been  introduced  ;  and  it  is  these 
to  which  we  would  especially  direct  attention  ; 
they  are  as  follows  : — - 

Burtonia  conferta,  De  Candolle. — A  small 
bushy,  heath-like  shrub,  growing  from  one  to 


Burtonia  villosa. 
two  feet  high,  with   smooth   branches,    and 
smooth  crowded  simple  linear-subulate  leaves; 
the  flowers  are  purple  or  violet  coloured,  very 
pretty.     Introduced  in  1830. 

Burtonia  puhhella,  Meisner. — A  small 
graceful  shrub,  growing  from  one  to  two  feet 
high,  with  smooth  slender  branches,  and 
smooth  sessile  trifoliate  leaves,  the  leaflets 
of  which  are  narrow-linear  and  obtuse, 
with  revolute  margins ;  the  flowers  are  rich 
purple,  produced  copiously  along  the  upper 
part  of  the  shoots.     Introduced  in  1846. 


Burtonia  villosa,  Meisner. — A  small  heath- 
like shrub,  about  the  size  of  the  others,  with 
hairy  branches,  and  hairy  trifoliate  sessile 
leaves,  consisting  of  linear  obtuse  leaflets, 
having  revolute  margins  ;  the  flowers  are  rich 
purple,  but  paler  than  those  of  Burtonia 
pidchella,  while  at  the  base  of  the  vexillum  is 
a  conspicuous  yellow  spot  ;  they  are  pro- 
duced copiously  from  the  axils  of  the  upper 
leaves.     Introduced  in  or  about  1846. 

The  merit  of  introducing  the  two  last 
mentioned  species,  lies,  we  believe,  with 
Messrs.  Lucombe,  Pince,  &  Co.,  of  Exeter, 
who  received  the  seeds  of  them  from  Mr. 
Drummond.  All  the  species  are  natives  of 
New  Holland,  and  all  bloom  in  the  spring 
and  early  summer  months. 

PROPAGATION. 

These  plants  are  propagated  by  means  of 
cuttings  of  the  young  shoots  taken  when 
about  two  inches  long,  and  planted  in  sand, 
covered  by  bell  glasses,  and  set  where  there 
is  a  gentle  warmth.  The  process  is  this  : — 
The  young  cuttings  are  taken  off  by  a  sharp 
knife  at  the  required  length  ;  they  are  then 
trimmed,  all  the  lower  leaves  for  about  a 
thiid  of  their  length  being  cut  clean  off  by  a 
sharp  small-bladed  knife  ;  the  base  of  the 
cutting  is  then  cut  across  horizontally  on  a 
level  with  the  point  of  attachment  of  the 
lower  side  of  the  leaf  to  the  stem.  They  are 
then  ready  for  planting,  but  the  pots  should 
have  previously  been  prepared  in  readiness, 
which  is  done  thus  : — A  pot  of  a  greater  dia- 
meter than  the  bell  glass  to  be  used  is  selected 
and  cleaned  if  necessary  ;  a  large  piece  of 
broken  pot  is  laid  over  the  hole  in  its  bottom, 
and  on  this  as  much  broken  potsherds  as  will 
make  the  pot  one-third  full  ;  next  follows  a 
thin  stratum  of  the  fine  fibre  of  turfy  peat  to 
keep  the  soil  from  falling  down  among  the 
potsherds.  The  pot  is  next  filled  up  to 
within  an  inch  of  the  rim  with  sandy  peat 
soil,  pressed  down  close  and  equally  all  over  ; 
a  layer  of  about  an  inch  of  pure  white  sand 
pressed  quite  firm,  completes  the  preparation. 
The  materials  should  be  in  the  intermediate 
state,  between  wet  and  dry,  rather  inclining 
to  dryness  that  the  particles  may  be  pressed 
close  without  adhering.  When  the  pot  is 
filled  up  in  this  way,  the  surface  being  quite 
level,  the  bell  glass  should  be  put  on  and 
gently  pressed,  so  as  to  leave  the  mark  of  its 
edge  on  the  sand  ;  the  cuttings  are  to  be  ar- 
ranged within  this  mark.  A  piece  of  blunt 
pointed  stick  is  used  as  a  dibble  to  plant  them 
with  ;  this  should  taper  very  much,  the  point 
being  about  twice  the  thickness  of  the  base  of 
the  cuttings,  and  cut  square  across.  This  is 
inserted  in  the  sand,  and  slightly  turned,  so  as 
to  come  out  clean,  leaving  a  hole  open,  the 


10 


THE    GENUS     BURTONIA. 


bottom  of  which  is  to  be  just  deep  enough  to 
allow  the  end  of  the  cutting  to  rest  on  it,  while 
it  is  buried  not  more  than  about  a  third  of  its 
lengih.  The  base  of  the  cutting  resting  on 
the  bottom  of  the  hole  thus  made,  the  little 
dibble  is  pressed  into  the  sand,  just  clear  of 
the  former  hole,  at  two  or  three  points;  this 
presses  the  sand  firmly  against  the  cutting, 
which  thus  becomes  fixed.  All  the  cuttings 
are  thus  planted,  and  then  the  whole  receive 
a  gentle  watering  from  a  pot  having  a  very 
fine  rose  attached  to  its  spout.  As  soon  as 
the  cuttings  and  sand  have  dried  a  little,  the 
bell  glass  is  put  over,  and  the  pot  set  in  its 
allotted  place.  A  very  mild  tan-bed  is  an 
excellent  place,  and  any  place  where  there 
is  a  mild  degree  of  heat  is  preferable.  The 
bell  glasses  have  to  be  wiped  diy  every  day, 
the  cuttings  shaded  when  there  is  bright 
sunshine,  and  watered  gently  from  time  to 
time  before  the  sand  gets  dry.  When  the 
cuttings  begin  to  grow  the  glasses  should  be 
tilted  aside  for  a  ^^^  days,  and  then  removed 
entirely,  the  plants  being  now  fit  for  potting 
separately. 

Seeds  produce  the  best  and  most  vigorous 
plants,  and  whenever  they  can  be  had,  they 
should  be  preferred  before  cuttings  ;  they  re- 
quire to  be  sown  in  well-drained  pots  in  a 
compost  of  peat  and  li)am,  made  rather  sandy 
by  the  admixture  of  the  pure  white  sand. 
The  seeds  should  be  covered  about  their  own 
thickness  with  fine  soil ;  and  the  pots  may  be 
set,  as  before,  under  the  influence  of  a  gentle 
beat.  The  soil  must  be  kept  moderately 
moist.  When  the  young  seedlings  have 
grown  fairly  up,  and  formed  a  pair  or  so  of 
leaves  besides  the  seed  lobes,  they  may  be 
potted  singly  in  the  same  way  in  the  cuttings. 

GENERAL    CULTURE. 

The  young  plants,  both  cuttings  and  seed- 
lings, may  at  first  be  potted  singly  into  the 
small  pots  called  thumbs  ;  these  are  prepared 
by  placing  a  piece  of  crock  at  bottom  as  large 
as  will  lie  flat,  and  then  about  three-fourths 
of  an  inch  of  broken  crocks  of  the  size  of  peas, 
followed  by  a  few  sprigs  of  moss  to  separate 
the  drainage  from  the  soil.  The  plants  should 
be  potted  rather  high  ;  that  is  to  say,  they 
should  not  be  planted  lower  in  the  soil  than 
they  have  been  previously  ;  the  roots  must 
be  laid  easily  among  the  soil,  which  ought  to 
be  gently  pressed,  but  not  too  much  consoli- 
dated. They  require  after  potting  a  close 
frame  and  a  little  warmth,  which  latter  should 
however  be  very  trifling — about  60°  in  the 
soil,  and  45°  in  the  atmosphere.  Watering 
must  on  no  account  be  neglected,  for  this 
would  ruin  the  plants  ;  the  soil  ought  to 
be  kept  just  moderately  and  thoroughly 
moist ;  wet  soppy  soil  is  decidedly  injurious, 


dry  parched  soil  is  death.  Nothing  but  vigilant 
attention  can  avoid  falling  into  these  extremes. 
The  soil  should  consist  of  a  mixture  of  very 
sandy  loam,  and  good  fibry  peat,  the  turfy 
parts  of  each  ;  these  should  be  mixed  in 
equal  quantities,  and  about  an  eighth  part 
of  silver  sand  should  be  added,  and  the  whole 
well  blended.  Similar  soil,  though  rather 
less  sandy,  may  be  used  at  the  successive  pot- 
tings,  which  should  take  place  as  often  as  the 
previous  pots  become  fairly  filled  with  roots, — 
between  the  months  of  February  and  October. 
From  October  to  February  exclusive,  it  is 
seldom  desirable  to  re-pot  shy-growing  plants 
of  any  kind.  The  fresh  pots  must  not  be  too 
large  ;  thus,  from  a  thumb-pot  the  shift  may 
be  to  one  just  over  three  inches  in  diameter  ; 
this  again  to  be  exchanged  for  a  six-inch  pot; 
then  a  nine-inch  ;  then  a  twelve  inch,  and  so 
on,  if  still  larger  sizes  are  required.  In  eveiy 
case,  the  pots  must  be  well  drained,  the 
drainage  being  increased  in  proportion  to  the 
size  of  the  pots. 

Reverting  to  the  young  plants  :  when  they 
are  fairly  started  for  growth  after  being 
"potted  ofi^,"  as  the  first  potting  is  termed,  they 
must  have  air  given  to  them,  at  first  gradually, 
until  they  are  enabled  to  bear  full  exposure 
to  our  climate  in  the  same  degree  as  the  older 
plants  do.  From  this  time,  a  cold  frame  is 
an  excellent  situation  for  them  during  summer 
weather,  and  in  winter  they  must  be  kept 
in  a  light  airy  greenhouse.  In  the  former 
situation  they  are  best  covered  by  the  sashes 
during  the  middle  portion  of  the  day  in  hot 
weather,  a  shade  being  thrown  over  the 
glasses,  and  these  tilted  up  alternately  back 
and  front,  so  as  to  admit  of  a  circulation  of 
air.  The  frame  should  also  be  elevated  clear 
of  the  surface  which  it  covers,  so  that  a  cur- 
rent of  air  may  constantly  play  about  the 
plants  at  all  times.  Drought  and  scorching 
sun  are  the  principal  enemies  to  fight  against 
in  summer.  In  the  winter,  on  the  other  hand, 
the  greatest  apprehension  is  to  be  excited  by 
the  fear  of  over-watering — the  opposite  ex- 
treme. The  various  re-pottings  should  take 
place  when  the  roots  begin  to  thicken  around 
the  soil  in  the  old  pots. 

We  have  not  yet  mentioned  pruning,  not 
however  that  it  is  unimportant  in  the  forma- 
tion of  a  handsome  plant ;  on  the  contrary, 
it  is  impossible  to  form  one  of  the  thick  bushy 
objects  which  are  now  only  looked  on  as  hand- 
some specimens,  without  following  up  prun- 
ing almost  incessantly  ;  but  it  is  pruning  of 
a  peculiar  sort.  The  branches  must  not  be 
allowed  to  grow  at  random,  and  then  cut  back 
severely  to  prevent  the  plant  from  getting 
lanky.  The  young  shoots  must,  from  the 
very  first,  be  continually  nipped  as  soon  as 
they  have  grown  about  two  inches  long  ;  this 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


11 


causes  them  to  push  out  other  shoots  which 
would  otherwise  have  been  dormant,  and  so 
the  muhiplicity  of  branches  necessary  to  form 
a  stocky  bushy  plant  are  produc3ed  in  an  in- 
credibly short  space  of  time  from  the  little 
single  sprig  which  formed  the  cutting.  The 
principle  of  this  matter,  is  to  pick  out  the 
heart — no  more — just   as  soon   as  the    shoot 


has  reached  the  assigned  limits,  the  actual 
length  allowed  being  of  course  regulated  by 
circumstances,  but  while  the  plants  in  pro- 
cess of  formation,  the  shouts  should  seldom  be 
left  longer  than  two  inches.  Plants  so  treated 
need  no  support  in  the  form  of  stakes  or 
trellises,  but  form  a  compact  even  head,  al- 
most in  contact  with  the  soil. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

BY  A  TUTOR  AND  HIS  PUPIL,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  JANUARY. 


Now,  my  young  friend,  as  you  are  anxious 
to  know  something  about  horticulture,  and  the 
weather  is  very  fine,  we  will  take  a  walk  and 
see  what  is  going  on  in  the  kitchen  gai'den ;  for 
that  is  the  most  useful  part  of  the  establish- 
ment, because  it  provides  us  with  all  the 
vegetables  you  see  at  table  from  time  to  time. 
Now  bring  out  your  little  book,  to  take  notes 
of  those  facts  which  it  is  desirable  to  impress 
on  the  mind. 

When  you  inquired,  the  other  day,  the  mean- 
ing of  gardening,  I  told  you  it  was  the  art  of 
cultivating  in  one  place,  and  in  gre^it  perfec- 
tion, a  variety  of  those  vegetable  productions 
which  nature  brings  forth  at  very  distant  places 
and  of  an  inferior  quality.  I  explained  to 
you  then  that  the  wild  cabbage,  the  wild 
plum,  and  nearly  all  other  subjects  that  grow 
naturally  and  unassisted  by  art,  were  scarcely 
eatable,  while  some,  by  the  difference  of  treat- 
ment alone,  and  others,  by  improvement  of  the 
breed,  become  the  excellent  fruits  and  vege- 
tables that  you  see  every  day  on  the  dinner 
table  and  in  the  dessert. 

As  an  instance  of  the  difference  of  treat- 
ment improving  a  production,  you  remember 
the  wild  celery  I  got  for  you  in  the  lane  the 
other  day.  It  was  strong,  and  bitter,  and 
green  all  the  way  down  to  the  root,  but  it  was 
like  the  green  part  of  the  celery  you  see  every 
day.  I  will  not  say  that  this  breed  has  not 
been  improved  for  size  and  solidity  ;  but,  if  a 
plant  of  the  wild  celery  were  taken  up  young, 
brought  into  the  garden  and  grown  as  you 
will  pi'esently  see  our  celery  is  grown  for 
table,  it  would  have  a  considerable  quantity 
of  white  and  comparatively  mild  eatable  stem 
to  it.  This  is  caused  by  drawing  earth  to  the 
stems  as  fast  as  they  grow  up,  and  thus  keep- 
ing them  from  the  influence  of  the  light  and 
free  air,  which  would  turn  all  our  best  celery 
green.  Another  instance  of  this  may  be  ob- 
served in  the  common  weed  called  dandelion, 
which  grows  rank  and  green  by  the  road-sides, 
yet  is  picked  and  used  for  salads  in  its  wild 
state  ;  but,  if  treated  in  the  same  way  as 
endive  or  lettuce,  and  tied  up  to  blanch,  it 
would  scarcely  be  known  for  the  same  plant, 
so  much  does  the  flavour  and  texture  improve. 


I  might  tell  you  of  many  things  that  are  im- 
proved by  the  means  used  in  producing  them  ; 
but  the  greater  part  of  our  garden  vegetables 
and  fruits  are  improved  by  sowing  seeds  and 
marking  the  best,  to  save  seed  from  every 
year  ;  and  as  each  season  some  one  may  be 
found  better  than  the  I'est,  to  save  the  seed 
from  for  the  next  year,  there  have  been  great 
improvements  made  from  time  to  time,  until 
we  have  produced  many  things  so  different 
from  the  original  or  wild  subject,  as  would 
scarcely  be  known.  Yet  there  is  a  great 
disposition  to  degenerate  ;  and  if  we  sow 
the  pips  of  apples,  or  the  stones  of  peaches  or 
cherries,  nine  out  of  ten,  or  perhaps  ninety- 
nine  out  of  a  hundred,  would  produce  only  wild 
and  useless  fruits.  The  apple-pips  would  bring 
crabs,  and  the  peach-stones  a  sort  of  wild 
almond,  while  the  cherry-stones,  for  the  most 
part,  would  produce  the  wild  cherry-tree. 
But  there  may  be,  and  generally  are,  some 
exceptions  ;  and  it  is  from  these  that  new 
varieties  are   and   have  been  produced. 

But  we  have  arrived  at  the  garden.  I  shall 
take  you  to  the  man  who  is  digging  yonder, 
because  I  want  to  explain  to  you  the  nature 
of  all  the  principal  operations,  and  that  is  al- 
most the  first  that  is  performed  on  a  piece  of 
new  ground.  Observe,  he  has  just  dug  a 
trench  or  gutter,  you  see,  a  foot  wide  all  along 
one  end  of  the  piece  he  is  going  to  turn  up, 
and  is  wheeling  away  the  last  of  the  soil  he 
has  dug  out,  to  the  piece  of  ground  just  beyond 
the  space  he  is  about  to  dig.  He  does  this  for 
a  purpose  which  I  shall  explain  presently. 
When  he  returns,  he  will  leave  his  barrow 
there,  as  he  has  done  with  it  for  the  present. 
Now  you  observe  he  puts  his  spade  in  the 
ground  about  six  or  eight  inches  backward 
from  the  trench  or  gutter  he  has  made,  and 
thrusts  it  into  the  ground  with  his  foot ;  then 
he  bends  the  handle  backward,  which  loosens 
the  earth  that  is  on  his  spade.  Observe,  he 
then  puts  his  left  hand  as  close  down  as  he 
can  to  the  blade,  lifts  up  the  lump  of  soil, 
and,  by  a  jerk  of  the  spade,  throws  the  earth 
bottom  side  upwards  into  the  gutter  he  first 
made.  Now  observe,  he  takes  another  spade- 
ful further  on   and    does   the  same,  and  so 


12 


A    STROLL    THUOUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


keeps  on  the  whole  length,  by  which  he  has 
partly  filled  up  the  first  gutter  he  made,  and 
has  made  another  further  back.  And  if  you 
notice  properly,  you  will  see  that  when  the 
soil  does  not  break  into  pieces  and  crumble  by 
itself,  he  chops  and  knocks  it  about  with  his 
spade,  to  break  it,  and  he  also  lays  the  top  as 
true  as  he  can  as  he  goes  along.  As  we  have 
seen  him  dig  several  rows,  we  will  go  and  see 
what  the  man  is  at  with  his  rake  yonder,  and 
come  back  to  see  the  fruits  of  this  digging  ; 
and  as  we  go  along,  I  will  explain  what  the 
digging  is  for,  and  what  efiect  it  has,  for 
this  is  one  of  the  greatest  contrasts  that  gar- 
dening forms  when  compared  with  nature  in 
her  uncultivated  state.  Ground,  in  a  state 
of  nature,  is  so  hard  that,  unless  it  is  after 
heavy  rains,  seeds  cannot  send  their  roots  into 
it ;  hence,  millions  of  seeds  that  fall  upon  the 
earth  are  wasted,  and  those  which  do  grow 
are  very  much  stunted  for  want  of  nourish- 
ment. Now,  the  digging  not  only  softens  the 
earth  and  lets  the  air  into  it,  which  encou- 
rages the  roots  of  plants  to  shoot  vigorously 
into  it,  but  it  renders  the  soil  so  porous  that 
the  rains  sink  down  into  it  and  afford  the 
most  effective  nourishment  that  can  be  given  ; 
so  that  generally  the  more  the  soil  is  dug  and 
stirred  about,  the  better,  and  the  deeper  it  is 
dug,  the  better  ;  for  although  the  soil,  the 
depth  that  a  spade  reaches,  may  be  very  good, 
and  below  that  depth  may  be  very  poor  and 
bad,  even  the  stirring  of  that  for  another 
spade  deep  would  be  beneficial  now  and  then. 
Sometimes  the  ground  is  good  the  full  depth 
of  two  spades,  and  in  such  a  case  as  this  the 
bottom  spadeful  or  spades'  depth,  having  been 
idle  a  long  time,  and  also  having  received  all 
nourishment  that  has  washed  down  with  the 
rains,  will  be  much  stronger  for  cultivation, 
and  should  be  put  at  the  top,  and  the  top  spit 
at  the  bottom,  by  means  of  double  digging  or 
trenching,  which,  if  I  mistake  not,  we  shall 
see  going  on  to-morrow. 

We  have  now  to  observe  this  man  who  is 
drawing  his  rake  and  pushing  it  backwards 
and  forwards  on  a  piece  of  dug  ground,  and 
every  now  and  then  he  turns  the  back  of  his 
rake  next  the  ground  to  break  the  lumps, 
so  that  the  surface  may  be  quite  level.  I  see 
he  is  about  to  sow  that  piece  with  various 
kinds  of  seed.  You  see  he  has  marked  out  a 
piece  about  four  feet  wide  ;  that  is  for  onions, 
not  the  main  crop,  because  it  is  too  early. 
Just  notice  how  thinly  he  scatters  the  seed  on 
that  piece,  what  a  little  he  seems  to  have 
used  :  the  truth  is,  that  if  he  could  do  it,  he 
would  sow  all  of  the  seeds, four  inches  apart, 
because  that  is  as  near  as  the  onions  could 
grow  to  their  full  size  ;  but  as  he  cannot,  he 
sows  them  as  thinly  as  he  can,  to  make  sure 
that  there  are  no  larger  vacant  spaces,  and  will 


wait  till  they  are  up  and  then  take  away  those 
that  are  not  wanted,  so  as  to  leave  them  at  a 
proper  distance.  Now  observe,  he  takes  the 
rake  again  and  moves  it  all  over  the  surface, 
so  that  the  teeth  make  little  furrows,  into 
which  the  seeds  fall  and  get  covered  by  the 
continuance  of  the  operation,  for  as  he  makes 
new  marks  or  furrows  with  the  teeth  of  the 
rake,  which  he  moves  in  all  directions,  he 
turns  up  the  old  ones,  so  that  the  seeds  get 
covered  with  soil.  Now  he  uses  that  heavy 
iron  roller  to  press  the  soil  down  upon  the 
seeds  and  keep  in  the  moisture.  Now,  you 
observe,  he  has  changed  his  implement  from 
a  rake  to  a  hoe,  and  has  taken  up  a  garden- 
line,  which  is  wound  round  a  sort  of  iron 
swivel  on  a  spindle,  and  one  end  of  it  fastened 
to  a  simple  iron  spike.  He  is  now  going  to 
make  what  are  called  drills,  that  is,  small  fur- 
rows, at  equal  distances,  in  which  to  sow  peas. 
Observe,  he  thrusts  the  spike  which  has  one 
end  of  the  line  to  it,  fast  into  the  ground,  just 
two  feet  six  inches  from  his  onion-bed  at  the 
further  side  of  the  piece.  As  he  comes  across 
the  ground,  the  line  unwinds,  and  now  giving 
it  two  or  three  turns  round  the  spindle,  so 
that  it  should  not  loosen,  he  stretches  the  line 
as  tight  as  possible,  and  thrusts  the  spindle 
into  the  ground  the  same  distance  from  his 
onion-bed  at  this  end.  You  must  now  take 
notice  that  the  line  is  so  tight  along  the  sur- 
face of  the  ground,  that  if  it  be  pulled  or 
pushed  on  one  side,  it  springs  back  into  its 
place  again  :  for  instance,  he  is  drawing  the 
hoe  all  along  one  side  of  it  to  make  a  sort  of 
gutter  or  furrow  with  the  corner  of  it,  and 
although  he  presses  the  cord  on  one  side  every 
now  and  then,  it  recovers  its  place  again  di- 
rectly. Now  this  furrow,  which  is  about  two 
inches  deep  from  the  surface,  has  a  sort  of 
bank  by  the  side  of  it,  formed  of  the  soil 
that  has  been  drawn  out  of  it.  Observe,  too, 
that  he  moves  the  line  forward  exactly  two 
feet  six  inches  at  each  end,  to  make  another 
such  furrow,  and  he  will  continue  to  do  so  all 
through  the  rest  of  that  piece  of  ground  that 
he  has  raked  after  digging  ;  he  will  then 
sprinkle  peas  along  the  bottom  of  the  furrows, 
an  inch  apart,  and  with  the  back  of  his  rake 
he  will  draw  down  a  part  of  the  little  bank, 
so  as  to  bury  the  seed  an  inch  deep,  and  press 
it  on  the  seed  a  little.  Both  peas  and  onions 
will  then  be  left  until  they  are  fairly  above 
ground.  Let  us  now  turn  back  to  the  dig- 
ging, for  by  this  time  the  man  must  be  get- 
ting pretty  well  through  his  job.  You  see  he 
has  now  come  to  the  end  of  the  piece,  and 
there  is  a  vacant  trench  all  across  his  work. 
Now  observe,  he  is  filling  up  the  last  trench 
or  furrow  with  the  earth  he  dug  out  of  the 
first,  and  wheeled  in  the  barrow  to  this  end, 
so  that  the  whole  piece  is  level  ;  and  the  soil 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


13 


being  loosened  so  as  not  to  lay  so  close,  stands 
considerably  higher  than  the  part  which  is  not 
dug.  Now  all  this  piece  is  ready  to  sow  or 
plant,  as  the  case  may  be.  We  will  take 
another  walk  to-morrow,  and  see  what  will 
be  done  with  it ;  but  it  will  take  no  harm  if  it 
remain  uncropped  for  a  considerable  time  ; 
but  as  it  is  usual  to  leave  the  work  rough,  just 
as  it  turns  up  in  lumps,  when  it  is  to  be  empty 
some  time,  it  will  most  likely  be  cropped  to- 
morrow or  next  day.  The  reason  why  ground 
is  left  rough  when  it  is  not  to  be  filled  directly, 
is  because  the  weather  shall  penetrate  it  better. 
If  a  frost  comes  on  while  the  earth  is  pur- 
posely laid  rough,  it  freezes  the  lumps,  and 
when  it  thaws  they  are  completely  rotten,  as 
it  were,  and  pulverize  almost  without  touch- 
ing. Nothing  is  more  beneficial  to  the  earth 
than  seasonable  frosts,  and  the  more  they 
penetrate  the  soil  the  better  the  eflfect.  We 
will  go  round  the  other  side  of  the  garden 
homeward,  to  see  what  they  have  in  those  beds. 
Tliese  are  all  young  cabbage  plants,  ready  for 
planting  out ;  they  were  sown  at  the  end  of 
the  summer,  and  as  soon  as  they  were  large 
enough  were  pricked  out  in  their  beds  six 
inches  apart,  as  you  see  them  ;  they  have  now 
gained  strength  enough  to  be  planted  anywhere 
for  the  completion  of  their  growth.  Under  these 
glasses  there  are  cauliflower  plants,  which  will 
be  planted  out  as  soon  as  the  chief  of  the  cold 
weather  has  gone.  You  see  the  glasses  are 
taken  oif  this  mild  weather,  but  at  night  they 
will  all  be  closed  up,  and  if  there  be  any  signs 
of  frost  the  glass  will  be  even  covered  with 
mats.  Those  hand  glasses  that  are  tilted  up 
on  one  side  with  bricks,  cover  over  cauliflower 
plants  that  are  forwarder  than  those  in  frames  ; 
they  have  been  planted  out  these  two  months, 
and  being  covered  with  those  glasses  they 
have  not  been  checked  by  frost  or  cold  winds. 
If  you  notice,  there  are  three  under  each 
glass  ;  these  are  tilted  as  you  see  them,  in 
mild  weather ;  and  when  very  fine,  and  the 
sun  out,  the  glasses  are  taken  oflT.  There  is 
plenty  of  room  to  put  the  glasses  between  the 
patches  In  windy  weather  the  glasses  are 
tilted  on  the  side  opposite  the  wind,  so  that 
they  get  air  without  being  dined  or  checked  by 
the  wind.  That  large  heap  of  smoking  dung 
is  to  make  a  hot-bed  with.  We  shall  see  in  a 
day  or  two  what  that  is  intended  for.  Here 
is  a  large  piece  of  ground  that  has  been  laying 
in  ridges  some  time  ;  this  is  done  that  the 
frost  may  get  through  it  more  completely  than 
it  can  when  it  is  only  left  rough.  It  is  not 
always  necessary;  but  if  you  notice,  you  will 
see  that  the  ground  is  very  stiff  and  clay-like 
compared  with  the  other  part  of  the  garden. 
It  has  been  only  lately  taken  in,  and  was  only 
grass-land  two  months  ago.  We  will  now 
return  :   we  have  seen  enough  for  one  day. 


Recollect  that  in  gardening  nothing  is  done 
without  an  object,  and  I  shall  endeavour  to 
make  you  understand  what  the  object  is  for 
every  operation  we  see  performed. 

As  the  weather  is  frosty  this  morning,  we 
shall  find  every  thing  that  is  at  all  tender 
closely  covered  up  ;  and  this  sudden  change 
shows  the  necessity  of  covering  up  at  night 
even  when  the  temperature  is  mild,  for  we 
cannot  calculate  on  the  continuance  of  warmth, 
even  for  an  hour,  after  sunset.  There  is  no 
digging  or  sowing  going  on,  for  the  ground  is 
quite  hard,  but  I  see  the  gardener  is  about  to 
make  his  dung-bed.  You  observe  that  the 
wooden  frame  which  is  to  go  on  the  top,  lays 
on  the  ground;  he  has  placed  it  there  that  he 
may  mark  out  the  size  he  wants  to  make  the 
pile  of  dung  on  which  it  is  to  stand.  Take 
notice  now  that  he  is  measuring  a  space  just 
one  foot  all  round  larger  than  the  frame  itself, 
and  he  drives  a  stake  down  at  each  corner, 
leaving  as  much  out  of  ground  as  the  height 
of  the  dung  is  to  be  ;  now  he  takes  the  frame 
out  of  his  way,  and  from  the  large  heap  he 
shakes  out  the  hot  dung  evenly  over  the  square 
place  confined  within  the  stakes.  He  will 
continue  this  until  he  has  piled  up  the  dung 
four  feet  high,  patting  it  down  with  the  fork 
which  he  uses,  but  not  treading  on  it  or 
compressing  it  too  much.  As  it  will  take  him 
some  time  to  finish  his  job,  and  the  process  is 
only  a  continuance  of  what  we  have  just  seen, 
we  will  move  onwards,  for  it  is  too  cold  to  stand 
about.  The  heap  of  dung  from  which  he  is 
taking  all  he  uses,  is  not  as  it  comes  from  the 
stable,  for  the  heat  is  always  irregular,  but  it 
has  been  shaken  out,  just  as  he  does  it  for  the 
hot-bed,  four  or  five  times  ;  and  where  it  has 
been  very  hot,  and  therefore  become  dry,  it 
has  been  wetted  ;  and  when  the  heap  has  been 
lying  together  a  few  days,  it  has  all  been 
shaken  out  again  and  sprinkled  with  water 
every  foot  of  thickness,  that  the  whole  body 
may  be  damped  or  rather  kept  damp.  After 
four  or  five  turnings  over  and  occasional 
waterings,  the  heat  becomes  alike  all  over, 
and  it  is  in  the  state  you  see  it.  This  frost  is 
not  severe  enough  to  kill  the  brocoli,  for  that 
plant  will  bear  a  good  deal.  You  see  a  good 
deal  of  it  may  be  cut  for  use,  as  the  sprout- 
ing sort  is  showing  flower  buds.  These  savoys 
also  are  not  easily  affected  ;  they  are  said  to 
be  better  and  more  mild  and  tender  after  a 
good  hard  frost  than  they  are  before  it  or 
without  it.  Observe,  there  are  several  differ- 
ent crops  of  this  useful  winter  green,  some 
well  hearted  and  quite  hard;  some  smaller,  that 
are  hearted  but  not  hard,  and  the  most  back- 
ward are  only  turning  in  their  centre  leaves 
and  beginning  to  heart.  This  border,  covered 
with    litter,    contains   radishes    and    cabbage 


14 


A    STROLL   THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


lettuce,  both  up  and  doing  well ;  but  had  they 
been  left  uncovered  last  night,  they  would 
have  perished  ;  the  litter  must  not  be  re- 
moved while  the  frost  lasts.  Yonder,  I  see,  is 
a  man  pumping  water  on  the  wall  through  a 
fine  rose,  which  is  something  like  the  rose  on 
the  spout  of  a  waterpot,  only  that  the  holes 
in  those  garden  engines  are  made  of  various 
sizes,  that  the  water  may  be  forced  through 
in  small  streams,  as  fine  as  dew,  or  coarse,  like 
rain.  The  rose  he  is  using  has  very  small 
holes.  The  object  in  this  operation  is  not 
easily  guessed  ;  but  if  you  notice  the  part  of 
the  wall  that  he  has  left,  it  is  completely 
coated  with  ice,  and  as  the  water,  fine  as  were 
the  particles,  was  forced  from  the  engine,  it 
filled  all  the  crevices,  so  that  all  the  insects 
that  may  be  lodged  in  and  about  the  wall 
are  frozen  in  solid  ice  ;  and  it  will  be  few,  if 
any,  that  will  escape  with  life — insects  and 
eggs  will  be  destroyed.  If  the  man  sent  the 
water  in  larger  streams,  it  would  not  freeze  so 
quickly.  Frost  is  a  great  destroyer  of  animal 
vitality,  as  well  as  of  vegetable  life ;  and  al- 
though everybody  is  not  aware  of  the  good 
done  by  watering  a  wall,  it  should  never  be 
neglected  if  the  opportunity  of  a  sharpish  day- 
frost  offers  itself.  Let  us  now  turn  back,  and 
see  how  the  hot-bed  progresses.  I  see  he  has 
completed  it,  and  placed  the  wooden  frame  on 
the  top,  and  the  glasses  upon  that.  The  dung, 
you  see,  projects  a  foot  all  round  the  frame  ; 
the  only  object  of  this  is  the  additional  body 
of  dung  for  the  sake  of  the  heat  being  greater 
and  lasting  longer  than  it  would  with  a  less 
quantity.  Since  we  left,  he  has  made  another 
bed  half  the  height  of  the  other  or  rather 
more  ;  this  is  intended  for  asparagus.  He 
has  already  put  three  inches  thickness  of  soil 
upon  the  dung  inside  the  frame  ;  upon  this  he 
will  place,  side  by  side,  as  thick  or  rather  as 
close  together  as  he  can  pack  them,  the  roots  of 
three  year  old  asparagus,  or  older  if  they  can 
be  got  strong  and  healthy  ;  these  he  will  cover 
up  with  soil  three  inches  thick  above  the 
crowns.  The  reason  for  not  building  up  the 
dung  so  high  as  the  other  bed,  is  that  the 
heat  is  not  wanted  so  great,  nor  is  it  required 
so  long  as  tiiat  for  cucumbers  or  melons, 
which  the  larger  bed  is  intended  for.  A  great 
body  of  dung  will  sometimes  heat  very  much 
more  than  it  ought,  notwithstanding  all  the 
precaution  we  can  take  ;  therefore  it  is  neces- 
sary to  watch  narrowly  the  first  few  days. 
The  wooden  stake  you  see  thrust  into  the  side 
of  the  dung,  reaches  to  the  middle,  and  by 
pulling  it  out  and  feeling  the  end,  you  may 
always  tell  the  heat  of  th^  centre.  If  it  is 
found  too  hot,  and  likely  to  burn,  it  must  be 
taken  partly  to  pieces,  shook  out  again,  and 
remade  ;  but  if  the  previous  management  of 
the  dung  has  been   right,  there  v.ill  be  no 


trouble.  The  gardener  has  tilted  up  the  glass 
behind,  to  let  the  steam  out  of  the  large  bed, 
but  the  lower  one  is  closed  up.  The  steam 
that  goes  through  the  mould  will  be  sweet 
and  wholesome  ;  besides  which,  it  Avill  take 
some  hours  to  heat  through  the  mould  which 
covers  the  dung.  I  wish  you  to  remark  the 
difference  between  the  weather  of  to-day  and 
yesterday — one,  all  sunshine  and  warmth,  the 
other,  cold,  frosty,  and  cheerless.  This  shows 
that  no  unconditional  directions  can  be  given 
for  any  particular  month,  because  here  we 
have  two  consecutive  days  in  January,  one  of 
them  a  summer's  day,  as  it  were,  and  the  other 
hard  winter.  We  will  not  lengthen  our  walk 
to-day  :  the  house  is  the  most  comfortable 
place,  for  it  has  begun  to  snow. 

As  the  snow  has  all  thawed,  and  it  is  more 
than  a  week  since  we  took  a  walk  in  the  gar- 
den, we  will  take  a  stroll  down  some  of  the 
principal  walks,  though  there  is  not  much 
going  on.  Now  observe  this  lump  of  earth, 
which  before  the  frost,  was  as  hard  almost  as 
a  brick,  you  see  I  can  crumble  it  with  my 
stick  ;  but  it  would  not  do  to  work  upon  it 
yet,  for  the  feet  would  press  it  again  together 
into  hard  lumps,  which  would  perhaps  remain 
so  for  months  when  dug  up  again  ;  the  thaw 
expands  the  water  that  is  in  all  the  pores  of 
the  earth,  and  that  pushes  all  the  particles 
away  from  each  other,  and  completely  breaks 
the  texture  ;  but  whenever  it  is  trampled  on, 
it  would  be  again  compressed  into  its  clay-like 
structure,  and  require  enormous  labour  to  chop 
it  or  knock  it  to  pieces.  You  see  the  frost 
has  even  made  the  gravel  walks  rotten,  but 
the  heavy  roller  passing  over  this  will  set  it 
to  rights,  I  see  the  gardener  has  completed 
his  asparagus  bed,  and  has  put  three  heaps  of 
mould  on  the  cucumber  bed,  one  under  the 
centre  of  each  light.  These  heaps  have  been 
in  two  or  three  days,  to  make  the  warmth  of 
the  dung  penetrate  them.  See,  he  is  coming  with 
some  cucumber  plants  in  pots :  let  us  pay 
attention  to  his  proceedings.  You  see  the  soil 
which  he  put  in  a  heap  like  a  cone,  he  now 
stirs  round  in  the  centre,  by  which  he  forms  a 
sort  of  basin,  throwing  or  rather  pushing  the 
soil  over  the  edge  to  run  down  the  side  of 
the  cone.  Having  made  this  basin  or  hollow, 
he  now  turns  the  plants  out  of  the  pots,  and 
does  not  disturb  the  ball  of  earth  that  comes 
out  of  the  pot  whole,  but  places  it  in  the 
centre  of  the  hole  and  presses  it  down,  so  that 
the  bottom  of  the  ball  of  earth  is  only  three 
inches  from  the  dung  ;  he  now  draws  down 
enough  of  the  soil  to  cover  up  the  side  of  the 
ball  to  the  surface,  and  having  watered  it,  to 
settle  the  earth  close  to  the  ball:  it  is  done. 
He  will  do  the  other  two  just  the  same.  In 
a  few  days  the  roots  of  the  plants  will  have 


A    STROLL   THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


15 


spread  so  much  as  to  protrude  through  the 
sides  of  the  heap  of  earth,  when  some  more 
soil  will  be  put  round  it,  and  by  degrees  the 
earth  will  be  added,  and  the  whole  levelled, 
so  as  to  be  six  inches  thick  all  over  the  frame. 
But  you  naturally  enough  ask  how  he  got  the 
plants.  Half  a  dozen  barrow-loads  of  dung 
were  put  in  a  heap,  flattened  at  top,  and  two 
or  three  inches  of  soil  laid  on,  three  cucumber 
seeds  were  placed  in  each  of  half  a  dozen  pots, 
and  these  pots  set  upon  the  dung,  with  a  hand- 
glass over  them  ;  they  are  very  soon  up  ;  and 
some  air  was  given  by  an  opening  in  the  top 
of  the  hand-glass.  As  soon  as  there  are  four 
rough  leaves,  the  points  or  growing  parts  were 
nipped  off,  and  they  progressed  in  their  tem- 
porary abode  until  brought  as  you  saw  them 
to-day.  But  we  shall  see  more  of  them  by- 
and-by.  At  present  there  is  nothing  more 
to  observe  on  this  side  the  garden.  The  frost 
has  not  hurt  the  brocoli,  though  it  has 
touched  it  a  little.  The  savoys,  cabbage 
plants,  Brussels  sprouts,  and  Scotch  kale,  ap- 
pear none  the  worse.  The  short  sticks  that 
have  been  stuck  to  the  few  rows  of  peas  under 
the  south  wall  seem  to  have  protected  them 
well ;  and  now  that  the  litter  is  removed,  you 
see  the  only  ill  effi-ct  of  covering  the  ra- 
dishes and  lettuces  is,  that  they  look  a  little 
paler  green.  This  will  be  removed,  in  a  very 
short  time,  in  the  full  light,  for  it  is  the  opera- 
tion of  light  and  air  on  vegetation  that  causes 
the  natural  colour  of  the  plant  ;  as  I  have 
already  explained  to  you,  with  regard  to 
celery,  which  is  white  as  high  up  as  you  bury 
it  in  the  soil,  and  this  holds  good  with  all 
plants ;  according  as  they  are  more  or  less 
covered  up,  they  are  paler  or  almost  white. 
Cabbages  and  lettuces  show  it  in  the  closeness 
of  their  hearts,  for,  if  you  notice,  although  not 
buried  in  the  ground,  still  they  are  hidden 
from  the  light  and  air  by  the  outer  leaves,  and 
the  nearer  the  leaves  are  to  the  outside,  the  more 
green  they  are,  while  those  that  are  quite  ex- 
posed are  perfectly  green.  This  will  explain 
to  you  why  gardeners  tie  up  cabbages  and 
lettuces ;  for  although  good  ones  will  always 
grow  into  good  solid  hearts,  the  gardener  is 
anxious  to  produce  pale  hearts  earlier  than 
they  would  naturally  grow,  and  therefore  ties 
them  tight  round  with  a  piece  of  matting,  to 
exclude  the  light  and  air  from  the  inner  leaves 
of  early  growth.  To-morrow,  if  the  weather 
holds  fine,  we  shall  see  them  busy  in  the  gar- 
den, for  this  dry  day  will  make  the  ground 
work  pleasantly,  and  it  will  be  in  excellent 
order  for  planting  or  sowing.  I  see  you  have 
been  making  notes,  let  me  read  them.  They 
are  short,  but  to  the  point :  you  cannot  do 
better  than  continue  them  ;  you  can  enlarge 
upon  them  at  your  leisui-e. 

"  Gardening  is  the  art  of  cultivating  in  one 


place  and  in  great  perfection,  many  different 
kinds  of  vegetables  that  grow  naturally  at 
distant  places,  but  of  inferior  quality. 

"  Improved  varieties  are  produced  by  sow- 
ing seeds,  and  always  saving  seeds  from  the 
best,  by  which,  in  the  course  of  time,  we  get 
new  and  better  varieties. 

"  The  earth  is  dug  to  let  the  air  and  rain 
in  and  to  loosen  it,  so  that  roots  may  easily 
penetrate  it. 

"  The  ground  is  left  rough  and  sometimes 
in  ridges,  that  the  winter  frost  may  break  the 
lumps  and  pulverize  it. 

"  Tender  plants  that  would  be  damaged  by 
frost,  are  covered  in  winter  with  frames  and 
glasses  or  litter  which  protects  them,  and  this 
is  done  every  night,  because  a  frost  may  come 
before  morning ;  but  they  are  uncovered  on 
mild  days. 

"  Frost  destroys  many  insects;  therefore,  as 
walls  may  be  covered  with  ice  by  sprinkling 
them  with  water  forced  through  small  holes  by  a 
garden  engine,  many  insects  that  conceal  them- 
selves in  the  crevices  can  be  destroyed  when- 
ever the  weather  is  cold  enough  to  freeze  the 
water,  because  it  embodies  them  in  solid  ice. 

"  Plants  in  the  dark  grow  pale ;  by  exclud- 
ing light  and  air  they  become  white.  This 
is  the  cause  of  the  hard  hearts  of  cabbages 
and  lettuces  and  the  stems  of  celery  being 
pale  or  white." 

All  these  notes  are  very  good,  and  you  will 
have  an  opportunity  of  making  others  as  we 
proceed.  In  the  mean  time  you  are  to  re- 
collect we  are  in  the  month  of  January,  which 
is  sometimes  frosty  all  the  way  through ;  and 
therefore,  except  as  far  as  protecting  crops 
that  are  tender,  and  the  hot-beds,  are  con- 
cerned, it  is  an  idle  month  ;  but  when  mild 
or  changeable,  as  this  is,  there  is  abundant 
woi'k.  We  shall  perhaps  have  an  opportunity 
of  seeing  to-morrow  all  the  different  operations 
that  are  proper  for  this  month,  as  the  gar- 
dener will  naturally  be  anxious  to  make  the 
most  of  the  fine  weather,  and  have  all  hands 
that  he  can  spare  at  those  jobs  which  cannot 
be  done  in  frosty  nor  in  very  wet  weather, 
for  nothing  does  the  ground  so  much  harm  as 
to  tread  upon  it  while  it  is  wet  and  clammy, 
because  it  closes  it  up  and  squeezes  out  the 
air,  and  forms  it  into  lumps.  We  will  after- 
wards go  to  the  flower  and  fruit  gardens. 

The  drying  wind  of  yesterday  evening, 
and  to  all  appearance  of  all  last  night,  has 
done  much  towards  getting  the  ground  in 
good  order  for  working  ;  and  as  soon  as  we 
have  done  our  in-door  studies  we  will  go  into 
the  garden,  for  it  is  sure  to  be  a  busy 
day  there.  The  uncertainty  of  all  the  months 
after  September  and  before  May,  but  par- 
ticularly  of  January,  February,  and  March, 


16 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


renders  every  fine  day  valuable,   and  every 
thing   that   can  be   done  during  frost  and  in 
very  wet  weather,  should  be  left  whenever 
the   soil   is   fit  for  working.      The  men  have 
been  at  work  for  hours,  but  we  shall  see  what 
they  have   been  doing  as  well  as  what  they 
will  then  be  performing.     We  are  sure  to  be 
in  time  for  any  sowing  that  is  to   be  done, 
because  the  gardener  or  foreman  will  never 
let  that  be  done  except  while  one  or  other  of 
them  is    at   hand,   and,  whenever  they  can, 
they   do  it  themselves.     *         *         *         * 
Well,  now  you   are   ready  for  the  garden. 
Observe  the  piece  of  rough  ground  that  I  told 
you  was  left  in  ridges,   that  the  frost  might 
penetrate  as  far  as  possible,  has  been  for  the 
greater  part  levelled  ;  you  see  the  man  throws 
down  the  top  of  the  ridges  into  the  bottoms 
of  the  furrows,  and  makes  the  surface  tolera- 
bly even  ;  he  will  presently   take   his  large 
rake  to  smooth  it  a  little,  preparatory  to  sow- 
ing or  planting  in  it  ;  meanwhile,  we  will  go 
on   to  the  bed   that  the  man  is  preparing  at 
the  other  end.     See  how  those  pale  railishes 
and    lettuces    have    recovered     their    green 
colour,  although  rhey  have  had  the  liglit  only 
yesterday  and  the  forepart  of  to-day.     Here 
is  a  man  planting  cabbages  from  the  nursery 
bed  that  I  sho'A'ed  you  some  days  ago  ;  he  is 
planting  them  too  thick  to  grow  into  full- 
sized   cabbages,    but    he   intends  that  every 
alternate  plant  shall  be  pulled  up  half-grown, 
to  be  eaten  as  greens,  such  as  you  see  tied  up 
in  bunches  at  the  shops  and  markets  ;  they  are 
•  nine  inches  apart  in  the  rows,  and  the  rows 
are  eighteen   inches  from   each  other.     Ob- 
serve, there  is  another  man  "  earthing  up,''  as 
it  is   called,   all  that  large  piece  of  brocoli, 
Brussels  sprouts,  late  savoys,   and  early  cab- 
bages ;  that  is,  he  is  drawing  the  earth  up  to 
the  stems  and  stirring  the  surface  of  the  soil 
between  the  rows  ;  if  you  notice  particularly, 
you  will  see  that  he  forms  a  kind  of  bank  all 
along  the  rows,   and  brings  the  soil  three  or 
four    inciies    up    the    stems.     This    always 
greatly  refreshes  all  sorts  of  crops  of  the  cab- 
bage   tribe,    besides    refreshing    them    and 
enabling  them  to  strike  fresh  roots  into  the 
soil  higher    up    their    stems  ;    observe    how 
much  cleaner  and  better  the  crop  looks  after 
earthing;  and  stirring  the  surface  always  does 
a  great   deal  of  good,    because  the  rain  runs 
the  soil  together  and  closes  it  against  the  air ; 
stirring  it  admits  the  air  and  allows  the  rain  to 
penetrate  more  easily.  Now  we  have  arrived  at 
the  work  I  spoke  of  when  we  were  too  distant 
to  see  it  :    The  bed,  you  observe,  is  four  feet 
wide  ;  this  width  is  chosen,  that  the  man  may 
be  able  to  reach  the  centre  from  either  side, 
to  pull  out  weeds  or  thin  the  plants.     Here 
he  is  sowing  several  different  things,   a  few 
of  each,  because  they  may  fail  if  a  very  hard 


frost  should  come  and  last  some  days.    Beans 
(the  broad  sort)  you  see  are  sown  very  thick, 
not  more  than  an  inch  apart  ;  these  are  only 
wanted    to    grow    for   planting   out  in  rows. 
Suppose  the  winter   set  in  veiy  hard,   this 
small  patch,  which  is  not  more  than  four  feet 
square,    could   be    easily  covered  to  protect 
them.     Had  he  sowed  them  at  once  in  thin 
rows,    six  inches    from    seed    to  seed,    and 
two  feet  from  row  to  row,   they  would  have 
been  much  more  difficult  to  protect,  because 
of  the  great    space  they   would  cover.     He 
has  also  a  patch  of  turnips  and  carrots,  and 
lettuce.     He  has  made  up  his  mind  to  protect 
this  whole  bed,  just  as  he  protected  the  bed 
of  radishes  and  lettuces,  which  we  noticed. 
There  is  a  man  on  the  right  there  earthing  up 
celery.     The  soil  forms  a  complete  bank,  and 
the  higher  it  is,  the  longer  will  be  the  white 
part  of  the  plant.     We  will  just  walk  across 
to  the  place  where  the  hot-bed  is,  and  which 
is  called,  in  large  establishments,  where  it  is 
separated  from  the  garden,  the  forcing  ground, 
but  here  there  is  no  separation.     There  ap- 
pears to  be  a  quantity  of  dung  spread  over  a 
large  space  of  ground ;  that,  covers  a  number 
of  pots  which  are  put  over  plants  of  sea  kale, 
and  the  gardener  is    trying  an    experiment 
with    the    rhubarb,     that    is    worth    notice. 
Under   close    cover    and    in   the    dark,    the 
rhubarb  plant  grows  blanched  like  celery  or 
kale,  and  the  flavour  is  not  nearly  so  strong; 
but    he    has    two    or   three   wooden   frames 
made,   some  eighteen  inches  long  and  some 
two  feet  nine  inches  long,  like  a  square  pipe : 
here  they  are.     You  see  they  are  formed  of 
four  pieces  of  nine-inch  wide  board,  and  are 
open  at  each  end  ;    one  end  is  put  on  the 
ground  to  cover  the  plant,  the  other  is  open 
to   the  sky,    but   they  are  surrounded  with 
hot  stable  dung,  and  a  flat  bit  of  glass  is  put 
on   the  top.     In    the    daytime,    the  dung   is 
taken  from  the  top  of  the  glass  to  let  in  the 
light,   and    the   glass   is    removed  altogether 
occasionally  to  let  in  the  air.     This  will  be 
found  to  give  colour,  and  add  to  the  flavour. 
Observe  these  flower-pots  on  the  ground,  they 
have  roots  of  mint  in  them  ;  the  gardener  will 
put  them  in  the  hot- beds  one  after  another, 
and  so   have   a  supply  of  green    mint  next 
month,  and  a  succession  till  that  out  of  doors 
comes  forward.     The  cucumbers  have  grown 
considerably  in  this  short  time,  but  there  is  no 
appearance  of    asparagus  yet.     The  ground 
that  was  ridged  and  is  now  levelled,  is  partly 
planted  with  the  remains  of  the  winter  greens 
out   of    the  nursery   bed,   all   of    which   are 
cleared,  except  the  cabbage  and  cauliflower  ; 
and  I  see  he  is  planting  a  few  rows  of  potatoes. 
We  have  now  seen  the  principal  operations 
that   can    be    performed  with  advantage    in 
January  ;  and  our  next  visit  shall  be   to  the 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


17 


flower  garden  and  conservatory,  for  you  will 
perhaps  be  better  plea-sed,  though  not  more 
usefully  instructed,  among  the  flowers  than 
among  the  vegetables.  In  the  mean  time,  the 
only  thing  worth  making  a  note  of,  is  the  fact 
that  plants  may  be  hastened  by  sowing  them 
in  a  small  space,  where  you  may  protect  them 
easily,  and  where  they  will  grow  until  the 
weather  is  open  enough  for  them  to  be  planted 
out.  I  have  known  potatoes  to  be  treated  in 
this  way,  but  it  is  only  of  use  when  time  has 
been  lost  and  the  groujid  is  not  ready  so  soon  as 
it  ought  to  be.  In  that  case,  I  have  known 
the  potatoes  to  be  set  in  a  comparatively  small 
space,  and  there  be  retained  until  the  ground 
was  ready  ;  but  this  is  not  a  desirable  plan, 
they  are  easily  damaged  in  planting  out. 

THE    FLOWER    GARDEN. 

This  morning,  you  see,  has  brought  with  it 
a  tolerably  hard  frost  :  this  shows  the  ne- 
cessity of  seizing  every  moment  that  is 
favourable.  Nobody  could  expect  that  so 
warm  an  evening  would  be  succeeded  by  a 
sharp  frost  in  the  night.  Had  the  gardener 
neglected  to  cover  up  any  of  his  tender  crops, 
on  the  supposition  that  there  would  be  no 
frost,  he  would  have  had  the  mortification  to 
see  his  hopes  blighted,  and  he  might  have 
done  so,  without  wishing  to  save  himself 
trouble.  The  temptation  is,  that  if  the  night 
could  be  insured,  the  plants  do  so  much  better 
uncovered  than  covered  ;  but  it  is  never  safe; 
there  is  no  certainty.  The  flower  garden,  you 
observe,  is  in  neater  order  than  the  kitchen 
garden  :  all  the  beds  are  uniform.  Here  we 
have  one  main  path,  six  feet  wide,  and  a  four- 
feet  border  of  each  side,  right  down  the 
centre,  side  paths  just  twelve  feet  from  each 
wall,  and  the  whole  intermediate  space  is 
divided  into  beds  of  four  feet  wide,  with  paths 
of  two  feet  between  them.  Tlie  white  frost 
hangs  on  all  the  plants  that  are  uncovered,  so 
that  you  can  see  very  little  difference  in  the 
appearance  of  the  beds,  except  that  one  lot  of 
plants  is  larger  in  stature  than  another  ; 
many  of  the  beds  are  vacant  to  all  appearance. 
Those  whioh  have  irises,  hyacinths,  crocuses, 
narcissuses,  ranunculuses,  anemones,  and 
many  other  of  the  bulbous  and  tuberous  rooted 
plants,  have  nothing  to  indicate  that  they  are 
occupied,  except  that  the  gardener's  label  with  a 
number  to  it,  and  his  book  in  which  all  the 
particulars  are  registered,  tell  him  what  each 
bed  contains.  Those  beds  which  are  covered 
with  peas  haulm,  contain  pinks  and  pansies  ; 
of  course  they  are  all  valuable  ones,  or  they 
woidd  not  be  covered,  because  the  common 
sort  are  not  tender.  They  will  all  bear  a 
good  deal  of  frost,  but  although  severe  frosts 
may  not  kill,  they  frequently  check  plants  a 
good  deal  ;  and  you  remember  I  told  you  what 
50. 


is  the  effect  of  frost  upon  the  earth,  and  how  the 
thawing  expands  the  frozen  water  in  the  soil, 
and  makes  it  spongy.  The  effect  on  a  smooth 
surface  is  still  more  easily  seen  :  it  opens  all 
the  pores  upwards,  and  creates  innumerable 
little  hillocks  and  fissures,  doing  considerable 
violence  to  any  very  fine  fibres  of  plants  that 
do  not  extend  their  roots  downwards ;  very 
small  subjects,  such  as  young  pinks,  and  the 
still  more  brittle  subjects,  young  pansies,  are 
frequently  turned  fairly  out  of  the  ground, 
and  lie  on  the  surface  with  the  roots  exposed, 
much  of  the  fine  thready  portion  of  the  roots 
being  broken  off  and  remaining  in  the  soil. 
We  shall  notice  this  after  the  present  frost  goes, 
in  some  of  the  beds  of  small  common  things. 
The  litter  which  you  see  tlirown  over  them, 
is  not  so  much  to  keep  the  plants  from  freez- 
ing as  to  prevent  the  frost  from  getting  into 
the  soil.  While  I  lift  the  haulm  up  at  this 
place,  press  your  finger  on  the  earth,  and  tell 
me  whether  it  is  hard  or  soft  ;  well,  so  long 
as  they  can  keep  it  soft,  the  plants  can  take 
no  harm,  and  if  the  cold  lasts  for  weeks,  the 
part  that  is  covered  will  not  be  so  hard 
frozen  as  the  ground  that  is  open.  You  see 
you  may  press  the  soil  that  has  not  been 
covered  as  hard  as  you  please,  but  you  can 
make  no  impression.  Here  is  a  row  of  com- 
mon garden  frames,  merely  placed  on  a  paved 
or  hard  ground,  and  all  full  of  potted  plants. 
Here  are  auriculas,  just  like  so  many  very 
small  cabbages;  all  of  them  have  small  hearts, 
these  contain  the  truss  of  bloom  that  will  rise 
in  March  and  be  fully  developed  in  April. 
In  the  adjoining  frame  we  have  pansies,  in 
small  pots  ;  these,  you  observe,  are  plunged  in 
sand  up  to  the  rims  of  the  pots  ;  if  they  were 
not,  a  very  slight  frost  that  reached  the  side 
of  the  pots  would  go  through  them,  and  as 
the  most  tender  fibres  of  the  plant  are  close 
to  the  side,  they  would  be  fi-ozen  and  damaged, 
by  this  the  quantity  of  nourishment  would  be 
diminished  very  materially,  and  the  plant 
receive  a  check  ;  but,  plunged  as  they  are  to 
the  rims,  no  ordinary  frost  can  reach  them, 
and  an  extra  covering  over  the  frames  would 
very  much  neutralize  the  effects  of  a  severe 
one.  The  pinks  and  pansies  that  are  thus 
saved  in  pots  are  to  turn  out  in  beds  early  in 
the  spring,  without  disturbing  their  fibres;  or 
to  put  into  large  pots,  to  grow  and  bloom  in 
them,  so  that  they  may  be  out  of  the  way  of 
frost,  and  therefore  earlier  than  those  out  of 
doors.  Here  is  a  frame  full  of  verbenas, 
kept  through  the  winter  in  the  smallest  pots, 
that  they  may  take  less  room.  Petunias, 
hydrangeas,  geranium  cuttings,  calceolarias, 
cinerarias,  and  various  other  plants  for  bed- 
ding out,occupy  the  succeeding  frames,  untilwe 
come  to  the  carnations  and  picotei  s,  which,  as 
you  see,  are  set  out  two  in  each  pot.     These 

c 


18 


A    STROLL   THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


plants  are  generally  bought  in  pairs  and 
bloomed  in  pairs,  tlie  balls  of  earth  being 
usually  turned  out  of  these  into  large  pots  at 
the  proper  season.  Observe  the  earth  in  all 
potted  plants  in  frames  ;  it  is  nearly  dry ;  the 
plants  are  for  the  most  part  comparatively  at 
rest;  all  the  gardener  cares  for  is  to  keep  them 
alive,  he  wants  no  winter  growth.  I  do  not 
see  any  one  at  work  in  the  0f)en  ground  ;  in 
fact,  there  is  nothing  to  do.  The  beds  co\ered 
Avith  litter  must  not  be  uncovered,  but  remain 
as  they  are  during  the  continuance  of  this 
frost.  Here  are  two  beds  arched  over  Avith 
hoops  and  matted  close,  these  are  the  best 
beds  of  tulips  and  hyacinths  ;  the  careful 
grower  of  these  flowers  will  not  allow  the 
surface  of  the  soil  to  be  frosted  even  before 
the  bulbs  have  shot  thi-ough  it.  The  ground 
is  not  so  hard  but  that  digging  might  be  done; 
tlie  spade  would  easily  break  through  the 
crust  of  frozen  surface,  but  the  flower  garden 
is  not  like  the  kitchen  garden  ;  the  planting 
of  hardy  things  is  pretty  well  all  done  in 
autumn,  and  there  is  very  little  to  do  until 
the  bedding-out  time,  and  the  dressing  of  the 
borders  and  shrubbery  clumps,  in  spring.  The 
winter  business  is  chiefly  confined  to  the  pro- 
tection of  the  young  plants  and  cuttings  for 
this  spring  dressing  ;  the  collecting  of  dif- 
ferent soils  and  manures,  and  jobs  under  cover, 
such  as  breaking  up  potsherds,  or  as  they  are 
called  by  gardeners,  crocks,  to  use  for  placing 
at  the  bottom  of  pots  before  we  put  in  the  soil, 
to  make  a  loose  bottom  for  water  to  go  through, 
.  and  to  prevent  the  soil  from  filling  up  the 
drainage  holes.  I  see,  here  is  the  gaidener  in 
his  working  shed  ;  he  is  examining  the  dahlia 
tubers,  anemones,  ranunculuses,  and  various 
seeds.  If  he  finds  any  of  the  choice  dahlia 
tubers  rotting,  or  shrivelling  up  much,  he  will 
put  them  in  pots  directly  and  set  them  grow- 
ing, for  even  a  rotting  tuber  will  frequently 
send  forth  a  shoot  or  two,  which  may  be  taken 
otf  and  struck  before  the  decay  destroys  the 
tuber  altogether.  Although  we  do  not  see 
any  of  the  men  about,  they  are  doing  some- 
thing, you  may  be  sure  ;  perhaps  pruning  in 
the  orchard  or  the  shrubbery.  Since  we  left 
the  other  side  of  the  garden  two  men  have 
begun  digging,  and  throwing  out  the  soil  on 
each  side  the  beds  they  are  at  work  upon  ; 
they  will  merely  throw  out  the  soil  a  foot  in 
depth,  remove  half  of  it  altogether,  to  replace 
with  fresh  loam  and  leaf  mould  ;  these  beds 
are  for  the  best  ranunculuses,  which  are  not 
planted  till  February,  and  bloom  in  June. 
Tuey  are  considered  too  delicate  to  risk  the 
severity  of  the  winter,  and  besides,  they  are 
generally  valuable.  The  autumn  planted  beds 
are  generally  confined  to  the  sorts  which 
stand  the  winter  well,  and  a  few  of  those  which 
are  so  plentiful  as  to  be  of  no  consequence  if 


lost  I  the  best  and  moat  scarce  are  saved  till 
spring.  The  same  may  be  observed  with 
regard  to  anemones  ;  the  single  and  common 
sort  are  not  only  more  plentii'id  but  they  are 
more  hardj'^  ;  they  are  jdanted  in  the  autumn, 
and  sometimes  left  in  the  ground  undisturbed 
for  two  or  three  seasons,  and  some  of  them 
are  generally  above  ground,  for  the  young 
offsets  do  not  die  down  like  the  old  ones,  or  at 
least  do  not  die  down  at  the  same  time,  and 
there  is  nearly  alwaj^s  some  in  bloom.  Those 
beds  covered  with  tlie  white  frost  are  single 
anemones.  Every  here  and  there  you  actu- 
ally find  a  flower,  although  they  are  pretty 
nearly  as  white  as  the  leaves.  The  double 
sort,  however,  are  more  tender,  more  suscep- 
tible of  damage  from  wet,  and  thei'efbre  often 
suffer  if  planted  in  autumn,  when  succeeded 
by  a  wet  winter. 

THE    GREENHOUSE. 

The  greenhouse,  you  see,  has  mats  hung 
along  the  front.  It  is  a  great  protection  for 
the  plants  in  the  coolest  part  of  the  house;  and, 
unless  the  heat  is  applied  directly  next  the 
front  wall,  this  will  always  be  at  the  lower 
front  shelves  ;  even  then  it  is  the  first  place 
that  cools  after  heating,  for  heat  always 
ascends.  It  is  hardly  right  to  open  the  doors, 
so  we  will  go  on  this  time,  and  choose  a  day 
for  that  when  the  mats  are  off.  The  prin- 
cipal point  in  the  management  of  the  green- 
house is  to  give  all  the  air  you  can  ;  never  to 
light  a  fire  if  you  can  keep  out  the  frost  with- 
out it,  unless  it  is  to  dry  the  house,  when  you 
open  some  of  the  windows  to  let  out  the  damp. 
You  see  pretty  nearly  half  these  flower  beds 
all  over  the  place  are  filled  with  something. 
Here  are  wallflowers,  double  and  single  ; 
Brorapton,  Queen's  and  other  biennial  stocks; 
rockets,  Canterbury  bells,  sweetwilliams,  poly- 
anthuses, primroses,  holyhocks,  various  kinds 
of  lupins,  and  such  like.  These  beds  which 
are  so  crowded  are  the  different  varieties 
of  violets  ;  now  observe  while  I  remove  this 
litter,  here  are  beds  of  the  same  sorts  quite  in 
a  growing  state  and  actually  some  of  them 
blooming;  now  this  slight  covering  will  make  a 
complete  double  season;  they  will  yield  flowers 
and  be  pretty  nearly  done  blooming  before  the 
others  that  are  unprotected,  begin.  However, 
there  are  some  violets  in  yonder  frames,  which 
I  forgot  to  show.  It  is  from  them  that  the 
gardener  brings  in  the  violets  for  the  drawing 
room  every  morning. 

THE    SHKUBBEKY   AND    CONSERVATORY.  ' 

This  gate  is  the  only  way  to  approach  fi'ora 
the  flower  garden.  Here  every  thing  looks 
as  white  as  things  are  elsewhere,  even  tlie 
larger  shrubs  are  covered.  Here  you  find  the 
men  working.     It  is  too  late  to  choose  for 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


19 


making  alterations,  because  the  weather  is 
so  uacertaiu  ;  but  when  a  thing  has  only  just 
been  resolved  iiponj  or  has  been  omitted,  tlie 
first  opportunity  must  be  taken  to  carry  it 
into  efiect.  The  cknnp  they  are  now  forming 
is  to  conceal  that  bit  of  new  fencing,  and  they 
will  be  able  to  remove  two  or  three  tall  hollies, 
a  common  laui'el  or  two,  a  few  large  rhodo- 
dendrons, and  some  little  fancy  shrubs  for  the 
part  that  faces  the  windows,  will  complete  it. 
Let  us  now  turn  into  the  Conservatory,  and 
go  through  it  into  the  house,  for  I  begin  to 
feel  cold.  Here  you  find  quite  a  different 
climate.  The  ghiss,  I  see,  stands  at  42°,  that 
is  just  10°  warmer  than  the  freezing  point; 
water  will  freeze  at  32°  ;  the  glass  out  of  doors 
stood  at  27° ;  there  is  therefore  out  of  doors  five 
degrees  of  frost.  In  the  conservatory  every 
things  looks  neat  and  clean.  Here  are  camellias, 
throwing  out  a  strong  bloom  here  and  there,  to 
enliven  the  collection  ;  hyacinths  in  flower, 
narcissuses  and  crocuses,  snowdrops  and  early 
tulips  in  full  bloom,  which  have  been  all  brought 
forward  by  means  of  a  common  hot-bed.  The 
rhododendrons  seem  all  but  bursting  their 
bloom-i,  and  the  pots  of  violet  and  mignonette 
at  our  feet  assist  in  yielding  the  delightful 
perfume  with  which  the  place  is  filled.  There 
is  plenty  of  bloom  to  form  a  complete  garden 
now,  but  what  will  it  be  when  the  camellias 
and  rhododendrons  are  in  perfection  ?  This, 
remember,  requires  to  be  swept  very  fre- 
quently, for  the  leaves  fall  off  the  trees  and 
shrubs,  and  watering  the  plants  occasions  a 
great  deal  of  dirt,  for  the  portion  of  moisture 
that  runs  through  is  always  stained,  and  unless 
the  place  was  washed  frequently,  it  would  soon 
be  unsightly.  To-morrow  we  will  look  into 
the  fruit  garden,  and  see  if  anything  is  going 
forward  there. 

THE  ORCHARD  AND  FRUIT  GARDEN. 

Well,  the  hard  weather  continues,  and 
there  is  no  more  working  at  the  ground  out 
of  doors,  but  some  of  the  heavy  pruning 
may  be  going  on  in  the  old  orchard,  for  the 
trees  there  had  got  into  a  very  bad  state. 
Standard  trees  yield  their  fruit  somehow  or 
other,  even  wh«n  neglected.  The  produce 
may  be  worse  and  worse  every  year,  the  fruit 
deteriorated,  and  people  may  begin  to  talk 
about  their  trees  being  worn  out,  whereas  to 
the  neglected  growth  alone  may  the  evil,  nine 
times  out  of  ten,  be  fairly  attributed.  I  can 
hear  the  saw  going.  I  am  glad  they  are  at 
work  at  a  most  important  subject,  that  I 
may  the  more  easily  explain  to  you  the  oper- 
ation and  object  of  pruning  on  a  large  scale. 

Fruit  trees  in  a  wild  state  grow  naturally,  and 
yield  their  fruit  in  season,  such  as  it  is.  There 
is  nobody  to  find  fault  if  the  crop  is  short, 
the  tree  ugly,  or  the  fruit  small ;  the  whole 
appear  as  worthless,  at  least  comparatively  so, 


and,  in  a  general  way,  the  tree  is  reconciled  to 
its  station,  and  the  station  to  the  tree  ;  but 
the  fruit  that  we  cultivate  is  removed  far 
from  its  natural  state.  The  tree  wants  more 
nourishment  and  greater  care  than  nature 
bestows,  unaided,  and  the  farther  any  variety 
of  fruit  is  removed  from  its  wild  or  natural 
state,  the  more  care  does  it  require.  If  the 
tree  is  allowed  to  run  wild,  and  make  moi*e 
wood  than  is  compatible  with  the  root  which 
supplies  it,  and  the  fruit  which  wants  that 
supply,  the  produce  will  suffer  and  degene- 
rate in  quantity  and  quality.  If  the  branches 
are  allowed  to  grow  very  thick  and  close,  the 
sun  and  air  will  not  penetrate  the  interior  of 
the  tree,  and  the  greater  portion  of  the  fruit 
will  have  no  benefit  of  either.  But  here  we 
are ;  let  us  observe  the  gardener.  He  has 
just  put  his  ladder  against  a  fine  old  apple- 
tree,  which,  as  you  observe,  has  branches 
crossing  each  other  in  all  directions,  and  its 
entire  head  crowded  with  thin  shoots  ;  two' 
or  three  large  branches  bend  down  so  aAvk- 
wardly  near  the  ground,  that  he  will  saw 
them  off  close  to  the  trunk,  or  at  least  within 
a  few  inches.  Look  at  the  quantity  of  wood 
there  is  lying  under  the  tree  he  has  pruned. 
Observe,  there  are  main  branches  left  spread- 
ing out  all  round,  smaller  branches  growing 
out  sideways  from  these,  and,  in  fact,  a  hand- 
some but  open  head ;  thousands  of  pimping 
little  branches,  v/hich,  like  so  much  brush- 
wood, choked  up  the  head,  have  been  cut  clean 
away ;  all  the  branches  left  on  are  healthy, 
and  the  smaller  shoots  from  these  are  only 
those  thick  enough  and  strong  enough  to  bear; 
the  remainder,  which  took  away  the  nourish- 
ment the  fruit  should  have,  or  which,  if  bear- 
ing, had  not  strength  enough  to  bring  their 
fruit  to  perfection,  have  been  cleared  out. 
There  may  not  be  so  many  apples  next  year, 
but  there  will  be  more  pecks  of  apples,  be- 
cause they  will  be  of  a  full  size,  instead  of  a 
miserably  stunted  and  blighted  crop.  There 
are  many  people  who  will  tell  you  that  if  a 
tree  bears  too  much  fiuit,  the  wind  will  thin 
it;  or,  if  not,  the  superfluous  quantity  will 
fall  of  itself,  and  that  nature  will,  by  her  own 
efforts,  correct  the  evil.  If  I  allow  for  a 
moment  that  nature  wonderfully  interferes 
to  adjust  the  balance  in  all  her  works,  I  m.usfc 
remind  you  that  the  argument  fails,  when,  by 
the  aid  of  art,  we  pervert  the  natural  order  of 
things,and  produce  that  which  is  very  different. 
Natui-e  may  adjust  all  the  a'ff'airs  of  a  crab, 
but  not  of  a  Eibstone  pippin;  Nature  may 
govern  a  vvild  plum  by  means  that  would  fail 
in  the  affairs  of  a  great  Goliah,  or  a  Coe's 
Golden  Drop.  Rest  assured,  my  young  friend, 
that  it  is  wisely  ordained  that  when  man  is 
permitted,  by  the  exerci-se  of  his  ingenuity, 
and  the  skill  with  which  he  has  been  blest,  to 

c  2 


20 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


brin^'  tliat  which  is  naturally  worthless  to  an 
artificial  state  of  great  value,  he  can  only 
enjoy  the  fruits  of  his  talent  by  constant 
watchfulness,  and  the  supply  of  the  artificial 
means  necessary  to  keep  up  the  artificial  state. 
Nature  is  always  asserting  her  right,  and 
claiming  her  dues.  Graft  a  splendid  fruit  on 
a  natural  stock  ;  leave  the  affair  to  itself. 
Nature  will  help  the  stock  to  destroy  the 
graft,  and  will  prevail ;  but  it  is  graciously 
permitted  that,  by  destroying  and  continuing 
to  destroy  all  growth  from  the  stock,  you 
have  your  improved  fruit.  This  fact  should 
be  impressed  upon  the  mind  very  strongly; 
the  more  we  improve  a  thing,  the  further  we 
can  remove  it  from  its  nature  or  wild  parent, 
the  more  necessary  is  it  to  be  vigilant  in  the 
application  of  artificial  means  to  retain  the 
improved  character.  Observe  how  the  re- 
moval of  those  three  lower  branches  of  the 
apple-tree  has  improved  its  appearance ;  now 
he  is  sawing  a  large  branch  that  crosses  two 
others ;  a  third,  that  forks  out  awkwardly, 
and  fills  up  great  part  of  the  interior  of  the 
head,  will  be  all  that  he  will  remove  of  the 
large  branches ;  he  will  then  shorten  some  of 
the  most  spreading,  cut  all  the  thin  twiggy 
shoots  from  the  inside,  and  the  tree  which  was 
last  summer  impervious  to  sun  and  air,  will 
be  light  and  handsome,  and  bear  clean  and 
well-grown  fruit.  If  every  body  who  had  an 
old  orchard  would  but  look  to  this  particular 
duty,  and  remember  that  standard  fruit-trees 
require  as  much  pruning  as  wall  fruit-trees, 
they  would  soon  find  in  their  improved  crops 
abundant  encouragement  to  continue  their 
system  of  standard  pruning.  All  the  trees 
on  the  wall,  you  see,  are  neatly  pruned  and 
nailed ;  the  branches  lay  scarcely  two  inches 
from  each  other,  for  the  great  art  of  the 
gardener  in  the  management  of  wall  fruit- 
trees  is  to  cover  as  much  of  the  Avail  as  he 
can  with  the  bearing  branches,  which  are 
selected  from  the  young  branches  of  last  year's 
growth.  The  strawberries  are  as  white  as 
anything  else,  and  there  is  nothing  more 
worth  looking  at  but  the  stove,  or  hot-house. 

THE    STOVE,    OR    HOT-HOUSE. 

Here  we  have  the  gla$s  standing  at  70°. 
Observe  the  immense  difference  of  climate. 
Comfortable  as  it  feels,  as  a  contrast  to  the 
cold  we  have  left,  it  is  very  overpowering. 
This  is  like  many  other  hot-houses,  or  stoves, 
where  the  owners  do  not  pretend  to  keep  a 
regular  collection  of  plants,  a  few  striking 
objects  being  all  they  care  about;  they  may 
be  called  family  hot-house§.  Here,  you  ob- 
serve there  is  a  branch  of  grape-vine  up  each 
rafter,  and  a  shoot  of  young  wood  growing  up 
by  the  side  of  it.  The  one  branch  that  is  full 
of  grapes  now,  was,  last  year^  just  such  a  shoot 


as  is  now  rapidly  growing  by  the  side  of  the 
bearing  bi'ancli.  This  is  an  excellent  plan  ; 
because,  as  soon  as  the  young  shoot  has  done 
growing,  it  will  be  pulled  outside  the  house 
to  rest;  instead  of  being  always  in  the  heat  of 
the  hot-house,  it  will  have  the  benefit  of  the 
autumnal  cold  nights,  and  thus  be  got  ready 
for  its  next  year's  duty.  Those  objects  which 
appear  like  golden  butterflies,  waving  about, 
are  the  flowers  of  a  plant  called  Oncidium 
Papilio,  the  most  remarkable,  and,  perhaps, 
the  most  elegant  of  all  the  orchidaceous  tribe. 
Observe,  they  are  on  very  long  wiry  stems, 
which  move  about  with  the  slightest  puff  of 
wind,  and  give  the  flowers  all  the  appearance 
of  the  real  insect.  There  are  many  very 
gorgeous  subjects  among  the  orchidaceous 
plants  already  introduced.  The  Cattleyas, 
Oncidiums,  and  Stanhopeas,  are  all  beautiful 
in  their  way,  but  these  plants  are  not  gene- 
rally cultivated  in  small  hot-houses,  for  a  house 
a  hundred  feet  long  would  hardly  contain  a 
collection.  The  Oncidium  Papilio  happens  to 
be  abundant  and  cheap,  but  in  regard  to  the 
real  properties  of  a  flower,  it  is  the  very  best 
of  all  the  orchideous  tribe.  That  little  and 
extremely  brilliant  scarlet  flower  is  the  Eu- 
pho7'hia  jacqtiinioBjIora,  prized  not  less  for  its 
abundant  bloom  than  for  its  bright  galaxy 
of  little  stars.  You  cannot  grow  too  many  of 
these  two  plants ;  they  are  of  the  greatest 
value  in  the  formation  of  a  bouquet,  though 
few  Avill  waste  upon  a  posy  one  of  these  mag- 
nificent floral  butterflies.  Those  grand  lily- 
like flowers  of  different  colours,  some  scarlet, 
others  striped,  with  three  or  four  funneil- 
shaped  blossoms  to  a  plant,  are  Amaryllis. 
If  we  wished  for  a  grand  display  in  the  con- 
servatory, these  would  be  removed  there,  but 
there  is  no  object  in  setting  it  off  just  now, 
and  these  things  will  not  last  so  well  after  a 
change  of  climate.  .  Those  plants  sunk  in  the 
tan-bed  are  pine-apples,  and  that  thistle-like 
head  coming  up  in  the  centre  is  the  fruit ; 
further  on,  there  is  one  nearly  the  full  size ; 
yonder  is  one  turning  colour,  and  tffeere  are 
several  half  grown.  There  are  no  pains  taken 
here  to  bring  these  things  out  of  season  ;  as 
they  happen  to  come,  they  come ;  nothing  is 
done  to  hasten  or  retard  them,  for  the  house 
is  used  for  every  thing.  But  we  have  been  in 
this  warm  climate  long  enough ;  put  your 
handkerchief  round  your  neck  and  run  in 
doors,  for  the  sudden  changes  from  heat  to 
cold  are  very  trying  to  the  constitution,  both 
of  men  and  plants.  It  is  these  changes  that 
ruin  the  health  of  so  many  gardeners.  I  will 
tell  you  more  about  the  orchidaceous  plants 
when  we  get  in-dooi-s.  *  *  *  *  The  chief  of 
these  beautiful  plants,  called  Orchidese,  grow 
upon  trees,  clinging  to  the  branches  in  a  most 
extraordinary  manner,  not  exactly  like  the  ivy, 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN. 


21 


whicli  begins  at  bottom,  and  climbs  its  way  up, 
nor  like  the  mistletoe,  which  springs  from  its 
seed,  deposited  by  accident,  or  otherwise,  upon 
the  bark,  into  Avhich  it  roots  as  firmly  as  the 
oak  does  in  the  soil.  These  hang  in  tufts,  by 
means  of  their  roots.  The  endless  variety  of 
these  plants,  in  habit,  structure,  and  bloom, 
so  different,  may  be  said  to  almost  infest  the 
trees  of  a  tropical  forest,  where  their  splendid 
flowers,  in  hanging  racemes  of  extraordinary 
length,  canopied  with  the  gigantic  trees  on 
which  they  are  merely  fixed,  are  quite  beyond 
description  ;  fur  there  is  in  the  orchidaceous 
tribe  of  plants,  notwithstanding  their  fan- 
tastic forms,  a  gorgeous  display  of  colours 
seen  to  the  greater  advantage  from  the  sub- 
dued and  shaded  light  in  which  they  are  dis- 
played ;  and,  strange  as  it  may  appear,  they 
may  be  found  of  all  sizes,  from  a  little  larger 
thiin  a  common  moss,  to  specimens  of  enor- 
mous size,  with  spikes  or  racemes  of  flowers 
adorning  stems  from  fifteen  to  twenty  feet 
lung.  Some  day,  I  will  take  you  to  Kew 
Gardens,  where  is  to  be  seen  a  most  noble 
collection,  hundreds  of  the  plants  being 
brought  over  on  the  very  pieces  of  wood  which 
they  occupied,  the  collector  having  sawed  off 
the  branch  beyond  the  plant,  and  then  sawed 
ofi^  the  piece  on  which  it  grew.  I  see  you 
have  made  some  notes,  though  nothing  very 
particular  strikes  me  as  worthy  of  it  in  our  last 
two  days' ramble.  Well,  these  things  are  as  well 
recollected,  and  if  you  had  any  doubt  of  being 
able  to  do  this,  you  did  well  to  make  notes. 

"  There  is  no  dependence  from  September 
to  May  on  a  night  without  frost,  therefore 
cover,  whether  or  not. 

"  Whenever  there  is  out-of-door  work  to 
do  in  these  months,  never  miss  doing  it. 

"  Cabbage  plants,  and  all  their  tribe,  are 
earthed  up  their  stems,  to  enable  them  to 
strike  new  roots  higher  up,  if  so  dis[)osed." 
(Exactly  so  ;  if  they  have  abundant  without, 
they  will  not  stiike.) 

'•  S^Is  sown  in  a  small  patch  close  toge- 
ther, can  be  easily  covered  tigainst  frost,  until 
they  can  be  safely  planted  out ;  but  if  they 
were  sown  in  their  places,  they  would  occupy 
too  much  ground  to  cover  at  all. 

"  Sea  kale  covered  up  dark,  grows  and 
blanches  at  the  same  time,  which  makes  it 
good  to  eat,  and  mild.  Ehubarb,  if  blanched, 
is  weakened  in  flavour,  therefore  should  have 
light  and  air. 

"  Freezing  and  thawing  may  check  a  plant 
that  it  will  not  kill,  for  small  plants  are  often 
turned  up  on  the  surface,  and  the  fine  fibres 
torn  away. 

"  Heat  always  ascends.  This  must  be 
important  in  the  plan  for  warming  a  hothouse, 
or  greenhouse. 


"  The  more  the  nature  of  a  plant  Ls  cliai>ged, 
the  more  necessary  is  it  to  keep  up  all  the 
artificial  treatment  which  its  changed  nature 
requires,  to  prevent  its  losing  the  quality 
which  the  cliauL'e  has  given  it. 

"  A  fruit-tree  should  not  be  left  to  its  own 
growth.  A  standard  fruit-tree  wants  as  much 
attention  and  pruning  as  a  wall  fi'uit-tree." 
(So  far,  so  good.  Pay  equal  attention  to  all 
matters  as  we  go  on,  and  you  will  soon  know 
all  that  is  necessary  about  Horticulture.) 

The  lessons  you  have  had  on  gardening  from 
only  walking  two  or  three  times  through  the 
place  while  the  men  were  at  work  will  be  of 
the  greatest  use  to  you  when  you  begin  to 
try  the  use  of  the  implements.  I  can  tell  you 
here,  as  well  as  in  the  garden,  the  work  that 
is  required  in  each  month  ;  nevertheless,  we 
shall  come  to  some  things  that  I  may  wish  you 
to  see  done.  I  have  already  observed  that 
the  winter  months  are  uncertain,  therefore, 
those  who  can  avoid  it,  ought  never  to  delay 
any  kind  of  ground  work  or  alteration  till 
after  Christmas  ;  October  and  November  ai'e 
the  months  for  planting,  making  box  edg- 
ings, and  all  alterations.  The  soil  must  be 
thrown  into  the  ranunculus  and  anemone  beds 
early  in  February,  and  the  tubers  planted 
about  the  middle  of  the  month,  in  diills  six 
inches  apart,  and  the  roots  six  inches  from 
each  other.  Tiiey  should  be  gently  pressed 
in  the  ground,  and  covered  an  inch  and  a  half. 
All  the  plants  in  pots  must  be  still  covered  at 
night.  Auriculas  should  be  top  dressed  with 
rich  earth,  taking  out  a  little  of  the  top  soil,  and 
filling  up  the  pot  with  rotted  cow-dimg  and. 
poultry  dung,  mixed  with  a  little  sand.  Roses 
should  be  pruned  at  different  times,  not  all  at 
once ;  cut  out  all  the  weak  shoots,  and  shorten 
all  the  strong  ones  to  two  or  three  eyes ;  cut 
out  all  that  cross  each  other.  The  dahlia 
roots  may  be  potted  this  month  and  next,  and 
placed  in  the  hot-bed  or  stove.  Give  all 
covered  plants  air  every  opportunity,  both  in 
the  frames  and  in  the  greenhouse.  All  the 
beds  that  are  covered  against  frost  in  the  even- 
ing should  be  uncovered  every  opportunity. 
A  few  of  all  sorts  of  annuals  for  planting  out 
may  be  sown  then  in  a  hot-bed,  and  the  next 
month  more  may  be  sown  in  a  similar  way. 
If  the  weather  be  open  and  mild,  the  work  in 
these  two  months  is  a  good  deal  alike.  In  the 
kitchen  garden  the  cropping  begins  in  earnest. 
The  gardener  sows  some  onions,  radishes, 
lettuces,  and  peas  towards  the  end  of  February 
or  the  beginning  of  March.  He  will  also 
plant  out  the  beans  that  were  sown  thickly, 
as  soon  as  they  have  their  first  pair  of  rough 
leaves,  and  at  the  same  time  he  may  sow  some 
in  drills  ;  both  the  planting  and  sowing  are 
done  sis  inches  apart  in  the  rows,  and  the 


22 


PASSIFLORA    AMABILIS. 


rows  are  two  feet  apart.  He  will  also  plant 
a  few  potatoes,  small  tubers,  and  whole  are 
better  than  cut  pieces  ;  these  should  be  a  foot 
apart  and  the  rows  two  feet  apart  ;  they 
should  be  planted  six  inches  deep.  Earthing 
up  the  crops,  especially  celery,  must  not  be 
forgotten  on  fine  dry  days.  A  few  carrots, 
turnips,  cabbages,  leeks,  cauliflowers,  savoys, 
Brussels  sprouts ;  and,  if  the  weather  is  good, 
in  March  towards  the  end,  full  crops  may 
be  got  in.  All  these  things  you  may  retain 
in  your  memory,  or  if  you  fear  that,  make 
your  notes.     All  these  two  months  the  gar- 


dener is  looking  well  to  his  hot-beds,  cutting 
in  due  season  rliubarb,  sea  kale,  asparagus, 
and  cucumbers.  The  grcenliouse  is  beginning 
to  look  showy,  the  caniellins  ai'c  coming  into 
full  bloom,  many  of  tlie  Botany  Bay  plants 
are  about  to  flower,  and  many  subjects  that 
will  be  of  great  use  in  furnisliing  the  conser- 
vatory, which  will  by-and-by  be  worth  a  visit. 
The  hot-liouse  will  also  be  worthy  of  attention  ; 
at  present  it  is  merely  bringing  some  of  the  or- 
dinary plants  a  little  forwarder  than  they  would 
be,  if  left  out  of  doors.  These  things,  however, 
we  shall  see  more  about  in  our  future  strolls. 


PASSIFLORA 
AMABILIS. 

Pas^iflora  aviahilis, 
Hooker  (white  crowned  or 
lovely  Passion-flower). — 
Passifloraceas. 

The  history  of  this  lovely 
Passion-flower,  for  so  it 
may  be  truly  designated,  is 
obscure,  and  whether  it  be 
a  Avild  species  introduced 
artificially  within  the  cultu- 
rist's  domain,  or  has  sprung 
up  under  cultivation  —  a 
garden  hybrid,  is,  as  far  as 
we  can  learn,  matter  of  un- 
certainty. This,  however, 
though  it  may  concern  the 
botanist  in  some  degree,  is  of  very  little  mo- 
ment to  the  cultivator,  to  whom,  though  we 
cannot  present  an  interesting  chapter  on  its 
history  and  introduction,  we  venture  to  re- 
commend the  subject  of  o«r  notice  as  deserv- 
ing a  place  in  every  select  collection  of  stove 
plants. 

We  say  stove  plants,  because  the  only  ex- 
perience liad  of  its  growth  in  this  country 
gecms  to  have  been  under  the  condition  of  a 


tender  kind,  and  the  circumstances  of  a  tro- 
pical climate.  It  is  here  that  a  knowledge  of 
the  nature  of  its  origin  acquires  most  practical 
importance  ;  for  whilst,  if  its  origin  were  well 
understood,  its  proper  place  in  our  artificial 
climates  might  at  once  be  assigned  with  tole- 
rable certainty,  ignorance  of  this  matter  may 
render  it  necessary  to  institute  experiments 
in  order  to  acquire  this  knowledge ;  and  expe- 
riment instituted  iu  the  case  of  new  plants  is 


INTRODUCTION   TO   BOTANY. 


23 


not  always  consonant  with  that  immediate  suc- 
cess in  cultivation,  whicli  in  the  case  of  new 
and  very  beautiful  plants  it  is  generally  a  pri- 
mary object  to  secure. 

-  Tlie  species  is  cultivated  in  the  Royal  garden 
at  Kew,  where  it  had  been  received  frum  Mr. 
M'Koy,  of  Liege,  in  Belgium.  "  It  is  very 
unlike  any  species  yet  figured  or  described,  as 
far  as  we  can  learn,  and  it  may  possibly  be  a 
hybrid,  one  of  whose  parents  may  he  Passi- 
jiora  alata,  judging  from  the  peculiar  colour 
of  the  sepals  and  petals,  while  the  involucre 
more  I'esembles  t\\&to?  P.  quadrangular  is,  but 
the  slender  terete  stem  is  at  variance  with  both." 
Tlius  writes  Sir  W.  Hooker  in  the  Botanical 
Magazine,  and  our  engraving  is  prepared  from 
a  beautiful  coloured  drawing  published  in  that 
excellent  work.  At  Kew  the  plant  has  been 
grown  in  the  stove. 

The  whole  habit  of  this  plant  is  graceful,  and 
besides  this  its  tlowers  are  pre-eminently  beau- 
tiful ;  their  colours  are  red  and  white,  the  con- 
trast between  which  is  striking.  It  is,  of 
course,  like  the  rest  of  its  family,  a  climber, 
though  of  much  less  vigorous  growth  than 
many  others  ;  in  fact,  its  growth  is  in  all  re- 
spects moderate.  The  stem  is  slender  and 
rounded,  or,  as  it  is  expressed  in  botanical 
language,  terete ;  the  leaves  ai-e  borne  alter- 
nately on  the  stem,  to  which  they  are  attached 
by  short  stalks  which  bear  glands  on  their 
surface  ;  in  form  they  are  acutely  egg-shaped, 
that  is,  ovate,  and  sharply-pointed,  and  the  mar- 
gin is  quite  entire.  At  the  base  of  the  leaf-stalk 
is  situated  a  pair  of  small  leaves,  which  are 
called  stipules ;  they  are  of  a  narrowly  ovate 
figure  and  also  quite  entire  on  the  mai'gin. 
From  the  axils  of  the  leaves  both  tendrils 
and  blossoms  are  produced,  the  flowers  being 
usually,  if  not  always,  solitary.  On  the  flower- 
stalk,  which  is  longer  than  the  leaf-stalk,  and 
just  below  the  calyx,  is  an  involucre  of  three 
broad  bluntish  ovate  membranous  leaves  which 
support  the  blossoms.  Of  the  latter,  the  calyx 
and  corolla,  that  is,  the  sepals  and  petals,  are 
alike  or  nearly  so,  the  chief  difference  being 
that  the  segments  of  the  calyx  have  each  on 
their  back  just  at  the  tip  a  small  hooked 
mucro ;  the  sepals  and  petals,  of  which  there 
are  five  each,  form  as  it  were  one  series  of 
oblong  obtuse  rays,  measuring  from  the  cen- 
tre about  an  inch  and  a  half.  In  cases  where 
the  calyx  and  corolla  are  thus  conformable,  it 
is  usual  to  call  the  conjoined  parts  the  peri- 
anth ;  and  in  this  case  the  perianth  measures 
about  three  inches  in  diameter ;  its  colour  is 
a  bright  clear  red.  Within  this  is  the  crown, 
or  the  filamentous  crown  as  it  is  called,  con- 
sisting of  a  ray  of  thread-like  bodies,  or  fila- 
ments, familiar  to  every  one  in  the  common 
passion-flower  from  their  variegation  of  blue 
and  white  ;   in  this  kind   the   filaments    are 


white,  and  are  shorter  than  the  perianth,  which 
thus  forms  an  entire  background  to  them. 
The  most  beautiful  eflect  i*esults  from  this 
simple  and  complete  contrast  of  red  and  white 
in  the  flower.  The  filaments  just  alluded  to, 
are  arranged  in  the  fiower  in  four  series.  The 
blossoms  are  produced  in  May. 

This  species  may  be  grown  either  in  a  pot, 
or  planted  out  against  a  pillar  or  to  cover  a 
trellis.  If  the  former,  however,  the  pot  should 
be  large,  or  the  roots  will  not  acquire  nourish- 
ment enough  to  result  in  the  development  of  a 
profusion  of  vigorous  blossoms.  It  will,  no 
doubt,  attain  its  greatest  perfection  planted 
out  into  good  soil,  in  a  hot-house,  where  its 
branches  could  be  trained  around  a  pillar,  or 
under  the  roof,  or  over  any  trellis,  freely  ex- 
posed to  the  light.  The  soil  most  proper  for 
it  would  be  a  compost  of  equal  parts  turfy 
loam  and  peat,  mixed  with  a  small  proportion 
of  quarter-inch  broken  bones,  about  half  a 
peck  to  a  bushel  of  soil ;  sand  may  be  added  as 
requisite,  according  to  the  texture  of  the  staple 
soil ;  the  mass  should  be  made  porous  enough 
to  allow  the  water  to  pass  freely  away.  The 
situation  in  which  such  plants  best  display 
themselves,  are  on  wires  or  trellises  under  the 
roof,  to  which  the  main  stems  should  be  se- 
cured, the  lateral  branches  being  suffered  to 
hang  dependent  or  in  festoons  without  any 
formal  constraint.  In  such  cases  it  is  neces- 
sary to  have  recourse  to  an  annual  pruning  to 
reduce  the  plant  to  an  orderly  condition,  and 
this  pruning  should  be  carried  out  in  the  winter 
season,  when  a  condition  of  rest  should  be 
induced  by  a  reduction  of  the  heat  and  mois- 
ture applied.  "With  the  increase  of  the  light 
as  the  winter  bi-eaks  away,  more  heat  and 
moisture  may  be  again  supplied,  and  this  will 
induce  renewed  vigorous  growth,  the  prelude 
to  a  healthy  crop  of  blossoms. 

All  these  plants  may  be  increased  by  cut- 
tings of  the  half-ripened  shoots  planted  in  sand, 
and  placed  in  a  close  moist  atmosphere,  and 
where  there  is  some  warmth  afibrded  to  the 
soil. 


INTRODUCTION  TO    BOTANY."^ 

Dr.  Lindley's  several  works  on  Botany 
are  among  the  best  which  are  to  be  met  with 
in  the  English  Language.  This  arises  from 
two  causes  in  combination,  or,  in  other  words, 
from  a  keen  perception  and  knowledge  of  the 
subject  on  the  part  of  the  author,  added  to  an 
off-hand  and  understandable  enunciation.  In 
consequence  of  this,  we  get  a  clear  expression 

*  An  Introduction  to  Botany.  By  John  Lindley. 
Ph.  D.  F.Iv.S.  Professor  of  Botany  in  University  Col- 
lege, London,  &c.  Fourtii  Edition.  London  :  Long- 
man &  Co. 


24 


INTRODUCTIOTST    TO    BOTANY. 


of  the  facts  and  opinion?  recorderl,  clothed  in 
the  ordinary  phraseology  of  the  science.  The 
"  Introduction  to  |5otany"  under  notice  is  one 
of  the  author's  larger  works,  and  professes  to 
treat  of  the  structure  and  piiysiology  of  plants; 
two  branches  of  the  subject  perfectly  distinct 
from  Systematic  Botany,  whicli  refers  to  clas- 
sification only.  The  present,  which  is  the 
fourth  edition,  has  received  large  accessions 
of  new  matter,  so  that  the  work,  originally 
and  through  the  former  editions  forming  one 
moderately  thick  volume,  has  now  grown  into 
two.  We  shall  run  thi-ough  these  volumes, 
and  cull  here  and  thei-e  a  passage,  so  as  to 
give  a  general  idea  of  the  nature  and  merit  of 
the  work. 

In  tlie  introductory  matter,  while  comparing 
the  past  and  present  state  of  the  science,  the 
learned  author  tells  us  that,  "  It  now  com- 
prehends a  knowledge  not  only  of  the  names 
and  uses  of  plants,  but  of  their  external  and 
internal  organization,  their  anatomy  and  phy- 
siological phenomena :  it  involves  the  con- 
sideration of  the  plan  upon  which  those  mul- 
titudes of  vegetable  forms  that  clothe  the 
earth  have  bet:^n  created,  of  the  combinations 
out  of  which  so  many  various  organs  have 
emanated,  of  the  laws  tliat  regulate  the  dis- 
persion and  location  of  species,  and  of  the  in- 
fluence exercised  by  climate  upon  their  de- 
velopment ;  and,  lastly,  from  botany,  as  now 
■understood  in  its  most  extensive  signification, 
is  inseparable,  the  knowledge  of  the  various 
Avays  in  which  the  laws  of  vegetable  life  are 
applicable  to  the  augmentation  of  the  luxuries 
"and  comforts,  or  to  the  diminution  of  the 
wants  and  miseries  of  mankind.  It  is  by  no 
means,  as  some  suppose,  a  science  for  the' idle 
philosopher  in  his  closet,  nor  is  it  merely  an 
amusing  accomplishment,  as  others  appear  to 
tliink ;  on  the  contrary,  its  field  is  in  the 
midst  of  meadows  and  gardens  and  forests,  on 
the  sides  of  mountains,  and  in  the  depth  of 
mines  — wherever  vegetation  still  flourishes, 
or  wherever  it  attests  by  its  remains  the  ex- 
istence of  a  former  world.  It  is  the  science 
which  converts  the  useless  or  noxious  weed 
into  the  nutritious  vegetable  ;  which  changes 
a  bare  volcanic  rock  into  a  green  and  fertile 
island  ;  and  which  enables  the  man  of  science, 
by  the  power  it  gives  him  of  judging  how  far 
the  productions  of  one  climate  are  susceptible 
of  cultivation  in  another,  to  guide  the  colonist 
in  his  enterprises,  and  to  save  him  from  all 
those  errors  and  losses  into  which  all  such 
persons  unacquainted  with  botany  are  liable 
to  fall.  This  science,  finally,  it  is,  which 
teaches  the  physician  how-  to  discover  in 
every  jegion  the  medicines  that  are  best 
adapted  for  the  maladies  prevalent  in  it  ;  and 
Aviiich,  by  furnishing  him  with  a  certain  clue 
to  the  knowledge  of  the  tribes  in  which  par- 


ticular properties  are  or  are  not  to  be  found, 
renders  him  as  much  at  ease,  alone  and  seem- 
ingly without  resources,  in  a  land  of  unknown 
herbs,  as  if  he  were  in  the  midst  of  a  maga- 
zine of  drugs  in  some  civilized  country." — 
Pp.  V.  vi. 

Nor  is  this  claiming  too  much  importance 
for  the  science,  which  bears  closely  upon  the 
comforts  and  concerns  of  every-day  life, 
although,  to  a  mere  cursory  observer,  the 
connexion  may  not  be  at  once  apparent.  The 
author  continues — "  The  principles  of  such  a 
science  must  necessarily  be  complicated,  and, 
in  certain  branches,  which  have  only  for  a 
short  time  occupied  the  attention  of  observers, 
or  which  depend  upon  obS'-^ure  and  ill-under- 
stood evidence,  are  less  clearly  defined  than 
could  be  wished.  To  explain  those  principles, 
to  adduce  evidence  by  which  their  truth  is 
supposed  to  be  proved,  or  the  reasoning  upon 
which  they  are  based,  in  cases  where  direct 
proof  is  unattainable  ;  to  show  the  causes  of 
errors  now  exploded,  the  insufficiency  of  the 
arguments  by  which  doubtful  theories  are 
still  defended,  and,  in  fine,  to  draw  a  line 
between  what  is  certain  and  what  is  doubtful, 
are  some  of  the  objects  of  this  publication.  *  *  * 
Another  and  not  less  important  purpose  has 
been  to  demonstrate,  by  a  series  of  well  con- 
nected proofs,  that  in  no  department  of  na- 
tural history  are  the  simplicity  and  harmony 
that  pervade  the  universe  more  strikingly 
manifest  than  in  the  vegetable  kingdom, 
where  the  most  varied  forms  are  produced  by 
the  combination  of  a  very  small  number  of 
distinct  organs,  and  the  most  important  phe- 
nomena are  distinctly  exphiined  by  a  few 
simple  laws  of  life  and  structure." — P.  vii. 

This  latter  allusion  is  to  the  much  opposed 
and  misrepresented  doctrine  of  Morphology, 
which  is  fully  upheld  by  all,  or  nearly  all, 
the  botanists  of  repute  at  the  present  time. 
Microscopical  investigation  has  been  chiefly 
instrumental  in  leading  to  this  general  recog- 
nition of  the  doctrine,  the  opposition  to  which, 
moreover,  in  cases  where  it  was  really  offered 
from  honest  convictions  of  its  error,  must 
have  originated  in  a  misconception  of  the 
entire  nature  of  the  question,  produced  per- 
haps by  a  loose  or  imperfect  enunciation  of  its 
import. 

We  come  now  to  the  body  of  the  work,  the 
first  section  of  which  is  devoted  to  the.  defi- 
nition of  a  plant,  as  distinguished  from  the 
animal  kingdom  on  the  one  hand,  and  the 
mineral  kingdom  on  the  other.  There  might 
appear  to  be  little  difficulty  in  defining  the 
animal  and  vegetable  kingdoms  of  organized 
nature,  but  in  truth  it  is  not  so.  None  of 
those  external  and  apparent  characters  which 
a  novice  would  at  once  fix  upon,  are  found 
sufficient  to  separate  them  ;  and  the  distinc- 


INTRODUUTION    TO    BOTANY. 


25, 


tion  between  them  is,  in  fact,  a  mattei'  upon 
which  the  most  learned  naturalists  are  not 
only  at  variance  with  each  otiier,  but  often 
altogether  at,  fault.  The  difficulty  lies  on  the 
confines  of  the  subject ;  not  in  discriminating 
the  characters  which  refer  the  oak  and  the 
elephant  to  their  respective  stations,  but  in 
separating  the  lower  orders,  as  they  are  called, 
of  each  kingdom.  To  make  this  understood, 
it  may  be  well  just  to  pen  tion,  that,  according 
to  what  appear  to  be  the  most  correct  notions 
on  this  matter,  plants  and  animals  may  be  re- 
garded as  two  great  sections  of  organic  life, 
which  at  the  lower  extremity,  that  is,  in  the 
most  simple  forms  of  each,  approach  each  other 
so  closely  as  to  coalesce,  but  at  tlie  higher 
extremity,  that  is,  the  more  compound  or  per- 
fectly developed  forms  of  each,  are  widely  se- 
parate, the  divergence  gradually  increasing 
from  the  lowest  to  the  highest  forms.  It  is  this 
coalescing  point  which  baiSes  the  attempts  at 
definition  ;  and  as  a  consequence  of  the  un- 
ci'rtainty  or  obscurity  hanging  over  the  sub- 
ject, there  are  some  organized  bodies  which 
are  sometimes  and  by  some  observers  claimed 
as  animals,  and  at  other  times  and  by  others 
considered  as  vegetabl  s.  This  amounts  to 
the  statement,  that  it  is  a  matter  of  extreme 
difficulty  to  point  out  the  distinguishing  dif- 
ferences between  animals  and  plants  ;  and  so 
in  truth  it  is,  viewing  the  question  in  the  ab- 
stract. The  author's  definition  runs  thus  ; — 
"  A  plant  is  a  cellular  body,  possessing  vitality, 
living  by  absorption  through  its  outer  surface, 
and  secreting  starch,"  the  latter  being  perhaps 
the  most  tangilde  character.  Besides  this, 
we  have  an  account  of  the  definitions  offered 
by  various  other  botanists,  as  Jungius,  Boer- 
haave,  Ludwig,  Linnseus,  Mirbel,  Link,  De 
Candolle,  Richard,  Endlicher,  Jussieu,  D.  P. 
Gardner,  and  the  visionary  philosophist 
Oken,  the  latter  of  whom  says, — "  The  plant 
is  an  organic  body,  chained  to  tlie  earth  ;  it 
is  only  developed  out  of  water,  and  in  the 
dark  in  the  earth  ;  is  associated  with  metal 
and  carbon  ;  is  a  magnetic  needle  attracted 
out  of  earth  into  air  towards  light,"  a  state- 
ment which,  it  is  well  observed,  is  tinctured 
with  all  that  mysticism  which  renders  the 
writings  of  this  author  so  repulsive  to  sober 
minds. 

The  remaining  matter  is  divided  into  three 
books,  of  which  the  first  is  devoted  to  organo- 
(j>'aphy,  or  the  structure  of  plants,  which  is 
treated  at  length  ;  the  remainder  of  the  first 
volume  and  a  portion  of  the  second  being 
thus  occupied.  This  branch  of  the  subject 
comprehends  what  relates  to  the  various  forms 
of  tissue,  or  elementary  matter,  of  which 
plants  are  constructed,  or  to  the  external  ap- 
pearances assumed  by  the  various  combina- 
tions of  these  elementary  organs.     The  term 


tissue  is  applied  to  the  material  which  forms 
the  structure  of  plants,  and  of  this  there  are 
many  kinds,  the  bulk  of  all  the  soft  parts  being 
what  is  called  cellular  tissue,  which  forms,  in 
some  of  its  various  conditions,  the  soft  part  of 
the  substance  of  all  vegetables.  This  is  per- 
meated by  layers  and  combinations  of  different 
forms  of  vascular  and  woody  tissue,  the  first 
consisting  of  vessels  for  the  transmission  of 
fluids  and  air,  and  the  latter  consisting  of 
fibrous  matter  serving  to  solidify  and  strength- 
en the  entire  structure.  The  terms  applied  to 
the  elementary  organs  are, — 1 .  Cellular  tissue, 
or  f)arenchym ;  2.  Pitted  tissue,  or  bothren- 
chyvi  ;  3.  Woody  tissue,  or  pleu7'enchym ;  4. 
Vascular  tissue,  or  trachenchym;  5.  Latici- 
ferous  tissue,  or  cinenchym.  These  elementary 
matters  are  constructed  of  what  are  called  or- 
ganic mucus,  membrane,  and  elementary  fibre; 
and  indeed,  there  is  no  doubt  that  all  the  forms 
of  tissue  enumerated  above,  are  in  reality  mo- 
difications of  one  common  type,  namely  the 
simple  cell. 

It  is  a  mysterious  fact  that  all  plants  should 
be  compounded  out  of  a  simple  vegetable  cell ; 
and  yet,  really,  this  is  near  the  truth,  divest- 
ing the  subject  of  its  technicalities.  At  the 
least,  this  is  the  light  which  science  seems  to 
shed  upon  the  subject.  The  cell  forms  within 
itself  the  nucleus  of  another  or  other  cells, 
which  advance  to  maturity  and  become  inde- 
pendent only  to  undergo  the  same  process  of 
multiplication  ;  and  thus  an  increase  of  size  is 
effected.  This  is  carried  on  under  the  impulse 
of  the  vital  force  of  the  plant.  So  of  the  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  plants ;  the  simplest  are  mere 
cells  or  vesicles,  or  threads  of  vesicles,  and 
the  most  complex  are  also  vesicles  connected 
together  in  indefinite  numbers,  yet  arranged 
upon  a  definite  plan,  which  gives  individuality 
to  the  connected  mass. 

The  cellular  tissue  which  is  thus  regarded 
as  the  type  of  all  the  other  forms,  consists  of 
little  bladders  or  vesicles  of  various  figures 
adhering  together  in  masses  ;  it  is  transparent 
and  for  the  most  part  colourless.  Some  idea 
of  its  nature  may  be  gained  by  cutting  a  very 
thin  slice — not  thicker  than  tissue  paper — 
across  the  pith  of  any  plant,  and  this  if  viewed 
by  a  magnifying  glass  will  be  seen  to  have  a 
honeycombed  appearance,  which,  in  fact,  re- 
presents a  cross  section  of  the  cells.  It  is  ge- 
nerally transparent  and  colourless,  or  at  most 
only  slightly  tinged  with  green.  The  brilliant 
colours  of  vegetable  matter — the  white,  blue, 
yellow,  and  scarlet  hues  of  the  corolla,  and  the 
green  of  the  bark  and  leaves — are  not  owing  to 
any  difference  in  the  colour  of  the  cells  them- 
selves, but  to  colouring  matter  of  different 
kinds  which  they  contain.  When  growth  or 
extension  of  the  plant  is.  going  on,  it  takes 
place,  as  already  intimated,  by  the  little  blad- 


26 


INTRODUCTION   TO  BOTANY. 


ders  or  cells  producing  otiuers  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  vital  principle;  and  exterior  stimu- 
lating influences.  It  is  the  knowledge  of  this 
general  principle  which  so  strongly  supports 
the  doctrine  (or,  as  some  say,  dogma)  of  Mor- 
phology. The  existing  cells  develope  other 
cells,  and  thus  the  plant  is  extended,  but  the 
nature  of  these  cells  as  regards  the  external 
characters  they  assume  may  be  varied  accord- 
ing to  the  conditions  under  which  they  are 
developed,  always  providing  that  there  is  in 
plants  an  individuality  which  restrains  the 
variations  within  certain  limits.  This  kind 
of  tissue,  the  cellular,  is  found  in  two  essen- 
tially different  states,  membranous  and  fibrous. 

Woody  tissue  is  that  which  forms  the  bulk 
of  the  ligneous  part  of  plants ;  it  consists  of 
slender  tough  membranous  tubes,  tapering 
towards  each  end,  and  lying  in  compact 
bundles.  Vascular  tissue,  is  that  of  which 
what  are  called  the  vessels  of  plants  are  com- 
posed, the  principal  kinds  of  which  are  spiral 
vessels— membranous  tubes  with  conical  ex- 
tremities, occupied  internally  by  a  spiral  fibre 
— and  ducts,  which  are  thought  to  be  modifi- 
cations of  spiral  vessels.  Luticiferous  tissue 
consists  of  branched  anp,stomosing  tubes,  or 
"  milk  vessels."  Pitted  tissue  is  a  modification 
of  cellular  tissue. 

Within  the  tissue  of  plants  certain  particles 
are  found,  of  which  one  of  the  most  important 
is  starch.  To  this  substance  peculiar  interest 
attaches,  in  studying  the  structure  and  cha- 
racteristics of  plants,  inasmuch  as  it  is  the  ab- 
sence or  presence  of  starch  which  best  distin- 
guishes between  animals  and  plants,  as  already 
mentioned.  We  shall  therefore  quote  some 
part  of  the  account  given  of  this  secretion  : — 

"  This  substance  is  so  common  that  no  plant 
is  destitute  of  it,  and  many,  like  the  potato, 
have  the  cells  of  their  tubers  or  other  parts  of 
the  stem  filled  full  of  its  granules.  The  rhi- 
zome of  Equisetum  is  so  crowded  with  them, 
that  when  the  cells  are  wounded,  the  starch 
grains  are  discharged  with  some  force,  appa- 
rently by  the  contraction  of  the  membrane,  so 
that  the  grains  appear  as  if  in  voluntary  mo- 
tion as  long  as  the  emptying  the  tissue  con- 
tinues to  take  place.  These  particles  are 
perfectly  white,  semi-transparent,  generally 
irregularly-oblong,  sometimes  compound,  and 
marked  with  oblique  concentric  circles ;  they 
are  extremely  variable  in  size,  some  being  as 
fine  as  the  smallest  molecular  matter  in  pol- 
len, that  is,  not  more  than  ^y—o  th  of  an  inch 
in  diameter,  others  being  as  much  as  ToWl^h 
or  —^o^h.  *  «  *  StaTch  grains  of  the 
smallest  size  have  a  distinct  motion  of  rotation 
when  suspended  in  water,  and  this  motion 
looks  as  if  spontaneous  ;  for  of  several  floating 
near  each  other  in  the  same  medium,  a  part 


will  be  in  active  motion  while  others  remain 
inactive.  Starch  when  dry  is  tolerably  hard, 
and  falls  to  powder  when  rubbed  between  the 
fingers  ;  when  moist  it  is  rather  gelatinous  ; 
when  dried  from  solution  it  at  first  forms  a 
trembling  jelly,  and  afterwards  becomes  vitre- 
ous, brittle,  and  as  clear  as  water  (even  in 
lichens)  ;  when  perfectly  clean  and  fresh  from 
the  plant,  starch  gradually  dissolves  in  water 
(or  only  disperses?  for  the  so-called  solution 
cannot  pass  through  a  cellular  membrane);  in 
the  plant  it  is  usually  protected  from  solution 
by  an  incrusting  wax,  albumen,*  mucus,  or  any 
sucii  substance  outside.  Starch  is  easily  (par- 
tially) soluble  in  boiling  water,  acids  and 
alkalies }  insoluble  in  alcohol,  ether,  volatile 
or  fat  oils ;  it  is  stained  blue  by  iodine,  even 
in  dilute  solutions  (and  the  iodide  of  starch  is 
not  more  soluble  in  water  than  ordinary  starch, 
but  it  is  insoluble  in  acids).  It  appears  to  be 
changed  through  intermediate  matter;  as  for 
instance.  Lichen  starch  into  Amyloid  ;  tlirough 
the  material  discovered  by  Henry  in  the  mace, 
into  membrane,  vegetable  jelly,  and  perhaps 
also  into  gum.  The  chemical  composition  of 
starch  is  now  placed  beyond  doubt  by  the  dis- 
tinguished chemists  Berzelius  and  Liebig,  and 
is  given  thus— C  12,  H  20,  O  10."— P.  114. 
"  Starch  is  the  most  common  of  all  vegetable 
productions.  I  know  of  no  plant  that  does  not 
in  some  season  or  other,  at  least  at  the  time 
when  vegetation  is  at  rest,  secrete  starch  in 
more  or  less  abundance;  often  only  in  single 
grains  in  the  cells,  but  often  also  swelling  the 
cells  from  the  large  quantity  of  it.  The  grains 
of  starch  adhere  to  the  cell  walls,  for  the  most 
part  accidentally  by  means  of  mucus.  The 
supposed  bilum  by  which  the  grains  of  starch 
have  been  said  to  be  held  to  the  sides  of  the 
cells,  is  one  of  Turpin's  innumerable  careless 
representations,  and  is  entirely  without  foun- 
dation. The  largest  starch-grain  does  not 
appear  to  be  more  than  005  of  a  line  in  the 
longest  part.  Starch  can  generally  be  sepa- 
rated from  the  cellular  tissue  by  bruising  and 
washing  with  water ;  often,  however,  it  can- 
not, as,  for  example,  when  it  occurs  united  to 
mucus,  as  in  Hedychium.  Starch  seems  to 
be  purest  in  Maranta  arundinacea.  It  is  not 
too  much  to  say  that  for  two-thirds  of  man- 
kind, search  is  the  most  important  if  not  ex- 
clusive source  of  nourishment.  It  is  certain 
that  starch  occurs  in  all  plants,  but  not  always 
in  such  a  state  as  to  suffice  and  become  fit  for 
food ;  it  often  cannot  be  separated  from  other 
disagreeable  substances,  as  in  the  horse-chest- 
nut. Certain  parts  of  plants  secrete  it  more 
than  others,  viz,,  the  albumen  of  the  seeds 
(Grasses),  the  cotyledons  of  the  embryo  (Le- 

*  Used  in  the  sense  of  Chemists,  not  of  Vegetable 
Physiologists. 


INTRODUCTION    TO    BOTANY. 


27 


guminous  plants),  pith  (Cycads  and  Pjilms*), 
balbs  (Liljworts-i").  tuber.-:,  rliizomes  and  roots 
of  several  different  orders.^  In  less  abundance 
it  is  found  throughout  the  winter  in  the  bark 
and  sap  of  trees;  hence  the  possibility  of  mak- 
ing bread  from  the  bark  of  trees  in  polar 
countries." — P.  121. 

"  Under  the  influence  of  vital  force,  starch 
changes  into  gum  and  sugar.  Sugar  makes 
its  appearance  as  a  transparent  fluid,  which 
seems  as  clear  as  water,  and  is  not  rendered 
turbid  by  alcohol,  but  is  coloured  brown  by 
tincture  of  iodine,  according  to  the  greater  or 
less  degree  of  dilution  of  that  agent. 

"  Gum  appears  as  a  yellowish,  more  consist- 
ent, less  transparent  fluid,  which  with  tincture 
of  iodine  coagulates  into  a  pale  yellow  colour. 
When  vegetation  has  advanced  to  that  point 
that  gum  is  the  latest  immediate  product,  there 
appear  in  it  a  great  many  minute  molecules, 
which  are  generally  so  small  as  to  resemble 
dark  points;  at  that  time  the  fluid  becomes  of 
a  darker  yellow  upon  the  application  of  iodine; 
but  the  molecules,  if  they  are  largo  enough  to 
show  their  colour,  become  dark-brown  yellow. 
It  is  this  mass,  so  transparent  that  it  can 
hardly  be  seen  until  it  is  coloured,  in  which  in 
all  cases  organization  commences,  and  from 
which  the  youngest  structure  is  constituted. 
It  may  be  called  vegetablejelly,  and  is  proba- 
bly nearly  the  same  as  Pecten,  the  base  of  Gum 
Tragacanth  and  many  other  kinds  of  vegetable 
mucus.  It  is  this  jelly  which  by  a  further 
chemical  alteration  becomes  the  membrane  of 
cells,  and  is  afterwards  the  material  by  which 
they  are  thickened. 

"  'Vegetable  mucilage  of  the  chemist  in  part 
(Bassorine  ;  Salep)  is  a  horny  or  cartilaginous 
substance  when  dry ;  when  moist,  it  swells  up 
in  a  gelatinous  manner,  and  becomes  gradually 
diffused  throughout  cold  water.  It  is  trans- 
parent and  soluble  in  hot  and  cold  (?)  water; 
in  caustic  alkali  is  perhaps  converted  into  an 
acid.  It  is  not  affected  by  alcohol,  ether, 
fatty  or  essential  oils,  and  is  not  coloured  by 
iodine.  On  one  side  it  passes  by  various  mo- 
difications into  cellulose  (ex.  gr.  the  cell  walls 
of  fucoids),  and  amyloid  (ex.  gr.  some  kinds 
of  horny  albumen);  on  the  other  into  amylum 
(ex.  gr.  the  mucilage  of  the  orchis  tubers), 
and  often  further  into  gum  and  dextrine. 
Probably  Pectine  and  its  compounds  are 
closely  related  here.     {Henfrey.y  " — P.  130. 

The  matters  thus  far  treated  are  elementary. 
Their  combination  into  the  external  organs 
of  plants  is  the  next  step.     In  this  way  is  pro- 

*  Sago  from  Cycas  revoluta;  Sagus  Rumphii, 
farinifera,  &c. 

f  Lilium  camtchaticum,  used  as  food  in  Greenland. 

t  Potato  from  Solanum  tuberosum ;  Cassava  from 
JatropIiaManihot;  Tari-o  from  Arum  esculentum,  &c. 


duced  the  cuticle  or  skin ;  the  stomates  or 
pores ;  hairs,  scarf,  glands,  and  prickles ;  and 
also  roots,  stems,  leaves,  flowers,  and  fruit. 
From  the  minute  description  of  the  stem,  we 
shall  select  the  account  given  of  leaf-buds, 
which  besides  having  considerable  interest,  is 
also  suitable  to  our  limits  : — 

"Leaf-buds  {gemmae,  Linn.),  being  the  ru- 
diments of  young  branches,  are  of  great  im- 
portance in  considering  the  general  structure 
of  a  plant.  Tiiey  consist  of  scales  imbricated 
over  each  other,  the  outermost  being  the 
hardest  and  thickest,  and  surrounding  a  minute 
cellular  axis  or  growing  point,  which  is  in 
direct  communication  with  the  woody  and 
cellular  tissue  of  the  stem.  In  other  words, 
they  may  be  said  to  be  growing  points,  covered 
with  rudimentary  leaves,  for  the  purpose  of 
protection,  and  to  consist  of  a  highly  ex- 
citable mass  of  cellular  substance,  originating 
in  or  connected  with  the  pith  or  cellular  por- 
tion of  the  branch,  and  having  a  special  power 
of  extension  in  length.  Under  ordinary  cir- 
cumstances the  growing  point  clothes  itself 
with  leaves  as  it  advances,  and  then  it  becomes 
a  branch  ;  but  sometimes  it  simply  hardens 
as  it  grows,  producing  no  leaves,  but  forming 
a  sharp  coni(;al  projection,  called  a  spine, 
as  in  the  Gleditschia,  the  sloe,  &c.  When 
formed  it  does  not,  however,  consist  of  cellular 
tissue  alone  ;  on  the  contrary,  it  has  the 
same  general  internal  structure  as  the  perfect 
branches  themselves. 

"  The  spine  must  not  be  confounded  with 
the  prickle  or  aculeus  already  described,  from 
which  it  differs  in  having  a  considerable  quan- 
tity of  woody  tissue  in  its  structure,  and  in 
being  as  much  in  communication  with  the 
central  parts  of  a  stem  as  branches  them- 
selves ;  while  prickles  are  merely  superficial 
concretions  of  hardened  cellular  tissue.  Spines 
occasionally,  as  in  the  Whitethorn,  bear  leaves ; 
in  domesticated  plants  they  often  entirely  dis- 
appear, as  in  the  Apple  and  Pear,  the  wild 
vai'ieties  of  which  are  spiny,  and  the  cultivated 
ones  spineless.  They  occasionally  branch,  as 
in  the  Gleditschia,  thus  showing  that  the 
power  of  subdivision  is  a  vital  quality  inherent 
in  the  growing  point  itself. 

"  The  spadix  of  the  arum,  the  receptacle  of 
nelumbium,  all  the  forms  of  placenta,  and 
even  some  styles  and  stigmata,  are  modifica- 
tions of  the  growing  point  of  the  bud,  and  con- 
sequently are  analogous  to  unhardened  spines. 

"  Linngeus  called  the  bud  Myhernaculwm, 
because  it  serves  for  the  winter  protection  of 
the  young  and  tender  parts  ;  and  distinguished 
it  into  the  gemma,  or  leaf-bud  of  the  stem, 
and  the  hulb,  or  leaf-bud  of  the  root. 

"  The  leaf-bud  has  been  compared  by  Du 
Petit  Thouars,  and  some  other  botanists,  to 


28 


INTRODUCTION    TO    BOTANY. 


the  embryo,  and  has  even  been  denominated 
a  fixed  embryo.  Tlds  comparison  must  not 
however  be  understood  to  indicate  any  iden- 
tity between  these  two  parts  in  structure,  but 
merely  an  analogous  function,  both  being 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  reproduction  ;  in 
origin  and  structure  they  are  entirely  different. 
The  leaf-bud  consists  of  both  vascular  and 
cellular  tissue,  the  embryo  of  cellular  tissue 
only  :  the  leaf-bud  is  produced  without  fer- 
tilisation ;  to  the  embryo  this  is  essential  : 
finally,  the  leaf-bud  perpetuates  the  individual 
as  well  as  the  species  ;  the  embryo  continues 
the  species  and  not  the  individual. 

"  The  usual  or  normal  situation  of  leaf-buds 
is  in  the  axil  of  leaves  ;  and  all  departure 
from  this  position  is  either  irregular  or  acci- 
dental. Botanists  give  them  the  name  of 
regular  when  they  are  placed  in  their  normal 
station,  and  they  call  all  others  latent  or  ad- 
ventitious. The  latter  have  been  found  in 
almost  every  part  of  plants  ;  the  roots,  the 
internodes,  the  petiole,  the  leaf,  the  flower 
itself,  have  all  been  remarked  producing  them. 

"  On  the  leaf  they  usually  proceed  from  the 
margin,  as  in  Malaxis  paludosa,  where  they 
form  minute  granulations, , first  determined  to 
be  buds  by  Henslow,  or  as  in  Bryophyllum 
calycinum,  and  Tellima  grandiflora  ;  but  they 
liave  been  seen  by  Turpin  proceeding  from 
the  surface  of  the  leaf  of  Ornithogalum. 

"  M.  Naudin,  in  the  Annahs  des  Sciences 
Nat.,  vol.  xiv.  p.  14,  describes  some  small 
plants  of  Drosera  anglica,  which  were  pro- 
*luced  on  a  leaf,  on  the  upper  side.  They 
sprang  from  the  cellular  tissue,  between  the 
midrib  and  lateral  veins  near  the  edge,  and 
were  stationed  about  a  line  and  a  half  apart. 
They  were  from  five  to  six  lines  in  length, 
and  had,  it  would  seem,  a  stem  with  alternate 
leaves,  notwithstanding  that  the  Drosera  in 
its  natural  state  is  stemless,  and  only  provided 
with  root  leaves.  Nothing  could  be  observed 
on  the  under  side  of  the  parent  leaf,  except  a 
black  spot  below  one  of  the  two  stems ;  there 
were  no  roots.  The  stems  issued  from  the 
naked  cellular  tissue,  and  had  no  connexion 
with  the  vessels  of  the  leaf.  This  is  un- 
doubtedly an  universal  rule  ;  buds,  whether 
normal,  latent,  or  adventitious,  being  inva- 
riably formed  by  exciting  the  peculiar  vitality 
of  true  cells,  and  not  of  tubular  forms  of 
tissue  ;  a  very  important  physiological  truth. 

"  We  are  unacquainted  with  the  cause  of  the 
formation  of  leaf-buds  ;  all  we  know  is,  that 
they  proceed  exclusively  from  cellular  tissue  ; 
and  if  produced  on  the  axis,  from  the  mouths 
of  medullary  rays,  it  would  seem  as  if  cer- 
tain unknown  forces  were  occasionally  so 
exerted  upon  a  vesicle  of  cellular  tissue,  as  to 
stimulate  it  into  a  preternatural  degree  of 
activity,  the  result  of  which  is  the  production 


of  vessels  and  the  formation  of  a  centre,  having 
the  power  of  lengthening.  Any  cellular  mat- 
ter, which  is  not  of  a  perishable  nature,  may 
be  compelled  to  form  buds  by  a  skilful  appli- 
cation of  heat,  moistui'e,  and  light.  Hence, 
any  firm  fleshy  parts  of  plants  may  be  em- 
ployed for  propagation,  especially  fragments 
of  the  root,  a  part  which  usually  possesses  an 
unusually  high  degree  of  vitality.  A  case  of 
the  artificial  compulsory  formation  of  buds  by 
the  scales  of  a  Hyacinth  bulb,  is  mentioned  in 
my  Elements  of  Hotany,  p.  41. 

"  There  is  indeed  an  opinion,  which  I  be- 
lieve was  that  of  Mr.  Knight,  that  the  sap 
itself  can  at  any  time  generate  buds  without 
any  previously  formed  rudiment  ;  and  that 
buds  depend  not  upon  a  specific  alteration  of 
the  arrangement  of  the  cellular  system,  called 
into  action  by  particular  circumstances,  but 
upon  a  state  of  the  sap  favourable  to  their 
creation.  In  proof  of  this  it  has  been  said, 
that  if  a  bud  of  the  Prunus  pseudo-cerasus,  or 
Chinese  cherry,  be  inserted  upon  a  cherry 
stock,  it  will  grow  freely,  and  after  a  time 
will  emit  small  roots  from  just  above  its  union 
with  the  stock  ;  at  the  time  when  these  little 
roots  are  formed,  let  the  shoot  be  cut  back  to 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  stock,  and  the 
little  roots  will  then,  in  consequence  of  the 
great  impulsion  of  sap  into  them,  become 
branches  emitting  leaves. 

"  The  leaf-buds  of  the  deciduous  trees  of  cold 
climates  are  covered  by  scales,  which  are  also 
called  tegmenta,  or  sometimes  pe^'j/Z^^;  these 
afford  protection  against  cold  and  external 
accidents,  and  vary  much  in  texture,  thickness, 
and  other  characters.  Thus  in  the  beech,  the 
scales  are  thin,  smooth,  and  dry  ;  in  many 
willows  they  are  covered  with  a  thick  down  ; 
in  Populus  balsamifera  they  exude  a  tenacious 
viscid  juice.  In  herbaceous  plants  and  trees 
of  climates  in  which  vegetation  is  not  exposed 
to  severe  cold,  the  leaf-buds  have  no  dead 
scales  ;  which  is  also,  but  very  rarely,  the  case 
in  some  northern  shrubs,  as  BhamnusFrangula. 

"  The  scales  of  the  bud,  however  dissimilar 
in  their  ordinary  appearance  they  may  be  to 
leaves,  are  nevertheless  in  reality  leaves  in  an 
imperfectly  formed  state.  They  are  the  last 
leaves  of  the  season,  developed  at  a  period 
when  the  current  of  vegetation  is  stopping, 
and  when  the  vital  powers  have  become  almost 
torpid.  That  such  is  their  natui-e  is  suf- 
ficiently shown  by  that  gradual  transition 
from  scales  to  perfect  leaves,  which  occurs  in 
such  plants  as  Viburnum  prunifolium.  Mag- 
nolia acuminata,  Liriodendron  tulipifera,  and 
^sculus  pavia  :  in  the  latter,  the  transition 
is  perhaps  most  satisfiictorily  manifested.  In 
this  plant  the  scales  on  the  outside  are  short, 
hard,  dry,  and  brown  ;  those  next  them  are 
longer,   greenish,  and  delicate  :  within  these 


INTRODUCTION    TO    BOTANY. 


29 


others  become  dKated,  are  slightly  coloured 
pink,  and  occasionally  bear  a  few  imperfect 
leaflets  at  their  apex  ;  in  succession  are  de- 
veloped leaves  of  tlie  ordinary  character,  ex- 
cept that  their  petiole  is  dilated  and  mem- 
branous, like  the  inner  scales  of  the  bud  ;  and 
finally,  leaves  perfect  in  all  their  parts  com- 
plete the  series  of  transitions. 

"  Among  the  varieties  of  root  is  sometimes 
classed  what  botanists  call  a  hulh,  a  scaly 
body  formed  at  or  beneath  the  surface  of  the 
ground,  emitting  roots  from  its  base,  and  pro- 
ducing a  stem  from  its  centre.  Linnaeus  con- 
sidered it  the  leaf-bud  of  a  root  ;  but  in  this 
he  was  partly  mistHken,  roots  being  essentially 
characterized  by  the  absence  of  buds.  He 
was,  however,  perfectly  correct  in  identifying 
it  with  a  leaf-bud,  from  which  it  differs  in 
nothing  more  than  in  being  deciduous,  and 
consisting  of  scales  much  more  fleshy  than  in 
ordinary  leaf-buds.  In  some  plants,  such  as 
the  Tiger  Lily,  the  leaf-buds  in  their  usual 
position  in  the  axils  of  leaves  acquire  a  fleshy 
consistence,  and  are  spontaneously  cast  off  by 
the  stem  in  the  state  of  true  bulbs. 

"  A  bulb  has  the  power  of  propagating  itself 
by  developing  in  the  axils  of  its  scales  new 
bulbs,  or  what  gardeners  call  cloves  (nucleus 
and  aduascens  (j^  X\\Q  older  hot^imsX.^,  adnatum. 
of  Richard),  which  grow  at  the  expense  of 
their  parent  bulb,  and  eventually  destroy  it  ; 
in  this  respect  it  behaves  exactly  like  a  leaf- 
bnd  after  it  has  lengthened  into  a  branch. 
Every  true  bulb  is  therefore  necessarily  formed 
of  imbricated  scales,  and  a  solid  bulb  has  no 
existence.  The  bulibi  soldi,  as  they  have 
been  called,  of  the  crocus,  the  colchicum,  and 
others,  are,  as  we  shall  hereafter  find  (see 
Cormus),  a  kind  of  subterranean  stem  i  they 
are  distinct  from  the  bulb,  in  consisting,  not 
of  imbricated  scales,  but  of  a  solid  fleshy 
mass,  itself  emitting  buds.  It  has  been  sup- 
posed, indeed,  that  corms  might  be  buds,  the 
scales  of  which  had  become  consolidated  ;  but 
the  hypothesis  leads  to  this  inadmissible  con- 
clusion, that,  as  the  corm  or  solid  bulb  of  a 
crocus  is  essentially  the  same,  except  in  size 
and  situation,  as  the  stem  of  a  palm,  the  stem 
of  a  palm  must  be  a  bulb  also,  which  is  absurd. 
In  truth,  the  bulb  is  analogous  to  the  bud  that 
is  seated  upon  the  corm,  and  not  to  the  corm 
itself ;  a  bulb  being  an  enlarged  succulent  bud 
without  a  stem,  the  corm  a  subterranean 
stem  with  buds  on  its  surface." — P.  175. 

The  stems  of  Exogenous  plants  aredescribed 
in  a  very  detailed  manner;  after  which  we 
come  to  some  remarks  as  to  the  age  of  timber, 
a  subject  on  which  many  curious  notions  are 
extant.  In  matters  of  this  kind,  theory  is  apt 
to  run  riot ;  and  so  it  would  appear  she  has 
done  in  this  case.  Even  the  number  of  zones 


shown  in  a  cross  section  of  the  wood,  does 
not  always  indicate  the  truth,  although  much 
nearer  than  any  computations  based  on  mea- 
surement. 

Among  much  interesting  matter  relating  to 
the  structure  of  leaves,  is  an  account  of  that 
of  those  "  curiosities  of  vegetation,"  the  pitcher 
plants.  The  leaf  of  a  plant  usually  consists 
of  two  distinguishable  parts,  the  lamina  or 
blade,  and  the  petiole  or  stalk.  The  "  pitchers," 
as  they  are  called,  which  are  borne  by  the  plant 
just  alluded  to,  are  regarded  as  modifications  of 
the  petioles  of  the  leaves.  We  may  perhaps 
be  tempted  to  quote  this  passage  at  some 
future  time. 

The  following  is  an  excellent  definition  of 
a  flower,  according  to  the  ideas  of  modern 
botanists.  Popular  notions,  however,  ascribe 
a  much  more  restricted  interpretation  to  the 
term  flower  ;  and  in  this  respect  approach 
somewhat  closely  to  the  views  held  by  the 
ancients.  The  passages  are  selected  so  as  to 
give  a  connected  description  of  the  different 
parts  ;  in  the  work  itself  a  much  ampler  ac- 
count is  given  : — 

"  The  flower  is  a  terminal  bud,  enclosing 
the  organ  of  reproduction  by  seed.  By  the 
ancients  the  term  flower  was  restricted  to 
what  is  now  called  the  corolla,  but  Linnaeus 
wisely  extended  its  application  to  the  union 
of  all  the  organs  which  contribute  to  the  pro- 
cess of  fecundation.  The  flower  therefore,  as 
now  understood,  comprehends  the  calyx,  the 
corolla,  the  stamens,  and  the  pistil,  of  which 
the  two  last  only  are  indispensable.  The  calyx 
and  corolla  may  be  wanting,  and  a  flower  will 
nevertheless  exist  ;  but  if  neither  stamens  nor 
pistil  nor  their  rudiments  are  to  be  found,  no 
assemblage  of  leaves,  whatever  may  be  their 
form  or  colour,  or  how  much  soever  they  may 
resemble  the  calyx  and  corolla,  can  constitute 
a  flower. 

"  We  usually  consider  the  flower  to  consist 
of  a  certain  number  of  whorls,  or  of  parts 
oi'iginating  round  a  common  centre,  from  the 
same  plane  ;  but  Adolphe  Brongniart  has  cor- 
rectly pointed  out  the  fact,  that  M'hat  we  call 
whorls  in  a  flower,  are  in  many  cases  not  so, 
strictly  speaking,  but  only  a  series  of  parts 
in  close  approximation,  and  at  different  heights 
upon  the  short  branch  that  forms  the  axis. 
This  is  particularly  obvious  in  a  cistus,  where 
of  the  five  si^pals,  two  are  lower  and  exterior, 
and  three  higher  and  within  the  first.  The 
manner  also  in  which  the  petals  overlap  each 
other,  evidently  points  to  a  similar  cause, 
although  the  fact  of  those  pieces  being 
inserted  at  different  heights,  may  not  be  ap- 
parent."—P.  315. 

"  The  calyx  is  the  external  integument  of 
the  flower,  consisting  of  several  verticillate 
leaves,  .either  united  by  their  margins  or  dis- 


30 


INTRODUCTION    TO    BOTANY. 


tinct,  usually  of  a  green  colour,  and  of  a  ruder 
and  less  delicate  texture  than  the  corolla. 
Authors  have  long  disputed  about  the  deli- 
nition  of  a  calyx,  and  the  limits  which  really 
exist  between  it  and  the  corolla  ;  the  above, 
which  is  copied  from  Link,  seems  to  be  the 
only  one  that  can  be  considered  accurate. 
In  reality,  in  many  cases,  they  pass  so  in- 
sensibly into  each  other,  as  in  Calycanthus  and 
Nymphcea,  that  no  one  can  say  Avhere  the 
calyx  ends,  and  the  corolla  begins,  although 
it  is  evident  that  both  ai-e  present.  Linnajus, 
indeed,  thought  that  it  was  possible  to  distin- 
guish them  by  their  position  with  regard  to 
the  stamens,  asserting  that  the  divisions  of 
the  calyx  are  opposite  those  organs,  and 
of  the  corolla  alternate  with  them  ;  but  if  this 
distinction  were  admitted,  the  corolla  of  the 
primrose  would  be  an  inner  calyx,  which  is 
manifestly  an  absurdity.  Jussieu  defines  a 
calyx  by  its  being  continuous  with  the  pe- 
duncle, which  the  corolla  never  is, but  there  are 
plenty  of  true  calyxes,  of  all  papaveraceous 
and  cruciferous  plants  for  instance,  in  which 
the  calyx  is  deciduous,  and  not  more  con- 
tinuous with  the  peduncle  than  the  corolla 
itself.  The  only  just  mode  of  distinguishing 
the  calyx,  seems  to  me  to  be,  to  consider  it  in 
all  cases  the  external  verticillate  sei'ies  of  the 
integuments  of  the  flower,  within  the  bracts, 
whether  it  be  half  coloured,  deciduous,  and  of 
many  pieces,  as  in  Crucifers  ;  membranous 
and  wholly  coloured  as  in  Mirabilis  ;  green 
and  campanulate  or  tubular  as  in  Laurus  and 
Lythrum.  Upon  this  principle,  wherever  there 
is  only  one  series  of  floral  integuments, 
thaffeeries  is  the  calyx.  A  calyx,  therefore, 
can  exist  without  a  corolla  ;  but  a  corolla 
cannot  exist  without  a  calyx,  either  perfect  or 
rudimentary.  The  term  per ianth  is  sometimes 
given  as  synonymous  with  calyx  ;  but  this 
is  an  error.  The  word  perianth  signifies 
^  the  calyx  and  corolla  combined,  and  is  there- 
fore strictly  a  collective  term.  It  should  only 
be  employed  to  designate  a  calyx  and  corolla 
the  limits  of  which  are  undefined,  so  that  they 
cannot  be  satisfactorily  distinguished  from 
each  other,  as  in  most  monocotyledonous  plants, 
the  tulip  and  orchis  for  example." — P.  327. 

"  That  envelope  of  the  flower  which  forms 
a  second  whorl  within  the  calyx,  and  between 
it  and  the  stamens,  is  called  the  corolla.  Its 
divisions  always,  without  exception,  alternate 
with  those  of  the  calyx,  and  are  called  petals. 
Like  sepals,  (the  divisions  of  the  calyx,)  they 
are  either  united  by  their  margins,  or  distinct ; 
but  unlike  the  calyx,  they  are  rarely  green, 
being  lor  the  most  part  eitlier  white,  or  of 
some  colour  such  as  red,  blue,  or  yellow,  or  of 
any  of  the  hues  produced  by  their  intermix- 
ture. The  corolla  is  generally  also  larger 
than  the  calyx.    *    •    *     When  the  petals  of 


a  corolla  are  all  distinct,  then  the  corolla  is 
said  to  be  polypetalous,  but  if  they  cohere  at 
all  by  their  contiguous  margins,  so  as  to  form 
a  tube,  it  then  becomes  whi^t  is  called  mono- 
petalous,  *  *  *  ^  petal  consists  of  the 
following  parts  ; — tlie  limb  or  lamina,  and  the 
mifjuis  or  claw.  The  claw  is  the  narrow  part 
at  the  base,  which  takes  the  place  of  the  foot- 
stalk of  the  leaf,  of  Avhich  it  is  a  modification  ; 
the  limb  is  the  dilated  part  supported  upon 
the  claw,  and  is  a  modification  of  the  blade  of 
a  leaf.  In  many  petals  there  is  no  claw, 
as  in  Rosa  ;  in  many  it  is  very  long,  as  iu 
Dianthus."— Pp.  330,  333,  334. 

"Next  the  petals  in  the  inside  are  seated 
the  oi'gans  called  stamens — the  apices  of  old 
botanists.  These  constitute  the  andrajceum 
or  male  apparatus  of  the  flower,  like  the  calyx 
and  corolla  are  modifications  of  leaves,  and 
consist  of  the  filament,  the  anther,  and  the 
pollen,  of  which  the  two  latter  are  essential: 
the  first  is  not  essential  ;  that  is  to  say,  a 
stamen  may  exist  without  a  filament,  but  it 
cannot  exist  without  an  anther  and  pollen.  All 
bodies  therefore  which  resemble  stamens,  or 
which  occupy  their  place,  but  which  are  desti- 
tute of  anthers,  are  either  petals  or  apjiendages 
of  the  petals,  or  abortive  stamens." — P.  338. 

"  The  last  oi-gan  to  enumerate  in  the 
flower  is  that  which  constitutes  the  female 
system,  or  gynseceum  of  Roper,  and  which  is 
usually  called  i\\ephtil.  In  all  cases  it  occu- 
pies the  centre  of  the  flower,  terminating  the 
axis  of  growth  of  the  peduncle  ;  and  is  conse- 
quently the  part  around  which  every  other 
organ,  without  exception,  is  arranged  in  her- 
maphrodite structures.  It  is  distinguished 
into  three  parts,  the  ovary,  the  style,  and  the 
stigma.  The  ovary,  called  germen  by  Lin- 
n£eus,  is  a  hollow  case  placed  at  the  base  of 
the  pistil,  enclosing  the  ovules,  and  always 
containing  one  or  more  cells  or  cavities.  It 
is  the  part  which  ultimately  becomes  the  fruit. 
*  *  *  The  style  is  that  elongation  of  the 
ovary  which  supports  the  stigma.  It  is 
frequently  absent,  and  then  the  stigma  is 
sessile  ;  it  is  not  more  essential  to  a  pistil, 
than  a  stalk  to  a  leaf,  or  the  claw  to  a'petal, 
or  the  filament  to  a  stamen.  *  *  *  Xhe 
stigma  is  the  upper  extremity  of  the  style, 
without  epidermis  ;  in  consequence  of  which 
it  has,  ^almost,  uniformly,  either  a  humid  or 
papillose  surface."— Pp.  363,  364,  367. 

"We  must  pass  by,  with  mere  mention,  much 
that  is  interesting  in  reference  to  the  fruit 
and  seed,  and  also  a  critical  and  somewhat 
lengthy  account  of  the  compound  organs  of 
flowerless  plants,  in  order  to  make  room  for 
the  following  admirable  sketch  of  a  plant  in 
a  state  of  vital  action.  The  author  frequently 
presses  the  recognition  of  the  "  vital  power," 


INTRODUCTION    TO    BOTANY. 


31s 


which  influences  all  the  phenomena  connected 
with  the  growth  of  plants,  in  opposition  to 
the  views  of  those  m'Iio  recognise  no  such 
principle  at  work  in  the  vegerable  structure, 
but  account  for  all  the  changes  -which  take 
phice  by  the  rules  of  abstract  science.  A 
living  plant,  however,  is  no  snch  machine 
as  this  doctrine  would  seek  to  make  it  ;  and 
this  is  forcibly  set  forth  in  the  following 
paragraphs  : — 

'•'  I.  If  we  place  a  seed,  (that  of  an  apple 
for  instance,)  in  earth  at  tlie  temperature  of 
32°  Fahrenheit,  it  will  renidin  inactive  till  it 
finally  decays.  But  if  it  is  ph;ced  in  moi,-t 
earth  some  degrees  above  32",  and  screened 
from  the  action  of  light,  iLs  integument  gra- 
dually imbibes  moisture,  and  swells  ;  the 
tissue  is  softened  and  acquires  the  capability 
of  stretching  ;  the  water  is  decomposed,  and 
a  part  of  its  oxygen  combining  with  the  car- 
bon of  the  seed,  forms  carbonic  acid,  which 
is  expelled  ;  nutritious  food  for  the  young 
parts  is  prepared  by  the  conversion  of  starch 
into  sugar  ;  and  the  vital  action  of  the  embryo 
commences.  It  lengthens  downwards  by  the 
radicle,  and  upwards  by  the  cotyledons  ;  the 
former  penetrating  the  soil,  the  latter  eleva- 
ting themselves  above  it,  acquiring  a  green 
colour  by  the  decomposition  of  the  carbonic 
acid  they  absorb  from  the  earth  and  atmo- 
sphere, and  unfolding  in  the  form  of  two 
opposite  roundish  leaves.  This  is  the  first 
state  of  vegetation  ;  the  young  plant  consists  of 
little  more  than  cellular  tissue  ;  only  an  im- 
perfect development  of  vascular  and  fibrous 
tissue  being  discoverable  in  the  form  of  a  sort 
of* cylinder,  lying  just  in  the  centre.  The 
part  within  the  cylinder  at  its  upper  end,  is 
now  the  pith,  without  it  the  bark,  while  the 
cylinder  itself  is  the  preparation  for  the  medul- 
lary sheath,  and  consists  of  vertical  tubes  pass- 
ing through  and  separated  by  cellular  tissue. 

"  The  young  root  is  now  lengthening  at  its 
point,  and  absorbing  from  the  earth  its  nutri- 
ment, w'hich  passes  up  to  the  summit  of  the 
plant  by  the  cellular  substance,  and  is  in  part 
impelled  into  the  cotyledons,  where  it  is  aera- 
ted and  evaporated,  but  chiefly  urged  upwards 
against  the  growing  point,  or  plumule. 

"  II.  Forced  onwards  by  the  current  of  sap 
which  is  continually  impelled  upwards  from 
the  root,  the  plumule  next  ascends  in  the  form 
of  a  little  twig,  at  the  same  time  sending 
downwards,  in  the  centre  of  the  radicle,  the 
earliest  portion  of  wood  that  is  deposited,  and 
compelling  the  root  to  emit  little  ramifications  ; 
and  simultaneously  the  process  of  lignifica- 
tion  is  going  on  in  all  the  tissue,  by  the  deposit 
of  a  peculiar  secretion  in  layers  within  the 
cells  and  tubes. 

"Previously  to  the  elongation  of  the  plu- 


mule, its  point  has  acquired  the  rudimentary 
state  of  a  leaf ;  this  latter  continues  to  develope 
as  the  plumule  elongates,  until  when  the  fij-st 
iiiternodeof  the  latter  ceases  to  lengthen,  the 
leaf  iias  actually  arrived  at  its  complete  for- 
mation. AYhen  fully  grown,  it  repeats  in  a 
much  more  perfect  manner,  the  functions 
previously  peiformed  by  the  cotyledons  ;  it 
aerates  the  sap  ibat  it  receives,  and  returns 
the  superfluous  portion  of  it  downwards 
through  the  liark  to  the  root  ;  tubular  tissue 
at  the  same  time  appears  between  the  medul- 
lary sheath  and  the  bark,  thus  forming  the 
first  ligneous  stratum,  a  part  of  which  is  incor- 
porated with  the  bark,  the  remainder  forming 
wood. 

'•  Daring  these  operations,  while  the  plumule 
is  ascending,  its  leaf  forming  and  acting,  and 
the  woody  matter  created  by  it  descending, 
the  cellular  tissue  of  the  stem  is  forming  and 
expanding  horizontally,  to  make  I'oom  for 
the  new  matter  forced  into  it ;  so  that  develop- 
ment is  going  on  simultaneously  both  in  a 
horizontal  and  perpendicular  direction.  This 
process  may  not  inaptly  be  compared  to  that 
of  weaving,  the  warp  being  the  perpendicular, 
and  the  weft  the  horizontal  Ibrmation.  In 
order  to  enable  the  leaf  to  perform  its  func- 
tions of  aeration  completely,  it  is  traversed  by 
veins,  originating  in  the  medullary  sheath  ; 
and  has  delicate  pores  {stotn,ates),  which  com- 
municate with  a  highly  complex  pneumatic  sys- 
tem, extending  to  almost  every  part  of  the  plant. 

"  Simultaneously  with  the  appearance  of 
woody  matter,  the  emission  of  young  roots, 
and  their  increase  by  addition  to  the  cellular 
substance  of  their  points,  take  place.  They 
thus  are  made  to  bear  something  like  a  defi- 
nite proportion  to  the  leaves  they  have  to  sup- 
port, and  with  which  they  must  of  necessity 
be  in  direct  communication. 

"After  the  production  of  its  first  leaf  by  the 
plumule,  others  successively  appear  in  a  spi- 
ral direction  around  the  axis,  at  its  growing 
point,  all  constructed  alike,  connected  with 
the  stem  or  axis  in  the  same  manner,  and  per- 
forming precisely  the  same  functions  as  have 
just  been  described.  At  last  the  axis  ceases 
to  lengthen  ;  the  old  leaves  gradually  fall  off ; 
the  new  leaves,  instead  of  expanding  after  their 
formation,  retain  their  rudimentary  condition, 
harden  and  fold  over  one  another,  so  as  to  be 
a  protection  to  the  delicate  point  of  growth, 
or  in  other  words,  become  the  scales  of  a  bud. 
We  have  now  a  shoot  with  a  woody  axis,  and 
a  distinct  pith  and  bark,  and  of  a  more  or  less 
conical  figure.  At  the  axil  of  every  leaf  a 
new  growing  point  had  been  generated  du- 
ring the  growth  of  the  axis,  so  that  the  shoot 
when  deprived  of  its  leaves  is  covered  from 
end  to  end  with  little,  symmetrically  arranged, 
projecting  bodies,  which  are  the  buds. 


32 


INTRODUCTION    TO    BOTANY. 


"  The  cause  of  the  figure  of  the  perfect  shoot 
being  conical,  is,  that  us  the  wood  originates 
in  the  base  of  the  leaves,  the  lower  end  of  the 
shoot,  which  has  the  greatest  number  of 
strata,  because  it  has  the  great^-st  number  of 
leaves  above  it,  will  be  the  thickest;  and  the 
upper  end,  which  has  had  the  fewest  leaves  to 
distend  it  by  their  deposit,  will  have  the  least 
diameter.  Thus  that  part  of  the  stem  which 
has  two  leaves  above  it,  will  have  wood 
formed  by  two  successive  deposits  ;  that  which 
has  nine  leaves  above  it,  will  have  wood  formed 
by  nine  successive  deposits  ;  and  so  on  : 
while  the  growing  point,  as  it  can  have  no  de- 
posit of  matter  from  above,  will  have  no  wood, 
the  extremity  being  merely  covered  bythe  rudi- 
ments of  leaves  hereafter  to  be  developed. 

"  If  at  this  time  a  cross  section  be  examined, 
it  will  be  found  that  the  interior  is  no  longer 
imperfectly  divided  into  two  portions,  namely 
pith  and  skin,  as  it  was  when  first  examined 
in  the  same  way,  but  that  it  has  two  internal 
perfect  concentric  lines,  tlie  outer  indicating 
a  separation  of  the  bark  from  the  wood,  and 
the  inner  a  separation  of  the  wood  from  the 
pith  ;  the  latter  too,  which  in  the  fii'st  obser- 
vation was  fleshy,  and  saturated  with  humidity, 
is  become  distinctly  cellular,  and  altogether, 
or  nearly,  dr}'. 

"  III. — With  the  spring  of  the  second  year, 
and  the  return  of  warm  weather,  vegetation 
recommences. 

"  The  uppermost  and  perhaps  some  other 
buds,  which  were  formed  the  previous  year, 
gradually  unfold,  and  pump  up  sap  from  the 
stock  remaining  in  store  about  them  ;  the  place 
of  the  sap  so  removed  is  instantly  supplied  by 
that  which  is  next  it,  an  impulse  is  thus  given 
to  the  fluids  from  the  summit  to  the  roots  ; 
fresh  extension  and  fresh  fibrils  are  given  to 
the  roots.  New  sap  is  absorbed  from  the 
earth,  and  sent  upwards  through  the  wood  of 
last  year  ;  and  the  phenomenon  called  the  flow 
of  the  sap  is  fully  completed,  to  continue  with 
greater  or  less  velocity  till  the  return  of  win- 
ter. The  growing  point  lengthens  upwards, 
forming  leaves  and  buds  in  the  same  way  as 
the  parent  shoot :  a  horizontal  increase  of  the 
whole  of  the  cellular  system  of  the  stem  takes 
place,  and  each  bud  sends  dow^n  organizable 
matter  within  the  bai'k,  and  above  the  wood 
of  the  shoot  from  which  it  sprung  ;  thus  form- 
ing on  the  one  hand  a  new  layer  of  wood,  and 
on  the  other  a  fresh  deposit  of  liber. 

"  In  order  to  facilitate  this  last  operation,  the 
old  bark  and  wood  are  separated  in  the  spring 
by  the  exudation  from  both  of  them  of  the 
glutinous  slimy  substancQ.  called  cambium, 
which  appears  to  be  expressly  intended  in  the 
first  instance  to  facilitate  the  development  of 
the  subcortical  tubular  tissue  ;  and  in  the  se- 
cond place;,  to  assist  in  generating  the  cellular 


tissue,  b}'  which  the  horizontal  dilatation  of 
the  axis  is  caused,  and  which  maintains  a  com- 
munication between  the  bark  and  the  centre  of 
the  stem.  This  communication  has  by  the 
second  year  become  sufiiciently  developed  to 
be  readily  discovered,  and  is  effected  by  the 
meduHary  rays  spoken  of  in  the  last  book.  It 
will  be  remembered  that  there  was  a  time 
when  that  which  is  now  bark  constituted  a 
homogeneous  body  with  the  pith  ;  and  that  it 
was  after  the  leaves  began  to  come  into  ac- 
tion, that  the  separation  which  now  exists 
between  the  bark  and  pith  took  place. 

"  At  the  time  when  the  latter  were  indisso- 
lubly  united,  they  both  consisted  of  cellular 
tissue,  with  a  few  spiral  vessels  upon  the  line 
indicative  of  future  separation.  When  a  de- 
posit of  wood  was  formed  from  above,  between 
them,  they  were  not  wholly  divided  the  one 
from  the  other,  but  the  deposit  was  effected  in 
such  a  way  as  to  leave  a  communication  by 
means  of  cellular  tissue  between  the  bark  and 
the  pith  ;  and  as  this  formation  or  medullary 
ray  is  at  all  times  coetaneous  with  that  of  the 
wood,  the  communication  so  effected  between 
the  pith  and  bark  is  quite  as  perfect  at  the 
end  of  any  number  of  years  as  it  was  at  the 
beginning  of  the  first ;  and  so  it  continues  to 
the  end  of  the  growth  of  the  plant. 

"  The  sap  which  is  drawn  from  the  earth  into 
circulation  by  the  unfolding  leaves  is  exposed, 
as  in  the  previous  yeai",  to  the  effect  of  air  and 
light ;  is  then  returned  through  the  petiole  to 
the  stem,  and  sent  downwards  through  the 
bark,  to  be  from  it  either  conveyed  to  the 
root,  or  distributed  horizontally  by  the  medul- 
lary rays  to  the  centre  of  the  stem. 

"At  the  end  of  the  year  the  same  phenomena 
occur  as  took  place  the  first  season :  wood  is 
gradually  deposited  by  slower  degrees,  whence 
the  last  portion  is  denser  than  the  first,  and 
gives  rise  to  the  appearance  called  the  annual 
zones  :  the  new  shoot  or  shoots  are  prepared 
for  winter,  and  are  again  elongated  cones,  and 
the  original  stem  has  acquired  an  increase  in 
diameter  proportioned  to  the  quantity  of  new 
shoots  which  it  produced ;  new  shoots  being 
to  it  now,  what  young  leaves  were  to  it  before. 

"  IV.— The  third  year  all  that  took  place  the 
year  before  is  repeated  ;  more  roots  appear, 
sap  is  again  absorbed  bythe  unfolding  leaves, 
and  its  loss  is  made  good  by  new  fluids  inti'o- 
duced  by  the  roots  and  transmitted  through 
the  alburnum  or  wood  of  the  yeai"  before ;  new 
wood  and  liber  are  formed  from  matter  sent 
downwards  by  the  buds;  cambium  is  exuded: 
the  horizontal  development  of  cellular  tissue  is 
repeated,  but  more  extensively ;  wood  towards 
the  end  of  the  year  is  formed  more  slowly, 
and  has  a  moi'e  compact  character ;  and  another 
ring  appears,  indicative  of  this  year's  increase. 

"  In  precisely  the  same  manner  as  in  the 


INTRODUCTION    TO    BOTANY, 


33 


second  and  tliird  years  of  its  existence,  will 
the  plant  continue  to  vegetate  till  the  period 
of  its  decay,  each  successive  year  being  a  re- 
petition of  the  phenomena  of  that  which  pre- 
ceded it. 

"  V.  After  a  certain  number  of  years  the  tree 
arrives  at  the  age  of  puberty  ;  the  period  at 
which  this  occurs  is  very  uncertain,  depending 
in  some  measure  upon  adventitious  circum- 
stances, but  more  upon  the  idiosyncrasy  or 
peculiar  constitution  of  the  individual.  About 
the  time  Avhen  this  alteration  of  habit  is  in- 
duced, by  the  influence  of  which  the  sap  or 
blood  of  the  plant  is  to  be  partially  diverted 
from  its  former  courses  into  channels  in 
which  its  force  is  to  be  applied  to  the  produc- 
tion of  new  individuals,  rather  than  to  the 
extension  of  itself;  about  this  time  it  will  be 
i-emarked,  that  certain  of  the  young  branches 
do  not  lengthen,  as  had  been  hitherto  the  wont 
of  others,  but  assume  a  short  stunted  appear- 
ance, probably  not  growing  two  inches  in  the 
time  which  had  been  previously  sufficient  to 
produce  twenty  inches  of  increase.  Of  these 
little  stunted  branches,  called  spurs,  the  ter- 
minal bud  acquires  a  swollen  appearance,  and, 
at  length,  instead  of  giving  birth  to  a  new 
shoot,  produces  from  its  bosom  a  cluster  of 
twigs  in  tlie  form  of  pedicles,  each  terminated 
by  a  bud,  the  leaves  of  which  are  modified  for 
the  purposes  of  reproduction,  grow  firmly  to 
each  other,  assume  peculiar  forms  and  colours, 
and  form  a  flower,  which  had  been  wrapped 
and  protected  from  injury  during  the  previous 
winter  by  several  layers  of  imperfect  leaves, 
now  brought  forth  as  bracts.  Sap  is  impelled 
into  the  calyx  through  the  pedicle  by  gentle 
degrees,  is  taken  up  by  it,  and  exposed  by  the 
surface  of  its  tube  and  segments  to  air  and 
light ;  but  having  very  imperfect  means  of 
returning,  all  that  cannot  be  consumed  by  the 
calyx  is  forced  onwards  into  the  circulation  of 
the  petals,  stamens,  and  pistil.  The  petals 
unfold  themselves  of  a  dazzling  white,  tinged 
with  pink,  and  expose  the  stamens  ;  at  the 
same  time  the  disc  changes  into  a  saccha- 
rine substance,  which  is  supposed  to  nourish 
the  stamens  and  pistil,  and  give  them  energy 
to  perform  their  functions. 

"At  a  fitting  time  the  stigmatic  surface  of 
the  pistil  being  ready  to  receive  the  pollen, 
the  latter  is  cast  upon  it  from  the  anthers, 
which  have  i^emained  near  for  that  particular 
purpose.  When  the  pollen  touches  the  stigma, 
the  grains  adhere  by  means  of  its  viscid  sur- 
face, emitting  a  delicate  membraneous  tube, 
which  pierces  into  the  stigmatic  tissue, 
lengthens  there,  and  conveys  the  matter  con- 
tained in  the  pollen  towai'dsthe  ovules,  which 
the  tube  finally  enters  by  means  of  their 
foramina. 

"  This  has   no    sooner  occurred  than  the 
50. 


petals  and  stamens  fade  and  fall  away :  their 
ephemeral  but  important  functions  being  ac- 
complished. The  sap,  which  is  afterwards 
impelled  through  the  peduncle,  can  only  be 
disposed  of  to  the  calyx  and  ovary,  where  it 
lodges  :  these  two  SAvell  and  form  a  young 
fruit,  which  continues  to  grow  as  long  as  any 
new  matter  of  growth  is  supplied  from  the 
parent  plant.  At  this  time  the  surface  of  the_ 
fruit  performs  the  functions  of  leaves  in  ex- 
posing the  juice  to  light  and  air  ;  at  a  subse- 
quent period  it  ceases  to  decompose  carbonic 
acid,  gains  oxygen,  loses  its  green  colour, 
assumes  the  rich  ruddy  glow  of  maturity  ; 
and  the  peduncle,  no  longer  a  passage  for 
fluids,  dries  up  and  becomes  unequal  to  sup- 
porting the  fruit,  which  at  last  falls  to  tlie 
earth.  Hei'e,  if  not  destroyed  by  animals,  it 
lies  and  decays  ;  in  the  succeeding  spring  its 
seeds  are  stimulated  into  life,  strike  root  in 
the  mass  of  decayed  matter  Avhich  surrounds 
them,  and  spring  forth  as  new  plants  to 
undergo  all  the  vicissitudes  of  their  parent. 

"  Such  are  the  progressive  phenomena  in  the 
vegetation,  not  only  of  the  apple,  but  of  all 
trees  which  are  natives  of  northern  climates, 
and  of  a  large  part  of  the  herbage  of  the  same 
countries,  modified  of  course  by  peculiarities 
of  structure  and  constitution,  as  in  annual  and 
herliaceous  plants,  and  in  those  tlie  leaves  of 
which  are  opposite  and  not  alternate  ;  but  all 
the  more  essential  circumstances  of  their 
growth  are  the  same  as  those  of  the  apple- 
tree. 

"  If  we  reflect  upon  these  phenomena,  our 
minds  can  scarcely  fail  to  be  deeply  impressed 
with  admiration  at  the  perfect  simplicity,  and, 
at  the  same  time,  faultless  skill  with  which  all 
the  machinery  is  contrived,  upon  which  vege- 
table life  depends.  A  few  forms  of  tissue,  in- 
terwoven horizontally  and  perpendicularly, 
constitute  a  stem  ;  the  development  by  the 
first  shoot  that  the  seed  produces,  of  buds 
which  grow  upon  the  same  plan  as  the  first 
shoot  itself,  and  a  constant  repetition  of  the 
same  formation,  cause  an  increase  in  the 
length  and  breadth  of  the  plant ;  an  expansion 
of  the  bark  into  a  leaf,  within  which  ramify 
veins  proceeding  from  the  seat  of  nutritive 
matter  in  the  new  shoot,  with  a  provision  of 
air-passages  in  its  substance,  and  of  pores  on 
its  surface,  enables  the  crude  fluid  sent  from 
the  root  to  be  elaborated  and  digested  until 
it  becomes  the  peculiar  secretion  of  the  species  ; 
the  contraction  of  a  branch  and  its  leaves 
forms  a  flower  ;  the  disintegration  of  the  in- 
ternal tissue  of  a  petal  forms  pollen  ;  the 
folding  inwards  of  a  leaf  is  sufficient  to  con- 
stitute a  pistil;  and,  finally,  the  gorging  of 
the  pistil  with  fluid,  Avhich  it  cannot  part 
with,  causes  the  production  of  a  fruit." — Vol. 
ii.  p.  139. 

7) 


34 


NEW    PLANTS    OP    1848. 


With  this  extract  we  must  conclude  our 
notice.  The  second  book  treats  fully  of  the 
physiology  or  vital  action  of  the  various 
organs,  elementary  and  compound  ;  and  in 
the  third  are  explained  and  illustrated  the 
terms  used  in  descriptive  botany.  The  volumes 
are  exceedingly  well  got  up,  the  embellish- 
ments consisting  of  numerous  wood  engrav- 
ings dispersed  through  the  text,  and  six  beau- 
tiful plates  of  microscopical  figures.  The 
merit  of  the  work  is  sufficiently  evidenced 
by  the  sale  of  three  editions  ;  and  certainly 


this  fourth  edition,  which  is  considerably  ex- 
tended so  as  to  become  almost  a  new  work, 
deserves  an  equal  share  of  patronage  to  that 
which  has  been  accorded  to  those  which  have 
preceded  it.  If  we  were  disposed  to  find  any 
fault,  it  would  be  that  the  author  has  given 
us,  in  great  measure,  the  views  of  others, 
rather  than  a  detail  of  his  own  ;  though,  in 
such  a  science  as  botany,  and  in  a  work  profess- 
ing to  be  a  reflex  of  the  present  state  of  the 
science,  it  was  perhaps  hardly  possible  that  it 
should  be  otherwise. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  NEW  PLANTS  OF  1848. 


The  influx  of  new  plants  to  our  gardens 
from  foreign  climes,  appears  not  to  be  stayed  ; 
for  during  the  past  year  there  has  been  no  lack 
of  novelty;  indeed,  several  important  additions 
have  been  made  to  the  plants  already  in  cul- 
tivation. The  various  introductions  have  all, 
from  time  to  time,  been  duly  recorded  in  the 
previous  volume  of  the  Annals  of  Horticulture, 
and  it  is  not  our  purpose  here  to  repeat  their 
descriptions  ;  but  we  propose  in  this  place  to 
give  a  useful  summary  of  the  most  remarkable 
of  the  subjects  which  have  either  been  intro- 
duced to  this  country  or  to  public  notice,  dur- 
ing the  year  1848.  We  shall  take  the  genera 
in  alphabetical  order  : — 

Acacia. — Of  five  species  which  our  list  re- 
cords three  are  useful  additions  to  collections 
of  green-house  plants.  These  are  A.  argyro- 
j}hylla  (Hooker),  A.  ixiophylla  (Bentham),  and 
A.  leptoneura,  (Bentham).  The  former  has  the 
phyllodia  greyish  and  silky,  and  of  an  obovate 
oblong  figure;  in  the  other  two  they  are  narrow. 
The  flowers  of  all  three  are  borne  in  globular 
heads,  and  are  of  a  deep  yellow  colour. 

AcniMENES. — This  favourite  genus  has  been 
greatly  augmented  within  the  few  years  it  has 
attracted  notice  in  gardens.  The  best  which 
have  been  added  this  year  are  A.  atrosan- 
guinea  (Lindley),  with  long  tubular  scarlet 
blossoms  ;  A.  Candida  (Lindley),  with  small 
white  flowers,  and  A.  Kleii  (Skinner),  which 
has  rosy-coloured  flowers,  and  the  habit  of 
longi flora.  Hybrids  are  becoming  frequent 
in  this  genus  :  a  very  large  and  beautiful  va- 
riety of  A.  longijiora,  distinguished  as  grandi- 
Jlora,  has  we  presume  been  thus  originated ; 
its  blossoms  are  certainly  very  large.  A.  mi- 
sera  (Lindley)  is  a  weed  ;  and  A.  ocellata 
(Hooker),  is  too  leafy. 

Agalmtla  staminea,  JBlum.e,  is  a  fine  stove 
epiphytal  climber  ;  the  blcfBsoms  are  of  a  very 
rich  vermilion  colour,  but  there  is  a  little 
coarseness  in  habit.  Nevertheless,  it  is  a  use- 
ful plant. 

Atxamanda  Schottii,  Paid,  is  a  magni- 


ficent plant,  its  large  yellow  blossoms  being 
very  attractive  ;  its  habit  is  more  compact  and 
shrubby  than  the  common  kind. 

Alloplectus  concolok,  Hooker,  one  of 
the  half-shrubby  gesneraceous  plants,  bears 
freely  its  shaggy  bright-red  blossoms,  and  is 
a  second-rate  plant. 

Banksia  Solandri,  R.  Brown,  is  a  fine 
proteaceous  shrub  of  New  Holland,  with  scar- 
let blossoms. 

Bejaria. — This  genus  of  ericaceous  shrubs 
is  not  at  all  familiar  in  a  cultivated  state. 
The  species  are,  however,  well  deserving  of 
attention,  in  consequence  of  their  evergreen 
foliage,  neat  habit,  and  showy  blossoms.  The 
present  year  has  introduced  us  to  two,  B.  ces- 
tuans  (Mutis),  and  B.  coarctata  (Humboldt), 
both  with  purplish  flowers,  the  exact  tint  of 
which  we  cannot  learn,  that  are  of  the  class 
alluded  to ;  the  flowers  are  large  and  showy. 

Bouvaedia  Cavanillesii,  De  Candolle,  is 
a  greenhouse  slirub  "  about  as  ornamental  as 
a  fuchsia,"  and  bearing  scarlet  tubular  flowers. 

BuRTONiA.  —  Hard-wooded  New  Holland 
shrubs.  There  are  two  new  purple-flowered 
kinds,  either  one  of  which  should  be  added  to 
every  select  collection  of  greenhouse  plants: 
they  are  B.  pulchella  (Meisner),  and  B.  villosa, 
(Meisner).  Perhaps  the  flrst  is  the  preferable 
one. 

Calceolaria  ctjneiformis,  Ruiz  and  Pa- 
von,  is  a  small  yellow -flowered  shrub,  which 
may  perhaps  be  useful  as  a  summer  plant 
out  of  doors. 

Cantua.  —  A  genus  of  polemoniaceous 
shrubs  of  distinct  habit  and  appearance.  C. 
dependens  (Persoon),  has  the  blossoms  carmine, 
and  is  of  sub-trailing  habit ;  C.  jyyrifolia  ( Jus  - 
sieu),  bears  pale  yellow  blossoms  in  largish 
bunches ;  the  former  is  the  preferable  kind. 

Chirita  Moonii,  Gardner,  is  a  very  hand- 
some stove  sub-shrub,  with  dark  blue  or  purple 
gesneraceous  flowers  of  a  large  size. 

Clematis  ixdivisa,  var.  lobata  is  very  or- 
namental ;  it   is  a  New  Zealand  plant,  with 


NEW   PLANTS    OF    1848. 


3-% 


large  white  blossoms,  which  are  very  freely 
produced. 

Clerodendron. — We  have  two  additions 
to  record,  both  desirable  stove  plants.  C.  ca- 
■pitatutn  (Schumacher),  a  very  strong  grower 
Avith  immense  heads  of  creamy  white  flowers, 
and  C  scandens  (Beauvois),  a  climber,  with 
white  flowers  tinged  with  pink. 

Cymbididm  eburneum,  Lindley,  is  a  beau- 
tiful tropical  orchid,  with  large  ivory-white 
flowers,  stained  on  the  lip  with  yellow. 

DiPLABENiA  UROniYLLA,  Hoohsr.  This 
is  a  bushy  shrub,  apparently  not  at  all  climb- 
ing in  habit.  It  is  rather  pretty,  the  racemes 
of  somewhat  bell-shaped  salmon-coloured  blos- 
soms hanging  down  gracefully  among  the 
leaves,  which  are  however  rather  large ;  it  is 
a  stove  plant. 

ECHINOCACTUS  CHLOROPTHALMUS,  Hooker. 

Remarkable  among  the  dwarf  cacti  for  its  pur- 
ple blossoms  and  green  stigma,  from  which 
latter  its  specific  name  is  derived — green-eyed. 

Episcia  bicolor,  Hooher.  Dwarf  with 
quite  the  habit  of  gloxinia,  the  foliage  is  broad 
and  ample,  and  the  numerous  purple-and-white 
flowers  spring  from  among  the  leaves  ;  very 
pretty. 

Fuchsia  spectabilis,  Hooher,  is  a  very 
fine  species,  perhaps  the  handsomest  of  all  the 
known  kinds.  It  is  a  very  strong  grower,  and 
both  leaves  and  flowers  are  large,  but  there  is 
a  richness  about  them  ;  the  flowers  are  crim- 
son. Our  only  doubt  is  about  the  habit  of  the 
plant. 

Gesnera  libanensis,  Morren,  is  a  dwarf 
herbaceous  stove  plant,  bearing  a  remarkable 
profusion  of  rich  scarlet  flowers,  with  com- 
paratively unobtrusive  foliage  ;  very  pretty. 

HoYA  BELLA,  Hooher.  One  of  the  love- 
liest of  plants  ;  dwarf,  spreading,  rather  droop- 
ing in  habit,  small  in  stature,  with  umbels  of 
pure  white  blossoms  with  a  purple  crown — 
small  absolutely,  but  large  in  comparison  with 
the  other  parts,  the  whole  plant  being  small. 
Its  habit  adapts  it  for  growing  in  suspended 
baskets  in  stoves. 

Impatiens  eepens.  Moon,  a  yellow  flow- 
ered balsam,  of  spreading  and  diffusely  branch- 
ing habit;  has  very  small  leaves,  and  a  prof  usion 
of  flowers,  which  renders  it  worth  a  place 
where  stove  plants  are  accommodated. 

Leuchtenbergia  principis,  Hooker,  is  a 
remarkable  cactus,  with  the  mammillas  pro- 
longed like  the  leaves  of  some  aloe;  the  flowers 
are  yellow.  It  should  form  one  of  a  collection 
of  these  curious  plants. 

Metternichia  pkinceps,  Mikan,  is  a 
solanaceous  shrub  of  the  larger  class,  which 
bears  profuse  beautiful  trumpet-shaped  white 
flowers,  something  like  those  of  the  Datura 
arhorea;  it  requires  a  stove. 

Mitraria  coccinea,  CavaniUes,  is  a  dis- 


tinct and  somewhat  handsome  sub-climbing 
shrub,  the  blossoms  of  which  are  scarlet,  tubu- 
lar, and  much  bellied  on  one  side  ;  they  hang 
on  long  slender  stalks  ;  the  plant  is  probably 
sufficiently  hardy  to  succeed  against  a  shel- 
tered wall. 

Nemophila  maculata,  Bentham,  is  an 
annual,  resembling  in  habit  and  appearance 
the  N.  inMgnis,  but  the  flowers  are  white, 
with  a  good-sized  blotch  on  the  tip  of  each 
division  of  the  corolla  ;  when  true,  it  is  very 
pretty,  but  it  is  liable  to  sport  and  degenerate. 

Nepenthes  l/evis,  Lindley,  is  a  smooth 
pitcher-plant,  with  narrow  shiny  leaves, 
bearing  pitchers  from  two  to  four  inches  long, 
contracted  towards  the  mouth,  the  brim  being 
without  ribs.  An  interesting  addition  to  this 
singular  race  of  stove  plants. 

Passiflora  amabilis,  Hooke7',is,we  should 
think,  one  of  the  prettiest  of  passion-flowers. 
The  leaves  are  whole,  that  is,  not  lobed,  and 
the  flowers  are  scarlet-red,  the  filamentous 
crown  being  white ;  the  effect  of  this  con- 
trast is  admirable  ;  it  is  a  stove  plant. 

Plumbago  Larpent^,  Lindley,  does  not 
prove  so  good  as  was  anticipated  ;  its  habit  is 
good,  and  so  is  its  colour — a  bright  blue,  but 
the  flowers  are  flimsy,  and  soon  fade,  and, 
moreover,  do  not  fall,  but  wither  on  the  plant. 
From  its  habit  and  colour,  it  may  be  useful  to 
breed  from. 

Primula  Stuartii,  Wallich,  is  a  fine  yel- 
low-flowered primrose,  quite  hardy,  and  very 
desirable  for  the  border  ;  it  prefers  a  north 
aspected  peat  border. 

Rhododendron. — Some  important  ad- 
ditions have  been  made  to  this  genus,  in  the 
case  of  some  epiphytal  kinds,  natives  of  Bor- 
neo. One  of  these,  at  least,  R.  Brooheanum 
(Low),  is  introduced ;  it  is  an  evergreen  shrub, 
epiphytal,  and  bearing  golden-yellow  or  cop- 
pery-red blossoms.  R.  gracile  (Lovf),  has  the 
flowers  fiery  red  ;  R.  longijlorum  (Lindley), 
crimson  ;  and  R.  verticillatum  (Low),  red- 
dish crimsom.  These  have  all  the  same  habit. 
R.  barbafum  (Wallich),  is  a  beautiful  and 
very  distinct  Nepal  species,  with  rosy-red 
flowers  nearly  round  and  flat.  R.  nilagiri- 
cum  (Zenker),  also  a  Nepal  kind,  has  delicate 
rose-coloured  flowers,  Avith  a  pale  centre. 

SiPHOCAMPTLUS  MANETTI^FLORUS,  Hooker, 

is  a  dwarf  compact  plant,  with  small  obovate 
leaves  and  numerous  little  tubes  of  scarlet 
and  yellow,  giving  it  a  very  ornamental  ap- 
pearance.    It  is  a  stove  plant. 

Thibaudia  microphylla,  Lindley,  is  an- 
other evergreen  ericaceous  shrub,  remai'kable 
for  its  neat  foliage  and  scarlet  or  purple 
flowers.     It  is  a  fine  greenhouse  shrub. 

Vanda  sua  vis,  Lindley,  has  very  fragrant 
as  well  as  ornamental  blossoms  ;  they  are 
white,  with  reddish-brown   and  violet  mark- 

D  2 


35 


rLoiiicuLTUuiF-  or  the  past  year. 


ings  and  variegations.  It  is  a  Java  species, 
and  is  epiphytal. 

Vriesia.  speciosa,  Iloolier,  is  a  bromeli- 
aceous  shrub,  with  narrow  leaves  banded  with 
black  markings,  and  bears  its  white  flowers  on  a 
scape,  which  is  furnished  with  large  imbricated 
rich  scarlet  bracts  ;  it  flov/ers  too  in  winter. 

Zauschneria   califorkica,  Presl,   is   a 


very  free  gi-owing  hardy  perennial,  having  a 
very  diffuse  and  branched  habit,  and  bearing  a 
great  profusion  of  scarlet  flowers,  which 
greatly  resemble  those  of  some  fuchsia. 

These  all  are  desirable  plants  for  cultivation, 
either  on  account  of  their  beauty  or  curiosity, 
or  from  some  other  feature  of  interest  which 
they  possess. 


FLOEICULTURE  OF  THE  PAST  YEAE.* 

BY   GEORGE    GLENNY. 


There  has  been  a  considerable  advance  in 
the  progress  of  .some  flowers,  while  others 
have  remained  stationary,  if  not  altogether  re- 
ceded: that  is  to  say,  been  neglected.  Suppose 
we  take  them  all  seriatim,  and  begin  at  the 
Rose.  We  may  be  told  that  the  novelties  of 
the  year  are  by  no  means  numerous;  but  if  it 
were  shown  that  there  had  not  been  a  single 
new  variety,  we  should  nevertheless  say  it 
had  greatly  advanced,  inasmuch  as,  if  nothing 
good  has  been  added,  many  bad  ones  have  been 
rejected  ;  the  properties  are  better  understood; 
the  points  which  add  value  to  them  are  more 
highly  appreciated,  arvd  there  cannot  be  a 
better  preparation  for  a  permanent  advance. 
But  there  are  new  ones  to  let  out,  and  others 
under  proof:  that  is  to  say,  possessed  by  the 
dealers,  who  will  grow  them  a  season,  with  a 
view  of  proving  their  qualities.  The  sum- 
mer Roses  :  that  is  to  say,  the  numerous  varie- 
ties which  flower  in  June,  or  thereabouts,  and 
give  us  their  flov/ers  for  a  month,  are  no 
longer  valued;  so  many  magnificent  flowers 
which  equal  and  surpass  the  bestof  the  summer 
varieties  may  be  now  selected  from  the  perpe- 
tuals  and  continuous  bloomers,  that  nobody  of 
taste  cares  to  encumber  the  gi'ound  with  the 
sorts  which  flower  but  one  month  in  the  year. 
Dealers  are  obliged  to  keep  them  all,  because 
they  are  asked  for;  but  the  best  of  the  rose 
nursei-ymen  discourage  the  sale  of  the  sum- 
mer varieties  altogether,  and  if  any  one  were 
to  order  a  hundred,  and  leave  it  to  the  choice 
of  the  vender,  he  would  select  such  as  bloom 
three-fourths  of  the  summer.  Of  course, 
there  are  exceptions.  Those  who  provide 
themselves  with  a  stock  of  everything,  would, 
perhaps,  let  the  most  conspicuous  varieties 
go,  without  considering  the  one  great  object, 
a  prolongation  of  the  bloom.  Again,  there 
are  persons  who,  in  laying  themselves  out  for 
an  exhibition  three  or  four  times  a-year, 
would  procure  all  the  best  formed  flowers, 
and  summer  roses  will  afford  them  great  help 
in  June;  for  even  the  old  tabbage  would  be 
desirable  in  a  collection  of  fifty  in  June,  and 
many  others  would  be  important  additions. 
At  the  Hammersmith  Nursery,  they  reject 
nearly   all   the    flimsy-petalled     kind.-:,    and 


acknowledge  thickness  of  petal  to  be  a  most 
important  desideratum.  This  example  must  be 
followed  ;  but  some  of  the  catalogues  are  very 
faulty  in  this  particular,  and  contain  many 
varieties  which,  as  described,  would  tempt,  and 
as  surely  disappoint,  those  unacquainted  with 
the  qualities  of  the  things  they  order.  The 
Rose,  which  formerly  occupied  the  undivided 
attention  of  a  few  leading  men,  now  becomes 
a  most  important  portion  of  the  stock  in  all  re- 
spectable nurseries.  At  the  late  Mr.  Girling's, 
Stowmarket,  this  queen  of  flowers  was  grovm 
in  high  perfection,  and  immensely  long  walks, 
neatly  formed,  and  graced  on  each  side  with 
a  double  row,  the  front  dwarf  or  half  standards, 
and  the  back  whole  standards,  took  up  more 
than  two  thousand  of  the  finest  sorts ;  these 
now  pass  into  other  bands.  It  is,  however, 
very  curious  to  see  most  of  those  who  have 
adopted  the  Rose  as  a  leading  article,  differing 
so  much  in  their  estimate  of  the  best ;  but 
certain  it  is  that  most  of  them,  after  we  men- 
tion about  fifty,  which  all  appear  to  like,  have 
a  different  set  of  favourites.  A  very  excel- 
lent list  has  already  appeared  in  the  Horticul- 
tural Magazine.  These  were  the  adopted 
favour! tes°  at  the  Headenham  Rosery._  At 
the  same  time  there  was  a  catalogue  with  a 
very  novel  arrangement  belonging  to  another 
nursery.  We  cannot  too  strongly  impress  on 
all  who  have  gardens,  to  first  secure  all  the 
distinct  varieties  of  the  China  and  hybrid 
China  sort  with  good  flowers,  and  make  up 
with  such  others  as  are  continuous  in  their 
bloom,  or,  at  least,  have  two  or  three  seasons 
of  flowering;  and  it  should  be  recollected, 
that  a  garden  without  a  collection  of  roses,  is 
a  complete  anomaly ;  it  is  a  house  without  a 
chimney  ;  it  is  a  diuing-table  covered  with 
plates  and  dishes,  but  nothing  to  eat.  The 
Rose  is  the  finest  of  all  florists'  flowers,  witli 
the  richest  qualities,  the  greatest  contrasts, 
the  most  lasting  beauty,  and  is  withal  the 
greatest  favourite  among  all  classes,  even  the 
most  indifferent.  The  Tulip  has  moved  a 
little  in  the  country;  but  costly  as  it  is  to 
keep  up  a  fine  collection,  and  seldom  as  it  is 


ISIS. 


rLOillCTJLTURE    01^    THE    PAST    YEAR. 


37 


tliat  the  new  ones  come  to  any  fine  standard, 
the  progress  is  slow;  and  this  sluggishness 
arises,  for  the  most  part,  from  the  indifferent 
judgment  and  worse  taste  of  those  who  will 
write  about  them.  It  will  hardly  be  believed, 
tliat,  in  a  work  of  some  pretence,  but  for- 
tunately of  no  circulation,  we  have  lists  of 
flowers  recommended  that  no  honest  florist 
could  conscientiously  pass  off  to  the  most 
uninformed  Tja-o;  but  if,  unfortunately,  the  list 
should  fall  into  the  hands  of  an  ignorant  begin- 
ner, and  he  should  procure  those  recommended, 
lie  would  become  disgusted  with  the  flowers 
altogether,  and  come  to  the  well-founded  con- 
clnsion,  that  if  they  were  good,  the  tulip  was 
unworthy  of  his  notice.  The  best  varieties 
that  have  turned  up  lately  are,  the  Queen  of 
the  North,  a  byblomen,  that  has  been  out 
two  seasons,  and  begins  to  be  understood  ;  it 
is  deeper  than  we  like,  something  of  the 
shape  of  Ceres  belleforme,  but  beautifully 
pure  in  the  white  and  distinctly  marked  in 
the  purple  :  Dickson's  Bijou,  a  rose  that  has 
been  out  about  the  same  time,  is  also  very 
distinct  and  a  good  shape,  and  proves  all  that 
we  said  of  it;  and  a  rose  which  has  been  conspi- 
cuous this  season — Rose  Magnificent — is  not 
less  remarkable  for  its  brilliance  of  colour, 
than  for  the  dulness  of  the  pretended  repre- 
sentation of  it;  and  it  is  only  justice  to  this 
striking  rose  to  say,  that  had  we  not  seen  the 
name  attached  to  the  portrait  of  the  flower,  it 
is  impossible  that  we  should  have  guessed  that 
it  was  meant  for  the  Rose  Magnificent.  This 
flower  is  in  several  persons'  hands  ;  Alexander 
has  the  breeders ;  Macefield  has  some  of  the 
flowers,  as,  indeed,  have  several  of  the  grow- 
ers at  Hoxton ;  but,  in  all  its  states,  it  is 
among  the  best  of  the  roses.  In  the  country 
there  is  great  talk  of  new  things,  but  their 
very  best  has  so  frequently  disappointed  us, 
that  we  wait  to  see  them  before  we  can  say 
much  in  their  favour.  The  proportions  of  the 
tulip  are  at  last  definitively  settled  as  we  set- 
tled them  in  1832,  the  proportion  of  shape  to 
be  from  a  third  to  half  of  a  hollow  ball  ;  and 
we  have  given  these  proportions  to  show  that 
less  tlian  the  third  would  be  too  shallow,  while 
more  than  the  half  would  be  too  deep,  but  that 
all  the  shades  between  would  be  perfection. 
We  have  been  congratulated  by  some  of  the 
oldest  and  m.ost  respectable  growers  for  thus 
settling  the  question.  It  was  endeavoured  to 
be  shown  by  diagrams  and  specious  arguments 
that  the  third  was  wrong,  and  most  disinge- 
nuously the  same  circle  was  used  for  the  third 
as  w^as  used  for  the  half,  by  which  the  third 
was  made  to  look  smaller  than  the  half, 
whereas  we  have  shown  that  the  same  flower 
which  forms  a  fine  half,  may  be  expanded 
Avider  until  it  forms  a  third,  and  every  grade 
of  the  expansion  is  equally  beautiful,  for  what 


it  loses  in  depth  it  gains  in  si;?e,  and  down 
to  one  third  it  is  all  that  we  can  desire. 
Nay,  a  flower  that  will  not  expand  to  the 
third  without  quartering  (or  dividing  between 
the  leaves,)  is  comparatively  worthless  ;  and 
we  have  now  the  acknowledged  authority  of 
every  grower  in  the  kingdom  whose  opinion  is 
worth  recording,  that  the  question  is  settled. 
Such  being  the  case,  we  leave  all  those  who 
claim  to  have  had  any  thing  to  do  from  first  to 
last  V\ath  settling  the  form  at  any  portion  of  a 
circle,  no  matter  what,  to  prove  where  and  when 
they  first  wrote  it,  or  be  satisfied  that  tiiey  are 
set  down  as  pretenders.  We  are  not  going  to 
raise  the  question  again  under  any  circum- 
stances. Yic  wrote  the  properties  of  flowers 
before  we  even  communicated  with  a  single 
individual,  and  we  never,  directly  or  indirectly, 
had  a  hint  from  any  body.  This  is  all  we  shall 
now  say  about  the  authorship  of  the  pi'oper ties 
of  flowers,  so  falsely  claimed  by  persons  who 
had  no  other  means  of  knowing.  The  ex- 
traordinary notions  which  it  was  at  first  con- 
sidered we  had  formed,  and  which  in  the 
Pansy,  the  Geranium,  the  Verbena,  the  Cine- 
raria, the  Tulip,  the  Petunia,  the  Rose,  and 
indeed  many  others,  were  disputed  until  we 
succeeded  in  convincing  the  best  florists,  that 
they  were  correct,  were  then  claimed  by  writei  s 
who  had  either  never  put  pen  to  paper  on 
the  subject,  or  had  written  to  the  contrary. 
The  Cineraria  has  arrived  at  a  close  approxi- 
mation to  the  model.  Ivory's  Beauty  of 
Peckham  has  its  petals  so  close  as  to  form  a 
circle,  the  very  thing  which  a  few  years  ago 
was  called  impossible;  and  there  are  some 
others  coming  pretty  close  up.  This  flower  is 
distinctly  advancing;  some  of  the  best  of  three 
years  ago  will  now  have  to  give  place  to  better, 
and  the  colours  are  as  novel  and  distinct  as 
their  forms  are  beautiful.  The  Petunia,  though 
improving,  is  not  a  general  favourite.  It  is  a 
diiRcult  thing  to  exhibit ;  a  single  flower  is 
h.ardly  enough  to  show,  and  a  plant  is  too  weedy, 
nor  are  there  enough  distinct  varieties  to 
make  a  stand  of  single  flowers  attractive;  but 
after  all,  it  should  be  remembered  that  its 
value  arises  from  its  habit  as  much  as  its 
flowers  ;  dwarfnessis  a  great  point,  abundance 
of  bloom,  thickness  of  corolla,  roundness  of 
flower,  brightness  of  colour.  Too  many  are 
the  reverse  of  all  this:  they  ai-e  straggling, 
weedy,  untidy  looking  things,  and  only  tole- 
rable while  small.  They  have  greatly  im- 
proved in  the  form  and  texture  of  their  flowers, 
and  if  some  attention  be  paid  now  to  the 
most  dwarf  varieties  they  will  be  greatly  in- 
creased in  value.  The  late  Mr.  Girhng  did 
more  than  any  body  else  in  his  time  towards 
improving  this  flower,  and  there  are  some 
novelties'  in  the  Danecroft  Nursery  at  tlie 
present  time  not  vet  distributed  to  the  public. 


38 


TLORICULTURE  OF  THE  PAST  YEAR. 


The  Carnation  and  Picotee  have  been  gradu- 
ally improving,  especially  the  latter.  The 
feature  most  advanced  is  the  smoothness  of 
edge.  Some  of  the  favourite  varieties  were 
deeply  serrated  ;  these  must  now  be  discarded, 
for  there  are  many  as  good  in  other  respects 
and  quite  smooth.  The  only  check  to  a 
more  general  competition  at  shows  is  the 
great  facility  for  showing  collected  blooms, 
and  beating  gentlemen  with  other  people's 
flowers.  It  is  a  sad  pity,  but  there  is  no  deny- 
ing the  fact,  that  unfair  showing  has  driven 
many  enthusiastic  exhibitors  from  the  field ; 
they  have  retired  because  they  stand  no  chance 
against  collected  blooms,  and  they  have  hon- 
ourable notions  that  preclude  them  from  adopt- 
ing so  mean  a  course.  Cases  of  this  kind  have 
been  brought  under  our  notice,  but  we  hope 
the  slightest  reference  to  the  subject  will  put  on 
their  guard  those  who  have  been  acting  un- 
fairly, and  prevent  the  necessity  of  further 
notice.  The  Dahlia  has  not  been  proved  this 
season  at  all.  The  old  metropolitan  test  of 
six  blooms  has  been  found  inconvenient  for 
the  raisers  of  flowers,  though  very  useful  to 
the  public.  At  the  only  London  show  of  any 
consequence,  the  managers  only  required  three 
flowers  of  those  varieties  which  were  grown 
in  abundance,  by  way  of  proving  ;  and  we  need 
hardly  say,  that  to  cut  three  blooms  from 
twenty  or  thirty  plants  is  so  easy  that  even 
the  most  uncertain  will  yield  that  number. 
The  change  has  been  unfortunate  for  the  very 
persons  who  caused  the  alteration.  The  public 
considered  six  flowers  a  tolerable  security  for 
the  average  certainty  of  a  flower,  but  the  best 
growers  and  the  best  judges  think  three  blooms 
no  evidence  at  all,  because  three  are  as  easily 
cut  as  one  from  thirty  uncertain  plants,  and 
they  natui'ally  doubt  the  quality  of  even  the 
best.  Some  growers  showed  many  blooms  as 
well  as  the  three  requii'ed  ;  but  this  opened 
the  eyes  of  the  public  still  more  to  the  probable 
uncertainty  and  worthlessness  of  all  those 
belonging  to  the  same  persons  not  so  supported. 
For  instance,  one  grower  shows  five  or  six 
varieties,  three  blooms  of  each,  but  of  one  of 
these  he  shows  a  dozen  flowers  besides  ;  the 
conclusion  naturally  drawn  is,  that  the  one  so 
fully  exhibited  is  at  least  a  constant  flower, 
with  all  its  deficiencies,  and  that  all  the  others 
are  uncertain.  The  Dahlia  trade  will  suffer 
for  this.  The  description  of  the  flowers  in 
our  Almanac  may  be  some  kind  of  guide  to  the 
buyer,  but  the  alteration  of  the  test  from  six 
flowers  to  three  has  taken  from  the  public  the 
best  security  they  ever  had.  Added  to  this,  the 
growers,  or  rather  some  of  tlaem,  have  formed 
themselves  into  a  society  which  is  to  support 
their  productions  by  certificates  of  their  ex- 
cellence, and  these  granted  by  themselves  to 
one  another's  flowers.     The  public  do  not  like 


this,  and  indeed  many  respectable  growers  set 
their  faces  against  any  society  in  which  the 
dealers  decide  upon  their  own  productions. 
Strictly  speaking,  there  is  no  advance  in  the 
show  Dahlias,  but  the  fancy  class  has  several 
useful  additions.  There  is  a  second  Princess 
Radziwill  in  the  Beauty  of  Hastings,  the  only 
doubt  of  its  value  arises  from  its  small  size ; 
but  the  same  opinion  was  given  of  Unique, 
which  was  exhibited  little  larger  than  a  fine 
Ranunculus  the  first  time,  and  Princess  Radzi- 
will was  shown  no  larger  at  first  than  the 
Beauty  of  Hastings  ;  if  this  should  prove 
large  enough  it  will  be  a  trimmer,  at  least 
we  should  not  have  hesitated  to  pronounce 
it  such  had  we  seen  six  blooms  instead  of 
three,  which  is  certainly  not  test  sufficient  to 
depend  on.  Fearless  is  a  slate-coloured  lilac, 
quite  new  in  colour,  and  rather  striking,  a 
good  average  flowei',  with  some  claims  to  a 
place  in  even  a  small  stand.  Queen  of  the 
East  is  really  and  truly  another  edition  of  the 
Marchioness  of  Cornwallis,  with  additions  and 
improvements,  and  therefore  deserving  a  place; 
we  shall  give  a  description  of  a  few  about 
which  some  noise  has  been  made,  to  be  relied  on 
as  accurate,  so  far  as  the  three  flowers  exhibited 
will  enable  any  body  to  estimate  their  claims. 
The  Pansy  may  now  be  weeded  of  many 
sorts  that  have  nearly  the  worst  faults,  small 
centres  almost  all  occupied  with  the  eye  and 
the  rays,  which  break  into  the  margin.  Aflower 
of  this  description  looks  heavy  as  compared 
with  those  which  have  a  good  field  of  white 
or  yellow  clear  all  round  the  extreme  points 
of  the  rays.  We  do  hope  that  judges  will  be- 
gin to  exercise  a  sound  discretion  and  throw 
out  such  heavy  looking  varieties  as  we  have 
seen  of  late.  A  run  petal  in  a  pink  is  fatal  to 
a  stand;  nobody  tries  to  save  it;  and  the  same 
penalty  should  be  imposed  for  an  eye  when 
its  rays  break  through  the  field  of  yellow  or 
white  into  the  margin  ;  there  are  plenty  with- 
out this  fault.  It  is  the  fashion  just  now  to 
cry  up  Hollyhocks  as  show  flowers,  and 
truly,  to  look  at  those  of  Mr.  Baron's  rearing, 
they  were  deserving  of  the  distinction.  Mr. 
Bircham,  of  Headenham  Rosery,  Bungay,  puts 
forth  a  list  which,  according  to  the  description, 
must  be  some  of  Mi\  Baron's  best.  For  the 
joroperties  we  refer  our  readers  to  the  volume 
called  "  The  Properties  of  Flowers  and  Plants," 
where  they  will  observe  the  features  that  are 
most  esteemed.  Mr.  Chater,  of  Saffron  Walden, 
also  advertises  a  number  of  Mr.  Baron's  best 
sorts,  and  it  must  be  conceded  that  he  has  far 
outshone  all  who  had  pretended  to  raise  them. 
We  wish  we  could  see  the  Ranunculus  and  the 
Auricula  cultivated  with  the  spirit  formerly 
evinced,  when  a  thousand  little  gardens,  nov/ 
no  more,  occupied  Bethnal-green,  Mile-end, 
and  indeed  all  the  suburbs  now  covered  with 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  PAST  YEAR. 


39 


densely  crowded  houses  ;  but  those  who  could 
and  did  grow  both  well  were  driven  from  their 
plots  of  ground,  and,  comparatively,  both 
flowers  are  neglected,  although  the  Auricula  is 
the  most  delicate,  and  the  Ranunculus  the  most 
perfect,  of  all  our  pets.  Floriculture  has  suf- 
fered more  from  evicted  tenants  of  gardens 
being  forced  to  discontinue  growing,  than  any 
body  not  well  acquainted  with  the  gardens  of 
Bethnal-green  could  imagine  ;  thousands  of 
growers  have  no  longer  a  rod  of  ground  to 
cultivate,  and  to  growers  of  that  class  we 
owe  many  of  our  most  beautiful  varieties 
of  florists'  flowers.  Those  who  grow  flowers 
now  must  get  further  from  London,  and  they 
comprise  a  higher  if  not  better  class  than  the 
liumble  mechanics  and  artisans  whose  industry 
and  perseverance  accomplished  so  much  in  the 
earlier  days  of  floriculture.  The  Geranium  is 
of  later  adoption  as  a  florist's  flower.  Its  pro- 
perties were  little  understood  until  the  publi- 
cation of  the  particulars  a  few  years  since  ; 
brilliancy  of  colour  was  the  only  point  looked 
after ;  shape  was  altogether  lost  sight  of,  and 
the  notion  of  the  bloom  being  round  was  not 
thought  of;  but  now  that  tiie  properties  of 
flowers  are  in  every  body's  hands,  other  works 
go  elaborately  into  the  subject,  giving  the  same 
points  over  again,  as  if  they  had  never  been 
mentioned;  but  inasmuch  as  none  of  them  con- 
tradict the  original,  we  shall  leave  the  ques- 
tion of  dates  to  speak  for  themselves.  We  are 
not  quite  sure  that  the  world  is  any  wiser  lor 
these  repetitions,  but  that  is  not  our  business. 
We  shall  give  alist  of  useful  new  varieties  which 
may  guide  those  who  do  not  judge  for  them- 
selves, but  they  are  not  all  we  require  for  a 
good  Geranium  as  yet.  The  Pink  growers  are 
very  much  divided  in  opinion  as  to  the  merits 
of  two  new  ones  that  have  made  considerable 
noise — Turner's  X  Y  Z,  and  Read's  Jenny 
Lind.  We  could  settle  the  merits  of  these  two 
candidates  in  a  few  words,  but  as  both  are 
good  enough  to  demand  a  place  in  every  exhi- 
bitor's collection,  no  grower  of  any  pretensions 
will  fail  to  obtain  both  ;  they  are  not  alike,  and 
both  will,  if  well  grown,  help  a  stand.  These 
things  would  be  all  better  understood  if  there 
were  social  meetings  of  the  persons  interested, 
where  the  flowers  could  be  seen  and  talked  of; 
and  we  are  not  sorry  that  such  meetings  are 
contemplated,  for  there  is  as  much  pleasure  in 
talking  of  flowers  as  there  is  in  growing  them, 
or  nearly  so;  besides  which,  we  can  enjoy  the 
conversation  in  the  evening  as  much  as  we 
enjoy  the  culture  by  daylight.  The  great  nur- 
series of  the  science  wei'e  the  numerous  societies 
of  humble  but  enthusiastic  amateurs  who  con- 
gregated to  club  small  sums  for  prizes  once 
a-year;  but,  from  the  cause  already  mentioned, 
these  are  for  the  most  part  discontinued.  An 
attempt  has  been  made  to  get  up  a  society  Ibr 


conversational  purposes,  under  the  pretence  of 
promoting  floriculture  by  judging  flowers  and 
deciding  as  to  their  merits,  but  a  more  inconsi- 
derate thing  was  never  attempted,  nor  one  that 
more  completely  defeats  itself.  We  have  re- 
peatedly said  that  amateurs  have  no  confidence 
in  such  affairs,  unless  j^J^yes  are  appointed  and 
their  names  advertised.  Say,  for  instance,  a 
dozen  raisers  and  dealers  meet  to  give  one 
another's  flowers  certificates  of  merit ;  what  is 
the  value  of  such  a  character  to  a  flower  ?  We 
are  careful  not  to  say  anything  offensive,  but 
which  of  the  raisers  and  dealers  have  not  put 
forth,  strongly  recommended  and  highly  des- 
cribed flowers,  that  have  turned  out  worthless? 
Nay,  which  of  them  have  not  done  it  repeat- 
edly ?  However,  as  the  "  London  Floricultural 
Society"  have  taken  upon  themselves  to  give 
one  another  certificates,  it  is  our  duty  to  report 
matters  as  they  stand;  therefore  we  give  the 
following  as  the  entire  business  of  the  year, 
and  the  proceedings  of  all  the  meetings. 

April  18. — Mr.  Cuthill,  in  the  chair. 
First-class  certificate  for  Cineraria  Satellite  to 
Mr.  Atlee. 

3Iay  9. — Mr.  Bright  in  the  chair.  One 
to  Messrs.  Bragg  &  Bright  for  Pansy  D'' Is- 
raeli. 

June  13. — Mr.  George  Smith  in  the  chair. 
One  to  Mr.  Black*  for  Pelargonium,  Glpsi/^s 
Bride;  one  to  Mr.  Black  for  ditto,  Constance; 
one  to  Mr.  Black  for  ditto,  Fireball ;  one  to 
Messrs.  Bragg  &  Bright  for  Pansy,  Hero. 

July  11. — Dr.  BusHELL  in  the  chair.  One 
to  Mr.  Black  for  Pelargonium,  Ondine  ;  one 
to  Mr.  Gaines  for  ditto,  Meleager  ;  one  to  Mr. 
Gaines  for  ditto,  Virgil ;  one  to  Messrs.  Bragg 
&  Bright  for  Pansy,  Colossus;  one  to  Mr. 
G.  Smith  for  Verbena,  Beauty  of  Hornsey  ; 
one  to  Mr.  G.  Smith  for  ditto,  Advancer  ;  one 
to  Mr.  G.  Smith  for  ditto,  Napier. 

August  8. — Mr.  James  Dickson  in  the 
chair.  One  to  Mr.  Stein'for  Dahlia,  Nymph.; 
one  to  Mr.  Hunt  for  ditto.  Gen.  Cavaignac. 

August  22. — Mr.  Kendall  in  the  chair. 
One  to  Dr.  Bushell  for  a  Dahlia,  The  Duchess. 

September  5. — Dr.  Bushell  in  the  chair. 
One  to  Messrs.  Bragg  &  Bright  for  Dahlia, 
Othello ;  one  to  Messrs.  Bragg  &  Bright  for 
ditto,  Gen.  Vyse ;  one  to  Messrs.  Bragg  & 
Bright  for  ditto,  Horatio;  one  to  Mr.  Keynes 
for  ditto,  Rainboio;  one  to  Mr.  Keynes  for 
ditto,  Sunbeam;  one  to  Mr.  Long  for  ditto, 
Earl  Clarendon;  one  to  Mr.  G.  Smith  for 
Fuchsia,  Lord  Nelson  ;  one  to  Mr.  Back  lor 
Petunia,  31inerva. 

September  18.— Mr.  James  Dickson  in  the 
chair.  One  to  Mr.  Barker  for  Verbena,  Ju- 
nius:  one  to  Mr.  Barker  for  ditto,  J/m  Thur- 


*  Mr.  Black  is  gardener  to  B.  Forster,  Esq.,  of  Clewer, 
whose  flowers  are  let  out  by  Messrs.  Bragg  k  Briglit. 


40 


ZLO  III  CULTURE    OP    THE    PAST    YEAR. 


raid;  one  to  Mr.  Barker  for  ditto.  Cardinal ; 
one  to  Mr.  G.  Smitli  for  ditto,  Ariel ;  one  to 
Mr.  G.  Smith  for  Dahlia,  La  Heine;  one  to 
Mr.  Dodds  for  ditto,  Hiss  Blachmore. 

October  3. — Dr.  Bushell  in  the  chair. 
One  to  Mr.  Barker  for  Verbena,  Lord  of  the 
Isles;  one  to  Mr.  Barker  for  ditto,  Bride; 
one  to  Mr.  Barker  for  ditto,  Duchess  of  Nor- 
thiiinberland ;  one  to  Mr.  G.  Smith  for  ditto, 
Psyche ;  one  to  Mr.  G.  Smith  for  ditto,  Queen 
of  the  French;  one  to  Mr.  Cook  for  Dahlia, 
Flora. 

November  14. — Dr.  Bushell  in  the  chair. 
One  to  Mr.  Kinghorn  for  Pelai'gonium,  Ceres 
Uiiique. 

December  12. — Dr.  Bushell  in  the  chair. 
One  to  Mr.  Kendall  for  a  Cineraria,  Queen 
of  the  Isles. 

These  are  the  mere  facts  of  the  case.     "We 
have  no  dislike  to  such  societies,  but  they  must 
be  above  suspicion  of  ignorance,  or  favouritism, 
or  design,  to  have  any  weight  with  the  public. 
We  shall  only  say,  most  unequivocally,  that  if 
we  had  been  judges,  very  few  of  the  whole 
number  would  have  been  passed  as  improve- 
ments on  what  Vi^e   already  possess,  or  been 
distinguished  by  any  certificate.     The  public, 
especially  the  amateur  buyers,  may  do  as  they 
like  about  which  they  place  their  faith  in,  but 
we  are  quite  convinced  that  it  will  not  tell  in 
favour  of  a  flower  to  say  it  had  a  first-class 
certificate  at  a  society  of  dealers.     The  idea  of 
a  dozen  interested  persons  raising  the  value  of 
one  another's  productions,  by  a  scheme  of  this 
kind,  is  not  very  likely  to  prevail    in   their 
i'avour,  but  we  will  not  offer  a  contradiction 
to  any  one  decision,  though,  as  an  authority, 
Ave  say  the  proceedings  are  calculated  to  de- 
ceive   those    who    put    trust   in    the   certifi- 
cates.     A    society    of   amateurs    is  forming, 
which  bids  fjiir  at  present  to  lead  to  great 
results.     Amateurs  are  the  persons  interested 
in  the  proper  estimation  of  a  flower,  and  are 
very  likely  to  put  a  complete  check  upon  the 
issue  of  worthless  varieties,  by  establishing  a 
disinterested  test.     The  enrolling  of  all  ama- 
teurs in  a  society  from  which  there  is  nobody 
to  get  the  pickings,  and  to  which  the  subscrip- 
tion is  merely  nominal,    is   a  v/ork    noAV  in 
progress.     They  will  meet  at  four  different 
sides  of  the  town,  to  accommodate  the  mem- 
bers all  round  ;  and  they  will  elect  a  board  of 
judges  not  interested  in  any  result  except  in 
common  with  the  public.     These  judges  will 
be  able  to   decide  that  a  flower  deserves  a 
certificate,  and  produce  it  to  the  meeting;  but 
unless  the  body  of  members,  all  of  whom  are 
amateurs,  decide,  as  well  a»  the  jud/jes,  that 
the  subjects  are  worthy  of   a  certificate,   no 
certificate  will  issue.     But  the  meeting  cannot 
issue  a  certificate,  or  grant  one,   unless  the 
judges  first  approve:  so  that  while  they  can 


prevent  the  issue  of  a  certificate,  the  members 
can  do  so  likewise;  and  thus  there  is  a  com- 
plete check  to  those  unfair  distinctions  which, 
if  the  public  had  ant/ faith,  would  drive  them 
into  the  purchase  of  bad  things  at  r/ood  prices. 
As,  hovv^ever,  Vv^e   shall  for  the  present  year 
be  the  organ  of  "  the  United  Florists  of  Great 
Britain,  Ireland,  and  the  British  Colonies,"  we 
shall  be   able  to  do  much  more  than  we  have 
done;  and  if  we  be  not  all  that  a  large  class  of 
florists  may  wish,   we  shall  communicate  all 
the  facts  they  can  want.     Tiiere  has  been  one 
good  movement  made  by  the  Royal  Botanic 
Society — the  growers  of  American  plants  have 
been  in  v  ited  to  exhibit  in  the  Regent's  Park  Gar- 
den ;  it  is  wise  on  the  part  of  the  Society,  who 
are  like  the  children  of  this  world,  "wise  in  their 
generation."    Tliis  is  no  original  idea  ;  on  the 
contrary,  Mr.  "Waterer  has  for  years  raised  a 
show  by  himself,  on  a  piece  of  ground  hired  or 
rented  by  himself,  and  has  taken  hundreds  of 
pounds  in  money  as  well  as  orders.  The  appro- 
priation of  such  patronage,  if  they  v/ill  admit  us 
on  the  same  terms,  is  wise  on  their  part ;  if  they 
exclude  the  public,  or  any  body  willing  to  pay 
Mr.  Waterer's  price,  the  loss  to  the   public, 
and  to  those  who  take  orders,  will  be  great  ; 
and  beyond    this,  any   public    exhibition    of 
flowers,  no  matter  what,  induces  a  few  who 
never  grew  them  before,  to  begin  their  culti- 
vation, and  the  floral  world  and  the  floricul- 
tural  nurseries  are  gainers.     The   Horticul- 
tural  Society  could  have  done  this  years  ago, 
but  the  difficulty  has  been  in  the  arrangement: 
if  they  let  the  public  in  as  Mr.  Waterer  did, 
they  lowered  the  value  of  the  Fellowship  of 
the  Society,  the  privileges  of  Fellows  being 
chiefly  their  right  of  discriminating  between 
those  proper  or  improper  to  be  let  in  ;  and  if 
they  confined  the  right  of  seeing  the  exhibi- 
tion   to    the    Fellows,    and    those    who   had 
orders,  it  would  do  harm  ;  so  they  perhaps 
very  properly  left  such  extraexhibitions  to  indi- 
vidual enterprise.    It  has  yet  to  be  ascertained 
how  the  plan  will  work,  but  it  rather  reminds 
one  of  the  country  societies  which,  in  their 
attempts  to  grasp  at  too  much,  have  entirely 
lost  caste  and  deteriorated  their  standing.  We 
are  quite   prepared  to  admit  that  th9  Royal 
Botanic  Society  has,  on  the  whole,  done  well, 
and  been  a  formidable  rival  to  the  Chiswick 
Gardens  ;  but  it  cannot  be  denied  that  their 
success  has  been  in  the  precise  ratio  of  their 
dej)arture  from  their  originally  proposed  obj  ects. 
If  the  fact  of  having  obtained   particular 
notice  and  distinction  at  the  principal  exhibi- 
tions had  any  reference  whatever  to  the  merits 
of  the  subjects,  we  should  have  given  a  list  of 
the  prizes  awarded  during  the  year  ;  but  as 
four-fifths  of  the  subjects  that  have  obtained 
prizes  will  never  be  heard  of  after  the  first  sale 
is  forced  by  means  of  the  prizes  or  certificates 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


4i 


awarded,  it  would  be  only  giving  currencj'-  and 
influence  to  the  awards  to  notice  them  at  all. 
Perhaps  the  shows  in  a  whole  year  never 
gave  so  much  cause  for  dissatisfaction  as  those 
for  1848  ;  this  will  give  rise  to  new  societies 
and  the  abandonment  of  old  ones,  and  this 
will  never  be  cured  without  a  demonstration 
of  sound  judgment  on  the  part  of  societies 
by  the  employment  of  acknowledged  judges. 
The  shows  of  plants  are  lotteries,  and,  until 
plants  are  grown  naturally,  will  continue  so; 
those  who  can  mechanically  grow  a  geranium, 
or  a  rose,  or  any  other  plant  with  the  most 
shoots,  and  place  Avooden  or  other  supporters 
with  the  greatest  dexterity,  supei'sede  all 
good  plant  growing,  give  bunglers  the  pre- 
ference, and  place  bad  ill-habited  plants 
over  those  that  will  grow  well  without  any 
mechanical  aid.  Upon  the  whole,  there  is  a 
good  deal  to  undo,  as  well  as  much  to  do,  to 
bring  up  floriculture  to  the  place  it  held  in 


1846,  and  even  that  was  almost  a  reaction. 
The  only  subject  upon  which  we  can  really 
congratulate  our  floral  friends,  is  the  fact  that 
the  continental  florists  have  not  only  adopted 
our  standard  for  florists'  flowers,  but  they  have 
greatly  added  to  our  very  best  varieties  of 
many  different  species,  and  that  unless  we 
make  great  haste  to  bring  up  our  arrears, 
they  Avill  surpass  us  in  most  of  those  subjects 
which,  (as  the  late  Mr.  Loudon  said,)  have  been 
elevated  to  the  rank  of  florists'  flowers.  In 
closing  our  remarks  on  the  last  year's  doings, 
we  have  to  acknowledge  the  omission  of  many 
occurrences  which  we  could  only  notice 
hastily,  and  we  have  done  this  rather  than 
incur  the  chai'ge  of  ill-nature  ;  something  has 
been  done,  much  remains  to  be  done,  and  not 
a  little  requires  to  be  undone.  We  shall 
watch  carefully  not  only  everything  but  every- 
body through  1849,  and  notice  all  important 
matters  month  by  month. 


NEW   FLOWERS    AND   PLANTS. 


AscLEPiAs  DouGLASii,  Hookev  (Douglas's 
Asclepias). — Asclepiadacess  §  Asclepiadeas- 
veraa. — An  erect  growing  herbaceous  peren- 
nial, growing  a  foot  or  a  foot  and  a  half  high, 
generally  unbranched.  The  stems  are  stout, 
round,  and  woolly,  furnished  with  opposite 
or  ternately  whorled  leaves,  a  span  long,  and 
of  an  oblong  or  ovate-lanceolate  formj  they 
are  downy  above  and  woolly  beneath.  The 
flowers  grow  in  umbels,  which  spring  from 
between  the  petioles  of  the  opposite  leaves  ; 
they  ai'e  numerous,  of  a  reddish  purple  colour, 
tinged  with  green.  1^  is  not  a  very  at- 
ti'active  plant;  although  the  asclepiases,  w^hich 
are  not  very  commonly  cultivated,  have  a 
singular  structure,  worth  attentive  examina- 
tion. Native  of  North  America,  on  the  west 
side  of  the  Rocky  Mountains.  Introduced  in 
1846  by  Mr.  Burke  to  the  Royal  Garden  at 
Kew.  Flowersin  July .'■  Culture. — Hardy; good 
loamy  soil;  propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 

DiPLADENIA    UROPHYLLA,    Tlooltev   (tapcr- 

point-leaved  Dipladenia).  —  Apocynacese  § 
Wrighteae. — A  handsome  bushy  shrub,  much 
branched,  and  smooth  in  every  part.  The 
branches  are  round,  and  swollen  at  the  joints  ; 
they  are  furnished  with  opposite  leaves,  be- 
tween ovat'e  and  oblong,  obtuse  at  the  base, 
and  lengthened  out  at  the  apex  into  a  long 
narrow  point.  From  the  axils  of  these,  grow 
the  flowers  on  slender  drooping  racemes, 
bearing  apparently  each  four  or  five  flowers  ; 
the  corolla  is  large  and  handsome,  with  a 
tawny-yellow  tube,  narrow  and  cylindrical  at 
the  base,  and  narrowly-campanulate  above  ; 
the  limb  consisting  of  five  large  rotundate, 
oblique,    deeply   separated,   salmon    coloured 


divisions  ;  the  face  of  the  flower  is  about  two 
inches  across,  of  which  one  is  occupied  by  the 
yellowish  throat.  Native  of  the  Organ  Moun- 
tains of  Brazil.  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers 
in  summer  and  autumn.  Culture. — Requires 
a  stove  ;  turfy  peat,  and  loam  ;  propagated 
by  cuttings  planted  in  sand,  and  placed  in  a 
gentle  bottom  heat. 

Vriesia  glaucophylla,  Hooker  (glaucous- 
leaved  Vriesia).  —  Bromeliaceas.  —  Rather  a 
pretty  plant,  though  not  strikingly  coloured. 
A  stemless  perennial  plant,  Avith  an  aloe-like 
appearance,  the  leaves  narrow,  recurved,  a 
foot  and  a  half  long,  tapering  to  the  point, 
and  at  the  base  closely  ari'anged  around  a 
somewhat  swollen  base  ;  they  are  firm  in 
texture,  and  of  a  bluish  tinge,  produced  by  a 
sub-farinose  covering.  The  flower  scape,  from 
the  centre  of  the  plant,  reaches  a  foot  or  more 
in  height,  and  is  divided  at  the  top  into  four 
or  five  branches  or  spikes  of  a  span  long, 
covei'ed  Avith  distichous  keeled  rigid  bracts, 
of  an  ovate-lanceolate  form,  and  very  acute  ; 
some  of  the  lower  bracts  are  red,  the  rest 
green,  tinged  with  yellow  and  red.  That 
portion  of  the  blossoms  protruded  beyond 
these  bracts,  consists  of  three  convolute  purple 
petals,  almost  Avhite  at  the  apex  ;  these  pro- 
ject about  an  inch  beyond  the  bract,  and  reach 
perfection  in  succession,  not  more  than  one 
blossom  on  a  spike  being  perfect  at  one  time. 
Beyond  the  petals  are  protruded  the  six 
stamens,  bearing  dark  purple  anthers.  Native 
of  Santa  Martha,  New  Grenada.  Introduced 
in  1847.  Flowers  in  August.  Culture. — 
Requii'es  a  stove  ;  light  tui-fy  peat  soil  ;  pro- 
pagated by  dividing  the  plant. 


42 


NEW   FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


Dendrobium  Farmerii,  Paxton  (Mr. 
Farmer's  Dendrobe). — Orchidacese  §  Malaxeas- 
Dendrobidae. — A  very  beautiful  epiphytal 
species,  having  the  habit  of  D.  densijiorum. 
The  stems  are  angular,  club-shaped,  thickened 
upwards,  bearing  towards  the  summit  three  or 
four  oblong  acute  leaves.  The  flowers  are 
borne  in  long  lateral  drooping  racemes,  each 
supporting  many  flowers  ;  they  are  large  and 
very  handsome  ;  the  sepals  spreading,  ovate 
obtuse,  of  a  rich  and  very  delicate  tinge  of 
rose  colour  ;  the  petals  are  larger,  of  a  very 
delicate  straw  colour,  ciliated,  the  lip  broad, 
almost  squared,  clawed,  and  ciliated,  of  a  .pale 
straw  colour,  with  a  deep  yellow  blotch  an 
inch  in  diameter.  Native  of  the  East  Indies, 
having  been  received  from  Dr.  McClelland 
of  the  Calcutta  Botanic  Garden,  as  T>. 
densiflorum,  from  which  it  very  strikingly 
differs.  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in 
March.  Culture.  —  Requires  a  hot  moist 
stove  ;  turfy  peat  soil,  mixed  with  chopped 
sphagnum  moss  ;  propagated  by  division  of 
the  plant. 

Chironia  glutinosa,  Paxton  (glutinous 
Chironia). — Gentianaceas  §  Gentianeae. — A 
very  handsome  evergreen  suffruticose  plant, 
with  a  smooth  stem,  and  numerous,  somewhat 
succulent,  spreading  branches.  The  leaves 
are  opposite,  of  an  ovate-lanceolate  form, 
three  to  five-veined.  The  flowers  are  nume- 
rous on  the  young  shoots,  and  are  large,  being 
two  inches  or  upwards  in  diameter,  and  of  a 
bright  red  colour  tinged  with  lilac  ;  the  limb 
.of  the  corolla  is  five-parted  and  Avidely  spread- 
ing. Supposed  to  have  been  raised  from 
Australian  seeds  in  the  Hull  Botanic  Garden, 
but  its  history  is  obscure.  Introduced  pro- 
bably about  1844.  Flowers  for  several  months 
in  summer.  Culture. — Requires  a  greenhouse ; 
peat,  loam,  and  leaf-mould,  with  abundance  of 
drainage  ;  propagated  easily  by  cuttings 
planted  in  sand,  with  a  little  bottom,  heat. 

Acacia  salicina,  L'mdley  (Willow  Wat- 
tle or  Acacia). — Fabacese  §  Mimosea^-Acaciese, 
— This  is  a  very  handsome  conservatory 
shrub,  of  large  growth,  soon  attaining  twelve 
or  fifteen  feet  high.  The  branches  are  slen- 
der, and  drooping  like  those  of  the  weeping 
willow,  and  the  foliage  has  the  same  narrow 
lance- shaped  form.  The  whole  plant  is  glau- 
cous, being  slightly  covered  with  bloom  ;  the 
branches  are  angular  ;  the  leaves  (phyllodia) 
are  linear  or  oblong-lanceolate,  obtuse,  one- 
nerved,  and  sprinkled  on  the  under  side  with 
numerous  reddish  minute  drops  of  resin.  The 
flowers  grow  in  short  racemes  of  from  three 
to  five  heads,  and  are  of  a  pate  yellow  colour. 
When  planted  out  in  a  conservatory,  this 
species  is  almost  always  in  blossom.  Native 
of  New  Holland.  It  is  one  of  the  plants 
found  by  Sir  T.  Mitchell,  during  his  survey- 


ing expeditions,  and  was  found  by  him  in 
woods,  near  the  Lachlan  River.  Introduced 
in  1844  (?)  Flowers  throughout  the  year,  most 
copiously  in  spring.  Cidture. — Requires  a 
greenhouse  ;  turfy  loam,  and  peat ;  propa- 
g:ated  by  seeds,  or  by  cuttings  which  root 
slowly  in  sand,  under  bell-glasses. 

Uropedium  Lindenii,  Lindley  (Mr.  Lin- 
den's Uropedium).  —  OrchidaceEe  §  Cypri- 
pedeae. — A  very  singular  and  magnificent 
plant,  with  exactly  the  habit  of  Cypripedium 
insigne.  It  is  a  perennial,  with  thick  shining 
fleshy  persistent  leaves,  a  foot  long,  blunt  and 
unequally  two-toothed  at  the  point.  The 
flowers  are  borne  singly  on  downy  stalks 
something  shorter  than  the  leaves,  and  are 
very  remarkable  in  consequence  of  the  tail- 
like length  of  the  petals ;  the  upper  sepal  is 
ovate-lanceolate,  four  inches  long,  the  lower 
ones  united  into  one  of  the  same  form  but 
rather  wider,  all  being  of  a  pale  yellow  colour 
streaked  with  orange  ;  the  petals  are  linear- 
lanceolate,  extended  into  a  long  narrow  tail^ 
and  about  eight  or  nine  inches  long,  purple- 
orange  at  the  base  ;  the  lip  is  of  the  same 
form,  but  broader,  and  is,  like  the  sepals, 
shaggy  at  the  base.  The  flowers  measure 
from  fifteen  to  twenty  inches  in  their  greatest 
diameter.  Native  of  Colombia,  growing  on 
the  ground  in  the  woods  of  the  Savannah,  in 
that  elevated  part  of  the  Cordillera  which 
overlooks  the  vast  forests  at  the  bottom  of  the 
Lake  of  Maracaybo  ;  altitude  8500  feet.  In- 
troduced in  1848,  and  dispersed  at  an  auction 

sale.     Flowers  in ?    Culture. — Requires 

a    stove  ;    turfy    peat    soil ;    propagated   by 
division  of  the  plant. 

PiCRORHizA  Kurr^a,  Royle  (Kurroa  Pi- 
crorhiza). —  Scrophulariacese  §  Rhinanthide^e. 
— An  herbaceous  perennial,  having  thick  fleshy 
roots,  which  are  intensely  bittei',  and  used  in 
the  native  medicine  of  India.  The  plant  at- 
tains a  height  of  about  six  inches,  the  stems 
being  ascending.  The  leaves  are  obovate, 
tapering  to  the  base,  serrated  on  the  margin, 
and  nearly  or  quite  smooth.  The  flowers  are 
deep  blue,  and  sessile  in  dense  spikes,  but  not 
remarkable  for  showiness.  Native  of  Northern 
India.  Introduced  in  1846.  Flowers  in  July 
and  August.  This  plant  was  called  Veronica 
I/lndleyana  by  Wallich.  Culture. — Hardy, 
requiring  only  protection  against  wet  in  win- 
ter ;  rich  light  soil ;  propagated  -ireadily  by 
division  of  the  plant. 

Tradescantia  glauca,  Lindley  (glaucous 
Spiderwort).  —  Commelynacese. — A  pretty 
little  stove  herbaceous  plant,  smooth,  glaucous 
and  ascending.  The  leaves  are  oblong,  acu- 
minate, and  remarkable  from  the  peculiarity  of 
clasping  the  stem  by  their  base.  The  flowers 
are  small,  somewhat  umbellate,  the  principal 
rays  being  very  long,  and  the  partial  ones  very 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


43 


short;  the  sepals  are  ptirple  at  the  point,  green 
at  the  base,  and  covered  with  glandular  hairs; 
the  petals  small  and  concave,  white,  occasion- 
ally stained.  Native  probably  of  Guatemala. 
Introduced  in  1848.  It  was  raised  in  Sir  P. 
Egerton's  orchid  house,  on  the  stump  of  an 
epidendrum.  Flowers  in  October.  Culture. 
— Requires  a  cool  stove  or  warm  greenhouse; 
turfy  peat  and  loam;  propagated  by  cuttings. 

Rhododendron  ledifolium  (Azalea  in- 
dica)  var.  setosum  (bearded  Indian  Azalea). — 
Ericaceas  §  Rhododendrese. — A  handsome  and 
vigorous  growing  variety,  with  dark  brown  and 
very  hairy  branches,  furnished  with  ovate 
lanceolate  acuminate  leaves,  hairy,  especially 
on  the  margin  and  on  the  under  surface ;  the 
leaves  are  persistent  through  the  winter.  The 
flowers  are  very  large  (represented  as  being 
four  inches  across),  of  a  light  rosy  purple 
colour,  deeper  towards  the  margin  and  paler 
towards  the  centre ;  the  petal-like  lobes  or  seg- 
ments of  the  corolla  are  large,  broad,  and  un- 
dulated, the  upper  one  being  studded  in  the 
centre  with  red  tubercles  which  appear  like 
spots ;  tlie  stamens  and  pistil  are  deeply- 
coloured  purple.  A  Belgian  garden  variety 
raised  from  the  Phoenician  variety  of  the  In- 
dian Azalea,  crossed  with  the  common  white 
variety.  Raised  in  1846,  by  Mr.  L.  Bailleul, 
nurseryman  of  G-hent.  Flowers  in  the  spring 
months.  This  variety  is  also  called  harhata 
in  the  Belgian  gardens.  Cidture. — Requires 
a  cool  greenhouse;  turfy  peat  and  sand;  pro- 
pagated by  budding,  grafting,  or  inarching  on 
stocks  of  the  free  growing  varieties  of  Indian 
Azalea,  or  Rhododendron  ponticum. 

Trop^olum  oxALiANTHUM,  Morren  (oxa- 
lis-flowered  Indian  Cress). — Tropaeolacese  § 
Tropseolese. — A  pretty  tuberous-rooted  peren- 
nial species  in  the  way  of  T.  brachyceras  and 
T.  tenellu7Ti.  It  has  slender  cylindrical  twin- 
ing stems,  proceeding  from  the  crown  of  the 
tuber,  and  bearing  small  peltate  five-lobed 
leaves  on  slender  twisted  petioles  about  three 
inches  long ;  the  lobes  or  segments  of  the 
leaves  are  lanceolate  entire,  and  wedge-shaped 
at  the  base.  The  flowers  are  also  borne  on 
slender  stalks  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  and 
are  small,  of  a  clear  yellow  colour,  the  two  up- 
per petals  being  streaked  with  bright  orange- 
red;  the  calyx  is  about  half  as  long  as  the 
petals,  green,  divided  into  five  oval  dilated 
lobes,  and  terminating  behind  in  a  conical  ob- 
tuse spur;  the  petals  are  oval,  wedge-shaped 
at  the  base,  the  lateral  ones  undulated  on  the 
margins.  Native  of  Chili.  Introduced  to  Bel- 
gium in  1847,  by  Mr.  Bauman,  of  Ghent. 
Flowers  in  the  early  part  of  the  summer. 
Culture. — Requires  a  greenhouse  ;  sandy  loam 
and  leaf  mould  ;  propagated  by  cuttings  of  the 
young  shoots  planted  in  sand,  and  placed  in  a 
gentle  heat. 


Epidendrum  funiperum,  Morren  (thread- 
petalled  Epidendrum).  —  Orchidacete  §  Epi- 
dendrese-Lseliada). — A  handsome  and  very  dis- 
tinct epiphytal  species,  having  a  round  slender 
erect  stem  of  from  eighteen  inches  to  two  feet 
high,  on  which  are  situated  the  alternate  ob- 
long-lanceolate, acuminate,  striated  leaves ; 
these  envelope  the  stem  by  their  base  in  the 
manner  of  a  sheath,  and  are  also  much  incurved 
at  the  apex.  The  flowers  are  borne  in  nume- 
rous short  drooping  racemes  issuing  from  along 
the  upper  part  of  the  stem  ;  they  are  small,  of 
a  rich  orange  colour,  with  a  white  centre ;  the 
sepals  are  entire,  ovate  acuminate,  spreading, 
and  tinged  with  light  green  and  purple  at  the 
back ;  the  petals  are  remarkable  for  their 
thread-like  form ;  they  are  as  long  as  the  se- 
pals, and  adhere  to  the  sides  of  the  two  lateral 
ones  as  far  as  the  middle,  but  separate  nearer 
to  the  base  with  the  full  expansion  of  the 
flower,,and  ultimately  become  contorted,  like  a 
corkscrew ;  the  lip  is  longer  than  the  sepals, 
three  parted,  joined  to  the  column,  and  of  a 
white  colour  at  the  base ;  the  side  lobes  are 
serrated,  the  intermediate  one  ligulate  and 
notched  in  the  middle.  Native  of  the  island  of 
St.  Catherine's.    Introduced  to  Belgium  about 

1847.     Flowers ?     Culture. — Requires 

a  moist  stove ;  should  be  grown  in  pots 
among  turfy  peat  soil,  potsherds,  and  sphag- 
num ;  propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 

Statice  imbricata,  Gerard  (imbricated 
Statice).  —  Plumbaginacese  §  Statice^e.  —  A 
handsome  perennial  with  the  habit  of  S. 
sinuata.  The  flowering  stem,  springing  from  a 
tuft  of  leaves  at  the  base  of  the  plant,  grows 
about  two  feet  high,  and  is  winged  with  a  broad 
leafy  dark  green  sinuated  margin  throughout ; 
it  terminates  in  a  corymbose  head  of  flowering 
branches,  each  branch  having  also  a  corymbose 
ramification.  The  leaves,  forming  a  rovulate 
tuft,  are  pinnatifid,  the  upper  portion  being 
entire,  and  forming  a  large  and  distinct  lobe 
of  a  sub-triangular  or  acuminate  form,  and 
the  lower  portion  consisting  of  a  series  of  entire 
oblong-reniforrn  oblique  and  slightly  sinuated 
lobes,  which  gradually  become  smaller  towards 
the  naked  leaf-stalk ;  the  margins  of  the  old 
leaves  are  red  and  ciliated,  the  young  ones 
being  also  red  and  of  a  velvety  texture,  con- 
tributing greatly  to  the  beauty  of  the  entire 
plant.  The  flowers  growing  from  the  apices 
of  the  numerous  ramifications  of  the  stem,  con- 
sist of  a  rich  blue  persistent  cup-shaped  cre- 
nated  calyx,  surrounding  the  small  cream- 
coloured  fugitive  petals,  the  chief  beauty  of  the 
plant — which  is  veiy  considerable — residing 
in  the  persistent  blue  calyx.  Native  of  the 
island  of  TenerifFe,  where  it  was  originally 
found  by  P.  B.  Webb,  Esq.  near  the  town  of 
Buena  Vista.  Introduced  to  the  continental 
gardens  in  1846,  and  thence  to  those  of  this 


44 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


country.  Flowers  in  the  summer  months. 
CulUire. — Requires  a  greenhouse  or  dry  frame 
secure  from  frost,  in  winter ;  sandy  loam  and 
peat ;  propagated  by  seeds,  by  division  of  the 
f)lant,  and  also  by  means  of  portions  of  the 
thick  roots,  excited  by  gentle  bottom  heat. 

DiPLADENiA  NOBiLis,  vciT.  rosea  (rose 
coloured  variety  of  Dipladenia  nobilis). — 
Apocynacese  §  WrightejB.- — A  handsome  stove 
climber,  differing  from  D.  nobilis,  in  having 
more  tubular  shaped  blossoms,  with  the  limb 
more  fully  expanded,  and  in  the  colour  of  the 
interior  of  the  throat  being  of  a  deep  I'ose  colour. 
The  leaves  are  opposite,  and  oblong  lanceolate, 
and  the  flowers  borne  in  a  racemose  arrange- 
ment at  the  ends  of  the  branches  ;  they  are 
of  a  rich  deep  rosy  pink  colour,  and  about 
two  inches  in  diameter.  Native  of  the  i^iland  of 
St.  Catherine's.  Introduced  in  1847,  by  Mr. 
A.  Verschaffelt,  of  Ghent.  Flowers  in  summer. 
Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  sandy  loam  and 
peat ;  propagated  by  cuttings  planted  in  sand 
under  bell  glasses. 

Rhododendron  ledifolium  (Azalea  in- 
dica),  var.  lacteolum  striatum  (white-striped- 
flowered  Indian  Azalea). —  Ericaceae  §  Rho- 
dodendreaa. — A  showy  variety  of  vigorous 
habit,  with  dark  brownish  coloured  branches, 
bearing  oblong  roundish  pointed  leaves  of  a 
deep  green  colour,  covered  with  small  red  hairs, 
particularly  at  the  margins  and  on  the  under 
side.  The  flowers  grow  at  the  ends  of  the 
branches,  several  together  ;  they  are  about  two 
inches  and  a  half  in  diameter,  with  rounded 
petal-like  lobes,  milky  white,  streaked  with 
crimson  ;  the  form  is  tolerably  good,  but  the 
variety  not  better  than  some  of  those  raised  in 
English  gardens.  A  Belgian  garden  hybrid, 
obtained  between  the  common  v/hite  and  a  red 
flowered  variety.  Raised  in  1846,  by  Mr.  J. 
Van  Geert,  of  Ghent.  Flowers  in  spring. 
Culture. — Requires  a  cool  greenhouse  ;  turfy 
peat  and  sand  ;  propagated  by  budding,  graft- 
ing, or  inarching  on  the  stocks  of  vigorous 
growing  varieties  of  Indian  Azalea,  or  on  those 
of  Rhododendron  ponticum. 

Cattleya  amethxstina,  Morren  (ame- 
thyst-lipped Cattleya).  —  Orchidace£e§  Epiden- 
dreas-Lasliad^. — A  charming  epiphyte,  having 
considerable  resemblance  to  the  C.  intermedia 
of  English  botanists.  It  has  a  short,  thick, 
round  stem,  with  a  furrow  on  one  side,  support- 
ing two  lance-shaped,  smooth,  thick,  fleshy 
leaves,  which  are  dark  green  on  the  upper 
surface.  The  flowers,  growing  from  three 
to  five  in  a  short  terminal  raceme,  which 
issues  from  a  pale  coloured  spathe,  are  large, 
and  generally  of  a  light  pink  or  pale  flesh 
colour,  strikingly  contrasting  with  the  sombre 
hue  of  the  leaves ;  the  sepals  and  petals  are 
lanceolate,  somewhat  pointed  at  Ihe  tips, 
spreading,  p^lucid,  with  a  full  streak  of  pale 


3'ellow  down  the  middle,  and  faintly  tinged 
with  light  green  at  the  base  and  points ; 
the  lip  is  three-lobed,  the  side  lobes  which 
envelope  the  column  are  entire,  thick,  fleshy, 
and  of  a  light  pink,  the  centre  lobe — the 
striking  feature  of  the  flower — being  of  a 
rich  violet  colour,  and,  in  general  form,  some- 
what heartshaped,  undulated,  and  regularly 
dentated  at  the  margins,  Avith  a  narrow  band 
down  the  centre,  fading  off  to  white  at  the 
tip.  Native  of  S.  America  ;  St.  Catherines. 
Introduced  in  1848  to  Belgian  gardens, 
by  Mr.  A.  Verschaffelt,  of  Ghent.  Flowers  in 
May.  Culture. — Requires  a  moist  stove;  turfy 
peat  soil;   propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 

Cattleya  elegans,  Morren  (elegant  Catt- 
leya).— OrchidaceaB  §  Epidendrea^-Lasliadfe. — 
A  handsome  and  magnificent  epiphytal  species 
in  the  way  of  C.  superha,  from  which  it  is 
chiefly  distinguished  by  the  absence  of  rugose 
veins  and  callosities  in  the  labellum.  It  grows 
with  a  straight,  short,  club  shaped  stem,  which 
bears  two  ovate -lanceolate,  somewhat  pointed 
leaves.  The  flowers,  which  are  produced  on  a 
short  few-flowered  raceme,  are  large  and  of  a 
bright  rosy  pink  colour,  which  merges  into  a 
soft  pale  yellow  towards  the  base  of  the  petals, 
there  terminating  in  light  green  ;  the  sepals 
are  narrow,  oblong-lanceolate  and  pointed  ; 
the  petals  are  also  oblong,  nearly  three  times 
broader  than  the  sepals,  undulated,  and  some- 
what acute  ;  the  lip,  or  labellum,  is  three  lobed, 
furroAved  and  undulated,  the  two  side  lobes 
being  white,  with  a  faint  rosy  tinge  on  the 
outside,  convolute,  oval,  terminating  in  obtuse 
angles  and  overlapping  each  other  so  as  to 
envelope  the  column  in  a  tubular  manner  ; 
the  intermediate  lobe  is  of  a  dark  purple 
colour  (which  is  partially  continued  on  the 
interior  of  the  side  lobes),  large,  considerably 
lengthened,  undulated,  and  nearly  square. 
Native  of  the  island  of  St.  Catherine's,  Inti-o- 
duced  to  the   Belgian    Gardens   by  Mr.   A, 

Verschaffelt,    of    Ghent.      Flowers ? 

Culture. — Requires  a  moist  stove,  and  but  a 
sparing  supply  of  water  during  the  time  of 
forming  its  flowers  ;  turfy  peat  soil ;  propaga- 
ted by  division  of  the  plant. 

Pentstemon  ovatijm,  var.  atro-coeruleum 
(dark-blue  variety  of  Pentstemon  ovatum). — 
Scrophulariacete  §  Antirrhinidea3-Chelonege. — 
A  very  shoAvy  perennial  plant  of  graceful  up- 
I'ight  habit,  clothed  Avith  short  viscous  pube- 
scence, and  groAving  from  three  to  four  feet 
high.  The  leaves  are  smooth,  ovate-cordate, 
amplexicaul,  and  finely  dentated  at  the  mar- 
gins, the  lower  ones  having  longish  jDctioles. 
The  floAvers  form  a  loose  many-flowered  leafy 
panicle  at  the  top  of  the  stem  ;  they  grow  on 
axillary  peduncles  nearly  in  the  manner  of  a 
corymb,  from  six  to  eight  together,  and  are 
tubular,  the  tube  being;  about  half  an- inch  in 


NEW    TLOWEUS    ATs'D   PLANTS. 


length,  and  separating  into  a  five-lobed  limb 
of  about  half  an  inch  in  diameter  ;  the  colour, 
as  the  name  implies,  is  a  fine  dark  blue, 
deepening  near  the  extremities,  and  merging 
into  a  bluish  green  towards  the  calyx  ;  the 
throat  is  of  a  yellowish  tinge.  A  very  de- 
sirable species  for  the  open  border,  or  even  a 
rockery.  Native  of  the  mountains  of  Co- 
lumbia. Introduced  to  the  Be]gian  Gardens 
in  1846.  Flowers  in  June  and  July.  Cul- 
tui'e. — Nearly  hardy  ;  requiring  shelter  in 
wet  or  sevei'e  winters,  when  it  may  be  kept 
in  pots  in  a  greenhouse  or  dry  airy  frame  ; 
rich  loamy  soil ;  propagated  by  seeds,  or  by 
division. 

Epidendrum  sulphueeum,  llorren  (sul- 
phur-flowered Epidendrum). — Orchidacea?  § 
Epidendrege-LfEliadas.  —  A  pretty  species, 
with  oval  conic  pseudo-bulbs,  from  which 
short  unilateral  stems  issue,  having  entire, 
smooth,  linear  lanceolate,  attenuated,  obtuse 
leaves,  furrowed  dow^n  the  middle,  keeled 
underneath,  and  partially  two-lobed  at  the 
points.  The  flowers  are  numerous,  and  pro- 
duced in  short  racemes,  usually  from  eight 
to  ten  in  number,  and  forming  a  graceful 
panicle,  the  stem  of  which  springs  from  the 
axils  of  the  leaves  ;  the  petals  and  sepals  are 
of  equal  size,  and  of  an  ovate-lanceolate  form, 
the  sepals  being  slightly  spathulate,  and  of  a 
uniform  sulphurous  colour  ;  the  labellum  is 
three-lobed,  the  two  side  ones  red,  three- 
angled,  and  pointed  ;  the  intermediate  one 
broad,  oval,  crenated,  and  beautifully  lined 
with  rose  coloui-,  Avhich  terminates  at  the 
column  in  red  streaks.  Native  of  Guatemala. 
Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in  the  summer. 
Culture. — Requires  a  moist  stove  ;  turfy  peat 
soil;  propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 

Barkeria  melanocaulon,  Richard  and 
Galeotti  (dark-stemmed  Barkeria). — Orchi- 
dacce  §  Epidendrete-Lteliadre.  —  A  graceful 
little  plant  with  small  round  fleshy  roots,  and 
growing  up  with  a  straight  round  stem  of  a 
dark  brownish  colour  at  the  base,  and  bearing 
small  distichous,  ovate  lanceolate  alternate 
leaves,  commonly  four  in  number,  attenuated 
at  both  extremities,  and  recurved  at  the 
points.  Immediately  above  the  leaves  are  a 
number  of  bracts,  usually  three  ;  they  are 
straight,  lanceolate,  and  clasping  the  stem  at 
their  base,  the  undermost  being  considerably 
longer  and  broader  than  those  above  it.  The 
flowers  are  borne  on  a  pendant  raceme  from 
the  apex  of  the  stem  ;  they  are  from  twelve 
to  fourteen  in  number,  an  inch  and  a  half 
broad,  about  half  an  inch  apart,  and  of  a  rosy 
lilac  colour  ;  the  petals  are  oval,  attenuated 
at  the  points,  and  about  thrice  as  broad  as  the 
sepals,  which  are  linear-lanceolate  ;  the  lip  is 
two-lobed,  sinuated  at  the  margins,  and  having 
a  double,  obtuse,  or  roundish  notch  in  the 


middle,  the  column  being  of  a  purplish  colour, 
which  merges  into  green  at  the  base.  Native 
of  Mexico.  Introduced  to  the  Belgian  Gar- 
dens in  1848.  Flowers  in  June.  Culture. — 
Requires  a  stove;  turfy  peat  soil  ;  propagated 
by  division  of  the  plant. 

Brassia  coryandea,  Morren  (helmet-co- 
lumnedBrassia). — Orchidace£E§Vande£e-Bra3- 
sid^. — A  distinct  and  interesting  epiphytal 
species.  The  pseudo  bulbs  are  conical,  com- 
pressed, and  each  bear  one  lanceolate  pointed 
leaf,  which  is  shorter  than  the  flower-stems. 
The  flowers  are  produced  in  pendant  racemes, 
and  are  beautifully  variegated  with  green  and 
white  ;  the  sepals  are  very  long — three  to  four 
inches  — linear  and  acuminate,  the  upper  one 
smooth,  straight,  and  turned  down  ;  the  petals 
are  divaricated,  linear-lanceolate,  shorter  than 
the  inferior  sepals,  which  are  the  longest ;  the 
colour  of  both  sepals  and  petals  is  pale  green 
spotted  with  bi'own  near  the  base  ;  the  lip, 
which  is  white  spotted  with  green  over  its 
lower  half,  and  having  a  yellow  crested  plate 
at  the  base  of  the  column,  is  elongate-pandu- 
riform,  about  half  as  long  as  the  petals, 
lengthened  out  into  an  acuminate  point,  which 
is  reflfixed.  Native  of  Brazil.  Introduced  to 
the  Belgian  Gardens  in  1848,  by  Mr.  A.  Vers- 
chaffelt,  of  Ghent.  Flowers  in  June.  Cul- 
fiire. — Requires  a  moist  stove  ;  turfy  peat 
soil  ;  propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 

DossiNiA  marmorata,  Morren  (marbled 
leaved  Dossinia). —  Orchidaceaj  §  Neottete- 
Physuridse. — This  is  one  of  that  group  of 
dwaif  creeping  stemmed  orchidaceous  herbs, 
whose  greatest  interest  lies  in  the  appearance 
of  the  foliage,  which  looks  like  a  velvet  surface 
overlaid  with  lustrous  metallic  veins.  Some 
species  of  the  genera  Anfectochilus  and  Phy- 
surus,  having  these  characters,  are  not  un- 
frequently  met  with  in  English  gardens.  The 
present  species  is  of  very  recent  introduction. 
It  has  a  sub-repent  habit,  the  stems  being 
fleshy  and  assuming  an  erect  position  at  the 
apex.  The  beauty  of  the  plant  consists  in 
the  colour  and  marking  of  the  leaves,  which 
are  seated  rather  close  together  at  the  base  of 
the  upright  part  of  the  stem.  When  in  bloom 
the  plant  rises  with  an  erect  rose-coloured 
stem  about  a  foot  in  height,  the  flowers 
being  arranged  as  a  lengthened  raceme-like 
spike  on  the  upper  part,  the  apex  being  re- 
curved. The  leaves  are  ovate,  attenuated 
towards  both  extremities,  having  a  velvety 
surface,  rich  dark  green  with  a  mahogany 
coloured  stain,  clouded  with  yellowish  green, 
and  netted  over  with  clear  yellow  lines,  re- 
sembling the  veins  in  marble ;  these  lines  do, 
in  fact,  mark  the  reticulated  veins  of  the 
leaves.  The  under  surface  is  similarly  marked, 
but  less  velvety,  and  of  a  paler  colour.  The 
flowers  are  small,  and  not  attractive ;  the  sepal 


46 


CURTIS  S    BOTANICAL    MAGAZINE. 


and  petals  are  white  tinged  with  rose-colour, 
and  the  lip  is  white,  lengthened  out,  nearly 
square  at  the  apex,  where  its  margins  are 
smooth.  Native  of  Java  and  Borneo.  Intro- 
duced in  1847,  by  Mr.  Low,  of  the  Clapton 
nursery.  Flowers  in  May.  It  is  the  Chei- 
rostylis  marmorata  (Van  Houtte).  The  genus 
is  dedicated  by  Professor  Morren,  of  Ghent, 
to  the  memory  of  M.  P.  E.  Dossin,  a  botanist 
of  Liege.  Culture. — Requires  a  stove,  and 
to  be  for  the  most  part  covered  with  a  bell- 
glass  ;  sphagnum  moss,  potsherds,  and  sand, 
with  a  little  very  spongy  turfy  peat  ;  propa- 
gated by  division  of  the  plant  or  roots. 


CURTIS  S    BOTANICAL    MAGAZINE."^ 

We  are  happy  to  bear  testimony  to  the  perma- 
nence of  the  improvements,  formerly  noticed 
as  having  been  effected  in  the  production  and 
publication  of  this  work,  during  the  last  three 
or  four  years.  In  books  of  this  kind,  much 
value  attaches  of  course  to  the  faithfulness 
of  the  delineations,  and  in  this  respect  the 
father  of  the  botanical  periodical  literature  of 
England  was  always  trustworthy  ;  but  since 
the  work  has  been  in  the  present  hands,  there 
has  been  a  very  marked  change  in  what  is 
technically  called  the  "  getting  up,"  and  the 
change  has  been  decidedly  for  the  better. 
Under  the  very  able  superintendence  of 
Sir  W,  Hooker,  too,  the  botanical  fame  of  the 
Magazine,  has  continued  to  increase  rather 
than  otherwise,  which  was  indeed  to  be 
anticipated,  inasmuch  as  not  only  the  new 
plants  of  the  national  Botanic  Gardens  of 
Kew  adoi-n  its  pages,  but  others  also  from  the 
chief  plant  establishments  of  the  country, 
both  public  and  private.  Our  own  pages  ai-e 
often  indebted  to  the  beautiful  drawings  of 
this  work,  for  the  materials  from  which  our 
Wood  engravings  are  prepared;  though  of 
course  the  latter  give  but  a  very  imperfect 
idea  of  the  beauty  of  the  originals,  which 
have  not  only  the  advantage  of  greater  size, 
but  the  very  important  one  of  colour  in 
addition. 

Some  notion  of  the  interest  which  attaches 
to  this  work  may  be  gained  from  the  follow- 
ing memoranda  of  new  subjects,  of  which 
admirable  figures  and  descriptions  have  been 
published  in  it,  within  the  last  year  : — 

"  Solandra  Icevis  (smooth-leaved),  —  A 
stove  shrub,  with  long  white  trumpet-shaped 
flowers, 

"  Hypocyrta  glabra  (shining-leaved). — A 


*  Curtis's  Botanical  Magazine,  comprising  tlie 
plants  of  the  Eoyal  Garden  of  Kew,  &c.  By  Sir  W. 
J.  Hooker,  K.H.,  D.C.L.,  Oxon,  &c.  &c  London: 
lieeve,  Beuliam  &  Reeve. 


Stove  sub-shrubby  plant,  with,  numerous 
tubular  bellied  scarlet  flowers  from  the  axils 
of  the  leaves. 

"Moya  cinnamomifoJia  (cinnamon-leaved). 
— A  climbing  plant,  requiring  stove  heat,  and 
bearing  green  and  purple  blossoms. 

"  Gesnera  pardina  (leopard-spotted). — Not 
very  showy,  being  rather  too  leaf}'.  A  stove 
sub-shrub,  with  red  spotted  flowers. 

"  Orothamnus  Zeyheri  (Mr.  Zeyher's). — 
A  proteaceous  Cape  shrub,  with  a  head  of 
fine  rose-coloured  bracts  ;  greenhouse. 

"  Achimenes  ocellata  (eyeletted). — A  tu- 
berous-rooted stove  herb,  with  large  foliage, 
and  scarlet  spotted  flowers  ;  not  very  showy. 

"  Sida  integerrima  (entire-leaved.)  —  A 
stove  shrub  or  small  tree,  with  large  heart- 
shaped  leaves  and  yellow  blossoms. 

"  Strobilanthes  lactatus  (milky-leaved). — 
A  pretty  stove  dwarf  sub-shrub,  with  hand- 
some leaves,  having  a  milky  mark  down  the 
centre  ;  the  flowers  are  bluish-white. 

"  Alloplectus  coticolor  (whole-coloured). — 
A  stove  sub-shrub,  with  bright  red  ventricose 
tubular  flowers  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves  ; 
the  flowers  are  shaggy  with  hairs. 

"  Echinocactus  chloropthalmus  (green- 
eyed). — A  pretty  dwarf  cactus  of  nearly 
globular  shape,  with  large  purple  flowers, 
having  the  peculiarity  of  a  green-coloured 
stigma ;  greenhouse. 

"  Fuchsia  spectahilis  (showy). — The  queen 
of  Fuchsias,  vigorous  in  habit,  with  rich 
crimson  flowers  ;  greenhouse. 

"  Jatrofha  podagrica  (gouty-stalked). — A 
stove  plant  with  curious  gouty  stems  ;  it  has 
a  corymb  of  scarlet  flowers. 

"  Vriesia  speciosa  (showy). — A  beautiful 
stove  plant,  with  a  pine-apple-like  habit,  and  a 
scape  of  crimson  bracts. 

"  Acacia  argyrophylla  (silver  leaved). — A 
nice  greenhouse  shrub  from  the  Swan  River, 
with  silky  leaf-like  phyllodia,  and  yellow 
blossoms  in  globular  heads. 

"  Episcia  bicolor  (two-coloured).  —  A 
pretty  dwarf  herb,  requiring  stove  heat  ;  the 
flowers  are  purple  and  white  ;  of  the  gesneria- 
ceous  class. 

"  Leuchtenbergia  priytciph  (noble).  —  A 
remarkable  cactus,  with  mammillae  like  aloe 
leaves ;  the  flowers  are  yellow  ;  requires  a 
dry  warm  greenhouse. 

"  Sonerila  stricta  (upright). — An  annual 
stove  plant  of  slender  habit,  with  rose-coloured 
flowers  of  no  great  beauty. 

"  SipJwcampylus  manetti-ceflorus  (manet- 
tia-flowered) — A  beautiful  dwai-f  sufFruticose 
stove  plant,  with  neat  foliage,  and  numerous 
scarlet-and-yellow  tubular  flowers. 

"  Hoya  bella  (beautiful). — The  most  lovely 
of  all  the  Hoyas,  and  with  the  habit  of  a 
small  iEschynnnth  ;  the  flowers  resemble  an 


CONTEMPOBART  WHITINGS . 


47 


amethyst  set  in  frosted  silver  ;  it  requires  a 
stove. 

"  Hibiscusferox  (stinging).  —  A  coarse 
plant,  but  requiring  stove  heat;  the  leaves  are 
stinging,  and  the  flowers  inconspicuous. 

^'  Passijlora  amabilis  (white-crowned). — 
One  of  the  most  lovely  of  all  the  passion- 
flowers ;  blossoms  scarlet  with  a  white  fila- 
mentous crown  ;  it  should  have  moderate 
stove  heat. 

"  Dipladenia  urophylla  (taper  -  point- 
leaved).  —  A  handsome  stove  bush,  with 
copious  foliage  and  deep  salmon-coloured 
flowers,  which  hang  gracefully  from  among 
the  branches. 

*'  Vriesia  glaticofhylla  (glaucous-leaved). 
— A  pine- apple  like  stove  herb,  bearing  a 
branched  spike  of  purple  flowers  issuing  from 
amongst  a  double  row  of  green  bracts." 

These,  it  should  be  explained,  are  ia 
addition  to  more  than  double  the  number 
of  species  previously  described  by  other 
botanists,  but  only  now  cultivated  in  English 
gardens — the  "new  plants"  of  the  gardens  not 
being  always  new  to  botanists  of  experience. 

We  are  glad  to  perceive  by  an  announce- 
ment recently  made,  that  the  volume  for  1849 
is  to  be  still  further  improved.  In  accordance 
Avith  a  wish  very  generally  expressed,  the 
publishers  have  determined  to  exchange  the 
folding  plate  usually  contained  in  each  Num- 
ber, (except  in  very  rare  instances,)  for  one 
of  ordinary  size,  and  in  lieu  thereof  to  give 
instructions  after  the  description  of  each 
plant,  on  its  history,  culture,  treatment,  &c. 
This  information,  now  intended  to  be  in- 
ti'oduced  for  the  first  time,  has  long  been  a 
desideratum,  and  will  be  supplied  by  Mr. 
John  Smith,  the  Curator  of  the  Royal 
G-ardens  of  Kew.  This  feature  will  greatly 
add  to  the  utility  of  the  work  ;  and  will,  we 
hope,  gain  for  it  increased  patronage. 


CONTEMPORAEY    WRITINGS,    AND 
ORIGINAL    NOTES, 

Fumigating  Greenhouses. — This  practice, 
sometimes  necessary  for  the  destruction  of 
injurious  insects,  has  the  disadvantage  of 
leaving  behind,  for  a  day  or  two,  the  un- 
pleasant odour  of  the  tobacco.  In  the  Gar- 
dener''s  Journal,  Mr.  Tillery,  of  Welbeck, 
mentions  a  remedy,  thus  : — "  I  find  burning 
Cascarilla  bark  is  the  best  'deodorant,'  for  it 
neutralizes  tlie  tobacco  smell,  so  as  to  make 
the  odour  not  disagreeable  to  the  most  fas- 
tidious." The  plants  are  to  be  syringed  as 
soon  as  the  tobacco-smoke  is  nearly  dissipated, 
and  then  the  bark  is  to  be  burned  in  one  or 
two  place?,  till  the  house — kept  close  for  some 
time— is  full  of  the  perfume. 


The  Ivy. — This  plant  is  not  so  much  em- 
ployed as  it  deserves  for  an  ornament  to  the 
garden.  As  a  screen,  its  rapid  growth  makes 
it  invaluable  where  large  buildings  or  walls 
unfit  for  fruit  trees  require  to  be  covered  ; 
and  it  is  equally  suitable  to  be  adopted  as 
an  embellishment  among  shrubs,  particularly 
when  the  majority  are  deciduous.  The  dead 
stump  of  a  tree  covered  with  ivy  is  a  beautiful 
object,  standing  among  the  lighter  beauties  of 
the  shrubbery,  its  massive  and  dark  green 
foliage  growing  handsomer,  as  those  which  re- 
main assume  the  pallid  hue  of  death.  The 
plant  has  a  deep  solemnity  of  look,  and  an 
appearance  of  antiquity.  The  kind  called  Irish 
Ivy  is  the  best  and  quickest  growing  kind,  the 
foliage  being  much  finer  than  the  common  ivy. 
An  ivy  fence  or  screen  may  be  easily  formed 
by  nailing  together  a  few  rough  pieces  of  wood, 
over  and  around  which  the  ivy  will  twist  and 
enwrap  itself,  and  when  it  reaches  the  top,  will 
hang  out  in  waving  masses,  covered  on  every 
side  with  its  umbellate  heads  of  starry  greenish 
blossom. 

Cariiots  in  old  Garden  Ground. — It  is 
well  known  that  there  is  often  a  difficulty  in 
inducing  carrots  to  reach  perfection  in  a  gar- 
den which  has  been  long  under  a  course  of 
cropping.  Mr.  Mcintosh,  gardener  at  Dal- 
keith, writing  to  the  Cottage  Gardener,  ob- 
serves : — The  culture  of  carrots  is  an  object 
of  some  considerable  interest  to  cottagers,  in 
many  of  whose  gardens  they  do  not  often 
succeed.  The  following  simple  plan  has  been 
for  years  practised  in  the  garden  of  the  Earl 
of  Morton,  at  Dalmahoy,  which,  for  many 
years  prior  to  its  adoption,  had  ceased  to  pro- 
duce carrots.  The  seeds  are  sown  in  the  usual 
manner,  and  at  the  usual  time  ;  and  immedi- 
ately after,  a  quantity  of  Scotch  kale  (German 
greens),  or  savoys,  are  planted  promiscuously 
over  the  bed,  about  five  or  six  feet  apart. 
These  are  allowed  to  grow  through  the  sum- 
mer, and  carrots  of  a  large  size  and  free  from 
disease  is  the  result.  Such  is  the  fact, — what 
is  the  cause  ? 

Lime  and  Sand  Floors. — The  plan  here 
explained  may  be  advantageously  employed 
in  various  garden  structures  : — Take  good 
washed  sand,  free  from  all  earth,  and  the 
ashes  of  lime,  as  taken  from  the  lime-kiln,  in 
the  following  proportions,  namely,  two  thirds 
sand,  and  one  third  lime  ashes.  Mix  them 
well  together,  and  let  them  remain  in  a  body 
for  three  days  ;  then  temper  the  mortar,  and 
form  the  floor  with  it  three  inches  thick.  Let 
this  remain  so  formed  three  days,  when  it 
will  bear  treading  by  men,  whose  shoes  must 
be  without  nails.  After  it  is  well  and  equally 
trodden,  beat  it  with  a  flat  wooden  mallet 
every  day  for  two  weeks,  until  it  is  become 
hard,  then  use  a  little  water  on   the  surface, 


48 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


and  smooth  it  with  a  trowel  ;  after  this,  keep 
the  floor  free  of  dirt  and  dust,  sweeping  it  well 
with  a  brush  until  it  is  quite  hard  and  solid. 
Floors  carefully  laid  down  in  this  way  have 
been  known  to  last  for  forty  years,  at  the  cost, 
per  square  yard,  of  five  pence  for  labour,  and 
eight  pence  for  materials — thirteen  pence. 

Anacharis  Alsinastrum  — In  the  Annah 
of  Horticulture  iov  1848  (p.  139,)  this  plant 
was  described,  and  was  mentioned  as  having 
been  in  1 847  found  apparently  wild  in  this 
country.  The  existence  of  some  doubts  as  to 
this  point  was  also  mentioned.  During  the 
summer  of  1848  it  appears,  however,  to  have 
been  met  with  in  some  other  places,  which 
appear  to  remove  any  suspicion  of  its  being 
truly  indigenous  to  this  country.  Dr.  Mit- 
chell found  it  in  the  month  of  September  in 
great  quantities  in  the  river  Leen,  near  Not- 
tingham ;  and  Dr.  Johnstone  of  Berwick  also 
found  it  in  a  truly  wild  locality  in  the  bed  of 
the  Whittadder.  It  also  appears  that  this 
plant  was  found,  by  Dr.  Johnstone,  in  a  pond 
at  Dunse  Castle,  so  long  ago  as  1842,  but 
being  not  then  in  flower  or  fruit,  was  laid  by, 
and  its  name  undetermined.  The  total  sub- 
mersion of  the  plant  accounts  for  its  bav- 
in o-  been  so  long  overlooked  by  British  bo- 
tanists. 

Tarring  Iron  Work. — This  plan,  which 
is  extensively  followed  at  Trentham,  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  is  found  to 
answer  much  better  than  painting.  Out-door 
iron  work,  such  as  rails  and  fencing,  is  referred 
•to.  The  material  used  is,  one-third  of  Stock- 
holm tar  mixed  with  two-thirds  of  gas  tar. 
This  is  laid  on  boiling  hot,  and  in  dry  warm 
weather,  when  the  iron  is  quite  dry.  It  is  laid 
on  with  a  brush,  and  spread  as  thinly  as  pos- 
sible. The  fire  should  be  kept  close  to  the 
work,  in  order  that  it  may  be  used  boiling 
hot,  as  it  can  then  be  spread  much  thinner; 
under  which  circumstances  it  dries  quicker 
and  presents  a  harder  and  smoother  surface. 
The  cost  of  applying  this  to  common  iron  ox- 
hurdles  is  found  to  be  three-eighths  of  a  penny 
per  square  yard ;  and  it  is  computed  to  last 
nine  years. 

Poppy  Seeds  as  Food. — Mr.  Forsyth,  in 
the  Gardener's  Chronicle,  recommends  the  use 
of  the  seeds  of  the  white  poppy  (Papaver 
somniferum)  as  an  article  of  food.  The  seeds 
are  stated  to  be  wholesome  and  nutritious, 
agreeable  to  the  taste,  much  resembling  that 
of  the  kernel  of  a  walnut.  The  quantity  of 
seed  yielded  per  acre,  is  considerably  above 
that  obtained  from  ordinary  bread  corn,  being 
upon  rich  land  above  one  tonj'and  in  poor  soils 
about  eleven  hundred  weight.  The  seed  for 
an  acre  of  this  crop  could  be  had  for  something 
less  than  a  shilling.  The  plant  is  less  likely 
to  become  diseased  than  almost  any  other  crop. 


The  culture  of  this  poppy  must  not  be  looked 
on  as  anything  new  or  speculative,  or  imprac- 
ticable. Thousands  of  acres  are  now  and  have 
for  ages  past  been  devoted  to  its  culture  to 
supply  the  deadly  drug,  opium.  But  the  seeds 
are  wholesome,  and  the  oil  expressed  from 
them  is  similar  in  purity  and  salubrity  to  the 
best  olive  oil.  The  oil  and  the  seeds  are  ar- 
ticles of  commerce. 

Destroying  Snails. — In  the  Florist,  M. 
Braconnot  describes  some  experiments  which 
he  instituted  to  discover  a  ready  means  of 
destroying  snails,  from  which  it  may  be  useful 
to  quote  the  substance.  He  ascertained  that 
lime-water  diluted  with  three  times  its  bulk  of 
water,  was  sufficient  for  their  destruction. 
"Water  scarcely  rendered  alkaline  by  the  ad- 
dition of  potash,  killed  them  still  more  quickly. 
Of  all  the  poisons  which  he  tried,  none  exerted 
so  powerful  and  deleterious  an  effect  upon  the 
snails  as  the  alkalies.  If  a  drop  of  caustic 
ammonia,  or  of  caustic  potash,  be  added  to  a 
quart  of  rain  water,  an  alkaline  solution  will 
be  foi-med  of  such  little  strength,  that  it  scarcely 
affects  delicate  test  paper,  and  causes  no  im- 
pression on  the  organs  of  taste.  If  snails  are 
placed  in  this  solution  they  soon  die,  though,  if 
placed  in  rain  water  alone,  they  escape  out  of 
the  vessel.  He  therefore  concludes  that  a 
weak  solution  of  caustic  potash,  or  soda,  or 
what  would  be  still  more  economical,  the  re- 
fuse lyes  which  have  served  for  the  washing 
of  linen,  diluted  with  water  to  which  a  small 
quantity  of  quick  lime  has  been  added,  will 
prove  a  better  remedy  than  lime  alone  in  the 
state  of  powder,  Avhich  soon,  under  the  action 
of  air,  becomes  converted  into  a  carbonate, 
and  loses  its  poisonous  influence  on  the 
snails. 

Deodar  Cedars. — The  leading  shoot  of 
this  beautiful  Cedar  tree  invariably  curves 
downwards,  though  the  stem  may  be  quite  up- 
right ;  at  least,  this  is  the  case  with  young 
plants.  This  shoot  should  never  be  tied  up 
straight,  under  the  idea  that  by  leaving  it  in 
the  drooping  position  the  stem  will  become 
crooked.  To  tie  them  up  will  be  to  kill  them, 
or  render  them  unhealthy.  As  the  tree  grows, 
they  right  themselves,  and  the  stem  forms 
straight  enough. 

Erica  Watsoni. —  This,  which  appears  to 
be  a  wild  hybrid  heath,  was  found,  in  1847,  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Carclew,  It  seems  to 
be  exactly  intermediate  between  Erica  ciliaris 
— the  handsomest  of  our  wild  heaths — and 
E.  tetralix.  It  seems,  however,  to  range  with 
E.  Mackayana  as  a  variety  of  E.  tetralix, 
rather  than  under  E.  ciliaris.  Mr.  Watson 
found  the  same  form  some  years  since,  and  it 
was  then  named  after  him  by  Mr.  Ben- 
tham,  who  thought  it  a  variety  of  E.  ciliaris. 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    OllANGE    TREE. 


49 


THE  CULTURE  OF  THE  ORANGE  TREE. 


BY  GEORGE  GLENNT,  F.H.S. 


There  is  good  reason  for  believing  that 
this  fruit  would  be  as  easily  and  as  plentifully 
grown  in  this  country  as  any  other  subject 
under  glass,  and  that  the  leading  cause  of  its 
failure  in  nine  places  out  of  ten,  is  ignorance 
and  ill-treatment.  When  we  say  "  failure,"  we 
do  not  mean  that  the  tree  dies,  because  there 
are  plenty  of  living  evidences,  but  that  neither 
fruit  nor  flowers  are  had  with  any  certainty 
or  in  any  quantity,  from  thousands  of  trees 
that  nevertheless  have  leaves  and  exist.  There 
have  been  empirics  who  have  written  on  the 
orange  tree  as  on  many  other  subjects,  and 
nobody  can  form  an  idea  of  the  mischief  which 
such  people  do.  Where  the  soil  is  composed 
of  some  proportions  of  wholesome  loam,  and 
dung,  and  vegetable  mould,  we  can  under- 
stand a  little  difference  in  the  proportions 
used  ;  but  where  a  man  can  sit  down  and 
recommend  all  sorts  of  filthy  nostrums,  we 
can  wish  he  had  been  flogged  at  the  cart's 
tail  before  such  stuff  had  been  printed.  We 
have,  in  the  treatment  of  the  auricula,  had 
occasion  to  reprobate  similar  unwholesome 
composts,  as  freely  directed  to  be  used,  and 
especially  when  the  instructions  emanated  from 
persons  who  had  been  reputed  succet-sful  in  the 
culture.  Mr.  Ayres,  who  has  written  upon 
50. 


the  subject,  gives  the  following  compost : — 

Ten  parts  strong  turf  loam. 

Seven  parts  pigeon's  dung. 

Seven  parts  garbage  from  the  dog-kennel 
or  butcher's  yard. 

Seven  parts  of  sheep -dung. 

Seven  parts  of  good  rotten  horse-dung. 

Ten  parts  of  old  vegetable  mould. 
We  hear  a  good  deal  of  assimilating  the  soil  of 
plants  to  that  in  which  they  flourish  in  their 
natural  habitat,  but  tell  us  in  what  part  of 
the  world  the  natural  soil  would  be  composed 
of  garbage  from  dog-kennels  or  butchers' 
yards.  We  believe  that  the  above  mess  might 
be  mixed  together,  and  be  suffered  so  com- 
pletely to  decompose,  that  in  time  there 
would  be  but  little  if  any  mischief;  just  as 
the  most  violent  poisons  might  be  exposed  to 
the  air  until  their  virulent  qualities  had 
departed  ;  but  there  is  nothing  very  nice  or 
very  natural  in  scraping  together  so  much 
mischief  and  so  much  uncertainty,  to  be  kept 
until  it  has  grown  harmless  by  natui'al  decay. 
Miller,  who  was  a  sound,  practical  man,  and 
seems  in  all  he  has  done  to  have  been  actuated 
by  common  sense,  says  the  best  compost  is, — 

Two-thirds  fresh  earth,  from  a  good  pasture. 

One-third  of  neat's  dung. 

E 


50 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    ORANGE    TREE. 


There  is  nothing  revolting  or   unnatural  in 
this  compost,  which  Miller  directs  should  be 
laid  together  a  year,  and  turned  to  rot  the 
turf ;  but  in  all  the  composts  we  have  recom- 
mended, we  have  considered   the  loam  from  j 
rotted  turves  the  staple,  and,  whatever  may  be  \ 
said  to  the  contrary,  nobody  can  succeed  so  ' 
well  without  this  as  with  it.     The  soil  which 
is  the  result  of  turves  cut  as  if  for  laying  down  j 
as  grass,  or  somewhat  thicker,  is  rich  in  all 
the  essentials  to  healthy  vegetation.     There 
is  in  itself,  when  properly  rotted,   a  third   of 
vegetable  mould,  the  most  useful  and  safe  of  i 
all  manures,  and  there  is  generally  in  pastures  \ 
that  have  been  fed  off,  enough  animal  manure  | 
to  form  it  altogether  into  a  rich  compost,  in 
which  almost  anything  will  grow  welL     But 
Miller  contemplates  the  top  spit  of  the  loam 
of  a  pasture,  which  will  consequently  be  so 
much  the  poorer  than  the  turves  alone  would 
be,  that  the  third  of  neat's  dung  will  be  neces- 
sary.    A   glance    at    a   few   other    composts 
recommended  by  different  writers  may  not  be 
lost,  in  well  studying  the  effect  of  soil  on  the 
health  of  the  trees.    In  Italy  we  are  told  they 
are  grown  in  the  natural  soil,  which  is  strong 
soil,  and  for  this  purpose  richly  manured.    So 
also  at  Genoa  and  Florence.     At  Naples,  the 
soil  is  a  good  deal  of  it  of  volcanic  origin,  yet 
they  thrive  well.     The  French  gardeners,  as 
we  are  told  by  Mr.  Loudon,  on  the  autho- 
rity of  Bosc,  seem  to  fancy  that  the  appe- 
tite of  the  orange  tree  is  like  that  of  a  pig, 
and  that  they  thrive  in    proportion   to   the 
lilthy  nature  of  the  soil  they  are  in.     To  a 
soil  that  is   already  composed  of  a  third  of 
clay,  a  third  of  sand,  and  a  third  of  vegetable 
matter,  in  other  words,  perhaps  a  compost  not 
very  different  to  the  loam  of  rotted  turves,  they 
add  an  equal  bulk  of  half-rotted  cow-dung. 
The  first  soil  is  supposed  to  have  been  three 
years  rotting.     This  cow-dung  is  to  be  mixed, 
and  the  next  year  it  is  to  be  turned  over 
twice.    Thus  is  a  fourth  year  occupied  in  pre- 
paring compost,  and  the  fifth  year  it  is  to  be 
mixed  again  with  one  half  its  bulk  of  rotten 
horse-dung,  and  be  turned  over  two  or  three 
times,  and  the  winter  before  using,  it  is  to  be 
again  mixed  with. 

One-twelfth  rotten  sheep-dung. 
One-twentieth  of  pigeon's  dung. 
One-twentieth  of  dried  night  soil. 

Is  not  this  six  years'  preparation  enough  to 
deter  anybody  from  growing  orange  trees  ? 
that  is  to  say,  if  there  be  any  truth,  or  a  man 
believes  it  all  to  be  necessary  ?  It  is  quite 
ridiculous  to  so  clog  the,  most  simple  and 
easily-managed  operations  with  such  unije- 
cessary  trouble,  even  if  it  were  free  from 
mischief ;  and  we  very  much  doubt  if  it  be,  as 
Mr.  Loudon  affirms,  the  practice  of  the  French 


gardeners.  We  do  not  dispute  that  there 
may  be  such  empirics  in  France  as  well  as  in 
England,  but  we  do  not  join  in  the  libel  upon 
the  good  sense  of  a  whole  class  of  men,  when 
perhaps  the  folly  is  confined  to  one  or  two 
Avhose  fingers  have  itched  for  writing,  and 
who  want  to  be  thought  different  from  every- 
body else,  or,  what  is  very  probably  the 
case  with  all  these  quacks,  want  to  make  the 
difficulties  as  great  as  possible,  that  there  may 
be  the  more  merit  awarded  to  the  writers  for 
their  success  amidst  such  difficulties.  Strange 
to  say,  the  composts  recommended  by  different 
people  vary  so  much,  that  nobody  who  studied 
them  could  fancy  they  were  for  the  same 
plant.  We  are  told  in  the  Encyclopcedia  of 
Gardening,  that  M'Phail  and  Abercrombie, 
who  appear  to  have  written  on  the  subject, 
recommend  the  following  : — 

Three-eighths  four-year-old  cow-dung. 

One-eighth  sheep-dung. 

One-fourth  vegetable  mould  from  the  leaves 
of  trees. 

One-sixth  fine  rich  loam. 

One-twelfth  road  grit. 
In  this  compost  there  are  three-fourths  manure 
to  one-fourth  of  soil  such  as  it  is,  and  the 
loam  may  also  be  charged  with  manure.  It 
is  neither  reasonable  nor  practicable  to  keep 
plants  in  soil  like  this  ;  that  is  to  say,  they 
could  not  be  kept  in  health.  Mean,  as  we  are 
told,  recommends. 

Leaf-mould,  one-half. 

Decomposed  cow-dung,  one-fourth. 

Mellow  loam,  one-fourth. 

with  a  small  quantity  of  road  grit  added  to 
the  compost.  We  hate  anything  so  indefinite 
as  "  small  quantities,"  because  it  must  depend 
on  a  man's  notion  ;  a  small  quantity  may 
mean  a  peck  or  a  bushel ;  it  means  everything, 
it  means  nothing.  But  without  going  to  these 
trifles,  here  is  a  compost  of  three  parts 
manure,  vegetable  and  animal  together,  and 
an  addition  of  a  small  quantity  is  to  be  made 
that  will  alter  the  relative  quantities,  inas- 
much as  sand  is  the  opposite  of  dung  or  vege- 
table manure.  If  there  be  a  bushel  of  com- 
post as  above,  a  peck  of  sand  added  would 
make  the  manure  three-fifths  instead  of  three- 
fourths.  But  apart  from  all  this,  there  is  too 
much  animal  and  vegetable  manure  for  the 
health  of  any  tree  to  be  permanent  in  it,  and 
we  doubt  if  they  ever  tried  it.  We  believe 
that  many  people  who  write  have  found  that 
a  little  of  some  particular  thing  has  improved 
their  growth  of  a  plant,  and  they  have  jumped 
at  the  conclusion  that  if  a  little  made  a  little 
improvement,  a  good  deal  would  make  a  great 
improvement,  and  so  written  what  they  have 
never  tried.  Henderson,  as  we  are  informed, 
recommends, 


THE  CULTURE  OF  THE  ORANGE  TREE. 


51 


Light  brown  mould  (loam  ?),  one  part. 

Peat  (such  as  heaths  grow  in),  one  part. 

Clean  sand,  two  parts. 

Rotten  hot-bed  dung,  one  part. 

Leaf  mould,  one  part. 

Here  we  have  a  compost  consisting  of  two- 
thirds  soil,  and  one-third  manure,  probably  not 
differing  very  materially  from  Miller's.  But 
need  we  wonder  that  a  healthy  orange  tree  is 
a  scarcity,  when  so  many  whims  and  fancies 
sprang  up  among  the  gardeners  of  old,  and 
when  the  Horticultural  Society  of  London 
gives  place  to  communications  recommending 
garbage  from  dog-kennels,  and  other  exciting 
and  unnatural  stuff,  as  the  soil  for  them  to 
grow  in  ?  Few  men  used  to  grow  orange 
trees  in  better  health  than  Ronalds,  of  Brent- 
ford, and  hundreds  of  ill-used  trees,  in  all 
sorts  of  tubs,  boxes,  pots  and  contrivances, 
nevertheless  exhibited  all  the  signs  of  rude 
health,  plenty  of  good  coloured  foliage,  abund- 
ance of  bloom  and  fruit.  There  was  nothing 
poisonous  in  the  soil,  nothing  detrimental  to 
the  growth.  In  our  experience,  (and  we  had 
many  of  his  plants,  some  of  all  sizes,)  we  fol- 
lowed Miller  as  nearly  as  may  be  ;  at  least  we 
began  all  our  composts  with  one  staple  article, 
rotted  turves  cut  rather  thicker  than  they  would 
be  laid  down,  and  when  this  can  be  got  from 
a  good  loamy  pasture,  there  is  nothing  to  be 
so  well  depended  on.  This,  with  one  part  of 
well-rotted  dung  from  an  old  melon  bed  to 
every  two  of  the  loam,  will  grow  almost  every 
thing  well  ;  but  the  orange  tree,  or  the  camel- 
lia, or  myrtle,  will  flourish  in  it  better  than 
in  any  other  compost  that  can  be  tried.  It  is 
true  that  when  the  fruit  is  swelling,  the  tree 
is  the  better  for  an  occasional  watering  with 
liquid  manure,  but  it  must  be  more  carefully 
administered  than  many  are  in  the  habit  of 
doing  it,  and  if  overdone  there  is  more  mis- 
chief done  in  a  short  time,  than  can  be  un- 
done in  a  season  or  two,  and  the  best  way 
when  a  soil  has  been  overcharged  with  any 
particular  manure,  is  to  re-pot  the  plant  as 
soon  as  it  is  discovered.  There  should  never 
be  less  than  two  waterings  with  plain  water 
to  one  of  liquid  manure,  and  even  then  the 
manure  should  not  be  too  strong.  "We  there- 
fore recommend  the  soil  to  be  as  nearly  as 
may  be  composed  of  rotted  turves,  two  parts, 
I'otted  dung  from  a  melon  bed,  one  part ;  or  if 
the  loam  be  poor  instead  of  charged  with 
vegetable  matter,  let  there  be  half  loam,  one- 
fourth  leaf  or  vegetable  mould,  and  one-fourth 
dung.  It  may  be  that  the  loam  is  of  too  stiff 
a  nature  ;  if  so,  a  little  sand,  no  more  than 
sufficient  to  open  it  and  make  it  divide 
easily,  should  be  mixed  with  the  loam  be- 
fore you  measure  it ;  but  as  the  sole  object 
of  the  sand  is  to  prevent  the  loam  from  being 


too  adhesive,  let  there  be  no  more  used  than 
will  accomplish  that  object.  We  prefer,  how- 
ever, above  all  things,  the  loam  of  rotted  turves 
two-thirds,  and  dung  one-third,  well  mixed 
together,  and  broken  through  a  coarse  sieve. 
So  much  for  the  soil. 

THE    CHOICE    OF    PLANTS. 

The  object  in  view  must  determine  the 
choice  of  plants  ;  if  it  be  to  grow  and  enjoy 
the  fruit,  some  of  the  most  beautiful  of  the 
tribe  are  not  edible,  or  rather  are  fit  only  for 
marmalade,  being  very  bitter.  The  Maltese 
or  blood  orange  is  as  rich  as  a  sweetmeat,  the 
peeling  being  as  fine  as  the  juice.  It  is  also 
an  abundant  bearer  ;  but  there  are  several 
other  varieties  of  the  sweet  orange  that  are 
worth  cultivating  in  this  country  for  the  sake 
of  their  fruit.  If,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
trees  are  wanted  for  their  appearance  only, 
and  the  fruit  are  to  be  allowed  to  hang  till 
they  drop,  the  bitter  kinds  are  far  better. 
They  tempt  nobody  to  pluck  them  for  eating, 
and  many  of  them  have  curious,  interesting, 
or  very  handsome  foliage  ;  gold  and  silver 
striped,  myrtle  leaved,  willow  leaved,  plain 
and  striped,  tricolor  striped,  and  many  others, 
showy  as  plants,  but  valueless  as  to  their  fruit. 
"We  recommend  the  sorts  that  can  be  eaten, 
and  have  no  particular  fancy  for  botanical 
curiosities.  A  striped  holly  is  much  handsomer 
than  a  striped  orange.  It  is  a  tribe  of  trees 
that  we  above  all  others  like  to  cultivate,  and 
we  should  confine  ourselves  to  the  really  useful 
varieties.  The  lemon  and  lime  would  have  a 
place  with  us,  and  perhaps  the  citron,  but 
certainly  none  of  the  shaddock  tribe,  for  they 
are  but  mawkish,  flat  things,  and  in  perfection 
are  not  to  be  compared  even  to  a  bad  orange. 
The  plants  then  should  be  chosen  at  a  nursery, 
well-established  but  not  too  large,  in  good 
health,  but  not  rapidly  growing.  Choose 
plants  with  healthy  foliage,  short  joints,  stocky 
and  bushy  habit,  good  spreading  heads  free 
from  weakly  spindly  shoots,  and  the  grafting 
place  or  budding  place  clean,  healthy  and 
neat.  Turn  out  the  balls  without  damage  as 
soon  as  you  get  them  home,  and  if  the  roots 
be  at  all  grown  to  the  sides,  shift  them. 

CHOICE    OF    POTS,    BOXES,    OR    TUBS. 

Ordinary  sized  plants  in  pots,  and  doing  well, 
are  in  our  estimation  better  than  those  in 
boxes  or  small  tubs  ;  but  when  plants  have 
been  shifted  time  after  time  until  they  are  in 
peck  pots,  they  may  be  removed  to  tubs  or 
boxes,  because  they  become  unwieldy,  and  it 
is  only  in  wooden  vessels  that  we  can  conve- 
niently make  provision  for  lifting  about  with 
poles.  Tubs  are  better  than  boxes,  because 
the  roots  spread  all  round  alike,  and  there  is 
the  same  quantity  of  soil  on  all  sides,  whereas 

E  2 


52 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    ORANGE    TREE. 


in  a  square  this  is  unequal ;  the  roots  are,  next 
the  flat  sides,  growing  too  hard  before  the 
corners  can  be  filled  up  with  them.  There 
should  be  hooks  of  iron  fastened  to  the  sides, 
so  that  by  putting  two  poles  under  them  two 
men  can  remove  very  heavy  trees  without 
difficulty.  The  inside  of  whatever  it  maybe, 
box  or  tub,  should  be  pitched  all  over  well. 
Plants  are  aided  by  pitch  rather  than  injured, 
and  the  roots  naturally  cling  to  it  wherever 
it  may  be  found.  The  bottoms  of  carnation 
sticks  are  frequently  pitched  to  prevent  them 
from  rotting  ;  one  of  these  could  not  be  pulled 
up  at  the  end  of  the  season  without  dragging 
the  plant  out  with  it,  for  the  roots  will  have 
matted  round  it,  while  one  that  was  merely 
charred  before  use,  would  leave  the  pot  with- 
out disturbing  a  fibre.  Tubs  or  boxes  should 
have  a  number  of  small  holes  in  the  lowest 
part  of  the  bottom,  otherwise  water  would 
lodge,  and  this  is  always  detrimental.  The 
bottoms  of  tubs  are  often  highest  in  the  middle, 
where  the  holes  are,  but  if  the  sides  are  low- 
est, a  dozen  gimlet-boles  should  be  made  round, 
otherwise  the  wet  would  lie,  and  rot  the  tub 
as  well  as  the  roots. 

SHIFTING    THE    PLANTS. 

If  you  find,  on  turning  out  the  balls,  that 
the  roots  are  matted,  and  the  ball  hard,  it  will 
be  necessary  to  soak  it  a  while  in  water ;  and 
if  the  soil  appears  too  clogged,  it  may  be  de- 
sirable to  wash  it  out  from  the  roots  ;  in  that 
•  case  you  will  be  obliged  to  reduce  the  plant, 
otherwise  it  will  receive  a  check  and  flag, 
perhaps,  so  that  the  washing  of  the  roots  must 
be  avoided  if  the  soil  looks  at  all  congenial. 
If  the  plants  are  in  boxes,  such  as  they  are 
imported  in  from  France,  Italy,  and  Belgium, 
remove  them  into  pots  whether  they  require 
a  shift  or  nor,  for  we  object  altogether  to  the 
square  boxes  :  they  are  very  well  in  export- 
ing, they  pack  close,  and  the  confinement  to 
the  plants  for  the  time  is  no  object  ;  but  when 
growing,  the  plants  should  be  clear  of  each 
other ;  the  most  distant  branches  should  not 
touch  ;  there  should  not  only  be  room  to 
grow,  but  the  air  and  light  should  be  admitted 
freely,  which  cannot  be  the  case  if  they  are  at 
all  close.  One-half  the  plants  of  every  de- 
scription localised  in  England,  are  damaged 
by  the  disposition  to  crowd  as  many  as  pos- 
sible into  a  small  compass.  In  shifting  them 
from  the  square  boxes  to  round  pots,  the  roots 
should  not  be  disturbed  when  it  can  be  avoided. 
Of  course  there  is  no  objection  to  rubbing  off 
any  of  the  soil  that  can  be  Removed  without 
disturbing  the  fibres,  both  from  the  corners 
and  the  surface  ;  but  if  the  roots  have  grown 
into  the  corners  of  the  box,  the  round  pot 
must  be  large  enough  to  take,  in  the  square 


without  any  violence.  They  must  be  gently 
watered  to  settle  the  new  soil  to  the  roots  ; 
and  as  we  have  before  observed,  if  the  ball  is 
hard  and  diy,  the  soaking  is  necessary,  for  the 
hard  dry  ball  would  never  be  penetrated  by 
ordinary  watering,  for  it  would  run  thi'ough 
the  new  soil,  and  leave  the  centre  as  dry  as 
ever  ;  for  the  purpose  of  preventing  this  after- 
wards, it  may  be  necessary  to  run  a  sharp  iron 
rod  through  the  ball  from  the  surface  in  seve- 
ral places.  The  plants  should  then  be  placed 
in  the  greenhouse,  each  having  plenty  of 
room,  and  the  temperature  ought  never  to  be 
less  than  40°.  These  will  soon  grow,  and  as 
their  heads  progress,  the  pots  will  fill  with 
roots.  Like  all  other  fruiting  plants,  the  potted 
plants  can  be  brought  into  bearing  much 
sooner  than  those  planted  out  in  the  conser- 
vatory, and  both  flowers  and  fruit  will  be 
produced  annually  until  they  arrive  at  a  size 
fit  to  plant  out.  The  shifting  is  best  done  in 
the  spring,  and  they  should  be  watered  all 
over  the  leaves  with  a  syringe,  as  well  as  the 
soil  in  the  pot.  It  has  been  the  practice  with 
some  to  shift  orange-trees  but  once  in  two 
years  ;  but  while  they  are  of  a  manageable 
size,  once  a-year  is  better.  Keep  them  in  the 
greenhouse  all  the  year  ;  the  placing  them 
out  of  doors  in  summer  subjects  them  to  con- 
tinual checks,  sometimes  for  want  of  water, 
the  sun  and  wind  drying  them  much  faster 
than  most  people  imagine.  In  shifting  them 
the  second  year,  as  the  pots  are  larger,  they 
require  more  attention.  The  drainage  must 
be  secured  by  crocks,  charcoal,  or  coal-ashes, 
or  a  mixture  of  them,  all  over  the  bottom, 
one-fourth  of  the  height  of  the  inside,  until 
it  is  three  inches  thick,  beyond  which  it  is  not 
necessary  to  go,  however  large  the  tub  or  pot. 
If  the  roots  appear  rotten  and  unhealthy,  they 
must  be  pruned  in  a  little,  and  in  some  cases 
the  same  sized  pot  will  do  instead  of  a  larger; 
but  if  the  roots  are  healthy  they  need  not  be 
disturbed.  In  this  way,  giving  fresh  pots 
every  spring,  they  will  soon  be  too  large  for 
pots  at  all,  and  then  we  must  obtain  half- 
tubs.  The  same  kind  of  drainage  will  do  ; 
they  must  still  be  as  distant  from  each  other, 
in  proportion,  as  when  younger  ;  no  two 
trees  ought  to  be  near  enough  to  let  the  closest 
of  their  leaves  touch,  and  when  large  there 
ought  to  be  six  or  eight  inches  clear  between 
the  heads,  and  a  foot  or  more  would  be  better. 
The  changes  from  pots  to  tubs,  and  from  small 
tubs  to  larger  ones,  should  go  on,  by  right,  as 
long  as  you  intend  the  tree  to  grow  larger, 
the  compost  the  same,  watering  well  attended 
to,  and  all  the  summer,  or  from  March  to 
September,  the  syringing  over  the  leaves 
should  be  persevered  in  once  a-day.  Many 
omit  this  while  the  flowers  are  in  perfection  ; 
but  we  recommend  a  finer  rose,  so  that  instead 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    ORANGE    TREE. 


53 


of   ducking   them,   the   moisture  should  fall 
almost  as  fine  as  dew. 

PEIJNIKG. 

The  flowers  and  fruit  are  produced  on  the 
young  wood  of  the  current  season  in  a  general 
waj,  although  there  will  occasionally  be  a  few 
bunches  come  on  two-year-old  wood.  The 
pruning,  therefore,  should  be  done  with  two 
or  tliree  objects  ;  first,  to  keep  the  branches 
from  being  too  numerous,  and  thereby  making 
the  foliage  too  thick,  so  as  to  exclude  air  and 
light  to  a  great  part  of  the  head  ;  secondly, 
to  check  those  branches  which  grow  too 
vigorously  for  the  rest  of  the  tree  ;  thirdly, 
to  remove  old  and  bare  wood,  and  make  way 
for  the  young.  In  pruning  to  keep  the  head 
thin  and  open,  the  weakest  branches  should  be 
removed  altogether,  and  this  should  be  done 
in  February  or  March,  before  the  spring 
growth  ;  no  fruit-tree  requires  more  care  in 
this  particular.  All  fruit  is  the  better  for  light 
and  air  ;  half  our  orchard-trees  are  literally 
spoiled  for  want  of  the  knife  and  saw ;  the 
sun  rarely  penetrates  the  interior  ;  whatever 
fruit  there  may  be  in  the  middle,  or  towards 
the  middle  of  a  tree,  is  smaller  and  coarse 
flavoured  ;  whereas  if  the  heads  were  kept 
thinner  of  branches  they  would  be  as  fine  as 
those  outside.  With  the  orange-tree  this  is 
the  more  requisite,°because,  being  an  ever- 
green, it  is  always  alike.  The  tree  has  not 
even  the  benefit  Avhich  even  a  badly  managed 
deciduous  tree  has  at  the  fall  of  the  leaf.  All 
the  little  spindly  wood  that  has  come  weakly, 
should  be  taken  close  oflf.  Some  of  the 
branches  may  be  advantageously  cut  off"  or 
shortened,  due  regard  being  had  to  the  shape 
of  the  head.  All  the  shoots  below  the  head 
should  be  taken  off  while  young ;  and  in  a 
general  way,  a  shortened  branch  sends  out 
young  wood  and  flower,  unless  it  be  shortened 
too  much,  when  the  growth  of  the  young 
wood  may  be  too  vigorous  to  bloom,  and  so 
spoil  the  appearance.  The  pruning  to  keep 
the  tree  from  growing  to  an  ill  shape,  through 
some  branches  taking  to  rapid  growth  to  the 
detriment  of  others,  requires  but  little  judg- 
ment ;  but  it  is  well  that  even  these  should 
be  shortened  no  more  than  necessary.  If  it 
can  be  spared  altogether,  cut  it  off  close  to  the 
stock.  With  regard  to  the  removal  of  old 
and  barren  wood,  it  must  be  done  with  care. 
A  succession  of  young  branches  must  be 
nursed  before  it  is  taken  away  altogether ; 
sometimes  it  is  necessary  to  remove  it  only 
a  portion  of  the  way  ;  as  when  healthy  shoots 
are  running  out  from  it,  in  which  case  it  should 
only  be  cut  back  to  the  first  healthy  sboot. 
But  there  is  another  kind  of  pruning  appli- 
cable to  old  trees,  which  it  is  difficult  to  shift; 
for  as  the  nourishment  is  more  limited,  the 


tree  must  have  less  to  do.  Sharpish  pruning 
is  then  necessary.  Every  season  will  bring 
with  it  a  fresh  necessity  for  the  free  use  of 
the  knife.  We  are  told  that  in  France  they 
actually  cut  back  the  heads  so  much,  about 
every  seventh  or  eighth  season,  that  the  tree 
is  three  years  recovering  itself ;  we  prefer 
continual  care  and  watchfulness,  that  the  tree 
may  not  be  made  unsightly  ;  and  when  the 
plant  will  no  longer  grow  well  and  cannot 
have  an  increased  quantity  of  soil,  there  is  no 
remedy  but  a  violent  one  ;  violent  pruning  of 
both  head  and  root,  and  a  move  into  a  smaller 
tub  to  undergo  its  shifts  again.  This  should 
be  done  in  the  spring,  before  it  begins  to  grow, 
but  the  operation  may  be  protracted  a  long 
while  by  timely  sharp  pruning  and  the  appli- 
cation of  top  dressing  and  liquid  manure, 
when  the  tub  is  filled  with  roots,  and  begins 
to  feel  a  lack  of  its  ordinary  nourishment. 
It  is  not  the  orange  alone  that  is  in  danger  of 
ill  health,  when  the  pot  or  tub  gets  full  of 
roots.  The  nourishment  being  very  limited, 
must  be  increased  by  extreme  vigilance  in 
watering,  by  the  occasional  use  of  liquid  manure, 
and  by  top  dressing,  which  is  in  its  operation 
very  like  it,  because  the  ordinary  water  carries 
it  down,  and  it  may  as  well  be  deposited  in 
the  water  at  once. 

ORANGES   AS   WALL-FRUIT. 

Orange  trees  may  be  grown  on  a  south  wall, 
but  should  be  glassed  in  winter  and  covered 
against  frost  ;  or  they  may  be  planted  in  a 
border  against  the  wall  of  a  grapery,  where 
the  rafters  only  are  used  for  the  vines  ;  or  in 
a  pinery.  The  branches  then  must  be  trained 
carefully,  the  branches  spread  out  well,  and 
the  young  wood  on  which  fruit  are  set  must 
be  supported,  because  they  will  not  be  so 
robust  as  when  on  standards,  and  the  fruit 
will  be  heavier.  The  training  and  pruning 
bears  the  same  relation  to  standards  as  that 
of  pear-trees  ;  the  saving  of  bearing  branches, 
the  removal  of  old  barren  ones,  the  neat  and 
uniform  disposal  of  those  that  are  to  remain, 
so  that  they  be  not  iii  each  other's  way,  and 
fastening  the  young  wood  with  its  fruit,  so  as 
to  derive  support  without  being  in  any  way 
cramped.  The  borders  should  be  well  di  ained  ; 
the  soil  as  directed  for  pots ;  the  trees  planted 
with  the  collar  close  to  the  surface.  When 
planted  against  a  south  wall,  the  plants  should 
be  dwarf,  and  the  nearer  they  are  trained  to 
the  ground,  the  better.  The  glass  should  fit 
against  sloping  supports,  and  there  should  be 
partitions  for  each  tree  ;  the  wall  should  be 
coped,  to  prevent  the  wet  running  down  the 
surface  ;  about  two,  or  if  narrow,  three  lights 
to  a  tree.  The  partitions  being  to  prevent  the 
draught  or  current  of  air  tliat  w^ould  run  from 
end  to  end,  perhaps  every  third  support  might 


54 


THE  CULTURE  OP  THE  ORA.NGE  TREE. 


be  a  partition.  If  this  wall  be  used  at  the 
back  as  a  depository  for  hot  stable  dung 
during  the  winter  months,  it  would  be  found 


sufficient  for  all  the  purposes,  whether  the 
trees  be  used  for  their  flowers  only  or  for 
flowers  and  fruit.  It  is  quite  certain  that  the 
bloom  is  now  an  article  of  commerce,  and  at 
particular  seasons  brings  much  more  than  the 
value  of  an  orange,  so  that  where  the  cost  is 
nothing  but  the  glass  and  the  use  of  the  dung, 
such  a  contrivance  would  pay  well  even  in 
a  commercial  view.  It  is  the  custom  in 
France  to  thin  the  flowers,  and  leave  on  only 
a  moderate  quantity  to  bring  fruit  ;  but  there 
the  flowers  are  used  as  preserves  or  for  distil- 
lation ;  here  they  are  only  valued  as  cut 
flowers  for  bouquets  ;  and  although  we  have 
seen  them  made  French  fashion,  with  wires 
through  the  single  pips  of  flowers,  the 
bouquets  thus  formed  are  little  better  than 
bunches  of  artiiicial  flqwers.  It  is  a  con- 
temptible fashion,  and  such  as  the  higher 
classes  will  discard,  changing  the  fashion  to 
half  a  dozen  sprigs,  or  may-be  a  single  sprig, 
instead  of  a  mass  patched  up  for  an  hour  and 
hung  on  wires,  like  so  many  children's  play- 
tliings.  Here,  therefore,  it  would  be  the 
bunches  of  bloom  to  thin,  instead  of  the  indi- 
vidual flowers  in  a  bunch  ;  and  this  might  be 
done  sometimes  to  advantage,  for  the  bunches 
are  occasionally  very  numerous.  Air  may  be 
given  in  mild  weather,  but  not  when  the 
temperature  out  of  doors  is  below  40°,  and 
never  in  windy  weather.  Not  more  than  one 
fruit  should  be  allowed  to  swell  on  a  bunch  ; 
they  should  be  thinned  when  they  are  about 
the  size  of  a  green  gooseberry,  to  two,  and 
directly  it  is  seen  which  of  them  takes  the 
lead,  or  promises  to  be  the  most  handsome, 
the  worst  should  be  taken  away.  These  trees 
will  rarely  require  water  ;  the  roots  will  seek 
for  themselves  the  moisture  required,  but  the 
syringing  once  a-day  will  be  beneficial,  and 
they  may  be  shaded  during  the  mid-day  sun, 
in  the  eai-ly  months,  by  transparent  cloth. 
In  June  there  will  be  no  artificial  heat  re- 
quired, so  the  dung  may  be  removed,  and  it 
must  be  remembered  that  in  the  hard  winter 
the  glasses  must  be  thickly  matted,  notwith- 
standing the  heat  imparted  by  the  dung.  Of 
course  other  contrivances  may  be  used  for 
warming  walls,  and  it  is  scarcely  worth  enter- 
ing the  field  as  the  champion  of  any  one  sort 
of  heating,  now  there  are  so  many  answering 
the  same  purpose.  We  have  had  oranges  on 
a  south  wall  without  any  artificial  heat,  but 


they  required  great  attention  in  covering  up, 
whenever  there  was  an  inclination  to  cold, 
and  always  double-matting  at  night,  in  the 
winter  months.  The  trees  grow  vigorously 
when  their  roots  are  in  the  open  ground,  and 
the  border  has  been  made  for  them.  About  two 
feet  deep  of  the  proper  soil  is  required,  and 
below  that  there  should  be  a  bottom  of  brick 
rubbish  a  foot  thick. 

AS  STANDARDS  IN  A  CONSERVATORY, 

There  is  scarcely  a  subject  in  the  British 
gardens  so  well  adapted  for  a  conservatory,  as 
an  orange  tree  ;  and  when  they  have  been 
grown  to  the  full  size  we  have  described,  in 
the  largest  tubs,  they  should,  if  practicable,  be 
turned  out,  but  not  unless  there  be  ample 
room  for  the  development  of  their  natural  un- 
restrained branches  ;  and  be  it  remembered, 
they  form  noble  objects,  worthy  of  a  house  to 
themselves  ;  for  they  are,  when  at  maturity, 
or  approaching  it,  always  beautiful ;  they  will 
exhibit  fruit  ripe  and  unripe,  and  bloom  at 
the  same  time,  and  if  the  place  be  suited  to 
them,  be  continually  yielding  fruit  in  per- 
fection ;  and  when  we  consider  the  general 
appearance  of  one  of  these  trees  in  perfection, 
we  think  almost  every  thing  might  give  place. 
An  orange  tree  in  the  centre  of  a  conservatory, 
is  an  ornament  worthy  of  the  very  best  asso- 
ciates, and  forms  a  beautiful  object  among 
the  noble  flowers  of  the  Camellia  j  aponica,  the 
Hoveas,  Azaleas,  Rhododendrons,  and  other 
gay  subjects.  The  only  care  required,  is  the 
occasional  cutting  of  an  ill-growing  branch, 
the  removal  of  barren  wood,  and  the  cutting 
out  of  any  light  thin  spindly  shoots,  that  now 
and  then  will  come  in  the  heart  of  the  tree. 

RAISING    FROM    SEED,    AND    INARCHING. 

The  objects  to  be  attained  in  raising  this 
tribe  from  seed  are,  first,  to  procure  new  va- 
rieties ;  secondly,  to  provide  stocks-for  graft- 
ing, budding,  and  inarching  the  known  va- 
rieties upon.  Choose  the  ripest  fruits,  and 
the  best  sorts ;  make  up  a  hot-bed  as  if  for 
cucumbers  or  melons,  in  the  spring  of  the 
year,  and  sow  the  seeds  in  compost  such  as  we 
have  recommended  for  plants,  in  a  wide- 
mouthed  [)Ot,  the  seeds  an  inch  or  so  apart. 
When  they  have  come  up  and  expanded  their 
second  pair  of  leaves,  pot  them  singly,  in 
pots  size  forty-eight  of  any  of  the  potteries, 
and  replace  them  in  the  hot-bed  ;  give  an  oc- 
casional watering,  and  proper  air  by  tilting 
the  glass  a  little  behind.  If  the  bed  declines 
in  heat,  take  away  the  outside  linings,  and 
renew  them  with  hot  stable  dung  ;  as  soon  as 
the  pots  fill  with  roots,  shift  into  others,  size 
thirty-two,  and  during  all  the  time,  the  plants 
must  be  shaded  from  the  mid-day  sun,  but 
they  must  not  be  darkened.     As  the  plants  get 


THE  CULTURE  OF  THE  ORANGE  TREE. 


55 


nearer  tlie  glass  and  require  room,  the  bed  will 
have  again  declined  enough  to  allow  of  the 
pots  being  sunk,  and  in  July  the  glasses  them- 
selves may  be  raised  a  little.  If  the  pots 
again  fill  with  I'oots,  which  they  may  by  August, 
remove  them  into  the  greenhouse,  giving  them 
plenty  of  room  on  the  shelves,  and  treat  them 
as  established  plants.  If  they  are  for  stocks, 
you  will  continue  to  grow  them  until  they  are 
the  size  you  wish  them  to  be  for  use.  If  for 
new  varieties,  the  sooner  they  are  inarched  on 
other  strong  stocks,  the  sooner  they  will 
bloom  and  bear  ;  for  this  purpose,  they  must 
be  taken  to  the  stocks  that  they  are  to  be  tried 
on,  and  their  pots  so  adjusted  by  props  or  other- 
wise, that  they  may  be  level  with  the  portion 
of  stock  to  which  they  are  to  be  united.  A 
clean  cut  on  the  side  of  the  stock,  clear  through 
the  bark,  must  be  made  on  the  side  next  the 
plant,  and  the  portion  to  be  united  must  be 
cut  nearly  half  through,  perfectly  flat,  so  as 
to  fit  against  the  stock,  where  it  must  be  tied 
so  that  the  bark  of  the  stock  on  one  side  the 
cut,  and  the  bark  of  the  branch,  may  come 
in  contact,  No  matter  how  much  of  the 
cut  on  the  stock  shows,  so  that  the  bark  of 
the  plant  engrafted  is  in  contact  with  the 
bark  on  one  side  of  the  cut,  which  in  a  large 
stock  is  always  wider  than  the  cut  of  the 
branch,  and  unless  it  be  a  large  stock,  it  might 
as  well  be  on  its  own  plant.  When  this  has 
been  tied  a  few  weeks,  it  will  have  united,  and 
that  part  of  the  stock  which  is  above  the  union 
may  be  cut  down,  and  the  plant  below  the 
union  may  be  secured.  The  engrafted  poi'tion 
now  becomes  the  plant,  and  the  increased 
vigour  of  a  well-established  stock  will  bring 
the  flower  and  fruit  two  or  three  years  sooner 
than  if  its  own  original  root  had  to  maintain 
it.  But  it  will  naturally  occur  to  the  grower, 
that  to  try  many  seedlings  would  be  involving 
great  expense,  occupy  great  room,  and  be 
very  troublesome.  On  this  account,  it  is  the 
practice  only  to  select  such  seedlings  as  indi- 
cate novelty  ;  probably  in  hundreds  of  seed- 
lings, not  half  a  dozen  would  be  thought  worth 
the  trouble.  The  habit  of  the  young  plant 
may  be  different  to  ordinary  stocks  ;  the 
foliage,  or  some  other  peculiaritj^,  or  its  likeness 
to  some  approved  sort,  may  determine  the 
raiser  to  try,  but  otherwise  they  are  all  allowed 
to  grow,  to  be  used  as  stocks  for  others.  Those 
therefore  in  the  habit  of  raising  seedlings, 
have  soon  a  number  of  stocks  for  the  second 
year  to  work  approved  varieties  on,  and  in 
three  or  four  years,  with  good  attention,  large 
enough  to  try  seedlings  upon. 

PROPAGATING    BY    GRAFTING. 

Grafting  by  inarching  we  have  already 
described  in  the  raising  of  new  varieties 
from  seed  ;  it  is  also  applicable  to  propagating 


approved  sorts,  and  enables  us  to  use  a  much 
larger  branch,  or  a  branch  Avitli  fruit  on  it. 
Other  modes  of  grafting  are  done  with  detached 
scions,  and  may  be  varied  much.  Grafting 
is  simply  uniting,  in  a  join  perfectly  fitting 
every  way,  a  piece  of  one  tree  on  a  portion  of 
another  tree.  The  stocks,  which  are  two  sea- 
sons old  before  they  are  well  adapted  for  the 
operation,  are  raised  from  seed  or  cuttings  ;  the 
former  are  the  better.  The  scions  are  best 
when  they  are  the  same  size  as  the  stock  ; 
this  should  for  dwarf  plants  be  cut  down 
within  two  or  three  inches  of  the  surface,  a 
sloping  cut  should  be  made,  and  the  scion 
should  be  also  cut  in  a  slope  to  fit ;  these  require 
only  to  be  bound  together  with  bass  matting, 
or  coarse  worsted,  and  covered  with  grafting 
wax,  or  grafting  clay,  the  former  made  with 
bees-wax  and  resin,  equal  parts,  and  sufficient 
tallow  to  make  it  melt  at  a  temperature  that 
will  allow  of  its  application  in  a  melted  state, 
without  scalding  the  wood,  and  to  harden  in 
the  ordinary  atmosphere,  even  in  summer  ; 
the  other  is  made  with  well -beaten  clay,  mixed 
with  neat's  dung,  fresh,  which,  when  well 
kneaded  together,  makes  a  pliable  composition 
coat,  which  will  not  crack  when  dry.  This 
covering  is  to  keep  off  the  external  air.  The 
operation  is  performed  in  the  spring,  before 
they  begin  growing,  and  it  is  very  soon  dis- 
covered whether  the  grafts  have  taken  or  not. 
Two-year-old  wood  is  the  best  to  use  for 
scions,  and  the  place  of  contact  with  the  stock 
may  be  any  age.  Standard  plants  are  usually 
grafted  at  the  height  the  stems  are  to  be, 
after  the  manner  of  the  rose.  It  is  a  common 
practice  abroad  to  put  on  two  grafts,  one  on 
each  side  a  strong  stock  ;  our  opinion,  grounded 
on  experience,  is  against  more  than  one ;  their 
plan  leaves  a  flat  top,  on  which  the  wet  lodges, 
and  often  rots  the  centre,  whereas  by  sloping 


the  stock,  and  only  inserting  one  graft,  you 
have  a  much  more  sightly  union,  and  the  stock 
continues  as  sound  as  possible.  The  stocks  for 
standards  must  not  only  be  a  given  age,  say 
i\ve  years  or  more,  but  the  lateral  branches 
must  have  been  removed  all  up  the  stem  the 
whole  time,  and  only  the  top  few  branches 


56 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    ORANGE   TREE, 


be  allowed  to  grow  every  year,  therefore  there 
would  be  the  under  branches  taken  away,  and 
all  undergrowth  completely  stopped.  The  graft 
having  taken,  the  management  of  the  head 
is  very  simple  ;  the  first  year,  cut  down  to 
two  eyes,  or  three  at  the  most  ;  the  second, 
shorten  all  the  branches  to  two  eyes  ;  the  third, 
remove  those  which  are  useless,  or  in  the  way 
of  the  others,  and  only  shorten  where  there  is 
not  sufficient  wood  to  fill  out.  The  pruning 
then  may  go  on  as  before  directed  for  esta- 
blished plants,  for  such  they  are.  Among  the 
various  modes  of  grafting  for  dwarf  plants  or 
standards,  we  like  the  saddle  graft,  the  cleft 
graft  ;  in  short,  so  that  a  piece  of  two-year- 
old  wood  with  one  or  more  buds  on  it,  be  cut 
so  as  to  fit  a  stock  of  two  years  or  more  of  age, 
it  will  unite  and  make  a  plant,  and  the  plan 
to  be  adopted  may  be  varied  to  suit  the  several 
kinds  of  scions  or  buds  that  can  be  most  easily 
procured. 

RAISING    BY    CUTTINGS. 

There  are  various  modes  adopted.  Wood 
of  two  years  old  requires  a  cold  frame,  and 
the  result  is  not  certain.  Wood  of  one  year  old, 
that  has  done  growing,  r^equires  bottom  heat. 
The  former  is  adopted  after  sharp  pruning  in 
the  spring,  to  give  all  the  wood  a  chance  of 
striking  ;  the  latter  is  adopted  as  a  matter  of 
business.  Plant  in  the  same  soil  they  are 
grown  in,  cover  with  a  bell  glass,  water  and 
plunge  them  in  tan  or  a  hot-bed  not  too  pow- 
erful. Wipe  the  glasses  every  morning, 
shade  from  the  burning  sun,  and  when  struck, 
'pot  into  forty-eights,  thirty-twos,  and  twenty- 
fours  successively,  as  the  plants  advance  and 
fill  their  previous  ones  with  roots.  No  dif- 
ference is  required  between  the  treatment  of 
seedling  plants  and  struck  cuttings.  While 
young  they  must  be  shaded  ;  in  all  other  re- 
spects they  should  be  the  same.  The  cuttings 
of  more  matured  wood  that  have  been  put  into 
a  cold  frame  will  in  three  or  four  months  have 
struck  or  died  or  callused.  If  the  latter,  they 
may  be  put  in  separate  small  pots,  be  sub- 
mitted to  bottom  heat,  with  a  bell  glass  over 
them,  and  they  will  soon  push  roots,  when 
they  must  be  treated  like  established  plants, 
and  be  changed  as  soon  as  the  pots  are  filled 
with  roots. 

GENERAL    REMARKS. 

The  Orange  tree  has  been  set  down  among 
neglected  plants,  and  many  in  this  country 
which  still  exist  have  perhaps  never  had  a 
change  of  soil  for  many  years.  Constant 
top-dressing,  perhaps,  keeps  tlrem  alive  though 
not  in  health,  and  they  drag  on  a  miserable 
existence,  yielding  neither  flowers  nor  fruit, 
except  almost  by  accident,  and  becoming  un 


sightly  and  valueless.  It  would  be  invidious 
to  mention  names,  but  we  have  recently  paid 
visits  to  an  establishment  in  which  the  gar- 
dener takes  no  heed  of  the  orange,  lemon^ 
citron,  and  lime  trees,  and  literally  does 
nothing  but  remove  them  into  the  orangery 
(as  a  dark,  miserable  room,  with  a  brick  wall 
for  the  back,  and  plastered  ceiling  for  the  top, 
and  half  a  dozen  arched  windows  to  the  ground, 
is  called)  in  the  fall  of  the  year  ;  and  putting 
them  out  on  the  lawn  in  the  summer,  lets 
them  take  their  chance  ;  the  consequence  is, 
they  live  and  that  is  all.  On  remonstrating 
with  him  upon  their  condition,  all  he  could 
say  was,  they  were  too  old  to  be  trifled  with, 
and  "  he  was  afraid  to  tackle  them."  It  was 
clear  that  he  did  not  understand  them.  He 
had  read  what  this  man  said  and  the  other 
had  said,  and  found  them  contradicting  each 
other  on  the  very  soil  they  grew  them  in, 
and  therefore  there  was  no  chance  of  knowing 
what  to  do  ;  they  had  not  been  shifted  since 
he  had  been  there,  and  that  was  five  years,  and 
he  did  not  see  any  difference  in  them  from 
what  they  were  when  he  came.  But  this  is  not 
an  isolated  instance,  it  is  the  case  with  many 
establishments,  and  likely  to  continue  so,  unless 
the  employers  rouse  their  gardeners  to  a  sense 
of  the  fact,  that  the  whims  of  the  new  school 
do  not  compensate  for  the  neglect  of  duties 
that  were  performed  by  the  old.  The  decayed 
state  of  the  Physic  Gardens  at  Chelsea,  and 
the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew,  until  we  routed 
the  authorities  up  a  little,  was  only  a  sample 
of  hundreds  of  private  establishments  in  which 
the  proper  duties  of  the  gardener  were  neg- 
lected for  some  whimsical  tomfoolery  that  did 
no  good  to  the  employer  or  the  employed. 
Nothing  will  sooner  make  a  good  show  in  some 
establishments  we  could  mention,  than  a  com- 
plete reformation  in  the  condition  of  the  orange 
tribe.  We  say  by  them  as  we  said  by  Kew 
Gardens  and  Chelsea, — have  them  in  proper 
condition,  or  do  away  with  them. 

MONTHLY    TREATMENT. 

January. — All  the  orange  and  lemon  tribe 
should  now  be  housed,  and  if  the  temperature 
out  of  doors  be  forty,  or  upwards,  they  may 
have  all  the  air  that  can  be  given  ;  but  if 
below  that,  they  should  be  closed,  and  the  house 
kept  up  to  forty  degrees,  (whichis  the  minimum 
heat  to  be  kept  up,)  either  by  matting  the  house, 
or  if  necessary  by  the  aid  of  a  little  fire  in  the 
flue.  They  should  not  be  kept  wet  during  the 
winter  season,  for  whether  mild  or  otherwise 
they  will  not  be  doing  much  in  the  way  of 
growth.  A  strange  notion  entertained  by 
some  of  the  old  writers  cannot  be  too  soon  got 
rid  of,  though  there  are  too  many  books  always 
being  made  up  from  old  writings  by  people 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    ORANGE    TREE. 


57 


\\'ho  never,  perhaps,  grew  the  plants  they  pre- 
tend to  write  about,  to  get  rid  of  such  foolish 
instruction  altogether ;  and  so,  because  some- 
body once  wrote  a  foolish  thing,  we  are  con- 
stantly served  up  with  it,  generation  after 
generation,  without  the  exercise  of  common 
sense.  The  notion  we  speak  of  is  that  of 
having  dai'k  orangeries,  as  if  the  tree  flourished 
better  in  an  unnatural  state.  The  orange  tree 
requires  as  much  light  as  any  subject  in  culti- 
vation, yet  we  were  told,  up  to  a  late  period, 
that  the  north  wall  of  an  orange  house  may  be 
opaque  ;  and  practically,  this  tribe  have  been 
treated  as  if  the  light  were  an  objection  ; 
many  of  the  old  orangeries  have  not  even  a 
glass  roof.  All  this  is  a  mistake.  An  orange 
tree  will  flourit-h  nowhere  so  well  as  in  the 
conservatory,  which  is  glass  to  the  ground, 
and  all  over  alike  light ;  the  principal  object 
during  the  winter  months  is  to  keep  the 
temperature  at,  or  above,  forty  degrees. 

February. — Before  the  plants  begin  their 
summer  growth,  do  what  pruning  is  required. 
Shorten  any  branches  that  have  grown  out  of 
form,  and  remove  altogether  such  shoots  as  are 
in  each  other's  way  ;  then  cut  the  heads,  so 
that  light  and  air  and  sun  can  find  their  way 
through  the  branches  :  nothing  conduces  more 
to  the  health  and  vigour  of  the  tree  than  these 
judicious  prunings.  If  any  require  shifting, 
now  is  the  time  to  perform  that  operation,  and 
in  doing  this,  remove  such  fibres  as  are  matted 
close  together,  or  rotted,  or  dried  up  ;  and  if 
the  same  tub  or  pot  is  to  be  used,  some  of  the 
earth  must  be  shook  out  of  the  roots,  and  the 
roots  themselves  be  trimmed  :  but  in  this  case 
the  head  must  be  considerably  reduced  also,  as 
the  roots  after  pruning  would  not  keep  up  the 
nourishment  required  by  the  head,  if  left  the 
original  size  ;  therefore  shorten  the  principal 
branches,  cut  out  any  that  can  be  spared,  and 
so  lessen  the  quantity  as  to  compensate  for  the 
weakening  of  the  root,  which  will  soon  grow 
again  and  re-establish  the  head.  Where  the 
ball  is  to  be  put  into  a  larger  tub,  do  not  dis- 
turb it  any  more  than  you  are  obliged ;  merely 
remove  any  dead  fibres,  and  take  care  to  poke 
the  compost  down  between  the  ball  and  the 
side  of  the  tub,  box,  or  pot,  without  hurting  the 
fibres  that  are  next  the  side.  This  may  be 
done  towards  the  end  of  the  month,  as  well  as 
all  the  pruning ;  but  if  the  weather  be  very 
cold  and  unfavourable,  the  only  thing  that 
need  be  done  is  to  take  care  of  the  temperature, 
make  hot-beds,  and  sow  seeds. 

March. — Operations  the  same  as  last  month, 
except  that,  whereas  they  inay  be  performed 
in  February,  they  7?ms^  be  performed  in  March ; 
or  rather,  must  not  be  delayed  beyond  it.  The 
cuttings  from  the  trees  that  are  pruned  should 
be  used  either  for  striking  or  grafting.  Use 
good  stocks  not  less  than  two  years  old  ;  but 


the  more  advanced  the  stocks  are,  the  more 
vigorously  will  the  graft  proceed.  Any  seed- 
lings that,  from  the  peculiarity  of  their  foliage 
or  habit,  indicate  superiority  or  novelty,  may 
be  grafted  on  healthy  stocks  of  three  or  four 
years  old,  because  the  object  is  to  try  and  get 
bloom  and  fruit  before  they  would  come  natu- 
rally on  their  own  bottoms.  Grafted  stocks 
should  be  placed  in  gentle  heat,  and  the 
orangery  generally  must  not  be  allowed  to 
recede  below  forty.  The  surface  of  the  soil 
in  all  the  pots  and  tubs  should  be  stiri'ed  as 
well  as  it  can  be  without  disturbing  the  fibres, 
and  the  loose  soil  may  be  removed  and  fresh 
compost  put  on.  Seedlings  that  have  come  up 
may  be  potted  off,  one  in  a  pot  ;  and  after 
being  watered,  to  settle  the  earth  about  their 
roots,  be  replaced  in  the  hot-bed,  which,  if  de- 
clined in  temperature  to  any  extent,  must  be 
lined  with  fresh  stable  dung  after  the  removal 
of  the  present  spent  lining,  and  the  heat  be' 
kept  up  for  some  weeks.  Put  in  cuttings  to 
strike  under  a  bell  glass.  Syringe  all  over  the 
foliage  every  morning,  but  be  careful  to  keep 
up  the  temperature. 

April. — The  grafting  by  inarching  may  be 
performed  this  month.  It  is  only  v/hen  you 
desire  to  make  a  forward  plant  that  this  is 
worth  while.  In  this  case,  you  select  a 
vigorous  branch  of  the  plant  from  which  you 
are  going  to  propagate,  and  a  healthy  stock  of 
proportionate  strength,  certainly  not  less  than 
two  years  old  ;  bring  the  stock  and  the  plant 
into  such  proximity  that  they  can  be  easily 
tied  together,  and  then  shave  off  the  bark  and 
a  little  of  the  wood,  so  as  to  make  a  flat  place 
in  the  stock  and  a  corresponding  flat  place  on 
the  branch  to  be  inarched.  Let  these  be  fitted 
exactly,  tied  securely,  but  not  too  tight,  and 
let  them  grow.  There  need  not  be  any  tongue 
made,  as  is  usual  with  many  hard-wooded 
plants.  The  two  flat  surfaces  will  soon  unite, 
after  which  the  branch  is  cut  from  the  plant 
it  originally  belonged  to,  and  the  top  growth 
of  the  stock  should  be  also  cut  off.  You  have 
then  a  strong  plant  that  will  grow  rapidly,  and 
soon  make  a  good  tree  or  bush,  as  the  case 
may  be.  If  anything  was  omitted  last  month 
as  to  pruning  and  grafting,  the  error  must  be 
repaired,  as  well  as  you  can  repair  it,  by  doing 
it  now.  The  seedlings  must  be  looked  to  ; 
any  in  the  seed  pans  or  seed  pots  must  be 
potted  off,  and  those  potted  off  and  growing 
must  be  tended.  If  the  pots  are  filled  with 
roots,  give  them  larger  pots,  for  seedlings 
ought  not  to  be  checked.  If  the  plants  are 
getting  too  tall  for  the  glass,  sink  the  pots  into 
the  soil,  or,  as  the  heat  has  by  this  time  declined, 
you  may  sink  them  down  to  the  rim,  if  neces- 
sary, in  the  dung  itself.  When  they  grow 
still  taller,  the  frame  must  be  propped  up  all 
round  with  bricks,  turves,  or  some  other  con- 


58 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    ORANGE    TREE. 


trivance,  to  make  room  by  raising  the  glasses. 
Cuttings  may  still  be  struck  of  such  wood  as 
may  not  be  actually  growing  when  selected. 

May. — In  a  collection  of  orange,  lemon, 
citron,  and  lime  trees,  kept  always  in  a  mode- 
rate temperature,  there  will  mostly  be  found 
some  blooms  ;  but  this  month  there  should  be 
a  general  blossom  on  all  of  them,  if  they  are 
properly  attended  to.  Where  there  are  evidently 
many  more  bunches  of  flowers  than  ought  to 
be  left  to  bring  fruit,  those  which  are  the 
worst  placed  should  be  taken  away  in  pre- 
ference to  those  near  the  outer  surface  ;  but 
unless  the  flowers  ai'e  wanted,  such  as  they,  do 
no  harm  on  the  trees.  It  is  all  very  well  to 
protest  against  a  tree  bearing  too  much  fruit, 
but  the  time  to  prevent  that  is  when  the  fruit 
sets,  for  they  do  not  generally  set  more  than 
the  trees  will  perfect,  and  the  flowers  are 
interesting  on  the  trees.  Nevertheless,  a 
bunch  of  orange-blossom  is  so  acceptable  in 
a  bouquet,  that  whether  it  be  to  carry  out, 
or  to  decorate  a  vase  in  the  drawing-room,  it  is 
quite  a  star.  All  we  object  to  is  picking 
individual  blooms,  under  the  impression  that 
the  tree  is  the  better  for  it ;  however,  that  is 
not  the  case,  and  you  ar;e  just  as  likely  to  pick 
a  bloom  that  would  set,  and  leave  tliose  that 
would  not,  as  you  are  to  do  the  reverse.  Not 
that  we  object  to  nipping  out  small  weakly 
flowers  from  a  bunch,  if  there  is  no  other 
employment  for  a  person,  and  perhaps  if  there 
be  but  two  or  three  plants  to  look  after,  it  may 
be  done  with  advantage  to  their  appearance, 
because  those  that  are  left  would  be  more  of  a 
size;  but  we  cannot  look  upon  it  as  a  necessary 
operation  for  the  benefit  of  the  tree.  The 
trees  now  require  more  liberal  watering, 
greater  care  as  to  temperature,  which  should 
be  advanced  a  little,  and  well  secured  by 
closing,  lighting  fires,  and  hanging  mats,  be- 
cause the  trees  are  more  tender  while  growing 
rapidly,  which  they  are  this  month.  In  fine 
bright  warm  weather  give  plenty  of  air, 
and  however  much  you  may  be  recommended 
to  turn  orange  trees  out  of  doors,  be  not  in 
any  haste  to  do  it.  They  may  be  required  for 
ornament  on  the  lawn,  or  by  the  house,  and 
therefore  are  removed  ;  but  let  no  one  move 
them  out  of  doors  for  their  health,  because 
they  are  always  the  better  for  being  kept  within 
their  house,  protected  from  high  winds,  sy- 
ringed daily  over  all  their  foliage,  closed  when 
necessary  against  the  external  atmosphere, 
wdth  the  advantage  of  receiving  all  the  air 
w^hen  the  weather  is  favourable  enough. 
Orange  trees  are  great  and  noble  ornaments 
out  of  doors,  but  for  fruiting,  flowering,  grow- 
ing healthy,  and  keeping  in  good  condition, 
they  have  no  business  in  the  open  air,  exposed 
to  wind  and  rain  ;  for  although  a  gentle  breeze 
and  mild  shower  would  be  beneficial,  heavy 


rain  and  high  wind  are  downright  injurious, 
and  when  once  removed  to  the  open  air,  they 
cannot  have  one  without  the  other.  The 
advantage  under  glass  is,  that  they  can  be 
protected  from  what  is  injurious,  and  get  all 
that  is  beneficial ;  for  the  syringe  is  a  good 
substitute  for  a  mild  shower,  and  there  can 
always  be  air  enough  admitted  when  the 
weather  is  mild.  During  this  flowering  month 
the  syringing  must  be  applied  with  the  finest 
rose,  so  that  it  falls  on  the  plants  as  fine  nearly 
as  the  dew  itself.  Shift  seedlings  that  have 
filled  their  pots  with  roots  to  those  of  a  size 
larger. 

June. — Watering  is  of  great  importance  to 
the  trees  this  month,  and  the  temperature  in 
the  night  should  not  be  less  than  fifty  or  fifty- 
five  degrees  ;  and  whenever  it  is  up  to 
seventy-five  by  sun-heat,  pains  should  be 
taken  to  keep  it  at  that,  as  near  as  may  be,  by 
shading  with  a  transparent  cloth,  giving  a 
free  air  all  through  the  house,  syringing  the 
ground,  and  other  cooling  means.  When  the 
fruits  have  set,  they  may,  perhaps,  be  four  or 
five  times  as  numerous  as  they  should  be ;  in 
this  case,  thin  them  while  very  small  to  about 
double  the  quantity  that  should  remain,  and  as 
these  swell  and  show  which  are  the  best  to 
leave,  they  may  be  reduced  to  the  proper 
quantity.  This  is  far  better  than  thinning 
the  blooms  before  the  fruit  sets.  Look  over 
the  grafted  stocks  and  the  plants  that  were 
inarched,  and  examine  whether  the  former 
have  growMi,  and  the  latter  have  united.  The 
graited  stocks  should  have  all  the  growth  of 
the  stock  removed,  so  as  to  throw  the  strength 
into  the  graft ;  and  the  inarched  plants,  if 
united,  should  have  the  grafted  branch  cut 
from  the  plant  it  belongs  to,  and  the  top  and 
all  the  other  growth  of  the  stock  cut  away, 
that  nothing  but  the  inarched  branch  should 
grow.  If  any  of  the  trees  have  strong  grow- 
ing shoots  advancing  more  vigorously  than 
the  I'est,  cut  them  clean  out  if  they  can  be 
spared,  or  materially  shorten  them  if  they  are 
Avhere  stuff  is  wanted ;  for  if  a  branch  which 
thus  takes  a  lead  be  left  unchecked,  it  will 
actually  grow  almost  to  the  extinction  of  the 
other  portions  of  the  tree.  With  regard  to 
watering,  if  any  of  the  tubs  or  pots  are  found 
to  retain  the  water  too  long  on  the  surface,  as 
if  the  drainage  was  not  free,  or  it  runs  down 
the  side  and  not  through  the  ball,  a  small 
pointed  but  smooth  iron  rod  should  be  thrust 
down  in  two  or  three  places  in  the  middle 
ball  of  earth  in  the  latter  case  ;  but  the  drain- 
ing must  be  examined  in  the  former  case,  and 
remedied  at  once,  for  no  tree  can  by  possi- 
bility be  healthy  long  together  with  an  imper- 
fectly drained  soil  to  grow  in,  and  all  the 
mischief  may  be  done  before  the  tree  shows 
it.    Look  well,  therefore,  that  none  of  the  tubs 


THE    CULTURE    OF    THE    ORANGE    TREE. 


59 


are  imperfectly  drained,  and  satisfy  yourself 
that  the  water  you  give  a  plant  moistens  the 
whole  ball. 

July. — The  gradual  swelling  of  the  fruit 
renders  it  very  necessary  to  be  liberal  with 
the  watering  ;  not  two  days  should  pass  in 
very  hot  weather  without  both  watering  and 
syringing  the  leaves.  Air,  and  plenty  of  it, 
should  be  given  all  day.  Syringing  is  best 
now  in  the  evenings.  The  seedlings  may  be 
removed  to  cold  frames,  or  even  to  the  open 
air,  if  the  place  be  sheltered,  but  tlie  cold 
frame  is  the  best,  because  they  are  more  easily 
and  securely  protected  against  heavy  falls  of 
rain,  and  high  winds,  which  do  no  good,  and 
may  do  harm.  If  there  be  any  fruit  too 
close  together,  or  rather  too  many  on  any  of 
the  trees,  the  superfluous  ones  should  be 
removed.  There  will  be  at  all  times  a  dis- 
position in  some  of  the  trees  to  grow  and 
bloom,  even  Avhile  the  fruit  is  on  them.  If 
we  were  very  particular,  we  should  remove 
the  flower-buds  as  soon  as  they  came,  but  we 
are  far  from  disliking  these  little  sports  of 
nature,  and  this  tribe  is  so  pretty  in  all  its 
stages,  that  except  thinning  the  fruit  to 
prevent  injuring  the  tree,  and  cutting  away 
too  vigorous  a  branch  to  prevent  it  from 
robbing  the  rest,  we  should  let  bloom  come, 
and  not  disturb  a  bud. 

August. — Orange  trees  may  be  propagated 
by  budding  in  the  same  manner  as  roses, 
plum-trees,  cherry-trees,  and  the  like.  This 
is  the  season  for  it,  and  it  is  particularly 
applicable  when  there  is  a  great  stock  wanted 
and  but  little  to  work  from.  The  same  piece 
that  would  be  used  as  a  graft,  would  make 
many  buds ;  and  when  the  buds  are  inserted 
and  have  united,  there  is  a  plant  which,  with 
new  sorts,  is  saleable,  although  they  are 
generally  allowed  to  have  a  season's  growth. 
Watering  must  be  well  attended  to  this 
month,  and  the  houses  so  closed  of  a  night  as 
to  prevent  the  tempei*ature  going  down  too 
low.  Checks  would  be  injurious  to  the  fruit, 
prevent  its  swelling,  and  spoil  its  flavour ; 
besides,  heat  will  not  hurt  them  now.  The 
seedlings  in  the  frames  may,  if  intended  for 
standard  stocks,  have  some  of  their  lower 
branches  cut  off  close  to  the  stem  ;  if  for  trial 
of  new  sorts,  they  should  not  be  touched  with 
a  knife  until  two  years  old,  and  then  be 
pruned  so  as  to  lose  as  little  wood  as  possible, 
as  every  inch  is  valuable  with  a  new  sort  of 
fruit;  each  bud  that  is  produced,  being  avail- 
able for  tlie  propagation  of  the  variety. 

Septejibek. — If  you  have  been  obliged  to 
put  any  out  of  doors,  return  them  to  the 
house  without  loss  of  time,  but  the  fruit  will 


have  been  checked,  and  the  tree  all  the  worse 
for  its  exposure.  Some  of  the  nights  even  of 
our  summers  are  too  cold  for  an  orange-tree 
and  its  fruit.  Water  must  not  be  so  liberally 
bestowed  now  as  before.  The  house  must  be 
prepared  for  the  resumption  of  fires,  not  only 
for  the  sake  of  keeping  up  the  temperature, 
but  to  dry  it.  The  floors  should  be  kept  dry 
and  free  from  dried  leaves,  and  the  plants 
should  be  examined  and  cleaned,  any  dead 
shoots  and  broken  parts  cut  out,  any  weak- 
growing  branch  cut  away,  and  the  whole  placed 
in  their  proper  winter  positions,  giving  plenty 
of  room  between  the  plants,  and  so  disposing 
them  all  that  you  can  get  at  them  easily. 
Seedlings  must  be  put  into  their  winter  quar- 
ters ;  they  will  live  in  a  cold  frame,  but  they 
would  do  better  in  a  greenhouse  or  pit  that  you 
could  heat  without  difficulty  when  required ; 
for  even  these  should  not  be  under  forty  degrees 
of  heat  at  any  period.  The  stocks  budded 
last  month  must  be  examined,  to  see  that  they 
do  not  want  for  water,  and  are  not  too  cold. 

October. — The  treatment  now  resolves 
itself  simply  into  the  giving  air  in  mild  wea- 
ther, keeping  up  the  temperature  in  the  night 
and  in  cold  weather,  keeping  the  plants  clean, 
and  giving  them,  at  proper  times,  the  water 
they  require ;  but  this  last  is  not  wanted 
often.  Keep  the  house  from  getting  damp, 
for  that  is  injurious  to  all  plants. 

NovEMBEK. — The  budded  plants  may  be 
untied,  to  examine  whether  they  have  taken, 
and  if  they  have,  they  need  not  be  tied  again, 
but  be  regularly  released.  The  grafted  plants 
and  seedlings  must  be  placed  in  the  orangery 
or  greenhouse,  which  for  their  sakes  ought  to 
be  kept  up  to  the  proper  heat. 

December. —  The  winter  months  require 
but  little  difference  in  the  treatment,  except 
as  far  as  it  regards  the  presence  of  bad  or 
good,  mild  or  hard  weather.  The  general 
rule  never  to  let  the  temperature  be  under 
forty  degrees,  suggests  that  fires,  coverings, 
and  other  ordinary  means,  must  be  used  to 
pi'event  the  inconvenience  arising  from  frost 
and  cold ;  for,  as  we  have  before  observed,  an 
orange-tree  will  bear  a  good  deal  of  ill  usage 
before  it  is  killed,  but  very  little  carelessness 
may  do  it  much  injury,  and  nothing  more 
than  sudden  change  from  heat  to  cold ;  nor 
ousht  any  water  to  be  given  in  the  winter 
while  the  soil  is  at  all  moist ;  but  this  must 
be  made  apparent  to  ordinary  observers.  A 
covering  round  the  glass  will  always  go  a  good 
way  towards  keeping  up  the  temperature,  but 
it  may  be  taken  for  granted  that  there  must 
very  often  be  fires  to  keep  up  the  degree  of 
forty,  even  in  the  mild  periods  of  winter. 


CO 


A    STROLL   THROUGH    THE    GARDEN — FEBRUARY. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

BY  A  TUTOR  AND  HIS  PUPIL,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  FEBRUARY. 


Here  we  have  a  hard  frost  again,  and  the 
earth  is  as  hard  as  a  stone.  If  you  are  dis- 
posed for  a  walk  in  the  garden  we  must  clothe 
accordingly  ;  not  that  we  shall  see  much  be- 
yond the  numerous  modes  of  protecting  things 
that  are  not  under  glass,  but  where  there  is 
no  expense  spared,  there  are  very  few  shifts 
made,  for  all  things  necessary  are  provided. 
Nevertheless,  we  will,  after  looking  about  at 
home,  go  into  neighbour  Jones's  garden :  he 
has  nothing  proper,  and  accordingly  has  to 
make  all  sorts  of  shifts,  and  has  all  sorts  of 
contrivances  against  hard  weather,  because 
in  spring  he  is  as  gay  as  other  people. 

Now  for  the  kitchen-garden.  There  are 
two  men  trenching  the  ground,  although 
it  is  so  hard  on  the  surface  that  they  are 
obliged  to  use  a  pick-axe.  If  you  observe, 
the  axe  disturbs  large  lumps  that  are  com- 
pletely frozen  through,  and  these  large  lumps 
are  merely  broken  into  somewhat  smaller  ones, 
and  in  this  lumpy  state  they  are  thrown  into 
the  bottom  of  the  trench ;  the  soil  below  will 
bear  digging  in  the  ordinary  way.  Again, 
observe  tliat  instead  of  leaving  it  flat  at  the  top 
it  is  left  in  ridges  :  the  object  of  all  this  is, 
first, to  get  the  frozen  portions,  which  is  the  best 
possible  preparatory  state,  to  the  bottom,  and 
next,  to  leave  as  large  a  surface  as  possible 
exposed  to  the  weathei*,  so  that  this  also  may 
be  frozen.  That  which  is  already  frozen 
will  thaw  in  the  bottom,  while  the  top  may  be 
freezing,  and  when  all  has  been  subject  to  the 
frost  it  will  be  in  the  finest  condition  for 
cropping.  No  doubt  it  is  harder  work  to  dig 
or  trench  in  frosty  weather,  but  the  labour  is 
as  good  for  the  body  as  the  effect  is  for  the 
earth.  Yonder  the  men  are  wheeling  barrow- 
loads  of  manure  from  the  yard  to  the  un- 
cropped  portions  of  the  ground,  while  one 
man  is  spreading  it  equally  over  the  surface, 
that  it  may  be  dug  in  regularly  in  every  part 
of  the  ground.  If  this  frost  continues  awhile 
they  may  use  the  pick-axe  again,  and  so  turn 
the  lumps  and  manure  undermost,  but  it 
will,  if  there  be  other  work  to  do,  lie  there 
till  either  a  thaAv  comes  to  tempt  them  to  the 
job,  or  until  they  have  nothing  else  to  do  of 
any  importance.  Observe,  all  the  cabbages 
and  other  plants  are  completely  whitened 
with  frost,  but  these  are  so  hardy  that  they 
will  be  none  the  worse  for  it  unless  it  be  very 
severe  indeed  ;  a  few  degrees  of  frost  will  not 
cause  a  leaf  to  be  discoloured.  It  is  the  rapid 
changes  that  hurt  plants,  sttch,  for  instance, 
as  we  had  last  month,  a  few  degrees  of  frost 
one  day,  and  actual  warm  weather  the  next; 
for  as  freezing  contracts  the  juices  and  thaw- 
ing expands  them  again,  when  the  change  is 


sudden  it  ruptures  the  vessels  and  destroys 
the  texture,  and  the  younger  the  growth  is 
the  more   susceptible  it  is   of   injury.      The 
wheelbarrows  seem  very  much  in  request:  the 
gardener  taking  advantage  of  the  slack  time 
for  out-of-door  operations  is  doing  everything 
in  the  moving  way ;  first,  because  the  walks 
are  so  hard  that  the  barrows,  however  much 
loaded,  make  no  impression  on  the    ground, 
and  secondly,  because  he  has  little  else  for  the 
men  to   do.     Observe,  one  is  removing  soil 
from  one  place  to  another  ;  he  takes  it  from 
the  poultry-yard  to  the  new-made  hot-bed : 
another  is  removing  pots  of  strawberries  which, 
though  small,  are  well-established  plants,  and 
strong   enough  for    forcing ;  he  is  removing 
them  from  the  frozen  ground  to  the  top  shelf 
of  a  vinery,  that  they  may  be  forced  at  the 
same  time  as  the  grapes  and  figs.    In  the  shed 
the  men   are  variously  employed;  one  is  cut- 
ting and  painting  wooden  labels,  another  is 
breaking  old  pots,  or  rather  potsherds,  small, 
and  with  these  two  sieves  he  separates  them 
into  three  sizes  ;  those  which  will  go  through 
the  smaller  sieve  form  merely  dust  and  small 
stuff  not  larger  than  peas;  those  which  come 
through  the  large  one  go  up  to  the  size  of 
nuts  ;  and  the  larger,  perhaps,  some  of  them 
reach  an  inch.       The  two  smaller   sizes  are 
for    mixing    with    the    soil    in    potting,    and 
almost  all  gardeners  have  different  ways  of 
mixing  soils  for  potted  plants  ;  you  are  not, 
however,  to  presume  that  all  their  different 
whims  and  fancies   are  necessary.     We  find 
certain  conditions  necessary  to  the  success  of 
plants,  but  it  is  in  supplying  these  conditions 
that  gardeners  differ.    How  many  modes  are 
there  of  compounding  a  rich  light  compost  I 
we  can  hardly  number  them,  yet  half  a  dozen 
gardeners    will    differ    materially    in    their 
methods  of  forming  the  compost,   while  the 
plant  is   so  indifferent  as  to  thrive  with  one 
as  much  as  another.    I  have,  however,  seen 
these  broken  potsherds,  or  crocks  as  they  are 
called,  mixed  advantageously  with  the  com- 
post for  Botany-bay  plants  ;   the  dust  is  far 
better  than   sand,  for   while  it  lightens  the 
soil  and  renders  it  pervious  to  the  water,  it 
absorbs  moisture  enough  to  supply  the  plant 
a  much  longer  period  than   they  would  be 
sustained  by  a  sandy  compost.     In  this  yaid 
there  are  all  the  various  soils  which  are  used 
in  gardening.     That  long  heap  is  a  pile,  or 
rather  vv^as  a  pile,  of  turves  cut  thin  from  a 
pasture,  which  have  lain  and  rotted,  so  that 
you  see  upon  examination  no  remains  of  what 
they  were,  but  a  little  fibrous  texture;  this  is 
a  valuable,  indeed  the  most  valuable  soil.     It 
consists  of  loam  and  decayed  vegetable,  which 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN* EEBRUARY. 


61 


rots  Into  a  kind  of  mould.  I  should  use  it 
as  the  base  of  every  compost.  The  larger 
heap  to  the  right-hand  is  a  heap  of  turves  only 
cut  last  autumn ;  you  see  by  the  stripes  of  grass 
grovi^ing  on  the  outside  the  thickness  the  turves 
Ts^ere  cut.  Many  people  take  the  top  spit  of 
a  pasture;  that  is,  instead  of  the  turf  with  three 
inches  of  soil,  they  take  eight  or  ten  inches  of 
soil  ;  they  both  rot,  but  the  thinly  cut  turves 
form  a  compost  of  two-thirds  loam  and  one-third 
vegetable  mould,  the  other  is  nine-tenths  loam 
and  one-tenth  vegetable  mould.  The  heap 
next  to  it  is  peat  earth,  that  is,  the  top  four  or 
six  inches  or  more  of  a  common,  and  is  a  mass 
of  woody  fibre-like  old  roots  of  long-decayed 
plants  ;  this  fibre  does  not  completely  decay, 
but  is  a  useful  soil  on  that  account.  Many 
plants,  especially  the  hard-wooded  plants  of 
the  Cape,  have  remai'kably  fine  fibres,  and 
must  have  a  light  spongy  kind  of  soil  to 
penetrate  ;  this  is  made  by  sifting  this  turfy 
peat,  which  is  first  chopped  with  a  spade  into 
small  pieces,  and  then  rubbed  through  a  very 
coarse  sieve  ;  it  is  then  mixed  in  certain  pro- 
portions with  richer  earth,  for  this  peat  is  the 
poorest  soil  we  can  get  ;  like  sand,  it  alters  the 
texture  of  the  soil,  but  adds  nothing  to  its 
richness.  Next  to  this  is  a  heap  of  pure 
vegetable  mould,  that  is  to  say,  leaves  swept 
up  and  rotted.  This  is  the  most  fertilizing  of  all 
innoxious  manures  ;  however  large  the  quan- 
tity adjBiinistered  it  damages  nothing.  In 
that  respect  it  is  unlike  the  ordinary  animal 
manures,  because  in  too  large  a  quantity  they 
damage  a  plant  There  is  a  heap  of  mould 
formed  by  the  dung  of  an  old  cucumber 
bed,  two  or  three  years  rotted ;  the  other 
heaps  next  it  are  the  same  from  last  year's 
beds  ;  this  is  the  state  in  which  alone  dung 
should  be  used  for  potted  plants';  per- 
fectly rotted  into  mould.  Further  on  we  have 
a  heap  of  rotted  cow -dung,  and  beyond  that 
there  are  heaps  of  coarse  and  fine  sand  ;  and 
lastly,  there  is  a  hole  into  which  all  the  waste 
of  the  garden  is  thrown,  to  form  a  dressing  for 
general  purposes.  If  a  garden  is  kept  up  in 
anything  like  a  good  style,  a  waste  piece  as  a 
store  for  soils  is  absolutely  necessary. 

The  conservatory  is  beginning  to  look  gay, 
the  Camellias  are  opening  their  flowers  every 
here  and  there,,  and  like  so  many  stars,  lighting 
up  the  fine  dark  green  background  with  spots 
of  brilliant  hues.  The  Acacias  are  showing 
their  golden  flowers  and  are  becoming  at- 
t]-active.  The  Correa  rosea  has  its  million 
drops  hanging  like  so  many  pearls  all  over  its 
pyramidal  surface;  while  others  of  the  family, 
more  brilliant  though  less  abundant  in  their 
flowers,  add  to  the  variety.  Here  are  many 
plants  full  of  flower  buds,  all  but  bursting, 
and  promising  an  early  development  of  their 
beauties.      These  magnificent  rhododendrons, 


azaleas,  and  roses,  in  fine  bloom  so  long  be- 
fore their  fellows  tliat  are  planted  in  the  bed, 
have  been  forced  in  yonder  greenhouse,  the 
temperature  of  which  has  been  raised  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  forward  all  those  flowers 
in  the  drawing-room  as  well  as  those  before 
us.  But  while  we  are  upon  the  subject  we 
will  step  across.  Here,  you  observe,  is  a  com- 
mon greenhouse  with  the  usual  stage  of  shelves 
one  above  another.  If  there  were  only  green- 
house plants,  there  would  be  only  just  so  much 
warmth  given  artificially  as  would  merely 
keep  out  the  frost ;  but  here  there  is  a  con- 
tinuous fire,  or  nearly  so,  to  keep  the  heat  up 
to  fifty-five  or  sixty  degrees.  Observe,  here  are 
hyacinths  just  coming  into  flower,  narcissus 
and  other  bulbous  rooted  plants  all  but  in 
bloom.  Here  also  are  Siberian  and  Persian 
lilacs,  the  delicate  Deutzia  scabra,  the  Azalea 
indica,  and  Rhododendron  catawbiensis,  the 
hardy  North  America  deciduous  azaleas,  and 
many  other  subjects,  in  all  stages,  from  those 
just  brought  in  from  the  cold  frames  to  those 
all  but  ready  to  be  removed  to  the  conserva- 
toiy.  Indeed,  they  are  quite  ready,  but  the 
frost  would  damage  them  in  this  short  transit. 
The  pinery  is  looking  well ;  the  distance 
is  not  far,  so  we  will  take  that  in  our  way. 
Here  we  have  some  ready  to  cut.  Those 
which  are  earthed  up  so  high  have  been  grown 
after  a  plan  recommended  by  Mr.  Hamilton, 
an  intelligent  practical  gardener,  who,  when 
suckers,  as  they  are  called,  meaning  the  side 
shoots,  come  out,  instead  of  breaking  them  off 
and  striking  them,  that  is,  rooting  them  as 
young  plants,  earths  up  the  stem  and  grows 
them  on  the  old  root,  which  sustains  the 
suckers  in  full  growth  ;  and  the  growth  is  still 
more  accelerated  when  the  suckers  or  side 
shoots  strike  roots  into  the  soil  that  is  heaped  up 
to  them.  These  are  as  flne  as  the  fruit  on  the 
old  plants.  Here  is  one  that  has  two  of  these 
side  shoots,  and  both  with  good  large  fruit  on 
them.  The  fact  is,  that  upon  this  plan  the 
suckers  never  receive  a  check  ;  the  cutting  of 
the  fruit  throws  all  the  strength  into  the  side 
shoots,  and  by  earthing  up  to  the  base  of  the 
shoots  they  form  roots  of  their  own  in  the 
fresh  mould,  and  thus  obtain  additional  nou- 
rishment just  as  they  want  it  to  swell  their 
fruit.  It  is  the  custom  to  keep  these  pineries 
as  regular  in  the  temperature  as  possible,  but 
there  must  be  a  good  deal  of  difference  in 
their  native  climate,  and  there  are  people  who 
fancy  we  should  imitate  the  climate  and  all 
the  other  circumstances  that  attend  the  growth 
of  plants  in  their  native  habitats — this  is  a 
mistake.  The  grapes  and  pines  grown  in  our 
hot-houses  are  superior  to  those  grown  where 
they  are  indigenous,  simply  because  they 
receive  no  check  ;  whereas,  in  their  native 
climate  they  are  subject  to  occasional  checks. 


62 


THE    CROCUS. 


The  greenhouse,  used  as  such,  has,  notwith- 
standing the  frost,  no  fire  in  the  furnace.  It 
has  had  a  little  during  the  night,  to  keep  the 
frost  out,  but  the  lower  the  temperature  can 
be  kept,  so  as  to  avoid  actual  frost,  the  better 
for  the  health  of  the  plants.  Those  dwarf 
buildings  with  glass  covers  are  called  frames. 
These  contain  plants  that  are  nearly  but  not 
quite  hardy  ;  the  brick  sides  are  warmer  than 
wooden  boxes  would  be,  such  as  the  cucum- 
bers are  growing  in.  The  object  of  these 
pits  is  to  preserve  plants  by  keeping  in  the 
natural  warmth  of  the  earth.  Some  of  these 
have  plants  which  are  completely  hardy  in  the 
ground,  but  which,  when  potted,  would  be 
damaged  if  exposed,  because  the  roots  natu- 
rally reach  the  sides  of  the  pot  and  would  be 
frozen  through  ;  whereas,  in  the  ground,  they 
go  down  into  the  earth  and  would  not  be 
reached.  You  see  numerous  beds  and  bor- 
ders covered  with  straw ;  when  the  sun  has 
been  out  awhile  this  will  be  taken  off  for  an 
hour  or  two,  but  be  carefully  put  on  again  ; 
It  covers  tender  crops  that  would  be  damaged 
if  not  killed  by  the  frost.  Those  shrubs  which 
are  matted  round  are  nearly  hardy,  but  would 
be  injured  were  the  fro^t  severe,  and  they  ex- 
posed, though  ordinary  frost  would  not  hurt 
them  much.    But  we  must  return  to  the  house. 

Nobody  would  believe  it  possible,  if  they 
did  not  witness  it,  that  two  following  days 
could  be  so  extremely  different  in  tempei'ature. 
Yesterday,  everything  was  icebound.  To-day 
all  the  eaves  are  dripping  with  wet  ;  all  ap- 
pearance of  frost  has  gone.  The  air  is  com- 
paratively warm,  and  the  gardener  is  sowing 
his  seeds  again  in  some  vacant  places.  He  is 
covei'ing  sea-kale  with  pots  and  dung  to  force 
it  early  and  keep  up  a  supply,  and  rhubarb  in 
the  same  way,  or  rather  upon  the  same  prin- 
ciple. The  man  a  little  beyond  the  cross 
walk,  is  sowing  more  peas,  and  planting  more 
beans.  Another  is,  as  you  see,  planting  out 
cabbages  twice  as  thickly  as  necessary  for 
hearting,  but  this  is  that  one-half  may  be 
drawn  before  they  are  full  grown,  to  eat  as 
greens.  He  under  the  wall  is  sowing  ra- 
dishes and  lettuces  together  to  succeed  for- 
warder crops.  The  green  stuff  almost  like 
grass  which  the  man  is  dividing  from  one 
large  tuft  into  several  smaller  ones,  is  called 
chives  ;  they  look  like  onions,  and  are  a  good 
substitute  for  them  when  these  are  scarce. 
And  the  youth  who  is  planting  bulbous  roots 
in  these  holes,  which  he  makes  one  inch  deep, 
is  planting  shallots  and  garlic.  The  warm 
border  at  the  foot  of  the  fruit-tree  wall  is 
now  being  dug  up  just  at  the  bottom,  for  the 
purpose  of  putting  in  these  small  potatoes  ; 
they  will  be  laid  in  the  corner,  and  earth  put 
upon  them.     These  are  sure  to  be  an  early, 


though  not  a  prolific  crop,  Among  the  hot- 
beds the  gardener  is  sowing  seeds  in  one,  and 
of  several  sorts  ;  some  are  annual  flower  seeds, 
and  I  observe  he  has  put  in  some  cauliflowers  ; 
this  reminds  me  that  yesterday  all  the  cauli- 
flowers under  glasses  were  shut  up  close,  now 
you  see  all  the  glasses  are  lifted  clear  off;: 
these  will  all  be  replaced  at  three  or  four 
o'clock,  before  the  air  gets  too  cold.  Observe, 
the  gardener  is  taking  away  the  dung  from  the 
front  of  the  cucumber  bed  ;  this  is  for  the 
purpose  of  replacing  it  with  new  hot  dung. 
In  the  fruit  garden  the  man  is  clearing 
the  strawberries,  forking  up  between  them, 
dressing  the  surface  with  very  rotten  dung, 
digging  between  the  gooseberry  and  cur- 
rant trees,  and  burying  dung  over  their  roots. 
There  are  some  of  them  not  pruned  yet,  but 
he  ought  to  do  them  this  month.  The  bun- 
dles of  twigs  which  you  see  half  buried  are 
grafts  of  choice  apple  and  pear  trees,  ready  to 
be  grafted  on  stocks,  to  propagate  the  choice 
sorts  of  fruit  trees  from  which  they  were  ob- 
tained. These  need  not  be  used  for  several 
weeks,  they  will  be  just  as  good  then  as  now, 
because  their  juices  are  dormant,  and  the  parts 
at  rest,  but  they  might  be  used  now  directly 
if  there  were  leisure. 

In  the  flower-garden  they  seem  to  be  busy. 
One  man  at  the  frame  is  stirring  up  the 
mould  in  the  pots  of  auriculas,  and  throwing 
the  loose  earth  out  for  the  purpose  of  replacing 
it  with  very  rich  light  compost  mixed  on  pur- 
pose. He  is  doing  it  with  rotten  cow-dung, 
that  is,  cow-dung  rotted  into  mould  ;  this  is 
mixed  with  a  little  sand  and  it  gives  great 
strength  to  the  plant.  He  leaves  the  carnations 
and  picotees,  the  pansies  and  verbenas,  and 
all  other  plants  in  the  frame  just  as  they  were 
placed  in  the  pots  ;  they  want  no  attendance 
just  now.  Here  the  man  is  returning  soil  to 
the  ranunculus  bed,  where  he  will  plant  some 
of  the  finest  in  about  a  week,  say  the  loth,  and 
these  will  be  in  full  bloom  in  June.  In  the 
shed  there,  the  man  is  potting  the  large  roots 
of  dahlias,  which  will  be  put  in  the  propa- 
gating house  to  push  their  shoots,  and  these 
will  be  cut  off  close  to  the  bottom,  and  being 
struck  in  a  small  hot-bed,  will  become  plants 
ready  to  plant  out  in  May.  If  the  weather 
continues  fine,  he  will  sow  many  of  the  annuals 
in  the  border,  but  there  will  not  be  much 
more  done  this  month.  The  place  may  be 
kept  clean,  and  on  fine  days  he  will  earth  up 
the  celery,  but  very  little  else. 


THE  CROCUS. 
The  great  variety  of  this  gay  and   very 
welcome  spring  flower  renders  it  compara- 
tively easy  to  get  hold  of  a  few  that,  in  some 
degree,  approach  the  standard  laid  down  ;  and 


THE    CROCUS. 


63 


if  we  examine  tliem  by  the  side  of  the  many 
varieties  which  are  the  reverse  of  the  standard, 
the  most  indifferent  of  us  would  be  astonished 
at  the  superiority  of  one  over  the  other.     We 


have  seen  more  than  fifty  named  sorts  in  one 
collection,  some  of  them  broad  in  the  petal, 
and  when  half  expanded,  touching  eacli  other, 
and  forming  a  cup ;  by  the  side  of  these  we 
have  seen  others  with  very  narrow,  thin, 
and  pointed  petals,  forming,  when  half  ex- 
panded, a  mean-looking  star,  poor  and  con- 
temptible as  a  flower,  and  not  worth  a  place 
in  the  meanest  wilderness,  while  the  others 
could  be  had.  The  cultui'e  of  this  flower  is 
simple ;  it  is  very  hardy,  no  degree  of  cold 
seems  to  have  the  slightest  effect  on  it ;  and, 
although  it  grows  finer  in  some  soils  than 
others,  there  is  no  kind  but  it  will  grow  and 
flower  in. 

TO    GROW    FOR   INCREASE. 

Plant  the  finest  bulbs  that  can  be  had,  six 
inches  apart  every  way,  and  four  inches  deep, 
a  clear  three  inches  of  soil  above  the  crown. 
They  will  do  best  in  light  sandy  loam,  and 
enriched  by  the  addition  of  half  its  bulk 
of  cow-dung,  or  the  soil  from  cut  turves, 
rotted ;  they  require  neither  protection  nor 
water.  They  will  come  up  in  February  or 
March  of  most  seasons,  bloom  abundantly, 
and  seed  freely.  At  the  autumn  of  the  year, 
when  the  grass  has  turned  off  yellow,  the  pods 
of  seed  may  be  gathered  in  considerable  quan- 
tities.    The  bulbs   are  not  to  be  disturbed 


until  the  leaves  have  quite  decayed,  when 
they  may  be  dug  up,  and  the  largest  and 
finest  are  marketable  ;  the  others  may  be 
replaced  in  the  ground,  or  be  "got  rid  of,  as 
the  case  may  be ;  but  for  those  who  want 
increase,  the  longer  they  are  planted,  the 
more  full-sized  bulbs  will  be  taken  up.  The 
question  as  to  the  depth  of  the  bed  has  been 
variously  answered  by  different  writers  ;  but 
if  there  be  a  foot  of  good  soil,  they  require 
no  more,  so  that  there  is  nothing  absolutely 
poisonous  under  it.  In  this  little  routine  of 
planting  in  October,  or  even  earlier,  and 
taking  up  in  August,  or  even  later,  consists 
all  that  can  be  done  for  the  Crocus. 

RAISING    FROM    SEEDS. 

A  bed,  prepared  with   a  bari-owful  of  the 
loam  of  rotted  turves,  to  half  a  barrowful  of 
cow-dung,  should  be  levelled  and  raked  smooth 
on  the  surface  in  October.     The  seeds  should 
be  very  thinly  sown   all  over  the  bed,   and 
carefully  raked  in  so  as  to  be  covered ;  but  it 
is    still    better  to   sift  some  of  the  compost 
through  a  fine  sieve  upon  the  seed,  so  as  to 
cover  it  a  good  quarter  of  an  inch.     In  the 
spring,  if  not  before,  this  seed  will  come  up, 
and   all  that  is  required  then  is  to  carefully 
remove  all  the  weeds ;  this  can  only  be  safely 
done  by  hand,  but  if  it  be  not  done  while  the 
seedlings  are  young,  the  weeds  will  so  com- 
pletely rob  the  little  plants  of  the  required 
nourishment,   that  there  will  be  no  hope  of 
their  recovering  the  check ;  by  early  hand- 
weeding  every  thing  is  removed  before  it  is 
large  enough  to  do  mischief.    Vigilance  must 
be  continued  all  the  year,  so  that  no  weeds  be 
allowed  for  an  unnecessary  day  to  keep  pos- 
session of  the  ground;  and  yet,  with  all  the 
care  and  cleanliness   that  can  be  exercised, 
crop  after  crop  of  weeds  will  come  up,  and  if 
they  were  allowed  once  to  get  ahead,  their 
roots  would  tangle  round    the  small   bulbs, 
and  drag  them   out  of  the  ground.      Thes.-', 
when  they  have  died  down,   are  to  have  half 
an  inch  of  good  soil,  such  as  the  bed  is  made 
of,  covered  over  the  surface,  and  again  they 
will  come  up  the  second  spring.     At  the  end 
of  this  season  they  may  be  carefully  taken  up 
and  planted  in  a  fresh  ground,  composed  of 
the  same  materials ;  or  if  there  be  only  one 
bed  that  can  be  appropriated,  dig  it  well,  to 
turn  bottom  to  top,  and  carefully  replant  all 
the  bulbs,  two  inches  deep,  and  three  inches 
apart.     If  there  should  be  any  very   severe 
frost,   a  little  litter  of  any  kind  thrown  over 
the  bed  is  useful ;  not  because  the  frost  hurts 
the  plants,  but  because  the  freezing  and  thaw- 
ing of  the  soil  often  makes  it  rotten,  and  it 
actually  displaces  the  bulbs,  and  at  best  leaves 
them  among  spongy,   hollow,   and  disturbed 
soil,  and  often  breaks  the  fibres  of  the  bulb. 


64 


THE    CROCUS. 


This  third  season  they  may  be  taken  up  and 
replanted  in  fresh  ground  as  before ;  and  this 
time  they  will  be  best  in  drills  drawn  three 
inches  deep,  and  six  inches  from  drill  to  drill ; 
place  the  bulbs  three  or  four  inches  apart,  and 
when  you  cover  in  the  earth,  draw  up  the  soil  so 
as  to  ensure  a  good  three  inches  of  soil  above 
the  crowns.  The  greater  pax't  will  bloom 
this  fourth  season,  and  the  first  thing  to  do 
will  be  to  select  the  good  ones  that  you  mean 
to  keep  from  such  as  you  will  despise.  Mark 
every  one  that  forms  anice  round  hollow  cup,  or 
something  approaching  to  it,  with  broad  petals 
to  touch  one  another  the  whole  length,  round 
ended  and  thick,  for  these  are  all  necessary 
to  make  one  worth  saving  at  all.  Put  labels 
to  them,  describing  them,  so  that  you  cannot 
make  a  mistake  in  taking  them  up ;  and  at 
taking  up  time,  go  to  the  mai-ked  ones  first, 
and  having  secured  them  with  their  offsets 
and  increase,  take  up  the  remainder  all  in  one 
basket,  or  bag,  for  you  have  no  interest  in 
saving  them  separately  ;  but  as  it  may  be  that 
they  do  not  all  bloom,  recollect  that  the  un- 
bloomed  ones  should  be  separately  saved,  to 
be  grown  till  they  do  fiower. 

THE    TWO    CLASSES    OF    CROCUS. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  florist,  it  is  sufiicient 
to  divide  this  flower  into  two  very  distinct 
classes.  These  are  the  spring-flowering  crocus, 
and  its  hundreds  of  varieties,  and  the  autumn 
blooming  kinds,  which  are  now  becoming 
numerous.  The  management  of  both  is  as 
nearly  alike  as  the  two  seasons  admit  of. 
They  are  taken  up  on  the  decay  of  the  foliage 
and  ripening  of  the  seed,  and  it  matters  not 
hoAv  soon  they  are  planted  again,  for  they 
take  no  harm  in  the  ground  in  a  genial  flower 
garden  where  thei'e  are  borders.  Alternate 
patches  of  autumn  and  spring  flowering  sorts 
greatly  assist  in  the  effect  produced  in  their 
respective  seasons.  The  rich  purple  of  some 
of  the  autumn  flowering  kinds,  when  flowers  are 
getting  scarce  and  dwarf  ones  especially  so,  is 
valuable ;  and  the  spring  flowering  varieties, 
with  their  numerous  colours,  form  the  first  and 
most  brilliant  features  of  the  flower  garden,  and 
are  of  themselves  "  a  host."  Many  gardeners 
edge  their  clumps  and  beds  with  close  rows  of 
these  bright  varieties  ;  but  it  is  by  no  means 
consistent  with  good  general  effect.  By  put- 
ting them  in  patches,  and  not  too  near  to 
each  other,  the  general  effect  is  better.  When 
they  are  alone,  and  if  the  quantity  is  appor- 
tioned a  little  to  that  of  the  things  that  are  to 
accompany  or  surround  them,  the  border  may 
be  kept  in  the  best  possible  oj;der,  not  all  bril- 
liance one  week  and  all  blank  the  next.  The 
succession  of  flower  may  be  kept  up  in  borders 
with  a  very  little  trouble,  because  the  earliest 
or  spring  flowers  are  for  the  most  part  peren- 


nials, and  if  the  border  were  once  planted,  it 
need  only  be  mended  when  any  thing  fails  for 
two,  three,  or  more  seasons  together  ;  but  if 
the  room  is  so  circumscribed  as  to  require  one 
thing  removed  to  make  room  for  another,  the 
case  is  altered  and  the  work  increased.  The 
crocus  may  have  its  little  patches  near  the 
front,  at  such  distances  as  to  allow  of  other 
patches  of  bulbs  in  the  same  line,  or  a  little 
farther  back,  according  to  the  height.  The 
early  tulip,  the  snowdrop,  the  hyacinth,  the 
various  daffodils  and  narcissuses,  the  primrose 
and  polyanthus,  and  various  other  subjects 
which  bloom  with  or  immediately  succeed  it, 
render  it  necessary  to  plant  the  crocus  with  a 
view  to  its  contemporary  or  succeeding  flowers; 
but  there  is  one  use  that  could  be  made,  but 
that  we  have  never  seen  made  by  any  but  ^ 
ourselves.  As  subjects  for  the  geometrical 
beds  in  those  flower  gardens  which  form  a 
whole  figure,  they  are  without  exception  the 
most  brilliant  and  the  most  independent  of  all 
the  subjects  we  know  of.  They  have,  in  the 
first  place,  a  great  diversity  of  colour  ;  dark 
and  light  purple,  white,  and  golden  yellow. 
These  colours  are  distinct,  and  as  most  of  the 
Dutch  or  geometrical  gardens  have  four  differ- 
ent patterns  or  forms  of  beds,  the  whole 
figure  might  be  occupied  with  the  four  colours. 
Many  we  have  seen  with  six  beds  of  a  pat- 
tern, and  four  patterns.  So  that  six  might 
be  occupied  with  white,  six  with  light  blue  or 
lilac,  six  with  dark  blue  or  purple,  and  six 
with  yellow.  In  so  occupying  beds  of  this 
kind,  they  must  be  planted  at  such  distance  as 
will  allow  of  other  subjects  between.  They 
ought  to  be  in  patches  a  foot  distant  every 
way ;  this  would  allow  of  the  same  diver- 
sity in  hyacinths  to  follow  the  crocuses.  The 
red  L'ami  de  Coeur,  and  the  dark  purple 
L'ami  de  Coeur,  form  two  excellent  colours ;  a 
dwarf  early  white,  •  and  a  dwarf  early  light 
blue,  would  complete  the  four  sorts  of  beds, 
and  give  a  feature  totally  different  as  the  cro- 
cuses go  off.  However,  our  only  business 
is  with  the  crocus,  which  to  be  effective  should 
be  all  one  colour  in  a  patch,  and  so  also  all 
one  colour  in  a  bed..  There  is  then  a  bold- 
ness and  decision  about  the  work,  no  distance 
spoils  the  figure  or  the  coloui'S  ;  but  if  you 
mix  the  colour  in  a  patch  or  in  a  bed,  there  is 
nothing  like  distinctness  of  character  to  be 
seen  when  close,  and  at  the  least  distance  the 
variety  is  lost  in  a  confused  and  undecided 
shade.  We  cannot  help  recommending  the 
crocus  for  geometrical  gardens,  or  as  an  early 
feature  for  all  borders.  We  cannot  too  strongly 
impress  upon  the  cultivator  the  propriety  of 
keeping  the  colours  distinct,  and  of  choosing 
his  sorts  by  the  breadth  and  bluntness  of  the 
petals,  that  they  may  form  a  cup  when  ex- 
panded. 


THE    CROCUS, 


65 


PRESERVING    THE    BULBS. 

These  must  not  be  kept  too  warm  nor  too 
dry,  for  they  are  more  apt  to  perish  than  a 
more  juicy  bulb.  Tliey  are  not  formed  of 
juicy  layers  like  a  tulip,  onion,  narcissus  or 
hyacinth,  but  of  a  close  dry  substance,  more 
like  the  composition  of  a  bean,  and  as  they  do 
not  exhibit  the  least  difference  when  dried  so 
as  to  kill  them,  but  remain  to  all  appearance 
the  same,  there  is  great  danger  in  buying 
them  late  in  the  season,  for  with  all  the  appear- 
ance of  good  ones  they  may  be  found  past 
germinating,  and  so  disappoint  us.  If  there- 
fore you  lay  them  by,  let  it  be  in  a  cool  dry 
place,  and  if  you  buy  any  after  they  are  out 
of  the  ground,  do  it  always  before  the  end  of 
November  at  the  latest,  but  better  in  October. 
The  Calendar  of  operations  for  this  is  very 
simple  indeed,  and  the  properties  ai-e  as 
follow  : — 

1.  It  should  be  composed  of  six  petals, 
three  inner  and  three  outer,  but  fitting  so 
close  as  to  form  a  cup  the  shape  of  half  a 
hollow  ball. 

2.  The  petals  should  be  broad  enough,  and 
blunt  enough  at  the  ends,  to  form  an  even 
edge  all  round  the  cup,  and  lap  over  each 
other  so  much,  as  to  have  no  indentations 
where  they  join. 

3.  The  petals  should  be  thick,  and  smooth 
on  the  edges,  without  notch  or  serrature. 

4.  The  colour  should  be  dense,  and  all  over 
the  same,  if  the  variety  be  a  self ;  and  the 
marking  should  be  very  distinct,  if  variegated. 

5.  It  should  be  hardy  enough  to  stand  the 
frost,  for  those  which  are  spoiled  by  the  frosts 
which  come  after  they  flower  are  almost  worth- 
less, because  they  all  bloom  early,  before  the 
frosts  are  all  gone,  and  therefore  their  only 
beauty  would  be  destroyed  unless  they  stood 
the  cold  well. 

Lastly.  They  ought  to  bloom  abundantly, 
the  flowers  succeeding  each  other,  to  lengthen 
the  season  of  their  bloom. 

MONTHLY    TREATMENT. 

January. — The  roots  are  now,  or  ought  to 
be,  in  the  ground,  and  require  no  care  what- 
ever, except  merely  keeping  the  beds,  bor- 
ders, and  clumps  in  which  they  are  planted 
clear  of  weeds ;  no  degree  of  frost  appears 
to  have  the  slightest  effect  on  these  bulbs. 

February. — If  the  season  has  been  mild, 
most  of  the  plants  appear  above  ground  ;  and 
in  the  beds  in  which  choice  seedlings  are 
planted  the  surface  of  the  ground  may  be 
stirred  with  advantage,  first,  for  the  sake  of 
neatness,  next,  because  it  promotes  the  admis- 
sion of  air  to  the  roots  and  facilitates  free 
growth ;  weed  the  seedling-bed  before  the 
weeds  grow  large  enough  to  hurt  the  seedlings. 

March. — In  ordinary  seasons  the  majority 
50. 


of  sorts  are  in  flower  before  this  month  is  out; 
and  among  blooming  seedlings,  from  wliich 
you  intend  to  select  the  best,  take  advantage 
of  the  full  sun-shine  to  examine  them,  for 
they  expand  in  the  warm  rays,  and  you  caii 
see  the  shape.  It  is  useless  to  attempt  to 
discriminate,  unless  the  sun  be  on  them  and 
the  flowers  fairly  open ;  only  such  as  have 
broad  petals,  and  form  a  cup  when  opened, 
should  be  considered  worth  adding  to  the 
present  varieties.  Continue  to  we^d  the 
seedling-beds,  both  one  and  two  years  old. 

April. — A  mere  continuation  of  lastmonth's 
attention  and  operation,  especially  weeding 
the  young  seedlings. 

May. — The  Crocus  out  of  bloom  sends 
forth  its  foliage  at  considerable  length  like 
long  grass,  and  unless  they  have  been  planted 
in  some  kind  of  order,  tliey  now  look  untidy  ; 
but  the  practice  of  clipping  this  grass,  although 
not  of  any  great  importance  where  they  grow 
in  large  patches  and  open  borders,  is  decidedly 
injurious  to  the  growth  of  the  bulbs,  and 
checks  the  increase  of  size. 

June  &  July. — The  foliage  will  be  turning 
yellow,  when  they  may  be  taken  up.  The 
seed-pods  will  be  seen  in  the  heart  of  the 
leaves,  and  should  be  gathered,  if  from  good 
roots  and  worth  the  trouble ;  all  the  choice 
ones  should  be'  first  taken  up  and  kept  in 
separate  bags  wdth  their  names,  labels,  num- 
bers, and  descriptions.  After  this,  unbloomed 
seedlings  should  be  taken  up,  and  also  kept 
separately,  because  you  know  not  but  that 
the  most  insignificant  may  prove  the  best. 
The  great  bulk  may  then  be  taken  up  and 
laid  together  accoi'ding  to  the  several  distinc- 
tions, that  you  may  be  able  to  prevent  any 
admixture  of  one  soi't  or  colour  with  another. 
All  the  seedlings  that  have  bloomed  and  are 
not  good  enough  to  propagate  or  name,  may 
be  thrown  together  as  mixtures,  to  be  sold, 
thrown  away,  or  given  away.  IMark  with 
labels,  to  prevent  disturbing  them,  all  to  be 
left  in  the  ground. 

August  &  September. — While  the  bulbs 
are  out  of  the  ground,  keep  them  dry  and 
cool ;  damp  will  soon  destroy  them,  and  any 
excess  of  warmth,  long  together,  will  dry 
them,  and  destroy  their  vitality.  As,  how- 
ever, you  may  begin  planting  from  August, 
and  keep  on  till  November,  tiiere  is  no  par- 
ticular hurry ;  let  it  depend  on  your  conve- 
nience, as  vacancies  occur.  All  the  verbenas 
and  tender  plants  in  clumps  require  to  be 
taken  up  in  winter  ;  the  planting  of  Crocuses 
may  bide  the  clearance  of  these  less  robust 
tenants.      Sow  seed. 

October  &  November— Finish  planting 
with  all  industry  ;  for,  from  the  moment  a 
root  begins  to  spear,  it  loses  strength  out  of 
ground.     Plant  all  that  you  may  want  in  pots, 

F 


66 


CHEMISTRY    AND    AGRICULTURE. 


and  set  in  water  or  sand  all  that  you  mean  lo 
occupy  the  various  devices  and  contrivances 
intended  for  conservatory  and  dwelling-house 
culture.     Sow  seed. 

December. — Hei'e,  if  we  have  been  com- 
monly prudent,  we  have  a  month's  rest,  ex- 
cepting if  weeds  grow  on  the  beds,  which 
must  be  kept  clear.  If  through  inadvertency 
any  bulbs  remain  out  of  ground,  lose  not  a 
moment  in  getting  them  in  ;  and  if  any  of  the 
seed  be  not  yet  sown,  give  it  a  chance  by 
sowing  it  directly  ;  but  you  must  not  expect 
so  good  a  bloom  from  the  bulbs,  nor  so  many 
plants  from  the  seed,  although  in  some  in- 
stances, where  they  have  been  well  preserved, 
both  may  give  some  return  for  the  trouble. 
As  a  general  rule,  however,  every  bulb  should 
be  planted  and  every  seed  sown  before  the 
end  of  November ;  all  beyond  this  is  risking 
the  health,  strength,  and  sometimes  vitality 
itself,  of  both  the  one  and  the  other. 


CHEMISTRY    AND    AGRICULTURE. 

We  might  as  well  have  written  Chemistry 
and  Horticulture,  for  the  application  is  much 
of  the  same  character ;  and  we  are  about  to 
consider  how  far  it  is,  desirable  for  persons 
of  limited  means  to  try  experiments.  The 
establishment  of  the  Royal  Agricultural  So- 
ciety of  England,  and  the  Horticultural  Society 
of  London,  was  a  great  boon  to  farming  and 
gardening ;  not  because  they  set  men  of  all 
conditions  playing  all  sorts  of  tricks  with 
chemical  manures,  for  that  involved  a  certain 
quantity  of  good,  with  an  uncertain  quantity 
of  evil ;  but  it  was  a  boon,  because  men  of 
capital,  who  could  afford  to  lose  crops,  were 
led  to  try  experiments  and  report  the  result, 
so  that  the  poorer  men  who  depended  on  their 
crops,  and  were  sufferers  when  they  had  less 
than  an  average,  could  stand  by  while  wealthy 
landholders  did  the  experimental  part  of  the 
business,  and  see  the  effect  of  novel  practice 
before  any  risk  was  incurred  by  the  less 
affluent  lookers-on.  It  has,  however,  been  the 
fashion  among  modern  writers  to  condemn 
the  "old  jog-trot  methods  of  our  forefathers," 
and  even  to  ridicule  those  who,  as  it  was  im- 
properly called,  obstinately  continued  in  the 
old  track,  while  so  many  new  ones  were 
pointed  out.  The  science,  or  rather  the  busi- 
ness of  farming  and  gardening,  according  to 
the  old  school,  was  reduced  to  something  like 
a  certainty,  as  far  as  particular  requirements 
of  the  ground  were  provided,  and  those 
requirements  were  answered  by  an  average 
result,  A  man  with  a  farm  or  garden  that 
proved  sufflciently  productive  to  obtain  for 
him  a  general  average  profit,  was  in  no  degree 
blameable  for  waiting  until  some  better,  or 
cheaper,  or  more  certain  mode  of  producing 
the  usual  results  was  made  manifest — not  by 


reasoning,  for  the  most  specious  reasoning 
will  sometimes  prove  fallacious — not  bj'  any 
well-dressed  theory,  for  theories  often  deceive 
even  their  authors — but  by  plain  facts,  which 
can  deceive  nobody ;  then,  and  then  only,  is 
the  man  of  business,  whose  all  is  in  his  trade, 
warranted  in  adopting  new  methods  instead  of 
old  ones.  We  repudiate  altogether  the  notion 
that  a  man  who  has  practised  the  acknow- 
ledged rules  with  the  ordinary  share  of  suc- 
cess, should  step  out  of  his  way  at  the  bidding 
of  theorists ;  but  we  hail  with  pleasure  the 
experiments  of  the  wealthy,  and  the  praise- 
worthy manner  in  which  they  publish  their 
success  or  otherwise.  It  is  only  when  the 
efficacy  of  novel  practice  has  been  faii-ly  and 
fullij  proved,  that  the  steady-going  farmei-, 
who  has  no  money  to  spare,  is  called  upon  to 
entertain  the  change.  But  this  does  not 
affect  improvements  that  are  self-evident  to 
all  thinking  men,  and  the  change  of  system 
which  relates  to  economy,  and  inattention  to 
which  bespeaks,  or  rather  denotes,  unpar- 
donable idleness.  If  a  man  is  not  obliged  to 
adopt  a  new  chemical  manure  because  some- 
body recommends  it,  he  is  culpable  when  he 
wastes  that  which  he  understands  the  value 
of;  yet  how  many  dung-yards  do  we  see, 
even  among  wealthy,  or  comparatively  weal- 
tliy,  farmers,  where  the  best  juices  of  the 
manure  are  running  to  waste  ?  The  dung 
receives  all  the  rain,  which  washes  away  the 
virtue  of  it,  and  a  black  ditch  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood receives  one-half  the  value  of  the 
muck.  This  is  a  very  common  picture,  and 
those  who,  after  the  admonition  of  many 
writers  repeated  during  many  years,  continue 
the  waste,  deserve  all  that  has  been  said  of 
them,  for  they  exhibit  the  worst  evidence  of 
ignorance  and  obstinacy.  Not  so  the  prudent 
man,  who  awaits  the  success  of  his  richer 
neighbour  in  agricultural  experiments  and 
costly  speculations.  Gentlemen  farmers  ex- 
pect but  little  from  their  business  profits ; 
many  esteem  themselves  fortunate  if  their 
farms  bring  them  home  the  cost.  They  fol- 
low husbandry  for  amusement,  and  they,  for 
the  most  part,  like  to  speculate  a  little  in 
novel  applications,  and  novel  practice.  They 
can  speculate  on  their  sowing,  because  half  a 
crop  instead  of  a  whole  one  does  not  ruin 
them.  They  can  try  guano  in  the  place  of 
stable  dung,  because,  if  they  miss  their  mark, 
they  have  a  right  to  do  as  they  like  with 
their  own.  If  they  are  fortunate,  and  obtain 
an  excellent  crop,  we  hear  of  it  in  the  news- 
papers, but  if  they  fail,  they  do  not  publish 
their  mistakes.  It  is,  therefore,  only  from  often 
repeated  facts  staring  us  in  the  face  that  we 
can  draw  a  safe  conclusion ;  we  may  read  of 
one  man  doing  wonders,  and  it  may  seem  very 
specious,  but  he  may  have  omitted  some  facts 


THE    FLOWERS    AND    FRUITS    OF    SCRIPTURE. 


67 


that  materially  contributed  to  his  success,  and 
we  may  thus  be  deceived,  if  we  are  not  careful 
to  learn  all.  The  men,  then,  who  persevere  in 
their  old  practice  until  they  are  convinced  by 
repeated  facts  that  they  can  improve,  are,  in 
the  main,  right ;  but  there  are  faults  besides 
that  of  wasting  their  dung,  that  no  excuse 
can  be  made  for,  the  neglected  straggling 
nature  of  their  hedges,  in  some  cases  over- 
spreading an  enormous  quantity  of  land,  fre- 
quently laying  waste  several  yards  in  width  the 
entire  length  ;  whereas  the  most  inexperienced 
man  must  know  that  a  good  hedge,  two  feet 
thick  in  the  thickest  part,  is  enough  and  to 
spare.      Ditches,    foul  and  irregular,    are   a 


match  for  the  barbarous  hedges ;  these  are 
faults  which  proclaim  the  most  palpable  igno- 
rance, idleness,  or  obstinacy,  or  all  three. 
We  are  no  advocates  for  fast  men  ;  we  have 
seen  them  running  along  the  road  to  science 
at  a  great  pace,  and  have  to  retrace  their 
steps,  while  the  loiterers,  as  they  have  been 
termed,  have  passed  quietly  along,  and  arrived 
sooner  at  the  desired  goal.  Let  industry  and 
economy  be  apparent  in  the  state  of  their 
hedges,  farms,  roads,  and  dung-yards  ;  but 
there  is  no  occasion  to  follow  every  theorist 
through  untried  roads,  and  begin  a  new  line 
of  business  in  farming,  until  it  is  proved 
better  than  the  old. 


THE  FLOWERS  AND  FRUITS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 


The  olive  is  the  emblem  of  peace  and 
plenty,  and  has  in  all  ages  been  held  in  pecu- 
liar estimation,  as  the  bounteous  gift  of  Hea- 
ven. In  the  sacred  text  two  kinds  of  olive 
are  referred  to,  one  of  which  is  distinguished 
as  the  "wild  olive."  The  identity  of  the 
"  oil-olive"  tree  with  the  Olea  eurojyea  does 
not  seem  to  be  questioned ;  but  some  totally 
different  plants  have  been  suggested  as  the 
"  wild  olive"  of  the  New  Testament.  One  of 
these  is  the  Rlius  cotinus,  which  however  can 
have  no  claim  to  be  regarded  as  the  plant 
referred  to.  With  more  appearance  of  truth  a 
species  of  Eleeagnus  has  been  suggested,  and 
this  suggestion  has  gained  some  support  from 
the  trivial  name  of  wild  olive  or  Oleaster, 
Avhich  is  applied  to  the  Elseagnus  family  ; 
moreover,  a  species  of  oleaster  is  common  in 
Palestine,  and  bears  some  resemblance  to  the 
true  olive  in  several  particulars,  such  as  in 
the  form  and  appearance  of  the  leaves,  and  in 
tlie  shape  of  the  fruit,  also  in  yielding  a  kind 
of  oil,  which  is  expressed  from  its  kernels. 
The  Elceagnus  angust'ifolius  of  botanists  is 
the  plant  alluded  to. 

The  "  wild  olive"  is  only  mentioned  by  St. 
Paul  in  his  letter  to  the  Roman  Christians, 
and  is  made  the  basis  of  a  very  beautiful  figu- 
rative argument.  Alluding  to  the  extension 
of  the  Gospel  to  the  G-entiles,  and  the  rejec- 
tion of  the  Jews  as  exclusive  participators  in 
its  blessings,  he  writes  to  his  Gentile  con- 
verts :  "  If  some  of  the  branches  be  broken 
off,  and  thou,  being  a  wild  olive  tree,  wert 
graifed  in  among  them,  and  with  them  par- 
takest  of  the  root  and  fatness  of  the  olive 
tree ;  boast  not  against  the  branches." 

There  is  of  the  olive  tree,  as  of  most  others 
which  are  extensively  cultivated  for  profit, 
the  wild  or  original  kind,  which  is  also  called 
OJea  Oleaster,  and  certain  varieties  improved 
by  cultivation,  of  which  the  best  is  that  named 
Olea  sativa ;  by  those  who  regard  these  as 


forming  but  varieties  of  one  species — Olea 
europea — the  former  is  called  co7mmmis,  and 
the  latter,  long/folia.  That  the  "wild  olive" 
of  St,  Paul  refers  to  the  original  kind,  and 
the  "natural  branches"  to  the  cultivated  kind 


The  Olive. 

or  kinds,  appears  scarcely  to  admit  of  doubt, 
when  the  reference  to  the  practice  of  grafting, 
which  must  have  been  known  to  the  Romans, 
is  taken  into  consideration  ;  for  the  operation 
of  grafting  is  well  known  to  be  restricted 
within  narrow  limits,  those  plants  which  are 
constitutionally  allied  only  admitting  of  this 


68 


THE    FLOWERS    AND    ERUITS    OF    SCRIPTURE. 


kind  of  union.  Hence  the  Elteagnus,  being 
of  a  widely  different  natural  constitution,  could 
not  be  grafted  into  the  olive.  The  evidence 
which  iri  adduced  in  apparent  support  of  this 
latter  practice,  from  the  old  authors,  probably 
rests  on  a  misunderstanding  of  the  plants  they 
intended,  the  identification  of  the  plants  of  the 
ancients  being  one  of  the  exercises  of  "the 
learned,"  and  one  which,  from  the  obscurity 
which  rests  upon  it,  is  very  liable  to  error. 
It  was  the  practice  of  the  ancients  to  graft 
the  wild  upon  the  cultivated  olive  tree,  with 
a  view  no  doubt  to  increase  their  fertility,  as 
it  might  assist  to  do  ;  and  this  practice  may 
therefore  be  held  to  prove  that  St.  Paul  does 
really  refer  to  the  "  wild"  state  of  the  "  olive" 
tree,  in  the  text  referred  to. 

It  is  to  be  presumed  that  this  wild  olive 
tree  is  that  of  which  the  dove  sent  forth  from 
the  ark  by  Noah,  on  the  subsidence  of  the 
waters  of  the  flood,  brought  back  a  leaf  to  the 
patriarch,  and  by  which  he  "  knew  that  the 
waters  were  abated  from  off  the  earth  ;" 
although,  as  we  know  that  the  vine  was  culti- 
vated in  the  later  days  of  Noah,  it  is  possible 
that  the  olive  also  may  have  been  by  this 
time  brought  under  that  course  of  artificial 
management  which  would  surely  lead  to  its 
amelioration  and  improvement  ;  and  perhaps 
this  latter  view  is  strengthened  by  the  fami- 
liarity of  the  patriarch  with  the  "  pluckt-off" 
leaf  brought  to  him  by  the  dove.  The  next 
mention  we  find  of  the  olive,  indeed,  in  the 
time  of  Moses,  expressly  mentions  the  "  olive- 
yard"  in  connexion  with  the  "vineyard,"  so 
that  by  this  time,  at  least,  the  olive  must  have 
been  under  cultivation. 

The  laws  given  to  the  children  of  Israel 
seem  to  have  expressly  obligated  the  cultiva- 
tion of  the  excellent  olives  of  Palestine,  which 
country  they  were  destined  to  occupy.  Being 
debarred  from  the  use  of  animal  fat,  (Levit. 
vii.  23,)  the  olive  seemed  to  be  their  chief  re- 
source, and  pure  olive  oil  was  one  of  the 
offerings  tliey  were  commanded  to  bring  to 
the  tabernacle,  (Exod.  xxvii.  20.)  The  ten- 
dency of  such  a  restriction  was  directly  to 
check  their  former  nomade  habits. 

The  olive  {Olea  europcea)  is  of  slow 
growth,  and  forms  in  congenial  climates  a 
small  evergreen  tree  of  from  tv/enty  to  thirty 
feet  high,  densely  branched,  and  bearing  stiff 
lance-shaped  opposite  leaves,  of  a  dull  green 
on  the  upper  side  and  hoaiy  beneath.  The 
form  of  the  leaves  differs  in  the  several  varie- 
ties ;  the  wild  olive  (O.  eiifopcea  communis, 
the  O.  Oleaster  of  some)  has  oblong  leaves 
shorter  than  those  of  the  more  valuable  varie- 
ties i^O  etiropata  longifoVa,  the  O.  safiva  of 
some  ;  and  O.  europcea  latifoliaJ)  The  flowers 
grow  fi'om  the  axils  of  the  leaves  in  small 
panicles,  and  are  small  and  of  a  whitish  colour. 


These  are  followed  by  the  fruit,  of  an  oblong- 
spheroidal  form,  about  the  size  of  a  sloe,  and 
of  a  yellowish  green  colour,  turning  black 
when  ripe,  and  consisting  of  a  thick  oleagi- 
nous flesh  or  pulp,  enclosing  a  bony  shell  or 
drupe.  The  stems  of  old  trees,  which  fre- 
quently rise  two  or  three  from  the  same  root, 
appear  like  three  or  four  pollard  willows  con- 
gregated together,  and  indeed  the  appearance 
of  the  olive  tree,  with  its  hoary  leaves  and 
greyish  bark,  much  resembles  that  of  the  grey 
willoAV.  This  may  appear  contradictory  to 
the  expressions  which  are  used  in  the  autho- 
rized version  of  the  Bible:  "I  am  like  a 
green  olive  tree,"  (Psalm  lii.  8.)  "A  green 
olive  tree,  fair,  and  of  goodly  fruit,"  (Jer.  xi. 
16,)  but  in  truth  the  difficulty  vanishes  when 
it  is  known  that  the  word  translated  "green" 
does  not  so  much  refer  to  colour,  as  to  a  fresh- 
ness and  vigour  of  appearance,  compared  with 
the  prosperity  of  a  righteous  man.  The  olive, 
moreover,  is  what  is  called  an  evergreen,  so 
that  there  is  much  propriety  in  the  expression. 
The  %vood  is  imported  into  this  country  from 
Leghorn  ;  it  is  hard-grained  and  heavy,  like 
box,  but  somewhat  softer,  of  a  yellowish 
colour,  with  dark  grey  coloured  veins  ;  it  has 
an  agreeable  odour,  is  not  liable  to  the  attacks 
of  insects,  and  is  susceptible  of  a  fine  polish. 
The  delicate  closeness  of  the  grain  renders  it 
fit  for  painter's  palettes,  and  its  exceeding 
beauty,  in  the  colour  and  veiuing  of  the  wood, 
shows  how  appropriate  was  its  application  in 
constructing  the  cherubim,  and  the  carved 
work  of  the  doors  and  door  posts  in  the  temple 
of  Solomon.  The  roots  have  a  very  pretty 
knotted  and  curly  character  ;  they  are  said  to 
be  much  esteemed  on  the  continent  for  making 
embossed  boxes,  pressed  into  engraved  me- 
tallic moulds. 

The  Mount  of  Olives,  so  frequently  resorted 
to  by  our  Saviour,  as  we  learn  from  the  New 
Testament  narrative,  seems  to  have  deinved 
its  name  from  the  olive  ti'ees  which  grew 
there.  The  place  is  yet  fruitful  in  olives, 
and  travellers  are  shown  some  which  are  said 
to  have  existed  since  the  commencement  of 
the  Christian  era.  •  Some  trees  remarkable 
for  their  antiquity  are  certainly  found  on  the 
mount,  especially  in  the  garden  of  Gethsemane. 
There  seems  to  be  historical  evidence  of  the 
existence  of  some  of  these  olives  of  Olivet 
since  the  time  of  the  Eastern  Empire.  It  is 
related  that  every  olive  tree  found  standing  by 
the  Mussulmans  when  they  conquered  Asia 
pays  one  medina  to  the  treasury,  whilst  each 
of  those  planted  subsequently  is  taxed  half  its 
produce.  The  ti'ees  in  question,  it  would 
appeal',  are  charged  only  one  medina  each. 
Lady  Calcott  mentions  other  olive  trees  which 
claim  an  equal  date.  On  the  mountain  road, 
betw^een  Tivoli  and  Palestrina,    there  was  in 


THE    FLOWERS  AND  FE-UITS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 


69 


1820  an  ancient  olive,  which,  unless  the  docu- 
ments were  pui'posely  falsified,  stood  as  a 
boundary  between  two  possessions  even  before 
the  Christian  era,  and  in  tlie  second  century 
was  looked  on  as  very  ancient. 

The  Turks  being  sensible  of  the  worth  of 
olives  and  olive  oil,  the  tree  continues  to  be 
extensively  cultivated,  and  Palestine  may 
still  be  called  a  land  of  olives.  To  tliis  the 
longevity  of  the  tree,  and  its  character  of 
springing  up  from  the  rootstock,  may  in  some 
degree  have  contributed. 

There  must  have  been  an  enormous  home 
consumption  of  olive  oil  in  ancient  Judea, 
from  the  substitution  of  vegetable  oil  for 
animal  fat  as  an  article  of  diet,  and  its  employ- 
ment also  in  the  sacred  ceremonies  for  burning 
in  lamps,  but  yet  the  produce  was  so  great  as 
to  leave  a  large  surplus  for  exportation.  Thus 
Solomon  gave  20,000  baths  of  oil  annually 
to  the  Tyrian  cedar  hewers  in  Lebanon,  and, 
as  it  would  seem,  an  equal  quantity  also  to 
the  king  of  Tyre.  The  Jews,  moreover, 
traded  with  their  oil  to  the  great  mart  of 
Tyre ;  and  even  sent  it  to  Egypt.  (Ezek. 
xxvii.  17;  Hosea  xii.  1.)  The  branches  of 
the  olive  tree  were  also  used  by  the  Jews  at 
the  feast  of  tabernacles. 

Eliphaz  the  Temanite,  speaking  of  the 
wicked  man,  says,  (Job  xv.  33,)  he  "shall 
cast  off  his  flower  as  the  olive."  This  seems 
to  be  the  principal  contingency  to  which  the 
cultivator  of  olives  is  liable.  If  the  blossoms 
are  cast  off  there  can  be  no  fruit ;  and  it  has 
been  mentioned  by  travellers  that  the  blossoms 
of  the  olive  are  sometimes  cut  off  by  blasting 
north  or  north-east  winds.  Dr.  Chandler,  in 
his  Travels  in  Greece,  observes  :  "  The  crops 
had  failed  five  years  successively  when  we 
arrived ;  the  cause  assigned  was  a  northerly 
wind,  called  Greco-Tramontane,  which  de- 
stroyed the  flowers.  The  fruit  is  set  in  about 
a  fortnight,  when  the  apprehension  from  this 
unpropitious  quarter  ceases.  The  Idoom  in 
the  following  year  was  unhurt,  and  we  had 
the  pleasure  of  leaving  the  Athenians  happy 
in  the  prospect  of  a  plentiful  harvest."  This 
early  blight,  the  crop  was  subject  to  in  Judea. 

Like  tlie  fig,  the  olive  tree  furnishes  a  suc- 
cessional  crop.  The  first  are  mature  about 
August,  and  the  other  in  October  or  Novem- 
ber. The  first  crop,  consisting  of  fully  ripe 
fruit,  is  allowed  to  drop  from  the  trees  on 
mats  spread  out  beneath.  The  later  crop  is 
bt^aten  from  the  trees  with  long  rods,  and 
caught  in  the  same  manner.  Some  nicety  is 
required  in  getting  the  crops,  for  if  the  fruit 
are  over  ripe,  the  oil  has  an  unguinous  taste, 
and  if  they  are  unripe  they  impart  to  it  an 
intolerable  bitterness.  We  read  in  the  Bible 
of  the  beating  of  olive  trees  (Deut.  xxiv.  20,) 
and  of  the  shaking  of  olive  trees,  (Isa.  xvii. 


6;  xxiv.  13.)  "When  thou  beatest  thine 
olive  tree,  thou  shall  not  go  over  the  boughs 
again  ;  it  shall  be  for  the  stranger,  for  the 
fathei-less,  and  the  widow."  "  Two  or  three 
berries  in  the  top  of  the  utmost  bough,  four 
or  five  in  the  outmost  fruitful  branches  there- 
of." "  As  the  shaking  of  an  olive  tree,  and 
as  the  gleaning  grapes  when  the  vintage  is 
done."  It  seems,  therefore,  to  have  been  the 
practice  of  the  Jews,  to  beat  down  the  bulk 
of  the  crop,  leaving  the  residue  for  the  poor  ; 
and  a  similar  beating  process  is  still  practised 
in  Italy.  It  has  been  suggested  that  the  trees 
having  been  once  beaten  in  taking  the  crop, 
were  not  allowed  by  the  proprietors  to  be 
beaten  by  "  gleaners,"  who  had  therefore  to 
wait  until  the  unripe  fruit,  of  which  most  of 
those  left  behind  consisted,  attained  suflRcient 
maturity  to  fall  when  the  trees  were  shaken. 

There  appears  to  have  been  three  methods 
anciently  in  use  of  expressing  the  oil  from  the 
fruit.  Probably  the  most  ancient  mode  was 
to  squeeze  the  fruit  with  the  hand,  and  by 
this  method,  though  it  caused  much  waste, 
the  purest  oil  was  produced.  The  olives  were 
trodden  as  grapes  ;  thus  the  prophet  Micah 
says,  "  Thou  shalt  tread  the  olives,  but  thou 
shalt  not  anoint  thee  w^ith  oil."  (Mic.  vi.  15.) 
It  appears  also  from  the  prophet  Joel,  that  an 
oil  press  was  sometimes  employed  :  "  The  fats 
shall  overflow  with  wine  and  oil  :"  "the  press 
is  full ;  the  fats  overflow."  (Joel  ii.  24  ;  iii. 
13.)  In  France  and  Italy,  Avhere  the  best 
oil  is  produced,  the  oil  is  drawn  from  the 
fruit,  by  means  of  presses  or  mills,  as  soon  as 
they  are  gathered.  Care  is  taken  that  the 
mill-stones  are  set  so  far  apart  as  not  to  crush 
the  nuts  of  the  olives.  The  pulp  thus  pre- 
pared is  put  in  bags  made  of  rushes,  and 
moderately  pressed,  and  thus  the  best  or 
virgin  oil  is  obtained.  The  mass  is  then 
broken,  moistened  with  water,  and  returned 
to  the  press,  out  of  which  flows  a  mixture  of 
oil  and  water  which  spontaneously  separate  ; 
thus  a  second  oil  of  good  quality  and  fit  for 
table  is  obtained.  The  mass  is  again  broken, 
soaked,  and  fermented  in  large  cisterns,  and 
then  pressed,  and  thus  a  third  oil  valuable  to 
the  soap-boiler  and  in  other  manufactures  is 
obtained.      The  best  oil  comes  from  Leghorn. 

Pickled  olives  are  the  unripe  fruit  steeped 
in  water  to  which  quick-lime  or  some  alkaline 
substance  has  been  added.  They  are  after- 
wards soaked  in  pure  water,  and  then  bottled 
in  salt  and  water,  with  or  without  an  aromatic. 
They  are  supposed  to  excite  appetite  and  pro- 
mote digestion.  In  some  parts  of  Provence, 
after  the  olives  have  been  some  time  in  the 
brine,  they  remove  them,  take  out  the  kernel, 
and  put  a  caper  in  its  place  ;  these  they 
preserve  in  excellent  oil,  and  thus  prepared, 
they  are  said  to  strongly  stimulate  the  appetite. 


70 


THE    BERBEllIS    OR    MAHONIA    AQUIEOLIUM, 


The  olive  was  held  in  liigli  estimation  by 
the  ancients.  The  Greeks  dedicated  it  to 
Minerva,  and  employed  it  in  crowning  Jove, 
Apollo,  and  Hercules,  as  well  as  their  em- 
perors, philosophers,  and  orators.  They  had, 
moreover,  a  tradition,  that  the  first  branch  of 
it  was  carried  by  a  dove  from  Phoenicia  to 
the  temple  of  Jupiter  in  Epirus,  where  the 
priests  received  and  planted  it.  By  the 
Romans  also  it  was  higly  honoured.  {^Cyc. 
Bib.  Lit.  ii.  278.) 

The  olive  delights  in  schistous,  calcareous 
steeps,  not  far  removed  from  the  sea.  It  is 
increased  by  suckers,  large  cuttings,  and 
pieces  of  the  root,  which  are  best  removed 


from  the  parent  in  spring  and  autumn.  The 
plants  bear  at  two  years  old,  and  in  six  years 
begin  to  repay  the  expenses  of  cultivation  ; 
after  that  period,  in  good  years,  the  produce 
is  the  surest  source  of  wealth  to  the  cultivator, 
as  the  tree  rivals  the  oak  in  longevity.  The 
best  sorts  are  also  sometimes  engrafted  on 
stocks  of  inferior  kinds.  The  Olea  Oleaster 
already  alluded  to  as  the  "  wild  olive,"  is 
described  as  bearing  very  small  fruit  of  no 
value. 

The  Provence  olive  {O.  sat/va)  is  the  most 
esteemed  of  the  cultivated  sorts  ;  the  Spanish 
( 0.  sativa  latifolia)  bears  the  largest  fruit,  but 
they  have  the  strongest  flavour. 


THE  BEEBERIS  OS  MAHONIA  AQUIFOLIUM. 


Of  all  the  handsome  shrubs  to  plant  for 
ornament,  iew  if  any  can  beat  the  Mahonias 
as  a  feature  in  their  proper  places,  and  for 
underwood  we  do  not  think  there  is  an  equal. 
It  is,  we  wei'e  about  to  say,  a  beautiful  ever- 
green, but  the  winter  tints  of  the  leaves  for- 
bid us,  for  they  vary  from  rich  crimson  scarlet 
to  deep  red  purple,  and  a  mass  of  them  forms 
one  of  the  most  showy  objects  in  nature  ;  the 
I'ainbow  has  scarcely  more  tints,  and  rarely 
brighter  ones,  while  the  general  style  and  habit 
of  the  shrub  are  all  that  the  most  fastidious 
can  wish.  It  is  extremely  hardy,  and  makes 
one  of  the  finest  covers  imaginable.  Planted 
as  underwood  they  should  be  two  feet  apart  ; 
"they  soon  close  upon  the  surface  and  form  an 
umbrageous  canopy,  under  which  game  may 
run  about  from  one  end  of  the  domain  to  the 
other,  without  being  once  seen.  Hitherto  it 
has  been  treated  as  a  choice  shrub,  like  the 
Rhododendron,  Laurustinus,  Aucuba  japonica, 
and  many  others  that  find  place  in  any  garden 
of  pretension  ;  but  from  its  seeding  very  freely 
and  throwing  up  suckers  in  abundance,  it  has 
become  very  plentiful  as  well  as  in  great 
demand.  It  bears  a  good  deal  of  ill  usage. 
It  vfiil  grow  in  stiff,  light,  rich,  poor,  or  ordi- 
nary ground  ;  but,  like  a  thousand  other  plants, 
it  grows,  best  where  it  is  best  used.  It  will 
do  well  wherever  the  laurel  grows  well,  and 
the  ordinary  soil  will  be  good  enough  in  most 
cases.  It  is  principally  propagated  by  suckers, 
but  raised  from  seeds  in  vast  numbers.  The 
seeds  are  saved,  washed  from  their  berries,  and 
dried.  The  beds,  four  feet  wide,  should  be 
trenched  and  dressed  and  properly  levelled, 
when  the  seeds  should  be  sown  in  the  fall  of 
the  year,  not  too  thickly  but  very  evenly,  and 
be  raked  in  carefully.  WheiT  up  they  must 
be  hand-weeded  to  keep  them  clean,  and  this 
will  have  to  be  repeated  several  times.  At 
the  fall  of  the  next  year,  say  about  September 
or  October,  they  may  be  planted  out  in  good 


soil  eight  or  ten  inches  apart,  in  beds  about 
four  feet  wide,  where  they  have  again  only  to 
be  kept  clear  of  weeds  ;  but  if  this  season 
passes,  leave  the  planting  till  the  next  spring 
frosts  are  over  :  for  unless  they  be  well  estab- 
lished before  the  frosts  and  thaws  come  on, 
their  roots  will  be  disturbed,  and  they  would 
in  such  case  have  to  be  pressed  into  the 
ground  again.  If  you  wish  for  short  bushy 
plants,  pinch  out  the  top  shoot,  but  in  general 
you  may  allow  it  to  take  its  chance  ;  some 
will  grow  every  way,  and  the  variety  of 
foliage  renders  it  a  most  desirable  shrub  in 
many  places  where  more  dainty  plants  will 
hardly  grow.  In  this  second  bed  they  will 
do  very  well  two  years,  when  you  may  select 
the  best  and  handsomest  for  a  new  plantation, 
double  the  distance  apart.  The  remainder 
may  be  also  removed  with  advantage  to  a 
plantation  by  themselves.  The  equal  growth 
of  the  best  and  the  similar  equality  of  the 
worst,  besides  giving  more  room,  give  them  a 
much  better  appearance  than  when  mixed 
together,  for  when  some  are  handsome  and 
some  stunted,  the  piece  looks  bad,  but  sepa- 
rate them,  and  even  the  stunted  ones  look  well 
when  no  better  are  near  them.  But  for  un- 
derwood the  whole  may  be  planted  indiscri- 
minately, because  it- is  not  at  all  desirable  to 
have  the  plants  equal,  and  if  they  were  so 
when  put  out,  they  would  not  remain  so  many 
weeks  ;  twenty  different  circumstances  would 
operate  in  favour  of  some  and  against  others. 
To  plant  them  the  ground  should  be  picked 
up  with  a  pick- axe  and  loosened  as  far  down 
as  a  spade  would  dig  it,  and  this  in  some 
ground  is  preparation  enough  ;  in  other  cases, 
where  thei'e  is  but  little  wood  in  the  way,  the 
shrubs  m.ight  be  planted  at  equal  distances, 
the  ground  being  first  trenched  or  bastard 
trenched  according  to  the  quality  of  the  second 
spit  or  subsoil :  if  this  be  rich  let  it  be  regu- 
larly trenched,  turning  the  bottom  spit  to  the 


FLOmCULTUEE    OF    THE    MOIs'TH. 


71 


top  ;  if,  on  the  other  Land,  the  lower  or  second 
spit  be  poor,  or  gravelly,  or  otherwise  hungry, 
merely  loosen  it  a  spade  deeper,  but  leave  it 
in  the  bottom.  Once  watered  in,  or  planted 
in  tolerably  moist  weather  with  the  ground 
nicely  damp,  it  will  need  no  other  trouble.  It 
will  soon  grow  too  close  to  encourage  weeds, 
and  completely  overwhelm  any  that  make 
their  appt-arance.  Treated  as  an  ornamental 
shrub,  you  must  place  it  near  the  front  rank, 
as  it  will  spread  and  not  grow  up  much  ;  three 
feet  is  the  extreme  height  for  a  good  while, 
though  we  have  no  doubt  that  many  would 
go  higher.  They  will,  however,  generally  be 
twice  as  wide  as  they  are  high,  when  they 
have  plenty  of  room.  There  are  many  sup- 
posed varieties,  but  they  are  mere  seedling 
varieties,  though  they  are  called  species,  and 
one  bed  of  seedlings  will  give  you  all  the 
leading  sorts,  if  you  choose  to  divide  them 
according  to  their  difference  of  foliage.  They 
make  a  noble  mixture  with  Laurustinus  and 
other  dwarf  shrubby  plants  for  the  front  of 
plantations,  for  the  branches  and  their  rich 
foliage  reach  the  ground,  whatever  size  they 
attain.  In  forming  a  clump  by  themselves 
they  make  a  very  pretty  feature,  and  if  planted 
with  the  tallest  in  the  middle  and  the  smallest 
on  the  sides,  ends,  and  front,  they  are  a  green 
mound  in  spring,  and  turn  gradually  to  yellow, 
brown,  scarlet,  crimson,  and  purple,  as  the 
winter  advances.  There  is  scarcely  anything 
that  affords  so  great  a  diversity  of  colour,  for 
as  the  spring  comes  the  leaves  resume  their 
green,  and  soon  after  their  bright  golden 
bloom  appears,  and  lastly  their  purple  berries. 
In  fine,  they  are  a  valuable  shrub,  thoroughly 
ornamental,  the  best  of  all  underwoods,   the 


prettiest  specimens  to  stand  alone,  and  perhaps 
the  most  hardy.  When  the  fruit  is  thoroughly 
ripe,  they  may  be  gathered,  bruised  and 
washed  to  get  out  the  seeds,  or  they  may  be 
dried  and  rubbed  out,  but  we  prei'er  laying 
the  berries  together  till  they  are  a  little  dried, 
and  then  bruising  them,  and  washing  the 
seeds  clean  and  thoroughly  drying  before 
putting  away,  but  there  is  no  better  time  to 
sow  it  than  when  tliey  are  ripe.  They  are 
now  named  Mahonia  in  the  nurseries,  but  the 
public  get  familiar  with  the  name  by  which 
plants  are  introduced,  and  do  not  so  readily 
forget  it.  The  Mahonia  is  now  raised  by 
hundreds  of  thousands,  and  the  price  of  a 
thousand  seedlings  is  very  little  more  than  used 
to  be  charged  for  a  single  plant.  The  Messrs. 
Waterers  raise  an  immense  quantity,  and  as 
the  planters  become  acquainted  with  its  value 
as  underwood,  the  demand  will  be  for  some 
time  quite  equal  to  the  supply.  Nearly  all 
the  nurseries  have  them  from  seeds  of  their 
own  saving,  for  it  seeds  abundantly  ;  but  if  a 
plant  be  taken  up  tliat  has  been  planted  three 
or  four  years,  many  suckers  will  be  found 
strongly  rooted  and  fit  to  plant  out.  When 
they  are  raised  from  these,  they  are  planted 
out  the  same  distance  as  two-year-old  plants, 
and  soon  become  strong  plants,  growing  far 
more  rapidly  than  seedlings  ;  but  since  the 
seed  has  become  so  plentiful,  few  take  the 
trouble  of  growing  from  suckers,  unless  to 
propagate  a  particularly  rich-leaved  one,  or 
a  variety  possessing  some  peculiarity.  There 
is  no  plant  so  well  adapted  to  enrich  the 
heavy  borders  on  the  sides  of  carriage  roads, 
or  in  front  of  a  planted  belt  of  trees.  In  fact, 
it  may  be  used  wherever  shrubs  are  required. 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTIL 


BT  GEORGE  GLENN Y. 


jANTTAEy  is  by  no  means  prolific,  but 
although  we  cannot  boast  of  its  productions, 
it  gives  rise  to  many  social  meetings,  where 
floricultural  gossip  is  the  leading  topic,  and 
much  is  communicated  that  interests  the  floral 
world,  and  changes  take  place  which  are  not 
always  expected.  Mr.  Turner,  one  of  our 
best  florists,  has  taken  the  nursery  at  Slough, 
the  very  head  quarters  of  floriculture  in  the 
late  Mr.  Charles  Brown's  time,  than  whom  a 
greater  enthusiast  never  lived,  and  the  place 
Avhere  Mr.  Turner  perhaps  spent  some  of  his 
most  successful  days.  Mr.  Cutter  retires. 
Mr.  Barnes,  another  of  our  best  florists,  is 
likely  to  be  installed  in  the  late  Mr,  Girling's 
nursery,  which  has  been  conducted  by  Mr. 
Barnes  as  foreman  and  manager  for  many 
years.     These  events  are  gratifying  in   some 


degree,  as  they  are  instances  of  rising  fortunes, 
and  we  hope  they  will  respectively  improve 
their  establishments.  Both  these  gentlemen 
are  conspicuous  among  the  dahlia  grower?, 
and  have  several  of  the  novelties  of  the  season 
coming  out.  We  have  already  seen  three  or 
four  promising  seedlings  of  Camellia  japonica, 
but  as  they  were  early  blooms,  and  others  will 
be  forthcoming,  we  reserve  our  decision.  If 
the  later  flowers  come  well,  we  shall  pronounce 
two  of  them  acquisitions. 

We  notice  in  the  Midland  Florist  that 
a  sort  of  credit  is  claimed  for  the  last  show 
of  dahlias,  and  we  can  hardly  let  it  pass 
without  repeating  our  conviction  that  it  proved 
"  a  heavy  blow  and  great  discouragement." 
Nobody  can  contemplate  without  regret  the 
fact,    that   perhaps    so   many    as    a   hundred 


72 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


seedling  dahlias  were  exhibited,  of  which  not 
twenty  could  have  been   exhibited  under  the 
tried  and  effective  test  which  we  established 
years  ago,   when  everybody  proving   a   new 
variety  was  obliged  to  exhibit  six  blooms.    By 
allowing  only  three  to  be  shown,  scores  of  un- 
certain flov^^ei's  that  will  perhaps  scarcely  ever 
produce  a  perfect  specimen,  were  exhibited. 
Men  never,  if  they  can  help  it,  try  a  flower 
likely  to  be  a  favourite  with  less  than  twenty 
or  thirty  plants,  and  if  that  number,  carefully 
nursed  as  they  always  are,  will  not  produce 
six  perfect  blooms  on  a  given  day,  it  cannot 
be  worth  the  room  it  takes  in  a  garden,  to  say 
nothing  of  the  price  paid  for  it.      The  effect 
was  that  instead  of  twenty  or  thirty  being 
produced  that  would  perhaps  be  certain,  what- 
ever their  quality  might  be,  there  were  a  hun- 
dred, or  perhaps  a  good  many  more,  from  which 
three  could  be  cut  out  of  the  thirty  plants, 
but  which  would  not  have  been  showai  had 
six  as  heretofore  been  required.     The  altera- 
tion then  produced  a  greater  number  of  varie- 
ties, but  not  the  slightest  confidence  can  be 
placed  in  the  flowers,  nor  the  awards  made 
upon  them.     The  result  has  been  unquestion- 
able :   the  sale  will  be   confined  to  the  few 
individuals  who  would  rather  buy  a  dozen  bad 
ones  than  miss  a  good  one,  instead  of  being 
distributed  among  the  many  who  buy  every 
thing  in  which  they  have  confidence.    We  are 
therefore  very  far  from  thinking  the  result  of 
the  dahlia  show  of  the  last  year  glorious,  nor 
can  we  view  it  in  any  light,  but  that  of  a  sad 
retrograde  movement,  and  unless  we  re-estab- 
lish the  dahlia  show  upon  its  old  footing,   the 
trade  and  the  flower  will  decline  as  rapidly  as 
ever  it  advanced.    However,  the  dealers  have 
seen  the  evil,  and  everybody  who   buys   all 
that  have  been  advertised  as  "  first-rate  varie- 
ties," "  show  flowers,"  and  "  splendid  forms," 
will  find  that  nine  out  of  ten  will  prove  use- 
less, enough  to  damp  the  ardour  and  excite 
the  disgust  of  the  best  disposed  amateurs.    In 
the  sorts  we  have  described,  we  are  at  a  loss 
ourselves  for  that  evidence  which  helps  our 
judgment    as  to  the   certainty  of  a  variety, 
and  had  we  not    had  other  opportunities  of 
seeing  a  few  of  them  sent  to  us  individually, 
we  should  have  hesitated  to  recommend  any 
from  what  we  saw  at  the  exhibition.     How- 
ever, those  who  did  not  send  us  any  pay  the 
penalty  in  a  diminished  sale,    for   assuredly 
those  who  trust  to  us  are  by  no  means  few. 

A  writer  has  recently  started  a  new  and 
silly  crotchet  about  the  properties  of  the  pink, 
and  afiirms  that  the  lacing  ought  to  be  on  the 
extreme  edge,  and  that  thefe  should  be  no 
white  margin  beyond  it,  and  he  asks  why 
thei'e  should  be  a  margin  of  white  to  a  pink 
any  more  than  to  a  picotee  or  a  tulip.  Dr. 
Horner,  whom  we  do  not  always  agree  with, 


has  given  the  writer  a  good  set  down,  and 
answers  his  question  by  saying,  simply  because 
a  pink  is  not  a  picotee  nor  yet  a  tulip  ;  and 
confirms. the  properties  as  we  have  laid  them 
down  with  a  little  more  detail  than  we  give, 
for  we  have  only  given  fundamental  princi- 
ples, and  so  that  these  are  complied  with,  we 
care  not.  The  pink  which  is  mentioned  by 
Dr.  Horner  as  a  good  specimen  and  approach- 
ing the  standard,  is  the  variety  called  X  X. 
This  pink  we  noticed  as  long  ago  as  July 
twelvemonth,  as  a  very  fine  rose-leaved 
flowei",  when  there  was  but  a  single  bloom 
exhibited,  and  that  one  only  half  open.  "We 
regard  the  white  margin  outside  a  pink  as 
Dr.  Horner  does — as  a  leading  feature,  a 
leading  property,  and  it  is  strange  that  there 
should  be  so  much  struggling  among  people 
of  little  or  no  weight  to  disturb  those  princi- 
ples upon  which  all  good  florists  are  agreed ; 
but  we  are  vexed  with  journalists  who  give 
currency  to  articles  tending  to  disturb  those 
points  on  which,  after  much  discussion,  the 
best  florists  have  met  each  other  and  agreed. 
We  thank  Dr.  Horner  for  his  defence  of  the 
properties  of  the  pink. 

One  of  the  greatest  enthusiasts  of  the  pre- 
sent day  in  the  tulip  fancy,  proposes  to  re- 
duce his  superb  collection  to  a  single  bulb  of 
each  of  the  choice  sorts,  and  sells  off  on  bloom 
as  near  the  twentieth  of  May  as  the  state  of 
the  bloom  will  admit.  Among  the  same 
things  we  esteem  a  few  of  Franklin's  varieties 
highly  ;  we  once  saw  all  his  flowers  in  a  bed 
which  contained  none  but  those  of  his  own 
raising.  Of  the  hundreds  he  had  produced 
during  a  long  floricultural  life,  there  were  ten 
or  a  dozen  of  a  superior  and  novel  character. 
At  that  period  he  required  such  an  extrava- 
gant price,  that  we,  with  all  our  zeal,  and  no 
want  of  money,  abstained  from  purchasing. 
The  collection  we  speak  of  contains  all  his 
clean  and  best  flowers  purchased  at  his  sale, 
and  cultivated  still  with  great  care  ;  but  an 
advertisement  will  give  more  information  than 
we  can  give  here.  Every  tulip-gi-ower  knows 
the  name  of  Mansfield  from  his  spirited  pur- 
chases at  good  sales,  but  like  many  others 
whose  gardens  are  in  the  vicinity  of  London, 
he  is  very  likely  to  get  notice  to  quit  to  make 
way  for  bricks  and  mortar,  and  he  reduces  his 
collection  to  one  of  a  sort  in  anticipation  of 
removal.  Right  sorry  are  we  that  so  many 
good  metropolitan  growers  have  year  after 
year  been  driven  as  it  were  out  of  the  fancy 
by  the  deprivation  of  their  gardens,  but  we 
fear  there  will  soon  be  scarcely  a  vestige  left 
of  gardening  in  the  metropolis.  Certain  it  is 
that  the  ground  on  which  some  of  our  finest 
flowers  in  early  days  Avere  raised,  is  now 
covered  with  houses  ;  even  the  site  of  the 
Walworth  nui'sery  is  a  square  of  houses. 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


73 


The  Royal  Society  for  the  encouragement 
of  Horticulture    and   Floriculture   in    Great 
Britain    and   Ireland    has    had    its  initiatory 
meeting,  and  agreed  to  the  Rules  for  its  con- 
duct, which  may  thus  be  summed  up.     The 
subscription   is  but  one  shilling  per  annum, 
which  it  is  calculated,  from  the  great  number 
of  admissions,   will  meet  every  possible  ex- 
pense.    This  is  to  open  the  door,  as  it  were, 
to    florists    of  all   classes.      The    Society   is 
divided  into  four  branches,   each   branch   to 
elect  a  Treasurer,  Secretary,  Committee,  and 
three  judges,  and  these  are  to  form  a  general 
committee  to  meet  once  a  quarter,  while  the 
branch  committees  are  to  meet  once  a  month. 
All    members    may    show    without    further 
expense  as  many  novelties  of  their  own  rais- 
ing as  they  please  ;  and,  as  the  raiser  of  any- 
thing may  become  a  member  on  the  payment 
of  the  shilling   subscription,  nothing  is   ex- 
cluded.    The  judges  of  all  the  branches  may 
attend  all,  and  if  three  be  present  they  may 
award  a  certificate  to  any  deserving  subject, 
but  it  must  be   afterwards  submitted  to  the 
.^^:=?meeting  for  approval,  and  if  the  majority  of 
the  meeting  object,  no  certificate  can  issue. 
Here  is  a  complete  security  against  that  un- 
fortunate jobbing  Avhich  has   the  very  first 
season  ruined  the  character  of  the  London 
Florists'  Society,  and  rendered  its  certificates 
ridiculous.     The  four  branches  are  to  meet  at 
four  different  extremes  of  London,  which  may 
be  ultimately  fixed  at  Shoreditch,  the  Elephant 
and  Castle,  Oxford-street,  and  Knightsbridge 
(the  exact  places  not  settled) ;  these  meetings 
to   take   place   the   first,   second,   third,   and 
fourth  Tuesdays  in  the  month,  and  as  a  fifth 
Tuesday  comes  four  times  in  a  year,  these  are 
selected  for  quarterly  meetings  of  the  whole 
four  branches,  the  branch  committees  forming 
a  general  committee.     Perhaps  nothing  in  the 
history  of  floriculture  ever  bid  fairer  to  cause 
a  rapid  advance,  because  so  numerous  a  body 
will  be  an  excellent  check  on  that  system  of 
favouritism,  which  has  so  long  been  the  bane 
of  all  societies  and  the  destruction  of  all  con- 
fidence.    What  with  societies  set  up  for  the 
express  purpose  of  recommending  one  another's 
flowers,  and  giving  more  certificates  of  merit 
among  a  dozen  persons  than  could  fairly  be 
given  among  five  hundred  raisers  of  flowers, 
and  publications  devoted  to  the  same  objects, 
the  public  has  been  preyed  upon  to  an  enor- 
mous extent,  and  it  was  high  time  something 
was  done  to  counteract  the  extensive  decep- 
tion  practised    upon   the   unwary    by    such 
means.     It  has  long  been  the  practice  of  jour- 
nalists to  admit  anything  that  interested  per- 
sons may  have  written,  and  those  works  which 
may   be  said  to  be  conducted  by  very  fair 
dealers  and  upright  men  have  thereby  been 
made  the  instruments  of  people  altogether  as 


unworthy  of  confidence  as  the  conductors  were 
the  reverse.  This  journal  has  uniformly  re- 
jected everything  tending  to  exalt  a  flower  or 
plant,  justly  or  unjustly,  except  the  papers 
written  by  their  own  competent  and  autho- 
rized agents,  and  the  public  has  shown  a  con- 
fidence in  the  decisions  of  the  writers,  which 
has  increased  year  by  year  as  those  decisions 
have  proved  unerring.  There  is  not  a  writer 
interested  in  flower,  plant,  fruit,  or  vegetable, 
except  so  far  as  they  are  calculated  to  gratify 
the  public  and  advance  the  science  ;  and, 
although  it  is  not  our  business  to  say  a  word 
against  others,  let  any  indifferent  person  ex- 
amine the  most  independent,  and  observe  the 
numerous  papers  written  by  nurserymen, 
florists,  gardeners,  and  anonymously,  in  praise 
of  difierent  subjects  brought  under  notice. 

The  rage  for  cut  flowers  is   now  said  to 
have  abated,   and   the  demand  to  have  con- 
siderably lessened.     There  is  some  truth  in 
the  lessened  demand,  but  it  is  only  the  same 
diminution  that   has    been  witnessed  in  the 
sale  of  all  luxuries.     Trade  has  suffered  con- 
siderably :  business  of  all  kinds  has  felt  the 
effects  of  continental  squabbles,  and  the  love 
of  flowers  has  not  been  indulged  to  the  full 
extent,  for  want  of  means,  or  from  a  convic- 
tion  on  the  minds  of  prudent  persons  that 
they  must   debar  themselves  of  those  enjoy- 
ments which  are   not   necessary.    ^But   the 
lessened    demand    appears    more    formidable 
among  the  gardeners  who  provide  the  flowers, 
from  two  causes,  unconnected  with  bad  times. 
There  are  many  more  growers  of  flowers  for 
the  market  than  there  were,  and  they  often 
overstock  it  with    common  things.     This  is 
one  cause.     Another  is  that  common  things 
no    longer   please   the    refined  tastes   of  the 
public.    There  is  no  glut  of  Camellia  japonica, 
however   large   the    supply,    except   at    the 
height  of  the  bloom,  when  many  other  choice 
things  come  in.     Let  those  who  supply  the 
market    furnish    things  of   higher   quality — 
Euphorbia  jacquiniajflora,   the  most  brilliant 
little  scarlet  flower  that  can  be  found  ;  orange 
and  lemon  flowers  ;  the  most  highly-scented 
Daphne   indica  odorata,   whose   perfume    is 
matchless  and  flower  neat  and  pretty  ;  Gar- 
denias  (or    Cape    Jasmines),    delicate,    and 
beyond  measure  sweet  ;  Ixora  coccinea,  grown 
weakly,  with  numerous  heads,  small,  on  pur- 
pose, which  is  showy  and  lasting  ;  the  various 
and  numerous  heathsj  and  v/e  could  enumerate 
many  more  subjects,  of  which  too  many  could 
hardly  be  found.     Now,  instead  of  these,  we 
see  the  commonest  subjects  forced,  at    con- 
siderable expense,    and  wall  flowers,    pinks, 
lilies,  and  such  like,  subjects  merely  brought 
before  their  time.     The  number  of  persons 
engaged  in  supplying  markets  now  is  greatly 
increased,  by  the  many  gentlemen's  gardeners 


74 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MOKTH. 


who  send  up  flowers.  Some  of  the  sellers 
rely  a  good  deal,  and  others  entirely,  upon 
the  flowers  sent  up  from  the  gentlemen's  esta- 
blishments all  over  the  country,  and,  curious 
enough,  many  a  wealthy  family  have  to  buy, 
at  an  exorbitant  price,  the  flowers  cut  from 
their  own  plants.  This  is  an  interference 
with  the  trade  of  the  florist,  and,  however 
delicately  it  may  be  wrapped  up  in  language, 
a  robbery  of  the  employer.  This  evil  would 
be  checked  by  the  gentry  insisting  on  a  regular 
supply  of  flowers  from  all  their  establish- 
ments, because  there  is  not  one,  however 
meanly  kept  up,  but  could  furnish  a  good 
many  half-guinea  nosegays  and  bouquets  in 
the  course  of  the  season.  Among  the  forced 
flowers  worthy  of  taking  any  trouble  with,  we 
may  mention  roses  of  all  sorts,  and  especially 
the  smooth-barked  kinds  and  small-flowered, 
because  they  force  better  and  last  longer  after 
cutting  than  many  others.  Pinks  are  toler- 
able, but  not  to  be  compared  with  anything 
we  have  mentioned.  Deutzia  scabra  will  yield 
a  pretty  flower  for  a  bouquet.  Some  of  the 
azaleas  are  acceptable,  as  affording  yellow 
varieties,  especially  Azalea  sinensis.  Azalea 
indica  of  some  kinds,  ^specially  Danielsiana, 
which  has  a  thick  scarlet  flower  and  lasts  a 
long  time  ;  alba  and  phoenicea  are  white  and 
purple,  but  not  lasting.  However,  these  are 
passing  remarks  on  a  subject  that  we  flrst  set 
going  many  years  ago,  when  ten  guineas  was 
the  premium  or  prize  for  the  best  nosegay  to 
present  to  the  Queen,  and  a  number  of  gar- 
deners received  the  prize. 

We  did  not  attach  much  importance  to  a 
work  we  are  about  to  complain  of ;  but  we 
were  sorry  to  see,  in  these  enlightened  times, 
the  filthy  nostrums  of  the  old  writers  recom- 
mended for  Auriculas.  If  these  unsavoury 
materials  were  once  pronounced  necessary  for 
the  cultivation  of  any  flower,  by  a  competent 
authority,  it  would  not  fail  to  banish  that 
flower  from  the  gax'dens  of  gentlemen,  and 
wherever  the  work  in  question  goes,  if  it  has 
influence  enough  to  be  believed,  the  readers 
will  probably  give  up  the  culture  as  hopeless. 
We  have  endeavoured  to  convince  amateur 
florists  long  ago,  that  there  is  nothing  more 
necessary  for  the  cultivation  of  the  Auricula, 
the  most  beautiful  of  florists'  flowers,  than  rich 
loam  formed  of  rotted  turves,  well-decomposed 
cow-dung,  and  a  top  dressing  in  February  of 
poultry  dung  rotted  into  mould,  cow-dung 
equally  decomposed,  and  sand.  It  is  not 
many  years  since  a  gentleman  of  the  highest 
spirit,  who  spent,  we  verily  believe,  hundreds 
of  pounds  to  get  together  the  finest  plants  and 
the  finest  varieties  of  Auriculas,  and  employed 
one  of  the  old  school  of  florists,  or  rather  a 
florist  who  learned  from  old  books,  to  super- 
intend them.     Great  was  the  mortification  of 


seeing  his  superb  collection  sacrificed  to  the 
nauseous  compounds  of  the  old  books,  and  it 
sickened  him  of  a  fancy  that  no  cost  would 
have  deterred  him  from  following  to  the 
greatest  extent.  It  is  vexing,  therefore,  to 
see  modern  writers,  who  evidently  gather  all 
they  suppose  they  know  from  books,  continue 
to  promulgate  the  most  forbidding  modes  of 
culture,  and  journalists,  seemingly  as  little 
acquainted  with  practice,  admitting  the  objec- 
tionable advice. 

The  movement,  at  present  but  feeble,  and 
that  in  the  least  important  quarters,  in  behalf 
of  "  prize  improvement  funds,"  is  chiefly  pro- 
moted by  prize  winners,  and,  without  doing 
the  smallest  service  to  horticulture,  excites 
the  cupidity  of  persons  who  would  not  take 
the  trouble  to  show  unfairly  for  moderate 
prizes,  but  who,  when  they  are  increased, 
think  it  worth  every  description  of  jugglery. 
Collecting  flowers  from  anybody  that  will 
allow  them  to  cut  from  their  gardens,  and 
deliberately  showing  them  as  their  own  growth, 
is  as  common  as  the  rising  and  setting  of  the 
sun.  It  is  not  desirable  to  offer  money  or  value 
prizes  for  seedlings.  So  long  as  the  practice 
existed,  it  was  ruinous  to  the  fancy ;  seedlings 
were  seen  and  rewarded,  year  after  year,  and 
the  lucky  novelties  never  seen  again.  It  has 
been  wonderfully  unsuccessful  for  many  years; 
but  within  the  last  few,  by  the  change  of  system, 
and  the  award  of  certificates  of  merit  instead 
of  money  prizes,  the  incentive  to  raise  seed- 
lings has  been  greater  ;  and  had  it  not  been 
checked  occasionally  by  the  abuse  of  even  this 
wholesome  excitement,  floriculture  would  have 
been  advanced  much  more  than  it  has  been. 
There  are  more  good  flowers  raised  than  ever, 
and  the  only  thing  to  be  regretted  is,  that  by 
some  means  or  other  the  award  of  certificates 
by  partial  judges,  or  prejudiced  censors,  has 
reached  flowers  that  are  good  for  nothing. 
These  have  been  sold  with  an  apparent  good 
character,  until  certificates  in  papers,  periodi- 
cals, and  from  societies,  stand  for  little  or 
nothing.  It  is  the  duty  of  all  respectable 
dealers  to  stand  up  for  the  high  tests  for 
flowers — to  maintain  the  admitted  standards, 
— and  though  they  may  not  experience  the 
immediate  good  effects  or  temporary  advan- 
tage, they  will  secure  a  permanent  benefit  in 
the  confidence  of  the  public,  and  the  encourage- 
ment of  young  beginners.  Those  who  can 
obtain  certificates  for  half-a-dozen  flowers  in 
a  few  weeks,  while  it  is  notorious  that  some 
must  be  undeserved,  may  safely  conclude  that 
they  are  not  seeking  proper  adjudication.  It 
ought  to  set  every  honest  dealer  against  such 
societies  ;  and  as  it  was  the  ruin  of  the  dahlia 
trade  a  few  years  ago,  and  it  was  but  just  re- 
covering the  shock,  so  it  has  been  injurious  in 
the  present  season,  and  its  effects  will  be  felt 


FLORICULTURE    OE   THE    MONTH. 


75 


until  a  proper  test  be   again  established  to 
restore  it. 

It  will  be  observed  that  some  florists  are 
writing  industriously  in  jDublic  journals,  and 
affecting  to  give  rules  for  judging  the  flowers 
in  which  thej  deal ;  others  are  writing  treatises 
for  their  culture,  not  with  any  novel  ideas, 
but  with  pi'eviously-known  treatises  for  their 
guide,  and  merely  putting  their  names  to  it 
for  the  purpose  of  bringing  themselves  into 
notice.  This  would  be  laudable  enough  if 
there  had  been  nothing  of  the  kind  done 
before  ;  but  under  the  circumstances,  it  is  a 
very  questionable  proceeding,  and  it  would 
have  ten  times  the  weight,  and  be  more 
respectable,  if  they  were  really  desirous  of 
spreading  the  information,  to  quote  the  lessons 
from  which  they  themselves  learned  their 
practice,  and  gave  the  original  authors  the 
credit  ;  but  this  must  in  time  find  its  level. 
We  are  obliged  to  read  over  again,  in  these 
questionable  treatises,  the  very  practice  re- 
commended in  this  very  magazine  ;  and  grati- 
fying as  it  may  be  to  see  this  pi'actice  adopted 
and  taught,  it  v/ould  have  been  still  more  so 
to  have  found  the  growers,  in  a  fit  of  honour- 
able fairness,  quote  the  work  itself,  instead  of 
giving  out  its  lessons  as  their  own.  When  all 
these  treatises  shall  be  published  in  a  single 
volume,  and  dated  at  the  time  they  first 
appeared,  it  will  not  raise  the  retailers  of  the 
same  instructions,  without  even  a  mention  of 
them,  in  the  estimation  of  the  thinking  public. 
There  are  some  florists'  flowers  that  we  hope 
to  see  again  cultivated  with  spirit.  The 
auricula  and  the  polyanthus  have  been  sadly 
neglected  ;  and  it  was  no  small  misfortune  to 
the  floral  world  when  I\Ii-.  James  Dickson,  of 
Acre  Lane,  had  his  unrivalled  stock  of  new 
as  well  as  old  favourite  auriculas  destroyed 
by  the  hailstorm.  Some  valuable  novelties 
were  altogether  destroyed,  and  the  varieties 
lost ;  but  when  we  consider  that  a  single 
garden  light  would  be  sufficient  for  a  very 
fine  collection,  calculated  to  enable  any  person 
to  exhibit  successfully,  it  is  much  to  be 
lamented  that  any  amateur  florist  should  be 
without  them.  As  a  stage  flower  they  are 
universal  favourites,  and  as  a  show  flower  the 
properties  are  well  understood.  Why  then 
should  it  not  be  a  popular  favourite  for  public 
shows  ?  The  polyanthus  is  still  more  neglected 
in  the  metropolis  ;  and  the  ranimculus  is 
every  way  deserving  the  highest  rank  as  a 
neat,  brilliant,  and  much-varied  flower,  that 
has  been  brought  to  a  high  state  of  perfection. 
Lightbody  of  Falkirk,  and  Read  of  Brucefield, 
in  Dunfermline,  would  supply  any  beginners 


with  a  good  show  collection  fur  comparatively 
a  small  sum  ;  and  Ave  would  strongly  recom- 
mend anybody  who  desired  to  begin,  to 
make  the  best  bargain  they  could  with  these 
two  cultivators,  for  a  hundred  or  two  to  com- 
mence with.  The  tulip  fancy  is  worthy  of 
every  beginner's  notice.  A  bed  of  these  is 
the  handsomest  feature  in  a  garden,  and  there 
is  no  difficulty  in  anj'body  attending  a  sale, 
or  buying  a  bed  whole,  of  such  men  as 
Lawrence  of  Hampton,  Lightbody,  Davidson 
of  Peckham,  or  any  other  fancier ;  for  they 
would  almost  give  half  to  any  beginner  who 
bought  the  other  half.  But  tbey  must  attend 
a  sale  of  flowers  in  bloom,  or  get  some  one  to 
attend  for  them,  to  buy  a  few  of  the  stars  that 
are  not  always  to  be  had.  We  were  in  con- 
versation with  a  nurseryman  the  other  day, 
and  admiring  the  progi-ess  the  rose  had  made 
since  florists  had  taken  them  up  as  a  florist's 
flower;  we  excited  his  jealousy  at  once,  for  he 
would  not  admit  it  was  a  florist's  flower.  We 
were  not  sorry  for  his  anxiety,  but  he  could 
not  alter  the  fact.  The  florist,  however,  is 
content  with  about  eighty  or  a  hundred  varie- 
ties, whereas  the  nurseries  in  their  catalogues 
enumerate  from  three  to  fifteen  hundred. 
The  florists  have  no  wish  to  claim  these  ; 
but  the  improvement  of  the  rose  is  going  on 
rapidly  in  the  hands  of  the  floriir^ts,  and  it  will 
every  year  now  get  nearer  perfection.  Among 
the  shrubs  which  are  deservedly  popular  now, 
we  notice  two  that  were  our  favourites  many 
years  since,  though  then  scarcely  known. 
Garrya  eUiptica  with  its  graceful  catkins,  and 
Andromeda  fioribunda  with  its  beautiful  ra- 
cemes of  delicate  white  flowers,  both  elegant 
evergreens,  and  now  as  plentiful  as  they  are 
elegant.  They  are  forced  upon  our  notice 
just  now  because  they  ar-e  conspicuous  at  the 
earliest  season,  and  ought  to  be  in  every 
shrubbery  of  only  a  dozen  plants.  A  garden 
of  a  rod,  in  front  of  a  suburban  cottage, 
ought  not  to  be  without  them.  Perhaps 
January  is  the  flattest  month  in  the  whole 
year,  and  affords  least  material  for  notice  ;  but 
it  is  in  such  a  season  of  comparative  rest,  that 
we  are  glad  to  secure  an  opportunity  of  a 
rambling  sketch  of-what  is  coming,  as  well  as 
things  gone  by,  and  giving  a  few  desultory 
remarks  upon  the  general  state  of  the  science 
and  those  who  follow  it.  The  rapid  changes 
from  heat  to  cold,  and  frost  to  thaw,  have 
touched  a  good  many  tender  shrubs,  which 
would  have  borne  far  greater  extremes  with 
impunity,  had  they  been  more  gradually  ap- 
proximated. 


70 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS, 


POLYGONUM  VACCINIIFOLIUM. 


Polygonum  vacciniifolium,  Wallich  (vacci- 
nium-leaved  Polygonum). — Polygonaceae. 

The  first  notice  of  this  plant  appears  to 
have  been  made  by  Dr.  Wallich,  in  his  splen- 
did work,  the  Plantce  Asiaticce  Rariores.  It 
was  subsequently  referred  to  by  Dr.  Royle, 
in  his  Illustrations  of  Himalayan  Botany. 
The  latter  states  that  it  grows  on  the  Hima- 
layan mountains  over  an  extensive  range, 
at  from  7,000  to  13,000  feet  of  elevation. 

It  is  found  to  be  perfectly  hardy  in  the 
climate  of  England  ;  exceedingly  well  adapted 
for  rockwork,  which  during  the  autumnal 
months  it  decorates  Avith  a  profusion  of  its 
oblong  heads  of  gay  pink  flowers. 

The  habit  of  the  species  is  trailing,  the 
stems  having  a  sub-shrubby  and  permanent 
character.  They  are  furnished  with  alternate 
neat-looking  foliage,  the  resemblance  of  which 
to  some  of  the  small-leaved  whortle-berries 
Las  suggested  the  specific  name  vacciniifolium  ; 
these  leaves  are  oblong,  terminated  by  a  little 
hardened  point,  dai'k  green  on  the  upper  sur- 
face, glaucous  beneath,  furnished  with  sheath- 


ing stipules,  which  in  this  genus,  and  where 
they  have  the  same  tubular  character,  are 
called  ochrea  ;  they  are  also  bordered  with 
very  long  bristles.  The  flowering  branches 
rise  to  the  height  of  three  or  four  inches  from 
the  ground,  each  bearing  from  two  to  four 
narrow  spikes,  or  close  oblong  heads  of  deep 
I'ose-coloured  blossoms.  These  are  produced 
profusely  in  autumn,  and  continue  to  retain 
their  gay  colours  till  affected  by  frost,  which 
changes  them  to  a  brown  hue. 

It  was  raised  in  the  garden  of  the  Horti- 
cultural Society,  from  seeds  sent  from  the 
northern  parts  of  India,  in  April  1848,  by 
Captain  William  Munro. 

This  pretty  plant  is  perfectly  hardy,  grow- 
ing freely  in  well-drained  loamy  soil,  and,  by 
its  trailing  habit,  is  well  adapted  for  planting 
on  rock-work.  It  is  propagated  readily  by 
means  of  cuttings. 

The  engraving  which  accompanies  these 
remarks,  was  prepared  from  a  beautiful  figure 
published  by  Dr.  Royle.  The  cultivated  plant 
appears,  as  yet,  somewhat  more  slender. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


^SCHYNANTHUS  Paxtoni,  Lvulley  (Pax- 
ton's  JEschynanth). — Gesneraceaa  §  Cyrtan- 
dreee. — A  half-shrubby  slio^y  species  allied 
to  ^.  ramosissimus.  The  branches  are 
somewhat  trailing ;  the  leaves  large,  oblong - 
lanceolate,  convex,  dark  green,  slightly  marked 
on  the  undei'  eide  with  impressed  dots.     The 


flowers  are  dull  red  ;  the  bracts  are  large  ; 
the  sepals  large,  oblong-obtuse,  and  divided 
to  the  base  ;  the  tube  of  the  corolla  curved, 
widening  upwards,  with  a  flat  four-lobed 
limb,  the  lobes  nearly  equal,  the  upper  emar- 
ginate,  the  rest  squared  at  the  ends  as  if  cut 
off.     Probably  a  native  of  the  Malay  Archi- 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


77 


pelago.  Introduced  about  1846  ?  Flowers 
in  the  autumn.  Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ; 
turfy  peat,  leaf-mould,  and  broken  crocks  ; 
propagated  by  cuttings  planted  in  light  mossy 
soil. 

Heteeotrichum  macrodon,  Planclion 
(long-toothed  Heterotrichum).  —  Melastoma- 
ceaj  §  MelastomcEe-Miconiere. — A  handsome 
but  rather  coarse  shrub,  growing  from  seven  to 
nine  feet  high,  but  flowering  readily  when  of 
much  smaller  size.  The  branches,  as  well  as 
the  petioles,  peduncles,  and  calyx,  are  clothed 
with  tawny  hairs.  The  leaves  are  opposite, 
large,  but  unequal  in  size,  cordate-ovate  acu- 
minate, saw-toothed  on  the  margin,  seven- 
nerved,  velvety  green  above,  paler  beneath. 
The  flowers  grow  in  terminal  cymes  contain- 
ing ten  or  twelve  blossoms ;  they  are  white, 
tinged  at  the  base  with  red.  Native  of  South 
America.  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in 
the  autumn.  It  is  the  Octomeris  macrodon 
(Naudin.)  Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  good 
light  loamy  soil  ;  propagated  readily  by  cut- 
tings. 

Passiflora  ccerulea,  var.  Neumonnii 
(Neumann's  hybrid  Passion-flower). — Passi- 
floracege. — A  very  good  variety  of  Passion- 
flower, in  the  way  of,  but  superior  to  the  old 
P.  ccerulea,  from  which  it  has  no  doubt 
sprung.  The  plant  is  evergreen  ;  the  leaves 
five-seven-lobed  ;  the  flowers  white,  the  fila- 
ments of  the  coronal  ray  blue  at  the  apex  and 
purple  at  the  base.  The  divisions  of  the 
pei'inth  are  comparatively  broader  than  in 
ccerulea.  A  garden  variety,  originated  on  the 
continent  about  1847.  Flowers  in  the  sum- 
mer. Culture. — Nearly  or  quite  hardy  ;  rich 
light  loamy  soil ;  propagated  by  cuttings, 
planted  in  sandy  soil,  and  placed  in  a  gentle 
heat. 

Pentstemon  Hartwegii,  var.  Verplanckii 
(Verplancke's  hybrid  Pentstemon). — Scrophu- 
lariacese  §  Antirrhinidece-Cheloneae.  —  The 
very  handsome  Pentstemon  which  is  commonly 
known  in  gardens  as  P.  gentianoide.%  is  not 
the  species  properly  so  named.  Mr.  Bentham 
has  consequently  given  the  former  the  nam.e 
of  F.  Hartrvegii,  after  Mr.  Hartweg,  who 
sent  it  from  Mexico.  Of  this  plant  there  are 
numerous  varieties,  of  which  the  most  distinct 
and  handsome  are  the  following  : — cocciveus, 
scarlet  ;  albus  (An?i.  Hort.  iii.  525),  white  ; 
diaphanus  (Ann.  Hort.  ii.  37),  transparent 
crimson  ;  miniatus  {Ann.  Hort.  iii.  165),  ver- 
milion ;  M'Erveni  {Ann.  Hort.  iii.  465),  light 
rose  ;  and  the  subject  of  the  present  notice. 
This  differs  from  the  original  form  in  its 
extremely  vigorous  habit,  and  in  the  form, 
size  and  colour  of  the  flowers,  which  are  large, 
of  a  beautiful  rose  colour,  white  in  the  throat, 
with  the  tube  funnel-shaped,  and  the  seg- 
ments of  the  limb  wider  and  more  rounded 


than  in  any  other  variety,  the  limb  'being 
almost  circular.  A  Belgian  garden  variety, 
raised  by  M.  Verplancke  of  Ghent  in  1847. 
Flowers  throughout  the  summer.  Culture. 
— Nearly  or  quite  hardy,  suitable  for  summer 
decoration  ;  light  rich  loam  ;  propagated  rea- 
dily by  cuttings. 

Pentstemon  gentianoides,  G.  Don  (gen- 
tian-likePentstemon). — ScrophulariaccEe  §  An- 
tirrhinidese-CheloneEe. — The  true  plant,  the 
Chelone  gentianoides  of  Jlumboldt,  &c.  is  ma- 
terially different  from  that  cultivated  under 
this  name  in  European  gardens.  It  is  a  larger 
growing  plant,  reaching  four  and  five  feet  in 
height,  the  branches  downy  at  top  ;  the  leaves 
lance-shaped,  entire  and  glabrous  ;  the  flowers 
in  a  panicle  of  one,  two,  or  three-flowered 
peduncles,  violaceous,  with  a  short  tube  and 
large  throat,  the  lower  lip  beardless.  Native 
of  Mexico.  Introduced  about  1845,  (1825, 
according  to  Don's  Miller's  Diet.)  Flowers 
in  the  latter  end  of  summer.  Culture. — • 
Hardy  ;  rich  loamy  soil ;  propagated  by  cut- 
tings. 

MiRBELiA  Meisneri,  Hooher  (Meisner's 
Mirbelia). — FabacejE  §  Papilionacea3-Mirbe- 
lie«.' — A  very  handsome  evergreen  bush, 
having  a  considerable  resemblance  to  M.  dila- 
tata.  It  forms  a  much  branched  shrub,  the 
branches  being  many-angled,  and  copiously 
leafy.  Tlie  leaves  usually  grow  three  in  a 
whorl  ;  they  are  scarcely  an  inch  long,  wedge- 
fan-shaped,  and  of  harsh  rigid  texture,  much 
undulated,  the  apex  three-cleft,  the  side  lobes 
being  toothed,  and  each  segment  tipped  with 
a  spine.  The  flowers  are  very  copious,  in 
leafy  racemes  ;  they  are  red-purple,  deeper 
in  the  lower  half  of  each  petal,  with  a  yellow 
spot  at  the  base  of  the  vexillum .  Native  of 
the  Swan  River  settlements.  Introduced  in 
1847.  Flowers  in  May.  It  is  the  31.  dila- 
tata  of  Meisner,  but  not  of  R.  Brown.  Cul- 
ture.— Requires  a  greenhouse  ;  rough  sandy 
peat ;  propagated  by  cuttings  planted  in  sand, 
under  bell  glasses. 

Echinacea  intermedia,  Lindley  (inter- 
mediate Hedgehog-flower). — Asteracece  §  Tu- 
buliflorefE-RudbeckieEe. — A  fine  showy  herba- 
ceous perennial,  of  robust  habit,  growing 
about  two  feet  high.  The  stem  is  hairy  ;  the 
leaves  scabrous,  heart-shaped  varying  to  ovate- 
acuminate,  and  of  a  dark  green  colour,  the 
flowers,  which  grow  terminally,  are  large,  four 
or  five  inches  in  diameter,  and  of  a  bright 
reddish  colour  ;  the  florets  of  the  ray  are 
spreading,  those  of  the  disc  elevated.  Pro- 
bably a  native  of  the  cooler  parts  of  Mexico  ; 
but  this  is  not  certainly  known.  Introduced 
probably  about  1843.  Flowers  from  August 
till  October,  or  throughout  the  autumn  season. 
Culture. — Quite  hardy  ;  good  garden  soil  ; 
propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 


78 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS- 


DiCHORiSANDiiA  ovATA,  Martius  (ovate- 
leavedDichorisandra). — Commelynacea?. — An 
herbaceous  perennial  of  a  showy  character, 
growing  from  three  to  four  feet  high,  with 
acute  lance-shaped,  entire,  shining  leaves, 
bright  green  above,  purple  beneath,  and  clasp- 
ing the  stem  at  the  base.  The  flowers  grow 
in  terminal  erect  racemes,  and  are  of  a  rich 
deep  blue  colour  ;  the  perianth  consisting  of 
three  ovate-obtuse  sepals,  and  three  larger  ob- 
tuse entire  petals,  which  are  paler  towards 
the  base  ;  the  stamens,  six  in  number  and 
compactly  arranged,  are  yellow.  Native  of 
Brazil.  Introduced  probably  by  way  of  the 
continental  gardens  about  1846.  Flowers 
during  the  whole  of  the  autumn  months. 
Cultxire. — Requires  a  stove,  and  a  moist  tem- 
perature when  growing  ;  sandy  peat,  loam, 
and  leaf-mould  ;  propagated  by  cuttings  of 
the  ripened  stems. 

Ch^togastra  strigosa,  I>e  Candolle 
(strigose  Cha^togastra). — Melastomace£e  §  Me- 
iastoraeas-Osbeckie^.  —  A  very  handsome 
dwarf  shrub,  growing  eight  or  ten  inches  high, 
with  numerous  tetragonal  slender  spreading 
branches,  covered  with  adpressed  bristles. 
The  leaves  are  small,,  opposite,  ovate-acute, 
three-nerved,  and  somewhat  ciliated,  attached 
by  short  petioles.  The  blossoms  are  nume- 
rous, and  grow  in  few-flowered  cymes ;  the 
calyx  is  tubular,  hispid,  with  five  short  acute 
lobes ;  the  petals,  four  or  five  in  number,  and 
of  a  broadly  elliptic  figure,  are  of  a  rosy  purple, 
and  each  being  as  large  as  the  leaves,  the  blos- 
soms appear  large  on  the  plant,  which  is  alto- 
gether of  a  small  neat  habit.  Native  of  Gua- 
daloupe,  growing  in  beds  of  sphagnum  on  the 
top  of  the  Sulphur  Mountain,  and  of  the 
mountains  of  Montserrat  and  Martinique. 
Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in  August.  It 
bears  a  host  of  other  names  : — Melastoma 
strigosa  (Linn^us) ;  31.  ciliata  (Desrous- 
saux)  ;  Osbeckia  ornata  (Swartz)  ;  Rhexia 
chamcecistus  (Sieber) :  R.  inconstafis  (Vahl)  ; 
R.  ornata  (Richard)  ;  R.  strigosa  (Richard). 
Culture. — Requires  a  greenhouse  ;  sandy  peat 
and  leaf-mouldy  perfectly  drained  ;  propagated 
by  cuttings.  The  plants  bloom  when  very 
young. 

Trop^eolum  tricolor,  var.  versicolor  (va- 
rious-coloured tricolor  Indian  cress). — Tro- 
pjBolacefe  §  Tropseoleae. — A  graceful  and  dis- 
tinct variety  of  T.  tricolor.  It  grows  with  a 
round  slender  twining  stem,  bearing  small 
peltate  six-lobed  leaves,  the  lobes  or  segments 
being  oblong  obovate  obtuse  and  somewhat 
cuneiform  at  the  base.  The  flowers  are  borne 
on  slender  thread-like  pedungles  issuing  from 
the  stem  immediately  at  the  base  of  the  leaf- 
stalk, and  tinged  with  a  rosy  colour  towards 
the  upper  extremity  ;  they  are  rather  more 
than  an  inch  in  length,  highly  coloured  with 


red  above,  greenish  beneath,  and  terminating 
behind  in  an  obtuse  spur,  about  twice  the 
length  of  the  leaf-lobes  ;  the  calyx  is  six- 
lobed,  turbinate  or  arranged  in  the  manner  of 
a  crown,  the  lobes  ovate-acuminate,  some- 
what pointed,  unguiculate,  closely  embracing 
the  corolla  at  their  apex,  green  at  the  points 
and  bright  red  at  the  base ;  the  petals  are 
small,  partially  coi'date,  or  notched  at  the 
margins,  bi'ight  yellow,  slightly  striated  with 
red  towards  the  centre,  and  of  a  rose  colour 
at  the  exterior  under  the  lobes  of  the  calyx. 
A  garden  variety.  Raised  by  M.  Bauman, 
of  Ghent,  in  1847.  Flowers  in  the  spring. 
Culture. — Requires  a  cool  greenhouse  ;  rich 
sandy  loam  and  leaf  mould  ;  propagated  by 
seeds  or  cuttings. 

Trop^olum  tricolor,  var.  aurantiacum 
(orange-coloured  tricolor  Indian  cress). — Tro- 
pgeolaceee  §  Trop^ole^. — A  distinct  and  de- 
sirable variety  of  Tro'poiolmn  tricolor.  It 
grows  with  a  twining  round  thread-like  stem, 
bearing  small  peltate  palmate  or  five-lobed 
leaves  on  slender  twining  petioles,  the  lobes 
being  oblong  obovate  obtuse  and  narrow  or 
cuneiform  at  the  base.  The  flowers,  which 
are  borne  on  pedicels  somewhat  similar  to  the 
petioles,  are  rather  more  than  an  inch  in 
length,  highly  coloured  with  red,  green,  and 
yellow,  and  terminating  behind  in  a  longish 
obtuse  spur,  red  on  the  upper  surface,  and 
green  and  yellow  beneath  and  at  the  point ; 
the  calyx  is  five-lobed,  turbinate,  compressing 
the  corolla  at  the  points,  the  lobes  ovate-acu- 
minate, generally  green,  with  a  slight  tinge 
of  red  and  yellow  at  the  base ;  the  petals  are 
small,  roundish,  slightly  notched  at  the  apex, 
bright  yellow,  and  distinctly  striated  with  red 
on  the  inner  surface.  A  garden  variety, 
raised  by  M.  Bauman,  of  Ghent,  in  1847. 
Flowers  in  the  spring.  Culture. — Requires  a 
cool  greenhouse  ;  rich  sandy  loam  and  leaf- 
mould  ;  propagated  by  seeds  or  cuttings. 

Trop^olum  tricolor,  var.  grandjijiorum 
(large-flowered  tricolor  Indian  cress). — Tro- 
pasolaceje  §  Tropasolefe. — A  rich  and  distinct 
variety  of  T.  tricolor,  growing  with  a  slender 
twining  stem,  and  bearing  small  peltate  pal- 
mate or  five-lobed  leaves,  on  twining  thread- 
like foot-stalks,  the  lobes  being  oval  or  ovate- 
acuminate,  entire,  and  about  half  an  inch  long. 
The  flowers,  which  are  borne  on  small  thread- 
like twining  red  and  green  pedicels,  are  about 
an  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  of  a  bright 
glowing  red  colour,  and  terminate  behind  in  a 
long  pentagonal  obtuse  spur ;  the  calyx  is 
five-lobed,  the  lobes  being  entire,  oval-acumi- 
nate and  deeply  tinged  with  violet  towards 
the  margin  ;  the  petals  are  small,  entire,  and 
of  a  bright  yellow  colour.  A  garden  variety. 
Raised  by  M.  Bauman  of  Ghent,  in  1847. 
Flowers    in  spring.      Culture.  —  Requires  a 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


79 


cool  greenhouse  ;  rich  sandy  loam  and  leaf- 
mould  ;  propagated  by  seeds  or  cuttings, 

Cereus  Leeanus,  Hooker  (Lee's  Cereus). 
— Cactacese  §  Cereidse. — A  very  beautiful 
species.  The  plant  groAvs  erect,  a  foot  or 
more  in  height,  nearly  cylindrical,  slighly 
tapering  upwai'ds,  deeply  furrowed,  with  from 
twelve  to  fourteen  ribs.  The  salient  angles 
are  studded  at  short  intervals  with  clusters  of 
needle-shaped  spines,  about  twelve  in  each, 
straight,  but  of  very  ii-regular  length.  The 
flowers  are  produced  at  the  top  of  the  plant ; 
they  are  four  or  five  in  number,  large  and 
very  handsome,  the  colour  being  a  bright 
Vermilion,  As  in  all  these  plants,  the  scale- 
like petals  pass  gradually  into  the  more  highly 
developed  petals.  Native  of  Mexico.  Intro- 
duced about  1846.    Flowers  in ?  Culttire. 

— Requires  a  warm  greenhouse  ;  sandy  loam 
and  brick  rubbish  ;  propagated  by  otf-shoots 
from  the  plant  put  in  as  cuttings,  or  by 
seeds. 

ToRENiA  ARRACANENSis,  Paxton  (Arracan 
Torenia). — Scrophulariacese  §  Antirrhinideas- 
Gratioleee. — A  species  in  the  way  of  T. 
concolor.  A  perennial  with  slender  quadran- 
gular climbing  or  straggling  stems,  serrated 
opposite  cordate  leaves,  small  axillary  and 
terminal  flowers,  smaller  than  those  of  T. 
concolor,  the  tube  and  upper  lip  of  corolla 
deep  purple,  the  three-lobed  lower  lip  blue. 
Native  of  Arracan.  Introduced  in  1846. 
Flowers  through  the  summer.  Culture. — 
Requires  a  stove,  or  intermediate  house ; 
sandy  loam  and  peat  ;  propagated  by  cuttings 
planted  in  sandy  soil,  and  jjlaced  in  bottom 
heat. 

HoTA  piCTA,  Slehold  (painted  Hoya). — 
Asclepiadacea3  §  Stapelia^. — A  very  beautiful 
climbing  plant,  with  exquisitely  variegated 
foliage.  The  stems  are  round,  and  in  the 
younger  parts  tinted  with  rose.  The  leaves, 
Avhich  are  opposite,  are  ovate-lanceolate, 
attenuated,  and  acute  at  the  point,  the  green 
colours,  of  which  there  are  two  or  three  tints, 
being  confined  to  an  irregular  marginal  band, 
the  eighth  of  an  Inch  or  rather  more  in  width. 
In  the  mature  leaves,  the  central  part  of  the 
leaves  is  of  a  golden  colour  ;  in  the  young 
leaves  this  part  is  variously  tinted  with  lemon 
colour,  purple  and  rose,  which  is  gradually 
discharged  as  the  leaf  gains  age.  The  flowers 
are  unknown.  Native  of  Japan.  Introduced 
to    Europe    in    1845,     by    Dr.  Van    Siebold. 

Flowers  ' ?     Culture. — Requires  a  warm 

greenhouse ;  turfy  loam  and  peat ;  propagated 
by  cuttings. 

IIOYA  VARiEGATA,  S/p.hold  (variegated 
Iloya). — Asclepiadacea?  §  Stapelias.  —  This 
beautiful  climbing  plant,  which  has  not  yet 
produced  its  blossoms  in  Europe,  is  after  the 
style  of  II.  picta,  ditferlng  in  the  manner  of 


variegation  of  the  leaves.  In  both,  the  leaves 
are  so  beautiful,  as  to  make  the  culture  of  the 
plants  desirable,  entirely  independent  of  the 
production  of  flowers.  Instead  of  being  spot- 
ted and  blotched  with  the  gold  colour  as  in 
H.  picta,  the  leaves  of  the  present  plant  are 
striped,  blotched,  and  bordered  with  pure 
white.  Native  of  Japan.  Introduced  to 
Europe    in     1845,      by     Dr.    Von     Siebold. 

Flowers ?     Culture. — Requires  a  warm 

greenhouse  ;  turfy  loam  and  peat ;  propagated 
by  cuttings. 

Brodlea  californica,  LinrUey  (Cali- 
fornian  Brodicea).' — Liliacete  §  Scille^. — A 
bulbous  plant,  with  long  fleshy  channelled 
leaves,  and  producing  a  scape,  bearing  four 
or  five  blossoms  at  the  top  ;  these  have  a 
subventricose  tube,  and  divide  into  six  oblong 
segments,  longer  than  the  tube  ;  the  expanded 
blossom  is  two  inches  across  ;  the  colour  is 
pale  blue,  with  a  dax'k  streak  down  the  centre 
of  each  division  of  the  perianth.  Native  of 
California,  sparingly  on  the  mountains  and 
plains  of  the  Sacramento.  Introduced  in  1848. 
Flowers  from  July  to  October.  Culture. — ■ 
Hardy  ;  strong  sandy  loam  ;  propagated  readily 
by  offsets. 

Abronia  umbellata,  Laviarck  (umbel- 
flowered  Abronia). — Nyctaginaceas. — A  pros- 
trate -  growing  perennial  plant,  with  long 
rooting  stems,  covered  as  are  the  petioles  and 
peduncles  with  glutinous  hairs.  The  leaves 
are  opposite,  fleshy,  ovate-obtuse,  fringed  with 
hairs,  and  stand  up  on  erectish  petioles  two 
inches  long.  The  flowers,  which  are  exceed- 
ingly fragrant,  especially  in  the  evening,  grow 
in  close  umbels,  supported  above  the  leaves 
by  stout  peduncles  ;  they  have  the  appearance 
of  a  head  of  verbena  blossoms  ;  the  rosy- 
violet  corolla  consists  of  a  long  tube,  and  a 
flat  five-lobed  limb,  the  segments  of  which  are 
deeply  two-parted.  Native  of  the  sandy  shores 
of  Carmel  Bay,  near  Monterey,  in  California. 
Introduced  originally  in  1823,  subsequently 
in  1848.  Flowers  from  June  to  October.  It 
is  the  Abronia  californica  (Rgsusch) ;  and  the 
Tricratus  admirabilis  (L'Heritier).  Culture. 
— Not  quite  hardy  ;  succeeds  under  the  treat- 
ment given  to  Verbenas  ;  light  rich  soil  ; 
propagated  by  seeds  or  cuttings ;  recommended 
to  be  treated  as  an  annual. 

Polygonum  vacciniifolium,  Wallich 
(vaccinium  -  leaved  Polygonum).  —  Polygo- 
nacete. — A  very  pretty  trailing  species,  with 
half  shrubby  pei'manent  stems,  furnished  with 
neat  oblong  mucronulate,  dark  green  leaves, 
glaucous  beneath,  bordered  with  bristles,  and 
having  sheathing  stipules.  The  flowers  grow 
in  narrow  oblong  spikes,  on  little  branches 
which  rise  three  or  four  inches  from  the  sur- 
face, and  bear  from  two  to  four  spikes  ;  they 
are  deep  rose-coloured,  and  veiy  ornamental. 


80 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


Native  of  the  north  of  India  ;  on  the  Himalayas 
to  the  height  of  from  7000  to  13,000  feet. 
Introduced  in  1845.  Flowers  during  the 
autumn.  Culture.  —  Hardy;  well -drained 
loamy  soil  ;  adapted  for  rock  work  ;  propa- 
gated readily  by  cuttings. 

DiANELLA  ELEGANS,  Kunth  and  Bouche 
(elegant  Dianella). — Liliacete  §  Asparageas. — • 
A  tufted  caulescent  perennial  plant,  bearing 
smooth  broadly-linear  leaves,  a  foot  long,  and 
six  lines  broad  ;  scabrous  on  the  margins  and 
on  the  keel,  and  somewhat  prickly  towards 
the  apex.  The  flowers  grow  in  panicles, 
divided  into  two  free  or  open  branches,  and  are 
of  a  fine  blue  colour  ;  the  leaflets  of  the  peri- 
gone  (segments  of  the  flowers)  are  all  furnished 
with  five  nerves  or  veins.  Native  of  Van 
Diemen's  Land.  Introduced  to  the  Royal 
Botanic  Garden  of  Berlin,  in  1848.     Flowers 

?      Culture. — Requires   a  greenhouse  ; 

turfy  peat  and  loam  ;  propagated  by  seeds,  or 
by  division  of  the  plant. 

Ctclobothra  monophylla,  Lindley  (one- 
leaved  Cyclobothra). — Liliacese  §  Tulipe^e. — 
A  small  bulbous  plant,  producing  a  slender 
stem  three  or  four  inches  high,  bearing  a 
single  linear-lanceolate  leaf,  glaucous  on  the 
under  side,  and  about  three  times  its  own 
length.  The  flower-scape  bears  from  two  to 
three  flowers  in  a  corymb  ;  they  have  curved 
pedicels,  and  are  smaller  than  is  usual  in  the 
genus,  about  an  inch  across,  and  of  a  uniform 
bright  yellow  colour ;  the  sepals  are  ovate  and 
sharp  pointed  ;  the  petals  are  of  the  same 
figure,  but  less  pointed,  and  coarsely  hairy. 
Native  of  California,  sparingly  on  the  Sacra- 
mento Mountains.  Introduced  in  1848  to  the 
garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society,  by  Mr. 
Hartweg.  Flowers  in  June.  Culture. — 
Hardy  ;  sandy  peat  and  leaf  mould  ;  propa- 
gated by  offsets.  It  should  be  placed  undis- 
turbed in  an  American  border. 

■*    SVTAMMERDAMIA  ANTENNAEIA,  De  Candolh 

(antennge  -  seeded  Swammei'damia).  —  Aster- 
aceJB  §  Tubuliflore^-Helichrysese. —  A  com- 
pact evergreen  bush,  apparently  not  attaining 
a  very  large  size,  having  viscid  angular  shoots, 
and  obovate  apiculate,  blunt,  veinless  leaves, 
deep  green  on  the  upper  surface,  but  in  the 
young  state  covered  with  a  slight  mealiness 
on  the  under  side.  The  flower  heads,  in  form 
resembling  those  of  the  groundsel,  are  small, 
and  collected  into  little  corymbose  panicles 
terminating  the  short  lateral  shoots  ;  they  are 
Avhite,  and  add  but  little  to  the  beauty  of  the 
plant,  which  is  conflned  to  the  foliage.  Native 
of  the  sides  of  Mount  Wellington,  in  Van  Die- 
men's  Land.  Introduced  in  1846.  Flowers 
in  June.  Culture. — Hardy  ;  common  garden 
soil  ;  propagated  readily  by  cuttings. 

Tradescantia  Warszewicziana,  Kunth 
and  Houclie,  (De  Warszewicz's  Spider-wort). 


— Commelynaceae. — A  handsome  perennial 
plant,  glabrous  in  every  pai't,  and  having  a 
straight  short  simple  leafy  stem.  The  leaves 
are  fleshy,  about  ten  inches  long  by  two  and 
a  half  broad,  amplexicaul  at  the  base,  lanceo- 
late, and  sharply  acuminate.  The  inflorescence 
is  from  one  to  two  feet  long,  subterminal, 
simply  branched,  with  many-flowered  umbels  ; 
the  spathe  is  armed  with  a  long  subulate  point. 
The  flowers  are  as  large  as  those  of  Alisma 
Plantago,  the  sepals  being  bright  lilac,  and 
the  petals  rosy  violet ;  the  anthers  yellow, 
broad,  reniform,  sinuated  and  emarginate  at 
the  summit  ;  the  stigma  obtuse  and  entire. 
Native  of  Guatemala,  whence  it  was  sent  by 
M.  De  Warszewicz  to  the  Royal  Berlin  Botanic 
Garden.       Introduced    to    Berlin    in    1848. 

Flowers ?       Culture. — Requires   a   cool 

stove  ;  turfy  peat  and  loam  ;  propagated  by 
cuttings,  or  division  of  the  plant. 

MiLTONiA  Karwinskii,  Lindley  (Karwin- 
ski's  Miltonia). — Orchidace^  §  Vandeae-Bras- 
sid£e. — One  of  the  most  beautiful  epiphytal 
plants  in  cultivation.  The  flowers  are  borne 
on  a  stout  nearly  upright  stem,  three  feet  long, 
covered  for  three-fourths  of  its  length,  at 
intervals  of  an  inch  and  a  half,  with  the 
beautiful  blossoms,  which  are  fully  two  inches 
and  a  half  in  diameter,  and  variegated  with 
white,  yellow,  brown,  and  purple  ;  the  sepals 
and  petals  are  bright  yellow,  barred  and 
spotted  with  brown  ;  the  lip  is  white  at  the 
point,  deep  violet  at  the  base,  and  white  in  the 
middle  space  ;  the  column  is  nearly  white 
and  adorned  by  two  serrated  hatchet-shaped 
wings.  Native  of  Oaxaca.  Introduced  in 
1839.  Flowers  in  August.  It  bears  the 
names  of  Cyrtochilum  Karwinskii  (Lindley), 
and  Oncidiurn  Karwinskii  (Lindley).  Cul- 
ture.— Requires  a  rather  cool  stove  ;  fibry 
peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  division  of  the 
plant. 

LiMNANTHES  KOS'EAjS  e7itha7n  (rose-coloured 
Limnanthes), — TropseolacefB  §  Limnanthege. 
— A  rather  pretty  annual  plant,  of  prostrate 
habit,  and  succulent  texture.  The  leaves  are 
variable  in  form,  sometimes  pinnate,  at  other 
times  somewhatbipinnate,  and  sometimes  with- 
out side-lobes  ;  all  the  parts  are  linear.  The 
flowers  grow  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves, 
singly,  on  long  stalks  ;  they  are  of  a  pale  dirty 
rose-colour,  and  consist  of  five  petals,  which 
are  bordered  at  the  base  with  long  hairs,  and 
are  of  an  obcordate  figure,  giving  the  flower 
a  resemblance  in  shape  to  that  of  a  mallow. 
Native  of  swampy  places  in  the  Sacramento 
Valley,  California.  Introduced  into  the  garden 
of  the  Horticultural  Society,  by  Mr.  Hartweg, 
in  1848.  Flowers  in  the  summer  months, 
when  sown  in  the  spring.  Mr.  Hartweg 
called  it  L.  jndchella.  Culture. — Hardy  ; 
good  garden  soil ;  propagated  by  seeds. 


CEREUS    LEEANUS. 


81 


CEREUS    LEEANUS. 

Cereus  Leeanus,  Hookex*  (Lee's  Cereus). — 
Cactaceas  §  Cereidae. 

The  accompanying  illustration  of  this  plant 
has  been  adapted  to  our  pages  from  a  figure 
just  published  in  the  Botanical  Magazine. 
We  have  recently  directed  attention  (p.  47) 
to  the  improvements  which  have  been  from 
time  to  time  effecttd  in  that  work,  and  men- 
tionedthatastillfurther  change  was  announced, 
namely,  that  of  adding  particulars  explanatory 
of  the  culture  of  the  plants  figured.  This  has 
been  commenced,  and  we  cannot  do  better, 
with  a  view  to  inform  our  readers  what  the 
Jiotanical  Magazine  now  is,  than  quote  the 
entire  description  of  the  fir^t  plate  of  the  new 
volume,  which  is  the  beautiful  Cereus  here 
represented,  and  which  the  coloured  figure 
there  given  shows  to  be  remarkably  handsome. 
We  shall  omit  the  Latin  character  of  the  genus 
Cereus,  and  the  Latin  description  of  the  species. 
The  remainder  runs  thus  : — 

"  Presented  to  the  Royal  Gardens  by  Mr. 
Lee,  of  the  Hammersmith  Nursery,  who  re- 
ceived it  from  France,  as  an  unknown  species, 
native  of  Mexico.  If  published,  it  would  be 
no  easy  matter  to  recognise  it  from  description 
alone.  It  is  only  by  good  figures,  taken  from 
perfect  flowering  specimens  of  the  living  plants, 
that  we  can  hope  to  make  known  the  distin- 
guishing features  of  the  individuals  of  this 
singular  family.  The  present  species  is  among 
the  most  beautiful,  a  free  bloomer,  and  its 
blossoms  are  large  and  showy. 

Description. — "  Our  plant  is  nearly  a  foot 
in  height,  about  four  inches  broad,  tap'-ring 
upwards  from  a  nearly  cylindrical  base,  hence 
somewhat  conical,  the  summit  being  the 
narrowest  part  :  it  is  furrowed  throughout  its 
length  rather  deeply  and  acutely,  forming 
elevated,  rather  sharp  lidges  or  angles,  which 
are  studded  at  short  intervals  by  small  dense 
cushion-like  tufts  of  wool,  bearing  the  cluster 
(about  twelve  in  a  cluster)  of  sharp  needle- 
shaped  aculei,  straight,  very  irregular  in  length, 
the  outer  series  being  the  shortest,  and  gradu- 
ally lengthening  till  the  central,  longer  and 
sliorter  [?  stouter]  than  the  rest,  is  about  an 
inch  long.  At  and  near  the  summit,  four  or 
five  large  handsome  brick-r^d  (inclining  to 
blood-colour)  fl<)wers  ai'e  produced.  The  tube 
(constituting  the  calyx)  is  green  at  the  base, 
then  yellowish  orange,  clothed  with  oblong 
fleshy  scales  (sepals),  acute,  tipped  with  green, 
and  bearing  at  the  point  a  tuft  of  aciculi  or 
bristles.  These  scales  pass  rather  suddenly 
into  petals  of  an  oblong-obovate-acute  form, 
spreading  and  imbricated.  Stamens  nume- 
rous, rather  longer  than  the  tube.  Style 
columnar.  Stigma  green,  of  many  erect  or 
connivent  rays. — W.  J.  11. 
50. 


"  Cultication. — The  general  practice  with 
cultivators  of  Cacteas,  is  to  grow  them  in  poor 
soil,  composed  of  light  loam,  mixed  with  sift- 
ings  of  lime  rubbish,  and  some  sharp  sand, 
giving  them  but  little  water,  and  keeping  in  a 
moderately  warm  and  dry  atmosphere.  During 
the  winter,  this  treatment,  being  in  imitation 
of  the  natural  climate  of  the  plants,  may  be 
considered  in  a  general  way  to  be  correct ; 


but  otlier  elements  peculiar  to  climate  are 
wanting,  before  we  can  be  said  to  place  the 
CactcfB,  or  any  other  exotic-,  under  the  same 
influences  by  which  they  are  supported  in 
their  na*^ive  localities.  It  is  quite  true,  that 
we  are  able  to  produce  an  artificial  climate,  so 
far  as  temperature,  and  the  hygrometric  state 
of  the  atmosphere  are  concerned  ;  but  there 
are  influences  derived  from  proximity  to  the 
sea,  of  certain  geological  formations,  and  of 
the  greater  or  less  elevation  of  extensive  plnins 
in  connexion  with  particular  latitudes,  wliicli, 
with  all  our  contrivance  and  appliances,  we 
are  unable  to  obtain  to  any  extent.  As  Cactese 
inhabit  many  climates,  growing  in  the  hottest 
and  most  exposed  arid  places  within  the  tropics, 
and  ranging  within  40"  to  50"  of  latitude  on 
either  side  of  the  equator,  it  is  impossible  to 
lay  down  any  other  rule  for  their  cultivation 
in  our  gardens,  than  an  approximate  one. 
"  The  modifications  of  this  rule  relate  prin- 


82 


CALIFORNIA. 


cipally  to  temperature.  The  Cereus  Leeayius, 
being  a  native  of  the  north  of  Mexico,  needs 
only  to  be  protected  during  the  winter  from 
severe  frosts  :  it  has  been  known  to  bear 
several  degrees  of  frost  without  injury.  As 
spring  advances,  it  should  receive  someartificial 
heat  and  moisture,  in  order  to  get  it  into  early 
growth,  by  which   to   ensure   its   flowering. 


Towards  autumn,  it  will  be  benefited  by  full 
exposure  to  the  sun,  with  plenty  of  free  air, 
gradually  decreasing  the  supply  of  water  as 
the  winter  approaches. 

"  In  respect  to  soil,  we  have  found,  other 
circumstances  being  fjavourable,  that  Cactese 
are  not  very  particular,  provided  it  is  a  soil 
not  retentive  of  moisture, — J.  S." 


CALIFORNIA 


ITS    CLIMATE,   PEODUCTIONS,    AND 

The  recent  golden  discoveries  in  California 
seem  to  have  diverted  towards  that  country  a 
stream  of  immigration,  which  will  no  doubt 
materially  conduce  to  people  its  habitable 
districts.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  has 
been  thought  that  a  brief  sketch  of  its  geo- 
graphical characteristics,  of  its  climate,  its 
vegetable  productions,  and  of  its  capacities  to 
meet  the  requirements  and  circumstances  of 
new  settlers,  will  not  be  entirely  devoid  of 
interest  and  utility.  Such  a  sketch  may  be 
conveniently  made  under  the  heads  thus 
pointed  out. 

Geographical  Features. — California,  situ- 
ated on  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and 
forming  part  of  the  north-west  coast  of  the 
American  continent,  is  divided  into  two  parts, 
called  Upper  and  Lower  California.  The 
latter  is  a  narrow  peninsula,  extending  from 
22°  45',  to  about  S2''  nortli  latitude,  or  from 
Cape  St.  Lucas  to  the  northern  extremity  of 
the  Gulf  of  California,  by  which  it  is  divided 
from  the  main  land.  The  former  extends 
from  about  32°  to  42°  north  latitude,  or  from 
the  northern  extremity  of  the  gulf  northwards, 
in  the  direction  of  the  Columbia  river,  in  the 
Oregon  territory.  This  district  is  bounded 
on  the  east  by  the  Eocky  Mountains,  and 
extends  from  north  to  south  about  700  miles, 
and  from  east  to  west,  from  600  to  800  miles. 
But  a  small  tract  of  this  area  is,  however,  ha- 
bitable and  fertile,  and  this  consists  of  the  strip 
of  land  between  the  coast  range  and  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  or  Great  Snowy  Mountains,  extend- 
ing 700  miles  in  length,  and  varying  from  100 
to  150  miles  in  breadth.  The  rest  of  the 
country,  from  the  Sierra  Nevada  to  the  Rocky 
Mountains,  is  rugged  and  precipitous,  with 
here  and  there  a  fertile  and  well-watered 
valley.  It  is  called  the  Great  Desert  basin. 
In  this  tract  there  are  some  extensive  salt 
lakes,  and  a  large  extent  of  land  surface  com- 
pletely encrusted  with  a  saline  efflorescence, 
and  dry  and  parched  to  extreme  aridity.  The 
high  mountains  bounding  this  part  of  Cali- 
fornia are  crowned  with  perpetual  snow. 

The  largest  river  in  Upper  California  is 
the  Colorado,  or  Red  River,  which,  having  its 
source  in  the  Rocky  Mountains,  and  following 


ADAPTABILITY    FOR    COLONIZATION. 

a  course  of  about  1000  miles  in  length,  dis- 
embogues into  the  Gulf  of  California  at  about 
32°  north  latitude.  The  Green  and  the  Grand 
rivers  are  its  principal  upper  tributaries  ; 
the  Gila  is  received  just  above  its  mouth  j 
and  the  Sevier  and  Virgin  rivers  are  als» 
tributary.  But  little  is  really  known  of  the 
country  watered  by  these  streams,  although  it 
is  said  to  be  generally  precipitous,  arid,  and 
barren.  Mary's  River,  a  considerable  stream^ 
rises  in  latitude  42°  north,  and  after  a  course 
of  about  400  miles,  is  finally  absorbed  hj  the 
sands  of  the  desert. 

The  fertile  valley  lying  parallel  to  the 
Pacific,  between  the  coast  range  and  the  Great 
Snowy  Mountains,  is  well  watered  by  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers,  each 
having  a  course  of  from  300  to  400  miles,  and 
both  running  into  the  Bay  of  San  Francisco, 
the  former  ilowing  from  the  north  and  the 
latter  from  the  south.  The  San  Joaquin 
flows  through  the  midst  of  the  valley  for  about 
half  its  length,  and  then  diverges  towards  the 
eastern  mountains,  where  it  has  its  soui'ce. 
The  Buena  Vista  Lake,  about  100  miles  in 
length,  and  from  ten  to  twenty  wide,  con- 
nected with  the  San  Joaquin,  is  still  further 
south,  and  receives,  on  its  eastern  side,  about 
a  dozen  tributaries  from  the  great  range  of  the 
Snowy  Mountains ;  the  largest  of  these  is 
the  River  Reyes  ;  many  of  them  flow  through 
broad  fertile  valleys  within  the  mountain 
range.  Beyond  this,  and  near  the  western 
side  of  the  valley,  is  another  smaller  lake. 
The  Stanislaus,  the  Tawalomes,  and  the 
Merced,  are  the  principal  tributaries  of  the 
San  Joaquin,  all  on  the  eastern  side.  The 
higher  plains  in  this  direction  atford  good 
pasturage  ;  and  the  whole  of  this  region  affords 
an  inviting  field  for  emigration.  The  moun- 
tain rivers  afford  water  power  to  any  amount. 
The  Sacramento,  which  rises  above  42°  north 
latitude,  is  at  all  seasons  navigable  for  craft 
of  100  tons  burden  to  a  distance  of  100  miles 
from  its  mouth,  and  in  the  season  of  high 
water  (January  to  July),  much  higher  up. 
Some  of  its  tributaries  are  the  Rio  de  los 
Americanos,  the  Rio  de  la  Plumas,  or  Feather 
River,  the  Mickelemes,   and  the  Cos^umne, 


CALIFORNIA. 


83 


the  latter  has  its  head  near  the  foot  of  the  Sierra 
Nevada. 

The  Snn  Gabriel  river  waters  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  La  Ciudad  de  los  Angeles,  the 
city  of  angels,  which  is  situated  about  25  miles 
north  of  the  Bay  of  San  Pedro,  into  which  the 
Gabriel  runs.  The  Salinas  Eiver  (on  some 
maps  laid  down  as  the  Rio  San  Buenaventura) 
empties  into  the  Pacific  near  Monterey.  The 
Bear  River  runs  into  the  Great  Salt  Lake. 
This  lake  occurs  between  40°  and  42"  north 
latitude,  and  is  estimated  at  100  miles  in 
length,  by  50  miles  in  breadth.  The  Utah 
lake,  a  body  of  fresh  water,  between  60  and 
80  miles  in  crcumference,  empties  itself  into 
the  Salt  Lake.  About  60  miles  north  of  the 
Bay  of  San  Francisco,  is  a  lake  called  Laguna 
by  the  Californians ;  this  is  between  40  and 
60  miles  in  length,  and  the  valleys  in  its 
vicinity  are  fertile  and  beautiful.  Near  this 
lake  is  a  mountain  of  pure  sulphur.  (^Bryant.) 
In  the  Sierra  Nevada  there  are  several  other 
salt  lakes. 

Lower  California  as  a  country  is  dry,  moun- 
tainous, and  sterile,  but  possesses  some  fine 
fertile  valleys,  as  that  of  San  Jose,  20  miles 
north,  of  Cape  vSt.  Lucas,  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  the  peninsula. 

Climate. — The  climate  of  Lower  California 
is  described  as  being  exceedingly  dry  and  hot. 
In  some  parts  it  does  not  rain  every  year,  and 
in  others,  it  is  even  said  not  at  all !  Only 
the  southern  portion  receives  the  annual  rains, 
which  continue  for  a  period  of  about  two 
months,  in  September  and  October.  More- 
over, the  heat  is  excessive ;  the  thermometer 
reaching  100°  or  110°,  or  higher;  the  mini- 
mum degree  of  heat  is  not  stated. 

Upper  California  has  a  cooler,  and,  in  win- 
tei",  a  moister  climate,  although  even  here  the 
climate  is  strictly  seasonal,  and  varies  con- 
siderably in  different  parts.  The  rainy  season 
extends  from  November  to  February,  and  in 
the  northern  districts  the  fall  is  very  abun- 
dant, decreasing  towards  the  south.  The 
summer,  however,  is  very  dry,  no  rain,  or 
but  few  and  slight  showers  failing  at  that 
season.  The  mountain  tops  are  covered  with 
snow  for  a  portion  of  the  year,  but  the  lakes 
in  the  valleys  to  the  southward  do  not  appear 
to  be  frozen  over.  Even  here  the  heat  is 
very  powerful,  the  thermometer  ranging  80° 
and  upwards.  On  the  banks  of  the  Rio  Colo- 
rado, Dr.  Coulter  observed  a  temperature  of 
140°  in  the  open  air ;  but  this  was  in  a  sandy 
desert.  Exact  and  detailed  observations  of 
temperature  seem  to  be  wanting. 

More  recent  information  on  the  subject  of 
climate  is  aiForded  by  Mr.  Hartweg,*  who 
states  that  at  Monterey  the  [average  ?]  tem- 


*  Journal  Hort.  Soc.  ii.  191. 


perature  of  the  summer  months  ranges  from 
62"  to  65""  Fahrenheit,  and  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  winter  season,  when  the  rains  set 
in,  fi-om  50°  to  55°  by  day.  The  rainy  days 
are  succeeded  by  frosty  mornings,  but  the  cold 
is  seldom  so  intense  as  to  freeze  water.  By 
the  beginning  of  November,  El  Toro,  whicli 
lies  east  of  Monterey,  had  been  twice  covered 
with  snow,  wliich  soon  disappeared  again. 
According  to  Mr,  Hartweg,  the  periodic  rains, 
which  set  in  with  November,  continue  till  the 
end  of  March,  the  heaviest  fall  occurring  in 
January  and  February.  The  climate  of  a 
large  portion  of  Upper  California  is  therefore 
well  suited  to  vegetable  life,  and  must  render 
the  cultivable  ground,  which  is  very  pro- 
lific, well  adapted  for  agricultural  pursuits. 

Mr.  Bryantf  has  supplied  some  additional 
particulars.  In  traversing  the  district  between 
the  Rocky  Mountains  and  the  Sierra  Nevada. 
in  the  months  of  July  and  August,  he  has 
frequent  occasion  to  record  the  congelation  of 
water  in  the  buckets :  on  one  occasion  the  ice 
formed  was  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  in  thickness. 
He  nevertheless  speaks  of  the  mornings  as 
being  generally  exceedingly  pleasant,  the 
atmosphere  dry,  elastic,  and  bracing.  During 
the  same  month,  the  heat  of  the  sun  was  found 
to  be  "  excessive.''  On  one  occasion,  a  fall  of 
rain  in  fifteen  minutes  reduced  the  tempera- 
ture from  82°  to  44°.  In  August,  the  tempe- 
rature at  9  A.3I.  is  stated  on  one  occasion  to 
be  "  intensely  hot."  He  rarely  found  it  so 
cold,  in  the  settled  portions  of  California,  as 
to  congeal  water  ;  but  twice  while  here  did  he 
see  ice,  and  snow  on  the  ground  not  at  all.  Tlie 
annual  rains,  which  commence  in  November, 
are  not  continuous,  as  is  generally  supposed, 
but  alternate  with  intervals  of  pleasant  spring- 
like weather.  From  May  to  November, 
usually  no  rain  falls,  but  there  are  exceptions; 
it  sometimes  rains  in  August.  The  thermo- 
meter rarely  sinks  below  50°,  or  rises  above 
80°.  The  climate  of  the  coast  of  Upper  Cali- 
fornia is  said  to  yield  to  none  in  the  world  for 
salubrity. 

Of  the  climate  of  particular  districts,  Mr. 
Bryant  states  some  further  particulars.  About 
Nueva  Helvetia,  on  the  Sacramento,  the  sky 
is  cloudless,  with  a  delightful  temperature. 
In  the  middle  of  the  day  the  sun  shines  with 
power,  but  in  the  shade  the  heat  is  nowhere 
uncomfortable,  San  Francisco  has  a  peculiar 
climate  from  its  position.  The  mornings  are 
usually  calm,  and  pleasantly  warm  ;  after  noon 
the  wind  blows  strongly  from  the  ocean,  ren- 
dering the  temperature  cool  enough  for  woollen 
clothing  at  midsummer  ;  at  sunset  this  wind 
dies  away,  and  the  nights  are  calm.  In  winter 
the  temperature  is  jigreeable,  seldom  failing 


+  Journal  of  a  Tour  in  California  in  1846-7. 

.     g2 


84 


CALIFORNIA. 


below  50".  At  Santa  Barbara,  in  the  beginning 
of  January,  the  temperature  at  night  did  not 
fall  below  50°,  and  the  average  during  the 
day  was  between  60"  and  70° ;  the  atmosphere 
clear  and  serene.  About  San  Miguel,  a 
mission  situated  on  the  upper  waters  of  the 
Salinas  Rio,  the  country  bore  evidence  of  long 
and  extreme  drought,  which  had  prevailed  for 
one  or  two  years  past.  The  day — a  December 
one — was  cold  and  disagreeable,  and  ice  as 
thick  as  window  glass  was  seen  in  a  small 
branch  of  the  Salinas. 

Vegetable  Prochictions. — The  rocky  penin- 
sula of  Lower  California  is  but  scantily 
furnished  with  vegetation.  Some  of  its  pro- 
ductions are,  however,  useful.  One  tree, 
called  the  mesquito  tree,  furnishes  in  its  leaves 
food  for  cattle  when  there  is  no  grass,  which 
frequently  happens  in  the  dry  season  ;  of 
others,  the  bark  is  used  for  tanning.  Figs, 
olives,  dates,  and  vines,  which  have  been 
introduced  by  the  Spaniards,  grow  well  in  the 
hot,  dry  valleys  ;  and  on  the  more  favourable 
spots,  maize  and  the  mandioca  are  cultivated. 
The  surface,  however,  adapted  for  cultivation 
is  very  limited  ;  the  steep,  rugged  mountains, 
of  which  the  peninsula  chiefly  consists,  being 
almost  entirely  unavailable. 

Upper  California,  having  a  more  extended 
range  of  surface, — namely,  from  the  sea-coast 
(iastward  to  the  Rocky  Mountains, — possesses 
}i  much  more  interesting  indigenous  vegetation. 
Many  beautiful  hardy  plants  cultivated  in 
English  gardens  have  been  formerly  obtained 
from  this  part  of  California,  and  many  others 
have  recently  rewarded  the  researches  of  the 
Horticultural  Society's  collector  there. 

Mr.  Hartweg  writes  of  verdant  fields  and 

a   pine-covered    range    of    mountains    about 

Monterey.     Several  very  valuable  species  of 

Pin  us  inhabit  various  parts  of  the  country, 

(chiefly  the  coast  range  of  mountains,)  among 

which  are  Pinus  ins'ignis,  a  tree  growing  from 

60  to   100  feet  high,  with  a  stem  two  to  four 

feet  in  diameter;  Pinus  Benthamiana,  100  feet 

high,  with  a  stem  three  to  four  feet  in  diameter  ; 

Pinus  Lambertiana,  of  equal   size  ;    Pinus 

vwcrocarpa,  80  to  100  feet  in  height,  the  stem 

six    to    eight    feet    in    circumference ;    Abies 

JDouglasii,  a  magnificent  timber  tree  ;  Pi/ms 

JiJdfjariana ;  Pinus  Sabiniana  60  feet  high, 

witli  a  stem  six  feet  in  circumference  ;  and 

Abies  bracteata,  a  remarkable  tree,  growing 

50   feet  high,     A    predominating    tree    near 

Monterey    is    the    Quercus    californica,    an 

evergreen  oak  growing  30  feet  high,  with  a 

globular  head,  and   occurring  principally  in 

low    dry  situations.     On    the    dry  banks   of 

rivulets  the  Pavia  califomica,  or  Californian 

horse-chestnut,  is  common  ;  it  grows  25  feet 

high,  and  is  of  a  globular  shape,  producing 

fragrant  white  flowers  tinged  with  pink,  in 


great  abundance  on  spikes  a  foot  long.  On 
the  mountains  of  Santa  Cruz  the  Taxodium 
sempervirens,  red -wood,  or  bastard  cedar, 
abounds,  and  grows  to  the  enormous  size  of 
200  feet  in  height,  straight  as  an  arrow,  with 
a  stem  from  six  to  eight  feet  in  diameter  : 
the  timber  is  of  a  beautiful  red  colour,  close- 
grained,  and  light  but  brittle  ;  it  is  not,  how- 
ever, attacked  by  insects,  nor  does  it  warp. 
Here  occurs  the  mountain  oak,  a  species  of 
Castanea,  growing  50  feet  high,  of  a  pyramidal 
shape  ;  its  seeds  are  eaten  by  the  Indians  both 
raw  and  made  into  bread.  At  Carmel  Bay 
occurs  the  Cupressus  macrocarpa,  attaining 
the  height  of  60  feet,  with  a  stem  nine  feet 
in  circumference,  and  spreading  flat-topped 
branches  like  a  cedar  of  Lebanon.  These, 
except  the  Quercus  and  Pavia,  are  all  valu- 
able timber  trees. 

On  the  mountains  of  San  Antonio,  a  range 
extending  near  the  coast,  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  the  Salinas  River,  and  attaining  a  consider- 
able elevation,  there  occurs  abundantly  an 
evergreen  shrubby  species  of  Primus,  called 
Islay,  having  a  holly-like  leaf,  and  bearing  red 
fruit  resembling  the  cherry-plum  ;  the  thin 
pulp  which  surrounds  the  proportionately 
large  seed  of  this  fruit  is  sweet  and  pleasantly 
tasted,  and  the  kernel,  roasted  and  made  into 
a  gruel,  is  a  favourite  dish  among  the  Indians. 
The  mountains  of  Santa  Cruz  yield  an  ever- 
green shrubby  species  of  chestnut,  whose 
nuts,  produced  in  prickly  clusters  on  the  points 
of  the  young  wood,  and  of  the  size  and  shape 
of  beech-nurs,  have  an  edible  kernel  resembling 
the  filbert  in  flavour.  The  seeds  of  the  Pinus 
Llaveana  are  collected  and  sold  by  the  Indians. 
(Hartweg.)  On  the  side  of  a  mountain,  near 
the  Truckee  lake,  on  the  eastern  side  of  the 
Sierra  Nevada,  Mr.  Bryant  found  a  most 
delicious  raspberry,  ripe  and  in  full  perfection 
(August)  ;  he  thought  its  flavour  fully  equal 
or  superior  to  any  cultivated  raspberry.  The 
native  fruits,  however,  do  not  appear  nume- 
rous. The  islands  near  the  mouth  of  the 
Sacramento  River  furnish  a  small  acid  grape 
in  abundance  ;  and  a  fruit  was  met  with, 
produced  by  a  shrub  four  to  six  feet  high,  in 
appearance  like  a  whortle-berry,  and  not 
unlike  it  in  flavour  ;  this  was  found  on  hills 
near  the  Great  Salt  Lake,  and  is  used  by  the 
Indians.  In  the  Bear  Valley  was  seen  a  small 
tree,  growing  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  bearing 
reddish  berries,  called  manzinata  ;  the  flavour 
is  agreeably  acid,  something  like  that  of  the 
apple  ;  these  ti-ees  shed  their  bark  annually, 
leaving  a  smooth  surface.  A  small  bitter 
cherry  was  also  met  with.  In  the  valley  of 
the  Weber,  and  elsewhere,  pulverised  sun- 
flower seeds  were  found  to  be  used  as  food  by 
the  Indians ;  and  in  the  Bear  Valley  were  seen 
some  large  patches  of  wild  peas.     (Bryan'.) 


CALIFORNIA. 


85 


On  tlie  high  grounds  strawberries  of  excel- 
lent quality  and  larger  than  those  of  Europe 
are  found,  ripening  in  May  and  June. 

Near  the  junction  of  the  Feather  River  with 
the  Sacramento,  Mr.  Bryant  met  with  natives 
collecting  the  acorns  of  an  evergreen  oak 
(probably  the  Castunea  found  by  Mr.  Hart- 
weg)  ;  the  tlour  of  these  acorns,  obtained  by 
"drying  and  pulverising  them,  is  made  into  a 
kind  of  bread,  and  is  with  them  the  "  staff  of 
life,"  being  the  chief  article  of  subsistence  of 
the  wild  Indians  of  this  part  of  California. 
The  acorn  of  California  from  the  evergreen 
oak  is  much  larger,  more  oily,  and  less  bitter, 
than  tliat  on  the  Atlantic  side  of  the  continent. 
In  fruitful  seasons,  the  Indians  gather  and  lay 
up  a  supply  of  these  acorns,  sufficient  for 
more  than  a  year's  consumption. 

Bryant  mentions  a  plant  which  he  calls 
Canchalagua,  regarded  by  the  Californians 
as  an  antidote  for  all  diseases.  This  is  pro- 
bably the  Erythrcea  Cachaulahuan,  a  species 
of  Gentianwort,  known  to  possess  famous 
stomachic  qualities.  According  to  Bryant's 
statement,  it  is  particularly  employed  in  cases 
of  ague  and  fever  ;  and  for  purifying  the 
blood  and  regulating  the  system,  he  thinks  it 
must  become  an  important  article  of  medicine. 
The  fields  of  Calilbrnia  are  adorned  by  its 
pretty  pink  blossoms  during  May  and  June. 
A  species  of  CoUinsia,  C.  tinctoria,  which 
has  the  seed-pods  covered  with  glandular  hairs 
which  stain  yellow,  was  found  by  Hartweg 
on  the  mountains  near  the  Chuba,  a  tributary 
of  the  Feather  River  ;  and  in  the  mountains 
between  the  Sacramento  and  its  tributary  the 
Feather  River,  he  met  with  an  umbelliferous 
plant,  called  Yerba  de  la  Vivora,  the  leaves 
and  stems  of  which  are  universally  used  with 
success  against  the  bite  of  rattlesnakes.  The 
bruised  roots  of  a  species  of  Zygadenus, 
called  Amole,  found  near  Monterey,  are  used 
as  a  substitute  for  soap  (^Hartwey);  the  root, 
or  rather  bulb,  which  is  thesaponaceousportion, 
resembles  the  onion  {Bryant).  Another  va-  ' 
riety  of  the  Amole  used  as  a  substitute  for 
soap,  is  eaten  when  washed,  and  has  an  agree- 
able sweetish  taste.  Mr.  Bryant  found  wild 
flax  in  abundance  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
the  Bear  River  ;  the  fertile  districts  seem  to 
afford  a  great  variety  of  exceedingly  nutri- 
cious  grasses ;  the  varieties  are  very  numer- 
ous, and  nearly  all  of  them  heavily  seeded 
when  ripe,  and  almost  equal  to  corn  as  food 
for  animals,  which  thrive  and  fatten  upon 
them  without  other  food.  The  horses,  as  well 
as  cattle,  subsist  entirely  on  these  indigen- 
ous grasses,  at  all  seasons  of  the  year  ;  and  the 
seeds  are  sometimes  gathered  by  the  Indians 
to  make  into  bread.  These  grasses  spring 
up  as  soon  as  the  ground  becomes  moistened, 
and  grow  through  the  entire  winter;    some 


kinds  are,  however,  evergreen  and  perennial. 
In  the  neighbourhood  of  Mary's  River  grows 
a  small  trumpet-shaped  flower,  the  corolla  of 
which  is  blue  and  scarlet,  and  a  plant  "  with 
a  flaming  torch-like  development  of  brilliant 
scarlet."  {Bryant).  The  latter  perhaps  is  a 
Castilleja. 

Of  the  beautiful  flora  of  all  that  part 
of  this  region  which,  watered  by  sufficient 
rains,  supports  a  thriving  vegetation,  we 
have  ample  evidence  in  the  many  plants 
introduced  thence  to  our  gardens,  and  now 
carefully  cultivated  there  among  its  highest 
ornaments.  The  greater  number  of  the  best 
of  our  hardy  annual  plants  have  been  obtained 
from  California ;  among  them,  the  Nemo- 
philas,  the  Collinsias,  the  Gilias,  the  Lepto- 
siphons,  the  Eutocas,  many  lupins,  and  various 
others  scarcely  less  familiar  and  beautiful. 
For  many  beautiful  hardy  bulbs  of  the  genera 
Calochortus,  Cyclobothra,  Calliprora,  and 
Broditea  our  gardens  are  also  indebted  to 
California.  Besides  these,  various  perennial 
plants  have  been  obtained  from  the  same 
source,  and  not  a  few  trees  and  shrubs,  in- 
cluding nearly  or  quite  all  the  noble  pines 
already  referred  to.  Even  within  this  last 
year  or  two  a  subject  of  peculiar  interest, 
from  its  great  beauty  and  perfect  hardiness, 
the  Zauschneria  californica,  bearing  a  pro- 
fusion of  scarlet  blossoms  like  those  of  a 
fuchsia,  has  rewarded  the  researches  of  Mr. 
Hartweg  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Santa  Cruz. 

Agrimltural  and  Horticvlturul  Capacities. 
Of  all  that  tract  of  land  watered  by  the 
Sacramento  and  San  Joaquin  rivers  the  fer- 
tility must  be  at  least  equal  to  that  of  any 
country  in  the  world,  and  it  is  to  this  region, 
lying  between  the  shores  of  the  Pacific  and 
the  Snowy  range  of  mountains,  that  the  atten- 
tion of  settlers  should  be  directed.  Other 
spots  farther  eastward  may  be  met  with 
where  aU  the  conditions  of  fertility  are  pre- 
sent, but  the  tracts  appear  to  be  too  small  or 
too  isolated  to  admit  of  their  being  peopled, 
at  least  as  yet,  by  enterprising  cultivators. 
In  many  parts  of  the  fertile  region  just  re- 
ferred to,  the  higher  table  lands  and  mountain 
sides  afford  admirable  salubrious  pastoral 
tracts,  which  at  once,  in  conjunction  with 
the  excellent  and  nutritive  grasses  natural  to 
the  soil,  mark  out  the  capabilities  of  California 
as  a  country  adapted  for  the  cattle-breeder. 

The  horned  cattle  of  California  are  large, 
handsome,  and  very  numerous.  Horses  and 
mules  are  correspondingly  abundant.  Travel- 
lers say  that  the  sheej)  are  abundant,  and  the 
mutton  is  described  as  being  of  excellent 
quality.  Beef  is  so  abundant  and  fine  that 
game  is  but  little  bunted.  The  elk  and  other 
deer  are  very  plentiful  Hides  and  tallow 
have  hitherto  formed  a  large  export.     Swine 


88 


CALIFORNIA. 


are  in  some  respects  negleeted,  though  lard 
enters  largely  into  Californian  cookerj. 

For  the  purposes  of  the  agriculturist  the 
climate  and  soil  of  this  region  is  well  suited. 
Naturally  fertile,  and  abundantly  watered  by 
navigable  rivers,  the  germs  of  prosperity  are 
surely  present,  though,  like  all  other  germs, 
they  must  be  carefully  tended,  if  they  are  to 
grow  up  to  a  mature  and  flourishing  condition. 
The  pscuUarities  of  the  climate  must  more- 
over be  regarded.  There  is  a  dry  season, 
and  there  is  a  rainy  season.  For  held  culture, 
the  latter  must  be  made  the  growing  period, 
and  the  former  that  of  ripening  the  crops. 
With  such  an  abundant  supply  of  water  in 
the  rivers,  something  might  be  done  in  tlie 
way  of  irrigation,  but  tliis  must  be  a  work  of 
time. 

Of  what  may  be  called  farm  crops,  it  ap- 
pears that  wheat,  barley,  maize,  and  frijuh'S, 
important  articles  of  subsistence,  are  exten- 
sively cultivated  and  highly  productive.  The 
fnjoles  are  a  small  kind  of  bean  in  universal 
use  over  what  may  be  called  Spanish  America  ; 
they  form  a  pleasant  food,  and  are  cooked  in 
the  ripe  state,  usually  fried  with  lard.  {Forbes.) 
Dr.  Marsh,  who  resides  at  the  foot  of  a 
mountain  range,  near  the  Bay  of  San  Fran- 
cisco and  the  San  Joaquin,  states  that  his 
lands  produced  an  hundred-fold  of  wheat, 
without  irrigation.  The  season  for  grow- 
ing wheat  commences  as  soon  as  the  ground 
is  sufficiently  moistened  by  rain,  and  con- 
tinues until  March  or  April.  The  Pueblo 
"valley,  fifteen  miles  south  of  the  Bay  of  San 
Francisco,  well  Avatered  by  the  Rio  Santa 
Clara,  would  alone,  if  properly  cultivated, 
produce  breadstuff  to  supply  milHons  of  popu- 
lation. Wild  oats  are  abundant,  even  to  the 
summits  of  the  hills,  the  stalks  growing  from 
three  to  five  feet  high  ;  and  the  grasses  and 
clovers  are  very  nutritious  and  fattening 
especially  when  in  seed.  Forbes,  however, 
states  that  oats  are  not  known.  The  wild 
oats  alluded  to  are  probably  some  heavy- 
seeded  grass  resembling  the  oat.  Mustard 
grows  spontaneously,  so  rank  as  to  become 
a  nuisance.  The  grains,  with  hemp,  flax, 
and  tobacco,  may  be  grown  in  all  the  valleys 
without  irrigation.  {Dri/ant.)  Summing  up 
the  capabilities  of  California  as  a  corn-pro- 
ducing country,  Forbes  remarks,  that  Upper 
California  ought  to  be,  and  one  day  must 
be,  the  granary  of  all  South  America. 
The  sowing  of  maize,  as  of  other  grains,  in 
Upper  California,  commences  in  November, 
or  as  near  the  commencement  of  the  rains  as 
possible.  The  harvest  is  in  the  months  of 
July  and  August. 

In  the  plain  of  the  San  Joaquin,  and  near 
the  Bay  of  San  Francisco,  are  several  marshes 
covered  with  a  tall  kind  of  reed,  called  tulc, 


which  in  the  distance  resembles  immense  fields 
of  corn.  These  marshes  appear  to  become 
nearly  dry  in  summer,  and  would  in  all  pro- 
bability make  fine  rice  plantations.  If  properly 
drained,  which  Mr.  Bryant  speaks  of  as  being 
practicable,  they  would  probably  produce  the 
sugar-cane.  Mr.  Bryant,  however,  thinks  that 
rice,  sugar,  and  cotton  could  not  be  generally 
cultivated  to  advantage. 

The  climate  of  California  is  admirably 
suited  to  the  vine,  already  extensively  culti- 
vated, and  which  might  be  spread  over  the 
hill  sides,  wherever  the  surface  could  be 
thrown  into  terraces,  of  even  inconsiderable 
width.  The  produce  of  the  vine  in  California 
will  undoubtedly,  in  a  short  time,  form  an 
important  item  in  its  exports  and  commerce 
— that  is,  if  cultivation  be  not  paralysed  by 
"  golden"  dreams  or  realities.  In  the  southern 
portion  of  the  country,  especially,  the  soil  and 
climate  are  peculiarly  adapted  to  tlie  vine. 
The  grapes,  cultivated  in  the  vineyards,  are 
not  indigenous,  but  acquire  in  the  dry  genial 
climate  a  remarkable  excellence  and  delicacy 
of  flavour.  Whether  the  varieties  originally 
introduced  have  undergone  any  improvement 
does  not  appear  very  evident  ;  but  the  pro- 
bability is  that  their  excellence  is  rather  owing 
to  the  climate,  than  to  any  cultural  improve- 
ment. Large  quantities  of  wine  and  aguar- 
diente, or  brandy  distilled  from  the  grape, 
are  made,  especially  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Los  Angeles.  One  vineyard  in  this  neigh- 
bourhood covers  forty  acres,  and  contains  from 
4,000  to  5jOOO  vines,  from  which,  though 
young,  in  1846,  180  casks  (sixteen  gallons) 
of  wine,  and  the  same  quantity  of  aguardiente 
were  manufactured.  The  quantity  produced 
in  California,  Bryant  estimates  at  1,600,000 
gallons,  which  might  by  culture  be  increased 
indefinitely. 

The  prickly  pear  (Opuntia)  which  groAVS  to 
a  large  size,  is  in  many  cases  used  for  fences, 
and  forms  an  impenetrable  barrier.  The 
stalks  sometimes  equal  in  thickness  a  man's 
body,  and  attain  a  height  of  fifteen  feet.  From 
the  juicy  blood-red  fruit  of  the  Opuntia  Tuna 
a  pleasant  beverage  called  calinche  is  made. 
From  the  Agave  americana  a  saccharine 
liquor  called  pulque  is  obtained. 

Of  the  cultivated  fruits,  there  are  apples, 
pears,  peaches,  figs,  oranges,  grapes,  olives 
and  palms  grown  in  different  parts  of  the 
country ;  and  of  vegetables,  pumpkins  and 
other  gourds,  frijoles,  potatoes,  onions,  and 
chillies,  which  latter  are  largely  consumed  in 
Californian  cookery.  The  potato  thrives  well 
in  California.     {Furhes.) 

The  water-power  of  California  is  ample  for 
any  required  mill  purposes.  Timber  is  not 
so  convenient  as  is  desirable,  but  nevertheless 
there-  is  an  abundance  of  jt,  which  will  gradu- 


CALTfORNIA. 


87 


ally  become  more  accessible,  as  the  country 
becomes  inliabited.  The  timber  on  tlie  Sierra 
Nevada,  among  the  most  magnificent  in  the 
workl,  cannot  be  at  present  available.  On  the 
hills  in  sevei'al  places  near  the  coast,  particu- 
larly at  Santa  Cruz  and  Bodega,  there  is  a 
bulk  of  pine  and  fir,  that  will  not  for  a  long 
time  be  consumed,  {Bryant.) 

Animal  Productions. — The  wild  animals  of 
California  include,  besides  a  few  peculiar  to 
the  country,  many  others  Avhich  are  found  in 
the  adjacent  countries,  American  lions,  {Fe- 
lts coiicolor,)  American  tigers,  {F.  onca,) 
bears,  wolves,  jackals,  polecats,  foxes,  moun- 
tain cats  and  field  rats  are  mentioned  as  indi- 
genous, as  well  as  buffaloes,  bisons,  different 
kinds  of  deer  and  goats,  hares  and  rabbits. 
Two  of  the  most  interesting  of  these  indige- 
nous quadrupeds  are  the  elk  or  moose  deer, 
which  is  very  abundant,  and  the  American 
Argali,  {Och  Pygargus,)  which  seems  inter- 
mediate between  the  goat  and  sheep.  The 
roe  also  abounds.  On  the  rivers,  lakes  and 
bays  both  the  otter  and  beaver  are  found, 
though  less  numerous  now  than  formerly  ; 
the  export  of  otter's  skins  has  been  very 
great. 

The  birds  appear  to  be  very  abundant,  and 
partake  of  an  intermediate  character  between 
that  of  those  of  tropical  and  colder  climates,  in 
the  former  of  which  brightness  and  variety  of 
plumage,  and  in  the  latter  excellence  of  song, 
are  characteristic.  Among  the  more  common 
birds  are  the  white-headed  eagle,  black  vul- 
ture, great  and  small  falcon,  goshawk,  spar- 
row-hawk, large  horned  owl,  raven,  crow, 
magpie,  jay,  curlew,  plover,  oriole,  cormorant, 
wood-pecker,  goat-sucker,  partridge,  quail, 
w^ood-pigeon,  goose,  duck,  water -hen,  shag, 
pelican,  heron,  crane,  snipe,  razor-bill,  hum- 
ming-bird, bee-eater,  gold-crested  wren,  &c. 
The  tufted  partridges  collect  in  large  flocks  on 
the  plains,  and  are  excellent  eating  ;  a  species 
of  wild  goose  appears  in  myriads  ;  and  some 
species  of  sea  birds  are  also  very  numerous. 

Fish  is  extremely  abundant,  both  in  the 
rivers  and  along  the  coast.  In  the  former  the 
salmon  are  remarkably  fine,  and  of  excellent 
quality.  Shellfish  exist  in  considerable  quan- 
tities ;  indeed  the  pearl-oyster  is  so  plentiful 
on  the  coast  of  Lower  California,  that  several 
attempts,  apparently  unsuccessful  from  ineffi- 
cient arrangements,  have  been  made  to  estab- 
lish pearl-fisheries.  Some  kinds  of  snakes 
and  lizards  are  also  abundant  in  some  locali- 
ties ;  scorpions  abound  ;  and  locusts  breed  in 
the  sand-hills  along  the  coast,  and  are  some- 
times carried  inland  by  the  strong  north-west 
winds. 

In  the  course  of  the  preceding  sketch, 
frequent  reference  has  been  made  to  the 
authority    of  Mr.  Bryant.     This    gentleman 


was  very  actively  mixed  up  with  Califoi-nian 
afhiirs  during  the  years  1846-7,  and  has 
since  published  the  Journal  of  his  route  from 
the  United  Slates  to  that  country,  and  of  his 
residence  therein,*  forming  two  very  interest- 
ing and  instructive  volumes  of  Mr.  Bentley's 
Cabinet  Library,  which  we  can  honestly 
recommend  to  every  one  who  would  become 
acquainted  with  that  country. 

THE    GOLD    OF    CALIFORNIA. 

We  have  been  favoured  by  the  following- 
letter  from  Professor  Tennant,  on  this  part  of 
our  subject  : — 

"  I  comply  with  your  request  to  give  you  an 
account  of  a  sample  of  the  native  gold  of 
California,  which  I  have  received,  %veighing 
one  ounce. 

"  It  was  first  carefully  examined  for  any 
crystals  of  gold ;  but  all  I  could  find  were  an 
octahedron,  having  the  edges  replaced  by  six- 
sided  planes,  and  a  small  group  of  cubes  :  the 
edges  and  angles  of  all  partly  destroyed  by 
attrition,  either  during  the  process  of  washing, 
or  the  passage  to  this  country.  The  remainder 
consists  of  flat  or  rounded  fragments,  vaiying 
in  weight  from  a  quarter  of  a  grain  to  sixty 
grains.  The  specific  gravity  of  a  large  frag- 
ment is  16.5.  The  quality,  as  a  friend  informs 
me,  is  23  carats. 

"  The  following  substances  have  been  mis- 
taken for  gold  by  the  casual  observer  :  viz. 
iron  and  copper  pyrites,  and  mica;  it,  how- 
ever, differs  from  them  in  its  greater  specific 
gravity  and  malleability,  its  inelasticity,  its 
permanent  colour  under  the  action  of  the 
blow-pipe,  and  continued  solidity  in  the  nitric, 
muriatic,  or  sulphuric  acids,  smgjy;  though  it 
is  soluble  by  a  viixture  of  the  two  former. 

"  The  following  is  an  extract  from  a  friend's 
letter,  received  yesterday  from  the  United 
States,  dated  December  29th,  1848  : — '  Our 
accounts  here  say  that,  far  from  exaggeration 
in  the  stories  we  hear,  there  is  not  a  thousandth 
part  of  the  truthful  reality  told.  Our  whole 
country  is  delirious  with  the  fever  called 
'  auri  sacra  fames.'  Many  a  Jason  is  preparing 
with  followers  to  go  in  quest  of  the  fleece. 
Literally  thousands  are  precipitating  them- 
selves upon  the  Pacific  shore  on  a  Golden 
Crusade  !'  I  have  no  wish  to  excite  undue 
expectations  :  indeed,  I  should  not  be  sur- 
prised if  we  were  to  receive  the  intelligence 
that  all  the  richest  deposits  had  become  ex- 
hausted. 


*  What  I  saw  in  Cahfomia;  being  the  Journal  of  a 
Tour  by  the  emigrant  route  and  south  pass  of  the 
Kocky  Mountains  across  the  continent  of  North 
America,  the  Great  Desert  basin,  and  through  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  years  1846,  1847.  By  Edwin  Bryant 
late  Alcalde  of  San  Francisco.    London  ;  R.  Bentley. 


88 


TROP.EOLUM    OXALIANTHUM. 


"  The  discerning  emigrant  to  California 
might,  however,  be  rewarded  by  finding  dia- 
monds, rubies,  sapphires,  topazes,  beryls,  tour- 
malines, &c.  in  addition  to  the  ores  of  tin, 
platina,  iridium,  silver,  &c.     I  am,  &c. 

"James  Tennant. 

"  149,  Stkato,  Jan.  25t7i,  1849." 


TROP^OLUM    OXALIANTHUM. 

TroprFoIum  oxalianthum,  Morren  (oxalis- 
flowered  Indian  cress).— Tropajolaceaj  §  Tro- 
p£eole£e. 

This  pretty  plant  is  one  of  a  group  nearly 
allied,  if  indeed  the  individuals  are  speci- 
fically distinct.  It  was  named  by  Professor 
Morren,  and  we  cannot  better  point  out 
its  differences  from  the  allied  forms  already 
referred  to,  than  by  quoting  the  substance 
of  the  professor's  published  remarks.  He 
states, — "  It  is  in  the  way  of  Tropceolum 
hrachyceras  of  Poeppig  and  Endlicher,  in  one 
respect  ;  and  agrees  with  T.  tenellam  in  ano- 
ther ;  but  it  is  nevertheless  distinguished  clearly 
enough  from  both.  T.  brachyceras  has  the 
peltate  leaves  divided  into  six  or  seven  lobes. 
T.  oxaUanthum  has  never  more  than  five 
segments.  In  this  respect  it  approaches 
nearer  to  T.  tenellum,  which  has  also  five  or 
six,  but  in  the  latter  species  the  lobes  are 
obovate  and  mucronate,  two  featui-es  whicli 
are  not  observed  in   T.   oxaliaiitlium.      The 


leaves,  or  the  segments  of  the  leaves,  conform 
rather  with  those  of  T.  brachyceras,  which 
has  also  the  spur  conic,  and  as  short  again  as 
the  calyx.  In  T.  tenellum,  this  organ  is 
simply  shorter  than  the  calyx.  In  T.  oxali- 
anthum, the  spur  is  the  same  length  as  the 
lobes  of  the  calyx,  a  character  which  separates 
it  entirely  from  the  other  two  species.  In 
T.  oxalianthum,  as  in  T.  tenellum,  and  T. 
bVaciiyceras,  the  petals  are  equal ;  but  in  the 
last-named,  these  organs  are  emarginate,  the 
two  upper  ones  cuneiform,  and  veined  at  the 
base  ;  in  T.  tenellum,  they  are  also  cuneiform, 
but  furnished  with  long  claws,  (unguiculate.) 
There  is  nothing  similar  to  this  in  T.  oxali- 
anthum, neither  the  emarginate,  nor  ungui- 
culate character."  Tlie  differences  set  down, 
may  be  stated  thus  ; — 

T.  hrachyceras  ;  leaves,  six-  seven-lobed  ; 
v^pur  as  short  again  as  the  calyx  ;  petals  equal, 
emarginate, 

7\  tenellum ;  leaves  five-  six-lobed  ;  lobes 
obovate  mucronate  ;  spur  shorter  than  the 
calyx  ;  petals  equal,  unguiculate. 

T.  oxalianthum ;  leaves  five-lobed  ;  spur 
as  long  as  the  calyx  ;  petals  conformable, 
neither  emarginate  nor  unguiculate. 

It  will  thus  be  seen  that  the  botanicalldif- 
ferences  between  these  three  so-called  species 
are  but  slight ;  and  more  than  one  of  the  three 
would  not  be  required  in  any  ordinary  garden 
establishment. 

The  present  species  produces  tubers,  and  is 
therefore  perennial.  From  these  tubers  pro- 
ceed the  thread-like  twining  stem,  which  bears 
small  peltate  five-lobed  leaves,  having  lanceo- 
late entire  segments,  wedge-shaped  at  the  base. 
The  flowers  are  yellow,  small ;  the  calyx 
green,  divided  into  five  oval  dilated  recurved 
lobes,  half  the  length  of  the  petals,  and  ter- 
minating behind  in  a  conical  obtuse  spur  ; 
the  petals  are  oval,  wedge-shaped  at  the  base, 
and  undulated  on  the  margins,  the  two  upper- 
most streaked  with  bright  orange  colour.  Like 
the  other  species,  this  produces  its  blossom  in 
the  early  part  of  the  summer. 

The  native  country  of  this  plant  is  supposed 
to  be  Chili,  as  in  the  case  of  many  of  its  con- 
geners. It  was  cultivated  during  the  season 
of  1848  by  M.  Bauman  of  Ghent.  The  name 
oxalianthum  is  applied  in  allusion  to  a  cer- 
tain analogy  hetween  its  flowers  and  those  of 
some  species  of  Oxalis. 

In  respect  to  cultivation,  this  species  entirely 
accords  with  the  other  smaller  growing  kinds. 
As  to  climate  it  requires  a  greenhouse,  where 
the  temperature  is  never  allowed  to  fall  to  the 
freezing-point,  and  where  neither  a  large  pro- 
portion of  moisture  is  present  in  the  atmo- 
sphere, nor  the  atmosphere  is  allowed  to  stag- 
nate ;  a  dry  airy  warm  greenhouse  is  there- 
tore  what  affords  it  the  most  proper  protection. 


GAllDENS    UNDER    GLASS. 


89 


As  to  soil,  it  should  have  a  sandy  loam,  light- 
ened by  the  addition  of  decayed  leaf  mould, 
and  enriched  by  the  use  of  very  rotten  dung, 
both  together  forming  about  a  third  part  of 
the  whole  bulk  ;  the  pots  must  be  well 
drained,  because  the  tubers  require  to  be  at 
once  planted  in  the  pots  in  which  they  are  to 
bloom  ;  a  pot  a  foot  in  diameter  will  afford 
space  enough  for  the  pasturage  of  a  very 
strong  plant.  As  to  watering,  it  must  have 
moderate  yet  constant  supplies  while  grow- 
ing :  as  soon  as  the  flowering  is  past,  and  the 
leaves  begin  to  turn  yellow,  this  moderate 
supply  must  however  be  very  much  lessened, 
so  that,  when  quite  ripened,  the  tubers  may 
be  in  a  perfectly  dry  state,  in  which  they 
should  remain  until  the  growing  season  re- 
turns. Frequently  the  tubers  will  commence 
growing  in  the  late  autumnal  months  ;  in  this 
case  they  must  not  be  checked,  but  if  they 
can  be  kept  dormant  until  after  the  "  shortest 
day,"  so  much  the  better. 

The  training  of  the  branches  is  a  matter  of 
taste,  or  often  perhaps  rather  of  want  of  taste. 
Whatever  form  of  trellis  or  mode  of  training 
is  adopted,  it  must  be  provided  or  commenced 
with  the  first  growth  of  the  plant,  for  it  is 
impossible  to  shift  the  branches  from  one 
trellis  to  another,  after  they  have  made  some 
progress,  without  fearfully  mutilating  them. 
Some  think  a  shield-like  trellis,  with  a  flat  or 
gently -curved  face,  displays  the  flowers  to  the 
best  advantage.  For  our  own  part,  we  pre- 
fer the  general  effect  of  columnar  trellises  ;  i 
for  although  they  do  not  admit  of  bringing  so 
many  blossoms  into  one  view,  yet,  if  properly 
managed,  they  may  be  seen  to  advantage  from 
any  point,  while  the  former  will  bear  scrutiny 
from  one  point  only. 

These  plants  are  propagated  by  cuttings  or 
by  seeds,  and  grow  very  freely  under  favour- 
able couditions. 


GARDENS    UNDER    GLASS. 

This  is  becoming  fashionable,  and  will  be- 
come general,  for  it  is  clear  that  the  mere 
protection  of  glass,  without  artificial  heat  of 
any  kind,  will  enable  us  to  grow  many  hard- 
wooded  plants  hitherto  confined  to  the  green- 
house or  warm  pits  ;  and  it  is  also  obvious 
that  hardy  plants  will  be  hastened  in  their 
bloom  and  preserved  in  their  foliage  by  no 
greater  protection  than  a  well-built  house  with 
thick  sheet-glass  windows  or  sashes.  There 
are  a  few  rules  to  be  observed  in  managing  these 
gardens  under  glass,  for  this  appears  to  be  the 
proper  name,  where  the  only  difference  between 
the  covered  and  the  open  portion  of  the  gar- 
den is  the  glass  which  covers  a  p.irt.  A  few 
rules  may  suffice.      First,  for  instance,  all  the 


plmts  should  be  turned  out  in  the  bed  or 
border,  or  the  pot  itself  plunged,  because  frost 
cannot  so  well  go  down  after  roots  as  it  can  get 
through  the  sides  of  a  pot ;  next,  the  greatest 
possible  care  must  be  taken  that  the  windows 
and  doors  shut  close  and  admit  no  draught ; 
third,  that  the  windows  and  doors  be  always 
shut  at  sun-set  in  winter  time,  so  that  the 
heat  which  has  been  absorbed  all  day  shall  be 
shut  in  all  night :  fourthly,  that  whenever 
the  sun  is  warm,  even  in  the  depth  of  the 
winter,  all  the  air  that  can  be  given  should  be 
given.  It  is  impossible,  indeed,  to  give  a 
common  greenhouse  too  much  air  in  mild 
weather.  If  there  are  many  top  and  bottom 
windows,  open  half  of  each,  so  that  there  is  a 
thorough  good  air  admitted.  In  dry  weather 
especially,  the  house  should  be  as  open  as  pos- 
sible for  the  sake  of  drying  it.  There  are 
many  plants  that  will  succeed  better  under 
glass  than  in  the  open  air,  although  they  are 
hardy  enough  to  stand  exposure.  The  Daphnes, 
Rhododendrons,  Azaleas  (Indian  and  Ameri- 
can), Andromedas,  Camellias,  many  Heaths, 
Acacia,  Arbutus  procera,  Deutziascabra,  all  the 
Liliums,  most  of  the  early  bulbs  ;  but  suppose 
it  be  planted  out  exactly  the  same  as  a  bit  of 
fancy  garden  out  of  doors,  the  plants  under 
glass  will  be  forwarder  a  good  deal,  so  that 
this  would  create  two  distinct  seasons  if  they 
were  plant  for  plant  alike.  The  hard-wooded 
Botany  Bay  plants  will  often  stand  a  i'ew  de- 
grees of  frost,  but  under  any  circumstances, 
all  the  spring  bulbs  would  be  in  bloom  in  Feb- 
ruary, instead  of  later  ;  and  we  might  walk 
out  of  the  drawing-room  into  the  garden,  under 
glass,  without  the  least  difficulty,  and  see  but 
the  thickness  of  the  glass  between  us  and 
the  most  cheerless  froat  and  snow,  with  the 
flowers  blooming  at  our  feet.  The  principal 
attention  required  is  to  the  soil  with  which 
the  beds  and  borders  are  filled,  and  the  man- 
ner in  which  the  drainage  is  carried  out. 
There  ought  to  be  a  clear  run  of  water  es- 
tablished, or  rather  the  means  of  forming  one, — 
two  or  three  ordinary  drains,  with  di-ain  pipes 
at  the  bottom,  and  stones  or  bushes  to  cover 
them  six  inches  ;  and  these  pipes  should  com- 
municate with  an  outlet  capable  of  draining 
away  any  moisture  that  may  filter  into  these 
pipes  from  the  beds  and  paths,  so  that  how- 
ever freely  you  may  water  the  plants  or  satu- 
rate the  beds  they  will  be  free  of  stagnant 
water.  The  soil  should  be  loam  from  rotted 
turves  one  half,  and  good  chopped  peat  earth 
the  other  half.  That  this  may  be  well  mixed, 
it  ought  to  be  placed  in  a  heap  and  chopped 
down  and  thrown  to  another  heap,  and  then 
chopped  down  again  ;  but  however  it  be  done, 
mixed  it  must  be,  and  well.  The  plants  should 
be  placed  in  the  soil  the  same  as  if  it  were 
the  open  garden,   a  box  edging  or  a  board 


ABUONIA    UMEELLATA. 


edging,  and  smart  gravel  walks  should  clia- 
racterise  the  ground  work.  The  most  effec- 
tive way  of  planning  the  ground  woi'k,  is  a 
path  of  two  feet  six  inches  round  a  bed  of  six 
feet  wide  in  the  middle,  and  borders  to  occupy 
the  space  from  the  path  to  the  walls,  or  rather 
the  sides  and  ends,  whatever  they  may  be. 
There  will  be  no  great  effect  the  first  year 
without  enormous  expense,  but  the  second 
you  will  have  all  the  advantage  of  your 
own  growth.  If  the  balls  of  potted  plants 
are  very  hard,  it  may  be  worth  while  to 
soak  them  and  loosen  all  the  fibres  ;  for  you 
may  in  vain  try  to  wet  a  hard  ball  :  the  water 
will  run  away  and  soak  away  without  pene- 
trating the  surface,  and  the  plant  will  become 
discoloured,  weakly,  and  perhaps  defunct.  The 
syringe  should  be  used  freely,  with  a  fine 
rose  on,  and  by  pumping  sharply  all  over 
and  among  the  foliage,  and  especially  of  the 
creepers,  you  will  keep  the  green-fly  com- 
pletely under.  Confine  your  plants  as  much 
as  you  can  to  evergreens,  for  you  want  it 
cheerful  in  the  winter.  Roses,  however,  you 
must  have,  and  they  will  occasionally  drop 
their  leaves ;  still  there  are  some  that  must 
be  had,  and  there  is  nothing  more  likely  to 
give  you  a  few  fugitive  flowers  at  Christmas. 
We  have  already  said,  water  freely,  but  not 
often  ;  a  good  sousing  with  the  syringe-pump 
once  a-week,  is  better  than  a  garden -pot 
watering  once  a-day,  and  besides  this  it  keeps 
the  plants  clean  and  healthy,  and  saves 
labour ;  the  plants  may  be  cut  in  pretty  close 
■for  effect  at  first,  but  some  may  be  easily 
withdrawn  when  they  begin  to  crowd  each 
other ;  unless,  which  is  very  desirable,  you 
use  your  knife  freely,  and  keep  all  things  in  a 
proper  shape,  and  perfectly  quiet.    ^^^ 


ABRONIA    UMBELLATA. 

Ahronia  umbellata,  Lamarck  (umbel- 
flowered  Abronia). — NyctaginacejB. 

This  plant  has  much  the  appearance  of  a 
Verbena,  but  its  relationship  is  with  the 
Marvel  of  Peru,  to  which  it  is  nearly  allied  in 
botanical  structure. 

It  is  a  perennial,  with  trailing  stems,  which 
creep  along  the  surface  of  the  ground,  rooting 
as  they  go.  It  is  clothed  with  glutinous  hairs, 
both  on  the  stems,  on  the  margins  of  the 
leaves,  and  on  the  stalks  of  the  leaves  and 
blossoms.  Tlie  stems  are  furnished  with 
opposite  leaves  of  ovate-obtuse  form,  and  a 
somewhat  fieshy  texture  ;  they  "are  about  an 
inch  and  a  half  in  length,  and  attached  to  the 
stem  by  erect  stalks,  as  long  as,  or  longer 
than,  themselves.  The  flowers  grow  at  the 
axils,  in  close  umbels,  much  like  a  head  of 


Verbena  blossoms,  and  stand  on  erect  stalks, 
three  or  four  inches  .long  ;  the  flowers  consist 
of  a  long  slender  tube,  with  a  flat  five-cleft 
limb,  the  lobes  of  which  are  very  regularly 
two-parted  ;  they  are  of  a  rosy-violet  colour, 
and  agreeably  sweet  scented,  especially  in  the 
evenings.  The  blossoms  are  individually 
about  the  size  of  those  of  a  Verbena. 

This  species  has  been  introduced  to  Eng- 
land by  the  Horticultural  Society  of  London, 
through  the  instrumentality  of  their  collector, 


Mr.  Hartweg.  The  seeds  appear  to  have 
been  received  in  January,  1848,  and  plants 
raised  from  them  blossomed  towards  the  end 
of  the  summer  of  that  year.  Mr.  Hartweg 
met  with  it  on  the  sands  near  the  sea-shore,  at 
.Monterey,  in  California.  It  appeal's  from 
Mr.  Hartweg's  published  Journal,  that  two 
species  were  met  with  ;  the  present,  which  he 
calls  Abronia  rosea,  having  pink  flowers,  and 
another  mentioned,  Ahronia  mellifera,  with 
orange-coloured  flowers  ;  both  are  spoken  of 
as  spreading  on  the  sands  by  the  sea-shore, 
and  delightfully  scenting  the  air  with  their 
perfume  towards  evening.  Mr.  Hartweg 
gives  the  locality  as  Carmel  Bay,  an  ea.«y 
two  hours'  walk  from  Monterey. 

Coming  therefore  from  the  very  shores  of 
the  Pacific,  in  the  latitude  of  Monterey,  it 
cannot  be  expected  to  prove  perfectly  hardy 
in  England.  It  is,  however,  sufficiently  so  to 
flourish  in  our  climate  during  the  summer 
months  ;  and,  in  fact,  should  have  treatment 
something  similar  to  that  given  to  Verbenas, 
with   which  it    associates   in   appearance,   as 


NOTES    ON    FRUITS    AND    KITCHEN    PLANTS. 


91 


well  as  in  tlie  purposes  for  which  it  is  adapted, 
namely,  the  decoration  of  flower  beds  during 
summer.  Wliether  the  growth  of  the  plant 
will  make  it  suitable  for  bedding  en  masse, 
will  requii'e  some  experience  of  its  habit  to 
ascertain  ;  it  will  be  so  if  it  can  be  made  to 
produce  its  branches"  sufficiently  numerous  to 
cover  the  entire  surface  of  the  soil.  Apart 
from  this  question,  it  is  no  doubt  a  very  de- 
sirable plant,  admitting  either  of  culture  in 
the  iiower-garden,  or  in  pots. 

The  soil  in  which  it  has  been  found  to 
thrive,  is  that  of  a  light  rich  nature,  and 
should  contain  a  considerable  proportion  of 
sand.  Naturally  its  branches  lie  upon  the 
sandy  beach  of  the  ocean,  where  no  moisture 
can  lodge  about  the  branches,  and  where  the 
latter  are  exposed  to  an  unimpeded  circulation 
of  air.  Probably,  therefore,  it  will  not  bear 
crowding. 

In  the  garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society 
it  has  been  found  to  be  easy  of  increase,  either 
by  means  of  seeds  or  cuttings  ;  and  it  is  re- 
commended to  t)e  grown  as  an  annual.  It 
flowers  dui'ing  the  summer  months,  from  June 
till  October. 

Besides  Lamarck's  name  here  adopted,  this 
plant  has  received  two  others,  which  are 
these  : — Abronia  califormca  (Rffiusch),  and 
Tricratus  admirahilis  (L'Heritier).  It  was 
originally  introduced  to  this  country  in  1823, 
but  was  soon  lost. 


NOTES  ON  FRUITS  AND  KITCHEN  PLANTS 
PROVED  IN  THE  GARDEN  OF  THE  HOR- 
TICULTURAL SOCIETY  IN  1848. 
The  following  notes  on  new  fruits  and  escu- 
lents, from  the  Journal  of  the  Hortictdtural 
Society,  are  from  the  pen  of  Mr.  Thompson, 
the  superintendent  of  the  fruit  and  kitchen 
garden  departments  in  the  Society's  garden. 
They  are  highly  valuable  observations  : — 

1.  The  Queen  Muscat  Gkape. — A  plant 
of  a  vine  under  the  above  name  was  received 
last  spring  from  Mr.  Glendinning,  Chiswick 
Nursery,  Turnham  Green.  It  was  only  a 
young  plant  raised  from  an  eye  in  the  previous 
season.  It  however  fruited  in  an  eight-inch 
pot.  The  size  the  bunch  would  attain  from  a 
Avell-established  vine  can  therefore  only  be 
estimated  comparatively  with  that  of  other 
sorts  grown  in  a  pot  under  similar  circum- 
stances, and  accordingly  it  may  be  stated  to 
be  larger  than  that  of  the  Royal  Muscadine. 
The  berries  are  also  fully  as  large  as  those  of 
the  latter,  but  perfectly  distinct,  being  oval. 
They  are  yellowish  white,  semi-transparent, 
so  that  the  one  seed  which  each  berry  contains 
can  be  seen  through  the  skin.  The  flesh  is 
flrmer  than  that  of  the  Sweetwater,  but  much 
more  tender  than  that  of  the  Muscat  of  Alex- 


andria, rich  and  sugary.  It  is  an  early  grape  ; 
and  as  far  as  can  be  judged  of  it,  grown  as 
above  stated,  it  appears  highly  deserving  of 
cultivation.  For  pot  culture  it  has  proved  to 
be  exceedingly  well  adapted. 

2.  Cardon  Puvis. — This  is  a  variety  of 
cardoon  remarkable  for  its  almost  entire  and 
spineless  leaves.  In  this  season  there  were 
some  sharp  frosts  in  November,  the  tempera- 
ture being  sometimes  10°,  and  in  one  instance 
14°,  below  the  freezing-point.  It  appeared 
from  these  circumstances  that  the  Cardon 
Puvis  was  more  tender  than  the  Cardon  de 
Toui's. 

3.  Largest  Asiatic  Cauliflower. — 
This  is  a  good  variety  of  cauliflower,  seeds  of 
which  were  this  year,  and  formerly,  received 
from  Messrs.  Schertzer,  of  Haarlem.  It  grows 
taller,  and  produces  larger  heads  than  the 
common,  under  the  same  circumstances, 

4.  Early  Leyden  Cauliflower. — Also 
received  from  Messrs.  Schertzer,  of  Haarlem. 
This  appeared  identical  with  Legge's  Walche- 
ren  Brocoli  or  Cauliflower,  noticed*  vol.  i. 
p.  309.  To  this  notice,  and  particularly  to 
the  excellent  directions  by  the  late  Mr.  Legge 
for  the  cultivation  of  the  variety,  I  would  beg 
to  direct  attention.  A  correction  is  required, — 
"  For  the  purpose  oi  sowing  seed,"  read  saving 
seed.  It  is  difficult  in  very  many  cases  to 
save  brocoli  seed  correctly  in  this  country, 
and  to  save  it  in  any  degree  of  perfection  is 
often  impossible.  It  is  therefore  satisfactory 
to  know  that  this  most  useful  variety,  some- 
times difficult  to  obtain  under  the  name  of 
Legge's  "Walcheren  Brocoli  or  Cauliflower, 
may  be  procured  under  the  name  of  the  Early 
Leyden  Cauliflower,  from  the  Continent. 


*  The  heads  are  large,  firm,  white,  like  a  very  fine 
cauliflower,  which  in  fact  it  closely  resembles  in  appear- 
ance, except  that  the  leaves  are  not  so  plain  as  those 
of  the  cauliflower.  The  diflerence  in  constitution  must 
however  be  considerable,  for  it  not  only  stands  the 
winter  cold,  but  likewise  the  summer  drought  much 
better  than  cauliflowers  do;  scarcely  a  head  of  the 
latter  could  be  obtained  in  the  diy  hot  summer  of 
1844,  and  at  the  same  time  a  quarter  of  Walcheren 
Brocoli  formed  beautiful  heads  of  uniform  closeness. 
The  following  are  notes  respecting  it  from  Mr.  Legge 
[late  gardener  at  Bishopsthorpe,  by  whom  the  seeds 
were  pi-esented  to  the  Horticultural  Society]  : — "  For 
the  supply  of  a  family,  sow  the  third  w^eek  in  April, 
middle  and  end  of  May,  the  middle  and  end  of  June, 
and  the  middle  and  end  of  July.  This  attention  will 
give  a  regular  supply  till  the  end  of  the  year.  I  had 
a  regular  supply  last  year  [1845]  till  January  21st. 
For  the  purpose  of  sowing  seed  I  recommend  to  sow 
my  .Walcheren  Brocoli  at  the  time  that  the  winter 
cauliflower  is  sown,  say  about  the  25th  or  27th  of 
August,  and  winter  the  plants  under  hand  glasses  as 
Cauliflowers.  Give  them  good  soil,  not  too  light,  nor 
leave  more  than  three  or  four  under  each  glass,  and 
let  them  be  well  attended  to  with  respect  to  air."  By 
timely  sowings  the  Walcheren  will  afford  a  long  and 
excellent  supply  equal  in  quality  and  appearance  to 
Cauliflower. — Journ.  Ilort.  Soc.  i.  309. 


92 


STANDARD  SHRUBS. 


5.  Black  Sicilian  Cauliflower. — This, 
received  from  Messrs.  Schertzer,  of  Haarlem, 
proved  to  be  the  Purple  Cape  Brocoli. 

6.  Haricot  d'Espagne  Hybrids. — This 
is  a  hybrid  variety  of  scarlet  runner,  presented 
to  the  Society  by  Messrs.  Vilmorin,  of  Paris. 
The  blossoms  are  very  beautiful — blight  scar- 
let and  pure  white.  The  pods  did  not  remain 
quite  so  long  fit  for  use  as  those  of  the  old 
scarlet  runner.  It  however  deserves  cultiva- 
tion. 

7.  Shilling's  New  French  Bean. — This 
seems  a  cross  between  the  French  bean  and 
scarlet  runner.  The  pods  are  large,  and  re- 
main long  tender. 

8.  Dwarf  Crimson-seeded  Bean. — Fece 
tres-naine  rouge.  Presented  to  the  Society 
by  Messrs.  Vihnorin,  of  Paris.  This  proves 
to  be  a  very  dwarf  prolific  variety  of  broad 
bean.  It  does  not  exceed  a  foot  in  height. 
The  pods  ai'e  about  three  inches  in  length, 
roundish,  generally  well  filled.  The  seeds  are 
crimson,  nearly  the  size  of  those  of  the  Long- 
pod  Bean.  It  is  so  very  dwarf  that  it  could 
be  grown  in  rows  twelve  to  fil'teen  inches 
apart.  It  might  be  very  conveniently  intro- 
duced in  systems  of  intermediate  cropping,  as 
it  would  occasion  but  little  shade.  Its  amount 
of  produce,  compared  with  that  of  taller  kinds, 
has  not  been  ascertained  ;  but  this  point  will 
be  determined  the  fii*st  opportunity. 

9.  Onions. — On  examining  the  varieties  of 
those  grown  this  season,  it  was  ascertained 
that  the  French  Red,  and  also  the  Blood-red 

■  Spanish,  from  Schertzer,  of  Haarlem,  are  the 
same  as  the  Oignon  Rouge  Noir  from  Vil- 
morin, and  are  the  Blood  Onion  well  saved. 
The  Yellow  Spanish  from  Schertzer  is  the 
same  as  the  Oignon  d'Espagne  from  Vilmorin. 
The  French  White  from  Schertzer  is  of  the 
colour  of  the  Silver-skinned  ;  but  it  is  later, 
and  it  has  the  fault  of  being  too  thick  at  the 
neck, 

10.  The  Large  Rouen  Leek. — Poireau 
tres-gros  de  Rouen.  Presented  by  M.  Vil- 
morin, of  Paris.  This  was  grown  alongside 
tiie  London  Flag  and  the  Netherlands  Leek  ; 
and  under  the  same  circumstances  it  proved 
larger  and  of  a  darker  green  than  either.  It 
can  therefore  be  highly  recommended  for  cul- 
tivation. 

11.  Barrott's  New  Crimson  Beet. — 
Pi'esented  by  Mr.  G-lendinning.  This  proves 
to  be  an  excellent  variety.  It  is  less  apt  to 
fork  than  the  Castelnaudary,  from  whieh  it 
has  probably  been  raised.  Like  those  of  the 
latter,  its  leaf-stalks  have  a  yellow  tinge.  It 
is  somewhat  larger  than  the  Castelnaudary. 
Flesh  very  dark  crimson.  The  best  variety 
known. 

We  may  take  this  opportunity  of  remarking, 
that  such  lists  as  the  above  from  the  same 


source,  if  oftener  afforded  to  us,  would  be  always 
welcome.  The  sulyect  is  peculiarly  fitted  to 
the  character  and  objects  of  the  Society.  New 
varieties  of  fruits  and  vegetables  are  so  nume- 
rous, that  an  authoritative  description  of  them 
and  estimate  of  their  value  is  of  the  highest 
importance  to  cultivators.  The  Society  has 
formerly  published  excellent  descriptive  lists 
both  of  fruit  and  vegetables,  and  these  would 
form  a  proper  basis  for  such  additional  lists. 
No  private  individuals  can  effect  such  an 
object  so  well  as  a  public  body  like  the  Horti- 
cultural Society. 


STANDARD    SHRUBS. 

It  is  a  very  common  thing  for  shrubs  to 
grow    what    the    nurserymen    call    "  out    of 
money,"  that  is  to  say,  grow  too  large  to  be 
saleable.     In  such  cases,  nine  times  out   of 
ten,   they  can  be  converted   into    standards. 
Selecting  the  most  straight  stem,  whether  it 
grows  upright  or  slanting,    cut  all    the  rest 
away  quite  close  to  the  root  or  the  selected 
stem.     The  plant  must  be  dug  up,  and  con- 
sidering the  quantity  of  the   branches    and 
foliage  cut  away,  the  root  may  bear  trimming 
a  little  ;  and  when  replaced  in  the  ground, 
should  be  planted  on  one  side  as  compared  with 
its  former  position,  or  at  all  events  so  placed 
that  the  stem  of  the  standai'd  should,  be  upright. 
The  next  thing  to  attend  to  is  the  pruning  of 
the  head,  to  make  it  of  as  good  a  form  as 
possible.     Some  kinds  of  shrubs  will  be  the 
better  for  cutting  in,  especially  the  Portugal 
and  other  laurels,    the  ribes,  lilacs,  Chinese 
privet,  rhododendron,  laurustinus,   and  other 
free-growing  subjects.    In  pruning,  however, 
you  have  to  make  allowance  for  the  season's 
growth,  and  cut  so  that  this  may  be  promoted 
in  a  right  form.     If,  for  instance,  a  vigorous 
branch  pushes  out  of  proportion,  this  must  be 
cut  considerably  shorter  than  the  other  shoots 
of  the  head  ;  for  if  it  were  merely  shortened 
to  the  head,  its  new  growth  would  again  be 
pushed  much  further  than  those  left  untouched. 
It  is  a  very  common  thing  to  form  the  Portu- 
gal laurel  into  standards,  for  the  purpose  of 
putting  in  tubs  to  take  in  the  winter  the  places 
occupied  by  oranges  in  the  summer,  and  they 
look  very  showy  if  they  are  of  a  handsome 
shape.     But  almost  any  shrubs  may  be  grown 
from  the  first  as  standards,  by  planting  them 
thick  and  promoting  a  tall  growth  ;  the  lower 
shoots  may  be  cut  off  at  the  end  of  the  grow- 
ing season,  but  not  more  than  half  way  up,  for 
there  should  be  some  branches  to  promote  the 
growth  of  the  stem.    At  the  end  of  the  second 
growing  season,  the  plants  will  have  advanced 
considerably,  and  any  growth  that  has  been 
made  up  the  portion  of  stem  that  was  first 


NOTES  ON  THE  DAHLIA. 


93 


trimmed  must  be  cleared  off,  and  it  may  be 
advisable  to  cut  off  the  side  branches  a  little 
higher  up  ;  and  if  the  heads  touch  one  ano- 
ther, they  may  be  replanted,  giving  them  a 
little  more  room,  but  still  keeping  them  what 
may  be  called  close,  as  compared  with  the 
distances  at  which  we  should  grow  shrubs. 
After  the  third  year's  growth,  they  may  be 
planted  three  feet  apart  every  way  ;  and  pruned 
for  the  growth  of  the  head,  cutting  the  lower 
branches  up  to  the  proper  height,  or  as  far  as 
will  only  leave  the  head  ;  but  the  top  or  lead- 
ing branch  must  not  be  stopped,  until  you 
have  the  stem  as  long  as  you  require,  by 
cutting  up  the  side  branches  a  little  every  year. 
"When  the  stem  is  long  enough,  you  may  cut 
off  the  leader,  and  trim  up  four  or  five  shoots 
to  form  the  head,  shortening  them  to  four  or 
five  joints  each.  When  the  lateral  shoots 
start,  rub  off  any  that  are  not  wanted,  or  that 
will  be  in  the  way  of  others,  and  allow  the  rest 
to  grow.  The  head  will  be  handsome  in  one 
season.  This  will  apply  to  any  naturally 
shrubby  plant.  Even  the  Pyrus  japonica, 
the  least  manageable  of  any,  and  the  laurus- 
tinus,  which  is  but  little  better,  will  make 
handsome  standards. 


VARIEGATED    LEAVES. 

VaPvIOUS  are  the  speculations  on  the  pro- 
duction of  thi.s  curious  feature  in  plants  :  some 
will  pretend  to  find  a  cause  in  sickness ;  but 
we  are  not  disposed  to  follow  speculation.    We 
may  quite  as  sensibly   attribute  the  notches 
and  serratures  of  some  foliage  to  blights  in 
their  parts,  as  attribute  the  colour  or  Avant  of 
colour  to  ill-health.     It  is  quite  certain  that 
trees  will  occasionally  throw  out  branches  with 
variegated  leaves,  and  that  cuttings  or  grafts 
from  such  parts  will  perpetuate  the  character. 
But   there    are   hollies   variegated   in   many 
different  ways  ;  some  have  the  white  or  yellow 
in  the  middle,  some  on  the  edges  or  margins  ; 
and  these  are  as  constant  as  need  be,  thousands 
upon  thousands  of  all  the  different  varieties 
being  propagated  every  year  without    their 
running   away  from  their    sorts.     Camellias 
will  sometimes  throw  out  a  branch  with  varie- 
gated  or   blotched   leaves,    but    particularly 
Camellia   reticulata.     We    have    seen    these 
variegated  or  blotched  parts  worked,  and  the 
plant  continue  blotched,   nor  does  the  plant 
indicate  weakness  or  bad  health,  or  give  a  less 
or  poorer  flower.      These   sports    of  nature 
may  be  caused  by  some  known  agency,  but 
we    have   seen   nothing   written,    and    heard 
nothing  said,  that  brought  us  to  any  rational 
conclusion    except    contrary    to    that   which 
writers  have  attempted  to  prove.     It  would 
be  quite  as  profitable  to  inquire  into  the  diffe- 
rent colours  of  flowers  and  their  causes,  the 


different  shapes  of  fruit  and  the  causes,  the 
different  nature  of  plants  and  the  causes,  as  it 
is  to  waste  time,  and  speculate  on  the  causes  of 
variegation  in  the  colours  of  leaves.  The 
great  Giver  of  all  good  things  has  created 
plants  and  animals  of  endless  variety  of  forms. 
Every  day  adds  to  the  number  of  discovered 
plants,  and  nobody  doubts  their  origin.  They 
are  different  from  those  we  already  have,  and 
excite  admiration  without  setting  us  all  won- 
dering about  what  caused  the  difference.  We 
hold  variegated  leaves  to  be  as  distinct  in 
their  nature  as  any  other  difference  that  may 
be  discovered,  but  no  tribe  is  more  distin- 
guished in  this  particular  than  the  holly,  and 
the  variegated  leaved  sorts  grow  quite  as 
vigorously  as  the  same  sorts  plain.  The 
seeds  of  the  variegated  kinds,  however,  bring 
only  the  common  sort  in  a  general  way,  the 
same  as  apple  pips  bring  the  crab  stock  ;  any 
thing  better  are  exceptions  and  not  the  rule. 
The  best  way  to  treat  any  desirable  sport  of 
nature  is  to  graft  or  bud  it  directly.  In  this 
way  some  variegated  subjects  have  been  ob- 
tained, but  the  regularity  and  uniformity  of 
the  variegated  geraniums,  hollies,  rhododen- 
drons, and  their  vigorous  and  healthy  growth, 
put  all  the  speculations  about  sickness  being 
the  cause  completely  on  one  side. 


NOTES    ON    THE    DAHLIA. 

A  FEW  hints  to  young  exhibitors  may  be 
useful,  and  prevent  their  falling  into  errors 
of  imitation.  We  see  in  the  leading  dahlia- 
growers'  gardens  an  immense  number  of  shades 
which  completely  destroy  the  beauty  of  the 
scene,  but  which  are  considered  necessary  for 
the  production  of  first-rate  flowers.  Little 
wooden  tables,  just  large  enough  to  hold  a 
pot,  are  placed  by  the  side  of  the  plant.  These 
tables  have  holes  in  the  middle,  and  a  slit  from 
one  side  to  the  centre,  for  the  purpose  of 
passing  the  stem  of  the  promising  bud  to  the 
centre,  where  it  is  fixed,  as  it  were,  by  filling 
the  slit  and  round  the  stem  under  the  bud. 
Thus  is  formed  a  flat  table,  and  the  bud  fixed 
in  the  centre,  just  enough  above  to  allow  of 
its  full  development.  The  cover  to  this  bud 
should  be  flat  on  the  edge,  so  that  on  being 
placed  on  the  table  no  earwig  can  get  under. 
This  is,  in  truth,  the  greatest  service  that  the 
cover  renders  ;  but  even  this  is  at  the  cost  of 
another  advantage  :  the  flower  is  deprived  of 
the  night  air,  which  in  August,  and  until  the 
frosts  set  in  a  little,  is  most  beneficial.  We 
have  seen  covers  like  iron  mousetraps,  formed 
of  closely  woven  wire,  which  keep  out  the 
vermin  without  excluding  air  ;  and  covers  like 
flower-pots  without  a  bottom,  but  a  groove 
round,  so  that  pieces  of  glass  are  dropped  on 
to  admit  lij^ht  without  losing  the  benefit  of  air. 


94 


DEATH  OF  THE  EARL  OE  AUCKLAND. 


Perhaps  the  best  improvement  would  be  to 
substitute  closely-woven  wire  for  the  glass, 
because  this  would  admit  light  and  air  and 
still  exclude  the  vermin,  which  in  an  hour 
would  destroy  a  bloom ;  and  closely-wove  wire 
would  also  keep  off  the  tarnishing  heat  of  the 
sun.  But  there  are  several  considerations  lost 
sight  of  by  some  of  the  best,  or  at  least,  the 
most  popular  growers.  By  excluding  the  air 
and  light,  the  colours  of  edged  flowers  are 
almost  destroyed.  This  changes  a  blush  white 
to  a  clear  white,  and  may  so  far  induce  a 
change  they  require ;  but  such  flowers  as 
Hudson's  Princess  Royal  are  so  altered  for  the 
worse  by  the  exclusion  of  light  and  air,  that  a 
flower  that  is  absolutely  beautiful  in  its  natural 
colours,  becomes  an  undefined  and  anything 
but  pretty  specimen  under  the  present  treat- 
ment. Yellows  become  paler,  whites  become 
purer,  and  all  the  brilliant  colours  lose  a  por- 
tion of  their  brightness.  To  young  beginners, 
we  would  advise  the  constant  and  unremitting 
destruction  of  the  earwig  from  the  moment 
the  plants  are  put  out  ;  it  is  worth  all  the 
trouble  to  be  able  to  have  the  flowers  more 
exposed.  Flowers  which  have  the  air  and 
light  are  brighter,  and  thrive  a  great  deal 
better.  It  may  be  well,  also,  to  cut  some 
dahlias  a  little  to  their  branches  that  are  too 
ci'owded  ;  but  beyond  this,  all  that  is  required 
is  to  pick  off  superfluous  buds,  and  to  stop  the 
growing  portions  that  are  beyond  the  blooms 
selected  for  growth. 


the  box  against  it  would  cause  it  to  give  way 
in  some  places  and  not  in  others,  and  so  spoil 
the  figure  altogether. 


BOX    EDGINGS. 

Unless  the  figure  of  the  edging  is  first 
formed  with  a  hard  bank  of  earth,  perfectly 
true,  of  a  like  hardness,  and  level  on  the  top, 
it  is  quite  impossible  to  plant  the  box  pro- 
perly. The  preparation  of  the  box  is  import- 
ant. All  the  plants  should  be  of  a  size,  and 
the  tops  cut  off  square.  It  may  then  be  laid 
mathematically  true  half  an  inch  above  the 
edge  of  the  level  ground,  and  the  soil  should 
be  drawn  up  against  it,  so  that  a  thin  covering 
of  gravel  shall  bring  it  level  with  the  soil  in- 
side. Now  if  the  bank  be  not  true  and  hard, 
and  the  toj)  properly  levelled,  the  pressing  of 


ON    PLANTING    OUT    POTTED    PLANTS. 

The  common  practice  of  putting  out  the 
Coniferfe,  and  many  other  plants  usually  kept 
potted  in  nursery  stock,  with  the  ball  whole 
just  as  they  turn  out  from  the  pots,  has  been 
often  mischievous,  and  sometimes  fatal.  In- 
deed, soon  or  late  potted  plants  put  out  with 
the  balls  entire,  grow  weakly,  or  completely 
choke  themselves.  The  roots,  as  may  be  seen 
when  confined  in  a  small  pot,  turn  round  and 
round  inside  the  pot,  and  having  once  taken 
this  direction,  the  portions  of  root  that  are  so 
turned  round  the  collar  of  the  plant  swell  very 
much,  and  so  completely  confine  the  collar 
that  they  prevent  its  enlarging,  while  the 
roots  spread  around  and  furnish  their  thicker 
bases  with  the  nourishment  sufficient  for  the 
growth  of  both  themselves  and  the  tree  ;  and 
until  the  roots  grow  thick  enough  to  pinch  on 
the  trunk  and  prevent  its  enlarging,  all  goes 
well ;  but  so  soon  as  that  is  confined  by  the 
still  swelling  but  tangled  and  entwined  root 
the  tree  becomes  weakly,  and  at  length  fairly 
blows  down,  fractured  at  the  collar,  round 
which  the  roots  have  formed  a  confining  ring, 
as  obdurate  as  iron,  and  the  trunk  of  a  few 
inches  diameter  is  seen  to  have  been  held  by 
a  collar  of  a  fourth  of  the  thickness.  Avoid, 
therefore,  all  pot-bound  plants  if  you  can  ; 
but  if  you  are  obliged  to  use  such,  soak 
the  ball  in  watei*,  wash  out  the  soil,  disentangle 
the  roots  with  as  little  fracture  as  possible, 
spread  them  out  all  round,  as  near  the  sui-face 
as  you  well  can  to  be  covered  at  all,  and  after 
treading  in  firmly,  put  stakes  to  them,  that 
they  may  not  be  disturbed.  All  the  expensive 
kinds  of  Coniferge  should  be  attended  to  espe- 
cially, or  they  cannot  succeed  long  together  ; 
and  prefer  those  from  the  open  ground  to  any 
that  have  been  long  in  pots,  for  unless  they 
are  shifted  often  enough  to  prevent  the  roots 
from  curling  round  and  entangling  themselves 
round  the  collar,  they  want  all  the  care  we 
have  mentioned  to  make  them  succeed. 


DEAl'H  OF  THE  EAEL  OF  AUCKLAND.* 


The  demise  of  this  much  revered  nobleman 
has  suddenly  deprived  the  world  of  a  good 
and  great  man,  the  Government  of  an  en- 
lightened statesman,  the  Horticultural  Society 

*  On  the  30th  of  December,  while  shooting  at  Lord 
Ashburton's,  Lord  Auckland  was  seized  w^ith  a  paralytic 
attack.  Though  four  miles  from  the  house  when  the 
attack  came  on,  he  was  very  speedily  conveyed  thither, 


of  a  noble  vice-president,  and  ourselves  of  a, 
most  valued  patron. 

Of  all  the  great  and  good  men  who   have 
devoted  their  lives  to  the  service  of  the  state, 

and  every  remedy  that  human  skill  could  suggest  was 
Immediately  administered ;  but,  unhappily,  without 
effect. — Times  Newspaper,  January  1,  1849. 


DEATH  OF  THE  EAUL  OF  AUCK3.AND. 


95 


and  have  ministered  to  the  improvement  and 
happiness  of  tlieir  fellow  men,  there  certainly 
is  not  one  whose  death  has  excited  a  deeper 
or  more  universal  regret  than  that  of  the  Earl 
of  Auckland. 

The  leading  journal*  of  this  country  (we 
believe,  a  political  opponent  of  his  lordship), 
in  recording  this  unhappy  event,  most  truly 
says  : — "  The  impression  left  on  the  minds  of 
those  who  enjoyed  officially  and  privately  the 
best  means  of  appreciating  his  character,  is 
that  '  a  more  kind,  more  true,  or  more  just 
man  never  existed  than  Lord  Auckland  ;'  and 
there  is  every  reason  to  believe  that  these  are 
not  the  exaggerations  of  friendship,  but  the 
award  of  an  impartial  judcjvient.  .  .  .  Great 
good  sense,  general  knowledge,  moderation, 
refinement,  a  very  gentle  bearing  towards  his 
adversaries,  and  a  very  consistent  support  of 
his  friends,  made  him  greatly  beloved.  ,  .  . 
Lord  Auckland,  though  summoned  unexpec- 
tedly, descends  to  the  tomb,  if  not  full  of  age, 
at  least  having  acquired  a  competent  share  of 
honours  ;  and  though  no  son  inlierits  his 
higher  dignity,  yet  a  numerous  and  attached 
circle  of  friends  may  regard  tlie  degree  of 
fame  which  he  had  acquired  with  just  com- 
placency, and  may  refer  to  his  unspotted 
integrity  with  unqualified  and  honourable 
pride." 

The  late  earl  was  no  ordinary  man.  Where- 
ever  he  resided,  the  arts  and  sciences,  educa- 
tion of  the  people,  and  the  moral  and  social 
comforts  of  the  community,  under  his  fostering 
care,  invariably  progressed. 

It  has  been  the  fasliion  to  complain  of  his 
lordship's  gigantic  policy  in  India,  instead  of 
the  real  cause  of  the  only  unfavourable  result, 
"  the  government  at  home."  However  un- 
popular it  may  be  to  throw  the  blame  on  a 
powerful  body  instead  of  an  individual,  we  are 
of  the  few  who  refuse  to  recognise  any  disaster 
in  India  as  the  result  of  the  policy  of  Lord 
Auckland,  who  carried  out  in  the  most  com- 
plete and  masterly  way  the  instructions  of 
the  home  government,  and  appointed  the 
ablest  generals  that  he  was  supplied  with  to 
hold  the  advantages  which  he  had  obtained. 
Had  he  been  supported  by  able  instead  of 
incompetent  officers,  the  masterly  stroke  which 
placed  a  complete  barrier  against  an  insidious 
and  powerful  rival,  whose  approaches  had 
long  been  anticipated,  would  have  handed 
down  his  name  without  a  cloud  to  sully  its 
brightness  ;  but  all  great  men  are  envied  by 
those  who  admire  what  they  cannot  imitate, 
and  the  man  who  lays  the  trophies  of  success- 
ful battles  at  his  sovereign's  feet,  might  as 
justly  be  blamed  if. they  were  carried  ofi 
again  by  stratagem  as  Lord  Auckland  for  the 
disastrous  consequences  that  arose  out  of  the 
*  Times. 


inexperience  and  incapacity  of  the  best  of  the 
generals  sent  out  to  support  a  difficult  and 
dangerous  occupation  of  hostile  people.  In 
the  botanical  world  we  have  indeed  sustained 
a  loss,  for  under  his  lordship's  auspices  iS 
flourished  no  less  in  India  than  in  England. 
He  was  vice-president  of  the  Horticultural 
Society,  patron  of  m.any  scientific  institutions^ 
of  great  service  to  the  government  in  what- 
ever station  he  filled. 

Dr.  Lindley,  who  had  many  opportunities 
of  knowing  much  of  his  lordship's  encourage- 
ment to  horticultui'e,  says  : — 

"  While  others  are  recording  the  leading 
events  of  Lord  Auckland's  political  life,  and 
attempting  to  identify  with  his  memory  the 
fatal  errors  of  the  incompetent  officers  he  was 
compelled  to  employ,  let  it  be  permitted  to 
one  who  knew  him  well  to  put  on  record 
other  points  in  the  character  of  this  great  and 
lamented  nobleman. 

"  Lord  Auckland,  although  not  a  talker  like 
some  men,  was  wise  and  good  in  the  truest 
sense  of  those  terms.  Although  none  speak 
of  his  private  charity,  many  will  miss  it  ;  his 
whole  life  was  a  scene  of  kindness  and  con- 
sideration for  those  around  and  below  him  ; 
affectionate  regard  does  not  sufficiently  express 
the  feelings  borne  towards  him  by  those  who 
had  the  happiness  to  form  his  domestic  circle  : 
there  his  loss  is  irreparable.  It  is,  however, 
as  a  true  friend  of  science  that  he  must  be 
held  to  merit  the  gratitude  of  posteritj'. 

"It  was  Lord  Auckland  who,  while  in  India, 
took  all  learned  societies  under  his  protection, 
aided  them  in  their  objects,  and  held  out  ta 
the  young  and  rising  men  of  his  day  the  pow- 
erful hand  of  a  mighty  governor.  It  was  he 
who  brought  forward'and  gave  the  means  of 
distinction  to  Mr.  Griffith,  the  first  of  Indian 
botanists,  an  early  victim  to  scientilic  exer- 
tions. It  was  he  who  caused  the  capabilities 
of  Assam  to  be  investigated,  and  who  also' 
laid  the  foundation  of  those  important  tea 
plantations  in  the  Himalaya,  which  seem  des- 
tined at  no  distant  day  to  win  from  the  Celes- 
tial Empire  the  most  valuable  part  of  its  com- 
merce J  and  when  the  armies  of  P^ngland 
penetrated  into  the  wild  country  of  the  Aff- 
ghans,  it  was  he  who  provided  the  expedition 
with  a  scientific  staff  such  as  has  not  been 
attached  to  an  army  since  the  days  of  Napoleon 
in  Egypt.  Gardening  was  more  especially 
Lord  Auckland's  favourite  pursuit  :  wherever 
his  power  in  India  extended  this  art  was  pro- 
tected, and  advanced  by  the  resources  of  his 
native  country,  which  in  its  return  was  en- 
riched with  all  that  Indian  establishments 
could  furnish.  It  was  at  his  lordship's  instance, 
seconded  by  Mr.  Robert  Gordon,  one  of  the 
then  Secretaries  of  the  India  Board,  that  the 
East  India  Company  laid  the  foundation  of 


96 


DEATH  OF  THE  EARL  OF  AUCKLAND. 


that  important  system  of  continually  importing 
Indian  seeds,  to  which  we  owe  the  numerous 
and  invaluable  Coniferous  and  other  plants 
that  have  now  become  so  common  in  England. 
No  wonder  that  on  departing  from  his  Indian 
government  Lord  Auckland  should  have  been 
followed  by  the  deep  regret  of  all,  for  a  loss 
which  they  knew  might  not  be  easily  repaired." 

The  following,  from  quite  a  ditferent  source, 
The  United  Service  Gazette,  shows  how  truly 
this  excellent  nobleman  was  beloved  in  every 
station  it  was  his  lot  to  fill : — 

"  The  news  of  the  death  of  the  Earl  of 
Auckland  will,  we  are  satisfied,  be  received 
with  very  great  regret  in  India.  The  services 
which  he  rendered  to  his  country  at  the  head 
of  the  Admiralty  were  not  to  be  compared  to 
the  great  good  which  the  deceased  earl  achieved 
as  Viceroy  in  the  East.  Finding  India  in  a 
state  of  tranquillity,  Lord  Auckland  immedi- 
ately applied  his  talents  and  the  revenue  at 
his  disposal  to  the  development  of  the  resources 
of  the  country  and  the  advancement  of  the 
arts  of  peace.  Trade  and  commerce  received 
an  important  impetus  from  the  earliest  mea- 
sures of  his  government.  He  particularly 
addressed  himself  to  ihe  encouragement  of 
the  agriculture  of  the  country.  To  the  ex- 
tension of  medical  knowledge  he  was  likewise 
very  friendly,  carrying  out  with  no  niggardly 
hand  the  plans  of  his  enlightened  predecessor. 
Lord  William  Bentinck,  and  substituting  the 
skill  and  humanity  of  the  West  for  the  empi- 
ricism and  barbarity  of  the  East.  Education 
i'ound  in  him  a  warm  and  liberal  patron,  and 
to  the  study  of  the  natural  sciences  and  me- 
chanical arts  hevolunteered  the  most  generous 
assistance.  As  the  head  of  a  large  and  highly 
intelligent  society,  of  mixed  professions  and 
pursuits,  Lord  Auckland  was  remarked  for 
his  amenity  and  hospitalities  ;  while  in  the 
dispensation  of  the  enormous  patronage  at- 
taching to  his  office  of  Governor-G-eneral  he 
was  just  and  discriminating.  For  the  sole 
blot  upon  his  administration — the  military 
occupation  of  Affghanistan — his  lordship  could 
scarcely  be  considered  responsible.  It  was  a 
measure  originating  in  the  fears  entertained 
by  Lord  Pahnerston  of  the  designs  of  Russia 
and  the  influence  of  Russian  agents.  The 
manner  in  which  the  expedition  was  equipped, 
and  the  facility  with  which  its  objects  were 
carried  out,  spoke  volumes  in  favour  of  the 
Earl  of  Auckland's  foresightand  good  manage- 
ment ;  and  if  the  climax  of  the  enterprise 
was,  after  three  years  of  the  occupation  of  the 
country,  disastrous  in  the  extreme,  it  should 
be  remembered  that  the  Governor-General 
had  employed  the  ablest  officers  in  the  com- 
pany's service  to  watch  the  course  of  events, 
and  study  the  temper  of  the  people,  and  the 
best   general  officer  in  the  royal  service  to 


command  the  troops  the  home  authorities  had 
vouchsafed  him.  .  .  .  In  the  dispensation  of 
charities  Lord  Auckland  was  as  beneficent  as 
he  was  judicious.  The  people  of  India  recog- 
nised in  him  a  wise  and  philanthropic  ruler, 
and  the  circle  by  which  he  was  surrounded, 
while  it  enjoyed  the  advantage  of  his  society, 
yielded  to  his  excellent  example,  and  contri- 
buted to  the  general  happiness.  We  repeat. 
Lord  Auckland  will  be  much  regretted  in 
India. 

"As  independent  and  impnrtial journalists, 
neither  swayed  by  party  nor  biassed  by  favour, 
we  lament  his  loss  as  that  of  a  severe  affliction 
to  the  navy,  for  in  no  First  Lord,  although  he 
was  a  Whig,  did  we  ever  find  so  just,  upright, 
able,  and  truly  liberal  a  man  in  the  discharge 
of  all  the  duties  that  appertained  to  his  high 
office.   .  .  . 

"  Of  his  late  administration  we  may  saj',  in 
the  words  of  a  daily  contemporary,  that,  week 
by  week,  '  we  have  traced  the  progress  of  his 
lordship  in  improving  and  developing  the 
naval  resources  of  the  country  ;  and,  if  we 
have  not  always  given  our  unqualified  appro- 
bation to  the  views  and  measures  of  Lord 
Auckland's  board,  we  have,  at  lea^t,  given 
the  noble  earl  credit  for  the  most  sincere  in- 
tentions of  carrying  out  what  he  believed  to 
be  the  best  adapted  for  the  welfare  and  ad- 
vancement of  the  service.  His  errors  have 
been  those  of  the  head  (and  those  very  few), 
and  not  of  the  heart.  He  loved  the  navy, 
and  always  exhibited  the  most  kindly  feelings 
towards  the  officers  of  its  respective  depart- 
ments ;  and,  if  there  were  any  who  did  not 
look  upon  him  as  their  friend,  we  are  sure 
that  there  is  not  a  single  man  in  the  military 
or  civil  service  under  the  administration  of 
the  Admiralty  who  ever  regarded  the  deceased 
noble  lord  as  an  enemy.' 

"  Lord  Auckland  was  easily  accessible, 
and,  though  his  manners  were  often  regarded 
as  cold,  they  were  only  so  in  appearance,  for 
he  had  a  warm  heart  capable  of  the  most 
generous  impulses.  He  promised  little,  but 
he  accomplished  a  great  deal  more,  although 
cautious  and  prudent  in  most  of  his  perform- 
ances ;  his  lordship's  great  aim  was  to  select 
the  man  for  the  office,  and  not  the  place  for 
the  man. 

"  With  his  colleagues  he  was  ever  most 
open  and  straightforward,  and  he  possessed 
the  rare  faculty,  which  he  exercised  with  the 
greatest  facility,  of  softening  the  asperities  of 
professional  discussion,  and  of  reconciling 
differences  of  opinion  where  unanimity  had 
not  previously  prevailed.  He  was  as  much 
beloved  for  his  virtues  as  for  his  talents,  and 
was  as  highly  honoured  and  respected  for  his 
social  good  qualities  as  for  his  high  and  digni- 
fied official  bearing." 


VTOLETS,  THEIR    CULTURE    AND    PROPERTIES. 


1>7 


THEIR  CULTURE  AND  PROPERTIES. 


There  is  scarcely  any  soil  in  which  this 
pretty  and  fragrant  flower  will  not  grow;  but 
it  flourishes  most  in  rich  loam,  or  loam  of  a 
poorer  sort  with  a  mixture  of  leaf  mould  ;  but 
in  every  kind  of  garden  mould  the  violet  will 
grow  and  flower.  Situation  has  more  to  do 
with  the  growth  of  the  violet  than  soil ;  for 
although  it  will  thrive  on  a  sunny  bank  or 
bed,  it  will  gi-ow  much  faster  and  remain  in 
bloom  much  longer  in  the  shade.  The  chosen 
situations  for  the  violet  are  the  foot  of  shady 
banks,  fences,  or  walls,  round  the  stumps  of 
trees,  and  in  shady  nooks.  Of  the  sorts  worth 
cultivating,  we  may  mention  as  the  chief — 

Viola  odorata,  purple, 

Viola  odorata  alba,  white. 

Viola  odorata  ccerulea,  blue. 

Viola  odorata  alba  plena,  double  white. 

Viola  odorata  ccerulea  plena,  double  blue. 

Viola  odorata  pallida  plena,  double  pale  blue. 

Viola  odorata  purpurea,  purple. 

Viola  odorata  purpurea  plena,  double  purple. 

All  these  are  indigenous  to  our  own  soil,  and 
are  sold  under  many  diiferent  names.  They 
are  all  hardy,  in  every  sense  of  the  word  ;  for, 
besides  being  indifferent  to  the  weather,  they 
will  bear  a  good  deal  of  ill  usage  and  neglect. 
They  may  be  grown  in  several  ways:  in  beds, 
borders,  and  clumps ;  in  pots,  in  hot  beds,  and 
in  conservatories. 

IN   BEDS. 

Although  by  a  visit  to  nurseries  where  these 
subjects  are  grown  for  stock  they  may  be  seen 
in  beds  in  the  most  open  part  of  the  ground, 
it  is  far  better  to  have  the  beds  in  some  situa- 
tion which  is  shaded  in  part  by  lofty  trees  or 
buildings,  or  high  walls.  The  principal  object 
of  the  violet  is  its  flowers,  and  therefore  what- 
ever prolongs  the  period  of  flowering  is  an 
50. 


advantage  ;  and  this  is  the  chief  difference 
between  an  open  situation,  with  all  the  sun 
upon  them,  and  a  shady  spot  in  which  they 
are  free  from  it.  In  the  sun  the  blooms  all 
come  forward  together,  and  all  are  soon  off ;  in 
the  shade  the  plant  is  longer  growing :  as  it 
progresses,  blooms  come  forward  ;  and  though 
there  are  never  so  many  out  at  one  time,  they 
may  be  gathered  for  weeks.  Choose  there- 
fore for  your  beds  a  shady  situation.  Let 
them  be  dug  one  spit  deep,  and  mix  with  the 
top  spit  a  liberal  dressing  of  leaf  mould,  or 
cow-dung,  perfectly  decomposed  ;  level  the 
surface,  and  between  every  four-foot  wide  bed 
let  there  be  an  eighteen-inch  alley  undisturbed. 
As  soon  as  the  plants  have  done  growing,  after 
they  have  flowered,  take  them  up,  and  divide 
them  into  as  many  pieces  as  there  are  with 
roots  to  them,  and  plant  these  pieces  out,  six 
inches  apart,  all  over  the  beds,  watering  them 
liberally  as  soon  as  they  are  planted.  Here  they 
will  require  no  other  attention  than  watering 
once  or  twice  after  planting,  or  more  if  the 
weather  prove  hot,  until  they  have  fairly  taken 
root  ;  they  may  then  be  left  to  themselves  ; 
they  will  grow,  and  spread,  and  bloom,  and  the 
second  season  they  will  completely  cover  the 
bed.  This  is  perhaps  thebestway  to  grow  them 
for  their  blooms,  which  may  during  the  season 
of  bloom  be  gathered  daily  in  fine  weather. 
Cold  days,  of  course,  throw  them  back,  and 
perhaps  very  few  flowers  may  be  obtained  for 
days  together;  but  this  prrtracts  the  whole 
bloom  ;  the  plant's  growth  is  altogether  de- 
layed ;  it  is  not  merely  a  delay  of  bloom,  and 
three  or  four  days' flowers  coming  in  together;  it 
is  a  complete  check  to  the  whole;  and  when  the 
weather  becomes  warm  again,  the  whole  plant 
goes  on  again,  somewhat  the  faster  for  the 
check,  perhaps,  but  not  so  as  to  greatly  hasten 
the  decline  of  the  flowering.    When  the  plants 


98 


VIOLETS,  THEIR    CULTURE    AND    PROPERTIES. 


have  spread  so  much  as  to  fill  the  whole  space 
of  the  bed,  let  them  be  forked  up  and  divided. 
Let  two  or  three  inches  of  good  cow- dung, 
well  decomposed,  be  placed  on  the  soil,  and 
forked  in,  to  mix  it  with  nine  inches  of  the  other 
soil,  clearing  out  all  the  roots  and  tui-ning  the 
bottom  well  up  among  the  dung  on  the  surface; 
replant  the  same  as  before,  six  inches  apart  all 
over  the  beds,  using  the  strongest  and  best- 
rooted  plants.  The  surplus  may  be  planted  into 
fresh  beds,  or  in  any  waste  places,  according 
as  they  are  wanted.  But  there  is  another  way 
of  growing  them  in  beds,  to  keep  them  for 
years  without  replanting.  As  soon  as  the 
plants  have  grown,  after  blooming,  take  away 
all  superfluous  offsets,  keeping  each  plant 
handsome  and  bushy,  and  well  stir  the  surface 
of  the  earth  between  ;  but  the  second  season, 
when  the  growth  would  fill  up  the  space  com- 
pletely, take  away  the  ofl^sets  as  fast  as  they 
come,  and  keep  them  to  the  size  of  the  plant, 
at  the  second  season.  Let  them  not  spread 
out,  but  as  the  runners  appear  beyond  the 
bushy  plant,  pull  them  off.  Let  the  earth  be 
stirred  between  the  plants,  and  a  top  dressing 
of  cow-dung,  well  decomposed,  or  of  a  decayed 
hot-bed  which  has  roti'ed  to  mould,  full  two 
inches  thick,  be  spread  all  over  the  surface 
between  the  plants,  and  be  washed  in  by  the 
rains  from  time  to  time.  The  plants  may  go 
on  thus  for  several  years,  in  beds,  and  only 
require  to  be  reduced  within  ordinary  limits, 
after  the  blooming  is  all  over.  This  does  not 
apply  to  one  sort  only,  but  all  the  hardy  sorts, 
double  and  single.  Though  it  is  thought  the 
double  varieties  are  not  as  hardy  as  the  single, 
we  have  had  them  all  flowering  in  the  same 
bed,  and  often  seen  them  equally  healthy  under 
all  circumstances. 

IN    BORDERS. 

The  culture  is  the  same  in  borders  as  in 
beds,  except  that  in  borders  the  violet  only 
forms  one  of  many  subjects,  and  therefore  the 
choice  of  place  is  the  first  thing  to  consider. 
First,  the  violet  being  a  low  creeping,  or 
rather  spreading  thing,  must  be  near  the  fi'ont 
if  not  joining  it.  Next,  as  it  loves  the  shade, 
such  parts  of  the  border  as  are  partially  or 
wholly  shaded  by  trees,  shrubs,  buildings,  or 
other  objects,  should  be  particularly  selected 
for  the  plant.  There  may  indeed  be  shady 
nooks  in  which  the  plant  might  be  allowed  to 
spread  over  the  surface  altogether;  but  among 
other  subjects  it  must  be  kept  forward,  on 
account  of  its  dwarf  habit.  They  are  most 
eflective  in  patches,  not  only  on  account  of  the 
increased  odour,  but  also  of  tlfeir  appearance; 
for  the  violet  is  insignificant  when  small,  but 
in  moderate-sized  patches  it  is  eflTective.  They 
may  be  used  with  advantage  as  edgings  to 
borders,   in  which  case  the   border,    for  the 


width  of  one  foot  from  the  extreme  edge,  should 
be  prepared  with  a  good  dressing,  and  dug  up 
a  foot  or  a  spit  deep;  when  levelled,  a  line 
should  be  drawn  whei'e  the  edge  is  to  be,  and 
the  plants  in  their  small  state  should  be  planted 
out  three  inches  apart,  or  rather  three  inches 
from  centre  to  centre  of  the  plant, — of  course 
there  is  not  above  an  inch  or  an  inch  and  a 
half  of  actual  vacancy.  In  one  season  they 
join  and  spread  ;  and  it  is  quite  suflacient  to 
keep  them  in  bounds  by  cutting  them  back 
each  season  to  an  even  edge,  inside  and  out. 
This  may  be  done  by  chopping  them  with  the 
spade. 

IN    CLUMPS. 

In  small  clumps  of  trees  and  shrubs  there  is 
sure  to  be  a  natural  shade,  and  under  these 
the  violet  is  sure  to  thrive  ;  but  thei'e  must  be 
a  sufficient  depth  of  soil ;  and  if  the  clumps 
be  planted  in  peat  earth  or  bog,  for  the  growth 
of  American  plants,  remove  it  in  the  spots 
where  the  violets  are  to  grow,  to  give  them 
depth  of  proper  loamy  soil  for  their  roots. 
Here  they  may  be  planted  the  same  as  in  beds 
or  borders;  but  it  is  not  uncommon  to  let  the 
violet  cover  a  large  space  under  trees  and 
shrubs  ;  and  few  things  look  better,  or  do 
better,  so  that  they  have  air  and  are  not  too 
much  confined.  They  should  be  planted  about 
six  inches  apart,  all  over  the  space  to  be 
covered,  for  they  will  soon  spread  and  join 
each  other.  They  must  be  well  watered  a 
few  times,  until  their  roots  have  taken  hold 
well  of  the  ground.  It  is  a  mistaken  notion 
to  plant  large  plants  ;  they  will  not  root  so 
well,  nor  spread  so  quickly,  as  small  ones. 

IN   POTS. 

The  object  of  growing  violets  in  pots  is  to 
be  able  to  remove  thein  where  we  please. 
Nurserymen,  therefore,  keep  all  the  leading 
sorts  in  pots,  for  the  convenience  of  sale,  that 
buyers  may  take  them  away.  Many  persons 
treat  the  double  varieties  as  only  half  hardy; 
but  they  forget  that  all  things  in  pots  are  more 
exposed  to  mischief  in  the  ordinary  way,  and 
therefore  require  corresponding  treatment. 
For  instance,  in  pots,  the  fibres  of  the  roots, 
which  are  by  far  the  most  tender  poi'tion  of 
the  whole  plant,  are  always  close  to  the  side  of 
the  pot,  and  frost  penetrates  through  the  side 
of  the  pot  very  rapidly  ;  so  that  one  plant  in 
the  ground  and  another  in  a  pot  standing  by 
it,  are  very  differently  circumstanced.  A 
frost  that  would  reach  the  fibres  and  destroy 
them  through  the  side  of  the  pot,  would  have 
no  effect  on  the  plant  in  the  gi'ound,  because 
it  would  not  reach  the  fibres.  Keeping  this 
therefore  in  mind,  all  plants  in  pots  ought  to 
be  plunged  up  to  their  rims  in  tan,  earth, 
sawdust,  gravel,  ashes,  or  some  other  medium 
that  will  protect  the  sides  of  the  pots  from  the 


VIOLETS,  THEIR    CULTURE    AND    PROPERTIES. 


99 


influence  of  the  frost.  At  tlie  time  of  propa- 
gating tliese  plants,  which  is  after  they  have 
done  blooming,  let  them  be  parted  and  planted 
out  in  nursery  beds,  six  inches  apart,  and  in 
a  soil  such  as  is  recommended  for  plants  in 
beds.  By  September  these  plants  will  have 
attained  a  reasonable  size,  and  may  be  taken 
up  singly,  with  the  earth  about  their  roots,  and 
potted  in  wide-mouthed  forty- eight  sized  pots. 
These  pots  may  be  plunged  to  their  rims  in 
the  beds  they  were  taken  out  of,  as  close  to- 
gether as  the  pots  will  pack,  and  taking  care 
that  they  ai'e  packed  solid  with  the  earth  be- 
tween them.  Let  the  width  not  exceed  three 
feet,  and  across  this  let  there  be  hoops,  so 
placed,  and  crossed  with  a  cord  from  one 
end  to  the  other,  three  times,  as  to  form  a 
complete  roof  for  mats.  Let  these  be  covered 
at  night,  and  also  against  heavy  falls  of  rain, 
or  snow,  or  hail.  Or  if  you  have  the  con- 
venience of  common  garden  frames  and  lights, 
they  are  better  tban  hoops  and  mats,  because 
they  protect  without  sacrificing  the  light,  and 
the  plant  receives  no  serious  check.  The 
growth  of  these  plants  in  pots  is  very  steady, 
and  from  being  protected  against  the  cold 
winds  and  frosts  that  would  keep  them  back, 
they  are  always  forwarder  than  those  entirely 
in  the  open  ground.  These  potted  plants 
may  be  taken  out  at  any  time  for  removal  to 
any  distance,  or  to  the  dwellinghouse,  the 
greenhouse,  or  to  plant  in  any  particular  place. 
For  when  they  have  been  grown  in  pots  they 
may  be  turned  without  breaking  the  balls  of 
earth  about  them,  and  will  not  flag  an  hour 
if  liberally  watered,  and  perhaps  not  at  all. 
The  only  thing  that  makes  them  flag  is,  when 
the  roots  have  grown  through  the  bottom  of  the 
pots,  they  break  a  good  deal  in  removing,  and 
if  they  lose  roots  they  miss  them  directly.  On 
this  account  they  should  be  always  sunk  upon 
a  hard  bottom,  if  possible;  and  the  most  simple 
way  of  stowing  them  away,  in  September,  if 
you  have  all  the  convenience,  is  to  place  the 
pots  side  by  side  on  a  stone  floor,  with  the 
garden  frame  upon  it,  and  completely  fill  the 
frame  then  with  ashes,  tan,  sawdust,  or  what- 
ever is  to  go  between  them  ;  fill  up  all  the 
interstices  completely ;  the  roots  will  not  be 
inclined  to  go  through  the  bottom  of  the  pot, 
and  if  they  do  they  cannot  strike  into  the 
ground.  In  November  the  plants  will  show 
bloom,  and  they  may  be  taken  wdierever  they 
are  required. 

IN   HOT-BEDS. 

The  parting  of  the  plants  at  the  proper 
time  and  planting  out  in  nursery  beds  to  grow 
until  September,  is.  necessarily  the  same  in 
preparing  plants  for  hot-bed  culture  as  for  pot 
culture.  In  September,  if  you  have  any 
cucumber  beds  that  have  done  work,  under- 


mine the  dung  all  round  a  little,  but  not  all 
at  once,  and  fresh  line  them  with  hot  stable 
dung.  You  do  not  require  a  great  heat  for 
violets.  Upon  the  old  compost  in  which  the 
cucumbers  have  grown,  being  fii'st  however 
cleared  of  the  old  plants  and  weeds,  put  three 
inches  of  good  loam  from  rotted  turfs  off  a 
pasture,  or,  in  the  absence  of  this,  clean  loam 
and  leaf  mould,  or  loam  and  cow  dung,  the 
proportion  of  loam  being  two-thirds  to  one- 
third  of  the  other.  Let  this  be  carefully 
levelled,  and  the  plants  taken  up  from  the 
nursery  bed  are  to  be  placed  therein,  six 
inches  apart  all  over,  and  be  watered  over 
head  with  a  fine  rose  waterpot,  enough  to 
reach  the  roots  and  settle  the  earth  about 
them.  The  frame  may  be  closed  all  but  a 
tilt  of  an  inch  behind  ;  after  the  first  day  or 
two  the  frame  may  be  tilted  three  inches  be- 
hind, and  lowered  but  not  closed  at  night, 
for  if  closed  the  frame  would  be  warmer  than 
in  the  day  time,  which  is  contrary  to  nature, 
and  therefore  should  be  avoided.  In  the  heat 
of  the  sun  a  mat  should  be  thrown  over  the 
glass  to  keep  off  the  burning  rays,  for  they 
are  not  good  for  the  plant,  which  cannot  have 
too  much  air,  and  is  impatient  of  the  mid-day 
sun.  They  must  frequently  be  refreshed  with 
water  to  reach  their  roots,  and  when  they  do 
not  require  this  their  foliage  should  be 
sprinkled.  You  may  soon  gather  violets  from 
this  bed,  and  continue  to  do  so  all  through 
the  winter  by  a  succession  of  beds.  The 
object  of  heat,  though  not  by  any  means  violent, 
is  to  be  enabled  to  keep  out  frost,  and  to  pro- 
mote flowering  at  a  season  when  the  cold 
nights  would  operate  as  a  positive  check;  but 
there  are  seasons  when  it  is  mild  enough  to 
gather  violets  all  the  winter  in  the  open  air. 

IN    CONSERVATORIES. 

There  is  no  place  in  which  the  violet  is 
more  welcome  than  in  the  conservatory,  but 
they  require  too  much  air  to  be  pei'manently 
healthy  planted  out  in  the  borders,  although 
in  some  places  they  do  pretty  well  in  the 
ordinary  borders.  But  the  conservatory 
should  have  nothing  more  than  is  absolutely 
unavoidable  out  of  flower,  and  therefore 
the  violet  ought  not  to  be  planted  out  with 
any  view  of  remaining.  .In  September,  look 
over  the  nurseiy  beds  and  potted  plants 
for  such  as  show  flower-buds,  and  carefully 
remove  these  into  the  shady  parts  of  the 
border,  where  they  will  be  least  obtrusive  and 
most  effective.  If  there  be  any  large  plants 
in  the  ground,  plant  some  roimd  the  stems  so 
as  to  form  a  clump  or  tuft  of  violets  at  their 
feet ;  also  fill  up  corners,  and  here  and  there 
form  patches  near  the  edges  of  the  borders. 
They  are  specially  a  ground  plant,  and  there- 
fore do  not  look  so  w'ell  any  where  as  at  our 

H  2 


100 


VIOLETS,    THEIR    CULTURE    AND    PROPERTIES. 


feet.  They  will  soon  flower,  and  when  the 
flowering  is  over  they  should  be  removed, 
and  others  coming  into  bloom  should  be  put 
in  their  places.  In  this  culture  the  various 
sorts  are  all  requisite,  some  because  of  their 
colours,  others  because  of  their  seasons.  Those 
in  fact  who  pretend  to  grow  violets  should 
cultivate  all  the  sweet  varieties,  for  they  will 
find  that  by  following  the  directions  we  have 
given  with  all  of  them  alike,  they  will  never 
be  without  flowers  of  some  kind  or  other. 
Besides,  the  various  colours,  with  the  difference 
of  double  and  single,  will  at  all  times  yield  a 
pleasing  variety,  which  in  a  conservatory  is 
the  main  object,  and  all  through  the  winter 
the  violet  is  one  of  the  most  important  though 
least  imposing  subjects. 

RAISING    FROM    SEED. 

There  is  no  immediate  object  gained  by 
raising  the  violet  from  seed,  unless  we  pro- 
pose to  raise  new  varieties  ;  in  which  case  we 
should  select  single  varieties  with  the  largest 
flowers,  and  of  different  colours,  and  plant 
them  together  to  save  seed  from.  They  re- 
quire watching  as  the  seed-pods  swell,  and 
should  be  gathered  before  they  split,  or  the 
seed  would  be  lost.  Sow  the  seed  in  pans  or 
boxes  in  February  or  March,  and  place  them 
in  a  cold  frame  ;  or  if  the  seed  has  been 
saved  in  large  quantity,  make  up  a  four-foot 
bed  of  loam  and  dung,  as  if  for  a  nursery  bed, 
and  sow  the  seed  in  March,  sprinkling  it  very 
thinly  over  the  whole  space,  and  raking  it  in 
.well,  so  as  to  cover  it  completely,  but  not 
deep.  When  they  come  up,  the  principal  at- 
tention required  is  to  keep  them  clear  of 
weeds  ;  and  as  they  advance,  if  you  have  sown 
them  too  thickly,  prepare  another  bed  to 
remove  the  surplus  into  as  soon  as  they  are 
lai-ge  enough  to  handle  well  for  planting  out. 
Then,  first  liberally  watering  the  seed  bed  so 
that  the  soil  may  be  completely  softened,  draw 
out  the  plants  wherever  they  are  too  thick — 
for  they  ought  not  to  be  less  than  three 
inches  apart — and  plant  out  those  you  draw 
into  the  new  bed  three  inches  apart  every 
way,  water  them  in,  and  refresh  them  from 
time  to  time  with  water  until  they  are  fully 
established  ;  they  will  then  only  require 
moisture  in  very  dry  weather,  when  the 
ground  would  be  parched  up  without  it. 
The  seedlings  sown  in  pans  are  to  be  kept 
clear  of  weeds  until  they,  or  some  of  them, 
have  grown  large  enough  to  plant  out :  make 
up  a  bed  for  their  reception,  and  first  having 
watered  the  pans  or  boxes,  so  as  to  soften  the 
soil,  carefully  take  out  the  largest  and  the 
strongest  to  plant  out  three  inches  apart  in 
the  bed,  and  leave  the  weakest  in  the  pans  or 
boxes  to  grow  stronger,  and  when  they  have 
grown  strong  enough,  plant  out  the  rest  in 


the  same  way.  All  the  seedlings  after  plant- 
ing out  must  be  kept  very  clear  of  weeds,  and 
be  occasionally  watered  until  they  come  to 
flower.  And  now  the  cultivator  is  to  be  in- 
formed that  there  are  several  points  to  be 
noticed  as  to  what  constitutes  a  claim  to  be 
saved  ;  first,  he  may  watch  for  the  time  of 
blooming,  not  that  the  first  flower  of  a  seed- 
ling will  settle  this,  because  it  might  turn  out 
totally  different  as  to  season  the  second  year. 
However,  any  one  that  comes  at  a  different 
season  from  all  the  others  may  be  marked  for 
trying  again,  to  see  whether  this  difference  is 
accidental  or  permanent.  Next,  he  may  watch 
for  a  different  colour,  because  as  the  seed  was 
saved  from  white  and  blue  of  different  shades, 
he  may  find  some  partaking  of  both,  or  striped; 
any  remarkable  difference  in  that  particular 
may  entitle  a  seedling  to  be  saved.  Then, 
again,  he  may  look  for  any  remarkably  large 
flower,  because  that  would  entitle  a  flower  to 
consideration  ;  and  independently  of  these, 
which  are  general  features,  we  may  now  go 
to  qualities  which  would  make  a  florist  value 
them,  for  he  looks  to  perfection,  and  naturally 
asks  himself  what  a  violet  ought  to  be  to  be 
as  handsome  as  possible.  We  will  here  men- 
tion what  would  make  them  perfect  if  the 
points  could  be  obtained. 

The  flowers  should  be  round,  with  a  perfect 
outline,  and  slightly  cupped. 

The  petals  should  lie  close  at  the  edges, 
not  showing  the  divisions,  but  lying  close 
over  each  other. 

The  petals  should  be  thick  and  smooth  at 
the  edges,  and  the  flowers  as  large  as  a  shil- 
ling, and  highly  fragrant. 

The  stems  should  be  strong  and  straight, 
so  as  to  stand  out  and  keep  the  flowers  above 
the  foliage. 

The  plant  should  be  dwarf,  short  jointed, 
and  compact,  the  foliage  bright  and  even,  and 
flowers  abundant,  and  equally  distributed  over 
the  plant. 

The  double-flowering  should  be  ranunculus 
formed,  in  preference  to  globular,  and  in  all 
cases  symmetrical. 

We  may  be  told,  as  in  fifty  other  cases, 
that  it  is  impossible  to  attain  these  qualities. 
We  will  not  admit  this,  but  if  it  were  so.  it 
would  not  alter  our  decision.  If  it  were  im- 
possible to  obtain  all  we  have  set  down  as 
necessary,  it  is  quite  certain  we  can  get  nearer 
than  we  have  yet  done;  and  the  nearer  we  can 
approach  perfection,  the  better  a  flower  must 
be.  For  the  fiftieth  time  we  throw  all  the 
objections  by,  as  we  did  those  which  wei'C 
made  to  the  tulip  being  a  portion  of  a  hollow 
ball,  or  the  pansy,  cineraria  and  petunia 
being  a  circle,  (and  the  very  men  who  con- 
tended against  us  then,  have  since  adopted 
our  notions  as  their  own,) — we  care  nothing  if 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN MARCH. 


101 


all  the  floricultural  world  objects  ;  the  objec- 
tions are  only  the  complaints  of  idlers  and 
sloths,  men  who  object  to  anything  that  gives 
trouble  or  requires  perseverance.  Let  the 
florists  once  take  up  the  sweet  violet  as  they  did 
the  pansy,  and  see  how  soon  there  will  be  an 
approach  to  a  circular  cupped  flower ;  see  how 
soon  they  will  find  in  a  batch  of  seedlings 
some  with  thicker  or  smoother  petals  than 
others;  and,  once  the  improvement  begun,  it  is 
\erj  difficult  to  say  where  it  will  end.  With 
these  qualities  pointed  out  to  his  attention,  let 
the  seedling  raiser  watch  his  bed  and  preserve 
anything  from  atnong  them  that  exhibits  the 
least  improvement.  Is  there  one  among  the 
whole  with  a  thicker  petal  ?  put  it  aside.  Is 
there  one  with  the  petals  closer  together  than 
usual  ?  save  it.  Is  there  a  flower  rounder  ? 
select  it  for  that  one  point.  In  short,  save 
any  one  that  exhibits  the  slightest  improve- 
ment upon  any  one  point ;  make  much  of  it ; 
and  having  selected  only  such  as  show  some 
favourable  point,  destroy  the  rest,  and  save 
the  seed  of  the  improved  ones  to  produce 
another  year  still  greater  improvements,  and 
as  the  new  ones  beat  the  old  ones  let  them 
take  the  place  of  the  old  ones,  and  a  few 
seasons  will  materially  advance  the  flower. 

GENEKAL    REMARKS. 

The  violet  is  suchj  a  universal  favourite 
that  it  should  always  be  sown  in  wildernesses. 


in  large  borders  under  the  trees,  by  the  sides 
of  drives  up  to  a  mansion,  at  the  edges  of 
belts  and  plantations,  and  in  all  the  otherwise 
neglected  places  about  an  estate.  The  air 
should  be  redolent  of  its  sweets,  it  should 
occupy  a  space  in  all  the  shady  nooks,  for  the 
drawing-room  should  be  supplied  each  morn- 
ing Avitli  abundance  of  its  flowers,  and  no 
place  where  they  will  grow  should  be  without 
them  ;  once  sown  they  require  no  more  care 
in  those  waste  places,  because  every  plant 
that  thrives  will  spread  enormously,  and  if 
they  be  not  burned  up  with  the  sun  they  are 
sure  to  flourish.  How  many  fine  estates  abound 
in  shady  walks  and  drives,  totally  neglected  as 
to  flowers  and  other  attributes  of  a  garden, 
where  one  day  to  turn  the  soil  here  and  there, 
and  bestow  a  few  plants  or  seeds  of  the  violet 
would  give  a  charm  to  many  wealthy  people 
wholly  unknown.  The  general  disposition  to 
do  no  more  than  they  are  obliged  to  do, 
operates  greatly  against  the  preservation  of 
those  natural  beauties  which,  however  insig- 
nificant in  themselves,  yield  a  charm  in  com- 
bination with  other  features.  A  bed  of  violets 
near  a  mansion,  surrounded  by  gorgeous  exotics 
and  fragrant  aromatic  plants,  might  indeed 
seem  nothing,  if  not  out  of  place  ;  but  in  the  re- 
tired shades  of  the  richly  wooded  domain,  with 
nothing  but  the  humble  daffodil  for  its  com- 
panion, tlie  violet  asserts  its  empire  and  main- 
tains its  sway.  Never  then  neglect  the  violet. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

Br  A  TUTOR  AND  HIS  PUPIL,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  MARCH. 


The  progress  of  vegetation  in  this  month 
is  so  rapid,  in  a  mild  spring,  that  you  will 
find,  my  young  friend,  much  more  pleasure  in 
a  ramble  through  the  garden  than  you  have 
experienced  in  January  or  February,  or,  in- 
deed, in  both  combined.  The  blooms  in  the 
ground  have  become  more  varied  and  general, 
and  those  on  the  trees  begin  to  make  a  striking 
feature  in  the  scenery.  But,  under  glass, 
there  is  an  endless  variety  to  gratify  the  lovers 
of  flowers.  The  morning  is  promising,  and 
we  may  calculate  on  a  pleasant  walk.  We 
can  take  the  flower  garden  this  morning,  and 
at  any  rate  visit  the  houses,  for  they  are  of  the 
most  consequence  just  now. 

Observe  the  lawn  during  the  cold  months  : 
the  coarse  grass  only  grows,  for  the  finer 
varieties  make  scarcely  any  advance.  The 
consequence  is,  that  the  surface  is  uneven  ; 
large  tufts,  in  different  places,  have  made  it 
uneven.  Many  persons  neglect  mowing  till 
the  spring  is  further  advanced ;  but  as  soon  as 
the  grass  becomes  uneven  it  should  be  mowed, 
whether  in  winter  or  summer ;  for  by  neglect- 
ing it  until  the  more  hardy  kinds  of  grass  get 


too  much  the  ascendancy,  the  places  where 
you  observe  those  tufts  of  higher  growth 
would  be  of  another  colour  when  mowed, 
because  only  the  stems  would  be  seen.  You 
will,  therefore,  very  soon  see  the  men  set  to 
work  in  mowing  and  rolling  the  whole  of  the 
lawn.  The  earth  of  the  clumps  and  borders 
will  also  be  turned  up  as  soon  as  the  herba- 
ceous plants  which  die  down  in  winter  are  all 
through  the  surface,  and  that  will  be  before 
this  month  is  out.  Most  of  them,  indeed,  are 
through  the  ground  now.  It  is  necessary  to 
delay  the  stirring  of  the  ground  in  which  bulbs 
and  many  herbaceous  plants  grow,  until  they 
are  all  fairly  above  the  surface;  for  however 
careful  you  may  be  with  labels  to  represent 
the  spot  where  particular  plants  are,  you  can- 
not effectually  fork  over  the  beds  and  borders 
until  you  can  go  close  to  every  thing ;  and 
operating,  as  it  were,  in  the  dark,half  the  roots 
might  be  damaged.  We  may  expect,  there- 
fore, in  a  day  or  two,  to  see  these  places  nicely 
turned  up  and  raked  smooth.  The  crocuses, 
early  tulips,  hepaticas,  and  daffodils,  look  gay; 
the  hyacinths   are  showing  their   spikes  of 


102 


A    STROLL   THROUGH    THE    GARDEN MARCH. 


buds,  and  primroses  and  polyanthuses  are 
partially  showing  their  gay  trusses  ;  and  alto- 
gether the  garden  looks  more  interesting, 
thouijh  not  more  gorgeous,  than  at  any  other 
period  of  the  year.  The  gardener  at  the  un- 
protected tulip  beds  is  stirring  the  earth  be- 
tween all  the  spikes  of  green,  which  are  apt,  as 
they  come  up,  to  push  the  earth  up  and  leave 
it  hollow  and  in  cracks.  By  stirring  and 
bruising  the  lumps,  the  air  is  let  into  the  soil, 
and  actual  exposure  of  the  bulb  is  avoided. 
There  is  nothing  more  essential  to  the  health 
and  vigour  of  tulips  than  laying  the  soil  lightly, 
but  nevertheless  closely,  about  their  bulbs,  as 
soon  as  the  green  spike  is  fairly  through  the 
ground,  and  before  they  open  to  develope  their 
leaves.  The  best  bed,  which  has  been  under 
cover  all  the  cold  nights  and  frosty  days,  was 
ready  some  time  ago,  but  the  beds  that  have 
been  fully  exposed  to  the  weather,  are  only 
just  ready  for  the  operation.  Many  of  the 
auriculas  are  showing  their  bloom  pips  in  the 
heart  of  the  plants,  and  some  are  actually 
rising.  Observe  how  carefully  the  man  waters 
them,  without  letting  any  wet  get  to  the 
heart  or  hollow,  for  it  would  lie  there,  and 
perhaps  freeze ;  in  either  case  damaging  the 
pips,  which  are  of  the  most  delicate  nature, 
for  the  entire  beauty  of  the  flower  depends  on 
a  surface  powder  as  fine  as  the  down  on  a 
butterfly's  wing,  and  as  easily  displaced.  No- 
thing can  injure  it  more  than  washing  it  vio- 
lently, or  allowing  it  to  soak  in  water ;  that  is 
the  reason  the  man  waters  all  round  the  plant 
without  touching  it.  See  how  dry  the  car- 
nations and  picotees  look  ;  they  have  had  no 
water  for  a  fortnight,  and  perhaps  may  not 
have  any  for  a  week  more.  Nothing  conduces 
more  to  health  and  free  growth  than  keeping 
them  as  dry  as  they  can  be,  so  that  they  be 
not  distressed ;  and  as  there  is  very  little 
growth  during  the  winter,  it  is  but  seldom  they 
require  watering.  Here  are  stocks  and  mig- 
nonette fast  showing  for  bloom.  These  have 
been  sown  in  the  autumn.  The  next  box  con- 
tains pinks  and  pansies.  These  are  called  store 
pots,  and  by  some,  thumb  pots ;  the  object  of 
potting  things  in  small  pots  is  the  convenience 
they  afford  for  stowing  away,  and  packing  to  send 
away.  These  stored  plants  will  do  for  planting 
out  in  beds,  as  soon  as  the  weather  breaks  a  little. 
All  these  laz'ger  plants  under  glass  are  called 
half-hardy;  azaleas,  camellias,  correas,  acacias, 
hoveas,  grevilleas,  and  such  like ;  they  only 
require  protection  against  severe  frost.  Ob- 
serve that  all  these  frames  are  totally  unco- 
vered, because  the  weather  is  mild  and  open  ; 
had  it  been  cold  and  cheerless,  *they  would 
have  been  entirely  closed,  or  only  tilted  a  little. 
Now  let  us  take  a  turn  towards  the  green- 
house. All  the  top  lights  are  let  down,  for 
the  sake  of  giving  air  this  delighfal  day.    Here 


we  have  camellias  in  full  flower,  aiid  the  earth 
is  quite  damp  that  they  are  growing  in.  This 
is  on  account  of  the  greater  quantity  of  nutri- 
ment required  while  tliey  perfect  their  flowers; 
but  even  watering  may  be  too  bountifuL  If 
they  were  continued  as  wet  as  this,  they  would 
drop  their  blooms  ;  but  the  fact  is,  they  have 
only  just  been  watered.  Here  are  many 
heaths ;  and  if  you  notice  the  soil  in  their  pots, 
it  is  very  nearly  dry;  they  are  nevertheless  a 
little  moist.  They  are  not  watered  more  than 
once  in  three  or  four  days  or  a  week;  but 
they  must  not  be  allowed  to  flag  or  droop, 
because  a  few  hours  thus  would  kill  them.  The 
Indian  azaleas  are  wet  like  the  camellias,because 
they  are  swelling  their  buds,  and  want  a  good 
deal  of  nourishment  until  after  they  have 
bloomed  and  completed  their  growth.  All 
these  Botany  Bay  plants  are  very  much  like 
heaths  in  their  habits  ;  they  grow  in  light, 
spongy  peat  earth,  through  which  the  water 
runs  very  freely,  and  into  which  the  fibres 
grow  without  difficulty,  although  they  are 
finer  than  the  smallest  hair.  It  is  always 
desirable  to  keep  together  the  plants  that 
require  similar  treatment,  because  the  neces- 
sary attention  is  given  so  much  better  than 
when  they  are  mixed  ;  and  if  you  are  obliged 
to  have  several  distinct  classes  of  plants  in  the 
same  house,  you  save  a  good  deal  of  time  and 
trouble  by  keeping  them  each  together — the 
heaths  in  one  place,  camellias  in  another,  in- 
stead of  attempting  to  set  the  house  off  by 
mixing  them  judiciously.  Oeraniums  want  a 
house  to  themselves  to  be  grown  really  well ; 
for,  as  you  observe  in  this  little  house,  all  the 
plants  are  near  the  glass ;  in  fact,  they  cannot 
be  too  near,  if  there  is  but  room  for  them  to 
grow  without  touching  it.  They  want  all  the 
light  they  can  have;  and  being  very  succulent, 
they  bear  no  frost.  They  can  only  have  air 
when  the  weather  is  very  mild,  and  there  are 
no  drjang  winds  ;  they  also  require  plenty  of 
room  :  there  ought  to  be  three  or  four  inches 
of  room  all  round  each  plant,  otherwise  there 
is  no  free  circulation  of  air,  nor  is  there  suf- 
ficient light.  The  hot-house  looks  well,  and 
feels  comfortable  ;  but  if  we  remain  long  here 
we  shall  feel  the  disadvantage  of  leaving  it 
almost  in  a  state  of  perspiration,  and  encoun- 
tering a  change  of  20  degrees.  Observe,  the 
glass  out  of  doors  stands  at  45  degrees,  and 
that  in  the  hot-house  is  65  degrees.  The  air 
in  the  latter  is  kept  moist,  otherwise  the  plants 
would  be  dried  up.  The  conservatory  looks 
well  :  the  rhododendrons,  roses,  azaleas,  Per- 
sian lilacs,  and  that  beautiful  white-flowering 
shrub,  Deutzia  scabra,  have  been  forced,  and  all 
those  bulbs  have  been  forced  also. 

We  will  just  look  to  the  forcing-house  be- 
fore we  go  in,  but  you  see  nothing  but  the 
camellias  are  in  bloom  naturally.     The  other 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN MARCH. 


103 


plants  in  flower  have  been  brought  from  the 
pits,  hot-house,  greenhouse,  and  other  covered 
phices  ;  for  the  conservatory  is,  in  fact,  a  show- 
house  furnished  by  the  other  contrivances  for 
preserving  or  getting  plants  forward.  This 
next  house  is  the  principal  means  of  producing 
things  out  of  their  season.  Observe,  in  an- 
other week  these  hardy  azaleas  and  kalmias 
will  be  forward  enough  to  be  removed  to  the 
conservatory.  Some  are  not  so  forward,  and 
there  are  others  not  yet  moving ;  these  last  are 
only  just  put  in.  It  is  by  a  succession  of 
plants  that  we  continue  a  bloom  :  when  these 
are  all  out  of  flower,  those  in  the  natural 
ground  will  be  in  bloom. 

Now  these  forced  plants  are  not  managed 
according  to  the  common  practice  among  com- 
mon gardeners,  but  they  are  fairly  brouglit 
out  of  their  usual  season  by  several  years' 
forcing.  As  soon  as  they  decline  in  flower- 
ing, they  are  taken  as  much  pains  with  as 
they  have  been  to  get  them  into  bloom  ;  they 
have  plenty  of  light,  plenty  of  water,  plenty  of 
attention,  until  they  have  properly  completed 
their  grovrth,  which  will  be  two  months  before 
those  in  the  open  air  ;  they  are  then  plunged 
in  the  open  ground  in  a  shady  situation,  and 
remain  at  rest  until  the  time  arrives  to  put 
them  again  under  glass.  The  consequence  is, 
that  they  flower  strong  and  early  without  so 
much  heat  as  would  be  necessary  were  they 
merely  selected  from  plants  never  forced  be- 
fore. The  plan  of  throwing  away  plants  that 
have  been  forced,  or  cutting  them  about  and 
planting  them  out  to  recover,  is  very  bad.  A 
vine  never  forces  so  well  the  first  or  second 
year  as  it  does  the  third,  by  which  time  it  is 
reconciled  to  its  new  season,  and  it  is  the  same 
with  flowers  if  they  are  carefully  managed. 

We  must  now  return  to  the  house,  and  the 
next  ramble  shall  be  in  the  kitchen-garden 
and  forcing-ground,  but  first  on  our  way  see 
what  the  man  has  in  that  frame.  It  is  the 
Neapolitan  violet  and  the  tree  violet,  both  in 
full  flower.  Now  these  plants  are  not  in 
pots,  but  simply  planted  in  three  inches  of 
good  loam  on  a  very  moderate  heat  of  dung. 
Pie  has  been  supplying  the  drawing-room  and 
house  generally  all  through  the  winter  from 
this  frame,  and  even  now  there  is  abundance, 
and  tliey  will  last  till  those  in  the  open  beds 
and  borders  supply  their  place.  There  is  not 
a  sweeter  perfume  in  the  world  than  that 
afforded  by  the  violet ;  no,  not  even  that  of  the 
rose.  You  see  they  have  nearly  mowed  all 
the  lawn,  and  how  much  better  it  looks  than 
it  did  when  the  dark  green  tufts  spotted  it  all 
over.  Now  what  notes  have  you  made  ?  Ah  ! 
that  will  do  ;  you  have  noticed  the  two  prin- 
cipal subjects — first,  the  necessity  of  keeping 
up  the  succession  of  forced  flowers,  by  intro- 
ducing plants  at  different  seasons  ;  and  next, 


the  necessity  of  keeping  the  same  plants  for 
succeeding  years,  instead  of  following  the 
notion  so  generally  prevalent,  that  those  plants 
force  best  that  have  not  been  forced  before. 

Yesterday  we  disposed  pretty  well  of  the 
flower  parts  of  the  establishment  ;  now  let  us 
look  to  the  kitchen  and  fruit^garden.  The 
men  are  at  work  in  all  directions.  One  is 
earthing  up  peas  and  beans  that  have  come 
above  ground,  and  the  one  that  follows  him  is 
putting  sticks  to  the  peas ;  he  sticks  some  on 
each  side  that  cross  one  another  at  top,  by 
sloping  both  inwards — this  forms  a  great  pro- 
tection against  the  spring  frosts.  Another  is 
removing  all  the  hand-glasses  from  the  cauli- 
flowers, because  on  fine  warm  days  like  this 
they  cannot  have  too  much  air  ;  if  the  wind 
was  cold,  they  would  only  be  tilted  a  little  on 
the  side  away  from  the  wind,  and  if  it  were 
frosty,  they  would  not  be  raised  at  all.  At 
the  further  end,  the  man  is  taking  one  plant 
out  of  every  hand-glass,  and  planting  them  out 
in  threes,  to  be  covered  by  other  glasses ;  this 
is  to  give  those  that  remain  more  room,  for  as 
they  grow  they  soon  require  more  than  they 
have  at  planting  out  ;  some  put  five  under  a 
handglass,  and  at  different  times  reduce  them 
to  three,  which  can  be  grown  under  the  full- 
sized  glasses.  Where,  however,  they  are 
grown  very  fine,  they  only  leave  two.  Those 
which  are  removed  frequently  come  in  before 
those  which  remain,  although  not  so  fine,  the 
check  they  receive  throwing  them  into  flower. 
Some  more  peas  and  beans  are  being  sown  in 
that  quarter,  and  on  the  warm  border  near  it 
they  are  planting  out  lettuces  of  sorts.  Here 
they  are  picking  out  celery  plants  to  grow  a 
little  strong  :  the  gi-ound  has  been  well  ma- 
nured, and  the  bed  is  just  the  size  to  be 
covered  with  that  frame  with  its  three  lights. 
They  will  cover  the  young  plants  from  frost, 
but  that  is  all ;  the  seeds  were  raised  in  heat, 
and  they  have  got  a  foot  thick  of  hot  dung 
under  the  three  inches  of  soih  It  will  be 
necessary  to  cover  with  mats  every  night.  It 
often  happens  that  those  plants  raised  early 
run  to  seed  instead  of  growing  well,  but  it  is 
always  useful  for  soups  whether  it  grows  well 
or  ill.  The  seed  now  sowing  is  more  likely 
to  make  fine  plants  than  those  planted  out. 
The  man  yonder  is  pulling  up  two  plants  out 
of  every  three  on  that  piece  of  cabbage  plants. 
They  are  excellent  now  to  eat,  and  those 
which  are  left  are  just  the  right  distance  to 
cabbage  well  and  pretty  soon  too.  The  seed 
they  are  sowing  to  the  right  is  summer  or 
round-leaved  spinach  ;  this  will  be  ready  to 
eat  by  the  time  the  winter  kind,  which  is  by 
the  side  of  it,  is  over.  In  the  forcing  ground 
they  have  sea-kale  covered  with  dung,  and  in 
the*^ frames  there  is  aspai-agus  fit  to  cut;  these 


104 


PENTSTEMON    VERPLANCKII. 


two  or  three  hot-beds  have  supplied  the  house 
for  weeks  with  an  occasional  dish,  and  will 
continue  to  do  so  till  that  in  the  open  ground 
is  ready.  The  cucumbers  look  well.  As  their 
vines  grow,  observe  how  carefully  they  are 
spread  the  way  they  are  to  cover  the  surface  ; 
by  taking  off  the  ends  of  the  shoots,  lateral 
branches  are  produced,  and  you  see  fruit  at 
about  every  joint.  Now  the  gardener  will 
not  allow  more  than  two  or  three  cucumbers 
to  swell  to  the  full  size  at  the  same  time  on 
one  plant,  that  is  to  say,  not  more  than  three 
the  same  age  :  suppose  there  are  three  six 
inches  long,  he  will  take  off  all  but  three  that 
are  two  inches  long,  unless  a  good  supply  of 
fruit  be  required,  and  numbers  are  preferred 
to  handsome  quality.  Here  are  some  for- 
warder ;  now  you  observe  here  are  three  just 
ready  to  cut,  full  eighteen  inches,  there  are 
three  more  close  upon  a  foot  long  and  grow- 
ing fast,  and  three  more  just  well  forming, 
three  inches  ;  this  is  an  excellent  plan  of  re- 
gulating the  supply,  and  keeping  the  fruit 
moderately  handsome.  Those  frames  on  the 
left  are  full  of  strawberries,  and  you  see 
fruit  fit  to  gather  even  at  this  early  season. 
These  are  simply  planted  out  on  a  good  six 
inches  of  rich  loam,  on  a  common  hot-bed,  in 
the  soil  itself,  not  in  pots  ;  and  by  giving  air 
judiciously,  and  attending  well  to  the  water- 
ing, they  fruit  better  than  those  in  pots  ;  but 
they  have  strawberries  on  the  top  shelf  of  the 
vinery,  and  they  are  just  in  a  right  state  to  fol- 
low those  in  the  hot-bed.  On  the  walls  the 
men  are  looking  over  the  trees,  and  here  and 
there  rubbing  off  the  buds  that  would  grow 
where  they  are  not  wanted  ;  all  those,  for  in- 
stance, that  would  grow  straight  out  from  the 
wall,  and  others  that  come  too  many  together 
where  there  is  already  plenty  of  wood.  Here 
they  have  hooks  along  the  top  of  the  wall,  on 
which  to  hang  nets  or  mats  to  keep  off  the 
cold  winds  and  frosts.  I  have  often  thought 
it  not  worth  the  trouble.  The  trees  are  far 
more  healthy  without  covering,  unless  the 
situation  is  very  bleak.  However,  to  those 
who  will  take  care  and  go  to  the  trouble,  it 
may  occasionally  save  a  crop.  The  examina- 
tion of  the  vines  and  wall  trees  is  necessary, 
because,  besides  other  matters,  there  may  be 


many  of  the  branches  loosened  and  require 
nailing.  This,  you  observe,  is  a  busy  month  ; 
there  is  a  general  sowing  going  on  of  almost 
everything. 

We  will  go  round  home  through  the  flower- 
garden  again.  The  annuals  sown  under  glass, 
I  observe,  are  all  up  and  growing  strong,  and 
they  are  sowing  them  in  the  open  ground  in 
patches,  where  they  are  to  remain.  They 
seem  also  to  be  preparing  the  Dutch  or  geo- 
metrical garden,  for  the  spring  changes  to  be 
made  with  verbenas,  geraniums,  and  other 
subjects  calculated  to  last  in  flower  all  the 
summer  and  save  further  trouble.  All  the 
climbing  plants  against  the  wall  want  regulat- 
ing, pruning,  and  nailing  ;  they  get  untidy, 
and  if  neglected  long  hardly  get  right  again. 
Those  on  trellises  only  want  tying,  but  even 
then  it  should  be  carefully  seen  that  the  plant 
does  not  wind  about  behind  the  trellis,  be- 
cause if  it  be  anything  that  grows  much,  like 
the  honeysuckle,  rose,  wistaria,  and  others 
which  have  woody  stems,  they  cannot  be  with- 
drawn again,  because  they  become  obstinate, 
and  would  then  in  time  break  the  trellis 
from  the  wall.  The  roses  are  pretty  forward, 
but  it  is  better  to  prune  them  at  twice  or  even 
at  three  different  seasons  to  prolong  the  bloom. 
If  rose  trees  are  left  with  long  shoots,  three 
or  four  or  more  of  the  eyes  towards  the  end 
begin  growing,  and  all  the  buds  nearer  the 
stem  do  not  even  start.  If  the  shoots  are  cut 
back  half  way,  or  quite  back  to  one  or  two 
eyes,  both  will  start.  If  half  the  trees  then 
are  cut  back,  and  half  left  the  full  length  of 
their  shoots,  they  will  both  start  at  the  same 
time,  those  cut  back  growing  stronger  perhaps 
than  the  uncut  one,  which  however  has  only 
a  few  of  the  eyes  nearest  the  ends  of  the 
branches.  After  letting  these  grow  together 
a  month,  you  throw  the  unpruned  one  back  a 
full  month  by  cutting  it  back  as  you  did  the 
other,  because  it  makes  it  start  again  from 
the  back  eyes  and  lose  all  the  month's  growth 
it  had  made,  and  which  is  of  course  cut  off. 
Thus  you  make  two  complete  seasons  of 
bloom.  I  do  not  however  approve  of  cutting 
the  roses  back  to  two  eyes  until  the  head  has 
become  proportionate  to  the  height  of  the  stem. 
We  shall  next  month  see  great  alterations. 


PENTSTEMON    VERPLANCKIL 


Pentstemon  Hahtwegii,  var.  Verplanckii 
(M.  Verplancke's  Pentstemon). — Scrophulai  i- 
aceae  §  Antirrhinide£e-Chelonea3.  * 

This  species  belongs  to  the  division  of  the 
genus  Pentstemon,  so  numerous  in  species, 
which  includes  the  Mexican  plants,  herbs,  or 
under  shrubs  with  lanceolate  leaves,  exserted 


stamens,  the  upper  filament  smooth  at  the 
base,  the  corolla  tubular  with  the  under  lip 
bearded,  the  peduncles  few-flowered,  and  "ar- 
ranged in  the  manner  of  a  terminal  panicle. 

This  variety,  raised  by  M.  Verplancke,  of 
Ghent,  differs  from  the  typical  species  by  an 
extremely  vigorous  habit,  by  its  broad  leaves. 


TLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


105 


and  stem  more  than  three  feet  high,  and  in 
having  a  panicle  well  furnished  with  flowers, 
the  peduncles  bearing  from  four  to  five  blos- 
soms, which  are  much  larger,  the  limb  being 
wider  and  broader  than  in  the  original,  or  in- 
deed any  other  variety.    The  tube  is  perfectly 


Pentstemon   Verplanchii. 


funnel-shaped,  full,  and  marked.     The  entire 

corolla  is  of  a  bright  purplish  tint,  merging  to 

rose  towards  the  limb,  the  throat  being  white. 

The  name  of  Mr.  Verplancke  is  well  known 


in  connexion  with  the  culture  of  madder  in 
Belgium.  One  would  almost  say  that  that 
rubiferous  plant,  so  much  used  in  furnishing 
the  rich  and  warm  tints,  from  the  deepest 
purple  to  the  most  delicate  rose,  is  hei"e 
represented  in  the  beautiful  colours  of  the 
corolla.  There  can  be  no  doubt  that  this 
variety  will  soon  be  in  general  request. 

Some  authors  write  the  name  of  this  genus 
Penstemon,  instead  of  Pentstemon.  The 
etymology  of  the  name  rests  in  the  two  words, 
pente,  five,  and  stemon,  filament,  from  there 
being  five  staminal  filaments  in  the  flower  ; 
it  is  therefore  proper  to  write  Pentstemon. 

A  circumstance  connected  with  this  species 
of  Pentstemon  may  be  here  noticed  ;  and  it 
should  induce  horticulturists  to  propagate  the 
plant  from  the  seed.  Some  four  or  five  years 
since,  G.  F.  Dickson,  Esq.  received  seeds  of 
this  Pentstemon  direct  from  Terre  Fria,  in 
Mexico.  These  seeds  produced  a  variety,  of 
which  each  flower  was  transparent  as  glass  at 
the  lower  side  of  the  corolla,  so  that  the  fila- 
ments of  the  stamens  could  be  seen  from  the 
outside  ;  it  was  called  diaphanus  from  this 
particularity.  It  would  be  interesting  to  try 
by  sowing  whether  M.  Verplancke's  variety 
could  not  be  made  to  assume  this  translucency, 
which  with  its  charming  rose  colour  would 
have  an  admirable  efiect. 

Our  figure,  and  the  history  of  this  fine 
Pentstemon,  are  derived  from  the  Annales  de 
la  Societe  Royale  de  Botanique  de  Gand,  a 
Belgian  periodical,  well  conducted  by  Profes- 
sor Morren. 

"We  have  already  explained  (p.  77)  that  this 
plant  is  a  variety  of  that  species  commonly, 
though  erroneously,  known  in  gardens  as  the 
P.  gentlanoides,  which  is  altogether  a  different 
plant.  The  error  has  become  established  as 
far  as  this  country  is  concerned,  from  the  fact 
of  its  having  been  followed  by  the  two  leading 
botanical  magazines  published  at  the  time  the 
plant  was  first  introduced. 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


BY  GEORGE  GLENNT. 


Of  all  our  favourite  flowers  we  can  hardly 
place  the  auricula  second  to  any  thing,  and 
we  are  truly  sorry  that  they  have  been  almost 
banished  from  the  metropolis.  It  is  true  they 
require  air  and  attention,  but  they  occupy  so 
little  room,  they  are  so  easUy  grown,  they  are 
so  long  interesting,  and  so  beautiful  in  flower, 
that  we  do  hope  to  see  them  undertaken  by 
amateurs.  The  cost  is  not  so  great  as  to 
deter  anybody  from  beginning,  and  according 
to  all  the  laws  of  showing,  they  might  be 


purchased  this  month  and  shown  next,  the  law 
being  that  the  grower  should  possess  them 
six  weeks.  It  is  well  understood  that  the 
merit  of  blooming  them  well  is  sufficient  to 
entitle  any  one  to  a  prize,  and  that  all  the 
growth  before  blooming  is  of  minor  consider- 
ation, if  they  are  regulated  the  last  six  weeks. 
Take  a  dozen  or  two  to  begin  with,  and  these 
may  be  picked  out  at  James  Dickson's,  or 
ordered  from  the  north,  in  such  a  state  as  to 
warrant  a  hope  of  blooming  well  with  care. 


106 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


Place  these  in  a  dry  frame,  for  they  will  be 
already  top-dressed  to  your  hand  ;  keep  the 
frost  off  by  covering  up  with  cloth  or  mats 
for  the  night,  which  covering  must  not  be 
taken  off  in  frosty  days  ;  give  air  on  warm 
days,  but  when  the  sun  is  veiy  hot,  which  it 
frequently  is  in  March  and  April,  prop  up 
the  lights  all  round,  and  lay  a  light  coyering 
on  to  shade  them ;  water  them  regulai'ly  as 
soon  as  they  approach  dryness,  and  you  will 
have  the  pleasure  of  seeing  them  advance 
rapidly.  But  we  cannot  do  better  than  refer 
the  reader  to  a  treatise  on  the  auricula  in  a 
former  part  of  the  Horticultural  Magazine, 
a  treatise  which  was  founded  on  actual 
practice,  and  which  will  enable  anybody  to 
grow  them  with  success.  The  polyanthus 
has  perhaps  been  neglected  more  than  the 
auricula,  but  there  is  the  same  excuse, — they 
will  not  grow  in  the  smoke  of  towns,  and 
possibly  it  will  require  to  be  five  or  six  miles 
from  London  to  do  well.  The  manner  in  which 
it  has  been  shown  at  several  places  near  town 
is  a  positive  caricature  on  the  flower,  enough 
to  set  any  one  against  it ;  but  we  believe  if 
some  of  the  northern  growers  would  be  at  the 
pains  of  sending  us  a  few  pips  to  show  the 
difference,  thei'e  would  be  many  persons  wil- 
ling to  cultivate  a  plant  that  requires  so  little 
trouble.  They  should  be  grown  in  the  open 
border,  in  a  shady  place,  and  in  strong  loam 
from  rotted  turves  ;  the  greatest  care  must  be 
taken  to  keep  off  slugs  and  snails,  and,  as  the 
flowers  rise,  earwigs  also,  for  they  devour  the 
bloom  before  it  is  half  grown.  It  is  a  common 
practice  to  show  these  in  pots,  and  in  some 
places  they  stipulate  that  the  plant  shall  be 
grown  in  pots.  If  so,  you  must  act  accord- 
ingly. They  will  require  the  protection  of  a 
frame  if  in  pots,  because,  if  the  frost  get 
through  the  side  of  the  pot,  it  would  damage 
the  bloom  if  not  the  plant  altogether.  The 
best  sorts  of  these  flowers  are  reported  in  the 
Garden  Almanac ;  we  might  here  also  refer 
back  to  the  treatise  on  the  polyanthus. 

The  chrysanthemum  has  had  a  start ;  there 
are  no  less  than  from  thirty  to  forty  sub- 
scribers to  the  Newington  Society  for  the 
encouragement  of  that  flower,  and  the  chief 
growers  have  approved  the  standard  of  perfec- 
tion laid  down  in  "  The  Properties  of  Flowers 
and  Plants."  Nothing  conduces  so  much  to 
the  advancement  of  a  flower  as  a  standard  to 
go  by  in  judging  its  merits.  The  varieties 
bought  in  are  purchased  with  a  reference  to 
what  is  likely  to  win,  they  are  set  up  by  the 
same  rules,  and  as  nothing  is  loft  to  the  taste 
or  prejudice  of  a  judge,  the  showers  know 
what  they  have  to  expect,  and  there  is  no 
chance  of  disappointment  from  a  difference  of 
opinion.  The  camellia  growers  are  a  little 
disturbed  at  the  constant  influx  of  foreign 


plants,  to  be  sold  at  what  they  will  bring,  and 
the  consequent  reduction  of  price  on  all  they 
have  to  sell  here.  In  fact,  the  auction  busi- 
ness has  been  so  incessant,  and  the  prices  of 
some  things  so  low,  as  to  glut  the  market. 
V/hen  we  observe  that  particular  plants,  among 
the  coniferse  especially,  selling  freelj^  among  our 
nurseries  at  three  shillings  and  sixpence  each, 
have  been  bought  at  tenpence  each,  we  may 
judge  the  ruin  that  is  taking  place  somewhere, 
especially  as  the  auction  expenses  have  to  be 
taken  from  those  low  prices.  But  our  gentry 
should  take  a  lesson  from  the  following- 
simple  fact  ;  while  the  trade  were  picking  up 
three-shilling  plants  at  tenpence,  gentlemen 
in  their  ignorance  were  buying  larger  and 
commoner  plants  at  three  half-crowns,  that 
any  nurseryman  in  the  metropolis  would  have 
sold  them  at  half-a- crown.  Nothing  can  be 
more  unwise  than  for  gentlemen  to  attend 
sales,  unless  they  know  what  they  are  buying. 
Last  year,  hundreds  of  dahlias  were  sold  at 
the  smallest  prices  under  good  names,  but 
turning  out,  as  many  did,  erroneous,  they 
deceived  the  buyers  altogether.  Every  grower 
may  rest  assured  that  the  safest  way  to  pro- 
cure flowers  is  of  respectable  florists.  If  they 
are  somewhat  dearer  than  others  appear,  they 
may  nevertheless  be  cheaper  in  the  end. 

Roses  should  be  planted  this  month  as  early 
as  possible,  for  they  are  greatly  weakened  by 
late  removals ;  nevertheless,  if  they  are  ordered 
directly,  and  planted  the  instant  they  arrive, 
and  that  in  good  strong  loam  with  a  little 
rotten  dung  mixed  at  planting,  they  may  do 
well.  We  should  refer  to  back  numbers,  or 
to  the  almanac,  for  the  sorts,  but  nobody 
should  be  without  plenty  of  standard  and  half- 
standard  ro.ses;  they  hardly  interrupt  the  har- 
mony of  the  beds,  stick  them  where  you  will. 
Buy  none  but  the  perpetuals,  hybrid  Chinas, 
and  smooth -barked  kinds  :  the  summer  roses 
are  only  fit  for  those  who  show  in  the  month 
of  June  ;  the  others  give  bloom  at  all  seasons. 
You  are  never  without  a  rose  until  the  frost 
beats  you  by  cutting  everything  off,  nor  is  it 
a  slight  frost  that  will  do  it.  It  is  as  common 
to  see  the  China  and  perpetual  kinds  in  flower 
at  Christmas  as  it  is  to  see  chrysanthemums. 

We  would  strongly  recommend  pink  and 
pansy  growers  who  are  wanting  new  things, 
to  order  them  at  once,  and  plant  instantly; 
and  moreover  we  would  have  them  get  enough 
to  plant  half  in  a  proper  bed,  and  the  other 
half  in  a  pot  of  rich  soil — half  loam  and  half 
cow-dung  or  leaf  mould,  and  if  you  are  obliged 
to  add  sand  to  render  the  adhesive  soil  lighter, 
let  there  be  as  much  cake  dung  or  leaf  mould 
as  there  is  sand.  We  merely  give  these  hints 
to  persons  who  have  driven  it  off:  we  do  not 
defend  late  buying  nor  late  planting.  The 
pink  growei's,  who  have  not  got  Read's  Jenny 


NEW   FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


107 


Lind  and  Turner's  Double  X  will  find  them- 
selves a  stand  or  two  behind  those  who  have 
these  flowers  ;  they  are  both  advances  in  the 
right  direction.  Before  we  conclude,  we  de- 
sire to  impress  upon  the  minds  of  the 
judges  of  the  Horticultural  and  Botanical 
Societies  to  pay  some  attention  to  the  real 
merits  of  novelties,  and  not  fearfully  mislead 
the  inexperienced  growers  ;  if  they  have  any 
pride,  they  cannot  look  back  upon  some  of 
their  decisions  without  infinite  pain.  We  can 
hardly  imagine  anything  more  galling  to  a 
high-minded  man,  or  one  who  prides  himself 
on  doing  justice,  than  to  see  the  subjects 
which  he  has  pronounced  first-class,  univer- 
sally rejected,  the  very  first  season,  as 
worthless.  They  are  paid  for  their  judgment ; 
surely  they  ought  to  exercise  it  if  they  have 
any,  or  confess  their  deficiency,  if  they  are 
not  blind  to  it ;  we  are  saying  nothing  now 
but  that  which  an  examination  of  the  prize 
lists  for  the  last  three  or  four  seasons,  and 
noting  the  universal  condemnation  which 
some  of  the  selected  ones  have  met  with,  fully 
justifies  us  in  saj'ing,  and  we  entreat  others  to 
do  as  we  have  done,  for  they  must  come  to 
the  same  conclusion.  However,  we  are  turn- 
ing over  a  new  leaf  in  Floriculture,  and  we, 
having  provided  an  unerring  test,*  shall  be 
disappointed  if  we  see  the  judges  at  great 
societies  counteracting  the  march  of  improve- 


ment by  awarding  prizes  to  new  subjects  of 
little  or  no  merit;  we  shall  not  hesitate  to  give 
our  opinion  on  any  subject  that  may  be  sent 
to  us,  and  if  it  reach  us  on  a  Tuesday,  we  shall 
submit  it  to  a  higher  authority  than  ours,  the 
only  authority  that  we  will  bow  to  if  they 
happen  to  think  differently.  We  shall  be  glad  to 
see  any  new  polyanthus,  camellia,  primula,  or  any 
other  subject  that  the  raiser  or  possessor  wants 
an  opinion  of  or  desires  to  bring  into  notice. 

The  .French  florists  have  a  great  many 
fancy  dahlias  to  come  out  this  spring  ;  as 
usual,  the  great  majority  are  good  for  nothing  ; 
but  when  we  recollect  the  grand  conspicuous 
commanding  variety,  the  Evipereur  de  Maroc 
of  last  year,  we  cannot  deny  that  they  raise 
some  stars  worth  attention  ;  we  consider 
that  flower  by  far  the  most  striking  of  the 
fancy  flowers,  and  we  should  have  some  faith 
in  the  man  who  sent  it  out,  for  he  will  be  less 
satisfied  with  an  inferior  thing  than  he  might 
have  been.  Mr.  Salter,  who  has  had  a  good 
deal  to  do  with  the  improvements  in  the 
French  flowers,  has  left  Yersailles  and  settled 
as  a  florist  at  Hammersmith,  where  he  will 
be  an  active  agent  in  introducing  French 
novelties.  The  ground  he  occupies  once  be- 
longed to  Lee  and  Kenedy,  and  was  used  to 
prove  the  various  kinds  of  fruit,  after  the  same 
fashion,  or  rather  before  the  same  fashion,  as  is 
adopted  in  the  Horticultural  Gardens. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


ExACTJM  ZETLANicuM,  Roxhurgh  (Ceylon 
Exacum). — Gentianacege  §  Gentianeee. — A 
very  pretty  annual  plant,  with  erect  four- 
angled  glabrous  stems,  branched  in  the  upper 
part  in  a  corymbose  manner,  and  bearing  op- 
posite, sessile,  elliptic-oblong  or  lance-shaped 
leaves,  which  are  distinctly  marked  with  three 
nerves  or  longitudinal  veins.  The  flowers 
which  grow  in  the  leafy  corymbs  which  crown 
the  stems,  are  of  a  rich  purplish-blue,  large 
and  handsome  ;  they  are  rotate,  that  is,  they 
have  a  short  tube,  and  a  wide  spread  limb,  which 
is  divided  into  five  oval  lobes.  The  beauty 
of  the  flowers  is  considerably  increased  by 
the  large  prominent  yellow  anthers.  Native 
of  Ceylon. 

Introduced  in  1848  to  the  Garden  of 
the  Royal  Dublin  Society,  at  Glasnevin. 
iFlowers  in  September.  It  bears  the  names 
Chironia  trhiervis  (Linnaeus,  not  of  the  gar- 
dens) ;  and  Lismntlms  zeylanicus  (Sprengel). 
Cultui'e. — Requires  a  stove  ;  turfy-peat  soil ; 
propagated  by  seeds,  which  should  be  so^vn 
on  the  surface  of  damp  sandy-peat  soil.     The 


*  Glenny's    Properties  of   Flowers,  in  a  separate 
Tolume.     Price  Is.     Houlston  &  Stoneman. 


growing  plants,  though  freely  watered,  must 
be  well  drained. 

RiGiDELLA  ORTHANTHA,  Lemuire  (straight- 
flowered  Rigidella).  —  Iridacese.  —  A  pretty 
bulbous  plant,  of  robust  habit,  with  ample 
deeply  plicate  or  folded  leaves,  and  showy 
flowers,  larger  than  the  other  species  of  the 
genus.  The  flowers  grow  on  a  branched 
many-flowered  scape  ;  they  are  of  a  rich 
scarlet  colour.  In  this  species  the  flowers,  in- 
stead of  being  bent  as  in  the  others,  are  always 
erect  ;  and  the  interior  segments  of  the  peri- 
anth, which  in  the  others  appear  as  it  were  in 
a  rudimentary  state,  are  in  this  much  deve- 
loped, being  equal  with,  or  exceeding  the 
stigma.  Native  of  Mexico.  Introduced  to 
the    Belgian     Gardens    in    1844.      Flowers 

?       Culture. — Requires  a    greenhouse  ; 

peat  and  loam,  intermixed  with  leaf-mould  ; 
propagated  by  offsets  from  the  bulbs. 

Anthadenia  SESAMOiDES,  Leviaire  (sesa- 

mum-like  Anthadenia). — Bignoniacese  §  Sesa- 

mete.f — A  very  showy  biennial,   having  an 

.affinity  to   Sesamum  indicum;  and  in  habit 


•f-  According  to  the  Hoi-tus  Vaiihoutteanus . 
bably  Pedaliacefe. 


pro^ 


108 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


and  size  having  some  resemblance  to  our 
common  foxglove,  Digitalis  purpurea.  The 
stem  is  slender,  sub-tetragonal,  covered  with 
silky  viscid  hairs.  The  leaves  are  opposite, 
soft,  lanceolate,  the  margins  revolute,  and 
deeply  toothed  ;  they  are  covered  with  small 
crystalline  dots,  which  sparkle  in  the  sun  like 
diamonds,  each  dot  being  furnished  with  a 
short  hair.  The  flowers  are  large,  handsome, 
and  numerous  ;  they  are  axillary  ;  the  colour 
is  rose,  dotted  with  purple  in  the  interior,  the 
lip  of  a  fine  light  yellow.  Native  of  intertro- 
pical Western  Africa.  Introduced  in  1845 
to  the  Belgian  gardens.  Flowers  in  the  sum- 
mer. Culture. — Requires  a  stove,  with  a  moist 
atmosphere  ;  in  fact,  such  as  is  proper  for  bal- 
sams, with  which  in  culture  it  may  be  associated ; 
rich  light  loamy  soil ;  pi'opagated  by  seeds. 

LisiANTHUS  PULCHER,  Hookev  (beautiful 
Lisianthus). — Gentianaceae  §  Gentianese. — A 
miost  beautiful  shrubby-growing  plant,  attain- 
ing, in  its  wild  state,  the  height  of  from  five 
to  seven  feet,  with  obtusely  four-angled  erect 
stems,  bearing  opposite  ovate-lanceolate  acu- 
minate leaves  attached  by  short  footstalks  ;  in 
the  leaves  there  are  two  pairs  of  principal 
ribs  besides  the  mid-rib.  The  flow^ers  grow  in 
terminal  trichotomous  panicles,  open,  the  blos- 
soms gracefully  drot)ping  ;  the  latter  are  fun- 
nel shaped,  dividing  rather  obliquely  into  a 
limb  of  fine  ovate  obtuse  lobes  ;  they  have  a 
good  deal  the  form  of  the  blossoms  of  some 
species  of  Pentstemon  ;  they  are  of  a  rich 
deep  scarlet,  the  mouth  streaked  with  dark 
yellow.  Native  of  New  Grenada,  in  the 
Monte  del  Moro.  Introduced  in  1846.  Flowers 
in  the  autumn  months.  Culture. — Requires 
a  moderate  stove  heat  ;  loose  turfy-peat  soil ; 
propagated  by  seeds  or  by  cuttings. 

Stachttarpheta  dichotoma,  Fa/«Z(forked 
Stachytarpheta). — Verbenaceae. — An  annual 
or  biennial  plant,  growing  from  two  to  three 
feet  high,  with  a  straight  slender  tetragonous 
stem,  throwing  out  branches  in  pairs.  The 
leaves  are  ovate  elliptical,  longish  attenuated, 
and  sharply  dentated  on  the  margins  ;  the 
upper  surface  smooth,  and  pierced,  as  it  were, 
with  small  white  points  or  specks,  which  how- 
ever are  only  to  be  seen  by  the  aid  of  the  mi- 
croscope. The  flowers  grow  in  an  erect  spike, 
the  rachis  being  a  foot  or  more  in  length,  and 
quite  smooth  ;  the  calyces  and  bracts  are  also 
smooth,  the  latter  membranous  and  lance- 
shaped  ;  the  corollas  large,  handsome,  of  a  fine 
deep  violet  blue.  The  plant  is  very  showy, 
the  blossoms  being  freely  produced.  Native 
of  South  America.  Introduced,to  the  Belgian 
gardens  in  1 846.  Flowers  in  summer.  It  is 
the  Verbena  dichotoma  (Ruiz  and  Pavon). 
Culture. — Requires  a  greenhouse,  or  grows 
outdoors  in  summer  ;  rich  light  loamy  soil  ; 
propagated  by  cuttings  or  seeds. 


Amorphophallus  leonensis,  Lemaire 
(Sierra  Leone  Amorphophallus). — Aracese  § 
Dracanculese. — A  singular  plant,  belonging  to 
a  group  of  plants  but  little  understood.  It 
has  a  roundish  depressed  rhizome,  with  nu- 
merous fibrous  roots.  The  barren  stem,  or  at 
least  the  frond,  grows  about  three  feet  high  ; 
it  is  entii'ely  smooth,  robust,  and  divided  at 
the  summit  in  a  trichotomous  manner,  and 
with  numerous  pinnatifid  ramifications  of 
smooth  spine-like  leaflets,  which  are  decurrent 
linear-lanceolate  acuminate,  recurved,  and 
hanging  in  an  elegant  manner,  and  giving  it 
the  appearance  of  a  palm  tree  of  the  torrid 
zone.  There  are  three  varieties  known,  one 
with  stems  entirely  pale  green,  another  with 
the  stem  brownish,  and  spotted  with  green  or 
white,  and  a  third  with  the  stem  entirely  dark 
brown,  powdery,  and  spotted  with  white. 
The  inflorescence  is  included  in  a  short  hooded 
painted  spathe,  on  a  roundish  contracted  club- 
shaped  spadix.  Native  of  Sierra  Leone. 
Introduced  in  1845  to  the  Belgian  gardens. 

FloAvers ?  .  Culture. — Requires  a  stove ; 

light  loam  and  leaf-mould.  In  a  state  of  rest 
water  must  be  sparingly  applied,  and  it  may 
be  laid  in  any  dry  part  of  the  stove,  where  it 
may  remain  till  the  time  to  repot  it  in  March. 

Amaryllis  leonensis,  Lemaire  (Sierra 
Leone  Amaryllis). — Amaryllidaceae  §  Ama- 
ryllideas. — A  very  pretty  Amaryllis  of  the 
Habranthus  section.  The  bulbs  are  ovate 
elongate,  and  bear  two  or  three  linear  leaves, 
somewhat  keeled  on  the  lower  side.  The 
pulverulent  scape  bears  two  flowers,  which  are 
of  a  vivid  vermilion  flesh  colour,  with  a  con- 
spicuous star  in  the  centre ;  the  tube  elon- 
gate funnel-shaped,  the  limb  large  and  spread- 
ing. The  blossoms  are  large  and  fine.  Native 
of  Sierra  Leone      Introduced  in  1845  to  the 

Belgian  Gardens.    Flowers ?  Culture. — 

Requires  a  stove  ;  rich  loamy  soil  j  propagated 
by  offsets. 

Macleania  punctata.  Hooker  (dotted- 
leaved  Macleania).  — Vacciniacese. —  A  very 
beautiful  low  evergreen  shrub.  The  branches 
are  slightly  angular.  The  leaves  alternate, 
inclining  towards  a  secund  arrangement, 
sessile,  cordate,  or,  in  the  case  of  the  upper- 
most ones,  nearly  oval,  of  leathery  texturp 
glossy,  and  distinctly  dotted.  The  flowers, 
seated  on  little  stalks,  grow  in  a  crowded  man- 
ner from  the  axils  of  the  upper  leaves,  as  well 
as  at  the  apex  of  the  branches  ;  the  stalks  are 
club-shaped,  red  ;  the  calyx  fleshy,  turbinate, 
with  five  wing-like  angles,  deep  red  ;  the 
corolla  fully  an  inch  long,  between  cylin- 
drical and  urceolate,  rose-red,  except  at  the 
mouth,  where  it  is  yellowish  white.  Native 
of  the  Andes  of  El  Equador.  Introduced  in 
1847.  Flowers  in  the  autumn  months.  Cul- 
ture.— Requires  a  warm  greenhouse;  loam  and 


l^EW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS 


109 


peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  cuttings,  planted  in 
sand  under  bell  glasses  in  a  gentle  bottom 
heat.  Probably  better  adapted  for  planting 
out  in  a  warm  greenhouse,  than  for  pot- 
culture. 

Phrynium  trifasciatum.  Lemaire  (three- 
banded  Phrynium). — Marantace^. — A  very 
handsome  herbaceous  perennial,  quite  steraless, 
the  leaves  (all  radical)  broad  oval-elliptic, 
sharply  pointed,  smooth  above  and  finely  orna- 
mented with  three  bands  spotted  with  white  ; 
oneof  thesebands  or  stripes  occupies  the  centre, 
the  other  two  run  parallel  with  the  margins, 
and  are  of  an  irregular  form  ;  the  margins  are 
slightly  undulated,  and  the  under  side  is  covered 
with  soft  whitish  pubescence  ;  the  petioles  are 
straight,  glabrous,  more  or  less  amplexicaul, 
and  dotted  with  white.  The  scape,  which  issues 
from  the  root,  is  short  and  many-flowered.  The 
flowers  are  large,  and  of  a  fine  golden  yellow, 
composed  of  six  thin  segments,  the  three  outer 
ones  linoar-oblong,  and  united  into  a  tube  at 
the  base,  two  of  the  inner  series  ovate-oblong, 
the  other  one  much  smaller ;  the  column  is 
erect,  short,  slightly  swollen  and  convex  at  the 
summit,  and  horizontally  bent  and  bilobed, 
resembling  the  head  and  bill  of  a  bird.  Na- 
tive of  Mexico.  Introduced  to  Brussels  by 
M.  Galeotti,  in  1845.  Flowers ?  Cul- 
ture. —  Requires  a  stove  ;  loam  and  peat  ; 
propagated  by  division. 

EcHEVERiA  ruLGENS,  Lemaire  (fulgent 
Echeveria). — Crassulaccfe  §  Crassuleag. — A 
pretty  species,  nearly  allied  to  E.  hracteolata, 
from  which  it  differs  in  having  a  simple,  not 
forked,  scape,  the  leaves  rosulate  and  not  cau- 
linary.  It  is  allied  also  to  E.  lurida,  differing 
from  that  in  having  two-coloured  flowers,  and 
unicoloured  leaves.  The  leaves  are  obovate- 
spathulate,  with  a  membranaceous  fimbriated 
margin.  The  flowers  grow  on  a  simple 
elongated  reddish  scape,  and  are  of  an  intense 
vermilion-scarlet  tipped  with  orange  ;  the 
petals  are  acutely  keeled  on  the  back,  and 
gibbous  at  the  base.  The  cicatrices  marked 
on  the  stem  by  the  fall  of  the  leaves,  are  large, 
oval  and  brown-coloured.  Native  of  Mexico. 
Introduced  to  the  gardens  of  Belgium  in  1 845. 
Flowers ?  Culture. — Requires  a  green- 
house ;  well-drained  sandy  loam  ;  propagated 
by  its  succulent  leaves  planted  as  cuttings. 

MiLTONiA  sPECTABiLis,  var.  purpureo- 
violacea  (purple  variety  of  the  showy  Mil- 
tonia). — Orchidacese  §  VandeEC-Brassidae. — 
This  is  a  beautiful  and  striking  variety  of  the 
well  known  Miltonia  .specfabilis.  From  that 
plant  the  present  differs  only  in  the  colour  of 
its  blossoms.  Instead  of  the  whitish  sepals 
and  petals  of  the  original  kind,  we  have  here 
the  same  organs  of  an  intense  purple-violet ; 
and  the  lip,  which  in  that  is  purple,  and  con- 
sequently most  deeply  coloured,  is  here  lightest. 


being  of  a  paler  purple  than  the  sepals  and 
petals.  It  is  a  pseudo-bulbous  epiphyte,  with 
strap-shaped  leaves,  and  peduncles  rising  from 
the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs,  bearing  each  one 
large  blossom.  Native  of  the  Organ  Moun- 
tains in  Brazil.  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers 
in  September.  Culture. — Requires  a  moist 
and  somewhat  high  stove  heat ;  rough  turfy 
peat  soil,  or  to  be  attached  to  a  block  of  wood  ; 
propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 

Calontction  macranthum,  Lemaire  (large 
flowered Calonyction). — Convolvulacefe  §  Con- 
volvulese.  A  magnificent  perennial  green- 
house climber,  with  an  elongated  tuberous 
rhizoma,  and  long,  smooth,  milky,  climbing 
stems,  of  a  sombre  purple  colour.  The  lower 
leaves  are  cordate-ovate,  acuminate;  the  upper 
ones  hastate,  with  roundish  basal  lobes.  The 
flowers  grow  in  umbels  of  four  or  five  together 
in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  ;  they  are  large  and 
strong;  the  calyx  is  tubular,  deeply  five-parted, 
the  three  outer  segments  membraneous  at  the 
borders,  and  bearing  on  the  outside  a  long  di- 
varicated horn;  the  tube  of  the  corolla  is  cylin- 
drical, delicate  green,  merging  to  white  at  the 
summit;  the  limb  pure  white,  nearly  five -lobed, 
each  lobe  being  traversed  by  a  broad  fold  or 
plait,  which  is  prominent  underneath,  finely 
striated,  and  inclining  to  green.  The  flowers 
are  from  six  to  seven  inches  across,  and  the 
tube  alone  more  than  four  inches  long.  Native 
country  not  known.  Introduced  to  the  Belgian 
gardens  before  1846.  Flowers  during  the 
summer.  It  is  the  Ifomcea  Krusensternii  of 
the  Belgian  gardens;  and  is  related  to  the 
Lpomcea  Bona-nox  of  Linnaeus,  the  Calonyc- 
tion speciosum  of  Choisy.  Culture. — Requires 
a  warm  greenhouse  ;  rich  loamy  soil ;  propa- 
gated by  seeds  and  by  cuttings. 

SlSTRINCHIUMLONGISTTLUM,Z'emaZ>e(long- 

styled  Sisyrinchium). —  Iridaceae. — A  pretty 
perennial  herb,  with  the  habit  of  a  corn-flag. 
Its  stem,  proceeding  not  from  a  bulb  but  from 
a  bunch  of  fibres,  is  simple,  or  scarcely  at  all 
ramified.  The  leaves  are  linear-ensiforra,  and 
glaucescent,  as  is  the  whole  plant ;  they  are 
sheathed  and  sharply  pointed.  The  flowers, 
which  are  furnished  with  long  pedicels,  and 
issue,  three  to  five,  from  two-valved  spathes, 
are  of  a  fine  yellow,  and  have  innumerable 
bracts;  the  petals,  which  are  unguiculate, 
roundish-ovate,  and  revolute,  have  a  small 
purple  spot  near  the  claw,  which  produces  a 
very  pretty  eff^ect.  The  style  projects  beyond 
the  corolla,  and  has  a  capitate  stigma,  issuing 
from  a  long,  hairy,  papillous  tube,  formed  by 
the  close  joining  of  the  staminal  filaments,  the 
anthers  of  which  form  a  sort  of  ring  under  the 
stigma.  It  is  hence  referred  to  a  section  of 
the  genus  called  Androsolen,  in  which  the 
stamens  are  distinctly  connate  into  a  tube. 
Native  of  Chili.     Introduced  into  the  gardens 


110 


JUGLANS    PITTEUHSII. 


of  Belgium  in  1845.    Flowers ?    Culture. 

Requires  the  shelter  of  a  frame  or  greenhouse; 
turfy  peat  and  loam;  propagated  by  seeds,  or 
by  dividing  the  roots. 

Passiflora  myriadenia,  XewazVe  (glan- 
dular Passiflora). — Passifloracese. — A  hand- 
some climbing  shrub,  with  smooth,  somewhat 
viscous  stems,  growing  to  a  considerable  length 
and  somewhat  striated.  The  lower  leaves 
three-lobed,  hastate,  the  upper  ones  five-lobed, 
■with  a  cordate  base;  the  stipules  are  rounded 
and  fimbriated  with  glands,  the  teeth  of  the 
leaves  are  glandular,  the  lower  side  of  the 
leaves  is  studded  with  innumerable  glands, 
and  the  petals,  calyx,  and  involucre  are  all 
glandular.  The  upper  surface  of  the  leaves 
is  smooth.  The  flowers  are  attached  by  long 
peduncles  ;  they  are  large,  the  perianth  white, 
the  double  row  of  coronal  filaments  violet  at 
the  base,  merging  to  lilac  at  the  summit.  Na- 
tive country  not  known.  Introduced  into  the 
Belgian  gardens  before  1846.  Flowers  in 
summer.  Cultwe. — Requires  a  stove,  or  pro- 
bably may  succeed  in  a  warm  greenhouse  ; 
peat  and  loam  ;  propagated  by  cuttings. 

Sedum  Kamtschatkia,  Maiind  (Kamt- 
schatkia  Stone-crop). — Crassulaceaj  §  Crassu- 
leae. — An  ornamental  species,  of  perennial 
duration,  growing  eight  inches  in  height,  the 
stems  furnished  with  oblong  coarsely  serrated 
leaves,  alternately  disposed,  and  becoming 
branched  at  top,  in  a  cymose  manner,  where 
the  flowers  are  produced.  The  latter  are  nu- 
merous and  attractive,  looking  like  little  golden 
stars,  their  colour  being  yellow,  slightly  tipped 
on  the  back  of  the  petals  with  red,  which  is 
obvious  in  the  unexpanded  blossoms.  It  is 
very  well  deserving  a  place  among  border 
flowers.  Native  of  Kamtschatkia.  Intro- 
duced before  1846.  Flowers  in  June  and 
July.  Culture. — Perfectly  hardy,  but  pre- 
ferring a  dryish  situation  ;  common  garden 
soil,  or  suitable  for  rockwork  ;  propagated  by 
dividing  the  plant. 

LoASA  PiCTA,  Hooker  (painted-flowered 
Loasa). — Loasace£e§Loa3e0e. — A  rather  pretty 
annual  plant,  with  stems  about  a  foot  high, 
dichotomously  branched,  weak,  but  nearly 
erect,  and  clothed,  together  with  the  leaves, 
with  thin  pubescence  and  numerous  stinging 
hairs.  The  leaves  are  rhomb-ovate,  acutely 
lobed  and  serrated,  pale  green,  the  lower  ones 
stalked,  the  upper  or  floral  leaves  sessile,  lance- 
shaped,  and  coarsely  serrate.  The  flowers 
grow  in  elongated  racemes,  and  are  compara- 
tively large,  drooping,  the  petals  yellow  in  the 
lower  half,  the  rest  white,  reflexed  obovate 
and  cucuUate ;  the  petaloid  scales  prominent, 
ovate-acuminate,  bifid,  cucullate  at  the  base, 
white,  beautifully  mottled  with  red.  Native 
of  Chacapoyas,  in  the  South  American  Andes. 
Introduced  in  1848.    Flowers  in  summer  and 


autumn.  Culture. — Half-hardy;  that  is,  re- 
quiring to  be  sown  under  shelter,  and  planted 
out  in  May ;  rich  light  soil ;  propagated  by 
seeds.  It  will  probably  make  a  pretty  bed  in 
the  flower  garden. 


JUGLANS    PITTEURSII. 

Juglans  Pittetcrsii,  Morren  (Pitteurs'  Wal- 
nut).— Juglandacete. 

This  new  walnnt,  nearly  related  to  the 
Juglans  nigra,  has  been  figured  and  partly 
described  by  Professor  Morren,  in  the  Ghent 
Annales.  From  the  account  there  given,  it 
appears  to  be  a  handsome  and  vigorous  tree, 
with  pinnated  leaves,  having  the  leaflets  lance- 
shaped  and  saw-edged,  and  bearing  depressed 
ovoid  nuts,  of  good  flavour,  and  suitable  for 
the  dessert.     It  is  named  Noyer  de  Pitteurs. 

The  Juglans  nigra  just  mentioned,  which 
beai'S  also  the  name  of  American  nut,  has  nu- 
merous lanceolate  dentated  leaflets  to  its  pin- 
nated leaves,  the  petioles  and  lower  surface  of 
the  leaves  being  pubescent.  The  fruit  is  glo- 
bular, somewhat  top-shaped,  the  summit  being 
elevated  and  pointed,  and  the  surface  punc- 
tured and  scabrous.  This  brief  description 
will  serve  to  contrast  with  the  following 
account  by  Professor  Morren,  of  Pitteurs' 
walnut,  translated  from  the  above-named 
periodical  : — 

"  M.  Theodore  de  Pitteurs,  Hiegaerts,  pre- 
sident of  the  council  of  Limbourg,  while  I 
was  on  a  visit  to  his  seat  at  Speelhof  in  1847, 
directed  my  attention  to  a  large  and  handsome 
tree,  cultivated  under  the  name  of  American 
nut,  but  whose  characters  seemed  not  to  agree 
with  the  species  to  which  it  had  been  assigned. 
This  tree,  which  had  made  considerable  growth, 
might  be  from  fifteen  to  twenty  years  old. 
The  time  it  was  planted  is  not  exactly  known. 
It  has  the  habit  of  the  black  nut,  with  grey 
smooth  bark,  and  the  body  well  branched  and 
leaved.  The  leaves  are  arranged  in  a  pin- 
nated form,  the  leaflets  being  in  pairs,  distant, 
nearly  opposite,  elongated,  lanceolate,  and 
toothed  like  a  saw  ;  the  under  surface,  as  well 
as  the  petiole,  shows  a  few  hairs.  There  are 
from  flve  to  six  pairs  of  leaflets.  I  have  not 
seen  the  flowers.  The  fruit,  however,  pre- 
sents a  marked  difference  compared  with  the 
American  nut.  In  the  tree  at  Speelhof,  the 
nut  is  furnished  with  a  short  petiole,  often 
transverse.  The  fruit  is  ovoid,  and  at  once 
depressed  and  compressed  in  the  form  of  an 
ellipsoid,  flattened  above  and  beneath  ;  the 
contour  is  round,  and  the  rugosities  of  the 
green  epicarp  or  outer  covering  are  scarcely 
perceptible,  even  much  less  so  than  on  the 
common  American  black  nut.  In  the  middle 
of  the  fruit,  at  the  summit,  which  is  never 
raised  like  a  cone  as  in  the  black  nut,  there  is 


TSfEW    CAMELLIAS. 


Ill 


a  circular  opening,  or  umbilicated  cavity,  with 
■a  fringe-like  border,  the  organic  summit  of  the 
nut  being  seen  in  the  form  of  a  rayed  nipple. 
The  present  differs  also  from  the  black  Ame- 
rican nut,  which  has  the  endocarp  or  shell 
ovoid,  compressed  in  the  middle  and  slightly 
conic  at  the  top.  On  other  nuts  the  cone 
disappears  entirely,  and  is  even  replaced  by  a 
depression.  The  rugosities  of  the  endocarp 
of  the  Speelhof  nut  are  less  prominent,  and 
the  punctures  fainter  than  in  the  common 
American  nut.  The  form  of  the  inside  cor- 
responds with  the  irregularities  of  the  outside 
of  the  nut ;  it  is  white  and  very  good  to  eat, 
only  it  is  harder  than  in  the  common  Jvglans 
regia, 

"  The  odour  of  the  rind  is  strong,  penetra- 
ting, and  continues  to  be  felt  a  long  time. 
The  rind  would  make  a  very  good  preserve 
with  vinegar,  as  is  sometimes  made  by  the 
English  with  the  rinds  of  the  common  walnut. 
When  it  is  still  young  and  green  it  may  be 
prepared  and  preserved  with  sugar  cooked 
'  a  la  plume.'  The  nuts  also  make  an  excel- 
lent dessert.  The  preserved  walnuts  of  Rheims 
are  in  great  repute  in  France,  whence  they 
are  obtained  by  many  families  in  Belgium, 

"I  think  I  cannot  do  better  than  name  the 
present  walnut,  a  description  of  which  I  have 
not  been  able  to  meet  with,  after  its  honour- 
able proprietor,  a  gentleman  to  whom  our 
national  agriculture  is  much  indebted. 

"  This  walnut  of  Pitteurs'  is  perhaps  the 
only  specimen  of  its  kind  which  exists  in 
Belgium.  It  would  therefore  be  advantageous 
for  arboriculture  that  it  were  extensively  pro- 
pagated, as  so  remarkable  a  tree  is  well  calcu- 
lated to  excite  a  peculiar  interest." 


XEW  CAMELLIAS, 
The  continental  gardeners  are  famous  for  the 
culture  of  camellias,  especially  in  the  depart- 
ment of  raising  new  varieties  ;  and  although 
perhaps  sometimes  in  their  desire  to  accumulate 
new  kinds,  the  standard  of  excellence  may  be 
to  some  extent  overlooked,  yet  many  very  fine 
varieties  have  been  obtained  from  this  source. 
Those  enumerated  below  are  of  foreign  origin, 
and  are  figured  and  described  in  the  Ghent 
Armales  ;  j  udging  from  these  materials,  they  are 
above  average  merit,  and  deserving  of  culti- 
vation. They  are  all  varieties  of  the  Caviellia 
japonica  ;  the  particulars  of  each  variety  are 
translated  from  the  above-named  work  : — 

Zavonia. — The  introduction  of  this  variety 
in  the  collections  of  Belgium  is  due  to  Mr. 
Alex.  Verschaffelt  of  Ghent,  who  received  it 
from  Milan  in  1844.  The  habit  of  the  plant 
is  strong  and  vigorous  ;  the  leaves  are  oval, 
sharply  acuminate,  nearly  mucronate,  and 
regularly  dentated.     The  venation  is  distinct, 


the  upper  surface  shining,  and  of  a  deep 
green,  the  under  surface  concave  and  paler. 
It  is  a  fine  vaiiety,  worthy  a  place  in  the  best 
collections.  It  is  one  of  that  class  which  has 
regularly  imbricated  flowers,  of  a  perfectly 
circular  outline.  The  diameter  of  the  blos- 
soms is  four  inches.  The  petals  are  broad 
and  large,  entire  at  the  margins,  and  slightly 
indented  at  the  summit.  At  the  centre  only, 
they  begin  to  change  form,  and  become  longer 
and  somewhat  pointed.  The  centre  is  well 
formed,  compact,  of  few  petals,  these  being 
neatly  imbricated.  The  colour  is  a  uniform 
deep  rose,  delicately  tinged.  [The  flower  is 
i-epresented  to  be  full  and  well  formed  ;  the 
colour  rich  but  delicate.] 

Ross's  Supe7-ba. — A  handsome  and  robust 
variety,  of  vigorous  habit,  having  large  beau- 
tiful oblong  shining  leaves,  ending  in  a  sharp 
acuminated  point,  and  regularly  dentated  on 
the  margins.  The  flowers,  which  are  four 
inches  across,  are  handsome,  finely  reticulated, 
and  of  a  bright  red  colour.  The  petals,  though 
not  so  numerous  as  in  some  other  varieties, 
are  large  and  thick  :  those  of  the  outer  ranges 
being  round,  entire,  slightly  notched  in  the 
middle,  and  fully  two  inches  in  breadth. 
They  gradually  become  smaller  towards  the 
centre,  where  the  innermost  two  or  three  are  not 
more  than  half  an  inch  long,  being  also  some- 
what cucullated  and  lance-shaped.  Here  and 
there  the  petals  have  a  narrow  band  of  w^hite 
and  crimson  down  the  middle.  This  striping 
is  variable  both  in  colour  and  position,  but 
generally  confined  to  the  centre  portion  of  the 
flower,  the  outer  petals  being  mostly  of  a 
uniform  colour.  Introduced  some  years  ago 
by  Mr.  Verschaffelt  of  Ghent,  [In  the  style 
of  Chandlerii ;  a  good  bold  flower,  wnth  about 
five  rows  of  petals.  This  variety  is  known 
in  England.] 

Emiliana  alba. — A  white  variety,  striped 
with  rose,  and  regularly  imbricated.  The 
habit  is  vigorous  ;  the  leaves  oval-oblong, 
regularly  indented,  attenuated  at  the  two  ex- 
tremities, glossy  above,  large,  and  ending  in 
an  acuminated  point.  The  usual  size  of  the 
flower  is  four  inches  in  diameter,  with  from 
eight  to  ten  tiers  of  petals  r<;gularly  disposed  ; 
all  the  petals  white,  streaked  with  pink  or 
light  crimson.  Those  of  the  outer  range  are 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  broad,  round,  entire, 
convex  or  lying  back,  slightly  undulated  at 
the  margins,  often  emarginated  at  the  apex, 
and  somewhat  notched  ;  towards  the  interior 
they  gradually  become  oblong,  the  margin 
more  entire,  and  the  notching  entirely  disap- 
pears and  is  replaced  by  a  prominent  point ; 
at  the  centre  they  are  short,  lanceolate, 
straight,  and  half-folded.  The  striping  differs 
in  different  petals;  sometimes  it  is  deep  red 
and  broad,  and  sometimes  faint  and  narrow, 


112 


FERTILIZING  LIQUID. 


but  generally  well  distributed,  wbicli  produces 
an  admirable  effect.  At  the  base  of  the 
petals,  in  the  heart  of  the  flower,  the  white  is 
delicately  tinged  with  yellow.  This  was  in- 
troduced by  Mr.  Alex.  Verschaffelt  of  Ghent, 
1847,  from  America.  [A  handsome,  delicate, 
and  compact  variety.] 

Armida  rosea. — A  good  variety ;  in  general 
form  not  unlike  imbricata  ;  of  vigorous  habit, 
with  numerous  branches,  well  furnished  with 
fine  healthy  foliage  of  a  broad  roundish  form, 
regularly  dentated  with  small  teeth,  and  ter- 
minating at  the  apex  in  an  acuminated  point. 
The  flowers  are  about  four  inches  in  diameter 
and  very  regular,  with  petals  of  a  rose  colour, 
lighter  towards  the  tips,  and  considerably 
stronger  in  the  veins,  broad,  uniformly  imbri- 
cated, and  having  a  slight  notch  at  the  mar- 
gins. It  was  received  some  years  ago  from 
Florence,  by  Mr.  A.  Verschaffelt  of  Ghent, 

Grand  Duke  Constantine. — This  variety 
is  not  quite  so  large  as  Zavonia.  It  may  be 
considered  as  belonging  to  the  number  of 
those  that  are  more  particularly  called  double 
camellias,  as  distinguished  from  the  simple  as 
well  as  the  regularly  imbricated  sorts.  In  its 
general  aspect  it  is  less  bold  and  striking  than 
Borgia  and  others  of  the  same  stamp,  but  it 
is  not  inferior  to  any  in  point  of  delicacy  and 
richness  of  colouring.  In  habit  it  is  some- 
what vigorous,  having  smooth  clean  branches 
of  a  dark  chestnut  colour,  with  shining  dark- 
green  oval  acuminate  leaves,  attenuated  at 
both  extremities,  regularly  dentated,  and  end- 
ing in  the  apex  in  a  sharp  point.  The  flower 
is  about  three  inches  in  diameter,  and  gene- 
rally of  a  pale  rose  or  soft  blush  colour.  The 
petals  are  slightly  undulating  and  delicately 
tinged  with  pure  white  at  the  margins,  those 
at  the  circumference  being  uniform  and  larger 
than  the  rest ;  towards  the  centre  they  become 
very  irregular,  those  of  the  inner  range  being 
much  folded  and  smaller,  while  a  few  at  the 
heart  of  the  flower  again  partially  incline  to 
the  open  and  expanded  form  of  the  external 
range.  Here  and  there,  both  on  the  outer 
and  inner  petals,  may  be  seen  a  slight  streak 
of  crimson,  while  the  soft  blending  of  the  rose 
with  the  white  towards  the  margins  renders 
the  variation  very  distinct,  and  constitutes  the 
rich  and  agreeable  feature  of  this  variety. 
It  was  raised  by  Mr.  Caluwaert  Vermeulen 
of  Courtrai  in  Belgium,  who  first  observed  it 
on  a  branch  of  the  variety  called  Pirzio. 
This  gentleman  was  not  slow  in  perceiving 
its  merits,  and  had  it  extensively  propagated. 
The  singular  occurrence  of  a  different  flower 
being  thus  accidentally  developed  on  a  parti- 
cular branch,  and  the  causes  which  have 
operated  to  produce  a  flower  of  the  variety, — 
Compte  de  Paris  on  a  branch  of  the  Duchesse 
d'Orleans    variety,    or    one  of   the   Due  de 


Chartres  on  a  branch  of  the  Compte  de  Paris, 
— are  easily  explained  by  the  student  of  vege- 
table physiology. 

Borgia.  —  This  charming  variety  is  of 
Italian  origin,  and,  like  the  balmy  climate  in 
which  it  has  been  raised,  it  presents  attrac- 
tions of  the  most  inviting  character.  Its 
name  commemorates  a  profound  scholar 
and  naturalist,  the  eminent  Cardinal  Borgia. 
It  is  of  a  handsome  and  vigorous  habit,  having 
strong  shrubby  and  leafy  branches,  and  bear- 
ing large,  oval,  acuminate  regularly  dentated 
leaves,  of  a  fine  deep  glossy  green  ;  the  under 
side  is  somewhat  paler  than  the  upper  sur- 
face. As  if  indicative  of  the  robustness  of 
the  flower  and  the  habit  of  the  whole  plant, 
the  buds  are  large  and  full,  somewhat  round, 
and  disposed  to  open  with  perfect  facility  ; 
this  latter  circumstance  will  doubtless  render 
it  an  excellent  sort  for  forcing  into  early 
flower,  without  the  fear  of  seeing  it  cast  its 
flower-buds,  an  evil  to  which  many  other 
kinds  are  somewhat  liable.  The  flower  as- 
sumes that  habit,  so  commonly  sought,  a  re- 
gular ranunculus-form ;  it  is  nearly  four 
inches  and  a  half  in  diameter,  very  full,  finely 
imbricated  ;  the  colours  are  bright  cherry 
red,  and  white.  The  petals  at  the  exterior 
portion  of  the  flower  are  from  an  inch  and  a 
half  to  two  inches  broad,  distinctly  veined, 
slightly  notched  at  the  margins,  especially  at 
the  middle  ;  from  the  circumference  the  petals 
gradually  become  narrower  towards  the  centre, 
where  they  are  much  smaller,  oval,  and  up- 
right. The  distinguishing  feature  of  the  flower 
consists  in  a  series  of  broad  white  bands  down 
the  middle  of  all  the  petals,  these  bands  or 
stripes  being  delicately  shaded  with  light  rose 
or  crimson. 


A    FERTILIZING    LIQUID. 

Among  the  desiderata  connected  with  gar- 
dening, is  an  economical  liquid  of  easy  prepa- 
ration, possessing  the  fertilizing  properties 
suitable  for  the  great  majority  of  plants  grown 
in  the  open  ground  and  in  pots.  The  follow- 
ing process,  which  has  been  favourably  re- 
ceived by  several  Belgian  horticulturists  and 
botanists,  is  highly  spoken  of. 

Take  a  little  horse-dung  fresh  from  the 
stable,  and  place  it  at  the  bottom  of  a  barrel- 
Then  pump  some  water  over  it,  and  cover  the 
top  of  the  barrel  with  a  board.  The  liquid 
will  dissolve  the  salts,  and  other  fertilizing 
principles  of  the  dung.  Do  not  expose  it  to 
the  sun  ;  and  when  it  is  to  be  used,  mix  it 
with  four  times  its  bulk  of  fresh  water.  Eain 
water  which  has  fallen  after  some  days  of  fine 
weather  is  the  best  to  mix  with  it.  This  is 
found  to  be  a  most  excellent  fertilizing  liquid. 
— Annales  de  la  Sociefe  Royale  d' Agriculture 
et  de  Botanique,  de  Gand. 


BRITISH    WILD    FLOWERS. 


113 


BRITISH    WILD    FLOWERS. 
THE    SNOWDROP. 

There  is  perhaps  some  doubt  whether  the 
snowdrop  is  really  indigenous  to  this  country. 
It  is  found  in  various  parts  of  England,  Scot- 
land, and  Ireland,  but,  we  believe,  in  every 
instance  occurring  in  situations  which  admit 
the  possibility  of  its  being  the  remains  of 
some  ancient  and  long-forgotten  garden.  The 
doubt  is  in  some  degree  strengthened  by  its 
wide-spread  dilFusion,  and  yet  local  occurrence. 


We  mention  the  doubt  without  being  inclined 
fully  to  adopt  it,  because  although  it  is  possi- 
ble to  conceive  that  a  bulbous-stemmed  plant 
like  the  snowdrop  might  maintain  its  ground 
for  centuries,  and  thus  in  after  years  appear 
among  scenes  of  wildness,  when  the  once  trim 
garden  became  a  neglected  wilderness,  yet 
does  it  seem  unlikely  that  no  other  hardy  bulb 
should  have  accompanied  it  in  the  garden,  and 
with  it  maintained  its  position  in  after  years. 
Further  than  this  we  have  no  plea  to  urge  on 
behalf  of  its  citizenship. 

The  question  just  alluded  to,  concerns  the 
few;  its  beauties  interest  the  many.  Few 
plants  indeed  are  more  generally  known  and 
admired,  than  is  the  snowdrop,  that 

"  First  pale  blossom  of  the  opening  year." 
The  season  at  which  it  makes  its  appearance, 
together  with  the  beautiful  purity  and  simpli- 
city of  its  graceful  blossoms,  invest  it  with 
peculiar  charms,  which  have  gained  for  it  the 

50. 


praises  both  of  prosaic  and  poetic  penmen. 
One  or  two  of  their  passages  may  be  tran- 
scribed.    Thus  Phillips  says  : — 

"As  the  dove  was  sent  forth  from  the  ark 
to  learn  whether  the  waters  were  abated,  so 
does  the  snowdrop  seem  selected  by  Flora  to 
find  whether  the  frost  be  mitigated,  and  as  a 
herald  to  announce  the  arrival  of  her  garland. 
It  is  the  first  flower  that  awakes  from  the  re- 
pose of  winter,  and  cheers  us  with  the  assu- 
rance of  the  reanimation  of  nature  ;  and  hence 
it  has  been  made  the  emblem  of  consolation." 

And  Wordsworth  too  ;  he  thus  addresses 
it  :— 

"  Lone  flower,  hemmed  in  with  snows,  and  white  as 
they, 
But  hardier  far,  once  more  I  see  thee  bend 
Thy  forehead,  as  if  fearful  to  offend, 
Like  an  unbidden  guest.     Though  day  by  day 
Storms,  sallying  from  tlie  mountain  tops,  waylay 
The  rising  sun,  and  on  the  plains  descend ; 
Yet  thou  art  welcome,  w^elcome  as  a  friend 
Whose  zeal  outruns  his  promise  !  " 

One  more  selection  —  and  the  lines  are  as 
delicately  beautiful  as  the  flower  itself — 

"  Earliest  biid  that  decks  the  garden, 
Fairest  of  the  fragrant  race, 
Firstborn  child  of  vernal  Flora, 
Seeking  mild  thy  lowly  place, 

Though  no  warm  or  murmuring  zephyr 
Fan  thy  leaves  with  balmy  wing. 

Pleased  we  hail  thee,  spotless  blossom, 
Herald  of  the  infant  spring. 

White-robed  flow'r,  in  lonely  beauty, 

Rising  from  a  wintry  bed. 
Chilling  winds,  and  blasts  ungenial. 

Rudely  threat'ning  round  thy  head. 

Silv'ry  bud,  thy  pensile  foliage 

Seems  the  angry  blast  to  fear ; 
Yet  secure,  thy  tender  texture 

Ornaments  the  rising  year. 

'Tis  not  thine  with  flaunting  beatity 

To  attract  the  roving  sight, — 
Nature,  from  her  varied  wardrobe. 

Chose  thy  vest  of  purest  white," 

Besides  being  made  the  emblem  of  consola- 
tion, we  are  told  that  the  snowdrop's  delicate 
blossoms  were  formerly  held  sacred  to  virgins. 

Botanists  call  the  snowdrop  Galanthus  ni- 
valis, the  former  or  generic  name  being  derived 
from  the  Greek  galax  (milk)  and  antJios 
(flower)  and  applied  in  allusion  to  the  milky 
whiteness  of  the  corolla  ;  the  latter  or  specific 
name  (the  Latin  nivalis,  snowy)  being  also 
applied  in  reference  to  the  actual  whiteness  of 
the  blossoms,  appearing  amongst  the  leaves  as 
if  some  flakes  of  snow  had  lighted  on  and  hung 
undissolved  on  the  blades  of  grass.  The  com- 
mon name  of  this  plant  is  hence  particularly 
appropriate  ;    for  we  might  almost  fancy  that 

"  Flora's  breath  by  some  transforming  power, 
Had  changed  an  icicle  into  a  flower." 


114 


BRITISH    "SYILD    FLOWEES. 


From  its  blossoming  about  Candlemas  day, 
the  monks  called  it  "  our  Lady  of  February," 
a  modification  of  which  title,  "  Fair  maid  of 
February,"  it  now  sometimes  bears. 

The  snowdrop  is  one  of  the  Amaryllis  tribe 
(Amaryllidaceas),  in  which  its  unassuming 
simplicity  strongly  contrasts  with  the  vaunting 
gaudiness  of  the  gi-eater  number  of  its  exotic 
allies. 

The  snowdrop,  as  is  pretty  well  known,  is 
a  bulbous  plant.  Its  stature  is  dwarf,  the 
blossoms  seldom  growing  more  than  four  or 
six  inches  above  the  surface.  The  bulbs  are 
somewhat  egg-shaped,  and  of  a  dark  brown 
colour.  The  leaves,  of  which  two  or  three 
spring  up  from  an  ordinary  sized  bulb,  are  nar- 
row, equal  in  width  throughout,  obtuse-ended, 
and  from  four  to  six  inches  long  ;  they  have  a 
shallow  groove  down  the  middle  on  the  upper 
side,  and  a  ridge  or  keel  on  the  lower  side ;  and 
on  the  exposed  part  (the  bases  being  covered 
■with  soil  equal  to  the  depth  of  the  bulb  in  the 
ground)  are  of  a  deep  glaucous  green  colour. 
The  flower-stalk  or  scape  is  simple,  slender, 
round,  and  bears  at  top  a  small  membranous 
tubular  spathe,  or  sheath,  out  of  which  comes 
the  solitary  flower,  gracefully  bending  its 
slender  footstalk.  The  blossoms  are  pure 
white,  with  numerous  uncoloured  veins  ;  they 
consist  of  six  segments,  the  three  outer  of 
which  (sepals)  are  ovate-lance-shaped,  spread- 
ing and  hollowed  out  so  as  to  be  convex  on  the 
outer  side  ;  the  three  inner  pieces  (petals)  are 
about  half  as  long  as  the  sepals,  obtuse  and 
notched  at  the  apex,  and  ertct  in  position  ; 
they  have  on  the  outside  near  the  top,  a  small 
heart-shaped  green  blotch,  and  on  the  inside 
about  six  yellowish-green  lines. 

These  remarks  apply  to  the  simple  form  of 
the  plant.  A  variety  cultivated  in  gardens 
has  double  flowers,  beyond  the  somewhat 
greater  endurance  and  size  of  which,  no  supe- 
rior quality  appears  ;  indeed  the  single  snow- 
drop (as  in  the  ca^e  of  many  other  flowers)  is 
more  beautiful  in  form  than  the  double  :  they 
are  of  the  same  colour. 

Some  reflections  on  the  admirable  adapta- 
tion of  the  form  of  this  flower  to  the  circum- 
stances under  which  it  is  developed,  have  been 
penned  ;  and  as  they  have  been  accompanied 
with  an  acknowledgment  of  the  Infinite  Wis- 
dom which  has  "  made  everything  beautiful 
in  its  season,"  we  are  constrained  to  repeat 
them  : — 

"  The  delicacy  with  which  the  corolla  is 
attached  to  the  flower  stalk,  enables  it  to  move 
with  the    winds   in   everv  direction  without 


fear  of  snapping,  or  suffering  the  air  to 
defraud  the  stigma  of  its  necessary  part  of  the 
farina  [pollen]  ;  whilst  its  modest  and  pendent 
position  is  calculated  to  throw  off  all  super- 
fluous moisture  in  order  that  the  parts  of  fruc- 
tification may  be  secured.  The  pure  white 
that  is  given  to  the  petals  of  this  flov.^er,  con- 
tributes in  a  no  less  happy  degree  to  the  per- 
fecting of  the  pollen,  as  it  causes  them  to  act 
as  reflectors  to  throw  all  the  light  and  warmtli 
on  the  anthers,  which  at  the  chilling  season  of 
the  year  when  the  snowdrop  flowers,  is  parti- 
cularly necessary." 

Little  need  be  said  on  the  culture  of  so 
common  a  plant  as  this.  The  plants  grow 
through  the  spring  months,  ripen  off"  in  sum- 
mer, and  commence  their  vegetation  again 
late  in  autumn.  When  it  is  desired  to  trans- 
plant the  bulbs,  they  may  be  taken  up  about 
Midsummer,  or  as  soon  as  the  leaves  have  de- 
cayed, and  stored  in  a  dry  room  till  the  plant- 
ing time.  The  middle  or  end  of  August  is  a 
good  time  for  planting  the  bulbs,  which  should 
be  placed  at  a  depth  of  about  two  inches. 
How  they  would  be  best  arranged  depends  on 
circumstances  :  if  required  for  an  edging,  they 
should  range  in  a  single  or  double  line,  and 
the  bulbs  may  then  be  set  about  a  couple  of 
inches  apart  ;  but  if  required  to  form  irre- 
gular patches  in  the  flower  beds,  or  among 
shrubs,  it  is  best  to  plant  a  patch  about  six 
inches  across,  placing  the  bulbs  at  about  the 
distance  above  named.  For  beds,  they  are 
best  planted  in  regular  order,  and  may  be 
placed  at  two  or  three  inches  apart.  They 
grow  in  any  good  garden  soil ;  and  should  not 
be  too  frequently  transplanted — not  oftener 
than  once  in  three  years. 

The  snowdrop  is  seen  nowhere  to  better 
advantage,  than  when  springing  up  in  the 
green  turf  along  the  irregular  margins  of  a 
shrubbery,  near  the  bases  of  isolated  trees, 
or  here  and  there  in  patches  on  the  open 
lawn.  By  shrubbery  walks  it  should  also  be 
largely  planted.  When  springing  up  on  a 
lawn,  they  have  a  wild  natural  appearance, 
and  should  not  ■  therefore  be  disposed  with 
anything  like  formality,  but  scattered  as  it 
were  by  chance,  thickly  in  some  places  and 
thinly  in  others,  but  connected  together  so  as 
to  form  irregular  groups  of  some  extent. 
Grass  plats  seldom  require  mowing  so  early  as 
to  interfere  with  such  an  arrangement. 

"  Child  of  the  spring,  sweet  snowdrop,  haste 
Thy  bosom  to  unfold  ; 
Ah  !  dread  the  vernal  hours  to  waste, 
For  soon  returns  the  cold." 


115 


NOTES  ON  THE  VERBENA. 


This  beautiful  little  flower  is  valuable  in  a 
flower  garden,  and  almost  indispensable  as  a 
subject  for  bedding  out,  but  so  mucli  of  its 
usefulness  depends  on  its  habit,  that  some  of 
the  most  showy  flow-ers  in  a  stand  are  worth- 
less in  the  garden.  The  old  Yerhena  Melin- 
dres  is  a  spreading,  creeping  plant,  close  to 
theground,  rooting  ateveryjoiut,  and  blooming 
its  whole  length,  showing  the  whole  summer 
a  sui'face  of  brilliant  scarlet.  The  flowers  are 
not  well  formed,  but  until  a  better  formed 
variety  be  found,  equally  dwarf,  equally  spread- 
ing, and  blooming  as  brightly  and  abundantly, 
Melindres  cannot  fail  to  keep  its  place. 
Among  many  new  and  splendid  varieties  in 
other  respects,  there  are  many  prevailing 
faults ;  some  grow  very  robustly,  make  very 
long  shoots,  straggle  a  long  way,  and  flower 
only  at  the  ends ;  others  grow  very  strong 
and  tall,  but  require  support,  or  else  lie  about 
without  order  or  form  ;  some  bloom  so  slowly, 
that  a  truss  is  never  aU  in  flower,  but  the  outer 
blooms  decay  before  the  inner  ones  open — these 
always  look  mean  ;  others  again  have  tall 
instead  of  broad  trusses,  and  the  individual 
flowers  form  no  kind  of  surface,  but  appear  so 
many  steps,  one  among  another.  Now,  we  are 
careless  about  the  shape  of  the  truss,  so  that  the 
blooms  touch  one  another,  and  form  a  surface 
of  colour.  This  may  be  flat,  like  V.  Melindres 
or  half  a  ball,  or  a  cone,  or  even  higher  ;  the 
grand  object  is,  to  have  the  face  of  the  flowers 
outwards,  and  touching  each  other  ;  the  pre- 
ference however  must  be  given  to  the  spherical 
trusses  ;  and  all  those  that  do  not  at  some  time 
or  other  show  all  their  individual  blooms  open 
on  a  truss,  are  not  worth  keeping.  The  value 
of  the  verbena,  as  a  bedding  subject,  for  Dutch 
or  geometrical  gardening,  is  great,  whatever 
form  the  bed  may  be  ;  whatever  figure  we 
have  to  fill  out,  the  verbena  is  ready  with 
almost  any  colour,  requiring  only  to  be  planted 
at  moderate  distances,  for  it  will  soon  cover 
the  ground.  In  planting  out  the  verbena  in 
any  particular  figure,  let  one  plant  be  tolerably 
near  all  the  principal  points,  because  it  the 
sooner  fills  those  features  which  distinguish 
the  bed  ;  for  instance,  say  the  shape  is  a 
diamond,  let  a  plant  be  at  each  point  within  a 
few  inches,  that  it  may  fill  it  out  at  once, 
because  it  then  only  requires  to  be  clipped 
into  shape,  and  its  growth  turned  inwards, 
and  the  cutting  encourages  fresh  growth,  and 
abundant  bloom.  The  bed  will  not  be  long 
filling  and  coming  to  its  colour  ;  however 
oddly  the  shapes  may  be  made,  the  same  plan 
should  be  adopted.  If  you  have  plenty  of 
plants,  they  may  be  planted  nine  inches  or  a 
foot  apart,  but  the  outside  ones  not  more  than 


I  three  or  four  inches  from  the  edge.  If  they  ai-e 
I  neglected  after  planting,  they  will  soon  straggle 
I  over  the  edges  on  the  walks,  and  destroy  the 
I  form  of  your  design  ;  but  you  must  cut  the 
I  shoots  to  occupy  only  the  bed,  lay  the  shoots 
in  the  direction  you  wish  them  to  take,  and  if 
they  do  not  lie  without  fastening,  peg  them 
i  down  with  little  pegs,   the  form  of  a  small 
!  hooked  ^Yalking  stick,  which  can  be  cut  by 
!  thousands  from  birch  twigs  ;  or  it  can  be  done 
in  v/et  weather  by  little  bits  of  bass  matting 
six  inches  long,  dibbled  into  the  ground,  as  if 
the  two  ends  w^ere  being  planted,  for  when  the 
hole    is    made,    the    two    ends    of  the  bass, 
which  is    looped  over  the  shoot  to  be  held 
down,  are  put  down  into  the  hole,  and  the  earth 
pressed  in  ujDon  them  with  the  dibble  ;  this 
will  apply  to  all  creeping  plants,  and  can  al- 
ways be  done  when  pegs  are  scarce  or  not  at 
hand.     But  it  is  generally  enough  to  lay  the 
shoots  the  way  they  are  to  grow  ;  when  the 
plants  make  growth,  the  ends  can  be  clipped 
as  true  to  the  figure  as  the  box  edging  itself 
is,  which  should  by  no  means  be  covered  at  any 
one  part  by  the   plants  in  their  ramblings. 
For  such  gardens  as  are  formed  into  figures, 
and  which  derive  all  their  beauty  from  their 
uniformity  of  design,  it  is  absolutely  necessary 
to  attend  to  uniformity  of  colour  ;  geometrical 
gardens  have  necessarily  various  shaped  beds, 
and  it  is  a  good  plan  to  have  all  the  beds  that 
are  of  a  form,  the  same  colour,  or  half  of  one 
colour,  and  half  of  another.     Thus,  if  there 
are  six  of  a  form  round   the  whole  design, 
three  may  be  of  one  colour,  and  three  of  ano- 
ther, but  sis  very  prominent  beds  should  be 
scarlet,  because  it  is  the  most  striking  ;  white 
is  another  very  striking  colour,  if  we  may  call 
white  a  colour  ;  then  there  are  pinks,  purples, 
lilacs,  crimsons,  and  all  manner  of  shades  but 
yellow,  and  this  is  the  only  exception  to  make 
in  planting  the  whole.  Verbenas  will  not  sup- 
ply yellows,  and  it  must  be  done  with  some- 
thing else  ;  they  will  not  give  a  blue,  but  they 
very  nearly  approach  it,  and  therefore  blue 
could  be  done  without.     The  yellows  may  be 
supplied  variously  at  difierent  times.     Yellow 
Allyson  is  a  dwarf  perennial   that  will  bloom 
with   the   earliest    and   last  some  weeks  in 
bloom,  and  it  must  then  be  replaced  with  other 
subjects,  got  forward  in  pots,  or  otherwise  ; 
but  there  is  a  so-called  yellow  verbena,  sul- 
phurca,  we  believe  ;  from  this  we  may  one 
day  have  improvements  in  colour,  (for  it  has 
not    much    more    of  the  yellow  in  it  than  a 
yellow  hyacinth,)  nevertheless,  we  hold  it  to 
be  the  easiest  and  most  permanent  mode  of 
planting  a  Dutch  garden,  to  use  verbenas  only. 
The  height,  colour,  form,  and  other  matters, 

i2 


116 


NATURAL    HISTORY    OP    CANADA. 


are  so  easily  regulated,  and  the  bloom  is  uni- 
form and  permanent,  clearing  and  regulating 
being  the  only  things  required  after  one  is 
planted.  By  cutting  out  what  may  be  called 
old  wood,  and  leaving  young  shoots,  the  plant 
2nay  be  constantly  renewed,  as  it  were,  at  the 
end  of  the  season,  which  may  be  considered 
about  September,  when  the  frosts  begin, 
though  in  mild  autumns  the  bloom  will  con- 
tinue much  longer.  As  soon  however  as  the 
beauty  of  the  plants  has  gone,  let  them  be 
pulled  up,  and  all  the  little  rooted  bits  may 
be  put  into  store  pots  ;  the  small  shoots  may 
be  put  in  large  pots  as  cuttings,  an  inch  apart, 
and  covered  with  a  glass,  the  cuttings  to  be 
prepared  as  others  are,  by  cutting  the  bottom 
otFjust  below  a  joint,  and  cutting  off  the  bottom 
leaves.  These  pots,  if  put  into  a  cold  frame, 
and  preserved  from  frost  and  damp,  will  be 
rooted  during  the  winter,  but  if  any  quantity 
be  required,  or  the  striking  is  wanted  to  be 
hastened,  that  they  may  be  potted  off  and 
grown  for  strength,  use  gentle  bottom  heat, 
and  the  cuttings  will  root  like  so  many  weeds. 
When  they  ai-e  rooted,  put  them  singly  in  store 
pots,  and  keep  them  in  the  cold  frame  or  in  tlie 
greenhouse,  or,  in  fact,  any  where,  so  that 
they  are  protected  from  frost  and  damp ;  and 
keep  them  in  the  store  or  small  pots  till 
planting  time,  or  if  it  be  desirable  to  bring  a 
few  forward  for  early  blooming,  repot  thf^m 
in  large  sixty-sized  pots,  and  place  them  in 
the  greenhouse.  Here  they  will  grow  and  get 
into  bloom  before  planting  time,  so  that  as 
soon  as  we  are  clear  of  frostt^,  the  beds  may  be 
dressed,  and  will  look  gay  directly.  But  the 
verbena  occasionally  takes  a  shrubby  habit, 
and  there  are  many  of  the  new  varieties  which 
form  pretty  greenhouse  plants  ;  these  may  be  i 
treated  as  such,  and  are  tlie  best  for  the  bor-  j 
ders,  wliich  they  keep  brilliant  all  the  summer,  j 
It  is  the  intermediate  varieties,  those  which  I 
are  neither  slirubby  nor  creeping,  thsit  are  so 
troublesome  to  manage,  and  therefore  compa- 
ratively valueless  ;  this  renders  it  necessary 
to  see  verbenas  growing  before  we  select  them 
When  they  are  shown  in  stands,  we  may  judge 
of  their  forms  and  their  trusses,  but  we  can 
form  no  idea  of  their  habits;  the  finest  trusses 
may  be  produced  in  very  small  quantities,  and 
on  very  straggling  plants,  and  therefore  may 
be  not  good  for  much  as  plants,  but  even  these 
may  be  desirable  for  exhibitions.  The  ver- 
bena will  grow  in  any  moderately  good  soil, 
but  for  potting,  two  thirds  rich  loam,  that  is 
to  say,  loam  with  plenty  of  vegetable  matter 
in  it,  such  as  the  top  short  spk  of  a  good 
pasture,  and  the  turf  rotted  in  it,  and  one  third 
turfy  peat,  makes  the  best  soil  for  potting,  or 
rather  for  growing  them  in  the  second  pots. 
There  used  to  be  a  fashion  of  training  the 
verbena  up  a  sort  of  trellis  in  pots,  especially 
when  the  new  varieties  first  came  out.  and  we 


have  seen  them  very  gay,  but  these  things  look 
too  mechanical  ;  it  is,  according  to  our  notions, 
an  unnatural  way  of  growing  plants,  something 
like  a  hundred  wooden  legs  to  a  geranium,  and 
half  the  number  to  hold  up  roses.  It  is  all 
unlike  gardening,  and  m.akes  plants  look  un- 
like nature.  When  a  good  verbena  is  dis- 
covered in  the  seed-bed,  we  are  naturally 
anxious  to  pi'opagate  it  as  soon  as  possible. 
For  this  purpose  it  is  well  to  cover  the  plant 
with  a  glass  ;  this  has  the  effect  of  drawing  up 
the  plant,  and  the  top  should  be  taken  off  and 
struck  in  bottom  heat  and  grown  in  the  pro- 
pagating house,  or  in  the  frame  where  it  is 
struck  ;  the  old  plant  will  grow  fast  and 
throw  out  side  shoots,  which  may  be  taken  off 
and  struck  like  the  first.  All  these  cuttings  will 
grow  fast,  and  may  soon  have  their  tops  taken 
again,  and  throw  out  their  side  shoots,  which 
in  turn  may  be  taken,  and  so  on,  the  old  plant 
furnishing  cuttings,  the  cuttings  in  turn  'be- 
coming plants,  and,  when  their  tops  are  taken, 
giving  their  supply,  until,  before  the  season  of 
letting  out,  they  are  multiplied  to  hundreds. 
But,  there  are  some  who  will  allow  the  plant 
to  grow  in  the  seed-bed  untouched,  but  pegged 
down  as  it  grows,  so  that  some,  that  are  free 
growers  and  strikers,  will  root  at  every  joint, 
and  f(n'm  so  many  strong  plants ;  others  let  it 
ramble  as  it  likes,  until  the  period  for  taking 
it  up,  and  then  cut  it  to  pieces  to  strike  and 
multiply  during  the  winter  ;  but  it  is  quite 
clear  that  the  first  plan  will  provide  the 
greatest  number,  and  that  when  we  have  a 
really  good  variety,  it  is  much  the  safest  way, 
because  it  sometimes  happens  that  the  seed- 
ling plant  from  some  accident  or  other  dies, 
and  the  cuttings  that  are  already  off,  and 
struck,  form  the  only  stock,  which  would  have 
been  totally  lost,  but  for  the  early  propagation. 
Nobody  ought  to  lose  an  opportunity  of  striking 
a  cutting  of  a  valuable  seedling,  because  no- 
thing is  so  vexing  as  to  lose  a  really  good 
variety  of  anything,  for  such  success  as  I'aising 
a  valuable  plant  is  not  frequent,  and  when 
obtained,  every  precaution  that  can  be  taken 
to  prevent  its  loss-  should  be  adopted  directly. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  CANADA.* 

This  subject  is  brought  before  us  in  a 
small  but  neatly  got  up  volume  called  "  The 
Canadian  ISTaturalist,"  in  which,  by  means  of 
an  imaginary  conversation,  all  the  most  in- 
teresting subjects  are  described  and  explained 
by  the  father  in  answ^er  to  many  pertinent 
questions  from  the  son.  It  need  hardly  be  ob- 
served, that  in  a  small  volume  the  subjects 
treated  on  must  be  very  limited.  They  prin- 
cipally comprise  curious     butterflies,    moths, 

*  The  Canadian  Naturalist :  a  series  of  Conversa- 
tions on  the  Natural  History  of  Lower  Canada.  By 
P.  H.  Gosse.     London  :  John  Van  Voorst. 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


117 


birds,  and  a  few  of  the  familiar  subjects  of  the 
botanical  world.  It  is  doubtless  a  very  accept- 
able present  for  youth,  and  would  not  make  a 
bad  subject  for  a  school-book.  The  cuts,  and 
what  is  called  the  getting  up,  are  quite  in  the 
faultless  styleof  all  Van  Voorst's  works.  There 
is  this  particular  recommendation — the  work 
is  written  in  that  plain  and  familiar  style  that 
nobody  can  mistake  the  meaning  ;  and  we  wish 
we  could  say  as  much  of  those  works  in 
general.  The  following  will  bear  out  our  re- 
marks ; — 

"  Charles. — "What  curious  and  beautiful 
forms  the  drifted  snow  assumes  !  here  it  lies 
in  gentle  undulations,  swelling  and  sinking  ; 
there  in  little  ripples,  like  the  sand  of  a  sea 
beach ; — here  it  stands  up  like  a  perpendi- 
cular wall  ;  there  like  a  conical  hill  : — here 
it  is  a  long  deep  trench  ;  there  a  flat  over- 
hanging table  ;  but  one  of  the  prettiest  sights 
is  tbat  which  is  presented  by  a  lumber-shed 
hung  with  cobwebs,  after  a  drift.  The  snow 
in  greater  or  less  masses  has  attached  itself  to 
the  cobwebs,  and  hangs  from  the  rafters  and 
walls,  and  from  corner  to  corner,  in  graceful 
drapery  of  the  purest  white  ;  but  of  such 
fantastic  shapes,  as  we  don't  readily  see. 

"  Father. — The  heavy  masses  of  snow  which 
rest  on  the  flat  horizontal  boughs  of  the 
spruces  and  hemlocks  after  a  fall,  are  striking 
and  beautiful  ;  but  these  must  be  gently  de- 
posited, or  they  will  not  rest  ;  they  are  not 
di-ifted  ;  a  very  slight  wind  is  sufficient  to 
shake  them  ofi". 

"  C — We  have  had  some  severe  weather 
during  this  month,  yet  I  have  not  felt  nearly 
so  much  inconvenience  from  the  intensity  of 
the  cold,  as  one  would  expect  from  the  tem- 
perature of  the  atmosphere.  There  seems  to  be 
something  enlivening  and  bracing  in  our  air, 
which  prevents  our  becoming  so  much  affected 
by  it. 

"  F. — Our  cold  weather  is  generally  clear 
and  uniform,  and  our  bodies  become  inured 
to  its  severity.  After  having  spent  many 
Avinters  in  Newfoundland  and  Canada,  I  passed 
one  in  the  State  of  Alabama.  I  had  congra- 
tulated myself  on  the  thought  that  now  I 
should  not  know  cold  weather  ;  that  after 
Canada,  the  winter  of  Alabama  could  be  no- 
thing to  me.  But  I  found  that  slight  frosts, 
and  wet  windy  days,  interrupted  by  warm 
ones,  seemed  to  me  almost  as  cold  to  the 
feelings  as  the  severity  of  Canada.  Before 
the  winter  was  over,  I  sailed  for  England,  and 
although  the  thermometer  was  on  only  one 
day  as  low  as  36°,  I  felt  the  inconveniences 
of  extreme  severity,  my  feet  becoming  covered 
with  the  well-known  annoyances  called  chil- 
blains, and  my  whole  frame  shivering  with 
cold  :  this  was,  no  doubt,  owing  to  the  sudden 
transition  from  a  climate  of  76°  to  that  of  36°. 


We  here  find  the  intensity  of  the  cold  as 
much  manifested  by  collateral  circumstances 
as  by  our  bodily  sensations.  The  creaking  of 
the  snow  beneath  our  feet  :  the  adhesiveness 
of  door-latches,  or  any  metal,  to  our  hands,  if 
there  be  the  slightest  moisture  on  them  ;  the 
clouds  of  steam  which  pour  from  our  mouth 
and  nostrils  when  we  breathe  ;  the  accumu- 
lation of  frosted  leaves  on  the  windows  of 
rooms  in  which  great  fires  and  close  stoves 
are  kept  ;  the  fringe  of  ice  round  the  edges 
of  our  pillows  and  blankets,  i'rom  our  breath 
having  frozen  while  we  slept  ;  the  piercing 
pang  felt  by  the  lungs  on  suddenly  emerging 
from  a  warm  room,  and  inhaling  the  cold  air ; 
the  pricking  sensation  in  the  cheeks  ;  the 
whitening  of  the  whiskers,  hair,  and  eye- 
brows ;  the  icicle  at  the  nose  ;  the  freezing 
together  of  the  tips  of  the  eyelashes,  during 
the  momentary  twinkling  of  the  eye  ;  these 
warn  us  of  the  leal  state  of  the  atmosphere, 
and  of  the  danger  of  remaining  long  exposed, 
even  when  it  does  not  feel  y^Yj  unpleasant  to 
the  senses. 

"  C. — We  yesterday  found  one  of  the  fowls 
in  the  barn  in  an  awkward  predicament  :  it 
was  lying  on  the  floor,  unable  to  stand  :  and 
on  taking  it  up  we  perceived  that  both  feet 
were  frozen  hard,  so  as  to  be  perfectly  stiff, 
and  chinking,  when  struck,  like  stones.  We 
brought  it  to  the  house,  and  put  it  to  lie  with 
its  feet  in  a  bowl  of  cold  water,  where  it  re- 
mained very  contentedly  for  a  considerable 
time,  until  its  feet  were  thawed  ;  and  they 
seemed  perfectly  restored. 

"  F. — They  are  for  the  present,  but  after 
having  once  been  frozen,  they  are  peculiarly- 
liable  to  a  recurrence  of  the  accident,  and 
rarely  survive  the  winter. 


"  C — I  observed  a  curious  circumstance  a 
short  time  ago  :  I  had  taken  a  bowl  of  water 
into  my  room  to  wash  my  hands,  but  some- 
thing delaying  me,  it  remained  for  an  hour 
untouched.  Then,  when  I  dipped  my  hands 
in  it,  it  was  perfectly  fluid,  and  altogether  free 
from  any  incipient  crystals  of  congelation  ; 
but  in  an  instant  it  became  a  semi-solid  mass, 
filled  with  minute  particles  of  ice. 

"i^. — I  have  often  observed  the  same  fact, 
and  at  one  time  mentioned  it  to  my  friend, 
Mr.  W.  C.  St.  John,  of  Harbor  Grace,  New- 
foundland, whose  acquaintance  with  the  science 
of  chemistry  led  me  to  ask  him  for  an  expla- 
nation. He  told  me  that,  as  '  water  cools 
below  82°,  the  particles  of  it  af>2iroach  one 
another  ;  but  in  consequence  of  its  being  still 
i.  e.  unagitated,  those  particles,  although  they 
approach,  remain  equidistant  from  each  other  : 
— that  is  to  say,  the  repulsive  power  (alias 
the  matter  of  heat)  and  the  attractive  power 
acting  equally  upon  Qsevy  individual  particle;; 


118 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF     CANADA. 


no  set  of  particles  can  overcome  that  repulsive 
force,  so  as  to  form  themselves  into  a  new 
arrangement,  viz.  into  an  angle  of  60".  There- 
fore, the  water  remains  in  a  fluid  stale ;  but 
as  soon  as  it  becomes  agitated,  the  equilibrium 
is  immediately  destroyed  ;  the  motion,  which 
is  impressed  on  the  particles,  is  the  means  of 
bringing  some  of  them  nearer  to  some  than  to 
others.  A  union  is  the  consequence  ;  and 
when  two  particles  are  thus  united,  of  course 
their  sphere  of  attraction  is  enlarged,  and 
other  particles  will  be  soon  drawn  into  con- 
tact, and  that  soft,  half  fluidj  half  solid  mass, 
is  the  result.'  Some  time  after,  he  showed 
me  the  following  passage  in  Parkes's  Chemical 
Catechism,  not  as  attempting  a  solution  of  it, 
but  showing  that  the  fact  had  been  noticed 
before : — '  If,  when  the  air  is  at  22°,  we  expose 
to  it  a  quantity  of  water  in  a  tall  glass,  with  a 
thermometer  in  it,  and  covered,  the  water 
gradually  cools  down  to  22"  without  freezing, 
though  10  degrees  below  the  freezing  point. 
Things  being  in  this  situation,  if  the  w^ater  be 
shaken,  part  of  it  instantly  freezes  into  a 
spongy  mass,  and  the  temperature  of  the  whole 
instantly  rises  to  the  fi^eezing  point.'  The 
question  has  difficulties  which  are  still  unex- 
plained. 

"  C — There  go  the  sleighs !  how  merrily 
they  slide  along  with  their  jingling  bells  !  I 
think  there  is  no  motion,  not  even  that  of  a 
swift  boat  upon  a  smooth  sea,  so  pleasant  as 
the  riding  in  a  sleigh  on  a  bright  sunny  day, 
or  moonlight  night.  Protected  from  the  cold 
'by  the  warm  bear-skins,  or  buffiilo  robes,  we 
glide  noiselessly  along,  and  see  the  fences  and 
trees  shoot  by  us,  without  a  jolt  or  shake  to 
remind  us  that  it  is  ourselves  who  are  moving  ; 
while  the  tinkling  of  the  bells  on  the  horse's 
neck  pleases  the  ear,  and  all  is  gratification  ! 
Oh  !  it  is  the  beau  ideal  of  travelling  ! 

"  -F. — Sleighing-time  is  a  season  of  general 
festivity  :  most  farmers  possess  these  vehicles  ; 
and  as  the  agricultural  operations  have  now 
ceased,  and  they  are  not  immediately  pressed 
with  work,  some  time  is  devoted  to  excursions 
of  friendship  and  pleasure ;  and  even  the 
travelling  which  business  requires  is  made  an 
agreeable  recreation. 

"  C — How  do  the  farmers  employ  them- 
selves during  the  winter  season  generally  ? 

"  -F". — The  feeding  and  tend  ng  of  their 
cattle  and  other  stock,  a  daily  employment, 
consumes  much  of  the  short  days,  and  the 
supplying  of  the  immense  fires  which  we  are 
compelled  to  keep  up,  makes  considerable  in- 
roads upon  the  residue.  The  grain  is  threshed, 
and  cleaned,  and  carried  to  market,  with 
other  produce. — After  this,  or  at  intervals,  the 
greatest  portion  of  the  winter's  labour  is  per- 
formed in  the  forest,  in  felling  and  splitting 
cedars  for  fencing-rails,  cutting  hard-wood  for 


the  twelvemonth's  supply  of  fuel,  (which,  with 
the  drawing  it  to  the  homestead  on  large  sleds, 
forms  no  small  part  of  a  winter's  woik,)  and 
cutting  and  drawing  logs  for  the  saw-mill. 
So  that  no  part  of  a  Canadian  farmer's  time 
can  be  considered  without  eiuployment,  though 
in  winter  he  does  contrive  to  snatch  a  few 
days  from  toil,  to  devote  them  to  amusement. 


"  C. — I  see  a  little  bird  creeping  up  the 
perpendicular  trunk  of  a  maple  tree  ;  it  looks 
just  like  a  mouse  in  size,  colour,  and  manners  : 
is  it  a  species  of  Nuthatch  ? 

"  1*\ — No  :  our  Nuthatches  are  all  of  a  light 
blue  colour  above  ;  this  is  the  Brown  Creeper 
( Certhia  faviiUay-is),  a  bird  much  resem- 
bling that  family  in  appearance  and  habits, 
but  with  a  slender  curved  bill.  It  does  not 
appear  to  be  common  with  us,  or  if  it  is,  it 
must  be  very  shy,  as  I  have  seldom  seen  it. 
It  crawls  about  the  trunks  and  limbs  in  every 
direction  with  great  agility,  in  search  of  small 
insects,  which  are  lodged  in  crevices  of  the 
bark,  and  similar  situations. 

"  C — In  cutting  up  a  partly  decayed  birch 
tree  a  few  days  ago,  I  found  it  bored  with 
long  cylindrical  passages,  in  several  of  which 
I  found  white  flat  grubs,  with  large  bx'own 
heads,  and  six  feet ;  in  one  I  found  a  Buprestis 
alive,  a  dark  brown  species  with  lighter  marks. 
The  larvae  probably  belonged  to  this  species. 

"  F. — I  should  not  think  that  our  little 
Certhia  can  capture  such  insects  as  these,  its 
bill  not  being  at  all  calculated  for  boring  : 
these  constitute  the  appropriate  prey  of  the 
Woodpeckers,  whose  sharp,  steel-like  bill  tears 
away  the  wood,  and  digs  into  their  hidden 
recesses  ;  the  bird  perceiving,  by  unfailing 
instinct,  the  direction  in  which  they  lie  con- 
cealed. 

"  C. — I  have  lately  seen  the  Winter  Gnat 
(Tricliocera  /riemalis),  with  pretty  plumose 
antennae,  playing  in  the  windows  of  our 
house. 

"  F. — Yonder  is  a  flock  of  Snow  Buntings 
( Eniheriza  nivalis)  in  their  white  winter 
plumage.  They  are  not  uncommon,  though 
in  some  winters  I  do  not  recollect  having  seen 
any  :  they  fly  in  flocks,  and  often  flit  about 
the  orchards  and  barn-yards :  when  a  flock  of 
them  is  perched  on  a  tree,  their  bright  plumage 
in  the  sun  presents  a  very  beautiful  appear- 
ance, looking  like  a  number  of  silver  orna- 
ments sparkling  among  the  boughs :  they  also 
show  to  advantage  in  flight,  seen  against  a 
black,  clouded  sky,  full  of  snow  and  storm ; 
at  which  time  they  are  very  active.  They  are 
restless  birds,  never  long  in  a  place,  and  when 
one  moves,  all  follow.  In  Newfoundland  they 
are  rather  common. 

"  C. — Yesterday,  a  flock  of  Yellow-birds 
(Fringilla  tristis)  was   hopping    about    the 


NATURAL  HISTORY  OF  CANADA. 


119 


barn-yard  and  house  at  intervals  all  day, 
picking  up  oats,  and  seeds  of  grass  and  weeds. 

"  I*\ — I  have  seen  several  flocks  in  the 
woods,  and  about  the  borders,  lately,  flitting 
from  tree  to  ti'ee,  and  twittering  their  sweet, 

but  weak  song. Some  weeks  ago  I  found 

a  mammal,  which  I  cannot  ^nd  described  in 
Dr.  Godman's  American  Quadrupeds,  and 
which  may  possibly  be  unknown.  I  took  it 
for  a  species  of  Arvicola,  resembling  the 
common  short-tailed  field-mouse,  but  with  a 
shorter  tail,  and  the  head  much  rounder  and 
more  bluff;  the  ears  were  large;  it  was  of  a 
dark  iron-grey  colour.  It  had  probably  been 
caught  by  a  cat,  for  it  was  lying  dead  on  the 
earth,  near  the  house.  It  may  possibly  be 
Arvicola  Hudson'ms,  or  perhaps  a  Geomys. 

"  C. — I  see,  at  a  great  distance,  at  the 
margin  of  the  forest,  a  sudden  bright  gleam 
of  light  recurring  at  regular  intervals  of  two 
or  three  seconds.  Do  you  see  it  ?  or  do  you 
know  what  it  is  ? 

"  F. — It  is  a  woodman  chopping ;  he  is  too 
far  off  to  be  distinguished  among  the  bushes 
and  underbrush  ;  but  every  time  he  lifts  his 
axe  above  his  head,  the  polished  steel  reflects 
the  sun's  light,  and  makes  those  fitful  flashes. 
It  has  a  singular  appearance,  unconnected,  as 
it  seems,  with  any  apparent  cause. 


"  C. — The  insect  world  I  have  found  to  be 
not  altogether  so  shut  up  from  observation  as 
I  had  imagined.  On  Christmas-day,  I  took  a 
walk  into  the  woods  ;  and  examining  the 
stump  of  an  old  decayed  hemlock,  I  found  in 
it  two  minute  CJirysomeUdcp,  a  small  black 
Cantharis,  and  two  specimens  of  a  pretty 
Icluieumon,  which  is  shining  black,  except 
the  middle  of  the  antennte,  the  scutellum,  one 
ring  of  the  abdomen,  and  the  anus,  which  are 
yellow.  These  were  inert  and  toi'pid,  -but 
soon  became  lively  on  exposure  to  warmth. 
I  took  among  the  wool  of  a  sheep,  near  the 
roots,  among  which  it  insinuated  itself  for- 
wards, backwards,  and  sideways,  so  nimbly 
that  I  could  with  difiiculty  get  hold  of  it,  a 
small  apterous  Hippobosca.  I  also  observed, 
suspended  from  the  wall  of  a  house,  a  chrysalis 
of  Vanessa  Antiopa. 

"  i^. — The  Blue  Jay  (Co7'vus  cristatus) 
continues  as  numerous  and  as  noisy  as  ever. 
His  harsh  screaming  voice  may  be  heard 
above  that  of  all  the  other  feathered  inhabit- 
ants of  our  groves,  all  the  year  through.  A 
beautiful  bird  he  is,  with  his  bright  violet, 
white,  and  sky-blue  coat,  long  tail,  and  pointed 
crest ;  and  by  his  airs  and  grimaces  he  appears 
to  have  no  mean  idea  of  his  own  personal 
attractions,  and  probably  he  may  think  his 
voice  as  charming  as  his  plumage,  as  he  so 
continually  gives  us  the  benefit  of  his  music. 
He  appears   to  tyrannize  over  his   brethren 


occasionally.  I  once  saw,  in  the  south,  a  blue 
jay  in  close  and  hot  pursuit  of  a  summer  Red- 
bird  (Tanagra  crstiva),  and  Wilson  records 
a  parallel  incident.  He  has  other  notes,  be- 
sides his  common  loud  squall,  some  of  which 
are  difficult  to  recognise.  In  the  clearing, 
the  parties  of  these  birds,  for  they  are  hardly 
numerous  enough  to  be  called  flocks,  generally 
fly  high,  and  alight  about  the  summits  of  lofty 
trees  ;  but  in  the  woods,  particularly  in  spring, 
they  as  frequently  choose  a  lower  altitude. 
They  are  wary,  and  rather  difficult  of  approach. 

"  C. — These  tall,  but  comparatively  slender 
elms,  remind  me  of  an  observation  that  struck 
me  on  my  first  entering  a  Canadian  forest  ; 
that  the  trees,  individually,  are  by  no  means 
of  that  gigantic  size  that  my  fancy  had 
pictured  them.  The  general  height  of  the 
forest  does  not  perhaps  fall  short  of  my  ex- 
pectations, but  though  the  trees  are  most  of 
them  of  good  size,  I  have  seen  none  of  those 
giants  which  one  would  look  for  in  a  primeval 
forest. 

"  JF. — I  have  made  the  same  reflection  ;  I 
have  read  of  very  enormous  trees  occasionally 
occurring  in  the  woods  of  Upper  Canada,  but 
in  this  province,  certainly,  they  do  not  gene- 
rally surpass  mediocrity.  The  largest  boles 
with  us  appear  to  be  those  of  elm,  birch,  and 
hemlock,  none  of  which  I  have  seen  that 
would  measure  more  than  five  feet  in  diameter, 
at  about  a  yard  from  the  ground.  I  have 
heard  of  large  logs  of  white  pine,  but  the 
trees  of  this  valuable  species  have  been  all 
cut  away  in  this  neighbourhood.  Possibly,  in 
other  parts  of  the  province,  the  timber  may 
grow  to  a  larger  size,  but  I  have  never  heard 
such  a  fact  hinted. 

"  C. — Whatisthe  cause  of  the  coarse  furrows 
and  corrugations  of  the  bark  in  many  trees  ? 

"  F. — Let  us  examine  the  structure  of  a 
tree  :  here  is  a  recently-cut  maple  log,  which 
will  serve  our  purpose.  "We  perceive  several 
manifest  divisions,  the  exterior  of  which  is  the 
bark  ;  this,  however,  is  not  homogeneous  in 
its  texture  ;  the  outer  part  is  called  the  rind, 
or  ejndervus ;  in  some,  as  the'birch  and  beech, 
this  is  thin  ;  in  others,  as  the  maple,  elm,  and 
basswood,  it  is  thick,  dry,  and  rough ;  in 
others,  as  the  ash  and  spruce,  it  is  scaly.  The 
inner  part  is  the  liber,  or  true  bark  ;  and  is 
the  seat  of  life  in  the  tree,  the  origin  of  the 
new  buds  ;  in  some  trees  it  i*esembles  the  rind 
in  appearance,  as  in  the  maple,  but  in  others 
is  widely  different,  and  may  be  separated,  as 
in  the  elm  and  birch.  It  appears  that  the 
bark  does  not  increase  so  rapidly  as  the  wood 
of  the  tree,  the  increasing  diameter  of  which 
forces  and  tears  apart  the  rind,  causing  these 
furrows ;  which  process  is  well  exemplified  in 
the  stringy  rind  of  the  cedar,  which  is  torn 
into  lozenge-shaped  divisions,  like  the  meshes 


120 


THE    GOOSEBERE-Y    GRUB. 


of  a  net.  In  many  trees  the  outer  layers  of 
the  rind  are  being  continually  thrown  off  by 
exposure  to  the  weather,  and  their  place  as 
constantly  supplied  by  the  outer  layers  of  the 
liber,  so  that  however  diverse  in  appearance, 
it  appears  that  the  structure  of  these  two  is 
alike.  In  the  beech,  fir,  &c.  I  conceive  the 
epidermis  is  not  thrown  off.  Beneath  the 
bark,  we  perceive  the  wood,  which  likewise 
consists  of  two  parts  ;  the  outer  is  the  albur- 
num, or  soft  wood  ;  the  interior,  the  duramen, 
or  heart-wood  ;  the  latter  is  usually  darker  in 
tint,  and  more  compact  in  texture.  These 
parts  are  composed  also  of  strata  or  layers, 
which  are  very  visible,  as  each  layer  exhibits 
two  structures,  the  inner  side  of  it  being  com- 
posed of  cellular  tissue,  the  outer  of  ducts  and 
woody  fibre ;  they  do  not  increase  in  size,  but 
a  new  one  is  formed  every  year,  between  the 
liber  and  the  albtinmm.  If  we  strip  the  liber 
from  a  tree  in  June,  we  find  that  it  readily 
separates,  and  that  a  mucilaginous  fibrous 
substance  is  deposited  between  it  and  the 
trunk,  which  appears  to  form  a  layer  of 
alburnum  on  one  side,  and  a  layer  of  liber  on 
the  other.  In  the  centre  of  the  tree  we  see  a 
ring,  or  a  section  of  a  tube,  called  the  medul- 
lary sheath,  or  corona,  whence  proceed  radi- 
ating lines  to  all  parts  of  the  circumference, 
forming,  when  the  tree  is  split,  those  shining 
satiny  bands,  so  beautiful  and  conspicuous 
in  the  maple,  beech,  and  birch.  These  are 
medullary  rays,  and  serve  to  connect  the 
medullary  sheath  with  the  leaves  ;  the  water 
taken  up  by  the  roots  passing  up  the  spiral 
vessels  and  ducts  of  the  sheath,  through  the 
rays  into  the  leaves.  Within  the  corona  is 
tlie  medulla,  or  pith,  which  is  composed  of 
cellular  tissue  slightly  compressed:  it  never 
increases  in  diameter  after  it  is  formed,  and 
therefore  its  bulk  depends  not  on  the  size  of 
the  tree,  but  in  some  measure  on  the  size  of 
the  twigs  ;  the  ash,  butternut,  elder,  &c. 
which  have  thick  large  twigs,  having  more 
pith  than  the  maple,  beech,  or  elm,  whose 
twigs  are  slender.  In  some  full  grown  trees, 
its  presence  is  indeed  scarcely  to  be  distin- 
guished, the  cells  having  been  gradually  filled 
up  by  the  juices  of  the  tree. 

"  C — Why  does  a  plant  die  if  its  bark  be 
cut  round  ? 

"  F. — Because  the  vegetative  life  resides 
in  the  liher,  and  if  this  be  divided,  as  in 
girdled  trees,  so  that  the  upper  part  has  no 
contact  with  the  lower,  no  more  buds  or  leaves 
can  be  put  forth,  these  being  produced  from 
the  inner  surface  of  the  liber.  But  if  it  be 
divided  in  part,  that  side  of  the  tree  whose 
connexion  is  unbroken  will  continue  to  flourish, 
wiiile  the  portion  immediately  above  the  sepa- 
rated bark  withers  and  dies,  as  may  be  seen 
in  a  hundred  instances  in  our  forests. 


"  C. — I  have  often  wondered  at  the  huge 
globular  excrescences  that  stand  out  from  the 
trunks  of  some  trees,  such  as  the  maple,  but 
more  especially  the  birch  ;  sometimes  as  large 
as  a  hogshead.  Do  you  know  the  cause  of 
them  ? 

"  F. — I  do  not,  accurately  ;  on  being  cut, 
they  present  the  regular  structure  of  wood, 
surrounded  by  bai'k,  but  remarkably  twisted 
and  gnarled  in  the  grain  :  in  the  centre  is 
always  some  cavity  or  defect.  I  suspect  they 
are  either  a  diseased  growth  of  the  tree,  like 
wens  in  animals,  or  the  accumulated  layers  of 
ages  around  the  base  of  some  broken  limb. 

"  But  we  have  finished  a  year  ;  the  seasons 
have  completed  their  annual  course  since  we 
commenced  our  wild  woodland  rambles  ;  many 
subjects  of  interest  have  fallen  beneath  our 
observation  ;  many  phenomena,  more  or  less 
obvious,  have  occurred  to  our  notice,  calcu- 
lated, I  trust,  to  make  us  wiser  and  better. 
If  they  have  tended  to  enlarge  our  informa- 
tion, to  increase  our  cheerfulness,  to  calm  and 
elevate  our  minds,  to  enforce  a  merciful  con- 
sideration towards  inferior  animals,  to  open 
before  us  a  wider  display  of  the  power,  wisdom, 
providence,  and  benevolence  of  Him  who  is 
essential  Love, — why,  we  have  not  wasted 
our  time.  But  we  have  seen  but  a  small 
portion  of  the  mysteries  of  nature  ;  inex- 
haustible stores  yet  remain  to  be  unlocked  ; 
interesting  and  unexpected  facts,  hidden  from 
the  unobservant,  are  continually  disclosed  to 
him  who  walks  through  the  world  with  ixw 
open  eye.  We  may  possibly  undertake  another 
course  of  investigations  similar  to  the  one  just 
concluded  ;  new  beauties  will  present  them- 
selves to  our  admiring  gaze  ;  no  season  is  so 
barren  but  that  it  possesses  charms,  either 
inherent  or  associated,  peculiar  to  itself ;  and 
every  clime  affords  ample  opportunities  for 
the  prosecution  of  these  studies.  '  Day  unto 
day  uttereth  speech,  and  night  unto  night 
showeth  knowledge  :  there  is  no  speech  nor 
language,  where  their  voice  is  not  heard.' 
These,  too,  '  .declare  the  glory  of  God,'  and 
these  '  show  forth  His  handy-work.'  This 
fact  cannot  be  too  strongly  impressed :  it 
should  never  be  forgotten  that  we  must  not 
rest  in  the  creature,  but  be  led  up  to  tlie 
Creator;  and  not  only  perceive  His  hand,  but 
fear  Him,  trust  in  Him,  and  love  Him." 


THE    GOOSEBERRY  GRUB. 

Probably  few  persons  who  have  a  garden 
of  fruit  trees,  are  entirely  ignorant  of  the  de- 
predations of  what  is  called  the  gooseberry 
caterpillar  or  grub,  although  they  may  be 
ignorant  of  the  cause  of  the  damage.  It  is 
not  unusual,  where  no  means  have  been  eni- 
ployed  to    check   their    depredations,   to    see 


THE  GOOSEBERRY  GRUB, 


121 


whole  trees  entirely  stripped  of  their  leaves, 
when  they  ought  to  be  busily  engaged  in 
elaborating  sajD  for  the  nourishment  of  the 
fruit,  and  the  healthful  extension  of  the  plant. 
Under  such  circumstances  the  trees  become 
all  but  dead,  the  shoots  of  the  current  year 
being  so  withered  up,  shrunk,  and  lithesome, 
as  to  admit  of  being  tied  together  in  knots 
without  breaking,  and  the  fruit  becoming 
shi'ivelled  and  abortive. 

An  excellent  description  of  this  "  pest  of 
the  garden  "  occurs  in  a  very  praiseworthy 
series  of  letters  on  the  Natural  History  of 
Godalming,*  which,  as  it  forms  a  good  illus- 
tration of  the  useful  and  entertaining  matter 
of  this  volume,  we  shall  here  quote,  adding 
a  few  remarks  of  our  own  : — 

"  Now  the  history  of  the  pest  is  on  this 
wise.  Unconnected  with  its  object,  that  of 
giving  birth  to  one  of  the  greatest  nuisances 
that  ever  afflicted  a  fruit  garden,  the  parent 
fly  is  a  pleasing  and  good-looking  insect, 
and  is  rather  a  favourite  with  gardeners, 
who  think  it  the  harmless  harbinger  of  the 
cloudless  skies  which  accompany  its  visit.  I 
have  often  watched  these  flies  glancing  in 
the  sunshine,  chasing  each  other  over  the 
leaves,  spreading  out  their  gauzy  and  glossy 
wings,  the  hind  wungs  projecting  from  be- 
neath the  fore  wings,  like  those  of  the  lappet- 
moth,  and  enjoying,  to  the  top  of  their  bent, 
the  genial  influence  of  that  delicious  mock 
summer  which  we  always  have  before  the 
chill  eastern  blasts  which  usher  in  the 
real  one,  and  which  are  supposed  to  bring  the 
grub  into  existence.  I  will  describe  the  fly  : 
the  wings  are  four,  perfectly  transparent,  and 
in  bright  sunshine  reflect  the  tints  of  the 
rainbow;  the  head  and  antennie  are  black;  the 
thorax  is  yellow,  with  a  large  black  spot 
above  and  below,  the  upper  spot  is  generally 
divided  into  three  ;  the  body  is  of  a  clear, 
delicate,  unspotted  yellow;  the  legs  are  yellow 
and  the  feet  black. 

"  The  life  of  the  fly  is  but  another  example 
of  implicit  obedience  to  Nature's  universal 
law,  the  heaven-descended  command,  '  In- 
crease and  multiply.' 

"  Very  shortly  after  the  due  celebration  of 
the  nuptials,  the  fepiale  repairs  to  the  under- 
side of  a  leaf,  and,  standing  directly  over  its 
midrib,  her  back  downwards,  her  wings  closely 
folded,  and  her  antenna  stretched  straight 
out  and  continually  shivering,  she  bends  her 
saw  under  her  so  as  to  give  her  body  a  curve, 
and  deposits  her  first  egg  on  the  rib  itself ; 

*  The  Letters  of  Rusdcus  on  the  ISTatural  History 
of  Gedalming.  Eeprinted.  London :  J.  Van  Voorst. 
This  volume  is  well  adapted  to  inspire  an  affection 
for  the  Naturalist's  studies,  at  which  we  find  the 
supercilious  sneer  too  often  pointed.  It  is  popular, 
with  the  accuracy  without  the  pedantry  of  science. 


then  a  second,  a  third,  and  so  on  to  the  tip  of  the 
leaf,  or  as  near  the  tip  as  she  can  find  conve- 
nient standing  room.  She  then  goes  to  one 
of  the  side  ribs,  then  to  another,  and  so  on, 
till  all  the  principal  ribs  are  garrisoned  with 
her  eggs  ranged  in  the  prettiest  rows  ;  the 
eggs  are  very  long,  and  are  placed  lengthwise, 
end  to  end,  like  oblong  beads  on  a  string,  yet 
not  touching,  for  there  is  generally  a  space  of 
about  half  an  egg's  length  between  each  two. 
The  eggs  are  very  soft,  and  of  a  half-trans- 
parent white  colour.  After  the  first  day  the 
eggs  begin  to  grow,  and  before  the  end  of  a 
week  they  have  grown  to  three  times  their 
original  size  ;  the  head  of  the  egg  is  always 
towards  the  tip  of  the  leaf,  and  is  remarkable 
for  having  two  black  eyes,  placed  very  far 
apart,  and  quite  on  the  side  ;  indeed  so  far 
asunder  are  these  eyes,  that,  like  the  behind 
buttons  on  the  coat  of  a  certain  illustrious 
coachman  immortalized  by  Dickens,  it  is  diffi- 
cult to  bring  both  into  the  same  field  of  view. 
"  It  is  seldom  more  than  a  week  before  the 
grub  makes  his  exit  from  the  egg  and  his 
entrance  into  active  life,  but  the  period  is  not 
a  constant  one,  varying  from  four  to  twelve 
days  ;  he  comes  out  head  foremost — his  head, 
by  the  way,  like  that  of  most  young  animals, 
being  of  unseemly  size  :  his  body  is  nearly 
transparent,  but  just  tinged  with  smoke 
colour,  the  eyes  so  conspicuous  in  the  egg 
still  being  very  observable,  but  as  the  head 
becomes  darker,  these  gradually  disappear. 
The  grub  is  ready  to  begin  eating  directly,  so 
crawling  down  from  the  rib  he  commences  op- 
erations on  the  fleshy  parts  of  the  leaf,  in  which 
he  gnaws  a  little  round  whole.  -  Immediately 
after  making  his  first  meal,  the  green  of  the 
leaf  communicates  its  colour  to  his  body,  and 
he  is  forthwith  a  green  instead  of  a  smoke- 
coloured  grub,  but  stiU  so  transparent  that 
the  particles  he  has  eaten  show  through  his 
skin  as  a  green  line  down  the  middle  of  his 
body,  and  it  is  this  green  hue  which  tinges  all 
the  other  parts.  The  little  grubs  descend 
from  the  rib  in  equal  numbers,  right  and  left, 
leaving  the  skins  of  the  eggs  attached  to  the 
rib,  and  looking  like  a  row  of  empty  silver 
purses.  The  depredations  are  now  visible 
above,  from  the  sudden  appearance  of  small 
round  holes  ranged  in  irregular  rows  ;  in 
each  of  these  holes  one  of  the  tiny  gluttons 
may  be  seen  clasping  the  eaten  part  of  the 
leaf  between  his  legs,  and  elevating  the  end 
of  his  body  in  the  air.  At  this  period  the 
progress  of  the  plague  may  be  arrested.  [The 
punctured  leaves  are  recommended  to  be 
pinched  off",]  If  you  have  not  time  to  look 
for  these  leaves  yourself,  get  some  children  to 
do  it;  they  will  soon  take  an  interest  in  the  oc- 
cupation, particularly  if  backed  by  a  few  cop- 
pers.     I  would  also  recommend  young  ladies 


122 


THE  GOOSEBERRY  GRUB. 


to  look  after  sucli  leaves,  and  pick  them  into 
a  hand  basket.  If  you  neglect  the  trees  at 
this  critical  time,  each  infested  leaf  v/ill  be 
quickly  stripped  of  all  its  green,  the  ribs 
alone  remaining  :  the  grubs  then  descend 
its  foot-stalk,  and,  wandering  in  different 
directions,  each  finds  a  leaf  for  himself,  and 
the  work  of  devastation  begins  in  earnest. 

"  The  grub  is  known  to  every  gardener, 
indeed  so  well  known  that  you  may  perhaps 
consider  it  a  waste  of  time  and  paper  to  de- 
scribe it ;  yet  some  of  your  readers  may  be 
glad  of  a  description,  so  here  it  is.  There  is 
a  great  difference  between  the  grubs  of  saw- 
flies — (the  gooseberry  grub  is  that  of  a  saw- 
fly) — and  the  caterpillar  of  moths,  which  your 
thorough-paced  entomologists  don't  seem  to 
have  noticed.  The  caterpillars  of  moths  and 
butterflies  have  six  legs,  and  ten,  six,  or  four 
holders,  two  of  which  are  quite  at  theendof  the 
body,  and  are  very  powerful  prehensile  organs, 
excepting — and  the  exception  establishes  the 
rule — in  the  caterpillars  of  puss-moths  and 
their  allies,  in  which  the  hinder  extremity  is 
without  these  organs,  and  often  elevated  in  a 
most  remarkable  manner.  In  all  the  grubs 
of  saw-flies  that  I  have  "seen,  the  tail,  or  last 
segment  of  the  body,  is  either  without  holders, 
or  the  grub  does  not  use  them,  but  just  curls 
its  tail  on  one  side,  and  uses  it  after  the  fashion 
of  a  finger,  to  steady  its  hold  on  the  leaf,  or 
else  sticks  it  up  in  the  air,  and  even  then  the 
extreme  end  is  curled  round,  though  holding 
nothing.  The  legs  are  longer  than  those  of 
•real  caterpillars,  and  have  more  joints.  The 
gooseberry  grub  has  six  legs,  (and  in  this  all 
insects  that  have  any  legs  at  all  seem  to  agree,) 
and  twelve  holders,  besides  the  curled  tail  :  it 
always  stands  on  the  edge  of  the  leaf,  gener- 
ally on  the  part  where  it  has  just  been  eating: 
the  fore  legs  are  held  away  from  the  leaf,  and 
move  with  each  movement  of  the  head  in 
gnawing,  as  the  grub  takes  mouthful  after 
mouthful.  It  is  amusing  to  watch  one  of 
these  fellows  feeding;  he  stretches  his  mouth 
to  the  furthest  point  he  can  possibly  reach, 
and  then  takes  mouthfuls  by  a  series  of  jerks, 
till  he  has  brought  his  mouth  nearly  in  con- 
tact with  his  middle  pair  of  legs;  he  then 
moves  it  slowly  back  again,  and  seems  to  lick 
or  plane  the  fresh  gnawed  edge,  till  he  gets 
his  neck  stretched  to  its  fullest  reach,  and  he 
then  brings  it  up  by  jerking  out  mouthfuls  as 
before.  The  middle  and  hind  legs,  as  well  as 
the  holders,  grasp  the  leaf  very  tight  during 
the  operation  of  gnawing,  which  is  almost  in- 
cessant. The  head  of  the  grub  is  now  quite 
black,  and  its  eyes  are  no  longer -to  be  seen  ; 
the  colour  of  the  body  is  a  dull  bluish  green, 
with  a  yellowish  space  just  behind  the  head, 
and  another  just  before  the  tail ;  it  is  indis- 
tinctly divided  into  twelve  rings,  and  each 


ring  has  anumber  of  warts;  these  warts,  upon 
all  the  rings  except  the  first,  second,  third, 
and  twelfth,  are  ranged  in  three  indistinct 
transverse  rows,  and  on  each  side  of  each  ring 
is  one  larger  and  more  conspicuous  wart  ; 
from  each  wart  rises  a  strong,  upright,  black 
bristle,  and  there  are  several  of  these  bristles 
on  the  head  itself ;  the  last  ring  has  a  black 
plate,  ending  behind  in  two  short  rather 
hooked  points. 

"  When  about  half  an  inch  in  length,  the 
grub  leaves  off  eating  ;  a  very  remarkable 
event,  for  its  appetite  is  not  intermittent,  like 
that  of  almost  all  other  created  beings,  but  a 
continued  gnawing,  craving,  never-ceasing, 
all-consuming  propensity.  The  black  head 
separates  from  the  neck  and  splits  down  the 
middle,  and  the  skin  of  the  neck  also  splits, 
thus  together  making  an  opening  large  enough 
to  let  the  grub  poke  out  his  new  head,  which 
feat  he  forthwith  performs,  and  gazes  about 
him,  moving  his  head  slowly  and  majestically 
from  side  to  side,  as  though  he  were  just 
landed  in  a  new  world,  though  a  world  totally 
unworthy  any  expression  of  wonder  or  ap- 
proval :  after  the  head  comes  the  body,  which 
is  wriggled  through  the  opening  by  tedious, 
laborious,  and  seemingly  painful  struggles. 
"When  the  skin  is  completely  cast,  the  grub 
has  none  of  the  black  spots  which  before  dis- 
tinguished it ;  the  warts  and  black  hairs  are 
present,  but  the  warts  are  colourless  :  the 
head  is  clear  as  glass,  and  the  two  black  eyes, 
so  conspicuous  in  the  egg  and  newly-hatched 
grub,  are  again  visible.  In  about  tw^enty 
minutes  the  black  spots  begin  to  appear,  and 
in  about  four  hours  become  as  distinct  and 
the  head  as  black  as  before  the  moull.  When 
the  grub  has  regained  its  colour,  it  again 
begins  to  eat,  and  eats  away  night  and  day 
without  stopping,  for  four  or  five  days  more. 
It  then  sickens  again  for  its  last  moult,  and 
this  is  performed  in  the  same  way  as  the  first: 
but  this  time  the  spots,  warts,  and  bristles  are 
cast  with  the  skin,  and  appear  no  more.  The 
grub  is  now  of  a  pale  delicate  green  colour, 
except  the  yellow  patch  near  each  end,  which 
it  still  retains.  It  has  now  done  with  eating: 
when  hard  enough  and  strong  enough  after 
the  last  moult,  it  marches  to  the  stem  of  the 
bush,  and  quietly  descends  till  it  reaches  the 
earth.  Sometimes  it  crawls  along  a  hanging 
branch,  and  drops  from  the  extremity. 

"  The  object  of  gaining  the  earth  is  to  bur- 
row beneath  its  surface;  and  as  soon  as  the  grub 
once  feels  the  soil,  he  begins  forcing  his  way  into 
it  head  foremost,  after  the  fashion  of  a  mole. 
When  he  is  deep  enough  to  answer  his  pur- 
pose— the  depth  varying,  by  the  way,  from 
two  to  eight  inches,  according  to  the  hardness 
or  lightness  of  the  soil — he  makes  a  little  ob- 
long cell  in  the  earth,  and  therein  spins  or 


THE    GOOSEBERRY    GRUB. 


123 


constructs  a  tough  black  cocoon,  attached  all 
round  to  the  walls  of  the  cells :  although  I 
say  spins,  the  material  he  uses  is  not  silk  or 
thread,  but  something  between  silk  and  glue, 
or  what  we  might  suppose  to  arise  from  the 
hardening  of  fluid  silk,  an  illustration  rather 
of  the  uncouthest,  but  for  want  of  a  better  it 
must  go.  In  this  cocoon  or  case  he  disposes 
himself  to  await  the  change  to  a  chrysalis, 
and  soon  after  to  a  fly. 

"  The  time  occupied  in  this  round  of  ex- 
istence is  very  variable  :  many  of  the  eggs  laid 
in  May,  before  the  middle  of  the  month  produce 
grubs  that  go  through  every  change  and  are 
on  the  wing  by  the  24th  of  June :  and  eggs 
laid  about  that  day,  will  go  through  their 
changes  as  far  as  the  cocoon  by  the  10th  of 
July,  or  loth  at  the  latest :  the  first  brood 
thus  taking  about  twenty-eight  days,  and  the 
second  generally  remaining  under  ground  till 
the  next  spring.  It  is  not,  however,  clear 
that  in  all  instances  this  insect  has  two  broods: 
on  the  contrary,  I  am  nearly  certain  that 
many  of  the  late  hatches  never  reproduce 
during  the  year,  but  the  time  of  their  first 
appearance  is  so  variable,  that  a  constant  suc- 
cession is  kept,  the  eax^liest  having  reproduced 
before  the  later  hatches  are  gone  down. 

"  In  my  war  on  blight  I  always  weigh  well 
the  remedies  :  many  a  tree  has  been  killed  to 
get  rid  of  its  blight  ;  this  plan  is  efiicient  but 
impolitic,   energetic  but  unwise  :    some  will 
whitewash  a  gooseberry-bush,  the    effect    of 
which  is  cheerful  and  pleasing  to  the  eye,  but 
rather  injurious  to  the  leaves,  moreover  gives 
a  very  unpleasant  flavour  and  grittiness  to  the 
berries ;    some   will    water  the  bushes  with 
strong  brine,  thereby  greatly  annoying  the 
grub  by  killing  the  leaves  ;  quick  lime  has  a 
very   similar   effect.     It  strikes  me  that   no 
nostrum  will  ever  be  found  that  shall  be  per- 
fectly efiicient  as  regards  the  grub  and  harm- 
less as  regards  the  tree  ;  it  would  therefore 
be  my  plan  to  attempt  to  lessen  an  evil  that 
is  not  tO'  be  cured.     I  have  already  mentioned 
the  good  effects  of  smoke ;  the  picking  of  the 
pei'forated  leaves  I  have   also  recommended. 
Another  benefit  will  arise  from  treading  the 
ground   very   hard  about    the    roots    of  the 
bushes.     An  observant  gardener  cannot  fail 
to  notice  that  when  gooseberry-bushes  stand 
singly  at  the  end  of  patches  of  potatoes,  peas, 
or  beans,  they  are  sure  to  be  more  infested 
than  when  in  a  close  bed  :  the  reason  for  this 
seems  to  me  that  the  soil  for  all  our  culinaries 
is  made  as  light  as  possible ;  this  is  effected 
by  constant  digging,  hoeing,  or  raking:  in  a 
bed  filled  with  gooseberry-bushes,  on  the  con- 
trary, there  is  but  little  moving  of  the  earth 
going  on,  and  it  gets  trodden  hard  when  the 
gooseberries  are  ripening,  and  commonly  re- 
mains so  through  the  year.     This  hardening 


of  the  soil  prevents  the  grubs  from  burrowing 
when  they  come  down  from  the  bushes,  so 
they  go  wandering  about  and  become  a  prey 
to  the  hedge-sparrow,  house-sparrow,  white- 
throats,  robins,  and  obese  toads  that  are 
always  on  the  look  out  for  them ;  it  also  pre- 
vents so  feeble  an  insect  as  the  fly  from  ibrc- 
ing  its  way  upwards  from  the  ceil  in  which  it 
has  changed  ;  thus  those  on  the  surface  and 
those  under  the  surface  are  alike  assailed  by 
the  simple  expedient  of  hardening  the  soil. 
Various  remedies  have  been  adopted  to 
arrest  the  ravages  of  the  voracious  grub. 
One  of  these,  which  has  been  more  or  less 
successful,  is  to  dust  over  the  affected  trees 
with  the  pow^der  of  white  hellebore,  which 
should  be  done  when  they  are  dewy,  so  that 
the  powder  may  adhere  to  the  leaves.  This, 
however,  sometimes  fails,  according  to  state- 
ments made  public  ;  probably,  in  consequence 
of  the  use  of  inert  hellebore,  for  there  is  good 
evidence  of  its  efficacy  in  other  cases. 

A  simple,  but  we  beUeve  effectual  plan,  con- 
sists in  dressing  the  trees  on  which  the  cater- 
pillars have  established  themselves,  with  sharp, 
gritty  road  dust,  in  a  perfectly  dry  state  ;  this 
should  be  thrown  sharply  against  the  trees, 
and  is  also  to  be  applied  when  the  trees  them- 
selves are  damp  with  dew.  It  must  be  evi- 
dent that  these  two  applications  will  be  most 
effectual  in  dry  weatlaer,  for  rain  would  dis- 
lodge the  materials  employed.  Contact  with 
the  insect  would  also  seem  to  be  essential. 

A  still  more  effectual  remedy,  however,  is 
the  following  : — About  the  end  of  March,  or 
beginning  of  April,  in  dry  weather,  remove 
the  surface  soil  from  beneath  the  gooseberry 
bushes,  to  the  depth  of  two  full  inches,  and  as 
wide  as  the  spread  of  the  branches.  Replace 
this  with  fresh,  or  maiden  soil,  which  should 
be  well  consolidated.  When  the  trees  come 
into  leaf,  spread  over  the  fresh  soil  a  slight 
covering  of  soot  mixed  with  quick  lime.  This 
remedy  cannot  fail,  if  carefully  applied,  be- 
cause it  is  planned  in  reference  to  the  habits  of 
the  insect  which  does  the  injury.  The  grubs 
bury  themselves  in  the  soil  about  the  roots 
of  the  trees,  and  these  change  to  chrysalids. 
With  the  warmth  of  spring  they  go  through 
their  other  mutations,  and  the  flies  then  de- 
posit their  eggs  on  the  trees.  The  eggs  soon 
produce  young  grubs,  which  feed  voraciously 
until  they  become  full  grown,  when  they  re- 
tire into  the  soil,  and  undergo  their  changes. 
It  may  be  projier  to  explain  that  goose- 
berry trees  are  attacked  by  at  least  two  dis- 
tinct kinds  of  insects,  one  a  species  of  Saw- 
fly,  Nematus  irimacidatus,  or,  as  it  is  some- 
times called,  Tenthredo  grossulariae,  to  which 
the  preceding  quotation  applies  ;  the  other 
a  kind  of  Moth,  the  Phalcena  grossularlata, 
sometimes  called  the  Magpie-moth. 


124 


GARDENING  AND  FARMING  FOR  COLONISTS  AND  EMIGRANTS. 


THE  CHOICE  OF  A  FARM. 

As  many  persons  will  emigrate  without 
securing  a  grant  of  land,  and  risk  pleasing 
themselves  when  thej  arrive  out,  by  renting 
or  buying  on  the  spot,  we  have  first  to  con- 
sider what  is  the  best  general  rule  for  the 
choice  of  a  site,  because  the  emigrant  had 
better  by  far  pay  double  rent  or  double  pur- 
chase money  for  a  plot  well  placed,  than  have 
a  bad  one  for  nothing. 

There  are  some  points  very  essential — first, 
proximity  to  a  public  road,  or  the  means  of 
forming  a  road  easily  ;  secondly,  a  supply  of 
water,  or  the  means  of  procuring  it  ;  thirdly, 
contiguity  as  near  as  may  be  to  a  populous 
place  or  a  market,  for  on  the  facilities  for 
disposal  of  produce  does  every  thing  turn. 
In  vain  would  it  be  to  have  the  most  noble 
farm  without  a  decent  road  to  get  at  it  at 
all  seasons ;  worthless  too  would  be  the  most 
promising  spot  on  the  face  of  the  globe,  were 
there  not  water  in  abundance  at  all  seasons, 
for  man  and  beast  would  alike  suffer  from  a 
scarcity  of  that  fluid,  and  no  profit  could  com- 
pensate for  the  risk  of  losing  stock  in  the  ab- 
sence of  water.  A  fourth  consideration  is  to 
be  near  a  navigable  river ;  for  water  car- 
riage is  much  less  expensive  than  carriage 
over  the  best  of  roads.  A  fifth  consideration 
should  be,  tolerably  level  ground  for  a  good 
.  portion  of  the  farm.  The  pasturage  may  be 
hill  and  dale,  because  for  grazing  it  is  imma- 
terial, so  that  it  be  fertile. 

It  may  be  said  that  there  is  no  temptation 
to  emigrate  without  a  grant  of  land,  but  this 
is  a  mistake  ;  a  rental  in  any  of  the  colonies 
is  cheaper  in  proportion  than  any  thing  else  ; 
and  it  arises  from  a  practice  pretty  general 
with  early  colonists  :  they  obtain  large  grants 
for  the  sake  of  being  landed  proprietors,  and 
intend  letting  from  the  first.  The  rent  of 
farms  varies  of  course  according  to  the  facili- 
ties with  which  produce  can  be  got  rid  of 
as  well  as  got  sold  off,  and  the  local  advantage 
belonging  to  it.  Many,  who  never  intend 
occupying  or  cultivating  the  laud  granted  to 
them,  and  who  probably  never  saw  it,  are 
glad  of  tenants  at  a  very  moderate  rent ;  and 
certain  it  is  that  some  land  would  be  more 
profitable  to  rent  at  five  shillings  per  annum 
per  acre,  than  the  freehold  of  some  other 
portions  would  be  at  a  pound.  In  most  cases 
proximity  to  a  river  is  tolerable  security  for 
the  fertility  of  the  land.  Avoid,  if  possible 
land  which  lies  too  low,  and  is  naturally 
swampy.  Nothing  requires  more  labour 
than  to  make  any  quantity  of  swamp  avail- 
able for  anything  ;  a  moderate  portion  may 


be  appropriated,  when  all  other  features  of 
"the  ground  are  promising  ;  and  indeed,  to  be 
near,  and  especially  on  the  banks  of,  a  river, 
is  almost  sure  to  involve  the  disadvantage  of 
some  wet,  sloppy,  and  useless  portion.  The 
treatment  of  land  under  such  disadvantages 
will  be  noticed  in  the  proper  place  ;  but  we 
strongly  recommend  that  no  sacrifice  be  made 
before  starting,  for  the  purpose  of  obtaining  that 
which  may  not  be  approved  when  seen  on 
the  spot.  If  a  grant  of  land  can  be  had  easy, 
and  at  very  little  cost,  it  may  be  worth  having; 
but  if  the  capital  be  small,  it  would  be  inju- 
dicious to  part  with  any  portion  for  the  sake 
of  being  landlord  of  uncultivated  tracts,  which 
may  be  of  no  earthly  use,  and  which  may 
remain  so  for  many  years,  until  the  popula- 
tion spreads  towards  it.  It  is  well  to  look 
out  for  land  immediately  on  arrival,  and  to 
keep  in  view  the  advantages  we  have  men- 
tioned in  the  search  after  a  farm.  There 
are  plenty  to  let,  at  not  unreasonable  rentd, 
to  good  tenants  ;  many  already  cleared  and 
in  good  order  ;  and  we  have  given  some  few 
hints  about  the  choice.  It  is  better  to  turn 
labourer  for  other  colonists,  and  be  looking  out 
while  you  are  paid  for  labouring,  than  to  begin 
farming  on  unprofitable  land. 

In  all  cases,  the  expense  of  travelling  must 
be  taken  into  consideration,  when  the  value  of 
a  farm,  or  the  amount  of  rental  are  estimated, 
because  this  expense  forms  a  reason  why  they 
should  be  lower.  The  land,  sooner  or  later, 
suffers  all  the  tax  of  travelling  ;  for  the  rental 
has  to  be  lowered  in  proportion  to  a  disad- 
vantage of  that  kind.  If  a  farm  of  a  hun- 
bred  pounds  per  annum  were  on  this  side  of  a 
sixpenny  toll-gate,  and  a  similar  farm  in  every 
respect  were  on  the  other,  and  the  produce 
could  only  be  brought  to  market  through  the 
toll-gate,  the  farm  taxed  with  the  toll  would 
bear  a  lower  rent.  The  vexatious  incubus 
of  tithes  in  England,  much  as  tenant-farmers 
clamour  against  it,  falls  entirely  on  the  land- 
lord in  like  manner  ;  for  the  tenant  is  in  pre- 
cisely the  same  situation  in  both  cases.  Of  two 
farms,  in  every  respect  of  the  same  value,  but 
one  tithe- free  and  the  other  not  so,  one 
tenant  pays  80/.  per  annum  to  the  landlord, 
and  201.  for  tithe  ;  the  other  pays  100/. 
per  annum  to  the  landlord,  because  the  farm 
is  tithe  free  ;  the  difference  in  rent  in  all 
these  cases  being  the  amount  paid  in  tithe, 
so  that  although  the  tenant  really  pays  tithe, 
it  is  with  the  landlord's  money.  It  is  no- 
torious that  a  tithe-free  farm  bears  always  a 
higher  rent  by  all  that  the  tithe  would 
amount  to.     Just  so  with  farms  in  colonies; 


FOR    COLONISTS    AND    EMIGRANTS. 


12,' 


whatever  disadvantagos  tliere  are  in  the  lo- 
cality of  a  farm,  lowers  the  rent.  The  more 
circumscribed  a  man's  capital  is,  the  more 
reason  he  has  to  be  careful  that  he  be  not  led 
away  by  the  comparatively  low  rent  of  a  dis- 
tant farm. 

A  tolerable  road  is  a  treasure.  The  means 
of  transmitting  things  to  market  cheaply  can 
hardly  be  too  highly  estimated.  Water  in 
abundance  is  a  necessary  which  no  farmer 
sliould  overlook  ;  for  a  season  of  drought 
would  otherwise  blast  all  his  hopes  and  ruin 
all  his  stock  ;  therefore  look  well  at  the  ad- 
vantages and  disadvantages  of  a  place  before 
you  enter  upon  your  proposed  permanent 
home. 

Take  a  place,  if  possible,  with  the  privilege 
of  buying  it  within  a  given  time,  at  a  given 
price  ;  and  plenty  of  eligible  plots  will  be 
ibund  in  most  o;'  the  British  colonies,  to  be 
had  on  reasonable  terms ;  but  nothing  should 
be,  and  nothing  need  be,  done  in  a  hurry. 
If  a  man  be  at  all  capable  of  managing  for 
himself,  his  services  are  just  such  as  plenty 
of  others  require,  and  he  need  not  be  idle  ; 
v/hereas,  if  a  fear  of  trenching  upon  his  little 
capital  induce  him  to  make  a  hasty  choice, 
he  may  repent  it  ever  after.  Too  much  caution 
cannot  be  used.  A  man  must  consider  well 
all  we  have  said  of  the  advantages  and  disad- 
vantages of  different  localities  ;  and  he  has 
this  in  his  favour,  in  choosing  a  farm  already 
in  cultivation, — the  quality  of  the  soil  is 
known  ;  there  is  no  lottery  about  it,  nothing 
uncertain.  All  he  has  to  do  is  to  make 
himself  master  of  facts  which  are  known  to 
others  : — the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  pro- 
duce ;  the  price  of  everything  in  the  locality, 
such  as  labour,  carriage,  and  all  sorts  of  food  ; 
the  distance  of  markets  ;  cost  of  tillage  ;  and 
various  other  matters  bearing  upon  the  real 
value  of  the  plot  of  ground.  He  has  also  to 
consider  the  value  of  any  building  already 
erected,  for  he  has  so  much  the  less  to  lay 
out.  He  must  not  lose  sight  of  the  many 
costs  he  escapes — such  as  the  expense  of 
grubbing  up  a  wood,  or  making  roads,  or 
fencing,  and  all  the  other  subjects  which  are 
done  to  his  hand.  Nevertheless,  as  he  may 
prefer  a  grant  at  a  venture,  and  we  are  to 
assist  him  on  a  strange  uncleared  tract  of 
land,  we  will  proceed  with  our  best  instruc- 
tions under  the  circumstances. 

TAKING   POSSESSION    AND    SURVEYING. 

As  you  will  find  no  building  on  your 
newly  acquired  land,  and  have  to  shelter 
yourself  against  wind  and  weather,  your  first 
object  must  be  to  select  a  place  for  your  cot- 
tage. In  doing  so  you  have  several  material 
points  to  look  to  : — first,  it  should  be  neither 
the  highest  nor  the  lowest  part.     Secondly,  it 


should  be  a  spot  whence  roads  may  easily  be 
made  to  other  parts  of  the  estate,  and  also  to 
the  main  road,  or  rather  way  (for  there  may 
be  no  road),  from  the  estate  to  the  nearest  vil- 
lage or  town,  however  distant  that  may  be. 
Thirdly,  it  should  be  near  a  spring,  if  there 
be  one  on  the  premises,  or  in  such  a  situation 
that  the  water  may  be  readily  conveyed  by 
means  of  an  open  gutter,  or  pipes,  or  other 
contrivance.  Fourthly,  it  should  not  be  sur- 
rounded with  wood  and  thicket,  but  be  in  a 
spot  open  on  one  side,  or  so  that,  by  clearing 
the  wood  away,  it  may  be  rendered  so  :  if  a 
hot  climate,  let  the  opening  be  on  the  east,  or 
north-east ;  if  a  cold  climate,  let  the  open 
plain  be  on  the  south,  or  south-west.  Fifthly, 
the  nearer  a  wood,  or  woody  shelter,  the  better, 
and  regard  should  be  had  to  its  proximity 
to  fine  trees,  which  by  clearing  others  away 
might  be  made  ornamental.  Sixthly,  if  there 
happen  to  be  a  river  running  through  or  by 
any  part  of  the  land,  keep  as  near  it  as  the 
nature  of  the  ground  will  admit  with  safety, 
due  regard  being  had  to  the  possible  flooding 
during  heavy  rains.  This  may  be  seen  in  any 
season,  for  even  if  the  water  be  low  when  you 
survey,  the  banks  or  ti'ees  will  show  how  high 
the  water  rises  ;  and  if  the  land  on  each  side 
be  very  flat,  so  that  in  floods  the  water  will 
occasionally  cover  it,  keep  further  off  and  on 
higher  ground  ;  still  go  as  near  as  appears 
quite  safe.  Nobody  who  is  a  stranger  to  the 
visitation  of  a  drought,  can  form  the  slightest 
notion  of  the  inestimable  value  of  water. 
Look  therefore  thoughtfully  around  your  pre- 
mises before  you  do  anything.  Pitch  your 
tent  gipsy-like,  in  the  most  sheltered  place 
for  the  night  ;  if  there  is  any  danger  of  wild 
beasts  or  reptiles,  light  a  fire  all  round,  and 
let  one  of  the  party  watch  while  the  remainder 
sleep  ;  but  no  time  should  be  lost  until  you 
have  surveyed  every  acre  of  your  allotment, 
which,  that  we  may  dii-ect  under  the  worst 
circumstances,  we  will  suppose  to  be  up  the 
country,  far  away  from  any  other  farm  or 
plot  of  land  in  occupation, —  because  between 
yours  and  the  nearest  farm  there  may  be 
half-a-dozen  large  unoccupied  grants  of  land. 
If  you  have  temporary  housing,  such  as 
a  gypsy's  tent,  or  anything  better,  and  jou 
are  in  the  fine  weather  season,  do  not  be  in 
a  hurry  to  settle  the  spot  for  your  house. 
Pitch  your  tent  on  the  best  spot  you  can  find, 
and  try  a  few  days  if  you  can  improve  it. 
Meanwhile,  set  the  labourers  you  have  at 
grubbing  up  such  portions  of  wood  as  you  in- 
tend to  clear,  sparing,  as  you  proceed,  any 
particularly  hand«cnTe  trees.  If  there  be  any 
clear  place,  set  other  labourers  digging  and 
trenching  it  for  crops,  which  you  will  sow 
if  there  be  enough  of  the  fine  vveather  season 
left  to  perfect  the  produce,  whether  it  be  corn, 


126 


GARDENING    AMU    FARMING 


potatoes,  peas,  beans,  cabbages,  turnips,  car- 
rots, or  a  little  of  each  of  them;  because  you 
will  find  vegetation  much  more  rapid  in  most 
of  our  colonies  than  it  ever  is  in  England. 
Let  this  sort  of  make-shift  way  of  living,  and 
the  purchase  of  a  cow,  a  pig,  a  few  geese,  tur- 
keys, and  common  fowls,  with  an  ox  or  two 
for  draught,  be  all  you  attempt  until  settled 
dowm  into  some  sort  of  house.  There  are 
fifty  contrivances  for  keeping  these  fev/  things 
secure  ;  and  with  milk,  eggs,  and  a  barrel  of 
flour,  you  cannot  starve.  When  you  have  de- 
termined where  your  house  shall  be,  you  may 
begin  to  fell  some  of  the  nearest  timber  to 
build  it  with  ;  and  close  to  where  you  begin 
throwing  the  timber,  set  men  to  dig  a  saw- 
pit,  so  that  the  sticks  of  timber  may  be 
squared,  rolled  to  the  pit,  which  must  be 
secured  at  the  edges  by  timber  at  the  sides 
and  ends,  and  these  sawed  into  proper  pieces 
for  building ;  which  pieces  can  be  carried  away 
and  prepared  without  the  least  difficulty, 
while  the  sticks  of  timber  in  their  unwieldy 
state  have  only  to  be  rolled  to  the  pit. 

These  are  some  of  the  things  to  be  done  on 
taking  possession  ;  it  is  the  best  way  to  make 
use  of  the  first  few  d'ays,  while  you  are,  in 
fact,  making  up  your  mind  as  to  which  is  the 
best  place  for  your  house,  and  becoming  fami- 
liar with  the  estate,  and  all  its  principal 
features  ;  for  it  consists  in  putting  to  work  the 
ground  most  easily  got  ready,  so  that  some- 
thing like  vegetation  shall  go  on  ;  obtaining 
stock  enough  alive  and  dead  to  keep  you 
from  starving  ;  strength  enough  to  move 
your  timber  the  little  w^ay  it  has  to  be  moved, 
and  for  ploughing;  and  to  enable  you  to  survey 
your  estate  at  leisure,  so  that  you  may  make 
the  important,  the  all-important  selection  of 
the  best  place  for  your  homestead. 

But,  suppose  the  selected  spot  be  away  from 
all  kinds  of  river,  stream,  or  water.  The 
very  first  job  must  be  the  digging  of  a  well, 
or  substitute  for  a  well,  and  this  must  be  at 
the  lowest,  or  wettest  part  of  the  land  ;  we 
say  lowest  or  wettest,  because  the  latter  is 
frequently  found  on  the  side  of  a  hill.  Here 
then  you  must  set  to  dig.  If  there  be  any 
chance  of  getting  water  at  a  moderate  depth, 
make  an  excavation  to  answer  as  a  pond.  If 
there  is  great  depth  required,  it  must  be  a 
well.  But  in  general,  it  is  of  the  greatest 
service  to  sink  a  hollow  in  the  lowest  part 
of  the  ground,  that  the  rain  may  be  collected, 
even  if  there  be  no  land  springs.  Or  if 
there  be  no  l)orers  for  water  in  the  colony, 
it  is  a  pity  but  some  one  in  that  line  were 
to  speculate,  and  go  out  wdth*  the  proper 
apparatus  ;  for  there  are  many  farms,  espe- 
cially in  Australia,  tliat  would  be  trebled  in 
value  if  a  successful  boring  could  be  made 
there  to  bring  the  water  to  the,  surface.     But 


we  are  to  provide  against  the  worst  by  doing 
all  we  can ;  therefore  take  your  choice.  At 
all  events,  catch  every  drop  of  rain  water 
when  it  comes,  and  let  it  be  conveyed  to  the 
lowest  part  of  the  land,  to  make  a  pond  for 
the  cattle,  when  all  you  can  hold  for  domestic 
purposes  is  secured.  It  may  be,  however,  that 
the  ground  is  porous,  and  requires  some  arti- 
ficial means  to  keep  the  water  from  soaking 
away.  This,  however,  will  be  treated  of  in 
its  place  ;  we  mention  the  matter  here  be- 
cause all  these  things  must  be  thought  of  in 
fixing  the  locality  of  the  house,  and  dividing 
the  land  into  pasture  and  arable,  wood  and 
plain,  and  also  in  deciding  upon  the  part 
intended  to  be  made  into  road.  We  cannot 
anticipate  the  kind  of  tract  of  land  you  may 
find,  but  you  must  be  prepared  for  the  worst. 
The  colonies  afford  every  climate — cold  in 
Canada,  heat  in  Australia,  and  all  the  inter- 
mediate states  in  New  Zealand,  the  Cape  of 
Good  Hope,  Van  Diemen's  Land,  and  other 
places.  You  must  be  provided,  according  to 
the  spot  you  are  going  to,  against  the  con- 
tingencies of  the  weather  ;  but  there  is  no 
climate  or  colony  in  which  you  may  not  per- 
chance meet  with  all  the  evils  we  have  men- 
tioned— want  of  water  especially,  because  early 
settlers  have  naturally  seized  upon  the  best 
plots  ;  and  the  longer  people  delay  going  out, 
the  further  up  the  country  they  must  go,  and 
the  more  likely  they  are  to  find  drawbacks 
of  some  kind  among  the  rejected  tracts  that 
are  within  a  reasonable  distance  of  the  ports. 
We  cannot  therefore  too  strongly  urge  the 
necessity  of  looking  to  water.  If  you  happen 
to  be  there  in  a  rainy  season,  and  water  seems 
to  be  abundant,  be  not  the  less  careful  to  pro- 
vide for  a  scarcity,  watching  the  places  at 
which  the  water  accumulates,  and  at  these 
places  excavating  and  forming  ponds  deep 
enough  to  retain  every  drop  that  comes,  for 
it  is  of  vital  consequence  ;  there  is  no  pri- 
vation, no  evil  that  can  fall  to  your  lot,  that  will 
be  felt  so  deeply  as  distress  for  water — the 
seeing  of  the  poor  cattle  and  the  sheep  suf- 
fering from  thirst,  and  feeling  yourself  that 
you  have  not  half  as  much  as  you  could  drink, 
and  that  what  you  have  is  bad. 

There  ai'e  many  other  considerations  neces- 
sary on  taking  possession,  before  you  finally 
make  up  your  mind  as  to  the  situation  of  your 
house,  barn,  outhouses,  pig-styes,  stables,  and 
such  like  buildings,  but  we  have  mentioned 
the  chief.  All  you  have  to  do  is  to  attend 
strictly  to  our  advice,  nor  for  an  instant  fancy 
any  part  of  it  as  of  secondary  importance  ; 
we  have  left  all  secondary  things  untouched. 
The  principal  objects  must  be  the  choice  of  a 
good  site  for  the  house  ;  sheltered  by  wood, 
not  too  high  nor  too  low,  convenient  for  w^ater 
if  there  be  any,  adjoining  the  track  or  road, 


FOR    COLONISTS    AND    EMIGRANTS. 


127 


so  that  it  may  be  well  approached  ;  or  if  not 
provided  with  the  road  or  water,  design  the 
road  and  find  the  water  before  you  decide 
upon  the  spot.  Then  if  it  be  the  proper 
season,  dig,  trench,  or  plough  any  favourable 
spot  for  the  cultivation  of  a  few  vegetables 
and  some  grain,  and  sow  as  soon  as  possible, 
because  these  things  will  grow  while  you  are 
otherwise  employed. 

PKOVIDING    A    SUPPLY    OF    WATER. 

It  is  already  shown,  that  unless  this  be  pro- 
vided by  some  efficient  means,  there  is  no 
security  against  drought ;  and  settlers  in  dis- 
tricts where  there  were  no  natural  springs,  and 
this  important  necessai'y  has  been  neglected, 
have  been  forced  to  travel  far  and  wide  with 
their  herds  and  flocks  in  search  of  it,  and 
often  in  vain  ;  on  failing,  they  have  lost  many 
of  their  stock,  and  been  half  or  quite  ruined. 
It  is  not  enough  to  dig  a  hollow  here  and 
there  to  collect  the  rain,  which  while  it  is 
abundant  will  fill  every  place  that  will  con- 
tain it ;  because  a  long  hot  season  will  dry  up 
all  ordinary  ponds  and  contrivances.  The 
best  way  is  to  find  the  places  or  little  pools 
that  the  rain  usually  fills,  and  that  may  be  wet 
or  damp  even  in  summer,  and  set  to  work  at 
excavating  for  a  considerable  depth.  The 
best  form  for  an  open  reservoir  where  there 
are  cattle,  is  to  keep  the  ends  and  sides  suffi- 
ciently sloping  to  prevent  the  earth  falling  in, 
and  the  bottom  of  such  gradual  slope  that, 
vphatever  quantity  of  water  there  may  be,  it 


can  be  got  at.  The  plan  of  the  sides,  ends,  and 
bottom,  would  not  be  much  unlike  a  barrow  a 
little  tilted.    The  bottom  ,  > 

and  end  like  the  above,    \  / 

and   the    sides    thus  :- —     "^  / 

this  will  cause  considerable  labour,  but  is 
more  effective  when  done  ;  and  if  a  place  is 
selected  where  the  w^ater  already  lies  or  has 
lain  in,  the  soil  will  nearly  if  not  quite  always 
be  found  to  be  stiff  and  capable  of  retaining 
it.  The  advantage  of  such  form  is,  that  the 
cattle  can  get  along  the  slope  to  the  w^ater, 
whether  there  be  much  or  little.     This  is  a 


(age,  where  for  cattle  it  would  be  useless.  As 
a  general  rule,  you  should  examine  all  the  por- 
tions of  the  estate,  and  mark  well  where  there  is 
any  water  standing,  or  Avhere  there  has  been 
any.  This  will  not  always  be  at  the  lowest 
part  of  the  ground  ;  but  where  the  water  natu- 
rally flows  from  the  other  parts  above,  it  must 
be  a  good  place  to  catch  all  the  advantages  of 


the  rain  that  falls  in  the  wet  season.  Make 
the  excavation  large  enough  and  deep  enough 
to  hold  an  immense  quantity,  and  when  you 
have  done  this,  afford  every  facility  you  can 
for  the  draining  of  the  higher  lands  into  this 
place  ;  for  instance,  intercept  the  waters  that 
may  fl^ow  from  other  parts.  We  will  suppose 
that  even  a  place  where  the  water  lies  natu- 
rally shall  be  on  the  side  of  rising  ground,  and 
not  at  the  bottom  ;  that  is  to  say,  that  a  sort  of 
hollow  or  valley  is  formed  on  the  side  of  a 
slope,  as  shown  at  A  ;  then,   by  excavating 


.^ 


laborious  mode  of  getting  at  water,  because 
well  sinking  does  not  require  a  tenth  part  as 
much  soil  to  be  removed  as  this  does  ;  but  a 
well  may  be  sunk  for  domestic  use  with  ad  van- 


that  in  the  direction  of  the  dotted  lines  one 
way,  and  lengthening  it  in  the  other  direction, 
room  may  be  made  for  any  quantity  of  water.  It 
may  also  be  desirable  to  form  ditches  or  drains 
to  intercept  all  that  would  otherwise  run  down 
the  other  sides  of  the  rising  ground,  as  at  B. 
By  this  means  all  that  falls,  or  nearly  so,  may 
be  conducted  to  the  reservoir.  This  is  merely 
to  show  a  principle  to  act  on  ;  it  is  not  in- 
tended as  a  complete  direction,  but  to  show  as 
easy  a  way  as  we  know  of  to  procure,  or 
rather  preserve,  a  quantity  of  water.  It  may 
be,  that  at  a  moderate  depth  you  meet  with 
land  springs,  which  will  greatly  aid  your 
supply.  If  you  have  provided  a  reservoir  of 
this  kind  where  the  water  naturally  stands  in 
some  seasons,  you  may  next  look  to  the  lowest 
ground  on  the  estate  for  a  place  to  make  ano- 
ther ;  first,  that  it  may  be  a  receptacle  for  the 
overflow  of  the  one  already  made,  and  next, 
that  it  may  be  fed  from  all  the  available 
sources  on  the  land.  All  natural  drains  and 
ditches  should  be  conducted  to  it,  and  wdiere 
there  are  none  they  should  be  made.     There 


128 


GA11T)ENING    AND    PAHMING 


are  many  who  prefer  potids  made  in  the  form 
of  a  basin,  but  the  work  is  indefinite,  and  you 
cannot  so  well  calculate  the  labour  ;  nor  do 
you  get  so  low  by  removing  the  same  weight 
of  earth,  and  if  there  be  any  chance  of  springs 
this  is  a  great  object.  Besides  this,  the  facil- 
ity of  wheeling  away  the  earth  is  quite  as 
great  an  advantage  as  the  quantity  may  be  a 


disadvantage.  It  is  true  that  every  foot  of 
thickness  removed  from  a  large  bottom  causes 
many  more  solid  feet  of  earth  to  be  dug  out 
than  if  the  bottom  were  a  less  space  ;  but  it  is 
also  quite  certain  that  every  foot  of  earth  re- 
moved makes  room  for  a  foot  of  water  ;  and 
where  a  place  is  intended  for  a  reservoir, 
rather  than  hoped  for  as  a  spring,  this  is  a 


great  object.  In  Gibraltar  and  in  many  parts 
of  the  world,  the  only  dependence  of  the  inha- 
bitants is  on  rain  water  collected  during  their 
wet  seasons  and  carefully  husbanded  ;  and 
where  you  are  located  far  up  the  country  and 
away  from  springs  or  the  hope  of  any,  this  is 
the  only  thing  you  must  depend  on.  "Where 
there  are  proper  artificers  and  materials,  tanks 
may  be  dug  and  cemented,  and  where  there 
are  any  hopes  of  springs  within  a  reasonable 
depth  there  may  be  wells  sunk  ;  in  this  there 
is  no  difiiculty  if  bricks  can  be  had  to  build 
them  round  as  fast  as  yo'u  sink  them,  but  the 
main  stay  will  be  the  open  reservoirs  dug  in 
the  form  we  recommend ;  and  no  one  ought  to 
treat  the  subject  lightly,  for  it  is  the  one  great 
evil,  and  the  only  real  one  that  the  settler 
meets  with  in  many  places.  If  many  small 
pools  form  in  the  rainy  season,  be  not  deterred 
from  making  one  larger  one,  for  the  collected 
waters  of  many  will  be  found  in  some  quan- 
tity, long  after  all  smaller  ones  are  dried  up. 
The  work  of  evaporation  is  rapid  in  propor- 
tion to  the  shallowness  of  the  pond,  and  the 
absorption  of  the  water  by  the  earth  is  vast ; 
but  where  there  is  a  good  depth,  and  all 
sources  are  made  tributary  to  the  main  reser- 
voir, there  is  hope  that  enough  may  be  col- 
lected to  answer  all  ordinary  purposes.  We 
strongly  recomm  end,  therefor  e,  imm  ediate  atten- 
tion to  this  matter,  and  we  would  urge  the 
necessity  of  excavating  to  a  great  extent,  as 
otherwise  it  may  as  well  be  not  done  at  all. 
If  you  begin  to  dig  and  find  the  earth  porous, 
and  likely  to  lose  water  by  soaking  it  up,  or 
allowing  it  to  soak  away,  the  excavation, 
whatever  its  extent,  must  be  puddled  ;  that  is 
to  say,  clay  must  be  brought  from  some  other 
part,  and  a  complete  lining  of  it  must  be  made 
all  over  the  sides  and  bottom,  the  clay  being 
well  kneaded  like  so  much  dough,  and  the  air 
completely  beaten  and  rammed  out  of  it,  be- 
cause, unless'this  be  done,  the  water  will  soak 
even  through  the  clay.  It  is  far  better  to 
seek  for  a  place  where  the  ground  is  naturally 
stiff,  and  will  hold  water,  which  is  mostly  the 
case  where  the  water  naturally  collects  in  the 
wet  season,  and  lies  for  some  time. 


There  is,  however,  scarcely  any  advantage 
that  compensates  for  the  absence  of  water  and 
the  obligation  to  find  it  ;  therefore  we  have 
recommended  from  the  first  the  renting  or 
purchasing  of  a  site  near  a  river,  or  otherwise 
abounding  in  water,  in  preference  to  any  thing 
at  one-fifth  or  even  one-tenth  of  the  price  with- 
out that  advantage.  It  is  to  be  regretted  that 
there  have  not  been  attempts  made  by  proper 
artificers  to  bore  for  water,  or  that,  if  there 
have  been,  no  account  of  the  result  has  been- 
published.  There  is  no  reason  why  water 
may  not  be  procurable  in  the  deserts  them- 
selves, if  the  bore  be  large  enough  and  deep 
enough  ;  and  we  trust  that  in  places  like  the 
interior  of  Australia,  the  proper  application  of 
means  will  produce  a  good  result  ;  but  this 
rather  devolves  upon  the  executive  of  a  conti- 
pany  than  upon  private  enterprise.  Very  few 
individuals  could  afford  to  take  out  profes- 
sional borers  of  Artesian  wells  and  all  their 
apparatus  at  their  own  cost ;  and  persons  of 
that  description  would  not  be  tempted  to  emi- 
grate unless  they  were,  to  a  certain  extent, 
guaranteed  employment.  However,  while 
these  things  are  difficult  to  be  accomplished 
in  the  Colonies,  the  labour  of  men's  own 
hands  must  be  applied  in  the  most  effective 
way  to  obtain  water  ;  and  the  choice  is  in 
sinking  wells  or  making  ponds,  whereby  the 
rain  may  be  all  collected,  and  thus  the  quan- 
tity necessary  for  the  warm  season  secured 
during  the  rainy  one.  Above  all,  do  not  keep 
more  stock  than  you  can  provide  water  for  ; 
and  be  not  deceived  into  a  fatal  confidence  by 
the  appearances  of  a  wet  season,  for  you  will 
find  plenty  of  hollow  places  full  of  water  that 
will  not  even  be  damp  in  the  hot  weather. 
Make  excavations  sulficiently  large  to  hold  all 
the  rain  you  can  collect,  for  without  this  you 
will  never  be  safe. 

HOW    TO    APPEOPKIATE    A    SWAMP. 

There  are  many  swamps  in  different  parts 
of  the  world  so  wet  as  to  be  impassable,  yet 
so  dry  as  to  yield  no  water.  The  proper 
mode  of  appropriating  such  as  these,  or  at 
least  of  procuring  the  benefit  of  Avater  from 


FOR  COLONISTS  AND  EMIGRANTS. 


1^29 


them,  is  to  bank  out  a  certain  portion  of  it,  so 
that  it  can  be  cleared  out.  This  must  be  done 
by  beginning  to  excavate  in  dry  ground,  close 
to  the  swamp,  and  wheeling  on  'the  dry  stuff 
to  the  bog,  quagmire,  or  swamp.  Suppose 
that  the  swamp  is  large,  perhaps  almost  with- 
out a  limit,  and  you  find  even  a  stream  or  a 
river  running  through  its  centre,  though  you 
cannot  reach  it  over  this  impassable  swamp  ; 
in  this  case,  by  banking  a  portion  so  as  to 
shut  out  the  water  while  the  works  are  going 
on,  you  may  be  able  to  form  a  complete  reser- 
voir of  pure  water  close  to  the  dry  land. 
The  earth  that  is  taken  out  of  the  excavation 


may  be  wheeled  to  the  edge  of  the  swamp, 
and  then  emptied,  and  when  it  is  carried  far 
enough  inw-ards,  turned  at  right  angles,  and 
again  brought  to  the  dry  land.  By  con- 
tinually heaping  on  the  soil,  it  will  become  a 
safe,  hard  and  solid  bank.  The  excavation 
may  be  foi-med  first  on  dry  land,  and  then 
you  may  work  inwards,  until  you  reach  the 
banks  you  have  made.  If  you  find  any  want 
of  firmness  in  the  bank  as  you  proceed  to 
make  it,  ram  the  soil  well  down  as  it  is  put 
in.  The  soft  boggy  soil  taken  out  of  the 
swamp,  which  is,  in  fact,  the  bed  of  the  I'iver 
in  the  wet  season,  but  rank  mud  and  vegetable 
matter  in  dry  weather,  must  be  wheeled  away, 
where  it  may  dry  or  rot  as  the  case  may  be. 
It  is  not  unfrequently  the  case,  that  a  river  in 
the  dry  weather  is  not  wider  than  some  of  cur 
English  brooks,  but  that  it  has  a  mile  on  each 
side,  or  more,  of  swamp  covered  with  rushes, 
forbidding  all  approach  to  the  stream,  except 
that  of  cattle,  at  some  periods  of  the  year  ; 


but  when  it  is  in  its  worst  state,  animals  would 
sink  in  the  mud  and  be  lost.  It  is  then  that 
we  require  an  excavation  ;  and  while  it  is 
going  on,  it  often  requires  a  hand  or  two  to 
pump  out  the  watei',  that  the  work  may  be 
done  as  dry  as  it  is  practicable.  It  may  be 
said  that  the  whole  excavation  might  be  made 
in  the  dry  land  ;  but  independently  of  the 
waste  of  room,  there  is  less  chance  of  a  sup- 
ply than  if  the  deepest  part  is  in  the  bed  of 
the  river,  or  rather  of  the  swamp. 

The  stopping  out  of  any  quantity  by  a 
bank  is  as  simple  an  operation  as  possible,  be- 
cause it  requires  only  that  the  earth  shall  be 
thrown  down  at  the  edge,  and  as  wide  as  it  is 
intended  to  form  the  bank,  travelling  on  it 
with  the  fresh  supply  as  far  as  you  mean  to 
go,  as  is  done  with  the  waggons  on  a  new- 
made  embankment  for  a  railroad  ;  they  are 
pushed  to  the  extremity  and  there  emptied, 
and  so  it  is  with  a  minor  embankment  to 
stop  out  water.  Whether  the  portion  to  be 
banked  out  be  twenty  feet  or  twenty  yards 
square,  the  work  is  carried  on  towards  the 
stream,  but  you  must  be  sure  to  make  firm 
work  of  your  bank,  which  should  sink  down 
into  the  mud  and  slush  ;  and  if  there  be 
enough  of  the  soil  to  foi'm  it  solid,  there  is 
nothing  more  permanent.  The  best  time  to 
commence  making  the  bank  is  when  the  water 
is  just  drawing  off ;  and  as  the  more  you  ex- 
cavate the  solid  ground  in  a  right  form,  the 
better  reservoir  you  make,  so  the  better  supply 
of  material  there  is  for  the  bank,  and  the 
wider  and  heavier  the  bank  is,  the  more 
sound  will  be  the  whole  affair  ;  and  the  larger 
and  deeper  you  make  the  excavation,  whether 
it  be  rounded  or  squared  next  the  river,  the 
better  you  will  find  it  in  the  end,  because  it 
will  provide  more  water.  It  requires  that  the 
slope  of  the  wall  towards  the  river  shall  be  of 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  or  exactly  the 
same  as  a  line  drawn  from  angle  to  angle  of 
an  upright  square  :  this  is  slope  enough  to 
prevent  tlie  earth  from  falling  in,  and  you 
might  make  sui-e  of  your  deeply  excavated 
pond  being  pretty  nearly  all  you  want.  An 
imaginary  section  of  a  swamp  and  the  exca- 
vation made  properly  would  be  something  like 
the  following  : — the  black  mark  at  No.  4  re- 


presents the  middle  stream,  hardly  larger  than 
a  puddle,  the  sides  for  a  mile  being  really 
swamps  up  to  your  middle  or  neck  in  mud  and 
decaying  vegetable  matter,  and  nearer  to  the 
stream  even  much  deeper  ;  No.  3  shows  the 
50. 


bank  ;  from  0,  as  far  as  No.  1  is  marked,  is 
dug  on  dry  land  ;  at  No.  2  you  get  into  the 
swash,  but  as  the  bank  keeps  out  the  water 
that  is  outside  there  is  no  fear  of  digging  on, 
because  the   water  within    the  embankment 

K 


130 


GARDENING  AND  FARMING 


may  be  pumped  out  or  scooped  out  as  may  be 
best  under  the  circ\imstances.  The  more 
rapidly  the  excavation  goes  on,  the  more  com- 
plete the  work  ;  and  where  there  is  any  doubt 
of  the  strength  of  the  wall,  let  means  be  taken 
to  strengthen  it  :  add  more  soil  to  the  outside, 
without  letting  any  fall  in ;  but  you  may  look 
for  a  complete  supply  of  water  up  to  even  with 
the  central  and  distant  stream,  and  as  soon  as 
the  excavation  is  left  it  will  be  filled. 

Another  mode  of  treating  a  swamp  of  this 
kind  is  to  form  a  double  bank  from  the  edge 
of  the  swamp  to  the  stream.,  and  to  excavate 
or  dig  out  the  marshy  ground  between  them  ; 
and  in  this  case  form  the  ditch  or  watei'course 
between  the  two  banks,  and  let  it  communi- 
cate with  the  excavation  you  have  made, 
always  preserving  the  form  of  bottom  recom- 
mended, that  the  cattle  may  walk  to  the  edge 
of  the  water  and  drink,  even  when  there  is 
only  a  gallon  left.  Let  it  moreover  be  per- 
fectly understood,  that  Avhen  the  water  is  low 
enough  to  admit  of  the  bottom  being  lowered 
a  foot,  the  chance  must  not  be  lost,  because 
every  foot  of  earth  taken  out  makes  room  for 
a  foot  of  water. 

Another  Avay  of  treating  the  swamp  is  to 
make  a  bank  or  roadway  down  to  the  stream 
itself;  but  in  all  these  matters  the  first  fiood 
that  comes  down  makes  a  general  sweep  of  all 
your  handywork  that  presents  any  obstacle  to 
the  progress  of  the  waters  ;  and  except  your 
excavation  is  almost  at  the  high-water  mark, 
that  would  fill  up  too  with  the  ruins  of  its 
own  banks.  This  is  why  we  recommend  the 
excavation  to  be  made  on  dry  land,  with  but 
little  encroachment  on  the  swamp  ;  for  by 
sinking  low  enough  you  are  sure  to  find 
water,  and  the  river  must  dry  up  altogether 
long  before  your  supply  is  gone.  Channels 
dug  in  a  swamp  will  not  last ;  they  choke  with 
mud  and  vegetation  in  a  short  time,  and  there 
is  nothing  more  uncertain  than  a  small  river 
— that  is,  one  depending  on  the  rains  for  its 
chief  supply ;  because  it  is  sure  to  fail  you 
when  all  other  sources  fail,  and  tempt  you 
with  plenty  when  you  find  plenty  at  all  other 
sources.  Nothing,  in  short,  in  the  way  of  ad- 
ditional rent  is  at  all  equal  to  the  vast  addition 
of  labour  in  having  to  pi'ovide  water,  instead 
of  finding  it  in  abundance.  Scarcely  anything 
makes  amends  for  the  loss  of  time,  money, 
comfort,  and  occasionally  stock,  when  you  are 
forced  to  locate  where  there  is  no  water  but 
what  yon  dig  for.  Eather  buy  at  two  pounds 
an  acre  with  every  advantage  about  you  than  at 
one  pound  where  you  have  not  such  advan- 
tages ;  and  rent  at  five  shillings  an  acre  near 
a  market  and  near  water,  rather  than  have 
land  at  a  gift  where  you  are  in  constant  dan- 
ger of  dying  with  thirst,  and  of  losing  your 
stock  when  you  with  difficulty  save  yourself. 


CLEARING   WOODLAND. 

There  is  no  small  labour  in  clearing  the 
ground  of  wood,  but  this  may  be  lessened  or 
increased  by  the  handy  or  awkward  way  in 
which  it  is  set  about.  The  difiiculty  is 
greater  or  less  according  to  the  size  of  the 
timber,  which  however  is  generally  mixed. 

The  tools  required  for  this  business  are 
1.  a  cutting  mattock,  which  has  one  blade  or 
cutter  set  straight  and  the  other  transverse — ' 
one  the  way  of  a  hatc^het,  the  other  the  way 
of  an  adze  ;  2.  a  pickaxe  ;  3.  a  large  axe  ;  4. 
a  hatchet  ;  5.  a  bill-hook  ;  6.  a  good  strong 
but  not  large  spode  ;  7.  iron-bound  wooden 
beetle,  and  iron  wedges  ;  8.  sledge  hammers  ; 
9.  ropes  ;  10.  cross-cut  saws,  two  sizes;  11. 
hand-saw  ;   12.  barrows. 

Thus  equipped,  we  will  begin  at  the  edge 
of  a  thick  wood  in  which  there  are  trees  of 
all  sizes,  and  underwood.  We  must  first 
clear  a  way  in  between  the  trees,  by  attacking 
the  underwood,  which  we  may  take  off  as 
near  the  ground  as  possible.  We  may  then 
dig  a  trench  along  the  outer  edge  of  the  wood, 
that  is,  along  the  side  next  to  us,  and  with  the 
aid  of  the  pickaxe,  or  of  the  mattock,  cut 
away  bit  by  bit  all  the  roots  that  cross  the 
trench  we  are  making  ;  and  although  this 
trench  may  be  five  or  six  feet  from  the  wood, 
the  roots  will  intercept  us  every  foot  we  go. 
This  trench  may  be  three  feet  vv^ide  and 
eighteen  inches  deep.  This  cleared  out,  we 
may  with  the  pickaxe  loosen  the  bottom  six  or 
eight  inches  deeper.  Then  we  begin  another 
trench  by  the  side  of  it,  or  rather  three  feet 
further,  as  if  we  were  going  to  make  the 
original  trench  double  the  width;  but  we 
throw  the  soil  from  the  second  trench  into  the 
first,  and  continue  to  chop  through  the  roots 
with  the  cutting  mattock,  until  we  come  to  the 
large  roots  of  larger  trees,  which  run  a  con- 
siderable distance  from  the  trees.  When  we 
come  to  roots  as  thick  as  a  man's  leg,  we  may 
leave  them  in  the  trench  till  we  have  worked 
pretty  near  to  the  main  stem  ;  or,  by  way  of 
getting  rid  of  them  at  once,  we  may  bare 
them  to  within  a  couple  of  feet  of  the  stem, 
and  cut  them  off  there ;  though  with  a  good 
cutting  mattock,  hatchet,  and  pick,  the  trou- 
ble of  making  a  cut  through  at  every  trench 
is  not  much,  and  three-feet  lengths  of  the 
roots  are  more  portable  than  longer  ones 
would  be.  Upon  the  whole,  you  clear  your 
way  better  by  cutting  all  the  roots  out  as  they 
intercept  you,  and  throwing  them  out  in  heaps 
to  be  gathered  together  afterwards  for  fuel  ; 
or,  as  there  will  be  more  than  can  be  possibly 
stowed  away  for  domestic  use,  they  may  be 
stacked  on  the  ground,  or  put  in  heaps  to  be 
burned  on  the  spot,  and  the  product  spread  on 
the  land.*    Of  course,  as  we  advance  into  the 


They  should  be  burned  to  charcoal :  not  to  ashes. 


FOR  COLONISTS  AND    EMIGRANTS. 


131 


wood  three  feet  at  a  time,  we  shall  be  obliged 
to  clear  the  wood  as  we  go,  by  chopping  all 
the  small  wood  close  to  the  ground.  As  we 
ai-rive  at  the  fine  trees,  we  should  look  well  at 
each  before  we  begin  to  damage  its  I'oots,  for 
it  may  be  desirable  to  save  some  of  the  hand- 
somest ;  but  on  coming  to  large  trees  that  are 
to  be  taken  down,  we  must  abandon  the  trench 
when  we  have  brought  it  within  six  feet,  and 
commence  making  a  trench  round  the  tree, 
fully  three  feet  wide,  and  within  three  feet  of 
the  bottom  part  of  the  trunk.  This  trench  is 
to  be  as  deep  as  the  straight  ones,  and  as  the 
earth  is  cleared  away  from  the  roots  the  latter 
must  be  chopped  through.  The  tree  should 
be  made  to  fall  outwards — that  is  to  say,  on 
the  ground  already  cleai'ed,  and  not  among 
the  uncleared  portion.  To  accomplish  this,  a 
strong  rope  or  ropes  must  be  fixed  high  up 
the  tree,  so  that  a  man  or  men  on  the  ground 
may  pull  it  the  way  you  want  it  to  fall.  In 
clearing  the  trench  round  it,  you  of  course 
come  to  ail  its  leading  roots  that  stretch  out- 
wards, and  these  are  the  roots  that  support 
the  tree  in  its  position,  although  there  may  be 
descending  or  tap  roots  to  supply  the  chief 
nourishment ;  when  these  roots  are  bared,  you 
can  cut  away  one  after  another  until  the  sup- 
ports are  gone,  when  the  tree  must  fall  as  it 
is  pulled.  If,  however,  a  tree  naturally  leans, 
it  is  better  first  to  clear  away  space  for  it  to 
fall  on  ;  or  to  pass  it  by,  leaving  a  space  of  six 
feet  all  round  it,  and  clear  past  the  place  where 
it  would  naturally  fall,  that  is  to  say,  the  way 
it  leans  ;  and  in  this  case,  you  cut  away  all  the 
roots  on  the  side  in  which  direction  it  leans, 
and  your  work  is  then  simple  enough,  because 
as  the  roots  on  the  other  side  prevent  it  from 
falling  while  you  work  on  the  opposite  side, 
you  have  only  to  cut  them  awaj  one  by  one, 
till  the  tree  tears  up  the  rest,  which,  as  its 
weight  lies  over,  it  will  do.  A  large  tree 
when  it  has  fallen  is  as  much  in  the  way  as 
the  wood  was,  but  you  must  then  set  to  work 
with  your  saws,  hatchets,  axes,  and  bill-hooks 
to  divest  it  of  its  branches,  and  again  the 
large  branches  of  the  smaller  ones,  cutting 
even  the  main  branches  into  usable  lengths, 
and  the  rest  into  stack-wood  and  faggot  wood 
for  burning.  The  trunk  has  first  to  be  cut  as 
it  lies,  close  down  to  the  collar  of  the  root, 
and  then  cut  again  at  the  length  which  is  most 
useful  for  timber,  because  a  tree  that  would 
be  immovable  is  thus  rendered  useful  before  it 
is  off  the  ground. 

The  felling  of  large  trees  is  a  work  of  great 
labour,  and  interrupts  the  progress  of  trench- 
ing very  much  ;  but  there  is  the  timber  to 
compensate  us,  and  when  thus  parted  into 
usable  lengths  it  can  be  removed  to  the  place 
where  it  is  to  be  used,  or  burned,  or  stacked. 
The  but  or  root  end  of  a  tree  is  the  least  use- 


ful and  the  most  difficult  to  move,  but  still  it 
is  in  the  way  on  the  ground.  The  main  trunk 
or  timber,  or  what  the  merchants  call  tlie 
stick,  can  be  best  removed  to  the  hard  ground 
by  winding  a  chain  round  it,   and  letting  a 


horse  or  two,  or  an  ox  or  two,  or,  according  to 
the  size,  half-a-dozen  oxen  perhaps,  draw  it 
sideways  ;  as  fast  as  the  chain  unwinds,  and 
rolls  it  along,  it  has  to  be  wound  round  again, 
a  thing  easily  done,  because  although  it  lies 
close  to  the  ground,  a  spade-full  or  two  of 
earth  may  be  taken  from  under  it  in  one 
place  ;  and  the  chain,  which  is  double,  is  of 
considerable  length,  and  is  drawn  under  until 
the  draught  bar  is  nearly  close  to  the  wood  ; 
it  is  then  brought  back,  and  taken  under  again 
two  or  three  times,  and  a  spike  driven  into 
the  wood  so  that  it  cannot  give  way.  The 
drawing  pow'er  has  only  to  unwind  the  chain 
which  rolls  the  timber  over,  and  this  is  re- 
peated till  it  is  got  oiF  the  work  on  to  the 
harder  ground.  The  operation  is  the  same  for 
all,  but  the  smaller  the  tree  the  easier  it  is 
performed.  Having  cleared  away  the  tree,  the 
next  trouble  is  with  the  but,  which  being  diffi- 
cult to  move  on  account  of  the  projecting 
roots,  roust  be  split  small  enough  to  move,  or 
to  burn  on  the  spot.  By  boring  a  hole  down 
the  centre,  and  loading  it  with  a  good  charge 
of  gunpowder,  in  the  same  way  as  in  blasting 
a  rock,  it  may  be  split  with  very  little  trou- 
ble ;  but  in  the  absence  of  gunpowder,  bring 
your  wedges  into  use  ;  this  however  produces 
much  more  labour. 

When  the  large  trees  and  their  roots  are 
removed,  go  on  with  your  straight  trenches, 
cutting  out  all  roots  great  and  small  as  you 
proceed,  and  filling  up  each  empty  trench 
with  the  contents  of  the  one  you  are  making. 
It  may  be  observed,  that  the  quantity  you 
clear  or  undertake  to  clear,  in  point  of  width 
or  length,  is  according  to  your  own  option.  If 
in  an  enormous  wood  you  make  your  trench 
about  twenty  rods  long,  and  continue  your 
trenches  inwards  till  you  are  eight  rods  that 
way,  you  will  have  cleared  an  acre,  and  when 
cleared  it  will  for  the  most  be  very  fertile,  for 
wood  land  in  general  has  done  little  upon  the 
surface,  and  although  it  may  have  been  drawn 
pretty  close  of  some  of  its  qualities,  there  is 
left  strength  enough  for  ordinary  vegetables 
and  corn  crops. 

In  this  way  may  a  whole  wood  be  cleared 
in  time  ;  and  when  the  principal  portion  of  a 

K  2 


132 


GAUDENING    AND    FARMING 


grant  proves  to  be  woody,  you  have  no  choice 
but  to  clear  a  portion  at  once,  partly  for  the 
wood  which  is  required  for  the  fencing  and 
building,  and  partly  for  the  sake  of  some 
ground  to  crop,  and  for  the  supply  of  fuel. 
In  clearing  some  woods  there  is  an  immense 
quantity  of  small  brushwood,  underwood,  or 
thicket  stuff,  which  is  all  but  useless.  This  it 
is  of  great  advantage  to  burn  on  the  ground  ; 
chop  it  up  close  to  the  bottom,  and  bring  it 
out  cleat  of  the  wood,  set  light  to  it,  cover 
with  earth,  and  when  fairly  reduced,  strew  the 
product  about  the  soil.  It  is  of  the  greatest  con- 
sequence that  you  avoid  encumbering  yourself 
with  sticks  and  heaps  of  useless  wood,  when  you 
can  have  plenty  for  cutting ;  the  room  it  occu- 
pies, and  the  frequent  necessity  of  removing 
it  from  place  to  place  out  of  your  way,  is  a  far 
greater  disadvantage  than  is  compensated  by 
its  worth.  Secure  a  good  supply  for  all  pur- 
poses, but  the  under  stuff  is  rarely  worth 
taking  away,  and  charred  wood  and  ashes  will 
be  found  of  the  greatest  use  in  preparing  the 
ground  for  crops,  while  the  burning  of  this 
brushwood  has  the  best  effect  in  destroying  a 
great  proportion  of  the  small  vermin  that  infest 
the  land  near  the  surface.  If  the  land  be  stiff 
and  clay-like,  good  fires  may  be  made  with 
the  small  wood,  and  portions  of  the  earth 
burned  with  it ;  all  that  this  requires  after- 
wards is  to  be  spread  over  the  ground.  This 
is  mentioned  as  bringing  into  use  a  quantity 
of  the  wood-stuff  that  would  otherwise  be  a 
positive  nuisance,  because  all  beyond  what  is 
really  wanted  is  sadly  in  the  way  if  left  on 
the  ground,  and  causes  a  good  deal  of  labour 
in  its  removal ;  while  its  remains  after  it  is 
burned  is  a  fine  dressing  for  every  description 
of  soil. 

Where  there  happens  to  be  a  very  hand- 
some tree,  and  such  trees  are  scarce,  which  is 
always  the  case  when  the  wood  is  thick  and 
the  generality  of  trees  are  close  together — it 
is  very  desirable  to  let  it  stand  uninjured  ;  and 
lest  any  of  the  trees  in  the  neighbourhood 
should  damage  it  in  falling,  it  may  be  desir- 
able to  get  up  such  trees  and  saw  off  the 
branches  that  might  reach  it,  and  even  to 
shorten  trees  by  sawing  off  the  tops  ;  but 
when  you  are  clearing  for  crops  very  few 
must  be  left,  because  for  a  certain  distance 
around  you  may  calculate  on  thus  injuring 
whatever  is  growing  underneath  or  very  near 
them.  In  the  case  of  such  as  are  to  be  saved, 
it  is  better  not  to  trench  near  them,  first  be- 
cause they  would  be  damaged  by  cutting  their 
roots,  and  secondly  because  the  space  would 
be  good  for  nothing  as  far  as  covered  by  the 
branches  ;  the  extent  of  branches  is  therefore 
the  rule  for  leaving  the  ground  undisturbed, 
except  so  far  as  grubbing  up  the  underwood. 
It  should  be  recollected  that  if  a  tree  is  sawed 


off  instead  of  grubbed  up,  it  would  cost  ten 
times  as  much  labour  to  get  up  the  roots 
afterwards  as  it  does  when  the  whole  weight 
of  tlie  tree  forms  a  lever  to  drag  them  up,  for 
by  chopping  these  roots  off  a  few  feet  fi'om 
the  trunk,  the  entire  but,  with  all  these  roots, 
are  got  out  of  the  ground  at  once  ;  and  whe- 
ther the  land  is  dug  or  ploughed  afterwai'ds, 
they  are  all  out  of  the  way. 

In  burning  the  waste  underwood  and  other 
wood  not  worth  carting  away,  care  must  be 
taken  not  to  kindle  a  fire  too  near  the  un- 
cleared wood,  as  in  dry  weather,  with  the  wind 
blowing  that  way,  the  wood  itself  might  be 
kindled,  and  in  such  cases  there  is  no  stopping 
the  fire.  In  some  kinds  of  wood,  or  rather 
thicket,  where  there  is  no  timber  to  preserve, 
and  nothing  large  enough  for  use,  firing  it  is 
a  ready  means  of  clearing  away  a  good  deal  of 
the  top  ;  but  in  such  cases  only  half  the  depth 
of  the  trenches  should  be  removed,  the  other 
half  should  be  merely  loosened  and  cleared, 
because  the  ashes  should  be  all  kept  in  the  top 
spit  of  earth.  It  should  also  be  taken  into 
account,  that  ground  cleared  by  trenching 
eighteen  inches  will  be  infinitely  more  valu- 
able, more  easily  cropped,  and  will  yield  better 
crops,  than  any  that  is  partially,  or  carelessly, 
or  less  effectively  cleared  of  the  roots  ;  for  it 
will  be  less  destructive  to  ploughs  and  other 
tools  and  implements  used  from  time  to  time, 
and  will  be  ready  for  such  crops  as  carrots, 
parsnips,  mangold  wurtzel,  and  such  like,  that 
require  depth  of  soil  in  order  to  be  grown  to 
perfection. 

OF    FENCES. 

Fencing,  or  forming  some  means  of  keeping 
cattle  from  straying  in  or  out  of  the  parts  ap- 
propriated to  the  different  purposes  of  a  farm, 
and  especially  to  protect  those  parts  that  are 
cropped,  is  one  of  the  early  tasks  imposed  on 
the  emigrant.  The  most  readily  made  fences 
are  those  formed  with  stakes  ;  and  of  these 
there  are  many  kinds.  The  most  permanent, 
and  perhaps  the  best  adapted  to  resist  the 
intrusion  of  cattle,  are  those  driven  into  tlic 
ground  diagonally,  and  crossed  thus  : — 


These  stakes,  as  thick  as  one's  wrist,  being 
driven  into  the  ground  to  the  depth  of  about 
two  feet,  it  is  only  necessary  to  drive  a  spike- 
nail  through  the  top  crossing,  to  render  the 
fence  firm  and  lasting.  The  preparation  of 
the  stakes  consists  in  selecting  from  the  wood, 
as  it  is  cut  down  or  cleared,  stakes  long  enough 
to  go  a  foot  and  a  half  or  two  feet  into  the 


rOR    COLONISTS    AND    EMIGRANTS. 


133 


ground,  and  stand  out  above  the  surface  high 
enough  for  the  intended  purpose  ;  the  stouter 
end  should  be  cut  to  a  point  with  the  bill- 
hook, that  it  may  be  readily  driven  into  the 
ground.  These  stakes  should  be  removed  to 
the  line  of  the  intended  fence,  and  left  in 
sufficient  heaps  to  supply  the  space  from  one 
heap  to  the  next.  While  the  heaps  of  v^aste 
and  underwood  are  being  burned,  let  the 
pointed  ends  of  these  stakes  be  placed  in  the 
fire  long  enough  to  char  the  surface  ;  it  is  the 
best  preventive  that  can  be  found  against 
decay ;  far  better  than  dipping  them  in  pitch 
or  tar,  and  very  much  less  expensive.  There 
are  many  ways  of  fencing,  but  this  is  one. 
Another  is  to  drive  the  stakes  down  a  foot 
apart ;  and  as  they  have  no  support,  let  them 
go  down  two  feet  into  the  ground.  When 
these  are  done  in  line,  split  stronger  stakes, 
and  fasten  them  in  the  way  of  rails.  The  only 
material  required  in  greater  abundance  is  that 
for  nailing.  The  fence  would  then  appear 
as  in  the  following  cut. 


Splitting  the  rail  that  goes  lengthways  makes 
a  flat  side  to  go  next  the  stakes  ;  the  rails 
should  be  nailed  to  every  stake.  A  top  rail 
alone  will  make  it  very  strong.  By  driving  a 
stake  down  at  every  foot,  the  opening  will  be 
about  nine  inches,  not  large  enough  to  admit 
a  sheep  ;  but  they  may  be  closer  ;  and  seven 
feet  stakes  will  make  a  five-foot  fence  very 
strong  ;  that  is,  two  feet  under  the  surface, 
and  five  feet  above  it.  Where  the  fence  is 
only  to  keep  out  cattle  and  horses,  a  post  and 
rail  fence  will  do  ;  this  will  require  the  posts 
to  be  seven  feet  long,  and  the  larger  the  better, 
up  to  the  thickness  of  a  man's  thigh  above  the 
ground,  and  the  two  feet  under  ground  still 
larger  ;  holes  must  be  dug,  two  feet  deep,  to 
hold  these  posts,  which  must  be  placed  from 
seven  to  ten  feet  apart,  and  well  rammed  in. 
The  rail  must  be  composed  of  pieces  of  wood 
of  a  right  length  to  meet  one  another  at  the 
posts;  these  would  be  the  better  for  splitting,  and 
may  be  composed  of  branches  or  sticks,  from 
four  to  six  inches  through ;  cut  them  to  reach 


from  the  outside  of  one  post  to  the  outside  of 
another,  because  they  must  lap  over  at  the 
posts,  and  one  spike  nail  must  join  the  two. 
When  the  posts  are  fixed,  make  two 
shallow  saw-cuts  at  the  same  side,  within 
four  inches  of  the  top,  and  four  inches 
apart;  chisel  out  this  width  of  four 
inches,  that  the  rail  may  rest  upon  the 
ledge  thus  formed ;  the  rail  that  goes 
next  the  post  must  be  narrowed,  if  neces- 
sary, to  go  in  close,  and  the  two  should  be 
mitred,  to  lap  over  each  other,  and  the  same 
spike  driven  through  both.  Others  will  mitre 
them  sideways,  and  drive  in  two  spikes,  thus: — 


the  advantage  of  this  is,  that  both  rails  rest 
on  the  shoulder,  whereas  if  they  are  made  to 
lap  over  each  other  the  other  way,  one  only 
rests  on  the  shoulder ;  that  is  to  say,  the 
inner  one,  the  outer  one  being  held  only  by 
the  spike. 

These  rude  fences  are  the  best,  the  cheapest, 
and  most  durable.  But  there  are  many  others. 
If  you  can  saw  your  timber  into  planks,  you 
may  make  a  close  fence  by  posts  and  double 
rails,  and  nailing  the  planks  thereon.  Many, 
however,  will  be  obliged,  for  economy,  to  dig 
deep  trenches,  and  form  the  soil  taken  out 
into  a  bank.  In  some  kinds  of  soil  this  will 
do  ;  and  if  the  soil  be  wet,  the  ditch  may  serve 
as  a  drain  as  well  as  a  boundary  fence ;  if 
dry,  the  ditch  must  be  deep  enough  to  deter 
animals  from  getting  down  into  it  and  break- 
ing the  bank.  As  vegetation  is  rapid  in  many 
of  the  emigrating  countries,  hedges  of  the 
prevailing  plant  for  that  purpose,  or  of  any 
rapid  growing  plant  that  would  form  one,  may 
be  made  at  the  same  time  as  the  fence  is  made, 
so  that  it  may  grow  up  an  impenetrable  barrier, 
in  the  course  of  time.  If  you  have  occasion 
for  a  good  deal  of  regular  timber,  you  will 
have  slabs  cut  off  from  the  exterior  parts  of 
the  trunks,  and  these  slabs  are  useful  in  fence 
making  ;  they  may  be  used  either  for  the  posts 
or  rails  of  rough  fencing,  keeping  the  flat 


faces  on  the  side  you  want  to  nail  the  rails,  to 
hold  them  well  together.  Much,  however, 
depends  on  the  extent  of  the  fence,  and  its 
strength,  form,  and  height,  must  be  decided 
upon  accordingly. 


Another  kind  of  fence  is  the  ha-ha,  which 
consists  of  a  high  bank,  formed  by  digging 
away  the  ground  from  the  proper  level,  and  is 
of  great  service  when  you  do  not  want 
the  view  to  be  hidden.     The  soil  taken  out 


134 


GARDENING    AND    FARMING 


lias  only  fo'  be  spread  over  the  adjoining  1 
ground.  It  may  be  very  desirable  for  a  home- 
stead, which  may  be  as  effectually  preserved 
fiom  intrusion  by  this  means  as  by  any  ;  and 
it  possesses  the  advantage  of  being  no  ob- 
struction to  the  master's  view  over  miles  of  his 
own  land.  This  can  only  be  done  with  stiff 
land,  or  by  driving  in  stakes  close  together, 
with  slabs  or  planks,  to  hold  up  the  ground, 
because  it  must  be  nearly  upright  to  be  effec- 
tive, and  ordinary  soil  would  soon  slip  and 
crumble  into  the  ditch  or  trench  formed  in 
making  the  bank  or  side.  There  are  many 
other  modes  of  making  a  boundary  protection, 
dependent,  however,  on  materials,  and  of  these 
none  but  wood  can  be  fairly  expected. 

PREPARATION    FOR    CROPS,    MANURING,    &C. 

The  clearing  of  wood  is  of  itself  a  fine  pre- 
paration ;  and  a  good  dressing  of  wood  ashes, 
from  the  burning  of  the  waste  underwood  and 
rubbish,  is  all  the  ground  need  have.     Grass 
or   pasture    land   may  yield    at  once   to  the 
plough,  and  that  needs  no  other  dressing  than 
the  turning  in  of  the  turf.     But  the  plough 
will  not  be  desirable  for  carrots,  and  beet-root, 
or  mangold  wurtzel  ;  iu  is  far  better  to  have  as 
much  trenched  as  you  wish  to  appropriate  to 
domestic  crops,  that   is   to  say,  for  your  own 
food,  as  well  as  that  of  cattle.     Land  that  has 
not  been  arable  or  in  cultivation,  will  in  most 
instances  give  good  crops  without  any  dress- 
ing, and  this  must  be  the  fate  of  the  first  laud 
you  crop.     Indeed,   it  ought  to  be,  for  it  is 
the  only  v/ay  to  know  what  the  soil  will  do  ; 
and  in  some  places,  where  it  is  rich  alluvial, 
it  yields  wonderfully.     It  is  impossible  to  say 
here  what  is  the  season  for  sowing,  in  so  many 
different  climates  as  are  now  open  to  the  emi- 
grant ;  he  has  only  to  watch  the  vegetation  of 
the  place,  and  be  guided  by  that,  as  to  the  time 
of  sowing  and  planting.     In  Canada  the  frost 
may  break  up ;  in  some  of  the  warmer  coun- 
tries you  must  wait  for  the  rainy  season  ;  in 
Australia  there  may  be  several  crops  had  in 
a  year ;   in   New  Zealand  you  may  take  any 
English  garden   book  of  good  authority,  and 
act  upon  its  directions.     In  all  cases,  let  the 
first  crop  come  off  without   any  preparation, 
but  in    after  seasons  be  guided   by  circum- 
stances.   Your  stock  will  find  you  in  manure, 
if  well  managed  ;  but  remember,  not  an  atom 
or  drop  must  be  wasted,  or   allowed  to   run 
away,  or  dry  away.    Every  kind  of  offal  fx-om 
the  house — dirty  water,  decayed  vegetables — 
everything  that  might  be  called  a  nuisance — 
should,  nevertheless,  be  carefully  preserved  ; 
removed  from  the  dwelling,  ceytainly,  but  so 
laid  together  that  no  moisture  should  run  away. 
The  most  offensive  matter  can  be  prevented 
from  becoming  unpleasant  by  covering  it  with 
soil.      Cesspools  are  a  means  of  accumulating 


any  kind  of  nuisance  ;  and  when  these  are 
emptied, thecontents  should  be  carried  to  where 
there  is  already  prepared  a  couple  of  feet  of 
loose  earth,  in  a  hole,  dug,  say  four  feet  deep 
originally.    Into  this  the  soil,  and  dirt,  and  wet, 
and  any  kind  of  rejected  filth,  should  be  put; 
and  when  done,  covered  with  at  least  a  foot 
thickness  of  earth ;    here  it  may  remain  for 
a  year,   and  when  wanted,  the  whole  of  the 
soil  in   the  hole  will  be  a  mass  of  fertilizing 
material,  of  which  a  very  small  portion  will 
go  a  long   way.     But  this   sort  of  manure, 
composed  of  night  soil  and  slops  of  all  sorts 
absorbed  by  common   soil,  will  nevertheless 
be  very  strong,  and  should  be  laid  on  the 
soil  very  thinly,  to  be  ploughed  in  before  it 
is  sown,  that  the  roots  may  find  the  benefit 
when  they  shoot  down.     Stable  dung,  pigs', 
cowls',    and  poultry  dung,  rotted  leaves,  and 
evei'y  description   of  decayed  vegetable  and 
animal  matter,  are  useful  on  land,  especially 
poor  land;  but  every  acre  of  new  ground  may 
be  fairly  tried  without  the  least  dressing,  that 
you  may  see  what  it  will  do  without  help,  and 
act  accordingly.     The  ground  that  has  been 
trenched  only  wants  to  be  laid  level  for  broad- 
cast sowing,  or  in  ridges  for  other  cropping. 
Suppose  the  country  is  very  hot,  the  ground 
may  be  laid  in  high  ridges,  for  the  crops  to 
grow  in  the  bottom,  and  be  shaded  from  the 
sun.     If  the  land  lies  low  and  wet,  let  the 
plants  grow  at  top  of  the  ridges.     In  any  case 
your  season  of  sowing  and  the  nature  of  the 
soil  must  determine  you  as  to  the  preparation ; 
but  ground  cannot  be  disturbed  too  deep  ;  the 
more  the  air  is  let  into  it,  the  better  everything 
will  grow.     If  the  ground  has  been  simply 
pasture  land,  ploughed  up,  the  lumps  must  be 
broken  before  it  is  sowed  or  planted.     If  it  be 
full  of  weeds  or  roots,   or  otherwise  foul,  it 
should  be  forked  over,  that  they  may  be  all 
taken  out,  and  burned  ;  and  before  anything  is 
planted  or  sown,  this  foulness  should  be  cured. 
Gi'ound  once  cleared  is  ready  for  any  crop 
that  does    not    require  deep  rooting.     Land 
stirred  six  or  eight  inches  deep  with  a  plough 
would  do  but  ill  for  carrots,  parsnips,  beet-root, 
and  mangold  wurtzel ;  trench  ground  for  these 
crops,   and  the  yield  will  be  heavier  and  the 
crop  handsomer  than  it  would  be  with  the  best 
ploughing.   Much  depends  on  the  season,  much 
on  the  situation  ;  but  it  is  an  old  and  excelL-^nt 
piece  of  advice,  to  stir  the  earth  well,  and  as 
deep  as  the  crop  requires  it.    Among  the  pre- 
parations for  cropping,  the  dressing  or  ma- 
nuring of  the  ground  after  it  has  done  some- 
thing well,  is  among  the  most  universal.    Clay 
lands  are  the  better  for  lime,  for  sand,  and  for 
knocking  about  ;  light  sandy  soil  is  the  better 
for  marling,  that  is,    dressing  with  marl  or 
loam,  or  any  stronger  soil ;  wet  land  is  the 
better  for  draining  ;  but   all  must  be  .stirred 


rOR    COLONISTS    AND    EMIGRANTS. 


135 


well,  cleared  of  roots  and  weeds,  and  all  sorts 
of  foulness;  and  if  poor,  well  manured,  and  the 
manure  at  once  ploughed  into  the  soil,  that  it 
maj  not  be  wasted  by  evaporation. 

DRAINING. 

This  operation  is  intimately  connected  with 
your  supply  of  water  ;  we  have  already  ex- 
plained that  you  should  make  an  excavation 
at  the  lowest  part  of  the  ground,  or  at  least 
at  such  place  or  places  in  whicb  the  water  is 
inclined  to  stand:  this  may  not  be  the  lowest; 
it  may  be  a  hollow,  where  the  soil  is  clayey 
or  retentive,  and  therefore  the  best  of  all 
places  for  an  excavation.  If  there  be  no  such 
place,  you  are  already  advised  to  excavate  at 
the  lowest  part ;  make  then  deep  ditches,  say 
four  feet  deep,  leading  into  it  from  other  parts 
of  the  ground,  so  that  they  have  a  slight 
descent  all  the  way.  These  ditches  should  be 
along  the  lower  sides  of  the  cultivated  plots, 
and  may  be  found  useful  as  boundary  ditches 
to  part  one  portion  from  another.  The  soil 
taken  out  in  forming  the  ditches  will  make  a 
bank,  an  effectual  fence  against  cattle.  When 
the  ditches  are  made  at  the  lower  side  or  ends 
of  the  grormd,  to  lead  into  the  excavation 
intended  as  a  receptacle  for  water,  form  the 
drains  from  the  highest  ground  as  straight 
down  to  the  ditches  as  you  can  bring  them. 
The  drains  ought  not  to  be  more  than  two 
rods  apart,  and  it  may  be  that  when  these  are 
formed  in  some  grounds,  they  will  not  be 
found  sufficient  ;  for  there  are  swampy  and 
clayey  lands  that  require  them  as  near  as  one 
rod  apart ;  it  is  however  quite  as  well  to  try 
two  rods  first.  These  drains  ought  to  be 
three  feet  six  inches  deep,  and  cut  down  in  the 
form  of  a  narrow  V,  and  they  must  be  set 
about  carefully,  in  the  following  manner  : — 
First  dig  with  a  common  spade  fifteen  or  eigh- 
teen inches  wide  and  one  foot  deep  ;  next 
tjike  a  narrow  spade  to  m.ake  the  next  spit, 
chopping  down  the  sides  very  smooth  and 
even,  but  sloping  so  that  at  the  bottom  of  the 
second  spit  it  will  not  be  more  than  seven  or 
eight  inches  wide,  or  if  cleanly  done  not  much 
more  than  six  inches  ;  then  use  a  regular 
draining  tool,  which  is  a  Tiarrow  spade  that 
tapers  to  three  inches  wide.  After  the  drain 
is  thus  cleared  out  three  feet  deep,  you  use  a 
proper  draining  scoop,  and  go  six  inches  deeper, 
down  to  almost  a  point.  Be  very  particular 
as  to  clearing  out  all  the  crumbs,  so  as  to 
have  everything  smooth,  that  the  water  may 
have  a  clear  run.  In  all  this  work  you 
must  begin  at  the  lowest  part  and  work  up- 
wards, that  the  water  mny  run  away  from  you. 
The  drains  being  cleared  out,  you  have  next 
to  consider  of  some  material  for  preventing 
the  earth  from  stopping  them  up  again  when 
you  return  it  to  its  place.     In  England  there 


is  no  difficulty  in  procuring  tiles,  but  in  the 
colonies  we  must  use  Avhat  we  can  get;  large 
stones  that  will  not  reach  the  bottom  will  be 
effective,  but  the  material  most  likely  to  be  at 
hand  is  wood,  such  as  the  branches  of  trees 
and  the  cuttings  of  various  kinds  of  under- 
wood, cut  so  that  they  will  go  in  but  not  fill 
up  the  bottom  ;  there  may  be  as  much  of  this 
put  in  all  along  the  drains  as  will  nearly  half 
fill  them;  and  if  this  material  be  trodden  down 
hard,  it  will  form  a  good  flooring  for  the  re- 
turned soil,  and  yet  not  fill  the  ground  down 
to  the  sharp  point.  But  it  is  possible  that 
you  may  neither  get  stones  nor  wood,  but  be 
dependent  on  the  very  soil  you  take  out.  If 
so,  put  in  the  top  clods  that  you  took  from 
the  surface  ;  these  from  their  size  will  not 
reach  the  bottom,  but  will  prevent  the  rest  of 
the  soil  from  going  below  them,  and  thus 
leave  an  open  space  below  for  the  run  of 
water ;  whatever  may  be  put  in,  the  rest  of 
the  soil  must  be  returned  to  the  trench  you 
have  formed.  These  drains  will  feed  the 
ditch  you  have  made  at  the  lowest  part  ;  and 
this  ditch,  or  rather  tlie  ditches,  will  feed  the 
principal  pond,  and  not  only  relieve  the 
ground,  but  supply  you  with  what  you  really 
want  in  almost  every  situation — water  for  the 
cattle,  if  not  for  home  or  domestic  use. 
Suppose  the  pond  is  too  full  to  receive  the 
contents  of  all  these  drains,  and  that  for  want 
of  relief  the  drains  cannot  empty  themselves 
in  winter  and  wet  seasons  ;  be  not  therefore 
deterred  from  draining,  because  if  by  reason 
of  dry  weather  the  pond  is  low  enough  to 
receive  the  run  of  water  for  only  one  week  in 
the  whole  year,  it  is  a  relief,  and  does  the 
ground  an  immense  service.  More  than  this ; 
if  the  water  be  in  such  plenty  nine  months  or 
more  in  the  year,  the  good  very  much  over- 
balances the  evil,  and  the  end  is  attained  ; 
the  land  is  relieved  under  the  worst  circum- 
stances, and  the  supply  of  water  is  in  most 
countries  a  blessing,  besides  which  you  may 
fairly  conclude,  that  but  for  the  drains  the 
pond  would  not  be  so  full.  In  short,  draining 
the  ground  under  any  circumstances,  even  if 
apparently  useless  eleven  months  out  of 
twelve,  is  of  great  service.  These  drains  let 
air  into  the  earth,  and  prevent  stagnant  water; 
for  notwithstanding  that  the  pond  may  be  full, 
or  at  least  the  mouths  of  all  the  drains  covered, 
the  pond  is  constantly,  however  slowly,  con- 
sumed by  cattle,  by  evaporation,  by  being 
withdrawn  for  domestic  use,  or  by  all  three  ; 
and  though  the  mouths  of  the  drains  are  filled, 
they  are  continually  giving  out  some  water, 
while  more  may  be  accumulating,  so  that  it  is 
not  the  same  water  standing  in  the  same 
place,  as  is  the  case  when  the  land  is  not 
drained.  Nor  need  it  be  feared  tliat  land 
is  too  dry  for  draining  to  be  of  use.     It  is 


isa 


GARDENING    AtH)    FARMING 


always  of  service,  though  few  can  be  induced 
to  drain,  unless  they  have  the  inconvenience 
of  wet  on  the  surface,  and  so  many  things 
pi'ess  more.  This  is  a  matter  which  we  do 
not  interfere  with  ;  money  and  labour  may  be 
too  scarce  to  throw  away,  or  rather  we  ought 
to  say  to  expend,  on  what  does  not  really 
press.  But  let  no  one  for  an  instant  suppose 
that  draining  does  no  good  to  land  that  lies 
very  sloping ;  they  might  have  furrows  on 
their  surface,  to  run  off  the  rains,  but  these 
do  not  avail  the  soil  below  ;  ground  on  the 
side  of  a  hiil  is  more  likely  to  deceive  us  than 
any  other.  But  if  for  no  other  purpose,  we 
ought  to  drain  to  get  the  waters  together  ; 
and  the  more  scarce  water  is,  the  more  we 
should  be  induced  to  drain,  to  get  the  supply 
in  one,  and  that  the  most  convenient  spot. 
In  returning  the  soil  over  the  drains,  it  will  be 
found  that  a  good  deal  cannot  be  pressed  in; 
first,  because  there  is  a  part  hollow  and  there- 
for^ the  soil  which  originally  filled  the  hollow 
place  is  now  surplus,  and  secondly,  because 
having  been  loosened  it  does  not  lay  so  close. 
This  surplus  must  for  the  present  form  a 
ridge  along  all  the  drains,  but  in  a  season  or 
two  it  Avill  subside  a  good  deal,  and  may  be 
spread  right  and  left  to  make  all  quite  level. 

HOVi^  TO  APPEOPRIATE  THE  LAND. 

Whatever  will  keep  best,  may  be  most 
esteemed  for  general  cultivation  ;  therefore, 
grain  of  all  sorts,  maize,  peas,  beans,  millet, 
and  whatever  else  may  be  used  in  the  seed 
•state,  may  be  grown  somewhat  largely.  In 
Canada,  New  Zealand,  and  other  cold  or 
moderate  climates,  there  is  but  one  complete 
season  of  any  thing.  In  more  tropical  regions 
there  may  be  two  or  even  three  seasons  of 
grain  in  a  year  ;  vegetation  is  rapid,  and  the 
sun  ripens  everything  very  fast.  But  there 
are  many  circumstances  that  operate  to  vary 
the  times  of  sowing.  The  crop  that  is  greatly 
relied  on  in  warm  climates  is  maize  or  Indian 
corn  ;  this  in  cold  climates  should  be  raised 
in  a  hot-bed,  and  planted  out  when  the  frost 
breaks  up,  but  in  warmer  countries  it  may  be 
dibbled  into  the  ground  from  one  to  two 
inches  deep,  and  well  rolled  in.  This  crop 
is  excellent  for  all  animals  that  will  eat  it,  but  it 
should  be  always  ground  into  coarse  meal,  or 
boiled,  for  stock  of  any  kind ;  and  when 
boiled,  the  liquor  is  excellent  for  pigs.  Besides 
this,  the  Indian  corn  is  an  article  of  commerce, 
and  is  getting  into  use  in  countries  where 
they  do  not  grow  it  ;  in  fact,  it  may  now  be 
placed  among  bread-stuffs,  and  is  by  no  means 
an  ineligible  article  for  exportation.  Wheat, 
barley,  oats,  rye,  hemp,  flax,  tares,  peas,  beans, 
and  seeds  of  every  kind  that  can  be  consumed 
dry  or  may  be  exported  easily,  may  be  groAvn 
with    advantage,   but   those   are   best   which 


serve  for  the  food  of  man ;  and  at  least 
enough  for  one's  own  consumption  should 
be  grown  of  several  kinds.  Peas  and  French 
or  haricot  beans  should  be  grown  rather 
plentifully,  not  with  a  view  of  indulging  in 
green  vegetables  so  much  as  for  a  good  stock 
of  seed  to  lay  by  ;  for  if  wheat,  barley,  and  oats 
fail,  a  man  will  not  starve  if  he  has  peas  and 
beans  in  store.  In  short,  Ave  know  of  nothing 
after  wheat  that  is  equal  to  peas  and  haricot 
beans  for  usefulness  as  winter  food.  Every- 
body knows  what  excellent  soup  the  pea  wili 
make  with  the  aid  of  a  little  meat;  but  every- 
body does  not  know  what  an  acceptable  food 
the  haricot  bean  is  when  simply  soaked  twenty- 
four  hours  in  plain  water,  and  then  boiled 
with  a  little  salt  in  the  water  until  it  is 
tender.  The  best  bean  for  this  is  the  large 
Avhite  kidney,  both  for  appearance  and  flavour, 
although  the  black,  the  dun,  and  other  French 
beans  make  a  very  good  substitute  ;  but  the 
white  is  the  seed  to  take  out.  Wheat  is,  how- 
ever, a  very  safe  crop  in  most  cases,  and 
especially  in  warm  countries,  because  it  is  so 
short  a  time  in  the  ground,  so  that  it  is 
desirable  on  every  account  to  sow  a  reason- 
able quantity.  In  Canada,  where  the  winters 
are  hard,  spring  sowing  is  the  best,  if  not  the 
only  way  to  succeed  well  ;  for  although  the 
winter  is  sharper  and  less  changeable,  the 
summer  is  more  certain.  With  regard  to  the 
seasons  for  sowing  and  doing  the  farming  and 
gardening  operations,  they  differ  in  different 
places  and  climates,  and  it  is  impossible  for  a 
man  to  pass  into  the  interior  without  seeing 
all  the  Avay  he  goes  the  state  of  the  crops,  and 
learning,  by  the  most  brief  and  simple  inquiries, 
the  periods  of  sowing,  which  might  be  all 
learned  and  memorandums  made  at  the  very 
first  stopping  place.  The  principles  of  farm- 
ing being  understood,  those  points  which 
depend  on  climate  are  easily  acquired  in  a 
short  time. 

The  method  of  sowing  all  these  seeds 
depends  on  the  materials  and  implements  you 
can  command.  As  it  is  not  very  likely  you  can 
command  drilling  machines  or  dibbling  ma- 
chines, you  must  be  content  to  sow  broad- 
cast, which  is,  sprinkling  the  seed  all  over  the 
ground  as  evenly  as  you  can  ;  but  with  regard 
to  peas  and  beans,  drills  should  be  drawn 
with  the  plough,  or  if  the  space  be  small,  by 
hand  with  the  hoe,  and  the  individual  seeds 
be  dropped  into  the  drills  at  such  distances  as 
the  sort  demands.  As  in  warm  countries  the 
growth  is  very  rapid,  it  is  Avell  to  confine  the 
peas  to  dwarf  sorts,  and  if  these  are  two 
inches  apart  in  single  rows  two  feet  from  each 
other,  the  crop  will  be  full  enough.  Beans 
of  all  sorts  will  do  better  six  inches  apart,  and 
the  rows  two  feet  asunder ;  there  is  then 
room  to  hoe  and  earth  up,  either  by  hand  or 


FOR  COLONISTS    AND    EMIGRANTS. 


137 


with  an  earthing  plough;  we  are,  however, 
now  rather  describing  crops,  than  giving 
directions  for  their  culture. 

Of  the  green  crops,  the  most  useful  are 
cabbages,  carrots,  parsnips,  beetroot,  mangold 
wurtzel,  turnips,  and  onions.  All  of  these  are 
excellent  for  home  feeding  stock  of  various 
kinds,  and  they  will  keep  some  time  with 
care.  The  most  temporary  is  the  cabbage, 
but  while  good  this  will  do  for  use  as  a  vege- 
table, and  the  waste  will  come  in  for  the  pigs 
in  the  dung  yard  ;  all  the  others  are  more 
easily  preserved.  But  though  mentioned  last, 
we  must  not  underrate  the  value  of  potatoes, 
one  of  the  most  useful  and  nutritious  of  green 
vegetables  :  the  quantity  of  these  can  hardly 
be  wrong,  for  every  kind  of  animal  likes  them; 
poultry  of  all  sorts  will  eat  them  when  boiled; 
cattle  of  all  kinds  thrive  upon  them,  as  a  por- 
tion of  their  victuals,  and  we  can  find  no  sub- 
stitute for  it  as  human  food,  when  we  calculate 
its  value,  by  the  produce  of  an  acre  by  the 
side  of  an  acre  of  any  other  crop.  But  it  must 
always  be  borne  in  mind  that  none  of  these 
so-called  green  crops  will  either  keep  at  home, 
or  travel  so  well  as  hard  seeds ;  and  therefore 
no  more  should  be  grown  than  will  secure  you 
with  all  the  quantity  you  can  possibly  want,  and 
what,  from  particular  circumstances,  you  think 
you  can  sell  at  tolerably  near  markets.  Of 
the  particular  sorts  to  take  out  we  shall  have 
something  to  say  in  another  place,  for  it 
may  be  calculated  upon,  that  a  little  more  cost 
for  the  best  adapted  varieties  will  be  well  and 
wisely  incurred. 

CROPS  :     "WITH   DIRECTIONS    FOR   CULTURE. 

The  best  way  to  provide  yourself  with 
proper  and  profitable  crops,  is  to  take  out 
seeds,  and  not  attempt  to  carry  plants  of  any 
kind.  There  is  scarcely  a  plant  or  vegetable 
worth  growing  of  which  you  may  not  obtain 
the  seeds  ;  and  perhaps  the  best  information 
we  can  give  will  be  a  summary  of  the  kinds 
of  seeds  that  should  be  selected,  their  prices, 
and  the  treatment  they  should  receive. 

Garden  Crops. 

Pea. — The  pea  is  perhaps  the  most  valuable 
of  all  the  vegetable  seeds.  Gathered  green 
they  are  a  luxury  of  the  highest  class,  and 
dried  they  make  the  finest  of  all  vegetable 
soups.  As  to  the  sorts,  the  Prince  Albert, 
Is.  Qd.  per  quart,  and  Hotspur  and  Charlton, 
at  Qd.  per  quart,  are  excellent  early  kinds  ; 
and  Knight's  Dwarf  Marrow,  Groom's  Superb, 
and  British  Queen,  at  Is.  per  quart,  are  capital 
later  ones.  These  should  be  sown  in  drills, 
not  near  to  one  another,  but  one  row  in  a  place, 
at  different  parts  of  the  garden.  Peas  grown 
away  from  each  other,  with  plenty  of  room, 
bear  twice  or  three  times  as  much  as  (and  a 


good  deal  finer  than)  peas  in  rows  near  one 
another.  But  if  it  be  determined  to  grow  a 
quarter  of  the  garden  or  field  all  peas,  the 
rows  ought  to  be  from  three  to  six  feet  apart, 
according  to  the  height  they  grow.  When  the 
peas  are  up,  earth  should  be  draAvn  to  their 
stems  ;  and  as  they  grow  taller,  sticks  should 
be  placed  for  their  support.  If  you  find  after 
sticking  peas  that  they  outgrow  the  height 
you  expected,  get  taller  sticks  to  put  to  them, 
but  attempt  not  to  take  the  first  ones  away, 
because  the  tendrils  of  the  peas  have  hold  of 
the  twigs,  and  it  would  break  and  damage  the 
plants  to  remove  the  sticks.  When  the  plants 
have  grown  to  the  height  of  the  sticks,  pinch 
off  the  tops.  When  the  crop  is  fit  to  gather 
to  shell  and  eat  green,  you  may  indulge  ;  but 
if  you  have  any  other  vegetable,  be  sparing  of 
the  peas,  because  if  you  saved  a  barnful  they 
are  like  so  much  money  ;  they  afford  the  most 
nutritious  food  when  split  and  boiled  in  soup  ; 
they  keep  good  for  many  years  ;  they  are 
easily  exported  in  bulk,  and  always  find  a 
market  at  the  nearest  town. 

Bean,  French. — This  is  a  valuable  crop, 
and  the  only  ones  you  need  take  out  are  the 
white  haricot  or  kidney  ;  they  are  fine  to  eat 
green,  and  the  best  of  all  for  flavour,  when 
the  seeds  are  ripe.  Sow  them  in  drills  six 
inches  apart  in  the  drill,  and  the  drills  eighteen 
inches  from  each  other.  When  up  three  inches 
high,  draw  the  earth  to  their  stems.  They 
require  no  more  care,  but  may  be  gathered 
green  in  a  young  state  to  eat  as  a  vegetable, 
or  allowed  to  ripen  to  preserve  as  long  as  you 
please.  They  bear  exporting,  are  in  the  seed 
state  acknowledged  as  an  important  article  of 
human  food,  and  converted  by  a  peculiar  sort 
of  cookery  into  a  luxury  by  the  French.  Let 
them  be  well  ripened  before  they  are  harvested. 
They  are  Is.  per  quart. 

Bean,  French,  Scarlet  Eunners. — This 
is  the  well-known  large  fleshy  bean  that  in 
England  is  only  eaten  green,  and  before  the  pod 
gets  too  large,  with  the  seed.  It  may  be  well 
to  take  a  few,  but  the  ripe  seed  has  by  no 
means  a  good  flavour,  so  that  except  as  a 
green  crop,  or  to  furnish  seed  to  export  for 
planting,  it  is  not  worth  while  to  take  much  or 
to  grow  much.     They  are  Is.  per  quart. 

Bean,  Broad. — Early  Magazan,  early  Long- 
pod,  early  Windsor,  Qd.  to  Sd.  per  quart  ; 
sow  these  in  drills  nine  inches  from  seed  to 
seed,  and  the  rows  two  feet  apart ;  when  they 
are  up,  draw  earth  to  their  stems,  and  when  in 
bloom,  pinch  off  the  tops  ;  these  may  be  eaten 
green  or  saved  dry  for  seed. 

Carrot. — Early  Horn,  Long  Surrey,  and 
Altringham,  ^d.  per  ounce.  Let  the  ground 
be  dug  eighteen  inches  deep,  and  well  broken  ; 
sow  very  thinly  and  regularly  all  over  the 
ground,  and  rake  in  well ;  when  Avell  up,  hoe 


138 


GARDENING    AND    FARMING 


out  as  many  as  will  leave  the  plants  at  from 
six  to  eight  inches  apart  ;  keep  them  very 
clear  from  all  other  kinds  of  plants.  It  will 
be  necessary  to  go  over  them  with  a  hoe  the 
second  time,  to  cut  up  any  that  may  have  been 
left  within  the  distances ;  these  may  be  drawn 
for  eating  as  soon  as  they  are  large  enough, 
but  to  keep  as  a  stock  for  feeding  cattle  or 
domestic  purposes,  they  must  be  full  grown 
before  they  will  store  well. 

Beet. — Finest  red,  Ad.  per  ounce  ;  sow  these 
in  a  dxnll  two  or  three  in  a  place,  and  the 
patches  nine  inches  apart.  The  drills  may  be 
eighteen  inches  from  each  other  ;  when  well 
up,  take  away  all  but  the  strongest  in  each 
patch.  The  ground  should  be  well  dug  eighteen 
inches  deep  for  this  crop. 

Pahsnip,  to  be  had  at  3d.  per  ounce,  and  to 
be  sown  and  afterwards  treated  precisely  the 
same  as  the  beet. 

Turnip. — Early  Dutch,  Stone,  Snowball, 
3d.  per  ounce  ;  the  Border  Yellow  in  cold 
climates  ;  the  Swedish  for  cattle.  These  have 
all  to  be  sown  thinly,  and  hoed  out  to  six  inches 
apart,  the  Swedes  to  nine  inches  ;  they 
may  want  going  over  a  second  time  in  a  fort- 
night, to  cut  out  any  that  may  have  been  left 
too  near  together,  and  to  clear  them  from 
weeds,  but  beyond  this  no  crop  gives  less 
trouble. 

Ehubakb. — Let  these   seeds  be  sown  and 

managed  the  same  way  as  beet  root,  and  the 

second  year  be  planted  out  a  yard  apart  every 

way  ;  the  third  season  the  leaf-stalks  will  be 

•  large  enough  to  cut. 

Celery. — Take  out  a  quantity  of  this  seed, 
for  it  is  capable  of  being  used  in  soups  in  the 
seed  state,  and  an  excellent  and  palatable  addi- 
tion it  makes  when  we  have  not  the  plant  for 
use.  The  solid  white  and  red  are  4d.  per 
ounce,  but  considerably  cheaper  if  purchased 
by  the  pound  ;  the  Giant  red  and  white  are 
6d.  per  ounce.  Some  pains  must  be  taken  to 
grow  this  well  ;  dig  a  trench  a  foot  deep,  and 
dig  the  bottom  a  foot  lower,  to  loosen  the  soil; 
drop  three  or  four  seeds  in  holes  at  the  bottom, 
every  six  inches,  make  other  trenches  four 
feet  apart,  and  repeat  the  sowing  of  seeds. 
"When  they  come  up  and  begin  to  make  growth 
you  will  obser.-e  which  plant  takes  the  lead, 
and  remove  the  others.  If  the  ground  is  rich 
it  will  require  no  help,  but  if  poor,  water  with 
liquid  manure.  As  the  plants  grow,  draw 
down  some  of  the  earth  to  the  stems,  and 
take  care  that  there  be  no  lumps,  but  that 
all  is  broken  fine,  so  that  it  may  lie  close  ; 
by  degrees  you  will  fill  the  trench  up  level, 
and  you  have  then  to  dig  alleys  between,  and 
begin  to  bank  up  the  rows.  It  is  only  by  this 
means  that  we  can  whiten  the  stems  as  far  up 
as  the  earth  covers  them,  and  it  is  only  the 
whitened  part  that  is  tender.     The  earthing 


up  is  frequently  required,  because  you  must  not 
raise  the  soil  too  much  at  one  time,  otherwise 
it  would  get  into  the  heart  of  the  plant.  This 
crop  is  useful  as  soon  as  there  is  six  inches  of 
whitened  stem,  therefore  you  may  alwaj'^s 
begin  using  it  a  few  weeks  after  planting,  al- 
though it  will  not  be  half  the  size  that  it  ulti- 
mately attains.  Besides  using  a  quantity  as  a 
salad,  and  for  soups,  always  put  out  or  leave 
out  a  few  plants  for  seed,  for  the  reason  we 
have  already  given — its  usefulness  even  when 
we  cannot  get  the  plant — besides  which  there 
is  the  necessity  of  keeping  up  a  stock  for 
sowing. 

Onion. — A  most  valuable  and  wholesome 
vegetable  in  all  climates,  and  one  that  cannot 
be  neglected.  The  Spanish,  Portugal,  Tri- 
poli and  Deptford  are  good  sorts,  and  may  be 
had  always  at  6d.  per  ounce.  These  may  be 
sown  in  the  richest  ground  you  have,  well 
dug  and  levelled  ;  sow  thinly  ;  when  well  up, 
thin  them  out  to  six,  eight,  or  ten  inches  apart, 
according  to  the  warmth  of  the  climate  and 
the  richness  of  the  ground  ;  keep  them  clear 
from  weeds,  and  although  you  may  keep  draw- 
ing and  eating  as  soon  as  they  are  large  enough, 
you  must  not  pull  them  up  for  storing  till  the 
leaves  have  done  growing  and  begun  to  turn 
yellow,  when  they  must  be  well  dried,  and  laid 
by  in  the  coolest  dry  place  you  can  find. 

Leek. — London-flag  6d.  per  ounce.  An  ex- 
cellent crop  for  the  garden,  often  succeeding 
well  when  onions  fail,  and  of  all  things  desir- 
able in  soups.  This  may  be  sown  thinly,  and 
hoed  out  to  six  inches  apart;  or,  taking  advan- 
tage of  wet,  they  may  be  pulled  up  to  six 
inches  apart,  and  the  plants  pulled  up  may  be 
planted  six  inches  apart,  to  increase  the  space 
occupied  ;  the  ground  should  be  rich. 

Brocoli. — Early  Cape  (purple  and  white), 
Cream,  and  Walcheren,  Is.  per  ounce.  These 
will  be  the  better  for  sowing  in  a  patch  orbed 
thinly,  and  planting  out  at  two  feet  apart ; 
but  if  there  be  not  a  wet  season,  you  must 
well  water  the  seed  bed  before  you  take  them 
up,  and  have  somebody  following  with  the 
watering  pot,  to  saturate  the  ground  as  fast  as 
you  put  them  in ;  also  let  the  planting  be  done 
after  the  sun  is  down,  and  before  it  is  up. 

Cauliflower. — Walcheren,  early  and  late 
English,  Is.  per  ounce.  These  require  the  same 
treatment  as  brocoli,  for  the  check  which  they 
receive  in  planting  out  does  something  towards 
bringing  on  the  heading  of  the  flower.  The 
instant  the  flower  shows,  break  down  the 
leaves  so  as  to  form  as  close  a  covering  to  the 
flower  as  possible  ;  it  preserves  the  colour  and 
the  tenderness  of  the  head,  which  would  soon 
be  coarse  and  rank  if  this  were  not  attended  to. 

Borecole  or  Kale,  brown,  green,  curled, 
and  variegated,  4d.  to  6d.  per  ounce.  These 
may  be  sowed  in  a  patch  thinly,  and  when  up 


FOR    COLONISTS    AND    EMIGRANTS. 


139 


transplanted  two  feet  apart  every  way :  but  if  i 
the  locality  be  very  hot,  it  will  only  be  safe  to 
transplant  in  the  rainy  season,  or  to  sow  where 
the  plants  are  to  stand  ;  in  this  case  the  drills 
may  be  drawm  two  feet  apart,  and  two  or  three 
seeds  dropped  at  every  twelve  inches,  that  the 
weakest  may  be  taken  when  uj^,  and  only  one 
strong  one  left  to  every  foot  ;  as  soon  as  these 
have  grown  large  enough  to  eat  the  tops,  take 
up  every  other  one,  and  leave  them  two 
feet  apart. 

Brussels  Sprouts,  Is.  per  ounce  ;  treat  as 
brocoli  in  every  respect. 

Cabbage. —  Treat  as  Brussels  sprouts  and 
brocoli.  The  best  sorts  to  take  out  are  Early 
Dwarf,  York,  Sugar-loaf,  and  Vanack,  Large 
Imperial  and  Battersea,  6d.  per  ounce. 

Cabbage,  Savoy.  —  Drumhead  and  large 
yellow,  6d.  per  ounce.     Treat  like  cabbage. 

Sea  Kale. — Sow  the  seeds  of  these  two  or 
three  in  a  hole,  with  holes  two  feet  apart  every 
way  ;  when  they  come  up,  take  away  all  but 
the  strongest.  If  you  like  to  plant  out  those 
you  remove,  you  can  cover  more  ground  with 
them.  Let  them  grow  and  decay.  The  third 
year  cover  them  up  with  earth  nine  inches 
deep,  and  when  the  plants  break  the  ground  to 
come  through,  remove  the  earth  to  the  crown 
of  the  root,  cut  off  the  blanched  shoots,  which 
are  boiled  and  eaten  like  asparagus.  They  do 
not  all  protrude,  and  want  cutting  at  once  ; 
there  is  a  fortnight  or  three  weeks  between 
the  first  and  the  last.  Some  instead  of  earth- 
ing them  over,  cover  them  with  an  inverted 
flower-pot  in  total  darkness  ;  and  to  force 
them  these  pans  are  covered  with  hot  stable- 
dung  or  fermenting  leaves.  The  seed  is  2s. 
per  quart. 

Asparagus. — Dig  the  ground  well,  and  if 
it  be  not  naturally  good,  endeavour  to  enrich 
it  ;  draw  a  drill,  and  drop  a  seed  or  two  at 
every  nine  inches,  and  cover  them  up  ;  let 
these  rows  be  three  feet  apart,  or  even  four  ; 
when  they  come  up,  take  out  all  but  one  plant 
in  a  place.  Let  the  plants  grow  up  and  decay, 
but  if  they  bear  seed,  save  it,  for  the  chance 
of  selling  it  or  increasing  j^our  plantation  ; 
when  the  plants  decay,  cut  them  off.  Sow 
salt  along  the  row,  enough  to  make  it  look 
white.  Let  it  come  up  a  second  time  and 
complete  its  seed.  The  third  time  it  comes 
up,  cut  it  for  use  ;  but  when  the  second  plants 
are  cut  down,  cover  with  three  inches  of  soil, 
and  when  they  come  up,  let  them  grow  three 
inches  above  ground,  and  cut  them  just  under 
the  surface.     Price  3d.  per  oz. 

Artichoke.  —  The  seeds  may  be  sown 
thinly,  and  the  plants,  when  a  few  inches  high, 
planted  out  in  rows  four  feet  apart  in  the  row, 
and  the  rows  six  feet  apart ;  or  it  may  be 
better  in  a  hot  country  to  drop  four  or  five 
seeds  in  each  of  the  holes  at  these  distances, 


and  when  they  are  well  up,  pull  out  all  but  the 
strongest.     Price  Is.  per  oz. 

Cardoon, — Spanish  and  large  purple,  6d. 
and  Is.  per  oz.  These  are  grown  like  arti- 
chokes, but  it  is  the  stems  that  are  eaten. 
Those  who  like  them  may  grow  them,  but  we 
consider  them  not  one-half  so  good  as  any 
other  vegetable.  As  they  grow  they  are 
earthed  up,  and  the  thick  part  of  the  stems  is 
boiled,  but  are  not  nearly  so  fine  as  a  good 
cabbage  stalk. 

Potato. — This  crop  can  be  raised  from 
seed,  and  a  packet  will  cost  but  6d.  ;  you  may 
buy  packets  of  twenty  different  sorts  at  that 
price,  but  this  would  be  useless,  even  if  they 
were  true,  because  from  one  hundred  seeds 
you  will  have  a  produce  including  early,  late, 
round,  kidney,  red,  white,  rough  and  smooth, 
large  and  small ;  and  you  may  select  the  best 
for  increasing  to  a  stock.  In  a  warm  country 
sow  the  seed  thinly,  and  as  soon  as  they  are 
large  enough  to  bear  removing,  plant  them 
out  a  foot  apart  in  rows,  two  feet  from  each 
other  ;  earth  them  up  as  they  advance,  and 
clear  them  from  weeds.  When  the  haulm 
decays,  dig  them  up  carefully,  and  as  you  come 
to  any  remarkably  good,  or  in  any  way  sin- 
gular or  promising,  put  in  a  bag  by  themselves 
all  that  belong  to  that  root.  All  the  ordi- 
nary ones  that  present  nothing  very  inviting 
throw  together  ;  the  largest  to  eat,  the  smallest 
to  plant  the  year  following.  The  remarkable 
ones  must  not  be  touched  for  food,  but  be 
planted  all  out  at  the  proper  season,  and  again 
kept  separately  ;  from  their  produce  you  may 
venture  to  boil  one  or  two,  to  try  their  quali- 
ties, but  they  must  not  be  thrown  away  if  they 
do  not  eat  well,  though  they  may  be  safely 
prized  if  they  do  ;  let  those  that  do  not  boil 
well  be  planted  the  next  year  in  a  different  kind 
of  soil,  and  they  may  prove  altogether  as  good. 
Spinach. — There  are  two  sorts,  the  round- 
leaved  and  the  prickly  ;  the  one  is  soon  in 
perfection,  and  runs  to  seed  directly  ;  the 
other  is  in  season  a  considerable  time.  The 
first  is  drawn  up  as  soon  as  there  are  six  or 
eight  broad  leaves,  and  the  root  cut  ofi^  that 
the  rest  of  the  plant  may  be  boiled  ;  the 
second  has  the  large  leaves  picked  off  to  form 
the  dish  of  vegetables,  and  therefoi-e,  so  long 
as  the  leaves  will  groAv,  there  is  abundance  of 
supply.  They  are  both  sown  very  thinly,  and 
hoed  out  to  eight  inches  apart  ;  they  soon 
touch  one  another,  and  this  is  the  time  to  pick 
off  the  largest  leaves  for  a  dish  with  the 
prickly  sort,  and  to  pull  up  altogether  the 
round-leaved  sort.  We  have  had  the  round 
leaved  sort  yield  a  good  picking  or  two  before 
it  went  to  seed,  though  it  is  a  summer  vegeta- 
ble, and  starts  pretty  soon  to  flower.  The 
seed  of  both  is  Is.  a  quart. 

New  Zealand  Spinach. — The  leaves  of 


140 


GAUDENING    AND    FARMING 


this  plant  are  picked  off  for  boiling  ;  and  the 
plants  continue  to  produce  them  lor  a  long 
time.  In  a  temperate  climate  they  do  well. 
The  seeds  should  be  sown  in  a  sheltered  spot, 
and  the  plants  put  out  at  a  yard  apart  every 
Avay  in  rich  soil ,-  about  a  score  of  plants  will 
furnish  a  good  supply.  The  seeds  are  sold  in 
England  at  6d.  per  oz. 

Cucumber. — The  ground  must  be  dug  and 
levelled,  and  three  or  four  seeds  placed  in  a 
patch  two  or  three  inches  from  each  other,  and 
these  patches  should  be  ten  feet  apart.  The 
best  kinds  to  take  out  would  be  Syon- 
house,  Cuthill's  black  spine,  Hamilton's  do., 
Mills'  do.  All  may  be  had  at  6d.  or  Is. 
a  packet.  As  soon  as  the  plants  have  six 
leaves,  pinch  off  the  top  to  encourage  side 
branches,  and  if  these  incline  to  ramble  along 
instead  of  throwing  out  side  shoots,  pinch  the 
ends  off  of  these  also,  but  if  fruits  show  they 
may  be  safely  left  to  themselves. 

Squash,  Vegetable  Makrow,  &c. — This 
is  the  name  given  to  many  of  the  gourds,  but 
nearly  all  of  the  gourd  tribe  are  eatable  at  an 
early  period  before  the  formation  of  the  seeds  ; 
they  may  all  be  grown  like  cucumbers,  only  two 
plants  in  a  hole  are  enough  instead  of  three. 

Parsley. — The  best  4d,  per  oz.  An  ex- 
cellent herb  for  broths,  stews,  stuffings,  and 
other  seasoned  dishes.  To  be  sown  thinly  in 
drills  ;  when  up,  pull  out  so  as  to  leave  the 
plants  six  inches  apart  in  the  rows,  and  the 
rows  should  be  a  foot  from  each  other  ;  if  it 
can  be  done,  pull  out  those  with  the  plainest 
looking  leaves,  and  leave  those  with  the  best 
curled  foliage,  This  is  an  herb  constantly  in 
use,  and  should  not  be  neglected  ;  the  seed  also 
imparts  the  flavour,  as  in  the  case  of  celery. 

Salsaft,  Scorzonera,  Skirret,  Sorrel, 
Balm,  Bazil,  Chervil,  Fennel,  Marjo- 
ram, Sage,  Savory,  Thyme,  and  many  other 
herbs,  may  be  had  in  packets  of  seed,  requiring 
no  more  than  sowing,  thinning  out  to  six, 
nine,  or  twelve  inches  apart,  according  to  the 
size  of  the  plant,  and  then  remaining  to  form 
a  complete  herb  bed.  It  is  as  well  to  take 
the  majority  of  these,  because  there  is  no  get- 
ting them  three  or  four  hundred  miles  up  a 
strange  unknown  country,  and  a  store  is  no 
sore  if  you  do  happen  to  find  some  of  them. 
All  may  be  had  in  Bd.  packets,  or  even  less. 

Lettuce. — The  best  of  salads,  and  the  nu- 
merous kinds  admit  of  keeping  some  all  the 
year  round.  The  best  sorts  are  Bath  Cos, 
Brown  Cos,  White  Cabbage,  all  6d.  or  Is.  per 
oz.  These  may  be  sown  thinly  enough  to  cut 
them  out  to  six  inches  apart,  and  then  left  to 
heart.  When  they  have  grown  to  a  full  size, 
if  they  have  an  inclination  to  heart  of  them- 
selves, there  will  be  no  occasion  to  tie  them 
up  ;  but  if  you  want  some  earlier,  tie  up  the 


plant  so  that  the  heart  cannot  grow  out,  and 
it  will  fill  and  whiten  sooner.  The  cabbage 
kind  heart  very  well ;  they  want  no  aid.  In 
England  and  in  North  America  lettuces  may 
be  planted  out  at  proper  distances  after  they 
have  grown  large  enough  to  be  handled,  but 
in  hot  countries  they  will  not  bear  this,  nor 
will  they  in  all  places  come  to  heart  at  all ; 
they  will  run  away  to  seed.  The  best  chance 
is  to  sow  them  where  they  are  to  stand,  and 
give  them  room  by  cutting  out  all  that  inter- 
rupt their  growth.  Less  than  six  inches 
apart  will  not  do,  and  in  some  places  they 
want  nine  inches,  growing  much  larger  and 
finer  than  ordinary,  but  this  will  soon  be 
found  out. 

Endive. — An  excellent  salad  for  any  sea- 
son. Sow  it  thinly  all  over  a  bed ;  when  up, 
cut  the  weak  plants,  leaving  the  rest  at  about 
six  inches  apart.  When  these  have  grown  to 
a  fair  size,  tie  them  up  close  like  a  lettuce,  or 
lay  a  board  on  them,  or  if  you  do  not  mind 
the  trouble  of  washing  them  for  use,  dig  up 
the  soil  between  and  cover  them  up  ;  they 
require  to  be  kept  from  air  and  light  a  few 
days,  to  whiten  them,  but  how  you  do  this 
matters  not ;  you  may  cover  a  pan  over  them, 
if  you  please.  They  are  eaten  raw,  like  other 
salads.  The  principal  sorts  are  white  curled, 
and  white  Batavian,  6d.  an  oz. 

Radish. — This  favourite  salad  root  has 
only  to  be  sown  thinly,  and  drawn  when  large 
enough  to  eat.  There  is  a  long  sort  and  a 
round  sort,  and  of  each  there  are  several 
varieties.  The  early  scarlet,  early  short  to 
red  turnip  and  white  turnip,  may  all  be  had  at 
2s.  per  quart,  and  are  worth  taking  out.  Salad 
radish  is  to  sow  and  eat  like  cress,  mustard,  &c. 

Corn  Salad. — The  seed  is  3d.  per  oz. 
Sown  and  thinned  to  six  inches  apart.  The 
leaves  picked  form  almost  a  perpetual  salad  ; 
always  a  nice  addition  to  any  salad,  and  eatable 
by  themselves. 

Mustard. — An  excellent  salad,  and  a  very 
necessary  condiment  in  the  seed  state,  for  by 
grinding  it,  and  sifting  out  the  husks,  we 
obtain  the  mustard  of  commerce,  only  very 
much  more  pure  and  serviceable.  It  is  sown 
as  thick  as  cress  in  i-ows  to  cut  for  salad  ;  but 
sown  very  thin  and  hoed  out  to  nine  inches 
apart,  to  save  seed  from.  If  the  ground  be 
rich,  it  will  require  eighteen  inches  instead  of 
nine.     Seed  Is.  per  quart. 

Rape  salad  is  not  so  pungent  as  mustard, 
but  has  much  the  nature  and  appearance  of  it, 
and  must  be  sown  the  same  way  as  cress  and 
mustard ;  cut  at  the  same  age  ;  it  is  in  most 
markets  sold  as  mustard. 

Cress. — Used  as  small  salad  ;  sown  thickly 
in  drills,  and  when  two  or  three  inches  high, 
cut  close  to  the  surface.      Seed  Is.  per  quart. 

Cress,    American.  —  A    perennial,    and 


FOR    COLONISTS    AND    EMIGRANTS. 


141 


forming  another  kind  of  perpetual  salad ; 
somewhat  pungent,  but  often  useful ;  only  re- 
quires to  be  sown,  thinned  out  when  up  to  six 
inches  apart,  and  picked  as  wanted. 

Ckess,  "Water. — This  will  be  useless  un- 
less you  have  running  water,  or  at  least  plenty 
of  water  that  will  enable  you  to  change  it,  but 
if  you  can  command  this,  sow  the  seeds  with  a 
level  bottom  of  moderate  soil  and  nearly  empty. 
As  it  comes  up,  water  may  be  allowed  to  rise, 
and  when  once  established,  you  may  cut  them 
up  and  plant  any  quantity,  for  they  will  strike 
root  and  grow  rapidly.     Qd.  per  packet. 

IVIelon. — These  are  luxuries  ;  but  in  warm 
countries,  though  they  may  already  abound, 
some  of  our  better  sorts  would  be  acceptable, 
such  as  Beechwood,  Windsor  prize,  Cabul, 
Duncan's  green  flesh,  and  new  Egyptian, 
which  may  be  had  at  Is.  a  packet,  and  a 
packet  of  each  may  not  be  thrown  away. 
If  the'  place  be  cold,  there  must  be  the  usual 
hot-bed  and  frame  treatment ;  if  warm,  they 
may  be  grown  the  same  as  cucumbers  in  every 
respect. 

Tomato. — ^In  hot  countries  these  -would 
only  require  to  be  dropped  into  the  ground  a 
seed  or  two  in  a  hole,  at  about  two  feet  apart, 
and  they  would  cover  the  ground  with  a  mass 
of  fruit.  In  cold  places,  or  where  the  sum- 
mer is  short,  they  should  be  raised  in  hot- 
beds, potted,  and  not  turned  out  till  the  warm 
weather  has  set  in  ;  even  then  there  should  be 
a  sloping  bank  made,  with  the  sides  north  and 
south,  and  the  plants  should  be  put  out  so  as 
to  trail  up  the  south  side,  for  it  is  a  trailing 
plant.  The  fruit  would  be  cleaner  if  there 
were  walls  or  wooden  frames  to  fasten  them 
to,  but  there  is  always  the  ground  on  which 
the  bank  can  be  formed.  A  packet  of  the  red 
or  yellow  sort  can  be  had  for  3(/.,  and  the 
sauce  made  from  the  tomato  is  in  great  repute. 

MuLBEKRY. — The  tree  will  be  a  long  time  in 
coming  to  perfection  from  seed,  but  many  who 
were  deterred  by  the  distant  prospect  of 
advantage  in  sowing  seeds,  have  stayed  the 
time  out  at  which  vines,  pears,  plums,  and 
twenty  other  subjects  would  have  attained 
perfection,  and  sadly  regretted  losing  the 
opportunity.  Mulberry  seed,  the  black  sort, 
may  be  had  at  sixpence  per  packet.  It  re- 
quires to  be  sown  thinly,  and  when  up  merely 
thinned  a  little  to  give  room  to  grow.  The 
first  year  they  may  be  planted  out  a  foot 
apart  in  a  row,  and  the  rows  two  feet  apart, 
for  growing  two  years  ;  they  may  then  be 
placed  a  yard  apart  every  way  for  three  years 
more  ;  then  removed  again  to  six  feet  apart. 
During  all  this  time,  you  must  take  off  the 
side  shoots  if  you  want  upright  stems,  but  if 
you  require  bushy  and  short  trees,  let  them 
alone.     By  moving  them  every  two  or  three 


years,  you  hasten  their  fruiting,  the  constant 
checks  being  also  beneficial  in  another  respect ; 
the  trees  are  by  that  proceeding  completely 
prevented  from  throwing  out  their  roots  so 
far  ;  indeed,  if  thei'e  are  long  rambling  roots, 
they  have  to  be  cut  back  from  the  very  first 
planting. 

Nectarine,  Peach,  Pltjm,  Cherry,  Pear, 
Apple,  and  large  fruits,  can  be  taken  out ;  and 
if  you  have  not  had  an  opportunity  of  saving 
pips,  stones,  &c.  from  fruit  of  your  own  choos- 
ing, you  must  trust  to  the  seed  shops.  It  is, 
however,  far  better  to  buy  the  fruit  and  know 
what  you  save.  All  these  things  may  be 
advantageously  sown  where  ground  is  cheap, 
and  by  the  constant  shifting  from  one  place  to 
another,  they  will  much  sooner  bear  than  if 
they  were  kept  in  their  original  places. 

Easpberry  seed  may  be  had  of  almost  any 
of  the  sorts,  but  even  here  you  can  only  de- 
pend on  what  you  yourself  save  for  any  par- 
ticular sort  ;  but  as  there  are  no  very  bad 
raspberries  brought  to  market,  and  one  sort 
is  pretty  nearly  as  good  as  another  to  seed 
from,  you  may  get  this  at  a  seed  shop  if  you 
have  not  the  opportunity  of  saving  it  yourself. 
This  may  be  sown  thinly  on  a  bed,  and  the 
plants  allowed  to  grow  for  one  season  ;  they 
may  then  be  planted  out  three  feet  apart,  in 
rows  six  feet  from  each  other  ;  other  crops 
can  be  grown  between,  and  the  raspberries  may 
stand  till  they  fruit,  which  will  be  as  soon  as 
the  canes  are  strong  enough  ;  they  will  all 
be  quite  good  enough  to  use  ;  and  if  you  find 
any  better  than  usual,  take  care  of  the  plant, 
propagate  it  by  parting  the  roots,  and  in  time 
make  a  plantation  of  it.  In  the  mean  time, 
your  seedling  plantation  affords  you  plenty. 
When  the  leaves  fall,  cut  off  the  old  stems 
and  leave  the  new  ones  to  bear  the  next  year; 
as  soon  as  these  have  dropped  their  leaves, 
shorten  the  strongest  to  four  or  five  feet ;  cut 
all  the  weakest  off  close  to  the  roots,  and  they 
may  require  stakes  to  tie  them  up  to. 

Strawberry  seed  may  be  sown  thinly,  and 
have  a  year's  growth,  when  the  plants  maybe 
dug  up,  and  planted  out  a  foot  apart  every 
way,  on  beds  four  feet  wide,  with  alleys  be- 
tween them  two  feet  wide  ;  take  off  all  the 
runners  the  first  two  years,  that  the  plants 
may  acquire  strength. 

Gooseberry  and  Currant  seeds  will  suc- 
ceed well  anywhere  ;  sow  and  treat  as  rasp- 
berries. 

Nuts  of  all  kinds  may  be  also  taken  out, 
and  treated  as  mulberries. 

Grapes  should  be  treated  the  same  as  rasp- 
berries. 

All  these  fruit  seeds  may  be  had  at  about 
sixpence  or  a  shilling  per  packet.  The  only 
things  we  should  be  very  doubtful  of  w'ould 
be  pear  and  apple  pips  ;  because  the  perry  and 


142 


GARDENING    AND    FARMING 


cyder  makers  could  supply  bushels  of  pips, 
not  one  in  ten  thousand  of  which  would  bring 
a  sort  better  than  the  wild  ones. 

The  foregoing  may  be  taken  out  in  the 
form  of  seeds,  the  following  as  sets  or  roots. 

Potatoes. — You  might  attempt  to  take 
out  enough  of  the  few  best  true  sorts  to  begin 
your  stock  from.  The  Ash-leaf  Kidney, 
Rilott's  Flour-ball,  Thurston's  Conqueror, 
Looker's  Oxonian,  Soden's  Early  Oxford,  and 
Burgess's  Proliiic,  are  all  worth  trying  a  few 
of  j  they  must  be  dried  under  cover  for  some 
time  before  they  are  packed,  and  then  they 
should  be  put  in  barrels  the  last  thing  before 
starting;  they  Avill  be  a  prize  when  you  arrive 
out.  Plant  Avhole  tubers  about  the  size  of  a 
walnut,  six  inches  deep,  nine  inches  apart  in 
the  rows,  and  the  rows  three  feet  from  each 
other  ;  when  they  are  above  ground  three  or 
four  inches,  draw  a  bank  of  earth  up  to  the 
stems,  so  that  there  may  be  three  or  four 
inches  of  soil  on  the  uppermost  tubers  pro- 
duced ;  large  soi'ts  of  potato  will  bear  a  longer 
distance  from  each  other.  Take  up  when  the 
haulm  is  decayed,  and  store  them  cool  and  dry. 

Artichokes,  Jerusalem.  —  The  tubers, 
which  should  be  about  the  size  of  a  good 
walnut,  are  to  be  planted  whole  at  six  inches 
deep,  a  foot  from  each  other  in  the  row,  and 
the  rows  four  feet  apart  ;  when  up  four  inches, 
the  stems  should  be  earthed  up  nearly  to  their 
tops  ;  when  the  plant  dies  down,  the  roots 
should  be  taken  up,  the  largest  selected  for 
eating,  the  middling  down  to  the  size  of  a 
"walnut  for  seed,  the  smallest  for  the  pigs. 
The  plant  grows  very  tall,  and  will  form  a 
blind  to  any  place  eight  or  ten  feet  high. 

In  all  the  sowings,  hoeings,  and  the  like, 
previously  directed,  it  must  be  borne  in  mind 
that  clearing  away  the  weeds  is  indispensable  ; 
and  in  the  case  of  ground  just  cleared,  or  that 
has  been  for  centuries  bearing  only  wild  plants 
of  all  kinds,  there  is  very  little  chance  of  its 
being  other  than  foul.  We  have  said  very 
little  about  weeding  or  the  ordinary  duties  of 
the  gardener.  Watering  in  dry  weather, 
when  it  can  be  done,  is  desirable.  Our  chief 
reason  for  recommending  seeds  to  be  sown 
where  the  plants  are  to  remain,  is  that  the 
plants  may  have  to  go  a  considerable  depth 
after  moisture,  and  removing  invariably  breaks 
off  the  lower  spongiolet?,  and  many  of  the 
side  ones  ;  but  if  the  plant  be  sown  where  it 
is  to  remain,  it  has  a  treble  chance  of  getting 
a  supply  over  one  that  has  been  transplanted 
though  only  from  one  wet  place  to  another. 
We  have  said  very  little  about  earthing  up 
crops,  and  many  other  subjects  that  come  as 
matter  of  course  ;  nor  can  we  say  anything 
about  the  seasons  for  sowing,  because  such 
instructions  would  not  suit  two  places  of  dif- 


ferent climates ;  any  common  observer  of 
crops  and  of  seasons  will  know  the  spring 
from  the  autumn,  and  if  it  be  a  tropical 
climate,  the  crops  may  be  sown  at  all  times, 
but  advantage  should  be  taken  of  the  rainy 
seasons,  and  the  seeds  sown  when  the  ground 
is  in  the  best  order.  If,  on  the  other  hand, 
it  is  a  cold  climate,  and  the  earth  is  frozen 
half  the  year,  any  one  would  know  when  the 
frost  breaks  up  that  it  is  the  time  to  set  all 
things  growing  ;  and  be  it  remembered,  that 
in  cold  countries  there  is  no  snatching,  hot 
and  cold,  frost  and  wet,  mild  and  bitter 
weather,  succeeding  each  other  in  the  same 
day.  In  such  countries  it  is  cold  while  the 
cold  lasts,  and  it  lasts  perhaps  a  long  time  ; 
but  when  that  breaks,  warmer  weather  suc- 
ceeds, and  sometimes  even  burning  hot,  but 
there  are  no  relapses,  so  that  when  once  the 
frost  is  broken,  plants  go  on  well. 

Farm  Cfops. 

Wheat  has  to  be  sown,  as  well  as  you  can, 
broadcast,  that  is,  thinly  all  over  the  ground  ; 
the  surface  should  then  be  harrowed,  and 
rolled.  Many  an  acre  of  wheat  has  been 
sown  and  only  trodden  into  the  ground.  The 
harrowing  is  more  easily  managed,  because 
you  have  only  to  carry  out  the  spikes  for  a 
harrow,  and  it  is  hard  indeed  if  you  cannot 
make  a  frame  to  hold  them. 

Barley  and  Oats  in  England  are  sown  at 
a  different  time  to  the  wheat  ;  but  Australia, 
New  Zealand,  and  many  of  the  colonies  in  the 
south,  defy  all  seasons  of  sowing;  sometimes 
one  thing,  sometimes  another,  but  in  many 
places  they  wait  for  sowing  a  crop  only  till 
the  previous  crop  comes  off,  be  it  at  what 
time  it  may  ;  the  ground  is  never  idle. 

Indian  Corn. — This  is  a  valuable  crop,  be- 
cause it  will,  in  its  dry  state,  keep  its  quality 
for  many  years.  In  a  warm  country  it  only 
requires  to  be  dropped  into  the  ground, 
eighteen  inches  apart  every  way,  oi-  twelve 
inches  apart  in  rows  two  feet  asunder,  so  that 
it  may  be  possible  to  get  between  the  rows  to 
give  the  necessary  attention.  If  the  country 
be  cold,  or  the  summers  short,  raise  the  seeds 
in  a  hot-bed,  to  grow  until  the  weather  breaks 
up,  and  plant  them  out  at  those  distances  ; 
when  the  ear  is  very  young,  it  may  be  eaten 
green  as  a  vegetable,  boiled  in  salt  and  water, 
and  dished  up  like  asparagus,  to  be  eaten  with 
melted  butler  ;  but  its  chief  value  is  as  grain. 
It  is  the  most  nourishing  food  for  cattle,  and 
the  meal  will  make  very  acceptable,  but,  by 
comparison,  very  ordinary  bread  ;  when  ripe, 
the  ears  are  cut  and  brought  away  in  baskets. 
The  plant  makes  a  sort  of  fodder,  but  the 
stems  are  too  strong  to  be  eaten  without  being 
chopped  small,  and  they  are  not  Avorth  the 
trouble  when  anything  else  can  be  had. 


FOB,  COLONISTS  AND  EMIGRANTS. 


143 


Growing  Tcenips,  Carrots,  Mangold 
"WuRTZEL,  Parsnips,  Cabbages,  yarious 
SEEDS,  Peas,  Beans,  and  all  other  crops  of 
the  kind,  is  merely  gardening  on  a  larger 
scale  ;  they  are  all  useful  as  food  for  cattle, 
and  the  sowing  of  them  can  only  be  deter- 
mined upon  according  to  the  climate  of  the 
place,  and  the  seasons  that  the  climate  pro- 
duces. 

STOCK  ;    AND    FEEDING    IT. 

The  principal  advantage  to  the  emigrant  is 
pastui'age  ;  he  may  keep  sheep  by  wholesale, 
with  an  experienced  shepherd  ;  these,  there- 
fore, want  no  feeding.  Hogs,  cattle,  and 
horses,  have  a  whole  domain  to  range  upon, 
if  the  emigrant  has  any  extent  of  grant.  But 
there  must  be  pork,  and  poultry,  and  cows  at 
home,  and  these  will  all  aid  in  the  supply  of 
manure.  There  ought  to  be  an  enclosed  farm 
yard,  to  which  all  the  waste  of  the  garden 
should  be  thrown  to  be  devoured,  trampled 
on,  and  converted  into  manure  ;  for  where 
there  is  much  vegetable  waste  there  is  of  course 
much  less  dry  food  required.  Pigs  may  live 
on  vegetable  food  and  roots  all  the  while  they 
are  growling,  and  boiled  potatoes,  parsnips, 
carrots,  and  beet  root,  are  all  nourishing 
food  ;  it  is  only  when  they  are  put  up  for 
fatting  that  they  should  have  meal  and  peas, 
or  beans,  or  Indian  corn  bruised.  Fowls 
generally  fare  well  in  farm  yards,  especially 
when  the  food  is  common  to  all ;  they  will 
mess  with  the  pigs,  and  come  in  for  their 
share  ;  and  when  corn  is  given  to  them,  it 
should  be  where  nothing  else  can  get  at  it. 
The  cow,  besides  green  meat,  may  have  tur- 
nips, carrots,  beet  root,  mangold  wurtzels, 
cabbages,  and  hay  ;  and  all  the  animals  may 
be  brought  to  eat  almost  any  thing.  In  the 
farm-yard  there  should  be  comfortable  sheds 
and  houses  for  the  various  inhabitants.  The 
fowl-house  should  have  nests  and  roosts  out 
of  the  way  of  vermin  ;  but  much  depends  on 
the  climate,  as  to  how  nearly  you  can  assimi- 
late the  farm-yard  to  those  of  England. 
There  may  be  a  difficulty  in  keeping  fowls, 
geese,  turkeys,  and  the  like  ;  but  you  cannot 
do  better  than  take  an  English  farm  for  your 
model,  and  come  as  near  to  it  in  all  the  es- 
sentials as  possible. 

DWELLINGS. 

The  contrivance  of  some  sort  of  dwelling 
house  may  form  no  part  of  the  gardening  or 
farming  ;  but  as  no  man  can  make  a  tent  last 
for  ever,  or  depend  on  canvass  for  a  perma- 
nent protection  against  the  weather,  he  must 
look  out  for  a  house  over  his  head  as  soon  as 
he  has  well  made  up  his  mind  where  he  in- 
tends to  put  it.  In  countries  where  wood  is 
plentiful,  the  quickest  mode  of  building  is  to 


use  the  trunks  of  the  trees  whole,  or  nearly  so. 
These  may  be  called  log  houses.  The  trunks 
being  selected,  or  cut  to  the  same  lengths,  cut 
them  with  an  adze  to  form  a  flat  side,  which 


mf 


of  course  will  be,  as  the  trunk  lies,  the  upper 
side  ;  then  turn  it  over  and  cut  the  opposite 
side  flat,  and  see  that  it  is  of  the  same  thickness 


all  along.  Prepare  as  many  as  you  will  re- 
quire, of  the  same  thickness  the  whole  length. 
But  although  we  say,  do  this  with  an  adze,  it 
would  be  done  better  with  a  saw,  if  you  chose 
to  make  a  saw-pit.  These  logs  so  cut,  and 
laid  upon  one  another,  form  a  strong,  thick 
wooden  wall,  and  when  clamped  together, 
and  stuffed  with  tow,  or  any  other  material, 
as  warm  as  bricks  and  mortar  could  be,  and 
even  warmer  tlian  a  nine-inch  wall  could  be. 
Eight  or  ten  of  these  logs,  one  on  the  other, 
will  form  a  tolerable  height ;  the  lower  ones 
may  be  of  the  thickest,  and  you  may  reduce 
the  sizes  as  you  get  higher,  both  for  the  sake 
of  the  lighter  lifting,  and  the  safety  of  the 
wall.  Of  course  these  logs  must  be  cut  very 
flat  on  the  upper  and  under  sides,  that  they 
may  lie  close.  The  lengths  must  be  adjusted 
to  answer  your  purposes,  and  there  should  be 
two  lengths  for  ever  so  small  a  house,  that  the 
joints  may  be  broken,  some  lying  one  way 
and  some  the  other,  thus — say  they  are  twelve 


feet  and  eight.  This  evidently  increases  the 
strength  of  the  wall,  and  when  they  are 
clamped  together  nothing  can  upset  them. 
The  simplest  and  rudest  plan  will  be  a  lean- 
to  roof,  because  the  top  can  be  thatched  with 
grass,  straw,  weeds,  underwood,  or  any  kind 
of  litter  that  can  be  contrived  ;  and  the  whole 
concern  can  be  knocked  up  in  a  short  time, 
as  a  place  several  degrees  warmer  and  better 
than  a  tent.  Say  the  sides  shall  be  twenty 
feet  long,  made  by  eight  feet  and  twelve  feet 
logs,  the  highest  side  ten  feet  high,  and  the 
lowest  five,  and  the  width  about  ten  ;  the 
rafters  would  then  be  about  eleven  feet,  to 
reach  from  the  high  side  to  the  low  side.     As 


144 


GARDENING    AND    FARMING 


the  ends  would  be  ten  feet  openings,  let  them 
be  formed  by  logs  of  such  length  as  will  reach 
from  outside  to  outside — say  twelve  feet  or 
thirteen  feet ;  and  it  will  be  necessary  to  cut 
the  ends  that  cover  the  buts  of  the  other  logs, 
so  that  they  fit  close.  Shorten  the  logs  that 
you  use  where  the  door  is  to  be,  because  you 
have  a  choice  as  to  the  best  opening.  It  is 
well  to  have  that  in  the  most  sheltered  spot, 
or,  if  there  be  no  shelter,  let  the  door  be  at 
the  south  side  or  end.  The  rafters  may  be 
chosen  from  the  most  straight  branches  or 
poles  that  can  be  found  strong  enough  to  bear 
the  weight  of  whatever  is  to  cover  as  a  roof ; 
and,  if  you  have  abundance,  the  closer  they 
are,  the  less  trouble  you  will  have  to  roof  upon 
them.  This  is  the  rudest  kind  of  substantial 
house  that  can  be  made.  But  if  you  make  a 
saw-pit,  and  are  pretty  handy,  or  can  get  the 
assistance  of  a  mechanic  who  understands  it, 
he  will  be  able  to  make  you  a  house,  while 
you  may  be  better  employed  on  your  land. 
Still  the  walls  cannot  be  better  made  than 
with  logs,  sawed  flat  on  two  sides,  but  worked 
moi'e  or  less  square  and  fair  according  to  the 
capacity  of  the  builder.  Doors,  windows,  and 
openings  of  any  kind  are  as  easily  left  with 
log  buildings  as  with  brick  ;  for,  by  simply 
shortening  them  to  the  lengths  required  to 
leave  the  openings,  the  space  is  regulated  to 
fancy. 

Let  no  one  imagine  that  they  can  locate  a 
few  hundred  miles  from  a  town  or  even  vil- 
lage, on  an  uncultivated  and  even  uncleared 
country,  and  find  people  ready  to  build  for 
them  in  any  style  of  architecture.  They  may 
be  glad  to  knock  up  such  a.  house  as  we  have 
described,  without  having  even  the  means  of 
stopping  the  window  holes  with  glass,  and 
being  obliged  to  use  wooden  shutters  when 
they  are  required  to  be  closed  at  all.  Pre- 
suming, however,  that  you  can  saw  some  of 
^the  best  logs  into  boards,  there  will  be  no  dif- 
ficulty in  nailing  them  together  to  form  doors 
and  shutters  ;  and  if  you  please  to  take  the 
pains,  you  might  use  boards  to  cover  as  a  roof 
In  such  case,  your  rafters  may  be  two  feet 
apart,  but  they  must  be  squared  a  little  on 
the  top.  The  boards  may  then  lap  over  one 
another  an  inch  or  two  ;  they  will  be  found 
very  useful  where  water  is  scarce,  as,  by  run- 
ning a  gutter  along  the  low  part  of  the  roof, 
all  the  rain  may  be  caught  in  tubs  or  tanks, 
or  conveyed  by  drains  into  any  pond  or  other 
contrivance  for  retaining  it.  A  box,  with  a 
hundred  feet  of  glass,  takes  a  very  small  space 
among  the  luggage,  and  would  add  greatly  to 
the  comfort  of  a  dwelling.     A  package  con- 


taining half-a-dozen  sashes  might  be  worth 
taking,  because  hinges  for  doors,  nails  of  all 
kinds,  screws,  small  tools,  locks  and  keys,  and 
numerous  other  handy  things,  might  be  packed 
between  the  bars  ;  but  all  this  depends  greatly 
on  whether  a  man  is  going  up  the  country,  far 
from  towns  or  villages,  or  going,  according 
to  our  advice,  to  choose  land  ibr  himself  either 
for  purchase  or  renting  ;  because,  in  this  latter 
case,  the  less  encumbrance  he  has  the  better, 
so  that  he  takes  out  what  he  cannot  buy  when 
out,  or  if  to  be  purchased  at  all,  only  at  ex- 
orbitant prices. 

We  have  said  nothing  about  the  floor  of  a 
house.  This  may  be  made  of  wood  slabs,  or 
logs  squared  on  three  of  the  sides,  or  boards, 
which  are  decidedly  the  best.  If  boards  are 
used,  moderate-sized  logs  should  be  bedded  in 
the  ground,  about  two  feet  apart,  and  squared 
with  an  adze,  or,  which  is  far  better,  cut 
through  the  middle,  that  each  log  or  branch, 
may  make  two,  Avith  the  sawed  face  upwards, 
that  the  boards  may  lie  flat.  There  will  be 
no  difficulty  about  pig-sties,  and  out-houses, 
store  rooms,  and  so  forth,  as  you  become  used 
to  the  place,  and  accustomed  to  the  labour. 
A  man  soon  becomes  a  carpenter  if  he  has  any 
kind  of  mechanical  turn  ;  and  he  who  really 
knows  how  to  go  about  it,  would  begin  by 
building  the  most  rapidly-constructed  place  he 
could  think  of,  for  the  first  make-shift,  and 
then  set  about  a  proper  house  in  good  earnest, 
by  squaring  and  sawing  all  his  timber,  and 
building  according  to  the  principles  of  car- 
pentry. When  he  has  made  his  house  to  his 
liking,  he  will  turn  his  first  construction  to 
account  as  an  out-house,  store,  barn,  stock 
feeding-house,  stable,  or  what  not.  But  if  a 
man  goes  out  to  build  his  own  hut,  or  log 
house,  he  must  be  sure  and  take  pi'oper  tools; 
— not  one  of  your  fancy  carpenter's  tool- chests, 
with  fancy  moulding  planes,  and  all  manner 
of  things  for  joinery  work  in  London  ;  but 
good  substantial  saws  of  sorts,  planes,  chisels, 
adzes,  hammers  of  sizes,  hatchets,  and  such 
other  articles  as  are  used  in  plain  substantial 
building. 

It  is  not,  however,  to  be  forgotten  that  there 
are  houses  built  complete  in  London  to  go  into 
emigrant  lands,  requiring  only  to  be  put  to- 
gether like  a  bedstead  ;  and  hundreds  of  models 
of  these  wooden  houses  may  be  seen  any  day 
at  Thompson's  of  Limehouse.  If  time  be 
worth  much,  these  would  pay  for  the  carriage; 
but  still,  there  is  nothing  like  going  out  with 
all  the  money  in  your  pocket,  and  liberty  to 
settle  wherever  you  can  get  a  place  the  best, 
cheapest,  and  most  to  your  mind. 


THE    BORONIA. 


145 


THE  BORONIA, 

ITS    YAEIETIES    AND    CULTURE. 


The  Boronia  is  an  Australian  family  of 
very  pretty  shrubby  plants,  of  small  stature, 
and  evergreen  habit,  and  generally  producing 
a  profusion  of  very  conspicuous  and  orna- 
mental blossoms.  In  fact,  there  are  two  or 
three  of  the  cultivated  species,  which,  as  green- 
house shrubs,  if  they  are  not  unrivalled,  are 
at  least  unsurpassed  by  anything  that  we  have 
of  the  same  class  of  plants  ;  and  a  dozen  of 
the  very  best  greenhouse  plants  that  could  be 
selected  must  include  one  species  at  least  of 
this  genus.  At  floral  exhibitions,  few  among 
the  many  subjects  there  collected  are  more 
conspicuous  than  the  Boronias.  They  have 
at  the  least  one  property  which  adapts  them 
for  those  whose  gardening  operations  are  not 
very  extensive,  for  they  are  beautiful  while 
quite  small ;  indeed,  young  plants  of  these  are 
in  everyway  preferable  to  old  ones.  Of  some 
of  the  kinds,  plants  only  a  foot  high  may 
without  difficulty  be  had,  fully  as  much  in 
diameter,  closely  filled  out  with  branches,  and 
at  the  proper  season  loaded  with  blossoms. 
Such  plants  are  perfect  gems  for  small  green- 
houses.     There  is   a   degree   of  durability, 

50. 


moreover,  in  the  blossoms  of  these  plants, 
which  is  not  the  least  part  of  their  recom- 
mendation, as  they  continue  for  a  considerable 
time  in  a  state  of  beauty. 

We  have  been  familiar  with  Boronias  in 
gardens  for  many  years.  The  first  introduced 
species  appears  to  have  been  sent  to  this  coun- 
try in  1794  ;  and  one  or  two  others  arrived 
prior  to  1820.  The  majority  of  the  species 
which  are  or  have  been  in  cultivation  were, 
however,  apparently  introduced  at  two  dis- 
tinct periods, — one  between  1824  and  1826, 
and  the  other  in  1841-2. 

The  genus  Boronia  was  named  after  Francis 
Boroni,  who  was  an  Italian  attendant  of  Dr. 
Sibthorp,  and  collected  the  specimens  of  many 
of  the  plants  figured  in  Sibthorp's  famous 
Flora  Grceca.  It  belongs  to  Rutacete,  the 
natural  order  of  rue-woits,  where  it  forms 
part  of  the  group  of  Diosmefe.  By  some  un- 
accountable error  it  is,  in  Paxton's  Botanical 
Dictionary,  said  to  belong  to  Proteace^,  and 
the  error  remains  uncorrected  in  the  recently 
published  supplement  to  that  useful  book. 

According  to  the  most  recent  catalogues, 


146 


THE    BORONIA. 


there  are  twenty-one  species  of  Boronia  cul- 
tivated in  the  gardens  of  England  ;  and  among 
these  there  exists  considerable  variety.  For 
real  beauty  and  utility,  however,  we  should 
prefer  B.  serrulafa,  triphi/lla,  and  pinnata  to 
all  the  rest,  to  which,  perhaps,  for  the  sake  of 
greater  variety,  S.  viminea  might  be  added. 
We  shall,  however,  enumerate  the  different 
kinds,  in  order  that  they  may  be  known. 
They  form  three  groups, — those  with  simple, 
with  trifoliate  or  trifid,  and  with  impari- 
pinnate*  leaves. 

THE    SPECIES   OF    BORONIA. 

There  ^re  now  many  species  of  this  genus 
cultivated  in  English  gardens.  In  some  the 
leaves  are  simple,  in  others  they  are  pinnate. 
The  flowers  of  all  are  rose,  or  purplish,  and 
are  formed  of  four  parts.  "VYe  shall  briefly 
describe  the  principal  of  them. 

Boronia  serrulata.  Smith  (serrulate-leaved 
Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen  shrub  ;  leaves 
trapeziform,  acute,  serrulated  ;  flowers  deep 
rose,  very  fragrant,  produced  from  the  tops  of 
the  shoots.  Native  of  New  Holland,  about 
Port  Jackson.  Introduced  in  1816.  Flowei's 
through  great  part  of  spring  and  summer. 

Boronia  crenulata,  Smith  (crenulate-leaved 
Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen  shrub,  rather 
smaller  than  the  last ;  leaves  obovate,  mucro- 
nulate,  serrulated.  Flowers  rose,  with  a 
fi-inged  calyx.  Native  of  New  Holland,  at 
King  George's  Sound.  Introduced  in  1820. 
Flowers  in  the  spring  and  early  summer 
months. 

Boronia  denticulata,  Smith  (toothletted- 
leaved  Boronia). — An  upright  habited  small 
eyergreen  shrub  ;  leaves  linear  toothletted. 
Flowers  rose  or  purplish.  Native  of  New 
Holland,  at  King  George's  Sound.  Intro- 
duced in  1823.  Flowers  throughout  spring 
and  summer. 

Bpronia  p)(irviJlora,  Smith  (small-flowered 
Boronia). — A  small  evergreen,  with  the  habit 
of  B,  denticulata,  but  smaller ;  leaves  obovate- 
lanceolate,  obsoletely  crgnulate.  Flowers  pale 
rose.  Native  of  New  Holland,  about  Port 
Jackson-  Introduced  in  1826.  Flowers  in 
spring  and  summer. 

Boronia  pilonema,  Labillardiere  (cap- 
stamened  Boronia).  —  A  dwarf  evergreen 
shrub;  leaves  oblong-lanceolate,  entire.  Flow- 
ers from  the  tops  of  the  shoots  rose-coloured. 
Native  of  New  Holland,  at  Cape  Van  Die- 
men.  Introduced  in  1826.  Flowers  in  spring 
and  summer. 

Boronia  polygalcBfolia,  Smith  j(milkwort- 
leaved  Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen  shrub; 
leaves  linear-lanceolate,  entire,  sometim<^s 
whorled.     Flowers  axillary,  red.     Native  of 

*  Impari-pinnate— pinnate,  with  an  odd  leaflet. 


New  Holland,  about  Port  Jackson.  Intro- 
duced in  1824.  Flowers  in  spring  and  sum- 
mer. 

Boronia  ledifolia,  Gay  (ledum-leaved  Bo- 
ronia).—  A  dwarf  evei'green  shrub  ;  leaves 
linear  -  lanceolate,  entire,  downy  beneath. 
Flowers  red,  axillary.  Native  of  New  Hol- 
land, on  the  eastern  coast.  Introduced  in 
1824.     Flowers  in  spring  and  summer. 

Boronia  viminea,  Lindley  (twiggy  Boro- 
nia).— A  very  dwarf,  compact,  branching, 
evergreen  shrub  ;  leaves  linear,  blunt,  entire. 
Flowei's  small  rose-coloured.  Native  of  New 
Holland.  Introduced  in  1841.  Flowers  in 
the  spring  and  great  part  of  summer. 

Boronia  spalhulota,  Lindley  (spatula- 
leaved  Boronia). — An  evergreen  dwarf  green- 
house shrub,  of  erectish  growth,  glaucous  in 
every  part ;  leaves  distant,  obovate,  entire. 
Flowers  pale  rosy-pink,  freely  produced,  in 
terminal  cymes.  Native  of  the  Swan  River 
colony,  in  New  Holland.  Introduced  in  1846. 
Flowers  in  the  spring. 

Boronia  pinnata,  Smith  (pinnate-leaved 
Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen  shrub  ;  leaves 
impari-pinnate,  with  2—3 — 4  pairs  of  linear 
leaflets.  Flowers  pink,  with  a  scent  like  that 
of  hawthorn.  Native  of  New  Holland,  about 
Port  Jackson.  Introduced  in  1794.  Flowers 
in  the  spi'ing. 

Boronia  alata,  Smith  (winged-petioled 
Boronia). — A  small  upright-growing  ever- 
green shrub;  leaves  impari-pinnate  with  3 — 5 
or  more  pairs  of  crenated  leaflets.  Flowers 
pale  rose.  Native  of  New  Holland,  on  the 
western  coast.  Introduced  in  1824.  Flowers 
from  May  to  July. 

Boronia  triphylla,  Sieber  (three-leaved 
Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen  shrub ;  leaves 
of  three  linear  leaflets  (ternate).  Flowers 
rose  coloured  axillary.  Native  of  New  Hol- 
land. Introduced  in  1838.  Flowers  in  the 
spring  and  summer. 

Boronia  triphylla  var.  latifolia  (broad 
three-leaved  Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen 
shrub  ;  leaves  ternate,  of  three  lance-shaped 
leaflets.  Flowers  numerous,  deep  rose-coloured. 
Native  of  New  Holland.  Introduced  in  1838. 
Flowers  in  spring  and  summer.  B,  ledifolia 
of  gardens. 

Boronia  Fraseri,  Hooker  (Mr.  Eraser's 
Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen  shrub  ;  leaves 
of  three,  sometimes  five,  leaflets.  Flowers  deep 
I'ose-pink.  Native  of  New  Holland,  on  the 
banks  of  the  Nepean  River.  Introduced  in 
1842.  Flowers  in  the  winter  and  spring. 
B.  anemonafoUa  of  gardens. 

Boj'onia  tetrandra,  Labillardiere  (tetran- 
drous-flowered  Boronia). — A  dwarf  evergreen 
shrub  ;  leaves  impari-pinnate,  of  4 — 5  pairs  of 
linear  obtuse  leaflets.  Flowers  purplish-red. 
Native  of  New   Holland,  in  Van  Leuwin's 


THE   BORONIA. 


147 


Land.      Introduced    in    1824.      Flowers    in 
spring. 

There  are  some  few  other  species  said  to 
exist  in  our  gardens,  but  we  have  never  met 
with  them  in  a  living  state.  Several  other 
kinds  are,  however,  known  to  botanists. 

PROPAGATION. 

The  Boronias  are  increased  by  cuttings, 
rather  than  by  seeds,  whicli  are  not  often 
perfected  in  tliis  country.  Where,  however, 
imported  seeds  can  be  obtained,  as  they  some- 
times may,  they  produce  stronger  and  larger 
plants  in  a  given  space  of  time.  The  ordinary 
stock  cultivated  in  this  country  is  obtained 
from  cuttings,  which  are  made  to  produce 
roots  without  much  difficulty  under  the  treat- 
ment sketched  out  below. 

Seeds. — The  seeds  may  be  sown  as  soon  as 
they  are  received  from  their  native  country,  if 
that  be  at  any  period  of  the  year  prior  to  July 
or  the  beginning  of  August.  After  that  time, 
it  is  best  to  retain  the  seeds  till  the  February 
following,  as  the  young  plants  are  very  liable 
to  be  lost  during  winter,  if  their  germination 
takes  place  in  the  autumnal  months.  From 
February  to  May  may  be  taken  as  the  best 
period  for  sowing,  as  the  plants  when  raised 
thus  early,  have  time  to  become  established  as 
separate  individuals  in  small  pots,  before  the 
trying  winter  season  arrives.  The  soil  proper 
for  sowing  the  seeds  in,  is  light  sandy  peat ; 
that  is  to  say,  ordinary  light  peat  earth  as  it 
is  usually  obtained  for  potting  purposes,  in- 
termixed with  about  an  eighth  part  of  pure 
silver  sand.  The  pots,  of  which  the  most  con- 
venient size  and  form  are  those  known  as 
wide  forty-eights  (which  measure  six  inches 
in  width,  at  top  inside,  by  five  inches  in  depth), 
should  have  placed  in  the  bottom  a  couple  of 
inches  of  potsherds  or  bricks,  broken  to  the 
size  of  nuts,  a  large  almost  flat  piece  being 
first  laid  over  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the 
pot.  On  these  a  layer  of  about  an  inch  of  turfy 
fragments  of  soil  should  be  placed,  so  that  the 
finer  soil  above  may  not  run  down  amongst 
the  potsherds  placed  for  drainage.  The  bulk 
of  the  soil  employed  may  be  passed  through  a 
sieve  with  three-quarter-inch  meshes,  and 
with  this  the  pots  are  to  be  filled  up  to  within 
about  an  inch  of  the  top,  pressing  the  soil 
down  moderately  firm  with  the  hand,  and 
making  the  surface  quite  level  and  even,  but 
not  flatly  consolidated.  On  this  surface  the 
seeds  are  to  be  scattered  thinly,  and  then 
covered  with  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  in 
thickness  of  the  same  fine  soil.  All  seed-pots 
should  be  marked  with  the  name  of  the  plant 
the  seeds  of  which  are  sown,  and  the  date  of 
sowing.  If  a  slight  wai-mth,  such  as  that 
afforded  by  a  half- spent  dung  bed,  can  be 
made  use  of,  it  will  facilitate  germination ;  in 


this  case  the  pots  should  be  plunged  in  the 
material  covering  the  bed,  and  the  sashes  may 
be  kept  quite  closed  until  the  young  plants 
begin  to  grow  up,  when  a  portion  of  air  must 
be  admitted.  If  there  is  no  hotbed,  the  pots 
may  be  set  on  a  shelf  in  a  greenhouse,  where 
the  process  will  take  place,  though  not  so 
rapidly.  It  is  objectionable  to  apply  much 
water  to  seed-pots  before  germination  has 
taken  place,  and  this  is  especially  the  case,  if 
the  seeds  are  very  small,  and  consequently 
deposited  all  but  on  the  surface  ;  and  yet  in 
fine  sunny  weather,  the  surface  of  the  soil 
dries  so  much  as  to  become  unsuited  to  facili- 
tate germination,  and  requires  watering,  per- 
haps every  twenty-four  or  forty-eight  hours. 
To  obviate  this  evil,  which  is  more  felt  when 
the  pots  are  set  in  a  greenhouse  than  when 
in  a  hotbed  frame,  it  is  a  frequent  and  advan- 
tageous practice  to  cover  the  sui'face  of  the 
soil,  immediately  after  sowing  is  completed, 
by  a  layer  of  loose  damp  moss,  which  is  easily 
kept  just  damp,  by  an  occasional  sprinkling, 
and  prevents  the  drying  of  the  soil  by  evapo- 
ration. This  plan,  however,  has  its  disadvan- 
tages; it  entails  more  exact  attention.  For 
if  the  covering  of  moss  is  left  on  after  the 
young  plants  begin  to  break  through  the  soil, 
it  blanches  and  etiolates  them ;  and  if  this 
continues  long,  they  are  either  seriously 
damaged,  or  if  weak  altogether  destroyed. 
Hence  the  necessity  of  almost  daily  examining 
seed-pots  when  they  are  covered  in  this  way. 
Whether  covered  or  no,  it  is  certain  that  the 
soil  about  the  seeds  must  not  be  suffered  to 
become  thoroughly  dried,  for  moisture  is 
absolutely  essential  to  germination.  There- 
fore, if  the  pots  are  not  covered,  they  must 
be  watered,  as  often  as  they  become  somewhat 
dry.  It  is  an  advantage  to  use  tepid  water 
on  these  occasions,  and  it  should  be  applied 
by  means  of  a  very  fine-rosed  watering  pot,  a 
very  fine-capped  syringe,  or  jerked  from  a, 
stiff-haired  brush. 

When  the  seedlings  are  so  far  advanced, 
that  the  cotyledons  or  seed-lobes  are  fully 
expanded,  and  the  little  heart  shows  a  tend- 
ency to  push  up  other  leaves,  they  should  be 
transplanted,  or,  as  it  is  technically  termed, 
"pricked  out"  into  other  pots,  prepared  in  a 
way  similar  to  the  seed-pots,  and  filled  with 
the  same  kind  of  soil.  Here  they  are  placed 
an  inch  or  so  apart,  and  after  transplanting 
must  be  set  into  a  close  frame,  where  there  is 
a  temperature  of  about  fifty  degrees,  in  which 
they  remain  for  a  week  or  fortnight,  or  until 
they  begin  to  grow  a  little ;  they  are  then  by 
degrees  exposed  more  and  more  to  the  ordi" 
nary  temperature,  being  however  sheltered  at 
night,  and  during  rainy  or  stormy  periods, 
There  is  no  better  place  for  them  in  winter, 
than  on  a  shelf  near  the  glass  in  a  greenhouse, 

J>2 


148 


THE    BORON T A. 


These  young  plants  must  never  be  suffered  to 
become  dry  at  the  root.  They  may  be  potted 
separately  into  small  pots  as  soon  as  they  have 
made  some  advance  from  their  last  transplan- 
tation, provided  this  potting  can  be  done  not 
later  than  August.  If  they  are  not  enough 
advanced  to  admit  of  its  being  done  in  August, 
it  is  better  deferred  till  the  February  or  March 
following. 

Cuttings. — These  plants  are  not  difficult  to 
raise  from  cuttings,  provided  they  are  care- 
fully managed.  The  cuttings  selected  should 
be  the  short  leafy  (not  flowering)  shoots,  wliich 
push  out  at  different  periods  of  the  growing 
season ;  and  these  should  be  taken  when  they 
are  become  in  a  degree  hardened,  or  niMture, 
but  vi^ithout  being  fully  ripened.  The  tips  of 
the  shoots  about  two  inches  long  are  to  be 
selected.  From  these,  whatever  leaves  may 
be  attached  to  the  lowermost  three-fourths  of 
an  inch,  are  to  be  cut  clean  off  with  a  sharp 
knife  ;  then  immediately  below  where  the 
lowest  leaf  was  attached,  the  stem  is  to  be  cut 
through  at  a  right  angle,  and  with  a  clean 
sharp  cut,  so  that  the  bark  is  not  injured  in 
the  process.  The  cuttings  are  now  ready  for 
planting,  and  but  few  should  be  cut  before 
they  are  planted.  For  this  reason,  the  cutting- 
pots  should  be  first  prepared  ;  and  they  are 
done  in  this  way  : — A  pot  and  a  bell-glass  are 
selected,  the  latter  rather  less  in  diameter 
tlian  the  former  :  the  pot  is  filled  one-third 
with  broken  potsherds,  on  which  is  laid  first 
a  thin  layer  of  mo?s  to  keep  up  the  soil ;  then 
a  thickish  layer  of  very  sandy  peat,  mode- 
rately fine  and  moderately  dry,  and  this  is 
pressed  down  quite  firm  ;  on  this  is  laid,  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  thickness,  a  layer  of 
silver  sand,  the  surface  of  which  is  about  level 
with  the  top  of  the  pot.  The  whole  now  re- 
ceives a  good  watering,  sufficient  to  damp  it 
thoroughly.  When  this  has  drained  a  little, 
the  pots  are  ready  for  the  cuttings.  The  edge 
of  the  bell-glass  is  now  to  be  pressed  on  the 
surface  of  the  sand,  so  as  to  leave  a  mark  ; 
•within  the  space  thus  marked,  which  the  glass 
covers,  the  cuttings  are  to  be  planted.  The 
only  tool  is  a  dibble,  a  small  taper  pointed 
piece  of  stick,  the  point  of  which  must  be  a 
trifle  thicker  than  the  diameter  of  the  stem  of 
the  cutting  at  its  base,  so  that  a  hole  made  by 
the  stick  will  admit  the  cutting  without  any 
pressure  or  rupture.  The  dibble  is  thrust 
just  through  the  sand,  on  to  the  sandy  peat, 
and  by  a  slight  twist  is  removed,  leaving  a 
hole  in  the  sand.  Into  this  hole  the  base  of 
the  cutting  is  put,  so  that  it  rests  on  the  bottom 
of  the  hole,  which  is  closed  up  around  the 
cutting  by  inserting  the  dibble  at  a  little  dis- 
tance on  every  side,  so  as  to  press  the  sand 
firmly  about  the  cutting.  When  all  are  planted 
— about    an  inch    apart — they  have  a   light 


watering,  and  when  this  has  dried  a  little,  the 
bell-glass  is  put  on,  and  the  pots  removed  to  a 
mild  hotbed,  or  into  some  situation  where  they 
may  enjoy  a  sliglit  bottom  heat.  They  require 
shading — best  done  by  paper  caps — from  fierce 
sun-heat,  and  the  glasses  must  be  wiped  dry 
occasionally  to  prevent  damping  off.  A  suc- 
cessful result  is  evidenced  by  the  cuttings 
continuing  to  look  fresh  and  green,  and  by 
and  by  starting  a  little,  the  latter  sign  gene- 
rally indicating  that  roots  are  formed,  and  that 
a  new  line  of  treatment  must  commence. 
Shading  is  now  discontinued,  and  instead  of 
close  covering,  the  glasses  mu-t  now  be  tilted 
a  little  on  one  side,  at  first  for  an  hour  or  two 
daily,  and  then  for  a  longer  period,  until  they 
will  bear  to  be  removed  entirely.  In  about  a 
week  after  the  glasses  are  removed  entirely, 
the  cuttings  may  be  potted  separately  into 
small  thumb  pots,  after  which  they  must  be 
kept  in  a  close  warm  frame  or  house  until 
they  begin  to  grow,  when  they  must  be  gra- 
dually hardened  to  bear  the  temperature  and 
atmospheric  conditions  of  the  greenhouse. 

GENERAL    MANAGEMENT. 

Young  established  plants,  whether  from 
seeds  or  cuttings,  require  to  be  pushed  on 
vigorously,  and  at  the  same  time  with  judg- 
ment. Almost  all  of  the  Boronias  like  a  tem- 
perature higher  than  that  kept  up  in  a  green- 
house, during  the  period  they  are  making 
their  growth  in  the  spring ;  and  it  is  sur- 
prising what  a  difference  this  little  stimulus 
effects  both  in  their  size  and  appearance. 
But  it  must  be  given  at  the  right  time,  and 
not  beyond  the  proper  degree,  or  the  result 
will  be  different.  The  time  to  apply  this 
extra  stimulus  is  when  the  plants  are  naturally 
commencing  their  growth.  In  the  case  of 
young  plants,  this  may  be  made  to  take  place 
in  spring,  and  again  towards  midsummer, 
supposing  the  cuttings  or  seedlings  to  have 
been  well  established  in  their  pots  in  the 
autumn,  and  to  have  stood  during  winter 
on  a  shelf  near  the  glass,  and  protected 
against  much  cold.  During  the  winter  they 
may  be  shifted  into  five-inch  pots,  known  as 
small  forty-eights,  which  must  be  M'cH 
drained ;  this  may  be  done  in  the  early  part 
of  March,  and  they  may  then  be  placed  in  a 
moist  atmosphere,  where  the  temperature 
averages  55"  by  artificial  means,  and  does  not 
fall  much  below  50°  by  day,  nor  below  40"  at 
night.  If  they  have  been  standing  in  a 
greenhouse,  this  increase  of  temperature  must 
not  be  brought  about  suddenly,  but  the  plants 
must  first  be  placed  in  the  coolest  part  of  the 
structure,  and  afterwards  more  fully  exposed 
to  this  temperature.  It  is  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance that  the  pots  be  well  drained  ; 
nothing  can  make  amends  for  any,  the  least. 


THE    BORONIA. 


149 


defect  in  this  particular.  The  temperature 
and  climate  recommended  is  about  inter- 
mediate between  that  of  an  ordinary  stove 
and  greenhouse;  it  may  be  called  a  sub- 
tropical climate,  and  it  is  of  course  intended 
that,  in  proportion  to  this  degree  of  heat,  a 
degree  of  moisture  also  is  to  be  present,  suffi- 
cient to  render  the  heat  agreeable  to  vegetable 
life  :  no  dry  arid  state  of  the  atmosphere,  but 
a  genial  warmth  and  moisture.  Such  a  cli- 
mate will  be  exciting  ;  this  is  just  what  is 
required.  The  young  plants  will  pu?h  out 
their  shoots,  but  they  must  not  be  suffered  to 
grow  at  random.  As  soon  as  the  young  shoots 
have  grown  an  inch  or  two,  the  top  of  them 
must  be  nipped  off :  presently  others,  before 
latent,  will  now  be  excited,  and  these  in  their 
turn  must  be  nipped.  Thus  is  the  foundation 
laid  of  a  bushy  habit  of  growth.  If  the 
])lants  prosper  and  fill  their  pots  with  roots, 
they  must  be  agviin  shifted ;  but  this  may 
usually  be  deferred  until  after  they  have  been 
hardened  and  rested.  After  about  six  weeks 
of  this  excitement,  the  plants  may  be  rested 
a  little,  by  removing  them  to  an  ordinary 
greenhouse,  where  they  must  be  set  out  of 
the  way  of  draughts,  but  in  other  respects 
submitted  to  the  ordinary  conditions  which 
there  exist.  They  must  never,  however,  get 
dry  at  the  root,  nor  must  the  soil  be  over- 
watered.  The  lower  temperature  will  arrest 
growth,  and  tend  to  harden  that  which  has 
already  taken  place.  Here  they  may  remain 
till  about  the  middle  of  June,  when  it  is  con- 
templated that  their  pots  will  be  sufficiently 
filled  with  roots  to  admit  of  their  being  placed 
in  pots  somewhat  larger.  From  the  small 
forty-eights  they  may  be  transferred  to  large 
thirty-twos.  They  may  then  be  again  placed 
in  a  moist,  rather  close  atmosphere,  where 
the  temperature  ranges  about  the  points 
already  described  :  and  here  another  growth 
will  be  excited,  which  may  be  prolonged  for 
six  or  eight  weeks,  the  plants  then  being 
hardened  to  stand  during  winter  in  the  green- 
house. This  second  growth  must,  in  like 
manner  with  the  first,  be  nipped  as  soon  as 
the  shoots  are  a  couple  of  inches  long,  and  in 
this  way  close  dwarf  bushy  plants  of  consi- 
derable size  will  be  obtained  in  the  course  of 
a  season.  These  plants  would  bloom  well  in 
a  warm  greenhouse  the  following  spring. 

When  still  larger  plants  are  required,  it 
is  only  to  continue  the  same  processes  of 
shifting,  exciting,  and  resting  ;  taking  care 
that  there  is  no  excess  in  either  the  one  or 
the  other.  After  the  first  season,  however, 
it  is  as  well  to  be  content  with  one  annual 
excitement    in    the    spring,    continuing    the 


plants  for  the  remainder  of  the  year  in  a 
greenhouse,  or  in  a  greenhouse  pit  during 
summer.  Very  large  plants  of  most  of  the 
Boronias  are  usually  much  less  vigorous  and 
healthy  looking  than  younger  ones,  so  that  it 
is  really  preferable  to  raise  a  supply  of  yOung 
plants  annually,  and  destroying  those  which 
have  passed  their  prime  condition. 

The  secret  of  having  dwarf,  compact,  bushy 
plants  of  these  Boronias  lies,  as  it  does  in  the 
case  of  nearly  every  other  subject,  in  the 
practice  of  continually  nipping  the  young 
shoots  as  they  make  progress.  It  must  not 
be  delayed  until  there  is  something  to  cut 
away,  but  the  point  or  heart  is  to  be  picked 
out  with  the  thumb-nail  as  soon  as  the  shoot 
has  reached  the  length  required. 

The  proper  soil  for  Boronias  is  sandy  peat 
earth,  turfy  as  a  matter  of  course,  for  no  other 
kind  of  sfiil  should  be  used  for  valuable  potted 
plants.  This  turf  should  be  that  of  what  is 
called  light  peat  soil,  and  it  must,  either 
naturally  or  artificially,  have  a  good  proportion 
of  sand  intermixed  with  it.  It  should  be  used 
in  as  rough  a  state  as  the  size  of  the  pot  em- 
ployed will  admit,  and  on  no  account  should 
ever  be  sifted,  but  merely  broken  to  the 
requisite  degree  of  fineness  by  the  hand. 

Boronias  are  very  impatient  on  the  subject 
of  watering.  They  will  not  bear  neglect,  for 
a  thorough  drying  is  highly  dangerous,  if  it 
be  not  in  all  cases  fatal  to  them.  Neither  do 
they  do  well  under  officious  treatment  in  this 
respect,  which  is  liable  to  expose  them  to  the 
other  evil  of  being  over-watered  ;  the  effect  of 
this  is  to  chill  and  sour  the  soil,  which,  under  a 
continuation  of  excess,  soon  becomes  soddened 
and  unwholesome.  There  is  an  intermediate 
danger  into  which  the  cautious  may  be  apt  to 
fall.  Impressed  with  the  necessity  of  pre- 
venting their  getting  dry,  and  fully  appre- 
ciating the  evils  of  exce.-s,  they  may  think  to 
escape  from  the  dilemma,  by  frequent  yet 
limited  applications.  This,  however,  is  a 
great  evil,  no  less  than  the  others.  Under 
these  circumstances  the  plants  are  certain 
soon  to  suffer  from  want,  the  lower  soil  be- 
coming perfectly  dry,  while  the  top  appears 
in  danger  of  becoming  soddened.  The  only 
proper  course  is  to  water  thoroughly,  and 
attentively  to  see  that  such  a  watering  is 
repeated  neither  too  soon  nor  too  late. 

One  more  word  as  to  potting.  Our  own 
opinion  is  decidedly  in  favour  of  moderate 
sized  pots  for  these  plants.  Shifting  them 
into  very  large  pots  is  often  productive  of 
evil,  and  is  always  fraught  with  danger,  espe- 
cially in  the  hands  of  inexperienced  culti- 
vators. 


150 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

Br   A   TUTOR  AND   HIS   PUPIL,    IN   THE    MONTH   OF   APRIL. 


Now  that  we  have  really  spring  weather, 
we  will  take  a  turn  through  all  the  gardens 
and  houses,  for  everything  seems  animated, 
and  the  gardeners  busy.  The  winter,  you 
observe,  has  made  even  the  hard  paths  rotten 
and  soft,  so  that  the  men  are  rolling  the  gravel 
to  press  it  down  into  its  place.  The  cabbages 
are  growing  rapidly  ;  you  may  see  that  the 
forwardest  are  all  going  to  heart.  These 
hearts,  however,  are  soft,  and  pretty  nearly 
green  all  through  ;  but  many  of  the  most 
advanced  are  tied  in  tight  with  a  piece  of 
matting  to  confine  them,  that  the  inside  may 
be  whitened  earlier  than  it  would  be  if  not 
confined.  The  peas  that  were  struck  so  early 
are  growing  rapidly.  Many  of  the  rows  of 
brocoli  are  nearly  all  cut,  and  the  winter 
greens  generally  have  been  a  good  deal  cleared 
away  for  the  supply  of  the  table  the  last  two 
months,  so  much  so  that  they  are  pulling  the 
rest  up  to  clear  the  ground.  Those  that  have 
not  become  fit  to  cut  yet,  will  be  put  in  close 
together  in  some  waste  corner  and  complete 
themselves  there.  Observe  the  man  hoeing 
out  the  turnips  and  carrots  that  were  first 
sowed ;  you  see  he  destroys  all  the  plants  that 
are  at  all  crowded,  leaving  only  one  plant  to 
every  six  inches  of  ground,  and  he  cuts  up  all 
the  weeds  at  the  same  time.  See,  also,  another 
at  the  earliest  onions.  They  would  have  done 
very  well  had  they  been  sown  much  thinner, 
for  he  cuts  up  a  great  many.  Those  beds 
that  are  raised  up  above  the  others  a  good 
deal  are  asparagus  beds.  They  will  soon  send 
up  their  shoots  fit  for  cutting.  The  crowns 
of  these  plants,  which  are  the  tops  of  the 
roots,  are  eight  or  nine  inches  below  the  sur- 
face ;  so  that  when  a  bud  shows  above  ground, 
the  gatherer  digs  down  by  the  side  of  the 
shoot,  and  cuts  it  oif  with  five  or  six  inches 
of  white  stem.  Now,  this  is  totally  useless 
and  not  eatable,  contrary  to  almost  every 
plant  in  nature;  for  the  whitened  part  under- 
ground of  celery,  kale,  leek,  &c.  is  more  tender 
for  blanching,  while  this  is  more  tough.  The 
digging,  sowing,  hoeing,  raking,  &c.  are  going 
on  more  than  ever ;  but  there  is  nothing  very 
new  in  any  of  the  work.  The  greenhouse, 
as  you  now  see,  is  well  supplied  with  flowers. 
All  the  acacias,  hoveas,  chorozemas,  and  many 
heaths  are  in  bloom,  and  many  of  the  camellias 
are  in  flower  still.  The  hothouse  has  a  few 
beauties,  and  the  grapes  are  wonderfully  ad- 
vanced. If  you  take  notice,  every  vine  shows 
a  different  season  :  this  is  caused  partly  by 
the  branches  bein^  brought  into  the  house  at 
different  times,  and  partly  by  their  being 
of  difi'erent  sorts.  The  dahlias  that  ai^e  in  pots 
{\ve  shooting  up  in  all  directions;  when  these 


are  long  enough  to  take  off  two  complete 
joints,  they  are  cut  just  below  the  leaf,  the 
lower  leaves  taken  off,  and  the  cutting  struck 
under  a  bell-glass  in  small  pots.  All  those 
small  plants  under  the  glasses  are  dahlias, 
struck  and  striking.  The  shrubbery  begins 
to  look  cheerful.  The  China  roses,  Pyrus 
japonica,  azaleas,  rhodoras,  lilacs,  and  other 
spring  flowering  shrubs  ai'e  getting  very  for- 
ward, and  will  soon  be  in  full  bloom.  Here 
we  are  at  the  conservatory,  which  is  in 
perfection.  Those  rhododendrons,  Chinese 
azaleas,  roses,  and  deciduous  azaleas,  have  all 
been  hastened  by  protection,  and  brought 
forward  in  the  place  you  see  them ;  others 
by  the  hothouse  and  greenhouse.  Those  few 
odd-shaped  flowers  on  long  spikes  are  of  the 
orchidaceous  tribe,  while  there  is  abundance  of 
all  the  spring  flowers  which  we  may  not  have 
for  some  time  out  of  doors.  The  flower- 
garden  is  now  interesting.  Observe  the  beds 
of  pansies,  how  many  of  them  are  blooming, 
and  how  brilliant  they  appear.  All  this  loose - 
looking  earth  between  the  plants  is  decomposed 
dung — that  is,  dung  rotted  into  mould.  Every 
shower  of  rain  washes  some  of  the  virtues  of 
it  down  to  the  roots,  and  gives  great  strength 
to  the  plants,  which  throw  up  larger  flowers 
in  consequence.  The  wallflowers  are  all  in 
bloom,  and  fill  the  air  with  delightful  perfume  ; 
and  the  hyacinths  and  early  tulips  are  giving 
us  the  benefit  of  their  beautiful  colours.  The 
crocuses  seem  to  have  gone  past  their  prime ; 
but  there  is  no  end  to  the  subjects  that  are 
emulating  each  other,  as  it  were,  in  the  de- 
velopment of  their  flowers.  But  look  at  the 
interesting  display  in  the  tulip  bed ;  although 
not  a  bud  has  come  to  its  colour  or  size,  nothing 
can  surpass  the  symmetry  and  beauty  of  their 
stately  forms.  Even  the  hyacinth  bed,  which 
is  as  large  and  more  varied  in  its  coloured 
pyramid  of  flowers,  does  not  seem  so  noble 
as  the  collection  of  tulips  drawn  up,  as  it 
were,  in  military  array,  with  the  tallest  in  the 
middle  rows,  and  the  lower  ones  on  each  side. 
In  another  fortnight,  it  will  form  a  canopy  of 
flowers,  supported  by  innumerable  upright 
green  pillars,  presenting  an  object  which 
nothing  can  surpass  ;  while  this  awning  over 
our  heads  will  protect  them  from  the  sun  and 
rain,  and  prolong  their  beauty  several  weeks. 
The  men  are  now  pruning  the  rest  of  the 
roses,  which,  as  you  see,  have  shot  out  their 
green  buds  nearly  all  the  length  of  the  branches, 
except  the  few  eyes  nearest  the  main  stem. 
By  cutting  these  all  back  to  two  or  three  eyes 
that  have  not  started,  they  will  be  put  back  a 
whole  month  in  the  flowering,  while  those 
pruned  early,  being  already  shot  nearly  half 


A    STEOLL    THROUGH    THE   GAUDEN APRIL. 


151 


an  inch,  will  go  rapidly  to  flower.  The  fruit- 
garden  exhibits  early  signs  of  plenty  ;  the 
fruit-buds  and  flowers  completely  cover  the 
trees,  and  everything  is  promising  ;  but  there 
is  little  doing.  Covering  the  walls  against 
frost,  is  resorted  to  a  little  in  March  ;  but 
there  is  a  great  difference  of  opinion  as  to  its 
efficacy.  There  has  been  some  grafting  done 
on  a  few  old  trees,  I  observe ;  but  I  shall  ex- 
plain that  to  you  at  home. 

I  promised  to  explain  grafting  to  you.  It 
is  by  grafting  and  budding  that  we  multiply  a 
good  fruit,  for  by  splicing  a  small  branch  of 
a  good  fruit  tree  on  a  growing  plant  of  a  wild 
and  worthless  stock  or  tree  of  the  same  family, 
we  make  a  new  tree  of  the  sort  we  require. 
The  stock,  or  wild  tree,  does  not  in  the  least 
affect  the  piece  we  graft  on  it,  for  it  merely 
finds  the  nourishment.  Suppose  you  wanted 
to  splice  a  bit  of  wood  on  your  walking-stick 
or  your  fishing-rod,  to  make  it  longer :  you 
would  cut  a  slope  on  the  stick,  and  another 
slope  on  the  piece  you  want  to  join  to  it,  and 
make  them  fit  neatly, — would  you  not  ?  Well, 
do  exactly  the  same  by  the  graft  and  the 
stock,  only,  instead  of  binding  it  so  hard  as 
you  would  your  stick,  merely  tie  it  firm  to 
prevent  its  slipping,  and  surround  the  join 
with  clay  or  cement  to  keep  the  air  from 
drying  the  sap ;  and  the  graft  will  have  this 
advantage  over  your  stick,  that  the  sap  which 
rises  from  the  stock  will  feed  the  graft,  and  it 
will  join  as  firmly  as  if  it  had  been  a  part  of 
the  original  ;  whereas,  if  your  stick  was 
bound  up  for  several  years,  it  would  come 
apart  when  you  took  off  the  binding. 

If  the  weather  prove  dry  to-morrow,  we 
will  pay  some  attention  to  minor  operations 
which  are  going  on  in  the  flower-garden. 
For  instance,  you  saw  a  quantity  of  large 
empty  pots  standing  in  the  frame-ground. 
These  are  for  potting  the  carnations  and 
picotees.  They  will  be  filled  with  one-fourth 
or  nearly  of  potsherds  or  crocks  at  the 
bottom.  This  is  to  secure  good  drainage. 
Next,  a  quantity  of  the  compost  mixed  on 
purpose,  and  consisting  of  two-thirds  loam 
from  rotted  turves,  and  one-third  decomposed 
dung  from  an  old  melon-bed,  or  cow-dung 
rotted  into  mould.  The  pot  in  which  the 
plants  have  been  wintered,  will  only  require 
tapping  against  the  potting  bench,  wrong 
way  upwards,  and  the  ball  of  earth  will  come 
away  whole.  This  may  be  so  adjusted  in  the 
half-filled  pot  as  that  the  collar  of  the  plant 
may  be  even  with  the  surface,  and  the  earth 
should  be  pressed  in  round  the  ball.  By 
placing  of  the  cai-nations  and  picotees  in 
those  large  pots,  which  are  what  the  gardeners 
call  twelves,  they  will  bloom  admirably. 
If  we  take  a  walk  round  to-morrow,  we  shall 


see  the  men  potting  them.  I  did  not  go  all 
over  the  kitchen -garden,  because  the  men  at 
a  distance  were  only  repeating  the  operations 
Ave  have  already  seen.  Nevertheless,  the 
sowing  of  peas  and  beans,  onions,  radishes^, 
and  salad  herbs,  is  as  necessary  this  month 
as  last.  So,  indeed,  is  the  planting  of  pota- 
toes ;  but  we  have  had  enough  for  this  day. 

The  frost  this  morning  is  not  very  sharp, 
but  it  is  suflaciently  severe  to  show  how  neces- 
sary it  was  to  cover  up  everything  tender. 
The  pansies  look  damaged,  but  that  is  only 
the  injury  of  the  blooms  already  expanded; 
and  all  the  frames  being  matted  over,  there  is 
no  harm  there.  You  observe  now  the  men 
potting  the  carnations  and  picotees  in  the 
way  I  described.  The  youth  whom  you  see 
at  the  long  bed  of  ranunculuses  is  top-dress- 
ing with  decomposed  dung  irom  an  old  melon 
frame,  the  earth  having  been  loosened  yester- 
day, and  the  lumps  all  bruised,  for  the  purpose 
of  getting  it  close  up  at  the  roots  of  the 
plants.  Yonder,  you  observe  the  gardener 
removing  some  shrub  ;  this  is  not  done  be- 
cause it  is  proper,  but  because  it  is  necessary. 
He  is  now  obliged  to  be  careful,  and  take  up 
every  fibre  with  the  plant,  otherwise  it  would 
scarcely  recover  the  removal.  The  gardener 
is  either  supplying  some  deficiency,  or  making 
some  new  arrangement  by  order.  He  could 
not  have  delayed  anything  of  the  kind  to  this 
late  period,  had  he  known  it  was  to  be  done 
earlier.  The  auriculas  are  sending  up  their 
blooms  fast.  The  man  who  is  examining 
them  is  cutting  out  some  of  the  pips,  where 
there  are  more  than  the  plant  can  do  justice 
to.  Where  you  see  him  tucking  little  bits  of 
cotton  in  between  the  pips,  it  is  for  the  purpose 
of  preventing  them  injuring  one  another. 
By  means  of  this  wadding,  he  can  place  every 
bud  in  a  position  to  open  well  without  damag- 
ing the  others.  He  takes  those  that  are  for- 
ward enough  for  this  from  the  frame  to 
yonder  shady  place,  and  covers  these  with  a 
hand-glass.  He  will  have  to  watch  them 
daily  to  adjust  their  opening  flowers.  The 
polyanthuses  on  the  border  are  very  wet,  for 
they  require  abundance  of  water,  and  the  sun 
has  in  one  short  hour  taken  all  the  frost  out 
of  the  ground,  which  now  seems  as  if  it  had 
been  rained  on.  Those  pots  full  of  cuttings 
will  have  to  supply  the  clumps  and  borders 
with  plants.  You  see  there  are  verbenas, 
petunias,  hydrangeas,  heliotropes,  scarlet  ge- 
raniums, China  roses,  and  several  other  sub- 
jects, intended  for  the  beds  and  borders.  They 
are  only  cuttings,  and  are  placed  under  the 
glasses  in  these  pots  to  strike  root.  Another 
man  is  picking  off  all  the  dead  and  yellow 
leaves  from  the  plants  in  the  frame;  and  see 
how  carefully  he  throws  thosa  decaying  leaves 


1.52 


FLORICULTURE    01'    THE    MONTH. 


out  of  the  reach  of  the  plants,  and  outside  the 
frames  ;  for  decaying  leaves  in  a  frame  will 
often  engender  the  worst  consequences,  in 
mildew  and  destruction.  We  will  take  one 
turn  in  the  kitchen -garden  and  melon-ground. 
All  are  busy ;  some  are  sowing,  others  hoeing 
and  earthing  up.  One  man  is  sowing  carrots 
and  beet-root.  Those  large  seeds  which  he 
will  sow  next  are  the  seeds  of  seakale,  and 
they  will  come  up  presently ;  but  the  plants 
will  not  be  fit  to  cut  for  two  years  at  the  least 
—  perhaps,  three.  He  has  also  some  rhubarb 
to  sow.  Further  on,  we  observe  that  the  beds 
are  prepared  for  sowing  all  the  cabbage  tribe. 
The  more  perfectly  you  recollect  the  proceed- 
ings of  last  month,  the  more  you  will  discover 
the  resemblance  between  the  practice  of  one 
and  the  other.  In  short,  nearly  every  kind 
of  sowing  is  repeated,  because  it  is  necessary 
to  have  them  come  to  perfection  one  after 
another,  and  the  crops  can  only  be  brought  so 
by  sowing  and  planting  out  at  different  times. 
There  is  a  man  sowing  rather  a  large  space 
with  onion  seed.  This  is  to  grow  into  the 
main  crop.     The  seed  under  this  hand-glass 


is  celery.  The  glass  will  form  a  protection 
against  very  severe  weather.  These  pots 
of  seeds  are  tomato,  capsicum,  and  dahlia. 
They  will  be  placed  in  one  of  the  hot-beds, 
or  perliaps  the  gardener  will  make  one  up 
for  such  things  and  flower-seeds  ;  for  dahlias, 
cockscombs,  bal:?ams,  and  all  the  half-hardy 
annuals,  should  be  sown  this  month.  This, 
too,  is  the  proper  month  for  sowing  anything 
that  was  not  sown  last  month.  But  I  observe 
that  there  have  been  no  potatos  planted  this 
month  as  yet ;  and  this  must  be  done  for  the 
main  or  principal  crop.  They  will  plant  none 
but  whole  sets,  which  will  be  a  foot  apart  in 
the  row,  and  the  rows  two  feet  from  each 
other.  The  easiest  way  of  doing  this,  is  to 
draw  the  drills  first,  four  inches  deep,  and 
then  fill  up  rather  above,  so  that  it  may  be 
full  the  four  inches  in  depth.  We  have  now 
got  through  our  rambles  for  the  present. 
You  have  only  to  treasure  up  all  you  have 
heard  and  seen,  because  you  will  find  the 
instructions  highly  useful,  and  gardening  will 
become  as  attractive  to  you  as  any  other 
amusement,  if  you  once  take  pains  to  learn. 


FLORICULTUEE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


BY    GEOKGB    GLENNY. 


There  never  was,  perhaps,  a  more  deter- 
mined spirit  than  now  animates  the  practical 
florists  of  the  metropolis,  nor  a  greater  dis-, 
position  to  sift  matters  that  atfects  their 
interests  to  the  bottom.  Some  time  since  a 
writer  suggested  the  use  of  new  cow-dung  in 
great  quantity  in  the  formation  of  ranunculus 
beds,  and  the  same  thing  was  advocated  in 
a  gai'dening  newspaper  some  years  ago.  At 
a  meeting  of  the  Kingsland  branch  of  the 
Society  for  Encouraging  Floriculture  in  Great 
Britain,  the  subject  of  ranunculus  culture 
was  freely  discussed  in  the  presence  of  forty 
members,  many  of  them  highly  successful 
cultivators  ;  and  there  were  some  points  on 
which  there  was  not  the  slightest  difference 
of  opinion.  One  and  all  repudiated  the  use 
of  dung  next  the  roots,  but  agreed  it  should 
be  some  distance  below  the  tubers,  varying  in 
the  distance,  however,  from  six  to  twelve 
inches.  Another  puint  on  which  all  agreed 
was  the  danger  of  using  new  cow-dung  ; 
various  grounds  were  urged,  among  which 
was  the  fearful  risk  of  the  black  maggot, 
which  it  was  atBrmed  resulted  from  the  blow 
of  a  fly,  that  the  green  cow-dung  would  be 
sure  to  draw  if  it  existed  in  the  neighbour- 
hood. All  the  modes  of  cultui-e  adopted  by 
the  successful  growers  appeared  to  be  con- 
ducted on  the  same  principle,  and  varied  only 
in  immaterial  details.  For  instance,  growing 
in  the  cleanest  and  best  seasoned  loam,  with  a 


layer  of  well-decomposed  dung  somewhere 
below  it  ;  shading  from  the  heat  of  the  sun 
during  the  bloom  ;  keeping  the  roots  liberally 
supplied  with  water;  preventing  its  evaporation 
during  bloom,  if  possible,  by  laying  tiles  be- 
tween the  rows;  keeping  the  earth  well  stirred 
in  all  the  early  stages  of  their  growth,  and 
close  about  their  stems  ;  and  taking  them  up 
when  the  leaves  turn  yellow.  There  was  a 
singular  unanimity  among  the  members. 
Blooms  of  Camellia  japonica,  Andromeda 
floribunda,  some  of  the  Begonias,  heaths, 
&c.  were  exhibited,  but  rather  to  remind  one 
another  of  the  season,  than  as  novelties. 

The  dahlia  growers  are  feeling  the  effect  of 
the  last  show,  so  mistakenly  called  glorious,  be- 
cause instead  of  having  twenty  or  thirty  seed- 
lings capable  of  producing  six  blooms  each, 
there  were  perhaps  a  hundred  and  thirty  that 
could  only  produce  three  each,  and  even  these 
very  bad.  The  orders  will  be  so  much  lessened 
that  nothing  but  a  first-rate  show,  without 
any  trickery,  will  restoi'e  the  trade,  and  this 
is  contemplated  upon  a  good  scale  ;  but  as 
arrangements  are  complete  for  weekly  shows 
of  new  flowers,  there  will  be  less  interest  in  a 
general  seedling  show  than  there  might  have 
been  had  no  such  opportunity  existed.  Ad- 
vertising may  do  a  good  deal  for  a  few  flowers 
that  deserve  growing,  but  so  little  has  been 
heard  of  the  one  hundred  and  fifty  candidates, 
'  that  many  of  the  even  highly-favoured  ones 


FLORICULTURE    OF   THE    MONTH. 


153 


will  have  very  few  admirers.  When  we  con- 
sider that  a  well-authenticated  novelty  in 
dahlias  has  been  known  to  realize  15001.  or 
say  only  1000/.,  we  very  naturally  regret  any 
circumstance  that  should  render  a  really  good 
one  less  popular  than  it  might  be  ;  and  yet  we 
are  told  that  such  is  the  self-reliance  of  some 
dealers,  that  they,  with  the  fullest  confidence, 
guarantee  a  thing  to  be  good,  reject  opinions 
that  have  been  of  service,  find  but  half  the 
orders  they  expected,  and  then  wonder  how  it 
happens  ;  or  set  down  the  circumstance  to  a 
decline  of  the  dahlia  trade.  All  this  is 
wrong  :  dealers  may  guarantee  what  they 
please,  and  put  forth  the  most  exalted  charac- 
ters to  their  favourite  flowers,  but  the  public 
naturally  turn  back  to  their  former  catalogues 
and  compare  notes ;  they  find  in  these  cata- 
logues certain  flowers  equally  as  much  prized, 
equally  guaranteed,  quite  as  flatteringly  de- 
scribed, and  yet  never  worth  half  the  money  ; 
and  they  naturally  say,  "  We  want  some 
better  evidence  of  the  goodness  of  a  flower 
than  the  guarantee  of  the  gentleman  who  has 
already  guaranteed  so  many  useless  ones  to 
be  first-rate  show  flowers."  We  do  not  mean  to 
say  that  anyjudgment  is  infallible,  or  that  any 
flower  can  be  thoroughly  relied  on ;  and  we 
have  in  our  description  in  our  annual  list  ab- 
stained from  saying  that  a  flower  is  first-class  or 
first-rate,  or  all  it  ought  to  be,  unless  there  were 
di.<tinct  points  reconcileable  to  the  opinion  of 
impartial  observers,  and  then  very  seldom. 
We  have  described  the  flower  as  it  was,  going 
into  the  particular  points,  and  hiding  neither 
its  faults  nor  its  beauties.  We  do  not  deny 
tliat  flowers  have  turned  out  uncertain  ; 
we  do  know  that  flowers  let  out  under  names 
identifled  by  us  with  many  excellences, 
have  turned  out  anything  but  what  they 
ought,  or  what  we  described.  In  one  or  two 
cases  we  disf^overed  that  we  have  described, 
and  given  a  favourable  opinion  of  one  flower, 
and  have  seen  another  one  substituted  for  it ; 
this  may  have  been  a  mistake,  but  we  cannot 
tliink  it  likely.  In  our  description  of  flowers 
this  year  we  have  conjured  up  no  beauties 
that  have  not  been  manifest,  nor  have  we 
described  blemishes  which  were  not  very 
apparent ;  hence,  our  descriptions  have  to  be 
read  as  a  guide,  and  each  sentence  weighed, 
and  we  strongly  recommend  everybody  who 
intends  to  buy  a  few  of  the  new  dahlias,  to 
throw  all  catalogue  descriptions  overboard, 
to  look  at  the  descriptive  list  in  the  Almanac 
for  1849,  and  make  up  their  minds  from  those 
descriptions,  for  they  will  not  deceive.  If  we 
say  one  flower  is  a  splendid  form,  but  small, 
they  have  to  consider  whether  they  value 
size  or  form  ;  if  we  say  a  flower  has  a  splen- 
did petal,  more  coarse  than  we  like,  but, 
nevertheless,  novel  and  beautiful,  they  may 


rest  assured  that  coarseness  is  a  real  fault  ;  if 
Ave  say  that  a  flower  has  a  good  petal,  but 
large,  and  rather  open,  but  that  it  is  a  fair 
fancy  flower,  they  may  safely  conclude  that 
large  and  rather  open  is  no  imaginary  draw- 
back— it  is  a  real  fault ;  but  candour  in  a  de- 
scription serves  a  flower  that  has  any  merit  at 
all,  much  more  than  the  sweeping  "warranted 
to  be  flrst-rate."  This  month  will  show  us 
some  auriculas,  and  we  hear  from  Mr.  Light- 
body  of  Falkirk,  that  James  Dickson  will 
have  some  northern  novelties  to  show,  worth 
looking  at.  We  have  no  show  near  London  of 
any  consequence.  The  only  place  of  exhibition 
where  we  are  pretty  sure  of  seeing  some  is 
the  Surrey  Gardens,  and  most  likely,  as  the 
thing  is  reviving  a  little,  the  society  at  the 
Thatched  House  at  Hammersmith  may  pro- 
duce a  competition  ;  but  we  hope  to  see  many 
new  growers  this  forthcoming  season.  Good 
average  verbenas  have  become  very  plentiful, 
but  the  great  number  of  average  merit  spoils 
the  sale  of  particular  ones,  and  the  growers 
hardly  know  how  to  choose.  Certificates 
must  now  be  given  for  nothing  but  really 
first-class  things  ;  that  is  to  say,  varieties  that 
beat  those  already  out  in  their  style  or  colour, 
or  are  equal  to  the  best  in  form,  and  of  a 
new  colour.  The  Potentilla  is  likely  to  be- 
come a  favourite,  and  being  hardy,  and  a 
healthy  perennial,  it  will  be  very  popular  ; 
some  have  been  recently  figured  in  the  Cabi- 
net, which,  if  at  all  like  the  originals,  show 
that  there  is  a  disposition  to  improve.  The 
town  has  been  inundated  with  camellias, 
which  have  been  sold  by  auction  at  the  price 
of  weeds  ;  and  nursery  sales  have  been  very 
plentiful,  not  so  much  as  part  of  a  system,  as 
from  obligation.  That  oppression  which  has 
overcome  many  tradesmen  has  hung  threaten- 
ingly over  the  nursery  trade,  and  there  will 
yet  be  many  sacrifices  ;  not  that  any  one  need 
attend  a  sale  for  bargains  :  they  are  to  be  had 
at  nurseries  that  threatened  to  swallow  the 
whole  trade,  at  less  than  they  cost ;  and  con- 
cerns that  could  do  no  good  in  regular  trade, 
are  doing  mischief  as  they  decline.  The 
Great  Northern  Tulip  Show  is  advertised  to 
take  place  in  May ;  we  shall  have  the  par- 
ticulars, perhaps,  by  the  1st,  but  we  believe 
there  will  be  a  great  muster  of  cultivators  on 
the  occasion.  Among  the  sources  of  con- 
gratulation for  the  florist,  we  may  mention 
the  alacrity  with  which  members  join  a  new 
Society,  in  which  every  member  has  to  pledge 
himself,  not  only  to  act  honestly  and  honour- 
ably in  his  own  dealings  and  showings,  but 
also  to  promote  a  like  conduct  in  others,  by 
exposing  anything  that  is  otherwise.  Many 
gentlemen  have  declined  exhibiting,  only 
because  they  were  obliged  to  show  against 
dishonourable  exhibitors  ;  instead  of  showing 


irA 


CURIOSITIES    OF    VEGETATION. 


his  own  flowers  against  somebody  else's,  he 
had  to  show  against  all  that  the  somebody  else 
collected  of  other  persons,  and  the  return  of 
these  to  the  floricultural  ranks  will  be  a 
reunion  worth  recording.  The  gentry  are  in 
fact  turning  florists  ;  some  are  resuming  the 
fancy  from  a  sheer  love  of  flowers,  and  seize 
upon  the  new  Society  and  its  pledges  as  a  sort 
of  excuse.  We  regret  that  there  are  writers 
who  persist  in  keeping  up  the  book-system  of 
culture  for  flowers,  and  recommend  to  amateurs 
plans  of  culture  which  will,  if  followed,  prove 
very  discouraging  ;  for  instance,  when  a  man 
who  has  not  only  totally  failed  for  himself,  but 
also  failed,  to  the  destruction  of  fine  collec- 
tions, for  other  people,  is  employed  in  the 
ungracious  work  of  leading  others,  "  it  is  too 
bad."  We  can  only  earnestly  recommend 
those  who  intend  to  cultivate  flowers,  to  read 
the  treatises  that  have  been  written  by  men 
known  to  succeed,  and  known  to  be  original 
writers,  and  not  copyists,  or  followers  of 
book-lessons,  and  they  will  find  that  the  sim- 
plest culture  is  the  best ;  that  there  is  no 
mystery  in  gardening  ;  that  some  of  our  very 
best  practical  men  were  never  brought  up  to 
the  profession;  and  that^the  moment  they  read 
anything  they  cannot  clearly  understand,  they 
should  dismiss  the  book  or  paper  in  which 
they  read  it.  They  will  find  plenty  of  in- 
struction in  the  various  treatises  published  in 
this  work,  to  which  we  can  refer  with  confi- 
dence, and  they  will  want  no  further  instruc- 
tion. Many  new  geraniums  are  upon  the  eve 
of  coming  out,  and  many  others  are  out  ;  Mr. 
Foster,  of  Clewer,  enters  the  field  again  in 
earnest,  and  his  flowers  are  coming  out 
through  Mr.  Bragg,  of  Slough,  instead  of  Mr. 
Catleugh ;  but  we  trust  there  will  be  a  suc- 
cessful struggle  against  the  prop  system  of 
showing  ;  we  objected  to  it  many  years  ago, 
but  the  leading  Societies  encouraged  it,  and 
we  have  counted  one  hundred  and  seventy 
props  to  one  plant  ;  since  then,  that  is  to  say 
within  a  year  or  two,  other  writers  have  begun 
to  condemn  it,  as  if  a  new  light  had  broken 
in  upon  them,  and  they  had  all  at  once  dis- 
covered how  wrong  it  was  to  encourage  that 
mode  of  showing,  and  were  the  first  to  dis- 
cover it.  However,  we  are  glad  the  subject 
is,  after  all  our  boring,  becoming  generally 
disapproved,  and  that  something  like  a  return 
to  gardening,  instead  of  mere  mechanism,  is 
likely  to  ensue.  The  judges  at  shows  would 
soon  cure  the  evil  by  giving  prizes  to  those 
best  grown  without  sticks,  in  preference  to 
those  with  them.  For  our  own  part,  we  can- 
didly avow  that  if  there  were  any  present  at 
a  show  where  we  were  judge,  that  had  been 
grown  at  all  well,  and  were  not  contrary  to 
the  rules  of  the  show  in  other  respects,  we 
would  at  once  jalace  them  before  others  four 


times  the  size  with  sticks  to  hold  the  flowers 
in  their  places.  There  is  a  sort  of  stir  among 
cottagers  upon  the  subject  of  giving  them 
prizes  for  flowers ;  many  of  the  most  intelli- 
gent members,  seeing  how  much  more  profit- 
able it  is  for  the  cottager  to  grow  carrots, 
potatoes,  beet-root,  parsnips,  and  other  vege- 
tables that  are  really  wholesome  and  nutritious 
food  than  it  is  to  waste  their  time  on  the 
tending  and  dressing  show  pinks,  and  growing 
other  flowers  for  show,  have  advocated  the 
increase  of  prizes  for  the  useful  things,  and 
taking  them  otF  for  pinks,  pansies,  and 
bouquets.  Staines  fell  into  this  last  year,  as 
well  as  some  others  ;  Norwich  continued  to 
give  prizes  for  the  most  trumpery  flowers, 
and  was  literally  parsimonious  with  prizes  for 
all  the  useful  vegetables.  We  are  quite  sure 
the  more  the  clergy  and  gentry  think  of  the 
fact,  that  a  dozen  pinks  would  cost  anybody 
more  time  to  attend  to  properly  than  a  rod  of 
carrots  or  potatoes,  the  more  will  they  see  the 
impropriety  of  wasting  a  shilling  in  the  en- 
couragement of  a  waste  of  time.  Messrs. 
Chandler  have,  as  usual,  had  an  extensive 
show  of  Camellia  japonica,  and  including 
among  them  most  of  the  new  varieties ;  the 
thousands,  however,  of  healthy  plants  that 
have  been  imported  and  sold  within  a  few 
weeks,  have  greatly  militated  against  the 
interest  of  such  exhibitions,  and  still  more 
against  the  purchase  of  plants  ;  besides, 
there  is  hardly  a  nursery  now  that  has  not  its 
collection  of  the  Camellia  japonica;  and  there 
is  this  difference  in  the  short  and  extensive 
stocks, — the  one  comprises  none  but  the  best, 
which  are  all  that  excite  curiosity, — the  other 
contains  everything,  good,  bad,  and  indifl*erent, 
and  you  have  almost  to  ask  for  the  best  be- 
fore you  can  see  them.  It  is  like  going  over  a 
bed  of  tulips  containing  two  or  three  thou- 
sand of  all  the  common  ones  in  cultivation, 
with  a  few  g^ood  ones  sprinkled  among  them, 
and  then  examining  a  choice  selection  of 
three  hundi'ed,  every  one  of  which  is  a  gem 
in  its  way. 


CURIOSITIES     OF     VEGETATION. 
THE    BOTTLE-TREE    OF    AUSTRALIA. 

On  rocky  eminences  in  the  interior  of 
Tropical  Australia,  this  tree,  remarkable  in 
locality,  form,  and  quality,  was  met  with  by 
Sir  T.  L.  Mitchell,  in  his  surveying  expedi- 
tions in  search  of  a  route  from  Sydney  to  the 
Gulf  of  Carpentaria.  In  most  instances  it 
was  found  to  be  almost  solitary,  in  which 
detached  condition  it  is  mentioned,  in  the 
journal*    of  that  explorer,   as  occurring   on 

*  Journal  of  an  Expedition  into  the  Interior  of 
Tropical  Australia.  By  Lieut.-Colonel  Sir  T.  L. 
Mitchell,  Et,  D.C.L.     London  :  Longmans. 


CURIOSITIES    OP    VEGETATION. 


155 


Mount  Abundance  and  on  Mount  Kennedy,botli 
situated  between  latitude  26°  and  27°  south. 
On  the  table  land  of  Hope,  near  latitude  25° 
south,  it  was  found  growing  more  gregariously, 
on  the  stony  banks  of  the  channel  of  a  torrent 
from  the  hills.  It  seems,  however,  to  be  the 
general  habit  of  this  tree  to  grow  detached 
and  isolated,  as  it  were,  for  some  others  are 
referred  to  as  growing  in  various  solitary 
singular  situations. 

Sir  Thomas  Mitchell  has  named  this  plant, 
(which  proves  to  be  a  new  genus  of  the  natural 
order  Sterculiaceag,)  Delabechea,  after  Sir 
Henry  T.  De  la  Beche,  as  president  of  a 
Society,  (the  Geological,)  which  has  greatly  en- 
couraged him  in  his  Australian  researches  ; 


and  in  honour  of  a  science  which  has  occa- 
sionally thrown  some  light  on  his  dark  and 
difficult  path.  Dr.  Lindley  has  described  the 
species  as  Delabechea  rwpesti'is,  from  its  habit 
of  growing  among  rocks.  Our  engraving, 
prepared  from  a  sketch  published  in  Sir  T. 
Mitchell's  journal,  gives  an  idea  of  the  general 
appearance  of  the  tree. 

Delabechea,  according  to  Dr.  Lindley, 
agrees  with  Sterculia  in  the  position  of  the 
radicle  [the  embryo  root]  with  respect  to  the 
hilum  [a  scar  on  the  seeds,  showing  where 
they  had  been  attached]  ;  but  it  is  otherwise 
a  Brachychiton,  with  which  it  more  especially 
corresponds  in  the  singular  condition  of  the 
seeds.     These  are  placed  six  together,  in  the 


interior  of  long-stalked,  ovate,  mucronate, 
smooth,  deep-brown  follicles  [the  peculiar 
kind  of  seed-pod  or  carpel],  of  a  tough  papery 
texture,  and  lined  with  a  thin  fur  of  stellate 
hairs.  The  seeds  themselves  are  also  closely 
covered  with  starry  hairs,  which  are  so  en- 
tangled that  they  hold  the  seeds  together 
firmly  ;  these  hairs,  however,  are  absent  from 
the  upper  half  of  the  seed,  whose  thin  brittle 
vascular  primine  [the  exterior  integument  of 
the  ovule]  is  shining,  smooth,  and  marked 
with  a  brown  nipple,  the  remains  of  the 
foramen  [an  aperture  through  the  integuments 
of  the  seed]  ;  within  the  primine  lies  the  bony 
crustaceous  secundine  [the  second  integument 
of  the  ovule,  within  the  primine],  which  is 
quite  loose,  and  seems  as  if  it  were  independent 
of  the  primine.  Eventually  the  end  of  the 
thin  brittle  primine  breaks  like  an  eggshell, 
and  the  secundine  falls  out.  The  seeds  them- 
selves remaining  attached  to  each  other  and  to 
the  follicle,  resemble   six  deep  cells,  or  may 


be  rather  compared  to  half-a-dozen  brown 
eggshells,  placed  on  the  broad  end,  from  which 
the  young  have  escaped  through  the  point. — 
Lindley,  i?i  MitchelVs  Journal. 

The  Delabechea  rupestris  is  a  large  tree, 
of  very  droll  form,  having  a  tumid  trunk, 
swelling  or  bulged  out  in  the  middle  like  a 
barrel,  and  contracting  at  the  base  and  just 
below  the  first  springing  of  the  branches 
above,  as  represented  in  the  engraving.  It  is 
this  singular  form  which  has  suggested  its 
name  of  the  Bottle-tree.  The  wood  is  white, 
of  remarkably  loose  texture,  soft  and  brittle, 
owing  to  the  presence  of  an  enormous  quantity 
of  very  large  tubes  of  pitted  tissue,  some 
measuring  a  line  and  a  lialf  across,  which 
form  the  whole  inner  face  of  each  zone  of 
wood.  The  leaves  are  lineai'-oblong,  acumi- 
nate, and  entire.  The  inflorescence  is  axillary 
and  trichotomous. 

In  his  description  of  a  remarkable  specimen 
of  the  Delabechea  found  on  Mount  Kennedy, 


156 


CLIMBING    PLANTS    ON    WALLS    OR   TRELLISES. 


Sir  T.  Mitchell  states  tlmt  its  jiirth  was  thirty 
feet  at  its  greatest  diameter,  and  only  sixteen 
at  the  ground.  In  tiiis  situation  there  was 
only  one  companion  of  the  same  l^ind,  a  very 
young  tree.  "  Of  its  quality,  much,  I  am 
sure,  remains  to  be  said,  Avhen  it  becomes 
better  known  ;  the  wood  being  so  liirht,  moist, 
and  full  of  gum,  that  a  man  having  a  knife, 
or  tomahawk,  might  live  by  the  side  of  one 
without  other  food  or  water  ;  as  if  nature,  in 
pity  for  the  most  distressed  of  mortals,  hiding 
in  solitary  places,  had  planted  even  there  this 
tree  of  abundance.  The  wood  must  contain 
a  great  portion  of  mucilage,  for,  on  chewing 
it,  it  seems  to  contain  as  much  nutritious 
matter  as  fibre."  When  boiling  water  is 
poured  over  shavings  of  this  wood,  a  clear 
jelly,  resembling  trsigacanth,  is  formed,  and 
becomes  a  thick  viscid  mass  ;  iodine  stains  it 
brown,  but  not  a  trace  of  starch  is  indicated 
in  it.  No  doubt  the  nutritious  qutdity  of  the 
tree  is  owing  to  the  mucilage,  which  is  ap- 
parently of  the  same  nature  as  that  of  the 
nearly  allied  Sterculia  tragacantha,  the  Tra- 
gacanth  tree  of  Si>-ri-a  Leone. — Liiidley. 

"  The  pods  contain  a  great  number  of 
seeds,  which  are  eaten  by  the  natives,  and  also 
by  many  birds  ;  and  from  the  circumstance 
of  having  found  one  pod  half  eaten  by  a 
bird  on  a  rock,  the  very  apex  of  a  lofty  summit, 
the  solitary  locality  of  this  tree  may  perhaps 
be  considered  at  least  partly  owing  to  its  seeds 
being  the  favourite  food  of  some  birds  in- 
habiting such  places,  each  seed  probably  re- 
quiring to  be  picked  out  of  the  thick  shell,  in 
order  that  it  may  grow."  * 

The  barrel-like  form  of  the  trunk  of  this 
tree  is  not  quite  peculiar  to  it.  Other  trees  of 
the  same  natural  order  Sterculiacese,  as  the 
Clioj-isia  ventricosa  of  Nees,  and  C.  insignis 
of  Humboldt,  have  trunks  of  a  similar  ventri- 
cose  character  ;  in  the  former  case  covered 
with  spine- like  processes.  Indeed  it  would 
seem  that  a  tendency  towards  a  short  lumpish 
growth  of  the  trunk  is  somewhat  common  in 
the  order.  This  is  indicated  in  the  Baobab 
of  Senegal,  which  is  almost  as  broad  as  it  is 
long;  several  trees  measured  by  Adanson  being 
fi-om  sixty-five  to  seventy-eight  feet  in  cir- 
cumference, but  low  in  proportion,  the  height 
not  exceeding  twenty  or  thirty  feet  ;  as  well 
as  in  the  great  buttress  trees,  or  silk  cottons  of 
triipical  America. 


CLIMBING    PLANTS    ON    WALLS    OR 

TRELLISES. 

Many  of  these  very  beautiful  objects  lose  all 

their  best  effects  by  ill  training  and  neglected 

pruning.     The  varieties  of  the  Clematis  are 

very  delif-ate  in  their  sterns,  and  if  not  watched 

*  Jourual,  p.  181. 


as  they  grow,  and  made  fast,  they  fall  over, 
and  frequently  break  in  the  attempt  to  get 
them  up  again.  C.  Sieboldii  and  C.  azurea 
grandijlora  sustain  an  enormous  plant  on  a 
stem  not  larger  than  a  small  {)ackthread  ;  and 
if  the  heads  be  once  allowed  to  hang  over  to  any 
extent,  it  becomes  almost  impossible  to  set 
them  to  rights  again.  From  the  instant  a 
young  plant  begins  to  grow,  it  needs  support, 
and  every  attention  must  be  paid  to  the 
mode  in  which  it  is  to  be  trained  ;  for  if  the 
plant  is  to  cover  a  broad  space,  it  should  be 
topped  or  cut  down,  so  that  two  lateral  shoots 
may  be  produced;  and  these  should  be  traiiied 
horizontally,  as  far  as  the  space  is  to  be  covered, 
and  then  the  ends  pinched  off.  The  plant  will 
most  likely  branch  at  every  joint ;  but  if  some 
of  the  joints  fail  to  send  out  shoots,  pinch  the 
top  out  of  one  that  comes  next  the  vacancy, 
that  it  may  send  out  lateral  shoots  to  su|>ply 
the  deficiency,  and  eventually  train  all  these 
upwards  from  the  whole  length  of  the  stems. 
By  this  means  a  trellis  or  wall  is  soon  covered. 
Again,  while  the  plants  are  young  it  will  in- 
ciease  the  rapidity  of  their  growth  to  pick  out 
the  bloom  buds  as  fast  as  they  appear,  that  all 
the  strength  may  be  thrown  into  the  branches. 
The  Glycine,  or  Wistaria  sinenses,  is  a 
curious  plant  to  manage.  We  have  seen  it 
remain  a  stunted,  shrub-like  plant  for  several 
seasons  ;  this  is  chiefly  owing  to  being  pot- 
bound  when  put  out,  and  the  bail  being  too 
hard  to  receive  the  benefit  of  moisture.  It 
then  depends  entirely  on  the  outer  fibres,  and 
the  roots,  perhaps,  being  coiled  round  and 
round  the  collar  of  the  plant,  fairly  choke  it, 
because  the  roots  will  swell  and  bind  the  stem 
as  firmly  as  if  it  were  bound  with  a  cord. 
When  they  are  put  out  they  should  be  loosened, 
the  roots  spread  out,  and  the  plant  well  wa- 
tered. The  soil  should  be  good  loam  from 
rotted  turves.  When  the  plant  begins  to  start, 
you  must  treat  it  according  to  what  it  has  to 
do:  if  you  want  it  to  run  a  single  stem  a 
long  way,  cut  the  plant  down  to  the  strongest 
shoot,  pick  off  all  the  blooms,  and  rub  off  the 
buds  that  aie  below  the  strongest,  so  that 
only  that  one  shoot  shall  grow.  If  you  want 
it  to  spread  directly  on  both  sides,  pinch  the 
top  off  this  strong  shoot,  at  the  third  joint;  this 
will  cause  lateral  shoots  to  come,  when  the  best 
two,  one  on  each  side,  may  be  allowed  to  grow, 
and  may  be  trained  horizontally,  till  they  fiil 
up  their  allotted  space  in  width;  they  may  then 
have  their  ends  turned  upwards  till  the  end  of 
the  season  ;  but  before  they  start  fur  the  next 
year's  growth,  prune  the  upright  part  off,  and 
let  the  eyes  break  all  the  way  along,  to  grow 
upwards,  and  fill  the  wall  or  trellis.  On  the 
other  hand,  if  one  stem  is  to  be  carried  as  far 
as  it  will  go,  or  to  any  considerable  length, 
without  oide  branches,  cut  the  top  ilown  to  the 


PLANTS  APPARENTLY  INCAPABLE  OF  HYBRIDIZATION. 


157 


strongest  bud  that  is  breaking,  near  the  top, 
and  rub  all  the  others  off,  that  the  whole 
strength  may  go  the  elongation  of  that  branch, 
till  it  has  reached  where  it  may  branch.  But 
there  are  some  climbers  that  are  most  effective 
when  allowed  to  grow  wild  ;  that  is  to  say, 
when  they  have  covered  the  space  wanted  to 
be  embellished,  and  the  top  allowed  to  get  wild 
and  bushy.  Care  must  be  taken  in  this  ease  to 
fasten  all  the  upper  parts  of  the  branches  very 
strongly,  because  tlie  head  is  of  great  weight, 
and  would  draw  the  nails,  unless  there  are 
plenty  of  them,  and  they  have  good  hold. 
The  common  or  scented  clematis  is  of  this- 
description  ;  the  honeysuckle  is  especially  so. 
The  passicm-flower  is  always  more  elegant 
when  thus  Ic-ft  at  liberty  ;  but  they  must  be 
annually  trimmed,  moderately,  indeed  we  may 
say  pretty  close,  because  they  are  sure  to 
gi'ow  wild  enough.  The  best  effect  is  pro- 
duced by  dividing  the  wall  into  panels,  or 
equal  widths  ;  for  each  and  the  various  sub- 
jects may  be  trained  to  fill  their  allotted  width 
at  bottom,  after  which  all  the  growth  would 
be  upwards.  A  wall  filled  with  different  climb- 
ing plants  has  the  prettiest  effect  ;  but  if  the 
plants  are  allowed  to  run  up  without  filling 
the  bottom  at  starting,  there  will  be  no  getting 
them  right  afterwards,  without  actually  cutting 
them  down  again;  and  whether  it  be  a  common 
fruit-tree,  or  any  other  plant  trained,  nothing 
looks  worse  than  to  see  the  walls  bare  at  the 
bottom.  Of  course,  there  are  hundreds  of 
different  climbing  plants,  but  the  principles  are 
the  same,  and  the  management  should  be  simi- 
lar. Another  mode  very  successfully  adopted 
on  the  fronts  of  houses  is  to  train  things  natu- 
rally of  a  dwarf  habit  to  finish  to  the  top  of 
the  lower  windows  and  door,  and  to  train  others 
with  single  stems  up  to  that  height,  and  then  let 
them  fill  the  upper  part  of  the  front ;  by  this 
means  the  two  portions  form  a  very  different 
feature,  but  highly  interesting  and  effective. 
The  Wistaria  sinensis  is  well  adapted  for  the 
upper  part,  for  a  single  stem  of  that  plant 
could  be  grown  thirty  or  forty  feet  high,  if 
necessary,  and  all  the  beauty  of  the  plant  be 
commenced  at  any  height.  Perhaps  there  is 
nothing  more  neglected,  in  a  general  way,  than 
climbing  plants  ;  and  this  fact  induces  us  to 
select  that  subject  for  the  present  paper. 


OBSERVATIONS    ON    PLANTS   WHICH  AP- 
PEAR INCAPABLE  OP  HYBRIDIZATION. 
BY  M.  LOISELEUR  DESLONGCHAMPS. 

( Translated  from  the  Ghent  Annales.) 

A  BOUT  four  years  ago,  having  occasion  to 

speak  of  Mr.  Lecoq's  work  on  hybridation,  I 

expressed  some  doubt  as  to  the  possibility  of 

practising  this  process  equally  on  all  kinds  of 


plants  i  at  the  same  time  I  was  not  unaware 
of  the  great  adv^mtages  that  may  be  obtained 
by  hybridation.  I  had  frequently  recommended 
one  of  my  friends,  residing  in  Provence 
(France),  and  in  whose  garden  Datura  ar- 
horea  had  been  frequently  crossed,  to  try  to 
obtain  a  hybrid  from  the  magnificent  flowers 
of  that  plant,  and  the  violet  flowers  of  D. 
fastuosa.  Latterly  I  endeavoured  to  avail 
myself  of  the  genialness  of  the  climate  in 
which  he  resided  in  trying  to  cross  several 
species  of  Amaryllis  and  Passiflora,  in  order 
to  obtain  new  varieties.  But  however  ready 
to  admit  the  power  of  this  process  to  modify 
species,  I  am  still  of  opinion  that  it  has  its 
limits,  and  that  there  are  genera  which,  from 
the  nature  and  conformation  of  their  flowers, 
will  not  admit  of  its  successful  application  by 
any  mode  of  procedure  whatever.  However, 
a  great  many  horticulturists  are  so  persuaded 
of  the  possibility  of  hybridizing  in  all  cases, 
as  to  believe  that  the  slightest  variety  they 
meet  with  is  the  result  of  this  practice  of 
crossing,  though  it  has  not  really  any  influ- 
ence in  their  production.  But  to  return  to 
the  difficulty,  or  rather  the  impossibility,  of 
crossing  certain  plants. 

After  having  carefully  studied  the  develop- 
ment of  the  flowers  of  wheat,  in  trying  to 
ascertain  what  could  be  the  causes  which  had 
produci'd  so  great  a  number  of  varieties  of 
that  genus,  and  if  the  application  of  the  pol- 
len to  the  stigmas  of  the  different  species 
might  not  produce  mcdifications  of  form  and 
new  varieties,  I  was  led  by  experience  and 
observation  to  ascertain  that  the  fecundation 
of  the  female  organs  of  these  plants  took 
place  secretly — that  is  to  say,  the  pistils  were 
impregnated  with  the  pollen  of  the  anthers 
before  the  calices  were  yet  open.  From  this 
circumstance  it  has  appeared  to  me  that  hy- 
bridation in  such  kinds  of  Avheat  is  impossible, 
either  artificially  or  naturally,  and  conse- 
quently,- that  the  numerous  varieties  which 
exist  in  this  genus  have  all  been  produced 
by  unknown  causes,  but  which  are  something 
different  from  what  is  called  hybridation.  But 
wheat  is  not  the  only  plant  which  seems  to  be 
incapable  of  hybridation.  Thirty  years  ago, 
and  at  a  time  when  artificial  crossing  was 
much  less  in  vogue  than  it  is  at  the  present 
day,  I  was  induced  to  try  to  obtain  some  new 
varieties  in  the  poppy  (Papaver),  by  crossing 
the  species  of  Tournefort,  the  flowers  of  which 
have  remained  to  the  present  of  so  bright  red 
a  colour,  with  the  poppy  of  our  gardens,  which 
on  the  contrary  has  produced  a  great  many 
varieties  of  colour ;  but  I  could  not  succeed 
at  all,  for  I  found,  in  submitting  Tournefort's 
poppy  to  the  process  of  impregnation,  that 
before  the  calyx  of  the  two  sepals  which  en- 
velope the  petals  and  the  organs  of  generation 


1'58 


DIGGING,    TRENCHING,  ETC. 


were  yet  open,  the  stamens  had  already  shed 
their  pollen  on  the  stigmas,  and  that  conse- 
quently the  act  of  fecundation  was  made  in 
secret,  and  the  same  as  in  the  case  of  the 
wheat.  However,  I  was  not  disheartened  ; 
and  after  having  made  this  observation,  I  be- 
lieved I  should  yet  be  able  to  obviate  the 
difficulty  which  presented  itself,  by  forcibly 
opening,  early  in  the  morning,  the  two  folioles 
of  the  calyx  before  their  natural  expansion, 
in  the  hope  that  I  should  be  able  to  find  the 
anthers  still  closed.  But  I  was  disappointed, 
for  to  my  gi'eat  surprise  I  found  that  the  stig- 
mas had  already  received  the  fertile  powder 
of  the  anthers.  It  appears  to  me,  therefore, 
that  the  flowers  of  the  poppy,  by  their  con- 
formation, are  evidently  incapable  of  being 
crossed.  This  circumstance,  however,  has  not 
prevented  the  flowers  of  the  common  poppy, 
whose  organization  is  the  same  as  that  of 
those  of  the  species  of  Tournefort,  from  pro- 
ducing a  great  many  varieties. 

A  short  time  before  the  incident  I  have 
just  related,  I  found,  by  chance,  one  with 
double  flowers,  which  had,  so  to  speak,  sprung 
up  spontaneously  in  my  garden,  and  which  I 
preserved,  allowing  the  seeds  to  sow  them- 
selves, as  it  were.  Some  years  after  I  had 
flowers  with  twenty  difierent  colours  from 
this  plant. 

From  these  observations  we  may  conclude 
that  it  is  not  requisite  to  cross  the  poppy  in 
order  to  produce  those  numerous  varieties, 
which  are  familiar  to  every  one,  since  they 
are  continually  crossing  themselves  without 
demanding  any  care  or  trouble  at  our  hands. 
Other  plants  which  I  have  not  yet  noticed 
may  be,  by  the  organization  of  their  flowers, 
in  the  same  case  as  the  wheats  and  the  pop- 
pies ;  but  I  think  that  the  vine  in  its  floration 
presents  a  conformation  in  which  it  would  be 
difficult,  if  not  impossible,  to  submit  it  to  the 


artificial  process  with  success.  The  flowers 
of  the  vine  are  composed  of  a  calyx  with  five 
very  short  teeth,  and  five  small  petals  adher- 
ing at  their  summit,  and  swelled  out  by  the 
development  of  the  anthers.  This  disposition 
must  be  favourable  to  the  internal  process  of 
fecundation,  and  prevent  the  pollen  of  any 
species  or  variety  whatever  from  coming  be- 
tween the  pistil  of  a  flower  of  this  genus  and 
its  own  stamens.  If,  then,  I  am  not  wrong  as 
to  the  manner  in  which  the  phenomenon  of 
fertilization  takes  place  in  the  flowers  of  the 
vine,  it  appears  to  me  very  difficult,  if  not 
quite  impossible,  that  artificial  hybridation  can 
have  any  infiuence  on  their  fructification.  It 
may  be  asked.  How,  then,  has  this  genus  been 
able  to  produce  so  many  difierent  varieties  of 
fruit,  so  various  in  size,  form,  colour,  and 
especially  in  flavour,  that  the  wines  which 
have  been  made  from  them  offer  more  numer- 
ous and  decided  points  of  dissemblance  in 
this  respect  than  the  grapes  themselves  ?  Of 
the  almost  innumerable  varieties  of  vines 
which  are  to  be  found  at  the  present  day,  both 
in  the  vineyards  and  in  nurseries,  very  little 
of  the  origin  is  known.  They  have  all,  more  or 
less,  been  raised  long  ago,  nobody  knows  how, 
though,  by  whom  or  what  means,  it  is  more 
than  likely  they  originated  from  a  very  small 
number.  There  are  only  probabilities  in  this 
matter.  We  may  perhaps  be  permitted  to 
suppose  that  the  vine,  which  was  originally 
from  Asia,  and  first  cultivated  in  that  part  of 
the  world,  possesses  great  fecundity,  which  has 
caused  it  to  produce  the  more  varieties  as  it 
changed  climate,  soil,  and  exposure  ;  and  that 
the  more  it  has  been  modified  by  these  differ- 
ent causes,  the  more  it  appears  susceptible  of 
being  modified  still  ;  for  from  the  seeds  most 
recently  sown,  new  varieties,  entirely  different 
from  the  primitive  sorts,  have  appeared, 
springing  up  as  it  were  from  each  pip. 


DIGGING,  TRENCHING,  ETC. 


The  operations  of  this  class  which  are  per- 
formed in  the  cultivation  of  the  soil,  have  for 
their  objects  its  pulverisation  and  aeration,  and 
the  intermixing  of  its  particles,  to  the  depth 
to  which  the  roots  of  the  crops  penetrate.  In 
a  general  view,  every  operation  of  this  kind 
may  be  said  to  be  advantageous.  Very  light 
and  loose  soils,  indeed,  are  sometimes  benefited 
by  a  certain  degree  of  compression  and  con- 
solidation, and  to  this  extent  should  be  left  for 
a  time  without  digging  ;  but  in 'the  greater 
number  of  cases,  the  fertility  of  the  soil  is 
increased  by  at  least  an  annual  thorough 
trenching,  and  by  digging  or  forking  to  a  less 
depth  several  times  during  the  year,  either 
between  the  crops,  if  they  remain  long  on  the 


ground,  or  during  the  short  intervening  period 
between  the  removing  of  one  crop  and  the 
replacing  it  by  another. 

The  advantages  obtained  from  the  proper 
pulverisation  of  the  soil  are  numerous  and 
important.  In  the  first  place,  greater  scope  is 
afforded  to  the  roots  of  the  plants ;  and  on  the 
number  and  healthy  action  of  the  fibrous  ex- 
tremities of  these  roots,  the  vigour  of  the  plants 
is  mainly  dependent.  It  is  the  spongioles  of 
the  roots  which  draw  up  from  the  soil  the 
various  matters  wliich  go  to  the  nourishment 
of  the  plant ;  and  therefore  the  more  the  soil 
is  pulverised,  and  the  number  of  these  spon- 
gioles increased,  the  more  noui'ishment  will  be 
absorbed,  and  consequently  the  greater  vigour 


DIGGING,    TRENCHING,    ETC. 


159 


will  be  attained.  This  action  of  the  roots  is 
assisted  by  other  conditions  produced  by 
pulverisation.  Thus  the  capillary  attraction 
of  the  soil  is  increased,  and  consequently  its 
humidity  is  rendered  more  steady  and  uniform. 
In  dry  weather,  when  a  consolidated  soil  would 
have  become  arid  and  unable  to  support  vege- 
tation, a  pulverised  soil  would  be  furnished  by 
this  capillary  property  from  the  moisture  be- 
neath it,  and  it  would  also  absorb  with  greater 
facility  the  nightly  dews  which  fell  upon  it. 
The  temperature  of  the  soil  is  also  heightened 
by  pulverisation,  and  its  more  equable  state  of 
humidity  condenses  certain  gases  from  the 
atmosphere,  which  become  converted  into  food 
for  the  plants.  The  chief  advantage,  however, 
is  that  derived  from  the  manner  in  which  it 
increases  the  number  of  fibrous  roots  or  mouths 
by  which  the  plants  are  enabled  to  imbibe  their 
food,  from  the  more  speedy  and  perfect  pre- 
paration of  this  food,  and  from  the  greater 
regularity  with  which  the  latter,  being  so  pre- 
pared, is  conducted  to  the  roots. 

Aeration,  or  the  free  admission  of  the 
atmosphere  among  the  particles  of  the  soil,  is 
very  beneficial ;  some  of  the  elements  of  the 
atmosphere  being  condensed,  and  thus  supplied 
to  the  roots.  In  summer,  one  advantage  of 
aeration  is  the  thorough  heating  of  the  soil, 
which  increases  its  capacity  for  absorbing 
moisture,  and  must  materially  assist  the  de- 
composition of  what  vegetable  matters  it  may 
contain.  In  winter,  aeration  favours  the 
minute  mechanical  division  of  the  soil,  by  the 
freezing  of  the  water  which  it  contains ;  for 
as  water  in  the  solid  form  occupies  more  space 
than  when  fluid,  the  particles  of  earthy  matters, 
and  of  decomposing  stones,  are  thus  rent  asun- 
der and  crumble  down  into  a  fine  mould,  so 
that  well-aerated  soils  thus  receive  an  accession 
to  their  finer  particles  every  winter.  The 
action  of  the  atmosphere  will  also  disintegrate 
and  sweeten  such  soils  as  may  have  become 
soured  or  soddened,  if  the  cause  of  the  latter 
condition  has  been  removed. 

The  intermixing  of  the  particles  of  the  soil, 
by  the  repeated  processes  of  digging,  trench- 
ing, &c.  is  favourable  to  its  fertility.  The 
heavier  particles  have  a  tendency  to  settle 
downwards,  leaving  the  surface  light  and 
spongy,  which  tendency  is  sufiiciently  checked 
by  these  operations,  if  they  are  frequent 
enough  ;  and  thus  the  mechanical  texture 
favourable  to  the  increase  of  roots,  the  prepa- 
ration of  food,  and  the  drainage  of  superfluous 
water,  is  secured.  Manures  and  composts, 
too,  when  added  to  a  soil  to  aid  its  fertility, 
require  to  be  intimately  blended  with  its  par- 
ticles, and  this  result  is  obtained  during  the 
processes  of  digging  and  trenching. 

Each  of  the  operations  referred  to,  claims  a 
separate  and  detailed  considex-ation.     Before 


proceeding  with  these,  however,  it  may  be 
remarked,  that  dry  weather  is  most  proper  for 
executing  the  whole  of  them  ;  and  the  soil 
should  also  be  comparatively  diy,  that  is,  not 
so  wet  as  to  become  pasty  or  adhesive  from 
the  necessary  trampling  by  the  feet.  Nothing 
is  so  etfectually  opposed  to  the  pulverisation 
of  the  soil,  which  is  one  of  the  main  objects 
to  be  effected,  as  the  burying  of  any  portion 
of  it  in  this  mortar-like  condition ;  and  yet  it 
is  very  commonly  practised.  Common-place 
operations  of  this  kind  are  too  often  thought 
to  be  entirely  independent  of  such  consider- 
ations as  that  of  the  weather  in  which  they 
are  performed  ;  and  yet  it  is  not  too  much  to 
say,  that  very  many  of  the  advantages  of  the 
operation  are  lost  from  inattention  to  this 
point.  This  evil  is  most  serious  in  heavy  clay 
soils ;  and  becomes  of  less  importance  when 
the  soil  is  very  light  and  sandy.  Another 
point  which  should  be  borne  in  mind  is,  that 
snow  does  not  improve  the  texture  of  the  soil 
when  dug  or  trenched  in,  and  materially  lowers 
its  temperature  by  abstracting  from  it  the  heat 
it  may  possess.  Whenever  these  operations, 
therefore,  are  performed  at  a  time  when  snow 
is  on  the  ground,  it  should  not  be  turned  in 
or  mixed  up  with  the  soil :  no  harm  will,  how- 
ever, result  from  casting  it,  as  the  work  pro- 
ceeds, 071  to  the  top  of  the  turned-up  soil. 
Dry  frosty  weather  affords  a  very  favourable 
time,  for  trenching  especially ;  but  when  it  is 
possible,  all  those  portions  of  the  garden  which 
are  designed  to  benefit  by  exposure  to  frost 
in  winter,  should  be  dug  or  trenched  in  the 
autumn,  or  in  the  earlier  part  of  winter,  in 
order  that  the  surface  may  be  turned  over 
during  the  continuance  of  frost,  so  as  to  expose 
a  greater  portion  directly  to  the  influence  of 
the  atmosphere. 

Dlcjfjing. — This  operation  consists  in  turn- 
ing over  the  surface-soil  to  the  depth  of  from 
eight  inches  to  a  foot,  or  in  technical  language, 
"  one  spit  deep  ;"  that  is,  the  depth  of  the 
blade  of  the  spade.  This  is  done  with  the 
view  of  lightening  up  the  soil  to  that  depth 
for  the  reception  of  some  fresh  crop,  or  to  mix 
in  manure  with  the  upper  stratum  of  soil,  or 
sometimes  to  bury  down  weeds  and  rubbish, 
with  a  view  to  producing  a  neat  and  orderly 
appearance.  The  first  part  of  the  operation 
is  to  remove  a  deep  open  furrow  at  one  end, 
or  along  one  side  of  the  piece  of  ground  to  be 
dug.  Digging  cannot  be  carried  on  in  a 
workman-like  manner  unless  this  furrow, 
technically  a  "  trench,"  is  of  sufficient  capa- 
city to  admit  of  the  reversal  of  the  position 
of  each  spadeful  of  soil,  as  it  is  cast  down. 
Taking  the  depth  at  one  foot,  the  width  of 
this  trench  should  be  about  a  foot,  rather  more 
than  less.  The  earth  which  is  taken  out  to 
form  this  trench  should,  if  the  piece  of  ground 


160 


DIGGING,    TRENCHING,    ETC. 


is  of  moderate  size,  be  wheeled  to  the  opposite 
end  or  side,  and  there  deposited  on  a  ridge,  for 
the  purpose  of  filling  up  the  trench  when  the 
digging  is  completed.  If,  however,  the  plot  be 
a  large  one,  much  labour  in  wheeling  may  be 
saved,  by  dividing  it  into  two  parts  of  equal 
width  ;  the  soil  of  the  trench  taken  out  from 
one  part  being  deposited  as  above,  along  the 
contiguous  end  of  the  other  part.  In  this 
latter  case,  the  one  part  is  dug  firr^t,  and  its 
trench  is  tilled  up  by  soil  obtained  in  opening 
a  trench  at  the  contiguous  end  of  the  other 
part,  which  is  then  dug,  and  the  trench  finally 
filled  up  by  the  soil  first  Taken  out.  If  the 
space  is  not  large  enough  to  render  this  plan 
necessary,  the  trench  is  opened  at  one  end,  and 
the  soil  thus  obtained  removed  to  the  other  ; 
the  digging  {)roceeds  regularly  over  the  piece, 
and  the  trench  is  filled  up  at  last  by  the  soil 
taken  out  at  first,  and  removed  for  the  purpose 
to  the  opposite  end.  In  working,  this  trench 
should,  always  be  kept  straight  across  the 
ground,  because  if  it  be  allowed  to  get  crooked 
by  irregular  advances  in  the  digging,  its  length 
will  be  increased,  and  in  the  same  ratio  its 
capacity  will  be  diminished  ;  or  if  not  diminish- 
ed, the  soil  provided  for  filling  up  the  trench 
will  not  be  suflicient.  In  either  case,  the  sur- 
face will  become  uneven,  which  has  a  slovenly 
appearance  ;  and  besides,  in  this  case,  extra 
labour  is  involved  in  I'ectifying  the  error. 
When  the  trench  is  taken  out,  a  row  of  spade- 
fuls taken  from  the  undisturbed  part  of  the 
soil  is  to  be  cast  to  the  farther  side  of  the  open 
trench,  each  spadeful  being  reversed  as  it  is 
cast  from  the  spade  ;  that  is,  the  bottom  is  to 
become  the  top,  and  vice  versa.  Another  row 
of  spadefuls  is  then  to  be  cast  against,  or  rather 
on  these,  so  as  to  form  a  line  or  ridge  of  turned- 
up  soil,  the  top  of  which  must  range  with  the 
ordinary  level  of  the  ground.  Some  care 
should  be  taken  to  get  this  point  properly 
secured  at  starting,  as  the  levelness  of  the 
work  depends  a  good  deal  upon  it.  The 
ground  will  now  present  a  clear,  open,  straight 
furrow  between  the  undug  and  the  dug  por- 
tions of  soil  ;  and  this  furrow  is  to  be  kept 
clear  and  straight  during  the  progress  of  the 
work.  The  blade  of  the  spade  should  be  in- 
serted each  time  nearly  in  a  perpendicular 
position,  and  should  be  forced  down  to  its  full 
depth,  both  the  hands  of  the  digger  being  then 
at  the  top  end  of  the  lever  or  handle.  The 
spade  is  forced  down  by  pressing  the  hollow 
part  of  one  foot  on  the  upper  edge  of  the  blade, 
which  is  called  the  tread  ;  and  if  the  ground 
is  hard,  the  operator's  shoe  should  J)e  protected 
by  what  is  called  a  digging  iron,  or  foot  iron, 
which  is  a  plate  of  iron  fastening  by  means  of 
a  strap  to  the  hollow  part  beneath  the  shoe. 
In  lifting  up  the  spade  (supposing  the  operator 
to  work  right-handed),  the  left  hand  retains 


firm  hold  of  the  top  of  the  handle,  while  the 
right  is  passed  downwards  about  half  way, 
and  by  it  chiefly  the  spadeful  of  earth  is  lifted 
up.  The  spade  is  now  turned  (chiefly  by  the 
left  hand)  over  from  the  operator,  and  the 
earth  thus  cast  in  a  reversed  form  against  the 
former  row  of  spadefuls,  on  the  other  side  of 
the  open  trench.  The  workman  thus  proceeds 
across  the  piece  of  ground,  moving  backwards 
and  forwards  from  end  to  end  until  the  whole 
is  dug.  The  work  is  better  performed  when 
moderate  sized  spadefuls  are  moved,  than 
when  these  are  much  larger  ;  the  pulverisa- 
tion and  intermixing  of  the  particles  being  in 
the  former  case  more  complete  than  in  the 
latter.  Where  pulverisation  is  the  object,  the 
soil  should  be  comminuted  and  broken  with 
the  spade  as  it  is  turned  over  ;  but  if  the 
aeration  of  the  soil  is  the  object,  each  spadeful 
should  be  preserved  as  entire,  and  laid  as  open 
and  isolated  as  possible,  the  surface  being  left 
rough,  and  not  at  all  comminuted.  When 
manure  is  added,  it  should  be  mixed  as  regu- 
larly as  possible  throughout ;  and  the  roots 
of  all  perennial  weeds,  where  they  exist,  should 
be  carefully  picked  out  as  the  work  proceeds. 
None  of  these  things  can  be  properly  done 
unless  there  is  a  clear  open  furrow. 

The  principal  varieties  of  digging  are  called 
ridge-digging  and  Jlat-digging.  The  former 
consists  in  laying  the  surface  in  parallel  ridges. 
A  section  of  ground  so  dug  would  show  the 
appearance  of  a  series  of  equal-sided  triangles 
having  been  placed  together  to  form  the  sur- 
face ;  under  such  circumstances,  about  two- 
thirds  more  of  the  surface  is  exposed  to  the 
atmosphere,  than  when  the  surface  is  level. 
Flat-digging  is  chiefly  adopted  when  the  object 
is  merely  to  present  a  fresh  surface  of  clean 
earth.  It  is  done  by  thrusting  in  the  spade 
in  a  very  slanting  direction,  as  shallow  as  cir- 
cumstances will  permit,  and  simply  turning 
over  the  soil  so  taken  up  in  the  same  place, 
withiout  having  any  open  trench  or  furrow  of 
any  consequence.  The  object  is,  in  general, 
just  to  bury  weeds  and  such  rubbish  as  will 
speedily  decompose. 

Forking  is  an  operation  very  similar  to 
digging  in  its  nature  and  object,  only  instead 
of  being  performed  with  a  spade,  a  digging- 
fork  is  employed.  An  ordinary  digging-fork 
differs  from  a  spade  in  consisting  of  three  or 
four  flattened  prongs,  instead  of  being  a  plain 
sheet  of  metal.  The  object  of  this  operation 
is  the  lightening  and  pulverising  of  the  surface. 
It  is  often  resorted  to  before  planting  light 
crops  ;  and  where  ground  has  been  ridge- 
trenched,  or  ridge-dug  for  the  winter,  it  is 
usual  to  fork  it  down  level  in  the  spring  when 
required  for  cropping.  Sometimes  the  soil  is 
forked  up  during  the  progress  of  the  growing 
crops,  with  a  view  to  their  benefit ;  and  there 


DIGGING,    TRENCHING,    ETC. 


161 


is  no  doubt  they  derive  much  advantage  from 
judicious  assistance  of  tliis  kind.  The  loosen- 
ing of  the  soil  in  this  way  is  one  of  tlie  best  of 
all  specifics  against  the  injuries  resulting  from 
drought. 

Trenching. — This  operation  may  be  called 
an  amplification  of  digging,  and  consists  of 
turning  up  the  soil  to  the  depth  of  two  or 
three  I'eet,  instead  of  one,  which  is  about  the 
depth  of  proper  digging  when  well  executed. 
Its  objects,  also,  are  the  same  as  those  of 
digging.  The  manner  of  setting  about  it 
depends,  as  in  digging,  upon  the  space  to  be 
operated  on.  If  this  is  small,  or  only  of 
moderate  size,  the  trench  is  to  be  opened  at 
one  end,  and  the  soil  thus  taken  out  removed 
to  the  other  end,  for  the  purpose  of  filling  up 
when  the  work  is  finished.  But  if  the  space 
is  large,  it  may  be  divided  into  two,  four,  six, 
or  more,  strips  of  equal  size,  ranging  either 
lengthwise  or  crosswise,  as  may  be  most  con- 
venient ;  and  an  opening  being  made  across 
one  of  these  portions,  the  soil  is  to  be  Avheeled 
to  the  end  of  that  portion  where  the  work  will 
finish.  Thus,  supposing  there  to  be  six  por- 
tions ranging  north  and  south  :  an  opening  is 
made,  say  at  the  south  end  of  the  first  portion  ; 
this  soil  must  be  removed  to  the  south  end  of 
the  sixth  portion,  and  the  trenching  will  pro- 
ceed from  the  south  to  the  north  end  of  the 
first  part,  then  from  north  to  south  in  the 
second  part,  from  south  to  north  again  in  the 
third  part,  and  so  on  to  the  end.  In  this  way, 
a  large  piece  of  soil  may  be  trenched  without 
involving  any  material  degree  of  labour  in 
opening  the  trench  at  the  commencement. 

It  is  absolutely  essential,  if  the  operation  of 
trenching  is  to  benefit  the  soil,  that  the  top 
portion  of  earth — that  is,  the  fertile  surface 
soil,  whether  six  inches  or  two  feet  in  thick- 
ness— should  be  kept  at  the  top,  and  not 
buried  beneath  any  portion  of  crude  soil  from 
below  ;  and  this  must  be  attended  to,  notwith- 
standing that  the  depth  of  the  trenching  ought 
in  all  garden  soils  to  extend  from  two-and-a- 
half  to  three  feet.  Many  persons  suppose 
trenching  to  mean  simply  the  turning  over, 
from  bottom  to  top,  the  whole  of  the  soil  two 
or  three  feet  deep  ;  but  in  such  case,  if  the 
land  be  sandy  and  the  soil  shallow,  a  bed  of 
sheer  sand  would  be  brought  to  the  top,  and 
the  fertile  soil  buried.  So  if  chalky,  the  top 
would  be  made  to  consist  wholly  of  chalk,  and 
if  clayey,  wholly  of  clay  ;  and  even  in  the 
best  of  land,  if  the  soil  from  the  very  bottom 
is  brought  at  once  to  the  top,  it  will  not  be  fit 
to  support  vigorous  healthy  crops.  The  pro- 
per way  is  to  turn  up  the  soil  as  deep,  but  no 
deeper,  than  the  soil  is  of  good  quality.  A 
portion  below  this  is  then  to  be  broken  up  and 
loosened,  in  some  cases  turned  over  likewise, 
still  being  kept  below  the  good  soil ;  and  a 
50. 


small  portion  of  this  may,  at  each  time  of 
trenching,  be  well  mixed  with  the  upper  soil, 
by  Avhich  the  bulk  of  the  latter  will  be  gra- 
dually augmented,  so  that  ultimately,  if  this 
practice  is  followed  up,  the  depth  of  good 
healthy  fertile  surlace-soil  may  be  made  equal 
to  the  entire  depth  to  which  it  is  found  neces- 
sary to  extend  the  trenching.  It  may  perhaps 
render  these  remarks  more  inteUigible,  to 
introduce  the  following  diagram,  which  illus- 
trates the  mode  of  trenching  in  slips,  and  also 
the  practice  of  keeping  the  surface-soil  at  or 
near  the  top.  The  diagram  may  be  supposed 
to  represent  a  plot  of  ground  eiglity  feet  wide, 
and  any  convenient  length  ;  this  is  divided 
into  four  strips  of  twenty  feet  wide  each,  indi- 
cated by  a  h,  c  d,  e  J',  and  fj  h.  Then  across 
the  first  slip  at  a,  a  trench  (?«)  is  to  be  marked 


m 

a 

'^ 

e 

'J 

71, 

o 

V 

h 

d 

f 

h 

off,  two  or  three  feet  wide.  The  top  (good) 
soil  is  to  be  taken  from  this  trench  and  wheeled 
and  deposited  near  g,  just  at  the  edge  wliere 
the  last  cross  trench  will  come.  When  the 
top  earth  is  taken  from  vi,  another  trench  (n) 
is  to  be  marked  out,  and  the  surface-soil  from 
this  also  removed  to  g,  and  placed  witli  that 
from  7n.  Then  take  out  the  bottom  earth 
from  7ii  to  the  intended  depth  of  trenching, 
and  wheel  that  also  to  g,  but  keep  it  distinct 
from  the  other  or  top  earth.  The  bottom  of 
the  trench  vi  is  now  to  be  broken  up  nine  or 
ten  inches  deep,  by  means  of  a  digging-fork, 
and  allowed  to  remain  where  it  is.  The  bot- 
tom earth  of  n  is  then  removed  to  the  same 
depth  as  that  of  ?/^,  and  cast  on  to  the  broken 
up  base  of  the  trench  m,  and  then  the  bottom 
of  n  is  broken  up  with  the  fork.  The  top 
earth  from  a  third  trench  (o)  is  then  cast 
across  7i  to  fill  up  the  trench  m,  which  is  then 
full,  having  been  made  up  from  the  lower  part 
of  71  and  the  upper  part  of  o.  Next,  the  lower 
part  of  0  is  cast  into  n,  and  the  bottom  of  o  is 
forked  up  and  left  as  in  m  and  n.  The  top 
soil  from  a  fourth  trench  (;;)  is  then  taken  off 
to  fill  up  ti,  and  the  work  proceeds  in  this  way 
till  the  end  (&)  is  reached,  Avhen  the  soil  from 
d  is  used  in  the  same  way,  and  the  same  course 
proceeds  along  the  second  slip  to  c ;  then  by 
e  tof,  and  thence  from  k  to  g,  where  the  soil 

M 


162 


DIGGING,    TEENCHING,    ETC. 


from  m  is  in  readiness  for  filling  up,  that  from 
the  bottom  being  of  course  placed  at  bottom, 
and  the  upper  or  good  soil  above  it.  In  order 
that  this  may  proceed  regularly,  and  that  the 
surface  may  present  its  proper  level  through- 
out, it  is  necessary  that  the  slips  ah,  c  d,  e  f, 
g  h,  be  of  equal  width  throughout. ;  the  cross 
trenches  also,  m,  n,  o,  &c.  &c.  must,  for  the 
same  reason,  be  kept  accurately  to  the  same 
width  throughout.  The  lines,  both  of  the 
wide  slips  and  cross  trenches,  are  marked  by 
measuring  accurately  the  proper  distance  at 
each  end  with  a  rod;  the  garden  line  is  then 
stretched  quite  tight,  from  one  of  the  points 
thus  ascertained,  across  to  the  other,  and  then 
a  slit  or  notch  is  made  three  or  four  inches 
deep  by  the  spade,  close  to  and  parallel  with 
the  line. 

This  mode  of  trenching  is  most  suitable  for 
land  when  first  broken  up,  and  for  that  which 
is  of  inferior  quality.  In  the  case  of  deep 
soils  of  good  quality,  it  is  not  necessary  to 
guard  so  carefully  against  bringing  the  lower 
soil  to  the  top  ;  but  even  in  this  case,  it  is  best 
to  bring  it  up  gradually.  Thus,  supposing  it 
to  be  ti'enched  three  spades  in  depth,  the 
second  (y)  may  be  brou'ght  to  the  top,  and  the 
first  or  top  (x)  put  in  its  place  ;  the  thii'd  (2;) 
being  merely  turned  over,  but  kept  below  the 
other  two,  and  the  base  beneath  the  third 
broken  up  and  left.  Then  at  the  second 
trenching,  the  third  or  z  may  take  the  second 
place,  X  being  returned  to  the  top,  and  y  placed 
at  the  bottom.  At  the  third  trenching,  z  may 
come  to  the  top,  and  x  the  original  top  may 
go  to  the  bottom,  9/  also  occupying  its  original 
position  between  the  other  two.  In  this  way 
the  surface  is  each  time  thoroughly  changed, 
without  in  either  case  bringing  crude  soil  to 
the  surface. 

As  regards  the  depth  to  which  it  is  desirable 
to  trench,  a  few  words  may  sufiice.  In  break- 
ing up  fresh  land  for  a  garden,  a  depth  of  about 
three  feet  will  be  proper.  This  will  be  four 
spades  deep,  supposing  the  spade-depth  to 
average  nine  inches  in  working,  which  is  near 
what  it  does.  Three  spades-deep  should  be 
turned  over,  according  to  the  principles  already 
laid  down  ;  the  fourth  may  be  bi'oken  up  and 
left  in  the  bottom.  In  trenching  land  which 
is  regularly  brought  under  cropping,  it  is  not 
necessary  to  trench  so  deep  as  this  every  year; 
about  every  second  year  will  suffice,  in  the 
intermediate  year  the  ground  being  broken  up 
three  spades  deep.  It  will  also  be  proper,  in 
trenching  ground  in  such  circumstances,  to 
apportion  the  depth  of  the  operation  to  suit 
the  particular  crops  which  are 'to  be  next 
planted.  For  growing  vegetables,  there  should 
be  from  two-and-a-half  to  three  feet  of  good 
workable  soil,  and  the  oftener  this  is  turned 
over  by  trenching,  consistent  with  other  fea- 


tures of  management,  the  better.  For  flowers, 
an  average  depth  of  two  feet  will  be  sufficient ; 
and  where  circumstances  admit,  it  should  be 
remembered  that  these  are  as  much  benefited 
by  the  trenching  and  proper  management  of 
the  soil,  as  are  vegetables. 

Whenever  the  operation  of  trenching  is 
going  on,  care  should  be  taken  to  remove  the 
roots  of  all  perennial  weeds  ;  these  should  be 
carefully  picked  out,  and  removed  entirely 
from  the  ground,  and  are  most  suitably  con- 
veyed at  once  to  the  rubbish  heap.  The  roots 
of  most  kinds  of  perennial  weeds,  if  left  in  the 
soil,  spring  up  and  prove  very  troublesome 
during  the  growth  of  the  crops.  If  manure  is 
to  be  added,  it  should  by  no  means  be  thrown 
entirely  into  the  trench,  as  is  often  done  ; 
neither  should  it  be  placed  in  a  layer  between 
any  part  of  the  soil,  but  should  be  well  inter- 
mixed with  that  part  of  the  upper  soil  just 
below  the  surface,  and  downwards  as  far  as 
may  be  proper  for  the  particular  crop  to  be 
planted.  To  facilitate  this  mixture,  and  also 
the  mixture  of  the  particles  of  soil,  the  finished 
portion  should  present  a  sloping  surface  towards 
the  work,  against  which  the  soil  and  manure 
may  be  cast  as  the  work  proceeds,  instead  of 
being  placed  in  horizontal  layers.  When  any 
coarse  vegetable  refuse  is  trenched  in,  it  must 
be  buried  sufficiently  near  the  bottom  of  the 
trench  to  be  out  of  the  way  of  planting.  In 
order  to  do  these  things  effectually,  as  well  as 
to  ijreserve  the  proper  level  of  the  surface,  the 
trench  must  be  kept  open  and  of  equal  capa- 
city throughout  the  progress  of  the  work. 

As  in  the  case  of  digging,  the  surface  of 
trenched  ground  is  sometimes  laid  in  ridges 
instead  of  being  placed  flat,  and  this  is  called 
ridge-trenching.  Its  advantages  are  the  same 
as  those  of  ridge-digging.  Another  kind  of 
trenching,  called  hastard-trenching,  consists 
in  turning  over  the  upper  spadeful,  the  second 
being  broken  up  and  left  in  the  bottom  of  the 
trench.  It  is  a  common  practice  to  trench  two 
spades  deep  ;  but  it  is  much  better,  in  all  cases, 
to  break  up  the  ground  at  least  three  spades 
deep,  where  the  operation  is  required  at  all. 

As  already  remarked,  these  operations  of 
digging,  forking,  and  trenching,  are  best  per- 
formed in  moderately  dry  weather.  When 
the  weather  is  wet,  and  also  when  the  surface 
is  wet  from  recent  rains,  or  during  a  thaw 
after  frost,  nearly  as  much  injury  is  caused  by 
the  necessary  trampling  on  the  ground,  as 
would  counterbalance  the  advantage  of  the 
operation.  When  a  portion  of  the  top  soil  is 
thus  worked  up  to  the  consistence  of  mortar, 
and  in  this  state  turned  in,  in  the  process  of 
digging  or  trenching,  it  can  no  longer  be 
friable,  as  it  should  be,  until  the  superfluous 
water  has  been  absorbed  from  it,  and  itself 
disintegrated,  either  by  the  action  of  the  at- 


HATIDY    CONIFEROUS    PLANTS. 


163 


mospliere,  or  the  operations  of  culture.  This 
evil  is  especially  experienced  on  soils  approach- 
ing the  character  of  clays :  on  very  light  sandy 
soils  it  is  of  much  less  importance.  Some  of 
the  latter  admit  so  readily  of  the  passage  of 
the  water,  as  to  be  in  a  fit  state  for  working 
immediately  after  a  heavy  rain.  As  some 
guide  in  this  respect,  it  may  be  assumed,  that 
whenever  trampling  on  the  surface  works  the 
soil  into  a  kind  of  paste  or  batter,  it  is  impro- 
per to  prosecute  any  operation  which  involves 
such  trampling,  unless  a  board  can  be  used  to 
keep  the  feet  from  contact  with  the  soil. 
The  tools  employed  in  these  operations  are 


the  spade  and  the  digging- fork.  Spades  are 
of  various  sizes,  but  in  an  ordinary  full-sized 
one  the  blade  is  about  a  foot  long  and  eight 
inches  wide,  and  should  be  of  good  tempered 
steel.  The  fork  may  have  three  or  four 
prongs.  The  garden  line  and  measuring  rod 
are  also  employed.  A  convenient  size  for  the 
digging-fork  is  indicated  by  the  annexed  pro- 
portions : — Width  of  entire  prongs  (three  in 
number),  seven  inches  at  top,  and  six  at  the 
points ;  prongs  thirteen  inches  long,  seven- 
eights  of  an  inch  square  at  top,  tapering  to  a 
point ;  handle  two  feet  two  inches,  one  and  a 
half  inch  diameter. 


Cupressus  lusitanica. 
HARDY  CONIFEROUS  PLANTS. 

THE  GENUS  CUPRESSUS. 


Cupressus,  Linnceus  (the  Cypress). — Coni- 
ferse  §  Cupressinje.  The  name  of  the  genus 
has  been  supposed  to  be  derived  from  Cijpar- 
isatis,  a  beautiful  youth  of  the  island  of  Ceos, 
who  was  changed  into  a  Cypress.  Others, 
however,  derive  it  from  kuo,  to  produce,  and 
parisos,  nearly  resembling,  in  allusion  to  the 
regularity  of  the  branches  ;  and  others,  again, 
from  the  isle  of  Cyprus,  where  one  species 
was  found  in  abundance. 

1.  Cupressus  sempervirens,  Linnaeus  (com- 
mon, or  evergreen  Cypress). — Leaves  small, 
imbricated  in  four  rows,  convex,  adpressed, 
smooth,  shining,  persistent.  Cones  sessile, 
globose,  covered  with  large,  angular,  corky 
scales. 

There  are  two  varieties  of  this  tree  in  cul- 
tivation : — 

C.  s.  stricta,  the  most  common  form,  with 
upright  adpressed  branches. 


C.  s.  horizontalis,  with  the  branches  spread- 
ing. 

An  elegant,  tapering  tree,  very  much  re- 
sembling the  Populus  fastigiata  in  outline, 
and  long  known  in  old  English  gardens.  It 
is  a  native  of  the  isle  of  Crete,  the  inhabit- 
ants of  which  boasted  that  the  tomb  of  Jupiter 
was  there,  and  that  it  was  shaded  by  magnifi- 
cent specimens  of  this  tree.  It  is  intimately 
associated  with  biblical  and  classic  times,  and 
has  on  this  account  been  always  looked  upon 
with  a  degree  of  reverence.  The  most  re- 
markable tree  of  this  species  in  the  world  is 
the  cypress  of  Soma,  where  the  first  battle 
was  fought  between  Hannibal  and  Scipio  ; 
and,  as  Landor  says  in  his  Conversations,  it  is 
the  object  most  worthy  of  being  seen  in  Italy, 
unless  it  be  the  statue,  at  the  base  of  which 
fell  Julius  Caesar.  According  to  the  Abbe 
Berlese,  who  made  a  tour  thi'ough  the  north- 

M  2 


164 


HARDY    CONIFEROUS    PLANTS. 


ern  part  of  Italy  in  the  year  1832,  this  re- 
markalile  tree  girted  twenty  feet,  and  was 
seventy  feet  hi^h,  though  it  had  for  many 
years  lost  its  leading  shoot.  Popular  tradition 
says  it  was  planted  previous  to  the  birth  of 
Christ  ;  and  it  is  afRrmed  that  there  exists  an 
ancient  elironiele  in  Milan  which  proves  tliat 
it  existed  in  the  time  of  Julius  Csesar,  B.  c. 
42.  The  cypress  of  Hafiz,  said  by  some  to 
have  been  planted  by  himself,  is  also  entitled 
to  particular  notice.  It  stands  in  a  plot  of 
ground  near  to  tlie  cemetery  of  the  great  poet, 
and  not  far  from  Shiraz.  The  tree  is  now 
upwards  of  500  years  old.  Those  planted  by 
Michael  Angelo  in  the  garden  of  tlie  convent 
of  the  Chartreux,  formerly  occupied  as  tlie 
baths  of  Dioclesian,  are  about  fifteen  feet  in 
circumference.  Some  of  the  largest  specimens 
in  England  are  at  Syon,  the  seat  of  the  Duke 
of  Northumberland,  where  it  is  no  doubt  200 
years  old,  tlie  species  being  mentioned  as 
growing  there,  both  by  Turner  and  Gerard. 

The  cypress  tree  has  formed  a  fruitful 
theme  to  poets  in  all  ages  of  the  woild.  Being 
evergreen,  it  was  adopted  as  an  emblem  of 
immortality  ;  and  judging  from  its  appropri- 
ation in  some  eastern  lands,  it  appears  to  have 
been  looked  upon  with  the  same  feelings  as 
the  yew-tree  awakens  in  this  country.  Thu- 
cydides  relates  that  the  Greeks  who  died  in 
the  cause  of  their  country  had  their  remains 
preserved  in  cypress,  so  that  both  in  its  living 
and  dead  state  it  was  held  very  dear  by  them. 
The  gates  of  St.  Peter's  Church  at  Rome, 
'  made  of  this  wood,  had  lasted  from  the  time 
of  Constantine,  about  eleven  hundred  yeai's, 
as  fresh  as  new,  when  Pope  Eugenius  IV. 
ordered  gates  of  brass  in  their  stead.  Horace 
states  that  whatever  the  ancients  thought 
worthy  of  being  handed  down  to  the  most 
remote  posterity,  was  preserved  in  the  wood 
of  this  tree. 

The  plant  is  strictly  funereal,  and  not,  as 
Bosc  thinks,  from  association  nierelv,  hut  from 
its  sad  and  sombre  colour,  which  points  it  out 
as  one  of  the  fittest  ornaments  to  places  of 
burial.  lis  gloomy  aspect  is  its  chief  recom- 
mendation for  cemeteries,  but  it  has  others 
which  ought  not  to  be  overlooked  :  it  is  one 
of  those  "  eternal "  trees  which  give  per- 
manency to  localities  appropriated  by  man  ; 
for  of  all  others  this  tree  is  the  least  affected 
by  the  vicissitudes  of  centuries.  Green  and 
flourishing  it  will  I'emain  ;  and  if  a  tithe  of 
the  traditionary  statements  made  regarding  it 
be  correct,  one  would  be  almost  tempted  to 
say  that  trees  now  in  existence  are  likely  to 
remain  until  the  world  is  over.  Its  tapering 
figure  contrasts  well  with  gravestones,  which 
are  generally  flat;  and  to  the  fanciful  or 
poetical  mind,  its  pointing  to  heaven  indicates 
the  bent  of  the  good  man's  soul.     It  is,  fur- 


thermore, exceedingly  well  adapted  to  the 
grave-yard  on  account  of  the  narrow  space 
which  it  occupies,  for  whilst  it  creates  shelter 
and  shade,  it  admits  plenty  of  sunshine  even 
close  to  its  stem. 

The  cypress  is  propagated  by  seeds,  which 
are  to  be  had  in  abundance  in  England.  The 
cones  should  be  left  on  the  trees  till  the  mid- 
dle of  February,  Avhen  they  are  perfectly 
i-ipe.  They  may  be  either  dried  in  the  sun,  or 
exposed  to  the  influence  of  fire  heat ;  but 
where  large  quantities  are  required,  the  writer 
has  found  it  more  economical  to  place  the 
cones,  along  with  other  coniferse,  on  a  kiln, 
which  he  has  had  erected  expressly  for  the 
purpose.  After  they  have  been  subjected  to 
heat  for  a  whole  day,  not  exceeding  110  or 
115"  Fahr.,  a  portion  of  the  seed  may  be  had 
by  sifting  the  cones,  and  the  remainder  will 
be  got  by  thrashing.  The  proper  time  to  sow 
the  seeds  is  the  middle  of  April ;  and  the  soil 
selected  should  be  sandy  loam,  raked  very 
smooth  and  even.  A  quarter  of  an  inch  Avill 
be  a  sufiicient  depth  of  covering,  and  mode- 
rate and  uniform  waterings  are  indi.*pensable. 
They  may  be  sown  in  a  frame,  with  a  very 
sliglit  bottom  heat,  or  in  pans  placed  in  a 
frame  without  bottom  heat,  or  in  the  open 
ground  sheltered  by  a  dead  fence  from  the 
sun.  I  adopt  the  last  plan,  but  great  care 
must  be  taken  to  shelter  them  securely  from 
frost  and  cold  in  winter-time,  for  they  are  very 
tender  when  young,  and  apt  to  be  entirely  cut 
off.  When  two  years  old,  they  should  be 
placed  in  nursery  lines,  and  shifted  every  suh- 
sequeJit  year,  else  the  roots  will  get  bard,  bare, 
and  rambling,  so  that  when  they  are  placed  in 
their  final  station,  a  great  many  deaths  will  be 
the  result.  To  obviate  the  necessity  of  shift- 
ing them  every  year,  some  nurserymen  plant 
them  in  pots,  and  from  these  they  require  re- 
moval every  second  season  only.  The  opera- 
tion of  shifting  should  be  invariably  performed 
in  April.  Plants  in  pots,  two  feet  high,  are 
Is.  6d.  each  (1848). 

2.  Cupressus  thyoides,  Linngeus  (thuja-like 
Cypress,  or  white  Cedar).— Leaves  in  four 
rows,  imbricated,  adpressed  ovate.  Cone 
globular,  small,  blue,  like  those  of  a  juniper. 

The  varieties  are — 

C.  t.  foliis  variegatis,  which  has  the  leaves 
blotched  with  white. 

C.  t.  nana,  the  habit  of  which  is  dwarf. 

A  beautiful  evergreen  tree,  long  familiar  to 
the  English  gardener,  but  never  so  sufficiently 
well  tested  in  this  country  as  to  give  any 
indication  of  its  suitableness  to  be  grown  as  a 
timber  tree.  It  luxuriates  in  the  great  cedar 
swamps  throughout  the  maritime  districts  of 
Maryland,  New  Jersey,  and  Virginia,  where 
it  reaches  the  height  of  eighty  feet,  with  a 
trunk  three  feet  to  four  feet  in  diameter,  being 


HARDY    CONIFEROUS    PLANTS, 


165 


frequently  clear  of  branches  to  the  height  of 
fifty  feet.  This  tree  is  thickly  garnished  with 
leaves  of  a  deep  green  colour  :  it  assumes  a 
conical  outline,  and  is  well  adapted  to  form  an 
agreeable  contrast  to  white  buildings,  and  in 
the  distance,  during  summer  time,  it  often 
displays  itself  to  great  advantage  beside  white 
poplars,  especially  if  it  is  planted  in  masses. 
Jt  grows  slowly  for  the  first  few  years  ;  but 
in  a  deep  free  loam,  where  there  is  plenty  of 
moisture,  it  puts  on  a  vigour  which  leads  to 
its  being  recognised  as  a  distinct  species. 

The  wood  of  this  tree  is  light,  easily  worked, 
fine-grained,  and  lasting.  In  one  important 
respect  (that  of  resisting  the  effects  usually 
produced  by  alternate  exposure  to  wetness  and 
moisture),  it  stands  superior  to  every  other 
description  of  American  timber  ;  and  this 
fact  has  led  some  of  the  railway  companies  of 
the  present  day  to  import  it  in  large  quantities, 
in  order  that  it  may  be  tested  as  to  its  fitness 
for  sleepers.  The  houses  of  Philadelphia, 
Baltimore,  and  New  York,  sufficiently  prove 
its  great  usefulness  in  those  places  ;  for  it  is 
not  only  extensively  used  in  the  construction 
of  their  roofs,  but  in  the  shape  of  household 
utensils,  such  as  pails,  tubs,  churns,  casks,  &c. 
For  several  out-of-door  purposes  it  is  found 
a  valuable  auxiliary  in  helping  forward  the 
commerce  and  agriculture  of  the  country. 
The  sides  of  fishing  boats  are  formed  of  it, 
and  in  the  shapes  of  gates,  fences,  &c.  it  lasts 
for  half  a  century.  Had  Cobbett  urged  the 
adoption  of  this  tree  in  England  int^tead  of 
the  locust,  he  would  have  earned  for  himself 
a  better  reputation,  and  conferred  a  real  bene- 
fit on  his  countrymen. 

To  extensive  proprietors  of  cold,  marshy 
land,  the  writer  would  confidently  recommend 
this  tree  to  be  planted  on  an  extensive  scale. 
To  those  also  who  have  lands  in  maritime 
places,  this  tree  offers  every  inducement,  for 
it  appears  that  the  meadows  of  Virginia  and 
Maryland  are  exposed,  during  high  tides,  to  a 
considerable  depth  of  salt  water,  a  circum- 
stance which  has  no  effect  whatever  in  re- 
tarding the  growth  of  the  trees. 

The  cones  should  be  imported,  and  subjected 
to  heat  as  recom,m<^nded  for  those  of  C.  sem- 
pervirens.  Boxes  or  pans  are  most  conveni- 
ent for  this  species,  because  they  can  be  shifted 
away  from  the  sun  at  pleasure.  Light  sandy 
soil  should  be  selected,  and  the  seeds  should 
be  covered  to  the  depth  of  a  quarter  of  an 
inch.  The  boxes  or  pans  should  have  the 
advantnge  of  a  slight  bottom  heat,  and  when 
the  plants  are  completely  up,  care  should  be 
taken  to  withdraw  them  to  a  colder  atmo- 
sphere. They  should  remain  two  years  in  the 
boxes  or  pans,  and  then  be  planted  out  during 
the  month  of  April  in  the  open  ground,  where 
they  will  require  pi'otection  during  winter,  at 


least  for  a  few  years.     Plants,  one  foot  high 
are  6s.  per  dozen  (1848). 

3.  Ctipressus  lusitanica,  Tournefort  (Cedar 
of  Goa,  or  Portuguese  Cypress). — Leaves  in 
four  rows,  imbricated,  adpressed,  somewhat 
glaucous,  terminating  in  spines,  awl-shaped. 
Cones  globular,  covered  with  eiglit-angled 
rough  reflexed  scales. 

A  beautiful  branchy  evergreen  shrub,  of 
an  elegant  pendulous  outline,  and  well  entitled 
to  take  its  place  on  the  best  kept  greensward. 
It  has  been  known  in  England  since  1683. 
One  of  the  largest  trees  stood  in  the  grounds 
of  the  Duke  of  Richmond  at  Goodwood,  but 
it  was  killed  by  severe  frost  in  1740.  At  the 
present  time,  the  finest  specimens  are  at  El- 
vaston  Castle,  and  in  the  arboretum  of  the 
London  Hoi-ticultural  Society.  A  free,  d^ep, 
loamy  soil  is  its  delight.  Seeds  are  sometimes 
imported  fi-om  Portugal,  but  a  great  many 
plants  are  raised  by  cuttings  treated  like  the 
more  common  sorts  of  heath.  According  to 
Miller,  the  tree  is  abundant  at  Bussaco,  near 
Cembra  in  Portugal,  where  it  is  called  the 
cedar  of  Bussaco.  The  seeds  of  this  species 
should  be  treated  in  the  same  way  as  the  fore- 
going. Plants  one  foot  high  are  l.s.  6d.  each 
(1848). 

4.  Cupressus  tonilosa,  Lambert  (twisted 
or  Bhotan  Cypress). — Leaves  obtuse-ovate, 
small,  adpressed,  imbricated  in  four  rows,  of 
a  light  green.  Cones  about  the  size  of  a  sloe, 
globose,  angled,  brown  ;  scales  bossed.  » 

One  of  the  most  elegant  trees  of  the  Hima- 
laya, where  it  grows  in  great  profusion  at  a 
height  of  12,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  It  is  there  called  the  Hill  Cypress.  It 
is  not  improbable  that  this  species  may  be- 
come serviceable  even  as  a  small  timber  tree 
in  England,  or  at  any  rate  rank  with  the  most 
common  and  useful  of  our  large  evergreens. 
The  wi'iter  has  bad  seeds  sent  from  an  ele- 
vated part  of  the  Himalaya,  and  one-year 
seedlings  appear  to  be  as  hardy  as  the  com- 
mon larch  and  Scotch  pine.  By  far  the  best 
way  to  treat  this  valuable  cypress  is  to  steep 
the  seeds  a  week  before  sowing  them,  and 
commit  them  to  the  open  ground  in  the  middle 
of  April,  so  situated  that  the  mid-day  sun  may 
not  strike  the  beds  where  they  are  sown. 
They  require  a  great  deal  of  moisture,  mode- 
rately and  regularly  supplied,  yet  often  and 
carefully  a'^^ministered.  The  seeds  should  be 
covered  to  the  depth  only  of  a  quarter  of  an 
inch,  and  the  young  plants  should  remain  in 
the  seed-bed  for  two  years,  when  they  may  be 
treated  like  larch  or  Scotch  pine  plants.  It 
is  not  necessary  that  the  seeds  of  this  species 
should  be  sent  by  the  overland  route  from 
India,  for  it  has  been  satisfactorily  proved 
that  they  will  vegetate  freely  after  being  ex- 
posed to  a  five  months'  voyage.     One  year 


166 


FUCHSIAS    AS    SHOW    PLANTS. 


seedling  plants  2s.  6d.  per  dozen,  and  those 
one  foot  high  Is.  6d.  each  (1848). 

5.  CupressMs  pendula,  Thunberg  (pendu- 
lous Cypress). — Leaves  imbricated  in  four 
rows,  keeled,  adpressed,  clasping  the  stem, 
very  close,  scale-like.  Cones  about  the  size 
of  the  foregoing,  obtuse,  eight-angled. 

A  graceful  plant,  introduced  from  Chinese 
Tartary  at  the  commencement  of  the  present 
century.  By  many  botanists  it  is  reckoned 
a  mere  variety  of  C.  torulosa,  vphich  it  rivals 
in  elegance  of  outline.  It  is  hardy  in  the  cli- 
mate of  Britain,  but  is  not  yet  common  in 
collections.  There  is  a  fine  specimen  at  Kew. 
Plants  one  foot  high  are  \0s.  Qd.  each  (1848). 

6.  Cupressus  thicrifera,  Humboldt,  Bon- 
pland  and  Kuntli  (thuriferous  Cypress). — 
Leaves  ovate-lanceolate,  acuminate  pointed, 
scarcely  a  line  in  length  ;  those  on  the  young 
shoots  about  one-third  of  a  line  long. 

In  Mexico,  where  this  species  is  Ibund  at  a 
height  of  5,000  feet  above  the  sea,  it  forms  a 
fine  tree,  growing  from  fifty  to  sixty  feet 
high.  It  was  introduced  to  England  in  1837. 
There  is  a  plant  of  this  species  in  the  arbore- 
tum of  the  Horticultural  Society.  It  is  con- 
sidered to  be  hardy,  and  will  probably  attain 
to  the  height  of  twenty-five  feet  in  this 
country.  Plants  are  to  be  obtained  of  Messrs. 
Whitley  &  Osborn,  Fulham. 

7.  Ciipressus  hacciformh,  Willdenow  (berry- 
bearing  Cypress). — This  is  a  hardy  tree,  grow- 
ing twenty  feet  high,  and  was  introduced  in 
1818. 

8.  Cupressus  Lavibertiajia,  of  gardens 
(Lambert's  Cypress).— A  beautiful  fastigiate- 
headed  tree,  named  in  honour  of  A.  B.  Lam- 
bert, Esq. 

9.  Cupressus  Uhdeana,  Booth  (Udhe's  Cy- 
press).—  Cultivated  in  the  Fulham  Nursery, 
and  represented  to  be  hardy. 

10.  Cup7'essus  Tournefortii,  Audibert 
(Tournefort's  Cypress).  —  Cultivated  since 
1834. 

11.  Ciq^ressus  religiosa,  of  gardens  (sacred 
Cypress). — Supposed  to  be  sufficiently  hardy 
to  bear  the  climate  of  England. 

Little  is  known  respecting  the  last  five 
named  species,  which  have  not  been  seen  by 
the  writer. 


PUCHSIAS    AS    SHOW    PLANTS. 

The  most  extraordinary  fact  connected  with 
the  cultivation  of  this  attractive  plant  is,  that 
not  one  specimen  in  a  hundred  shown  at  pub- 
lic exhibitions  is  at  all  well  grown  ;  these  are 
driven  along  at  steam  rate  into  'every  form 
but  the  right  one,  and  most  of  them  hang 
lopping  about,  appearing  as  if  half  dead  for 
want  of  water,  simply  because,  although  a 
greenhouse  plant  of  a  hardy  description,  ro- 


bust, and  capable  of  bearing  even  a  little 
rough  weather,  it  is  treated  as  if  it  were  a 
stove  plant,  and  pushed  along  at  all  hazards. 
Now,  the  fuchsia  wants  no  more  heat  than  a 
heath  or  a  Botany  Bay  plant,  but  because  it 
will  bear  it,  every  body  gives  warmer  cul- 
ture. Cuttings  struck  in  autumn,  or  even 
spring,  are  driven  along  to  form  six-feet 
plants  in  a  few  months.  One  of  the  effects 
of  this  is  lanky,  uncouth  growth,  with  limbs 
and  leaves  few  and  far  between,  incapable  of 
supporting  themselves.  Another  effect  is,  that 
the  plant  no  sooner  encounters  the  change  from 
its  nursery  to  the  open  air,  than  it  exhibits 
every  sign  of  distress,  and  fairly  flags.  Now, 
it  is  greatly  to  be  regretted  that  any  plant 
should  be  spoiled  ;  but  to  see  a  whole  family 
ill  used,  to  see  all  the  exhibitors  failing  in  the 
same  point,  to  see  fuchsias  invariably  the 
worst  things  at  a  show,  is  doubly  vexatious. 
How,  then,  ought  fuchsias  to  be  cultivated  ? 
Why,  according  to  the  present  system,  potted 
in  highly-manured  compost,  placed  in  an  in- 
termediate house,  or  even  a  stove  with  some 
folks,  watered  lavishly,  and  often  shifted  from 
one  sized  pot  to  another,  or  put  in  a  large  pot 
at  first,  so  as  to  prevent  the  necessity  of  shift- 
ing. This  will  produce  fuchsias  as  they  are 
now  shown,  but  let  other  practice  be  adopted. 
They  should  be  struck  in  the  greenhouse, 
potted  and  grown  in  pots  out  of  doors  with- 
out covering  all  the  summer,  stopped  or 
otherwise  according  to  the  habit  of  the  plant, 
watered  carefully  and  regularly  when  required, 
and  kept  in  moderately  good  form  by  pinching 
in  here  and  there  a  vigorous  branch,  or  any 
slioot  inclined  to  ramble.  When  the  cold 
weather  sets  in,  or  is  about  to  set  in,  remove 
them  under  cover  for  slight  protection,  but 
give  no  heat ;  keep  them  from  frost,  but  that 
is  all.  The  leaves  will  fall,  the  plant  will 
want  no  more  water,  and  nothing  more  need 
be  done  for  them  than  keeping  them  from 
severe  frosts.  In  the  eai'ly  part  of  the  year 
the  plants  will  begin  to  swell  their  buds  a 
little,  when  you  must  prune  them  to  some 
form,  either  very  bushy  or  pyramidal,  but  this 
depends  on  the  habit  of  the  plant  :  make  due 
allowance  for  the  length  of  growth  of  the 
shoots,  and  cut  accordingly.  The  old  shoots 
should  be  cut  back  tolerably  close  if  the  plant 
is  to  grow  pyramidal,  but  when  cut,  be  quite 
as  particular  not  to  allow  them  to  grow  too 
fast.  On  no  account  have  a  fire  if  you  can 
cover  up  the  frame  or  house  to  keep  the  frost 
out  without  one,  for  it  is  very  desirable  that 
they  grow  slow  and  steady,  and  be  not  driven 
with  fire  heat.  It  would  not  matter  how  low 
the  temperature  was,  so  it  were  safe  above 
32";  but  as  the  season  advances,  the  natural 
increasing  heat  will  require  them  to  have  all  the 
light  and  air  that  can  be  given,  and  the  plants 


LISTANTHUS    PULCHER. 


167 


turned  daily  to  tlie  ligbt,  that  all  sides  may  be 
alike.  Nothing  is  worse  than  to  let  plants 
of  any  kind  grow  one-sided  or  one-fronted. 
They  must  have  water  pretty  regularly,  ac- 
cording to  their  wants.  By  this  kind  of 
growth  you  will  find  the  branches  come  thick, 
the  leaves  close  and  shrubby,  and  the  bloom 
infinitely  more  abundant  than  you  ever  had 
before.  If  any  of  the  shoots  take  up  to  very 
vigorous  growth,  you  must  shorten  them,  that 
it  may  check  that  disposition.  If  there  are 
too  many  shoots,  rub  some  ofi^,  but  that  is  a 
doubtful  case  in  many  of  the  sorts,  which  are 
far  too  open  :  as  these  come  into  flower  they 
will  be  robust  and  hardy,  they  will  travel 
better,  and  sustain  the  heat  of  a  room  longer  ; 
they  will  completely  put  aside  their  more 
tenderly-  used  neighbours,  and  completely 
prove  that  the  v/hole  family  have  been  mis- 
grown,  misunderstood.  The  soil  in  which 
they  should  be  grown  is  loam  from  rotted 
turves  and  turfy  peat,  chopped  up  and  run 
through  a  coarse  sieve,  no  dung,  crocks  for 
draining  one-third  up  the  pot,  and  no  shift 
to  take  place  until  the  roots  fairly  begin  to 
mat  round  the  sides  of  the  pots  they  are  in. 
The  pale  varieties  require  shading,  and  almost 
to  be  deprived  of  air,  otherwise  the  white 
turns  foxy.  If  this  be  so,  you  must  put  oflT 
the  confining  of  them  till  the  flower -buds 
begin  to  swell ;  the  want  of  air  is  always 
detrimental  to  the  strength  of  the  plant,  but 
the  spoiling  of  the  colour  may  be  as  bad,  so 
that  you  must  postpone  to  the  latest  period 
the  shutting  up  and  shading  of  the  white 
varieties.  When  the  pots  are  shifted,  you 
must  take  care  to  put  the  soil  down  between 
the  side  of  the  pot  and  the  ball  of  earth  that 
comes  out  of  the  other,  and  the  fibres  must 
not  be  bruised  by  the  stuffing  of  the  compost 
down  the  sides  of  the  pot.  Those  who  will 
grow  them  once  this  way  will  soon  see  how 
far  superior  they  are  to  the  ordinary  plants 
exhibited  at  shows. 


PINK    BEDS. 

"We  prefer  making  pink  beds  in  the  early 
autumn,  as  soon  as  the  pipings  have  rooted 
well ;  but  for  the  convenience  of  those  who 
begin  in  the  spring,  the  bed  should  be  made 
up  of  rich  loam  from  rotted  turves,  and  at  one 
foot  deep,  two  or  three  inches  of  well-rotted 
cow-dung  should  form  a  kind  of  bottom  to 
which  the  roots  may  run.  The  easiest  method 
of  managing  the  bed  is,  to  dig  out  a  foot  deep, 
put  in  the  cow-dung,  then  the  soil  ;  and  if 
the  planting  has  been  delayed,  so  that  the 
plants  have  a  second  move  instead  of  coming 
direct  from  the  striking-bed,  they  must  be 
taken  up  without  damaging  the  fibres,  and 
\eyj  carefully  planted  with  the  roots  spread 


out.  After  being  well  watered  in,  they  must 
be  covered  from  the  frost ;  for  freezing  and 
thawing  would  disturb  all  the  roots,  and  almost 
push  the  plants  out  of  the  ground.  But  the 
first  thing  to  take  care  of  in  a  pink  bed  is  the 
drainage  ;  for  if  the  bed  be  not  well  drained, 
in  vain  may  we  attempt  to  grow  and  bloom 
them  in  good  colour :  they  may  live  and 
flower,  but  they  will  be  small  and  rough  and 
poorly  laced.  Some  outlet  must  be  found  for 
the  water,  and  a  regular  drain  must  be  con- 
structed the  whole  length  of  the  bed,  if  there 
be  no  others  about  the  premises,  but  it  would 
be  awkward  to  be  obliged  to  drain  every  bed 
separately.  A  whole  garden  should  be  under- 
drained  at  first,  before  any  other  operation  is 
performed,  and  even  before  it  is  laid  out. 
However,  although  coarse  vegetables  may  grow 
well  enough  for  use  on  undrained  land,  delicate 
florists'  flowers,  such  as  the  pink,  ranunculus, 
picotees,  pansies,  and  nearly  all  others,  will 
not ;  and  those  amateurs  who  may  complain, 
and  do  complain,  that  they  are  buying-in  every 
year  and  yet  cannot  keep  up  their  collections, 
(and  this  is  the  case  with  hundreds,)  may  find 
all  the  evil  in  their  undrained  gardens.  The 
want  of  vigour,  of  colour,  of  increase,  are 
natural  consequences  of  growing  florists'  flowers 
on  undrained  land.  On  this  account,  there- 
fore, we  must  be  understood  to  direct,  that  if 
no  part  of  the  ground  be  drained,  there  must 
be  a  drain  the  whole  length  of  the  bed,  two 
or  three  feet  below  the  surface,  and  that  this 
drain  must  have  a  natural  or  artificial  outlet, 
to  secure  a  good  bloom.  By  keeping  oflT  the 
frosts  after  the  pinks  are  carefully  planted 
nine  inches  apart,  (for  although  six  will  do, 
nine  is  better,)  the  roots  will  keep  steady  and 
gain  strength  eveiy  day  ;  by  exposing  them 
to  frost,  the  ground,  constantly  shrinking  and 
swelling,  will  break  their  roots,  and  in  two  or 
three  alternate  frosts  and  thaws  heave  many  of 
them  actually  out  of  the  ground.  The  best 
litter  to  keep  off  the  frost  is  peas-haulm,  for 
it  may  lay  on  thick  without  excluding  the 
light.  Another  way  is  to  peg  a  netting  six 
inches-  above  them,  so  that  waterproof  cloth 
or  matting  can  be  thrown  over  at  night. 
But  if  the  plants  are  removed  with  care,  with- 
out bruising  their  roots,  the  beds  may  be  made 
up  as  late  as  January,  February,  or  even  March, 
if  the  proper  time  has  gone  by,  and  with  care 
a  good  bloom  may  be  secured. 


LISIANTHUS    PULCHER. 

Lisianthus  pulcher.  Hooker  (beautiful  Li- 
sianth). — Gentianacea^  §  Gentianeae. 

One  of  the  finest  of  the  genus  Lisianthus. 
The  habit  is  shrubby  ;  the  flowers  produced 
in  terminal  panicles,  drooping,  and  of  a  fine 
scarlet  colour.     In  shape  they  are  not  unlike 


168 


THE    FLOAVER    GARDENS 


those  of  some  of  the  slender  tubed  Pent- 
stemons. 

Mr.  Furdie  sent  it  from  New  Grenada  to 
the  lioyal  Garden  of  Kew.  It  was  found  bj 
him  in  the  Monte  del  Moro,  in  October  1845. 
Our  sketch  is  from  a  figure  published  in  the 
ISotanical  Magazine. 

The  species  is  of  erect  shrubby  habit,  tall, 
growing  Irom  five  to  seven  feet  high  in  its 
native  country.  The  branches  are  opposite, 
and   obtusely    tetragonal.       The    leaves    are 


elliptic-lanceolate,  on  short  stalks,  growing 
opposite  on  the  stem  ;  they  are  four  or  five 
inches  long,  and  furnished  with  two  pairs  of 
ribs  branching  out  from  the  costa  or  midrib, 
the  lowest  arising  from  near  its  base,  and  the 
others  between  that  and  the  centre  of  the 
leaf.  The  flowers  grow  in  terminal,  tricho- 
tomous,  scarcely  leafy  panicles  ;  they  are 
drooping  in  a  very  elegant  manner,  the  corolla 
an  inch  and  a  half  or  more  in  length,  funnel- 


shaped,  with  the  tube  narrowed  at  the  base, 
curved  a  little  upwards,  and  divided  in  an 
oblique  limb  of  five  spreading  ovate-obtuse 
lobes ;  the  colour  is  scarlet,  and  the  mouth  is 
marked  with  yellow.  The  flowers  are  pro- 
ducetl  at  the  latter  end  of  summer. 

Naturally,  this  plant  grows  under  the  fol- 
lowing conditions  : — The  soil  is  peaty,  in  a 
thin  layer,  and  of  a  dry  nature,  lying  on  shelly 
limestone  rocks.  The  climate  is  moist  and 
temperate.  The  heat  is  never  excessive ;  the 
thermometer  sometimes  falls  so  low  that  ice  is 
formed,  when  the  sensation  of  cold  is  very 
intense.  The  elevation  of  the  locality  where 
the  plant  is  found,  is  between  7,000  and  8,000 
feet. 

The  inference  from  these  facts  is,  that  we 
should  place  the  plant  in  a  greenhouse,  where 
it  may  be  kept  moderately  close.  Here,  in 
summer,  a  moist  atmospliere  should  be  kept 
about  it ;  although  at  no  time  should  there  be 
anything  like  excess  of  moisture  at  the  roots. 
To  this  end,  the  soil,  of  a  peaty  nature, 
should  be  light  and  turfy,  and  well  drained. 
It  has  been  suggested  that  fragments  of  lime- 
stone might  be  used  for  the  drainage,  in  imi- 
tation of  its  native  limestone  rocks.  There 
appears  in  the  young  plants  to  be  a  certain 
degree  of  delicacy,  but  probably  net  more  so 
than  in  the  case  of  the  Lisianthus  Russel- 
lianus,  which  is  generally  found  to  be  of 
rather  diflacult  culture,  although  some  few 
cultivators  have  succeeded  well  with  it.  This 
species  is,  however,  generally  grown,  during 
its  early  stages,  in  a  rather  high  temperature, 
such  as  a  vinery  or  melon-nit  ;  then  wintered 
rather  dry  in  a  cool  part  of  the  stove  near  the 
glass,  and  in  spring  again  excited  in  an  in- 
creased temperature.  The  soil  used  for  them 
is  of  a  light,  rich,  sandy  nature. 

It  is  probable  that  this  species  may  be  best 
propagated  by  seeds,  as  in  the  other  species 
grown  in  tliis  country.  Being  of  a  suiFruti- 
cose  habit,  however,  it  is  probable  that  some- 
times cuttings  may  be  produced,  and  thus 
afford  another  means  of  propagation. 


THE  FLOY/ER   GARDENS  AND   ORCHARDS  OF  ANCIENT  GREECE. 


Among  a  people  like  the  ancient  Greeks, 
who  found  so  nmeli  delight  in  painting  and 
sculpture,  in  poetry  and  jdiilosophy,  in  all  the 
multiplied  and  varied  graces  of  literature  and 
-art,  we  naturally  expect  to  discover  a  strong 
predilection  for  the  simple  and  delicate  luxuries 
of  the  flower  garden.  The  inhabitants  ti'  old 
Greece,  whose  minds  were  ever  keenly  alive 
to  whatever  of  the  beautiful  or  rich  existed  in 
their  favoured  countrj^,  enjoyed  nothing  more 
than  the  soft  repose  afforded  by  some  artificial 


and  secluded  plantation,  adorned  with  blos- 
.=oming  trees,  flowering  shrubs,  and  brilliant 
ornamental  plants,  which  pleased  the  sense 
with  a  variety  of  sweet  perfumes,  while  they 
delighted  the  eye  with  tlieir  variegated  hues. 
No  very  accurate  description  of  any  one  par- 
ticular Gi'ecian  garden  has  been  bequeathed 
to  us  by  the  writers  of  Hellas  ;  but  from  the 
many  scattered  hints  and  touches  which  we 
discover  in  the  delineations  of  those  authors 
whose  study  and  occupation  it  was  to  celebrate 


AND  ORCHARDS  OF  ANCIENT  GREECE. 


169 


the  beauties  of  their  own  country,  we  may 
perhaps  be  enabled  to  form  an  idea,  somewhat 
defined  and  truthful,  of  what  a  flower  garden 
was  in  the  early  times  of  Greece. 

If  the  gardeners  and  florists  of  ancient 
Hellas  were  deficient  in  the  elaborate  scientific 
knowledge  of  modern  times,  if  they  knew  not 
how  to  bring  the  plants  under  their  care  to 
the  highest  point  of  perfection,  yet  may  we 
allow  them  the  merit,  not  too  often  exhibited 
in  these  days,  of  displaying  a  pure  and  simple 
taste  in  the  management  of  their  flowers,  in 
the  general  plan  of  their  gardens,  and  in  the 
disposal  of  the  various  parterres,  which  w^ere 
generally  laid  out  as  a  fertile  spot  of  ground 
more  or  less  extensive,  in  the  rear  of  ihe 
dw^elling-house.  Sitting  in  the  shade  of  a 
verandah  of  lattice  work,  twined  with  the 
rose  and  honeysuckle,  the  G-reek  of  the  olden 
ages  could  extend  his  view  along  a  sweep  of 
ornamental  grounds,  presenting  a  brilliant 
variety  of  hues,  and  exhaling  a  delicious  fra- 
grance, which  sweetened  the  atmosphere  and 
was  carried  by  the  wind  across  the  country  in 
every  direction. 

On  the  summit  of  small  mounds,  dispersed 
with  regularity  over  the  garden,  rose  pome- 
granate trees,  around  which  were  planted 
myrtle  bushes,  roses,  and  agni-casti ;  while  the 
open  spaces  which  intervened  were  chequered 
with  beds  of  small  roses,  lilies  and  violets, 
bordered  with  rows  of  the  golden  crocus,  of  which 
Theophrastus  remarks,  that  it  delighted  par- 
ticularly in  the  edges  of  pathways  and  trodden 
tracks.  Occasionally,  in  place  of  flower-beds, 
they  laid  out  broad  levels  of  close  greensward, 
profusely  gemmed  with  the  violet,  the  blue 
veronica,  the  pink  and  the  pale  primrose,  the 
golden  motherwort,  the  daisy,  the  cowslip,  the 
periwinkle,  and  the  pimpernel.  The  appear- 
ance presented  by  that  portion  of  the  garden, 
cultivated  after  this  fashion,  must  have  been 
peculiarly  dazzling,  though  perhaps  exceeded 
in  richness  and  beauty  by  the  aspect  of  the 
various  parterres  where  each  species  of  flower 
flourished  in  a  separate  compartment.  A 
broad  expanse  of  white  violets  first,  perhaps, 
met  the  eye  ;  this  w^as  strikingly  contrasted 
by  a  bed  of  the  golden  cjnosure,  relieved  by 
one  of  irises,  of  h3'acinths,  of  the  ranunculus, 
of  the  blue  campanula,  or  Canterbury-bell,  of 
the  white  gilliflov/er,  the  carnation,  and  the 
asphodel;  while  banks  of  rich' purple  violets 
imparted  splendour  to  the  spot. 

Dr.  Nolan,  in  his  paper  on  the  Grecian 
rose,  would  have  us  believe  that  that  magni- 
ficent flower  was  unknown  in  the  earlier  ages 
of  Hellas  ;  but  this  opinion  is  not  borne  out 
by  authority.  It  is  indeed  entirely  crushed 
by  the  testimony  of  innumerab'e  w^iiters,  upon 
whom  dependence  is  to  be  placed.  Herodotus 
speaks  of  the  rose  of  sixty  leaves,  which  he 


says  Avas  found  in  the  gardens  of  Thrace, 
and  at  the  foot  of  Mount  Fermios.*  He  also 
compares  it  with  the  red  Niliaclotus.  Stesi- 
chorus,  an  older  poet  than  Anacreon,  places  it 
among  his  list  of  the  flowers  which  composed 
the  chaplet.  We  sliall  avail  ourselves  of 
Mr.  J.  A.  St.  John's  translation  of  his  verses 
on  this  subject : — 

"  Many  a  yello^r  quiace  ^ras  there, 
Piled  upon  the  i-egal  chair; 
Many  a  verdant  myrtle  bough. 
Many  a  rose-crown  featly  -wreathed 
With  twisted  violets  that  grow 
Where  the  breath  of  spring  has  breathed." 

The  "  Fosy-fingered  morn"  of  Homer  satisfies 
us  that  he  was  acquainted  with  this  favourite 
flower  ;  we  need  not  therefore  turn  to  any  other 
authorities  for  testimony  on  this  question,  but 
proceed  with  our  view  of  the  Greek  flower 
garden.  It  matters  little  at  the  present  day 
at  what  period  precisely  the  rose  made  its 
appearance  in  the  gardens  of  Greece.  Suf- 
fice it,  that  as  soon  as  known  it  began  to 
share  with  the  violet  the  admiration  of  the 
Hellenic  florist.  It  was  the  fashion  to  form 
whole  plantations,  equal  in  size  and  beauly  to 
those  of  Serinaghur,  of  this  delightful  flower  ; 
and  so  great  was  the  estimation  in  which  it 
was  held  by  the  Greeks,  that  they  spared  no 
pains  to  be  able  to  secure  a  constant  supply 
of  the  luxury  which  they  considered  so  rare. 
In  tliis  they  succeeded  in  an  admirable  manner. 
Every  month  saw  roses  blooming  in  Greece. 
One  method  was  to  preserve  the  buds  among 
green  barley  corns  in  an  unglazed  jar.  Nu- 
merous other  plans  were  pursued,  so  that 
from  January  to  December  a  constant  suc- 
cession of  rose-crops,  if  we  may  be  allowed 
the  term,  flourished  in  defiance  of  the  regula- 
tions of  the  seasons.  The  banquetting  cham- 
ber, during  the  frosty  months,  was  decorated 
with  fresh  rose-buds,  and  chaplets  and  gai*- 
lands  of  roses  w^ere  not  wanting  to  add  to  the 
beauty  and  fragrance  of  the  festive  gathering. 
The  rose  season,  in  the  most  southern  parts 
of  Greece,  commenced  as  early  as  April,  but 
where  a  genial  temperature  was  wanting, 
art  often  supplied  the  deficiency.  Several 
varieties  of  roses  were  known — among  others, 
the  white,  the  moss-rose,  the  rose  of  a  hun- 
dred leaves,  accounted  the  sweetest  by  Ari- 
stotle, and  the  wild  rose,  not  wholly  inodorous. 
To  impart  a  richer  fragrance  to  the  flower,  it 
was  not  uncommon  to  plant  garlic  near 
the  root.  Coloured  roses  were  sometimes 
blanched  by  repeated  and  powerful  fumiga- 
tions of  sulphur  being  applied  to  them  while 
they  were  opening  their  leaves. 

"  To    cause   them   to    bloom    in  January, 

*  sV  rolai  (pv€Tai  auTo/xara  poBa,  tV  sKaarov  eX"^*;'!','- 
Kovra  (pt/Wa  oSjA.-^  Ss  vTrepcptpovra  twv  dWwv. 


170 


THE    FLOWER    GARDENS 


various  means  were  resorted  to  ;  sometimes 
the  bushes  were  watered  twice  a-day  during 
the  whole  summer ;  on  other  occasions  a 
hollow  trench  was  dug  at  a  distance,  of  almost 
eighteen  inches  round  the  bush,  into  which 
warm  water  was  poured  morning  and  evening; 
while  a  third,  and  perhaps  the  surest  method, 
was  to  plant  them  in  pots  or  baskets,  which, 
during  the  winter  months,  were  placed  in 
sunny  sheltered  spots  by  day,  and  carried  into 
the  house  at  night  ;  afterwards,  when  the 
season  was  sufficiently  advanced,  these  port- 
able gardens  were  buried  in  the  earth."  * 

The  lily,  "  the  flower  of  innocence,"  as  it  has 
been  called,  was  one  of  the  favourites  in  the 
Grecian  flower  garden.  It  was  probably  in- 
troduced into  that  country  from  Suza  or 
Egypt.  But  of  this,  as  of  most  of  the  plants 
of  the  same  land,  little  certainty  exists.  But 
the  Hellenic  gardener  was  not  content  to  be- 
hold the  rich  hues  of  the  rose  succeeded  by 
the  virgin  whiteness  of  the  lily.  That  fair 
flower,  therefore,  which  naturally  begins  to 
bloom  when  its  prouder  rival  is  fading,  was 
often  compelled  to  assume  various  colours, 
imparted  to  it  by  the  ingenuity  of  art,  an  in- 
genuity seldom  or  neverj  we  believe,  exercised 
in  these  times.  But  the  Greek  delighted  to 
see  the  delicate  bell  of  the  lily  putting  on  a 
deep  red  or  purple  hue.  The  former  was 
caused  by  infusing,  before  planting,  cinnabar 
into  the  bulb  ;  the  latter  by  steeping  it  in 
the  lees  of  purple  wine. 

Whether  allowed  to  bloom  in  its  original 
simplicity,  or  dressed  in  foreign  colours  by 
the  art  of  the  florist,  the  lily  was  too  beautiful, 
in  the  eyes  of  the  Greek  gardener,  to  be 
allowed  to  fade  at  the  season  appointed  by 
nature.  Accordingly,  in  order  to  produce 
a  succession  of  lilies,  some  bulbs  were  set  near 
the  surface  of  the  ground.  These  soon  made 
their  appearance,  and  flourished  in  their  full 
maturity,  drooping  in  decay  just  as  a  green 
sprout  from  the  deeper-set  root  burst  above 
the  earth,  and  so  on  throughout  a  large  por- 
tion of  the  year. 

The  neighbourhood  of  fountains  was  espe- 
cially chosen  for  the  beds  of  lilies,  and  along 
the  dark  borders  of  small  streams  grew  the 
flower  which  was  pre-eminently  the  favourite 
of  the  Athenian  people  ;  the  purple,  double, 
white  and  gold  violet.  This,  with  the  pansy, 
"  streaked  with  jet,"  the  purple  cyperus,  the 
iris,  the  water  mint,  the  hyacinth,  and  the 
narcissus,  formed  a  rich  bordering  to  the 
velvet  turf,  and  was  sometimes  also  found  in 
company  with  the  willow-herb,  the  blue 
speedwell,  the  marsh  marigold,  the  jacinth, 
and  the  early  daffodil, 

"  That  come  before  the  swallow  dares,  and  take 
The  winds  of  March  with  beauty." 

*  St  John's  Ancient  Greece. 


Here  and  there,  in  the  Greek  garden,  which 
presented  no  formal  regularity,  no  line-and- 
measure  strictness,  rose  little  sunny  hillocks, 
wrapped  about  in  a  tangled  net  of  wild  thyme, 
sweet  mint,  and  marjoram  ;  while,  interspersed 
among  the  other  flower  beds,  were  patches  of 
geraniums,  of  the  spike  lavender,  the  rose- 
mary, the  flower  gentle,  the  white  hermit, 
the  hyssop,  the  baril,  the  cytisus,  the  rose-cam- 
pion, the  columbine,  the  yellow  amaryllis,  and 
the  celandile ;  while  close  at  hand — 

"  Their  gem-like  eyes 
The  Phrygian  melilots  disclose." 

In  the  beds,  again,  were  to  be  seen  clusters 
of  the  balm  gentle,  the  red,  the  purple,  and  the 
coronal  anemone,  which  beautified  the  fields 
of  Attica  as  early  as  the  month  of  February; 
the  yellow,  white,  pale-pink,  and  blue  convol- 
vulus, with  our  lady's  gloves,  and  the  flower 
of  the  Trinity.  Of  the  southernwood,  which 
the  Greeks  usually  cultivated  in  pots,  Delia 
Rocca  observes,  that,  when  growing  in 
thickets,  it  constitutes  one  of  the  greatest 
beauties  of  the  Grecian  Isles.  It  borders  the 
streams  in  wild  profusion,  and,  growing  to 
the  height  of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet,  presents 
large  masses  of  red  and  white  flowers  [?]  most 
grateful  to  the  eye. 

The  summer  savory,  the  cenanthe,  the  silver 
sage,  St.  Mary's  thistle,  and  the  amaranth, 
were  among  the  other  ornaments  of  the 
garden ;  while  the  rhododendron  commonly 
rose  above  them,  with  its  gigantic  clusters  of 
rich  purple  flowers.  To  conceive  the  beauty 
and  brilliancy  of  such  a  garden  would  be  dif- 
flcult ;  so  varied  were  the  colours  which  met 
the  eye,  so  profuse  the  masses  of  flowers  which 
alternated  with  each  other  over  the  parterres  ; 
so  delicate  and  fragrant  the  odours  which  rose 
from  them  and  mingled  their  scents,  that  if 
we  conceive  the  possibility  of  intoxication 
following  the  enjoyment  of  a  pleasure  so 
simple  and  refined,  it  would  be  after  luxuriat- 
ing in  the  pleasure  of  an  ancient  Greek 
garden.  It  must  not  be  supposed  that,  full 
as  is  the  list  we  have  given  of  the  various 
plants  which  bloomed  in  Hellas,  we  have 
mentioned  more  than  a  portion  of  them.  The 
scattered  descriptions  which  have  come  down 
to  us  enumerate  many  others  ;  and  it  is  pro- 
bable that  some  escaped  the  notice  of  those 
authors  from  whom  we  take  our  information. 
However,  the  plants  and  shrubs  which  we 
have  noticed  are  sufiiciently  numerous  and 
varied  to  afibrd  an  idea  of  the  rich  floral 
treasury  stored  up  in  the  gardens  of  Attica. 
Science,  as  we  before  observed,  had  made  but 
moderate  progress  then.  Horticulture  had 
not  been  reduced  to  rule  ;  but  we  fancy,  were 
the  florists  of  modern  times  to  be  acquainted 
with  all  the  arts  and  expedients  which  the 


AND  ORCHARDS  OF  ANCIENT  GREECE. 


171 


gardeners  of  that  early  age  put  in  practice  in 
the  cultivation  of  their  flowers,  we  should  wit- 
ness considerable  improvement  in  the  science. 

But  the  garden  was  not  a  mere  succession 
of  flower  beds  and  violet  banks,  and  groups  of 
ornamental  trees  ;  spreading  lawns  alternated 
with  shrubberies,  bosquets,  close  and  shady 
thickets,  curiously  planned  arcades,  and 
avenues  composed  of  trees  so  disposed  that  they 
presented  a  variety  of  blended  hues  and 
foliage,  which  ofl^ered  an  agreeable  aspect 
to  the  eye.  In  the  summer  months  the  hot 
rays  of  the  sun,  unless  intercepted,  would 
have  caused  annoyance  and  inconvenience  to 
those  who  were  tempted  to  walk  out  and  linger 
among  the  flower  beds.  Here  and  there,  there- 
fore, were  planted  numerous  trees,  the  cedar, 
the  cypress,  the  black  and  white  poplar,  the 
ash,  the  linden,  the  elm,  and  the  platane,  either 
singly  or  in  well-disposed  groups.  Further 
to  secure  a  cool  and  pleasant  atmosphere,  the 
gardens  of  the  wealthy  Avere  adorned  by 
splashing  fountains,  placed  either  in  the  midst 
of  the  lawn,  at  the  head  of  every  avenue,  at 
the  entrance  of  the  bowers,  under  the  shade 
of  the  arching  arcades,  or  else  throwing  up- 
ward clouds  of  spray  in  the  centre  of  the 
planted  parterres,  and  supplying  numerous 
little  channels  which  conducted  the  water 
wherever  it  was  needed  for  the  purposes  of 
irrigation.  AYe  are,  of  course,  seeking  to 
affoi'd  an  idea  of  the  pleasure  grounds  and 
gardens  of  the  rich,  for  in  the  little,  tastefully 
cultivated  plots  of  the  humbler  Hellenes  such 
attributes  of  wealth  could  not  be  looked  for. 

The  evergreens-  of  Greece  were  numerous. 
First  among  them  is  the  myrtle,  which  attained 
a  high  perfection.  In  one  spot  it  might 
be  observed  blooming  as  a  small  shrub,  dotted 
with  those  delicately  white  blossoms  which 
impart  so  much  beauty  to  it ;  in  another,  rising 
to  the  height  of  a  tree  ;  while  elsewhere  it  was 
planted  in  dense  clusters  and  arched  in  bowers. 
These,  when  spotted  with  its  blossoms,  inter- 
mingled with  those  of  the  jasmine,  the  eglan- 
tine, and  the  yellow  tufts  of  the  phillyrea, 
presented  a  spectacle  than  which  nothing 
more  exquisite  can  be  imagined. 

"  The  land  where  beauty  had  her  birth, 
Where  greenest  valleys  tempt  the  eye, 
Where  brightest  flowerets  gem  the  earth, 
And  where  the  sweetest  songsters  fly 
Aloft,  below  the  bluest  sky  ; 
Where  gardens  full  of  fairest  flowers 
Oppress  the  breeze  that  wanders  by; 
Where  fountains  fling  their  pearly  showers 
.  'Mid  verdant  lawns  and  myrtle  bowers  ; 
A  land  whose  beauty  cannot  die  ; 
But  where  the  race  that  gave  it  fame 
Is  lost  in  slavery  and  shame." 

The  berries  of  the  myrtle,  which  in  some 
particular  places  assumed  a  black  colour,  were 
often  esteemed  a  delicacy. 


"  Thickets  of  the  tamarisk,"  says  Mr.  St. 
John,  whose  description  of  the  flower  gar- 
den of  ancient  Hellas  is  by  far  the  most  com- 
plete of  any  that  has  been  written,  "  the 
strawberry  tree,  whose  fruit  is  said  to  be  exceed- 
ingly sweet,  the  juniper,  the  box,  the  bay,  the 
styrax,  the  andrachne,  and  the  white-flowered 
laurel,  in  whose  dark  leaves  the  morning  dew 
collects  and  glistens  in  the  sun,  like  so  many 
tiny  mirrors  of  burnished  silver,  varied  the 
surface  of  the  lawn,  connecting  the  bowers 
and  the  copses,  and  the  flower  beds,  and  the 
grassy  slopes,  with  those  loftier  piles  of  ver- 
dure, consisting  of  the  pine-tree,  the  smilax, 
the  cedar,  the  carob,  the  maple,  the  ash,  the 
elm,  the  platane,  and  the  evergreen  oak, 
which  here  and  there  towered  in  the  grounds. 
In  many  places  the  vine  shot  up  among  the 
ranges  of  elms  or  platanes,  stretching  its 
long  twisted  arm  from  trunk  to  trunk,  like  so 
many  festoons  of  intermingled  leaves  and 
tendrils,  and  successive  clusters  of  golden  or 
purple  grapes." 

The  blue  and  yellow  clematis  was  a  fa- 
vourite. It  hung  its  loving  garland  around 
the  stems  or  along  the  boughs  of  the  trees,  in 
company  with  the  tender  honeysuckle  and  the 
bryony.  Sometimes  a  large  silver  fir  rose  at 
intervals  over  the  grounds,  with  its  bright 
yellow  flowers,  and,  supported  upon  it,  the 
mistletoe  threw  immense  clusters  of  its 
foliage  over  the  trunk  and  branches.  The 
ash  tree  was  occasionally  cultivated,  and 
formed  a  majestic  ornament  to  the  pleasure 
grounds.  Its  bark,  generally  four  or  five 
inches  thick,  was  stripped  off  once  in  three 
years,  an  operation  which  caused  it  to  flourish 
with  additional  vigour  every  time  it  was  re- 
peated, 

It  is  to  be  regretted  that  we  have  not  been 
furnished  with  any  complete  and  exact  de- 
scription of  an  ancient  Greek  flower  garden, 
which  might  be  considered  as  a  type  of  the 
national  taste  in  that  respect.  We  cannot, 
much  as  we  may  desire,  take  our  readers  with 
us  through  the  entrance  of  the  grounds,  down 
the  principal  walks,  and  through  the  intri- 
cate maze  of  flower-beds,  bosquets,  and  shrub- 
beries ;  we  can  but  point  out  the  leading 
features  which  characterised  the  generality  of 
gardens,  without  delineating  a  picture  of  the 
whole.  Doubtless,  although  the  artificial 
arrangement  observed  was  so  judiciously 
planned  that  the  garden  appeared  as  though 
it  were  merely  the  work  of  nature,  there  was, 
nevertheless,  a  harmony  which  pervaded  the 
whole,  and  excluded  extravagant  combinations, 
allowing  each  particular  species  of  ornamental 
disposition  to  melt,  as  it  were,  into  another, 
so  as  to  present  a  natural  and  pleasing  ap- 
pearance. 

The  Greeks  possessed  an  exquisite  sense  of 


172 


THE    FLOWER    GARDENS 


the  beautiful.  Their  ideas  of  elegance  were 
chaste  and  refined  ;  they  never  liked  monstro- 
sity, and  only  sought,  in  the  adornment  of 
their  gardens,  to  produce  that  combination  of 
colours,  that  variety  of  species  and  contrast  of 
foliage,  which  would  result  in  an  agreeable  and 
liarmonious  whole,  too  variegated  to  be  mono- 
tonous, and  too  artistically  arranged  to  be 
glaringly  unnatural. 

Among  the  numerous  reasons  which  con- 
duced to  render  horticulture  an  art  much 
favoured  by  the  ancient  Greeks,  was  the  con- 
stant use  of  flowers  in  the  ceremonies  of 
domestic  life  and  of  religion.  Crowns  and 
garlands  of  flowers  were  in  perpetual  demand; 
for  in  the  performance  of  nearly  every  rite, 
civil  or  religious,  the  officiating  persons  had 
their  brows  bound  with  certain  wreaths.  The 
Spartans  at  their  festivals  —  the  priests, 
priestesses,  soothsayers,  prophets,  and  en- 
chanters—  appeared  with  symbolical  crowns  of 
leaves,  seeds,  or  flowers  on  their  heads.-  The 
actors,  dancers,  and  spectators  at  the  theatres 
wore  them  in  profusion,  while  every  guest  at  an 
entertainment  was  usually  decollated  more  or 
less  abundantly  with  them.  The  pious  placed 
garlands  at  the  doors  of  the  temples,  or  near 
the  altars  of  their  gods.  These  practices 
called  into  demand  an  immense  quantity  of 
flowers  tit  to  be  employed  for  such  purposes  ; 
and,  when  the  season  no  longer  admitted  of  a 
suflicient  supply,  recourse  was  had  to  art, 
which,  in  part  at  least,  supplied  the  deficiency. 
Holland  thus  translates  a  curious  passage 
from  Pliny  on  this  subject.  He  is  speaking 
of  the  use  of  crowns  among  the  Romans. 

"  Now  when  these  garlands  of  flowers  were 
taken  up  and  received  commonly  in  all  places 
for  a  certain  time,  there  came  soon  after  into 
request  those  chaplets  which  are  named 
Egyptian  ;  and  after  them,  winter  coronets, 
to  wit,  when  the  earth  afforded  them  no 
flowers  to  make  them,  and  these  consisted  of 
horn  shavings  dj'^ed  into  sundry  colours.  And 
so,  in  process  of  time,  by  little  and  little, 
crept  into  Rome  also  the  name  of  corolla, 
or,  as  one  would  say,  petty  garlands  ;  for  that 
these  winter  chaplets  at  first  were  so  petty 
and  small  ;  and,  not  long  after  them,  the 
costly  coronets  and  others,  corollaries,  namely, 
when  they  are  made  of  tlieir  leaves,  and  plates, 
and  latten,  either  gilded  or  silvered  over,  or 
else  set  out  with  golden  and  silvered  spangles, 
and  so  presented." 

Pollux  has  a  list  of  the  principal  flowers 
used  in  crowns  and  garlands  by  the  Greeks, 
which  we  may  thus  translate  : — 

"  They  had  these  flowers  in  thefr  chaplets  : 
roses,  violets,  lilies,  the  water-mint,  anemo- 
nies  (or  the  wind-flowers),  wild  thyme,  cro- 
cuses, hyacinths,  the  gold-coloured  aurelia, 
the  hemerocallis,   (or    flowers    which    bloom 


but  for  a  day),  the  elenia  (a  certain  herb  pro- 
duced from  the  tears  of  Helena),  the  thernalia 
(a  plant  the  leaves  of  which  are  lit  for  the 
wicks  of  lamps),  the  asphodel,  tliewhite  daffodil, 
the  sweet  lotus,  the  camomile,  the  parthenis, 
and  such  other  flowers  as  are  delightful  to  the 
eye,  and  possess  a  sweet  fragrance." 

The  smilax  and  the  cosmosandalon  are 
also  enumerated  by  Cratinus  among  garland 
flowers,  among  other  uses  of  which  was  to 
crown  persons  returning  from  a  voyage  and 
soldiers  going  to  battle,  to  adorn  the  triumphs 
of  the  conqueror,  and  to  decorate  the  mar- 
riage festival.  Other  circumstances  contri- 
buted to  render  flowers  loved  and  sought 
after  by  the  Greeks.  The  religious  cere- 
monies they  assisted  to  decorate  ;  the  tradi- 
tions which  gave  rise  to  those  ceremonies, 
were  often  in  some  measure  connected  with 
flowers,  shrubs,  and  trees.  The  inhabitant 
of  ancient  Hellas  could,  whilst  walking 
in  his  gardens,  imagine  himself  surrounded 
with  the  nymphs  and  goddesses  whose  ex- 
istence formed  part  of  his  creed.  The  laurel 
recalled  to  his  mind  the  transformation  of 
Daphne  ;  the  cypresses  represented  the  daugh- 
ters of  Eteocles,  whom  the  gods  punished 
with  death  because  they  dared  to  rival  them 
in  dancing  ;  the  myrtle  was  a  beautiful  maiden 
of  Attica,  who  excited,  by  her  superior  loveli- 
ness, her  swiftness  of  foot,  her  endurance  of 
toil,  the  jealousy  of  all  the  youth  of  the  country, 
who  therefore  slew  her  to  gratify  their  mali- 
cious envy  ;  the  mint,  simple  plant  as  it  is, 
was  the  mistress  of  Pluto;  the  rose-campion 
arose  out  of  the  blood  of  Aphrodite  ;  and  the 
humble  cabbage  from  the  tears  of  Lycurgus. 

In  like  manner  almost  every  flower,  shrub, 
and  tree  which  flourished  in  the  gardens  and 
pleasure-grounds  of  Greece,  was  connected 
in  some  manner  or  other  with  the  traditions 
which  were  handed  down  from  the  earliest 
times,  and  were  recollected  long  after  man- 
kind had  ceased  to  put  faith  in  them.  This, 
as  we  have  said,  tended  to  nourish  and  foster 
the  attachment  to  flowers  and  flower  gar- 
dens, which  was  observable  all  over  the 
country,  though  the  national  taste  also  wag 
addicted  to  this  species  of  cultivation  above  all 
others.  There  was  a  taste  for  art  in  Greece, 
a  taste  for  the  elegant  and  beautiful,  and, 
consequently,  there  existed  a  deep-rooted  love 
for  flowers.  The  climate  lent  its  aid,  and 
allowed  whatever  was  cultivated  to  arrive  at 
an  early  and  rich  maturity. 

From  the  flower  garden  we  proceed  into  the 
orchard,  not  wholly  devoted  to  fruit  trees.  The 
vegetables  which  we,in  modern  gardens,  usually 
see  in  spots  devoted  exclusively  to  them,  and 
called  kitchen  gardens,  grew  in  broad  beds  and 
borders,  while  the  trees  were  planted  along  the 
edges  and  at  the  corners.  Instead  of  walls,  hedges 


AND    ORCHARDS    OF    ATs^ClENT    GREECE. 


173 


were  commonly  in  vogue.  These  were  gene- 
rally formed  of  black  and  white  thorns,  bram- 
bles, and  berberry  bushes,  and  also  the  Indian 
cactus,  which  formed  an  impenetrable  fence. 
The  cactus  grows  luxuriantly  in  Greece,  and 
attains  a  cousiderable  height.  On  the  banks 
of  these  hedges,  springing  out  from  dark 
masses  of  verdure,  flourished,  in  luxuriant 
abundance,  numerous  plants — the  enchanter's 
nigbt-sbade,  the  euphorbia,  the  iris  tuberosa, 
the  red-flowered  valerian,  the  ground  ivy,  the 
physalis  somnifera  with  its  red  seeds,  the  glo- 
bularia,  the  helioti'ope,  the  pennycress,  the 
bright-yellow  scorpion  flame,  the  broad-leaved 
cyclamen  (or  "  our  lady's  seal "),  with  pink 
flowers  and  light-green  leaves,  veined  under- 
neath with  yellow.  Among  the  ancient  Par- 
thians,  it  was  the  custom  to  surround  the  gar- 
dens with  hedges  of  a  fragrant  creeping  plant, 
denominated  philadelphos,  or  "  love  brother," 
which  was  interlaced  so  as  to  form  a  kind  of 
network,  foi'ming  a  sufficient  protection  against 
the  trespasses  both  of  man  and  beast.  It  was 
only  in  mountainous  districts,  where  frequent 
toi-rents  threatened  the  gardens,  that  stone 
walls  were  employed  to  encircle  the  orchards. 

One  peculiarity  there  was  which  impressed 
a  landscape  in  ancient  Greece  with  a  character 
of  peculiar  beauty.  It  was,  that  the  custom 
was  general  to  plant  long  rows  of  olive  trees  to 
mark  the  boundaries  between  separate  estates. 
The  plains  were  therefore  intersected  with 
extended  lines  of  these  remarkable  trees.  In 
the  olive  grounds  they  were  also  planted  in 
straight  rows,  apart  frum  each  other,  that  the 
wind  might  play  freely  on  all  sides.  The  air 
of  the  mountains  was  most  favourable  to  the 
growth  of  the  olive,  for  it  was  remarked  that 
the  oil  produced  by  those  which  grew  on  the 
plains  was  of  a  far  inferior  quality  to  that 
which  came  from  the  light  dry  soil  of  the  hills. 

The  apple,  the  pear,  the  cherry,  (which 
grew  sometimes  to  the  height  of  forty  feet,) 
the  damascene,  and  the  common  plum,  the 
quince,  the  apricot,  the  peach,  the  nectarine, 
the  walnut,  the  chestnut,  the  filbert,  the  hazel, 
the  medlar,  and  the  mulberry,  were  to  be 
found  in  the  Grecian  orchards  ;  as  also  the 
white,  purple,  and  red  figs,  the  pomegranate 
from  the  northern  shores  of  Africa,  the  orange, 
now  planted  tinder  artificial  shade  at  Lemuos, 
the  citron,  the  lemon,  which,  together  with 
the  orange  tree,  blossomed  in  June;  the  date- 
palm,  the  pistachio,  the  almond,  the  service 
and  the  cornel-tree. 

An  orchard  in  Greece  was  planted  not 
merely  with  a  view  to  the  value  of  its  pro- 
duce, but  also  to  pleasure.  The  trees  were 
disposed  so  as  to  Ibrm  umbrageous  avenues, 
which  occasionally  opened  upon  broad  green 
lawns,  and  sometimes  into  the  vineyard. 
From    the   neighbouring   garden    a  constant 


cloud  of  perfume  was  wafted  in,  which  lent  a 
charm  to  the  place,  while,  in  the  proper 
season,  the  smell  of  the  fruit  mingled  deli- 
ciously  with  the  fragrance  from  the  corn-fields 
and  meadows.  Occasionally  common  foot- 
paths traversed  the  orchard,  and  the  passers- 
by  were  permitted  to  pluck  at  w^ill  such  fruit 
as  hung  within  their  reach. 

The  ancient  Greeks  attained  much  celebrity 
in  the  management  of  their  orchards.  The 
practice  of  grafting  was  known  to  them  ;  we 
extract  Mr.  St.  John's  account  of  the  manner 
in  which  this  operation  was  performed  : — 

"  Some  few  of  the  rules  they  observed  in 
this  process  may  be  briefly  noticed.  Trees 
with  a  thick  rind  were  gralted  in  the  ordinary 
way,  and  sometimes  by  inserting  the  graft 
between  the  bark  and  the  wood,  which  was 
called  infoliation.  Inoculation  also,  or  intro- 
ducing the  bud  of  one  tree  into  the  rind  of 
another,  was  common  among  Greek  gardeners. 
They  were  extremely  particular  in  their 
choice  of  stocks.  Thus,  the  fig  was  grafted 
only  on  the  platans  and  the  mulberry  ;  the 
mulberry  on  the  chestnut,  the  beech,  the 
apple,  the  terebinth,  the  wild  pear,  the  elm, 
and  the  white  poplar  (whence  white  mul- 
berries) ;  the  pear  on  the  pomegranate,  the 
quince,  the  mulberry,  almonds,  and  the  tere- 
binth ;  apples  on  all  sorts  of  wild  pears,  and 
quinces  (whence  the  finest  apples,  called  by  the 
Athenians,  Melimela),  on  damascenes  also,  and 
vice  versa,  and  on  the  plantane  (whence  red 
apples)." 

Another  way  in  which  the  Greeks  were  ac- 
customed to  impart  a  blush  to  the  apple,  was 
by  planting  rose  bushes  round  the  foot  of  the 
tree.  The  walnut  was  grafted  on  the  straw- 
berry-tree only ;  the  pomegranate  on  the 
myrtle  and  the  willow  ;  the  laurel  on  the 
cherry  and  the  ash ;  the  white  peach  on  the 
damascene  and  the  almond  ;  the  damascene 
on  the  wild  pear,  the  quince,  and  the  apple ; 
chestnuts  on  the  walnut,  the  beech,  and  the 
ash  ;  the  cherry  on  the  terebinth  and  the 
peach  ;  the  quince  on  the  oxyacanthus  ;  the 
myrtle  on  the  willow  ;  and  the  apricot  on  the 
damascene,  and  the  Tharian  almond  tree. 
The  vine  was  grafted  on  the  cherry  and 
myrtle,  which  produced,  first,  grapes  in  spring; 
in  the  second,  mixed  fruit  between  the  myrtle 
berry  and  the  grape.  To  produce  black 
citrons,  the  gardener  inserted  a  citron  graft 
into  an  apple  stock.  If  red  were  wanted,  it 
was  inserted  into  that  of  a  mulberry. 

Though  the  genial  climate  of  Greece  was 
favourable  to  the  early  maturity  of  fruits, 
numerous  means  were  resorted  to  to  force 
them  to  ripen  early.  Figs  were  especially 
forced.  To  produce  early  figs  it  was  customary 
to  spread  about  the  roots  of  the  tree  manure 
composed  of  doves'  dung,   with  pepper  and 


174 


THE    FLOWER    GARDENS    AND    ORCHARDS    OF    ANCIENT    GREECE. 


oil.  So  skilful  were  the  ancient  Hellenes  in 
this  process,  that,  during  a  particular  festival, 
the  seeds  of  certain  flowers  were  sown  in 
silver  pots,  and  compelled  to  bloom  within 
eight  days. 

The  fruit  was  often  compelled  by  art  to 
assume  various  fantastic  forms — that  of  the 
human  face,  of  birds,  of  animals,  and  occa- 
sionally of  a  bottle.  Sometimes,  it  is  declared 
by  several  writers,  peaches  and  almonds  were 
produced,  covered  with  written  characters. 
Stoneless  peaches,  walnuts  without  husks, 
figs  white  on  one  side  and  black  on  the  othei', 
were,  mirabile  dictu !  produced,  according  to 
the  same  authority. 

So  prolific  is  the  soil  of  Hellas,  that  when, 
in  the  autumn  of  the  year  1830,  several  young 
branchless  pear-trees  were,  as  we  find  stated 
by  Thiersch,  transplanted  from  Malta  to  the 
neighbourhood  of  Athens,  they  were  next 
season  literally  loaded  and  bent  down  with  fruit. 

All  seeds  and  plants  were  put  into  the 
ground  before  the  moon  had  risen  above  the 
horizon.  The  trees  which  were  most  com- 
monly propagated  by  seed  were  the  almond, 
the  chestnut,  the  white  beech,  the  filbert,  the 
pistachio,  the  damascene,  the  edible  pine  and 
the  pine-tree,  the  cypress,  the  laurel,  the 
palm,  the  maple,  the  ash  and  the  fig.  Those 
which  were  raised  from  suckers  were  the 
cherry,  the  common  nut,  the  rhamnis  jujuba, 
the  apple,  the  medlar,  the  myrtle,  and  the 
dwarf  laurel ;  while  those  with  which  the 
simple  and  more  certain  method  of  producing 
trees  from  boughs  was  adopted,  were  the 
olive,  the  quince,  the  black  and  white  poplar, 
the  ivy,  the  vine,  the  willow,  the  box,  and 
the  cytisus,  with  many  of  those  with  which 
the  other  plans  were  also  adopted.  The 
citron  was  also  propagated '  by  this  means. 
Delia  Eocca  says,  speaking  of  this  tree  and 
the  orange,  that  they  perfumed  the  sur- 
rounding air  with  the  prodigious  quantity 
with  which  they  were  loaded,  and  which 
bloomed  at  the  first  breath  of  genial  heat. 

But,  as  we  have  said,  the  Hellenic  orchard, 
since  it  was  not  altogether  devoted  to  utility,  as 
shown  by  the  scrupulous  manner  in  which  it 
was  swept  and  adorned  with  trees  which  bore 
no  fruit,  was  not  dedicated  to  the  purpose  of 
growing  trees  alone.  The  various  beds  and 
borders  were  often  edged  with  parsley,  while 
the  beds  themselves  produced  numerous  gar- 
den vegetables  in  the  greatest  abundance. 
This  fertility  was  attributed,  by  the  super- 
stitious inhabitants  of  old  Greece,  to  the  prac- 
tice which  prevailed,  of  burying  an  ass's  head 
in  a  deep  pit  in  the  centre  of  the  ground,  and 
sprinkling  the  spot  with  the  juice  of  the  lotus  ; 
but  Lucian  affords  a  very  satisfactory  ex- 
planation of  the  fertility  of  the  Hellenic  gar- 
den, where   he   mentions   the  abundant  and 


careful  irrigation,  and  the  elaborate  modes  of 
tillage  which  were  pursued.*  Turnips,  cab- 
bages, onions,  lettuces, f  endive,  asparagus, 
broad  beans,  kidney  beans,  peas,  and  arti- 
chokes, grew  in  well-prepared  beds.  Near 
them  might  be  observed  boxes  for  forcing 
cucumbers,  while,  if  a  brook  ran  through  the 
garden,  the  finest  water-melons  in  the  world 
often  flourished  in  its  neighbourhood.  Huge 
gourds  hung  amid  the  branches.  To  judge  by 
the  various  arts  practised  by  the  ancient  Greeks, 
in  order  to  force  such  plants  as  the  cucumber 
and  the  melon  to  the  most  enormous  develop- 
ment, it  would  have  been  imagined  that  the 
gardeners  were  preparing  for  a  fancy  show. 
The  cucumber  they  especially  delighted  in 
producing  seedless  and  of  a  monstrous  shape. 
One  practice  was  to  introduce  the  young 
cucumber  into  a  hollow  reed,  through  which 
it  projected  itself  until  it  attained  an  immense 
length. 

The  savoy-cabbage,  brocoli,  and  sea-kale, 
flourished  well.  One  species  of  this  plant  was 
supposed  to  be  endued  with  the  gift  of  prophecy. 

Radishes,  according  to  Theophrastus,  were 
rendered  sweet  by  allowing  the  seeds  to  re- 
main for  a  certain  time  steeped  in  wine  and 
honey,  or  the  fresh  juice  of  grapes.  The  same 
author  says,  that  to  produce  large  and  fine 
parsley  it  w^as  customary  to  wrap  the  seed  in 
a  rag,  or  a  wisp  of  straw,  before  putting  it 
into  the  earth,  after  which  it -was  well  watered. 
Rue  and  sweet  mint  were  extensively  culti- 
vated. 

Two  species  of  cistus  were  cultivated  in  the 
Greek  gardens  ;  of  the  other  plants  found  in 
them  there  were  the  blue  eringo,  cresses,  bas- 
tard parsley,  anise,  pennyroyal,water-mint,  sea- 
onions,  monk's  rhubarb,  coriander  ;  purslane, 
yellow  white  and  red;  hellebore,  bushorigany, 
flame-coloured  fox-glove,  brank  ursine,  or 
bear's  foot,  a  plant  much  admired  for  the  huge 
pyramid  of  white  flowers  which  it  bears  ; 
chervil,  starwort,  giant  fennel,  mustard,  the 
cumin,  pepperwort,  parsnips,  garlics  and 
leeks,  which  were  sometimes  produced  as 
large  as  turnips. 

Mushrooms  were  cultivated  after  a  peculiar 
fashion.  A  poplar  tree  was  felled  and  placed 
in  the  earth  to  rot  ;  the  spot  was  constantly 
watered,  and  in  due  time  was  covered  with 
fine  mushrooms  ;  they  also  sometimes  grew 
spontaneously  at  the  foot  of  the  elm  or  pine, 
and  were  occasionally  produced  by  watering 
the  ground  round  the  foot  of  a  fig  tree,  after 
it  was  well  covered  with  manure,  when  a 
colony  of  them  sprang  up  in  a  very  short  time. 

*  Traite  sur  les  Abeilles,  torn.  i.  p.  5. 

f  Lettuces  were  whitened  by  being  tied  at  top,  and 
partly  buried  in  sand.  It  was  thought  that  they  were 
improved  by  being  watered  over  night  with  a  mixture 
of  wine  and  honey. 


CHiETOGASTRA    STRIGOSA. 


'•  On  other  occasions,"  we  find  in  Mr.  St. 
John's  description,  "  they  chose  a  light  sandy- 
soil  accustomed  to  produce  seeds;  then  burning 
brushwood,  when  the  air  was  in  a  state  indi- 
cating rain,  this  ambiguous  species  of  vege- 
table started  forth  with  the  first  shower.  The 
same  effect  was  produced  by  watering  the 
ground  thus  prepared,  though  this  species  was 
supposed  to  be  inferior." 

Truffles  were  favourites  with  the  ancient 
Greeks,  though  what  methods  were  employed 
for  discovering  them  have  no  where^  been 
described.  They  were  found  chiefly  in  the 
sandy  plains  near  Cyrene,  and  on  the  elevated 
hills  of  Thrace.  They  were  eaten  both  cooked 
and  raw. 

If  we  have  failed,  in  the  course  of  these 
rambling  remarks,  to  impart  an  idea  of  the 
manner  in  which  the  inhabitants  of  ancient 
Greece  planned  and  laid  out  their  gardens,  we 
have  nevertheless  touched  on  most  of  those 
means  and  materials  by  which  their  gardens 
and  their  companion  orchards  were  rendered 
beautiful  and  valuable  to  their  owners  ;  and  it 
may  well  be  conceived  that  if  the  Hellenes 
keenly  appreciated  the  delight  to  be  derived 
from  flowers  and  fruits  ;  if  they  were  ac- 
quainted with  the  method  of  bringing  these 
flowers  and  fruits  to  a  high  degree  of  excel- 
lence, if  not  to  complete  perfection  ;  if  they 
exhibited  a  continual  solicitude  to  discover 
new  modifications,  and  new  arts  by  which  to 


render  their  pleasure  grounds  yearly  more 
and  more  beautiful  ;  that  they  were  not  in- 
sensible to  the  necessity  of  preserving  an 
elegant  and  chaste  congruity  in  the  disposal 
of  those  gardens.  Under  whatever  aspect  it 
appeared,  ancient  Hellas  was  beautiful.  Its 
mountains  and  its  valleys,  its  hills  and  plains, 
its  cities  and  its  villages,  its  meadows,  fields, 
and  forests,  its  farms,  its  upland  pastures,  and 
its  gay  and  brilliant  gardens  and  abundant 
orchards,  all  were  pervaded  by  that  soft  mag- 
nificence which  was  the  distinguishing  feature 
of  the  most  favoured  country  in  the  world. 

The  more  we  study  the  history  of  old 
Greece — not  merely  the  history  of  her  con- 
quests, her  glory  in  war,  and  her  memorable 
rulers — but  also  the  history  of  her  people,  her 
civilization  and  her  arts,  the  more  do  we  feel 
regret  for  the  beauty  which  has  passed  away, 
the  prosperity  which  has  deserted  her.  But 
Avith  the  degeneracy  of  the  race  that  inhabits 
her,  came  the  degeneracy  of  her  civilization. 
She  sank,  and  her  arts  sank  with  her.  Nature 
is  not  now  less  beautiful,  but  men  know  less  how 
to  appreciate  and  improve  her  gifts.  Greece, 
the  country,  is  the  same ;  but  the  Greeks 
have  become  an  enervated,  enslaved,  and  de- 
spised race.  The  results  have  been  felt  in 
each  and  every  branch  of  her  domestic  in- 
dustry. 

[Many  of  the  foregoing  statements  are 
somewhat  of  the  "fabulous"  class.] 


CH^TOGASTRA  STRIGOSA. 


Chcetogastra  strigosa,  De  Candolle  (strigose 
ChfEtogastra). — MelastomacesB  §  Melastomese- 
Osbeckiese. 

The  majority  of  Melastomaceje  are  large- 
growing,  and  many  of  them  coarse-looking 


plants,  but  neither  of  these  qualities  is  pos- 
sessed by  the  present  subject.  On  the  con- 
trary, it  is  dwarf  and  neat,  and  bears  such  a 
profusion  of  blossoms  as  to  become  a  very 
conspicuous  object  when  in  a  blooming  state. 


176 


STANDARD    ORNAMENTAL    TREES. 


Many  changes  have  taken  place  in  the 
nomenclature  of  this  plant,  since  it  first  be- 
came known  to  botanists ;  and  besides  Cha3- 
togastra,  it  has  been  referred  to  Rhexia, 
Osbeckia,  and  Melastoma.  The  younger 
Linnaius  called  it  3Ielastoma  st.rigosa;  while 
Desroux  calls  it  31.  ciliata.  Osbeckia  ornata 
was  a  name  given  to  it  by  Swartz.  Sieber 
called  it  Rhexia  chamcecistus.  Vahl  adopted 
the  name  It.  inconstans ;  Richard  that  of  R. 
strigosa,  and  on  another  occasion  R.  ornata. 
Finally,  the  name  above  adopted  was  given  to 
it  by  De  Candolle. 

The  existence  of  so  many  names  may  be 
thought  in  some  measure  a  libel  on  the  prac- 
tice of  botanists  ;  but  this  opinion  will  ibr  the 
most  part  be  confined  to  those  who  have  made 
little  advance  in  botanical  knowledge.  A  mere 
name  is  of  little  avail  in  the  identification  of 
a  plant :  a  name  must  be  associated  with  what 
is  called  a  "  character,"  that  is,  such  a  descrip- 
tion of  its  leading  features  as  may  lead  to  its 
recognition.  Now,  when  a  group  becomes 
extensive,  or  when  a  revision  with  a  view  to 
precision  in  this  respect  is  aimed  at,  in  i-espect 
to  accumulated  knowledge,  new  groups  often 
have  to  be  formed,  and  these  groups  must 
have  names  by  which  in  future  to  identify 
them.  This  is  a  justification  of  many  new 
names,  but  not  of  all  ;  sometimes,  indeed,  they 
are  not  quite  justifiable,  and  are  not  adopted 
into  use.  But  there  is  another  source  of  a  di- 
versity of  names.  The  same  plant  is  sometimes 
described  by  different  persons  nearly  at  the 
same  time,  unknown  to  each  other  ;  or  the 
first  description  is  imperfect,  so  that  the  plant 
is  not  recognised,  and  another  name  is  given  ; 
or  it  may  have  been  published  in  a  medium 
that  has  not  been  generally  diffused.  These 
circumstances  give  rise  to  synonyms,  and  as 
the  first  published  name  claims  precedence,  it 
is  some  time  before  all  this  gets  put  to  rights, 
the  progressive  steps  of  which  are  so  many 
changes,  and  appear  to  the  uninitiated  like 
the  imposition  of  many  new  names. 

Our  plant  is  a  dwarf  shrub,  with  slender 
tetragonal  spreading  branches,  and  not  grow- 
ing more  than  six  or  eight  inches  high,  Tiie 
branches  are  covered  with  adpressed  bristles. 
The  leaves  are  small,  opposite,  ovate-acute, 
entire,  with  three  nerves  or  ribs,  and  some- 
what ciliated.  The  flowers  grow  in  axillary 
and  terminal  cymes,  not  many  together,  but 
the  plant  is  so  full  of  branches,  that  the 
flowers  are  really  numerous  ;  they  indivi- 
dually consist  of  four  or  five  ovate  petals,  of 
a  rich  rosy-purple  colour.  The  flowers  are 
produced  at  the  latter  end  of  summer. 

This  is  a  native  of  Guadaloupe,  on  the 
summit  of  the  Sulphur  Mountain,  where  it 
was  originally  discovered,  growing  in  beds  of 
sohag-num.     It  has  also  been  met  with  on  the 


mountains  of  Montserrat  and  Martinique. 
Messrs  Veitch,  of  Exeter,  have  been  the  in- 
troducers of  it  to  this  country,  through  the 
agency  of  Mr.  Thomas  Lobb. 

In  cultivation  it  requires  the  shelter  of  a 
warm  greenhouse.  Cuttings  of  the  half- 
ripened  shoots,  planted  in  sand,  and  covered 
by  a  bell-glass,  the  pots  being  removed  to  a 
gentle  bottom  heat,  will  furnish  young  plants. 
These  may  be  potted  in  a  mixture  of  sandy 
peat  and  leaf-mould,  to  which  a  tenth  part  of 
loam  paay  be  added.  The  pots  must  be  well 
drained,  and  should  be  replaced  in  the  hot-bed 
until  the  j'oung  plants  get  fresh  hold  of  the 
soil.  They  are  then  to  be  removed  to  the 
greenhouse,  where  they  will  grow  freely  :  but 
at  first  they  must  not  be  much  exposed  to 
cold  air.  The  form  of  the  plants  should  be 
a  consideration  from  the  earliest  period  of  its 
growth  ;  and  to  this  end,  the  young  shoots 
should  be  frequently  topped,  until  the  plants 
reach  a  flowerins:  size. 


STANDARD  OllNAMENTAL  TREES. 

Most  of  our  handsome  ornamental  flower- 
ing trees  have  a  great  tendency  to  grow  too 
much  upwards  to  become  elegant  in  form. 
The  almond  tribe  will,  when  it  once  gets  fast 
hold  of  the  ground,  make  shoots  several  feet 
long,  and  the  only  way  to  prevent  this  is  by 
early  and  continuous  pruning.  When  they 
are  procured  for  planting  out,  all  the  small 
wood  should  be  cut  clean  out  close  to  the  bark, 
and  the  main  branches  should  be  shortened 
considerably,  the  upper  eyes  be  rubbed  otfj 
and  those  under  the  branches  left  to  grow, 
but  as  these  trees  bloom  upon  the  young  wood, 
the  pruning  the  first  year  they  are  planted 
takes  away  the  flower  too  much  to  please 
every  body  ;  nevertheless,  it  should  be  done  to 
make  the  tree  more  pendulous  than  its  natural 
habit  will  allow  if  undisturbed.  We  would 
first  take  out  all  the  branches  that  incline  to 
cross  each  other,  leaving  some  all  round,  but 
shorten  them  to  eighteen  inches,  rubbing  off", 
as  we  observed,  all  those  buds  that  are  on  the 
upper  side  of  the  brancli.  The  second  year 
again  cut  out  all  the  weakly  shoots  that  come 
too  close  together,  and  bear  in  mind  that  the 
first  object  is  to  get  a  good  skeleton  formed 
before  the  head  is  allowed  to  be  crowded. 
The  first  year  after  planting,  when  pruned 
as  we  have  directed,  the  head  becomes 
more  expanded  without  running  up  so  much 
as  it  would  if  left  alone.  In  shortening  the 
branches  the  second  year,  discretion  must  be 
used  with  regard  to  the  increasing  size  of  the 
head,  and  if  any  branches  have  shot  too  much 
upwards,  let  them  be  shortened  still.  The 
small  lateral  shoots,  so  that  they  be  not  too 
thick  or  close  together,  may  be  now  left,  for 


THE    YEGETABLE    MARROW,  AND    GOURDS    IN    GENERAL. 


177 


they  will  be  full  of  flower  buds,  which  may 
now  develope  themselves :  this  applies  to  all 
the  tribe  of  double  and  single  flowering 
peaches  and  almonds.  It  will  be  well  to  keep 
a  check  upon  the  too  vigorous  growth  of  any 
shoots,  even  after  the  third  year,  so  as  to 
keep  the  head  of  something  like  a  uniform 
shape,  and  encourage  all  the  branches  that 
are  inclined  to  grow  down  a  little,  for  all 
heads  of  trees  are  far  more  elegant  for  the 
lower  branches  being  a  little  pendulous.  The 
double-flowering  cherry  is  more  inclined  to 
be  short  jointed  and  to  groAv  rather  crowded  ; 
the  only  thing  to  attend  to  in  these,  is  to  thin 
out  the  smallest  shoots,  that  they  be  not  too 
thick,  for  it  is  impossible  to  be  graceful 
if  crowded,  though  the  cherry  is  naturally  far 
more  handsome  in  growth  than  any  of  the 
peach  and  almond  tribe.  The  varieties 
of  thorn  will  also  naturally  form  a  better 
head  than  many  trees,  and  a  little  judi- 
cious thinning  and  regulating  is  all  that 
is  required.  The  mountain  ash  is  like  the 
almond,  much  inclined  to  grow  rapidly  up- 
wards, and  to  push  vigorous  branches,  which 
should  be  shortened  the  first  year,  whatever 
may  be  done  to  it  afterwards  ;  and  it  may  be 
taken  as  a  general  rule,  that  if  a  standard 
tree  has  not  a  sufficiency  of  branches  pushing 
out  all  ways,  it  is  better  to  sacrifice  one  year's 
beauty  altogether  by  cutting  the  two  or  three 
bi'anches  it  may  have  down  to  three  or  four 
eyes.  Much  has  been  said,  by  a  somewhat 
distinguished  writer,  in  behalf  of  allowing 
trees  to  grow  as  they  will,  to  show  their 
natural  habits ;  but  it  should  be  remembered 
that  worked  trees  are  not  of  their  natural 
form,  and  the  remarks  cannot  apply  until  the 
graft  has  been  made  to  form  a  well  shaped 
head,  when  it  may  fairly  be  left  to  itself.  .The 
stock  is  deprived  of  its  natural  head  for  the 
purpose  of  substituting  the  graft,  and  we  have 
at  least  a  right  to  see  the  graft  formed  into  as 
good  a  head  as  the  stock  lost  before  we  allow 
it  to  grow  as  it  pleases. 


THE   VEGETABLE  MARROW,  AND  GOURDS 
IN    GENERAL. 

Almost  all,  the  gourds  are  eatable  while 
young,  as  vegetable  marrow,  but  the  prevail- 
ing sorts  are  those  which  are  formed  like  a 
thick  cucumber.  They  are  of  easy  cultiva- 
tion, and  the  principal  point  to  attend  to  is 
the  right  period  of  cutting.  If  these  produc- 
tions are  taken  before  the  seeds  form,  they  eat 
tender  and  rich,  but  if  allowed  to  swell  too 
much,  they  become  watery  and  faint.  The 
seeds  may  be  had  at  any  respectable  nursery 
or  seed  shop,  and  may  be  sown  on  heat  and  be 
covered  to  bring  them  early,  or  raised  in  a 
50. 


pot  placed  in  a  common  hot-bed  in  the  middle 
of  April,  and  by  the  middle  of  May  they  will 
be  fit  to  plant  out,   and  a  piece  of  ground 
should  be  selected  in  a  warm  situation,  and  it 
should  be  well   dunged.     When  the    second 
pair  of  rough  leaves  appear,  while  the  seed- 
lings   are  in  the   pots,    the   tops    should   be 
pinched  off  to  induce  side  shoots.     As  they 
grow  in  the  open  ground,  these  shoots  should 
be  laid  out  so  as  to  cover  the  bed  and  not  to 
cross  each   other,   and  they  will    soon    show 
fruit.     If  they  come  too  numerous,  let  them 
be  thinned  a  little,  but  if  the  fruit  is  cut  before 
it  swells  too  much,  they  will  bear  a  great  num- 
ber.    The  fruiting  is  hastened  a  good  deal  if 
the  plants  are  placed  on  ridges  of  dung,  and 
covered  with  a  hand-glass,  after  the  same  man- 
ner as  cucumbers  are  ridged.     A  trench,  or  if 
for  one  patch  of  plant  only,  a  hole  is  dug,  two 
feet  deep  and  a  yard  square.     This  is  filled 
with  hot  stable- dung  ready  prepared,  and  trod 
down  pretty  firmly.      On  this  there  must  be 
six  inches  of  soil,  good  loam  and  dung   well 
mixed,  and  the  plants  put  in  the  middle,  two 
in  the  patch  close  together.     A  hand-glass  is 
placed  on  the  plants,  close  down  at  night  and 
tilted  a  little  in  the  day,  but  it  is  very  much 
better  to  have  a  glass  with  a  ventilating  top, 
or  a  top  that  can  be  taken  off  altogether.     By 
means  of  this  glass  the   plants  may  be  pre- 
served  all  through  April,  and  during  the  first 
fortnight  in  May,  notwithstanding  there  may 
be  many  frosts.     As  soon  as  the  plants  fill  the 
glass,  or  rather  cover  the    space    under  the 
glass,    it   must    be   propped    up    at  the  four 
corners  with  bricks  or  flower  pots,  and  the 
plants  trained  under  it  ;    the  only  object  of 
this  dung  and  glass  is  to  bring  the  fruit  in 
much   sooner,    and    make    them    grow    much 
more   rapidly.      All    the    gourds,    from   the 
monster  pumpkin  to  the  smallest  orange  variety, 
that  will  actually  train  up  the  front  of  a  house, 
will  succeed  with  this  simple  treatment,  but 
with  the  largest  kind,  where  size  is  the  only 
object,  as  soon  as  any  one  fruit  exhibits  a  pro- 
pensity for  growing  and  swelling  well,  remove 
all  the  other  fruit  from  the  plant  as  fast  as 
they  appear,  but  it  is  of  no  use  to  top  the 
plant,  because  it  will  not  prevent  the  growing 
of  side  shoots.    It  is  far  better  to  let  the  plant 
trail  on,  removing  only  the  fruit  as  fast  as 
they  show,  and  before  they  bloom.     The  large 
swelling  fruit  will  take  all  the   nourishment 
the  plant  can  afford,  and  when  it  has  attained 
a  pretty  good  size,  the  plant  will  not  be  much 
inclined  to  grow,    although    it    may  produce 
many  fruit  that  will  require  constant  watching 
and   removing.     The   orange    gourd  may  be 
planted  at  the  foot  of  a   south  wall  or  front, 
and  may  be  allowed  to  ramble    all    over    it. 
The  fruit,  which  is  light,  will  come  all  over 
the  vine,  and  upon  the  wall,   making  a  very 

N 


178 


COTTON-BEARTNG    ARTEMISIAS. 


singular  appearance  if  well  trainetl  and  nailed. 
The  best  way  to  preserve  one  of  the  monster 
gourds  is  to  cut  a  hole  large  enough  to  admit 
the  hand  and  arm,  and  take  out  all  the  pulp 
and  seeds,  for  if  these  are  allowed  to  I'emain 
too  long,  the  fruit  rots  or  bursts,  and  is 
destroyed. 

COTTON-BEARING  ARTEMISIAS. 
The  Artemisia  odoratissima,  (writes  M. 
Guyon,)  yields  a  cottony  product,  which  is 
used  like  tinder,  and  in  appearance  looks  like 
a  small  ball  of  cotton  about  the  size  of  a  filbert ; 
generally  several  are  produced  on  a  plant. 
On  dividing  these  balls  through  the  middle, 
there  is  found  at  the  centre  a  filiform  abnormal 
prolongation,  provided  with  bark,  from  which 
are  produced  small  whitish  filaments  radiating 
to  the  circumference,  the  agglomeration  of 
which  constitutes  the  entire  product.  This  I 
take  to  be  only  a  morbid  excrescence,  a  kind 
of  scab.  There  is  no  cavity  at  its  exterior  ; 
but  on  the  under  surfiice,  or  rather  at  the 
point  of  junction  with  the  plant  on  which  it  is 
produced,  are  windings  (anfractuosites,)  which 
are  prolonged  more  or  less  in  the  interior,  and 
where  I  have  detected  aiiymenopteron  (insect) 
about  an  inch  long.  The  species  I  found  on 
the  Artemina  odoratisshna*  has  been  exa- 
mined by  M.  Gruenee,  who  considers  it  as  a 
new  species  of  the  genus  Eurytoma.  The 
Arabs  know  the  produce  we  are  speaking  of 
under  the  name  of  Capo.  They  use  it  as  an 
excellent  tinder :  it  takes  fire  immediately, 
whatever  the  state  of  development  may  be  in 
which  it  is  found.  This  readiness  to  catch 
fire  exists  even  in  its  embryo  state.-j"  As  the 
plant  which  furnishes  it  is  very  plentiful  in 
the  country  (Algeria),  this  tinder  is  abundant 
enough,  which  is  fortunate  for  those  inhabit- 
ants who  have  not  the  choice  of  other  things. 
The  following  incident  will  explain  the  man- 
ner in  which  I  became  acquainted  with  its  use 
in  this  respect : — I  happened  to  be  travelling 
in  Algeria,  with  some  Arabs  who  formed  my 
guides.  When  any  of  them  wanted  to  smoke, 
they  alighted  and  stopped  before  the  tufts  of 
Artemisia.  This  manoeuvre  by  its  frequency 
attracted  my  attention,  and  I  perceived  that  it 
was  to  take  some  of  the  cottony  substance  pro- 
duced by  the  plant,  which  they  used  in  striking 
the  steel.  This  product  o^  Artemisia  odoratis- 
sima brings  to  mind  that  o{  Artemisia  chinensis. 
I  observe  that  the  authors  who  have  spoken 
of  it  consider  it  as  a  natural  product,  or  a  sort 
of  down.  Very  likely  the  product  of  Arte- 
misia Moxa,  or   A.  chinensis,  has  the  same 


*  The  Shee  of  the  Arabs  :  but  they  give  the  same 
name  to  many  other  plants  of  the  same  genus. 

t  The  inhabitants  of  south  Spain  use  as  tinder  the 
leaves  of  Gonyza  rupestris  and  G.  saxatilis,  after 
bruising  them  in  their  hands. 


origin  as  that  of  A.  odoratissima;  because, 
apart  from  the  colour,  there  is  a  perfect  iden- 
tity in  the  nature  of  the  two  products. 

Artemisia  Moxa,  or  A.  chhiensis,  grow 
in  a  manner  very  similar  to  that  in  which  the 
African  Artemisia  is  found  ;  that  is  to  say,  in 
very  high  localities. 

The  Artemisia  vvlgaris  of  Linneeus,  com- 
mon by  our  road  sides,  called  Armoise  in 
French,  and  Bijvoet  in  Flemish,  appears  from 
a  statement  by  Professor  Morren  to  be  well 
known  in  Belgium,  owing  to  its  property  of 
producing  cotton,  which  is  frequently  used 
by  the  peasantry  as  tinder.  At  Liege  the 
children  amuse  themselves  in  separating  the 
leafy  parts,  which  they  form  into  a  kind  of 
packthread.  The  dry  leaves  are  also  some- 
times gathered  and  (in  winter)  bruised  in  the 
hands,  by  which  process  the  down  in  which  they 
abound  is  separated,  and  used  for  lighting  the 
pipes,  exactly  as  the  Arabs  use  the  fibrous 
parts  of  the  leaves  of  Artemisia  odoratissima. 
This  property  of  the  Artemisia,  though  not 
much  noticed  by  botanical  authors,  is  well 
known  among  the  inhabitants  of  Liege,  and 
the  plant  itself  is  generally  spoken  of  as  the 
"  cotton  plant."  La  order  to  ascertain  what 
this  cotton  really  was,  Professor  Morren  had 
it  prepared  in  his  presence.     He  states  : — 

"  I  was  first  shown  the  down  as  the  leaf 
was  rent  or  pulled  to  pieces.  It  is  known 
that  the  leaves  of  the  Artemisia  are  white  on 
the  under  side  ;  and  on  a  superficial  inspec- 
tion of  the  process,  one  might  think  that  by 
the  tearing,  or  rather  scalping  of  the  leaves, 
the  veins  or  tissue  are  divested  of  the  paren- 
chyma, and  that  this  net-work  of  veins  or 
tissue  worked  together  forms  the  cotton.  It 
is  well  known,  also,  that  the  Indians  in  the 
same  way  denude  the  tissue  of  the  banana 
trees,  and  manufacture  various  sorts  of  fabrics 
with  it,  such  as  mattresses,  bolsters,  mats,  and 
the  like.  But  having  made  a  very  minute 
inspection,  I  am  inclined  to  think  that  the 
tissue  of  the  Artemisia  does  not  form  a  part 
of  the  cotton  made  from  it.  In  order  to  ascer- 
tain the  real  nature  of  this  substance,  I  em- 
ployed a  microscope  in  examining  a  leaf  pre- 
pared to  that  stage  in  which  the  cotton  appears 
at  the  moment  it  is  separated  from  the  plant. 
This  microscopic  inspection  led  me  to  a  very 
instructive  study.  The  wadding-like  tissue 
appears  to  be  foi'med  of  long,  slender,  smooth, 
ribbon-like  hairs,  and  of  a  breadth  proportion- 
able to  their  thickness  ;  these  hairs  are  also 
considerably  long  and  transparent,  running 
parallel  with  each  other,  but  somewhat  twisted 
and  curved  withal.  In  some  points  where 
the  fibres  of  the  skeleton  of  the  leaf  have  been 
broken,  the  real  veins  are  perceived,  having  a 
somewhat  twisted  columnar  form,  very  regular, 
and  rather  broad  in  the  fibre.     These  veins 


LIMNANTHES    ROSEA. 


179 


are  generally  solitary  ;  and  exactly  where  the 
rent  or  cut  is  made,  some  sap  vessels  are  per- 
ceived. It  seems  very  evident  that  the  cotton 
of  Artemisia  vulgaris  is  a  sort  of  hairy  felt, 
which  makes  it  somewhat  analogous  to  the 
real  Indian  cotton,  which  is  also  composed,  as 
is  well  known,  by  the  hairs  which  cover  the 
seeds  of  the  cotton  trees.  The  similarity  be- 
tween the  two  products  is  further  increased 
by  the  form  of  the  hairs  of  these  two  orders 
of  plants  being  both  very  long  and  flat.  But 
the  real  cotton  of  the  cotton  trees  is  distin- 
guished by  the  fulness  and  broadness  of  the 
organs,  and  also  by  the  multiplicity  of  the 
cells  of  which  they  are  composed  ;  while  in 
the  Artemisia  these  cells  are  not  present,  and 
the  breadth  of  the  threads  is  scarcely  more 
than  a  tenth,  part  of  that  of  the  cotton  of  the 
cotton  trees.  Still  the  extreme  combustibility 
of  the  cotton  of  the  Artemisia  is  a  fact  which 
will  by  and  by  be  turned  to  some  useful 
account  in  manufacture.  It  may  be  somewhat 
difficult  to  say  what  it  might  be  used  for  ;  but 
its  tenacity  is  extraordinary,  and  the  length  of 
the  thread  would  allow  of  its  being  easily  pre- 
pared as  felt  cloth.  It  would  doubtless  be 
worth  while  to  examine  it  in  its  relation  to 
the  arts,  by  making  a  series  of  experiments, 
embracing  the  manufacture  of  lace,  net-work, 
or  thread.  In  a  chemical  point  of  view  it 
would  be  interesting  to  have  it  converted  into 
an  inflammable  matter,  the  explosive  power  of 
which  might  not  be  unworthy  of  examination. 
The  object  of  detailing  the  result  of  the  fore- 
going investigations,  is  to  direct  attention  to 
the  facts.  The  Artemisia  vulgaris  is  a  plant 
that  grows  in  stony  soils,  among  rubbish,  and 
in  waste  ground,  and  when  planted  in  a  rich 
loamy  soil,  it  grows  with  extraordinary  rapi- 
dity. It  is  herbaceous,  and  requires  almost 
no  attention.  It  may  therefore  be  cultivated 
with  very  little  trouble  or  expense. 


LIMNANTHES    ROSEA. 

Limnanthes  rosea,  Bentham  (rose-coloured 
Limnanthes). — Tropseolaceas  §  Limnanthese. 

We  have  had  for  some  years  in  the  gardens 
a  species  of  Limnanthus  named  Douglasii, 
which,  though  not  ranking  higher  than  a 
second-rate  plant  in  an  ornamental  point  of 
view,  was  yet  interesting  as  belonging  to  a 
natural  order  with  which  its  affinity  is  not 
very  striking.  This  our  readers  who  are  not 
botanical  adepts  will  readily  comprehend  when 
they  are  requested  to  compare  the  accompany- 
ing engraving  of  the  new  Limnanthes  with 
the  familiar  garden  plant,  the  common  Nastur- 
tium. Thus  it  is  that  botanical  affinities  are 
little  influenced  by  prima  facie  appearances. 

Both  the  species  of  Limnanthes  are  of  the 


same  habit  of  growth.  They  are  prostrate, 
succulent  herbs,  of  annual  duration.  Ini.  rosea 
the  leaves  are  very  variable  in  their  form ; 
they  are  usually  pinnate,  or  even  sometimes 
bipinnate,  with  all  the  parts  extremely  narrow; 
but  sometimes  they  have  only  a  pair  of  side 
lobes,  and  sometimes  none  whatever.  The 
blossoms,  consisting  of  five  inversely  heart- 
shaped  petals,  stand  up  on  stalks  much  longer 
than  the  leaves  ;  they  grow  singly  from  the 
axils,  and  are  described  as  being  of  a  "pale, 
dirty  rose-colour."  We  should,  however,  ima- 
gine, that  as  the  summer  of  1848,  during 
which  only  it  has  been  grown  in  England, 
was  wet,  and  unfavourable  to  the  high  deve- 
lopment of  colours,  this  plant  may  prove  in 


brighter  seasons  better  coloured  than  this 
description  would  lead  us  to  expect,  especially 
if  it  were  grown  in  a  warm,  dry  situation. 
This  seems  the  more  probable,  as  Mr.  Hart- 
weg,  the  collector  who  sent  it  to  the  Horti- 
cultural Society,  gave  it  the  name  of  pulcheUa 
(pretty),  a  name  which  has  been  rather  cava- 

N  2 


180 


SELECT    ANNUAL    FLOWERS. 


lierly  and  perhnps  hastily  set  aside  by  Mr.  brought  from  California  by  Mr.  Hartweg  in 
Bentham,  as  being  "  only  calculated  to  mis-  j  1848,  who  found  it  growing  in  swampy  places 
lead."  It  would  certainly  at  least  appear,  that  ;  in  the  Valley  of  the  Sacramento. 
in  the  dry  warm  climate  of  California  the  It  is  a  hardy  annual,  requiring  the  same 
plant  was  much  prettier  than  it  has  yet  been  j  treatment  as  other  Calif brnian  annuals.  "  Sown 
seen  in  England.  in  the  autumn,  it  flowers  in  May  ;  sown  in  the 

It  is  said  to  have  been  raised  from  seeds    spring,  it  flowers  during  the  summer." 


SELECT  ANNUAL  FLOWERS. 


The  seed-sowing  season  is  a  busy  one,  and 
especially  for  the  amateur,  who  is  perhaps  not 
perfectly  familiar  with  the  little  peculiarities 
of  the  plants  towards  which  he  is  just  about 
to  perform  the  first  act  of  culture. 

As  respects  annual  flowers,  the  popular  no- 
tions perhaps  assist  to  increase  the  perplexity 
of  the  uninitiated.  Many  popular  notions 
are  popular  delusions  ;  and  so,  it  must  be  con- 
fessed, are  the  names  and  titles  bestowed  on 
the  diiFerent  classes  into  which  custom  has 
divided  annuals.  We  hear  talk  of  hardy  an- 
nuals, of  half-hardy  annuals,  and  of  tender 
annuals  ;  but  when  we  look  at  the  plants  to 
which  these  terms  are  i-espectively  and  by 
common  consent  applied,  it  must  be  admitted, 
that  there  is  confusion  somewhere,  and  that 
the  rule  by  which  the  hardiness  of  the  plants 
is  estimated — whatever  that  rule  may  be  :  for 
it  does  not  seem  to  be  very  apparent — is  arbi- 
trary and  unsound. 

We  are  not  now  about  to  settle  this  ques- 
tion, to  which  allusion  has  properly  been  made, 
but  our  object  is  to  introduce  a  description  of 
.some  of  the  best  annuals  that  are  grown,  in 
order  to  facilitate  selection.  We  shall  say  no- 
thing about  the  hardiness  of  the  several 
plants  enumerated,  further  than  this,  that  all 
which  occur  in  this  list  may  be  managed  in 
this  respect  according  to  the  plan  of  which 
a  sketch  follows. 

The  seeds  may  be  sown  in  the  open  ground, 
either  in  patches  for  transplantation,  or  in  the 
places  where  they  are  to  bloom,  according  to 
the  habit  of  each  kind.  The  ground  should 
be  light,  and  well  wrought,  so  as  to  be  made 
fine,  that  it  may  lie  close  about  the  seeds. 
The  first  sowing  may  be  made  in  March,  and 
after  that,  successional  sowings  may  be  made 
every  month  up  to  July  ;  that  is,  if  such  a 
succession  of  plants  and  flowers  is  required. 
Those  sown  in  July  will  bloom  late  in  the 
autumn.  An  intermediate  course  is  to  sow 
in  March,  May,  and  July.  In  arranging 
them,  due  consideration  must  be  paid  to  the 
heights  attained  by  the  different  kinds,  so  that 
the  taller  ones  may  be  ranged  behind  those  of 
dwarfer  stature.  Where  this  is  not,  properly 
attended  to,  the  flower  border  must  of  neces- 
sity become  very  confused  and  disorderly.  If 
the  plants  are  sown  where  they  are  to  flower, 
the  patches  must  be  thinned,  and  this  should 


be  done  as  soon  as  ever  the  young  plants  have 
any  appearance  of  closeness,  or  of  crowding 
each  other.  The  best  mode  of  sowing  is  so 
that  the  seeds  make  a  ring,  not  less  than  six 
inches  in  diametei',  the  seeds  being  wholly 
conflned  to  the  circumference.  Never  sow 
the  seeds  too  thick  :  remember  that  three 
plants  of  the  larger  branching  subjects,  six 
of  those  of  moderate  size,  and  a  dozen  of 
those  small  plants  that  grow  upright  and 
close,  and  require  therefore  to  be  in  tufts, 
are  quite  sufficient  j  this  number  will  grow 
stronger,  be  more  healthy,  arid  produce  a 
better  display  of  flowers,  than  many  more 
would  do,  because  the  larger  quantity  would 
be  much  more  crowded.  Take  care  therefoi-e 
to  thin  well,  and  to  thin  early.  Such  plants 
as  from  their  habit  require  any  artificial  sup- 
port should  have  it  supplied  to  them  in  time, 
before  they  actually  need  it.  Delayed  atten- 
tions of  this  kind  not  unfrequently  come  too 
late. 

To  have  these  annuals  in  early  bloom,  you 
may  accelerate  them.  Sow  them  in  the  be- 
ginning of  March,  on  a  gentle  hot-bed,  either 
in  pots  or  boxes,  or  on  a  bed  of  soil.  They 
must  in  either  case  be  transplanted  when  they 
have  formed  a  pair  of  leaves  beside  the  seed- 
lobes,  and  may  be  put  either  two,  three,  or  more 
in  a  pot,  ready  to  turn  out  in  ready-made 
patches,  or  two  or  three  inches  asunder  on  " 
another  bed  of  soil,  in  either  case  having  a 
further  but  very  slight  degree  of  bottom 
heat  supplied  to  them.  By  this  plan  the  plants 
may  be  pushed  forward  so  as  to  be  had  in 
bloom  a  month  earlier  than  those  sown  at  the 
same  time  out  of  doors.  They  must  be 
covered  at  night  up  to  the  end  of  April  or 
later,  the  time  of  leaving  off  covering  being 
entirely  dependent  on  the  weather.  If  they 
are  pricked  out  on  beds  to  be  again  trans- 
planted, they  will  have  become  rather  large 
by  the  time  the  weather  will  admit  of  risking 
them  fully  exposed  ;  and  in  this  case,  they 
must  be  got  up  carefully  with  a  good  ball  of 
earth  about  their  roots,  and  well  watered  ;  the 
transplantation,  too,  is  better  done  towards 
evening,  or  in  dull  showery  weather. 

The  following  is  a  selection  of  forty  from 
among  the  best  annual  flowers  at  present 
grown.  We  do  not  offer  them  as  the  best, 
because  individual  tastes  often  differ  in  esti- 


SELECT    ANNUAL    FLOWERS. 


181 


mates  of  this  kind,  but  they  are  certainly  of 
the  best  known.  It  should  be  explained  that 
the  season  of  blooming  given  in  the  following 
notes,  contemplates  successional  sowings. 
Annuals  bloom  from  eight  to  twelve  weeks 
after  sowing  :  — 

Bartonia  a?<rea  (golden  Bartonia). — Showy 
in  large  patches  ;  habit  spreading  ;  flowers 
golden  yellow  ;  height  two  feet  ;  blooms  from 
June  to  September  ;  common  soil,  not  too 
moist, 

Brachycome  iberidifolia  (iberis-leaved 
Swan  Daisy). — Pretty  in  patches ;  habit 
branching  ;  there  are  many  varieties  in  colour 
from  blue  to  white  ;  height  one-and-a-half 
feet ;  blooms  from  June  to  August  ;  light 
sandy  soil. 

Cacalia  aurea  (golden  Cacalia). — Forms  a 
neat  edging  ;  habit  erect ;  flowers  orange- 
coloured  ;  height  nine  inches  ;  flowers  in 
July  and  Aiagust  ;  common  soil. 

Calliopsis  hicolor  (two-coloured  Calliopsis"). 
— Very  showy  in  large  borders  ;  habit  branch- 
ing ;    flowers    rich    yellow',  with    dark  eye  ;• 
height  two  feet  ;  blooms  from  July  to  Septem- 
ber ;  common  soil. 

Calliopsis  Bruvimondii  (Drummond's  Cal- 
liopsis).— Makes  a  flne  bed  ;  habit  branching  ; 
flowers  bright  deep  yellow,  with  dark  centre  ; 
height  one  foot ;  blooms  from  July  to  Sep- 
tember ;   common  soil. 

Campanula  Lorei  (Lore's  Bell-flo-wer).— 
Show^y  in  patches  ;  habit  spreading  ;  flowers 
blue,  in  a  variety,  white  ;  height  one  foot  ; 
blooms  in  July  and  August  ;  common  soil. 

Clintonia  ■pulchella   (pretty     Clintonia). — 
Very   pretty   in    patches ;    habit  spreading  ; 
flowers  three  colours,  blue  and  yellow   con- 
spicuous ;    height    six    inches  ;    blooms    from 
•June  to  September  ;  damp  peaty  soil. 

CoUinsia  (jvandijiora  (large-flowered  Col- 
linsia). — ^Pretty  for  beds  or  borders  ;  habit 
compact,  dwarf;  flowers  purple  and  blue; 
height  one  foot  ;  blooms  from  June  to  Sep- 
tember ;  common  soil. 

Collinsia  hicolor  (two-coloured  Collinsia). — ' 
Pretty  for  beds  or  borders ;  habit  erect ; 
flowers  lilac  and  white  ;  height  one  foot ; 
blooms  from  June  to  September  ;  common  soil. 
Collomia  grandiflora  (large-flowered  Col- 
lomia). — Pretty  for  borders  ;  distinct  colour  ; 
habit  erect  ;  flowers  buff-colour  ;  height  one 
foot ;  blooms  from  June  to  September  ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Convolvulus  tricolo?^  (Convolvulus  minor). 
— Vei-y  showy  in  patches  ;  habit  spreading  ; 
flowers  blue,  white,  and  yellow  ;  height  one 
foot  and  a  half;  blooms  from  June  to  Sep- 
tember ;  common  soil. 

Delphinium,  Ajacis  (dwarf  Rocket  Lark- 
spur).— Very  pretty  for  beds  or  borders  ; 
habit  erect,  spiry  ;   flowers  of  various  colours. 


blue,  slate,  rose,  white,  &c.  ;  height  one  foot  J 
blooms  from  June  to  August ;  common  soil. 

Delphinium  Consolida  (branching  Lark- 
spur).— Showy  for  borders  ;  cuts  to  advan- 
tage ;  habit  tall,  branching  ;  flowers  various — 
blue,  white,  rose,  &c.  ;  height  two  feet  ; 
blooms  from  June  to  August ;   common  soil. 

Escholtzia  crocea  (orange  Escholtzia).' — 
Very  showy  for  beds  or  borders]  habit  spread- 
ing; flowers  rich  orange-coloured  ;  height  one 
foot ;  blooms  from  July  to  September ;  common 
soil. 

Gilia  achillecefolia  (achillea-leaved  Gilia). 
— Pretty  for  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  erect  ; 
flowers  blue  ;  height  one  foot ;  blooms  from 
June  to  September  ;  common  soil. 

Oilia  tricolor  (three-coloured  Gilia). — Very 
pretty  for  beds  or  borders  ;  flowers  three- 
coloured — lilac,  yellow,  and  black  ;  height  one 
foot  ;  blooms  from  June  to  September ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Godetia  lepida  (pretty  Godetia). — Pretty 
for  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  erect,  branching  ; 
flowers  lilac  ;  height  one  foot ;  blooms  from 
June  to  September  ;  common  soil. 

Godetia  Lindleyana  (Lindley's  Godetia). — 
Pretty  for  borders  ;  habit  erect,  branching  ; 
flowers  pale  purple,  with  rose  spots  ;  height 
one  foot  and  a  half  ;  blooms  from  June  to  Sep- 
tember; common  soiL 

Godetia  tenuifolia  (slender-leaved  Godetia). 
— Pretty  for  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  erect ; 
flowers  violet  ;  height  one  foot  ;  blooms  from 
June  to  September  ;  common  soil. 

Iheris  coronaria  (white  Candytuft). — 
Showy  in  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  branching  ; 
flowers  white,  in  masses  ;  height  one  foot ; 
blooms  from  June  to  September  ;  common  soil. 

Iheris  umhellata  (purple  Candytuft). — 
Showy  for  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  branching  ; 
flowers  purple,  or  rose,  in  masses  ;  height 
one  foot  ;  blooms  from  June  to  September  ; 
common  soil. 

Ipovicea  purpurea  (Convolvulus  major). — 
A  showy  climber  ;  flowers  various  colours  ; 
height  six  to  eight  feet ;  blooms  from  July 
to  September  ;   common  soil. 

Lathyrus  odm'atus  (Sweet  Pea). — Very 
ornamental  in  patches  ;  habit  climbing ; 
flowers  various  colours  ;  height  three  to  four 
feet ;  blooms  from  July  to  September  ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Leptosiphon  androsaceus  (androsace-hke 
Leptosiphon). — Very  pretty  for  beds  or  bor- 
ders ;  habit  compact  ;  flowers  lilac  or  white  ; 
height  nine  inches  ;  blooms  from  June  to 
September ;   sandy  soil. 

Leptosiphon  densijiorus  (dense-flowered 
Leptosiphon). — Very  pretty  for  beds  or  bor- 
ders ;  habit  branching,  compact ;  flowers  light 
purple  ;  height  one  foot  ;  blooms  from  June 
to  September  ;  rich  sandy  soil. 


182 


SWAMMERDAMIA    ANTENNARIA. 


Lobelia  gracilis  (slender  Lobelia). — Very 
pretty  as  an  edging  ;  habit  spreading  ;  flowers 
blue  ;  height  six  inches ;  blooms  from  June 
to  September  ;  sandy  soil. 

Lupinus  nanus  (dwarf  Lupine).  —  Very 
pretty  for  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  spreading  ; 
flowers  blue  in  spikes  ;  height  one  foot  ; 
blooms  from  June  to  September  ;  common  soil. 

Malope  trifida  (trifid  Malope).  —  Very 
showy  in  large  borders  ;  habit  branching  ; 
flowers  crimson  ;  height  two  feet ;  blooms 
from  June  to  September  ;  common  soil. 

Matthiola  annua  (ten-weeks  Stock). — Very 
showy  in  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  branching  ; 
flowers  scarlet,  purple,  or  white  ;  height  one 
foot  and  a  half  ;  blooms  from  June  to  Septem- 
ber ;  rich  soil. 

Mesembryanthemum  pyropcBum  (three- 
coloured  Fig  Marigold).  — Very  showy  on 
sunny  rockwork,  or  beds  ;  habit  close  ;  flowers 
rose,  white,  and  dark  ;  height  six  inches ; 
blooms  from  June  to  August ;  sandy  soil. 

Nemophila  maculata  (spotted-flowered 
Nemophila). — Very  showy  ;  habit  spreading ; 
flowers  white,  with  five  purple  spots  ;  height 
one  foot;  blooms  from, June  to  September; 
common  soil. 

Nemophila  insignis  (beautiful  Nemophila). 
— Very  beautiful  in  beds  or  patches  ;  habit 
spreading  ;  flowers  blue,  and  white  centre  ; 
height  nine  inches ;  blooms  from  June  to 
September  ;  common  soil. 

Phlox  Drumviondii  (Drummond's  Phlox). 
— Beautiful  for  beds,  borders,  or  pots  ;  habit 
spreading  ;  flowers  various — crimson,  rose, 
purple,  white,  and  variegated  ;  height  one 
foot  and  a  half ;  blooms  from  July  to  Septem- 
ber ;   rich  light  soil. 

Reseda  oc^orato  (Mignonette).  — Deliciously 
odoriferous ;  habit  spreading ;  flowers  greenish; 
height  nine  inches  :  blooms  from  June  till 
October  ;   common  soil,  not  too  rich. 

Rhodanthe  Manglesii. — Beautiful,  but  deli- 
cate ;  suitable  for  a  sheltered  border,  or  pots  ; 
habit  erect,  branched  ;  flowers  rose  ;  height 
one  foot  to  one  foot  and  a  half ;  blooms  from 
July  to  September  ;  light  rich  soil. 

Schizanth'us  pinnatus  (winged-leaved  Schi- 
zanthus). — Showy  for  sheltered  borders,  or 
pots  ;  habit  erect,  branching  ;  flowers  lilac, 
purple,  and  yellow,  varying  in  different  varie- 
ties ;  height  one  foot  and  a  half ;  blooms 
from  July  to  September  ;  light  rifh  soil. 

Silene  Armeria  (Lobel's  Catchil}). — Very 
showy  in  borders  ;  habit  erect  ;  flowers  pink'; 
height  one  foot  and  a  half  ;  blooms  from  July 
to  September  ;  common  soil. 

&phenogyne  sj)eciosa  (showy  Sphenogyne). 
— Showy  for  beds  or  borders  ;  habit  erect, 
branched  ;  flowers,  orange  and  black  ;  height 
one  foot  ;  blooms  from  June  to  September  ; 
common  soil. 


Tagetes  tenuifoUa  (fine-leaved  Marigold). 
— Pretty  for  borders  ;  habit  densely  branched; 
flowers  deep  yellow  ;  height  one  foot  and  a 
half  ;  blooms  continuously  from  June  to  Sep- 
tember or  October  ;  sandy  or  poor  soil. 

Tropceohim  minus  (dwarf  Nasturtium). — 
Showy  in  patches  ;  habit  climbing  and  trail- 
ing ;  flowers  orange-coloured ;  height  two 
feet  ;  blooms  from  July  to  September. 


SWAMMERDAMIA    ANTENNARIA.~ 

Swammerdamia  antennaria,  De  Candolle 
(antenniK  -  seeded  Swammerdamia).  —  Aster- 
acese  §  Tubuliflorege-Helichryseas. 

This  is  a  small  hardy  evergreen  shrub,  but 
beyond  this,  and  its  neat  habit  and  appear- 


ance, it  has  little  to  recommend  it.  It  has 
however  some  interest,  as  being  an  addition 
to  the  very  i'ew  truly  shrubby  hardy  plants  of 
the  natural  family  of  CompositsD  (Asteracese), 
which  exist  in  English  gardens. 

It  is,  as  just  stated,  a  shrub.  In  size  it  is 
small,  the  plants  being  at  present  not  more 
than  three  feet  high.  In  habit  it  is  compact, 
being  thickly  set  with  leaves  and  small 
branches,  which  latter  are  angular  and  viscid. 
The  leaves  are  obovate,  sometimes  with  a 
little  point,  and  others  perfectly  blunt  ;  there 


THE    BOOK    or    LIME. 


183 


is  a  little  mealiness  on  the  under  surface  when 
they  are  in  a  young  state  ;  at  the  largest  they 
are  not  more  than  an  inch  in  length,  and  they 
are  usually  smaller  than  this ;  they  are  de- 
scribed as  being  veinless  and  concave.  The 
flower  heads — which  individually  somewhat 
resemble  those  of  the  groundsel,  only  of  a 
difierent  colour,  being  white — are  collected 
together  in  bunches,  at  the  top  of  short  lateral 
shoots  ;  botanically  speaking,  they  are  said  to 
be  collected  in  little  lateral  corymbose  pani- 
cles. These  clusters  of  small  flowers  add  but 
little  to  the  beauty  of  the  plant,  which  resides 
chiefly  in  the  foliage. 

The  plant  is  a  native  of  Van  Diemen's 
Land.  It  there  grows  on  the  sides  of  Mount 
Wellington,  producing  its  flowers  through  the 
first  three  months  of  the  year.  In  our  gar- 
dens its  blossoms  are  produced  later,  being 
perfected  in  the  summer  season.  It  is  culti- 
vated in  the  Horticultural  Society's  garden. 

The  very  simplest  culture  is  all  that  it 
requires.  The  ordinary  soil  of  the  garden  is 
sufiiciently  good  for  its  support.  Whenever 
young  plants  may  be  required,  they  are  to  be 
obtained  without  any  difiiculty  by  means  of 
cuttings. 

The  specific  name,  a7ite?inaria,  appears  to 
have  been  given  in  allusion  to  some  fancied 
resemblance  to  the  attennaj  of  an  insect  dis- 
covered in  the  pappus  or  appendage  to  the 
seed. 


THE    BOOK   OF    LIME.* 

We  have  had  "  The  Book  of  the  Farm," 
and  many  other  works  of  a  practical  nature, 
but  nothing  more  important,  more  useful,  nor 
more  practical  than  this  volume  on  the  use  of 
lime  in  agriculture.  The  application  of  lime 
has  been  a  sort  of  mechanical  process  adopted 
in  many  districts,  because  the  predecessors  of 
the  present  race  did  so  of  old  ;  and  because  it 
is  attended  with  success  in  one  place,  hun- 
dreds have  followed  the  example  in  other 
places,  without  the  smallest  consideration  as 
to  whether  it  was  good  or  bad,  or  simply  use- 
less. It  was  of  the  highest  consequence, 
therefore,  to  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
nature  and  probable  effects  of  all  lime  appli- 
cations, and  of  the  different  characters  of  the 
land  on  which  such  an  addition  would  be 
profitable  or  otherwise.  The  author  might 
have  called  his  book  "  the  natural  history  of 
lime,"  for  he  describes  it  in  all  the  varied 
states  of  carbonate,  sulphate,  phosphate,  sili- 
cate, and  nitrate ;  makes  us  acquainted  with 
all  its  varieties   and  combinations;    and  in- 


*  "  On  the  Use  of  Lime  in  Agriculture."  By  James 
F.  W.  Johnston,  M.A.,  F.E.SS.L.  &  E.,  F.G.S.  Black- 
wood &  Sons;  London  and  Edinburgh,  1849. 


structs  us  in  all  the  many  ways  in  which  it  is 
successfully  or  otherwise  applied  ;  tells  us 
when  it  ought  and  ought  not  to  be  used,  and 
the  best  modes  of  using  it,  and  the  effects  of 
an  "overdose"  of  it;  and  shows  us  its  action 
as  a  chemical  constituent  of  the  soil;  notwith- 
standing that  he  says,  '"Icannot  pretend  to  have 
cleared  up  everything  in  connexion  with  the 
use  of  this  valuable  fertilizing  agent,  but  I  have 
been  able  to  introduce  as  much  true  and  plain 
matter  as  will,  I  think,  well  repay  any  young 
farmer  who  may  devote  a  couple  of  weeks  to 
the  perusal  of  this  little  work."  It  is  not  a 
little  astounding  to  read  of  the  universality 
of  this  mineral  over  the  surface  of  the  globe, 
and  the  thousand  and  one  states  in  which  it  is 
found.  We  have  found  it,  according  to  the 
natural  history  of  crustaceous  animals,  form- 
ing coral  mountains,  which  are  gradually 
built  from  the  bottom  of  the  ocean,  until  they 
form  the  rocks  on  which  the  largest  vessels 
are  split,  exemplifying 

"  What  great  events  from  little  causes  spring." 
But  here  we  have  lime  in  still  more  minute 
particles,  and  still  more  wondrous  forms.     In 
page  17  we  read — 

"  A  fine  chalky  mud  collects  at  the  bottom 
of  a  lake,  and  we  fancy  it  must  consist  of 
minute  particles  of  carbonate  of  lime,  which 
have  formerly  been  held  in  solution  by  the 
water,  and  have  been  separated  from  it  by 
some  merely  mechanical  or  chemical  form  of 
deposition.  But  put  a  little  of  tliis  mud 
under  the  microscope,  and  it  is  instantly  seen 
to  consist  of  myriads  of  minute  shells,  the 
former  residences  of  creatures  far  too  small 
for  the  human  eye  to  perceive.  Take  up  now 
a  drop  of  the  transparent  and  apparently  pure 
water,  and  dry  it  upon  a  bit  of  glass,  a  white 
stain  will  be  left  almost  invisible  to  the  naked 
eye.  But  examine  this  stain  by  the  aid  of  the 
microscope,  and  in  it  will  be  recognised  many 
of  the  same  forms  as  were  previously  dis- 
covered in  the  marl. 

"  Thus  those  minute  animals  still  live, 
still  swarm  in  the  waters.  It  is  their  invi- 
sible shells  which,  as  generation  after  gene- 
ration died,  have  collected  in  such  vast  quan- 
tities as  to  form  beds  of  marl  of  many  feet  in 
thickness. 

"  To  these  minute  creatures  the  name  of 
infusorial  animals  has  been  given.  Some  of 
them  are  so  minute,  that  a  cubic  inch  of  stone 
has  been  calculated  to  contain  the  remains  of 
forty-one  thousand  millions  of  them — and  yet 
deposits  composed  almost  entirely  of  such  re- 
mains have  been  met  with  of  twenty  and 
thirty  feet  in  thickness.  How  very  striking 
it  is  to  find  the  united  labours  of  these  invi- 
sible creatures  capable  of  producing  such 
extraordinary  effects  !  How  very  little  we 
really  know  of  what  is  going  on  around  us  i 


184 


THE    BOOK    OV    LIME. 


"  Thus  marl  beds  of  fi-esh  water  origin 
may  be  produced  by  mechanical  deposition 
caused  by  the  gradual  evaporation  of  water 
containing  lime,  —  by  chemical  deposition 
when  the  carbonic  acid  by  which  it  is  held  in 
solution  is  given  off  into  the  air,  or  decom- 
posed by  the  sunshine — by  the  accumulation 
of  the  dried  shells  of  visible  animals  which 
have  lived  in  the  water, — and  by  the  depo- 
sition of  the  minute  shields  and  shells  of 
invisible  creatures  which  float  in  countless 
numbers  in  every  stagnant  pool.  Of  these 
causes  the  last  is  probably  the  most  extensively 
l>revalent,  and  that  by  which  the  largest  depo- 
sits of  marl  have  been  produced." 

A  very  interesting  chapter  forms  an  answer 
to  the  question  which  precedes  it — "  Is  lime 
indispensable  to  the  fertility  of  the  soil  V  A 
question  which  there  is  no  difficulty  in  answer- 
ing in  the  affirmative  ;  but  to  answer  it  so  as  to 
carry  conviction  to  the  mind  of  the  inquirer 
is  rendering  a  double  service.  As  the  author 
says,  truly  enough,  "the  ])ractical  farmer  in 
nearly  all  countries  has  been  accustomed  to 
add  lime  to  the  soil,  but  can  lime  not  be 
dispensed  with  ?  Is  there  no  improved  mode 
of  culture  by  which  the  Uhe  of  lime  may  be 
superseded  ?  There  are  several  considerations 
from  which  an  answer  may  be  drawn  to  this 
question,"  and  we  will  take  the  authoi-'s  words 
as  the  best : — 

"  P.  Extensive  and  prolonged  experience 
has  shown  that  the  fertility  of  many  soils  is 
increased  by  the  regular  addition  of  lime — 
and  that  if  it  be  for  a  series  of  years  withheld, 
such  soils  become  incapable  of  producing 
luxuriant  crops. 

"  2°.  All  naturally  fertile  soils  are  found 
upon  analysis  to  contain  a  notable  proportion 
of  lime  ;  while  in  many  of  those  yv^hich  are 
naturally  unproductive,  the  proportion  of  lime 
is  comparatively  small. 

"  3".  A  naturally  productive  soil,  even 
though  regularly  manured,  is  often  found, 
after  long  cropjiing,  to  become  incapable  of 
growing  particular  crops  in  an  abundant  or 
healthy  manner.  On  analysis,  these  soils  are 
not  unfrequently  found  to  contain  only  a  very 
small  proportion  of  lime;  After  an  addition 
of  lime  to  such  soils,  it  is  often  observed  that 
the  diseased  or  failing  crops  grow  again 
healthily  and  in  abundance. 

"  4°.  Lime  is  often  added  to  one  part  of  a 
farm  without  producing  any  visible  effect, 
while  upon  another  it  greatly  increases  the 
produce.  In  such  cases,  a  chemical  analysis 
not  unfrequently  shows  that  those  soils  or 
fields  on  which  it  produces  no  effec't  already 
contain  a  sufficient  supply  of  lime. 

"  Thus  barren  sandy  soils  often  admit  of 
profit-able  cultivation  after  lime  has  been  added 
— clay  Svjils  in  which  no  lime  can  be  detected 


are  often  entirely  changed  by  the  addition  of 
lime.  So,  also,  it  may  be  laid  with  profit 
upon  soils  formed  from  decaying  granite, 
while  it  is  frequently  thrown  away  when 
applied  to  soils  of  decayed  trap.  This  is 
chiefly  because  the  gi'anite  contains  little  lime 
naturally,  while  the  trap  rocks  abound  in  it. 

"  These  practical  considerations  all  lead  to 
the  conclusion  th-At  lime  is  really  indispensable 
to  the  fertility  of  the  soil." — Pp.  54,  55. 

The  author  next  discusses  the  subject  of 
how  much  and  how  little  may  or  ought  to  be 
present  in  the  soil,  and  this  is  perhaps  the 
most  interesting  part  of  the  work,  for  doubt- 
less there  has  been  enormous  labour  lost  in 
the  profitless  application  of  lime  where  it  was 
not  wanting.  Upon  this  subject  the  author 
says  — 

"  It  is  an  exceedingly  difficult  point  to 
determine  the  limits  within  which  the  pro- 
portion of  lime  in  a  soil  ought  to  be  kept  in 
order  to  maintain  the  highest  degree  of  fer- 
tility. So  much  depends  upon  the  propor- 
tions of  the  other  ingredients  of  the  soil — 
upon  the  quantity  of  sand,  of  clay,  or  of 
vegetable  matter  it  contains — that  the  pecu- 
liar nature  of  almost  every  soil  would  i"equii-e 
to  be  studied  in  order  to  know  how  much 
lime  it  ought  to  contain,  or  how  much  may 
be  safely  added  to  it  with  the  hope  of  a  pro- 
fitable return.  Sandy  and  peaty  soils,  when 
dry,  require  less  than  such  as  are  naturally 
heavy  or  undrained. 

"  "We  know  that  the  limits  are  really  very 
wide  within  which  the  proportion  of  lime  in 
the  land  may  be  kept  without  preventing  it 
from  growing  good  crops.  But  there  are 
three  questions  in  regard  to  these  limits,  to 
which  the  practical  man  is  interested  in  ob- 
taining satisfactory  answers.  How  rnucli  may 
be  present  in  the  soil,'  or  how  little,  without 
rendering  it  unproductive,  and  what  propor- 
tion ought  to  be  present,  in  order  to  make  it 
fertile  in  the  highest  degree. 

"  1°.  How  MUCH  viay  be  joreseiit? — I  have 
already  alluded  to  the  practice  of  deep  plough- 
ing in  the  chalk  soils  of  Surrey  and  tlie 
neighbouring  counties.  When  five  to  seven 
inches  of  pure  chalk  are  brought  up  and 
mixed  with  an  upper  soil  only  six  inches 
deep,  it  is  obvious  that  the  quantity  of  car- 
bonate of  lime  in  the  mixed  soil  must  be  very 
great.  And  if  these  soils  so  deepened  become, 
under  skilful  management,  more  productive 
than  before,  it  is  obvious  that  the  presence  of 
a  very  large  proportion  of  carbonate  of  lime 
will  not  prevent  a  soil  from  yielding  good 
crops. 

"  Through  the  kindness  of  Mr.  Davis,  in 
sending  me  a  portion  of  the  surface  soil  of 
such  an  improved  chalk  field,  near  Croydon, 
I  have  been  enabled  to  analyze  it,  aud  have 


THE    BOOK    OF    LIME. 


185 


found  it  to  contain  41  per  cent,  of  carbonate 
of  lime  in  the  form  of  crumbled  chalk. 

"  The  natural  soil  of  the  plains  of  Athens, 
lately  sent  me  for  analysis,  contains  also 
nearly  as  much  lime,  as  appears  in  the  follow- 
ing results  ; — 

SOIL    FKOM    THE    PLAINS    OF   ATHENS. 

Orgaaic  matter 5"75 

Salts,   soluble   in  water   (common    salt 

and  sulphate  of  soda) 0'20 

Sulphate  of  lime  (gypsum) O'lS 

Oxide  of  iron 2-91 

Alumina  (soluble  in  acids) 2-3-5 

Carbonate  of  lime 88"08 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 073 

Phosphate  of  lime 0-033 

Insoluble  siliceous  matter 50-33 

100-563 


"  This  soil  firoduces  excellent  crops  of 
wheat,  but  is  liable  when  the  dry  season 
comes  to  be  covered  over  with  a  crust  of 
saline  matter  which  prevents  it  from  growing 
grass. 

"  2".  Horn  LITTLE  may  he  present .? — It  is 
moi"e  difficult  to  say  how  little  lime  may  be 
^'  present  without  materially  affecting  the  fer- 
tility of  the  soil.  The  nature  of  the  surface 
and  under  soil  of  a  field,  the  circumstances  in 
which  the  field  is  placed,  and  the  kind  of 
cropping  to  which  it  is  subjected,  all  mate- 
rially affect  this  question. 

"  a.  If  the  upper  soil  abound  in  vegetable 
matter,  the  proportion  of  lime  cannot  be  dimi- 
nished to  so  great  a  degree  witliout  affecting 
its  fei'tility — while  if  under  the  soil  abound  in 
lime,  so  large  a  proportion  may  not  be  abso- 
lutely necessary  in  the  surface. 

"  &.  The  circumstances  in  which  the  field 
is  placed  will  influence  the  proportion  of  lime 
that  is  absolutely  necessary.  Thus,  if  springs 
arise  in  it  the  waters  of  which  contain  lime, 
or  if  wa^-ers  impregnated  with  lime  flow  from 
the  adjacent  rocks  or  hills,  as  in  the  forma- 
tion of  marl  beds,  or  if  the  yeai'ly  rains  wash 
down  into  it  from  the  higher  grounds  the 
lime  which  they  contain — these  circumstances 
may  give  such  a  constant  supply  of  lime  to 
the  land,  as  to  render  unnecessary  the  per- 
manent presence  of  a  large  proportion  in  the 
soil  of  the  field  itself.  It  is  necessary  that 
the  effect  of  slich  local  circumstances  should 
be,  in  all  cases,  taken  into  account,  otherwise 
analysis  might  sometimes  lead  us  to  suppose, 
and  no  doubt  has  led  some  to  suppose,  that  a 
much  smaller  proportion  of  lime  may  be  pre- 
Sinit  without  injury  to  the  soil,  than  is  really 
required — where  no  such  supplies  are  natu- 
rally brought  into  it — to  keep  it  in  an  average 
state  of  fertilit3^ 

"  Thus,  Sprengel  found  upon  analysis  that 
the  rich  marsh  lands  of  Holstein  and  East 
Frieslaud  contained  only  a  minute  proportion 


of  carbonate  of  lime — the  marsh  lands  of  Hol- 
stein, only  0'2,  or  one-fifth  per  cent.  ;  the  salt 
marches  of  East  Fricsland  0'6,  or  three -fifths 
per  cent. 

"  But  we  should  be  wrong  were  we  to  con- 
clude that  because  these  lands  bore  rich  and 
fattening  pastures,  therefore,  this  small  pro- 
portion of  lime  is  sufficient  to  make  every 
land  bear  good  grass.  The  floodings  to  which 
these  lands  are  subject,  or  the  supplies  of 
water  that  are  constantly  brought  into  them 
from  beneath,  no  doubt  contribute,  in  a  consi- 
derable degree,  to  the  permanent  richness  of 
the  grass  they  bear. 

"  It  appears,  however,  from  these  analyses 
that,  under  certain  circumstances,  a  very 
small  proportion  indeed  may  be  sufficient  to 
keep  the  land  in  a  state  of  permanent  fer- 
tility. 

"  c.  But  something  also  depends  upon  the 
kind  of  crops  we  wish  or  continue  to  grow. 
It  is  possible  that  grass  land  may  require  less 
lime  than  arable  lands,  because  the  roots  of 
the  grasses  are  small,  branch  out  in  every 
direction,  so  as  to  come  into  contact  with  a 
large  proportion  of  the  soil,  and  remain  in 
the  land  the  whole  year  through,  collecting 
their  food  I'rom  the  soil.  A  field  of  old  grass 
land  in  the  neighbouriiood  of  Durham,  I  found 
to  contain  1'3  per  cent,  of  carbonate  of  lime. 

"  Yet  when  such  land  is  ploughed  up, 
though  it  may  give  one  or  more  good  crops  by 
the  aid  of  the  decaying  vegetable  matter  of 
the  turf,  it  will  soon  refuse  to  grow  healthy 
crops  of  corn  or  oats,  and  certainly  large 
green  crops,  unless  lime  be  added  in  greater 
or  less  proportion.  I  have  already  alluded  to 
the  fact  that  crops  become  diseased — grow  up 
perhaps  well  at  first,  but  afterwards  assume  a 
sickly  appearance,  or  fail  altogether — when 
the  proportion  of  lime  in  a  soil  becomes  very 
small.  This  is  true  of  every  kind  of  soil  in 
almost  every  part  of  the  world,  and  in  refer- 
ence to  almost  every  crop.  The  first  of  the 
following  soils  was  sent  to  me  with  the  state- 
ment that  for  four  rotations  the  turnips  had 
come  up  well,  but  in  the  autumn  had  always 
become  diseased,  rotted,  and  fciiled,  and  a 
remedy  was  asked — on  the  second,  barley 
came  up  well,  but  afterwards  failed-— on  the 
third  plantains  refused  to  grow — 


PINKIE. 

LYNEDOCH.        J 

FAMAIC 

Soil. 

Subsoil. 

Orsranic  matter .     .     . 

.       6-69 

10-03 

2-05 

9-59 

Salts  soluble  in  water 

.       1  07 

trace 

trace 

116 

Oxide  of  iron      .     .     . 
Alumina 

•}    6-91 

/3-02 
12-56 

5-12 
2-23 

3-21 
116 

Sulphate  of  lime     .     . 

0-44 

0-14 

Carbonate  of  lime  .     . 

.       0-31 

0-30 

0-37 

0-38 

Carbonate  of  magnesia 

.     trace 

trace 

trace 

trace 

Oxide  of  manganese   . 

.      0-24 



0  07 

Siliceous  matter     .     . 

.     84-58 
99-80 

83-37 

88-20 
98-11 

84-31 

99-72 

99-88 

"  In  all  these  soils,  and  especially  in  the 
first  and  third,  the  j)roportion  of  lime  is  very 


THE    BOOK    OF    LTME. 


small,  and  "though  each  case  required  other 
special  remedies  also,  I  recommended,  among 
the  measures  to  be  taken  with  the  view  of 
rendering  them  productive,  the  addition  of 
lime  in  one  form  or  another  to  them  all. 

"  I  consider,  therefore,  that  these  soils  con- 
tained less  than  arable  land  which  derives  no 
supply  from  any  natural  source  ought  to  con- 
tain, if  it  is  to  produce  healthy  and  abundant 
crops. 

"  3°.  How  much  ought  to  he  present? — To 
maintain  a  soil  in  the  highest  state  of  fertility, 
it  is  not  necessary  that  it  should  contain  so 
much  as  was  found  in  the  chalk  and  Athenian 
soils  above  described,  nor  so  little  as  was  pre- 
sent on  those  from  Pinkie,  Lynedoch,  and 
Jamaica.  These  soils  which  are  naturally 
most  fertile,  in  all  our  cultivated  crops, 
usually  contain  a  considerably  larger  quantity 
than  was  present  in  these  latter  soils, — while 
those  which  naturally  contain  so  small  a  pro- 
portion are  almost  universally  improved  by 
an  addition  of  lime.  Still,  scarcely  any  pro- 
portion can  be  stated  which  will  be  really  the 
most  advantageous  for  any  considerable  num- 
ber of  different  soils.  As  a  matter  of  opinion, 
however,  I  may  state  that  I  believe  there  are 
few  soils  to  which  lime,  in  the  proportion  of, 
or  in  quantity  equal  to,  three  per  cent,  of  the 
carbonate  will  be  too  much  — while,  on  the 
other  hand,  there  are  not  many  in  which  it 
will  be  of  advantage  to  increase  the  proportion 
of  carbonate  beyond  from  six  to  ten  per  cent. 
— 2)rovided  this  carbonate  he  in  a  sufficiently 
minute  state  of  division. 

"  So  much,  however,  as  I  have  already 
said,  depends  upon  the  nature  of  the  soil, — its 
locality,  its  stiffness,  the  state  of  drainage, 
the  proportion  of  vegetable  matter  and  of 
oxide  of  iron  it  contains,  and  upon  the  state 
of  chemical  combination  and  of  mechanical 
division  in  which  the  lime  exists  in  the  soil, — 
that  I  should  consider  it  necessary  to  inquire 
into  all  these  circumstances  in  each  special 
case  before  I  ventured  to  give  a  decided  opi- 
nion, as  to  the  expenditure  of  lime  and  money 
for  which  a  profitable  return  was  likely  to  be 
obtained."— Pp.  55—60. 

The  mechanical  effects  of  lime  upon  the 
land  are  easily  explained,  as  well  also  as  the 
chemical  changes  which  it  makes.  It  opens 
and  renders  more  free  all  stiff  and  clayey 
soils,  and  consolidates  such  as  are  light  and 
sandy,  and  we  are  informed  by  the  author, 
that  in  some  districts  it  stiffens  one  half  as 
much  as  clay  would.  With  regard  to  its 
chemical  effects,  it  increases  the  fertility  of 
all  lands  in  which  lime  does  n'ot  already 
abound,  and  adds  to  the  productiveness  of 
such  as  are  moist,  tenacious,  or  abound  in 
vegetable  matter  ;  and  some  clays  which  will 
not  produce  without  lime,  will  bring  luxuriant 


crops  of  wheat  with  a  moderate  application.  It 
lessens  the  cost  of  manure  by  rendering  the 
smaller  quantity  more  effective.  We  are  told 
by  the  author  that  land,  of  the  annual  value 
of  five  shillings  per  acre  has  been  rendered 
worth  thirty  or  forty  shillings  by  the  applica- 
tion of  lime  alone.  This  is  mentioned  on  the 
authority  of  a  gentleman  of  considerable  prac- 
tical experience.  Sir  John  Sinclair,  who  men- 
tions large  tracts,  on  the  northern  slopes  of 
hill  land  above  the  Laigh  of  Moray,  that  have 
been  tripled  in  value  by  the  use  of  lime.  The 
effects  of  lime  on  the  crops  themselves  are 
explained  at  some  length,  and  they  are  so  im- 
portant that  we  must  quote  the  section  whole. 
"  1°.  It  alters  the  natural  produce  of  the  land, 
by  killing  some  kinds  of  plants  and  favouring 
the  growth  of  others,  the  seeds  of  which  had 
befoi'e  lain  dormant.  Thus  it  destroys  the 
plants  which  are  natural  to  siliceous  soils  and 
to  moist  and  marshy  places.  From  the  corn- 
field it  extirpates  the  corn-marigold  (^Chrys- 
anthemum segetum),  while,  if  added  in  ex- 
cess, it  encourages  the  red  poppy,  the  yellow 
cow-wheat  {^JSlelamipyrum  pratense),  and  the 
yellow  rattle  {Rhinanthus  crista  galli),  and 
when  it  has  sunk,  favours  the  growth  of  the 
troublesome  and  deep-rooted  coltsfoot. 

"  Similar  effects  are  produced  upon  the 
natural  grasses.  It  kills  heath,  moss,  and 
sour  and  benty  (agrostis)  grasses,  and  brings 
up  a  sweet  and  tender  herbage,  mixed  with 
white  and  red  clovers,  more  greedily  eaten  by, 
and  more  nourishing  to,  the  cattle.  Indeed 
all  fodder,  whether  natural  or  artificial,  is  said 
to  be  sounder  and  more  nourishing  when 
grown  upon  land  to  which  lime  has  been 
abundantly  applied. 

"  On  benty  grass  the  richest  animal  manure 
often  produces  little  improvement  until  a 
dressing  of  lime  has  been  applied.  This  is 
especially  the  case  when  lime  is  laid  upon  land 
for  the  first  time.  The  physical  improvement, 
even,  is  so  marked  that  in  some  instances  it  is 
said  the  mere  saving  of  labour  in  ploughing 
up  would  be  sufficient  to  compensate  a  farmer 
for  liming,  were  no  other  benefit  derived  from 
the  application — from  the  more  perfect  and 
economical  manner  in  which  be  would  be  able 
to  work  his  land. 

"  It  is  partly  in  consequence  of  the  change 
which  it  thus  produces  in  the  nature  of  the 
herbage,  that  the  application  of  quick  lime  to 
old  grass  lands,  sometimes  before  breaking  up, 
is  found  to  be  so  useful  a  practice.  The  coarse 
grasses  being  destroyed,  tough  grass  land  is 
opened  and  softened,  and,  as  I  have  said,  is 
afterwards  more  easily  worked,  while,  when 
turned  over  by  the  plough,  the  sod  sooner 
decays  and  enriches  tlie  soil.  It  is  another 
advantage  of  this  practice,  however,  that  the 
lime  has  time  to  diffuse  itself  through  the  soil. 


GEAETING    AND    INAUCHING.- 


187 


and  to  induce  somft  of  those  mechanical  changes 
by  which  the  succeeding  crops  of  corn  are  so 
greatly  benefited. 

"  2°.  It  improves  the  quality  of  almost  every 
cultivated  crop.     Thus,  upon  limed  land — 

"a.  The  grain  of  the  corn  crops  has  a 
thinner  skin,  is  heavier,  and  yields  more 
flour.  This  flour  is  said  also  to  be  richer  in 
gluten,  a  point  however  which  is  very  doubt- 
ful, and  requires  experimental  confirmation. 
On  the  other  hand,  these  crops,  after  lime, 
run  less  to  straw,  and  are  more  seldom  laid. 
In  wet  seasons  (in  Ayrshire)  wheat  preserves 
its  healthy  appearance  where  lime  has  been 
applied,  while  on  unlimed  land,  of  equal  qua- 
lity, it  is  yellow  and  sickly.  A  more  marked 
improvement  is  said  also  to  be  produced  both 
in  the  quantity  and  in  the  quality  of  the 
spring-sown  than  of  the  winter-sown  crops 
(Puvis).  It  hardens  the  straw  and  makes  the 
wheat  a  finer  sample. 

"  h.  Potatos  grown  upon  all  soils  are  more 
agreeable  to  the  taste  and  more  mealy  after 
lime  has  been  applied,  and  this  is  especially 
the  case  on  heavy  and  wet  lands  which  lie  still 
undrained. 

"  c.  Turnips  are  often  improved  both  in 
quantity  and  in  quality  when  it  is  laid  on  in 
preparing  the  ground  for  the  seed.  It  is 
most  efficient,  and  causes  the  greatest  saving 
of  farm-yard  manure  where  it  is  applied  in  the 
compost  form,  and  where  the  land  is  already 
rich  in  organic  matter  of  various  kinds. 

"  d.  Peas  are  grown  more  pleasant  to  the 
taste,  and  are  said  to  be  more  easily  boiled 
soft.  Both  beans  and  peas  also  yield  more 
grain.  (See  Brit.  Hush.,  I.,  p.  217.) 

"e.  Hape,  after  a  half-Ywaiug  and  manuring, 
gives  extraordinary  crops,  and  the  same  is  the 
case  with  the  colza,  the  seed  of  which  is 
largely  raised  in  France  and  Holland  for  the 
oil  which  it  yields. 

^^f.  On  fax  alone  it  is  injurious,  diminish- 
ing the  strength  of  the  fibre.  Hence,  in  Bel- 
gium, flax  is  not  grown  on  limed  land  till 
seven  years  after  the  lime  has  been  applied. 
Something,  however,  depends  upon  the  soil. 

"3°.  It  hastens  the  maturity  of  the  crop. — 
It  is  true  of  nearly  all  our  cultivated  crops, 
but  especially  of  those  of  corn,  that  their  full 
growth  is  attained  more  speedily  when  the  land 
is  limed,  and  that  they  are  ready  for  the  harvest 
from  ten  to  fourteen  days  earlier.  This  is  the 
case  even  with  buck-wheat,  which  becomes 
sooner  ripe,  though  it  yields  no  larger  a  return 
when  lime  is  applied  to  the  land  on  which  it 
is  grown. 

"  4°.  The  liming  of  the  land  is  the  har- 
binger of  health  as  well  as  of  abundance.  It 
salubrifies  no  less  than  it  enriches  the  well 
cultivated  district.  This  is  one  of  the  inci- 
dental results  which  also   follow  the  skilful 


introduction  of  the  drain  over  large  tracts  of 
country.  Where  the  use  of  lime  and  of  the 
drain  go  together,  it  is  difficult  to  say  how 
much  of  the  increased  healthiness  of  the  dis- 
tx'ict  is  due  to  the  one  improvement,  and  how 
much  to  the  other.  The  lime  arrests  the 
noxious  efiiuvia  which  tend  to  rise  more  or 
less  from  every  soil  at  certain  seasons  of  the 
year,  and  decomposes  them  or  causes  their 
elements  to  assume  new  forms  of  chemical 
combination,  in  which  they  no  longer  exert 
the  same  injurious  influence  upon  animal  life. 
How  beautiful  a  consequence  of  skilful  agri- 
culture that  the  health  of  the  community 
should  be  promoted  by  the  same  methods 
which  most  largely  increase  the  produce  of 
the  land  !  Can  we  doubt  that  the  All'bene- 
volent  places  this  consequence  so  plainly  be- 
fore us  as  a  stimulus  to  further  and  more 
general  improvement — to  the  application  of 
other  knowledge  still  to  the  amelioration  of 
the  soil  ?"— Pp.  109—112. 

The  entire  volume  consists  of  useful  lessons, 
instructing  us  in  the  application  of  lime  in  all 
its  varied  combinations,  with  and  without 
other  manures,  and  in  the  effects  under  varied 
circumstances,  whether  pure,  or  as  it  exists 
in  various  animal  and  vegetable  bodies.  Bones 
and  those  applications  are  treated  of  at  consi- 
derable length,  on  account  of  the  large  por- 
tion of  lime  in  their  composition,  and  all  the 
various  soils  and  dressings  that  contain  lime 
in  any  form  come  in  for  their  share  of  notice  ; 
and  certain  it  is  that  after  reading  Mr.  John- 
ston's volume,  many  will  have  become  "■  wiser 
if  not  better  men."  No  persons  who  have  not 
studied  the  subject  can  form  an  idea  of  the 
value  of  lime  as  a  fertilizer,  nor  can  they 
imagine  how  completely  it  is  identified  with 
all  good  soils,  nor  how  universally  it  en- 
ters into  the  composition  of  vegetables,  how 
insidiously  it  finds  its  way  naturally  to  the 
earth  by  means  of  the  water  that  runs  over 
the  lands  that  are  flooded,  and  even  in  rain 
water.  But  it  is  time  we  draw  our  notice  to 
a  close,  which  we  do  with  a  strong  recom- 
mendation to  all  who  till  the  land,  nursery- 
men as  well  as  husbandmen,  to  read  the  book 
attentively,  for  it  cannot  fail  to  be  of  the 
gi'eatest  service,  however  much  they  may 
know,  or  think  they  know  already,  of  this 
valuable  ingredient  in  the  provision  for  vege- 
tation of  all  kinds. 


GRAFTING    AND    INAECHING. 

So  many  books  and  papers  have  been  written 
on  this  subject  that  it  would  seem  superfluous 
to  take  up  the  subject  again  at  any  length  ; 
but  the  short  and  pithy  articles  in  Glenny's 
Garden  Almanac  have  drawn  notices  from 
several  practical  men,  and  as  they  are  considered 


188 


GRAFTING    AND    INARCHING. 


perfect  in  their  way,  we  give  them  with  their 
illustrations.  The  latter  are  far  more  re- 
markable for  their  usefulness  than  for  their 
high  finish.  Perhaps  there  has  not  appeared 
a  more  brief  and  plain  matter-of-fact  series  of 
insti'uctions  on  the  subject  than  the  papers  we 
allude  to  contain  ;  but  with  the  permission  of 
the  proprietors,  we  have  copied  the  illustra- 
tions as  well  as  the  article,  and  they  must 
speak  for  themselves. 

GRAFTING. 

There  are  certain  trees,  belonging  to  cer- 
tain families,  that  grow  much  stronger  than 
any  of  the  finer  sorts.  The  crab  apple,  for 
instance,  is  more  vigorous  than  the  golden 
pippin  ;  the  almond  is  more  robust  than  the 
peach  ;  the  wild  plum  is  stronger  than  the 
green  gage  ;  and  the  same  may  be  observed 
through  all  classes  of  trees.  The  wild  kinds 
form  capital  stocks  whereon  to  graft  the  more 
delicate.  The  whole  art  of  grafting  consists 
in  making  a  twig  or  scion  cut  ofi:"  from  one 
tree  to  fit  the  wood  of  another,  and  that  other 
is  always  called  the  stock.  If  it  be  very  much 
larger  than  the  scion,  there  are  sevei'al  ways 
of  grafting  ;  one  is  by'  cutting  a  flat  sloping 
place  in  the  stock,  and  a  flat  place  on  the 
scion,  and  fastening  the  scion  to  one  side  of 
the  slope,  so  that  the  barks  meet,  (No.  1,)  and 


the  union  will  take  place.  Another  is,  to  cut 
the  scion  to  an  angle,  like  two  sides  of  a  tri- 
angle, and  leave  the  bark  on  the  third  side  ; 
then,  with  a  sharp  knife,  cut  an  angle  in  the 
stock  to  receive  it,  (No,  2.)  This  makes  a 
very  complete  graft.  Instead  of  sloping,  the 
stock  may  be  cut  down  straight  and  a  shoulder 
be  left  at  the  bottom,  so  that  the  scion  may 
have  a  resting  place,  (No.  3.)  If  the  scion 
and  stock  are  near  of  a  size,  one  may  be  cut 
wedge  fashion  and  the  other  notched  out  to 
receive  it,  (No.  4,)  or  the  scion  may  be  split 
and  the  inside  cut  sloping  both  ways,  then  the 
stock  cut  wedge  fashion  for  it  to  go  over, 
(No.  5.)  In  short,  it  matters  not  how  a  fit  is 
made,  so  that  it  be  a  good  fit.  The  season  for 
grafting  is  spring,  before  the  buds  start  for 
growth.  When  the  graft  is  fitted,  it  should 
be    tied  firrah^,   and   then  be  covered   with 


grafting  wax  or  clay.  A  bunch  of  wet  moss, 
loosely  tied  over  the  clay,  keeps  it  from  drying 
suddenly  and  cracking  off.  Grafting  is  of 
great  importance  in  orchards  where  there  are 
common  and  worthless  sorts  of  fruit,  for  by 
this  means  we  can  change  them  to  the  best  of 
their  kinds  ;  we  have  only  to  cut  back  the 
trees  to  short  stumps,  and  graft  each  stump 
either  with  a  dififerent  kind,  or  all  of  them 
with  one  sort.  The  clay  for  grafting  should 
be  mixed  with  half  its  quantity  of  new  cow- 
dung,  and  be  kneaded  together  until  tho- 
roughly mixed.  The  tying  of  grafts  should 
be  performed  with  bass  matting  soaked  in 
water  to  make  it  tough  ;  after  grafting,  the 
work  should  be  examined  occasionally  to  see 
that  the  clay  is  perfect,  and  when  they  grow, 
to  prevent  any  shoots  from  growing  on  the 
stock.  Root  grafting  is  performed  chiefly 
with  roses  ;  the  suckers  that  come  up  from 
roots  are  removed  in  the  spring  by  digging 
up  a  portion  of  root  to  support  them  ;  cut 
them  down  pretty  close,  make  the  scion  fit  the 
lowest  part  of  the  stem  next  the  root,  bind 
them  well  together,  clay  them  at  the  join,  and 
plant  them  out  again  at  proper  distances,  the 
graft  below  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The 
lower  down  towards  the  root  the  graft  can  be 
put  on,  the  better  it  will  be.  The  advantage 
of  this  sort  of  grafting  is  that  it  can  be  done 
at  the  time  you  dig  between  the  shrubs  ;  and 
therefore  take  up  the  suckers,  and  when  you 
prune  the  roses,  so  that  you  may  take  a  basket 
of  roots  and  a  handful  of  cuttings,  go  to 
work  under  cover,  planting  out  before  they 
can  get  dry,  and  watering  them  to  settle  the 
earth  close  to  their  stems. 

INARCHING. 

This  is  grafting  without  detaching  the  scion 
from  its  tree  until  it  is  united  to  the  stock. 
The  two  plants  are  brought  close  to  each 
other  ;  the  sides  of  the  parts  intended  to  be 
united  are  cut  square,  the  bi-anch  is  cut  quite 


half  way,  the  stock  also  if  the  same  size  ;  if 
larger,  it  need  only  be  cut  enough  to  receive 
all  the  flat  part  of  the  branch  ;  these  are  neatly 
fitted  so  that  the  barks  meet   on  one  side  at 


SEEDLING    CROCUSES. 


189 


least,  and  tliey  are  bound  in  their  places.  A 
slight  cut  is  made,  sometimes,  downwards  in 
the  stock  and  upwards  in  the  branch  ;  these 
tongues,  so  made,  are  tucked  into  each  other. 
The  branch,  having  lost  half  its  nourishment 
from  the  parent  plant,  by  reason  of  its  being 
cut  half-way  through,  naturally  seeks  to  make 
up  the  deficient  quantity  from  the  stock  ;  and 
the  flow  of  the  sap  in  the  stock  being  inter- 
rupted by  the  cutting  away  of  its  wood  at  the 
place  of  union,  as  naturally  gives  out  its  juices 
to  the  only  vessels  ready  to  take  them,  the 
vessels  of  the  branch  inarched.  Hence  the 
union  of  the  two  branches  in  a  few  weeks. 


Then  comes  the  separation.  The  plant  from 
which  the  scion  is  taken  is  separated  below 
the  place  of  union,  and  all  that  was  growing 
on  the  stock  beyond  the  place  of  union  is 
cut  off,  so  that  the  entire  nourishment  from 
the  root  is  driven  to  the  branch  or  scion, 
which,  being  deprived  of  its  original  source 
of  nourishment,  is  ready  to  take  all  that  comes. 
Sometimes  a^scion  is  cut  off  at  first  with  some 
extra  length,  and,  instead  of  being  able  to 
rely  on  the  parent  plant  for  half  its  nourish- 
ment, is  inserted  in  a  vial  of  water.  This 
keeps  up  a  kind  of  supply  for  a  v,'hile,  during 
which  the  union  takes  place. 


THE  NEW  FLOWER  SUPPORT. 


Mr.  Hamilton,  the  inventor  of  this  very 
simple  contrivance  for  the  support  of  bulbs  in 
hyacinth  glasses,  soon  discovered  that  it  was 
as  good  a  support  in  pots  as  in  water,  and  has 
now  had  a  model  upon  a  much  larger  scale  to 
support  flowers  in  the  open  air.  The  above 
represents  the  support  in  glasses  and  in  a  pot. 
The  support  consists  of  three  wires  in  a  fixed 
ring  to  keep  them  together,  and  placed  about 
one-third  of  the  distance  from  the  bottom,  the 
ends  of  the  wires  forming  three  feet  to  go 
down  into  the  glass  or  to  be  thrust  into  the 
soil.  Above  this  there  is  a  moveable  ring  to 
slide  up  and  down,  according  to  the  height  at 
which  the  plant  wants  assistance.  The  same 
principle  applied  in  the  open  ground  to  patches 
of  sweet  peas  or  any  other  plant  that  requires 
stakes  or  sticks,  will  be  found  a  neater  and 
very  superior  mode  to  any  other.  How  far 
it  may  do  for  common  border  flowers  where 
a  quantity  is  wanted  we  hardly  know :  we 
should  think  the  cost  would  be  too  much  ;  but 


for  specimen  plants  in  pots  there  can  be  no 
doubt  of  its  efficiency,  and  it  would  not  be  so 
costly  as  some  of  the  unmeaning  trellises  that 
we  have  seen  used  with  not  only  climbing 
but  weakly  plants,  for  there  are  many  requiring 
support  that  are  not  climbing  plants.  Many 
thousands  have  been  distributed  through  the 
country  for  hyacinths,  narcissus,  and  other 
bulbs,  and  we  can  hardly  imagine  an  improve- 
ment, when  it  is  wanted  for  a  support  to 
bulbs  grown  in  moss  or  sand  in  shallow  dishes. 
The  three  feet  are  spread  out  so  as  to  lower 
the  ring,  which  incloses  the  bulb,  and  the 
wider  they  are  spread  the  better  they  stand, 
without  the  aid  of  being  thrust  into  the  soil 
of  a  deeper  article. 


SEEDLING    CROCUSES,    &C. 

At  the  Knightsbridge  Branch  of  the 
Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Floricul- 
ture and  Horticulture,  Mr.  Lockhart,  of  Par- 


190 


THE    TEN-WEEKS    STOCK THE    AROMATIC    HEED. 


son's  Green,  exhibited  a  collection  of  seedling 
crocuses  raised  in  England,  and  presenting 
vast  improvement  upon  all  the  known  sorts 
imported.  The  lovers  of  the  crocus  are 
aware,  that  the  finest  in  cultivation  is  the  rich 
purple  variety  known  now  as  Prince  Albert, 
but  formerly  sold  under  the  older  name  of 
David  Rizzio.  This  kind  has  smooth,  thick, 
broad  petal.*,  exceedingly  rich  colour,  and 
forms  a  fair  cup.  The  new  ones  introduced 
by  Mr.  Lockhart  suffered  nothing  by  com- 
parison with  this  beautiful  vai'iety,  and  in 
some  respects  they  were  better.  They  were 
not  shown  for  certificates,  as  it  was  justly 
observed,  there  was  no  chance  of  letting  them 
out  at  present,  and  therefore  certificates  will 
be  more  useful  and  appropriate,  if  in  a  season 
or  two  they  may  be  shown  in  as  fine  condition 
and  let  out  in  the  autumn.  The  meeting, 
however,  desired  some  of  them  to  be  named, 
and  six  of  the  number  was  named  accordingly. 
One  variety,  numbered  99,  was  very  curious, 
three  of  the  petals  purple  and  three  grey,  of 
very  good  shape  and  a  striking  variety  ;  this 
was  called  Lady  Grey.  A  second,  numbered 
66,  a  very  splendid  white,  was  named  Princess 
Helena.  A  third,  numbered  113,  very  fine 
dark  purple,  was  called  hicomparahle  Puriple. 
A  fourth,  numbei'ed  110,  was  a  fine  white 
with  a  violet  throat,  curious  as  well  as  beauti- 
ful ;  this  was  named  Princess  Alice  MoMcle. 
A  fifth,  numbered  108,  splendid  blue,  was 
called  the  Prince  of  Wales ;  and  the  sixth, 
that  was  especially  noticed,  was  numbered 
74,  also  a  blue  but  of  a  different  shade,  was 
called  Admiral.  The  characteristics  of  these 
selected  fiowers  were  thickness,  breadth,  and 
smoothness  of  petal,  size  of  the  flower,  and 
freedom  in  opening  to  a  cup.  They  were 
far  better  than  the  vast  majority  of  those 
known  to  the  florists,  and  are  a  great  acquisi- 
tion. There  were  two  polyanthus,  one  fuchsia, 
two  or  three  scillas,  and  other  subjects  exhi- 
bited, and  a  collection  of  noble  spikes  of 
hyacinths  from  bulbs  raised  from  small  offsets 
in  England. 


THE    TEN-WEEKS    STOCK. 

There  is  a  good  deal  in  the  sowing  and 
after-management  of  simple  annuals.  The 
seed  shops  abound  in  German  varieties,  and 
certainly  the  Germans  do  take  more  pains  in 
saving  seed  than  the  people  of  this  country, 
and  are  more  to  be  depended  on.  Stocks, 
like  cabbage  plants,  should  never  be  trusted 
to  one  season  of  sowing.  February  is  a  good 
month  to  begin  sowing,  March  excellent, 
April  safe  and  good,  and  May  the  last  that 
there  is  any  hope  of.  The  seeds  may,  how- 
ever, be  sown  in  heat  in  February,  in  heat 
and  the  open  air  likewise  in  March.     In  the 


open  ground  only  in  April  and  May,  unless 
you  have  neglected  February  and  March  ;  if 
so,  sow  in  heat  in  April  as  well  as  in  the  open 
air.  They  should  be  sown  in  moderate  soil, 
not  rich,  and  be  allowed  to  grow  till  they 
have  six  leaves,  without  any  more  water  than 
will  just  keep  them  from  actual  flagging. 
Now  prepare  the  richest  ground  you  can  com- 
mand in  which  to  transplant  the  stocks,  and 
plant  them  out  at  the  different  seasons  as  the 
stocks  sown  at  different  times  come  to  show 
six  leaves  ;  they  ought  not  to  be  more  than 
six  or  eight  inches  apart  if  they  are  to  be 
shown  in  a  mass,  but  if  to  show  their  habits,  a 
foot  apart.  When  once  planted  out,  they  must 
not  want  for  water  ;  they  must  be  regularly 
supplied  with  all  they  require,  and  be  kept 
clear  from  weeds.  They  will  succeed  each 
other  in  blooming,  and  thus  keep  up  flowering 
for  months  ;  whereas,  if  they  were  all  sown  at 
once,  they  would  be  soon  off  when  they  once 
came  on.  "We  have  known  many  of  those  who 
grew  the  German  stock  well  save  the  seed, 
as  they  fancied,  true  to  colour,  and  when 
grown,  they  had  no  character  about  them, — all 
shades,  all  forms,  all  sizes  ;  so  that  we  always 
recommend,  as  a  general  rule,  a  dependence 
on  German  seeds  if  the, different  colours  are 
wanting.  If  anybody  wishes  to  shine  in  stocks, 
they  must  not  attempt  more  than  the  sort  they 
select  to  shine  with  ;  for  growing  the  varieties 
forbids  seed  saving  with  any  degree  of  cer- 
tainty altogether. 


THE    AROMATIC    REED. 

A  GOOD  repast,  a  sumptuous  feast,  or  even 
a  comfortable  dinner,  are  excellent  lessons  in 
geography.  A  person  is  never  on  safer 
ground,  or  where  he  can  be  more  at  home, 
than  when  he  is  dining.  Ic  is  then  that  the 
distant  parts  of  the  world,  too,  are  as  it  were 
brought  tete-d-tete  before  his  eye,  on  a  table  a 
few  feet  square  ;  and  the  various  productions 
of  the  globe,  in  combining  to  gratify  the 
masterpiece  of  creation,  form  a  holy  alliance, 
which  attests  a  profound  knowledge  of  the 
human  heart  and  the  palate.  In  these  our 
banquets  the  Indies  are  represented  by  per- 
fumes, and  also  by  the  ginger,  so  beneficial  to 
the  cold  stomachs  in  exciting  a  good  digestion. 
But  it  seems  there  is  a  plant  with  similar  pro- 
perties indigenous  to  Europe.  Everybody 
knows  the  aromatic  reed  of  our  marshes 
(Acorus  Calamus  of  botanists),  called  by  the 
ancients  Acorum,  and  at  present  sold  under 
the  name  of  Calamus  aromaticus.  It  is  also 
known  by  the  name  of  Calmus  among  the 
Belgians  and  the  Germans.  Most  people 
know  that  this  reed  has  a  long  thick  stem  or 
rhizome,  which  is  highly  aromatic.  Those 
persons  who  have  not,  like  the  Aurora  of 


POTA.TOS    UNDER    WALLS — THE    MULBERRY. 


191 


M.  De  Chateaubriand,  a  mouth  which  exhales 
a  sweet  and  perfumed  breath,  but  something 
"which  is  not  perfumed  at  all,  generally  have 
recourse  to  the  Calamus  in  order  to  mollify 
their  unpleasant  smell.  This  practice  seems  to 
have  been  borrowed  from  the  Tartars,  who 
w^ere  very  careful  to  chew  this  reed,  and  hold 
it  in  the  mouth,  when  they  drank  the  brackish 
water,  which  had  a  somewhat  disagreeable 
taste.  The  Calamus  is  strong  enough  to  have 
neutralized  this  bad  quality. 

But  what  renders  it  still  more  worthy  of 
notice  is,  the  fact  that  it  may  be  made  an 
excellent  dish  for  tables.  In  summer,  when 
the  reeds  are  gathered,  the  rhizomes  are  taken 
up  and  properly  cleaned  and  cut  in  vertical 
slices,  and  put  in  preserve  with  sugar  a  la 
plume.  The  slices  should  be  placed  one  on  the 
other  in  glass  jars,  such  as  we  used  for  similar 
purposes  ;  and  when  the  sugar  has  ci-ystallized, 
there  will  be  found  one  of  the  most  delicious 
and  healthy  preserves  that  can  be  made.  It 
is  an  excellent  help  to  the  digestive  organs, 
and  indeed  equal  in  this  respect  to  the  ginger 
of  the  Indies.  The  cholera  is  now  at  our 
doors  ;  and  it  is  agreed  among  medicah  men 
that  good  food  is  a  great  preventive  of  this 
Asiatic  scourge.  Now,  in  Asia,  the  Calamus 
is  considered  as  a  sovereign  remedy  for  this 
epidemic.  Prepared  in  the  manner  just  de- 
scribed, it  forms  a  very  dainty  and  soothing 
dish  for  the  stomach,  which  every  one  should 
be  careful  to  preserve  in  a  healthy  condition. 

The  Calamus  is  easily  transplanted,  and 
may  be  grown  with  perfect  ease  and  success 
by  the  banks  of  running  or  stagnant  waters, 
or  even  the  tanks  or  ponds  beside  our  houses. 
It  is  a  plant  which  is  at  once  agreeable  and 
useful  for  the  table,  the  toilette,  and  the 
health. — Translated  from  the  Ghent  Annals. 


POTATOS  UNDER  WALLS. 

One  of  the  methods  of  growing  early 
potatos,  which  we  have  recommended  more 
than  once,  is  very  applicable  to  the  wants  of 
private  families,  though  by  no  means  profit- 
able to  the  market  gardener.  It  is  a  simple 
and  reasonable  way  of  obtaining  an  advance 
in  the  season,  but  is  not  so  prolifi.c  as  ordinary 
planting.  Dig  up  the  ground  at  the  foot  of  a 
south  wall,  (which  is  generally  covered,  by  the 
by,  with  trees,)  and  take  it  quite  level  ;  lay 
whole  potatos  a  foot  apart  close  to  the  wall, 
only  omitting  them  one  foot  from  each  stump 
of  a  tree  as  you  pass  them  ;  then  dig  a  foot 
from  the  wall,  and  lay  the  soil  well  bruised  in 
the  angle,  so  as  to  cover  the  potatos  four 
inches  at  least,  and  this  earth  so  laid  is  to 
form  a  sloping  bank.  The  potatos  will  come 
up  very  early  close  to  the  bricks,  and  even  in 


a  hardish  frost  they  will  scarcely  freeze,  but 
if  up  too  early,  throw  a  little  more  well  bruised 
soil  on  them,  so  that  they  may  be  covered  a 
while  longer.  If  they  come  through  that, 
have  some  peas  haulm  or  light  litter  handy  to 
throw  over  them  at  night,  and  you  will  find 
this  crop  precede  the  other  in  the  open  ground 
full  three  wrecks.  The  potatos  should  be 
Rilott's  Flour  Ball,  Soden's  Early  Oxford, 
Ash-leaf  Kidney,  Early  Sonning,  or  some 
well  known  clear  early  kind,  otherwise  the 
advantage  gained  by  the  season  will  be  lost 
by  the  lateness  of  the  crop,  which  in  like 
manner  will  only  precede  its  own  sort  in  the 
open  air.  Let  the  potatos  be  a  middling  size, 
just  below  the  size  we  should  care  to  see  at 
table,  but  larger  than  we  would  give  to  the 
pigs  as  waste.  By  missing  the  trees  we  pre- 
vent any  damage  to  them  by  earthing  up. 
As  the  potatos  are  on  a  bank,  and  rain  will 
rarely  reach  them,  they  must  be  watered 
liberally  in  hot  weather.  Next  to  a  wall,  the 
south  side  of  a  bank  will  be  good;  and  next  to 
that,  the  south  side  of  a  wooden  paling ;  but 
nothing  so  good  as  a  wall,  nor  so  early. 


THE    MULBERRY. 

This  tree,  so  familiar  to  the  keepers  of 
silkworms  and  the  lovers  of  the  fruit,  has 
been  the  subject  of  much  speculation.  Plan- 
tations have  been  made  for  the  purpose  of 
rivalling  India  in  the  production  of  silk,  and 
private  persons  have  made  extraordinary 
efforts  to  produce  silk  in  quantity,  by  placing 
the  eggs  or  young  hatched  worms  on  the  trees. 
Many  have  wondered  how  it  was  the  silk- 
worms failed  so  generally.  A  friend  of  ours, 
who  was  going  to  do  wonders  with  a  few 
young  mulberry  trees  and  lots  of  the  eggs, 
watched  the  progress  of  his  worms  with  great 
interest  ;  on  a  sudden  they  all,  or  nearly  all, 
disappeared.  Time  after  time  did  this  destruc- 
tion overtake  him  and  spoil  his  stock.  The 
fact  is,  that  his  silkworms  only  served  to 
appease  the  hunger  of  sundry  birds,  who 
reaped  a  rich  harvest  on  the  mulberry  trees. 
Wjiether  the  silk-producing  mania  has  been 
appeased  or  not  altogether,  it  is  difficult  to 
say,  but  if  ever  any  of  our  friends  intend  to 
produce  what  they  call  native  silk,  let  us 
recommend  them  to  cover  the  entire  tree  with 
a  net,  and  thus  keep  off  the  host  of  birds 
which  feast  upon  caterj^illars,  grubs,  and 
insects  generally.  The  mulberry  tree  may 
be  produced  from  the  seeds  of  the  fruit,  which 
must  be  squeezed  and  the  pulp  washed,  so 
that  the  seeds  may  be  cleansed  and  dried. 
They  may  then  be  sown  in  the  ground  in  an 
open  situation,  and  should  be  raked  in. 
Hand  weeding,  to  prevent  them  from  being 


192 


FORM    OF    BEDS REJECTED    ELOVv^ERS. 


overrun  altogether,  and  the  seeds  killed,  will 
be  found  necessary,  and  when  the  plants  are 
larjie  enough,  they  may  be  planted  or  rather 
bedded  out  six  inches  apart,  and  then  remain 
two  seasons  and  be  removed  to  a  foot  apart 
every  way.  Here  they  may  grow  till  they 
touch  one  another,  when  they  may  be  planted 
out  a  yard  apart,  but  they  are  some  years  be- 
fore they  bear  fruit.  We  who  have  no  patience 
to  wait  for  years  when  we  can  get  what  we 
want  in  so  much  less  time,  should  merely  cut 
off  a  good  bearing  limb  of  a  mulberry  tree, 
sink  the  stem  two  or  three  feet  into  the  earth, 
and  ram  it  well,  as  we  would  a  post,  and  we 
should  be  disappointed  if  we  did  not  gather 
fruit  the  first  or  second  year.  Many  are  the 
anecdotes  of  the  origin  of  mulberry  trees.  We 
heard  of  two  posts  that  were  put  down  not  far 
from  London  ;  these  posts  had  not  a  leaf  nor 
a  branch  to  them,  but  the  first  season  they  put 
forth  both,  and  were  actually  preserved  as  two 
mulberry  trees,  though  originally  intended  for 
two  pieces  of  rough  carpentry.  Mulberry 
trees  are  readily  raised  from  cuttings  and 
layers,  but  as  layers  must  be  generally  from 
branches  near  the  bottom,  and  these  are  not 
bearing  branches,  they  would  be  pretty  nearly 
as  long  before  they  bear  fruit  as  seedlings  of 
the  same  size  would  be.  Therefore  cuttings 
are  the  best ;  these  should  be  taken  from  the 
bearing  branches,  and  the  larger  the  better, 
because  the  tree  is  formed  the  sooner.  The 
rule  to  be  observed  in  this  is,  that  whatever 
the  length  of  the  branch  may  be,  one-tliird  of 
its  length  must  be  inserted  in  the  earth. 
Some  of  the  best  young  mulberry  trees  that 
we  have  seen  in  a  bearing  state,  were  in  Mr. 
Sangster's  trial  ground,  Kennington.  There 
were  many  actually  bearing  not  more  than 
six  or  eight  feet  high,  and  well  headed,  but  it 
is  some  time  since.  We  do  not  even  know 
that  the  ground  exists  at  the  present  time,  it 
may  have  been  robbed  of  its  top  soil  to  make 
room  for  houses  ;  but  the  number  and  condi- 
tion struck  us  as  remarkable  two  years  ago, 
and  those  who  cannot  get  a  good  branch  of  a 
bearing  tree  to  make  a  tree  for  themselves, 
may  be  glad  to  know  that  they  can  procure 
such  a  thing  among  the  seedsmen  of  London. 


FORM    OF    BEDS. 

If  beds  were  to  be  kept  empty  or  nearly 
so,  the  form  is  better  rising  than  flat ;  but  if 
to  be  planted  full,  they  are  better  flat  than 
rising,  because  the  rain  runs  all  over  them 
evenly,  although  it  may  fall  only  b^ween  the 
trees  or  shrubs.  In  fact,  beds  would  always 
be  better  level,  though  when  only  partially 
covered,  they  require  to  be  rising  on  the  sur- 
face for  the  sake  of  appearance.     We  speak 


of  beds  on  lawns  ;  those  in  geometrical  figures 
cannot  be  too  level,  nor  the  plants  that  fill 
them  be  too  dwarf,  or  too  even  and  level  in 
their  mode  of  growth,  in  order  that  the  mode 
of  arrangement  may  be  obvious. 


REJECTED    FLOWERS. 

Although  hundreds  of  varieties  of  dif- 
ferent flowers,  sent  out  at  good  prices,  are 
not  worth  one  farthing,  yet  it  cannot  be  denied 
that  m.any  veiy  excellent  things  have  been 
thrown  away  hastily  that  have  been  far  better 
than  others  that  have  been  retained.  Among 
Dahlias  this  has  been  particularly  the  case. 
The  natural  uncertainty  of  the  flower  is  con- 
spicuous among  the  flowers  of  the  best  pro- 
perties. A  variety  has  been  known  to  be 
well  exhibited  all  the  season  of  trial,  and 
although  abundant  orders  have  been  given 
and  hundreds  issued,  not  a  solitary  flower  has 
been  exhibited  the  season  after  ;  the  flower 
has  been  thrown  away  by  four-fifths  of  the 
growers,  nobody  being  able  to  account  for  the 
disappointment,  some  suspecting  tricks  in  the 
original  showing,  others  calculating  that  it 
was  too  uiicertain  to  be  worth  anything.  But 
how  often  has  the  grower  seen  old  and  ap- 
proved flowers  fail  him  altogether  in  parti- 
cular seasons  ?  Why,  if  his  new  ones  failed 
in  the  same  way  they  would  be  condemned 
altogether.  There  are  many  flowers  which 
have  stood  their  ground  a  long  time,  and  the 
growers  got  tired  of  them,  and  discarded  them 
for  newer  but  much  worse  varieties.  If 
Brown's  Bridesmaid,  the  Marchioness  of 
Ormond,  the  Duchess  of  Richmond,  and  a 
score  other  flowers  that  we  could  mention, 
were  shown  in  their  best  state  as  seedlings, 
they  would  beat  many  that  now  get  certificates; 
but  people  soon  tire  of  uncertain  flowers  ; 
and  those  which  are  more  to  be  depended 
upon,  but  infinitely  worse  in  their  best  stata 
than  some  that  are  absolutely  rejected,  are 
pertinaciously  retained.  Let  us  take  two 
rival  flowers  vezy  much  in  point,  Essex 
Triumph  and  Admiral  Stopford  :  there  is  no 
comparison  between  them  in  the  excellence  of 
the  flowers  when  both  ai*e  at  their  best  ;  but 
A.dmiral  Stopford,  which  is  infinitely  the  best 
flowei',  will  scarcely  yield  one  perfect  to  the 
other's  twenty,  and  it  will  tire  many,  and  has 
tired  many,  till  it  is  fairly  driven  out  of 
numerous  collections.  But  really,  growers 
ought  to  be  a  little  considerate  before  they 
throw  away  a  flower  that  is  good  now  and 
then  ;  we  would  almost  grow  a  hedge  I'ow  of 
an  uncertain  but  good  variety  of  anything, 
rather  than  be  without  it  in  a  show  ;  there  is  no 
doubt  but  that  fine  blooms  of  many  flowers 
long  since  discarded  would  greatly  aid  a  man 
who  is  putting  up  twenty-four  blooms. 


TROPJJOLUM    DECKEIITANU3I. 


193 


TROP^OLUM  deckeria:num. 

Tropceolum  Deckerianum,  Karsten  (Decker's 
Indian  Cress). — Tropseolacese  §  Tropaeolese. 

This  very  singular  species  of  Indian  cress 
has  been  introduced  to  the  gardens  of  Berlin, 
by  Dr.  Karsten,  and  is  one  of  the  subjects 
recently  published  in  his  elegant  work  on  the 
plants  of  Venezuela,  met  with  during  his 
travels.  We  have  not  seen  the  plant,  but 
from  Dr.  Karsten's  figure,  executed  in  a  way 
which  would  lead  us  to  put  faith  in  its  details, 
it  appears  to  be  a  very  distinct  species ;  its 
flowers  very  singularly  compounded  of  the 
colours  red,  blue,  and  green. 

The  slender,  compressed,  two-furrowed 
stems  and  branches  of  this  elegant  plant, 
creep  along  the  surface  of  the  ground,  or 
climb  over  the  bushes  and  herbaceous  plants 
of  a  shrubby  kind  which  are  found  at  the 
outskirts  of  the  woods,  and  on  the  banks  of 
streams  and  rivers,  throwing  out  roots  where- 
50. 


ever  a  damp  soil  is  favourable  to  their  nourish- 
ment. They  are  also  frequently  found  with 
their  long  white  roots  floating  in  the  water. 

The  young  branches  are  of  a  green  colour, 
hairy  at  the  extremities,  and  somewhat  erect. 
The  leaves,  which  grow  on  long  foot-stalks, 
are  roundish-triangular,  peltate,  and  from  five 
to  seven  lobed  ;  these  lobes  are  pointed,  entire 
at  the  margins,  the  veins  at  the  under  surface 
have  few  hairs  ;  the  colour  of  this  under-sur- 
face  is  a  bluish-green,  which  is  also  the 
colour  of  the  upper  surface  near  the  veins, 
becoming  a  lively  emerald-green  at  the  apex. 
The  flowers  are  solitary,  and  issue  from  the 
axils  of  the  leaves  on  a  peduncle  of  about  five 
inches  long  ;  slender,  or  thread-like  at  the 
base,  twisted  and  twining  near  the  middle, 
gradually  becoming  thicker  towards  the 
blossom,  where  it  assumes  a  reddish  colour, 
and  is  nearly  half  a  line  broad.  The  calyx 
is  somewhat  two-lipped,  and  consists  of  five 
sepals  ;  both  the  sepals  of  the  under  lip  are 
somewhat  smaller  than  the  three  of  the  upper 
lip ;  they  are  all  lance-shaped,  three  to  four 
lines  long,  and  two  to  three  lines  broad,  hairy 
and  of  a  green  colour.  The  base  of  the  upper 
lip  is  extended  in  the  form  of  a  hairy  spur, 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  and  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  broad  at  the  base,  tapering  to  a 
blunt  point,  bright  scarlet  at  the  lower  part, 
merging  to  green  towards  the  apex.  Alter- 
nating with  the  sepals  of  the  calyx  are  five 
small  spatula-shaped  petals  of  unequal  size, 
the  two  uppermost  being  larger,  nearly  three 
lines  long  and  about  one  line  and  a  half  broad, 
five-nerved,  and  at  the  upper  margin  seven- 
toothed,  the  teeth  terminating  in  short  hairs  ; 
the  under  and  smaller  petals  are  three-nerved, 
the  upper  margin  five-toothed,  these  teeth 
also  ending  in  a  similar  manner  to  the  others; 
they  are  all  of  a  dark  blue  colour,  becoming 
somewhat   brighter   at   the   margin.      Eight 

o 


194 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN MAY. 


equal  stamens  as  long  as  the  calyx  surround 
the  pistil ;  the  filaments  are  violet  blue,  the 
tvvo-lobed  anthers  are  bright  blue.  The  style 
is  yellow,  filiform,  and  three-cleft.  The 
fruit  is  a  three-parted  capsule,  generally  con- 
taining a  single  seed  in  each  of  the  divisions  ; 
the  capsules  separate  on  the  ripening  of  the 
pistils  ;  they  have  three  tubercles  at  their 
under  side.  A  brown-coloured  seed  fills  the 
fruit  entirely  with  its  two  large  fleshy  seed- 
lobes,  which  also,  on  the  ripening  of  the  fruit, 
become  separated. 

M.  C.  Moritz  discovered  this  species,  which 
is  distinguished  by  its  elegant  form  from  all 
of  the  beautiful  genus  to  wiiich  it  belongs. 

"  We  were  glad,"  writes  Dr.  Karsten, 
"when,  emerging  from  the  thicket  of  entangled 
trees  and  bushes,  we  approached  the  open 
borders  of  the  woods,  where  the  easy  wind- 
ing paths  are  overhung  with  melastomes, 
laurels,  and  myrtles,  which  also  twine  and 
net  themselves  together  over  the  running 
waters,  the  flowers  bending  to  every  passing 
breeze.  The  harmonious  union  of  the  lively 
purple  on  the  emerald-green  ground-work, 
with  the  white  and  blue  of  the  overhanging 
flowers,  produced  a  very  agreeable  effect,  and 
brought  to  mind  the  state  of  rest  and  motion 
which  here  seemed  to  be  expressed  in  the  in- 
teresting forms  and  the  calm  silence  of  the 
situation." 


This  beautiful  species  Dr.  Karsten  has 
named  in  honour  of  an  individual  who  is  a 
distinguished  patron  and  cultivator  of  the 
interesting  family. 

Troj}csuhom  Decherianum  comes  near 
T.  Mo7'itzianum  in  regard  to  the  form  of  the 
leaves  and  flowers,  together  with  -the  absence 
of  the  thick  tuber-like,  or  fleshy  roots  ;  the 
leaves,  however,  are  stronger  or  more  vigorous, 
and  seven-lobed,  and  the  flowers  are  diff"erently 
coloured.  In  T.  Decherianum,  the  fruits 
(seed)  are  more  deeply  furrowed  ;  it  is,  more- 
over, prominently  distinguished  from  all 
other  known  species  by  the  peculiar  twisting 
of  the  flower-stalk.  In  regard  to  the  form  of 
the  leaves,  it  has  something  common  to  T.  cre- 
natijioruvi ;  but  the  difference  in  this  respect 
is  less  as  compared  with  T.  Moritzianum. 
The  position  of  the  flowers,  and  the  colouring 
of  the  calyx  in  T.  Deckerianum,  strongly  re- 
mind us  of  Chyviocarpus  pentaphyllmn. 

"  We  found  this  plant  growing  in  the  colony 
Tovar,  [in  Venezuela,]  beside  the  Schwerima 
superha  and  Br'iickea  grancUfoUa.  I  found  it 
blooming  during  the  whole  year,  which  cir- 
cumstance permits  us  to  hope  that  it  will 
ornament  the  conservatory  with  its  brilliant 
flowers  for  a  considerable  time.  It  likes  a 
damp  warm  atmosphere  about  16",  [=68Fahr.] 
and  should  have  partial  shade."  All  the  Tro- 
paaolums  flourish  in  light  rich  loamy  soil. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

Br  A  TUTOR  AND  HIS  PUPIL,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  MAY. 


What  can  surpass  a  garden  in  this  cheering 
month  ?  The  hyacinths  are  hardly  out  of 
bloom,  and  the  tulips  are  gorgeous  in  the  ex- 
treme. Observe,  although  the  day  is  actually 
sultry,  how  cool  we  are  under  this  awning. 
The  sun  is  no  longer  permitted  to  shine  on 
the  flowers,  which  nevertheless  open  freely 
and  show  their  magnificent  forms  and  colours 
to  the  greatest  advantage.  When  the  sun 
has  set,  the  evening  being  mild,  the  cloth  will 
be  thrown  open,  or  rather  drawn  up,  so  that 
they  may  all  have  a  little  air.  The  early- 
planted  ranunculuses  are  rapidly  coming  into 
flower,  and,  as  their  blooms  increase  in  size, 
they  want  constant  attention  in  watering  and 
shading.  The  man  whom  you  observe  so 
busy  among  the  pansies  is  stripping  off  any 
small  side  shoots  that  can  be  spared  from  the 
plant,  on  purpose  to  strike  them  under  a  hand 
glass  for  the  purpose  of  supplying  a  succession, 
to  come  into  flower  as  the  older  beds  decline; 
at  present  they  are  beautiful.  Thpse  vigorous 
looking  plants  in  the  frame  are  dahlias  ;  a 
good  stock  has  been  struck,  so  that  we  need 
not  trouble  ourselves  about  the  remainder 
of  the  old  roots  ;  they  may  be  cut  into  as  many 


pieces  as  there  are  eyes,  and  these  pieces 
may  be  planted  in  the  ground.  The  auriculas 
have  declined  blooming,  and  are  placed,  as 
you  see,  in  a  situation  partially  shaded  ;  there 
they  may  have  the  weather  as  it  may  choose 
to  come.  You  see  the  men  trimming  off  all 
the  side  branches  from  the  rose  stocks  except 
the  top  shoot,  which  will  be  the  stronger  for 
the  removal  of  the  rest. 

The  gravel  walks  are  all  fresh  turned  over, 
and  the  gravel  rolled  smooth  ;  this  gives  an 
appearance  of  freshness  that  nobody  could 
believe  till  they  saw  it.  Here  are  pans  of 
various  seeds  not  long  sown ;  most  of  these 
are  the  fancy  kind  of  pansies,  pinks,  carna- 
tions, picotees,  and  other  perennials.  Those 
stakes,  which  are  firmly  driven  into  the  ground 
at  such  regular  distances,  are  intended  for 
dahlia  supports.  The  plants  will,  about  the 
middle  of  the  month,  be  planted  out  singly 
against  each  post  ;  but  these  stakes,  which 
are  slighter  and  further  apart,  are  for  the 
seedling  dahlias,  which  are  quite  large  enough 
to  put  out  now  ;  these  will  be  planted  close, 
and  lines  from  one  stake  to  the  other  will  do 
to  support  the  whole  row.     The  annuals  are 


A    STROLL    THROUGH   THE    GARDEN — MAY. 


195 


ready  to  plant  out,  and  should  be  placed  in 
the  borders.  Autumn  flowering  bulbs,  such 
as  the  cok'hicums,  Guernsey  lilies,  and  such 
like,  should  be  now  removed,  and  I  have  no 
doubt  those  crocuses  are  being  dug  up  to 
make  room  for  them ;  the  crocuses  have 
been  in  the  same  place  three  successive 
seasons. 

The  houses  look  gay  as  ever  ;  for  although 
some  things  are  going  out  of  bloom,  others 
come  in,  and  they  make  a  very  pleasing 
change.  The  azaleas  have  succeeded  the 
Cainellia  japonica,  which  are  just  now  kept  a 
little  wet  and  warm  to  make  them  complete 
their  growth  and  set  their  flower  buds.  That 
beautiful  looking  flower,  like  the  gaudy  head 
of  some  foreign  bird,  is  the  Strelitzia  regina; 
the  flower  is  very  strange,  but  somewhat 
lasting,  and  its  richly  contrasted  orange  and 
purple  makes  a  great  show.  The  scarlet 
flowers  of  the  Ixora  coccinea  are  making 
their  appearance,  but  they  will  grow  very 
much  longer.  Look  at  the  heath  house,  and 
see  the  beauty  of  these  varieties  with  flowers 
like  wax  ;  they  have  had  very  little  fire  heat 
to  carry  them  through  the  winter,  and  they 
look  as  fresh,  as  green,  and  well  filled  with 
blooms,  as  if  they  were  artificially  made. 

The  men  seem  busy  ;  two  or  three  at  the 
wall  trees  arc  rubbing  off  those  shoots  which 
are  not  wanted,  and  removing  any  that  cross 
each  other,  or  grow  straight  out  from  the 
wall  ;  they  are  also  thinning  some  of  the 
fruits,  for  if  all  were  left  on,  none  would  be  so 
fine  as  when  but  a  moderate  number  are 
allowed  to  perfect  themselves.  The  man  who 
is  syringing  the  trees  and  the  wall  with  the 
garden  engine  and  a  fine  rose  is  actually 
washing  the  insects  out  of  the  wall,  and  de- 
stroying them  where  they  have  fallen.  The 
vine  shoots  that  are  useless  have  been  stopped, 
but  those  branches  that  have  fruit  on  them 
have  to  be  pinched  off  at  the  joint,  or,  under 
some  circumstances,  the  second  joint  beyond 
the  fruit.  In  the  forcing  house  you  may  see 
the  strawberries  in  various  stages  ;  they  all 
require  watering  occasionally  as  the  fruit 
swells,  and  nothing  can  be  better  than  they 
are  doing.  If  you  observe,  some  have  ripe 
fruit,  some  have  green  fruit,  and  others  only 
flowers. 

All  seems  bustle  in  the  kitchen  g^ai'den. 
bowing  beans,  peas,  endive,  pot-herb~, 
radishes,  and  all  the  cabbage  tribe  that  were 
not  sowed  last  month,  is  work  that  seems  to 
be  in  hand  now.  The  cauliflowers  under 
glass  are  coming  into  flower,  and  young  plants 
kept  over  are  now  to  be  planted  out  in  that 
rich  piece  of  ground  now  vacant.  Here  they 
are  planting  scarlet  beans  a  foot  apart.  There 
they  are  planting  out  cabbage,  hoeing  turnips, 
onions,  and  carrots,  and  sowing  various  sorts 


of  brocoli,  as  well  as  more  turnip?,  carrots, 
spinach,  and  other  vegetables.  Observe,  in 
one  place  they  are  preparing  the  ground  for 
new  crops,  and  in  another  they  are  drawing 
the  earth  to  the  stems  of  peas  and  beans  well 
up  and  advancing,  as  well  as  to  cabbages  and 
other  forward  crops.  "We  will  just  step  into 
the  melon  ground.  The  man  there  has  re- 
moved all  the  dung  that  projected  beyond  the 
wood-work  of  the  frame,  and  even  under- 
mined it  by  pulling  out  some  of  the  dung 
from  beneath.  This  is  for  the  purpose  of 
replacing  with  hot  fresh  dung,  to  give  it  new 
heat  ;  when  he  has  done  this  in  front,  he  will 
do  it  behind  in  a  similar  way,  so  that  the 
heat  will  be  completely  renewed  ;  and  this 
process  has  to  be  repeated  so  long  as  it  is  de- 
sirable to  keep  up  the  heat.  A  sort  of  under- 
ground hot-beds  are  made  for  cucumbers  and 
melons,  by  burying  dung  hot  from  the  stable, 
and  properly  prepared,  in  trenches,  and  the 
natural  soil  is  thrown  back  again,  so  that  there 
is  between  six  and  twelve  inches  thickness  of 
soil  on  the  dung  ;  upon  these  ridges  cucum- 
bers and  melons  are  put  out  this  month,  and 
covered  with  hand-glasses  so  long  as  it  is 
necessary.  When  the  plants  more  than  fill 
the  hand-glasses,  they  are  propped  up  with 
bricks  or  flower  pots  at  the  corners,  and  the 
plant  spreads  out  all  over  the  bed.  Observe, 
the  man  is  planting  a  row  of  scarlet  beans 
along  the  foot  of  the  high  fence  that  separates 
the  melon  ground  from  the  garden  ;  these 
will  form  a  good  blind  to  the  wooden  fence, 
and  yield  a  most  useful  crop  for  two  or  three 
months.  I  see  nothing  else  worth  particular 
notice,  unless  it  is  the  numerous  plans  for 
keeping  the  vermin,  birds,  &c.  off  the  seed. 
Those  long  pieces  of  worsted,  with  papers 
like  the  tail  of  a  boy's  kite,  are  very  eftective 
so  far  as  birds  are  concerned,  for  they  are 
constantly  on  the  move,  and  birds  do  not  like 
to  approach  the  place  ;  that  slight  netting 
that  is  propped  up  six  inches  from  the  ground 
is  an  excellent  security  ;  and  those  pieces  of 
bread  and  butter  that  lie  about  are  to  kill 
mice  :  there  is  arsenic  between  two  thin 
pieces  ;  it  will  kill  many. 

We  will  now  return  to  the  house,  and  have 
a  little  conversation  as  we  go  along.  Next 
month  the  late-planted  ranunculuses  will 
come  into  flower,  and  these  will  be  fit  for  ex- 
hibition, because  it  is  the  very  best  that  are 
saved  for  February  planting.  Observe,  the 
pinks  are  spearing  up  for  bloom  ;  they  too 
come  into  flower  in  June  ;  they  have  been 
top-dressed,  as  it  is  called — that  is  to  say,  the 
top  of  the  bed  between  the  rows  has  been 
spread  with  decayed  dung  ;  this,  as  with  the 
pansies,  washes  down  to  the  roots,  and  is  of 
great  nourishment,  as  well  as  helps  the  colour 
of  the  bloom.     The  early  tuL'ps  on  the  borders 

O  2 


196 


NEW   fLOWERS  A^"D  rLA:NTS 


that  bloomed  last  montli,  are  getting  shabby  ; 
the  gardener  will  take  them  up  by  the  end  of 
the  month,  and  put  them  away  in  a  dry  place 
to  be  taken  care  of  against  mice,  mildew,  and 
vermin  ;  they  are  often  preserved,  like  the 
late  ones,  in  chests  of  drawers  with  wire  out- 
side, so  that  they  shall  have  plenty  of  air, 
whilst  no  vermin  get  at  them.  The  hyacinths 
will  also  require  the  same  care.  The  beds  of 
single  anemones  seem  to  have  no  positive 
season  for  blooming  ;  some  of  them  appear 
to  be  always  in  flower,  and  greatly  help  to 
enliven  the  place  wherever  they  are  planted 
ill  masses.  The  man  appears  to  be  sowing 
late  annuals,  or  rather,  the  last  season's  an- 
nuals ;  for  they  are  the  same  kinds  as  were 
sown  the  last  two  months,  and  which  are  up 
in  the  borders  where  they  were  sown,  while 
others  of  the  same  kind,  reared  in  heat  and 
planted    out,    are    quite    forward.      All     the 


bulbous-rooted  plants,  such  as  irises  and 
gladioluses,  lilies,  and  others,  have  pushed 
their  way  into  notice,  and  most  of  the  herba- 
ceous perennials  are  coming  very  strong. 
The  borders  may  now  be  safely  forked  again 
without  danger  of  injuring  anything  under 
ground.  There  are  many  of  the  dahlia  plants 
already  out — all  those  intended  for  the  first,  or 
early  blooms  ;  the  others  will  be  held'  back  till 
the  middle  of  next  month,  to  come  in  succes- 
sion ;  but  unless  those  little  flower-pots,  which 
you  see  on  short  sticks  close  by  the  plants,  are 
examined  daily  from  this  time  forward,  and 
the  earwigs  destroyed,  with  any  other  living 
vermin  that  may  be  found  in  them,  they  will 
get  so  much  ahead  as  to  destroy  some  of  the 
finest  blooms  in  spite  of  all  that  can  be  done 
afterwards,  as  many  who  begin  later  find  to 
their  cost.  There  is  a  little  moss  in  the 
bottom  of  the  pot  to  entice  them. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


Gloxinia  fimbeiata.  Hooker  (fimbriated 
Gloxinia)  — Gesneracea3  §  Gesnerese.  —  A 
very  distinct  and  rather  pretty-looking  species, 
a  perennial,  with  elongated  scaly  roots,  erect 
herbaceous  stems,  a  foot  and  a  half  high, 
tinged  with  red,  and  opposite,  ovate,  acute, 
serrated  leaves,  full  green  above,  paler  be- 
neath. The  flowers  grow  from  the  axils  of 
the  leaves  ;  they  are  large,  declined,  oblique, 
Avith.  a  somewhat  funnel-shaped  tube,  and  a 
large  spreading  limb  of  five  rounded  lobes, 
waved  and  fimbriated  on  the  margin  ;  the 
tube  is  yellow  inside,  sprinkled  with  red  dots, 
the  rest  of  the  flower  white.  The  plant  is 
altogether  taller  and  more  slender  than  the 
majority  of  the  species,  in  these  respects 
according  with  G.  tuhijloi^a.  Native  country 
not  known.  Introduced  from  Paris,  in  1848. 
Flowers  in  September.  Culture. — Requires 
a  stove  ;  complete  rest  in  winter,  and  ex- 
cited gradually  in  spring ;  light  loam  and 
leaf  mould  ;  propagated  by  means  of  the 
scaly  tubers,  which  admit  of  division. 

Gesnera  picta,  JToo^'c?' (painted Gesnera). 
— Gesneraceae  §  Gesnerese. — A  very  showy 
herbaceous  plant,  having  tubex'ous  roots,  and 
growing  two,  three,  or  more  feet  in  height. 
The  stems  are  densely  clothed  with  purple- 
red  down,  mingled  with  long  spreading  hairs  ; 
these  stems  support  the  opposite  (or  ternate) 
leaves,  which  are  ovate  acuminate,  very 
hairy,  crenately  serrate,  one  side  of  the  blade 
decurrent  on  the  petiole.  The  flowers  grow 
in  long  leafy  racemes,  the  leaves  in  this  part 
of  the  stem  being  smaller  and  of  sa  rich  red- 
purple  colour  on  the  under  side.  Li  these 
racemes  the  flowers  are  arranged  in  whorls  ; 
they  are  tubular,  somewhat  ventricose  on  the 
lower  side,  with  a  hairy  and  velvety  surface. 


contracted  at  the  mouth,  where  it  divides 
into  five  short  rounded  spreading  lobes  ;  the 
colour  is  scarlet,  yellow  beneath.  Native  of 
Columbia.  Introduced  in  1849.  Flowers 
through  the  summer  and  autumn.  Culture. 
— Requires  a  stove  ;  complete  rest  in  winter, 
and  to  be  gradually  excited  in  spring  ;  light 
loam  and  leaf-mould  ;  propagated  by  dividing 
the  tubers  when  in  a  state  of  rest. 

Kennedya  eximia,  Lindley  (choice  Ken- 
nedya).  —  Fabacese  §  Papilionace£e-Kenne- 
dyete. — A  handsome  climbing  plant,  of  ever- 
green habit,  with  twining  hairy  stems,  bear- 
ing trifoliate  leaves  of  ovate-oblong  leaflets, 
which  are  slightly  hairy,  and  of  a  lovely 
green.  The  flowers  grow  in  axillary  racemes, 
the  calyx  green,  tinged  with  reddish  brown, 
the  corolla  scarlet,  with  a  yellow  blotch  near 
the  base  of  the  standard,  the  keel  shorter  than 
either  the  wings  or  standard.  It  is  a  very 
profuse  flowerer,  and  is,  when  in  bloom,  a 
mass  of  brilliant  scarlet  and  gold.  Native  of 
Australia,  in  the  Swan  River  colony.  Intro- 
duced in  1845.  Flowers  in  April  and  May. 
It  is  the  Kennedya  tahacina  (Labillai-diere). 
Culture.  —  Requires  a  greenhouse  ;  light 
loamy  soil,  with  heath-soil  and  sand  ;  pro- 
pagated by  cuttings  of  the  half-ripe  shoots, 
placed  in  a  gentle  bottom  heat. 

Epidendeom  gravidum,  Lindley  (heavy 
Epidendrum).  — OrchidaceiB  §  Epidendreae- 
Lseliadag. — A  mere  botanical  curiosity  :  cer- 
tainly as  far  removed  from  beautiful  as  any 
plant  can  be.  It  has  a  scape  nearly  six  inches 
high,  bearing  about  four  long-stalked,  hori- 
zontal small  green  flowers,  which  never  open, 
but  stand  on  the  end  of  a  large  lengthened 
fusiform  deep  olive-green  ovary,  covered  with 
pale-green  warts.     This  singular  ovary,  not 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


197 


very  unlike  a  green  leech,  studded  witli 
grains  of  carbonate  of  lime,  has  a  curious 
appearance.  The  plant  does  not  seem  to 
possess  the  power  of  opening  its  flowers,  such 
as  they  are.  Native  of  Xapatam,  in  Mexico. 
Introduced  in  1837-  Flowers  in  March. 
Cidture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  turfy  peat  soil  ; 
propagated  by  division. 

Zamia  Fischeri,  Miquel  (Fischer's  Za- 
mia). — Cycadeacea3. — One  of  the  palm-like 
order  of  plants.  Wlien  young,  the  stem  con- 
sists of  a  few  scales,  with  a  narrow  terminal 
downy  bud  ;  subsequently  the  stem  becomes 
lengthened  into  a  trunk,  from  two  and  a  half 
to  three  inches  long,  downy  when  young, 
and  becoming  smooth  with  age  ;  it  is  roundish, 
somewhat  flat  on  one  side.  The  fronds, 
generally  six  in  number,  consist  of  a  semi- 
terete  rachis,  which  is  smooth,  or  nearly  so, 
and  from  three  to  five  inches  long,  produced 
above  the  leaflets  into  a  downy  mucro  ;  the 
lower  leaflets  are  alternate,  the  upper  ones 
opposite  ;  they  are  lanceolate,  much  attenu- 
ated, and  unequal-sided,  the  lower  margin 
being  convex,  and  having  from  ten  to  twelve 
serratures,  the  upper  margin  being  nearly 
straight,  with  usually  four  to  seven  serratures  ; 
the  leaflets  converge,  so  that  the  infei'ior 
margin  is  directed  forwards,  and  the  superior 
margin  backwards.  The  cones  of  fructifica- 
tion are  unknown.  It  is  supposed  to  be  a 
native  of  South  America.  Introduced  to 
continental   gardens   before    1845.     Flowers 

?     It  is  the  Zamia  temdfolia  (Fischer). 

Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  free  or  sandy 
loamy  soil  ;  propagated  by  suckers,  or  scales. 

Bejaria  coarctata,  Humboldt  and  Bon- 
pland  (close-flowered  Bejaria). — Ericaceae  § 
Rhododendrese.  —  A  beautiful  low  shrub, 
branching  and  flowering  copiously  when 
quite  small.  The  young  branches,  pedicels, 
calyx,  petioles,  and  ribs  of  the  leaves,  are 
furnished  with  a  fuscous  woolliness.  The 
leaves  are  spreading,  elliptical-oblong,  entire, 
evergreen,  glaucous  beneath,  and  of  a  com- 
pact and  brittle  texture.  The  flowers  ap- 
pear in  short  compact  many-flowered  racemes, 
which  grow  at  the  ends  of  the  branches  ;  they 
consist  of  seven  spreading  oblong-lanceolate 
petals,  of  a  pale  rose  colour,  deepest  towards 
the  base,  and  having  two  or  three  darker 
streaks  on  each.  Young  plants  a  foot  high 
are  covered  with  blossom,  under  good  manage- 
ment. Native  of  Peru,  in  very  cold  situations, 
near  Cascamarcan,  at  an  elevation  of  from 
9,000  to  10,000  feet.  Introduced  in  1848, 
by  Messrs.  Lucombe,  Pince  &  Co.  of  Exeter. 
Flowers  in  January.  Culture. — Requires  a 
"  cool  greenhouse  and  thjs  treatment  of  Indian 
Azaleas,"  according  to  the  experience  of 
Mr,  Pince,  who  uses  a  compost  of  sandy  peat 
soil,  and  some  half  decayed  leaf-mould ;  pro- 


pagated by  cuttings,  or  by  seeds  when  pro- 
duced. 

Cleome  bicolor,  var.  concolor  (two- 
coloured  Cleome  :  self-coloured  var.). — Cap- 
paridaceae  §  Cleomeae. — A  handsome  annual 
or  biennial  plant,  of  upright  graceful  habit, 
bearing  numerous  white  flowers,  whose  dis- 
position makes  them  resemble  some  kind  of 
butterfly.  The  stems  are  somewhat  prickly 
and  hairy.  The  leaves  consist  of  five  lanceo- 
late attenuated  leaflets  ;  the  floral  ones  simple, 
sessile  cordate-orbicular.  The  flowers  are 
entirely  white,  the  petals  oval-oblong  and 
clawed  ;  the  filaments  are  of  a  reddish  colour. 
In  the  C.  bicolor  the  upper  part  of  the  limb 
is  purplish.  Native  of  Central  America  ; 
growing    in    stony   places.       Introduced    to 

Belgium  in  1 844.     Flowers ?      Culture. 

— Requires  a  stove  ;  sandy  loam  and  leaf- 
mould  ;  propagated  by  seeds,  or  by  cuttings 
of  the  non-flowering  shoots. 

Stifftia  chrysantha,  MiJcan  (golden- 
flowered  Stifftia). — Asteraceae  §  Labiatiflorae- 
Mutisiaceas. — A  most  beautiful  shrub,  some- 
what large- growing,  attaining,  according  to 
the  accounts  of  those  botanists  who  have  seen 
it  wild,  the  height  of  eight  or  ten  feet.  It  is 
a  stout  plant,  with  rough  bark,  and  having 
alternate  lanceolate-acuminate  entire  shining 
leaves.  The  flower  heads  are  solitary  at  the 
ends  of  the  branches,  each  head  containing 
about  twenty-five  closely  set  florets  or  blos- 
soms, which  are  tubular,  nearly  two  inches 
long,  of  a  pale  orange  colour  below,  be- 
coming darker-  above,  and  divided  into  five 
narrow  segments,  which  are  revolute,  and 
rolled  up  in  a  circinate  manner-;  they  are, 
when  unrolled,  seen  to  be  about  half  an  inch 
long  ;  the  pappus,  of  a  beautiful  orange  colour, 
is  nearly  the  length  of  the  tube  of  the  flowers, 
which  it  surrounds  like  a  fringe  of  hairs. 
Native  of  Brazil.  Introduced  about  1840. 
Flowers  in  February.  It  is  the  Augusta 
grandiflora  (Leandro)  ;  3focinia  mutisioide.^ 
(De  Candolle)  ;  and  the  Plazia  brasilien.vs 
(Sprengel).  Culture.  —  Requires  a  warm 
stove  ;  free  loamy  soil ;  propagated  by  cuttings  ^ 
under  a  bell  glass  in  bottom  heat. 

Callistemon  brachtandrum,  Jjindley 
(short-flowered  Callistemon). —  Myrtaceae  § 
Leptospermeae. — A  small  handsome  stiff  grow- 
ing bush,  of  branching  habit,  with  round 
pubescent  branches,  and  narrow  linear  pun- 
gent channelled  leaves,  having  conspicuous 
dots  on  the  under  side.  The  flowers  grow  in 
loose  spikes,  about  two  inches  long,  towards 
the  ends  of  the  branches  ;  the  petals  are  small 
and  inconspicuous,  the  showy  portion,  as  in 
other  allied  plants,  being  the  stamens,  which 
form  little  tufts  of  crimson  threads  ;  in  this 
species,  these  threads  are  shorter  than  in  other 
kinds,  being  not  more  than  twice  as  long  as 


198 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


the  petals,  and  qui le  straight ;  the  anthers  are 
golden  yellow,  forming  a  beautiful  contrast 
with  their  filaments.  Native  of  Australia 
(north  coast).  Introduced  in  1843.  Flowers 
from  July  to  October.  Callure. — Requires  a 
greenhouse  ;  sandy  loam  and  peat ;  propa- 
gated by  cuttings  of  the  young  shoots. 

LiMNANTHES  ALBA,  Havtweg  (white- 
flowered  Limnanthes). — TropfEolaccBe  §  Lim- 
nan there. — An  annual  with  the  habit  of  L. 
Douglasii,  that  is  to  say,  spreading  in  a 
straggling  manner  close  to  the  ground.  The 
leaves  of  this  are  elongate  pinnate,  with  sessile 
ovate,  acute,  entire,  or  three-lobed  segments. 
The  flowers  are  on  very  long  stalks,  and  they 
are  white.  Native  of  California.  Introduced 
in  1848.  Flowers  in  the  summer  months. 
The  species  of  Limnanthes  are  "of  interest 
in  gardens  chiefly  for  the  decoration  of  heavy 
damp  places,  where  better  flowers  will  not 
grow.  In  such  situations  they  all  thrive  and 
become  ornamental,  retaining  their  freshness 
and  flowering  incessantly  through  the  Avhole 
summer.  It  may  be  a  question  whether  they 
would  not  be  useful  salads,  as  they  all  possess 
the  agreeable  warmth  of  Tropa3olums  without 
being  quite  so  pungent."  {Journ.  Ilort.  Soc.) 
Culture. — Hardy  ;  common  soil,  in  cool  situa- 
tion; propagated  by  seeds. 

Eriopsis  rutidobulbon,  Hooker  (rough- 
stalked  Eriopsis.  —  Orchidaceae  §  Vandeas- 
MaxillaridEe.  —  A  showy  epiphytal  species, 
with  ovate-oblong  pseudo-bulbs,  of  a  dark 
purplish  colour,  singularly  wrinkled  on  the 
surface  ;  these  bear  at  their  extremities  two, 
or  sometimes  three  broadly  lanceolate  leaves. 
From  the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs  proceed 
the  drooping  racemes  of  flowers  a  foot  and  a 
half  long ;  the  sepals  and  petals  are  nearly 
alike,  oblong  obtuse,  spreading  horizontally, 
dull  orange  yellow,  reddish  purple  at  the  mar- 
gin ;  the  lip  is  broadly  ovate,  three-lobed,  the 
lateral  lobes  involute,  the  terminal  one  orbi- 
cular, white  with  dark  purple  spots,  the  rest 
of  tlie  lip  dull  orange  red,  dotted  with  dark 
purple.  Native  of  New  Grenada,  where  it 
was  found  by  Mr.  Purdie  growing  on  the 
smooth  stem  of  a  palm  tree  fully  exposed  to 
the  sun,  in  the  temperate  region  of  Antioquia, 
at  an  elevation  of  between  4,000  and  5.000 
feet.  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in  August. 
Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  turfy  peat  soil  ; 
propagated  by  division. 

Muss^NDA  Afzelii,  G.  Don  (Afzelius's 
Mussaenda). — Cinchonace^  §  Cinchonea3-Grar- 
denidaj. — A  very  ornamental  shrub,  of  an 
upright  habit,  profusely  studded  with  pale  red 
hairs.  The  leaves  are  opposite,  t)vate-lance- 
olate,  with  short  petioles,  which  as  well  as  the 
veins  beneath  are  covered  with  ferrugineous 
hairs.  The  flowers  are  produced  in  terminal 
corymbs  ;  they  are  an  inch  long,  tubular,  and 


of  a  fine  red-orange  colour  ;  the  calyces  on 
the  outer  side  of  tlie  corymb,  which  are  also 
as  much  as  an  inch  long,  have  one  of  their 
sepals  terminated  by  a  large  oval  white  veiny 
leaf-like  bract,  measuring  four  inches  in  length 
by  two  and  a  half  in  breadth.  These  bracts 
give  the  plant  a  very  singular  appearance, 
looking  like  some  of  the  ordinary  leaves 
changed  to  a  white  colour.  Native  of  Sierra 
Leone.     Introduced  to  continental  gardens  in 

1844.      Flowers  ?     Culture. — Requires 

a  stove  ;  loam  and  peat ;  propagated  freely 
by  cuttings. 

Maxillaria  leptosepala.  Hooker  (nar- 
row-sepalled  Maxillaria). — Orchidaceee  §  Van- 
de£e-MaxillaridiB.  —  A  handsome  epiphytal 
plant,  having  clustered  pseudo-bulbs,  ovate- 
rotundate,  two  inches  long,  and  bearing  each 
one  oblong-lanceolate  obtuse  leathery  leaf,  a 
foot  long  and  tapering  at  the  base,  where  it  is 
articulated  with  the  pseudo-bulb.  The  flower 
stalks,  each  bearing  one  blossom,  rise  from  the 
base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs  ;  they  are  large,  the 
sepals  yellowish  white,  two  and  a  half  inches 
long,  narrow-lanceolate,  and  spreading  ;  the 
petals  are  rather  smaller,  but  of  the  same  form 
and  colour  ;  the  lip  is  three-lobed,  oblong- 
obovate,  the  side  lobes  involute,  white  veined 
with  purple,  the  middle  lobe  long,  blunt,  waved 
as  well  as  fringed,  and  crisped  at  the  margin, 
white,  with  a  yellow  villous  disk.  Native  of 
New  Grenada.  Introduced  in  1846.  Flowers 
in  July.  Culture. — Requii'es  a  stove  ;  turfy 
peat  soil ;  propagated  by  division  of  the  root. 

CuPHEA  purpurea,  Paxton  (purple- 
flowered  Cuphea)  — Lythracete  §  Lytlirete. — 
A  pretty  perennial  herbaceous  plant,  perhaps 
a  variety  of  C.  ininiata.  It  grows  from  a 
foot  and  a  half  to  two  feet  in  height,  with 
slender  erect  leafy  stems,  bearing  opposite, 
ovate-acuminate  leaves,  covered  with  bristly 
hairs  and  attached  by  short  petioles.  The 
flowers  are  solitary  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves, 
forming  a  terminal  leafy  spike  ;  the  calyx  is 
tubular,  gibbous  at  the  base,  bright  yellow- 
green  below,  tinged  with  bright  rosy-purple 
above  ;  the  petals  are  six  in  number,  of  a  deep 
carmine  purple,  the  two  vxpper  ones  broad,  the 
others  small.  History  unknown.  Introduced 
before  1848.  Flowers  through  the  summer. 
Cultivated  in  some  gardens  as  C.  Jiyhrula,  and 
hence  perhaps  of  hybrid  origin.  Culture. — 
Half-hardy  ;  light  sandy  loam  ;  propagated 
by  cuttings. 

Lobelia  densiflora,  Paxton  (dense- 
flowered  Lobelia). — Lobeliaceas  §  Lobeleae. — 
A  very  handsome  herbaceous  perennial,  of 
dwarf  habit,  seldom  exceeding  eight  inches  in 
height,  half  of  which  height  forms  a  dense 
pyramidal  spike  of  intense  blue  flowers.  The 
stem  is  smooth  and  obtusely  angular  ;  the 
leaves  ovate-oblong,  acute,  wavy  at  the  mar- 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


199 


gins ;  the  raceme  is  terminal,  dense,  leafy,  the 
lower  part  usually  measuring  two  inches  in 
diameter,  tapering  to  a  point.  The  flowers 
are  of  a  cobalt  blue,  and  have  a  very  fine 
appearance  from  their  aggregate  arrangement. 
Native  country  not  stated.  Introduced  in 
1847.  Flowers  during  the  summer  months. 
Culture. — Hardy,  or  nearly  so  ;  light  rich 
loamy  soil  ;  propagated  by  division  of  the 
roots. 

Anemone  nivalis,  Maund  (snowy  Wind- 
flower). —  Eanunculacece  §  Anemones.  —  A 
very  pretty  herbaceous  perennial,  growing 
abouta  foot  and  a  half  high,  with  compoundly 
divided  root  leaves,  and  a  branching  scape 
bearing  numerous  snowy-white  flowers,  which 
on  the  outside  are  tinged  with  purple.  It  is 
a  very  pretty  species,  with  something  the 
habit  of  A.  vitifolia.  Kative  of  the  northern 
parts  of  India.  Introduced  in  1844.  Flowers 
in  June.  Culture. — Hardy;  requires  a  free 
and  rather  dry  soil  ;  propagated  slowly  by 
division,  more  readily  by  seeds. 

CuRCUiMA  COEDATA,  Wallicli  (heart-leaved 
Curcuma). — Zinziberaccfe. — A  beautiful  her- 
baceous perennial  plant,  with  a  short  stem-like 
base  formed  by  the  sheathing  bases  of  tlie 
leaf-stalks.  The  leaves  are  a  foot  long,  ar- 
ranged in  two  rows,  ovate  acuminate,  with  a 
heart-shaped  base,  and  of  a  full  green  colour. 
The  flow^er-spike  arises  from  the  centre  of  the 
plant,  erect;  it  is  cylindrical -oblong,  and 
clothed  with  the  bracteas,  organs  so  con- 
spicuous in  this  genus  ;  these  bracts  are  ovate 
obtuse,  ranged  in  five  rows,  green,  with  the 
apex  reflexed  and  much  darker  in  colour  ; 
within  each  of  these,  for  three-fourths  the 
height  of  the  spike,  is  a  flower  coloured 
yellow,  orange,  and  pink.  The  upper  part  of 
the  spike  is  barren,  and  here  the  bracts  are 
larger,  less  obtuse,  and  of  a  rich  violet  colour, 
with  a  deep  purple  or  blood-coloured  spot  in 
the  centre  of  each.  These  coloured  bracts 
form  an  elegant  crown  to  the  flower  spike. 
Native  of  the  East  Indies.  Introduced  about 
1845.  Flowers  in  July.  Culture. — Requires 
a  moist  stove,  and  a  season  of  repose  ;  light 
loam  and  leaf-mould ;  propagated  by  dividing 
the  roots. 

NAVARRETIAPUBESCENS,JToo7ee?'0?2fZJ.?'«0/if 

(pubescent  Navarretia).  —  Polemoniace^e.  — 
A  hardy  annual,  somewhat  showy  when  seen 
in  masses,  but  not  first-rate.  It  grows  about 
six  inches  high,  and  is  dwarf,  branching,  and 
hairy,  Avith  bipinnatifid  leaves,  having  linear 
acute  somewhat  divaricated  lobes  ;  the  herba,2e 
has  httle  smell.  The  flowers  are  grayish- 
blue,  with  a  purple  tube  less  than  half  an  inch 
long,  a  dark  eye,  and  prominent  white  anthers; 
they  are  nearly  allied  to,  and  somewhat  resem- 
ble those  of  the  Gilias.  Native  of  California 
in  fields  about  Sonoma.     Introduced  in  1848. 


Flowers  in  June  and  July.    Culture. —  Hnrdy; 
common  garden  soil  ;  propagated  by  seeds. 

'N  A\Av^it^TiACOTVLj£Fot.iiA, Hoohe)-  and  Ar- 
nott  (cotula-leaved  Navarretia).  —  Polemoni- 
aceje. —  A  diminutive  annual  plant,  growing 
about  two  inches  high,  and  hence  fit  for  scat- 
tering on  rockwork.  The  stems  are  strag- 
gling, and  reddish,  but  scarcely  hairy,  clothed 
with  soft  pinnatifid  or  somewhat  bipinnatifid 
leaves,  the  lobes  of  which  are  linear  and 
acute;  the  herbage  of  this  species  has  a  dis- 
agreeable foxy  odour  which  some  others  of 
its  congeners  possess.  The  flowers  grow  in 
close  axillary  heads,  and  are  small,  white  and 
inconspicuous ;  the  segments  of  the  corolla 
are  linear,  and  the  calyces  are  very  spiny. 
Native  of  California,  in  fields  about  Sonoma. 
Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in  June  and 
July.  Cidture. — Hard}- ;  should  be  sown  in 
masses ;  common  garden  soil ;  propagated  by 
seeds.  This  species  may  be  scattered  over 
rockwork. 

Ekiostemon  intermedium,  Hoolter  (inter- 
mediate Eriostemon). — Eutaceas  §  Boronieaj. 
— A.  very  handsome  ihuch  branched  shrub, 
clothed  with  copious  scattered  spreading 
leaves,  entire  and  of  an  oblong-ovate  figure, 
from  three  quarters  of  an  inch  to  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  length ;  they  are  cuspidate  and 
somewhat  glaucous,  especially  beneath,  where 
they  have  copious  glandular  reservoirs  of  oil. 
The  flowers  are  axillary,  and  produced  freely 
on  all  the  young  branches,  so  that  a  vigorous 
plant  becomes  loaded  with  them  ;  they  are 
rather  large,  starry  when  the  five  lance-shaped 
petals  are  expanded,  Avhite  externally  tinged 
with  rose-colour,  which  is  especially  manifest 
in  the  bud  state.  Native  of  New  Holland. 
Introduced  about  1847.  Flowers  in  April. 
This  plant  is  sometimes  known  in  gardens  as 
the  E.  neriifolium  (Sieber).  Culttire. — Re- 
quires a  greenhouse;  turfy  peat  soil  mixed 
with  sharp  white  sand ;  propagated  by  cut- 
tings, by  seeds  when  they  can  be  had,  or  by 
grafting  on  the  Correa  alba. 

Oncidium  flabelliferl'm,  Pinel  (fan- 
lipped  Oncid). — Orchidaceaj  §  Vandeas-Bras- 
sidas. — A  very  beautiful  epiphytal  plant,  the 
pseudo-bulbs  two  inches  or  more  long,  bearing 
each  from  one  to  three  lanceolate  leaves.  The 
flower  scapes  are  a  foot  and  a  half  long,  bear- 
ing numerous  flowers,  which  are  large  and 
very  showy,  the  sepals  and  petals  ovate-lan- 
ceolate, waved  at  the  edges,  spotted  and 
striped  with  purplish  brown  ;  the  lip  is  large, 
spreading,  fan-sliaped,  crisped  at  the  margins, 
briglit  yellow,  with  a  broad  belt  of  close 
spots  of  purple-brown  around  tlie  lower 
margin.  It  is  a  very  ornamental  species. 
Native  of  Brazil.  Introduced  in  1846  by  M. 
Pinel,  "  a  botanist  and  collector  of  plants 
residing  in  the    Brazils,"   to   the   nur--oiv  of 


200 


EPIDENDRUM    FUNIFERUM. 


Messrs.  Rollisson  of  Tooting.  Flowers  in  the 
latter  part  of  summer.  Culture. —  Requires 
a  moist  stove  ;  turfy  peat  soil ;  propagated  by 
division  of  the  plant. 

Polygonum  Brunonis,  Wallich  (Brown's 
Polygonum). — Polygonacese  §  Polygonese. — 
A  very  pretty  little  half- shrubby  dark  green 
leaved  trailing  plant,  with  d-vyarf  ascending 
stems,  capable  of  covering  considerable  patches 
with  its  shoots  in  the  course  of  a  single  sum- 
mer. Its  stems  are  as  thick  as  a  goose-quill, 
bearing  long  stalked  lanceolate  leaves,  when 
old  marked  with  prominent  veins  round  the 
edges,  which  gives  them  the  appearance  of 
being  serrated.  The  flowers  are  in  little 
spikes,  rosy-coloured,  in  the  way  of  P.  vac- 
cinnfolium,  but  larger  and  paler.  Native  of 
the  mountains  of  the  northern  parts  of  India. 
Introduced  in  1845,  by  Capt.  W.  Munro,  to 
the  garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society, 
flowers  in  the  latter  part  of  summer.  Cul- 
ture.— Hardy  ;  well  suited  for  the  decora- 
tion of  rockwork ;  free  loamy  soil ;  propa- 
gated by  cuttings  or  transplanting  its  rooted 
branches. 

Pachystigma  pteleoides,  ^ooAer  (Ptelea- 
leaved  Pachystigma). — Rutacese  §  Eudiosmeae. 

A  large  shrub,  or  small  tree,  possessing  more 

botanical  interest  than  floral  beauty.  The 
flowers  are,  however,  rather  pretty.  In  its 
native  countiy  it  forms  a  small  tree  of  slender 
graceful  habit,  bearing  ternate  evergreen  dark 
green  leaves,  full  of  pellucid  dots.  The 
flowers  grow  in  small  trichotomous  panicles 
from  the  axils  of  the  upper  leaves  ;  they  are 
an  inch  or  more  across,  buttercup-shaped, 
cream-coloured,  and  very  fragrant ;  "  the  five- 
leaved  calyx  gradually  passes  into  the  concave 
petals."  Native  of  the  mountains  of  Santa 
Cruz,  in  Jamaica,  where  it  was  discovered  by 
Mr.  Purdie.  Introduced  to  the  Royal  Gar- 
den at  Kew,  in  1844.  Flowers  in  February. 
Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  free  loamy  soil ; 
propagated  by  cuttings  planted  in  sand,  and 
placed  in  bottom  heat. 

GoMPHOLOBiUM  HiRSUTUM,  Patcton  (hirsute 
Gompholobium).  —  Fabacese  §  Papilionaceee- 
PodalyriesB. — A  fine  shrubby  plant,  of  the 
smaller  class,  with  less  inclination  to  twine 
than  many  of  the  Gompholobiums.  The  plant 
is  covered  on  every  part  with  fine  hairs.  The 
leaves  are  pinnated,  consisting  of  six  or  eight 
pairs  of  linear  obtuse  glaucous  leaflets  fringed 
with  long  hairs ;  the  flowers  are  corymbose, 
the  calyx  tomentose,  the  corolla  deep  yellow, 
paler  at  the  base  of  the  standard,  the  wings 
narrow,  and  tlie  keel  bearded.  Its  bright 
yellow  blossoms  are  very  ornamental  when 
the  plant  is  in  good  health.  Nativ^  of  Aus- 
tralia, in  the  Swan  River  colony.  Intro- 
duced in  1844.  Flowers  in  May  and  June. 
Culture.  —  Requires    a    greenhouse ;     sandy 


heath-mould  and  light  loam ;  propagated  by 
cuttings  of  the  half-ripened  shoots  placed  in 
bottom  heat. 


EPIDENDRUM     EUNIEERUM. 

Epidendrum  funiferum,  Morren,  (thread 
petalled  Epidendrum).  —  Orchidace^  §  Epi- 
dendrese-Lseliadae. 

This  pretty  Epidendrum  was  sent  with 
others  in  a  case  to  M.  Alexander  Verschaffelt, 
of  Ghent,  by  his  collectors,  De  Vos  and  De 
Rycke,  from  St.  Catherine's,  probably  some 
time  in  1847. 

It  may  be  described  as  a  handsome  and 
very  distinct  epiphytal  species,  with  a  round, 
straight,  erect  stem,  from  eighteen  inches  to 
two  feet  high,  on  which  alternate,  oblong, 
lanceolate,  acuminate,  striated  leaves  are  borne, 
enveloping  the  stem  at  their  base  in  the  man- 
ner of  a  sheath,  and  also  much  incurved  at  the 
apex.  The  flowers,  which  are  produced  on 
numerous  short  pendulous  spikes  from  the 
joints  at  the  top  of  the  stem,  are  small,  of  a 
rich  orange  colour,  with  a  white  centre  ;  the 
sepals  are  entire,  ovate-acuminate,  spreading, 
orange-coloured,  tinged  with  light  green  and 
purple  on  the  outside  ;  the  petals  are  remark- 
able for  their  thin  thread-like  form,  they  are 
as  long  as  the  sepals,  and  at  first  adhere  to 
the  sides  of  the  two  lateral  ones,  but  separate 
nearly  to  the  base  with  the  full  expansion  of 
the  flower,  and  ultimately  assume  a  corkscrew 
form  ;  the  labellum  is  triparted,  lengthened, 
joined  to  the  column,  and  white  at  the  centre  ; 
the  side  holes  are  sinuated,  the  intei'mediate 
lobe  is  emarginate,  the  disk  marked  with  three 
lamellge  or  plates. 

It  is  easily  distinguished  by  its  singular 
structure  ;  its  two  lateral  petals  being  quite 


THE  PINE-APPLE,  ITS    CULTIVATION. 


201 


filiform  and  attenuated.  At  the  beginning  of 
the  anthesis  [opening  of  the  flower]  these  two 
petals,  v,'hich  in  a  manner  adhere  to  the  two 
lateral  sepals,  appear  as  if  they  really  formed 
part  of  them.  It  is  only  in  the  progress  of 
the  anthesis  that  they  become  separated,  and 
curl  up  in  a  corkscrew  manner.  By  this  sin- 
gle character  this  species  is  easily  recognised. 
Though  the  flowers  are  small,  it  has  a  very 
fine  effect  from  the  profusion  of  blossoms  on 
the  racemes,  which  are  numerous  on  the 
upper  part  of  the  stems,  wliich  bear  in  a  pani- 
culate manner  from  four  to  six  and  sometimes 
more  of  these  racemes,  whose  flowers  present 
an  agreeable,  rich  orange  colour.  It  is  easy 
to  perceive  the  meaning  of  the  name  given  to 
this  species.  The  two  lateral  petals  have  the 
form  of  the  ends  of  thread-ties  proceeding 
from  the  flower  by  their  sides.  Professor 
IMorren  observed,  that  it  would  be  interesting 
to  study  this  physiological  phenomenon  of  ad- 
herence in  its  deeper  relations.  From  the 
little  attention  which  lie  has  been  able  to  be- 
stow on  the  subject,  he  believes  it  is  a  junc- 
tion of  cells  analogous  to  what  is  observed  in 
the  corolla  of  Phyteuma.  T\'hat  seems  to 
confirm  this  idea  is  the  separation  of  these 
coralline  threads,  without  organic  lesion  at  the 
end  of  the  anthesis. 

'Th\s  EpidendruTn  funiferum  is  one  of  those 
which  grow  best  in  pots — for  it  isAvell  known 
that  there  are  several  Epidendrums  which  do 
better  suspended  on  blocks  or  in  baskets — 
only  the  pots  require  thorough  drainage,  for 
in  their  flowering  season  these  plants  require 
plenty  of  Avater.  Turfy  peat  and  sphagnum, 
well  mixed  together,  form  the  best  soil  for 
Epidendrums  ;  and  for  some  kinds,  of  which 
this  is  one,  a  little  garden  earth  may  be  very 
beneficially  added,  as  it  is  found  to  induce 
flowering  as  well  as  to  keep  the  moisture  about 
the  roots.  In  its  very  young  state  care  should 
be  taken  not  to  give  it  too  much  water,  as 
that  is  necc-sary  for  it  chiefly  in  its  vigorous 
state.  It  is  propagated  by  division  of  the 
plant  ;  the  stems  should  be  severed  with  a 
sharp  knife  some  time  before  they  are  further 
disturbed. 


THE  PINE-APPLE,  ITS  CULTIVATION. 

Amoxg  the  very  numerous  writers  on  the 
Pine-apple,  not  one  that  we  have  seen  seems 
to  have  any  very  direct  notions  of  economy,  and 
perhaps  nobody  is  better  able  to  appreciate 
a  cheap  mode  of  raising  and  fruiting  a  pine- 
apple than  those  who  fancy,  from  all  they 
have  read,  that  such  a  costly  job  is  beyond 
their  means,  We  are  quite  aware  that  to  do 
well  with  pines  upon  a  large  scale,  provision 
must  be  made  for  a  constant  supply  of  arti- 
ficial heat,   and    therefore    some    appropriate 


building  is  the  first  thing  thought  of ;  of 
twenty  writers,  however,  that  we  have  con- 
sulted, not  two  of  them  agree  in  the  construc- 
tion of  their  pine  pits,  or  houses,  or  stoves. 
One  would  imagine  that  there  was  a  great 
mystery  attached  to  pine  growing,  and  that 
success  depended  on  the  turn  of  a  flue,  six 
inches  of  tan  room,  the  shape  of  a  boiler,  or 
the  slope  of  a  glass  roof,  when,  in  fact,  none 
of  these  things  have  comparatively  anything 
to  do  with  the  matter.  There  are  some  rules 
better  observed  than  neglected,  but  they  are 
very  simple,  and  may  be  carried  out  in  any 
way  that  the  gardener's  means  dictate  and  he 
decides  upon.  Now  we  will  endeavour  to  lay 
down  these  rules  as  plainly  as  possible,  and 
each  rule  shall  be  a  text  for  a  few  remarks 
on  the  various  means  of  carrying  out  the  rule. 
And  be  it  here  mentioned,  that  the  numerous 
writers  down  to  Hamilton  all  profess  to  do 
things  the  right  way  ;  all  condemn  their  pre- 
decessors, and  make  out  that  theirs  is  the 
plan  that  answers  better  than  all  others. 
Hamilton  seems  a  rational  man,  and  he  gives 
the  main  features  of  all  the  previous  practices 
before  he  gives  his  own  ;  and  from  the  parti- 
culars he  has  given  us  we  will  take  a  few  of 
the  contradictions. 

First,  as  to  soil : — 3Iiller  says,  "  Good  rich 
kitchen-garden  soil,  with  one-third  of  dung 
from  an  old  melon  bed."  Giles  says,  "A  rich 
hazelly  loam  from  a  well-pastured  common." 
Adam  Taylor  says,  "  One  load  of  mould  from 
under  the  turf  of  a  good  pasture,  and  if  light, 
a  fourth  part  of  good  mellow  loam,  but  if 
strong,  two  or  three  bushels  of  sea  sand,  the 
fourth  part  of  a  load  of  dung  from  a  cow 
yard."  Speechly  says,  "  Turfs  cut  thin  (two 
inches),  carried  to  the  pens  in  sheep's  pas- 
tures and  laid  down,  roots  up^vards,  only  one 
course  thick;  when  trampled  on  and  soddened, 
laid  in  a  heap  and  often  turned  over." 
3Iac  Phail  says,  "  The  pine-apple  will  grow 
well  in  any  kind  of  rich  soil  from  the  kitchen 
garden."  IVaJter  Nicol  says,  "  Vegetable 
mould,  strong  brown  loam,  pigeon's  dung,  and 
shell  marl."  WilUavi  Griffin  says,  "Four 
barrows  of  loam  from  a  pastuie,  one  barrow 
of  sheep's  dung,  and  two  barrows  of  swine's 
dung  ;  lay  together  a  year."  Baldwin  says, 
"  The  top  spit  of  a  pasture,  and  one  half 
rotten  dung,  to  lay  a  year."  3Ir.  Gunter  says, 
"  Good  garden  earth  and  well-rotted  dung." 
Oldacre  says,  "  Good  sound  loam  and  dung 
with  a  little  sand,  with  powdered  bones." 
Aiton  says,  "  Good  yellow  loam,  with  a  third 
of  rotten  dung  and  some  road  grit  to  serve  as 
sand,"  JMr.  Kniglit  used  "green  turfs  chopped 
small  and  pressed  close."  At  Thornfield,  near 
Stockport,  they  used  "  turfs  cut  two  inches 
thick,  one-third  decomposed  dung,  and  one- 
tenth  wood  ashes,  laid  a  few  weeks  together." 


202 


THE    PINE- APPLE,  ITS    CULTIVATION. 


All  these  are  growers  of  some  fame  ;  and 
all  of  them  have  been  writers  on  the  subject. 
These  differences  can  only  be  reconciled  by 
the  fact,  that  whatever  a  plant  may  be  put 
into,  it  will  only  take  that  which  agrees  with 
it ;  and  therefore  any  kind  of  compost  may 
be  used  with  success  if  it  contain  enough  of 
what  a  plant  requires  ;  but  all  those  composts 
which  are  so  extremely  rich  do  not  seem  to 
have  brought  fruit  a  jot  better  than  more 
simple  and  natural  soil.  We  could  produce 
quite  as  many  variations  in  other  points  of 
practice  ;  but  as,  after  reading  all  we  have 
quoted  about  the  soils,  it  is  almost  natural  to 
conclude  that  they  will  grow  in  anything,  so 
also  should  we  conclude,  after  reading  all  the 
variations,  that  it  mattered  little  how  they 
were  grown.  However,  there  are  certain 
requisites  which  must  be  supplied,  as  the 
proper  quantity  of  heat  and  nourishing 
matter,  air  and  moisture ;  beyond  this  a  good 
deal  of  the  management  is  according  to  the 
fancy  of  the  cultivator.  We  have  seen  ex- 
cellent pines  grown  in  a  common  dung  hot- 
bed, as  simply  as  cucumbers  ;  and  in  no  one 
respect  did  the  cultivator  attend  to  the  sup- 
posed rules  of  pine  growing,  except  keeping 
up  plenty  of  heat  and  the  necessary  moisture. 
We  are  anxious,  therefore,  to  place  before 
the  reader  the  simplest  mode  of  doing  things, 
and  reducing  the  directions  for  pine  growing 
to  those  operations  that  must  be  performed, 
and  thereby  showing  that,  except  in  the  time 
required  to  produce  the  fruit,  it  is  not  a  bit 
more  difficult  than  growing  a  cucumber  or  a 
melon.  We  require  attention  to  the  following 
rules  : — 

1.  Temferature  of  the  atmosphere. — No- 
vember, December,  and  January,  60°  to  65°  ; 
Febuary,  65°  to  70° ;  March  and  April,  70"  to 
80° ;  hot  months,  75°  to  not  exceeding  90°  in 
sunshine  ;  Autumn,  65°  to  70". 

2 .  Meat  of  tan  or  bottom. — Winter  months, 
75°  to  80°;  Summer,  80"  to  90";  Spring  and 
Autumn,  70"  to  75". 

3.  Soil. — Turves  cut  thin  and  rotted,  three 
parts  ;  dung  from  an  old  melon  bed,  one 
part. 

4.  Routine  culture. — Hamilton's  system  of 
fruiting  the  suckers  on  the  plant  by  earthing 
up. 

TEMPEEATURE  AND  BOTTOM  HEAT. 

First  then,  as  to  the  temperature,  much  de- 
pends on  the  structure  of  the  medium  in 
which  they  grow,  as  to  how  the  temperature 
shall  be  kept  up  ;  but  whether  it  be  by  dung 
or  hot  water,  by  pipes  or  tanks,  will  not  affect 
the  plant.  Therefore,  whether  they  ^j-e  placed 
in  a  common  hot-bed,  formed  with  wooden 
back,  front,  and  sides,  and  in  all  respects  like 
a  cucumber  bed  or  a  melon  bed,  except  being 
deeper,  or  grown  in  a  regular  stove,  so  that 


the  requisite  degree  of  heat  is  kept  up,  it  is  of 
no  consequence.  Perhaps  the  simplest  and 
best  construction  is  tliat  which  has  become 
very  general  in  places  of  business,  where 
economy  is  everything,  and  carried  out  almost 
parsimoniously.  A  plain  brick  pit  three  feet 
deep  all  over,  but  sloping  at  the  top  and 
bottom  exactly  to  the  slope  of  the  house,  and 
of  dimensions  to  suit  the  house,  is  the  best 
medium  for  holding  the  tan  ;  and  tan  is  by 
far  the  best  thing  to  use  for  bottom  heat. 
The  heating  of  the  atmosphere  may  be  by 
means  of  dung  or  hot  water.  If  the  former, 
the  pit  must  be  constructed  on  purpose  ;  but 
the  cheapest  would  be  hot-water  pipes,  heated 
with  a  conical  boiler.  Still  it  is  not  our  pur- 
pose to  dictate  how  the  heat  shall  be  kept  up. 
According  to  the  construction  of  the  places  in 
command,  so  may  the  gardener  regulate  his 
measures.  We  have  grown  excellent  fruit,  as 
good  as  our  neighbours,  in  an  old-fashioned 
hot-house  or  stove,  with  a  path  all  round  the 
tan  pit,  and  the  flue  in  the  wall  of  the  tan  pit ; 
or  rather,  forming  the  wall  of  it  in  a  great 
measure.  What  we  say  is,  that  it  is  the 
business  of  the  gardener  to  make  the  best  of 
tlie  means  at  hand.  We  simply  want  the 
heat  of  the  atmosphere,  in  the  pit,  or  house,  or 
hot-bed,  to  be  according  to  the  rule  laid  down, 
and  we  care  not  how  it  is  managed  ;  and  with 
regard  to  the  bottom  heat,  we  are  indifferent 
as  to  whether  this  is  produced  by  a  tank  of 
hot  water  or  tan,  by  leaves,  or  by  any  other 
medium,  so  that  it  be  produced.  We  have 
laid  down  such  rules  for  the  heat  at  bottom  as 
may  be  carried  out  in  the  best  way  it  can  be, 
under  the  circumstances.  We  are  not  pre- 
suming that  the  pine  would  not  grow  and 
fruit  in  a  higher  or  lower  temperature,  be- 
cause we  have  seen  different  persons  growing 
the  fruit  under  different  temperatures  ;  but 
we  will  go  so  far  as  to  say,  that  the  degrees 
of  heat  we  have  mentioned  are  well  calculated 
to  answer  the  best  pui-poses,  and  keep  the 
fruit  healthy  and  strong.  It  is  of  the  utmost 
importance  that  there  be  no  sudden  alterna- 
tions of  heat  and  cold,  and  the  two  degrees 
mentioned  in  each  case  are  intended  for  the 
difference  between  night  and  day,  because  all 
plants  should  be  in  a  lower  temperature  at 
night  in  the  dark,  than  in  the  day  when  they 
have  light.  In  summer  time  this  regulates 
itself  very  well,  because  the  sun  makes  the 
increase  of  temperature  for  daylight ;  but  in 
winter  there  is  frequently  no  sensible  differ- 
ence in  the  atmospheric  heat  in  the  division 
of  night  and  day,  and  all  practice  favours  the 
reverse  of  what  should  be  observed  ;  for  the 
shutting  up  of  houses  and  making  up  fires  for 
the  night  in  general  increases  the  temperature 
when  it  should  be  diminished.  The  nearer, 
however,  that  our  rules  can  be  maintained,  the 


THE  PINE -APPLE,  ITS  CULTIVATION. 


203 


■better,  always  remembering  that  the  lowest 
temperature  is  for  the  night,  and  the  highest 
for  the  daylight.  It  is  wise  to  have  plenty  of 
heat  at  command,  because  it  is  easy  to  lower 
the  temperature  by  giving  air  ;  and  it  may  be 
taken  as  a  general  rule  in  all  plant  growing, 
that  the  more  air  a  plant  can  get  without 
being  in  a  lower  temperature  than  it  requires, 
the  better  it  succeeds  ;  at  the  same  time, 
draughts  of  air  are  not  good.  Ventilation  should 
be  so  given  as  not  to  cause  a  thorough  sharp 
draught,  for  that  is  always  mischievous  With 
regard  to  the  bottom-heat,  that  can  only  be  com- 
manded by  means  of  hot-water  tanks,  or  pipes 
that  can  be  regulated  at  pleasure  ;  or  by  such 
a  body  of  tan  as  will  not  very  readily  decline. 
A  pot  containing  three  or  four  feet  thickness 
of  tan  will  supply  any  required  heat,  because 
you  can  begin  with  three  feet  and  add  fresh 
tan  as  it  indicates  a  decline.  To  show  how 
simply  all  the  conditions  of  climate  can  be 
complied  with,  we  have  grown  a  sucker,  or 
rather  a  crown  of  pine-apple  in  a  common  hot- 
bed ;  and,  when  it  was  too  big  for  the  height 
of  the  frame,  which  had  cucumbers  and  melons 
in  it,  we  grew  it  on  in  a  one-light  box  that  was 
twofeet  high  behind,  and  one  foot  in  front,  mak- 
ing the  dung  supply  the  bottom  heat  as  well  as 
the  atmospheric  heat,  and  succeeded  in  fruit- 
ing a  handsome  queen  pine  which,  under 
all  the  manifest  disadvantages,  nevertheless 
weighed  two  pounds  four  ounces.  We  had 
to  keep  raising  the  frame,  and  twice  changed 
the  hot-bed  altogether  ;  but  the  fruit  was  of 
an  exquisite  flavour,  and  very  pretty.  Mr. 
Steers,  of  Teddington,  perhaps  fruits  pines 
with  as  little  fuss  and  labour  as  anybody  ; 
and  we  remember  his  exhibiting  very  splendid 
fruit  produced  without  fire  heat.  He  has 
adopted  hot  water  as  a  cheaper  method  of 
producing  a  certain  degree  of  heat. 

THE    SOIL. 

The  pine-apple  does  not  require  great  ex- 
citement. Rotted  turves,  cut  two  inclies 
thick  for  turf  laying,  make  a  compost  of  two- 
thirds  loam  and  one-third  vegetable  mould, 
because  the  decayed  grass  and  grass  roots 
become  mould,  and  shrink  into  about  a  third 
of  the  bulk ;  so  that  when  we  take  three  parts 
of  this  compost,  w^e  take  two  parts  of  loam, 
and  one  of  vegetable  mould  ;  and,  if  we  add 
one  part  of  dung  from  an  old  hot-bed,  there 
is  no  mistaking  the  mixture.  Suppose,  then, 
we  could  not  get  the  rotted  turves,  and  had 
to  make  a  compost  as  near  as  we  could  like  it, 
we  should  have  to  take  two  parts  of  pure 
loam,  one  part  leaf  mould,  and  one  part  of  de- 
composed dung.  Wc  have  already  shown,  by 
the  numerous  different  composts  recommended 
by  the  various  writers  on  the  subject,  that  the 
pine-apple  cannot  be  a  very  dainty  plant,  be- 


cause nothing  can  diflFer  much  more  than  the 
soils  recommended  by  tlie  various  cultivators; 
but,  common  sense  tells  us  that  the  soil  should 
be  something  like  that  which  a  plant  grows 
in  naturally,  and  there  can  be  very  little 
chance  that  pigs'  dung  and  sheep's  dung  can 
form  three-sevenths  of  any  soil  in  the  pine- 
apple countries.  That  certain  salts  are  re- 
quired, and  that  these  salts  are  to  be  found  in 
fifty  different  substances,  is  quite  likely  ;  but 
we  have  no  notion  of  recommending  those 
things  which  may  not  be  easily  got  at  :  and 
we  should,  we  are  quite  sure,  have  no  diffi- 
culty in  growing  the  pine-apple  with  nothing 
more  than  good  loam,  and  its  own  weight  of 
vegetable  mould,  without  any  dung  at  all  ; 
and  we  know,  from  experience,  that  they  will 
succeed  greatly  in  the  compost  here  men- 
tioned. 

ROUTINE    CULTUKE. 

The  time  at  which  the  crown,  or  sucker,  of 
a  plant  will  fruit  is  very  uncertain,  because 
they  vary  a  good  deal  at  all  times ;  but  now 
they  are  brought  to  a  fruiting  state  much 
earlier  than  they  used  to  be.  Fill  small  pots 
with  the  crowns ;  and  Mr.  Hamilton  now 
recommends  that  they  be  plunged  over  head 
in  the  tan,  instead  of  plunging  merely  to  the 
rims.  Again,  it  should  be  remarked  that, 
instead  of  adopting  the  old  practice  of  leaving 
the  crowns  out  of  ground  till  they  have 
almost  shrivelled,  they  ought  to  be  planted  as 
soon  as  the  fleshy  part  that  came  out  of  the 
fruit  has  dried  a  little.  So,  also,  with 
suckers,  which  may  be  served  in  the  same  way. 
We  give  Mr.  Hamilton  credit  for  this  plunging 
over  head,  for  we  have  not  tried  it:  they 
rooted  fast  enough  with  us  in  the  ordinary 
way  of  plunging  up  to  the  rims ;  and  one 
season  we  had  them  all  in  a  common  hot-bed, 
plunged  to  their  rims,  and  they  struck  fast 
enough.  They  would  begin  to  grow  in  three 
or  four  months.  But  there  was  yet  another 
way  in  Avhich  we  succeeded : — we  planted 
them  in  the  tan,  instead  of  potting  them ; 
and  they  all  struck  well,  and  pretty  soon.  Be 
they  struck  one  way  or  the  other,  they  were 
potted  in  eight-inch  pots,  and  plunged  to  the 
rim.  Here,  as  it  was  April,  they  had  a  tem- 
perature of  70",  and  a  little  farther  advanced, 
80"  to  90° ;  syringing  them  over  the  folioge, 
just  before  the  sun  went  down,  and  keeping 
the  atmosphere  moist  by  watering  the  paths  in 
the  house.  At  the  end  of  May  they  were  ready 
for  larger  pots.  The  tan  was  stirred  up,  and 
some  fresh  added  ;  the  plants  put  into  twelve- 
inch  pots,  and  continued  growing.  When  the 
sun's  heat  is  violent,  and  raises  the  tempera- 
ture too  high,  let  it  be  kept  down  by  partial 
shading  :  it  is  better  than  letting  in  too  much 
dry  air.     These  plants  Avill  be  various  in  size. 


204 


THE    PINE-APPLE,    ITS    CULTIVATION. 


but  nevertheless  will  have  it^reatly  advanced, 
and  may  grow  on  Avell  till  they  may  have 
their  last  shift. 

When  the  plants  have  advanced  enougli  to 
have  their  last  shift,  let  them  be  removed 
with  their  balls  whole,  and  without  damaging 
any  of  their  fibres ;  and  here  they  may  re- 
main till  they  fruit,  simply  continuing  the 
lieat  as  directed,  the  atmosphere  moist  by  the 
repeated  syringing,  and  the  temperature  pro- 
per for  the  time  of  year.  When  any  of  the 
fruit  is  cut,  we  now  adopt  Mr.  Hamilton's 
system,  though  we  had  never  seen  it  until 
after  his  book  was  published,  when  we  met  a 
pupil  of  his,  at  Manchester,  with  a  specimen 
grown  on  his  system.  It  was  the  practice 
with  pine-growers  to  take  off  the  suckers,  and 
throw  away  the  old  plant ;  but  his  plan  is  to 
let  the  best  remain  on,  strip  all  the  leaves  off 
that  are  below  it,  and  even  a  part  of  its 
own,  and  then  earth  it  up  ;  that  is,  put  earth 
sufficient  to  cover  up  the  lower  part  of  the 
sucker.  He  always  potted  them  low  down 
in  the  pot,  to  enable  him  to  do  this  ;  but  this 
could  be  more  conveniently  managed  by  rims 
to  go  on  the  pot,  which  might  easily  be  made 
to  slip  over  the  plant,  and,add  two  or  three  or 
more  inches  to  its  height.  The  sucker  not 
being  detached  from  the  old  plant,  rapidly 
grows,  and  strikes  roots  into  the  soil ;  so  that 
it  has  a  double  share  of  nourishment ;  and 
the  second  fruit  is  often  better  than  the  first ; 
but  if  there  be  another  sucker,  the  same  plan 
may  be  continued  for  a  third,  or  even  a  fourth. 
When  the  sucker  is  too  high  up  the  plant  to 
be  earthed  up,  he  shakes  the  earth  from  the 
roots,  and  cuts  off  all  the  old  plant  close  above 
the  sucker,  and  as  much  only  of  the  roots  as 
will  enable  him  to  pack  the  old  root  low 
enough  down  into  the  pot  to  bring  the  sucker 
to  its  proper  place.  This  fourth  sucker  from 
one  plant  has  been  known  to  bring  fruit 
heavier  than  the  third,  and  tlie  third  and 
second  both  heavier  than  the  first.  This  does 
not  always  result  as  a  matter  of  course ;  but 
it  is  certain  that  the  sucker  fruits  many 
months  sooner,  and  much  better,  when  not 
detached  from  the  parent  plant. 

For  those  who  desire  to  grow  their  pines 
for  a  particular  season,  it  is  well  to  have  par- 
ticular seasons  for  all  the  operations  ;  but  for 
private  growers,  pines  should  be  always  kept 
going.  Crowns  should  not  be  saved  until 
there  is  enough  to  make  up  a  bed ;  but  as 
they  are  ready,  let  them  be  struck.  Again  : 
when  any  plant  is  throwing  off  two  or  more 
sucker.'^,  let  all  but  the  best  be  removed,  and 
siuck  in  the  tan,  or  in  pots,  to  root.  Jji,  is  far 
better,  in  supplying  a  family,  to  have  plants 
and  fruit  in  all  stages,  than  it  would  be  to 
Imve  a  glut  at  one  time,  and  a  great 
scarcity,  or  none,  at  another.     We  can  speak 


from  experience  of  the  efficacy  of  IMr.  Ha- 
milton's system  of  continuing  to  fruit  the 
suckers  on  old  plants,  instead  of  detaching 
tbem,  and  striking  them  as  separate  plants. 
There  is  very  little  doubt  in  our  mind  that 
the  pine  would  continue  throwing  out  suckers 
and  fruiting  them  well,  even  if  the  suckers 
were  fruited  on  the  old  plant  without 
earthing  up,  though  they  might  not  be  so 
large. 

Is  has  been  a  practice,  by  some  growers,  to 
turn  out  fruiting  plants  into  the  tan  itself, 
with  their  balls  entire ;  and  they  are  said  to 
have  progressed  rapidly  and  fruited  well ;  but 
there  are  two  or  three  points  to  be  attended 
to  in  this.  At  Thornfield,  near  Stockport, 
they  stirred  up  and  levelled  the  old  tan,  trod 
and  pressed  it  down,  and  then  put  ten  inches 
of  new  tan  upon  it,  and  in  this  new  tan 
planted  the  balls  of  earth  as  they  left  'their 
pots.  It  was  found,  then,  that  the  old  tan 
would  not  do  to  grow  in,  and  brought  the 
fruit  smaller.  They  also  found  foreign  tan 
objectionable,  from  there  being  a  mixture  of 
the  barks  of  resinous  woods  in  it.  It  was, 
however,  found  very  beneficial  to  put  three 
inches  of  fresh  tan  just  as  the  plants  began  to 
show  their  fruit,  and  to  press  it  down  on  the 
roots  ;  and  they  are  said  to  have  not  only 
swelled  their  i'ruit  better,  but  also  to  have 
thrown  such  enormous  suckers,  that  it  is  to 
be  greatly  regretted  they  had  not  been  fruited 
in  the  tan,  on  the  old  plants.  We  do  not 
know  whether  the  earthing  up  to  the  suckers 
will  be  found  absolutely  necessary ;  but  if  it 
were,  what  excellent  opportunity  the  planting 
in  tan  affords,  for  there  it  is  only  necessary  to 
add  to  the  quantity  of  tan  in  the  bed,  and 
make  it  go  as  high  up  the  plant  as  we  please. 
Mr.  Knight  used  to  plant  the  suckers  some- 
times with  the  old  stool  attached,  but  making 
no  practice  of  it,  and  not  attending  to  any 
regular  system.  Mr.  Hamilton  recommends 
those  who  intend  to  begin  the  sucker  system 
to  turn  out  all  the  fruiting  plants  into  tan, 
and  when  the  fruit  is  cut,  to  add  fresh  tan,  or 
sink  the  plants  lower  ;  but  no  plan  can  be 
better  than  adding  tan  on  the  surface,  be- 
cause no  roots  would  be  disturbed;  and  it  has 
always  been  found  that  the  roots  run  about 
among  the  tan.  very  near  the  surface.  Besides, 
as  it  has  been  proved  how  advantageous  it 
was  to  add  three  inches  on  the  surface,  when 
the  plants  show  fruit,  there  can  be  little  doubt 
but  that  the  very  fact  of  adding  to  reach  the 
sucker  would  have  the  same  efi^ect  on  the 
roots  of  the  old  stool.  We  are  averse  to 
great  checks.  We  always  opposed  the  dis- 
rooting of  plants  when  potted  for  fruiting, 
except  for  market-gardeners  ;  they  do  not 
want  large  fruit,  but  quickly-grown  fruit, — 
and  they  want  it  at  particular  seasons,  which 


ONCIDIUM    PAPILIO BEDDING    OUT   VKRBENAS. 


205 


they  sometimes,  but  riot  often,  miss,  and  lose 
their  market ;  but  for  families  where  the  pines 
are  wanted  at  any  and  all  seasons,  and  where 
they  rather  pride  themselves  on  large  fruit, 
the  disrooting  must  be  wrong. 

If  we  had  to  re-pot  pines  as  we  do  all  other 
plants,  we  should  save  every  fibre,  and  not 
disturb  the  ball  in  the  least.  We  should  care- 
fully grow,  without  the  slightest  check,  every 
plant  we  had.  We  should  decide  on  adding 
tan,  but  not  removing  nor  disturbing  a  single 
plant.  We  are  of  opinion  that  there  is  not 
half  enough  done  with  second  growths.  It  is 
somewhat  descending  to  go  from  a  pine-apple 
to  a  cabbage  ;  but  we  have  seen  all  the  sprouts 
but  one  rubbed  off  the  stump  of  a  cabbage- 
crop,  and  the  whole  earthed  up  well,  and  hoed 
between ;  and,  with  here  and  there  a  miss,  a 
finer  second  crop  than  a  first  lias  been  the 
result.  This  is  not  a  common  pi-actice ;  but 
we  were  reminded  of  the  cabbages  by  the  fact 
stated  by  Mr.  Hamilton,  namely,  that  "  the 
pine-apple  has  been  cultivated  for  a  long  time 
in  Jamaica  and  Calcutta,  in  a  manner  similar 
to  cabbages  in  this  country  ;"  and  seeing  the 
waggon-loads  that  arrive  now,  we  might 
almost  add,  that  they  are  almost  sold  and  eaten 
like  cabbages.  We  have  seen  old  plants  that 
have  for  years  gone  over  without,  produce 
enormous  fruits  when  planted  out  in  a  pre- 
pared pit,  with  the  ordinary  soil  used  for  pot- 
ting ;  but,  until  Mr.  Hamilton's  work  ap- 
peared in  1844,  we  were  not  aware  that  the 
plant  would  luxuriate  so  much  in  fresh  tan. 
We  have,  however,  seen  a  little  of  this  dispo- 
sition, when  the  pots  have  been  low  in  the 
tan-bed,  and  the  roots  have  run  out  in  all 
directions  in  a  short  time. 

Mr.  Hamilton  places  the  qualities  of  certain 
varieties  of  the  pine-apple  in  a  different  rank 
to  most  writers  ;  but,  looking  at  the  practical 
knowledge  which  he  unquestionably  pos- 
sesses, we  give  them  as  he  places  them,  and 
the  more  readily,  because  they  are  differently 
valued,  and  because  we  cannot  help  looking 
upon  his  opinion  as  an  authority.  He  places 
them  thus  : — 1,  Montserrat ;  2,  Sierra  Leone  ; 
3,  Black  Jamaica  ;  4,  Black  Antigua  ;  5,  En- 
ville ;  6,  New  Providence ;  7,  White  Bar- 
badoes  ;  8,  Old  Queen  ;  9,  Ripley  Queen  ; 
10,  Brown  Sugar-loaf;  11,  Green  Provi- 
dence ;  12,  Welbeck  Seedling  ;  13,  Globe  ; 
14,  Havannah  Smooth  ;  15,  King;  16,  Brown- 
striped  Sugar-loaf ;  17,  Blood -red.  He  says  : 
"  I  have  arranged  them  according  to  the  esti- 
mation each  variety  is  held  in.  I  am  aware 
that  it  is  a  far  different  arrangement  from 
what  many  talented  writers  have  previously 
made."  However,  as  talented  writers  who 
have  preceded  Mr.  Hamilton  are  rather  con- 
spicuously opposed  to  each  other  in  very  im- 
portant points,   and  all  cannot  be   right,  we 


would  sooner  take  Mr.  Hamilton's  summary 
of  the  several  qualities  than  any  other.  Very 
few  pine-apples  are  eaten  in  perfection,  com- 
pared with  the  great  number  consumed ;  and 
those  only  who  have  had  all  in  perfection,  can 
rightly  judge  of  their  several  qualities. 


ONCIDIUM    PAPILIO. 

The  Butterfly -plant  of  the  Nurseries. 

Perhaps  among  all  the  extraordinary  pro- 
ductions this  beautiful  plant  may  be  set  down 
as  the  most  splendid,  if  not  the  most  gaudy  ; 
so  much  is  the  flower  like  a  golden  butterfly 
with  expanded  wings,  and  so  naturally  does 
it  flutter  on  the  least  circulation  or  admission 
of  air  to  the  house,  that  a  person  unacquainted 
with  the  plant  would  fancy  at  once  that  it  was 
a  gaudy  fly  hovering  over  the  adjoining  plants. 
It  has  long  wiry  stems,  standing  eighteen 
inches  or  more  above  the  plant,  and  the  flower 
at  the  smallest  distance  appears  to  hover  in 
the  air,  for  the  stem  can  hardly  be  seen  ; 
nevertheless,  it  is  one  of  the  commonest  of  the 
orchidaceous  plants,  and  from  that  circum- 
stance is  not  held  in  one  half  the  estimation 
it  deserves.  The  culture  is  simple  : — it  re- 
quires moist  stove  heat,  but  we  have  seen  it 
luxuriate  in  a  vinery  where  grapes  are  forced, 
and  grown  well  in  a  common  dung  bed  with 
the  flower  stems  held  down  by  hooks  to  keep 
the  flowers  from  damage  by  touching  the  glass. 
To  those  who  have  a  stove  kept  moderately 
moist,  this  plant  is  one  of  the  most  pleasing 
and  gratifying  that  can  be  introduced,  and  we 
strongly  recommend  everybody  who  can  pro- 
cure as  many,  to  grow  half-a-dozen  plants.  It 
may  be  grown  in  pots  filled  with  lumps  of 
turfy  peat,  one  half  the  pot  being  occupied 
with  broken  potsherds,  or  crocks  ;  the  lumps 
of  peat  should  be  pegged  together  high  above 
the  pot,  that  is,  piled  up  in  the  form  of  a  cone. 
The  plant  is  to  be  pegged  among  the  top 
pieces  of  peat,  so  that  it  cannot  be  tumbled 
over,  but  as  it  lives  upon  the  atmospheric 
moisture  rather  than  on  anything  it  finds 
among  the  peat,  it  would  grow  if  fastened  on 
the  stump  of  an  old  tree,  or  rather  a  block  cut 
from  it,  and  even  on  a  bit  of  moss  fastened  on 
a  wall ;  the  pot  is  recommended  for  the  con- 
venience of  shifting  about,  and  removing  it 
from  one  place  to  another. 


BEDDING    OUT   VERBENAS. 

The  numerous  varieties  of  this  constant 
little  flower,  however  beautiful  they  appear  in 
the  bunches  exhibited  on  a  stand,  are  calculated 
to  defeat  the  object  of  the  cultivator,  from 
their  remarkably  different  habits,  and  no  one 
ought  to  use  them  for  their  colour  without  well 
knowing  their  growth.     Some  creep  along  the 


206 


SKETCH    OE    THE    VEGETATION    OE    AUSTRALIA. 


ground,  like  V.  Melindres;  othei'S  grow  strong 
and  compact  with  long  joints,  and  consequently 
flowers  distinct  from  each  other  ;  some  are 
shrubby  and  upright,  and  are  excellent  for 
borders  with  other  flowers,  but  for  bedding 
out  in  Dutch  gardens  with  geometrical  figures, 
none  are  so  effective  as  those  of  the  habit  of 
V.  Melindres,  which  creep  along  the  ground 
with  close  short  joints  which  strike  root  as  they 
finish  their  growth,  and  form  an  almost  un- 
interrupted mass  of  flowers,  which  scarcely 
rise  six  inches  from  the  bed,  and  whatever 
figure  they  are  destined  to  fill  up  is  formed 
almost  as  close  and  compact  and  comparatively 
as  near  the  ground  as  the  pattern  in  a  carpet. 
There  are  many  of  diiferent  colours  that  in- 
cline to  this  habit,  and  if  sufiicient  contrast 
can  be  procured,  they  are  without  exception 
the  most  effective  of  all  subjects  to  fill  up 
geometrical  figures.  Plants  of  the  habit  we 
write  of  may  be  planted  one  foot  apart,  and 
they  will  soon  meet;  when  the  shoots  begin  to 
grow,  they  should  be  placed  in  the  position 
best  calculated  to  fill  up  vacant  spaces,  and 
when  they  reach  the  edge  of  the  figure  they 
are  to  fill,  they  should  be  stopped  at  the  ends, 
and  they  must  never  be  allowed  to  get  over 
the  edge  of  the  figure.  Again,  as  too  vigorous 
a  growth  is  objectionable,  and  forms  the 
joints  too  long,  the  soil  should  not  be  too  rich  ; 
half  loam  and  half  peat  earth  will  be  found 
conducive  to  bloom  and  moderate  growth  ; 
the  loam,  however,  ought  to  be  that  from 
rotted  turves  off  a  pasture  which  contains  suffi- 
cient vegetable  matter  and  dung  to  answer 
all  the  purposes,  and  it  is  good  for  most 
flowers. 


ROSES    IN    BEDS. 
Many  of  the  most  beautiful  hybrid  China 
roses  are  not  sufficiently  hardy  to  stand  a  hard 
winter,  and  are  cut  off  by  the  frost  if  subjected 


to  the  open  air  without  assistance.  There  are, 
however,  various  modes  of  preserving  them. 
Mr.  Barnes,  in  a  communication  to  Glenny's 
Grarden  Almanac,  describes  an  ingenious  and 
rather  an  effective  mode  of  accomplishing 
this,  and  at  the  same  time  preserving  a  neat 
appearance.  He  plants  the  dwarf  and  con- 
stantly blooming  kinds  ;  he  prepares  the  bed 
by  securing  eighteen  inches  in  depth  of  good 
turfy  loam  and  dung  from  a  cucumber  frame, 
in  equal  quantity  and  mixed  well,  filling  the 
bed  to  that  thickness  after  gently  pressing, 
planting  the  roses  a  foot  apart  all  over,  and 
profusely  watering  them ;  then  he  takes  large 
rough  white  flints,  placing  them  close  together 
all  over  the  bed,  pressing  them  a  little  into 
the  soil  that  they  may  be  firm  in  their  places, 
but  leaving  room  for  the  roses,  which  must 
not  be  bruised  ;  he  then  places  moss  very 
carefully  into  the  interstices  and  especially 
round  the  plants.  They  bloom  profusely  all 
the  summer,  and  a  good  way  into  the  winter 
if  it  be  mild.  There  needs  no  further  pro- 
tection from  the  frost,  only  keep  them  down 
to  the  moss,  and  in  early  spring  they  grow 
again  and  flower  still  more  profusely  than  they 
did  the  first  season  of  planting.  Another 
mode  of  doing  this  is  to  place  upright  stakes 
in  the  ground  as  high  as  the  tops  of  the  roses, 
and  throw  mats  over  them  at  night,  which 
are  not  removed  in  the  day  if  the  frost  con- 
tinue. Where  roses  are  in  long  narrow  beds, 
hoops  and  mats  may  be  easily  placed  and 
removed.  Standijard  roses  of  the  tender  kind 
may  be  saved  by  packing  moss  between  the 
branches  of  the  head,  and  tying  them  over 
with  cloth  or  matting  ;  the  stem,  being  per- 
fectly hardy,  needs  no  protection,  though  we 
have  seen  them  tied  round  with  hay-bands 
and  the  heads  neglected.  But  in  the  colder 
parts  of  Fi-ance  the  standards  are  dug  up  and 
placed  in  an  out-house  with  their  roots  in  soil, 
and  are  then  planted  out  again  in  spring. 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OF  AUSTEALIA. 


In  a  country  so  immense  as  Australia, 
stretching  as  it  does  tlu'ough  twenty-eight 
degrees  of  latitude,  and  nearly  forty  degrees 
of  longitude,  considerable  variation  in  the 
vegetation  is  to  be  naturally  looked  for, 
especially  as  the  climate  is  warm  even  in 
the  most  southern  parts,  while  within  the 
tropics  the  usual  alternations  of  wet  and  dry 
seasons,  the  latter  accompanied  with  great 
heat,  produce  a  luxuriance  of  vegetation  little 
inferior  to  that  of  the  Malay  Archipelago. 
But  the  wide  distribution  of  a  few  families  of 
plants,  of  which  the  forests  and  low  woods  are 
chiefly  composed,  gives  considerable  uniformity 
to  the  appearance  of  the  country  in  widely 


separated  localities,  although  the  plants  are 
seldom  the  same.  Few  plants,  for  instance, 
are  found  at  Swan  River  to  be  identical  in 
species  with  those  growing  on  the  east  coast 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sydney  ;  and  although 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Gulf  of  Carpen- 
taria and  Port  Essington  the  salt  creeks  are 
fringed  with  groves  of  Mangroves,  and  large 
tracts  of  land  are  covered  with  cabbage  palms 
{Seaforthia  sp.  and  Livistona  sp.),  yet  still  the 
general  vegetation  bears  a  strong  resemblance 
to  that  of  the  more  southern  and  temperate 
districts. 

The  forests  of  New  South  Wales  contain 
immense  quantities  of  species  of  Acacia  and 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OF  AUSTRALIA. 


207 


Eucalyptus,  which,  under  various  names,  are 
well  known  to  the  natives  and  colonists,  and 
are  of  considerable  value,  not  only  for  timber, 
but  various  other  useful  products.  Thus,  a 
gum  very  similar  in  properties  to  gum  arable 
is  produced  by  the  Silver  Wattle  {Acacia 
niollissima),  a  shrub  about  eight  feet  high, 
with  pinnate  leaves,  and  the  copious  yellow 
flowers  collected  in  globose  heads  ;  also  by 
Acacia  decurrens,  a  beautiful  shrub,  very  like 
the  last ;  and  also  by  the  Black  Wattle  {A. 
ajjinis),  a  plant  of  similar  stature  to  the 
others,  but  with  shortened  flattened  leaf- 
stalks instead  of  leaves,  and  heads  of  yellow 
flowers.  This  gum  forms  a  material  article 
of  diet  to  the  natives  at  certain  seasons,  and 
is  also  collected  by  the  colonists.  The  bark 
of  these  and  other  acacias  also  yields  great 
quantities  of  a  tanning  principle  much  stronger 
in  its  operation  on  leather  than  oak  bark,  which 
has  been  imported  into  England  in  some  quan- 
tities in  the  form  of  an  extract,  procured  by 
boiling  down  the  bark.  Other  sorts  of  wat- 
tles, as  the  acacias  are  generally  called  in  New 
Holland,  are  among  the  handsomest  of  shrubs 
— as  A.  j)ubescens,  which  has  a  light  feathery 
pinnate  foliage,  slender,  rather  drooping 
habit,  and  produces  a  great  profusion  of 
spikes  of  golden-coloured  flowers,  arranged 
in  little  balls  ;  A.  oxycedrus,  also  growing  to 
about  ten  feet  high,  with  an  upright  rigid 
habit,  sharp  spiny  leaf-stalks  or  phyllodia, 
and  dense  spikes  of  rich  yellow  flowers. 

Besides  very  large  and  heavy  timber,  the 
different  species  of  Eucalypti,  which  vary 
from  small  bushes  to  more  than  a  hundred 
feet  in  height,  produce  some  other  substances 
of  considerable  utility.  Thus  the  gum-tree 
{E.  robusta)  secretes  in  cavities  between  the 
annual  growth  of  the  wood  a  rich  vermilion- 
coloured  gum,  and  the  ironbark  (E.  resvni- 
fera),  an  astringent  subresinous  substance 
resembling  gum  kino  ;  E.  manifera  produces 
in  the  dry  season  a  saccharine  substance 
similar  to  manna  in  action  and  appearance, 
which  is  eagerly  sought  after  as  an  article  of 
food  by  the  natives.  Other  plants  of  this 
family  yield  a  large  supply  of  tannin,  which 
has  been  extracted  in  the  same  way  as  that 
of  the  acacias,  and  has  found  a  ready  sale  in 
the  English  market. 

Eucalypti  are  stated  to  form  four-fifths  of 
the  Australian  forests.  These  plants  are  re- 
markable for  the  vertical  instead  of  horizontal 
direction  of  their  leaves,  which  are  generally 
in  pairs  opposite  one  another  on  young  plants, 
but  becoming  scattered  and  alternate  as  the 
plant  grows  older  ;  and  the  form  is  generally 
so  much  changed  that  an  old  and  a  young 
plant  of  the  same  species  would  hardly  be 
taken  for  such. 

Other  useful  plants   of  the   same  natural 


order  (Myrtaceje)  as  the  last,  are  those  called 
by  the  colonists  Tea-trees,  being  various 
species  of  Leptosjjermuvi  and  Melaleuca, 
which,  as  their  local  name  indicates,  are  used 
as  substitutes  for  tea.  The  first-named,  as 
the  common  tea-tree  (i.  scopa7'ium),  and 
many  others — more  than  thirty  species  being 
known  in  New  South  Vf ales  alone  —  are 
generally  noted  for  their  neat  bushy  growth, 
small  rigid  leaves,  and  numerous  pure  white 
flowers.  The  Melaleucas  are  also  handsome 
shrubs,  with  opposite  or  alternate  leaves,  and 
frequently  purple  or  scarlet  flowers,  arranged 
in  spikes  similar  in  appearance  to  a  bottle- 
brush.  A  great  number  of  species  are  known. 
Many  other  beautiful  shrubs  belonging  to 
this  natural  order  are  scattered  in  profusion 
all  over  the  country,  among  which  Ca Hist einon 
lanceolatus,'  with  its  lance-shaped  leaves  and 
spikes  of  deep  crimson  flowers,  and  Beau- 
furtia  decussata,  with  dense  dark  green  foli- 
age, and  flowers  of  a  deeper  crimson  than  the 
last,  have  long  been  inhabitants  of  the  con- 
servatories of  this  country. 

Plants  of  the  natural  order  Epacridacege 
form  a  large  portion  of  the  scrub  and  under- 
wood in  New  South  Wales,  occupying  to  a 
great  degree  the  place  of  the  Heaths  of  the 
Cape  of  Grood  Hope  and  other  countries. 
Epacris  grandiflora,  forming  a  dense  shrub 
with  rigid  heart-shaped  leaves  and  numerous 
axillary  tubular  crimson  flowers  with  white 
mouth,  and  E.  ivijoressa  with  a  more  rigid 
habit,  sharp  lance-shaped  leaves  and  rosy 
tubular  flowers,  produced  in  great  profusion, 
are  favourites  long  ago  introduced  into  this 
country. 

But  one  of  the  most  numerous  as  well  as 
singular  groups  of  plants,  tending  particularly 
to  give  an  appearance  so  different  from  the 
vegetation  of  Europe,  are  the  Proteacese, 
often  growing  socially  together,  adorning 
large  tracts  of  country  with  their  singular 
forms  and  generally  showy  flowers.  The 
species  seem  in  general  confined  to  rather 
narrow  localities,  none  of  those  growing  near 
Sydney  or  on  the  east  coast  being  known  on 
the  west  coast.  Of  this  family  the  Waratah 
(Telofea  speciosisnmd)  has  been  long  in  cul- 
tivation on  account  of  its  stately  growth,  fine 
large  leaves,  and  splendid  cones  of  deep  crim- 
son flowers.  Banhsia  latifolia  forms  a  tree 
thirty  feet  high,  with  broad  leathery  leaves, 
and  heads  of  greenish  flowers.  B.  grandis 
forms  a  bush  two  or  three  feet  high,  with 
large  coriaceous  toothed  leaves  and  large 
conical  heads  of  yellow  flowers.  JDryandva 
floribunda  forms  a  compact  bush,  with  stiff 
toothed  leaves,  the  branches  terminating  in 
heads  of  yellow  flowers. 

In  even  greater  numbers  than  any  of  the 
previous  named  groups  appear  the  papiliona- 


208 


SKETCH    0¥    THE    VEGETATION    OE    AUSTRALIA. 


ceous  plants,  generally  in  the  form  of  shrubs, 
with  red  or  yellow,  sometimes  blue,  flowers. 
These  form  a  considerable  portion  of  the  un- 
derwood on  the  edge  of  the  woods,  or  of  the 
scrubs  intervening  in  the  more  open  parts  of 
the  country,  especially  as  the  interior  of  the 
country  is  gained.  Here  Kennedya  ruhicunda, 
with  its  brownish  leaflets  growing  in  threes, 
and  its  large  red  flowers,  may  be  seen  climb- 
ing the  trees  on  the  margins  of  the  woods,  as 
also  does  Hardenhergia  monophylla,  with  its 
long  twining  stems,  simple  leaves,  and  fine 
spikes  of  small  blue  flowers.  In  the  same 
way  Brachysema  latifolium  may  be  found 
adorning  the  scrubs  with  its  twining  stems, 
broad  heart-shaped  leaves,  and  scarlet  flowers. 
Numerous  Pultenceas  are  also  to  be  found, 
generally  forming  neat  bushes,  with  rigid 
leaves  and  terminal  heads  of  flowers  of  some 
shade  of  yellow.  But  a  mere  list  of  plants 
with  papilionaceous  flowers  indigenous  to 
New  South  Wales,  would  occupy  much 
space.  Tiiere  are  the  Soveas,  the  Bossiceas, 
Platylohiums,  Chorozemas,  Dillmynias,  Po- 
dolohiums,  Burtonias,  Gompholohiums,  Mir- 
belias,  Gastrolohiums,  JDavlesias,  and  many 
other  genera  of  this  family,  all  well  known, 
and  which  are  almost  as  conspicuous  in  our 
greenhouses  as  in  the  woods  of  Australia. 

Turning  to  the  monocotyledonous  plants  of 
this  country,  perhaps  no  forms  give  so  pecu- 
liar an  appearance  to  the  vegetation  as  the 
grass  trees  [XantJiorrhcBa  hastilis,  and  other 
species),  whose  stout  trunks  supporting  a 
dense  head  of  long  curved  grass-like  leaves, 
surmounted  by  a  tall  stem  bearing  a  spike  of 
white  flowers,  and  growing  in  the  most  barren 
places,  give  a  peculiar  air  to  the  landscapes  in 
which  they  occur.  Another  subject  of  similar 
habit,  but  with  a  spike  of  intensely  coloured 
crimson  flowers,  is  the  Doryanthes  exceha, 
a  plant  occurring  in  greater  plenty  to  the 
north  of  Sydney.  As  an  undergrowth  to 
these,  plants  of  a  still  more  hei'baceous  and 
dwarf  stature  are  very  common  ;  amongst 
which,  the  Patersonias  hold  a  considerable 
rank.  These  are  plants  with  a  rigid  sedgy 
foliage,  and  spikes  or  heads  of  blue  or  purple 
flowers  of  great  beauty,  but  very  short  dura- 
tion. Others  of  similar  habits  are  also  com- 
mon, as  sedges  and  grasses  of  various  species, 
but  these  are  seldom  found  forming  anything 
like  a  close  turf.  Among  the  orchids  of  this 
region  are  a  very  few  of  epiphytical  habit, 
but  a  rather  large  assortment  of  terrestrial 
growth,  many  of  which  are  very  ornamental ; 
as,  for  instance,  Biuris  aurea,  a  plant  with 
persistent  lanceolate  leaves,  and  a  flower- 
spike  attaining  a  height  of  eighteen  inches, 
bearing  a  quantity  of  singularly  formed  golden 
coloured  flowers. 

Passing  towards  the  interior,  the  size  of  the 


trees  and  the  denseness  of  the  forest  increases 
until  the  range  of  the  Blue  Mountains  is 
passed,  when  a  different  vegetation  is  met 
with  in  every  direction  ;  not  that  the  families 
of  plants  are  entirely  changed,  but  because 
with  many  new  genera,  several  of  which  are 
analogous  or  identical  with  European  forms, 
those  more  peculiarly  Australian  appear  under 
different  conditions.  On  the  Liverpool  and 
other  plains  of  the  interior  the  forest  vegeta- 
tion generally  arranges  itself  in  isolated 
groups,  or  is  scattered  about  in  single  plants, 
so  as  to  give  the  country  quite  a  park-like 
appearance,  while  the  lawn  is  composed  of 
many  various  grasses  and  other  herbs,  among 
which  is  generally  predominant  on  tolerable 
or  good  soils,  the  kangaroo  grass  (^Anthutiria 
australis),  one  of  the  most  generally  diffused 
and  most  valuable  productions  of  the  open 
woods  and  downs  of  the  interior,  being  the 
grass  on  which  the  flock-masters  and  squatters 
chiefly  depend  for  food  for  their  herds  and 
flocks.  It  is  in  good  land  a  tall  strong  grass 
with  a  compound  flower-spike,  somewhat  re- 
sembling the  common  oat-grass  of  England. 

But  it  is  in  or  near  the  water-courses  and 
rivers  that  the  forms  occur  which  most  remind 
the  traveller  of  the  European  flora,  for  there 
he  meets  with  mints,  water  plantains,  sedges, 
duck-weeds,  &c.,  which  forcibly  remind  him 
of  home.  One  of  the  finest  plants  of  this 
description  is  the  willow-herb  {Lyihrum, 
salicari.a),  common  by  our  English  rivers, 
and  still  further  remarkable  as  being  the  only 
one  of  its  natural  order  yet  known  in  New 
Holland.  Another  plant,  apparently  almost 
universally  diffused  over  the  interior  of  the 
country,  is  the  Polygonum  junceum,  a  trailing 
matted  bramble-like  shrub,  but  valuable  as 
almost  always^marking  the  proximity  of  water. 

The  valley  of  the  river  Lachlan  affords  a 
considerable  variety  of  fresh  forms  of  plants, 
one  of  the  most  useful  of  which  to  the  ab- 
origines is  a  species  of  reed  or  bull-rush, 
which  grows  in  enormous  quantities  in  the 
extensive  marshes  near  this  river.  The  roots, 
or  creeping  rhizomes,  are  collected  in  lengths 
of  about  nine  inches,  peeled  and  slightly 
roasted  before  the  fire  ;  they  are  then  twisted 
so  as  to  loosen  the  fibres,  and  a  starchy  sub- 
stance closely  resembling  wheaten  flour  is 
shaken  out,  furnishing  a  good  and  wholesome 
food  at  all  times.  This  food,  which  the  na- 
tives call  "  Bidyan,"  is  thus  always  procur- 
able, either  as  above,  or  by  simply  chewing 
the  peeled  roots.  Among  allied  plants,  several 
new  forms  of  grasses  occur  on  or  near  the 
Lachlan,  as  Danthonia  pectinata,  with  dense 
long  foliage,  and  simple  secund  spikes  ar- 
ranged many  together  in  terminal  heads. 
Also  Trichinhmi  nobile,  with  broad  ovate 
leaves,  and  cylindrical  spikes  of  feathery  pale 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OE  AUSTRALIA. 


209 


yellow  flowers,  being  a  very  fine  grass,  tlie 
spikes  as  much  as  six  indies  long  ;  T.  alopecu- 
roideum  has  a  branching  stem  with  smooth 
lanceolate  leaves,  and  long  cylindrical  spikes 
of  flowers  ;  T.  parvl/lo)'um  has  oval  acute 
leaves,  the  under  sides  of  which  as  well  as 
the  stems  are  covered  with  rusty  down,  and 
the  flowers  are  produced  in  long  graceful 
spikes  ;  and  T.  sessUifolium  has  oblong  blunt 
leaves,  covered,  as  well  as  the  stems,  with 
rusty  down,  and  bearing  oblong  downy  spikes 
of  flowers.  Two  of  the  most  valuable  grasses 
in  this  district  appear  to  be  Agrostis  virgi7iea 
and  a  species  of  JBchinochloa,  both  affording 
rich  food  for  cattle.  Among  the  "  lilies  of 
the  field"  are  three  beautiful  species  of  Cal- 
lostemma,  which  occur  in  great  abundance  in 
some  districts  ;  C.  candiduvi  has  heads  of 
pretty  white  fragi'ant  flowers,  with  an  entire 
crown  in  the  centre  of  each  ;  C  carneum 
has  similar  flowers  of  a  pink  colour ;  while 
those  of  C.  luteian,  produced  in  a  similar  way, 
are  of  a  clear  yellow  colour.  Of  the  curious 
rusty  genus  Xerotes  two  new  species  occur  ; 
X.  typhina,  having  long  narrow  leaves  whose 
edges  are  clothed  with  hairy  filaments,  and 
interrupted  spikes  of  fragrant  flowers,  which 
are  produced  from  the  edges  of  stems  closely 
resembling  the  leaves  in  appearance,  and 
which,  drooping  outwards  while  the  true  leaves 
retain  a  rigid  upright  direction,  give  the 
plant  a  peculiar  and  elegant  appearance  ;  X. 
ejf'usa  has  hard  long  rush-like  half-round 
leaves,  and  panicles  of  spreading  flowers. 

A  singular  plant  belonging  to  the  Caprifoils, 
forming  a  bush  resembling  the  dwarf  elder, 
also  occurs  in  this  district.  The  leaves  are 
opposite,  pinnate  of  five  serrate  leaflets,  and 
the  flowers  and  fruit  are  remarkable  for  every 
part  being  in  threes,  as  three  sepals,  three 
petals,  three  stamens,  three  stigmas,  and  three 
carpels.  The  flowers  of  this  plant  (Tripetalus 
australasicus)  are  yellow,  produced  in  lax 
panicles,  and  are  succeeded  by  fruit  with 
scarcely  any  pulp  upon  them.  Jasminum 
lineare  is  also  met  with,  forming  a  singular 
upright  bush,  with  short  axillary  bunches  of 
white  blossoms.  Among  nightshades  is  one, 
Solanum  esurmle,  with  narrow  blunt  leaves, 
which,  as  well  as  the  branches,  are  sj^iny  and 
downy,  and  small  inconspicuous  flowers,  suc- 
ceeded by  a  berry  which  the  natives  eat.  S. 
Jh'ocissimum  is  chiefly  remarkable  for  being 
so  totally  beset  with  yellow  curved  spines  as 
almost  to  hide  its  leaves  and  flowers. 

In  some  districts  plains  occur,  showing  their 
saline  nature  by  the  quantities  of  salsolaceous 
plants  which  they  produce,  among  which  oc- 
curs a  Chenopod  {Scleroloena  hicornis)  curious 
for  its  woolly  branching  habit,  smooth  linear 
succulent  leaves,  and  solitary  calyx  with  two 
horns.  Of  malloworts  one  or  two  small  spe- 
50. 


cies  of  Sida  occur,  Sida  fihidifera,  a  small 
spreading  plant  covered  with  white  wool,  has 
ovate  notched  leaves,  and  small  yellow  very 
fragrant  flowers,  produced  on  long  foot-stalks. 
S.  corrugata  is  another  small  plant,  with  mi- 
nute yellow  flowers  without  the  fragrance  of 
those  of  the  last  to  recommend  them. 

Among  leguminous  plants  the  wattles  (^Aca- 
cias) occur  in  great  numbers,  and  afford  several 
new  forms  :  A.  leticophylla  is  a  graceful  droop- 
ing plant,  with  thin  angular  branches,  linear 
sickle- shaped  leaves  (phyllodia),  which,  as  well 
as  the  young  branches,  are  densely  clothed 
with  silvery  hairs  or  down  ;  the  flowers  are 
produced  in  bunches  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves. 
A.  salicina  has  the  appearance  of  a  graceful 
drooping  willow,  with  narrow  oblong  lance- 
shaped  leaves  covered  with  bloom,  and  bunches 
of  yellow  flowers  produced  on  the  young  shoots 
from  the  axils  of  the  leaves.  A  plant  very 
generally  distributed,  although  perhaps  at  wide 
intervals,  over  this  part  of  Australia,  but  at 
any  rate  occurring  in  the  beds  of  lagoons  and 
rivers  as  soon  as  the  floods  are  off",  from  the 
Murray  to  the  Darling,  is  Trigonella  suavis- 
sima,  a  species  somewhat  resembling  clover, 
and  singular  among  Australian  vegetables  in 
approaching,  in  form,  those  leguminous  plants 
more  peculiarly  characteristic  of  the  south  of 
Europe.  It  is  a  trailing  prostrate  herb,  with 
trifoliate  leaves,  the  leaflets  heart-shaped  and 
toothed  ;  the  flowers  are  produced  a  few  to- 
gether in  heads,  and  are  succeeded  by  smooth 
sickle-shaped  pods.  The  plant  emits  a  per- 
fume exactly  similar  to  new-mown  hay,  and 
the  succulent  fresh  herbage  affords  a  most 
grateful  vegetable  cooked  like  spinach.  The 
natives  call  it  "  Cdlomha"  and  use  it  as  an 
article  of  food. 

Among  rueworts.  Correct  leucoclada  has 
the  young  shoots  covered  with  a  white  down, 
oblong  oval  blunt  leaves,  and  large  campanu- 
late  flowers ;  C  glabra  also  has  white  branches 
with  smooth  oval  leaves,  and  small  green  bell- 
shaped  flowers.  Near  the  Lachlan  occurs 
Loranthus  Quandang,  as  a  parasite  on  the 
Fusanus  acuminatus  :  it  has  opposite  narrow 
blunt  white  leaves,  and  flowers  growing  in 
sixes  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  of  a 
bright  crimson  colour,  and  produced  in  such 
quantities  as  to  be  very  urnamental.  Among 
beancapers  occurs  R'dpera  aurantkica,  a  beau- 
tiful little  under-shrub,  with  narrow  blunt 
fleshy  leaves  and  orange-coloured  flowers,  suc- 
ceeded by  broad  thin-winged  fruit.  A  Sandal- 
wort  {Eiicarya  MurrayancC)  closely  allied  to 
the  Quandang  nut,  is  also  sparingly  met  with 
between  the  Lachlan  and  the  Darling.  It 
forms  a  handsome  small  tree,  something  re- 
sembling a  weeping  willow  when  in  fruit, 
which  latter  resemble  a  pear  in  shape,  and 
are  produced  at  the  ends  of  the  branches.    The 

P 


210 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OF  AUSTRALIA. 


enclosed  nut  closely  resembles  the  Quandang 
in  appearance,  althougli  there  is  no  similarity 
between  the  trees. 

The  Quandang  nut  {Fusamis  acuminatus) 
is  produced  on  a  bush  or  small  tree  widely 
spread  through  the  country,  and  occurring  in 
Australia  Felix  in  such  abundance  as  almost 
to  seem  worthy  of  attention  in  a  commercial 
point  of  view  ;  the  kernels  being  not  inferior 
to  almonds,  and  aiFording  the  natives  a  large 
supply  of  sweet  and  nutritious  food.  In  sandy 
ground  on  the  Murray  river,  and  also  on  the 
Darling,  a  tree  occurs,  generally  solitary, 
which  has  obtained  the  name  of  the  horse- 
radish tree  {Gyrostemon  jmngens),  from  the 
wood,  bark,  and  leaves  tasting  strongly  as  that 
root.  The  leaves  are  rhomb-shaped  and  glau- 
cous, and  the  capsules  are  arranged  in  a  wheel- 
like manner.  In  this  district  also  occur  many 
new  species  of  Acacias,  as  A.  sclerophylla, 
with  angular  branches  and  rigid  smooth  phyl- 
lodia,  the  heads  of  flowers  sessile,  and  all 
parts  of  the  plant  perfectly  smooth  ;  A.  fari- 
nosa  much  resembles  the  last,  but  has  narrow 
blunt  sickle-shaped  leaves,  with  mealy  balls 
of  flowers  produced  two-four  together  in  the 
axils  of  the  leaves.  Near  Mount  Zero  occurs 
A.  strigosa,  Avhich  is  clothed  with  glandular 
hairs,  with  oblong  narrow  leaves,  and  bearing 
a  profusion  of  brilliant  yellow  flowers.  Other 
leguminous  plants  found  near  the  Murray  and 
its  tributaries,  of  considerable  interest,  are 
various  species  of  Cassia,  Pultencpa,  Daviesia, 
&c.  some  of  which  are  described  below.  Cas- 
sia heteroloba  forms  a  beautiful  shrub,  with 
leaves  composed  of  two  pairs  of  narrow  leaf- 
lets, among  which  are  produced  the  brilliant 
yellow  blossoms  in  great  profusion ;  these  are 
succeeded  by  curious  thin  papery  pods  of  va- 
rious shapes  and  sizes.  Pulten(sa  montana 
forms  a  dense  hairy  bush,  with  heart-shaped 
leaves  and  terminal  heads  of  small  yellow 
flowers.  P.  mollis  forms  a  neat  bush,  with 
small  narrow  leaves  densely  covered  Avith 
silky  silvery  hairs,  the  branches  being  termi- 
nated by  heads  of  beautiful  yellow  and  brown 
flowers.  Daviesia  pectinata  forms  a  singular 
leafless  bush,  the  side  branches  being  green 
and  flattened  out  into  thick  vertical  plates, 
spiny  on  the  edges  and  arranged  in  a  spiral 
manner  ;  in  the  axils  of  these  branches  the 
heads  of  small  flowers  are  produced.  JJ.  hre- 
vifolia  forms  a  stifi"  furze-like  bush,  with 
conical  spiny  leaves,  and  spikes  of  small  purple 
flowers ;  it  occui'S  on  the  banks  of  the  Glenelg 
river.  Dillmynia  hispida  forms  a  neat  bush, 
with  hairy  heath-like  leaves  and  spikes  of 
plain  yellow  flowers.  Of  the  family  of  Myrtle- 
blooms  many  species  occur,  of  which  a  few  of 
the  most  striking  may  be  mentioned.  On  the 
Darling  occurs  a  curious  plant  {Bcecliia  cras- 
sifolia)  forming  a  low  shrub,  with  very  small 


blunt  thick  leaves,  and  solitary  small  white 
flowers.  The  range  of  hills  named  the  Gram- 
pians are  rich  in  new  plants,  among  which 
may  be  mentioned  B.  alpina,  a  hairy  bush 
with  downy  narrow  oval  leaves  and  handsome 
rose-coloured  flowers.  On  the  highest  parts 
of  these  hills  also  occurs  Eucalyptus  alpina, 
with  short  angular  rigid  warted  branches,  oval 
oblong  viscid  leaves,  and  heads  of  a  few  flow- 
ers, produced  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves. 
Near  Lake  Bogo  occurs  a  handsome  species 
of  Storksbill  (^Pelargonium  Radeyanuvi),  re- 
markable as  one  of  the  very  few  of  its  genus 
found  away  from  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope  ;  it 
has  a  brittle  thick  fleshy  underground  stem, 
with  oblong  oval  leaves  bluntly  toothed,  and 
heads  of  from  eight  to  ten  handsome  flowers 
borne  on  a  long  stalk  above  the  leaves;  the  roots 
of  this,  or  allied^species,  are  collected  as  articles 
of  food  by  the  natives  of  West;ern  Australia. 

On  and  near  the  Grampian  range  Proteads 
occur  in  some  numbers,  among  which  the  fol- 
lowing Grevilleas  are  new  :  G.  Aq7fifolium 
has  holly-like  leaves  downy  on  the  under 
side,  and  hairy  racemes  of  flowers  ;  G.  vari- 
abilis has  hoary  wedge-shaped  lobed  leaves, 
resembling  those  of  the  oak,  and  downy  spikes 
of  flowers  ;  G.  alpi7ia  occurs  as  an  upright 
bush,  with  long  narrow  leaves,  and  also  as  a 
dense  entangled  scrub,  with  much  shorter 
leaves  ;  the  flowers  are  produced  in  small 
spikes,  and  are  of  a  brownish  red  colour. 
Epacrids  are  also  common  ;  and  Epaci'is 
tomentosa  is  stated  to  be  a  much  more  hand- 
some plant  than  the  well-known  E.  grandi- 
fiora;  it  has  sharp  oval  downy  leaves,  and 
large  curved  purple  flowers.  Leucopogon 
glacialis  forms  a  small  bush,  not  exceeding  a 
foot  in  height,  with  small  narrow  heath-like 
leaves,  and  terminal  few-flowered  heads  of 
blossoms,  expanding  in  the  winter  season  even 
when  covered  with  ice  on  the  summits  of  these 
hills.  X.  cordifblium  also  forms  a  bush  with 
cordate  leaves,  which  are  beautifully  veined  on 
the  lower  side,  and  with  solitary  sessile  axil- 
lary flowers.  Ij.  riifus  has  the  branches  and 
under  sides  of  the  leaves  covered  with  rusty 
down  ;  the  latter  are  oval  and  spined  at  the 
point,  with  solitary  axillary  flowers  of  a  cin- 
namon colour.  Among  rueworts,  Eriosiemon 
pungens  forms  a  scrubby  spiny  bush,  with 
round  branches,  glandular  prickly  leaves,  and 
solitary  white  flowers.  Phehalium  hilohum 
has  woolly  branches,  with  heart-shaped  holly- 
like leaves,  and  pretty  bright  red  flowers. 
Correa  rotundifolia  has  rusty  villous  branches, 
and  small  roundish  rufous  leaves,  and  bears  a 
profusion  of  pink  bell-shaped  flowers.  A  new 
species  of  violet  wort,  Pigea  fiorihunda,  is  also 
abundant ;  this  has  narrow  Ijlunt  leaves  on  its 
upright  stems,  which  are  terminated  by  spikes 
of  white  or  pale  yellow  flowers.      Of  other 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OF  AUSTRALIA. 


211 


plants,  TetratJicca  ciUata  is  beautiful  and  new, 
grooving  with  tufts  of  slender  stems  about  a 
foot  high,  and  having  oval  leaves  arranged  in 
whorls,  and  large  rich  purple  flowers.  Sul- 
bine  stcacis  has  fleshy  fascicled  roots,  and 
long  glaucous  narrow  leaves,  with  an  upright 
spike  of  numerous  pale  yellow  flowers.  Near 
the  river  Bogan,  a  new  caper  tree  {Capjmi'is 
Mitchellii)  is  met  with,  having  oboval  leaves 
and  yellow  flowers,  succeeded  by  a  spherical 
fruit  resembling  a  small  lemon,  hairy  outside, 
and  filled  within  with  small  nuts  enveloped  in 
a  soft  pulp,  and  having  an  agreeable  perfume. 
A  species  of  cucumber  (^Cucumis  pubescens?) 
is  also  found  in  rich  soil  near  water,  having 
flowers  of  a  purple  colour,  succeeded  by  a  very 
bitter  fruit  about  the  size  of  a  plum.  In  other 
places  the  ground  is  almost  covered  with  a 
small  annual  mallowort  {Hibiscus  tridacty- 
lites)  having  roundish  root-leaves,  those  of  the 
red  stem  being  digitate,  and  bearing  small 
flowers.  A  Cassia  (C.  teret.ifolia)  of  great 
beauty  is  found  on  Mount  Flinders  and  near 
it,  the  whole  plant  being  covered  with  a  white 
down,  and  producing  pinnate  leaves,  having 
five  or  six  p;iirs  of  thin  round  blunt  leaflets  ; 
the  flowers  are  produced  in  spikes  of  about 
five  each,  and  make  a  striking  appearance. 

The  Darling  Downs,  lying  back  from 
Moreton  Bay  about  150  miles,  in  the  28"  of 
latitude,  are  at  an  elevation  of  1,800  to  2,000 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea  ;  here,  in  the 
winter  season,  the  cold  is  sometimes  very  se- 
vere, considering  the  low  latitude  in  v/hich 
they  are  situate.  A  similar  vegetation  to  that 
of  the  other  interior  downs  obtains  here,  ac- 
companied in  many  cases  with  a  greater  luxu- 
riance and  development  of  the  various  plants 
forming  the  flora  of  the  district.  This  is 
peculiarly  visible  on  descending  from  the 
downs  to  Moreton  Bay,  a  very  sharp  fall, 
especially  on  entei'ing  the  valley  of  the  Bris- 
bane River,  or  any  of  its  tributaries,  where 
the  trees  acquire  a  much  larger  size,  and  also 
stand  at  much  wider  intervals.  Here  the 
Moreton  Bay  pine  (Araucaria  CunninQhami) 
attains  a  very  large  size,  its  fine  crown  of 
dense  branches  and  awl-shaped  leaves  rising 
far  above  all  its  neighbours.  At  least  two 
other  species  of  pine  are  said  to  be  found  in 
the  neighbourhood  ;  besides  the  Bunya  bunya 
{Araucaria  Bidwilli),  a  tree  of  most  magni- 
ficent dimensions,  with  a  head  of  spreading 
branches  densely  covered  with  dark  green 
lance-shaped  leaves,  ending  in  a  sharp  point,  and 
arranged  in  a  somewhat  two-ranked  manner. 
The  cones  are  filled  with  large  eatable  seeds, 
somewhat  resembling  the  almond  in  flavour, 
and  to  collect  and  feast  upon  which  large  con- 
gregations of  the  natives  take  place  every  year, 
lasting  in  general  two  or  three  months,  from 
January  to  March.     The  principal  forest  of 


these  trees  lies  about  seventy-five  miles  in  a 
north-west  direction  from  Moreton  Bay.  In 
the  neighbourhood  of  this  bay  other  species 
of  gum  trees  {Eucalypti)  yield  a  manna  simi- 
lar to  that  previously  mentioned.  In  the 
forests  on  the  banks  of  the  rivers  also  occurs 
the  Moreton  Bay  Chestnut  {Castanospermum 
australe),  a  tree  rising  to  the  height  of  one 
hundred  feet,  with  pinnate  leaves  resembling 
those  of  the  walnut,  appearing  from  the  tips 
of  the  branches  at  the  same  time  that  the 
small  bunches  of  red  and  yellow  pea-shaped 
flowers  are  produced  from  the  old  wood,  and 
which  are  succeeded  by  pods  containing  from 
two  to  four  seeds  as  big  as  ordinary  chestnuts, 
which  also  afford  food  for  the  natives.  With 
it  also  grows  the  Silver  Oak  {Grevillea  ro- 
husta)  with  its  ornamental  fern-like  leaves. 
This,  with  Stenocarpus  Canninghavii,  are 
two  of  the  very  few  Proteads  to  be  found  in 
the  immediate  vicinity  of  the  Bay.  The  latter 
is  a  stiff'-growing  plant,  with  large  leaves  re- 
sembling those  of  the  common  oak  in  outline, 
and  bearing  clusters  of  singular  scarlet  flowers 
arranged  in  a  wheel-like  form  at  the  extremity 
of  long  flower-stalks.  Altogether  fhe  plants 
of  Moreton  Bay  indicate  a  near  approach  to  a 
tropical  vegetation,  although  on  the  elevated 
downs  of  the  interior  comparatively  little  of 
this  character  is  to  be  traced. 

Turning  into  the  interior,  and  approaching 
the  tropic  of  Capricorn,  many  new  species  of 
plants  are  met  with,  the  most  singular  of 
■svhich  is  the  bottle-tree  {Delabechea  rupestris), 
which  has  singular  gouty  stems,  so  soft  and 
full  of  mucilage  as  to  be  capable  of  being 
easily  cut,  and  to  furnish  a  large  proportion 
of  human  subsistence.  One  of  the  most  valu- 
able plants  of  this  district  is  doubtless  the 
millet-grass  {Panicum  Icevinode),  called  by 
the  natives  "  coolly,"  having  a  compound  con- 
tracted spike  of  flowers,  with  a  smooth  stem, 
and  leaves  reaching  a  heiglit  of  three  feet. 
The  seeds  of  this  grass  are  large  enough,  and 
produced  in  sufficient  abundance,  to  form  an 
extensive  article  of  diet  for  the  natives,  who 
collect  it  in  great  quantities,  and,  pounding 
the  seeds  with  water,  manufacture  a  kind  of 
bread  ;  being  one  of  the  rare  instances  in 
which  the  seeds  of  a  cereal  are  produced 
freely  enough  in  a  wild  state  to  become  of 
importance  to  man  as  a  bread-stuff".  This 
grass  occurs  over  a  large  tract  of  country, 
being  found  as  far  south  as  the  Darling  Rivei'. 
A  curious  plant  found  in  this  district  is  a 
coral  tree  {Et-ythrina  vespertilio),  Avith  a  stem 
as  much  as  a  foot  thick,  and  thorny,  the  leaf- 
lets in  threes,  having  a  strong  resemblance  to 
the  extended  wings  of  a  bat ;  the  flowers  are 
succeeded  by  pods,  each  containing  two  scarlet 
seeds  about  the  size  of  French  beans.  The 
poplar-leaved   gum-tree  {Eucalyptus  populi- 

F  2 


212 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OF  AUSTRALIA. 


folia)  also  occurs,  with  bluntly  triangular 
leaves,  the  branches  producing  curious  angu- 
lar woody  galls.  Other  species  of  gum-trees 
are  found  ;  among  them  two,  remarkable  for 
the  strong  and  agreeable  perfume  which  they 
exhale.  K.  melhsiodora  forms  a  bush  about 
five  feet  high,  with  rough  bi'anches  and  nar- 
row oblong  leaves,  giving  off  a  powerful 
scent  of  balm  ;  and  E.  citrwdora  is  also  a 
bush  with  angular  rough  branches,  and  green 
lance-shaped  leaves,  exhaling  a  strong,  grate- 
ful, lemon-like  odour.  So  copious  are  the 
scents  given  off  by  these  bushes,  that  they 
perfunae  the  air  to  a  considerable  distance.  A 
beautiful  new  bottle-brush  {^CalUstemon  ner- 
vosxini)  also  occurs,  forming  a  large  tree,  in 
dry  open  forest-land,  having  pale  -  coloured 
branches,  ovate  lance-shaped  leaves,  and  rich 
crimson  tlowers. 

Among  numerous  species  of  Acacia,  is  a 
small  bush  of  considerable  beauty  (^A.  Victo- 
ria;), with  round  branches,  narrow,  blunt, 
sickle-shaped  leaves,  and  slender  spikes  of 
small  flowers.  Another,  growing  to  the 
height  of  five  feet,  is  A.  uncifera,  having 
roundish,  softly  downy  branches,  oblique 
oblong  leaves,  or  phyllbdia,  and  spikes  com- 
posed of  fiowers  crowded  into  downy  balls.  A 
new  plant  belonging  to  a  small  natural  order 
(Goodeniacece),  the  greater  number  of  species 
belonging  to  which  are  natives  of  New  Hol- 
land, is  Linschotenia  discolor,  which  occurs  in 
the  valley  of  the  Salvator  River.  It  is  a 
round-stemmed  sub-shrub,  with  entire  oblong 
acute  leaves,  densely  woolly  on  their  under 
sides,  and  branching  spikes  of  brilliantly  blue 
flowers.  But  it  is  impossible  to  particularize 
all  the  new  forms  found  in  these  little  known 
regions. 

The  general  character  of  the  country  up  to 
the  parallel  of  the  22''  of  latitude,  is  very 
similar,  in  general,  to  that  of  the  Darling 
downs,  consisting  of  fine  open  plains,  or 
downs,  covered  with  rich  pasturage,  and 
thinly  sprinkled  with  clumps  of  trees,  which, 
however,  generally  grow  much  thicker  on  the 
banks  of  the  numerous  rivers,  lining  their 
banks  with  a  belt  of  forest.  Generally  facing 
these,  towards  the  open  country,  occurs  a 
dense  scrub,  often  composed  almost  entii^ely 
of  a  peculiar  sort  of  acacia,  known  to  the 
squatters  on  the  Darling  by  the  name  of 
"  b?'?gaIoiv,"  or  "  hricklow,^'  but  also  fre- 
quently formed  of  many  other  plants,  some  of 
them  unknown.  These  scrubs  are  a  great 
hindrance  in  travelling,  as  where  they  happen 
to  be  some  miles  in  breadth,  as  often  occurs,  a 
long  detour  has  to  be  made,  rjfther  than 
attempt  to  force  a  way  through  such  an 
obstacle.  Again :  the  occurrence  of  good 
land  is  commonly  marked  by  quantities  of  tlie 
"-  Myal "    (^Acacia  jyeMdula),     the     drooping 


branches  and  profusion  of  rich  yellow  flowers 
of  which  render  it  a  great  ornament  at  its 
flowering  season,  which  appears  to  last  several 
months.  The  occurrence  of  saline  ground  is 
marked  by  a  peculiar  vegetation  of  Chenopods 
and  allied  plants.  On  the  parallel  of  the  25° 
of  latitude,  a  much  more  mountainous  tract  of 
country  exists,  elevated  above  two  thousand 
feet ;  and  in  this  region  rise  rivers  flowing  to 
the  east,  north-west,  and  south-west.  Here 
the  vegetation  is  more  varied  than  on  the 
plains,  and  of  greater  luxuriance,  owing  to 
the  more  constant  supply  of  water  falling  in 
such  districts ;  while  the  lower  country,  into 
which  these  rivers  flow,  shows  a  variation  of 
vegetation,  corresponding  with  the  supply  of 
moisture.  About  this  latitude,  in  fact,  appears 
to  take  place,  as  far  as  yet  known,  the  strike 
of  the  rivers,  on  this  side  of  Australia,  for  the 
different  seas,  the  shorter  ones  flowing  to  the 
east  or  north-east,  while  the  grand  streams 
seem  to  flow  towards  the  Gulf  of  Carpen- 
taria ;  and  the  head  waters  of  the  drainages 
for  the  Darling  and  its  tributaries  in  the 
south-west  seem  to  reach  very  nearly,  or 
quite,  to  this  latitude.  Here,  at  any  rate, 
appears  to  be  the  ridge  from  which  the  waters 
are  turned  towards  the  Gulf  of  Carpentaria. 
After  passing  this  ridge,  a  change  of  vegeta- 
tion might  be  looked  for,  but  none  can  be 
noticed  so  readily  as  when,  advancing  some 
five  or  six  degrees  nearer  to  the^equator,  on 
the  shoi-es  of  the  Gulf,  the  screw-pine  {Pan- 
danus  spiralis)  begins  to  appear.  But  low 
under  this,  and  at  a  long  distance  from  the 
coast,  a  palm  {Corypha  sp.)  is  found  on  the 
Dawson  River,  in  25°  latitude.  The  unde- 
veloped top,  or  bud,  of  this  palm — that  is, 
the  young  leaves  before  expansion — is  good 
as  food,  if  not  eaten  in  too  great  quantities, 
being  used  either  raw,  or  baked  in  hot  ashes. 
Another  plant  affording  great  nutriment  to 
the  aborigines  of  the  northern  parts  of  New 
Holland  is  a  species  of  water-lily  (^NymphcBo), 
the  seed-vessels  of  which  are  collected  and 
roasted  whole,  after  which  the  seeds  are  taken 
out,  and  the  parched  albumen  is  found  to  be 
sweet,  palatable,  and  nutritious.  Water-plants, 
indeed,  are  abundant  in  all  the  lagoons  and 
rivers  of  this  district,  and  every  bit  of  perma- 
nent water  or  bog  is  covered  with  Nyinphceas, 
Vdlarsias,  Potamogetons,  and  other  water- 
plants,  from  many  of  which  the  natives 
obtain  some  addition  to  their  fare  as  the  sea- 
sons come  round.  Nor  is  it  from  the  seeds 
of  the  Nymflioia  alone  that  they  derive  a 
part  of  their  sustenance,  but  also  from  their 
roots,  which  are  sought  after  and  dug  up 
when  the  lagoons  and  streams  are  nearly  dry, 
in  the  cool  season,  when  they  are  out  of 
flower.  Species  of  Nelumhiums  also  afford  a 
valuable  supply  of  food  in  their  seeds  ;  and 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OF  AUSTRALIA. 


213 


Avhen  roasted,  they  liave  been  found  to  be  a 
good  substitute  foi*  coffee.  Other  trees, 
besides  the  gum-trees  before  mentioned,  here 
produce  a  gum,  valuable  as  an  article  of  diet  ; 
in  particular  one  or  two  species  of  Ternii- 
nulia,  whose  gum  is  generally  found  to  act  as 
a  slight  purgative.  Another  preparation  the 
natives  have  is  to  soak  the  flowers  of  the 
drooping  tea-tree  (3Ielaleuca  sp.  ?)  in  water, 
to  which  they  impart  a  sweet  and  agreeable 
flavour,  from  the  quantity  of  nectar  which 
they  contain  ;  a  plan  which  the  natives  of  the 
eastern  coast  adopt  with  the  flowers  of  several 
species  of  Baiiksia.  The  natives  draw  a  con- 
siderable supply  of  food  i'rom  the  screw-pine 
{Pandanus  spiralis),  whose  fruit  are  first 
roasted,  then  soaked  in  water,  and  the  de- 
tached seed-vessels  then  again  roasted,  in 
order  to  obtain  the  kernels.  When  the  per- 
fectly ripe  fruit  are  treated  in  this  manner, 
the  nuts  are  very  palatable.  The  seeds  of  a 
species  of  Cycas,  which  appears  to  be  almost 
confined  within  the  influence  of  salt  water  in 
the  Gulf  of  Carpentaria,  also  affords  an 
article  of  diet  to  the  aborigines;  the  nuts  are 
cut  into  thin  slices,  dried,  soaked  for  several 
days,  and  then  tied  up  in  tea-tree  (^Melaleuca) 
bark,  to  underge  a  peculiar  species  of  fermen- 
tation, before  they  are  fit  for  use.  This 
species  of  cycas  attains  a  height  of  from 
thirty  to  fifty  feet,  with  a  stem  thick  below, 
gradually  tapering  upwards,  and  occasionally 
separating  into  two  or  three  branches.  An- 
other plant,  producing  a  seed  valuable  for  its 
economical  properties,  is  a  species  of  Stercu- 
lia  (S.  heterophylla?),  the  slightly -roasted  seeds 
of  which,  being  pounded  and  boiled  for  a 
short  time,  form  a  good  and  nourishing  dish. 
A  further  article  of  diet  is  afforded  by  the 
bull-rush  (Typha  latifvlia  ?),  the  base  of  the 
young  shoots  of  which  are  used  by  the  natives 
of  Australia,  as  well  as  by  the  Cossacks  of 
the  Don.  The  little  gooseberry-tree  {Conio- 
geton  arhorescens)  affords  a  fruit  much 
esteemed  by  the  natives  ;  it  tastes  something 
like  a  gooseberry,  when  ripe,  and  imparts  an 
agreeable  acidity  to  water  when  boiled  in  an 
unripe  state.  The  aborigines  of  this  part  of 
Australia  use  the  cabbage  of  at  least  three 
sorts  of  palm,  as  articles  of  food — Livistona 
inermis,  Seaforthia  sp.,  and  Corypha  sp., — 
whose  forms  so  materially  assist  in  giving  a 
tropical  cast  to  the  vegetation  of  this  part  of 
New  Holland,  notwithstanding  the  predomi- 
nance of  more  southern  and  peculiar  forms  of 
plants  in  the  same  districts.  Under  the  name  ' 
of  ''  Allamurr"  they  also  largely  use  the  nut- 
like swelling,  or  tuber,  of  a  sedge,  which  is 
very  sweet,  mealy,  and  nourishing. 

In  addition  to  the  native  productions,  at 
Port  Essington,  the  cocoa-nut  palm  {Cocos 
nucifem)  has  been  introduced,  and  succeeds 


remarkably  well ;  and  nearly  all  the  other 
chief  vegetable  productions  of  the  tropics 
flourish  in  great  perfection,  as  the  cotton,  the 
indigo,  the  banana,  the  arrow-root,  the  sweet 
potato,  the  bread-fruit,  the  jack-fruit,  the 
sour-sop,  the  pine-apple,  the  mango,  and  the 
mangosteen ;  and  there  appears  little  doubt 
that  the  swamps  and  low  grounds  lying  along 
the  banks  of  the  numerous  rivers,  will  be 
found  well  fitted  for  the  extensive  cultivation 
of  rice. 

The  vegetation  of  the  north-west  coast  of 
Australia,  with  many  peculiarities  of  species, 
still  presents  the  same  likeness  to  the  general 
cliaracter  of  the  flora  of  this  extensive  country 
which  has  been  before  mentioned.  At  Hano- 
ver Bay,  the  most  striking  object  in  the  forest 
is  a  giant  species  of  gum-tree  {Kncalyptiis) 
with  a  bark  resembling  coarse  white  paj)er, 
and  a  drooping  and  graceful  foliage.  Beneath 
these  Titans  of  the  forest  the  scrub  (in  compa- 
rison) is  chiefly  composed  of  screw  pines 
{Pandanus)  and  wild  nutmeg  {Myristica  sp .), 
the  intervals  being  filled  up  with  various  rich 
grasses  and  climbing  plants.  But  the  most 
singular  production  hereabouts  is  a  gouty- 
stemmed  tree  {Capparis sp.?),  almost  identical 
in  properties  with  the  hottlti-tvee  {Delabechea 
rupestris)  of  the  east  coast.  This  tree  does 
not  rise  to  a  great  height  in  proportion  to  the 
bulk  of  its  stem,  which  often  measures  twenty- 
nine  feet  in  circumference  at  a  little  distance 
from  the  ground.  Below  the  spreading  of 
the  branches,  the  rnain  stem  contracts  to 
about  two-thirds  the  diameter  of  the  gouty 
part  below,  and  the  branches  are  rather  short, 
spreading,  with  a  light  and  graceful  foliage. 
The  fruit  is  of  an  elliptical  form,  about  the 
size  of  a  cocoa-nut,  with  a  rind  similar  to  that 
of  the  almond,  enclosing  a  shell,  which  con- 
tains a  large  quantity  of  almond-like  seeds 
embedded  in  a  white  pulp.  The  bark  of  the 
tree  on  being  wounded  yields  a  small  quantity 
of  a  nutritious  white  gum,  resembling  rcacca- 
roni  in  taste  and  appearance  ;  soaked  in  hot 
■water  the  bark  yields  an  agreeable  mucilngi- 
nous  drink.  This  tree  is  an  important  object 
to  the  natives,  who  appear  to  use  the  nuts  as 
a  substitute  for  bread. 

To  the  south  of  Hanover  Bay,  on  the  rich 
lands  near  the  Glenelg  River,  the  vegetation 
is  peculiarly  luxuriant,  with  Casuarinas,  Eu- 
calypti, and  similar  forms,  mixed  up  with 
bamboos,  and  other  more  strictly  tropical 
forms  ;  while  in  the  more  open  country  the 
grasses  are  of  the  most  luxuriant  description. 
Among  them  is  one  which  has  been  called  the 
Australian  oat,  a  plant  growing  to  the  height 
of  five  or  six  feet,  and  bearing  a  general 
resemblance  to  the  European  oat,  but  that 
this  sort  has  a  beard  resembling  barley.  The 
seeds  are  nutritious,  and  the  plant  often  occurs 


214 


SKETCH  or  THE  VEGETATION  OP  AUSTRALIA. 


in  very  Lirge  quantities  together.  Several 
species  of  wild  grapes  {Cissus)  also  occur, 
one  ill  particular,  producing  a  berry  like  a 
small  black  grape  in  size  and  flavour,  afford- 
ing a  grateful  refreshment  in  that  sultry  cli- 
mate. A  rattan  (Calamus),  cabbage  palm, 
many  species  of  fig  (Fiats),  screw  pine  (Pan- 
danus),  cypress  pine  (Callitris),  Araucaria 
cxcelsa  (?),  a  Banhsia,  and  many  Legumi- 
noscB,  form  prominent  objects  in  the  landscape 
in  these  districts.  The  mangroves  descend 
along  the  coast  to  the  south  as  low  as  the  26° 
of  latitude,  forming  very  dense  jungles  along 
the  banks  of  the  sluggish  streams  which  fall 
into  Shark's  Bay.  But  on  passing  the  28°,  a 
species  of  grass  tree  (XanthorrluTM)  makes 
its  appearance,  indicating  the  transition  to  the 
extra-tropical  vegetation  of  the  Swan  River  ; 
as  is  still  further  indicated  about  a  degree 
lower  by  the  appearance  of  southern  forms  of 
Zamice,  whose  nuts,  when  thoroughly  ripe  and 
dry,  are  used  as  an  article  of  food  by  the  na- 
tives, who  call  them  "  Bij-yu." 

Perhaps  the  whole  of  the  rest  of  Australia, 
singular  and  beautiful  as  its  vegetation  is, 
must  yield  to  the  Swan  River  flora  the  palm 
of  elegance  and  gorgeous  colouring.  This 
spot,  probably,  has  also  been  as  well  examined 
as  any  part  of  the  country,  and  many  of  its 
most  interesting  plants  have  been  introduced 
to  this  country  ;  but  still  many  remain  to  be 
introduced,  and  fresh  additions  are  made  every 
day  as  the  country  is  further  explored.  One 
of  the  natural  features  of  this  part  of  Austra- 
lia, which  no  doubt  has  an  effect  on  this  beau- 
tiful vegetation,  is  the  almost  universal  pre- 
sence of  water,  generally  within  two  feet  of 
the  surface,  if  not  breaking  out  in  natural 
springs.  The  country  is  generally  of  an  open 
undulating  character,  the  forests  being  com- 
posed of  about  three-fourths  gum-trees  (Eu- 
cali/pti).  The  principal  rise  in  the  country  is 
the  range  of  the  Diirling,  rising  to  a  height  of 
two  thousand  feet,  and  composed  of  limestone, 
covered  with  evergreen  woods.  The  large 
plants  giving  the  peculiar  aspect  to  the  country 
are,  chiefly,  the  grass-tree  (Xanthorrhcpa), 
often  associated  with  a  very  large  Banksia  (B. 
grandis)  and  with  Zaniia  spiralis,  which,  like 
it,  often  attains  a  height  of  thirty  feet.  Others 
are  the  cypress  pine  (CaUitris),  two  species 
of  Casuarina,  and  the  fire-tree  (Nuytsiajlori- 
hiinda),  a  plant  attaining  the  height  of  a  small 
tree,  and  in  its  season  so  densely  covered  with 
spikes  of  orange  flowers,  that  the  above  popu- 
lar name  has  been  bestowed  on  it  by  the  colo- 
nists of  King  George's  Sound  from  the  appear- 
ance which  it  makes  in  the  landscape.  With 
these  are  associated  an  immense  variety  of 
bushes,  many  of  extremely  neat  and  graceful 
habit,  and  producing  a  profusion  of  the  most 
splendid  fiower.s.     By  far  the  greater  propor- 


tion of  the  vegetation  is  different  in  species 
from  the  other  parts  of  Australia,  especially 
from  that  of  the  neighbourhood  of  Sydney. 
Of  the  natui'al  order  Myrtacese  many  beauti- 
ful forms  are  ibund,  among  which  Calytrix 
a.urea,  with  oval  leaves  growing  in  an  imbri- 
cated manner,  and  producing  heads  of  bright 
yellow  flowers,  and  C.  sappharina,  with 
rough  heath-like  leaves  and  round  heads  of 
very  deep  violet-coloured  flowers,  are  very 
striking.  But  a  much  finer  bush  is  Chry- 
sorrhoe  nitens,  with  heath-like  leaves  and 
spreading  yellow  flowers,  produced  in  such 
profusion  as  to  give  the  plant  the  appearance 
of  being  covered  with  gold  leaf.  Two  or 
three  species  of  Hedaroma,  bushes  of  low 
growth,  are  so  deliciously  fragrant  in  their 
leaves  and  half-ripe  fruit,  that  it  is  a  point 
worth  consideration  whether  they  would  not 
pay  to  collect  and  import  into  Europe  for  the 
use  of  perfumers. 

The  Leguminosaj  are  equally  abundant  in 
this  colony,  as  already  noticed  of  the  other 
districts,  and  equally  remarkable  as  being,  in 
the  species,  almost  all  peculiar  to  the  district. 
Wattles  (Acacia)  occur  in  plenty,  and  some 
of  very  beautiful  forms.  Among  the  Papilio- 
nacese,  or  butterfly-flowers  of  this  order, 
occur  many  most  striking  plants,  as  various 
Horeas,  ITii'beUas,  Ilardenhergias,  ^-c,  re- 
markable in  many  cases  for  the  intense  blue 
or  purple  of  their  flowers  ;  and  other  genera, 
as  Oxylobiuvi,  Chorozema,  Gompholohiuni, 
Zichya,  ^'C,  equally  gay,  with  flowers  varying 
from  pure  yellow  to  every  shade  of  yellow 
and  crimson  mixed.  The  Swan  River  colony 
appears  rather  bare  of  Rutaceous  plants,  au 
order  very  abundant  on  the  east  side  of  the 
continent;  but  among  those  peculiar  to  the 
vv'est  coast  is  JDiplolcena  Bampieri,  a  hoary 
looking  spreading  shrub,  with  oblong  rusty 
leaves,  and  curious  nodding  heads  qf  flowers 
with  long  protruding  pink  stamens.  Nearly 
twenty  species  of  Lasiopetale^  are  known  to 
exist  here,  among  which  Corethrosiylis  hract- 
eata  forms  a  downy  shrub  with  heart-shaped 
leaves,  and  bears  a  profusion  of  forked  racemes 
of  pink  flowers  growing  from  coloured  bracts, 
and  forming  an  elegant  plant.  Another  is 
Sarotes  ledtf'olia,  a  stiff  growing  shrub,  with 
narrow  leaves  arranged  in  whorls  of  threes, 
and  producing  corjmbs  of  large  light  blue 
flowers. 

Plants  with  composite  flowers  are  numerous, 
and  some  of  them  are  vei  y  beautiful ;  none 
perhaps  more  so  than  the  now  common  Bho- 
danthe  Manglesii,  with  its  copious  heads  of 
decurved  delicate  pink  flowers  on  the  slender 
stems.  Lawrencella  rosea  (like  the  last,  an 
annual)  is  said  to  be  even  more  handsome, 
having  blunt  linear  leaves  with  terminal  heads 
of  rosy  flowers.  The  greater  part  of  the  order 


SKETCH  OF  THE  VEGETATION  OF  AUSTRALIA. 


215 


IS,  however,  inconspicuous  or  weedy.  Of 
Epacridace^  many  species  exist,  but  very  few 
of  much  interest,  and  those  chiefly  belonging 
to  genera  well  known  in  other  parts  of  the 
country.  Goodeniacea3  are  numerous,  and 
comprise  several  fine  Le.<chenaidtias.  Davi- 
2nera  cuneata  is  a  dwarf  herbaceous  plant, 
with  leathery  leaves  and  terminal  flowers  of  a 
bright  blue.  A  great  number  of  species  of 
the  curious  genus  Stylidimii  are  found  in  the 
colony,  nearly  all  of  which  are  worthy  of  cul- 
tivation, their  flowers  varying  from  pink  to 
yellow  and  many  shades  of  purple.  Of  the 
equally  neat  genus  of  sun-dews  {Drosera) 
several  species  of  great  interest  are  found, 
not  only  on  account  of  their  flowers,  but  from 
the  bulbs  of  some  of  the  sorts  being  said  to 
afford  an  article  of  food  to  the  natives,  as  well 
as  to  give  promise  of  being  valuable  for  dying 
purposes.  One  of  these,  D.  erythrorhiza,  has 
bluntly- ovate  leaves,  fringed  and  in  whorls, 
with  a  terminal  bunch  of  flowers,  and  bulbs 
of  a  bright  scarlet  colour  the  size  of  large 
hazel-nuts.  One  of  the  most  numerous  orders 
is  Proteacese,  whose  varying  forms  are  so 
abundant  as  to  stamp  the  Australian  character 
on  the  whole  country.  The}'"  occur  of  all 
sizes,  from  bushes  of  humble  growth  to  trees 
of  tlie  height  of  fifty  feet. 

Upwards  of  sixty  species  of  orchids  have 
been  detected,  many  of  them  very  handsome, 
and  all  interesting  from  tlie  singular  sti'uctui'e 
of  the  flower,  and  frequently  from  the  diffe- 
rent methods  in  which  the  bulbs  are  formed. 
These  plants  are  also  worthy  of  notice  from 
the  roots  of  several  species  affording  a  con- 
siderable amount  of  food,  at  certain  seasons,  to 
the  aborigines.  Many  other  species  of  mono- 
cotyledonous  plants  are  to  be  found,  of  great 
interest;  and  among  the  grasses  a  common  one 
here,  as  well  as  nearly  all  over  New  Holland, 
is  the  Kangaroo-grass  {Anthistiria  australis), 
a  plant  of  invaluable  utility  in  all  the  grazing 
districts. 

The  natives  of  the  Swan  River  are  known 
to  use  at  least  sixty  different  vegetable  pro- 
ductions as  articles  of  food,  among  which  are 
about  thirty  sorts  of  roots,  and  at  least  seven 
kinds  of  fungus.  Among  the  roots  are  two  yarns 
{Dioscorea),  several  geraniums,  two  species 
of  bull-rushes  {Typha),  and  several  terrestrial 
species  of  orchids.  Among  the  fungus  tribe, 
that  called  '^native  bread"  by  the  colonists 
{" marrin"  or  " quannert"  of  the  natives)  is 
a  gigantic  truffle,  often  weighing  as  much  as 
two  pounds.  This,  as  well  as  the  others,  are 
favourite  articles  of  food  with  the  opossums 
and  other  marsupial  animals,  by  whom  they  are 
as  greedily  devoured  as  by  the  natives.  The 
common  mushroom  of  England  {Agaricus 
campestris),  if  not  truly  indigenous,  is  now 
extensively  introduced,  and  occurs  in  mnny 


parts  of  the  colony  in  a  wild  state.  The 
spawn  of  a  large  variety  of  it,  said  to  be  far 
superior  to  our  own,  has  been  introduced  from 
the  colony  to  this  country.  Among  other 
vegetable  articles  of  diet  are  four  sorts  of  gum, 
and  two  of  manna,  obtained  from  Acacias  or 
Eucalypti ;  and  the  fruits  of  two  species  of 
Zaviia.  From  the  flowers  of  various  species 
of  J3anksia,  the  natives  take  the  honey  by 
soaking  them  in  water,  thus  obtaining  a 
favourite  beverage. 

King  George's  Sound,  a  part  of  western 
Australia,  and  too  nigh  Swan  River  to  offer 
many  peculiarities  in  vegetation,  is  yet  worthy 
of  note  as  the  originally  discovered  station  of 
the  New  Holland  Pitcher-plant  (Cephalutus 
follicularis),  where  it  occurs  in  marshes,  and 
from  whence  it  was  introduced  to  England. 
The  flora  appears  to  become  gradually  poorer 
as  the  head  of  the  great  Australian  bight  is 
approached,  from  whence  to  Spencer  Gulf  and 
the  Gulf  of  St.  Vincent  is  to  be  found  the 
poorest  coast  vegetation  in  New  Holland, 
hardly  exceeded  in  poverty  by  that  of  the  bar- 
ren islands  of  Dampier's  Archipelago,  on  the 
north-west  coast,  which  places  possessing 
some  of  the  plants  in  common,  as  Clianthus 
Dampieri  and  Jasuiinum  Imeare,  would 
almost  indicate  an  extension  of  the  great 
central  desert  to  the  coast  in  both  directions. 
This  desert  has  been  traced  as  far  to  the  north 
as  twenty-four  degrees  on  the  parallel  of  one 
hundred  and  forty  east  longitude  ;  but  barren 
and  stony  as  it  is,  it  has  afforded  neaidy  a 
hundred  new  genera  and  species  to  the  flora 
of  New  Holland.  This  sterile  country  is  also 
remarkable  for  the  almost  total  absence  of 
many  of  the  peculiar  families  of  Australian 
plants ;  epacrids,  stjleworts,  papilionaceous 
leguminous  plants,  and  coi'dleafs,  are  hardly 
to  be  found,  and  even  proteads  are  reduced  to 
a  few  species  of  Grevillea,  Hakea,  &c.  The 
gum  trees  {Eucalypti)  are  reduced  in  number 
of  species,  but  the  leafless  wattles  {Acacice) 
and  Cusuarinas  and  Callitris  occur  in  about 
their  usual  proportions.  From  Spencer's 
Gulf,  following  the  coast  to  the  eastward  and 
southward,  the  vegetation  gradually  becomes 
richer,  until  it  is  almost  identical  with  that  of 
the  east  coast  which  was  first  described. 

Such  is  a  slight  outline  of  the  vegetation  of 
this  enormous  country,  of  which  about  7000 
species  are  known  ;  which,  in  its  northern 
parts,  is  capable  of  producing  all  the  most 
choice  spices  and  fruits  of  the  east,  as  has 
been  tried  and  satisfactorilj^  proved  at  Port 
Essington.  Even  as  low  as  Sydney  on  the 
east,  and  Swan  River  on  the  west  coast,  the 
temperature  is  high  enough  to  ripen  the  pine- 
apple ;  while  the  orange  and  similar  fruits 
thrive  alongside  the  common  culinary  vege- 
tables and  farm  crops  of  our  northern  latitude. 


216 


FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS    O^    SCRIPTURE. 


FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 

THE    POMEGRANATE. 

In  the  sacred  text  the  pomegranate  is 
generally  believed  to  be  indicated  by  the  He- 
brew word  Rimvion,'''  which  is  not  unfrequent 
in  the  Old  Testament.  From  the  passages  in 
which  it  is  mentioned,  it  may  be  clearly  seen 
that  the  pomegranate  has,  from  the  remotest 
historical  ages,  been  held  in  very  high  esteem. 
It  was  one  of  the  luxuries  of  Egypt,  of  the 
loss  of  which  the  murmuring  Israelites  com- 
plained in  their  wandering  through  the  wilder- 
ness, which  was  "  no  place,"  they  said,  "  of 
seed,  or  of  figs,  or  of  vines,  or  of  pomegra- 
nates." (Numb.  XX.  5.)  Antecedently  to  this, 
however,  the  pomegranate  is  mentioned  as  a 
decorative  object,  it  being  directed  that  the 
priest's  robe  should  have  "  pomegranates  of 
blue,  and  of  purple,  and  of  scarlet,"  worked 
round  about  the  hem  thereof.  (Exod. 
xxviii.  33.)  Subsequently  the  same  object  is 
employed  in  the  decoration  of  the  temple  as 
an  ornament  to  the  pillars  :  "  four  hundred 
pomegranates  on  the  two  wreaths,  two  rows 
on  each  wreath"  (2  Ch'on.  iv.  13);  "he 
made  chains,  and  put  them  on  the  heads  of  the 
pillars,  and  made  an  hundred  pomegranates, 
and  put  them  on  the  chains."  (2  Chron.  iii.  16.) 


It  is  not  at  all  surprising,  when  the  beauty 
and  utility  as  well  as  the  familiarity  of  the 
pomegranate  are  taken  into  consideration,  that 
it  should  be  thus  prominently  employed  among 
the  Israelites.  Their  land  was  one  "  of  vines 
and  fig-trees  and  pomegranates,"  of  which 
took,  the  spies  who  "  came  unto  the  brook  of 


The  Arahic  name  is  Rooman. 


Eshcol."  In  Egypt  it  is  probable  that  they 
made  acquaintance  with  the  plant  in  a  culti- 
vated state,  and  there,  no  doubt,  they  had 
learned  to  know  its  virtues  and  its  uses  ;  but 
in  their  own  land  the  tree  must  have  been 
indigenous,  so  pointed  are  the  allusions  to  the 
vine,  the  fig-tree,  the  palm-tree,  the  pomegra- 
nate, and  the  olive-tree,  as  the  glory  and  riches 
of  the  land.  Saul,  the  first  king  of  Israel, 
tarried  "  under  a  pomegranate- tree  in  Gibeah" 
(1  Scmi.  xiv.  2),  while  his  more  active  son 
smote  the  Philistines'  garrison.  En  Rimmon, 
the  fountain  of  the  pomegranate,  is  mentioned 
by  more  than  one  prophet.  {Nehe??i.  xi.  29  ; 
Zech.  xiv.  10.) 

Solomon,  in  the  book  of  Canticles,  makes 
frequent  allusion  to  the  beauty  and  grateful 
qualities  of  this  fruit.  The  beauty  of  the 
bursting  fruit,  when  displaying  the  delicate 
colours  of  the  pulpy  grains,  is  doubtless  re- 
ferred to  in  the  passage  :  "  As  a  piece  of 
pomegranate  are  thy  cheeks  (temples)  within 
thy  locks"  (Cant.  vii.  7);  and  that  of  the 
flower-buds  is  present  to  the  writer,  when  he 
saj'S,  "  I  went  ...  to  see  v/hether  the  pome- 
granates budded"  (vii.  11);  and  again,  "Let 
us  get  up  early  to  the  vineyards  ;  let  us  see 
.  .  .  whether  the  tender  grape  appear,  and  the 
pomegranates  bud  forth."  (vii.  12.)  Allusion 
is  made  to  its  cultivation  :  "  Thy  plants  are 
an  orchard  of  pomegranates,  with  pleasant 
fruits"  (iv.  13)  ;  and  apparently  to  the  ancient 
custom  of  pressing  out  the  juice  for  wine  or 
sherbet :  "  I  would  cause  thee  to  drink  of 
spiced  wine,  of  the  juice  of  my  pomegranate." 
(viii.  2.)  This  wine  of  the  pomegranate  has 
been  held  to  have  been  real  wine.  Indeed, 
it  is  stated  that  the  art  of  making  wine  from 
the  pomegranate  is  still  practised  in  Persia, 
and  according  to  Chardin,  great  quantities  of 
it  were  made  in  his  time,  in  that  kingdom, 
both  for  home  consumption  and  for  expor- 
tation. 

Rimmon,  the  Hebrew  name  of  the  pome- 
granate, is  mentioned  as  the  title  of  a  Syrian 
god.  (2  Kings  V.  18.)  It  has  been  conjectured 
that  this  Eimmon  is  Bacchus  ;  for  the  poet 
priests  of  the  Ionian  Greeks  feign  that  the 
pomegranate  sprang  from  the  blood-drops  of 
Bacchus  ;  and  Plutarch,  describing  the  feasts 
of  the  Jews,  imagines  they  were  celebrated 
in  honour  of  Bacchus,  an  opinion  perhaps 
strengthened  by  the  offerings  of  pomegranates 
and  other  fruits.  Tacitus  fancied  that  the 
Jews  worshipped  Bacchus,  which  error  pro- 
bably arose  irom  finding  Bacchus  Rimmon 
really  a  Syrian  deity.  Many  of  the  heathen 
deities  have  been  represented  as  holding  the 
pomegranate. 

The  pomegranate  is  called  Pnnica  grana- 
ttmi  by  botanists.  It  is  widely  distributed 
in    an   indigenous    state,    beinjr  a   native    of 


VEGETABLE    FIBRE. 


217 


Asia,  from  Syria  througli  Persia  to  the  moun- 
tains of  northern  India.  The  pomegranate 
forests  of  Mazenderan,  in  Persia,  furnish  great 
part  of  the  dried  seeds,  so  favourite  a  medicine 
in  the  East  ;  and  the  hite  Sir  A.  Burnes  states, 
that  the  famous  pomegranates  without  seeds 
are  grown  in  gardens  under  the  snowy  hills 
near  the  River  Cabul.  On  the  Himalaya 
mountains,  there  is  a  small  wild  sort,  whose 
root  is  especially  esteemed  in  medicine.  It 
is  common  to  northern  Africa,  and  according 
to  Pliny  especially  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Carthage  ;  in  fact,  the  name  Punica  indicates 
whence  the  pomegranate  was  first  brought 
to  Europe  by  the  Romans.  If  not  indigenous 
to,  it  is  at  least  naturalized  in  the  south  of 
Europe.  The  English  name  of  pomegranate 
is  derived  from  the  jiommn  granatum  (grained 
apple)  of  the  Eomans. 

In  favourable  climates  the  pomegranate 
forms  a  handsome  small  tree  of  from  fifteen 
to  thirty  feet  high,  bearing  some  resemblance 
in  its  ligneous  character  to  the  common  haw- 
thorn. In  less  favourable  localities  it  forms  a 
thorny  bush.  In  England,  it  is  usually  trained 
against  a  wall,  where  it  covers,  under  favour- 
able conditions,  a  considerable  space,  and  has 
a  very  beautiful  appearance  during  the  sum- 
mer season.  It  is  a  deciduous  tree,  with 
oblong  or  lance-shaped  bright  green  shining 
foliage,  and  conspiuous  blossoms  of  a  crimson 
hue,  the  succulent  fleshy  calyx  having  a  tur- 
binate tube,  forming  as  it  were  a  "  solid 
crimson  cup  ; "  the  petals  are  of  the  same  rich 
colour,  but  more  fugitive,  membranous,  and 
much  crumpled.  These  flowers  are  succeeded 
by  large  spherical  fruit,  which  are  crowned 
by  the  prominent  hardened  tube  of  the  calyx, 
and  are  in  the  interior  divided  horizontally  into 
two  compartments,  forming  several  irregular 
cells,  enclosing  numerous  seeds  covered  with 
pellucid  pleasant  tasted  grain-like  pulp.  Its 
flowers  and  foliage  render  it  an  object  of 
attraction  in  gardens,  and  its  fruit  imparts 
to  it  a  still  higher  value  in  those  temperate 
climates  where  it  thrives  and  is  productive. 
The  pulpy  grains  of  the  fruit  are  sometimes 
eaten  alone,  sometimes  with  sugar  ;  or  the 
juice  is  pressed  out,  as  already  alluded  to,  and 
made  into  wine  or  one  of  the  esteemed  sherbets 
of  the  East. 

In  medicine  various  parts  of  the  plants  are 
employed.  The  bark  of  the  root  is  power- 
fully anthelmintic  ;  the  flowers  are  tonic  and 
astringent,  as  also  especially  is  the  bark  of  the 
fruit,  which  is  useful  in  diarrhoea  and  advanced 
stages  of  dysentery.  The  juice  of  the  interior 
of  the  fruit  is  useful  in  bilous  fevers,  tlie  pulp 
being  sub-acid  and  gently  laxative,  allaying 
heat,  and  quenching  thirst.  In  the  arts,  besides 
its  early  employment  as  a  model  for  the  carver, 
the  sculptor,  and  the  decorator,  the  pomegranate 


has  furnished  in  the  rind  of  its  fruit  a  mate- 
rial preferred  to  any  other  substance  for 
tanning  and  preparing  thefiner  kinds  of  leather. 
This  part  is  also  used  as  a  dye.  The  fruit  of 
the  pomegranate  is  agreeable,  and  wholesome 
if  taken  in  moderation,  the  pulpy  interior 
being  the  part  chiefly  eaten. 

The  pomegranate  will  grow  in  any  good 
garden  soil ;  but  for  the  production  either  of 
blossoms,  or  fruit,  it  should  have  a  rich  loamy 
compost.  It  should  be  planted  and  trained 
against  a  wall,  of  which  the  south  and  v/est 
aspects  are  preferable.  The  plant  is  propa- 
gated by  cuttings  or  layers ;  the  choicer  vari- 
eties by  grafting  on  the  common  sort,  which 
causes  them  to  flower  better  than  when  grow- 
ing on  their  own  roots.  The  varieties  are  the 
single  red,  which  is  the  hardiest ;  the  double 
red  (I'uhrum  flore-'pleno),  and  the  white 
(cdbescens),  which  are  more  tender  ;  the  double 
white  {albescens Jlore-j)Ieno),  v,^hida.  is  tenderest 
of  all ;  and  the  yellow  {Jiavum),  a  very  rare 
kind.  The  tender  varieties  require  some  pro- 
tection. The  double  red  is  the  handsomest 
variety  for  cultivation. 


VEGETABLE  PIBEE, 

"We  quote  the  following  interesting  account 
of  certain  kinds  of  vegetable  fibre  from  the 
Journal  of  Botany,  edited  by  Sir  W.  J. 
Hooker.  This  work  has  recently  assumed  a 
new  form,  coincident  with  a  reduction  of  its 
price,  and  may  now  be  classed  among  the 
number  of  those  which  are  labouring  to  popu- 
larize science.  We  are  gratified  in  being  able 
to  speak  of  it  in  terms  of  approbation.  The 
extracts  which  follow  will  give  some  idea  of 
the  nature  of  its  contents.  Interesting  in 
itself,  the  subject  is  rendered  still  more  so  by 
the  association  of  the  facts,  which  show  that 
families  of  plants  exceedingly  different  are 
rendered  subservient  to  the  wants  of  mankind 
in  the  manufacture  of  textile  fabrics. 

"  Jute  :  Fibres  of  Corchorus  capsu- 
LARis. —  Time  was,  when  hemp  and  flax 
yielded  almost,  if  not  altogether,  the  only 
vegetable  fibre  largely  manufactured  in  Great 
Britain  into  cloth,  cordage,  &c.  It  would  be 
intei'esting  to  give  a  list  of  the  various  kinds 
that  are  now  in  use,  and  still  more  interesting 
to  speculate  on  the  numerous  kinds  which 
may  yet  be  added  to  that  list  from  various 
parts  of  the  world,  the  introduction  of  which 
does  not  appear  in  any  way  to  diminish  the 
consumption  of  the  original  kinds,  hemp  and 
flax.  A  few  of  these  we  shall  at  present  take 
occasion  to  mention. 

"  One  compartment  of  a  glazed  case  in  the 
Botanical  Museum  [in  the  Royal  Garden  of 
Kew]  is  occupied  by  specimens  of  an  exceed- 
ingly long,  glossy  Indian  fibre,  named  '  Jute,'' 


218 


VEGETABLE    FIBRE. 


together  with  a  very  rudely  prepared  native 
fabric  called  gunny  (rice)  hacj,  and  other 
specimens,  from  the  Heathfield  factory  at 
Dundee,  to  the  proprietors  of  which  we  are 
indebted  for  these  samples.  They  came, 
accompanied  by  a  note,  stating  that  '  ten  years 
ago  the  use  of  this  fibre  was  unknown  in 
Europe  ;  but  that  now  it  is  imported  to  Great 
Britain  to  the  pecuniary  amount  of  300,000/. 
annually.'  A  dried  specimen  of  the  plant 
itself  is  placed  with  the  above  sample.  This 
was  raised  in  our  stove  from  seeds  sent  by  the 
same  gentlemen,  and  is  the  Corchorus  cajysu- 
laris  of  Willdenow.  This  Corchorus  has 
nothing  to  do  with  the  favourite  Japanese 
yellow-flowered  shrub,  incorrectly  called  Cor- 
chorus  in  our  gardens,  (one  of  the  Mosacece,) 
but  belongs  to  the  natural  family  of  Tiliacem, 
the  various  genera  and  species  of  which 
abound  in  useful  fibre,  from  the  gigantic  lime- 
tree  (Tilia)  to  the  herbaceous  annual  here 
noticed. 

"  Chinese  Grass  Cloth. — Under  this 
name  we  have  received  from  Mr.  Joseph 
"Woods,  jun.,  a  very  beautiful  fabric  manufac- 
tured in  China,  first  imported  under  the  form 
of  handkerchiefs,  and  ^more  lately  to  a  con- 
siderable extent  as  superior  to  any  other  kind 
of  fabric  for  shirts.  By  the  kind  help  of  Dr. 
Wallich  and  Sir  George  Staunton,  we  think 
it  may  be  safely  asserted  that  the  '  Chinese 
G?'ass'  is  the  fibre  of  Soehmeria  nivea  (Urtica 
nivea,  Z/.),  a  plant  belonging  to  the  Urti- 
caceous  (Nettle)  family.  And  here  again  we 
see  how  the  same  tenacity  of  fibre  exists  in 
the  several  members  of  this  vegetable  group, 
as  exhibited  in  the  common  stinging  nettle, 
and  still  more  remarkably  in  the  Ui'tica  ca- 
mabina,  U.  heterophylla,  and  another  species 
of  Boehmeria  which  we  have  next  to  speak 
of,  namely,  the 

"  PooAH  or  PuTA  FIBRE  of  Nepal  and 
Sikkim. — For  our  knowledge  and  for  our 
possession  of  specimens  of  this,  we  are  in- 
debted to  Dr.  Campbell,  the  Hon.  E.  I.  C.'s 
Political  Resident  at  Darjeeling  in  Sikkim. 
That  gentleman  has  kindly  presented  them 
and  an  interesting  pamphlet  he  has  lately  pub- 
lished on  the  subject,  to  Dr.  Hooker,  who  for- 
warded them  to  the  Eoyal  Gardens'  Museum. 
Specimens  of  the  plant  prove  it  to  be  derived 
from  the  Boelivieria  Puya,  Wall.  Cat.  {Urtica 
frutescens,  Eoxb.  not  Thunb.);  a  species 
botanically  very  closely  allied  to  the  preceding, 
B.  nivea.  It  has  been  long  and  extensively 
used  in  India  for  various  purposes,  and  when 
properly  dressed  is  said  to  be  quite  equal  to 
the  best  European  flax ;  while  it  makes  better 
sail-cloth  than  other  vegetable  fibre  produced 
in  India.  Eope  formed  of  it  has  been  tested 
in  the  Arsenal  and  Government  dockyards, 
and  found  perfectly  equal  to  any  and  all  pur- 


poses for  which  cordage  made  of  Russian 
hemp  has  hitherto  been  employed.  In  pre- 
paring this  fibre,  however,  the  natives  unfor- 
tunately use  mud,  which  clogs  it  and  renders 
it  difficult  to  spin,  and  spoils  the  colour,  as  is 
evident  from  the  sample  sent.  Mr,  William 
Rownee,  superintendent  to  Capt.  A.  Thomp- 
son, (whose  report  on  the  quality,  &c.  of  this 
fibre  is  quoted  by  Dr.  Campbell,)  observes, 
that,  if  potash  were  used  in  the  preparation, 
which  is  invariably  done  with  Russian  hemp 
and  flax,  instead  of  mud  or  clay,  the  colour 
would  be  improved,  the  substance  rendered 
easy  to  dress,  and  it  would  not  undergo  so 
much  waste  in  manufacturing.  Now,  since 
we  can  assure  these  gentlemen,  that  the  plant 
yielding  this  fibre  is  a  Boehmeria  (Urtica 
of  Linnaeus),  so  closely  allied  in  botanical 
characters  to  the  '  Chinese  Grass'  as  to  be 
identical  with  it,  there  can  be  no  doubt,  that 
if  it  underwent  the  same  process  of  preparation 
and  fabrication  as  is  employed  by  the  very 
ingenious  artificers  of  the  Celestial  Empire,  the 
quality  would  be  the  same,  and  it  might  be 
made  to  compete  with  their  article  in  the 
market.  Both  species  are  remarkable  for  the 
pure  snowy  white  down  of  the  under-side  of 
the  leaves,  and  for  the  dense  clusters  of 
flowers  seated  upon  the  stems. 

"  Oadal  :  Fibre  of  Sterculia  yillosa. 
— The  genus  Sterculia  belongs  to  a  family 
(Sterculiacece),  which,  like  its  near  neighbours 
MuhacecB  on  the  one  hand,  and  TiliacecB  on 
the  other,  abounds  in  tenacious  fibre.  I  men- 
tion the  '  Oadal'  here,  though  not  possessing 
any  of  it  at  the  Museum,  because  it  finds  a 
place  in  Dr.  Campbell's  pamphlet  above  quoted, 
and  because  it  is  now  for  the  first  time,  so  far 
as  I  know,  brought  to  the  notice  of  Europeans. 
This,  however,  is  never  manufactured  into 
cloth ;  its  use  in  India  is  confined  to  ropes, 
which,  when  Avell  prepared,  are  equal  in 
strength  to  the  best  Coir.  The  tree  is  very 
common  in  eastern  India,  and  the  rope  is 
readily  made  ;  for  '  the  bark,  or  rather  all  the 
layers,  can  be  stripped  off  from  the  bottom  to 
the  top  of  the  tree  with  the  greatest  facility, 
and  fine  pliable  ropes  may  be  obtained  from 
the  inner  layers  of  the  bark,  whilst  the  outer 
yields  coarse  ropes.  The  rope  is  very  strong 
and  lasting  :  wet  does  it  little  injury.  It  is 
the  common  rope  used  by  all  elephant-hunters 
in  the  j  ungles. 

"  Fibre  of  Sterculia  guttata,  Hoxb. — 
From  the  bark  of  another  species  oi  Sterculia 
(S.  guttata,  Roxb.),  we  may  here  mention  that 
cloth  is  made;  and  the  process  is  thus  de- 
scribed in  Roxburgh's  Flora.  '  The  bark  of 
this  tree  the  Malabars  convert  into  a  flaxy 
substance,  of  which  the  natives  of  the  lower 
coasts  of  Wynaad  contrive  to  make  a  sort  of 
clothing.     The   tree  is  felled,  the   branches 


VEGETABLE    FIBRE 


219 


lopped  off,  and  the  trunk  cut  into  pieces  of  six 
feet  long,  a  perpendicular  incision  being  made 
in  each  piece  ;  the  bark  is  opened  and  taken 
off  whole,  chopped,  washed,  and  dried  in  the 
sun.  By  these  means,  and  without  any  further 
process,  it  becomes  fit  for  the  purpose  of 
clothing.' 

"  MusA  Textilis  :  Fibre  of  the  Ma- 
nilla Heaip. — We  again  direct  attention  to 
this  fibre,  because  of  the  prevailing  error,  re- 
peated by  almost  every  one,  that  the  beautiful 
kind  of  muslin  called  '  Manilla  handkerchiefs ' 
and  '  Manilla  scarfs,'  is  made  of  '  Pine-apple 
fibre,'  (by  the  term  Pine-apple  is  here  meant 
plants  of  the  Bromelia  family,)  whereas  it  is 
unquestionably  made  of  the  far  more  delicate 
thread  of  a  species  of  Banana,  common  in  the 
Philippine  Islands,  and  first  clearly  defined  by 
Don  Luis  Nee,  in  the  Annales  de  Ciencias 
Naturales,  IV.  123,  as  JMusa  textilis.  The 
inner  portion  of  the  plant  yields,  perhaps,  the 
most  delicate  of  all  vegetable  fibres  ;  and 
beautiful  samples  may  be  seen  in  the  Museum, 
as  well  as  a  valuable  scarf  made  from  it,  pre- 
sented by  Mrs.  Bates." 

The  additional  particulars  respecting  this 
Musa,  which  follow,  are  from  a  translation  of 
Don  Luis  Nee's  account  above  referred  to, 
published  many  years  since  in  the  Aiinals  of 
Botany  (I.  200)  :— 

"  Abaca  is  a  name  which  the  natives  of  the 
Philippine  Islands  apply  both  to  the  vegetable 
fibres  of  which  they  make  their  cordage,  and 
the  plant  that  yields  them.  This  is  a  species 
of  plantain  tree,  the  same  which  is  called  by 
Rumphius  JMusa  sijhestris,  and  in  the  Malay 
language  JPissanrj  Utan.  It  is  found  wild  on 
the  Philippine  and  Mendanao  isles,  and  is  also 
most  carefully  cultivated,  on  account  of  the 
singular  advantages  which  the  inhabitants 
have  learned  to  derive  from  it.  Extensive 
plantations  of  it  are  to  be  met  with  on  the 
island  of  Luzon,  in  the  provinces  of  Albay, 
Laguna,  and  Camarines,  but  particularly  in 
the  vicinity  of  Mount  ]\Iayong,  the  base  of 
which  is  about  fifteen  leagues  in  circumference. 
The  soil  of  this  extensive  tract  and  that  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  another  considerable  moun- 
tain called  Isarog,  is  very  well  adapted  to  the 
cultivation  of  the  Abaca,  which  thrives  only 
in  moist,  shady,  and  fertile  ground.  In  such 
situations  thickets  are  formed  by  their  trunks 
and  young  suckers,  which  last  are  sheltered 
from  the  intense  heat  of  the  sun  by  the  beau- 
tiful and  wide-spreading  foliage  with  which 
the  full-grown  trees  are  crowned.  The  stems 
issue  from  a  sort  of  tuber  furnished  with 
fibres,  and  grow  in  less  than  eighteen  months 
to  the  height  of  seven  feet,  their  thickness 
being  that  of  a  man's  thigh.  They  contain  a 
column  of  white  and  delicate  pith,  very  like  a 
white  wax,  of  the  thickness  of  a  man's  arm. 


and  covered  with  several  coats  of  fibrous 
membranes,  the  remains  of  former  leaves. 
The  leaves  forming  the  crown  of  the  tree  are 
from  ten  to  twelve  in  number,  of  which  the 
outer  ones  spread  horizontally,  while  those  in 
the  centre  are  divergently  erect.  They  are 
five  feet  or  more  in  length,  one  and  a  half 
brood,  and  supported  by  a  stalk  about  a  foot 
in  length,  which  is  prolonged  on  the  under 
surface  of  the  leaves  into  a  thick  longitudinal 
rib,  with  which  many  small  ramifications  com- 
municate. When  this  herbaceous  plant  (for 
such,  notwithstanding  its  size,  it  really  is)  has 
attained  its  greatest  state  of  perfection,  which 
it  acc[uires  in  less  than  two  years,  a  thick 
peduncle  issues  from  the  centre  of  the  leaves, 
covered  with  partial,  concave,  ovate,  acute 
spathes,  which  are  developed  in  proportion  to 
the  growth  of  the  peduncle.  When  they  have 
acquired  the  length  of  three  or  four  feet,  the 
flowers  appear,  from  nine  to  fourteen  in  each 
spathe,  and  are  followed  by  green  hard  fruit, 
one  and  a  half  or  two  inches  long,  disagreeable 
to  the  taste,  and  applied  to  no  use  what- 
ever. 

"  When  the  fruit  is  ripe,  the  stem  perishes, 
as  in  other  herbaceous  plants,  but  a  progeny 
survives  in  the  suckers,  which  by  this  time 
have  made  their  appearance.  As  the  old 
trunks  are  not  proper  for  use,  the  natives 
usually  cut  them  down  when  a  year  and  a 
half  old,  at  which  age  this  may  be  done  with 
advantage.  The  stems  being  cut  off  near  the 
roots,  and  at  the  upper  extremity  a  little 
below  the  leaves,  are  slit  open  longitudinally, 
in  order  to  separate  the  medullary  substance 
from  the  fibrous  strata,  of  which  the  outer  are 
harder  and  stronger,  forming  the  fcartc/a/ft  used 
in  the  fabrication  of  cordage  ;  the  inner  con- 
sists of  finer  fibres  and  yields  the  liqns,  used 
for  weaving  the  nipis  and  other  more  delicate 
fabrics,  and  the  intermediate  layers  are  con- 
verted into  what  is  called  tupoz,  of  which  the 
gidnarras  are  made. 

"  All  these  layers  of  fibres  are  saturated 
with  a  thickish  fluid,  to  clear  them  from 
which  they  are  cut  into  shreds  two  or  three 
inches  wide,  and  dressed  like  flax  in  a  sort  of 
heckle,  or  long  piece  of  wood  furnished  with 
three  narrow  knives,  which  being  held  in  the 
right  hand,  the  shreds  are  managed  with  the 
left,  and  thus  reduced  to  fibres,  and  are,  by  this 
process,  cleared  from  the  fluid  with  which  they 
were  impregnated.  In  this  state  they  are 
dried  in  the  sun,  picked  and  applied  to  diffe- 
rent uses  according  to  their  different  qualities. 
Those  intended  for  cordage,  &c.  undergo  no 
further  process  ;  but  the  others  are  rendered 
more  soft  and  pliable  by  beating  them  with  a 
wooden  mallet ;  they  are  then  fastened  to  each 
other  by  means  of  almost  invisible  knots, 
wound  into  balls,  and  committed  to  the  loom. 


220 


BULBS    GROWN    IN    MOSS. 


"  The  guinarras  are  four  yards  (varas)  long, 
half  a  yard  wide,  and  differ  in  fineness  and 
value.  The  coarsest  sell  for  the  eighth  part 
of  a  Spanish  dollar ;  but  others  are  so  superior 
in  quality  as  to  bring  five  dollars :  a  shirt 
made  of  this  fine  sort  may  be  inclosed  in  the 
hollow  of  the  hand. 

"  The  stuffs  when  woven  are  soaked  in  warm 
water  for  twenty-four  hours,  after  which  they 
are  washed  in  cold  clear  water  ;  then  put,  for 
the  same  space  of  time,  in  rice-water,  and 
lastly  washed  as  at  first,  by  which  means  they 
acquire  lustre,  softness,  and  a  white  colour  ; 
which  last,  however,  the  natives  do  not  under- 
stand how  to  preserve,  for  by  dint  of  time 
and  frequent  washing  the  cloth  becomes  of  a 
reddish  hue. 

"  The  cultivators  of  the  abaca  bind  up  the 
fibres  as  the  Spanish  peasants  do  hemp.  Each 
of  the  bundles  generally  weighs  one  arroha  : 
if  they  are  handald  they  sell  at  the  rate  of  the 
forth  part  of  a  dollar  a  piece,  the  bunches  of 
twpoz  at  three-eighths,  and  those  of  lujris  at 
five-eighths  each.  These  bundles  are  brought 
to  market,  and  sold  to  the  women  who  manu- 
facture them.  I  had  an  opportunity  of  seeing 
the  looms  of  Nabua,  wh^re  I  was  told  that  a 
woman  cannot  weave  more  than  one  piece 
of  stuff  in  seven  days.  Those  of  the  coarsest 
sort,  called  tinagsad,  sell  at  the  rate  of  one- 
fifth  of  a  dollar  the  piece  ;  they  are  four 
yards  (varas)  long,  and  made  use  of  by  the 
rather  superior  quality,  called  Icandoy,  are 
likewise  used  for  garments,  and  are  sold  for 
the  fourth  part  of  a  dollar  when  plain ;  the 
'dyed  ones  are  somewhat  deai'er.  The  sort 
called  mahao,  requiring  more  labour  to  be 
worked  in  stripes,  is  still  more  expensive. 
Two  other  sorts  of  superior  quality  are  hinatol 
and  piring -pitting,  the  latter  of  which  sells 
for  a  dollar.  Other  stuffs,  of  fine  colours  and 
exquisite  quality,  called  camhayes,  I  saw 
manufactured  at  New  Caceres,  that  are  made 
use  of  by  very  rich  ladies  for  shifts  ;  in  these 
cotton  and  silk  are  mixed  in  certain  propor- 
tions with  the  Abaca. 

"  They  manufacture  several  patterns  of  the 
abaca,  difierent  in  design  and  colour  accord- 
ing to  the  different  uses  for  which  they  are 
destined,  such  as  for  dresses,  shirts,  curtains, 
table-cloths,  sofas,  &c.  The  abundance  is  so 
considerable,  that,  as  I  am  credibly  informed, 
the  villages  Cagsava,  Camalig,  Guinapatan, 
and  Legao  furnish  yearly  1,500  arrobas  each. 
In  this  distri(!t  of  Camarines  they  manufac- 
ture 1,200  arrobas  of  cordage  annually,  and 
nearly  the  like  quantity  in  the  district  of 
Albay,  all  which  the  king  receives  /or  one 
dollar  and  a  half  the  arroba.  With  these  the 
natives  pay  their  tribute,  parish  due,  &c.; 
they  clothe  themselves,  and  purchase  neces- 
saries of  life.     In  the  manufactories  of  New 


Caceres,  an  astonishing  quantity  of  cordage  is 
produced. 

"  It  is  a  matter  of  surprise  that  neither  Lin- 
nagus,  nor  subsequent  botanists  [published 
1805]  have  mentioned  a  plant  which  is  so 
very  well  known  and  used  in  the  Philippine 
Islands,  though  Rumphius,  in  the  Herharum 
Amboinense,  gives  some  account  of  it :  he 
mentions  its  fruit  as  being  very  small,  hard, 
and  useless,  and  says  that  at  Mandanao  they 
are  skilled  at  manufacturing  ropes  of  the  outer, 
and  clothes  of  the  inner  fibres  of  its  trunk. 
This  author  gives  to  our  tree  the  name  of 
sylvestris,  from  a  supposition  that  it  is  neither 
cultivated  at  Mindanao  nor  Luzon  ;  but  as  the 
fact  is  quite  otherwise,  at  least  at  the  present 
time,  I  thought  it  proper  to  alter  the  name,  and 
to  call  this  species  of  plantain  Musa  textilis, 
especially  as  it  is  the  only  one  of  which  the 
fibres  are  converted  into  such  exquisite  articles 
of  manufacture." 


BULBS    GROWN    IN    MOSS. 

In  the  Garden  Almanack  this  was  recom- 
mended some  years  ago,  and  practice  has 
reconciled  many  persons  to  it,  as  a  clean  and 
pretty  mode  of  bringing  forward  the  beauties 
of  the  spring,  such  as  hyacinths,  narcissus, 
and  early  tulips.  Unless,  however,  the  vessels 
were  deep  enough  to  hold  the  roots  pretty 
firm,  they  were  apt  to  fall  ovei",  and  we  are 
not  sorry  that  this  fact  has  brought  forth  a 
very  useful  kind  of  stand  or  support  for 
bulbous  plants.  Whether  they  are  grown  in 
water,  sand,  or  moss,  the  stands  are  equally 
applicable,  and  as  the  price  is  too  small  to  be 
any  object,  they  are  becoming  very  general. 
They  are  formed  of  three  thin  brass  wires 
fastened  in  a  ring  about  one-third  of  their 
length  from  one  end,  and  two-thirds  from  the 
other.  The  short  ends  form  legs,  and  the  long 
ones  supporting  the  long  ends  are  bent  out- 
wards, and  then  upwards  again,  so  that  the 
bulbs  rest  in  a  kind  of  cradle ;  but  another 
ring  larger  than  the  bottom  one  is  fastened 
two  inches  above  the  small  one,  and  a  third 
ring  slips  up  and  down  the  uprights,  so  as  to 
confine  the  flowers  and  leaves  in  an  upright 
position.  When  used  in  hyacinth  glasses,  the 
short  ends  of  the  wires  go  down  into  the 
water;  when  used  in  sand  or  in  moss,  they 
form  legs  for  the  support  to  stand  on.  so  that 
in  any  case  they  are  really  simple,  valuable, 
and  ornamental.  If  the  vessel  is  shallow,  the 
legs  may  be  bent  outwards  to  any  extent,  so 
as  to  bring  the  seat  of  the  bulb  lower — indeed, 
as  low  as  you  please.  With  the  help  of  these 
stands  we  have  seen  hyacintlis  Avell  flowered 
in  a  moderate  sized  breakfast  saucer,  and 
several  of  them  in  a  shallow  dish ;  but  it  is 


THE    VIOLET    AND    ITS    VARIETIES BEJARIA    COARCTATA. 


221 


particularly  well  adapted  for  growing  bulbs  in 
moss,  or,  which  is  still  better,  moss  and  sand  ; 
for  the  sand  forms  a  sort  of  ballast  to  keep  the 
vessels  steady,  and  the  moss  hides  the  san^, 
Avhich  is  not  so  sightly  alone  ;  and  beside  this, 
the  sand  holds  water  enough  to  keep  them 
nourished  without  so  much  attention  as  is  re- 
quired by  the  moss  alone.  The  practice  is 
becoming  very  general.  The  stand  was  in- 
vented by  Hamilton,  of  Cheapside,  and  has 
been  often  advertised. 


THE   VIOLET    AND    ITS    VARIETIES. 

The  Russian  violet  is  certainly  one  of  the 
most  delightful  little  flowers,  and  often  comes 
at  the  most  unpromising  time  of  the  year,  but 
those  who  want  to  be  always  plucking  violets 
should  have  all  the  leading  varieties.  The 
Neapolitan,  the  double  purple,  the  tree  violet, 
(so  called,  but  we  could  never  see  why,  unless 
a  strawberry  can  be  called  a  tree,)  and  the 
Russian,  are  leading  sorts  ;  and  although  any 
one  of  them  may  be  sufficient  for  some  peojDle, 
the  whole  and  even  more  should  be  grown, 
because  some  one  or  other  of  the  sorts  may  be 
brought  to  flower  at  all  times.  The  violet 
loves  the  shade,  but  it  wants  air  and  its  share 
of  water.  It  can  be  forced  without  difficulty 
in  a  one-light  box,  either  planted  or  in  pots  ; 
and  we  prefer  pots,  because  they  can  be  regu- 
lated in  quantity  and  as  to  season  by  bringing 
in  a  few  at  a  time,  or  at  all  events  by  a  supply 
from  out  of  doors.  As  soon  as  one  lot  goes 
out  of  bloom,  they  can  be  removed  to  make 
way  for  others.  One  box  full  may  have  slight 
bottom  heat,  another  may  have  none,  but  the 
sort  which  is  best  worth  keeping  in  succession 
is  tlie  Neapolitan,  because  its  blooms  are  pale 
blue  and  very  handsome,  and  there  should  be 
always  a  few  of  these  to  bunch  up  with  the 
darker  varieties  and  with  the  white.  There 
is  no  flower  more  manageable.  It  is  not 
difficult  to  keep  up  a  bloom  from  November 
to  the  spring  under  protection,  and  the  natural 
ground  will  supply  a  succession  until  the 
assemblage  of  more  gaudy  flow^ers  eclipses  it 
in  the  general  garden,  but  if  watered  and 
shaded,  their  bloom  hardly  ceases  among  some 
variety  or  other  the  whole  year  round.  A 
garden  ought  in  some  shady  place  to  have  a 
carpet  of  violets,  and  always  near  the  house 
or  some  favourite  seat  or  arbour,  for  its  per- 
fume is  unequalled  for  delicacy,  whether  in  or 
out  of  doors,  and  it  can  hardly  be  grown  too 
plentifully. 


BEJARIA    COARCTATA. 

Bejaria  coarctata  (Humboldt  and  Bon- 
pland). — Ericaceae  §  Rhododendrpw. — Hum- 
boldt and  Bonpland  describe  this  plant  as   a 


charming  evergreen  shrub,  which,  in  reality, 
it  proves  to  be.  The  Bejarias  have  long  been 
known  to  botanists,  and  have  been  looked  on 
as  desiderata  in  European  botany.  The  pre- 
sent is  apparently  the  first  which  has  been  in- 
duced to  bloom  in  this  country,  though  some 
others  are  known  to  be  in  cultivation.  It 
appears  that  all  the  known  species  of  Bejaria, 
excepting  S.  racemosa,  which  is  North  Ame- 
rican, are  native  of  South  America,  in  the 
Andes,  of  which  Bejaria  holds  the  rank  which 
its  ally  the  Rhododendron  does  in  the  great 
mountain  chain  of  India,  where  several  re- 
markably fine  and  very  distinct  species  have 
recently  been  found  by  Dr,  Hooker. 

The  subject  of  these  remarks,  represented 
in  the  accompanying  wood-cut,  from  the  figure 
published  in  the  Botanical  Magazine,  forms 
a  low  shrubj  attaining  from  four  to  five  feet 


in  height,  but  flowering  copiously  when  less 
than  a  foot  high.  It  is  considerably  branched, 
the  branches  being  pubescent,  and  rather 
densely  leafy.  The  leaves,  which  are  ever- 
green, are  of  an  elliptic-oblong  form,  some- 
what acute,  entire  on  the  margin,  nearly 
sessile,  glaucous  beneath  when  mature,  smooth 
and  shining  above,  and  of  a  compact  and 
brittle  text'ure.  The  flowers  grow  in  dense 
racemes  from  the  ends  of  the  branches,  and 
consist  of  a  seven-lobed  woolly  calyx,  and  a 
corolla  of  seven  oblong-lanceolate  spreading 
petals,  of  a  pale  rose  colour  with  dai-k  streaks ; 
they  are  produced  in  the  early  months  of  the 
year,  and  so  profusely,  that  a  plant  a  foot  high 
IS  said  to  have  been  covered  with  blossoms. 


222 


LATHYRUS    TUBEROSUS. 


Messrs.  Lucombe,  Pince  &  Co.  of  Exeter, 
have  been  thus  successful  in  first  blooming 
the  Bejaria  coarctata,  which  is  a  native  of 
Peru,  growing  at  a  considerable  elevation 
(9,000  to  10,000  feet)  according  to  Hum» 
boldt,  who  describes  the  locality  as  being 
"  frigidissimus."  It  has  hence  been  conjec- 
tured that  the  plant  may  be  found  to  succeed 
with  us  in  the  open  air,  but  on  this  point 
direct  experiment  is  necessary.  Mr.  Pince 
has  found  it  to  do  well  in  a  cool  green- 
house. The  locality  in  Peru  where  Hum- 
boldt found  it  was  near  Cascamarcan.  It 
was  introduced  to  England  in  1847. 

Till  experience  shall  have  decided  the  ques- 
tion of  the  supposed  hardihood  of  this  plant, 
it  must  be  kept  in  a  greenhouse.  Mr.  Pince's 
plants,  which  have  done  well,  were  placed 
close  to  the  glass  in  a  cool  airy  greenhouse, 
along  with  Chinese  azaleas,  receiving,  in  fact, 
the  treatment  given  to  those  well-known  sub- 
jects. It  has  been  potted  in  a  compost  of 
sandy  peat  soil,  with  a  small  portion  of  half- 
decayed  leaf-mould.  Mr.  Smith  of  Kew 
writes  : — "  On  account  of  its  exceedingly  neat 
habit,  and  flowering  in  a  dwarf  state,  it  can- 
not fail  to  become  a  favourite  with  cultivators. 
Being  a  native  of  the  elevated  parts  of  tro- 
pical America,  in  a  climate  where  the  cold  is 
(to  our  feelings)  severe,  it  is  expected  that  it 
will  prove  tolerably  hardy  in  our  climate.  It 
may  possibly  endure  the  mild  winters  of  De- 
vonshire, but  we  have  our  doubts  on  that 
point ;  for  although  it  may  sustain  in  its  native 
elevated  region  a  certain  number  of  degrees 
of  cold  below  the  freezing  point,  yet  we  must 
bear  in  mind  that,  on  account  of  elevation, 
the  air  is  lighter,  and  water  freezes  at  a  higher 
tempera:ture  than  it  does  at  our  level  above 
the  sea.  Any  specific  number  of  degrees  of 
frost  at  a  high  elevation,  is  not,  therefore, 
equivalent  in  intensity  to  the  same  number  of 
degrees  with  us.  This  circumstance  and  our 
humid  atmosphere  in  winter,  are  much  against 
our  success  in  the  cultivation  of  plants  from 
elevated  regions." 

There  is  no  doubt  that  this  species,  from  its 
charming  evergreen  habit  and  its  numerous 
gay  flowers,  will  come  into  general  cultivation 
for  greenhouse  and  conservatory  decoration, 
for  which  its  early  flowering  habit  Avill  still 
fui"ther  adapt  it.  The  treatment  given  to 
the  Indian  Azaleas  appears  to  agree  with  it. 
Propagation  is  effected  by  cuttings,  or  by 
inarching  on  stocks  of  the  common  kinds 
of  Indian  Azalea  ;  the  plants  are,  moreover, 
expected  to  ripen  seeds,  which  must  be 
managed  in  the  same  way  as  the  ^eeds  of 
Azalea  and  Rhododendron,  and  other  plants 
of  the  same  natural  family. 


THE  LATHYRUS  TUBEROSUS  AS  AN 

ESCULENT. 

The  culture  of  Laihyrus  tuherosus  as  a 
wholesome  and  nutritious  article  of  food, 
though  not  much  attended  to,  is  not  altogether 
undeserving  of  consideration.  In  IloUand, 
Belgium,  and  France,  as  well  as  many  parts 
of  Grermany,  this  root  is  well  known  and 
somewhat  extensively  used,  especially  iin  the 
rural  districts.  The  small  tubers  which  grow 
under  ground  may  not  unaptly  be  compared 
to  what  are  commonly  understood  as  the  roots 
of  Pasonia,  and  it  is  a  curious  circumstance, 
that  in  various  countries  we  find  it  designated 
by  names  which,  though  different,  are  all  ex- 
pi'essive  of  the  same  thing,  namely,  earth-nut. 
Thus  in  Dutch  it  is  commonly  called  Aard- 
aker  (earth-nut);  in  German,  Ei^cl-nuss;  in 
French,  Noix  de  terre ;  in  Flemish,  Aerdnote. 
It  has  also  received  other  names,  but  that 
which  signifies  mice  ivHh  tails  appears  to  be 
the  most  common,  besides  the  above.  Thus, 
in  Brabant,  Muyseen  met  steerten,  and  in 
several  places  of  France,  Souris  a  queues. 

Lathyrus  tuherosus  grows  with  a  slender 
straggling  stem,  three  feet  high,  slightly 
winged  and  much  branched.  The  leaves  con- 
sist of  two  obtuse  oval  leaflets,  ending  in  a 
sharp  point,  and  terminating  in  the  centre  in 
long  tendrils  (generally  from  two  to  three); 
these  tendrils,  as  in  the  common  pea,  clasp 
and  twine  round  the  branches  of  other  plants 
that  happen  to  be  near  them  ;  the  leaves  are 
furnished  with  two  stipules,  about  half  an  inch 
long.  The  flowers,  which  resemble  those  of 
the  pea  in  general  form,  are  of  a  deep  rose- 
colour,  sometimes  assuming  a  flesh  hue,  and 
even  becoming  nearly  white  ;  they  are  borne 
on  peduncles  five  to  six  inches  long,  and 
generally  from  five  to  six  together.  In 
general  appearance  they  are  somewhat  pretty, 
have  an  agreeable  odour,  and  though  not  to 
be  compared  to  some  of  our  fiorists'  flowers, 
would  not  disgrace  a  parterre  in  making  up 
the  complementary  coloui's. 

The  small  tubercles  which  are  used  as  an 
article  of  consumption  are  produced  at  the 
ends  of  the  roots.  They  are  of  an  oval  or 
oblong  shape,  and  when  well  cultivated,  attain 
from  two  to  three  inches  in  length  and  an 
inch  in  diameter.  The  inside  consists  of  a 
white  substance  having  a  firm  texture,  and 
when  raw  the  flavour  is  something  like  that 
of  unboiled  peas.  This  taste  is  not  perceptible 
when  the  tubers  are  cooked,  and  the  flesh 
becomes  similar  to  that  of  a  chestnut.  When 
properly  cultivated  the  average  number  of 
tubercles  to  each  plant  is  about  thirty. 
When  between  two  and  three  inches  long 
they  become  fit  for  use.  They  are  taken 
up   and   boiled   from    two   to    three    hours, 


SHALLOTS. 


223 


or  till  a  fork  will  pass  through  them  with 
the  same  ease  as  in  boiled  potatoes.  When 
properly  boiled,  they  are  dried  and  laid  in 
a  cloth  ,  which  is  placed  in  a  covered  dish 
and  sent  to  table.  In  this  way  they  are  con- 
sidered as  superior  to  cooked  chestnuts,  form- 
ing a  palatable  and  wholesome  article  of  food, 
and  in  a  medical  point  of  view  being  emi- 
nently soothing  and  conducive  to  the  healthy 
action  of  the  digestive  functions.  One  advan- 
tage they  possess  as  an  article  of  cookery  is, 
that  they  cannot  be  overdone.  "When  boiled 
they  may  be  pounded  with  sugar,  when  they 
serve  as  an  excellent  dessert.  In  Holland 
they  are  eaten  with  fresh  butter  at  the  second 
course. 

The  best  mode  of  cultivating  them  is  to 
plant  the  tubers  in  April,  in  a  good  substan- 
tial rich  soil,  in  rows  a  foot  apart.  They 
require  little  farther  care  or  attention  except 
an  occasional  weeding.  Each  tuber  will  pro- 
duce a  plant.  They  may  be  taken  up  after 
summer,  and  stored  away  in  pits  to  be  used  at 
convenience.  They  could  certainly  be  left  in 
the  open  ground,  were  it  not  that  there  they  are 
very  apt  to  be  eaten  by  vermin  ;  and  thei'C- 
fore  they  had  better  be  removed  to  some  safe 
place.  The  seeds  ripen  in  July  or  August, 
and  may  be  sown  the  following  spring  for  a 
fresh  crop,  but  the  quicker  and  more  usual 
method,  of  propagating  or  growing  them  is 
to  plant  the  tubercles,  as  with  potatoes.  It 
has  sometimes  been  urged  that  the  roots  are 
small,  and  not  likely  to  compensate  for  the 
trouble  of  growing  them  ;  but  it  should  be 
remembered  that  those  of  the  wild  plants  are 
of  course  very  different  from  such  as  are  cul- 
tivated. The  same  objection  might,  with  as 
good  show  of  reason,  be  raised  to  the  cultiva- 
tion of  several  other  things.  The  wild  carrot, 
for  instance,  has  not  roots  like  the  cultivated 
sorts  ;  the  wild  potato  is  a  very  different 
article  from  what  is  served  at  our  tables ;  and 
no  two  things  can  be  more  dissimilar  in  re- 
spect to  size  than  theVwla  tricolor  of  our  fields 
and  by-ways,  and  the  pansy,  which  attracts 
its  crowd  of  admirers  at  all  our  floricultural 
exhibitions.  As  an  economical  article  of  food, 
the  Lathyrus  tuberosus  is  well  deserving  the 
attention  of  the  cottager.  Not  only  are  the 
roots  wholesome  and  nourishing,  while  they 
can  be  grown  with  little  care  or  trouble,  but  the 
plant  itself  is  eaten  with  avidity  by  cattle,  and 
might  be  profitably  grown  as  fodder. 


SHALLOTS. 
Few  vegetables  are  more  neglected  in  pri- 
vate families  than  shallots,  few  are  more 
valuable,  few  more  wholesome ;  and  none  of 
the  bulbous  tribes  yield  a  larger  increase.  It 
would  be  unprofitable  to  describe  the  various 


uses  of  the  shallots.  There  is,  however,  no 
use  to  which  the  onion  can  be  applied  that  the 
subject  under  notice  may  not  be  appropriated 
to  with  advantage.  It  is  superior  in  flavour, 
much  more  potent  in  strength,  keeps  better, 
and  as  a  pickle  is  infinitely  superior  to  the  best 
onion  we  can  find.  A  few  rows  of  this  bulb 
will  always  yield  from  four  to  eight  times  its 
bulk  in  a  season,  and  therefore  i-etaining  the 
same  quantity  for  plants  season  after  season, 
there  would  be  abundant  produce  for  use. 
There  is  no  fancy  in  the  flavour.  It  is  not, 
like  garlic,  peculiar,  and  to  anybody  un- 
pleasant ;  but  so  sure  as  an  onion  is  accept- 
able, the  shallot  will  be  more  so.  It  is  true 
that  if  bulk  be  required,  the  onion  affords  it 
cheaper,  but  if  flavour  alone  be  regarded  in 
compounding  soups  and  made  dishes,  the  shallot 
is  far  preferable.  The  cultivation  is  very  simple. 
Dig  your  ground,  and  dress  it  with  decayed 
nightsoil,  if  it  can  be  had,  if  not,  a  good  supply 
of  rotten  horsedung  ;  let  it  be  well  mixed  with 
the  soil.  Procure  strong  bulbs,  which  have 
always  a  large  portion  of  embryo  offsets  ;  plant 
these,  by  dibbling  one  foot  apart  and  four 
inches  deep,  in  rows  eighteen  inches  from  each 
other  ;  when  once  planted,  they  require  no 
further  attention  than  keeping  clear  of  weeds  ; 
but  when  they  come  up,  it  does  them  great 
service  to  stir  the  surface  of  the  soil.  They 
give  no  further  trouble  than  weeding  until  the 
leaves  turn  yellow  and  die  down  to  the  ground, 
when  they  are  to  be  taken  up.  A  small  fork 
is  the  best  instrument  for  this  purpose.  They 
may  be  thrown  together  in  a  basket,  and  when 
all  taken  up,  they  should  be  placed  in  an  out- 
house, or  under  cover,  to  dry.  When  perfectly 
dry — which  drying  is  hastened  by  speading 
them  out  a  little — they  have  to  be  cleared  of 
the  earth  that  is  about  them,  and  all  the  loose 
offsets  should  be  taken  off.  Take  for  use  those 
bulbs  which  are  the  most  single  and  clear — 
that  is,  those  which  do  not  indicate  the  pre- 
sence of  offsets  by  the  bumps  in  the  skin 
which  encloses  them  ;  and  having  secured  these 
for  consumption,  lay  the  others  and  all  the  off-  - 
sets  by  in  the  seed-room.  Towards  the  autumn, 
plant  all  the  large  ones  as  before,  one  foot 
apart,  in  ground  previously  prepared  as  di- 
rected, but  not  on  the  same  spot  as  the  last 
years'  were  grown  on.  Let  the  small  offsets 
be  planted  six  inches  apart,  or  if  there  be  any 
very  small,  draw  a  drill  three  inches  deep,  and 
place  them  at  the  bottom  pretty  close,  say  two 
or  three  inches  apart,  and  cover  them  three 
inches  with  the  stuff  drawn  out  of  the  drill ; 
keep  them  clean,  stir  the  surface,  and  in  other 
respects  treat  them  as  before.  When  the 
leaves  have  died  down,  take  them  up,  dry 
them,  and  clean  them  after  they  are  sorted, 
as  before,  and  the  bulbs  intended  for  planting 
have  to  wait  their  time  in  the  seed-room.  All 


224 


CHINESE    TREE-PJSONIAS MODERN    ELOWER-GARDENING. 


the  moderate  sized  offsets  will  grow  to  full 
roots;  all  the  small  ones  will  have  increased 
greatly  in  size,  though  not  perhaps  large 
enough  to  use.  The  beginning  of  the  culture 
is  the  only  time  you  have  to  buy,  for  your 
stock  will  increase  almost  beyond  expectation. 
We  have  known  a  pound  to  produce  eight 
pounds,  though  they  were  in  very  rich  ground. 


CHINESE    TREE-P^ONIAS. 

Among  all  the  vegetables  introduced  from 
foreign  countries,  perhaps  there  are  none 
more  worthy  than  the  arborescent  Pgeonias 
of  China  of  the  eulogiums  passed  on  them, 
whether  as  regards  beauty  of  foliage,  richness 
of  flowers,  earliness  and  brilliancy,  their  grate- 
ful odour,  or  the  ease  with  which  they  may  be 
cultivated. 

The  Chinese  Pteonia  was  discovered  in  the 
fourteenth  century  by  a  traveller  of  the  celes- 
tial empire  in  the  mountains  of  Ho-nou,  who 
was  so  well  pleased  with  it  that  he  afterwards 
made  a  fresh  search  to  procure  it ;  but  it  was 
only  in  the  eighteenth  century  that  this  plant 
was  appreciated  in  China,  when  the  admira- 
tion of  the  Chinese  foB  it  was  so  great  that  it 
ultimately  came  to  be  patronised  by  the  em- 
peror himself.  The  price  of  it  was  so  high 
that  for  some  time  it  was  known  under  the 
name  of  "  one  hundred  ounces  of  gold." 

Subsequently  the  ceilings,  the  wainscots, 
the  vases,  and  furniture  of  the  Chinese  were 
decorated  with  the  figures  of  this  plant,  which 
even  now  attracts  our  admiration,  as  exhibited 
on  the  various  articles  which  are  imported 
from  that  country.  It  is  customary  with  the 
Chinese,  at  the  present  day,  to  present  their 
emperor  at  certain  seasons  with  the  tree 
Pasonia,  which  is  cultivated  by  the  people  as 
the  king  of  flowers,  and  consecrated  with 
them  by  pompous  inscriptions,  in  the  places 
of  honour  in  the  imperial  palace,  as  well  as  in 
the  private  houses.  It  is  said  by  missionaries 
that  this  plant  is  frequently  seen  twenty-five 
feet  high ;  but  that  is  scarcely  probable. 
Trees  from  twelve  to  fifteen  feet  would  indeed 
be  very  remarkable.  The  Chinese  train  them 
in  the  espalier  form,  and  in  this  way,  from 
their  brilliancy,  the  flowers  must  present  con- 
siderable effect.  It  is  said  they  have  two 
hundred  and  forty  varieties,  from  the  white 
to  the  black  and  the  blue  ;  but  there  would 
be  greater  variety  still  were  the  mixed  kinds 
not  rejected.  These  mixed  kinds  are  regarded 
as  the  produce  of  diseased  trees,  by  the 
Chinese. 

The  Ti-ee  P^onia  was  brought  to  Europe 
about  fifty  years  ago,  and  was  accompanied 
by  the  Hortensia  (Hydrangea  -Ilortensia)  ; 
The  Pceonia  Moutan  is  a  shrub  with  tuberous, 
napiform,   unique  roots,  and  a  woody  stem  ; 


growing  in  our  gardens  from  two  to  four  feet 
high.  The  leaves  are  petiolate,  bi-ternate, 
the  folioles  being  oblong-oval,  green  above, 
glaucous  and  pubescent  beneath,  entire  or 
parted  in  three  lobes.  The  flowers  are  bright 
red,  pale  or  bright  rose-colour,  whitish,  and 
violet,  solitary  at  the  summit  of  the  branches, 
from  nine  to  eleven  inches  broad,  very  hand- 
some, and  having  a  fine  odour.  It  flowers 
at  the  end  of  April    or   beginning  of  May. 

The  Chinese  PiEonia  is  grown  either  in  a 
cool  greenhouse,  or  in  the  open  ground,  with 
occasional  shelter  in  severe  weather.  In 
China  it  is  grown  in  the  open  ground,  and 
from  some  prejudice,  the  Chinese  believe  it 
will  not  grow  well  in  any  other  way,  and  that 
it  may  be  transplanted  into  pots  only  with  the 
greatest  care,  and  when  it  is  in  bud.  They 
shelter  it  under  tents  formed  of  reed  with 
great  skill,  and  spare  no  trouble  to  obtain 
large  and  well-flowered  plants.  It  grows  best 
in  free  light  soil,  mixed  with  some  rotten 
dung  and  peat.  It  requires  plenty  of  water 
when  growing,  and  especially  when  in  flower. 
It  maybe  grown  in  the  open  ground,  in  a 
situation  exposed  to  the  south,  and  shel- 
tered from  the  early  frosts.  In  winter  it  is 
desirable  to  cover  the  trunk  wdth  dry  leaves 
or  straw  ;  this  precaution  induces  it  to  flower 
early.  It  is  also  proper  to  shelter  it  from 
cold  currents  of  wind. 

It  is  propagated  by  seed,  and  sometimes 
this  process  produces  fine  varieties  ;  also  by 
the  young  tubers.  Grafting  and  budding  is 
likewise  practised  effectively,  as  also  layering 
of  the  young  branches,  which  are  fixed  in  the 
soil  by  pegs,  or  in  pots  filled  with  good  soil. 
It  is  also  propagated  by  pinching  or  bruising 
the  stems  at  the  j  unction  of  the  old  wood  with 
the  young.  Varieties  are  obtained  in  the 
open  ground,  by  crossing  the  different  sorts. 
There  is  no  end  to  the  effects  of  this  opera- 
tion. 


MODERN    ELOWER-GARDENING. 
THE  BEDDING-OUT  SYSTEM. 

The  term  "  bedding-out,"  as  applied  to 
flower-garden  plants,  has  reference  to  the 
style,  which  is  now  prevalent,  of  planting  the 
subjects  in  masses,  each  composerl  of  one  kind. 
The  object  is  to  produce  a  mass  of  colour, 
and  the  subjects  and  flower-beds  are,  or  should 
be,  so  arranged,  that  these  separate  masses  of 
colour  may  tell  one  upon  the  other,  producing 
contrasts  or  combinations,  the  effect  of  which, 
as  a  whole,  is  much  more  striking  and  beau- 
tiful than  can  ever  be  produced  by  a  general 
and  miscellaneous  admixture  of  individual 
plants,  however  well  they  may  be  disposed. 
Hence   it  is  that  modern  flower-gardens  are 


MODERN    FLOWER-GARDENING. 


22.' 


made  to  consist  of  a  series  of  beds,  separated 
from  each  other  by  strips  or  pathways  of  gravel, 
or  green-sward  turf,  as  the  case  maybe.  In  the 
summer  planting,  each  of  these  beds  is  filled 
Avith  one  particular  kind  of  plant,  whose  qua- 
lifications for  admission  to  such  a  position  are, 
or  should  be,  these  : — dwarfness  and  compact- 
ness of  habit,  relatively  to  the  position  of  the 
beds  ;  freedom  and  permanency  of  flowering; 
distinct  and  brilliant  colouring,  and  facility 
of  propagation.  It  is  this  adaptation  of  cer- 
tain plants  in  flower-gardening  which  is  tech- 
nically called  "bedding-out;"  and  the  plants 
so  treated  for  this  purpose  are  familiarly 
spoken  of  in  the  horticultural  world  as  "  bed- 
ding-out plants." 

Though  annuals  are  sometimes  used  to  fill 
out  beds  under  this  system  of  flower-garden- 
ing, yet  the  plants  under  notice  are  not  of  this 
class.  Neither  are  they  the  hardy  perennials, 
which  permanently  decorate  a  miscellaneous 
border.  But  they  belong  to  a  set  of  subjects 
which,  while  they  flourish  in  our  climate  dur- 
ing summer,  will  not  survive  if  exposed  to 
the  vicissitudes  of  winter  ;  and  which  having 
at  the  same  time  a  shrubby,  or  at  least 
branching  habit,  can  be  made  to  form  close 
and  densely  branched  masses,  and  thus  also, 
in  due  season,  close  masses  of  bloom.  Unless 
a  dense  and  also  an  even  growth  is  secured, 
the  efl^ect  is  marred. 

The  following  list  indicates  some  of  the 
best  materials  which  are  available  for  this 
style  of  gardening  : — 

Ageratum  Mexicanum  (Mexican  Agera- 
tum). — Habit  erect  branching  compact,  height 
two-and-a-half  feet ;  flowers  pale  or  greyish 
blue ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  about 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

AnagalUs  Phillip  sii  (Phillips's  Anagallis). — 
Habit  spreading  compact,  height  one  foot ; 
flowers  blue  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
about  four  months  ;  common  light  soih 

Bouvardia  triphylla,  ?;«r.s/;Ze?zfZe?26' (splendid 
Bouvardia).^ — Habit  erect  branching  compact, 
height  a  foot  and  a  half ;  flowers  scarlet,  tu- 
bular ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four 
months  ;  peat  soil,  with  a  little  loam. 

Campanula  Car'patica  (Carpathian  Bell- 
flower). —  Habit  spreading  compact,  height 
one  foot  ;  flow<3rs  blue,  bell-shaped  ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  about  four  months  ; 
common  soil. 

Campanula  Carpaiica :  var.  alba  (white 
Carpathian  Bell-flower).  —  Differs  from  the 
last  only  in  the  colour  of  the  flowers,  which 
in  the  variety  are  white. 

Cuphea  plaiy centra  (broad  -  spurred 
Cuphea). — Habit  spreading  compact,  height 
one  foot  ;  flow^ers  scarlet  and  black  ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  five  months ; 
common  light  soil. 
50. 


Calceolaria  integrifolia,  var.  angtistifolia 
(narrow-leaved  Slii^pcrwort).  —  Habit  erect 
branching  compact,  height  one  foot  ;  flowers 
lemon  yellow  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Calceolaria  integrifolia,  rar.  viscodssima 
(clammy  Slipperwort).' — Habit  erect  branch- 
ing compact,  height  two  feet  ;  flowers  deep 
yellow^ ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  about 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Calceolaria  :  var.  Kuyana  (Kay's  Slipper- 
wort). —  Habit  erect  branching  compact,  height 
one  foot  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
nearly  four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Calceolaria  alba  (white-flowered  Slipper- 
wort). — Habit  erect  branching,  height  two 
feet  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four 
months  ;  common  soil. 

Calceolaria:  var. Polyphemus. — Habit  erect 
branching  compact,  height  one  foot  ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months  ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Calceolaria  am.pl exicaulls  (stem  -  clasping 
Slipperwort).  —  Habit  erect,  very  compact, 
height  two  feet  ;  flowers  pale  yellow  ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  July,  lasts  three  months  ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Fuchsia  globosa  (globe-flowered  Fuchsia).— 
Habit  branching  compact,  height  one  foot 
and  a  half  ;  flowers  crimson  and  purple  ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Fuchsia  microphylla  (small-leaved  Fuchsia). 
— Habit  branching  compact,  height  one  foot  ; 
flowers  rose  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Fuchsia :  var.  corallina.  —  Habit  erect 
branching,  height  several  feet  ;  flowers  crim- 
son and  purple  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  July, 
lasts  three  months  ;  common  soil. 

Gazania  unijlora  (one-flowered  Gazania). 
— Habit  spreading  compact,  height  one  foot  ; 
flowers  lemon  yellow  ;  comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Isotoma  axillaris  (axillary -flowered 
Isotoma). — Habit  erect  compact,  height  one 
foot ;  flowers  pale  blue  ;  comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  three  months  ;  light  sandy  soil. 

Lantana  Sellowii  (Sellow's  Lantana).  — 
Habit  spreading,  height  nine  inches  ;  flowers 
purple  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four 
months  ;  sandy  peat  soil. 

Lantana  crocea  (orange  Lantana). — Habit 
spreading,  height  one  foot  and  a  half;  flowers 
orange-coloured  ;  comes  into  bloom  in  July, 
lasts  three  months  ;  common  soil. 

Lobelia  Erinus,  var.  grandifora  (large- 
flowered  Lobelia).  —  Habit  compact,  height 
nine  inches  ;  flowers  blue  ;  comes  into  bloom 
in  June,  lasts  four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Lobelia  Erinus,  var.  compacta  (compact 
Lobelia). — Habit    very   compact,    height    sis 


226 


MODERN    FLOWER-GAEDEHING. 


inches  ;  flowers  blue  ;   comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Lohelia,  var.  compacta  alba  (white-flowered 
compact  Lobelia). — Exactly  like  the  last,  ex- 
cept in  respect  to  colour. 

Linumjlavum{j allow  Flax). — Habit  spread- 
ing compact,  height  one  foot ;  flowers  yellow  ; 
comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  two  months  ; 
light  sandy  soil. 

3fatricaria  grandiflora  (double-flowered 
Matricaria). — Habit  erect,  branched,  compact, 
height  a  foot  and  a  half;  flowers  white ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months  ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Nieremhei^gia  gracilis  (slender  Nierember- 
gia). — Habit  spreading  compact,  height  six 
inches  ;  flowers  Avhite  ;  comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  four  months  ;  light  sandy  soil. 

Niei'emhergia  filicaulis  (thread  -  stemmed 
Nierembergia). — Habit  spreading,  height  one 
foot  ;  flowers  greyish ;  comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  three  months  ;  light  sandy  soil. 

Nierembergia  intermedia  (intermediate 
Nierembergia). — Habit  compact,  height  nine 
inches ;  flowers  deep  purple,  with  yellow 
centre ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  three 
months ;  light  sandy  soil. 

CEnothera  macrocarpa  (large-fruited  CEno- 
thera). — Habit  spreading,  height  six  inches  ; 
flowers  large,  yellow ;  comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  four  months ;  light  sandy  soil. 

Oxalis  Jioribunda  (many-flowered  Oxalis). 
— Habit  tufted,  height  nine  inches ;  flowers 
bright  pink ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
four  months  ;  peat  and  loam  in  equal  propor- 
tions. 

Pelargo7i'mm  :  var.  Tom  Thumb. — Habit 
spreading  compact,  height  one  foot ;  flowers 
bright  scarlet;  comes  into  bloom  in  June, 
lasts  four  months ;  common  soil. 

Pelargonium  :  var.  Prize-fighter. — Habit 
compact,  height  a  foot  and  a  half ;  flowers 
rich  scarlet ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Pelargonium :  var.  Lucia-rosea.  —  Habit 
spreading  compact,  height  a  foot  and  a  half  ; 
flowers  delicate  rose  pink ;  comes  into  bloom 
in  June,  lasts  four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Pela,rgonium :    var.  Lee^s  Variegated.  — 
Habit  compact,   height  one  foot  and  a  half 
leaves  variegated  with  white  ;  flowers  scarlet 
comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months 
common  soil. 

Pelargonium  :  var.''  Brookland's  Seedling. 
— Habit  compact,  height  a  foot  and  a  half ; 
flowers  scarlet,  with  white  centre ;  comes  into 
bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months;  common 
soil-  , 

Pelargonium :  var.  Unique.  —  Habit 
spreading,  height  a  foot  and  a  half  ;  flowers 
purple,  with  black  spots;  comes  into  bloom  in 
J  une,  lasts  four  months  ;  comnion  soil. 


Pelargonium  :  var.  Moore's  Victory.  — 
Habit  compact,  height  one  foot ;  flowers 
crimson  scarlet,  with  black  spots  ;  comes  into 
bloom  in  June,  lasts  three  months ;  common 
soil. 

Pelargonium  :  var.  Sidonia. — Habit  com- 
pact, height  one  foot  and  a  half ;  flowers 
pink,  spotted,  with  white  centre ;  comes  into 
bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months ;  common  soil. 

Pentstemon  Hartwegii :  var.  albus  (white 
Hartweg's  Pentstemon). — Habit  erect  branch- 
ing, height  two  feet ;  flowers  white ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  July,  lasts  four  months ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Pentstemon  Hartwegii :  var.  coccineus 
(scarlet  Hartweg's  Pentstemon). — Habit  erect 
branching,  height  two  feet ;  -  flowers  crimson 
scarlet ;  comes  into  bloom  in  July,  lasts  four 
months ;  common  soil. 

Petunia  :  var.  Model. — Habit  spreading, 
height  a  foot  and  a  half ;  flowers  purple ; 
comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months  ; 
common  soil. 

Petunia  :  var.  Bright  Venus.  —  Habit 
spreading,  height  a  foot  and  a  half ;  flowers 
rosy  pink ;  comes  into  bloom  in  J  une,  lasts 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Petunia  :  var.  Favourite.- — Habit  spread- 
ing, height  a  foot  and  a  half ;  flowers  white 
and  purple ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Salvia  patens  (spreading  Sage).  —  Habit 
spreading,  height  two  feet ;  flowers  blue ; 
comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months  ; 
common  soil. 

Salvia  patens :  var.  alba  (white  spreading 
Sage). — Habit  spreading,  height  two  feet; 
flowers  white;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts 
four  months  ;  common  soil. 

Salvia  fulgens  (fulgent  Sage).  —  Habit 
branching  spreading,  height  two  feet ;  flowers 
scarlet ;  comes  into  bloom  in  July,  lasts  three 
months. 

TropcBolum  minus  flore-pleno  (double  small 
Indian  Cress). — Habit  spreading,  height  nine 
inches ;  flowers  scarlet ;  comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  three  months ;  poor  soil,  sunny 
situation. 

Tropceolum  majus  flore-pleno  (double  Indian 
Cress). — Habit  spreading,  height  nine  inches; 
flowers  orange-coloured  ;  comes  into  bloom  in 
June,  lasts  three  months;  poor  soil,  sunny 
situation. 

Verbena  :  var.  Tweediana. — Habit  spread- 
ing compact,  height  nine  inches  ;  flowers  rose 
crimson ;  comes  into  bloom  in  May,  lasts  six 
months ;  common  soil. 

Verbena:  var.  Princess  Royal. — Habit 
spreading,  height  one  foot ;  flowers  white ; 
comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months  ; 
common  soil. 

Verbena  :  var.  Duke  of  Cornwall. — Habit 


CLEMATIS    INDIVISA. 


227 


spreading,  height  one  foot ;  flowers  crimson 
scarlet ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four 
months  ;  common  soil. 

Verhe7ia:  var.  Blue  Queen. — Habit  spread- 
ing, height  one  foot ;  flowers  blue  lilac ;  comes 
into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four  months ;  com- 
mon soil. 

Verbena  :  var.  3felindres  major. — Habit 
spreading,  height  six  inches  ;  flowers  scarlet ; 
comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  five  months  ; 
common  soil. 

Verheim  :  var.  Stewartii — Habit  spread- 
ing, height  six  inches;  flowers  purple  crim- 
son ;  comes  into  hloom  in  June,  lasts  four 
months ;  common  soil. 

Verhena :  var.  Emperor  of  China. — Habit 
spreading,  height  nine  inches ;  flowers  bright 
scarlet ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four 
months ;  common  soil. 

Verhena:  var.  Valentine de  Savoye. — Habit 
spreading,  height  nine  inches ;  flowers  dark 
pui-ple ;  comes  into  bloom  in  June,  lasts  four 
months;  common  soil. 

These  plants,  or  a  selection  from  them,  will 
afford  the  means  of  rendering  a  flower  garden 
permanently  ornamental  through  the  summer 
season.  In  the  preceding  notes,  the  com- 
mencement and  duration  of  the  blooming 
season  is  computed  on  the  supposition  that 
the  plants  are  properly  prepared,  and  planted 
out,  with  all  needful  precautions,  during  the 
earlier  part  of  the  month  of  May.  Young 
plants  should  be  raised  annually  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  summer,  and  kept  through 
the  winter  in  dry  airy  pits,  or  light  green- 
houses, secure  from  frosts.-  These  in  the 
spring  should,  if  needful,  be  re-potted  into 
larger  pots,  and  kept  in  a  free-growing  state, 
thoroughly  hardened  by  gradual  exposure  in  a 
cold  frame  through  the  month  of  April,  and 
finally  planted  out  as  soon  in  May  as  the 
weather  promises  to  be  genial.  If  cold  winds 
or  frosts  subsequently  occur,  some  protection 
is  essential:  it  is  generally  afforded  by  stick- 
ing evergreen  boughs  moi'e  or  less  thickly 
among  the  plants,  unless  they  are  few  and 
compact  enough  to  be  covered  at  night  by 
inverted  flower-pots.  Some  of  the  very  free 
plants,  such  as  Verbenas,  are  quite  as  well, 
perhaps  better,  propagated  in  spring  (Febru- 
ary), if  there  is  the  convenience  of  a  warm 
situation  to  excite  the  growth  of  shoots  to 
form  cuttings,  of  a  hot-bed  frame  in  which  to 
strike  the  cuttings,  and  of  frames  with  a  slight 
warmth  to  grow  in,  and  subsequently  to 
harden  them.  Others,  as  the  Pelargoniums, 
are  better  raised  early  the  preceding  summer, 
and  somewhat  stunted  till  tlie  spring,  and 
then  got  into  a  free  state  of  growth  by  plant- 
ing-out time.  The  Calceolarias  should  always 
be  struck  late  in  autumn,  for  the  early  cuttings 
never  root  freely. 


CLEMATIS    INDIVISA. 

Clematis  indlvisa,  Willdenow  (undivided- 
leaved  Virgin's  Bower). — Ilanunculaceas  §  CIq- 
matete. 

The  accompanying  engraving  represents  a 
variety  of  the  Clematis  indivisa  to  which  the 
name  lohata  is  applied,  in  consequence  of  the 
leaves  being  lobed,  or  divided,  iu  which 
respect  only  it  differs  from  the  species.  It  is 
a  very  ornamental  plant,  in  consequence  of 
the  large  size,  the  profusion,  and  the  pure 
white  of  its  blossoms. 


Like  the  majority  of  the  species  of  Cle- 
matis, or  Virgin's  Bower,  the  present  is  a  free- 
growing  climbing  plant,  extending  its  long 
slender  branches  over  a  considerable  space. 
These  are  furnished  with  ternate  (three- cleft) 
leaves,  the  bases  of  whose  stalks  are  connate, 
that  is  to  say,  the  bases  meet,  and  are,  as  it 
were,  continued  around  the  stem,  as  if  the 
stem  had  pierced  through  the  united  stalks  of 
each  pair  of  leaves ;  the  leaflets  are  ovate, 
and  of  a  leathery  texture,  quite  undivided  in 
the  original  species,  but  divided  into  small 
lobes  in  the  present  variety.  The  flowers 
grow  in  panicles,  which  are  often  a  foot  long, 
from  the  axils  of  the  leaves  :  they  are  large 
and  copious,  making  a  very  conspicuous  show; 
they  are,  moreover,  dioecious,  and  consist  of 
spreading  oblong  segments,  which  are,  in  fact, 
the  divisions  of  the  calyx,  the  flowers  of  the 
clematises  not  having  petals ;  the  surface  of 
these  segments  is    covered  with   short  silky 

q2 


228 


FLO.ETCULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


liairs.  The  number  of  segments  is  variable, 
but  usually  from  five  to  seven,  forming  large 
showy  blossoms.  These  are  produced  in  April, 
and  doubtless  for  some  time  in  succession. 

This  species  of  clematis  is  a  native  of  New 
Zealand,  where  it  appears  to  have  been  first 
met  with  by  Forster,  who  calls  it  C.  iniegri- 
folia ;  that  name  had,  however,  been  already 
applied  by  Linnagus  to  a  totally  different 
species.  The  variety  lohata  is  a  native  of 
the  same  country,  and  was  introduced  to 
England  in  or  about  1846.  Gmelin  has  called 
the  species  C.  paniculata,  from  its  panicled 
inflorescence. 

This  species  requires  to  be  grown  in  the 
greenhouse,  where  it  attains  to  considerable 
perfection  when  planted  out,  and  covers  a 
large  space  with  its  leaves  and  branches.  In 
such  situations,  it  is  likely  to  enjoy  a  pro- 
minent place,     "Whether   grown  in    pots  or 


planted  out,  it  requires  a  substantial  loamy 
soil,  rich  ia  dung,  and  to  be  kept  generally 
moist.  It  also  requires  plenty  of  light  to  aid 
the  development  of  its  numerous  flowers.  It 
is  propagated  by  seed?,  or  cuttings  of  the 
ripe  wood,  which  strike  very  easily  under 
bell-glasses.  In  most  gardens  there  are  but 
few  of  the  different  sorts  of  clematis  grown. 
At  the  present  day,  there  are  about  twenty 
species  with  white,  blue,  rose,  violet,  or  pur- 
ple coloured  flowers;  and  they  are  particu- 
larly well  adapted  for  the  decoration  of 
arbours.  Professor  Morren  states,  that  at  the 
Chateau  da  Lachen,  M.  Forkel  trains  them  on 
the  fruit  trees,  which  they  entwine  in  every 
kind  of  manner,  so  that  the  fruits  hang  amidst 
a  profusion  of  flowers.  In  the  spring,  when 
the  fruit  trees  are  in  full  bloom,  the  clema- 
tises are  only  beginning  to  bud,  so  that  they 
do  not  prevent  the  formation  of  the  fruit. 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


BY    GEORGE    GLENNY. 


We  have  never  sesn  exhibited  publicly 
so  many  Hyacinths  and  early  Tulips  as  have 
been  shown  the  past  month  at  the  meetings 
of  the  Society  for  the  Promotion  of  Floricul- 
ture. Mr.  Lockhart,  of  Parson's  Green,  has 
exhibited,  at  four  different  weekly  meetings, 
no  less  than  one  hundred  and  twenty  sorts 
of  Hyacinths,  including  the  finest  varieties 
in  cultivation.  At  Watson's  Hotel,  Salisbury 
Square,  the  head  quarters  of  the  Society, 
there  were  thirty  noble  spikes  of  Hyacinths, 
several  Seillas,  Cinerarias,  and  Fuchsias. 
At  the  Trevor  Arms,  Knightsbridge,  there 
were  twenty  varieties  of  early  Tulips,  a 
Hybrid  Rhododendron  not  very  different 
from  Russellianura,  thirty  varieties  of  Hya- 
cinths grown  in  the  open  ground,  raised  in 
this  country  from  smaiU  . offsets,  which,  with 
care  and  three  years'  growth,  will  equal  the 
finest  Dutch  bulbs.  Mr.  Robinson  showed 
several  very  interesting  blooms  of  Cineraria, 
and  Mr.  Ambrose  exhibited  a  plant  of  Cine- 
raria with  a  fine  white  flower  slightly  edged 
with  lilac.  The  Society  is,  however,  veiy  shy 
of  giving  certificates  without  there  is  some 
very  decided  advance.  At  the  North-East 
branch,  at  Kingsland,  there  were  forty-three 
members  present,  and  nearly  sixty  specimens. 
A  fine  seedling  Auricula  was  shown,  but  not 
forward  enough  to  judge  its  real  merits  ;  and 
a  plant  of  Cineraria,  very  showy,  but  not 
half  bloomed,  was  produced  with  an  intention 
of  introducing  it  in  several  different  stages  of 
bloom.  It  was  stated  at  this  meeting,  that 
by  growing  hyacinth  offsets  in  rich  light  earth, 
planting  them  three  inches  deep,  and  picking 


off  the  pips,  all  but  the  top  one,  and  taking 
them  up  when  the  leaves  began  to  turn  yellow, 
thi'ee  seasons  in  succession,  they  will  become 
as  fine  as  imported  Duch  bulbs  ;  but  there  are 
two  or  three  little  points  to  be  attended  to  in 
preserving  them,  and  in  the  mode  of  taking 
them  up.  They  should  be  dug  up,  the  foliage 
twisted  off,  and  the  bulbs,  with  their  roots, 
laid  in  rows  on  the  surface,  covered  with 
three  inches  of  soil  ;  after  lying  three  weeks, 
they  may  be  taken  up,  and  the  roots  will 
come  off  freely,  almost  without  pulling  ;  they 
must  then  be  taken  into  a  shady  dry  room, 
where  it  is  not  too  light,  and  laid  out  singly, 
so  that  the  draught  of  air  may  go  through 
them.  In  a  few  days  they  will  be  quite  diy, 
the  earth  may  be  cleaned  off,  and  the  skins 
will  be  fine  and  clean.  The  third  year  most  of 
them  will  be  as  fine  as  Dutch  bulljs,  but  those 
which  are  not  large  enough  may  be  set  an- 
other year  ;  the  others  will  be  fit  to  glass, 
or  grow  in  the  open  ground  or  in  pots,  by 
the  side  of  imported  bulbs,  without  losing  by 
the  comparison.  The  meeting  at  the  Fish- 
monger's Arms  was  not  so  numerously  at- 
tended as  the  others,  but  there  were  quite  as 
many  specimens  exhibited,  comprising  the 
chief  bulbous  plants  in  flower,  and  seedling 
crocuses,  not  so  fine  as  those  which  were 
named  at  a  previous  meeting.  We  are  glad  to 
see  an  indisposition  to  recognise  the  new  things 
too  hastily.  There  has  been  so  much  harm 
done  by  indiscreet  praise,  that  we  shall  have 
the  greatest  confidence  in  the  proceedings  of 
the  Society  for  the  promotion  of  Floriculture 
and  Horticulture  ;  and,  in  proportion  as  they 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


229 


are  cautious,  so  ■will  tlie  public  value  their 
certificates.  The  western,  or  rather  north- 
western division  is  to  be  held  at  the  Goat  Inn, 
Fitzroy  Street,  Fitzroy  Square,  being  within 
a  hundred  yards  of  the  main  Tottenham-court 
Road  and  Hampstead  Road,  that  place  having 
been  appointed  by  the  Paddington  and  Hamp- 
stead florists.  These  details  may  seem  un- 
interesting to  some  of  the  country  florists,  but 
they  belong  to  the  movement  that  will  place 
floriculture  on  its  proper  footing.  There  are 
are  at  these  meetings  able  discussions  on  the 
growth  and  properties  of  flowers,  such  as  will 
form  the  subjects  of  separate  papers. 

The  Auriculas  this  season  have  been  sub- 
jected to  so  many  checks  that  the  general  bloom 
may  be  considered  below  the  average,  where 
these  flowers  are  most  grown  ;  but  the  flower  is 
on  the  advance,  and  the  number  of  cultivators 
on  the  increase.  It  is  a  great  pity  that  they 
are  not  in  every  florist's  garden,  because  they 
are  undoubtedly  high  on  the  list  of  florists' 
flowers  ;  but  we  have  few  dealers  round 
London,  indeed  we  hardly  know  of  one  who 
keeps  a  collection  of  any  extent.  Mr.  Groom 
keeps  a  few,  and  James  Dickson  has  nearly 
got  up  his  stock  again — a  stock  which,  before 
the  unfortunate  hail  storm  that  crushed  them, 
was  unequalled. 

The  florists  are  abandoning  the  Journal 
which  has  made  itself  conspicuous  by  oflTensive 
allusions  to  individuals,  who,  with  all  their 
I'aults,  have  done  great  service  to  floriculture  ; 
and,  as  they  are  enthusiasts  in  the  cause,  and 
have  many  friends  who  feel  great  disappoint- 
ment at  the  general  tone  of  a  paper  they  patron- 
ized rather  extensively,  they  pursue  the  very 
quiet  retaliation  of  changing  it  for  the  rival 
pnper,  in  which  most  of  the  florists  now  adver- 
tize, and  which  the  amateurs  are  disposed  to  sup- 
port. It  is  not  our  business  to  notice  offensive 
articles,  but  we  do  rejoice  at  the  determina- 
tion of  the  respectable  cultivators  to  separate 
themselves  from  a  journal  pretending  to  ad- 
vocate Floristry  by  abusing  its  best  friends, 
attacking,  without  sense,  talent,  or  reasonable 
grounds,  the  only  newspaper  that  now  re- 
mains for  the  votaries  of  Horticulture  and 
Floriculture.  There  is  but  one  opinion  on 
the  subject,  and  we  state  it  to  account  for  the 
increased  virulence  with  which  gentlemen 
ai-e  attacked,  and  the  amazing  folly  of  per- 
mitting it  in  a  work  professing  to  be  carried 
on  for  the  benefit  of  a  class  that  has  been 
seriously  injured  by  the  manner  in  which 
their  best  friends  have  been  treated. 

We  have  been  paying  flying  visits  to  several 
nurseries  at  this  inviting  time  of  year.  The 
two  which  have  been  subject  to  great  changp, 
are  rapidly  recovering  fi'om  the  neglected 
state  in  which  they  were  placed  by  circum- 
stances over  v,'hich  the  present   owners  had 


no  control.  The  Royal  Nursery  at  Slough 
is  converted  from  a  bi-ar-garden  to  something 
like  the  state  in  which  it  was  in  tlie  days  of 
Charles  Brown,  and  it  will  be  strange  if  it 
do  not  contribute  nobly  to  the  exhibitions  of 
the  year.  Mr.  Tui^ner  has  accomplished  great 
things  in  a  short  time.  The  Danecroft  Nur- 
sery, under  Mr.  Barnes,  is  also  assuming  a 
very  different  appearance  from  what  it  had 
when  half  denuded  of  its  stock  ;  the  Dahlias 
there  will  be  a  little  forest  of  flowers.  Am- 
brose's nurserj'  at  Battei'sea  is  rather  famed 
for  its  immense  stock  of  the  fancy  Geraniums  ; 
not  the  florists'  flowers,  but  the  little  French 
kind.  Some  of  the  specimens  getting  up  for 
the  shows  have  five  or  six  hundred  trusses  of 
bloom  coming  forward,  and  there  are  two  large 
houses  full  of  seedlings  promising  great  things 
in  that  way — not  that  we  have  any  particular 
affection  for  fancy  Geraniums.  There  are, 
however,  some  splendid  Cinerarias^  compris- 
ing some  of  Henderson's,  and  indeed  all  the 
other  first-rate  varieties,  with  some  hundred 
seedlings.  Low's  nursery  is  not  famed  for 
specimens,  but  for  novelties  of  every  de- 
scription from  strange  lands.  It  is  worth 
any  one's  while  to  visit  the  place,  if  they  take 
any  interest  in  rare  plants.  We  shall  go  the 
rounds  during  the  year.  For  show,  however, 
there  is  nothing  near  London  equal  to  Hen- 
derson'?, at  Pine-apple-place,  where  there  is  a 
blaze  of  flowers,  and  this  is  no  distance  from 
town.  The  people  in  the  country  are  up 
and  stirring.  Leamington  has  already  ad- 
vertised its  first  grand  show,,  "with  prizes 
as  libei-al  as  our  London  societies,  and  some 
of  our  usual  exhibitors  at  Chiswick  Gardens 
and  Regent's  Park  will  be  there,,  for  it  is 
a  very  capital  feason-  between  the  two,  the  last 
day  of  May,  after  the  athei's  have  done  and 
before  they  begin  again.  We  have  not  had 
time  to  give  our  notes  on  Auriculas  at  the 
shows  of  April,  but  we  shall  notice  all  the 
novelties.  The  same  may  be  said  of  the 
South-London  Shows  ;  we  have  made  our 
notes,  but  cannot  find  space  for  them  thia 
month.  We  are  glad  to  see  a  disposition  to 
lower  the  price  of  new  flowers.  The  finest 
Verbena  of  the  season  is  advertised  at  five 
shillings  ;  we  have  seen  very  different  prices. 
The  Hollyhock  seems  in  request,  and  probably 
the  present  year's  shows  will  make  many  nev/ 
cultivators.  As  a  border  flower  it  is  very 
noble,  and,  if  they  are  exhibited  as  they 
should  be,  they  will  have  many  admirers.  We 
have  seen  many  collections,  and  a  great 
number  honoured  with  names,  but  there  are 
too  many  that  the  true  florist  would  not  look 
at  ;  those  with  thick  petals,  full  flowers,  and 
good  colours,  will  hardly  fail  to  please  any 
one,  but  there  must  be  no  judging  from  single 
flowers.       From    the   preparations    we   have 


230 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


seen  for  the  Geranium  shows,  there  will  be 
plenty  of  sticks  again,  for  some  specimens 
have  more  than  two  hundred,  and  the  very  ob- 
jections we  made  to  sticks  years  ago  are  now 
made  excuses  for  using  them.  We  always 
stated  that  they  caused  a  number  of  weakly 
things  to  be  let  out  that  would  not  support 
themselves,  and  which  ought  on  that  account 
to  be  condemned  ;  and,  on  objecting  to  sticks 
the  other  day,  we  were  told  that  it  was  im- 
possible to  show  some  varieties  without  them, 
because  they  were  so  weak  on  their  stems. 
Of  course,  having  foreseen  all  this,  we  were 
quite  prepared  for  the  answer  ;  but  we  recom- 
mend Societies  to  begin  at  the  right  end,  to 
make  people  show  seedlings  without  sticks, 
and  instruct  the  judges  to  consider  weakly 
stems  a  disqualification :  this  would  alter  the 
breed  from  this  time,  a,nd  we  should  soon 
have  the  day  arrive  when  the  Societies  would 
give  prizes  for  Geraniums  without  supporters. 
The  specimens  look  too  mechanical  on  these 
arrangements.  They  are  not  like  single  plants, 
but  like  fifty  little  plants  in  a  pot,  all  mechani- 
cally arranged,  gay  but  formal ;  and  if  half- 
sieve  baskets,  with  half-a-dozen  well-grown 
plants  in  small  pots,  were  exhibited,  instead  of 
these  great  staring  specimens,  the  show  would 
be  infinitely  more  brilliant.  Messrs.  Eol- 
lisson,  of  Tooting,  once  showed  Heaths  that 
way,  and  we  never  saw  a  prettier  exhibition. 
There  is  a  growing  objection  to  these  supports, 
and  it  only  wants  some  of  the  Societies  to  take 
up  the  subject,  and  they  would  be  banished. 
•  The  growers  of  American  plants  have,  as 
we  think,  fallen  into  a  trap  ;  they  are  going 
to  exhibit  at  the  Regent's  Park  Botanic 
Gardens,  where  nobody  can  see  the  plants 
without  paying  5s.  for  tickets,  and  these  can 
only  be  had  of  members,  or  by  their  order. 
The  thousands  who  have  seen  Mr.  Waterer's 
plants  in  the  King's  Road  for  one  shilling,  will 
not  like  this.  It  may  answer  the  Society's 
purpose,  but  a  more  injudicious  thing  on  the 
part  of  the  growers  can  hardly  be  conceived. 

At  the  South  London  Floricultural  Show 
there  was  an  interesting  assemblage  of  plants, 
and  a  goodly  show  of  florists'  flowers.  F*st, 
there  was  a  Chinese  plant  called  Dielytra  spec- 
tabilis,  the  flowers  of  the  most  singular  heart- 
shape,  hanging  gracefully  in  a  row  along  the 
bending  ends  of  the  branches,  and  with  foliage 
very  like  that  of  some  Pasonias  ;  Gesnera 
pm'jmrea  macrantha  was  a  brilliant  scarlet, 
very  large,  the  texture  like  rough  woollen 
cloth  ;  Rhododendron  jnmctatum.,  very  ill- 
grown,  but  pleasing  rose-colour  with  dark 
spots  ;  R.  delicatissima,  pale  and  pretty,  but 
truss  not  full.  Of  Cinerarias  there  were 
many,  too  many,  for  the  judges  in  consequence 
gave  too  many  certificate's  ;  0?ie  in  the  Ming 
had  a   certificate,  but  ought  not  ;  Modesta, 


ditto,  ditto  ;  Alba  purpurea,  ditto,  ditto  \ 
Perode,  ditto,  ditto ;  Adela  VilUers  was 
better  than  the  foregoing,  but  even  that,  as 
times  go,  was  barely  good  enough  ;  Pauline 
the  same  ;  Carlotta  Grisi  was  a  white,  tipped 
prettily  with  blue,  and  deserved  its  certificate; 
Madlle. Rosalie,  beautiful  blue  edge,  fine  dwarf 
habit,  the  best  thing  in  the  room,  had  no  certi- 
ficate ;  Ivanhoe,  blue  with  bronze  centre, 
rather  better  than  average  ;  Richard  Cohden, 
good  close  blue  flower,  had  a  certificate  and 
deserved  it ;  Lilac  perfection,  a  very  compact 
plant  and  good  close  flower,  richly  deserved 
a  certificate,  but  did  not  have  one  ;  Ahdalo- 
nymus,  a  dark  blue,  was  a  good  average  flower, 
and  had  a  certificate.  Among  the  very  best  of 
the  flowers  that  were  ah-eady  out  was  Cerito. 
The  censors  appeared  to  have  overlooked 
one  serious  fault  in  some  of  the  flowers  that 
were  fairish  in  their  individual  pips,  namely, 
the  uneven  bloom,  some  up,  some  down,  all 
straggling,  instead  of  being  of  a  level,  or  rather 
even  surface,  flowers  side  by  side.  Of  Polyan- 
thuses there  were  but  few,  and  these  very 
bad  ;  the  four  which  Avon  the  prize  were  yovj 
bad  of  their  kind,  and  had  been  potted  up  ; 
the  trusses  had  lost  their  form  altogether, 
and  ought  to  have  disqualified  them.  The 
seedlings  were  very  bad,  and  several  too  dimi- 
nutive to  be  worth  notice  ;  a  certificate  was 
granted  to  one  named  Congener,  that  was  so 
deficient  that  even  the  lacing  did  not  reach 
down  to  the  eye.  In  Auriculas  a  self,  with 
a  deep  notch  in  each  petal,  had  a  certificate  ; 
this  Avas  exhibited  the  evening  before  at  the 
meeting  of  the  Society  for  the  Encouragement 
of  Floriculture  and  Horticulture,  but  had  not 
the  approval  of  the  judges  there  ;  and  the 
same  may  be  said  of  another  fortunate  flower, 
Alba  purpurea  (Cineraria),  which  was  not 
considered  worth  a  certificate  at  Knights- 
bridge,  but  which  obtained  one  at  Kennington. 
Two  seedling  Auriculas  obtained  certificates — 
Sir  C.  Napier,  tolerably  good  black  and 
green,  rather  crumpled,  (but  so  were  most  of 
the  narrow  ones,  so  that  this  must  not  be  con- 
sidered permanent,)  colour  well  divided  and 
paste  fair,  an  excellent  trusser ;  and  Dickson's 
Freedom.,  completely  between  Booth's  Free- 
dom and  Colonel  Taylor,  a  very  promising 
flower.  The  named  Auriculas  were  plentiful, 
and,  considering  the  weather,  they  were  good ; 
for  one  collection  contained  all  the  leading 
kinds,  and  especially  two  of  the  largest  in 
cultivation,  Ne  plus  tdtra  and  Conqueror  of 
Furope,  both  coarse  flowers,  but  sometimes 
making  a  noble  pair.  The  plants  were  for  the 
most'  part  well  grown.  The  Queen's  Cup  was 
won  by  Mr.  Bruce,  among  whose  plants  were 
Erica  Petiveria)ia,  a  very  curious  style  of 
flower,  but  splendidly  grown  ;  ^schynmithus 
ramosissimtis,  grown  very  well;  Azalea  splen- 


STANNIA    FORMOSA. 


231 


dens,  shown  as  spp.ciosissimiis,  A.  pulchei'rima, 
and  A.  rubra  flena.  All  the  Hoveas  in  the 
room  were  grown  and  trained  unnaturally, 
long  ill-grown  gawky  plants,  bent  down  and 
twisted  about  to  appear  dwarf;  there  were 
no  exceptions  ;  the  winnei''s  specimen  was 
the  best  looking,  but  equally  improperly 
trained.  It  was  announced  in  the  meeting  that 
the  United  Gardeners'  paper  had  involved  the 
managers  to  the  extent  of  a  thousand  pounds, 
and  that  it  had  been  sold  to  an  utter  stranger 
to  the  gardening  interests,  and  many  of  the 
parties  present  attributed  it  to  the  manner  in 
which  the  Floral  part  had  been  misconducted  ; 
nor  did  there  appear  the  slightest  sympathy  on 
the  part  of  the  numerous  gardeners  and  ama- 
teurs present,  and  they  were  very  numerous. 
It  seemed  the  unanimous  opinion  that  two  papers 
were  necessary,  and  that  the  Journal  had  long 
ceased  to  be  useful  in  any  way,  while  the 
Midland  Florist,  the  Horticultural  Magazine, 
the  Cabinet,  and  the  Florist,  were  said  to 
have  contributed  to  the  failure  of  the  Journal. 
Some  of  the  country  growers  were  up,  and 
seemed  quite  gratified  with  the  flowers  and 
plants. 


STANNIA    rOHMOSA. 

^  Stannia  forviosa,  Karsten  (beautiful  Stan- 
Jii*)'  —  Cinchonacege  §  Cinchoneag-Gardeni- 
deae.  This  beautiful  tree,  which  belongs  to 
the  group  of  Gardenias,  grows  from  twelve  to 
twenty  feet  high.  When  full  grown,  it  has 
a  roundish  head,  with  a  slender  stem,  having 


the   bark  whitish  ;  and   at  the   time  of  the 
ripening  of  its  fruit,  by  the  form  and  size  of 
the  latter,  it  may  not  inaptly  be  compared  to 
one  of  our  apple   trees.     When   in   flower, 
however,  it  looks  like  nothing  vrhich  we  had  in 
Europe,  from  the  briUiancy  and  size  of  the 
corymbs  of  snow-white  flowers,  which  admi- 
rably contrast  with  the  fresh   smooth  green 
around  them.     The  branches  are  nearly  four- 
sided,  or    quadrilateral ;   the  leaves  are   op- 
posite,   shortly   petioled,    from    four    to    six 
inches   long,  oval,  and  sometimes  elliptical  in 
form,  of  a  stiff  and  somewhat  coriaceous  tex- 
ture, entire,  and  of  a  shining  green  colour. 
Between  the  petioles  are  the  stipules,  which 
are  of  a  longish  triangular  form,  rounded  at 
the  apex,  and  fall  off  at  the  same  time  as  the 
leaves.     The   flowers  are  developed   at   the 
extremities    of   the   branches,    and   grow   in 
clusters  of  ten   or   twelve,  forming  a  small 
compact  trichotomous  head.    The  calyx,  which 
adheres  to  the  ovary,  is  proportionably  small, 
from  one  to  two  lines  in  diameter  ;  its  "free 
border  "  is  five-parted,  the  lobes  obtuse.    The 
flowers  consist  of  a  slender  tube,  about  four 
inches  long,  terminating  in  a  flat  limb  nearly 
two   inches   in  diameter ;    the   tube   of  the 
corolla  is  cylindrical,  smooth  on  the  exterior, 
and  within  furrowed,   through  the  adhering 
stamens  ;  these  become  free  near  the  mouth 
of  the   tube,    and   between   them   are  some 
unequal  callosities,  which,  with  the  base  of 
the  interior,  are  studded  with  hairs.     The 
stamens  alternate  with  the  parts  of  the  limb, 
which  latter  are  longish-oval,  rounded  or  ob- 
tuse at  the  points,  smooth  and  entire.     The 
free  ends   of  the  filaments   are   of  unequal 
length  ;    the    anthers    are    from    three     to 
four  lines  long,  longish-obtuse,   two-celled ; 
before  their  opening  they  all  hang  together 
in  an  ellipsoid-like   body,  but   subsequently 
they   are   bent   back.     The   two-celled   fruit 
has    a    fleshy   circular    scar    at    the    apex  ; 
each   cell    contains    numerous    small    rough 
ovules. 

The  Stannia  belongs  to  the  group  of 
true  Gardenideaa,  and  is  allied  to  the  Gyno- 
pachys  of  Bliime,  a  Java  sumach-tree,  whose 
seeds,  nevertheless,  are  quite  differently 
formed  ;  it  also  comes  near  the  Burchellia  of 
R.  Brown,  an  African  shrub,  in  which  the 
anthers  are  almost  sessile ;  while  it  is  con- 
nected with  Posoqueria  of  Aviblet,  a  shrub 
found  growing  in  Guiana,  the  fruit  of  which  is 
a  fleshy  berry.  From  these,  and  all  the  other 
Gardenias,  Stannia  is  distinguished  by  the 
unequal  length  of  the  stamens. 

Dr.  Karsten  found  this  magnificent  plant 
on  the  mountains  of  Tovar,  in  the  district  of 
Caracas,  where  it  was  growing  at  an  altitude 
of  from  5,000  to  6,000  (German)  feet  above 
the  level  of  the  sea.     It  was  growing  iu  an 


232 


POPULAR  FIELD  BOTANY. 


open  situation  on  the  slope  of  the  mountain, 
where  the  soil,  and  likewise  the  position  of 
the  roots,  ensured  it  from  too  great  moisture. 
Its  flowering  time  was  in  June,  on  till  Sep- 
tember, and  the  fruit  ripened  in  February. 
It  begins  to  bud  at  the  commencement  of  the 
rainy  season  ;  while  the  heat  of  the  sun  and 
the  dry  atmosphere  are  favourable  to  the  de- 
velopment of  the  fruit  and  the  ripening  of 
the  seed. 

The  difference  in  the  average  heat  during 
the  dry  winters  and  the  wet  summers  amounts 
only  to  1°  5'  Reaum.     The  greatest  difference 
perceived  in  the  day  temperature  during  a  fort- 
night was  only  an  increase  of  half  a  degree  ; 
while,  in  the  month  of  January,  Dr.  Karsten 
observed  the  temperature  to  be  13°  12'  Reaum. 
(63°  Fahr.),  and,  in  September,  15°  12'  Reaum. 
(67°  Fahr.)     The    plant   may,    therefore,    be 
grown  artificially  with    a   like   temperature. 
It  ought  to  be  observed,  however,  that  it  may 
be  as  successfully  treated  if  the  condition  of 
the  soil  in  connexion  with  the  atmosphere  is 
attended  to.     "  The  temperature  of  the   at- 
mosphere," writes  Dr.  Karsten,  "  admits  of  a 
certain  variation,  if  only  the  average  minimum 
of  the   night-heat   is  in    keeping    with    the 
maximum  heat  during  the  day,  supposing  the 
situation    to  be   somewhat  shaded.     In   the 
month  of  March  I  observed  the  first  to  be 
8°  1' Reaum.  (50°  Fahr.),  and  the  latter,  in  July, 
was  22°  75' Reaum.    (83°  Fahr.)    This  differ- 
ence,  however,  is  virtually  considerably   in- 
creased by  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  while 
the  heat  of  the  ground  in  the  tropics  is  gene- 
rally greater  than  the  average  heat  of  the  at- 
mosphere.    It  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  kmow  the  proper  treatment  of  plants  that 
have  their  roots  deep  in  the   ground.     The 
decrease  in  the  temperature  of  the  atmosphere 
regularly  ensues  at  the  period  when  the  heat 
of  the  day  is  greatest  ;  and  the  temperature 
of  leaves,  as  well  as  of  the  soil,  is  not  lessened 
though  immersed    in    water.     The    greatest 
care  is  necessary  in  the  treatment  of  the  roots  ; 
indeed  they  ought  to  receive  as  much  atten- 
tion as  those  parts  which  are  above  ground. 
The  points  of  the  roots,  or  spongioles,  are 
those  parts  which  claim  the  chief  considera- 
tion, as  they  are  eminently   essential  to  the 
health  and  general  well-being   of  the  plant. 
They  consist  of  a  substance  with  the  softest 
texture,    and    ai'e    almost    unprotected   from 
external  influences  ;    they  gather   from  the 
heat  and  moisture  around  them  the  nourish- 
ment necessary  for  the  life  of  the  plant ;  and 
the  slightest  interruption  to  the  healthy  play 
of  this  important  organ  is  prejudicial  to  the 
plant.      In    a   natural   condition,    one    plant 
gi'ows  with  a  long  tap-root,  while  the  next  to 
it  may  have  fibrous,  tufted,  or  matted  roots, 
which  spread  far  out  and  keep  near  the  sur- 


fjace.  But,  grown  in  pots,  they  must  adapt 
themselves  to  the  surrounding  circumstances, 
and  must  be  supplied  with  those  materials 
most  suitable  for  them.  Those  which  are  of 
a  firm  and  upright  form,  spread  their  roots  in 
the  soil  in  a  similar  manner  ;  projecting  and 
spi'eading  in  all  directions,  even  beyond  the 
limits  of  the  pot  in  which  they  are  placed,  in 
quest  of  moisture  and  the  nourishing  gases 
which  are  essential  to  them." 

The  plant  under  notice  has  been  named 
by  Dr.  Karsten  in  honour  of  Dr.  Stannius, 
a  German  professor  of  anatomy  and  phy- 
siology. 


POPULAR   FIELD    BOTANY."" 

We  have  here  a  volume  that  may  be  profit- 
ably consulted  by  every  child,  and  the  sub- 
jects they  are  called  upon  to  contemplate  may 
be  found  in  the  highways  and  hedges.  To 
those  who  do  not  travel  hoodwinked,  but  exa- 
mine the  natural  beauties  that  spring  up  in 
their  paths,  this  book  will  form  a  pleasing 
companion.  It  contains  between  seventy  and 
eighty  coloured  plates,  which  represent  many 
of  the  leading  British  plants  ;  and  it  would  be 
an  excellent  task  for  youth  to  find,  by  means 
of  these  plates  and  the  descriptions  attached 
to  them,  specimens  to  form  a  complete  liortus 
siccus.  The  following  passage  from  the  Intro- 
ductory Chapter  is  quite  true,  and  may  be 
impressed  upon  the  young  mind  with  advan- 
tage :— 

"If  a  science  is  worth  learning,  it  is  wise 
to  begin  properly,  and  study  the  alphabet  as 
it  may  be  called  ;  and  although  I  have  said 
there  is  no  '  royal  road'  to  Botany,  I  have 
endeavoui'ed  to  render  all  as  easy  and  simple 
as  possible  in  this  little  treatise  on  the  sub- 
ject, by  using  English  words  instead  of  the 
technical  terms  wherever  it  is  practicable. 

"  No  one  must  expect,  if  they  pursue  Bo- 
tany merely  as  a  relaxation  from  more  import- 
ant studies,  to  be  acquainted  with  it  in  a 
season.  Botanists  have  been  pursuing  it  for 
years,  and  if  asked,  would  say  they  knew 
but  little  compared  to  Avhat  they  wished  to 
know  :  it  would  therefore  be  presumptuous  in 
the  young  to  expect  that  after  a  few  trials 
only  they  are  to  understand  the  subject  tho- 
roughl}'-  ;  for  as  it  is  impossible  to  arrive  at  a 
knowledge  of  any  science  or  art  without  great 
pains  and  considerable  industry,  (and  Botany 
is  not  an  exception,)  the  learner  must  be  re- 
solved to  meet  and  overcome  obstructions, 
which  at  the  commencement  appear  rather 
alarming  ;  but  with  a  little  attention  the^  first 

*  "  Popular  Field  Botany."  By  Agnes  Catlow, 
Author  of  "  Popular  Conchology."  London  :  Eeere, 
Benham  h  Reeve. 


POPULAR    FIELD    BOTANY. 


233 


difficulties  will  be  found  to  vanish,  for  every 
step  will  smooth  the  way  for  another.  When 
a  little  knowledge  is  obtained,  the  study  be- 
comes more  and  more  interesting  every  day  ; 
each  new  plant  is  examined  with  eagerness, 
and  the  investigation  is  no  longer  toil,  hut 
positive  pleasure. 

"  If  the  possessor  of  this  book  will  there- 
fore at  once  follow  the  plan  laid  down,  consi- 
derable improvement  may  be  attained  in  a 
short  time.  Botany  is  easily  pursued  by  those 
living  in  the  country,  and  is  not  an  expensive 
pleasure,  whilst  the  thoughts  connected  with 
it  are  pure  and  refreshing,  forming  a  delightful 
relaxation  from  more  serious  duties.  It  has 
the  advantage  of  healthiness,  for  plants  must 
be  searclied  for  out  of  doors  ;  exercise  is 
therefore  united  with  study,  which  is  an  ob- 
ject in  the  present  state  of  education.  All 
children  are  fond  of  flowers,  and  one-half  the 
design  of  teaching  thera  Botany  is  that  of 
exercising  their  understandings,  accustoming 
them  to  attention,  and  giving  them  fresli  in- 
stances of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God. 
If  the  minds  of  children  were  more  turned  to 
these  pursuits,  and  that  curiosity  about  the 
things  of  nature  which  is  implanted  in  their 
dispositions  gratified,  there  would  be  less  com- 
plaint amongst  young  people  of  the  dullness  of 
a  few  weeks'  sojourn  in  the  country  than  is 
now  too  frequently  the  case.  The  close  exa- 
mination necessary  to  discover  the  genus  and 
species  of  a  plant,  makes  us  acquainted  with 
many  beauties  concealed  from  general  obser- 
vation, either  by  their  situation  or  minuteness. 
We  cannot  pursue  knowledge  of  any  kind 
without  enlarging  our  views,  as  well  as  acquir- 
ing new  ideas  ;  and  Botany  has  the  great 
advantage  of  elevating  the  mind  v/hilst  it  im- 
proves and  cultivates  the  intellect. 

"  What  can  add  so  much  to  the  pleasure  of 
a  ride  or  walk  in  the  country,  as  a  knowledge 
of  the  plants  seen  in  the  woods  and  hedges  ? 
or  what  more  instructive  to  a  child  when  it 
has  gathered  a  pretty  bunch  of  flowers,  than 
to  point  out  to  it  the  extraordinary  beauty  of 
the  minute  parts,  the  contrivances  for  the 
ripening  or  preservation  of  the  seed,  or  the 
uses  of  its  roots  or  juices  ?  Many  useful 
moral  lessons  may  be  given  to  the  young  in  a 
country  walk  if  this  pursuit  is  understood 
and  appreciated.  Some  persons  are  disposed 
to  think  it  a  useless  study,  and  to  laugh  at 
those  who  pursue  it  zealouslj^,  and  ridicule 
them  for  showing  great  delight  at  the  disco- 
very of  a  new  plant  they  have  not  before  met 
with  ;  but  if  they  will  compare  this  enthusiasm 
with  their  own  in  any  favourite  study,  they 
will  find  the  feeling  similar.  Unfortunately, 
it  is  the  custom  to  look  on  weeds  with  con- 
tempt, and  to  forget  that  they  are  equally  the 
work  of  God  with  the  planets  or  suns,   and 


that  every  insigniticant  herb  is  a  fresh  proof 
of  the  wisdom  and  goodness  of  God  in  the 
creation.  As  this  little  book  is  only  intended 
for  those  who  really  wish  to  know  something 
of  this  part  of  the  works  of  nature,  I  need  say 
no  more  by  way  of  inducement,  but  turn  to 
the  object  of  the  work." 

As  a  fair  sample  of  the  book,  we  give  the 
following  extracts  : — 

"LicnENES.  Lichens.  The  characters  of 
the  order  are  as  follows.  Aerial  plants  (not 
deriving  nourishment  from  the  soil).  Leaves 
and  stem  combined,  and  spreading  either  hori- 
zontally in  the  form  of  a  lobed  irregular  plate, 
or  rising  erect  with  irregular  branches,  having 
discs  or  shields  which  produce  the  seeds. 

"Lichens  are  very  valuable  in  preparing  the 
ground  for  more  important  vegetables  ;  they 
retain  much  moisture,  and  even  on  the  bare 
rock,  upon  which  they  are  often  fixed,  will 
enable  a  few  seeds  of  grass  and  other  small 
plants  to  grow.  These  wither,  and  in  their 
turn  afford  nourishment  to  larger  kinds,  and 
thus  a  soil  is  formed  by  degrees  on  these  other- 
wise barren  spots.  They  themselves  require 
no  other  nourishment  than  the  moisture  of  the 
atmosphere  ;  so  that  the  root  fixes  them  to  the 
rock,  but  is  of  no  further  use.  They  grow 
almost  everywhere,  on  stone  and  wood,  as 
well  as  on  the  soil.  Some  few  are  eatable,  as 
the  Cladonia  rangiferina,  or  Rein-deer  Ifoss, 
as  it  is  erroneously  called,  which  not  only 
forms  the  food  of  the  useful  animal  from 
which  it  derives  its  name,  but  is  used  in 
this  country  medicinally.  It  has  white  stems, 
looking  like  wire,  and  forming  a  mass,  which 
is  seen  on  heaths  amongst  the  green  Moss. 
Others  are  used  by  the  dyer.  Various  species 
appear  as  the  weather-stains  on  old  walls,  and 
many  beautiful  kinds  grow  on  rocks  and  stones. 
One  found  on  the  latter  substance,  of  a  green 
and  yellow  colour,  is  the  Opegrop/ui  saxatUis, 
or  Map  Lichen,  as  it  resembles  the  marks 
used  in  delineating  geographical  plans.  These 
are  nearly  flat  on  the  surface  of  the  stone,  but 
others  curl  up  curiously  at  the  edges,  and  are 
of  a  bright  orange,  sulphur,  or  ashy  grey 
colour,  constituting  the  genus  Pai-melia. 
Others  cover  the  trunks  of  trees  in  wintei% 
and  are  often  called  '  Grey  Moss,'  but  they 
are  of  the  Lichen  family;  the  principal  is 
Lichen  fastigiatus.  There  are  several  hun- 
dred species  of  this  order  found  in  the  British 
Isles. 

"  Fungi.  Fungv$es.  Aerial  plants.  No 
leaves  or  stem,  but  formed  of  a  cap,  the 
undrr  side  of  which  is  either  divided  into 
lamellae  (thin  plates),  or  a  substance  resembling 
sponge. 

"  A  curious  tribe  of  plants,  of  the  same  use 
as  Lichens  in  preparing  the  ground  for  larger 


234 


POPULAPv   FIELD    BOTANY, 


vegetable  productions.  They  are  parasitic, 
growing  principally  on  dead  wood,  leaves,  and 
decaying  animal  matter,  reducing  these  sub- 
stances to  dust,  and  forming  rich  soils  for  the 
use  of  other  plants,  besides  clearing  away 
what  is  useless,  or  might  be  injurious  if  the 
process  of  decay  were  very  slow. 

"  Some  species  are  quite  minute,  others  of 
large  size.  Of  the  former  the  mould  on 
cheese  is  an  example  ;  also  the  rust  in  wheat, 
which  is  a  fungus  growing  on  the  inside  of 
the  grains.  The  dry-rot  in  wood  is  also  a 
species  of  this  family.  It  is  very  destructive 
to  ships  and  the  timber  of  houses.  A  few  are 
good  for  food,  as  Mushrooms,  TrufHes,  and 
Morels  :  the  former  is  well  known  ;  the  two 
latter  grow  underground,  and  dogs  are  taught 
to  hunt  for  them  by  the  smell,  which  is  power- 
ful. When  thoroughly  made  to  understand 
the  scent,  they  will  scratch  on  the  ground 
underneath  which  they  grow,  and  thus  bring 
their  situation  to  light.  The  Mushroom  may 
be  distinguished  from  the  Toadstool  by  the 
lamellae,  or  divisions  on  the  under  side  of  the 
cap,  being  pink  when  young,  and  becoming 
brown  in  an  old  state.  ,There  is  an  immense 
variety  of  Fungi,  many  very  handsome  in 
appearance,  being  crimson,  bright  orange,  or 
the  most  delicate  dove  colour,  and  of  all 
shades.  A  few  have  an  exceedingly  unplea- 
sant smell,  and  may  be  discovered  by  this 
means  in  the  woods  where  they  grow.  In 
form  they  differ  much  ;  many  are  very  ele- 
gant, being  like  a  miniature  parasol  ;  others 
much  thicker  and  rounder  at  the  top  ;  some 
appearing  to  have  no  stalk,  a  mere  round  ball. 
The  interior  of  some  genera  is  divided  into 
lamellae,  or  thin  plates,  as  in  the  Mushroom  ; 
in  others  it  has  many  pores,  and  forms  a  sub- 
stance like  sponge. 

"  Alg^e.  Sea-weeds.  Plants  growing  under 
water,  both  fresh  and  salt,  with  the  stem  and 
leaves  combined  into  lobed  divisions,  some  so 
fine  as  to  resemble  hair. 

"  A  few  of  the  plants  of  this  order  are 
found  in  fresh  water,  as  the  green  slimy  mat- 
ter in  ponds.  Ulva  thermalis  grows  in  hot 
springs  also  ;  but  the  Sea-weeds  are  much 
more  interesting,  and  we  will  confine  our 
attention  to  them.  They  are  often  passed 
over  as  of  little  importance,  but  many  are  dis- 
tinguished for  their  beauty  as  well  as  their 
utility.  Alg£e  exist  in  all  parts  of  the  ocean, 
but  they  vary  in  different  regions.  They  are 
in  general  attached  to  various  substances,  such 
as  stones,  rocks,  shells,  &c.,  though  some  are 
always  free  and  floating.  The  usual  colour  is 
olive-brown,  or  green,  but  many  are  of  a  bril- 
liant red,  and  others  nearly  black.  They 
differ  as  much  in  size  as  terrestrial  plants. 


some  attaining  a  great  length.  The  Chorda 
Jihmi,  found  in  bays  of  the  Orkney  Islands,  is 
occasionally  thirty  or  forty  feet  long,  often 
impeding  the  passage  of  the  fishermen's  boats. 
An  American  species  has  been  procured  which 
measured  a  thousand  or  fifteen  hundred  feet. 
They  must  grow  with  great  rapidity,  for  rocks 
that  have  been  completely  cleared  are  found 
again  covered  in  six  months,  and  some  of  the 
specimens  had  grown  six  feet  long  during 
that  pei-iod. 

"  From  several  species  of  Sea-weeds  Keljj 
is  derived,  which  is  of  such  use  in  the  manu- 
facture of  glass  and  soap.  They  are  reduced 
to  ashes  by  burning,  and  this  gave  formerly 
to  very  many  poor  people  an  employment, 
which  was  the  principal  means  of  support  in 
the  Hebrides  ;  but  lately  a  superior  kind,  pro- 
cured from  a  plant  growing  on  the  coast,  lias 
been  brought  from  Spain,  and  the  demand  for 
kelp  has  much  decreased. 

"  Many  Sea-weeds  are  used  for  food  ;  the 
Rhodomenia  palmata  is  called  Dulse  by  the 
Scotch,  and  JDillesk  by  the  Irish,  and  is  eaten 
in  both  countries.  One  or  two  species  of  JPor- 
phyra  and  Ulva  are  brought  to  table  under 
the  name  of  Laver ;  also  Alaria  esciilenta, 
known  in  Scotland  by  the  name  of  hadderlochs 
or  honey-ware.  In  Ireland  the  Chondrus 
crisjms,  called  B-ish  Moss,  is  an  article  of 
food.  It  forms  a  kind  of  hlanc-mange,  which 
is  very  strengthening.  The  Fucus  vesiculosus, 
which  is  so  very  common  on  all  our  coasts, 
produces,  by  burning,  the  valuable  medicine 
called  Iodine,  which  can  also  be  procured  from 
sea-water.  All  Sea-weeds  are  useful  as  ma- 
nure, and  are,  therefore,  extensively  gathered 
for  that  purpose. 

"I  will  close  this  account  with  a  descrip- 
tion of  an  easy  method  of  preserving  Sea- 
weeds, particularly  the  delicate  kinds  ;  and 
a  collection  nicely  preserved  and  arranged  is 
very  interesting.  The  specimens  being  brought 
home,  (and  it  is  of  no  consequence  if  they 
have  shrivelled  or  become  dry,  as  they  soon 
expand  again  when  placed  in  water,)  must  be 
put  one  by  one  into  a  large  basin  of  clean 
water.  Have  ready  writing  paper  divided 
into  pieces,  (a  quarter  of  a  sheet  is  a  conve- 
nient size  ;)  then,  when  the  weed  is  nicely 
expanded,  and  the  dirt  washed  from  it,  place 
under  it  the  piece  of  paper,  and  when  arranged 
as  required,  raise  them  both  out  of  the  water  ; 
then  drain  off  the  wet,  and  place  them  between 
two  dry  sheets  of  common  paper,  subjecting 
them  to  a  slight  pressure.  The  Sea-weed 
will  adhere  to  the  paper,  causing  no  further 
trouble,  and  the  specimens  may  be  arranged 
in  a  book  of  blank  leaves,  the  name  being  pro- 
cured, if  possible." 


CONTEMPORARY   WRITINGS. 


235 


CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS,  AND  ORIGINAL  NOTES. 


Slugs  are  the  most  destructive  vermin  in 
a  gai-den,  and  there  are  many  ways  of  getting 
rid  of  them,  but  all  require  perseverance,  and 
if  they  have  been  neglected  long,  the  work 
will  be  the  more  troublesome.  One  of  the 
most  rapid  modes  of  destroying  is,  to  lay 
cabbage-leaves  every  yard  all  over  the  bor- 
ders and  beds,  and  at  daylight  to  examine 
every  leaf,  and  put  the  slugs  into  salt  and 
water,  in  a  pail,  or  old  garden-pot.  The 
number  that  will  be  taken  by  this  means  is 
incredible.  The  leaves  must  be  renewed  over 
and  over  again,  if  the  slugs  continue  to  find 
them.  Lime  sown  on  the  ground  when  the 
slugs  are  on  the  move,  is  another  effective 
mode  of  destroying ;  but  it  looks  so  untidy 
and  offensive  to  the  eye,  that  it  can  scarcely 
be  done  in  a  flower-garden.  A  slight  sprinkle 
of  salt  will  also  destroy  all  it  comes  in  contact 
with  ;  but  these  should  only  be  applied  when 
the  slugs  are  abroad. — G. 

Wire-worm. — We  have  never  known  any 
remedy  but  catching  and  killing  this  pest. 
We  have  covered  them  with  salt  for  twenty- 
four  hours,  and  they  have  been  none  the 
worse.  The  best  way  is,  to  make  holes  and 
plant  carrots,  to  be  drawn  up  every  morning, 
and  put  down  again.  The  worms  work  their 
way  into  the  cai*rot  half-way,  and  stick  there, 
so  that  a  score  may  be  sometimes  pulled  out 
of  a  single  carrot ;  and  this  continued,  not 
only  diverts  them  from  the  other  crop,  but 
lures  them  to  their  destruction. — G. 

Snails  hide  in  old  walls,  and  especially  at 
the  foot,  and  among  ivy,  and  in  all  kinds  of 
arbours.  They  must  be  hunted  and  destroyed, 
or  they  will  be  ten  times  as  numerous  before 
the  summer  is  over.  They  may  be  traced  by 
their  slimy  track,  but  nothing  should  be  left 
undone  to  clear  them  away. — G. 

Wasps. — Every  wasp  killed  this  month  is 
better  than  many  at  a  later  period.  In  fact, 
the  earlier  a  wasp  is  killed,  the  better.  A 
very  sharp  look:Out  in  time,  will  prevent 
whole  swarms  from  infesting  fruit ;  and  it  is 
impossible  to  be  too  vigilant. — G. 

Butterflies. — By  killing  one  of  these, 
we  destroy  an  eiitire  future  colony  ;  for  if  the 
fly  once  lays  the  eggs,  the  sun  does  the  rest, 
and  our  crops  are  damaged,  if  not  destroyed, 
by  their  ravages. — G. 

The  Holly. — Too  little  use  is  now  made 
of  hollies  in  all  our  ornamental  plantations, 
for  they  are,  in  fact,  the  jewels  of  the  shrub- 
bery ;  none  so  brilliant,  none  so  glittering,  as 
the  holly ;  and  that  not  for  a  season  only,  but 
in  winter  as  in  summer,  in  one  age  as  in 
another,  for  it  lives  for  centuries.  Pliny 
mentions  one   at  Rome,   800  years  old.     If 


variety  be  coveted,  it  is  freely  given  in  the 
peculiarities  of  the  spiny  green  leaves,  in 
numerous  variegations,  and  in  differences  of 
fruit.  More  attention  appears  to  have  been 
paid  to  these  varieties,  a  century  ago,  than  at 
present;  for  Miller  enumerates  many,  some 
of  which  glory  in  names  full  of  the  gallantry 
of  the  age,  as  Phyllis,  Painted  Lady,  Milk- 
maid, &c.  As  some  guide  to  persons  collect- 
ing different  sorts,  we  will  enumerate  a  few 
of  the  most  distinct.  These  are,  the  Laurel- 
leaved — small  leaves,  without  prickles  ;  Thick 
margin-leaved — broad  leaves,  without  prickles, 
with  a  thickened  margin ;  Ciliated-leaved — 
with  very  fine  prickles  on  the  edges ;  Ser- 
rated-leaved, or  saw-edged ;  Hedgehog,  or 
very  prickly  ;  the  Spineless  ;  White-margined- 
leaved;  White-spotted-leaved;  Gold-edged; 
Gold  -  spotted  ;  Silver  -  blotched  Hedgehog  ; 
Gold  -  blotched  Hedgehog  ;  White  -  fruited  ; 
Yellow-fruited  ;  and  of  common  variegations, 
of  different  markings,  twenty  varieties  may 
be  had  in  any  extensive  nursery.  As  regards 
the  cultivation  of  tlie  holly,  no  shrub  can  be 
more  inviting.  The  only  care  required,  is  in 
transplanting ;  and  this,  if  done  but  with 
common  attention,  is  sure  to  be  successful.  It 
has  been  recommended  by  some,  that  holly  be 
removed  at  Midsummer  ;  by  others,  in  April. 
With  due  precaution  it  may  be  removed  at 
any  time ;  but  when  there  is  the  choice  of 
time,  and  a  desire  to  avoid  subsequent  labour, 
transplant  in  November.  The  soil  is  of  some 
importance.  It  should  be  light  and  dry.  This 
may  always  be  obtained  by  shallow  planting, 
and  by  mixing  sand  with  the  broken  earth. — 
MaundJ's  Botanic  Garden. 

Cheap  Flower  Gardening. — Those  who 
do  not  possess  a  sufficient  extent  of  glass 
frames  for  the  propagation  of  Verbenas,  Cal- 
ceolarias, and  other  half-hardy  bedding  plants, 
may  make  a  splendid  display  by  filling  some 
of  the  beds  with  masses  of  the  more  durable 
annuals  sown  in  the  places  in  which  they  are 
to  remain.  It  is  not  to  be  expected  that  the 
duration  of  these  will  be  equal  to  the  plants 
for  which  they  are  substitutes,  but  with  a 
proper  exercise  of  taste  in  arranging  them,  the 
result  will  be  much  more  satisfactory  than  many 
suppose.  For  white  beds  use  Clarkia  pulchella 
alba,  NemofJiila  atomaria,  or  White  Vir- 
ginian Stock  ;  for  pink  or  rose  colour,  Clarkia 
p.  rosea,  Sa/ponaria  calahj'ica,  or  Rose  Vir- 
ginian Stock ;  few  things  make  a  more  splen- 
did yellow  or  orange  bed  than  JEschscholtzia, 
and  for  a  dwarf  very  compact  bed  of  the 
same  colour  the  common  Mimulus  moschatus 
is  well  adapted,  if  the  situation  is  not  too 
shady;    for   blue    beds    NemopJdla    lusignu, 


2^56 


CONTEMPORARY    "WRITINGS. 


Lup'tnus  7ianii.s,  the  late  T)lue  Forget-me-not, 
or  the  beautiful  but  rather  scarce  Centcnii-ea 
depi^exsa  ;  for  dwarf  scarlet  beds  Verbenas  or 
Geraniums  are  indispensable,  but  a  taller  bed 
may  be  made  of  Pentstevion  gentianoidex ; 
the  different  varieties  of  Antirrhimun  vutjus 
are  also  very  useful,  particularly  the  dwart 
double  white  variety;  the  taller  kinds  may 
easily  be  made  dwarfer  by  pegging  them 
down ;  for  a  purple  bed,  nothing  surpasses 
the  purple  branching  Larkspur,  if  raised  from 
seed  on  a  warm  border,  planted  out  eight 
inches  apart,  and  pegged  down  twice  during 
the  growing  season.  The  rest  of  the  annuals 
in  the  above  list  may  be  sown  at  once  in  their 
places,  and  thinned  out  to  proper  distances. 
The  Musk  and  Forget-me-not  are  hardy  pe- 
rennial plants,  as  are  also  the  Antirrhinums 
and  Pentstemons.  The  time  for  sowing  annuals 
must  be  regulated  by  the  period  at  which  the 
greatest  display  will  be  most  useful ;  and  as 
this  will  generally  vary  from  the  middle  of 
July  to  the  middle  of  September,  the  seeds 
should  be  sown  from  the  beginning  of  April 
to  the  end  of  June.  The  little  Chcenostoma 
jiolyantha  makes  a  very  pretty  dwarf  bed  ;  it 
should  be  sown  in  March,  in  a  warm  frame, 
pricked  out  into  boxes  as  soon  as  it  is  up,  and 
planted  out  at  the  usual  time  ;  the  young 
plants  will  require  stopping,  in  order  to  in- 
duce a  bushy  habit.  Lobelia  Erinus  grandl- 
Jlora,  is  known  in  the  seed-shops  as  L.  e.  com- 
])acta  grandijiora.  This,  and  all  the  other 
wa-'ieiin?,  oi  L.  Erinus  or  L.  gracilis,  although 
called  greenhouse  plants  in  catalogues,  are  ex- 
cellently adapted  for  flower-garden  decoration  ; 
they  may  be  propagated  in  early  spring,  either 
by  seeds  or  cuttings,  and  with  proper  attention 
to  potting  or  transplanting  them  into  frames 
as  they  require  it,  will  be  ready  for  bedding 
out  by  the  middle  of  May.  They  will  com- 
mence flowering  immediately,  and  unless  the 
ground  is  very  poor,  will  continue  till  the  end 
of  September. — Gardeners   Chronicle. 

Grafting  Grasses. — ']"he  Gardeners'  Chro- 
nicle directs  attention  to  this,  and  shows  from 
the  experiments  of  Sig.  Calderini,  of  Milan, 
that  grasses  have  at  each  knot  a  shoot  within 
the  sheath  of  the  leaf,  which  can  be  easily 
drawn  out  while  the  plant  is  young.  These 
can  be  changed,  that  is,  the  shoot  of  a  ro- 
bust growing  plant  i-emoved,  and  the  shoot 
of  a  weaker  growing  plant  placed  there.  The 
result  has  been  an  improved  growth  of  the 
introduced  plant,  and  a  more  vigorous-growing 
seed.  Grafting  of  the  grasses  is  something 
like  bottling  the  Atlantic.  The  only  point 
that  can  be  practically  useful,  is  tliat  of  im- 
proving the  seed;  and  if  this  improvement  in 
the  first  year's  seed  be  not  carried  through  in 
future  years,  the  experiment  is  petty  and 
useless. 


Indian  Bread  or  Tuckahoe. — An  o>ld 
something  between  a  fungus  and  a  tuber, 
described  by  different  writers  as  each.  It  is  ob- 
served that,  "It  has  by  some  been  considered 
as  the  root  of  some  phtenogam,  by  others  it 
has  been  described,  under  the  generic  names 
of  Lycoperdon  and  Pachime,  as  a  fungus." 
We  are  told  that  it  differs  totally  from  the 
native  bread  of  Van  Diemen's  Land,  which  is 
nearly  allied  to  the  common  Truffle. 

Potatoes. — Mr.  Cuthill,  in  the  Garden- 
ers' Chronicle,  writes  over  again  the  reiterated 
lessons  on  planting  potatoes.  "  Farmers,"  he 
says,  "  should  keep  their  small  potatoes  for 
seed  and  plant  them  whole;"  but  he  says 
"  the  only  difference  between  planting  a  potato 
of  half  an  ounce  and  one  weighing  three 
ounces  is,  that  the  heavy  one  will  be  ripe  ten 
days  before  the  light  one."  He  advises  tying 
up  the  plant  and  taking  off  all  the  lower  leaves 
for  at  least  nine  inches  from  the  ground,  to  l^;t 
in  the  sun  and  keep  out  the  disease.  We 
regard  this  as  mere  nonsense.  Millions  of 
acres  of  potatoes  have  been  grown,  with  all 
their  foliage,  without  the  disease  affecting 
them,  which  is  a  proof  that  the  leaves  do  not 
cause  it ;  and  we  regard  the  speculation  as  a 
most  futile  one.  We  say  nothing  of  the  trifling 
job  of  tying  up  1,500  to  2,000  plants  in  a 
single  acre,  and  taking  off  all  the  leaves  to 
nine  inches  above  the  ground ;  but  some 
people  would  think  a  couple  of  thousand 
sticks  and  ties,  and  the  gathering  of  the  lower 
leaves,  a  good  deal  of  trouble.  Another 
writer  communicates  a  fact  worth  notice, 
and  suggests  that  it  may  be  a  means  of  pre- 
venting the  disease.  Eight  potatoes  in  a 
whole  piece  were  accidentally  smeared  with 
tar,  and  as  accidentally  the  haulm  was  trodden 
down  flat  to  the  ground,  so  as  to  be  almost 
separated  ;  while  the  other  portion  was 
diseased,  these  eight  were  not.  This  being 
attributed  to  the  tar,  it  was  applied  on  pur- 
pose the  last  season,  but  did  not  save  the 
potatoes  ;  the  next  year  the  treading  down 
the  haulm  is  to  be  tried.  Truly  the  potato 
disease  has  been  a  puzzler.  The  Rev.  E. 
Hoblyn  is  to  tread  the  haulm  down  flat,  and 
Mr.  Cuthill  is  to  put  sticks  to  keep  it  upright, 
and  strip  the  lower  part  of  the  leaves.  There 
is  some  rational  hope  of  Mr.  Hoblyn's  expe- 
riment, inasmuch  as  flattened  vegetation  may 
be  less  subject  to  electric  influence  ;  but  there 
is  none  of  Mr.  Cuthill's  ;  for  if  it  escape  the 
disease,  there  will  be  no  proof  of  its  efiicacy ; 
and  were  it  possible  to  prove  its  efficacy,  the 
thing  is  impracticable. — G. 

Botanical  Expedition  into  Wales  in 
1639. — The  review  of  a  book  under  this  title 
gives  a  curious  account  of  journeying,  when 
the  means  of  transit  were  not  quite  so  rapid 
as  they  are  now,   and  when  our  commonest 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


2^7 


weeds  were  almost  unknown,  at  least  botani- 
cally,  and  when  there  -were  but  miserable 
originals  of  our  splendid  florist's  flowers,  "  A 
great  variety  of  Heartsease,"  says  the  author, 
"  adorned  the  sterile  plain."  If  the  writer 
could  peep  out  from  his  grave  and  see  the  great 
variety  of  Heartsease  that  adorn  our  gardens, 
great  would  be  his  astonishment.  The  book 
•must  be  amusing  in  the  present  day. 

Pyrus  KEPALENSis. — The  fruit  of  this  is 
said  to  be  good  when  baked,  though  in  a  raw 
state  only  fit  for  pigs. 

Rain.-: — The  rain  during  the  last  year  dou- 
bled in  quantity  the  fall  of  1847 — viz.  the 
year  to  December,  1847,  21  in.  -^^^^,  the  year 
ending  December,  1848,  45  in.  ^y^. 

ExPEKiMEXT  ON  Grapes. — An  anonymous 
correspondent  says  that  a  gentleman,  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  Oporto,  split  a  vine-shoot 
(white  grapes)  very  carefully  down  the  middle, 
cutting  the  bud  in  half,  and  then  split  a  cor- 
responding shoot  on  a  black  vine,  and  united 
them  as  in  common  grafting,  and  the  produce 
of  the  vine  was  white  and  black  grapes  on 
the  same  bunch,  and  on  others  variegated 
fruit.  It  is  a  curious  experiment,  and  we 
should  blame  nobody  for  trying  it. 

Fruit  under  Glass. — A  novel  plan  of 
treating  fruit-trees  consists  of  growing  on  a 
trellis,  under  glass.  The  novelty  consists  of 
making  the  trellis  of  rough  wood,  merely 
crossed  and  fastened,  without  niitreing  or 
carpentry,  but  with  a  top  and  bottom  rail. 
These  trellises  are  not  to  be  upright,  but 
sloping  from  the  ground. in  front,  to  two  feet 
or  two  feet  six  inches  at  the  back  ;  upon  this 
a  rough,  heavy  frame,  that  will  hold  glasses  a 
foot  from  the  trellis,  is  placed,  and  lights  or 
sashes,  made  in  the  roughest  possible  manner, 
and  glazed,  complete  the  affair.  By  keeping 
the  wet  off  after  the  fruit  is  gathered,  the 
wood  ripens  better,  and  by  the  preservation  of 
the  tree  from  frosts,  they  bear  better  than  when 
exposed,  or  at  least  ripen  the  fruit  better. 

Pentstemon  speciosuji. — A  writer  says  : — 
"  Nothing  can  be  more  charming  in  the 
flower-garden  than  a  bed  well  filled  with  this 
plant,  properly  treated  and  in  full  bloom." 
The  seed  is  to  be  sowed  in  sandy  loam  in 
the  autumn,  and  placed  in  a  cold  frame  ;  in 
March  to  be  removed  to  the  greenhouse,  where 
they  may  remain  till  May ;  then  potted  singly 
in  60-sized  pots,  in  soil  of  three  parts  loam 
and  one  part  cow-dung  ;  to  be  shifted  and 
shaded  occasionally  till  October,  and  then 
planted  in  a  bed  of  rich  compost.  Protect 
them  in  the  winter,  and  they  w^ill  bloom  abun- 
dantly in  the  spring. 

Plants  from  Leaves. — In  the  striking  of 
leaves  of  the  Lemon-tree,  we  are  told  that 
"  the  leaf  must  be  the  produce  of  the  same 
spring,  and  be  healthy  and  full-grown  when 


detached  from  the  branch,  and  particular 
attention  must  be  paid  that  not  the  least  sign 
of  an  eye  or  bud  is  perceptible  on  the  angle 
formed  by  the  stalk  of  the  leaf  and  the  branch, 
in  which  case  the  leaf  is  perfectly  useless  for 
propagation.  If  a  leaf  of  the  above  descrip- 
tion is  obtained,  it  is  put  into  a  flower-pot, 
and  a  slow  heat  and  continual  and  even  mois- 
ture supported."  It  is  added  that,  "  when 
due  attention  is  paid  to  the  above,  you  may 
be  sure  of  success."  It  is  inferred  from  this 
that  the  bud  at  the  base  of  a  leaf  is  formed  by 
the  leaf  and  from  the  leaf,  and  that  if  the  bud 
has  begun  to  form  the  leaf  will  not  strike. 

Indian  Azaleas.  —  To  propagate  these, 
strike  cuttings  Avhen  the  plant  is  in  the 
most  vigorous  growth,  re-pot  them  after 
blooming,  when  they  begin  to  make  their 
growth,  and  keep  them  warm  and  moist 
under  glass  until  the  growth  is  completed, 
when  they  may  be  placed  on  an  east  or  west 
border  till  the  autumn. 

Vegetables. — The  following  have  been 
recommended  : — Beans,  early  Mazagan,  long 
pod,  and  broad  "Windsor  ;  Peas,  early  Kent, 
early  Charlton,  Fairbeard's  Champion,  Au- 
vergne,  Woodford's  Green  Marrow,  Knight's 
Dwarf  Marrow,  and  Tall  Marrow;  Cabbages, 
early  York,  Vanack,  Pomeranian  ;  Fo)'  Pick- 
ling, the  small  dark  red  ;  Brocoli,  Grange's 
early  cauliflower,  Hammond's  fine  white  Cape, 
Knight's  Protecting,  Walcheren,  and  Snow's 
superb  white  ;  Lettuces,  white  Paris  Cos, 
green  ditto,  brown  Dutch,  Malta  and  Ver- 
sailles, the  artichoke-leaved  lettuce  ;  Kidney 
Beans,  Wilmot's  true  forcing,  cream-speckled, 
early  Dutch,  blnck  Belgian,  or  the  Negro,  and 
Shilling's  new  French  bean  ;  Onions,  Defit- 
ford,  Reading,  yellow  Spanish,  Strasburg, 
blood-red,  and  James's  keeping  ;  the  Nocera 
for  pickling. 

WinterTeiiperature  for  Stove  Plants. 
Mr.  Spencer  ?ays  that  he  keeps  the  winter  tem- 
perature of  his  stove  irom  40°  to  50''  by  fire 
heat,  and  the  plants  grow  all  the  better  for  it 
in  the  spring.  There  is  no  doubt  of  this. 
But  the  real  use  of  stoves  is  to  supply  us  with 
flowers  in  winter,  as  well  as  to  preserve  the 
tender  plants  that  require  protection,  because 
we  have  abundance  of  our  own  flowers  for 
the  spring  and  summer. 

Horse-Chestnuts  as  Food. — The  disco- 
very of  the  fact  that  horse-chestnuts  may  be 
applied  as  human  food  is  claimed  for  Madame 
Bernhardt,  who  discovered  what  is  called  "  the 
secret"  before  M.  Flandin,  who  communicated 
it  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences  at  Paris. 

Ice-house. — Oak  slabs  are  recommended 
for  the  sides  of  the  well  rather  than  bricks,  it 
having  been  found  that  the  ice  had  disappeared 
in  one  wnth  brick  sides,  while  it  was  preserved 
in   one  with    oak  sides  and  puddled  outsid^ 


238 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


It  is  asserted  that  it  is  a  common  error,  also, 
to  dig  them  too  deep.  Eleven  feet  is  said  to 
be  deep  enough,  and  two  feet  of  this  should 
be  drainage. 

HOKTICULTUEAL  SoCIETy's  GrARDEN. — The 

orchids,  we  are  informed,  are  kept  compara- 
tively dry  and  cool,  instead  of  warm  and 
moist,  and  they  flourish  more  under  such 
treatment.  We  are  glad  of  this,  for  there 
has,  in  days  gone  by,  been  sad  bungling  with 
the  orchideous  plants. 

Potato  Disease. — There  is  a  plan  of  ma- 
nagement, proposed  by  Mr.  H.  L.  Meyer, 
which  deserves  to  be  made  generally  known. 
In  a  paper  read  to  the  Royal  Agricultural 
Society,  he  made  the  following  recommenda- 
tion : — "  I  propose  a  method  of  protection, 
which,  I  think,  may  be  equally  effective  against 
any  one  of  the  above-mentioned  causes  of  the 
disease,  whether  animal,  vegetable,  atmo- 
spheric, or  electric.  I  propose  to  cover  up 
the  plant  with  the  readiest  material  at  hand — 
namely,  the  soil  it  grows  in.  The  manner  in 
which  this  must  be  done  is,  by  laying  down 
the  haulm,  and  covering  it  over  with  earth 
from  the  root  to  within  a  few  inches  of  the 
extremity,  leaving  only  the  tips  of  the  plant 
exposed  to  the  benefits  of  light  and  air.  A 
field,  when  thus  treated,  presents  to  view  a 
succession  of  ridges  of  earth  and  valleys  ;  the 
ridges  contain  the  potatos  and  the  stems  of 
the  plants  earthed  over,  and  in  the  valleys  or 
furrows  lie  securely  the  tips  of  the  foliage. 
Should  the  injurious  blight  occur  while  the 
field  remains  in  this  state,  the  tops  of  the  plants 
are  greatly  sheltered  from  its  influence  by  the 
ridges  of  earth  they  lie  between.  Nothing 
further  will  be  required  but  to  watch  the 
field,  and  continue  to  cover  up  the  haulms 
from  time  to  time,  so  as  to  keep  only  the  tips 
exposed.  The  process  thus  described  should  be 
immediately  put  in  practice,  instead  of  the  usual 
method  of  '  earthing  up,'  and  while  the  stems 
of  the  plant  are  still  pliant  and  manageable. 
This  simple  process  will  not  require  any  outlay, 
and  in  point  of  labour  only  stands  in  the  place 
of  the  usual  method  of  earthing  up.  .  .  .  The 
best  way  of  putting  this  mode  in  practice  is, 
by  laying  down  the  haulms  with  the  hand,  and 
afterwards  covering  them  with  the  earth  that 
lies  between  the  rows.  The  earlier  the  plant 
can  be  attended  to  as  I  have  proposed,  the 
less  it  is  liable  to  receive  the  germ  or  inocula- 
tion of  the  infection  ;  but  owing  to  the  present 
advanced  state  of  the  plant,  it  may  be  advisa- 
ble to  administer  lime  or  some  other  purifying 
substance  before  covering  the  haulm.  It  is 
desirable  to  lay  the  stems  down  in  a  direction 
away  from  the  east,  as  much  towards  the  south- 
west as  possible,  because  it  is  from  the  east 
that  blights  of  all  descriptions  appear  to  ori- 
ginate.   The  usual  manner  of  planting  potatos 


being  in  rows  only  sufficiently  apart  to  allow 
room  for  the  underground  shoots  and  tubers 
to  vegetate,  it  will  be  found  necessary  to  lay 
the  haulms  of  the  plant  down  in  a  slanting 
or  oblique  direction,  so  as  to  let  the  exposed 
tops  of  the  haulm  I'each  only  to  the  centre  of 
the  valley  or  furrow,  thereby  gaining  the 
double  advantage  of  room  and  protection." 
This  experiment  was  carefully  tried  in  the 
Garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society  in  1848, 
and  with  success;  for  although,  as  was  to  be  ex- 
pected, the  amount  of  produce  was  diminished, 
(not,  however,  to  the  extent  of  more  than 
3  cwt.  per  acre),  the  proportional  quantity  of 
sound  potatos  obtained  was  more  than  seven 
times  that  of  the  rows  on  each  side.  We  re- 
gard this  as  an  artiflcial  method  of  curbing 
the  luxuriance  of  the  potato,  which  it  does 
very  effectually  :  but  whether  that  be  so  or 
not,  it  will  be  well  to  repeat  the  trial  under 
varied  circumstances,  in  order  that  its  true 
value  may  be  ascertained.  The  plan  has  this 
merit,  that  it  seems  incapable  of  doing  any 
harm. — Gard.  Chron. 

Watering  large  Plants  in  Tubs. — It  is 
well  known  that  when  large  masses  of  soil,  like 
that  in  which  Camellias  are  grown,  get  dry,  it  is 
difficult  to  water  them  all  through,  on  account 
of  the  water  passing  off  speedily  by  the  sides 
of  the  tubs.  To  prevent  this,  Mr.  Allnut,  of 
Clapham,  sinks  (slightly)  into  the  surface  of 
the  ball,  some  two  or  three  inches  from  the 
side  of  the  pot  or  tub,  a  hoop  of  zinc  or  some 
such  metal,  which  compels  the  water  to  pass 
down  through  the  mass  of  soil  instead  of  es- 
caping by  its  side.  He  practises  this  plan 
with  all  his  large  specimens,  and  with  advan- 
tage, not  only  to  the  plant,  but  with  regard  to 
saving  time  and  labour. 

Araucaria  imbricata. — There  was  planted 
in  a  park  in  the  south  of  England,  in  the 
autumn  of  1845,  a  number  of  good  sized  plants 
of  Araucaria  imbricata,  in  various  soils  and 
situations,  all  considered  more  or  less  good, 
with  one  exception.  This  latter  plant  was 
placed  in  what  might  be  considered  a  disad- 
vantageous site  in  all  respects  ;  when  planted 
it  was  looked  upon  as  certain  not  to  do  well, 
being  in  a  low  valley  where  fogs  appear  earliest 
and  leave  latest,  and  where  the  most  powerful 
winds  sweep  along  more  destructively  than  in 
the  exposed  places,  at  the  foot  of  a  hill  facing 
the  north,  and  shaded^  by  large  trees  during 
the  whole  winter  season,  and  where  six  inches 
below  the  turf  there  is  a  hard  bed  of  stones  ; 
yet  this  tree  looks  most  luxuriantly,  and  has 
made  growth  in  the  proportion  of  three  to  one 
more  than  any  of  its  contemporaries.  There 
is  no  doubt  that  the  sweeping  winds,  the  bed 
of  stones,  and  the  entire  absence  of  sun  for 
several  months,  have  all  proved  favourable  to 
it. —  Gard.  Citron. 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


239 


Manuring  the  Atmosphere  of  Hot- 
houses.— The  collection  of  orchidaceous  plants 
in  the  garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society  are 
in  the  best  possible  health  ;  the  foliage  being 
of  a  remarkably  deep  green  colour.  This  cir- 
cumstance Mr.  Gordon,  the  superintendent, 
ascribes  to  his  supplying  ammonia  occasion- 
ally to  the  atmosphere  of  the  house.  Having 
first  wetted  a  bit  of  pure  carbonate  of  ammonia, 
about  the  size  of  a  bean,  he  rubs  it  on  the  hot 
water  pipes,  waves  his  hand  backwards  and 
forwards  once  or  twice,  to  disperse  the  fumes, 
and  the  work  is  done.  Besides  adding  to  their 
green  colour,  he  is  of  opinion  that  this  impor- 
tant manuring  principle  otherwise  acts  bene- 
ficially on  the  plants.  It  must,  however,  be 
used  with  caution,  or  it  may  do  more  harm 
than  good.  Mr.  Gordon  applies  it  in  the 
evening,  just  before  the  house  is  steamed. — 
Gard.  Chron. 

Vegetable  Poisons. — It  so  happens  that 
all  the  most  virulent  poisons  are  of  vegetable 
origin.  There  is  the  deadly  aconite,  which 
kills  in  small  fractions  of  a  grain ;  and  strych- 
nia, a  fourth  part  of  a  grain  of  which  has 
killed  a  wild  boar  in  a  few  seconds ;  and  prus- 
sic  acid,  so  prevalent  in  many  botanical  tribes. 
Then  there  are  the  deadly  alkalis  of  hemlock 
and  tobacco,  and  oxalic  acid  of  treacherous 
fame,  all  derived  from  the  vegetable  kingdom  ! 
And  yet  the  empiric  physicmonger,  forsooth, 
imposes  on  the  credulity  of  an  ignorant  com- 
munity by  vaunting  the  innocence  of  vegetable 
medicines  !  Why,  before  the  rapidly  mortal 
action  of  some  of  the  vegetable  educts  we  have 
mentioned,  arsenic,  that  terror  of  the  mineral 
kingdom,  is  innocence  itself,  and  sublimate  is 
impotent. — Chemical  Times. 

Erica  carnea. — This  is  certainly  the  most 
valuable  and  interesting  of  hardy  Heaths.  It 
flowers  early,  is  compact  and  dwarf  in  habit, 
and,  when  grown  in  quantity,  enlivens  the 
American  borders  and  beds  at  a  season  when 
ornament  is  most  required.  This  species  is 
well  adapted  for  a  bed  or  group.  It  also  suc- 
ceeds in  large  pots  or  vases,  if  kept  cool  and 
moist  at  the  roots  and  replaced  early.  It  is 
valuable  for  replenishing  winter  bouquets, 
especially  in  cool  rooms.  It  may  not,  perhaps, 
be  generally  known  that  if  half  the  plant  or 
plants  be  covered  with  soil  (or  probably  with 
any  other  light  material),  for  a  period  before 
the  flowers  attain  their  colour,  it  will  blanch 
them  to  such  a  degree  as  to  present  the  appear- 
ance of  a  distinct  pale  or  white  variety,  form- 
ing a  lively  contrast  with  the  rosy-pink  hue  of 
the  unblanched  plants.  This  Heath  may  be 
planted  in  the  ordinary  flower  borders,  using 
.  as  a  substitute  for  peat  or  heath-mould,  one- 
haif  finely  sifted  pure  unfermented  leaf-mould 
(divested  of  its  earthy  matter),  the  remainder 
equal  portions  of  fine  river  or  white  sand  and 


sandy  loam,  well  mixed.  This  compost  should 
be  well  pressed  previous  to  the  plants  being 
firmly  planted  in  it. — Gard.  Chron. 

New  System  of  Vine  Culture. — The 
following  is  a  translation  of  a  paper  on  this 
subject,  lately  read  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences 
of  Paris,  by  M.  Persoz  : — "  The  new  process 
which  I  propose  for  cultivating  the  vine,  in- 
asmuch as  it  enables  us  to  make  use  of  half 
of  the  land  for  growing  nutritive  plants,  may 
at  first  sight  appear  to  difier  completely  from 
the  plans  now  adopted  in  vineyards.  Such, 
however,  is  not  the  case,  and  as  those  who 
have  studied  the  various  methods  pursued  in 
different  countries  will  see,  several  of  the 
recommendations  here  made  have  been  already 
followed  in  practice  ;  I  acknowledge  this  the 
more  readily,  as  it  enables  me  to  appeal,  as  a 
proof  of  their  usefulness,  to  results  obtained 
by  long  experience.  In  one  respect,  my  plan 
differs  from  every  other  ;  for  I  propose  that 
all  the  vine  stocks  in  a  certain  space  of  ground 
should  be  brought  together  in  a  trench,  where 
by  one  chemical  action  the  wood,  and  by 
another  the  fruit,  may  be  induced  to  form. 
This  I  propose  in  consequence  of  having,  by 
direct  experiment,  satisfied  myself  that,  of  the 
manures  which  are  fit  for  the  culture  of  the 
vine,  some  serve  exclusively  for  the  increase 
of  cells,  i.  e.  of  wood,  and  that  others  cause 
the  development  of  the  flower  bud  (fruit  or 
grape);  and  the  actions  of  these  substances, 
instead  of  both  going  on  at  the  same  time, 
ought  to  be  successive.  By  the  application  of 
these  principles,  the  growth  of  the  wood  can 
be  stopped  at  pleasure,  whilst,  by  the  ordinary 
methods,  the  same  effect  can  only  be  produced 
by  artificial  and  empirical  means.  When  it 
is  wished  that  wood  should  be  developed,  the 
vines  must  be  placed  in  a  trench  and  covered 
with  three  or  four  inches  of  earth,  with  which 
have  been  mixed,  for  every  square  yard  of 
the  surface  of  the  trench,  8  lbs.  of  pulverised 
bone,  4  lbs.  of  pieces  of  skin,  leather,  horns, 
tanners'  refuse,  &c,,  and  l|  lb.  of  gypsum. 
When  the  wood  is  sufficiently  formed,  which 
will  be  in  a  year  or  two,  according  to  circum- 
stances, the  roots  must  be  supplied  with  salts 
of  potash,  in  order  that  the  fruit  may  be  pro- 
duced. For  this  purpose  it  is  necessary  to 
spread  over  the  trench,  at  a  distance  of  three 
or  four  inches  from  the  buried  wood,  for 
every  square  yard  of  surface,  5|  lbs.  of  a 
mixture  formed  of  8  lbs.  of  silicate  of  potash, 
and  2|  lbs.  of  double  phosphate  of  potash  and 
lime.  The  trench  is  then  to  be  filled  up,  and 
the  roots  have  as  much  potash  as  they  will 
want  for  a  long  time.  To  prevent,  however, 
the  exhaustion  of  the  potash,  it  is  as  well  to 
spread  every  year  at  the  foot  of  the  stools 
a  certain  quantity  of  the  marc  of  grapes  ; 
this  marc,  containing  2.5  per  cent,  of  carbon- 


240: 


COISTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


ate  of  potash,  will  restore  annually  a  large 
proportion  of  the  potash  which  may  have  dis- 
appeared from  the  trench.  Hitherto  the  suc- 
cess of  a  vintage  depended,  cceteris  paribiis, 
in  a  great  measure  on  the  influence  of  the 
atmosphere.  Thus,  suppose  a  vine  stock 
required  ten  parts  of  potash  to  be  enabled  to 
bear  fruit,  if  the  action  of  heat  and  rain  on 
the  stones  and  earth  in  a  state  of  decomposi- 
tion could  only  furnish  five,  the  vintage  would 
be  bad.  This  danger  Avill  be  avoided  by  the 
above  system  of  culture,  in  which  the  vine 
must  always  have  suitable  food ;  but  it  is  not 
to  be  forgotten  that,  although  I  promise  the 
grape  growers  who  shall  follow  the  above  plan 
an  abundance  of  produce,  I  can  by  no  means 
ensure  the  quality  of  that  produce,  for  quality 
must  always  depend  on  the  temperature." 

Vine  Cultuke.— A  very  remarkable  result 
in  the  culture  of  vines  has  been  observed 
during  the  early  part  of  the  present  year,  in 
the  garden  of  Mr.  Wilmot,  of  Isleworth.  We 
find  the  following  statement  of  the  general 
facts  in  the  Gardeners'  ClironicJe .- — "  In  July, 
1846,  Mr.  Wilmot  planted  in  the  footpath,  at 
the  back  of  some  pine-pits,  a  number  of  young 
black  Hamburgh  vines,  and  introduced  them 
into  the  houses  by  knocking  a  brick  out  of 
the  back  wall  next  the  ground.  These  vines, 
planted  in  the  footpath,  made  of  materials  to 
walk  upon,  on  the  north  side  of  a  pine  stove, 
grew  the  first  year  twenty  feet  long.  On  the 
16th  of  January  of  the  present  year  a  leaf 
from  one  of  them,  measuring  twenty-one  inches 
the  one  way,  and  eighteen  inches  the  other, 
was  exhibited  to  the  Horticultural  Society, 
and  on  the  6th  of  March  a  dish  of  ripe  grapes 
from  a  part  of  these  vines  obtained  a  Silver 
Knightian  Medal.  The  bunches  were  small, 
as  all  Mr.  Wilmot's  are,  heavy  bunches  of 
grapes  not  answering  the  purpose  of  growers 
for  market ;  but  they  were  well  swelled, 
covered  with  bloom,  and  perfectly  well 
coloured.  When  the  vines  were  planted, 
holes  were  made  in  the  footpath  with  a  pick- 
axe, and  about  a  couple  of  quarts  of  soil  in 
which  pine-apples  had  been  grown  was  added 
to  each  hole,  the  crocks  having  been  first 
sifted  out.  This  was  done  for  the  purpose  of 
forming  a  bed  in  which  the  young  roots  might 
lie,  the  soil  of  the  footpath  being  too  rough 
and  coarse  for  them.  As  to  the  footpath 
itself,  in  order  that  there  might  be  no  mistake 
upon  that  point,  we  have  examined  it,  and  we 
can  state  that  the  soil  of  which  it  is  composed 
becomes,  when  dry,  as  hard  as  the  high  road. 
This  is  owing  to  the  presence  of  a  large  quan- 
tity of  red  brick  earth,  of  which  Mr."  Wilmot's 


market  garden  naturally  consisted  ;  with  this 
is  mixed  a  large  quantity  of  pounded  clinkers 
from  the  stoke-holes  where  coke  or  coal  are 
burnt,  some  loam,  and  a  quantity  of  the  ordi- 
nary well  tilled  soil  of  the  garden.  Next  the 
walk  where  the  vines  grow,  whose  leaves 
have  been  just  described,  there  is,  within  four 
feet,  the  trench  of  a  Macphail  pit  filled  with 
long  litter,  for  heating  a  pine  bed.  The  other 
footpath,  where  similar  vines  are  growing,  is 
a  mere  space  lying  between  two  pine  houses. 
In  both  cases  these  borders  or  footpaths  are, 
as  has  been  already  stated,  on  the  north  side 
of  the  wall  of  the  pine  house,  and  can  receive 
no  direct  heat  from  the  sun,  even  in  summer. 
To  what  cause,  then,  may  we  assign  this  ex- 
traordinary growth,  so  Avholly  unexpected  by 
everybody  ?  It  cannot  be  to  the  marvellous 
richness  of  soil,  that  is  evident.  It  cannot  be 
to  high  temperature  ;  for  although  the  foot- 
path in  one  case  was  on  the  edge  of  a  trench 
for  dung,  yet  Mr.  Wilmot  states  that  that 
trench  was  not  worked  till  long  after  the 
vines  had  made  their  first  growth.  Eut 
although  a  very  high  temperature  of  the  soil 
can  hardly  be  taken  as  the  cause,  we  are  by 
no  means  sure  that  temperature  may  not  have 
something  to  do  with  this  unusual  growth. 
The  vines  were  planted  in  July  ;  and  in  gar- 
dens so  much  Avorkedj  and  so  much  enclosed, 
and  so  traversed  by  hothouses  in  all  direc- 
tions as  Mr.  Wilmot's  is,  the  heat  of  the  soil 
may  have  been  higher  than  is  imagined,  even 
although  the  sun  could  not  directly  shine 
upon  it.  But  there  was  another  cause  in 
operation.  The  pine-houses  in  question  should 
rather  be  called  pits  ;  for  they  ai"e  sunk  from 
two  to  three  feet  below  the  level  of  the  soil ; 
being  almost  constantly  heated  by  hot  water 
pipes,  the  warm  air  of  the  pit  must  commu- 
nicate some  part  of  its  heat  to  the  surround- 
ing soil — to  what  extent  we  have  no  means  of 
ascertaining.  The  soil  too  is  by  no  means 
poor  ;  the  path  in  which  grew  the  vines  with 
large  leaves  must  be  greatly  enriched  with 
the  soakage  from  the  Macphail  pits  ;  and 
although  it  becomes  as  hard  as  a  brick,  it  is 
not,  therefore,  compact ;  on  the  contrary,  the 
fragments  of  clinkers  maintain  its  porosity 
effectually,  and  permit  a  ready  passage  to  any 
heat  that  may  be  communicated  to  it.  These 
observations  are  intentionally  limited  to  the 
first  year's  growth  ;  that  of  a  later  period  can 
hardly  be  made  the  subject  of  speculation  ; 
for  it  is  impossible  to  say  where  the  roots  of 
the  vines  in  question  may  now  be.  In  what- 
ever way  the  point  is  regarded,  it  is  highly 
curious  and  instructive. 


THE    HARDY    AZALEA. 


241 


Azalea  alta-clerense. 


THE  HARDY  AZALEA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


It  is  a  curious  fact,  that  in  ground  whicli 
suits  this  hardy  American  plant,  the  seedlings 
may  be  seen  coming  up  from  the  seeds  scat- 
tered by  the  plants  in  such  quantities  as  to 
be  like  so  many  weeds,  while  in  ordinary 
soil  it  is  not  only  a  rare  thing  to  see  one, 
but  it  is  difficult  to  get  them  up  even  when 
sown.  The  natural  situation  for  this  family 
seems  to  bave  been  the  ordinary  reclaimed  or 
dried  bogs,  where  the  earth  is  one  close  mass 
of  half-decayed  vegetables  and  their  roots  ; 
and  if  one  could  judge  from  the  plan  of  cul- 
ture which  succeeds  best,  we  should  be  in- 
clined to  fancy  that  the  roots  had  not  far  to 
go  for  actual  water,  for  certain  it  is,  that 
when  it  is  making  its  growth  it  does  require 
a  good  deal  of  moisture.  The  peat  earth  of 
our  commons,  such  as  the  whole  family  of 
Erica  are  grown  in,  agrees  with  the  Azalea 
well ;  and  in  every  place  where  we  have 
observed  the  plant  really  flourishing,  it  has 
been  in  a  natural  turfy  peat,  or  ground  made 
up  of  that  peculiar  soil. 

The  Azalea  is  a  deciduous  plant,  which 
may  be  called  hard-wooded,  for  all  the  shoots 
of  the  summer  in  a  healthy  plant  ripen  into 
wood  as  hard  as  that  of  a  gooseberry  or 
currant-tree,  and  bloom  buds  set  at  the  end 
of  every  branch.  The  hardest  of  our  ordi- 
nary frosts  take  no  effect  upon  the  incipient 
flowers,  though  seemingly  so  much  exposed 
all  the  wanter. 

The  species  of  Azalea  from  America  were 
50. 


always  in  great  repute  ;  but  seedlings  raised 
from  these  have  far  excelled  the  originals  in 
beauty  and  variety.  The  Belgian  nursery- 
men have  produced  some  of  the  best  of  these 
improved  ones.  The  great  fault  of  the  ori- 
ginals, or,  at  least,  many  of  them,  was,  that 
the  flowers  were  small,  the  divisions  of  their 
corollas  narrow,  and  therefore  there  was  a 
comparative  meanness  in  their  general  ap- 
pearance. Some  of  the  improved  varieties 
have  very  large  flowers,  with  broad  segments, 
and  are  altogether  as  imposing  as  the  others 
were  mean  and  common-place.  There  ap- 
pears to  be  a  family  link  between  the  purple 
Rhododendron  and  the  yellow  Azalea  ;  for 
the  late  Dean  of  Manchester  and  others  have 
succeeded  in  breeding  complete  crosses  or 
hybrid  varieties,  by  impregnating  the  Rhodo- 
dendron with  the  yellow  Azalea  ;  and,  al- 
though it  appeared  a  most  extraordinary 
fact,  Mr.  Smith,  of  Norbiton,  produced  the 
yellow  colour  on  a  perfect  evergreen  Rhodo- 
dendron, which  at  once  proved  that  the  cross 
was  complete.  Notwithstanding  this,  there 
appears  hardly  one  striking  similitude  in  the 
two  plants,  except  their  being  of  the  sair.e  class 
and  order.  The  Rhododendron  is  a  perfect 
evergreen,  the  Azalea  is  deciduous  ;  the 
bloom  of  the  Rhododendron  comes  in  a  short 
spike  or  cone,  tlie  Azalea  presents  no^  such 
form.  However,  that  it  is  of  the  same  family 
cannot  be  doubted  ;  for  not  only  do  they 
breed  together,   but  the  produce,  namely,  a 

K. 


2-1:2 


THE    HARDY    AZALEA. 


yellow  Rhododendron,  seeds  freely,  so  that 
the  popular  notion  of  its  being  a  mule,  and 
therefore  not  yielding  seed,  is  exploded  alto- 
gether. That  they  flourish  in  the  same  soil 
and  situation  is  certain  ;  and  that,  when  once 
planted  and  growing,  they  do  well  under  the 
fame  treatment,  is  equally  true  :  therefore, 
the  same  means  that  will  serve  to  raise  the 
one  will  do  to  grow  the  other. 

The  varieties  of  hardy  Azalea  which  are 
cultivated  in  gardens,  have  chiefly,  though 
not  exclusively,  sprung  from  three  species 
introduced  from  North  America,  namely. 
Azalea  pontica,  nudiflora,  and  viscosa,  the 
former  of  which  is  by  some  botanists  called 
jRhododendron  Jlavum,  the  next  R.  nudi- 
fiorimi,  and  the  latter  R.  viscomni.  Botani- 
cally  speaking,  those  who  place  these  plants 
in  the  genus  Rhododendron  are  probably  cor- 
rect, as  the  differences  between  the  Rhodo- 
dendrons and  Azaleas  are  too  slight  for  generic 
distinction. 

The  Azalea  pontica  (R.  Jlavum),  is  a  large 
yellow-flowered  kind,  blooming  in  May  and 
June  ;  it  has  given  rise  to  a  numerous  pro- 
geny of  varieties,  of  almost  all  shades  of 
colouring,  from  yellow  to  orange,  and  white, 
and  striped. 

The  Azalea  nndifloi'a  (R.  nudijioriim), 
is  smaller  than  the  last,  and  much  more 
various  in  its  sportive  qualities  ;  the  varieties 
which  flower  from  April  to  June  include 
scarlet,  pink,  red,  purple,  white,  striped,  and 
various  combinations  of  these  and  the  inter- 
mediate tints. 

The  Azalea  viscosa  (R.  viscosiim)  is  a 
later  kind,  flowering  in  the  latter  end  of  June 
and  in  July  ;  the  blossoms  are  strongly  fra- 
grant, and  clammy.  This,  too,  has  given  rise 
to  numerous  varieties,  of  various  colours. 

Besides  the  varieties  which  have  naturally 
sprung  from  these  species,  very  many  others, 
some  of  very  distinct  characters,  have  been 
produced  by  hybridizing,  or  cross-breeding, 
between  them,  and  also  between  them  aiid 
some  of  the  evergreen  Rhododendrons,  and 
alscf  of  the  other  species  of  Azalea  which 
have  been  introduced.  These  are  now  so 
numerous,  and  so  much  intermixed,  that  it  is 
useless  to  separate  them ;  neither,  as  new 
varieties  are  constantly  being  produced,  would 
a  list  of  their  names,  or  of  a  selection  from 
them,  be  of  any  material  use.  They  should 
be  seen  when  in  flower,  and  the  varieties  then 
selected.  The  great  American  nurseries  in 
the  neighbourhood  of  Bagshot  and  Woking, 
in  Surrey,  afford  a  rich  floral  treat  through 
the  blooming  mouths  ;  and  the  inhabitants  of 
the  metropolis  and  other  parts  will'also  have 
an  opportunity  of  witnessing  a  magnificent 
display  of  them  in  the  gardens  of  the  Royal 
Botanic  Society  in  the  Regent's  Park,  where 


an  exhibition  of  them  on  an  extensive  scale 
is  to  take  place  during  the  blooming  season, 
namely,  in  May  and  June. 

FORMING    THE    BEDS. 

The  space  to  be  occupied  by  the  Azalea, 
whether  in  its  young  or  matured  state,  must 
be  well  drained  ;  experience  has  proved  this 
over  and  over  again,  although  they  want 
plenty  of  moisture  while  blooming  and  grow- 
ing. But  drained  ground  is  not  necessarily 
dried  ground  j  for  the  very  fact  of  giving  the 
water  a  free  current  instead  of  allowing  it  to 
be  stagnant,  increases  the  fertilizing  qualities 
of  land  instead  of  taking  anything  away. 
The  land  being  drained,  dig  out  the  whole 
space  two  feet  deep,  or  at  least  eighteen 
inches.  The  best  plan  is  to  do  this  in  four 
feet  widths  the  whole  length  of  the  ground, 
leaving  the  natural  soil  eighteen  inches  Avide 
between  these  beds  or  slips.  These  spaces 
are  to  be  filled  with  three  parts  turfy  peat 
from  a  common,  full  of  the  fibrous  half-de- 
composed vegetation,  broken  into  small  pieces, 
and  one  part  loam  from  rotted  turves  off  a 
meadow.  This  compost  is  to  be  well  mixed 
together,  and  the  beds  filled  with  it  and  six 
inches  above  the  surface,  left  to  settle  down, 
as  it  will  naturally  lay  light  at  first.  The 
beds  thus  made  up  are  to  be  allowed  to  settle 
down  tolerably  solid. 

PLANTING    THE    AZALEA. 

According  to  the  size  of  the  plants  you 
must  manage  your  distances  from  each  other. 
When  collections  are  purchased,  they  are 
generally  one  year  old  from  the  layers  ;  and 
as  we  propose  to  give  directions  lor  raising 
young  plants,  we  may  as  well  treat  these  in 
the  same  way.  Small  plants,  then,  may  be 
placed  a  foot  apart,  that  is,  four  in  a  row 
across  these  beds,  the  outside  ones  being  six 
inches  from  the  path,  and  the  others  a  foot 
distant  from  the  outside  ones  ;  they  will 
have  plenty  of  room  for  a  year  or  two  to 
come  ;  the  rows  may  also  be  a  foot  from  each 
other.  These  plants  must  be  well  watered 
in,  and  the  earth  settled  about  their  roots. 
When  they  begin  to  grow  in  spring,  unless 
there  is  plenty  of  rain,  let  the  beds  be  libe- 
rally watered  ;  and  this  must  be  attended  to 
until  they  make  all  their  growth  and  set  for 
bloom,  which  they  will  always  do  from  the 
first  year,  after  being  separated  from  the 
parent  plant.  When  the  bloom  is  set,  they 
may  have  the  chance  of  rain,  but  no  more 
watering.  In  this  way  the  plants  may  remain 
until  they  touch  each  other,  when  they  must 
be  removed  to  a  greater  distance,  by  placing 
them  two  across  the  bed,  or  even  three  across, 
instead  of  four.  Whenever  these  plants  are 
removed,  they  ought  to  be  taken  up  with  all 


THE    HARDY    AZALEA. 


243 


their  roots  about  them,  and  without  disturb- 
ing the  earth  that  is  about  their  fibres.  The 
holes,  therefore,  for  their  reception  must  be 
large  enough  to  take  in  the  ball  of  earth  and 
all  the  fibres  without  disturbing  them  ;  and 
they  must,  after  being  trodden  in  well,  be 
well  watered,  to  close  the  earth  about  their 
roots. 

When  the  plants  are  to  be  placed  in  a 
mixed  plantation  where  they  are  to  remain, 
there  must  be  spots  prepared  in  the  same 
way  as  the  beds  ;  that  is  to  say,  holes  eighteen 
inches  deep  must  be  dug  out,  as  large  in 
diameter  as  the  plant  is  supposed  to  require, 
namely,  from  two  to  three  feet,  and  filled  up 
with  the  compost  already  mentioned  for  the 
beds.  Into  these  holes  the  peat  soil  is  to  be 
conveyed,  and,  besides  being  filled  to  the 
surface,  must  be  watered  in,  to  settle  it  down 
solid,  so  that,  after  planting,  the  soil  may  be 
above  the  surface  in  a  sort  of  hillock.  Here 
the  plants,  of  the  size  required,  are  to  be 
planted  and  well  trodden  in,  in  the  usual 
way,  so  that  the  collar  of  the  plant  shall  be 
close  to  the  surface  of  the  peat  soil,  which 
must  be  some  inches  higher  than  the  sur- 
rounding surface  of  other  soil,  to  allow  for 
sinking  down,  which  it  will  after  a  few  slight 
showers.  The  peat  must  be  Avell  watered,  to 
close  the  earth  about  its  roots,  and  here  it 
will  grow  for  years  in  health  and  strength, 
until  its  roots  have  completely  filled  the  por- 
tion of  made  ground,  when  it  will  be  some- 
what checked  in  its  exuberance  by  the 
nature  of  the  soil  which  its  fibres  will  then 
reach. 

RAISING    THE    AZALEA    BY    LAYERING. 

The  only  mode  of  propagating  the  Azalea 
profitably  is  by  layering.  For  this  purpose, 
plants  must  be  placed  in  the  centre  of  the 
regularly  formed  beds,  four  feet  apart,  down 
the  length  of  bed  required  according  to  the 
number.  These  plants  should  be  selected 
with  plenty  of  branches  coming  from  near 
the  ground.  These  branches  have  to  be  bent 
downwards,  so  that  a  portion  may  be  pegged 
down  from  one  to  two  inches  below  the  sur- 
face. Let  this  be  done  in  autumn  ;  and  as 
growth  is  the  object  while  young,  pick  off  all 
the  bloom  buds.  You  may  either  slightly 
notch  or  slit  the  branch  just  where  it  is  to 
be  pegged,  or  you  may  trust  to  the  bending 
down  alone  to  cause  the  roots  to  push  out  ; 
let  the  head  of  the  branch  be  above  ground, 
and  when  all  the  branches  round  the  plant 
(which  is  called  the  stool  when  thus  appro- 
priated) are  pegged  down,  and  their  growing 
ends  are  as  firmly  held  above  ground,  the 
whole  may  be  watered,  to  settle  the  earth 
close  about  them.  When  their  growing  time 
comes,  the   branches  thus  pegged  down  all 


round  will  send  forth  their  leaves  and  new 
branches,  whether  they  strike  root  or  not  ; 
but  if  the  weather  prove  warm  and  dry,  let 
the  whole  bed  be  watered  ;  and  this  must  be 
repeated  occasionally  until  the  growth  of  the 
branches  be  completed.  They  may  then  be 
examined  by  turning  the  soil  aside  carefully, 
and  if  they  are  well  rooted,  they  may  be  cut 
off  close  to  their  roots  ;  if  not,  they  must  go 
over  another  season  before  they  are  separated 
from  the  stool,  or  mother  plant.  Many  layer 
the  Azalea  without  cutting  at  all,  but  the 
slitting  of  the  stem,  that  is,  cutting  a  slice 
nearly  half  way  through  and  an  inch  or  two 
long,  promotes  the  rooting  ;  whether  this  is 
by  preventing  the  return  of  the  sap,  or  by  any 
of  the  other  means  that  the  writers  on  the 
subject  pretend,  is  quite  immaterial.  It  is 
one  way  of  half  cutting  off  the  supplies  from 
the  root,  and  therefore  inducing  the  half-sepa- 
rated branch  to  make  an  effort  to  supply  the 
deficiency.  The  effect  is  the  growing  of 
roots  at  the  place  where  the  interruption  is 
created. 

PROPAGATION  BY  EARTHING  UP  THE  PLAN1 

If  a  plant  of  Azalea  be  put  in  the  ground 
so  deep  as  to  earth  up  the  branches  two  or 
three  inches,  it  is  found  in  the  course  of  a 
season  or  two  that  all  the  branches  that  have 
been  sunk,  have  freely  rooted  the  whole  dis- 
tance they  have  been  under  ground.  This 
has  been  found  the  case  in  old  plantations, 
where,  in  the  course  of  time,  the  earth  has 
been  raised  ;  and  an  old  plant  of  Azalea  is 
frequently  found  so  much  sunk  in  the  ground, 
and  so  fully  rooted  where  the  base  of  the 
branches  have  been  below,  that  every  branch 
formed  a  plant,  on  pulling  the  old  stool  to 
pieces.  It  is  quite  certain  that  deep  planting 
is  injurious  to  all  those  subjects  which  do  not 
strike  root  freely ;  but  it  is  equally  certain, 
that  if  others  are  buried  to  all  but  tl  e  tips 
of  their  branches,  all  the  parts  within  a  given 
distance  of  the  surface  will  strike  out  fresh 
roots,  and  maintain  themselves  independent 
of  the  old  root.  The  willow  is  of  this  descrip- 
tion, as  is  the  common  laurel ;  so  also  are  cab- 
bages and  caulifiowers,  and  all  the  cabbage 
tribe ;  hence  that  practice  of  earthing  up  so 
generally  and  beneficially  practised.  The 
same  principle  no  doubt  governs,  that  ope- 
rates in  half  cutting  away  the  supply  by 
notching;  that  is,  by  sinking  the  old  root  deep 
enough  to  lose  the  influence  of  the  air,  which 
is  necessary  to  all  roots,  the  means  of  supply- 
ing the  branches  are  lessened,  and  the  branches 
make  the  effort  to  make  up  the  deficiency  by 
forming  roots  of  their  own.  It  is  therefore 
certain,  that  if  the  old  plant  of  Azalea  be  sunk 
so  that  the  base  of  the  branches  shall  be  a  few 
inches  under  the  soil,  they  will  emit  roots, 

r2 


244 


THE    HARDY    AZALEA. 


and  may  be  separated  ;  still  it  is  not  so  good 
a  method  as  layering,  because,  Avliatever  be 
the  length  of  the  branch,  it  can  be  pegged 
down  within  a  few  inches  of  the  top,  and  thus 
the  most  handsome  dwarf  heads  will  be  formed, 
and  the  rooted  part  be  close  up  to  them. 

RAISING  THE  AZALEA  FROM  SEED. 

Select  seed  from  the  largest  flowering  kinds 
only,  for  the  others  are  not  worth  the  trouble. 
Fill  wide-mouthed  pots  with  the  proper  soil, 
shake  it  down  solid  by  striking  the  bottom  of 
the  pots  on  the  table  or  potting-bench ;  level 
the  surface,  and  on  this  sprinkle  the  seed 
thinly  over,  and  sift  through  a  fine  sieve 
enough  of  the  soil  to  just  cover  the  seed  well, 
and  no  more.  Let  this  be  done  in  March, 
and  place  the  pots  in  the  greenhouse,  or  in  a 
garden  frame  which  can  be  covered  com- 
pletely against  frost ;  because,  in  a  A'ery  young 
state,  these  seedlings,  or  even  the  seed  itself, 
after  it  has  begun  to  swell,  will  be  damaged 
by  even  a  slight  frost.  The  soil  must  not  be 
permitted  at  any  time  to  get  quite  dry,  be- 
cause the  seed  is  very  small,  and  when  once 
it  begins  to  swell,  and  to  dry  after  it,  the  vital 
spark  will  have  been '  extinguished.  Water 
by  means  of  the  fruit  f?5a-inge,  or  a  wet  brush, 
or,  for  want  of  anything  better,  let  the  pot 
stand  in  water  a  few  minutes,  so  as  to  moisten 
the  main  body;  but  if  the  soil  is  properly- 
damp  when  the  seed  is  sown,  and  an  occa- 
sional moisture  be  given  in  drops  so  fine  as 
not  to  disturb  the  dust-like  seeds,  they  will  in 
due  course  come  up,  when  they  must  be  pro- 
tected from  the  sun  by  a  piece  of  white  paper, 
or  a  thin  cloth,  as  the  direct  rays  would  burn 
the  plants  up.  They  must  be  occasionally 
moistened,  and  be  suffered  to  grow  until  they 
are  large  enough  to  handle  with  care,  Avhen 
fresh  pots  may  be  prepared,  and  the  young 
plants  be  pricked  out  in  them  half  an  inch,  or 
at  most,  an  inch  apart.  They  may  be  replaced 
in  the  frame,  and,  except  being  protected  from 
the  mid-day  sun,  they  will  require  but  little 
attention  until  they  have  made  that  season's 
growth,  and  dropped  their  leaves.  While  in 
that  state  of  rest,  they  may  be  shifted  to  seed- 
pans,  or  flat  boxes,  at  two  inches  distance 
from  each  other;  or,  which  will  be  better  still, 
cover  an  old  melon  or  cucumber  bed  with 
six  inches  of  peat  earth  and  loam,  such  as  the 
bed  for  Azaleas  is  composed  of,  and  the  sur- 
face will  be  thus  raised  half  way  up  the  wood 
frame ;  when  this  has  been  properly  levelled, 
the  little  plants  may  be  planted  out  three 
inches  apart  all  over  the  surface;  and  the 
advantage  of  this  will  be,  that  tlmy  can  lie 
effectuall}'  covered  against  frost  all  through 
the  winter,  and  when  they  commence  their 
spring  growth,  which  will  be  earlier  than 
those  out  of  doors  altogether ;  and  they  can  | 


also  be  shaded,  if  necessary,  from  the  mid-day 
sun  when  the  season  advances.  Here  they 
may  have  their  second  season's  growth,  and 
towards  the  autumn  the  glass  may  be  taken 
off,  and  they  may  have  all  the  weather,  heat, 
wet,  and  whatever  little  cold  there  may  be. 
The  plants  will  drop  their  leaves  ;  and  noAV, 
any  time  before  Christmas,  they  may  be  re- 
moved from  this  bed  with  all  the  earth  about 
their  roots  that  they  can  be  taken  up  with, 
and  planted  out  in  one  of  the  regular  beds,  in  , 
the  open  air,  six  inches  apart  all  over ;  or,  if 
fui'ther  removal  is  to  be  avoided,  they  may  be 
placed  nine  inches  or  a  foot  apart  at  once. 
But  these  plants  are  none  the  worse  for  an 
annual  or  biennial  remove,  and  therefore  we 
should  plant  them  only  six  inches  apart  all 
over  the  bed. 

It  has  been  the  common  practice  among 
even  large  growers  to  let  seedlings  remain  in 
a  crowded  state  until  they  exhibited  their 
bloom,  because,  unless  they  were  very  good, 
they  would  not  be  Avorth  naming  or  propa- 
gating ;  but  as  all  seedlings  would  be  saleable 
as  common  plants  when  grown  handsome, 
they  should  remain  six  inches  apart  only  one 
year,  or  season ;  they  may  even  then  be  only 
thinned  instead  of  removed,  and  so  only  so 
many  taken  away  as  would  leave  them  a  foot 
apart,  while  those  removed  might  be  planted 
a  foot  apart  in  other  beds.  Here  they  may 
grow  till  they  bloom,  Avhen  those  which  are 
superior  should  be  carefully  marked  with 
labels  and  descriptions  of  their  qualities,  while 
those  which  present  nothing  particularly  strik- 
ing may  be  given  away,  or  sold,  as  common 
things  for  common  planting;  or  if  there  be 
any  distant  borders  or  plantations  where  they 
can  be  planted  out  to  ornament  the  place  for 
a  season  or  two,  and  take  their  chance,  be  it 
so.  At  all  events,  remove  them  from  the 
beds  provided  for  Azaleas,  and  with  these, 
which  may  be  called  Avorthless  ones,  strike 
out  every  bit  of  peat  mould  hanging  about 
their  roots,  for  they  would  otherwise  greatly 
lessen  the  quantity  by  its  clinging  about  them. 
The  selected  ones  may  now  be  submitted  to 
the  process  of  layering,  and  be  propagated  for 
the  purpnse  of  perpetuating  the  new  varieties 
so  distinguished. 

GENERAL  REMARKS  ON  THE  FUTURE  MANAGE- 
MENT. 

The  Azalea  is  very  apt  to  grow  into  an 
ugly  form  if  not  restrained,  because  a  branch 
will  every  now  and  then  take  the  lead  so  com- 
pletely as  to  stagnate  the  growth  of  the  rest 
of  the  plant.  Hence  we  find  among  planta- 
tions at  all  neglected,  the  most  straggling  and 
uncouth  forms  imaginable ;  naked  stems  at 
the  bottom ;  no  bloom,  except  at  the  ends  of 
long  branches;  plants  grown  all  on  one  side. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN JUNE. 


245 


and  every  way  but  handsome.  This  can  only 
be  prevented  by  attention  while  young.  If 
a  branch  shoots  out  more  vigorously  than  the 
rest,  pinch  out  the  end  at  once,  and  stop  its 
career.  At  the  end  of  every  season  cut  out 
all  the  pimping  little  shoots  that  grow  some- 
times like  so  much  brushwood,  to  the  injury 
of  the  plant ;  and  after  the  bloom  has  begun 
to  decay,  and  before  the  fresh  growth  is  made, 
cut  back  any  branch  that  spoils  the  general 
form  of  the  shrub,  so  that  the  new  growth  may 
have  every  chance  of  being  handsome  and 
eftective.  One  or  two  examinations  while  the 
growth  is  propagating,  will  enable  you  to 
check  anything  that  is  growing  too  exube- 
rantly; and  when  a  plant  has  been  kept 
within  bounds  a  few  seasons,  it  may  be  fairly 
left  to  itself,  and  will  not  grow  veiy  wrong. 
It  is  only  while  young  that  they  want  con- 
trol, because  the  branch  that  grows  vigo- 
rously stops  the  growth  of  the  other  portion 
of  the  plant,  and  having  got  the  lead,  keeps 
it,  to  the  detriment  of  all  that  was  handsome, 
and  of  the  general  form  of  the  plant.  Nothing 
is  more  neglected  than  this  at  the  great 
Azalea  nurseries.  There  are  too  many  to 
attend  to  properly,  and  it  is  the  most  difficult 
thing  imaginable  to  select  a  few  handsomely- 
formed  plants,  well  set  for  bloom,  out  of  hun- 
dreds, and  we  may  say  thousands.  We  cannot 
too  strongly  urge  upon  the  growers  of  this 
family  to  be  liberal  with  water  while  the  plants 
are  making  their  growth,  for  unless  this  goes 
on  without  check,  they  do  not  perfect  their 
growth,  and,  consequently,  do  not  set  for 
bloom. 

FORMING  STANDARD  TREES. 

In  going  over  a  piece  of  Azaleas,  mark 
those  which  have  been  sending  forth  long 
vigorous  branches,  whether  upright  or  side- 
ways; they  will  always  be  found  straight, 
and  generally  long.  Cut  away  every  bit  of 
the  plant  but  this  strong  branch ;  dig  up  the 
root,  and  in  replacing  it  there  or  elsewhere, 
set  the  roots  so  as  to  bring  this  long  shoot 
exactly  upright.     Here  you  have  a  standard 


Azalea  at  once ;  but  as  the  branch  will  retain 
all  its  vigorous  character,  and  be  even 
strengthened  by  the  removal  of  all  the  rest  of 
the  plant,  it  may  be  stopped  at  the  height  it 
already  is,  by  taking  off  the  top  of  the  leader; 
or  it  may  be  encouraged  to  grow  taller  by 
keeping  on  the  leader,  and  when  it  commences 
its  growth,  cutting  off  all  other  branches. 
Whenever  the  leader  is  stopped,  the  lateral 
shoots  are  encouraged  ;  and  you  must  promote 
growth  where  you  want  it,  and  stop  it  where 
you  wish  to  get  rid  of  it,  until  you  have  got 
the  general  form  of  the  head  to  what  you 
please;  when,  like  any  other  subject  that  is 
all  you  want,  it  maybe  moved  to  its  final  des- 
tination. Here  it  may  require  a  little  watch- 
fulness, because  all  gi-owth  below  the  head 
must  be  checked  at  once ;  every  bud  that 
appears  must  be  rubbed  off  before  it  can  rob 
the  head  of  its  proper  nourishment.  No 
branches  should  be  permitted  to  spring  up 
from  the  ground  like  suckers  ;  in  short,  as  the 
great  feature  of  these  subjects  is  the  head, 
nothing  must  be  allowed  that  will  detract  from 
its  growth,  or  interfere  with  its  beauty.  la 
plantations  of  old  Azaleas  which  have  been 
crowded,  it  is  very  easy  to  find  many  that 
will  cut  up  to  standards  of  first-rate  form ; 
and  this  is  especially  worth  the  notice  of  those 
who  take  to  old  gardens  which  they  wish  to 
modernize.  Many  plants,  of  various  descrip- 
tions, neglected  and  grown  out  of  all  decent 
form  and  character  as  shrubs,  may  be  well 
cut  up  into  standards;  and  nurserymen  who 
have  many  subjects  grown  uncouth,  and  "  out 
of  money,"  as  it  is  called  when  they  are  too 
big  and  too  ugly  to  sell,  might  advantageously 
turn  them  to  standards ;  for  it  is  rare  to  find 
any  shrub  that  has  outgrown  its  beauty,  but 
what  may  be  easily  converted  to  a  standard 
of  some  height,  either  a  dwarf  standard,  a  half 
standard,  or  a  whole  one.  This  does  not 
apply  to  Azaleas  only,  but  to  many  other 
shrubs  not  usually  grown  otherwise  ;  but  not 
the  less  desirable  nor  the  less  effective  for 
being  grown  as  trees  instead  of  keeping  to 
their  natural  habit. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

BY  A  TUTOR  AND  HIS  PUPIL,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  JUNE, 


We  will  begin  our  rambles  early  this  month, 
and,  as  the  weather  is  hot,  take  the  early  morn- 
ing in  preference  to  a  later  period  of  the  day. 
We  do  not  see  such  a  marked  diiference  in 
the  houses  as  we  observed  in  the  earlier 
months  ;  some  flowers  have  disappeared  and 
others  come  forward.  The  azaleas  are  quite 
as  full  of  flower  as  they  were  last  month,  to 
all  appearance,  but  the  fact  is,  they  are  quite 
another  set  of  plants  ;  those  which  were  so 


splendid  a  month  ago  have  passed  their  bloom, 
and  are  in  the  pits  making  their  new  growth. 
As  soon  as  their  bloom  declines,  they  are 
examined,  and  pruned  where  it  is  necessary  ; 
that  is,  their  straggling  branches  are  cut  in  a 
little,  and  Avhere  they  are  too  crowded,  tlie 
weaker  branches  are  removed ;  so  if  you  wish 
a  plant  to  be  more  dwarf,  you  may  cut  it 
down.  All  this  being  done  before  they 
make    their    new    growth,    they   are   greatly 


216 


A    STEOLL    THROUGH    THE   GAllDEN JUNE. 


improved  by  it.  The  rliododendrons  in  the 
house  have  been  kept  back  so  as  to  make  two 
complete  seasons  of  flowering,  and  before  the 
month  is  out,  those  in  the  open  air  will  be 
ready  to  succeed  the  last  of  those  in  the 
house.  The  camellias  are  growing  fast,  and 
it  is  an  interesting  time  ;  for  if  they  have 
been  shaped  a  little  with  the  pruning-knife,  a 
year's  growth  wonderfully  improves  a  plant. 
The  geraniums  have  now  shown  what  they 
can  do,  and  are  rapidly  coming  to  perfection  ; 
a  geranium-house  like  this,  well  filled,  well 
assorted,  and  well  grown,  is  a  very  noble  sight. 
This  light  shade  that  draws  down  inside  the 
roof  is  to  prolong  the  bloom,  but  I  do  not 
approve  of  it  so  much  as  a  rolling  thin  cloth 
outside  the  roof :  the  latter  may  not  last  so 
long,  but  it  does  not  draw  the  plants  so  much. 
Observe  how  much  more  noble  those  flowers 
which  are  nearly  round  and  close  appear, 
than  those  in  which  the  petals  are  parted 
from  one  another  so  as  to  show  the  division. 

That  large  patch  of  upright  briers  was 
planted  for  the  purpose  of  making  into  tree- 
roses  by  budding  with  the  better  kinds  :  they 
have  been  trimmed  up  to  two  shoots  near  the 
top,  and  when  they  have  grown  enough  to 
undergo  the  operation,  a  bud  will  be  put  into 
the  two  stems,  as  near  to  the  main  trunk  as 
possible,  and  the  shoots  will  be  shortened. 

In  the  potting-shed  we  shall  see  the  gar- 
dener at  work  in  preparing  for  propagation. 
Observe,  he  has  large  bundles  of  fuchsias, 
heliotropes,  geraniums,  and  other  plants  which 
■  are  struck,  and  have  good  roots  :  these  he  is 
going  to  plant  out  in  the  clumps  ;  he  has 
taken  them  out  of  those  pans  Avhich  they 
occupied,  and  will  dibble  them  in  pretty 
closely  together,  to  form  masses  of  flowers. 
The  cuttings,  of  which  there  are  so  many 
by  his  side,  will  be  prepared  for  striking  by 
cutting  the  bottom  parts  close  up  to  the  under 
side  of  a  joint,  and  taking  off  two  or  three  of 
the  lower  leaves ;  these  will  be  put  in  separate 
pans  filled  with  compost,  and  be  covered  over 
with  one  of  the  bell  glasses,  well  watered,  and 
set  in  the  propagating-house  or  the  stove,  to 
get  a  slight  bottom  heat.  The  cuttings  first 
dry  at  the  bottom,  then  swell  to  a  sort  of 
lumpy  callus,  and  lastly  emit  roots.  It  is 
necessary  to  wipe  the  glasses  dry  every  day 
or  two,  and  to  keep  the  soil  moist. 

The  picotees  and  carnations  in  these  large 
pots  are  coming  up  a  little  in  the  centre,  indi- 
cating their  disposition  to  bloom.  These  will 
all  be  removed  under  the  awning  of  the  tulip 
bed  and  the  hyacinth  bed  at  the  end  of  the 
month,  but  the  awning  will  not  be  Jet  down 
until  they  show  colour.  The  pinks  have 
thrown  up  their  flower  stems  ;  the  youth  is 
removing  all  the  stems  but  one  to  each  plant, 
and  as  the  buds  grow  distinct  he  will  pick  off 


all  but  two  or  three  buds  to  a  stem.  The  same 
work  will  be  done  with  picotees  and  carnations 
next  month.  As  the  pink  buds  begin  to  fill 
out,  and  are  near  bursting  into  bloom,  a  piece 
of  bass  matting  will  be  tied  round  the  middle 
of  the  bud,  and  the  calyx  or  green  covering 
will  be  torn  down  at  each  division  to  reach 
the  tie,  so  that  the  pip  or  bloom  will  open  all 
round  alike ;  whereas  if  this  had  not  been 
done,  they  would  very  likely  burst  on  one 
side.  As  the  petals  develope  themselves,  they 
should  be  put  in  their  places,  the  outer  ones  to 
form  a  circular  dish,  as  it  were ;  the  next  size 
to  form  another  row  covering  the  places  where 
the  outer  petals  lap  over  each  other  ;  the  next 
row  to  imbricate  in  the  same  way,  and  the  re- 
mainder to  form  a  good  top  or  crown  ;  the 
whole  to  be  of  the  sliape  of  half  a  ball.  There 
is  a  good  deal  of  trouble  with,  pinks,  carna- 
tions, and  picotees,  because  the  petals  do  not 
naturally  fall  into  their  places;  the  largest 
petals  often  come  in  the  middle.  Dahlias 
have  to  be  fastened  to  their  stakes  as  they 
grow,  or  the  wind  would  break  them  off.  If 
you  notice  these,  the  man  is  tying  them  with 
bass,  but  rather  loosely,  that  they  may  not  be 
cut  by  their  own  growth  ;  the  numbers  are 
painted  on  these  large  stakes,  which  is  a  far 
better  plan  than  using  labels,  which  often  get 
raked  away,  or  trodden  down. 

The  auriculas  seem  altogether  discarded. 
There  they  are,  in  a  wooden  frame,  but  the 
lights  taken  off ;  if,  however,  there  were  a 
wet  season  to  set  in,  the  lights  would  be  put- 
on,  and  all  excess  of  wet  would  be  avoided. 
The  pansy  beds  you  see  are  shaded,  so  also 
are  the  ranunculus  beds,  and  necessarily  so, 
for  if  the  sun  were  allowed  to  rest  on  them, 
their  colours  would  be  damaged,  and  the 
blooms  checked  in  their  growth.  All  flowers 
damage  by  sun,  and  therefore  shading  pro- 
longs their  blooming  season,  even  if  the  plants 
would  stand  the  heat.  The  leaves  of  some  of 
the  bulbs  that  have  done  flowering  in  the  bor- 
der decay  and  begin  to  look  untidy ;  they  will 
be  soon  taken  up.  Many  of  the  roses  are 
bursting  their  buds,  and  before  the  month  is 
out  will  look  noble. 

Observe  how  the  roses  are  infested  with 
the  green  fly,  which  covers  the  young  stems  so 
that  they  cannot  be  seen.  The  gardener  will 
syringe  these  as  soon  as  he  sees  them,  by 
which  they  will  be  nearly  all  washed  off  and 
destroyed  ;  by  following  it  up  a  few  days  they 
will  be  cleared,  but  these  in  pots  in  the  house 
are  as  bad  ;  tliese  must  be  shut  up  very  close, 
and  the  house  filled  with  tobacco  smoke, 
which  will  kill  everything  in  the  shape  of 
vermin.  There  are  many  ways  of  doing  this, 
such  as  using  a  pan  of  hot  coals,  and  putting 
half  a  pound,  or  any  other  proper  quantity,  of 
tobaccoon  them,  and  shutting  it  all  in.  A  fumi- 


HAKDY    CONIFEROUS    PLANTS. 


247 


gating  bellows,  however,  is  the  best  ;  here  the 
lighted  tobacco  is  put  into  a  canister,  which  is 
in  the  spout  or  nozzle  of  the  bellows,  and  by  the 
ordinary  blowing  through  a  hole  into  the 
house,  it  is  soon  filled  with  the  smoke,  which 
is  left  all  night.  The  smoke,  however,  always 
rises,  and  if  the  house  is  not  completely  filled, 
all  the  upper  portions  are  efiectively  cleared, 
while  the  lower  ones,  and  especially  any  on  the 
ground,  are  hardly  affected  ;  this,  however,  is 
an  oversight,  and  must  be  guarded  against. 

See  how  carefully  the  man  feels  the  soil  of 
every  pot  in  the  heath-house,  greenhouse,  and 
stove  ;  he  knows  he  watered  all  that  required 
it  yesterday,  but  twenty-four  hours  make  a 
good  deal  of  difference,  yet  it  would  not  do  to 
water  all  alike,  for  it  would  do  harm  to  those 
wet  enough  already. 

This  place,  which  has  a  hard  paved  bottom, 
and  is  very  nearly  shaded  by  the  distant  tall 
trees,  is  selected  for  placing  the  greenhouse 
plants  in  when  they  have  done  blooming,  and 
have  made  their  growth  ;  it  is  less  exciting 
than  the  sun,  and  enables  the  gardener  to  be 
sparing  of  water,  whereas  if  the  sun  reached 
the  pots,  they  would  require  watering  every 
day,  and  would  start  oif  to  a  second  growth, 
which  would  greatly  spoil  their  appearance 
now  and  their  bloom  hereafter. 

The  last  of  the  annuals  should  be  planted 
out  this  month,  though  china  asters  and  stocks 
are  often  planted  out  as  late  as  July,  because 
in  a  mild  autumn  they  will  last  until  the  frost 
cuts  them  off. 

The  fruit  garden  looks  well,  there  is  every 
appearance  of  crops  too  abundant,  and  the 
men  are  thinning  the  fruit  even  on  the  stan- 
dard trees,  as  well  as  the  wall-fruit  trees.  The 
strawberries  look  well ;  these  stones  laid  down 
at  the  joint  of  the  runner  are  to  promote  its 
rooting,  and  the  portion  beyond  the  joint  has 
been  taken  off,  to  throw  all  the  strength  into 
the  joint ;  the  sort  is  choice,  and  the  gardener 
evidently  wants  young  plants  ;  the  trees  on 
the  walls,  besides  being  thinned  of  fruit,  have 
had  their  useless  shoots  rubbed  off.  The  tree 
on  which  they  are  using  the  syringe  is  infested 
with  grubs,  and  they  are  projecting  tobacco- 
water  all  over  the  foliage  ;  this  will  clear  it, 
and  an  immediate  washing  with  pure  water 
Avill  remove  all  the  ill  effects  of  the  tobacco. 
These  standard  fruit-trees  must  undergo  the 
same  discipline  as  the  wall-trees,  so  far  as  the 
regulating  of  the  quantity  of  fruit  and  re- 
moving useless  shoots  are  concerned. 

In  the  kitchen  garden  there  is  a  sort  of 
routine  business  going  on.  They  are  prick- 
ing out  small  plants  of  cauliflower,  brocoli, 
cabbage,  and  other  greens,  from  the  seed  bed, 
a  few  inches  apart  to  grow  stronger,  and 
planting  out  some  of  the  strongest  where  they 
are  to   stand ;   hoeing   and    thinning  onions, 


turnips,  carrots,  beetroot,  parsnips,  and  spin- 
ach, to  give  the  rest  room  ;  sowing  further 
crops  of  salads,  and  successive  crops  of  peas 
and  beans,  French  as  well  as  broad  sorts  ; 
earthing  up  the  forward  crops  ;  and  generally 
clearing  all  the  quai'ters  of  weeds.  Here 
they  are  planting  some  of  the  strongest  celery 
plants  in  deep  trenches,  well  dunged  at  bot- 
tom, and  forked  a  few  inches  deep.  There  is 
great  sameness  in  the  work  of  the  kitchen 
garden. 

The  conservatory  is  now  at  its  very  best  : 
with  the  last  of  the  plants  brought  forward 
out  of  their  season,  we  have  the  first  of 
the  plants  that  have  been  left  their  natural 
time.  Nothing  can  be  more  gorgeous  than 
the  rhododendrons  and  azaleas,  nothing  more 
pleasing  to  the  senses  than  the  exquisite 
perfume  of  the  violets,  mignonette,  early 
stocks,  pinks,  and  other  scented  beauties;  but 
there  is  a  good  deal  of  labour  required  now  to 
keep  the  beds  and  paths  clean.  The  dropping 
of  the  petals  of  flowers  declining  bloom  re- 
quires the  I'ake  every  morning,  and  the  paths 
want  regular  sweeping,  to  prevent  the  decayed 
leaves  and  petals  from  being  trodden  about  ; 
the  shelves  too  must  be  cleared,  for  the  water 
that  runs  through  the  pots  washes  the  mould 
with  it  a  good  deal,  and  unless  constantly 
attended  to,  would  make  the  prineipal  show 
house  look  very  bad. 

Here  we  are  approaching  the  end  of  the 
month — the  pinks  and  ranunculuses  in  high 
perfection,  the  pansies  not  less  so,  for  although 
the  earliest  bed  is  not  so  good  as  it  was,  the 
succession  bed  is  splendid..  The  tvilips  are 
taken  up,  and  their  places  occupied  by  rows  of 
carnations  and  picotees  on  shelves,  which 
bring  their  flowers  near  the  eye,  but  as  yet 
they  are  only  showing  their  buds,  which  have 
been  reduced  to  three  on  each  stem,  and  in 
some  cases  to  two  ;  some  three  weeks  hence 
they  will  make  a  very  different  appearance. 
The  roses  are  much  more  fully  blown,  and 
more  of  them  opened :  the  dahlias  have 
begun  to  grow  and  look  healthy ;.  the  little 
bits  of  plants  that  hardly  showed  in  the  kitchen 
garden  now  begin  to  hide  the  ground,  and  they 
are  as  busy  gathering,  peas,  as  they  were 
some  time  ago  sowing  them. 


HARDY   CONrPEROUS    PLANTS. 
THE    TAXODIUM,   OR   DECIDUOUS    GTPRESS. 

Taxodium,  Richard  (the  Deciduous  Cy- 
press).— Coniferse  §  Cupressinfe. — The  name 
of  this  genus  is  derived  from  Taxus,  the  yew, 
and  eidos,  resembling, — its  appearance  being 
like  that  of  the  yew  tree. 

1.  Taxodium  distichum,  Richard  (Deci- 
duous Cypress). — Leaves  deciduous,   flat,  in 


248 


THE    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY    OF    LONDON. 


two  rows,  of  a  light  green,  and  about  half  an 
inch  in  length.  Cones  almost  as  large  as 
walnuts,  uneven,  with  short,  obtuse  scales. 
Seeds  small,  irregular,  enclosed  in  a  cylin- 
drical kernel. 

One  of  the  greatest  trees  in  North  America, 
affecting  low  swampy  lands,  and  growing  in 
such  situations  to  the  height  of  120  feet.  It 
is  not  often  tliat  a  tree  of  such  bulk  and  sta- 
ture is  clad  in  the  particularly  elegant  foliage 
which  characterises  this  object.  In  the  oak 
we  have  the  roughened  and  hard  foliage  which 
bespeaks  the  mountaineer.  In  the  pine  there 
is  the  same  rigidity  of  leaf  and  limb  ;  but 
here  all  is  soft  green  verdure,  beautifully  pin- 
nate, and  so  minutely  divided  that  one  might 
reckon  the  foliage,  at  first  sight,  to  belong  to 
our  mosses  or  ferns.  The  situations  in  which 
this  tree  rises  in  its  native  country  point 
clearly  to  the  treatment  it  should  have  in 
Britain.  In  rich  marshy  lands,  by  the  sides 
of  rivers  and  ponds,  and  wherever  there  is 
continual  moisture,  it  may  be  planted  with 
every  prospect  of  success.  In  a  great  many 
districts  throughout  England  the  young  shoots 
are  killed  by  frosts,  a  fact  which  should  have 
led  planters  long  ere  now  to  try  it  in  suitable 
situations  by  the  sea-side,  where  frosts  have 
little  or  no  influence.  The  species  is  propa- 
gated by  seeds  imported  in  the  cones  from 
America.  They  should  be  sown  in  the  latter 
part  of  April  in  very  moist  soil,  and  covered 


to  the  depth  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch.  When 
two  years  old,  they  may  be  transplanted  into 
nursery  lines  :  they  thrive  best  in  a  mixture 
of  peat  and  leaves,  so  situated  that  no  drought 
affects  them  during  summer.  Plants  tv/o  feet 
high  are  Is.  each  (1849). 

Varieties  : — These  are  chiefly  T.  d.  nutans, 
which  has  the  leaves  curled  and  tortuous  ; 
T.  d.  sinense,  of  which  one  of  the  finest  spe- 
cimens is  in  Mr.  Moore's  nursery,  East  Dere- 
ham ;  T.  d.  patens,  which  appears  to  have 
the  leaves  less  expanded  than  in  the  species  ; 
and  T.  d.  excelsa,  a  continental  variety,  dif- 
fering but  little  from  the  original. 

2.  Taxodhim  sempervirens,  Lambert  (Ever- 
green Taxodium).  —  Leaves  flat,  yew-like^ 
dagger-shaped,  having  beneath  a  green  mid- 
rib, with  silver  line  on  each  side.  Bark 
reddish-brown  :  young  bark  striped  with 
brown. 

A  lofty  tree,  growing  on  the  mountains  of 
the  north-west  coast  of  America,  to  the  height 
of  200  feet,  with  boles  six  to  eight  feet  in 
diameter  at  the  surface  of  the  ground.  The 
bark  in  old  trees  is  six  to  twelve  inches  thick, 
red  and  smooth  ;  the  timber  is  beautiful, 
close-grained,  light,  but  somewhat  brittle. 
It  is  quite  hardy  in  England,  though  liable 
to  have  its  foliage  turned  brown  by  severe 
frosts  ;  it  promises,  however,  to  become  a 
valuable  timber  tree  in  this  country.  Plants 
one  foot  high,  7s.  6i.  each  (1848). 


THE  HORTICULTUEAL  SOCIETY  OF  LONDON. 


One  of  the  most  elaborate  Reports  that  has 
ever  appeared  was  laid  before  the  Fellows  of 
this  Society  at  their  Anniversary  Meeting  on 
the  1st  of  May,  and  judging  from  the  manner 
in  which  it  was  received,  we  are  warranted  in 
saying  that  there  has  been  enormous  labour 
expended  satisfactorily,  and  the  result  is 
highly  promising  as  to  the  future  progress  of 
the  establishment.  The  Council  have  applied 
themselves  vigorously  to  the  alteration  of  the 
old  bye-laws,  and  have  so  modified  them  as  to 
go  with  the  times  in  all  manner  of  improve- 
ment, instead  of  clinging  with  pertinacity  to 
rules  no  longer  suited  to  the  age.  The  Re- 
port has  left  nothing  to  desire,  no  questions  to 
be  asked  ;  the  detail  of  expenses  is  elaborate, 
every  item  tells  for  itself ;  whether  it  be  the 
purchase  of  a  tent,  the  payment  of  a  bond,  or 
the  price  of  printing,  there  it  stands;  and 
we  have  no  longer  to  see  the  cost  of  the 
Shows  in  a  single  item,  and  be  left  to'guess  at 
the  details.  Everybody  knows  that  two  more 
awful  days  than  the  first  two  Shows  were 
held  on  last  year  have  hardly  been  known. 


The  10th  of  June  Avas  certainly  alone  ;  nobody 
can  remember  such  an  unceasing  rain  in  June 
as  devastated  the  pleasure-gardens  at  Chis- 
wick  ;  and  on  that  day,  although  the  Fellows 
alone  amount  to  a  tliausand,  (in  round  num- 
bers,) who  are  allowed  to  go  in  free,  there 
were  but  eight  hundred  and  seventy  visitors 
in  all.  We  were  prepared,  and  we  believe 
the  Fellows  in  general  were,  to  see  an  awful 
falling  ofi^  in  the  receipts,  and  a  loss  upon  the 
year's  transactions  ;  we  were,  however,  agree- 
ably surprised  to  find,  that  notwithstanding 
the  untoward  weather  and  the  depression  of 
the  times,  the  Society  has  not  only  paid  its 
expenses,  but  reduced  a  standing  debt  above 
three  hundred  pounds.  The  first  point  to 
which  attention  is  drawn  in  the  Report  is  the 
power  that  was  given  at  the  last  Annivei'sary 
Meeting  to  the  Council,  "  to  prepare  for  the 
approval  of  the  Society  a  set  of  amended  bye- 
laws,"  upon  which  the  Council  acted  forth- 
with ;  and  after  bestowing  more  than  ordinary 
pains  in  the  examination  of  those  which 
worked  well  in  other  Societies,  they  produced 


THE    HORTICULTURAL    SOCIETY    OF   LONDON. 


249 


a  code  that  was  universally  approved  ;    and 
pursuant  to  the  directions  of  the   Charter, 
the  old  bye-laws  were  repealed,  and  the  new 
ones  passed  on  the  16th  of  January.     These 
rules  and  regulations   are  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance, and  cannot  fail  to  place  the  Society 
upon  a  much  better  footing  than  it  ever  could 
have  been  under  the  antiquated  laws,  which 
hung  like  a  mill-stone  round  its  neck,  and  a 
log  at  its  heels.     Among  the  prominent  fea- 
tures embodied  in  the  new  bye-laws  is  a  power 
vested  in  the  Council  of  creating  a  new  class 
of  Associates,    with   fewer    privileges    than 
Fellows,  and  paying  a  smaller  subscription. 
Thousands  of  persons  who  wish  well  to  the 
Society,  and  who  can  never,  from  distance  or 
other  circumstances,  use  half  the  privileges, 
will  be  glad,  nevertheless,  to  enrol  themselves 
as    Associates,    but   would    hesitate    at   pay- 
ing four  guineas  a-year.     This,  therefore,  is 
likely  to  produce  a  revenue  of  some  import- 
ance.    The  next  point  worthy  of  notice  is  a 
change   in   the  prizes   for   fruit.     "We  have 
always  regretted,  in  common  with  many  others, 
the  award  of  prizes  in   May  and  June  for 
fruit.     Forced  fruit  at  any  time  is  the  result 
of  some  skill,  but  it  is  rarely  produced  in  May 
and  June  at  exhibitions   in   that  perfection 
which  alone  warrants  the  award  of  a  prize ; 
yet  such  has  been  the  disposition  to  encourage 
it  that  prizes   have  been  awarded,   and  the 
Society   has  made  a  sacrifice  without  being 
able  to  command  such  a  show  as  they  had  a 
right  to  hope  for.     Tlie  change  is  excellent ; 
the  large  prizes  are  withdrawn  for  May  and 
June,   and  additions  are  made  to  the  fruit 
prizes  in  July.     Fruits,  therefore,  are  not  ex- 
cluded in  May  and  June,  but  the  judges  will 
not  be  called  upon  to  award  any  prizes  unless 
they  deem  an  exhibition  to  be  out  of  the  com- 
mon   way.     There    are   also    some  judicious 
changes  in  the  schedule  of  prizes  for  Flowers 
and  Plants.     The  Report  goes  on  to  notice 
the  very  poor  attendances  and  the  paucity  of 
flowers  at  the  Society's  rooms  in  May,  June, 
and  July,  arising  no  doubt  from  the  attention 
being  fastened  on  the  Garden  Meetings  ;  the 
Council  have  wisely  discontinued  them  in  the 
usual  form,  and  substituted  six  Lectures  on 
Horticulture,  two  in  each  month,  Dr.  Lindley 
having  consented  to  give  them  on  the  loth 
and  22d  of  May,  the  12th  and  26th  of  June, 
and  the  3d  and  I7th  of  July  ;  "  and  in  order 
to  enable  those  who  may  wish  it,  to  exhibit  on 
those  days  flowers  and  fruit  which  cannot  be 
received  at  the  Garden  Meetings,  the  Council 
have  availed  themselves  of  the  power  given 
them  by  the-  bye-laws,  to  constitute  such  lec- 
tures Ordinary  General  Meetings."     We  next 
come  to  the  finances,  and  which,  although  the 
Report  is  rich  in  detail,  we  shall  shorten  very 
much. 


RECEIPTS.  £  S.  d. 

Life  subscriptions  294  0  0 

Annual  ditto 3,023  10  0 

Admission  fees,  34  at  6  guineas 214  4  0 

Sale  of  Society's  Works 113  12  3 

Rent  of  apartments  let 150  0  0 

Garden  produce  sold 24  8  5 

Received  of  Members  for  Garden  charges 47  4  6 

Miscellaneous  receipts  4  5  7 

Garden  Exhibitions,  1848 3,867  14  0 

Ditto,                1849 302  12  0 

Profit  on  Exchequer  Bills 9  3  4 

Borrowed  cash  to  pay  oif  Loan  Notes 1,500  0  0 

Balance  at  the  Banker's  at  commencement  of  the 

Finance  Year,  April  1st  570  12  7 

Ditto,  Vice-Secretary IG  2  8 

£10,137  9  4 


EXPENSES. 


PAYMENTS.  LIABILITIES. 

£         S.    d.  £        S.    d. 

Interest  on  Loan  Notes 334    7  10 

Rent,  taxes,   and   rates.   Regent- 
street,  and  Chiswick 174     8  10       ...       48S  17     3 

Repairs  and  furniture,  Regent-st.  24  12  2      ...          7  19     9 

Housekeeping  expenses  36    0  6 

Salaries,  Collector's  poundage,  &c.  855     0  4       ...       247  15  10 

Cost  of  Society's  Works 270  17  0      ...      154  17    9 

Library    charges,    printing,    and 

stationery 89  12  9       ...         17     3     6 

Foreign  Missions  and  imports 73  11  7 

Expense  of  Meetings,  Porters,  Car- 
riage, &c 156  13  3 

Garden  labour 1,024    6  10      ■ 

Implements,     mats,     seeds,    tan, 

dung,  &c 104    9  9       ...         .le  13     (j 

Coals  and  coke  at  garden ...  ...         89  10     0 

Miscellaneous    expenses,    garden 

repairs,  &c 454  15  2       ...       10119     8 

Distributors' expenses 144     1  6       ...        Q7  18    6 

Exhibition  expenses,  1848 1,291     7  11       ...        48  15  11 

Ditto,                  1849 40     9  6 


£5,074  14  11 


Outstanding  debts, 
1848 £1,324  16    6  paid  1,191  16    6  unpaid  133    0    0 


Medals' account „ 1,097  13    0 

Paid  ofif  Creditors  on  Loan  Notes..  2,200    0    0 

Cost  of  3  per  cent.  Consols 126    0     0 

Balance  in  hand 447    4  11 


£1,444  11     8 
,.       690     5     ft 


£10,137     9     4         £2,134  16     8 

So  far  for  the  Dr.  and  Cr.  account  for  the 
year, — now  for  the  general  affairs  ;  for  the 
Report  compi'ehends  everything  material  to 
know ;  there  appears  to  be  still  due  to  the 
holders  of  loan-notes  5,400/,,  and  a  debt  due 
to  Sir  Wm.  Call,  the  banker,  of  1,500Z.  ;  to 
this  add  the  above  2,134/.  16s.  8c?.  of  liabi- 
lities, and  the  total  debt  is  9,034/.  16s.  ScL, 
from  which,  however,  we  have  to  deduct  the 
balance  in  hand,  which  is  447/.  45.  lie/.,  and 
336/.,  the  cost  of  3  per  cent,  consols,  and  this 
will  leave  the  present  debt  8,251/.  lis.  9f/., 
which  is  359/.  Os.  9d.  less  than  it  was  on  the 
1st  of  May,  1848.  Considering,  therefore,  the 
great  depression  in  trade,  the  difficulty  of  col- 
lecting rents,  and  the  many  calls  of  the  needy 
upon  the  liberality  of  the  better  classes,  we 
may  fairly  congratulate  the  Council  upon  the 
healthy  state  of  the  Society,  and  the  prospect 
of  great  advancement.  Against  this  debt  of 
8,251/.  lis.  9c/.  we  have  to  set  off  the  pro- 
perty of  the  Society,  comprising  the  house, 


2^0 


DOUBLE    SWEET-WILLIAMS. 


library,  furniture,  effects  at  the  garden,  their 
stock  of  Transactions,  Journals,  and  Cata- 
logues, wood  blocks,  copper  plates,  18,148/.  ; 
good  debts  and  subscriptions  for  the  year, 
3,5S1L  19s.  6d.  -,  in  alt  21,679/.  19*.  6d.,  more 
than  13,000/.  above  sufficient  to  pay  the  debt. 
The  Report  informs  us  that  Mr.  Hartweg  has 
returned  from  California,  and  his  engagement 
brought  to  a  close,  and  that  the  Council  do 
not  propose  at  present  to  send  out  another 
collector.  A  pair  of  new  boilers  has  been 
placed  in  the  conservatory,  and  the  Council 
report  very  favourably  of  their  capacity  to 
heat  the  building,  while  a  most  important 
feature  in  their  management  is  that  they  can 
be  maintained  forty-eight  hours  without  addi- 
tional fuel.  We  are  further  informed  of  the 
good  effects  of  the  reading-room  at  the  gar- 
dens, and  the  close  attendance  of  many  of  the 
gardeners ;  this  must  have  the  best  effect  on 
the  minds  of  the  men,  and  their  progress  in 
other  studies  is  favoui'ably  mentioned.  Dr. 
Lindley  occasionally  lecturing  on  subjects  per- 
taining to  their  studies,  and  giving  prizes  for 
their  advancement.  In  short,  there  appears 
to  have  been  a  new  life  infused  into  the  exe- 
cutive, a  seeming  dete'rmination  to  carry  out 
the  objects  of  the  Society,  and  advance  the 
science ;  this  will  not  fail  to  produce  emula- 
tion among  the  Fellows  to  second  the  efforts 
of  the  Council.  As  our  readers  may  be  in- 
terested in  seeing  the  novelties  introduced  by 
their  collector,  we  insert  from  the  Report  a 
list  of  the  seeds,  which  have  been  distributed 
among  the  Fellows  as  far  as  they  would  go. 

Novelties  introduced  by  the  Society's  col- 
lector (Mr.  Hartweg)  from  California : — 

Ceanothus  dentatus.  A  shrub  3  feet  high. 
In  open  places  near  Monterey. 

Ceanothus  rigidus^  An  evergreen  shrub 
4 — 5  feet  high,  lux  open  places  near  Monterey. 

Ceanothus  papillosus.  A  shrub  10  feet 
high.     Mountains  of  Santa  Cruz. 

Ceanothus  cuneatus.  A  shrub  6 — 8  feet 
high.     Sacramento  Mountains. 

Ceanothus  integerrimus?  An  evei'green 
shrub  10  feet  high.     Santa  Cruz  Mountains. 

Ahronia  sp. ,  with  purple  flowers.  A  peren- 
nial. In  the  sands  near  the  sea- shore,  San 
Luis  Obispo. 

Cercocarpus  sp.  An  evergreen  shrub  10 
feet  high.     Carmel  Mountains.    Very  curious. 

Monardella  undulata.  An  annual.  In. 
fields  near  Monterey. 

Lupinus  affinis.  An  annual.  In  woods 
near  Monterey. 

Pentstemon  cordifolim.  A  shrub  4  feet 
high.     Mountains  of  Santa  Ines. 

Pentstemon  heterophyllas.  From  the  Sa- 
cramento Valley. 

Pentstemon  azureus.  On  a  dry  ferrugi- 
neous  clay.     Mountains  of  Santa  lues. 


Cerasus  ilkifolia,  called  "  Islay."  An  ever- 
green shrub  or  small  tree.  Mountains  of  San 
Antonio  and  San  Luis  Obispo. 

Rjhes  ferox.  A  shrub  4 — 5  feet  high.  On 
sand-hills  near  San  Francisco ;  in  damp  and 
shady  places  near  San  Luis  Obispo. 

Limnanthes  rosea.  In  swampy  places  of 
the  Sacramento  Valley. 

Limnanthes  alba.  From  the  plains  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley  ;  in  moist  places. 

Castanea  chrysophylla.  The  evergreen 
chestnut. 

Nemophila  maculata.  From  the  Sacra- 
mento Mountains. 

ColUnsia  tinctoria.  An  annual  from  the 
Sacramento  Mountains. 

Diervilla  sp.  A  half-climbing  shrub  6 — 12 
feet  high.  In  woods  near  Carmel  Bay,  Mon- 
terey. 

Pinus  tubercidata.  A  tree  15 — 20  feet 
high.     Mountains  of  Santa  Cruz. 

Pinus  radiata.  From  near  the  sea-shore, 
near  San  Luis  Obispo. 

Pinus  murieata.     Woods  near  Monterey. 

Pinus  Fremontiana,  or  Nut  Pine. 

Cupressus  Goveniana.  A  shrub  6 — 10  feet 
high.  On  decomposed  granite  in  the  woods 
near  Monterey. 

Adenostoma  fasciculata.  A  shrub  3  feet 
high.     In  open  places  near  Monterey. 

JEcheveria  pulverulenta.  From  the  Moun- 
tains of  Santa  Ines. 

Rhamnus  sp.  A  dwarf  evergreen  shrub, 
found  near  the  sea-shore,  Monterey. 

Laurus  regalis.  A  large  tree.  Mountains 
of  Santa  Cruz  and  Sonoma. 

Rhamnus  olearfolius.  A  shrub  6  —  8  feet 
high.     Woods  near  Monterey. 

NuttaUia  cerasiformis.  A  shrub  2  feet 
high.     Woods  near  Monterey. 

Cyclohothramonophylla.  A  bulb  from  the 
Sacramento  Mountains. 

JBrodicea  californica.  Plains  of  the  Sacra- 
mento Valley. 

Jatropha  podagrica,  called  "  Ruibarbo," 
from  Nicaragua.  "  The  thick  part  of  the 
stem  is  used  by  the  inhabitants  of  Nicaragua 
instead  of  Rhubarb.  "^ 

Leptosiphon  aureus.  An  annual.  From 
the  Sacramento  Valley. 

3Iimulus  tricolor.  From  the  plains  of  the 
Sacramento  Valley. 


DOUBLE    SWEET-WILLIAMS. 

The  visitors  to  Hampton-Court  Gardens, 
who  take  an  interest  in  such  things,  will  not 
have  failed  to  observe  a  bed  of  double  Sweet- 
Williams,  saved  at  different  times  from  seed,  and 
when  once  saved,  piped,  or  layered,  or  slipped, 
to  propagate  the  sort,  that  it  might  not  be  lost. 
In  a  large  quantity  of  seedlings  there  may  be. 


RAISING    SEEDLINGS. — GUNNEKA    SCABRA. 


251 


and  sometimes  are,  several  double  and  re- 
markable. When  this  is  the  case,  they  should 
be  carefully  removed  to  a  place  far  away  from 
the  single  ones,  and  the  seed  saved,  for  in 
that  case  the  next  year's  produce  would  con- 
sist of  more  double  ones  in  proportion  than 
there  were  before  ;  but  if  we  are  grow- 
ing them  really  for  the  sake  of  improving, 
the  best  plan  is  to  mow  down  all  the  single 
ones  directly,  except  only  any  that  may  happen 
to  be  remarkable  for  colour  or  size,  or  smooth 
edges,  because,  by  destroying  the  bad  we  leave 
the  good  undisturbed  ;  whereas,  if  the  best 
are  removed,  there  is  some  chance  ot"  their 
being  damaged,  however  careful  we  may  be. 
Having,  however,  obtained  something  that  we 
are  pleased  with,  the  next  thing  to  consider 
is,  how  are  we  to  propagate  it  ?  The  safest 
way  is  to  layer  it,  the  same  as  we  should  a 
carnation  ;  notch  the  under  side  of  the  shoot 
a  little,  and  peg  it  down  just  under  the  sur- 
face of  the  earth,  and,  when  all  the  shoots  are 
so  pegged  down,  let  them  be  gently  watered 
and  left  to  root.  In  September  they  will  be 
found  rooted  well,  and  may  be  cut  off  with 
their  roots  to  them,  and  be  numbered  and 
planted  out  in  proper  beds  to  bloom  the  next 
season  ;  but  omit  not  to  sow  the  seed  saved 
from  these  best  sorts,  for  when  once  you  pass 
a  certain  point  in  the  way  of  improvement, 
you  keep  going  ahead  until  you  are  tired, 
or  careless,  or  indifferent.  The  best  month 
for  sowing  seed  is  June  ;  they  then  come  to 
a  good  size  for  planting  out,  so  as  to  get  well 
established  before  the  winter  sets  in,  and  do 
not  get  too  forward  to  flower  well  in  their 
season.  It  is  worth  any  one  asking  to  see 
the  double  Sweet- Williams  at  Hampton 
Court,  unless  they  have  got  tired  of  propa- 
cratin^  them. 


THE    GRATIFICATION     DERIVED     FROM 
RAISING    SEEDLINGS. 

All  nature  has  an  inclination  to  vaiy  ; 
even  the  acorn  from  the  evergreen  oak,  which 
we  shall  take  for  our  first  subject,  yields  us 
fifty  differently  formed  leaves,  although  we 
could  see  no  difference  in  the  seed.  If  Ave 
sow  a  thousand  acorns  from  the  evergreen 
oak,  we  shall  not  have  two  plants  with  foliage 
strictly  alike,  but  many  will  differ  so  much 
that  they  far  more  nearly  resemble  holly  than 
oak  ;  we  have  seen  a  number  of  varieties  so 
striking,  that  we  have  determined  on  working 
each  distinctly  and  separately,  and  so  perpe- 
tuating about  ten  of  the  oddest-looking  leaves 
we  ever  saw.  There  is  hardly  anything  more 
gratifying,  certainly  nothing  more  interesting, 
than  tiie  sowing  of  seeds,  if  we  but  take  the 
pains  to  examine  the  results.  We  have  seen 
a  seedling  oak  with  round  leaves,  with  prickles 


all  round,  like  those  of  the  holly,  but  in  form, 
the  leaf  is  as  unlike  both  oak  and  holly  as  if 
it  were  a  separate  genus.  In  a  quantity  of 
seedling  berberries  there  is  a  most  extraor- 
dinary diversity  of  form  and  colour.  In  a 
patch  of  laburnums  some  of  the  racemes  of 
flowers  are  as  long  again  as  others  ;  in  half 
a  dozen  walnut  trees  not  two  bear  nuts  alike  ; 
and  if  we  were  to  watch  any  thing  that  comes 
from  seed,  we  should  often  discover  a  thing 
worth  saving,  but  which,  for  want  of  obser- 
vation, is  lost  altogether.  Nobody  ought  to 
be  careless  about  things  raised  from  seed  ;  we 
once  picked  out  half  a  dozen  Rhododendrons 
from  a  lot  of  seedling  Catawbiense,  and  they 
proved  to  be  worth  grafting,  and  are  now 
figuring  among  the  most  popular  by  some 
half-dozen  names.  We  have  not  alluded 
to  seed  raised  by  crossing  or  artificial  impreg- 
nation, but  raised  in  the  ordinary  way  ;  and 
if  that  will,  as  we  know  it  will,  yield  great 
variety  occasionally,  how  much  more  would 
seed  do  so  when  saved  from  particular  sorts 
associated  together  for  the  purpose,  and  those 
of  so  opposite  a  character  as  to  present  every 
charm  ?  We  wish  all  who  sow  seed  would 
look  more  to  the  result. 


GUNNERA   SCABRA. 

When  M.  Feuillee,  sen.,*  at  the  beginning 
of  the  18th  century,  proclaimed  the  pharma- 
ceutic, economical,  and  culinary  qualities  of  a 
plant,  called  Panke,  which  the  Chilians  used 
in  these  three  respects,  he  did  not  doubt  but 
that  his  voice  would  not  be  heard,  and  that  his 
efforts  to  introduce  the  culture  of  so  valuable  a 
plant  into  his  country  would  not  be  successful. 
Such  has  been  the  fate  of  all  the  great  men 
who  have  made  known  their  inventions 'to  the 
world.  Inattention  and  disregard  were,  for 
some  time  at  least,  the  rewards  of  Watt,  Ful- 
ton, and  a  hundred  more ;  and  Parmentier 
himself  was  unheeded  when  he  made  known 
the  potato.  Thanks  to  the  efforts  of  one  of 
the  principal  horticulturists  of  the  Continent, 
the  Panke  is  at  length  introduced  and  culti- 
vated in  Europe,  and  society  will  be  able  to 
derive  the  benefits  which  the  Chilians  them- 
selves obtained  from  it. 

Gunnera  chilensis,  or  €r.  scabra,' is  a  plant 
which,  although  stemless,  grows  to  a  great 
size.  In  general,  its  habit  is  that  of  liheicm 
palmatum,  but  it  is  much  fuller  and  larger, 
and  would  make  a  very  ornamental  plant  for 
the  flower-garden  or-  pleasure-ground.  It 
grows  with  a  roundish,  very  thick  rhizoma, 
the  petioles  of  the  leaves  being  about  four  feet 

*  Louis  FeuiUSe,  a  monk,  was  sent  by  the  order  of 
Louis  XIV.  several  voyages  to  the  Aatilles,  Chili, 
Peru,  &c.  He  discovered  a  great  many  useful  plants. 
He  was  born  in  1660,  and  died  in  1732. 


252 


RHYNCOPERA  PUNCTATA. 


and  a  half  long,  nearly  the  thickness  of  a 
child's  arm,  cylindrical,  dilated,  amplexicaule, 
commonly  purplish,  and,  as  well  as  the  leaves 
and  flower-scapes,  covered  with  short  conic 
herbaceous  spines.  This  stalk  is  terminated 
by  the  leaf,  which  is  about  three  feet  across ; 
it  is  very  thick,  coriaceous,  somewhat  palmate, 
heart-shaped,  or  notched  at  the  base,  five- 
nerved  or  veined,  and  five-lobed  ;  the  veins 
are  dichotomous  or  forked,  and  the  lobes  bi- 
lobed,  being  doubly  dentated  at  the  margins. 
The  young  leaves  are  all  of  a  fine  purple  red 
colour,  which  partially  disappears  as  they  get 
older.  The  floral  scapes  are  short,  (from  10 
to  15  inches,)  and  issue  from  the  axils  of  the 
leaves.  From  the  middle  to  the  summit  they 
are  studded  with  hei-maphrodite  sessile  flowers; 
they  are  not  conspicuous,  but  from  their 
number  and  mode  of  insertion  have  rather  a 
fine  effect,  when  in  bloom. 


In  its  native  country,  Chili  and  Peru,  it  is 
found  growing  in  humid  places,  and  the  na- 
tives are  said  to  drink  a  decoction  of  its  leaves. 
After  having  taken  off  the  thick  epidermis, 
they  eat  the  leaf-stalks,  both  raw  and  cooked. 
Dyers  [in  Chili  and  Peru  ?]  cut  the  roots  in 
slices,  and,  after  boiling  them  a  certain  time, 
obtain  a  fine  and  lasting  black  colour.  Tan- 
ners also  use  them  very  extensively  in  dress- 
ing hides,  to  which  they  impart  a  degree  of 
flexibility  not  obtained  by  any  other  means. 
When  it  is  considered  that  the  temperature  of 
Chili  and  Peru  is  somewhat  similar  to  that  of 
the  centre  of  Europe,  there  can  be  little  doubt 
that  Ounnera  scahra  will  be  best  placed  in 
the  open  air,  especially  in  maritime  countries, 
such  as  England ;  or  in  warm  and  humid 
places  in  Grermany  or  France,  but  particularly 
in  Italy  and  Spain.  It  is  the  Gunnera  chi- 
lensis  of  Lamarck. 


RHYNCOPERA    PUNCTATA. 


Uliynco'pera  'punctata,  Earsten  (spotted- 
flowered  Rhyncopera). — Orchidaceae  §  Ma- 
laxeae-Pleurothallidas. 

The  numerous  blossoms  of  this  curious 
orchid  look  almost  as  much  like  little  spotted 
flies  crawling  up  the  thread-like  stalks,  as 
they  do  like  flowers ;  the  dull  tints  of  their 
colouring  in  some  degree  favour  the  deceptive 
appearance.  Nothwithstanding  this  compari- 
son, it  may  be  called  a  pretty  little  plant,  for 
its  slender  flov/er  spikes  hang  in  very  graceful 
curves  around  the  tufted  masses  in  which  the 
species  naturally  grows.  Its  height  is  not 
more  than  five  or  six  inches.  The  simple, 
white,  small  roots,  spread  and  adhere  to  the 
bark  of  trees.  The  stems,  which  are  from 
two  to  three  inches  long,  are  round,  smooth,  of 


a  fine  green  colour,  and  issue  from  a  long  tubu- 
lar brownish  membranaceous  sheath.  They 
bear  at  their  summits  each  a  fleshy  or  some- 
what leathery  elliptical  flexuose  leaf,  which  is 
notched  or  bidentate  at  the  apex,  flatly  keeled 
underneath,  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a 
half  broad,  and  from  two  to  three  inches  long. 
At  the  bases  of  these  sessile  leaves  issue  leafy 
linear  lanceolate  sheaths,  an  inch  long,  at  the 
axils  of  which  are  produced  simple  many- 
flowered  racemes  of  flowers,  on  slender,  pen- 
dent, smooth  peduncles.  The  flowers  have  a 
reddish  white  ground-colour,  and  are  spotted 
with  purple  ;  the  sepals  and  petals  are  small 
and  narrow  ;  the  labelluiu  is  rather  shorter 
than  the  sepals,  yellowish-red  and  red  spotted, 
ligulate,    and   turned    in    or   enveloping    the 


ON    SHOWING    SEEDLINGS. 


253 


column,  which  is  short,  cylindrical,  a  little 
bent,  smooth,  and  of  a  yellow  colour. 

Rhyncopera  punctata  is  the  second  species 
of"  the  genus  that  has  been  discovered.  It 
differs  from  It.  pedunculata  by  its  smaller 
stems  and  leaves,  and  by  the  greater  number, 
as  well  as  the  more  delicate  colouring,  of  the 
flowers. 

The  habitat  of  Rhyncopera  punctata  is  on 
the  branches  of  various  forest-trees  in  the  pro- 
vince of  Caraccas,  in  which  situations  it  forms 
massy  tufts  of  considerable  size.  The  eleva- 
tion of  the  district  in  which  it  was  found  is 
stated  to  be  from  5,000  to  7,000  feet.  It 
flowers  from  August  till  October. 

It  likes  a  dryish  moderate  temperature, 
vs^hich  in  its  native  habitat  it  obtains  through 
the  uninterrupted  gentle  east  wind  during  the 
rainy  winter  season.  In  the  culture  of  those 
tropical  plants  which  grow  in  a  shady  situa- 
tion, great  care  must  be  observed  to  avoid 
sudden  transitions  in  the  moisture  of  the  at- 
mosphere. The  difference  in  the  temperature 
which  they  require  for  their  perfect  and  uni- 
form development  is  less  definite.  Tlie  shade 
which  is  formed  by  the  foliage  of  the  trees  in 
the  forests  not  only  produces  a  reflection  of 
the  light  beneficial  to  the  growing  plants,  but 
produces  a  more  uniform  warmth,  while  it 
lessens  the  excessive  action  of  the  direct  rays 
of  the  sun  and  the  evaporation.  Tliis  is,  there- 
fore, the  more  to  be  borne  in  mind  Avith  those 
plants  not  having  their  roots  in  the  soil,  but 
growing  on  the  surface  of  other  substances. 
The  effects  of  the  direct  rays  of  the  mid- day 
sun  for  a  few  minutes,  or  the  cold  condensa- 
tion of  one  night,  nviy  be  fatal  to,  or  at  least 
A-ery  prejudicial  to  the  health  of,  the  plants. 
So  also  is  extreme  dryness  very  injurious.  It 
happens  that  orchids,  and  epiphytes  in  general, 
are  not  uniformly  (commonly)  found  on  the 
smooth-barked  plants,  though  the  stem  of  a 
palm  or  other  monocotyledonous  kinds  affords 
them  such  a  position.  For  the  most  part,  they 
prefer  a  stem  (or  branch)  the  bark  of  which  is 
rough  and  cracked,  in  which  the  necessary  mois- 
ture for  the  roots  is  retained,  but  w^iich  affords 
them  greater  facilities  for  being  nourished  by 
the  condensation  of  the  atmosphere. 


ON    SHOWING    SEEDLINGS   IN    STANDS 
OF  NAMED    FLOWERS. 

As  there  seems  to  be  a  growing  disposition 
to  upset  laws  in  Societies  as  well  as  govern- 
ments, and  that,  too,  by  parties  who  have  not 
given  themselves  the  trouble  of  considering, 
but  who  jump  at  conclusions  of  their  own, 
and  would  mould  everything  to  their  own 
fancy,  we  think  it  nothing  more  than  right  to 


show  now  and  then  how  very  much  they  lose 
sight  of  one  side  of  a  question  while  they  stare 
fully  at  the  otlier.  It  has  been  suggested  in  a 
cavalier  sort  of  tone,  that  there  is  no  objec- 
tion, or  rather  there  should  be  no  objection, 
to  a  man  showing  a  flower  of  his  own  raising 
in  his  own  stand ;  and  then,  as  if  there  were 
but  one  point  on  w^hich  the  objection  has  been 
founded,  it  is  rather  vauntingly  remarked,  tliat 
with  regard  to  the  objection  that  a  seedling 
known  to  be  in  only  one  person's  hands  marks 
a  stand  so  that  the  judges  would  know  it,  it 
does  not  hold  good ;  and  then  there  is  a  good 
deal  about  the  honesty  of  judges,  and  men  of 
honour',  and  gentlemen.  The  less  that  is  said 
on  that  score,  the  better.  We  have  known 
gentlemen,  to  whom  prizes  were  no  pecuniary 
object,  do  very  shabby  things  to  get  them 
— for  instance,  drive  round  among  their  ac- 
quaintance to  pick  up  fine  blooms,  and  show 
them  as  their  own  ;  and  plant  judges  at  exhi- 
bitions, to  be  appointed  as  if  by  accident,  that 
they  may  secure  prizes  ;  and  there  are  many 
other  things  that  give  us  a  very  poor  opinion 
of  the  natural  honour  and  honesty  of  a  good 
many  florists  and  amateurs.  Therefore  we 
must  be  pardoned  if,  in  the  face  of  these  facts 
of  dishonesty,  we  repudiate  the  twaddle  about 
honour  and  honesty.  This  was  only  one  of 
the  objections,  and  there  are  many,  but  one 
of  these  is  overwhelming.  The  very  first 
object,  and  it  is  of  the  greatest  importance,  is 
the  raising  of  new  flowers,  not  to  give  the 
man  who  raises  them  the  means  of  beating  all 
others  with  them,  for  that  would  be  destruc- 
tive of  all  the  best  feelings  among  florists,  but 
to  generally  advance  the  flower.  The  second, 
and  it  is  as  important  as  the  first,  is  the  dis- 
semination of  the  flower  among  florists  ;  and 
the  wisest  and  best  rule  that  ever  emanated 
from  a  Society  of  Florists  was  that  of  the 
Metropolitan  Society,  Avhich  shut  out  seed- 
lings from  being  exhibited  in  stands  until 
they  were  fairly  sold  among  all  who  chose  to 
buy.  The  proposition  that  a  man  who  raised 
a  flower,  besides  the  credit  of  approval  while 
a  seedling,  should  be  able  to  show  it  in  a 
stand  among  named  flowers,  while  nobody  else 
could  get  at  it — the  selfishness  and  cupidity  of 
one  capable  of  keeping  in  really  good  flowers 
instead  of  letting  other  people  have  them, 
that  he  might  enjoy  the  monopoly  of  his  own 
luck — could  not  be  better  met  than  by  the 
sweeping  law  which  generally  and  judiciously 
prevails,  that  seedlings  not  let  out  to  the  public 
should  not  compete  in  stands  of  named  flowers 
that  were  let  out.  We  feel  ashamed  that  any- 
body should  be  mean  enough  and  selfish 
enough  to  wish  to  keep  in  his  own  hand  a 
flower  which  is  a  decided  advance  upon  what 
otlier  people  had  got ;  but  we  rejoice  that 
there  is  a  law   to   prevent  the  success  of  a 


254 


VEGETATION    OF    CEYLON. 


narrow-minded  selfish  policy,  that  if  a  man 
had  more  than  his  share  of  good  luck  might 
make  him  almost  a  pensioner  on  the  respect- 
able Floral  Societies  but  for  the  wholesome 
law  which  precludes  a  man  from  profiting  by 
ill-nature  and  monopoly.  There  was  a  time 
when  a  carnation  called  the  Queen  of  Plearts 
was  monopolized.  Its  immediate  effect  was 
to  mark  a  stand  of  carnations,  and  enable 
the  judges  to  know  as  well  as  if  the  name  had 
been  on  it  who  the  stand  belonged  to ;  but 
another  effect  was,  that  those  who  fancied  it 
a  great  flower,  and  would  have  bought  it  at  a 
high  price,   were  unable  to  procure  it,  and 


half  inclined  to  leave  off  showing.  The  Me- 
tropolitan Society  soon  spoiled  the  specula- 
tion in  monopoly,  and  decided  that  no  flower 
of  any  description  should  be  shown  in  a  stand 
of  named  varieties,  unless  it  were  regularly 
sold  out  to  anybody  who  would  buy  it.  The 
effect  was  excellent;  the  Queen  of  Hearts 
was  soon  among  the  florists :  and  that  is  how 
it  should  be.  The  proposition  to  keep  all 
the  advantages  in  the  raiser's  hands,  that 
he  might  beat  everybody  until  some  one  raised 
a  flower  as  good,  is  unworthy  of  any  true 
friend  of  society,  and  could  only  be  expected 
from  a  selfish  school-boy. — G. 


VEGETATION  OF  CEYLON. 


Ceylon,  which  has  been  denominated  the 
Malta  of  the  Indian  ocean,  is  among  the  richest 
islands  of  the  world,  with  regard  to  vegetation. 
We  sometimes  find  that  the  value  of  a  region 
is  deteriorated  by  the  beautiful  forms  into 
which  nature  has  there  moulded  herself,  and 
that  a  country  presenting  nothing  but  mono- 
tony to  the  eye  is  more  desirable  for  the 
settler  than  one  offering  attraction  to  the  tra- 
veller, the  painter,  and  those  who  enjoy  the 
prospect  of  varied  and  magnificent  scenery. 
This  is  not  the  case  in  Ceylon,  whose  natui'al 
wealth  is  as  great  as  its  beauty  is  rare.  The 
lofty  ridges  which  cover  one  of  its  divisions, 
the  hilly  country  which  forms  another,  and  the 
level  region  which  constitutes  a  third,  are  all 
covered,  more  or  less  luxuriantly,  Avith  vege- 
tation which,  whether  it  assumes  the  form  of 
a  forest,  or  of  a  meadow,  or  of  crops,  or  coffee 
gardens,  or  cinnamon  plantations,  or  orchards, 
or  wild  jungle,  or  cultivated  fields,  or  even  the 
turfy  banks  of  a  stream,  contributes  to  enhance 
the  value,  as  well  as  the  beauty,  of  this  island, 
which,  containing  a  superficial  area  of  nearly 
twenty-five  thousand  miles,  possessing  a  salu- 
brious climate,  many  natural  advantages  for 
commerce  and  agriculture,  and  gradually  rising 
in  prosperity  as  it  is,  may  be  numbered  among 
the  finest  colonies  of  England. 

If  we  count  the  various  indigenous  plants 
which  flourish  in  Ceylon,  their  variety  and 
number  will  at  once  prevent  the  reader  from 
expecting  a  full  description  in  detail  of  the 
vegetation  of  this  island.  It  will  be  sufficient 
here  to  indicate  the  abundance  of  the  diffe- 
rent species,  the  luxuriant  plenty  in  which 
they  grow,  to  point  out  a  few  peculiar  kinds, 
and  some  remarkable  features  in  their  culti- 
vation, and  to  afford  a  general  idea  of  the 
aspect  of  Ceylon,  considered  with  regard  to 
this  subject. 

Of  the  first  class,  Monandria,  we  reckon, 
according  to  theLinnaBan  arrangement,  twenty- 
two  indigenous  plants,  among  which  the  Alu- 


gas  CGlobba  racemosa)  is  distinguished  by 
its  fine  yellow  flowers,  which  glitter  like  gold 
from  amid  the  mass  of  green  in  which  they 
are  often  found.  This  is  a  deciduous,  herba- 
ceous plant,  perennial,  and  serving  as  a  striking 
adornment  to  the  garden. 

Of  the  second  class,  Diandria,  we  count 
more  than  fifty,  among  which  the  Jasminwn 
zeyJaniciaii  is  remarkable.  It  differs  from 
its  English  relative  in  the  disposition  of  its 
leaves  and  flowers.  The  deep  green  which 
hangs  about  its  light  climbing  stems,  which 
attain  a  height  of  six  feet,  and  the  pure  white 
of  its  blossoms,  render  it  exceedingly  pretty. 
But  if  we  were  to  attempt  selecting  any  from 
these  numerous  plants  for  particular  remark, 
it  would  be  difficult  to  avoid  passing  beyond 
our  limits,  especially  as  our  object  is  now 
merely  to  call  attention  to  the]  number  of  the 
indigenous  plants. 

Of  the  third  class,  Triafub-ia,  there  are 
nearly  a  hundred,  some  of  which  have  as 
many  as  five  varieties.  The  native  names 
are  mostly  as  uncouth  as  can  be  imagined. 
Some  of  these  plants  are  interesting  and  beau- 
tiful, whilst  others  pi'esent  little  attraction. 

Of  the  fourth  class,  Tetrandria,  we  find 
about  seventy,  the  native  names  of  some  of 
which  we  cannot  determine. 

Of  the  fifth  class,  Pentandria,  there  exist 
about  a  hundred  and  ninety,  among  which 
several  are  very  curious  and  beautiful.  Among 
these  are  the  Heen-wel-Kudalu,  whose  many- 
flowered  peduncles  are  singularly  refreshing 
to  look  upon:  Lahaya  corymbosa,  a  curious 
f^hrub,  with  delicate  white  flowers  ;  and  a  plant, 
eight  feet  in  height,  with  curious  _97'ee?i  flowers, 
which  flourishes  in  abundance,  but  of  which 
we  do  not  know  the  native  name.  There  is 
another  plant  of  this  class,  the  Tamarix  in- 
dica,  very  beautiful,  but  with  roots  from 
which  a  deadly  poison  is  prepared. 

Of  the  sixth  class,  Hexatidria,  we  cannot 
exactly  define  the  number,  since  their  variety 


VEGETATION  OF  CEYLON. 


255 


is  so  great  and  complicated  that  it  has  hitherto 
been  difficult  to  assign  its  place  to  every 
plant,  especially  as  many  have  not  come  under 
the  eye  of  the  botanist,  but  are  known  only 
by  their  native  appellations.  If  glittering 
hues,  elegant  flowers,  abundant  florescence, 
and  wild  profusion,  constitute  beauty,  there  is 
sufl&cient  of  it  to  please  the  eye  of  the  tra- 
veller in  Ceylon. 

Of  the  seventh  class,  Heptandria,  we  find 
only  four  in  the  native  list. 

Of  the  eighth  class,  Octandria,  there  are 
about  thirty-five,  of  which  two  are  medicinal 
evergreen  trees,  the  one  twenty,  and  the  other 
thirty  feet  high. 

Of  the  ninth  class,  Eniieandria,  we  reckon 
seven  plants. 

Of  the  tenth  class,  Decandria,  there  are 
between  seventy  and  eighty.  Among  them  is 
an  evergreen  plant  (Gomphia  zeylanicd),  four 
feet  in  height,  with  bright  yellow  flowers.  The 
satin  wood,  included  in  this  list,  is  found 
chiefly  in  the  eastern  province.  In  appear- 
ance its  trunk  is  similar  to  that  of  the  teak. 
The  wood  is  much  used  for  ornamental  pur- 
poses. It  is  of  a  beautiful  colour,  rather 
yellow,  and  takes  a  fine  polish. 

Of  the  eleventh  class,  Dodecandria,  there 
are  some  thirty,  the  most  remarkable  among 
which  is  the  Kokatiya,  an  aquatic  perennial, 
with  white  flowers. 

Of  the  twelfth,  class,  Icosandria,  we  count 
about  seven  or  eight-and-twenty. 

Of  the  thirteenth  class,  Polyandria,  there 
are  nearly  forty :  remarkable  among  which  are 
three  varieties  of  lotus,  known  by  the  name 
of -^tolu  by  the  natives.  The  leaves  are  of  a 
deep  rose-colour;  the  roots  are  eaten,  and  the 
seeds  chewed  by  children.  There  is  also  an 
ornamental,  evergreen  tree,  twenty  feet  high, 
with  flowers  of  a  bright  golden  colour. 

Of  the  fourteenth  class,  Didynamia,  we  find 
as  many  as  seventy,  of  which  some  have  not 
been  examined  botanically,  and  placed  under 
their  exact  headings. 

Of  the  fifteenth  class,  Tetradynamia,  there 
are  but  four. 

Of  the  sixteenth  class,  3Ionadelphla,  there 
are  fifty,  among  which  we  may  mention  an 
evergreen  shrub,  eight  feet  high,  with  pale 
red  flowers  {Omphalobium  indictivi)  ;  as  also 
a  perennial  trailer,  with  orange-coloured  blos- 
soms ;  and  a  curious  annual  with  bright 
yellow  flowers. 

Of  the  seventeenth  class,  Dladelphia,  there 
are  about  sixty,  among  which  the  JDesmodium 
capitatum,  a  shrub  with  rich  purple  flowers, 
is  distinguished  by  its  rare  beauty. 

Of  the  nineteenth  class,  Syngenesia,  there 
are  nearly  thirty. 

Of  the  twentieth  class  there  are  thirteen, 
of  which  the  only  particular  one  is  a  luxuriant- 


growing  parasite,  with  green  flowers,  which 
trails  over  the  ground,  up  the  trunks  of  trees, 
or  winds  among  the  branches  and  foliage  of 
stronger  plants. 

Of  the  twenty-first  class,  Monoecia,  there 
are  about  a  hundred,  among  which  are 
several  ornamental  plants,  of  great  size,  such 
as  the  Stillingia  popidnea,  fourteen  feet  high, 
with  yellow  flowers,  very  handsome. 

Of  the  twenty-second  class,  Dioecia,  we  find 
some  seventy. 

Of  the  twenty-third  class,  Polygaviia,  there 
are  about  foi'ty-five  ;  and  of  the  twenty-fourth, 
about  forty-seven,  among  which  is  included  a 
very  beautiful  kind  of  fern,  of  a  distinct 
species. 

An  old  writer,  in  describing  Ceylon,  says 
that  the  flowering  shrubs,  with  which  the 
whole  island  is  covered,  send  forth  a  most 
delightful  fragrance  with  the  first  breath  of  the 
morning  and  the  breezes  of  evening.  This 
language,  though  somewhat  poetical,  conveys 
nothing  more  than  the  truth ;  for  from  the 
eastern  to  the  western  extremity  of  Ceylon,  a 
constant  succession  of  land  covered  with  vege- 
tation meets  the  eye,  whilst  the  odour  of 
flowers,  and  that  still  sweeter  fragrance  of 
harvests,  cinnamon  gardens,  and  coflee  planta- 
tions, mingles  with  those  light  gales  which 
constantly  breathe  over  the  island  from  the 
mountains  or  the  sea.  But  it  is  the  hand  of 
nature  which  is  chiefly  discernible  in  the 
adornment  of  Ceylon,  for  gardening  and  the 
cultivation  of  ornamental  plants  is  scarcely 
known  among  the  Singhalese  as  a  specific 
branch  of  industry.  They  adorn  the  ground 
immediately  surrounding  their  houses  with 
picturesque  clusters  of  palm  and  fruit  trees, 
whose  luxuriance  shades  and  imparts  beauty 
to  the  spot.  Flowering  shrubs  are  also  planted 
about  their  temples  and  other  sacred  places; 
and  these  are  attended  with  considei'able  care, 
whilst  much  interest  is  shown  in  their  flourish- 
ing. They  also  cultivate  a  few  vegetables,  such 
as  yams,  sweet  potatoes,  and  onions,  in  their 
fields  ;  but  the  occupation  is  far  from  a  national 
one.  Plots  of  ground,  enclosed  and  prepared 
for  this  particular  purpose,  after  the  English 
manner,  are  indeed  almost  unknown,  except 
in  those  few  localities  where  English  manners, 
habits,  practices,  and  tastes,  have  begun  to 
take  root  in  the  soil  of  that  magnificent  island. 

Perhaps  a  slight  description  of  the  cofiee- 
grounds,  which  form  one  among  the  greatest 
beauties,  and  the  valuable  features  of  the 
island,  viewed  in  an  ornamental  point  of  view, 
may  not  be  uninteresting.  The  plant  was 
first  introduced  from  Java,  where  it  was 
planted  in  1723,  by  Zwaardenkroom,  who  pro- 
cured the  seeds  from  Mocha.  It  was  once 
most  commonly  propagated  through  the  agency 
of  birds  and  jackals,  who  ate  the  fruit :  but 


256 


VEGETATION    OF    CEYLON. 


in  1820  its  regular  cultivation  commenced. 
Sixteen  years  saw  it  flourishing  in  great 
abundance,  and  it  is  now  considered  as  of 
superior  quality.  A  story  was  once  in  circu- 
lation to  account  for  the  inferiority  of  the 
Ceylon  coffee,  which  was  in  reality  attributable 
to  the  practice  of  pulling  the  fruit  before  it 
was  sufficiently  ripe,  but  which  may  neverthe- 
less have  had  some  foundation  in  truth.  It 
was  said  that  the  native  collectors  were  in  the 
liabit  of  dipping  the  fruit  in  the  boiling  water 
before  it  was  perfectly  dry ;  probably  with  the 
view  of  enlarging  its  bulk,  and  thus  deriving 
a  larger  profit  from  its  culture.  At  present 
this  species  of  cultivation  is  not  pursued  with 
the  same  energy  as  formerly,  a  fact  attributable 
to  the  depressed  condition  of  the  English 
market. 

The  coffee-planter,  having  chosen  a  spot 
adapted  for  this  species  of  culture,  which  is 
generally  in  a  sheltered  situation,  employs 
coolies  to  clear  away  the  jungle.  A  large 
number  of  these  labour  for  some  time  at  this 
task,  and,  to  the  uninitiated  stranger,  leave 
no  result  of  their  toil.  Those  versed  in  the 
operation,  however,  know  that  the  plantation 
being  almost  invariably  situated  on  a  piece  of 
sloping  land,  all  the  ti'ees  standing  in  a  line  are 
cut  nearly  through,  so  that  when  the  tree  stand- 
ing at  the  summit  is  at  length  felled,  all  those 
below  it  give  way,  and  the  immense  mass  of 
foliage  bends,  and  sinks  beneath  the  last  stroke 
of  the  axe.  A  tremendous  crash  succeeds  the 
preparation  of  each  of  these  lines  of  trees,  as 
a  vast  quantity  of  timber  is  from  time  to  time 
added  to  the  wreck  of  the  jungle. 

The  ground,  being  laid  bare,  is  weeded  and 
cleared  of  stones ;  when  the  young  shrubs 
transported  from  the  nursery  are  planted 
somewhat  closely,  and  watered  by  the  rains 
which  fall  during  this  season.  When  they 
flower,  a  most  beautiful  appearance  presents 
itself  over  the  face  of  the  tract  of  land  so  cul- 
tivated. A  mass  of  silver  flowers  covers  every 
branch  and  twig,  glittering  from  amid  the 
dark  green  and  glossy  foliage.  When  ripe, 
the  fruit,  of  a  rich  red  colour,  weighs  down 
the  bough,  whilst  a  delightful  fragrance  exhales 
itself  above  the  plantation.  The  appearance 
of  a  country  so  planted  has  been  described  by 
a  writer  of  the  present  day,  as  that  of  a  vast 
park  covered  with  silver-flowered  laurels, 
mixed  with  great  forest-trees,  as,  in  clearing 
the  jungle,  a  portion  of  the  shade  is  reserved 
for  the  protection  of  the  plants  from  the  power 
of  the  sun  in  dry  seasons  :  and  water  is  con- 
ducted to  the  roots  of  the  plants;  for  at  cer- 
tain seasons  they  require  a  constantr  supply  of 
moisture.* 


*    "  England's   Colonial   Empire. — Ceylon."      By 
Charles  Pridham.      T.  &  W.  Boone.     An  excellent 


The  cinnamon  gardens  of  Ceylon  have 
long  been  celebrated  for  their  beauty.  They 
lie  scattered  over  the  face  of  the  country  at 
intervals,  and  sometimes  extend  over  several 
thousands  of  acres.  They  appear  like  masses 
of  laurel,  or,  rather,  plants  having  leaves 
shaped  like  the  laurel,  with  stems  about  the 
thickness  of  hazel.  Occasionally  a  plant  may 
be  seen,  which,  having  been  allowed  to  grow 
for  seed,  has  attained  a  height  of  forty  or  even 
fifty  feet,  from  the  summit  of  which  a  view 
may  be  obtained  over  the  whole  surface  of 
the  cinnamon  gardens,  dotted  with  myriads 
of  pure  white  blossoms,  which  contrast 
brightly  with  the  flame-coloured  extremities 
of  the  upper,  and  the  dark  green  of  the  in- 
ferior foliage.  Among  this  the  climbing 
monkey,  or  pitcher  plant  {Nepenthes  distil- 
latoria),  in  company  with  the  flame-coloured 
Glorlosa  s^iperha,  entwines  its  tendrils  around 
the  umbrageous  and  spicy  laurel,  beneath 
whose  shade  also  the  scarlet-flowered  Ixora 
coccinea,  and  pink-petalled  Vinca  rosea.,  grow 
in  wild  luxuriance.  A  good  anecdote  is  told 
by  Mr.  Pridham,  in  refutation  of  the  idea 
which  seems  to  have  long  existed  among  the 
vulgar  errors  of  this  country. 

"  Strangers  cruising  along  the  western 
coasts  of  Ceylon  have  conjured  up  the  notion 
of  cinnamon  breezes  which  they  have  pro- 
fessed to  inhale  many  leagues  at  sea.  This 
is  a  mere  fancy;  for  if  all  the  cinnamon  ti-ees 
in  the  island  were  barked  simultaneously,  the 
odour  would  not  be  perceived  at  the  distance 
of  a  mile  from  the  shore,  being  far  from  dif- 
fusive ;  whereas  that  operation  now  takes 
place  in  particular  spots,  as  the  cinnamon 
becomes  fit  for  the  purpose,  over  an  extensive 
surface,  at  uncertain  periods,  and  in  small 
quantities.  The  fragrance  in  question,  unless 
altogether  ideal,  must  therefore  arise  from 
the  immense  variety  of  odoriferous  blossoms 
and  flowers  of  the  white  orange,  lime,  shad- 
dock, white  and  yellow  jasmine,  and  not 
least,  Pandanus  odoratissinms.  Mr.  Ben  net 
mentions,  as  a  proof  of  the  slight  foundation 
for  the  superstition  alluded  to,  that  on  one 
occasion,  when  the  wind  blerv  dead  upon  the 
land,  the  surgeon  of  an  East-Indiaman,  stand- 
ing off  the  island,  having  chanced  to  rub  a 
little  oil  of  cinnamon  on  the  weather-ham- 
mock nettings,  the  griffins,  or  strangers,  were 
so  convinced  of  the  reality  of  the  cinnamon 
breeze,  that  one  of  them  actually  published  an 
account  of  it,  from  his  own  experience,  of  its 
fragrance  when  many  leagues  at  sea." 

We  have  said  that  the  people  of  Ceylon 
have  not  progressed  far  in  the  practice  of 
gardening.  Nature  is,  indeed,  the  most  taste- 
ful gardener  there,  for  her  plantations,  un- 


book,  somewhat  faulty  in   arrangement,  hut  full  of 
interesting  and  valuable  information. 


VEGETATION    OF    CEYLON. 


257 


altered  by  the  hand   of  man,   are   scattered 
over  the  island  in  the  most  beautiful  forms, 
■wilder,  indeed,  but  not  less  lovely,  than  the 
most   elaborate  arrangements  of  the  artistic 
gardener.    The  rich  varieties  of  the  vegetable 
-kingdom  vrhich  exist  in  Ceylon  are  not,  how- 
ever,  neglected  by  the  natives,  who,  though 
they  pay  little  attention  to  gardening  as  a 
means  of   adornment,    have   cultivated  to  a 
high  degree  the    knowledge   of    plants    and 
flowei's.     The   object  which   is   supposed   to 
have  led,  at  the  first,  to  the  collection  of  in- 
formation   of  this    kind,  was    the    medicinal 
virtue  possessed  by  many  of  the  plants,  which 
has  had  the  effect  of  inducing  every  Singha- 
lese to  become  acquainted  to  a  certain  degree 
with  the  botanical  theories   of  his  country. 
Native    authors,   in   every    species    of   com- 
position, have  illustrated   their   writings   by 
constant  allusions  to  the  beauty,  value,  and 
vai'iety  of  the  flowery  treasures  of  Ceylon. 
It  is  supposed  that  the  people  once  possessed 
a  complete  system  of  botanical  arrangement  ; 
but  this  no  longer  exists  among  them.     All 
the  knowledge  that  remains  is  that  of  the  uses 
of    the    different  parts    of    a   flower.       The 
flowers  of  monoecious  plants  they  divide  into 
Nikan-vial,  or  useless  flower,  and  Gedi-mal, 
or    fruit-flower  ;    and    dioecious    plants    into 
Mal-gaha,  or  flower-tree,  and  Oedi-gaha,  or 
fruit-tree.     Grasses    are  included  under  the 
term  Tana ;    esculent  greens  under    Pala ; 
mosses  under  Pari ;  edible  roots  under  A/a. 
The    Singhalese    names  of  plants   generally 
indicate  their  qualities  ;  thus  Patmul  means 
red-root ;    ICirivoeL    milky  -  creeper  ;     with 
others,  as   the  jug-flower,   from   the  resem- 
blance of  its  corolla  to  a  jug;  and  a  plant 
which  is  called  the  marsh  or  tank  flowei",  be- 
cause it  particularly  delights  in  such  situations. 
We  have  mentioned  the  beautiful  scenery 
of  the  island,  as  it  appears  with  reference  to 
the  variety  and  loveliness  of  its  vegetation. 
There  are  some  spots  which  p'ossess  peculiar 
attractions  of  this  nature ;  and  among  them  is 
the    country   round    about    Kallaar,    where 
enormous  trees,    heavy  with  foliage,  glitter 
with  a  variety  of  the  brightest  colours,  whilst 
flowering  shrubs  bloom  beneath  in  all  direc- 
tions.    Far  superior  to  this,  however,  is  the 
valley  of  Hahgalla,  which,  fringed  with  ber- 
berry bushes,    and    framed   amid    hills    and 
hoary  forests,  is  dotted  with  countless  clumps 
and  single  trees  of  the  magnificent  Rhododen- 
dron arboreum,  which  impart  to  the  landscape 
an  appearance  of  the  utmost  bsauty.     Around 
the  trunks  of  the  trees  and  over  the  stems  is 
wrapped  a  mossy  verdure,  whilst  above  this 
climbs   the   tender    parasite,    whose   flowers 
seem   too   heavy  for   the    parent    stem  :    in 
other    spots,     a    level    sweep    of    park-like 
grounds,  whose  flats  are  clothed  with  lemou- 
50. 


coloured  grass  or  flowery  jungle,  which  pre- 
sent, as  Mr.  Pridhara  tells  us,  a  landscape 
equalled  in  few  other  parts  of  the  world. 
Indeed,  if  richness  of  vegetation  constitutes 
beauty  of  scenery,  we  have  it  in  Ceylon.  The 
grass  is  of  the  most  brilliant  green.  Planta- 
tions of  pepper,  indigo,  cardamoms,  coffee, 
cotton,  ginger,  and  sugar  plantations,  alter- 
nate with  rice  fields,  cocoa-nut  groves,  and 
wild  jungle,  with  onion  gardens,  fields  of 
hemp,  and  orchards. 

The  road  along  the  coast  towards  Colombo 
drives  principally  through  cinnamon  gardens 
and  plantations,  which  supply  the  town  with 
a  vast  quantity  of  vegetables  and  fruit.      The 
brilliant  crimson  Clerodendron  infortunatum, 
Coffea  trijiora,  Ixora   coccinea,   Nepenthes 
distillatoria ,  of  the  climbing  and   dwarf  va- 
rieties (scandens  and  nana),  the  former  cling- 
ing to  the  cinnamon   bushes,   Avhose   strong 
stems  support  it,  and  displaying  its  pitchers, 
some  with  the  lid  closed,  others  open  and  full 
of  water;  the  latter  shrinking  into  the  shade 
of  the  overhanging  trees  or  abundant  grass. 
Groves  of  the  wild  orange,  lime,  and  shaddock 
trees,  heavy  with  fruit  or  covered  with  blos- 
soms, throw  a  most  delicious  odour  around. 
The  valley  of  Matale  is  covered  with  beautiful 
jungles,    with    orchards    of    citrons,    limes, 
oranges,  mangoes,  custard  apples,  and  jack- 
fruit  trees  ;  whilst  plaintains  and  cardamoms, 
with  tulip-trees  and  huge  ornamental  bushes, 
flourish  wild   in   the  forest,  and   coffee  also 
grows   among    the    underwood.      But  if   we 
proceed  to  instance  examples  of  the  luxury  of 
the  vegetation  of  Ceylon,  we  should  far  ex- 
ceed our  limits.      It  will  therefore  be  only 
necessary  to  indicate  to  what  extent  the  culti- 
vation  of  such  plants  as  are  ornamental  is 
practised.      In     Colombo,    where    European 
manners  and  customs,  habits  and  tastes,  have 
been  grafted  on  the  native  stock,  we  find  neat 
gardens  stretching  along  the  fronts  of  many 
of  the  houses,  planted  with  the  tulip  and  bread- 
fruit tree,  and  with  a  variety  of  shrubs   and 
flowers,  and  cultivated  with  a  degree  of  taste, 
neatness,   and    skill,   which,   considering  the 
general  inaptitude    of  the    natives  for   such 
occupation,  cannot  fail  to   surprise  the   tra- 
veller who,  having  made  the  tour  of  the  island, 
and  observed  the  countless  instances  where 
Nature   I'evels   in   luxurious,    but    neglected 
beauty,  arrives  at  this  pretty  town,  to  find  it 
full    of  these  marks   of  civilization    and  re- 
finement.     At    Dondra    Head,   also,    at   the 
southernmost  point  of  Ceylon,  the  spot  which 
during  the  seventh  century  formed  the  site  of 
the   Singhalese   capital,   there  are  numerous 
gardens  interspersed   with    the   rude  native 
huts ;  at  this  place  the  sacred  pillars  are  also 
adorned  with  flowers  and  ornamental  or  odo- 
riferous shrubs. 

s 


258 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


At  Ratnapoora  also,  a  town  built  on  a 
green  hill-side,  the  rich  emerald  turf  is  literally 
spangled  with  gorgeous  flowers  and  blossom- 
ing bushes,  which,  mingling  with  the  bright 
colours  of  the  houses,  present  a  singular  and 
attractive  aspect.  This  part  of  the  island, 
indeed,  is  famous  for  its  verdure.  The  roads 
are  bordered  sometimes  for  miles  together 
with  jasmine,  orange,  citron,  lime,  and  arecas, 
which,  when  in  full  blossom,  and  with  the 
dew  upon  them,  breathe  forth  the  sweetest  of 
odours,  which  perfume  the  soft  breezes  of 
Ceylon,  whilst  an  immense  variety  of  flower- 
ing trees  dot  the  fields  and  hill-slopes.  The 
native  houses  in  this  district  are  surrounded 
by  beautiful  gardens,  whilst  the  branches  of 
the  sacred  bo-tree  are  hung  with  garlands, 
and  surrounded  by  little  altars,  which  are 
piled  with  the  flowers  brought  by  the  piety 
of  the  natives  to  testify  their  devotion  to  the 
great  god,  Gautama  Buddha. 

Indeed,  as  we  have  mentioned  before,  all 
temples  and  sacred  places  are  sweetened  with 
the  fragrance  of  flowers,  earth's  richest  in- 
cense, which  the  poorest  peasant  may  enjoy 
with  as  much  pleasure  as  the  most  favoured 


son  of  fortune.  In  the  gi'ounds  which  sur- 
round the  ancient  and  massive  sacred  struc- 
ture of  Beiitotte,  the  tall  palm-trees  cast 
their  shadow  upon  masses  of  flowers,  which, 
watered  by  a  clear  and  sunny  rivulet,  bloom 
in  a  luxury  of  perfection,  and  impart  love- 
liness to  the  spot  consecrated  to  the  religion 
of  the  Indian  races. 

The  temple  built  on  the  rock  upon  which 
Siva  is  said  in  the  Hindoo  mythology  to  have 
left  tlie  impress  of  his  sacred  foot,  is  con- 
stantly decorated  with  the  rarest  and  most 
beautiful  flowers.  Flowers  indeed  seem,  in 
all  ages  and  among  all  races,  to  have  been 
looked  upon  as  the  fittest  offerings  of  piety, 
the  most  delicate  gift  of  affection,  the  sweetest 
tokens  of  love,  the  crovvn  of  innocence,  the 
adornments  of  the  marriage  festival,  and  the 
emblematical  decorations  of  the  tomb.  The 
truth  of  this  is  illustrated  in  Ceylon  as  in  most 
other  regions.  We  have  but  glanced  briefly 
at  the  subject  in  connexion  with  that  verdant 
island ;  but  may  perhaps  return  to  it  again 
hereafter,  in  order  to  indicate  more  pai'ticu- 
larly  a  few  points  which  the  general  nature  of 
the  present  sketch  forbade  us  to  touch  upon. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


CyRTANTHERA    CATALPiEFOLIA,     NeCS   VOIl 

JlJsenbeck  (catalpa- leaved  Cyrtanthera). — 
Acanthacece.  —  A  novel  and  very  handsome 
shrubby  plant,  growing  from  five  to  six  feet 
in  height,  somewhat  branched,  but  naturally  of 
an  erect  habit  of  growth.  The  leaves,  which 
are  opposite,  are  large  cordate-acuminate,  and 
are  attached  by  rather  long  stalks  ;  the  upper- 
most pair,  beneath  the  flowers,  is  much  smaller, 
and  of  an  ovate  figure.  The  flowers  grow  in 
dense  compact  terminal  panicles,  or  thyrsi ; 
they  are  large,  deep  yellow,  tubular,  cut 
nearly  half  way  down  into  two  gaping  seg- 
ments, of  which  the  upper  is  erect  and  entire, 
and  the  lower  reflexed,  spathulate,  and  three- 
toothed  at  the  apex.  Native  of  Honduras. 
Introduced  in  1847  to  the  Royal  Garden  at 
Kew.  Flowers  during  the  summer  months. 
Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  rich  light  loamy 
soil,  and  to  be  closely  stopped  while  young,  to 
produce  bushiness  ;  propagated  by  cuttings, 
placed  in  a  slight  heat. 

Trop^OLUM  T)E.CKERiANVii,  Karsfen  (Dec- 
ker's Indian  Cress). — Tropfeolacete  §  Tro- 
p^oleas.— A  curious  and  ornamental  species, 
climbing  extensively.  The  leaves  ai-e  roundish- 
triangular,  peltate,  and  obscurely  five  or  seven- 
lobed.  The  flowers  grow  singly  from  the 
axils  of  the  leaves,  on  longish  slender  thread- 
like peduncles,  which  are  twisted  and  twining 


near  the  middle,  and  gradually  become  thick- 
ened towards  the  blossom,  where  they  are  of  a 
reddish  colour;  the  sepals  are  lance-shaped, 
green,  extended  behind  into  a  hairy  spur, 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  long,  bright  scarlet 
at  the  lower  part,  and  green  at  the  apex ;  the 
petals,  which  alternate  with  the  sepals,  are 
spatula-shaped,  the  two  uppermost  longest ; 
they  are  nerved  and  toothed,  the  teeth  ending 
in  short  hairs,  and  their  colour  is  dark  blue, 
brightest  at  the  margin.  Native  of  Vene- 
zuela. Introduced  to  Berlin  in  1845.  Flowers 
at  various  seasons.  Culture.  —  Requires  a 
stove,  68"  Fahr.,  with  partial  shade  ;  light 
rich  loam  ;  propagated  by  cuttings,  or  seeds. 
MucuNA  MACROCARPA,  WalUch  (large 
fruited  Mucuna). — Fabacese  §  Papihonaceas- 
Phaseolese. — An  exceedingly  vigorous  grow- 
ing climbing  shrub,  the  twining  stems  of 
which  extend  forty  or  fifty  feet  in  length  ; 
the  leaves  are  large,  trifoliate,  with  cordate 
leaflets,  and  somewhat  hairy.  The  flowers 
come  in  pendulous  axillary  racemes,  a  foot 
and  a  half  or  more  in  length ;  the  flowers 
large,  curiously  formed  and  coloured;  the 
standard  is  light  green,  and  assurgent,  shorter 
than  the  wings  and  keel ;  the  wings  ai-e  oblong- 
lanceolate,  and  rich  deep  purple ;  and  the  keel 
longer  than  the  wings,  sword-shaped,  and  of 
a  light  purplish  brown.     It  is  the  Dolichos 


NEW   FLOAVERS  AND  PLANTS, 


259 


macrocarpus  of  some  authors.  Native  of  the 
mountains  of  Nepal ;  "  Mjrung,  on  the  Kho- 
seea  hills."  Introduced  in  1837  by  the  Duke 
of  Devonshire  to  Chatsvvorth.  Flowers  from 
December  to  March.  Culture. — Requires  a 
cool  stove ;  light  rich  loam ;  propagated  by 
cuttings,  placed  in  a  gentle  heat. 

Heintzia  TiQ-RmA.Karsten  (spotted  Heint- 
zia).  —  Gesneracese  §  Gesnerete.  —  A  large- 
growing  soft-stemmed  plant,  growing  from 
four  to  five  feet  high,  branching,  bearing 
opposite  leaves,  which  are  nearly  a  foot  in 
length,  lanceolate,  attenuated  at  the  base, 
obtusely  acuminate  at  the  apex,  and  serrated 
at  the  margins ;  the  upper  surface  is  dark 
green,  and  the  under  side  blueish  green,  with 
prominent  brownish  veins.  The  flowers  grow 
from  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  in  a  kind  of  cyme, 
supported  by  rose-coloured  bracts,  each  blos- 
som having  a  large  five-parted  rose-coloured 
calyx  ;  the  blossoms  are  slightly  curved,  an 
inch  long,  funnel-shaped,  and  expanding  into 
an  unequal  five-lobed  limb,  of  nearly  an  inch 
in  diameter ;  the  surface  has  a  satiny  gloss, 
imparted  by  numerous  short  soft  hairs  ;  the 
colour  of  the  tube  is  snow-white,  of  the  face  of 
the  limb  white,  with  purple  spots  and  freckles. 
The  floAvers  are  succeeded  by  nearly  globular 
fruit,  about  the  size  of  a  hazel  nut,  surrounded 
by  the  persistent  calyx.  Native  of  Vene- 
zuela, in  moist  shady  places,  at  an  elevation  of 
5,000  feet.  Introduced  to  Berlin  in  1845. 
Flowers  in  the  summer.  Culture. — Requires 
a  stove,  with  a  moist  atmosphere,  and  shaded 
from  the  sun  ;  light  open  soil ;  propagated  by 
cuttings,  or  leaves  planted  as  cuttings. 

CcELOGYNE  FULiGiNOSA,  LoclcUges  (dark- 
flowered  Ccelogyne). — Orchidaceai  §  Epiden- 
dreaa-Coelogynidte.  —  A  dwarf,  and  rather 
pretty  epiphyte.  It  has  an  elongated  creep- 
ing caudex,  from  which,  at  intervals,  grow 
the  oblong  compressed  pseudo-bulbs,  bearing- 
each  a  pair  of  broadly  lance-shaped  wavy 
leaves,  between  membranaceous,  and  leathery 
in  texture.  The  flowers  grow  in  an  erect 
secund  raceme ;  they  are  large,  handsome,  of 
an  ochrey-yellow,  with  the  central  lobe  of  the 
lip  dark  purple-brown ;  the  sepals  are  oval- 
oblong,  the  petals  shorter  than  the  sepals,  the 
lip  oblong-spathulate,  three-lobed.  Native  of 
India.  Introduced  in  1838.  Flo\vers  in  the 
spring.  Culture. — Requires  a  warm  moist 
stove ;  to  be  attached  to  a  block  of  wood,  and 
kept  shaded  from  sti-ong  sun-rays ;  propagated 
by  division  of  the  plant. 

Stannia  FORMOSA,  Kavsteii  (beautiful  Stan- 
nia). — Cinchonaceee  §  Cinchoneae-Gardeni- 
dese. — This  is  a  large  shrub,  or  small  tree,  in 
its  native  state  very  beautiful.  It  forms  a 
roundish  head,  of  four-angled  branches,  bear- 
ing opposite  leaves,  which  are  from  four  to 
six  inches  long,  oval,  somewhat  coriaceous,  and 


of  a  shining  green.  The  intra-petiolar  stipules 
are  elongate-triangular.  The  flowers  grow  at 
the  ends  of  the  branches,  in  clusters  of  ten  or 
twelve  together,  forming  a  small  compact 
trichotomous  head  ;  the  monopetalous  corolla 
consists  of  a  slender,  nearly  cylindrical,  tube, 
about  four  inches  long,  terminating  in  a  flat 
limb,  about  two  inches  in  diameter ;  the  flowers 
are  pure  white.  Native  of  Venezuela,  on  the 
mountains -of  Tovar,  5,000  to  6,000  feet  (Ger- 
man) above  the  sea-level,  in  open  and  rather 
dry  situations.  Introduced  to  Berlin  in  1845. 
Flowers  from  June  till  September.  Cidtiire.  — 
Requires  a  stove  ;  peat  and  loam  ;  propagated 
by  cuttings  of  the  half-ripened  Avood,  planted 
in  sand  under  bell-glasses. 

Akistolochia  picta,  Karsten  (painted 
flowei-ed  Aristolochia). — Aristolochiacea3.— A 
slender  and  highly  curious  climbing  plant, 
remarkable,  as  is  the  whole  of  its  family,  for 
the  odd  shape  of  its  blossoms.  The  young 
branches  are  smooth  and  shining.  The  leaves 
are  cordato-sagittate,  or  between  arrow- 
shaped  and  heart-shaped,  bright  green  on 
the  upper  side,  and  fainter  and  bluish  on  the 
under  surface.  The  flowers  grow  single  from 
the  axils  of  thejeaves.  The  corolla,  which  is 
monopetalous,  assumes  at  the  base  the  form 
of  a  large  swollen  tube,  the  upper  part  of 
which  is  abruptly  turned  like  a  hook  ;  it  then 
takes  an  inflated  bladder-like  form,  then  sud- 
denly becomes  contracted,  and  at  last  ex- 
panded into  a  broad  limb  of  an  oblong  heart- 
shaped  outline,  terminating  at  the  apex  in  a 
short  hair-like  appendage ;  the  interior  agid 
mouth  of  the  tube  is  an  ochreous  yellow, 
which  colour  is  also  continued  in  a  dense 
series  of  net-like  veins  over  the  dark  violet 
limb.  Native  of  Venezuela,  in  the  province 
of  Caracas  ;  somewhat  extensively  distributed. 
Introduced  to  Belgium  in  1845.  Flowers  in 
the  summer  months.  Culture. — Requires  the 
temperature  of  the  stove  ;  dryish  rest  in  win- 
ter ;    peat  and  loam  ;  propagated  by  cuttings. 

Thyrscanthus  bracteolatus,  Nees  von 
Esenbeck  (bracteolated  Thyrscanthus).  — 
Acanthacege  §  EchmatacantheaB-Gendarussete. 
— A  showy  suffruticose  plant,  growing  from 
two  to  three  feet  high,  with  opposite,  nearly 
sessile,  lance-shaped  entire  leaves,  and  a  ter- 
minal obtuse  thyrse-like  panicle  of  bright 
scarlet  blossoms ;  these  blossoms  are  an  inch 
and  a  half  long,  with  a  slender  tube,  bent  in 
tne  middle,  and  above  divided  into  an  unequal 
two-lipped  limb  of  five  long  narrow  spread- 
ing segments.  It  is  the  Jicsticia  hracteolata 
of  Jacquin,  and  was  formerly  called  Odonto- 
nema  lucidum  by  Nees.  Native  of  New 
Granada,  and  the  West  Indian  Islands.  In- 
troduced originally  in  1824  :  re-introduced 
about  1847.  Flowers  in  the  autumn  and 
winter.      Culture. — Requires  a   stove  ;   loam 


2G0 


ARISTOLOCHIA  PICTA. 


and  peat;  propagated  by  cuttings  planted  in 
sand,  and  placed  within  tlie  influence  of  a 
slight  bottom  heat. 

Bruckea  grandifolia,  Klofzsch  and  Kar- 
sten  (large-leaved  Bruckea). —  PVerbenaceje. — 
A  large  shrub,  or  small  tree,  with  a  roundish 
pyramidal  head  of  branches,  the  bark  ash- 
grey,  and  the  young  branches  studded  with 
warts.  The  leaves  are  opposite,  lance-shaped, 
from  three  to  five  inches  long,  coriaceous, 
and  deep  shining  green.  The  flowers  grow 
in  little  cymes  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves ; 
they  are  white,  with  a  short  cylindrical  tube, 
dividing  into  a  regular  limb  of  five  oblong 
obtuse  lobes ;  the  flowers  are  about  half  an 
inch  in  diameter.  Native  of  Venezuela,  on 
the  mountains  of  the  province  of  Caracas,  at 
an  elevation  of  from  5,000  to  6,000  feet. 
Introduced  to  Belgium  in  1845.  Flowers  in 
January  and  February.  Culture. — Requires 
a  stove,  with  a  damp  atmosphere,  and  exposed 
to  the  sun ;  peat  and  loam  ;  propagated  by 
cuttings.  It  was  found  blooming  both  in  the 
wet  and  dry  seasons,  and  grew  in  damp 
places  in  the  vicinity  of  brooks  on  open  and 
sunny  slopes. 

Cerkus  reductus.  Link  (dingy  Cereus). 
— Cactacese  §  Cereidse. — A  dingy  looking 
species,  with  a  stem  three  feet  high  or  more, 
cylindrical,  four  or  fiive  inches  broad,  deeply 
furrowed  with  fourteen  or  fifteen  furrows ; 
the  colour  is  dull  glaucous  green.  The 
ridges  of  the  stem  have  large  rnammillas,  which 
are  near  together,  and  bear  a  tuft  of  about 
eleven  large  tawny  divergent  spines  of  un- 
"equal  size.  The  flowers  appear,  two  or  three 
at  the  top  of  the  plant ;  the  calyx-tube  dark 
green,  with  remote  scales  gradually  passing 
into  the  oblong  sepals  with  white  margins, 
these  again  merging  into  the  petals,  which  are 
white  tinged  with  rose  colour.  It  is  the 
Cactus  nohilis  (Haworth  ;  not  of  Alton). 
Native  of  South  America,  supposed  to  be 
from  Mexico.     Introduced  to   Kew    "  many 

years"  before  1848.    Flowers ?   Culture. 

— Requires  a  warm  greenhouse,  and  a  little 
extra  heat  while  growing ;  loam  and  lime 
rubbish  ;  propagated  (very  rarely)  by  ofT- 
shoots  planted  as  cuttings. 

Rhyncopera  punctata,  Karstcn  (spotted- 
flowered  Rhyncopera). — Orchidacete  §  Ma- 
.  laxeae-Pleurothallidfe. — A  curious  little  epi- 
phyte, bearing  elegantly  drooping  racemes  of 
small  somewhat  dull-coloured  blossoms,  which 
look  like  rows  of  flies  settled  on  the  stalks. 
The  plant  grows  in  dense  tufts,  its  height 
being  about  six  inches.  The  stems  are  simple, 
round,  and  smooth,  bearing  each  an  einptical 
somewhat  leathery  leaf,  which  is  notched  at 
the  apex,  and  flatly  keeled  on  the  under  side. 
The  racemes  of  flowers  proceed  from  the 
base  of  the  leaves.     The  individual  blossoms 


are  small,  and  have  a  reddish-white  ground 
colour,  spotted  with  purple,  the  sepals  and 
petals  being  small  and  narrow,  and  the  lip 
yellowish-red  spotted  with  red ;  the  colours 
are  not,  however,  very  bright.  Native  of 
Venezuela,  in  the  province  of  Caracas,  where 
it  was  found  by  Dr.  Karsten,  growing  on  the 
branches  of  forest  trees,  the  locality  being  at 
an  elevation  of  5,000  to  7,000  feet.  Intro- 
duced to  Berlin  in  1845.  Flowers  in  the 
autumn.  Culture. — Requires  a  stove  tem- 
perature, and  a  moderately  damp  atmosphere  ; 
turfy  peat  soil  ;  pi'opagated  by  division  of 
the  tufted  plant. 

Pesomeria  tetragona,  Lindley  (square- 
stalked  Pesomeria). —  Orchidacese  §  Epiden- 
dreas-Bletidee.  — A  curious  terrestrial  orchi- 
daceous plant,  with  an  erect  four-angled  stem, 
having  ovate  lanceolate  plaited  leaves,  and  a 
loose  spike  of  flowers  on  a  peduncle  a  foot 
high,  arising  from  the  inner  base  of  a  lateral 
leaf.  The  flowers  are  rather  large,  the  sepals 
and  petals  uniform,  oblong  acute,  red-brown 
tinged  with  green  ;  the  lip  convolute  crisped, 
and  terminating  in  a  mucro,  the  colour  yellow 
with  streaks  of  orange-red.  It  is  the  Epiden- 
drum  tetragonum  (Thenars).  Native  of  the 
Isle  of  Bourbon.  Introduced  by  Messrs. 
Loddiges  in  1837.  Flowers  in  December. 
Culture. — Requires  a  hot  moist  stove  ;  turfy- 
peat  soil ;  propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. ' 


ARISTOLOCHIA    PICTA. 

Aristolochia  jncta,  Karsten  (painted- 
flowered  Aristolochia). — Aristolochiacese. 

This  species  of  birth-wort  was  introduced 
from  South  America  to  the  gardens  of  Prussia, 
by  Dr.  Karsten,  by  whom  it  has  been  recently 
described  in  the  AtiswaJd  Gervdchse  Vene- 
zuelas,  published  in  Berlin.  From  this  source 
we  have  obtained  our  figure  and  the  parti- 
culars which  follow. 

"  The  matui'e  stems  and  branches  of  this 
plant  sometimes  creep  a  considerable  distance 
over  the  ground,  here  and  there  spreading 
and  twining  over  and  round  bushes  and 
brushwood  in  damp  grassy  places.  The 
young  branches  are  round,  smooth,  and  of  a 
shining  green  colour.  The  leaves,  which  are 
nearly  sagittate,  oi,'  cordate,  and  grow  on 
peduncles  from  an  inch  to  an  inch  and  a 
half  long,  are  of  a  like  breadth,  and  from 
three  to  three  and  a  half  inches  long,  sharply 
pointed  at  the  apex,  and  deeply  cordate  at  the 
base.  The  fresh  bright  green  colour  of  the 
upper  surface  of  the  leaf  becomes  fainter  and 
bluish  on  the  under  side.  The  flowers,  which 
are  solitary,  issue  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves, 
and  are  borne  on  peduncles  of  nearly  twice 
the  length  of  the  leaf-stalks.  They  consist  of 
a    single   beautifully    coloured   monopetalous 


ARISTOLOCHIA   PICTA. 


261 


corolla,  whicli  at  the  base  assumes  the  form 
of  a  large  swollen  tube,  the  upper  part  of 
which  is  abruptly  turned  in  the  manner  of  a 
hook,  where  it  takes  an  inflated  bladder-like 
form,  then  suddenly  becoming  contracted  ; 
and  at  last  expanding  in  a  large  broad  limb, 
having  the  tube  connected  with  it  at  one  side, 
and  terminating  at  the  apex  in  a  long  hairy 
appendage.  The  upper  cylinder-like  part  of 
the  flower  tube  hangs  or  grows  downwards, 
and  near  the  middle  of  the  bladder-like  ex- 
pansion it  is  contracted  and  turned  upwards; 
the  interior  of  the  part  of  this  tube  thus 
turned  up  is  of  an  ochre-yellow  colour,  slightly 
tinged  with  dark  violet ;  the  net-like  veining. 


which  extends  to  the  margin,  is  also  yellow. 
Six  stamens  are  inserted  at  the  base  of  the 
style,  by  means  of  a  sort  of  glandular  ring, 
and  united  to  it  at  their  inner  side.  The 
fruit  is  from  three  to  four  inches  long,  six- 
celled.  The  seeds  are  nearly  triangular,  ob- 
lique, heart-shaped,  and  placed  in  a  row  to- 
gether, but  divided  from  each  other  by  a 
leafy  or  nearly  fleshy  membrane,  in  which  the 
seeds  are  clothed.  In  the  middle  line  of  the 
fleshy  albumen  is  a  very  small  cjlinder-like 
radicle,  with  thick,  fleshy,  unequal  cotyledons, 
lying  on  each  other. 

"  AristolocMa  picfa  belongs  to  the  group 
Clematites  of  Endlicher,  the  species  of  which 


have  a  tongue-formed  border  to  the  corolla. 
It  differs  from  those  hitherto  described,  par- 
ticularly such  as  have  the  flower  bilabiate, 
which  Endlicher  includes  in  the  group  Pis- 
tolochia.  It  comes  near  to  A.  (jlaiicescens 
(Kunth),  to  which  the  resemblance  in  the 
flower  is  considerable.  The  leaves  in  A.glau- 
cescens,  however,  are  not  only  larger,  but  also 
oval,  and  deeply  cordate  at  the  base.  It 
comes  still  nearer  to  A.  Ottonis  (Klotzscli), 
not  only  in  the  form  of  the  leaves,  but  also 
in  resp-ct  to  the  position  of  the  flower.  A. 
Ottonis  was  discovered  liy  Mr.  Edward  Otto 
in  a  locality  near  to  that  where  A.  picta  was 
found  growing,  and  is  distinguished  in  par- 
ticular by  the  prominence  of  the  stipules  :  the 
border  of  the  corolla  is  also  somewhat  longer, 
particularly  at  the  cordate  end. 

"  Aristolochia  picta  is  found  in  the  province 
of  Caracas,  and  appears  to  be  somewhat  ex- 
tensively distributed  in  the    neighbourhood. 


I  found  it  at  firtt  in  the  district  of  Puerto 
Cabello,  in  the  valley  of  the  river  Esteban, 
and  subsequently  near  the  Araqua,  the  Guaire, 
the  Tuy,  and  the  Tacarigua  sea,  and  in  other 
places  ;  and  generally  in  such  places  as  are 
covered  with  water  in  the  rainy  season,  and 
which  become  so  parched  in  the  dry  time, 
that  the  roots  can  scarcely  obtain  nourishment. 
"  This  plant  requires  for  its  full  develop- 
ment the  entire  influence  of  the  sun,  including 
both  light  and  heat.  In  thp  tropics  it  is  ex- 
posed to  the  full  action  of  the  atmosphere. 
During  the  day,  the  influence  of  the  sun's 
rays  raises  the  temperature  of  the  soil  in 
which  it  grows  to  60°  Reauni.  (167°Fahr.) 
and  during  night,  under  a  cloudless  sky,  it  be- 
comes so  cool,  that  the  thermometer  sometimes 
falls  below  -f  12°  Reaum.  (59"  Fahr.)  But 
the  roots  do  not  throw  oif  their  heat  so  rapidly, 
since  the  ground  is  covered  with  bushes,  which 
considerably  modify   the  abstraction   of  the 


26:2 


THE    IRIS    FROM    SEED. 


heat,  and  even  render  the  direct  rajs  of  the 
sun  less  powerful  ;  they  are  therefore  for  the 
most  part  surrounded  by  an  uniform  tem- 
perature, which  is  not  much  lessened  even  in 
the  rainy  season,  as  in  the  more  northern 
zones  the  rains  always  convey  to  them  the 
heat  of  the  higher  atmosphere.  I  found,  for 
instance,  in  the  district  of  Puerto  Cabello, 
during  one  rainy  day  (Dec.  4),  about  half-past 
six  in  the  evening,  that  the  rain  was  of  the  tem- 
perature of  19.7°Reaum.  (76"  Fahr.),  while  the 
mercury  in  the  air  showed  only  19.2°  Eeaum. 
(75° Fahr.)  Even  in  the  middle  of  the  day  the 
temperature  of  the  rain  had  always  been 
somewhat  higher  than  that  of  the  atmosphere. 
The  former  about  twelve  o'clock  was  20.2° 
and  the  latter  at  19.9°.  About  half-past  eight 
on  the  morning  of  the  following  day,  also,  after 
it  had  rained  during  the  whole  night,  the  tem- 
perature of  the  rain  was  at  19.5",  while  the 
thermometer  in  the  air  showed  only  19.4". 
These  observations  should  have  some  weight 
with  those  engaged  in  the  cultivation  of  tro- 
pical plants. 

"  I  found  all  the  Aristolochias  in  the  dis- 
trict of  Caracas  in  flower  during  the  summer 
months  ;  the  fruit  ripenS  in  the  dry  season. 
The  above-mentioned  rains,  though  inces- 
sant in  December,  are  somewhat  extra- 
ordinary, since  the  hilly  parts  of  the  coast 
continue  dry  from  November  till  May,  v/hen 
it  rains  incessantly  from  fourteen  to  twenty 
days,  and  the  dormant  vegetation  soon  again 
becomes  excited.  Owing  to  the  effects  of  the 
north  wind  and  the  damp  cool  sea  breeze,  the 
valleys  become  loaded  with  an  almost  satu- 
rated or  humid  atmosphere,  which  induces  a 
development  of  the  flowei-s  of  the  leguminous 
plants,  which  soon  bestrew  the  barren  ground 
with  their  beautiful  colours.  It  is  said  that 
with  the  north  wind  the  spring  commences, 
when  the  yellow  flowering  cassias,  together 
Avith  the  combretums  and  the  odoriferous 
crotons,  convert  the  sandy  sterile  plains  into 
a  flower  garden  ;  while  the  beautiful  coral- 
like Erythrinas,  with  the  canopy  of  the 
coffees  and  cocoas,  and  their  brilliant  flowers 
concealing  the  naked  branches,  cover  the 
banks  of  the  streams  and  rivers  with  a  gor- 
geous carpet.  About  Christmas  time  the 
acacias  produce  a  brilliant  effect  on  all  the 
hill  sides  near  the  coast." 


THE  IRIS  EROM  SEED. 
The  Iris  is  one  of  the  most  numerous 
families  of  hardy  and  beautiful  flowers,  com- 
prising a  few  bulbous  kinds,  but  consisting  in 
general  of  herbaceous  pei-ennials.  There  are 
some,  but  very  few,  that  are  not  perfectly 
hardy,  but  they  are  the  exceptions— three  or 
four  in  a  hundred,  and  hardly  so  many.  They 


bloom  at  different  times,  some  in  May,  others 
in  June  and  July,  and  a  few  as  early  as  April. 
The  culture  is  so  very  simple,  that  all  gar- 
dens should  have  a  collection  of  the  leading 
sorts.  As  to  colours,  there  is  no  end  to  them 
— blue,  lilac,  violet,  purple,  yellow,  white,  and 
some  with  all  these  colours  varied.  Once 
planted,  they  stand  for  years,  spreading  Avider 
and  wider  in  the  borders.  Many  persons 
who  pretend  to  cultivate  a  few,  merely  take 
off  from  the  patch  some  pieces,  to  reduce  it  to 
a  proper  size,  and  these  pieces  put  in  the 
ground  at  any  other  place  will  grow  as  if  they 
had  been  there  for  years,  and  in  their  turn 
become  large  patches,  to  be  reduced  as  those 
they  come  from  were.  The  cultivation, 
therefore,  is  not  more  difficult  than  that  of 
a  cabbage. 

The  most  interesting  part  of  their  culture  is, 
however,  the  raising  them  from  seed,  as  all  the 
kinds  seed  freely,  and  produce  extraordinary 
crosses  and  changes.  The  seed  may  be  sown 
in  shallow  pans,  or,  if  the  ground  be  very  clear 
of  weeds,  in  the  open  border,  but  pans  are  the 
best.  These  may  be  placed  in  a  cold  frame, 
for  as  autumn  is  the  best  time  for  sowing,  if 
the  young  plants  can  be  protected,  they  may 
be  placed  in  a  cold  frame,  and  there  must  be 
constant  attention  to  keep  them  clear  of  weeds. 
The  young  plants  will  appear  in  spring,  and" 
must  be  regularly  watered  and  shaded,  for  the 
burning  sun  would  destroy  them.  They  may 
be  placed  in  the  open  air  as  soon  as  they  are 
well  e.-tablished,  and  in  a  south  border,  so 
that  they  may  not  have  too  much  sun.  They 
will  continue  growing  until  the  autumn,  when 
their  leaves  Avill  turn  yellowish,  and,  at  all 
events,  they  will  have  grown  all  they  can  grow; 
they  must  now  be  placed  in  the  cold  frame 
again,  and  a  bed  must  be  prepared  as  long  as 
is  necessary,  and  four  feet  wide.  Let  the 
plants  now  be  taken  from  the  soil  in  the  pans. 
If  the  leaves  have  died  down,  the  bulbs,  tubers, 
or  roots,  will  be  there.  Di'aw  from  one  end 
of  the  bed  to  the  other  seven  drills,  about  two 
inches  deep,  and  place  the  roots  therein,  at 
the  most  six  inches  apart,  and  draw  in  the 
mould  upon  them.  If  a  severe  winter  sets  in, 
there  may  be  litter  placed  over  the  bed,  the 
same  as  for  young  radishes  and  salads,  and 
this  litter  must  be  off  in  mild  Aveather  ;  as  the 
spring  advances,  the  plants  Avili  grow,  and 
must  be  kept  A^ery  clear,  the  earth  occasionally 
stirred,  and  not  a  weed  allowed  to  grow. 
Here  they  may  be  continued,  with  no  other 
attention  than  frequent  watering  in  hot  wea- 
ther, occasional  stirring  of  the  earth  when 
rain  has  closed  the  surface,  and  weeding  when 
necessary.  They  will  continue  to  grow  until 
they  bloom,  at  which  time  you  will  observe 
many  curious  sorts,  unlike  the  present,  and 
some  of  them  much  better,  that  is,  unless  you 


rRENCH    MODE    OF    CULTIVATING    THE    MUSHROOM. 


263 


have  been  very  unlucky.  When  they  bloom, 
you  must  go  round  and  examine  them,  making 
your  remarks  upon  such  as  appear  worthy  of 
extra  care,  and  describing  them  exactly  upon 
your  books  or  labels.  The  best  way  is  to 
have  a  number  on  the  label,  and  let  the  corre- 
sponding number  in  a  book  have  the  descrip- 
tion attached,  so  that,  by  referring,  you  may  tell 
what  every  remarkable  one  may  be.  There 
will  be  many  like  the  old  ones,  scarcely  to 
be  distinguished  or  particularized  from  one 
another.  The  sorts  that  are  numbered  and 
described  as  good,  should  be  removed  from 
the  bed  to  the  places  they  are  in  future  to 
flower  in,  directly  the  bloom  has  gone,  and 
all  that  are  not  worthy  should  be  given  away, 
thrown  away,  or  destroyed.  The  selected  seed- 
ling Irises  should  be  named,  and  not  one,  nor 
a  bit  of  one  should  be  parted  with,  unless  the 
name  by  which  it  is  to  go,  goes  with  it.  The 
bulbous  Iris  has  been  cultivated  some  time  by 
many  persons,  and  Mr.  Salter,  of  Shepherd's 
Bush,  used  to  grow  a  splendid  collection  ;  but 
raising  from  seed  applies  to  all  alike,  tube- 
rous, fibrous,  and  bulbous. 


FRENCH     MODE     OF     CULTIVATING     THE 
MUSHROOM. 

This  subject  is  by  no  means  new.  "We 
cannot,  therefore,  say  much  tliat  is  not  al- 
ready well  known,  but  can  only  state  that 
Avhich  many  people  are  ignorant  of.  Our  ob- 
ject is  simply  that  of  rendering  the  culture  of 
mushi-ooms  popular.  In  doing  this,  we  shall 
be  as  lucid  as  possible,  keeping  in  mind  the 
most  successful  and  complete  practice. 

Choice  of  the  Dung  for  the  Muahroom 
Bed. — Horse-dung,  particularly  from  hotels 
or  livery  stables,  is  preferable  to  any  other, 
as  being  more  strongly  impregnated  with 
urine.  Some  people  believe  that  the  dung  of 
mules  yields  the  finest  productions  and  the 
greatest  quantity.  Everything  in  the  shape 
of  hay,  moss,  leaves,  or  cloth-cuttings,  must 
be  carefully  excluded  from  the  dung  about  to 
be  used.  This  precaution  is  very  necessary 
if  we  would  avoid  failures.  The  beds  may  be 
made  either  in  the  autumn  or  the  spring. 

Preparation  of  the  Dung. — After  being 
freed  from  everything  likely  to  form  an  im- 
pediment to  success,  the  dung  is  properly 
turned  with  a  fork,  leaving  it  in  a  heap  of  an 
oblong  form  :  then  the  heap  is  tramped  with 
the  feet,  and  watered  more  or  less,  according 
to  its  condition  and  temperature,  and  finished 
by  being  beaten  with  a  wooden  shovel.  Eight 
or  ten  days  afterwards,  according  to  the  fer- 
mentation, the  same  process  must  be  gone 
through,  carefully  mixing  the  dung  as  it  is 
turned.     After  lying  a  few  days  more,  it  must 


have  a  third  turning,  in  which  the  same  care 
must  be  observed  ;  and  at  every  turning,  the 
heap  ought  to  have  a  fresh  place.  When  the 
dung  has  become  sweet,  and  is  soft  to  the 
touch,  neither  too  dry  nor  too  moist,  it  is  in  a 
fit  condition  to  form  the  bed. 

Construction  of  the  Bed  for  the  open  air. 
— The  dung  having  all  the  qualities  necessary 
to  success,  may  be  removed  to  the  place  al- 
lotted for  the  bed,  and  lifting  it  with  the  fork, 
must  be  placed  so  that  the  bed  may  have  the 
form  of  a  span-roof,  the  sides  sloping  con- 
siderably. If  it  is  required  to  make  several 
beside  each  other,  a  space  must  be  left  be- 
tween as  working  room.  Tiie  length  of  the 
bed  can  be  determined  by  the  produce  re- 
quired. The  dung  must  be  laid  on,  and  placed 
so  that  there  may  be  no  cavities  throughout 
the  whole  ;  and  when  the  bed  has  been  so  far 
made,  it  must  be  finished  by  being  combed 
with  the  fork  or  the  hand,  both  sides  beaten 
with  the  shovel  to  make  them  even,  and  the 
whole  left  in  this  state  during  from  five  to 
eight  days.  A  stick  is  tlirust  into  the  centre, 
so  that  Avhen  drawn  out,  the  heat  may  be  as- 
certained, and  when  a  proper,  that  is  to  say, 
a  gentle  heat,  is  obtained,  the  operation  of 
spajcning  may  be  proceeded  with. 

Construction  of  the  Mushroom  Bed  in 
vaults  or  cellars. — The  dung  is  prepared  out- 
side, as  in  erecting  the  beds  in  the  open  air, 
and  the  turning  and  mixing  being  finished,  it 
is  removed  to  the  cellars.  The  bed  must  be 
carefully  constructed  along  the  wall,  and  so 
as  to  have  only  one  of  the  sides  previously 
described,  unless  it  is  preferred  to  build  it  in 
the  centre  of  the  vault,  Avhen  it  must  have 
two  sides  ;  hovfever,  the  situation  is  optional. 
But,  as  in  the  case  of  the  first,  the  same  rela- 
tive form  should  be  observed.  Beds  may  also 
be  made  on  shelves.  All  outlets  from  the 
vault  must  be  carefully  closed  u]-),  and  the  ab- 
sence of  light  and  air  will  make  up  for  any 
want  of  rough  litter,  which  material  is  neces- 
sary for  the  beds  outside.  These  beds  are 
longer  productive  than  those  constructed  in 
the  open  air  ;  of  the  latter,  however,  we  are 
chiefly  about  to  speak  at  present. 

Choice  of  Mushroom-spawn. —  Of  all  things 
essential  to  success  in  gi'owing  musln'ooms, 
the  most  important  is,  Avithout  doubt,  the 
choice  of  the  spawn.  The  pieces  of  cake 
coming  from  old  beds,  or  those  wJiich  have 
not  been  entirely  exhausted  by  production, 
ought  to  be  employed.  Mushroom  spawn  can 
be  kept  for  more  than  ten  years  in  a  healthy 
place — that  is,  one  which  is  neither  too  dry 
nor  too  damp.  The  cakes,  to  be  good,  ought 
to  be  ramified  and  covered  with  little  white 
fibres,  and  have  a.  particular  smell,  which, 
with  a  little  practice,  Avill  be  very  easily 
knowai. 


264 


IVY    AND    OTHER  UNDERWOOD. 


Themanner  of  spawning. — Spawning  a  bed 
is  the  act  of  introducing  small  pieces  of  the 
spawn  cake  into  the  bed,  at  certain  distances, 
■with  a  wooden  dibble,  or  with  the  hand,  the 
pieces  being  of  equal  sizes.  The  distance  of 
the  holes  from  each  other  may  be  six  or  eight 
inches,  and  their  disposition  after  the  manner 
of  a  chess-board.  Immediately  the  spawn  is 
introduced,  the  dung  must  be  pressed  with 
the  hand,  so  that  the  holes  may  be  well 
covered.  This  done,  the  bed  is  covered  with 
some  long  rough  litter  about  four  inches 
thick. 

In  order  to  ascertain  that  the  spawn  has 
"  taken,"  the  litter  is  removed,  and  if  small 
whitish  filaments  are  seen  at  the  surface,  and 
which  appear  to  be  growing,  it  is  a  certain 
indication  that  the  operation  has  been  success- 
ful. The  bed  is  then  covered  with  earth 
from  two  to  three  inches  thick,  slightly 
damped  if  necessary,  and  then  gently  beaten 
with  the  back  of  the  shovel  to  keep  it  firm. 
This  finished,  the  rough  litter  which  was  pre- 
viously taken  oiF,  is  again  laid  over  the  whole. 

If,  on  visiting  the  bed,  no  trace  of  filaments 
is  visible  outside,  it  may  be  taken  as  a  proof 
that  the  spawn  has  not  taken ;  in  this  case  it 
will  be  necessary  to  put  in  more,  but  not  in 
the  same  holes.  If  at  a  second,  or  even  a 
third  visit,  nothing  is  seen  to  indicate  a  fa- 
vourable result,  it  may  be  safely  inferred  that 
the  bed  has  been  ill-constructed,  the  dung  ill- 
prepared,  or  some  unforeseen  cause  has  formed 
an  obstacle  to  the  success  of  the  undertaking, 
and  nothing  remains  but  to  submit  to  go 
through  the  labour  again. 

A  bed  of  from  eight  to  ten  yards  long,  well 
constructed,  of  good  dung,  will  yield  a  return 
sufficient  for  the  wants  of  a  family  of  eight  or 
ten  persons,  though  gathering  every  other 
day  for  more  than  three  months. 

Conclusion. — Gathering  mushrooms  on  the 
bed  involves  no  liability  to  mistakes  likely  to 
lead  to  serious  consequences.  There  is  no- 
thing in  general  found  among  the  good  sorts, 
but  a  few  copriniis  (coprini),  which  may  be 
easily  distinguished  by  their  conical  form, 
their  feeble  stalks  (stipes),  the  slightness  of 
the  gills  (lamellEe),  and  the  readiness  with 
which  the})-  turn  into  a  dark-coloured  water. 
But  if  mushrooms  are  gathered  in  the  woods, 
mistakes  may  prove  mortal,  as  there  is  found 
in  the  same  places  the  clammy  mushroom 
{Agaricus  illinitus),  with  pink  gills,  but  no 
ring;  the  A.  pontlierimis,  with  the  ring  pre- 
sent, but  whose  gills  are  always  white  ;  and 
especially  the  terrible  bulbous  mushroom 
(A.  muscarhis  ?),  which  has  the  same'distinc- 
tive  character.  In  order,  therefore,  to  be 
sure  of  the  true  mushroom  (A.  campestris), 
we  must  discover,  first,  pink  gills,  passing  to 
the   black,    and    liable    to   turn  into   water ; 


second,  a  ring  (under  the  crown)  ;  third,  a 
stalk  without  an  envelope  (volva)  at  the  base  ; 
fourth,  the  flesh  somewhat  thick,  firm,  and 
of  an  agreeable  smell.  But  it  is  always  safe 
not  to  take  those  which  are  too  far  advanced, 
that  is  to  say,  those  Avhose  gills  have  become 
black  and  the  cap  much  notched,  as  they  are 
indigestible  and  very  exciting. 

After  eating  mushrooms,  should  any  un- 
favourable symptom  occur,  such  as  indiges- 
tion, oppression  at  the  stomach,  nausea,  or  a 
desire  to  vomit,  it  will  be  sufficient  to  drink 
a  little  hot  tea,  or  brandy  in  hot  water,  or 
water  in  which  balm  or  mint  has  been  infused, 
and  not  to  sleep  less  than  ^x  or  eight  hours 
after  taking  the  draught.  If  it  is  apprehended 
that  some  of  the  bad  kinds  have  been  eaten, 
no  time  ought  to  be  lost  in  submitting  to  a 
course  of  vomiting  by  means  of  tepid  water, 
or  by  tickling  the  throat  with  a  greased 
feather. 


IVY    AND    OTHER    UNDERWOOD. 

Ivy  may  be  considered  a  very  curious  kind 
of  underwood,  seeing  that  it  is  a  most  vigo- 
rous climber,  but  it  is  also  one  of  the  best 
possible  carpets  for  the  ground  under  large 
trees.  We  recommended  it  years  ago,  but 
saw  its  failure  more  complete  than  any  other 
failure  that  we  ever  witnessed,  and  that 
entirely  through  the  worst  mismanagement. 
All  gardeners  should  know,  that  close  to  the 
stump  of  a  tree  there  can  be  no  nourishment 
for  anything,  yet  a  score  vigorous  plants  were 
placed  as  near  the  stem  of  a  large  tree  as 
depth  of  soil  to  hide  the  roots  could  be  got, 
and  then  were  trailed  along  the  gi'ound,  but 
in  some  years  had  made  no  progress  worth 
mentioning.  The  only  way  to  make  Ivy  a 
good  carpet  is  to  plant  it  outside,  instead  of 
inside,  and  train  it  along  the  ground  inwards 
towai'ds  the  stump.  Say  a  cedar  has  neither 
grass  nor  any  other  vegetation  under  it  for  a 
circumference  of  thirty  feet  distance,  or  one 
hundred  and  eighty  feet.  Thirty  plants  of 
Ivy  would  reach  all  round  at  six  feet  apart, 
but  as  the  sooner  the  ground  is  covered  the 
better,  use  sixty  plants  three  feet  apart,  and 
let  these  plants  be  well  grown,  with  six  feet 
of  growth  already.  Plant  the  Ivy  all  round 
at  these  distances,  and  peg  the  branches  in- 
wards towards  the  tree,  but  spreading  them 
wide  enough  apart  to  cover  the  ground  as  well 
as  you  can  so  far  as  they  go.  These  plants 
derive  their  noui'ishment  from  a  part  of  the 
ground  where  the  rain  and  air  reach  them 
partially,  and  Avhere  the  influence  of  the  roots 
of  the  tree  does  not  reach  them.  Their  growth 
is  rapid,  and  is  to  be  constantly  directed 
inwards,  and  will  reach  in  an  incredibly  short 
time  the  stump  of  the  tree  itself,  the  ground 


THE    POTENTILLA. 


265 


being  closely  covered  with  Ivy  as  if  it  were  a 
mat  of  it.  Nothing  is  so  sure  as  its  growth, 
for  no  matter  how  barren  the  ground  under 
the  tree,  it  will  progress  so  that  the  roots  are 
but  well  provided  lor.  It  has  another  good 
eifect ;  it  kills  all  sorts  of  weeds  and  other 
vegetation  wherever  it  assumes  the  lead,  and 
when  thoroughly  established,  begins  to  grow 
upwards,  that  is,  assumes  a  shrubby  habit  at 
the  joints.  It  has  this  great  advantage  over 
other  underwood,  it  derives  its  chief  nourish- 
ment far  from  the  barren  place  which  it 
covers,  and  other  underwood  has  to  live  on 
the  place  it  has  to  cover.  The  Berberis 
Aquifolium  and  varieties  will  live  almost  on 
nothing,  and  under  the  most  impenetrable 
shade.  The  St.  John's  Wort,  common  Laurel, 
and  some  other  subjects,  will  exist  in  bad 
soil,  but  the  Ivy  grows  vigorously  and 
healthily  even  if  the  ground  it  has  to  pass 
along  and  cover  were  solid  stone.  It  is  worth 
any  body's  while  to  try  the  experiment  in 
any  barren  place  ;  but  let  the  root  be  at  the 
edge  of  the  starvation  space,  and  so  get  the 
nourishment  it  requires,  while  its  branches 
will  fare  as  well  on  a  surface  of  hard  gravel 
as  it  would  on  a  brick  wall ;  and  we  have  all 
seen  Ivy  many  feet  from  its  ground  root, 
wandering  over  all  sorts  of  surfaces,  from  the 
rough  bark  of  a  tree,  to  the  hard  smooth  sur- 
face of  a  stone  wall.  There  is  not  a  more 
obedient  servant  than  Ivy,  but  he  is  a  bad 
master  ;  he  will  conquer  whatever  he  lays 
hold  of,  if  it  be  an  oak  or  a  stone  wall ; 
nothing  can  resist  his  grasp.  The  roots  will 
insinuate  themselves  into  crevices  of  stone, 
and  raise  a  ton  weight  by  the  mere  operation 
of  swelling  ;  but  nothing  was  ever  more  com- 
pletely under  control.  It  may  be  directed 
any  where,  and  be  made  to  cling  to  any  thing. 
It  may  be  grown  up  a  stump,  to  form  its  own 
head  like  a  tree,  or  be  made  to  cover  a  wall  like 
a  curtain,  or  the  earth  like  a  carpet.  In  short, 
it  is  a  magnificent  evergreen,  adapted  for  a 
thousand  purposes,  trainable  in  any  shape,  and 
not  half  valued,  because  its  worth  is  not  half 
known.  Nothing  was  ever  more  true  than 
the  line  of  the  song, — 

"A  rare  old  plant  is  the  Ivy  green." 


THE  POTENTILLA, 
This  is  one  of  those  plants  which  do  not 
attract  much  attention  in  their  original  state, 
but  which  have  been  rendered  desirable  by 
the  improvements  that  have  been  made  by 
seeding.  The  best  of  the  family  was  the 
PoterUilla  Hojiwoodiana,  which  was  origi- 
nally found  in  a  bed  of  stools,  and  was  sup- 
posed by  some  to  have  been  a  sporting  branch 
of  one  of  the  best  old  ones,  but  by  others  far 
mc  re  likely  to  be  right,  it  was  considered  to  be 


a  self-sown  seedling,  a  natural  cross  between 
a  light  and  a  scarlet.  It  is,  as  growers  well 
know,  a  rich  salmon-coloured  flower,  and  very 
pretty  in  form  and  habit. 

This  flower,  to  be  perfect,  should  be  com- 
pletely circular  and  slightly  cupped,  blooming 
abundantly,  completely  above  the  foliage,  on 
very  thin  but  stiff  wiry,  branches.  The 
colour,  as  in  all  other  flowers,  is  purely  a 
matter  of  taste,  but  the  most  in  repute  are  the 
most  brilliant.  Each  bloom  should  be  the 
size  of  a  half-crown  piece. 

The  culture   of  the   Potentilla   has   been 
quite  neglected,  except  that  it  is  found  among 
the    collections    of    herbaceous    plants,    and 
merely  one  of  a  hundred  subjects  thought  but 
little  of  by  gardeners.     A  collection  of  them 
in  a  bed,   with  the  flowers  well  contrasted, 
would  be  a  very  showy  object,  and  the  follow- 
ing selection  has  been  recommended. 
Atrosanffuinea,  deep  crimson. 
Thomasii,  rich  yellow,  large. 
Insignis,  bright  yellow. 
Russelliana,  crimson  scarlet. 
I'^urmosa,  rose. 
3Ienziesii,  rich  crimson. 
M^Nahiana,  crimson  and  white. 
0' Brienii,  orange. 
Ruhra-Aurantia,  red  and  orange. 
JIo])7voodiana, -pink  and  white,  (salmon,  &c.) 
Brilliant,  rich  bright  scarlet. 
Plantii,  yellow  centre,  scarlet  border. 
These  are  calculated  to  make  a  pretty  little 
collection   to    begin    with,   and  contrast   one 
with  the  other  well  for  colour.     This  plant, 
like  many  others,  would  grow  best  in  good 
rich  loam,  without  any  other  dung  than  had 
fallen  to  its  share  when  it  was  in   pasture 
land  ;  and  as  a  general  rule,  nothing  beats  this 
soil  for  flowers.     Beds  should  be  formed  four 
feet  wide,  and  any  length  the  number  may 
require.     They  should   be  planted   in   three 
rows  down  the  bed  ;  the  rows  should  be  nine 
inches  from  the  side,  and  the  same  from  row 
to  row.     There   are  few  subjects  that  look 
more  pleasing  or  more  showy.     They  will  do 
three   years    without   replanting,    but   when 
done,  the  roots  should  be  parted,  so  that  there 
be  a  good  heart  and  a  bit  of  root  to  each. 
After  watei'ing  them  in,   to  settle  the  earth 
about  the  roots,  they  may  be  left  to  take  care 
of  themselves,  all  but  cleaning  ;  they  must  be 
weeded  from  time  to  time,  but  that  is  all  they 
require.     It  is  a  plant  well   worth  growing 
from  seed  for  the  chance  of  a  new  variety, 
and  if  the  before-mentioned  varieties   were 
placed  in  one  bed,  all  the  seed  saved  from  the 
bed   must   afford   the   very   best    chance    of 
novelty,  because  all  the  colours,  being  placed 
to  grow  in  one  bed,  will  be  crossed  by  the 
insects,  and  no  two  can   be  crossed  without 
making  very  singular  combinations.     When 


266 


GLENNY  S    HAND-BOOK   TO    THE    FLOWER-GARDEN. 


these  flowers  are  shown  for  prizes^  they  must 
be  shown  on  a  single  flower  stem,  and  all  the 
blooms  and  branches  on  it.  They  might  be 
shown  in  stands  or  tubes  of  half-a-dozen  varie- 
ties, and  would  make  a  very  pleasing  change 
in  the  tables  of  flowers.  Like  most  herba- 
ceous perennials  Avhich  increase  rapidly  by 
the  spreading  of  the  roots,  seedlings  have 
been  neglected,  but  it  is  not  too  late  to  begin. 


GLENNY  S  HAND-BOOK  TO    THE  FLOWER- 
GARDEN.  * 

Suppose  it  possible  that  every  writer  had 
written  for  himself,  and  had  given  us  his  own 
sentiments  in  his  own  language,  the  multi- 
plicity of  works  on  gardening  would  seem 
prodigious,  and  there  would  seem  no  excuse 
for  adding  one  to  the  number.  But  as  a 
multitude  of  books  is  not  necessarily  like  a 
"multitude  of  council,"  so  we  cannot  say 
there  is  always  wisdom.  The  truth  is,  and  it 
cannot  be  gainsaid,  that  it  is  now  possible  to 
take  up  twenty  works  on  gardening  without 
discovering  in  the  most  modern  one  new  idea. 
Old  Abercrombie,  in  his  popular  volume, 
"  Every  Man  his  own  Gardener,"  has  fur- 
nished the  writers  of  the  last  half  century 
Avith  all  their  material,  and  the  fact  will  be 
apparent  to  any  one  who  will  take  the  trouble 
to  read  the  original  work  ;  and  all  the  small 
fry  of  garden  literature  that  followed  him 
will  be  found  very  poor  imitators.  This  can 
hardly  be  said  of  a  writer  who  struck  out  into 
a  new  line ;  who  begun  by  treating  of  flowers 
not  previously  mentioned  ;  who  adopted  a 
style  of  his  own,  not  always  admired  for  its 
elegance,  but  generally  approved  for  its  clear- 
ness. Mr.  Glenny  is  an  original  writer.  He 
can  have  copied  from  nobody,  for  he  writes 
like  nobody.  Get  him  into  a  controversy, 
and  he  is  abusive ;  read  him  on  a  matter 
of  garden  practice,  and  where  there  is  nobody 
to  quarrel  with,  and  you  have  more  in  one 
page  than  any  other  writer  gives  in  half-a- 
dozen.  The  work  now  submitted  to  the 
gardening  public  is  a  very  plain-dealing  aifair. 
The  notes  of  Mr.  Glenny's  own  practice  are 
reduced  to  plain  reading ;  they  are  guaranteed 
as  the  result,  or  perhaps  the  origin,  of  suc- 
cessful practice  ;  they  are  neither  borrowed 
nor  compiled  from  other  authors,  but  form  the 
groundwork  of  a  very  successful  horticultural 
career.  They  have  at  different  times  been 
enlarged  upon,  and  elaborate  Treatises  pub- 
lished. Wherever  this  has  been  the  case,  the 
identical  number  of  the  work  in^v/hich  it 
appeared  is  appended  to  the  end  of  the  article; 

*  "  Glenny's  Hand-Book  to  the  Flower-Garden, 
Shrubbery,  and  Greenhouse."  London:  C.  Cox,  12, 
King  William  Street,  Strand. 


so  that  the  Avork  will  form  a  very  excellent 
instructor  on  the  science  of  Floriculture  and 
Gardening,  and  supersede  nine-tenths  of  the 
works  at  present  published.  We  select  an 
example  by  way  of  illustration  of  the  style 
and  matter  of  the  book  : — 

"  LiLiUM  (Lily). — Many  of  these  are  fami- 
liar plants  in  all  gardens.     It  is  a  genus  of 
bulbous-rooted  perennials,    containing   many 
distinct  species,  nearly,  perhaps  quite,  all  of 
them    perfectly    hardy,   or   suflftciently  so  to 
admit  of  their  being  cultivated  in  the  open 
garden.      The    common   lily,    L.    candidum, 
with  white  flowers  in  June ;  the  orange  lily, 
L.  hulhiferum,  Avith   rich    orange  floAvers  in 
June  ;    the    Turk's-caj)    lily,    L.   Martagon, 
flowering    in    July,    with    purple    or    Avhite 
varieties ;    the    scarlet  Martagon,    L,  chalce- 
doniciim,   Avitli    rich    vermilion   blossoms   in 
July  ;  and  the  tiger  lily,  JL.  tigrinum,  with 
pale  red  flowers,  spotted  with  black,  produced 
in   July,    are    among  the  best  of  the  older 
sorts,    and    are    all    very   handsome   garden 
flowers.     These  merely  require  to  be  planted 
in  good  garden  soil.     The  most  beautiful  of 
all  the  kinds,  however,  are  the  more  recently 
introduced,  such  as  Liliuin  speciosum,  or  la7i~ 
dfuliuvi,  and  its  superb  varieties,  pxmctatum, 
roseum,    ridjvum,    album,    &c.      The    plants 
groAv  from  eighteen  inches  to  three  feet  high, 
and  bear  five  or  six  flowers,  (sometimes  many 
more,)   some   variegated,   as  if  rubies   Avere 
stuck  all  over  their  petals,  and  their  petals 
were    formed   of  pearl.      The    varieties    are 
striking,  and  the  flowers  are  much  more  noble 
in  size  than  any  of  the  ordinary  lilies.    Loam, 
from  rotted  turves  cut  thin  and  laid  together, 
tv/o-thirds;  dung,  one-sixth;  turfy  peat,  one- 
sixth,  well  incorporated,  is  a  fine  compost  for 
them ;  and  the  principal  thing  to  look  to  is 
the  health  of  the  root,  the  size  of  the  pot,  and 
the   drainage.     There    should   be    plenty    of 
pot-room.     Let   them    be   placed  in    a   cold 
frame,  and  be  covered  in  bad  or  cold  weather; 
they  Avill  grow  without  any  diflSculty  ;  and  as 
they  rise  too  high  for  the  frame,  remove  them 
to  the  greenhouse,  where  they  will  fliower  in 
great  perfection,   and  retain  their  beauty  a 
long  time  if  shaded  from  the  heat  of  the  sun. 
They  Avill  seed  freely,  and  plants  are  easily 
raised  from  seed.     The  seeds  may  be  placed 
an  inch  apart,  in  pans,    and  placed  in  heat. 
When  up,  let  them  be  removed  to  the  green- 
house, and  be  undisturbed  two  seasons.    They 
may  then  be  placed  in  sixty-sized  pots  (three 
inches  across),  and  grown  until  they  are  filled 
with  roots  ;  then    removed   to    larger,    until 
they  flower.      The}''  are  multiplied  by  offsets, 
Avhich   form    round    the    old    roots.      These 
varieties  are,  however,  sufficiently  hardy  to 
grow  in  the  open  air,  if  the  beds  are  covered 
Avith    some    light    compost    in    Avinter  ;   and. 


LOASxV    PICTA. 


267' 


grown  in  tlie  open  air,  tliey  form  fine  autumn 
blooming  subjects." 

"  HovEA. — A  handsome  family  of  green- 
house evergreen  shrubs,  comprising  a  con- 
siderable number  of  species,  among  which 
there  is  proportionate  variety,  in  size  and 
habit :  they  are  I'ree-growing  subjects.  The 
flowers  of  all  are  of  some  shade  of  purple  or 
blue,  and  of  the  shape  of  those  of  the  pea, 
which  form  is  called  butterfly-shaped  ;  and 
hence,  papilionaceous,  from  papilio,  a  name 
given  to  butterflies.  The  most  beautiful  of 
the  whole  family  is  Hovea  UidfoUa,  the 
leaves  of  which  are  bright,  and  something 
like  those  of  a  small  holly.  This  family  of 
plants  requires  a  light  fresh  soil,  but  not  a 
rich  one  :  one-third  loam  and  two- thirds  peat 
will  answer  welh  The  drainage  must  be 
good  ;  as  much  as  one-third  of  the  ordinary- 
formed  pots  should  be  filled  with  crocks,  and 
they  should  be  watered  with  clean  rain-water, 
if  possible.  Cuttings  will  strike  in  sand  upon 
the  ordinary  compost ;  an  inch  of  sand,  well 
saturated  with  water,  should  be  prepared  on  a 
level  surface  of  the  compost.  The  cuttings, 
which  should  be  the  tips  of  unblooming  shoots, 
should  be  taken  two  inches  long,  the  leaves 
cut  off  the  lower  inch,  without  bruising  or 
touching  the  bark  ;  and  these  should  be  stuck 
in  the  sand,  and  covered  with  a  bell-glass. 
A  slight  bottom  heat  contributes  to  facilitate 
the  striking.  Dui'ing  the  time  the  cuttings 
are  striking,  the  glass  should  be  taken  off 
daily,  and  wiped  dry  inside  ;  and  they  must 
on  no  account  lack  moisture.  When  they 
have  begun  to  grow,  the  glass  may  be  left  off 
an  hour  every  day.  During  the  whole  time 
they  must  be  shaded  by  putting  a  paper  cap 
over  the  sunny  side  of  the  glass.  When  they 
have  struck,  they  must  be  potted  into  the 
smallest- sized  pots  (three-inch,  or  sixties), 
and  kept  the  same  depth  that  they  were  in 
the  cutting-pot  ; — on  no  account  must  they 
be  sunk  deeper.  They  may  now  be  placed 
near  the  glass  in  the  greenhouse,  merely  pro- 
tected from  the  scorching  mid-day  sun,  and 
watered  daily  as  to  their  moisture,  which 
must  be  on  no  account  neglected.  Their 
tops  may  be  pinched  out  as  soon  as  they  are 
fairly  established,  and  this  will  encourage 
lateral  shoots.  As  soon  as  the  pots  fill  with 
roots,  let  them  be  changed  for  a  size  larger, 
keeping  to  the  same  compost,  and  taking  care 
not  to  bruise  the  fibres  which  are  exposed 
outside  the  ball  of  earth.  They  may  be 
allowed  as  much  air  as  possible  in  mild 
weather  ;  and  if  any  of  the  latei'al  shoots  are 
growing  too  vigorously,  let  them  be  topped, 
for,  excepting  H.  ilicifolia,  they  all  incline 
to  make  long  shoots.  In  this  way  may  the 
plants  be  grown  from  pot  to  pot,  until  they 
form,   first,  handsome  little,    and   ultimately 


handsome  large  plants.  Those  Avho  are  anxious 
to  form  large  specimens  in  a  short  time,  will 
pick  off  the  buds  of  flowers  while  the  plants 
are  small.  It  is  f;u-  better  to  let  them  take 
their  natural  chance,  and  bloom  in  season. 
When  the  flowers  decay,  by  all  means  remove 
the  decaying  flowers  ;  because  the  formation 
of  seed-pods  would  retard  the  growth,  and 
prevent  them  from  growing  handsome.  To 
raise  them  from  seed,  sow  in  pans,  or  wide- 
mouthed  pots,  and  place  them  in  the  green- 
house, where,  as  soon  as  they  are  up,  they 
must  be  kept  clear  of  weeds,  and  be  occa- 
sionally watered,  until  they  are  large  enough 
to  prick  out  in  other  pans,  an  inch  and  a  half 
apart.  Here  they  may  grow  till  they  are 
large  enough  to  pot  singly,  when  they  must 
be  treated  exactly  like  cuttings.  The  Hovea 
ilicifolia  has  purple  flowers.  Other  hand- 
some kinds  are  II.  Celsii,  blu^  ;  II.  ]m?igens, 
blue ;  and  H.  splendens,  blue  :  they  bloom  in 
April  and  May." 


LOASA    PICTA. 

Loam,  ficta,  Hooker  (painted  flowered 
Loasa). — Loasaceje. 

This  is  a  very  pretty  annual,  and  is  likely 
to  prove  useful  for  the  flower  garden,  as  a 
bedding  plant.  The  Loasas,  however,  are  fur- 
nished with  stinging  hairs,  which  is  some 
objection  to  them,  as  they  are  in  consequence 
not  at  all  fit  for  bouquets,  or,  in  fact,  for  plac- 
ing in  any  position  where  they  are  likely  to 
be  "  handled."  The  flowers  are,  however, 
extremely  pretty,  and  being  quite  unlike  those 
of  any  other  plants,  they  may  be  fltly  intro- 
duced to  situations  where  they  may  only  be 
"  looked  at." 

Several  species  have  been  introduced,  but 
these  have,  from  the  reason  just  pointed  out, 
been  in  great  measure  neglected,  with  the 
exception  of  one  or  two  climbing  species, 
L.  lateritia,  and  L.  Herbertii,  which  have 
orange-red  flowers,  and  are  very  useful  as 
well  as  ornamental  climbers,  both  for  the 
flower  garden  and  greenhouse.  The  former 
is  the  larger  growing  of  the  two. 

Loasa  jiicta  is  an  annual.  The  stems 
grow  about  a  foot  high,  nearly  erect,  but 
slender,  and  branched.  The  alternately-i^laced 
lower  leaves  are  rhomb-ovate,  pointed,  acutely 
lobed,  and  serrated ;  they  are  attached  by 
stalks,  and  are  from  two  to  three  inches  long. 
The  leaves  on  the  upper  part  of  the  plant 
are  not  stalked,  and  are  lance- shaped  in  out- 
line, the  margins  being  coarsely  serrate.  The 
numerous  branches  terminate  in  somewhat 
leafy  racemes  ot"  flowers ;  these  are  attached 
by  long  peduncles,  and  are  turned  down- 
wards ;  they  are  also  large  for  the  size  of  the 
plant,  being  nearly  an  inch  and  a  half  in  ex- 


268 


THE    RHODODENDRONS    OF    SIKKIM-HIMALAYA. 


pansion.  The  corolla  consists  of  five  obovate 
cucuUate  petals,  which  are  reflexed  ;  these 
are  hairy  at  the  back,  and  the  lower  half  of 
them  is  bright  yellow,  the  rest  white.  The 
clusters  of  numerous  stamens  project  con- 
siderably from  the  point  of  the  insertion  of 
the  petals.  Enveloping  the  base  of  the 
stamens,  is  a  series  of  five  petaloid  scales  or 
nectaries  ;  these  are  white,  beautifully  mot- 
tled with  red  ;  their  form  is  ovate-acuminate, 
cucuUate  at  the  base,  and  bifid  at  the  apex. 
The  flowers,  which  are  numerous,  are  pro- 
duced for  a  considerable  time  in  succession 
through  the  summer  months,  in  season  de- 
pending upon  the  period  of  sowing.  The 
branches,  stems,  and  leaves,  are  clothed  with 
stinging  hairs. 

The  species  is  a  native  of  Chacapoyas,  in 
the  Andes  of  South  America.  It  was  sent  to 
England  by  Mr.  W.  Lobb,  by  whom  seeds 
were  forwarded  to  Messrs.  Veitch  of  Exeter. 
From  these  seeds,  plants  were  raised,  which 
came  into  bloom  in  December,  1848. 


This  plant  may  be  grown  as  a  half-hardy 
annual  ;  that  is  to  say,  it  should  be  sown  in 
April,  in  a  frame  or  pit,  and  by  the  end  of 
May,  planted  out  in  the  flower  garden.  There 
is  reason  to  believe,  that  it  will  make  a  pretty 
plant  for  bedding.  The  gracefully  disposed 
blossoms,  yellow  and  white  with  a  red  eye, 
make  it  very  attractive,  when  there  is  a  pro- 
fusion of  them  together. 

Of  course,  such  a  plant  is  increased  by  the 
seeds,  which  in  these  Loasas  are  generally 
produced  very  abundantly. 

There  is  one  peculiarity  in  many,  perhaps 
all,  of  these  Loasas,  which  is  worth  pointing 
out.  The  stamens,  which  are  usually  seen 
to  be  standing  together  in  a  bundle,  projecting 
from  the  centre  of  the  blossoms,  at  first  lie 
in  five  sets  along  the  hollow  of  each  petal. 
When  the  stigma  has  about  attained  maturity, 
the  stamens  spring  up  erect,  each  set  in  its 
turn,  in  order  to  fertilize  the  stigma,  and 
when  this  is  completed,  they  relapse  again  into 
their  former  position. 


Rhododendron  Dalhousioe. 
THE  RHODODENDRONS  OF  SIKKIM-HIMALAYA.* 


The  kingdom  of  Rhododendrons,  has,  so 
to  speak,  not  escaped  intact  in  these  days  of 
commotion  and  revolution  ;  at  least",  this  may 


*  "  The  Ehododendrons  of  Sikkim-Himalaya ;  being 
an  Account,  Botanical  and  Geographical,  of  the  Rlio- 
dodendrons  recently  discovered  in  the  Mountains  of 


be  said  to  be  the  case  in  respect  to  the  popu- 
lar notions  respecting  it.  A  few  years  since, 
the  horticulturist,  not  being  also  a  botanist, 

Eastern  Himalaya,  &c."  By  J.  D.  Hooker,  R.N.,  M.D., 
F.R.S.,  &c.  Edited  by  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  K.H.,  D.C.L., 
&c.  &c.     London:  Reeve,  Eenham  &  Reeve. 


THE  RHODODENDRONS  OE  SIKKIM-HIMALATA. 


269 


and  amateur  cultivators  of  every  grade,  knew 
nothing  of  Rhododendrons,  except  as  a  race 
of  evergreen  shrubs,  requiring  to  be  planted 
in  what  is  called  peat  earth.  The  Rhododen- 
drons were,  in  fact,  looked  on  as  being,  what 
indeed,  they  are,  the  leading  family  of  the 
"  American"  plants,  growing  like  ordinary 
shrtibs,  with  their  roots  planted  in  the  earth. 
To  botanists,  however,  it  was  known  that 
there  existed  a  race  in  the  Eastern  Islands, 
which,  instead  of  growing  in  the  soil,  like  the 
majority  of  plants,  fixed  themselves  by  means 
of  their  rootlets  to  the  trunks  and  branches  of 
trees,  deriving  their  nourishment  from  the 
warmth  and  moisture  of  the  atmosphere. 
Some  species  having  this  habit  were  formerly 
made  known  by  Blume,  as  inhabitants  of  the 
island  of  Java,  where  it  appears  there  are 
several  kinds  of  this  habit.  Three  or  four 
other  species,  of  the  same  manner  of  growth, 
were  introduced  to  public  notice  about  twelve 
months  since,  on  the  return  of  Mr.  Low,  jun., 
from  the  isle  of  Borneo ;  and  these  being 
published  in  the  "  Journal  of  the  Horticul- 
tural Society^''  the  gardening  community  were, 
in  some  degree,  prepared  for  the  necessity 
which  now  exists  of  abandoning  the  former 
notions  as  to  habit  and  form,  at  least,  of  what 
constitutes  a  Rhododendron. 

But  this  is  not  all.  Dr.  Hooker,  now  em- 
ployed in  a  government  botanical  mission 
among  the  mountains  of  India,  has  discovered 
sevei-al  very  distinct  species,  and  among  them 
the  noblest  of  the  whole  race  yet  known, 
whether  it  be  in  respect  to  the  size,  form,  fra- 
grance, or  delicate  colouring  of  its  blossoms; 
and  this,  too,  of  epiphytal  habits,  growing 
entirely  on  the  trunks  of  immense  forest  trees, 
its  roots  ramifying  among  the  mosses  and 
lichens  which  clothe  their  enormous  trunks. 

"  Thus,"  writes  Dr.  Lindley,  "  with  four 
species  from  Borneo,  cne  from  Java,  and  one 
from  Sikkim,  we  have  now  no  fewer  than  six 
epiphytes  in  a  genus  which,  a  few  years  since, 
was  not  known  to  contain  one.  This  is  not, 
perhaps,  a  very  surprising  thing,  for,  after  all, 
the  only  difference  between  an  epiphyte  and  a 
terrestrial  plant  is  one  of  drainage;  the  former 
grows  in  soil,  on  the  branches  of  trees,  where 
no  water  can  lodge,  though  much  may  fall, 
and  the  latter  in  soil  which  is  liable  to  becom- 
ing water-logged.  It  would  be  a  curious 
experiment  to  try  how  the  common  Indian 
Rhododendrons  would  succeed  as  epiphytes 
n  damp  greenhouses." 

Of  eleven  species  obtained  by  Dr.  Hooker 
on  the  Sikkim-Himalaya,  nine  were  found  to 
be  previously  unknown  to  science;  and  the 
work  whose  title  is  quoted  at  the  commence- 
ment of  these  remarks,  consists  of  admirable 
representations  and  descriptions  of  these  novel 
and  splendid  shrub?,  from  materials  obtained 


on  the  spot,  and  transmitted  to  England  for 
publication. 

This  work  on  the  Rhododendrons  of  Sik- 
kim-Himalaya, is  published  in  imperial  folio, 
with  beautiful  coloured  representations  of  ten 
out  of  the  eleven  species  discovered  in  the 
region,  the  eleventh  not  being  found  in  flower. 
It  contains  some  prefatory  observations  on  the 
locality,  and  an  historical  sketch  of  the  genus, 
by  the  Editor,  Sir  "W.  J.  Hooker ;  with  re- 
marks on  the  distribution  of  the  new  species, 
and  detailed  descriptions  accompanying  the 
plates,  from  the  pen  of  Dr.  Hooker.  Both 
the  author  and  editor,  as  well  as  the  engravers^, 
printers,  and  publishers,  have  "  well  done" 
what  they  have  done  in  this  matter. 

Darjeeling,  the  locality  of  the  country  in 
which  these  Rhododendrons  were  found,  lies, 
we  are  told,  in  the  Sikkim  portion  of  the 
Himalaya;  and  is  situated  in  lat.  27°  N.,  and 
long,  the  same  as  Calcutta,  from  which  it  is 
distant  about  380  miles.  Its  elevation  above 
the  sea  is  7,200  feet.  The  mean  temperature 
of  the  year  is  about  55°  Fahr.  ;  and  that  of 
each  month  is  given  in  the  following  Table, 
in  which,  for  the  sake  of  comparison,  we  have 
added  that  of  London,  the  mean  temperature 
of  which  for  the  year  is  49°  3' : — 

London.  Darjeeling. 

37°  8'  -  -  -  -  January 41° 

37"  1'  -  -  -  -  February     43° 

42°  2'  -  -  -  -  March 53°  50' 

47°  1' April     57° 

53°  6'  -  -  .  -  May 59° 

61"  1'  -  -  -  -  June 64° 

61°  5' July 65°  . 

61     2'  -  -  -  -  August 65° 

57°  -  -  -  -  September 61°  50' 

49°  3'  -  -  -  -  October 58"  50' 

44    6'  -  -  -  -  November 48° 

40° December 44° 

"  The  mountain  Sinchul,  upon  a  spur  of 
which,  looking  north,  Darjeeling  stands,  attains 
an  elevation  of  9,000  feet ;  and  to  the  west  of 
it,  next  Nepal,  rises  another  conspicuous 
mountain,  Tonglo,  reaching  a  height  of  10,000 
feet.  Due  north  of  Darjeeling,  at  a  distance 
of  only  60  miles,  the  horizon  is  bounded  by 
the  great  snowy  range,  having  for  its  prin- 
cipal feature  the  peak  of  Kinchin-junga,  which 
has  lately  been  ascertained  to  be  28,172  feet 
in  elevation,  the  loftiest  mountain  yet  known 
in  the  world.  Dr.  Hooker  thus  describes  his 
first  impressions  of  this  scene: — '  Much  as  I 
had  heard  and  read  of  the  magnificence  and 
beauty  of  Himalayan  scenery,  my  highest 
expectations  have  been  surpassed  !  I  arrived 
at  Darjeeling  on  a  rainy  misty  day,  which  did 
not  allow  me  to  see  ten  yards  in  any  direc- 
tion, much  less  to  descry  the  snowy  range, 
distant  60  miles  in  a  straight  line.  Early 
next  morning,  I  caught  my  first  view ;  and 
I  literally  held  my  breath  in  awe  and  admi- 


270 


THE    RHODODENDRONS    OE    SIKKIM-HIMALAYA. 


ration.  Six  or  seven  successive  ranges  of 
Ibrest-clad  mountains,  as  high  as  that  where- 
on I  stood,  (8,000  feet,)  intervened  between 
me  and  a  dazzling  white  pile  of  snow-clad 
mountains,  among  which  the  giant  peak  of 
Kinchin-junga  rose  20,000  feet  ahoce  the 
lofty  point  from  which  I  gazed !  The  hea- 
ven-wai-d  outline  was  projected  against  a  pale 
blue  sky,  while  little  detached  patches  of  mist 
clung  here  and  there  to  the  highest  peaks, 
and  were  tinged  golden-yellow,  or  rosy-red, 
by  the  rising  sun,  which  touched  those  ele- 
vated points  long  before  it  reached  the  lower 
position  which  I  occupied. 

"  '  Such  is  the  aspect  of  the  Himalayan 
range  at  early  morning.  As  the  sun's  rays 
dart  into  the  many  valleys  which  lie  between 
the  snowy  mountains  and  Darjeeling,  the  stag- 
nant air  contained  in  the  low  recesses  becomes 
quickly  heated ;  heavy  masses  of  vapour, 
dense,  white,  and  keenly  defined,  arise  from 
the  hollows,  meet  over  the  crests  of  the  hills, 
cling  to  the  forests  on  their  summits,  enlarge, 
unite  and  ascend  rapidly  to  the  rarefied  regions 
above ;  a  phenomenon  so  suddenly  developed, 
that  the  consequent;  withdrawal  from  the 
spectator's  gaze  of  the  stupendous  scenery 
beyond,  looks  like  the  work  of  magic'  Such 
is. the  region  of  the  Indian  Rhododendrons." 

"  The  maximum  of  Rhododendrons  appears 
to  be  in  Asia,  and  their  head-quarters  are  on 
the  lofty  ranges  of  the  eastern  Himalaya, 
where  the  mild  and  moist  atmosphere  is  emi- 
nently suited  to  their  habit." 

It  would  thus  appear  that  a  warm  and 
damp  climate  is  that  naturally  afforded  to 
these  fine  shrubs ;  and  what  is  most  signifi- 
cant as  regards  the  probability  of  cultivating 
them  in  the  open  air  in  England,  is  this  fact, 
that  the  winters  they  have  naturally  to  bear 
are  mild  winters.  "  A  certain  degree  of 
winter  cold  and  perpetual  humidity  is  neces- 
sary, but  the  summer  heat  is  quite  tropical 
where  some  of  the  genus  prevail,  and  snow 
rarely  falls,  and  never  rests  on  several  of 
those  peculiar  to  Sikkim."  In  the  case  of 
R.  Falconeri,  which  grows  on  the  summit  of 
Tonglo,  at  an  elevation  of  10,000  feet.  Dr. 
Hooker  remarks,  that  the  temperature  of  the 
earth  in  which  it  grew  was,  in  the  middle  of 
May,  at  27  inches  below  the  surface,  where 
the  roots  are  chiefly  developed,  49°  5'  at  all 
hours  of  the  day ;  that  of  the  air  varied  from 
50-  to  60°. 

These  observations,  and  the  mean  tempera- 
tures previously  quoted,  show,  as  is  well  re- 
marked in  the  Gardener'' s  Journal,J.\i?it  spring 
and  not  mid-winter  is  the  season  of  trial,  not 
only  in  the  case  of  the  Indian  Rhododendrons, 
but  in  that  of  very  many  other  half-hardy 
plants  from  various  parts  of  the  world,  espe- 
cially from  the  mountain  regions  of  India  and 


South  America.  Comparing  the  figures  just 
referred  to,  it  will  be  seen  that  during  the 
months  of  November,  December,  and  Janu- 
ary, the  difference  in  the  mean  temperatures  of 
London  and  Darjeeling  is  about  4°  only,  and 
the  same  difference  is  indicated  for  the  months 
of  July,  August,  and  September.  On  jthe 
other  hand,  February  and  May,  the  transition 
months  between  winter  and  spring,  and  spring 
and  summer,  show  a  difference  of  6°  ;  the 
spring  months  of  March  and  April,  a  differ- 
ence of  11°  and  10°  respectively  ;  and  in  au- 
tumn, too,  as  shown  in  October,  the  difference 
is  9°.  "  Here,"  as  the  journal  above  referred 
to  observes,  "  we  have  a  solution  of  the  cause 
of  our  want  of  success  in  cultivating  tender 
plants  in  the  variable  climate  of  Great  Bri- 
tain :  our  springs  are  late,  and  cold,  and 
changeable ;  and  while  the  winters  and  sum- 
mers of  Darjeeling  and  London  differ  but  3° 
or  4°,  the  springs  and  autumns  show  a  differ- 
ence of  10°  and  12°.  This  accounts  for  the 
excitable  nature  and  early  growth  of  many  of 
our  half-hardy  Indian  plants,  as  well  as  the 
tendency  of  many  such  to  grow  to  a  late  period 
of  the  autumn." 

But  though  we  cannot  hope  to  grow  these 
fine  things,  except  in  some  of  the  most  favoured 
parts  of  England  and  Ireland,  yet  the  dis- 
covery, and  the  probable  speedy  introduction 
of  them,  are  matters  of  great  horticultural  in- 
terest. "  It  is  true  that  plants  originally  ten- 
[  der  will  always  remain  tender  ;  and  there  is, 
!  therefore,  but  small  hope  that  we  can  ever 
accustom  these  glorious  tree  Rhododendrons 
to  forget  the  earlier  springs  and  autumns  of 
Sikkim-Himalaya,  and  so  perform  all  the 
necessary  functions  of  growth  within  our  four 
or  five  summer  months,  instead  of  extending 
it,  as  in  India,  over  eight  or  nine  ;  but,  never- 
theless, the  skill  of  the  cultivator  has  already 
turned  to  his  use  the  valuable  property  of 
colour  in  the  tree  Rhododendron  of  Nepal ; 
and  he  will  assuredly  try,  nor  is  he  likely  to 
fail,  to  extract  from  these  tender  kinds  a  still 
richer  product." 

The  distribution  of  the  Rhododendrons  is 
thus  sketched  by  Dr.  Hooker : — "  The  sub- 
Himalayan  mountains  are  surely  the  centrum 
of  this  truly  fine  genus,  distinguished  by  the 
number  and  variety  of  its  species  and  groups, 
by  the  great  size  and  eminent  beauty  of  several, 
which  form  conspicuous  features  in  the  laud- 
scape  over  many  degrees  of  longitude,  through 
a  great  variety  of  elevations,  and  clothe  a  vast 
amount  of  surface.  The  Neelgherries,  Cey- 
lon, and  the  Malay  Archipelago,  contain  each 
some  species  which  prove  the  affinity  of  their 
floras  to  that  of  the  Himalaya.  The  same  is 
the  case  with  the  great  mountains  of  Northern 
Asia,  Central,  Southern,  and  especially  Eastern 
Europe,  the  Ural,  and  Pontus.     The  genus 


THE    RHODODENDRONS    0¥    SIKKIM-HIMALAYA. 


271 


extends  even  to  the  Polar  region?,  diminish- 
ing in  the  size  of  the  species  and  number  as 
we  recede  from  the  Himalaya.  In  North 
America  they  appear  again,  though  under  a 
very  different  aspect  from  that  they  present 
on  the  sub-tropical  mountains  of  Asia.  *  *  * 
In  north-west  India  the  genus  Rhododendron 
is  first  seen  on  the  Kunawar  hills,  and,  ad- 
vancing east,  follows  the  sub-Himalayan  range 
for  its  whole  length,  the  species  increasing  in 
number  as  far  as  Sikkim  and  Bootan  ;  thence 
the  genus  is  continued  to  the  Mishmee  hills, 
the  eastern  extremity  of  the  range,  crossing 
the  Brahmaputra  to  that  lofty  range  which 
divides  the  water-shed  of  the  Irawaddi  from 
that  of  the  Brahmaputra.  Though  scarcely 
found  throughout  this  long  line  of  upwards  of 
1,200  miles,  below  4,000  feet,  the  Rhododen- 
drons still  affect  a  warm  damp  climate,  where 
the  winters  are  mild.  The  English  naturalist, 
who  is  only  familiar  with  the  comparatively 
small  hardy  American  and  European  species, 
would  scarcely  expect  this.  *  *  *  H.  arho- 
reum,  according  to  Captain  Madden,  inhabits 
various  localities  between  3,000  and  10,000 
feet :  this  is  in  Kamaoon,  where,  of  course,  the 
genus  would  descend  lowest,  and  the  range  is 
incomparably  greater  than  that  of  any  other 
species,  at  least  of  those  found  in  Sikkim. 
Dr.  Grriffith,  after  extensive  wanderings  in 
Bootan,  gives  the  limits  of  the  genus  in  that 
country  as  between  4,292  and  12,478  feet, 
which  is  a  lower  level  by  3,000  feet  than  they 
are  known  to  descend  to  in  Sikkim.  In  the 
extreme  east  of  Assam,  where  the  Himalaya 
itself  diverges,  or  sends  lofty  spurs  to  stem 
the  Brahmaputra,  on  the  Phien  pass  to  Ava, 
Rhododrendrons  ascend  from  5,400  to  12,000 
feet,  to  the  upper  limit  of  arboreous  vege- 
tation. 

"  Westward  again,  as  far  indeed  as  the  west- 
ern termination  of  the  Himalayaj  the  species 
descend  lower  than  in  Bootan  :  an  anomalous 
fact,  for  which,  in  our  ignorance  of  the  con- 
trasting features  which  may  distinguish  the 
Eastern  from  the  Central  Plimalaya,  I  can 
only  assign  conjectural  causes.  Among  these 
may  be  the  proximity  of  tlie  ocean  to  the 
Sikkim  portion  of  the  range,  and  the  presence 
of  heavy  mountain  masses,  covered  with  win- 
ter, and  even  perpetual  snow,  to  the  south  and 
east  of  the  upper  extremity  of  the  Brahma- 
putra, whereas  the  genus  is  found  nearly  2,000 
feet  lower  than  in  Sikkim.  The  descent  of 
tlie  snow  line  in  Upper  Assam  to  14,000  or 
15,000  feet,  is  no  doubt  due  to  the  same 
causes,  and  this  is  a  most  remarkable  fact. 
Uniformity  of  temperature,  excessive  humid- 
ity, and  a  broken  surface,  produce  the  same 
effect  here  as  in  the  high  southern  and  ant- 
arctic latitudes — favouring  the  formation  of 
snow  and  its  permanence,  and  also  extending 


the  range  of  tropical  forms  upwards  to  a 
greater  elevation,  and  the  descent  of  temperate 
or  arctic  forms  to  a  lower  one.     *     *     * 

"  Only  four  species.  It.  DalhousicB,  M. 
CamphellicB,  R.  argenieum,  and  B.  wrboreum, 
grow  near  Darjeeling.  The  second  and  fourth 
form  scattered  bushes  at  7,500  and  8,000  feet ; 
the  M.  argenteum  is  a  small  tree,  at  8,000  or 
9,000  feet. 

"  It  was  on  the  ascent  of  Tonglo,  a  moun- 
tain on  the  Nepalese  frontier,  that  I  beheld 
the  Rhododendrons  in  all  their  magnificence 
and  luxuriance.  At  7,000  feet,  where  the 
woods  Avere  still  dense  and  sub-tropical,  min- 
gling with  ferns,  pothos,  peppers,  and  figs,  the 
ground  was  strewed  with  the  large  lily-like 
flowers  of  R.  Dalhoiisice,  dropping  from  the 
epiphytal  plants,  or  the  enormous  oaks  over- 
head, and  mixed  with  the  egg-like  flowers  of 
a  new  Magnoliaceous  tree,  which  fall  before 
expanding,  and  diffuse  a  powerful  aromatic 
odour,  more  strong  but  far  less  sweet  than  that 
of  the  Rhododendron.  So  conspicuous  were 
these  two  blossoms,  that  my  rude  guides  called 
out,  '  Here  are  lilies  and  eggs,  sir,  growing 
out  of  the  ground  !^  No  bad  comparison. 
[Above  this  occurs  R.  arhoremii].  Along  the 
flat  ridges,  towards  the  top,  the  Yew  appears 
with  scattered  trees  of  R.  argenteum,  suc- 
ceeded by  R.  CampheUia^.  At  the  very  sum- 
mit, the  majority  of  the  wood  consists  of  this 
last  species,  amongst  which,  and  next  in 
abundance,  occurs  the  R.  harhatum,  with 
here  and  there,  especially  on  the  eastern  slopes, 
R.  Falconeri. 

"  The  habits  of  the  species  of  Rhododen- 
dron differ  considerably  ;  and  confined  as  I  was 
to  one  favourable  spot  by  a  deluge  of  rain, 
I  had  ample  time  to  observe  four  of  them. 
R.  Cavipbellice,  the  only  one  in  full  flower 
early  in  May,  is  the  most  prevalent.  Some 
were  a  mass  of  scarlet  blossom,  displaying  a 
sylvan  scene  of  the  most  gorgeous  description. 
Many  of  their  trunks  spread  from  the  centre 
thirty  or  forty  feet  every  way,  and  together 
form  a  hemispherical  mass  often  forty  yards 
across,  and  from  twenty  to  twenty-five  feet  in 
height !  The  stems  and  branches  of  these 
aged  trees,  gnarled  and  rugged,  the  bark  dark 
coloured,  and  clothed  with  spongy  moss,  often 
bend  down  and  touch  the  ground :  the  foliage, 
moreover,  is  scanty,  dark  green,  and  far  from 
graceful,  so  that,  notwithstanding  the  gorgeous 
colouring  of  the  blossoms,  the  treeswhen  out 
of  flower,  like  the  Fuchsias  of  Cape  Horn,  are 
the  gloomy  denizens  of  a  most  gloomy  region. 
R.  Camphelliw  and  R.  larbatum  I  observed 
to  fringe  a  little  swampy  tarn  on  the  summit 
of  the  mountain — a  peculiarly  chilly-looking 
small  lake,  bordered  with  sphagnum,  and  half- 
choked  with  Carices  and  other  sedges  :  the 
atmosphere   was   loaded  with  mist,  and  the 


272 


THE   EHODODENDRONS    OF    SIKKIM-HIMALAYA. 


place  seemed  as  if  it  would  be  aguish  if  it 
could,  but  was  checked  by  the  cold  climate. 
R.  barbatum  had  almost  passed  its  flowering 
season  ;  it  is  a  less  abundant  and  smaller  tree 
than  the  last  mentioned,  but  more  beautiful, 
with  brighter  green  and  denser  foliage,  clear 
papery  light-coloured  bark,  the  whole  forming 
a  more  picturesque  mass. 

"  Along  the  north-east  and  exposed  ridges 
only  grow  the  R.  Falconeri,  in  foliage  incom- 
parably the  finest." 

We  shall  now  pa=s  on  to  notice  the  new 
species  of  Rhododendron,  which  this  portion 
of  the  Himalayas  has  afforded.  Dr.  Hooker 
found  eleven  kinds  in  the  district  which  he 
explored,  but  of  these,  one  was  the  R.  barba- 
tum of  Wallich,  a  species  already  known  and 
introduced  to  England,  and  proved  to  be 
capable  of  bearing  our  ordinary  winters  in 
the  climate  of  Chester ;  and  another  was  the 
original  R.  arboreum  of  Smith,  a  kind  so 
mixed  up  in  our  gardens  with  the  various 
hybrid  or  cross-bred  races  to  which  it  has 
given  rise,  as  to  be  now  seldom  recognised. 
The  remaining  species  were  the  following,  of 
which  the  descriptive  particulars  are  abbre- 
viated from  Dr.  Hooker's  more  detailed  and 
ample  account. 

Rhoclodeyidron  Dalhousice,  Hooker  fil. 
(Lady  Dalhousie's  Rhododendron), — A  shrub 
six  to  eight  feet  high,  growing  on  the  trunks 
of  large  trees.  The  branches  bear  leaves  and 
flowers  only  at  their  extremities.  The  leaves 
ai-e  few,  four  to  five  inches  long,  elliptic-obo- 
vate,  somewhat  leathery,  and  of  a  darkish 
green  colour,  paler  beneath.  The  flowers 
grow  from  three  to  seven,  in  terminal  um- 
bellate heads,  which  spread  wider  than  the 
leaves.  The  blossoms  are  bell-shaped,  very 
large,  three  inches  and  a  half  to  four  and  a 
half  long,  and  as  much  across  the  mouth, 
white,  with  an  occasional  tinge  of  rose,  very 
fragrant,  the  odour  partaking  of  that  of  the 
lemon.  The  flowers  in  age  become  more 
roseate,  and  are  sometimes  spotted  with  orange. 
This  is  the  noblest  of  the  Rhododendrons. 
Native  of  Sikkim- Himalaya,  at  an  elevation 
of  from  7,000  to  9,000  feet ;  growing  on  the 
trunks  of  large  trees.  Flowers  from  April 
to  July. 

Rhododendron  lancifolmm,  Hooker  fil. 
(lance-leaved  Rhododendron). — A  shrub  six 
to  eight  feet  high,  with  spreading  tortuous 
branches.  The  leaves  are  produced  chiefly 
at  the  ends  of  the  branches  ;  they  are  three 
to  four  inches  long,  oblong  lance-shaped,  very 
pointed,  and  of  leathery  texture,  gre^n  above, 
tawny  beneath.  The  flowers  grown  in  dense 
heads  at  the  ends  of  the  branches  ;  they  are 
of  moderate  size,  bell-shaped,  distinctly  net- 
veined,  and  of  arich  puce  colour.  Native  of  the 
interior :  Sikkira-Himalaya.    Flowers  in  May. 


Rhododendron  WalUchii,  Hooker  fil.  (Dr. 
Wallich 's  Rhododendron). — A  shrub  growing 
from  eight  to  ten  feet  high,  with  rugged  tor- 
tuous branches.  The  leaves  are  mostly  con- 
fined to  the  apex  of  the  ultimate  branches  ; 
they  are  three  to  four  inches  long,  almost  ex- 
actly elliptical,  full  green  and  glabrous  above, 
paler  beneath,  and  having  a  remarkably  neat 
appearance.  The  flowers  are  large  and  hand- 
some, growing  in  terminal  heads,  having  six 
to  eight  in  each  ;  they  are  rosy  lilac  with 
deeper  rose-coloured  dots  within  the  base  of 
the  upper  lobe  ;  they  are  bell-shaped,  with  a 
spreading  five-lobed  limb.  Native  of  the 
interior  of  Sikkim-Himalaya.    Flowers ? 

Rhododendron  Campbellice,  Plooker  fil. 
(Mrs.  Campbell's  Rhododendron). — A  tree 
growing  frequently  to  the  height  of  forty  feet, 
forming  a  large  spreading  mass.  The  leaves 
are  oblong-lanceolate,  acuminate,  leathery, 
green  and  smooth  on  the  upper  surface,  and 
clothed  beneath  with  a  more  or  less  deeply 
rufous  or  ferrugineous  tomentum.  The 
flowers  grow  in  dense  compact  heads,  and  are 
of  a  rich  rosy-scarlet  colour,  spotted  at  the 
base  of  the  upper  lobe  with  dark  spots,  and 
around  the  bases  of  the  remaining  lobes  with 
paler  rosy  spots.  Native  of  Sikkim-Himalaya, 
frequent,  growing  at  an  elevation  of  from 
9,000  to  10,000  feet.  Flowers  in  April  and 
May. 

Rhododendt-oii    RoyVd,    Hooker  fil.    (Dr. 


Royle's  Rhododendron).— A  small  shrub  with 
oval  or  elliptic  leaves,   three  to  four  inches 


MODERN    FLOWER-GARDENING. 


273 


long,  clothed  beneath  with  an  ochraceous- 
brown  pulverulent  substance.  The  flowers 
grow  from  four  to  eight  in  a  loose  head  ;  tliey 
are  campanulate,  with  a  slightly  spreading 
limb  of  five  rounded  lobes,  ending  in  an  acute 
point  ;  the  colour  is  brownish  red,  ttie  lobes 
of  the  limb  just  tipped  with  bluish  green  ;  in 
its  unexpanded  state  the  corolla  is  iridescent 
with  blue  ;  the  tube  of  the  corolla  is  striated 
within.  Native  of  Sikkim-Himalaya,  on  the 
mountains  of  the  interior.  Flowers  in  April 
and  May. 

Rhododendron  cinnabar inum,  Hooker  fil. 
(cinnabar-leaved  Rhododendron). — A  small 
shrub  with  slender  tortuous  branches,  bearing 
leaves  from  two  to  three  inches  long,  of  an 
acutely  ovate-lanceolate  form,  green  and  gla- 
brous above,  and  beneath  often  reddish  and 
dotted  with  little  scales.  The  flowers  are 
small,  funnel-shaped,  with  five  spreading 
rounded  acute  lobes  ;  they  grow  in  small 
compact  heads,  and  are  of  a  cinnabar  colour. 
Native  of  the  "  Sub-Himalaya  mountains,  in- 
terior of  Sikkim."  Flowers  in  April  and  May. 
Rhododendron  el<Baf)noides,  Hooker  fil. 
(oleaster-leaved  Rhododendron).  —  A  small 
much-branched  shrub,  with  small  obovate- 
trapezoid  leaves,  covered  with  minute  silvery 
leprous  scales  ;  these  leaves  are  a  quarter  of 
an  inch  long,  plane,  leathery.  No  examples 
of  this  curious  little  species  were  found  in 
flower.  It  is  a  little  alpine,  growing  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  snow ;  and  is  "  apparently 
single  flowered,  and  calyculate."  Native  of 
the  mountains  of  Sikkim-Himalaya,  at  an 
elevation  of  from  14,000  to  15,000  feet. 

Rhododendron     arfjenteum.,     Hooker     fil. 
(silvery  Rhododendron).—  A  fine  tree  growing 
thirty   i'eet    high,    with    spreading    branched 
trunks.     The  leaves  are  very  beautiful  in  the 
young    state,    enveloped   at  first   in  pinkish- 
brown  scales,  which  are  so  large  and  closely 
imbricated  as  to  resemble  the  cones  of  some 
species  of  pine  ;  at  first  the  leaves  are  erect 
and  silky  ;  when  mature  they  are  very  large, 
six    inches    to    a    foot   long,   obovate-oblong, 
leathery,  green  above  and  silveiy-white   be- 
neath.    The  flowers  grow  in  large  terminal 
heads  ;  they  are  broadly  canipanulate,  two  to 
three  inches  long,  with  a  limb  of  five   short 
bilobed  segments,  spreading,  two  to  two  and 
a   half  inches  in   diameter  ;  they  are  always 
white,   unspotted,  very  handsome,  and    only 
second  in  size  to  R.  Dalhousice.     Native  of 
Sikkim-Himalaya  :  summit  of  Sinchul,   Sir- 
radah,  and  Tonglo,  at  an   elevation  of  from 
8,000    to   10,000   feet.      "  On    Sinchul,   the 
higher  parts  of  the  mountain,  at  from  8,000 
to    9,000    feet    of   elevation,    are    more    or 
less    clothed  with  it :    on  Tonglo,    as    it  ap- 
})roa(hes   10,000   it  is  suddenly    replaced  by 
R.  Falconeri." 
50 


Rhododendron  Falconeri,  Hooker  fil.  (Dr. 
Falconer's  Rhododendron.) — A  fine  tree  grow- 
ing thirty  feet  in  height,  the  trunks  often  two 
feet  in  diameter,  the  branches  few  and  spi'ead- 
ing.  The  young  leaves  are  clothed  with 
velvety  down,  and  when  in  the  bud  are  con- 
cealed by  downy  glutinous  scales.  When 
perfect,  they  are  from  eight  inches  to  a  foot 
in  length,  obovate-elliptic  and  obtuse,  very 
coriaceous,  glossy  green  above,  and  beneath, 
except  on  the  thickly-netted  veins,  clothed 
with  a  dense  pale-ferruginous  down.  The 
flowers  grow  in  heads  of  moderate  size,  but 
composed  of  numerous  rather  small  but  densely 
placed  flowers,  which  are  white,  bell-shaped, 
with  a  limb  of  ten  rounded  lobes.  One  of 
the  most  striking  and  distinct  of  the  genus. 
Native  of  Sikkim-Himalaya;  summit  of  Tonglo, 
at  an  elevation  of  i  0,000  feet.    Flowers ? 

Beyond  what  we  have  already  said  in  com- 
mendation of  this  beautiful  portfolio  of  draw- 
ings, we  can  only  add  that  such  of  our  readers 
as  may  take  any  interest  in  the  particular 
subject,  or  who  can  admire  perfect  represen- 
tations of  splendid  vegetable  forms,  would  be 
delighted  to  possess  it. 


MODERN    FLOWER-GARDENING. 

MANAGEMENT    OF    BEDDED-OUT    PLANTS. 

Much  of  the  efi'ect  of  modern  flower-gar- 
dens— by  which  is  intended,  those  which  are 
managed  on  the  grouping  system — depends  on 
the  arrangement  of  the  plants.  The  best 
materials  un tastefully  arranged  will  fail  to 
produce  the  effect  which  they  are  capable  of 
producing  under  a  better  mode  of  disposition. 
In  this  style  of  gardening,  the  effect  is  brought 
out  by  colour,  that  is  to  say,  by  conspicuous 
masses  of  colour,  such  as  single  plants  seldom 
afford.  This  being  so,  it  will  be  obvious  that 
the  general  effect  of  a  "  grouped  "  flower-gar- 
den will  depend  on  a  selection  of  plants  exhi- 
biting in  their  blossoms  certain  tints  and 
hues,  and  on  the  harmonious  blending  of 
these  colours  with  the  general  design. 

This  style  oi"  flower  gardening  has  been  con- 
demned in  a  contemporary  publication  ;*  but 
we  think,  that  althougii  in  some  instances 
great  want  of  taste  is  exhibited  in  the  distri- 
bution of  the  plants,  a  good  leason  has  not 
been  made  out  for  returning,  in  all  cases,  to  the 
practice  of  our  forefathers,  and  adopting,  as 
there  suggested,  the  purely  miscellaneous, 
instead  of'tlie  grouping  system  of  planting. 
It  is  urged  that  the  favourite  flowers  "  of 
our  grandfathers  are  abandoned  for  a  new  and 
a  gayer  race.    Dahlias,  pelargoniums,  pansies. 


The  Gardeners'  CUronicle. 


274 


MODERN   FLOWER-GARDENING, 


petunias,  and  verbenas,  have  expelled  holly- 
hocks,    china    asters,    stocks,    annuals,    and 
'  herbaceous    plants ;'   the   fashionable    world 
prefers  gaudy  tints  to   varied   forms  ;    mere 
colour  has    driven   away  beauty ;    and   who 
shall  venture  to  doubt  whether  the  fashionable 
world  is  right,  or  that  the  change  in  taste  is 
permanent  ?      Nevertheless,   the   lookers-on, 
who    speculate    upon    the    vagaries    of    the 
changeable  crowd,  sometimes  inquire  whether 
a  red  cloak  is  really  so  beautiful  as  an  em- 
broidered shawl  ;  or  a  floor  of  coloured  drug- 
get in   all  respects  as   fit  an  ornament  of  a 
drawing-room  as  a  carpet  of  a  rich  and  varied 
pattern.     To  us  they  say,    '  How  happens  it 
that  those  who  so   much  delight  in  rich  bro- 
cades, gay  tartans,  and  many-coloured  muslins, 
are  now  content  in  their  gardens  with  a  few 
staring  ill-blended  colours  ;  variety  being  the 
object  in    one,    and   bald  uniformity  in   the 
other  ?'     Our  reply  may  be  unexpected,  but 
its  justice  will  be  acknowledged.     '  All  that 
change  arose  out  of  bad  gardening,     A  race 
of  unskilful  gardeners  rendered  hideous  what 
should  have  been  beautjful,  and  di'ove  their 
employers  to  adopt  the  present  style,  which 
their  successors  have  seldom  thought  of  aban- 
doning,'    That  a  flower-garden  containing  a 
gay  mixture  of  all  manner  of  flowers,  of  all 
forms,  colours,  sizes,  and  appearances,  will  be 
more  permanently  interesting  than  one  deco- 
rated, here  with  a  yard  of  red  verbenas,  there 
succeeded  by  a  yard  of  white  verbenas,  inter- 
rupted by  a  couple  of  yards  of  scarlet  pelar- 
goniums,   followed    by    a    patch    of    white 
petunias,  will  probably  not  be  denied.     But 
such  plants  are  preferred  in  practice  because 
nothing  can  be  easier  than  to  maintain  the 
gaudy  appearance  which  they  produce,  while 
to  preserve  the  former  in  a  state  of  beauty 
demands  great  skill,  watchfulness,  and  fore- 
thought, and  is  far  more  expensive.     A  ver- 
bena or  a  pelargonium  once  planted,  the  work 
for  the  summer  is  at  an  end  ;  the  branches  of 
such  plants, fall  over  the  ground  as  they  ad- 
vance, a  few  pegs  keep  them  in  their  places, 
and  there's  an  end — till  the  frost  comes  and 
converts  the  garden  into  a  wilderness." 

We,  however,  fail  to  see  that  the  grouping 
system  involves  "  bald  uniformity."  In  a 
geometrical  garden,  indeed,  where  all  is  regu- 
larity, some  kind  of  uniformity  should  prevail; 
but  there  is  no  reason  why,  so  to  speak,  the 
*'  red  cloak "  should  take  precedence  of  the 
"  embroidered  shawl "  as  a  pattern  of  taste. 
To  be  effective,  the  pattern. of  the  shawl  must 
be  distinct  and  striking  ;  the  colours,  too,  must 
not  be  mixed  up  too  closely  in  too  small  pro- 
portions, or  they  blend  with  and  destroy  the 
tints  of  each  other.  So  it  is  in  flower-gar- 
dening. The  whole  arrangement,  not  a  de- 
tached fragment,  represents  the  embroidered 


shawl,  and  if  the  parts  are  not  too  large,  and 
the  colours  are  well  disposed  and  sufficiently 
numerous  and  diverse,  a  rich  embroidered 
pattern  is  produced.  It  is  obvious,  however, 
that  the  masses  of  colour  ought  not  to  be  over 
large,  or  there  will  not,  in  that  case,  be  secured 
the  requisite  variety  within  a  moderate  space. 

There  is  no  reason  why  the  principle  of 
embroidery  should  not  be  carried  to  a  much 
greater  extent  than  it  is,  in  planting  flower- 
gardens.  If  the  effect  of  well-disposed  masses 
of  colour  be  good,  the  effect  of  producing 
these  masses  by  a  judicious  combination  of 
colours  is  also  good,  so  long  as  the  affair  is  not 
frittered  away  by  an  overstrained  attempt  at 
the  production  of  variety, — so  long  as  the  parts 
are  definite  and  the  colours  distinguishable. 
Only  be  it  remembered,  that  when  this  is 
attempted,  the  arrangement  becomes  com- 
pound, and  the  difficulty  of  a  tasteful  combi- 
nation is  greatly  increased  as  compared  with 
the  common,  or,  as  it  may  be  termed,  simple 
mode  of  arranging  colours  in  whole  or  uni- 
form masses. 

Such  a  compound  arrangement  of  colours 
would  open  the  way  for  the  introduction  of  a 
far  greater  variety  of  subjects  in  choice  flower- 
gardens  than  at  present  find  a  place  there ; 
and  in  so  far,  at  least,  it  would  tend  to  an 
improvement  of  the  present  plan.  The  scope 
for  the  exercise  of  taste  in  the  matter  of 
arrangement  would  also  be  indefinitely  ex- 
tended, and  in  consequence,  flower-gardens 
as  compared  with  each  other  would  exhibit 
much  greater  variety  than  at  present. 

There  are  of  course  many  ways  in  which 
such  a  principle  might  be  reduced  to  practice  ; 
we  shall  mention  one  or  two  by  way  of  illus- 
tration. The  mode  of  planting  the  subjects 
in  zones  or  belts  was  long  ago  recommended, 
but  has  not  been  extensively  practised,  al- 
though it  may  be  made  conducive  to  a  very 
high  effect.  Suppose  a  circular  bed  of  seven 
feet  in  diameter  were  to  be  planted,  this 
would  take  three  subjects,  allowing  the  space 
of  a  foot  next  the  margin  for  a  circle  of  dwarf 
plants,  a  foot  and  a  half  within  this  for  a 
circle  of  plants  somewhat  taller,  and  a  space 
two  feet  in  diameter  in  the  centre  for  a  third 
and  taller  subject,  which  should  be,  in  most 
cases,  a  single  plant.  It  is  obvious  that  there 
would  be  more  variety  in  such  an  arrange- 
ment, than  if  the  entire  bed  had  been  filled 
with  one  kind  of  plant.  Smaller  beds  might 
be  filled  in  the  same  way  with  two  kinds  of 
plants ;  and  provided  the  different  beds  are 
filled  in  a  way  to  harmonize  with  each  other, 
the  general  effect  would  be  rather  improved 
than  otherwise  by  the  avoiding  of  larger 
masses  entirely  of  one  colour.  By  this  mode 
of  planting,  however,  a  decided  preponderance 
is  necessarily  given  to  the  marginal  colour, 


MODERN    FLOWER-GARDENING. 


275 


unless  it  is  reduced  in  width,  which  renders  it 
less  effective. 

Again,  supposing  such  a  bed  to  be  quar- 
tered, and  each  portion  devoted  to  one  colour; 
this  arrangement  would  be  a  very  pretty  one, 
and  would  admit  of  a  still  greater  variety  of 
colour  than  the  preceding. 

A  different  effect  would  result  from  the 
planting  three  plants  of  each  of  three  different 
subjects  to  form  a  centre  of,  as  it  were,  three 
triangles,  with  the  points  turned  outwards. 
Projecting  inwards  between  these,  the  points 
of  other  angles,  of  different,  but  complementary 
colours,  may  be  inserted,  and  if  this  did  not 
fill  out  the  bed,  several  distinct  colours  might 
alternate,  to  form  a  margin.  It  is  useless  to 
enumerate  other  examples,  as  they  may  be 
varied  ad  infinitum. 

The  half-hardy  plants  usually  employed  for 
the  decoi-ation  of  flower  gardens  on  the 
grouping,  or  "  bedding-out"  system,  require 
some  care  in  their  management.  The  general 
plan  is  to  propagate  them  from  cuttings  during 
the  latter  part  of  the  summer,  to  preserve  them 
through  the  winter  either  in  a  greenhouse  or 
in  pits,  secure  against  frosts  and  damps,  and 
in  spring,  as  the  mild  weather  comes  on,  to 
harden  them  very  gradually  to  bear  full  ex- 
posure to  the  ordinary  atmosphere  by  the  mid- 
dle or  end  of  May,  or  at  least  as  soon  as  the 
weather  is  sufficiently  mild  to  render  them 
safe  when  exposed. 

Young  healthy  plants  are  always  to  be  pre- 
ferred for  the  flower  garden  before  those  which 
are  older,  and  at  the  same  time  straggling 
and  stunted,  except  in  peculiar  cases.  Such 
plants  as  the  verbenas  should  always  be  young, 
free,  and  vigorous,  for  plants  in  this  condition 
are  always  the  most  ready  to  spread,  and 
cover  the  surface  quickly  and  effectually.  It 
is  the  same  with  all  the  very  free-growing 
subjects.  Some  plants,  however,  are  the 
more  effective  for  having  attained  some  size 
and  substance  before  planting.  Of  this  nature 
is  the  whole  race  of  scarlet  and  other  pelar- 
goniums, though  even  here  free-grown  young 
plants  are  preferable  to  starved  and  stunted 
ones  of  greater  age. 

Gne  of  the  most  material  points  towards 
success,  especially  as  regards  the  effect  to  be 
produced  during  the  earlier  part  of  the  sum- 
mer, lies  in  the  due  preparation  of  the  plants, 
previous  to  their  being  planted  out.  The  kind 
of  preparation  alluded  to  is  called  "harden- 
ing," which  is,  in  fact,  nothing  more  nor  less 
than  inuring  the  plants  to  bear  exposure  to 
our  climate  without  protection.  This  must 
be  a  work  of  time.  The  plants  are  neces- 
sarily kept  during  winter  and  early  spring  in 
a  more  or  less  artificial  climate,  under  more 
favourable  conditions  than  our  climate  affords ; 
and  if  the  amount  of  protection  to  which  they 


have  been  accustomed  is  withdrawn  at  once 
the  plants  become  paralysed,  growth  is  ar- 
rested, nnd  if  the  trial  is  too  severe,  ihey 
perish.  Hence,  with  all  that  class  of  tender 
subjects  which  require  nursing  in  spring,  the 
process  of  hardening  is  essential  previous  to 
planting  them  out  in  the  open  air. 

The  process  of  hardening  is  thus  carried 
out :  from  a  position  in  which  a  certain 
amount  of  heat  is  afforded  to  the  plants,  they 
are,  when  in  an  established  condition  as  re- 
gards their  roots,  to  be  removed  to  another, 
in  which  there  is  little  or  no  heat  artificially 
afforded  ;  this  depends  on  the  amount  of  heat 
they  had  been  previously  subjected  to ;  if  they 
had  had  but  a  slight  degree  of  heat,  the  change 
may  be  to  a  position  where  there  is  none. 
In  any  case,  however,  it  is  judicious,  on  placing 
them  in  the  cooler  position,  to  keep  them  shut 
up  closer  than  usual  for  two  or  three  days ; 
then  they  may  be  opened,  and  exposed  during 
the  day  to  that  degree  which  the  weather  each 
day  will  admit.  In  the  coui-se  of  a  couple  of 
weeks,  if  the  weather  is  favourable,  a  further 
stage  is  advanced  by  leaving  the  coverings, 
whether  mats,  sashes,  or  other  covers,  par- 
tially open  or  off  during  the  night.  The  next 
stage  is  to  remove  them  entirely  day  and 
night ;  and  in  this  case,  as  it  is  presumed  that 
they  are  in  a  sheltered,  situation,  it  becomes 
still  a  further  change  to  plant  them  out  in  the 
exposed  parts  of  the  garden.  All  these  pro- 
gressive changes  should  be  made,  as  far  as 
possible,  at  intervals  when  the  weather  is 
rather  favourable  than  otherwise,  if  such  a 
time  can  be  taken  advantage  of;  if  not,  they 
must  be  made  with  the  greater  caution.  Of 
course,  the  final  planting  out  can  only  be  done 
when  the  weather  has  become  settled  favour- 
able for  the  growth  of  tender  plants. 

When  the  plants  are  planted  out,  the 
course  of  treatment,  which  should  have  been 
commenced  during  their  probationary  period, 
must  be  carried  on  and  perfected.  That 
treatment  consists  in  the  frequent  "  stopping" 
or  topping  of  the  young  shoots;  the  object 
being  to  secure  a  bushy,  dwarf,  and  compact 
habit  of  growth.  If  this  was  commenced 
when  the  plants  were  first  raised,  they  ought 
when  planted  out  to  have  several  branches,  and 
these,  previous  to  planting,  may  have  been 
allowed  to  grow  to  the  length  oi'  six  or  eight 
inches ;  the  object  of  this  growth  is  to  pro- 
duce shoots  long  enough  to  cover  at  once 
a  certain  portion  of  the  surface.  These 
branches,  then,  are  to  be  spread  out  horizon- 
tally by  means  of  little  wooden  pegs,  or  some 
substitute  for  them,  and  their  points  are  then' 
to  be  nipped  off.  The  young  shoots  produced 
are  again,  when  long  enough,  to  be  fastened 
down,  and  again  topped,  and  this  is  to  be  con- 
tinued until  the  suriace  of  the  bed  is  covered, 

T  2 


276 


MODERN    FLOWER-GARDENING. 


in  the  case  of  all  those  subjects  which  it  is 
required  should  thus  fill  out  a  given  space. 
Verbenas,  petunias,  dwarf  salvias,  and  other 
plants  which  have  a  kind  of  trailing  habit, 
are  those  to  which  this  course  of  management 
is  most  suited.  All  other  subjects  used  in 
flower-gardening,  however,  even  those  of  erect 
habit,  may,  if  required,  be  similarly  treated, 
only  they  want  more  watchfulness  in  order  to 
get  the  whole  surface  covered.  When  the 
surface  is  covered  over  with  horizontal 
branches,  upriglit  shoots  are  produced,  which 
grow,  with  a  little  regulaiion,  to  equal  height, 
and  produce  a  continuous  mass  of  flowers. 

It  is  well  in  arranging  flower-beds  to  use 
plants  enough,  in  order  to  get  the  surface 
perfectly  and  speedily  covered.  With  this 
view,  all  the  subjects  employed,  but  especially 
fi'ee-growing  and  trailing  plants,  are  usually 
planted  much  closer  than  would  seem  neces- 
saiy  for  the  ultimate  covering  of  the  ground. 
In  this  case,  however,  the  sacriflce  as  regards 
the  number  of  plants  employed  is  not  with- 
out its  advantage.  The  actual  distances  at 
which  the  plants  should  be  put,  must  always 
be  determined  by  the  actual  size  and  strength 
of  the  plants  employed ;  that  is,  if  they  are 
planted  with  the  view  of  getting  the  surface 
covered  as  speedily  as  possible.  Thus,  if  one 
bed  of  verbenas  were  planted  with  strong 
branching  plants  at  two  feet  apart,  it  would 
soon  be  covered ;  whereas,  if  small  single- 
stemmed  plants — weak  withal — were  planted 
out  at  the  same  distances,  they  would  be  more 
than  twice  as  long  in  covering  the  surface, 
although  if  they  prospered  they  would  cer- 
tainly do  so  ultimately.  Compact  bushy 
plants,  like  the  old-fashioned  shrubby  cal- 
ceolarias and  the  fine  scarlet  pelargoniums, 
requii-e  especially  to  be  planted  with  reference 
to  the  habit  of  the  individual  kinds  used,  so 
tliat  when  they  have  formed  a  moderate  growth, 
their  sides  may  nearly  touch.  In  the  case  of 
plants,  however,  having  this  habit,  it  is  by  no 
means  essential  that  they  should  at  an  early 
period,  or  indeed  at  all,  actually  intermingle, 
as  in  the  case  of  verbenas  and  other  strag- 
gling plants.  Every  plant  forming  a  neat 
and  compact  object,  and  the  plants  being,  as 
they  should  be,  of  unifoi  m  size,  the  effect  is 
good  :  equally  good  before  the  space  is 
actually  closed,  and  while  the  outline  of  every 
plant  is  evident,  as  afterwards  when  they 
have  grown  together  into  one  mass. 

For  fastening  the  branches  to  the  ground 
small  hooked  pegs  are  most  generally  em- 
ployed, and  perhaps  they  are  at  least  as  little 
troublesome  as  any  of  the  substitutes  which 
have  been  proposed  in  their  stead  ;  and  as  to 
efficiency,  there  is  perhaps  hardly  a  choice 
between  the  various  plans.  When  wooden 
peg3  are  used,  they  are  formed  of  any  slender 


branching  spray  from  which  they  may  be 
readily  cut.  In  regular  gardens  old  worn 
birch  brooms  are  frequently  used  to  furnish 
what  hooked  pegs  are  required  for  various, 
purposes  ;  and  there  is  no  better  material  than 
birch  twigs,  as  they  are  tough  and  yet  slender. 
In  making  them,  a  straight  portion  of  the 
twig,  about  three  inches,  more  or  less,  in 
length,  having  a  side  branch  at  its  thickest 
end,  is  cut  to  a  point  at  the  small  end  ;  any 
knots,  or  buds,  or  inequalities,  are  pared  ofl', 
the  top  is  cut  off  close  beyond  the  branch,  and 
then  the  branch — the  side  branch — is  cut  off 
at  about  an  inch  from  the  main  stalk  ;  and 
thus  the  hooked  peg  is  formed.  Sometimes, 
to  economise  materials,  if  the  side  branches 
are  strong  enough  to  form  the  stalk  of  the 
peg,  these  are  cut  at  the  length  required,  and 
then  a  portion  of  the  stem  whence  they  spring 
is  split  off  with  them  to  form  the  hook. 
Wherever  there  are  asparagus  beds,  a  large 
number  of  pegs  may  be  made  in  this  latter 
way  from  the  branching  stems  of  the  asparagus 
plant,  and  these  are  quite  strong  enough  for 
flower  gardening  purposes,  as  well  as  for  the 
layering  of  all  kinds  of  flower  roots,  for  which 
purpose  similar  pegs  are  employed. 

One  substitute,  which  has  been  recom- 
mended to  take  the  place  of  pegs,  is  ladies' 
hair  pins  !  and  about  them  we  can  only  say, 
that  they  would  answer  the  purpose.  Closely 
connected  with  these  in  idea  are  small  twigs, 
or  slender  split  portions  of  twigs  of  any  tough 
kind  of  wood,  bent  in  the  middle,  and  both 
ends  thrust  into  the  ground  ;  these  have  been 
employed,  and  they  too  are  very  well  in  their 
way,  and  there  is  little  objection  to  their  use. 
Another  plan,  which  has  been  strongly  advo- 
cated and  has  had  many  followers,  is  that  of 
fastening  down  the  shoots  with  little  strips  of 
tough  bass  matting  such  as  gardeners  use  for 
tying.  The  matting  is  cut  to  a  convenient 
length — about  six  inches — and  is  then  pulled 
asunder  into  fine  threads,  one  of  which  is 
placed  round  the  twig  to  be  fastened  down, 
the  ends  a  little  twisted  with  the  thumb  and 
finger,  and  th^u  thrust  into  the  ground  with 
the  fore-fing.r.  This  has  been  said  to  be  the 
neatest  pb,n  of  all,  and  so  perhaps  it  is  ;  but 
we  shouLl  practically  give  preference  to  such 
slender  i  wigs  as  those  already  referred  to,  as 
being  quite  as  eflfective  as  any  other,  and  more 
ready  and  simple  in  use. 

Tlie  directions  already  given  for  topping 
and  training  the  plants,  after  they  are  planted 
out,  obviously  apply  to  the  plan  now  so  pre- 
valent, of  forming  entire  masses  of  one  plant 
or  colour.  If  the  plan  which  has  been  hinted 
at  in  the  course  of  these  remarks,  of  adopting 
a  more  mixed  and  contrasted,  though  still 
in  some  degree  a  massed  style  of  planting,  is 
followed,  it  is  evident  that  some  modification 


ON    SUMMER    PRUNIiNG    FRUIT    TREES. 


£77 


of  this  plan  of  training  would  be  essential. 
The  object  should  then  be  to  convert  every 
plant,  whether  naturally  trailing  or  erect,  into 
some  such  compact  branching  object  as  the 
scarlet  Pelargoniums  and  the  old  yellow  Cal- 
ceolarias naturally  form  ;  and  it  would  be 
extremely  desirable  so  to  control  the  growth 
of  every  plant,  that  the  ground  might  be  al- 
most, but  not  at  any  time  altogether  covered. 
It  is  not  meant  that  there  should  be  much 
bare  earth  visible  between  the  plants,  but  just 
space  enough  that  every  plant  might  be  faiily 
said  to  be  distinct  from  the  rest.  It  is  only 
in  this  way  that  any  arrangement  or  contrast 
of  form  and  colour  could  be  made  manifest, 
when  the  parts  were  considerably  reduced  in 
size,  as  they  would  be  made  under  these  cir- 
cumstances. 

The  continued  neatness  and  order  of  a 
flower  garden  depends  upon  a  continuance  of 
the  system  of  removing  irregular  growths, 
and  of  arresting  the  growth  of  the  points  of 
the  branches.  Even  when  the  plants  get  into 
blossom,  this  is  to  be  continued,  or  they  soon 
get  into  disorder  or  confusion.  No  plant  or 
group  of  plants  should  be  permitted  to  straggle 
or  extend  beyond  the  space  allotted  to  it  or 
them  ;  and  no  lanky  branches  should  be  pii'- 
mitted  to  extend  upwards  beyond  the  allotted 
range  of  each  particular  group.  On  the  sys- 
tematic observance  of  these  two  rules,  and 
the  prompt  application  of  that  kind  of  atten- 
tion which  they  suggest,  depends,  as  we  said 
l)efore,  the  neatness  and  order  of  a  modern 
flower  garden. 


ON  SUMMER  PRUNING  FRUIT  TREES. 
BY   M.    MANOURY. 

When  vegetation  has  become  active,  it  is 
indispensable,  if  we  wish  to  form  trees  and 
induce  ihem  to  fruit  the  following  si^ason,  to 
attend  to  tliem  carefully,  and  do  what  may  be 
necessary  to  ensurci  that  development  of  the 
shoots  which  is  favourable  to  the  attainments 
desired,  the  extension  of  such  as  are  likely 
to  form  the  frame-work  of  the  tree.  Among 
the  means  which  may  thus  be  employed  with 
advantage,  is  the  process  of  pinching,  which 
consists  in  nipping  off,  with  the  nails  of  the 
thumb  and  fore  finger,  the  extremities  of  the 
shoots  M'hiie  yet  green  and  soft. 

Pear-trees.  —  Pear-trees  trained  in  the 
espalier  form  are  often  encumbered  with 
shoots  in  front  of  the  main  branches,  and 
which  become  very  vigorous,  forming  those 
branches  that  are  sometimes  called  gourmanch, 
requiring  to  be  taken  off  at  a  considerable 
sacrifice  of  sap.  To  obviate  the  inconvenience 
and  injury  consequent  on  these  amputations. 


it  is  necessary  to  prevent  these  shoots  from 
growing,  and  by  this  suppression  force  the 
sap  into  those  whose  vigour  is  required  to 
constitute  the  frame-work  of  the  tree.  When 
a  particular  disposition  of  the  branches  is 
required  on  any  tree,  it  is  necessary  to  secure 
two  good  buds  or  eyes,  at  least,  at  that  point 
where  they  are  desired,  and  which  should  not 
be  pinched  back.  If,  however,  one  of  them 
increases  so  much  as  to  take  away  from  the 
nourishment  of  the  other,  it  should  be  pinched 
in  order  to  induce  the  sap  to  flow  into  that 
other.  Those  shoots  which  are  required  either 
to  invigorate  or  increase  the  number  of  the 
main  branches,  having  been  properly  adjusted, 
the  others  which  are  likely  to  become  too 
vigorous  should  be  pinched,  with  a  due  re- 
gard, however,  to  such  as  are  likely  to  form 
fruit-buds.  Pear-trees  of  the  pyramidal  and 
quenouille  form  should  be  treated  as  the  espa- 
liers ;  that  is  to  say,  the  leading  shoots  ought 
not  to  be  stopped ;  but  pinching  is  necessary 
as  regards  the  fruit  bearing  branches,  when 
they  are  likely  to  become  too  vigorous. 

Peach-trees. — As  with  the  pears,  so  peach- 
trees  require  to  be  pinched,  and  to  have  all 
superfluous  branches  completely  taken  off. 
Each  fruit  branch  should  be  left  with  one 
wood-bud  at  the  base,  or  two  at  the  most. 
If  these  buds  or  shoots  are  in  front  of  the 
branches,  they  should  be  pinched  back  from 
two  to  three  inches  long,  after  they  have 
grown  five  or  six  inches,  if  they  are  above  the 
branches ;  and  if  they  grow  from  the  under 
side  of  the  branches,  they  may  be  allowed  to 
have  from  eight  to  ten  inches  before  they  are 
pinched  back.  In  winter  the  fruit-branches 
are  trained  with  the  view  of  making  them 
productive,  but  sometimes  many  of  the  eyes, 
or  buds,  which  have  been  left,  produce  a  great 
number  of  shoots ;  all  those  above  the  fourth 
leaf  which  do  not  bear,  should  be  pinched  oflT, 
or  pruned,  bearing  in  mind  that  each  fruit 
should  be  accompanied  or  surmounted  by  two 
or  three  good  kaves.  But  as  in  the  pear-trees, 
those  shoots  which  are  necessary  to  form  the 
principal  branches  should  not  be  topped. 

Apricots. — Of  all  trees,  the  apricot  is  one 
of  those  which  most  require  early  pinching ; 
but  it  is  indispensable  to  be  able  to  distinguish 
those  buds  or  shoots  which  are  likely  to  be 
productive  of  fruit,  from  those  which  are 
likely  to  come  to  wood;  for  the  pinching  of 
the  fruit-buds  completely  destroys  the  ensuing 
crop.  The  wood-bud  is  full,  and  when  about 
four  or  five  inches  long,  it  is  terminated  by  a 
sort  of  cabbage-like  bud,  composed  of  a  series 
of  leaveg  rolled  round  each  other  ;  such  shoots 
as  this  should  be  pinched  back  very  short. 
On  the  other  hand,  the  fruit-bearing  shoot 
is  much  more  lank,  redder,  not  often  longer 
than  four  or  five  inches,  and  having  much  less 


278 


THE  HORTICULTURAL    MAY    SHOW. 


of  the  leafy  termination  common  to  the  other. 
Such  shoots  as  this  must  not  be  pinched  on 
any  account.  In  other  respects,  the  apricot 
may  be  treated  hke  the  peach. 

Plums. — The  treatment  of  the  plum-tree 
is  similar  to  that  of  the  apricot. 

Vines. — The  vine,  as  well  as  the  peach, 
the  pear,  &c.,  has  woody  branches  bearing 
fruit-branches.  On  each  fruit-branch  it  is 
necessary  to  preserve  two  eyes ;  one  about  an 
inch  or  two  inches  from  the  wood-branch, 
and  the  other  rather  nearer.  These  two  eyes 
should  produce  two  shoots.  The  leading 
branches,  of  a  middling  length,  are  themselves 
provided  with  eyes  from  which  the  fi'uit- 
branches  issue.  All  these  branches  or  shoots 
are,  as  with  the  other  trees,  subject  to  pinch- 
ing as  soon  as  they  are  long  enough  to  allow 
of  its  being  done  without  injury  to  the  fruit ; 
that  is,  after  the  grapes  are  somewhat  formed, 
so  that  the  pinching  may  be  made  at  the  ex- 
tremity of  each  shoot,  one  leaf  above  the  last 
bunch.  This  pinching  serves  to  invigorate 
the  fruit  and  cause  the  breaking  out  of  eyes 
behind.  It  is  also  necessary  to  take  away  all 
the  tendrils  which  appear  either  on  the  branch, 
or  near  the  bunches.  Pinching  the  vine  ex- 
cites the  development  of  the  grapes,  which 
would  be  otherwise  smaller ;  it  also  invigo- 
rates and  enlarges  the  fruit-branches  which 
are  to  bear  the  follo\4|i|ig  season.  "While  the 
pinching  of  the  vine  i¥  attended  to,  the  prun- 
ing of  the  redundant  branches  should  not  be 
'  forgotten.  Two  good  fruit-shoots  on  each 
branch  are  sufficient.  When  the  terminal 
shoot  developed  from  the  branch  does  not  bear 
fruit,  it  should  be  pruned  ;  but  the  one  at  the 
base  should  be  preserved,  even  though  it  be 
sterile.  The  first  pinching  of  fruit-trees  is 
not  always  sufficient ;  and  it  sometimes  hap- 
pens, after  the  first  operation  of  this  sort  has 
been  made,  in  a  few  days  afterwards,  new 
buds  break  out.  The  scions,  also,  which  have 
been  pinched,  will  often  assume  a  degree  of 
vigour  approaching  almost  to  grossness ;  in 
this  case,  it  is  needless  to  say,  the  operation 
must  be  repeated. 

The  preceding  remarks  are  abridged  from 
a  paper,  by  M.  Manoury,  published  in  a 
recent  number  of  the  Ohent  Annales.  The 
subject  is  important,  and  has  attracted  some 
attention  in  this  country. 


THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY  S^MAY 

SHOW. 

The  great  features  in  the  Floral  exhibition, 
were  the  Indian  Azalea,  and  orchideous  plants, 
but  the  former  especially  eclipsed  every  thing 
that  had  been  seen  before  ;  Lady  Antrobus 


showing   twelve   specimens   that   were    cer- 
tainly never  equalled  before  in  public  exhibi- 
tions ;  whether  we  look  to  the  noble  size,  the 
compactness,  the  healthy  growth,  or  the  size 
and   quantity  of  bloom,  they  wex-e  unques- 
tionably the  finest  ever  shown  in  public.  The 
Heaths  were  grand,  certainly,   but  we  have 
seen    them   as   fine  before ;  and  the  general 
collections  were  very  noble ;  the  Geraniums 
only  middling.     A  few  of  the  French  fancy 
thingsj  that  we  cannot  like,  were  extraordinary 
specimens  of  mechanical  arrangement,  more 
than  one  hundred  and  fifty  sticks  supporting 
the  stems,  in  a  sloping  direction  all  round  the 
pot,  as  well  as  the  upright  ones  to  support  the 
interior  shoots,  so  that  a  plant  exhibited  a  sur- 
face of  bloom  more  than  two  feet  in  diameter. 
Mrs.  Lawrence's  general  collection  was  splen- 
did ;  many  of  the  specimens  not,  perhaps,  to 
be  matched  in  the  world.     Garraway  &  Co. 
of  Bristol    sent   twelve   Pansies,  that   stood 
alone  in  their  glory  ;  but  they  were  of  such 
extraordinary  size,  that  they  would  have  been 
as  much  so,  had  they  been  surrounded  by  the 
usual  quantity  of  ordinary  specimens.    Messrs. 
Yeitch  produced  a  really  extensive  collection 
of  plants,  which  had  travelled  from  Exeter 
without  ruffling  a  leaf  or  a  flower ;  nobody 
could  have  believed  it  possible  to  accomplish 
such  a  journey  without  exhibiting  any  sign 
of  damage.     Pot-grown   roses  were,  for  the 
season,  fine.    The  most  remarkable  specimens 
were,     China,    Triimiphant,    a     dark    rose- 
colour;    ,Mrs.  Bosanquet,     blush,    or     pink 
white  ;    Cramoise  superieur,  crimson;  Arch- 
due  Charles,   light  rose  colour :  Tea  Roses, 
Pactolus,  straw-colour,  andSougeria,  salmon : 
Bourbon   Roses,    JBouqtcet   de   Flora,    dark- 
pink,   and  Armosa,  light  rose ;  we  mention 
these  as  good  in  themselves,   as  well  as  beau- 
tifully  grown.       There    was    a   new   yellow 
climbing  rose  from  China,   very  remarkable 
and  showy,  but  the  flower  loose  and  ill-formed. 
Messrs.  Lane  &  Paul  exhibited  the  most,  but 
the  Chinese  climber  was    from    Standish  & 
Noble,  and  it  will  be  grown,   no  doubt,  by 
every  rose  cultivator,  though  excessively  ugly 
in  its  individual  flowers ;  and  it  will  be  an 
especial    favourite,    if    it    be    a    continuous 
bloomer.     The    Anemones   were   fine.     The 
most  remarkable,  and  at  present  the  best  of 
the  season,  are  Porperina,  a  lovely  blue-edged 
variety,    as  close  and  as  round  as  could  be 
wished ;  Eleanor,  a  good  crimson  variety ;  and 
Fair  Rosamond,    pretty.     There  were  some 
high-coloured    hardy    Rhododendrons,    from 
Messrs.  Rollisson,  which  are  a  great  acquisi- 
tion ;  and  Messrs.  Jackson  of  Kingston,  and 
Gaines,  of  Battersea,  showed  one  each,  very 
good  in    their   way — Campanulatum    super- 
bum,  by  the  former,  was  very  striking ;  and 
Marie  Taglioni,   by  the  latter,  was  a  French 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


279 


white,  with  a  remarkable  dark  spot,  and  well 
grown  would  be  splendid.  As  the  May  shows 
are  merely  initiatory  for  Geraniums  and 
many  other  subjects,  and  we  are  likely  to  see 
the  same  plants  or  varieties  in  better  order, 
we  shall  not  go  through  them  all.  Of  the 
orchideous  plants,  the  most  remarkable  were 
the  Vandas,  of  which  several  varieties  were 
exhibited  in  splendid  condition.  Of  fruit 
there  was  but  little,  but  that  little  was  good. 
The  arrangements  were  very  complete,  the 
tents  triumphing  completely  over  the  heaviest 
rain  and  hail- storm  we  ever  witnessed,  and 
standing  three  hours  of  the  rain  without  a 


dampness  being  felt  inside.  The  conservatory 
is  very  full,  and  we  may  say,  crowded,  the 
plants  having  been  (pej-haps  out  of  delicacy 
towards  those  who  presented  them)  allowed  to 
grow  as  they  please ;  we  seriously  recommend 
the  very  free  use  of  the  knife.  Many  of  the 
plants  may  be  made  noble  specimens  in  form 
as  well  as  size,  if  pruned  well  before  they 
make  their  next  growth.  A  specimen  of  the 
Brugmansia  (Datura)  sanguinea,  in  full  bloom, 
was  a  most  striking  object ;  but  the  plants 
have  not  sufficient  room  ;  and  be  it  remem- 
bered, that  very  many  flowering  plants  will 
bear  spurring  as  well  as  a  fruit-tree. 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


BY  GEORGE  GLENNY. 


The  month  of  May  is  generally  rich  in  sub- 
jects of  floral  interest,  and  notwithstanding 
the  unfavourable  weather,  which  has  pre- 
vented many  from  venturing  forth  with  their 
best  specimens,  the  shows  have  far  exceeded 
in  splendour  and  specimens  of  skill  every- 
thing that  had  been  seen  before.  The  Chis- 
wick  show  was  first  on  the  list,  and  rich 
in  azaleas,  roses,  orchideous  plants,  heaths, 
and  stove  and  greenhouse  plants.  The  Royal 
Botanic  Society's  show  in  the  Regent's  Park 
wasmuchthesameupto  a  given  point, butthere 
were  many  additional  showers.  The  Surrey 
Zoological  Gardens  produced  an  exhibition  of 
such  extent  and  excellence  among  the  plants, 
as  the  picking  of  the  whole  season  any  year 
previous  would  not  have  equalled.  There  has 
been  nothing  very  novel  in  seedlings,  except 
in  Cinerarias,  and  the  chief  of  these  have 
been  Henderson's,  Ivery  treading  rather  close 
on  his  heels,  but  by  no  means  equal.  Perhaps 
Forperina,  with  a  sky-blue  edging,  and  white 
centre,  takes  the  lead,  its  habit  being  as  i-ich 
as  its  colour.  We  have  seen  Ivery's  Ivery- 
ana  Azalea  well  exhibited ;  it  is  pretty,  but 
not  equal  to  his  Beauty  of  Reigate,  which  is 
a  fine  white,  with  carnation  stripes  very  well 
defined,  and  worthy  of  a  place  in  every  col- 
lection. The  Verbena,  Wyness'  Princess 
Alice,  has  been  shown  badly,  and  it  gives  us 
occasion  to  recommend  all  growers  of  verbenas 
to  abstain  from  showing  early  ;  they  do  not 
come  to  their  proper  colour  early  in  the  sea- 
son, and  they  will  not  stand  the  least  artificial 
heat.  Jf  Princess  Alice  were  not  already  out, 
it  would  not  have  gained  hall'-a-dozen  cus- 
tomers from  the  specimen  exhibited  this 
month — 'the  beautiful  pure  white  of  autumn 
is  a  stained  affair  in  spring  ;  those,  therefore. 


who  have  seen  it  during  May,  can  form  no  no- 
tion— no  accurate  notion — of  its  real  qualities. 
Mr.  Beck  has  some  new  Geraniums,  Avhich 
have  been  noticed  at  the  Surrey  Gardens  but 
passed  over  at  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens. 
Considerinjj  the  srreat  rubbish  which  have 
obtained  certificates  in  the  Regent's  Park,  we 
cannot  understand  the  passing  over  of  such 
flowers  as  Emily  and  Pontiff;  we  quite 
approve  of  refusing  certificates  to  flowers 
that  are  not  first-rate ;  but  Em.ily,  Agatha, 
Cuyp,  Dowage7%  and  Pontiff,  if  taken  for 
comparison  to  the  side  of  many  of  the  present 
leading  sorts,  would  make  them  look  poor  ; 
the  new  ones  have  their  faults,  but  the  colour 
and  size  should  save  Pontiff',  and  the  general 
qualities  are  fair  in  Emily;  we  repeat,  that 
we  should  like  to  see  the  standard  kept  high, 
and  certificates  refused  to  such  flowers  as 
Emily  and  Pontiff,  if  the  consistency  were 
preserved  ;  but  to  see  scores  of  worse  things 
obtain  them,  and  such  as  they  passed 
over,  is  not  exactly  the  thing.  Turner's 
Pansies  have  been  magnificent  this  season, 
improving  at  each  show.  It  would  be  en- 
couraging if  the  grower  would  enlighten  the 
amateur  by  a  paper  on  their  culture:  we  know 
he  has  done  this  in  the  Florist,  but  no  one 
who  has  seen  the  cuts,  or  portraits  of  flowers 
in  that  work,  can  have  any  faith  in  its  con- 
tents; whether  they  are  misrepresented  by 
design  or  for  want  of  talent,  we  cannot  say, 
but  justice  to  those  who  might  be  misled  by 
the  representations  there,  compels  us  to  say, 
that  in  most  instances  it  would  be  impossible 
to  recognise  the  flowers  by  any  of  the  por- 
traits ;  the  Beauty  of  Hastings  dahlia  has  - 
not  a  solitary  feature  that  represents  the 
original ;  and  the  tulip  Rose  Magnificent,  al- 


280 


•MYANTHTJS    FIMBRIATUS. 


though  from  a  drawing  that  was  a  perfect 
portrait,  has  been  so  dreadfully  tiavestied, 
that  nobody  could  know  it ;  and  others  have 
been  so  completely  caricatured  as  to  destroy 
the  faith  of  every  floiist,  however  much  he 
may  be  inclined  to  patronise  it  ;  therefore  we 
say  to  Mr.  Turner,  write  a  paper  where  it 
will  be  read  by  the  great  number  who  are 
interested.  In  the  absence  of  a  paper  devoted 
to  floriculture,  write  it  for  tlie  Chronicle, — 
the  other  paper  no  longer  represents  florists. 
Three  of  the  largest  meetings  of  florists  that 
were  ever  got  together,  have  decided  that 
it  is  for  the  general  interests  of  floriculture 
that  there  should  be  two  garden  newspapers, 
but  that  until  there  is  a  second,  conducted 
by  some  one  of  ordinary  intelligence,  the 
science  must  continue  to  sufler  as  it  has  the 
last  two  years  and  upwards,  much  more  to  the 
injury  of  the  fair  dealer  than  to  that  of  the  less 
scrupulous  trader.  The  show  of  American 
plants  at  the  Royal  Botanic  Gardens,  Re- 
gent's Park,  will  be  very  popular;  but  we 
are  glad  that  Mr.  Waterer  of  Knap  Hill  will 
open  his  private  exhibition,  as  well  as  contri- 
bute to  that  at  the  Gardens,  for  the  price 
virtually  excludes  thousands  who  cannot  af- 
ford to  pay  five  shillings  for  a  peep  at  flowers 
liitherto  to  be  seen  for  one  shilling,  and  the 
exhibitors  themselves  will  find  out,  that  how- 
aver  much  they  may  contribute  to  the  income 
of  the  Society,  they  will  not  do  much  for 
themselves.  Mr.  Waterer,  although  he  sup- 
J)lies  three-fourths  of  the  plants  which  form 
the  exhibition  at  the  Gardens,  will  open  his 
great  show  at  Chelsea,  as  usual.  The  Tulips 
have  had  a  most  unfavourable  season;  they 
were  by  the  early  fine  weather  brought  too 
forward,  and  the  untoward,  gusty,  cold  days 
of  May  have  checked  them  altogether ;  rag- 
ged blooms  —  one  of  the  common  results  of 
sudden  checks — are  thei'efore  pievalent,  and 
many  beds  will  suffer.  A  singular  fate  has 
fallen  upon  one  old  cultivator,  who  has  lost 
his  entire  bed,  with  one  solitary  exception. 
They  came  up,  and  rotted  down,  without  any 
apparent  cause  ;  and  at  the  meeting  of  the 
Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Floricul- 
ture, the  subject  was  discussed  ;  after  many 
suggestions  and  opinions  which  seemed  un- 
tenable, the  chairman  elicited  from  the  grower 
that  his  garden  was  upon  an  irony,  hungry, 
clayey  kind  of  subsoil,  and  that  he  had  to 
trench  low  enough  to  mix  this  with  the  top;  the 
doubts  were  thus  apparently  cleared,  as  many 
have  suffered  from  the  same  cause.  As  the 
loss  of  a  collection  of  many  years'  accutnula- 
tion  was  considered  a  misfortune,  the  growers 
present  resolved  at  the  taking  up  time  to  help 
make  up  another  collection,  upon  the  unerring 
principle  that  a  good  many  can  help  one, 
while  one   cannot  help  a  good  many.     The 


growers  of  the  dahlia  have  always  fancied 
that  we  help  them  along  a  little  by  describing 
the  seedlings  of  any  consequence  from  year  to 
year,  and  we  have  generally  had  one  of  each 
sent  up  to  grow  near  London ;  this  year, 
because  we  made  earlier  and  better  prepara- 
tion than  usual,  we  have  been  more  behind 
hand.  Growers  of  seedlings  hurt  the  charac- 
ter of  their  novelties  by  driving  off  their  de- 
livery so  late,  and  they  frequently  get  blamed 
for  sending  out  a  bad  variety,  when  they  have 
only  sent  a  bad  plant,  and  that  later  than  it 
ought  to  be  sent.  The  two  rival  Societies  for 
the  encouragement  of  Floriculture  will  soon 
settle  down  into  their  places.  The  one  which 
demands  a  pound  subscription  has  shown  the 
value  of  their  certificates  of  merit  by  the 
fuchsia  which  they  have  adopted  as  a  first- 
class  flower.  Lord  Nelson  ;  hundreds  of  better 
ones  have  been  flung  to  the  muck  heap  the 
last  few  years.  It  is  almost  too  bad  that 
people  should  meet  and  give  each  other  certi- 
ficates for  subjects  not  worth  cultivating  :  yet 
the  same  Society  gave  thirty  in  one  year,  and 
many  have  ordered  the  flowers  form  that  fact 
alone.  It  has  been  averred  too,  within  the 
last  fortnight,  that  Lord  Nelson  is  one  of  the 
best  fuchsias  out ;  while  we  with  just  as  little 
hesitation  say,  that  it  is  not  worth  a  place 
among  even  a  common  collection.  The  other 
Society,  which  meets  at  all  four  sides  of  Lon- 
don, with  just  one-twentieth  part  of  the  sub- 
scription, has  already  withheld  certificates 
from  half  a  score  subjects  that  have  very  im- 
properly obtained  them  elsewhere.  A  new 
mode  of  encouraging  amateur  cultivators  has 
been  adopted  by  Mr.  Hamilton  of  Cheapside. 
He  has  offered  a  prize,  or  rather  series  of 
prizes,  for  the  best  collection  of  annuals,  the 
best  melons,  and  the  best  cucumbers,  that  shall 
be  brought  or  forwarded  to  him  on  a  given 
day ;  and  many  who  have  hardly  confidence 
enough  to  show  in  public  gardens,  are  prepar- 
ing 'to  exhibit  on  the  occasion.  A  general 
meeting  of  gardeners,  amateurs,  and  nursery- 
men is  called  for  the  29th  of  May,  in  London, 
and  it  is  expected  to  be  fully  attended.  The 
object  is  to  adopt  measures  for  the  further 
encouragement  of  floriculture. 


MYANTHUS    FIMBRIATUS. 

3Iyanthus  fimhriatus^,  Morren  (fringed 
flowered  Myanthus). — Orchidacese  §  Vandea^- 
Cat.iSctiJse. 

This  fine  and  showy  orchid  has  been  intro- 
duced to,  and  cultivated  in  Belgium  ;  and  the 
following  is  the  substance  of  an  account  of  it 
published  by  Pi'ofessor  Morren,  in  a  Belgian 


MYANTHUS    FIMBRIATUS. 


281 


Myanthus  Jimbriatus. 

periodical,  the  Annales  de  la  Botaydque  cle 
Gand :  — 

"  This  beautiful  plant  particularly  graced 
the  horticultural  exhibition  held  at  Brussels 
in  September  1848.  The  judges  considered 
it  so  superior  to  all  the  others  among  the 
innumerable  fine  orchids  brought  forward — so 
elegant  in  itself,  that  instead  of  awarding  to  it 
the  silver-gilt  medal  as  offered  in  the  sche- 
dule, they  made  an  extra  award  of  a  gold 
medal.  Dui-ing  the  three  days  of  the  exhi- 
bition, more  than  100,000  persons  were  de- 
lighted with  this  strange  and  admirable  plant, 
wiiich  filled  the  room  with  its  odour." 

The  intelligent  owner  and  cultivator  of  this 
remarkable  production  was  IM.  Legralle- 
DTIavres  of  Anvers,  a  gentleman  who,  toge- 
ther with  his  hady,  has  long  been  known  as 
among  the  most  distinguished  promoters  of 
horticulture  iu  Belgium. 


Some  months  after  the  exhibition  above 
alluded  to,  "the  same  species  flowered  with 
the  Chevalier  Heynderycx,  president  of  the 
Society  of  Ghent  ;  but  while  the  flowers  of 
M.  Legralle's  plant  were  white  and  green, 
those  on  the  Chevalier  Heynderycx's  were  of 
a  rose  and  yellow  colour.  It  is  known  that 
the  Catasetums,  from  which  the  Myanthi  are 
separated,  are  capable  of  important  polymorph- 
isms, since  we  frequently  see  strange  meta- 
morphoses of  form  among  them.  In  the  pre- 
sent instance,  however,  it  was  a  change  of 
colour  ;  but  as  we  have  preserved  specimens 
in  spirits  of  the  flower  of  the  plant  which  was 
exhibited,  and  also  of  that  belonging  to  the 
Chevalier  Heynderyncx,  we  have  no  manner 
of  doubt  but  that  they  are  one  and  the  same 
species  ;  only  we  propose  to  call  the  one — the 
green  and  white — Legrelles  variety;  and  the 
other — the  rose — Heynderycx^s  variety." 

We  have  no  information  respecting  the 
native  country  of  this  species,  nor  any  histo- 
rical particulars  respecting  its  introduction  to 
Europe. 

"  The  culture  of  the  genus  Myanthus  is 
similar  to  that  of  most  tropical  orchids.  It  is 
found  to  succeed  in  a  pot,  not  suspended,  but 
placed  in  a  stove.  The  pot  should  be  well 
drained  with  coke,  which  allows  free  aeration 
underneath,  and  facilitates  the  rapid  running 
off  of  the  water,  when  that  element  is  supplied 
to  it  in  the  usual  way.  The  soil  should  con- 
sist of  turfy  peat  and  sphagnum  moss,  freely 
mixed  with  broken  pots.  In  such  a  mixture 
the  Myanthus  is  found  to  thrive  well ;  it  pro- 
duces its  magnificent  spikes  in  the  autumn, 
and  at  the  time  of  flowering  it  must  be 
copiously  watered." 


282 


THE    ROYAL    GARDENS    AT    KEW. 


THE  EOYAL  BOTANIC  GARDENS  AT  KEW. 


A  VISIT  to  this  national  establishment  im- 
presses us  witii  a  notion  of  liberal  and  paternal 
government,  and  proves  that  under  good 
management  the  mtellectual  poor  of  a  country 
may  be  provided  with  the  same  enjoyment  as 
the  rich  provide  for  themselves.  The  con- 
version of  this  noble  place  from  a  bear-garden 
to  a  comparative  paradise,  has  been  the  work 
of  ten  or  eleven  years  ;  it  was  only  in  1837 
and  1838  that  the  original  gai'den  newspaper 
denounced  it  as  a  filthy,  dirty,  neglected  con- 
cern, a  disgrace  to]  the  country  and  the  ma- 
nagement, and  asserted  that  the  plants  were  in 
a  shamefully  bad  state  of  decline, — charges 
that  were  indignantly  repelled,  but,  never- 
theless, proved  to  be  perfectly  true  in  detail, 
as  well  as  general  substance.  It  was  stated 
ill  the  same  paper,  that  there  were  but  two 
modes  of  dealing  with  the  affair — either  the 
establishment  should  be  broken  up,  the  plants 
distributed,  and  all  the  cost  saved,  or  a  suf- 
ficient grant  should  be  made  to  keep  it  as 
a  National  Botanical  Garden,  in  the  highest 
order,  and  open  to  the  public,  with  the  plants 
properly  labelled,  and  a  sufficient  number  of 
attendants  to  prevent  depredation.  Since 
all  this  was  said  and  written,  a  commission 
of  inquiry  confirmed  the  truth  of  the  charges, 
and  recommended  the  adoption  of  the  im- 
provements. Sir  W.  J.  Hooker  superseded 
the  former  curator,  and  has  been  gradually 
carrying  out  the  improvements  necessary  to 
complete  the  Royal  Gardens,  Kew ;  and  in  a 
former  part  in  this  book  may  be  seen  an 
article,  showing  the  spirit  of  the  changes,  the 
way  in  which  they  were  met,  the  results  which 
followed,  and  a  visit,  after  ten  years'  absence, 
by  the  party  who  was  first  to  denounce  the 
former  management  and  suggest  the  improve- 
ment. We  have  just  made  a  visit,,  our  first 
since  the  plants  were  placed  in  the  Palm- 
house,  and  we  must  say  that,  to  any  one  who 
loves  a  garden,  or  admires  plants,  there  is 
nothing  to  come  near  that  splendid  conser- 
vatory. The  whole  building,  so  far  as  super- 
ficial observation  goes,  is  faultless  ;  but  no 
public  building  in  this  country  can  be  so  : 
there  is  among  our  best  architects  a  great  lack 
of  that  common  sense  which  pervades  less 
pretending  classes,  and  it  is  scarcely  possible 
to  find  any  thing  built  within  the  last  half 
century,  in  which  the  least  attention  has  been 
paid  to  a  proper  elevation.  The  noble  build- 
ing at  Kew  is  of  course  no  exception.  The 
system  for  the  accommodation  of  the  plants 
is  excellent,  but  we  are  quite  sure  it  was  un- 
necessary to  provide  a  place  for  the  Thames  ; 
yet  as  four  or  five  feet  of  room  was  wanted 
beneath  the  floor  for  the  hot-water  pipes,  the 
architect  could  not  provide  this  by  having  the 


floor  so  much  higher,  but  he  must  go  down  to 
the  teiTitories  of  old  Father  Thames,  who  no 
sooner  found  them  disturbed  than  he  took 
possession,  and  though  turned  out  very  fre- 
quently, still  finds  his  way  back,  to  be  turned 
out  again.  To  be  serious,  the  excavation 
beneath  the  floor  is  too  low,  and  the  water 
will  come  in,  and  frequent  pumping  is  neces- 
sary to  get  rid  of  it.  This,  if  true,  is  a 
great  pity,  because  the  place  seems  otherwise 
unexceptionable,  with  a  central  roof  66  feet 
high,  covering  a  space  of  138  feet  by  100,  and 
two  wings  112  feet  by  50  ;  it  is  impossible  to 
overrate  the  general  effect  now  that  the  plants 
are  in  the  house.  A  tropical  forest  would 
give  some  of  the  effect,  but  as  the  variety  of 
the  plants  far  exceeds  anything  that  can  be 
found  in  one  locality,  it  is  far  more  interesting 
than  any  other  spot  on  the  globe  can  be.  In 
the  central  department,  as  it  may  be  called,  is 
a  gallery,  thirty  feet  from  the  ground,  ap- 
proached by  means  of  a  spiral  staircase,  and  the 
effect  is  grand.  The  noble  palms,  and  other 
tropical  plants  from  various  parts  of  the  world, 
are  rapidly  recovering  the  desirable  state  of 
health  which  they  have  not  enjoyed,  and 
never  could  have  enjoyed,  in  the  wretchedly 
crowded  houses  which  they  inhabited  before 
the  conservatory  was  built ;  but  there  must 
be  a  complete  new  growth  before  the  damaged 
trees  can  be  got  rid  of.  Nobody  can  find 
reasonable  fault  with  its  construction,  nor  the 
manner  in  which  the  plants  are  being  placed  ; 
but  we  regret  the  intrusion  of  water,  for 
water  we  could  see  ;  and  we  were  informed 
that,  by  some  unaccountable  oversight,  the 
excavation  was  below  the  level  of  the  Thames, 
and  required  them  to  be  always  pumping. 
This,  we  suspect,  was  figurative,  the  "  always  " 
meaning  only  "sometimes."  Certain  it  is 
that  the  public  will  not  discover  much  incon- 
venience, and  the  ornamental  water  appeared 
to  us  to  be  low  enough  to  bear  a  good  deal  of 
filling  up.  The  plants  in  the  cactus  house  are 
grand  beyond  description ;  a  specimen  of 
Melocactus,  that  weighs  upwards  of  eight 
hundredweight,  is  called  by  the  newspapers 
"  The  Monster  Cactus."  Some  of  the  other 
specimens  are  enormous,  though  not  quite  so 
bulky;  but  the  endless  variety  and  the  extra- 
ordinary ibrms  present  a  collection  of  natural 
curiosities  to  be  Ibund  nowhere  else.  The  or- 
chideous  house  contains  just  now  one  specimen 
of  Oncidium,  the  most  beautiful  we  have  seen 
—  the  spike  strong,  the  flowers  very  close 
and  brilliant,  and  the  plant  altogether  inter- 
esting ;  it  is  marked  Oncidium  sp.  and  has 
not  yet  had  its  name.  Of  course  there  are 
thousands  of  plants,  that  are  desirable  to 
plant  lovers,   but  one  of  the  best  things  we 


GARDENING    FOR    SOLDIERS. 


283 


saw  among  hai-d-wooded  plants  was  Erioste- 
mon  intermedium,  with  flowers  thrice  the 
size  of  cuspidatum,  and  altogether  a  beautiful 
plant.  We  do  not  altogether  like  the  laying 
out  of  the  clumps  in  the  grass,  but  from  the 
incomplete  state  of  the  establishment  it  would 
be  premature  to  condemn.  The  garden  in 
front  of  the  great  Palm-house  is  pretty  and 
consistent,  and  the  arrangements  seem  calcu- 
lated to  preserve  the  plants,  while  they  afford 
facilities  to  the  public  who  want  to  know  any- 
thing. There  is  a  man  in  every  house  at 
work  at  something  :  not  that  he  can  do  a  great 
deal,  and  keep  his  eye  on  the  public  also,  but 
he  may  at  intervals,  and  in  fact  does  at  inter- 
valsj  some  little  work  during  the  hours  of  ex- 
hibition. One  of  the  most  gratifying  results 
of  this  national  undertaking  is  the  enabling  of 
the  poorest  person  who  is  clean,  and  respectably 
dressed,  to  enjoy  a  garden  that  no  riches  could 
surpass  in  interest ;  and  we  see  the  happy  effects 
of  this  in  the  visits  of  persons  evidently  of 
humble  condition,  who  are  enjoying  the  walks 
and  paying  great  attention  to  the  plants,  as 
well  as  evincing  their  care  as  they  pass 
through  the  houses.  The  public  cannot  ap- 
preciate the  luxury  of  a  visit  until  they  have 
seen  the  establishment  as  it  is  ;  for  it  is  no 
more  like  what  it  was,  than  Bedford-square  is 
like  St.  James's  Park. 


GARDENING  FOR  SOLDIERS. 
In  the  mania  for  class  legislation,  which 
distinguishes  the  present  age  from  its  prede- 
cessors, it  is  singular  that  no  one  member  of 
parliament  has  made  himself  conspicuous  for 
philanthropic  exertions  in  behalf  of  a  body  of 
men  to  whom  we  in  a  great  measure  owe,  not 
only  our  influence  abroad,  but  the  peace  and 
security  it  is  our  happiness  to  enjoy  at  home. 
There  are  nearly  fifty  members  of  the  naval 
and  military  professions  in  the  House  of  Com- 
mons, and  the  great  majority  of  the  rest  of  the 
bouse  are  more  or  less  connected  with  the  ser- 
vices ;  but  not  more  than  a  fraction  of  the 
former  ever  concern  themselves  with  the  affairs 
of  the  army  or  navy,  excepting  when  the  esti- 
mates are  discussed — and  then  only  for  a  part 
of  a  single  night — while  the  latter  never,  by 
any  chance,  turn  from  their  fijvourite  topics 
to  bestow,  for  a  time,  undivided  attention  upon 
the  welfare  of  the  protectors  of  the  country. 
They  apparently  deem  their  duty  to  soldiers 
and  sailors  sufficiently  performed,  if  they  give 
a  silent  vote  in  favour  of  any  measures  sug- 
gested by  the  Secretary  at  War,  or  absent 
themselves  from  the  house  when  a  division 
takes  place  upon  a  question  of  financial  eco- 
nomy, which  they  are  pledged  to  their  con- 
stituents to  oppose.  We  are  loth  to  put  a 
harsh  interpretation  upon  this  apparent  cal- 


lousness :  it  may  arise  from  the  constitutional 
dislike  to  a  standing  force,  or  from  an  igno- 
rance which  legislators  find  it  too  much 
trouble  to  overcome ;  or  it  may  proceed 
from  a  confidence  in  the  disposition  of  the 
Commander-in-Chief  and  the  Admiralty  to 
originate  all  benevolent  works  having  refer- 
ence to  the  services  But  be  this  as  it  may — 
there  are  some  two  or  three  hundred  thousand 
human  beings  serving  Great  Britain,  for  none 
of  whom  the  legislature  of  the  country  has  a 
special  thought,  and  who  are  rarely  included 
in  any  of  the  great  measures  devised  for  the 
common  welfare.  Of  this  number,  one  hun- 
dred thousand,  in  round  figures,  compose  the 
British  Army,  and  it  is  because  a  means 
suggests  itself  for  benefiting  that  class,  bearing 
peculiarly  upon  the  province  of  this  Magazine, 
that  we  are  induced  to  treat  of  what,  at  the 
first  blush,  might  have  seemed  foreign  to  our 
vocation. 

This  is  emphatically  the  epoch  of  sanitary 
legislation.  Whatever  concerns  the  health 
and  exercise  of  the  public  engages  primary 
consideration.  Draining,  ventilation,  and  the 
appropriation  of  open  spaces  to  purposes  of 
recreative  enjoyment,  form  the  subjects  of  in- 
numerable private  and  public  bills,  and  occupy 
the  attention  of  various  boards,  committees, 
and  associations.  Some  portion  of  the  new 
light  which  has  broken  in  upon  Parliament 
has  extended  its  illumination  to  the  Ordnance 
department,  in  whom  abides  the  duty  of  con- 
structing, ventilating,  and  purifying  the  bar- 
racks of  the  soldiery.  Yet,  strange  to  say, 
one  of  the  most  obvious  methods  of  combining 
health,  exercise,  and  profit,  with  amusement 
and  occupation,  has  been  altogether  neglected. 
There  are  many  scores  of  barracks  in  Great 
Britain,  Ireland,  the  Channel  Islands,  the 
Colonies,  and  India.  In  most  of  these  there 
are  barrack-yards  and  parade-grounds  of 
greater  or  lesser  dimensions,  where  the  men 
assemble,  perform  evolutions,  submit  to  in- 
spection, or  stroll  about  when  off  duty.  But 
where  do  we  find  a  single  strip  of  ground 
attached  to  the  soldier's  dwelling,  appropriated 
to  the  objects  of  A  Garden  ? 

To  dilate  upon  the  advantages  of  a  garden 
in  the  presence  of  our  readers,  many  of  whom 
are,  we  are  bound  to  presume,  devotees  of  that 
source  of  endless  pleasure  and  grateful  toil, 
were  a  work  of  supererogation.  It  behoves 
us,  however,  to  offer  to  those  who,  we  take  it, 
have  but  little  considered  the  subject,  an  out- 
line sketch  of  its  many  I'ecommendations,  and 
with  this  view  we  solieit  the  indulgence  and 
patience  of  the  initiated. 

An  elaborate  garden,  comprising  some  of 
the  marvels  of  the  floral  world,  and  the  culti- 
vation of  the  choicest  specimens  of  horticulture, 
is  not  what  we  contemplate  as  suited  to  the 


284 


GARDENING    FOR    SOLDIERS. 


soldier.  As  the  object  is  to  give  him  occupa- 
tion extra  to  his  professional  labour,  some 
inducement  must  be  held  out  to  him  to  era- 
brace  the  pastime,  and  nothing  seems  more 
likely  to  achieve  this  aim  than  the  association 
of  his  industry  with  his  profit.  Carefully 
tended,  the  kitchen-garden  yields  enormous 
returns  upon  the  outhiy  of  capital  and  labour. 
The  power  of  growing  such  articles  as  may 
conduce  to  the  improvement  of  his  table  and 
impart  a  relish  to  his  rations,  is  therefore  the 
first  recommendation  which  an  introduction  to 
the  vegetable  world  will  possess  in  the  eyes  of 
the  soldier.  It  is  rarely  that  any  other  esculent 
than  the  potato,  and  occasionally  the  cabbage, 
graces  the  barrack- board,  for  the  market  cost 
of  all  others  is  beyond  the  sum  assignable  by 
the  military  regulations  to  the  soldier's  mess. 
Let  him  know,  then,  that  a  small  fraction  of 
his  weekly  surplus  of  pay  will  procure  him 
seeds  for  carrots  and  turnips,  salads,  parsnips, 
onions,  sorrel,  spinach,  greens,  beans,  radishes, 
and  an  infinite  variety  of  herbs,  such  as  parsley, 
sage,  mint,  thyme,  &c.,  which  a  little  industry 
will  fructify,  and  he  is  at  once  supplied  with 
a  motive — the  lowest  and  vulgarest,  perhaps, 
and  yet  the  most  powerful — for  taking  spade 
and  hoe  and  watering-pot  in  hand.  Tell  him 
that  the  inhalation  of  the  pure  air  of  heaven, 
and  the  fragrance  of  the  well-tilled  earth,  will 
keep  him  out  of  the  hospital,  and  save  him  the 
deductions  to  which  weeks  and  months  passed 
in  confinement  with  others  afilicted  with  all 
kiiids  of  diseases  will  expose  him,  and  a  second 
inducement  to  rural  occupations  is  furnished  ; 
and  if  to  this  be  added  the  promise  of  a  small 
bonus  upon  pre-eminence  in  horticultural  skill, 
the  stimulus  is  complete. 

To  the  officers  the  employment  of  the  men 
in  gardening  comes  powerfully  recommended. 
It  encourages  habits  of  order,  cleanliness, 
regularity  and  industry  ;  for  the  soldier-gar- 
dener will  soon  learn  that  the  earth  will  yield 
none  of  her  fruits  unless  her  cultivators  pos- 
sess these  virtues.  The  necessity  for  sowing 
many  articles  in  rows,  for  weeding,  watering, 
hoeing,  manuring,  transplanting,  cutting  and 
gathering,  will  evolve  all  the  qualities  essen- 
tial to  the  formation  rf  a  good  soldier  and 
citizen.  The  man  who  v/ill  acquire  habits  of 
attention  to  drilling  his  bit  of  ground,  will 
not  be  indifferent  to  drilling  of  a  more  mili- 
tary character.  By  way  of  encouragement, 
the  officers'  butler  or  caterer  might  be  in- 
structed to  obtain  his  vegetable  supplies  from 
the  men  of  the  regiment ;  and  this  would,  at 
the  same  time,  serve  the  officers,  for  the  "cost 
would  of  course  be  less  than  that  to  which 
dealing  with  the  green-grocer  might  subject 
them.  If,  in  addition  to  the  kitchen  garden, 
the  men  raised  flowers,  they  would  have  the 
opportunity  of  offering  a  bouquet  to  the  wife  ' 


of  the  cajjtain  of  their  company,  or  of  deco- 
rating the  little  rooms  of  the  married  men,  or 
improving  their  own  personal  finery.  Who 
so  gay  as  the  orderly  with  a  pink  at  the 
button  hole  of  his  shell  jacket  ? 

But,  perhaps,  the  most  important  consider- 
ation connected  with  the  introduction  of  gar- 
dening into  the  barracks,  would  be  the  with- 
drawal of  the  men  from  the  ignoble  and  baneful 
pursuits  of  the  canteen  and  the  grog  shop. 
The  Government  have  lately  interdicted  tiie 
sale  of  spirituous  liquoi'S  witinn  the  barrack 
walls,  but  the  determined  toper  thinks  no- 
thing of  a  walk,  even  after  a  fatiguing  parade, 
that  takes  him  to  his  favourite  haunt,  while 
others  console  themselves  with  superfluous 
draughts  of  intoxicating  beer.  Various  amuse- 
ments have  been  devised  by  the  military  au- 
thorities to  check  this  tendency  to  imbibition. 
Regimental  libraries,  tennis  and  racket  courts, 
gymnastic  exercises,  fencing,  and  similar  en- 
tertainments are  countenanced,  and  unques- 
tionably ensure  a  degree  of  benefit  to  the 
soldiery.  Yet,  to  the  pastime  of  the  garden 
they  must  all  succumb,  whether  considered  in 
reference  to  the  enjoyments  they  impart,  the 
health  they  bestow,  or  the  personal  profit  they 
yield.  We  trust  that  this  brief  mention  of 
the  subject  may  induce  the  authorities  to  give 
it,  at  least,  a  portion  of  their  serious  attention, 
in  view  to  the  soldiers'  sharing  in  tlie  general 
scheme  of  sanitary  improvement. 

Having  thus  said  a  word  in  favour  of  the 
principle  of  introducing  gardening »in to  the 
army,  we  shall,  shortly,  proceed  to  point  out 
how  and  where  such  gardens  should  be  formed, 
the  method  of  management,  the  funds  for  their 
support,  and  such  other  matters  in  connexion 
with  the  plan,  as  may  serve  as  the  basis  of  a 
proposition  to  the  Ordnance  Board  and  the 
Secretary  at  War.  We  desire,  in  this  good 
work,  the  aid  of  the  mihtary  journaHsts,  whose 
pages  are  ever  open  to  the  promotion  of  the  wel- 
fare of  the  troops  ;  and  shall  only  be  too  happy  to 
strengthen  our  position  by  the  adoption  of  such 
suggestions  as  their  experience  may  supply. 

One  word  more.  It  is  possible  that  it  may 
be  urged  as  an  obstacle  to  the  adoption  of  our 
proposal,  that  regiments  are  locomotive,  and 
that  the  men  may,  by  the  calls  of  service,  be 
moved  away  before  they  can  reap  the  fruit  of 
their  horticultural  toil.  We  answer  this  by 
anticipation.  If  the  plan  become  universal, 
the  troops  will  only  go  from  one  garden  to 
another,  where,  probably,  the  same  products 
will  be  in  a  corresponding  state  of  forwardness. 
Should  it,  however,  be  otherwise,  it  will  be 
easy  to  arrange  the  payment  of  an  adequate 
compensation  by  the  relieving  coi'ps,  or  the 
sale  of  the  expected  stock  to  some  market 
gardener,  if  the  barracks  are  not  to  be  again 
immediately  occupied. 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


285 


CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS,  AND  ORIGINAL  NOTES. 


Death  of  Dr.  Gardner. — A  letter  has 
recently  been  received  in  London  from  Lord 
Torrington,  Governor  of  Ceylon,  announcing 
the  sudden  death,  from  apoplexy,  of  Dr.  George 
Gardner,  superintendent  of  the  botanic  gar- 
den, Peradenia,  Kandy,  Ceylon.  This  zealous 
naturalist  was  a  pupil  of  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker, 
when  Professor  of  Botany  in  the  University  of 
Glasgow.  Soon  after  leaving  Glasgow,^  he 
undertook  the  enterprising  journey  recorded 
in  his  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  Brazil.  He 
penetrated  on  this  occasion  as  far  west  as  the 
tributaries  of  the  Amazon,  and  from  near  the 
equator  to  23°  of  south  latitude.  He  made 
abundant  collections  of  plants  ;  and  we  are 
indebted  to  him  for  many  of  the  noble  orchids 
now  flowering  in  this  country.  The  wonder- 
ful parasitic  vegetation  of  the  grand  tropical 
garden  of  Brazil  attracted  his  particular  at- 
tention, and  he  set  a  worthy  example  to  many 
practical  botanists  engaged  in  exploring  that 
floral  region  at  this  moment.  Upon  his 
return  from  Brazil,  about  five  years  since, 
he  was  appointed  to  the  ofiice  of  Superin- 
tendent of  the  Botanic  Garden  at  Kandy, 
Ceylon.  Since  then  he  has  been  actively  em- 
ployed in  preparing  materials  for  a  Flora  of 
that  country,  and  undertook  frequent  excur- 
sions for  that  purpose.  "  The  literary  part  of 
my  work,"  says  Dr.  Gardner,  in  a  recent  letter 
to  a  correspondent  of  ours,  '-'progresses  but 
slowly ;  but  materials  are  accumulating  in 
abundance,  and  soon  I  hope  to  sit  down  to  it 
in  good  earnest.  I  have  just  returned  from  a 
month's  tour,  made  in  company  with  Sir 
Emerson  Tennent  through  the  interior  of  the 
northern  half  of  the  island."  Dr.  Gardner's 
attention  was  not,  however,  confined  to  botany. 
Whilst  searching  for  plants,  the  land  and  fresh 
water  moUusca,  living  more  in  concealment, 
did  not  escape  his  quick  eye.  The  loss  of  so 
indefatigable  and  sound  a  naturalist  in  the 
prime  of  life  (we  believe  he  was  not  much 
above  thirty)  will  be  seriously  felt  ;  and  it  is  to 
be  hoped  that  his  collections  and  manuscripts 
will  be  carefully  preserved. — Athencsum.     .,,^ 

The  Funebral  Cypress.  —  The  intro- 
duction of  a  new  hardy  evergreen  tree  into 
this  country  is  an  event  that  is  seldom 
noticed  at  first  in  the  manner  it  deserves. 
This  arises  from  our  being  in  general  imper- 
fectly acquainted  with  the  history  of  such 
plants ;  and  the  result  is  most  unfortunate, 
for  till  experiment  has  decided  whether  such 
a  plant  is  hardy  or  not,  nobody  knows  what 
to  think  or  do — the  seedlings  are  neglected, 
put  aside,  or  ruined  by  being  cramjied  in  pots, 
and  at  last,  when  their  value  is  discovered, 
the  race  has  become  almost  extinct,  and  the 
constitution  of  the  survivors  is,  for  the  most 


part,  ruined  beyond  recovery.  This  has  most 
especially  been  the  history  of  Conifers  ;  and 
Cryptomeria  is  a  striking  example  of  the 
practice.  Of  this  fine  species  thousands  of 
seedUngs  were  distributed  by  the  Horticultural 
Society ;  and  where  are  they  now  ?  The 
greater  part  have  perished,  because  the  public 
was  unacquainted  with  the  value  of  so  beau- 
tiful an  evergreen.  There  was  no  certainty 
that  it  was  hardy,  and  now  that  experience 
has  shown  that  our  winters  will  no  more 
touch  it  than  they  will  a  Spruce  Fir,  the  old 
stock  is  gone,  and  fresh  supplies  must  be 
sought  in  China.  It  was  the  same  with  the 
Araucaria  of  Chili,  with  the  Deodar,  and  with 
many  others.  An  acquisition  of  the  highest 
interest,  lately  received  by  Mr.  Standish,  of 
the  Bagshot  Nursery,  will  undergo  the  same 
fate,  unless  the  history  of  it,  and  the  certainty 
of  its  being  still  more  hardy  than  Crypto- 
meria, shall  be  pointed  out,  so  as  to  leave  no 
room  for  misapprehension.  We  allude  to  the 
Funebral  Cypress.  This  plant  was  first  men- 
tioned in  Lord  Macartney's  Voyage  as  grow- 
ing in  a  place  called  "  The  Vale  of  Tombs, 
near  the  Tower  of  the  Thundering  Winds,"  in 
the  province  of  Zhe-hol  ;  which  is  a  moun- 
tainous district,  lying  in  latitude  41°  58', N. 
in  Chinese  Tartary,  and  has  a  far  more 
rigorous  climate  than  is  ever  known  in 
England.  The  plants  found  in  this  province 
consist  of  hardy  northern  forms,  oaks,  elms, 
ashes,  willows,  pines,  elders,  sophora  japonica, 
together  with  herbs  of  northern  habits,  calcu- 
lated to  bear  severe  frost,  such  as  asters, 
pasunies,  Solomon's  seal,  pinks,  &c.  In  the 
foreground  of  the  landscape  representing  "  the 
Vale  of  Tombs,"  is  a  specimen  of  Funebral 
Cypress,  much  resembling  a  weeping  willow  ; 
and  the  weeping  tree  so  commonly  repi-e- 
sented  in  Chinese  paper-hangings  and  porce- 
lain, is  evidently  the  same  species.  The 
seedlings  in  the  Bagshot  Nursery  were  raised 
from  cones  lately  procured  by  Mr.  Fortune, 
while  at  Shanghae,  from  a  place  200  miles  to 
the  north  of  that  port.  We  have  also  received 
a  dried  specimen  of  it,  which  enables  us  to  say 
that  it  must  be  a  plant  of  the  greatest  beauty. 
It  may  be  best  described  as  a  tree  like  the 
weeping  willow  in  gi'owth,  with  the  foliage  of 
the  savin,  but  of  a  brighter  green ;  it  is,  how- 
ever, not  a  juniper,  as  the  savin  is,  but  a 
genuine  cypress.  It  has  long  been  a  subject 
of  regret  that  the  Italian  cypress  caimot  be 
made  to  endure  our  climate,  and  to  decorate 
our  burial-plates :  but  we  have  now  a  finer 
tree,  still  better  adapted  for  the  purpose. — 
Gardeners'  Chronicle. 

Ornamentax  Garden-Pots. — If  we  may 
judge  by  the  prevailing  taste   of  the  present 


286 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


day,  we  are  midway  in  what  may  be  termed 
the  transition  state  from  the  plain  matter-of- 
fact  principles  which  have  hitherto  princi- 
pally guided  us,  both  in  business  and  decora- 
tion, to  that  period  when  the  highest  efforts 
of  artistic  skill  shall  be  brought  to  bear,  not 
only  on  purely  decorative  objects,  but  also  no 
more  common  articles.  That  such  a  period 
has  arrived  in  the  history  of  all  nations  who 
have  been  celebrated  for  refinement  and  civi- 
lization, there  is  abundant  testimony  to  prove. 
No  one  can  for  a  moment  behold  the  restored 
treasures  of  the  ancient  Egyptians,  the  relics 
of  Etrurian  pottery-ware,  or  the  matchless 
sculpture  of  the  Greeks  and  early  Romans, 
without  being  forcibly  convinced  how  highly 
the  decorative  art  was  prized  by  them,  and  of 
the  high  degree  of  refinement  requisite  to 
design,  execute,  and  appreciate  objects,  which 
generally  speaking  we,  as  a  nation,  are  only 
beginning  to  understand  and  value.  I  need 
scarcely  refer  to  the  mediaeval  ages  for  cor- 
roborative proof.  The  decoration  of  tapestry, 
the  embellishment  of  missals,  and  the  carving 
with  which  the  most  trifling  articles  were 
enriched,  all  bespeak  an  appreciation  of  the 
ornamental  and  decorative  styles,  in  an  age 
not  otherwise  remarkable  for  the  refinements 
of  civilized  life.  At  the  present  time,  in  our 
own  country,  and  more  or  less  in  others,  the 
attempt  at  restoring  the  true  decorative  style, 
both  on  objects  justly  considered  within  the 
pale  of  the  fine  arts,  and  on  those  more  com- 
mon utensils  pertaining  to  our  daily  wants, 
which  have  hitherto  been  considered  unwor- 
thy of  such  distinction,  is  daily  pushing  itself 
into  notice.  We  may  hail  this  as  unmistake- 
able  evidence  that  an  appreciation  of  the 
beautiful  and  decorative  in  art  is  fast  pervad- 
ing society  at  large.  I  have  been  led  into 
making  the  above  remarks,  on  reflecting  what 
might  be  done  by  way  of  improving  the  ap- 
pearance of  that  most  useful,  common,  and 
certainly,  at  present,  most  unornamental  piece 
of  pottery,  "  the  garden-pot."  Gardeners 
have  hitherto  been  content  with  it,  in  its 
plain  unpretending  form  ;  and  it  may  fairly 
be  questioned  whether  any  utensil  employed 
either  in  gardening  or  agriculture  has  passed 
through  the  hands  of  many  generations  with 
its  primitive  form  so  little  altered  as  this 
has.  It  is  true,  Mr.  Forsyth  some  years  ago 
recommended  to  have  them  glazed,  or  var- 
nished ;  for  which  piece  of  advice  he  was 
unanimously  voted  an  innovator,  and  I  believe 
the  plan  was  never  put  into  practice,  ^ome 
modification  in  its  form,  too,  has  been  brought 
into  notice,  in  the  shape  of  the  "  West  Kent 
Garden  Pot ;"  but  these,  in  so  far  as  orna- 
ment is  concerned,  are  not  a  whit  before  the 
original  patterns.  Again,  lately,  a  substitute 
has  been  invented  for  our  old  friends  in  the 


shape  of  "  slate  tubs."  Now  I  had  always  an 
inkling  that  these  latter  would  be  a  great 
improvement,  as  regards  appearance  at  least, 
to  the  common  garden-pot ;  but  after  seeing 
a  stage  of  plants  growing  in  the  "  miniature 
orange  tubs,"  I  was  so  struck  with  their  prim, 
formal  appearance,  producing  impressions  so 
unfavourable  to  my  pre-conceived  ideas  of 
beauty,  that  I  determined  in  my  own  mind 
they  would  never  succeed,  where  taste  was 
called  in  question.  Perhaps  some  readers 
may  not  be  aware  how  far  the  decorative  art 
may  be  carried  into  effect  on  the  common 
flower-pot,  and  the  wide  field  it  opens  for  de- 
sign in  their  embellishment ;  several  attempts 
have  been  made,  one  of  which  has""come  under 
my  notice,  and  as  they  have  stood  with  com- 
parative safety  for  twelve  years  to  my  know- 
lege,  I  am  enabled  to  speak  as  to  their  dura- 
bility. The  pots  I  am  now  describing  were,  I 
believe,  made  at  Sherborne,  and  are  of  a  large 
size.  They  are  (to  all  appearance)  made  of 
the  common  pottery  clay,  in  moulds.  The  rims 
of  the  pots  at  top  and  bottom  are  embossed 
with  foliage  and  flowers,  and  festoons  of  the 
same,  in  high  relief,  are  carried  round  the 
sides.  There  is  likcAvise  an  elaborate  border 
towards  the  bottom,  in  the  same  style.  The 
foliage,  &c.  has  all  the  sharpness  of  outline 
so  valued  in  sculptured  relievo.  Altogether 
they  are  the  most  decorative  article  I  ever 
saw  made  for  plants.  Now,  it  has  often 
struck  me  while  admiring  the  magnificent 
plants  which  annually  crowd  the  tables  of 
the  metropolitan  exhibitions,  how  much 
pots  of  this  description  would  enhance  the 
beauty  of  the  plants  exhibited.  It  must  be 
admitted,  that  the  value  of  all  objects  is  in- 
ci'eased  by  comparison,  as  they  approach  a 
certain  point,  or  degree  of  excellence.  The 
plants  themselves  are  many  of  them  matchless 
specimens  of  the  gardener's  skill.  Nature  and 
art  cannot  go  much  farther  in  cultivation. 
The  pots,  on  the  contrary,  are  neither  better, 
nor  perhaps  worse,  than  they  were  fifty  years 
back  ;  try  to  embellish  them,  and  make  them 
worthy,  as  works  of  art,  to  be  viewed  Avith 
satisfaction,  in  connexion  with  the  choice 
treasures  they  contain.  The  reader  must  not 
suppose,  that  pots  thus  decorated,  are  recom- 
mended to  be  universally  used ;  such  would 
be  a  misapplication  of  taste  ;  but  for  plants  to 
bloom  in,  for  the  conservatory,  and  for  plants 
intended  during  the  summer  to  ornament  the 
flower-garden,  or  parterre,  such  pots  would 
harmonize  with  the  surrounding  objects  and 
scenery,  and  by  their  warmth,  and  colour, 
form  pleasing  objects  of  themselves,  inde- 
pendent of  their  proper  uses, — Spencei',  in 
Paxton^s  3Iagazine. 

Fruits  of  North  America. — The  apple 
thrives  admirably  in  the  central  and  northern 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


287 


States,    and  as  far  as  Montreal,  in  Canada, 
splendid  orcliards  of  this  fruit  are  to  be  seen. 
'Jlie   peach  is  abundantly  grown  throughout 
the   Union,  but  being  mostly,  if  not   always, 
raised  from  the  stone,  many  worthless  varie- 
ties are  produced,  and  the  better  kinds  are 
transient,  as  no  trouble  is  taken  to  perpetuate 
good  sorts  by  gi'afting,  which,  indeed,  would 
not  repay  the  labour  of  doing,  from  the  short- 
lived nature  of  the  tree  in  this  climate,  which 
comes   into   bearing   in  three   or  four  years 
i'rom  the  kernel,  and  does  not  last  above  eight 
or  ten  before  requiring  to  be  renewed.     The 
peaches  of  New  Jersey  are  esteemed  for  their 
excellence ;    but   to    the   northward    of  that 
State,  the  summers  are  too  short  and  cool  for 
the    perfect  maturing    of  the  fruit,    and  the 
trees  themselves  are  apt  to  be  injured  by  the 
rigour   of  the  winter.     The  most    northern 
station   at  which    I  remarked   the  peacii   as 
a   standard,     small,    indeed,    but    apparently 
healthy,  was  at  Burlington  in  Vermont,  (lat. 
44°  27')  ;  but  the  vicinity  of  Lake  Champlain, 
on  whose  shores  the  town  is  situated,  has  a 
mitigating   effect     on    the    otherwise    severe 
climate    of  that   part   of  the  Union ;  for  at 
Montreal,  just  one  degree  due  north  of  Bur- 
lington, the  peach  has  disappeared  from  the 
orchards,  and  sought  the  shelter  of  the  gar- 
den-wall, being  unable  to  resist  the  winter 
any  longer  as  a  'standard  fruit-tree. — Brome- 
Jield,  in  Hooker's  Journal. 

Planting  a  Flower  Garden. — A  flower- 
garden  should  be  and  can  be  always  well- 
stocked,  let  the  season  be  what  it  may  ;  not 
indeed  at  all  times  with  flowers,  but  at  least 
with  what  produces  as  pleasing  an  effect. 
There  are  Aconites  [Eranthis  hiemaUs'], 
Christmas  Roses  [^Helleborus  ni(ier'\,  and 
Yiolet  Grass  \_Iono'psidiuvi  acaule]  for  win- 
ter; Crocuses  and  their  kindred  species  for 
the  earliest  spring ;  Hyacinths,  Anemones, 
Wallflowers,  and  all  sorts  of  early  Alpine 
plants,  for  the  later  spring  ;  a  countless  host 
of  species  ready  to  decorate  the  summer  and 
autumn  ;  and  as  for  the  dead  season  of  the 
year,  when  the  flowers  of  autumn  have  all 
perished,  and  the  first  blooms  of  winter  are 
still  dormant,  nothing  is  more  easy  than  to 
occupy  the  ground  with  moveable  evergreens 
of  rich  and  painted  foliage.  Upon  this  plan 
all  seasons  have  their  peculiar  features,  and 
every  month  will  bring  a  change — precisely 
what  is  wanted  to  render  gardens  the  most 
agreeable.  No  rarities  are  needed  for  this, 
no  tender  strangers,  whose  cost  would  buy 
the  fee  simple  of  the  land  they  grow  in, 
nothing  demanding  shelter  and  peculiar  skill. 
On  the  contrary,  the  commonest  and  most  old- 
fashioned  plants  are  as  good  as  the  last  novelty 
from  the  antipodes,  and  for  many  purposes 
better.   Not  that  the  present  favourites  would 


have  to  be  excluded  ;  on  the  contrary,  their 
exquisite  beauty  and  peculiar  fitness  for  many 
of  the  purposes  of  embellishment  will  con- 
tinue to  render  them  indispensable  in  aid  of 
other  things.  They  must  always  form  a  con- 
spicuous feature,  because  of  their  great  in- 
trinsic merit ;  but  a  feature  only — a  portion 
of  the  gay  crowd,  and  not  the  crowd  itself — 
Gardeners^  Chronicle. 

Treatment  of  NyjiPHiEA  rubra. — The 
Nymph(sa  rubra  had  been  grown  in  the  pine 
stove    [at  Eaton  Hall]  for   many  years,   but 
never   produced  blossoms,    owing,   as  I  con- 
sidered, to  its  being  too  far  from  the  glass, 
and  the  temperature  of  the  pine-stove  being 
generally  too  low  for  the  development  of  its 
flowers.     With  this  impression  on  my  mind, 
in    December,    1826,   when  its   leaves   were 
decayed,  I  took  up  the  bulbs,  or  tubers,  out 
of  the  stone  cisterns  in  which  they  had  grown 
for  years,  and  put  them  into  pots,  according 
to   the   size  of  the  tubers,  and  plunged  the 
pots  in  water  to  within  an  inch  of  their  rims. 
They  remained  in  this  situation  in  the  pine- 
sjove  till  the  plants  began  to  show  leaves  in 
the  April  and  May  following.      They  were 
then  planted  in  cisterns,  and  in  glazed  earthen- 
ware pots,  in  which  was  the  following  soils  ; 
in    the   bottom,  four  inches  of  strong   clay, 
made  solid,   above  which  was   six  inches   of 
light  mellow  loam,  and,  at  the  top,  an  inch  or 
two  of  sand,  to  keep  the  water  clear.     The 
cisterns,  which  are  made  of  Yorksliire  flags, 
and  of  the  following  dimensions, — three  feet 
long,  one   foot  eight  inches  broad,  and  one 
foot  four  inches  deep, — were  placed  upon  the 
end  flues  of  pine-pits,  where  the  fire  enters 
and  escapes  :    and  they  were  elevated  with 
bricks  to  within  eight  and  twelve  inches  of 
the  glass.     The  glazed  pots  were  from  four- 
teen inches  to  eighteen  inches  in  breadth  and 
depth,   and  were  similarly  placed,    except   a 
few  that  were  plunged  in  corners  of  the  melon- 
pits.    They  were  kept  constantly  full  of  water, 
and   it  frequently  was  made  to  run  over,  in 
order  that  the  water  miglit  be  kept  pure.  The 
temperature  of  the  pits  was  seldom  under  80°, 
and  in  sunshine  often  above    100°  of  Fahr. 
No  air  was  admitted  at  the  lights  immediately 
above  the  plants.     As  the  plants  increased  in 
growth,  they  put  out  many  runners,  which 
were  pinched  oflT  close  to  the  tuber.     When 
the  roots  reached   the   clay,   the   leaves   got 
very  strong,  raising  themselves  on  the  sides 
of  the  cisterns.    The  Nymphcea  cceridea  and 
N.  odorata,    under   similar   treatment    pro- 
duced abundance  of  flowers.     The  first  flower 
of  the    W.    rubra   opened   on    the   13th   of 
August,    and   measured    over  the   disk   five 
inches  and  a  quarter.     The   same  plant  pro- 
duced  another  flower   in    September,  some- 
what larger,  and  with  nineteen  petals  ;  and 


288 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


many  more  buds  were  formed,  but  they  opened 
very  indiiferently  towards  the  end  of  Septem- 
ber;  in  October,  the  plants  began  to  lose 
their  leaves.  When  this  was  accomplished, 
the  tubers  were  taken  out  of  the  cistei-ns,  and 
put  into  small  pots  as  before  stated.  The 
Neluvibium  speciosum,  in  a  glazed  pot,  with 
similar  soil,  plunged  in  leaves  in  the  same  pit, 
has  flowered  well,  and  ripened  seeds,  while  a 
plant  in  the  pine-stove,  although  growing 
freely,  has  not  even  shown  flower. — Letter 
from  Mr.  C  Duff. 

The  American  Cranberry, —  It  appears 
from  a  paper  read  at  the  Horticultural  Society 
in  1808,  that  the  American  Cranberry,  the 
Vaccinium  macrocarjmm,  had  for  some  years 
been  cultivated  with  success  at  Spring  Grove. 
It  is  necessary  to  premise,  that  a  spring  rises 
in  a  small  grove,  within  the  precincts  of 
Spring  Grrove,  which  is  no  doubt  the  origin 
of  the  name  ;  this  spring  is  carried  in  leaden 
pipes  into  the  house,  to  which  it  affords  an 
ample  supply;  the  waste  water  is  suffered  to 
run  through  a  small  basin  and  a  pond  in  the 
pleasure-ground,  befoi-e  it  escapes  to  Small- 
bury  Green.  In  the  middle  o£  the  basin,  a 
small  island  was  formed,  by  supporting  a  box 
of  oak  upon  posts  driven  into  the  bottom  ; 
in  the  centre  of  this  pond,  the  waste  water, 
which  used  before  to  issue  through  a  fountain, 
is  suffered  to  flow  in  the  form  of  a  spring, 
which,  rising  into  a  large  shell  of  the  Chama 
■gigas,  perforated  for  the  purpose,  imitates 
very  well  a  natural  spring,  and  gives  in  hot 
weather  an  appearance  of  freshness  and  cool- 
ness, very  pleasant  to  those  who  walk  in  the 
garden.  The  oak  box  which  constituted  this 
artificial  island,  is  circular,  22  feet  in  diameter, 
and  13  inches  deep ;  the  bottom  is  5  inches 
under  the  surface  of  the  water,  and  bored 
through  with  many  holes ;  on  this  a  layer  of 
stones  and  rubbish  was  first  placed,  and  upon 
that  a  covering  of  bog  earth,  brought  from 
Hounslow  Heath,  which  together  are  5  inches 
below,  and  7  inches  above  the  surface  of  the 
water  of  the  basin :  in  this  bed  of  black 
mould,  a  variety  of  curious  bog  plants  were 
placed,  which  flourished  in  an  unusual  de^'ree; 
among  these  was  the  Vaccinium,  which  flow- 
ered and  ripened  its  fruit  the  first  year.  In 
the  autumn  of  the  second  year  it  again  pro- 
duced a  plentiful  crop,  and  soon  after  began 
to  send  out  runners  somewhat  resembling 
those  of  a  strawberry,  but  longer  and  rather 
less  inclined  to  take  root  while  young ;  they 
did  however  take  root  in  the  winter,  and 
early  in  the  spring  threw  out  upright  branches 
ten  inches  and  a  foot  long,  on  which  the 
flowers  and  fruits  were  chiefly  placed  ;  the 
produce  was  this  year  gathered,  and  found  to 
be  high  flavoured  berricwS,  very  superior  to 
those  imported,  which  have  in  general  been 


gathered  unripe,  and  have  become  vapid  and 
almost  tasteless  by  long  soaking  in  the  water  in 
which  they  are  packed  for  carriage.  It  was 
now  determined  to  consider  the  American 
Cranberry  as  an  article  of  kitchen  garden 
culture,  and  to  give  up  the  whole  of  the  island 
to  it,  which  in  a  few  years  it  entirely  covered 
by  its  own  runners,  without  any  fresh  plants 
being  put  in.  In  the  year  1805,  a  bed  was 
made  on  the  side  of  the  pond,  20  feet  long  and 
5|  feet  broad,  by  a  few  stakes  driven  into  the 
bottom  parallel  to  the  side,  and  lined  with  old 
boards ;  the  bottom  of  this  was  filled  up  with 
stones  and  rubbish,  and  on  these  a  bed  of 
black  mould,  3  inches  above  and  7  inches 
below  the  usual  surface  of  the  water,  was  laid  : 
this  was  planted  with  Cranberry  plants,  many 
of  them  having  been  rooted  in  a  hot  bed,  in 
which  they  throve  most  vigorously.  It  is 
remarkable,  that  during  the  seven  years  these 
Cranberries  have  been  cultivated  at  Spring 
Grove,  nothing  has  arisen,  from  the  variety 
of  seasons,  from  blight,  or  any  other  circum- 
stance, that  has  diminished  the  quantity  of  a 
full  crop ;  the  flowers  have  issued  out  of  their 
buds,  in  abundance,  in  their  due  season,  and 
fewer  of  them  have  been  abortive,  than  in 
general  is  the  case  in  other  plants.  The  fruit 
has  gradually  swelled  and  duly  ripened  with- 
out being  subject  to  the  attack  of  any  vermin, 
or  to  injuries  of  any  kind  from  the  excesses 
of  heat  or  cold,  or  from  those  of  wetness  or  of 
drought. — Letter  of  Sir  .Joseph  Banks,  Bart. 

[What  has  become  of  the  island  and  the 
cranberries  now,  we  know  not ;  in  all  proba- 
bility, the  island  has  gone  to  the  bottom.  Those 
who  like  cranberries,  however,  may  think  it 
worth  while  to  try  their  cultivation,  although 
they  have  been  since  grown  in  an  American 
bed  with  success,  and  without  difficulty.] 

Sowing  Seeds. — In  sowing  seed  beds  for 
a  supply  of  plants  of  any  particular  crop,  it  is 
best  to  sow  enough  seed,  but  not  too  thickly 
on  the  ground  ;  a  store  of  plants  is  often 
found  very  useful  in  garden  culture.  Recol- 
lect, too,  that  of  quick  growing  crops  a  supply 
must  be  sown  frequently,  "little  and  often" 
being  a  better  principle  to  act  on  than  its  con- 
verse.— M. 

Compost  for  potted  Plants. — A  mix- 
ture of  soils  which  will  be  suitable  for  growing 
the  generality  of  plants,  may  be  prepared 
thus  :  —  To  tliree  parts  of  the  turf  of  a  loamy 
pasture  partially  rotted,  add  one  part  of  turfy 
peat  soil,  such  as  heaths  are  found  growing  in 
upon  our  commons,  and  one  part  of  cow-dung 
or  hot-bed  manure,  in  a  completely  rotted  and 
friable  condition  ;  mix  these  ingredients  well 
together,  but  do  not  sift  them,  except  for  very 
small  pots.  If  the  loam  is  adhesive,  add  about 
an  eighlh  part  of  sharp  sand — silver  sand  is 
gmierally  piefencd.  — M. 


LAPAGERIA    ROSEA. 


289 


LAPAGERIA    ROSEA. 

Lapageria  rosea,  Ruiz  and  Pavon  (rose- 
coloured  I^apageria). — Philesiace£e. 

"Lapageria  looks  like  a  Smilax,  bearing  the 
flowers  of  a  Bomarea."  To  render  the  compa- 
rison more  familiar,  its  blossoms  may  be  said  to 
resemble  those  of  an  immense-flowered  Alstro- 
meria,  borne  along  the  branches  of  the  common 
black  brionj  (Tamus  communis)  frequent  in 
our  thickets  and  hedges.  Many  years  ago 
this  fine  plant  was  figured  by  the  Spanish 
botanists,  Euiz  and  Pavon,  in  the  Flora  Peru- 
viana ;  but  although  its  existence  has  thus  long 
been  known  to  botanists,  the  plant  has  not, 
till  within  the  last  few  years,  been  introduced  in 
a  living  state  into  this  country  ;  or,  as  far  as  we 
know,  into  Europe.  In  the  year  1847,  we  are 
informed,  that  "the  Royal  Gardens  at  Kew 
were  first  favoured  with  one  from  Conception 
(Chili),through  the  kindness  of  R.Wheelwright, 
Escf,  an  American  gentleman,  who  has  been 
50. 


instrumental  in  establishing  steam  navigation 
in  the  Pacific."  In  the  following  year  it 
appears  that  Messrs.  Veitch  and  Son  received 
it  from  their  collector  Mr.  T.  Lobb.  We  believe 
Mr.  Low  of  Clapton  was  also,  among  English 
cultivators,  one  of  the  earliest  possessors  of 
living  plants  of  this  Lapageria.  We  may  soon 
expect,  therefore,  to  see  it  become  more  exten- 
sively diffused. 

The  Lapageria  belongs  to  Dr.  Lindley's 
small  group,  which  he  calls  Dictyogens,  a  set 
of  plants  intermediate  between  the  Exogens 
and  Endogens,  agreeing  in  great  measure  with 
the  former,  in  their  net-veined  foliage,  and  with 
the  latter,  in  the  structure  of  their  woody 
matter  ;  though  possessing  on  either  hand, 
distinctive  characters  which  separate  them  from 
these  two  great  groups.  The  families  of 
Dictyogens  are  few,  and  limited  in  extent, 
but  among  them  ai'e  included  the  Yams,  the 
Smilaxes  (plants  which  yield  Sarsaparilla),  and 
the  Trilliums.  The  Lapageria  is  closely  related 
to  the  Smilaxes,  the  natural  order  Smilacese, 
to  which  indeed  some  botanists  unite  it.  Dr. 
Lindley  has  however  formed  a  separate  group 
of  this  and  another  plant  called  Philesia, 
giving  the  group  the  name  of  Philesiaceas. 

To  come  to  a  more  exact  account  of  the 
subject  of  the  annexed  engraving,  we  may 
state,  that  the  Lapageria  rosea\s  a  most  beau- 
tiful twiner,  growing  many  feet  in  height,  and 
having  round  branching  stems.  These  bear 
alternate  stalked  leathery  leaves,  of  an  ovate- 
lanceolate  acuminated  figure,  having  a  smooth 

u 


290 


HOEING,  RAKING,  AND  WEEDING. 


shining  surface,  marked  longitudinally  with 
five  nerves  or  ribs,  and  furnished  with  reticu- 
lated veins  between  the  ribs.  The  flowers 
grow  singly  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  on 
stalks,  which  exceed  in  length  the  stalks  of  the 
leaves.  They  are  handsome,  lily-like,  pendu- 
lous, about  three  inches  long,  and  expanding 
at  the  mouth  to  about  two  inches  and  a  half, 
the  form  of  the  expanded  flower  being  bell- 
shaped,  a  little  compressed  ;  the  flowers  are 
formed  of  six  petals  or  flower-leaves,  of  which 
the  three  exterior  ones  are  somewhat  keeled 
at  the  base,  and  the  inner  three  somewhat 
clawed  ;  the  colour  is  a  deep  rose,  internally 
spotted  Avith  white,  the  three  interior  petals 
being  broader,  as  well  as  more  thickly  spotted 
than  the  others.  Ruiz  and  Pavon  describe  the 
colour  of  the  flowers,  as  varying  from  rose  to 
rose-crimson. 

The  native  country  of  the  genus,  of  which 
at  present,  we  believe,  only  one  species  is  known, 
is  Chili.  The  plant  has  not  yet,  it  appears, 
produced  blossoms  in  England,  although  grow- 
ing in  a  vigorous  condition,  to  the  height  of 
six  feet,  in  the  nui'sery  of,  Messrs.  Veitch.  A 
beautiful  figure,  prepared  partly  from  dried 
flowers,  and  partlj^  from  coloured  drawings 
made    in    its    native    place    of   growth,    has 


been  recently  published  in  the  JBolanical 
Magazine. 

The  fruit  of  this  plant,  a  large  oblong  pulpy 
berry,  is  in  Chili  held  in  some  estimation  as  an 
esculent  fruit,  and  is  said  to  have  a  sweet 
agreeable  flavour.  In  addition  to  this,  the 
roots  are  used  by  the  Chilenos,  as  a  substitute 
for  those  of  Smilax  Sai'saparilla,  the  Sarsa- 
parilla  of  the  shops. 

We  know  little  of  the  cultivation  of  this 
plant  as  yet.  That  at  Kew  has  not  been  found 
to  make  much  progress  ;  but  on  the  other 
hand,  Messrs.  Veitch's  plant  is  extremely 
flourishing  ;  so  that,  on  the  whole,  it  will  pro- 
bably turn  out  to  be  of  easy  culture.  It  will 
at  least  be  sufficiently  hardy  to  rank  among 
greenhouse  climbers,  and  may  perhaps  suc- 
ceed in  sheltered  places  out  of  doors  ;  that  is, 
trained  against  out-door  walls,  if  the  situation  be 
at  all  adapted  to  plants  not  perfectly  hardy. 

Tlie  name,  Lapageria,  was  given  by  Ruiz 
and  Pavon,  in  honour  of  Josephine  Lapagerie, 
the  wife  of  Napoleon  Buonaparte,  and  in  com- 
memoration of  the  patronage  she  bestowed  on 
the  science  of  botany,  not  only  in  the  encou- 
ragement of  botanical  authors,  but  also  in  fur- 
thering the  cultivation  of  exotic  plants,  in  the 
beautiful  gardens  of  Malmaison. 


HOEING,  RAKING,  AND  WEEDING. 


The  operation  of  hoeing  consists  in  the  use 
of  the  well-known  implement  called  the  hoe, 
which  is  a  plate  of  steel  variously  formed,  and 
as  variously  set  to  a  (usually  long)  handle  ; 
and  which  being  fui-nished  with  a  sharp  cut- 
ting edge,  acts  by  slicing  or  paring,  as  it  were, 
the  crust  of  the  soil. 

It  was  formerly  the  custom  to  have  re- 
course to  the  use  of  the  hoe  as  a  means  of 
destioying  the  weeds,  with  which,  as  is  known 
to  every  one,  the  surface  of  the  ground  be- 
comes covered,  if  left  undisturbed  for  a 
greater  or  less  length  of  time.  Usually, 
except  during  winter,  a  very  short  period 
will  sufiice  to  allow  the  surface  of  the  ground 
to  become  covered  with  this  extraneous  vege- 
tation. It  was  to  destroy  these  weeds  that 
hoeing  was  formerly  had  recourse  to  ;  and  it 
is  often  practised  even  now,  in  many'  gar- 
dens, with  no  higher  purpose  than  the  mere 
destruction  of  weeds. 

But  it  is  well  known  that  the  growth  of 
vegetation  of  any  kind,  extracts  from  t-he  soil 
the  nutriment  with  which  it  was  charged  in 
proportion  to  the  degree  of  its  develop- 
ment. Weeds,  therefore,  in  perfecting  their 
growth,  extract  some  of  this  nutriment ;  and 
as  they  serve  no  good  purpose,  it  must  be 


evident  that  what  they  draw  from  the  soil  for 
their  support,  is  as  it  were  stolen  from  the 
crops  which  are  intended  to  occupy,  or  which 
may  be  occupying,  the  soil  where  they  are 
found.  Now,  as  weeds  are  entirely  useless, 
this  much  of  the  produce  of  the  soil,  or  of 
its  capacity  to  produce,  is  lost  —  wasted. 
The  proper  application  of  the  hoe  should 
prevent  this  from  taking  place. 

Hoeing,  therefore,  it  will  be  perceived 
ought  not  to  be  an  operation  of  destroying 
weeds,  but  of  preventing  them.  In  other 
words,  instead  of  allowing  the  surface  of  the 
soil  to  lie  neglected  until  it  is  covered  with  a 
crop  of  useless  vegetation,  and  then  cutting 
this  down  and  removing  it,  the  surface  should 
be  frequently  broken  up  by  the  hoe,  so  fre- 
quently, indeed,  that  the  weeds  may  not  have 
time  to  do  more,  at  the  utmost,  than  just  to 
break  through  the  soil.  Whatever  nutriment 
the  soil  contains  is  thus  retained  for  the  use- 
ful crops  with  which  the  soil  is  to  be  planted, 
instead  of  being  stolen  away  from  them  by 
useless,  and  in  fact  injui'ious  herbage  ;  for  it 
must  be  remembered,  too,  that  when  the 
ground  is  clothed  with  weeds,  the  rays  of  the 
sun  and  the  air  are  prevented  from  acting  on 
and  conveying  to  it  those  vivifying  principles 


HOEING,    RAKING,    AND    WEEDING. 


291 


■with  which  they  are  charged.  It  has  been 
very  quaintly  but  justly  remarked,  that  if 
we  must  have  weeds  kept  in  gardens,  either 
as  curiosities  or  as  botanical  illustrations,  a 
compartment  of  the  garden  should  be  set 
apart  for  them  ;  and  they  should  be  culti- 
vated in  the  same  way  and  with  the  same  care 
as  other  crops,  and  not  as  at  present  allowed 
to  grow  amongst,  and  overrun,  and  choke,  the 
latter  more  useful  productions. 

To  render  hoeing  what  it  should  be,  as 
regards  its  effects  on  the  soil  as  a  prevention 
of  weeds,  it  must  be  a  continually  recui'ring 
operation.  It  is  not  enough  to  hoe  once  just 
as  or  before  the  weeds  break  through  the  sur- 
face, and  then  after^vards  to  allow  them  to 
grow  up  to  maturity.  This  will  be  of  no 
utility  whatever.  As  soon  in  the  spring  as 
the  warmth  of  the  sun  excites  the  latent 
germs  which  have  been  hidden  in  the  soil, 
and  bids  them  spring  forth  into  life  and  vi- 
gour, so  soon  in  each  recurring  season  must 
the  hoeing  of  the  surface  be  commenced  ;  and 
at  least  as  often  as  fresh  races  spring  up 
from  amongst  the  soil,  must  the  hoe  be  put  in 
requisition  throughout  the  summer,  and  until 
the  process  of  germination  is  locked  up  in  the 
icy  chains  of  winter. 

But  besides  the  mere  prevention  of  weeds, 
there  is  another  object  in  hoeing  the  surface 
of  the  soil,  and  that  is,  to  break  up  and  loosen 
the  crust,  in  order  to  admit  atmospheric  in- 
fluences, to  equalize  the  moisture,  and  to 
raise  the  temperature  of  the  soil.  For  these  pur- 
poses the  soil  can  never  be  too  often  stirred 
up.  In  destroying  weeds  merely  a  very 
shallow  skimming  of  the  surface  is  sufficient ; 
but  for  the  latter  purpose  deep  hoeing  is  essen- 
tial ;  and  so  that  the  roots  of  the  particular 
kind  of  crop  which  may  be  contiguous  are 
not  injured,  the  deeper  this  can  be  done  the 
better.  Sometimes  even  the  hoe  may  be 
assisted  in  this  particular  by  forking  up 
lightly  the  spaces  between  the  crops.  This 
treatment  must  begin  as  soon  as  the  plants 
emerge  from  the  soil,  and  must  be  carried 
on  and  repeated  from  time  to  time  during 
their  progress,  so  that  at  no  time  the  surface 
may  be  hard  and  caked,  but  loose,  and  free, 
and  porous.  Neither  the  surface  soil,  nor 
that  immediately  below  it  within  reach  of 
the  hoe,  must  ever  be  allowed  to  get  conso- 
lidated. 

The  practice  of  keeping  the  surface  of  the 
soil  thus  broken  up  and  loosened  among  all 
kinds  of  crops  is  very  conducive  to  their 
growth.  The  atmosphere  is  then  enabled  to 
permeate  the  soil  with  freedom,  and  this  is 
found  to  be  of  much  importance  to  the  health 
of  plants  ;  indeed,  in  a  consolidated  soil,  or 
where,  from  the  presence  of  water,  the  air  has 
not  free  access,  vegetation  generally  will  not 


thrive.  By  this  means,  too,  the  soil  is  ren- 
dered far  more  equable  as  regards  moisture 
than  when  consolidated,  and  this  is  especially 
the  case  (as  it  also  then  becomes  especially 
necessary)  during  dry  weather.  Without  en- 
tering into  the  philosophy  of  the  matter,  which 
would  occupy  too  much  space,  it  will  be  suffi- 
cient to  state  the  fact,  that  a  period  of  drought 
has  far  less  effiict  on  vegetation,  when  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil  is  frequently  loosened  up,  than 
Avhen  it  is  allowed  to  remain,  as  it  then  would 
usually  become — hard  and  consolidated.  And 
then  again,  the  loosening  of  the  surface  has 
a  similar  effect  with  respect  to  the  tempera- 
ture of  the  soil  which  it  has  in  regard  to  its 
moisture.  These  advantages,  and  perhaps 
others,  are  secured  by  the  free  use  of  the  hoe  ; 
and  they  are  of  great  importance  to  all  kinds 
of  crops. 

Earthing  up. — The  hoe  is  also  employed 
in  the  slighter  processes  of  earthing  up,  that 
is,  of  drawing  soil  about  the  base  of  the  stems 
of  such  culinai'y  crops  as  peas,  beans,  cauli- 
flowers, brocoli,  potatoes,  &c.  Celery  and 
some  few  other  crops  which  are  earthed  up 
for  the  purpose  of  blanching  them,  are  done  in 
a  different  way.  The  object  of  the  earthing 
up  here  referred  to  appears  to  be  various : 
sometimes,  as  in  the  case  of  early  peas,  it  is 
done  to  shelter  them,  and  they  are  then 
earthed  most  liberally  on  the  most  exposed 
side :  in  he  case  of  potatoes,  it  is  done  with 
a  view  of  supplying  a  mass  of  light  soil  in 
which  the  underground  stems  that  produce 
the  useful  parts  of  the  plant,  that  is,  the  tubers, 
may  have  room  to  run  and  form  these  tubers, 
which  become  useless  as  food  if  pushed  above 
the  surface,  and  thus  exposed  to  the  air  and 
light ;  for  this  purpose  a  flat  broad  ridge  is 
preferable  to  the  sharp  narrow  ones  -which  are 
often  seen.  Some  of  the  other  crops  appear  to 
have  the  earth  drawn  up  to  their  base  with 
the  view  of  supporting  them,  but  the  benefit 
is  not  veiy  obvious ;  and  it  is  probable  that 
much  of  the  benefit  that  is  secured  results 
from  the  mere  stirring  and  loosening  of  the 
soil  which  necessarily  takes  place. 

Drawing  drills  for  seeds  is  another  opera- 
tion performed  by  the  hoe  ;  it  consists  in  clear- 
ing out  by  means  of  the  dr.aw-hoe,  used  corner- 
wise,  a  nari'ow  channel  of  uniform  depth,  the 
hoe  being  guided  by  the  garden  line  stretched 
quite  tight  in  the  direction  the  drills  are  re- 
quired ;  a  section  of  such  a  channel  would 
represent  two  sides  of  a  triangle.  The  earth 
is  forced  out  by  the  operation  chiefly  on  one 
side  of  the  drill ;  and  if  a  deep  one,  after  the 
seeds  are  deposited  it  is  usually  filled  in  by 
walking  astride  the  drill,  and  pushing  in  the 
soil  with  the  side  of  each  foot  alternately,  the 
top  being  afterwards  roughly  levelled  with 
the  back  of  a  rake.     If  the  drill  is  a  shallow 

v2 


292 


HOEING,    RAKING,    AND    WEEDING. 


one,  it  is  usually  filled  in  by  using  the  back 
of  the  rake. 

To  effect  these  various  operations  three 
kinds  of  hoes,  and  various  sizes  of  each,  are 
employed.  The  most  common  is  the  draw- 
hoe,  which  consists  of  a  blade  or  plate  of  iron 
attached  to  a  handle,  at  an  angle  less  than  a 
right  angle ;  the  handle  is  usually  four  feet 
long,  and  the  blade  of  varied  size,  and  shaped 
according  to  the  use  for  which  it  is  intended  ; 
for  cutting  weeds  it  is  made  wide  and  shal- 
low ;  for  drawing  soil,  deeper.  Small  sizes 
Avith  short  (or  long)  handles  are  used  for  hoe- 
ing between  advancing  crops.  The  thrust,  or 
Dutch  hoe,  consists  of  a  thin  plate  of  iron 
attached  somewhat  obliquely  by  means  of  a 
bow  to  a  long  handle  j  it  is  used  by  pushing 
it  from  the  operator,  the  draw-hoe  being,  as 
its  name  implies,  used  in  the  opposite  w^ay. 
The  thrust-hoe  is  proper  for  cutting  up  weeds 
on  light  ground,  and  also  for  hoeing  borders 
without  treading  on  them,  as  they  can  be  used 
from  the  walk,  unless  the  borders  or  beds  are 
very  wide.  In  using  them  too,  the  operator 
walks  backwards,  so  that  if  obliged  to  tread 
on  the  ground,  he  breaks  up  his  footmarks ; 
with  the  draw-hoe,  on  the  other  hand,  the 
operator  walks  forwards,  and,  consequently, 
leaves  his  footmarks  untouched.  The  thrust- 
hoe  is  not  however  so  well  adapted  for  heavy 
work  as  the  draw-hoe. 

For  the  express  purpose  of  breaking  up 
the  soil,  another  sort  of  hoe  is  used ;  this  is 
called  the  crane-necked  hoe.  It  consists  of  a 
smallish,  thick,  egg-shaped  piece  of  iron,  at- 
tached by  means  of  a  curved  stalk  resembling 
a  swan's  neck,  to  the  handle ;  the  point  of 
this  hoe  loosens  and  breaks  up  the  soil  to  a 
considerable  depth.  Small  sizes,  with  short 
handles,  are  made  for  use  among  small  closely 
drilled  crops.  This  kind  of  hoe  is  not  well 
adapted  for  cutting  up  weeds. 

Hoeing  should  always  be  done  when  the 
soil  is  sufficiently  dry  not  to  adhere  much  to 
the  implement  in  using  it ;  if  the  ground  has 
to  be  trampled  on,  it  should  be  so  dry  as  not 
to  be  much  consolidated,  and  where  practica- 
ble, the  places  trampled  on  should  be  forked 
up.  For  killing  weeds,  of  course  only  the 
driest  weather  is  to  be  chosen ;  in  moist 
showery  weather  the  weeds  strike  root  afresh, 
and  not  one  in  ten  is  killed. 

RAKES   AND    RAKING. 

The  operation  of  raking  consists  in  comb- 
ing the  surface  of  the  soil,  as  it  were,  with  the 
implement  called  the  rake,  which  is  formed 
by  a  number  of  parallel  iron  teeth  set  at  equal 
distances  along  a  slender  bar  of  iron,  fixed 
transversely  to  a  long  handle.  Various  sizes 
for   different  uses    are    manufactured.      The 


operation  of  raking  is  chiefly  resorted  to  for 
the  purpose  of  combing  off  the  surface  weeds 
that  have  been  cut  up  with  the  hoe ;  or  for 
combing  off  large  stones  and  rough  lumps  of 
soil,  when  a  finer  surface  is  required ;  or' 
sometimes  merely  for  the  purpose  of  freshen- 
ing up  the  surface  of  the  soil  for  the  sake  of 
neatness.  The  rake  is  also  used  to  "  rake  in" 
various  seeds  that  are  sown  broadcast. 

Raking,  when  practised  to  clear  off  weeds, 
should  always  be  done  in  dry  weather  if  pos- 
sible, for  if  the  soil  is  very  moist  a  good  deal 
of  soil  is  disadvantageously  removed  with 
them.  The  rake  is  to  be  used  very  lightly, 
first  being  passed  backwards  and  forwards 
once  or  twice  to  free  the  weeds  as  entirely  as 
possible  from  the  soil,  and  then  pulled  towards 
the  operator,  bringing  the  weeds  along  with  it, 
and  leaving  the  ground  behind  quite  clean.  It 
is  sometimes  necessary  when  rainy  weather 
supervenes  on  hoeing,  to  take  advantage  of 
the  first  dry  day,  and  go  over  the  ground  with 
the  rake,  passing  it  backwards  and  forwards, 
in  order  to  loosen  up  the  weeds  and  destroy 
any  fresh  hold  they  may  have  taken  of  the 
soil.  If,  however,  the  soil  is  hoed — as  it 
should  be — before  the  weeds  attain  any  con- 
siderable size,  it  will  be  unnecessary  to  rake 
the  ground,  as  they  will  dry  up  and  perish ; 
unless,  indeed,  it  be  in  the  flower  borders  or 
pleasure  ground,  where  the  rake  must  neces- 
sarily follow  the  hoe,  if  only  to  secure  neat- 
ness and  an  orderly  appearance. 

AVhere  the  object  is  to  produce  a  finer  sur- 
face, the  operation  should  be  performed  when 
the  soil  is  in  a  medium  state  of  moisture ;  the 
lumps  of  soil  then  break  easily,  and  the  rough 
stones  are  readily  collected  by  means  of  the 
rake.  The  rough  lumps  of  soil  which  it  is 
partly  the  object  of  this  operation  to  break 
down,  should  be  reduced  by  striking  them 
with  the  back  of  the  rake.  In  this  way,  un- 
less the  soil  is  very  stubborn,  the  whole  sur- 
face may  be  rendered  proportionately  fine  to 
the  width  between  the  teeth  of  the  rake. 
Under  these  circumstances,  it  should  be  the 
object  to  remove  as  little  soil  as  possible  along 
with  the  stones  and  rubbish  collected  by  the 
rake.  It  is  also  by  no  means  desirable  to  re- 
move assiduously — as  is  often  done — every 
stone  which  is  observed  on  the  surface.  In 
the  flower  borders  it  is  necessary  to  do  so  to 
some  extent  on  the  ground  of  neatness ;  but 
in  the  kitchen-garden  nothing  more  than  the 
very  largest  should  be  removed,  and  these  by 
hand-picking.  In  fact,  if  a  garden  is  well 
managed,  and  the  weeds  are  not  allowed  to 
get  the  upper  hand,  there  will  be  but  little  to 
rake  off  the  soil  at  any  time,  though  the  rake 
wall  be  useful  to  collect  together  such  remains 
of  the  crops  as  may  be  left ;  these  remains 
should  be  either  dug  in  as  green  manure,  or 


,  HOEING,    RAKING,    AND    WBEDING-j 


293 


what  is,  perhaps,  generally  preferable,  charred 
and  distributed  over  the  ground  in  the  form 
of  charcoal  and  ashes.  To  rake  the  soil  with 
the  view  of  obtaining  a  finer  surface  when  it 
■  is  either  wet  or  very  dry  is  a  useless  task  :  in 
the  former  case  tlie  lumps  and  particles  of 
soil  adhere  together,  and  more  harm  than 
good  is  done  by  the  attempt  to  separate  them; 
in  the  latter,  the  lumps,  unless  the  soil  is  very 
light,  will  prove  so  stubborn  as  to  render  the 
attempt  ineifectual.  When  in  a  medium 
state,  however,  they  break  readily  if  worked 
with  the  teeth  and  back  of  the  rake. 

The  "  raking  in"  of  seeds  is  done  by  pass- 
ing the  rake  backwards  and  forwards  several 
times  over  the  whole  surface,  leaving  the 
latter  at  last  as  level  as  possible.  Of  course 
previous  to  the  sowing  of  the  seeds,  the  sur- 
face of  the  soil  should  have  been  rendered 
moderately  fine  by  the  process  just  described. 
It  is  not,  however,  common  now  to  sow  crops 
broadcast,  and  it  is  such  only  that  are  usually 
''  raked  in"  in  the  Avay  referred  to.  It  is 
considered  preferable  to  sow  every  kind  of 
crop  in  drills,  and  the  seeds  are  then  covered 
in  by  levelling  the  soil  with  the  back  of  the 
rake. 

The  rakes  to  which  we  have  hitherto 
referred  are  called  garden  rakes,  but  there  is 
another  kind  used  on  lawns,  called  the  daisy- 
rake.  This  is  employed  to  remove  the  flowers 
of  the  daisy,  which  sometimes  abound  on 
lawns,  and  are  apt  to  spring  up  into  flower 
during  the  summer  more  frequently  than  the 
process  of  mowing  is  resorted  to.  The  daisy- 
rake  consists  of  a  large  thin  plate  of  iron,  of 
which  the  edge  is  somewhat  turned  up  and 
cut  into  teeth,  which  are  open  only  towards 
the  edge,  the  spaces  between  them  gradually 
narrowing.  When  this  implement  is  passed 
over  the  surface  of  the  lawn  the  daisy  heads 
are  collected  by  the  teeth-like  openings  in  the 
edge  of  the  plate,  and  are  of  course  nipped  off 
by  the  part  where  the  teeth  are  closed  toge- 
ther. It  is  useful  sometimes  to  save  the 
trouble  of  mowing  when  the  grass  does  not 
grow  rapidly,  the  daisies  being  looked  upon 
as  a  blemish  to  a  properly-kept  lawn. 

WEEDS    AND    WEEDING. 

In  the  fullest  sense,  the  operation  of  weed- 
ing may  be  understood  to  include  every 
means  of  destroying  the  weeds  which  infest 
gardens.  According  to  this  interpretation, 
the  process  of  hoeing  would  be  properly  con- 
sidered as  an  act  of  weeding,  when  it  is  pei*- 
formed  for  the  purpose  of  destroying  weeds. 
We,  however,  here  restrict  the  meaning  of 
the  term  to  what  is  sometimes  called  hand- 
weeding. 

Hand-weeding  is  the  process  of  pulling  up 
by  hand,  with  the  view  to  their  removal  and 


destruction,  those  weeds  which  occur  under 
circumstances  where  the  hoe  cannot  be  used 
with  safety  or  good  effect.  This  chiefly 
occui's  in  the  case  of  seed-beds,  and  among 
patches  of  young  thickly-set  plants  which 
may  have  been  transplanted.  Where  gravel 
or  other  well-constructed  walks,  too,  become 
weedy,  hand-weeding  is  resorted  to ;  and  in 
the  case  of  pitched  court-yards  also,  it  is 
sometimes  necessary  to  have  recourse  to  hand- 
weeding. 

Seed-beds,  or  seed-plots,  should  be  very 
carefully  weeded,  whether  they  form  patches 
of  a  yard  or  more  in  extent,  such  as  cabbage, 
brocoli,  lettuce,  and  other  young  plants  for 
transplanting  are  raised  upon;  or  whether, 
as  in  the  case  of  onions,  carrots,  &c.  which 
are  sown  where  they  remain,  they  occupy 
large  spaces  of  the  kitchen-garden  quarters. 
Seed-pots,  pans,  and  boxes,  either  of  culinary 
or  floral  articles,  also  require  careful  and 
attentive  weeding.  In  the  first  and  last  of 
the  cases  alluded  to,  hand-weeding  is  almost 
the  only  available  means  of  effecting  the  re- 
moval of  the  weeds  which  spring  up  ;  but  in 
the  other  case  the  crops  are,  at  the  present 
day,  usually  sown  in  drills,  so  that  a  narrow- 
bladed  hoe  can  be  used  to  effect  the  required 
result  with  greater  facility ;  and  when  they 
happen  to  be  sown  broadcast,  as  the  plants 
themselves  require  thinning  to  regular  dis- 
tances, a  narrow-bladed  hoe  is  still  used  to 
destroy  the  weeds  and  thin  the  crop  at  the 
same  time. 

The  necessity  of  removing  weeds  from 
among  young  seedling  plants  is  occasioned  by 
the  rapid  growth  which  most  weeds  make,  as 
compared  with  the  crops  sown.  Naturally 
adapted  to  barren  and  waste  ground,  they 
grow  with  amazing  rapidity  and  luxuriance 
in  the  richly  manured  and  well  wrought  soil 
of  the  garden,  and  tlius,  if  not  early  removed, 
they  would  smother  and  destroy  the  delicate 
seedlings  among  which  they  spring  up.  Weeds 
too  are  so  prolific,  that  besides  their  rapid 
growth  when  germinated,  a  crop  of  them 
springs  into  existence  much  sooner  than  the 
generality  of  garden  seeds  will  do,  and  conse- 
quently, by  the  time  the  latter  make  their  ap- 
pearance above  ground,  many  of  the  former 
are  strong  and  well  established.  It  is  then 
especially  that  their  removal  should  be  at- 
tended to.  This  is,  however,  better  not  too 
long  delayed,  because  the  larger  the  weeds 
are  suffered  to  grow,  the  more  numerous  their 
roots  become,  and  the  greater  disturbance  or 
breaking  up  of  the  soil  is  occasioned  by  the 
process  of  removing  them.  This  often  does 
injury  to  the  seeds  among  which  they  occur, 
for  if  the  soil  is  left  thus  broken  up  and 
lightened,  the  probability  is,  that  some  of  the 
seeds  will  be  prematurely  exposed  in  a  half- 


294 


HOEING,    RAKING,    AND    WEEDING. 


germinated  state,  and  either  perish  or  be 
greatly  checked ;  or  if  the  soil  is  pressed 
down  again,  it  is  possible,  and  sometimes  very 
probable^  that  any  seeds  which  happen  to  be 
still  further  advanced,  will  be  thereby  bruised 
and  perhaps  broken.  These  evils  are  avoided 
by  pulling  the  weeds  when  they  are  quite 
small  and  have  but  few  roots.  The  same 
remarks  apply  with  still  greater  force  to  such 
seeds  as  are  raised  in  pots  or  boxes,  &c.,  for 
these  being  generally  smaller,  and  of  a  more 
delicate  nature,  are  so  much  the  more  sus- 
ceptible of  injury  in  this  way. 

Besides  the  advantage  thus  gained  by  re- 
moving the  weeds  when  they  are  quite  small 
and  young,  there  is  another  of  some  import- 
ance Avhich  is  at  the  same  time  secured.  The 
labour  of  removing  them  is  lessened.  Not 
only  is  there  a  less  bulk  to  clear  off  the 
ground,  but  what  there  is  to  remove  is  much 
more  easily  removed  ;  the  roots  having  less 
firm  hold  of  the  soil  than  afterwards,  need 
less — often  much  less— exertion  to  remove 
them  ;  and  though  in  a  limited  way  this  may 
not  be  of  much  importance,  it  becomes  so 
when  there  is  a  large  space  to  be  cleared. 

Although,  howcA^er,  as  we  have  just  stated, 
the  operations  of  hoeing  and  weeding  are  so 
nearly  synonymous,  there  is  some  difference 
in  the  circumstances  under  which  they  are 
best  prosecuted.  Hoeing,  which  cuts  off  the 
weeds,  leaving  the  most  part  of  their  roots  in 
the  soil,  requires  fine  dry  weather  to  super- 
vene, that  the  weeds  may  perish.  Weeding, 
on  the  other  hand,  which  pulls  up  roots  and 
all,  and  removes  them  entirely  off  the  ground, 
is  best  done  when  the  soil  is  somewhat  moist, 
because  tliey  are  then  most  easily  drawm  out 
of  the  soil.  It  is  not  intended  that  it  should 
be  done  during  i-ain,  but  soon  after  rain,  be- 
fore the  soil  becomes  dry  and  parched,  for  in 
proportion  to  the  degree  in  which  the  latter 
condition  occurs,  the  difficulty  and  labour  of 
removing  the  weeds  become  increased.  On 
well  wrought  and  light  garden  soils  this  is 
perhaps  not  of  very  great  importance,  be- 
cause, from  the  period  of  sowing  the  seeds  on 
v/ell-dug  ground,  sufficient  time  would  not 
elapse  for  it  to  become  hard  and  consolidated; 
but  on  heavy  soil,  and  late  in  the  season,  the 
sui'face  often  does  become  hard,  and  then, 
though  there  may  be  weeds  to  remove,  there 
is  some  difficulty  in  removing  them.  Walk- 
weeding  too  can  only  be  done  with  advantage 
when  the  gravel  is  in  a  soft  damp  state  ;  and 
in  the  summer  season,  when  weeds  mostijom- 
monly  abound,  it  seldom  occurs  that  gravel- 
walks  are  very  soft  or  moist,  except  imme- 
diately after  rain. 

As  a  general  principle,  therefore,  it  should 
be  borne  in  mind  that,  wherever  there  is 
weeding  to  be  performed  it  should  be  attended 


to  immediately  after  rain,  and  seldom  can  be 
done  effectually  in  very  dry  weather,  except 
it  be  on  very  light  soils,  or  where  the  soil  has 
been  recently  well  lightened  up. 

In  almost  every  garden,  even  where  the 
close  destruction  of  weeds  is  made  an  object, 
and  still  moi'e  commonly  where  they  are  to 
any  extent  neglected,  stray  weeds  of  large 
size  will  be  here  and  there,  more  or  less  fre- 
quently, met  with,  which,  having  attained,  or 
perhaps  passed  the  flowering  state,  are 
prepared,  or  have  already  commenced,  to 
scatter  around  them  the  germs  of  a  succeed- 
ing progeny.  Such  weeds  as  these,  wherever 
and  whenever  they  occur,  call  for  the  vigorous 
application  of  hand-weeding.  It  is  but  little 
effective  towards  rendering  a  garden  com- 
paratively clear  of  these  nuisances,  to  destroy, 
as  recommended  to  be  done,  the  bulk  of  them 
when  scarcely  developed  beyond  their  embryo 
condition,  if  even  a  few  such  as  those  alluded 
to  are  allowed  to  grow  on  to  perfection  and 
disperse  their  seeds  over  the  whole  garden — ■ 
and  this  they  will  many  of  them  do.  For 
instance,  the  seeds  of  the  groundsel  are  fur- 
nished with  a  feathery  appendage,  by  means 
of  which  they  disperse  in  all  directions  when 
aided  by  a  gentle  wind  ;  and  this  is  one  of  the 
commonest  of  weeds,  and  one  as  liiiely  as  any 
to  reach  the  fertile  state  alluded  to  without 
being  detected,  or  perhaps  hardly  suspected. 
The  only  way  to  avoid  this  evil  is  to  have 
every  nook  and  corner,  as  well  as  every 
quarter,  cropped  or  uncropped,  carefully 
looked  over  frequently,  and  all  the  large 
weeds  that  are  met  with  pidled  up,  removed, 
and  burned.  The  trouble  of  doing  so  is  well 
repaid  by  the  result ;  for  there  is  much  truth 
in  the  well-known  lines — 

"  One  year's  good  weeding  will  prevent  seeding ; 
But  one  year's  seeding  makes  seven  years'  weeding." 

We  have  hitherto  referred  only  to  the 
clearing  of  weeds  from  garden-ground  in  a 
regular  course  of  cultivation.  It  may,  how- 
ever, be  useful  also  to  notice  the  method  of 
clearing  fresh  ground  intended  to  be  appro- 
priated to  garden  purposes,  and  also  to  ex- 
plain what  plants  are  understood  to  be  weeds. 

Strictly  speaking,  every  plant  which  springs 
up  naturally,  except  the  crop  sown  or  planted 
on  the  ground,  must  be  regarded  as  a  weed, 
irrespective  of  the  consideration  whether  it  is 
a  wild  and  useless  plant,  or  the  remains  of 
some  previously  cultivated  and  useful  crop. 
Indeed  some  cultivated  plants  become  very 
troublesome  weeds  when  once  established  in 
the  ground  ;  but  the  greater  portion  of  what 
are  called  weeds  are  wild  plants  not  adapted 
to  any  useful  purpose.  Some  of  these  con- 
sist of  the  plants  natural  to  the  soil,  for  par- 
ticular kinds  of  soil  are  affected  by  different 


HOEING,    RAKING,    AND    WEEDING. 


295 


plants  ;  and  the  latter,  in  fact,  often  furnish 
a  sure  index  to  the  nature  of  the  former. 
These  peculiar  races  of  weeds  generally  give 
way  gradually  under  the  process  of  cultiva- 
tion. Others  are  the  common  plants  which 
seem  to  follow  man  wherever  he  locates  him- 
self, such  plants  being  common  everywhere 
in  cultivated  ground,  and  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  habitations  ;  and  are  probably  seen 
mainly  in  these  situations  only  because  there 
the  conditions  are  most  favourable  to  their  de- 
velopment. Other  weeds  are  brought  on  to  the 
ground  with  manures  and  composts,  tliese 
sources  furnishing  a  constant  supply  of  v/eedy 
plants  of  various  characters,  according  to  the 
source  whence  tliey  themselves  are  obtained, 
this  class  of  weeds  being  especially  numerous, 
when  the  materials  of  the  compost  are  obtained 
from  the  wayside.  Wliatever  their  origin, 
however,  the  same  modes  of  clearance  are 
effectual  with  them  all. 

There  are  two  distinct  groups  into  which 
weeds  may  be  classed,  namely,  annual  iveeds, 
and  perennial  weeds,  each  of  which  requires 
a  distinct  and  separate  course  of  treatment 
for  its  complete  eradication. 

Annual  weeds  are  most  easily  cleared  off. 
The  destruction  of  every  annual  plant,  if  done 
before  it  perfects  and  disseminates  seed — 
which  is  a  necessary  condition — is  a  total  de- 
struction. It  can  in  that  case  give  rise  to  no 
succeeding  progeny.  All  that  is  necessary, 
therefore,  to  rid  ground  completely  of  annual 
weeds,  is  a  molerate  degree  of  perseverance 
and  diligence  to  destroy  continually  as  they 
spring  up,  and  before  the  plants  have  time  to 
from  seeds,  each  succeeding  race.  It  must 
not,  liowever,  be  supposed  that  even  by  this 
means  the  soil  will  be  rendered  absolutely  free 
from  such  weeds.  Seeds  lie  buried  in  the  soil 
for  years  in  a  latent  state  ;  and  the  products 
of  former  years  therefore  supply  a  continued 
source  of  fresh  plants,  as  those  portions  of 
soil  in  which  tlie  seeds  are  embedded  are 
brought  within  the  influence  of  air  and 
warmth.  Many  kinds  of  seeds  likewise  travel 
long  distances  by  various  vehicles,  so  that 
surrounding  neglected  spots — not  necessarily 
vei'y  adjacent — will  furnish  their  quota  for 
the  renewal  of  the  crop.  Notwithstanding 
these  drawbacks,  there  is  still  a  great  advan- 
tage derived  from  the  destruction  of  weeds  of 
this  character  when  very  young,  for  their 
progeny,  which  would  under  the  circum- 
stances supply  the  most  numerous  proportion 
of  the  succeeding  crop,  is  thereby  avoided  ; 
and  if  the  practice  thus  strongly  recommended 
is  well  followed  up,  the  labour  of  keeping  the 
surface  clear  of  weeds  will  be  reduced  to  the 
removal  merely  of  a  few  stray  plants,  instead 
of  a  thick-set  crop.  To  keep  the  soil  com- 
paratively free  from  annual  weeds,  therefore, 


it  is  recommended,  first,  to  destroy  them  con- 
tinually, as  they  spring  up  from  time  to  time, 
while  they  are  quite  young,  and  always  before 
they  have  had  time  and  opportunity  to  form, 
mature,  or  disperse  a  crop  of  seeds  ;  and, 
secondly,  to  take  care  that  in  no  waste  cor- 
ners are  any  plants  left  to  mature  their  seeds, 
and  from  these  unthouglit-of  places  to  dis- 
seminate them  over  the  garden. 

The  principal  annual  weeds  which  are 
troublesome  in  gardens  are  the  following  : — 
Chickweed  {St ellaria  media),  groundsel  {Se- 
necio  vidfjaris),  and  the  common  annual  grass 
{Poa  anmia),  which  abound  everywhere,  and 
with  which  every  one  must  be  familiar.  Al- 
most equally  common  are  various  species  of 
speedwell  ( Veronica  sp.),  dead  nettle  {Laviium 
purpureum),  sun  spui-ge  (Euphorbia  helio- 
scopia),  and  shepherd's-purse  {Capse/labursa- 
pastoris).  Less  general,  but  abundant  in 
certain  situations,  are  the  fumitory  {Fumai'ia 
ojficinalis),  sow-thistle  (So?ichus  oleraceus), 
spurrey(6y>er<7i<Za«?"fe«s/s),Jack-by-t  he-hedge 
(Alliaria ojficinalis),  poppy  (Papaver  Bhoeas), 
and  charlock  {Sinapis  arvemis)  ;  the  two  latter 
are  sometimes  exceedingly  common  in  corn- 
fields. Near  rubbish  heaps,  and  in  waste 
places  generally,  various  kinds  of  Alriplex 
and  Chenopodium,  as  well  as  the  annual 
nettle  [Vrtica  tii'ens),  and  the  black  night- 
shade {Solanuni  nigrum),  are  met  with,  and 
usually  in  abundance.  In  some  gardens,  where 
it  has  been  cultivated,  the  touch-me-not  (/m- 
jKiliens  Noli-tangere)  springs  up  in  Aveed-like 
abundance ;  and,  in  fact,  in  the  flower  garden, 
various  cultivated  species  disseminate  them- 
selves in  this  way.  Almost  all  composite 
plants,  wild  and  cultiS'ated,  culinary  and  floral, 
if  at  all  neglected,  spread  themselves  wide  in 
all  directions,  their  seeds  being  in  the  majority 
of  cases  furnished  with  sail-like  appendages,  by 
the  aid  of  which  they  float  about  in  the  atmo- 
sphere, and  are  carried  along  before  the  wind. 

Gravel  walks  are  chiefly  infested  by  the 
common  annual  grass  {Poa  anmca),  and  the 
pearlwort  {Sayina  procumbens),  both  of  which 
become  exceedingly  troublesome  and  difficult 
of  removal,  if  for  any  length  of  time  neglected, 
and  allowed  to  shed  their  seeds.  Yv'alk-weeding 
is  a  tedious  operation;  it  shoidd  be  done  after 
rain,  and  the  point  of  a  bluntish  knife  (weed- 
ing-knife),  used  in  conjunction  with  the 
thumb,  affords  the  most  convenient  means  of 
rooting  up  the  weeds. 

Perennial  weeds  are  much  more  difficult  of 
removal  than  annual  ones,  especially  those  of 
them  which  have  creeping  roots  or  root-stems. 
The  partial  disturbance  of  the  latter,  generally, 
does  no  better  than  increase  the  evil,  as  every 
little  piece  left  in  the  ground  will  grow  and 
spring  up  with  the  greater  vigour,  when  the 
soil  has  in  this  way  been  loosened  around  it. 


HOEING,    RAKING,    AND    WEEDING. 


Where  it  is  desirable  to  clear  a  piece  of 
jrround  overrun  with  perennial  weeds,  and  to 
bring  it  into  proper  condition  for  the  growth  of 
vegetables  or  flowers,  there  is  no  better  way 
than  to  pare  off  the  surface  vegetation,  with 
about  an  inch  deep  of  the  soil,  and  to  char  it ; 
the  charred  ashes  then  form  a  very  useful 
addition  to  the  ground,  whatever  its  nature 
may  be  ;  and  the  weeds  and  rubbish  can  in  no 
other  way  be  turned  to  so  good  account.  If 
the  ground  bore  only  perennial  plants  with 
fibrous  roots,  the  paring,  if  done  fully  to  the 
depth  recommended,  would  effectually  clear 
them  ;  but  if,  as  usually  happens,  there  are  any 
among  them  with  the  creeping  root-stems,  it 
will  be  necessary,  in  the  next  place,  to  see  to 
the  removal  of  these  as  far  as  possible.  The 
ground,  if  intended  for  purposes  of  cultivation, 
would  require  trenching,  as  a  matter  of  course; 
and  in  doing  this,  the  upper  spit — or  from  the 
surface  the  necessary  depth — should  be  turned 
over  carefully  with  a  fork,  and  all  the  pieces 
of  the  creeping  root-stems  of  such  plants  as 
couch-grass  and  bindweed,  and  the  tap-roots 
of  such  as  docks,  dandelions,  &c.,  carefully 
picked  out,  removed,  and  burned  (charred). 
If  this  were  done  carefully,  there  would  be  but 
little  left  to  spring  up  the  following  year ;  but 
the  ground  would  probably  contain  seeds 
which  would  produce  seedling  plants,  and 
these  must  be  destroyed  by  cutting  them  up 
or  pulling  them  when  quite  young.  If  any  of 
the  plants  make  their  appearance  with  any 
vigour  the  succeeding  year,  it  is  advisable  to 
dig  them  out  as  deep  as  they  run,  with  a  fork 
or  spade,  removing,  as  before,  every  atom 
that  can  be  seen,  as  the  smallest  piece  of  many 
kinds,  if  left  in  the  ground,  would  at  once 
produce  a  vigorous  plant. 

As  soon  as  the  ground  is  got  comparatively 
clear,  there  is  little  trouble  either  in  keeping 
them  down  or  in  destroying  them  altogether. 
It  is  an  effectual  recipe,  to  continually  hoe  them 
off  as  often  as  they  form  new  shoots;  if  this  is 
done  they  cannot  long  exist,  the  effort  to  put 
forth  fresh    leaves    entirely   exhausting    the 
plant.    When,  however,  it  is  attempted  to  get 
rid  of  them  by  this  process,  they  must  not  be 
allowed  to  grow   up  large  and  vigorous  be- 
tween   each  cutting ;   this   would    add   fresh 
strength  to  the  root,  and  prolong  the  struggle;  ' 
they  must  be  cut  off  immediately  as  soon  as  | 
they   make  their  appearance,  the  efficacy  of  j 
the  practice  lying  principally  rather  in  strik-  i 
i*g  the  blow  at  the  proper  time  than  in  the 
magnitude  and  power  of  the  effort  itself.- 

It  is  often  worth  while  to  adopt  special 
means  to  clear  off  perennial  weeds.  Thus, 
when  such  plants  as  dandelions,  daisies,  &c. 
abound  on  lawns,  as  is  often  the  case,  they 
require  to  be  dug  out  carefully  without  break- 
ing up  the  turf;  and  sometimes,  on  cultivated 


ground  it  may  be  desirable  to  dig  out  the 
plants,  especially  if  they  are  of  the  tap-rooted 
kinds.  Whenever  the  latter  are  dug  up  they 
ought  to  be  entirely  removed,  to  the  very 
extremity  of  the  root,  if  possible,  or  the  part 
left  in  the  ground  will  throw  out  new  shoots. 
So,  whenever  it  is  attempted  to  dig  up  the 
creeping-rooted  kinds,  every  little  particle  of 
the  root  should  be  removed,  or  else  these  par- 
ticles will  each  send  up  shoots  and  form  so 
many  plants.  Neither  in  the  case  of  tap- 
rooted,  or  creeping-rooted  weeds,  is  it  at  all 
effective  towards  destroying  them,  to  hoe  them 
along  with  other  weeds  in  the  ordinary  routine 
of  hoeing ;  for  after  this,  at  first,  they  only 
spring  again  the  more  numerous  and  more 
vigorous.  If  this  plan  of  destroying  them  is 
adopted,  it  must  be  made  a  special  object ; 
they  must  not  be  cut  off  once,  and  then  a 
second  time,  when  a  new  crop  becomes  thick 
on  the  ground.  As  already  stated,  they  must 
be  cut  off  continuously  as  fast  as  they  spring 
up,  without  giving  them  time  to  become  de- 
veloped and  to  gain  new  strength. 

It  is  a  rather  common  practice,  in  digging 
up  flower  borders,  to  dig  in  such  portions  as 
are  trimmed  off  from  the  patches  of  herba- 
ceous plants.  In  some  cases,  where  the  plant 
has  only  fibrous  roots,  this  gives  rise  to  no 
inconvenience;  but  if  the  plant  is  at  all  in- 
clined to  produce  creeping  stems,  these  trim- 
mings become  a  great  source  of  annoyance, 
throwing  up  a  crop  of  young  shoots,  wherever 
they  may  chance  to  be  buried.  Such  patches, 
when  not  required  for  planting  elsewhere,  are 
better  removed  to  the  rubbish  heap,  and  either 
burnt  or  charred. 

The  principal  perennial  weeds  which  are 
found  troublesome  in  gardens  are  the  follow- 
ing:—  Of  creeping-rooted  habit,  coltsfoot 
(Tussilago  Fa7-fara),  couch  grass  {Triticmn 
rejmns,  and  others),  bindweed  {Convolvulus 
sepium),  and  nettle  {Urtica  dioica).  Wlier- 
ever  it  once  gains  a  footing  the  dwarf  elder 
(Sambuciis Ebuh(s)  is  very  troublesome;  so  are 
some  of  the  species  of  woundwort  (Stachys  sp.) 
And  of  garden  plants  of  this  class  which  prove 
troublesome,  must  be  specially  named  the 
horse-radish  (Armoracea  rusticana),  and  the 
various  mints  {Jlfentha  sp.)  Of  tap-rooted 
plants,  the  most  common  as  a  weed  in  gar- 
dens is  certainly  the  dandelion  (Taraxacum 
officinale),  which  abounds  almost  everywhere. 
In  damp  situations  the  various  kinds  of  dock 
(Rumex  sp.)  are  very  troublesome,  but  they 
hardly  so  much  afiect  the  garden  as  the  field. 
Examples  of  fibrous-rooted  perennial  weeds 
are  met  with  in  the  case  of  the  daisy  (Bellis 
pere7ims),  which  is  common  in  most  places;  the 
plantain  {Plantago,  major  and  media)  ;  the 
different  kinds  of  crowfoot  (Ranunculus  sp.), 
in  damp  situations;  the  sorrels  (Rumex  acetosa 


A"   STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN JULY. 


297 


and  a cetosella)  ;  the  ground  iyj  (N'epetaGle- 
choma),  &c.  As  already  hinted,  the  various 
mints  (Mentha  sp.),  wherever  they  are  grown, 
spread  about  in  all  directions,  and  cost  some 
trouble  to  remove  them  entirely ;  but  of  all 
cultivated  plants,  perhaps  the  horse-radish 
(Annoracea  riisticana)  is  the  most  difficult  to 
clear  off,  Avhen  once  it  has  been  allowed  to 
establish  itself.  Of  this  plant,  every  scrap  into 
which  the  roots  may  be  broken,  if  left  in  the 
ground,  is  sure  to  produce  a  plant,  and  it  is 
almost  immaterial  at  what  depth  they  may  lie 
buried  ;  at  any  rate,  if  at  the  very  lowest 
point  to  which  the  operations  of  culture  ex- 
tend, they  will  certainly  grow.  The  Jeru- 
salem artichoke  {Helianthus  tuberosus),  is 
another  plant  which  takes  possession  of  the 
ground  wherever  it  may  be  introduced  ;  and  it 
is  only  to  be  cleared  off  by  the  most  careful 
search  for  the  small  tubers,  and  by  continually 
cutting  off  any  that  may  be  left  to  grow  up. 
The  same  practice  must  be  followed  to  clear 
off  the  horse-radish,  or  indeed  any  other  crop 
having  this  habit.  Even  the  potato  often 
comes  to  be  virtually  a  weed ;  for  it  is  next  to 
impossible  to  remove  every  small  tuber ;  and 
any  of  these  left  in  the  soil  grow  with  cer- 
tainty the  next  yeai'.  The  practice  of  autumn- 
planting  potatoes — which  is  rapidly  gaining 
ground — no  doubt  owes  its  origin  to  a  hint 
taken  from  this  circumstance. 

The  only  implement-  required  for  weeding, 
strictly  speaking,  is  the  weeding-knife,  a 
small  instrument,  blunt,  with  a  moderately 
acute  point,  used  in  conjunction  with  the 
thumb  to  lay  hold  of  and  wrench  up  weeds 
that  are  too  firmly  fixed  in  the  ground  to 
admit  of  being  pulled  by  the  hand  alone.  It 
is  more  generally  used  for  walk-weeding  than 
required  for  weeding  ground  under  cultiva- 
tion.    As,  however,  in  our  idea  of  weeding 


we  have  included  the  clearing  of  rough  ground 
intended  for  garden  purposes,  it  will  be  proper 
to  indicate  the  tools  necessary  for  successfully 
and  economically  carrying  on  this  work.  These 
are,  the  garden  or  draw-hoe,  (strong  made,) 
the  weeding-spud,  the  digging-fork,  and  the 
prong-hoe.  The  former  of  these  is  well  known, 
and  is  used  for  cutting  up  the  lighter  weeds 
without  perennial  creeping  or  tap  roots.  The 
weedings-pud  is  a  small,  narrow  fork,  with  two 
prongs,  set  something  like  a  compressed  letter 
A_  ;  these  prongs  are  about  six  inches  long, 
slightly  curved  forwards,  and  are  made  lighter 
or  heavier  according  to  circumstances ;  the 
handle,  which  is  like  that  of  a  spade,  is  fixed 
into  a  socket,  at  the  bottom  of  which  there  is 
a  cross  bar,  by  which  the  implement  is  forced 
into  the  ground  by  the  foot  ;  at  this  point 
also,  a  broad,  hollow  bow  is  fixed  behind,  by 
which  increased  leverage  is  gained  in  prizing 
up  the  weeds;  it  is  used  for  long,  tap-rooted 
Aveeds  chiefly,  being  set  in  close  behind  them, 
and  then  forced  backwards.  Lighter  and 
shorter  spuds  of  this  character  are  made  for 
digging  up  daisies  from  lawns.  The  digging- 
fork  proper  for  forking  up  weeds,  is  made  like 
a  spade,  but  rather  lighter,  the  blade  being 
replaced  by  three  flattish  prongs  :  it  is  used 
for  turning  over  the  soil  for  the  purpose  of 
picking  out  the  creeping  roots  of  the  various 
weeds  possessing  this  character.  The  prong- 
hoe  is  made  with  a  cutting-blade  on  one  side, 
narrower  and  heavier  in  proportion  than  the 
draw-hoe ;  at  the  back  of  this  is  a  fork,  of 
nearly  the  same  figure,  with  either  two  or 
three  flattish,  blunt-ended,  somewhat  cutting 
prongs ;  the  long  handle  is  fixed  into  an  eye 
or  socket,  which  connects  the  prong  and  the 
hoe:  it  is  used  for  cutting  and  tearing  up  rough, 
heavy,  strong-rooted  weeds ;  the  pronged  side 
is  also  useful  in  earthing  up  potatoes. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

BY   A  TUTOK  AND  HIS  PUPIL,  IN  THE  MONTH  OF  JULY. 


Here  is  a  wonderful  difference  since  we 
took  our  last  ramble ;  not  but  that  in  our 
separate  walks  and  visits  we  have  seen  at 
different  times  all  the  progress,  but  we  have 
not  been  together  contemplating  the  particular 
objects  which  we  shall  now  be  apt  to  notice. 
The  kitchen-garden  has  altogether  changed 
its  appearance — here  are  peas,  beans,  spinach, 
turnips,  carrots,  lettuce,  and  all  the  summer 
products  in  high  perfection,  besides  others  in 
various  stages  of  progress,  advancing  to  the 
same  end.  Cabbages  no  longer  require  tying 
up,  they  have  hearts  as  hard  and  as  white  as 
tliey  need  be;  celery  of  the  present  year's 
sowing  is  already  planted  out,  while  the 
ground  in  which  the  last  year's  was  perfecting 


itself  is  already  cleared,  and  some  of  it  covered 
with  other  crops.  Here  are  beds  of  winter 
greens  coming  forward  to  be  planted  out  ; 
cauliflowers  exhibiting  their  whitened  heads 
of  flower,  only  hidden  from  the  view  by  the 
breaking  down  of  a  leaf  to  keep  the  sun  off, 
for  that  would  spoil  the  white  colour.  As 
you  seemed  to  think  it  a  waste  to  hoe  out  so 
many  plants  from  the  turnips,  carrots,  and 
onions,  to  give  the  remainder  room,  I  have 
had  a  small  portion  of  each  bed  left  just  as 
they  came  up,  to  show  you  the  diffei-ence. 
Observe,  particularly,  that  in  the  small  por- 
tion, in  which  they  are  left  so  thick,  they  have 
arrived  at  no  size  ;  it  is  true  there  are  three 
or  four,  or  more  than  that,  instead  of  one; 


298 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN JULY. 


but  besides  the  one  that  has  room  weighing 
more  than  all  the  others,  the  small  ones  are 
useless.  The  turnips  are  not  much  larger 
than  turnip-radishes,  and  the  onions  ai'e  like 
those  for  pickling,  not  for  storing.  This 
shows  you  the  necessity  of  giving  plenty  of 
room,  better  than  if  I  had  talked  to  you  on 
the  subject  for  houi-s. 

The  flower-garden  is  pretty  full  of  bloom  ; 
here  are  beds  of  pansies  with  the  plants  as 
small  as  those  that  were  coming  into  flower  in 
April ;  they  were  cuttings  a  few  weeks  ago, 
struck  in  the  ground  under  a  hand-glass  in  the 
shade,  and  when  rooted,  planted  out  as  you 
see.  This  is  the  only  way  to  continue  a  suc- 
cession of  flowers,  all  the  spring,  summer, 
and  autumn  ;  small  side-shoots  stripped  off 
the  old  plants  root  freely.  The  carnations 
and  picotees  are  flowering  beautifully  under 
the  same  aAvning  that  protected  the  tulips,  the 
earlier  gaudy  occupants.  The  hyacinth  bed  is 
similarly  tenanted  ;  and  the  eflect  of  these 
July  beauties  under  a  cool  canvass  roof  is  very 
good.  These  grassy  shoots  round  the  bottom 
of  the  plant  will  be  made  to  strike  root  by 
stripping  the  leaves  off  the  lower  ends,  making 
a  notch  in  the  stem,  and  pegging  that  part 
under  the  soil ;  about  October  they  will  have 
struck  root,  will  be  cut  off  from  the  old  plants, 
and  potted,  two  in  a  pot,  as  you  saw  them  in 
the  frames  last  winter.  Take  notice  of  the 
summer-roses ;  one-half  the  trees  are  going 
•out  of  flower,  and  the  other  half  are  bursting 
their  buds ;  this  is  merely  the  effect  of  prun- 
ing at  two  different  seasons.  Pinks,  ranun- 
culuses, and  anemones,  have  gone  by ;  the 
shoots  at  the  bottom  of  the  pinks,  like  so 
much  grass,  have  been  stripped  off,  and  all 
the  pieces  put  under  a  hand-glass  to  strike ; 
by-and-by  they  will  be  planted  out  in  beds, 
similar  to  what  these  have  been. 

Tliis  is  the  season  for  budding  roses,  and 
we  will  just  see  the  man  do  one,  because  it  is 
a  pleasing  operation,  and  repays  us  for  the 
trouble,  if  trouble  it  can  be  called.  Observe 
he  shaves  off  a  thin  slice  of  bark  from  a  rose- 
tree,  and  takes  with  it  a  leaf.  Now  at  the  base 
of  this  leaf  is  the  bud.  He  now  runs  his 
knife  an  inch  down  the  bark  of  another  rose- 
plant,  so  as  just  to  cut  through  the  bark  to 
the  hard  wood,  and  makes  a  cross-cut  of  the 
same  depth  ;  Avith  a  thin  piece  of  ivory  on 
the  handle  of  his  knife  he  raises  the  bark  from 
the  wood,  and  loosens  it  so  that  he  can  tuck 
in  the  bit  of  bark  he  shaved  froai  the  other 
rose-tree,  and  he  brings  the  leaf  just-to  the 
part  where  his  cuts  crossed  each  other.  A 
slight  tie  with  a  piece  of  matting  to  keep 
down  the  bark  completes  the  operation.  This 
is  done  with  other  trees  as  well  as  rose-trees ; 
the  bud  that  is  inserted  grows  the  same  as  if 
it  were  left  i)n  its  own  tree,  and  none  but  that 


bud  will  be  allowed  to  grow.  The  rose-plant 
on  which  it  was  budded  is  only  a  wild  brier, 
and  so  are  all  those  that  he  is  budding  ;  it 
is  the  way  they  make  a  great  many  trees  of 
one  kind. 

The  annuals  and  perennials,  you  observe, 
are  in  flower  all  over  the  ground ;  and  pray 
notice  what  a  show  the  different  kinds  of 
lupines  make  ;  those  with  such  beautiful 
symmetrical  spikes  of  white,  light  blue,  and 
dark  flowers,  are  the  Lupinus  poJyphyllus, 
the  best  of  all  the  perennial  species.  Here 
are  twenty  different-coloured  stocks  ;  these 
are  German,  or  rather  from  German  seeds. 
The  Germans  are  much  more  particular  in 
their  seed-saving  than  the  English,  and 
therefore  imported  seed  is  often  far  preferable 
to  any  saved  in  this  country.  All  these  strange 
slaty  and  leady  colours  look  very  rich  among 
the  more  brilliant  scarlets,  and  crimsons,  and 
the  delicate  whites,  because  there  is  a  pretty 
contrast. 

The  dahlias  are  beginning  to  bloom,  but 
the  flowerS'  are  very  imperfect  at  present,  and 
will  not  be  otherwise  until  the  plant  comes  to 
its  full  regular  growth.  There  is  not,  in  fact, 
strength  enough  yet  to  give  the  flowers  the 
nourishment  they  require.  There  are  some 
very  handsome  balsams  in  the  border,  where 
they  form  bright  and  pretty  objects,  but  do 
not  last  a  long  while  in  good  order.  Many 
of  the  autumn-flowering  annuals  are  planted 
out,  and  coming  rapidly  forward ;  the  china- 
asters,  French  marigolds,  late  stocks,  and 
mignonette  will  soon  be  showing  their  flowers. 

Here  are  a  great  number  of  the  plants  from 
the  greenhouse,  placed  out  for  their  summer's 
airing,  and  to  make  their  growth ;  they  are 
too  much  exposed  to  the  sun,  but  they  will 
only  require  the  more  attention  to  watering, 
and  their  foliage  will  not  be  so  good  a  colour 
for  it.  There  is  no  other  convenience.  I  per- 
ceive, these  are  some  of  the  best  things  here  ; 
they  are  more  in  the  shade. 

The  hothouse  does  not  seem  to  afford  so 
great  a  contrast  in  respect  to  temperature  as 
it  did  in  the  winter  ;  it  does  not  seem  so  hot, 
but  it  is  in  reality  some  degrees  warmer  than 
when  we  visited  it  in  the  frost,  though  at  that 
time  it  appeared  almost  insupportable.  Some 
of  the  subjects  that  I  pointed  out  growing  on 
logs  of  wood, — I  mean  the  orchideous  plants, 
— are  showing  forth  their  bloom.  The  beauti- 
ful butterfly  plant  seems  to  be  always  in 
flower ;  those  wiry  stems  which  so  abound 
must  not  be  taken  off,  for  they  every  now 
and  then  send  forth  a  flower  when  least  ex- 
pected ;  and  even  those  old  ones  will  flower  at 
every  joint.  Some  of  the  grapes  and  pine- 
apples have  been  cut,  but  there  is  a  succession 
to  follow. 

The  conservatory  seems  to  have  got  all  the 


THE  SCARLET  RUNNER  BEAN. 


299 


richest  plants  from  all  the  houses.  It  seems 
carpeted  with  verbenas  of  many  colours  ;  the 
climbing  plants  are  displaying  their  beauty, 
and  there  is  a  complete  mass  of  flower.  The 
rhododendrons  and  azaleas  are  making  rapid 
growth — I  mean  those  large  plants  in  the 
ground  ;  but  the  potted  plants  of  that  family, 
as  well  as  camellias,  are  all  turned  out  to  a 
shady  part  of  the  garden. 

The  lawn  and  shrubbeiy,  with  the  flower 
borders  and  beds,  all  look  very  pretty,  but 
here  there  is  a  good  deal  of  work  required. 
The  lawn  is  mown  continually,  some  portion 
every  morning  before  the  dew  is  off  the  grass: 
for  after  it  is  dry  the  scythe  takes  no  hold  of 
it,  and  it  is  very  difficult  to  make  the  least 
impression. 

The  fruit-garden  is  now  very  interesting, 
for  the  trees  are  absolutely  loaded;  this  is 
one  of  the  effects  of  the  pruning.  The  fruit 
is  swelling  much  finer  than  it  did  last  year, 
and  there  will  be  a  greater  quantity  by 
measure.  The  peaches  and  nectarines  are 
dispersed  all  over  the  trees  at  equal  distances; 
there  seems  to  be  nothing  nearer  together 
than  six  inches.  Now  the  fruit  has  been 
picked  while  very  small  to  regulate  this  so 
well,  and  the  consequence  is,  that  it  looks  all 
alike  fine.  Had  the  whole  of  the  fruit  that  came 
on  the  tree  been  allowed  to  remain,  none 
would  have  been  so  fine,  and  the  young  wood 
could  not  have  been  so  strong,  because  the 
fruit  would  have  taken  up  all  the  juices  of  the 
tree,  which  would  have  been  greatly  impaired 
for  next  year's  bearing.  The  only  cause  of 
years  of  scarcity  in  fruit  following  years  of 
plenty,  is  the  damage  which  the  excess  of 
fruit  does  to  the  trees ;  and  if  this  excess  were 
removed  in  time,  there  need  be  no  such  dis- 
tinctions as  scarce  and  plentiful  fruit  years  in 
general,  though  serious  storms  and  blights 
might  occasionally  make  exceptions. 


THE    SCARLET    RUNNER   BEAN. 

Perhaps  there  is  no  more  profitable  vege- 
table for  a  family  than  the  scarlet  runner  bean, 
which  in  good  soil  and  situation  will  bear  for 
two  months  in  succession,  and  under  good 
treatment  produce  an  incredible  supply.  The 
principal  conditions  required  are  plenty  of 
room,  ample  support,  and  good  strong  ground. 
In  the  first  place,  they  should  be  a  foot  apart 
in  the  row,  and  if  they  are  to  grow  in  an 
open  space  the  rows  should  be  six  feet 
asunder.  There  are  two  methods  of  ma- 
naging this  vegetable  ;  first,  sow  in  a  patch 
which  can  be  well  protected  in  case  of  frost, 
the  quantity  likely  to  be  required,  not  more 
than  an  inch  asunder,  and  cover  them  one 
inch  deep.    This  may  be  done  in  March  ;  and 


being  carefully  protected  by  litter  they  will 
be  up  strong,  and  be  forward  enough  to  plant 
out  early  in  May.  Let  the  ground  be  dug 
Avell ;  and  if  there  were  manure  for  the  pre- 
vious crop  none  need  be  used  for  this  crop. 
Take  up  the  beans  carefully  without  break- 
ing the  roots,  and  separate  them  so  that  they 
may  be  dibbled  in  one  foot  apart,  and  the 
rows,  if  there  be  more  than  one,  should  be 
six  feet  from  each  other  ;  but  as  they  form 
an  excellent  blind  to  any  disagreeable  object, 
they  may  be  planted  against  a  bare  wall,  or 
palings,  or  a  bad  fence  of  any  kind  ;  only  they 
must  be  planted  sufficiently  distant  to  have 
plenty  of  air  through  them.  The  best  mode 
of  supporting  them  against  such  places  as 
these  may  be  common  packthread  fastened  to 
hooks  or  nails,  at  the  top  of  the  fence  or 
wall  if  tall  enough  ;  but  if  dwarf,  it  will  be 
better  to  place  proper  sticks.  Bean-sticks 
may  be  purchased  by  the  bundle,  from  eight 
to  ten  feet  long  and  branching.  These  must 
be  stuck  firmly  into  the  ground,  and  stand 
perfectly  independent  ;  and  to  obtain  the 
greatest  advantage  there  should  be  plenty  of 
room  to  go  behind  them,  not  only  on  account 
of  the  crop,  which  will  be  greater,  but  for  the 
convenience  of  getting  them. 

The  other  method  of  growing  them  is  to 
sow  them  in  the  rows  as  they  are  to  stand; 
but  they  will  be  a  month  later,  for  they  ought 
not  to  be  sown  before  April.  Many  persons 
who  rely  on  the  bean  for  a  long  supply  of 
vegetables  plant  both  ways,  and  so  have  two 
crops.  When  the  first  crop,  which  is  planted 
out,  has  got  hold  of  the  ground  and  begun  to 
grow,  they  should  be  earthed  up,  and  the 
sticks,  or  supports,  placed  to  them,  and  during 
their  growth  the  space  between  them  should 
be  frequently  hoed  to  keep  it  clear  of  weeds. 
The  second  crop,  which  is  sown  in  the  rows 
where  they  are  to  grow,  should  be  earthed  up 
as  soon  as  they  have  got  a  pair  of  rough 
leaves,  and  likewise  have  their  sticks.  In 
gathering  this  vegetable  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind,  that  they  are  in  perfection  when  grown 
to  a  large  size,  and  until  the  beans  within 
them  begin  to  swell  ;  therefore,  begin  earlj'-, 
and  take  only  the  largest,  before,  however, 
they  get  too  old.  As  seed  is  desirable,  any 
that  are  overlooked  till  too  old,  should  be  left 
on  the  haulm  to  ripen  ;  but  they  last  twice  as 
long  if  none  are  left  to  swell  beyond  the  eat- 
ing state.  Half  a  pint  of  beans  will  make 
a  good  row  capable  of  affording  scores  of 
dressings  ;  but  according  to  the  consumption, 
which  depends  a  good  deal  oh  whether  it  is 
a  general  favourite  or  not  with  the  family,  so 
must  be  the  quantity  sown.  If  any  are  left 
on  for  seed,  they  should  be  gathered  as  soon 
as  the  bean  changes  brown,  and  be  kept  in 
their  pods  till  wanted. 


3oa 


KALMIA    3.ATIF0LIA, 


THE    KALMIA    LATIFOLIA,   ITS    CULTIVA- 
TION AND  PROPAGATION. 

Of  all  tlie  American  hardy  plants,  there  is 
not  one  so  beautifully  furnished  with  rich 
foliage  and  curiously  constructed,  but  elegant 
flowers,  as  the  Kalniia  latifolia.  It  is  one  of 
the  richest  of  flowering  shrubs,  of  most  perfect 
form  and  fine  habit,  and  the  flowers,  which 
come  in  noble  trusses  at  the  ends  of  all  the 
branches,  are  splendid  beyond  description. 
From  the  height  of  six  inches,  to  the  gigantic 
dimensions  of  six  or  even  ten  feet,  the  plant 
is  equally  perfect,  and  the  flowers  bear  the 
same  proportion  to  the  foliage  and  figure. 
In  a  healthy  state,  the  plant  forms  a  handsome 
bush,  wnth  branches  from  the  ground,  which 
the  lower  ones  touch,  to  the  top  ;  the  form, 
-a  half  globe,  or  perhaps  a  rounded  cone  ;  and 
the  broad  trusses  of  bloom  at  the  ends  of 
all  these  branches  nearly  touch  each  other, 
forming  a  noble  and  almost  continuous  mass 
of  flower  all  over  the  plant.  The  foliage, 
which  is  evergreen  and  close,  is  unexcep- 
tionable ;  so  that,  when  not  in  flower,  this 
plant  forms  a  fine  evergreen  shrub,  inferior 
to  nothing,  not  even  the  better  and  richer 
kinds  of  holly,  which  are  considered  the  per- 
fection of  evergreen  shrubs.  The  Kalmia  is 
a  free  grower  when  in  a  good  air,  and  in  a 


soil  that  is  adapted  for  it  ;  nor  is  it  difficult 
to  raise,  propagate,  or  cultivate. 

SOIL    AND    SITUATION". 

The  Kalmia  requires  a  turfy  peat  earth, 
such  as  appears  to  be  full  of  fibre  and  half- 
decomposed  roots — such  peat  as  may  be  found 
on  many  of  our  commons  ;  the  natural  soil, 
for  instance,  of  Wimbledon  Common,  Bag- 
shot,  parts  of  Woking,  Knap  Hill,  Bedding- 
ton  Park,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  London, 
and  numerous  other  localities  in  England. 
This  peat  earth,  or  turfy  peat,  is  purchased 
in  large  quantities  by  nurserymen  for  grow- 
ing American  plants,  heaths,  and  many  Bo- 
tany Bay  plants.  Such  as  is  dug  up  in  lumps 
and  requires  tearing  asunder,  and  which 
seems  held  together  by  half-decomposed  roots 
and  fibres,  is  the  best,  where  American  plants 
are  to  be  grown  in  perfection.  This  kind  of 
soil  is  put  into  beds  two  feet  thick,  the  earth 
being  first  excavated  to  that  depth,  and  the 
natural  soil  removed.  It  should  be  chopped 
into  pieces  very  small,  and  be  knocked  about 
a  good  deal,  to  make  it  workable  in  its  new 
locality  ;  and,  if  it  be  very  full  of  fibre,  one 
fourth  of  loam,  such  as  is  formed  by  rotted 
turves  from  a  loamy  meadow,  may  be  mixed 
well  with  it.  Before,  however,  these  beds 
are  used,  the  soil  should  be  dug  over  and 
forked  over,  and  well  worked  several  times. 
The  situation  should  be  low,  not  exposed  to 
high  winds  ;  and  if  there  be  distant  lofty  trees 
to  shield  it  from  too  much  of  the  burning 
sun,  so  much  the  better.  The  air  must  be 
pure  ;  it  must  not  be  too  near  smoky  towns. 
In  such  situations  as  we  have  described  should 
be  formed  all  borders,  beds,  and  clumps  in- 
tended for  American  plants,  and  especially 
the  Kalmia  latifolia,  which,  although  very 
hardy  and  yqyj  easily  grown  in  proper  soil 
and  good  air,  is  more  easily  damaged  than 
any  other  American  plants  by  any  deviation 
from  the  conditions  under  which  they  thrive. 

RAISING   FROHr   SEET>. 

The  Kalmia  latifolia  ripens  its  seed  freely, 
and  the  time  for  sowing  it  is  as  soon  as  we 
please  after  it  is  ripe.  Get  large  wide-mouthed 
pots  in  preference  to  boxes  or  pans,  because 
they  hold  a  larger  body  of  compost,  and  there- 
fore retain  moisture  longer  and  better  than 
the  soil  in  a  shallower  vessel.  Let  all  the 
peat  be  rubbed  through  a  coarse  sieve,  and 
be  mixed  with  one-fourth  of  leaf  mould, 
or  well-decomposed  cow  or  horse  dung  ;  that 
is  to  say,  three  parts  peat  and  one  part  dung, 
or  leaf  mould.  Level  the  top,  and  settle  it 
down  properly  by  lifting  the  pot  and  striking 
its  weight  on  the  table  or  bench,  but  not  by 
any  pressure  ;  let  the  top  be  made  smooth 
and  even,  and  then  sprinkle  the  seed   over 


KALMIA    LATIFOLIA. 


301 


the  surface  very  thinly  indeed.  "With  a  fine 
sieve  shake  enough  peat  earth  over  it  to  just 
cover  the  seed  and  no  more.  The  earth 
must  be  a  little  moist,  but  it  will  be  easiest 
moistened  by  standing  the  pot  for  a  few- 
minutes  in  water  three  or  four  inches  deep. 
Place  a  bell-glass  over  the  seed.  Let  this 
pot  be  placed  in  the  greenhouse,  and  near  the 
light.  If  the  surface  become  dry  at  all,  water 
with  a  very  fine  syringe  that  will  spread  the 
liquid  like  dew  and  not  disturb  the  seed  ;  or, 
if  you  have  not  this  convenience,  take  a 
clothes-brush,  dip  it  in  Avater,  turn  the  hairs 
upward,  and,  by  drawing  your  hand  along  the 
hairs,  the  water  will  fly  off  in  very  minute 
drops,  so  as  to  completely  saturate  the  soil 
without  disturbing  a  grain  of  sand  or  a  seed. 
In  tlie  course  of  time  these  seeds  will  come 
up,  and  from  that  time  the  hot  sun  must  be 
shaded  off  by  a  piece  of  very  thin  transparent 
cloth  or  white  paper,  as  the  small  plants  will 
not  bear  the  sun,  and  would  perish.  Take 
especial  care  now  that  the  plants  are  occa- 
sionally refreshed  with  water  ;  indeed  neglect 
for  a  very  short  time  in  this  respect  w^ould 
destroy  them  altogether.  The  glass  may  now 
be  taken  off,  as  the  plants  will  require  the 
ordinary  air  of  the  greenhouse.  As  soon  as 
these  seedling  plants  get  large  enough  to 
handle  at  all,  get  other  pots  of  soil,  and  after 
they  have  been  settled  down  and  levelled, 
prick  out  the  young  plants  an  inch  apart  all 
over  the  surface,  beginning  with  them  close 
to  the  edge  of  the  pot  so  as  to  touch  the  side. 
"Water  with  the  brush  to  settle  the  soil  about 
their  roots,  and  set  them  on  a  shelf  in  the 
greenhouse  near  the  light,  with  a  glass  over 
them  the  first  day  or  two,  and  keep  the  sun 
off  by  hanging  a  piece  of  thin  cloth  or  a  sheet 
of  white  paper.  Here  the  plants  will  grow 
fast,  and,  when  there  is  no  danger  of  frost, 
they  may  be  placed  in  a  cold  pit  on  the  floor, 
and  near  the  front  wall,  that  the  sun  may  be 
kept  from  them  till  they  are  strong  and  in 
good  condition  for  planting  out  in  the  peat 
beds  ;  but  this  will  not  be  until  they  pretty 
nearly  touch  each  other  in  the  seedling  pot. 
They  may  then  be  planted  out  six  inches 
apart,  in  the  month  of  May,  and  well  watered; 
bend  some  hoops  across  the  bed,  and  throw 
a  net  over  them  to  keep  oflT  birds  and  vermin 
that  might  scratch  up  the  young  plants,  and 
also  to  be  ready  to  throw  mats  over  in  case  of 
violent  rains,  hail,  &c.  In  a  season  or  two 
they  will  be  considerably  grown,  and  require 
to  be  moved  ;  but  they  will  come  up  with  all 
their  fibres  undamaged  ;  they  may  then  be 
planted  out  a  foot  apart  every  way;  and  after 
planting,  which  should  be  done  while  the 
plants  are  at  rest,  after  making  their  season's 
growth,  they  should  be  covered  against  the 
sun  and  wind  two  or  three  days  until  they 


are  fairly  settled  in  the  ground.  Here  they 
may  go  on  two  seasons  more  ;  but  they  should 
be  replanted  from  time  to  time  as  they  grow 
larger,  because  there  ought  to  be  quite  as 
much  space  between  plant  and  plant  as  the 
plants  themselves  occupy.  They  want  no 
other  soil. 

MANAGEMENT    OP   PLANTS. 

The  Kalmia,  while  growing,  requires  plenty 
of  moisture,  and  especially  from  the  time  the 
buds  begin  to  swell  till  it  is  in  full  flower  ;  for 
if  it  be  once  stintedthe  foliage  becomes  dis- 
coloured, and  the  ends  of  the  leaves  look  as  if 
they  were  bui-ned  ;  and,  when  this  is  the  case, 
the  plant  is  spoiled.  In  fact  the  leaves  never 
recover  it,  but  retain  the  scorched  appear- 
ance till  they  fall.  Unless  seed  is  required, 
cut  off  the  trusses  of  pods  as  soon  as  the 
bloom  decays,  for  the  growth  of  the  seed, 
though  only  like  so  much  dust,  detracts  a 
good  deal  from  the  plant.  When  the  trusses 
are  cut  off,  which  should  be  done  only  just 
below  the  bunches,  the  plant  will  rapidly 
make  its  next  season's  growth,  and  it  must 
not  be  distressed  for  water  :  if  the  situation 
be  not  naturally  shaded  from  the  heat  of  the 
sun,  it  should  be  artificially  shaded  during 
the  growth  of  the  young  wood.  The  growth 
once  completed,  no  more  attention  is  re- 
quired ;  it  is  able  to  bear  ordinary  winter 
frosts,  and,  so  long  as  the  plant  is  kept  in 
health,  will  maintain  a  beautiful  habit,  in- 
creasing in  beauty  and  dimensions  every  year. 
But  as  they  are,  when  once  raised,  wanted  in 
the  lawn  and  in  the  shrubbery,  places  must 
be  prepared  for  their  reception  by  digging 
two  feet  of  soil  out  from  a  space  sufficiently 
large,  and  filling  it  up  with  the  same  soil  as 
the  American  beds,  that  is,  the  beds  they 
came  from.  Contrive,  if  possible,  that  some 
of  the  larger  objects  shade  them  from  the  ex- 
treme heat  of  the  sun,  and  when  the  plants 
are  established  well  they  will  do  as  well  in 
their  new  place  as  in  their  own  beds  ;  but 
even  here  you  must  recollect  that  they  require 
water  when  other  things  do  not,  and  if  they 
are  at  all  stinted  while  they  are  making  their 
grov/th  they  will  not  complete  it  healthily, 
and  they  will  miss  bloom.  Therefore,  as 
soon  as  the  flowers  fade,  cut  off  the  trusses 
and  be  liberal  with  the  watering-pot  until  you 
see  they  have  completed  their  growth.  It  is 
a  common  thing  to  see  American  plants  bloom 
abundantly  one  season,  and  scantily,  or  not  at 
all,  the  next.  The  cause  of  this  is  in  the 
plant  being  distressed  by  seeding.  If,  after 
the  most  abundant  flower,  the  trusses  were 
nipped  off,  instead  of  being  allowed  to  swell 
their  pods,  the  growth  would  be  immediate, 
and  the  bloom  plentiful  twenty  years  running. 
It  is  the  same  with  rhododendrons,  azaleas^ 


302 


KALMIA    LATIFOLIA. 


and  other  hardwooded  things  that  bloom 
abundantly.  If  they  are  allowed  to  swell  their 
seeds,  the  growth  is  retarded  and  the  growing 
season  is  over  before  the  plant  has  perfected 
its  shoots.  It  follows  .then,  that  as  the  bloom 
is  destroyed,  or  rather,  as  the  plant  was  not 
grown  enough  to  perfect  its  flower  buds,  and 
so  we  are  without  flowers  a  whole  season,  the 
plant  grows  vigorously,  perfects  its  growth 
only,  and  sets  abundantly  for  bloom  the  next 
season.  This  then  is  the  cause  of  American 
plants  generally  blooming  badly  or  not  at  all, 
in  the  season  following  a  very  abundant  show 
of  flowers  ;  but  if,  as  we  before  observed,  the 
flower  stems  were  nipped  off"  the  instant  the 
flowers  began  to  fade,  the  whole  strength  of 
the  plant  would  be  exerted  in  the  growth  for 
the  next  year,  and  there  would  always  be  a 
good  average  bloom.  "We  cannot,  however, 
too  strongly  impress  upon  the  mind  the  ne- 
cessity of  liberally  watering  the  Kalmia  while 
it  is  flowering  and  growing,  without  which 
it  is  almost  impossible  to  continue  it  in  a  fine 
liealtyh  state. 

PROPAGATION   BY   LAYERING. 

The  Kalmia,  as  we  have  already  observed, 
has  branches  to  the  ground.  These  branches 
may  be  so  bent  as  to  force  the  bend  under 
ground  ;  and,  by  means  of  a  hooked  stick 
thrust  into  the  soil,  it  may  be  held  down, 
while  the  growing  end  of  the  branch  may  be 
forced  upwards  and  be  fastened  above  ground. 
Any  branch  so  pegged  down  will  in  time 
send  forth  roots,  and  become  dependent  on  its 
own  roots,  so  that  it  may  be  severed  from  the 
pai-ent  plant  and  be  entirely  a  new  plant. 
But  various  means  are  used  to  hasten  the 
development  of  roots  from  the  branch  laid 
down.  Some  cut  a  slit  in  the  branch,  and  so 
form  a  kind  of  interception  to  the  passage  of 
the  sap  ;  others  cut  a  notch  half-way  through  ; 
some  give  the  branch  a  twist  ;  but  the  wood 
of  the  Kalmia  is  very  brittle,  and  unless  these 
things  be  done  very  carefully  the  branch  will 
break  off"  altogether.  The  easiest  and  safest 
process  is  to  cut  nearly  half  way  through  the 
wood,  and  then  draw  the  knife  upwards,  so 
as  to  separate  the  wood  a  couple  of  inches  in 
length  ;  the  operation  of  pegging  down  will 
open  this  slit  a  little,  and  greatly  facilitate 
the  making  of  roots.  The  proper  season  for 
this  work  is  when  the  plant  is  at  rest,  before 
it  begins  to  make  its  summer  growth  ;  and 
the  branches  laid  down  thus  ought  to  be 
stripped  of  their  flower  buds,  if  there  be  any, 
that  the  whole  vigour  of  the  growth' may  be 
exerted  on  the  summer  shoots.  To  propa- 
gate, therefore,  by  layering,  a  good  bushy 
plant  should  be  placed  in  the  centre  of  a  four- 
foot  wide  bed,  such  as  we  have  described,  full 
of  peat  earth-  and  dug  as  recommended,  and 


all  the  branches  that  can  be,  brought  down  to 
the  ground,  so  as  to  be  pegged  at  some  part 
of  their  stem  below  the  surface.  The  layers 
must  be  pegged  down  all  round  the  plant, 
which  is  called  a  stool,  and  in  one  year  from 
the  time  of  layering  they  may  be  separated 
from  the  stool  which  makes  fresh  shoots,  to  be 
in  turn  pegged  down  in  the  same  way.  When 
once  separated  from  the  stool,  the  stem  may 
be  cut  up  close  to  the  root,  and  the  plants 
put  out  in  beds  to  be  nursed  up  to  the  size 
required,  or  may  be  planted  in  the  shrub- 
beries, or  be  potted  off,  as  the  case  may  be  ; 
but  the  soil  must  be  the  same,  and  whenever 
they  are  planted  in  shrubberies  there  will  be 
no  dependence  on  their  lasting  in  good  order 
unless  the  place  has  been  made  fit  for  their 
reception  and  maintenance  by  the  substitution 
of  proper  soil,  to  the  depth  of  a  couple  of 
feet,  for  the  natural  earth  of  the  place. 

TREATMENT    AS    A    STANDARD. 

Whei'e  it  is  desired  to  make  a  standard  of 
a  plant  that  comes  naturally  as  a  bush,  you 
must  select  the  strongest  leading  shoot  for 
growth,  and  cut  all  others  away.  As  this 
will  advance  much  more  rapidly  for  having 
all  the  strength  of  the  root,  be  careful  to  rub 
off  all  other  shoots  that  may  come  up  either 
from  the  stem  or  the  root.  At  the  end  of  the 
growing  season  there  may  be  side  branches 
close  up  to  the  head,  as  it  were,  but  let  none 
except  the  leader  remain  ;  and  pull  off,  or  cut 
off,  the  flower  bud  if  any  come,  because 
blooming  retards  the  growth.  If  more  than 
the  leading  shoot  begin  to  grow,  pinch  them 
out,  for  until  the  plant  has  acquired  the 
height  you  wish  it  to  attain,  nothing  but  the 
shoot  that  is  to  go  up  should  be  allowed  to 
grow.  All  shoots,  therefore,  that  come  out 
of  the  stem  should  be  rubbed  off  before  they 
have  time  to  grow  ;  and  when  the  stem  is  long 
enough  you  may  let  the  head  form  itself.  If 
any  one  shoot  now  takes  the  lead,  instead  of 
the  growth  becoming  general,  take  off  the 
end  to  check  it,  and  make  it  send  forth  lateral 
branches  ;  and,  when  the  head  finally  begins 
to  shape  itself  moderately  well,  its  natural 
growth  may  be  allowed  to  go  on  ;  that  is  to 
say,  you  need  not  remove  the  flower  buds, 
but  let  them  perfect  their  flowers.  Then 
take  away  the  truss  of  flower  stems,  and  let 
the  plant  make  its  growth  :  do  not  forget  to 
water  liberally  while  it  is  blooming  and  after- 
wai'ds  growing,  and  it  will  grow  healthily 
and  bloom  as  well  as  the  dwarf  plants  in  the 
ground.  The  only  thing  to  guard  against  is, 
planting  them  in  exposed  situations,  where 
they  have  all  the  sun  and  all  the  wind,  for 
they  will  not  kindly  bear  either  the  one  or  the 
t  other  in  extremes. 


SPECIES,  VARIETIES,   AND   HYBRIDS. 


503 


GENERAL    REMAKKS. 

There  are  several  other  Kalmias,  but  they 
are  altogether  inferior  in  every  respect  ;  the 
most  that  can  be  said  of  any  one  of  them  is, 
that  it  is  pretty  for  a  few  days,  and  then  mean 
and  untidy  the  rest  of  the  year.  Kalinia 
lafifolia  is  broad -leaved,  and  of  this  we  have 
spoken  ;  the  others  are  K.  angustifolia,  K. 
fjlauca,  and  K.  hirsuta ;  they  are  all  North 
American,  and,  as  regards  cultivation,  may 
be  treated  alike  ;  but,  compared  with  K.  lati- 
folia,  the  others  are  very,  very  inferior.  The 
plant  may  be  had  already  grown  at  the  prin- 
cipal nurseries;  indeed  there  are  some  few  nur- 
series in  the  neighbourhood  of  Knap  Hill  and 
Bagshot,  where  this  class  of  plants  is  most  ex- 
tensively and  almost  exclusively  grown.  The 
places  being  prepared  for  the  reception  of  the 
plants,  they  may  be  planted  out  at  nearly  any 
time  of  the  year ;  but  autumn,  as  soon  as  the 
summer  growth  is  perfected,  is  the  best  time 
for  their  removal.  They  are  beautiful  plants 
for  forcing,  merely  requiring  to  be  potted  up 
in  the  end  of  the  summer,  and  placed  at  once  in 
the  greenhouse,  where  their  flower  buds  will 
begin  to  swell  very  soon.  If  they  are  wanted 
to  bloom  earlier  than  the  greenhouse  will 
bring  them,  give  them  at  first  40°  by  night  and 
45°  by  day,  which,  after  a  week,  may  be  raised 
to  50",  and  lastly,  to  55°  by  day. 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,   AND    HYBRIDS. 

We  have  already  given  our  opinion  on  the 
folly  of  calling  foreign  plants  distinct  species, 
when  they  are  evidently  only  varieties.  Any 
suliject,  no  matter  what,  if  it  comes  from 
abroad,  and  varies  a  little  in  appearance  from 
those  we  possess  already,  is  at  once  set  down 
as  a  distinct  species,  whereas  nine  out  of  ten 
prove  to  be  only  varieties.  The  late  T.  A. 
Knight,  Esq.  was  of  opinion  that  if  two  distinct 
species  could  be  got  to  fertilize  each  other 
and  produce  offspring,  that  offspring  would 
be  a  mule,  and  incapable  of  bearing  seed. 
Pie  says,  in  a  paper  on  this  subject  read  to 
the  Horticultural  Society  :  — 

"  Much  difference  of  opinion  appears  to 
exist  between  my  friend,  the  Hon.  and  Rev. 
W.  Herbert,  and  myself,  relatively  to  the 
production  of  Hybrid  plants;  he  supposing  that 
many  originally  distinct  species  are  capable  of 
breeding  together,  without  producing  mules 
(that  is,  without  producing  plants  incapable 
of  affording  offspring),  and  I  considering  the 
fact  of  two  supposed  species  having  bred  to- 
gether, without  producing  mules,  to  be  evi- 
dence of  the  original  specific  identity  of  the 
two.  Our  difference  of  opinion  is,  however, 
I  believe,  apparently  much  greater  than  it 
really  is  :  for  1  readily  concede  to  Mr.  Herbert, 


that  great  numbers,  perhaps  more  than  half 
of  the  species  enumerated  by  botanical  wri- 
ters, may  be  made  to  breed  together,  with 
greater  or  less  degrees  of  facility :  but  upon 
what  sufficient  evidence  the  originally  specific 
diversity  of  these  rests,  I  have  never  been 
able  to  obtain  anything  like  satisfactory  infor- 
mation ;  and  I  cannot  hy  any  means  admit 
that  plants  ought  to  he  considered  of  origin- 
ally distinct  species,  merely  because  they 
happen  to  he  found  to  have  assumed  somewhat 
different  forms  or  colours  in  an  uncultivated 
state.  The  Genus  Prunus  contains  the  P. 
Armeniaca,  P.  Cerasus,  P.  domestica,  P. 
insititia,  P.  spinosa,  P.  sibirica,  and  many 
others.  Of  these,  I  feel  perfectly  confident 
that  no  art  will  ever  obtain  offspring  (not 
being  mules)  between  the  Prunus  Armeniaca, 
P.  Cerasus,  and  P.  domestica :  but  I  do  not 
entertain  much  doubt  of  being  able  to  obtain 
an  endless  vai'iety  of  perfect  offspring  be- 
tween the  P.  domestica,  P.  insititia,  and  P. 
spinosa  ;  and  still  less  doubt  of  obtaining 
abundant  variety  of  offspring  from  the  P.  Ar- 
meniaca and  P.  sibirica.  The  former,  the 
common  Apricot,*  is  found,  according  to 
M.  Regnier  (for  a  translation  of  whose  ac- 
count we  are  indebted  to  Mr.  Salisbury),f 
in  a  wild  state  in  the  Oases  of  Africa.  It  is 
there  a  rich  and  sweet  fruit,  of  a  yellow 
colour.  The  fruit  of  the  P.  sibirica,  seeds 
of  which  came  to  me  from  Dr.  Fischer  of 
Gorinki,  is,  on  the  contrary,  I  understand, 
black,  very  acid,  and  of  small  size :  but  never- 
theless, if  these  apparently  distinct  species 
will  breed  together,  and  I  confidently  expect 
they  will,  without  giving  existence  to  mule 
plants,  I  shall  not  hesitate  to  pronounce  these 
plants  of  one  and  the  same  species  ;  as  I  have 
done  relatively  to  the  Scarlet,  the  Pine,  and 
Chili  strawberries.  Botanists  may  never- 
theless, if  they  please,  continue  to  call  these 
transmutable  plants,  '  species  ; '  but  if  they 
do  so,  I  think  they  should  find  some  other 
term  for  such  species  as  are  not  transmutable; 
and  which  will  either  not  breed  together  at  all, 
or  which,  breeding  together,  give  existence  to 
mule  plants.  I  do  not,  however,  feel  any 
anxiety  or  wish  to  defend  my  own  hypothe- 
tical opinions  upon  this  subject." 


*  The  early  period  at  -H-hich  the  Apricot  unfolds  its 
flowers  leads  me  to  believe  it  to  be  a  native  of  a  cold 
climate :  and  I  suspect  the  French  word  Abricot,  the 
English  Apricock,  and  tho  African  Berrikokka,  to 
have  been  alike  derived  from  the  Latin  word  Pras- 
cocia,  which  the  Romans  (there  is  every  reason  to  be- 
lieve) pronounced  Praikokia,  and  which  was  the  term 
applied  to  early  varieties  of  peaches,  which  probably 
included  the  Apricot.  The  Greeks  also  wrote  the 
Latin  word,  as  I  suppose  the  Romans  to  have  pro, 
nounced  it,  TipaKOKia. — Hardouin's  Edition  of  Pliny, 
Lib.  15.  Sec.  xi. 

f  Horticultural  Transactions,  vol.  iii.  App.  p.  23, 


304 


SPECIES,    VARIETIES,    AND    HYBRIDS. 


The  facility  with  which  the  new  species, 
so  called,  are  made  to  aid  the  object  of  the 
florist,  in  the  production  of  cross  breeds, 
ought  to  teach  people  to  be  less  inclined  to 
call  things  species  ;  for  we  are  much  of  Mr. 
Knight's  opinion,  that  if  plants  will  breed 
well  together,  they  must  either  be  the  same 
species  or  produce  mules,  whereas  we  find  the 
so-called  hybrids  producing  seed  as  plenti- 
fully as  the  parents  did.  Mr.  Knight,  in 
following  up  the  subject,  says  : — 

"  I  sent  to  the  Society,  some  years  ago,  a 
fiuit  which  sprang  from  a  seed  of  a  sweet 
almond  and  the  pollen  of  a  peach  blossom, 
and  which  in  every  respect  presented  the 
character  of  a  perfectly  melting  peach.  When 
the  tree,  which  afforded  that  fruit,  first  pro- 
duced blossoms,  I  introduced  into  them  the 
pollen  of  another  peach  tree,  with  the  view 
of  obtaining  more  improved  varieties  of  the 
peach  of  this  family  :  and  the  necessary  pre- 
paration of  such  blossoms  prevented  my  no- 
ticing an  imperfection  which  I  have  since 
observed  in  them.  Little  or  no  pollen  is  ever 
produced  in  them  ;  and-  though  the  tree  has 
borne  well  subsequently  upon  the  open  wall, 
and  has  produced  perfect  seeds  without  any 
particular  attention  having  been  paid  to  it,  I 
suspect  that  its  blossoms  have  been  fecun- 
dated by  those  of  some  adjoining  nectarine 
trees.  Having,  however,  often  observed  that 
varieties  of  the  same  acknowledged  identical 
.  species,  when  one  was  in  a  highly  cultivated, 
and  the  other  in  a  perfectly  wild  state,  did 
not  readily  succeed  when  grafted  upon  each 
other,  owing,  probably,  to  the  very  different 
qualities  of  their  circulating  fluids,  I  con- 
ceived it  possible  that  the  same  causes  might 
have  prevented  a  perfect  union  at  once  taking 
place  between  the  almond  and  peach  tree.  I 
therefore  waited  till  I  had  an  opportunity 
of  observing,  in  the  last  summer,  the  blossoms 
of  a  second  generation,  which  proved  in  every 
respect  as  imperfect  as  those  of  the  first  tree, 
■and  like  those,  afforded  fruit  and  perfect 
seeds  with  the  pollen  of  an  adjoining  nectarine 
tree.  This  result,  which  I  did  not  anticipate, 
appears  interesting :  but  I  hesitate  in  draw- 
ing at  present  any  inferences  from  it."* 
This  is  so  far  curious;  but  we  have  abundant 


*  Since  the  foregoing  observations  Avere  addressed 
to  tlie  Horticultural  Society,  a  tree  whicli  sprang  from 
a  seed  of  a  Sweet  Almond  and  pollen  of  the  early  Violet 
Nectarine,  has  produced  a  profusion  of  perfectly  well 
organized  blossoms,  with  abundant  pollen ;  after  hav- 
ing, in  three  preceding  years,  afforded  imperfect 
blossoms  only.  If  such  pollen  prove  efficient,  which 
I  see  no  reason  to  doubt,  either  the  specific  identity 
of  the  Peach  and  Almond,  or  the  transmutability  of 
the  two  species,  will  be  proved.  But  if  the  Peach  be 
an  originally  distinct  species,  where  could  it  have  lain 
concealed  from  the  creation  to  the  reign  of  Claudius 
Cffisar  1 


proofs  of  the  fact,  that  even  tender  and  hardy 
plants  may  be  fertilized  by  each  other,  and 
the  offspring  partake  of  both  parents  ;  more- 
over, that  they  will  seed  freely,  and,  if  seeded 
away  from  all  others,  or  fertilized  by  them- 
selves, produce,  as  near  as  may  be,  plants 
very  like  themselves.  Mr.  Knight  mentions 
his  conviction  that  a  plant  produced  by  two 
distinct  species  would,  to  all  intents  and  pur- 
poses, be  barren  ;  and  he  says  : — 

*'  If  hybrid  plants  had  been  formed  as 
abundantly  as  Linnaeus  and  some  of  his  fol- 
lowers have  imagined,  and  such  had  proved 
capable  of  affording  offspring,  all  traces  of 
genus  and  species  must  surely  long  ago  have 
been  lost  and  obliterated  ;  for  the  seed  vessel 
even  of  a  monogynous  blossom  often  affords 
plants  which  are  obviously  the  offspring  of 
different  male  parents  ;  and  I  believe  I  could 
adduce  many  facts  which  would  satisfactorily 
prove  that  a  single  plant  is  often  the  offspring 
of  more  than  one,  and,  in  some  instances,  of 
many  male  parents.  Under  such  circum- 
stances every  species  of  plant  which,  either 
in  a  natural  state,  or  cultivated  by  man,  has 
been  once  made  to  sport  in  varieties,  must  al- 
most of  necessity  continue  to  assume  variations 
of  form.  Some  of  these  have  often  been  found 
to  resemble  other  species  of  the  same  genus, 
or  other  varieties  of  the  same  species,  and  of 
permanent  habits,  which  were  assumed  to  be 
species  ;  but  I  have  never  yet  seen  a  hybrid 
plant  capable  of  affording  off'spring,  which 
had  been  proved  by  anything  like  satisfactory 
evidence  to  have  sprung  from  two  originally 
distinct  species;  and  I  must  therefore  con- 
tinue to  believe  that  no  species  capable  of 
propagating  offspring,  either  of  plant  or 
animal,  now  exists  which  did  not  come  as 
such  immediately  from  the  hand  of  the 
Creator." 

After  all  that  has  been  said,  we  are  led  to 
the  conclusion  that  plants  sport  in  nature  as 
well  as  when  aided  by  art,  and  that  thousands 
of  the  so-called  species  are  nothing  but  sports, 
which,  fertilized  again,  give  rise  to  new  com- 
binations of  form  and  colour ;  for  however 
much  things  may  be  diversified  in  our  British 
gardens  by  crossing  and  the  skill  of  the  florist, 
the  smallest  difference  in  imported  varieties  is 
sufllcient  to  obtain  for  every  poor  plant  the 
honour  of  being  set  down  for  a  species. 

On  the  same  subject,  in  a  communication 
many  years  since  made  to  the  Horticultural 
Society,  and  published  in  the  Transactions  of 
the  Society,  the  late  Dr.  Herbert  has  made 
some  very  apposite  remarks  : — 

"  Many  plants,"  he  says,  "  which  botanists 
have  considered  distinct,  are  certainly  not  so  ; 
as,  for  instance,  Jxia  (or  Tritonia)  crocata, 
of  which  seminal  varieties  have  been  erro- 
neously ntimeA  I.  squalida,  I.miniata,  I.fene- 


SPECIES,  VARIETIES,  AND  HYBRIDS. 


30^ 


strata,  and  /.  deusta ;  Ixia  flexuosa  and 
I.  polystachya  are  the  same;  Babiana  stricta, 
B.  villosa,  B.  sidphurea,  and  7'uhro-cija7iea, 
are  not  distinct;  I  have  had  a  natural  seed- 
ling from  Babiana  stdphurea  with  a  pale  eye 
like  that  of  B.  ruhro-cyanea.  I  raised  from 
the  natural  seed  of  one  umbel  of  a  highly 
manured  red  cowslip,  a  primrose,  a  cowslip, 
and  oxlips  of  the  usual  and  other  colours, 
a  black  polyanthus,  a  hose-in-hose  cowslip, 
and  a  natural  primrose  bearing  its  flower  on 
a  polyanthus  stalk.  From  the  seed  of  that 
very  hose-in-hose  cowslip  I  have  since 
raised  a  hose-in-hose  primrose.  I  therefore 
consider  all  these  to  he  only  local  varieties, 
depending  wpon  soil  and  situation.  I  have 
raised  a  powdered  auricula,  and  a  Primula 
helvetica  from  the  seed  of  B.  nivalis ;  and  I 
have  raised  a  Brimrda  helvetica  also  from 
B.  viscosa.  I  therefore  esteem  these  Swiss 
Primulas  to  be  local  varieties  of  one  species. 
The  Violas  are  proved  by  cultivation  to  have 
been  too  much  divided.  The  great  hearts- 
ease, which  adorns  Covent  Garden  market, 
under  the  name  of  Viola  gra^idijiora,  is  found 
all  yellow  in  Craven  in  Yorkshire,  under  the 
name  of  Viola  lutea  ;  with  large  dark-purple 
flowers,  without  any  yellow,  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Moor-rig,  above  the  falls  of  the 
Tees,  in  the  county  of  Durham  ;  and  with 
mixed  purple  and  yellow  flowers,  under  the 
name  of  Viola  amcena,  in  Weardale,  a  few 
miles  from  the  last-named  place.  The  seeds 
gathered  in  Teesdale  from  the  dark-purple 
heartsease  once  produced  a  dirty  puiple  and 
a  yellow  flower  in  my  garden.  These  are 
therefore  only  local  varieties,  which,  by  their 
uniformity  in  their  natural  abodes,  have 
misled  the  hotanist. 

"  I  believe  the  orange,  citron,  lime,  lemon, 
and  shaddock  to  be  varieties  of  one  plant.  I 
do  not,  however,  consider  that  Mr.  Knight's 
experiment  *  has  proved  the  almond  and  the 
peach  to  be  one  species.  The  peach  is  extremely 
similar  to  the  almond,  with  the  exception  of 
the  sweet  pulp,  which  may  be,  very  probably, 
the  effect  of  cultivation  ;  and,  if  any  amelio- 
ration of  the  pulp  could  be  produced  in  seed- 
ling almonds,  I  should  incline  to  think  that 
a  long  course  of  cultivation  might  have  im- 
proved the  almond  into  a  peach.  But  the 
production  of  a  fruit  resembling  a  peach,  from 
an  impregnation  of  the  almond  with  a  plant 
so  \&vj  similar,  only  siiows  that  in  an  inter- 
mixture between  two  plants,  which  have  such 
close  affinity,  the  type  of  the  male  (as  is  fre- 
quently the  case)  has  been  very  conspicuous  ; 
and  this,  even  if  the  peach  had  been  known 
to  have  grown  wild,  with  a  sweet  pulp,  before 
the  deluge,  would  not  have  surprised  me. 


50. 


Hort.  Trans,  vol.  iii.  p,  1. 


"  The  science  of  the  botanist,  at  the  best, 
is  very  unstable,  because  it  is  entirely  a 
science  of  conjecture,  liable  at  all  times  to  be 
overset  by  the  test  of  cultivation.  He  care- 
fully observes  in  plants  the  features  that  are 
least  liable  to  variation  ;  and  by  their  means 
is  enabled  to  subdivide  the  classes,  genera, 
and  species  of  vegetables  ;  but  experience 
sometimes  shows  that  the  features  on  which 
he  relies  sre  very  variable.  Rhododendron 
and  Azalea  belong  to  two  classes,  widely 
separated  by  the  number  of  the  anthers,  which 
is  the  characteristic  feature  of  those  classes  ; 
yet  they  are  found  to  breed  so  freely  toge- 
ther, and  accord  so  exactly  in  the  seed  and 
capsule,  that  it  can  scarcely  be  doubted  that 
they  have  branched  from  one  original  stock. 
Indeed  the  Azalea  is  reported  to  have  been 
occasionally  seen  with  ten  anthers  instead 
of  five. 

"  The  most  distinguished  botanists  are  per- 
petually at  variance  with  each  other  as  to  the 
subdivisions  of  the  vegetable  system  ;  nor  has 
any  precise  meaning  been  affixed  to  the  terras 
by  which  they  are  known,  as  a  guide  to  their 
labours  ;  and  if  we  ask,  What  is  an  order  ? 
What  is  a  genus  ?  What  is  a  species  ?  What 
is  a  variety  ? — we  shall  find  the  answers 
very  unsatisfactory.  The  most  rational  in- 
terpretation of  the  terms,  I  think,  will  be 
found  as  follows  : — An  Order — all  the  genera 
or  original  stocks  which  have  general  affini- 
ties to  each  other,  though  not  such  as  to  war- 
rant a  belief  that  they  have  branched  from 
one  stock.  A  Genus — all  the  species  which 
have  peculiar  affinities,  distinguishing  them 
from  all  others  ;  and  which,  I  think,  render 
it  probable  that  they  have  branched,  since 
the  creation  of  the  world,  from  one  original. 
A  Species — a  race  cf  plants  that  will,  in  the 
pi'esent  state  of  the  world,  perpetuate  itself 
without  varying  in  essential  particulars  so  as 
to  confound  itself  with  any  other.  A  perma- 
nent  or  local  Variety — that  which  will  per- 
petuate itself  in  a  particular  form,  if  kept  in 
its  native  soil  or  situation,  or  at  a  distance 
from  all  other  varieties ;  but  which  would 
otherwise  confound  itself  with  them.  An 
accidental  Variety — that  which  cannot  with 
certainty  be  perpetuated  by  seed  in  any  situa- 
tion. I  do  not  believe  that  a  better  defini- 
tion for  the  purposes  of  science  can  be  given; 
and,  if  botanists  attended  to  it,  their  classifi- 
cations woidd  not  be  liable  to  such  perpetual 
variety  and  contradiction  :  but,  at  all  events, 
the  experience  of  the  cultivator  must  always 
have  weight  to  supersede  the  conjectural  de- 
cisions of  the  botanist." 

No  one  was  more  capable  of  reasoning 
upon  any  practical  subject  than  the  Rev. 
author  of  this  paper.  Here  he  fairly  arraigns 
botanjr  as  opposed  in  many  instances  to  prac- 

X 


306 


SPECIES,  VARIETIES,  AND  HYBRIDS. 


tice ;  and  it  is  singular  enough  that  not  only 
do  botanists  differ  from  one  another,  but  they 
differ  from  themselves.  Dr.  Herbert  con- 
tinues :  — 

"  The  colour  of  the  flower  is  one  of  the 
most  uncertain  features  ;  and  yet  if  immut- 
able thi'ough  successive  generations,  it  is  just 
as  sound  a  botanical  distinction  as  any  other, 
whilst  pubescence  is  a  feature  to  which  more 
weight  is  attached,  and  yet  we  sometimes 
find  it  as  variable  as  colour.  For  instance, 
as  to  colour,  the  beautiful  Convolvulus  varius, 
figured  in  the  Botanical  Magazine  as  a 
variety  of  C  purpureus,  is  very  similar  to 
that  plant  in  everything  but  the  colour  of  the 
flower.  The  seedlings  of  C.  purpureus  vary 
with  every  shade  of  purple,  red,  and  white, 
having  always  five  spots  at  the  mouth  of  the 
tube,  but  no  variation  of  colour  is  ever  seen 
in  the  different  flowers  of  the  same  seedling. 
Convolvulus  varius  has  the  opposite  pecu- 
liarity ;  the  plants  which  I  have  raised, 
through  twelve  or  thirteen  generations,  dif- 
fered not  in  the  least  from  each  other,  but  it 
would  be  difiicult  to  find  two  flowers  upon 
any  plant  exactly  alike  in  the  marks  of 
colour,  but  they  never  have  the  five  spots  in 
the  tube  ;  and  the  natural  ground  is  a  sul- 
phureous white,  with  the  inside  of  the  tube 
pale  purple,  and  the  flowers  are  irregularly 
streaked  with  dark  blue  in  infinite  diversity. 
Sometimes  an  accidental  flower,  like  a  run 
carnation,  will  have  the  ground  entirely  blue, 
with  streaks  of  a  deeper  colour,  but  no  in- 
stance of  a  plant  raised  from  its  seed,  with  all 
its  flowers  alike,  or  spotted  at  the  mouth  of 
the  tube,  has  been  seen  ;  and  therefore  it  ap- 
pears to  be  as  truly  a  distinct  species  as  if  it 
had  been  distinguished  by  any  other  perma- 
nent feature.  Permanent  colour  is  also  a 
principal  feature  in  distinguishing  the  species 
of  Anagallis.  On  the  other  hand,  as  to  pu- 
bescence, the  lovely  Eddies  suberecta  does 
not  appear  to  vary  in  colour,  but  in  a  pot  of 
seedlings  I  have  found  one  with  the  stems 
hairy,  whilst  the  rest  have  them  smooth.  If 
that  difference  had  been  found  in  a  wild  spe- 
cimen, with  some  variation  in  the  colour  of 
the  flower,  the  botanist  mould  have  named  it 
a  distinct  species,  tmfil  the  experience  oj^  cul- 
tivators had  shown  the  difference  to  he  un- 
certain." 

This  raising  of  new  varieties  from  seed  is 
rapidly  destroying  many  botanical  distinctions; 
species  so  called  are  proved  to  be  only  seed- 
ling varieties,  and  many  of  the  varieties 
from  seed  difl'er  more  from  each  othei>than 
plants  which  we  have  been  told  are  distinct 
genera. 

"  With  respect  to  the  fertility  or  bai'ren- 
ness  of  mule  vegetables,"  continues  the  Rev. 
author  of  these  remarks,  "  there  is  some  mys- 


teiy  which  I  cannot  at  present,  and  perhaps 
never  shall  be  able  to  develop.  All  the 
mules  I  have  raised  between  the  African 
Gladioli  have  proved  exceedingly  fertile,  in- 
deed certain  of  producing  good  seed  from 
every  flower  ;  yet  the  Gladioli  cardinalis, 
hlandus,  tristis,  hif'sutus,  and  recurvus,  from 
the  intermixture  of  which  some  of  those  mules 
have  been  produced,  are  plants  exceedingly 
dissimilar  to  each  other,  and  could  not  pos- 
sibly be  considered  as  varieties  of  one  species. 
I  have  found  no  difficulty  in  crossing  one 
of  the  mules  produced  from  these  with  any 
third  species  :  but  the  European  Gladioli 
(which  have  not  winged  seeds,  and  ought  to 
be  considered  as  constituting  a  distinct  genus) 
have  as  yet  refused  to  breed  with  the  African 
sorts.  On  the  other  hand,  the  hybrid  C?'i- 
num  Govenium  has  not  produced  any  seed, 
either  from  impregnation  with  its  own  dust 
or  with  that  of  other  Crinums,  although  I 
applied  that  of  C.  speciosissim,um  and  C.  hre- 
vifolium.  Its  stigma  was,  however,  quite 
perfect,  and  furnished  with  the  usual  tubular 
fringe,  and  the  particles  of  its  pollen,  exa- 
mined with  the  microscope,  though  not  very 
abundant,  appeared  to  be  furnished  with  the 
viscous  juice  which  I  consider  to  be  the  proof 
of  fertility.  I  did  not  think  of  examining  the 
interior  of  the  germen  till  it  had  begun  to  turn 
yellow,  but  it  appeared  then  as  if  there  had 
been  a  deficiency  of  the  embryo  seeds  in  the 
germen,  and  therefore  an  incapacity  of  bear- 
ing seed. 

"  The  American  AzaSfeas  do  not  produce 
seed  abundantly  in  this  country,  and  one 
reason  for  this  is  that  they  are  frequently  en- 
tirely deficient  in  pollen,  in  consequence,  per- 
haps, of  the  dryness  of  our  atmosphere  .or  soil 
in  spring  compared  with  that  of  America. 
In  the  second  week  of  May  I  was  desirous 
of  impregnating  Rhododendron  azaleoides, 
which  had  no  pollen  of  its  own,  with  that  of 
some  Azalea,  but  I  could  not  find  a  single 
Azalea  iiower  that  had  any  pollen.  I  touched 
its  stigma  therefore  with  the  dust  of  Rhodo- 
dendron Catawhiense.  The  capsules  swelled, 
and  in  August  they  appeared  in  fair  progress 
to  ripen  the  seed,  but  owing  to  the  extraor- 
dinary drought  (the  plant  not  having  been 
watered)  the  pods  fell  off;  but  they  had  re- 
mained on  long  enough  to  show  that  the 
germen  had  been  apparently  fertilized  ;  those 
to  whose  stigma  the  dust  had  not  been  ap- 
plied having  withered  long  before.  From 
this  it  should  seem  that  the  ovarium  is  not 
defective  in  that  mule,  and  that  it  would  pro- 
bably be  fertile  in  America.  My  own  mule 
Rhododendroife  have  pollen,  though  not 
abundant,  and  I  think  I  should  have  obtained 
seed  from  them  this  year  if  their  roots  had 
not  been  inj  ured  by  too  much  water  in  the  pots. 


CONTINENTAL  GARDENS. 


307 


"  I  suspect  tLat  the  germen  is  very  speedily 
fertilized   when    the   dust   has   touched   the 
stigma  ;  but   I   doubt  Avhether,   after   being 
fecundated,  it  is  closed  against  any  further 
impression.     Mr.  Knight  has  assured  me  that 
by  touching  the  stigma  of  a  smooth  cabbage 
with  the  dusts  of  a  curled  and  of  a  red  cab- 
bage, he  had  given  both  the  curl  and  the  red 
colour  to  the  seedlings ;  but  I  am  uncertain 
whether  both  dusts  were  applied  at  the  same 
time.     It  would  be  very  desirable  to  ascer- 
tain by  experiments  how  long  after  the  stigma 
had  been  touched  with  pollen  a  second  im- 
pression   could  be  given.     I  wished   to  try 
the  possibility  of  crossing  a  plant  of  Pancra- 
tium littorale,  which  had  twenty-one  buds  on 
a  stem,  with  Crinum,  Nerine,  and  Corburgia. 
The  first  flower  had  expanded  before  I  had 
taken  out  its  anthers,  and  though  I  could  not 
distinguish  any  dust  on  its  stigma,  wishing  to 
make  my  experiments  with  certainty,  I  im- 
mediately cut  the  flower  off  so  low  as  even  to 
take  off  the  summit  of  the  germen,  which  I 
thought  I  had  destroyed,  the   embryo  seeds 
being  partially  exposed.     The  anthers  wei-e 
successively  taken  out  of  the   twenty  other 
buds,    to   which    various   uncongenial    dusts 
were  applied  in  vain  ;    and  the   only  seeds 
produced  were  from  the  germen  of  the  flower 
which   I  had  so   cut  off,   and  I  raised  true 
plants  of  Pancratium  littorale  from  them. 
This  proves   the  fecundation  to    have    been 
speedily  effected,   unless    the   germen    could 
have  been  fertilized  by  dust  having  actually 
fallen  into  it  accidentally  when  I  cut  off  the 
flower.     I  have  been  unsuccessful  in  obtain- 
ing   mule    Convolvuluses,     Hibiscuses,    and 
Turneras,  and  I  attribute  this  to  some  difl[i- 
culty  in  ascertaining  the  right  moment   for 
impregnating    fugacious     flowers.      I    have 
opened  the  buds  before  expansion,  to  take  out 
their  anthers,  but  the  result  has  been  a  failure 
of  seed.     I  did  raise  one  mule  between  the 
red  American  Convolvulus  sepium  and  Con- 
volvulus candidans,  but  it  was  very  weakly, 
and  died. 

"  I  believe  it  is  an  eiror  to  imagine  that 
pollen  will  always  retain  its  fertilizing  powers 
for  months  if  kept  dry;  on  the  contrary,  I 
have  found  it  quickly  lose  its  virtue,  entirely 
so  the  moment  it  became  dry.  The  pollen 
consists  of  minute  vesicles  filled  with  a  juice 
which  is  very  visible  by  means  of  a  micro- 
scope. The  vesicles  soon  become  dry,  and 
though  they  retain  their  form,  no  juice  can 
then  be  pressed  from  them  ;  nor  have  I  ever 
obtained  seed  by  means  of  any  dust  that  was 
not  fresh  from  the  flower." 

Pollen  to  be  kept  long  must  be  kept  air 
tight,  so  that  it  cannot  lose  its  moisture  :  but 
we  believe  it  can  be  kept  for  a  very  long 
period.     The  pollen   from   dried   specimens 


has  been  used,  and  we  believe  with  effect, 
although  it  can  hardly  be  proved  until  they 
produce  flowers,  when  it  will  be  seen  whether 
there  is  any  of  the  habit  of  the  one  from  which 
the  pollen  was  taken.  There  is  no  doubt, 
however,  that  pollen  may  be  kept  without 
losing  its  properties  if  proper  care  is  taken 
with  it. 


CONTINENTAL    GARDENS. 

[The  following  particulars  are  translated 
from  an  account  of  a  horticultural  tour, 
published  by  M.  Lecoq  : — ] 

Leybach,  the  ancient  capital  of  Illyria, 
stands  on  the  very  banks  of  the  Leybach,  a 
noble  river  which  runs  through  a  piece  of 
water  apparently  at  one  time  a  lake.  There 
are  some  fine  promenades  at  this  place,  but 
not  to  be  compared  to  those  which  are' 
met  almost  in  every  town  of  Germany  ;  here 
grafted  rose  trees  are  frequently  to  be  seen 
attaining  upwards  of  thirty  feet ;  and  it  is 
not  rare  to  find  the  eglantine  reaching  to 
the  second  story  of  the  houses  to  which 
it  is  trained. 

VIENNA. 


Vienna  is  surrounded  by  a  fertile  and  smil- 
ing landscape,  watered  by  a  small  river  from 
which  its  name  is  derived. 

The  Botanic  garden,  which  is  very  ex- 
tensive, and  well  laid  out,  is  one  of  the  most 
remarkable.  The  plants  are  arranged  according 
to  their  natural  orders,  and  grouped  according 
to  their  affinities  ;  representing  the  graphic 
classification  which  is  to  be  sometimes  seen  on 
paper  ;  while  the  analogies  and  points  of  re- 
semblance are  preserved  as  much  as  possible. 
A  great  part  is  laid  out  in  clumps,  having 
trees  in  the  centre,  and  shrubs  and  herbaceous 
plants  converging  to  the  margins. 

Each  genus  with  its  species  is  placed  in  a 
separate  clump,  which  is  generally  made  large 
enough  to  admit  additions  that  may  be  made 
from  time  to  time  to  the  collection  of  plants. 
By  this  arrangement  the  plants  are  in  the 
most  natural  position  to  be  properly  studied. 
This  plan  is  not,  however,  only  carried  out  at 
Vienna  ;  it  is  adopted  at  Edinburgh,  and 
some  years  ago.  Professor  Morren  put  it  in 
practice  at  Liege.  The  extent  of  the  Botanic 
Garden  at  Vienna  gives  this  arrangement  a 
decided  advantage. 

Extensive  houses  and  arboretums,  a  ca- 
pacious lecture-room  and  an  herbarium,  are 
among  the  principal  objects ;  some  rustic 
houses  formed  of  the  trunks  of  birch  trees, 
here  and  there,  have  a  very  fine  effect.  To 
these  erections  the  Cobcea  scandens  is  trained, 

x2 


308 


CONTINENTAL    GARDENS. 


its  flowers  falling  in  garlands  over  the  white 
satiny  bark  of  the  wood. 

SCHOENBEUNN. 

Besides  this  garden,  which  is  dedicated  to 
science,  there  are  others  in  the  town  of  a 
simpler  kind,  consisting  chiefly  of  promenades 
for  the  public.  Beautiful  fresh  green  lawns 
are  to  be  seen  on  all  hands,  with  graceful 
figures,  planted  with  Pelargonium  Zonale, 
(scarlet  Geraniums,)  the  oldest  and  commonest 
of  our  Pelargoniums,  contrasting  well  with 
the  green  smooth  turf,  and  producing  an 
effect  which  could  not  be  obtained  by  plants 
more  rare  or  less  rustic.  Extensive  lawns  are 
to  be  seen  decorated  in  this  way,  on  entering 
the  imperial  grounds  at  Schoenbrunn  near 
Vienna.  Dahlias,  China  asters,  and  Petunias, 
form  masses  of  blue,  rose,  white  or  purple, 
on  the  verdant  carpet,  without  their  colours 
being  mixed  or  confused.  Red  dahlias  are 
separated  from  the  white,  and  the  blue  China 
asters  are  placed  at  a  certain  distance  from 
those  which  are  of  a  rose  colour  ;  so  that  the 
ensemble  of  the  six  grass-plots  before  the 
palace  have,  with  this  arrangement  of  colours, 
a  very  imposing  aspect.  Add  to  this  the  two 
jets  cVeau,  which  play  so  majestically  at  the 
extremity  of  the  parterre,  the  weeping  willows 
which  droop  over  the  basins,  and  the  old  vine 
whose  leaves  entwine  the  white  marble  balus- 
trades, and  you  have  a  faint  idea  of  Schoen- 
•brunn. 

Near  this  is  a  modern  ruin,  in  which  the 
architect  has  formed  the  broken  pillars  and 
the  crumbling  arches,  so  that  the  parts  seem  di- 
lapidated by  age,  their  beauties  being  respected 
by  time  ;  and  here,  on  the  surface  of  the  water 
collected  among  the  debris,  the  Nymphaaa 
bears  its  large  broad  leaves,  and  bright 
golden  or  alabaster  flowers.  From  this,  the 
visitor  is  led  along  some  high  and  old  pali- 
sades to  the  upper  part  of  the  grounds,  where 
there  is  a  perfect  forest  of  elms,  limes,  maples, 
and  exotic  oaks  ;  while  in  another  dii'ection 
are  magnificent  conservatories,  and  an  exten- 
sive menagerie. 

HIETZING. 

From  Schoenbrunn  to  Hietzing,  the  distance 
is  very  short.  Here  is  the  largest  garden  in 
Europe,  that  of  Baron  Hugel ;  it  contains 
numerous  straight  alleys  or  walks,  shaded  by 
tropical  trees,  large  New  Holland  plants,  and 
imported  conifei's,  among  which  the  Araucaria 
attains  a  great  size.  This  department,  in 
which  the  plants  are  mostly  in  pots  or  boxes, 
is  surrounded  or  sheltered  by  handsome  trees 
of  an  indigenous  kind,  and  the  sombre  walks, 
which  the  rays  of  the  sun  seldom  or  nevei- 
penetrate,  lead  to  beautiful  lawns  or  brilliant 


parterres.  Amidst  the  whole,  Coboeas,  Tpo- 
mceas  and  Glycines  are  trained  to  small  cords 
and  spread  in  all  directions.  Under  this 
canopy  of  leaves  and  flowers,  the  flowering 
plants  of  an  extensive  garden  are  daily  ar- 
ranged. Pots  embedded  in  moss  form  sinuous 
lines,  either  singly  or  one  above  another  like 
steps.  Sometimes  they  are  grouped  on  stages 
raised  in  a  pyramidal  form,  or  suspended  in 
baskets  or  in  pine  cones  to  the  trees,  or  the 
leafy  garlands  ;  the  whole  are  arranged  with 
the  most  artistic  nicety  in  respect  to  their 
various  colours.  The  houses  here  are  very 
numerous,  in  which  may  be  seen  upwards  of 
a  thousand  species  or  varieties  of  heaths  ;  all 
the  known  varieties  of  camellia  ;  rare  or  en- 
tirely new  coniferas ;  besides  whole  houses 
filled  Avith  banksias,  proteas,  &c.  The  travels 
of  Baron  Hugel,  and  his  [recent]  high  position 
at  Vienna,  explain  the  vastness  and  richness 
of  his  collections.  His  orchid  house  is  the 
image  of  one  of  those  mysterious  boudoirs 
that  nature  conceals  in  the  deep  dark  forests 
of  tropical  countries.  The  scattered  light, 
the  hot  and  humid  atmosphere,  the  perfume 
of  the  plants,  the  mixture  of  colours,  the 
strange  position  of  those  suspended  from  the 
roof,  all  tend  to  make  this  charming  retreat  a 
worthy  sanctuary  of  the  learned  traveller  who 
has  amassed  so  much  precious  spoil.  The 
orchids  in  general  grow  on  old  trunks  or 
branches  of  trees  ;  some  are  grown  in  pots, 
others  are  suspended  in  baskets  of  various 
kinds  and  forms.  Lselias,  Stanhopeas,  Oncid- 
iums  and  Cypripediums,  mingle  their  sweet 
perfumes.  Hedysarum,  gyrans,  placed  in  the 
midst  of  foreign  genera,  has  its  two  folioles 
constantly  in  motion,  and  bending  before  the 
largest  which  remains  still ;  while  the  Dioncea 
muscipula  spi'eads  its  leaves,  but  waits  in  vain 
for  the  insects  of  its  native  country,  which 
have  not  followed  it  in  its  exile. 

Besides  the  garden  of  Baron  Hugel,  there 
is  nothing  to  be  seen  of  any  note  at  Hietzing, 
unless  it  is  the  miniature  garden  of  Dr.  Haike, 
which  is  laid  out  with  great  taste.  It  consists 
of  some  clumps  of  plants  grown  on  a  fine 
green  lawn,  with  some  trees,  from  whose 
branches  are  suspended  small  baskets  filled 
with  various  flowers.  There  is  also  a  rustic 
pavilion  at  the  end  of  the  garden,  and  an 
^olian  harp,  whose  melodious  tones  astonish 
the  visitor,  who  vainly  tries  to  find  out  the 
cause  of  the  sweet  harmony.  Dr.  Haike  has 
a  good  collection  of  Petunias,  with  flowers  so 
large,  as  to  be  too  heavy  for  the  stems  ;  but 
the  wind  which  made  the  ^olian  harp 
vibrate,  had  removed  many  of  the  broad 
corollas  of  the  Petunias  ;  a  pleasure  for  one 
sense,  and  a  privation  for  another.  It  is  thus 
human  life  is  made  up  ;  happiness  without 
mixture  does  not  belona:  to  it. 


CONTINENTAL    GARDENS. 


309 


PRAGUE. 

Prague,  though  not  precisely  the  geogra- 
phical centre  of  Bohemia,  is  its  centre  of  in- 
dustry and  commerce.  The  river  Moldau 
runs  through  the  town,  and  lends  a  picturesque 
appearance  to  the  suburbs  and  surrounding 
country  through  which  it  passes.  One  of  the 
commonest  trees  growing  along  the  banks  and 
the  islets  of  the  Elbe,  is  the  white  willow, 
which  is  allowed  to  grow  in  full  freedom 
without  being  subjected  to  periodical  ampu- 
tations. Its  graceful  silver  branches  rise  and 
bend  with  the  passing  breeze,  sweeping  the 
smootli  green  turf  underneath.  Numerous 
groups  of  oak,  beech,  elms,  pines,  and  birch, 
are  freely  scattered  over  the  landscape  and 
the  neighbouring  grounds,  or  cover  the  nu- 
merous islets  to  be  seen  on  the  river  ;  while 
the  sharp  peaks  or  rounded  tops  of  the 
mountains  are  seen  in  the  distance,  and  which 
are  subsequently  reached,  when  about  forty 
miles  from  Dresden.  These  mountains  are 
chiefly  basaltic,  often  very  high,  and  can  be 
hewn  with  perfect  ease,  affording  a  valuable 
material  for  the  purposes  of  building. 

DRESDEN. 

Dresden  is  a  beautiful  city  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Elbe,  surrounded  by  verdant 
and  fertile  fields. 

Here  there  is  a  botanic  garden  agreeably 
situated  on  the  banks  of  the  river  Elbe,  but, 
from  the  bad  weather  and  the  lateness  of  the 
season,  I  was  prevented  from  making  a  care- 
ful inspection  of  it.  The  predilection  of 
the  sovereign  for  the  study  of  botany,  and 
the  great  and  varied  acquirements  of  Prof. 
Reichenbach,  gives  to  this  capital  a  very 
marked  distinction  in  the  study  of  this  branch 
of  natural  history. 

Here  I  was  fortunate  enough  to  be  able  to 
assist  at  one  of  the  principal  horticultural 
exhibitions,  consisting  chiefly  of  autumn  fruits 
and  dahlias,  and  to  which  the  public  were 
admitted  on  payment  of  a  trifling  sum.  In 
the  centre  of  the  room  in  which  it  was  held 
was  a  group  of  palms,  surrounded  by  an  ele- 
gant circle  of  numerous  plants  of  Justicia 
carnea,  and  Bignonia  diver sifolia.  Beautiful 
green  moss  concealed  the  pots  and  vases, 
being  laid  round  them  in  the  form  of  a  com- 
pact border.  Thousands  of  dahlias  were  then 
arranged,  even  on  the  floor  of  the  room  and 
around  the  moss,  in  a  series  of  concentric 
circles,  alternating  in  rose  and  white  ;  then  a 
graceful  curve,  enamelled  with  all  the  varied 
colours  which  this  queen  of  Autumn  presents, 
and  at  last  a  border  of  yellow  sorts.  This 
brilliant  and  novel  assemblage,  which  might 
be  called  literally  a  sort  of  parterre,  w^as  ar- 
ranged in  the  shape  of  a  perfect  oval.  At  its 
two   extremities  were  placed  two    pyramids 


constructed  of  wood,  and  presenting  the  richest 
mosaical  display  of  plums,  apples,  and  other 
fruits,  fixed  on  the  wood,  and  completely  con- 
cealing it  by  the  closeness  in  which  they  were 
placed  to  each  other.  Two  large  dishes  placed 
on  the  summits  of  these  pyramids  contained 
the  most  select  sorts  of  all  the  fruits  of  the 
season.  Opposite  to  the  entrance  was  placed 
a  magnificent  cornucopia,  or  "horn  of  plenty," 
covered  with  dahlias,  and  from  which  issued 
an  enormous  bouquet.  These  flowers  hung 
over  a  trellis-work  constructed  with  wires, 
and  garnished  with  long  vine-branches  bearing 
fruit  of  various  colours,  and  partly  shaded  by 
their  foliage,  while  the  lower  extremities 
rested  in  the  water  underneath,  and  sustained 
the  freshness  of  the  parts  above.  At  the  op- 
posite side  of  this  trellis-work  were  classed 
several  vai'ieties  of  vegetables,  and  a  curious 
collection  of  gourds.  These  specimens  were 
arranged  round  a  mass  of  exotic  ferns  and 
Lycopodiums,  in  the  midst  of  which  large 
pine-apples  might  be  seen  here  and  there. 
The  fruit  was  very  abundant,  and  consisted 
of  the  choice  sorts  of  pears,  apples,  plums, 
grapes,  8sc.  Nothing  was  wanting  but  the 
black  elder-berries,  of  which  a  fine  purple 
or  violet  beverage  is  made,  and  said  to  be 
much  esteemed  for  its  cleansing  properties, 
while  the  berries  of  the  white  elder  are  sold 
in  the  markets  for  the  purpose  of  making 
preserves  ;  they  are  also  boiled  and  eaten 
with  sugar. 

Every  thing  connected  with  this  exhibition 
indicated  much  good  taste  and  knowledge  of 
certain  rules  of  decoration  which  are  met  with 
in  the  other  parts  of  Germany. 

LEIPZIG. 

Leipzig  (or  Leipzic)  is  the  second  town  in 
importance  in  Saxony,  and  the  principal  place 
for  literature  in  Europe.  It  is  situated  in  the 
middle  of  a  vast  plain,  where  agriculture  has 
been  carried  to  some  extent,  having  some 
points  of  resemblance  to  the  neighbourhood 
of  Lille,  or  the  rural  districts  of  Flanders. 
The  portions  of  ground,  or  holdings,  are  sur- 
rounded by  a  stripe  of  grass,  and  the  soil  is-  as 
productive  as  that  of  a  garden.  Favoured  by 
soil  and  climate,  the  inhabitants  of  Leipsic  are 
enabled  to  avail  themselves  of  fine  and  exten- 
sive promenades.  'Le petit  hois  de  Rosenthal' 
and  '  Les  jar  dins  de  Hendel,''  are  always 
thronged  by  a  vast  concourse  of  people  ; 
and  in  Germany  the  gardens  are  seldom 
closed.  There  are  neither  gates  nor  hedges 
to  obstruct  the  passage  of  any  one,  and  it  is 
never  found  that  the  slightest  injury  or  tres- 
pass is  committed. 

BERLIN. 

This  is  one  of  the  finest  towns  in  Europe, 
containing  numerous  loner  and  broad  streets. 


310 


CONTINENTAL   GARDENS. 


and  also  many  large  and  fine  squares.     The 
river  Spree  runs  through  the  town  and  emp- 
ties itself  in  the  Haval  at  some  distance  from 
the  faubourgs.     The  king  has  a  great  taste 
for  horticultural  pursuits,   and   most  of  the 
squares    have,     therefore,    been   transformed 
into  public  gardens,  that  are  kept  with  the 
greatest  care.      They  are  laid   out,   for  the 
most  part,  in  grass  compartments  divided  by 
narrow  gravel  walks,  well  kept  up  and  con- 
taining various  sorts   of  plants,   often   very 
common,  but  always  arranged  in  a  manner  to 
produce  a  fine  effect.     The  taste  for  gardens 
here  is  displayed  in  the  most  modest  parterre 
as  well  as  in  the  most  extensive  lawns.     On 
the  smooth  green  sward,  which  might  be  taken 
for  a  carpet  of  velvet,  may  be  seen  the  beau- 
tiful panicles    of  the  Gypsophilas  ;    the  iso- 
lated tufts  of  the  noble  Arundo  indica;  and 
masses  of  the  spotted  Eucomis    half   hidden 
under  lilacs  and  jasmines.     Here  and  there 
are  planted  on  the  lawns  Kerrias  surrounded 
with   Statice  Livionium,  vervains   bordered 
with  hepaticas  in  spring,  and  variegated  box 
during  the  rest  of  the  year ;  while  the  pansy 
with  its  thousand  varieties  decorates  all  the 
places  of  public  resort  in  Berlin.     The  prac- 
tice of  dwarfing  plants  is  much  followed  here, 
so  that  they  may  occupy  the  smallest  possible 
space,  and  Lobelia  Erinus  covered  with  its 
blue  flowers  is  frequently  used  as  a  border  for 
the  small  flower  plots.     The  public  parterres 
are  sometimes  formed  after  very  intricate  de- 
signs ;  such,  for  instance,  is  that  of  La  Place 
Guillaume,  where  in  the  midst  of  the  other 
clumps  there  is  a    perfect    circle  divided  in 
twenty-four   rays,   which    are  themselves  so 
many  distinct  parterres,  arranged  together  in 
a  manner  so  as  to  produce  the  finest  effect. 
The  centre  was  occupied  with  scarlet  dahlias, 
enclosed   within   a  ring  of    Symphoricarpos 
with  white  fruit.     Next  was  a  broad  stripe 
covered  with  Lobelia  Erinus;  all  the  com- 
partments were  edged  with  box  which  is  kept 
very  short,  and  in  the  midst  of  each  of  them 
were  small  groups  of  Lantanas  and  Bengal 
roses.     To  these  little  formations  is  given  an 
appearance  of  liveliness,  while  several  climbers, 
such  as  Ipomceas,  Coboeas,  8fc.  are  trained  in 
a  wavy  garland  manner   from  plot   to  plot, 
showing  at  the  same  time  an  impassable  bar- 
rier, which  is  always  respected  by  the  people. 
Leaving  Berlin  by  the  Brandebourg  gate, 
we  enter  an  extensive  place  which  is  called 
the  Thiergarterif  in  which  the  collections  of 
trees  and   flowers  is  very  extensive.      The 
lawns  have  a  fine  fresh  appearance,  and*  nu- 
merous swans  are  seen  floating  on  the  seve- 
ral pieces  of  water.     Certainly  a  finer  place 
for  recreation  does  not  exist  anywhere ;  con- 
taining also,  as  it  does,  broad  shady  avenues 
for  carriage  and  horse  exercise ;  although  one 


must  walk  on  foot  in  order  to  examine  all  its 
details.     Here  especially  may  be  seen  that 
most  agreeable  harmony  of  arrangement  pro- 
duced with  the  very  commonest  plants.     An 
admirable  effect  is  also   produced  by  contrast 
of   foliage,  differences  in  the  colours  of  the 
fruit,    and    the    disposition  of  the    supple- 
mentai-y  tints.     In  this  department  the  high- 
est   skill  of    the    artist    has   evidently  been 
brought    into    requisition.      As    in    all   the 
north  of  Europe,  the  chief  feature  in  a  pro- 
menade or   pleasure  garden  is  a  fine  grassy 
carpet ;  red,  which  is  the  complementary  co- 
lour of  green,   generally  prevails  in    all  its 
various  shades  throughout  the  clumps,  plots, 
garlands,    crowns,    edgings,    and   ornaments. 
The   holly  with  its   green  leaves  and  coral 
berries  is  freely  distributed  among  the  shrub- 
bery, where  here  and  there  it  bears  up  the 
long  straggling  branches  of  the  nasturtium  with 
their  beautiful  flowers.     The  large  glandular 
balsam,  though  insignificant  compared  with 
other  flowers,  holds  a  distinguishing  rank  in 
the  middle  of  a  clump,  from  its  fine  habit. 
The  maize,   with  its  glaucous  foliage,  high 
panicles,  and  reflexed  leaves,  brings  to  mind 
the  bamboos  of  the  tropics,  and  serves  as  a 
centre  to  numerous  crowns  of  amaranths,  alter- 
nately red  and  green,  under  the  load  of  which 
the  spikes  seem  to  bend.    The  flowers  o^ Poly- 
gonum orientale,  on  their  long  pendant  pedun- 
cles, hang  over  a  plot  of  daisies  bordered  with 
red  Bengal  roses.      Fresh  objects  of  attrac- 
tion are  arranged  on  other  plots ;  concealed 
supports,  or  poles,  are  raised,   to  which  are 
trained  alternately  Nasturtiums  and  Ipomceas, 
and   the   prolonged  repetition  of    the    same 
plants  and  the  same  colours,  produces  an,  effect 
that  can   only  be  understood  by  a  personal 
visit  to  the  scene  of  this  brilliant  assemblage. 
The  rhubarb,  whose  shoots  in  the  spring  time 
have  so  fine  a  rose  and  violet  colour,  is  dis- 
persed over  all  the  plots,  in  order  to  produce 
a  contrast  with  the  green.     Subsequently,  its 
undulated  foliage,  its  spikes  of  flower,  and  its 
brown  coloured  fruit,  present  different  colours 
according  to  the  season. 

At  certain  points  of  the  Thiergarten  are 
clumps  in  which  the  effects  of  the  natural 
colour  of  the  foliage,  or  the  tint  it  would 
probably  take  in  autumn,  have  been  studied. 
Thus  the  white  poplar  contrasts  with  the 
beech-trees,  the  leaves  of  which  now  begin 
to  get  yellow,  with  the  cherry-trees  and  the 
sumach  [Rhus  typhina],  which  become  of  a 
bright  red  colour,  and  the  laburnum,  which 
turns  brown  and  variegated.  Then  at  their 
feet,  as  it  were,  might  be  seen  the  long  glau- 
cous leaves  of  the  artichoke,  and  the  red- 
veined  leaves  of  the  varieties  of  the  common 
beet.  Some  of  the  clumps  are  planted  with 
trees  whose   fruit  is  persistent,   serving   as 


CONTINENTAL    GARDENS. 


Sll 


decoi'ative  objects  of  winter,  intermixed  witli 
those  cornels  [Cornus]  whose  branches  appear 
like  corals  during  the  severe  weather  of  win- 
ter. Nearly  all  the  trees  that  are  common  to 
the  north  of  Europe  are  grown  in  the  Thier- 
garten,  but  the  greatest  number  consists  of 
oak ;  beech  is  common,  and  the  alder  attains 
a  great  height ;  the  elm,  maple,  and  weeping 
willow,  are  intermixed  with  pines,  firs,  pop- 
lars, planes,  Gleditschia,  and  everything  is 
suited  to  bear  the  long  winters  of  the  north 
of  Prussia.  The  same  good  taste  in  the 
ornamental  arrangement  is  carried  out  in  the 
garden  of  the  king  at  Potsdam ;  but  that 
establishment  is  more  favoured  by  soil,  site, 
and  water. 

POTSDAM. 

At  Potsdam  the  gardens  of  Sans  Souci  and 
those  surrounding  the  Palais-neuf  are  parti- 
cularly deserving  of  attention,  especially  that 
of  gardeners.  Here  the  grounds  are  laid  out 
in  lawns,  clumps,  and  avenues,  and  planted 
with  various  trees  and  shrubs,  around  which 
Pelargonium  zonale  is  grown  in  rings  or 
garlands ;  and  large  spaces  were  covered 
with  Sedum  Sieholdii.  The  vine  is  often 
employed  as  an  ornamental  plant ',  the  large 
leaved  variety,  especially,  is  planted  at  the 
foot  of  trees.  In  the  avenues  it  is  trained  in 
long  festoons,  resembling  the  twining  and 
climbing  plants  in  the  forests  of  the  New 
"World.  Sometimes  long  walks  are  covered 
with  a  canopy  formed  of  vine  bi'anches  trained 
to  a  sort  of  trellis-work,  under  which  one  is 
apt  to  lose  himself  in  shady  labyrinths.  The 
several  kinds  of  grapes,  too,  with  their  differ- 
ent colours,  are  skilfully  arranged,  and  which, 
though  they  seldom  ripen,  have  a  very  agree- 
able effect,  until  the  approach  of  the  autumn 
frosts,  presenting  the  spectacle  of  a  hanging 
vintage  within  the  52°  of  latitude.  Various 
kinds  of  the  cucumber  family  are  employed 
like  the  vine  to  cover  large  trellises,  and  often 
the  supports  disappear  altogether  under  the 
large  leaves  of  Cucumis  and  Lagenaria.  It 
is  curious  to  see  the  various  forms  of  gourds 
suspended  from  these  trellises  during  the  au- 
tumn ;  some  too  that  are  not  unfrequently 
exhibited  at  our  shows  as  curiosities  or  arti- 
cles of  food.  These  trellises  trained  over- 
head form  a  kind  of  parody  to  the  fable  of 
La  Fontaine,  where  it  is  easy  to  recognise  the 
work  of  man  and  not  that  of  nature.  Never- 
theless, nature  has  suspended  these  fruits  so 
well,  that  the  gardener  might  fall  asleep  in  per- 
fect security  under  the  singular  shade,  without 
fearing  the  moral  of  the  fable.  Here  the  most 
common  plants  are  successfully  employed  in 
decoration,in  a  country  where  the  winters  are 
generally  long,   and  every  resource  is  made 


available  in  order  to  increase  the  enjoyment 
of  fine  weather.  Thus  Hortensias  are  grown 
everywhere  in  profusion,  and  trained  so  as  to 
conceal  the  tubs  or  boxes  of  the  orange-trees ; 
they  are  distributed  in  all  the  clumps  and 
plots,  and  on  the  first  of  October  during  my 
visit,  they  were  still  in  flower.  The  Arundo 
or  Phragmites  (common  reed)  formed  groups 
planted  along  the  ditches  with  the  Calama- 
grostis  colorata  still  waving  its  flow^ery  pani- 
cles in  the  north  wind,  the  precursor  of  snows. 
In  the  midst  of  these  gardens  of  the  Palais- 
neuf  is  a  charming  retreat — a  kind  of  Italy 
in  miniature  under  the  cloudy  skies  of  Brande- 
bourg,  viz.  the  Royal  Baths,  which  are  con- 
structed after  the  model  of  those  of  Pompeii, 
and  where  some  of  the  richest  extracts  from 
the  Roman  city  have  been  brought  together. 
Frescoes  are  placed  on  several  points  of  the 
monument,  [a  sort  of  monumental  spire  or 
column  raised  considerably  above  the  front 
part  of  the  building,]  on  the  walls  of  the 
rooms,  and  the  vestibules,  bringing  to  mind,  by 
the  style,  those  which  are  found  to  have  been 
so  frequent  in  the  town  of  Pompeii.  A  bath 
formed  out  of  a  single  block  of  the  green 
jasper  of  Siberia  occupies  the  centre  of  the 
building.  It  is  a  gift  of  the  Emperor  of 
Russia,  and  is  said  to  have  cost  500,000 
francs.  Near  this  is  the  king's  bath,  a  half- 
circular  basin,  which  is  descended  by  steps  of 
marble,  and  round  which  grow  a  number  of 
exotic  ferns,  whose  graceful  and  slender 
foliage  is  relieved  by  the  flowers  of  Fuchsias. 
A  portico  ornamented  with  columns  separates 
the  bath  from  the  Viridarium,  a  garden 
similar  to  those  that  the  Romans  possessed  at 
Pompeii :  it  is  a  space  enclosed  by  walls  ;  or 
rather  it  is  an  uncovered  apartment  laid  and 
hung  with  verdure.  The  walls  are  covered 
with  ivy  and  cissus,  which  climb  and  twine 
on  an  imperceptible  wire  trellis.  The  floor,  or 
ground,  is  formed  of  beautiful  turf,  garnished 
with  a  fine  green  moss.  It  is  difficult  to 
form  an  idea  of  the  beauty  and  freshness  of 
a  place  so  exquisitely  formed,  when  Fuchsias 
and  some  sorts  of  the  red  flowering  currants 
are  trained  among  the  branches  of  the  ivy ; 
when  the  reddening  leaves  of  the  vine  hang 
down  in  purple  festoons,  and  Begonias  dis- 
color and  manicata  shed  their  rosy  flowers 
on  this  natural  drapery.  The  humble  daisy 
is  only  admitted  after  having  acquired  in  the 
gardens  the  fine  form  and  purple  colour  which 
renders  it  desirable  ;  while  the  Hortensia  adds 
its  delicate  tints  in  harmonious  contrast  with 
the  two  complementary  colours. 

The  palace  of  Sans  Souci  is  a  building  of 
a  single  floor,  having  a  pavilion  at  each  of  its 
extremities.  It  is  situated  on  an  eminence, 
and  the  gardens  are  formed  in  terraces.  Ma- 
jestic fountains  play  to  a  great  height,  in  th« 


312 


CONTINENTAL    GARDENS. 


midst  of  lurches  and  American  oaks,  clumps 
of  roses,  and  an  extensive  rosarium,  which 
occupies  a  prominent  place  in  the  gardens  of 
the  king.  The  trees  are  seldom  naked,  as 
vines,  Cissuses,  Aristolochias,  and  Clematises 
are  trained  round  their  trunks.  At  the  high- 
est part  of  the  garden  five  very  extensive 
terraces  are  laid  out  in  parterres ;  vv'here 
there  are  also  extensive  houses,  in  which 
fruit-trees  are  protected,  and  where  the  peach, 
the  vine,  and  apricot,  ripen  in  spite  of  the 
latitude.  In  front  of  the  houses  are  long 
borders  in  which  some  sorts  of  vegetables 
and  strawberries  are  grown,  but  these  are 
so  arranged  as  not  to  offend  the  eye.  The 
orange-trees  are  numerous,  very  strong,  and 
loaded  with  fruit.  In  this  garden  are  also 
to  be  seen  beautiful  groups  of  lilacs,  Staphy- 
leas,  jiinipers,  handsome  beech-trees,  and 
curious  labyrinths  of  clipped  box-trees  ;  also 
Bengal  roses,  and  plots  in  the  midst  of  which 
are  clumps  of  cherry-laurels.  Near  the 
grotto  of  Neptune  Tussilago  Petasites  is  used 
to  form  an  aquatic  group,  which  is  shaded  by 
tulip-trees. 

The  Botanic  Garden  at  Berlin  is  situated 
in  the  Faubourg  of  Stralaw,  and  contains 
numerous  select  and  rare  plants.  In  the 
houses  are  some  old  palms,  and  the  largest 
tree  of  Cocos  nucifera  to  be  found  in  Europe  ; 
an  enormous  Pandanus,  and  the  finest  known 
collection  of  exotic  ferns.  It  may  be  said 
that  there  are  no  houses  in  Berlin  without 
flowers.  The  double  windows,  formed  for 
the  purpose  of  insuring  the  apartments  from 
cold,  are  also  made  to  serve  the  purposes  of  a 
greenhouse ;  they  are  generally  filled  with 
flowers  and  plants,  forming  at  once  an  orna- 
ment to  the  streets,  and  to  the  interior  of  the 
houses.  Numerous  little  baskets,  vases,  pots, 
flats,  and  other  things  of  the  kind,  are  hung 
at  the  windows,  containing  miniature  plants, 
and  bouquets,  which  are  constantly  renewed. 
Flowers  are  also  placed  on  the  staircase,  the 
tables,  or  wherever  they  can  conveniently 
stand  in  the  rooms.  Sometimes  they  are 
grown  in  vases,  or  cut,  and  skilfully  arranged 
in  large  porcelain  dishes,  in  which  green  moss 
is  used  to  contrast  with  the  brilliancy  of  the 
other  colours,  and  increase  their  effect.  The 
lustres  (or  candelabras,)  are  also  ornamented 
with  natural  or  artificial  bouquets,  chiefly 
formed  in  garlands  of  roses,  which  seem  to 
add  biilliancy  to  the  light  surrounding  them. 
The  balconies  are  provided  with  supports  for 
pots,  and  the  stands  placed  in  the  rooms  are 
covered  with  small  healthy  plants,  growing  in 
porcelain  pots.  These  miniature  plants  are 
also  sold  very  cheaply  in  the  streets  of  Berlin. 
Mignonette,  the  commonest  Sedums,  violets, 
and  sweet  basil,  with  the  autumn  fruits,  are 
seen  in  plenty  j  and  in  a  country  where  the 


vine  is  excluded,  it  is  surprising  to  find 
that  pine-apples  may  be  bought  for  half-a- 
crown. 

The  plants  are  the  household  gods,  and 
when  a  change  of  residence  is  made,  they 
are  always  removed  with  the  same  care  ob- 
served with  china  or  crystal.  Everywhere 
may  be  seen  ivy  growing  in  pots,  and  lining 
the  interior  of  the  windows. 


The  town  of  Kiel  is  built  on  a  tongue  of 
land  at  the  extremity  of  the  Gulf  of  the  Baltic. 
Though  situated  beyond  the  54°  of  latitude, 
it  is  surrounded  with  fine  houses,  and  grounds 
laid  out  with  great  taste.  In  the  streets, 
between  tbe  double  windows,  may  be  seen 
many  of  the  newly  introduced  plants,  among 
such  kinds  as  Fuchsias  and  Gloxinias  ;  Sedums 
suspended  in  ornamental  baskets,  and  every- 
where, as  in  Berlin,  the  ivy  finds,  like  the 
birds  in  the  forest,  an  asylum  in  the  cot  and 
in  the  palace.  In  the  immediate  precincts  of 
the  town  are  beautiful  gardens,  in  which  care 
is  taken  to  cultivate  those  species  which  are 
hardy  enough  to  resist  the  severity  of  the 
climate.  Weeping  willows  wave  their  flexible 
branches  over  lawns  of  the  finest  green ;  the 
poplar  bears  his  head  erect ;  while  the  portly 
beech  expands  his  boughs,  and  forms  a  shade 
for  the  broad  beds  and  clumps  of  Bengal 
roses.  Limes  and  ash-trees  form  detached 
1  groups,  through  which  may  be  seen  the  masts 
of  numerous  vessels,  with  their  colours  waving 
in  the  wind.  Gracefully  undulating  lines  of 
red  geraniums  and  orange  Tagetes  are  formed 
on  the  lawns,  while  the  Clematis  and  the 
climbing  liseron,  though  at  the  end  of 
autumn,  were  still  flowering  on  the  hedges. 
The  various  shrubs  were  loaded  with  their 
fruit ;  the  bunches  of  the  black  elder  mixed 
among  the  red,  and  the  spindle-tree,  the  Vibur- 
num, and  the  Crataegus,  with  their  berries  in 
bouquets  or  thyrses,  mixed  among  the  branches 
of  the  green  trees,  or  the  white  pearls  of  the 
Symphoricarpos.  In  Denmark,  even  the 
colour  of  the  soil  is  studied  in  the  arrange- 
ment of  the  garden  : — that  which  is  naturally 
red  is  planted  with  shrubs  of  a  fine  green  ; 
the  black,  yellow,  or  white  sands,  commonly 
found  in  the  alluvial  strata  of  which  the  soil 
is  composed,  form  graceful  winding  alleys, 
and  the  opposition  of  colours  produces  a  most 
fantastical,  and  sometimes  a  strange  and  pleas- 
ing effect. 


PLORISTS     ELOWERS  :     LISTS. 

There  is  a  great  fiUlacy  in  the  published 
lists  of  florists'  flowers.     Any  cultivator  well 


VERBENAS— TACSONIAS. 


313 


acquainted  witli  the  numerous  varieties  of 
any  tribe  of  plants,  would  detect  in  all  we 
have  seen  certain  sorts  which  are  not  worth 
the  room  they  occupy  if  they  were  to  be  had 
gratis,  and  certainly  nothing  requires  more 
caution  than  the  purchase  of  a  collection. 
It  is  not  of  half  so  much  consequence  to 
miss  a  good  one  as  it  is  to  get  a  bad  one  ; 
the  absence  of  one  good  flower  from  a  col- 
lection of  good  ones  only  lasts  for  a  season, 
and  when  we  get  it  the  following  year  it  is 
cheaper  ;  but  the  purchase  of  a  bad  one  is  a 
total  loss  of  all  we  pay  for  it,  and  the  room  and 
trouble  we  bestow  on  it.  But  some  may  be 
inclined  to  ask  why  bad  flowers  should  be 
recommended  ?  how  any  body  can  be  inter- 
ested in  so  doing  ?  what  is  to  be  got  by 
deceiving  the  young  florists  ?  All  these  ques- 
tions are  natural,  but  easily  answered.  A  new 
thing  that  is  either  puffed  by  publications  or 
tiilked  about  much,  is  immediately  purchased 
by  the  trade,  because  there  is  a  demand  for 
new  things,  and  nobody  in  business  likes  to 
be  without  it.  Ask  twenty  dealers  for  a  list 
of  good  things,  and  they  will  all  include  in 
their  list  a  thing  that  they  have  brought  into 
stock  and  not  sold  out,  even  before  they  know 
any  thing  of  its  merits  but  what  they  have 
heard.  What  dependence  then  can  there  be 
on  such  lists  ?  Again,  there  are  many  per- 
sons who  are  not  judges  of  the  properties  of 
flowers,  or  who  will  not  take  the  trouble  to 
study  them,  and  these  are  taken  by  the  colour 
or  some  peculiarity  of  a  variety,  and  overlook 
great  defects — defects  that  would  throw  a 
stand,  or  collection,  or  single  flower,  in  a  class 
down  below  the  rest,  or  clear  out  of  the  com- 
petition. In  short,  disguise  it  as  we  may, 
very  few  persons  have  the  capacity  to  fiiirly 
estimate  the  rank  in  which  a  flower  should  be 
placed,  and  the  decisions  at  public  shows 
frequently  belie  all  the  rules  of  judging,  some- 
times from  the  ignorance,  sometimes  from  the 
prejudice,  and  not  unfrequently  from  the  un- 
fair intentions  of  some  one  censor,  who  in- 
fluences the  rest.  We  have  observed  now  and 
then  some  busybody  collecting  among  a  lot 
of  amateurs  and  dealers  lists  of  the  best 
flowers.  Having  no  real  judgment  of  their 
own,  they  want  the  collective  wisdom  of  others, 
and  the  lists  so  collected  are  made  the  ground- 
work of  what  is  called  information,  which 
however  misleads  generally  all  who  depend 
on  it.  Hence  the  information  is  not  worth 
having,  if  it  be  not  directly  mischievous.  To 
make  lists  of  flowers  really  useful,  they  must 
emanate  from  some  one  of  known  sound  judg- 
ment, who  has  no  direct  interest  in  highly 
colouring  anything,  who  has  something  like  a 
character  and  credit  as  a  florist  to  lose,  and  is 
sufhciently  known  to  the  world  of  flowers  to 
influence  the  many  in  behalf  of  his  authority. 


We  regard  many  would-be  teachers  with  great 
suspicion,  if  not  with  a  less  complimentary 
feelinar. 


BEDDING    VERBENAS. 
The  only  sorts  that  are  really  proper  for 
bedding  out  when  any  figure  is  to  be  retained, 
are  the  dwarf  creeping  sorts,  like  V.  Blelindres; 
and  the  way  to  get  these  in  perfection  is  to 
watch  their  growth,  and  peg  down  the  shoots 
exactly  where  you  want  them,  directing  them 
in  the  best  way  to  fill  up  their  allotted  place. 
They  should  be  planted  about   a  foot  apart, 
and  quite  that  distance  from  the  edge  of  the 
bed ;  the  whole  of  the  branches  or  shoots  of 
those  plants  nearest  the  edge  should  be  directed 
towards  the  edge,  and  the  next  row  should  be 
directed  towards  the  first  row  ;  as  soon  as  any 
of  the  shoots  reach  the  limit  of  their  intended 
destination,  pinch  off  the  ends,  and  they  soon 
put  forth  side-shoots,  which  have  also  to  be 
directed  the  way  they  are  most  wanted.   There 
will  be  no  difficulty  in  making  them  fill  up 
their  allotted  space,  and  as  soon  as  they  get 
to  the  edge  of  the  bed  on  either  side,  they 
must  be  nipped   off,   because  on  no  account 
must  they  run  over.   When  the  bed  is  entirely 
filled    up    or  covered,  let  the   shoots   spread 
about  over  one  another  ;  confine  them  merely 
within  these  bounds,  and  they  will  present  a 
mass  of  blooms  the  exact  form  of  the  bed,  and 
as  full  of  colour  as  a  carpet  ;  one  foot  apart 
will   be   found    abundant   for  covering   very 
quickly,  and  eighteen  inches  apart  will  only 
want  a  fortnight  longer  to  fill  up,  for  when 
the  plants  have  once  taken  hold  and  begun 
to  grow,  they  make  rapid  strides,  and  when 
once   stopped  by  pinching   off  the  ends,  the 
side-shoots  grow  as  fast  as  the  main  branch 
did.     Unless  great  care  is  taken  almost  daily 
to  pinch  off  the  ends  that  obtrude,  they  will 
soon  form  themselves  over  the  box  or  grass 
edging,  so  as  to   destroy  the  outline  of  the 
figure  and  the  plants  which  form  the  edging, 
and  the  neglect  of  a  few  days  would  do  all  the 
mischief.     You  may  thin  out  the  shoots  that 
have  done  blooming,  if  there  be  any. 


THE  TACSONIAS. 
The  Tacsonias  were  originally  recognised 
as  Passion-flowers  ;  the  splitting  of  old  families 
into  various  branches,  changed  Passijiorape- 
duncularis  into  Tacsonia  peduncularis,  while 
one  introduced  in  1828,  by  ]\irs.  Maryatt,  was 
called  T.  ■pm7iatistipula.  This,  and  another 
more  recently  imported,  called  T.  moUtsshna, 
are  handsome  creeping  plants  with  pink  blos- 
soms, like  those  of  a  passion-flower,  only  having 
a  long  sfender  cylindrical  tube.  Tacsonia  j)in- 


314 


SPUIl-PRUNING    AZALEAS— HARDY    CONIFEROUS   PLANTS. 


natistipula  is  a  graceful  climbing  plant,  which 
we  have  seen  cover  the  front  of  a  house  in  fine 
bloom  on  Christmas  eve,  and  dead  on  Christmas 
daj.  It  will  not  stand  a  frost,  which  is  to  be 
regretted  ;  but  as  a  conservatory  plant  it  is 
second  to  none.  The  star-like  flowers,  com- 
prising rich  colours,  in  which  rose-pink  predo- 
minates, come  abundantly,  and  when  festooned 
above  the  roof,  shine  among  the  gayest  of 
the  gay  occupants  of  the  highly  favoured  num- 
ber that  occupy  the  best  station  of  an  esta- 
blishment. By  putting  out  a  well-rooted 
cutting  on  a  wall  of  south  aspect  in  May,  a 
favourable  season  will  bring  it  to  perfection 
out-of-doors,  and  there  is  hardly  anything 
that  makes  so  gorgeous  an  appearance  ;  but  it 
is  not  unusual  to  see  it  cut  off  just  as  it  comes 
to  perfection.  It  is  a  handsome  plant  exclu- 
sive of  the  flower,  and  a  favourite  if  only  for 
its  foliage.  It  is  best  planted  in  a  border  for 
the  conservatory,  but  it  may  be  grown  in  a 
large  sized  pot,  and  exhibited  like  the  Passi- 
floras,  on  trellises  of  some  fancy  design.  It 
is  necessary  to  grow  it  in  moderately  good 
soil,  not  too  rich,  as  it  would  go  off  to  foliage 
and  not  even  indicate  bloom  ;  turfy  peat  earth, 
with  a  very  little  good  loam,  will  bring  it 
into  flower  sooner  than  any  other,  and  espe- 
cially sooner  than  richer  soil.  It  should  not 
be  topped,  but,  as  it  grows,  wound  round  a 
pillar  formed  of  wires,  beginning  quite  low 
near  the  bottom  of  the  pot,  and  continued  not 
more  than  an  inch  apart  upwards  ;  it  will 
flower  by  the  time  an  ordinary  sized  trellis 
would  be  filled.  It  is  propagated  by  the  sim- 
plest means ;  if  it  be  laid  along  the  surface  of  a 
declining  hot-bed  and  pegged  down  at  the 
joints,  every  one  will  strike  root ;  if  it  be  cut 
into  pieces  with  one  joint  underground  and 
the  other  above,  it  is  sure  to  strike  under  a 
bell-glass,  and  when  the  cuttings  are  rooted, 
they  should  be  potted  off  into  small  pots,  and 
be  shifted  only  a  little  at  a  time,  and  that  little 
not  until  the  roots  have  begun  to  mat  round 
the  side.  From  the  size  of  a  forty-eight  pot,  it 
should  be  removed  to  the  one  it  is  to  bloom  in. 
The  same  treatment  is  applicable  in  the  case 
of  the  more  recently  introduced  Tacsonia 
mollissima. 


far  as  the  frost  had  certainly  reached,  although 
in  two  cases  it  had  perished  the  plants  to  the 
very  root.  One  of  the  three  specimens,  not 
quite  dead,  was  cut  to  within  two  or  three 
inches  of  the  main  stem  all  the  way  up,  and 
some  part,  nearly  eighteen  inches  from  the 
top,  was  also  taken  off  dead.  The  plant  was 
some  time  recovering  or  showing  signs  of  life, 
when  it  broke  all  over,  and  we  had  to  cut  off 
more  than  half  the  shoots  to  make  room  for 
the  others.  The  plant  grew  handsomely,  set 
well  for  bloom,  and  the  next  season  was  as 
handsome  a  plant  as  was  ever  seen.  This  set 
us  to  cutting  on  all  the  other  plants  that  had 
become  gawky  and  at  all  thin  of  branches,  and 
from  ugly  uncouth  plants,  with  the  stem  to  be 
seen  in  three-fourths  of  the  plant,  bought  in 
fact  in  that  state,  they  became  all  that  could 
be  wished.  We  have  ever  since  these  events 
used  the  knife  freely  with  azaleas,  cutting 
them  in  very  much,  keeping  an  eye  to  the 
form  of  the  plant,  and  have  always  found  the 
plants  the  better  for  it.  The  period  for  pruning 
in  close  is  directly  after  the  bloom  has  declined, 
and  before  they  make  any  growth.  Camellia 
japoyiica  should  also  be  pruned  after  the 
\  bloom,  so  far  as  to  cut  in  any  lanky  ill-grown 
branches,  that  the  new  growth  may  be  hand- 
some. When  plants  are  cut  back  in  this 
manner,  they  are  frequently  inclined  to  break 
in  many  more  places  than  it  would  be  conve- 
nient to  have  branches.  All  that  are  not 
wanted  may  therefore  be  rubbed  off,  and  no 
more  allowed  to  grow  than  are  required  to 
make  a  close,  handsomely  formed  plant. 


SPUR-PRUNING    AZALEAS. 

The  first  time  we  had  any  idea  of  close 
pruning  for  flowei's,  was  given  us  by  the  sup- 
posed loss  of  a  fine  Azalea  phoenicea,  seven 
feet  high,  through  the  frost  of  the  ]  tth  of 
January  1838,  when  three  of  that  height  were 
exhibited  at  the  Egyptian  Hall  in  full  bloom, 
and  met  with  their  supposed  violent  deaths  ; 
they  were  certainly  killed  back  all  the  last 
season's  wood,  and  the  day  after  we  cut  in  as 


HARDY  CONIFEROUS  PLANTS. 

THE  GENUS  THUJA. 

Thuja,  LinncBUS  (the  Arbor  Vitse). — Coni- 
feree  §  Cupressinse. — Derivation  uncertain,  un- 
less it  comes  from  thy  on,  sacrifice,  the  branches 
or  resin  being  used  as  incense  in  the  sacrifices 
of  the  East. 

1.  Thuja  occidentalis,  Linnaeus  (western, 
or  American  Arbor  Vitse). — Leaves  very  small, 
adpressed,  four-rowed,  scaly.  Cones  very 
small,  loose,  obovate,  with  yellowish  oblong 
scales. 

In  its  native  country,  this  tree  is  repre- 
sented as  reaching  the  height  of  fifty  feet,  and 
having  a  stem  ten  feet  in  circumference.  It  is 
plentiful  throughout  a  great  part  of  North 
America,  from  Canada  to  Virginia  and  Caro- 
lina, occupying  very  important  sites  in  the 
scenery  of  the  country.  It  fringes  the  stu- 
pendous cataract  of  Niagara,  and  is  found  in 
great  abundance  by  the  Hudson,  and  the 
rapids  of  the  Potomac.     Such  situations  indi- 


HAKDY    CONIFEEOUS    PLANTS. 


31J 


cate,  what  is  already  very  generally  known, 
its  love  for  a  free,  deep,  moist  soil.  Indeed, 
it  is  one  of  those  trees  which  might  be  suc- 
cessfully introduced  in  wet  boggy  places  in 
this  country,  where  no  outlet  can  be  found 
for  the  superfluous  moisture.  In  Britain,  it 
bas  long  been  one  of  the  chief  ti'ees  in  shrub- 
beries ;  and  in  such  of  the  older  gardens  as 
retain  their  ancient  features,  specimens  are 
frequently  met  with  thirty  feet,  forty  feet, 
and  even  fifty  feet  in  height.  In  England  it 
forms  a  connecting  link  between  shrubs  and 
trees,  and  is  very  useful  in  this  i-espect  in 
the  formation  of  pleasure  grounds.  It  is  also 
a  very  desirable  plant   in  the  formation  of 


Thuja  orientalis  strida. 

fences,  where  shelter,  without  strength  or 
rigidity,  is  required.  In  this  shape,  it  is  fre- 
quently planted  by  nurserymen  for  the  pro- 
tection of  half-hardy  herbaceous  and  bulbous- 
rooted  plants.  As  a  timber  tree,  it  is  of  no 
account  in  this  country,  though  in  Canada  it 
is  sometimes  used,  along  with  stronger  wood, 
in  the  framework  of  houses.  As  a  picturesque 
object,  it  is  also  of  no  importance,  though  it 
may  be  sometimes  seen  assuming  a  graceful 
pendent  habit. 

It  is  remarkably  easy  to  propagate — which 
is  done  by  seeds,  cuttings,  and  layering.  The 
seeds  are  ripe  in  this  country  in  the  latter 
end  of  September,  or  in  the  first  week  of 
October.  As  soon  as  the  cones  are  gathered, 
they  should  be  spread  in  an  upper  airy  cham- 
ber, or  loft,  for  a  month,  when  they  will  be- 
come brittle  and  break  to  pieces  on  being 


rubbed  with  the  feet.  The  seeds  may  then 
be  extracted  by  sifting,  and  kept  in  a  dry 
place  till  the  first  week  in  May,  when  they 
may  be  sown  in  a  north  aspect  in  finely  raked 
loamy  soil,  covered  to  the  depth  of  a  quarter 
of  an  inch  only,  and  kept  uniformly  moist  for 
a  few  weeks,  when  the  young  plants  will  ap- 
pear. The  plan  of  raising  plants  by  cuttings 
must  in  every  instance  give  way  to  that  of 
layering,  which  is  by  far  the  most  expeditious 
mode  of  raising  quantities  of  this  shrub.  The 
operation  may  be  performed  in  the  spring, 
pegging  down  every  little  branch,  which  does 
not  require  to  be  cut,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
carnation,  &c.  In  many  instances,  the  plants 
may  be  removed  in  the  spring  following,  but 
if  not  sufficiently  rooted,  they  should  be  left 
till  the  autumn.  Plants  one  foot  and  a  half 
high,  6d.  each,  or  4s.  per  dozen  (1846). 

The  following  are  some  of  the  varieties  :— 

(1 .)  T.  0.  variegata.  A  variety  with  varie- 
gated leaves  raised  in  the  Dunganstown  nur- 
sery in  the  year  1830.  The  largest  specimen 
in  England  is  in  the  Arboretum  at  Chiswick. 

(2.)  2\  0.  odorata. — A  fancied  variation, 
entered  in  continental  catalogues,  and  said  to 
be  more  aromatic  than  the  species. 

(3.)  T.  o.plicata. — Thevariety  most  worthy 
of  notice.  By  several  nurserymen,  it  is  im- 
properly set  forth  as  a  species.  Its  branch- 
lets  are  numerous  and  spreading,  with  leaves 
of  a  light  green,  shining  colour.  Found  by 
Nee  in  Mexico  ;  and  by  Menzies  at  Nootka 
Sound,  in  1796,  when  it  was  introduced  by 
him  into  this  country.  It  is  most  easily  pro- 
pagated by  layers,  allowed  to  remain  for  two 
seasons  attached  to  the  stool.  It  is  a  more 
compact  grower,  and  more  ornamental,  than 
the  species.  Plants,  two  feet  high,  are  2s. 
each  (1846). 

2.  Tliuja  chilensis,  Lambert  (Chili  Arbor 
Vitse). — Leaves  three-angled,  ovate-oblong, 
imbricated  in  four  rows.  Cones  oval-oblong, 
with  a  few  compressed  obtuse  scales. 

A  beautiful  spreading  tree,  found  by  Nee 
and  Pavon,  associated  with  the  Araucaria  on 
the  mountainous  parts  of  Chili. 

It  is  not  yet  to  be  had  in  the  English  nur- 
series ;  but  there  is  every  probability  of  its 
proving  hardy,  and  a  most  desirable  addition 
to  the  English  shrubbery. 

3.  Thvja  oriejitalis,  Linnaeus  (Oriental, 
or  Chinese  Arbor  Vitae). — Leaves  in  four 
rows,  furrowed  in  the  centre,  ovate-rhomboid, 
adpressed,  imbricated.  Cones  small,  elliptic, 
with  prickly  prominences. 

A  compact-growing,  handsome  shrub,  in- 
troduced into  England  in  1752,  and  generally 
preferred  to  the  T.  occidentalis  on  account 
of  its  lively  green  colour.  After  it  is  four 
years  old,  this  plant  becomes  hardy  enough 
to  withstand  our  severest  winters,  though  it  is 


316 


HAEDY  CONIFEROUS  PLANTS. 


invariably  embrowned  by  exposure  to  frosts. 
Hence,  in  all  cases  where  it  can  be  conve- 
niently done,  dead  branches  should  be  stuck 
around  young  plants,  in  order  that  they  may 
present  a  fresh  and  lively  appearance  in  spring 
time.  Many  fine  specimens  of  this  tree  are 
to  be  seen  in  the  suburbs  of  London,  where 
it  seems  to  thrive  remarkably  well.  Its 
propagation  is  by  cuttings,  layering,  and  seeds. 
The  first  process  is  seldom  resorted  to,  be- 
cause it  is  surer  and  quicker  to  raise  the  plants 
by  layering  the  young  twigs,  which  will  strike 
root  much  sooner  if  cut  underneath,  in  the 
same  way  that  carnations  are  treated.  Even 
with  this  advantage,  the  layers  will  not  have 
sufficient  roots  until  the  second  year  after 
they  have  been  laid  down.  The  operation 
may  be  performed  either  in  the  month  of 
September,  or  in  the  spring  ;  but  it  is  im- 
portant to  remember  that  autumn  is  a  bad 
time  to  remove  the  plants  from  the  mother- 
stools,  as  they  have  then  to  contend  unsup- 
ported with  the  severities  of  winter.  They 
should  therefore  be  taken  away  during  the 
latter  part  of  March,  or  in  April.  During 
favourable  summers,  the  trees  ripen  their 
seeds  in  this  country  in  October.  The  cones 
should  be  spread  in  a  dry  airy  chamber,  and 
in  the  course  of  a  few  weeks  they  will  shed 
part  of  their  seeds,  and  the  remainder  may 
be  easily  got  at  by  rubbing  the  cones.  In 
the  month  of  March  a  free  loamy  soil  should 
be  selected,  and  the  seeds  deposited  to  the 
depth  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  watering  them 
at  all  times  when  the  weather  proves  dry.  In 
the  seed-bed  the  plants  may  remain  two  years, 
when  they  should  be  placed  in  lines.  Plants, 
one  foot  high,  6d.  each ;  and  those  eighteen 
inches  in  height.  Is.  each  (1846). 

Some  varieties  are  met  with  in  gardens  : — 

(1.)  T.  0.  stricta,  is  a  variety  with  the 
branches  gathered  close  up  to  tlae  stem,  as- 
suming the  habit,  in  a  certain  measure,  of  the 
evergreen  cypress.  Hence  it  bears  the  name 
of  pyramidalis  in  some  catalogues.  It  is 
propagated  in  several  of  the  London  nur- 
series, whex-e  it  is  sold  at  Is.  6d.  each  (1846). 

(2.)  T.  0.  tatarica  seems  to  be  a  stunted 
variety  of  the  species,  the  branches  and  leaves 
being  short  and  compressed.  Plants  are  9s. 
per  dozen. 

(3.)  T.  0.  Wareana.  Another  variety,  more 
distinct  than  either  of  the  foregoing.  It  is 
cultivated  by  Knight  of  Chelsea,  where  the 
plant  is  sold  at  Is.  6d.  each  (1846). 

4.  Thuja  cupressoides,  Linnaeus  (Cypress-like 
Arbor  Vitse). — Leaves  four-rowed,  smooth,  im- 
bricated, oblong.  Cones  four-angled,  globular. 

A  yew-like  plant,  a  native  of  the  Cape,  and 
introduced  by  Eoxburgh  in  1799.  There  is 
a  specimen  in  Kew  Gardens,  but  it  is  scarcely 
known  in  the  nurseries. 


5.  T.  pensilis,  Lambert  (pensile  Arbor  Vita3). 
— Leaves  alternate,  three-rowed,  trigonous, 
awl-shaped.     Cones  obovate. 

An  elegant  tree,  a  native  of  China,  whence 
Sir  George  Staunton  brought  specimens  to 
this  country,  but  the  living  plant  is  not  yet 
procurable  in  the  nurseries  of  England. 

6.  Thuja  pendula,  Lambert  (pendulous 
Arbor  Vit^e). — Branches  filiform,  pendulous  ; 
leaves  distant,  opposite,  lanceolate,  spread- 
ing. Cones  globose,  with  smooth  convex 
scales. 

A  most  lovely  shrub,  native  of  Chinese 
Tartary,  having  long  hanging  branches  of  a 
light  green  colour.  Few  plants  excel  it  in 
gracefulness,  and  it  is  to  be  regretted  that  it  is 
rather  difiicult  to  propagate,  and  that,  conse- 
quently, it  is  still  high-priced  and  somewhat 
scarce.  It  has  proved  itself  to  be  hardy  in 
Britain,  several  specimens  having  stood  in  the 
open  air  at  Dropmore  for  ten  years.  It  is 
propagated  by  cuttings,  carefully  inserted  in 
a  mixture  of  sand  and  peat  placed  so  to  be 
excited  by  bottom  heat.  Plants  in  pots,  one 
foot  high,  10s.  Qd.  each  (1846). 

7.  Thuja  jiliforims,  Loddiges  (weeping 
Arbor  Vitee). — Branches  filiform,  pendulous. 
Leaves  opposite,  distant,  acute,  spreading. 
Cones  roundish,  consisting  of  four  scales,  hav- 
ing each  at  the  apex  an  obtuse  recurved 
mucro. 

A  very  charming  shrub,  with  the  habit  of 
T.  pendula,  and  usually  confounded  with  that 
species.  There  is,  however,  a  remarkable  dis- 
tinction in  the  cones.  The  habit  of  the  plant 
is  to  produce  drooping  slender  branches, 
which  are  of  greater  or  less  length  according 
to  the  nature  of  the  protective  circumstances 
under  which  they  have  been  produced.  The 
plant  is  quite  hardy.  It  is  probably  a  native 
of  Nepal.  There  is  a  fine  old  plant  at  Kew, 
and  another  in  the  Apothecaries'  Garden, 
Chelsea.  It  is  propagated  by  cuttings  like 
the  T.  pendula. 

8.  Thuja  nepalensis,  Loddiges  (Nepal 
Arbor  Vit£e). — A  handsome  species  from  the 
mountains  of  Nepal,  and  hardy  enough  in  the 
climate  of  Britain.  Plants  in  pots,  six  inches, 
21s.  each  (1846). 

9.  Thuja  hyhrida.  —  A  rather  tender 
species  recently  introduced  ;  and,  as  the  plants 
are  small,  nothing  definite  can  be  yet  said  as 
to  its  habit.  Plants  in  pots,  six  inches  high, 
are  21s.  each  (1846). 

10.  Thuja  dolahrata,  TVilldenow,  is  a  spe- 
cies not  yet  introduced ;  but,  according  to 
Thunberg's  account,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  of  all  the  evergreen  tribes,  becoming 
a  tree  of  great  height  and  dimensions,  and 
planted  as  a  roadside  ornament  on  the  hill 
of  Fakonia.  It  has  a  dense  head,  and  the 
foliage  is  of  a  beuatiful  shining  green  colour. 


FLOUTCULTUUE. 


317 


FLORICULTUEE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


BY    GEORGE    GLENNT. 


The  last  month  has  done  something  for 
Ploriculture.     The  various  shows  have  almost 
outstripped  all  former  efforts  in  the  quality, 
and,  in  some  cases,  the  quantity  of  well-grown 
plants.     Chiswick  presented,  in  its  admirable 
arrangements,  a  sight  we  had  never  witnessed 
before.     The  noble  tents  in  use  at  the  June 
show  were  so  extensive  and  so  well  disposed 
on  the  grounds,  that,  with  an  immense  con- 
course of  people,   there  was  neither    crowd 
nor  confusion,  and  the  display  of  plants  was 
equal  to  that  of  any  former  occasion.     There 
was  nothing  secondary  :  unlike  the  mass  of 
ordinary  plants  which  we  have  seen  crammed 
and  crowded  up  together  at  some  places,  even 
the  present  season,  there  was  ample  room  to 
place  all  the  plants  in  the  best  possible  con- 
dition to  be  appreciated  ;  and  if  there  were 
fewer  competitors  for  the  great  prizes,  the  ex- 
hibition was  greatly  improved  by  the  absence 
of  those  long,  bare-legged,  ragged  specimens 
which,  with  no  quality  but  their  age  and  size, 
have    greatly    added    to    the   inconvenience, 
without  in  the  least  increasing  the  interest 
or  beauty  of  the  more  worthy  specimens.     In 
short,  Chiswick  presented  nothing  but  win- 
ning specimens,  while  other  shows  have  been 
crowded  and  confused  by  many  losing  collec- 
tions, which  were  deservedly  excluded  from 
the  prizes,  and  ought  to   have  been  absent 
from  the  tents.     The  authorities  at  Chiswick 
do  not  encourage  florists'  flowers  to  the  extent 
they  are  patronised  at  the  Regent's  Park,  but 
the  absence  of  prizes  is  far  better  than  inju- 
dicious distribution — the  one  deceives  nobody, 
the  other  deceives  all  who  place  any  faith  in 
the  awards.     The  geranium  still  forms,  how- 
ever,  a   grand  exception,   and  is    advancing 
still  in  public  estimation,  although   opinions 
have  been  expressed  that  there  is  nothing 
more  wanted.     There  were  many  seedlings  at 
Chiswick  that,  being  all  placed  together,  at- 
tracted a  great  crowd  all  day.     Among  the 
mass  we  particularly  noticed   Hoyle's  Cecil, 
Hoyle's  May  Queen,   Hoyle's  Ajax,    Beck's 
Rosa,   and  Beck's  Diana,   not  without  faults 
certainly,  but  worthy  to  be  admitted  to  the 
very  best  collections  ;  keeping  in  our  eye  at 
the    same    time    our  established    favourites. 
Salamander,    Pearl,    Forget-me-not,     Queen 
Adelaide,  Duke   of   Northumberland,  Rosa- 
mond, Sundown,   Cassandra,   Gulielmus,  and 
some  others,   which   in   June  stood  as  high 
as    any   we    have    in    common    cultivation ; 
and   when    seedlings  equal,    or    superior   to 
these,   may   be   added   without  sameness  of 
colour  or  character,  there  can  be  no  question 
as  to  their  merit.     While  upon  the  subject  of 


Geraniums,   we  may    mention    two     others, 
Major  Domo  (Beck's),  the  largest  of  all  the 
good  flowers   in  cultivation,  and  one  of  the 
most  noble  trussers  of  the  family  ;  and  Flying 
Dutchman,   a    lively   addition  to  the  bright 
colours.     We  are  obliged  to  admit,  therefore, 
that  the  Pelargonium  family  has  this   year 
received  a  great  acquisition,  although  we  have 
not  seen  all  yet ;  we  were  informed  that  Mr. 
Beck  has  others,  and  that  Hine  of  Ramsgate, 
the  successor  of  Mr.  Miller,  has  a  few  worth 
exhibiting.      There  is  a  class  very   rapidly 
gaining  ground  in  public  estimation,  the  so- 
called  French   fancy  geraniums  for  bedding 
out ;  but  these  are  undergoing  all  the  silly 
propping  and  spreading  out  into  large  plants 
that  have  characterized  the  show  sorts.    They 
are  certainly  very  inferior  and  weedy  at  pre- 
sent,  compared   with   the   florists'  varieties, 
and  we  never  care  to  see  the  present  sorts 
shown  in  collections;  there  are  not  half-a-dozen 
worthy  of  such  notice,  for  we  will  never  re- 
cognise flowers  naturally  ragged.     The  only 
tolerably  fair  ones  are  Donna  Inez,  Defiance, 
Hero  of  Surrey,  and  Negress.     There  is  a 
great   sameness     among  the  others,   all   the 
markings  are  scratchy  and  indefinite,  most  of 
the  petals  uneven  in  the  surface  and  serrated 
in  the  edges.     In  short,  if  they  bloom  as  con- 
tinuously as  the  dwarf  scarlet  kinds,  they  are 
very  well  adapted  for  bedding  out,   because 
there  are  various  shades  that  will  give  a  good 
eifect  in  masses  ;  but  as  show  flowers,  the  four 
we  have  mentioned  are  the  best,  and  they  are 
by  no  means  all  they  ought  to  be.     The  Hero 
of  Surrey  is  new,  and  has  been,  we  believe, 
awarded  a  certificate,  but  to  this  we  attach  no 
importance    whatever.      We    consider   that, 
from  the  sorts  we  have  noticed,  the  Pelar- 
gonium family  have  advanced,  and  that  we  are 
getting  fairly  into  a  new  style  of  flower  that 
approaches  the  standard  nearer  than  those  of 
more  distant  days.     Calceolarias  have  been  at 
a  stand-still,   as  to  form,  some  time  ;  it  is, 
therefore,  with  great  pleasure  that  we  recog- 
nise a  movement  this  year  in  the  right  direc- 
tion.    The  flat  faces  which,  according  to  an- 
tiquated  notions,    were  no   detriment,   were 
nevertheless  the  prevailing  fault.     The  melon- 
formed  compartments  were  disappearing  fast, 
and  the  sizes  and  colours  of  the  flowers  im- 
proving, but  the  flat  pancake  fronts  -were  at  a 
stand-still.     We  observed  the  other  day  two 
very    pretty   exceptions.   Baron    Eden     and 
Ne  plus  ultra,   well  blown   out,   and   pretty 
nearly  as  thick  from  front  to  back  as  from 
side  to  side — the  habit  of  the  plants,  too,  by 
no  means   despicable;  and  when  we  look  at 


318 


NEW   FRUITS. 


such  varieties  as  Gustavus,  Black  Dwarf, 
Eclipse,  and  Gemellii — or  some  such  name, 
for  botanical  names  are  not  always  written 
plainly,  and  there  is  no  possible  rule  to  help 
one — we  are  glad  to  recognise  the  improve- 
ment ;  perhaps  these  six,  that  is  to  say,  the 
two  new  ones  and  the  four  old  ones,  may  be 
adopted  by  any  new  calceolaria  grower  as  the 
best  he  can  begin  with  and  seed  from  for  new 
varieties. 

Plants  of  novel  structure,  or  of  scarce  pro- 
duction, are  rapidly  increasing  on  us.  At 
the  exhibition  were  seen  Escallonia  macran- 
tha,  a  hardy  shrub,  with  half-tubular  half- 
bell -shaped  flowers  all  along  the  young 
branches,  very  abundant,  and  of  a  dullish 
crimson,  produced  at  Chiswick  by  Messrs. 
Veitch,  and  proved  by  three  years'  exposure 
in  the  open  air  ;  Soya  imperialis,  with  im- 
mense flowers,  produced  by  Mr.  Glendinning  ; 
Li&ianthus  pulchra,  with  brilliant  scarlet 
flowers ;  Gardenia  Fortunii,  a  plant  like  the 
old  radicans  magnified  ten  times ;  Abelia 
Jloribunda,  a  shrubby  plant  with  hanging 
trumpet  flowers  of  purplish  colour.  These 
may  be  considered  the  most  remarkable,  un- 
less we  travel  to  the  forest  of  orchids,  in 
which  we  should  be  lost. 

Pinks  have  been  exhibited,  but  up  to  the 
I  Surrey  show  they  were  not  half  bloomed. 
We  notice,  however,  two  flowers  under  the 
name  of  Jenny  Lind,  of  unequal  merit. 
Parker's  Jenny  Lind  is  not  fit  to  hold  a 
"candle  to  Read's,  as  we  have  seen  them  toge- 
ther. The  Surrey  show  produced  a  few  good 
Ranunculuses,  such  as  Agamemnon,  Admetus, 
Edgar,  Ascham,  Electa,  Reliance,  Pole,  Prince 
of  Wales,  Belmont,  Man-of-War,  &c.,  flowers 
which  show  that  we  have  but  little  room  to 
improve  on  this  beautiful  tribe.  Of  the  Rose 
exhibitors  who  have  figured  of  late,  Mr.  Paul 
stands  immeasurably  before  all  others  but 
Lane,  and  these  are  excellent  rivals  ;  other 
exhibitors  come  in  with  such  ill- contrived 
and  ugly  supports  and  growth  that  the  plants 
are  hardly  tolerable,  but  Mr.  Rowland  has 
beaten  them  all  in  this  respect ;  the  plants 
have  been  shrubby  and  stocky,  strong,  with 
no  supports  and  no  need  of  them  ;  we  men- 
tion this  that  others  may  follow  the  .example. 

The  florists  do  not  seem  quite  at  home  ; 
some  object  to  one  party,  because  it  is  too 
selfish ;  others  are  condemned  because  they 
are  exclusive ;  the  whole  complain  that  the 
Floricultural  interest  is  not  represented.  At 
a  numerous  meeting  of  the  gardeners  con- 
nected with  their  late  Journal,  it  turned  out 
that  some  of  them,  out  of  their  hard  earnings, 
had  expended  seventy  pounds,  which  they 
had  totally  lost  in  the  attempt  to  save  the 
paper,  and  that  before  they  parted  with  it 
for  the  small  sum  of  two  hundred  and  fifty 


pounds,  the  number  had  declined  six  or  seven 
hundred,  and  that  through  the  inefficient 
manner  in  which  it  had  been  conducted,  and 
especially  the  personal  and  offensive  manner 
in  which  some  leading  florists  had  been 
treated.  It  was  also  stated  that  the  paper 
had  become  political,  and  that  therefore  it  was 
time  they  had  some  efficient  journal  as  a  second 
to  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle. 


NEW  FRUITS. 

We  gather  the  following  notices  of  new 
fruits  raised  in  Belgium  from  the  Ghent 
Annates,  where  the  varieties  described  below 
are  nicely  figured  : — 

De  Croe'ds  Royal  Grape. — This  variety, 
which  is  spoken  of  as  one  of  considerable  ex- 
cellence and  beauty,  appears  to  have  been 
raised  by  M.  De  Croen,  a  nurseryman  at 
Brussels.  The  bunches  are  described  as 
measuring  fully  seven  inches  in  length,  and 
being  somewhat  broad  or  branchy  at  the 
shoulders,  where  the  diameter  is  sometimes 
equal  to  the  length.  This  variety  is  therefore 
included  among  those  sorts  which  have  a  full 
or  broad  form  of  the  bunch.  The  berries  are 
free,  well  developed,  not  compressed,  and 
measure  from  three-quarters  to  a  full  inch  in 
diameter;  they  are  globular,  or  somewhat 
ovoid  ;  the  pedicles  are  firm,  and  the  berries 
hang  easy.  The  skin  (epicarp)  is  firm, 
smooth,  and  thickish,  but  not  cartilaginous  as 
in  the  grape  of  the  south  ;  this  skin  separates 
easily  from  the  flesh.  When  ripe,  the  berries 
are  of  a  yellowish-green.  The  flesh  (meso- 
carp)  is  exceedingly  juicy,  abundant,  full, 
very  savoury,  sweet,  refreshing,  and  perfumed 
with  an  indescribable  aroma,  which  is  very 
different  from  that  of  the  Muscat  or  of  the 
Isabella  grape ;  in  fact  this  aroma  is  peculiar 
to  this  sort,  and  the  berries  must  be  tasted  in 
order  to  form  an  idea  of  it.  This  grape  was 
exhibited  at  the  grand  exhibition  in  Brussels 
in  1848  ;  and  the  king  having  requested  that 
the  most  remarkable  among  the  fruits  and 
vegetables  should  be  pointed  out  to  him,  this 
grape  "had  the  honour"  of  being  included 
among  those  selected  for  presentation.  This 
circumstance  has  given  rise  to  the  name  of 
Royal  Grape,  by  which  M.  De  Croen's  variety 
is  designated.  The  origin  of  this  variety  is 
not  very  certain ;  because,  as  it  often  happens 
in  sowing,  an  exact  account  of  the  seeds  de- 
posited in  the  soil  is  not  kept.  De  Croen's 
Royal  Grape  is,  however,  a  production  from 
seed,  the  stock  of  which  is  unknown.  It  is 
especially  suited  to  the  vinery. 

Gondouin's  Red  Currant. — This  is  an 
excellent  variety,  distinguished  by  remark- 
able vigour,  by  the  length  of  its  bunches,  and 
by  the  size  and  flavour  of  its  berries.     It  is, 


EXACUM    ZEYLANICUM. 


319 


in  fact,  double  the  size  of  the  ordinary  red 
currant.  The  wood  is  vigorous,  with  a  brown- 
ish-coloured bark,  having  small  light  lines  on 
its  surface.  The  leaves,  which  are  borne  on 
angular  petioles,  from  two-and-a-half  to  three 
inclies  long,  are  about  four  inches  broad  when 
fully  grown,  five-lobed,  deeply  and  irregularly 
dentated  at  the  margins  ;  the  vein?,  especially 
the  three  mid  ones,  being  more  than  usually 
strong.  The  fruit  bunches  are  fully  four 
inches  long,  each  bearing  about  twenty-five 
berries,  which  are  nearly  half  an  inch  in 
diameter,  of  a  fine  dark  vermilion  colour, 
quite  round,  and  having  a  slightly  acid,  and 
on  the  whole  a  very  grateful  taste.  It  is  said 
to  be  a  very  prolific  and  much  esteemed  sort 
in  Belgium,  in  which  country  it  appears  to 
have  been  raised  by  M.  De  Gondouin.  It 
requires  to  be  vigorously  grown,  and  should 
be  planted  in  a  place  partially  shaded  from 
the  sun,  and  where  there  is  plenty  of  air,  and 
a  good  substantial  soil;  fresh  plantations 
should  be  made  every  four  or  five  years. 


EXACUM    ZEYLANICUM. 

Exacum  zeylanicum,  Roxburgh  (Ceylon 
Exacum). — Gentianaceae  §  GentianesB. 

This  plant  is  closely  allied  to  the  Chironias, 
of  which  some  pretty  species  ai"e  not  unfre- 
quently  met  with  in  cultivation ;  the  present, 
which  was  called  Chironia  ti'inervis  by  Lin- 
naeus, is  in  every  respect  deserving  the  atten- 
tion of  admirers  of  plants.  Whether  or  no  it 
will  prove  to  be  a  cultivable  plant,  remains  to 


be  proved ;  the  probability  is,  that  being  an 
annual,  it  will  some  day  die  out  for  the  want 
of  a  supply  of  perfectly  organized  seeds. 

It  is,  as  just  stated,  an  annual  plant ;  its  habit 
is  erect,  branching  only  in  the  upper  part,  and 
there  in  a  corymbose  manner.  The  stems,  as 
well  as  all  the  parts  of  the  plant,  are  quite 
smooth,  and  they  are,  moreover,  of  an  equal 
four-sided  figure.  On  these  stems  are  borne  the 
opposite  leaves,  which  are  without  foot-stalks, 
or  nearly  so,  and  are  of  an  elliptic-oblong,  or 
broadly  lance-shaped  figure,  ending  in  a  slen- 
der point,  and  marked  on  the  surface  by  the 
presence  of  three  longitudinal  veins,  called 
nerves  or  ribs.  These  leaves  are  a  bright 
lively  green  on  the  upper  surface,  and  paler 
on  the  under  side.  In  the  upper  part  of  the 
stem  short  branches  are  produced,  forming  a 
terminal  leafy  corymb.  The  flowers  are 
large  and  handsome,  and  grow  three  to- 
gether on  the  ultimate  branches  of  the  corymb; 
they  are  rotate  or  wheel-shaped,  that  is,  having 
a  very  short  tube  answering  to  the  nave, 
and  a  nearly  flat,  spreading  limb,  answering 
to  the  rest  of  a  wheel ;  the  colour  is  a  rich 
purplish  blue,  which  is  contrasted  with  the 
cluster  of  large  deep  yellow  anthers.  The 
limb  of  the  flower  consists  of  five  oval  or 
obovate-obtuse  lobes,  which  are  paler-coloured 
at  the  back  than  on  the  face. 

This  species  of  Exacum,  as  its  specific 
name  implies,  is  a  native  of  Ceylon.  From 
that  country  seeds  were  introduced  to  the 
Glasnevin  Botanic  Garden,  at  Dublin,  where, 
under  the  care  of  Mr.  Moore,  it  was  raised,  and 
flowered  in  September,  1848.  It  has  re- 
ceived other  names  besides  that  here  adopted; 
as  Chironia  triner-vis  (Linnseus),  and  Lisi- 
anthus  zeylanicus  (Sprengel). 

Many  of  the  gentian-worts,  to  which 
natural  order  the  Exacum  belongs,  are  rather 
shy  of  submitting  to  the  restraints  of  culti- 
vation, and  often  attain  the  greatest  luxuriance 
under  circumstances  where  it  would  be  least 
expected,  affording  evidence  that  the  proper 
treatment  is  hardly  afforded  them.  The 
experience  which  has  been  had  with  the  pre- 
sent plant,  would  lead  to  the  supposition  that 
it  may  belong  to  this  set  of  shy  growers, 
although  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  so  interesting 
a  subject  may  prove  otherwise  when  better 
experience  of  its  habit  has  been  had.  An 
allied  species,  the  Exacum  tetragonum,  has 
been  observed  to  grow  and  flower  readily  when 
allowed  to  fix  itself  as  a  weed  upon  the  damp 
loose  mossy  surfaces  of  pots  containing  other 
plants,  such  as  orchidaceous  plants. 

Though  an  annual  in  its  native  habitats, 
where  the  conditions  are  such  as  to  bring  it 
to  a  more  perfect  state  of  fructification  than 
it  attains  in  our  plant -houses  under  artificial 
management,   it  does  not  always  under   the 


320 


RAISING    SEEDLING    FLOWERS. 


latter  circumstances  prove  to  be  strictly 
limited  to  one  season's  growth.  This,  no 
doubt,  arises  from  the  fact  that  its  effort  at 
fructification  is  not  perfect,  and  consequently 
the  plants  are  not  so  much  exhausted  as  after 
flowering  in  their  native  regions.  The  re- 
sult of  this  is,  that  sometimes,  after  flowering, 
the  plants  produce  branches  near  their  base  ; 
and  these  branches  may,  with  considerable 
care,  in  placing  them  under  the  most  favour- 
able circumstances,  be  preserved  through  the 
winter,  so  as  to  perpetuate  the  species.  This, 
however,  is  a  precarious  matter. 

The  only  way  of  bringing  this  species 
under  cultivation,  will  be  by  inducing  it  to 
mature  its  seeds,  and  if  this  can  be  done,  it 
may  be  continued  in  cultivation,  though  pro- 
bably it  will  always  rank  amongst  the  shy 
growers.  The  manner  of  procedure  will  be 
thus  : — Sow  the  seeds  in  sandy  peat  soil,  not 
too  much  smoothed  on  the  surface  ;  the  lower 
stratum  may  be  potsherds,  and  on  this  coarse 
turfy  peat,  to  act  as  conductors  of  moisture 
from  below.  Scatter  the  seeds  thinly  over 
the  surface  of  the  sandy,  peat,  and  leave  them 
with  no  other  covering  than  will  be  given  to 
them  by  gently  striking  the  bottom  of  the  pot 
on  the  potting  bench.  The  early  spring 
should  be  chosen  for  sowing.  As  the  plants 
require  stove  heat,  the  pots  may  be  set  in  a 
moist  warm  part  of  the  stove,  and  in  order  to 
keep  the  soil  moist  without  pouring  any  water 
over  the  minute  seeds,  the  pots  should  be  set 
into  pans  supplied  more  or  less  with  water, 
and  a  flat  piece  of  glass  laid  over  the  pots  till 
germination  commences,  when  it  may  be  re- 
moved. The  seeds  must  not  be  continually 
wet  at  any  period,  but  only  kept  from  getting 
dry  by  these  means.  Like  other  delicate 
annuals,  the  young  plants  must  be  potted  off 
very  carefully,  as  soon  as  they  are  large 
enough  to  handle,  first  into  the  smallest  pots 
singly,  and  then  shifted  on  into  larger  pots  as 
they  increase  in  size.  Five-inch  pots  are 
probably  lai'ge  enough  under  any  circum- 
stances for  the  blooming  plants.  Peat-soil 
should  be  used,  employing  it  in  turfy  lumps, 
so  that  it  may  be  always  open,  and  not  liable 
to  be  stagnated  with  water ;  for  though  they 
require  to  be  kept  moist,  yet  stagnant  water 
is  fatal  to  them, 

RAISING  SEEDLING  FLOWERS. 
There  is  a  singular  indisposition  among  the 
most  enthusiastic  growers  to  the  raising  of  seed- 
lings which  require  many  years  to  develop 
their  beauties  or  novelties,  as  the  case  may  be. 
The  very  thought  that  a  tulip  will  require  upon 
an  average  five  or  six  years  to  bloom,  and  per- 
haps as  many  more  before  it  breaks  into  its 
proper  colours,  has  deterred  hundreds  of  ex- 
cellent growers  from  sowing  seed  at  all ;  and 


perhaps  the  fact  that  seedlings  could  be  pur- 
chased old  enough  to  bloom,  and  that  had 
bloomed,  and  therefore  seven  years  old,  has 
still  more  excited  an  unwillingness  to  undergo 
the  seven  years'  probation  of  taking  up  and 
replanting  little  bulbs.'  Yet  how  soon  do  a 
few  years  pass  away,  and  how  naturally  do 
we  reproach  ourselves  for  losing  the  oppor- 
tunities !  It  is  a  sad  mistake,  but  having 
made  it  ourselves,  we  are  the  better  able  to 
show  what  poor  satisfaction  it  is  to  deplore  a 
neglect  that  prevented  an  advance  in  the 
qualities  of  the  flower  :  who  knows  but  we 
might  have  raised  tulips  as  much  better  than 
those  we  have,  as  they  are  superior  to  the 
commoner  ones  that  we  possessed  before  ?  Be- 
sides, the  best  proof  we  can  give  of  our  folly 
in  neglecting  it  while  young,  is  the  fact  that 
we  began  it  twenty  years  later  than  we  ought 
to  have  done,  and  we  believe  hundreds  are 
doing  the  same  thing.  We  desire  to  see  the 
tulip  above  all  flowers  advance  nearer  to  per- 
fection, for  they  lag  behind  sadly  ;  we  want 
also  to  see  the  culture  better  understood ;  the 
facts  connected  with  their  progress  better 
accounted  for ;  and  nothing  will  tend  more  to 
accomplish  these  things  than  the  watching 
them  through  all  their  stages  of  progress  from 
the  seed  upwards,  by  all  those  who  are  rais- 
ing seedlings.  But  there  are  other  flowers 
as  little  encouraged  as  the  tulip,  although  of 
much  more  encouraging  length  of  imper- 
fection. The  auricula  is  bloomed  often  in 
two  years,  always  in  three,  from  the  sowing, 
yet  there  is  a  very  slow  progress,  during 
which  time  the  greatest  attention  is  required, 
and  this  perhaps  induces  many  to  neglect 
sowing.  But  the  fact  is,  a  man  only  wants  the 
courage  to  begin.  Every  year  adds  to  the 
interest  of  his  task;  every  variety  of  foliage 
engages  his  attention,  and  feeds  his  hopes, 
and  all  the  delight  he  takes  when  once  fairly 
set  to  work,  comes  upon  him  unexpectedly. 
Nobody  who  has  not  raised  seedlings  can 
form  the  least  conception  of  the  interest  ex- 
cited by  the  pursuit,  and  therefore  everybody 
who  loves  a  good  flower  ought  to  save  his 
best  seed  and  sow  it.  Why  are  so  many 
sowing  dahlia  and  pansy  seed  ?  Because  they 
so  soon  reward  them  with  the  result,  be  that 
result  good,  bad,  or  indifferent ;  but  those 
who  are  deterred  by  the  length  of  time  that 
elapses  before  a  tulip  or  an  auricula  comes  to 
perfection,  should  recollect  that  if  they  follow 
up  the  task  annually,  they  have  a  succession 
of  seven  or  of  three-year-old  stuff,  to  gratify 
their  love  of  novelty,  or  to  disappoint  their 
hopes,  and  that  therefore  the  excitement  is 
then  continual  year  by  year.  Everybody  who 
delights  in  a  good  flower,  is  bound,  in  our 
opinion,  to  do  his  best  towards  improving  it,  and 
we  hope  none  will  neglect  to  raise  seedlings. 


PAPEES  AND  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY 


321 


DAHLIAS    GROWN    DWARP. 

Tpie  dahlia  varies  so  much  in  its  habit,  that 
what  would  do  well  for  one  sort,  would  be  im- 
practicable with  another.  Thedahlia,  to  bekept 
dwarf,  should  be  selected  of  a  short-jointed  ha- 
bit, with  short  footstalks  to  the  flowers.  Take 
the  plant  young,  plant  it  at  one  end  of  the  bed 
it  is  to  fill,  or  if  a  large  bed,  plant  the  proper 
number  of  dahlias  at  one  end,  or  one  side,  and 
always  in  the  lowest  part  if  there  be  any  dif- 
ference ;  lay  it  into  the  ground  sloping,  and 
cover  the  root  well ;  then  peg  the  stem  to  the 
ground;  if  there  be  any  side-shoots  already, 
peg  them  right  and  left  of  the  centre  or  main 
stem,  an^  as  straight  out  as  they  can  be  forced 
without  breaking.  As  the  plants  proceed, 
continue  to  peg  down,  and  in  this  way  cover 
the  bed.  You  wall  find  no  difficulty  in  doing 
this  with  a  little  gentle  coercion,  using  at  first 
pegs  that  will  hold  them  a  little  down,  and  by 
increasing  the  force.  Cut  away  all  that  are 
too  stubborn  and  cannot  be  laid  down.  When 
the  dahlia  is  Avell  laid,  the  bloom  does  not 
come  half  the  height  that  the  plant  would 
have  grown  if  unconstrained,  and  this  kind  of 
treatment  is  capital  on  slopes,  or  banks  that 
want  covering  in  the  most  effective  manner. 
By  the  time  the  plant  covers  a  good  sj^ace,  it 
begins  to  bloom,  and  it  lasts  a  good  while  in 
perfection ;  it  flowers  with  much  less  water, 
and  much  greater  effect  than  any  other  kind 
w^ould  accomplish.  Much  depends  upon  the 
selection  of  a  good  short-jointed  sort  of  plant, 
and  a  decided  brilliant  colour,  for  when  in  full 
bloom  thei'e  is  a  mass  of  flowers  that  may  be 
seen  from  afar.  On  slopes  the  growth  is 
much  more  rapid  than  when  the  ground  is 
quite  flat,  because  you  can  appropriate  any 
branch,  which  you  cannot  when  the  ground  is 
level.  

HIBISCUS  MANIHOT. 
This  extraordinary  flower  once  excited  the 
surprise  of  many  at  the  exhibitions,  from  its 
immense  size  and  its  odd  colour.  It  may  seem 
odd  to  call  a  flower  as  large  as  a  plate,  because 
there  are  plates  of  all  sizes.  "We  have  seen  the 
flowers  of  the  present  subject  nine  inches 
across  the  bloom,  which  is  perfectly  round 
and  flat,  of  a  buff-yellow,  with  a  remarkably 
black  centre  or  throat ;  we  have  had  this  from 
seeds  which  were  imported  from  the  East 
Indies,  but  the  plant  is  of  old  standing.  The 
seeds  Avere  sown  in  a  common  hot-bed,  the 
plants  soon  potted  into  the  size  forty-eight, 
and  as  they  advanced  they  were  shifted  until 
they  were  in  size  twenty-four,  after  which  we 
began  to  consider  them  cumbersome,  and  as 
Ave  knew  nothing  of  them  and  they  had 
reached  six  or  eight  feet,  they  were  placed 
behind  the  pit,  in  the  stove,  where  they  re- 
50. 


mained  unnoticed  until  one  morning  they 
were  seen  to  have  produced  four  or  six  im- 
mense yellow  flowers,  with  black  centres. 
The  flowers  closed  at  four  o'clock,  and  never 
opened  again ;  a  succession  of  blooms  came 
on,  and  Ave  more  than  once  or  twice  got  a 
plant  to  an  exhibition  in  good  order,  and  it 
Avas  greatly  admired — not  for  its  beauty,  for 
the  plants  Avere  gawky  in  consequence  of 
being  neglected.  The  next  season,  hoAvever, 
we  cut  them  down,  and  re-potted  them,  Avhen 
they  branched  out  a  good  deal,  looked  very 
much  more  attractive,  and  Avere  generally  ad- 
mired ;  but  the  ephemeral  nature  of  the  flower 
disappointed  us  two  or  three  times,  and  we 
never  attempted  to  carry  them  about  after- 
Avards.  There  is  no  difficulty  in  cultivating 
this  plant,  and  it  seeds  freely.  It  Avill  strike 
from  eyes  cut  Avith  half  an  inch  of  stem 
to  them,  and  also  may  be  propagated  from 
cuttings  and  suckers.  It  is  a  stove  herbaceous 
perennial,  Avorth  anybody's  cultivating  in  a 
roomy  stove,  but  not  adapted  for  limited 
collections,  for  these  should  not  contain  a 
single  plant  that  is  not  either  curious  or  beau- 
tiful at  all  times  of  the  year;  whereas  the 
Hibiscus  llanihot  is  an  uncouth  groAver  at 
the  best,  and  is  not  even  interesting,  except 
Avhile  the  floAvers  are  out,  and  there  are  scarcely 
ever  two  out  at  once  on  the  same  plant. 


An  Abstract  of  Reports,  Papers,  and 
Proceedings  op  the  Horticultural 
Society  of  London,  with  Notes  by 
F.I-I.S. 

The  Early  purple  Brocoll — The  Bro- 
coli,  of  which  I  now  offer  some  account,  is 
reported  to  have  been  introduced  from  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  by  the  Hon.  Mar.maduke 
DaAvnay,  and  first  cultivated  in  Surrey,  Avhere 
it  is  called  the  Early  Cape  Brocoli.  Packets  of 
seed,  first  sent  here  from  Italy,  appear  to  me 
to  have  produced  the  same  vai'iety.  My 
method  of  treating  it  is  as  follows.  Three 
crops  are  sown  annually  :  the  first  between 
the  12th  and  18th  of  April  ;  a  second  be- 
tAveen  the  18th  and  24th  of  May  ;  the  third 
betvA-een  the  19th  and  25th  of  August  :  these 
successive  crops  supply  the  family  from  Sep- 
tember till  the  end  of  May.  The  seeds  are 
scattered  exceedingly  thin,  in  a  border  of 
very  rich  light  earth.  Not  a  Aveed  is  suf- 
fered to  appear,  and  Avhen  the  young  plants 
have  from  eight  to  ten  leaves,  which  is  in 
about  a  month,  they  are  finally  planted  out 
at  the  distance  of  two  feet  every  Avay,  in  a 
piece  of  sandy  loans,  which  has  been  well 
prepared  for  the  purpose  by  digging  and 
enriching  it  with  a  large  proportion  of  very 
rotten  dung,  frequently  turned  over  to  pick 

y 


322 


PAPEES  AND  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  HOUTICULTUEAL  SOCIETY. 


out  every  sort  of  grub  or  insect  deposited 
in  it.     The  ground  is  kept  constantly  clean 
by   hoeing,    whenever   a   seed   leaf  of    any 
weed  springs  up  ;   and  the  loose  surface  is 
drawn  together  into  a  heap,  round  the  stem 
of  each  plant.     The  second  crop  is  treated 
exactly  as  the  first,   but  the  weaker  plants 
left  in  the  seed-bed  are  permitted  to  remain 
eight  or  ten  days  longer,  to  gain  more  strength. 
They  are  then  transplanted  into  pots  of  the 
size  called  sixteens,  filled  with  very  rich  corn- 
post,  placing  them  close  to  each  other  in  the 
shade,  and  duly  watering  the  plants,  till  they 
begin  to  grow  freely.     After   this,  the  pots 
are  plunged  in  the  open  ground  at  two  feet 
distance  from   each   other,   every  v/ay,    and 
about  three  inches  under  the  general  level, 
leaving  a  hollow  or  basin  round  each  plant, 
to  retain  any  water  given  to  them  when  neces- 
sary.    By  the  time  the  pots  are  filled  with 
roots,  and  that  autumnal  rains  render  water- 
ing unnecessary,  the  basins  are  filled  up  by 
drawing  the  earth  round  each  plant,  at  the 
same  time  pressing  it  firmly  down,  to  prevent 
the  wind  from  shaking  them.     A  few  of  these 
plants  in  pots   sometimes    show  flowers  too 
soon,  and  to  guard  them  from  early  frost,  a 
leaf  or  two  is  broken  down  over  them.     On 
the  approach    of  settled  frost  in  December 
and  January,  all  the  pots  are  taken  up  and 
removed  to  a  frame,  pit,  or  shed,  where  they 
can  be  sheltered  from  the  extreme  severity  of 
.  the  winter,  but  have  air  when  it  is  milder, 
and  by  this  method  a  supply  is  preserved  for 
the  table  in  the  hardest  winters.     To  make 
brocoli  succeed  in  pots,  I  find,  by  experience, 
that  it  should  be  potted  immediately  from  the 
seed-bed.     If  it  is  transplanted  oftener,  the 
head    or   flower   is  both    less    in    size,    and 
runs  much  sooner  after  it  forms.     For  the 
same  reason,  I  never  prick  out  or  transplant 
the  general  crops  ;  and  as  the  temperature  of 
our  climate  does  not  suflfer  vegetation  to  go 
on  briskly  from   October  to  March,  by  fol- 
lowing this  method  the  heads  of  flower  will 
remain   a  long  time  in  a  state  of  rest  after 
they  are  formed,  without  bursting,  and  heads 
from  six  to  seven  inches  in  diameter  are  the 
ordinary  produce  of  our  plants.     The  seeds 
of  the  third   crop  are  sown  in  a  frame,   or 
under  hand-glasses,  and  about  the  third  week 
in  October  the  plants  beeome  strong  enough 
to  remove,  as  in  the  two  former  crops.    From 
tliis  sowing,  the  best  plants  are  selected  for 
seed,  and  placed  three  or  four  under  a  hand- 
glass, according  to  its  size  ;  three,  hoivever, 
are  sufficient,  for  they  should  not  afterwards 
be  disturbed.     They  are  gently  watered  and 
covered  till  they  have  m.ade  fresh  roots,  after 
which,   air  is  plentifully    admitted,  treating 
them  throngh  the  winter  exactly  like  Cauli- 
flower i^hnts.—Lette)^  of  Afr.  J.  Maker. 


[The  numerous  varieties  of  Brocoli  now 
in  cultivation  render  the  use  of  pots  no  longer 
necessary,  for  we  have  some  of  all  seasons ; 
but  in  a  very  hard  winter,  when  we  have 
sometimes  seen  the  certain  crop  cut  off  by 
severe  frost,  a  quantity  in  pots  would  have 
well  repaid  the  trouble  ;  no  ordinary  frost, 
however,  will  kill  oflT  our  most  hardy  kinds. 
The  foregoing  plan  was  adopted  by'Mr.  Maher, 
at  Edmonton,  which  may  be  considered  a  cold 
situation,  and  where,  therefore,  all  the  pre- 
cautions he  could  use  were  necessary  to 
secure  a  supply  for  the  table.] 

Nelumbium     speciosum.  —  In   the   year 
1824,  the  tub  in  which  a  plant  of  Nelumbium 
speciosum  was    growing,    became    leaky,    so 
much  so,  that  when  filled  up  in  the  evening, 
with  the  rest  of  the  aquatics,  it  was  nearly 
dry  in   the    succeeding   morning  ;  this    con- 
tinued for  some  time,  but  the  plant,  notwith- 
standing,  grcAv  vigorously.    About  the  middle 
of  July  I  had  the  pleasure  to  observe  three 
flower  stems  rising  amongst  the  leaves  ;  they 
grew  very  strong  to  the  height  of  four  feet, 
or  thereabouts  ;  the  flowers  all  expanded,  and 
were  from  six  to  eight  inches  in  diameter ;  the 
capsules  also  swelled  to  a  considerable  size, 
but   none  of  the   seeds  came  to   perfection. 
Previous  to  this,  I  had  not  been  able  to  flower 
this  beautiful  plant ;   I  was  therefore  deter- 
mined to  follow  the  same  process  in  the  suc- 
ceeding year,  as  nearly  as  possible,  and  I  am 
happy  to  be  able  to  state  that  the  experiment 
was  attended  with  a  favourable  result,  for  a 
plant   so  managed  in  a  tub  about  the  same 
size  produced  five  flowers.     I  was  in  hopes 
also  that  I  should  have    succeeded  in   pro- 
curing ripe  seeds,  and  I  have  some  reason  to 
think  this  would  have  been  the  case,  had  the 
idea  of  assisting  the  fructification  struck  me 
sooner;   for  I  endeavoured  to  do  so  with  the 
last  flower  which  opened,  and  the  capsule  of 
that  swelled  much  larger  than  either  of  the 
others,   and  the  seeds   attained  nearly  their 
full  size,  though  they  were  not  perfect.     The 
tub  in  which  the  plant  grew  was  plunged  in 
a  corner  of  a  pit  in  which  pines  are  fruited, 
and  which  is  kept  during  the  greater  part  of 
the  spring  and  summer  at  a  temperature  as 
high   as  from   65°  to   90°,  and   even  to  100" 
of  Fahrenheit ;  in  winter  the  temperature  is 
kept  lower,  being  seldom  above  60°.     During 
that  time  the  plant  received  but  little  water  ; 
and  indeed  the  supply  was  diminished  gra- 
dually from  the  time  the  plant  flowered  until 
it  became  almost  dry,  and  it  remained  in  that 
state  during  the  winter.    In  the  spring  I  gave 
rather  more  water,  and  as  soon  as  the  leaves 
began  to  grow  a  few  inches  above  the  surface, 
I  took  out  as  carefully  as  possible  all  the  old 
earth  from  about  the  roots,  and  replaced  it 
with  strong  rich  loam  ;  the  tub  was  then  kept 


PAPERS  AND  PROCEEDINGS  OP  THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


823 


nearly  full  of  water,  so  as  to  allow  the  leaves 
to  float,  and  was  continued  in  this  state  until 
they  were  suificiently  strong  to  rise  of  them- 
selves above  the  surface  of  the  water  to  the 
height  of  about  eighteen  or  twenty  inches  ;  I 
then  began  to  reduce  the  water  by  slacking 
the  upper  hoop  of  the  tub  so  as  to  let  the 
water  escape  gradually  through  the  staves  to 
about  the  level  of  the  earth  which  the  plant 
grew  in  ;  this  it  generally  did  in  the  course 
of  the  night.  This  process  was  pursued 
during  the  last  summer,  the  tub  being  filled 
up  with  fresh  water  every  night  until  tlie 
flowers  and  leaves  died  away  gradually,  and 
the  water,  as  before  noticed,  was  reduced  at 
the  same  time. — Letter  of  Mr.  A.  Stewart. 
Pruning  Dwakf  Standard  Fruit  Trees, 
— Young  trees  are  to  be  treated  in  the  follow- 
ing manner.  If  there  are  more  than  three 
shoots  on  the  plant,  reduce  them  to  that  num- 
ber, and  shorten  each  to  thi-ee,  four,  or  six  eyes, 
according  to  their  strength.  The  following 
season,  reduce  the  number  of  leading  shoots 
to  six,  and  shorten  them  to  three-fourths  of 
their  length,  and  spur  in  the  remaining 
shoots.  The  tree  should  be  managed  in  every 
respect  in  this  manner  until  it  has  attained 
the  required  size,  which  of  course  depends  on 
the  convenience  or  fancy  of  the  owner,  or 
conductor  of  the  garden.  I  make  a  point  of 
letting  the  trees  take  their  natural  foi'm  of 
growth  as  far  as  the  system  described  will 
permit  ;  for  I  consider  it  of  little  consequence 
what  shape  is  given  to  the  tree,  provided  my 
■  end  is  attained  ;  that  is,  to  make  every  branch 
as  it  were  a  long  spur,  with  bearing  buds, 
from  the  base  to  the  extremity.  Two  or 
three  years'  trial  of  this  method  only,  might 
possibly  deter  many  from  a  continuance  of  it, 
in  consequence  of  the  quantity  of  young  wood 
which  will  be  produced  yearly  at  first,  and 
from  the  apparent  difiiculty  of  getting  rid  of 
the  superfluity.  But  the  inconvenience  will 
be  ultimately  surmounted,  if  the  foregoing 
instructions  are  attended  to,  and  the  conse- 
quence will  be  the  possession  of  both  healthy 
and  fruitful  trees.  To  attempt  to  bring  very 
old  trees  into  this  method  of  management, 
would  be  attended  with  difficulty,  unless  they 
w^ere  cut  down  short,  and  allowed  to  make 
new  heads,  which  I  should  recommend  where 
their  produce  can  be  spared  for  a  time.  In 
a  few  years  fine  healthy  heads  would  be 
formed,  which  will  yield  fruit  superior  to  any 
that  could  be  expected  from  them  if  left  in 
their  rude  state.  But  if  the  trees  cannot  be 
spared  to  be  headed  down,  thv"y  may  be  very 
much  improved,  by  thinning  out  the  spray, 
and  cutting  away  a  few  old  branches,  which 
will  cause  them  to  throw  out  young  shoots, 
and  these,  in  a  short  time,  will  become  bearing 
wood.     The  remainder  of  the  old  branches 


may  then  be  thinned  out  with  effect. — Letter 
from  Mr.  William  Greenshields. 

Culture  of  Horse  Radish. —  After  hav- 
ing fixed  on  a  spot  of  the  garden  sufficient  for  the 
crop  I  intend  to  plant,  it  is  trenched  two  good 
spades  (I  ought  rather  to  say  two  feet)  deep, 
either  with  or  without  manure,  according  to 
the  state  of  the  soil,  which,  if  in  itself  good, 
requires  no  enriching  ;  but  if  it  is  poor,  some 
good  light  manure  ought  to  be  added  to  it, 
and  this  must  be  carefully  laid  into  the  bottom 
of  each  trench,  for,  if  not  so  done,  the  Horse- 
radish, which  always  puts  out  some  side- 
roots,  would  send  out  such  large  shoots  from 
the  main  root  in  search  of  the  dung  contiguous 
to  its  sides  as  to  materially  deteriorate  the 
crop.  After  the  bed  is  thus  prepared,  plants 
are  procured  by  taking  about  three  inches  in 
length  of  the  top  part  of  each  stick,  and  then 
cutting  clean  off  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
of  this  piece  under  the  crown,  so  as  to  leave 
no  appearance  of  a  green  bud.  Holes  are 
then  made  in  the  bed,  eighteen  inches  apart 
every  way,  and  sixteen  or  eighteen  inches 
deep  ;  the  root-cuttings,  prepai'ed  as  directed, 
are  let  down  to  the  bottom  of  the  holes,  which 
are  afterwards  filled  up  with  fine  sifted  cinder- 
dust,  and  the  surface  of  the  bed  is  raked  over 
as  is  usual  with  other  crops ;  it  will  be  some 
time  before  the  plants  appear,  and  the  opera,- 
tion  of  weeding  must  be  done  with  the  hand, 
and  not  with  the  hoe,  till  the  crop  can  be 
fairly  seen  ;  afterwards  nothing  more  is  requi- 
site, beyond  the  usual  work  of  keeping  clean, 
till  the  taking  up  of  the  crop,  and  this  may 
be  done  at  any  time  during  the  winter  months. 
My  time  of  planting  is  between  the  middle  of 
February  and  the  middle  of  March ;  I  always 
find  that  the  stouter  the  cutting  the  better 
will  be  the  produce  ;  no  make-shift  roots  will 
do  well,  neither  can  careless  planting  be 
allowed:  if  due  attention  to  these  essential 
points  is  not  given,  I  cannot  promise  a  good 
crop.  The  instrument  used  for  making  the 
holes  is  like  a  potato-dibber,  about  an  inch 
and  a  half  in  diameter  near  the  point,  and  two 
inches  and  a  half  at  the  upper  part,  so  that 
the  top  of  the  hole  it  makes  is  larger  than  the 
bottom.— Letter  from  Mr.  D.  Judd. 

[We  prefer  leaving  the  sets  in  the  bottom 
of  the  trenches  to  any  dibbling  ;  but  we  have 
no  doubt  the  writer  grew  them  to  his  own 
satisfaction.] 

Flax  as  an  ornamental  plant  in  the 
Flower  Garden. — The  soil  of  every  flower 
garden  is  always  rich  enough  to  produce  good 
flax  ;  but  if  it  is  loamy  rather  than  sandy,  the 
quantity  will  be  nearly  double  :  even  in  the 
fields,  which  can  never  be  cultivated  with  the 
nicety  of  a  gentleman's  garden,  I  have  ob- 
served the  greatest  crops  in  a  loamy  soil,  and 
that  they  yielded  an  article  superior  in  quality 

Y  2 


524 


PAPERS  AND  PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


^is  well  as  quantity ;  for  as  the  durability  of 
the  fibre  depends  in  some  measure  upon  its 
size,  there  can  be  no  doubt  that  tall  and 
vigorous  plants  are  preferable  to  small  ones. 
There  are  various  ways  of  disposing  this 
plant  so  as  to  be  exceedingly  ornamental, 
tout  none  more  so  than  scattering  it  in  ran- 
dom parcels,  or  little  clumps  of  from  ten  to 
twenty  plants,  towards  the  back  of  the  flower- 
borders,  and  in  the  front  .of  the  shrubbery  : 
for,  without  the  summer  proves  uncommonly 
dry,  it  will  attain  to  the  height  of  three  and 
four  feet.  If  a  temporary  edging,  or  summer 
screen,  is  wanted  for  any  particular  bed,  it  may 
be  also  employed  for  this  purpose.  The  seeds 
of  good  flax  are  short,  plump,  thick,  very 
oily,  and  of  a  bright  brown  colour.  The  best 
season  for  sowing  them  in  most  gardens  is 
February,  or  the  beginning  of  March,  v/hen 
the  general  crop  of  hardy  annuals  is  put  in ; 
but  if  the  ground  be  sandy,  and  naturally  dry, 
they  should  be  sown  in  October  or  Novem- 
ber. No  more  attention  than  what  is  neces- 
sary for  the  other  flowers  in  the  garden — 
which  is,  keeping  down  all  weeds,  while  in  the 
seed-leaf,  with  a  hoe — will  be  requisite  for 
this.  As  soon  as  the  seed  begins  to  ripen, 
and  the  plants  turn  yellow,  pull  the  whole  up 
by  the  roots,  and  lay  it  in  bundles  exposed  to 
the  full  sun,  if  the  weather  is  fine,  to  dry 
completely.  Then  pull  the  heads  ofi^,  and 
shake  out  the  seeds.  Immediately  after  it 
must  be  laid  to  macerate  in  a  ditch,  or  pond 
of  water,  and  kept  under  by  a  long  piece  of 
timber  floating  upon  it.  From  five  to  ten 
days  is  the  time  necessary  for  its  immersion, 
and  after  the  fifth,  it  must  be  examined  daily, 
taking  especial  care  that  it  does  not  lie  too 
long.  As  soon  as  ever  you  find  the  fibres  are 
sufficiently  macerated  to  separate  from  one 
another  kindly,  spread  it  to  dry  on  a  new- 
mown  meadow.  When  dry  it  must  be  again 
collected  into  bundles,  and  either  sent  to  the 
flax-dresser,  or  prepared  for  spinning  at  home 
by  the  gardener's  wife.  In  many  districts 
this  operation  is  well  understood,  and  if  care- 
fully performed,  homespun  linen  from  such 
flax  will  last  twice  the  time  of  most  of  tlie 
Irish  linen  that  is  to  be  purchased  in  our 
shops.  I  believe  it  is  a  great  error  to  pull 
the  flax  so  green  as  is  commonly  practised, 
and  a  still  greater  to  soak  it  in  water  before 
it  is  previously  dried,  for  the  fibres  require 
twice  the  time  to  macei'ate  sufficiently  for 
separation  in  the  dressing. — Letter  from  Mr. 
J.  Dunbar. 

Forest  Trees  in  Parks.— This  is  a 
country  abounding  with  stone,  and  as  my 
quarries,  out  of  which  I  was  building  a  new 
mansion,  afforded  much  refuse  stone  in  large 
lumps,  I  made  a  trial  by  planting  some  trees  of 
about  eight  feet  in  height,  and  placing  at  their 


feet  two  two-horse  cart  loads  of  rough  lumps 
of  stone,  not  built  up  high,  but  packed  close 
by  each  other,  and  set  on  edge  so  as  to  make 
a  tabular,  but  veiy  rugged  surface  round  the 
foot  of  the  tree,  and  extended  to  the  distance 
of  four  feet.  These  trees  succeeded  well,  and 
far  beyond  my  expectation.  On  considering 
the  cause  of  their  success,  it  appeared  to  me 
that  the  stones  served  the  three  purposes  of 
fencing,  staking,  and  mulching  :  the  first  of 
which  is  always  necessary,  to  defend  them 
from  the  assaults  of  cattle ;  the  second  is 
equally  so  if  the  plants  are  tall,  to  save  them 
from  being  displaced  by  winds  after  they  shall 
have  taken  fresh  root;  and  the  third  also  is 
necessary  in  case  of  a  dry  summer,  the  first 
after  the  transplantation  of  the  trees,  to  pro- 
tect the  soil  from  over  drought,  whilst  they 
are  striking  fresh  root  into  it.  The  stones, 
placed  as  I  have  described,  are  a  sufficient 
fence  against  horned  cattle,  which,  having 
feet  made  for  going  upon  soft  ground,'will  not 
mount  the  rugged  surface  of  the  stones.  Sheep 
and  deer  will  scarcely  annoy  trees  whose  bark 
has  acquired  roughness ;  but  they  may  be 
easily  repelled  by  a  few  thorns  bound  round 
the  lower  part  of  the  stems.  Nor  will  com- 
mon horses  go  upon  the  stones,  or  endeavour 
to  reach  the  trees,  and  tear  off  the  bark  ;  but, 
against  high-bred  horses,  which  are  disposed 
to  attack  everything  of  wood,  the  stones  are  not 
a  sufficient  fence,  unless  they  are  packed  with 
a  surface  very  rugged,  and  extended  six  feet 
round  the  tree.  Against  displacement  by 
winds  the  stones  are  a  better  security  than  can 
be  provided  by  any  manner  of  staking  and 
binding ;  for  they  are  a  power  always  in 
action  by  their  weight,  and  the  surface  of  the 
soil  is  shaded  by  them  from  the  too  great 
power  of  the  sun,  Avhilst  the  rains  sink 
through,  and  encourage  the  roots  to  sprout 
afresh,  and  extend  themselves  thi'ough  the 
soil ;  thus  they  serve  the  purpose  of  mulching. 
The  best  trees  to  plant  out  are  certainly  those 
whose  roots  and  heads  have  been  properly 
trained  by  pruning  and  cultivation  in  a  nur- 
sery :  such  may  be  planted  out  at  greater  ages 
and  sizes  than  trees  taken  from  plantations  of 
a  few  years'  growth,  and  will  both  strike  fresh 
root  more  certainly,  and  grow  faster ;  but  these 
last  may  be  taken  up  when  from  ten  to  twenty 
or  tv/enty-five  feet  high,  and  planted  out  with 
full  success,  provided  the  three  following  par- 
ticulars are  observed  : — first,  to  get  up  as  much 
root  as  possible ;  next,  to  reduce  the  branches 
down  to  the  due  proportion  with  the  root 
which  has  been  got  up.  A  great  part  of  the 
I'oots  is  unavoidably  lost  in  the  taking  up  of 
the  tree,  and  it  is  the  most  efficient  part, 
being  the  extreme  fibres  ;  the  root  has  thus 
lost  its  natural  proportion  to  the  head,  and  is 
now  insufliciept  to  supply  it  Avith  moisture, 


VEGETATION    ON    THE    BANKS    OF    THE.  WHITE    NILE. 


325 


Ti-ees  plantpcl  cut  in  this  state,  often,  after 
having  put  forth  their  leaves,  die  suddenly ; 
and  others,  which  continue  to  live,  will  fall 
into  a  languid  state,  and  die  off  gradually,  or 
recover  their  vigour  very  slowly.  Thirdly, 
in  planting  the  trees  afresh,  care  must  be 
taken  to  spread  all  the  roots  evenly,  none 
being  allowed  to  be  curled  round,  or  turned 
up   at  the  ends.     It  is  not  necessary  to  pre- 


serve and  carry  any  earth  about  the  roots. 
Autumn,  directly  the  leaf  has  fallen,  is  the 
best  season  for  the  work ;  and  by  careful 
practice,  according  to  the  method  above  de- 
scribed, I  have  had  perfect  success  in  trans- 
planting trees  of  from  eight  to  twenty  feet 
high.  —  Letter  from  Sir  Charles  M.  L. 
Monck,  Bart, 


VEGETATION  ON  THE  BANKS  OF  THE  WHITE  NILE. 


The  I'ich  and  varied  vegetation  which  was 
seen  by  the  explorers  of  1841  along  the  whole 
course  of  the  White  Nile  has  not  yet  been 
completely  and  botanically  examined  and  de- 
scribed. When  future  travellers  have  ascended 
the  mysterious  stream,  and  ascertained  the 
nature  and  names  of  the  countless  plants  which 
bloom  on  its  banks,  we  shall  doubtless  be  pre- 
sented with  much  new,  curious,  and  valuable 
information,  which  will  add  largely  to  the 
store  of  our  botanical  knowledge,  and  perhaps 
reveal  to  us  species,  and  even  families  of  plants 
hitherto  unknown.  Mr.  Werne  saw,  and  often 
examined  them;  but  could  not  pause,  and  may 
not  have  possessed  the  means  thoroughly  to 
investigate  the  subject.  His  descriptions,  how- 
ever, scattered  amidst  a  vast  mass  of  informa- 
tion of  other  kinds,  may  enable  us  to  form  an 
idea  of  the  nature,  the  richness,  and  the  va- 
riety of  the  vegetation  which  flourishes  on  the 
banks  of  a  stream  whose  source  has  not  yet 
been  discovered,  but  which  the  late  expedition 
ascended  farther  than  any  which  had  preceded 
it.  We  possess,  consequently,  in  the  narrative 
of  Werne,  the  description  of  a  new  country  ; 
and  everything  connected  with  the  aspect,  the 
people,  the  civilization,  the  resources — animal, 
mineral,  vegetable — of  an  almost  untravelled 
region,  must  be  invested  with  peculiar  interest. 
And  more  esjDecially  is  this  the  case  with  the 
White  River  of  interior  Africa,  the  father  of 
the  mighty  Nile,  which  has  from  time  to  time 
engaged  the  attention  of  science  through  all 
ages,  and  among  all  civilized  nations. 

Having  left  the  Blue  Stream,  and  entered 
upon  that  Avhose  sources  they  were  now,  if 
possible,  to  explore,  the  vessels  proceeded 
along  the  broad  river,  whose  banks  were  richly 
wooded  with  a  belt  of  copses  and  trees,  beyond 
which  the  unvarying  desert  spread  itself  away 
beyond  the  range  of  vision.  Soon,  however, 
new  and  more  beautiful  features  presented 
themselves.  The  marshy  country  on  either 
hand  was  covered  with  luxuriant  aquatic 
plants,  among  which  was  a  Nympli^ea,  with 
a  reddish  calyx,  like  the  convolvulus,  and  large 
cordate  leaves.  This  plant  is  called  Loss,  and 
exists  in  as  much  abundance  in  this  region  as 
the  white  lotus  at  a  later  season,  the  double 


flowers  of  which  glitter  brilliantly  from  among* 
the  leaves,  in  company  with  others  of  different 
species,  but  not  less  beautiful,  which  cover  the 
surface  of  this  watery  expanse,  described  as  a 
floating  world  of  flowers,  from  forth  of  which 
this  magnificent  one  glistens  with  peculiar 
splendour  in  the  moist  atmosphere  of  the  morn- 
ing. Werne's  own  remarks  on  the  Lotos  will 
be  read  with  interest. 

"  The  Lotos  shines  here  in  great  luxuriance, 
like  a  double  white  lily.  This  stellated  flower 
opens  with  the  rising  of  the  sun,  and  closes 
when  it  sets.  I  noticed,  however,  afterwards, 
that  where  they  are  not  protected  in  someway 
from  the  ardent  heat,  they  likewise  close  when 
the  sun  approaches  the  zenith.  Some  of  their 
stalks  were  six  feet  long,  and  very  porous  j 
from  which  latter  quality  these  stems,  as  well 
as  the  flower  and  the  larger  leaves — dark  green, 
above  and  red- brown  below,  with  a  flat  ser- 
rated border — have  a  magniflcent  transparent 
vein ;  but  become  so  shrivelled,  even  during 
the  damp  night,  that  in  the  morning  I  scarcely 
recognised  those  which  I  had  over-night  laid 
close  to  my  bed  on  the  shore.  The  ancient 
Egyptians  must  therefore  have  been  quick  ia 
offering  up  the  lotus.  The  flower  peeps  out,, 
however,  only  a  little  above  the  water,  and  the 
fruit  sinks  downwards,  either  from  natural 
inclination  or  from  the  weakness  of  the  stalk. 
The  flower  has  about  twenty  tapering  white 
leaves,  arranged  round  a  calyx  of  a  yellow  gold 
colour,  which  is  similar  tothatof  theNymphcea 
in  our  mill-ponds.  The  fillet,  from  one  and 
a  half  to  three  inches  in  diameter,  is  like  a 
compressed  poppy  head,  and  ring-like  incisions, 
extend  from  its  corolla  to  the  stalk.  The 
small,  white  seed  lies  in  a  brownish,  wool-like, 
envelope,  and  fills  the  whole  capsule." 

The  roots  of  the  lotus  form  an  abundant 
and  nourishing  food,  somewhat  of  the  nature 
of  the  potato.  Mr.  Werne  says  : — "  Not  only 
are  the  tubers  of  the  Lotos  eaten,  but  also  the 
contents  of  the  seed  vessel,  being  mixed  with 
sesame  and  other  grains  in  the  bread  corn.  In 
order  to  prepare  the  tubers  to  our  taste,  and 
to  free  them  from  the  earthy  flavour,  the  first 
water  in  which  they  are  boiled  must  be  thrown 
away;  then  they  taste  almost  like  boiled  celery. 


826 


VEGETATION    ON    THE    BANKS    OP    THE    WHITE    NILE. 


and  may  be  very  nutritious  ;  but  I  was  not 
inclined  to  become  a  Lotopbagus,  and  would 
rather  eat  potatoes,  skins  and  all.  Although 
there  are  a  number  of  tuberous  plants  in  these 
regions,  which  the  natives  use  for  food,  the 
potato  would  not  flourish  here,  any  more  than 
in  the  far  colder  Egypt,  where  it  becomes 
watery,  from  the  length  of  time  the  water 
remains  on  it." 

^  Floating  islands  abound  on  this  part  of  the 
river.  The  base  is  formed  by  a  pale  velvet- 
plant,  which  spreads  itself  in  auricle-like  lobes, 
has  fibrous  roots  to  intertwine  with  the  reeds, 
but  never  blooms.  [Apparently  a  Pistia.'] 
A  kind  of  water  couch-grass  sei'ves  also  to 
bind  together  the  mass  of  vegetation,  with  a 
stalky,  mossy  plant,  which  spreads  itself  over 
the  water,  and  shoots  forth  slender  white 
suckers,  like  polypi,  and  over  this  a  kind  of 
convolvulus,  with  lilac-coloured  flowers,  and 
leaves  like  those  of  the  butter-cup,  grows  in 
profusion,  mingled  with  the  blooming  lotus, 
amid  which  various  parasitical  plants  twine 
their  slender  creepers,  so  as  to  form  a  compact 
island  of  vegetation.  The>  spectacle  presented 
by  one  of  these  fields  of  flowers,  floating  on 
the  surface  of  the  water,  and  extending  for 
miles  together,  surpasses  in  singularity  and 
beauty  anything  that  can  be  imagined.  From 
the  tall  dark  mimosas  on  the  shore,  down  to 
the  waving  reeds,  and  the  spikes  of  the  high 
grass  shooting  above  the  surface,  a  vegetable 
life  spreads  with  an  exuberance  absolutely 
marvellous.  The  splendid  leaf-like  webs  of  the 
Manias  form  hillocks  and  gai'lands  of  flowers, 
and,  with  their  variegated  bright  colours,  shine 
in  the  distance  like  magnificent  tapestry  hung 
over  the  more  sober  foliage  of  the  forest, 
amongst  which,  however,  the  blooming  A  m- 
hak  tree,  with  its  abundance  of  large  flowers 
and  acacia-like  leaves,  lifts  its  gay  head  in 
striking  contrast. 

The  Amhah,  which  is  sometimes  found  in 
thickets,  was  known  to  the  ancient  Egyptians. 
Its  stems  were  doubtless  employed  as  writing 
materials,  in  the  same  manner  as  the  stalk  of 
the  gigantic  reed  {Papyrus  antiquorutn)  which 
is  so  abundant  in  the  White  Nile.  [The  Arabs 
call  it  Amhak,  but  they  are  only  acquainted 
with  the  dry,  light  wood  which  floats  down 
to  them.  The  ti'ee  grows  only  either  in  the 
water  or  in  the  mud,  and  dies  down  to  the  roots 
after  the  water  leaves  it.  Its  growth  is  more 
rapid  than  the  rising  of  the  Nile;  and  it  shoots 
ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  the  highest  level  of 
the  water.  It  rises  somewhat  conically  ojjt  of 
the  water,  but  is  smaller  again  towards  the 
root ;  and  in  the  middle  is  about  the  thickness 
of  a  man's  arm.  The  wood  is  spongy,  and  can 
only  be  called  a  fibrous  pith  enclosed  in  a  bark, 
which  is  dark  green,  covered  with  a  rough 
brownish    growth,    and  little,  inconspicuous, 


curved  thorns.  The  branches  are  divested  to 
the  summit,  and  are  wholly  green  and  rough. 
The  acacia-like  leaves  are  in  pairs,  succulent, 
and  green  as  a  rush.  The  yellow,  bean-like 
flowers,  solitary,  but  very  numerous.] 

Indeed  the  edge  of  the  river's  bank  was 
wrapped  in  flowery  vegetation,  so  rank  in  its 
luxuriance,  so  exuberant,  so  lavishly  thrown 
upon  the  surface,  that  it  seemed  as  though 
nature  had  flung  her  gifts  there  with  a  partial 
hand ;  thus  compensating  the  people,  in  a 
measure,  for  their  small  share  in  the  advan- 
tages which  other  and  less  beautiful  regions 
bestow  upon  their  inhabitants.  Nor  were  all 
these  crowded  together  in  particular  places. 
The  river,  from  its  confluence  with  the  Blue 
Stream,  as  far  as  the  Mountains  of  the  Moon, 
presents,  with  few  exceptions,  the  same  rich 
spectacle  which  compensated,  in  the  eyes  of 
the  travellers,  for  the  otherwise  monotonous 
landscapes  which  they  saw  in  ascending  the 
White  Stream. 

As  we  have  before  observed,  our  limited 
scientific  knowledge  of  the  vegetation  on  the 
banks  of  the  White  Nile  precludes  a  botanical 
description  of  any  of  the  plants  there  to  be 
found.  Our  object  must  be  to  affbrd  an  idea  of 
the  richness  and  variety  of  that  vegetation,  in 
order  that  a  knowledge  of  this  fact  may  induce 
some  enterprising  traveller,  whose  studies  have 
fitted  him  for  the  task,  to  push  his  researches 
up  that  mysterious  river,  to  examine  the 
hitherto  unnumbered  shrubs  and  plants  which 
there  flourish  unknown  to  those  who  feel  the 
deepest  interest  in  such  subjects.  When  that 
is  accomplished,  it  will  be  interesting  to  com- 
pare the  descriptions  of  the  botanical  explorer 
with  the  statements  of  the  unscientific  man 
who  repeats  in  his  narrative  the  impressions 
produced  on  his  mind,  but  cannot  embody  his 
description  in  the  technical  language  employed 
in  this  as  in  all  other  branches  of  science. 

The  bright  flowers  of  the  j)oiso7i-tree  were 
often  visible  on  the  shore.  There  are  species, 
both  Euphorbias,  with  blue  and  red  blossoms. 
The  deadly  exudation  with  which  the  native 
arrows  are  poisoned,  proceeds  from  the  bruised 
stems ;  an  intoxicating  milk  gushes  from  the 
leaves,  and  is  infused  into  bowls  of  meressa, 
a  kind  of  spirituous  liquor  consumed  in  great 
quantities  in  these  countries.  One  of  the  poison 
plants  attains  the  size  of  a  tree  ;  the  other 
species,  seldom  the  height  of  a  bush.  They 
are  singular  in  appearance,  and  easily  distin- 
guished from  other  trees  by  their  curious 
shape. 

The  red  and  blue  convolvulus  is  found  in 
much  abundance  in  nearly  all  parts  of  the 
river,  as  well  as  two  species  of  wild  cucumbers, 
one  of  which  has  a  large  and  deep  yelloAV 
flower,  whilst  the  other  bears  a  blossom 
of  somewhat  the  same  coloui',  but  smaller. 


VEGETATION    ON    THE    BANKS    OF    THE    WHITE   NILE. 


327 


Red  and  yellow  flowering  befins,  growing  in 
the  water,  and  twining  amid  the  mass  of 
other  aquatic  plants,  creep  up  the  banks  in 
the  utmost  luxuriance. 

Water  thistles,  with  lanceolate  leaves  and 
reddish  flowers  of  the  thickness  of  a  finger, 
grow  here  in  the  same  manner  as  in  the  Ger- 
man fishponds,  with  green  water  lentils,  which 
in  some  places  completely  cover  the  banks  of 
the  stream,  from  which,  far  into  the  margin, 
there  is  sometimes  nothing  to  be  seen  but  an 
immense  extent  of  land  carpeted  with  bright 
yellow  grass,  and  dotted  occasionally  with 
clumps  of  an  acacia  tree,  with  flowers  of  a 
golden  colour,  hanging  in  clusters  like  the 
dark  bunches  of  the  laburnum.  These  grassy 
plains,  with  occasionally  the  more  luxuriantly 
covered  lands,  are  not  unfvequently  swept  by 
vast  conflagrations,  which,  aided  by  the  power- 
ful heat  of  the  sun,  in  drying  the  vegetation, 
and  rendering  it  fitter  food  for  the  flames, 
sometimes  burn  for  days  together,  driven  be- 
fore the  wind,  and  leaving  behind  them  a  wide 
track  of  desolation,  covered  with  black  ashes, 
and  a  damp  unctuous  smoke.  These  acci- 
dents are  commonly  the  result  of  a  practice 
much  in  vogue  among  the  dwellers  on  the 
shores  of  the  White  Nile, — namely,  that  of 
kindling  signal  fires  to  communicate  with  each 
other,  and  also  small  conflagrations  to  drive 
away  the  gnats.  Nevertheless,  such  circum- 
stances are  not  of  sufficiently  constant  occur- 
rence to  divest  the  country  of  that  luxuriant 
aspect  under  which  it,  in  most  places,  and  at 
all  times,  appears  ;  for  a  small  tract  of  land, 
swept  clear  of  verdure  by  the  flames  of  a  con- 
flagration, was  rather  a  relief  than  otherwise 
to  the  eye,  wearied  by  bright  flowers  and  green 
grass  and  foliage.  The  river  islands  which  we 
have  mentioned  were  covered  literally  with 
masses  of  verdure,  "  high-sprouting  plants  and 
vegetables,  between  blooming  shrubs." 

Doum  and  Dhellib  palms,  the  latter  espe- 
cially,remarkable  from  its  singular  shape,  with 
poison  and  elephant  trees,  were  constantly  to 
be  seen,  rising  high  above  the  inferior  vege- 
tation. This  last,  whose  gigantic  fruit  is  used 
as  an  article  of  food,  attains  a  great  size,  and 
spreads  out  a  broad  shady  roof  of  leaves, 
intermingled  with  magnificent  long  clusters  of 
flowers,  Avhich  may  be  reckoned  among  the 
most  beautiful  of  the  ornaments  of  this  region, 
favoured  as  it  is  in  these  respects.  There  is 
another  tree,  the  Emeddi,  with  light-coloured 
branches,  like  those  of  the  sycamore,  and  buds 
at  the  end  of  the  boughs,  similar  to  those  of 
the  chestnut-tree.  It  is  said  to  flourish  on  all 
the  mountains  of  Nubia,  and  is  covered  at  the 
proper  season  of  the  year,  the  exact  period  of 
which  has  not  been  ascertained,  with  small 
flowers,  and  a  sweet  red  fruit,  hanging  in 
bunches  like  the  grape,  and  somewhat  of  the 


same  shape  and  size.  It  is  to  be  regretted 
that  Werne  could  not  obtain  exact  informa- 
tion connected  with  this  tree,  and  was  not  able 
to  observe  it  when  in  the  fulness  of  its  bloom. 

There  is  another,  no  less  beautiful,  and  even 
more  curious.  It  looks,  from  a  distance,  like 
a  handsome  tree  covered  with  snow.  This 
appearance  is  caused  by  the  immense  number 
of  its  delicate  white  flowers.  The  leaves  are 
small,  pointed,  and  succulent,  and  something 
like  those  of  the  pear,  which  indeed  resembles 
this  tree  in  many  other  respects.  Four  white 
leaves  are  arranged  round  eighteen  long  blue 
stamina.  The  fruit  is  said  to  be  as  large  as 
an  egg,  and  is  eaten  with  great  relish  by  the 
natives. 

Among  all  the  trees,  however,  which  our 
traveller  saw,  none  flourished  in  such  plenty 
as  the  Mimosa,  which  like  the  Mangrove  in 
the  rivers  of  the  Indian  Archipelago,  wearies 
the  eye  with  its  monotonous  abundance.  Eopes 
were  fabricated  from  the  soft  wood  of  these 
trees,  to  be  used  in  towing  the  vessels  against 
the  current,  and  in  the  absence  of  wind. 

Our  author,  whose  journey  lay,  for  a  great 
distance,  through  a  country  totally  unknown, 
was  not  urged  by  curiosity  to  examine,  even 
cursorily,  the  various  plants,  flowers,  and 
trees,  which  he  saw  in  such  abundance  and  in 
such  variety.  On  the  contrary,  he  constantly 
makes  mention  of  immense  numbers  of  flowers, 
and  other  ornamental  plants,  of  different  colours 
and  species,  but  does  not  even  so  much  as 
attempt  to  individualize  or  describe  them  with 
minuteness.  Had  he  done  so,  had  he  even 
counted  the  dififerent  kinds  which  came  under 
his  observation,  we  might  have  possessed  much 
more  information  than  has  in  reality  been 
collected.  However,  sufficient  is  said  in  the 
volume  to  answer  our  purpose  in  the  present 
article,  which  is  to  excite  the  reader's  interest 
in  those  wonderful  regions  which  border  the 
White  Nile. 

The  small-leaved  tobacco,  with  dun-coloured 
flowers,  grows  in  the  country  lying  immedi- 
ately before  that  where  the  traveller's  pro- 
gress ceased,  but  Werne  is  not  able  to  tell  us 
whether  it  is  indigenous,  or  has  been  intro- 
duced by  immigrants.  Open  expanses  of  sand 
were  seen  farther  up,  extending  for  miles,  co- 
vered with  the  small  white  and  vai'iegated 
bean,  which  also  flourished  luxuriantly  on  the 
skirts  of  the  wood. 

"  I  made  an  incursion,"  says  the  author, 
"^  into  this  interesting  forest.  It  lies  upon  a 
slightly  elevated,  sandy  bottom,  on  which  the 
doum  palms  do  not  grow  as  luxuriantly  as  in 
the  country  of  the  Tshierer,  where  I  counted 
sixty  lances  on  one  leaf,  whilst  here  there  are 
only  from  fortj'^-two  to  forty-six.  I  had  previ- 
ously preserved  a  vegetable,  though  without 
knowins;   the  nature  of  its  root.     Here  the 


328 


FANCY    GERANIUMS, 


sailors  grubbed  up  some  of  the  same  sort,  and 
I  saw  tubers  on  them  three  feet  and  a  quarter 
thick  ;  running  towards  the  upper  part  in  a 
round  form,  but  appearing  to  branch  out 
below  like  enormous  roots.  Slender  roots 
shoot  from  these  main  tubers,  and  on  them 
rises  an  insignificant-looking  vegetable,  a  foot 
high,  covered  at  the  top  with  small  oval,  pale 
green  leaves,  like  those  of  the  box-tree ;  the 
clusters  of  gossamer  flowers  are  of  a  yellowish 
colour.  It  is  called  Irg-el-moje  (water-root) 
in  Nuban;  is  very  full  of  juices,  but  of  a 
nauseous  sweet  taste.  The  suckers,  properly 
speaking,  must  strike  to  a  great  depth  in  the 
soil.  Our  liquorice  tastes  perhaps  better, 
owing  to  its  dryness." 

Beautiful  red  peas,  or  vetches,  were  also 
found.  They  are  small,  hard,  and  rough,  like 
beads,  have  a  black  eye,  with  a  white  and 
scarcely  visible  line,  and  are  called  Jlqfn-el- 
aruss  (bride-grain).  The  Endeyah,  a  large 
tree,  with  willow-like  laciniated  bark,  groAvs 
in  great  abundance  in  this  part  of  tlje  country. 
From  its  name  it  would  appear  to  delight  in 
moist  situations.  It  beais  clusters  of  green 
flowers  on  its  lower  branches,  hanging  in  wild 
jjlenty  and  disorder,  small  round  fruit,  and 
truncated  leaves.  A  large  tree,  completely 
stripped  of  leaves,  but  covered  with  prickles 
and  a  species  of  apple,  was  also  observed.  It  is 
said,  in  the  proper  season,  to  bear  great  quan- 
tities of  small,  round  leaves,  with  abundance  of 
Avhite  flowers. 

The  floating  islands  continued  to  meet  them 
in  their  descent,  now  moored,  as  it  were,  by 
binding  ropes  of  vegetation,  now  borne  down 
by  the  current,  like  so  many  moving  gardens, 
covered  with  convolvuli,  in  verdant  splendour, 
and  considerably  elevated  above  the  water. 
The  appearance  of  these  floating  parks  was 
singularly  picturesque. 

The  return  voyage  lay,  for  a  great  part, 
through  new  channels,  whose  banks  were 
equally  rich  in  flowei'S  and  other  plants.  But 
further  observations  are  unnecessary,  since  they 
could  only  describe  beauty  and  abundance  of 
vegetation,  without  descending  into  what 
would  be  most  interesting — minute  particulars 
connected  with  the  nature  and  species  of  the 
plants.  We  therefore  quit  the  subject,  and 
assure  our  readers  that  we  have  not  ovei-rated 
the  magnificence  of  these  green  and  verdant 
shores,  between  which  the  Nile,  the  river  of 
mystery,  pursues  its  course.  Its  place  of  birth 
is  still  unknown  ;  the  glories  around  its  foun- 
tain head  remain  undissipated  ;  but  futurejti'a- 
vellers  may,  within  the  present  age,  unravel 
the  difficult  problem,  and  submit  to  us  a 
botanical  description  of  the  banks  of  the 
White  Nile,  at  the  same  time  that  they  lay 
bare  the  secrets  of  its  source. 


THE  EKENCH,  OR  EANCY  GERANIUM. 

Theee  is  a  completely  new  class  of  gera- 
niums which  may  be  compared  to  the  original 
fancy  dahlias  ;  that  is  to  say,  they  were  ex- 
traordinary in  their  colours,  and  extremely 
ragged ;  they  were  marked  in  a  strange 
manner  unlike  any  of  the  florists'  vai'ieties, 
and  the  great  fault  of  the  originals,  if  tried 
by  the  test  laid  down  for  exhibitions,  was 
their  ragged  edges,  and  the  undefined,  cloudy, 
or  scratchy  nature  of  the  markings.  The 
former  is  improving,  and  the  shape  of  some 
of  the  new  ones  is  pretty  round,  but  none  of 
them  as  yet  have  a  smooth  edge  ;  they  are 
all  more  or  less  frilly,  although  much  less  so 
than  some  of  the  earliest.  They  are  all  in- 
clined to  be  dwarf,  and  therefore  adapted  for 
bedding  out,  and  are  said  to  be  continuous 
bloomers,  after  the  fashion  of  the  scarlets,  a 
point  of  great  advantage  for  border  flowers. 
They  have  been  much  improved  by  Ambrose 
and  Gaines,  the  English  nurserymen ;  and  at 
the  recent  exhibitions  they  have  been  shown 
a  good  deal  varied  in  colour ;  still  they  want 
brilliancy,  one  of  the  most  essential  qualities 
of  a  bedding-out  flower.  Scarlets,  yellows, 
blues  light  and  dark,  are  tolerable  ;  whites 
are  distinct,  but  those  indefinite  dull  lilacs, 
purples,  and  rose  colours,  that  have  nothing 
distinct,  are  by  no  means  desirable,  although 
where  we  have  many  beds  we  must  have  the 
best  we  can  obtain.  It  is  almost  impossible 
to  decide  upon  their  general  habit  by  the  spe- 
cimens we  see  at  shows,  for  they  are  spread 
out  a  foot  round  the  pot ;  and  the  surface  is 
made  even  by  the  mechanical  means  applied  ; 
still  they  are  more  dwarf  than  other  gera- 
niums, more  so  than  some  of  the  alleged 
dwarf  scarlets,  and  may  be  useful.  One  of 
the  richest  colours  may  be  found  in  a  new 
one  shown  by  Gaines,  called  the  Hero  of 
Surrey. 

We  have  now,  however,  an  entirely  new 
family,  originated  in  the  hands  of  Mr.  Beck. 
Two  or  three  years  ago  there  was  a  flower 
of  his  exhibited,  called  Harlequin,  a  bright 
colour  and  a  shape  as  different  as  can  be 
imagined  from  the  whole  geranium  tribe;  a 
flower  full  of  points  and  deep  serratures,  nei- 
ther square,  round,  nor  any  other  describable 
form,  except  that  it  was  uniform.  The  pre- 
sent season  there  were  two  others  exhibited 
quite  as  remarkable,  very  different  in  colour 
from  each  other,  and  from  the  original  one  of 
this  sti'ange  branch  of  the  geranium  family. 
They  will  be  more  effective  for  bedding  out 
than  any  of  the  fancy  ones,  because  their 
colours  are  brighter,  and  better  defined,  and 
contrasted  with  the  ground.  They  also  ap- 
pear to  be  abundant  bloomers,  and  of  pretty 
habit.     There   is  no  accounting  for  the  de- 


UUSSELIA    JUNCEA. 


529 


parture  from  the  ordinary  form  of  the  gera- 
nium flower  when  every  other  peculiarity  of 
the  geranium  is  preserved.  Tlie  petals  of 
the  flower  are  as  thick  as  thin  leather,  and 
perfectly  stiff,  a  quality  likely  to  render  the 
flower  capable  of  i-emaining  a  long  time  in 
perfection.  In  a  general  way  we  do  not 
approve  of  perpetuating  any  monstrous  and 
unnatural  tribe  of  flowers  that  have  at- 
tained anything  like  an  approach  to  per- 
fection. Hence  we  denounced  anemone- 
flowering  dahlias  ;  successfully  too,  for  they 
were  banished.  But  where  there  is  novelty 
with  good  qualities  to  be  had,  we  have  no 
objection,  therefore  we  are  glad  to  see  the 
fancy  dahlias  encouraged  by  prizes,  because 
there  was  no  reason  why  they  should  be 
second  in  form  to  the  best  show  flowers. 
Now  we  have  fancy  or  border  flowers  in 
the  geranium  tribe  which  may  become  of 
use  from  their  peculiar  habits,  we  are  not 
sorry  to  see  prizes  awarded  for  them  as  seed- 
lings, but  as  pot  plants  we  do  not  like  them, 
and  we  hope  to  see  common  sense  triumph, 
and  all  potted  geraniums  that  deper.d  on 
sticks  for  support  driven  from  shows.  The 
new  family,  of  which  we  have  seen  Marle- 
quhi,  Columbine,  and  Singularltij,  may  be 
deemed  an  entirely  ncAV  race  of  extraordinary 
but  not  florists'  flowers. 


RUSSELTA    JTJNCEA. 

This  is  one  of  the  most  graceful  plants  in 
the  stove,  but  one  very  likely  to  attract  the 
mealy  bug,  if  once  suffered  to  be  checked 
materially,  or  to  stand  still  too  long  when 
properly  at  rest.  It  is  a  long  grassy  weep- 
ing plant,  ugly  if  grown  too  vigorously,  for 
there  will  sometimes  be  shoots  so  ramping  as 
to  seem  unnatural.  It  is  a  plant  which  should 
never  rest  long  nntil  it  is  a  specimen  and  well 
flowered.  Use  for  its  culture  half  turfy  peat, 
and  half  loam  from  rotted  turves  ;  this,  well 
chopped  up  together,  but  not  sifted  other 
than  through  a  sieve  that  would  let  a  bullet 
through,  will  be  found  quite  adequate  to  its 
vigorous  growth.  In  a  small  pot  put  a  rooted 
cutting  ;  or,  if  you  have  only  the  cutting,  in- 
sert it  in  such  a  pot  with  a  small  glass  over 
it,  and  plunge  it  in  the  tan  for  the  sake  of 
bottom  heat.  When  it  has  struck  root,  and 
the  root  has  reached  the  side  of  the  pot,  give 
it  a  pot  one  size  larger,  with  the  same  kind  of 
soil,  but  let  one  third  of  the  height  be  filled 
with  broken  pot  for  draining.  Let  it  now 
have  a  moist  heat,  and  if  the  stove  is  kept 
too  dry,  have  a  glass  over  it,  but  it  will  do  no 
good  without  a  moist  heat  long  together  ; 
keep  it  still  in  gentle  bottom  heat,  you  will 


find  the  shoots  begin  to  move  pretty  fist,  on 
which  top  any  one  that  is  growing  too  fast, 
and  if  any  remarkably  vigorous  shoot  come  up, 
as  will  frequently  be  the  case,  stop  it  at  once  ; 
the  great  beauty  of  this  plant  consists  in  the 
shoots  growing  numerous  but  rather  weakly, 
and  hanging  over  the  side  of  the  pot,  which 
must  be  elevated  as  the  branches  lengthen. 
Some  cultivators  support  the  plant  up  to  a 
certain  height,  and  then  let  it  grow  over  and 
hang  down  towards  the  pot,  and  it  will  even 
hang  below  it  then  ;  but  the  plant  is  more 
likely  to  get  unhealthy  when  tied  up  to  sup- 
ports than  when  it  takes  its  natural  course, 
and  grows  at  once  over  the  edge  of  the  pot. 
As  fast  as  the  roots  reach  the  side  of  the  pot, 
it  must  have  a  shift  into  the  one  it  is  to 
bloom  in,  say  a  nine-inch  pot.  As  soon  as  it 
is  shifted  into  this,  there  may  be  several 
very  strong  shoots  come  up  much  thicker 
than  any  other  about  the  plant,  and  these 
must  be  shortened  at  once,  that  they  may 
tlu-ow  ou.t  lateral  branches  ;  the  shoots  should 
be  placed  equally  round  the  pot,  and  any  that 
grow  strong  enough  to  stand  upright,  should  be 
topped  before  they  advance  much  ;  the  plant 
will  very  soon  assume  its  natural  habit,  and 
droop  round  the  sides,  becoming  thicker  and 
thicker,  that  is,  more  and  more  numerous.  If 
there  be  a  disposition  to  send  forth  a  few 
straggling  blooms  here  and  there,  pick  them 
off  immediately ;  let  it  be  syringed  occasion- 
ally, and  continued  in  moist  heat  until  it  has 
grown  as  much  as  it  will,  and  begins  to 
slacken,  when  it  will  go  at  once  to  flower,  and 
bear  abundant  scarlet  or  coral  coloured  blooms 
about  the  size  of  the  common  barberry,  all 
along  the  graceful  long  pendant  branches, 
which  will  hang  a  yard  down  if  well  grown. 
The  propagation  of  this  is  very  simple ;  any 
one  of  the  joints  of  a  shoot  will  strike  root, 
but  in  a  plant  of  any  size  there  are  many 
side  shoots  at  the  bottom  that  would  come 
off  with  roots  to  them.  Many  who  sup- 
port the  plant  with  rings  and  sticks  as  it 
advances,  continue  to  change  the  pot  from 
size  to  size  until  it  comes  to  the  largest,  but 
those  who  allow  the  plant  to  grow  at  once 
over  the  edge  of  the  pot  cannot  do  this,  for 
after  one  or  two  shifts  it  is  very  difficult  to 
keep  the  plant  out  of  the  way  of  damage,  so 
that  it  is  necessary  to  place  it  in  the  large 
blooming  pot  at  the  end  of  two  or  three 
shifts  ;  while  it  is  blooming  there  is  a  com- 
plete stop  to  its  growth.  It  makes  a  great 
show  for  a  long  time,  and  there  are  many 
successive  flowers,  but  when  the  bloom  is 
over,  the  plant  is  a  good  deal  distressed,  and 
although  by  thinning  out,  cutting  back,  and 
repotting  in  new  soil,  it  may  grow  vigorously 
again,  it  is  better  to  keep  a  constant  succes- 
sion of  plants  to  come  in  after  one  another. 


330 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


It  is  the  fashion  to  grow  it  in  rich  compost, 
and  to  produce  very  large  and  handsomely 
grown  plants,  but  they  are  more  shy  of 
blooming,    and     rtirely   prove   well-flowered 


specimens  at  any  considerable  age.  Plants 
may  be  excited  too  much,  and  we  have  seen 
this  too  often  in  the  case  of  stove  and  green- 
house specimens. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


Calanthe  vestita,  Lindley  (clothed  Ca- 
lanthe). — Orchidaceee  §  Vandege-CalanthidEe. — 
This  is  one  of  the  most  beautiful  and  striking 
of  the  family  of  orchids.  It  is  a  terrestrial 
species,  that  is,  growing  in  soil;  with  rich 
green  leaves  eighteen  inches  or  more  in  length, 
springing  from  ^the  roots  ;  these  leaves  are 
lance-shaped  and  plaited,  and  are  narrowed 
towards  the  base.  The  flowers  grow  on  scapes, 
sevex'alof  whichissuefromavigorous  root ;  they 
grow  erect,  three  feet  high,  and  are  unbranched, 
but  the  upper  foot  of  their  height  is  furnished 
with  flowers,  forming  thus  a  terminal  erect 
raceme.  The  flowers  are  lai'ge,  pure  white, 
stained  in  the  centre  with  a  conspicuous  blotch 
of  deep  rich  crimson  ;  th,e  sepals  and  petals  are 
nearly  equal,  oblong,  and  reflexed  ;  the  lip 
much  longer,  broad,  measuring  an  inch  and 
a  half  in  each  direction,  deeply  three-lobed, 
the  central  lobe  two-parted  ;  the  crimson  blotch 
is  at  the  base  of  the  lip.  Native  of  Moulmein. 
Introduced  in  1847,  by  Messrs.  Yeitch  of 
Exeter.  Flowers  in  November,  and  probably 
at  other  periods.  Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ; 
turfy  loam  and  peat  ;  propagated  by  division 
of  the  root.  Tlie  plants  must  be  kept  cool  and 
dry  during  their  resting  period. 

Stemonacanthus  maceophyllus,  Nees 
(large-flowered  Stemonacanthus). — Acantha- 
cere  §  Echmatacanthi-Ruellidas. — A  free-grow- 
ing sub-shrubby  plant,  rather  showy,  well 
cultivated.  It  grows  three  to  four  feet  high, 
with  round  erect-growing  branches,  bearing 
large  opposite  ovate-acuminate  leaves,  and 
from  their  axils,  spreading  di-tri-chotomous 
panicles  of  flowers,  on  slender  peduncles  and 
pedicles.  The  flowers  are  large,  between  two 
and  three  inches  long,  handsome,  of  a  bright 
scarlet ;  the  corolla  consists  of  a  long  curved 
laterally  compressed  tube,  which  is  broadest 
towards  the  apex,  and  divided  into  a  large 
spreading  limb  of  five  oblong  obtuse  lobes, 
Avhich  soon  become  reflexed.  Native  of  New 
Grenada,  and  also  of  Mexico  and  Jamaica. 
Introduced  in  1844.  Flowers  through  the 
summer  months.  It  is  the  Ruellia  mucropliylla 
(Vahl).  Culture. — Requires  a  cool  stove,  and 
to  be  grown  in  a  genial  moist  climate  ;  rich 
loam  and  peat,  with  plenty  of  pot  room  ;  pro- 
pagated readily  by  cuttings. 

AsTSTAsiA  SCANDENS,  Hooker  (climbing 
Asystasia). — Acanthacese  §  Echmatacanthi- 
Ruellida3. — A  very  ornamental  climbing  plant, 
of  shrubby  character,  having  stout  round  stems. 


and  branches  bearing  opposite,  obovate,  or 
sometimes  ovate,  acute  leaves  of  a  dark  glossy 
green,  thickish,  and  somewhat  fleshy  in  texture, 
and  attached  by  short  thick  petioles.  The 
flowers  grow  in  thyrsoid  racemes,  terminating 
the  numerous  branches  ;  they  are  numerous, 
large,  and  of  a  creamy  or  yellowish-white 
colour,  often  tinged  with  blush  ;  their  form  is 
somewhat  funnel-shaped,  with  a  narrow  base, 
the  tube  curved  and  becoming  bell-shaped 
above,  where  it  divides  into  a  spreading  two- 
lipped  limb  of  five  broadly  ovate  lobes, 
crenato-crisped  along  the  margin.  Native  of 
Sierra  Leone.  Introduced  in  1845.  Flowers 
in  the  spring  months.  It  is  the  JRuellia 
quatenia  (Thonning),  Asystasia  quaterna, 
(Nees),  and  Senfreya  scandens  (Lindley),  by 
which  letter  name  it  is  known  in  English 
gardens,  {^qq  Annals  of  Hortictdture,  1847, 
p.  207.)  Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  peat 
and  loam  ;  propagated  by  cuttings. 

Primula  altaica,  Lehviann  (Altaian 
Primrose). — Primulace£e§Primulid£e. — Avery 
beautiful  dwarf  stemless  herbaceous  plant, 
v/ith  so  much  the  appearance  of  our  common 
primrose  when  out  of  flower,  as  to  have  been 
mistaken  for  it.  The  flowers  however  are  very 
different,  being  of  a  purple  colour,  with  a 
beautiful  orange  eye.  When  grown  freely, 
its  foliage  is  very  large  and  robust  ;  it  is  a 
most  profuse  bloomer,  and  possesses  a  slight 
but  delicious  fragrance.  Native  of  Karak,  a 
quarantine  station  on  the  Asiatic  side  of  the 
Bosphorus,  near  the  mouth  of  the  Black  Sea, 
and  elsewhere.  Introduced  in  1848,  by  C.  J. 
Darbyshire,  Esq.  (Recorded  as  ha^'ing  been 
introduced  originally  in  1 8 1 9,  but  probably  long 
since  lost.)  Flowers  throughout  the  winter,  if 
the  weather  is  mild,  commencing  in  October. 
It  is  the  P.  w?'i/Y//i5(Turtsch).  Cidture. — Quite 
hardy  ;  rich  loamy  soil ;  propagated  by  division 
of  the  root. 

Lapageria  rosea,  Ruiz  and  Paron  (rose- 
coloured  Lapageria). — Philesiacese  (Smilacete, 
Hooker^ — A  beautiful  climbing  plant,  with 
a  round  branching  stem  many  feet  in  length, 
and  furnished  with  alternate  ovate-lanceolate 
leathery  leaves,  which  have  a  shining  surface, 
and  are  marked  with  five  longitudinal  nerves 
or  ribs.  From  the  axils  of  the  leaves  issue 
singly  the  pendulous  flowers,  which  are  of  a 
deep  rose- red  colour,  and  possess  great  beauty  ; 
they  are  lily-like,  consisting  of  six  petals,  so 
arranged   as   to   form   a  narrow   bell-shaped 


CONTEMPORARY   WRITINGS. 


331 


blossom  ;  tlie  colour  varies  from  rose  to  rose-  \  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers ?  Culture. — 

crimson,  and  the  blossoms  are  internally  j  Perhaps  hai'dy  enough  to  live  against  an  open 
thickly  spotted  with  white,  especially  the  inner  wall,  certainly  hardy  enough  for  a  greenhouse; 
three  of  the  series  of  six  organs,  forming  turfy  peat  and  loam,  well  drained;  propagated 
the    perianth   or  blossom.     Native  of  Chili.  '  probably  by  cuttings,  or  by  seeds. 


CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS,  AND  ORIGINAL  NOTES. 


HoTA  PiCTA. — Messrs.  G.  De  "Winter  and 
J.  G.  Jongeling,  horticulturists  at  Mail  a 
Utrecht,  have  published  a  special  circular 
respecting  this  plant  and  another  variegated 
leaved  species  named  H.  variegata,  accom- 
panied with  two  coloured  drawings  of  it. 
From  that  source  we  obtain  the  following  par- 
ticular's of  the  species  : — "  It  is  to  the  zeal 
and  efforts  of  Dr.  Ph.  Fr.  Von  Siebold, 
director  of  the  Royal  Society  for  the  En- 
couragement of  Horticulture,  that  we  are 
indebted  for  these  plants.  That  learned  bo- 
tanist was  fortunate  enough  to  have  them 
transmitted  from  Japan  in  1845,  being  their 
first  inti'oduction  to  Europe.  About  the  end 
of  the  same  year  we  purchased  them  from  the 
Society  for  3,000  florins,  so  that  we  are  the 
only  parties  who  possess  them.  These  beau- 
tiful plants  are  justly  objects  of  admiration 
with  every  one,  from  the  manner  in  which 
the  leaves  are  shaded  and  coloured.  In  Hoya 
picta  they  are  spotted  with  a  golden  yellow, 
and  in  Soya  variegata  they  are  striped, 
blotched,  and  bordered  with  pure  white. 
At  the  exhibition  of  Ghent,  in  the  summer  of 
1846,  among  more  than  a  hundred  other  ncAv 
species,  these  were  awarded  the  large  silver 
medal.  At  Utrecht  and  Dordreclit,  also,  they 
attracted  the  attention  of  all,  and  at  both  re- 
ceived extra  awards.  M.  W.  H.  De  Vriese, 
Professor  of  Botany  at  the  University  of 
Leyden,  having  undertaken  to  give  descrip- 
tions of  these  plants,  has  not  hesitated  to  pro- 
nounce them  quite  distinct  species  of  Hoya, 
and  remarkably  distinguished  from  all  other 
known  species.  The  Editor  of  the  *  Annals 
of  the  Royal  Botanical  Society  of  Ghent'  is 
quite  of  Professor  De  Yriese's  opinion. 
Although  these  plants  have  not  yet  flowered 
in  Europe,  there  is  every  reason  to  believe 
that  their  flowers  will  at  least  equal  those  of 
Hoya  carnosa." — Ajinales  de  Societe  Royale 
de  Botanique  de  Gand. 

The  Underground  Onion. — The  follow- 
ing account  of  the  Russian  mode  of  cultivating 
this  onion,  is  taken  from  the  Report  of  the 
Transactions  of  the  Imperial  Society  of  St. 
Petersburgh  : — "  The  Journal  de  Musseld 
has  an  article  on  growing  onions,  which  con- 
sists in  the  following  method  : — The  bulbs  are 
hung  up  for  some  time  to  dry  and  smoke  ; 
they  are  then  cut  in  four  equal  parts  from  the 
crown,  but  left  adhering  at  the  base.     They 


are  immediately  planted  in  moderately  rich 
soil  which  has  been  recently  prepared  and 
laid  off  in  beds.  The  author  of  the  article, 
although  this  method  did  not  appear  to  him  to 
be  very  beneficial,  considered  that  the  experi- 
ment was  worth  a  trial.  Accordingly,  in  the 
absence  of  dry  onions,  he  selected  large  bulbs 
full  of  juice,  and  after  having  cut  them  in  the 
manner  described  above,  he  submitted  them 
to  the  ground,  with  a  half  conviction  that 
they  would  soon  rot.  In  this,  however,  he 
was  mistaken  ;  for  he  had  the  pleasure  of 
seeing  not  only  that  each  of  the  four  parts  of 
the  onions  had  grown,  but  that  they  even  pro- 
duced flower-stalks,  which  made  them  the 
more  valuable  for  seed.  Thus  each  onion  had 
produced  four.  It  would  seem  that  the  Rus- 
sian mode  of  grov^ing  onions,  not  from  seed 
but  by  division,  is  not  known  in  other  coun- 
tries. It  Avould,  therefore,  not  be  surprising 
to  find  that  the  onion  which  is  thus  cultivated 
in  Russia  is  something  different  from  that 
which  is  commonly  sown.  It  is,  in  fact,  the 
species  which  is  called  'potato-onion'  by  the 
Russians,  and  '  onion-potato'  in  France  and 
Belgium,  (under-ground  onion.)  Baron  Foel- 
kersahm,  a  member  of  the  Society  at  St.  Peters- 
burgh, has  grown  them  by  the  above  method 
for  upwards  of  thirty  years,  with  the  most 
perfect  success.  After  these  onions  have 
been  stored  during  winter  in  some  place  where 
they  are  safe  from  frost,  and  also  well  dried, 
as  early  in  the  spring  as  the  weather  and 
ground  will  permit,  they  are  planted  like  the 
potato,  in  rows  about  a  foot  apart,  in  soil 
which  has  been  dunged  and  prepared  in  the 
autumn.  They  are  planted  with  a  blunt 
dibble,  not  very  deep,  and  lightly  covered  with 
soil.  As  a  preservative  against  frost,  and  also 
to  enrich  and  strengthen  tl>e  soil,  some  horse- 
dung,  well  dried,  and  reduced  to  powder, 
should  be  prepared.  With  this  the  bulbs,  or 
the  place  in  which  their  holes  have  been 
made,  should  be  covered  to  about  the  size  of  a 
tea-cup,  and  perhaps  two  inches  thick.  This 
operation  being  performed,  a  bed  three  feet 
broad  will  have  three  rows  of  little  heaps. 
By-and-by  the  onions  will  grow  up  and  push 
the  dung  aside  ;  but  it  should  not  be  removed. 
The  onions  [lai'ge]  are  usually  cut  in  four 
parts  adhering  at  the  base,  and  tliey  are  placed 
in  hot  dung  during  twenty-four  hours,  and 
planted  immediately  after.     The  small  onions 


S;52 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


are  planted  entire.  In  a  sliort  time  the  shoots 
are  seen  above  the  ground,  generally  from  five 
to  eight  to  each  bulb.  They  should  be  care- 
fully kept  from  weeds.  About  the  middle  or 
the  end  of  August,  at  the  latest,  they  may  be 
gathered,  and  their  leaves  taken  off.  We  be- 
lieve they  are  equally  productive  in  other 
countries  as  well  as  Russia."  It  has  been 
believed  for  some  time  that  this  onion  was 
first  brought  from  Egypt  by  some  officers  of 
the  English  army,  who  introduced  it  to  this 
country  in  the  year  1805.  It  appears,  how- 
ever, from  a  paper  published  in  the  Transac- 
tions of  the  Horticultui'al  Society  of  London, 
(iii.  305,)  that  this  bulb  was  ah-eady  cultivated 
in  1796,  in  Messrs.  Driver's  nursery.  This 
onion  is  rather  productive,  and  its  taste  is  not 
so  strong  as  that  of  many  other  sorts,  a  quality 
which  with  many  people  is  no  small  consider- 
ation. It  propagates  itself  under  gTOund  by 
forming  young  bulbs,  and  when  gathered,  the 
crop  is  most  abundant.  It  ripens  also  sooner 
than  the  other  sorts  ;  but  it  ought  not  to  be 
taken  out  of  the  ground  until  it  is  quite  ripe. 
The  following  method  ha's  been  found  success- 
ful in  growing  this  onion.  It  is  necessary 
that  the  soil  in  which  the  bulbs  are  planted 
should  be  rich  and  in  good  condition.  A 
series  of  beds  four  feet  broad  having  been 
formed,  three  equidistant  lines  are  drawn 
in  each,  and  on  these  lines  the  onions  are 
planted  about  ten  inches  apart.  Care  should 
be  taken  to  preserve  the  quincunx  or  che- 
quered disposition  of  the  lines,  for  the  sake  of 
regularity  and  neatness.  When  the  bulbs  are 
planted,  they  may  be  covered  with  leaf- mould, 
stable-litter,  or  even  some  old  compost ;  only 
the  very  extremity  of  the  bulb  should  be  left 
exposed.  As  they  come  up,  a  dry  day  should 
be  chosen  to  draw  the  earth  to  them  in  the 
same  way  as  is  done  with  potatoes,  and  after- 
wards they  should  be  carefully  weeded.  In 
this  and  neighbouring  countries  onions  are 
extensively  cultivated  ;  this  variety  is  planted 
at  the  season  when  the  days  are  shortest,  and 
the  crop  is  gathered  in  midsummer.  Only 
the  middling-sized  bulbs  ai'e  planted.  In 
Devonshire  they  are  planted  in  furrows  six 
inches  apart,  and  at  twelve  inches  in  the  row. 
In  Scotland  the  same  mode  is  folio w^ed. — 
Ghent  Armales. 

Fossir.  Forest. — I  determined  upon  a  trip 
into  the  Desert  to  see  the  Fossil  forest,  as  a 
large  tract  of  country  covered  with  fossil 
wood  is  called  .  .  .  Our  course  lay  to  the  south 
of  Cairo,  along  the  ridge  of  hills  at  whose 
Nileward  termination  the  city  is  built.  These 
hills  are  limestone  .  .  .  For  the  first  few  miles 
out  of  Cairo,  there  was  scarce  a  trace  of  vege- 
tation. About  five  or  six  miles  south  of 
Cairo,  the  scenery  changes  totally,  the  country 
being  broken  up  into  broad  valleys,  and  every 


here  and  there  a  little  vegetation  .  .  i  All 
the  soil  is  limestone  rock,  with  a  profusion  of 
sand  and  pebbles,  and  occasionally  fragments 
of  fossil-wood.  As  we  proceeded,  the  bits  of 
fossil-wood  became  more  and  more  frequent, 
and  larger,  till,  about  eight  or  ten  miles  south- 
east of  Cairo,  the  whole  pebbly  and  rocky 
soil  of  the  plain  part  of  the  Desert  consisted 
of  fossil- wood,  chiefly  rolled  pebbles  and  frag- 
ments, but  now  and  then  huge  trunks,  pro- 
strate and  half-buried  in  the  sand,  always 
broken  up  into  truncheons.  Most  of  them 
were  heaped  together  in  the  greatest  confu- 
sion :  more  I'arely,  individual  trees  l;iy  iso- 
lated, frequently  70  feet  long,  some  120,  and 
it  is  said  even  140.  Their  colour  is  generally 
dark  reddish  brown  :  they  are  all  chalcedony 
and  agate  of  a  coarse  description,  with  the 
rings  of  the  wood  well  preserved.  The  sandy 
limestone  (full  of  shells)  and  soil  of  the  Desert 
are  white  ;  so  that  this  fossil  vegetation  con- 
trasted curiously  with  the  general  appearance 
of  the  country.  Here  the  Pacha  had  sunk  a 
pit  for  coal,  sapiently  concluding  that  so  much 
fossil-wood  above-ground  indicated  no  less 
below.  He  however  did  not  get  through  the 
limestone  rock,  which  is  subjacent  to  the 
foi'mation  to  which  I  presume  the  fossil-wood 
belongs.  Contrasted  with  the  surrounding 
sterility,  this  record  of  a  once  luxuriant  vege- 
tation is  a  very  impressive  object,  for  it  is  not 
confined  to  a  few  miles  only  of  Desert,  but  (I 
am  given  to  understand)  extends  forty  or 
fifty  in  one  direction.  I  do  not  at  all  suppose 
that  these  forests  ever  characterised  the  Desert, 
or  the  land  now  replaced  by  desert,  in  its  pre- 
sent relation  to  the  general  features  of  Egypt. 
On  the  contrary,  I  expect  that  the  fossil  trees 
were  imbedded  in  layers  of  conglomerate  and 
sandstone  which  have  been  gradually  destroyed 
by  the  ocean,  leaving  the  silicified  trees  to 
resist  for  the  greater  part  the  action  of  that 
surf  by  which  the  softer  rock  v/as,  triturated, 
forming  the  sand  and  pebbles  of  the  Desert. 
About  one  hundred  miles  above  Cairo  the 
sandstone  rocks  commence  and  the  limestone 
ceases  ;  and  as  on  the  Nile  behind  Cairo  de- 
tached masses  of  the  same  sandstone  rock  as 
the  statue  of  Memj)his  is  cut  from  occur,  so  it 
appears  probable  that  this  pebbly  bed  with 
fossil-trees  belonged  to  that  series  of  rocks  all 
of  which,  south  of  lat.  29°,  are  v/ashed  away, 
leaving  only  the  agatized  trees,  all  grievously 
water-worn,  many  being  ground  up  with  the 
sand  into  pebbles. — Dr.  Hooker,  in  Journal 
of  Botany. 

Zabuca.jo  is  a  new  esculent  nut,  recently 
imported  into  this  country.  "  In  the  Museum 
of  the  Royal  Gardens  of  Kew  may  be  seen 
some  nuts  or  seeds,  under  the  name  of 
Zahucajo.  They  were  brought  to  us  by  our 
friend  Mr.  Purdie  (lately  engaged  on  a  bo- 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS, 


333 


lanical  mission  to  New  Granada,  now  in  charge 
of  the  Botanic  Garden,  Trinidad)  I'rojn  Edin- 
burgh and  Glasgow.  His  attention  was  first 
directed  to  them  at  the  fruiterers'  shops  in 
Edinburgh,  wLere  he  learned  that  they  were 
already  rather  extensively  imported  from  Para 
to  Glasgow,  and  much,  used  at  table  Avith  the 
dessert.  In  size  and  shape  the  seeds  are  not 
unlike  tbe  so-called  Brazil-nuts  (seeds  of 
Beriliolletia  excelsa)  ;  they  are  equally  co- 
vered by  a  hard  coat,  but  are  more  irregular, 
and  are  longitudinally  furrowed.  This  led  to 
a  comparison  with  the  fruits  of  allied  plants  in 
the  Museum ;  and  it  was  easy  to  see  that  the 
seeds  belonged  to  a  species  oi  Lscythis;  and 
all  doubts  were  removed  on  referring  to  Auhlet, 
and  finding  the  identical  species  described  as 
Lecythis  Zabucajo.  It  is  there  remarked 
that  the  seeds  are  much  eaten  by  the  colonists 
in  Frencli  Guiana,  being  sweet  and  delicate, 
and  considered  preferable  to  the  almonds  of 
Europe  ;  an  opinion  in  which  we  are  quite 
disposed  to  agree.  On  account  of  the  excel- 
lency of  the  seeds,  the  French  government, 
much  to  their  credit,  introduced  the  cultivation 
of  this  tree  into  the  Mauritius  nearly  a  century 
ago,  and  in  1761,  Aublet  tells  us  the  plants 
were  then  in  a  fiourishing  condition.  Happy 
would  it  be  for  our  colonies,  and  for  the  British 
West  Indian  islands  in  particular,  if  the  in- 
troduction and  cultivation  of  useful  plants, 
suited  to  the  respective  climates,  were,  in  like 
manner,  encouraged  by  the  British  govern- 
ment !  The  entire  fruit  in  question  is,  like 
all  the  Lccythidece,  highly  curious  :  it  is  six 
inches  and  more  long,  and  about  four  wide,  of 
a  thick  and  woody  texture,  opening  at  the  top 
like  a  box,  with  a  transverse  lid,  from  the 
upper  side  of  which  lid  a  woody  column  de- 
scends to  the  bottom  of  the  inside  of  the  fruit, 
and  around  this  column  the  large  seeds  are 
arranged.  This  and  other  species  of  the 
genus  are  called  in  French  Guiana  Marmite 
(porringer)  de  singe;  partly  because  the 
monkeys  have  the  good  taste  to  show  a  fond- 
ness for  the  kernels,  and  partly  from  the  use 
made  by  the  negroes  of  the  emptied  capsules 
(the  lid  being  removed),  wherewith  to  entrap 
these  wily  animals.  The  mouth,  it  vrill  be 
observed,  of  the  capsule  is  narrower  than  the 
inside ;  tliis  being  filled  with  sugar,  and  laid 
in  a  place  frequented  by  monkeys,  they  grasp 
the  sugar,  and  by  this  means  enlarge  the  paw 
so  as  to  be  unable  to  extricate  it ;  while  their 
greediness  forbids  the  opening  of  the  paw  and 
loss  of  the  sugar.  Tiie  heavy  fruit  of  the 
Zabucajo  prevents  the  escape  of  the  animal, 
who  is  pursued  and  taken  in  the  monkey- 
trap." — Hooker's  Journal  of  Botany. 

The  Kose  op  Jericho. — At  .the  be- 
ginning of  the  present  year  (1848),  Dr. 
D'Avoine,  President  of  the   Society  of  Me- 


dical and  Natural  Science  of  Mallnes,  pub- 
lished a  memoir  of  John  Storms,  a  learned 
professor  of  the  ancient  University  of  Lou- 
vain,  who  was  born  at  Mallnes  in  the  year 
1559,  and  died  1650  ;  and  who  wrote  a  mo- 
nography  of  the  Anastaiica  liiei'ochuntina, 
better  known  under  the  name  of  Rose  of 
Jericho.  Dr.  D'Avoine  was  far  from  antici- 
pating that  an  illustration  by  Sir  William 
Hooker  of  the  Anastatica  would  appear  in 
England  a  few  months  afterwards,  giving  an 
excellent  figure  of  the  fresh  plant,  and  another 
of  the  dried  plant,  with  all  the  details  of  its 
structure.  In  the  remarks  of  Sir  William 
Hooker  on  the  Rose  of  eJericho,  there  is  no 
mention  made  of  the  eminent  labours  of  John 
Storms  ;  neither  of  the  writings  of  Professor 
Kickx,  who  had  already  exhumed  from  ob- 
livion the  monograph  of  1607  (the  time  when 
the  woi'k  of  John  Storms  appeared)  ;  nor  is 
there  any  notice  taken  of  those  of  M. 
D'Avoine.  Lonicera  calls  it  Amonum  rasa 
sancfcB  Marice ;  but  Linnteus,  Jacquin,  Aiton, 
De  Candolle,  Sprengel,  and  indeed  all  bo- 
tanists call  it,  Anastatica  Merochuntina,  or 
Jerusalem  Anastatica.  Sir  W.  Hooker  does 
not  seem  to  recollect  other  synonymes  ;  nei- 
ther is  he  disposed  to  speak  of  the  sacred 
quality  of  the  plant,  nor  of  the  superstitious 
veneration  which  is  shown  for  it  among  the 
ignorant  people  in  the  country  where  it  grows 
spontaneously.  Commelin  first  called  it 
Rosa  h/eroc/mntina,  and  Dalechamp  Mose  of 
Jericho;  latterly  these  names  have  been 
given  to  two  other  hygrometric  plants,  both 
different  from  the  true  roses  ;  viz.,  to  Lyco- 
pod'mvi  lepidophyllum,  a  south  Mexican 
plant,  and  to  the  capsules  of  a  certain  Me- 
sembryanthemum  from  South  Africa.  "  The 
rose  of  Jericho,"  continues  Sir  W,  Hooker, 
"  is  as  much  a  rose  as  it  is  a  cabbage.  It  is  a 
humble  and  insignificant  plant  in  appearance, 
but  it  has  long  since  attracted  the  attention 
of  travellers  in  the  East  by  its  hygrometrical 
properties.  The  old  annual  stem,  being  pre- 
served, rolls  itself  up  in  the  dry  weather  or 
season.  It  then  rises  out  of  the  sand  in  the 
hurricanes  of  the  deserts  of  Syria  and  Egypt, 
and  floats  in  the  wind.  If  it  rains,  the 
branches  revert  to  their  natural  position  ; 
and  again,  when  the  weather  becomes  dry,  it 
curls  up  and  contracts.  This  property  lasts 
for  years :  all  kinds  of  fables  have  been  che- 
rished about  it,  and  it  has  acquired  a  consi- 
derable reputation  among  the  people.  This 
vegetable  is,  nevertheless,  rarely  cultivated, 
and  it  is  only  propagated  from  seed.  It  is 
thus  that  it  is  in  the  collection  at  Kew^" 

In  regard  to  the  locality  of  the  Rose  of 
Jericho,  JjI.  D'Avoine  has  cited  the  passage 
of  Eloy,  and  in  our  turn  we  cannot  do  better 
than  quote  it;  it  is  as  exact  as  the  original :— ^ 


;3-l 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITINGS. 


''  The  pretended  rose  of  Jericho,"  says  Eloy, 
in  his  Dictionnah'e  Ilistorique  de  la  Mede- 
cine  Ancienne  et  Moderne,  "  is  a  sort  of 
Thlaspi  that  grows  in  the  deserts  of  Arabia  ; 
it  is  not  a  rose,  and  there  is  none  of  it  to  be 
found  round  Jericho.  During  the  time  that 
this  pUxnt  is  still  in  vigour  in  the  ground,  it 
appears  in  the  form  of  a  bouquet ;  but  in 
proportion  as  it  dries  (itself),  its  branches 
interlace  each  other,  and  the  extremities  fold 
inwards,  meeting  or  joining  at  a  comm.on 
centre,  forming  a  kind  of  little  globe,  which 
the  quack  doctors  make  the  people  believe 
will  onlj  open  at  Christmas.  They  extol  its 
merits  also  to  the  pregnant  women,  in  pre- 
dicting to  them  that  if  they  put  this  rose  to 
steep  a  certain  time  in  water  during  travail, 
they  shall  see  its  branches  gradually  unfold, 
and  its  flowers  blow,  which  circumstances 
will  materially  lessen  their  pains.  But  the 
fact  is,  at  whatever  time  this  plant  is  put  in 
steep,  whether  by  man  or  woman,  the  rose  of 
Jericho  will  produce  the  same  phenomenon, 
while  as  soon  as  it  is  taken  out  of  the  water, 
it  becomes  dry  and  curls  up  as  before.  This 
plant  serves  better  to  indicate  the  variations 
of  the  atmosphere  than  announce  the  termi- 
nation of  the  pains  of  labour — it  is,  indeed,  a 
true  hygrometer.  When  the  weather  is  dry, 
the  pretended  (or  supposed)  rose  contracts, 
and  at  the  approach  of  rain  it  swells  and 
develops."  M.  D'Avoine  states  in  his  me- 
moir of  Storms,  that  M.  Rigouts,  Professor 
of  Medicine,  and  Secretary  of  the  Horticul- 
tural Society  of  Anvers,  had  sown  seeds  of 
Anastatica  without  obtaining  plants  from 
them.  Storms  does  not  state  that  he  culti- 
vated this  plant,  but  it  is  certain  that  he  had 
seen  it  in  a  living  state.  His  only  mistake  is 
having  classed  it  with  violets,  to  which  it  has 
no  relation.  I  may  also  add,  that  in  the  her- 
barium of  the  brother  Wynhouts,  formed  at 
the  Abbey  of  Dilighem  in  1633,  the  Ana- 
statica  was  included  as  among  the  culinary 
plants  grown  in  the  garden  belonging  to  the 
Abbey.  For  some  years  the  catalogues  of 
disposable  seeds  of  the  different  botanic  gar- 
dens of  central  Europe  have  contained  Ana- 
statica  hierochuntina,  and  in  the  borders  of 
most  of  these  establishments  the  plant  may 
be  seen  in  its  living  state,  grown  among  the 
cruciferous  kinds. 

Seeing  that  the  most  remarkable  property 
of  this  plant  is  its  hygroscopicity,  and  that 
this  disposition  to  imbibe  the  aqueous  fluid  of 
the  atmosphere  lengthens  the  internal  Side  of 
the  branches  only,  it  is,  we  think,  somewhat 
singular,  that  no  phytologist  has  ever  dis- 
sected the  stalks  and  demonstrated  the  cause 
of  this  effect.  The  Rose  of  Jericho  is  but 
seldom  found  among  our  dealers  in  curiosi- 
ties ;  at  the  present  day  it  has  become  still 


more  rare  ;  and  it  is  useless  to  consider  our 
Anastaticas,  cultivated  in  the  manner  of  a 
ligneous  Rose  of  Jericho,  as  answering  the 
description  of  those  originally  browght  from 
the  East.  Under  our  sky  the  stems  do  not 
assume  a  woody  character. — Prof.  Morren 
in  Ghent  Annates. 

Phenomena  of  Tropical  Vegetation  : 
FoKESTs,  Plants,  and  Flowers  along 
THE  Banks  of  the  Amazon,  the  Xingdi, 
AND  IN  Brazil. — Amid  the  varied  objects  in 
Nature  so  magnificently  developed  beneath 
the  tropics,  the  wonders  of  vegetation  there 
displayed  form  a  no  less  remarkable  than  in- 
teresting feature.  Colossal  proportions,  per- 
fection of  formation,  and  brilliancy  of  hue, 
combine  in  bestowing,  as  it  were,  a  sublimity 
of  beauty  upon  foliage  and  flower  in  these 
regions.  On  the  lovely  islands  which  lie  be- 
fore the  entrance  of  the  Bay  of  Rio,  the  rich- 
ness of  tropical  vegetation  is  disclosed  to  us 
in  forms  unknown  to  the  European,  Over- 
topping the  plants  and  shrubs  which  cover 
the  hill  sides,  are  seen  trees  with  full  gigantic 
crowns,  or  shooting  lightly  upwards,  and 
stretching  their  fantastic  boughs  high  into 
the  air.  Mountains  and  rocks  clothed  with 
thick  foliage,  above  the  outline  of  which  rise 
magnificent  palm  trees,  form  a  labyrinth  of 
loveliness  which  seems  to  discover  a  new 
Fairy  land  to  us. 

The  immense  crowns  of  the  cocoa-palms, 
and  the  gigantic  leaves  of  the  bananas,  with 
the  dark  mango  and  cypress  trees,  in  their 
solemn  magnificence,  ornament  the  villas  and 
gardens  of  the  city  of  Rio,  while  the  fan- 
tastic branches  of  the  North  American  pines,* 
looking  like  inverted  fans  of  the  palna  tree, 
wave  high  in  the  air.  In  the  delightful  en- 
virons of  this  city  we  meet  with  the  Nissolia 
of  crimson  leaves,  and  thousands  of  flowers 
resembling  the  violet  blossoms  :  but,  pei'haps, 
the  greatest  ornament  is  the  high  arched 
crown  of  an  immense  tree,  resembling  a 
colossal  flower,  of  a  splendid  red  or  violet, 
almost  crimson  colour,  a  prominent  object  in 
the  landscape.  The  Mamoeira  {Carica  Pa- 
paya^ is  also  seen. 

On  the  edge  of  the  primeval  forests  of  the 
Corcovado  appear  here  and  there  brilliant 
silvery  foliage  intermingled  with  the  green, 
which  involuntarily  reminds  the  beholder  of 
the  "patriarch  with  the  silver  beard,"  that 
venerable  trunk  with  its  silvery  roof  of  foliage 
and  beard  floating  in  the  wind.  An  excur- 
sion to  the  heights  commanding  a  charming 
prospect  of  the  beautiful  Bay  of  Rio  discloses 
to  us  innumerable  species  of  trees,  and  a 
variety  of  foliage  such  as  is  never  found  toge- 

*  This  tree  is  said  to  have  been  introduced  within 
a  few  years  into  the  gardens  around  Rio. 


CONTEMPORARY   WRITINGS. 


335 


ther  in  Europe.  One  tree  remarkable  for 
beauty,  Avith  dark  green  foliage,  and  blue 
blossoms  resembling  the  periwinkle,  is  of 
frequent  occurrence. 

In  these  picturesque  environs  too,  isolated 
groups  of  reeds,  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  cir- 
cumference, rise  from  the  meadows,  like 
sheaves  of  lances,  thirty  to  forty  feet  in 
height,  and,  each  only  a  few  inches  thick, 
wave  their  elastic  tops  to  and  fro  with  in- 
describable grace.  The  bamboo  may  also  be 
recognised  here.  But  the  chief  ornament  of 
the  forests  are  trees  with  magnificent  large 
lilac,  and  others  with  white  blossoms,  con- 
trasting beautifully  with  the  surrounding 
tints  of  green.  The  flame-coloured  raceme 
of  a  "  Tillandsia,"  a  foot  tall,  and  resembling 
a  Brobdignagian  pine-apple  or  strawberry, 
glows  like  fire  among  the  dark  foliage.  The 
charming  "Epiphytes"  climb  up  the  straight 
trunks  of  the  trees,  or  picturesquely  cover 
their  branches,  which  seldom  shoot  out  from 
the  trunk  at  a  less  height  than  fifty  to  eighty 
feet  from  the  ground.  The  Tillandsias  nestle 
at  the  ramification  of  the  smaller  branches, 
or  upon  excrescences,  where  they  often  grow 
to  an  immense  size,  and  have  the  appearance 
of  an  aloe,  the  length  of  a  man,  hanging  down 
gracefully  from  a  giddy  height  over  the  heads 
of  the  passers-by. 

Among  various  other  plants,  the  mosses 
hang  down,  not  unlike  horses'  tails,  from  the 
branches  which  support  the  "Epiphytes"  and 
"  Tillandsias,"  or  one  might  fancy  them  the 
long  beards  of  those  venerable  giants  of  the 
forest  that  have  stood  unbent  beneath  the 
weight  of  a  thousand  years.  Myriads  of 
"  Lianas"  hang  down  to  the  ground,  or  sus- 
pended in  the  air,  coated  Avith  bark  like  the 
branches  of  the  trees.  It  is  impossible  to 
conceive  the  fantastic  forms  they  assume,  in- 
terlaced and  entangled  ;  sometimes  they  de- 
pend like  straight  poles  to  the  ground,  and 
striking  root,  might  from  their  thickness  be 
taken  for  trees  ;  at  other  times  they  resem- 
ble large  hoops  or  rings  from  ten  to  twenty 
feet  in  diameter,  or  are  so  twisted  that  they 
look  like  cables. 

Conifers  are  seldom  seen  in  the  primeval 
forests,  but  the  dark  coloured  foliage  of  other 
trees  much  resembles  them.  There  is  one 
that  presents  a  peculiar  appearance  ;  their 
slender,  smooth,  and  white  stems  rising  high 
above  the  surrounding  thicket,  their  small 
crowns  of  large  lobed  leaves  crowding  pic- 
turesquely together.  -  The  palm,  too,  that  no- 
blest forest  ornament,  rises  frequently  from 
sixty  to  seventy  feet,  or  half  the  height  of  the 
tallest  trees.  The  crown  resembles  a  tuft  of 
pendent  feathers,  consisting  of  finely  pinnated 
fronds,  from  the  midst  of  which  rises  a  pointed 
spire,  of  a  light  green  colour,  giving  to  these 


beautiful  palms  the  appearance  of  the  slender 
shaft  of  a  lance  or  a  waving  reed.  It  is  beau- 
tiful to  see  the  enormous  fern  leaves,  at  least 
ten  to  fifteen  feet  long  and  five  feet  broad, 
agitated  by  the  gentlest  breeze,  and  gracefully 
waving  to  and  fro  with  a  ceaseless  motion. 

In  the  most  charming  and  secluded  spots, 
springs  rise  from  the  ground  in  the  midst  of 
beautiful  marsh  plants  and  broad-leaved  Heli- 
conias,  overshadowed  by  magnificent  trees, 
luxuriantly  clothed  with  Epiphytes  and 
creepers.  "  We  halted,"  says  a  traveller, 
"  under  a  tree,  from  which  we  shook  down  a 
number  of  Zabulecabas,  a  fruit  resembling  a 
black  chei'ry,  which  were  refreshing  ;  and 
then  rode  on  through  a  shady  arched  avenue 
of  Heliconias  more  than  twenty  feet  high, 
which  bent  their  gigantic  leaves  over  our 
heads,  fanning  us  most  agreeably.  Magical 
was  the  effect  of  the  magnificent  palms  and 
crimson  Sapucajas  which  rose  above  the  mass 
of  foliage  !  We  rode  along  the  sea-coast 
round  the  Gavia,  and,  after  passing  Bolefogo, 
came  to  the  Jardein  Botanico.  An  avenue  of 
Casuarinas  from  New  Holland,  laid  out  with 
great  taste,  occupies  a  charming  site  under 
the  perpendicular  walls  of  the  Corcovado. 
Bread-fruit  trees,  and  the  trees  that  produce 
cloves,  nutmegs,  cinnamon,  camphor,  and 
cocoa,  were  pointed  out  to  us  ;  also  an  exten- 
sive plantation  of  the  tea-plant,  cultivated 
here  by  the  Chinese,  who  have  been  brought 
over  on  purpose.  There  were  also  several 
new  species  of  palms." 

A  magnificent  avenue  of  mango  trees  leads 
hence  between  two  canals  through  fields  at 
the  back  of  Nossa  Senhora  de  Beleni  ;  and 
opposite  is  an  open  space  with  a  church,  close 
to  which  we  saw  the  first  fan-palms  {Hiriti  : 
Illawitia  Jlexuosa)  ;  at  a  short  distance  com- 
mences the  primeval  forest — a  thick  and 
almost  impenetrable  forest  of  pan-palms, 
skirted  by  a  broad  margin  of  the  large-leaved 
tree -like  Caladium  arhorescenx,  extended 
along  the  Aroizal  river,  and  reflected  on  the 
cool  still  waters.  At  spots  where  this  belt  of 
Caladiums  is  interrupted,  entangled  masses 
of  colossal  roots  are  seen  to  be  undermined 
by  the  waters. 

In  another  pai't,  the  small  stems  of  the 
Corypha  umbraculifera  stand  in  the  fore- 
ground of  closely  compacted  fan-palms,  over- 
topped by  the  taller  Corypha  elata.  Among 
both  species  is  seen  the  graceful  Assai-palm 
(^Euterpe  oleracea)  waving  to  and  fro  its 
finely  pinnated  fronds  supported  on  a  slender 
bamboo-like  stem.  In  a  third  line  rises  ma- 
jestically the  summits  of  the  lofty  forest- 
trees,  crowning  the  whole  with  their  true 
Brazilian  roofs  of  rich  foliage  or  vaulted 
tops — red  creepers  of  a  magnificent  colour 
here  and  there  climbing  up  their  huge  trunks. 


336 


CONTEMPORARY    WRITIi\TGS''i 


These  islands  round  the  Isla  de  Santa  Isabel 
and  Eio  das  Bocas,  have  frequently  been 
called  the  Palm  Islands,  from  the  luxuriance 
of  that  plant. 

Along  the  Estrada  up  the  river  Xingui, 
vegetation  seems  to  acquire  its  grandest  de- 
velopment. Trees  as  well  as  plants  of  in- 
creased size  and  splendour  appear,  while  the 
forest  remains  true  to  its  general  character. 
One  of  these  trees,  a  Copaiba,  or,  as  the  Padres 
term  it,  "  Itauba,"  measured  at  about  four  feet 
from  the  ground  thirty  feet  seven  inches  in 
circumference.  Some  of  these  giants  of  the 
forest  reach  thirty-nine  feet  in  girth,  and 
attain  one  hundred  and  fifty  in  height,  the 
stems  nevertheless  looking  quite  graceful  and 
slender. 

"  Wending  our  way  among  the  numerous 
islands,  <we  had  from  time  to  time  many  in- 
teresting vicAvs  through  the  openings  between 
these  channels  of  the  most  luxurious  vege- 
tation and  magnificent  trees.  What  would 
an  Englishman  give  to  transplant  a  small 
slice  of  this  natural  garden  of  South  America 
and  attach  it  as  a  noble  park  to  his  country 
mansion !  The  only  thing  required  to  give 
it  its  greatest  beauty  and  interest  would  be  to 
make  roads  and  walks,  and  abstain  from  any 
caprices  of  artificial  culture.  ...  In  the  midst 
of  these  wild  scenes,  where  for  some  hours  past 
the  view  had  been  shut  in,  the  small  branch 
which  we  navigated  rushed  like  a  mountain 
torrent  over  rocks,  and  was  precipitated  to 
a  depth  of  ten  or  twelve  feet.  Trees  and 
shrubs  projected  over  the  stream,  shading 
.this  lovely  spot,  while  high  dark  green  walls 
of  tangled  foliage  and  creepers,  overtopped 
by  magnificent  Itauassi-palms,  closely  en- 
compassed this  charming  picture  of  wild 
solitude.  We  seated  ourselves  here  upon  the 
rocks,  and  watched  our  boats  as  they  were 
lowered  down  the  falls.  Looking  from  this 
still  and  peaceful  spot  upon  the  dark  surface 
of  the  clear  and  rapid  stream,  with  which  the 
Avhite  foam  of  the  little  fidl  contrasts  so  agree- 
abl}',  who  Avould  have  imagined  that  we  were 
sitting  on  the  banks  of  one  of  the  gigantic 
rivers  of  the  New  World  ? 

"  Acahi,  with  its  broad  margin  of  Cala- 
diums,  was  soon  left  behind.  This  plant  is 
much  more  common  on  the  Lower  Xingui 
than  above  the  Caxoeiras.  We  spent  nearly 
the  whole  forenoon  in  the  Furo  das  Velhas, 
having  proceeded  more  than  an  hour  before 
the  pilot  discovered  his  mistake.  We  did 
not,  however,  regret  the  time  thus  spent,  for 
the  aspect  of  the  magnificent  though  low 
vegetation  recompensed  us  for  this  labour 
lost.  Here  seemed  to  be  collected  an  fi^sem- 
blage  of  all  kinds  of  palms,  together  Avith 
splendid  fiowers  of  vai-ious  species  of  passion- 
flower and  Stizolobium." 


Entering  the  Tocantius,  the  mighty  stream 
rolls  its  olive-coloured  waves  between  forests 
of  Miriti-palms,  while  all  its  islands  rising 
from  the  dark  surface  are  so  many  forests  of 
fan-palms.  The  straight  trunks  of  the  Miriti 
stand  in  thick  interminable  rows  of  a  whitish 
green  colour,  like  those  of  our  fir-trees. 

The  Earth  Nut. — The  earth  nut  is  the 
indigenous  growth  of  our  soil,  but  like  the 
potato  plant  before  its  introduction  into  this 
country  as  an  article  of  sustenance,  it  is 
now  neglected,  and  nobody  thinks  it  worth 
while  to  have  a  plant  even  in  his  garden, 
although  it  is  as  plentiful  in  its  native  and 
wild  state,  as  the  potato  is  in  Peru,  or  in  the 
first  place  of  its  discovery.  Yet,  by  culti- 
vation in  two  or  three  years,  it  Avill  produce 
as  large  a  quantity  per  acre,  of  a  root  three 
times  more  nutritious  than  the  potato,  and  at 
less  than  one-fourth  the  expense.  The  plant 
is  known  to  almost  every  school-boy  ;  it  grows 
in  old  pastures,  and  is  called  jar  nuts,  earth 
nuts,  or  earth  chestnuts.  The  plant  is  rather 
larger  than  a  parsley  plant,  and  something 
like  it ;  it  bears  a  white  flower,  and  is  to  be 
found  in  almost  all  old  pastures  in  any  part 
of  England.  I  planted  some  roots  of  these 
nuts  (but  they  may  be  produced  from  seed  as 
well)  in  the  year  1840,  and  they  came  up 
beautifully ;  and  in  the  summer,  when  I  dug 
them  up,  I  found  some  of  them  two  inches  in 
diameter,  and  nearly  as  large  as  a  man's  fist. 
I  roasted  some  of  them,  and  found  them  deli- 
cious. They  something  resemble  in  taste  the 
sweet  potato  of  Virginia,  or  roasted  chestnuts 
of  our  own  growth.  They  are  a  rich  vege- 
table production,  containing  more  of  the  ele- 
ments of  nutrition  than  the  potato  by  three 
times  at  least,  and  will  be  relished  as  well  by 
the  community,  as  soon  as  they  can  be  intro- 
duced.— Gardenevii  Journal. 

Growing  Camellias  Ox\  Wall-tkellises. 
— The  Camellia  may  be  grown  very  well  on 
trellises  in  the  span  form,  or  parallel  on  a 
wall.  The  ground  may  be  composed  of  a 
free  sandy  loam,  mixed  with  turfy  peat  and 
leaf  mould  ;  the  border  may  be  about  three 
feet  broad,  any  convenient  length,  and  a  foot 
deep.  In  the  bottom  should  be  laid  about 
nine  inches  of  broken  bricks,  broken  pots, 
and  a  little  gravel,  so  that  the  roots  may  have 
plenty  of  drainage — an  essential  condition. 
In  winter  the  plants  should  be  covered  with 
mats,  or  fir  branches,  taking  care  to  cover 
them  completely.  In  summer  they  should 
be  watered  with  water  in  which  a  little 
urine  and  guano  has  been  put  ;  care  must 
also  be  taken  to  train  them  so  as  their 
flowers  and  leaves  may  be  perfectly  deve- 
loped. In  a  garden  at  Brussels  we  have 
seen  them  so  grown  with  perfect  success,— 
Ghent  Annales. 


THE   CYCLAMEN. 


337 


Cyclamen  cotim. 
THE  CYCLAMEN,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


The  name  of  this  genus  is  derived  from 
the  Greek  kycUcos,  circular  ;  which  term  was 
applied  to  them  by  Linngeus,  in  allusion  to 
the  circumscription  of  their  leaves,  the  out- 
line of  which,  in  the  majority  of  the  species, 
is  more  or  less  round,  though  not  strictly  cir- 
cular.    The  common  name  is  Sow-bread. 

The  plants  themselves  form  one  of  the 
most  distinct  and  pretty  groups  which  ai-e 
brought  under  cultivation.  They  are  all 
dwarf  herbs,  having  flattened  fleshy  tubers, 
from  which  both  leaves  and  blossoms  spring- 
up,  in  a  more  or  less  dense  tuft,  according  to 
the  peculiar  habit  of  the  different  kinds. 
Sometimes,  under  good  cultivation,  the  flowers 
preponderate  in  number  over  the  leaves ;  and 
in  some  cases  two  or  three  hundred  blooms 
are  produced  at  one  time,  when  the  plants  are 
strong  and  in  good  health.  Tiiis  character  is  at- 
tained chiefly  by  the  Cyckmienpet'sicum,  which 
is  the  most  common  of  the  tender  species,  the 
most  varied  in  its  flowers,  and  perhaps  the 
most  beautiful  of  all. 

The  blooms  of  the  Cyclamen  family  are  of 
a  most  singular  form :  they  are  monopetalous ; 
that  is,  they  consist  but  of  one  piece,  which  is 
made  up  of  a  very  short  tube,  by  which  they 
are  united  to  the  flower  stalks,  and  a  com- 
paratively large  recurved  limb,  of  five  seg- 
50. 


ments,  which,  from  their  being  so  deeply 
divided,  look  like  distinct  petals  ;  naturallj'' 
their  face  would  be  towards  the  earth,  but  the 
segments  are  bent  upwards  quite  at  the  base, 
and  the  effect  is,  that  the  entire  inner  face  of 
the  corolla  is  exposed  to  the  eye,  while  the 
back  is  as  completely  hidden. 

THE    SPECIES   OP    CYCLAMEN. 

These  are  confessedly  involved  in  con- 
siderable confusion,  especially  the  European 
species,  though  the  remarks  of  the  Hon.  Mr. 
Fox  Strangways  have  cleared  up  some  doubt- 
ful points.  There  are  about  sixteen  nominal 
species,  of  which  we  find  twelve  recorded  as 
having  been  introduced  into  cultivation  in  this 
country,  and  of  some  of  these  there  are  dis- 
tinct varieties.  The  late  Dean  of  Manchester 
took  considerable  interest  in  the  family  of 
Cyclamens,  and  had,  we  believe,  at  the  time 
of  his  death,  a  quantity  of  plants  procured 
from  their  foreign  habitats,  which  would 
probably  in  his  hands  have  served  to  rec- 
tify errors  of  nomenclature  yet  undetected; 
but  these  plants  are  now  dispersed.  Perhaps, 
among  cultivators,  there  is  no  one  at  the  pre- 
sent day  who  has  a  more  extensive  acquaint- 
ance with  the  family  of  Cyclamens,  than  Mr. 
Gordon,  one  of  the  superintendents  in  the 
garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society. 


338 


THE    CYCLAMEN. 


Cyclamen,  Linnwus. — Calyx  bell-shaped, 
divided  lialf-way  into  five  permanent  ovate 
segments.  Corolla  wheel-shaped  ;  the  tube 
nearly  globular,  deflexed,  twice  as  long  as  the 
calyx  ;  the  limb,  of  five  oblique  segments, 
reflexed  upwards,  many  times  longer  than  the 
tube  ;  the  mouth  open,  naked,  and  prominent 
at  the  circumference.  Filaments  short,  in- 
serted in  the  base  of  the  tube  ;  anthers  straight, 
sessile.  Style  cylindrical,  straight ;  stigma 
simple.  Capsule  one-celled,  globose,  opening 
at  top,  with  five  parallel  teeth,,  rather  fleshy  ; 
seeds  numerous. 

Cyclamen  tsstiviim,  E-eichenbach  (summer- 
flowering  Sow-bread). — A  small  hardy  peren- 
nial species,  with  roundish  heart-shaped  leaves, 
the  lobes  at  the  base  of  which  are  quite  dis- 
tinct, and  not  overlapping,  and  the  margins 
entire,  or  slightly  and  remotely  toothed.  The 
flowers  are  small,  rosy  purple.  Native  of 
Italy.  Flowers  through  the  summer  months. 
Introduced  in  1596?  This  is  the  C.  Cludi, 
and  is  perhaps  not  distinct  from  C.  europceiim, 
although  some  botanists  separate  them. 

Cyclame?i  couni,  Miller  (round-leaved  spring 
Sow-bread). — A  small  hardy  perennial  species, 
with  flat  round  leaves,  heart-shaped  at  the 
base,  quite  entire,  dark  green  above,  and 
reddish  purple  beneath,  and  having  small 
flattish  tubers.  The  flowers  are  reddish 
purple,  scentless,  small,  the  segments  being 
oblong-obtuse.  Native  of  the  south  of  Europe. 
Flowers  from  January  to  March.  Introduced 
in  1596.  This  species,  according  to  Mr. 
Gordon,*  is,  in  some  collections,  called  C 
Qroiculare,  a  name  which  seems  to  be  the 
same  with  Miller's  C,  orhiculatum.  This 
latter  plant  is  probably  to  be  regarded  as  a 
variety,  for  Miller  states  that  the  flowers 
appear  in  spring,  and  are  flesh-coloured,  with 
purple  at  the  base. 

Cyclamen  eurojyceum,  Linngeus  (European 
Sow-bread). — A  small  hardy  perennial  species, 
having  small  tubers,  and  leaves  which  are 
small,  roundly  heart-shaped,  slightly  toothed, 
and  strongly  marked  on  the  upper  surface 
with  an  irregular  pale  or  nearly  white  band  ; 
the  basal  lobes  are  overlapping.  The  flowers 
are  small,  sweet-scented,  bright  reddish  purple, 
the  segments  oval-lanceolate,  and  acute.  Native 
of  the  south  of  Europe.  Flowers  from  July 
to  September.  Introduced  in  1596.  This 
sort  is  called  in  some  collections  by  the  fol- 
lowing names  : — C.  officinale,  C.  relroflexum, 
and  C.  ]Lungaricu7n.  Miller's  C  purpurascens, 
retained  as  a  species  by  some,  is  probably  a 
variety  of  this  species.  This  Miller  describes 
as  having  large  orbicular  leaves,  purple  be- 
neath, and  purplish  flowers,  deep  red  at  the 
base  ;  produced  in  autumn. 

Cyclamen  Jicariifoliuin,  Reiclienbach  (pile- 


wort-leaved  spring  Sow-bread).  —  A  hardy 
perennial  species,  closely  related  to  the  fol- 
lowing, with  which  some  botanists  unite  it. 
The  tubei's  are  globular,  of  moderate  size. 
The  leaves  are  deeply  cordate,  with  an  ovate 
outline,  the  margin  cut  into  five  angles,  crenu- 
late,  acuminate.  The  flowers  are  large,  white, 
or  flesh-coloured,  purplish  about  the  mouth  ; 
the  segments  are  narrow,  lanceolate,  and 
twisted.  Native  of  Europe,  and  found  in 
some  parts  of  England.  Flowers  from  March 
to  May.  According  to  Dietrich,  this  species 
is  the  English  plant.  Under  the  more  com- 
mon names  of  C.  hederifolium  and  C.  euro- 
pcBum  it  is  employed  medicinally.  It  is  a 
very  acrid  plant,  especially  the  root,  the  acri- 
mony of  which,  according  to  Sir  J.  E.  Smith, 
is  not  much  perceived  at  first  tasting,  but 
soon  becomes  intolerable.  Its  medicinal  action 
is  that  of  a  drastic  purgative  ;  formerly  it  was 
much  esteemed  as  an  emmenagogue. 

Cyclamen  hederifolimn,  Willdenow  (ivy- 
leaved  spring  flowering  Sow-bread. — A  peren- 
nial species,  scarcely  hardy,  and  rather  larger 
than  the  preceding.  The  roots  are  of  moderate 
size;  the  leaves  broad,  seven  or  nine-angled, 
denticulate,  beautifully  variegated  or  marbled 
with  dark  green  and  white  on  the  upper 
surface,  and  purple  beneath.  The  flowers 
are  large,  white,  changing  to  deep  flesh  colour, 
purplish  about  the  mouth,  the  segments  broadly 
ovate,  acute  ;  they  are  very  sweet-scented. 
Native  of  the  south  of  Europe.  Flowers  from 
March  to  May.  Sometimes  called  C.  lati- 
folinm  and  C.fi'agrans. 

Cyclamen  ibericimi,  Goldie  (Iberian  Sow- 
bread.)— A  small  hardy  perennial  species,  with 
small  tubers.  The  leaves  are  roundish-cordate, 
blotched  or  marbled  on  the  upper  sm'face  with 
white.  The  flowers  are  small,  rosy  or  reddish 
purple,  resembling  those  of  C.  coum.  Native 
of  Iberia.  Flowers  in  Februaiy  and  March. 
Introduced  in  1831. 

Cyclamen  linearifoliam,  De  Candolle  (linear- 
leaved  Sow-bread). — A  hardy  perennial  species, 
with  linear  obtuse  entire  leaves,  and  purple 
coloured  flowers,  the  segments  lanceolate.  Ac- 
cording to  Mr.  Strangways,  C.  lineare  is 
"  now  considered  fabulous."  Native  of  south 
of  Europe.  Flowers  in  April.  Introduced  in 
1824. 

Cyclamen  littorale,  Lindleyj  (shore  Sow- 
bread).— A  small  hardy  perennial  species  of 
the  Europasum  group.  The  tubers  are  small 
and  spherical.  The  leaves  roundish  cordate, 
somewhat  acute,  entire,  and  blotched  or 
marbled  with  white  above,  entirely  purple 
beneath.  The  flowers  ai'e  small,  rose  coloured, 
sweet-scented,  the  segments  oblong.  Native  of 
the  northern  parts  of  Italy.  Introduced  in 
1843.     Flowei's  in  the  summer  months  ? 


*  Gardener's  Chronicle,  1843,  p.  660. 


\  C.  littorale,  Sadler? — Lindley. 


THE    CYCLAMEN. 


339 


Cyclamen  neapolitanum,  Tenore  (angular 
autumn-flowering  Sow-bread). — A  hardy  per- 
ennial species,  the  largest  in  size  and  the 
most  hardy  and  vigorous  of  those  known  in 
cultivation.  The  tubers  are  large,  rough,  and 
flattish  ;  the  leaves  variously  shaped,  mostly 
five-angled,  but  sometimes  triangular  or  has- 
tate, crenate,  distinctly  marked  on  the  upper 
surface,  and  "  having  an  irregular  band  of 
white  and  purple  on  the  under  surface."  The 
flowers  are  large,  rosy  purple,  scentless,  the 
segments  ovate  obtuse.  There  is  a  white 
vax'iety  of  this  species.  Native  of  Italy. 
Flowers  in  August  and  September.  Intro- 
duced in  1824.  According  to  Mr.  Gordon, 
this  bears  the  following  names : — Cautiimnale, 
C.  purpura sce?is,  C.  siibhastatum,  C  Poll,  and 
C.  hederifolium  purpureum.  The  C.  suh- 
hadatum  of  Reiclienbach  is  by  some  thought 
distinct  as  a  variety  ;  it  has  cordate-triangular 
crenate  leaves,  and  floAvers  with  the  segments 
broadly  oval  and  acute  ;  it  is  also  a  tSwiss 
plant. 

Cyclamen  persicum,  Miller  (reniform  spring- 
flov/ered  Sow-bread). — A  tender  perennial, 
rather  large  compared  with  the  majority  of  the 
species.  The  tubers  are  large  and  flattish  ; 
the  leaves  large,  reniform-cordate,  crenate, 
marbled  with  white  on  the  upper  surface,  and 
purple  beneath.  The  flowers  are  large,  the 
segments  oblong-obtuse.  There  are  many 
varieties  as  to  colour, — alhijioriim,  which  is 
entirely  white  ;  lilacinum,  which  is  pale 
purple  ;  punctatum,  white  with  lilac  spots ; 
laciniatuvi,  white  with  a  red  throat,  the  petals 
jagged  ;  odoratum,  the  common  sweet  kind, 
white  with  a  red  throat  ;  inodoriim,  white 
and  red,  but  scentless  ;  Jiore-pleno,  with 
double  flowers.  Native  of  the  island  of  Cyprus. 
Flowers  from  February  to  May,  according  to 
its  treatment.  Introduced  in  1731.  It  is 
(tailed  sometimes  C.  pyrolcefulium,  C.  nto- 
pictcm,  and  C  odoratum. 

Cychvmen  repandum,  Sibthorp  (repand- 
leaved  Sow-bread). — A  somewhat  tender  per- 
ennial species.  The  bulbs  ai'e  of  moderate  size, 
bearing  thin  cordate-marbled  repand  leaves, 
having  the  angles  entire,  and  mucronate.  The 
flowers  are  rose-coloured,  with  the  segments 
oblong.  Native  of  Greece.  Flowers  from 
March  to  May.     Introduced  in  1816. 

Cyclamen  ■  vernum,  Reichenbach  (round - 
leaved  winter  Sow-ljread). —  A  hardy  peren- 
nial species,  of  moderate  ?ize,  "  having  the 
leaves  of  C.  perdc.um,  and  t!ie  flowers  of 
C.  couin."  The  roots  are  larger  than  those  of 
coum;  the  leaves  double  the  size,  quite  round, 
entire,  with  the  lobes  at  the  base  overlapping  ; 
the  upper  surface  is  marked  with  an  irregular 
band  of  white.  The  flowei'S  bright  reddish-  : 
purple,  rather  larger  than  those  of  coum,  but 
of  the  same  short  form.  Native  of  the  south 
of  Europe.   Flowers  from  November  to  Janu- 


ary. Introduced  in  1814.  It  is  often  con- 
founded with  C.  coum,  and  is  the  C.  vernale 
of  Miller. 

These  are  all  the  species  of  which  we  find 
mention  of  the  introduction  to  English  gardens. 
There  are  others  described  in  books,  such  as 
C.  aleppicum,  Fischer;  C.  grcecum.  Link; 
C.  intermedium,  Wenderoth ;  C.  indicum., 
Linnteus. 

CULTUKE. 

The  Cyclamen  is  one  of  many  modest  yet 
beautiful  plants  belonging  to  the  natural 
order  Primulaceje  to  be  met  with  in  a  cul- 
tivated state.  It  is  somewhat  surprising  that 
it  is  not  more  generally  cultivated  either  in 
private  gardens  for  the  sake  of  display,  or 
commercially  for  the  purpose  of  gain.  It  is  a 
plant  well  suited  for  amateurs,  as  it  takes  but 
little  space,  and  may  be  turned  out  of  doors  in 
a  northern  aspect,  Avhen  it  has  done  flower- 
ing, to  make  room  for  other  plants.  The 
treatment  of  these  plants  is  not  so  difficult  a 
matter,  but  that  any  one  may  grow  them  who 
has  the  convenience  of  a  two  or  three-light 
frame,  to  protect  them  in  the  winter  from 
frost  and  excessive  rains,  which  latter  do 
them  more  harm  than  slight  frosts.  Some 
who  have  grov.'n,  or  attempted  to  grow 
cyclamens,  have  not  met  with  the  success 
they  anticipated  ;  this  disappointment  is 
traceable  in  the  beginning  to  the  existence 
of  disease,  caused  either  by  giving  them  too 
much  or  too  little  water  at  particnhir  periods. 
These  are  tlie  two  main  things  in  which  in- 
experienced cultivators  are  liable  to  fail  ;  for 
they  are  plants  that  are  soon  seriously  damaged, 
by  an  over-dose  of  water  when  at  all  dormant 
on  the  one  hand,  and  on  the  other  hand,  by 
being  allowed  to  get  too  dry,  in  the  growing 
season. 

RAISINa   FROJI    SEED. 

This  is  the  best  mode  of  propapatiug  the 
cyclamen,  though  it  may  seem  a  long  and 
tedious  way  of  getting  flowering  roots  ;  it  is, 
however,  the  surest  method,  as  you  then  know 
the  constitution  of  your  plants,  which  is  of 
material  consequence  in  plant-growing.  For 
the  sowing  of  cyclamen  seeds,  some  persons 
recommend  the  period  immediately  after  the 
ripening  of  the  seed.  Others  defer  the  opera- 
tion until  the  spring.  This  latter  is  the  best 
and  safest  way,  tho.se  sown  in  autumn  being 
apt  to  damp  off  in  the  dull  winter  season. 
The  beginning  of  March  is  a  good  time  for 
seed-sowing  ;  and  the  operation  is  performed 
in  the  following  manner  :  —  Prepare  ordi- 
nary seed-pans,  selecting  those  which  are 
about  four  inches  deep.  They  are  prepared 
by  filling  them,  first  with  about  an  inch  of 
broken  potsherds,  then  a  layer  of  rough  peat 
or  moss,  then  a  compost  consisting  of  one- 
half  peat  made  rather  fine,  one-fourth  friable 

z2 


340 


THE   CYCLAMEN. 


loam,  and  one-fourtli  silver  sand  ;  or  drift- 
sand  will  answer  the  purpose,  if  white  sand 
is  not  at  hand.  With  this  compost  the  pans 
are  filled  up  to  within  an  inch  of  the  top. 
The  soil  is  then  to  be  pressed  down  lightly, 
and  the  seed  scattered  thinly  over  the  surface. 
Tlie  seeds  are  covered  in  by  sifting  about  half 
an  inch  of  fine  soil  over  them,  which  is  to 
be  pressed  down  rather  firmly,  and  then 
moderately  watered.  The  seed-pans  are  then 
to  be  covered  over  with  a  thin  layer  of  loose 
moss  to  keep  them  moist ;  this  prevents 
evaporation,  and  does  away  with  the  neces- 
sity for  frequent  waterings.  Place  the  pans 
in  a  frame  or  pit,  which  should  be  kept  close 
until  the  seeds  begin  to  germinate  ;  then 
shade  them,  and  give  a  little  air  in  fine 
weather.  Or  they  may  be  set  upon  the  shelves 
of  a  green-house,  which  will  answer  as  well 
as  a  frame.  When  they  are  pretty  well  esta- 
blished, they  may  be  potted  into  single  pots. 

TREATMENT  OF  THE  TOUNG  PLANTS. 

The  seedlings  must  be  potted  off  into  sepa- 
rate pots  as  soon  as  they  have  made  two  or 
three  young  leaves.  Get  some  of  the  same  kind 
of  compost  as  that  used  for  seed-sowing,  and 
have  it  made  rather  fine.  .The  pots  used  should 
be  large  thumbs,  or  those  which  are  three  inches 
in  diameter.  Take  tlie  strongest  plants  out  of 
the  pans,  without  damaging  the  roots  moi'e 
than  cannot  be  avoided.  The  plants  must  be 
carefully  separated  so  as  not  to  damage  or 
break  off  the  leaves,  which  are  attached  by 
rather  brittle  stalks.  In  potting,  the  soil  must 
be  pressed  rather  firmly  around  the  base  of 
the  plant  ;  and  after  potting  they  must  be 
put  back  into  the  frame,  where  they  should 
have  a  good  watering,  and  must  be  kept  quite 
close  and  well  shaded  until  they  begin  to  root 
round  the  sides  of  the  pots.  When  this  is  the 
case,  they  must  have  more  air  and  less  shade 
until  they  are  quite  hardened,  when  the  lights 
may  be  left  off  entirely,  except  during  heavy 
rains,  when  of  course  they  must  be  put  on,  to 
keep  the  soil  from  becoming  saturated  with 
water.  The  young  plants  that  are  left  in  the 
seed-pans  may  be  thinned  out,  if  too  thick, 
and  a  little  fresh  soil  may  be  added  to  fill  up 
the  openings  where  the  young  plants  were 
taken  out ;  after  which  they  should  be  watered 
and  put  in  a  shady  place  in  the  open  air,  that 
they  may  grow  hardy  and  stunted.  The  plants 
so  treated  will  make  good  plants  for  potting 
off  the  next  year. 

As  the  plants  show  signs  of  becoming 
dormant,  water  must  be  withheld  to  a  great 
extent  until  the  following  season.  They  will 
recommence  growth  about  the  latter  §nd  of 
March  or  the  beginning  of  April.  As  soon  as 
this  is  observed,  they  must  be  turned  out  of 
the  thumb-pots  and  shifted  into  three-inch  or 


four-inch  pots,  according  to  their  size,  using 
the  compost  a  little  coarser  than  that  em- 
ployed for  the  young  seedlings.  Select  those 
only  for  shifting  that  have  begun  to  grow. 
After  shifting,  keep  them  close  for  some  time, 
admitting  a  little  air  in  the  middle  of  the  day, 
but  shutting  them  up  early  in  the  afternoon, 
to  raise  the  internal  temperature.  After  they 
begin  to  root  round  the  sides  of  the  pots,  they 
must  have  a  little  manure  water.  Cow-dung 
will  form  the  most  suitable  liquid  for  them, 
and  it  should  be  prepared  thus  : — to  three 
gallons  of  soft  water  add  half  a  spadeful  of 
the  dung,  which  will  make  it  strong  enough 
for  them  ;  this  must  be  well  stirred  up  two 
or  three  times,  and  then  allowed  to  settle, 
the  clear  liquid  only  being  given  to  the  plants. 
This  manure  must  only  be  given  them  when 
they  are  in  full  health  and  growing  freely  or 
blooming  ;  and  must  be  no  more  applied  after 
there  is  the  least  sign  of  the  decay  of  the 
leaves.  From  this  period  all  the  water  they 
require,  which  will  be  but  little,  must  be  given 
to  them  in  a  pure  state ;  and  the  proportion 
will  vary  according  to  the  stage  at  which  the 
resting  process  is  arrived.  By  the  time  the 
plants  are  quite  matured,  they  will,  if  kept  in. 
a  frame,  require  scarcely  any  water;  the  damp- 
ness of  the  frame  will  most  likely  keep  them 
moist  enough.  In  this  case  the  pots  should 
be  laid  on  their  sides,  in  order  that  they  may 
not  catch  any  drip  from  the  sashes  during  wet 
weather ;  they  may  remain  in  this  position 
until  the  following  spring.  It  is  to  be  under- 
stood that  the  plants  are  not  to  be  dried  off  com- 
pletely, or  so  far  as  to  destroy  all  the  leaves. 
If  the  plants  have  to  be  rested  in  a  green- 
house, the  shelves  of  which  afford  a  very 
convenient  place  for  the  process,  they  must 
not  stand  through  the  resting  period  without 
water;  but  should  have  just  enough  to  keep  the 
leaves  from  dying  off  completely.  Theless  they 
can  have,  so  that  this  is  secured,  the  better. 

Mr,  Mitchell,  of  Stokeley,  some  few  years 
since,  proved  peat  soil  to  be  very  conducive  to 
the  growth  of  these  plants.  He  states,  that 
although  for  many  years  he  has  raised  seed- 
lings by  the  thousand,  he  had  never  been 
enabled  to  bloom  them  in  less  than  three  or 
four  years  from  the  seeds  (except  C.  coum), 
until  he  used  peat  soil  in  a  very  rough  state, 
mixed  with  sandy  loam,  in  the  proportion  of 
six  parts  of  the  former  to  one  of  the  lattei*. 
The  seeds  were  sown  in  June,  as  soon  as  they 
had  ripened,  and  the  pots  containing  them  set 
into  a  cool  frame  till  the  March  following,  when 
many  of  the  C.  persicum  produced  flowers  ; 
this  was  before  they  were  one  year  old.  The 
peat  earth  employed  was  full  of  fibre,  but 
with  scarcely  any  sand,  and  was  obtained  from 
a  dry  elevated  situation  where  the  common 
heath  abounds. 


THE    CYCLAMEN. 


841 


TREATMENT   OF    THE.  MATURED   PLANTS. 

There    is    some    slight    difference  in   the 
management  of  the  young  plants  and  of  those 
which    have   reached   maturity.       Supposing 
the  plants  to  have  gone  on   favourably  until 
they  have  reached  the  commencement  of  the 
third    season,   when   they  will    have   formed 
pretty  strong  tubers,   you  must  now  use  for 
them  the  following  compost : — one-fourth  of 
maiden    loam,    one-fourth    peat    earth,   one- 
fourth  silver-sand,    and    one-fourth    of   well 
decomposed  leaf  soil  or  cow-dung ;  these  ingre- 
dients must  be  well  incorporated  preparatory 
to  repotting  the  tubers,   which  is   the  next 
process.     Turn  them  out  of  the  pots,  and  if 
the  roots  are  sound  and  healthy,  repot  them, 
or  at  least  the  strongest  of  them,  into  six-inch 
pots.    In  doing  this,  take  away  as  much  of  the 
old  soil  as  can  be  removed  without  injuring 
the  roots.     Prepare  the  pots,  which  should  be 
new  or  clean  washed,  carefully  ;  use  plenty 
of  potsherds  ;  about  one-fourth  of  the  depth  of 
the  pots  should  be  filled  with  this  material  ; 
then  put  a  layer  of  the  roughest  fragments  of 
the  soil  on  the  potsherds,  and  on  this  use  the 
ordinary  mass  of  soil,  which   should  not  be 
rubbed  or  sifted  very  fine,  but  should  contain 
rough  turfy  lumps  of  moderate  size  to  keep  it 
open.      Set  the  bulbs  in  the  pots  so  that  one- 
third  of  their  surface  may  be  exposed  at  the 
top  of  the  soil,  and  make  the  soil  moderately 
firm,  in  the  ordinary  way.     Water  them  until 
you  are  satisfied  the  soil  is  wetted  through. 
Keep  them  close  and  shaded  until  the  leaves 
acquire  a  firm  appearance  ;  then  inure  them 
to   the  sun-rays  by  degrees,   until  they  get 
well  established  so  as  to  bear  full  exposure, 
when  they  may  be  turned  out  of  the  frame 
and  placed  in  a  northern   aspect,    in   which 
they  may  grow  and  mature  their  foliage,  and 
remain  until  they  manifest  symptoms  of  matu- 
rity in  the  autumn.     While  in  this  situation 
they  must  be  sparingly  watered,  and  subse- 
quently,  if  wintered  in  a  frame,    as   before 
explained,  the  water  muse  be  entirely  with- 
held.    If  this  plan  of  keeping  them  is  adopted, 
they  must  be  placed  in  the  frame  in  the  same 
way  as  before,  and  treated  similarly.     After 
this,  the  tubers  may  be  considered  to   have 
reached  a  mature  flowering  state  ;  and  indeed 
it  is  highly  probable  that  blossoms  will  have 
already  been  produced,  though,  for  the  sake 
of  strengthening  the  plants,  it  is  as  well  to 
have  these  early  blooms  removed. 

TREATMENT  FOR  BLOOMING. 

After  the  plants  are  thus  fully  established, 
it  is  an  easy  matter  to  bloom  them.  It  will 
be  found  that  some  of  the  bulbs  start  much 
eai-lier  into  growth  than  the  others  ;  these 
should  be  repotted  first,  using  the  same  kind 
of  compost  as  before,  and  the  same  proportion 


of  di'ainage  materials  likewise.  Encourage 
these  as  much  as  possible  by  liberal  treat- 
ment, keeping  them  rather  warm  and  moist. 
In  this  way  there  will  be  a  succession  of 
flowering  plants,  from  March  or  April,  until 
June.  It  is  a  convenient  plan  to  divide  the 
plants  into  three  batches,  which  can  easily  be 
done,  by  placing  some  of  them  in  a  shady 
situation,  and  shifting  them  at  different  in- 
tervals until  all  are  done.  The  first  batch  of 
them,  after  they  have  done  flowering,  must 
be  put  in  a  shady  place,  and  watered  with 
caution,  so  that  they  may  keep  their  leaves 
healthy  and  perfect  ;  these  being  rested,  will 
be  the  first  to  start  the  next  season,  and  the 
others  will  follow  them  in  succession. 

TREATMENT   OP    SICKLY   PLANTS, 

With  proper  care,  the  plants  may  be  kept 
in  health  and  vigour  for  many  years,  by  fol- 
lowing up  the  routine  here  recommended  ; 
but  if  any  of  them,  in  any  of  their  dif- 
ferent stages,  are  seen  to  look  rather  sickly, 
the  leaves  withering,  or  turning  yellow,  it 
may  be  concluded  that  something  has  gone 
wrong.  Turn  the  plant  out  of  the  pot,  and 
probably  it  will  be  evident  that  it  has  had  too 
much  water,  so  that  the  soil  is  soddened  or 
water-logged.  Or,  perhaps,  it  will  be  seen 
that  it  has  been  allowed  to  get  too  dry.  In 
either  case,  one  repotting,  with  ample  drain- 
age and  careful  watering,  will  recover  the 
plants.  Or,  if  the  damage  has  not  been  very 
great,  those  that  have  been  watered  too  much 
may  be  set  in  a  shady  place  until  they  get 
rather  dry,  and  then  carefully  watered,  until 
they  return  to  health  ;  but  they  will  not  be 
likely  to  flower  the  same  year  ;  or  if  they  do, 
the  blossoms  will  be  poor  and  meagre.  Those 
that  have  been  allowed  to  get  too  dry,  if  the 
damage  is  not  very  great,  can  be  easily 
brouglit  round  again  to  their  natural  fresh- 
ness, by  cautious  liberal  waterings. 

There  is  among  Cyclamens  another  source 
of  disease  which  is  all  but  irremediable.  In- 
stead of  propagating  young  plants  by  seeds, 
division  is  sometimes  practised,  the  tubers 
being  cut  asunder  into  as  many  pieces  as  the 
crown  will  admit  of  being  separated  into. 
These  plants  are  scarcely  ever  sound  and 
healthy,  except  under  the  most  dexterous 
management,  and  are  even  then  very  uncer- 
tain. They  go  off  fiom  decay  of  the  root  ; 
and  if  an  unskilful  manager  has  one  of  these 
divided  plants,  and  finds  it  becoming  sickly, 
the  best  thing  he  can  do  is  to  throw  it  away, 
and  purchase  a  seedling  plant  ;  unless,  in- 
deed, he  may  take  advantage  of  the  opportu- 
nity to  learn  a  lesson  in  horticulture.  The 
treatment  is  to  remove  the  rotted  portion, 
and  dry  the  wound  with  caustic  lime,  and 
then  to  pot  in  well  drained  soil,  and  water 
with  every  care  till  health  is  re-established. 


342 


THE    CYCLAMJ§if. 


CULTUKE  AS  A  WINDOW  PLANT. 

There  is  scarcely  any  class  of  plants  better 
adapted  for  a  window,  than  the  Cyclamens. 
Of  small  size,  neat  habit,  and  easy  manage- 
ment, and  bearing  beautiful  blossoms  in  pro- 
fusion, which,  in  properly  selected  varieties, 
are  deliciou?ly  fragrant,  there  seems  to  be  no 
quality  wanting  to  render  them  just  what 
window  plants  should  be. 

The  odoriferous  varieties  of  Cyclamen  per- 
sicum  are  those  which  should  be  chosen  for 
domestic  culture  ;  and  the  pi'ocess  of  cultiva- 
tion is  nearly  the  same  in  this  case  as  in  the 
greenhouse.  They  require  an  airy  situation, 
and  a  carefully  limited  supply  of  water  ;  that 
is  to  say,  they  are  by  no  means  what  may  be 
called  thirsty  plants,  although,  on  the  other 
hand,  the  soil  must  not  be  sutfered  to  become 
very  dry.  The  plants  do  not  suffer  from  ex- 
posure to  the  sun.  As  the  plants  may  be 
'liable  to  sustain  some  rough  treatment,  espe- 
cially as  to  watering,  it  is,  in  this  case,  very 
important  to  pay  attention  to  the  manner  of 
potting  the  tubers  ;  they  must  not  be  entirely 
buried  in  the  soil,  as  is  the  case  in  planting 
many  bulbous  roots,  but  should  be  left  about 
half  exposed,  tlie  lower  half  only  being  placed 
in  the  soil.  That  soil  should  consist  of  loam, 
peat,  and  leaf  mould,  in  about  equal  propor- 
tions, to  which  compost  enough  silver  sand 
should  be  added  to  prevent  anything  like  ad- 
hesion amongst  its  particles.  The  pots  must 
be  very  carefully  drained,  with  a  layer  of 
potsherds,  charcoal,  or  some  such  material, 
'  occupying  about  one-fourth  of  the  depth  of 
the  pot  :  which  latter  ought  to  be  large  enough 
to  allow  an  inch  of  clear  space  all  round  the 
tuber,  between  it  and  the  pot. 

Young  plants  may  be  raised  as  well  in  the 
window  as  in  the  greenhouse,  and  by  pre- 
cisely the  same  process.  The  tubers  are  not 
to  be  suffered  to  dry  off  completely,  as  some 
recommend,  but  should  be  kept  plump  through- 
out their  existence  ;  although  at  that  period 
when  they  are  not  in  active  growth,  they 
ought  to  be  kept  much  drier  than  when 
making  their  growth.  The  best  plan  is,  as 
soon  as  the  leaves  have  decayed,  to  plunge  the 
pot  containing  the  tubers  in  the  open  ground, 
in  some  convenient  place,  so  that  the  pot  may 
be  an  inch  below  the  surface  of  the  ground  ; 
this  will  keep  the  tuber  from  being  subjected, 
during  its  resting  time,  to  the  alternations  of 
drought  and  moisture,  to  which  it  is  exposed 
when  kept  in  the  ordinary  way,  and  in  which 
case  occasional  watering  becomes  necessary. 
Under  this  treatment,  an  uniform  degree  of 
moisture  about  the  tuber  is  more  nearly  re- 
ali^^ed,  and  it  thus  may  be,  as  it  should  be,  so 
regulated  that  the  amount  of  moisture  present 
may  neither  be  too  great  nor  too  small.  In 
this  state  the  tubers  may  remain  during  the 


summer.  Towards  the  approach  of  autumn, 
say  by  the  middle  of  September,  the  young 
leaves  ought  to  make  their  appearance.  When 
this  is  the  case,  the  pot  should  be  brought  up 
to  the  level  of  the  ground,  in  which  situation 
it  may  remain,  with  carefully  regulated  water- 
ings, as  long  as  the  character  of  the  season 
will  admit  ;  it  must,  however,  neither  be 
touched  by  frosts,  nor  saturated  by  heavy 
rains.  Henceforward,  the  pots  must  be  placed 
in  the  window,  subject  to  the  provision  of 
exposure  to  light,  and  to  as  much  air  as  cir- 
cumstances will  admit. 

Plants  of  Cyclamen  persiciim  so  managed 
will  come  into  bloom  at  the  ordinary  blooming 
season,  which  will  vary,  say  from  February 
to  May,  according  to  the  characteristic  pecu- 
liarities of  individual  plants.  But  they  may 
be  had  in  bloom  earlier,  if  they  are  required, 
and  this  result  is  obtained  by  the  application 
of  some  extra  heat,  which  Cyclamens  bear 
very  Avell. 

FORCING. 

To  have  Cyclamens  in  flower  before  the 
ordinary  season,  they  require  some  prepara- 
tion, the  chief  feature  of  which  is  to  promote 
free  growth  during  the  latter  part  of  the  sum- 
mer. With  Cyclamens,  as  well  as  all  other 
plants  or  flowers  intended  to  be  produced  in 
any  given  state,  at  a  particular  and  somewhat 
unnatural  season,  it  is  of  the  utmost  import- 
ance that  the  plants  should  be  managed  as  it 
were  in  a  kind  of  cycle.  In  other  words,  the 
plants  which  ai'e  excited  first  in  one  season, 
should  be  first  excited  in  each  succeeding 
season,  and  those  which  follow,  precisely  in 
the  same  relative  order  year  after  year.  The 
reason  for  this  is,  that  plants  naturally  adapt 
themselves  to  circumstances.  A  plant  which 
is  for  the  first  time  excited  early,  so  treated 
as  to  make  a  healthy  growth,  and  brought  in 
strength  and  vigour  to  a  state  of  early  rest, 
will  the  following  year  be  in  some  measure 
prepared  for  eaiTy  excitement  by  the  treat- 
ment it  has  undergone ;  it  will  have  become 
in  a  certain  degree  natural  to  it,  to  make  its 
growth  earlier  than  usual.  From  this  step, 
therefore,  another  may  be  taken,  and  the 
plant,  without  sustaining  any  injury  from  the 
stimulus,  may  be  had  somewhat  earlier  than 
before.  In  this  way,  year  after  year  some 
advance  in  earliness  may  be  made,  provided 
the  entire  treatment  throughout  the  season  is 
consistent  therewith  ;  and  not  only  so,  but 
year  after  year  the  \:Aa.nt  will  have  more 
strongly  acquii-ed  the  habit  of  early  growth, 
and  thus,  in  each  succeeding  season,  may  be 
brought  into  bloom  at  a  given  and  corre- 
sponding period,  with  a  less  amount  of 
forcing. 

This  must  not,  however,  be  misunderstood. 
It  is  not  intended  that  Cyclamens,  or  other 


THE    CYCLAMEN. 


34S 


flowers,  may  be  had  in  blossom  year  after 
year  at  an  unnatural  season,  especially  if  that 
be,  as  in  this  case  it  would  be,  in  the  winter, 
while  in  each  succeeding  year  they  receive  a 
less  amount  of  heat  and  the  other  agents  of 
vegetable  excitement  than  was  given  to  that 
at  the  first.  This  may  be  so  to  some  extent ; 
but  the  fact  is,  that  a  certain  amount  of 
heat,  light,  and  moisture,  is  essential  ;  and 
anything  short  of  this  amount  will  prove  in- 
sufficient. The  real  advantage  of  the  prac- 
tice just  recommended,  and  what  is  meant  by 
the  statement  that  a  less  amount  of  forcing  is 
requisite  in  each  succeeding  year,  is  this  :  the 
plant  grows  more  readily,  more  freely,  under 
the  conditions  it  is  subjected  to,  and,  con- 
sequently, there  is  less  "forcing"  required  to 
produce  the  result,  though  the  actual  condi- 
tion it  is  subjected  to  may  be  nearly  the  same. 
It,  however,  takes  some  few  years  to  establish 
the  precocious  habit  in  any  plant,  though  some 
take  it  up  more  readily  than  others. 

Having  explained  this  matter,  we  may  pro- 
ceed to  notice  the  mode,  or  at  least  one  mode, 
by  which  the  Cyclamen  persicum  may  be 
made  to  bloom  earlier  than  usual.  We  must 
start  with  a  strong  root,  arrived  at  a  mature 
and  blooming  age,  for  such  only  are  fit  for 
forcing  ;  and  provided  there  is  a  choice  of 
plants,  those  should  be  taken  which  go  first 
out  of  bloom.  Suppose  this  to  be  early  in 
March,  then  the  plants  should  be  set  in  a 
situation  perfectly  exposed  to  sunlight  and 
air,  in  order  that  the  foliage  may  be  well 
ripened.  Tiiis  treatment  may  be  continued 
for  about  a  month,  the  plants  being  during 
this  time  regularly  watered.  Then  they  must 
be  kept  somewhat  drier,  with  the  view  of  rest- 
ing them,  but  the  soil  must  not  be  allowed  to 
become  thoroughly  dried,  nor  should  the 
leaves  be  suffered  to  become  flaccid.  By  the 
beginning  of  May  the  quantity  of  water  may 
be  again  increased,  the  plants  being  placed  in 
the  warmest  position  the  greenhouse  affords, 
in  order  to  excite  them  a  little  into  growth. 

As  soon  as  they  begin  to  make  any  new 
gi'owth,  the  plants  should  be  shifted  into 
larger  pots  in  very  rich  soil,  and  then  set 
into  a  frame  where  they  may  have  plenty  of 
air  and  full  exposure  to  the  sun.  Watering 
must  on  no  account  be  neglected,  although 
nothing  like  saturation  of  the  soil  should 
ever  take  place.  vSome  persons  recommend 
to  plant  out  the  roots  during  this  period  into 
an  unshaded  bed  of  rich  soil  in  the  kitchen- 
garden  ;  this  bed  should  contain  a  consider- 
able proportion  of  vegetable  soil  and  sandy 
peat  earth,  which  forms  a  good  compost  for 
them.  For  pot  culture,  however,  a  rich  com- 
post for  these  plants  may  be  compounded 
thus  :— one  part  good  light  loam,  two  parts 


light  turfy  peat  rather  sandy,  one  part  good 
leaf  mould,  half  a  part  broken  charcoal  ;  no 
additional  sand  will  be  required  if  the  loam 
and  peat  used  be  light  and  sandy. 

Whether  planted  out,  or  grown  vigorously 
in  pots  placed  in  frames,  the  plants  will  have 
advanced  considerably  by  Michaelmas  ;  and 
then  in  the  former  case  will  require  to  be 
taken  up  and  potted.  This  must  be  done 
carefully,  the  balls  of  earth  being  kept  as 
entire  as  possible,  and  the  plants  put  into  pots 
large  enough  to  take  their  roots  without 
cramping  or  injuring  them.  In  either  case 
the  plants  may  now  be  set  in  a  light  airy 
position  in  the  greenhouse  or  frame  until 
wanted  for  forcing.  In  many  cases  the  plants 
will  be  already  showing  blossom. 

The  developing  of  the  blossoms  is  another 
matter.  The  proper  situation  for  them  is  an 
intermediate  stove,  that  is,  a  cool  stove, 
where  an  average  day  temperature  of  60°, 
and  a  night  temperature  of  45°,  is  kept  up. 
Being  dwarf  tufted  plants,  they  ought  always 
to  be  kept  near  the  glass  and  in  a  very  light 
position.  Into  this  temperature  and  situation 
a  few^  of  the  plants  should  be  brought  in  suc- 
cession at  intervals  of  about  three  weeks. 
When  fully  in  bloom,  the  plants  may  be  taken 
to  the  drawing-room,  or  placed  in  the  con- 
servatory, but  in  the  former  situation  they 
must  not  be  kept  too  long  at  one  time,  or  the 
foliage  will  become  sickly,  which  is  very  in- 
jurious to  the  general  health  of  the  plants. 
It  is  better  to  change  them  frequently^  than 
thus  to  impair  their  vigour. 

TREATMENT    OF    THE    HAEDY   KIKDS. 

The  foregoing  instructions  in  cultivation 
refer  chiefly  to  the  Cyclamen  persicum.  To 
this  species  C.  repandum  most  nearly  assimi- 
lates. Such  of  the  remainder  as  may  be  cul- 
tivated in  pots  may  have  similar  treatment  in 
all  respects,  except  that  they  are  more  hardy, 
and  should  have  a  greater  degree  of  exposure 
to  air.  In  fact^  an  airy  frame  or  pit  suits 
them  best  at  all  times. 

Probably  all  the  kinds  beside  those  just 
named  are  hardy  enough  to  grow  in  the  open 
border  ;  but  the  winter  and  very  early  spring 
flowering  ones  are  inappropriate  for  such  a 
situation,  because  their  blooms  would  in  all 
probability  be  destroyed  by  frosts.  The  whole 
of  the  remaining  kinds,  namely  those  whose 
blooms  are  produced  in  summer  or  autumn, 
form  beautiful  objects  under  favourable  con- 
ditions of  growth.  These  conditions  are  : — 
a  cool  shady  situation — not  where  tree  roots 
rob  the  soil  of  its  moisture  ;  a  soil  in  which 
peat  earth  preponderates  ;  and  liberal  w^ater- 
ings  in  continued  dry  weather.  These  hardy 
kinds,  like  the  rest,  are  propagated  by  seeds. 


344 


THE  JOUENAL  OF  THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


THE  JOUENAL  OF  THE  HORTICULTUllAL  SOCIETY.* 


The  July  number  of  this  work  has  several 
very  excellent  papers.  The  table  of  temper- 
atures, for  the  use  of  gardeners,  arranged 
according  to  the  respective  localities  in  which 
the  observations  have  been  made,  is  a  weighty 
affair,  making  but  little  show,  but  requiring 
an  immense  labour.  A  description  of  the 
Kaisha,  a  new  Syrian  apricot,  introduced  by 
John  Barker,  Esq.,  of  Suedia,  is  very  inter- 
esting, as  it  opens  up  a  new  family,  as  it  were, 
of  a  fruit  of  which  we  had  but  few  varieties. 
A  paper,  by  James  Duncan,  on  tlie  subject  of 
edgings  to  flower-beds,  gives  a  lesson  that  will 
be  new  to  hundreds,  altliough  the  writer  seems 
to  have  practised  it  for  years.  He  recommends 
very  narrow  edgings  of  turf,  as  narrow  as  one 
inch,  instead  of  bos  or  any  other  of  the  nu- 
merous subjects  which  have  been  adopted 
from  time  to  time.  We  cannot,  in  the  face  of 
a  man's  declaration  that  he  has  tried  a  thing 
for  years,  deny  that  it  may  be  made  available; 
but  we  are  more  than  half  inclined  to  doubt 
the  assumed  easiness  of  keeping  it  in  trim. 
It  would  seem  to  us,  who  have  not  tried  it, 
that  there  would  be  very  considerable  difficulty 
in  keeping  it  in  order,  on  account  of  the  dis- 
position it  has  generally  to  spread.  It  is  quite 
certain,  that  unless  it  be  kept  in  repair  it 
would  soon  be  a  nuisance  ;  and  however  suc- 
cessful the  writer  may  have  been,  we  doubt  if 
it  would  be  sound  long  together  in  the  hands 
of  ordinary  gardeners.  The  idea  of  keeping 
tiirf  only  an  inch  broad  in  good  condition 
Avould  alarm  some  men  ;  at  the  same  time,  it 
must  be  conceded  that  if  it  could  be  kept  in 
high  condition,  nothing  v/ould  be  neater  or 
better.  The  paper  is  worth  reading,  and  the 
experiment  worth  trying,  though  we  confess 
we  are  strong  advocates  for  box.  A  paper 
on  the  cultivation  of  the  genus  Epacris  is  a 
little  bit  of  sound  practical  gardening  which 
we  subscribe  to  ;  and  because  all  we  have  done 
with  plants  of  the  same  habit  has  pi'oved  the 
efficacy  of  the  directions,  we  shall  some  day 
extract  this  paper.  The  paper  by  Mr.  Fleming, 
gardener  to  the  Duke  of  Sutherland,  on  per- 
manent studs  on  walls  for  training  fruit  trees, 
is  not  new — that  is  to  say,  the  idea  is  not  new. 
"When  the  patent  leaden  wire,  or  we  suppose 
we  must  say  metal  wire,  was  first  introduced 
to  be  used  instead  of  threads,  permanent 
studs  were  recommended,  and  it  has  been 
followed  with  great  advantage  by  many  prac- 
tical men.     The  patent  wires  wei'e  as  easily 

*  The  Journal  of  the  Horticultural  Society  of  Lon- 
don. Vol.  IV.  Part  III.  London :  published  by  the 
Society,  21,  Regent  Street. 


managed  as  a  string  or  bass  tie,  and  they 
might  be  removed  and  replaced  several  times 
without  being  the  worse  for  it ;  indeed,  proper 
studs  or  neat  headed  nails  were  introduced  at 
the  same  time.  Mr.  Fleming  recommends  bass 
ties,  and  the  common  cast-iron  nails,  first  made 
red  hot  and  then  plunged  into  oil,  by  which, 
he  says,  oxidation  is  prevented,  and  these  are 
to  be  placed  in  lines  and  at  proper  distances. 
Of  course,  whatever  is  to  be  permanent  should 
be  uniform  ;  and  this  among  other  matters 
was  suggested  at  the  time  the  wires  were  in- 
troduced, and  we  confess  we  like  wires  better 
than  bass  ties.  Mr.  George  Lovell,  the  gar- 
dener to  the  Marchioness  of  Hastings,  has 
some  observations  on  the  growth  and  matura- 
tion of  the  wood  of  plants.  This  is  a  clever 
paper,  and  can  only  be  done  justice  to  by  re- 
publishing it.  The  writer  has  some  peculiar 
crotchets,  but  in  the  main  he  conveys  a  good 
deal  of  good  information  on  subjects  which 
are  little  thought  of  even  by  those  whose 
practice  in  a  great  measure  assimilates.  "Con- 
tributions to  a  History  of  the  Relation  between 
Climate  and  Vegetation  in  various  parts  of  the 
Globe,"  gives  us  some  valuable  information  on 
the  subjects  of  vines,  figs,  and  other  fruits  as 
connected  with  the  climate  of  Australind, 
Western  Australia,  and  will  be  read  with 
great  interest.  An  excellent  paper,  by  Mr. 
Henry  Bailey,  of  Nuneham,  on  the  proper 
management  of  fruit-tree  borders,  Avill  be  a 
useful  study  to  those  who  have  been  hithei'to 
careless  in  these  matters.  And  an  article  by 
Mr.  Conway,  of  Earl's  Court,  on  the  cultui'e 
and  management  of  the  scarlet  geranium  is 
very  likely,  from  its  u^efulness,  to  be  trans- 
formed to  our  pages.  But  perhaps  the  most 
valuable  part  of  the  number  is  Mr.  Gordon's 
elaborate  notes  upon  some  newly  introduced 
conifers,  collected  by  Mr.  Hartweg  in  Upper 
California,  no  doubt  long  before  the  mineral 
productions  occupied  so  large  a  space  in  the 
minds  of  travellers  to  that  locality.  Descrip- 
tions of  four  interesting  species  or  varieties, 
with  excellent  illustrations,  will  be  highly  ap- 
preciated by  those  who  take  delight  in  this 
extensive  family.  Notices  of  the  new  plants 
from  the  Society's  garden  occupy  a  few  pages 
profitably  ;  and  the  proceedings  of  the  Society, 
though  mentioned  last,  must  be  regarded  as 
the  staple  commodity  in  this  journal,  and  per- 
haps in  no  quarterly  part  has  this  portion 
been  more  important.  It  records  changes 
greatly  to  the  advantage  of  the  Society.  We 
cannot  pass  over  the  work  without  giving  our 
humble  testimony  to  the  great  improvement 


THE  JOURNAL  OF  THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


34! 


whicli  it  shows  over  the  old  "  Horticultural 
Transactions."  We  miss  the  large  coloured 
plates,  but  we  have  a  good  deal  more  care  in 
the  selection  of  the  articles.  There  is  less 
theoiy,  but  more  practice — less  pretension,  but 
much  greater  value.  Indeed  it  stands,  from 
very  peculiar  advantages,  highest  among  the 
periodical  works  connected  with  the  higher 
walks  of  Horticulture.  Our  space  will  only 
admit  of  the  following  extracts  : — 

Description  of  the  Kaisha,  a  new  SyTian 
Apricot,  i7itroduced  by  John  Barker,  Esq., 
of  Suedia.  By  Robert  Thompson,  Super- 
intendent of  the  Oi'chard  and  Kitchen  Gar- 
den Department  in  the  Society's  Garden. 

Fruit  of  this  was  sent  to  the  Society,  July  21, 
1848,  by  J.  Warmington,  Esq.,  of  Kensing- 
ton, accompanied  by  the  following  note  : — "  I 
take  leave  to  send  you  a  couple  of  Apricots 
from  one  of  Mr.  Barker's  Syrian  trees,  which 
has  borne  for  the  first  time  this  year,  and 
carx'ied  twelve  fruits  to  maturity — rather  too 
many  for  its  size.  I  know  not  if  it  possesses 
any  advantages  over  the  common  sort,  but  it 
certainly  is  early.  Some  of  the  fruits  were 
ripe  on  the  day  of  the  late  eChiswick  exhibi- 
tion, 12th  of  July;  and  on  the  same  wall 
where  these  ripened  were  Moorpark  and  Tur- 
key apricots  perfectly  green  and  hard."  The 
tree  was  sent  to  Mr.  Warmington,  by  John 
Barker,  Esq.,  from  his  garden  at  Betias,  near 
Suedia,  in  the  Pachalik  of  Aleppo,  where  he 
states  there  exist  thirteen  varieties  of  apricots 
Avitli  sweet  kernels— this  is  one  of  them  ;  and 
the  sweet-kernelled  apricot  of  Ispahan,  or 
"  Shuker  Para,"  described  in  vol.  iii,  p.  228,  is 
another.  The  fruit  is  roundish,  five  inches 
and  a  half  in  circumference,  rather  deeply  and 
acutely  channelled  on  one  side  near  the  base, 
the  channel  becoming  less,  till  only  like  a 
shallow  indented  line  as  it  approaches  the 
summit,  where  it  terminates  in  a  slight  depres- 
sion formed  round  the  base  of  the  style.  The 
fruit  is  seraitransparent.  Skin  slightly  downy, 
pale  citron-coloured  where  shaded,  tinged  and 
marbled  with  red  next  the  sun.  Flesh  tender, 
juicy,  of  a  clear  citron-colour,  parting  freely 
from  the  stone,  sugary  and  delicious — like 
well-refined  lump-sugar  combined  with  the 
apricot  flavour.  Stone  small,  roundish  ;  ker- 
nel sweet,  like  a  nut. 

A  valuable  early  variety  for  the  dessert  ; 
and  probably  excellent  for  preserving  ;  if  it 
be  employed  for  this  purpose,  the  transparency 
of  the  flesh  will  exhibit  a  new  feature  amongst 
apricot  preserves.  By  its  clear  citron-coloured 
flesh  it  may  be  distinguished  from  the  orange- 
fleshed  varieties  hitherto  known  in  this  coun- 
try, some  of  which  have  likewise  sweet 
kernels,  such  as  the  Breda,  Musch-Musch,  and 
Turkey.     It  is  earlier  than  either  of  these. 


Hints  on  the  Cultivation  of  the  genus  Epacris. 
By  Robert  Reid,  C.M.H.S.,  Gardener  to 
Mrs.  Clarke,  of  Noblethorpe. 

This  useful  genus,  which  is  yearly  becoming 
more  intei'esting  by  the  addition  of  new 
varieties,  almost  rivals  heaths  in  beauty,  and 
must  doubtless  soon  receive  moi'e  extensive 
cultivation  than  it  has  hitherto  done ;  for 
Epacrises  are  much  better  adapted  for  mixed 
collections  than  heaths,  both  on  account  of 
their  more  robust  habits  and  the  certainty 
with  which  they  can  be  brought  into  flower 
at  almost  any  given  time,  but  more  especially 
in  the  winter  season.  The  following  hints, 
therefore,  on  their  cultivation  may  be  found  to 
be  deserving  of  attention  : — 

With  respect  to  propagation  and  soil,  they 
require  the  same  treatment  as  heaths.  I  have 
tried  a  little  loam  with  peat,  but  find  they 
always  thrive  best  in  sandy  peat  alone.  The 
time  for  shifting  can  hardly  be  fixed,  but  it 
should  mostly  be  done  betwixt  the  months  of 
January  and  May.  My  practice  is  always  to 
shift  when  the  plant  has  done  flowering,  what- 
ever time  that  may  happen  to  be.  The  first 
thing  to  be  effected  before  shifting,  is  to 
carefully  cut  down  and  thin  out  the  small 
shoots,  which  should  be  cut  to  various  lengths 
and  heights  accoiding  to  the  size  and  strength 
of  the  plant.  The  rule  is  to  cut  low  enough 
to  cause  the  plant  to  break  down  close  to  the 
surfVice  of  the  soil,  so  that  every  part  may  be 
fully  clothed  with  a  sufficiency  of  young  flow- 
ering shoots  ;  for  the  main  point  to  be  con- 
sidered in  pruning  is  to  produce  a  regular  crop 
of  well- ripened  young  wood,  on  which  depends 
the  future  display  of  blossoms.  When  the 
plant  is  properly  pruned  and  shifted,  it  should 
be  at  once  placed  in  a  warmer  atmosphere, 
there  to  grow  and  ripen  its  wood.  During  its 
growth,  stop  the  young  shoots  frequently,  more 
particularly  of  the  strong  growing  varieties, 
such  as  grandiflora,  impressa,  &c.  These 
should  often  be  stopped,  say  at  six  or  eight 
inches,  for  if  allowed  to  grow  too  long  they 
will  be  destitute  of  flower-buds,  and  will  re- 
quire support  from  sticks,  which  should  be 
avoided  as  much  as  possible.  It  will  also  be 
advisable,  where  the  shoots  are  too  thick,  to 
take  them  off  close  to  the  stem,  so  as  to  pre- 
vent them  from  growing  again. 

Having  no  other  convenience  at  this  place, 
I  grow  my  epacrises  in  the  pine-stove,  where, 
although  they  do  very  well,  yet  the  hot  sun  is 
almost  too  strong  for  them  ;  for  towards  the 
middle  of  summer  it  causes  the  young  shoots 
to  droop.  A  pit,  where  they  could  be  shaded, 
or  a  vinery,  would,  I  should  think,  be  more 
suitable  for  them  ;  but  where  none  of  these 
places  can  be  had,  then  they  must  occupy  the 
warmest  part  of  the  greenhouse  ;  and  when 


346 


THE  JOURNAL  OP  THtl  aoftTlCUtTtJilAL  SOCIETY, 


this  is  so,  the  plants  should  not  be  pruned  so 
closely  as  when  heat  can  be  had,  for  the  young 
shoot  will  not  in  that  case  grow  so  long,  and 
will  consequently  ripen  sooner.  The  plants 
should  never  be  turned  out  of  doors  at  any 
time,  except  when  they  have  been  grown  in 
heat  and  the  wood  brought  to  maturity  early  ; 
then  a  few  weeks  out  of  doors  will  be  of  benefit 
to  them,  rendering  them  more  liardy  for  the 
greenhouse  in  winter.  The  advantges  of  grow- 
ing epacrises  in  heat,  consist  in  the  certainty 
of  having  every  shoot  covered  with  flowers  ; 
and  by  placing  the  plants  in  heat  at  different 
times,  a  constant  succession  of  flowering  plants 
during  the  winter  and  spring  will  be  obtained. 
By  carefully  attending  to  pruning  and  grow- 
ing them  in  heat,  epacrises  may  be  kept  hand- 
some in  appearance,  and  in  good  health,  for 
many  years,  and  will  never  fail  to  produce  a 
regular  crop  of  bloom  in  due  season.  It  is 
well  known,  and  perhaps  still  believed  by 
many,  that  E.  grandiflora  was  considered  a 
shy  bloomer  :  the  reason  of  this  is,  that  being 
always  grown  in  the  greenhouse,  and  the 
shoots  allowed  to  attain  any  length  without 
stopping,  they  never  got  properly  ripened,  and 
the  few  flowers  that  did  expand  were  only  on 
the  smallest  and  shortest  'shoots,  which  ripen 
eai'ly  ;  this  shows  the  necessity  of  having  a 
supply  of  these  short  shoots  on  every  part  of 
the  plant.  The  more  weakly  growing  kinds, 
such  as  pulchella,  will  not  require  to  be  so 
severely  pruned  as  the  stronger  kinds  ;  judi- 
cious stopping  will  mostly  be  found  sufficient 
for  them.  Watering  should  be  carefully  at- 
tended to  during  their  season  of  growth ;  they 
require  a  good  deal  at  that  time. 

Hints  on  the  proper  Management  of  Fruit- 
Tree  Borders,  having  for  their  object  the 
attainment  of  early  and  permanent  pro- 
ductiveness. By  Henry  Bailey,  Nuneham. 
In  making  a  communication  to  the  Society 
upon  a  subject  of  so  much  interest  to  every 
lover  of  a  garden,  I  may  be  allowed  to  say 
that  I  do  so  with  great  deference  to  the 
opinions  of  others.  In  treating  the  subject,  it 
"will  be  my  endeavour  to  advance  nothing  in 
practice  which  cannot  be  accounted  for  by 
science,  being  well  assured  that  no  disserta- 
tions, in  this  enlightened  age,  can  be  really 
valuable  to  the  community  which  do  not  unite 
theory  with  practice. 

The  walls  of  a  garden  are  amongst  the 
largest  items  of  expense  in  its  first  formation, 
but  Ave  may  travel  long  distances  without 
seeing  (however  complete  in  other  respects 
gardens  may  be)  these  expensive  provisions 
adequately  furnished  with  well-trained  ^nd 
fructiferous  trees,  or  if  we  see  them  now,  in 
a  few  years  they  will  have  vanished.  How 
often  do  we  see  trees  growing  in  the  wildest 


luxuriance  during  one  season  (perhaps  a  wet 
and  sunless  one),  doomed  to  perish  the  next 
from  their  crude  and  immatured  condition! 

Various  have  been  the  suggestions  of  mo- 
dern gardeners  conversant  with  horticulture 
as  a  science,  to  control  the  vigour  of  their 
trees  within  certain  limits,  and  to  establish 
that  desirable  balance  in  them  which,  while 
they  possess  all  reasonable  strength  of  growth, 
does  not  prevent  their  producing  abundantly. 
In  old  times  it  was  said, 

"  He  who  plants  pears, 
Plants  for  his  heirs ; " 

but  in  these  days,  thanks  to  Mr.  Rivers,  root- 
pruning,  shallow  planting,  and  the  quince 
stock,  where  it  flourishes,  eveiy  lover  of  this 
valuable  fruit  can  now  look  for  and  have 
immediate  results. 

Equally  diverse  have  been  the  modes  of 
planting  trees  on  walls.  •  In  former  times, 
when  the  imfortance  of  drainage  was  less 
understood — when  the  revivifying  powers  of 
atmospheric  air  in  penetrating  soils  were  che- 
mically unappreciated — deep  excavations  were 
dug  out,  without  provision  for  the  water  to 
escape,  and  filled  with  soil ;  the  trees  were 
planted,  and  left  uncontrolled,  save  by  the 
periodical  prunings,  till  nature  caused  them 
to  fruit,  which  they  generally  did  in  the  most 
sparing  and  uncertain  manner.  It  seems  to 
have  been  an  established  principle  in  old 
times  that  the  roots  should  penetrate  deeply 
into  the  earth,  no  one  reflecting  that  from 
this  cause  proceed  late  and  immature  growths, 
the  sure  preludes  to  decay  and  death. 

It  has  been  reserved  for  modern  gardeners 
to  appreciate  the  importance  of  the  temper- 
ature of  the  soil  in  connexion  with  the  growth 
of  plants.  I  mean,  of  the  temperature  of  the 
soil  being  in  advance  of  thai  of  the  atmo- 
sphere. Mr.  Reid,  of  Balcarres,  "  found  that 
in  a  cankered  orchard  the  roots  of  the  trees 
had  entered  the  earth  to  the  depth  of  three 
feet ;"  and  he  also  ascertained  "  that  the  aver- 
age heat  of  the  soil,  at  six  inches  below  the 
surface,  was  61°,  at  nine  inches  57°,  at  eighteen 
inches  50°,  and  at  three  feet  44°,"  Surely, 
then,  when  we  take  into  account  the  manner 
in  which  the  earth's  surface  is  heated  \>j  the 
sun  in  the  native  countries  of  the  fruits  which 
British  gardeners  cultivate,  and  when  we 
understand  the  advantages  which  the  com- 
'paratire  bottom  heat  confers  on  trees,  in 
causing  early  and  advanced  root  action,  mode- 
rate growth,  and  early  maturity  of  the  wood, 
at  the  same  time  endowing  them  with  pro- 
tective properties  by  diffusing  through  their 
air-vessels  that  temperature  which  the  sur- 
face-roots absorb,  it  cannot  but  be  wise  practice 
to  adopt  shallow  platforms  of  good  sound  loam, 
on  well-drained  bottoms  impervious  to  the 


THE  JOURNAL  OF  THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


847 


descent  of  roots.  Such  has  been  my  practice 
— such  the  plan  advocated  by  one  of  our  most 
skilful  gardeners,  Mr.  Errington,  gardener  to 
Sir  Philip  de  Grey  Egerton,  Bart.  M.P.  By 
slich  mean?,  in  almost  all  situations,  fruit- 
trees  may  be  made  to  flourish  and  yield  fruit 
"  after  their  kind." 

There  is  another  advantage  which  these 
impervious  bottoms  secure  to  us,  viz.  the  most 
perfect  command  of  the  roots  ;  and  I  think 
there  are  few  who  in  this  age  would  hold  this 
to  be  unimportant.  For  my  own  part,  I  con- 
ceive that  the  roots  of  every  fruit-tree  should 
be  as  much  under  control  as  the  branches. 

Of  late  years  there  has  been  practised,  by 
several  very  intelligent  men,  a  system  of 
covering  the  suifaces  of  borders  with  con- 
crete, thereby  excluding  the  rain-water  from 
percolating,  and  preventing,  to  a  great  extent, 
the  admission  of  air.  I  am  quite  willing  to 
admit,  that  in  certain  places,  where  the  situa- 
tion is  low,  the  soil  tenacious,  and  the  locality 
subject  to  an  amount  of  rain  exceeding  the 
average,  it  may  have  been  wise  to  make  pro- 
vision to  prevent  the  saturation  of  the  border 
by  excess  of  rain  ;  but  as  a  general  rule,  on 
light  soils,  or  those  of  a  medium  quality,  it 
does  not  appear  to  me  that  such  a  proceeding 
is  either  ivarranted  by  jJractice  or  supported 
iy  scientific  theory. 

If  it  be  true  that  "the  water  which  plants 
obtain  from  the  soil  contains  those  saline  and 
gaseous  matters  which  plants  want,"  surely  it 
cannot  be  in  accordance  with  the  established 
data  on  which  the  universally  recognised  im- 
provements of  modern  horticulture  and  agri- 
culture are  founded,  to  exclude  the  rain-water 
from  penetrating  the  soil.  The  advantages 
derived  from  drainage  (tlie  basis  of  all  culti- 
vation) are  due  to  the  removal  of  the  excess 
of  water,  thereby  admitting  the  air — "Be- 
cause," says  Mr.  Solly,  "  plants  cannot  derive 
the  elements  of  organic  matter  from  the  earthy 
constituents  of  the  soil,  nor  from  the  organic 
matters  which  it  may  contain,  unless  there  is 
AIR  present."  Again,  the  same  high  authority 
says — "  The  most  abundant  constituent  of 
soils  is  commonly  silica,  which  frequently 
forms  nearly  nine- tenths  of  their  whole  weight. 
Silica,  or  natural  compounds  containing  silica, 
in  combination  with  several  earthy  and  alka- 
line bases,  are  quite  insoluble  in  water,  and 
are  scarcely  acttd  on  by  the  strongest  acids, 
nevertheless  they  gradually  decompose  when 
exposed  to  the  air." 

Seeing,  then,  the  very  important  functions 
which  rain-water  is  ordained  to  perform  in 
percolating  through  the  soil  —  water  itself 
being  a  large  constituent  of  plants,  containing 
also  in  its  own  body  a  quantity  of  air,  and  in 
its  course  leaving  cavities  through  which  the 
air  of  the  atmosphere  penetrates,  rendering 


I  into  soluble  food  for  plants  those  organic  sub- 
stances which  without  such  agency  would  be 
insoluble — I  cannot  but  doubt  the  propriety 
of  covering  the  surfaces  of  borders  with  an 
impervious  substance  like  concrete. 

Dr.  Lindley  says,  that  "hardy  tree?,  on 
whose  roots  earth  had  been  heaped,  or  paving 
laid,  are  found  to  suffer  much,  or  even  to  die. 
In  such  cases,  the  earth  in  which  the  roots  are 
growing  is  constantly  much  cooler  than  the 
atmosphere,  instead  of  warmer."  Is  there  not 
on  this  account  another  great  objection  to 
concrete  surfaces  ? 

I  have  paid  much  attention  to  the  manage- 
ment of  fruit-tree  borders,  and  feel  convinced 
that  the  great  object  which  we  should  have  in 
view  is  to  secure  a  shallow  stratum  of  sound 
pure  loam  on  a  dry  and  imjiervious  bottom,  to 
avoid  mutilating  the  surface-roots  by  cropping 
with  vegetables,  not  to  apply  rank  and  stimu- 
lating manures,  and  to  endeavour  to  keep  the 
mass  of  soil  always  open,  healthy,  and  per- 
meable to  the  sun,  the  atmosphere,  and  the 
rain,  using  especial  precaution  that  excess  of 
the  latter  is  not  permitted  to  saturate  the  soil. 
Nothing  in  my  opinion  is  more  injurious  to 
wall-trees  than  the  heavy  cropping  of  the 
borders  in  which  they  are  planted.  I  would 
not  do  this  if  I  were  not  obliged.  My  opinion 
is,  that  in  first-rate  gardens  the  fruit-borders 
should  be  set  apart  solely  for  the  trees.  If 
paled  fences  were  erected,  running  east  and 
west  over  a  division  of  such  gardens,  north- 
ern and  southern  exposures  for  early  and  late 
cropping  would  be  secured,  offering  the  advan- 
tages of  shade  and  exposure  to  the  fullest 
extent,  while  the  trifling  additional  expense 
would  be  amply  repaid  by  the  permanently- 
improved  condition  of  the  trees,  and  more 
abundant  and  highly-flavoured  fruit. 

NEW  PLAKTS,  ETC.,  FROM  THE  SOCIETY'S 
GARDEN. 

Wistaria  Sinensis  :  alba.  (Mr.  Fortune 
sent  this  from  China) — According  to  Siebold, 
the  Chinese  have  many  varieties  of  the  Wis- 
taria (or  Glycine)  Sinensis.  Of  these  a  pure 
white  one  has  flowered  in  the  garden.  It 
differs  in  no  other  respect  from  the  lilac  kind, 
and  is  much  less  handsome  ;  but  when  plenti- 
ful it  may  produce  a  pretty  effect  by  being 
inarched  upon  the  branches  of  the  latter. 

CcELOGTNE  asperata.  (Received  in  flower 
from  T.  Twisden  Hodges,  Esq.,  May  30, 1 849.) 
— This,  Avhich  is  much  the  finest  of  all  the 
Ccelogynes,  is  a  native  of  Borneo,  and  flow- 
ered in  the  garden  of  Hemsted  Park  in  such 
profusion  that  not  fewer  than  eight  spikes 
were  produced  at  the  same  time.  Each  of 
these  spikes  is  nearly  a  foot  long,  and  hanging 
downwards  bears  twelve  or  fourteen  mag- 
nificent white  flowers^  full  three  inches  in 


348 


THE  JOURNAL  Or  THE  HORTICULTURAL  SOCIETY. 


diameter  when  spread  open.  They  have  a 
firm  fleshy  texture,  are  a  pale  cream  colour, 
except  the  lip,  which  is  richly  marked  with 
brownish-yellow  veins,  springing  from  arugged 
bright  orange  central  ridge.  At  the  base  of 
each  flower  grows  a  brown  concave  dry  bract, 
one-and-a-quarter  inch  long,  which,  by  its 
dead  colour,  much  enlivens  and  improves  the 
delicate  tints  of  the  flowers  themselves.  It 
is  nearly  related  to  the  Java  C.  speciosa,  but  is 
a  very  much  more  striking  species,  on  account 
of  the  whiteness  of  its  noble  blossoms. 

MiMULUS  TRICOLOR,  HuiHweg.  (Raised 
from  seeds  brought  home  by  Mr.  Hartweg, 
and  said  to  be  collected  on  the  plains  of  the 
Sacramento  valley,  in  California.) — An  annual, 
soft  and  covered  with  delicate  glandular  hairs. 
Leaves  pale  green,  oblong-lanceolate,  tapering 
to  the  base,  here  and  there  toothed  at  the  edge, 
those  near  the  root  of  the  same  form  as  the 
others.  The  flowers,  which  are  about  two 
inches  long,  grow  singly  and  nearly  sessile  in 
the  axils  of  the  leaves ;  they  have  a  long 
narrow  plaited  unequal  calyx,  beyond  which 
projects  the  very  slender  tube  of  the  corolla, 
which  then  widens  into  a  funnel-shaped  limb, 
with  an  oblique  border  cut  into  five  nearly 
equal  rounded  lobes.  Its  general  colour  is 
bright  pink,  with  a  deep  crimson  spot  at  the 
base  of  each  lobe,  and  a  bri::ht  yellow  stain 
along  the  lower  lip.  It  is  distinguished  from 
Mivndus  brecipes  by  the  uniform  shape  of 
the  leaves,  by  the  nearly  sessile  flowers  with  a 
long,  narrow,  by  no  means  ovate,  calyx,  and 
by  the  slender  exserted  tube  of  the  corolla. 
As  far  as  its  cultivation  is  understood,  it  ap- 
pears as  if  it  would  be  best  to  treat  it  as  a 
half-hardy  annual.  It  is  a  delicate  growing 
plant,  with  very  neat  party-coloured  flowers, 
well  repaying  any  care  required  for  its  culti- 
vation. 

NuTTALLiA  CERASiFORMis.  Tovrey  and 
Gray,  in  the  Hotany  of  Beechey^s  Voyage, 
p.  336,  t.  82.  (Received  from  Mr.  Hartweg, 
in  January  1848,  from  California,  said  to  be 
a  deciduous  shrub,  two  feet  high,  from  the 
woods  near  Monterey.) — A  shrub,  with  a  very 
thin  half-transparent  smooth  deciduous  foli- 
age. The  leaves  are  obovate-lanceolate,  or 
oblong,  perfectly  smooth,  pale  green,  rather 
glaucous  beneath.  From  the  base  of  the  young 
shoots,  opposite  one  of  the  earliest  leaves, 
springs  a  nodding  raceme  of  greenish-white 
flowers,  furnished  with  broad,  reflexed,  thin, 
very  pale  green  bracts.  There  are  five  petals, 
which  soon  fall  off,  and  fifteen  stamens  in- 
serted on  the  calyx  in  a  double  row.  The 
aspect  of  the  plant  is  something  that  of  a  bird- 
cherry,  but  its  fruit  is  said  to  consist  of  from 
one  to  five  leathery  drupes,  which  finally  dry 
up  and  split.  A  hardy,  dwarf,  neat-looking 
shrub ;   increased  by  suckers  or  seeds,  and 


growing  freely  in  any  good  garden  soil.  It 
flowers  before  the  leaves  are  produced,  in 
February  and  March. 

Epidendrum  fragrans,  Smartz;  var.  me- 
galanthum.  (Presented  to  the  Society  by 
G.  TJ.  Skinner,  Esq.,  in  July,  1848,  and  said 
to  be  from  Guatemala.) — In  all  parts  of  tro- 
pical America  this  epiphyte  seems  common, 
and  many  varieties  are  known  to  cultivators  ; 
but  they  are  generally  too  trifling  to  merit 
special  names.  In  this  instance,  however,  a 
form  has  been  received  which  is  most  remark- 
able for  its  unusual  dimensions.  The  flowers 
are  full  four  inches  in  diameter,  of  a  pale  clear 
greenish  white,  and  the  lip  is  vividly  marked 
by  clean  stripes  of  very  rich  crimson.  It  is 
quite  a  giant  of  its  kind,  for  the  pseudo-bulbs 
and  leaves,  taken  together,  are  sometimes 
eighteen  inches  long.  It  is  best  grown  in  the 
coolest  part  of  the  orchid-house,  potted  in  fibry 
peat,  with  half-decayed  leaves,  and  liberally 
supplied  with  moisture  during  the  growing 
season.  It  is  a  very  desirable  plant,  with 
large  fragrant  flowers. 

CoRTUsA  Matthioli,  LhiTK^us.  (Seeds 
received  from  the  north  of  India,  from  Capt. 
Munro.) — Among  many  highly  interesting 
plants  raised  from  the  seeds  sent  to  the  Society 
by  this  officer  was  a  Cortusa,  which  upon 
flowering  proved  not  to  be  distinguishable, 
even  as  a  variety,  from  the  charming  Euro- 
pean alpine  form.  The  species  having  also 
been  found  in  the  birch-woods  of  the  Pun- 
jaub,  near  a  fort  called  by  Jacquemont  "  Chou- 
pienne,"  must  now  be  considered  to  extend 
over  all  the  lofty  mountain-chains  lying  be- 
tween Savoy  and  the  Chinese  frontier  ;  an 
unusually  wide  distribution  for  such  a  plant. 
A  hardy  perennial,  requiring  a  rather  dry 
situation,  and  Avell  suited  for  rock-work,  grow- 
ing freely  in  any  good  loamy  soil  which  is  not 
over  retentive  of  moisture.  It  is  increased 
by  dividing  the  roots  when  the  plants  are  in  a 
state  of  rest.  It  is  a  well-known  neat  little 
alpine  species,  deserving  a  place  in  any  select 
collection. 

P^ONiA  Moutan  :  versicolor.  (Received 
from  Mr.  Fortune,  in  April,  1846,  from  the 
north  of  China,  and  said  to  be  the  "  Tee-lok," 
a  greenish-white  kind.)  — Flowers  large,  semi- 
double,  or  probably  quite  double,  with  large 
broad  petals,  very  irregularly  arranged  and 
cut  on  the  edges,  deep  purple  near  the  base, 
fading  to  a  rosy  lilac  near  the  outsides.  Foli- 
age narrow  and  pointed,  like  that  of  the  old 
P.  papaveracea.  Requires  the  same  kind  of 
treatment  as  the  other  kinds  of  Tree-pasony. 
Very  handsome,  showy,  and  distinct. 

P^ONiA  Moutan  :  atrosanguinea.  (Re- 
ceived from  Mr.  Fortune  in  May,  1846, 
marked  "  dark  purple,"  from  Hong  Kong,  and 
from  Shanghae  as  "  very  dark,  nearly  black." 


LANDSCAPE    GARDENING. 


349 


Flowers,  a  good  double,  dark  crimson  ;  outer 
petals  large  and  mostly  entire  ;  inner  ones 
much  smaller  and  lobed  ;  foliage  like  that  of 
the  old  P.  papaveracea,  but  rather  narrow  and 
more  pointed.  This  is  a  very  handsome,  deep 
blood  coloured  variety,  the  darkest  in  colour 
of  all  the  Tree-fiaBonies  yet  in  cultivation. 

Ofhrys  vespifera,  Willdenow :  species 
Plantaruvi,  4,  65  ;  Lindl,  Gen.  et  Sp.  Orcli., 
p.  372.  (Purchased  at  the  sale  of  the  late 
Dean  of  Manchester's  plants.) — In  this  and 
the  following  species  we  have  gained  two  of 
those  rare  and  curious  kinds  of  terrestrial 
Orchids  in  which  the  lovers  of  singular  forms 
have  always  been  much  interested.  Their 
foliage  has  nothing  that  deserves  special  men- 
tion, but  their  flowers  are  suihciently  remark- 
able. The  "Wasp  Ophrys  was  found  by  its 
late  lamented  possessor  in  Corfu,  and  was 
brought  in  a  living  state  to  England.  It  has 
a  yellow  lip,  perfectly  free  from  hairiness,  but 
marked  with  brown  streaks  and  spots,  so  as  to 
resemble  the  body  of  the  insect  after  which  it 
is  named  ;  especially  when  the  sepals  and 
petals  are  curved  down  upon  its  base,  as  is  the 
case  in  its  natural  state.  The  species  is  so 
rare,  that  it  can  scarcely  be  said  to  exist  in 
the  herbaria  of  this  country  ;  the  plant  called 
O.  vespifera  by  some,  and  which  is  usually 
mistaken  for  it,  being  quite  different,  with 
large  deep  yellow  flowers,  having  a  broad 
stripe  of  crimson  wool.     That  plant,  which  is 


as  common  in  the  south  of  Europe  as  this  is 
rare,  is  the  Opiirijs  lutea  oi  Civanilles  and 
other  botanists.  Like  other  species  of  the 
genus,  the  true  Ophrys  vespifera  varies  a  little 
in  the  form  of  the  lip,  which  is  sometimes 
roundish  and  sometimes  obovate  ;  but  it  ap- 
pears always  to  have  the  middle  lobe  emar- 
ginate. 

Ophrys  mammosa,  Desfontaines,  in  the 
Annales  du  Museum,  vol.  x.  t.  15.  In  the 
same  collection  which  furnished  the  rarity  just 
described  was  obtained  another  Ophrys,  which 
is  apparently  the  obscure  plant  hitherto  only 
known  from  a  drawing  by  Aubriet,  in  the 
Museum  of  Natural  History  of  Paris,  and 
called  inammosa,  because  of  its  having  two 
prominent  spaces  on  the  side  of  its  lip.  Here 
the  flowers  are  much  larger  than  in  the  last : 
the  petals  have  a  rosy  tinge,  and  form,  with 
the  green  sepals,  a  flat  circle  :  the  lip  is  a  deep 
chocolate  brown,  downy,  nearly  square  in  its 
outline,  with  a  pair  of  parallel  bluish  lines 
passing  down  the  middle.  It  is  a  very  curious 
thing,  neai'ly  allied  to  0.  ferrum  equinum  (the 
Horse-shoe  Ophrys)  ;  a  species,  that,  how- 
ever, wants  the  two  mammse  on  the  lip,  which 
moreover  is  more  lozenge-shaped  and  irregu- 
larly wavy  on  its  edge.  Both  these  plants  are 
the  subject  of  an  experiment  now  in  progress 
in  the  cultivation  of  terrestrial  Orchids,  the 
result  of  which  will  be  communicated  to  the 
Society  hereafter. 


DOWNING  ON  LANDSCAPE  GARDENING.* 


The  appearance  of  the  fourth  edition  of  a 
Treatise  on  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Land- 
scape Gardening,  betrayed  us  into  the  reading 
of  between  five  and  six  hundred  pages,  by  an 
American,  we  should  presume,  as  he  writes 
from  New  York,  and  ransacks  all  our  pre- 
vious authors  for  the  history  of  the  science. 
We  shall  best  describe  the  work  by  saying 
that  it  is  a  neatly  written  volume,  containing 
a  large  number  of  the  worst  cuts  we  have 
ever  seen  in  a  respectable  work,  and  not  one 
novel  idea  in  theory  or  practice.  Landscape 
gardening  should  be,  and  in  good  hands  is, 
reduced  to  a  principle.  It  consists  in  imitat- 
ing as  many  of  the  beauties  of  nature  as  can 
be  comprised  in  the  ground  we  have  to  lay 
out  ;  but  whether  we  have  room  for  one  or 
more  great  features,  there  should  be  no  mix- 
ture of  palpable  art  to  destroy  the  natural 
scene.  Mi-.  Downing  has  evidently  read  our 
best  authors,  though  he  does  not  appreciate 
them  and  rank  them  as  we  do,  and  the  very 


*  A  Treatise  on  the  Theory  and  Practice  of  Land- 
scape Gardening,  &c.  By  A.  J.  Downing.  Longman, 
Brown,  Green  &  Longman.    1849. 


best  of  them  take  a  good  deal  more  pains  to 
inform  us  what  others  have  done,  than  they 
do  to  teach  ns  what  w^e  ought  to  do.  As  we 
purpose  making  rather  copious  extracts,  the 
work  shall  speak  for  itself,  but  we  cannot 
help  regretting  the  want  of  novelty.  Not 
that  a  man  is  obliged  to  give  novel  ideas  where 
the  best  that  can  be  given  merely  work  out 
those  of  other  people,  but  we  cannot  find  an 
excuse  for  writing  on  any  subject  which  has 
been  written  on  before,  unless  the  writer 
gives  something  more  than  we  already  pos- 
sess. We  are  inclined  to  find  fault  with  most 
authors  ;  a  little  practice  is  worth  a  good  deal 
of  theory,  and  the  mere  changing  of  words  to 
convey  the  same  meaning  that  has  been  con- 
veyed before,  has  no  merit  in  our  eyes.  If 
we  traverse  a  forest,  and  are  struck  with  the 
beauty  of  a  particular  scene,  it  either  gives  us 
a  notion  of  something  that  we  might  carry 
out  in  landscape  gardening,  or  it  confirms  our 
opinion  upon  the  effect  of  scenery  that  we  are 
acquainted  with  already  ;  and  the  whole  art 
and  science  consists  in  bringing  as  many  of 
these  striking  effects  together  as  the  space 
we  have  to  work  upon  will  admit ;  but  so  far 


350 


LANDSCAPE  GARDENING. 


from  desiring  to  do  tilings  on  a  snaaller  scale 
for  the  purpose  of  increasing  the  number  of 
features,  we  should  strive  to  make  the  limited 
space  we  have    produce   one   grand  feature, 
rather  than  lessen  the  effect  to  produce  two. 
If  there  be,  in  a  noble  and  extensive  estate, 
a  little  nook  that  seems  more  inviting  than 
the  rest,  and  perhaps  hardly  contains,  in  that 
particular  spot,  half  an  acre,  and  an  apparent 
opening  to  the  rest,  it  would  be  a  lesson  to 
us  for  the  laying   out  of  half  an  acre,  and, 
therefore,   to  attempt  too  much  on  a  limited 
space,  is  to  destroy  all  ;  for  it  is  impossible  to 
view  anything  upon  a  small  scale,  without  the 
conviction  that  it   is   artificial.      The  whole 
science  may  be  expressed  in  a  few  words,  and 
the  carrying  of  it  out  is  that  which  may  be 
called  the  practice.     The  theory  is  the  imita- 
tion of  nature,  the  practice  is  the  working  it 
out.     The  remarks  of  all  modern  writers  on 
this  science  assimilate  very  much,  and  savour 
little  of  originality  ;  they  have  all  something 
to  say  of  "  Capability  Brown"   and  some 
other  of  those  employed  in  the  early  days  of 
English    gardening.       They  all   admire    the 
same  things,  which   says  much  for   the  pro- 
priety of  the  eai'ly  writers'  notions,  but  little 
for  the  necessity  of  followers  in  the  Avay  of 
authorship.     We  have  had  our  say  upon  the 
subject,  but  we  have  followed  nobody's  foot- 
steps.    We  have  simply  endeavoured  to  lay 
down  principles  that  should  be  adopted  by  all 
gardeners  :  we  have  laid  down  no  plan^;  wehave 
endeavoured   to  show,  ip  a  few   short  rules, 
what  is  to  be  avoided  in  laying  out  a  garden 
Ijindscape-fashion,  and  left  the  details  to  taste. 
In  the  volume  before  us,  we  have  many  ob- 
servations   on    individual    estates,   and    some 
excessively  coarse  illustrations  of   American 
domains,  none  of  which  give  us  any  favour- 
able impression  of  the  author's  talents.    There 
are  a  few  which  certainly  appear  inviting,  but 
the  advantages  are  natural,  and  not  created 
by  art.     American  cataracts  and  cascades  are 
effective  auxiliaries  in  scenery.      The  author, 
however,  has  some  observations,  in  which  he 
draws  the  distinction  betwei^n  what  he  calls 
the  beautiful  and  the   picturesque,  the  sub- 
lime,   and  so  forth ;  and  these,  perhaps,  are 
the  best   we    can    select  in  justice   to  him. 
The  special  jileading    is  pointed,   and  if  not 
such  as  to  convince  the  reader  of  tlie  facts, 
they  are  plain  enough  to  indicate  what  the 
author  himself  thinks  upon  the  su'ject.   Tliere 
is  some  merit  in  this,  for  some  authors  hardly 
convey  enough  to  tell  us  what  they  mean  by 
what  they  say.     Upon  the  whole,  we  do  not 
think  the   book    any   useful   addition   to   the 
works  on  landscape  gardening  in  Englapd  ; 
what  it  may  be  in  America,  is  another  matter. 
They  may  be  far  behind  us  in  landscape  gar- 
dening ;  if  so,  what  has  been  borrowed  from 
our  English  works  may  be  acceptable.     The 


work  praises  Mr.  Loudon  in  the  highest  terms, 
but,  although  it  is  impossible  to  say  too  much 
of  him  as  an  industrious,  useful,  and  amiable 
public  writer,   landscape  gardening  was  the 
least  successful  of  his  labours,  and  his  writings 
on  the  subject  not    the   most   useful  of  his" 
works.     In  stating  this,  we  claim  no  right  to 
arrogate  to   ourselves  that  we  have  a  better 
taste,  but  we  insist  on   principles  which  are 
consistent    every    where,    whether    right    or 
wrong,  whereas  Mr.  Loudon  never  has  pre- 
served    a     consistency     in     landscape    gar- 
dening,   either  in    theory  or  practice.       Our 
American  friend  has  a  right   to  praise  Mr. 
Loudon,   because  he  has  made  great  use  of 
him.     It  is  hardly  fair  to  say  that  the  author 
is  not  in  some  respects  original,  because  some 
of  the  illustrations  are  contrary  to  every  prin- 
ciple of  landscape  gardening.     Fig.  7,  p,  51, 
gives  a  carriage  sweep  to  a  mansion  without 
the  slightest  excuse  for  the  bending  of  the 
road  ;  not  a  tree  or  shrub  to   show  why  the 
road  was  not  straight.     The  same  occurs  in 
Fig.  10,  p.  54.     At  p.  73  we  have.  Fig.  15, 
"an   example   of  the  beautiful  in  landscape 
gai'dening,"  which,  for  want  of  planting  in  the 
bends  of  the  road  to  the  house,  is  as  bare  and 
as    ugly  as  we  could    expect  to  find  a  spot 
where  a  landscape  gardener  had  never  been 
seen  or  heard  of.     "  An  example  of  the  pic- 
turesque," is  better  from  natural  advantages  ; 
stately  timber,    and   abrupt  broken    ground, 
help  it  considerably  ;  but,  in  the  hands  of  a 
tasteful    operator,  it  might  have  been  won- 
derfuU}'^  improved.      In  Fig.  19,    p.  99,  we 
have   "the   view  of  a   country  residence   as 
frequently  seen,"    which  has  a  straight  road 
up  the  left  side  of  the  picture,  and  a  short 
turn  to  the  right,  the  house  standing  in  the 
corner  ;  and  the  next  page  exhibits,  Fig.  20, 
"  the    same  residence  improved.'      In    this, 
which,  being  imaginary,  gives  us  the  author's 
real  taste,  we   have  the  road  forming   a  half 
circle  to  the  left  of  the  picture,  but  nothing 
on  the  inside  of  the  curve  as  an  excuse  for 
bending   it,   except   two   trees    in   the  fore- 
ground.    So  far  as  the  bending  of  the  road 
goes,  it  is  an  improvement,  but  as  it  is  natural 
that  all  persons  should  make  the  shortest  cuts, 
we  hold  that  obstacles  such  as  in  nature  pre- 
vent a  road  from  being  straight,  ought  to  be 
placed  to  reconcile  us  to  the  deviation.      In 
the  ground  plans  of  two  or  three  phices,  there 
is  a  much   better  notion,  so  far  as  the  roads 
are  concerned,  but  the  planting  is  in  the  worst 
possible  taste  ;  the  space  is  spotted  all  over 
with  trees,  nothing  bold  or  striking,  the  roads, 
the  groupings  and  general  plans,  adapted  to 
curtail  the  space  instead  of  showing  it  to  the 
best  advantage.    All  tiiis,  hov/ever,  is  simply 
our  notion  opposed  to  the  author's  ;  we  differ 
also  from  Loudon.   The  author  says,  page  75  : 
"  The  recognition  of  art,  as  Loudon  justly 


LANDSCAPE    GARDENING. 


351 


observes,  is  a  first  principle  of  landscape  gar- 
dening, as  in  all  other  arts  ;  and  those  of  its 
professors  have  erred,  who  supposed  that  the 
object  of  art  is  merely  to  produce  a  fac-simile 
of  nature,  that  could  not  be  distinguished 
from  a  wild  scene." 

We  dispute  this  point  altogether,  and  we 
say  that  the  nearer  the  best  scenes  of  nature 
can  be  imitated,  and  the  more  art  is  con- 
cealed, the  more  perfectly  has  the  landscape 
gardener  completed  his  task.  We  do  not 
believe  any  artist  would  attempt  fac-similes 
any  where,  for  as  no  two  scenes  in  nature  are  j 
alike,  so  no  man  in  his  senses  would  attempt 
to  make  a  fac-simile;  but  nature  is  varied  with- 
out end.  Numerous  beautiful  spots  present 
us  with'  features  that  we  may  imitate  with 
advantage,  and  a  combination  of  wood  and 
water,  hill  and  valley,  without  a  harsh  line 
to  offend  the  eye,  is  practicable,  and  is  the 
business  of  the  landscape  gardener.  We  ail 
know  that  the  mansion  is  a  work  of  art,  but 
it  should  appear  to  have  been  erected  on  that 
spot  on  account  of  its  beauty,  and  not  convey 
an  idea  that  the  house  was  built  on  a  plain, 
and  art  had  done  the  rest.  In  short,  terraces, 
straight  roads,  avenues,  and  even  bent  roads, 
without  proper  obstacles  to  their  being  straight, 
all  convey  an  idea  of  artificial,  and  are  opposed 
to  the  true  principles  of  landscape  gardening. 
We  shall,  however,  give  some  extracts,  and  at 
present,  the  author's  remarks  on  the  beautiful 
and  picturesque,  seem  most  appropriate  :  — 

"  The  two  most  forcible  and  complete  ex- 
pressions to  be  found  in  that  kind  of  natural 
scenery  which  may  be  reproduced  in  landscape 
gardening,  are  the  Beautiful  and  Picturesque. 
As  we  look  upon  these  as  c[uite  distinct,  and 
as  success  in  practical  embellishment  must 
depend  on  our  feeling  and  understanding 
these  expressions  beforehand,  it  is  necessary 
that  we  should  attach  some  definite  meaning 
to  terms  which  we  shall  be  continually  obliged 
to  employ.  This  is,  indeed,  the  more  requi- 
site, from  the  vague  and  conflicting  opinions 
of  most  preceding  writers  on  this  branch  of 
the  subject  ;  some,  like  Repton,  insisting  that 
they  are  identicid  ;  and  others,  like  Price,  that 
they  are  widely  different. 

"  Gilpin  defines  picturesque  objects  to  be 
'  those  which  please  from  some  quality  capa- 
ble of  being  illustrated  in  painting.' 

"  Nothing  can  well  be  more  vague  than 
such  a  definition.  We  have  already  described 
the  difi'erence  between  the  beautiful  land- 
scapes of  Claude  and  the  picturesque  scenes 
painted  by  Salvator.  No  one  can  deny  their 
being  essentially  distinct  in  character  ;  and 
no  one,  we  imagine,  will  deny  that  they  both 
please  from  '  some  quality  capable  of  being 
illustrated  in  painting.'    The  beautiful  female 


heads  of  Carlo  Dolce  are  widely  different  from 
those  of  the  picturesque  peasant  girls  of 
Gerard  Douw,  yet  both  are  favourite  sub- 
jects with  artists.  A  symmetrical  American 
elm,  with  its  wide  head  drooping  with  gar- 
lands of  graceful  foliage,  is  very  different  in 
expression  from  the  wild  and  twisted  larch  or 
pine  tree,  Avhich  we  find  on  the  steep  sides  of 
a  mountain  ;  yet  both  are  favourite  subjects 
with  the  painter.  It  is  clear,  indeed,  that 
there  is  a  widely  different  idea  hidden  under 
these  two  distinct  types,  in  material  forms. 
"Beauty,  in  all  natural  objects,  as  we  con- 
ceive, arises  from  their  expression  of  those 
attributes  of  the  Creator — infinity,  unity,  sym- 
metry, proportion,  &c. — which  he  has  stamped 
more  or  less  visibly  on  all  his  works  ;  and  a 
beautiful  living  form  is  one  in  which  the  in- 
dividual is  a  harmonious  and  well  balanced 
development  of  a  fine  type.  Thus,  taking 
the  most  perfect  specimens  of  beauty  in  the 
human  figure,  we  see  in  them  symmetry,  pro- 
portion, unity,  and  grace  —  the  presence  of 
everything  that  could  add  to  the  idea  of  per- 
fected existence.  In  a  beautiful  tree,  such  as 
a  fine  American  elm,  we  see  also  the  most 
complete  and  perfect  balance  of  all  its  parts, 
resulting  from  its  growth  under  the  most 
favourable  influences.  It  realizes,  then,  per- 
fectly, the  finest  form  of  a  fine  type  or  species 
of  tree. 

"But  all  nature  is   not  equally  beautiful. 
Both   in   living    things    and   in   inorganized 
matter,  we  see  on  all  sides  evidences  of  na- 
ture struggling  with  opposing  forces.    Moun- 
tains are  upheaved  by  convulsions,  valleys  are 
broken  into  fearful   chasms.      Certain   forms 
of  animal  and  vegetable  life,  instead  of  mani- 
festing themselves  in  those  more  complete  and 
perfect  forms  of  existence,  where  the  matter 
and  spirit  are  almost  in  perfect  harmony,  ap- 
i  pear  to  struggle  for  the  full  expression  of  their 
character  with  the  material  form,  and  to  ex- 
'  press  it  only  with  difficulty  at  last.      What  is 
I  achieved  with  harmony,  grace,  dignity,  almost 
I  with  apparent    repose,    by   existences   whose, 
j  type  is  the  beautiful,  is  done  only  with  vio- 
!  lence    and    disturbed    action    by  the  former. 
This  kind  of  manifestation  in  nature  we  call 
i  the  picturesque. 

j  "  More  concisely,  the  beautiful  is  nature  or 
'  art  obeying  the  universal  laws  of  perfect  ex- 
i  istence  (?".  e.  Beauty),  easily,  freelj^,  harmoni- 
i  ously,  and  without  the  clisjday  of  power.  The 
j  picturesque  is  nature  or  art  obeying  the  same 
I  laws  rudely,  violently,  irregularly,  and  often 
displaying  power  only. 

"  Hence  we  find  all  beautiful  forms  charac- 
terized by  curved  and  flowing  lines — lines 
expressive  of  infinity,  of  grace,  and  willing 
obedience  :  and  all  picturesque  forms  charac- 
terized by  irregular  and  broken  Hues — lines 


352 


LANDSCAPE   GARDENING, 


expressive  of  violence,  abrupt  action,  and 
partial  disobedience,  a  struggling  of  the  idea 
with  the  substance  or  the  condition  of  its 
being.  The  beautiful  is  an  idea  of  beauty 
calmly  and  harmoniously  expressed  ;  the  pic- 
turesque an  idea  of  beauty  or  power  strongly 
and  irregularly  expressed.  As  an  example 
of  the  beautiful  in  other  arts,  we  refer  to  the 
Apollo  of  the  "Vatican  ;  as  an  example  of  the 
picturesque,  to  the  Laocoon  or  the  Dying 
Gladiator.  In  nature  we  would  place  before 
the  reader  a  finely  formed  elm  or  chestnut, 
whose  well  balanced  head  is  supported  on  a 
trunk  full  of  symmetry  and  dignity,  and  whose 
branches  almost  sweep  the  turf  in  their  rich 
luxuriance  ;  as  a  picturesque  contrast,  some 
pine  or  larch,  whose  gnarled  roots  grasp  the 
rocky  crag  on  which  it  grows,  and  whose  wild 
and  irregular  branches  tell  of  the  storm  and 
tempest  that  it  has  so  often  struggled  against. 

"  In  pictures,  too,  one  often  hears  the  beau- 
tiful confounded  with  the  picturesque.  Yet 
they  are  quite  distinct ;  though  in  many  sub- 
jects they  may  be  found  harmoniously  com- 
bined. Some  of  Raphael's  angels  may  be 
taken  as  perfect  illustrations  of  the  beautiful. 
In  their  serene  and  heavenly  countenances 
we  see  only  that  calm  and  pure  existence  of 
which  perfect  beauty  is  the  outward  type  ;  on 
the  other  hand,  Murillo's  beggar  boys  are 
only  picturesque.  What  we  admire  in  them 
(beyond  admirable  execution)  is  not  their  rags 
or  their  mean  apparel,  but  a  certain  irregular 
struggling  of  a  better  feeling  within,  against 
this  outward  poverty  of  nature  and  condition. 

"  Architecture  borrows,  partly  perhaps  by 
association,  the  same  expression.  We  find 
the  beautiful  in  the  most  symmetrical  edifices, 
built  in  the  finest  proportions,  and  of  the 
purest  materials.  It  is,  on  the  other  hand, 
in  some  irregular  castle  formed  for  defence, 
some  rude  mill  nearly  as  wild  as  the  glen 
where  it  is  placed,  some  thatched  cottage, 
weather-stained  and  moss-covered,  that  we 
find  the  picturesque.  The  Temple  of  Jupiter 
Olympus,  in  all  its  perfect  proportions,  was 
prized  by  the  Greeks  as  a  model  of  beauty  ; 
we,  who  see  only  a  few  columns  and  broken 
architraves  standing,  with  all  their  exquisite 
mouldings  obliterated  by  the  violence  of  time 
and  the  elements,  find  them  picturesque. 

"  To  return  to  a  more  practical  view  of  the 
subject,  we  may  remark,  that  though  we  con- 
sider the  beautiful  and  the  pictui'esque  quite 
distinct,  yet  it  by  no  means  follows  that  they 
may  not  be  combined  in  the  same  landscape. 
This  is  often  seen  in  nature  ;  and  indeed  there 
are  few  landscapes  of  large  extent  where  they 
are  not  thus  harmoniously  combined.      , 

"  But  it  must  be  remembered,  that  while 
landscape  gardening  is  an  imitation  of  nature, 
yet  it  is  rarely  attempted  on  so  large  a  scale 


as  to  be  capable  of  the  same  extended  har- 
mony and  variety  of  expression  ;  and  also, 
that  in  landscape  gardening  as  in  the  other  fine 
arts,  we  shall  be  more  successful  by  directing 
our  efforts  towards  the  production  of  a  leading 
character  or  expression,  than  by  endeavouring 
to  join  and  harmonize  several. 

"  Our  own  views  on  this  subject  are  simply 
these.  When  a  place  is  small,  and  only  per- 
mits a  single  phase  of  natural  expression, 
always  endeavour  to  heighten  or  to  make 
that  single  expression  predominate  ;  it  should 
clearly  either  aim  only  at  the  beautiful  or  the 
picturesque. 

"  When,  on  the  contrary,  an  estate  of  large 
size  comes  within  the  scope  of  the  landscape 
gardener,  he  is  at  liberty  to  give  to  each 
separate  scene  its  most  fitting  character  ;  he 
will  thus,  if  he  is  a  skilful  artist,  be  able  to 
create  great  variety  both  of  beautiful  and  pic- 
turesque expression,  and  he  will  also  be  able 
to  give  a  higher  proof  of  his  power,  viz.  by 
uniting  all  those  scenes  into  one  whole,  by 
bringing  them  all  into  harmony.  An  artist 
who  can  do  this  has  reached  the  ultimatum  of 
his  art. 

"Again  and  again  has  it  been  said,  that 
landscape  gardening  and  painting  are  allied. 
In  no  one  point  does  it  appear  to  us  that  they 
are  so,  more  than  in  this — that  in  proportion 
to  the  limited  nature  of  the  subject  should 
simplicity  and  unity  of  expression  be  remem- 
bered. In  some  of  the  finest  smaller  compo- 
sitions of  Raphael,  or  some  of  the  landscapes 
of  Claude,  so  fully  is  this  borne  in  mind,  that 
every  object,  however  small,  seems  to  be  in- 
stinct with  the  same  expression  ;  while  in 
many  of  the  great  historical  pictures,  unity 
and  harmony  are  wrought  out  of  the  most 
complex  variety  of  expression. 

"  We  must  not  be  supposed  to  find  in  na- 
ture only  the  beautiful  and  the  picturesque. 
Grandeur  and  sublimity  are  also  expressions 
strongly  marked  in  many  of  the  noblest  por- 
tions of  natural  landscape.  But,  except  in 
very  rare  instances,  they  are  wholly  beyond  the 
powers  of  the  landscape  gardener,  at  least  in 
the  comparatively  limited  scale  of  his  opera- 
tions in  this  country.  All  that  he  has  to  do, 
is  to  respect  them  where  they  exist  in  natural 
landscape  which  forms  part  of  his  work  of  art, 
and  so  treat  the  latter,  as  to  make  it  accord 
with,  or  at  least  not  violate,  the  higher  and 
predominant  expression  of  the  whole. 

"  There  are,  however,  certain  subordinate 
expressions  Avhich  may  be  considered  as  quali- 
ties of  the  beautiful,  and  which  may  origi- 
nally so  prevail  in  natural  landscape,  or  be  so 
elicited  or  created  by  art,  as  to  give  a  distinct 
character  to  a  small  country  residence,  or  por- 
tions of  a  large  one.  These  are  simplicity, 
dignity,  grace,  elegance,  gaiety,  chasteness,  &c. 


LANDSCAPE    GARDENING. 


353 


It  is  not  necessary  that  we  should  2:0  into 
a  laboured  explanation  of  the<e  expres- 
sions. They  ai'e  more  or  less  familiar  to  all. 
A  few  fine  trees,  scattered  and  grouped  over 
any  surface  of  smooth  lawn,  will  give  a  cha- 
racter of  simple  beauty  ;  lofty  trees  of  great 
age,  hills  covered  with  rich  wood,  an  eleva- 
tion commanding  a  wide  country,  stamp  a 
site  with  dignity ;  trees  of  full  and  graceful 
habit  or  gently  curving  forms  in  the  lawn, 
walks,  and  all  other  objects,  will  convey  the 
idea  of  grace  ;  as  finely  formed  and  somewhat 
tall  trees  of  rare  species,  or  a  great  abundance 
of  bright  climbers  and  gay  flowering  shrubs 
and  plants,  will  confer  characters  of  elegance 
and  gaiety. 

"  He  who  would  create  in  his  pleasure- 
grounds  these  more  delicate  shades  of  expres- 
sion, must  become  a  profound  student  both  of 
nature  and  art  ;  he  must  be  able,  by  his 
own  original  powers,  to  seize  the  subtle  es- 
sence, the  half-disclosed  idea  involved  in  the 
finest  parts  of  nature,  and  to  reproduce  and 
develop  it  in  his  landscape  garden. 

"Leaving  such,  however,  to  a  broader  range 
of  study  than  a  volume  like  this  would  afibrd, 
we  may  offer  what,  perhaps,  will  not  be  un- 
acceptable to  the  novice  —  a  more  detailed 
sketch  of  the  distinctive  features  of  the  beau- 
tiful and  the  picturesque,  as  these  expressions 
should  be  embodied  in  landscape  gardening. 

*'  The  beautiful  in  landscape  gardening.  Fig. 
15,  is  produced  by  outlines  whose  curves  are 
flowing  and  gradual,  surfaces  of  softness,  and 
growth  of  richness  and  luxuriance.  In  the 
shape  of  the  ground,  it  is  evinced  by  easy  un- 
dulations melting  gradually  into  each  other: 
in  the  form  of  trees,  by  smooth  stems,  full, 
round,  or  symmetrical  heads  of  foliage,  and 
luxuriant  branches  often  drooping  to  the 
ground, — which  is  chiefly  attained  by  plant- 
ing and  grouping,  to  allow  free  development 
of  form  ;  and  by  selecting  trees  of  suitable 
character,  as  the  elm,  the  ash,  and  the  like: 
in  walks  and  roads,  by  easy  flowing  curves, 
following  natural  shapes  of  the  surface,  with 
no  sharp  angles  or  abrupt  turns  :  in  water, 
by  the  smooth  lake  with  curved  margin,  em- 
bellished with  flowing  outlines  of  trees,  and 
full  masses  of  flowering  shrubs — or  in  the 
easy  winding  curves  of  a  brook.  The  keeping 
of  such  a  scene  should  be  of  the  most  polished 
kind, — grass  mown  into  a  softness  like  velvet, 
gravel  walks  scrupulously  firm,  dry,  and  clean  ; 
and  the  most  perfect  order  and  neatness  should 
reign  throughout.  Among  the  trees  and 
shrubs  should  be  conspicuous  the  finest  foreign 
sorts,  distinguished  by  beauty  of  form,  foliage, 
and  blossom  ;  and  rich  groups  of  shrubs  and 
flowering  plants  should  be  arranged  in  the 
more  dressed  portions  near  the  house.  And 
finally,  considering  the  house  itself  as  a  fea- 
50. 


ture  in  the  scene,  it  should  properly  belong 
to  one  of  the  classical  m  des  ;  and  the  Italian, 
Tuscan,  or  Venetian  forms  are  preferable, 
because  these  have  both  a  polished  and  a 
domestic  air,  and  readily  admit  of  the  grace- 
ful accompaniments  of  vases,  urns,  and  other 
harmonious  accessories.  Or,  if  we  are  to 
have  a  plainer  dwelling,  it  should  be  sim- 
ple and  symmetrical  in  its  character,  and  its 
verandah  festooned  with  masses  of  the  finest 
climbers. 

"  The  picturesque  in  landscape  gardening, 
Fig.  16,  aims  at  the  production  of  outhnes  of 
a  certain  spirited  irregularity,  surfaces  com- 
paratively abrupt  and  broken,  and  growth  of 
a  somewhat  wild  and  bold  character.      The 
shape  of  the  ground  sought  after,  has  its  occa- 
sional smoothness  varied  by  sudden  variations, 
and  in  parts  runs  into  dingles,  rocky  groups, 
and  broken  banks.    The  trees  should  in  many 
places  be  old  and  irregular,  with  rough  stems 
and  bark  ;  and  pines,  larches,  and  other  trees 
of  striking,  irregular  growth,  must  appear  in 
numbers  sufficient  to  give   character  to  the 
woody  outlines.    As,  to  produce  the  beautiful, 
the  trees  are  planted  singly  in  open  groups  to 
allow  full  expansion,  so  lor  the  picturesque, 
the    grouping  takes  every  variety  of  form  ; 
almost   every  object   should  group  with  an- 
other ;  trees    and   shrubs   are  often   planted 
closely  together  ;  and  intricacy  and  variety — 
thickets — glades — and  underwood — as  in  wild 
nature,  are  indispensable.     Walks  and  roads 
are  more   abrupt  in  their  windings,  turning 
off  frequently   at   sudden    angles   where   the 
form  of  the   ground  or   some  inviting  object 
directs.    In  water,  all  the  wildness  of  romantic 
spots  in  nature  is  to  be  imitated  or  preserved  ; 
and  the  lake  or  stream  with  bold  shoie  and 
rocky,  wood-fringed  margin,  or  the  cascade  in 
the  secluded  dell,  are  the  characteristic  forms. 
The  keeping  of  such  a  landscape  will  of  course 
be  less  careful  than  in  the   graceful  school. 
Firm    gravel   walks    near   tlie   house,   and   a 
general   air   of  neatness  in   that  quarter,  are 
indispensable  to  the  fitness  of  the  scene  in  all 
modes,  and  indeed  properly  evince  the  recog- 
nition of  art  in  all  landscape  gardening.     But 
the  lawn  may  be  less  frequently  mown,  the 
edges    of  the  walks   less  carefully  trimmed, 
where  the  picturesque  prevails  ;  while  in  por- 
tions more  removed  from  the  house,  the  walks 
may  sometimes  sink  into  a  mere  footpath  with- 
out gravel,  and  the  lawn  change  into  the  forest 
glade  or   meadow.      The  architecture  which 
belongs  to  the  picturesque  landscape,  is  the 
Gothic  mansion,  the  old  English  or  the  Swiss 
cottage,   or  some  other   striking   forms,  with 
bold  projections,  deep  shadows,  and  irregular 
outlines.     Rustic  baskets,   and   similar  orna- 
ments,  may  abound  near  the  house,   and  in 
the  more  frequented  parts  of  the  place." 

A  A 


354 


BARRACK    GARDENS. 


BARKACK  GARDENS. 


The  suggestion  thrown  out  at  p.  283,  that 
gardens  should  be  established  for  the  purpose 
of  providing  wholesome  and  profitable  enter- 
tainment for  the  soldiery,  ha?,  we  are  glad  to 
find,  received  the  countenance  and  approba- 
tion of  the  journals  consecrated  to  the  interests 
of  the  British  army.  Thus  encouraged,  we 
proceed  to  the  consideration  of  the  second 
branch  of  the  subject,  namely,  the  means 
which  should  be  adopted  for  forming  the 
plantations,  and  initiating  the  men  into  the 
art  and  science  of  cultivating  their  little  pos- 
sessions. 

Spread  over  the  United  Kingdom  there 
are,  we  believe,  some  hundreds  of  barracks 
of  various  dimensions,  suited  to  the  size  of 
the  fortress  to  which  they  may  be  attached, 
or  to  the  amount  of  the  garrison  destined  to 
occupy  them.  In  some  places,  the  barracks 
are  capable  of  accommodating  two  or  three 
thousand  men,  in  others  there  is  not  space 
for  the  reasonable  reception  of  one  hundred 
soldiers.  And  we  believe,  under  the  altera- 
tions which  have  taken  place  in  the  coast 
defences,  the  establishment  of  railways,  which 
facilitate  the  concentration  of  troops  upon 
emergencies,  and  the  abolition  of  military 
stations  which  have  ceased  to  be  of  any 
political  consequence,  several  of  the  barracks 
are  totally  unoccupied,  and  likely  to  remain  so. 

Now  to  propose  the  formation  of  gardens 
in  localities  where  soldiers  are  never  likely  to 
be  quartered,  or  to  be  quartered  so  seldom, 
and  for  such  brief  periods,  as  would  shut 
out  all  prospect  of  their  being  able  to  bring 
any  of  the  fruits  of  the  earth  to  maturity, 
would  be  extreme  folly.  We  therefore  would 
have  the  addition  of  gardens  limited  to  those 
cantonments  which  are  constantly  occupied  ; 
and,  perhaps,  as  an  experimental  essay  would 
be  preferable,  at  first,  to  the  comprehensive 
adoption  of  our  scheme,  it  might  be  advisable 
to  begin  with  the  larger  garrisons,  gradually 
extending  the  system  to  the  lesser  barracks, 
as  the  plan  should  be  found  to  answer. 

We  would  suggest,  then,  that  the  vicinity 
of  the  barracks  at  Chatham,  Portsmouth, 
Winchester,  Weedon,  Manchester,  Deal,  Ches- 
ter, Edinburgh,  Glasgow,  Dublin,  Limerick, 
Cork,  and  Kilkenny  be  the  first  localities 
selected,  always  providing  that  there  is  ground 
enough  in  and  around  them  available  at  a 
small  cost,  for  gardening  purposes.  We  do 
not  suppose  that  at  a  time  when  the  financial 
reformers  are  opposing  themselves  to  any  ex- 
traordinary outlay  on  behalf  of  the  army 
and  navy,  the  Government  would  go  the 
length  of  purchasing  ground  upon  which 
houses  may  be  standing,  for  the  purpose  of 
removing  all  obstructions  to  the  formation  of 


military  plantations.  From  at  least  two  to 
three  acres  of  land,  however,  being  applicable 
without  this  expense,  the  first  thing  to  be 
done  is,  of  course,  to  enclose  it,  and  prepare 
the  ground  for  the  reception  of  seed.  To  this 
end  a  couple  of  practical  gardeners,  sufficiently 
versed  in  the  first  principles  of  geology  to  be 
able  to  determine  the  best  method  of  primary 
treatment,  should  be  engaged,  and  that  their 
strict  and  constant  attention  to  their  duty  may 
be  secured,  it  would  be  advisable  that  they 
should  be  formally  enlisted,  at  once  promoted 
to  sergeants,  to  ensure  obedience  to  the  instruc- 
tions they  may  give  to  their  subordinate  la- 
bourers, and  placed  upon  a  scale  of  pay  com- 
mensurate with  the  ordinary  earnings  of  civil 
gardeners.  To  enclose  three  acres  of  ground 
with  protective  palings,  until  a  chevaux  de 
frise  of  hedge  row  had  been  matured,  would 
cost  but  little,  and  this  sum  the  Government 
might  be  invited  to  grant  at  once,  with  an 
addition  for  the  purchase  of  mould,  gravel, 
manure,  barrows,  hoes,  spades,  rakes,  and 
such  other  materiel  as  might  be  indispensable 
to  the  due  preparation  of  the  allotment. 

In  laying  out  the  ground,  it  would  be  ad- 
visable to  form  ten  distinct  divisions,  or  as 
many  more  as  the  space  would  allow,  so  that 
each  company  of  a  regiment  (we  believe  the 
regiments  generally  consist  of  ten  companies), 
might  have  a  separate  space.  This  plan, 
while  it  prevented  confusion  of  property, 
would  tend  to  excite  emulation  among  the 
companies. 

As  the  Barrack  Gardens  would  be  intended 
more  for  an  entertainment  than  an  occupation, 
it  would  be  unadvisable  that  any  man  should 
be  required  to  work  in  them,  or  subscribe 
his  spare  pence  for  the  purchase  of  seeds, 
unless  he  had  taste  or  inclination  for  the  pur- 
suit. Every  inducement  ought,  however,  to 
be  held  out  to  the  soldiery  to  share  in  the 
healthful  employment.  To  them  only  should 
the  fruits  of  the  garden  belong,  to  consume  or 
dispose  of  as  they  might  feel  inclined.  Pre- 
miums might  be  awarded  for  superior  indus- 
try, or  the  production  of  a  superior  specimen 
of  edible  vegetation,  or  a  more  beautiful  flower 
or  plant  ;  and  when  vacancies  occur  in  the 
situation  of  sergeant-gardener,  the  promotion 
should  be  made  from  among  those  men  who 
had  most  distinguished  themselves  by  their 
labour,  obedience,  and  horticultural  skill. 
Altliougli,  for  the  sake  of  securing  their  ser- 
vices in  the  infancy  of  the  gardens,  we  have 
recommended  the  enlistment  of  the  gardeners, 
it  would  not  be  expedient  to  continue  them 
longer  in  the  service  than  might  be  necessary 
for  the  due  initiation  of  the  uninformed  men 
in   the   practical  parts   of  horticulture.     On 


BARRACK  GARDENS. 


355 


giving  them  a  twelvemonth^s  notice  they 
should  be  prepared  to  receive  their  discharge, 
and  in  like  manner  v^^ith  six  months'  notice, 
they  ought  to  be  allowed  to  claim  it.  The 
way  is  thus  paved  to  the  promotion  of  the 
studious  disciples  of  the  art,  and  the  service 
relieved  of  men  who  would,  in  time,  become 
useless  burdens  upon  the  finances  of  the 
country,  unless  they  were  made  to  combine 
the  labours  of  the  garden  with  the  military 
duties  of  the  country. 

To  protect  the  little  plantation  from  rude 
invasion  or  wanton  injury,  a  sentry  should 
be  placed  at  the  entrance  gate  ;  and  as  some 
difficulty  would  attend  the  making  this  a 
voluntary  service  upon  the  part  of  the  soldier- 
gardeners,  the  commanding  officer  of  a  regi- 
ment might  fairly  enough  impose  the  work 
upon  the  whole  corps  in  due  rotation.  Sen- 
tinels are  placed  over  the  bad  and  ill- con- 
ducted soldiery  ;  it  is,  surely,  no  great  addi- 
tional tax  to  demand  that  they  should  be 
employed  in  the  service  of  the  creditable  and 
industrious. 

It  has  been  represented  to  us  that  some 
of  the  barracks  in  Great  Britain  are,  like 
the  St,  George's  Barracks  in  London,  so 
surrounded  by  buildings  that  it  would  be 
impossible  to  carry  out  our  scheme  without 
trenching  upon  the  parade  ground; — while,  in 
the  manufacturing  districts,  the  quarters  of 
the  soldiery  are  immediately  within  the  in- 
fluence of  the  smoke  of  factories,  so  prejudi- 
cial to  the  healthiness  of  vegetation.  Without 
stopping  to  anathematize  a  system  which 
debars  to  hundreds  of  the  most  valuable  ser- 
vants of  the  State  the  blessings  and  advantages 
of  free  ventilation,  we  meet  the  objection  that 
has  been  advanced  by  suggesting  that  where- 
ever  it  is  impracticable  to  create  gardens  at 
the  very  doors  of  the  soldiers'  dwelling,  they 
should  be  furmed  at  convenient  distances  from 
the  barracks.  No  difficulty  is  advanced  by 
the  men  on  the  score  of  the  remoteness  of 
an  ale-house  ;  the  well-disposed  are  not  there- 
fore likely  to  be  disinclined  to  walk  a  few 
hundred  yards  to  indulge  in  a  pastime  con- 
genial to  their  inclinations  and  promotive  of 
their  welfare. 

In  regulating  the  subscriptions  of  the  men 
to  the  first  expenses  of  gardens,  much  will 
depend,  of  course,  upon  the  size  of  the  ground 
applicable  to  the  plantations,  the  quality  of 
the  vegetables,  fruits,  and  flowers  the  tem- 
porary proprietors  may  be  disposed  to  rear, 
and  the  amount  allowed  by  the  Government 
in  the  first  instance.  In  any  event,  however, 
a  very  few  pence  from  each  soldier  will  suf- 
fice ;  and  as  the  capital  so  employed  will 
return  a  handsome  interest  in  the  shape  of 
produce,  (to  say  nothing  of  the  entertainment 
purchased,  and  the  health  unconsciously  pro- 


moted,) we  cannot  anticipate  any  objections 
to  the  necessary  deduction  from  pay.  As  we 
said  in  our  former  article  upon  this  subject, 
it  should  be  impressed  upon  the  men  that, 
although  they  may  sometimes  be  ordered  to 
march  to  another  station  before  they  can  reap 
the  reward  of  their  industry  and  outlay,  they 
will,  in  all  probability,  find  a  garden  equally 
prepared  in  their  new  location.  By  making 
the  system  general,  this  end  would  be  secured 
by  the  Government,  excepting  in  cases  of 
the  embarkation  of  troops  for  a  distant  colony, 
or  other  foreign  service.  In  such  events, 
the  men  might  receive  an  indemnity  for  their 
outlay  and  the  barrack-master  could  arrange 
for  the  disposal  of  the  produce  to  some  mar- 
ket-gardener, unless  the  departing  regiment 
was  immediately  succeeded  by  another. 

It  need  scarcely  be  added  that  we  contem- 
plate the  extension  of  our  project  to  India, 
the  Colonial  Stations,  and  the  Mediter- 
ranean. Indeed,  Ave  are  much  mistaken 
if  greater  facilities  will  not  be  found  in 
those  places  for  the  establishment  of  gar- 
dens, than  in  almost  any  part  of  the  United 
Kingdom  where  troops  are  quartered. 

Generally  speaking,  there  will  be  found 
plenty  of  men  in  the  ranks  well  acquainted 
with  all  the  routine  of  practical  gardening, 
and  in  such  cases  there  would  be  no  occasion 
j  to  seek  for  a  gardener  elsewhere  ;  but  the 
gardener  to  the  barracks,  whether  taken  from 
j  the  ranks,  or  otherwise,  should  be  a  perma- 
I  nent  appointment,  and  not  be  removed  with 
j  the  regiment.  If  there  were  any  difficulty 
arising  out  of  the  property  which  the  labourers 
may  be  supposed  to  have  in  the  stock  of  the 
garden,  let  there  be  a  low  scale  of  payment 
for  all  who  work  in  the  garden,  and  let  all 
who  work  be  paid.  The  soldier  would  then 
have  his  choice  whether  he  worked  or  re- 
mained idle,  and  there  only  need  be  compul- 
sory labour  when  necessity  pressed  ;  but  if 
soldiers  have  other  modes  of  employing  their 
time — and  this  is  frequently  the  case — it  would 
be  hard  to  force  them  to  labour  on  a  garden 
at  a  disadvantage  to  themselves.  There 
would  be  this  advantage  in  barrack  gardening, 
which  does  not  occur  in  all  cases,  the  produce 
can  always  be  disposed  of.  There  is  no  rea- 
son why  cabbages  and  potatoes,  carrots,  or 
any  other  vegetable,  should  not  be  distributed 
as  well  as  their  bread,  and  the  quantities  of 
the  various  crops  could  be  so  regulated  as 
to  affiDrd  this.  In  such  case  a  man  could  do 
as  he  pleased  about  eating  the  produce,  or 
disposing  of  it.  It  may  be  that  the  soldier's 
pay  will  not  afford  money  for  seeds,  and  there 
might  be  many  objections  to  any  of  them 
being  called  upon  for  contributions  in  the 
form  of  money  ;  and  the  difficulty  which  has 
only  been  glanced  at,  of  regulating  claims  on 

A  A  2 


856 


BARRACK    GARDENS. 


the  removal  of  tlie  men,  would  perhaps  prove 
more   formidable   than   lias    been   imagined. 
Nothing,  however,  could  be  more  simple  than 
making   the   garden   and  all  its  contents  as 
much   Government  property  as  the  barracks 
themselves;  there  would  then  be  no  difficulty; 
and  by  allowing  none  but  useful  crops  to  be 
grown,  and  confining  them  as  much  as  pos- 
sible to  things  of  a  permanent  nature,  in  the 
same  way  as  we  should  the  crops  for  cottagers,  I 
the  advantage  to   the  men  would    be    great. 
We  do  not  see  why  the  garden  should  not  be 
a  necessary  appendage  to  the  barracks  ;  no- 
body   will    dispute    that    vegetable    food    is 
w^holesome   and   nutritious,    and    whether  it 
were  actually  attached  to  the  establishment, 
or  a  mile  or  two  off,  healthful  and  profitable 
employment  at  times  when  industrious  men 
would  be,  under  the  present  system,  unem- 
ployed, must  effect  a  change  for  the  better. 
Idleness  is  the  parent  of  vice  ;  men  will  be 
doing  something,  and  if  not  led  to  something 
good,  they  will  be  soon  engaged  in  something- 
bad.    However  lightly,  therefore,  we  may  have 
touched  upon  this  matter,  we  regard  it  as   a 
most  important  measure  as  regards  the  health, 
comfort,  and  morals  of  the  British  soldier. 

The  site  of  the  garden  being  chosen,  and 
supposed,  for  our  purpose,  to  be  without  any 
fencing,  the  deficiency  must  be  supplied  in  the 
way  most  easily  accomplished   according   to 
the  facilities  afforded  in  the  neighbourhood. 
If  wood  be   attainable  for  cutting,   a  rough 
fence  may  be  constructed  by  the  men  them- 
selves ;  but  supposing  there  be  none,  and  the 
,   soil  itself  has  to  be  used,  let  there  be  a  ditch 
three  feet  wide  and  deep  dug  all  round,  and 
the   soil  taken   out  will  form  a  bank  three 
feet  wide  and  somewhat  higher  inside.     This 
is  mere  labour.     There  is,  however,  nothing 
new  in  soldiers  working  in  trenches.    All  the 
slopes  of  the  bank,  within  the  garden,  may  be 
planted.     It  would  not  be  lost  ground,  and 
especially  on  the  south  and  west  sides  it  would 
be  warm  and  valuable.     In  removing  the  soil 
from  the  ditch  or  trench    it    may    be    found 
that  the  top  soil  is  the  best ;  this,  therefore, 
should  be  thrown  within  the  bounds  as  far  as 
possible,    it  being   valuable  for  the   top   spit 
of  soil.     When  the  whole  is  done,  the  poorer 
soil  must  be  placed  bank-fashion  on  the  inner 
edge  of  the  ditch ;  and  when  all  tlie  stuff  that 
comes  out  of  the  ditch  is  formed  into  a  bank 
of  the  angle  of  45  degrees,  and  straight  with 
the  side  of  the  ditch,  the  inner  slope  may  be 
regulated,  and   all    the  top  spit  laid  on  the 
inner  slope,  so  that  it  would  form  available 
space  for  crops.     Briers  may  or  may  not  be 
planted  on  the  outer  slope,  a  foot  from  -the  top 
of  the  bank,  six  inches   apart,  all  the  way 
round,  and  for  two  years  cut  close  down,  and 
ail   future  years  be    regularly  trimmed  to  a 


compact  hedge  that  would,  if  kept  clear  from 
weeds,  be  impenetrable  ;  and  there  is  no  good 
reason  why  the  "  quick"  should  not  be  reared 
in  the  garden  itself,  because  the  bank  and 
ditch   will  be  sufficient    fence    or    boundary 
while  the  quick  is  growing ;  and  as  this  would 
be  an  easy  task,  let  a  piece  of  ground  be  dug, 
or   trenched  if  necessary,  and  well  dunged, 
make  drills  six  inches  apart,  and  having  pro- 
cured good   seed  sow  it  in   these  drills  very 
thin,    nothing    nearer   than    an  inch    apart  ; 
cover  about  half  an  inch,  and  from  that  time 
keep  the  ground  clear  of  weeds.     Autumn  is 
the  best  period  for  sowing;   and  when  they 
have  had  one  year's  growth  you  may  plant  or 
bed  them  out,  about  two  inches  apart,  in  rows, 
and  the  rows  six  inches  apart,  in  well-dressed 
ground ;  or  if  the  bed  they  come  out  of  be  dug 
well,  and  the  lumps  bruised,  the  same  ground 
will  do,  as  far  as  it  goes,  with  a  little  fresh 
dressing.  When  they  have  had  another  year's 
growth  you  may  plant  your  hedge  with  them, 
or   give   them  a  third  year's  growth  before 
you  use  them.    They  will  be  good  thick  stuff, 
and  two  or  three  feet  long,  at  the  end  of  the 
second  year,  and  large  enough  for  anything 
if  they  have  grown  well.     When  you  plant 
them  out  on    the  bank,  let  them  be  placed 
at  right  angles  with  the   slope  of  the  bank, 
which  will  be,  of  course,  pointing  outwards ; 
shorten    every  one   to  three  inches    out    of 
ground,   and   when  they  have  had   a   year's 
growth  on  the  bank,  cut   them    down  again 
pretty  close  to  the  old  place  ;  in  other  words, 
cut    away  all  but  an   inch   or  two   of    the 
new  growth,  and  from  that  time  trim  in  and 
down,  so  that  the  hedge  becomes  solid  at  the 
bottom,  and  would  hardly  let  a  mouse  through. 
It   is    of   the    highest    importance   that   the 
bank,  ditch,  and  hedge  be  thoroughly  cleared 
of  weeds,  and  kept  clear,  for  nothing  sooner 
destroys  a  young  hedge  than  choking  it  with 
weeds.     The  place  once  enclosed,  we  turn  to 
look  to  the  laying  it  out,  path  or  road  making, 
and  cropping  it  ;   but  this  will  come  under 
another    head  ;    we    are   not    entering    upon 
details  at  present.     If  the  garden   be  culti- 
vated by  regimental  labour,  and  its  produce 
shared  by  the  military  in  barracks,  there  will 
be  in  all  respects  a  quid  pro  quo  for  the  Go- 
vernment,   to    say  nothing  of  the  improved 
morals  of  the  soldier,  which  is  no  small  con- 
sideration ;   and  the  keeping  up  of  a  garden 
under   such  circumstances  is    no  more   than 
keeping  the  barracks  clean.     There  may  be 
fifty  regulations   adopted  for  the  production 
of  the  necessary   labour,  without  trenching 
upon  what  may  be  called  the  implied  rights  of 
the  soldier.     Those   at  work  in  the   garden 
might  be  excused  from  particular  duties,  in 
the  same  way  that  officers'  servants  selected 
from  the  ranks  are ;  and  there  is  certain  to  be 


GARDENING     FOR     CHILDREN. 


J57 


men  enough  in  a  regiment  well  acquainted 
with  the  gardening  necessary  for  barrack 
supply,  to  enable  them  to  be  changed  or 
take  turns.  Of  the  crops,  the  culture,  and 
general  routine,  as  well  as  of  the  laying  out, 
and    apportioning    the    ground   to    different 


uses,  we  may  write  hereafter  ;  all  we  have  to 
do  with  here,  is  the  principle,  and  the  practi- 
cability of  gardens  for  barracks  ;  and  this 
once  admitted,  we  may  offer  details,  rules, 
regulations,  and  useful  hints  for  carrying  out 
the  plan  upon  the  most  effective  scale. 


Canterhury  Bell. 


Wallflower. 


GARDENING   FOR   CHILDREN.* 


Befoee  noticing  the  second  edition  of  a 
little  book  under  the  title  we  have  quoted  at 
tiie  head  of  these  remarks,  we  shall  briefly 
explain  our  ideas  as  to  the  proper  manner  of 
teaching  juvenile  gardeners. 

The  greatest  care  should  be  taken  to  let 
the  pupil's  very  first  lessons  be  good  in  their 
way,  and  to  explain  the  motive  for  the  act. 
Show  the  young  horticulturist  how  to  dig, 
and  tell  him  why  the  ground  is  dug — what  is 
the  efi'ect  of  digging.  Show  him  how  to  use 
the  hoe  and  the  rake,  and  tell  him  why  they 


*  "  Gardening  for  Children."  Edited  by  the  Rev. 
C.  A.  Johns,  B.A.,  P.L.S.,  author  of  "Botanical  Ram- 
bles," "  Forest  Trees  of  Britain,"  "A  Week  at  the 
Lizard,"  &c.  Second  edition.  London  :  Charles  Cox, 
King  William-street,  Strand ;  OliYer  and  Boyd,  Edin- 
burgh ;  and  J.  EobertsoU)  Grafton-street,  Dublin. 


are  used.  See  that  he  is  not  allowed  to  do  a 
single  act  in  his  garden,  without  first  knowing 
its  object ;  and  by  no  means  allow  him  to  do 
anything  that  is  improper. 

Make  him  begin  by  raising  plants  himself. 
Let  him  sow  the  seeds,  and  see  their  progress  ; 
choose  for  him  some  that  soon  perfect  them- 
selves, others  that  are  longer  growing  ;  some 
that  are  to  bloom  where  they  are  sown,  others 
that  require,  or  that,  at  least,  will  bear 
planting  out.  The  chief  should  be  annuals  ; 
but  a  few  biennials  and  perennials  will  be  de- 
sirable for  appearance,  and  he  will  thus  easily 
be  taught  the  difference  between  these  three 
very  distinct  classes.  Where  there  are  many 
pupils,  or,  indeed,  more  than  one,  see  that  the 
same  subjects  be  not  raised  by  several,  because 
it  would  incur  a  waste,  and  lessen  the  varieties 


358 


GARDENING    FOR    CHILDREN, 


cultivated  among  the  mass.  We,  of  course, 
make  an  exception  as  to  those  things  which 
must  bloom  where  they  are  sown  ;  but  it  would 
be  unwise  to  see  half-a-dozen  youths  sowing 
sweet-williams,  columbines,  wall-flowers,  ten- 
week  stocks,  China  asters,  and  other  subjects 
of  which  one  little  patch  would  supply  the 
whole.  It  is  better  to  let  each  boy  sow  some 
one  thing  for  general  distribution,  and  thus 
increase  the  number  of  subjects  without  over- 
stocking  anybody. 

We  need  hardly  say  that  we  should  confine 
the  gardening,  in  the  first  instance,  to  flowers, 
first,  because  it  is  more  likely  to  gratify  the 
young  gai'deners  ;  secondly,  because  they  are 
pretty  sure  to  succeed  more  or  less  ;  thirdly, 
because  a  much  less  plot  of  ground  would 
be  sufficient  for  each  pupil,  while  the  lessons 
aflbrded,  and  the  experience  to  be  gained,  are 
equally  valuable. 

The  very  first  lesson  will  naturally  be 
digging.  The  implements  first  required  are 
a  line  strong  enough  to  bear  stretching  very 
tight  ;  there  are  proper  irons  made  to  wind 
these  lines  on.  The  single  spike  of  iron 
which  has  one  end  of  the  cord  tied  to  it  is 
thrust  hard  into  the  ground,  and  the  winder 
on  wliich  the  whole  length  of  the  line  is  wound 
is  carried  to  the  place  where  the  other  end  of 
the  line  is  to  reach.  When  the  right  length 
is  unwound,  wind  up,  pulling  close  on  the 
regular  winder,but  make  a  few  turns  round  the 
spike  itself,  which  has  to  be  thrust  into  the 
ground,  so  that  the  line  is  quite  tight  ;  so 
tight,  that  if  it  be  moved  three  or  four  inches 
.  one  way  or  the  other  it  will  spring  back  into 
its  place.  The  first  use  that  will  here  be 
made  of  this  line  will  be  to  mark  out  the 
piece  of  ground  intended  for  the  pupil, 
Avhich  may  be  done  various  ways.  The  best 
of  all  methods  of  dividing  these  plots  is  by 
paths  or  alleys  of  not  less  than  eighteen  inches 
width,  between  each  pupil's  allotment.  In 
this  case  the  line  is  to  be  stretched  at  the 
edge  of  the  path,  and  the  edge  chopped  three 
or  four  inches  down  with  a  spade,  (which 
should  be  the  same  depth  as  a  man's  spade, 
aut  only  half  the  width,)  by  standing  in  the 
path,  and  pressing  the  spade  down  three  or 
four  inches;  then  bending  it  back  to  loosen 
the  soil  in  front  of  the  spade,  merely  shovel 
it  inwards.  The  tight  line  which  is  even 
with  the  surface  of  the  ground  shows  where 
the  spade  is  to  be  put  down,  and  it  will  be 
necessary  to  show  the  youth  how  to  begin, 
that  he  may  not  adopt  a  more  troublesome 
or  diffieult  way  than  is  necessary  to  accom- 
plish a  very  simple  object.  When  you  have 
shown  him  how  to  do  it,  by  partly  doing,  and 
partly  making  him  do  half-a-dozen  spades' 
width,  he  may  be  left  to  himself,  except 
keeping  an  eye  on  all  the  pupils,  to  see  that 


they  do  not  get  awkward.  When  the  piece 
of  ground  is  thus  well  defined,  so  that  they 
see  how  much  there  is  to  dig,  the  path 
between  two  gardens  will  form  a  hard  undis- 
turbed piece,  cut  down  sloping  on  each  side 
towards  the  allotments.  The  digging  tlien 
may  be  begun.  Gardeners  can  dig,  and  some 
can  even  draw  drills,  without  lines  ;  but  young 
ones  must  go  by  rule  first,  as  the  pupils  at 
writing  learn  by  lines  ruled  for  them,  though, 
after  much  practice,  they  write  better  with- 
out ;  therefore,  stretch  the  line  across  the 
bed,  or  if  it  be  pretty  wide  across,  only  one- 
half  of  it,  just  one  foot  from  the  end,  and  let 
the  pupil  dig  out  a  trench  the  depth  of  his 
spade  and  the  foot  wide,  wheeling  the  stuff  to 
the  other  side,  if  the  trench  be  half  across ; 
but  to  the  other  end  altogether  if  it  be  all 
across,  because  this  soil  is  to  fill  up  the 
last  trench  when  the  digging  is  finished. 
When  the  trench  is  dug  out  let  the  line  be 
placed  further  back,  or,  if  you  have  time, 
chop  a  sort  of  mark  for  the  pupil,  a  foot  back- 
warder,  and  show  him  how  to  dig  this  out  so 
as  to  fill  up  his  first  trench  with  the  earth, 
and  leave  a  second  one  empty.  He  need  not 
dig  back  more  than  two  or  three  inches  at  a 
time,  because  he  would  not  have  strength  to 
lift  the  soil ;  but  it  Avill  be  of  great  assistance 
to  mark  him  a  foot  at  a  time,  that  he  may  not 
get  materially  out  of  line,  and  he  should  also 
be  guarded  or  cautioned  to  keep  the  surface 
pretty  level.  If  the  bed  has  been  divided  into 
two,  and  the  pupil  has  come  to  the  end  trench, 
he  must  begin  the  other  half  in  the  same  way 
as  he  did  tiie  first,  by  making  a  trench  a  foot 
wide,  and  with  the  stuff  fill  up  his  end  trench; 
but,  if  the  whole  of  the  bed  has  been  dug  at 
once,  instead  of  dividing  it,  the  end  trench 
will  have  to  be  filled  with  the  stuff  wheeled 
away  from  the  first  trench  at  the  beginning  of 
the  digging.  Supposing  it,  however,  to  be 
divided,  the  pupil  continues  working  the  other 
half  backwards  towards  the  end  he  set  out  at ; 
and  when  he  has  made  his  last  trench,  he  fills 
it  up  with  the  stuff  he  took  out  of  the  first, 
which  is  close  to  his  work.  Now  in  all  this 
a  youth  can  hardly  go  wrong  if  fairly  started, 
and  then  he  must  be  told  why  all  this  labour 
has  been  expended  on  his  plot  of  ground. 
He  should  be  told  that  the  digging  of  the 
earth  lets  the  atmospheric  air  into  it,  which 
is  very  beneficial  to  the  roots  of  plants ;  that 
it  breaks  the  lumps,  and  lightens  it  so  that 
the  seeds  can  vegetate  and  send  their  roots 
into  it  freely ;  and  it  so  loosens  it  that  the  rains 
or  artificial  watering  can  soak  into  it,  and  pene-. 
trate  every  part,  so  as  to  nourish  whatever  may 
be  depending  on  it  for  support. 

The  next  lesson  to  give  a  child  is  the  use 
of  the  rake,  the  instrument  with  which  the 
lumps  on  the  surface  left  by  the  spade  and  the 


GARDEiNING    FOR    CHILDREN. 


359 


inequalities  which  remain  after  digging  are 
broken  and  laid  level.  Show  him  that  the 
lumps  may  be  broken  by  striking  them  with 
the  back  of  it,  and  spread  abroad  and  levelled 
■with  the  teeth,  which  should  be  drawn  and 
pushed  backward  and  forward  all  over  the 
surface  until  it  is  even  and  smooth.  Of  course 
the  smoother  it  is  left  with  the  spade  after 
digging  the  less  there  will  be  to  do  with  the 
rake,  and  the  rougher  it  is  left  from  digging 
the  more  labour  there  is  to  level  it.  If  any 
part  of  the  ground  is  to  be  sown  "broad  cast," 
as  it  is  called,  which  means  evenly  all  over  it, 
the  rake  is  of  use  in  another  capacity,  because 
when  the  seed  is  sprinkled  over  the  surface, 
the  rake  is  used  to  stir  all  the  surface,  so  as  to 
let  the  seeds  into  the  ground  ;  but  there  is 
another  way  of  sowing,  which  brings  us  to 
the  use  of  another  implement,  the  hoe:  this 
ip,  sowing  in  drills  or  rows.  In  tliis  operation 
the  garden-line  is  stretched  tight  where  you 
wish  the  row  of  seed  to  be  sown.  With  the 
corner  of  the  hoe  a  furrow  is  made,  by  draw- 
ing it  along  the  line  and  pressing  it  gently 
into  the  soil  ;  when  the  furrow  or  drill  is 
made  according  to  the  depth  required,  and 
even  all  the  way,  the  line  has  to  be  removed 
to  the  distance  that  the  next  row  is  to  be, 
which  of  course  is  according  to  the  space  in- 
tended between  the  rows,  for,  according  to  the 
seed  intended  to  be  sown,  there  may  be  three 
inches,  or  any  other  distance  up  to  as  many 
feet.  The  hoe  is  always  used  for  this  among 
other  purposes,  but  it  should  be  explained  that 
it  is  also  used  to  chop  up  weeds  and  plants, 
which  are  to  be  thinned,  and  which  operation 
may  be  shown  at  the  proper  time.  In  these 
drills,  as  in  broad  cast,  the  youth  should  be 
shown  how  to  spread  the  seed  very  thinly  and 
very  evenly,  not  so  close  as  to  impede  each 
other's  growth  and  waste  the  seed  ;  and  he 
should  also  be  shown  that  if  the  seed  be  fairly 
covered  it  is  all  that  can  be  required.  Gene- 
rally, however,  the  larger  the  seed  the  deeper 
it  may  be  placed  in  the  ground  ;  and  it  is  no 
bad  rule  to  cover  seed  with  as  much  soil  as  the 
seeds  are  thick,  so  that  peas  and  lupines  would 
be  deeper  than  mignonette  or  larkspurs. 

It  may,  however,  be  expected  that  we  should 
say  something  of  the  plan  of  the  gardens  be- 
fore there  is  any  sowing,  but  in  plots  all  alike 
and  upon  too  small  a  scale  to  exercise  any 
ingenuity  there  can  be  hardly  any  plan.  The 
very  best  that  could  be  adopted  by  the  prin- 
cipal of  a  school  would  be  beds  of  four  feet 
wide,  because  they  can  be  managed  without 
trampling  on  them,  and  admit  of  being  treated 
as  two  borders  of  two  feet  wide,  or  one  border 
of  four  feet  wide  ;  or  part  of  each  may  be 
treated  as  a  bed,  particularly  for  any  subject 
which  the  youth  may  be  desirous  of  cultivat- 
ing in  particular.   The  seeds  that  are  to  bloom 


where  they  are  sown  may  be  placed  in  patches 
those  which  require  planting  out  may  be  sown 
in  drills  across  the  bed.  In  families  where 
children  have  their  little  plots,  the  same  care 
should  be  taken  to  form  the  plots  alike,  and,  if 
possible,  four  feet,  or  three  feet  six,  should  be 
the  width,  because  it  is  the  width  which  is 
suggested  by  all  bed  culture  in  mature  gar- 
dening ;  and  in  all  things,  the  nearer  the 
child's  recreation  is  like  proper  gardening  the 
more  real  service  it  does  him.  Find  the  young 
gardener  in  the  seed  best  adapted  for  his 
success  and  therefore  gratification.  Migno- 
nette will  do  to  bloom  where  it  is  sown,  and 
will  also  plant  out  well  to  fill  up  future 
vacancies.  Sweet  peas  will  engage  him  in  the 
operation  of  sticking  ;  two  or  three  roses  at 
the  proper  time  for  planting  out  will  be  pleas- 
ing and  attractive  ;  but  let  all  his  perennials 
and  biennials  be  his  own  raising,  or  raised 
under  his  observation,  as  would  be  the  case  if 
some  are  raised  by  his  brothers  or  brother- 
pupils  at  home  or  at  school.  He  will  take 
infinitely  more  interest  in  them  than  if  they 
are  given  to  him  ready  to  flower,  which  is  too 
often  the  case  ;  for  see  a  child's  garden  where 
we  will,  there  are  to  be  found  unhealthy  plants 
moved  too  forward  to  do  any  good,  and  there- 
fore only  calculated  to  excite  feelings  of  dis- 
appointment, by  comparison  with  others  more 
healthy,  or  plants  of  the  same  growth  where 
the  sickly  ones  came  from  :  whereas,  if  the 
youth  sows  at  a  proper  time,  is  taught  to  thin 
them  w^here  they  are  sown,  and  to  plant  out 
those  that  require  it,  these  productions  will  be 
as  flourishing  as  any  others  about  them  or 
near  them.  This  gives  the  young  gardener 
unalloyed  pleasure.  He  sees  his  efforts  suc- 
ceed, his  ambition  is  aroused,  and  he  becomes 
an  enthusiast  in  one  of  the  most  useful  and 
gratifying  occupations, — an  occupation  which 
enlarges  the  mind,  and  teaches  youth  the 
necessity  and  the  value  of  forethought,  with- 
out which  gardening  would  be  a  mere  farce. 
As  soon  as  the  seeds  are  up,  and  the  plants 
well  growing,  the  attention  of  the  pupil  should 
be  directed  to  thinning  them  out  where  they 
are  too  thick  to  grow  well,  except  those  to  be 
planted  out,  and  clearing  them  of  weeds.  It 
should  be  explained  to  him  that  if  the  plants 
are  too  close  they  have  not  room  to  spread 
and  grow,  and  that  the  roots  being  crowded 
into  too  small  a  compass  have  not  sufficient 
noui'ishment,  and  that  the  only  way  to  remedy 
this  is  to  remove  all  but  the  proper  quantity. 
If  they  happen  to  be  much  too  thick,  occasion 
should  be  taken  to  show  that  it  is  a  fault  in 
the  sow^ing,  and  that  they  ought  not  to  have 
been  so  thickly  laid  in  the  ground.  Still,  as 
they  always  require  a  little  thinning,  even 
with  good  sov.'ing,  it  may  be  shown  how  far 
apart  they  should  be  to  blow  well ;  and  by  no 


360 


GARDENING    FOR    CHILDREN. 


means  ought  tliey  to  be  allowed  to  leave  them 
thicker  than  they  ought  to  be  ;  for  nothing 
detracts  so  much  from  healthy  growth.  In 
the  miSdle  of  the  bed,  and  among  large  plants, 
the  use  of  the  hoe  may  be  shown  in  weeding; 
but  among  small  seedling  plants  hand  weeding 
is  the  safest.  When  the  seedlings  are  large 
enough  to  plant  out,  (and  we  ought  to  have 
mentioned  that  these  hardly  ever  need  be 
thinned,  because  they  are  so  soon  removed 
after  they  have  begun  growing,)  the  pupil 
must  be  shown  how  to  manage  this  operation. 
A  small  piece  of  wood  cut  to  a  tapering  form 
is  sufficient  to  make  a  hole  for  ordinary  flow- 
ers, such  as  ten-week  stocks,  mignonette, 
China  asters,  balsams  and  other  annuals  ;  so 
it  is  also  for  columbines,  wall-flowers,  sweet- 
Avilliams,  Brompton  stocks,  and  perennial 
lupines  ;  but  planting  out  to  any  extent  is 
done  with  a  proper  dibble,  an  implement  with 
a  place  for  the  hand  like  the  handle  of  a  spade, 
and  tapering  off  to  a  bluntish  point,  shoed  or 
cased  with  iron,  with  which  the  hole  can  be 
made  an  inch  or  a  foot  deep,  as  may  be  re- 
quired ;  and  when  the  root  is  held  down  in  tiie 
hole,  by  thrusting  down  the  dibble  by  the  side 
of  it  two  or  three  times  the  first  hole  is  closed 
about  the  roots  of  the  plant.  It  will  be  neces- 
sary to  explain,  that  mignonette  and  ten-week 
stocks,  balsams,  China  asters,  and  such  like 
annuals,  may  be  planted  out  in  threes  :  make 
a  circle  with  the  top  of  a  six-inch  flower-pot, 
and  plant  them  in  the  circle  six  inches  from 
each  other ;  they  will  have  abundant  room,  and 
even  if  one  be  placed  in  the  centre  it  will 
matter  but  little;  they  are  for  border  flowers, 
and  are  not  required  to  be  developed  so  finely 
as  tliose  in  beds  or  pots  ;  but  three  on  the 
CTcle  will  be  enough.  With  regard  to  the 
perennials,  they  may  be  planted  out  later,  but 
ought  not  to  be  less  than  a  foot  apart,  except 
in  nursery  beds,  from  which  they  are  again  to 
be  removed,  and  in  which  six  inches  apart 
will  do,  because  they  do  not  remain  to  grow 
their  full  size.  If  they  are  to  be  planted  out 
where  they  are  to  bloom,  the  next  year  they 
must  be  a  foot  from  each  other  and  from  every 
thing  else ;  and  the  young  gardener  should  be 
told  the  reason,  which  is,  because  they  require 
a  foot  of  room  to  grow  in  perfection,  and  even 
more  would  be  better  if  there  were  abundance 
of  room.  As  the  seedlings  advance,  the  pupil 
should  be  taught  to  support  those  that  require 
it, — for  instance,  he  must  place  small  branches 
of  wood  to  the  sweet  peas,  to  allow  them  to 
grow  up  among  them  for  support,  and  place 
sticks  to  any  tall-growing  aimuals  that  require 
it,  as  nothing  looks  worse  than  to  see  the 
advancing  stems  of  flowers  leaning  and,  lop- 
ping about.  He  must  be  taught  also  to  give 
them  water  in  very  dry  weather,  with  a 
watering-pot  that  has  a  rose,  to  enable  him  to 


sprinkle  all  over  the  surface  like  rain,  or  by 
taking  it  off  to  pour  a  full  stream  if  necessary. 
Fie  must  be  constantly  reminded  of  weeding, 
for  in  the  growing  months  weeds  would  soon 
get  the  upper  hand  of  the  crops  or  flowers, 
and  overrun  the  whole  plot  if  not  hoed  out  or 
pulled  out  pretty  often  ;  indeed  as  fast  as  they 
grow  the  necessity  of  cleanliness  cannot  be 
too  earnestly  impressed  on  his  mind — neatness 
and  tidiness  not  only  in  keeping  all  flowers 
properly  supported,  but  all  decayed  flowers 
and  stems  cut  down,  all  that  have  done  flower- 
ing removed,  and  so  on.  Again,  as  China 
asters  and  some  other  plants  will  plant  out  late 
as  well  as  early,  some  may  be  planted  out  in 
the  places  where  the  earliest  things  come  off, 
and  by  blooming  later  in  the  autumn  continue 
the  succession  of  flowers.  If  inclined  to  in- 
dulge the  young  gardener  with  one  or  two 
showy  plants,  two  or  three  dahlias  to  plant 
out  in  June  will  keep  up  the  gaiety  of 
his  garden  until  the  frost  cuts  them  off.  To- 
wards the  autumn  you  may  direct  his  at- 
tention to  bulbs,  because  it  is  the  time  he  has 
to  brgin  providing  for  his  spring  flowers. 
A  few  crocuses,  narcissus,  and  hyacinths, 
which  should  be  planted  in  October  or  No- 
vember, will  highly  gratify  a  youthful  aspirant 
for  floral  honours ;  and  he  must  be  here  taught 
to  label  the  places  where  he  deposits  them, 
with  their  pi'oper  names,  and,  if  he  please, 
their  heights  and  colours,  so  that  he  may  be 
able  to  regulate  his  other  planting  accordingly. 
He  must  be  shown  how  to  remove  subjects  as 
soon  as  their  beauty  has  gone  by,  and  to  re- 
place them,  if  possible,  with  other  things.  He 
must  be  specially  shown  how  to  support  his 
dahlia  plants,  if  he  has  any,  that  the  wind 
may  not  blow  them  down,  nor  beat  the  flowers 
one  against  another.  As  some  of  the  annuals 
ripen  their  seed,  the  young  gardener  may  be 
taught  to  save  it,  and  thus  provide  for  future 
seasons,  or  put  himself  into  a  position  for 
exchanging  with  others.  As  we  approach  the 
winter  months  the  borders  must  be  kept  clear 
of  weeds  and  decaying  plants.  Falling  leaves 
must  be  raked  off,  and  saved  with  all  other 
decaying  vegetation  to  rot  somewhere  out 
of  sight,  for  there  is  no  better  manure  than 
the  mould  formed  of  rotted  leaves.  Wall- 
flowers may  be  planted  about  the  borders, 
because  they  will  bloom  early  in  spring,  and 
be  out  of  flower  in  time  to  remove  them  for 
stocks  or  other  annuals,  and  this  should  be 
well  explained  to  him  at  the  time.  The  next 
spring  he  will  see  the  flowers  of  his  own 
pei'ennials  ;  but  the  columbine,  the  perennial 
lupine,  and  some  others,  should  occupy  pro- 
minent places  ;  the  wall-flowers  and  sweet- 
williams  may  be  renewed  every  spring  by 
seed,  but  the  perennials  need  not,  for,  as  he 
should  be  told,  they  are  permanent,  and  may 


GARDENING  FOR  CHILDREN. 


361 


be  increased  by  merely  parting  them  when 
they  are  too  big  for  their  places.  By  simply 
attending  to  these  hints  the  children  of  a 
fiimily  or  the  youths  at  a  school  may  in  one 
year  become  masters  of  certain  garden  ope- 
rations, that  will  be  familiar  to  them  as  long 
as  they  live  ;  and  year  after  year,  as  their 
minds  expand,  they  will  seek  eagerly  for 
further  knowledge.  What  they  will  have 
acquired  in  one  season  will  be  sound,  and  the 
limited  knowledge  they  acquire  will  be  a  good 
foundation  for  whatever  may  be  added  to  it  ; 
nay,  if  they  never  learned  any  more  but  from 
their  own  observation,  they  will  have  had  an 
especial  service  rendered  even  by  this  limited 
teaching.  But  there  is  no  reason  why  you 
should  not  take  them  through  the  kitchen 
garden  to  see  others  work,  or  even  occa- 
sionally to  do  a  little  themselves,  although 
their  own  plot  must,  from  its  limited  size,  be 
only  a  flower  garden;  for  in  the  kitchen  garden 
they  will  see  operations  on  the  ground,  and 
changes  of  crops  going  on  at  all  times  of  the 
year,  while  their  own  must  be  chiefly  in  the 
spring  and  fall.  They  will  know  from  obser- 
vation that  the  same  process  which  raises  a 
China  aster  will  produce  a  cabbage;  the  sowing, 
the  cleaning,  watering,  transplanting  are  all  the 
same.  The  mere  difference  of  distances  is  learned 
soon.  The  diflFerence  of  seasons  may  be  taught 
as  a  task  in  spelling  or  reading  a  catechism  ; 
but  families  and  schools  that  will  attend  to 
the  foregoing,  will  have  good  cause  to  be 
satisfied  that  gardening  for  children  is  one  of 
the  most  gratifying  and  inexhaustible  sources 
of  profitable  occupation. 

Such  are  some  of  our  notions  as  to  the  best 
method  of  initiating  the  young  gardener  into 
the  practice  of  this  delightful  and  healthful 
recreation.  The  little  volume  before  us  takes 
nearly  the  same  view  of  the  subject.  This 
second  edition  is  greatly  improved  in  the  ar- 
rangement of  its  contents  ;  and  we  observe 
a  considerable  addition  to  the  number  of  illus- 
trations. The  text  has  also  evidently  under- 
gone revision,  and  not  without  advantage. 
We  shall  borrow  a  few  illustrative  extracts, 
with  the  cuts  that  accompany  them  : — 

DVTAKF  JLUPINE. 

This  is  one  of  the  prettiest  of  the  lupines, 
bearing  leaves  cut  so  as  to  somewhat  resem- 
ble one's  expanded  fingers,  and  spikes  of  what 
are  called  butterfly-shaped  flowers.  This  kind 
is  about  afoot  in  height,  and  bears  long  spikes 
of  blue  flowers.  Sow  them  where  the  plants 
are  to  remain. 

CHINA    ASTER. 

These  are  gay  star-like  flowers,  growing  a 
foot  or  fifteen  inches  high,  upright,  but 
spreading  when  they  once  begin  to  branch. 
The  original  has  a  single  flower,  in  shape  like 


a  daisy  ;  but  there  is  a  great  variety  in  gar- 
dens, and  the  double  and  full-quilled  sorts 
only  are  prized. 


Dwarf  Lupine. 

The  colours  are  various  ;  not  only  are 
there  all  shades  of  red  and  blue,  both  of  which 
appear  mixed  with  white,  but  the  white  is 
mixed  singly  with  all  the  shades  ;  so  that  the 


Cliina  Aster. 
Autumn  gaixlen  is  indebted  to  this  flower  for 
a  good  deal  of  its  gaiety  and  brilliant  effect. 
The  Germans  have  raised  many  varieties, 
which  are  sold  under  the  name  of  German 
asters  ;   and   the    imported    seeds  generally 


362 


GARDENING  FOR,   CHILDREN. 


produce  very  fine  varieties.  I  have  selected 
for  you  some  of  the  most  distinct  coloui's. 
You  had  better  sow  the  seeds  of  eaoh  sort 


Double  Bee-Larhtpur. 
together  in  one  place,  and  afterwards  plant 
out  the  seedlings  into  the  borders,  in  groups 
of  about  three.  They  want  little  attention, 
provided  they  are  kept  clear  of  weeds,  and 
are  planted  in  a  moderately  good  soil. 

VTALL-FLOWEK.  [See  p.  357.] 
The  Wall-flower  is  one  of  the  earliest,  the 
most  fragrant,  and  therefore  the  most  welcome, 
of  our  Spring  flowers.  You  should  sow  them 
in  July  and  August,  in  a  spot  where  they  may 
grow  for  a  few  weeks  without  being  disturbed, 
and  afterwards  plant  them  out  where  they 
are  to  bloom  the  next  year  ;  or  else  transplant 
them,  while  they  are  young,  to  a  nursery- 
bed,  where  they  may  grow  stronger,  and  be, 
late  in  the  Autumn,  removed  to  their  final 
destination.  When  these  have  bloomed,  they 
may  be  thrown  away,  and  the  supply  kept  up 
by  later  sown  ones  ;  for,  although  biennials 
can  be  occasionally  kept  over  their  second 
year  by  means  of  cuttings,  yet  they  seldom 
prove  handsome  or  healthy.  Double- flowered 
varieties  are  propagated  by  cuttings  planted 
in  April  or  May. 

CANTERBURT  BELL,       [See  p.  357.] 

This   is  a  showy,   erect  plant,  bearing   a 
number    of   very  large   bell-shaped  flowers. 


which  are  of  different  shades  of  blue  or 
purple,  and  sometimes  white.  Some  varieties 
bear  double  flowers,  but  they  are  not  so  hand- 
some as  the  single.  The  seeds  may  be  sown 
in  July,  and  the  plants  should  be  put  out 
singly  for  blooming. 

DOUBLE    BEE -LARKSPUR. 

A  noble  plant,  growing  three  feet  high  and 
upwards,  and  bearing  a  long-branched  spike 
of  the  most  intensely  vivid  blue  flowers,  which 
are  of  dazzling  richness. 

Of  this  I  shall  give  you  a  plant  each,  and  a 
stately  appearance  it  will  make  when  it  has 
been  established  a  season.  This  will  not  bear 
seeds,  so  that  you  will  be  only  able  to  propa- 
gate it  by  dividing  its  root. 

HEPATICA. 

This  is  a  pretty  plant  for  the  front  of  your 
bed  ;  it  is  not  more  than  six  inches  high,  and 
throws  up  a  mass  of  flowers  in  February  or 
early  in  March  ;  the  leaves  appear  later.  This 
is  the  single  blue  variety,  but  there  are  others, 
white  and  pink,  both  single  and  double. 


Hepatica. 

Some  useful  observations  on  weeds  are 
also  well  worth  the  attention  of  our  little 
gardeners. 

THE    BINDWEED, 

A  species  of  wild  convolvulus,  is  a  very  trou- 
blesome weed  :  it  has  long  creeping  roots,  or 
rather  underground  stems,  which  are  very 
brittle,  and  most  tenacious  of  life.    The  stems 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


363 


are  long  and  wiry,  and  support  themselves  by 
turning  round  any  plants  that  may  happen  to 
grow  near  them,  not  only  hiding  them  from 
sight,  but  strangling  them.  So  mischievous 
are  they,  that  if  they  have  been  suffered  to 
establish  themselves  in  a  shrubbery,  they  will 
quickly  injure  or  even  kill  strong  and  vigorous 
shrubs.  This  and  couchgrass,  or  stroll,  are 
the  greatest  enemies,  as  weeds,  that  the  gar- 
dener has  to  contend  against  ;  for  they  will 
entangle  themselves  among  the  roots  of  other 


plants,  in  which  case  they  can  only  be  eradi- 
cated by  clearing  the  roots  of  the  plants  to 
which  they  have  attached  themselves.  They 
should  therefore  be  picked  up  as  soon  as  their 
leaves  appear  above  the  ground, — care  being 
at  the  same  time  taken  to  remove  every  par- 
ticle of  root,  or  they  will  grow  again. 

THE    FIELD    CONVOLVULUS 

Is  another  very  mischievous  weed,  which  can 
scarcely  be  eradicated  after  it  has  once  esta- 


Field  Convolouhis 


blished  itself  in  a  garden.  The  roots  are  tough 
and  creep  widely  ;  the  flowers  are  very  pretty, 
light  pink  striped  with  red,  and  fragrant. 

These  directions  will  enable  you  to  distin- 
guish some  of  the  worst  kinds  of  weeds,  but  long 
experience  will  alone  enable  you  to  detect  them 
all.  You  will  sometimes,  perhaps,  discover 
that  you  have  been  expending  your  pains  in 
nursing  an  unsightly  weed,  for  which  you 
have  rooted  up  a  favourite  plant,  the  habit  of 
which,  in  its  young  state,  was  unknown  to 
you.  This  will  teach  you  the  necessity  of 
accurately  observing  the  characters  not  only 


of  full-grown  plants,  but  of  the  tenderest  seed- 
lings :  you  must  learn  also  to  distinguish 
weeds  by  their  first  leaves,  and  master  them 
before  they  have  mastered  you.  The  gar- 
dener who  does  not  begin  to  clear  away  weeds 
until  they  have  thoroughly  established  them- 
selves, may  be  compared  to  a  medical  man 
who  does  not  prescribe  remedies  for  a  disease 
until  it  has  assumed  its  most  virulent 
characters. 

In  its  present  form,  the  little  volume,. 
"  Gardening  for  Children,"  has  our  warmest 
commendations. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


•  MiMULUS  TRICOLOR,  Hartweg  (three-co- 
loured Monkey-flower).' — Scrophulariacese  § 
AntirrhinideEe-G-ratiolese. — A  very  pretty  little 
annual  plant,  growing  erect  about  a  foot  high, 
soft,  and  covered  with  delicate  glandular  hairs. 
The  leaves  are  opposite,  pale  green,  oblong- 
lanceolate,  tapering  to  the  base,  slightly 
toothed  on  the  margin  ;  the  leaves  are  an 
inch  or  more  in  length.  The  flowers  are 
numerous    and   pretty,    not  very   large,    but 


about  two  inches  long,  having  a  long  and  very 
slender  tube,  which  above  the  calyx  widens 
into  a  funnel-shaped  limb,  with  an  oblique 
border,  cut  into  five  nearly  equal  rounded 
lobes  ;  these  flowers  grow  singly  and  nearly 
sessile  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves  ;  the  general 
colour  is  bright  pink,  with  a  deep  crimson 
spot  at  the  base  of  each  lobe,  and  a  bright 
yellow  stain  on  the  lower  lip.  Native  of 
California,  in  the  plains  of  the   Sacramento 


364 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


valley.  Introduced  in  1847  to  the  garden  of 
the  Horticultural  Society  by  Mr.  Hartweg. 
Flowers  in  the  summer  months.  Culture. — 
Apparently  best  managed  as  a  half-hardy 
annual ;  light  rich  loamy  soil ;  propagated  by 
seeds. 

MoRJiODES  LENTIGINOSA,  Hooliev  (freckled 
Mormodes).  —  Oi'diidacese  §  Vandea3-Cate- 
sidse. — A  curious  and  rather  pretty  epiphyte, 
having  oblong  round  pseudo-bulbs,  which, 
when  young,  are  nearly  globose.  These  bear 
several  leaves,  each  a  span  long,  lanceolate, 
and  striated.  From  the  base  of  the  pseudo- 
bulbs  grows  the  flower  scape,  a  foot  or  a  foot 
and  a  half  long,  bearing  a  raceme  of  pale 
reddish-brown  flowers,  everywdiere  sprinkled 
with  darker  coloured  dots,  the  column  being 
of  a  deeper  colour  than  the  rest  of  the  blossom  ; 
the  sepals  and  petals  are  oblong,  acute,  with 
the  margins  recurved  ;  the  former  are  directed 
backwards,  and  the  latter  forwards ;  the  lip 
is  fleshy,  obovate,  with  the  sides  curved  back, 
like  the  flaps  of  a  saddle.  The  flowers  are 
drooping,  so  that  the  sepals  stand  upright  and 
the  petals  point  downwards.  Native  of  Cen- 
tral America.  Introduced  about  1847,  by 
Mrs.  Lawrence,  of  Ealing  Park.  Flowers  in 
April.  Culture. — Requires  a  stove ;  turfy 
peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  division.  In  winter 
it  should  be  kept  rather  dry. 

Wistaria  SINENSIS,  vo?\a/&rt (white Chinese 
Wistaria). — Leguminacege  §  Papilionaea3-Ga- 
lega3. — The  old  lilac-flowered  Wistaria  (or 
Glycine)  sinensis,  is  well  known.  Like  that 
plant,  the  present  variety  is  a  deciduous  shrub, 
with  long  trailing  woody  branches,  bearing 
pinnate  leaves,  with  rather  large  oval  leaflets, 
and  in  the  spring  producing  long  drooping 
bunches  of  the  pea-like  blossoms.  In  this 
variety,  however,  the  blossoms  are  quite  white. 
The  Chinese  are  said  to  have  many  varieties 
of  this  plant.  The  present  is  spoken  of  as  a 
much  less  attractive  plant  than  the  old  one  ; 
but  it  would  no  doubt  produce  a  pretty  effect 
when  in  blossom,  if  either  trained  with  or 
inarched  upon  the  common  sort.  Native  of 
China.  Introduced  about  1846  to  the  garden 
of  the  Horticultural  Society.  Flowers  in 
May.  Culture. — Hardy  ;  requires  a  strong 
rich  loamy  soil  ;  propagated  by  layers. 

Alloplectus  CAPiTATUS,  Hooker  (capi- 
tate AUoplectus). — Gesnerace^  §  Gesnerese. 
— A  beautiful  tall-growing,  robust,  soft- 
stemmed  plant,  but  little  inclined  to  branch, 
the  stems  fleshy,  and  bluntly  four-angled, 
clothed  in  the  upper  part  with  short,  dense, 
blood-coloured,  velvety  down.  These  bear 
large  spreading  or  somewhat  drooping  leaves, 
which  are  ovate  acute,  wdth  serrated  margins, 
clothed  all  over  with  velvety  down,  and  of  a 
rich  deep  green  colour  on  the  upper  surface, 
with  a  blood-coloured  midrib  ;  they  are  from 


ten  inches  to  a  foot  in  length.  The  flowers 
grow  in  a  large  dense  umbellate  head,  and 
are  very  showy  ;  the  calyx  is  large,  consisting 
of  five  broad  downy  cucuUate  sepals,  of  a  rich 
blood  colour ;  the  corolla,  comparatively  small, 
consisting  of  a  ventricose  tube,  terminating  in 
a  small  mouth  of  five  small  rounded  segments  ; 
its  colour  is  yellow,  forming,  as  it  were,  an 
eye  to  the  broad  expanded  calyx.  Native  of 
tropical  America.  Introduced  in  1848.  Flowers 
in  March  and  April.  It  is  the  Alloplectus 
speciosus  of  gardens,  but  not  of  Poeppig. 
Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  semi-epiphytal ; 
should  be  potted  in  loose  peat,  and  in  winter 
not  over-watered  ;  propagated  by  cuttings  of 
the  stems  and  leaves. 

CcELOGTNE  ASPERATA,  Linclley  (rough- 
lipped  Coelogyne). — Orchidace^  §  Epidendrege- 
Coelogynidas. — Much  the  finest  of  all  the  Coelo- 
gynes.  It  is  an  epiphytal  plant,  bearing 
pendulous  racemes  of  noble  blossoms,  in  spikes 
nearly  a  foot  long,  containing  each  from  twelve 
to  fourteen  flowers,  which  are  three  inches 
wide  when  spread  open ;  the  sepals  are  lan- 
ceolate, keeled  ;  the  petals  narrower,  and 
without  a  keel  ;  these  parts  are  of  a  pale 
cream  colour  ;  the  lip  is  cucullate,  with  erect 
ovate  lateral  lobes,  and  an  intermediate  oblong 
cri.sped  one,  the  disc  being  broken  in  a  rugged 
verrucose  manner;  this  organ  is  richly  marked 
with  brownish-yellow  veins,  springing  from 
the  rugged  bright  orange  central  ridge.  The 
beauty  of  these  fine  blossoms  is  heightened  by 
the  presence,  at  the  base  of  each,  of  a  brown 
concave  dry  bract,  which  by  contrast  produces 
this  effect.  Native  of  Borneo.  Introduced  in 
1848.  Flowers  in  May.  Culture. — Requires 
a  hot  moist  stove  ;  turfy  peat  soil ;  propagated 
by  division  of  the  plant. 

Epidendrum  fragrans,  var.  megalanthum 
(large  sweet-flowered  Epidendrum). — Orchi- 
dacea3  §  Epidendrege-L^liadse. — A  very  de- 
sirable epiphyte,  belonging  to  a  species  which 
is  not  very  attractive  in  appearance,  but  pos- 
sesses a  delicious  fragrance.  The  present 
variety  is  one  producing  very  large  blossoms  ; 
they  are  fully  four  inches  in  diameter,  the 
colour  a  pale  greenish  white,  the  lip  vividly 
marked  by  clean  stripes  of  very  rich  crimson. 
Native  of  Guatemala.  Introduced  by  G.  U. 
Skinner,  Esq.  in  1848.  Flowers  in  May. 
Culture. — Requires  a  cool  part  of  the  orchid 
house  ;  turfy  peat  soil  j  propagated  by  divi- 
sion of  the  plant. 

Amherstia  nobilis,  Wallich  (splendid 
Amherstia). — Leguminacege  §  Ceesalpinie^- 
Amherstiese. — One  of  the  most  splendid  of 
tropical  trees.  It  has  large  pinnate  leaves, 
with  from  six  to  eight  pairs  of  elliptic  leaflets, 
and  bears  its  flowers  in  magnificent  axillary 
racemes,  each  blossom  hanging  on  a  long 
pendulous    crimson   stalk.     There   is   first  a 


NEW    FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


365 


pair  of  lanceolate  acute  opposite  bracts;  then  the 
peduncle  is  continued  onwards,  in  the  form  ot 
a  calyx  tube,  dividing  into  four  linear-lan- 
ceolate obtuse  sepals  ;  then  come  five  petals, 
of  unequal  form,  the  two  inferior  ones  being 
minute,  the  two  lateral  ones  wedge-shaped  and 
spreading,  deeply  tipped  with  yellow,  and  the 
larger  obcordate  and  clawed,  the  claw  being 
white  ;  the  rest  of  the  flower  is  vermilion 
coloured,  the  upper  larger  petal  being  spotted, 
and  marked  with  a  yellow  blotch.  The  stamens 
are  very  long,  curved,  and  diadelphous.  This 
magnificent  plant  has  been  flowered  for  the 
first  time  in  England  by  Mrs.  Lawrence,  of 
Ealing  Park,  though  it  vvas  first  introduced 
in  a  living  state  some  years  previously  by 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire.  Native  of  the  East 
Indies,  "  around  the  hill  at  Kogun  on  the 
Saluen  river,  in  the  province  of  Martaban." 
Introduced  in  1837.  Flowers  in  April.  The 
Birman  name  is  Toha.  Of  Mrs.  Lawrence's 
flowers,  "  the  first  raceme  was  fitly  sent  to 
her  most  gracious  Majesty  Queen  Victoria." 
Culture. — Requires  a  strong  moist  heat ;  good 
loam  and  peat,  Avith  bottom  heat  ;  propagated 
by  cuttings  planted  under  a  bell-glass,  in  sand, 
and  placed  in  bottom  heat. 

Opheys  mammosa,  De.sfontaines  (teated 
Ophrys). — Orchidaceae  §  OphrejE-Serapiad^. 
A  curious  tuberous-rooted  herbaceous  plant, 
growing  with  a  short  upright  stem,  furnished 
on  the  lower  part  with  a  few  narrow  leaves, 
and  at  the  upper  part  continued  into  a  flower- 
ing raceme.  The  flowers  in  this  genus  have 
a  singular  resemblance  to  some  insect,  but  in 
this  case  it  is  less  striking  than  in  many 
others  ;  the  sepals  are  ovate  and  green  co- 
loured ;  the  petals  are  lance-shaped,  and  have 
a  rosy  tinge  ;  the  lip,  which  is  the  part  which 
assumes  the  insect  form,  is  of  a  deep  choco- 
late-brown colour,  with  a  pair  of  parallel 
bluish  lines  passing  down  the  middle,  having 
a  downy  surface,  and  two  prominent  mammas- 
like  spaces  on  the  side  of  its  lip.  Native  of 
Asia  Minor.  Introduced  about  1846.  Flowei's 
in  June  and  July.  Culture. — Requires  slight 
protection  ;  loamy  soil;  propagated  very  rarely 
by  seeds. 

P.a:oNiA  MouTAN,  va?'.  atrosanguinea  (dark 
blood-coloured  Tree  Peeony). — Ranunculaceae 
§  Helleborese. — One  of  the  varieties  of  the 
Tree  P^eony,  and  a  very  handsome  one,  the 
darkest  of  all  the  varieties  yet  in  cultivation. 
The  foliage  is  compound,  the  segments 
narrow  and  pointed.  The  flowers  are  a  good 
double,  the  outer  petals  large,  and  mostly 
entire,  the  inner  ones  smaller  and  lobed  ;  the 
colour  is  a  dark  crimson.  Native  of  China. 
Introduced  in  1846  to  the  garden  of  the  Hor- 
ticultural Society.  Flowers  in  May.  Cul- 
ture.— Hardy ;  good  loam  and  peat  soil  ;  pro- 
pagated by  layering. 


PiEOjsriA  MoUTAN,  var.  versicolor  (parti- 
coloured Tree  Pfeony). — Ranunculacea3§  Hel- 
leboreaj. — A  showy,  distinct,  and  handsome 
variety  of  Tree  Preony.  The  foliage  is  com- 
pound, with  narrow  pointed  divisions.  The 
flowers  are  large,  semi-double,  or  probably, 
when  perfect,  fully  double  ;  the  petals  broad 
and  large,  irregularly  arranged,  and  cut  at  the 
edges  ;  at  the  base  of  a  deep  purple  colour, 
fading  to  a  rosy  lilac  near  the  outsides. 
Native  of  China.  Introduced  in  1846  to  the 
garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society.  Flowers 
in  May.  Culture. — Hardy  ;  good  loam  and 
peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  layering. 

Epimedium  pinnatum,  Fischer,  (pinnate- 
leaved  Epimedium). — Berberidacese  §  Nandi- 
neaj. — A  beautiful  little  perennial  herbaceous 
plant,  growing  with  a  short  rhizome,  partially- 
produced  underground,  from  which  the  leaves 
and  flower-scapes  arise.  The  leaves,  which 
are  not  fully  formed  until  the  flowers  are  de- 
cayed, are  sometimes  ternate,  that  is,  having 
three  leaflets,  or  more  generally  pinnate,  or 
having  five  leaflets  ;  these  leaflets  are  ovate- 
cordate,  ciliate-seri'ate  on  the  margins.  The 
flower-scapes  grow  up  from  the  rhizome 
amongst  the  leaves,  and  reach  from  six  to 
eight  inches  in  height,  bearing  a  raceme  of 
rather  numerous  distant  flowers  ;  the  flowers 
consist  of  four  roundish  veined  yellow  petals, 
within  which  are  four  yellow  cucullate  nec- 
taries, toothed  on  the  edge,  and  terminating 
behind  in  a  blunt  orange-coloured  spur. 
Native  of  Persia  and  the  region  of  the  Cau- 
casus. Introduced  in  1846.  Flowers  in 
March.  Apparently  the  same  species  as  the 
E.  colchicuin  of  the  gardens.  Culture. — ■ 
Hardy,  or  proper  for  cultivating  in  pots  with 
other  Alpine  plants;  light  loam  and  peat,  well 
drained  ;  propagated  by  division  of  the  root. 
Ophrys  vespifeea,  Willde?iow  (wasp 
Ophrys,  or  Orchis). — Orchidaceae  §  Ophress- 
Serapiadae. — A  very  rare  and  singular  tuber- 
ous-rooted herbaceous  plant,  growing  with  a 
short  erect  stem,  furnished  about  the  lower 
part  with  narrow  leaves,  and  continued  at  the 
upper  part  into  a  flowering  raceme.  The 
flowers  of  this  species  have  a  yellow  lip,  per- 
fectly free  from  hairiness,  but  marked  with 
brown  streaks  and  spots,  so  as  to  resemble  the 
body  of  the  insect  after  which  it  is  named, 
especially  when  the  sepals  and  petals  are 
curved  down  upon  its  base,  as  is  the  case  in 
its  natural  state  ;  the  form  of  the  lip  varies  a 
little,  being  sometimes  round,  and  sometimes 
obovate  ;  but  the  central  lobe  is  always  mar- 
ginate.  Native  of  Barbary,  and  also  of  the 
south  of  Europe.  Introduced  about  1846. 
Flowers  in  June  and  July.  Culture. — Re- 
quires slight  protection;  loamy  soil;  propa- 
gated rarely  by  seeds. 

Cyrtochilum  ciTRiNUM,  Hooker  (lemon 


366 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN AUGUST. 


coloured  Cyrtochilum). — Orchidacese  §  Van- 
de£e-Brassid£e.  —  A  pretty  epiphytal  plant, 
having  short,  clustered,  compressed  pseudo- 
bulbs,  terminated  by  a  pair  of  linear-oblong 
leaves,  four  or  five  inches  in  length,  and  of  a 
somewhat  leathery  texture.  The  flowers  grow 
in  an  erect  loose  raceme,  the  scape  being  a  foot 
or  more  in  length,  and  issuing  from  the  base 
of  the  pseudo-bulbs  ;  the   sepals  are   ovate- 


lanceolate  ;  the  petals  ovate,  and  rather  shorfer 
than  the  sepals  ;  the  lip  large,  roundish  fiddle- 
shaped,  narrowing  at  the  base,  where  there  are 
two  elevated  ridgc^s  ;  the  whole  blossom  is  a 
clear  pale  lemon-yellow.  Native  of  Central 
America.  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in 
April.  Culture. — Requires  a  cool  stove  ; 
turfy  peat  soil,  or  suspended  on  a  block  or  in 
a  basket ;  propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

Br    A    TUTOR   AND    HIS    PUPIL,    IN    THK    MONTH    OP    AUGUST. 


The  gayest  portion  of  the  garden  now  is 
that  occupied  by  the  dahlias.  The  flowers 
begin  to  fill  out  well,  and  their  varied  colours 
are  striking  and  effective  ;  but  although  we 
fiincy  at  first  sight  there  is  almost  every  shade 
and  colour,  there  is  not  even  an  approach  to 
blue  ;  and  as  people  always  want  what  they 
cannot  have,  they  cry  out  for  a  blue  dahlia. 
However,  most  tribes  of  flowers  are  deficient 
in  some  leading  colour.  We  have  no  yellow 
larkspurs  ;  no  blue  roses ;  no  blue  nor  yellow 
geraniums.  Many  persons  go  so  far  as  to 
say  there  cannot  be  found  in  any  one  tribe  or 
family  of  flowers  the  three  primitive  colours, 
red,  blue,  and  yellow;  there  are  no  scarlet  or 
red  heartsease.  Still,  there  are  genera  that 
possess  very  close  approaches  to  all.  The 
tropseolum  has  scarlet  and  yellow  in  profusion, 
and  a  dull  blue  in  T.  azuj'eum.  The  hyacinth 
lias  reds  and  blues,  and  an  approach  to  yellow. 
The  auricula  has  red,  blue,  and  yellow,  but 
still  imperfect.  We  have  no  tribe  of  flowers 
that  possesses  the  blue  of  the  convolvulus 
minor,  or  salvia  patens,  with  the  scarlet  of 
the  geranium  and  the  yellow  of  the  crocus. 
Observe,  that  these  blooms  on  the  dahlias 
intended  for  exhibition  are  carefully  shaded. 
A  flat  board  supported  by  legs  has  a  slit  in 
the  centre,  through  which  the  stem  is  directed 
to  the  middle  of  the  board,  where  it  is  fixed 
with  its  bud  upwards,  and  covered  with  a 
flower-pot.  The  effect  of  this  is  to  bring  the 
flowers  larger,  to  change  the  colour  several 
shades,  and  to  render  the  blooms  much  more 
tender  and  liable  to  damage  by  travelling. 
Some  of  the  plants  are  thinned  out,  that  is, 
branches  are  cut  away,  often  to  the  prejudice 
of  the  bloom,  though  it  is  supposed  that  it 
throws  more  strength  into  the  remaining 
branches.  If,  however,  it  is  not  done  speedily 
it  has  a  contravj^  effect.  The  dahlia  takes  as 
much  nourishment  through  its  branches  as  at 
its  roots;  for  let  them  be  every  way  suff'ei'ijig 
for  want  of  water,  and  a  shower  of  rain  that 
will  not  reach  their  roots  will  freshen  them 
up.  As  a  proof  that  cutting  may  be  carried  to 


extremes,  you  may  trim  them  up  till  you  can- 
not get  a  full  grown  flower  at  all  ;  they  want 
their  leaves,  and  when  they  ai'e  lost  the  plant 
feels  the  loss  as  much  as  it  would  the  loss  of 
its  fibres.  You  see  the  gardener  continues  to 
propagate  pansies  by  taking  the  young  side- 
shoots  ;  he  is  also  planting  out  seedlings  ; 
these  will  make  good  Autumn  blooms.  The 
pinks  are  also  occupying  attention  ;  the  side- 
shoots  or  pipings  are  all  struck,  and  must 
be  planted  out  soon.  The  sweet-williams, 
Cantei'bury  bells,  wall- flowers,  perennial 
lupines  and  other  seedling  perennials  and 
biennials,  want  planting  out  too.  The  car- 
nations, although  not  out  of  bloom,  are  all 
layered  and  doing  well  ;  the  flowers  are  very 
noble.  They  have  been  dressed  just  the  same 
as  I  was  explaining  to  you  about  the  pinks. 
As  soon  as  they  have  quite  done  floAvering,  they 
will  be  removed  to  the  open  air,  and  all  the 
soil  in  this  tulip  bed  will  be  thrown  out  on 
each  side  to  sweeten  before  it  is  again  used  ; 
so  also  will  the  soil  of  the  hyacinth  bed,  and 
some  of  the  beds  that  are  uncovered,  but  that 
will  be  used  for  tulips.  The  ranunculuses 
have  all  been  taken  up,  for  it  is  wrong  to 
keep  them  in  the  ground  after  their  leaves 
turn  yellow.  The  auriculas,  if  you  notice, 
are  now  being  repotted  iu  pots  a  size 
larger.  The  soil  in  which  they  are  growing 
is  only  plain  loam  taken  from  the  heap  of 
rotted  turves  ;  there  is  plenty  of  vegetable 
mould,  or  decayed  vegetable  matter,  in  that 
loam  to  do  without  dung  ;  but  if  the  loam 
were  less  rich  of  that  commodity,  some  vege- 
table mould  or  decayed  cow-dung  must  have 
been  added ;  these  plants,  after  repotting,  have 
to  be  shut  up  a  day,  and  aftei'wards  shaded 
some  time,  because  when  they  are  repotted, 
the  roots  are  examined  and  trimmed  a  little 
if  there  is  the  least  sign  of  decay  or  canker. 

The  man  yonder  is  untying  the  bass  mat- 
ting from  the  roses  that  have  been  budded, 
and  cutting  the  growing  part  of  the  stock  away 
that  it  may  not  waste  the  strength  that  should 
be  given  to  the  bud.     He  continues  to  cut 


IXORA    COCCINEA. 


36Y 


the  China  sorts,  but  the  stocks  are  of  the  i 
Boursalt  rose,  as  rapid  a  grower  as  the  wild 
brier,  and  better  adapted  to  the  Cliina  sort  for 
budding,  as  the  bark  runs  as  free  now  as  tlie 
others  did  last  month.  Another  man  is 
making  cuttings  of  all  the  verbenas,  dwarf 
geraniums,  and  any  other  plants  in  the 
clumps  and  beds  ;  but  this  would  do  quite  as 
well  next  month  for  all  ordinary  kinds.  I 
see  he  is  only  taking  them  from  a  few  favour- 
ites ;  he  wants  more  than  he  does  from  any 
of  the  common  ones. 

The  houses  look  naked  now,  except  the 
conservatory.  The  greenhouse  is  fairly 
emptied,  and  the  pots  are  in  different  pai'ts 
of  the  ground  in  the  open  air.  The  stove  is 
not  so  empty,  but  some  of  its  best  plants  are 
removed  to  the  conservatory.  Those  beautiful 
funnel-shaped  flowers,  hanging  down  from 
the  plant  with  broad  leaves,  are  yielding  the 
powerful  perfume  that  we  experience.  The 
plant  is  the  Datura  arborea  sometimes 
no\Y  ci)X\edi  Briigmansia  suaveolens ;  and  those 
by  the  side  with  flowers  more  tubular  and 
contracted  are  of  the  same  family,  Brug- 
mansia  bicolor  ov  sangiiinea,  and  Brugmansia 
luiea,  the  one  is  orange  and  red,  the  other 
perfectly  yellow.  There  are  finer  plants  of 
the  same  kind  in  the  conservatory.  In  these 
pots  we  have  balsams  and  cockscombs  coming 
rapidly  to  perfection ;  they  are  kept  warm  and 
close  to  the  glass.  The  borders  are  looking 
very  gay. 

Let  us  now  look  in  upon  the  kitchen-garden, 
not  that  it  is  very  interesting,  but  there  is 
always  something   going  on.       You   see   the 
man  pulling  up  the  roots  of  parsley  ;  well,  he 
is  pulling  out   all  the  plants  that  have  plain 
leaves,  and  leaving  none  but  those  with  ex- 
ceedingly  crumpled    foliage  ;    that  is    called 
"  rogueing,"  or  taking  out  the  bad  ones.    They 
have  been  breaking  down  all  the  green  tops 
of  this  bed  of  onions  ;    they  fancy  it  makes 
the  bulbs  thicker.     It  is  a  foolislr  mistake ; 
all  it  does  is  this :  it  makes  the  foliage  decay 
sooner;   and   as   onions  are  said   to  be  ripe 
when  the  foliage  decays,  they  argue  that  it 
ripens  them  sooner  ;    this  is  another  mistake. 
The  onion  is  no  forwarder  than  it  would  have 
been   with    the   foliage   on.     It  is    a  wrong 
notion  altogether.      Onions  untouched  in  that 
particular  ripen  better  and  keep  better  -than 
if  their   necks    are  bruised.     Here  they   are 
earthing   up  celery,  that  is,  banking   up  the 
soil  against  the  stems  to  whiten  them.     There 
the  man  is  taking  off  the  tops  of  all  the  broad 
beans,  that   is  to  throw  the  strength   of  the 
plant   into   bearing  ;   the  tops   would  other- 
wise continue  growing.     In  yonder  quarter 
they  are  sowing  more  turnips,   salads,    cab- 
bage, &c.:  and  there  they  are  planting  out 
winter  greens.    The  hoeing  between  all  kinds 


of  crops  is  to  loosen  the  surface  and  kill  the 
weeds,  both  of  which  are  of  the  utmost  im- 
portance   to   growing    crops.      That   row   of 
leeks  ought  also  to  be  earthed  up,  and  when 
the  man  reaches  them  in  his  hoeing,  he  will, 
doubtless,  see  to  it.     The  cucumbers  on  the 
ridges  out-of-doors  look   well.     Observe,  all 
the   useless    shoots    are   taken    ofl",     all    the 
branches   are  spread  over  the  surface  neatly, 
and  the  fruit  is  coming  in  considerable  quan- 
tities at  all  the  joints.     Those  flowers  which 
have  no  fruit  at  their  base  are  the  male  blos- 
soms, those   with    the    fruit  are   the  female. 
There  is  abundance  of  vegetables  of  all  kinds, 
but    all   those   very  small  plants   huddled   so 
close  together,  are  in  the  bed  they  were  sown 
in,   and   have  not  been   at  all  thinned;  they 
consist    of    brocoli,    cabbage,     savoys,    kale, 
Brussels   sprouts,   cauliflowers  and   pickling- 
cabbages  ;    further  on,    there    are   the   same 
kinds  taken  from  these  very  beds,  and  planted 
six  inches  apart  to  grow  a  little  strong  before 
they   are  put   out   for    their  winter  growth. 
As  the  peas  and  beans  come  oiF  the  gi'ound, 
after  yielding  their  crops,  the   strong  plants 
taken   from    these    will   be   planted  in  their 
places,   and  these  small  ones  will  be  pricked 
out  to  get  stronger.     These  beds,   therefore, 
will  supply  the  crops  for  all  the  bits  of  ground 
as  they  become  vacant.     The  carrots  here  are 
a   good    size,    and  are    drawn    as    they    are 
wanted,   leaving  the  early   sorts  last ;    those 
intended  for  storing  are  in  the  further  bed, 
a  larger  kind  and  not  so  forward.     The  fruit- 
garden  looks  veiy  promising,   the  Avall-fruits 
ripening  one  after  the  other,  and  the  standards 
ready  to  follow.     The  strawberries  are  now 
being  cleared  of  their  runners,  and  the  bed 
dug  between  the  rows.      It  is  a  curious  whim 
of  the  gardener,   but  he  always  digs  in  the 
waste  of  the  beds,  upon  the  principle  that  the 
best  manure  for   any  plant  is    the   decaying 
remains    of  such  plants.     Hence,    a    sort  of 
self-manuring  system  is  preserved.     I  know 
that  in  some  vine  countries  all  the  cuttings  of 
the  vines  are  dug  in  to  decay,  and  there  is  no 
doubt,  but  that    if  the  fruit    as  well  as  the 
plant  were  dug  in,  the  earth  would  get  richer 
instead  of  poorer  every  year  ;  but  inasmuch 
as   the  fruit  destroys  a  plant  most,  and  too 
large    a   quantity  would    almost   kill   it,   the 
absence  of  that  fruit,  which  is  not  returned  to 
the  ground,  must  be  felt ; — but  we  may  talk  of 
these  things  at  home. 


IXORA   COCCINEA. 


There  is  not  a  stove  plant  that  better  de- 
serves universal  cultivation  than  this  floral 
gem  ;  nor  is  there  one  which  more  readily 
yields  to  the  real  skill  of  the  gardener.     Like 


368 


IXORA    COCCINEA. 


most  of  our  stove  plants,  it  is  no  sooner  out 
of  health  than  it  is  attacked  by  the  mealy 
bug;  and  whatever  check  it  may  meet  with, 
soon  impairs  its  health.  It  does  not  require 
rich  earth,  but  it  does  a  sound  compost,  one- 
half  rotted  turf,  (which  is  of  itself  strongly 
impregnated  with  vegetable  mould,)  and  one- 
half  peat-earth  such  as  we  should  use  for 
heaths,  will  make  an  excellent  compost ;  and 
although — if  rapidity  of  growth  be  an  object — 
they  would  be  greatly  excited  by  the  addition 
of  cow-dung,  we  do  not  recommend  it  for  the 
stock,  nor  do  we  agree  with  those  who  want 
strongly  excited  growth.  The  Ixoras  are 
propagated  by  cuttings,  which  should  be  the 
small  side-shoots,  and  they  should  be  struck 
in  the  common  hot-bed,  with  much  about  the 
same  heat  as  we  should  use  for  a  cucumber. 
Let  the  pots  be  prepared  for  the  cuttings  by 
being  filled  to  within  half-an-inch  of  the  top, 
and  that  half-inch  must  be  sand  ;  when  this 
is  all  well  saturated  with  water,  it  is  fit  to 
receive  the  cuttings.  The  cuttings  should  be 
selected  from  the  shoots  which  have  pretty 
well  made  their  growth,  but  are  not  too  long, 
as  it  requires  that  there  should  have  been 
some  rest  previous  to  cutting  them  off  their 
mother  plant.  Cut  up  to  a  joint,  and  take 
off  the  leaves  carefully  for  half-an-inch  up, 
and  they  are  to  be  struck  in  the  wet  sand,  so 
that  the  bottom  of  the  cutting  just  touches  the 
soil  but  not  enters  it.  Then  place  it  in  a  hot- 
bed, with  a  hand  or  bell-glass  over  the  cut- 
tings. This  glass  must  be  wiped  dry  every 
morning,  and  the  pot  of  cuttings  should  be 
plunged  to  give  a  good  bottom  heat.  The 
cuttings  will  soon  strike,  when  they  must  be 
potted  off,  one  in  a  pot,  size  sixties,  or  two 
and  a  half  to  three  inches  across.  These 
should  be  returned  to  the  close  frame  till  they 
are  established,  when  they  may  be  removed 
to  the  stove.  If  they  are  at  all  inclined  to 
run  up  tall,  instead  of  branching  out  well  all 
round,  let  the  top  be  pinched  out,  but  the 
greatest  care' should  be  taken  with  the  stove 
to  keep  up  a  regular  heat,  not  less  than  65°, 
but  varying  up  to  80°,  would  be  effective. 
If  there  be  the  slightest  appearance  of  bug, 
it  must  be  removed  by  a  soft  brush,  and  soap 
and  water,  not  too  warm  nor  too  strong,  and 
afterwards  rinsed  with  plain  water.  As  soon 
as  the  pots  are  filled  with  roots,  let  the  plants 
be  shifted  into  pots  a  size  or  two  larger  than 
those  they  have  already  fitted  ;  continue  them 
in  the  hot-bed,  but  constantly  check  any  of  the 
shoots  that  grow  too  fast,  or  too  vigorous, 
because  the  form  of  a  plant  is  soon  spoiled  if 
any  portion  of  the  plant  runs  away.  When 
they  have  fully  established  themselves,  they 
may  be  removed  to  the  stove,  where  they  will 
be  liable  to  attacks  of  the  mealy-bug,  even  if 
they   had   not   been   affected   before,   which, 


indeed,  is  likely  enough,  considering  that  the 
heat   from    a   dung-bed   is    unftivourable     to 
animal  growth  in  general,  and  will  kill  almost 
any  description  of  insect;  for  this  reason  it  is 
that  pines  to  be  cured  of  the  scale,  and  plants 
to  be  cured  of  the  mealy-bug,  are  frequently 
submitted  to  dung  heat  to  dear  them  of  the 
scale  and  other  insects  that  infest  them.     In 
the  stove,  therefore,  they  will  be  doubly  liable 
to  attack  to  what  they  were  in  the  hot-bed, 
and  the  precautions  must  be  washing  with 
soap  and  water  or  tobacco  water,  and  syringing 
with  clear  water  frequently.     We  may  now 
begin   to  regulate  the  number  of  shoots  that 
we  intend  to  compose  the  plant.     It  is  as  bad 
to  be  too  crowded  as  too  open  ;  therefore,  if  in 
addition  to  the  shoots  that  you  have  excited 
by     stopping    the    early    branches    you    find 
some  shoot  up  from  the  bottom,  remove  the 
weakly  ones,  and  leave  none  but  the  strong 
and  best  disposed  as  to  form,  to  grow  onward. 
Shifting  from  time  to  time  as  the  pots  fill 
with  roots  comes  almost  as  a  matter  of  course 
with  all  specimen   plants,  and,  as  a  general 
rule,    all   great    changes  pf  temperature    are 
much  more  effective  in  the  stove  than  in  any 
other  habitat  for  plants.      If  the  stove  which 
is  kept  up   to  a  moist  heat  of  65°,   to  85°, 
were    suddenly  left    at    a    dry   heat    of  60° 
for    a    few  days,    every  plant    would    suffer 
greatly   in    general    health,    and    red-spider, 
mealy-bug,  thrip,  aphis,  scale,  or  some  other 
equally  destructive  thing,  or  perhaps    all  of 
them,  would   appear  among  all  the  plants  in 
the  place.     When  the  plants  are  wanted  very 
rapidly  grown,  they  are  sunk  into  the  tan- 
bed  ;  but  it  is  not  desirable  to  grow  them  too 
quickly.     It   is  only  those  who  value  plants 
by  their    size,    and  who  perhaps    sell    them 
according    to    size,    who  take   an    interest  in 
getting  them  a  tolerable  size  for  the  first  sale. 
Specimen  growers  ought  not  to  grow  for  size, 
but  for  beauty.     If  you  desire  to  have  nu- 
merous small  heads  of  the  bloom,  the  ends  of 
all  the  shoots  may  be  kept  stopped  until  you 
have  any  number  of  side-shoots  you  require, 
every  one  when  perfected  being  terminated 
with  a  little  truss  of  bloom  ;  while,  when  not 
so   stopped,   but  allowed  to   grow  for  large 
heads,  they  will  yield  from  eight  to  ten  heads 
as  large  as  small  cauliflowers,  or  large  brocoli. 
As  the  blooming    always  delays,    and   for   a 
time  stops  the  growth  of  a  plant,  it  is  the 
better  way  to  pick  off  all  the  blooming  buds 
as  soon  as  you  can  get  hold  of  them  ;  but  if 
you  are  not  in  a  hurry  to  get  the  plant  large, 
let  the  bloom  perfect  itself     It  is  plenty  of 
time  to  take  it  off  when  it  begins  to  decay; 
but   it   is   so  much   the    fashion  to    get  the 
plants  for  exhibition  as  large  as  possible,  that 
many  are  completely  spoiled  by  the  hurried 
growth  :  that  is,  spoiled  for  those  who  look 


SEEDLING    ROSES. 


369 


critically  at  tlie  form  of  a  plant,  the  leaves 
getting  too  far  from  each  other  during  rapid 
growth  exposes  bare  stems.  "When  the  blooms 
appear  that  you  mean  to  let  grow,  let  the 
plant  have  abundance  of  water,  because  the 
bloom  is  heavy  and  absorbs  a  good  deal  of 
moisture.  When  the  plant  has  done  flowering 
it  should  be  judiciously  pruned,  all  the  parts 
with  crumpled  or  injured  leaves  should  be 
removed  if  it  can  be  done  without  destroying 
the  plant,  even  if  the  plant  be  cut  back  to  a 
skeleton,  and  the  stems  must  be  well  washed 
with  soap  and  water,  and  so  left  that  the 
young  wood  will  make  a  good  handsome 
plant  again  ;  but  if  there  be  any  indication 
of  bad  health,  or  the  plant  is  attacked  with 
vermin  so  as  to  spoil  it  as  a  specimen,  con- 
demn it  at  once  and  get  new  plants.  But 
those  who  profess  to  grow  this  plant  should 
have  a  regular  succession.  It  is  no  use 
attempting  to  make  one  or  two  plants  do ; 
there  must  be  half-a-score  got  up  every  year, 
and  they  must  be  taken  the  greatest  pains 
with,  for  there  is  not  a  more  effective  stove- 
plant  in  a  show,  nor  one  so  susceptible  of 
injury  from  check  or  from  attacks  of  the 
mealy  bug.  Bear  in  mind  that  plain  warm 
water  syringing  is  effective,  soapy  water  more 
so  ;  tobacco  water  ditto ;  but  wherever  the 
bug  has  intrenched  itself  in  the  corners,  it 
may  want  a  long-hair  brush  to  dislodge  it. 


SEEDLING    ROSES. 

We  are  always  ready  to  learn  what  we  do 
not  know,  and  to  teach  what  we  do  know  ;  and 
although  all  we  have  said  of  rearing  roses 
from  seed  has  been  justified  by  our  practice, 
we  are  ready  to  admit  we  have  not  practised 
everything.  A  friend  of  ours  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood of  Birmingham  has  succeeded  in 
raising  seedlings,  and  though  of  little,  or 
perhaps  no  value,  they  have  bloomed  in  less 
time  than  used  to  be  thought  necessary  to  get 
^"^-them  above  ground.  We  know  very  well 
that  it  was  a  general  practice  to  bury  the 
seed-pods  for  a  year,  and  that  much  the  same 
practice  is  extended  to  the  berries  of  some 
other  trees  and  shrubs.  Our  Birmingham 
friend  has  described  his  practice  to  us,  and 
we  felt  half  inclined  to  restate  the  facts  to 
our  readers,  but  we  preferred  to  have  a  few 
words  in  writing,  that  he  may  tell  his  own 
tale  in  his  own  way.  All  that  we  have  to 
say  of  him,  as  he  will  not  let  us  use  his  name, 
is,  that  he  is  an  enthusiast  in  the  fancy,  not 
confining  his  operations  to  roses,  but  culti- 
vating stove,  greenhouse,  and  orchideous 
plants  of  all  kinds,  as  well  as  florists'  flowers. 
He  gives  us  the  following  account  of  his 
doings  in  the  rose  way  : — 
50. 


"  For  many  years  it  was  supposed  that  the 
seeds  of  roses  required  two  years  before  their 
appearance  above  the  surface  of  the  earth  ; 
the   length    of    time    prevented   many   from 
attempting  to  raise  them  ;  whether  this  doc- 
trine  was   promulgated    by  the   nurseryman 
for   this  specific    purpose,  or   it   arose   from 
ignorance,  is  doubtful,  and  it  is  not  my  pur- 
pose or  wish  to  extricate  it  from  the  mystery 
which  so  long  has  shrouded  it.  It  is  a  now  well- 
known  fact,  that  seeds  of  the  rose,  even  sown 
in  drills  in  the  open  air,  in  the  latter  end  of 
February,    will   not   only    appear  above   the 
earth,  but  that  many  of  them  will  bloom  as 
early  as  July.   In  my  short  experience  I  have 
always  considered  the  best  time  to  sow  seed, 
is  when  taken  from  the  plant  perfectly  ripened 
by  nature,   with  all  its  energies  and  vitality 
strong  within  it.      Acting  on  this  idea,  I  this 
season  gathered  my  rose  seeds  in  November  ; 
I   made   up   a   small   bed   of  loose  soil,   six 
inches  deep,  on  the  tan  of  my  propagating- 
house,  and  sowed  them.     In  February  they 
began  to  appear,  and  now  on  this  day.  May 
16,  there  are  at  least  loO  out  of  200  heads, 
an  inch  high  ;  the  greatest  part  of  them,  if 
carefully  attended  to,   will  bloom  this  year. 
I  should  not  have  broached  this  subject,  but 
that   I   know  how   generally  this   flower   is 
admired,  and  justly  so,  not  only  for  its  fra- 
grance, its  form,  or  variety  of  colour,  but  from 
the  fact  that,  as  the  difficulty  of  raising  seed- 
lings  vanishes,  we  may  hope,    by  judicious 
hj'bridizing,    to    have   this   lovely   flower   in 
bloom  the  whole  of  the  year,     tiaving  said 
thus  much,  perhaps  the   mode   of  collecting 
the  seed,  storing,  &c.  &c.  will  not  be  unac- 
ceptable to  your  general  readers  ;  after  having 
carefully   hybridized  the  flower,  from  which 
I   hope   to    save  the    seed,   it  is,  of   course, 
allowed   to  get  thoroughly  ripe,  before  it   is 
gathered  ;  this,  of  course,  depends,  as  to  the 
time  of  ripening,  upon  the  class  to  which  it 
belongs  ;  when  gathered,  the  outward  fleshy 
part  is  taken  away,  and  the  seeds  carefully 
stored  in  very  dry  silver    sand,   and    placed 
upon   the    shelf    of  a   greenhouse,    or  other 
place,  where  no  damp  or  drip  can  affect  them. 
At   present,  as  I  have  before   stated,  I  shall 
adhere  to  the  autumn  sowing,  although   this 
argument  is  liable  to  one  objection,  the  diffi- 
culty of  carrying  seedlings   safe  through  the 
dark,  damp  months  of  winter;  still,  in  face  of 
this  difficulty,  and  till  my  further  experiments 
prove  my  position  wrong,  I  shall  continue  the 
autumn  sowing  of  all  seeds,  of  course,  with 
proper  protection." 

There  can  be  no  doubt  as  to  the  propriety  of 
sowing  seed  at  the  period  that  nature  would 
sow  them,  but  it  is  quite  certain,  also,  that 
except  the  plant  be  very  hardy,  the  plants  or 
the  seeds  will  perish  in  a  bad  winter,  unless 

BB 


370 


RHODANTHE    MANGLESII. 


under  protection,  from  excess  of  frost  and 
wet.  When,  as  in  this  case,  the  plants  are  in 
the  propagating-house  until  they  are  large 
enough  and  strong  enough  to  bear  the  open 
air,  there  is  a  great  saving  of  time.  With 
regard  to  the  plants  sown  in  February  bloom- 
ing in  July,  much  must  depend  on  the  sort. 
The  summer  roses  we  have  invariably  found 
to  go  over  the  winter,  that  is,  go  over  a  whole 
year  without  blooming,  and  some  even  over 
the  second  season  ;  but  the  China  rose  does 
not  leave  off  growing  if  kept  in  a  proper 
temperature,  and  therefore  they  are  very 
likely  to  bloom  early.  Besides,  they  bloom 
while  small,  and  are  altogether  different  in 
their  nature  to  the  orclinary  summer-rose. 
With  us,  the  seedlings  of  the  summer-rose 
made  their  growth,  and  shed  their  leaves,  and 
the  only  way  in  which  we  got  them  to  bloom 
in  the  second  year  was  by  budding  them  on 
strong  brier  stocks.  However,  we  do  hope 
that  there  will  be  a  more  general  practice  of 
raising  seedling  roses.  There  is  abundance 
of  room  to  improve  our  sorts  by  the  addition 
of  the  one  grand  feature  of  constant  blooming ; 
for  this  purpose,  we  recommend  seeding  only 
from  the  Bourbon  and  China  sorts,  that  con- 
stantly bloom  and  keep  the  garden  perpetually 
brilliant. 


RHODANTHE    MANGLESII. 

Of  all  the  delicate  plants  that  we  can  find 
in  English  gardens,  perhaps  there  is  nothing 
equal  to  this  extremely  delicate  subject. 
When  exceedingly  well  grown  it  is  more  like 
an  artificial  than  a  real  flower,  and  the 
texture  of  the  bloom,  and  its  lasting  horny 
nature,  rather  favours  the  notion.  Those  who 
are  acquainted  with  the  Xeranthemum  and 
other  "everlasting  flowers,"  will  understand 
the  peculiarity  which  may  be  found  in  the 
Rhodanthe  Manglesii,  for  the  flower  is  the 
Xeranthemum  in  miniature  in  a  plant  as 
delicate  and  light  as  can  well  be  imagined. 
It  is  its  extreme  lightness  that  renders  it 
delicate,  and  we  verily  believe  that  if  it  were 
in  a  young  state  to  be  exposed  a  few  hours 
either  to  the  sun  or  a  dry  wind,  it  would  be 
destroyed  ;  when  sown  in  the  open  borders, 
and  allowed  to  shift  for  itself,  it  will  either  be 
destroyed  altogether,  or  be  so  insignificant  as 
to  be  scarcely  worth  notice,  lu  a  border  of 
ordinary  flowers  it  wuuld  be  lost.  It  is,  in 
fact,  a  pot  annual,  good  only  in  a  pot,  and 
may  by  management  be  the  most  interesting 
of  all  tender  annuals.  The  balsam  and  the 
cockscomb,  the  egg  plant,  ice  plant,  sensitive 
plant,  and  globe  amaranthus,  are  not  more 
worthy  of  attention  than  the  Rhodanthe  Man- 
glesii, and  not  one  of  them  requires  more 
care  and  attention. 


SOWING. 
Prepare  pans  or  large  pots  in  March,  with 
a   compost   of    one-half  peat   earth,    rubbed 
through  a  sieve  of  half-inch  meshes  or  squares, 
and  one-half  loam  from  rotted  turves  ;  but  if 
you  have  not  any  loam  from  rotted  turves,  the 
best  substitute  you  can  make  is  to  mix  two 
thirds  of  plain  loam  and  one-third  leaf  mould, 
for  this  well  mixed  would  be  as  nearly  the 
same  as  can  be  made  ;  the  only  disadvantage 
being  this,  that    the  loam  from    rotted   turf 
contains  a  good  deal  of  fibrous  matter  which 
is  favourable  to  the  roots  of  plants  ;   and  the 
fibres  of  a  delicate  plant  like  that  which  is 
under   notice,   require  an   extremely  porous 
soil.     Fill  the  pans  or  pots  with  the  compost, 
first  securing  a  good  drainage  by  placing  a 
layer  of  crocks  all  over  the  bottom ;  or  if  a 
pot   instead  of  a   pan,  two   or  three   inches 
thick ;  bump  the  pot  or  pan  on  the  bench  to 
settle  the  soil  a  little  down,  but  it  must  not 
be  pressed.      Level  the  top,  and  sow  the  seed 
thinly  all  over  the  surface,  the  thinner  it  is 
sown  the  better  ;  an  inch  apart  all  over  would 
be   the  perfection  of  sowing,   and  save  the 
trouble  of  pricking  out ;  but  there  are  two 
objections  to  this.    Some  say  plants  are  better 
for  the  change  that  pricking  out   gives    to 
a  seedling,   and  therefore,  that  sowing  wide 
enough  apart  to  avoid  it,  is  no  good  to  the 
plant ;  and  then  it  is  quite  clear  that  it  takes  a 
good  deal  more  room  ;  and  therefore,  when 
frame  accommodation  is  scarce,  thicker  sow- 
ing must  be  resorted  to  for  the  supply  of  a 
proper  stock.     When  the  seed  is  sown  cover 
with  silver  sand.    In  sowing  seed,  not  merely 
of  this  kind,  but  all  other  sorts  which  are  very 
small,  such  as  rhododendron,  azalea,  and  many 
others  which  are  extremely  light,  and  seem 
almost  like  dust,  the  soil  should  be  to  a  cer- 
tain extent  damp  ;  and  the  instant  the  seed 
is  sown   and  covered,  it  should  be  watered  ; 
but  the  water  must  be  given  as  fine  as  dew. 
For  this  purpose  a  syringe  is  best,  because 
the  distributing  roses  which  are  screwed  in 
are  of  various  sized  holes,  and  some  distribute 
the  water  in  such  small  particles  that  it  falls 
without  disturbing  the  surface  ;  and  this  is 
absolutely    necessary,    because  seeds    of  the 
Rhodanthe  and  many  others  are  so  very  light 
that  they  would  be  washed  out  of  the  soil 
altogether  with  the  least  violence  ;  but  if  you 
have  not  a  syringe,  the  best  substitute  is  to  be 
found  in  a  common  clothes  brush  ;  dip  this 
in  water,  turn  it  face  upwards,  and  draw  the 
flat  of  your  hand  along  the  brush  and  towards 
you,   and   the  wet   flies  off  in    the   opposite 
direction  in  the  smallest  particles,  and  does 
not  disturb  an  atom  of  dust  in  its  fill.       The 
earth  being  a  little  damp  when  used,  readily 
absorbs  the  water  ;  and  from  the  time  they 
are  sown  to  the  period  at  which  they  vegetate 


UHODANTHE    MANGLESII. 


371 


they  must  not  once  be  dry ;  but  keep  them  in 
a  hot-bed. 

TREATMENT    WHEN    GROWING,    TILL    POTTED, 

When  the  seedlings  have  two  pairs  of  leaves 
besides  the  seed  leaf,  they  must  be  pricked 
out   unless    they   happen   to    be    sown    thin 
enough  to  stand  till  potting  time  ;  prick  them 
out  in  any  sized  pots,  but  only  round  the  edge, 
for  the  roots  derive  a  good  deal  of  benefit  from 
working  down  the  side  of  the  pot.     Let  them 
be  an  inch,  or  an  inch  and  a  half  apart  round 
the  outside,    but   put   none    in    the   middle. 
Let   them    be   placed  in   the   hot-bed  again 
until    they    have    recovered    their     moving 
and  begun  to  grow    again,  when   they  must 
have  air  to  keep  them  from  drawing,  and  be 
regularly  moistened  with  water ;  kept  in  the 
frame,  to  be  the  same  temperature  as  the  soil 
and  the  plant,  they  will  soon  be  large  enough 
to  put  in  their  pots  singly  ;  the  soil   should 
be  the  same  all  through  their  growth.     They 
want   no  exciting  material  ;   the  addition   of 
dung,   or  of  any   enriching    compost,   would 
induce' rapid  growth  and  longer  joints,  which 
would  greatly  disparage  the  plant.  Get  sixty- 
sized  pots  with  a  lump  of  peat  at  the  bottom 
for  draining,  or,   in  the    absence  of  that,   a 
thin  crock  over  the  hole,  and  an  inch  in  thick- 
ness of  small  pieces  ;  when  you  pot  the  plants, 
first  saturate  the  soil  of  the  pots  they  are  in 
with  water,  then  half-fill  all  the  pots  with  the 
soil  we  have  already  mentioned  ;  turn  the  ball 
of  earth  out  of  the  pots  they  are  in  and  break 
it — the  plants  are  easily  taken  out  of  the  soil 
without  breaking  their  roots  ;   then  one  by 
one  take  the  plants,  hold  them  in  the  centre 
of  the  pots  at  the  right  depth  with  one  hand, 
and   fill    up   the   soil   round   them  with  the 
other,  gently  pressing  the  compost  round  the 
side,  so  that  the  root  may  be  fixed  solidly, 
but  not  pressed.     Regulate  the  surface,  water 
them  gently,  and  replace  them  in  the  hot-bed, 
giving  them  air  as  much  as  is  consistent  with 
keeping  up  the  heat  of  the  bed.     We  ought, 
perhaps,  to  observe,  that  although  there  are 
some  few   plants    that  will    thrive  with   the 
same  treatment,  such  is  the  delicacy  of  the 
Rhodanthe  that  it  ought  to  have  a  hot-bed  to 
itself  until  it  attains  as  large  a  size  as  it  can 
in  the  first  small  pot,  when  the  plants   are 
established  and  have  recovered  their  vigour, 
which  is  always  more  or  less  afiected  by  their 
removal  to  their  first  pots. 

SHIFTING. 

When  the  roots  have  reached  the  sides  of 
the  first  pots,  the  plants  will  require  shifting, 
and  they  may  be  put  into  the  size  thirty-two 
at  once,  or  be  first  transferred  to  the  size 
forty-eight,  to  be  again  shifted.  If  they  are 
put  into  the  thirty-twos  at  once,  there  is  the 
whole   trouble   of  one   shift   saved,  and   the 


majority  of  growers  would  prefer  that  system  ; 
we  do  not.     When   the  pots    are  filled  with 
roots,  the  plants  receive  a  partial  check,   and 
this  is  always  beneficial.   It  prevents  rampant 
growth  and  promotes  flowering.     We  there- 
fore recommend  pots  of  the  size  forty-eight, 
and  with  two  inches  thickness  of  crocks  ;  put 
in  enough  of  the  soil  to  raise  the  ball  of  the 
other  pot  a  proper  height.      Turn    out    the 
ball  from  its  pot  with  the  plant  and  drainage 
undisturbed.     The  best  way  to  put  the  soil 
in  the  new  pot  is  in  the  form  of  a  cone,  be- 
cause you  can  press  the  ball  of  earth  down  to 
its  proper  height,  and  then  fill  up  round  it  ; 
but  if  the  soil  is  put  in  flat,  you  cannot  press 
it  much,  and  therefore  have  to  guess    very 
exact,  or  you   may  have  to  lift  out  the  ball 
again,  and,  in  all  probability,  break  it,  which 
will  derange  the  fibres  and  check  the   plant 
too  much  perhaps  to  recover.      When   you 
have  placed  the  ball  so  that  the  surface  is  in 
its  right  position,    fill  in  all  round,    using  a 
small  stick  or  the  finger  to  press  the  soil  down 
gently  I'ound  it,  that  the  earth  may  be  solid, 
but  not  pressed.     Return  the  pots  to  the  hot- 
bed and  well  water  them ;  keep   them  close 
for   the   first    day,   but   afterwards   give    air 
rather  freely ;  and  as  the  spring  advances  and 
the   sun  gets  powerful,  let    them  be    shaded 
from  the  extreme  heat.     In  the  course  of  a 
few  days  they  may  be  removed  to  the  green- 
house, and  kept  near  the  glass.     They  must, 
however,   be  kept  from  thorough   draft,  and 
must  only  be  allowed  air  in  the  heat  of  the 
day.     The    rule  for  shifting   from  the   pots, 
size  forty-eight,  to  the  larger  ones,  size  thirty- 
two,    is    the    commencement    of  the  matting 
of  the  roots  round  the  sides  of  the  pot.     It  is 
quite  well  that  they  begin  this,  but  if  left  too 
long,    the    check   becomes   too   great.      The 
shifting  of  the  plants  into    this  last  pot  for 
blooming  is   much   the  same  as  the  change 
from  sixties  to  forty- eights,  and  in  the  last 
pots  they  are  placed  near  the  front  glass,  and 
allowed  to  flower.      The  habit  of  the  plant  is 
very  beautiful.     They  require  no  stopping  ; 
their   natural   growth  is  far  more  beautiful 
than  any  kind  of  restraint,  and  they  will  be 
covered  with  their  rose-coloured  stars  all  over. 
The  petals  of  the  flower  are  thin  but  horny, 
and    if   the    stems    are   carefully    dried,    the 
flowers  last  a   long  time  in  their   dry   state. 
As  a  border  plunt,  the  Rhodanthe  is  useless, 
but  only  because  of  its  delicacy,  for  the  more 
brilliant  coluurs  and  the  more  gigantic  size  of 
the  subjects  in    flower   in   the   open  garden 
throw  it  comiJetely  into  the   shade  ;    but   if 
you  desire  to  grow  it  in  beds,  or  borders,  in  a 
situation  in  which  it  will  be  seen,  or  for  the 
purpose  of  seeding  it,  let  the  period  of  plant- 
ing be  at  the  time  of  shitting  fi  om  the  forty- 
eight  sized  pots.     Bed  them  out  a  foot  apart 

BB  2 


372 


BRITISH    WILD    FLOWERS. 


every  way  without  breaking  the  ball ;  water 
them  in  to  settle  the  earth  about  the  roots, 
and  leave  them  to  the  ordinary  care  bestowed 
on  bedded-out  subjects.  The  seeds  are  not 
ripe  till  the  stem  is  dry,  but  you  must  not  let 


it  remain  on  the  plant  till  it  loosens,  or  the 
wind  would  clear  it  all  off  in  a  short  time ; 
when  gathered,  it  should  be  put  in  dry  bags 
or  boxes  until  the  spring,  when  it  may  be 
sown,  or  otherwise  disposed  of. 


BRITISH  WILD  FLOWERS. 


THE    VILLARSIA. 


Villarda  7iymphceoides,  Ventenat  (fringed 
Water-lily,  or  fringed  Buck-bean) — Gentia- 
nacese  §  Menyanthese. 

This  pretty  subject  is  one  of  our  com- 
mon water-plants,  that  is  to  say,  common 
in  respect  to  its  abundance  where  it  esta- 
blishes itself,  either  naturally  or  by  artificial 
assistance,  and  not  in  respect  to  the  number 
of  localities  in  which  it  is  found.  It  is  more- 
over one  of  our  most  beautiful  water-plants, 
its  flowers  being  abundant,  of  a  rich  yellow 
colour,  and  prettily  fringed  around  the  margin, 
more  so  than  our  engraving  fully  represents. 

The  plant  was  formerly  called  Meny- 
anthes  nym.pheeoides.  It  has  been,  however, 
by  various  botanists  separated  from  Menyan- 
thes ;  "  chiefly,"  observes  Sir  J.  E.  Smith, 
"  because  of  its  corolla  having  to  each  seg- 
ment a  bordered  fringed  margin,  while  the 
base  of  the  limb,  not  the  middle  of  the  disc, 
is  hairy,  or  bearded."  Besides  this,  Wiggers 
calls  it  Waldschmidia  nymphceoides.  The 
genus  was  called  Villarsia,  after  M.  Yillars, 
the  author  of  the  Flora  des  Dauphines. 


Villarsia  nymphcBoldes,  is  a  floating  aquatic 
plant  with  round  smooth  stems,  which  are 
sevei'al  feet  long,  repeatedly  branched,  and  of 
a  soft  succulent  texture.  These  bear  the 
roundish  heart-shaped  leaves,  which  have  the 
margins  more  or  less  waved  or  toothed,  the 
surface  smooth  and  shining,  a  pale  variegated 
green  above,  and  dark  purple  beneath.  The 
leaves  float  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  The 
flowers  are  produced  in  axillary  sessile  umbels; 
or  in  other  words,  axillary  on  simple  aggregate 
stalks.  The  calyx  consists  of  five  smooth 
lanceolate  obtuse  segments.  The  corolla  is 
about  an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter,  spread- 
ing, rotate  with  five  spreading  segments,  more 
or  less  fringed,  yellow,  with  a  smooth  darker 
radiating  disc  ;  the  orifice  of  the  short  tube 
is  fringed  with  simple  hairs. 

Though  a  "  wild  flower,"  the  Villarsia  is 
deserving  a  place  in  ornamental  lakes  or  pools 
where  aquatic  plants  are  introduced.  In  such 
places  it  spreads  considerably  and  is  with 
difficulty  extirpated.  As  its  specific  name 
implies,  the  general  appearance  of  the  plant 


THE    HYACINTH. 


373 


is  that  of  a  nymphsea,  although  its  flowers 
are  unlike  those  of  that  plant  ;  but  in  fact, 
being  produced  close  to  the  water's  surface 
and  among  the  numerous  leaves,  the  blossoms, 
unless  closely  observed,  do  not  appear  strik- 
ingly diflFerent  from  what  would  be  expected 
in  a  small  water-lily.  Of  course  this  resem- 
blance only  finds  a  place  in  the  idea 
of  the  mere  casual  observer ;  though  the  ex- 
istence of  such  an  idea  in  any  case,  serves 


to  show  what   is  the  general   aspect   of  the 
plant. 

As  to  culture,  none  is  required-  The 
plant  has  only  to  be  fixed,  by  one  of  the  many 
ways  which  will  naturally  suggest  themselves 
to  every  one  ;  and  so  that  this  is  done,  its  long 
branching  fioating  stems  go  on  growing  on  the 
surface,  and  sending  down  roots  into  the  liquid 
element  beneath  them.  Any  fragment  of  the 
stems  with  roots  and  leaves  will  form  a  plant. 


THE    HYACINTH. 


As  there  is  every  prospect  that  the  leading 
horticultural  societies  who  have  early  shows, 
will  give  prizes  for  hyacinths  the  ensuing 
spring,  we  have  resolved  on  giving  a  few 
useful  hints  as  to  their  culture,  and  some  in- 
formation as  to  the  kinds  that  are  best  adapted 
for  general  cultivation.  Whatever  may  have 
been  hitherto  accomplished  in  this  country  as 
to  the  raising  of  hyacinths  from  young  offsets, 
and  however  well  a  few  have  succeeded  in 
producing  tolerably  good  roots,  the  generality 
of  growers  contrive  to  spoil  all  they  buy  in, 
or  at  least  to  reduce  them  to  the  condition  of 
common  border  flowers.  The  exceptions  are 
but  few.  Mr.  Lockhart,  who,  if  not  a  Dutch- 
man, was  brought  up  among  the  raisers  of 
bulbs  in  Holland,  has  done  a  good  deal  with 
the  hyacinth  in  common  soil,  brought  into 
condition  by  his  own  method ;  and  certainly 
we  have  seen  far  more  noble  trusses  or  spikes 
of  flowers  this  year  in  his  garden  than  we 
have  in  any  of  the  nurseries ;  but  to  bring 
the  hyacinth  to  perfection,  so  that  we  may 
equal  our  neighbours  the  Dutch  in  the  pro- 
duction of  fine  bulbs,  we  must  consider  the 
peculiarities  which  favour  or  otherwise  the 
health  and  vigour  of  the  plant.  There  is 
nothing  in  the  climate  of  Holland  that  should 
place  it  before  us  in  all  the  requisites  for  the 
production  of  bulbs ;  therefore  we  must  seek 
for  the  favourable  circumstances  in  the  soil ; 
and  that  in  the  bulb  gardens,  which  are  no 
doubt  selected  for  that  circumstance,  is  a 
deep  sand;  the  only  dressing  used  by  the 
most  successful  growers  is  well-decomposed 
cow-dung,  and  in  this  small  offsets  soon  be- 
come fine  roots ;  the  natural  conclusion  is  that 
the  sand  is  poor,  or  so  much  dressing  would 
not  be  necessary,  and  therefore  we  ought  to 
supply,  as  nearly  as  we  can,  a  soil  of  sand  and 
decomposed  cow-dung.  All  the  instruction 
hitherto  given  on  the  subject  of  cultivating 
hyacinths  has  been  favourable  to  rich  and 
light  soil ;  but  to  produce  the  bulbs  as  fine  as 
the  Dutch  ones,  we  would  make  the  soil  alto- 
gether eighteen  inches  deep.  At  first  we  would 
see  that  the  bed  is  well  drained,  so  that  no 
water  can  ever  stagnate ;  but  this  should  be 


done  with  everything  else,  as  well  as  hyacinths. 
We  would  then  make  a  compost  of  two-thirds 
sand  and  one-third  decomposed  cow-dung, 
that  is,  cow-dung  rotted  to  mould,  and  fill  up 
the  whole  eighteen  inches  with  it.  Let  all 
the  young  offsets  be  carefully  planted  three 
inches  deep,  and  three  or  four  inches  apart, 
with  their  names  carefully  labelled,  so  that 
there  may  be  no  mistake  about  sorts  while 
they  are  young.  As  soon  as  they  throw  up 
their  spike  of  flowers,  pick  off  all  but  the  top 
two  or  three  pips,  or  even  the  top  one.  When 
the  leaves  have  died  down,  or  nearly  so,  take 
up  the  bulbs,  which  will  be  found  much  en- 
larged, and  twist  off  the  foliage  ;  but  lay  each 
sort  together  in  the  ground  again,  and  in  a 
fortnight  or  three  weeks  you  may  pull  off  the 
roots,  and  lay  them  in  an  outhouse,  where 
they  have  a  good  air  but  no  sun.  In  a  fort- 
night or  three  weeks  more  you  may  clean  off 
the  loose  skins,  and  lay  them  by  until  you 
Avant  to  plant  them,  taking  care  that  neither 
sun  nor  damp  reaches  them.  Make  up  an- 
other bed  in  the  same  way  for  them  the  next 
year,  and  use  the  former  bed  for  anything 
else  ;  for  by  giving  another  good  dressing  of 
cow-dung  or  leaf-mould,  you  will  adapt  it  for 
many  things ;  and  in  the  mean  time^  the 
hyacinths  will  get  on  much  more  rapidly  in  a 
new  bed.  These  bulbs  will  imbibe  a  fatal 
disease  if  they  grow  two  years  running  on 
the  same  spot  or  in  the  same  soil.  Even  in 
Holland,  where  they  have  the  soil  natural, 
instead  of  artificial,  they  do  not  grow  again 
under  three  or  four  seasons  in  the  soil  they 
have  been  once  grown  in.  If  a  change  of 
crops  be  necessary  for  many  crops,  to  keep 
them  from  degenerating,  it  is  absolutely  called 
for  with  bulbs  to  prevent  total  failure.  Small 
offsets  become  good  roots  in  three  seasons ; 
and  for  strength  of  bloom,  the  three-year-old 
bulbs  are  by  far  the  best,  although  they  are 
not  the  largest.  In  Holland,  as  in  this  coun- 
try, the  hyacinth  grows  to  its  full  size,  and 
wlaen  it  has  bloomed  its  best,  it  goes  into 
offsets,  and  these  are  nursed  as  we  have 
directed  until  they  become  fine  full  roots  like 
their  parents,  and  are  sent  over  here  for  sale. 


374 


THE    HYACINTH. 


The  consumption  of  hyacinths  in  this  country 
is  enormous;  there  is  no  seeming  limit;  but 
considering  the  splendour  and  the  ease  with 
which  they  are  cultivated,  they  are  greatly 
neglected.  Whether  it  is  that  they  come 
earlier  than  people  are  prepared  for  flowers, 
before  they  seek  for  beauties  in  a  garden,  or 
what  else  can  be  the  reason,  we  know  not; 
but  it  is  quite  certain  that  many  noble  gar- 
dens are  almost  without  them;  and  the  annual 
purchases  amount  perhaps  to  a  dozen  or  two, 
to  grow  in  pots,  or  to  be  placed  in  glasses  of 
water.  Considering  the  pounds  which  are 
laid  out  in  the  expenses  of  a  garden  establish- 
ment, the  cost  of  a  handsome  selection,  to 
form  a  feature  among  the  ornamental  beds, 
would  be  no  great  object  ;  but  certainly  as  a 
pot  plant,  there  is  nothing  surpasses  a  well- 
chosen  collection,  and  thw  conservatory  that 
has  not  the  advantage  of  this  feature  in  season 
is  sadly  deficient.  There  are  some  hundreds 
of  varieties  in  cultivation  ;  but  as  the  English 
dealers  generally  import  the  cheapest,  the 
collections  are  generally  limited.  We  there- 
fore propose  to  give  the  names  of  a  selection 
comprising  something  under  two  hundred, 
which  are  considered  in  Holland  the  finest 
that  can  be  grown,  and  the  worst  of  them  far 
better  than  thousands  which  are  sold  in  Eng- 
land : — 

Double  Dark  Bltje. 

Snpiposed  Retailed  Prices  for  1849. 

s.    d.      s.    d. 

Abbe  de  Veirac     ....  from  2 

Alamode 0 

Bloksburg,  very  beautiful    ...  2 

Bonaparte,     ditto                ...  2 

Due  de  Buffon,  magnificent     .     .  4 

Due  de  Normandie,  fine      ...  0 

Director  Van  Flora 0 

Eendragt,  very  fine 1 

Envoye,  extra  fine 0 

Helicon,  grand,  dark,  scarce    .     ,10 

La  Plus  Belle,  fine 1 

La  Charmante,  new 0 

L'Importante,  extra  fine      ...  7 

Lourens  Coster,  very  splendid*    .  2 

Martinette,  good 0 

Morillo,  very  fine 2 

Prolifera  Monstrose 2 

Zeebergen,  extra  fine 5     0 

The  two  prices  are  given  because  some- 
thing depends  on  the  size  and  quality  of  the 
same  kind  of  roots  ;  some  are  worth  double 
the  price  of  others  on  that  ground  alone. 

Splendid  clear  and  Porcelain  Blue. 

Comte  de  St.  Priest,  fine  flower  .  from 
Due  d'AngoulSme,  extra  fine  .  .  . 
Gloria  Mundi,  marbled  with  purple  eye 
King-  of  the  N  etherlands,  fine  .  .  . 
Madame  Marmont,  very  splendid   .     . 

Orondates,  very  fine 

Paarlbootj  very  beautiful 0 


0  to2 

6 

6  or  under. 

0  to  2 

6 

0       2 

6 

0       5 

0 

9       1 

0 

9       1 

0 

0       1 

6 

8       1 

0 

0     15 

0 

6       2 

0 

6       1 

0 

0     10 

0 

0       2 

6 

9       1 

0 

6       3 

6 

6       3 

6 

s. 

d.      s. 

d. 

1 

9  to  2 

0 

0 

9       I 

0 

5 

0       6 

0 

0 

6       0 

9 

1 

3       1 

6 

1 

3       1 

6 

0 

9      '1 

0 

0to25 
6  3 
9  2 
0       5 


Pasquin,  very  fine  tnisser 0    9  to  1 

Sartorius,  very  fine  indeed     ....     4     0       6 
William  Pitt,  excellent 5     0       6 

Double  Black  and  Blub. 
Albion,  the  largest  in  cultivation,  fine.  21 
Alexander,  an  excellent  flower   ...     2 
Mehemet  Ali,  new  and  fine    ....     1 
Othello,  a  splendid  new  flower    ...     4 

Double  Dark  Eed. 

Belvedere,  a  fine  flower 1     6  to  2    0 

Bouquet  Tendre,  or  Waterloo,  an  old 

favourite ..06  09 

Cochenille,  very  dark  indeed,  new  ..40  50 

Comte  de  la  Coste,  extra  fine      ...     1     0  16 

Le  Beaute  Supreme,  good       ....     0     6  09 

Milton,  extra  fine      .......     2     6  36 

Moore,  a  general  favourite      ....     0     9  10 

Racine,  fine,  very  deep  colour     ...     3     6  46 

Rouge,  delicate,  fine      ......     2     0  26 

Sans  Souci,  very  splendid 2     0  2     6 

Double  Lighter  Eed. 

Alida  Catherine,  very  early    ....  0     9  to  1     0 

Hecla,  fine  large  pips 10  13 

La  Guirlande,  fine  bright  red      ...  1     3  16 

Ladj  Grafton,  fine  large  striped  flower  13  16 

L'Honneur  d' Amsterdam,  bright  rosy  .09  10 

Shakspeare,  splendid  large  flower,  new  2     6  3     0 

Double  Rose  Colour. 
Catherine  Victorieuse,  fine  large  bright 

flower 3     6  to  4     6 

Coerus,  general  favourite 0     6  0     9 

Due  de  Chartres,  fine 0     6  0     9 

Frederick  the  Great,  large  truss,  new  .13  16 

Goethe,  fine 16  2     0 

Grootvorst,  the  finest  old  flower  in  culti- 
vation        06  09 

Johanna  Cornelia,  fine 16  2     0 

Lord  Wellington,  splendid  rose  ...  3     6  40 

Marquis  de  la  Coste,  fine 0     9  10 

Madame  Catalane,  fine 0    6  0    9 

Peruke  Royal,  fine 10  13 

Roxane,  bright  rose  .     .          ....  1     6  20 

Tamerlane,  fine  extra    ......  1     9  23 

Double  White. 

Constantia  Alba,  very  fine      ....  1 

Due  de  Berry,  fine  red  eye     ....  1 

Elise,  splendid  flower 0 

.  0 

.  1 

.  1 

.  1 

.  0 


*  This,  we  are  assured  on  good  authority,  was  sold 
as  a  seedling  when  first  raised  at  1600  guilders. 


Gloria  Elorum,  splendid  truss 
Grandeur  Royal,  fine  .  .  . 
Heroine,  very  pure  white,  fine 
Imperatrice  Romaine,  fine  .  . 
La  Belle  Noaille,  very  fine     . 

Lord  Anson,  new,  white 1 

Og,  King  of  Basan,  fine 0 

Perle  Brilliante,  fine 1 

Prince  of  Waterloo,  excellent      ...  1 

Pyrene,  clear  white 0     6       0     9 

Sphsera  Mundi,  clear  eye 0     9       10 

Tour  d'Auvergne,  large  truss      ...  0     9       10 

Venus,  excellent 26      30 

Vesta,  fine 10      13 

Double  White,  with  Yellow  Shades  in  Eye. 

Bride  of  Abydos,  good 3     0  to  3     6 

Comtesse  de  la  Coste,  new  and  splendid  0     9       10 

Dongratuit,  fine  old  flower     ....  0     6       09 

Guide  Vrijheid,  good 0     6       0     9 

Mungo  Park,  fine 16       2     0 

Double  White,  with  Red  and  Violet  Shades 
in  Eye. 

Anna  Maria,  fine 0     6  to  0     9 

Bourdaloue,  new  and  splendid    ...  1     6      20 


Oto 

6 

9 

9 

6 

6 

6 

6 

6 

9 

0 

0 

6 

9 

9 

6 

0 


1  6 

2  0 


THE    HYACINTH. 


375 


s.  d.  s.   d. 
Gloria  Florum  Supreme,  splendid  pink 

eye 3     G  to  4     6 

Grand  Monarch  de  France     ....     0     9  10 

Hooft,  pink  eye 0     9  10 

La  Virginity,  new,  excellent ....     0     6  09 

Miss  Kitty,  fine ...10  13 

ISTon  plus  Ultra,  excellent .....     0     9  10 

Staten-General,  fine       ......     3     0  36 

"Virgo,  fine 06  09 

Double  Yellow. 

Due  de  Beriy,  fine 2     6  to  3     0 

Gloria  Florum,  good 13  16 

Heroine,  one  of  the  prettiest  in  cultivation  1     6  2     0 

Le  Grandeur,  large  flowers,  fine  ...     3     0  36 

Lady  Sale,  new  and  fine 16  2     0 

Ophir  d'Or,  good  ........06  09 

Pure  d'Or,  excellent 2     6  3     0 

All  the  foregoing  are  double,  and  for  the 
most  part  show  flowers  ;  some  are  mentioned 
for  the  splendour  of  their  individual  flowers, 
others  for  the  noble  truss  they  form,  others 
again  for  their  extraordinary  colours  ;  but 
numerous  as  they  seem,  they  form  but  a  very 
small  portion  of  the  whole  that  are  found  in 
Dutch  catalogues.  We  have  given  the  names 
without  regard  to  price,  which  is  governed 
rather  by  the  scarcity  of  a  variety,  than  by 
the  actual  qualities.  If,  for  instance,  a  flower 
like  Grootvorst,  which  has  been  out  many 
years,  and  is  as  plentiful  as  blackberries,  were 
put  by  one  dealer  at  one  penny  more  than 
would  pay  a  reasonable  price  for  the  trouble 
of  growing  it,  other  cultivators  would  put 
them  down,  and  the  dearer  one  would  have 
no  sale ;  but  while  a  flower  is  scarce,  no  one 
is  willing  to  part  with  it  at  less  than  a  given 
price,  depending  entirely  on  its  scarcity.  If 
Lourens  Coster  was  so  grand  an  improvement 
when  it  was  first  raised  as  to  sell  for  1600 
guilders,  in  five  years  there  would  be,  perhaps, 
a  hundred  roots,  each  of  which  must  then  be 
worth  more  than  sixteen  guilders,  to  bring  the 
purchase  home  again  ;  in  another  year,  perhaps 
they  would  be  doubled  in  number,  and  some- 
thing towards  halved  in  price.  This  explains 
the  difierence  in  price  of  hyacinths,  as  well  as 
anything  else.  Grootvorst  is  as  good,  except 
colour  perhaps,  as  any  in  cultivation. 

We  have  thus  gone  through  the  double 
varieties,  which  are  for  the  most  part  great 
favourites.  We  now  come  to  the  single, 
which  are  beautiful  in  their  way,  and  form 
trusses  as  handsome  as  the  best  of  the  double; 
in  many  cases,  the  flowers  are  much  more 
numerous  and  closer  together ;  and  we  think 
they  are  decidedly  more  distinct  and  brilliant 
in  colour  than  most  of  the  double  ones. 

Daek  Blps  Single. 

s.  d.  s.    d. 

Auriculas,  new  and  beautiful .     .  from  2  6  to  3     0 

Campra,  fine 06  09 

Coeur  Blanc,  good     .     ■. 0  9  10 

Emelius,  beautiful  trusses 0  6  0     9 

Emiens,  a  good  old  favourite      ...  0  4  06 


6  too 
9       1 


0  to  6 
0    •  1 


s.   d.      s. 

Franklin,  new  and  fine 1     0  to  1 

Grand  Lilac,  very  fine 0     9       1 

Lord  Graham,  new  and  good,  very  large  0     9       1 

Nimrod,  a  great  favourite 0     6       0 

Staten-General,  an  old  favourite      ..06      0 

Single  Clear  Poecelain  Blue. 

Bleu  Agatha,  new  and  fine    ....  0 

Count  of  ITassau,  an  extra  fine  new  flower  0 
Grand  Vidette,  fine  large  individual 

flowers .  1 

Iris,  very  new  and  very  neat  ....  0 

L'L^nique,  singular  colour,  dark  lilac  .  1 

Ifonpareil,  excellent  flower    ....  0 

Orondates,  very  noble  flower  ....  0 

Porcelaine  Sceptre,  fine 0 

Robinson,  fine  bright  marbled     ...  0 

Voltaire,  daservedly  a  great  favourite  .  0 

Single  Black  and  Blub. 

Abd-el-Kader,  a  fine  flower    ....  5 

Asterius,  fine 1 

Georgius  Primus,  new,  excellent  flower, 

with  white  eye  . 1 

Incomparable,  fine 1 

L'Ami  de  Coeur,  fine  dwarf,  close  truss  0 
Prince  Albert  of  Prussia,  fine,  dark  and 

indigo 

Prince  Albert  of  Saxe  Coburg,  new  and 

fine 0 

Quentin  Durward,  fine  indigo     ...  0 

William  the  First,  extra  fine  indigo     .  0 

Zoraide,  fine 0 

Single  Dark  Eed. 

Appelius,  excellent  flower 0 

Cferise,  excellent  large  individual  flowers  3 

Cochenille,  good  flower      .....  0 

Cornelia  Maria,  new,  fine  ball     ...  0 

Homerus,  early  and  fine 0 

L'Eclair,  a  very  taking  variety    ...  0 

L'Ami  de  Coeur 0 

Lina,  quite  new,  large  truss  ....  1 

Mezzofanti,  both  new  and  large  ...  1 
Prosper  Alpini,  very  deep  bright  red, 

new 2 

Eosalia,  new  and  fine 0 

SateUa,  large,  new,  splendid  flower  .     .  1 


9  to  1 
6  4 
9  1 
1 
0 
1 
0 
2 
1 


4  too 
9  1 
6  0 
1 
0 
1 
0 

1 
1 


Single  Ordinary  Ebd. 

Bouquet  Royal,  fine  old  flower    ...  0 

Duchesse  de  Richmond,  new  and  fine  .  0 

Fanny  Kemble,  fine  .......  0 

Grande  Pyramide,  fine  truss  ....  0 

Johanna  Grey,  neat  flower      ....  0 

L'Imposante,  nearly  orange    ....  0 

Lupolow,  new,  fine  tnisses 0 

Madame  Hodshon,  fine 1 

Poniatowski,  fine,  early,  large  truss     .  0 
Queen  Victoire,  splendid  close  truss  of 

red 15     0     20 

Vivante  de  Dame,  new  and  fine  ...  0    9       1 

Single  Rose  Colour. 

Anna  Powlona,  beautiful  large  flower  .  2     0  to  2 

Johanna  Christina,  very  pretty  ...  0     4       0 

La  Dame  du  Lac,  very  fine     ....  0     9       1 

Lord  Wellington,  excellent    ....  0     6       0 
Miss  Ainsworth,  new  and  splendid  ..26       3 

Single  White. 

Angelique,  new S     0  to  3 

Anna  Christina,  very  fine,  new  ...  0     9       1 

Emiens,  new,  excellent 0     6       0 

Grande  Vidette,  very  large  pips       ..09       1 
Kroonprins  der  Nederlanden,  new  and 

fine 1     <3      2 


10       16 


376 


THE    HYACINTH. 


s.   d.      s.   d. 

La  Candeur,  fine 0     4  to  0     6 

Mont  Blanc 60       76 

Queen  Victoria,  excellent 10      16 

Single  White,  Shaded  or  Spotted  with  Eed. 

Albertine,  new  and  fine 0     9  to  1     0 

Bernardine 09       10 

Grandeur  El  Merville,  large  and  new  .16  2  0 
Rousseau,  very  fine  large  truss  ...  0  9^  10 
Tuba  Flora,  new,  extra  fine  ....  1  0  16 
Voltaire,  a  fine  old  favourite  ....  0  9  10 
Virgo  Maximus,  good  .  , 0     9       10 

Single  Yellow. 

Catherina,  new  and  very  fine ....  0  6  to  0     9 

Heroine,  good  old  favourite    ....  0  6  09 

King  of  Holland,  fine,  but  reddish  east  0  6  0     9 

Pointe  du  Jour,  excellent 0  9  10 

Prince  of  Orange,  fine 0  9  10 

Sterne,  excellent 09  10 

Victor  Hugo,  new  pure  citron    ...  0  9  10 

We  have  now  gone  through  a  first-rate 
Dutch  catalogue,  intended  for  the  trade,  and 
containing  nearly  four  hundred  more  than  we 
have  mentioned.  We  do  not  insist  that  all 
we  have  set  down  here  are  first  rate,  or  that 
there  are  not  some  fine  flowers  that  are  un- 
noticed in  our  list;  but,  considering  the  im- 
mense number  that  are  in  cultivation,  we  do 
mean  to  say  that  it  would  be  difficult  to  find 
a  score  to  add,  or  a  score  to  take  away,  that 
would  improve  the  list  upon  the  whole.  We 
have  selected  the  flowers  for  some  good  point; 
they  are  finer  with  regard  to  certain  qualities 
than  others  that  are  omitted ;  and  some  are 
really  almost  unexceptionable  by  comparison. 
We  have  done  this  for  two  sound  reasons — 
first,  because  we  want  to  induce  people  who 
have  gardens  to  adopt  a  flower  which  is  cer- 
tainly at  the  head  of  all  spring  bulbs,  and  is 
without  exception  the  easiest  of  all  flowers  to 
grow  tolerably  well.  The  darkest  kitchen  in 
the  city  will  produce  the  bloom  of  a  hyacinth 
from  a  healthy  bulb,  scarcely  any  ill  treatment 
will  destroy  the  flower,  and  we  are  only  sorry 
that  people  have  been  so  often  deceived  into 
a  belief  that  there  was  some  difficulty,  when 
3,11  their  misfortunes  have  arisen  from  the 
purchase  of  damaged  bulbs.  The  auction 
mart  has  done  more  towards  injuring  the  sale 
and  discouraging  the  growth  of  bulbs,  than 
anybody  can  imagine,  and  the  very  system 
ought  to  convince  them  that  it  is  so.  The 
Dutch  florists  execute  the  seedsmen's  orders 
with  prime  healthy  bulbs  ;  they  would  on 
no  account  wilfully  put  in  a  single  damaged 
article,  for  the  best  of  all  reasons,  the  price 
would  be  deducted ;  damaged  roots  are  almost 
thrown  away ;  they  are  sold  to  people  who 
make  a  living  by  gathering  them  up  at  the 
lowest  possible  price,  for  if  diseased  bulbs  are 
not  got  rid  of  they  may  infect  others.  These 
huckstering  buyers  make  them  up  into  cases, 
and  send  them  to  be  sold  at  the  mart,  where, 
in  spite  of  all  the  reasoning  that  can  be  urged 
against  it,  people  are  found  to  buy  them  at 


nearly  as  large  a  price  as  the  shops  would 
supply  them  at  in  full  health  and  vigour.  By 
chance,  a  diseased  bulb  will  yield  its  bloom 
befoi'e  it  dies ;  but  the  proportion  of  bulbs 
that  turn  out  well  is  so  small  that  it  is  per- 
fectly ridiculous  to  lay  out  a  shilling  in  such 
a  lottery,  while  within  a  few  yards  of  the 
very  place  there  are  several  respectable  seeds- 
men who  would  supply  the  proper  healthy 
bulbs,  for  perhaps  the  same  money.  Hun- 
dreds of  persons  have  bought  bulbs  at  the 
mart,  and  been  completely  disappointed  at  the 
result. 

We  have  already  mentioned  the  growth  in 
beds,  but  the  principal  charm  is  to  grow 
them  in  pots,  so  that  we  may  carry  them 
wherever  we  desire  to  show  them  ;  and  the 
process  is  exceedingly  simple.  It  is  the  cus- 
tom to  bury  them,  after  they  are  potted,  in 
tan  or  ashes ;  to  this  we  have  no  objection  if 
they  are  released  in  time;  but  as  soon  as  the 
bulbs  have  shot  half-an-inch  we  would  remove 
them  to  the  light,  whereas  we  have  seen  the 
long  yellow  spikes  so  far  advanced  that  the 
plants  could  not  be  other  than  lanky  and 
ugly.  In  potting  there  are  several  things  to 
mind ;  first,  the  soil  cannot  be  too  rich ;  se- 
condly, they  should  be  planted  as  soon  in 
October  as  convenient,  just  under  the  surface 
of  the  soil  in  the  pot ;  thirdly,  they  should  be 
plunged  in  ashes  or  tan,  three  inches  below 
the  surface,  until  the  roots  have  grown  and 
the  plants  begun  to  shoot ;  this  can  only  be 
known  by  examining  them  now  and  then. 
They  may  then  be  removed  to  a  garden  frame, 
and  be  kept  from  the  frost  by  covering  up 
during  bad  weather,  and  at  nights  they  should 
be  close  to  the  glass ;  and  from  these  cold 
frames  they  may  be  drawn  out  and  removed 
to  the  greenhouse  or  the  stove,  or  to  a  common 
hot-bed,  as  you  want  to  begin  forcing  them ; 
but  for  perfection  of  growth  and  colour  they 
are  better  without  forcing.  No  plants  are 
hardier,  but  frost  destroys  the  petals  of  most 
flowers ;  and  therefore,  hardy  as  they  are, 
they  should  not  be  subject  to  the  changes  of 
frost  and  thaw.  The  strongest  bulbs,  and  the 
most  vigorous  growers,  can  be  got  well  up  in 
a  thirty-two  sized  pot  of  really  rich  compost. 
If  it  be  complained  that  the  term  rich  compost 
is  not  sufficiently  distinct,  we  will  just  observe 
that  they  would  grow  in  all  decomposed  dung  ; 
but  few  are  prepared  with  that ;  and  it  must 
be  recollected  that  the  hyacinth  will  grow  in 
plain  water,  and  in  wet  sand,  so  that  it  is  im- 
possible to  fail  with  healthy  bulbs.  Yet  good 
rich  soil,  without  forcing,  will  bring  fine 
colour,  stout  growth,  and  noble  flowers.  We 
trust,  therefore,  that  there  will  be  a  general 
adoption  of  this  flower  in  all  gardens,  and  in 
every  private  house,  for  London  or  country, 
manufacturing  towns  or  open  plains.      The 


EPIMEDIUM    PINNATUM. 


377 


hyacinth  always  repays  us  with  a  bloom,  and 
the  principal  diiFerence  between  the  very  best 
and  the  worst  is  only  a  difference  in  the  size ; 
but  it  is  requisite  for  success  that  we  first  go 
to  a  respectable  seed-shop  or  nursery  for  the 
bulbs;  next  that  we  inform  the  principal 
whether  we  design  to  grow  them  in  pots,  in 
water,  or  in  the  ground,  and  what  is  the 
locality ;  and  if  we  grow  them  in  water,  that 
we  should,  thirdly,  change  the  water  once  a 
week,  and  use  soft  water ;  for  this  purpose 
always  use  dark  glasses,  for  we  are  quite  sure 
that  for  the  sake  of  having  the  water  look 
clear  in  the  brighter  kinds  of  glass,  pump- 
water,  without  regard  to  its  quality,  has  been 
applied  to  hyacinths,  greatly  to  their  detri- 
ment, sometimes  to  their  destruction. 


EPIMEDIUM    PINNATUM. 

Epimedium  pinnatum,  Fischer  (pinnate- 
leaved  Epimedium)  —  Berberidaceai  §  Nan- 
dinese. 

The  Epimediums  form  a  small  family  of 
Alpine  plants,  interesting  partly  on  account 
of  the  neat  manner  of  their  growth,  but  chiefly 
attractive  to  cultivators  in  consequence  of 
their  being  hardy,  and  thus  within  the  means 
of  every  possessor  of  a  garden.  Some  of  the 
kinds  are  decidedly  ornamental,  as  is  the  case 
with  the  subject  of  the  present  remarks,  a 
species  with  brilliant  yellow  flowers  originally 


named  E.  pinnatum,  by  Fischer,  a  Russian 
botanist,  and  apparently  the  same  as  a  plant 
which  has  been  grown  for  a  year  or  two  in 
gardens  under  the  name  of  E.  colchicum.  In 
the  published  flgures  of  the  two,  we  can  detect 


no  material  difi'erence.  This  Epimedium  col- 
chicum was  noticed  in  the  Annals  of  Horti- 
cidture  (1848). 

The  E.  pinnatum  is  a  most  lovely  little 
hardy  perennial  plant,  growing  with  a  short 
rhizome,  partly  concealed  under  ground,  bear- 
ing a  few  leaves,  the  bases  of  which  are  in- 
vested with  large  scale-like  bodies  analogous 
to  stipules.  The  flower-scapes  also  arise  from 
these  rhizomes,  and  grow  somewhat  in  ad- 
vance of  the  leaves  ;  that  is  to  say,  at  the  time 
the  flowers  are  developed,  the  leaves  are  but 
half  expanded.  Both  leaves  and  their  stalks 
as  well  as  the  flower-scapes  are,  when  young, 
clothed  rather  thickly  with  spreading  hairs, 
but  in  the  adult  state  the  leaves  become 
glabrous,  except  on  the  veins  of  the  lower 
surface.  The  leaves  are  compound,  some- 
times ternate,  that  is,  composed  of  three  leaf- 
lets, but  more  generally  having  five  leaflets, 
the  two  pairs  of  which  are  remote  from  each 
other ;  when  fully  grown  these  leaves  are 
about  a  span  long.  The  divisions  of  the 
leaves  (leaflets)  are  ovate-cordate,  or  between 


378 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


ggg-sliaped  and  heart-shnped,  with  a  deep 
narrow  sinus  at  the  base,  and  ciliate-serrate 
on  the  margin.  The  flower-scapes  about 
equal  the  full-grown  leaves  in  their  length  ; 
but  as  already  remarked,  they  somewhat  pre- 
cede them  in  the  order  of  development.  They 
proceed  distinct  from  the  rhizome,  and  grow 
erect,  each  bearing  a  raceme  of  flowers,  which 
are  bright  yellow,  and  not  unlike,  in  general 
appearance,  those  of  the  common  sun-rose  ; 
they  consist  of  four  roundish  petals,  having 
each  an  internal  cucullate  appendage  of  the 
same  yellow  colour,  terminating  -behind  in  an 
orange- coloured  blunt  spur.  It  is  a  spring 
flowering  plant. 

It  appears  to  have  been  originally  gathered 
by  Hablitz  in  Persia,  growing  in  shady  moun- 
tain woods,  in  the  province  of  Gilan.    Subse- 


quently it  has  been  detected  in  the  region  of 
the  Caucasus,  "  on  Mount  Talusch,  between 
Leukoran  and  Suwant,  at  an  elevation  of 
2,400  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea."  It 
appears  to  have  been  introduced  into  England 
about  1846,  and  to  have  reached  this  country 
from  Belgium. 

In  its  culture  it  should  have  the  usual 
treatment  of  small  choice  Alpine  plants  :  that 
is  to  say,  it  should  be  grown  in  a  pot,  and 
during  winter  should  have  the  slight  protec- 
tion of  a  frame.  A  cool  shady  situation  is 
what  in  this  respect  it  prefers.  All  the 
Epimediums  grow  most  vigorously  in  a  com- 
post in  which  peat  soil  preponderates  :  say 
three  parts  peat  to  one  of  loam,  lightened  if 
necessary  by  sand.  When  well  cultivated  the 
plant  is  a  very  ornamental  one  in  its  class. 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


BY  GEORGE  GLENNT. 


Prolific  in  subjects  of  great  interest, 
July  has  come  with,  more  than  usual  novelty, 
and  has  been  useful  in  telling  tales  of  unde- 
served prizes,  and  ill-gained  certificates  of 
merit.  It  is  not  so  much  our  place  to  point 
out  particular  discrepancies  between  novelties 
and  their  deserts,  but  one  striking  instance  is 
a  lesson  which  should  not  be  lost  on  society. 
We  have  heard  of  bygone  prizes  that  misled 
the  many  as  to  the  value  of  a  new  flower. 
This  season  one  of  the  most  aggrieving  cases 
has  been  a  fuchsia,  named  Lord  Nelson, 
.which  proves,  as  we  said  it  would,  coarse  and 
ugly,  without  a  redeeming  quality.  It  is 
admitted  that  many  scores  of  better  flowers 
have  been  thrown  away,  and  the  buyers  are 
naturally  vexed  that  such  a  variety  should  in 
1848  be  assisted  into  cultivation  by  a  first 
class  certificate.  At  a  meeting  of  the  New- 
ington,  Hoxton  and  Kingsland  branch  of  the 
Royal  Society  for  the  Encouragement  of 
Floriculture,  blooms  of  this  fuchsia,  among 
others,  were  produced,  with  a  view  to  show 
the  necessity  of  the  check  which  this  Society 
has  put  on  the  deceptions  which  injure  the 
science.  Many  varieties,  infinitely  superior, 
of  several  years'  standing,  were  produced  as 
a  sort  of  contrast  to  Lord  Nelson,  which 
(except  by  the  trade,  who  will  perhaps  endea- 
vour to  get  back  some  of  their  money,)  will 
be  thrown  away.  Nobody  with  a  dozen 
moderately  good  flowers  would  tolerate  it  in 
his  collection.  At  this  meeting  it  was  com- 
municated that  the  gentlemen  of  Shacklevvell 
and  Newington  had  resolved  on  holding  an 
open  show  of  Dahlias  in  that  locality, ,  and 
that  the  prizes  would  be  liberal.  We  are 
glad  of  this,  because  now  that  the  dahlia  has 


lost  its  grand  annual  exhibition  so  well  known 
at  the  Eagle  grounds,  Cremorne  House,  and 
Baker-street,  it  wants  a  fillip  in  the  outskirts. 
The  last  great  show  in  or  near  London  nearly 
ruined  the  trade  by  destroying  all  confidence 
in  the  new  flowers,  which  with  a  few  excep- 
tions that  we  thought  worth  a  notice,  proved 
absolute  failures.  The  Shacklewell  show  is 
to  be  thrown  clearly  open,  and  the  judges' 
names  will  be  published  ;  so  at  least  we  are 
informed.  Norman  and  Turner  have  produced 
some  splendid  carnations  and  picotees, 
which  we  may  further  particularize  when  we 
have  seen  more  of  them  ;  but  some  of  Pux- 
ley's  novelties,  let  out  by  Catleugh,  have  dis- 
appointed the  growers.  There  must  be  more 
attention  paid  by  buyers  before  this  issue  of 
bad  or  ordinary  flowers  at  large  prices  can  be 
stopped.  If  people  will  buy  without  recom- 
mendation, without  knowing  anything,  there 
will  always  be  found  persons  to  sell,  and  the 
disappointment  that  ensues  does  more  mis- 
chief than  can  be  imagined  by  setting  people 
against  buying  at  all.  Bragg,  of  Slough, 
seems  to  have  gone  heai't  and  mind  into 
Floriculture,  and  his  collections  of  roses, 
dahlias,  carnations,  picotees,  pinks  and  pan- 
sies,  show  that  he  is  in  downright  earnest. 
Before  this  paper  is  in  print  there  will  have 
been  held  a  first-rate  show  in  the  midst  of 
the  grounds  of  the  Royal  Nursery,  Slough. 
The  carnation  and  picotee  are  the  subjects 
for  competition,  and  the  splendid  collection 
belonging  to  the  Nursery  will  be  shown  on 
the  plants,  as  of  course  Mr.  Turner  does  not 
compete  on  his  own  ground.  There  is  a  good 
deal  said  of  a  fuchsia  reared  in  Devonshire, 
and  let  out  by  Mr.  Pince  ;   we  wish  we  had 


THE    CULTURE    OF    BULBS. 


379 


seen  it  in  time  to  have  given  a  careful  judg- 
ment whether  it  helped  the  flower  or  informed 
the  amateur.  Mr.  Perry,  the  hon.  secretary  to 
the  Handsworth  Horticultural  Society,  says  it 
is  one  of  the  best  dark  varieties  grown.  "  Sap- 
phire," says  Mr.  Perry,  "  is  in  colour  a  bright 
coral  red,  sepals  broad,  beautifully  reflexed, 
and  of  a  thick  waxy  appearance.  The  corolla 
a  deep  blue  purple."  Moreover,  the  habit  is 
said  to  be  good,  and  the  flowers  profuse.  All 
we  can  say  is,  we  hail  anything  good  among 
the  dark  varieties  as  a  relief  to  the  endless 
rubbish  sent  out  of  late  seasons.  The  Floral 
and  Horticultural  world  has  had  a  loss  in  the 
death  of  both  Messrs.  Noble,  of  Fleet-street  ; 
the  active  promoters  of  our  favourite  bant- 
ling, the  benevolent  Society,  and  of  everything 
else  good  and  charitable ;  and  it  is  the  more 
to  be  deplored,  as  one  was  a  victim  to  the 
cholera,  the  other  had  long  been  ailing. 

The  break  up  of  the  Gardener^'  Journal  has 
been  of  great  service  to  the  Chronicle,  as  the 
florists  who  are  dropping  off  rapidly,  have  to 
fly  to  the  Chronicle,  which  has  been  rising 
ever  since.  The  general  opinion  is,  that 
there  ought  to  be  two  newspapers  ;  but  the 
total  inutility  of  the  Journal  the  last  two 
years,  has  gradually  reduced  it  to  a  low  ebb, 
and  there  wants  but  an  understanding  among 
some  of  the  distant  florists  to  establish  an 
independent  florists'  newspaper,  or  go  over 
to  the  Chronicle  at  quarter-day.  The  only 
opportunity  there  was  of  rendering  the 
Journal  the  second  paper  has  been  twice  lost ; 
first,  by  the  united  gardeners,  when  they 
sealed  the  fate  of  the  paper  by  the  engage- 
ments they  made  ;  and,  secondly,  by  the 
parties  to  whom  they  sold  the  wreck  of  the 
paper,  and  who  continued  the  management 
in  the  very  same  hands  that  ruined  it.  It 
may  well  be  said,  as  it  was  at  the  meeting 
of  florists  on  Tuesday  last — "  There  never 
was  a  time  when  Floriculture  was  so  dis- 
jointed, and  those  engaged  in  it  pulled  so 
many  different  ways  ;  there  are  several  pub- 
lications all  representing  different  cliques, 
and,  but  for  the  Tuesday  evening  meetings,  it 
would  be  rare  to  find  fifty  florists  together." 

The  last  show  at  Chiswick  was  grand  be- 
yond measure.  The  display  was  in  quantity 
and  quality  surpassing  everything  we  had 
seen,  and  the  grounds  were  in  fine  order. 
The  arrangement  improves  from  time  to  time, 
until  there  is  little  room  for  amendment. 
Gigantic  plants,  far  superior  to  the  generality 
of  small  ones,  as  to  health  and  vigour,  were 
exhibited  in  great  quantity;  and  as  to  orchi- 
daceous plants,  there  appeared  no  end  to  the 
number  and  variety.  To  describe  the  vai'ious 
articles  of  merit  where  every  plant  seemed  a 
specimen,  would  be  impossible  in  our  limited 
space  ;  and  the  grounds  of  the  Duke  of  Devon- 


shire being  thrown  open,  there  was  nothing 
to  wish  for.  Country  shows  are  moving  too. 
The  Leamington  exhibition,  which  comes  off 
next  month,  is  worthy  of  imitation ;  more 
especially  the  cottagers'  department  of  the 
show.  We  refer  to  the  usefulness  of  the 
prizes,  which  are  to  encourage  the  growth  of 
nothing  that  is  not  adapted  to  the  circum- 
stances of  the  class  to  be  benefited.  There 
are  no  prizes  for  things  that  will  grow  of 
themselves.  All  that  are  promised  are  for 
subjects  that  persons  in  humble  life  should 
chiefly  grow.  Cabbages,  lettuces,  savoys, 
potatoes,  turnips,  carrots,  parsnips  and  beet- 
root, are  all  nutritious  and  wholesome,  and 
the  family  which  has  plenty  of  them  cannot 
be  starved,  and  on  a  good  supply  of  them 
much  happiness  and  comfort  may  depend. 
What  a  contrast  does  it  show  compared  with 
many  country  exhibitions,  where  prizes  are 
injudiciously  given  for  half-a-dozen  pinks  or 
pansies,  or  bouquets  of  flowers,  as  if  to  encou- 
rage the  waste  of  time  over  frivolous  and 
useless  things  ;  for  it  is  well  known  that  a 
rod  of  flowers,  and  particularly  of  some  kinds, 
will  actually  cost  more  labour  than  an  acre 
of  vegetables.  Floriculture  cannot  be  in- 
dulged in  by  the  cottager  without  a  great 
sacrifice  of  time  and  money,  which  he  can  ill 
afford,  and  it  only  tends  to  degrade  the  science 
when  incompetent  persons  are  urged  by  the 
hope  of  reward  to  attempt  growing  and  show- 
ing things  which  they  cannot  produce  in  per- 
fection. 


THE    CULTURE    OF    BULBS. 

Nobody  would  believe,  from  the  casual  visi- 
tation of  the  English  gardens,  that  there  are 
hundreds  of  species  and  varieties  of  hardy 
bulbous  roots,  sufficient  to  keep  a  garden  in 
gay  colours  almost  the  year  round ;  for  go 
where  we  may,  there  seems  to  be  no  space 
allotted  for  the  culture  of  bulbs,  as  compared 
with  the  enormous  room  occupied  by  the  most 
common  and  uninteresting  plants.  In  the 
open  ground  we  see  the  crocus;  it  is  here  in 
all  its  splendour ;  but  the  scilla  is  not  to  be 
seen  in  one  garden  of  a  hundred  ;  yet  the  last 
February  we  saw,  in  an  establishment  greatly 
devoted  to  the  hardy  bulbs,  the  scilla  fairly 
challenging  admiration  in  the  midst  of  millions 
of  crocuses,  which  were  flowering  in  all  their 
splendour,  but  with  no  shade  of  blue  to  come 
nearly  up  to  the  varieties  of  blue  in  their 
rival.  It  would  hardly  be  conceived  that 
persons  who  loved  flowers  could  be  so 
ignorant  as  not  to  know  them,  or,  if  they 
knew  them,  so  indifferent  as  to  neglect 
them.  The  l)riiliant  blue  of  the  scilla  is 
brighter  than  Salcia  patens,  the  small  bunches 
of  flowers  appear  almost  before  any  foliage  is 


380 


THE  CULTURE  OF  BULBS, 


indicated,  and  a  bed  filled  with  them  is  almost 
too  bright  to  look  upon. 

Then  there  is  the  hyacinth,  almost  a  stranger 
in  gardens,  and  confined  to  pot  culture  and 
glass  culture;  while  it  presents  us  with  a 
variety  of  colours  which  hardly  any  other  tribe 
possesses,  and  is  withal  a  very  hardy  genus, 
and  requires  no  trouble  as  a  border  flower. 
In  this  family  may  be  found  blues  of  all  shades, 
reds  of  all  shades,  purples,  and  whites,  and  a 
very  respectable  approach  to  yellow.  If  the 
bulbs  are  merely  placed  three  inches  deep  in  a 
border,  they  will  want  no  other  attention  than 
keeping  them  clear  from  weeds.  If  they  are  left 
in  the  ground,  they  will  come  up  year  after 
year;  but  they  spread  into  offsets,  and  the 
flowers  come  in  smaller  spikes  than  they  would 
if  they  were  taken  up  when  they  begin  to 
decay,  and  sorted,  the  smallest  left  out,  and 
the  largest  replaced  after  remaining  out  of 
ground  two  or  three  months ;  but,  treated  as 
perennial  plants  of  the  herbaceous  kind,  and 
left  in  the  ground  from  year  to  year,  they 
look  quite  as  gay,  and  give  no  trouble. 

Next  look  to  the  early  tulips,  a  family  com- 
paratively unknown,  and  certainly  not  at  all 
encouraged  by  those  who  do  know  them ;  yet 
they  rapidly  succeed  the  earliest  bulbs,  and 
last  until  the  late  ones  flower.  We  can  safely 
say  that  a  dozen  sorts,  as  distinct  as  possible, 
and  the  best  of  the  tribe,  might  be  cultivated 
with  great  advantage  to  the  garden. 

The  various  irises  with  bulbous  roots  form 
a  magnificent  group,  and  are  deserving  a 
much  better  fate  than  the  neglect  evinced 
towards  them  by  almost  all  gardeners  and 
amateurs.  It  is  almost  vexing  to  a  man  of 
taste  to  see  garden  after  garden  without  any 
of  these  splendid  objects. 

Then  let  us  turn  to  the  narcissus  tribe. 
Scores  of  varieties  of  all  shades  of  yellow  and 
pure  white  may  be  found  in  bloom  at  once ; 
some  sorts  bearing  only  single  blooms,  others 
having  large  bunches  ;  some  all  of  one  colour, 
others  with  two,  for  instance,  white  and  yellow, 
or  yellow  and  orange,  and  in  endless  variety 
of  forms  and  sizes.  They  are  truly  very  beau- 
tiful, and  some  earlier  than  others ;  so  that 
the  season  of  bloom  in  this  one  family  is  pro- 
longed. The  jonquil  is  very  like  the  nar- 
cissus, but  perhaps  more  elegant  and  smaller ; 
but  many  people  fancy  they  are  like  the  same 
family  on  a  smaller  scale. 

We  have,  it  is  true,  mentioned,  with  perhaps 
one  exception,  bulbs  well  known,  but  never- 
theless as  much  neglected  as  if  they  were  only 
fitted  for  pot  and  glass  culture,  and  in  fact 
almost  always  forced.  Now  there  is  no  good 
reason  why  they  should  not  enrich  the  flower 
borders  several  months  in  the  year.  'But 
there  are  other  splendid  families  to  follow. 
Many  kinds  of  ixia  and  sparasis  are  beau- 


tiful, and  some  of  the  colours  extraordinary ; 
but  a  portion  of  these  are  not  hardy,  yet  they 
seem  the  most  encouraged,  for  even  in  the 
choicest  gardens  we  have  hardly  ever  seen 
them  in  beds,  borders,  or  clumps.  Then  we 
have  the  grand  family  of  lilies ;  the  only 
three  of  which  that  we  see  at  all  plentiful  in 
English  gardens  are  the  Turk's  cap,  or  scarlet 
martagon — the  orange  lily,  by  some  called 
the  fox's  lily — and  the  white  lily ;  the  two 
latter  seem  plentiful  in  all  cottage  gardens ; 
but  there  are  scores  of  species  of  the  lily 
family  almost  unknown  to  common  gardens 
and  gardeners,  and  yet  not  dear.  The  ci'own 
imperial  and  all  the  fritUlaries  are  both  early 
and  interesting.  They  do  not  vary  much  in 
colour,  being  chiefly  different  shades  of  yellow, 
but  they  are  nevertheless  graceful  and  hand- 
some in  their  growth,  and  make  a  noble  appear- 
ance among  early  bulbs.  Lilium  japonicum 
comprises  a  large  family,  and  all  of  them 
splendid.  L.  punctatum  and  its  varieties 
are  gorgeous  in  the  extreme;  Groom,  of 
Clapham,  was  the  first  to  make  any  great  show 
with  them  ;  but  those  who  have  seen  his  col- 
lection, and  reflect  for  a  moment  upon  their 
comparative  hardiness,  for  they  want  very 
slight  protection,  will  easily  form  an  idea  of 
the  acquisition  they  would  be  to  well-managed 
establishments.  In  short,  the  lily  tribe  is 
extensive,  hardy,  beautiful,  varied,  of  easy 
culture,  and  some  of  them  are  in  bloom  during 
May,  June,  July,  and  August.  If  we  look  at 
their  colours,  they  take  the  range  of  all  the 
crimsons,  orange,  yellow,  and  scarlet;  there  are 
many  exquisitely  pure  white,  and  others  are 
speckled ;  and  as  for  forms,  from  a  globe  to  a 
trumpet,  there  is  every  shape.  Here  then 
we  fairly  occupy  with  flowers  all  the  period 
from  February,  when  crocuses,  snowdrops,  and 
scillas  commence  their  bloom,  until  the  end 
of  August,  when  the  gayest  of  the  lilies 
occupy  prominent  places  among  even  that  gay 
flora.  Then  comes  the  colchicum,  of  which 
Paxton  gives  an  account  of  purples,  whites, 
and  pinks,  blooming  from  July  to  November; 
and  in  addition  to  these,  the  Amaryllis  lutea, 
now  called  Oporanthus  luteus,  but  affording 
their  golden  yellow  after  all  other  flowers  have 
done,  and  forming  an  excellent  helpmate  to 
the  varied  and  beautiful  tribe  last  mentioned. 
Besides  this  late  visitor  of  the  Amaryllis  tribe, 
we  have  aulica  and  Belladonna,  and  varieties 
coming  with  their  green  and  scarlet,  red  and 
flesh-coloured  flowers,  somewhat  earlier ;  and 
we  might  go  on  almost  ad  -infimtum  with  par- 
ticulars and  descriptions  of  other  bulbs,  to 
show  that  if  we  could  not  in  the  open  ground 
have  a  rich  supply  of  flowers  the  entire  year, 
we  cannot  exclude  more  than  two  months  out 
of  the  twelve.  Indeed,  those  we  have  already 
spoken  of  bloom  ten  out  of  the  twelve  months; 


THE    CULTURE    OF    BULBS. 


381 


and  by  judicious  selection,  a  border  might  be 
so  finished  as  to  require  nothing  but  bulbs  to 
keep  it  always  during  these  ten  months  gay, 
and  often  rich  beyond  conception.     So  little, 
however,  are  many  bulbs  thought  of  in  this 
country  for  the  open  borders,  that  few  are  to 
be  seen  ;  and  though  they  are  imported  from 
Holland,  at  moderate  prices,  in  large  quan- 
tities, those  only  that  are  cultivated  in  pots, 
and  forced  into  early  bloom,  seem  to  create 
any  demand.     Hyacinths  will  always  be  fa- 
vourites, because  they  can  be  grown  anyhow — 
in  mould,  in  sand,  in  water  and  in  moss,  they 
always  reward  the  purchaser  with  a  bloom. 
In   the   most  wretched   alleys  and  confined 
places  in  London,  a  sound  bulb  will  give  a 
comparatively  good  flower.     There  is  nothing 
more  certain.     The  crocus,  and  some  of  the 
kinds  of  narcissus,  are  rivals  in  this  respect ; 
and  this  may  account  for  the  fact  of  their 
selling  better  and  in  larger  quantities  than  all 
the  other  sorts  of  bulbs  put  together.     Early 
tulips  are  not  quite  so  obedient ;    they  will 
not  always  return  the  cultivator  a  bloom  for 
his  trouble  when  pent  up  in  a  dark  room  or  a 
smoky  town ;  but  it  is  quite  time  bulbs  were 
better  understood,  and  more  generally  culti- 
vated in  gardens.     Thousands  of  people  do 
not  even  know  that  early  tulips,  narcissus, 
hyacinths    and  jonquils  are  perfectly  hardy; 
they  know  they  grow  in  pots  and  in  glasses 
within  doors,  but  they  would  fancy  the  bulbs 
lost  to  be  put  in  the  ground.     This  delusion 
arises  from  the  fact  of  their  seeing  them  con- 
stantly potted   at   all   nurseries,    but  rarely 
planted  out;  for  nurserymen  too  often  keep 
their  surplus  stock  out  of  sight,  and  pick  out 
the  finest  of  the  roots  to  pass  ofl.'  the  next 
season  as  imported  Dutch  bulbs.     A  London 
seedsman  played  us  ofi"  this  trick  last  autumn, 
and  out  of  some  dozens  of  narcissus  not  six 
put  up  blooms ;    this  is  a  very  discreditable 
sort  of  transaction,  as  it  lost  us  all  they  cost, 
for  we  were  ashamed  to  charge  for  them  ;  and 
of  course  it  is  the  last  order  the  same  party 
will  get  from  us,  so  that  he  will  gain  nothing 
in  the  long  run.     But  let  it  not  be  misunder- 
stood that  roots  grown  properly  in  England 
would   be  worse  than  those  from   Holland ; 
only  there  is  a  difierence  between  those  planted 
in  proper  beds  in  autumn  and  grown  well, 
and  those  which  are  kept  in  a  window  until 
all  chance  of  selling  them  is  gone,  and  then 
stuck  in  the  ground  to  save  their  lives.     Let 
us   then    strongly  recommend   everybody  to 
cultivate  bulbs;  they  are  far  more  beautiful  and 
durable  than  hundreds  of  herbaceous  plants 
now  cultivated,  and  will  repay  any  cultivator 
his  cost  and  trouble. 

Bernard  Saunders,  of  Jersey,  and  Lockhart, 
of  Parsons-green,  grow  more,  and  perhaps 
sell    more,  bulbous    roots    than    many  other 


growers  put  together.  They  keep  a  greater 
number  of  varieties  than  any  houses  in  Eng- 
land or  the  Channel  Islands.  In  Saunders's 
catalogue,  for  instance,  there  are  no  less  than 
twenty-six  varieties  of  gladiolus — a  family 
which  we  have  not  mentioned,  though  perhaps 
worthy  of  a  first  place  ;  twelve  kinds  of  iris ; 
nineteen  or  twenty  sorts  of  ixia ;  twelve  dis- 
tinct kinds  of  lily ;  twenty-seven  sorts  of 
narcissus ;  eighteen  sorts  of  sparaxis ;  and 
more  than  fifty  distinct  families  of  bulbs, 
enough,  in  all  conscience,  to  supply  the  finest 
garden  with  a  border  such  as  has  never  been 
shown  in  England;  though  perhaps  Lock- 
hart,  within  a  sixpenny  ride  of  London,  may 
have  them  planted  out  in  store  beds. 

"We  have  chiefly,  in  fact  entirely,  confined 
our  remarks  to  hardy  bulbs ;  but  if  we  turn 
to  the  stove  and  greenhouse  kinds,  the  variety 
is  without  limit — perfectly  endless.  One  family 
alone  is  worthy  of  a  house  to  itself — the 
Amaryllis.  It  is  impossible  to  conceive  a 
more  beautiful  sight  than  a  good  variety  of 
these  in  full  fiower.  So  many  beautiful 
hybrids  have  been  added  to  the  distinct  species 
that  they  are  comparatively  worthless,  except 
so  far  as  to  show  the  difference  between  the 
original  species  and  the  various  crosses.  At 
the  Earl  of  Carnarvon's  there  was  at  one  time 
a  most  noble  collection  of  very  distinct  vari- 
eties, which  had  been  obtained  by  Mr.  Lind- 
sey,  from  seed — having,  however,  had  the 
good  fortune  to  begin  from  the  best  collection 
that  could  be  got  together  by  the  noble  owner, 
from  all  parts  of  the  world.  However,  tender 
bulbs  may  be  grown  by  the  hundreds  who 
have  the  convenience  ;  the  hardy  ones  may  be 
cultivated  by  every  body  who  has  a  rod  of 
ground  and  good  air;  and  we  cannot  too 
strongly  recommend  immediate  attention  to  a 
subject  unaccountably  neglected  by  the  lover.s 
of  flowers. 

A  few  words  on  the  culture  of  hardy  bulbs, 
taken  from  the  instructions  given  by  Mr. 
Saunders,  may  not  be  an  unfit  conclusion  ;  we 
only  received  them  recently,  having  made  up 
our  mind  to  commence  the  cultivation  of  all 
the  best  hardy  bulbs,  and  requested  hints  as 
to  anything  we  might  not  know  from  our  own 
experience. 

In  September  or  October  begin  to  prepare 
your  borders  for  the  cultivation  of  gladiolus, 
sparaxes,  ixias,  and  other  Cape  bulbs,  by 
digging  them  a  spade  deep,  burying  a  good 
stratum  of  good  rotten  dung  at  the  bottom — 
about  two  barrowfuUs  will  do  for  a  bed  thirty 
feet  long  and  four  feet  wide.  The  soil,  in 
general,  should  be  a  good  friable  sandy  loam, 
well  broken  on  digging,  and  rounded  on  the 
surface,  to  throw  off  excessive  rains  in  the 
winter  season.  As  soon  as  the  ground  is 
thus  pi'epared  and  raked  smooth,  plant  the 


382 


HEATING    HORTICULTURAL    BUILDINGS. 


bulbs  in  clumps,  or  rows,  across  the  bed,  from 
two  inches  and  a  half  to  four  inches  deep, 
covering  them  one  inch  with  sand  previous  to 
covering  them  with  the  soil.  After  the  beds 
are  thus  planted,  rake  and  dress  the  ground 
well ;  and  thus  the  work  is  completed  till  the 
spring,  except  keeping  the  surface  clear  of 
weeds,  and  stirring  it  occasionally  with  a 
small  fork,  which  accelerates  their  growth. 
The  different  varieties  flower  in  succession, 
from  the  middle  of  May  till  the  end  of  June ; 
and  large  beds  produce  a  splendid  effect. 

By  thus  early  planting  they  get  well  esta- 
blished, and  will  resist  a  hard  frost ;  as  a  proof 
of  which,  during  the  severe  frosts  of  1837-8 
and  1840-1,  ixias,  sparaxes,  and  tritonias,  were 
preserved  by  a  covering  of  two  inches  of  sand 
spread  over  the  surface  of  the  beds,  as  reported 
in  the  Gardeners'  Magazine.  But  the  climate 
may  in  some  places  be  too  severe  ;  and  in  this 
case  the  best  way  will  be  to  plant  the  bulbs 
in  pots.  One  gladiolus  is  enough  in  a  three- 
inch  pot ;  and  three  ixias  or  babianas,  sparaxes 
or  tritonias  ;  and  plunge  them  in  old  tan 
ashes  or  sand,  under  the  protection  of  a  frame, 
until  April,  when  they  might  be  turned  out 
into  the  open  borders. 

After  all,  we  would  take  no  such  trouble  in 
England.  We  recommend  those  who  wish  to 
cultivate  bulbs  in  good  earnest,  first  to  well 
drain  their  borders  ;  then  mix  half  loam  from 
rotted  turf  and  turfy  peat,  or,  for  want  of  it, 
leaf  mould  and  sand,  and  well  amalgamate  it; 
the  layer  of  good  well-decomposed  cow-dung, 
or  dung  from  an  old  melon  frame,  two  inches 
thick,  in  the  bottom.  In  this  border  plant  all 
the  sorts  of  bulbs  that  will  stand  a  mild  winter; 
if  frost  threatens  to  be  severe,  cover  the  bor- 
der with  litter  during  the  prevalence  of  the 
bad  weather,  and  by  the  end  of  April  it  may 
be  removed.  The  blooms  will  be  far  better 
than  in  pots,  or  than  the  bulbs  turned  out  of 
pots,  and  all  the  kinds  will  flower  strong. 
The  planting  is  a  matter  of  taste  ;  we  recom- 
mend all  the  sorts  being  kept  separate  ;  patches 
to  be  always  distinct.  It  is  far  better  than  mixing 
them  ;  and  be  it  remembered  that  if  the  border 
be  well  drained,  and  the  soil  good,  there  will 
be  no  danger  in  leaving  them  in  the  ground 
two  seasons.  We  should  so  plant  them  as  to 
enable  us  to  leave  them  the  third  season  ;  when 
we  should  take  them  up,  re-make  the  border, 
and  plant  them  again.  In  the  absence  of  a  com- 
plete border  or  bed  of  bulbs,  it  will  be  found 
desirable  to  use  the  pots ;  but  in  such  case, 
we  should  put  out  the  pots  and  all  into  the 
borders.  Then  we  might  take  them  up  safely  ; 
and  for  this  purpose  we  should  plant  the  gladi- 
olus in  six-inch  pots,  and  the  smaller  buli^s  in 
four-inch,  or  what  mny  be  understood  as  forty- 
eights  and  thirty-twos  of  the  potteries.  And  so 
also  with  lilies  and  other  larger  bulbs  ;  because 


where  all  other  kinds  of  plants  are  grown  in 
a  border,  the  lilies  and  smaller  bulbs  would 
be  overrun,  and  therefore  damaged.  But  we 
repeat  our  advice  to  everybody  fond  of  flowers, 
— cultivate  bulbous-rooted  plants  extensively. 


HEATING    HORTICULTURAL    BUILDINGS. 

There  has  been  more  money  wasted  in  hot- 
water  apparatus  misapplied  than  it  would  be 
possible  to  estimate  ;  and  this  has  arisen  from 
various  causes.  First,  the  want  of  information 
as  to  the  nature  of  the  heat,  and  the  length 
of  time  to  be  applied.  Secondly,  to  the  love 
of  change  and  the  number  of  theorists  engaged 
in  the  trade.  Thirdly,  from  its  application  in 
many  cases  where  it  is  by  no  means  applic- 
able. It  is  no  uncommon  thing  to  see  an 
enormous  boiler,  capable  of  heating  a  hundred 
yards  of  iron  pipe,  applied  to  a  small  house, 
that  a  conical  boiler  of  a  fifth  of  the  cost 
would  be  sufficient  for  ;  and  scarcely  one  in  a 
dozen  are  appropriate.  In  our  opinion  no- 
thing can  be  so  good  for  a  stove,  nothing  so 
bad  for  a  greenhouse.  In  one  we  require  a 
regular  and  continuous  heat  ;  in  the  other  we 
only  want  the  means  of  suddenly  raising  the 
temperature  to  keep  out  a  frost,  and  the  less 
we  apply  heat  the  better.  If  we  have  hot 
water,  the  boiler  should  be  small,  the  pipes 
thin,  the  fire  effective  ;  but  in  working  both, 
we  pronounce  in  favour  of  a  well-constructed 
flue  as  the  best. 

Now  we  come  to  the  construction.  Sup- 
posing it  to  be  anything  under  fifty  feet, 
let  the  furnace  be  at  the  back,  let  the  flue  be 
built  above  the  ground  on  bricks  put  edge- 
ways, at  such  distances  as  will  receive  the 
joints  of  a  bottom  of  large  paving  tiles,  on 
which  make  the  flue  without  a  dip,  saci'ifice  a 
door,  and  make  one  do  at  one  end  rather  than 
dip  under  one ;  make  this  bottom  reach  all 
round  to  the  door  way,  and  on  this  bottom, 
which  should  be  two  inches  from  the  front 
wall,  bricks  are  laid  edgeways  to  make  the 
sides  of  the  flue,  and  another  row  of  tiles  on 
the  top  forms  the  bottom  of  a  return  flue. 
At  the  end  where  the  return  is  made,  the 
bottom  of  the  top  flue,  and  the  top  of  the 
bottom  flue  are  not  carried  home,  but  the  edge 
is  made  rounding,  and  a  six-inch  opening  is 
to  be  left  for  the  smoke  to  return.  The  return 
flue  is  built  like  the  bottom  one  all  the  way 
back  and  carried  into  the  chimney,  which  may 
be  built  over  the  furnace.  It  will  be  observed 
that  we  have  no  flue  at  the  back,  and  in  lean- 
to-houses,  the  front  is  all  that  need  be  heated. 
The  top  of  the  flue  is  of  paving  tiles,  well 
jointed,  and  it  would  hardly  be  credited  how 
rapidly  the  houses  ai'e  heated  by  a  flue  of  this 
description  ;  none  of  the  warmth  is  lost.  The 
inside,  next   the  wall,    aives  out  its  surface- 


THE    CORREA. 


383 


heat  as  well  as  the  front,  the  bottom,  and  top  ; 
and  this  is  perceptible  a  few  minutes  after  a  fire 
is  lighted.  A  well-built  furnace,  with  a  proper 
damper,  is  capable  of  being  banked  up  with 
ashes  to  last  all  night,  when  the  severity  of 
the  weather  requires  it.  The  cost  of  this, 
as  compared  with  a  boiler  and  its  pipes,  is  a 
great  consideration,  but  the  convenience  is 
far  greater.  A  greenhouse  should  never  have 
a  fire  except  to  keep  out  frost  or  dry  the 
place,  for  damp  is  a  very  destructive  visitor. 
In  this  case,  the  superiority  of  the  brick-flue 
is  worth  notice ;  the  heat  is  generated  so  rapidly 
that  advantage  can  be  taken  of  a  few  hours 
fine  weather  to  light  the  fires  and  open  the 
top  windows,  or  rather  sashes  ;  and  it  ought 
not  to  be  lost  sight  of,  that  iron  boilers  and  pipes 
take  as  much  harm  lying  idle  as  they  do  at 
work.  Besides,  iron  pipes  are  not  sightly, 
while  a  well-built  flue  is  an  excellent  support 
for  the  front  stage  on  Avhich  generally  the 
most  delicate  and  valuable  plants  are  placed. 

We  need  hardly  point  out  the  advantage  of 
generating  the  heat  under  the  lowest  part  of 
the  roof,  and  yet  we  go  into  some  houses 
where  the  principal  part  of  it  is  generated  at 
the  back,  so  that  the  heat,  which  rises  perpen- 
dicularly, has  to  get  to  the  top  of  the  roof  in 
the  most  direct  way,  and  the  front  only  feels 
the  advantage  when  the  house  is  absolutely 
full  of  the  warm  vapour  ;  whereas,  if  generated 
at  the  lowest  part,  it  ascends  the  sloping  roof, 
and  when  at  the  apex,  falls  as  it  cools  ;  so  that 
where  the  heat  is  most  required  there  is  most 
of  it.  All  that  can  be  said  against  the  flue  is, 
that  it  may  require  more  attention  while  it  is 
in  use  ;  but,  as  we  before  observed,  this  in  a 
greenhouse  is  seldom. 

If  hot  water  is  determined  on,  the  conical 
boiler  is  by  far  the  best,  the  most  economical, 
the  most  rapidly  effective,  and  requires  the 
least  attention,  let  the  application  be  tem- 
porary or  permanent,  or  large  or  small ;  but 
the  pipes  should  be  placed  under  the  lowest 
part  of  the  roof,  in  the  same  way  as  the  flue, 
and,  in  lean-to-houses,  the  heat  at  the  back  is 
but  of  little  use.  In  stoves  and  houses,  to  be 
kept  at  a  continuous  high  temperature,  hot 
water  saves  a  good  deal  of  time,  because  it 
takes  some  horn's  to  cool  the  water  ;  and  if  the 
fire  happens  to  be  let  out  for  a  few  hours,  the 
temperature  does  not  fall  so  rapidly,  but  that 
lighting  it  again  brings  it  up  ;  so  that  things  do 
not  materially  suffer.  Still  there  is  no  excut^e 
for  the  extravagant,  complicated,  and  costly 
apparatus  that  the  hot-water  doctors  recom- 
mend and  find  simpletons  to  adopt.  If  some 
gentlemen  were  to  look  to  their  accounts  for 
heating  their  houses,  and  could  have  a  peep 
at  the  cost  of  others  which  are  better  heated 
at  one-fourth  the  cost,  they  would  not  be  so 
ready  to  adopt  every  fanciful  theory  that  was 


brought  under  their  notice.      If  we  had  to 
build  fifty  greenhouses,  to  be  used  as  such, 
that  is,  used  for  the  culture  of  hard-wooded 
and  other  really  greenhouse  plants,  we  would 
have  nothing  but  a  simple  return  flue  ;  and  if 
we  could  get  that  along  the  front,  we  should 
care  for  nothing  more.     One  fact  ought  to 
open  the  eyes  of  those  who  adopt  this  kind  of 
heating.     We  allude  to  the  astounding  fact, 
that  the  same  people  scarcely  put  up  tlie  same 
kind  of  heating  apparatus  twice.      Walk  into 
any  nobleman's  or  gentleman's  place,  and  you 
will  hardly  see  two  of  the  houses  heated  alike. 
Hot- water   tanks,    hot-water  open  and  close 
troughs,  hot-water  pipes,  all  shapes  and  varie- 
ties of  boilers  ;  some  heating   a  large  house 
with  a  five  or  six  gallon  conical  boiler  ;  an- 
other, of  half  the  size,  with  a  thirty  or  forty 
gallon  boiler  to  supply  it.     The  very  Horti- 
cultural Society,  adopting  professedly  the  best 
plans,  wear  out  a  couple  of  boilers  in  a  short 
time  for  their  large  conservatory,   and  then 
change   to    a   totally   different  principle,    to 
give  place  in  turn,   no  doubt,  to  some  other 
schemer's  theory.     In  short,  there  is  nothing 
worse   managed,    at   this    moment,   than  the 
heating  of  horticultural  buildings.     Let  any- 
body  wade  through  the  stuff  that  has  been 
written  about  the  Polmaise  heating,  and  the 
subject  palls    upon    the    senses.      Thousands 
of  pounds  have  been  literally  fooled  away  in 
plans  under  that  title,  but  as  widely  removed 
from  it  in  principle  as  a  horse  from  a  hen. 
The  original  Polmaise  heating,  though  not  all 
we  like,  was  at  least  rational  and  economical  ; 
but  we  have  seen  twenty  houses  heated  upon 
what  is  now  called  the  Polmaise  plan,  where 
there  was  hardly  one  feature  of  the  original 
plan  left ;  still  our  principal  objection  to  all 
the  complicated  plans  is,  that  they  seem  studied 
varieties  to  increase  expense  ;  and  we  repeat 
that  the  most  simple  and  efficacious,  the  most 
easily   managed,    and  the  cheapest   for   hot- 
houses, are  the  conical  boilers,  supplying  pipes 
that  range  along  the  lowest  part  of  the  houses, 
that   is  to   say,   the   part  where  the  roof  is 
lowest,    as    the   front  in    lean-to-houses,   and 
the  sides    of  those  with    ridged   roofs  ;    and 
brick  flues  for  the  greenhouse. 


THE   CORREA. 

There  is  not  a  more  deserving  plant  iu 
greenhouse  culture  than  the  Correa  and  its 
varieties.  The  original  Correas  :  alba,  pul- 
cliella,  and  speclosa,  are  very  old  acquaint- 
ances, and  there  is  a  story  told  about  the 
introduction  of  the  latter  that  may  be  worth 
repeating: — A  nurseryman  was  once  standing 
at  his  door,  in  Islington,  when  a  boy  passed 
with  a  pot  in  his  hand,  carefully  covered  up 


384 


CAMELLIA    HALFIDA. 


with  paper  to  protect  a  small  plant,  and  tlie  man 
carelessly  asked  the  boy  what  be  had,  and 
where  he  had  been  for  it,  when  the  lad  showed 
him  both  the  plant  and  the  invoice,  which  he 
had  been  to  fetch  from  Messrs.  Loddiges,  and 

was  taking  it no  matter  where.     The 

invoice  showed  that  the  plant  was  Correa 
speciosa,  and  the  price  was  five  guineas.  The 
nurseryman  immediately  went  to  buy  all  he 
could,  but  was  only  able  to  get  one,  and  after- 
wards got  another  party  to  go  and  buy  him  a 
second.  He  immediately  set  to  work,  by 
grafting  all  the  bits  he  could  take  off  on  stocks 
of  C.  alba,  and  before  the  plant  was  well 
known,  had  hundreds  for  sale  ;  and  we  have 
ourselves  heard  the  man  say  it  was  the  most 
money-getting  plant  he  ever  worked,  for  the 
young  ones  went  off  at  a  good  price,  and  nobody 
saw  how  they  were  worked  or  suspected  they 
were  worked  at  all.  However,  these  three 
Correas  have  been  favourites,  and  the  whole 
family  deserves  to  be, 

Mr.  Milner,  of  South  Lambeth,  took  great 
pains  to  save  seed,  and  succeeded  in  producing 
many  very  striking  varieties,  among  the  fore- 
most of  which  was  C.  Milnerii,  which  was 
purchased  by  Mr.  Glenny  for  twenty -five 
pounds,  and  afterwards  let  out  to  the  nurseries 
at  two  guineas  per  plant.  Mr,  Glenny  after- 
wards purchased  a  great  number  of  seedlings, 
two  of  which,  C.  Cavendishii  and  another, 
he  let  out  by  cuttings  to  Mr.  Groom,  C.  rosea 
was  sold  to  Mr.  Low,  and  is  by  far  the  best 
of  the  whole  for  habit  and  abundant  bloom, 
C.  longijiora  and  grandiflora  were  sold  to 
other  nurserymen  ;  and  C.  bicotor,  the  true 
one,  "which  is  speciosa  in  miniature  and 
brighter,  was  let  out  at  the  Clapton  Nursery. 
Since  that  period  a  large  batch  of  seedlings, 
the  remainder  of  Milner's  stock,  came  into  the 
hands  of  Mr.  Gaines,  of  Battersea,  and  have 
been  named  and  sent  out  in  all  directions. 

This  family  now  affords  some  very  pretty 
contrasts,  and  a  dozen  may  be  selected  that 
will  group  well.  The  grand  feature  in  the 
Correa  is  its  blooming  all  through  the  winter, 
and  its  abundant  and  well-disposed  flowers.  It 
is  not,  however,  half  enough  cultivated,  and, 
except  three  or  four,  very  little  known.  It  is 
not  a  market  plant,  because  it  comes  in  flower 
at  the  time  of  year  that  flowers  are  not 
wanted  ;  but  it  is  a  desirable  plant  in  all 
private  greenhouses  and  conservatories.  It 
is  raised  from  cuttings  of  the  young  wood, 
with  a  bell-glass  over  them,  and  in  a  cold 
frame ;  but  the  striking  can  be  hastened  with 
slight  bottom  heat.  It  grows  best  in  loam 
and  turfy  peat,  without  dung,  and  requires 
cool  treatment.  A  frame  or  greenhouse,  with- 
out fire-heat,  except  in  extreme  weather,  suits 
it ;  and  it  can,  without  any  trouble,  by  con- 


stant shifting  and  careful  watering  only  when 
required,  be  grown  to  any  size  ;  we  have  seen 
them  ten  feet  high,  and  literally  covered  with 
flowers  ;  and  we  should  recommend  everybody 
who  has  a  greenhouse  to  select  a  dozen  of  the 
sorts,  (for  they  are  now  reasonable  enough  to 
be  within  everybody's  reach,)  and  grow  them 
well,  for  they  will  enliven  the  greenhouse 
when  there  are  very  few  flowers  to  break  the 
monotony  of  the  dreary  months.  We  have 
seen  several  of  the  sorts  at  Lee's,  and  all  of 
them  at  Gaines's — we  are  quite  sure  they  will 
be  appreciated  the  first  season.  When  the 
bloom  is  over,  the  knife  may  be  used  to  keep 
the  plant  in  form,  and  check  exuberant 
shoots,  but  it  is  generally  graceful  in  its 
nature. 


CAMELLIA  HALFIDA, 

This  king  of  the  rosy  varieties  is  a  fo- 
reigner, and  of  no  very  great  price,  but  it  is 
second  to  not  one  of  the  pinky  or  rosy  tribe. 
It  is  a  better  form  than  the  double  white  ;  it 
has  thicker  petals,  smoother  edges,  stands 
better  up  in  the  centi-e,  and  is  rounder  in  the 
outline.  The  plant  is  of  fine  habit,  and  if  any 
person  would  only  grow  one  of  the  red  tribe 
it  should  be  Halfida.  The  true  colour  of  it 
may  be  called  peach-blossom.  We  are  not 
quite  so  much  interested  about  the  foliage  of 
a  plant  as  to  describe  its  peculiarities  when 
trifling  ;  all  we  say  of  Halfida  is,  that  the  habit 
is  as  good  as  myrtifolia,  and  that  the  plant  is 
as  free  a  grower.  The  flowers  are  confined,  as 
far  as  we  saw  any,  to  the  ends  of  the  shoots, 
and  open  freely.  Tried  on  its  own  bottom,  it 
did  not  grow  so  freely  as  worked  on  the 
single  or  semidouble  red  for  a  stock  ;  and  on 
reticulata  a  plant  did  very  well  indeed,  but  the 
Ghent  nurseries  sent  it  over  well  worked  and 
in  good  condition,  and  all  we  have  been  able 
to  get  sight  of  among  imported  plants  grew 
alike.  It  is  unquestionably  one  of  the  very 
best  of  the  reds  or  roses,  looking  at  the  pro- 
portions generally  ;  and  above  all  things  we 
recommend  every  grower  to  obtain  it,  although 
we  do  not  know  where  to  direct  anybody  to 
get  it  in  England.  We  have  only  seen  it  in 
private  collections,  except  in  one  or  two  in- 
stances in  which  the  parties  had  the  wrong 
plant  under  the  name.  The  Paris  nursery- 
men have  it  pretty  reasonable,  and  we  believe 
the  Ghent  ones  have  it  :  the  safest  way  to 
get  it  would  be  in  bloom  if  possible,  but  we 
do  not  think  the  continental  nurseries  have 
any  other  under  the  name.  It  cannot  be  too 
much  propagated,  nor  too  generally  grown. 
In  point  of  money  value  it  may  be  cheap,  but 
it  is  worth  a  score  of  the  other  reds,  and  in 
form  equal  to  the  best  of  any  colour. 


THE  ALSTRCEMERTA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


38; 


THE    ALSTR(EMERIA, 
ITS   VARIETIES    AND    CULTIVATION. 

This  genus  was  named  after  one  Alstroe- 
mer,  of  whom  the  following  brief  biographical 
sketch  will  form  an  interesting  introduction 
to  the  subsequent  enumeration  of  the  various 
kinds  of  Alstroemeria  known  to  botanists,  and 
the  accompanying  outline  of  their  cultivation. 
These  particulars  are,  for  the  most  part,  a 
translation  of  a  paper  published  in  a  recent 
number  of  the  Gheiit  Annales : — 

Jonas  Alstrcemer  was  a  Swedish  merchant, 
whose  varied  knowledge,  his  probity,  zeal,  and 
constant  industry,  enabled  him  to  acquire  a 
handsome  fortune.  He  had  laid  the  founda- 
tion of  his  prosperity  at  London,  in  profiting 
by  the  exaipple  of  a  great  people ;  but  the  spirit 
of  commercial  enterprise  had  not  proved  un- 
favourable to  the  expansion  of  generous  emo- 
tions, towards  the  development  of  which  inter- 
course in  society  is  otherwise  conducive.  The 
counting-house  had  not  absorbed  the  cares  or 
dried  up  the  kindly  impulses  of  this  man  of 
wealth.  Alstrcemer  resided  at  London  in 
1696,  and  on  his  return  to  Sweden  he  lost  no 
time  in  instituting  proper  measures  for  im- 
50. 


provement  in  the  breed  of  sheep.  He  was 
the  first  to  import  the  rams  of  Angora  towards 
this  object  ;  he  also  had  works  erected  for 
refining  sugar,  and  he  had  a  vast  number  of 
the  dye  plants  cultivated.  He  devoted  him- 
self entirely  to  the  promotion  of  Agriculture 
in  relation  to  the  Arts. 

A  century  before  the  time  of  the  celebrated 
Parmentier*  of  France,  Alstrcemer  had  per- 
ceived the  value  of  the  potato  :  having  appre- 
ciated its  economical  properties  in  England, 
he  had  it  imported  to  Sweden,  where  he 
caused  a  great  quantity  to  be  planted.  This 
single  action  might  have  made  him  glorious, 
but  he  did  more  :  in  England  he  had  learned 
the  principles  of  association,  and  all  his  efforts 
were  directed  to  the  formation  of  those  pow- 
erful societies,  which,  under  the  name  of 
the  Levant  and  the  East  India  Companies, 
effected  so  much  in  the  commerce  of  Europe. 
A  long  life  of  ninety-six  years  was  wholly 
devoted  to  useful  labours.  After  his  death  his 
countrymen  erected  a  monument  to  his  me- 
mory in  the  Exchange  of  Stockholm,  on  which 
is  inscribed  a  short  but  eloquent  testimony 
of  the  good  he  had  done  : — 

"  To  Jonas  Alstrcemer,  Founder  of  the 
Industrial  Arts  in  his  Country." 

Jonas  left  four  sons,  who  inherited  their 
father's  love  of  progress,  his  talents,  and  his 
useful  activity.  One  of  these,  named  Claude, 
was  born  in  1736,  became  a  pupil  of  Linnaeus, 


*  Alstrcemer  was  born  in  the  j'ear  1665,  and  died 
in  1761.  Parmentier  was  born  in  1737,  and  died  in 
1813. 

C  C 


386 


THE  ALSTRCEMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


and  was  especially  devoted  to  the  study  of  the 
economical  sciences.  It  was  the  earnest  desire 
of  the  father  that  his  sons  should  all  be  well 
versed  in  natural  history,  which  he  regarded 
as  one  of  the  essential  bases  of  a  complete 
education,  especially  with  the  view  of  being 
useful  to  mankind. 

Claude  Alstroeraer  travelled  in  Spain,  Italy, 
France,  and  other  countries.  In  April,  1761, 
he  landed  at  Cadiz,  and  was  introduced  to  a 
lady  who  was  fond  of  flowers,  and  in  whose 
garden  he  found  a  magnificent  unknown  lilia- 
ceous plant,  the  seeds  of  which  had  been  sent 
from  Peru  by  the  lady's  husband  a  short  time 
previous  :  its  name  had  not  been  mentioned 
in  the  annals  of  the  history  of  plants.  Claude 
Alstroemer  lost  no  time  in  sending  a  parcel  of 
dried  plants,  by  the  Swedish  consul,  to  his 
esteemed  Pi-ofessor,  and  among  them  was  a 
specimen  of  this  new  lilaceous  one.  He  did 
not  omit  to  send  at  the  same  time  some  of  the 
ripe  seeds,  which  were  sown  at  the  garden  at 
Upsal ;  and  from  these,  plants  were  obtained 
that  produced  beautiful  flowers,  which  became 
generally  called  "  Alstroemer's  lily."  In  1762 
Linnaeus  used  this  name  as  the  basis  of  a  new 
genus,  and  thus  the  illustrious  name  of  Al- 
stroemer has  ever  since,  been  preserved  in 
botanical  science  to  designate  an  elegant  family 
of  Amaryllids. 

By  thus  consecrating  the  name  of  the  indi- 
vidual who  introduced  this  plant,  Linnseus 
showed  the  importance  of  the  exact  history  of 
those  objects  which  contribute  to  the  enjoy- 
ment of  man,  and  that  we  are  culpable  when 
_we  do  not  seek  to  preserve  the  memory  of  such 
laudable  actions  from  oblivion.  Linnasus,  in 
connexion  with  this  subject,  has  cited  De 
I'Escluse,  who,  v/ith  all  the  introductions  of 
his  time,  did  full  justice  to  his  contemporaries 
by  connecting  their  names  with  the  history 
of  those  plants  which  were  introduced  or  cul- 
tivated by  them,  while  this  disti-ibutive  justice 
had  been  but  too  much  neglected  by  others. 
It  is  now  a  century  since  these  just  reflections 
were  made  at  Upsal,  but  they  are  applicable 
at  the  present  day  ;  and  it  is  not  without  the 
hope  of  their  btdng  useful  that  we  bring  them 
forward  for  the  consideration  of  our  own  con- 
temporaries. 

Claude  Alstroemer  introduced,  described, 
figured,  and  propagated  the  Alstroemeria,  and 
therefore  Linnaeus  named  this  genus  in  honour 
of  him,  and  showed  at  the  same  time  that  the 
elder  Feuillee,  in  his  Flora  of  Peru,  had  de- 
scribed, under  the  name  of  Hemerocallis, 
three  species  of  the  same  genus,  to  which  the 
botanical  reformer  gave  the  respective  names 
o^  Alstroemeria  pelegtina,  Ligtu,  and  Salsilla. 
There  was  one  feature  of  interest  attached 
to  these  Hemerocalli  that  the  Jesuit  Father 
had  but  ill  fii^ured  and  as  ill  described  :  it  is 


in  speaking  of  the  Alstroemeria  peletjrina  that 
Feuillee  relates  how  much  value  the  ancient 
monarchs  of  Peru  attachedtogardens  and  flow- 
ers. These  sovereigns  were  horticulturists; 
they  possessed  "  Anthophylacies,"  as  stated  by 
Linnaeus, — that  is,  gardens  of  pleasure  ;  and 
flowers,  as  those  of  the  Alstroemeria,  were  so 
prized  or  admired,  that,  once  faded  or  lost, 
they  believed  they  could  only  be  imitated  by 
images  of  gold  and  silver.  Hence  Feuillee 
assures  us,  that  in  these  gardens,  artificial 
flowers,  made  of  these  precious  metals  and 
imitating  the  most  beautiful  natural  flowers, 
wei'e  attached  to  the  trees.  Thus  he  saw,  in 
this  fairyland,  a  field  of  Indian  corn  or  maize, 
each  plant  of  which  was  formed  of  silver,  and 
the  large  spikes  were  of  pure  gold  (!)  In  the 
midst  of  these  wonders,  worthy  of  the  dreams 
of  the  East,  the  Abtroemeria  pelegrina  occu- 
pied the  parterre  of  honour, — so  beautiful  it 
seemed  to  a  people  who  nevertheless  found 
the  plant  growing  freely  by  the  banks  of  the 
rivers  or  on  the  slopes  of  the  hills. 

The  Alstroemeria  pelegrina  was  the  first 
species  of  this  beautiful  genus  that  was  known 
in  Europe.  According  to  Feuillee  it  grew, 
especially  in  Peru,  on  a  mountain  about  a  mile 
to  the  westward  of  Lima.  Linnteus  observed, 
in  connexion  with  this  subject,  that  a  know- 
ledge of  the  country  of  a  plant,  though  va- 
luable as  furnishing  an  important  index,  was 
not  however  suflicient  to  enable  us  properly 
to  understand  its  particular  kind  of  culture  ; 
"for,"  said  he,  "the  Tagetes  and  the  nastur- 
tiums, the  first  being  from  Africa,  and  the 
otlier  from  Peru,  grow  well  even  in  the  gar- 
dens of  Sweden,  but  are  susceptible  of  the 
least  frost ;  while  Solanum  qtiet'cifoliuvi  and 
S.  radicals,  originally  belonging  to  tropical 
countries,  are  not  injured  by  cold  if  they  are 
only  slightly  covered." 

Alstroemeria  Salsilla  was,  according  to 
Feuillee,  who  found  mention  made  of  it  in 
connexion  with  the  medicinal  plants  of  Peru, 
employed  by  the  natives  of  Ciiili  for  similar 
complaints  to  those  for  which  other  plants  of 
like  properties  are  employed  at  the  present 
day.  In  Lindley's  Flora  Medica  it  is  said  to 
be  diuretic  and  diaphoretic.  As  for  A.  pele- 
grina, the  arguments  of  Linnaeus  go  to  prove 
that  that  plant  can  have  but  few  active  pro- 
perties. He  argues  that,  in  her  works,  Nature 
expresses  a  profound  sentiment  of  justice  ;  she 
does  not  lavish  on  one  and  the  same  object  all 
virtues  and  qualities  ;  she  gives  to  the  nightin- 
gale an  enchanting  voice,  but  withholds  from 
it  the  rich  plumage  of  the  parrot  ;  the  latter 
has  a  splendid  robe,  but  a  disagreeable  voice. 
Hence  it  may  reasonably  be  inferred,  that 
since  the  Alstroemeria  is  a  model  of  beauty, 
it  must  be  destitute  of  virtues.  We  do  not 
know    whether    Linnaeus    sustained    such    a 


THE  ALStRCEMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


387 


"  theory  in  the  presence  of  a  beautiful  person, 
or  before  bis  wife,  who,  it  is  said,  had  received 
a  portion  of  Nature's  favours  in  this  respect. 
If  the  grasses  supported  the  reasoning  of  the 
Professor  of  Upsal,  the  trees  of  the  orchard,  { 
and  the  bananas  of  the  hot-house,  were  evi-  | 
dently  against  him  ;   and  in  this  philosophy  of  i 
final  causes  the  most  attractive  reasonings  are  ; 
often  only  so  many  paradoxes. 

One  species,  called  by  Tussac,  Ahtroemerm  j 
edulis,  possesses  roots  containing  a  considerable  j 
portion  of  good  feeula,  thus  constituting  an  j 
article  of  wholesome  food.  This  species  is  j 
found  in  English  gardens.  j 

Ahticemeria  Ligtu,  cultivated  for  the  beauty  j 
t)f  its  flowers,  which  are  of  a  rosy  carmine,  j 
tlie  two  upper  petals  being  varied  with  deeper  : 
tints,  is  not  only  remarlsaUe  for  its  perfume, 
but  also  for  the  nourishing  feeula  extracted  , 
from  its  roots,  which  Tussac,  in  his  Flora des 
Antilles,  relates  to  be  as  wholesome  as  it  is  : 
plentiful.  [ 

Such    are   the    economical    and   medicinal  l 
uses  of  this  beautiful  genus  ;  but  some  of  the  i 
species  possess  another  property,  one  which 
relates  to  the  science  of  life,  viz.  physiology.  ' 
In  our  climate  the  leaves  of  plants  grow  hori- 
zontally, consequently  the  under    side  faces 
the  ground,  and  the  upper  the  heavens.  From  i 
this  position  is  obtained  that  shade  which  is 
the  principal  charm  of  the  forest.     In  New  | 
Holland  the  acacias  and  the  eucalypti,  which 
form  such  forests  of  large  trees,  have  "  no  ' 
lunger  leaves,  but  phyllodia  ; "  that  is  to  say,  j 
a  sort  of  leaves  which  grow  straight  and  nar- 
row, "so  that  there  are  two  lateral  surfaces,  ; 
and  forests  without  shade."     Now  by  physio-  i 
logy  it  has  been  proved  that  this  position  of 
leaves,  or  phyllodia,  so  diverse,  bears  a  rela-  , 
tion  to  the  situation  on  these  organs  of  those 
absorbent  mouths  called  stomates, — singular 
openings  armed  with  mobile  lips,  essential  to 
the  life  of  plants.     Such  plants  as  are  quite 
submerged  are  destitute  of  these  mouths,  which 
have   relation  to  the   air  :    what  could  they 
have   done    in    water  ?       Those  plants  that 
float  with  their  leaves  on   the  water,  as  the 
nuphars  and  nymphgeas,  have  stomates  in  the 
upper  surface  of  their  leaves,  which    are  in 
contact  with  the  air,  and  none  on  those  which 
are  submersed  in  the  liquid.      This  certainly 
proves  that  the  stomates  exercise  their  func- 
tions in  relation  to  the  atmosphere ;  but  this 
position  of  the  stomates  at  the  upper  surface 
of  the   leaves  of  nympheea   proves  also  that 
these  organs  can  be  acted  on  without  injury 
by  the  direct  rays  of  the  sun,  since  the  rays 
fall  directly  on  the  surface  of  the  water.  With 
the  great  majority  of  our  plants,  however,  the 
stomates  are  produced  on  the  inferior  surface 
of  the  leaves,  and  do  not  receive  the  solar 
rays  directly,  but  by  transmission.  A  stomate 


is  not  covered  with  a  skin  any  more  than  the 
spongioles  of  the  roots  ;  it  is  an  organ  sub- 
mitted to  the  diffuse  liuht,  and  which  has  re- 
lations with  the  giound  beneath  it  ;  the  one, 
the  spongiole,  plunged  in  the  soil ;  the  other, 
the  stomate,  placed  in  face  of  it,  aid  parallel 
to  its  surface.  When  Linnaeus  saw  Ahtrce- 
meria  ■pdefp-lna  he  w^as  struck  with  the  ap- 
pearance of  its  leaves.  "  They  are  resupinate," 
said  he  ;  that  is  to  say,  lying  on  their  backs. 
By-and-by  botanists  observed  that  the  leaves 
of  some  Alstroemerias  Avere  whiter  and  paler 
above  than  underneath,  and  that  when  they 
were  turned  (that  is,  by  untwisting  their  base,) 
so  as  to  have  their  greener  surface  exposed  to 
the  sun,  they  assumed  their  Avonted  position 
by  becoming  re-twisted.  Each  of  these  leaves 
is  then  distorted  by  a  spiral  turning  {tour 
d'epier.)  Professor  Lindley  showed  {Introd. 
to  Bot.,  p.  123,  3d  edit.)  for  the  first  time, 
w^e  believe,  that  the  inverse  position  of  the 
leaves  of  Alstrosmeria  originates  from  their 
organization  ;  because  with  them  the  upper 
surface  is  organized  as  the  inferior  is  in  ordi- 
nary leaves,  while  the  under  surface  is  abso- 
lutely like  the  upper  in  the  great  majority  of 
plants.  This  phenomenon  is  the  more  in- 
teresting the  more  explicable  it  becomes. 
Thus,  Professor  Lindley,  in  dissecting  the 
leaves  of  Alstroeraeria,  found  that  they  pos- 
sessed at  their  under  surface,  which  is  of 
course  turned  from  the  ground,  a  greater 
number  of  stomates  than  on  that  which  Avould 
have  been  the  upper  surface,  but  for  the 
twisted  petiole. 

The  Alstroemeria  possesses,  then,  an  ob- 
vious interest  as  regards  its  anatomy  and 
physiology  ;  and  there  are  none  who,  taking 
up  such  profitable  studies  in  connexion  with 
a  garden,  would  wish  to  be  without  the  repre- 
sentatives of  so  remarkable  a  genus. 

The  Alstroemerias  have  been  arranged  in 
a  group  of  the  AmarjUids  of  an  anomalous 
character,  related  to  the  group  of  Agaves. 
With  the  Ixioliron,  a  plant  belonging  to 
Mount  Lebanon,  and  the  Campynema,  a 
genus  originally  from  the  Island  of  Van 
Diemen,  the  Alstroemerias,  which  are  distri- 
buted throughout  the  whole  of  tropical  Ame- 
rica, and  the  extra-tropical  parts  of  Australia, 
approach,  by  the  Doryanthes  exceha—Xhai 
magnificent  tree  Amaryllid,  especially  found 
in  NcAV  Holland, — to  the  luxuriant  vegetation 
of  the  Agaves  and  the  Fourcroyas,  twu  forms 
of  the  American  flora.  Tins  gradation  of 
organization,  compared  with  what  represents 
the  several  forms  of  the  various  countries  of 
the  globe,  is  an  object  not  unworthy  the  con- 
templation of  thoughtful  minds.  Variety  in 
the  Avorks  of  creation  doubtless  rests  on  fixed 
laws  ;  but  in  this  idea  of  cosmos,  Ave  do  not 
yet  knoAv  what  relation  there  is  between  the 

cc2 


388 


THE  ALSTROIMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


world  and  its  different  regions  ;  in  one  part 
studded  with  diverse  vegetable  forms,  and  in 
the  other  even  with  variations  in  these  created 
beings.  This  subject  will,  no  doubt,  some  day 
be  examined  more  particularly. 

THE    SPECIES    OF   ALSTECEMEKIA. 

The  genus  Alstroemeria  is  characterized, 
at  the  present  day,  as  follows  : — 

Alstr(emeria,  Linnceus. — Perianth,  six- 
petalled,  subcampanulate,  regular,  or  nearly 
bilabiate,  the  interior  petals  narrower,  and 
somewhat  tubular  near  the  base.  Stamens 
six,  inserted  at  the  base  of  the  perigonium  ; 
filaments  erect  or  recurved  ;  anthers  oval, 
straight.  Ovary  inferior,  three-celled.  Ovules 
numerous,  horizontal,  anatropal.  Style  fili- 
form ;  stigma  trifid,  with  three  replicate 
Icbes.  Capsules  oblong  or  globulai',  with  three 
or  six  ribs. 

All  the  Alstroemerias  are  herbs  belonging 
to  South  America,  or  the  intertropical  parts 
of  America  and  Australia.  They  are  charac- 
terized by  tuberous  fasciculate  roots,  with  a 
leafy  stem,  which  is  straight,  climbing,  or 
twining  ;  and  having  their  flowers  termi- 
nal in  umbels.  The  genus  is  divided  into 
two  sections  :  1st,  those  -with  a  straight  or 
nearly  straight  stem  ;  2d,  those  which  have 
climbing  or  twining  stems,  M.  Mirbel,  see- 
ing that  the  first  had  erect  or  declined  (bend- 
ing) stamens,  and  oblong  or  globular  capsules, 
formed  a  separate  genus  of  them,  to  which  he 
preserved  the  name  of  Alstroemeria  ;  while 
the  second,  having  a  depressed  globular  cap- 
s.ule,  he  considered  as  constituting  another  or 
distinct  genus,  Bomarea,  in  memory  of  Val- 
mont  de  Bomare,  the  author  of  a  Dictionary 
well  known  in  Natural  History.  These  sec- 
tions are  everywhere  adopted  as  natural,  but 
the  proposition  to  form  them  into  separate 
genera  has  not  been  entertained.  At  the 
present  day  nearly  sixty  species  of  Alstroe- 
merias are  known  ;  from  which  several  true 
hybrids  have  been  obtained  ;  while  others 
have  produced  varieties  almost  without  limits; 
so  that  the  genus  has  become  in  the  hands  of 
growers  one  of  the  richest  and  most  interest- 
ing that  can  be  cultivated  for  the  oinament 
of  the  garden  or  greenhouse.  We  think  it 
proper  to  give  an  enumeration  of  the  species; 
because  it  has  been  pretended  that  they  were 
for  the  most  part  merely  nominal  ;  that  they 
were  simple  varieties  obtained  from  the  seed 
even  of  a  single  species.  This  opinion,  which 
is  evidently  controverted  by  facts,  was  espe- 
cially maintained,  in  1842,  by  M.  Jacques, 
Principal  in  the  Gardens  at  the  Chateau  de 
Neuilly. 

§  Stem  straight,  or  nearly  so. 
1.  Alstrcemeria  pelegrina,  Linnaeus  (spot- 
ted-flowered   Alsiroemeria).  —  Stem    straight 


erect;  leaves  linear-lanceolate,  contorted;  flow- 
ers from  two  to  six;  exterior  petals  obcordate, 
acuminate.  Herbaceous.  Oiiginally  from  Peru 
and  Chili  ;  introduced  in  1762  to  Cadiz,  and 
propagated  by  Claude  Alstrcemer.  Its  stem 
attains  a  height  of  two  feet.  The  flowers  are 
charming,  of  a  rosy  purple,  green  at  the  ex- 
tremity, and  bright  red  at  the  centre.  May  be 
grown  in  the  open  ground  under  a  frame,  or 
in  the  greenhouse  in  winter.  Flowers  in  July. 
2.  Alstrcemeria  Hookeriana,  Schultes 
(Hooker's  Alstrcemeria). — This  is  known  in 
England  under  the  name  of  A.  rosea,  a  name 
given  to  it  by  Sir  William  J.  Hooker  in  his 
Flora  exotica.  Its  stem  is  straight  and  ver- 
rucose  or  warty  ;  the  leaves  are  linear,  glau- 
cous, nearly  twisted  ;  flowers  about  six  in  the 
umbel,  the  leaflets  of  the  perianth  recurved, 
campanulate,  sub -dentate,  the  three  outer 
ones  obovate-spathulate,the  three  inner  linear- 
spathulate.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  Chili. 
The  flowers  at  the  exterior  are  purple,  and 
spotted  with  purple  of  a  deeper  hue  ;  two 
petals  have  a  yellow  line  above  the  middle. 
Flowers  in  July,  and  is  best  grown  in  a  stove. 
Introduced  in  1822. 

3.  Alstroemeria  jmlchra,  Sims  (fair  Al- 
stroemeria).—  Leaves  linear-lanceolate;  pe- 
duncles partially  umbellate,  with  involucres, 
three-flowered  ;  pedicels  twisted,  outer  petals 
obcordate.  This  species  has  been  called 
A.  Flos  Martini  in  the  But.  Reg.;  and  A. 
tricolor  by  Hooker.  Herbaceous.  Native  of 
Chili.  The  four  outer  petals  have  a  deep 
purple  spot,  and  a  white  callosity  at  the  sum- 
mit ;  the  two  inner  ones  are  white,  with  a 
broad  purple  band,  parted  in  streaks  towards 
the  summit,  which  is  yellow,  and  marked 
with  purple  lines  and  small  yellow  points  or 
dots.  Plowers  in  June,  and  is  best  grown  in 
a  greenhouse,  or  the  open  border.  [Intro- 
duced in  1822.] 

4.  Alstroemeria  jndchella,  Linnaeus  (pretty 
Alstroemeria). — Leaves  sessile,  pedicels  shorter 
than  the  involucre;  perianth  reflexed,  open; 
all  the  petals  pointed.  There  is  a  hairy  va- 
riety of  it.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  South 
America.  The  petals  are  white,  red  at  the 
summit,  striated  at  the  base  or  spotted  with 
purple.  This  is  considered  as  a  variety  of 
A.  pallida  (Graham),  and  ^.  A'"e«7Zu  (Gillies), 
which,  according  to  the  Flore  des  Serres, 
form  one  single  species,  a  But  this  opinion 
cannot  be  sustained,  as  an  inspection  of  the 
leaves,  which  are  quite  different,  completely 
destroys  it,  even  without  reference  to  the 
character  of  the  stem  and  the  flowers.  This 
species  flowers  in  June,  and  may  be  grown  in 
a  greenhouse  or  in  a  bed  in  the  open  border. 

5.  Alstrcemeria  Ligtu,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(Ligtu). —  Stem  straight,  leaves  lanceolate, 
linear ;    flowers   in    umbels  ;     petals    nearly 


THE  ALSTR(EMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


38a 


conformable.  This  is  the  A.  Feuillceana  of 
Meyer.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  Chili.  Not 
vHown  by  whom  or  when  introduced.  The 
petals  are  of  a  fleshy  rose  colour,  the  two 
upper  ones  somewhat  marked  or  dotted  ;  and 
the  odour  of  the  flower  is  very  agreeable. 
Flowers  in  March,  and  is  best  grown  in  a 
stove. 

6.  Alstrcemeria  magnifica,  Herbert  (mag- 
nificent Alstroemeria). — External  divisions  of 
the  perianth  apiculate,  obovate,  pale  purple, 
two  inches  long,  by  one  and  a  quarter  broad ; 
under  petals  equally  coloured,  rounded,  and 
obtuse,  about  an  inch  and  a  quarter  broad  ; 
upper  ones  straighter,  three-quarters  of  an 
inch  broad,  and  an  inch  and  three-quarters  long, 
deep  purple  at  the  base,  striated,  yellow  at 
the  middle,  and  rich  purple  at  the  apex. 
Dr.  Lindley  adopts  this  description  of  the 
late  Hon.  and  Rev.  W.  Herbert,  and  con- 
siders this  Alstroemeria  as  new;  but  the  diag- 
nosis rests  on  the  dimensions  and  the  colours 
of  the  corolla,  consequently  deserves  to  have 
but  little  importance  attached  to  it.  The 
plant,  we  believe,  was  brought  from  Co- 
quimbo  by  Mr.  Bridges,  and  has  been  grown 
in  England. 

7.  Alstroemeria  chorillensi.%  Herbert  (Cho- 
rillos  Alstroemeria). — Stem  nearly  a  foot  high; 
leaves  two  inches  and  a  half  long,  and  three- 
quarters  broad,  resupinate,  upper  surface 
ribbed  with  two  or  four  strong  nerves  ;  pe- 
duncle two  or  three-flowered  ;  perianth  an 
inch  and  one-eighth  long,  bright  rose  veins, 
green  at  the  ouside,  and  at  the  summit  ;  ex- 
ternal divisions  spathulate,  nearly  equal,  more 
than  half  an  inch  broad  ;  those  of  the  inte- 
rior straighter,  pointed,  the  upper  ones  bright 
rose  at  the  summit,  yellow  at  the  middle,  and 
rose  at  the  base,  having  some  straight  linear 
spots  and  freckles  ;  the  reproductive  organs 
rose,  the  pollen  pale,  capsules  sub-spherical, 
the  seeds  small  and  roundish,  of  an  obscure 
brown  colour,  closely  tuberculated.  Tliis 
description,  also  adopted  by  Dr.  Lindley,  is 
hardly  to  be  compared  to  some  others  which 
we  have  of  this  genus.  This  species  is  a 
native  of  the  mountains  of  Cliorillos  near 
Lima,  in  Peru.     [Introduction  uncertain.] 

8.  Alstroemer-ia  Curtis-iana,  Meyer  (Cur- 
tis's  Alstroemeria). — Leaves  subulate  ;  umbel 
simple,  few-flowered,  petals  pointed;  perianth 
sub-bilabiate ;  the  anterior  petal,  thrice  as 
short  as  the  posterior  ones.  Kedoute  has 
figured  this  species  under  the  name  of  A. 
Ligtu,  in  his  work  on  Liliacese  ;  and  Hooker, 
Herbert,  and  Loddiges,  regard  it  as  a  modifi- 
cation of  the  same  species.  Meyer  has,  how- 
ever, ably  shown  that  this  opinion  is  not 
sustainable.  It  is  a  herbaceous  plant.  Native 
of  Chili  and  Brazil.  The  large  petal  is  en- 
tirely rose-colour  ;  the  lateral  ones  narrower, 


white,  except  at  the  tips,  where  they  are  rose; 
the  inferior  ones  are  entirely  I'ose.  Flowers 
in  March  ;  and  may  be  grown  in  a  cool  green- 
house.     [Introduction  uncertain.] 

9.  Alstrcemeria  alhifiora,  Presl  (white- 
flowered  Alstroemeria). — Leaves  linear,  sessile, 
smooth  ;  umbel  of  from  three  to  six  flowers  ; 
involucre  leafy,  longer  than  the  pedicels,  which 
are  sub-bifid  :  the  three  upper  petals  obovate, 
denticulate  ;  the  two  exterior  ones  oblong, 
lanceolate,  the  anterior  one  uneven,  lanceo- 
late, denticulate.  Native  of  the  Cordilleras  of 
Chili.  Herbaceous.  The  flowers  are  white; 
the  two  exterior  petals  have  lines  and  purple 
spots  at  the  middle.  This  species  is  not 
known  to  us,  and  it  is  not  grown  in  our 
gardens. 

10.  Alstroemeria  caryopltyllea,  Jacquin 
(clove-scented  Alstrcemeria). — Leaves  spathy- 
late,  sessile,  appressed,  with  three  nerves  ; 
floi'iferous  stem,  subaphyllous  :  the  sterile 
stems  with  more  numerous  leaves,  longly 
lanceolate,  petiolate  and  dispersed ;  coi-ollas 
bilabiate.  It  is  a  species  introduced  in  1776  ; 
it  was  thought  the  country  was  not  know^n, 
but  it  has  been  ascertained,  at  the  present  day, 
that  it  comes  from  Brazil.  Jacquin,  in  Jar- 
din  de  Schocnbrunn,  has  described  and  figured 
it.  It  is  herbaceous,  and  all  the  petals  are 
red.  It  flowers  in  February  and  March,  and 
the  scent  of  its  flowers  is  similar  to  that  of 
cloves.  This  species  well  merits  greater 
patronage  than  its  receives.  Its  flowers 
would  be  highly  attractive  in  February. 
[This  should  be  grown  in  a  stove.] 

11.  Alstrcemeria  pallida,  Graham  (pale 
Alstroemeria). — Stem  weak,  straight  ;  leaves 
linear  -  lanceolate,  denticulate,  subamplexi- 
caul ;  exterior  petals  obovate,  the  lateral  ones 
broader,  those  of  the  interior  longer  and  lan- 
ceolate, pedunculate,  one-flowered.  Herba- 
ceous. Originally  from  South  America,  The 
four  outer  petals  are  of  a  bright  rose-colour, 
the  two  inner  ones  lanceolate,  winged  at  the 
base,  denticulate,  veined  with  red,  and  having 
a  yellow  spot.  Flowers  in  June.  May  be 
grown  in  a  bed,  covered  in  winter,  and  ex- 
posed in  summer.   [Introduced  in  1828.] 

12.  Alstroemeria  spathnlafa,  Presl  (spa- 
thulate Astroemeria). — Leaves  spathulate,  mu- 
cronate,  smooth,  and  with  cartilaginous  mar- 
gins ;  umbel  with  two  or  three  flowers, 
involucre  leafy,  as  long  as  the  one-flowered 
pedicels;  petals  conformable,  apiculate.  Grows 
half  a  foot  in  height.  Herbaceous.  Native 
of  Peru. 

13.  Alstrcemeria  plantayinea,  Martins 
(plantain-leaved  Alstroemeria). — Leaves  nar- 
row, lanceolate,  smooth,  on  the  sterile  stems 
oval-lanceolate  ;  umbels  of  from  five  to  six 
rays  ;  petals  conformable,  entire  ;  the  outer 
ones   obovate,   spathulate,  obtuse  ;  the  inner 


390 


THE  ALSTRCEMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


ones  oblong,  apiculate.  Grows  a  foot  high. 
Native  of  Brazil.  We  do  not  think  this  spe- 
cies is  grown  in  gardens,  and  we  ai"e  indebted 
for  our  knowledge  of  it  to  M.  Martins  of 
Munich. 

14.  Alstroemeria  revolula,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(revolute  Alstroemeria). — Leaves  lanceolate  ; 
peduncles  umbellate,  two-flowered,  petals  re- 
flexed,  the  inner  ones  smaller.  Herbaceous, 
Native  of  Chili.  Stem  very  simple  ;  petals 
purple. 

15.  Alstroemeria  versicolor,  Ruiz  and  Pa- 
von (parti-coloured  Alstroemeria).  —  Leaves 
linear-lanceolate  ;  umbel  of  from  three  to  six 
flowers,  inner  petals  narrower,  under  ones 
broader  and  shorter.  Herbaceous.  Native 
of  Chili.  Grows  about  a  half-foot  high.  Pe- 
tals yellow,  spotted  with  purple.  Introduced 
in  1833,  and  has  produced  numerous  varieties, 
of  which  may  be  noted  nurantiaca,  Jlava, 
&c.  It  is  from  having  been  thought  that 
these  horticultural  denominations  represented 
species,  that  the  opinion  has  been  dissemi- 
nated, that  all  Alstrcemerias  were  simply 
varieties  of  one  common  type  or  parent.  This 
species  flowers  in  June,  and  may  be  grown  in 
an  orangery  or  cool  greenhouse,  but  better 
in  a  bed  in  the  border,  ^covered  in  winter 
with  a  frame,  and  sui'rounded  by  litter. 

16.  Alstroemeria  hceviantha,  Ruiz  and  Pa- 
von (crimson-flow^ered  Alstroemeria). — Leaves 
linear-lanceolate,  ciliated  ;  umbels  with  about 
six  rays  ;  peduncles  two-flowered,  outer  petals 
dentate,  the  upper  ones  shorter.  Herbaceous. 
Native  of  Chili.  The  outer  petals  are  white 
and  purple,  having  a  large  purple  spot ;  those 
of  the  interior  varied  with  white,  yellow,  and 
purple.  Cultivated  since  1829.  Flowers  in 
July.    Requires  a  stove  [or  greenhouse]. 

17.  Alstroemeria  lineatijiora,  Ruiz  and 
Pavon  (lined-flowered  Alstroemeria). — Leaves 
lanceolate,  bright  green  ;  umbel  of  from  four 
to  seven  rays  ;  peduncles  two-flowered  or  one- 
flowered  ;  petals  obovate,  cuneiform,  acumi- 
nate, dentate.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru. 
Grows  from  two  to  three  feet  high.  Flowers, 
pinkish  purple.     [Introduced  in  1842.] 

18.  Alsfroemeria  psittacina,  Lehmann 
(parrot-like  Alstroemeria). — Whole  plant  very 
glabrous  ;  leaves  oblong-lanceolate,  nerved, 
peduncles  in  umbels,  one-flowered  ;  external 
divisions  of  the  corolla  lanceolate,  the  others 
oblong,  spotted  above.  Herbaceous.  Native 
of  Mexico.  Grows  a  foot  high.  Flowers 
disposed  in  an  umbel.  Sanguineous  at  the 
base,  the  tips  spotted  with  green.  Cultivated 
since  1829.  Flowers  in  September,  and  may 
be  grown  in  a  bed  covered  by  a  frame  in 
winter. 

19.  Alstroemeria  braziliensis,  Sellow  (Bra- 
zilian Alstroemeria). —  Stem  straight  ;  leaves 
lanceolate,  pointed,  nerved,  very  smooth  ;  pe- 


duncles, one-flowered  in  umbels ;  divisions 
of  the  perianth  lanceolate,  pointed,  very  en- 
tire, and  striated.  Llerbaceous.  Native  of 
Brazil.  We  do  not  think  it  is  to  be  found  in 
cultivation. 

20.  Alstroemeria  monticola,  Martins  (moun- 
tain Alstroemeria). —  Stem  stifi",  glabrous; 
leaves  linear,  lanceolate,  pointed,  distant,  gla- 
brous ;  umbel  with  six  rays ;  the  three  exte- 
rior petals  spathulate,  obtuse  at  the  summit, 
crenulate,  the  three  interior  ones  lanceolate, 
pointed,  the  two  upper  ones  a  little  longer. 
Herbaceous.  Grows  two  feet  high.  Native 
of  Brazil,     [Not  introduced.] 

21.  Alstroemeria  lovgistaminea,  Martins 
(long-stamened  Alstroemeria). — Stem  straight, 
glabrous  ;  leaves  linear,  lanceolate,  pointed, 
short  ;  umbels  with  five  rays,  without  invo- 
lucres ;  outer  petals  obliquely  oval,  the  inner 
ones  shorter,  oblong-lanceolate,  acuminate, 
the  under  ones  shorter  ;  stamens  a  little  ex- 
serted.  Herliaceous.  Native  of  Brazil.  Not 
to  be  found  in  gardens. 

22.  Alstroemeria  foliosa,  Martius  (leafy 
Alstroemeria). —  Stem  straight,  glabrous,  a 
little  scabrous  at  the  base  ;  leaves  linear-lan- 
ceolate, somewhat  acute,  with  a  mealy  pubes- 
cence underneath  ;  umbels  from  three  to  six- 
flowered  ;  peduncles  with  one  or  two  flowers;, 
outer  petals  spathulate,  crenulate,  the  interior 
ones  lanceolate,  pointed.  Native  of  Brazil. 
Grows  three  feet  high.  Corolla  red  ;  white 
at  the  limb.     [Not  introduced.] 

23.  Alstroemeria  glaucescens,  Humboldt 
and  Bonpland  (glaucous  Alstroemeria). — -Stem 
straight,  inclined,  glabrous  ;  leaves  lance- 
olate, convolute,  becoming  green  below  ; 
flowers  umbellate  ;  divisions  of  the  perianth 
oblong,  obtuse,  glabrous.  Herbaceous.  Na- 
tive of  South  America.  Grows  to  about  three 
feet  high.  The  three  exterior  petals  are  of  a 
flesh  colour  ;  those  at  the  interior  yellow, 
and  spotted  with  a  ferruginous  brown.  [Not 
introduced] 

24,  Alatroemeria  linifolia,  Humboldt  and 
Bonpland  (flax-leaved  Alstroemeria). — Stem 
straight,  a  little, velvety  ;  leaves  lanceolate, 
glabrous,  revolute  at  the  margins  ;  flowers  in 
umbels ;  outer  divisions  of  the  perianth  ob^ 
long,  somewhat  acute,  pubescent  at  the  out- 
side. Native  of  South  America.  Grows  one 
foot  high.  The  three  outer  petals  red,  pubes- 
cent at  the  exterior  ;  the  three  interior  ones 
yellow,  and  spotted  with  red.  [Not  intro- 
duced.] 

25. Alsf7^oemeria distich opliylla,  Sprengel  (dis- 
tichous-leaved Alstroemeria). —  Stem  sti-aight  ; 
leaves  distichous,  oblong,  lanceolate  ;  umbel 
with  from  three  to  eight  flowers;  petals  equal. 
Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru  ;  figured  by 
Ruiz  and  Pavon,  and  named  by  them  A,  dis-^ 
tichifolia.     The   stem    is    very    simple,    two 


THE  ALSTRCEMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


3()l 


feet   high.     The    flowers    are   purple.      Not 
grown  in  the  gardens  of  Europe. 

26.  Alstroemeria  secundijlora,  Ruiz  and 
Pavon  (secund-flowered  Alstroemeria). — Stem 
pendant  ;  leaves  lanceolate,  sharply  pointed, 
white  underneath  ;  umbel  with  about  five 
flowers,  hairy.  Native  of  Peru.  Herbaceous. 
Grows  two  feet  high.  The  three  outer  petals 
are  purple,  downy  at  the  outside  ;  the  three 
inner  ones  yellow,  spotted  with  black,  and 
green  dots  at  the  tips.  We  do  not  think  it  is 
in  cultivation. 

27.  Alstroemeria  aurea,  Graham  (golden 
Alstroemeria).  —  Stem  erect  ;  leaves  lance- 
olate, obtuse,  glabrous,  obscurely  denticulate  ; 
leaflets  of  the  perianth  very  entire,  the  interior 
one  lanceolate,  acuminate,  straight.  This  is 
the  Alstroemeria  aurantiaca  of  Don.  Her- 
baceous. Native  of  Peru.  It  has  orange 
flowers.  Flowers  in  June.  May  be  grown 
in  frames.     [Introduced  in  1834.] 

28.  Alstroemeria  dulcis,  Hooker  (sweet 
Alstroemeria). — Stem  simple,  straight  ;  leaves 
linear,  lanceolate,  striated,  revolute  at  the 
margins,  glabrous  above,  pubescent  below  ; 
umbels  terminal,  of  fi'om  one  to  four  inclined 
flowers ;  three  outer  divisions  of  the  perianth 
oblong,  lanceolate,  obtuse ;  three  interior 
broad  and  spathulate.  Herbaceous.  Native 
of  Peru.  Grows  from  six  inches  to  a  foot 
high.  The  three  outer  petals  are  flesh-co- 
loured ;  the  interior  ones  a  greenish  yellow, 
tinged  with  green  spots.   [Not  introduced.] 

29.  Alstroemeria  Neiiiii,  Gillies  (Neill's 
Alstroemeria). — Stem  straight,  weak  ;  leaves 
spathulate,  obtuse,  glaucous,  very  entire,  re- 
flexed  at  the  apex  ;  tliree  outer  petals  obovate, 
emarginate,  equal,  crenated,  the  three  inner- 
most a  little  longer,  spathulate,  nearly  entire  ; 
peduncles  umbellate,  two-flowered.  Native  of 
Chili.  Herbaceous.  Flowers  of  a  pale  rose- 
colour,  the  three  inner  petals  dotted  with 
red.  Flowers  in  June.  May  be  grown  in  the 
orangery  or  cool  greenhouse.  Cultivated  since 
1830. 

30.  Alstroemeria  declinata,  Poeppig  and 
Endlicher  (declined- rayed  Alstroemeria).  — 
Stem  very  simple,  recurved;  leaves  lanceolate, 
very  sharply  pointed,  rounded  at  the  base  ; 
glabrous  at  each  side,  terminal  umbel,  with 
from  four  to  six  bent  or  inclined  rays.  Her- 
baceous. Native  of  Peru.  Grows  to  the  height 
of  a  foot  and  a  half.  Flowers  purple.  [Not 
introduced.] 

§§  Stem,  climbing  or  twining. 

31.  Alstroemeria,  Salsilla,  Linnseus  (climb- 
ing Alstroemeria). — Leaves  petiolate,  lanceo- 
late, acuminate;  umbel  branchy;  peduncles 
shorter  than  the  involucre,  lax,  and  furnished 
with  bracts.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  South 
America,  especially  of  Chili.   The  three  outer 


petals  are  reddish,  and  spotted  with  red  ;  the 
three  interior  yellow  and  spotted  with  red. 
Introduced  in  1831.  Flowers  in  June,  and 
requires  a  stove.  It  is  the  Homarea  Salsilla 
of  Mii'bel.  Some  botanists,  Dietrich  among 
others,  connect  it  with  Alstroemeria  edulis. 

32.  Alstroempria  torta,  Humboldt  and  Bon- 
pland  (twisted  Alstroemeria). — Stem  twining; 
leaves  glabi'ous,  sessile,  linear  lanceolate,  re- 
volute  at  the  margins,  stiff;  umbels  many- 
flowered  ;  pedicels  one-flowered,  glabrous ; 
outer  petals  somewhat  longest.  Herbaceous. 
Native  of  Peru.  The  three  outer  petals  are  red, 
the  three  interior  green,  spotted  with  black  and 
yellow  towards  the  base.    [Not  introduced.] 

33.  Alstroemeria  multijlora,  Linn^us 
(many-flowered  Alstroemeria). — Leaves  petio- 
late, lanceolate,  acuminate  ;  umbel  simple; 
peduncle  shorter  than  the  bracts;  petals  alter- 
nating, truncate.  Herbaceous.  Native  of 
South  America.     [Not  introduced.] 

34.  Alstroemeria  anceps,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(two-edged  Alstroemeria).  —  Stem  twining, 
two-edged  ;  leaves  lanceolate,  sharply  pointed  ; 
umbel  with  seventeen  flowers  ;  petals  equal, 
coloured  deep  red.  Native  of  Peru.  Herba- 
ceous. Petals  of  a  deep  purple.  [Not  intro- 
duced.] 

35.  Alstroemeria  rosea,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(rose-coloured  Alstroemeria). — Stem  twining, 
round  ;  leaves  oval,  lanceolate,  hairy  under- 
neath, petioles  short ;  umbels  with  eighteen 
rays,  the  inner  petals  marked  with  black  or 
dark  lines.  Native  of  Peru.  Herbaceous. 
Grows  five  feet  in  height.  Care  must  be 
taken  not  to  confound  it  with  the  A.  rosea  of 
gardens,  which  is  only  a  variety  of  Hookeri- 
ana,  and  is  included  in  first  section.  [Not 
introduced.] 

36.  Ahtroemeria  avcea,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(orange-coloured  Alstroemeria).  —  Stem  twi- 
ning, round  ;  leaves  linear-lanceolate,  sessile, 
pubescent  below  ;  umbel  many-flowered,  pe- 
duncles pubescent  ;  petals  equal,  of  a  saffron- 
yellow.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru.  Not 
yet  introduced. 

37.  Alstroemeria  hracteata,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(bracteated  Alstroemeria). —  Stem  twining, 
pubescent  at  the  summit ;  leaves  lanceolate, 
linear,  nerved,  pubescent  underneath  ;  umbels 
with  five  rays,  and  about  twelve  flowers  ; 
peduncles  with  two  or  three  flowers,  bracts 
large,  oblong-lanceolate  ;  inner  petals  spathu- 
late. Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru.  The 
three  outer  petals  are  purple  with  the  tips 
green,  those  in  the  interior  green,  with  a  yel- 
low base  ;  the  margins  and  the  points  are  of 
a  violet  colour.  Not  introduced. 

38.  Alstroemei'ia  coccinea,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(scarlet-flowered  Alstroemeria). — Stem  scan- 
dent,  velvety  ;  leaves  oval,  pointed  ;  umbel 
with    two    or    four    flowers  ;    petals    oblong 


392 


THE  ALSTRffiMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


cuneiform.  Native  of  Peru.  Herbaceous.  The 
thi  ee  outer  petals  red,  green  at  the  points  : 
those  of  the  interior  greenish  yellow,  spotted 
with  purple  dots.     [Not  introduced]. 

39.  Ahtroemeria  paiiciflora,  Humboldt  and 
Bonpland  (few-flowered  Alstroemeria). — Stem 
twining;  leaves  glabrous,  ovate,  oblong  or 
ovate-lanceolate,  somewhat  stiff  ;  umbels  few- 
flowered,  pedicels  with  two  or  three  flowers, 
lengthened,  glabrous  ;  outer  divisions  of  the 
perianth  longest.  This  species  was  found  near 
Santa  Fe  de  Bogota  in  Guadaloupe.  The 
three  outer  petals  are  purple,  the  three  inner 
ones  orange.  Introduced  in  1823.  Flow- 
ers in  September.  May  be  grown  in  a 
stove. 

40.  Ahtroemeria  setacea,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(setaceous  Alstrcemeria).  —  Stem  climbing  ; 
leaves  lanceolate,  pubescent  beneath  ;  umbel 
simple,  rays  numerous,  peduncles  pubescent, 
bracts  setaceous;  corolla  small,  petals  straight, 
connivent.  Native  of  Peru.  Herbaceous. 
Grows  from  six  to  eight  feet  high  ;  outer 
petals  purple,  the  inner  yellow.  [Not  intro- 
duced.] 

41 .  Ahtroemeria  tometifosa,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(downy  Alstrcemeria). — Stem  nearly  twining, 
glabrous  ;  leaves  lanceolsite,  the  margins  re- 
flexed,  somewhat  downy  underneath  ;  umbels 
many-flowered  with  two-flowered  rays.  Her- 
baceous. Grows  about  four  feet  high.  Native 
of  Peru.  The  three  outer  petals  are  bright 
red,  and  those  of  the  interior  yellowish.  [Not 
introduced.] 

42.  Ahtroemeria  orafa,  Cavanilles  (oval- 
leaved  Alstrcemeria). — Stem  twining  ;  leaves 
petiolate,  elliptic,  acuminate,  velvety  above  ; 
umbel  branchy  or  spreading  ;  peduncles 
longer  than  the  involucre,  two-flowered,  loose, 
and  furnished  with  bracts  ;  corolla  campanu- 
late-tubular.  It  is  the  Ahtroemeria  hirtella 
of  Sweet ;  the  Bomarea  ovata  of  Mirbel. 
Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru.  The  three  outer 
petals  are  red,  green  at  the  points  ;  the  three 
inner  ones  green,  and  marked  with  dark  or 
blackish  dots.  Introduced  in  1824.  Flowers 
in  June.  May  be  grown  in  the  open  ground 
with  the  protection  of  a  frame  in  winter. 

43.  Ahtroemeria  hirtella,  Humboldt  and 
Bonpland  (hairy  Alstrcemeria).~Stem  twining, 
glabrous  ;  leaves  oblong,  membranaceous, 
hairy  on  the  veins  underneath  ;  umbels  many- 
flowered,  pedicels  generally  one-flowered, 
glabrous  ;  oater  divisions  of  the  perianth 
somewhat  the  shortest.  Herbaceous.  Native 
of  Mexico.  The  three  outer  petals  are  red, 
the  three  inner  ones  greenish,  and  spotted 
with  red.     [Introduced  in  1824.] 

41.  Ahtroemeria  denticulata,  Ruiz  ^and 
Pavon  (denticulate  Alstrcemeria).  —  Stem 
climbing  ;  leaves  lanceolate  -  oval,  sharply 
pointed,   undulated  at  the  margins,  denticu- 


late, pubescent  underneath  ;  flowers  arranged 
in  an  umbel  or  corymb,  bracts  subulate. 
Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru.  Flowers  red- 
dish yellow.     Not  introduced, 

45.  Ahtroemeria.  fimhriata,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(fringed  Alstrcemeria). — Stem  twining;  leaves 
lanceolate,  narrow  ;  umbel  many-flowered  ; 
interior  petals  fringed.  Herbaceous.  Native 
of  Peru.  Flowers  yellow,  varied  with  saffron. 
[Not  introduced.] 

46.  Ahtroemeria  purpurea,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(purple  Alstrcemeria). — Stem  climbing,  pu- 
bescent ;  leaves  lanceolate,  narrow,  pubescent 
underneath  ;  flowers  in  a  corymb  or  nearly 
an  umbel  ;  peduncles  one-flowered,  lanugi- 
nose,  and  furnished  with  bracts.  Native  of 
Peru.  Herbaceous.  Flowers  purple.  [Not 
introduced.] 

47.  Ahtroemeria  macrocarpa,  Ruiz  and 
Pavon  (large-fruited  Alstrcemeria).  —  Stem 
climbing;  leaves  oblong-lanceolate,  pubescent 
below ;  umbel  many-rayed,  peduncles  two- 
flowered,  very  long,  many  times  longer  than 
the  involucre.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru. 
Flowers  of  a  reddish  yellow.  [Not  intro- 
duced.] 

4S.  Ahiroeyneria  sahilloides,  Martius  (sal- 
silla-like  Alstrcemeria).  —  Stem  climbing  ; 
leaves  petiolate,  lanceolate,  acuminate,  gla- 
brous on  both  sides  ;  umbels  from  six  to 
twenty-five  rays,  bearing  from  two  to  three 
flowers ;  outer  petals  ovate-oblong,  pointed, 
those  of  the  interior  a  little  longer  than  the 
others,  cuneiform,  emarginate,  punctate  ;  fi- 
laments pubescent  below.  Herbaceous.  Na- 
tive of  Brazil.   [Not  introduced.] 

49.  Alstroemeria  grandifolia,  Humboldt 
and  Bonpland  (large-leaved  Alstrcemeria). — 
Stem  twining,  glabrous ;  leaves  oval,  mem- 
braneous, slightly  hairy  underneath  ;  umbel 
few-flowered ;  pedicels  one-flowered,  pube- 
scent ;  divisions  of  the  perianth  equal.  Her- 
baceous. Native  of  South  America.  Outer 
petals  red,  inner  ones  orange,  spotted  with 
red.     [Not  introduced.] 

50.  Ahtroemeria  cordifolia,  Ruiz  and  Pa- 
von (heart-leaved  Alstrcemeria).  —  Stem  climb- 
ing ;  leaves  cordate  acuminate  ;  umbel  six- 
rayed,  peduncles,  with  two  or  three  flowers 
puberulous.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  Peru. 
Flowers  of  a  yellowish  red,  [Not  intro- 
duced.] 

51.  Ahtroemeria  latifolia,  Ruiz  and  Pavon 
(broad-leaved  Alstrcemeria). — Stem  twining  ; 
leaves  oblong,  acuminate,  veined,  pubescent 
underneath  ;  umbels  many-rayed,  peduncles 
one  to  three-flowered  ;  furnished  with  bracts; 
corollas  greenish  red.  Herbaceous.  Native 
of  Peru,  Flowers  of  a  greenish  red  colour. 
[Not  introduced.] 

52.  Ahtroemeria  hirsuta,  Humboldt  and 
Bonpland  (hairy  Alstrcemeria). — Stem  twin- 


THE  ALSTRCEMERIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


393 


ing ;  leaves  hairy  underneath,  oblong  ;  umbels 
manj-flowered,  pedicels  one-flowered,  hairy  ; 
outer  divisions  of  the  perianth  shorter  than 
the  inner.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  New 
Grenada.  Flowers  of  a  flesh  colour.  [Not 
introduced.] 

53.  Alstroemeria  furmoshsirna,  Ruiz  and 
Pavon  (most  beautiiul  Alstroemeria). — Stem 
climbing ;  leaves  lanceolate,  long,  very  gla- 
brous ;  umbel  semi-globular,  peduncles  one- 
flowered  ;  flowers  numerous,  of  a  yellowish- 
purple,    punctate.      It    is    the   Alstrcemeria 

ybrmosa  of  Persoon.  Herbaceous.  Native  of 
Peru.     [Not  introduced.] 

54.  Alstrcemeria  gloriosa,  Chamisso  (glori- 
ous Alstrcemeria). — Stem  twining,  glabrous  ; 
leaves  elliptic,  lanceolate,  acuminate,  sharply 
pointed,  slightly  pubescent  above,  glabrous 
below,  umbels  of  from  seven  to  twelve  flowers; 
the  three  outer  divisions  of  the  perianth  irre- 
gularly crenulated,  slightly  hairy  at  the  inte- 
rior of  the  base.  Flowers  of  a  rose  colour. 
Herbaceous.  Native  of  the  forests  of  Xalapa. 
[Not  introduced.] 

55.  Alstroemeria  acutifolia,  Link  and  Otto, 
(sharp-leaved  Alstroemeria). — Stem  somewhat 
twining ;  leaves  petiolate,  lanceolate,  length- 
ened and  acute  at  the  apex,  pubescent  under- 
neath ;  umbels  simple,  peduncles  pubescent ; 
divisions  of  the  perianth  equal.  A  beautiful 
species.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  Mexico. 
The  three  outer  petals  are  red  within,  and  the 
interior  ones  yellow.  [IntToduced  in  1829. 
May  be  grown  in  the  border  with  slight  pro- 
tection.] 

56.  Alstroemeria  Caldasis,  Humboldt  and 
Bonpland  (Caldasis  Alstrcemeria).  —  Stem 
twining ;  leaves  glabrous  on  both  sides,  oval, 
lanceolate,  and  somewhat  rigid ;  umbel  many- 
flowered,  pedicels  one-flowered,  pubescent ; 
outer  divisions  of  the  perianth  shortest.  It  is 
doubtful  whether  this  is  not  the  Alstrcemeria 
ptirpurea  of  Wildenow.  Herbaceous.  Na- 
tive of  Quito  [Peru].  The  outer  petals  are  of 
a  flesh  colour,  the  inner  ones  orange,  spotted 
with  red.     [Not  introduced.] 

57.  Alstroemeria  Jioribunda,  Humboldt  and 
Bonpland  (many-flowered  Alstroemeria). — 
Stem  twining ;  leaves  glabrous  on  both  sides, 
lanceolate,  sub-membranaceous;  umbels  many- 
flowered,  pedicels  one-flowered,  pubescent ; 
outer  divisions  of  the  perianth  somewhat 
shortest.  Herbaceous.  Native  of  South  Ame- 
rica. The  outer  petals  are  red,  the  inner 
ones  yellow,  spotted  with  red.  [Not  intro- 
duced.] 

58.  Alstroemeria  liredemeyerana,  Willde- 
now  (Bredemeyer's  Alstroemeria).  —  Leaves 
oval-oblong,  petiolate,  acuminate,  downy  un- 
derneath, as  well  as  on  the  stem  ;  flowers  in 
the  form  of  an  aggregate  corymb  ;  peduncles 
longer  than  the  bracts.     This  species  is  little 


known.      Herbaceous.      Native   of    Caracas. 
[Not  introduced.] 

59.  Alstroeineria  octdata,  Loddiges  (dark- 
eyed  Alstroemeria). — Stem  round,  glabrous, 
twining ;  leaves  oval-oblong,  obtuse,  glabrous 
on  both  sides,  petioles  twisted  ;  flowers  um- 


bellate, bracts  obovate,  crisped.  Herbaceous. 
Native  of  South  America.  Corollas  of  a  rose 
colour.  Flowers  in  June;  may  be  easily  grown 
in  an  orangery  or  cool  greenhouse.  [Intro- 
duced in  1831.] 

§§§  Uncertain  Species. 

The  English  Catalogues  mention  the  Al- 
stroemeria valparadisiaca,  a  native  of  Val- 
paraiso, introduced  in  1836  to  gardens;  but  it 
has  not  yet  been  submitted  to  a  proper  botanical 
examination,  [It  is  said  to  be  from  Valpa- 
raiso, and  to  have  orange-coloured  flowers.] 

The  late  Dr.  Herbert  mentions  also  an 
Alstrcemeria  Cummingiana,  introduced  in 
1831,  and  in  like  manner  not  described  by 
botanists.  [It  is  said  to  be  from  Chili,  and  to 
have  yellow-and-orange- coloured  flowers.] 

\_Alstroemeria  nemorosa  is  a  species  intro- 
duced from  the  Organ  Mountains  in  1840, 
and  has  red-and-yellow  flowers  in  the  autumn 
months.  It  is  allied  to  A.  aurea,  but  is  dis- 
tinguished by  the  structure  of  its  seeds,  by  its 
broader  leaves  and  shorter  flowers,  by  a 
freckle  or  two  on  the  lowest  petal,  and  by  the 
undulation  and  more  dense  ciliation  of  the 
base  of  the  segments  of  the  perianth.  It  is 
one  of  the  hardier  forms  of  the  genus,] 


394 


TAKING   POSSESSION    OF    A    GARDEN. 


The  Alstrcemeria  Eremhaultii,  chilensis, 
Bar-clayana,  hicolor,  Reideli,  Berteroana, 
&c.  are  probably  all  garden  varieties,  or  hy- 
brids. With  regard  to  A,  Erembaultii,  there 
can  be  little  doubt  of  its  hybrid  origin,  since 
it  is  said  to  have  been  obtained  by  a  cross 
between  A.  peleyrina  and  A.  pulckra,  having 
itself  produced  a  variety  called  tricolor.  M, 
Erembault-Dumesnil,  of  Tournon,  is  said  to 
have  raised  this  production,  so  remarkable  by 
the  beauty  of  its  flowers.  The  capability  of 
yielding  varieties  of  colour  appears  to  be  very 
considerable  in  the  Alstrcemerias,  if  we  may 
judge  by  what  has  been  already  obtained  in 
this  way  by  cultivators  from  chance  sowings 
of  the  seeds  of  these  plants.  The  palm  has 
been  disputed  by  Belgium,  France,  and  Eng- 
land, in  the  production  of  these  varieties. 

CULTURE. 

With  regard  to  culture,  there  are  two  sys- 
tems adopted.  The  Belgian  growers  maintain 
that  they  do  not  thrive  in  pots  ;  whilst  in 
England  pot-culture  is  preferred  for  the  pur- 
pose of  flowering  them  well.  We  have  seen 
magnificent  Alstrcemerias  in  England,  ob- 
tained by  the  following  system  of  culture  : — 

It  matters  not  whether  the  plants  are  grown 
from  seeds,  cuttings,  or  roots,  the  soil  in 
which  they  are  grown  is  always  the  same, 
and  is  composed  of  peat,  light  sandy  loam, 
mixed  with  leaf-mould  and  silver-sand,  the 
whole  in  the  proportion  of  one-third  of  each. 
This  soil  should  be  well  mixed  up  together, 
so  that  it  may  be  perfectly  uniform  in  its 
composition.  The  usual  manner  of  crocking 
tiie  pots  is  quite  sufiicient  to  ensure  good 
drainage.  On  the  substructure  thus  formed 
at  the  bottom  of  the  pots,  the  soil,  which 
should  have  been  passed  through  a  sieve,  is 
placed,  and  at  the  same  time  the  plants  are 
also  allotted  the  position  they  are  intended  to 
occupy.  They  will  grow  more  or  less  rapidly 
according  to  their  situation  in  the  green- 
house. They  require  a  moderate  supply  of 
water  ;  but  when  they  ai'e  about  to  flower, 
they  must  be  watei'ed  much  more  copiously. 
If  the  buds  are  numerous,  a  little  clear  liquid 
manure  may  be  added,  which  will  enlarge  and 
materially  aid  the  development  of  the  flowers. 
It  has  been  asserted  that  the  colours  are  brighter 
and  more  varied  through  its  influence. 


The  Alstrcemerias  require  air,  and  as  much 
as  possible  the  direct  action  of  the  sun,  in  the 
absence  of  which  the  colours  are  pale  ;  but 
when  once  the  flowers  are  open,  they  must 
have  shade,  as  the  sun  very  much  shortens 
the  duration  of  their  flowering  season.  After 
they  have  ceased  flowering,  the  plants  are 
taken  out  of  the  pots,  and  divided:  one  of  the 
divisions  slightly  furnished  with  roots  is  suf- 
ficient for  propagation.  These  divided  plants 
are  put  into  small  pots,  and  placed  in  the 
greenhouse  or  a  frame ;  as  they  grow,  their 
pots  are  changed  according  to  the  rate  of  their 
development.  They  are  then  treated  again  in 
the  manner  just  explained. 

Many  amateurs  prefer  to  preserve  their 
Alstrcemerias  in  pots  during  winter,  in  order 
to  put  them,  on  the  arrival  of  spring,  in  a 
border  in  the  open  ground,  in  a  warm  shel- 
tered situation.  This  is  the  practice  of  the 
Belgian  growers:  a  border  is  dug  about  a  foot 
and  a  half  deep  ;  a  quantity  of  brick  rubbish 
is  laid  at  the  bottom,  and  this  is  overlaid 
with  a  mixture  of  fine  porous  sandy  loam, 
sandy  peat,  rotten  dung,  or  well  decomposed 
leaf-mould,  which  ingredients  are  well  mixed 
together.  The  young  plants  are  then  planted 
about  fourteen  inches  apart,  and  in  quincunx 
order.  In  October,  when  frosts  may  be  ex- 
pected, the  bed  is  covered  with  a  frame  and 
light,  which  is  surrounded  with  a  lining  of 
spent  dung.  When  the  weather  is  frosty, 
mats  are  placed  over  the  light ;  and  air  and 
sun  are  given  as  circumstances  permit  In 
the  spring,  when  all  fear  of  frost  has  dis- 
appeared, the  plants  are  supplied  wtth  some 
clear  guano-water,  when  nature  must  be  left 
to  act  for  herself  upon  them.  From  June  to 
September,  the  cultivator  is  rewai'ded  for  his 
pains  by  a  profusion  of  flowers.  If  they  are 
to  be  raised  from  seeds  obtained  either  di- 
rectly from  America  or  by  culture  in  Europe, 
the  seed  may  be  sown  in  the  spring,  in  seed- 
pans,  and  in  soil  which  has  been  made  very 
fine;  when  sown,  the  whole  should  have  a  light 
covering  of  sand. 

The  Alstrcemerias  are  too  pretty,  too  va- 
ried, and  too  interesting  to  be  neglected  by 
the  lovers  of  nature  and  beauty;  and  we 
strongly  recommend  our  countrymen  to  be- 
stow that  attention  on  them  which  they  so 
eminently  merit. 


TAKING  POSSESSION  OF  A  GARDEN. 


This  commences  the  most  important  period 
of  a  man's  gardening  operations.  So  mych 
has  been  done,  that  he  must  make  up  his 
mind  to  forego  his  own  taste,  or  be  prepared 
for  infinitely  more  labour  and  expense  than 


would  form  a  new  one.  True,  he  may  have 
materials  on  the  spot,  but  wrongly  placed;  and 
he  is  debarred  from  the  advantages  of  a  new 
piece  of  ground,  which  he  could  have  trenched, 
levelled,  and  rolled  all  over,  and  been  at  liberty 


TAKING    POSSESSION    OF    A    GARDEN. 


395 


to  form  every  thing  after  his  own  fashion. 
In  an  old  garden  we  cannot  do  all  this.  The 
labour  of  disturbing  w^ell-made  gravel-walks 
is  immense.  Then  there  are  sure  to  be  objects 
that  we  must  retain  :  trees  too  good  to  lose, 
too  old  to  remove  ;  buildings  which  we  wish 
somewhere  else,  but  not  good  enough  to  place 
there,  or  the  change  too  costly.  All  these 
things  militate  against  the  incoming  possessor 
of  an  old  garden . 

In  most  cases  it  is  policy  to  retain  all  the 
main  gravel-walks,  and  to  adopt  as  much  of 
the  old  plan  as  we  can  anyhow  reconcile  to 
our  taste.  It  should  be  recollected,  too,  that 
the  purpose  for  which  the  garden  is  to  be 
used  operates  a  good  deal  upon  the  disposition 
to  alter  or  keep  it  as  it  is.  For  instance,  if  it 
be  a  flower  garden,  in  which  to  grow  collec- 
tions, all  beds  should  be  of  equal  width,  but 
the  length  is  immaterial;  therefore  in  whatever 
directions  the  main  walks  may  go,  it  is  easy 
to  make  cross-beds  of  the  proper  width  from 
walk  to  walk,  because  if  the  main-walk  be 
serpentine,  or  in  a  curve,  the  only  diffei'ence 
it  will  make  in  the  cross-beds  will  be  in  their 
length.  How^ever,  there  will  always  be  found 
many  subjects  in  the  way  of  regular  flower- 
beds, and  all  of  these  that  aie  useful  and 
removable  should  be  taken  up  and  carefully 
planted  where  they  are  to  remain  ;  and  such 
as  are  useless  should  be  grubbed  up  and 
thrown  away. 

Before  anything  of  consequence  is  done,  the 
drainage  should  be  examined.  If  the  ground 
be  not  in  its  nature  sufficiently  drained,  steps 
must  be  taken  to  find  an  outlet  for  a  main- 
drain  four  feet  deep,  and  small  drains  three 
feet  or  three  feet  six  below  the  surface  should 
be  formed  at  proper  distances  ;  for  unless  the 
ground  be  properly  drained,  there  is  not  a 
single  subject  that  will  grow  to  the  perfection 
that  draining  wnll  enable  you  to  produce  it. 
These  drains  may  be  made  of  pipes  or  large 
stones,  or  bushes. 

The  first  step  having  been  taken,  a  clear- 
ance is  the  next.  To  this  end,  make  up  your 
mind  where  the  shrubs,  trees,  &c.  that  are  in 
the  way  shall  be  ultimately  placed,  and  at 
once  lay  out  and  prepare  the  place  for  their 
reception;  and  having  done  this,  take  them  up 
carefully  with  all  their  roots,  and  plant  them 
at  once.  Then  set  about  making  your  cross- 
beds  four  feet  wide  (unless  they  are  already 
formed),  the  length  being  from  one  main-walk 
to  another  ;  and  as  there  may  be  straggling 
plants  and  flowers  all  over  the  place,  dig  up 
the  clearest  place,  and  plant  every  thing  you 
find  about  the  ground  as  your  digging  goes  on 
in  this  selected  place.  You  then  get  all  your 
beds  at  liberty  but  the  one  you  fill  with  the 
sundries,  and  from  that  you  may  select  what- 
ever you  want  for  all  the  distant  places.     It 


is  well  to  have  a  broad  border  of  four  to  six 
feet  wide  on  each  side  the  main  walks,  to  be 
planted  with  herbaceous  and  various  other 
miscellaneous  plants,  independently  of  the 
flower-beds,  which  may  stretch  out  right  and 
left  from  such  borders  ;  and  as  there  is  not, 
and  need  not  be,  any  rule  for  the  planting  of 
these  main  borders,  except  the  common  rules 
of  planting  the  lowest  in  front  and  the  tallest 
behind,  it  may  be  the  ultimate  place  for  all 
that  are  worth  growing  of  the  plants  you  have 
taken  up  all  over  the  ground.  Having  formed 
the  beds,  you  have  only  a  choice  of  having 
alleys  between  them,  or  regular  gravel-walks, 
or  walks  of  road-sand,  or  grass.  Whatever  is 
determined  on  should  be  done  at  once.  If 
they  are  to  be  of  grass,  level  and  roll  with  a 
heavy  roller,  or  tread  very  firmly,  and  lay 
down  turves.  If  of  gravel  or  road-sand,  dig  out 
a  few  inches,  according  to  the  thickness  you 
can  afibrd  to  fill  up,  tread  the  bottom  hard, 
and  fill  in  the  space  by  wheeling  to  the  further 
end  of  each  alley  first,  while  another  with  a 
rake  levels  it  as  far  as  it  will  fill,  and  so  con- 
tinue till  all  are  filled  and  raked  level.  If 
nothing  but  the  common  alleys  are  to  be  left, 
and  not  even  a  change  of  soil,  the  alleys  must 
be  trodden  as  hard  as  possible,  and  jjroperly 
levelled,  after  wliich  they  must  not  be  dis- 
turbed at  the  digging  of  the  beds  between,  but 
must  be  chopped  down  their  sides  as  straight 
as  a  tight  line  can  direct,  and  year  after  year 
the  alleys  must  not  be  broken  up.  If  it  be 
determined  to  put  an  edging  of  box  or  thrift, 
nothing  is  more  eas}'.  The  plants  have  simply 
to  be  pressed  up  against  the  side  of  the  alley, 
which  being  already  cut  properly,  forms  a 
hard  bank,  against  which  small  plants  of  box, 
or  whatever  else  be  chosen,  may  be  pressed 
by  the  soil  of  the  bed  against  their  roots. 
These  beds  may  be  adapted  for  different  pur- 
poses by  variously  mixing  the  soils.  If  the 
original  edges  of  the  great  walks  have  been 
box,  and  it  has  become  overgrown,  cut  it  down 
within  two  or  three  inches  of  the  ground,  for 
undisturbed  it  will  not  fail  to  break  well 
below,  and  at  the  end  of  the  season  of  growth 
it  may  be  all  taken  up  and  thinned  properly  ; 
whereas  if  you  take  it  up  in  the  tall,  straggling 
state  in  which  you  find  it,  four-fifths  of  it 
would  be  wasted,  from  its  being  so  naked  at 
the  bottom  and  so  long  in  the  stem,  and  if 
stunted  to  the  old  wood,  it  would  not  break 
half  so  well  as  it  would  in  its  old  position. 

The  gravel-walks  will  not  unlikely  be  over- 
run with  weeds.  There  is  no  remedy  for  this 
but  pulling  them  out  or  burying  them,  but 
generally  the  gravel  is  not  deep  enough  for 
this ;  in  such  case,  the  top  must  be  picked  up 
a  little  way  down,  just  deep  enough  to  disturb 
all  the  roots  of  the  weeds,  and  all  the  lai-ge 
weeds   can.  be   picked   up   by  hand,  and  the 


39^ 


TAKING   POSSESSION    OF    A    GARDEN. 


gravel  turned,  for  tlie  smaller  weeds  and  the 
dirty  stuff  picked  up  at  top  may  be  then  placed 
in  the  bottom,  and  the  better  gravel  brought 
tip  to  the  surface. 

The  ground  being  now  cleared  a  little,  you 
have  only  to  trench  the  beds  and  examine  the 
kind  of  soil  you  have  to  deal  with.  If  it  be 
very  stiff,  use  peat-earth  or  sand  well  chopped 
in  among  it,  and  thoroughly  decomposed  cow- 
dung  to  lighten  and  dress  it.  If  it  be  too 
light,  add  unctuous  loam  from  rotted  turves 
to  mix  up  with  it  and  give  it  heart;  and  in 
some  cases  you  must  make  up  a  regular  soil  to 
fill  a  bed,  and,  of  course,  remove  eighteen 
inches  of  the  old  earth  to  make  room  for  it. 
These  things  will  become  evident  as  the  sepa- 
rate flowers  come  under  consideration. 

If  you  are  over-run  with  slugs,  snails,  and 
such-like  pests,  a  good  sowing  of  lime  after  a 
shower  of  rain,  which  brings  them  all  out, 
will  materially  disturb  and  thin  them,  if  it 
does  not  altogether  destroy  them.  If  you 
have  old  walls  with  holes  in  them  and  crum- 
bling mortar,  have  them  well  scarified  to  get 
off  all  the  loose  stuff,  and  remove  all  the  rotten 
mortar  and  get  them  pointed  afresh;  or  if  the 
cost  deter  you,  have  the  wall  well  washed  out 
and  coated  with  a  thick  lime-wash,  coloured 
somewhat  of  the  brick  colour,  that  it  may  not 
look  remarkable,  but  that  what  there  is  left  of 
the  wall  may  be  sound.  Nevertheless,  the 
first  expense  is  the  best  and  cheapest,  if  it  be 
properly  pointed;  and  besides  this,  the  wall  is 
saved  for  years  longer,  and  the  vermin  that 
usually  lodge  in  the  mortar-joints  are  extir- 
,  pated  or  buried  by  the  fiUing-in  of  the  joints. 
There  is  hardly  a  more  encouraging  recep- 
tacle for  vermin  than  an  old  wall;  and  it  is  of 
the  utmost  importance  that  they  be  destroyed 
by  such  means  as  we  have  mentioned.  It  is, 
in  some  cases,  almost  impossible  to  secure  a 
fruit  of  any  kind  in  perfection  upon  a  neglected 
wall. 

With  regard  to  the  glass  structures  about 
the  premises,  the  first  thing  to  look  at  is  the 
wood-work,  to  see  that  all  this  is  made  sound; 
for  if  there  be  any  patching  or  glazing  without 
this,  the  labour  may  be  thrown  away.  The 
flues  or  pipes  want  thorough  examination  in 
all  cases,  and  it  is  worth  considering  whether 
you  intend  to  devote  a  house  to  constant  firing 
or  not,  before  you  determine  upon  any  altera- 
tion as  to  the  construction  of  the  place.  If  it 
be  an  old-fashioned  flue  that  heats  the  house, 
and  you  adopt  a  hot-water  apparatus  for  the 
sake  of  its  requiring  less  attention,  do  not 
remove  the  flues  if  you  can  find  room  for  the 
pipes  without  doing  so  ;  because  you  may  fix 
your  hot-water  apparatus  just  the  samg,  and 
turn  the  smoke  of  the  furnace  into  the  old 
flue.  By  this  means  the  heat  of  the  flue  will 
aid  the  temperature  a  little,  and  the  house  is 


not  much  disturbed.  Again,  the  simplest  of 
all  the  hot-water  apparatus,  as  well  as  the 
cheapest,  is  the  conical-boiler,  with  the  flre- 
place  inside  it, — nothing  can  be  more  simple, 
nothing  wastes  so  little  heat ;  but  for  all  the 
purposes  of  a  greenhouse,  a  flue  is  sufficient. 
It  may  be  a  little  more  troublesome  in  con- 
tinued hard  weather,  but  in  a  general  v/ay,  if 
the  flue  answers  Avell,  it  is  quite  as  well  to 
keep  it.  A  stove  also,  with  a  good  pit  for  a 
body  of  tan,  wants  but  little  aid  from  fire- 
heat,  unless  it  be  for  pine-apples.  Every 
thing  should  be  well  considered  before  we 
change  from  the  flue  of  the  old-fashioned 
stove  to  the  hot-water  of  the  moderns,  not 
any  two  of  whom  adopt  the  same  plan,  and 
many  of  whom  have  altered  their  own  plan 
as  many  times  as  they  have  had  jobs.  For 
the  most  part,  it  has  turned  out  that  the  most 
costly  have  been  the  least  effective  and  oftenest 
out  of  repair.  It  is  not  for  us  to  point  out  the 
particular  error  which  has  been  committed, 
and  that,  too,  with  large  and  public  works  ; 
but  we  may  refer  to  such  matters,  as  strong 
reasons  for  not  giving  ourselves  up  to  the 
hot-water  gentlemen,  who  have  expei'imental- 
ised  at  the  expense  of  a  good  many  who  had 
more  money  than  judgment,  and  who,  in  fact, 
have  not  professed  to  have  judgment,  but 
have  employed  men  they  fancied  they  could 
depend  on.  The  complication  and  the  mys- 
tery called  into  being  in  the  manufacture  of 
heat  are  perfectly  unnecessary.  The  prin- 
ciples are  simple.  An  iron  pipe  running  from 
the  upper  portion  of  hot  water  in  a  boiler  and 
returning  to  the  lower  part  of  the  boiler,  will 
circulate  slowly  or  rapidly  according  to  the 
heat  applied  ;  and  the  more  simple  the  boiler 
and  the  pipes  employed,  the  better  and  the 
more  effective. 

In  stocking  the  garden,  if  you  do  not  al- 
ready possess  the  plants  and  roots  required, 
be  careful  of  your  purchases  ;  buy  nothing 
that  is  second-rate.  The  best  of  every  tribe 
takes  no  more  room  than  the  worst.  Avoid 
buying  the  stock  of  people  going  to  decline 
growing  ;  never  hunt  after  bargains  ;  apply 
to  respectable  florists  and  nurserymen  for  the 
best  things  that  can  be  had,  and  you  will  not 
be  hampered  with  rubbish  ;  but  if  you  buy 
anybody's  stock,  you  have  his  accumulated 
rubbish  for  all  the  years  he  has  been  growing, 
and  when  he  has  sold  you  that,  he  will  go  to 
market  with  your  money  to  buy  every  thing 
as  different  as  possible  to  that  which  he  sold 
you.  People  who  are  notorious  for  good  things 
know  where  to  find  the  best  price  for  their 
best  flowers  ;  and  having  got  this,  they  offer 
their  entire  stock  at  a  great  sacrifice,  in  the 
hope  of  some  young  enthusiast  looking  out 
for  a  bargain  ;  who,  being  taken  with  the 
chance   of  buying    the   stock  of  a  first-rate 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


397 


florist  for  a  mere  song,  finds  afterwards  that 
he  has  only  picked  up  things  that  are  far  too 
abundant  in  every  grower's  hands,  and  that 
they  might  have  been  had  at  a  gift  had  he 
sought  for  them.  No;  buy  simply  the  very 
best  that  can  be  had  of  old  and  favourite 
varieties,  and  such  of  the  new  ones  as  are  well 
authenticated,  and  recommended  by  persons 
to  be  depended  on,  and  you  will  avoid  throw- 
ing away  your  ground,  your  time,  and  your 
money,  besides  saving  yourself  many  annoy- 
ances that  would  try  your  temper.  Get  a 
handy  man  to  help  you.     Do  not  look  for  a 


first-rate  professional  gardener,  if  you  mean 
to  indulge  in  the  recreation  of  gardening 
yourself ;  get  a  steady  man  who  has  worked 
enough  in  a  garden  to  know  a  little  what  he 
is  about,  and  you  will  have  no  difficulty  in 
satisfying  him  and  indulging  yourself;  besides 
which,  such  a  man  does  not  object  to  helping 
you  at  anything  he  sees  you  engaged  in. 
Hundreds  of  gardeners,  whom  the  professional 
heads  would  greatly  disparage  if  they  had  a 
chance,  are  picking  up  single-handed  places, 
and  acquiring  rapidly  the  information  that  will 
qualify  them  for  head  situations. 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 


BY  GEORGE  GLENNT. 


The  Carnation  and  Picotee  SIiow  at  the 
South  London  Society  was  very  limited,  com- 
pared with  those  of  former  years,  and  there  is 
a  manifest  tameness  among  florists  and  ama- 
teurs that  borders  upon  indiiference.  There 
are,  however,  many  fair  seedlings,  which,  for 
want  of  some  arrangement  with  regard  to 
names,  we  have  no  means  cf  noticing.  Nothing 
better  than  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland  has  been 
shown  among  picotees :  but  we  have  men- 
tioned this  flower  elsewhere.  Lorrina  is  pretty, 
and  will  be  useful.  .  Lady  St.  Moore  is  a  bold, 
useful  flower  ;  but  in  the  specimen  we  have 
seen  it  was  slightly  barred,  and  there  were 
stains  underneath.  May's  Falconbridge,  a 
pink-and-purple  bizarre  carnation,  was  a  pretty 
and  not  badly  formed  flower  ;  but  the  white 
must  come  better  to  make  it  good.  The  same 
raiser's  Mary  Glendower,  a  crimson  bizarre, 
was  much  bi-ighter  and  better,  and  is  an  ac- 
quisition. Norman's  Prince  Albert  picotee, 
with  an  edge  of  lilac  rose,  was  pretty  ;  and 
there  were  others  which  would  have  borne  a 
favourable  notice,  had  we  found  any  name  by 
which  to  have  designated  them.  With  regard 
to  seedlings,  it  is  very  bad  taste  to  show  with- 
out names.  Men  entrusted  to  judge  new 
flowers  may  know  all  that  is  to  be  known.  It 
is  child's  play  to  put  numbers  and  letters  ;  not 
but  the  scrambling  way  in  which  judges  are 
appointed,  at  the  last  moment,  gives  those 
who  are  inclined  an  excellent  opportunity  of 
palming  their  own  judges  on  the  committee, 
as  if  accident  or  curiosity  alone  brought  them 
to  the  spot  ;  and  it  may  seem  a  little  security 
against  partial  decisions;  but  this  is  all  a  farce. 
Those  who  plant  their  own  judges  take  care 
the  judges  shall  know  the  stands  or  flowers 
they  are  to  serve.  But  new  flowers  should  have 
their  names  to  them,  for  the  good  of  the  public, 
who,  so  far  as  the  certificates  are  concerned, 
care  no  more  for  the  flowers  that  obtain  them 
than  for  those  which  do  not ;  and  it  is  vexing 


to  those  who  go  to  use  their  own  judgment, 
to  find  themselves  in  the  predicament  of  ad- 
miring and  wanting  a  rejected  flower,  and  not 
to  know  its  name  nor  its  owner  ;  for,  stupidly 
enough,  the  man  who  has  no  certificate  thinks 
his  flower  best  in  the  shade,  and  does  not  care 
to  have  it  known.  Hollyhocks  were  shown 
to  great  advantage  by  Mr.  Chater,  who  seems 
to  grow  them  well.  Those  to  which  we  would 
draw  immediate  attention,  are  Black  Prince, 
a  noble  black  flower,  thick,  firm,  and  quite  in 
advance  ;  Magnum  bonum,  excellent,  and  but 
a  shade  lighter  ;  Queen,  a  beautiful  rose-co- 
lour, of  fine  texture  ;  Pallida,  very  fine  ; 
Comet,  a  seedling,  fine  deep  blood-red  ;  Pur- 
purea elegans,  a  fine  bright  purple  :  Sulphurea 
perfecta,  a  bright  sulphur  ;  Mulberry,  superb, 
a  very  fine  variety.  There  were  single  blooms 
of  others,  but  no  name  to  them  ;  and,  conse- 
quently, much  as  we  admired  them,  we  were  in 
the  dark.  Two  Petunias,  out  of  a  good  num- 
ber, appeared  to  have  certificates  :  Youngii, 
a  fine  thick-petalled  crimson,  pretty  good;  and 
Queen,  good  for  nothing  ;  thousands  better 
have  been  thrown  away.  This  brings  to  mind 
a  fine  dark  mottled  variety,  which  we  have 
received  from  Stowmarket,  which  is  novel  as 
well  as  of  tolerably  good  form.  Of  the  many 
Fuchsias  exhibited  at  the  Garden,  the  very 
best  in  the  place  were — Ne  plus  ulti-a,  well 
grown,  and  calculated  to  show  off  the  flower 
in  perfection,  abundance  of  bloom,  and  every 
flower  well  reflexed  ;  One  in  the  Ring,  Pu- 
rity, Kendall's  Elizabeth,  the  old  Formosa 
elegans,  and  Riccartoni.  Hud  these  plants 
been  picked  out  and  placed  by  themselves, 
there  were  not  half  a  dozen  in  all  the  Gardens 
that  could  have  stood  against  them.  The 
stove  and  greenhouse  plants,  heaths,  and  or- 
chideous  plants  at  the  Gardens  this  year 
have  been  worthy  of  all  praise;  and  the  Roses 
at  the  last  show  were  as  good  as  they  can  be, 
while  flimsy  petals  are  tolerated.     The  growth 


398 


NEW    TLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


of  those  in  pots  has  been  much  improved,  and 
Tve  do  not  despair  of  seeing  them  generally 
sliovvn,  by-and-by,  without  all  those  mechanical 
contrivances,  which  are  a  disgrace  to  British 
Floriculture. 

The  meetings  of  the  Royal  Society  for 
the  Encouragement  of  Floriculture  and 
Horticulture  have  been  well  attended  ;  and 
numerous  seedlings  in  fuchsias,  verbenas, 
petunias,  carnations,  picotees,  pinks,  and  dah- 
lias, have  been  shown.  The  principal  meet- 
ings since  our  last,  have  been  at  Kingsland, 
and  the  grand  quarterly  central  meeting  at 
Watson's  hotel.  The  only  flowers  that  have 
been  really  distinguished,  during  the  year, 
have  been  four  or  five  seedling  crocuses, 
which  are  a  decided  advance  on  all  we  had  be- 
fore, but  for  which  no  certificate  was  awarded, 
as  the  raiser  shovved  the  inutility  of  it  until  he 
eould  get  up  a  stock  ;  a  seedling  dalilia,  shown 
by  Mr.  Robinson,  wliich,  although  admired, 
and  considered  quite  an  acquisition,  was  not 
officially  noticed,  because  there  were  not  six 
blooms,  which  is  the  least  number  on  which 
the  judges  will  adjudicate  ;  and  the  seetlling 
picotee  of  Mr.  Turner,  called  Duchess  of  Suther- 
land, which  was  awarded  what  may  be  consi- 
dered the  maiden  certificate — the  only  one 
tiiat,  up  to  that  evening,  had  been  awarded, 
although  more  than  three  hundred  speci- 
mens had  been  exhibited.  It  has  been 
thought  that  the  judges  were  too  particular, 
but  when  at  one  part  of  the  town  there  are 


men  combined  for  the  express  purpose  of 
deceiving  the  public,  by  awarding  certifi- 
cates of  merit  to  flowers  that  do  not  add  one 
single  property  or  novelty  to  those  we  pos- 
sess, and  are  not  worth  growing,  the  judges 
of  a  respectable  Society,  to  which  distant 
gentlemen  look  up  with  confidence,  feel  they 
must  be  very  cautious  how  they  give  value  to 
new  productions.  To  gain  one  of  their  first- 
class  certificates,  a  flower  must  be  new  in 
colour,  and  as  good  in  other  respects  as  those 
we  have  already  ;  or  if  it  be  a  colour  we 
already  possess,  it  must  be  a  decided  advance 
in  form  and  other  properties.  Let  any  Fuchsia 
grower,  who  bought  Lord  Nelson  upon  the 
warranty  of  those  certificate  manufacturers 
just  mentioned,  judge  for  himself  what  the 
thirty  flowers  were  worth  that  shared  the  ho- 
nour with  that  coarse  and  worthless  Fuchsia. 
Let  the  gentleman  who  helped  to  award 
himself  the  certificate  look  at  his  Ne  plies 
ultra,  which  had  an  honest  and  well-earned 
certificate  from  a  more  respectable  soui'ce, 
and  ask  himself  whether  he  can  find  a  Fuchsia 
better  than  his  Ne  plus  ultra,  or  ivorse  than 
his  Lord  Nelson,  in  the  whole  family  grown 
and  thrown  away  for  the  last  ten  years.  It  is 
the  feature  of  the  Society  for  the  Encourage- 
ment of  Floriculture,  &c.  that  the  judges  are 
elected  for  the  year,  and  nothing  can  displace 
them  till  the  end  of  the  term,  and  as  they  have 
no  interest  in  the  result,  their  decisions  are 
impartial  and  authoritative. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


Gaulthekta  bracteata,  G.  Don  (brac- 
teated  Gaultheria). — Ericaceae  §  Ericese-An- 
droraedida3. — A  low-growing,  but  very  hand- 
some evergreen  shrub,  attaining  a  foot  or  a 
foot  and  a  half  or  more  in  height,  with  round, 
somewhat  rigid,  and  more  or  less  hairy 
branches,  clothed  with  alternate,  ovate,  or 
cordate -ovate  acute  leaves,  an  inch  and  a  half 
long  and  an  inch  broad,  minutely  saw-edged, 
usually  glabrous  above,  and  sometimes  hairy 
or  rusty  beneath.  The  flowers  grow  in  simple 
racemes,  which  are  either  axillary  or  termi- 
nal ;  they  are  attached  by  short  stalks,  at  the 
base  of  which  are  comparatively  large  ovate 
acute  bracteas  of  the  same  rosy  colour  as  the 
flowers,  which  grow  in  a  secund  manner.  The 
flowers  are  tubular-ovate,  contracted  at  the 
mouth,  close  belov>^  the  short  spreading  five- 
lobed  limb.  Native  of  South  America,  near 
Quito,  in  the  elevated  regions  of  New  Gra- 
nada, and  in  the  Andes  of  Columbia.  Intro- 
duced in  1848.  Flowers  in  the  summer.  It 
is  the  Andromeda  bracteata  (Cavanill;fs) ; 
Gaultheria  erecfa  (Ventenat)  ;  G.  odorata, 
cordifolia,  et  rigida  (Humboldt,  Bonpland, 
and    Kunth).       Cidture. — Requires    an    aiiy 


greenhouse  in  winter,  and  shade  in  summer  ; 
light  peat  soil ;  propagated  by  layers,  or  by 
seeds. 

Camellia  japonica,  var.  Ruhini  (Rubini's 
Japan  Rose). — TernstromiacesB. — A  fine  va- 
riety of  the  Japan  Camellia,  of  the  imbricated 
class,  remarkable  for  the  uniformly  bi-coloured 
markings  of  its  petals.  The  habit  is  robust, 
the  leaves  large,  broadly  ovate  acuminate,  and 
shining  green.  The  flowers  ar^e  four  inches 
in  diameter,  circular,  raised  in  the  centre;  the 
outer  petals  broad,  and  slightly  notched,  the  in- 
ner ones  gradually  becoming  narrower,  and  at 
length  pointed;  the  innermost  not  much  exceed- 
ing the  eighth  of  an  inch  in  width;  the  whole  of 
tlie  petals  are  deep  rose  at  the  base,  becoming 
almost  perfectly  wliite  at  the  margins,  with  a 
prominent  band  of  light  rose  and  white  in  the 
centre  ;  the  petals  lie  in  such  a  position  that 
usually  these  bands  fall  in  a  line  with  others, 
giving  the  flowers  a  rayed  appearance,  which, 
with  the  unifoi'm  and  unbroken  gradations  in 
form  and  size  of  the  petals,  constitutes  the 
peculiar  features  of  this  variety.  Raised  in 
Italy.  Introduced  to  Belgian  gardens  about 
1844,  by  M.  A.  Verschaffelt,  of  Ghent.  Flowers 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


399 


in  May.  Culture  : — Requires  a  greenhouse  ; 
good  turfy  loam  and  peat  ;  propagated  by  iu- 
arcliing,  grafting,  or  budding  on  the  single 
camellia. 

Fuchsia  coRraBiFLOEA,  var.  alba  (white 
corymbose- flowered  Fuchsia). — Onagracese  § 
Fuchsefe. — A  large-growing  shrubby  plant, 
with  large  broadly  lance-shaped  leaves,  and 
bearing  dense  pendulous  corymbs  of  long 
slender  tubular  blossoms.  In  the  species  these 
blossoms  are  crimson  ;  but  in  the  variety  the 
tubes  of  the  calyx  and  sepals  are  of  a  carneous 
whiteness,  becoming  pure  white  when  fully 
developed,  the  sepals  being  well  reflexed,  and 
exhibiting  a  corolla  of  brilliant  crimson.  A 
French  garden  variety,  raised  by  Mr.  Salter, 
of  Versailles.  Introduced  to  England  in  1848. 
Flowers  during  summer.  Culture. — Requires 
a  greenliouse  ;  well  suited  for  the  border  of  a 
greenhouse  conservatory  ;  rich  loamy  soil  ; 
propagated  by  cuttings  planted  in  sandy  soil, 
and  most  readily  with  slight  bottom  heat. 

Mtanthus  FiiiBRiATDS,  Morreu  (fringed- 
flowered  Myanthus). — Orchidaceee  §  Vandege- 
CatasetidfB  — A  very  fine  epiphytal  species, 
belonging  to  the  curious  group  of  catasetums, 
to  which  the  name  Myanthus  has  been 
applied.  This  species  has  ovate  elongated 
pseudo-bulbs,  and  lance-shaped  plicate  leaves. 
From  the  base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs  grow  the 
racemes  of  flowers  on  a  drooping  scape.  The 
sepals  and  petals  are  of  the  same  pale  rosy 
purplish-tinged  colour,  speckled  over  with  red 
spots,  the  sepals  being  narrow  lance-shaped, 
and  the  petals  somewhat  broader  and  shorter  ; 
the  two  petals  and  the  upper  sepal  of  tlie  fully 
expanded  blossom  are  connivent  ;  the  lip  is 
heart-shaped,  plain,  fringed  around  the  margin; 
the  back  is  produced  into  a  blunt  coniform 
spur ;  the  colour  is  almost  white  suffused  with 
rose.  Native  of  St.  Paul,  in  Brazil.  Intro- 
duced to  Belgium  in  1847.  Flowers  in  Sep- 
tember. Culture.  —  Requires  a  hot  moist 
stove;  turfy  peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  division 
of  the  plant. 

Lacepedea  insignis,  Sumholdt  and  Bon- 
jyland  (fragrant  Lacepedea). — Hippocrateacea;. 
— A  handsome  evergreen  large-growing  shrub, 
or  small  tree,  with  numerous  branches,  and 
ample  opposite  ovate  or  oblong  ovate,  some- 
what leathery  leaves,  dark  green  and  glossy 
above,  and  paler  beneath,  and  attached  by 
long  footstalks.  The  flowers  come  in  a 
branched  terminal  panicle  ;  they  are  ovate 
globose,  about  the  size  of,  and  in  shape  not 
unlike  those  of  the  berberry  ;  they  are  white, 
of  five  obovate-oblong  erect  concave  petals,  and 
are  deliciously  scented.  Native  of  Mexico. 
Introduced  by  Messrs.  Henderson,  _  1848. 
Flowers  in  May.  It  is  also  called  Triceraia 
tbiifolia  (Willdenow),  and  Triceros  xale- 
pensis  (Sprengel).     The  genus,  of  which  this 


is  the  solitary  species,  was  dedicated  by  Hum- 
boldt and  Bonpland,  to  the  honour  of  the  dis- 
tinguished naturalist  Count  de  Lacepede. 
Cidture. — Requires  a  stove  ;  free  open  loamy 
soil  ;  propagated  by  cuttings  placed  in  bottom 
heat  under  a  bell-glass. 

Kadsura  japonica,  Dunal  (Japan  Kad- 
sura). —  Schizandraceaj. — A  twining  or  scram- 
bling shrubby  plant,  with  fleshy  warted  bark, 
and  having  alternate  oval  or  oblong-oval  leaves, 
acute  at  both  ends,  with  a  smooth  surface,  and 
of  somewhat  leathery  texture.  The  flowers 
grow  in  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  and  are  small, 
white,  unisexual  ;  the  female  ones  are  suc- 
ceeded by  a  cluster  of  small  round  red  berries, 
white  within  ;  Siebold  describes  them  as 
viscid,  tasteless,  and  uneatable.  Native  of 
Japan,  about  Nagasaki.  Introduced  about 
1848.  Flowers  from  June  to  September.  It 
has  been  also  called  Uvaria  japonica  (Lin- 
naeus), and  U.  h.eteroclita  (Roxburgh).  Cid- 
ture.—  Requires  a  cool  greenhouse;  sandy 
loam  and  peat  ;  propagated  by  cuttings  of 
the  ripened  wood  planted  in  sand  under  a 
glass, 

Oxalis  elegans,  Humboldt,  Bonpland, 
and  Kunth  (elegant  Wood-sorrel). — Oxalid- 
acefe. — A  very  beautiful  stemless  species, 
forming  a  tuft  of  leaves  and  blossoms.  The 
leaves  are  trifoliate,  consisting  of  three  broad, 
roundish-obovate,  emarginate  leaflets,  which 
are  smooth,  and  on  the  under  surface  violet- 
coloured.  The  flowers  grow  on  longish  scapes, 
each  bearing  frona  two  to  six  blossoms,  which 
are  large,  and  of  a  rich  rosy-purple  colour. 
Both  the  foliage  and  blossoms  are  much  finer 
when  the  plants  are  grown  in  the  open  border 
in  genial  situations.  Native  of  Peru,  near 
Loxa.  Introduced  by  Messrs.  Veltch,  in  1848. 
Flowers  towards  the  end  of  summer.  Cul- 
ture.— Requires  a  greenhouse  or  frame  ;  turfy 
peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  offsets.  It  is  pro- 
bably hardy  enough  to  stand  in  dry  open 
borders,  if  covered  during  winter  with  a  thick 
layer  of  dry  frost-repellent  material. 

Nejiatanthus  I0NE3IA,  Martlus  (dark 
blood-coloured  Nematanthus). — Gesneraceas 
§  Gesnerete.  —  A  handsome  soft-stemmed, 
rambling  shrub,  with  round  stems,  throwing 
out  roots  in  their  progress.  They  are  clothed 
with  opposite  fleshy,  very  dark  green,  broadly 
lance-shaped  acuminated  leaves,  themselves 
about  four  inches  long,  and  attenuated  into  a 
thick  footstalk  about  an  inch  in  length.  From 
the  axils  of  the  leaves  hang  the  flowers,  one 
or  two  from  each  axil,  on  slender  stalks  from 
six  to  twelve  inches  long ;  the  corolla  is 
obliquely  tubular,  ventricose  beneath,  with  a 
wide  open  month,  and  recurved  limb  ;  it  is 
clothed  with  hoary  purplish  pubescence,  and 
is  of  a  rich  deep  blood-colour  ;  the  calyx  tube 
is  turbinate,  deep  purple,  ending  in  five  Ian- 


400 


CAMELLIA    HAFILDA. MYANTHUS  FIMBRIATUS. 


ceolate  greenish  leafy  lobes.  Native  of  the 
woods  of  Brazil.  Introduced  in  1848.  Flowers 
in  the  spring  months.  It  is  the  Nematanthus 
corticola  (Schrader),  and  N.  Morrelliana,  of 
gardens. — CvMure. — Requires  a  hot  moist 
stove  ;  turfj  peat  soil,  in  pots,  or  in  open 
suspended  baskets  ;  propagated  by  cuttings 
placed  in  a  moist  heat. 


CAMELLIA  HAFILDA. 

At  page  384  will  be  found  a  very  lau- 
datory article  on  Camellia  Hafilda.  Perhaps 
an  account  of  the  history  of  that  plant  will 
be  acceptable  to  your  readers.  It  was  raised 
from  seed  in  Milan,  by  M.  Sacco,  a  cele- 
brated grower  of  that  genus  of  plants.  It 
was  introduced  into  commerce  under  the 
name  of  Saccol  nova,  to  distinguish  it  from 
another  variety,  raised  some  time  before,  by 
the  same  horticulturist,  and  named  by  him 
C.  Saccoi.  When  C.  Saccoi  nova  was  first 
received  in  this  country,  the  S  of  its  name 
was  mistaken  by  some  people  for  a  J,  and  in 
consequence  it  was  sold  as  C.  Jacco,  or  C. 
Jacco  'prima.  Since  that  time,  have  succes- 
sively appeared  C.  Afilda,  C.  Hafilda,  C. 
Alunia  rosea,  C.  Alcina  "rosea,  C.  Augustina, 
C.  Auqustiniana  superha,  C.  Amedina,  C. 
Rosa  nova  vera,  &c.,  all  which  supposed  no- 
velties have  proved  so  much  identical  with  the 
original  C.  Saccoi  nova,  that  I  do  not  the 
least  hesitate  to  bring  them  all  under  that  last 
name.  The  flowers  of  C.  Saccoi  vera  are  Avell 
imbricated  ;  their  petals  of  a  pale  or  more  or 
•less  deep  rose  colour,  sometimes  translucid, 
now  of  a  uniform  hue,  now  variegated  with 
white  round  spots.  My  next  prix  courant, 
which  may  be  found  at  Mr.  George  Rahn's, 
52,  Mark-lane,  will  afford  information  about 
the  synonymy  of  many  other  Camellias,  the 
nomenclature  of  which  ten  years'  observation 
has  enabled  me  to  elucidate. — Louis  Van 
Houtie,  Nurseryvxa^,  Ghent. 


MYANTHUS    EIMBRIATTJS. 

In  a  former  notice  of  this  plant,  we  stated, 
on  the  authority  of  the  "Annals  of  the  Ghent 
Horticultural  Society,"  that  little  was  known 
as  to  the  native  country  of  the  species.  The 
translated  passage  was,  "We  have  no  infor- 
mation respecting  the  native  country  of  this 
species,  nor  any  historical  particulars  respect- 
ing its  introduction  to  Europe."  We  have 
since  received  a  communication  supplying  us 
with  some  interesting  facts,  from  which  it 
appears  we  had  unwittingly  re-published  a 
sentence  which  did  an  injustice  to  the  eifter- 
prising  individual  who  was  the  cause  of  its 
introduction ;    and   this   is   the   more   to   be 


regretted,  as  Mr.  T.  de  Jonghe,  of  the  Exotic 
Nursery  at  Brussels,  says,  in  reference  to  that 
notice — 

"  The  writer,  Mr.  Morren,  knew  perfectly 
well  all  the  particulars  concerning  the  country 
and  the  origin  of  the  said  Myandius,  the  date 
of  its  introduction,  the  name  of  the  discoverer, 
as  well  as  that  of  the  establishment  which  first 
received  this  new  plant.  In  concealing  all 
these  particulars  he  has  certainly  derogated  as 
a  writer,  and  has  acted  in  a  very  blameable 
manner  as  a  precedent  in  thus  concealing  from 
his  colleagues  that  information  which  is  so 
extremely  necessary  for  the  acquirement  of 
botanical  knowledge.  I  think  it  therefore  my 
duty  to  inform  you  that  the  Myanthus  fim- 
briatus  was  found  in  flower  by  my  collector, 
M.  Libon,  in  November  1846,  in  a  marsh  not 
far  from  the  Villa  Franca,  province  of  St.  Paul, 
in  the  Brazils,  This  plant  was  sent  to  Europe 
the  following  year,  and  reached  me  ticketed 
No.  389,  in  a  lot  of  plants  from  St.  Paul  in 
the  month  of  Nov.  1847.  It  flowered  for  the 
first  time  in  September  1848.  Mr.  Legrelle, 
of  Antwerp,  in  visiting  my  collection  of  plants, 
particularly  remarked  this  plant,  and  bought 
it  in  order  to  exhibit  it  at  the  great  exhibition, 
both  horticultural  and  agricultural,  taking 
place  at  Brussels  in  the  month  of  September, 
1848,  where  it  obtained  a  first-rate  prize. 

"  The  plant  of  Mr.  Heynderycx,  President  of 
the  Horticultural  Society,  was  also  among  the 
lot  of  plants  received  and  cultivated  in  my 
grounds.  Mr.  Legrelle  paid  for  his  plant  40 
francs,  and  Mr.  Heynderycx,  of  Ghent,  whose 
plant  was  stronger,  paid  50  francs." 

We  are  glad  of  this  opportunity  of  impart- 
ing the  facts,  and  we  feel  greatly  indebted  to 
M.  Jonghe  for  sending  in  the  same  communi- 
cation a  few  particulars  as  to  cultivation  ;  and 
as  his  conclusion  is  quite  to  the  point,  we  take 
this  further  extract  from  his  letter . — 

"  This  sort  of  Orchidese  is  cultivated  on 
wood,  and  comes  kindly  on  in  pots,  or  planted 
in  rotten  soil  formed  of  tree-roots,  &c.  In 
the  hot-houses  they  require  a  more  shady 
situation,  as  well  as  more  damp,  than  the 
other  Myanthuses.  These  are  the  particulars, 
exact  and  precise,  concerning  the  name  of  the 
place  the  Myanthus  fimbriatus  belongs  to,  the 
date  of  its  introduction  to  Europe,  and  that  of 
its  appearance  in  the  trade,  as  well  as  its  cul- 
tivation." 

We  are  exceedingly  anxious  to  be  accurate 
upon  such  subjects  ;  and  in  these  days,  when 
too  many  are  endeavouring  by  misrepresenta- 
tion or  concealment  to  deprive  men  of  the 
credit  which  belongs  to  those  who  advance 
the  science,  we  are  glad  of  an  opportunity  of 
"  giving  unto  Cassar  that  which  is  Ceesar's." 

The  particulars  we  formerly  gave  will  be 
found  at  page  281. 


401 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


It  is  evident  that  instructions  in  the  ope- 
rations of  gardening,  intended  for  the  use  of 
persons  who  are  not  familiar  with  garden 
practice,  ought  to  have  at  least  a  twofold 
direction  ;  for  such  persons  not  only  require 
to  be  taught  when  and  where  certain  opera- 
tions need  to  be  carried  out,  in  order  to  lead 
to  a  successful  issue,  but  they  equally  need 
instruction  as  to  the  manner  in  which  those 
operations  may  be  properly  executed,  with 
the  same  end  in  view.  That  is  to  say,  the 
classes  of  persons  comprehended  in  the  idea 
of  those  who  are  unacquainted  with  the  prac- 
tice of  gardening,  require  to  be  informed, 
both  rvhat  is  to  be  done,  and  liom  it  is  to  be 
done,  before  they  can  undertake  to  manage 
their  gardens  with  any  well-grounded  hope  of 
success. 

We  now  intend  to  deal  with  the  latter  of 
the  two  divisions  of  the  subject  just  referred 
to  ;  and  proceed  at  once  with  an  epitome  of 
the  various  operations,  the  due  performance 
of  which  forms  the  basis  of  productive  gar- 
dening. 

AMELIORATION   OF    THE    SOIL. 

For  gardening  purposes,  neither  a  stiff  ad- 
hesive clay  soil,  nor  a  loose  sand,  is  desirable. 
The  best  of  all  soils  is  what  is  called  a  deep 
free  loam  ;  that  is,  the  medium  state  between 
clay  and  sand,  the  two  extremes  just  named. 
Stony  soil  is  not,  on  that  account,  objection- 
able, if  the  earth  is  of  the  suitable  texture, 
and  the  stones  do  not  form  too  great  a  pro- 
portion to  the  body  of  the  soil  ;  they  may,  at 
the  outset,  be  allowed  to  form  nearly  a  fourth 
part  of  the  bulk  of  the  soil  without  detriment ; 
and  this  proportion  will  be  gradually  lessened 
by  the  continued  addition  of  manure  and 
composts. 

Heavy  clay  soils  are  much  in  need  of  im- 
provement and  amelioration  ;  they  most  espe- 
cially require  perfect  drainage.  The  texture 
of  such  soils  cannot  be  altered  at  once  ;  it 
must  be  a  work  of  time  and  perseverance. 
The  manner  and  the  materials  for  this  work 
may  be  separately  considered.  As  to  the 
manner  :  such  soils  should  be  trenched,  the 
surface  being  thrown  up  into  rough  ridges — 
the  rougher  the  better.  This  should  be  done 
just  before  winter  sets  in.  After  frosts  the 
surface  should  now  and  then  be  forked  over, 
so  as  to  expose  as  much  of  the  soil  as  possible 
to  the  direct  action  either  of  frost,  or  of  the  sun 
or  air,  either  of  which  is  beneficial,  but  espe- 
cially the  first.  The  effect  of  this  will  be  salu- 
tary ;  the  rough  adhesive  lumps  which  have 
been  exposed,  will,  after  the  drying  winds  of 
early  spring,  be  found  to  have  crumbled  to 
pieces,  when  the  addition  of  correctives  will, 
50. 


to  some  extent,  prevent  the  subsequent  adhe- 
sion of  the  particles.  Perseverance  in  this 
practice,  year  after  year,  will  secure  the  disin- 
tegration of  the  whole  mass.  But  if  this 
crumbled  clayey  soil  is  afterwards  submitted 
to  pressure  when  in  a  wet  state  without  any 
corrective  addition,  it  will  cling  together  again 
as  firmly  as  before,  and  the  beneficial  effects 
obtained  from  its  exposure  will  be  lost.  It  is 
for  this  reason  that  those  operations  of  gar- 
dening which  involve  treading  on  the  soil, 
should,  as  far  as  practicable,  in  the  case  of 
heavy  soils,  be  performed  when  the  surface  is 
tolerably  dry,  in  order  that  the  adhesive  par- 
ticles may  not  be  again  consolidated.  All 
the  heavier  operations,  which  involve  much 
trampling  over  the  whole  surface,  should  cer- 
tainly be  avoided  while  the  surface  is  suf- 
ficiently wet  to  adhere  to  the  feet ;  and  those 
operations,  such  as  planting  and  sowing,  which 
are  necessarily  performed  either  after  rain, 
or  on  a  fresh-turned  damp  surface,  should  be 
prosecuted  with  as  little  treading  on  the  soil 
as  possible.  It  is  not  always  possible  to  avoid 
treading,  when  the  act  of  treading  on  the  soil 
is  in  itself  inj  urious,  and  opposed  to  whatever 
efforts  may  have  been  made  to  improve  its  tex- 
ture; but  it  may  always  be  kept  in  mind,  that 
treading  on  clay  soils  when  they  are  in  a  wet 
state,  is  an  evil  ;  and  if  this  is  borne  in  mind, 
the  evil  will  less  frequently  occur.  While 
the  soil  is  dry,  and  the  particles  into  which  it 
has  been  reduced  by  the  action  of  the  weather 
are  in  a  state  of  separation,  the  corrective  ma- 
terials to  be  presently  named  should  be  applied, 
and  while  the  ground  is  in  this  dry,  powdery 
state,  they  should  be  well  intermixed  with 
it  by  means  of  a  digging-fork, — which  imple- 
ment is  far  preferable  to  the 
spade  for  all  rough  digginir, 
trenching,  and  work  of  this  kind. 
With  this  fork,  the  dry,  crumbling 
ridges  of  heretofore  stiff,  adhesive 
soil,  are  to  be  turned  over,  and 
levelled  down,  a  coating  of  the 
materials  to  be  presently  named 
having  first  been  spread  over  them, 
the  whole  being  well  intermixed 
in  the  process  of  turning.  The 
materials  proper  for  the  ameliora- 
tion of  adhesive  soils,  and  which 
should  be  applied  in  a  dry  state, 
are  such  as  finely  sifted  coal,  or 
wood  or  peat  ashes,  small  char- 
coal, charred  sawdust,  or  refuse  ' 
vegetable  matter  of  any  kind 
charred,  the  finer  portions  of  old  c^ 
lime  or  mortar  rubbish,  or  sand,  _ 
especially  the  sharp  drift -sand  '^ 
frequently  met  with  by  the  road- 

D  D 


402 


FAMILIAK,   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL   GARDENING. 


side,  and  clear,  sharp  river  or  sea-sand,  or  j 
■what  is  called  shell-sand,  which  consists 
almost  entirely  of  cockle  and  other  small 
bivalve  shells,  more  or  less  crushed  and 
broken.  Any  loose,  dry  material,  which, 
when  worked  amongst  the  disintegrated  clay, 
will  prevent  it  from  again  adhering  as  before, 
may  therefore  be  used  with  advantage.  Chalk 
is  a  beneficial  application,  where  it  can  be 
exposed  so  as  to  become  pulvei'ized.  Good 
dressings  of  manure  are  also  very  effectual  in 
improving  the  condition  of  such  soils  as  these  ; 
but,  w^hen  manure  is  used,  it  should  be  depo- 
sited amongst  the  soil  (not,  however,  entirely 
at  the  bottom  of  the  trench),  at  the  time  of 
trenching.  In  trenching  heavy  soils  (or,  in- 
deed, any  others),  if  the  top  layer  of  good 
earth  is  scanty,  it  should  be  retained  as  near 
the  surface  as  possible,  and  the  lower  soil 
merely  broken  up,  but  still  kept  beneath,  a 
small  portion  being,  from  time  to  time,  brought 
up  to  the  top,  so  as  to  gradually  increase  the 
bulk  of  good  soil.  It  is  not  an  uncommon 
practice  in  trenching,  to  place  the  top-soil  in 
the  bottom  of  the  trench,  and  the  soil  from 
the  bottom  at  the  top  ;  but,  unless  there  is  a 
good  depth  of  soil,  this  is  a  bad  practice,  as  the 
good  soil  is  placed,  for  seme  time  at  least,  out 
of  reach  of  the  roots,  and  the  seeds  or  plants 
which  are  put  into  the  ground  are  placed 
amongst  soil  that  is  altogether  uncongenial  to 
their  growth.  Two  feet  deep  of  good  soil 
there  should  be  for  the  growth  of  superior 
crops  of  any  kind  ;  but  if  there  is  not  this 
depth  of  good  earth,  the  lower  strata,  or  sub- 
-^oil  as  it  is  called,  must  be  mixed  among  the 
upper  soil  a  little  at  a  time,  and  that  little 
well  exposed  to  the  atmosphere  ;  and  this 
must  be  continued  year  after  year  with  per- 
severance until  the  necessary  depth  is  at 
length  attained. 

For  the  improvement  of  sandy  soils,  treat- 
ment in  many  respects  the  opposite  of  tliat 
just  detailed  may  be  recommended.  They 
may  be  wrought  at  any  time,  even,  in  many 
cases,  immediately  after  or  during  heavy 
rains,  and  that  without  detriment,  as  the 
water  passes  away  from  them  so  readily. 
And  instead  of  doing  every  thing  possible  to 
lighten  up,  or  render  open  and  pervious,  the 
mass  of  soil,  as  is  proper  in  the  management 
of  clays,  here  the  object  should  rather  be 
compression  and  consolidation.  The  opera- 
tions of  trenching  and  manuring  require,  in- 
deed, to  be  performed,  and  the  surface  should 
be  annually  laid  open  as  much  as  possible  to 
the  weather,  but  in  this  case  rather  to  sweeten 
and  become  aerated,  as  it  is  termed  (that  is, 
that  its  particles  may  be  exposed  to  the  acjtion 
of  the  atmosphere),  than  to  cause  its  pulver- 
ization ;  and  where  the  soil  is  very  loose,  that 
is,   composed  almost   entirely  of  sand,  it  is 


advantageous  to  submit  it  to  moderate  and 
equal  pressure  before  the  crops  are  placed  on 
it, — not,  however,  to  render  the  surface  cake- 
bound,  for  this  is  altogether  a  positive  evil. 
The  materials  to  be  employed  to  improve 
these  soils,  are  chiefly  heavy  loam,  inclining 
to  clay,  maii  of  various  kinds,  and  clay  ;  these, 
especially  the  two  latter,  should  be  spread 
loosely  over  the  surface,  and  forked  in  among 
the  soil  when  moderately  dry. 

In  sandy  soils  which  contain  iron,  there  is 
often  a  consolidated  crust  (or  "pan,"  as  it  is 
termed)  formed  a  little  distance  below  the 
surface, —  usually  just  below  the  depth  to 
which  the  soil  is  generally  stirred  up  ;  this 
pan  should,  w^herever  it  exists  within  the 
range  of  trenching,  that  is,  within  three  feet 
of  the  surface,  be  broken  up,  as  it  obstructs 
the  free  passage  of  the  moisture,  both  upwards 
by  capillary  attraction,  and  downwards  by 
percolation. 

Calcareous  or  chalky  soils  are,  in  general, 
fertile,  if  the  chalky  matter  is  not  in  excess. 
They  are  not  so  liable  to  suffer  from  excess 
of  moisture  as  many  others,  the  strata  being 
generally  favourable  for  the  passage  of  water. 
Wherever  superabundant  moisture  is  present, 
it  must,  however,  be  drained  away.  Those 
which  are  of  a  somewhat  heavy  texture,  are 
most  benefited  by  applications  of  light,  sandy 
loam,  or  light  earth  of  any  kind.  The  lighter 
chalky  soils,  on  the  other  hand,  are  more  be- 
nefited by  loam  of  heavier  texture.  Loam,  it 
will  be  remembered,  is  a  somewhat  tenacious 
earth,  less  plastic  and  adhesive  than  clay. 

Peaty  soils  contain  the  elements  of  fertility; 
they  consist  mostly  of  decayed  vegetable  mat- 
ter impregnated  with  acids,  and  sometimes 
with  irony  matters, — which  latter  may  be  ob- 
served from  their  rusty-looking  nature,  wher- 
ever water  accumulates.  They  are  naturally 
wet  ;  therefore  the  first  thing  must  be,  to 
drain  them  thoroughly.  They  may  then  be 
improved  by  the  addition  of  calcareous  mat- 
ter in  considerable  abundance,  which  will 
neutralize  the  acid  properties  and  decompose 
the  irony  matters  existing  in  the  peat ;  for 
the  latter  purpose,  quicklime  is  preferable. 
Shell-sand  is  also  an  excellent  material  for 
application  to  peaty  soils,  being  composed  in 
great  measure  of  calcareous  matter,  in  the 
form  of  carbonate  of  lime.  Farther  than 
this,  they  may  be  improved  by  the  addition  of 
loams  or  earths,  to  give  them  greater  body. 

It  may  be  useful  to  recapitulate,  that  clay 
imparts  tenacity  to  soils  to  which  it  is  applied; 
sand  diminishes  the  degree  of  tenacity  ;  and 
chalk  or  lime  have  an  intermediate  effect, 
rendering  heavy  soils  more  porous  and  easily 
broken  up,  and  light  ones  more  binding  and 
retentive  of  moisture.  The  object  in  mixing 
soils,  and  in  adding  composts  for  their  araeli- 


FAMILIAR    LESSONS    ON   PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


403 


oration,  is,  to  produce  a  staple  earth  as  nearly 
as  may  be,  intermediate  between  sand  and 
clay  ;  and  of  this  earth  a  depth  of  from  two 
to  three  feet  should  be  provided.  This  may 
be  effected  gradually,  by  adding  new  soil  of 
the  proper  corrective  kind,  and  by  trenching 
and  bringing  up  annually  a  portion  of  the 
subsoil  to  be  exposed  to  the  atmosphere, 
where  there  are  not  facilities  for  doing  so 
speedily,  either  by  at  once  breaking  up  the 
staple  to  a  sufficient  depth,  or  adding  a  large 
bulk  of  good  soil. 

TRENCHING   AND    DIGGINa. 

These  operations  are  the  most  laborious 
of  the  continually-recurring  operations  con- 
nected with  garden  cultivation.  They  are, 
however,  very  essential.  The  proper  per- 
formance of  them  has  the  effect  of  lightening 
up  the  body  of  soil  operated  on,  of  pulverizing 
it,  of  intermixing  its  particles  together,  and 
facilitating  the  intermixture  of  composts,  ma- 
nures, &c.,  of  exposing  fresh  surfaces  to  the 
action  of  solar  heat,  and  of  atmospheric  influ- 
ences, of  favouring  the  percolation  from  above 
downwards  of  rain,  which  would  otherwise 
pass  away  less  freely,  and  saturate  the  soil, 
and  of  favouring  the  action  of  capillary  attrac- 
tion, by  which  moisture  is  sucked  up,  so  to 
speak,  from  below,  to  supply  the  plants  during 
periods  of  drought.  The  neglect  of  them,  on 
the  other  hand,  is  conducive  to  consolidation 
in  the  mass  of  soil,  by  wliich  means  it  binds 
together,  and  can  be  broken  up  only  in  large 
lumps;  manures  and  composts  do  not  get  dis- 
tributed equally  throughout  the  bulk,  heat 
does  not  penetrate  deeply,  nor  the  air  play 
among  the  particles  of  earth ;  it  becomes 
water-logged  and  saturated  if  much  rain  falls 
upon  it ;  and  in  dry  weather,  when  rain  does 
not  fall  in  sufficient  quantities  to  nourish  the 
plants,  it  is  not  in  a  condition  to  attract  or 
suck  up  moisture  from  below. 
Thus,  a  well-wrought  soil  is  es- 
sential to  success  in  the  tillage  of 
the  ground. 

The  various  operations  of  this 
class,  as  trenching,  digging,  fork- 
ing, &c.,  are  essentially  the  same 
in  their  object,  and  differ  only  in 
degree,  and  in  the  manner  of 
execution. 

Digging  is  the  most  common. 
The  instrument  chiefly  used  is 
the  spade,  though  sometimes  the 
digging-fork  may  be  employed. 
To  commence :  Dig  out  at  one 
end  an  opening  across  the  piece 
of  ground  to  be  dug,  say  of  one 
foot  deep  by  one  foot  wide  ;  this 
opening  is  called  the  trench,  and 
a  mass  of  soil  about  a  foot  square, 


2 

a 

c 

such  tis  is  lifted  by  one  act  of  insertion,  is 
called  a  spadeful  or  spit  of  earth ;  the  trench, 
therefore,  is  to  be  a  good  spit  deep  and  wide, 
to  give  room  to  turn  over  the  successional 
spits  in  the  process  of  digging.  The  earth  so 
taken  out  is  wheeled  to  the  other  end,  to  fill 
up  the  trench  when  the  ground  has  been  all 
dug.  If  the  piece  of  ground  is  large,  this  is 
laborious  and  tedious  ;  it  is,  thei-efore,  cus- 
tomary and  proper  to  divide  the  ground  by 
an  imaginary  line  (sometimes  indicated  by 
chopping  a  crevice  with  the  spade,  or  by 
drawing  a  drill  with  the  hoe)  into  two  equal 
parts,  thus.  The 
earth  taken  out  of 
the  trench  a,  is  de- 
posited at  h,  close  at 
hand  ;  when  the 
piece.  No.  1,  is  dug 
throughout  to  c,  an 
open  trench  is  left ; 
this  is  filled  up  in 
making  an  opening  at  d,  and  finally,  the  soil 
deposited  at  h  fills  up  the  opening  when 
No.  2  is  all  dug.  The  same  arrangement  of 
work  is  followed,  when  necessary,  in  trench- 
ing. When  the  trench  a  is  opened,  the  ope- 
ration proceeds  by  thrusting  into  the  ground, 
in  a  perpendicular  direction,  the  blade  of  the 
spade,  at  six,  eight,  or  ten  inches  backwards 
from  the  trench  and  towards  c ;  the  top  of 
the  spade-handle  is  then  pulled  slightly  back- 
wards, by  which  leverage  the  mass  of  earth 
before  the  blade  is  detached,  and  at  the  same 
moment  the  operator  stoops,  one  hand  holding 
the  top  of  the  handle,  the  other  slipped  about 
half-way  down  or  rather  more,  and  in  this 
way  the  spadeful  of  earth  is  lifted,  and  thrown 
to  the  opposite  side  of  the  trench,  the  spade 
being  turned  sideways  ;  in  this  process  of 
lifting  and  turning  the  earth  becomes  re- 
versed, so  that,  when  deposited  on  the  oppo- 
site side  of  the  trench,  it  is  upside  down 
compared  with  its  former  position,  the  bottom 
being  brought  to  the  top,  and  the  top  placed 
at  bottom.  A  fresh  surface  is  thus  obtained, 
and  any  weeds  on  the  former  surface  become 
buried,  as  does  also  any  dressing  of  manure 
which  may  have  been  spread  over  the  surface 
before  digging  commenced.  This  continues 
regularly  across  the  portion  at  the  end  of 
which  the  trench  was  opened,  and  back  again, 
and  so  on  till  completed.  It  is  desirable  that 
the  operation  proceed  evenly  and  regularly 
across  the  ground,  so  that  the  trench  may  be 
alwaj^s  of  equal  length  ;  for  if  one  side  is 
worked  forwarder  than  the  other,  so  that  the 
trench  becomes  diagonal  in  reference  to  the 
ground,  it  will  be  lengthened,  and  in  the  same 
proportion  narrowed,  and  if  this  narrowing 
becomes  considerable,  the  entire  operation  is 
less  perfectly  performed. 

■D-D  2 


404 


FAMILIAR   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


Circumstances  must  determine  whether  the 
soil  should  be  laid  roughly,  or  broken  fine, 
and  the  surface  levelled,  as  the  operation  of 
digging  proceeds.  In  general,  rough  digging 
is  best,  as  it  exposes  a  greater  surface  to  the 
air  ;  and  for  this,  each  spadeful  of  the  soil 
should  be  laid  so  that  one  side  may  lay  up 
v.ith  a  sharp  angle  if  possible,  a  little  judg- 
ment being  exercised  to  lay  it,  so  that  the 
general  level  of  the  ground  is  maintained.  If 
wanted  at  once  for  broadcast  seed-sowing,  or 
for  sowing  seeds  in  lines  near  together,  or  for 
planting  any  crops  that  go  near  together,  the 
ground  must  be  pulverized  as  the  digging 
goes  on  ;  for  this  purpose  it  ought  not  to 
be  too  wet  ;  the  spadefuls  of  earth,  after 
being  laid,  are  to  be  stiuck  once  or  twice  with 
the  edge  and  corner  of  the  spade,  by  which 
they  will  be  broken  moderately  fine,  and  an 
extra  working  of  this  kind  will  secure  any 
extra  degree  of  fineness  or  tilth  that  may  be 
required.  Where  the  ground  is  wanted  for 
sowing  or  planting  in  rows  wide  asunder,  it 
may  be  rough  dug,  and  the  part  to  be  occu- 
pied by  the  rows  afterwards  made  sufficiently 
fine  with  a  fork.  In  general,  the  sowing  and 
planting  of  all  principal  crops  should  take 
place  on  ground  previously  trenched  or  dug, 
and  which  may  only  require  levelling  with  a 
fork  at  the  time  of  cropping.  In  the  process 
of  digging,  both  the  operator's  hands  should 
be  at  the  top  of  the  spade-handle  when  he  is 
thrusting  the  blade  into  the  earth  by  pressing 
his  foot  on  the  "tread" — a  flat  rim  to  the 
upper  part  of  the  blade  ;  when  the  blade  is 
pressed  down,  one  hand  should  momentarily 
pass  down  the  handle  to  lift  it  as  soon  as  it  is 
forced  away  from  the  mass  by  pulling  back 
Avith  the  hand  which  retains  hold  at  the  top 
of  the  handle.  It  falls  natural  to  some  to  pass 
down  the  left  hand,  some  the  right ;  but  a 
clever  workman  should  be  able  to  pass  down 
either.  If  the  right  hand  is  passed  down,  the 
operator  is  said  to  work  right-handed  ;  if  the 
left,  left-handed.  A  right-handed  w^orker 
should  begin  on  the  left  side  of  the  piece  of 
ground,  and  work  towards  the  right  ;  a  left- 
handed  worker  the  opposite.  The  operator  is 
thus  clear  of  his  work.  The  same  details  of 
"  workmanship"  apply  to  all  operations  of  this 
class. 

Ordinary  trenching  might  be  called  double 
digging,  as  it  consists  in  the  turning  over  of 
the  ground  two  spades  depth  instead  of  one. 
It  requires,  however,  a  somewhat  different 
process,  in  consequence  of  the  greater  bulk  of 
soil  that  has  to  be  moved.  There  are  several 
kinds  of  trenching  ;  sometimes  the  top  spit 
only  is  removed,  and  the  second  spit  merely 
turned  up  in  its  former  place  ;  sometimes  the 
whole  bulk  of  soil  is  removed  to  two  or  three 
spades  depth  :    and   the   surface- soil   and  the 


lower-soil  are  variously  placed  with  reference 
to  each  other,  according  as  it  may  be  required 
to  intermix  the  different  layers,  or  to  bring 
up  a  fresh  and  unexhausted  portion  to  the 
surface. 

Trenching  two  spades  depth  may  be  thus 
performed  :  A  trench  is  opened  across  one 
end  of  the  ground  two  feet  wide  and  one 
foot  deep.  The  soil  from  this  opening  is 
disposed  of  as  in  digging.  The  details  of  the 
operation  will  be  best  explained  by  diagrams, 
in  which  each  number  may  represent  the  width 
and  depth  of  a  spit  or  spadeful  of  earth.  The 
opening  made  by  removing  the  earth  one 
spade  deep  and  two  spades  wide,  will  be 
represented  in  the  an- 
nexed longitudinal  sec- 
tion of  the  ground,  Nos. 
1  and  2  being  the  parts 
removed.  The  next  thing  wiir  be,  to  dig 
over  No.  3  one  spade  deep ;  then  No.  4  is  dug 
out  spit  by  spit,  and  laid  on  No.  3  ;  a  section 
of  the  ground  will  then 


A. 


appear  thus.  No.  5  is 
next  dug  out,  and  laid 
in  the  place  of  No.  4  : 
and  when  this  is  done  across  the  whole  piece 
of  ground,  No.  6  is  dug  out  and  placed  upon 
it,  occupying  the  place  of  No.  2.  The  ground 
now  lies  thus.  The 
same  course  is  followed 
thi'oughout.  Either  one 
or  two  persons  may 
work  at  this  mode  of  trenching  ;  when  Nos.  1 
and  2  are  removed,  one  may  commence  digging 
up  No.  S,  and  as  soon  as  he  has  advanced  a 
little,  another  may  follow  and  turn  out  No.  4  ; 
the  first,  when  he  has  finished  No.  3,  then 
begins  to  throw  No.  5  into  the  place  of  No.  4, 
and  keeps  ahead  sufficiently  for  the  second  to 
commence  No.  6  by  the  time  he  has  done 
No.  4.  Thus,  two  may  continue  working 
without  interfering  with  each  other.  To  the 
regular  progress  of  the  operation,  it  is  essen- 
tial that  the  ground  be  divided  into  equal 
spaces,  and  worked  to  an  equal  depth  all 
over. 

Trenching  is  almost  universally  performed 
at  the  end  of  one  season,  in  order  to  prepare 
the  ground  for  the  next.  For  this  purpose, 
the  soil  should  be  laid  together  as  roughly 
and  as  lightly  as  possible,  and  the  surface 
should  be  disposed  in  the  form  of  ridges,  in 
order  that  the  greatest  possible  extent  of  sur- 
face may  be  exposed  to  the  weather.  These 
ridges  should  be  laid  as  roughly  and  lightly 
as  possible,  and  not  patted  up  smoothly  on 
the  sides  with  the  spade.  The  surface  of  a 
piece  of  ground 

appearance,tlie 


FAMILIAR   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING, 


40t 


original  surface  being  indicated  by  the  dotted 
line.  As  soon  after  the  summer  crops  are 
cleared  off,  as  possible,  trenching  should  com- 
mence, and  should  be  finished  without  delay. 
Late  trenching  causes  the  loss  of  much  of  the 
benefit  that  might  have  been  derived  from 
exposure. 

This  is  one  of  the  simplest  modes  of  trench- 
ing. ^  It  is,  however,  supposed  that  the  soil  is 
sufficiently  good  two  spits  deep  to  admit  of 
the  bottom  one  being  brought  up  to  the  top. 
If  this  is  not  the  case,  another  plan  must  be  fol- 
lowed. Dig  out  the 
surface  soil  of  No.  1 
a  full  spade  wide, 
and  as  deep  as  the 


/o 

7 

L 

i 

41 

3 

S 

7. 

■)2 

^ 

o 

3 

soil  is  good,  say  down  to  the  dotted  line ;  then 
break  up  the  portion  below  this  with  a  fork, 
and  allow  it  still  to  remain  at  the  bottom  of 
No.  1.  Dig  and  turn  over  No.  2,  to  fill  up 
No.  1  ;  and  break  up  the  bottom  as  before, 
filling  up  with  No.  3  ;  and  so  on.  Trenching 
three  spades  deep  is  done  on  the  same  prin- 
ciple, only  more  space  is  wanted,  and  greater 

facilities  are  af- 
forded for  chang- 
ing the  relative 
position  of  the 
layers  of  soil,  as  regards  distance  from  the 
surface.  In  ordinary  cases  the  bottom  would 
not  be  brought  up,  but  turned  over  ;  Nos.  1 , 
2,  3,  4,  and  5  being  removed,  No.  6  would 
be  forked  over  into  No.  3  ;  No.  7  would 
replace  No.  2,  and  No.  8,  No,  1 ;  No,  9  would 
be  forked  into  No,  6  ;  No,  10  replace  No.  5; 
and  No.  11,  No.  4  ;  and  so  on.  In  this  way, 
the  second  spit  would  be  brought  to  the  top. 
If  the  top  spit  were  required  to  be  kept  at  top 
it  might  be  done  thus  :  Nos.  1,  2,  and  4  re- 
moved. No.  3  forked  up,  No.  5  replace  No,  2, 
and  No,  7,  No,  1  ;  then  No,  6  forked  up, 
No,  8  replace  No,  5,  and  No,  10,  No,  4,  To 
bring  the  lower  spit  to  the  top  would  be  best 
done  by  removing  Nos.  1,  2,  3,  and  4  ;  then 
turn  No,  5  into  the  place  of  No.  3,  No.  7  to 
that-  of  No.  2,  and  No.  6  to  that  of  No.  1  ; 
.and  again.  No.  8  to  6,  No.  10  to  5,  No.  9  to  4. 
This  may  be  varied  in  other  ways,  without 
any  inconvenience  in  the  operation.  In  doing 
all  this  the  operator  works  lengthways  the 
trench,  the  trench  being  opened  across  the 
ground. 

Any  part  of  the  operations  of  digging  and 
trenching,  which  is  usually  done  with  a  spade, 
may  be  done  by  means  of  a  digging-fork,  and 
in  many  cases  the  fork  is  the  preferable  im- 
plement. The  levelling  down  before  the 
planting  season  of  the  ridged  surface  of  the 
ground  should  always  be  done  with  the  fork, 
as  it  leaves  the  mass  lighter,  and  more  tho- 
roughly pulverized,  than  the  spade  does.  This 
operation   should  be  done  in  drying,  windy 


weather  (or,  at  least,  when  the  soil  is  dry), 
and  with  as  little  treading  as  possible  ;  and  it 
should  be  done  as  the  ground  is  wanted  for 
sowing  or  planting  the  crops.  Another  use 
of  forks  is,  to  turn  over  in  winter,  while 
frozen,  the  surface  of  the  ridges  into  which 
the  ground  is  laid  when  trenched,  so  as  to 
expose  a  new  surface  to  be  mellowed  by  the 
action  of  frost ;  this  should  always  be  done, 
if  possible,  once  in  the  course  of  the  winter, 
and  can  hardly  be  too  often  repeated, 

HOEING,  BAKING,  &C. 

These  operations  are  often  misunderstood. 
Hoeing  is  looked  upon  as  a  means  of  k'lling 
weeds,  and  raking  as  a  means  of  clearing 
them,  and  stones  also,  off  the  ground.  As  to 
weeds,  the  cultivator  should  remember  that  a 
weed  is  a  robber,  and  not  one  should  be 
allowed  to  grow  up  in  the  garden  ;  there 
ought,  therefore,  to  be  none  to  kill,  nor  any 
to  rake  off  the  surface.  As  to  stones,  they 
are  beneficial,  if  not  too  numerous,  and  should 
not  be  raked  off;  where  there  are  any  large 
ones,  they  may  be  picked  off,  but  if  of  mode- 
rate size,  and  in  moderate  quantity,  they 
ought  not  to  be  removed.  The  labour  of 
hoeing  is  beneficially  applied,  when  directed 
to  the  frequent  breaking  up  and  stiri-ing  up 
of  the  surface,  amongst  growing  crops  ;  this 
is  wonderfully  effective  in  promoting  the  lux- 
uriance and  fertility  of  the  crops,  and  it  has 
the  additional  recommendation  of  preventing 
the  weeds — the  robbers — from  establishing 
themselves  on  grounds  so  treated.  Whenever 
the  surface  of  the  soil  becomes  caked,  as 
almost  all  soils  are  seen  to  ^  1 1 
be  as  soon  as  they  get  a 
little  dry  after  rain,  the 
crust  should  be  broken  up 
by  a  deep  hoeing.  This 
may  be  done  by  a  draw- 
hoe  (a)  or  a  thrust-hoe  (ft) ; 
the  latter  is  sometimes 
called  the  Dutch  hoe.  The 
difference  in  these  tools, 
and  their  application,  is 
this :  in  using  the  draw- 
hoe,  the  operator  walks 
forward,  pulling  the  blade 
towards  him  at  each 
stroke,  just  under  the  sur- 
face ;  but  in  using  the 
thrust-hoe,  it  is  usual  to 
walk  backwards,  and  the  ; 
,  blade  is  pushed  from,  the  I 
''  operator.  Both  tools  are  i 
excellent,  both  for  cutting  /^ 
up  weeds  and  stirring  the  I 
surface  of  the  soil  ;  but  ^ 
the  draw-hoe  is  also  useful  for  other  purposes, 
such    as   drawing   drills   or    little    "utters    in 


il  I 


ft  11 


406 


FAMILIAU   LESSONS    ON    PEACTICAL    GARDENING. 


•which  to  sow  or  plant,  earthing  up  the  crops, 
&c.  When,  through  neglect,  weeds  are  al- 
lowed to  grow  up,  hoeing  must  be  had  recourse 
to  as  a  means  of  destroying  them.  The  Dutch 
hoe  is  preferable  for  stirring  the  soil  among 
growing  crops,  as  the  operator,  walking  back- 
wards, leaves  no  consolidated  footmarks.  A 
modification  of  it,  made  with  flat  prongs  in- 
stead of  the  cutting-blade,  is  even  still  better 
for  this  one  purpose,  but  is  not  so  generally 
useful. 

The  operation  of  raking  need  only  be  per- 
formed when  it  is  required  to  prepare  a  fine 
surface  for  sowing  small  seeds ;  or  when  seeds 
broadcast  sown  are  required  to  be  thus  co- 
vered. Sometimes  where  neatness  is  an  object, 
weeds  and  rubbish  may  be  got  together  by  it. 
In  the  two  former  cases,  the  surface  is  to  be 
worked  backwards  and  forwards  with 
the  teeth  of  the  rake,  but  little,  if  any- 
thing, being  raked  off;  in  the  latter 
case,  stones,  weeds,  and  litter  are  re- 
moved, but  as  free  from  soil  as  possible, 
all  the  larger  lumps  being  broken  with 
the  back  of  the  rake  in  the  course  of 
the  operation. 

WALK-MAKING. 

As  conducive  to  cleanliness  and  neat- 
ness in  a  garden,  dry,  solid  walks  should 
be  provided.  Good,  dry  walks  may  be 
formed  thus  :  Dig  out  the  soil  eight  or 
ten  inches  deep,  and  distribute  it  over 
the  cultivated  parts  ;  make  the  bottom 
sloping  to  the  centre,  and  there  form  a 
drain  or  gutter,  which  should  commu- 
nicate with  some  of  the  main-drains  of 
the  place.  Fill  up  six  inches  of  this 
with  the  roughest  hard  material  at 
hand ;  either  brick  rubbish,  broken 
crocks,  rough  stones,  &c.  will  do;  make 
up  the  centre  rather  highest  with  these  mate- 
rials ;  on  this,  place  two  or  three  inches  of 
fine  hard  material,  of  which  broken  gravel 
stones,  crocks,  or  clinkers  are  among  the  best, 
and  old  mortar,  chalk,  or  any  limy  substance 
the  worst ;  over  this  a  thin  layer  of  fine  coal 
ashes,  or  of  coarse  sand,  or  of  gravel,  if  at- 
tainable, should  be  spread,  and  pressed  down 
firm.  This  will  form  a  smooth,  dry,  service- 
able walk,  passable  in  wet  weather  and  after 
frost,  if  the  materials  are  of  good  quality. 
The  surface  should  be  slightly  rounded,  and 
made  firm  and  smooth.     The  arrangement  of 

the  materials, 
&c.  will  be 
understood 
from  the  ac- 
companying section.  Walks  are  the  better  for 
having  some  defined  edging ;  otherwise  the 
soil  will  be  found  to  be  constantly  rolling  over 
on   to  the  walks,  rendering  them  dirty  and 


unpleasant  to  walk  on  when  wet.  Boards  or 
stones,  or  stout  billet- wood,  cut  into  short 
lengths  and  driven  in  thickly  by  the  side  of 
the  walk,  would  each  form  a  good,  serviceable 
kind  of  edging.  A  row  of  some  of  the  smaller 
cultivated  plants  or  herbs  may  be  sometimes 
adopted  as  an  edging  ;  but,  for  neatness, 
nothing  is  equal  to  a  narrow  line  of  the  dwarf 
evergreen  box-tree,  known  as  the  Dutch  box. 

■WEEDING. 

Weeds  are  injurious  in  a  garden  in  two 
ways.  In  the  first  place,  they  take  up  from 
the  soil  the  nutriment  which  maintains  their 
existence,  and  thus  rob  the  cultivated  crop  of 
a  share  of  what  should  be  solely  devoted  to 
its  use  ;  and  secondly,  they  crowd  and  choke 
the  plants,  especially  when  they  get  the  upper 
hand  among  small  seedlings,  and  thus  prevent 
them  from  attaining  their  full  perfection.  The 
injury  done  in  both  these  ways,  where  weeds 
are  allowed  to  grow  unmolested,  is  immense ; 
and  scarcely  less  so,  if  they  are  allowed  to 
grow  almost  or  quite  to  maturity  before  they 
are  displaced.  The  frequent  stirring  up  of 
the  surface  by  means  of  the  hoe,  which  is 
much  to  be  recommended  for  the  advancement 
of  all  cultivated  crops,  is  instrumental  in 
keeping  down  weeds,  vast  numbers  being 
killed  while  in  the  infant  state;  but  there  are 
always  some  patches  of  ground  that  are  liable 
to  escape  this  attention,  and  in  these  places 
the  weeds  are  prone  to  establish  themselves, 
and  from  thence  scatter  their  seeds  around. 
Large  weeds  are  often  allowed  to  run  up  to 
seed  in  the  hedges,  and  from  thence  their 
seeds  get  distributed  by  the  wind,  by  animals, 
and  by  other  means.  Avery  little  neglect  in 
the  destruction  of  weeds  large  enough  to 
have  run.  up  to  seed,  produces  a  great  deal  of 
trouble  to  destroy  their  progeny.  The  prin- 
ciple to  be  acted  on  is,  never  to  let  a  single 
weed  go  to  seed  ;  and,  if  possible,  destroy 
them  all  as  soon  as  they  are  sprung  up. 

The  hoe  is  the  proper  implement  with 
which  to  destroy  the  weeds  which  occur  in 
the  open  parts  of  the  garden,  among  the  per- 
manent crops.  From  amongst  seedling  plants, 
yet  in  an  infant  stage,  and  yet  remaining  in 
the  seed-bed,  it  is  necessary  to  remove  the 
weeds  by  hand,  and  so  also  where  the  plants 
are  not  growing  at  sufficient  distance  to  admit 
of  the  hoe  being  used.  Small  hoes  are,  how- 
ever, made,  which  answer  nearly  every  pur- 
pose, so  that  hand-weeding  may  be  almost 
entirely  confined  to  seed-beds.  Dry  weather 
is  the  most  favourable  for  the  destruction  of 
weeds,  by  whatever  process  is  adopted,  as 
they  perish  immediately  ;  in  moist,  dull  wea- 
ther, many  of  the  kinds  tenacious  of  life  are 
apt  to  strike  fresh  roots. 

In  the  case  of  almost  every  kind  of  garden 


FAMILIAR    LESSONS    ON    PEACTICAL    GARDENING. 


407 


seed  which  is  sown,  where  the  plants  are  to 
remain  to  come  to  maturity,  more  than  enough 
seeds  are  used,  in  order  to  ensure  a  full  crop 
of  plants.  The  extra  plants,  in  these  cases, 
are  to  be  regarded  as  weeds,  and  either  cut 
up  by  the  hoe,  or  removed  by  hand-weeding, 
unless  it  be  any  crop  of  which  the  plants 
may  be  successfully  transplanted,  either  on  to 
another  plot  of  ground,  or  to  fill  up  vacancies. 
The  latter  should  always  be  looked  to. 

SOWING. 

A  seed  is  a  plant  in  embryo.  When  seeds 
are  placed  in  situations  to  Avhich  air  has 
access,  and  where  they  are  acted  on  by  heat 
and  moisture,  they  sprout  or  germinate,  and 
thus  produce  young  plants  ;  darkness  is  also 
favourable  to  germination,  but  is  not  essential, 
like  air,  heat,  and  moisture,  for  seeds  will 
germinate  if  the  latter  are  supplied  them, 
even  though  exposed  to  light.  When  seeds 
are  placed  just  beneath  the  surface  of  the  soil, 
they  are  therefore  in  the  most  favourable 
position  for  their  growth,  the  soil  supplying 
hem  with  the  moisture  it  drinks  in  from  the 
shower,  transmitting  to  them  the  warmth  it 
absorbs  from  the  sun-rays,  shielding  them 
from  direct  light,  and  yet  permitting  the 
access  of  atmospheric  air.  The  soil  is  in  a 
proper  state  for  the  reception  of  seeds,  when 
it  is  finely  pulverized  and  in  a  friable  con- 
dition, and  moderately  charged  with  moisture; 
it  is  then  permeable  to  air ;  its  loose  texture, 
and  the  absence  of  excess  of  moisture,  is 
conducive  to  w^armth,  while  there  is  yet  mois- 
ture enough  for  the  purposes  of  germination. 
The  soil  is  not  in  a  proper  state  for  the  recep- 
tion of  the  seeds,  either  if  it  is  very  dry  or 
very  wet,  or  (except  for  special  purposes)  very 
much  consolidated,  or  very  close  and  adhesive 
in  its  texture;  but  neither  of  these  conditions 
will  exist  if  proper  attention  has  been  paid  to 
draiping  and  pulverizing. 

Different  seeds  require  to  be  placed  at  dif- 
ferent depths.  It  is  a  rule,  that  seeds  should 
be  covered  by  a  depth  of  soil  about  equal  to 
their  own  thickness  ;  but  this  is  generally 
exceeded.  Very  minute  seeds,  those  of  the 
tobacco  for  example,  if  scattered  over  even  a 
tolerably  fine  surface,  will  fall  down  between 
the  little  protuberances  of  the  soil,  and  thus, 
if  not  actually  covered,  will  be  sufficiently 
shielded  both  from  light  and  drought ;  but  in 
such  cases  it  is  advisable  to  cover  the  surface 
with  some  material  to  prevent  evaporation, 
such  as  moss  or  litter,  which  must  be  removed 
as  soon  as  the  seeds  begin  to  germinate. 
Larger  seeds,  but  which  are  still  but  of  small 
size,  such  as  those  of  the  cabbage,  may  be 
covered  with  an  eighth  of  an  inch  deep  of 
soil.  Seeds  of  the  size  of  those  of  the  radish 
may  be  covered  from  about  a  quarter  to  half 


of  an  inch ;  the  smaller  garden  peas  about  an 
inch,  and  the  larger  ones  and  beans  from  an 
inch  and  a-half  to  two  inches.  There  is  no 
advantage  to  be  derived  from  placing  any 
seeds  at  a  proportionably  great  depth  ;  and 
many  of  the  smaller  seeds,  if  placed  an  inch 
beneath  the  surface,  would  have  their  germina- 
tion much  retarded,  if  not  altogether  prevented, 
till  they  were  brought  nearer  the  surface. 

It  is  seldom  desirable  to  apply  water  to  the 
soil  between  the  periods  of  sowing  and  germi- 
nation. If  the  soil  is  moderately  moist,  it  will 
be  in  a  fit  state  for  the  reception  of  the  seeds; 
but  if  the  weather  is  very  dry,  and  the  soil  is 
deficient  of  moisture,  the  ground  should  be 
thoroughly  damped  previously  to  sowing,  and 
then  instead  of  subsequent  waterings  it  is 
preferable  to  cover  the  surface  so  as  to  pre- 
vent evaporation,  until  germination  has  taken 
place.  In  the  latter  case,  when  the  seeds  are 
sown  in  drills,  the  drills  should  be  well 
watered  after  being  opened,  and  the  seeds 
sown  while  they  remain  damp.  Throughout 
dry  seasons,  too,  the  seeds  themselves  may  be 
soaked  in  water  for  a  few  hours  previous  to 
sowing  them,  which  will  be  of  benefit  by 
hastening  their  germination  ;  it  is  the  larger 
seeds  especially  which  should  be  so  treated. 

There  are  two  general  methods  of  seed- 
sowing,  viz.  in  drills  or  channels,  and  broad- 
cast. The  former  method  is  preferable  for 
nearly  all  the  garden  crops  that  are  sown 
where  they  are  to  remain  ;  the  latter  chiefly 
for  such  as  are  sown  in  one  spot  to  be  trans- 
planted to  other  situations. 

Di'ill-sowing  in  a  garden  is  performed 
thus: — The  garden  line  is  sti'etched  tightly 
across  the  ground,  which  is  first  rendered 
moderately  fine  on  the  surface,  in  the  place 
where  one  row  of  seeds  is  to  be  deposited ; 
the  operator  standing  on  the  right  of  the  line, 
with  the  draw-hoe  in  his  hand,  the  right  hand 
being  lowest,  (or  on  the  left  side  if  he  works 
with  the  left  hand  lowest,  the  difference  being 
that  in  the  one  case  he  begins  at  one  end  of 
the  line,  and  in  the  other  at  the  opposite  end,) 
draws  the  corner  of  the  hoe  along  the  ground 
by  the  side  of  the  line,  the  cutting  edge  of 
the  hoe  being  in  contact  with  the  line  ;  this 
act  forces  out  the  soil  on  one  side,  leaving  a 
small  channel  parallel  with  the  line ;  the 
workman  proceeds  in  this  way  backwards 
across  the  ground,  and  thus  forms  what  is 
called  a  drill,  which  may  be  of  any  depth, 
from  the  merest  scratch  suitable  for  small 
seeds,  to  two  or  three  inches  deep  for  the 
larger  seeds,  the  depth  being  obtained  by 
forcing  the  corner  of  the  hoe  down  into  the 
soil  while  operating.  The  line  is  then  shifted 
to  the  position  of  the  next  row  of  seeds  or 
plants,  and  the  same  is  repeated ;  and  thus 
the  work  proceeds  till  the  whole  is  finished. 


408 


PAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


The  operator  should  commence  this  work 
with  his  back  towards  the  unwrought  ground, 
so  that  he  may  not  in  drawing  one  drill, 
interfere  with  another.  The  distance  between 
the  drills  or  channels  depends  on  the  kind  of 
crop  to  be  sown,  as  also  does  their  depth. 
Along  these  channels,  the  seeds  are  scattered, 
and  the  earth  is  then  pushed  in  on  them  with 
the  back  of  the  hoe,  so  as  to  make  the  surface 
level.     This  completes  drill-sowing. 

Broadcast  sowing  is  done  thus  : — The  sur- 
face is  broken  over  tolerably  fine  with  the 
hoe  and  a  coarse  rake  ;  the  seeds  are  then 
scattered  evenly  over,  and  so  as  to  lie  a  little 
distance  apart  ;  the  surface  is  then  woiked 
more  or  less  with  the  teeth  of  a  rake,  accord- 
ing as  the  size  of  the  seeds  renders  it  necessary 
that  they  should  be  more  or  less  deeply  buried. 

Vast  quantities  of  seeds  are  wasted  from 
being  sown  too  thick  ;  and  the  crops  are  often 
injured  in  consequence  for  want  of  early  and 
sufficient  thinning.  As,  however,  every  seed 
that  is  sown  does  not  always  grow,  it  is 
necessary  to  sow  rather  more  seed  than  would 
otherwise  be  sufficient ;  and  when  the  seed  is 
old  or  not  of  good  quality  the  proportion  must 
be  still  more  increased.  The  smallest  seeds, 
such  for  example  as  those,  of  celery,  would  be 
the  better  for  germinating  at  the  distance  of 
half-an-inch  apart,  or  should  at  once  be  thinned 
out  to  this  distance.  Larger  seeds  should  be 
thi'ee-fourths  of,  or  a  whole  inch  apart ;  and 
such  as  peas  and  beans,  two,  three,  and  four 
inches,  according  to  the  size  they  ultimately 
grow  to.  Except  with  the  latter,  it  is  not 
possible  to  be  so  very  exact  in  practice ;  but 
if  the  quality  of  the  seed  has  been  tested,  the 
nearer  it  can  be  sown  to  grow  up  at  these 
distances  apart  the  better.  When  young 
seedlings  are  so  thick  as  to  touch  each  other, 
they  are  suffering  injury,  and  should  be 
thinned  out,  the  plants  that  are  removed 
being  either  destroyed  or  pricked  out  (that 
is,  transplanted)  elsewhere.  Many  crops, 
which  are  not  sown  where  they  stand  till 
maturity,  are  purposely  sown  thick  to  save 
space,  and  are  then  transplanted  almost  as 
soon  as  they  are  grown  up;  in  this  way  celery, 
the  cabbage  tribe,  lettuces,  &c.  are  treated. 

PLANTING  AND  TRANSPLANTING. 

Plants  are  endued  with  life,  that  life  de- 
pending on  the  nourishment  which  they  obtain, 
chiefly  by  the  agency  of  their  roots  from  the 
soil,  but  also  in  some  degree  by  the  leaves 
from  the  atmosphere.  The  parts  of  the  roots 
which  thus  minister  to  the  existence  of  plants, 
are  the  little  delicate  extremities  of  the  fibrous 
branches  into  which  the  main  roots  become 
ramified  ;  these  are  called  the  spongioles,  from 
their  having  an  absorbent  capacity  resembling 
that    of  sponge.      If    by    any   means    these 


spongioles  are  destroyed,  the  plant  suffers  from 
lack  of  nourishment  j  and  if  new  spongioles 
are  not  speedily  formed  (which,  under  certain 
conditions,  is  usually  the  case)  the  plant  ulti- 
mately dies — sooner  or  later,  according  to  its 
peculiar  constitution.  The  secret  of  successful 
transplantation  depends  on  the  preservation 
of  the  spongioles  uninjured — that  is,  not  in- 
jured materially,  for  some  degree  of  injury  is 
unavoidable — in  the  process,  or  on  the  placing 
of  the  plants  in  a  condition  to  produce  fresh 
spongioles  speedily.  The  former  affiicts 
chiefly  the  lifting  of  the  plants  from  the  soil; 
and  the  latter,  the  replacing  of  them.  We 
shall  only  refer  to  such  transplantation  as 
occurs  in  a  kitchen  garden,  and  in  the  removal 
of  the  commoner  fruit  trees. 

In  the  lifting  of  kitchen-garden  plants — 
cabbages  for  example — it  is  a  general  practice 
to  pull  them  up  by  force.  This  is  decidedly 
wrong  ;  for  nearly  or  quite  all  the  spongioles 
will  be  broken  off.  Instead  of  being  thus 
mutilated,  the  plants 
should  be  lifted  with 
a  small  spud,  by  which 
means     nearly     every  -i  ^ 

root  may  be  preserved  entire  ;  there  is  not 
much  advantage  in  retaining  a  quantity  of 
soil  about  the  roots  ;  indeed  the  weight  of  a 
mass  of  earth  often  breaks  the  roots  after 
they  are  otherwise  safely  lifted. 

In  taking  up  fruit-trees  proceed  thus  : — 
Commence  digging  out  the  soil,  at  about  as 
far  from  the  trunk  as  the  branches  extend  ; 
then  dig  out  the  soil  towards  the  trunk  from 
amongst  the  roots  carefully,  with  the  digging 
fork  in  preference  to  a  spade  ;  do  not  strive 
to  leave  a  quantity  of  soil  about  the  rootsj  but 
be  chiefly  careful  to  preserve  every  root — as 
far  as  possible — unbroken.  As  soon  as  a 
portion  of  the  roots  are  bared,  have  them 
covered  with  damp  mats,  that  they  may  not 
become  parched.  If  the  tree  be  rather  large 
and  the  roots  numerous,  the  latter  should  be 
tied  together,  as  soon  as  they  are  dug  out,  so 
as  not  to  be  damaged  during  the  progress  of 
the  operation.  Any  very  long  roots  from  trees 
of  this  kind,  may  be  cut  back  with  a  sharp 
knife,  the  slope  of  the  cut  being  on  the  under 
side.  No  other  roots  should  be  cut  or  bruised 
or  broken. 

The  conditions  most  favourable  to  a  re- 
newal of  growth  are  these  : — Do  not  let  the 
roots  get  at  all  dry  from  exposure  to  the  sun, 
or  to  the  wind  ;  but  plant  immediately,  or  if 
this  cannot  be  done,  keep  the  roots  closely 
covered  up  with  damp  mats.  Do  not,  more 
than  can  be  avoided,  allow  the  plants,  of  what- 
ever kind,  to  be  "  laid  in  by  the  heels,"  as  it 
is  termed,  when  their  roots  are  laid  into  slop- 
ing trenches  so  as  to  be  covered  temporarily 
with  soil  ;  but  rather  take  but  few  at  a  time 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


409 


and  plant  these  again  immediately.    If  it  be- 
comes necessary  to   "  lay  in  "  any  plants,  see 
that  their  roots  are  closely  covered  up  with  soil. 
Spread  out  the  roots  as   far  as  possible   in 
planting.     Small  plants  should  have   a  hole 
opened   for   their   roots   by  the    small   fork. 
Trees  or  shrubs   should  have  a  shallow  hole 
dug  out,  wide  enough  to  admit  of  the  roots 
being  laid  out  in  lines  from  the  stem  in  every 
direction  ;  the  bottom  of  this  opening  should 
be  highest  in  the  centre,  say  six  inches  deep 
there,  sloping  to  a  foot  at  the  outside  of  the 
hole  ;  in   damp  heavy  soil,  even  less    depth 
than  this  is   preferable  ;  the  roots  are  to  be 
covered   by  laying  up  the  soil  like   a  small 
mound,  but  the  collar  (or  that  part  whence 
the  roots  and  stem  separate  in  opposite  direc- 
tions) must  not  be  covered  with  any  depth  of 
soil,  except  in  the  few   cases  of  those  plants 
which  throw  out  roots  freely  from  the  buried 
portion  of  the  stem.    In  general,  plants  should 
not  be  set  deeper  in  their  mature  state  than 
they    were    while    young,     or    very   slightly 
deeper — an  inch  or  two  merely — in  the  case 
of  large  plants.     The  soil,  which  is  placed  in 
contact  with  the  roots,   should  be  made  very 
fine,  so  that  it  may  envelop  them  completely, 
leaving  no  hollow  open  spaces;  this  close  contact 
is  necessary  in  order  that  the  roots  may  be  in  a 
condition  to  produce  new  fibres  and  spongioles 
speedily  after  transplantation.     In  the  case  of 
trees  and  shrubs  the  soil  is  to  be  carefully 
shaken   in   among  the  roots,  and  gently  but 
firmly  trodden.     This  result — that  of  settling 
the    soil   closely  about    the    roots — is   often 
secured  by  giving  newly  planted  subjects  a 
good  watering,  which  while  it  closes  in  the 
soil  perfectly,  also  provides  a  ready  supply  of 
moisture  to   assist  in   refreshing   the  plants, 
until  they  have  formed  fresh  active  spongioles. 
Avoid  using  the  dibble  in  planting, 
except  in   the  case  of  very  young 
seedlings,  or  other  small  plants  with 
few  roots;  it  consolidates  the  soil  too 
much,  and  bundles  the  roots  into 
one   mass,    instead    of    facilitating 
their   distribution    on    all   sides   as 
widely  as  possible.      Most   of  the 
vegetable  crops  are  in  general  finally 
planted  out  with  a  dibble,  but  the 
little  hand-fork  is  far  preferable. 

Small  dibbles  may  be  used  for  planting  out 
into  nursery-beds — "pricking  out,"  as  the 
phrase  is — young  seedlings,  raised  thickly  in 
seed-beds,  and  intended  to  be  again  removed 
to  their  permanent  positions.  This  pricking 
out  is  thus  performed  : — A  narrow  bed  of 
three  or  four  feet  wide,  and  sufficiently  long, 
is  prepared,  by  being  manured  if  necessary, 
and  well  wrought  with  a  fork  so  as  to  render 
the  soil  tolerably  fine,  especially  that  on  the 
surface  ;  it  is  then  smoothed  and  levelled,  and 


the  plants  placed  at  equal  distances,  from  two 
to  four  inches  apart,  according  to  the  size  they 
attain,  the  length  of  time  they  are  to  remain, 
or  other  circumstances.     The  soil  should  be 
tolerably  fine  and  moderately  good,  so  as  to 
induce  them  to  root  freely,  but  not  so  rich  as 
to  cause  a  luxuriant  top  growth.     The  plants 
are  put  in  by   making  a 
hole  with  a  blunt  pointed 
stick,     or     dibble,    large 
enough  to  admit  the  roots, 
which    should    be    placed 
straight   down   the    hole, 
and  not  bent  up  together, 
as  is  often  the  case  in  careless  planting ;  the 
hole  is  then  filled  up  by  pressing  in  the  sides 
with  the  point  of  the  dibble,  using  pressure 
enough  to  fix  the  plants  firmly,  and  taking 
care  that  there  is  no  hollow  space  left  at  the 
bottom  of  the  hole  beneath  the  roots.     This 
is  continued  till   all  are  planted  ;  they  may 
then  be  well  watered  with  a  watering  can 
having  a  rose  on  the  spout  (unless  the  ground 
is  damp  and  the  season  cool),  and  in  bright 
sunny  weather  must  be  shaded  till  they  have 
taken  root.    Planting  of  all  sorts  is  best  done  in 
I  showery  weather,  if  the    soil  is   sufficiently 
porous  in  texture  to  admit  of  being  worked 
j  under  such  circumstances  :  if  planting  is  ne- 
cessarily done  on  stiif  heavy  soils  when  they 
are  too  much  charged  with  wet,  they  should 
be  trodden  upon  and  pressed  as  little  as  pos- 
sible, as  they  so  readily  consolidate  when  in 
that  state.     Sometimes  planting  is  of  neces- 
sity done  when  the  weather  is  dry  ;  in  these 
cases  the  evening  should  be  chosen  for  operat- 
ing, and  water  must  be  freely  applied  (and 
even  shade  where  practicable)  until  the  plants 
begin  to  grow.     Trees  and  shrubs  of  all  kinds 
are  best  planted  in  the  fall  of  the  year,  when 
they  are  in  the  most  dormant  condition. 

PEUNIKG. 

Pruning  consists  in  cutting  off  certain  por- 
tions of  a  plant,  for  a  certain  purpose,  chiefly, 
however,  in  order  to  aid  its  fertility,  or  to  in- 
duce greater  vigour  in  certain  parts,  or  to  alter 
or  modify  its  form. 

Fruitfulness  is  best  ensured  by  a  moderate 
degree  of  pruning,  consisting  in  the  thinning 
of  the  branches,  so  that  light  and  air  may  have 
better  access  to  the  remainder ;  a  crowded 
state  of  the  branches  is  generally  unfavourable 
to  fertility.  Vigour  is  imparted  to  the  re- 
maining branches  when  a  plant  is  closely  cut  in, 
provided  the  roots  are  healthy  and  active  ;  for 
in  this  case,  the  roots  having  but  a  limited 
demand  to  meet,  are  enabled  to  supply  sap 
more  freely  to  the  remaining  parts,  which 
consequently  push  forth  with  much  more  than 
ordinary  strength.  Worn  out  branches  may 
thus  be  made  to  give  place  to  young  ones  full 


410 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


of  health  and  vigour,  if  the  roots  and  stems 
are  healthy.  Pruning  with  a  view  to  effect 
modification  of  form,  must  be  varied  accord- 
ing to  the  circumstances  :  any  form  may  be 
imparted  to  a  plant,  if  the  pruning  is  com- 
menced early,  and  followed  up  perseveringly. 
It  is  exceedingly  important  to  know  how 
to  make  the  cut  in  pruning,  although  this  is 
a  point  not  often  thought  about  by  the  unini- 
tiated, who  are  apt  to  consider  that  it  is  more 
important  to  know  where  to  cut  than  how  to 
cut ;  the  knowledge  of  both  is,  however,  essen- 
tial. No  matter  what  the  subject  may  be, 
the  cut  should  be  made  just  above  a  bud,  and 
in  the  case  of  plants  which  produce  some 
buds  that  expand  only  leaves,  and  others  that 
expand  flowers,  it  is  essential  to  cut  just  above 
a  leaf-bud.  When  a  plant  produces  these  two 
kinds  of  buds,  the  leaf-bud  may  be  known 
from  the  blossom-bud  by  its  form  ;  the  latter 
being  always  of  a  rounder,  blunter  figure  than 
the  former,  which  is  more  elongated  and 
pointed.  The  cut  should  be  made  at  about 
an  angle  of  forty-five  degrees,  commencing  at 
the  back  of  the  bud,  and  coming  out  on  the 
other  side  just  above  the  bud  ;  when  cut  thus, 
the  wound  is  rapidly  covered  with  new  wood 
as  soon  as  the  bud  pushes,  and  consequently 


soon  heals.  This  cut  is  shown  in  the  sketch 
at  a.  The  other  figures,  h  to  f,  represent 
different  modes  of  making  the  cut,  which  are 
all  more  or  less  objectionable,  and  not  at  all  un- 
common ;  they  will  be  sufficiently  understood 
without  description,  and  the  difference  between 
each  of  them,  and  tlie  pi'oper  way  of  making 
the  cut  (as  at  a),  will  at  once  be  seen. 

Pruning  should  not  be  deferred  entirely 
till  the  season  of  rest.  During  the  growing 
period,  while  the  young  shoots  are  forming, 
they  should  be  thinned  according  to  the  prin- 
ciple by  which  the  pruning  of  each  kind  of 
tree  is  regulated  ;  those  which  remain  are 
then  more  fully  exposed  to  light  and  air,  and 
not  only  acquire  greater  strength,  but  are  more 
perfectly  ripened — a  matter  of  the  highest 
importance,  especially  in  plants  which  are 
cultivated  either  for  their  blossoms  or  their 
fruit.  This  thinning  very  much  lightens  i^e 
labour  of  regular  pruning :  it  should  be  done 
— not  too  suddenly  and  severely,  but  gradually 
and  moderately  —  while  the  shoots  are  still 


young  and  succulent,  so  as  to  be  easily 
pinched  off  by  the  thumb-nail.  It  would  be 
well  if  all  pruning  could  be  performed  at  this 
stage  of  development  ;  much  useless  expen- 
diture of  energy  would  be  avoided,  and  much 
would  be  gained  by  directing  the  develop- 
ment of  the  plants  into  a  proper  channel  at 
the  first.  The  young  shoots  must  not  be 
roughly  torn  off  the  branches  ;  if  they  are  a 
little  too  woody  to  be  easily  separated  with 
the  thumb-nail,  it  is  better  to  use  a  knife. 

BOOT   PRUNING. 

This  operation  is,  in  practice,  especially 
applicable  to  fruit  trees.  The  growth  of  a 
tree  depends  on  the  quantity  or  quality  of 
the  food  absorbed  by  its  roots  from  the  soil. 
If  the  food  is  abundant  or  rich,  vigorous 
growth  follows,  and  vigour  and  strength  are 
essential  to  the  production  of  good  fruit  ;  but 
then  vigorous  growth  has  a  constant  tendency 
towards  barrenness,  particularly  in  cold 
climates.  In  dry  hot  climates  another  agent 
is  at  work  :  the  growth  becomes  well  ripened. 
It  is  to  check  the  barren  vigour  just  alluded 
to,  and  at  the  same  time  to  allow  the  application 
of  a  sufficiency  of  rich  food  to  maintain  the 
strength  of  the  tree,  and  enable  it  to  bring 
good  fruit  to  perfection,  that  root  pruning  is 
resorted  to.  The  same  end  of  producing 
fruitfulness  w^ould  be  secured  by  planting  in 
poorer  soil,  but  then  the  general  vigour  of  the 
tree  would  not  be  so  well  maintained,  and  it 
would  not  have  strength  to  mature  large  crops 
of  good  fruit.  Moderately  rich  soils,  it  must 
be  remembered,  are  much  better  for  fruit  trees 
than  those  which  are  very  highly  charged 
with  manure,  being  more  conducive  to  per- 
manent health  and  vigour  ;  either  of  the  ex- 
tremes of  rich  or  poor  are  alike  objectionable. 
Root  pruning  is  not  therefore  to  be  adopted  as 
an  excuse  for  planting  in  such  as  are  over- 
charged with  rich  manure. 

But  root  pruning  has  also  another  effect  ; 
it  induces  early  fruitfulness  and  maturity,  and 
prevents  the  trees  from  attaining  a  large  size. 
The  mode  of  procedure  is  this  : — After  a  young 
tree  has  been  two  years  planted,  a  trench  is 
opened  at  about  a  foot  from  the  stem,  and 
eighteen  inches  deep,  either  half  way  or  en- 
tirely around  it ;  all  the  roots  which  are  thus 
exposed  are  severed,  the  cut  being  made  with 
a  sharp  knife,  from  below  upwards.  If  a 
young  tree,  and  the  soil  is  good,  it  is  merely 
returned  again,  and  the  check  thus  given  is 
sufficient  to  cause  the  production  of  fruit-buds 
generally  all  over  the  tree.  If  the  tree  is 
older,  and  the  soil  is  exhausted,  a  portion  of 
fresh  soil  is  applied  as  a  refreshment  to  the 
plant.  All  roots  that  strike  downright  should 
on  these  occasions  be  at  once  cut  off,  by 
thrusting  a  sharp  spade  underneath  the  tree, 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


411 


at  about  eighteen  inches  deep.  If  the  trees 
ai'e  very  vigorous  they  may  be  thus  pruned 
all  round  ;  if  less  vigorous,  only  partly  round : 
that  is  to  say,  more  may  be  pruned  away 
when  the  trees  are  very  luxuriant,  than  when 
they  ai"e  less  so.  Sometimes  one  side  of  a 
tree  becomes  over  vigorous  ;  in  this  case,  if 
the  roots  on  that  side  are  pruned,  the  branches 
will  be  checked  and  become  fruitful.  The 
repetition  of  root  pruning  should  depend  alto- 
gether on  the  state  of  the  plant.  Sometimes 
one  operation  will  serve  to  bring  under  the 
vegetative  powers,  so  that  for  a  series  of  years 
afterwards  no  luxuriant  vigorous  growth  is 
made  ;  in  this  case,  it  should  not  be  repeated, 
but  if  necessary  the  tree  may  be  fed  by  a 
supply  of  liquid  manure  while  its  fruit  is 
growing.  Sometimes  the  operation  has  less 
effect,  and  then  needs  to  be  repeated  sooner, 
at  two  or  three  inches  further  from  the  stem. 
The  great  objection  to  growing  fi'uit  trees 
in  a  garden  is,  that  they  shade  the  vegetable 
crops  and  prevent  them  from  attaining  their 
proper  perfection.  The  great  advantage  of 
root  pruning  is,  that  it  enables  even  those 
whose  gardens  are  small,  to  maintain  a  set  of 
healthy  miniature  trees,  which  wliile  they  are 
too  small  to  do  any  injury  to  the  vegetable 
crops,  are  yet  capable  of  bearing  a  consider- 
able quantity  of  fruit. 

SLOPING    BANK    CULTURE. 

If  the  surface  of  a  level  piece  of  ground  is 


planted  at  one  time  with  one  kind  of  crop, 
the  advance  towards  maturity  will  be  equal, 
or  nearly  so,  through  the  entire  crop,  unless 
local  differences,  such  as  a  variation  in  the 
soil,  or  shade  in  some  part,  should  interfere 
with  this  result.  If  the  surface  of  the  same 
ground  is  thrown  up  into  sloping  banks, 
I'unning  east  and  west,  so  as  to  present  one 
face  to  the  south,  another  to  the  north,  and  in 
that  state  is  planted  all  at  once  with  one  kind 
of  crop,  a  decided  succession  in  the  maturity 
will  be  the  result ;  the  plants  on  the  one  side 
being  placed  in  a  warmer  position  than  those 
on  the  other,  will  grow  most  rapidly.  The 
shady  sides  of  these  sloping  banks  are  also 
useful  in  summer  in  raising  salading  of  all 
kinds,  which,  if  it  can  be  kept  moist  enough, 
is  always  of  better  quality  when  grown  in  cool 
soil,  than  in  that  which  is  liable  to  become 
much  heated  from  exposure  to  the  sun.  This 
fact  may  be  turned  to  advantage  in  a  variety 
of  ways.  Sloping  banks  are  of  most  value  in 
cold  climates  ;  in  such  they  may  be  most 
usefully  applied  in  accelerating  spring  crops, ' 
retarding  summer  crops,  and  preserving  store 
plants  (such  as  cabbages,  lettuces,  &c.)  through 
the  cold  season.  In  England,  for  instance, 
the  strawberry  season  may  be  much  prolonged 
by  planting  an  early  variety  on  the  south 
side  of  one  of  these  banks,  and  a  late  variety 
on  the  north  side;  in  which  case,  the  former 
becomes  earlier,  and  the  latter  later,  than 
ordinary  ;  and  it  is  so  with  vegetables. 


The  ground  is  very  easily  arranged  in  this 
sloping  form.  Supposing  it  to  be  previously 
ridge-trenched,  as  shown  by  the  dotted  lines 
in  the  accompanying  diagi-am,  it  will  only  be 
necessary  to  remove  the  soil  at  a,  and  cast  it 
in  a  ridge  form  at  h,  the  bottom  of  the  slope 
being  as  much  below  the  ordinary  level, 
shown  by  the  line  c,  as  the  top  of  the  ridge  is 
above  it.  This  forms  a  slope  of  about  6|  feet 
on  each  side  ;  so  that  there  is  an  actual  gain 
of  1^  foot  in  every  twelve  feet  width  of  ground 
thus  arranged.  If  it  is  required  to  form  these 
banks  at  the  time  of  trenching,  the  soil  may 
be  disposed  in  this  form  as  easily  as  it  can  be 
laid  in  the  smaller  ridges,  into  which  it  is 
usual  to  arrange  the  surface  of  trenched 
ground.  To  dispose  a  level  surface  into 
banks,  it  is  only  necessary  to  throw  up  the 
soil  from  a  to  form  the  top  of  the  ridge  h. 

This  method  becomes  most  important  to 
the  cultivator  in  cold  climates  ;  there  it  may 
assist  in  the  preservation  through  the  winter 


of  his  store  plants  of  cabbage,  lettuce,  cauli- 
flower, &c,  ;  and  his  crops  of  spinach,  of 
parsley,  and  of  early  peas.  The  shelter 
afforded  by  the  ridges  will  partly  effect  this  ; 
and  it  will,  moreover,  often  be  experienced, 
in  severe  seasons,  that,  while  the  plants  on 
one  side  the  ridge  have  been  injured  or  de- 
stroyed, those  on  the  other  side  will  have 
escaped  unhurt. 

EARTHING    UP. 

This  consists  in  banking  up  the  soil  around 
the  stems  of  various  plants,  and  is  done  for 
different  purposes.  Thus  a  portion  of  the 
surface-soil  two  or  three  inches  in  depth  and 
three  or  four  in  width  is  drawn  up  on  each 
side  of  the  lines  of  peas  soon  after  they  spring 
up,  for  the  double  purpose  of  steadying  the 
plants  and  sheltering  them  from  currents  of 
wind  sweeping  along  the  surface  of  the  ground ; 
the  same  may  be  done  with  advantage  to  the 
crops  of  beans  when  just  sprung  up,  and  to 


412 


FAMILIAK    LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


recently  transplanted  crops  of  all  the  cabbage 
tribe. 

Potatoes  are  benefited  by  earthing  up,  but 
it  should  be  done  in  another  way.  When  the 
stems  have  grown  up  about  six  inches  high 
or  less,  the  soil  between  the  rows  should  be 
drawn  up  with  a  pronged  hoe,  so  as  to  cover 
about  three  inches  of  the  stem  (supposing  them 
planted  five  or  six  inches  deep),  the  soil  thus 
wrought  forming  a  broad,  flattish  ridge,  with 
the  potato  plants  in  the  centre.  It  is  not 
uncommon  to  see  this  operation  done  by  form- 
ing a  high  narrow  ridge  of  earth  ;  but  this  is 
objectionable.  The  potato  plant  throws  out 
runners  from  the  lower  part  of  its  stem,  and 
these  runners  bear  the  tubers,  which  are  the 
esculent  parts ;  these  spread  horizontally,  or 
even  have  a  tendency  to  grow  upwards.  The 
intention  in  earthing  up,  is,  to  provide  a  suf- 
ficient space  for  these  runners  to  spread  and 
bear  their  tubers  underground  ;  because  not 
only  is  the  quality  and  appearance  of  the 
tubers  deteriorated  if  they  protrude  through  the 
surface, — for  then  they  acquire  a  green  colour, 
and  a  bitter,  nauseous  flavour, — but  if  they 
are  much  exposed  at  an  early  stage  of  their 
growth,  the  tubers  are  not  formed  at  all,  the 
runners  growing  away  into  leafy  stems, — for 
the  tuber  of  the  potato  is,  in  reality,  neither 
more  nor  less  than  a  stem,  which  has  acquired 
a  peculiar  form  by  being  developed  under- 
ground, and  having  a  tendency  to  succulency. 
Other  crops  are  earthed  up  for  the  purpose 
of  blanching  the  stems,  which  renders  them 
either  crisp  or  mild,  or  both.  The  principal 
■  crops  so  treated,  are  celery  and  leeks.  In  the 
case  of  celery,  the  earth  is  adjusted  about  the 
stems  from  time  to  time,  after  the  plants  have 
grown  six  or  eight  inches  high,  the  leaves  of 
each  plant  being  gathered  up  in  one  hand, 
while  the  soil — previously  broken  fine  with  a 
spade — is  placed  around  it,  but  not  so  high 
as  to  bury  its  heart.  This  requires  to  be 
done  at  intervals  throughout  the  period  of 
growth,  the  few  first  operations  being  done 
by  hand,  and  the  later  ones  carefully  by  a 
spade,  the  bank  ultimately  forming  a  steep, 
sloping  ridge,  terminating  sharply  to  throw 
off  the  rain.  The  leeks  are  banked  up  with 
soil  around  the  base  of  the  stem  when  they 
are  nearly  full  grown;  but,  from  the  nature  and 
habit  of  the  plants,  this  is  easily  done  by  the 
spade.  All  operations  of  this  kind  should  be 
done  when  the  soil  is  moderately  dry  on  the 
surface  ;  but,  in  the  case  of  the  celery,  it  is 
particularly  necessary  that  the  plants  them- 
selves should  be  quite  dry,  and  the  soil  neai'ly 
so,  when  earthing  up  is  performed. 

MANURING. 

Plants  will  not  grow  without  a  supply  of 
food.     In  a  garden,  this  supply  of  food  is 


maintained  for  them  by  the  application  of 
manures.  A  good  deal  of  chemical  knowledge 
is  necessary  to  the  full  understanding  of  the 
nature  of  manures,  and  the  best  means  of 
applying  them.  We  shall  here  only  briefly 
enumerate  some  of  the  most  easily  attainable 
kinds  of  manure,  and  offer  a  few  general 
remarks  on  the  mode  of  preparing  and'apply- 
ing  them. 

All  green  succulent  vegetable  matter  is 
useful  as  manure,  but  not  very  lasting.  This 
opens  up  an  inexhaustible  supply  for  every 
cottager  ;  green  moss,  the  succulent  tops  of 
various  shrubs,  or  green  fern,  are  within  the 
I'each  of  every  person  who  has  a  garden. 
These,  together  with  weeds,  or  trimmings 
from  plants  of  any  kind,  should  be  dug  into 
the  soil  while  fresh,  and  the  crop  sown  or 
planted  soon  afterwards  ;  they  should  not  be 
buried  too  deeply,  and  have  most  virtue  when 
about  the  state  of  maturity. 

Sea-weeds  afford  a  very  valuable,  but  not 
lasting  manure.  They  should  be  dug  in  with- 
out delay,  as  in  the  case  of  green  manure. 

Wood  ashes  containing  charcoal  form  a 
good  manure,  as  also  does  soot ;  these  should 
be  sprinkled,  the  latter  especially,  in  small 
quantities  over  the  surface  as  a  top-dressing, 
and  then  lightly  forked  in  and  well  mixed 
with  the  soil,  either  before  or  after  planting. 

One  of  the  most  valuable  of  easily  accessible 
manures  is  found  by  charring  or  smother- 
burning  any  kind  of  refuse  or  superabundant 
wood,  such  as  old  tan,  saw-dust,  turf,  peat- 
earth,  prunings,  wood-chips,  trimmings  of 
vegetables,  &c.  Any  kind  of  vegetable  refuse 
may  by  this  means  be  converted  into  manure; 
and  not  only  these,  but  even  sods  of  earth 
and  clay,  provided  some  wood  is  at  hand  to 
secure  the  ignition  of  the  mass.  The  process 
is  pretty  much  alike  with  each  different  ar- 
ticle, and  is  something  like  the  following  : — 
First,  raise  a  platform  of  earth,  somewhat 
above  the  ground  level,  and  cut  across  this 
two  lines  of  drains  four  inches  deep  and  wide, 
meeting  and  crossing  in  the  centre,  where 
they  must  be  open,  the  remainder  being  co- 
vered over  with  tiles,  and  the  outer  mouth 
closed  until  their  action  is  needed.  In  the 
centre,  drive  into  the  ground,  at  equal  dis- 
tances, in  a  triangular  position,  and  about 
eighteen  inches  apart  at  the  bottom,  three 
stout  billets  of  wood  ;  fix  the  tops  of  these 
together  to  form  a  chimney,  inserting  between 
them  another  thick  billet,  that  may  be  drawn 
out  afterwards  to  give  vent  to  the  fire.  At 
the  bottom,  about  these  stakes,  place  some 
dry  brushwood  or  other  easily  ignitible  mate- 
rial, in  moderate  bulk.  Then  place  a  thickness 
of  eight  or  ten  inches  of  the  refuse  material 
to  be  charred,  and  over  this  another  layer  of 
the  easily  ignitible  material  j  then  more  refuse, 


FAMILIAR   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


413 


and  so  on,  till  the  heap  is  made  to  any  size. 
To  set  it  a-light,  pull  out  the  billet,  and  throw 
down  the  opening  a  shovel-full  of  red-hot 
cinders.  The  chimney  is  then  to  be  left  open 
for  a  quarter-of-an-hour,  that  the  fire  may  get 
well  established  ;  it  is  then  closed,  and  after 
this  a  pointed  stick  must  be  used  occasionally 
to  make  a  few  holes  through  the  heap,  so  as 
to  give  vent  to  the  fire  ;  these  holes  are  first 
made  near  the  top,  and  they  are  closed  as  the 
burning  goes  on,  fresh  ones  being  made  lower 
down.  If  the  materials  are  loose  and  open, 
the  whole  heap  must  be  eased  over  with  two  or 
three  inches  of  soil,  to  prevent  the  fire  from 
bursting  through  in  flames.  If  the  fire  does  not 
burn  well,  the  mouths  of  the  drains  must  be 
opened,  especially  on  the  windward  side,  and 
these  supply  air,  and,  of  course,  accelerate  the 
burning.  Neither  these,  however,  nor  the 
holes  made  with  the  pointed  stick,  are  to  be 
allowed  so  to  act  as  to  produce  flame  ;  the 
materials  must  be  smother-burned,  not  re- 
duced to  ashes. 

The  flesh  of  animals  is  a  very  powerful 
manure  ;  this  should  be  buried  among  layers 
of  compost,  and  sprinkled  with  lime,  to  pro- 
mote decomposition,  the  whole  being  well 
mixed  together  before  it  is  applied.  It  should 
be  used  as  a  strong  dressing  to  vacant  ground. 

Fish,  like  flesh,  forms  an  active  manure  ; 
it  ehould  be  used  as  fresh  as  it  can  be  had, 
and  in  moderate  quantities. 

Blood  is  a  very  po',*^erful  manure,  and 
should  be  mixed  up  with  earth  before  being 
used.  The  scum  of  the  sugar-bakers,  from 
the  bullocks'  blood  employed  by  them,  is  a 
very  strong  manure. 

Bones  are  excellent  as  a  manure,  and  very 
durable.  Bone-dust  or  fragments  are  the  best 
forms  in  which  to  apply  them,  and  they  should 
be  used  at  the  time  of  cropping.  The  addi- 
tion of  sulphuric  acid  to  dissolve  the  bones 
before  they  are  applied,  is  an  advantage. 
This  is  done  thus:  Place  lOOlbs.  of  bone- 
dust  in  a  conical  heap,  and  pour  water  enough 
to  wet  it  through  ;  let  it  stand  for  a  couple  of 
days  ;  then  spread  it  out  in  a  hollow-cup 
form,  trodden  firm,  and  pour  again  as  much 
water  as  the  bones  will  absorb  ;  then  pour 
gently  over  the  bones  30  lbs.  of  sulphuric 
acid ;  then  mix  all  up  together  again  into  a 
conical  heap,  and  let  it  stand  for  a  couple  of 
weeks,  when  it  will  be  ready  for  use. 

Horn,  hair,  woollen  rags,  and  feathers  are 
all  excellent  as  manure,  and  should  be  mixed 
up  with  layers  of  soil,  so  as  to  be  decomposed 
before  they  are  applied. 

The  dung  of  animals,  birds,  &c.,  as  is  well 
known,  forms  the  most  useful  class  of  manures ; 
that  af  different  subjects  varies  in  quality,  but 
we  speak  of  them  in  the  aggregate.  Manures 
of  this  class  should  be  mixed  up  with  layers  i 


of  earth,  the  urine  being  added,  and  in  this 
state  of  combination  well  turned  and  mixed, 
and  then  applied  as  a  winter  dressing. 

Nightsoil  is  perhaps  the  most  powerful  of 
all  manures,  and  the  most  generally  neglected. 
It  should  be  mixed  in  layers  with  soil,  sprink- 
ling it  with  lime;  and  this,  after  being  turned 
and  mixed  together,  may  be  applied  to  the 
ground  the  same  as  other  animal  excrement. 
Or  it  may  be  mixed  with  enough  powdered 
charcoal  to  render  it  dry  and  deodorous.  The 
charcoal  of  peat  is  the  best  for  this  purpose. 

Lime  is  an  excellent  application  to  soils 
which  contain  much  inert  vegetable  matter, 
as  is  the  case  generally  with  the  soils  of  old 
gardens ;  but  it  should  never  be  applied  along 
with  animal  manures. 

These  are  some  of  the  principal  manures, 
vegetable,  animal,  and  mineral ;  and  they  are 
sufficient  to  show  that  an  abundance  of  mate- 
rials for  manuring  purposes  exist  within  the 
reach  of  all. 

Wherever  there  is  a  farm  or  a  garden,  a 
manure-heap  should  always  be  in  preparation. 
At  the  bottom  may  be  placed  a  layer  of  weeds, 
grass,  fern,  or  any  kind  of  litter,  and  on  this 
whatever  manures  can  be  collected  should  be 
spread  in  regular  layers  intermixed  with 
layers  of  turfy  soil  of  any  kind.  If  it  can  be 
had,  soil  of  a  different  texture  from  that  of 
the  garden,  as  explained  under  the  head. 
Amelioration  of  the  Soil,  is  preferable. 
Any  turfy  soil  is  preferable  to  soil  without 
turf,  on  account  of  the  vegetable  matter  it 
contains.  On  the  layer  of  litter,  about  six 
inches  in  thickness  of  the  soil  should  be  spread, 
and  then  on  this  about  the  same  thickness  of 
manure  of  any  kind,  such  as  litter,  dung  from 
the  pig-sty,  cow-house,  or  farm-yard,  and 
nightsoil  (privies  should  be  constructed  so 
that  the  soil  can  be  easily  got  out  from  behind, 
and  scattered  over  with  lime  occasionally  to  de- 
stroy the  disagreeable  smell)  ;  the  layer  of 
dung  should  be  at  once  sprinkled  over  with  a 
little  soil,  and  the  rest  of  the  layer  may  be 
added  at  any  time  before  another  layer  of 
manure  is  thrown  on.  An  occasional  layer  of 
litter  or  vegetable  matter  of  any  kind  may  be 
added,  and  the  heap  may  be  from  time  to  time 
moistened  with  the  slops  from  the  chamber, 
or  the  liquid  which  drains  away  from  the 
heap  itself ;  enough  of  these  may  be  applied 
to  keep  the  mass  modei'ately  moist,  but  not 
too  much  saturated.  In  this  way,  manure 
may  be  accumulating  from  one  season  to  an- 
other, and  a  large  supply  will  in  this  way  be 
provided  with  but  little  trouble,  and  at  the 
expense  of  labour  only.  These  materials 
should  be  turned  over  once  or  twice  and  well 
mixed  together ;  and  when  the  turning  of  the 
heap  commences,  another  should  be  formed  to 
take  the  fresh  materials.     When  about  twice 


414 


FAMILIAE.   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


turned  over  in  this  way,  the  manure  will  be 
ready  to  put  on  the  ground,  as  soon  as  the 
crops  are  cleared  off  and  dressing  and  trench- 
ing up  commences.  The  fresh  heap  will,  in 
like  manner,  go  on  accumulating  for  another 
season.  Manures  should  be  mixed  amongst 
the  soil  as  much  as  possible  in  the  operation 
of  trenching,  and  not  buried  altogether  at  the 
bottom  of  the  trench. 

LIQUID    MANURE. 

In  some  convenient  place  a  liquid-manure 
tank  should  be  formed.  An  old  hogshead  or 
barrel  sunk  into  the  ground,  with  soft  clay 
rammed  round  the  sides,  answers  well ;  or 
even  a  hole  dug  out  will  do,  if  the  sides  and 
bottom  are  lined  with  a  layer  eight  inches  or 
a  foot  thick  of  clay  wrought  up  like  mortar  ; 
only  if  it  is  not  kept  always  filled  the  clay  will 
be  liable  to  crack  if  exposed  to  the  sun  or  air, 
and  the  liquid  would  then  escape.  This  tank 
should  receive  all  the  slops  from  the  dwelling, 
except  it  be  large  quantities  of  mere  water ; 
the  chamber-slops  and  the  soap-suds  are  the 
most  important.  Into  the  same  tank  should 
run  whatever  drains  away  from  the  pig-sty 
or  cow-shed,  together  with  any  liquid  that 
may  drain  from  the  manure-heap  already 
spoken  of.  The  contents  of  the  tank  may 
sometimes  be  thrown  over  the  manure-heap 
with  advantage  to  the  latter.  These  various 
liquids  thus  collected  are  most  valuable  for 
forcing  on  the  growth  of  the  crops  ;  but  they 
must  be  applied  in  a  greatly  diluted  state. 
No  positive  instructions  can  be  given  as  to 
•how  much  water  should  be  mixed  with  the 
liquid  from  the  tank,  on  account  of  the  varia- 
tion which  will  occur  as  to  its  strength.  A 
few  experiments  should  be  made  until  an  in- 
sight is  obtained  into  this  mode  of  manuring, 
and  the  knowledge  thus  acquired  will  be  an 
unerring  guide.  It  is  best  to  err  on  the  safe 
side ;  and  this  is,  to  make  it  weak  enough. 
Strong  liquid  manure  poisons  instead  of  nou- 
rishing. In  general,  a  very  considerable 
quantity  of  pure  water  will  be  required  to 
mix  with  the  liquid  from  the  tank.  Colour 
will  scarcely  be  a  gviide,  though,  if  the  manure 
liquid  be  nearly  black,  it  should  be  diluted  so 
as  to  do  little  more  than  colour  the  water  ; 
probably  about  six  times  as  much  pure  water 
as  manure  liquid  will,  in  most  cases,  be  pro- 
per, that  is,  if  very  little  pure  water  has  run 
in.  The  liquid  will,  in  such  a  case,  be  strong, 
and  may  be  diluted  with  four  or  six  times  its 
bulk  of  water  at  the  time  of  using  it  ;  but  if, 
in  consequence  of  rain,  or  from  other  causes, 
a  good  deal  of  water  has  run  in,  it  will  be 
weaker,  and  then  may  be  mixed  with  djout 
twice  as  much  water  as  manure.  It  should 
mostly  be  applied  to  growing  plants,  though 
the  ground  while  bare  of  crops  may  advan- 


tageously be  soaked  with  the  liquid  undiluted. 
When  applied  to  growing  plants,  it  is  to  be 
thus  given  :  Around  each  plant  form  a  wide 
basin,  by  drawing  up  the  soil  into  a  ridge 
all  round  ;  this  basin  should  be  about  as  wide 
as  the  roots  may  be 
supposed  to  extend, 
or,  practically,  say, 
from  one  to  three  feet 
across,  according  to 
the  size  of  the  plants ;  the  basin  should  slope 
outwards,  as  the  manure  is  not  required  close 
around  the  stem  ;  in  fact,  the  basin  should 
form  a  broad  ring,  as  it  were,  around  the 
plant,  the  soil  next  the  stem  being  undis- 
tui'bed.  Into  this  a  good  quantity  of  the 
diluted  liquid  should  be  poured,  and  when  it 
has  soaked  in,  the  soil  should  be  levelled  in 
again.  Plants  growing  thickly  together  in 
rows  may  be  manured  by  opening  a  space  in 
this  way  on  each  side  the  row.  If  the  weather 
be  very  dry,  about  two  good  waterings  with 
the  diluted  manure  may  be  given  in  a  week, 
the  soil  being  opened  and  replaced  in  the 
same  way  at  each  application.  It  is  better  to 
apply  the  manure  much  diluted,  and  to  water 
with  it  only,  than  to  give  one  watering  of 
stronger  liquid,  and  then  follow  this  by  one 
or  two  waterings  with  pure  water.  When 
applied,  liquid  manure  should  always  be  clear, 
like  porter,  for  instance,  and  not  turbid  or 
like  muddy  water,  -which  stops  up  the  pores 
of  the  soil.  Liquid  manure  is  particularly 
valuable  in  producing  quick  and  succulent 
growth  in  hot,  dry  weather,  when  vegetables 
are  apt  to  become  tough,  in  consequence  of 
their  slow  progress. 

WATERING. 

In  a  vegetable  or  fruit  garden,  watering  is 
only  requisite  in  hot  or  parching  weather. 
Rain,  pond,  or  river  water  is  the  best  for  all 
plants.  Soft  water  of  any  kind  is  suitable, 
but  hard  water,  and  especially  hard  well  or 
pump  w^ater,  is  very  objectionable.  Where  it 
is  necessarily  employed,  it  should  be  exposed 
for  twenty-four  hours,  in  flat  open  vessels  or 
reservoirs,  to  the  air,  and  to  as  much  sun  as 
can  reach  it.  To  the  permanent  crops  water 
should  always  be  applied  by  opening  a  kind 
of  basin  around  them,  into  vphich  enough 
should  be  poured  to  saturate  the  soil  com- 
pletely, and  serve  them  for  a  week  or  so  ; 
after  it  has  soaked  in,  the  soil  should  be 
lightly  replaced  and  levelled.  Beds  of  small 
plants  and  seed-beds,  which  it  may  be  neces- 
sary to  water,  cannot  be  so  completely  soaked, 
and  they  must  consequently  be  watered  oft- 
ener,  but  even  then  should  be  watered  as 
thoroughly  and  as  infrequently  as  they  will 
admit.  In  this  case,  the  water  must  be  ap- 
plied through  the  rose  of  a  watering-can.    In 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


415 


very  dry  wea- 
ther, the  drills  in 
which  seeds  are 
to  be  sown  should 
be  well  watered 
just  before  the 
time  of  sowing, 
the  seeds  being 
sown  soon  after, 
and  the  soil  filled  in  while  it  continues  damp. 
The  watering  of  out-door  plants  in  summer  is 
generally  best  done  in  the  eyening,  or  towards 
evening.  When  it  is  necessary  to  apply 
much  water  for  the  support  of  any  crop,  it 
should  be  given  at  intervals  of  several  days, 
the  ground  being  saturated  to  a  considerable 
depth,  and  not  merely  moistened  on  tlie  sur- 
face. If  a  slight  shower  should  fall,  take 
advantage  of  the  opportunity  to  apply  the 
water  at  that  time,  as  both  the  atmosphere 
and  the  plants  are  then  naturally  in  a  condi- 
tion to  benefit  to  the  utmost  by  the  application; 
but  if  no  such  opportunity  offers,  then  the 
water  should  be  applied  in  the  cool  of  the 
evening,  so  that  it  may  not  be  too  rapidly 
evaporated.  If  a  basin  is  not  opened  around 
the  stems,  and  the  surface-soil  is  at  all  run 
together  by  the  operation  of  watering,  it 
should  be  broken  up  next  day  with  a  hoe.  A 
close,  compact  surface  favours  evaporation, 
and  consequently  soon  renders  the  soil  dry ; 
whilst  a  loose  surface  has  a  contrai'y  tendency. 

AETIFICIAL    PEOPAGATION. 

The  natural  way  of  propagating  plants  is 
by  means  of  seeds.  It  is,  however,  sometimes 
necessary  to  know  how  to  increase  plants  by 
other  means,  such  as  by  cuttings,  by  layers,  by 
division,  by  grafting,  and  by  budding. 

Cuttings. — The  principles  upon  which  the 
simpler  forms  of  propagation  are  based,  are 
few.  The  cuttings  should  be  selected  from 
such  shoots  or  branches  as  have  not  borne 
flowers,  or  at  least  the  flowering  part  of  the 
shoots  should  be  rejected.  There  is  considerable 
difference  in  the  choice  of  cuttings  from  different 


plants.      Thus,  for  example,  a  cutting  of  a 
gooseberry  bush  or  of  a  rose  should  be  taken 


from  the  half-ripened  young  shoot  (a),  or  from 
the  same  shoots  when  they  have  reached  matu- 
rity and  have  shed  their  leaves  {d)',  this  should 
be  cut  from  four  or  six  to  eight  or  ten  inches 
long,  the  upper  end  being  cut  close  above  a 
bud,  and  the  three  upper  buds  being  preserved, 
while  all  the  rest  are  cut  clean  away,  and  the 
lower  end  of  the  cutting  cut  across,  close  below 
the  point  where  the  lowest  bud  grew.  Other 
shrubby  plants  may  be  treated  in  a  precisely 
similar  way.  The  geranium,  and  a  variety  of 
other  soft-stemmed  plants,  are  usually  propa- 
gated from  the  parts  removed  in  cutting  down 
the  plants  after  their  blooms  are  past,  the  upper 
portion  of  vfhich  consists  of  the  flower-stalks, 
and  the  lower  part  of  the  main  stem  with  more 
or  less  of  the  leaves  and  some  young  lateral 
shoots ;  these  latter  parts  serve  for  cuttings, 
the  stem  being  cut  through,  just  above  a  leaf, 
to  form  the  top  of  the  cutting,  and  just  beneath 
another  leaf,  three  or  four  inches  from  the 
upper  one,  to  form  the  bottom,  one  or  two  of 
the  lowest  leaves  only  being  removed  (5).  Any 
young  side  shoots  of  half  shrubby  plants  form 
good  cuttings,  when  cut  off  at  from  two  to 
four  inches  long,  according  to  their  habit, — 
one  or  two  of  the  lower  leaves  removed,  and 
the  stem  cut  clean  through,  close  below  the 
lowest  bud  or  joint  (c).  The  same  kind  of 
shoots  form  good  cuttings  in  such  herbs  as 
are  increased  by  this  process  ;  as,  for  instance, 
pansies  and  pinks  ;  and  are  to  be  prepared 
similarly. 

The  preparation  of  cuttings  should  be  per- 
formed with  a  sharp,  keen-edged  knife,  so  as 
to  make  a  clean  and  not  a  ragged  cut;  in  some 
cases  this  is  highly  essential,  though  not  in  all. 
Whenever  a  cutting,  with  leaves  on,  is  being 
prepared  for  planting,  as  many  of  the  upper 
leaves  are  to  be  retained  uninjured  as  possible; 
in  fact,  only  just  so  many — sometimes  only  one 
or  two — are  to  be  removed  from  the  lower 
end  as  will  admit  of  fixing  this  end  of  the 
cutting  firmly  into  the  soil.  Sandy  soil  is 
favourable  for  all  cuttings,  and  the  degree  of 
sandiness  should  be  determined  by  the  free- 
dom or  otherwise  with  which  roots  are  pro- 
duced ;  the  more  delicate  and  difficult-rooting 
plants  being  inserted  either  entirely  in  sand, 
or  in  soil  very  largely  mixed  with  sand.  The 
soil  should  be  moderately  moist,  and  pressed 
down  firm  and  close;  and  the  cuttings  inserted 
by  means  of  small  dibbles,  just  large  enough 
to  make  a  hole  slightly  larger  than  the  base 
of  the  cutting;  the  dibble  should  be  inserted 
just  so  deep  that  the  base  of  the  cutting  may 
rest  on  the  bottom  of  the  hole  made  by  it,  and 
the  sides  are  then  to  be  pressed  in  close  about 
the  cutting  with  the  end  of  the  dibble,  so  as 
to  firmly  fix  it  in  the  soil.  When  all  are 
planted,  they  should  be  gently  sprinkled  with 
water,  to  settle  the  soil  about  them ;  and  after 


416 


FAMILIAR   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


they  have  dried  a  little,  the  more  delicate  kinds 
are  best  covered  with  a  hand-glass,  which  re- 
quires to  be  slightly  lifted  up  occasionally,  for 
an  hour  or  so  at  a  time,  to  allow  the  collected 
moisture  to  pass  away,  in  order  that  they  may 
not  damp  off.  Free  rooting  plants  require  no 
hand-glass,  but  merely  to  be  planted  in  a  shel- 
tered shady  place.  Leafless  cuttings  of  shrubs 
— gooseberries,  for  instance,  as  they  are  in 
winter — may  be  planted  in  common  soil,  in 
any  shady  place,  by  chopping  out  an  opening 
with  the  spade,  placing  the  cuttings  in  it  at 
the  proper  depth,  and  then  returning  and 
treading  the  soil  firmly  about  and  against 
them  ;  the  three  buds  retained  on  the  cuttings 
should  only  be  left  above  ground.  Cuttings 
should,  in  all  cases,  be  kept  moderately  damp, 
and  are  greatly  refreshed  by  occasional  light 
sprinklings  over  head,  if  they  are  leafy  cut- 
tings. The  sketches  will  illustrate  the  mode 
of  preparing  different  kinds  of  cuttings  :  the 
horizontal  line  indicates  the  surface  level  of 
soil  after  planting  ;  the  scars  on  the  cuttings 
beneath  these  lines,  the  positions  from  which 
leaves  or  buds,  or  both,  have  been  removed  in 
the  preparation  of  the  respective  cuttings. 

Layering. — This  operation  consists  in  fixing 
a  portion  of  the  branch  of  a  plant  beneath  the 
soil,  with  a  view  to  the  production  of  roots 
from  that  part  so  buried,  while  the  entire 
branch  remains  as  yet  attached  to  tlie  parent 
stem.  It  is  generally  practised  on  plants  that 
do  not  grow  very  freely  from  cuttings,  or  else 
to  obtain  larger  plants  in  a  given  space  of 
time  than  could  be  raised  by  planting  detached 
morsels  as  cuttings.  If  large  and  not  very 
pliant,  the  branches  are  first  secured  to  the 


ground  by  a  strong  hook-peg,  and  the  several 
smaller  branches  are  fixed  each  by  a  smaller 
hook-peg,  or  sometimes,  where  there  is  little 
resistance,  by  laying  a  stone  across 
them.  The  twig  to  be  layered  is  cleared 
of  leaves  in  the  lower  part,  and  at  that 
point  which  is  to  be  fixed  under  ground 
(at  a  joint,  that  is,  where  a  leaf  had 
grown),  a  slit  is  made  with  a  sharp  knife ;  the 
slit  is  commenced  a  little  below  the  joint,  and 
continued  upwards  towards  the  point  of  the 
twig,  through  the  joint,  and  from  half-an-inch 
to  an  inch  or  more  beyond  it ;  the  end  of  the 
slit  portion  is  then  cut  off  evenly,  close  beneath 
the  joint.  The  ground  being  slightly  lowered, 
the  twig  is  bent  down,  and  fastened  by  a  hook 
placed  a  little  distance  behind  the  cut ;  the 
point  of  the  twig  is  brought  upright,  or  nearly 
so,  which  opens  the  cut,  and  the  cut  part  is 
covered  with  an  inch  or  two  (or  more,  if  a 
large  subject)  of  soil,  pressed  down  firmly. 
The  leaves  on  the  twig  above  the  cut  and 
buried  part  should  not  be  shortened,  or  at  all 
cut  or  broken  ;  but  sometimes,  if  it  is  a  long, 
rambling  shoot,  the  top  may  be  altogether  cut 
off,  leaving  three  or  four  good  eyes  above 
ground,  as  in  the  case  of  cuttings.  Layers 
root  the  moi-e  readily  if  the  soil  into  which  they 
are  laid  is  sandy,  and  for  all  choice  subjects  it 
should  be  thus  prepared.  Various  periods  are 
taken  by  different  plants  to  form  roots  under 
these  circumstances.  The  carnation,  for  in- 
stance, when  layered,  will  be  well  rooted  in  a 
few  weeks;  many  shrubs  layered  in  the  midst 
of  their  growth,  will  be  fit  to  transplant  in  the 
spring  following  ;  others  require  a  full  year 
and  upward,  and  some  even  two  years. 


In  the  accompanying  diagram,  a  is  a  twig 
prepared  for  layering  ;  h  is  another  twig,  simi- 
larly prepared  and  fixed  in  the  soil,  the  sur- 
face of  which  is  indicated  by  the  horizontal 
line.  The  roots  would  be  chiefly  produced 
from  the  cut  or  tongued  part,  c.  When  the 
layer  comes  to  be  transplanted,  the  soil  should 


be  opened,  the  peg  withdrawn,  and  the  branch 
cut  asunder  carefully,  near  that  part  where 
the  peg  had  been  placed,  and  the  layer,  then 
an  independent  plant,  lifted  carefully  with  its 
roots,  and  transplanted  where  required.  The 
mode  of  preparing  a  layer  is  shown  on  a  larger 
scale,  in  the  annexed  figure,  in  which  a  indi- 


FAMILIAR    LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


417 


cates  the  position  of  the  cuts,  b  the  shoot 
after  being  cut  ;  the  part  c,  it  will  be  under- 
stood, is  cut  away  alto- 
gether. Tough-stemmed 
plants  are  often  not  cut 
at  all,  but  the  leaves  are 
stripped  off,  and  the  stem 
merely  twisted  a  little  at 
the  part  which  is  to  be 
buried,  and  then  pegged 
down  as  in  the  other 
case.  The  growing  season 
is  generally  the  best  for 
layering, 

Dicision  of  the  plant. — This  is  the  mode  of 
increasing  all  perennial  plants  with  fibrous 
roots ;  tap-rooted  plants  do  not  in  general  ad- 
mit of  being  propagated  by  this  process.  The 
plants  should  be  taken  up,  the  soil  being  shaken 
out  from  among  their  roots,  and  then  separated 
into  as  many  pieces  as  there  are  crowns  of 
leaves  (or  into  as  many  pieces  as  may  be 
wanted),  some  share  of  the  roots  being  re- 
tained to  each  division.  The  pieces  are  then 
planted  as  separate  plants.  It  is  in  most 
cases  an  exceedingly  simple  and  easily-per- 
formed operation. 

Grafting. — This  operation  consists  in  re- 
moving a  twig  of  one  plant  and  fixing  it  on 
another,  so  that  by  the  union  of  the  two  a  new 
compound  individual  is  formed.  The  twig  is 
called  a  graft,  or  scion,  and  the  plant  it  is  fixed 
upon  is  called  a  stock  ;  the  operation  is  called 
grafting.  It  is  a  very  useful  art  ;  for  valuable, 
and  delicate,  and  choice  plants  can  thus  be 
attached  to  more  easily  grown  and  commoner 
roots ;  and  if  the  root  or  stock  is  properly 
adapted  to  the  soil,  the  operation  has  much 
influence  over  the  productiveness  of  fruit 
trees.  Grafting  is  chiefly  practised  with  fruit 
trees,  especially  the  apple  and  pear. 

There  are  many  methods  of  grafting ;  but 
the  most  useful  and  simple  is  that  here  de- 
scribed, called  whip  or  tongue-grafting,  which 
is  suitable  either  for  young  stocks,  or  for 
young  branches  on  old  stocks.  The  head  of 
the  young  stock  (from  one  to  two  inches  dia- 
meter) is  to  be  cut  oflT,  either  an  inch  or  two, 
or,  to  form  a  standard  tree,  at  four  or  five 
feet  above  the  ground  surface ;  the  former, 
however,  is  preferable,  both  for  dwarfs  and 
standards.  The  top  of  the  stock  is  to  be 
cut  ofi^  with  an  oblique  incision  two  or  three 
inches  long,  the  cut  being  made  with  a  very 
keen,  smooth-edged  knife ;  the  bottom  of  the 
graft  is  to  be  cut  as  nearly  as  possible  to  the 
same  slope,  and  the  top  of  the  cut  stock  re- 
moved with  a  horizontal  cut.  A  slit  is  then 
made  downwards,  about  the  centre  of  the 
sloping  face  of  the  stock  (a),  and  a  similar  cut 
is  made  upwards  in  the  sloping  face  of  the 
scion  or  graft  (b).  The  tongue  (b)  is  then 
50. 


inserted  into  the  slit  (a),  the  use  of  the  tongue 
being  to  hold  the  parts  firmly  together.  The 
graft  must  be  put  so  that  its  inner  bark  is 
placed  in  contact  with  the  inner  bark  of  the 
stock  on  one  side ;  it  cannot  fit  on  both  sides 
unless  the  stock  and  graft  are  exactly  of  the 
same  size,  which  is  seldom  or  never  the  case  ; 
but  if  one  side  is  made  to  fit  in  this  way,  it 
will  be  sufficient.  The  graft  must  next  be 
tied  on  ;  bass  matting,  soaked  in  water  (used 
wet),  is  a  good  material  for  tying  ;  a  piece  of 
sufficient  length,  and  at  least  half  an  inch 
wide,  must  be  taken,  and  the  middle  of  this 
placed  over  the  bottom  of  the  graft,  crossed 
behind,  and  again  brought  forward  and  crossed 
a  little  upwards;  this  is  repeated  until  the 
whole  is  bound  over  fii-mly  and  closely,  and  is 
finished  by  tying  a  half-knot  behind  the  stock. 
This  is  then  rubbed  well  with  a  little  grafting 
clay,  taken  on  the  forefinger,  so  as  to  fill  up 
all  the  interstices  of  the  tie  ;  and  the  whole  is 
then  enveloped  in  an  oval  or  egg-shaped  mass 
of  grafting  clay,  which  should  cover  some 
distance  beyond  both  the  top  and  bottom  of 


the  point  of  junction.  The  sketch  (d)  repre- 
sents this,  a  portion  of  the  mass  being  supposed 
to  be  removed  at  e,  to  show  where  and  how 
the  junction  of  the  stock  and  graft  occurs. 
This  mass  of  clay  requires  to  be  carefully  closed 
around  the  graft  and  stock,  at  its  upper  and 
lower  end  ;  and  if  it  cracks,  as  it  will  some- 
times do  in  dry  weather,  a  little  fresh  clay 
must  be  rubbed  into  the  cracks,  so  as  to  make 
it  air-tight.  It  is  sometimes  desirable  to  graft 
the  stock  as  low  as  possible,  so  as  to  admit  of 
drawing  up  the  earth  on  each  side,  after  the 
operation,  so  as  to  cover  the  ball  of  clay,  in 
order  to  keep  it  moist  and  to  prevent  its  crack- 
ing. The  clay  may  be  removed,  as  well  as  the 
tie,  when  a  little  growth  has  been  made ;  but 
it  is  well  to  make  a  loose  tie,  to  keep  the  graft 
steady. 

The  commencement  of  the  growing  season 
is  the  proper  time  for  grafting— when  the  sap 
is  rising  in  the  stock.  The  grafts  should  always 
be  taken  off  a  month  or  so  before  grafting  time, 
and  kept  with  their  lower  end  in  damp  soil,  in 

E    E 


418 


FAMILIAE   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


a  cool,  shady  place  ;  for  the  stock  should  al- 
ways be  a  little  in  advance  of  the  graft,  as 
respects  growth,  at  the  time  of  the  operation. 
The  grafts  may  be  taken  off  any  time  during 
the  resting,  or  winter  season,  provided  they 
can  be  kept  cool  and  moist,  so  as  neither  to 
start  into  growth  nor  shrivel.  The  well- 
ripened,  medium-sized,  one-year-old  shoots 
should  be  chosen,  and  the  grafts  (used  about 
six  inches  long)  should  be  taken  from  the 
lower  and  best  ripened  end  of  these  shoots  ; 
healthy  shoots  should  also  be  selected. 

A  variety  of  whip-grafting,  sometimes  more 
easy  of  application  than  that  j  ust  explained,  is 
thus  performed  : — First,  head  down  the  stock 
by  a  nearly  horizontal  cut ;  then  pare  one  side 
of  it  for  a  length  of  about  two  inches,  tmd  just 
into  the  wood,  making  the  cut  rather  deeper 
into  the  wood  at  the  top  than  at  the  bottom  of 
the  cut ;  then  pare  down  the  lower  end  of  the 
graft,  by  an  oblique  cut  corresponding  in 
length  with  the  cut  on  the  stock,  commencing 
shallow  towards  the  top  of  the  graft,  and  much 
deeper — nearly  through — at  the  bottom.  The 
tongueing,  adjustment,  tying,  and  claying,  are 
done  just  as  in  the  other  case. 

Grafting  clay  is  common  clay  worked  up  to 
the  consistence  of  stiff  mortar,  all  stones  and 
lumps  being  removed,  and  a  considerable 
portion  of  green  cowdung  and  chopped  hay, 
or  the  hair  used  by  bricklayers,  mixed  with  it, 
in  order  that  it  may  keep  moiht  and  hang  to- 
gether :  it  is  essential  that  it  be  thoroughly 
well  mixed  up.  It  is  put  on  with  both  hands  ; 
but  being  very  adhesive,  dry  ashes  are  occa- 
,  sionally  dusted  over  the  hands,  to  enable  the 
operator  to  shape  it  to  the  form  and  position 
required. 

A  very  useful  application  of  grafting  con- 
sists in  working  an  established  fruit-tree  of  an 
inferior  kind,  with  scions  of  a  superior  variety 
of  the  same  kind  of  fruit.  Such  trees  soon 
come  into  bearing,  and  the  process  is  much  to 
be  preferred  before  destroying  old  trees  of  bad 
varieties,  and  planting  young  ones  of  choice 
kinds.  A  different  mode  of  grafting,  called 
cleft  grafting,  is  often  practised  in  these  cases; 
but  the  method  already  described  is  preferable. 
The  trees  should  be  cut  in,  almost  to  the  trunk, 
the  head  being  wholly  removed :  young  branches 
will  be  produced,  a  few  of  which,  well-placed, 
are  to  be  selected  to  form  the  skeleton  of  the 
future  head,  and  the  rest  removed,  the  se- 
lected shoots  being  grafted  as  close  as  possible 
to  their  origin,  as  soon  as  they  acquire  suf- 
ficient diameter,  which  in  most  cases  will  be 
after  making  one  year's  growth.  When  cleft- 
grafting  is  practised,  the  scions  are  placed  at 
once  into  the  main  branches,  after  they  Have 
been  headed  off ;  but  if  they  are  large,  as  is 
generally  the  case,  the  union  is  never  so  com- 
plete as  when  the  graft  is  attached  to  a  part 


which  comes  nearer  to  its  own  diameter.  If 
the  tree  to  be  headed  off  have  any  small 
branches,  they  may  be  at  once  grafted  without 
waiting  for  the  growth  of  new  shoots.  Such 
shoots  might  be  induced  to  grow  in  readiness 
for  grafting,  if  the  main  limbs  were  slightly 
cut  round,  a  year  or  two  before  they  were 
entirely  removed.  This  plan  is  as  economical 
of  time  as  the  method  of  cleft-grafting  (which 
at  once  substitutes  grafts  for  the  lopped 
branches),  and  is  much  preferable  in  the  end. 
Budding. — This  operation  is  performed  by 
removing  a  bud,  with  bark  attached,  from  one 
tree,  and  fixing  it  below  the  bark  of  another. 
It  is  performed  in  the  midst  of  the  growing 
season,  it  being  essential  to  success  in  budding 
that  the  shoots  should  be  full  of  sap,  so  that 
the  bark  may  separate  easily  from  the  wood. 
The  bud  is  to  be  inserted  on  a  smooth  part  of 
the  stock,  free  from  knots,  and  close  below  a 
bud ;  the  north  side  of  the  stock  should,  if 
possible,  be  selected,  so  that  it  may  be  shel- 
tered from  the  sun  during  the  hotter  part  of 
the  day.  The  operation  is  best  performed 
with  a  proper  budding-knife,  which  has  a  thin, 
wedge-shaped  handle,  the  end  of  which  is 
required  to  raise  up  the  edges  of  the  bark  with- 
out injury  or  bruising.  Shield  or  T  budding 
is  the  most  common  mode,  and  is  also  the  most 
desirable  for  general  purposes.  It  is  thus 
performed: — having  a  shoot  with  a  supply  of 
buds  in  readiness,  and  having  determined  where 
the  bud  is  to  be  inserted  on  the  stock,  proceed 
to  make  a  longitudinal  incision,  about  a  couple 
of  inches  long,  or  rather  more,  and  just  deep 
enough  to  cut  through  the  bark,  but  not  into 
the  wood :  at  the  upper  end  of  this 
make  a  horizontal  cut,  an  inch  or  so  " 
in  length  (a).  Then  cut  off  a  bud 
from  the  shoot,  selecting  one  from 
about  the  middle,  which  is  well  ri- 
pened and  plump  ;  take  the  shoot  in 
the  left  hand,  and  make  a  cut  from  (I  1 
below  upwards,  commencing  about 
an  inch  beneath  the  bud,  to  about  an  inch 
above  it,  and  passing  nearly  half  way  through 
the  shoot,  taking  out  wood  and  all.  The  leaf 
is  to  be  cut  off,  but  the  leaf  stalk  retained ;  it 
serves  as  a  convenient  handle  (c). 
Next  remove  the  wood  cut  out  with 
the  bud  ;  but  this  is  a  delicate  ope- 
ration, and  it  is  quite  indispensable 
tliat  the  bark  should  be  in  a  con- 
dition to  separate  readily.  Hold  the 
bud  on  the  forefinger  of  the  left  hand, 
with  the  cut  surface  upwards,  placing 
the  thumb  upon  it ;  then,  with  the 
thumb-nail  of  the  right  hand,  gently 
disengage  the  lower  end  of  the  bark 
of  the  shield  from  the  wood  ;  and  ^ 
then,  removing  the  thumb  of  the  left  hand, 
the  wood  will  probably  come  away,  leaving 


FAMILIAR   LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


419 


tlie  bark,  tlie  bud,  and  a  small  fibrous  portion 
inside  the  bark,  which  portion  is  called  the  root 
of  the  bud  (d).  If  this  be  so, 
the  bud  will  be  ready  for  in- 
sertion ;  but  if  instead  of  the 
fibrous  portion  at  the  base 
of  the  bud,  on  the  inner  side, 
a  small  hollow  or  cavity  is 
perceived,  the  bud  is  spoiled, 
and  another  must  be  taken. 
The  bark  on  the  sides  of  the  longitudinal  slit  in 
the  stock  is  now,  with  thethin  end  of  the  handle 
of  the  budding- knife,  to  be  gently  raised  and 
separated  from  the  wood,  for  about  half-an-inch 
in  width  on  each  side  (h).    Both  stock  and  bud 
are  now  prepared.  The  next  thing  is  to  slip  one 
side  of.  the  little  shield  of  bark,  containing  the 
bud,  so  far  under  one  side  of  the  raised  bark  of 
the  stock,  as  to  admit  the  other  side  of  the  shield 
beneath  the  opposite  raised  portion,  and  then 
the  bud  is  shifted  and  adjusted  so  as  to  occupy 
the  centre  of  the  opening ;  in  doing  all  this, 
the  little  piece  of  leaf  stalk  retained  is  found 
very  convenient,  for  it  serves  as  a  handle.    In 
this  stage  of  the  operation,  the  whole  of  that 
part  of  the  shield  of  bark  below  the  bud,  and 
part  of  that  above  it,  is  inserted  behind  that 
part  of  the  bark  of  the  stock  which  was  divided 
by  the  perpendicular  cut  ;  the  top  part  of  the 
shield,  at  the  same  time,  will  project  upwards 
beyond  the  cut,  and  all  that  does  so  project 
upwards  is  next  to  be  cut  away,  so  that   the 
top  end  of  the  shield  may  abut  against  the 
undisturbed  bark  of  the  stock,  above  the  hori- 
zontal incision  (compare  c  and  d).    The  inner 
side  of  the  shield  of  bark,  containing  the  bud, 
must  lie  closely  and  flatly  against  the  wood  of 
the  stock  (e).     When  so  adjusted, 
take  a  piece  of  soft  bass- matting, 
well  soaked,  and  bind  up  the  part, 
commencing  about  an  inch  below, 
and  continuing  about  the  same  dis- 
tance  above  the  incised  part,  just 
allowing  the  bud  to  peep  out,  but 
otherwise  closely,  so  as  to  exclude 
the  air ;  it  is  best  to  tie  the  end  of 
the  matting,  and  then  wind  it  round, 
taking  care  to  keep  it  flat  and  pull 
it  close  and  firm  throughout.     This 
completes  the   operation.      In    two  or  three 
weeks'  time,  the  plump  appearance  of  the  bud, 
or  otherwise,  will  indicate  the  success  or  failure 
of  the  operation.     If  successful,  in  a  month 
or  five  weeks  the  bandage  may  be  loosened, 
to   allow  the  parts  to  swell,  and  in  another 
week  be  entirely  removed.     Early  in  the  fol- 
lowing season  it  is  usual  to  cut  away  the  head 
of  the  stock,  above  the  bud — which  then  takes 
its  place ;  this  should  be  cut  off  clean,  by  a 
sloping  cut,  about  half-an-inch  above  the  bud; 
but  it  is  well  to  cut  half  way  through  first,  at 
a  little  distance  upwards,  in  order  to  start  the 


bud  without  making  it  the  only  outlet  for 
the  sap;  and  then,  when  it  has  made  a  little 
progrrss,  remove  the  head  entirely,  as  just 
explained. 

Budding,  like  grafting,  is  most  usefully  em- 
ployed in  propagating  choice  kinds  of  fruit- 
trees  ;  and  of  these  it  is  usual  to  practise  it 
chiefly  on  the  stone  fruits,  as  the  cherry,  plum, 
peach,  and  apricot. 

The  directions  given  under  budding  and 
grafting  suppose  it  to  be  the  object  that  the 
bud  or  graft  should  replace  the  head  of  the 
stock,  and  of  itself  entirely  form  the  future 
head  of  the  tree.  But  besides  this,  either  of 
the  operations  may  be  had  recourse  to,  as  a 
means  of  filling  up  any  bare  parts  of  a  tree, 
where  it  may  not  be  convenient  to  cause  the 
growth  of  young  shoots  by  pruning.  In  this 
case  the  operation  is  performed  precisely  as 
already  detailed,  except  only  in  what  may  refer 
to  the  removal  of  the  head  of  the  stock. 

CROPPING  AND  ROTATION  OF  CROPS. 

The  admitted  advantage  of  a  rotation  of 
crops  has  been  explained  to  depend  on  diffe- 
rent causes.  It  was  once  a  very  favourite 
notion  that  plants  gave  out  certain  matters 
which  were  called  excrementary,  or  rejecta- 
mentary,  and  that  the  excrementitious  sub- 
stance left  behind  by  one  set  of  plants,  became 
as  it  were  poisonous  to  closely  succeeding 
plants  of  the  same  kind,  but  innocuous  in  re- 
ference to  plants  of  a  totally  different  nature. 
This  notion  is  however  now  very  generally 
exploded  ;  and  with  more  apparent  propriety, 
the  advantage  of  a  rotation  of  crops  is  ex- 
plained by  the  doctrine  that  different  plants 
take  up  different  kinds  of  food,  which  being 
more  or  less  exhausted  by  a  crop  of  any  par- 
ticular kind,  will  not  fully  supply  a  closely 
succeeding  crop  of  the  same  kind,  unless  the 
loss  has  been  replaced — summarily  by  the  ap- 
plication of  manure,  or  more  slowly  by  the 
action  of  the  atmosphere  during  a  course  of 
fallow.  The  fallowing  of  soil  is,  however,  now 
seen  to  be  an  unnecessary  loss,  inasmuch  as 
a  judicious  rotation  of  the  crops  answers  the 
same  purpose,  for  different  crops  will  follow 
each  other  successfully  without  manuring  the 
soil  for  each,  which  may  be  done  when  each 
course  of  cropping  is  complete. 

Another  cause  of  the  advantage  of  rotation 
may  consist  in  the  different  habits  of  growth 
natural  to  different  classes  of  plants  ;  thus 
some  roots  spread  near  the  surface,  which  is 
thus  exhausted  ;  others  dive  deeper,  and  thus 
the  adjacent  layer  is  made  to  furnish  its  quota 
of  nutrition  ;  while  others,  which  go  deeper 
still,  are  supplied  by  food  which  the  former 
did  not  reach.  This  mechanical  advantage  of 
rotation  is  worth  attention. 

All  garden  vegetables  may  be  made  to  grow 
E  E  2 


420 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


in  well  managed  garden  soil,  but  as  some 
kinds  have  a  preference  for  different  kinds  of 
soil,  it  may  be  useful  to  indicate  these  pre- 
dilections, for  they  often  admit  of  being  to 
some  degree  accommodated. 

Carrots,  potatoes,  beet-root,  onions,  leeks, 
&c.  prefer  a  light  soil,  rather  dry  and  deep. 

Peas    and    beans    prefer   a   well -enriched 
loamy  soil. 

The  cabbage   tribe   throughout  prefers  a 
strong  rich  loamy  soil. 

Celery  and  the  spinaceous  plants  prefer  a 
light,  rich,  and  moist  soil. 

Asparagus,  sea-kale,  and  rhubarb  prefer  a 
light  rich  soil,  and  a  warm  situation. 

A  proper  rotation  of  crops  involves  as  a 
necessity,  if  any  benefit  is  to  be  derived,  that 
the  succeeding  crops  should  be  dissimilar,  not 
only  in  their  actual  constitution,  but  also  in 
the  mode  of  their  root-growth.  For  this 
reason  a  classification  of  crops  is  desirable,  so 
that  one  class  may  follow  another  over  the 
ground.  The  peas,  beans,  and  kidney-beans 
form  one  group  ;  the  cabbage  tribe,  as  brocoli, 
cauliflower,  savoys,  and  cabbage,  another ; 
fusiform  roots,  as  carrots,  parsnips,  and  beet- 
root, another ;  turnips,  early  potatoes,  onions, 
leeks,  garlic,  shallots,  &(J.  another ;  salading, 
as  celery,  lettuce,  endive,  cress,  &c.  another ; 
potatoes,  another.  Two  or  more  classes  of 
crops  may  often  be  distributed  with  advantage 
over  the  ground  at  one  time,  and  alternating 
in  a  more  or  less  regular  way  ;  this  often 
facilitates  the  very  desirable  practice  of  plant- 
ing tall  growing  crops  at  extra  distances,  the 
•intervening  spaces  being  occupied  with  such 
smaller  things  as  are  rather  benefited  than 
otherwise  by  the  shelter  or  shade  afforded  by 
the  others.  It  is  a  safe  rule,  that  none  of  the 
principal  garden  crops  be  suffered  immediately 
to  follow  another  of  the  same  kind  on  the 
same  ground  ;  and  safe  also  to  lengthen  the 
intervening  space  of  time,  between  the  occu- 
pation of  the  same  ground  by  two  crops  of  the 
same  kind,  as  much  as  possible,  even  to  two, 
three,  or  more  years.  These  rules,  in  fact, 
form  the  practical  basis  of  all  proper  rotations  ; 
but  the  actual  details  maybe,  and  are,  allowed 
to  vary  indifferently  according  to  the  wants 
or  the  influencing  circumstances  of  each  case. 
To  carry  out  this  practice  in  a  proper  way, 
it  is  desirable  that  a  rough  outline  plan  of  the 
garden  be  formed,  and  the  whole  surface 
thrown  into  beds  or  quarters,  which  should 
be  numbered.  A  journal  should  also  be  kept, 
in  which,  by  the  aid  of  these  numbers,  a 
registry  may  be  kept  of  all  the  crops  planted 
on  the  ground,  together  with  memoranda  of 
such  of  the  principal  operations,  as  manuring, 
trenching,  &e.  The  unaided  memory,  especi- 
ally if  the  mind  be  much  occupied  by  other 
matters,  is  liable  to  fail,  but  a  permanent  record 


of  this  kind  is  invaluable  in  carrying  out  a 
rotation  of  crops,  its  evidence  being  always 
accessible  and  indisputable.  No  one  need  be 
frightened  by  extravagant  notions  of  planning 
and  book-keeping  :  the  rudest  possible  sketch 
of  the  ground,  made  so  that  a  certain  space 
can  be  identified  with  a  certain  mark  or  num- 
ber, and  the  plainest  possible  record  of  the 
crops  planted  on  those  spaces,  is  sufficient  for 
the  purpose ;  and  so  that  this  is  provided 
and  understood,  each  one  may  go  to  work  bis 
own  way  in  doing  it. 

Celery  is  an  excellent  preparation  for  cauli- 
flowers, or  onions,  or  carrots,  or  turnips,  or 
parsnips  ;  or  for  peas,  with  potatoes  and  win- 
ter greens  and  brocoli  between. 

Turnips  and  potatoes  are  found  to  be  a 
good  preparation  for  the  cabbage  tribe,  includ- 
ing brocoli,  cabbages,  savoys,  &c. 

Cabbages  and  brocoli,  &c.  are  a  good  pre- 
paration for  beans  or  for  peas. 

Cauliflowers  are  an  excellent  preparation 
for  onions,  leeks,  or  turnips. 

Old  asparagus  beds  afford  excellent  accom- 
modation for  the  cabbage  tribe,  for  potatoes, 
or  for  carrots  and  parsnips ;  as  also  does 
ground  from  which  any  of  the  small  fruits  are 
cleared. 

Peas  are  a  good  companion  crop  for  spinach, 
the  latter  being  sown  between  the  distant 
rows  of  the  former. 

We  shall  add  a  few  memoranda  respecting 
the  quantity  of  seeds  required  for  a  given 
space,  and  their  duration  in  a  vegetative  con- 
dition. It  is  always  better  to  have  several 
succession  crops  of  one  kind,  than  fewer  and 
heavier  crops. 

Beans. — Early  and  late  crops  :  one  pint  for 
a  row  of  eighty  feet.  Principal  crops  :  one 
pint  for  a  row  of  one  hundred  feet.  The 
seeds  will  keep  good  one  year. 

Beans,  kidney.- — Half-a-pint  for  a  row  of 
eighty  feet.     The  seeds  keep  good  one  year. 

Beet,  or  Mangold  Wurtzel. — One  ounce 
for  a  row  of  150  feet.  The  seeds  keep  for 
several  years. 

Cabbage,  Borecole,  Savoy,  Brocoli,  ^c. — 
Half-an-ounce  for  a  seed-bed  of  forty  square 
feet,  to  be  transplanted  from.  The  seeds  keep 
about  four  years. 

Carrot. — One  ounce  for  a  row  of  150  feet, 
well  thinned.     The  seeds  keep  one  year. 

Cauliflotver. — Half-an-ounce  for  a  seed-bed 
of  forty  square  feet.  The  seeds  keep  about 
four  years. 

Celery. — A  quarter  of  an  ounce  for  a  seed- 
bed of  twenty  square  feet.  The  seeds  keep 
several  years. 

Gourds  and  Cucumbers.  —  Half-a-dozen 
seeds  sown  in  pots.     The  seeds  keep  several 


years. 
Leeh. 


Half-an-ounce  for  a  seed-bed  of 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


421 


twenty  square  feet.  The  seeds  keep  two 
years. 

Lettuce. — A  quarter  of  an  ounce  for  a  seed- 
bed of  forty  square  feet.  The  seeds  keep 
three  years. 

Onion. — One  ounce  for  a  bed  of  eighty 
square  feet.     The  seeds  keep  two  years. 

Parsley. — Half-an-ounce  for  a  row  twenty- 
five  feet  long.     The  seeds  keep  six  years. 

Parsnip. — Half-an-ounce  for  a  row  of  150 
feet,  the  plants  to  be  well  thinned.  The  seeds 
keep  one  year. 

Peas.  — Early  crops  :  one  pint  for  a  row  of 
sixty  feet.  Principal  crops  :  one  pint  for  a 
row  of  a  hundred  feet.  The  seeds  keep  good 
one  year. 

Potatoes. — Sets  (small  whole  tubers)  planted 
at  a  foot  distant,  iu  rows  two  or  three  feet 
apart. 

Radish. — One  ounce  for  a  bed  thirty  feet 
square.     The  seeds  keep  two  years. 

Spinach. — One  ounce  for  a  row  of  120  feet. 
The  seeds  keep  four  years. 

Turnip. — Half-an-ounce  for  a  bed  of  one 
hundred  square  feet.  The  seeds  keep  about 
four  years. 

The  duration  of  the  vital  principle  of  seeds 
depends  in  great  measure  on  the  manner  in 
which  they  are  preserved ;  they  should  be 
well  ripened,  always  kept  dry,  and  not  ex- 
posed to  a  high  or  fluctuating  temperature. 
New  seeds  always  have  the  preference. 

In  all  cases,  the  young  seedling  plants 
should  be  thinned  early, — the  earlier,  the 
better  ;  the  plants  ought  never  to  stand  so 
much  crowded  as  to  become  drawn  or  lanky  ; 
such  plants  are  delicate,  and  never  thrive  like 
sturdy  plants  which  have  had  free  exposure 
on  all  sides.  Those  plants  which  have  to 
be  transplanted  are  generally  the  better  if 
"pricked  out"  into  nursery-beds  when  quite 
young,  and  finally  transplanted  from  these 
when  of  sufiicient  size. 

PRESERVATION   OF   CROPS. 

To  realize  the  fullest  advantage  from  a 
garden,  it  is  necessary  to  understand  what  is 
meant  by  the  "preservation  of  crops;"  and  this 
applies  not  only  to  such  things  as  are  grown 
in  summer  for  winter  use,  and  are  conse- 
quently stored  by  for  the  latter  season,  but 
also  to  many  articles  which  are  quickly  perish- 
able, but  in  which  decay  may  be  arrested  and 
postponed  by  a  course  of  judicious  treatment, 
which  it  is  desii-able  to  understand.  The 
subject  is  naturally  divided  into  what  concerns 
vegetables  and  fruits. 

Vegetables. — Here  we  have  to  deal  with 
green  vegetables  and  mature  root-crops,  the 
former  of  which  may  be  preserved  for  a  time, 
but  scarcely  without  deterioration  ;   while  the 


latter  admit  of  being  kept  without  sustaining 
any  injury. 

The  preservation  of  green  vegetable  crops 
is  a  consideration  only  when  the  supply  is 
temporarily  greater  than  the  demand,  and 
when  the  farther  advance  of  the  particular 
article  would  involve  a  deterioration  in  its 
quality,  or  when  any  part  or  all  of  any  crop 
attains  a  useable  state  at  a  season  when  it  is 
liable  to  sustain  injury  if  left  exposed.  The 
situation  in  which  this  class  of  vegetables  may 
be  best  preserved  is  a  dark,  cool,  shady  room, 
not  damp  and  stagnant  enough  to  encourage 
decomposition,  nor  dry  and  airy  enough  to 
cause  exhaustion,  but  simply  having  a  calm, 
almost  unvarying,  cool  atmosphere,  in  which 
vegetables  undergo  change  very  slowly.  It  is 
essential  that  no  decaying  vegetable  matter  be 
suffered  to  accumulate;  for  this  would  soon 
ferment  and  produce  a  contaminated  atmo- 
sphere, in  which  it  would  be  impossible  to 
preserve  for  any  length  of  time  fresh  vege- 
table bodies  in  a  sweet  and  wholesome  condi- 
tion. Cleanliness  then  is  a  first  consideration. 
The  vegetables  themselves  should  not  be 
crowded  nor  heaped  up  together  ;  this  would 
induce  fermentation,  and  consequently  decay. 
They  should  be  placed  separately  as  far  as 
practicable ;  and  all  decaying  parts  should 
from  time  to  time  be  carefully  removed.  A 
cold  floor,  such  as  one  formed  of  brick  or 
stone,  is  proper  to  lay  them  on.  The  vege- 
tables themselves  should  not  be  made  damp 
by  the  application  of  water.  The  crops  should 
be  collected  when  dry,  and  when  in  a  perfect 
state.  Three  or  four  hours,  or  more,  before 
they  are  wanted  for  use  they  may  be  fresh- 
ened up,  by  having  such  trimming  as  may  be 
necessary,  and  being  then  either  immersed  in 
fresh  clean  water,  or  sprinkled  therewith,  as 
may  be  most  suitable.  Peas,  beans,  and 
French  beans  should  be  spread  out  thinly 
over  the  floor,  and  may  simply  be  sprinkled 
just  before  being  used.  Brocoli,  cauliflower, 
and  indeed  any  of  the  cabbage  tribe,  should 
be  either  pulled  or  cut  with  a  good  portion  of 
the  main  stem,  some  of  the  larger  matured  or 
decaying  leaves  pulled  off,  and  the  rest  re- 
moved from  time  to  time  as  they  begin  to 
decay,  the  heads  being  trimmed  in  the  usual 
w^ay  when  required  for  use,  and  immersed  in 
water.  Cauliflowers  and  brocoli  require  a 
great  amount  of  this  attention,  these  crops 
being  liable  to  attain  maturity  very  rapidly, 
and  as  it  were  by  a  great  influx,  which 
requires  to  be  stored.  When  the  flower- 
heads  of  either  of  these  crops  begin  to  form, 
one  or  two  of  the  leaves  of  the  plants  should 
be  broken  down  over  each,  which  serves  as  a 
protection,  and  becomes  a  means  of  blanching 
the  head,  thus  improving  both  its  flavour  and 
appearance.    In  the  winter  season  these  crops 


422 


FAMILIAR    LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


should  be  housed  as  they  come  to  maturity, 
and  so  long  as  a  calm  cool  atmosphere  is 
maintained  they  will  keep  with  scarcely  any 
deterioration  for  a  considerable  length  of  time. 
Cucumbers  and  unripe  gourds  may  be  kept 
fresh  by  laying  them  on  the  floor  of  such  a 
room  as  that  alluded  to.  Other  crops  may  be 
kept  in  a  similar  way,  Yfhere  the  storing 
2)nnciple  is  adopted  with  vegetables  of  this 
class,  it  is  quite  necessary  to  use  them  in  the 
order  in  which  they  are  gathered,  or  some 
will  probably  become  spoiled  ;  for  storing, 
among  this  class  of  subjects,  is  to  be  looked 
upon  as  making  the  best  of  a  disadvantage. 

Hoot  crops  of  all  kinds  are  best  stored  in 
close  cool  rooms,  sheds,  or  pits,  where  there 
is  a  low  and  as  nearly  as  possible  unvarj'ing 
temperature,  a  very  slight  interchange  of  air, 
and  no  superabundant  moisture.  They  should, 
in  fact,  when  stored,  be  moderately  dry,  and  by 
whatever  means,  if  they  can  be  preserved  from 
material  change,  they  will  keep  safely.  The 
best  means  is,  certainly,  the  surrounding  of 
them  by  an  atmosphere  at  once  cool  and  still, 
by  which  no  vital  nor  chemical  agencies  may 
be  called  into  play,  nor  the  inherent  moisture 
of  the  roots  themselves , carried  off  by  rapid 
perspiration. 

Beyond  a  few  general  rules,  the  application 
of  this  principle  is  so  plain  and  easy,  that  we 
bhall  pass  on  to  the  rules  themselves  : — The 
2  oots  must  be  taken  up  when  matured,  and 
without  sustaining  contusions  during  the  ope- 
ration. A  dry  period  should  be  chosen,  if 
.practicable,  and  the  roots  moderately  dried  by 
<;xposure  to  the  air  before  any  attempt  is  made 
to  store  them.  If  the  season  is  wet,  and  this 
drying  process  cannot  be  carried  out  so  far  as 
is  desirable,  it  must,  nevertheless,  not  be  neg- 
lected, but  every  thing  that  can  be  done 
should  be  done  towards  having  the  roots  thus 
far  dried  before  they  are  put  away  for  any 
length  of  time.  In  all  the  removals  which 
may  take  place  between  the  periods  of  digging 
and  storing,  the  bruising  of  the  roots  must  be 
cautiously  avoided.  Large  quantities  should 
not  be  got  together  into  a  bulky  mass  ;  if  this 
is  done,  they  will  cei'tainly  become  heated,  and 
this  fermentation  of  the  tissues  of  the  roots 
hastens  their  ultimate  decay,  or  excites  them 
into  premature  growth,  in  either  case  deteri- 
orating the  quality  of  the  roots.  Frost  and 
light  should  both  be  rigidly  excluded  from 
the  roots  or  tubei's,  if  they  are  for  eating 
(especially  in  the  case  of  potatoes);  but  if  they 
are  intended  for  replanting,  they  may  be  ex- 
posed to  light.  Potatoes  for  planting  should 
be  spread  out  in  a  dry  airy  place,  so  a^  to 
get  hardened  and  greened ;  and  none  of  the 
sprouts  from  them,  if  any  are  produced  before 
planting  time,  should  be  rubbed  off,  but  care- 
fully preserved  and  planted  along  with  the 


tubers  ;  neither  should  they  lie  more  than 
one  tier  in  thickness.  It  is  rather  to  be  pre- 
ferred to  store  roots  and  tubers  of  all  kinds 
amongst  moderately  dry  earth  or  sand  ;  but  a 
large  bulk  should  never  be  got  together.  It 
is  the  cool  unvarying  temperature,  more  than 
anything  else,  which  tends  to  the  safe  pre- 
servation of  this  class  of  vegetable  produc- 
tions ;  and  provided  this  is  secured,  it  is  not 
material  how  it  is  accomplished, — whether  in 
ordinary  pits  or  ridges,  in  sheds,  or  in  more 
highly  finished  store-rooms. 

Fruits. — Fruit,  like  vegetables,  requires  a 
cool  apartment  for  its  preservation,  and  one 
in  which  there  is  little  appreciable  atmospheric 
change.  The  atmosphere  at  the  same  time 
should  be  free  from  damps,  but  not  at  all 
parched:  in  fact,  a  calm,  moderately  dry  atmo- 
sphere, of  whick  the  temperature  is  not  liable 
to  variation,  is  what  is  required.  Beyond 
this,  it  is  not  material  whether  it  is  a  fruit- 
room,  a  loft,  or  a  cellar  which  is  made  use  of. 
Fleshy  fruits  of  every  kind  are  best  laid  on 
shelves,  in  shallow  layers,  even  in  a  single 
tier  ;  they  should  be  gathered  and  handled 
without  bruising  in  the  least  degree, — in  fact, 
they  should  be  handled  as  cautiously  as  if  they 
were  eggs  ;  and  they  should  be  gathered  in 
before  they  have  quite  reached  maturity, 
especially  if  they  be  of  kinds  which  may  be 
long  preserved. 

Apples,  the  principal  and  most  useful  of  all 
fruit  crops,  require  to  be  gathered  as  soon  as 
the  pips  begin  to  turn  brown,  except  it  be  the 
very  late  kinds,  which,  in  cold  climates,  may 
hang  as  long  as  the  weather  will  permit,  and 
even  then  sometimes  do  not  attain  this  state. 
Every  fruit  ought  to  be  detached  from  the 
tree  separately  by  the  band,  and  so  as  not  to 
break  off  the  little  branch  on  which  it  is  fixed, 
for  on  this  branch  there  is  a  bud  or  buds 
formed,  which,  in  the  generality  of  cases, 
bear  blossoms  in  the  following  season  ;  when, 
therefore,  these  buds  are  carelessly  broken  off, 
the  crops  of  the  following,  and  often  the  next 
succeeding  year,  are  more  or  less  injured. 
The  best  mode  of  detaching  the  fruit,  is,  to 
lift  them  gently  upwards.  From  the  tree, 
the  fruit  should  be  transferred  carefully  to  a 
bag  or  basket,  in  which  they  should  go  to  the 
store  place,  for  if  removed  from  one  basket  or 
bag  to  another,  they  get  bruised,  Avhich  causes 
them  to  decay  sooner  than  they  should  do. 
The  fruit  should  be  at  once  deposited  in  thin 
layers,  where  it  is  to  remain,  and  not  laid  in 
heaps  to  "  sweat,"  An  open  trellis-work  shelf 
is  best,  and  this  without  any  covering  of  straw 
or  litter.  The  apartment  or  store-house  should 
be  kept  close  ;  but,  as  the  fruit  approaches 
maturity,  it  is  improved  by  exposure  for  a  few 
days  to  a  warm  atmosphere.  The  store  fruits 
require  to  be  examined  from  time  to  time, 


FAMILIAR    LESSONS    ON    PRACTICAL    GARDENING. 


42. J 


say  once  a  fortnight,  and  all  the  faulty  ones 
removed  from  amongst  those  which  are  sound. 
Every  sort  should  be  kept  perfectly  distinct, 
and  the  earlier  kinds  in  the  most  easily  acces- 
sible positions. 

The  fruit  should  be  gathered  when  quite 
dry  ;  and,  for  this  reason,  the  middle  of  a  dry 
day  is  the  most  proper  time  for  the  operation. 
There  is  also  an  advantage  in  not  gathering 
the  whole  produce  of  a  tree  at  once,  at  least, 
if  the  fruit  be  valuable  ;  according  to  this 
plan,  the  best  and  most  mature  fruit  should 
be  first  picked,  and  the  later  ones  left  to  attain 
a  further  state  of  maturity.  The  different 
gatherings  should  be  kept  separate.  As  a 
substitute  for  the  use  of  a  fruit-room  or  cellar, 
late  fruit  may  be  packed  close  in  boxes  among 
dry  sand,  or  even  in  vessels  merely  kept  air- 
tight by  covering  the  mouth  with  a  piece  of 
skin  or  leather  ;  the  names  of  the  varieties 
being  marked  on  the  outside,  so  that  each  may 
be  used  in  its  proper  turn.  Those  varieties 
which  do  not  keep  so  long,  may  be  placed  in 
hampers  among  dry  grass  or  fern-tops,  and 
must  be  marked  in  a  similar  way.  It  is  only 
the  choice  samples  of  fruit  with  which  this 
amount  of  care  can  be  taken.  The  refuse  and 
commoner  culinary  sorts  maybe  kept  in  heaps 
in  a  cool  room,  or  buried  in  small  ridges  in  the 
ground  in  a  cool  place,  in  the  same  way  as 
potatoes.  Those  which  are  thus  buried  require 
to  be  well  covered  up,  to  keep  them  clean, 
and  should  only  be  taken  out  a  few  at  a  time 
as  they  are  wanted,  for  they  do  not  keep  long 
after  being  exposed.  For  this  reason,  they 
should  be  buried  in  small  separate  heaps. 

Pears  may  be  managed  in  a  similar  way. 
Other  standard  fruits  scarcely  admit  of  being 
long  kept  in  the  raw  state ;  they  may,  how- 
ever, be  kept  over  for  a  short  time  if  placed 
in  a  close  atmosphere  ;  but  these  also  require 
to  be  very  tenderly  handled  in  gathering,  for 
bruises  soon  become  blemishes. 

Of  the  dry  hard-shelled  fruits,  the  principal 
are  filberts,  walnuts,  and  chestnuts.  These 
require  to  be  freed  from  their  husks,  and 
when  perfectly  dried  put  up  in  small  quan- 
tities in  boxes  or  casks  where  they  will  be 
excluded  from  the  air  ;  the  boxes  may  be  set 
into  the  same  apartment  where  the  other 
kinds  of  fruit  are  kept,  or  into  any  mode- 
rately dry  apartment. 

Walnuts,  when  properly  ripened,  may  be 
shaken  (they  should  not  be  beaten)  from  the 
trees,  or  will  fall  of  their  own  accord.  The 
first  process  is,  to  deprive  them  of  the  green 
husk  external  to  the  hai-d  bony  shell ;  and  if 
they  are  fully  ripe,  this  will  be  readily  de- 
tached, either  by  brushing  or  by  shaking 
backwards  and  forwards  in  a  long  bag.  The 
nuts  should  then  be  spread  out  in  an  airy 
place  until  they  are  quite  dry,  and  may  then 


be  packed  in  casks,  or  boxes,  or  jars,  among 
dry  sand,  which  should  be  perfectly  cleaned 
away  from  them  when  they  are  taken  out  for 
use.  When  they  have  become  shrivelled, 
they  may  be  freshened  up  before  being  used, 
by  steeping  them  in  warm  water  ;  they  then 
become  plump  and  peel  readily.  Some  per- 
sons prefer  to  place  them  amongst  dry  saw- 
dust or  bran,  and  others  amongst  dry  salt;  a 
very  dry  place  is  necessary  when  the  latter 
material  is  used.  Others  keep  both  nuts  and 
walnuts  in  good  preservation  in  open  jars,  in 
a  damp  cellar. 

Filberts,  after  being  separated  from  the 
husks,  should  be  well  dried  by  exposure  to  a 
current  of  air,  and  the  finest  should  be  then 
picked  out  for  the  purpose  of  being  preserved. 
This  may  be  done  by  placing  them,  when 
quite  dry,  in  jars  or  boxes  amongst  dry  sand, 
bran,  or  saw-dust,  or  in  jars  merely  rendered 
air-tight  at  the  mouth.  They  must  be  taken 
out  a  few  at  a  time,  as  required  for  use,  and 
well  cleansed. 

Chestnuts  ripen  in  a  fine  season  sufficiently 
to  drop  from  the  trees ;  but  in  a  late  and  un- 
favourable season,  in  cold  climates,  they  do  not 
ripen  so  completely  as  to  fall  before  the  frost 
dislodges  them  with  the  leaves  ;  in  such  sea- 
sons it  is  best  to  gather  the  nuts  before  they 
get  injured  by  frost.  When  quite  ripe,  they 
separate  readily  from  the  husks  ;  the  best 
should  then  be  selected  and  packed  in  jars  or 
boxes  among  dry  sand,  or  in  jars  rendered 
air-tight  at  the  mouth.  In  those  seasons  and 
countries  when  and  where  they  do  not  ripen 
early,  and  it  becomes  desirable  to  gather  them, 
they  should  be  laid  in  heaps  in  a  dry  shed  for 
three  weeks  or  a  month,  when  they  will  be 
found  to  give  off  their  husks  readily ;  and  then, 
after  being  well  dried,  they  are  to  be  put 
away,  as  in  the  other  case.  Full  maturity  is 
indicated  by  the  dividing  of  the  husk,  and  the 
brown  colour  of  the  outer  skin  of  the  nuts. 

INSECTS  AND  VERMIN. 

Almost  every  kind  of  crop  cultivated  in  the 
garden  is  liable  to  suffer  in  some  way  from 
the  attacks  of  some  one  of  various  enemies, 
the  mere  enumeration  of  which  would  be 
tedious.  The  principal  sources  of  annoyance 
may  be  thus  briefly  stated  : — 

Snails  and  Slugs  of  every  kind  (except  a 
rare  kind  of  slug,  which  has  a  small  shell) 
are  voracious  destroyers  of  vegetable  bodies, 
attacking  almost  indiscriminately  any  tender 
vegetables  or  fruit  which  may  fall  in  their 
way.  The  entire  system  of  culture  adopted 
in  a  garden  should  be  offensive  to  these  pests. 
The  ground  should  be  frequently  loosened  up 
with  the  hoe.  No  rubbish  should  be  allowed 
to  lie  about,  or  to  accumulate,  except  in  some 
one  reserved  spot,  and  even  here  should  ba 


424 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


frequently  cleared  away,  the  entire  mass  being 
cliarred  or  smother-burned  to  convert  it  into 
manure.  Old  walls,  hedges,  and  old  fences  of 
all  kinds,  and  all  other  similar  harbours  for 
these  creatures,  should  be  frequently  searched, 
and  those  which  are  collected  should  be  put 
into  a  vessel  alternately  with  layers  of  salt  or 
fresh  slacked  lime,  either  of  which  will  destroy 
them.  Hot  lime,  in  the  state  of  fine  powder, 
should  be  thinly  scattered  over  such  tender 
crops  as  beds  of  seedling  plants,  or  young 
transplanted  plants  generally ;  or  a  layer  of 
lime  may  be  placed  around  the  bed  so  as  to 
enclose  the  plants  within  a  ring,  which,  as  the 
slugs  cannot  pass  it  while  the  lime  is  fresh, 
will  serve  as  a  protection  if  the  space  is  not 
too  great.  The  lime  loses  its  caustic  proper- 
ties after  being  wetted.  The  slugs  often  bury 
themselves  under  the  clods  of  earth,  so  that 
besides  this,  in  situations  where  they  are  abun- 
dant or  in  seasons  favourable  to  their  increase, 
other  means  should  be  resorted  to  for  the  pur- 
pose of  destroying  them.  One  of  the  best  is 
to  drop  down  about  the  garden,  in  the  even- 
ing, (showerj'^  and  damp  days  are  preferable,) 
small  handfuls  of  fresh  brewers'  grains  ;  these 
heaps  attract  the  slugs,  and  should  be  ex- 
amined, either  very  late  at  night  or  very 
early  in  the  morning,  by  candlelight,  and  some 
salt  or  lime  strewn  over  them,  the  heaps  being 
taken  away  in  the  morning.  Perseverance  in 
this  practice,  and  in  the  other  matters  previ- 
ously hinted  at,  will  keep  a  garden  as  free  from 
these  pests  as  is  possible. 

3Iice  are  very  destructive  to  seeds,  such  as 
■peas  and  beans  newly  sown.  They  should  be 
caught  in  traps,  of  which  the  figure-of-four 
trap  is  the  simplest,  and  quite  effective,  if 
enough  of  them  are  set.  It  is  also  a  good 
plan  when  sowing  the  seeds  to  strew  along 
with  them  some  chopped  fragments  of  any 
accessible  spiny  plant,  as  furze  or  gorse,  which 
serve  as  a  check  upon  their  depredations. 

Small  Birds  both  pick  up  seeds  and  seed- 
lings, and  destroy  the  buds  of  fruit  trees.  An 
indiscriminate  war  upon  these,  however,  is 
not  proper,  as  some  of  them  do  much  good  in 
the  destruction  of  injurious  insects.  The  best 
plan  is  to  scare  them  away  from  those  objects 
they  are  likely  to  damage,  of  which  the  chief 
are  newly  sown  seeds,  ripening  fruit,  seeds 
approaching  maturity,  and  the  buds  of  fruit 
trees. 

Caterpillars  of  all  kinds  are  very  destruc- 
tive, as  they  feed  chiefly  on  the  leaves  of 
vegetables  or  fruit  trees,  and  in  some  cases 
entirely  strip  them.  The  kinds  which  attack 
garden  crops  are  numerous,  and  very  diverse. 
It  should  be  remembered  that  the  size  of*' the 
caterpillars  is  no  index  to  the  damage  they 
work,  for  some  of  the  smaller  kinds  are  so 
numerous  as  to  do  far  more  injury  than  larger 


kinds  which  are  fewer  in  number.  There  are 
four  stages  in  which  these  "pests  of  the  garden" 
may  be  warred  against :  viz.  in  the  egg,  by 
searching  the  situations  where  the  mother 
insects  are  seen  hovering  about  ;  the  laiwa  or 
caterpillar,  by  handpicking  ;  the  pupa  or  chry- 
salis; and  the  imago  or  perfect  insect,  for  the 
prompt  destruction  of  the  female  insect  pre- 
vents the  deposition  of  her  eggs.  If  the  eggs  are 
sought  for  (on  the  leaves  or  bark)  and  crushed, 
the  young  brood  is  destroyed  in  embryo.  The 
young  caterpillars,  when  first  hatched,  should 
be  watched  for  and  destroyed,  which  prevents 
the  most  part  of  their  depredations.  And 
finally,  wherever  the  chrysalis  can  be  de- 
tached and  killed,  the  maturity  of  the  insect, 
and  consequently  the  deposition  of  eggs  for  a 
future  generation,  is  prevented.  If  the  cater- 
pillars are  suffered  to  become  strong,  and  to 
disperse  themselves,  which  they  shortly  do  in 
most  cases,  it  is  much  less  easy  either  to  de- 
stroy them,  or  to  prevent  their  depredations. 
In  all  such  cases,  however,  hand-picking  is 
beneficial  so  far  as  it  goes. 

The  Cockchafer  in  its  grub  or  larva  state 
is  very  destructive  to  the  roots  of  plants.  The 
grub  is  large,  white,  and  fleshy,  and  is  four 
or  five  years  reaching  maturity.  Wherever 
the  grubs  are  turned  up,  they  should  be  de- 
stroyed; but  the  best  means  of  lessening  their 
numbers  is  to  destroy  the  insect  in  the  perfect 
or  beetle  state. 

Wire-worms  and  some  allied  insects  eat  the 
roots  of  plants,  especially  those  which  are 
fleshy,  as  the  carrot.  They  are  difficult  of 
extirpation :  one  of  the  best  means  is  perhaps 
to  bury  slices  of  potato  or  turnip,  as  traps, 
and  to  examine  these  from  time  to  time  and 
destroy  such  as  have  been  caught. 

Earwigs  often  do  considerable  damage,  but 
their  depredations  affect  flowers  more  than 
vegetables.  They  are  caught  by  placing  any 
hollow  tubular  bodies,  closed  at  one  end,  as 
traps,  among  the  foliage.  The  traps  have  to 
be  frequently  examined,  and  this  should  be 
done  in  the  daytime. 

The  Turnip-fly  is  a  little  skipping  beetle  ; 
it  eats  up  the  leaves  and  so  destroys  or  mate- 
rially damages  whole  acres  of  this  crop.  There 
is  no  very  sure  remedy  when  the  attack  is 
once  made.  It  is  recommended  to  dash  sharp 
dry  dust  among  the  plants  while  wet  with 
dew,  which  renders  the  leaves  uncomfortable 
to  those  which  it  does  not  beat  off.  The  best 
way  is  to  get  the  turnips  to  grow  as  fast  as 
possible,  and  if  they  once  get  fairly  started  they 
seldom  suffer  ;  this  is  effected  by  sowing  wood 
ashes  along  with  the  seeds,  and  moreover, 
choosing,  if  possible,  a  showeiy  time  for 
sowing. 

No  class  of  gardening  operations  requires  to 
be  more  diligently  followed  up,  than  whatever 


FAMILIAR  LESSONS  ON  PRACTICAL  GARDENING. 


425 


relates   to  the   annoyance  or  destruction  of 
noxious  insects  and  vermin. 

TOOLS    EEQUIEED. 

There  is  good  reason  why  those  who  have 
ground  to  cultivate  should  take  care  to  pro- 
vide themselves  with  all  necessary  tools,  for 
both  time  and  labour  will  be  ill  expended  on 
the  various  operations  if  proper  implements 
are  not  employed.  The  following  are  the 
most  important  to  select : — 

Spade. — The  spade  is  after  all  the  main- 
spring of  cultivation,  and  is  a  resource  when 
all  other  means  of  cultivating  the  ground  fail. 
Those  with  the  tree  or  handle  perfectly 
straight  are  strongest,  and  most  suitable  for 
hard  work  ;  though  many  think  those  with 
the  crooked  tree  rather  more  convenient  to 
use  5  they  are  so  when  shovelling  work  has  to 
be  done. 

Digging  Fork. — A  valuable  substitute  for 
the  spade,  and  a  much  better  tool  than  it  for 
all  the  operations  of  loosening  or  lightening  the 
soil ;  it  is  also  required  to  dig  up  root  crops 
for  storintr. 


ProngeclHoe. — This  is  an  important  imple- 
ment in  earthing  up  such  crops  as  the  potato. 
Hoes. — The  draw-hoe,  for  cutting  up  weeds 
and  drawing  soil  up  to  the  stems  of  plants,  and 
drawing  drills  for  seed-sowing  or  planting,  is 
quite  necessary.  The  Dutch  lioe  is  a  better 
tool  for  stirring  up  the  surface,  which  is  an 
important  operation,  and  should  not  be  neg- 
lected where  the  labour  can  be  devoted  to  it. 
Rahe.  —  Used  chiefly  for  covering  seeds 
newly  sown,  by  combing,  as  it  were,  the  sur- 
face backwards  and  forwards,  by  which  means 
tiie  seeds  get  beneath  the  surface. 

Watering-can. — An  impor- 
tant aid  in  cultivating  fresh, 
vigorous  and  succulent  vegeta- 
ble crops. 

Mattock. — Essential  in  grub- 
bing up  trees  or  fences,  in 
doing  which  it  is  the  chief  tool 
employed. 

Dibble. — Used  in  planting  small  plants  ; 
it  is  made  from  the  upper  part  of  the  wooden 
handle  or  tree  of  a  spade,  the  eye  of  which 
makes  it  much  more  easily  used  than  a  mere 
straight  stick  could  be. 


Gai'den-line. — Required  as  a  guide  in  plant- 
ing and  sowing  in  lines,  instead 
of  broadcast.  The  iron  spindle 
makes  it  more  easily  used,  but 
the  line,  which  is  formed 
of  strong  string  as  thick  as  a 
quill,  may  be  used  with  two 
sticks  only,  around  which  it 
may  be  wound  when  not  in  use. 

Hand-spud. — For  lifting  up 
seedling  plants  about  to  be 
transplanted,  and  also  to  be 
used  in  replanting  them. 

Knife.  —  Required  for  various  operations 
connected  with  the  garden 
pruning  is  the  most  impor-' 
tant.  The  clasp  sort  of  garden  knife,  mode- 
rately strong,  should  be  selected. 

Hammer. — This  is  used  in  the  operation 
of  training  fruit  trees.  Cast-iron  nails  are 
best,  and  shreds  of  cloth  to  put  round  the 
branches. 


Hill. — A  useful  implement  in  various  ways. 
Barrow.     This  machine  is   useful  in  re- 
moving materials  from  one  spot  to  another. 


Every  one  who  has  a  garden  should  have 
a  place  where  to  put  the  tools,  when  they  are 
not  in  use.  The  tools  themselves  should  be 
thoroughly  cleaned  after  being  used,  and  put 
away  orderly,  so  as  to  be  easily  found  when 
again  wanted.  There  is  an  immense  difference 
in  respect  to  working,  between  well  kept  and 
neglected  tools.  Such  implements  as  spades, 
hoes,  &c.,  when  in  constant  use,  become 
bright,  and  in  that  state  are  much  more  easily 
worked  than  if  allowed  to  get  rusty  from  being 
put  away  damp  and  dirty  in  a  damp  place. 
After  use,  they  should  be  rubbed  clean 
and  dry,  and  then  put  away  in  a  perfectly  dry 
place  until  again  wanted.  Besides  the  faci- 
lity of  working  which  is  thus  secured,  there 
is  great  economy  in  thus  taking  care  of  the 
tools,  as  they  last  much  longer  than  when 
they  are  neglected,  and  allowed  to  waste 
away  gradually  by  rusting. 


426 


A  STKOLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

BY    A    TUTOR   AND    HIS    PUPIL,    IN    THE    MONTH    OF    SEPTEMBER. 


"We  will  take  advantage  of  fine  weather 
now  and  go  round  the  gardens,  for  this  is  a 
trying  month.  One  slight  frost  Avould  cut  off 
all  the  dahlias,  and  they  would  be  lost  to  us 
for  the  season.  As  early  as  the  7th,  I  have 
known  every  flower  destroyed  in  some  locali- 
ties, and  the  plants  cut  down  altogether.  At 
present  they  are  in  full  vigour  and  excellent 
condition.  Those  which  are  remarkable  for 
two  colours  highly  contrasted,  are  called  fancy 
dahlias  ;  those  v/liich  are  all  of  a  colour,  or 
only  slightly  edged  with  a  colour  darker  than 
the  ground,  are  not  fancy  ones.  The  plants 
have  grown  so  large,  that  instead  of  one  stake 
holding  them  in  their  position,  there  are  four 
to  each,  three  of  them  angularly  placed  ;  the 
other  is  the  principal  stake,  to  which  they 
were  originally  fastened.  All  this  involves 
trouble;  but  it  is  of  no  use  attempting  to  grow 
any  dahlias  without  trouble.  The  wind  is  so 
powerful  on  a  large  plant,  that  the  strongest 
ties  are  necessary  to  keep  them  from  destruc- 
tion altogether.  Auriculas,  having  undergone 
repotting,  require  nothiirg  more  but  winter 
protection  in  their  own  cold  frames,  and 
to  be  covered  against  frosts.  The  seed  that 
had  been  left  on  the  plants  has  been  picked 
off;  but  when  the  seed  is  not  required,  the 
truss  ought  to  be  taken  off  directly  the  bloom 
is  over. 

The  choice  geraniums,  verbenas,  and  other 
tender  plants  in  the  borders,  will  not  be  safe 
long  ;  therefore  the  gardener  will  take  them 
up,  pot  them,  and  give  them  winter-quarters. 
All  the  'camellias  and  greenhouse  plants  yon- 
der will  be  removed  to  their  houses  almost 
immediately.  Previously,  however,  to  remov- 
ing them,  the  pots  will  be  looked  over  and 
cleaned,  the  dead  leaves  picked  off,  the  drainage 
examined,  and  the  plants  prepared  for  their  re- 
spective places  in  the  pit,  greenhouse,  or  conser- 
vatory; for  some  will  be  better  there  than  any 
where  else,  such,  for  instance,  as  the  early  sorts 
of  hybrid  rhododendron,  and  the  choice  potted 
Americans.  In  the  mean  time,  the  houses  are 
being  cleaned  out  and  washed  all  over  inside. 

In  the  borders  we  shall  see  the  autumn 
bulbs,  such  as  the  colchicum,  the  Amaryllis 
lutea  (or,  as  it  is  now  called,  Oporanihiis 
luteus)  now  just  ready  to  bloom.  The  late 
flowering  annuals  are  in  fine  order.  The 
chrysanthemums  are  showing  their  buds,  and 
if  the  autumn  be  fine,  they  will  make  a  good 
show.  The  layers  on  the  carnations  and  pico- 
tees  are  rooted,  and  ready  to  cut  off.  I  will 
just  show  you  this  layer  ;  first,  observe  that 
I  remove  the  earth  from  the  surface  down 
to  where  the  stem  is  under  ground,  and  take 


away  the  peg  or  hook  that  fastens  it  down  ; 
now  I  thrust  this  stick  into  the  earth  by  the 
side,  so  that  I  lift  the  roots  and  soil  altogether 
with  the  layer  ;  you  observe  the  fibres  are 
strong,  and  that  they  come  out  from  the  part 
above  where  the  notch  is  begun.  Now,  when 
this  is  taken  off,  the  stem  is  cut  through  nearer 
to  the  old  plant  than  is  necessary;  but  when 
off,  and  we  have  the  layer  in  our  hand,  w^e 
take  all  the  stem  off  with  a  sharp  knife  close 
to  the  root,  so  that  the  plant  is  complete. 
These  are  all  served  in  that  Avay,  and  potted 
in  pairs  in  forty-eight  sized  pots,  with  clean 
loam  without  dung,  but  with  some  crocks  at 
the  bottom,  to  secure  a  good  drainage  ;  they 
will  then  be  put  into  the  garden  frames  on  a 
hard  bottom,  and  covered  with  the  glass  from 
excessive  wet  and  extreme  frost. 

The  smooth-barked  roses  may  be  propa- 
gated now  from  cuttings,  which  may  be  placed 
a  great  many  in  a  pot  close  together,  and 
these  that  have  been  cut  in  have  most  likely 
been  cut  for  that  purpose.  Considering  the 
season,  the  gardens  look  still  very  gay.  The 
Michaelmas  daisies — and  of  these  you  ob- 
serve many  varieties — are  in  full  flower. 

The  fruit  garden  is  in  high  order.  Many 
of  the  fruits  are  in  perfection  ;  the  grapes  in 
the  open  air  are  colouring;  many  of  the  apples 
and  pears  are  now  being  gathered,  but  it  is 
too  early  in  the  day  for  that  work.  Fruit 
ought  never  to  be  gathered  until  the  sun  has 
been  out  a  while;  for  it  ought  to  be  thoroughly 
dr}',  or  it  endangers  the  keeping  so  much. 
The  kitchen  garden  has  produced  some  of  the 
useful  crops.  The  potatoes  which  the  man 
has  taken  up  are  of  the  early  kinds,  but  fully 
ripe  enough  to  be  preserved.  Onions  also  are 
rapidly  ripening  ;  many  of  them  have  been 
pulled  up  and  stored,  others  are  lying  on 
the  surface  to  harden  and  dry.  The  man 
ahead  of  us  is  making  a  horse-radish  bed  ; 
observe,  he  makes  a  trench  eighteen  inches 
deep,  and  sets  at  the  bottom  a  row  of  pieces 
of  the  root  indiscriminately  cut  about  an  inch 
long,  and  v/hen  he  has  put  them  in,  he  makes 
the  next  trench,  as  you  will  see,  and  fills  up 
the  first  with  the  soil  he  takes  out  of  the 
second  ;  he  w'ill  continue  this  to  the  end.  It 
was  once  thought  that  the  crown  only  of  the 
horse-radish  would  grow,  but  this  was  a  po- 
pular error  ;  the  root  will  grow  at  any  part. 
The  man  you  see  gathering  is  securing  the 
beans  and  peas  for  seed,  for  you  will  observe 
the  haulm  is  quite  dead.  All  the  ground  will 
be  cleared  after  he  has  gathered  the  seed,  and 
the  whole  space  planted  with  the  various  sorts 
of  winter  greens,  such  as  brocoli,  cabbages, 


PREPARING    DAHLIAS    FOR   EXHIBITION. 


42; 


savoys,  kale,  and  Brussels  sprouts.  You  ob- 
serve, tliat  you  never  see  ground  vacant  long 
together,  until  tlie  close  of  the  summer,  when 
some  that  may  be  intended  for  spring  sowing, 
or  that  may  be  wanting  amelioration,  is  dug, 
and  left  rough  or  in  ridges  for  the  frost  of  the 
winter  to  penetrate. 

One  look  at  the  conservatory,  and. we  will 
have  done  for  the  present.  I  would  have  you  no- 
tice how  differently  it  is  furnished  with  plants 
to  the  class  we  saw  here  last  ;  balsams,  cock's- 
combs, phloxes,  Cli7itonia]ndchellav,'hhhshr\l- 
liant  blue  tlowers,  and  many  other  interesting 
annuals.  A  few  of  tliose  extraordinarily  formed 
flowers  of  the  orchideous  family  are  worth 
notice;  that  extremely  gaudy  purple  flower  is 
Cattleya  3Iossi(B;  these  with  very  long  spikes 
of  odd-shaped  blooms,  all  speckled,  are  Oncidi- 
um  Lanceanum  ;  the  large  plants  with  funnel- 
shaped  flowers,  and  the  two  other,  yellow  and 
orange,  are  the  plants  I  before  showed  you  in 
the  hot-house — the  Brugmansia  family.  The 
other  plants  have  been  furnished  from  the 
stove  chiefly,  but  present  nothing  remarkable. 


PREPARING  DAHLIAS  FOR  EXHIBITION. 

The  cultivation  of  the  dahlia  has  become 
common  to  most  gardeners,  both  professional 
and  amateur,  and  the  mere  excelling  of  others 
in  the  growth  is  often  more  attributable  to  the 
soil  and  situation  than  to  any  extraordinary 
means  used  by  the  grower.  Generally  speak- 
ing, the  dahlia  would  thrive  best  where  the 
most  ordinary  vegetables  excel;  and  probably 
any  one  of  the  extensive  and  well-managed 
market- gardens,  just  removed  out  of  the  smoke 
and  confinement  of  the  great  towns,  would 
produce  the  dahlia  as  fine  as  they  bring  cab- 
bages or  onions.  The  dahlia  should  certainly 
be  planted  in  May,  June,  and  July,  for  exhi- 
bition ;  for  when  they  arrive  at  their  height 
of  bloom,  they  do  not  remain  long  in  first-rate 
strength  and  condition;  so  that  there  ought  to 
be  one  set  coming  into  perfection  as  another 
goes  off.  It  is  well  known  that  strong  rich 
soil  agrees  with  most  of  them  ;  but  large  and 
naturally  coarse  flowers  come  better  in  poorer 
ground. 

The  success  of  the  exhibitor  depends,  how- 
ever, much  on  himself  as  he  approaches  tlie 
bloom.  Let  the  flower  come  as  large  and  as 
free  as  it  may,  it  wants  attention.  If  we  go 
over  a  fine  collection  in  a  garden  that  is  not 
allowed  to  be  trifled  with  for  shows,  and  where 
the  plants  are  carefully  kept  in  ornamental 
order,  at  first  sight  we  may  fancy  we 
could  cut  a  thousand  flowers,  while,  on  close 
examination,  nineteen  of  every  tvv^enty  are 
useless.  Of  some,  the  petals  are  eaten  by  ver- 
min ;  of  others,  the  eyes  are  exposed  or  not 


fully  developed  ;  others,  which  have  been  all 
that  could  be  desired,  have  been  frayed  by 
rubbing  against  the  leaves  or  against  other 
blooms  ;  hundreds  have  gone  by  their  prime, 
or  not  arrived  at  it  ;  and  it  is  sometimes  diffi- 
cult to  cut  a  single  good  bloom  from  a  plant 
literally  covered  with  noble  flowers.  We  have 
always  said  that  dahlia  growers  omit  too  long 
the  counteracting  of  these  manifold  evils.  The 
destruction  of  the  earwig,  one  of  the  most 
prolific  sources  of  mischief,  should  commence 
from  the  time  the  plants  are  put  out  in  May  ; 
and  every  plant  being  provided  with  a  trap, 
somebody  should  examine  them  every  day  twice, 
and  kill  all  they  can  take.  Traps  are  of  various 
kinds.  A  hollow  tube  of  any  sort  would  make 
a  trap;  bean-stalks,  cut  in  lengths  of  eight  or 
nine  inches,  are  excellent;  the  most  common  is 
to  put  the  small  pot  ^hich  is  planted  out  ofj 
on  the  top  of  the  stake  which  is  to  support 
the  plants,  with  moss  in  the  bottom  ;  this 
affords  shelter  from  the  heat,  or  cold,  or  wet, 
whichever  may  annoy  the  insect  ;  and  by  ex- 
amining them  frequently  they  will  be  found 
under  the  moss,  and  may  be  disposed  of  by 
emptying  them  into  a  vessel  of  strong  brine  of 
salt  and  water.  The  bean-stalk  is  still  better, 
for,  by  blowing  them,  whatever  is  inside  is 
found  out,  and  the  operation  quicker  and  safer 
than  the  pot,  because,  however  active  we 
may  be,  some  will  escape,  and  drop  down  only 
to  torment  us  again.  By  attending  to  this 
from  the  first,  we  almost  get  rid  of  them  be- 
fore the  dahlia  comes  into  flower ;  neverthe- 
less, it  must  be  persevered  in  throughout  the 
bloom,  or  they  would  get  the  upper  hand 
again  soon  ;  and  where  people  neglect  them 
until  flowering  time,  as  many  do,  they  cannot 
depend  on  a  single  flower,  however  promising 
it  may  be,  escaping  from  the  ravages  of  these 
insects,  one  of  Avhich  can  destroy  a  bloom  for 
exhibition  in  a  single  night. 

Supposing,  however,  that  we  arrive  at  the 
commencement  of  the  bloom,  and  showing  is 
our  principal  if  not  our  only  object,  we  have 
to  set  down  two  or  three  facts  for  our  constant 
guide.  First,  as  the  flowers  weaken  far  more 
than  the  growth,  we  have  to  remove  every 
bud  that  is  defective,  the  instant  we  discover 
that  it  will  be  useless  for  show,  and  to  con- 
tinue watching  every  advancing  flower  for  the 
same  purpose  ;  consequently,  flowers  that  have 
been  fine  and  not  used  should  be  plucked  the 
instant  they  have  gone  by.  Secondly,  as  the 
rubbing  of  a  branch  or  even  a  leaf  against 
the  finest  bloom  in  the  world  would  destroy  it 
in  a  short  time,  therefore  every  flower  intended 
to  be  saved  must  be  so  fixed  that  the  wind 
can  have  no  influence  over  it,  and  all  the 
branches  or  leaves  in  its  immediate  neigh- 
bourhood that  the  wind  could  blow  to  touch  it, 
should  be  shortened  or  fastened,    to  prevent 


428 


PREPARING  DAHLIAS  FOR  EXHIBITION. 


such  accident.  Thirdly,  as  all  the  growth  of  the 
branch  that  is  above  a  flower  weakens  it,  and 
all  the  buds  beyond  it  deprive  it  of  nourish- 
ment, the  growth  of  the  branch  requires 
checking,  and  the  buds  should  be  removed. 
As  a  general  principle,  the  pruning  of  a  plant 
increases  the  strength  of  the  remaining  parts; 
but  this  may  be  carried  too  far,  and  by  many 
persons  extremes  are  adopted  to  increase  the 
size  of  the  flowers.  We  do  no  more,  and  re- 
commend no  more  to  be  done,  than  removing 
the  weakly  shoots  that  come  in  many  sorts  too 
numerous,  and  taking  away  the  branches  that 
are  in  the  way  of  others.  The  plant  derives 
as  much  nourishment  through  the  leaves  as 
through  the  root,  and  therefore  should  not  be 
deprived  of  more  leaves  than  we  can  help.  See 
what  a  world  of  good  comes  of  a  shower  of 
rain  that  does  not  even  wet  the  ground  be- 
neath the  plant  ;  and  what  does  this  suggest  ? 
Why,  a  garden-engine,  well  applied  about  the 
foliage  of  the  plants,  will  be  more  beneficial  at 
times  than  liberal  waterings  on  the  ground  ; 
and  with  regard  to  watering  at  all,  it  ought 
to  be  well  understood  that  a  good  soaking  of 
the  ground,  all  over,  once  a-week,  is  better 
than  such  as  they  too  frequently  have  would  be 
twice  a-day.  While,  therefore,  we  admit  that 
judicious  pruning  may  be  beneficial,  it  is,  ge- 
nerally speaking,  done  too  much. 

We  come  now  to  shading — for  the  burning 
sun  of  summer  and  autumn  would  almost  dry 
up  a  flower.  Various  are  the  contrivances 
for  this  operation.  The  generality  of  growers 
for  show,  cover  them  up  with  a  pot  Irom  the 
time  the  bud  shows  favourably.  The  bud  is 
placed  in  the  centre  of  a  small  slab  of  wood, 
which  is  supported  by  one  stake  or  more  in  a 
horizontal  position,  and  a  flower-pot,  with  the 
hole  stopped,  put  over  it  until  it  blooms  out  its 
best.  The  flowers,  however,  which  are  grown 
in  the  dark,  lose,  or  rather  never  acquire,  their 
natural  colour,  and  are  never  so  brilliant,  nor 
do  they  travel  so  well,  as  a  flower  grown  with 
all  the  advantage  of  the  full  air.  Those  who 
take  extraordinary  pains  will  uncover  occa- 
sionally; and  others  have  a  pot  with  a  false 
bottom,  so  that  they  can  remove  it  and  put 
glass  in  its  place,  by  which  they  at  least  en- 
sure light.  The  method  of  placing  the  bud 
in  the  centre  is  simple  :  a  slit,  wide  enough  to 
pass  the  stalk,  is  cut  in  the  slab,  half-way 
through  or  across  it,  so  that  the  stem  is  passed 
along  it  with  the  bud  at  top,  and  the  slit  is 
generally  stuffed  up  all  the  way  with  moss  or 
cotton,  to  keep  it  in  the  centre.  It  is  intended 
that  this  should  be  an  effectual  bar  to  the  ap- 
proach of  earwigs,  but  not  one  pot  in  a  hun- 
dred will  fit  close  enough  to  do  this  unless  the 
rim  of  the  pot  be  ground  on  a  flat  stone. 

The  covering  of  blooms  is  supposed  to  pre- 
vent the  checks  which  flowers  sustain  in  all 


great  changes  of  weather,  in  drying  winds, 
burning  sun,  and  any  excessive  wet.  How- 
ever, if  the  ground  in  which  dahlias  are  grown 
is  saturated  with  water,  and  the  foliage  sprin- 
kled with  the  engine  in  tlie  evening,  there  will 
always  be  good  flowers  on  the  shady  side,  that 
only  require  to  be  fastened  to  a  stake  that  they 
may  not  blow  about,  and  the  adjacent  branches 
trimmed  or  fastened  back,  that  they  may  not 
be  blown  against  the  flowers.  Blooms  of  this 
kind  will  be  far  more  brilliant,  not  quite  so 
large,  but  travel  much  better,  and  last  longer, 
than  any  that  have  been  shaded.  Some  grow- 
ers place  the  bud  into  the  horizontal  table 
downwards  ;  this  effectually  shades  them,  and 
keeps  off  wet  and  falls  of  any  sort,  but  they 
are  open  to  the  attacks  of  earwigs  and  cater- 
pillars, from  which  the  pot  well  fitted  will  often 
shield  them. 

Independent  of  growing  the  flowers  well, 
there  is  a  good  deal  in  the  choice  of  them,  and 
after  that  still  moi-e  in  the  display  or  setting 
up.  The  stand  of  flowers  should  be  as  much 
varied  as  possible ;  and  besides  this  they 
should  be  set  up  uniform,  that  is,  if  there  be  a 
light  flower  at  one  end  of  a  row,  there  should 
be  a  light  flower  at  the  other  ;  and  if  there  be 
light,  flowers  at  the  ends  of  the  top  row,  there 
should  be  dark  ones  at  the  ends  of  the  second, 
and  light  at  the  ends  of  the  lower  or  front  row. 
Again,  dark  flowers  should  be  placed  next  to 
light,  except  in  the  middle  two  of  each  row, 
which,  to  be  uniform,  must  be  dark  or  light, 
or  nearly  the  same  depth  of  colour.  Those 
who  take  some  pains  with  this  may  make  a 
stand  look  very  much  better  than  the  same 
flowers  would  do  if  differently  arranged.  But 
this  has  been  so  often  urged,  that  it  seems  a 
work  of  supererogation  to  mention  it  again, 
although  from  its  great  importance  it  can 
hardly  be  too  much  brought  forward,  until  it 
is  made  the  aim  of  everybody  who  exhibits. 

Dahlias  should  be  carried  in  boxes,  in  their 
proper  tubes,  and  so  placed  that  they  cannot 
be  shaken.  The  very  best  mode  of  fixing  them 
is  to  make  stoppei's  of  potatoes,  cut  into  the 
form  of  corks,  and  with  a  hole  through  them 
to  receive  the  stem,  which  may  be  wedged 
in  its  place  by  means  of  cutting  off,  in  a  sloping 
manner,  a  piece  of  the  stem,  and  fixing  it, 
wedge-like,  in  the  under  part  ;  then  thrust 
in  the  cork  to  its  tube,  and  drop  it  into  its 
place  in  the  travelling-shelf  or  board,  which 
should  be  the  same  size  in  the  holes  as  the 
stands  in  which  the  flowers  are  to  be  shown  ; 
so  that  in  setting  up  you  have  only  to  remove 
the  flowers  with  the  tubes  and  stoppers,  and 
drop  them  into  the  holes  of  the  stand  you  show 
in.  The  best  way  is  to  arrange  them  before 
you  start  from  home,  so  that  you  have  no  care 
when  you  get  to  the  place  of  exhibition.  You 
have  both  time,  and  quiet  undisturbed  oppor- 


PREPARING  THE  VERBENA  FOR   EXHIBITION. 


429 


tunity  of  arranging  the  flowers  in  the  most 
effective  way  ;  and  more  than  this — as  you  do 
not  want  to  do  anything  to  them  but  lift  them 
to  their  stand,  you  may  put  them  up  at  the 
last  moment,  because  twenty-four  flowers  can 
be  removed,  when  you  know  their  places,  in 
five  minutes  or  less,  when  it  is  too  late  for 
others  to  profit  by  your  arrangement. 

There  are  those  who  dress  dahlias  by  work- 
ing the  petals  open,  so  that  a  flower  which 
quills  awfully  is  very  much  aided  in  appear- 
ance. We  cannot  approve  of  this  ;  and  if  the 
judges  used  a  glass  to  the  flowers,  they  would 
invariably  find  some  of  the  petals  split  in  the 
operation,  Avhich  would  disqualify  the  flowers. 
As  a  rule,  you  should  put  in  as  few  flowers  of 
the  same  shade  or  colour  as  possible.  The  more 
distinct  they  are,  the  better.  It  is  the  endea- 
vour of  some  growers  to  produce  all  three 
rows  of  the  same  size.  This  is  decidedly 
wrong.  There  should  be  three  sizes,  but  each 
row  should  consist  of  but  one-sized  flowers. 
The  back  may  be  large  ;  the  second,  middling, 
that  is,  rather  less  ;  and  the  front  still  less. 
This  enables  you  to  show  some  beautiful  gems 
in  front,  and  if  they  are  of  a  size  the  whole 
length  of  the  row,  there  is  no  comparison  as 
to  the  effect.  The  potato  stoppers  keep  the 
flowers  much  the  best,  and  especially  if  the  hole 
is  made  to  fit  the  stem  a  little,  for  the  water  is 
kept  in  the  tube  through  the  longest  journeys. 


PREPARING  THE  VERBENA  FOR 
EXHIBITION. 

This  popular  little  flower  is  every  season 
approaching  nearer  to  the  standard  of  perfec- 
tion, and  is  becoming  a  great  favourite  at 
exhibitions,  both  in  pots  and  in  bunches  of 
the  cut  flowers.  There  is  no  plant  of  which 
the  varieties  differ  more  in  habit :  some  tower 
up  a  considerable  height,  and  exhibit  robust 
growth  ;  others  creep  along  the  ground,  and 
lie  as  close  as  possible,  rooting  at  every  joint 
as  they  proceed,  and  covering  the  ground  like 
a  carpet  ;  others,  again,  take  the  form  of  a 
pretty  shrub,  and,  if  well  managed,  make  ex- 
cellent pot  plants.  If  you  desire  to  exhibit  in 
pots,  select  those  of  the  most  shrubby  habit, 
and  as  soon  as  you  get  your  plant,  which  we 
will  suppose  to  be  fairly  rooted,  you  must  take 
off"  the  top,  so  as  to  leave  only  three  or  four 
eyes  ;  or  if  it  be  eai'ly  in  the  spring — say, 
January  or  February — take  off  the  top  two  or 
three  joints,  and  strike  the  cutting  Jbr  your 
own  plant.  As  soon  as  it  roots,  which  will  be 
pretty  soon  if  placed  in  bottom  heat,  pinch 
out  the  centre  eye.  This  will  induce  side 
growth,  which  may  be  regulated  as  you  re- 
quire. If  any  of  the  side  shoots  grow  rather 
vigorously,  and  go  out  of  bounds,  they  should 
be  checked  ;  and  by  continuing  to  check  the 


forwardest  until  the  plant  is  both  the  form  and 
the  size  you  require,  you  may  then  allow  all 
the  ends  of  the  branches  to  go  on  to  flower, 
and  the  plant  will  be  covered  ;  whereas  if  in 
the  early  part  of  the  growth  you  allow  a 
shoot  to  go  to  flower,  it  spoils  the  rest  of  the 
plant,  and  you  can  do  nothing  with  it  until  it 
has  been  shortened,  and  an  entirely  new 
growth  has  been  made.  The  pots  have  to  be 
examined  as  you  progress,  and  as  they  fill 
with  roots,  they  are  to  be  changed  to  larger 
sizes;  thus  the  growth  is  excited  continuously, 
so  long  as  you  wish  to  increase  the  size,  be- 
cause, by  nipping  off  the  buds  as  fast  as  they 
appear,  the  growth  is  promoted,  and  the  result 
is,  the  whole  of  the  plant  blooms  at  once,  which, 
if  you  are  showing  in  pots,  is  just  what  is 
required. 

If  you  are  to  show  in  a  stand  of  cut  flowers, 
by  all  means  plant  out  in  the  open  ground, 
and  be  content  to  select  the  particular  trusses 
you  are  intending  to  show,  and  keep  off  the 
sun  from  the  time  the  colour  is  beginning  to 
show  till  the  day  you  cut  it.  All  the  brilliance 
of  a  colour  flies  in  the  hot  sun.  A  separate 
shade  for  each  plant  is  the  best.  There  is  no 
comparison  between  a  well  growm  truss  in  the 
open  ground,  in  good  soil,  and  the  best  that 
can  be  had  from  a  pot,  unless  the  single  truss 
of  blossom  is  encouraged,  and  the  rest  taken 
away  before  they  grow  too  much.  In  fact,  if 
we  are  to  cut  flowers,  we  ought  to  do  with 
verbenas  as  we  do  by  pansies  :  keep  striking 
and  putting  out  young  plants  in  rich  ground, 
that  there  may  be  a  constant  succession  of 
blooms.  The  plan  at  some  shows  is  to  make 
large  bunches.  No  justification  can  be  offered 
for  this,  except  the  mercenary  one  of  making 
a  great  show.  A  single  truss  is  all  that  can 
show  the  judges  the  real  merit  of  the  variety 
or  of  the  growth.  Bunches  may  be  patched 
up  from  viirious  beds,  and  fifty  pieces  may 
go  to  make  up  the  bunch  ;  whereas  the  form 
of  a  natural  truss  is  altogether  kept  from  view, 
and  the  merit  of  the  plant  lost.  A  single 
truss  deceives  nobody;  you  have  not  only  the 
shape  of  the  individual  flower,  but  you  have 
also  the  manner  in  which  the  flower  lies  as  it 
grows;  for  it  must  be  obvious  that  the  form  of 
a  truss  is  as  important  as  any  property  of  the 
plant,  and  that  the  best-formed  individual 
flower  in  the  kingdom  would  be  useless  unless 
it  forms  a  respectable  truss  on  the  plant. 

With  regard  to  the  arrangement  of  the 
flowers  for  show,  take  especial  care  to  be  uni- 
form :  place  darks  and  lights  opposite  each 
other,  but  with  one  different  between  ;  lights 
at  all  four  corners,  darks  between  them  ;  or 
darks  at  all  four  corners,  and  lights  between 
them.  Let  not  one  end  of  the  collection  be 
light  and  the  other  dark,  for  it  is  in  the  worst 
possible  taste,  and  leads  to  a  bad  result. 


430 


THE    USES    AND    PROPERTIES    OF   PEAT    MOSS. 


THE  USES  AND  PROPERTIES  OF  PEAT  MOSS, 

PEAT  CHARCOAL. 


AND  THE  VALUE  OF 


Charcoal  has  been  long  known  to  possess 
considerable  merit  as  a  fertilizer,  although  it 
has  not  attracted  much  public  attention  till 
within  the  last  few  years.  We  do  not  here 
open  the  inquiry  as  to  how  charcoal  acts  be- 
neficially on  the  soil,  but  assume  the  fact  as 
now  abundantly  attested  by  experience.  It 
would  appear,  that,  whatever  the  value  of 
wood  charcoal  may  be  in  this  respect,  (and 
past  experience  speaks  for  the  most  part  of 
this  form  of  charcoal,)  that  of  charcoal  made 
from  peat  moss  is  much  greater. 

At  a  meeting  of  the  Botanical  Society  of 
London,  on  the  8th  of  July,  the  subject  was 
introduced  by  Jasper  W.  Rogers,  Esq.,  C.  E., 
who  exhibited  various  samples  of  the  charcoal 
in  different  states,  and  well  adapted  for  cul- 
tural purposes.     Mr.  Rogers  says  : — 

"  Peat  charcoal  possesses  several  advantages 
over  wood  charcoal.  The  small  quantity  of 
pyroligneous  acid  originally  contained  in  the 
peat  is  entirely  dispersed  in  the  preparation ; 
hence,  no  acetic  odour  arises,  which  is  com- 
plained against  in  wood  charcoal,  and  produces 
severe  headache.  Again,  its  light  and  pure 
blaze  gives  a  greater  extent  of  calorific  effect, 
because  it  extends  itself  generally  over  the 
surface  to  be  heated,  and  carries  with  it  no 
smoke.  Peat  charcoal  emits  a  blaze,  which 
wood  charcoal  does  not.  But  one  of  its  great 
advantages  is  the  power  of  fertilization  in  its 
individual  state. 

■  "  In  the  year  1845,  I  first  brought  the  fact 
under  the  consideration  of  the  Relief  Com- 
missioners of  Ireland,  in  a  report  I  was  called 
upon  to  make  upon  the  subject  of  peat  fuel. 
The  theory  was  then  smiled  at,  both  by  scien- 
tific men  and  scientific  bodies  ;  but  it  has 
happily  outlived  opposition.  The  Royal  Agri- 
cultural Society  offered  a  prize  the  following 
year  for  the  best  essay  on  the  subject; 
and  now,  a  great  number  of  farmers  save 
every  bramble  from  their  hedges  to  make 
charcoal,  and  by  drilling  it  in  with  their  seeds, 
produce  great  advantage  to  the  crops. 

"  But  I  would  draw  special  attention  to  that 
which  I  deem  to  be  the  main  and  grand  ad- 
vantage which  peat  charcoal  possesses  in  so 
singular  a  degree,  namely,  that  of  perfectly 
deodoriz'mg  and  disinfecting  anivial  excretice. 
I  say,  peat  charcoal,  because  the  same  capa- 
bility does  not  exist  in  wood  charcoal  gene- 
rally, and  in  several  descriptions,  not  at  all ; 
for  instance,  the  charcoal  of  lignum  vitse,  teak, 
and  hard  oak,  has,  in  fact,  no  deodorizing 
power.  This  capability  increases  as  the  wood 
becomes  softer  and  more  porous,  and  that 
which  I  have  found  to  have  most  effect,  is  the 
charcoal  of  the  willow.     In  addition  to  peat  I 


charcoal,  specially  prepared  for  deodorizing, 
being  infinitely  more  porous  than  that  of 
wood,  it  perhaps  contains  some  other  property 
not  yet  discovered,  for  I  have  no  hesitation 
in  saying  we  are  all,  as  yet,  strangers  to  its 
eminently  useful  powers,  and  that  it  is  a  sub- 
ject particularly  worthy  of  investigation." 

For  fertilizing  purposes,  the  charcoal  pre- 
pared from  the  peat  in  an  uncompressed  state 
appears  to  be  best  adapted,  although  a  more 
dense  material  can  be  obtained.  Indeed,  by 
a  particular  process,  "the  density  of  peat 
charcoal  can  be  made  to  exceed  that  of  wood 
charcoal.  It  is  only  to  make  the  peat  as  dense 
as  wood,  to  produce  equal  density  in  charcoal ; 
and  this  is  very  simply  done  by  exhausting 
the  chamber  in  which  the  piece  of  peat  is 
compressed,  at  the  same  instant  that  the  com- 
pression commences.  The  atmospheric  air 
being  withdrawn  from  beneath,  the  aqueous 
matter  must  follow,  and  rush  into  the  air- 
pump  ;  the  resistance,  therefore,  presented  to 
the  power  of  pressure,  is  simply  the  fibre  of 
the  peat ;  while  the  vacuum  produced  under- 
neath gives  the  aid  of  the  natural  pressure  of 
the  atmosphere,  at  top,  to  assist  the  operation. 
Thus,  the  imaginary  difficulty  of  producing 
dense  charcoal  from  peat  has  been  over- 
come— so  simply,  that  it  is  only  to  be  won- 
dered at  that  it  had  not  been  done  long  since. 
The  present  market  value  of  peat  charcoal 
varies  from  41.  to  even  8/.  or  91.  per  ton,  the 
latter  being  the  average  price  of  wood  char- 
coal sold  in  London  for  culinary  purposes ;  it 
may  be  sold  with  large  profit  for  much  less." 

"  In  its  natural  state,  peat  moss  has  several 
peculiarities.  It  delights  in  moisture,  and 
yields  it  up  most  unwillingly.  It  contains, 
in  different  small  proportions,  ammonia,  pjTo- 
ligneous  acid,  tar,  &c.,  and  also  a  very  singular 
production,  a  'fatty  matter,'  which,  when  pu- 
rified, closely  resembles  spermaceti,  and  makes 
a  very  beautiful  candle.  Mr.  Reece  Reece  has 
recently  patented  a  process  for  the  extraction 
of  these  articles,  carrying  out  the  production 
of  iron  from  ore  which  is  upon  the  property. 
Possibly  '  Price's  patent  wax  candle'  may 
yet  be  rivalled  by  '  Recce's  bog  spermaceti.' 
To  speak  seriously,  the  production  is  really 
beautiful,  and  gives  a  pure  and  strong  light. 
The  question  to  be  solved,  however,  is,  Can  it 
be  obtained  in  sufficient  quantity  to  be  pro- 
fitable ?  It  is  found  in  its  natural  state,  at 
times,  in  small  quantities  collected  together 
by  some  peculiar  local  filtration,  or,  perhaps, 
affinity,  which  draws  it  from  the  mass  around 
to  one  spot.  The  matter,  when  pure,  is  about 
the  colour  of  butter.  The  superstitious  tra- 
dition  of  the  peasantry  is,  that  the  Fairies 


THE  USES  AND  PEOPEETIES  OF  PEAT  MOSS. 


431 


hide  it  for  their  use,  and  hence  it  is  called 
'  Fairy  butter.'  It  is  but  rarely  found  in  that 
state,  and  is  then  treated  with  great  reverence. 
Another  property  of  the  peat  moss  is  the  sin- 
gularly preservative  nature  of  its  water,  which 
is  of  a  dark  brown  colour,  almost  approaching 
to  black.  It  has  been  said  to  contain  a  tan- 
nin quality,  but  analysis  proves  to  the  con- 
trary. However,  its  power  of  preserving 
animal  matter  from  decomposition  is  very 
extraordinary.  Human  bodies  have  been  found 
in  bogs,  undecomposed,  which  must  have  been 
long  buried." 

Mr.  Rogers,  it  will  be  seen,  assumes  that 
peat  charcoal  is  not  only  valuable  in  itself  as 
a  fertilizer,  but  may  be  made  even  more  so  as 
a  fertilizing  agent,  at  the  same  time  that  it  is 
employed  to  deodorize  and  disinfect  putrescent 
animal  faeces.     On  this  point  he  observes  : — 

"  The  fact  that  the  health  of  towns  mainly 
or  entirely  depends  upon  the  almost  imme- 
diate removal  of  their  refuse,  is  at  present  so 
well  understood,  that  it  cannot  be  requisite  to 
enlarge  upon  it.  All  are  now  aware  that  in 
the  ratio  of  the  retention  or  removal  of  such 
matter,  is  the  average  of  life  or  death  ;  and 
the  question  on  that  score  comes  upon  us  now 
in  so  fearful  a  form,  that  it  cannot  need  any 
adjunct  to  enlist  our  energies  in  the  cause  of 
our  own  preservation.  It  is  singular,  that 
that  substance  which  produces  the  evil,  and 
which  has  hitherto  spread  disease  amongst  us, 
should  contain  not  alone  the  principles  of 
health,  but  also  of  wealth;  and  perhaps  it  may 
be  said  that  nature  has  provided  in  proportion 
to  the  mass  of  beings  congregated  together, 
the  means  for  their  subsistence,  in  the  very 
refuse  or  matter  which  we  permit,  by  our 
neglect,  to  produce  so  much  evil. 

"  It  has  long  been  known  to  science,  that 
the  excretias  of  mankind  contains  a  greater 
amount  of  the  properties  essential  to  the  fei'- 
tilization  of  plants,  than  any  other  substance. 
To  its  most  careful  preservation  and  use 
China  owes  the  capability  of  supporting  a 
population  almost  incredible,  with  reference 
to  the  extent  of  the  soil  under  cultivation  ; 
and  in  the  ratio  of  the  introduction  of  excretias 
as  a  manure,  on  the  continent  of  Europe,  has 
been  the  increase  of  agricultural  profit.  There 
its  use  is  now  almost  universal,  while  we,  of 
England,  neglect  that  which,  perhaps,  as  in 
most  other  things,  we  should  have  led  the  way 
in  using.  But  there  have  been  many  diffi- 
culties to  contend  with  in  its  introduction  as 
a  marketable  fertilizer. 

"  Firstly, — Its  collection  without  annoyance 
and  evil. 

"  Secondly,  —  Its  deodorization,  so  as  to 
admit  of  convenient  transport. 

"  Thirdly, — Its  preservation,  in  a  manner 
to  retain  its  valuable  qualities  as  a  manure. 


"  To  obviate  these  evils  several  chemical 
deodorizers  have  been  produced,  but  being 
hquids,  the  advantages  proposed  to  be  ob- 
tained became  neuti^alized  by  the  increased 
difficulty  of  reducing  the  matter  to  a  suffici- 
ently dry  state  for  transport.  Happily,  how- 
ever, nature  has  provided,  by  a  production  of 
the  vegetable  world,  a  simple  remedy  for  this 
difficulty,  in  peat  charcoal.  It  is  perhaps  the 
greatest  absorbent  known  ;  it  will  take  up  and 
retain  above  80  to  90  per  cent,  of  M^ater,  and 
at  least  90  or  100  volumes  of  those  noxious 
gases  arising  from  animal  excrement  and  other 
putrescent  matter.  Hence  its  great  value  for 
effecting  deodorization,  and  for  retaining  all 
the  value  of  the  liquid  as  well  as  its  volatile 
products. 

"  Equal  parts  of  prepared  peat  charcoal  and 
excretiiB  will,  under  almost  every  circumstance, 
accomplish  this  if  properly  intermixed — pro- 
ducing a  manure  of  almost  incalculable  value. 
The  proportion  of  charcoal  may  be  less  in 
some  instances,  even  down  to  one-third — if 
very  intimate  mixture  be  made,  and  the  char- 
coal be  properly  prepared. 

"  This  mixture  is  quite  dry,  and  can  be 
transported  in  bags,  or  even  in  bulk,  by  almost 
any  public  conveyance.  Its  value  as  a  manure 
cannot,  I  believe,  be  over-estimated.  In  all 
the  trials  made  with  it,  both  by  myself  and 
others,  the  effect  is  singularly  great ;  but  it 
cannot  be  otherwise,  when  we  consider  what 
the  compound  contains.  Professor  Phillips's 
analysis  of  peat  charcoal  (the  same  as  on 
the  table)  for  deodorizing  purposes,  is  as  fol- 
lows : — 

Carbon 79-24 

Hydrogen 2'20 

Nitrogen 054 

Oxygen 6-44 

Combustible  matter     .     .     88  42 

Sand  and  Clay 2-48 

Oxide  of  Iron 1.66 

Phosphoric  Acid 0-34 

Silicate  of  Potash 0-98 

Chloride  of  Sodium       ....  2-53 

Carbonate  of  Lime 1  85 

Sulphate  of  Lime 1'44 

Loss 0-30 

Incombustible  matter  .     .     ■ 11-58 

100-00 

"Now,  add  to  this,  ammonia,  gluten,  phos- 
phates, urea,  &c.  contained  in  human  excretive, 
and  it  will  be  obvious  that  it  is  perhaps  im- 
possible to  produce  a  combination  more  per- 
fectly adapted  for  the  food  of  plants.  All  the 
elements  for  their  nurture  are  interwoven,  it 
may  be  said,  into  every  grain  of  charcoal  ; 
carbon,  the  staff  of  vegetation,  is  the  base, 
and  the  whole  are  yielded  to  the  plant  together. 
It  is  well  known  that  the  strongest  affinity 
exists  between  the  ammoniacal  and  other 
atmospheric  gases,  and  carbon ;  and  here  again 


432 


HORTICULTURAL    NOTES. 


a  singular  advantage  arises.  Every  shower  of 
rain  that  falls,  gives  a  greater  supply  of  the 
ammonia,  salts,  &c.  contained  in  that  rain,  to 
the  charcoal.  Hence  it  is  not  only  the  means 
itself  of  giving  health  and  strength  to  the 
plant,  but  every  little  grain  becomes  a  reser- 
voir, not  alone  of  manure,  but  moisture,  both 
of  Ts^hich  never  cease  to  act  upon  and  invi- 
gorate the  vegetable." 

Mr.  Rogers  then  enters  into  some  very  sin- 
gular calculations  as  to  the  value  of  the  refuse 
which  is  at  present  permitted  to  enter  the 
sewers  of  the  metropolis,  and  to  pollute  not 
only  the  river  into  which  they  empty,  but  the 
atmosphere,  into  which  they  evolve  gases  of 
the  most  deleterious  nature.  "We  shall  quote 
some  of  his  statements  upon  this  matter  : — 

"  If  these  be  facts,  why  should  we  permit 
one  ounce  of  that  which  now  produces  disease 
and  death  amongst  us,  to  be  lost?  Why 
should  we,  for  health  sake — and  why  should 
we,  for  the  sake  of  our  pockets  ?  For  I  shall 
undertake  to  show  by  a  few  figures  that  every 
one  who  has  a  family  of  six,  may,  if  proper 
means  be  made  use  of,  not  only  increase  their 
health,  but  add  to  his  wealth  to  the  extent  set 
forth. 

"  The  average  of  excretive  yielded  by  a 
human  being  per  annum  is  10  cwt.  Six 
will  therefore  yield  three  tons  :  add  to  this,  say 
three  tons  of  charcoal,  and  you  will  have  of 
manure  six  tons.  Now  although  this  manure 
must  be  infinitely  superior  to  guano,  which 
sells  at  lOZ.  to  \2l.  per  ton,  suppose  we  esti- 
mate it  at  5Z.;  the  gross  value  of  the  manure 
will  therefore  be  30/.  per  annum  ! 

"  From  this  we  have  to  deduct  the  cost  of 
the  charcoal,  which  can  be  produced  in  London 
at  from  21.  to  Zl.  per  ton,  say  at  21.  10s. 
Therefore  7/.  \0s.  and  the  expense  of  collect- 
ing and  intermixing  will  be  the  whole  de- 
duction from  the  30/.  In  order  to  be  entirely 
on  the  safe  side,  add  11.  lOs.  for  these  expenses, 
and  by  this  very  fair  estimate  it  will  be  seen 
that  the  smallest  possible  value  of  the  house- 
hold produce  will  be  at  least  15/.  per  annum. 

"  That  you  would  perhaps  laugh  at  this 
I  anticipated,  for  I  smiled  at  it  myself  when 
I  first  worked  out  the  figures  ;  but  though 
laughable,  this  is,  nevertheless,  fact,  and  I  am 
willing  to  submit  the  whole  to  any  public  test 
that  may  be  suggested.  But  figures  in  the  ag- 
gregate are  more  startling  still. 

"  The  average  number  of  houses  within  the 
districts  of  London,  assessed  above  10/.  per 
annum,  may  be  assumed  as  200,000  ;  conse- 
quently, the  total  of  assessed  taxes  of  that 
class  may  be  taken  as  2,000,000/.  Now^  if 
the  inhabitants  only  determined  on  ridding 
themselves  of  the  evils  that  encircle  us  by  the 
present  fearful  sewage  system,  and  saved  that 
which  nature  intended  as  a  means  to  produce 


food  in  abundance,  they  would  not  only  con- 
fer a  great  boon  upon  the  population  generally, 
but  the  profit  to  be  had  in  money  would 
amount,  at  15/.  per  house,  to  3,000,000/.  per 
annum  ;  or,  in  other  words,  that  class  of  the 
citizens  of  London  who  pay  those  taxes,  may 
save  them,  and  perhaps  put  into  their  pockets 
1,000,000/.  yearly,  at  the  same  time  that  they 
preserve  the  health  of  the  city,  and  prevent  the 
disgraceful  and  death-dealing  foct  of  their 
noble  river  being  converted  into  a  monster 
cesspool." 

Mr.  Rogers  has,  it  appears,  placed  before 
the  Sanitary  Commission  a  proposition  founded 
on  the  facts  above  named,  and  has  pointed  out 
how,  in  his  judgment,  the  whole  of  London 
may  be  freed  from  its  present  dreadful  sewage 
evils,  most  ample  profits  being  returned,  in 
place  of  millions  being  expended  in  trying 
to  get  rid  of  that  which  should  be  carefully 
saved. 


HORTICULTURAL    NOTES. 

Roses  in  Woods, — Many  of  the  climbing 
and  trailing  sorts,  and  particularly  the  ever- 
green varieties  of  these,  are  well  adapted  for 
undergrotvths  in  open  woods;  but  in  this  case 
the  timber  trees  should  not  be  so  close  as  to 
touch  each  other  with  their  branches,  and 
consequently  exclude  the  direct  rays  of  the 
sun  from  the  roses.  These  should  also  be 
allowed  in  some  places  to  climb  to  the  tops  of 
the  highest  trees  where  they  will  flower  pro- 
fu.'^ely,  and  in  a  few  years  hang  down,  occa- 
sionally forming  festoons  from  one  tree  to  the 
other^  in  a  manner  singularly  beautiful  and 
picturesque.  The  different  varieties  of  Rosa 
arvensis,  especially  the  Ayrshire  and  evergreen 
roses,  are  particularly  well  adapted  for  this 
purpose. — H. 

Cabbage-stumps,  left  for  sprouts,  should 
be  treated  according  to  what  you  require.  If 
you  want  a  quantity  of  small  sprouts,  leave 
them  all  to  grow ;  but  if  you  would  rather 
have  a  second  crop  of  good  cabbages,  break 
off  every  sprout  while  small  except  one,  and 
that  must  be  the  best.  Your  second  crop 
of  cabbages  will  in  some  cases  be  better  than 
the  first.  They  will  even  then  do  to  plant 
close  together  in  some  niche,  where  they  will 
furnish,  in  the  winter,  several  good  pickings 
of  greens. — G. 

Lettuce-sprouts  make  as  good  a  salad  as 
the  lettuces  themselves  ;  but  they  do  not  go 
to  hearts  like  the  old  ones,  and  thei'efore  have 
to  be  shredded  up  before  they  are  sent  in. 
They  do  best  for  salads  sent  in  dressed.  By 
rubbing  off  all  but  one,  they  can  be  had  larger 
than  they  would  otherwise  come. — G. 


THE    MAGNOLIA,    ITS    VARIETIES    AND    CULTIVATION. 


433 


<j    "^\^'> 


THE  MAGNOLIA,  ITS' VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


The  Magnolia  is  a  family  of  most  noble 
trees  and  shrubs,  remarkable  for  their  large 
expansive  foliage,  and  cultivated  extensively 
for  purposes  of  ornament.  The  flowers  of 
some  of  the  kinds  are  very  striking  objects, 
and  indeed,  in  the  case  of  most  of  the  species, 
the  blossoms  are  sufficiently  ornamental  to 
render  the  plants  desirable  in  garden  scenery 
on  their  account.  There  are  about  a  dozen 
species  in  cultivation,  and  besides  these  nume- 
rous varieties.  In  most  of  them,  the  blossoms 
are  white  or  whitish. 

Linnaeus  founded  the  genus  Magnolia  in 
commemoration  of  one  Pierre  Magnol,  who 
was  a  professor  of  medicine,  and  was  director 
of  the  Botanic  Garden  of  Montpelier,  and  the 
author  of  some  botanical  works. 

The  greater  number  of  the  species  of  Mag- 
nolia are  natives  of  North  America,  where 
they  are  conspicuous  in  the  forests.  Some, 
however,  of  those  known  in  cultivation,  are 
found  in  China  and  Japan.  It  has  been  re- 
marked, that  no  plants  of  the  natural  order 
Magnoliacese  have  been  discovered  in  Europe, 
Africa,  or  Australia  ;  and,  undoubtedly,  the 
focus  of  the  order  is  North  America. 
Some  of  the  species  are  evergreen,  others 
deciduous  ;  all  are  woody  plants. 
50. 


HARDY  EVERGREEN  MAGNOLIAS. 

The  most  desirable  plant  in  this  division, 
and  indeed  in  the  whole  genus,  is  the  3Iag- 
nolia  grandiflora,  one  of  this  group  long 
cultivated,  and  of  which  numberless  varieties 
are  mentioned.  As  in  many  other  cases, 
however,  many  of  these  variations  are  trivial. 

Magnolia  grandiflora,  Linnaeus  (large- 
flowered  Magnolia,  or  big  laurel  of  the 
Americans). — A  fine  evergreen  tree,  or  large 
shrub,  with  oval-oblong  leathery  leaves, 
shining  green  on  the  upper  surface,  rusty 
beneath,  the  branches  terminated  by  solitary 
large  white  cup-shaped  blossoms,  composed  of 
from  nine  to  twelve  petals,  and  having  a  most 
delightful  fragrance.  Flowers  from  June  to 
September.  Native  of  North  America,  in  the 
forests.  Introduced  about  1737.  There  are 
numerous  varieties,  of  which  the  most  im- 
portant are  : — 

jif.  g.  Exoniensis,  an  early  and  free  flowering 
variety,  forming  a  tall  fastigiate  bush,  and  the 
most  desirable  of  all  the  forms,  especially  for 
growing  as  an  exposed  bush. 

M.  g.  obovata,  which  has  very  fine  obovate 
foliage,  for  which  it  is  worth  cultivating ;  but 
it  does  not  blossom  very  freely. 

31.  g.  preecox,  which  has  large  blossoms, 

F  F 


434 


THE    MAGNOLIA,    ITS    VARIETIES    AND    CULTIVATION. 


produced  as  early  as  May,  and  continuing 
during  summer ;  tliis  is  considered  the  best 
variety  for  planting  against  a  wall. 

In  the  southern  counties  of  England,  this 
species  may  be  grown  as  a  tree  or  bush, 
distant  from  a  wall  or  building,  but  in  this 
case,  it  is  best  placed  rather  prominently  on 
the  sheltered  side  of  a  shrubbery.  As  a 
permanent  evergreen  covering  for  an  orna- 
mental wall,  there  is  no  plant  so  noble  as  the 
forms  of  this  Magnolia  ;  and  this  protection 
is  required  in  the  colder  parts  of  the  king- 
dom, together  with,  in  some  situations,  a  thick 
mulching  over  the  roots. 

HARDY  DECIDUOUS   MAGNOLIAS. 

Magnolia  glauca,  Linnaeus  (glaucous-leaved 
Magnolia). — A  small  tree,  growing  twenty  feet 
high,  of  sub-evergreen  habit ;  the  leaves 
elliptic  obtuse,  glaucous  on  the  under  side  ; 
the  flowers  two  or  three  inches  broad,  white, 
very  fragrant,  of  from  nine  to  twelve  ovate- 
concave  petals.  Flowers  from  June  to  Septem- 
ber. Native  of  North  America,  in  low  swampy 
situations.  In  autumn,  the  tint  of  the  leaves 
is  yellow,  brown,  or  black.  Introduced  about 
1688.     There  are  two  distinct  varieties  : — 

31.  g.  Thompson/ana,  a  form  enlarged  in  all 
its  parts. 

Ji".  g.  longifolia,  a  handsome  tree,  with 
longer  leaves,  and  smaller  flowers. 

Magnolia  tripetala,  Linna3us(three-petalled 
Magnolia,  or  umbrella-tree). — A  deciduous 
tree,  growing  thirty  feet  high,  with  thin  oval- 
lanceolate  leaves,  and  terminal  flowers  from 
seven  to  eight  inches  in  diameter,  consisting 
of  from  nine  to  twelve  petals,  of  a  white 
colour,  and  having  an  unpleasant  odour. 
Flowers  from  May  to  July.  Native  of  North 
America,  in  shady  situations.  Introduced 
about  1752.  The  autumnal  hue  of  the  leaves 
is  a  dark  brown  or  black.  This  is  a  very 
hardy  species. 

Magnolia  macrophylla,  Michaux  (large- 
leaved  Magnolia). — A  deciduous  tree,  growing 
thirty  feet  and  upwards  in  height,  with  very 
large  oblong-obovate  leaves,  cordate  at  the  base, 
and  having  terminal  blossoms  of  from  eight  to 
nine  inches  in  diameter,  six  to  nine  petalled, 
white,  with  a  purple  spot  at  the  base  of  each 
petal,  and  agreeably  fragrant.  Flowers  in  June 
and  July.  Native  of  North  America,  in  cool 
sheltei'ed  situations.  Introduced  in  1800. 
In  this  species,  the  fading  leaves  in  autumn 
turn  yellow,  brown,  or  black. 

Magnolia  acuminata,  Linnaeus  (pointed- 
leaved  Magnolia). — A  deciduous  tree,  growing 
from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  high,  with  oval- 
acuminate  leaves,  pubescent  beneath,  and 
terminal  blossoms  slightly  fragrant,  yellowish 
within  and  glaucous  on  the  outside.  Flowers 
from  May  to  July.    Native  of  North  America. 


Introduced  in  1736.  The  leaves  turn  dark 
brown  or  black  in  autumn.  A  very  hardy 
species,  of  which  there  are  some  varieties 
cultivated  ;  the  most  distinct  is — 

M.  a.  maxima,  which  has  considerably 
larger  foliage. 

iMagnolia  cordata,  Michaux  (heart-leaved 
Magnolia). — A  deciduous  tree,  growing  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  high,  with  broadly-ovate 
sub-cordate  leaves,  tomentose  on  !the  under 
surface  ;  the  flowers,  of  six  to  nine  oblong 
petals,  yellow,  slightly  streaked  with  red, 
seldom  expanding  fully,  and  having  a  dis- 
agreeable odour.  Flowers  in  June  and  July. 
Native  of  North  America,  in  mountainous 
situations.  Introduced  in  1800.  The  leaves 
become  a  dark  brown  or  black  in  autumn. 

Magnolia  auriculata,  Lamarck  (auricled- 
leaved  Magnolia). — A  deciduous  tree  of  from 
twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  height,  with  large 
smooth  spathulately-obovate  leaves,  cordate 
at  the  base,  with  blunt  auricles  ;  the  flowers 
are  three  or  four  inches  in  diameter,  of  nine 
oblong  petals,  milky  white,  and  having  an 
agreeable  odour.  Flowers  in  April  and  May. 
Native  of  North  America,  on  moist  mountain 
steeps.  Introduced  in  1786.  In  the  autumn, 
the  leaves  turn  a  rich  yellowish  brown. 

Magnolia  pyramidata,  Bartram  (pyra- 
midal-headed Magnolia). — A  low  deciduous 
tree,  with  smooth  spathulate-obovate  leaves, 
cordate  and  auriculate  at  the  base ;  the  flowers 
white,  of  nine  lanceolate  petals,  smaller  than 
in  auriculata,  of  which  this  appears  to  be 
scarcely  more  than  a  variety.  Flowers  in 
May  and  June.  Native  of  mountainous 
places  in  North  America.  Introduced  in  1811. 

Magnolia  conspinia,  Salisbury  (conspii- 
cuous-flowered  Magnolia,  or  Yulan).  —  A 
deciduous  tree  of  fastigiate  habit,  growing 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  high,  with  obovate 
leaves,  abruptly  acuminate  ;  the  leaves  are 
produced  somewhat  later  than  the  blossoms, 
and  when  young  are  pubescent ;  the  flowers 
are  large,  erect,  consisting  of  from  six  to  nine 
petals,  white,  and  fragrant.  Flowers  from 
February  till  April.  Native  of  China.  In- 
troduced in  1789.  The  leaves  turn  dai'k 
brown  or  black  as  they  decay  in  autumn.  This 
is  one  of  the  handsomest  and  most  desirable 
of  the  deciduous  Magnolias,  owing  to  the 
period  at  which  its  blossoms  are  produced. 
In  the  climate  of  London,  it  is  found  sufii- 
ciently  hardy  to  bear  exposure  on  the  sheltered 
side  of  plantations  of  shrubs,  provided  the 
summers  and  the  texture  of  the  soil  are  jointly 
favourable  to  the  annual  ripening  of  the  wood. 
Planted  here  and  there  along  a  bank  of  dark- 
foliaged  rhododendrons,  the  large  white  flowers 
of  this  plant  are  very  conspicuous.  The 
situation  should  be  sheltered  for  this  plant 
when  grown  as  a  standard,  but  should  not  be 


THE  MAGNOLIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


435 


such  as  to  urge  the  development  of  the 
blossoms  in  spring,  as  they  ai'e  liable  to  be 
cut  off  by  early  frosts.  Owing  to  this  cir- 
cumstance, it  is  only  against  a  wall  that  the 
plant  will  display  its  greatest  beauty.  There 
are  some  varieties,  of  which  the  most  de- 
sirable is — 

31,  c.  Soulangeana,  which  to  the  habit  and 
character  of  its  parent  species  adds  beautiful 
large  blossoms,  more  or  less  tinged  with 
purple. 

3Iagnolia  purpurea,  Sims  (purple-flowered 
Magnolia).  —  A  deciduous  shrub,  growing 
when  exposed,  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Lon- 
don, to  the  height  of  from  three  to  six  feet,  or, 
planted  against  a  wall,  it  will  reach  twelve  or 
fifteen  feet  in  height,  and  sometimes  more  ; 
the  leaves  are  obovate,  and  almost  smooth, 
and  the  blossoms,  of  six  ovate  slightly  incurved 
petals,  are  white  within,  and  purple  on  the 
outside,  fading  to  white  at  the  tips.  Flowers 
from  March  to  May.  Native  of  Japan.  In- 
troduced in  1790.  The  leaves  become  black 
in  autumn.  This  species  is  very  ornamental, 
especially  when  planted  against  a  wall,  but 
the  blossoms  require  fine  weather  at  the  time 
of  their  development,  or  they  become  damaged 
and  decay,  to  the  disfigurement  of  the  plant. 
It  well  deserves  a  wall.  There  are  some  in- 
teresting varieties,  as — 

M.  p.  gracilis,  which  differs  in  having 
paler  and  narrower  leaves,  longer  and  more 
slender  flowers,  the  petals  slightly  reflexed  at 
the  points,  and  entirely  dark  purple  on  the 
exterior. 

M.  p.  pumila,  raised  at  Desio,  near  Milan, 
and  growing  only  a  foot  and  a  half  high. 

HALF-HARDT   MAGNOLIAS. 

Magnolia  fuscata,  Andrews  (brown- 
flowered  Magnolia), — An  evergreen  shrub, 
seldom  attaining  more  than  eight  or  ten  feet 
in  height,  and  often  much  less  ;  the  leaves 
elliptical-oblong,  somewhat  leathery,  smooth 
when  full  grown,  but  in  the  young  state 
covered  with  brown  tomentum  ;  the  flowers 
are  small,  numerous,  erect,  dull  pale  yellowish 
on  the  outside,  brownish-purple  within,  and 
having  a  most  powerful  and  delicious  aromatic 
fragrance.  Flowers  in  April  and  May.  Native 
of  China.  Introduced  in  1789.  There  is  a 
variety,  by  some  considered  as  a  species, — 

ifeT.  f.  anoyicefolia,  which  has  broader  leaves^ 
and  redder  flowers. 

These  plants  are  best  suited  for  planting 
out  in  a  greenhouse  conservatory,  where  they 
may  have  some  shelter  ;  and  they  form  also 
very  desirable  greenhouse  shrubs  when  grown 
in  pots,  associating  well  with  camellias  and 
similar  subjects.  Planted  against  a  wall,  and 
protected  by  a  mulching  over  the  roots,  and 
a   mat,    straw,    or    fern    covering  over  the 


branches,  they  will  endure  moderate  winter? 
after  they  get  well  established. 

STNONYMES   OF   MAGNOLIAS. 

M.  grandiflora,  Linn. — Includes  as  varie- 
ties the  names  of  obovata  ;  exoniensis=lan- 
ceolata,  stricta,  ferruginea  ;  angustifolia, 
pra3cox,  vera,  latifolia,  rubiginosa,  rotundi- 
folia,  elliptica,  floribunda,  and  mogordensis. 

31.  glauca,  Linn.=M.  fragrans,  and  vir- 
giniana  var.  ;  and  includes  as  varieties, 
sempervirens,  Thompsoniana,  Gordoniana, 
Burchelliana,  longifolia,  and  Cardonii. 

31.  tripetala,  Linn.  =  M.  Umbrella,  fron- 
dosa,  virginiana  var.,  and  umbellata. 

3I.macrophylla,  Michx.=M.  Michauxiana. 

31.  acuminata,  Linn.  =  M.  rustica,  pensyl- 
vanica,  virginiana  var.,  and  De  Candollei ; 
and  includes  as  varieties,  maxima,  striata,  and 
latifolia. 

31.  auriculata,  Lam.  =  M.  Fraseri  and 
auricularis. 

31.  pyramiclafa,  Bartr.=M.  Fraseri  pyra- 
midata,  and  auriculata  pyramidata. 

3£.  conspicua,  Salisb.  =  M.  Yulan,  and 
Precia  ;  and  includes  as  varieties,  Soulan- 
geana, Alexandrina,  citriodora,  and  speciosa. 

31.  purpurea,  Sims.  =  M.  obovata,  and 
discolor  ;  and  includes  the  varieties,  gracilis 
=  Kobus,  and  tomentosa  ;  denudata,  liliflora, 
and  pumila. 

31.  fuscata,  Andr.  =  M.  fasciata,  melea- 
grioides,  versicolor,  and  Michelia  fuscata ; 
and  includes  the  varieties,  anongefolia,  and 
parviflora. 

UNINTRODUCED   MAGNOLIAS. 

31.  Coco,  De  Candolle,  found  in  Cochin- 
china. 

M.  dealhata,  Zuccarini,  found  in  Mexico. 

31.  Figo,  De  Candolle,  found  in  China. 

BI.  inodora,  De  Candolle,  found  in  China. 

3£.  mexicana,  De  Candolle,  found  in  Mexico. 

31.  parvifolia,  De  Candolle,  found  in  Java. 

31.  punduana,  Wallich,  found  in  East 
Indies. 

M.  sphenocarpa,  "Wallich,  found  in  East 
Indies. 

PROPAGATION. 

The  Magnolias  are,  for  the  most  part,  free 
growing  plants,  striking  readily  from  cuttings, 
and  rooting  very  quickly  and  with  certainty 
from  layers.  The  ordinary  method  of  increase 
is  by  layers  ;  but  the  half-hardy  and  tender 
kinds  may  be  struck  from  cuttings.  In 
putting  down  layers,  remove  none  of  the 
leaves,  and  by  no  means  shorten  the  branches. 
If  they  are  wanted  dwarf,  let  the  place  in- 
serted in  the  ground  and  notched  be  nearer 
the  end.     They  are  rather  valuable,  and  are 

F  F  2 


436 


THE    MAGNOLIA,    ITS    VARIETIES    AND    CULTIVATION. 


therefore  kept  in  pots  until  planted  out  where 
they  are  to  remain.     The  best  time  for  layer- 
ing is  the  autumn,  but  it  will  do  in  any  of  the 
months  until  February.     Let  the  wood  of  the 
branch  to  be  layered  be  notched  or  slit  just 
below   a   joint   or    leaf,    and   pegged    down 
securely  underground  ;  by  the  next  autumn 
they  will  have  rooted  well,  when  they  must 
be  cut  off  just  below  the  notched  part,  potted 
in  the  usual  compost,  and  the  pots  plunged  ; 
for  that  is  the  best  protection  against  the  frost 
reaching  the  roots.     The  tops  may  be  hooped 
or   otherwise   protected,   so   as    to    admit  of 
throwing  mats  over  them  during  frosts.  Many 
of  the  nurseries  have  pits  built  on  purpose  for 
these    subjects,  which  are  hardy  when  well 
established,     but    tender     until    they    have 
abundance  of  root  and  have  completely  re- 
covered their  strength.     The  China  sorts  are 
inarched,  grafted,  and  budded  on  Magnolia 
purpurea,  according  to  the  fancy  of  the  pro- 
pagator, there  being  no  great  difference  in  the 
plant  when  done,  and  circumstances  only  giving 
a  preference  as  to  the  mode ;  for  instance,  in- 
arching enables  us  to  make  a  larger  plant  at 
once,  than  either  common  grafting  or  budding, 
and  that  may  be  a  more  desirable  object  than 
the  advantages  derived  from  either  of  the  latter 
modes.     The  quantity  of  wood  that  may  be 
required  to  make   one   good   plant  the  first 
season  by  inarching,  w^ould  do  for  half-a-dozen 
or  more  grafts,  and  perhaps  a  score  buds,  so 
that  where,  as  in  a  nursery,  numbers  are  the 
object,  the  latter  plans  are  decidedly  best,  but 
in  a  private  garden,  where  a  duplicate  plant  is 
wanted  as  quickly  and  as  handsomely  formed 
as  we  can  get  it,  we  select  from  the  plant  we 
intend  to  increase,  one  of  the  branches  that 
will  make  the  best  plant  without  damage  to 
the  original,  and  then  getting  a  good  strong 
stock,  we  have  to  place  the  two  plants  and 
fix   them  where    neither   can    be    disturbed, 
and  where  also  the  two  can  be  so  tied  as  to 
remain  fixed  without  any  violence  to  the  one 
or   the    other.     Then   pare    off    one  side  of 
the  branch  to  be  inarched,  so  that  it  may  have 
a  flat  surface   for  a  length  of  two  or  three 
inches,  and  cut  the  side  of  the  stock  flat  also, 
and  fit  them  together  so  that  the  bark  of  each 
touches  that  of  the  other  ;  bind  them  round 
firmly,  so  that  they  do  not  move,  and  they 
must  afterwards  not  be  disturbed  till  they  are 
fairly  united,   which  they  will  be  in   a  few 
weeks.     It  very  often  happens  that  the  stock 
and  the  branch  to  be  inarched  are  not  of  the 
same  size,  and  that  therefore  they  cannot  be 
made  to  fit  very  well.     In  this  case,  take  care 
that  the  barks  fit  on  one  side,  however  much 
one  may  fall  short  of  the  other  on  the  opposite 
side.     The  smaller  of  the  two  should  not  be 
put  in  the  middle  of  the  other,  so  that  the 
bark  on  neither  side  touches,  for  if  they  were 


so  fixed,  it  would  be  impossible  for  them  to 
unite.     Let  this,   therefore,   be   attended  to 
particularly  ;  for  when  the  edges  of  the  barks 
of  both  graft  and  stock  are  in  contact  at  the 
cut  part,  it  is  enough  to  ensure  the  union  of 
the  parts,  and  the  smaller  branch  will  soon 
cover  the  larger  space,  however  deficient  it 
was  when  first  put  on.     Of  the  various  modes 
of  grafting,  any  will  do,  but  the  following  is 
a  favourite  mode  : — Cut  the  stock  as  if  for 
inarching,  that  is,  make  a  flat  side  to  it ;  then 
cut   the  graft,  which   should  be  some  little 
length,  also  with  a  flat  side,  but  not  so  low  as 
the  end  of  the  graft ;  let  these  each  be  what 
is  called  tongued,  that  is,  a  slit  cut  upwards  in 
one  and  downwards  in  the  other,  so  that  the 
tongues  thus  formed  go  into  the  slits,  and  it 
holds  them   together    almost  without   tying. 
They  are,  however,  to  be  bound  round  the 
same  as  any  other  graft,  and  the  end  of  the 
graft  below  the  tie  is  inserted  in  a  bottle  of 
water,  which  is  to  nourish  the  graft  in  part 
till    it    obtains  nourishment   from   the  plant 
itself.    This  is  also  a  common  way  of  grafting 
with  the   camellia.     The   proper   season  for 
grafting  or  inarching,  is  just  before  the  plants 
move  to  make  their  growth,  for  the  growing 
season  is  favourable  for  the  flow  of  the  sap, 
and  the  consequent  ready  union  of  the  parts. 

The  China  sorts  may  also  be  raised  from 
cuttings,  under  a  bell  glass,  in  the  same  way  as 
any  other  greenhouse  plant,  and  when  struck, 
potted  off  into  small  pots,  one  in  the  centre 
of  each  pot ;  these  must  be  shifted  as  soon  as 
the  pots  are  filled  with  roots,  and  the  shift 
should  be  only  one  size  at  a  time,  because  no 
object  is  gained  by  rapid  growth,  and  the 
frequent  checks  throw  the  plant  sooner  into 
flower. 

The  best  way  to  propagate  the  hardy  sorts 
in  any  quantity,  is  to  plant  a  shrubby  one  in 
a  well-sheltered  place,  with  room  all  round  it, 
and  to  layer  every  one  of  the  branches  that 
can  be  made  to  reach  the  ground.  There  will 
always  be  a  succession  of  shoots  to  lay  down 
as  fast  as  others  can  be  rooted  and  taken  off. 
The  original  plants  thus  appropriated  for  pro- 
pagation, are  called  stocks,  and  will  never  be 
fit  for  any  thing  else.  But  they,  from  their 
habit,  become  more  and  more  prolific  every 
year,  for  new  shoots  are  thrown  up  in  pro- 
fusion, in  consequence  of  the  plant  being 
partly  relieved  from  the  necessity  of  supplying 
its  numerous  branches  w4ien  they  are  layered, 
and  although  you  may  be  only  able  to  lay 
down  half  a  dozen  branches  the  first  year, 
there  will  be  a  dozen  or  a  score  ready  for 
layering  the  second.  Some  that  do  not  root 
very  freely,  are  kept  on  two  seasons,  and 
when  there  are  two  seasons  of  layers,  they 
must  be  distinguished  by  some  mark  ;  but 
when  once  you  begin  to  take  off  layers,  you 


THE  MAGNOLIA,  ITS  VARIETIES  AND  CULTIVATION. 


437 


continue  annually,  and  no  plant  pays  better 
than  the  popular  species  of  this  noble  genus. 

GENERAL  MANAGEMENT. 

The  greenhouse  and  frame  varieties  or 
species  are  by  no  means  so  valuable  as  plants 
as  those  which  will  grow  in  the  open  air,  nor 
are  the  flowers  so  noble.  The  grandiflora 
family  are  the  most  splendid  evergreens  known 
in  the  country.  The  foliage  is  bright  and 
Jarge,  forming  a  close  and  noble  tree,  of  large 
dimensions  in  a  few  years.  It  is  called  hardy, 
but  suffers  from  any  great  degree  of  frost, 
the  same  as  the  bay  will ;  and  we  should  say 
it  is  of  much  the  same  nature  as  to  its  power 
of  resisting  frost.  This  has  led  to  its  being 
much  more  frequently  grown  on  walls  and  on 
fronts  of  houses  than  as  standards,  but  as  a 
noble  object  in  shrubberies,  a  standard  is  far 
more  interesting,  and  the  wall  does  not  always 
save  it.  On  the  contrary,  we  think  the  sudden 
changes,  which  are  felt  more  acutely  on  south 
walls,  frequently  punish  it  more  than  it  would 
be  punished  in  a  more  open  situation.  We 
have  seen  the  Magnolias  and  Bays  matted  in 
the  autumn,  but  there  is  something  so  un- 
couth, and  withal  unnatural,  in  a  tree  in 
the  open  air  being  confined  in  mats,  that  we 
would  always  rather  run  the  risk  than  see  a 
garden  so  disfigured.  We  believe  that  when 
it  is  grown  on  walls,  it  suffers  less  when  it 
does  not  get  all  the  sun  than  when  it  does, 
yet  a  north  or  east  aspect  exposes  it  too  much. 
The  finest  plants  we  ever  saw  of  the  Mag- 
nolia yrandiflora,  were  at  White  Knight's, 
where  a  great  many  feet  of  wall  were  covered 
with  twenty  very  superb  plants,  blooming 
freely,  and  emitting  a  perfume  perfectly  en- 
chanting as  the  wind  wafted  it  towards  the 
visitor. 

In  planting  out  a  specimen  to  grow  up  as  a 
standard,  it  should  be  on  ground  well  drained, 
and  in  a  spot  completely  sheltered  from  the 
north  and  east  winds.  The  ground  should 
be  prepared  for  at  least  three  feet  all  round  it, 
and  be  composed  of  half  peat  earth  with  the 
turf  in  it,  and  the  other  half  the  natural  top 
soil ;  and  this  mixture  ought  to  be  two  feet 
deep.  The  roots  should  be  spread  outwards 
all  round,  and  if  there  be  any  that  strike 
downwards  like  horse-radish  or  carrots,  com- 
monly called  tap  roots,  they  must  be  cut  off 
close  up  to  the  tree  ;  any  bruised  ends  to  the 
roots  should  be  cut  smooth,  and  all  broken 
ones  cut  off,  so  that  no  damaged  portion  re- 
main on  the  tree  by  any  means.  Plant  nearly 
at  the  top  of  the  soil;  on  no  account  let  the 
collar  of  the  root  be  under  the  surface,  and 
drive  in  stakes  to  prop  the  tree  against  the 
slightest  disturbance  by  the  wind.  Let  it  be 
well  trodden  in  all  round,  and  watered. 

All  the  other  species  may  be  served  in  the 


same  way,  but  some  of  them  are  more  hand- 
some as  shrubs  than  trees.  Some  of  the 
species  are  evergreen,  others  deciduous  ;  and 
some  of  the  deciduous  kinds  are  remarkable 
for  blooming  before  a  leaf  appears,  and  so 
abundantly  as  to  cover  the  tree  with  flowers. 

There  is  nothing  showy  in  the  favourite 
greenhouse  species  called  Magnolia  fuscata; 
but  the  flowers,  which  are  a  mixture  of  dingy 
pinky  brown  and  dull  yellow  or  cream  colour, 
have  a  perfume  so  like  that  of  a  ripe  melon, 
that  nobody  who  was  unacquainted  with  the 
fact,  would  hesitate  at  pronouncing  it  the 
smell  of  the  fruit  instead  of  a  flower.  There 
is  nothing  in  the  appearance  of  the  plant  to 
render  it  a  favourite,  nor  in  the  flower,  except 
its  perfume,  to  retain  for  it  a  place  among 
choice  collections. 

RAISING   FROM    SEEDS. 

The  North  American  species  may  be  raised 
in  spring  from  seeds  saved  in  this  country  or 
imported.  Let  there  be  pans  or  large-mouthed 
pots  filled  with  the  kind  of  earth  we  have 
already  mentioned ;  and  after  placing  the 
seeds  wide  enough  apart  to  give  them  room  to 
grow,  cover  them  half  an  inch,  and  put  them, 
if  you  can,  in  a  warm  frame,  or  moderate  hot- 
bed. When  they  come  up,  keep  them  clear  of 
weeds,  give  them  occasional  water,  and  at- 
tend closely  to  them  till  they  are  large  enough 
to  conveniently  pot  off,  one  each  into  small 
forty-eight  sized  pots ;  water  them  to  settle 
the  earth  about  their  roots,  return  them  to 
the  hot-bed  two  or  three  days  to  establish  their 
growth,  and  then  put  them  out  in  a  cold 
frame,  but  let  them  have  no  cold  winds  or 
rain  for  a  few  days.  After  this  they  may 
have  air  in  mild  weather,  and  genial  showers 
of  rain,  but  not  too  much  wet.  As  the 
autumn  approaches,  shut  them  down  earlier 
at  night,  and  open  them  later  in  the  morning. 
Young  plants  like  these  in  a  growing  state 
are  very  susceptible  of  damage.  When  the 
pots  fill  with  roots,  or  the  roots  reach  the  sides, 
and  begin  to  meet  round  it,  shift  them  into 
size  thirty-two,  and  plunge  them  into  the 
ground,  because  it  prevents  the  soil  from 
drying  so  rapidly,  and  also  protects  against 
the  operation  of  frost,  which  soon  gets  through 
the  sides  of  a  pot,  and  damages  that  part  of 
a  root  that  most  easily  takes  harm — the  points 
of  the  roots  which  come  next  the  pot.  They 
are  to  be  plunged  where  the  frame  c^-  be 
placed  over  them,  and  must  be  protected  the 
second  winter,  through  the  vicissitudes  of 
frost  and  too  much  wet.  They  must  be 
watered  when  the  return  of  warm  weather 
demands  it ;  and  if  it  be  an  object  to  confine 
them  to  the  sized  pot  they  are  in,  they  must  be 
taken  up,  and  the  protruding  roots  cut  off ;  and 
when  plunged  for  the  third  winter,  they  must 
have  more  air,  and  be  inured  a  little  to  the 


438 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS  OE  THE  PUNJAB  AND  KASHMIR. 


cold  and  slight  frosts.  The  pots  too,  should 
be  turned  round  in  their  holes  to  prevent  their 
rooting  through,  and  to  break  off  any  that  do 
protrude.  After  this,  they  may  be  planted 
where  you  please  as  established  plants. 

The  raising  of  seedlings  is  an  interesting 
process,  not  only  with  the  view  of  obtaining 
a  supply  of  young  plants  of  the  several  species, 
but  also  to  procure  hybrid  varieties.  This 
has  been  already  done  in  some  cases,  for  the 
Magnolia  Soulangeana  is  a  hybrid  so  ob- 
tained, originated  by  accidental  fertilization  ; 
and  doubtless  other  instances  have  occurred. 
Loudon  has  appositely  remarked,  that  when 
the  attention  of  cultivators  becomes  more 
especially  directed  to  this  subject,  many  new 
varieties  may  be  expected ;  and  the  late  Dr. 


Herbert  has  intimated  some  of  the  channels 
which  it  seems  desirable  such  experiments 
should  take.  He  thinks  that  some  beautiful 
and  hardy  varieties  might  be  obtained  by 
fertilizing  the  seeds  of  Magnolia  grandijlora 
with  the  pollen  of  M.  tripetala,  or  M.  con- 
spicua.  Another  cross  which  has  been  sug- 
gested, is  between  the  hardy  evergreen  large 
white-flowered  M.  grandijlora,  and  the  small 
brown-flowered,  but  richly  odoriferous,  M. 
fuscata.  Magnolia  grandijlora,  and  M.  jnir- 
purea  also,  would  probably  yield  a  pi'ogeny, 
which  would  possess  some  interesting  novelty 
in  the  distribution  of  characteristics  ;  and  in 
this  way  a  great  amount  of  variety  may  be 
imparted  to  the  genus — naturally  one  of  the 
finest  in  cultivation. 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS  OF  THE  PUNJAB  AND  KASHMIR. 


The  conquest  of  the  Punjab,  the  annexation 
of  Sindh,  and  the  colonisation  of  Labuan, 
have  lately  formed  the  fertile  themes  of  dis- 
cussion and  dispute.  In  most  questions  dis- 
cussion is  compatible  with  a  wide  degree  of 
knowledge,  but  in  those  matters  connected 
with  the  wealth,  the  resources,  the  soil,  the 
climate  of  a  country,  information  would  in  all 
instances  render  controversy  unnecessary. 
"We  hear  from  one  quarter  that  a  country  is 
barren  ;  from  another,  that  it  is  fertile ;  from 
one,  that  it  is  a  deadly  swamp  or  a  naked 
desert ;  from  another,  that  it  is  a  smiling  plain, 
or  a  succession  of  verdant  hills,  with  a  rich 
and  productive  soil.  Contradiction  supplies 
here  the  place  of  argument,  and  facts  only  can 
arbitrate.  On  the  subject  of  our  policy  in  the 
Punjab,  discussion  has  been  particularly  rife. 
Two  fields  of  dispute  have  been  marked  out : 
the  one,  the  justice,  the  other  the  wisdom  of 
annexation.  With  the  justness  of  the  affair 
we  have  now  nothing  to  do ;  and  as  regards 
the  wisdom  of  it,  we  can  only  interfere  with  a 
particular  branch  of  it,  which  is,  whether  we 
have  taken  possession  of  a  region  whose  soil 
is  capable  of  returning  fruit  for  seed,  harvest 
for  labour,  reward  for  the  toil  of  tillage. 

Nature  is  in  most  new  countries  the  most 
busy^gent  to  cover  the  surface  of  the  earth 
withjl^etation.  We  shall  now  ramble  over 
t|Hlpon,  and  take  a  few  passing  glances  at 
its  aspect,  and  from  this  the  reader  may  form 
an  opinion.  It  is  well  known  that  the  Punjab 
is  formed  of  hills  of  considerable  height,  plains 
of  wide  extent,  and  deep  valleys.  In  the  vast 
flat  solitudes,  sweeps  of  jungle  and  laj-ge 
grass  flats  predominate,  while  an  occasional 
desert  tract  lies  between  the  greener  portions 
and  the  wild  provinces  beyond  its  borders. 
Along  the  foot  of  the  mountain  ridges  usually 


extends  a  fringe  of  cultivated  land,  covered 
with  luxuriant  verdure,  dotted  with  towns 
and  hamlets,  and  tilled  by  a  peaceful  and 
laborious  population.  Everywhere,  indeed, 
over  the  surface  of  the  country,  groves  of  trees 
and  patches  of  cultivated  land  mark  the  posi- 
tion of  villages,  whilst  in  the  neighbourhood 
of  cities  the  surrounding  plain  bears  a  rich 
harvest,  with  orchards,  gardens,  and  expanses 
of  bright  green  grass,  affording  pasture  to  herds 
and  flocks,  both  numerous  and  valuable.  We 
cannot,  in  a  sketch  like  the  pi-esent,  endea- 
vour to  lay  before  the  reader  an  account  at 
once  regular  or  complete,  of  the  vegetation 
of  the  Punjab.  Nor,  did  circumstances  per- 
mit, should  we  choose  at  present  to  do  so. 
Descriptions,  laborious  in  detail,  square  in 
outline,  and  minute  in  particulars,  may  be 
useful;  but,  for  the  general  reader,  it  is  only 
necessary  that  an  impression  should  be  left  on 
the  mind,  that  he  may  possess  an  idea  of  the 
aspect  and  vegetable  value  of  the  country, 
which,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  is  enough 
for  ordinary  purposes.  The  other  mode  may 
be  more  correct,  ours  we  fancy  is  the  more 
agreeable,  and  to  instruct  and  please  is  now 
our  object. 

We  enter  now  the  outskirts  of  a  city,  where 
we  find  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  fields,  where 
crops  of  wheat  of  large  and  heavy  grain, 
unequalled  harvests  of  barley,  and  waving  ex- 
panses of  rice,  constitute  the  princij)al  features 
of  the  scene.  The  natives  are  at  work  digging 
wells,  raising  water,  tending  their  oxen,  or  car- 
rying on  the  other  processes  of  agricultural  life, 
The  produce  in  grain  of  some  districts  is  very 
considerable,  and  serves  both  for  the  consump- 
tion of  the  home  population  and  the  staple  of 
a  thriving  trade.  The  aspect  of  the  plain,  im- 
mediately before  harvest  time,  is  most  lu:^u= 


VEGETABLE  PRODTJCTIONS  OF  THE  PUNJAB  AND  KASHMIR. 


439 


riant.  As  we  have  said,  wheat  and  barley 
crops  stretch  over  a  vast  portion  of  the  sur- 
face ;  at  intervals  a  village,  constructed  of 
reeds,  and  situated  in  the  shade  of  a  ber, 
tamarisk  or  date  grove,  enlivens  the  landscape, 
and  large  patches  of  ground  covered  with  the 
indigo  plant  vary  the  cultivation.  Of  this 
valuable  product,  seven  hundred  and  fifty  tons 
add  annually  to  the  wealth  of  the  lower  Pun- 
jab, whilst  the  contiguous  territory  of  Baha- 
walpure  yields  another  hundred  and  fifty  tons. 
Bahawalpure  lies  on  the  left  bank  of  the  Ghara, 
for  a  considerable  distance  above  its  conflu- 
ence with  the  Indus,  and,  separated  as  it  is 
from  Mooltan  only  by  the  river,  necessarily 
enters  into  our  subject.  It  ofiers  much  va- 
riety of  features,  and  corresponding  varieties 
in  the  character  of  its  soil  and  produce. 
Steering  clear  of  native  names,  which  the 
general  reader  will  not  be  able  to  individualise, 
we  may  observe,  that  in  one  portion  a  plen- 
tiful irrigation  covers  the  land  with  abun- 
dance; in  another,  a  tract  of  country  half 
desert  half  jungle,  produces  little  save  the 
prickly  and  saline  plants  on  which  the  camel 
thrives,  and  herds  of  horned  cattle  fatten  well. 
This  portion  of  the  region  was  once,  doubt- 
less, as  rich  as  any  other,  for  the  beds  of  dried- 
up  rivers  may  still  be  traced  across  its  extent, 
and  numerous  vestiges  of  ancient  towns  long 
since  abandoned  to  solitude  and  ruin,  afibrd 
evidence  that  a  population  must  have  existed 
and  been  supported  where  now  only  herds  of 
cattle,  and  their  wild  nomade  proprietors,  find 
either  home  or  subsistence.  In  other  portions, 
again,  large  and  productive  plantations  of  the 
sugar-cane,  denoting  a  rich  and  prolific  soil, 
meet  the  eye.  Altogether  the  province  of 
Bahawalpure  is  valuable  and  fertile.  Its 
agricultural  capabilities  no  doubt  receive  little 
impulse  from  the  nature  of  the  tillage  em- 
ployed. The  husbandmen  here  know  how  to 
draw  forth  the  richness  of  the  earth,  but  not 
how  to  renovate  it.  Consequently,  unless  an 
improved  system  of  culture  be  introduced, 
we  may  look  for  the  relapse  of  wide  tracts, 
now  verdant,  into  expanses  of  sandy  desert. 
It  must  be  remembered,  however,  that  through- 
out the  present  sketch  we  shall  speak  of  the 
country  as  it  existed  previously  to  the  annex- 
ation of  the  Punjab.  English  rule  may  ge- 
nerate a  certain  degree  of  English  science  in 
the  country;  and  where  the  skill  of  Europe  is 
devoted  to  the  cultivation  of  the  magnificent 
soil  of  Asia,  results  the  most  noble  follow. 

Crossing  the  Indus,  we  transport  ourselves 
to  the  once  flourishing  country,  Dera  Ghazee 
Khan,  where,  amid  date  groves  and  fields  and 
gardens  of  unsurpassed  luxuriance,  a  large 
and  populous  commercial  town  consumes  the 
vegetable  productions  of  the  province.  The 
inhabitants  are  fond  of  fruit,  and  not  satisfied 


with  the  indigenous  produce  of  their  own  soil, 
exchange  the  fabrics  of  their  industry  for 
fresh  grapes,  pears,  and  apples,  brought  from 
the  abundant  orchards  of  Kabul.  Continuing 
our  way  northward,  we  skirt  the  western  hills, 
where  a  purer  atmosphere,  a  change  in  the 
nature  of  the  soil,  and  distinct  features  in  the 
people,  mark  the  district  bordering  on  Aff- 
ghanistan.  Turnips  of  lai'ge  size,  with  many 
other  vegetables,  are  grown  here,  and  broad 
pasture  lands  afibrd  food  to  thousands  of  buf- 
faloes, which  fatten  on  the  tall  rank  grass  of 
this  region. 

Along  the  river's  bank,  when  the  wheat  is 
just  appearing  above  the  surface,  the  custom 
prevails  of  allowing  the  cattle  to  graze  on  the 
rising  crops,  and  this,  instead  of  causing  them 
detriment,  is  said  greatly  to  increase  the 
strength  and  productiveness  of  the  plants. 
Northward,  in  the  vicinity  of  Dera  Ismael 
Khan,*  man  has  done  little  to  improve  the 
aspect  of  nature.  Tillage  is  neglected,  but 
the  plain  is  not,  as  usual,  covered  with  dai'k, 
dull,  jungle.  On  the  contrary,  it  is  sprinkled 
with  Karita  bushes,  whose  bright  red  blossoms 
have  a  delightful  appearance  during  the  spring 
months.  Ber  trees,  of  which  the  fruit  is  eaten, 
and  groups  of  the  palma  ricinus,  with  its 
tufts  of  brilliant  scarlet  fiowers,  diversify  the 
scene,  while  the  indigenous  tuberoses,  else- 
where cultivated  as  the  chief  ornament  of  the 
parterre,  spring  up  here  in  thousands,  and 
convert  the  untended  waste  into  a  garden  of 
rare  and  varied  beauty. 

Proceeding  a  short  distance  to  Tah,  how- 
ever, we  again  find  ourselves  among  people 
to  whom  the  culture  of  the  soil  aflfords  a  wel- 
come employment.  The  district  is  famous  for 
its  fruits,  which  are  cheap  and  plentiful. 
Grapes,  oranges,  pomegranates,  citrons,  plums, 
and  apples  thrive  in  abundance,  while  groves 
of  mulberries,  of  superior  size  and  quality, 
have  formed  the  subject  of  observation  to 
numerous  travellers.  The  ber,  too,  is  plen- 
tiful, and  is  never  absent  from  the  neighbour- 
hood of  a  village.  Nor  are  the  people  of  Tali 
indifierent  to  the  beauty  as  well  as  the  value 
of  their  gardens.  In  some  of  these,  a  rich 
variety  of  objects,  both  of  nature  and  art, 
contribute  to  the  loveliness  of  the  spot,  which 
chiefly,  however,  derives  its  fascinations  from 
the  glories  of  the  vegetable  world.  Mpwers 
of  a  thousand  hues,  lakes  along  wh«iHl|ir 
margins  may  be  seen  reflected  the  ^Hiceful 
foliage  of  the  pomegranate  and  orange  tree, 
loaded  with  their  superb  fruit,  and  over  whose 


*  The  reader,  on  consulting  the  map,  will  find  that 
we  are  now  progressing  up  the  strip  of  land  lying  at 
the  western  extremity  of  the  region,  from  south  to 
north,  and  thence  sweeping  to  the  right,  we  may 
continue  our  observations  over  the  surface  of  the 
Punjab. 


440 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS  OF  THE  PUNJAB  AND  KASHMIR. 


glassy  waters  glide  flocks  of  white  geese  ; 
shady  vistas,  bowers  full  of  perfumes,  wind- 
ing paths,  and  small  groups  of  palms,  allow 
the  eye  no  resting  place  of  monotony,  either 
in  form  or  hue.  But  leaving  this  magnificent 
place,  the  self-adorned  plain  alone  meets  the 
eye,  and  this  soon  degenerates  into  a  sterile 
tract,  where  the  beautiful  karita  only  enlivens 
the  surface.  Even  this  at  length  disappears, 
and  we  enter  upon  a  bare  and  inhospitable 
plain . 

But  we  shall  proceed  no  further  in  this 
direction,  which  would  lead  us  into  the  moun- 
tains, with  the  small  alternate  plains,  the  towns, 
the  villages,  the  gardens,  and  the  groves  in- 
tervening between  the  Indus  and  Candahar. 
They  lie  beyond  the  geographical  range  of 
this  sketch.  We,  therefore,  once  more  place 
ourselves  at  the  junction  of  the  Ghara  and  the 
Indus,  in  the  vicinity  of  Mooltan.  A  visible 
distinction  exists  between  the  character  of  the 
soil  in  this  district  and  in  that  of  Bahawalpure. 
The  tamarisks  become  scarce,  and  the  lighter 
trees,  as  the  karita,  the  ber,  and  the  dwarf 
mimosa,  more  abundant.  Highly  cultivated 
lands  spread  in  all  directions ;  the  cotton-plant 
is  grown  in  great  quantities,  and  immense 
fields  of  sugar-cane  extend  around  the  nume- 
rous fortified  places.  Around  Mooltan,  in 
particular,  gardens  planted  profusely  with  the 
mango,  the  orange,  the  citron,  and  the  lime, 
with  dates,  and  a  variety  of  vegetables,  and 
fields  of  gram — a  grain  inferior  to  wheat,  but 
still  useful  and  nutritious — testify  to  the 
generous  qualities  of  the  earth. 

This  place  is  now  invested  with  a  melan- 
choly interest  for  our  countrymen.  Its 
gardens  and  its  groves,  its  pastures  and  its 
corn-fields,  have  been  trodden  down  by  the 
feet  and  illumined  by  the  fires  of  a  besieging 
army,  and  many  are  they  in  this  country 
whose  friends  lie  festering  in  their  narrow 
homes  under  the  shadow  of  Mooltan.  A 
recollection  of  new  glory  acquired  by  the 
British  arms  will  for  ever  cling  to  this  place, 
but  a  few  years  will  wipe  away  the  melan- 
choly feelings  which  the  usual  cost  of  glory — 
sorrow  and  slaughter — has  spread  through 
thousands  of  English  and  Indian  homes. 

Between  Mooltan  and  Lahore  the  country 
presents  few  features  difiering  from  those 
already  described.  Under  the  blasting  influ- 
ence of  native  rule,  the  population  has  been 
enabled  in  a  large  degree  to  develop  the 
resources  of  the  soil,  and  even  there  travellers 
have  been  filled  with  admiration  by  the 
scenes  of  plenty  and  natural  wealth  there  dis- 
played. If  our  government  has,  as  is  univer- 
sally admitted,  exerted  a  fostering  influence 
in  other  countries,  we  may  look  for  the  same 
result  here  ;  and  the  already  productive  plains 
of  the  Punjab  may  be  made  to  bear  harvests 


second  in  abundance  and  beauty  to  those  of 
no  other  region  in  the  world. 

The  neighbourhood  of  Lahore  is  full  of 
large  and  delightful  gardens,  planted  with  the 
fruit-trees  and  flowering  shrubs  common  to 
most  parts  of  Hindostan,  while  few  of  those 
which  flourish  in  western  countries  are  to  be 
found.  The  mango,  the  mulberry,  the  plan- 
tain, the  apple  and  peach,  of  inferior  size  and 
quality  ;  the  janson,  the  fig,  the  karinda,  the 
quince,  the  orange,  the  lime,  both  acid  and 
sweet,  and  the  date,  are  plentiful,  but  the 
fruit  of  the  last  is  seldom  eatable.  Pome- 
granates also  abound,  but  are  little  prized, 
and  a  few  vines  climb  up  the  sunny  banks. 
Melons  of  indifferent  quality  grow  in  such 
numbers  that  they  are  scarcely  considered  as 
fruit.  A  large  portion  of  the  land  near  the 
city  is  devoted  to  the  culture  of  vegetables  for 
the  consumption  of  the  inhabitants.  The 
badrisjar,  an  Eastern  vegetable,  gourds  of 
several  kinds,  with  cucumbers,  are  chiefly 
produced,  whilst  immense  fields  of  sweet  fennel 
are  grown  for  the  sake  of  the  seed. 

The  flowers  of  this  district  are  not  very 
various,  but'  are  prized  for  their  delicious 
odours.  Chaplets  of  the  blossoms  are  made 
and  sold  in  the  bazaars.  Here,  as  is  the  case 
in  most  Eastern  countries,  gardens  are  open 
to  the  public ;  and  any  individual,  preserving 
due  respect  for  the  fruits  and  flowers,  may 
freely  enter  and  stroll  about  them.  The  sale 
of  the  produce  is  a  large  source  of  revenue 
to  the  proprietors.  Mr.  Massar  observes: 
"  The  mean  practice  prevails  of  selling  the 
produce ;"  but  the  same  might  be  said  of  the 
English  gardener,  who  derives  an  income  from 
his  orchards,  his  flower-parterres,  his  con- 
servatories, or  his  hot-houses. 

The  beauties  of  Shalimar,*  a  garden  which 
was  once  the  pride  of  the  family  of  Timur, 
have  now  faded  away,  and  scarcely  enough  of 
their  magnificence  remains  to  tell  what  once 
they  were.  Marble  tanks  and  fountains,  with 
their  costly  machinery,  and  stone-built  pavi- 
lions, still  exist,  too  substantial  for  quick  decay ; 
but  a  mass  of  rank  and  wild  vegetation  has 
overgrown  walks  and  pai'terres,  and  almost 
effaced  the  beauty  for  which  Shalimar  was 
once  famous  throughout  the  continent  of  India. 
Still,  however,  magnificent  shrubberies  re- 
main, and  flowers  and  plants  in  great  variety 
spread   their   clouds   of   perfume  above  and 

*  It  has  been  paid,  after  an  elaborate  description  of 
these  far-famed  gardens : — 

"  Many  a  glorious  spot  is  seen, 
With  flowery  glades  and  groves  of  green ; 
Many  a  scene  of  rich  delight. 
Where  earth  is  verdant  and  sky  is  bright. 
With  sunny  bowers  and  shadowy  dells. 
Many  a  spot  where  beauty  dwells  ; 
But,  ah  !  thy  gardens  are  lovelier  far. 
Thou  pride  of  the  East,  thou  sweet  Shalimar  !* 


VEGETABLE  PRODUCTIONS  OF  THE  PUNJAB  AND  KASHMIR. 


441 


around  the  spot  where  Runjeet  Singh,  who 
organized  the  armies  lately  defeated,  lies  in  a 
humble  tomb.  The  old  chief  created  the  host, 
and  his  successors  led  it  to  ruin  and  destruc- 
tion, and  in  a  few  years  a  conquering  British 
army  was  marching  by  the  spot  where  his 
ashes  lay,  hard  by  the  ancient  gardens  of 
Shalimar.  Beyond  Lahore,  the  country  is 
essentially  a  grazing  one,  although  around  the 
villages  patches  of  cultivated  land  extend. 
Over  the  jungle,  and  even  the  taller  trees,  the 
convolvulus  major  twines,  and  when  in  full 
bloom  affords  a  pleasing  spectacle.  Dwarf 
tamarisks  and  mimosa,  with  a  few  cypress 
trees,  constitute  the  chief  objects  of  attraction 
above  the  monotonous  surface  of  the  plain, 
which,  covered  with  luxuriant  grapes,  is  of 
itself  sufficient  to  show  the  capability  of  the 
country  for  the  rearing  of  horses,  horned 
cattle,  and  sheep. 

A  species  of  tree  resembling  the  aspen,  but 
still  distinct  from  it,  has  been  observed  by 
travellers,  but  no  accurate  description  has 
been  written.  Numerous  trees  and  shrubs 
doubtless  exist  which  have  not  yet  been  bota- 
nically  described.  Doubtless,  however,  with 
the  establishment  of  our  power,  our  knowledge 
will  increase,  and  with  the  diffusion  of  infor- 
mation the  value  of  our  new  possession  will 
be  more  properly  appreciated.  Enough,  how- 
ever, is  already  known  to  show  that  the  region 
of  the  Five  Rivers  will  prove  as  important  in 
a  commercial  as  it  is  in  a  political  and  military 
point  of  view.  Its  climate  affords  all  the 
variations  between  the  temperate  and  the 
tropical,  and  is  particularly  adapted  to  the 
English  constitution.  Its  vegetable  produc- 
tions are  numerous  and  varied,  and  an  im- 
proved system  of  tillage  is  alone  needed  to 
develop  them  in  their  full  costliness  and 
beauty. 

No  country  of  the  same  extent  in  the  world 
is  more  favoured  with  regard  to  irrigation,  or 
means  of  inland  transit.  One  thousand  six  hun- 
dred and  ninety  miles  of  river  navigation  exist 
in  it,  whilst  in  the  plains  are  several  large 
pieces  of  standing  water,  with  pools  and  small 
streams  which  water  the  valleys  and  slopes. 
We  may  thus  sum  up  the  vegetable  produc- 
tions. We  use  this  expression  in  its  largest 
sense,  as  signifying  everything  which  springs 
from  the  earth,  and  is  refreshed  by  water  or 
nourished  by  sunshine.  Of  trees,  we  may 
enumerate  the  palm,  various  species  of  wil- 
lows, numerous  kinds  of  acacia  and  tamarisk, 
the  ber  apple  or  jujube  (Zizt/phusjujuba),  the 
camel  thorn,  a  tree  called  sissoo  in  Eastern 
Hindostan,  and  sometimes  of  twelve  feet  in 
girth,  and  much  used  in  boat-building,  with 
many  others  not  commonly  known  here,  but 
none  of  great  height  or  size.  Of  fruits  there 
are  dates,  oranges,  pomegranates,  mulberries, 


figs,  peaches,  apricots,  plums, quinces,  almonds, 
mangoes,  and  others  of  less  importance,  and 
the  lime,  the  guava,  the  cardamom,  and  the 
grape.  The  narcissus  and  the  rose  of  a  hun- 
dred leaves  are  the  most  common  among  the 
flowers.  The  indigo  and  cotton  crops  are 
rich,  and  one  small  strip  of  land,  noticed  by 
Burrows,  afforded  its  proprietor  an  annual 
income  of  seventy- five  thousand  rupees.  To- 
bacco,of  good  quality,  and  in  much  abundance, 
is  grown;  and  the  flowers  which  bloom  in  so 
great  luxuriance,  afford  nourishment  to  mil- 
lions of  bees,  whose  wax  and  honey  are  much 
prized,  both  as  articles  of  home  consumption 
and  as  materials  of  trade. 

Of  the  magnificent  and  far-famed  valley  of 
Kashmir,  we  speak  thus  in  a  distinct  portion 
of  our  sketch,  because  it  appears  to  claim 
unusual  attention.  It  is  an  elevated  tract  to 
the  north  of  the  Punjab,  in  the  centre  of  which 
a  beautiful  valley,  once  supposed  to  be  sub- 
merged under  the  waters  of  a  great  lake,  may 
be  described  as  among  the  loveliest  portions 
of  the  earth's  surface.  The  soil  is  rich  and 
productive,  and,  unlike  that  of  the  ^Punjab, 
supports  huge  forest-trees,  valuable  as  timber 
for  building. 

The  vegetation  of  Kashmir  is  as  remarkable 
for  its  richness  as  for  its  variety.  From  the 
Himalayan  cedar  to  the  delicate  blossom,  all 
kinds  of  green  things  flourish.  This  tree 
merits  notice.  It  attains  a  great  height,  and 
a  circumference  of  sometimes  thirty  feet.  Its 
botanical  elevation  varies  between  seven  and 
twelve  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the 
sea.  "When  young,  it  closely  resembles," 
says  Thornton,  "  the  real  cedar,  but  never 
sends  forth  spreading  branches.  The  cone 
resembles  that  of  the  cedar,  and  is  preceded 
by  a  catkin  of  a  bright  yellow  colour,  so  that 
the  tree  when  in  full  blossom  appears  covered 
with  a  rich  mantle  of  gold.  These  catkins 
are  loaded  with  a  golden  dust,  which  the  wind 
shakes  from  the  branches  in  such  profusion 
that  the  ground  for  a  considerable  distance 
about  the  tree  becomes  as  it  were  sheeted  with 
gold."  This  timber  is  so  durable,  that  some 
wooden  bridges  over  the  Jhelum,  which  were 
examined  four  hundred  years  after  their  erec- 
tion, were  found  little  decayed,  notwithstand- 
ing the  exposure  to  the  accidents  of  the  atmo- 
sphere, of  time,  and  of  constant  traffic.  We 
also  find  in  the  forests  of  Kashmir,  the  Pinus 
longifolia,  two  other  species  of  pine,  the  fir, 
and  the  juniper.  The  cypress  is  common  in 
gardens,  but  appears  to  have  been  introduced. 
The  chunar  {Platanus  orientalis),  although 
it  is  in  no  region  of  the  earth  found  in  such 
perfection  and  luxuriance  as  in  this  delightful 
valley,  is  also  looked  upon  as  an  exotic,  but 
its  importation  must  have  been  in  a  period 
long  past.     The  tasteful  caprice  of  the  Mogul 


442 


VEGETABLE    PRODUCTIONS    OF    THE    PUNJAB    AND    KASHMIR. 


emperors  enacted  a  regulation  that  a  grove  of 
chunars  and  poplars  should  adorn  every  vil- 
lage; and  accordingly,  throughout  the  length 
and  breadth  of  the  valley  this  arrangement  is 
to  be  observed.  A  heavy  penalty  protects 
them  from  destruction  ;  but  in  Kashmir,  as  in 
all  other  countries,  arbitrary  power  places 
itself  above  the  law,  and  the  Sikhs,  during 
their  period  of  unlimited  power,  destroyed 
many  of  these  magnificent  trees,  whose  wood 
is  much  admired  for  its  tenacious  grain.  The 
poplar  and  the  lime-tree  attain  a  great  height, 
the  wild  chestnut  far  surpasses  in  size  the 
European  variety.  Baron  Hugel  saw  some 
which,  from  the  ground  to  the  first  spread  of 
the  branches,  measured  a  hundred  feet,  while 
the  uppermost  foliage  would  overtop  the  tallest 
pine.  Maples,  willows,  and  wild  thorns  are 
common.  The  birch  and  alder  flourish  on  the 
mountain  sides,  where  a  weight  of  perpetual 
snow  continually  rests  upon  them,  so  that, 
while  their  length  is  usually  about  thirty 
feet,  they  seldom  rise  more  than  five  feet  above 
the  earth,  being  so  bent  down  by  the  super- 
incumbent mass.  The  inner  bark  of  the  birch, 
once  used  by  the  natives  as  a  material  to  write 
upon,  is  now  used  for  packing  fruits,  and  to 
wind  round  the  long  and  serpentine  tube  of 
the  hooka. 

Of  ornamental  trees  and  plants  an  abundant 
variety  exists.  The  sanjit,  a  species  of  Ele- 
agnus,  is  beautiful  in  appearance,  with  flowers 
of  exquisite  fragrance,  and  a  fruit  from  which 
liquor  not  inferior  to  the  juice  of  the  grape  is 
extracted.  On  the  mountains,  at  an  elevation 
■  of  eleven  thousand  feet  above  the  sea,  we  find 
the  juniper  and  the  rhododendron.  There  is 
one  species  of  Daphne  and  several  of  berberry, 
one  of  which  is  covered  with  clusters  of  blue 
berries  of  considerable  size  and  sweet  taste. 

To  those  who  have  seen  the  poetical  praises 
lavished  on  Kashmir,  with  its  green  hills  and 
bright  lakes,  its  fairy  vales  and  countless 
flowers,  its  gardens,  groves,  and  floating 
islands,  its  balmy  air  and  blue  sky,  its  oval 
frame  of  hills,  whose  snowy  summits  never 
gave  back  the  echo  of  a  human  voice,  with 
its  rocks  and  its  rivers,  its  torrents,  and  the 
sublimity  of  its  scenery,  it  may  appear  strange 
that  the  traveller  should  not  oftener  select  it 
to  be  the  scene  of  his  wanderings.  But  so  it 
is.  Thousands  of  spots  on  this  earth's  sur- 
face lie  untrodden  save  by  the  feet  of  their 
own  rude  dwellers,  from  year  to  year,  and, 
like  the  flower  of  the  desert,  waste  their 
beauty,  either  on  the  empty  solitude,  or  the 
unadmiring  eye  of  the  savage.  Other  spots, 
far  less  attractive,  are  visited  by  wanderers 
from  all  parts  of  the  v/orld,  trampled  by  the 
heels  of  uncounted  travellers,  and  described 
until  the  ear  is  weary  of  their  names.  Kashmir 
is -among  tlie  neglected  beauties  of  the  earth. 


One  reason  for  this  may  perhaps  be  the 
fortification  of  mountains,  lofty,  rugged,  and 
snow-clad  as  they  are,  which  hem  it  in  on  all 
sides,  and  deny  the  sight  of  its  beauty  to  all 
save  the  adventurous  and  the  energetic. 

The  rose,  wild  and  cultivated,  flowers  in 
vast  profusion  here,  and  frequently  the  breeze 
is  literally  loaded  with  its  scent,  Syringa, 
jasmine,  ivy,  and  a  species  of  Smilax  also  grow. 
Various  kinds  of  Chrysanthema  and  Primulae 
flourish  wild,  with  the  lily,  the  narcissus,  the 
crocus,  the  iris,  and  countless  flowers  of 
annual  bloom.  Ferns  are  scarce,  but  funguses 
abundant.  The  edible  kinds  are  gathered  in 
large  quantities  for  home  consumption  and  for 
trade.  The  fruits  of  Kashmir  are  excellent 
and  numerous.  Those  which  attain  most  per- 
fection are  the  apple,  the  pear,  the  peach,  the 
apricot,  the  plum,  the  almond,  the  pomegra- 
nate, the  mulberry,  the  walnut,  the  hazel-nut, 
the  pistachio,  and  the  melon.  Oranges  and 
lemons  have  on  several  occasions  been  intro- 
duced, but  never  with  success,  since  the  cold 
of  winter  has  invariably  destroyed  them. 

These  fruits  grow  both  wild  and  cultivated. 
But  there  is  another  species  which  affords 
almost  exclusive  subsistence  to  twenty  thou- 
sand persons,  which  requires  no  attention 
from  man.  This  is  the  singhara  {Traya  M- 
spinosa)  or  water-nut.  It  grows  in  the  great 
Wulur  lake  in  such  immense  profusion,  that 
according  to  several  writers,  sixty  thousand 
tons  of  the  seeds  are  raised  every  year.  The 
nuts  are  eaten  either  raw,  boiled,  roasted,  or 
ground  into  flour  and  made  into  gruel. 

Another  article  of  food  is  the  Nymphcea 
Lotus,  or  Egyptian  water-lily,  which,  with  its 
light  foliage  and  large  poppy-like  rose-co- 
loured flowers,  spreads  itself  over  the  city 
lake,  and  presents  a  spectacle  of  singular 
beauty.  Its  flowers  and  leaves  are  never 
covered  by  water.  The  beans  it  bears  are 
eaten  unripe,  and  the  stalks,  boiled,  are  con- 
sidered a  palatable  and  useful  food. 

Rice,  however,  is  the  principal  article  of 
cultivation,  as  well  as  the  staple  food  of  the 
inhabitants  of  the  valley.  Great  skill  is  em- 
ployed in  its  culture,  and  this  is  generally 
rewarded  with  a  full  measure  of  success,  in 
consequence  of  the  genial  climate,  the  rich 
soil,  and  the  abundance  of  water.  Thirty  or 
forty-fold  is  the  common  return,  but  it  is  not 
unusually  as  high  as  fifty  or  sixty.  Wheat, 
barley,  millet,  and  Indian  corn  are  also  raised, 
with  large  quantities  of  gram,  buck-wheat, 
and  amaranth  ( Gelosia  cristata).  But  per- 
haps the  feature  most  worthy  of  attention  in 
the  agricultural  economy  of  Kashmir,  is  the 
practice  of  producing  crops  of  cucumbers  and 
melons,  in  floating  gardens  on  the  lakes. 
Thornton  supplies  an  excellent  description  of 
the  method  pursued  : — 


THE    STATISTICS    OF   NUTMEGS. 


443 


"  For  forming  these  islands,  choice  is  made 
of  a  shallow  part  of  the  lake,  overgrown  with 
reeds  and  other  aquatic  plants,  which  are  cut 
off  ahout  two  feet  below  the  surface,  and 
then  pressed  close  to  each  other,  without  other- 
wise disturbing  the  position  in  which  they 
grew.  They  are  subsequently  mowed  down 
nearly  to  the  surface,  and  the  parts  thus  taken 
off  are  spread  evenly  over  the  floats  and  covered 
with  a  thin  layer  of  mud  drawn  up  from  the 
bottom.  On  the  level  thus  formed  are  ar- 
ranged, close  to  each  other,  conical  heaps  of 
weeds,  about  two  feet  across  and  two  high, 
having  each  at  top  a  small  hollow  filled  with 
fresh  mud.  In  each  hollow  are  set  three  plants 
of  cucumber  or  melon,  and  no  further  care 
or  trouble  is  required  but  to  gather  the  pro- 
duce, which  is  invariably  fine  and  abundant. 
Each  bed  is  about  two  yards  wide;  the  length 
is  variable ;  the  bed  is  kept  in  its  place  by  a 
stake  sent  through  it  at  each  end  and  driven 
to  the  bottom  of  the  lake.  The  melons  pro- 
duced in  this  way  are  obviously  wholesome, 
as  those  who  live  entirely  on  them  during  the 
season  become  very  fat." 

A  small  amount  of  tobacco  of  good  quality 
is  cultivated,  and  a  large  quantity  of  cotton 
for  the  manufacture  of  a  species  of  cloth. 
Almost  all  Hindostan  is  supplied  with  saf- 
fron from  Kashmir.  This  is  produced  almost 
exclusively  in  Pampur,  a  district  on  the  right 
bank  of  the  Jhelum,  from  three  different 
varieties  of  crocus,  of  which  the  root  of  one 
continues  productive  for  five,  another  for 
eight,  and  another  for  fifteen  years.  Vegetable 
oil  being  much  in  request  among  the  natives 
as  an  ingredient  of  food,  sesame,  mustard,  flax, 
hemp,  and  other  plants,  are  cultivated  for 
the  purpose  of  obtaining  it.  From  wild  hemp 
a  decoction  of  an  intoxicating  quality  is  pro- 
cured. Grapes  would  flourish  well  in  this 
sunny  valley,  but  the  culture  and  management 
of  the  vine,  and  the  manufacture  of  wine,  are 
not  understood.  Consequently,  little  care  is 
bestowed  on  it. 

Of  vegetables,  the  kidney-bean,  the  turnip, 
the  cabbage,  the  beet-root,  the  radish,  with 
the  capsicum,  and,  according  to  Huge!,  fifteen 
sorts  not  known  in  Europe  are  grown.  Grass 
and  clover  are  abundant,  so  that  in  trees,  in 
fruits,  in  grains,  in  vegetables,  as  in  flowers 
and  ornamental  plants,  Kashmir  is  equal  in 
its  wealth  to  almost  any  region  on  the  face 
of  the  earth.  But  the  blight  of  bad  govern- 
ment, everywhere  of  such  destroying  power, 
has  fallen  like  a  curse  on  this  fair  valley,  to 
obstruct  the  processes  of  nature,  as  well  as  to 
paralyse  the  industry  of  man,  and  prevent  the 
free  diifusion  of  knowledge.  If,  therefore,  in 
Kashmir,  as  in  the  Punjab,  in  spite  of  so 
many  injurious  influences,  of  so  many  coun- 
teracting agencies,  we  find  the  earth  so  abun- 


dant and  fertile,  supplying  in  neglected  spots 
the  culture  of  man  by  the  lavish  growth  of 
nature,  what  a  rich  development  of  vegetable 
resources  might  we  not  look  for,  were  the 
cultivation  of  the  earth  carefully  watched, 
and  the  processes  of  agriculture  improved. 
Whether  in  trees,  fruits,  grains,  or  vegetables, 
to  support  the  people,  or  in  flowers  and  shrubs 
for  adornment,  both  regions  are  rich  beyond 
description  ;  and  in  this,  perhaps,  we  may 
find  some  answer  to  the  arguments  at  least  of 
those  who  contend  that  in  setting  up  the 
standard  of  our  power  in  the  Punjab,  we  have 
extended  our  influence  over  unproductive 
wastes,  whose  lands  are  altogether  incapable 
of  bearing  valuable  crops  to  repay  the  labour 
of  the  husbandman.  To  enter  into  a  descrip- 
tion of  the  various  processes  of  tillage,  the 
gardens,  the  flelds,  the  groves,  and  the  other 
features  of  the  valley,  regarded  from  this 
point  of  view,  would  require  more  space  than 
we  can  allot  to  it.  Nor  can  we  minutely  or 
scientifically  describe  the  various  plants  which 
are  not  commonly  known  in  England.  These 
rambling  observations,  however,  may  possibly 
not  have  been  without  their  interest  for  those 
of  our  readers  desirous  of  having  their  memory 
refreshed  with  respect  to  the  character  of  the 
soil,  and  the  aspect  of  vegetable  nature,  in  the 
new  province  which  has  lately  been  added  to 
their  possessions  in  the  East.  Next  to  the 
knowledge  of  our  own  country,  the  knowledge 
of  the  dependencies  of  that  country  is  most 
requisite,  and  the  branch  of  information  we 
have  touched  upon  is  not  the  least  important 
in  the  list. 


THE  STATISTICS  OF  NUTMEGS.* 

The  statistics  of  nutmegs  are  very  imper- 
fect, but  still  we  have  sufficient  data  to  enable 
us  to  form  some  estimate  of  the  cultivation 
and  production,  in  the  different  parts  of  the 
Indian  Archipelago,  where  the  plant  is  culti- 
vated. In  the  Straits'  settlements  the  culti- 
vation is  extending  very  largely,  and  the 
production  of  course  keeps  pace  with  it.  It 
was  only  in  the  beginning  of  the  present  cen- 
tury that  nutmeg-planting  was  introduced 
into  Pinang,  a  number  of  spice  plants  having 
been  imported  from  Amboyna  by  the  East 
India  Company.  The  government,  after  some 
time,  sold  their  gardens,  in  which  they  had 
planted  the  clove  and  nutmeg  trees  ;  but  the 
cultivation  would  appear  to  have  made  little 
progress  at  first,  as  in  1810  we  find  that  there 
were  only  about  13,000  trees  on  the  island, 
a  few  hundreds  being  all  that  were  in  bearing. 
In  1818  the  number  of  bearing  ti'ees  had  in- 

*  From  the  "  Journal  of  the  Indian  Archipelago." 


444 


FLOWERS  THE  LEADING  EMBELLISHMENTS  OF  ARTISTIC  DESIGNS. 


creased  to  6,900.  In  1843  there  were  75,402 
trees  in  bearing,  and  1 1 1 ,289  not  in  bearing, 
besides  males,  and  52,510  in  nurseries.  The 
cultivation  has  been  steadily  increasing  since 
that  date,  and  the  greater  part  of  the  trees 
then  planted  out  but  not  bearing  much,  must 
now  be  yielding  fruit.  The  number  of  bear- 
ing trees  in  Province  Wellesley  in  1843  was 
10,500;  not  bearing,  7,307,  besides  males  and 
a  number  in  the  nursery.  The  total  number 
of  nuts  produced  by  the  Pinang  and  Province 
Wellesley  trees  in  1842  was  18,560,281,  and 
42,866  lbs.  of  mace. 

Nutmeg  trees  were  first  introduced  into 
Singapore  in  1818.  In  1843  the  total  number 
of  trees  was  estimated  at  43,544,  of  which 
5,317  were  in  bearing,  the  produce  being 
stated  at  842,328  nuts.  In  1848,  according 
to  the  table  given  by  Dr.  Oxley,  the  total 
number  of  trees  planted  out  was  estimated  at 
55,925,  of  which  the  number  in  bearing  were 
14,914,  and  the  produce  4,085,361  nuts,  be- 
sides mace,  which  is  estimated  at  about  1  lb. 
for  every  433  nutmegs.  In  Singapore  the 
cultivation  is  extending  very  rapidly.  The 
increase  does  not  take  place  gradually ;  but 
every  now  and  then,  when  some  person  with 
capital  enters  upon  it,  hi  seems  to  i-eceive  a 
large  impetus,  the  example  set  by  one  appear- 
ing to  incite  others  to  embark  in  it.  In  one 
district  in  Singapore  this  has  been  very  appa- 
rent. The  district  of  Tanglin,  in  the  begin- 
ning of  1843,  consisted  of  barren  looking  hills 
covered  with  short  brushwood  and  lalang, 
wliich  had  sprung  up  in  deserted  Gambir 
.plantations.  Immediately  upon  the  regula- 
tion for  granting  land  in  perpetuity  being 
promulgated,  in  the  middle  of  that  year  a  great 
part  of  the  district  was  cleared,  and  nutmeg 
plantations  formed,  and  there  cannot  now  be 
less  than  10,000  trees  planted  out  in  it.  A 
number  of  Chinese  are  at  present  forming 
plantations  in  difierent  parts  of  the  island ; 
one  Chinaman  has  commenced  planting,  which 
he  intends  doing  to  the  extent  of  5,000  trees, 
and  we  are  aware  of  various  other  individuals 
who  propose  to  form  plantations  of  greater  or 
less  extent. 


During  the  occupation  of  Bencoolen  by  the 
English,  the  nutmeg  and  clove  were  intro- 
duced from  the  Moluccas,  and  in  1819  the 
number  of  nutmeg  trees  was  stated  at  109,429. 
Eegarding  their  present  number  we  have  no 
information. 

The  spice  trade  of  the  Molucca  islands  being 
a  strict  monopoly,  very  few  particulars  are 
known  regarding  the  extent  of  the  cultivation 
or  the  amount  of  the  produce.  The  average 
quantity  of  nutmegs  annually  sold  by  the 
Dutch  East  India  Company  in  Europe  during 
the  last  century  has  been  estimated  at 
250,000  lbs.  besides  about  100,000  lbs.  sold  in 
India.  Of  Mace,  the  average  quantity  sold 
in  Europe  was  reckoned  at  90,000  lbs.  per 
annum,  and  10,000  lbs.  in  India.  The  trade, 
although  so  jealously  guarded  by  the  Dutch, 
has  never  been  a  very  profitable  one  to  them, 
the  expenses  being  heavy.  In  1 779  the  charges 
atBanda  amounted  to  146,170  francs,  and  the 
revenue  derived  from  the  duties  on  imports 
&c.  to  9,350  francs,  leaving  an  excess  for  the 
charges  of  1 36,820  francs  to  be  deducted  from 
the  profit  on  the  spices ;  and  the  large  quan- 
tities of  spices  frequently  burnt  in  Holland, 
on  which  heavy  charges  for  freight  &c.  must 
have  been  incurred,  must  have  also  formed 
a  serious  deduction  from  the  gross  profit  de- 
rived from  those  sold.  In  1814,  when  in 
possession  of  the  English,  the  number  of 
nutmeg  trees  planted  out  was  estimated  at 
570,500,  of  which  480,000  were  in  bearing, 
including  65,000  monoecious  trees.  The  pro- 
duce of  the  Moluccas  has  been  reckoned  at 
from  600,000  lbs.  to  700,000  lbs.  per  annum, 
of  which  one-half  goes  to  Europe,  and  about 
one-fourth  that  quantity  of  mace.  The  impox'ts 
into  Java  from  the  Eastern  Archipelago  in 
1843  consisted  of  nutmegs  2133"29  piculs, 
and  of  mace  486"  63  piculs.  The  amount  of 
nutmegs  exported  from  Java  during  the  ten 
years  ending  in  1834  averaged  yearly  about 
352,226  lbs.,  and  during  the  eleven  years 
ending  in  1845  about  664,060  lbs.  yearly. 
The  quantity  of  mace  exported  during  the  first 
period  averaged  94,304  lbs.  yearly,  and  during 
the  last,  169,460  lbs.  yearly. 


FLOWERS  THE  LEADING  EMBELLISHMENTS  OF  ARTISTIC  DESIGNS. 


Floriculture  is  becoming  the  universal 
favourite  among  all  classes.  Even  those  who 
cannot  indulge  in  the  practice  aid  those  who 
do,  and  the  adoption  of  flowers  as  ornaments 
in  the  designs  for  almost  everything,  says 
much  for  the  advance  of  that  taste  which  is 
conducive  to  the  advancement  of  the  garden 
interests.  That  civilized  people  should  love 
flowers  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  for  the  rich- 


est perfumes  and  the  most  brilliant  colours 
are  associated  with  them,  but  it  is  a  great  step 
in  advance  when  the  manufacturei's  of  all  kinds 
of  ware  take  flowers  for  their  principal  em- 
bellishments, and  upon  the  most  lovely  pro- 
ductions of  the  garden,  confer  the  honour  of 
imitation.  If  we  saw  a  vase  for  holding 
flowers  ornamented  with  the  rose,  the  tulip, 
or  any  popular  subject  in  the  parterre,  we 


FLOWERS  THE  LEADING  EMBELLISHMENTS  OF  ARTISTIC  DESIGNS. 


445 


should  think  it  rational,  and 
rejoice  that  flowers  were  not 
at  a  discount ;  but  when  we 
see    the    School  of  Design 
adopting  flowers    for    their 
foundation,     and     bringing 
them  in  alike  for  all  things, 
we   have  to  notice   it  as  a 
proof  of  the  increasing  love 
of  the  subject,   and  we   are 
glad  to  adduce  it  as  one   of 
the  many  evidences   of  the 
advance  of  floriculture.     In 
noticing  this  subject  we  have 
to  glance  at  a  useful  and  im- 
portant   institution    that    is 
rapidly  changing  the  whole 
system  of  our  manufactures. 
The  School  of  Design  is  pro- 
ducing hundreds  of  changes; 
by  and  by  we  shall  have  ra- 
tional if  not  perfect  designs 
for    everything,    and   fortu- 
nately the  A.rt  Journal,  one  of  the  very  best 
as  well  as   cheapest   of  the  periodicals,    has 
taken  upon  itself  the  task  of  publishing  all 
the  better  kind  of  designs.     For  some  of  the 
embellishments  we  are  indebted  to  the  pro- 
prietors  of  that  work,    who   have    liberally 
allowed   us  to  take  any  of  those  relating  to 
our    subject,   and   who   have  in  no  instance 
been  sparing  of  pains  or  cost  to  publish  de- 
signs worthy  of  a  place.     One  that  is  illus- 
trative of  the  disposition  to  make  flowers  form 
the  principal  ornament  of  modern  subjects  is 
the  annexed  design  for  a  candelabrum,  or  pillar 
light  for  the  table,  the  sideboard,  or  the  hall 
pedestal.     It  is  a  beautifully  chaste  group  of 
lilies,  with  appropriate  supporters,  and  shows 
off  to  great  advantage  the  beauty  of  floral 
decoration ;   scarcely  anything    can    be  pro- 
cured more  graceful  or  more  manageable  than 
flowers  for  a  subject  like  this.     There  is  no 
want  of  a  second  subject,  although  we  have 
the  stem  supported  by  children,  emblems  of 
innocence  and    purity  like   the    lilies   above 
them.     We  need  not  attempt  to  describe  a 
subject  which  speaks  for  itself,  nor  ought  we 
to  criticise  all  the  minute  parts  of  a  flower, 
for  artists  like  heralds  will,  to  a  certain  ex- 
tent, sacrifice  something  for  the  sake  of  conven- 
tional notions  of  propriety  as  concerns  their 
art,  rather  than  copy  the  flowers  from  which 
they  are  taking  their  ideas.    It  wil  be  conceded 
that  the  design  is,  as  a  whole,  very  beautiful. 
In  the  next  design,  which  we  take  from 
the   same   source,    we   have   a   specimen   of 
another  kind,  well  adapted  for   a  basket  of 
flowers,  to  form  a  splendid  ornament  for  the 
hall  or  the  i  conservatory.     Here  the  subject, 
being  intended  for  flowers,  is  less  indebted  to 
those  beautiful  objects  than  the  former  one. 


446 


FLOWERS  THE  LEADING  EMBELLISHMENTS  OF  ARTISTIC  DESIGNS. 


In  fact,  the  only  appropriation  from  the  garden 
is  a  leaf  or  two,  but  nothing  could  be  more 
adapted  for  a  basket  of  flowers,  or  could  form  a 
prettier  ornament  in  the  conservatory  or 
drawing-room,  to  be  filled  with  plants  and 
flowers.  "Whether  the  artists  consider  at  the 
time  they  design  a  thing,  any  of  the  uses  it 
may  be  put  to,  or  not,  is  doubtful,  but  the 
most  trifling  alteration  would  make  this 
do  for  twenty  different  subjects.     It  would 


We  may  take  an  after  opportunity  of  exhibiting 
some  other  designs  of  the  School,  with  a  view 
of  improving  some  of  those  things  which  are 


be  as  good  for  a  font  or  a  fountain ;  as  beau- 
tiful in  the  centre  of  a  table  as  the  centre 
of  the  lawn ;  and,  by  the  same  reasoning,  a 
wine-cooler  would  be  quite  as  good  for  a 
flower-pot.  As  an  instance  of  this,  let  us 
select  from  the  Art  Journal  one  or  two  more 
cuts  to  illustrate  this  position. 

What  can  be  more  elegant,  when  well  flUed 
with  a  well-grown  plant,  than  a  well-propor- 
tioned ornamental  pot ;  and  be  it  remembered, 
that  the  design  for  anything  may  be  altered 
in  proportions  to  suit  any  subject  without 
essentially  altering  its  character.  One  of  the 
following  designs  would  be  excellent  for  a 
flower-pot,  whether  shortened  a  little,  or  used 
in  its  present  form,  or  modified  in  any  way. 


in  constant  use,  but  which  are  common  and 
tasteless,  instead  of  being  rendered  appro- 
priate. At  the  close  of  this  article  we  have 
another  specimen  from  the  School  of  Design  ; 
and  we  seriously  recommend  all  those  who  are 
not  acquainted  with  the  institution  to  seek 
information  on  the  subject. 

It  is  almost  impossible  to  think  of  any  ar- 
ticle now,  from  a  common  bodkin  to  a  door- 
post, from  a  pair  of  scissors  to  a  pair  of  tongs, 
that  is  not  the  subject  of  sundry  designs. 
The  pattern  of  a  snuffer-tray,  and  that  of  a 
salver,  are  alike  the  invention  of  many  who 
try  their  hands  at  design,  and  we  are  glad  to 
see  so  much  talent  engaged  on  subjects  of  no 
intrinsic  value  when  produced,  because  a 
good  pattern  is  as  cheap  as  a  bad  one.  Ar- 
ticles for  domestic  use — the  poker,  shovel, 
and  tongs  ;  the  teapot,  the  butter-boat,  the 
very  plate  we  eat  from,  are  no  longer  to  be 
the  common  patterns  we  have  been  used  to. 
They  are  the  subjects  of  emulation  in  the 
production  of  new  but  appropriate  forms,  and 
the  Art  Journal  teems  with  engravings  of 
those  considered  the  best  and  the  most  worthy 
to  be  followed  in  the  manufacture  of  things 
hitherto  only  seen  as  plain  and  as  ugly  as 
common  prices  and  bad  taste  can  make  them. 
Vases  for  flowers,  stands  for  flower-pots, 
garden  seats,  and  a  thousand  other  things, 
testify  to  the  improved  taste  among  our  ma- 
nufactures, and  the  time  is  rapidly  approach- 
ing when  everything  plain  will  be  discarded. 
The  present  engravings  are,  as  we  have 
already  said,  from  the  Art  Journal,  in  which 
the  best  novelties  from  the  School  of  Design 
regularly  appear,  and  soon  will  be  the  means 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN OCTOBER. 


447 


of  changing  tlie  features  of  almost  every 
article  in  use  from  common,  plain,  or  familiar 
patterns  to  new  and  appropriate  fashions  ; 
but  in  no  case  could  there  be  more  accom- 


plished thnn  in  vases,  flower-pots,  flower- 
stands,  and  garden-seats,  if  the  manufacturers 
would  look  about  them,  and  profit  by  the 
lessons  to  be  found  in  the  Art  Journal, 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

BY  A  TUTOR  AND  HIS  PUPIL,  IN  THE  MONTH  OP  OCTOBER. 


A  SHARP  frost  has  altered  the  appearance 
of  many  things  ;  especially  in  the  quarter 
wherein  the  dahlias  are  planted  does  the 
change  seem  remarkable.  Those  splendid 
flowers  escaped  through  September,  which  is 
seldom  the  case,  and  but  yesterday  seemed 
more  gay  than  ever.  To  be  sure,  when  we 
went  close  to  them  the  individual  flowers 
showed  weakness,  but  as  garden  ornaments 
they  were  literally  covered  with  beautiful 
tints  and  .were  the  brightest  of  all  the  remain- 
ing tenants  of  the  borders.  To-day  what  are 
they,  a  mass  of  black  decaying  foliage,  and 
discoloured  flowers  scarcely  indicate,  except 
in  the  decided  contrasts,  what  colour  they 
had  been.  The  Michaelmas  daisies  seem  hurt 
but  not  killed,  and  the  chrysanthemums,  which 
'  were  opening,  seem  scarcely  to  be  affected  at 
all.  The  gardener  will  at  once  remove  the 
dahlias,  for  they  entirely  destroy  the  fine 
appearance  of  the  garden.  The  soil  of  the 
tulip  bed  which  we  saw  dug  out  and  laid  on 
each  side  is  now  being  turned  over  ;  this  is 
to  sweeten  the  mould,  as  it  lets  air  into  it  in 
every  pai't ;  for  it  must  be  borne  in  mind  that 
nothing  is  more  essential  to  the  healthy 
growth  of  plants,  than  stirring  the  soil  about 


to  let  the  atmosphere  operate  on  eveiy  part. 
Ground  worms  are  very  troublesome  where 
they  abound,  but  they  are  excellent  garden- 
ers, for  they  keep  the  earth  open  when  it 
would  be  otherwise  run  close  together  by  the 
constant  rains,  and  would  be  impervious  to 
air  altogether  but  for  these  busy  but  dis- 
agreeable looking  creatures,  who  literally  bore 
the  ground  in  all  directions  and  make  their 
way  through  the  top  ;  when  this  tulip  soil 
has  been  turned  once  or  twice  more,  it  will  be 
returned  to  the  bed  ready  for  planting  next 
month.  The  same  operation  is  being  perr 
formed  on  these  long  beds,  which  are  appro- 
priated to  the  surplus  stock  of  tulips,  and  the 
offsets  which  are  too  small  for  blooming,  and 
which  will  all  be  planted  this  month,  because 
many  are  small  and  would  shrivel  up  and  die 
before  the  ordinary  planting  time,  which 
round  London  is  on  or  about  Lord  Mayor's- 
day,  the  9th  of  November.  Those  further 
beds  are  preparing  for  the  common  ranun- 
culuses which  are  planted  in  the  autumn, 
and  will  be  inserted  in  drills  six  inches  apart. 
In  the  broad  border  the  man  is  taking  off 
large  pieces  from  the  patches  of  lupines, 
phloxes,  and  other  herbaceous  perennials,  and 


448 


A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN OCTOBER. 


he  is  parting  the  primroses  and  polyanthuses 
that  he  left  undone  last  month.  It  is  better  to 
do  this  always  directly  they  have  done  flower- 
ing, but  every  man  has  his  own  way  of  doing 
things.  I  approve  of  early  parting,  because 
there  is  ample  time  for  the  roots  to  spread, 
and  the  plants  to  get  strong  for  blooming. 
That  bed  of  wallflowers,  two-year  stocks, 
sweetwilliams,  rockets,  &c.j  is  much  too 
crowded,  but  they  have  only  been  nursed 
there  for  planting  out ;  now  while  the  gar- 
dener is  making  up  the  border  where  he  is 
adjusting  the  size  of  perennials  to  be  left 
there,  he  will  plant  out  all  these  biennials  for 
blooming.  This  would  be  the  month  for  a 
general  rout  in  the  gardens,  and  for  planting 
bulbs  to  bloom  in  the  spring  ;  but  as  garden- 
ers are  very  unwilling  to  disturb  anything 
while  there  is  flower  upon  it,  the  border  is  not 
disturbed  more  than  necessary  ;  besides,  there 
are  the  colchicums  and  other  autumnal  flowers 
yet  underground,  and  it  does  not  do  to  dis- 
turb things  too  much,  for  fear  of  damaging 
what  is  out  of  sight.  Many  persons  plant 
nearly  all  these  bulbs  this  month,  but  next  is 
quite  time  enough. 

Observe  how  the  man  is  preparing  all  the 
winter  quarters  for  the  pinks,  picotees,  car- 
nations, pansies,  cinerarias,  and  other  plants 
in  pots.  The  former  have  all  been  washed, 
the  bottoms  cleaned  out,  and  the  plants  half 
of  them  stored  for  the  cold  season,  which  may 
be  looked  for  now  every  day. 

You  should  take  notice  of  the  different  de- 
grees of  hardiness  in  the  different  tribes  of 
plants;  the  last  night's  frost,  which  has  totally 
ruined  the  dahlias,  and  cut  off  all  the  gera- 
niums in  the  garden,  has  no  effect  upon  many 
things,  which  perhaps  three  or  four  more 
degrees  of  cold  would  kill  altogether.  Still 
plants  are  very  badly  described  in  catalogues; 
for  instance,  we  see  among  hardy  annuals 
some  subjects  which  are  cut  down  by  the 
slightest  frost ;  witness  the  common  nastur- 
tium,— the  leaves  of  those  are  as  black  as  those 
of  the  dahlia,  yet  that  is  called  a  hardy  an- 
nual. I  could  go  on  with  this  subject  some 
time,  but  it  would  seem  that  the  only  idea 
the  seedsmen  have  of  hardiness  is,  that  when 
an  annual  will  bear  sowing  in  the  open  air, 
come  up,  bloom,  and  ripen  its  seed,  it  is  called 
hardy.  Now  I  have  known  the  balsam  to  do 
all  this,  but  that  is  nevertheless  called  tender. 

The  kitchen  garden  is  in  excellent  order. 
All  the  places  on  which  there  were  other 
crops  that  have  been  cleared,  are  filled  up 
with  the  various  kinds  of  vegetables.  The 
man  who  is  digging  has  just  taken  up  all  the 
carrots  in  that  piece  of  gi'ound,  and  is  leaving 
it  in  ridges  as  he  goes  on,  so  that  it  is  not 
intended  to  crop  that  for  the  present.  It  will, 
perhaps,  have  dung  laid  in  the  ridges  early  in 


the  spring,  potatos  laid  on  the  dung,  and  the 
ridges  levelled  to  cover  them.  This  will 
always  give  a  heavy  crop,  but  not  always  of 
the  best  quality.  Or  it  may  be,  that  the 
ground  will  be  levelled,  dung  forked  into  it, 
and  peas,  or  beans,  planted  on  it ;  that,  how- 
ever, is  unimportant,  but  it  is  very  important 
to  take  cai-e  that  long  deep-rooted  plants 
should  not  be  sown  on  the  same  piece  of 
ground  twice  following.  Carrots,  parsnips, 
beet-root,  and  such  like,  should  never  follow 
one  another,  but  should  be  succeeded  by  peas, 
beans,  spinach,  lettuce,  and  other  crops  that 
do  not  penetrate  the  earth  so  deep.  It  is  also 
well  to  dung  the  ground  once  in  a  season,  but 
not  for  every  crop.  Observe  how  thickly  the 
cabbage-plants  are  set  together  in  the  rows, 
not  more  than  six  inches  apart.  The  inten- 
tion of  this  is,  that  two  out  of  three,  or  three 
out  of  four,  may  be  drawn  as  soon  as  they  are 
large  enough  to  cut  as  greens  ;  and  they  form 
excellent  winter  greens,  while  those  left  at 
proper  distances  to  cabbage,  are  none  the 
worse  for  having  been  pretty  closely  invested 
when  young. 

There  is  now  coming  a  period  wherein  the 
practice  in  the  garden  is  hardly  varied  by 
anything  but  weather.  If  the  next  two 
months  are  open  and  mild,  there  will  scarcely 
be  a  change  in  the  management  of  the  garden, 
the  whole  time  hoeing  between  the  crops, 
earthing  up  young  plants,  clearing  off  the 
remains  of  crops  that  are  going,  or  gone  off, 
and  such  like.  Covering  tender  things  of  a 
night,  and  other  measures  of  protection  to 
those  subjects  which  require  it,  are  things  of 
course. 

The  greenhouse  is  again  filled  with  its 
usual  plants,  many  of  them  larger  than  they 
were  last  year,  and  in  pots  which  give  their 
roots  more  room.  Every  place  under  glass  is 
crowded ;  indeed,  greatly  too  much  so.  It  is 
highly  improper  to  place  plants  too  close  toge- 
ther ;  they  want  air  and  light,  and  they  should 
not  only  not  touch,  but  they  should  not  be  near 
touching.  The  consequence  of  crowding  is, 
that  every  plant  must  have  a  dark  side,  and 
that  side  cannot  grow  as  well  as  the  light  side. 
Nobody  can  grow  plants  handsomely  without 
giving  them  room  all  round.  The  forcing- 
house  has  already  some  tenants;  most  of  these 
plants  were  forced  last  year,  and  will  natu- 
rally be  ready  to  start  sooner  than  if  they  had 
bloomed  at  the  proper  season.  I  see  the  gar- 
dener has  occupied  a  top  shelf  there  with 
French  beans  ;  this  is  purely  an  experiment, 
but  the  truth  is,  anything  brought  from  seed 
is  much  easier  put  out  of  its  way  than  grown 
plants.  The  conservatory  now  depends  a 
good  deal  on  chrysanthemums  for  its  beauty, 
except  to  those  who  can  admire  plants  out  of 
flower. 


COBBETT  S    NOTIONS    OF    PRUNING. 


449 


COBBETT'S  NOTIONS  OF  PRUNING. 


The  Mid/and  Florist,  albeit  as  much  de- 
voted to  fruit  as  to  flowers,  thus  describes 
Cobbett's  notions  of  pruning  : — 

1.  The  inside  of  the  tree  is  to  be  kept  mo- 
derately clear  of  wood  of  any  sort,  which 
must  be  cut  out  for  that  purpose. 

2.  If  the  wood  is  considered  as  being  too 
close  or  too  crowded  in  any  other  part  of  the 
tree,  part  of  it  must  he  cut  away  to  leave  it 
more  open. 

3.  All  decayed  or  dead  branches  to  be  cut 
out. 

4.  All  branches  that  cross  one  another  to  be 
also  cut  out. 

5.  All  suckers  to  be  cut  close  to  the  ground. 

6.  Prune  the  remainder  of  the  tree  by  cut- 
ting the  last  year's  wood  down  to  the  last  bud 
upon  it,  or  at  most  leaving  not  more  than  two 
buds. 

Cobbett  is  a  good  authority  for  almost  any- 
thing practical,  unless  his  interest  touches  the 
question,  hence  his  general  gardening  is 
good  ;  but  he  was  not  quite  so  honest  in  the 
praise  of  his  Cobbett's  corn.  The  above  rules 
for  pruning  have  been  gathered  by  the  writer 
in  the  Midland  Florist,  who  may  or  may  not 
have  perfectly  understood  the  author  ;  but  we 
shall  deal  with  them  as  they  are  put  forth  by 
a  work  that  is  read  very  generally,  and  give 
our  notions  of  them  seriatim. 

First,  then,  "  the  inside  of  the  tree  is  to  be 
kept  moderately  clear  of  wood  of  any  sort, 
which  must  be  cut  out  for  that  purpose." 

It  is  quite  certain  that  one  half  our  English 
orchards  are  ruined  for  want  of  attention  to 
this  one  point.  We  see  everywhere  the  heads 
of  fruit-trees  a  mass  of  wood,  so  close  that 
neither  sun  nor  air  can  get  to  the  interior  ; 
and  when  in  full  leaf  even  the  light  can  hardly 
penetrate  ;  brushwood  like  a  thicket,  branches 
crossing  each  other  in  all  directions,  and  so 
close  that  nobody  could  climb  the  inside,  and 
consequently  the  whole  of  the  interior  of  the 
head  barren,  or  with  worthless  stunted  and 
blighted  fruit,  but  often  with  none  at  all ; 
noble  trees,  bearing  only  on  the  surface,  and 
even  there  bearing  very  inferior  fruit.  Com- 
mon sense  ought  to  inform  us  that  light,  air, 
and  sun  are  absolutely  necessary  for  the  per- 
fecting of  fruit  ;  and  we  have  for  years  en- 
deavoured to  inculcate  the  necessity  of  thin- 
ning out  standard  trees  as  carefully  as  we 
prune  w-all-fruit.  Some  kinds  of  trees  have  a 
tendency  to  grow  upright  branches,  and  it  is 
a  proper  course  then  to  make  tlie  head  of  the 
tree  form  a  kind  of  basket  ;  that  is,  by  keeping 
the  inside  quite  clear,  and  regulating  the 
branches  all  round.  If  we  began  with  trees 
young  enough,  there  are  many  sorts  that  would 
form  a  complete  funnel,  the  branches  growing 
-      50. 


outwards  and  upwards,  but  sloping  out  all  the 
way  round;  and  these  well  regulated  will  give 
fine  fruit  in  every  foot  of  their  growth,  because 
the  sun  reaches  the  inside  as  well  as  the  out- 
side, and  there  is  a  double  surface  to  act  upon ; 
but,  whatever  be  the  habit  of  the  tree,  we 
would  sooner  see  a  clovv^n  chopping  indiscrimi- 
nately with  his  billhook,  right  and  left,  till  he 
cleared  the  inside  of  the  head,  than  see  it 
crowded,  as  thousands  are,  to  the  detriment  of 
the  quantity  and  quality  of  the  crops.  Inju- 
dicious pruning  is  better  than  none  at  all.  It 
is  better  to  have  half  a  tree  bearing  well,  than 
a  thicket  of  stunted  and  blighted  produce, 
not  fit  for  use.  The  pruning  of  a  tree  is  a 
simple  operation;  and  Cobbett's  first  rule  cannot 
be  disputed — "  The  inside  of  the  head  must  be 
kept  moderately  clear  of  wood."  The  sun 
and  air  must  be  let  in,  and  all  the  barren  sticks 
and  brushwood  that  crowd  inside,  must  be  cut 
out  ;  nor  ought  the  size  or  supposed  value  of 
a  branch  to  stop  the  operation  :  better  have 
a  mere  skeleton,  and  let  new  and  healthy 
branches  grow,  than  allow  limbs  to  cross  and 
incommode  each  other.  Let  there  be  light.  Set 
about  your  orchards  in  earnest.  Cut  out 
enough  wood  to  keep  you  in  firing  all  the  win- 
ter ;  reduce  the  old  scrubby  head  one-half ; 
cut  the  middle  of  the  ti-ee  out  as  clear  as  if 
you  wanted  to  build  a  room  in  it.  Never 
calculate  how  many  less  apples,  or  pears,  or 
plums  you  may  have,  but  think  of  how  much 
larger  and  better  they  will  be,  and  of  half  the 
number  filling  the  bushel.  The  most  difiicult 
trees  to  manage  are  those  which  have  upright 
trunks  all  the  way  to  the  top ;  but  here  tlie 
work  is  straight  before  you.  It  is  quite  cer- 
tain you  cannot  cut  out  the  centre,  but  cut  off 
at  the  base,  close  to  the  trunk,  every  branch 
that  can  be  spared,  and  cut  oif  all  the  shoots 
along  those  branches  that  are  left  on,  for  a 
good  six  feet  from  the  trunk,  because  they 
cannot  bear  fruit  of  any  value,  as  the  light 
cannot  reach  them  ;  or  it  may  be  that  by 
taking  off  all  the  shoots  for  six  feet  next  the 
trunk,  and  thinning  the  others  out  even  to  the 
ends,  the  tree  may  be  open  enough  without 
losing  any  of  its  main  limbs.  At  all  events, 
be  not  afraid  of  the  knife  and  the  billhook  and 
the  saw,  for  they  are,  in  nine  cases  out  of  ten, 
the  only  requisites  to  renovate  trees  foolishly 
said  to  be  worn  out,  when  there  is  nothing 
the  matter  but  Avant  of  air  and  sun,  and  a 
little  curtailment  of  the  work  the  root  has  to 
perform.  We  only  wish  Mr.  Cobbett's  first 
rule  were  at  once  attended  to  all  over  the 
kingdom.  But  a  bad  example  has  a  sad  effect; 
and  when  we  see  market-gardens  full  of  fruit- 
trees  which  the  sun  cannot  penetrate,  we  need 
not  wonder  at  private  gentlemen  and  holders 

G  G 


450 


COBBETT  S    NOTIONS    OF    PRUNING. 


of  ordinary  gardens  falling  into  the  same 
error.  In  market-gai'dens  too  it  is  of  more  con- 
sequence than  in  common  orchai-ds,  because 
where  there  is  only  grass,  the  consequence  is 
not  very  great;  but  where  every  foot  of  ground 
has  an  under-crop  smothered  doubly  by  the 
denseness  of  the  trees  that  might  be  profitably 
lightened  and  opened,  it  is  the  more  to  be 
regretted  that  men  in  business  do  not  manage 
better.  Upon  the  whole,  then,  we  cannot  im- 
press too  strongly  on  the  minds  of  those  who 
possess  even  a  solitary  tree,  the  propriety  of 
at  once  conforming  to  the  rule  to  keep  the 
inside  of  that  tree  moderately  clear  of  Avood  of 
any  sort. 

2.  "  If  the  wood  is  considered  too  close  or 
crowded  in  any  other  part  of  the  tree,  part 
of  it  must  be  cut  away,  so  as  to  leave  it  more 
open." 

This  is  merely  following  out  the  principle 
to  the  ends  of  the  branches.  Besides  the  tree 
being  crowded  within,  it  may  also  be  crowded 
throughout.  The  first  thing  to  do,  in  this 
case,  is  to  cut  away  all  the  small  shoots  ;  that 
is,  those  shoots  which  are  thinner  than  usual, 
all  the  small  spindly  wood  that  cannot  bear  ; 
this  will  sometimes  thin  it  enough  to  give 
good  daylight  to  the  stronger  and  better 
branches.  It  is  the  crowding  that  causes 
weak  shoots,  and  it  is  possible  to  neglect  a 
tree  till  it  is  all  weak  together.  We  ought 
not  to  be  deterred  from  very  hard  pruning  by 
the  notion  that  the  tree  will  look  naked  and 
bare,  because  one  year's  growth  will  set  that 
to  rights,  with  much  better  wood.  In  a  gene- 
ral way,  when  a  tree  has  once  been  neglected 
until  it  is  crowded,  we  may  take  out  every 
other  branch  from  the  limbs,  and  every  other 
shoot  from  the  branches  that  are  left.  We 
must  not  expect  from  an  old  tree  to  be  able 
to  renovate  it  all  at  once,  and  form  it  into  the 
shape  we  wish,  but  we  may  do  something  to- 
wards it,  and  every  little  helps.  Every  shoot 
we  take  off,  gives  the  trunk  and  root  less  work 
to  do  ;  and  the  new  wood  induced  by  cutting 
away  the  old  will  be  healthy  and  strong.  How 
careful  is  the  good  gardener  with  his  wall 
trees!  He  wants  all  the  strength  in  the  wood 
he  is  going  to  keep,  and  he  rubs  off  the  buds 
when  they  come  where  they  are  not  wanted, 
that  he  may  not  lose  the  vigour  which  would 
be  distributed  among  branches  that  he  would 
have  to  remove.  We  wish  one-half  the  at- 
tention were  given  to  standard  trees,  especially 
in  their  young  state  ;  half  an  hour  expended 
in  rubbing  off  buds  of  young  growing  trees 
that  are  left  to  form,  or  rather  deform,  them- 
selves as  they  may,  would  make  a  wondQ.rful 
difference  in  the  after-growth  of  the  plant. 
When  we  consider  that  every  bud  rubbed  off 
is  the  prevention  of  two  or  three  feet  of  wood 
in  a  wrong  place,  and  an   encouragement  to 


the  increased  growth  of  those  in  the  right  one, 
it  is  enough  to  make  one  wonder  how  young 
trees  can  be  so  neglected.  At  present,  nobody 
seems  to  care  how  a  tree  grows  until  it  has 
arrived  at  a  considerable  size  ;  whereas  very 
little  attention,  during  the  first  stages  of  their 
growth,  would  make  all  handsome  alike,  for 
nothing  is  more  easy  to  control  while  young, 
though  obstinate  when  old,  than  a  tree. 

3.  "  All  decayed  or  dead  branches  to  be 
cut  out." 

This,  we  apprehend,  wants  no  confirmation; 
but  though  it  applies  forcibly  to  old  trees, 
there  are  seldom  either  decayed  or  dead 
branches  to  young  .ones.  The  first  symptoms 
of  injury  or  decay  is  the  dying  of  the  ends  of 
the  branches.  It  is  manifest  then  that  the 
supply  of  nutriment  is  insufficient,  or  that  the 
roots  have  reached  something  they  do  not  like. 
In  a  general  pruning,  the  dead  and  decaying 
branches  would  naturally  be  the  first  we  re- 
moved, but  supposing  the  tree  wanted,  to  all 
appearance,  nothing  more  than  the  removal  of 
decaying  or  dead  branches,  we  ought,  in  all 
cases,  to  take  the  hint.  When  branches  die 
for  want  of  a  proper  supply  of  nourishment, 
we  ought  unquestionably  to  reduce  the  head, 
even  if  there  were  neither  of  the  faults  already 
anticipated  ;  that  is  to  say,  if  the  head  were 
open  and  the  tree  in  proper  order,  as  far  as 
pruning  was  concerned.  The  only  chance  of 
preserving  that  tree  in  health  some  time 
longer  would  be  to  reduce  the  head  very  con- 
siderably. Independently,  therefore,  of  cut- 
ting away  all  decaying  and  dead  branches, 
cut  rather  vigorously  at  those  that  can  be  best 
spared  among  the  living  ones,  that  by  giving 
the  root  less  to  do,  the  remainder  may  be  done 
better. 

4.  "  All  branches  that  cross  one  another  to 
be  also  cut  out." 

Nothing  but  gross  neglect  while  young  can 
overlook  branches  that  cross  one  another,  yet, 
strange  as  it  may  appear,  it  is  as  common  in 
an  old  orchard  to  see  such  branches  in  a  majo- 
rity of  the  trees,  as  it  is  to  see  crowded  heads. 
In  following  out  this  direction  it  is  necessary 
to  examine  which  of  the  branches  can  be 
spared  best ;  but  it  will  often  be  found  that 
we  cannot  spare  either.  After  a  number  of 
years,  the  branches  conform  to  the  general 
head  to  such  an  extent  that  it  would  be  found 
to  destroy  half  the  tree  ;  but  Cobbett's  rule 
must  be  taken  to  apply  to  pruning  generally, 
and  therefore  he  means  that  in  their  incipient 
or  young  state  the  offending  branch  must  be 
removed,  because  it  is  a  part  and  parcel  of  the 
management  of  young  trees  to  train  them 
from  the  first ;  and  this,  be  it  remembered, 
not  after  the  branches  have  been  giving  way 
to  each  other,  and  reconciling  their  growth  to 
their    awkward    position,    but    while    quite 


COBBETT  S    NOTIONS    OF   FEUNING. 


451 


yonng,  when  you  can  save  the  one  inclined 
to  grow  best,  and  destroy  the  intruder.  But 
when  we  see,  in  the  present  day,  plantations 
of  fruit-trees  growing  some  one  way  and  some 
another,  bending  their  heads  towards  the 
ground  for  want  of  a  stake  to  hold  the  stem 
upright  till  it  has  attained  strength  enough 
to  hold  itself,  we  need  not  wonder  that  tiae 
essential  parts  of  management  are  neglected 
in  the  pruning.  Nor  is  this  carelessness  even 
of  the  trunk  of  the  tree  new  ;  scarcely  an  old 
market-garden  but  exhibits  the  eflfect  of  this 
in  confirmed  old  trees,  lolloping  about  in  all 
directions,  bending  to  the  ground  on  one  side 
or  other,  and  being  a  complete  nuisance  to  the 
labourers  who  have  to  work  round  them,  and 
occupying  half  as  much  more  ground  as  would 
be  necessary  for  an  upright  stem. 

5.  "  All  suckers  to  be  cut  close  to  the 
ground." 

We  should  carry  things  a  little  further. 
Cut  suckers  close  to  the  ground,  and  they 
spring  up  every  year  stronger  or  more  nu- 
merous, till  thei'e  is  a  little  forest  of  under- 
Avood  to  be  got  rid  of  periodically.  Whenever 
a  sucker  appears,  dig  down  to  the  root  it 
springs  from,  and  cut  it  back  as  close  as  you 
can  to  its  own  tree;  you  will  see  no  more  of 
that  sucker  or  any  of  its  progeny  ;  but  if 
you  only  cut  it  off  close  to  the  ground,  half  a 
dozen  will  come  from  the  same  root,  and  you 
may  keep  on  doing  the  work  annually,  as  long 
as  you  or  the  tree  live.  If  it  were  convenient, 
the  root  from  which  a  sucker  springs  should 
be  cut  off  close  to  the  old  tree  ;  but  as  this 
cannot  be  always  done,  we  must  go  as  far  as 
we  can.  Suckers  are  very  apt  to  grow  more 
vigorously  than  the  old  trees,  and  they  very 
naturally  distress  the  old  trees,  when  they 
are  allowed  to  get  the  upper  hand. 

6.  "  Prune  the  remainder  of  the  tree  by  cut- 
ting last  year's  wood  down  to  the  last  bud  upon 
it,  or  at  most,  leaving  not  more  than  two  buds." 

This  is  pernicious  advice — a  general  rule, 
only  applicable  to  particular  things.  What 
predicament  would  a  gardener  be  in  who  cut 
away  all  last  year's  wood  of  trees  that  only 
bear  on  the  last  year's  wood  ?  We  can  hardly 
think  Mr.  Cobbett  had  given  such  advice.  If 
fruit-trees  were  like  cabbage-roses,  and  bore 
their  fruit  on  the  new  wood  only,  there  might 
be  some  plea  for  pruning  back  to  one  or  two 
eyes ;  but  there  are  so  many  exceptions  to 
such  habit,  that  it  would  be  actually  destroying 
the  crops  year  after  year  to  cut  away  the  last 
year's  wood.  Take  the  peach,  nectarine, 
apricot,  and  many  other  trees,  that  not  only 
bear  exclusively  on  the  last  year's  wood,  but 
always  towards  the  extremities  ;  that  is  to  say, 
a  shoot  of  two  feet  in  length  would  bear  only 
on  the  fifteen  or  eighteen  inches  farthest  from 
the  limb  it  sprung  from  :   cut  these   shoots 


back  every  year  to  two  eyes,  and  away  go  all 
the  fruit  buds.  This  leads  us  to  a  decided 
objection  to  any  general  rules  for  pruning;  the 
pruning  must  be  adapted  to  the  tree,  its  habit 
of  growing  and  bearing.  The  spur  system — 
for  it  amounts  to  this — may  be  very  well  for 
some  things.  Pears  and  apples  may  do  very 
well,  currants  and  gooseberries  may  do  very 
well,  but,  strictly  speaking,  each  family  wants 
in  detail  something  moi'e  than  a  sweeping 
plan  ;  they  cannot  be  served  all  alike  with 
success.  The  first  five  rules  m.ay  be  generally 
applied  ;  they  are  good  in  all  cases  ;  but  the 
sixth  is  a  blunder,  and  to  counteract  the  effect 
of  it  was  the  principal  object  of  our  present 
interference.  The  pruning  of  all  standard 
fruit  trees  must  be  different  to  that  of  wall 
trees  or  espaliers  ;  but  no  system  that  carries 
away  the  fruit  buds  can  be  right.  We  have, 
under  the  different  kinds  of  fruit  trees,  given 
instructions  for  the  pruning,  and  it  will  be 
seen  from  these  that  what  is  excellent  for  one 
family  is  destruction  to  another.  We  advise, 
therefore,  the  application  of  the  first  five  rules, 
as  unerring,  to  whatever  fruit-tree  they  may 
be  applied  ;  but  we  repudiate  the  sixth  as  a 
general  rule  altogether,  and  recommend  the 
study  of  each  subject,  before  we  apply  any 
further  detail  as  to  pruning. 

It  may  be  said  that  the  person  who  quotes 
Cobbett  in  the  Midland  Florist  applies  his 
rules  only  to  goosebei'ries  and  currants.  This 
is  not  clear  at  first  sight,  because  the  article 
is  headed,  "  Pruning  Fruit-trees."  But  if 
Mr.  Cobbett's  rules  apply  to  gooseberry-trees 
and  cuiTant  -  trees  only,  he  only  half  in- 
structs, because  he  does  not  say  when  we  are 
to  begin  this  pruning.  If  he  means  from  the 
first,  he  is  decidedly  wrong  :  where  are  we 
to  find  main  branches  if  the  last  year's  wood 
is  to  be  cut  away  always  ?  A  currant  or 
gooseberry-tree  makes  two  or  three  shoots 
the  first  year,  say  eighteen  inches  long  ;  well, 
we  are  to  cut  last  year's  wood  back  to  one  or 
two  eyes  ;  that  is  to  say,  two  inches  at  the 
most.  The  next  year  we  have  more  branches 
and  the  same  growth,  but  we  are  only  to  ad- 
vance in  size  two  inches  a- year.  It  is  clear, 
then,  that  such  instructions  are  vague.  The 
currant  and  gooseberry,  if  we  allow  that  they 
alone  are  intended,  should  be  trained  into  a 
proper  shape  before  any  of  the  branches 
should  be  shortened.  It  is  clear  that  the 
struck  cutting  is  the  only  limb;  when  planted 
out  first,  this  should  be  cut  down  within  three 
or  four  eyes  of  the  ground,  and  as  these  four 
eyes  will  only  give  four  shoots,  which  are  not 
enough  to  form  a  tree,  they  may  be  cut  down 
to  two  eyes  each,  that  we  may  have  eight 
branches.  These  may  form  a  tree,  and,  if  so, 
all  the  side  shoots  may  be  cut  off  yearly  to 
one  or  two  eyes,  because  there  is  plenty  of 

G  G  2 


4o2 


SELECT  ROSES  FOR  LIMITED  GARDENS. 


tree  oi*  bush.  However,  there  are  some  who 
will  not  agree  that  gooseberries  should  be  cut 
so,  though  for  currants  it  is  universally  ad- 
mitted to  be  good  practice.  Cobbett's  lessons 
have  served  us  for  a  text;  and  in  future  notices 
of  pruning,  as  regards  particular  fruits,  we 
will  endeavour  to  follow  his  example,  in  com- 
pressing the  practice  into  a  few  fixed  rules. 


SELECT    ROSES    EOR   LIMITED    GARDENS. 

Among  the  most  splendid  and  yet  most 
neglected  flowers,  we  may  unquestionably 
place  the  rose.  There  is  not  a  plant  which 
remains  longer  in  bloom,  nor  one  which  gives 
so  little  trouble;  yet  the  rose  is  quite  subordi- 
nate to  even  the  common  annuals,  which  have 
a  much  larger  space  allotted  to  them  than  is 
allowed  for  the  most  lovely  of  all  flowers — the 
rose.  The  old  notions  about  the  rose  in  June, 
Avhen  there  were  hardly  any  but  summer 
roses  in  cultivation,  may  have  given  rise  to 
the  limited  use. of  the  Queen  of  Flowers;  but 
now  the  garden  could  be  kept  in  a  continued 
bloom  from  April  to  December  with  roses 
alone.  Let  us,  for  instance,  select  from  the 
perpetual.?,  and  we  will  engage  that  the  fol- 
lowing list  shall  afford  bloom  from  the  begin- 
ning of  the  spring  to  the  end  of  the  autumn  : 

Ci'imson  perpetual,  bright  crimson,  fragrant. 

Mogador,  crimson  and  purple. 

La  Capricieuse,  rosy  and  deep  red. 

Laurence  de  Montmorency,  pink  and  lilac, 

Madame  Thelier,  delicate  pink. 

Amandine,  blush  and  deep  rose. 

Aubernon,  bright  crimson,  fragrant. 

Augustine  Monchelet,  deep  crimson. 

Baronne  Prevost,  bright  rose. 

Com.te  de  Montalivet,  red  and  lilac. 

Contesse  Duchatel,  bright  rose. 

Cymedor,  heavy  crimson. 
•/  Dr.  Marx,  rosy  carmine,  very  large. 

Due  d'Alen9on,  pink,  \ery  beautiful. 

Due  d'Aumale,  bright  crimson. 

Duchesse  de  Galiera,  brilliant  rose. 
■*    Duchess  of  Sutherland,  mottled  bright  rose. 
'^    Geant  des  Batailles,  very  nearly  scarlet. 

Henry  IV.,  brilliant  deep  pink. 

Jaques  Lafitte,  deep  bright  rose. 
■^    Lady  Alice  Peel,  deep  pink. 
■     La  Reine,  fine  glossy  large  rose. 

Madame  Aimee,  pale  flesh  colour. 

j\Iadame  Laffay,  bright  crimson. 

Marquise  Boccella,  pale  blush. 

Melanie  Cornu,  deep  purplish  crimson. 

Mrs.  Elliott,  light  lilac  crimson. 

Reine  de  Fleurs,  light  pink. 

Rivers,  red  tinged  with  lilac. 

Robin  Hood,  rosy  pink. 

Soleil  d'Austerlitz,  brilliant  crimson, 
J     William  Jesse,  light  crimson. 


All  the  above  are  as  hardy  as  weeds,  and 
they  would  form  an  excellent  collection,  for 
they  are  fragrant  as  well  as  perpetual  ;  and 
the  two  or  three  which  are  marked  fragrant 
are  merely  more  remarkable  for  their  fra- 
grance than  the  generality  of  roses.  Another 
recommendation  is,  that  they  are  free  bloom- 
ers, opening  well,  and  forming  good  single 
blooms,  to  show  as  dahlias  are  exhibited.  We 
do  not  recommend  any  body  to  grow  the  old 
cabbage  rose;  the  room  it  occupies  is  as  much 
as  any  of  the  varieties  we  have  mentioned 
would  take  up,  and  there  is  this  difference  : 
the  cabbage  rose  blooms  once  perhaps  for 
nearly  three  weeks  in  June  and  July,  whereas 
those  we  have  mentioned  v.ill  blow  all  the 
summer.  We  need  hardly  say  that  we  con- 
sider all  the  room  taken  up  by  the  summer 
roses — that  is  to  say,  those  which  bloom  in 
June  or  July  only — completely  wasted  ;  and 
they  are,  in  fact,  now  excluded  from  all  really 
good  establishments,  where  perpetual  flower- 
ing is  kept  up  in  all  the  beds  and  borders.  But 
we  can  stretch  our  list  to  almost  any  length, 
and  still  keep  to  the  constantly  flowering 
kinds  ;  for  instance  : — 
■    Acidalie,  large  white. 

Anne  Beluze,  pale  rose. 
'    Bouquet  de  Flore,  deep  carmine. 
"«/  Cornice  de  Seine  et  Marne,  cherry  red 

Comte  du  Rambuteau,  crimson  and  lilac. 

Desgaches,  bright  rose. 

Dumont  de  Courset,  dark  crimson. 
^  Dupetit  Thouars,  bright  crimson. 

Edouard  Desfosses,  bright  rose. 

Emile  Courtier,  deep  rose. 

George  Cuvier,  rosy  carmine. 

Gloire  de  Paris,  crimson  and  purple. 

Kenny  Lecoq,  rosy  carmine,  beautiful. 

Imperatiice  Josephine,  light  blush  flowers 
in  clusters. 

Julie  de  Fontenelle,  crimson  purple. 

Lady  Canning,  fine  rose  colour. 

La  Gracieuse,  fine  rose,  beautiful. 

Lavine  d'Ost,  pale  rose,  fine. 

Le  Florifere,  bright  pink,  very  good. 

Le  Grenadier,  fine  light  crimson. 
■>'  Madame  Angelina,  creamy  fawn  colour. 

Madame  Aude,  bright  rose. 

Madame  Lacbasone,  white  and  blush,  clus- 
ters. 

Madame  Margat,  bright  rose. 

Madame  Nerard,  blush,  very  perfect. 

Madame  Souchet,  blush  and  red. 

Marquess  de  Moyria,  carmine  and  scarlet. 

Menoux,  carmine. 

Oscar  Leclerc,  bright  crimson. 
/  Paul  Joseph,  crimson  purple. 
^  Pierre  de  St.  Cyr,  pale  rose. 

Proserpine,  bright  crimson. 
•  Queen,  fawn  colour. 

Raymond,  deep  red. 


STOCK  SEEDS. DUCHESS  OE  SUTHERLAND  PICOTEE. 


Splendens,  rosy  crimson. 
Souchet,  crimson  and  purple. 
SouYcnir  de  Dumont  d'Urville,  cherry  red. 
Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison,  flesli  and  fawn 
colour. 
"^  Archduke  Charles,  rose  and  crimson. 

Clara  Sylvain,  pure  white, 
^    Cremoisie  Superieure,  bright  crimson. 
"^    Eugene  Beauharnais,  bright  amaranth. 

Madame  Breon,  bright  rose. 

Mrs.  Bosanquet,  flesh  colour,  fine. 

Napoleon,  blush,  very  large. 

President  d'Olbeque,  cherry  red. 

Prince  Charles,  bright  carmine. 

Fellenberg,  bright  crimson. 

Miss  Glegg,  flesh  colour  and  white. 

Ophirie,  bright  salmon  and  fawn. 

Pourpre  de  Tyre,  crimson  purple. 

Zobeide,  brilliant  rose. 
V    Amie  Vibert,  white,  noisette. 

Lelieur,  fine  noisette. 

Nankin,  noisette. 

We  will  venture  to  say  that  any  one  who 
orders  the  foregoing  lists  of  roses  will  have 
flowers  as  early  as  May,  and  as  late  as  the  frosts 
keep  off,  even  if  it  be  Christinas  ;  and  if  they 
order  standards,  they  will  have  them  all  bloom 
in  perfection  the  first  season.  It  is  to  be  re- 
collected, too,  that  as  the  time  is  approaching 
when  x'oses  are  best  moved,  those  who  desire 
to  grow  roses  should  apply  early,  and  have 
the  best  choice.  Nurserymen  generally  send 
out  the  best  plants  they  have,  consequently 
those  who  are  served  first  are  served  best. 
Make  up  your  miad  where  you  are  going  to 
place  them.  Have  a  little  l;eap  of  well-rotted 
dung  on  the  spot,  and  when  you  dig  the  hole 
for  planting,  put  the  dung  into  it  ;  cut  off  all 
the  turned  ends  of  the  root  with  a  sharp  knife  ; 
fork  up  the  soil  at  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  to 
mix  the  dung  well  in  it  ;  then  plant  your 
rose  on  it,  throvi^ing  the  top  soil  that  you  have 
taken  out  in  upon  the  top  ;  then  drive  down 
a  strong  stake,  to  which  the  rose-tree  is  to  be 
fastened,  to  protect  it  from  being  stirred  or 
disturbed  by  the  wind,  and  then  leave  it  till 
pruning  time.  The  best  stakes  are  iron;  but 
strong  ash  sticks,  such  as  are  used  for  dahlias, 
will  answer  the  purpose  ;  and  the  fastening 
should  be  with  sack  ties,  which  lai-t  longer 
than  any  sort  of  cord  :  but  many  persons  use 
wire.  In  the  spring,  when  the  buds  begin  to 
swell,  prune  according  to  the  form  of  the 
head  at  present,  and  the  form  you  want  it.  If 
the  head  is  pretty  well  formed,  you  may 
shorten  all  the  shoots  to  three  eyes  or  two,  but 
take  care  that  the  end  bud  is  below  the  shoot. 
Roses  have  too  much  disposition  to  grow 
upwards  ;  and  many  are  exceedingly  difficult 
to  form  into  a  good  head,  on  that  account;  but 
by  leaving  the  end  buds  under  the  shoot,  they 
grow  more  favourably  than  they  do  if  the  end 


bud  is  upwards.  If  one  side  of  the  head  is 
deficient  of  wood,  let  the  shoots  on  that  side 
be  left  with  more  buds,  to  fill  up  better;  regard 
must  must  be  had  to  the  number  of  shoots 
already  on  the  head  and  what  you  want.  If, 
as  is  the  case  with  new  roses,  there  is  but  one 
strong  shoot  from  the  eye,  cut  that  down  to 
the  last  three  eyes,  which  will  push  sti-ong  on 
different  sides  of  the  stock  ;  and  when  they 
are  cut  back  after  the  summer's  growth,  they 
will  make  two  or  three  shoots  each,  and  the 
second  year  form  an  excellent  head.  But  Ave 
will  not  conclude  without  strongly  recom- 
mending the  whole  of  the  collection  to  be 
procured. 


STOCK    SEEDS. 

The  Germans  are  famous  for  saving  all 
sorts  of  seeds,  and  for  the  pains  they  take  to 
produce  it  in  good  order.  Some  of  the  most 
famous,  save  all  their  seeds  in  pots,  and  have 
then  the  opportunity  of  selecting  only  such 
plants  as  they  consider  Avill  bring  the  best. 
Say  they  have  ten  thousand  pots  of  Stocks,  and 
they  select,  the  instant  they  are  in  flower, 
such  of  them  as  are  calculated  to  bring  the  best 
seeds,  and  place  them  in  a  garden  or  a  com- 
partment where  they  will  remain  undisturbed. 
AH  the  while  the  enormous  quantity  of  Stocks 
are  blooming,  the  growers  are  picking  out  the 
best  of  them,  and  removing  them  to  their 
destination.  They  are  said  to  select  none  but 
very  broad-petalled  Stocks  to  save  from,  be- 
cause such  alwaj'S  run  double.  How  far  this 
is  true  we  know  not,  because  we  never  had 
any  direct  communication  ;  but  we  have  had 
opportunity  of  knov/ing  that  they  grow  their 
seed  in  pots, — and  certainly  no  method  can  be 
better,  since  it  gives  an  opportunity  of  re- 
jecting all  that  are  unlikely  to  jdeld  good  seed, 
or  of  adopting  such  as  are  very  promising. 
We  have  heard  so  much  about  the  mode  of 
saving  seed  that  will  come  double,  that  we 
hardly  know  how  to  reconcile  such  contra- 
dictory statements  ;  and  we  are  by  no  means 
convinced  yet,  that  the  cultivation  has  not 
much  more  than  any  thing  to  do  with  single 
and  double  flowers,  because  we  have  divided 
a  packet  of  seed  with  a  gardener,  who  has 
had  them  all  double  while  we  had  them  all 
single  ;  and  we  well  recollect  a  nurseryman 
who  was  famous  for  double  Stocks,  and 
several  who  had  his  seed  could  make  nothing 
of  them. 


THE    DUCHESS    OE    SUTHERLA^sD 
PICOTEE. 
The  appearance  of  Enchantress  a  few  sea- 
sons ago,  was  considered  a  great  acquisition 
to   the    Picotee   family,  and   this    season  we 


454 


NEGLECT  OF  AMERICAN  PLANTS. THE  ROSE  OF  JERICHO. 


have  to  i-ecord  the  addition  of  another  beau- 
tiful gem  that  has  appeared  under  the  above 
title.  It  has  been  exhibited  at  the  South 
London  and  perhaps  other  places,  but  it  has 
I'eceived  a  first-class  certificate  from  the 
Society  for  the  Encouragement  of  Floricul- 
ture ;  the  only  one  it  has  yet  bestowed  among 
the  thousand  things  that  have  been  exhibited 
there.  The  Duchess  of  Sutherland  is  an  edged 
flower  of  striking  qualities,  neither  heavy  nor 
light,  but  it  will  be  called  light.  The  white 
is  purity  itself,  not  a  speck  or  a  mark  below 
the  well-defined  edge;  good  size,  bold  smooth- 
edged  petal,  of  thick  and  leathery  substance 
and  fine  texture.  We  have  not  seen  one  so 
much  entitled  to  general  cultivation  for  years. 
All  that  we  regret  is,  that  while  Societies  have 
been  recognising  the  claims  of  this  flower, 
which  they  could  not  by  possibility  avoid, 
they  have  rendered  their  compliment  worth- 
less, by  extending  it  to  others  which  have  not 
the  least  claim  to  merit  as  compared  with  it. 
Had  the  judges  who  considered  it  worthy  of  a 
prize,  been  content  to  give  it  one  and  leave 
less  worthy  things  alone,  it  had  been  a 
well  deserved  compliment,  but,  to  extend 
the  same  compliment  to  others  not  to  be  com- 
pared with  it,  was  to  render  the  compliment 
valueless  ;  because,  people  who  see  the  others 
to  which  the  same  compliment  was  paid,  and 
do  not  see  the  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  may  think 
that  it  is  not  any  better  than  those  they  have 
seen, — and  the  flower  stiflers.  The  Duchess 
of  Sutherland  is  a  splendid  flower. 


NEGLECT    OF    AMERICAN    PLANTS. 

Just  as  the  hottest  months  of  the  year 
arrive,  the  rhododendron,  kalmia,  and  other 
American  plants  are  making  their  growth, 
and  want  the  largest  possible  share  of 
moisture  ;  but  as  it  happens  to  be  at  a  time 
when  the  watering-pots  are  deeply  engaged 
with  subjects  that  show  more  immediately 
their  distress,  the  Americans  get  neglected. 
They  have  done  their  bloom,  afforded  all  the 
amusement  and  entertainment  they  could,  but 
they  no  longer  attract,  and  are  forgotten.  By 
and  by,  the  owners  will  see  their  new  growth 
stunted,  the  foliage  unhealthy,  and  the  plant 
destroyed  ;  and  they  will  wo^er  what  it  is  in 
the  ground  that  disagrees  with» these  favourites. 
It  will  prove  to  have  been  caused  by  the  want 
of  water,  and  the  penalty  paid  for  this,  is  the 
loss  of  a  year's  bloom,  for  there  will  be  none. 
No  sooner  does  the  rhododendron,  azalea, 
andromeda,  or  kalmia,  begin  to  develop  their 
bloom,  than  there  ought  to  be  a  copious  supply 
of  water,  and  this  should  be  continued  all 
the  period  that  they  are  growing,  for  they 
cannot  set  for  bloom  unless  they  are  well 
supplied.      The    Americans,    as    all    know. 


thrive  in  peat  earth,  but  they  also  want  the 
natural  moisture  of  it,  and  the  shade.  The 
hot  sun,  in  gravelly  or  loamy  soil,  is  soon  over- 
powering, unless  fneans  be  taken  to  counteract 
the  ill  efiects  of  exposure  and  the  distress 
incidental  to  a  want  of  moisture.  The  best 
way  to  manage  these  plants,  is  to  water  con- 
stantly, from  the  time  they  bloom  to  the 
period  they  are  set  for  bloom.  Slight  rains  do 
not  reach  the  roots ;  the  shrubby  nature  of  the 
plant  throws  oS"  a  good  deal  of  wet ;  and  they 
would  literally  bear  flooding  in  a  hot  summer. 
Any  trouble  is  V70rth  encountering,  rather 
than  to  lose  our  favourites. 


THE   ROSE    OF   JERICHO. 

"De  Rosa  Hierichuntina  liber  uiins;  in 
quo  de  ejus  natura,  proprietatibus,  motibus  et 
causis  pulchre  disseritur  (auct.  Joa.  Sturmio). 
— Lovanii,  1607.  8vo."  (96  pp.) 

The  interesting  description  and  illustra- 
tions of  the  Anastatica  Iliei^oclmntina,  which 
lately  appeared  in  the  Botanical  3Iagazine, 
induce  us  to  notice  the  above  work,  which 
Sir  William  Hooker  would  seem  not  to  have 
been  acquainted  with,  and  to  which  but  lately, 
indeed,  our  own  attention  has  been  directed. 

For  what  little  we  know  of  the  life  of  our 
author,  John  Storms,  ancient  Professor  of 
Louvain,  we  are  indebted  to  a  biographical 
sketch,*  published  by  Dr.  d'Avoine,  President 
of  the  Societe  des  Sciences  medicales  et 
naturelles  de  Malines,  a  physician  of  dis- 
tinction in  his  native  town,  and  who  has 
lately  retired  from  a  successful  practice,  to  de- 
vote the  rest  of  his  days  to  his  favourite  pur- 
suits,— botany  and  researches  in  local  history. 

John  Storms  was  born  at  Malines,  on  the  29th 
of  August,  1559,  and  received  his  education  at 
Louvain.  Having  graduated  as  Licentiate  in 
Medicine,  he  greatly  distinguished  himself  in 
his  avocation,  and  at  the  age  of  thirty-one 
years,  was  made  a  member  of  the  academical 
senate.  Soon  afterwards  appointed  Professor 
of  Philosophy,  he  obtained  in  1593,  the 
degree  of  Dr.  Med.  At  that  time  Prof. 
Adrian,  subsequently  Pope  Adrian  VI.,  held 
the  royal  chair  of  mathematics  in  the  same 
university.  On  his  promotion  and  removal 
to  Wiirzburg,  Storms  was  elected  in  his 
room  ;  and  having  in  the  year  1634  been 
raised  to  the  Professorship  of  Medicine,  he 
died  on  the  9th  of  March,  1650,  at  the  old 
age  of  ninety-one  years,  generally  admired 
and  esteemed. 


*  Notice  sur  Jean  Storms,  Docteur  en  Sciences  et 
en  Medecine,  Professeur  Ordinaire  de  Philosophie,  de 
Mathgmatiques  et  de  Medecine  a  I'Universite  de 
Louvain,  Chanoine  de  la  M6tropole  de  Cambrai,  &c. 
Par  P.  J.  d'Avoine,  Docteur  en  M6d6cine,  &c.  — 
Malines,  18  i8.  8vo. 


THE    ROSE    OF    JEKICHO. 


455 


Among  the  remarkable  works  wliich  our 
author  has  published,  his  monograph  on  the 
so-called  Hose  of  Jericho  is  not  the  least  so. 
It  would  appear  that  Prof.  Storms  had 
cultivated  that  far-famed  plant  in  his  own 
garden  since  the  year  1603  ;  and  the  circum- 
stances which  gave  rise  to  the  publication  of 
his  interesting  treatise  upon  it,  are  thus  re- 
lated by  him  : — "  When  a  few  years  ago,  in 
one  of  our  public  academical  disputations 
(called  quotlibeticas)"  he  says  in  his  preface, 
"  I  had  resolved  three  questions  regarding  the 
Rose  of  Jericho,  proposed  to  me  by  the  Pre- 
sident, and,  according  to  local  custom,  I  had 
somewhat  enlarged  on  my  subject.  I  could 
not  help  perceiving  that  my  auditory  seemed 
much  pleased  with  what  they  had  heard  ;  so 
much  so,  indeed,  that  some  expressed  a  wish 
to  have  it  in  writing,  others  to  see  it  in  public 
print,  (and  among  the  latter  number  was 
Justus  Lipsius,  a  man  whose  name  is  cele- 
brated throughout  the  world,  and  who  will  for 
ever  be  remembered  in  history  for  his  sin- 
gular learning  and  piety,)  pressing  me  hard, 
on  the  plea  that  my  discourse  deserved  being 
made  generally  known." 

The  work  is  divided  into  forty-two  chap- 
ters, and  Storms  finds  occasion  to  quote  in  it 
the  names  of  some  fifty  different  authors, 
whose  erroneous  opinions  on  the  subject  of 
our  plant  he  submits  to  his  criticism  ;  as  he 
might  have  those  of  more  modern  botanists. 
The  description  which  he  himself  gives,  and 
which  is  very  correct  even  to  the  details  of 
the  ovary,  we  will  quote  from  the  preface,  in 
his  own  words.  They  read  thus  : — "  Hieri- 
chuntis  rosa  frutex  est  palmaris  altitudinis, 
inodorus,  tribus  ab  una  radice  candicibus, 
raro  pluribus,  sed  in  plurimos  raraulos  lig- 
nosos,  duriusculos  ac  lentos,  rubri,  subflavi 
aut  partim  utriusque  coloris,  divisis,  constans; 
qui  introrsum  flexi  ac  convoluti  quasi  orbem 
quemdam  constituunt :  folia  olese  aut  mali 
Punicte  similia  :  flores  intus  violee  candidse ; 
quibus  succedunt  folliculi  oblongi,  racematim 
coh^erentes,  foeniculi  semine  majores,  in  quo- 
rum singulis  quatuor  seminula  parva  rotunda, 
oblonga  et  depressa,  semine  milii  majora, 
fulvi  coloris,  distinctis  locellis  sen  capsulis 
continentur." 

Our  author  refutes  the  opinion  of  those 
who  class  the  Rose  of  Jericho,  which  he  shows 
to  be  any  thing  but  a  rose,  with  either  of  the 
species  Amomum,  Amomis,  Aspalathus,  Con- 
volvulus, or  Erica  ;  and  then  proceeds  to  state 
his  reasons,  why  it  should  be  comprehended 
rather  in  the  species  of  violets  :  not  that  he 
commits  the  error  of  positively  assimilating  it 
to  the  latter,  but  "  because,  if  both  the  viola 
lutea  and  the  viola  pwyurea,'"  he  concludes. 


p.  49,  50,  "  are  thus  classified  ;  it  would 
seem  not  altogether  inappropriate  to  include 
also  the  Rose  of  Jericho  in  the  same  species, 
and  to  call  it  rather  the  Violet  than  the  Rose 
of  Jericho.  ...  I  willingly  admit,  however, 
that  thus  not  only  the  Rose  of  Jericho,  but  also 
the  Amomum  and  other  similar  plants,  might 
be  comprehended  in  the  species  of  violets,"  &c. 
He  also  treats  fully  of  the  different  qualities 
of,  as  well  as  the  popular  superstitions  regard- 
ing, our  plant ;  and  a  discussion  as  to  the 
time  of  its  flowering  concludes  his  mono- 
graph, one  of  the  most  ancient  of  the  kind  we 
possess. 

Prof.  Kickx  of  Ghent,  has  named  that 
species  of  fern,  which  he  separated  in  1835, 
the  Acrostichiim  septentrional e  of  Linne, 
in  honour  of  our  author:  Slormesia ;*  and 
it  is  he,  we  believe,  who,  on  that  occasion, 
first  directed  attention  to  the  work  which 
forms  the  subject  of  our  remarks.  In  a  sub- 
sequent publication,!  the  same  distinguished 
botanist  has  satisfactorily  proved  in  regard  to 
tlie  Anastatica  Ilierochuntina,  that  Storms 
had  "la  gloire  de  definir  le  premier  les 
notions  sur  i'e?pece."  He  did  so  many  years 
before  Ray,  whose  definition  is  generally  con- 
sidered as  the  most  ancient ;  but  the  mono- 
graph of  Storms  having  appeared  in  1607, 
and  the  work  of  Ray  not  till  1682,  the  prior 
claim  of  the  Belgian  savant  to  that  honour 
cannot  well  be  called  into  doubt. 

It  is  deserving  of  notice,  as  remarked  by 
Prof.  Morren,:]:  that  so  far  back  as  the  year 
1633,  the  Anastatica  appears  in  the  herbal  of 
the  Abbey  of  Dilighem,  among  the  culinary 
plants  cultivated  in  the  garden  of  that  esta- 
blishment. Nor  must  we  forget  that,  at  the 
period  of  which  we  speak,  Belgium  was  the 
first  horticultural  country  in  Europe.  Every 
inhabitant  was  an  amateur  of  flowers, §  and  no 
expense  was  spared  to  gratify  the  general 
taste. II  These  amateurs,  we  are  informed 
by  Matth.  de  Lobel,^  imported  plants  and 
flowers  from  every  part  of  the  globe,  and  in 
Belgium  a  greater  variety  of  horticultural 
produce  was  to  be  seen,  than  in  the  rest  of 
Europe  together.  J.  v.  G- 


*  Flore  Cryptogamique  des  Environs  de  Louvain. — 
Bruxelles,  1835.  8vo.  (p.  11.) 

i-  Esquisses  sur  los  Ouvrages  de  quelques  anciens 
Naturahstes  Beiges.— Bruxelles,  1842.  8vo. 

J  Annates  de  la  See.  Eoyale  d'Agric.  et  de  Bot.  de 
Gand.— Bruxelles,  1848.  8vo.  (p.  457.) 

§  Van  Hulthem,  Discours  sur  I'Etat  ancien  et  mo- 
derne  de  I'Agi-ic.  et  de  la  Bot.  dans  les  Pays-Bas. — 
Gand,  1817.  8vo. 

II  Gorop.  Becani  Origines  Antverp.— Ji  ntv.  1569,  in 
fol.  (in  pref.) 

•H  Plantarum  seu  Stirp.  Historia. — Antv.  16/6,  in 
fol.  (in  pref.) 


456 


PLANTING  AND  TRANSPLANTING. 


Planting  is  usually  understood  as  an  ope- 
ration distinct  from  sowing,  and  differing  in 
this  particular,  that  while  the  latter  consists 
in  committing  to  the  soil  the  seed  or  embryo 
of  the  future  plant,  the  foriper  applies  to  the 
fixing  and  adjustment  in  the  soil,  in  the  con- 
dition most  favourable,  to  its  further  growth, 
of  the  more  or  less  developed  vegetable  which 
has  resulted  from  the  process  of  germination. 
It  is  well  that  this  distinction  should  be  main- 
tained, as  it  serves  to  render  more  defined 
and  explicit  the  terms  which  are  applied  to 
these  operations  of  vegetable  culture. 

If  we  limit  the  meaning  of  the  term  "  plant- 
ing," as  above  applied,  to  tlie  more  or  less 
developed  plant  only,  even  then  planting  and 
transplanting  remain,  in  reality,  synonymous. 
There  is,  in  fact,  no  palpable  ditference  in 
signification  between  them,  each  operation 
consisting  in  the  adjustment  of  the  living 
plant  in  the  soil,  witlithe  view  to  its  further 
growth  and  development.  A  separate  con- 
ventional meaning  does,  however,  attach  to  the 
term  "  transplanting ;"  it  being  often  applied 
specially  to  distinguish  'the  planting  and  re- 
planting of  small  and  young  plants  to  and 
from  nurseiy  beds  of  rich  soil,  with  the  view 
to  push  on  their  development  at  a  more  rapid 
pace  than  ordinary,  by  means  of  the  artificial 
stimulus  thus  brought  to  bear  on  the  vital 
energies  of  the  plants.  This  rapid  development 
is  by  some  considered  to  be  occasioned  by  the 
■  production  of  a  larger  number  of  spongioles 
(that  is,  absorbing  points)  on  the  roots,  in 
transplanted  plants,  than  in  such  as  have  not 
been  removed,  but  is  perhaps  as  correctly  re- 
ferred, by  others,  to  the  presence  of  the  fresh 
supplies  of  food,  which  are  thus  made  avail- 
able for  their  use. 

There  are  certain  general  principles  which 
are  conducive  to  the  success  of  transferi'ing 
a  living  plant  from  one  locality  to  another ; 
and  to  these  it  will  be  proper  first  to  advert. 
And,  moreover,  as  the  operation  is  one  having 
direct  reference  to  a  vital  being,  it  may  be 
well  to  obtain  also  a  notion  of  the  constitution 
and  character  of  that  being. 

A  plant,  then,  is  endued  with  life — vege- 
table life  ,'  it  is  an  organized  body,  having 
functions  to  perform  upon  the  exercise  of 
which  its  health  and  continuance  depend. 
For  our  purpose,  as  regards  its  nutrition,  we 
may  suppose  a  plant  (confining  ourselves  to 
the  more  perfectly  developed)  to  consist  of 
three  parts — an  axis  or  stem,  with  which  gre 
connected  a  set  of  feeders  (the  fibrous  roots 
and  their  spongioles),  and  a  set  of  breathers 
or  perspirers  (the  leaves) ;  communications 
between  these  two  sets  of  organs  take  place 


by  means  of  the  stem  or  axis,  the  leaves  ela- 
borating the  crude  sap  absorbed  and  trans- 
mitted to  them  from  the  rootlets,  this  elabo- 
rated sap,  as  it  is  said,  forming  the  plastic 
material  to  which  the  plant  owes  its  increased 
size,  or  tlie  accession  of  new  parts.  When 
nature  is  left  to  herself,  these  two  sets  of 
organs  are  so  balanced  as  to  fit  the  plant  for 
its  allotted  position  in  the  universal  world. 
But  when  the  plant  is  placed  under  artificial 
conditions,  as  it  is  in  a  cultivated  state,  this 
balance  is  easily  disturbed ;  and  hence  it  is 
that  a  knowledge  of  the  functions  of  plants  is 
so  essential  to  successful  cultivation.  The 
act  of  'transplanting  at  once  destroys  the 
equilibrium  which  has  been  referred  to,  by 
damaging  the  roots,  and  thus  lessening  the 
supply  of  food,  while  the  perspiring  apparatus 
is  all  the  while  at  work ;  and  if  circumstances 
favour  rapid  perspiration,  the  plant  is  propor- 
tionally more  or  less  distressed  in  consequence. 
The  ordinary  means  of  remedying  this  incon- 
venience consists  in  lessening  the  perspiring 
surface,  in  order  to  bring  down  the  demand 
to  the  supply  ;  this  is  done  by  pruning,  so  as 
to  remove  a  portion  of  the  leaves,  or  of  the 
branches,  which  latter  do  perspire,  though 
less  rapidly  than  leaves.  The  branches  per- 
spire less  than  the  leaves,  and  both  less  in 
winter,  or  in  dull,  close  weather,  than  in 
summer,  or  when  there  is  brisk  motion  in  the 
air ;  and  it  is  in  consequence  of  this  that  deci- 
duous plants  are  most  successfully  removed, 
as  a  general  rule,  when  they  are  leafiess,  and 
also  that  all  plants  are  best  removed  (taking 
it  again  as  a  general  rule)  towards  winter,  or 
in  close,  dull  weather.  All  this  is  practised 
with  the  view  of  producing  an  artificial  state 
of  equilibrium,  in  compensation  for  that  which 
the  act  of  transplanting  has  disturbed ;  and 
the  success  is  in  proportion  to  the  degree  in 
which  this  is  realized.  And,  moreover,  trans- 
plantation may  be  successfully  practised  at 
any  time  that  these  conditions  are  attended 
to.  Any  plant  may  be  removed  at  any  time 
with  perfect  success,  provided  efficient  means 
are  used  to  counteract  the  disturbance  of  the 
balance  between  its  two  sets  of  organs,  and 
to  produce  and  maintain  a  state  of  artificial 
equilibrium  until  nature  has  re-established 
hers. 

We  may  therefore  deduce  as  general  prin- 
ciples applicable  to  planting  of  every  kind, 
whether  on  the  mountain  top,  or  in  the  shel- 
tered nook,  in  the  free  soil,  or  in  a  flower-pot, 
— applicable  whenever  and  wheresoever  the 
operation  is  performed  :  1st,  The  least  possible 
degree  of  injury  sliould  he  done  to  the  roofs, 
especially  to   the  sjwmjioles  they   bear  ;    2d, 


PLANTING    AND    TRANSPLANTING. 


In  proportion  to  the  degree  of  wjiiry  sus- 
tained hy  the  spongioles,  the  exhaling  surface 
must  he  reduced,  or  some  other  means  be 
employed  in  order  to  produce  an  artificial 
equilibrium ;  3d,  This  artificial  equilibiium 
viust  be  maintained  by  the  favourable  external 
conditions  of  quietness  and  repose  (so  to 
speak)  until  the  roots  become  re-established, 
and  enabled  again  to  perform  their  part  in 
the  economy  of  the  plant. 

Next  in  importance  to  the  principles  which 
should  guide  the  transplanter,  is  the  season  at 
which  he  carries  them  into  practice.  It  has 
already  been  stated  that  any  plant  may  be 
removed  at  any  time  with  success,  provided 
certain  conditions  are  complied  with.  These 
conditions  being  chiefly  the  obstruction  of  the 
perspiration  from  the  leaves  and  branches,  so 
as  to  meet  the  deficiency  of  supply  resulting 
from  the  mutilation  of  the  roots;  the  supplying 
of  abundant  moisture,  so  as  to  aid  the  roots 
in  meeting  the  demand  upon  them  ;  and  the 
careful  performance  of  the  operation.  The 
processes  thus  involved  are,  however,  too 
tedious  and  expensive  for  general  application 
in  the  case  of  tree-planting  ;  and  hence  it  be- 
comes essential,  as  a  general  rule,  to  select 
that  season  of  tlie  year  for  the  operation  when 
the  evils  which  have  been  alluded  to  may  be 
experienced  in  the  least  possible  degree.  That 
season  is  the  autumn;  for  then  the  plants  are  in 
their  least  active  condition  ;  the  leaves  or 
perspiring  organs  of  deciduous  plants  are  then 
cast  off,  and  those  which  retain  their  foliage 
are  nearly  inactive ;  the  atmospheric  condi- 
tions, moreover,  are  then  most  conducive  to 
the  inactivity  of  their  organs,  so  that  plants 
lifted  at  that  period  find  themselves  more  or 
less  established  and  ready  for  renewed  action 
when  the  spring  or  season  for  action  arrives. 
One  reason  of  this  is,  that  when  trees  are 
planted  in  the  autumn,  the  warmth  which  the 
soil  has  acquired  during  summer  not  being 
quite  expended,  acts  as  a  gentle  stimulus  to 
the  roots,  which  soon  form  new  spongioles  or 
feeding-mouths,  and  thus  the  plants  are  placed 
in  a  condition  to  meet  the  demands  made  upon 
the  roots  by  the  expanding  leaves  and  drying 
winds,  which  in  the  spring  come  upon  the 
plants  simultaneously.  In  the  case  of  spring 
planting,  howevei',  the  soil  having  been  cooled 
down  during  winter,  no  such  stimulus  exists 
to  bring  the  roots  into  play ;  the  consequence 
is,  that  when  the  parching  winds  beat  upon 
the  plants,  and  the  leaves  burst  from  their 
scaly  prison  under  the  influence  of  the  w^armth 
of  spring,  the  roots  are  unable  to  meet  the 
demand,  and  the  plant  necessarily  languishes 
in  proportion  to  their  incapacity,  which,  if 
excessive,  results  in  its  death.  This  refers 
principally  to  trees  and  shrubs.  In  the  case 
of  flower-garden  plants,  and    culinary  crops, 


which  are  required  to  be  planted  at  various 
periods  throughout  the  year,  and  especially 
throughout  the  spring  and  summer,  the  suc- 
cess of  the  operation  depends  a  great  deal 
upon  the  selection  of  favourable  intervals, 
when  the  atmospheric  conditions  do  not  very 
greatly  excite  the  perspiratory  organs  of  the 
plants,  and  upon  the  careful  removal  of  the 
plants,  so  as  to  mutilate  the  roots  as  little  as 
possible.  Showery  periods  are,  therefore,  the 
most  proper  to  select  in  these  cases  ;  and  if 
showery  weather  does  not  offer,  then  dull, 
calm  weather ;  or  if  this  does  not  happen  to 
present  itself,  the  only  alternative  is  to  plant 
towards  evening,  that  the  plants  may  have 
the  benefit  of  whatever  they  may  be  able  to 
do  towards  establishing  themselves  during  the 
night.  Sometimes  shading  must  be  resorted 
to  ;  and  at  all  times,  if  the  weather  and  the 
soil  be  dry  especially,  water  must  be  freely 
supplied.  Plants  which  are  planted  out  of 
pots  are  liable  to  but  little  of  the  checks  which 
have  been  alluded  to,  and  may  therefore  be 
operated  on  with  a  proportionately  less  amount 
of  risk,  or  will  succeed  with  a  proportionately 
less  degree  of  after  attention,  provided  they 
are  at  first  fairly  planted. 

Passing  by  these  to  the  practical  require- 
ments of  successful  transplantation,  the  next 
in  order  of  importance  is  the  preparation  of 
the  soil,  which  involves  draining,  pulver- 
izing, aerating,  &c.,  by  the  means  which  we 
have  often  pointed  out.  On  this  part  of 
the  subject  we  may  be  very  brief,  inasmuch 
as  w4iat  has  been  formerly  advanced  in  refei- 
ence  to  the  healthy  preparation  of  the  soil,  is 
of  g(:'neral  application. 

A¥ith  I'egard  to  draining,  no  plants  will 
thrive  if  the  soil  is  filled  with  stagnant  water, 
unless  it  be  an  aquatic  or  semi-aquatic.  Plants 
of  this  water-loving  character  are,  therefoi'e, 
those  only  which  should  be  expected  to  grow 
where  perfect  drainage  is  either  neglected  or 
unattainable.  For  every  other  description  of 
plant,  the  provision  of  means  for  the  passing 
away  of  superfluous  water  is  essential  to 
success. 

The  mechanical  condition  of  the  soil  is  of 
importance.  Thus,  soils  should  not  be  so  loose 
and  poi'ous  in  texture  as  to  admit  of  the  too 
rapid  evaporation  of  the  moisture  they  are 
capable  of  holding ;  neither  should  they  be 
so  close  and  adhesive  as  to  prevent  the  free 
passage  both  of  fluids  and  of  the  atmosphere. 
Soils  which  are  naturally  of  either  of  these 
conditions  must,  besides  being  drained  and 
trenched,  be  corrected  by  the  addition  of 
earths  of  an  opposite  quality;  which  latter  are 
to  be  blended  with  the  original  soil  in  the  pro- 
portion necessary  to  produce  a  free,  friable, 
and  pervious  medium  for  the  roots.  But 
when  all  this  is  done,  the  whole  mass  of  soil 


458 


PLANTING    AND    TRANSPLANTING. 


(unless  it  be  very  light)  should  be  well  broken 
up  to  a  moderate  degree  of  fineness;  not, 
indeed,  so  as  to  render  it  excessively  fine,  or, 
except  in  certain  cases,  to  remove  stones  of 
moderate  size  from  among  the  earth,  but  so 
that  there  may  be  no  large  compact  lumps  of 
soil  left  in  an  undisturbed  and  unbroken  state. 
The  principal  reason  for  this  being  done,  is, 
that  the  whole  body  may  be  pervious  to  the 
air  ;  and  there  is  also  another  reason,  namely, 
that  the  earth  may  be  evenly  and  regularly 
placed  over  and  among  the  roots, — that,  in 
fact,  the  roots  may  be  perfectly  imbedded  in 
the  soil,  which  is  not  always  the  case  when 
coarse,  rough  lumps  are  placed  in  contact 
with  them.  The  pulverising  of  the  soil,  more- 
ovei",  assists  to  hold  the  plants  more  firmly 
than  would  be  the  case  under  opposite  cir- 
cumstances. It  should  be  made  a  rule,  to 
cover  immediately  over  and  about  the  roots 
of  a  plant  with  a  portion  of  the  finest  and 
best  soil  which  is  available;  when  this  is 
done,  the  roots  are  just  placed  in  the  condi- 
tions most  favourable  to  the  production  of 
new  spongioles  or  feeding-mouths,  upon  which 
the  success,  or  otherwise,  of  the  plant  almost 
entirely  depends. 

In  connexion  with  the  mechanical  condition 
and  preparation  of  the  soil,  it  may  be  proper 
to  observe,  that  in  many  cases  it  is  practicable, 
and  where  practicable  propei',  to  adapt  the 
plants  to  the  general  character  of  the  soil ; 
thus,  on  barren  sandy  land,  many  of  the  coni- 
ferous plants  would  be  found  to  thrive,  while 
perhaps  little  else  would  grow.  This  prin- 
ciple is  extensively  applicable  in  the  case  of 
shrubberies  and  plantations.  In  gardens, 
however,  whether  for  vegetable,  fruit,  or 
flower  culture,  and  in  the  case  of  ornamental 
shrubberies,  the  principle  cannot  be  acted  on 
to  any  great  extent ;  since,  under  such  cir- 
cumstances, certain  kinds  of  products  will  be 
required,  and  the  soil  and  situation  must  be 
made  adapted  to  fulfil  these  requirements. 
To  illustrate  this,  if  a  bed  of  American  plants, 
as  they  are  called  (that  is,  azaleas,  kalmias, 
rhododendrons,  &c.),  is  required,  it  will  be 
proper  to  make  the  soil  for  them,  and  to  pro- 
vide, in  this  case,  that  which  is  adapted  to  their 
wants.  The  same  thing  may  liave  to  be  done 
with  different  kinds  of  vegetables,  fruit-trees, 
or  flowers,  sometimes  entirely  changing  the 
bulk  of  the  soil,  at  other  times  merely  adding 
what  will  correct  it,  and  adapt  it  to  the  end 
in  view. 

A  word  or  two  may  be  said  on  the  pro- 
priety or  non-propriety  of  planting — we  mean 
simply  the  idea  of  removing  a  growing  plant 
from  one  place  to  another.  We  are  inclined 
to  the  opinion,  that,  supposing  the  circum- 
stances of  soil  and  situation  to  be  favourable,  no 
plants  thrive  better  than — we  may  almost  ven- 


ture to  say,  so  well  as —  those  which  are  sown 
where  they  finally  remain.  Many  of  our  annual 
cultivated  plants  are  so  difficult  to  transplant, 
that  it  is  seldom  or  never  attempted,  except 
as  an  expedient ;  and  most  persons  can  call 
to  mind  examples  which  are  familiar  to  them, 
of  extreme  health  and  vigour  in  self-sown  and 
undisturbed  seedling  plants.  We  should  not, 
therefore,  transplant  from  choice.  But  be- 
yond the  case  of  certain  culinary  crops,  and 
a  few  kinds  of  flower-seeds,  the  idea  of  sowing 
seeds  in  the  places  the  future  plants  are 
designed  to  occupy,  is  impracticable.  With 
all  other  cultivated  plants  it  is  a  matter  of 
convenience — a  necessary  evil,  as  we  should 
say — to  sow  the  seeds  in  some  allotted  aiid 
appropriate  spot,  and  from  thence  remove  the 
young  plants  to  such  other  positions  as  they 
may  from  time  to  time  be  required  to  occupy. 
And  it  is  exceedingly  conducive  to  the  com- 
fort and  happiness,  as  well  as  prosperity,  of 
mankind,  that  the  nature  of  plants  wall  admit 
of  this  artificial  treatment.  When  plants  are 
reared  for  the  purpose  of  being  transplanted, 
it  is  desirable  that  they  should  be  finally 
planted  out  as  early  as  possible ;  and  essential 
that  they  should  not  be  allowed  to  remain 
undisturbed  for  too  long  a  period  previous  to 
their  final  removal.  Annuals  and  suffi'uticose 
and  herbaceous  plants  may  be  shifted  once  or 
twice  at  intervals  of  about  a  month,  the  former 
perhaps  rather  less ;  and  trees  and  shrubs,  as 
long  as  they  stand  in  abeyance,  at  intervals  of 
a  year  in  some  cases,  and  two  years  in  others. 
When  plants  are  transferred  from  pots  to 
the  open  ground,  it  is  proper  to  loosen  out 
their  more  or  less  entangled  roots,  and  to 
spi'ead  them  out  in  a  radiating  manner  from 
the  stem  of  the  plant,  carefully  adjusting  them 
in  this  way,  and  covering  them  with  fine  soil. 
This  practice  is  very  often  neglected,  from 
a  prevalent  idea  that  it  is  safer,  in  such  cases, 
"  not  to  disturb  the  roots,"  and  that  to  break 
up  the  ball  of  earth  in  which  the  roots  are 
imbedded  would  risk  the  life  of  the  plants  ;  the 
idea  is,  however,  a  fallacy.  Instances  must 
be  known  to  every  experienced  person,  in 
which  the  languishing  existence,  or  the  death 
of  a  plant,  may  be  clearly  referred  to  the 
practice  of  this  untoward  custom.  The  proper 
way  to  act  in  cases  of  this  sort,  is  to  break  up 
the  ball  of  earth  completely,  and  to  unravel 
the  entangled  mass  of  roots  as  far  as  prac- 
ticable, avoiding,  however,  as  much  as  it  may 
be  possible  to  do  so,  the  breaking  or  bruising 
of  the  roots  themselves.  In  all  cases,  however, 
whether  it  is  possible  or  not  to  preserve  the 
roots  thus  uninjured,  it  is  more  conducive  to 
ultimate  prosperity,  to  disentangle  and  "  lay 
out"  the  roots  in  straight  lijies  near  the  sur- 
f\ice  of  the  soil,  than  to  suffer  them  to  remain 
coiled  up  in  the  position  they  acquire  from 


PLANTING    AND    TRANSPLANTING. 


459 


confinement  in  pots.  It  may,  therefore,  be 
laid  down  as  a  rule  : — Uncoil  the  roots  of 
pot-plants  in  planting  them  out  into  the  free 
soil — uninjured,  if  possible,  but  uncoiled,  at 
any  rate. 

The  position  of  the  plant  in  reference  to 
the  surface  level,  is  of  much  importance  in 
a  general  way.  The  rule  should  be,  to  plant 
shallow,  the  cases  in  which  deep  planting  is 
desirable  being  very  rare.  There  is  in  plants 
a  part  called  the  neck  or  collet,  which  in 
seedlings  is  readily  seen  to  be  that  which,  in 
the  young  state,  intervened  between  the  pro- 
per roots  and  the  seed-leaves  :  in  plants  raised 
from  cuttings  or  layers,  the  corresponding 
part  is  found  just  above  the  roots.  It  is, 
therefore,  most  intelligibly  defined,  as  the 
point  whence  the  stem  takes  an  upward,  and 
the  roots  a  dowaaward  direction — the  point 
of  junction,  in  fact,  between  the  roots  and  the 
stems.  This  point  should  not  be  covered  by 
the  soil.  Nature  teaches  this  :  a  seedling- 
plant,  springing  up  under  natural  circum- 
stances, elevates  its  seed-leaves  just  above  the 
surface,  and  this  point  of  the  stem  never  alters 
its  position  with  respect  to  the  surface  ;  so 
that  naturally  it  does  not  become  covered 
with  soil.  When,  therefore,  we  resort  to  the 
unnatural  process  of  transplantation,  we  should 
keep  this  fact  in  mind,  and  act  upon  it,  by 
countei'acting  the  tendency  which  exists  to  fix 
the  plants  deeper  and  deeper  in  the  soil  at 
each  successive  shifting.  Some  free-growing 
plants  do  not,  indeed,  refuse  to  grow  vigor- 
ously enough  when  this  matter  is  disregarded; 
but  in  the  case  of  all  those  of  more  delicate 
habit,  it  is  much  the  safest  way  to  have  it 
attended  to ;  indeed,  choice  plants  are  (unless 
the  soil  and  situation  be  very  dry  and  liable 
to  become  parched)  generally  the  better  when 
their  roots  are  spread  out  o)i  the  natural  sur- 
face, the  necessary  covering  being  applied  in 
the  form  of  a  slight  mound  about  the  stem, 
extending  sufficiently  on  every  side  to  cover 
them  securely.  This  rule  applies  most  parti- 
cularly to  ligneous  or  woody  plants ;  and  of 
these,  to  such  as  do  not  very  readily  throw 
out  fresh  roots  from  their  stems.  Herbaceous 
plants  more  readily  produce  roots  from  their 
stems  ;  and  in  proportion  to  the  fiicility  with 
which  this  is  done,  is  the  advantage  of  plant- 
ing them  deeper  than  ordinary.  In  the  case 
of  such  herbaceous  plants  as  produce  a  crown 
or  tuft  of  leaves  from  the  roots,  as  in  the 
common  garden  parsley  for  example,  it  should 
be  considered  as  an  absolute  rule,  that  the 
heart, — that  is,  the  growing  point  in  the  centre 
of  the  crown  of  leaves,  must  be  kept  more  or 
less  above  the  surface  of  the  soil  ;  but  if  this 
is  secured,  it  is  in  general  proper  to  set  the 
tuft  of  leaves  down  close  to  the  surface. 

These  are  somewhat  general  considerations. 


"We  may  now  proceed  to  notice  in  detail  the 
manner  of  planting  lai'ge  trees,  smaller  trees 
and  shrubs,  herbs,  bulbs,  aquatics,  and  seed- 
ling plants  respectively. 

Transplanting  Large  Trees. — This  opera- 
tion is  one  involving  considerable  manual 
labour,  which  it  is  important  should  be  well 
applied.  Before  detailing  the  process,  we 
may  address  ourselves  to  the  correction  of 
what,  under  most  circumstances,  is  an  error 
common  in  the  execution  of  it.  The  error 
alluded  to,  is  that  involved  in  the  notion  of 
preserving  a  ball  or  mass  of  earth  about  the 
roots.  We  have  already  explained  that  the 
active  agents  in  absorbing  nourishment  from 
the  soil,  are  the  spongioles  which  exist  at  the 
points  of  the  smaller  fibrous  roots,  these  being 
chiefly  present  towards  the  extremities  of  the 
entire  system  of  roots.  The  expanse  of  the 
roots  is  usually  reckoned  as  being  about  equal 
to  that  of  the  branches.  Now,  it  is  seldom 
practicable  to  retain  and  move  a  mass  of  earth 
about  the  base  of  the  stem  larger  than  from 
six  to  ten  feet  in  diameter;  and  even  this  is  dif- 
ficult, and  the  presence  of  such  a  mass  of  earth, 
generally,  as  a  matter  of  necessity,  rounded 
into  as  compact  a  form  as  possible,  renders  dif- 
ficult the  process  of  fixing  the  tree  in  its  new 
destination.  It  must  be  obvious  that  trees  of 
a  large  size,  say  with  a  diameter  of  branches 
equal  to  twenty-five  feet,  can  never  have  the 
extremities  of  their  roots  secured  in  a  mass  of 
earth  ten  feet  in  diameter  ;  in  fact,  not  more 
than  one -half  of  the  length  of  the  roots  will  be 
secured,  and  this  half  the  most  inactive  and 
useless  as  concerns  the  immediate  nourish- 
ment of  the  plant.  It  must  be  admitted,  that, 
under  any  circumstances,  few  of  the  spongioles 
can,  in  such  cases,  be  retained  uninjured,  so 
that  new  feeding-mouths  must  be  formed  after 
removal ;  but  the  greater  the  proportion  and 
extent  of  young  roots  preserved  uninjured 
during  removal,  the  greater  is  the  power 
which  exists  in  the  tree,  and  which  can  be 
exerted  by  it,  for  the  production  of  these  new 
spongioles,  after  it  is  replanted,  and  conse- 
quently the  safer  is  the  operation  of  removal. 
This  v/ill  be  best  illustrated  by  an  example. 
Suppose  a  large  tree,  whose  roots  may  be 
calculated  to  occupy  a  space  of  about  ten  feet 
in  diameter,  is  to  be  removed.  The  usual 
practice  would  be,  to  dig  out  a  trench  all 
round  the  tree,  at  from  two  to  two-and-a-half 
feet  from  the  trunk,  with  the  view  of  retaining 
and  moving  the  mass  of  earth  thus  circum- 
scribed ;  in  doing  this,  all  the  roots  which 
cross  the  excavated  trench  would  be  cut 
asunder,  and,  of  course,  the  portion  exterior 
to  the  trench  would  be  lost  to  the  tree.  A 
good  ball  of  earth  is,  however,  secured  ;  and 
this  is  often  dressed  off  by  the  i-emoval  of 
every  projecting  root.     Such  a  tree  would  be 


460 


PLANTING    AND    TRANSPLANTING. 


thought  safe,  but  it  would  often  prove  other- 
wise, and  even  did  it  live,  its  progress  would 
for  some  time  be  arrested.  This  results  from 
two  things  :  first,  from  the  abscission  of  the 
younger  portions  of  the  roots  ;  and  secondly, 
from  the  drought  to  which  the  fev/  remaining 
roots  embedded  in  the  compact  ball  of  earth 
would  be  subjected;  for,  even  supposing  the 
overhanging  branches  of  the  tree  not  to  ob- 
struct the  rain  from  reaching  the  soil  beneath 
them,  the  compact  mass  would  be  more  or  less 
impenetrable  to  moisture,  and  the  fresh  moved 
and  more  porous  earth  around  it  would  absorb 
the  greatest  share. 

These  remarks  will  form  a  proper  introduc- 
tion to  a  detail  of  the  process  which  should  be 
followed.  In  the  first  place,  begin  at  about 
eight  or  ten  feet  from  the  trunk,  removing 
the  soil  down  to  the  roots  with  a  fork,  in  pre- 
ference to  a  spade.  When  any  roots  are  dis- 
covered, follow  tliem  up  carefully  towards  the 
trunk,  clearing  away  the  soil  with  a  fork  or 
a  light  pick-axe,  and  removing  it  with  a 
shovel.  In  this  way,  all  the  soil  is  to  be 
loosened  from  about  the  roots,  and  removed 
down  to  the  lowest  bed  of  roots,  and  up  to 
within  a  short  distance  of  the  trunk,  wliere 
a  small  portion  of  soil  inay  be  permitted  to 
remain  to  steady  the  tree.  Collect  the  roots 
together  as  they  are  cleared,  and  tie  them  up 
in  bundles  in  a  piece  of  wetted  garden  mat  ; 
the  roots  should-  never  be  exposed  so  as  to 
become  in  any  way  dried  or  shrivelled.  When 
the  roots  all  round  are  thus  cleared  and 
secured,  the  tree  must  be  undermined  with 
•a  long-pronged  pick-axe,  the  tap-roots,  if 
any,  being  cut  through ;  it  is  then  to  be 
pulled  over  on  one  side  by  means  of  a  rope 
attached  to  the  branches,  and  the  other  side 
is  to  be  undermined  and  the  tap-roots  severed. 
A  small  embankment  of  earth  is  then  to  be 
rammed  firmly  against  the  under-side  of  the 
ball,  and  the  tree  is  to  be  pulled  over  on  the 
other  side,  and  the  embankment  repeated 
against  the  part  thus  exposed.  In  this  way, 
the  ball  of  earth  becomes  fairly  detached,  and 
slightly  raised  out  of  its  place.  If  of  con- 
siderable weight,  the  tree  must  be  removed 
by  a  machine  ;  which  may  be  a  pair  of  wheels 
attached  to  a  strong  axle-tree,  with  a  spire  or 
pole  for  draught.  Before  the  tree  is  pulled 
upright,  a  stout  plank  about  six  feet  long, 
with  an  iron  ring  at  each  end,  is  placed  under 
the  roots  ;  the  machine  is  then  backed  close 
to  the  tree,  and  the  spire  or  pole  elevated  to 
the  perpendicular,  and  fastened  in  two  or 
three  places  to  the  bole  of  the  tree,  taking 
care  that  wherever  the  tree  and  machine  are 
likely  to  come  in  contact,  plenty  of  matting, 
straw,  or  some  other  material,  is  placed,  to 
prevent  the  tree  from  being  injured  by  rub- 
bing.    Ropes  are  next  run  through  the  rings 


of  the  plank,  which  is  made  firmly  fast  to  tlie 
axle.  A  strong  rope  is  now  tied  to  the  ring 
at  the  end  of  the  pole,  by  means  of  which 
a  pair  of  horses  draw  it  down.  The  machine 
should  be  so  set,  that  when  thus  pulled  down 
the  longest  of  the  branches  are  uppermost. 
When  the  head  of  the  tree  is  brought  down, 
it  is  caught  by  men  ready  at  hand,  to  prevent 
its  being  smashed  on  the  ground,  or  falling 
back  into  the  hole,  one  of  which  it  would  do, 
according  as  the  roots  or  the  top  prepon- 
derated in  weight  ;  it  should  be  made  nearly 
to  balance  on  the  axle-tree,  so  that  if  the  ball 
proves  too  heavy,  it  is  to  be  still  further 
reduced,  or  else  some  men  must  ride  among 
the  branches,  in  order  that  their  weight  may 
assist  to  make  it  rest  horizontally  on  the  bar. 
Such  of  the  branches  or  roots  as  require  tying 
out  of  harm's  way  are  then  to  be  attended  to ; 
and  then  the  horses  are  put  to  the  machine, 
and  the  tree  is  drawn  away,  root  foremost. 
Some  care  is  necessary  in  the  progress  of 
transmission,  as  jerks  arising  from  unevenness 
of  the  ground,  or  other  causes,  would  disar- 
range the  tree,  and  either  throw  it  on  its 
roots  or  top,  either  of  which  would  sustain 
damage. 

The  excavation  for  the  reception  of  the 
tree  should  have  been  prepared  previously, 
and  must  be  large  enough  to  contain  the  roots 
when  laid  out  straight.  The  machine  bearing 
the  tree  is  drawn  to  the  side  of  the  opening, 
which  on  that  side  should  be  made  sloping,  so 
that  the  wheels  may  run  down  to  the  level  of 
the  bottom  of  the  hole.  The  horses  are  then 
removed,  and  the  machine  lowered  down  the 
inclined  plane  by  the  men,  and  the  wheels  are 
stayed  firmly  at  the  point  which  it  is  judged 
will  bring  the  tree  to  the  centre  of  the  pit 
when  the  pole  of  the  machine  is  raised  ;  while 
this  is  being  done,  the  lower  roots  are  held 
aside,  so  as  not  to  be  doubled  up  beneath  the 
ball;  and  then  the  pole  is  raised  by  means  of 
the  rope  and  the  preponderance  of  the  weight 
of  the  butt-end  of  the  tree,  which  is  thus  set 
upright  in  the  hole  prepared  for  it.  The 
various  fastenings  are  now  unloosened,  and 
the  machine  drawn  away ;  the  tree  is  pulled 
aside,  and  the  plank  removed.  It  is  then 
ready  for  planting,  unless  it  happen  not  to  be 
set  in  a  right  position,  when  it  requires  turn- 
ing. This  turning  is  to  fix  the  tree  in  the 
same  direction,  in  reference  to  the  points  of 
the  compass,  in  which  it  has  formerly  stood. 
It  is  effected  thus  : — A  man  holds  a  rope  fas- 
tened to  the  top  of  the  tree,  and  others  take 
hold  of  the  stronger  roots ;  then,  by  an  united 
effort, — the  top  being  pulled  a  little  aside,  and 
the  butt  twisted  round, — the  tree  gets  lurched 
into  the  required  position.  The  stay-ropes 
are  then  held  loosely,  so  as  to  show  which  way 
the  tree  leans,  if  at  all ;  if  it  leans  to  one  side. 


PLANTING   AND    TRANSPLANTING. 


4G1 


it  is  pulled  upright,  and  the  men  commence 
ramming  earth  under  and  against  the  faulty 
side,  until  the  tree  is  enabled  to  keep  an  erect 
position  independent  of  the  ropes.  The  pro- 
cess of  filling  in  the  soil  then  remains,  the 
men  working  by  threes,  one  holding  the  roots, 
another  throTring  in  fine  soil,  and  the  other 
ramming  it  down  firmly  under  the  ball  on 
every  side.  A  layer  of  good  soil  is  then 
spread  over  the  bottom  of  the  hole,  and  the 
lower  tier  of  roots  laid  out,  and  covered  Avith 
fine  earl h,  which  is  to  be  trodden  firmly  down. 
The  next  layer  of  roots  is  similarly  treated, 
and  so  on,  until  the  whole  is  filled  up.  Ihe 
soil  must  be  rendered  close  and  firm,  and 
especially  about  the  larger  roots,  which  are  apt 
to  spring  up  after  treading  on  them,  unless 
the  soil  is  made  very  compact  beneath  and 
around  them  by  means  cf  the  rammers.  The 
jnanner  of  determining  when  the  tree  is  up- 
right, is  thus : — One  man  standing  at  some 
distance  holds  the  tree  with  a  rope,  another 
places  himself  so  that  his  position  forms  a 
triangle  with  the  tree  and  that  of  the  man 
with  the  rope ;  these  men,  if  they  have  a  cor- 
rect eye,  are,  from  their  position,  enabled  to 
see  when  the  tree  is  upright.  If  the  roots 
of  a  tree  are  firmly  fixed  in  the  manner  above 
detailed,  it  will  seldom,  if  ever,  suffer  from 
the  action  of  winds,  but  may  generally  be  left 
as  planted;  should,  however,  any  of  them  be 
found  to  give  way,  they  must  be  supported. 
The  surface  of  the  ground  should  be  left  fine 
and  even  after  the  operation,  v/hich  is  best 
performed  in  the  month  of  October,  when  the 
soil  is  in  a  moderately  moistened  state. 

Planting  Smaller  Trees  and  Shruhs. — The 
process  in  these  cases,  as  compared  with  that 
just  detailed,  differs  more  in  degree  than 
principle  ;  it  is,  however,  much  more  easily 
accomplished.  The  first  consideration  is  the 
preparation  of  the  soil.  It  is  not  enough  that 
pits  should  be  thrown  out  large  enough  to 
receive  the  mass  of  soil  rem.oved  with  the 
roots,  technically  called  the  "  ball,"  while  the 
adjacent  soil  is  left  in  a  consolidated  state. 
The  soil  should  be  well  broken  up,  for  some 
distance  at  least  beyond  where  the  roots  will 
extend  to  in  every  direction  ;  in  planting- 
masses  of  trees  and  shrubs,  this  will  be  most 
readily  and  effectually  done  by  first  trenching 
up  the  soil ;  although,  even  to  this,  in  some 
instances,  forest  planting  may  be  an  excep- 
tion ;  but,  in  the  case  of  isolated  plants,  the 
ground  should  be  broken  up  around  each  tree 
for  a  yard  or  more  beyond  the  extremities  of 
the  roots.  The  openings  should  next  be  pre- 
pared ;  these  should  be  large  enough  to  admit 
of  the  roots  being  laid  out  straight  in  every 
direction,  and  just  deep  enough  to  allow  the 
plants  to  be  set  a  trifle  higher  than  before  ; 
the  fine  soil  should  be  laid  by  itself,  where  it 


may  be.  easy  of  access  to  place  among  the 
roots  at  planting  time,  and  the  bottom  should 
be  well  broken  up,  and  made  slightly  highest 
in  the  centre  ;  it  is  an  advantage  to  have 
these  openings  made  some  time  before  j)lant- 
ing,  as  the  soil  then  gets  \v(t\\  aerated.  The 
plants  should  now  be  taken  up.  If  they  are 
choice  and  valuable  plants,  the  plan  is,  to  open 
a  trench  around  them,  leaving  a  circular  mass 
around  the  roots  about  equal  in  diameter  to  the 
branches ;  this  mass  is  then  undermined,  and 
then  a  portion  of  the  soil  is  removed  from 
among  the  roots,  taking  care  not  to  break  or 
injure  any  of  the  latter;  in  this  v/ay,  the  size 
of  the  "  ball"  is  reduced  according  to  circum- 
stances. In  transporting  the  plants,  if  the 
distance  to  which  they  have  to  be  removed  is 
considerable,  a  mat  or  two  should  be  bound 
firmly  around  the  "  ball,"  to  prevent  its  being 
loosened  and  broken  ;  for  the  breaking  of  this 
mass  of  soil  would  involve  the  breaking-off  of 
many  of  the  spongioles,  which  it  is  most  im- 
portant to  preserve.  Previous  to  setting  the 
plant  in  tlie  opening  prepared  for  it,  the  depth 
of  the  ball  should  be  examined,  so  as  that  the 
plant  may  be  set  at  once  at  the  proper  depth, 
all  unnecessary  removals  being  objectionable. 
It  is  then  placed  in  the  required  position,  and 
soil  is  throAvn  in  and  rammed  against  the 
lower  part  of  the  "  ball,"  so  that  the  plant  will 
bear  itself  upright.  The  roots  are  then  spread 
out  in  layers,  and  covered  wnth  fine  soil, 
which  is  trodden  or  rammed  firmly  about 
them,  the  surface  layers  being  left  smooth 
and  even,  and  also  loose.  With  commoner 
and  free-growing  subjects  the  same  routine 
has  to  be  gone  through,  but  the  various  ope- 
rations are  less  carefully  performed.  The 
fewer  roots  cut  asunder,  the  better.  Some  of 
the  larger  and  longer  ones  are  often  neces- 
sarily severed;  and  where  this  is  the  case,  the 
end  should  be  cut  smooth  with  a  sharp  knife, 
and  a  sloping  upward  cut,  so  as  to  facilitate 
its  healing.  Every  care  should  be  taken  not 
to  break  olF  the  smaller  fibres  from  those  parts 
which  are  retained.  The  plan  of  "  watering 
in"  is  an  excellent  one  in  dry  seasons,  and  in 
dry  soils,  but  of  much  less  importance  and 
utility  when  the  soil  is  either  naturally  or 
artificially  moderately  well  moistened.  It  is 
done  thus : — "When  about  three  parts  of  the 
soil  has  been  returned  over  the  roots,  a  quan- 
tity of  water  is  poured  in,  enough  to  saturate 
the  whole  mass ;  this  is  allowed  to  stand  till 
the  water  has  soaked  away,  leaving  the  soil 
wet  and  compact  about  the  roots ;  the  remain- 
der of  the  soil  is  then  filled  in  loosely,  to 
prevent  the  evaporation  of  the  moisture. 
Should  it  be  necessary  to  repeat  the  watering 
subsequently,  the  surface  soil  is  to  be  drawn 
aside,  and  again  returned  after  the  water — 
which  should  be  applied  with  a  liberal  hand — 


462 


PLANTING  AND  TRANSPLANTING. 


has  soaked  away.  With  care,  any  tree  or 
shrub  raay  be  transplanted  successfully  at 
almost  any  period  ;  but  the  winter  season, 
extending  from  September  to  March,  is  gene- 
rally preferred.  Early  autumn  is  the  best  of 
all  seasons  ;  and  mild  open  weather  in  the 
early  part  of  winter  is  preferable  to  late 
spring  planting  for  all  kinds  of  trees  and 
shrubs.  It  is  important  to  prevent,  by  any 
and  evei'v  means,  the  drying  of  the  roots 
while  the  plants  are  out  of  the  ground. 

Planting  Herbs. —  Herbaceous  perennial, 
biennial,  and  annual  plants,  are  necessarily 
removed  at  various  periods  throughout  the 
year.  In  spring  and  autumn,  and  dull  show- 
ery weather  in  summer,  they  may  be  removed 
without  being  subjected  to  much  inconve- 
nience, owing  to  the  limited  area  occupied  by 
their  roots  ;  but  when  it  is  required  to  trans- 
plant them,  during  ordinary  summer  weather, 
it  is  necessary  to  adopt  such  means  as  raay 
be  available  of  protecting  them  from  injury 
through  exposure  to  hot  sun-rays ;  this  is 
done  by  planting  towards  evening,  giving  at 
the  same  time  a  good  watering,  in  which 
case,  if  the  plant  was  well  rooted,  it  will 
almost  establish  itself  in  the  course  of  the 
night,  and,  at  all  events,  will  not  suffer  ma- 
terially in  the  following  day.  Or  if  a  showery 
day  intervene,  it  should  always  be  turned  to 
account,  in  forwarding  all  planting  at  that 
time  requiring  to  be  done.  Shading  by  means 
of  various  contrivances,  applied  during  the 
hotter  poi'tions  of  the  day,  is  also  a  useful 
help,  and  should  be  adopted  when  practicable. 
■  Further  than  this,  dependence  must  be  placed 
on  the  free  application  of  water,  the  removal 
of  the  plants  without  damage  to  their  roots, 
and  the  careful  re-odjustment  of  them  in  their 
new  situations.  The  tools  most  generally 
used  in  planting  subjects  of  this  description, 
are  the  dibble  and  the  trowel.  For  the  smaller 
plants  the  former  is  the  more  expeditious  tool; 
but  in  all  other  cases,  the  trowel  is  calculated  to 
do  its  work  better,  and  a  modification  of  it,  in 
the  shape  of  a  small  hand-fork,  is  perhaps  the 
most  perfect  instrument  that  can  be  used.  Be- 
fore the  plants  are  taken  up,  the  soil  should  be 
well  watered,  if  at  all  dry  naturally.  The  fork 
should  then  be  inserted  behind  them,  and  the 
plants — roots  and  all — carefully  lifted  out  of 
the  soil,  retaining  as  much  soil  about  the 
roots,  and  as  many  roots  uninjured,  as  may 
be  possible.  These  roots  must  not  be  allowed 
to  dry  from  exposui-e  to  sun  or  wind,  but 
should  be  planted  immediately,  or  as  soon  as 
possible  after  being  taken  up.  For  all  plants 
with  a  little  tuft  of  roots  and  soil,  the  trov^el 
or  fork  should  be  used  in  planting  ;  a  hole 
should  be  taken  out  larger  than  the  "  ball," 
— the  ground  being  either  entirely  dug  or 
trenched,  or  loosened  around  for  some  dis- 


tance,— the  plant  set  into  it,  without  having 
any  of  its  roots  bent  under  or  cramped,  and 
then  the  fine  soil  taken  from  the  surrounding 
surface  is  to  be  filled  in  carefully  around  the 
roots,  and  slightly  consolidated  by  pressure, 
either  with  the  hand,  foot,  or  back  of  the 
tool.  If  this  takes  place  during  dry  weather  or 
under  circumstances  in  which  Avatering  is 
required, — that  is,  if  either  or  both  the  soil 
and  atmosphere  be  parched, — the  water  should 
be  applied  when  about  three  parts  of  the  soil 
is  filled  in ;  and  when  it  has  soaked  away,  the 
remaining  soil  is  to  be  filled  in  loosely,  and 
levelled.  Enough  water  should  be  given  to 
soak  the  soil  thoroughly  all  round  the  roots. 
If  after-waterings  are  required,  the  surface 
soil  should  be  drawn  aside,  and  returned  again 
after  the  applied  moistui'e  has  soaked  in. 
A  temporary  shade  of  evergreen  boughs, 
stuck  into  the  ground  on  the  sunny  side,  is, 
in  dry  hot  weather,  and  in  the  case  of  choice 
plants,  often  very  desirable.  Very  small 
plants  may  be  transplanted  after  the  method 
described  under  the  head,  Plant'wg  Seedlings. 
Planting  Bulbs,  ^t. — Bulbs  and  tubers  are, 
with  very  few  exceptions,  planted  when  in 
their  inactive  condition.  There  are  two  plans 
followed  in  planting  them  ;  either  the  surface 
soil  is  displaced  before  and  replaced  after  the 
bulbs  are  distributed  over  the  ground  ;  or 
holes  are  made  wdth  a  blunt-ended  dibble,  and 
the  bulbs  dropped  in,  and  then  covered  over. 
The  latter  is  an  objectionable  plan,  especially 
on  soils  inclined  to  be  adhesive,  and  in  all 
cases  where  the  soil  is  at  all  overcharged  with 
moisture  ;  for  by  the  compression  of  the  soil 
at  the  sides  and  bottom  of  the  hole,  a  basin  is 
formed,  which  more  or  less  effectually  retains 
moisture  about  the  bulbs,  which  is  in  all  cases 
injurious,  and  sometimes  fatal  to  them.  When 
the  bulbs  are  to  be  planted  in  detached  patches, 
the  soil  should  be  removed  to  the  proper  depth 
by  the  hand-fork,  and  below  this  should  be 
loosened  up  ;  the  bulbs  are  then  to  be  placed 
at  the  proper  distances  apart  (which  varies 
according  to  size  and  habit),  and  covered  over 
with  soil,  which  should  be  finished  off  neat 
and  level  on  the  surface.  Where  they  are 
planted  in  a  connected  form,  as  in  beds,  there 
are  two  plans  adopted.  The  bed  is  first  to 
be  dug  up,  or  what  is  better,  if  practicable, 
laid  up  in  rough  ridges  for  some  time  pre- 
viously, and  then  forked  down  level  at  plant- 
ing time.  Then,  either  broad  flat-bottomed 
drills  are  made  with  the  hoe,  and  the  bulbs 
placed  along  the  bottom  of  the  drill,  and 
covered  by  levelling  the  displaced  soil  with 
the  rake  :  or,  the  whole  of  the  surface  soil 
is  taken  off, — either  drawn  off  with  the  hoe, 
and  removed  with  a  spade  or  shovel,  to 
the  proper  depth,  the  bulbs  set  at  the  desired 
distances,  and  covered  by  carefully  replacing 


PLANTING    AND    TRANSPLANTING. 


463 


the  foi'mer  surface  soil,  or  some  other  fine 
compost  substituted  for  it.  This  last  plan 
is  generally  followed,  with  more  or  less  of 
nicetv  in  the  execution,  in  the  planting  of 
florists'  flowers,  as  it  admits  of  a  more  even 
and  regular  distribution  of  the  bulbs,  both  as 
regards  position  and  depth.  The  smaller  class 
of  bulbs  and  tubers,  such  as  anemones  and 
snowdrops,  should  be  planted  about  two  inches 
deep  ;  larger  ones,  as  tulips  and  hyacinths, 
about  four  inches  ;  and  still  larger  ones,  such 
as  those  of  many  kinds  of  lily,  six  inches 
beneath  the  surface.  These  depths  admit  of 
variation  for  special  objects  ;  thus,  the  bulbs 
may  be  planted  a  trifle  deeper,  as  a  means  of 
protection  from  severe  frosts  in  the  case  of 
those  least  able  to  bear  its  rigours.  The  dis- 
tance at  wdiich  the  bulbs  are  placed  admits  of 
considerable  variation;  where  they  are  planted 
in  beds  in  a  regular  and  formal  manner, 
rather  less  than  their  respective  heights  may 
be  taken  as  a  good  mean  distance,  but  if  they 
are  planted  in  patches,  they  may  stand  much 
nearer  together,  the  largest  not  requiring  to 
be  more  than  six  inches  asunder  ;  and  the 
smaller  ones  should  be  placed  within  an  inch 
or  two  of  each  other,  and  so  as  to  form  large- 
sized  patches.  The  smaller  bulbs  planted  as 
edgings  should  form  a  close  double  row. 

Planting  Aquatics. —  Such  plants  as  are 
placed  near  the  margin  of  water,  may  be 
planted  in  the  bank  by  inserting  a  spade, 
pushing  it  in  opposite  directions  to  form  a 
small  chasm,  into  which  the  roots  are  to  be 
forced,  and  the  plants  fixed  by  pressing  the 
soil  firmly  about  them  with  the  foot.  It  is 
sufficient  to  fix  merely  such  plants  as  these 
a([uatics,  for  they  grow  with  the  greatest 
freedom.  The  chief  difficulty  lies  in  fixing 
those  w'hich,  requiring  deeper  water,  have  to 
be  placed  at  some  distance  from  the  bank  ; 
such  are  the  various  kinds  of  water-lily.  A 
ready  means  of  fixing  them,  consists  in  placing 
around  their  rootstocks  a  heavy  lump  of  claj'; 
they  may  then  be  dropped  into  the  places 
allotted  for  them,  and  when  once  fairly 
started  will  take  care  of  themselves.  Another 
plan  is,  to  plant  them  in  wicker  baskets  filled 
with  heavy  mud,  which  are  then  dropped  into 
the  places  where  they  are  required. 

Planting  Seedlings. — By  this  is  intended 
the  nursery  transplantation  of  seedlings  while 
in  their  infant  state  ;  which  operations  bear 
the  common  designation  of  "  pricking  out." 
Where  seedling  plants  have  eventually  to  be 
transplanted,  this  pricking  out  is  of  much 
advantage  to  them  in  the  way  of  preparation  ; 
it  checks  the  formation  of  the  leading  or  tap- 
root, which  almost  all  plants  naturally  pro- 
duce, and  favours  the  emission  of  a  much 
larger  number  of  lateral  roots  and  fibres,  so 
that  plants  which  have  been  pricked  out,  are 


in  a  more  favourable  condition  for  subsequent 
transplantation  than  they  would  be  if  allowed 
to  grow  on  undisturbed  from  the  first.  In 
the  case  of  vegetable  crops  intended  for  trans- 
plantation, it  is  customary  to  prick  them  out 
as  soon  as  about  a  pair  of  leaves  besides  the 
cotyledons  or  seed-lobes  are  expanded.  Apiece 
of  ground  is  wrought  to  a  fine  surface,  and 
the  plants  being  raised  up  with  a  thin-pointed 
and  flattened  piece  of  wood,  so  as  not  to  break 
their  roots,  are  inserted  at  equal  distances  all 
over  the  ground,  at  one,  two,  or  three  inches 
apart,  varying  according  to  the  size  of  the 
plants  and  the  length  of  time  they  are  in- 
tended to  remain  in  that  position.  If  the 
subject  be  a  choice  one,  the  young  plants  are 
lifted  carefully,  so  as  not  to  damage  any  half- 
germinated  seeds ;  and  a  second  or  third  crop 
is  transplanted  from  the  same  seed-bed,  as  the 
plants  attain  sufficient  size.  Sometimes,  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year, — the  object  being 
chiefly  to  afford  protection  and  to  forward 
particular  crops, —  seeds  are  soAvn  either  in 
a  frame  or  in  boxes  or  pans;  and  the  seedlings 
also  are  transplanted  or  pricked  out  into  other 
frames,  boxes,  or  pans,  in  which  they  are 
protected  in  accordance  with  the  object  in 
raising  them.  The  plants  are  inserted  in  the 
ground  by  means  of  a  blunt-pointed  stick 
large  enough  to  form,  when  thrust  into  the 
soil,  a  hole  fully  as  large  as  the  diameter  of 
the  mass  of  soil  and  roots  adhering  to  the 
plants  ;  this  is  thrust  into  the  ground  in  a 
slightly  slanting  direction,  and  deep  enough 
to  allow  of  the  roots  being 
laid  straight ;  the  plant  is 
placed  so  that  the  seed- 
lobes  are  a  little  above  the 
surface,  and  it  is  then  fixed  ^     -"^^ 

by  pressing  in  the  soil  on  C"^'^ 

the  upper  or  front  part  by 
the  point  of  the  dibble ;  in  doing  this,  it  is 
necessary  to  take  care  that  the  hole  is  filled 
to  the  very  bottom,  or  the  roots  become  sus- 
pended over  a  chasm,  and  are  thus  in  some 
measure  prevented  from  striking  into  the  soil. 
The  seeds  of  flowering  plants  are  sown 
and  the  young  seedlings  treated  in  a  similar 
manner  to  that  just  described  ;  only,  as  they 
are  commonly  more  choice,  often  smaller,  and 
less  numerous,  the  operation  is  perhaps  per- 
formed with  more  nicety  and  care,  finer  soil 
and  smaller  dibbles  being  employed,  and  the 
plants  removed  as  soon  as  their  seed-lobes  have 
become  fairly  expanded.  The  operation  is 
not  otherwise  different  in  the  two  cases. 
When  seedlings  are  raised  of  any  kind  of 
plant  requiring  peculiar  soil,  the  seedlings 
should  have  that  kind  of  soil,  rendered  more 
than  commonly  porous  by  the  addition  of 
sand;  indeed,  in  all  cases  soil  of  rather  a  sandy 
texture  is  preferable  for  the  purpose,  as  it 


©oo 


464 


THE    CHISWICK    AND    UEGENt's    PARK    SHOWS    OF    1S49. 


tends  to  check  over-exuberance  of  growth, 
and  to  increase  the  proportion  of  fibrous  roots 
— points  to  secure  which  the  practice  itself  is 
resorted  to.  The  surface  soil  must  be  fine  in 
proportion  to  the  minuteness  of  the  plants, 
and  should  be  made  tolerably  firm  before 
inserting  the  plants.  A  medium  state  of 
moistui'e  is  most  favourable  for  the  operation  ; 
as,  if  too  dry,  the  holes  are  made  with  dif- 
ficulty, and  the  contact  injures  the  roots;  and 
if  too  wet,  it  is  adhesive,  or  with  difficulty 
adjusted  about  the  plants,  especially  if  they 
are  small.  The  operation  should  close  by  a 
moderate  watering,  applied  in  the  form  of 
a  light  shower  ;  larger  plants  may  be  watered 
through  the  fine  rose  of  a  watering-pot ; 
smaller  ones  through  the  fine  rose  of  a 
syringe  held  at  some  distance  ;  and  the  most 
minute  should  be  watered  by  thi'owing  the 
water  lightly  over  them  from  the  hairs  of  a 
common  clothes-brush. 


REGENT  S  PARK 
1849. 


THE  CHISWICK  AND 

SHOWS  or 

The  Horticultural  Society  of  London,  after 
many  years  of  fine  weather,  have  had  two  or 
three  reverses,  and  the  'effect  has  been  very 
detrimental  as  far  as  the  numbers  of  visitors 
are  concerned.  The  Royal  Botanic  So- 
ciety may  be  told  that  there  is  no  prayer  so 
appropriate  and  becoming  for  all  those  who 
wdsh  the  Society  well,  as  the  few  impres- 
sive words, — 

"  Save  us  from  our  friends." 
"For  one  of  their  servants,  in  a  public  jour- 
nal, has  taken  the  very  dangerous  ground 
of  comparing  the  number  of  visitors  at  the 
Royal  Botanic  Gardens  with  those  at  Chis- 
wick  ;  we  say  dangerous  ground,  because  he 
provokes  at  once  a  comparison  as  to  the 
quality;  and  however  the  qualiiy  may  satisfy 
him,  the  pounds,  shillings,  and  pence,  may 
not  be  the  only  consideration  at  Chiswick, 
The  Regent's  JPark  is  about  a  three-penny 
ride  from  the  Strand  and  Fleet-street,  and 
omnibuses  run  every  two  minutes  or  there- 
abouts. Mr.  Marnock  compares  numbers,  as 
if  numbers  were  the  only  criterion  of  suc- 
cess ;  and  we  are  bound  to  account  for  the 
advantage  he  claims,  not  merely  by  the 
quality  of  the  visitors,  but  by  the  object  of 
the  Societies.  The  Horticultural  Society  of 
London  aims  at  something  beyond  the  mere 
grasping  at  crowns.  So  far  as  it  is  calcu- 
lated to  advance  the  funds  and  not  detract 
from  the  object,  the  more  company  that 
attends  the  shows  the  better,  but  the  num- 
ber must  not  at  any  time  be  at  the  expense 
of  quality.  The  boasting  of  numbers  w^ould 
be  very  well  for  the  managers  of  Cremorne 
against  the  proprietor  of  the  Grecian  Saloon 


— both  shilling  admissions,  without  restric- 
tion. All  turns  then  upon  the  locality  and 
the  attraction.  In  the  Chiswick  Gardens, 
there  is  no  danger  of  meeting  one's  own 
servants,  sent  in  with  tickets  from  our  own 
butchers,  bakers,  oilmen,  grocers,  and  fish- 
mongers. There  is  no  forcing  of  tickets, 
nobody  dreams  of  canvassing  for  visitors, 
no  butlers,  stewards,  and  ladies'  maids,  are 
sent  to  canvass  all  the  straw-bonnet  makers, 
and  milliners,  and  drapers,  and  dressmakers, 
and  tailors,  and  hatters,  and  greengrocers, 
to  take  tickets,  to  get  up  a  number.  If 
the  love  of  tlie  science  and  the  certainty  of 
meeting  people  of  station  does  not  attract, 
no  other  attraction  is  held  out  ;  and  it  needs 
not  a  conjurer  to  tell,  that  the  lower  you 
descend  in  the  scale  of  society,  the  more 
thousands  you  have  to  w^ork  upon. 

There  is  no  doubt,  that  the  locality  of  the 
Regent's  Park  opens  the  doors  to  thousands 
who  would  never  reach  the  end  of  a  five-mile 
journey.  The  Chiswick  shows,  on  the  other 
hand,  are  none  the  worse  for  the  lesser  num- 
ber of  visitors  ;  and  we  hope  the  day  will 
never  arrive,  when  the  Fellows  Avill  try  to 
increase  the  number  of  visitors  by  invitations 
to  people  of  a  lower  grade,  in  either  property 
or  intellect,  than  themselves.  Many  a  Society 
has  been  lost  by  trusting  too  much  to  servants, 
by  giving  too  much  powder  to  persons  of 
grovelling  notions  and  little  minds,  men  who 
calculate  success  by  tlie  money  taken,  instead 
of  the  objects  achieved ;  men,  in  fact,  who  have 
lived  like  a  grub,  eat  their  way  like  a  grub, 
and  who,  being  suddenly  elevated  to  a  but- 
terfly, merely  live  to  leave  behind  them  a 
succession  of  grubs,  to  do  as  they  have  done, 
to  live  as  they  have  lived.  "VVe  do  not  think 
it  worth  while  to  originate  comparisons,  but 
if  one  side  of  the  question  is  forced  u2)on  us, 
the  other  is  forced  from  us  ;  and  though  we 
have  never  touched  upon  the  subject  before, 
we  cannot  help  asking  those  who  boast  of  the 
number  of  their  visitors,  to  take  a  glance  at 
their  quality — and  to  recollect,  that  if  the 
Horticultural  Society  would  be  less  scrupulous 
as  to  the  rank  and  station  of  those  they  admit, 
they  could  nearly  treble  the  number.  It 
would  be  more  becoming  of  the  gentleman 
to  whom  the  management  of  the  Botanic 
Gardens  is  entrusted,  to  chuckle  over  his 
increased  numbers  quietly,  if  that  only  is  the 
good  the  Society  is  doing,  than  by  publishing 
the  fact  to  all  the  world,  proclaim  the  great 
extent  of  business  done  in  matters  which 
never  even  formed  items  in  the  excuses 
for  establishing  the  Society,  and  which  have 
now  usurped  the  place  of  scientific  research 
and  useful  information.  Let  the  Royal 
Botanic  Society  set  up  against  Cremorne 
Gardens,  but  let  the  public  know  that  such 


THE   FOREST   TREES    OF   BRITAIN. 


465 


are  its  objects.  Let  the  Council  beat  White 
Conduit  House  and  the  Eagle  Tavern,  but  let 
all  the  world  be  made  acquainted  with  the 
fact,  that  emulation  to  excel  these  establish- 
ments is  the  exalted  aim  of  the  executive. 
We  quote  from  tlie  journal  the  Society's  officer 
writes  in,  and  upon  his  authority  say,  that  in 
one  season  no  less  than  twenty-nine  thou- 
sand persons  visited  the  gardens  in  the  Park  ; 
but  we  can  in  the  same  sentence  remind 
the  Council,   that   ten  times   the  number  of 


persons  have  been  to  "Cremorne."  We  are 
told  that  comparisons  are  odious,  and  we 
therefore  advise  every  body  who  thrusts 
them  upon  the  public,  to  be  very  cai'eful  that 
the  advantages  they  boast  are  not  realized 
at  the  cost  of  something  yet  more  valuable, — 
and  especially  to  remember,  that  the  number 
of  visitors  at  places  of  amusement  is  no  test 
of  the  usefulness  or  the  respectability  of  the 
estabUshment. 


THE  FOREST  TREES  OF  BRITAIN.* 


There  can  hardly  be  mentioned  a  subject 
on  which  the  public  are  more  interested  than 
the  timber  which  will  flourish  in  this  king- 
dom. The  flowers  interest  us  individually, 
and  a  large  class  will  not  fail  to  give  them  pre- 
cedence; but,  when  we  consider  the  part  trees 
occupy  in  our  rural  scenery,  and  the  impor- 
tant share  they  take  in  our  ships,  our  build- 
ings, and  our  manufactures,  they  must  take 
the  lead  in  the  vegetable  kingdom.  It  was  a 
happy  thought  of  the  reverend  author  to  col- 
lect and  put  in  order  all  the  information  ex- 
tant, and  to  furnish  the  reading  public  with  a 
general  description  of  the  inhabitants  of  our 
woods,  forests,  and  plantations.  There  is  in 
the  volume  we  have  already  noticed,  and  the 
one  before  us,  a  concentrated  mass  of  infor- 
mation conveyed  in  a  pleasant  style,  and  those 
who  hardly  know  an  oak  from  an  elm  will  feel 
a  pleasure  in  reading  of  their  native  trees, 
and  of  others  that  have  been  naturalized. 
Few  persons  can  read  the  volume  without 
learning  a  good  deal  that  they  did  not  know, 
concerning  even  the  most  familiar  of  our  trees 
and  shrubs.  How  few  of  the  inhabitants  of  our 
"  woods  and  forests"  are  really  natives  !  The 
chestnut,  although  familiar  and  of  noble 
growth  in  England,  was,  according  to  the  best 
authority,  brought  here  by  the  Romans,  and 
the  Tortworth  chestnut  is  believed  to  be  a 
thousand  years  old.  The  horse  chestnut,  still 
more  common,  is  a  native  of  Asia  ;  the  birch, 
from  the  coldest  pai'ts  of  Europe  and  Asia  ;  so 
also  the  alder.  The  walnut  is  not  even  a 
native  of  Europe,  nor  have  we  any  evidence 
of  property  in  the  lime.  The  plane  belongs 
to  America,  and  of  course  the  oriental  plane 
to  the  East.  The  acacia  is  an  American;  and 
we  could  go  on  to  great  lengths,  dismissing 
one  by  one  many  that  we  are  proud  of,  and 
would  wish  to  think  our  own.     The  reverend 


*  "  The  Forest  Trees  of  Britain,"  Vol.  II.     By  the 
Rev.  C.  A.  Johns,  B.A.  F.L.S.     Society  for  Promoting 
Christian  Knowledge.   1849. 
50. 


author  of  the  present  volume  gives  us  an  ex- 
cellent history  of  all  the  trees  of  any  conse- 
quence that  flourish  in  this  country,  and  con- 
veys many  deeply  interesting  facts  connected 
with  the  introduction,  the  culture,  the  uses, 
and  general  habits,  of  all  he  mentions  ;  be- 
sides which,  we  have  descriptions  of  particular 
specimens  at  home  and  abroad,  with  fifty  little 
historiettes  which  are  associated  with  them. 

The  style  of  these  volumes  is  much  to  be 
commended.  There  is  just  enough  of  botany, 
and  scientific  terminology,  to  do  away  with 
any  doubt  in  the  identification  of  the  sul)jects 
under  discussion — a  matter  too  often  disre- 
garded in  attempts  to  popularize  those  branches 
of  knowledge  which  are  in  any  way  connected 
with  science  ;  and  at  the  same  time  we  have 
none  of  the  dry  technical  details  which  tend 
to  render  scientific  subjects  uninteresting  to 
the  general  reader. 

One  extract  would  be  as  good  as  a  thousand 
to  remind  our  readers  of  the  nature  of  the 
work,  but  we  do  not  promise  that  we  shall 
confine  ourselves  to  one  only.  We  shall  first 
quote  what  is  said  of  the  Deodar,  a  tree  com- 
paratively new,  that  is,  introduced  of  late 
years,  and  by  no  means  near  its  maturity  in 
England  ;  we  take  this  subject  because  very 
little  has  been  written  about  it  by  disin- 
terested persons  ;  besides,  it  is  an  elegant  tree, 
which,  though  not  twenty  years  old  in  this 
kingdom,  is  in  great  repute,  and  cannot  be 
too  largely  cultivated. 

" THE    DEODAR, 
"  Cedrus  deouara. 

"  The  deodar,  holy  cedar,  or  Himalayan 
cedar,  is  known  to  us  only  as  an  ornamental 
plant  of  exquisitely  beautiful  outline  and 
graceful  spray,  giving  an  air  of  refinement  to 
eveiy  lawn  and  shrubbery  to  which  it  has 
been  admitted  ;  but  in  its  native  haunts  it  is 
a  magnificent  tree,  of  rapid  growth  and  enor- 

H  H 


466 


THE  FOREST  TREES  OF  BRITAIN. 


mous  size,  with  the  evergreen  beauty  of  the 
cedar  of  Lebanon  when  Hving,  and  afford- 
ing, when  cut  down,  timber  not  simply  dura- 
ble, but  imperishable.  No  wonder,  then,  that 
the  untaught  Hindoos  should  look  on  it  with 


reverence,  giving  it  a  name  expressive  of  this 
feeling,  '  the  gift  of  God,'  and  in  some  dis- 
tricts using  its  fragrant  wood  as  a  material 
for  their  temples,  and  burning  it  as  incense 
on  occasions  of  great  ceremony. 


*'  The  leaves  and  cones  are  very  like  those 
of  the  cedar  of  Lebanon ;  but  the  general 
habit  of  the  two  trees  is  different  in  every 
stage  of  their  growth.  When  young,  the 
deodar  resembles  a  luxuriant  larch  with  a 
leafy  base,  but  the  branches  are  more  delicate, 
and  thickly  clothed  with  foliage,  and  the  ex- 
tremities of  all  the  shoots,  even  the  leader, 
droop  most  gracefully.  What  will  be  the  ap- 
pearance of  the  full-grown  tree  in  this  cli- 
mate it  is  impossible  to  conjecture.  If  it  suc- 
ceeds, which  it  gives  every  prospect  of  doing, 
it  will  prove  one  of  the  most  valuable  addi- 
tions that  has  ever  been  made  to  the  trees  of 
Britain,  both  for  the  sake  of  its  picturesque 
beauty  and  its  timbei\ 

"In  its  native  state,  the  deodar  grows  high 
up  on  the  slopes  of  the  Himalayan  chain, 
attaining  an  enormous  size  and  hanging  the 
sides  of  the  mountains  with  a  perennial  coat 
of  verdure.  It  is  not  unusual  to  see  it  in 
favourable  situations  with  a  girth  varying 
from  twenty-four  to  thirty  feet,  with  a  pro- 


portionate height  and  vast  expanse.  No  ade- 
quate notion  can  be  formed  of  the  majestic 
character  of  the  tree  from  the  small-sized  spe- 
cimens now  in  existence  in  England.  The 
deodar  varies  in  appearance  greatly  during  its 
growth.  The  young  tree  looks  a  good  deal 
like  the  larch,  rising  in  an  elongated  conical 
mass,  tapering  off  into  a  bold  leading  shoot. 
When  it  attains  a  height  of  fifty  or  sixty  feet, 
the  terminal  leader  withers,  the  top  becomes 
flattened,  the  lateral  growth  is  increased,  and 
the  tree  drops  the  character  of  the  larch,  and 
puts  on  that  of  the  cedar.  So  much  does  its 
appearance  alter,  that  the  English  residents  at 
the  hill  stations,  like  Simla,  imagine  that  there 
are  two  species  :  the  old  tree  they  call  the 
Deodar,  and  the  younger  one,  the  Kelon.  No- 
thing can  exceed  the  grandeur  of  an  old  deodar 
of  thirty  feet  girth.  The  branches  begin  to 
spread  horizontally  close  to  the  ground,  rising 
flight  above  flight  in  successive  sheeted  steps 
into  a  rounded  or  slightly  flattened  top.  Seldom 
or  never  is  the  slightest  trace  of  decay  seen 


THE    rOllEST    TREES    OE    BRITAIN. 


467 


in  the  trunk,  and  the  tree  never,  except  when 
growing  in  very  exposed  situations,  puts  on  the 
depressed  abrupt  character  of  the  cedar  of 
Lebanon.  Others  of  the  fir  tribe  may  compete 
with  it  in  heiglit  and  dimensions,  but  in  econo- 
mic value,  beyond  all  question,  it  occupies  the 
first  place.  The  wood  is  light,  strong,  and 
compact,  straight  in  the  grain,  free  from 
knots,  easily  wrought,  and  highly  perfumed 
with  a  most  delightful  aromatic  perfume, 
which  it  never  loses.  In  durability  it  is  cer- 
tainly without  a  rival ;  Kyanized  by  the  hand 
of  nature,  it  defies  wind  and  weather,  resist- 
ing the  soaking  rains  of  the  Himalayan  moun- 
tains for  ages.  Rot,  under  any  aspect,  is  un- 
known to  it.  You  will  see  in  the  Himalayas 
deodar  timbers  built  into  the  walls  of  old  tem- 
ples now  levelled  nearly  to  their  foundations  ; 
the  surface  bleached  and  ragged,  but  the  body 
of  the  wood  undecayed,  and  emitting  its  cha- 
racteristic odour  fresh  as  ever.  In  Cashmeer 
the  pillars  which  support  the  roof  of  the  great 
Mosque,  built  in  the  days  of  our  later  Henrys, 
are  formed  of  deodar  trees  stripped  of  their 
bark ;  they  exhibit  not  a  crack  or  sign  of  de- 
cay, and  still  smell  like  pencil-wood.  All  the 
boats  in  the  valley  are  built  of  deodar,  and 
when  they  get  crazy  at  the  joinings  by  age, 
the  old  planks  have  their  weathered  surface 
planed  off  by  the  adze,  and  are  then  undis- 
tinguishable  from  the  new  wood,  along  with 
which  they  are  rebuilt.  The  wood  is  so 
straight  and  equal  in  the  grain,  that  it  gives 
planks  three  feet  broad  simply  by  the  action 
of  the  wedge.  Timber-saws  are  unknown  in 
the  Himalayas.  It  is  hardly  possible  to  over- 
rate its  value  as  a  timber-tree,  or  the  ad- 
vantages that  would  follow  from  getting  it 
established  in  Britain,  where  there  is  every 
prospect  of  its  doing  well.  It  grows  fast  in 
favourable  situations,  sometimes  making  shoots 
two  feet  long  in  a  single  season. 

"  Bishop  Heber,  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Gren- 
ville,  giving  an  account  of  a  visit  which  he 
paid  to  the  Himalayan  Mountains,  describes 
it  as  a  '  splendid  tree,  with  gigantic  arms  and 
dark  narrow  leaves,  which  is  accounted  sacred, 
and  is  chiefly  seen  in  the  neighboui'hood  of 
ancient  Hindoo  temples,  and  which  struck  my 
unscientific  eye  as  nearly  resembling  the  cedar 
of  Lebanon.  I  found  it  flourishing  at  nearly 
nine  thousand  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea, 
and  when  the  frost  was  as  severe  at  night  as 
is  usually  met  with  at  the  same  season  in 
England.' 

"  Mr.  Moorcroft  gives  the  following  proofs 
of  the  durability  of  the  timber  :  '  A  few  years 
ago  a  building,  erected  by  the  order  of  the 
Emperor  Akbar,  probably  about  1597,  was 
taken  down,  and  its  timber,  which  was  that  of 
the  deodar,  was  found  so  little  impaired  as  to 
be   fit  to   be  employed  in  a  house  built  by 


Rajah  Shah.  Its  age  must  then  have  been 
two  hundred  and  twenty-five  years.'  He  also 
describes  a  mausoleum,  which  was  erected 
nearly  four  hundred  years  since,  the  walls  of 
which  are  of  brick  and  mortar,  strengthened 
with  beams  of  deodar.  In  this  last  instance, 
the  sap-wood,  which  had  been  carelessly  left 
in  some  places,  had  been  pierced  by  a  worm 
to  the  depth  of  a  quarter  of  an  inch,  but  the 
heart-wood,  notwithstanding  this  long  expo- 
sure to  the  weather,  was  neither  crumbly  nor 
worm-eaten,  the  only  perceptible  effect  being, 
that  the  surface  was  jagged,  from  the  softer 
parts  of  the  wood  having  been  often  washed 
t)y  the  rain.  He  also  obtained  specimens  of 
the  wood  from  a  bridge  in  Ladakh,  which  had 
been  exposed  to  the  water  for  nearly  four 
hundred  years.  It  has  a  remarkably  fine 
close  grain,  capable  of  receiving  a  very  high 
polish  ;  so  much  so  indeed,  that  a  table  formed 
of  the  section  of  a  trunk  nearly  four  feet  in 
diameter,  has  been  compared  to  a  slab  of 
brown  agate. 

"  It  is  readily  propagated  by  seeds,  and 
may  be  raised  also  from  cuttings.  It  has  also 
been  grafted  on  the  larch,  but  can  scarcely  be 
expected  to  attain  perfection,  while  depend- 
ent on  the  roots  of  a  deciduous  tree,  the  du- 
ration of  which,  compared  to  its  own,  is  yary 
limited.  It  has  also  been  grafted  on  the  cedar 
of  Lebanon,  with  a  better  chance  of  success. 
The  country  is  indebted  for  the  first  introduc- 
tion of  deodar  seeds  to  the  Hon.  William 
Leslie  Melville,  who  brought  home  some  con(  s 
in  1831,  and  supplied  seeds  to  the  Horticul- 
tural Society,  &c.  By  the  liberality  of  the 
East  India  Company  they  have  since  been 
imported  in  large  quantities,  and  ti'ees  are 
now  so  abundant,  that  although  they  were 
sold  in  1838  at  the  high  price  of  two  gui- 
neas each,  seedlings  two  years  old  may  now 
be  purchased  at  the  rate  of  four  shillings  a 
dozen, 

"  The  largest  plantation  of  deodars  which 
has  been  made  in  Europe  is  that  of  W. 
Ogilvie,  Esq.,  secretary  of  the  Zoological 
Society,  who,  on  his  estate  of  Altinachree  in 
Tyrone,  has  planted  eleven  acres." — Pp.  419 
—423. 

The  work  is  illustrated,  as  most  of  the 
works  of  the  Society  for  Promoting  Christian 
Knowledge  are;  that  is,  with  a  great  number 
of  beautifully  executed  engravings,  (no  less 
than  a  hundred  and  eighteen,)  either  specimens 
of  extraordinary  trees  which  have  been  con- 
nected with  many  historical  events,  or  with 
explanatory  sketches  of  the  flowers  and  seed- 
vessels  of  the  subjects  under  notice  ;  and  the 
work  is  neatly,  or  rather  elegantly,  printed, 
without  which,  indeed,  many  of  the  elaborate 
engravings  would  have  been  thrown  away  ; 
and  the  reader  Avill  not   fail    to  admire  the 

H  H  2 


% 


468 


THE    FOREST   TREES    OF    BRITAIN. 


clever  manner  in  which  the  reverend  author 
has  compressed  so  much  information  in  so 
small  a  space. 

Our  further  extracts,  however,  with  the 
illustrations,  will  sufficiently  recommend  the 
work,  without  any  further  panegyric  from  us. 

"  THE    CHILI    PINE. 

"  Akaucaria  imbricata. 

"  When  the  numerous  trees,  which  have 
been  introduced  into  Great  Britain  during 
the  last  fifty  or  sixty  years,  have  attained  to 


perfection  and  in  a  measure  altered  the  fea- 
tures of  artificial  landscape  scenery,  no  tree 
will  contribute  so  much  to  produce  this  effect 
as  the  araucaria,  or  Chili  pine.  Seen  from  a 
distance,  it  has  just  enough  of  the  character 
of  the  fir  tribe  to  point  out  its  relationship, 
but  is  unlike  them  all ;  and  when  inspected 
more  closely,  it  bears  not  the  least  resem- 
blance to  any  tree  known  in  Britain,  and 
even,  to  any  eye  but  that  of  a  botanist,  it  no 
longer  has  any  affinity  with  the  firs. 

"  In  its  native  haunts,  the  Cordillera  chain 
in  Chili,  it  is  a  lofty  tree,  exceeding  a  hun- 


dred feet  in  height,  with  a  straight  trunk, 
covered  with  a  thick  cork-like  bark,  which 
abounds  with  resin.  The  branches  are  long- 
est and  most  numerous  near  the  base ;  thus 
the  tree  has  a  pyramidal  form.  The  leaves 
are  broad,  rigid,  tough,  and  sharp-pointed, 
remaining  attached  to  the  tree  for  many  years. 
Tlie  branches  are  cylindrical  and  thickly 
covered  by  the  clasping  leaves,  resembling,  as 
Loudon  happily  remarks,  '  in  young  trees, 
snakes  partly  coiled  round  the  trunk,  and 
stretching  forth  their  long  slender  bodies  in 
quest  of  prey.'  The  araucaria,  as  we  are 
acquainted  with  it  in  England,  is  rather  a 
singular  than  a  beautiful  tree,  giving  a  foreign 
air  to  every  place  where  it  is  planted,  but  not 


possessing  elegance  of  form.  On  the  steep 
rocky  ridges  of  the  South  American  moun- 
tains, it  would  seem  to  be  no  less  majestic 
than  singular.  '  When  we  arrived  at  the  first 
araucarias,  the  sun  had  just  set ;  still  some 
time  remained  for  their  examination.  What 
first  struck  our  attention,  were  the  thick 
roots  of  these  trees,  which  lie  spread  over  the 
stony  and  nearly  naked  soil  like  gigantic  ser- 
pents, two  or  three  feet  in  thickness  ;  they 
are  clothed  with  a  rOtigh  bark,  similar  to  that 
which  invests  the  lofty  pillar-like  trunks,  of 
from  fifty  to  a  hundred  feet  in  height.  The 
crown  of  foliage  occupies  only  about  the 
upper  quarter  of  the  stem,  and  resembles  a 
large  depressed  cone.     The  lower  branches, 


THE    FOREST   TREES    OF    BRITAIN. 


469 


eight  or  twelve  in  number,  form  a  circle 
round  the  trunk  ;  they  diminish  till  they  are 
but  four  or  six  in  a  ring,  and  are  of  most 
regular  formation,  all  spreading  out  horizon- 
tally and  bending  upwards  only  at  their  tops. 
They  are  thickly  invested  w^ith  leaves  that 
cover  them  like  scales,  and  are  sharp-pointed, 
above  an  inch  broad,  and  of  such  a  hard  and 
woody  texture  that  it  requires  a  sharp  knife 
to  sever  them  from  the  parent  stock.  The 
general  aspect  of  the  araucaria  is  most 
striking  and  peculiar,  though  it  undoubtedly 
bears  a  distant  family  likeness  to  the  pines  of 
our  country.  The  fruit,  placed  at  the  ends  of 
the  boughs,  are  of  a  regular  globular  form,  as 
large  as  a  man's  head,  and  each  consists  of 
beautifully  imbricated  scales,  that  cover  the 
seeds,  which  are  the  most  important  part  of 
this  truly  noble  tree.  Such  is  the  extent  of 
the  araucarian  forests,  and  the  amazing  quan- 
tity of  nutritious  seeds  that  each  full-grown 
tree  produces,  that  the  Indians  are  ever  secure 
from  want :  and  even  the  discord  that  pre- 
vails frequently  among  the  different  hordes, 
does  not  prevent  the  quiet  collection  of  this 
kind  of  harvest.  A  single  fruit  contains  be- 
tween two  and  three  hundred  kernels  ;  and 
there  are  frequently  twenty  or  thirty  fruits 
on  one  stem  ;  and,  as  even  a  hearty  eater 
among  the  Indians,  except  he  should  be  wholly 
deprived  of  every  other  kind  of  food,  cannot 
consume  more  than  two  hundred  nuts  in  a 
day,  it  is  obvious  that  eighteen  araucarias  will 
maintain  a  single  person  for  a  whole  year. 
The  kernel,  which  is  of  the  shape  of  an 
almond,  but  double  the  size,  is  surrounded 
with  a  tough  membrane,  which  is  easily  re- 
moved ;  though  relishing  when  prepared,  it 
is  not  easy  of  digestion,  and  containing  but  a 
small  quantity  of  oil,  it  is  apt  to  cause  dis- 
orders in  the  stomach  with  those  who  are  not 
accustomed  to  this  diet.  The  Indians  eat 
them  either  fresh,  boiled,  or  roasted ;  and  the 
latter  mode  of  cooking  gives  them  a  flavour 
something  like  that  of  a  chestnut.  For  win- 
ter's use,  they  are  dried  after  being  boiled ; 
and  the  women  prepare  a  kind  of  flour  and 
pastry  from  them.  The  collecting  of  these 
fruits  would  be  attended  with  great  labour,  if 
it  were  always  necessary  to  climb  the  gigantic 
trunks,  but  as  soon  as  the  kernels  are  ripe, 
towards  the  end  of  March,  the  cones  drop  oiF 
of  themselves,  and,  shedding  their  contents  on 
the  ground,  scatter  liberally  a  boon  which  no- 
thing but  the  little  parrot,  and  a  species  of 
cherry-finch,  divides  with  the  Indians.  In 
the  vast  forests,  of  a  day's  journey  in  extent, 
that  are  formed  by  these  trees,  in  some  dis- 
tricts the  fruits  lie  in  such  plenty  on  the 
ground,  that  but  a  small  part  of  them  can  be 
consumed. 

"  The  wood  of  the  araucaria  is  white,  and 


towards  the  centre  of  the  stem  bright  yellow. 
It  yields  to  none  in  hardness  and  solidity, 
and  might  prove  valuable  for  many  uses  if  the 
places  of  growth  of  the  tree  were  more  acces- 
sible. It  has  been  used  by  the  Spaniards  for 
ship-building  ;  but  it  is  much  too  heavy  for 
masts.  If  a  branch  be  scratched,  or  the  scales 
of  an  unripe  fruit  be  broken,  a  fragrant  milky 
juice  immediately  exudes,  that  soon  changes 
to  a  yellowish  resin,  which  is  considered  by 
the  Chilians  as  possessing  such  medicinal  vir- 
tues, that  it  cures  the  most  violent  rheumatic 
headaches  when  applied  to  the  spot  where  the 
pain  is  felt. 

"  The  araucaria  was  first  introduced  into 
England  by  Menzies,  who  accompanied  Van- 
couver in  his  expedition  to  Chili  in  1795. 
Living  specimens  were  given  by  him  to  Sir 
Joseph  Banks,  one  of  which  is  still  growing 
at  Kew.  It  was  at  first  supposed  to  be  deli- 
cate, and  was  protected  from  frost  during 
winter,  but  it  suffered  from  this  mode  of  treat- 
ment, and  having  been  deprived  of  its  lower 
branches,  the  character  of  the  tree  was  de- 
stroyed. One  of  the  finest  and  handsomest 
trees  in  England  stands  in  the  garden  of 
R.  Dawson,  Esq.,  Tottenham.  It  is  twenty 
feet  high  ;  the  branches  descend  to  the  ground 
on  all  sides,  and  the  main  stem  is  densely 
covered  with  leaves  down  to  the  very  roots. 
It  w^as  planted  out  at  the  height  of  four  inches 
in  April,  1832. 

"  A  writer  in  the  Gardener's  Chronicle 
recommends  that  the  seeds  of  this  tree,  when 
planted,  should  not  be  buried  beneath  the 
ground,  but  simply  laid  on  the  surface,  with 
a  small  quantity  of  earth  raised  around  them, 
but  not  so  as  to  cover  them. 

"Young  plants,  which  in  1838  were  sold 
at  from  three  to  five  guineas  each,  may  now 
be  purchased  for  about  two  shillings  each. 

"  Although  the  Araucaria,  of  which  we 
have  been  speaking,  derives  its  name  from 
the  Araucanos,  a  people  of  Chili,  and  there- 
fore, strictly  speaking,  is  a  South  American 
tree,  there  are  two  other  species  which  inhabit 
the  Eastern  world.  One  of  these,  the  Norfolk 
Island  Pine,  Araucaria  excelsa,  ranks  among 
the  most  magnificent  of  known  trees,  rising 
to  the  almost  incredible  height  of  two  hun- 
dred and  twenty  feet,  with  a  trunk  thirty  feet 
in  circumference.  Mrs.  Meredith,  in  her  en- 
tertaining Notes  and  Sketches  of  New  South 
Wales,  thus  describes  some  young  trees  which 
grew  near  her  house  in  that  country  : — '  The 
Norfolk  Island  pine  is  certainly  the  most  noble 
and  stately  tree  of  all  the  pine  family  that  I 
have  ever  seen,  beautiful  as  they  all  are.  The 
tall,  erect  and  tapering  stem,  the  regularity  of 
the  circling  branches,  lessening  by  small  de- 
grees from  the  widely-spread  expanse  below, 
to  the  tiny  cross  that  crowns  the  summit  of 


470 


THE    FOREST    TREES    OF    BRITAIN. 


the  exquisite  natural  spire,  and  the  really  ver- 
dant, dense,  massive  foliage,  clothing  the 
whole  vi^ith  an  unfading  array  of  scale  armour, 
form  altogether  the  finest  model  of  a  pine  that 
can  be  imagined.  The  cones  too  are  worthy 
to  grow  on  such  a  tree  ;  solid  ponderous  things, 
as  lai'ge  as  a  child's  head — not  a  baby's  head 
neither — with  a  fine  embossed  coat-of-mail, 
firmly  seated  on  the  beam-like  branches,  as  if 
defying  the  winds  to  shake  them.  Mr.  Mere- 
dith climbed  very  nearly  to  the  summit  of  our 
tallest  pine,  and  said  he  had  never  seen  any- 
thing more  beautiful  than  the  downward  view 
into  and  over  the  mass  of  diverging  branches 
spread  forth  beneath  him.  He  brought  me 
down  one  cone  with  its  spray,  if  I  may  so  call 
the  armful  of  thick  green  shoots  that  sur- 
rounded it,  and  I  was  gazing  on  it  for  half  the 
day  after  ;  it  was  so  different  from  anything  I 
had  ever  seen  before,  so  new,  and  so  grandly 
beautiful.  The  rigidity  of  the  foliage  had  a 
sculpture-like  character,  that  made  me  think 
how  exquisitely  Gibbons  would  have  wrought 
its  image  in  some  of  his  graceful  and  stately 
designs,  had  he  ever  seen  the  glorious  tree. 
One  grew  near  to  the  front  verandah,  and 
some  of  its  enormous  roots  had  spread  under 
the  heavy  stone  pavement,  lifting  it  up  in  an 
arch,  like  a  bridge.  When  the  cones  ripened, 
the  large  winged  seeds  fell  out  in  great 
numbers  ;  they  require  to  be  planted  imme- 
diately, as  the  oil  in  them  quickly  dries  up,  and 
with  it  the  vegetative  properties  are  lost.' 

"It  was  introduced  into  England  in  1793, 
but  as  it  requires  protection  during  the  win- 
ter, its  dimensions  must  be  limited  to  the  size 
of  the  conservatory  in  which  it  stands.  '  It 
is  a  highly  interesting  fact,'  says  Dr.  Lindley, 
'  that  a  plant  very  nearly  the  same  as  this 
arauearia  certainly  once  grew  in  Great  Bri- 
tain. Remains  of  it  have  been  found  in  the 
lias  of  Dorsetshire,  and  have  been  figured 
under  the  name  of  Arauearia  primceva.'  " — 
Pp.  425—432. 

"  THE    HORNBEAM. 

"  Carpinus  Betulus. 

"Natural  Order — Amentace^. 
"  Class — MoNCECiA.     Order — Polyandria. 

"  Of  all  our  indigenous  forest-trees,  perhaps 
no  one  is  so  little  known  as  the  hornbeam  ; 
nor  is  this  surprising,  for  although  it  fre- 
quently reaches  a  height  of  fift}^  or  sixty  feet, 
it  has  no  strongly-marked  distinctive  charac- 
ter, and  is  often  mistaken  for  some  kind  of 
elm,  to  which  its  foliage  bears  a  great  rese^i- 
blance.  It  is  found  in  most  of  the  temperate 
countries  of  Europe  and  Asia,  and  is  far  from 
uncommon  in  several  of  the  counties  of  Eng- 
land ;  in  some  it  is  so  abundant,  that  it  forms 


(as  Sir  J.  Smith  observes)  a  principal  part  of 
the  ancient  forests  on  the  north  and  east  sides 
of  London  :  such  as  Epping,  Finchley,  &c. 
By  the  Greeks  it  was  called  Ziigia,  or  '  yoke- 
tree,'  from  the  use  to  which  its  timber  was 
applied ;  the  Latins  call  it  Carpimcs,  the 
name  by  which  it  is  still  known  to  botanists. 

"  It  has  a  straight  and  tolerably  smooth 
trunk,  which  is  slender  and  very  frequently 
flattened,  twisted,  or  otherwise  irregular  in 
shape,  and  is  subdivided  into  a  large  number  of 
long  tapering  branches,  which  diverge  in  such 
a  way  that  the  main  stem  is  generally  lost  in 
the  confused  mass  at  some  distance  below  the 
summit.  The  branches  are  remarkably  liable 
to  unite  when  they  touch  in  crossing,  hence 
very  curious  appearances  are  sometimes  pro- 
duced. The  outline  of  the  head  is  round,  and 
possesses  little  pictui'esque  beauty.  The 
leaves  are  shaped  somewhat  like  those  of  the 
beech,  but  are  rough  and  notched  at  the  edge 
like  those  of  the  elm  ;  they  may  be  distin- 
guished from  the  former  by  their  roughness, 
and  from  the  latter  by  their  being  plaited 
when  young,  and  by  having  numerous,  re- 
gular, strongly  marked  veins.  Like  the  beech, 
too,  they  retain  their  withered  foliage  on  the 
young  branches  all  the  winter.  The  horn- 
beam when  young  is  also  very  similar  in  habit 
to  the  beech,  but  the  latter  may  immediately 
be  detected,  on  examination,  by  its  glossy 
leaves.  The  flowers  appear  soon  after  the 
leaves,  in  April,  growing  in  catkins  of  two 
kinds,  of  which  the  fertile  are  succeeded  by 
clusters  of  small  angular  nuts  each  seated  at 
the  bottom  of  a  leafy  cup.  When  these  are 
once  formed,  the  tree  which  bears  them  can- 
not be  mistaken,  for  no  other  British  tree 
bears  fruit  of  the  same  kind.  The  leaf  buds 
are  longer  and  sharper  than  those  of  the  elm. 

"  Owing  to  its  partaking  of  several  of  the 
properties  of  other  trees,  some  of  the  old  writers 
were  puzzled  to  find  its  place  in  the  system. 
Pliny  probably  saw  some  resemblance  between 
its  clusters  of  nuts  and  the  keys  of  the  maple, 
for  he  places  it  among  the  ten  kinds  of  maple, 
but  adds,  that  others  considered  it  to  belong 
to  a  distinct  genus.  Its  second  name,  Betulus, 
would  seem  to  imply  that  it  was,  by  some  of 
the  early  botanists,  considered  a  kind  of  birch, 
and  one  of  its  old  English  names,  '  Witch- 
hasell,'  points  to  the  supposition  that  it  was  a 
kind  of  hazel.  Gerard  says,  '  It  growes  great 
and  very  like  unto  the  elme  or  wich  hasell  tree  ; 
having  a  great  body,  the  wood  or  timber 
whereof  is  better  for  arrowes  and  shafts,  pul- 
leyes  for  mils,  and  such  like  devices,  than 
elme  or  wich  hasell ;  for,  in  time,  it  waxeth 
so  hard,  that  the  toughnes  and  hardnes  of  It 
may  be  rather  compared  unto  horn  than  unto 
wood  ;  and  therefore  it  was  called  hornebeam, 
or  hard-beam.     The  leaves  of  it  are  like  the 


THE    FOREST    TREES    OP    BRITAIN. 


471 


elme,  saving  that  they  be  tenderer  :  among 
these  hang  certain  triangled  things,  upon 
which  are  found  knaps,  or  little  buds  of  the 


bignesses  of  ciches  (vetches),  in  which  is  con- 
tained the  fruit  or  seed.  The  root  is  strong 
and  thicke.' 


Ci' 


"  Evelyn  is  loud  in  his  praises  of  the  horn- 
beam ;  for  the  tree  being,  as  it  is  called, 
*  tonsile,'  or  very  patient  of  being  clipped  by 
the  shears,  it  was  highly  prized  in  the  formal 
gardens  of  his  day.  '  It  makes,'  he  says,  '  the 
noblest  and  stateliest  hedges  for  long  walks  in 
the  gardens  or  parks,  of  any  tree  whatsoever 
whose  leaves  are  deciduous  and  forsake  their 
branches  in  winter,  because  it  grows  tall  and 
so  sturdy  as  not  to  be  wronged  by  the  winds ; 
besides,  it  will  furnish  to  the  very  foot  of  the 
stem,  and  flourishes  with  a  glossy  and  polished 
verdure,  which  is  exceedingly  delightful,  of 
long  continuance,  and,  of  all  the  other  harder 
woods  the  speediest  grower,  maintaining  a 
slender  upright  stem,  which  does  not  come  to 
b$  bare  and  sticky  in  many  years.  It  has  yet 
this  (shall  I  call  it)  infirmity,  that,  keeping  on 
its  leaves  till  new  ones  thrust  them  off,  it  is 
clad  in  russet  all  the  winter  long.  That  ad- 
mirable espalier  hedge,  in  the  long  middle 
walk  of  the  Luxemburgh  garden  at  Paris, 
than  which  there  is  nothing  more  graceful,  is 
planted  of  this  tree  j  and  so  is  that  cradle  or 
close  walk,  with  that  perplext  canopy  which 


lately  covered  the  seat  in  his  Majesty's  garden 
at  Hampton  Court.  They  very  frequently 
plant  a  clump  of  these  trees  before  the  entries 
of  the  great  towns  in  Germany,  to  which  they 
apply  timber-frames  for  convenience  of  the 
people  to  sit  and  solace  in.' 

"Dr.  Hunter  tells  us,  that  the  hornbeam 
was  in  great  repute  at  the  close  of  the  last 
century  for  hedges.  The  plants  were  raised 
from  layers,  and  set  in  single  rows  in  a  slop- 
ing direction,  so  that  they  crossed  one  another 
like  large  network.  The  parts  where  the 
stems  crossed  were  stripped  of  their  bark  and 
bound  together  with  straw.  By  this  process 
they  united  into  a  firm  palisade,  and  throwing 
out  numerous  shoots,  in  a  few  years  formed 
an  impenetrable  fence.  It  was  not  uncom- 
mon, he  says,  to  see  the  sides  of  high  roads 
thus  guarded  for  many  miles  together. 

"  The  taste  for  forming  '  labyrinths,' '  stars,' 
'  alcoves,'  and  '  arcades,'  happily  having  now 
passed  away,  the  hornbeam  is  only  admitted 
into  gardens  for  the  purpose  of  forming  hedges 
to  shelter  tender  plants,  and  for  this  its  nume- 
rous branches  and  the  property  which  it  pos- 


472 


THE    FOREST    TREES    OF      RITAIN. 


sesses  of  retaining  its  leaves  during  winter, 
well  adapt  it.  Another  recommendation  is, 
that  it  grows  well  in  the  coldest  and  hardest 
soils,  and  may  consequently  be  employed 
where  other  trees  would  not  thrive. 

"  The  wood  of  the  hornbeam  is  white  and 
close-grained,  and  though  not  flexible,  sur- 
passes in  toughness  the  timber  of  any  other 
British  tree.  The  unevenncss  of  the  trunk 
described  above  is,  however,  communicated 
to  the  fibre  of  the  wood,  and  hence  it  does  not 
take  a  good  polish.  This  defect  does  not  exist 
in  the  young  wood,  which  is  exceedingly  well 
adapted  for  the  yokes  of  cattle  and  all  kinds 
of  wheelwright's  work,  especially  mill-cogs. 
Selby  recommends  that  it  should  be  planted 
extensively  in  cold,  stiff,  clayey  soils,  for  the 
staves  of  fish-barrels.  It  ranks  among  the 
best  of  fuels,  burning  freely,  and  giving  out  a 
great  deal  of  heat ;  it  is  highly  inflammable, 
lighting  easily  and  making  a  bright  flame. 
This  property  was  known  to  the  ancients,  for 
Pliny  speaks  of  its  being  used  for  marriage 
torches.  Its  charcoal  is  highly  prized,  not 
only  for  ordinary  purposes,  but  for  the  manu- 
facture of  gunpowder.  The  inner  bark  is  also 
used,  according  to  Linnaeus,  for  dyeing  yellow. 

"  A  number  of  trees  are  recorded  by  Loudon 
averaging  from  fifty  to  eighty  feet  high,  with 
trunks  from  six  to  nine  feet  in  circumference, 
but  none  requiring  any  particular  notice.  At 
Aldermaston  Park,  in  Berkshire,  is  a  group 
of  fine  hornbeams,  which  were  evidently 
planted  to  form  one  of  the  quaint  devices  so 
much  in  vogue  in  the  seventeenth  century. 
-They  surround  an  elliptical  area  thirty  paces 
in  length  and  fifteen  in  width,  and,  crossing 
their  branches  high  over  head,  form  a  leafy 
dome  far  more  imposing  than  anything  which 
the  planter  could  have  contemplated.  The 
original  intention  probably  was,  that  they 
should  have  been  trained  to  form  a  hedge, 
such  as  Evelyn  loved  to  look  upon  ;  but  they 
have  long  escaped  from  this  unnatural  thral- 
dom, and  now  rise  to  a  height  of  fifty  or  sixty 
feet,  with  trunks  varying  from  three  to  seven 
feet  in  circumference,  and  beautifully  covered 
with  lichens. 

"  The  hop  hornbeam,  occasionally  met  with 
in  gardens  and  pleasure-grounds,  approaches 
the  common  hornbeam  in  character,  but  be- 
longs to  the  genus  Ostrya.  It  is  not  a  native 
of  Britain."— Pp.  127—132. 

"  THE    LIME    TREE. 
"TlLIA    EUROPJEA. 

"Natural  Order — Tiliaoe^. 
"  Class — PoLYANDEiA.     Order — Poltgtnia.      < 

"  The  lime  or  linden-tree  was  well  known 
to  the  Greeks  under  the  name  of  Philyra ; 
and   the  Komans,   Pliny  tells   us,  held  it  in 


great  repute  for  its  '  thousand  uses,'  The 
timber  was  employed  in  making  agricultural 
implements,  and  was  also  considered  to  be  well 
adapted  for  shields,  as  it  was  said  to  deaden 
the  blow  of  a  weapon  better  than  any  other 
kind  of  wood.  Pliny  states  also,  that  it  was 
not  liable  to  be  worm-eaten.  The  bark  was  a 
common  writing  material,  and  when  split  into 
ribands  was  made  into  head-dresses,  which 
were  worn  on  festive  occasions.  In  medicine 
its  supposed  virtues  were  very  great  ;  the 
leaves  and  bark  had  a  healing  power,  and  de- 
coctions of  various  parts  beautified  the  skin 
and  promoted  the  growth  of  the  hair.  The 
seed  was  said  to  be  eaten^by  no  animal.  Eve- 
lyn mentions  that  a  book  written  on  the  inner 
bark  of  the  lime,  '  was  brought  to  the  Count  of 
St.  Amant,  governor  of  Arras,  1662,  for  which 
there  were  given  eight  thousand  ducats  by  the 
Emperor  ;  it  contained  a  work  of  Cicero,  De 
OT'dinandd  Hepublicd,  et  de  inveniendh  ora- 
tionum  eocordiis;  a  piece  inestimable,  but 
never  published,  and  now  in  the  library  at 
Vienna,  after  it  had  formerly  been  the  greatest 
rarity  in  that  of  the  late  Cardinal  Mazarin.' 

''In  the  Middle  Ages  the  same  honours 
were  paid  to  the  lime  tree  which  belonged  to 
the  poplar,  a  tree  which  derived  its  name  from 
being  the  emblem  of  popular  freedom.  During 
the  struggles  of  the  Swiss  and  Flemish  to  re- 
cover their  liberty,  it  was  their  custom  to 
plant  a  lime-tree  on  the  field  of  every  battle 
that  they  gained  over  their  oppressors  ;  and 
some  of  these  trees,  particularly  those  planted 
by  the  Swiss  in  commemoration  of  their  vic- 
tories over  Charles  the  Bold,  are  still  remain- 
ing, and  have  been  the  subject  of  many 
ballads.  '  At  Fribourg,'  Loudon  informs  us, 
'  there  is  a  large  lime,  the  branches  of  which 
are  supported  by  props  of  wood.  Tins  tree 
was  planted  on  the  day  when  the  victory  of 
the  Swiss  over  the  Duke  of  Burgundy,  Charles 
the  Bold,  was  proclaimed,  in  the  year  1476  ; 
and  it  is  a  monument  admirably  accordant 
with  the  then  feebleness  of  the  Swiss  Repub- 
lics, and  the  extreme  simplicity  of  their 
manners.  In  1831,  the  trunk  of  this  tree 
measured  thirteen  feet  nine  inches  in  circum- 
ference.' Another  tree  stands  near  the  same 
place,  which  is  supposed  to  be  nearly  a  thou- 
sand years  old  ;  its  trunk  is  thirty-six  feet  in 
circumference  and  is  still  perfectly  sound. 

"  When  too  we  recollect  that  the  father  of 
modern  botany,  Linnseus,  derived  his  name 
from  the  Swedish  lin  (our  linden-tree),  we 
must  allow  that  it  is  recommended  to  us  by 
the  most  pleasing  associations. 

"  The  lime-tree  occurs  in  Eux'ope  under 
three  forms,*  which  are  distinguished  prin- 
cipally by  the  size  and  smoothness  (or  the 


Tilia  europcea,  T.  platyphyUa,  and  T.  parvifolia. 


THE    FOREST    TREES    OF    BRITAIN. 


473 


reverse)  of  their  Laves.  They  are  all  natives 
of  tlie  middle  and  north  of  Europe,  but  the 
small-leaved  species  alone  is  considered  to  be 
indigenous  to  Britain,  Though  all  these 
kinds  have  long  become  naturalized,  we  rarely 
see  thera  growing  in  places  where  there  is  no 
room  for  suspicion  that  they  may  have  been 
originally  planted  ;  yet  there  is,  in  the  neigh- 


bourhood of  Worcester,  on  the  authority  of 
Mr.  Edwin  Lees,  a  wood,  remote  from  any  old 
dwelling  or  public  road,  of  above  five  hundred 
acres  in  extent,  the  greater  part  of  the  under- 
growth of  which  is  composed  of  the  small- 
leaved  lime.  There  are  also  in  the  same  part 
of  the  country,  trees  estimated  to  be  upwards 
of  three  hundred  years  old. 


"  The  lime  is  a  large  tree,  characterized  by 
its  pyramidal  shape,  by  the  multiplicity  of  its 
long,  slender,  and  upright  branches,  which 
start  from  the  main  stem  not  many  feet  from 
the  base,  and  by  the  unbroken  surface  pre- 
sented by  its  abundant  foliage.  These  cha- 
racters give  to  half-grown  trees,  in  which  they 
are  most  conspicuous,  a  stiif  and  formal  ap- 
pearance, especially  if  they  happen  to  be 
planted  in  rows.  In  older  specimens,  the 
weight  of  the  lower  branches  frequently  bends 
them  down  to  the  ground,  so  as  entirely  to 
conceal  the  trunk  ;  the  middle  part  of  the  tree 
is  thus  thrown  open,  and  the  pyramidal  out- 
line destroyed  ;  the  summit  too  becomes  some- 
what more  tufted.  Under  these  circumstances 
the  lime  is  a  stately  and  even  pictui'esqne 
ti-ee,  especially  when  standing  alone  or  in 
groups  of  three  or  four  on  a  sloping  lawn.  It 
is  very  patient  of  clipping,  and,  consequently. 


in  the  suburbs  of  large  towns  it  more  fre- 
quently disfigures  than  adorns,  sometimes  ap- 
pearing as  a  mere  leafy  hedge,  unmeaningly 
elevated  on  equidistant  columns. 

"  The  leaf  is  bright  green,  pointed  and 
heart-shaped  at  the  base,  smooth  above,  and 
either  uniformly  downy  beneath,  or  bearing 
small  tufts  of  down  in  the  angles  of  the  veins. 
The  flowers  are  scarcely  less  profuse  than  the 
leaves,  and  rendered  very  conspicuous  by 
large  yellowish-green  bracteas,  from  the  cen- 
tre of  which  spring  three  or  more  stalked 
flowers.  These  consist  of  a  five-parted  calyx, 
and  five  petals,  which  are  nearly  of  the  same 
colour  as  the  bracteas.  The  stamens  are 
numerous,  and  the  whole  flower  is  deliciously 
fragrant,  especially  towards  evening, 

— 'At  dewy  eve 

Diffusing  odours.' 

The  seed-vessels  are  globular  and  downy,  but 


474 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


rarely  perfect  the  seeds  in  England.  While 
the  lime-tree  is  in  flower,  it  is  frequented  by 
myriads  of  bees  which 

'  Sit  on  the  bloom,  extracting  liquid  sweets 
Deliciously.' 

Honey  from  the  lime  is  considered  superior  to 
all  other  kinds  for  its  delicacy  of  flavour  ;  it 
is  to  be  obtained  in  a  perfectly  pure  state  only 
at  the  little  town  of  Kowno  in  Lithuania, 
which  is  surrounded  by  an  extensive  forest  of 
lime-trees.  The  pleasing  sound  produced  by 
the  busy  collectors,  joined  to  the  fragrant  per- 
fume diffused  by  the  flowers,  frequently  gives 
occasion  for  its  being  planted  near  houses,  in 
preference  to  other  more  picturesque  trees. 
Even  after  the  flowers  have  faded  and  fallen 
to  the  ground,  the  odour  is  perceptible,  the 
ground  remaining  for  a  long  while  thickly 
strewed  with  the  withered  stamens,  which 
retain  their  fragrance  to  the  last.  Towards 
the  end  of  September  the  leaves  tui-n  to  a 
bright  yellow,  and  in  the  course  of  the  follow- 
ing month  fall  ofi". 

"  The  custom  of  making  avenues  of  lime- 
trees  was  adopted  in  the  time  of  Louis  XIV., 
and  accordingly  the  approaches  to  the  re- 
sidences of  the  French  as  well  as  the  English 
gentry  of  that  date,  were  bordered  with  lime- 
trees.  It  subsequently  fell  into  disrepute  for 
this  purpose,  on  account  of  its  coming  late 
into  leaf,  and  shedding  its  foliage  early  in 
autumn,  and  was  supplanted  by  the  hornbeam 
and  elm ;  but  many  of  the  cities  of  continental 
Europe  still  boast  of  their  public  walks  of 
lime-trees,  which  in  the  hours  of  relaxation 
are  numerously  frequented  by  persons  of  all 
classes  and  ages.  The  Dutch,  especially, 
plant  them  in  lines  along  their  widest  streets, 
and  by  the  sides  of  their  canals,  and  the  whole 
country  is  perfumed  by  them  during  the 
months  of  July  and  August.  Evelyn,  in 
whose  time  straight  walks  and  formally  grown 
trees  were  in  vogue,  recommends  the  lime  as 
'  of  all  other,  the  most  proper  and  beautiful 
for  walks,  as  producing  an  upright  body, 
smooth  and  even  bark,  ample  leaf,  sweet  blos- 
som, the  delight  of  bees,  and  a  goodly  shade 
at  the  distance  of  eighteen  or  twenty-five 
feet.' 

"  The  lime-tree,  though  not  applied  to  so 


many  uses  as  it  was  in  the  time  of  Pliny,  is 
valuable  for  many  purposes.  In  the  Belgian 
Horticulturist  it  is  stated,  that  '  the  flowers 
infused  in  cold  water  are  antispasmodic  ;  and 
in  hot  water  they  make  an  agreeable  kind  of 
tea.  The  leaves  and  young  shoots  are  muci- 
laginous, and  may  be  employed  in  poultices 
and  fomentations.  The  timber  is  better 
adapted  than  any  other  for  the  purposes  of 
the  carver  ;  it  will  take  any  form  whatever  ; 
it  admits  of  the  greatest  sharpness  in  the 
minute  details,  and  it  is  cut  with  the  greatest 
ease.  It  is  also  used  for  sounding  boards  for 
pianos  and  other  musical  instruments.  But 
the  peculiar  use  of  the  lime  is  for  the  forma- 
tion of  mats  from  its  inner  bark.  In  June, 
when  the  leaves  begin  to  develop  themselves, 
and  the  tree  is  full  of  sap,  branches  or  stems 
of  from  eight  to  twenty  years'  growth,  are  cut 
and  trimmed,  and  the  bark  is  separated  from 
them  from  one  end  to  the  other.  This  is 
easily  done,  by  simply  drawing  the  edge  of  a 
knife  along  the  whole  length  of  the  tree  or 
branch,  so  as  to  cut  the  bark  to  the  soft  wood. 
It  then  rises  on  each  side  of  the  wound,  and 
almost  separates  of  itself.  If  mats  are  to  be 
made  immediatelj',  the  bark  is  next  beaten 
with  mallets  on  a  block  of  wood,  and  children 
are  employed  to  separate  the  inner  bark,  which 
comes  off  in  strands  or  ribands,  while  the  outer 
bark  detaches  itself  in  scales.  If  mats  are 
not  to  be  made  for  some  time,  the  bark  is  dried 
in  a  barn  or  shed,  and  either  kept  there,  or 
stacked  till  it  is  wanted.  It  is  then  steeped 
twenty-four  hours  in  water,  beaten  as  before, 
and  put  into  a  heap,  where  it  remains,  till  it 
undergoes  a  slight  fermentation.  When  this 
has  taken  place,  the  inner  bark  separates  in 
ribands  and  shreds  as  before.  With  the 
slu'eds,  cords  of  different  kinds  are  twisted  in 
the  usual  manner ;  and  mats  are  formed  with 
the  ribands  in  the  same  way  as  rush  mats.  The 
ribands  which  are  to  be  used  in  forming  mats 
for  gardens  undergo  a  sort  of  bleaching  for 
the  purpose  of  depriving  them  of  part  of  their 
mucilage,  which  would  otherwise  render  them 
too  liable  to  increase  and  diminish  in  bulk  by 
atmospheric  changes.  The  great  advantage 
of  lime,  or  bass  mats,  over  all  others  in  gar- 
dens, is  that  they  do  not  so  easily  rot  from 
being  exposed  to  moisture.'" — Pp.  165 — 171. 


FLORICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 

BY  GEOKGE  GLENNT. 


September  is  one  of  the  most  interesting 
months  of  the  whole  year,  and  this  interest  is 
kept  up  till  the  very  last,  for  every  day  that 
the  frost  leaves  alone  brings  forth  shows  and 
seedlings.     We,  however,  cannot  follow  the 


days  much  more  than  half-way  through  be- 
fore the  time  arrives  for  us  to  finish  our 
remarks.  The  small  streams  that  feed  the 
great  river  of  Floriculture  may  be  traced  to 
every  manufacturing  town  where  men  of  com- 


PLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


475 


paratively  humble  means  indulge  in  their 
gardens,  and  at  social  meetings  show  their 
flowers.  In  Bethnal  Green,  while  we  are 
writing,  several  of  these  Societies,  which  are 
independent  of  everybody,  and  the  funds  of 
which  are  subscribed  by  the  members,  are 
exhibiting  dahlias,  and  we  were  at  one  where 
no  less  than  seventeen  prizes  had  to  be 
awarded  to  seventeen  stands  of  twelve.  At 
the  Dahlia  Exhibition  of  the  Surrey  Gardens, 
seedlings  were  miserable.  From  Salisbury 
we  had  two  flowers  that  will  sell  better  than 
anything  else  there,  because  a  great  abun- 
dance of  blooms  were  produced  by  the  grower, 
although  many  were  shown  in  threes  only ; 
we  allude  to  3IagniJicent,  which,  besides 
being  a  good  flower,  is  a  perfectly  novel 
colour,  that,  we  presume,  will  be  called 
amethyst  ;  and  Sir  Frederick  Bathurst,  a 
bold,  deep  purple,  of  fine  model,  and  great 
capacity.  The  Premier,  a  fine  purple,  with 
a  capital  centre,  and  altogether  a  good  style 
of  flower,  was  also  shown  in  abundance,  and 
will  take  high  rank  among  the  many  novelties. 
A  light  flower,  named  Sylph,  was  pretty  and 
promising,  though  quite  in  the  style  of  some 
of  our  present  light  flowers.  Of  the  fancy 
flowers,  by  far^the  best,  because,  besides  being 
good,  it  was  new,  was  Elizabeth  ;  there  were 
in  all  four  blooms  shown,  and  the  eyes  deficient 
in  the  whole  four  ;  but  so  slightly,  and  the 
construction  of  the  flower  rather  favourable 
than  the  reverse,  that  if  we  could  buy  only 
one  fancy  flower,  it  should  be  that.  A  useful 
scarlet  flower,  number  44,  but  without  a 
name,  was  noted  down  by  almost  everybody, 
and  this  number  44  was  all  we  were  per- 
mitted to  know  about  it.  The  folly  of  with- 
holding the  names  leads  to  great  inconveni- 
ence ;  some  of  the  scarlet  flowers  that  were 
good  for  nothing  will  come  out  with  high 
characters,  and  will  be  mistaken  for  the  one 
we  have  mentioned.  Snowjlahe,  a  white 
of  some  pretensions,  took  the  prize  for  the 
best  two  blooms  of  a  white  dahlia  against 
two  flowers  of  Antago7iist.  A  fancy  flower 
named  Lady  Grenville,  was  also  noticed  a 
good  deal,  and  will  be  purchased  for  its  con- 
stancy ;  it  is  a  good  deal  ribbed,  and  not  the 
brightest  colour  in  the  world ;  but  when 
people  find  themselves  at  a  loss  for  a  flower, 
among  a  vast  number  of  plants,  it  makes 
them  cling  fast  to  a  variety  that  is  always 
ready.  There  were  other  seedlings,  but  we 
do  not  feel  confident  enough  to  say  much 
with  only  three  blooms  to  look  at,  when 
perhaps  the  grower  has  had  a  score  plants  to 
cut  these  from.  We  do  not  know  whether 
any  or  what  flowei's  had  certificates,  nor  did 
any  of  the  growers  care  to  wait  the  result. 
Of  the  flowers  of  last  year,  the  Queen  of  the 
East,  Beauty  of  Hastings,  Purple  Standard, 


Fearless,  Mr.  Seldon,  Keepsake,  Rainbow, 
Miss  Stephens,  Miss  Blackmore,  Grenadier, 
Mrs.  Bacon  and  Queen  Dowager,  were  all 
shown  more  or  less,  and  in  excellent  order, 
considering  the  unfavourable  season.  Two 
or  three  promising  seedlings  looked  well  for 
trial  next  year.  Of  all  the  verbenas  exhibited 
in  the  Gardens, — and  there  were  many, — the 
following  were  shown  best ;  Cyclops,  Psyche, 
St.  Margaret's,  Optimus,  Louis  Napoleon, 
Diana,  Beauty  of  Stowe,  Heloise  and  Duchess 
of  Northumberland.  New  ones,  Desdemona, 
salmon  colour  with  red  eye ;  and  Clio,  a 
curious  pink ;  chiefly  remarkable  for  their 
colours.  Hollyhocks  were  exhibited  fine, 
although,  in  all  cases  nearly,  only  the  tops  of 
spikes,  showing  they  were  nearly  out.  Those 
who  desire  to  grow  this  now  noble  plant 
will,  perhaps,  be  glad  to  know  a  few  of  the 
best ;  Defiance,  Formosa,  Rosea  Grandiflora, 
Fireball,  William  Tell,  Acme,  Mount  Etna, 
Bicolor,  Mulberry  Superb,  Snowball,  Mag- 
num Bonum,  Pallida,  Blue  Beard,  Attraction, 
Black  Prince,  Rubra,  Elegans,  Delicata,  Mr. 
C.  Barron,  Enchantress,  Sulphurea  Perfecta, 
Queen,  Surprise,  Comet,  Rosea  Alba,  Model 
of  Perfection,  Aurantia,  Coccineum  and  Ob- 
scura.  They  comprise  the  best  of  a  vast 
number  shown,  and  deserve  a  place  in  every 
garden  that  has  room  for  them.  We  hear 
from  many  quarters  of  an  advance  in  carna- 
tions and  picotees,  as  well  as  pinks  ;  several 
raisers  have  been  very  fortunate,  so  the 
growers  may  prepare  themselves  for  some 
novelties  next  summer.  The  seedling  fuchsias 
at  the  Surrey  show  were  shocking  bad,  as 
if  every  one  had  gone  back  instead  of  for- 
ward. Lord  Nelson,  which  came  out  last 
year,  in  spring,  proves,  even  when  well 
grown,  the  very  worst  that  has  come  out 
for  years,  the  coarsest  and  dullest,  and  most 
ragged  formed  variety  that  has  been  turned 
out  for  some  time,  yet  turned  out  with  a  first- 
class  certificate  from  the  London  Floricul- 
tural  Society.  Not  one  of  the  seedlings  shown 
at  the  Gardens  was  worth  the  slightest  notice, 
the  very  best  of  a  score  or  more  being  two 
light  ones,  like  many  we  have  already,  but 
inferior  to  those  we  have.  A  collection  of 
variegated  plants  was  interesting,  and  in  our 
way  along  the  tent  to  floral  subjects,  we 
could  hardly  help  noticing  two  superb  sticks 
of  Cole's  celery,  and  a  dish  of  fine  black  grapes 
from  Chapman  of  Vauxhall.  The  weather  was 
unpropitious,  and  threw  cold  water  upon  the 
concern.  The  plants  were  fine.  The  Salis- 
bury show  was,  so  far  as  dahlias  were  con- 
cerned, very  limited  ;  but  very  rich  in  fruit 
and  plants.  A  few  good  seedlings  were,  how- 
ever, exhibited.  The  Northampton  show 
was  a  good  one,  but  the  spirit  of  the  Metro- 
politan   Society   is   only    just  beginning   to 


476 


NOTES    ON    THE    DAHLIA. 


move  them.  The  cottagers'  productions  at 
both  of  these  exhibitions,  were  highly  credit- 
able. September  will  hardly  close  the  dahlia 
shows  this  year,  ;  for  the  Birmingham  central 
exhibition,  which  will  occupy  all  attention  till 
the  27th,  throws  the  Slough,  which  is  the 
finishing  one,  over  to  the  2d  of  October. 
Dahlia  showers,  therefore,  are  praying  for 
the  continued  absence  of  frost.  After  this 
goes  to  press,  we  shall  have  the  Shacklewell, 
the  two  days  at  Birmingham,  and  several 
smaller  ones  to  attend,  before  our  notes  on  all 
the  new  dahlias  can  be  made;  and  we  hope 
we  shall  see  six  flowers  of  anything  worth 
growing.  If  dahlias  are  to  be  grown  again, 
the  show  must  be  for  dahlias  alone,  and  under 
the  control  of  the  trade  alone.  Another  show 
in  the  mixed  way,  like  the  last  at  the  Surrey 
Gardens,  and  the  trade  may  leave  off  raising. 


NOTES    ON    DAHLIAS    OF    1849. 
BY  GEORGE  GLENNT. 

Although  the  exhibition  of  three  blooms 
of  dahlias  instead  of  six  has  been  persisted 
in  at  some  of  the  floral  Societies,  and  especi- 
ally where  the  whole  and  sole  object  seems  to 
be  temporary  gain  at  the  expense  of  a  perma- 
nent loss  of  confidence,  we  have  been  able  to 
note  a  few  dahlias,  that  will  find  a  place  in 
our  annual  descriptive  list.  But  we  earnestly 
beg  of  the  dahlia  growers  to  refuse  showing 
proved  flowers  at  all,  unless  six  be  the  lowest 
number  exhibited  ;  for  there  can  be  no  con- 
fidence in  the  certainty  of  a  flower  that  will 
not,  in  the  year  of  proving,  yield  that  number 
a  dozen  times  over.  On  referring  to  our  last 
year's  notes,  we  find,  that  considering  there 
were  but  three  flowers  to  judge  by,  we  have 
been  singularly  accurate.  The  Beauty  of 
Hastings  turns  out  a  beautiful  but  uncertain 
flower.  It  was  one  in  the  second  stand  of 
twenty-two  exhibited  at  one  place,  and  greatly 
added  to  the  effect ;  but  in  a  general  way,  it 
has  a  hard  eye,  which  evidently  does  not 
come  up  well  till  late  in  the  season.  Of  this 
flower,  we  said  last  year — 

"  If  there  be  a  first-rate  novelty,  it  will  be 
found  in  the  Beauty  of  Hastings,  the  form  of 
Radziwill,  but  small.  The  Societies,  how- 
ever, having  departed  from  our  rule  of  show- 
ing six  blooms  of  the  seedlings  grown  for 
proving — that  is,  the  second  year — thei's  is 
but  little  dependence  even  on  those  we  have 
seen." 

Then  follow  our  descriptions  of  a  few  that 
we  thought  there  was  a  chance  of  growing, 
selected  from  something  like  a  hundred  aild 
fifty,  comprising  the  veriest  rubbish  that  ever 
discredited  a  show,  and  disgusting  more  people 
with  the  flower  than  ever  abandoned  it  before 


in  any  three  seasons.  Always  bearing  in 
mind  that  we  protest  against  the  certainty  in 
judging  of  three  blooms,  we  gave  the  follow- 
ing report,  for  the  guidance  of  our  readers,  in 
the  annual  list  in  our  almanac  ;  and  we  call 
attention  to  the  fact,  because  it  has  become 
evident  to  the  growers  for  sale,  that  con- 
fidence in  newspaper  accounts,  and  catalogue 
descriptions,  is  on  the  wane,  and  that  although 
there  are  more  dahlia  shows  than  ever,  there 
are  fewer  buyers.  People  have  been  so  often 
disappointed  with  new  flowers,  that  hundreds 
who  used  to  purchase  the  year  they  came  out, 
wait  till  the  season  afterwards,  and  buy  at 
one  tenth  of  the  price. 

Beauty  of  Hastings. — Form  of  Princess 
Radziwill ;  good  in  every  point,  but  reflexing, 
like  its  prototype  ;  colour  white,  edged  with 
crimson  rose,  and  size  as  shown,  under 
average. 

Mr.  Seldon. — A  noble  purple ;  round  and 
symmetrical,  but  eye  confused,  and  rather  fltJt. 

NuNLEY  Hero. — Shaded  crimson  ;  good 
outline,  general  good  form,  common  average 
eye,  but  well  up. 

Fearless. —  Slaty  lilac  —  in  that  point 
novel ;  round  outline,  pretty  good  face,  gene- 
rally symmetrical  and  double,  and  good  form. 

Duchess.  —  White,  apparently  certain  ; 
good  outline,  very  double,  but  not  symmetrical 
on  the  face  and  eye  ;  many  blooms  shown. 

Charles  Turner. — In  form,  the  counter- 
part of  Andromeda,  but  colour  white  tipped 
with  purple  or  rose. 

Miss  Stephens. — Fancy  flower  ;  pinky 
salmon,  tipped  and  shaded  with  white  and 
blush  ;  pretty  good  outline,  round  face. 

Rainbow. — A  fine  fancy  flower,  scarlet 
and  white,  and  good  of  its  class. 

Miss  Jane.  —  Fancy  flower,  purple  and 
white  ;  not  in  advance  of  its  class,  but  a  safe 
shower. 

Miss  Blackmore. — Fancy  flower,  with  a 
splendid  petal,  more  coarse  than  we  like,  but 
nevertheless  novel  and  beautiful. 

Queen  Dowager. — Fancy  flower  ;  bright 
sulphur,  with  white  tips ;  good  petal,  but 
large  and  rather  open  ;  fair  fancy  flower, 

Sol. — Orange  buff";  round,  full,  symme- 
trical, except  the  eye,  which  seemed  to  us 
treacherous. 

Purple  Standard. — Very  like  the  Stand- 
ard of  Perfection  in  all  respects,  but  colour  a 
heavy  purple. 

Dr.  Horner. — A  fancy  flower,  not  very 
novel,  but  pretty  safe ;  rosy  purple  and  white. 

Lovely.  —  A  new  colour,  buff"  ground 
pounced  with  pink,  but  nothing  like  close 
enough  for  a  good  show  flower. 

Providence. — Something  in  the  style  of 
Cornwallis,  but  more  colour,  and  may  prove 
an  acquisition. 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


477 


Mrs.  Bacon.  —  Rosette  outline,  blush 
flower,  good  face,  pretty  good  general  form, 
and  centre  fair  if  not  fine. 

Grenadier. — Rosette  outline,  dark  crim- 
son, rather  coarse,  flat  faced,  and  likely  to  be 
constant. 

Queen  of  Yellow. — Rather  coarse,  but 
may  be  now  and  then  used  if  not  grown  too 
strong. 

White  Perfection.  —  Yellow  or  green 
cast  in  the  eye,  high  in  the  shoulder,  round 
outline  ;  not  very  symmetrical  on  the  face. 

Keepsake.  —  Dull  crimson  and  pinky 
white  ;  fancy  flower  ;  a  fair  acquisition  to  its 
class. 

Queen  of  the  West. — Yellow  roundish 
outline,  petals  rather  coarse,  eye  close,  but 
sunk,  and  face  symmetrical. 

Queen  of  the  East. — A  flower  in  all 
respects  equal  to  the  Marchioness  Cornwallis, 
but  with  more  colour. 

But  besides  this  description,  which  has 
proved,  as  usual,  very  close  to  the  truth,  we 
gave  a  general  hint,  by  especially  marking 
the  Beauty  of  Hastings,  Fearless,  Rainbow, 
Miss  Blackmore,  Queen  Dowager,  Purple 
Standard,  and  Queen  of  the  East,  for  those 
to  which  we  should  give  the  preference.  We 
therefore  reduced  the  task  of  selection  to  a 
small  affair ;  and  if  any  of  our  selection  prove 
uncertain,  which  in  August  and  half  way 
through  September  was  the  case  with  the 
Beauty  of  Hastings,  it  may  be  attributed  to 
the  officious  meddling  of  inexperienced  men, 
who  have  reduced  the  number  to  be  shown 
from  six  to  three  ;  and,  if  we  have  omitted  to 
notice  any  that  deserved  mention,  it  must  be 
placed  to  the  account  of  another  foolish  inno- 


vation,— the  showing  of  seedlings  without 
their  names  to  them,  but  simply  with  a  num- 
ber, so  that  we  may  take  notes  in  vain,  unless 
the  showers  place  the  names  on  after  they  are 
judged,  which,  if  the  flowers  are  not  entitled 
to  a  prize,  they  very  stupidly  omit  in  many 
cases.  Last  year  we  saw  and  took  notes  of 
several,  but  never  could  get  the  names,  and 
this  year  we  are  in  the  same  predicament  ; 
but  the  great  show  at  Birmingham,  which 
settles  the  fate  of  the  seedlings  of  1848  to 
come  out  in  May,  will  perhaps  set  us  to 
rights,  as  there  will  be  no  shufiiing  allowed 
there.  Six  blooms  must  be  shown,  and  the 
name  the  flower  is  to  bear  must  be  placed  on 
it.  The  metropolitan  rules,  which  did  more 
good  to  dahlia  growers,  and  advanced  the 
flower  more,  than  all  the  other  means  com- 
bined, will  be  rigidly  enforced  ;  and  the 
result  of  that  show  will  determine  the  list  of 
flowers,  which  we  shall  strongly  urge  people 
to  order  if  they  want  to  run  no  risks.  But 
of  all  the  hundred  and  fifty  varieties  adver- 
tized to  come  out  last  spring,  how  many  have 
proved  good  for  anything  ?  Very  few  people 
who  read  our  descriptive  list  ordered  more 
than  eight  or  ten  ;  and  certainly  the  new  ones 
of  last  spring  have  been  very  scarce  in  the 
stands  of  the  present  year, — few,  if  any,  have 
proved  as  good  as  those  we  especially  recom- 
mended. The  dahlia  trade  is  waning  fast ; 
and  if  the  growers  do  not  make  up  their  mind 
to  decided  steps,  and  get  themselves  fairly 
represented,  people  will  rapidly  fall  off,  and 
content  themselves  without  new  flowers  at  all. 
They  will  cease  to  follow  floriculture  as  a 
science,  and  grow  flowers  as  they  did  long 
since,  insensible  to  anything  but  colour. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


DiPLADENIA  ILLUSTRISj  MartiuS  (illustru    !3 

Dipladenia).  —  Apocynaceae  §  Wrightese.  — -A 
very  handsome  herbaceous  plant,  with  a 
tuberous  wurtzel-like  root,  producing  annual 
shoots  a  foot  and  a  half  high.  The  leaves  are 
opposite,  roundish-obovate,  and  as  well  as  the 
stems  clothed  with  a  velvety  pubescence. 
The  flowers  are  showy,  three  or  four  pro- 
duced at  the  extremities  of  the  shoots  ;  they 
are  large,  funnel-shaped,  rose  colour,  with  the 
throat  purple.  Native  of  St.  Paul's,  and  of 
Minas  Geraes  in  Brazil.  Introduced  to 
Belgium,  by  M.  T.  de  Jonghe  of  Brussels,  in 
1848.  Flowers  in  July  and  August.  It  is 
the  Echites  illustris  (Arrabida),  and  E.  in- 
signis  of  Belgian  gardens.  Culture.  —  Re- 
quires a  cool  stove  ;  light  loam,  leaf-mould, 
and  sand ;  propagated  with  some  difficulty  by 
cuttings.     The  tuberous  roots  should  be  kept 


dry  in  winter,  and  placed  in  a  temperate 
greenhouse.  In  March  they  should  be  re- 
potted in  five  or  six-inch  pots,  and  placed  in 
a  moderately  warm  greenhouse,  being  at  first 
slightly  watered.  When  the  tubers  begin  to 
push  out  from  the  crowns,  the  pots  should  be 
set  near  the  front  of  the  house,  where  the 
plants  may  have  plenty  of  air,  to  prevent 
insects  from  attacking  the  plant,  which  is 
milky. 

CcELOGrNE  Lowii,  Paxton  (Mr.  Low's 
Ccelogyne). — Orchidaceee  §  Epidendrege-Ccelo- 
gynid*. — A  very  fine  epiphytal  species,  with 
large  pseudo-bulbs,  and  ample  lance-shaped 
leaves  two  feet  or  more  in  length.  The 
flowers  grow  in  pendent  racemes  from  the 
base  of  the  pseudo-bulbs  ;  these  racemes  are 
sometimes  as  much  as  two  feet  or  upwards  in 
length.     The  flowers  are  very  numerous  and 


478 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


closely  placed,  large,  being  as  much  as  four 
inches  in  expansion  ;  the  sepals  and  petals 
uniformly  cream-coloured,  spreading  ;  the 
lip  indistinctly  three-lobed,  the  lateral  lobes 
longitudinally  incurved  over  the  base  of  the 
central  lobe  ;  it  is  cream-coloured  like  the 
sepals,  but  marked  dow^n  the  centre  with  a 
conspicuous  blotch  of  bright  orange.  The 
flowers  are  very  fragrant.  Native  of  Borneo, 
in  the  low  marshy  grounds  on  the  banks  of 
the  Sarawak  River.  Introduced  in  1845,  by 
Mr.  Low  of  Clapton,  by  whose  son,  Mr.  H. 
Low,  Jun.,  it  was  collected.  Flowers  in  May 
and  June.  Culture. — Requires  a  hot  moist 
shady  stove  ;  chopped  moss  and  potsherds,  or 
turfy  peat;  propagated  by  division  of  the  plant. 

Begonia  cinnabakina,  Hooker  (cinnabar- 
coloured  Elephant's  Ear).  —  Begoniacese.  — 
One  of  the  handsomest  known  species  of 
Begonia.  It  is  a  bulbous  rooted  perennial 
species,  of  neat  habit,  with  large  palmate 
serrate  unequal  foliage,  of  a  rich  glossy  green, 
with  reddish  veins,  and  slightly  marked  at  the 
edges  with  a  reddish  tint.  The  flowers  are 
borne  profusely  in  racemes  from  the  axils 
of  the  leaves,  on  long  stalks  that  stand  clear 
above  the  foliage  ;  they  are  large,  of  a  bright 
orange-red  colour  ;  in  the  male  blossoms  two 
of  the  four  petals  are  large  and  roundish,  two 
small  and  oblong,  but  in  the  females  the  petals 
are  nearly  equal.  Native  of  Bolivia  in  South 
America.  Introduced  in  1848,  by  Messrs. 
Henderson.  Flowers  from  July  to  the  end 
of  summer.  It  is  the  Begonia  avranliaca 
(Paxton).  Culture. — Requires  to  be  started 
in  a  mild  heat  in  spring,  and  cultivated  in  a 
warm  greenhouse  ;  in  winter  to  be  kept  dry 
and  cool  ;  rich  free  loam  and  peat ;  propa- 
gated by  division  of  its  tubers,  or  by  cuttings 
of  the  young  shoots  early  in  spring. 

SiDA  VEWOSA,  //ooAer(veiny-petalled  Sida). 
■ — Malvaceae  §  Sideas. — A  large  shrub,  of  hand- 
some appearance  where  it  has  space  to  develop 
itself.  The  branches  are  quite  smooth,  rather 
straggling,  and  when  young  herbaceous.  The 
leaves,  frequently  a  span  long,  broadly  cordate, 
palmately  and  deeply  seven-lobed,  the  lobes 
lance-shaped,  extended  into  a  narrow  point, 
and  coarsely  saw-edged.  The  flowers  grow 
singly  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves,  on  long 
peduncles  ;  they  are  large  and  drooping,  con- 
sisting of  a  bell-shaped  calyx,  marked  with 
fifteen  longitudinal  plates  or  striae,  and  termi- 
nating in  five  large  ovate-lanceolate  segments, 
and  a  corolla  twice  the  length  of  the  calyx, 
formed  of  five  concave  somewhat  incurved 
obovate-spathulate  petals,  of  a  golden  orange 
colour,  reticulated  with  reddish-brown  vei^ns. 
Native  country  not  certainly  known,  probably 
Brazil.  Introduced  about  1847.  Flowers  in 
spring  and  summer.  It  is  the  Abtitilon  venor 
sum  of  gardens.   Culture. — Requires  a  green- 


house ;  better  suited  for  planting  out  in  a 
conservatory  than  for  growing  in  a  pot  ;  loam 
and  leaf-mould  ;  propagated  readily  by  cut- 
tings planted  in  sandy  soil,  and  placed  in  a 
slight  heat. 

Pentstemon  cyananthus,  Hooker  (azure- 
flowered  Pentstemon).  ' —  Sci'ophulariacese  § 
Antirrhinide^-Cheloneae. — A  beautiful  peren- 
nial herb,  growing  erect,  and  unbranched,  two 
feet  and  upwards  in  height.  The  leaves  from 
the  roots  are  spathulate  acuminate,  tapering 
into  a  petiole  at  the  base ;  those  on  the  stems 
broad  and  large,  sessile,  cordate,  or  cordate- 
ovate,  extended  into  a  long  narrow  point,  all 
quite  entire,  and  of  a  glaucous  green  colour. 
The  flowers  grow  in  pseudo-whorls  along  all 
the  upper  part  of  the  stem,  forming  a  dense 
spike  a  foot  or  more  in  length  ;  these  pseudo- 
whorls  consist  of  two  opposite  many-flowered 
cymes,  growing  from  all  the  axils  of  the  upper 
leaves  or  bracts.  The  flrf)wers  are  large,  the 
tube  swollen  upwards,  purple,  the  limb  two- 
lipped  with  nearly  equal  segments  of  a  bright 
azure  blue.  Native  of  the  upper  j^'alleys  of 
the  Platte  River,  in  the  rocky  mountains. 
Introduced  by  Messrs.  Lucombe,  Pince  &, 
Co.  in  1848.  Flowers  in  the  summer  months. 
Culiiire.  —  Requires  a  cold  airy  frame  in 
winter,  on  account  of  its  evergreen  suffruti- 
cose  habit  ;  to  be  planted  out  in  spring  j 
rich  free  open  loam  ;  propagated  by  seeds,  or 
by  cuttings  of  the  young  shoots,  |>lanted  in 
sandy  soil  under  hand-glasses  any  time  during 
summer.  A  succession  of  young  plants  should 
always  be  kf-pt  by  one  of  these  means. 

Saukomatium  guttatum,  Schott  (spotted 
Sauromatium)  — Araceae. — A  curious  plant, 
having  a  large  almost  globose  tuber,  from 
which  grows  up  the  singularly  shaped,  and  no 
less  singularly  marked  spathe,  from  a  foot  and 
a  half  to  tw^o  feet  long  ;  almost  cylindrical 
below,  opening  at  the  height  of  three  or  four 
inches  from  the  base,  and  becoming  dilated, 
lanceolate-subulate  channelled,  reflexed,  and 
waved  below  at  the  margin  ;  of  a  livid  or 
purplish  green  colour  on  the  outside,  greenish- 
yellow  within,  palest  below  and  there  marked 
with  copious  small  red-purple  spots,  the  rest 
with  larger  blotches,  except  at  the  apex, 
where  it  is  streaked.  This  spathe  surrounds 
a  spadix  which  is  erect  below  and  nearly 
cylindrical,  densely  clothed  at  the  base  with 
copious  obovate  ovaries  ;  the  apex  is  almost 
cylindrical,  slightly  attenuated,  nearly  a  foot 
long,  of  a  livid  purple  colour.  The  leaf  is  pe- 
date  parted,  with  oblong  entii-e  attenuated  seg- 
ments, having  a  spotted  stalk  ;  it  is  developed 
on  the  decay  of  the  flower  stalk.  Native  of  the 
East  Indies.  Introduced  in  1848.  Flowers 
in  the  spring.  It  is  the  Arum  guttatum 
(Wallich).  Culture. — Requires  a  stove.  The 
tubers  lie  dormant  in  winter,  when  they  should 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


479 


be  kept  dry  ;  early  in  spring,  they  must  be 
examined,  repotted  if  necessary,  placed  in 
heat  and  watered  sparingly  ;  light  loam  and 
peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  offsets. 

RouPELLiA  GRATA,  WalUch  and  Hooher 
(Cream-fruit). — Apocynaceie  §  Plumiere^e. — 
A  very  handsome  and  very  fragrant  plant, 
called  the  "  cream-fruit "  by  Afzelius,  probably 
from  the  use  occasionally  made  of  the  cream- 
like juice  of  the  fruit.  It  is  a  smooth  climbing 
shrubby  plant,  of  free  groM'th,  vpith  the  habit 
of  the  African  Tabernamontanas.  The  leaves 
are  opposite,  large,  leathery,  oblong  elliptic, 
shortly  acuminate,  and  attached  by  a  short 
petiole.  The  flowers  grow  in  terminal  sessile 
cymes  of  from  six  to  eight  flowers,  arranged 
in  a  somewhat  umbellate  manner  ;  they  are 
large,  full  three  inches  across,  with  a  funnel- 
shaped  tube,  and  a  broad  limb  of  five  obovate 
unequal  wavy  segments  ;  the  colour  is  white 
with  a  tint  of  rose,  the  coronet,  which  forms 
a  ring  of  erect  linear-lanceolate  filaments, 
being  of  a  pretty  rose-colour.  Native  of  Sierra 
Leone.  Introduced  about  1847.  Flowers  in 
May.  The  plant  is  the  Strophanthus  Stan- 
leyanus  of  gardens.  Culture.' — Requires  a 
hot  moist  stove  ;  loam  and  peat  in  equal  pro- 
portions ;  propagated  by  cuttings,  plnnted  in 
sand  under  a  bell-gla=s  and  placed  in  heat. 

AEISTOLOCHIAMACRADENIA,i?00^e?"(large- 

glanduled  Birthwort).  —  Aristolochiaceas. — A 
curious  smooth  suffruticose  climbing  plant, 
with  long  slender  stems,  bearing  alternate 
leaves,  which  are  four  or  five  inches  long, 
and  in  form  between  heart-shaped  and  halberd- 
shaped.  The  flowers  grow  singly  from  the 
axils  of  the  leaves  ;  they  are  about  three  and 
a-half  inches  long,  and  of  the  singular  form 
which  prevails  among  the  birthworts  ;  they 
are  monopetalous,  with  a  tube  about  an  inch 
and  a  half  long,  the  lower  half  of  which  is 
much  swollen,  the  upper  half  contracted,  all 
of  a  gi'eenish  colour  ;  above  this  it  opens  into 
a  dilated,  declined,  ovate  lip,  the  sides  of 
w'hich  are  revolute  ;  the  upper  surface  of  this 
lip  is  rich  brown  with  yellow  reticulated  veins, 
and  it  is  beset  with  large  stalked  globose 
glands,  which  give  it  a  peculiar  appearance. 
Native  of  Mexico,  about  Real  del  Monte. 
Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in  the  spring. 
Culture. — Requires  a  warm  greenhouse  ;  light 
loam  and  peat  ;  propagated  by  cuttings,  placed 
iu  a  gentle  heat.  From  its  moderate  sized 
growth,  it  is  suited  for  growing  it  a  pot. 

Cyrtanthera  aurantiaca,  Hooker 
(orange-flowered  Cyrtanthera). — Acanthacese. 
— A  handsome  soft-wooded  shrubby  plant,  with 
erect  acutely  four-sided  stems  and  branches, 
bearing  opposite  broadly  elliptical  lanceolate 
]-ather  rigid  leaves,  and  terminated  by  large 
dense  bracteated  ovate  thyrses  of  large  hand- 
some bright  coloured  flowei's.     The  flowers 


are  labiate,  the  tube  about  as  long  as  the  limb, 
the  upper  lip  of  which  is  erect  with  a  bifid 
point,  the  lower  lip  oblong,  reflexed,  and 
three-cleft;  the  colour  is  a  full  golden  yellow 
at  the  first  expansion,  the  tube  and  lower 
lip  afterwards  becoming  orange-red.  Native 
probably  of  South  America.  Introduced  to 
England  from  Belgium,  by  Messrs.  Henderson 

of  Pine-apple  Place,  in  1848.    Flowers ? 

It  is  the  Calcostylis  aurantiaca  of  Makoy's 
catalogue.  Culture. — Requires  a  stove ;  light 
loam  and  leaf-mould  ;  propagated  by  cuttings 
placed  in  a  gentle  heat. 

Rhododendron  formosum,  WalUch  (beau- 
tiful Rhododendron). — Ericaceae  §  Rhododen- 
dre?Q.  —  One  of  the  slender  growing  and 
elegant  species  of  the  extensive  family  of 
Rhododendron.  It  is  a  truly  beautiful  and 
rare  species,  forming  a  small  slender  shrub, 
with  reddish  brown  branches,  oblong-obovate 
obtuse  leaves,  tapering  into  a  short  foot-stalk, 
and  flowers  in  pairs  produced  from  the  tops 
of  the  branches,  but  soon  over-topped  by 
young  shoots  and  appearing  lateral ;  the  blos- 
soms are  large,  well  formed,  delicate  white, 
tinged  with  yellow  and  rose,  and  having  five 
external  strii)es  of  red.  Native  of  the  Hima- 
layan mountains  of  India.  Introduced  iu 
1837.  Flowers  in  spring.  It  is  the  Rhodo- 
dendron Gibsoni  (Paxton),  under  which  name 
it  is  known  to  cultivators,  but  it  was  pre- 
viously known  to  science  under  Dr.  Wallich's 
name.  When  cultivated  to  the  perfection  to 
which  Indian  azaleas  are  now  brought,  this 
will  be  a  highly  ornamental  shrub.  Culture, 
— Requires  a  greenhouse,  and  the  ordinary 
management  of  greenhouse  azaleas;  light  peat 
soil ;  propagated  by  seeds,  which,  being  very 
small,  should  be  scattered  on  the  surface  of 
peat  earth  kept  moist  ;  or  by  inarching  on 
more  common  and  free-growing  kinds. 

Platycodon  autumnale,  Decaisne  (au- 
tumnal Platycodon). — Campanulaceas  §  Light- 
footCEe. — A  plant  described  as  being  some- 
thing in  the  way  of  Platycodon  grandiflortmi, 
the  old  Campanula  grandijiora.  This  is  said 
to  be  of  compact  habit  of  growth.  The  leavts 
are  not  described.  The  flowers  are  blue,  the 
corolla  being  velvety  at  the  bottom  of  the 
tube  ;  the  technical  distinction  of  this  species 
consists  in  the  following  character  : — "  Fila- 
ments dilated  at  the  base,  partially  ciliated, 
bluish,  marked  with  a  demi-circular  depres- 
sion at  the  base  of  the  linear  portion  Avhich 
bears  the  anther,  which  is  linear,  pointed,  and 
two  lobed."  Native  country  not  stated.  In- 
troduced to  the  garden  of  the  Museum  at 
Paris,  before  1848.  Flowers  in  autumn. 
Culture.  —  Hardy  in  the  climate  of  Paris  ; 
dryish  loamy  soil  ;  propagated  readily  by 
division  of  the  root,  or  by  seeds. 

Talauma  mutabilis,  Blume   (changeable 


480 


NEW   FLOWERS   AND   PLANTS. 


Talauma). — Magnoliaceie  §  Magnoliese. — A 
fine  shrub,  growing  six  or  eight  feet  high, 
with  large  elliptic  leaves  acute  at  both  ends, 
and  solitary  drooping  flowers  growing  at  the 
ends  of  the  branches ;  these  blossoms  are 
pale  green  or  greenish  yellow  tinged  with  red 
and  purple,  becoming  at  last  brownish,  and 
they  consist  of  about  nine  almost  equal  petals. 
There  are  some  varieties  of  this  species  dif- 
fering in  the  form  of  the  leaves.  Native  of 
Java.  Introduced  about  1848.  Flowers  in 
May.  Culture. — Requires  a  cool  stove  ;  turfy 
loam,  peat  and  sand  ;  propagated  by  layers, 
by  inarching  on  the  common  magnolias,  or  by 
ripened  cuttings  planted  in  sand  under  a  glass 
in  bottom  heat. 

Calochortus  pallidus,  Sckultes  (pale 
Calochortus). — Liliacese  §  Tulipese. — A  pretty 
hardy  perennial  plant  with  bulbous  roots, 
growing  up  with  numerous  grass-like  chan- 
nelled leaves,  several  from  the  roots  and  some 
from  the  flowering  stem,  which  grows  six  or 
eight  inches  high  ;  little  bulbils  are  formed  in 
the  axils  of  the  upper  leaves.  The  stem  bears 
from  two  to  four  flowers,  each  on  a  rather 
long  slender  peduncle,  arranged  in  an  umbel- 
late manner  ;  these  blossoms  are  somewhat 
drooping,  and  consist  of  six  spreading  peta- 
loid  divisions,  of  which  the  three  exterior 
are  the  smallest,  ovate-oblong  obtuse,  the 
three  interior  much  larger,  obovate,  rounded 
at  the  apex  and  attenuated  at  the  base  ;  they 
are  pale  yellowish  buff-coloured,  with  a  broad 
angular  blotch  of  dark  reddish  brown,  in  the 
centre,  and  three  bearded  with  short  hairs. 
Native  of  Mexico.  Introduced  to  Belgium  in 
1844.  Flowers  in  September.  Culture. — 
Requires  to  be  grown  in  a  cool  dry  frame  ; 
sandy  peat  soil ;  propagated  readily  by  means 
of  the  bulbils  borne  on  the  stems. 

Metrostderos  polymorpha,  Gaudichaud 
(polymorphous  Iron-wood).  —  Myrtacese  § 
Leptospermese.  —  A  pretty  robust  growing 
evergreen  shrub,  with  opposite  leaves  assum- 
ing various  forms,  of  leathery  texture,  and 
shining  on  both  surfaces  ;  sometimes  the 
leaves  are  roundish-elliptic,  sometimes  ovate, 
sometimes  oblong,  sometimes  lance-shaped. 
The  flowers,  which  grow  in  terminal  and 
axillary  corymbs,  are  of  a  crimson  colour,  and 
rather  ornamental.  The  hard  heavy  dark- 
brown  timber  which  furnishes  the  South  Sea 
islanders  with  their  clubs  and  other  weapons, 
is  said  to  be  in  part  furnished  by  this  plant. 
Native  of  the  Sandwich  Islands,  at  an  elevation 
of  from  900  to  1,800  feet.  Introduced  about 
1844.  Flowers  in  July.  Culture. — Requires 
a  greenhouse  ;  suitable  for  planting  in  a 
greenhouse  conservatory,  or  against  a  conser- 
vative wall  ;  turfy  loam  and  peat  ;  propa- 
gated by  cuttings  planted  in  sand  under  bell- 
glasses,  or  by  seeds. 


Escallonia  macrantha.  Hooker  and  Ar- 
nott  (large-flowered  Escallonia). — Escallonia- 
ceae. — A  beautiful  evergreen  shrub,  with  nu- 
merous branches,  which  are  covered  with 
glandular  pubescence  and  furnished  with 
smallish  ovate-elliptic  rich  green  glossy  leaves, 
which  are  bluntish  at  the  apex,  wedge  shaped 
at  the  base,  and  bluntly  crenate  on  the  mar- 
gins ;  these  leaves  are  full  of  resinous  dots 
beneath.  The  flowers  grow  in  somewhat 
drooping  clusters  at  the  ends  of  the  numerous 
twigs,  the  lower  peduncles  being  simple  and 
axillary,  and  the  upper  ones  racemose  ;  they 
consist  of  five  petals,  which  are  connivent  be- 
low, producing  the  appearanceof  a  short  tubu- 
lar blossom  having  a  short  spreading  limb  ; 
they  are  of  a  glowing  rosy-pink,  nearly  an 
inch  in  length.  Native  of  Chiloe,  aud  also  of 
Patagonia.  Introduced  by  Messrs.  Veitchl  in 
1848-.  Flowers  during  the  summer  mouths. 
Culture. — Apparently  hardy  in  the  climate  of 
Devonshire,  where  it  has  stood  three  winters 
unprotected,  according  to  the  statement  of 
Messrs.  Veitch  ;  a  beautiful  plant  for  a  con- 
servative wall  in  less  favourable  situations  ; 
good  free  loamy  soil ;  propagated  by  layers,  or 
by  cuttings  planted  in  sandy  soil,  under  hand- 
glasses, without  heat. 

HORTICULTURAL    NOTES. 

Rhubarb  Preserves. — Rheum  Emodi 
makes  a  most  deliciously  flavoured  preserve, 
nearly  if  not  quite  equal  to  that  of  the  Wine- 
sour  Plum.  It  may  also  be  made  so  as  to 
nearly  resemble  Tamarinds,  being  a  y^Yj 
fine  acid.  This  Rhubarb  was  many  years 
since  distributed  to  the  Fellows  of  the  Horti- 
cultural Society  from  Nepal,  but  owing  to  its 
lateness  and  great  acidity,  it  was  generally 
soon  rooted  out,  and  is  now  seldom  seen  in 
gardens.  It  is  however  well  worthy  of  a  place 
in  all,  merely  for  preserving. —  Gardener'' s 
Chronicle. 

Lambs'  Lettuce,  or  Corn  Salad  ( Valeri- 
anella  olitoria). — The  merits  of  this  homely 
plant  are  not  so  well  known  as  they  should 
be.  It  forms  a  first-rate  ingredient  in  a  salad, 
and  is,  I  believe,  an  excellent  purifier  of  the 
blood.  Being  a  native  of  Britain,  it  is  very 
hardy,  and,  if  sown  in  July,  August,  and 
September,  an  excellent  succession  of  it  will 
be  kept  up  during  the  winter.  Then  sow 
again  in  spring.  If  a  large  frame  can  be 
spared,  the  best  plants  might  be  taken  up  with 
balls  and  planted  thickly  in  it.  The  cultivator 
could  then  have  it  at  command.  I  have  never 
blanched  it,  and  therefoi'e  cannot  say  whether 
that  would  improve  it  or  not.  Sow  in  beds 
or  rows  six  inches  apart ;  thin  out  afterwards 
to  six  inches  in  the  row.  It  will  afford  many 
cuttings,  if  not  cut  down  too  closely. — Gar- 
\dener's  Chronicle. 


THE    PETUNIA. 


4S1 


a.  Petunia  nyctaginiflora. 


b.  P.  violacea,  or,  integrifoUa. 


THE  PETUNIA— ITS  CULTIVATION  AND  PROPERTIES. 

BY   GEORGE    GLENNY,  F.H.S, 


[The  two  figures  in  the  wood  engraving 
given  above,  represent  the  original  species 
from  which  the  race  of  garden  or  florist's 
petunias  have  sprung  ;  the  larger,  P.  nyctagi- 
niflora (a)  bearing  white  flowers  ;  the  smaller, 
P.  integrifoUa  (h)  flowers  of  a  brilliant  rosy- 
purple.  This  latter,  under  good  cultivation, 
is,  notwithstanding  its  small  size,  as  compared 
with  other  petunias,  one  of  the  most  brilliaot 
and  enduring  of  summer-flowering  plants.] 

The  Petunia  is  one  of  the  few  perennials 
that  form  a  principal  ornament  in  a  flower- 
garden,  and  which,  if  planted  out  in  variety, 
make  a  great  display  during  the  greater  part 
of  the  summer.  The  form  and  colour  of  the 
flower  have  been  the  leading  attractions  for 
some  years  ;  but  the  style  and  habit  of  the 
plant  is  of  some  importance.  It  is  a  favourite 
among  those  plants  which  continue  growing 
and  blooming  all  the  time  it  occupies  the  gar- 
den, from  May  till  the  frost  cuts  it  off;  "and 
therefore,  like  the  verbena,  it  keeps  the  beds 
and  borders  alive  and  brilliant  when  other 
flowers  are  scarce.  It  is  easy  to  propagate  it 
by  cuttings,  and  for  that  reas'on  a  really  good 
one  will  bear  a  good  price  when  it  is  first  let 
out,  and  only  becomes  cheaper  in  consequence 
50. 


of  its  being  multiplied.  Originally,  the  cha- 
racter of  the  bloom  was  partly  starry,  because 
however  wide  the  divisions  of  the  flower 
were,  it  had  as  many  points  as  divisions,  and 
the  indentations  between  the  divisions  were 
very  conspicuous,  a  fault  which  began  to  im- 
prove from  the  period  when  the  properties 
of  a  perfect  specimen  were  published.  The 
principal  objection  to  the  flower  was  its 
flimsy  texture,  which  caused  it  to  flag  when 
the  sun  was  rather  powerful.  The  most 
desirable  improvement,  therefore,  was  a  thick- 
ening of  the  corolla,  without  which  the  flower 
would  have  continued  too  fragile  to  be  gene- 
rally useful.  It  is  needless  to  say,  that  when 
this  property  was  acquired,  a  variety  became 
a  favourite  even  in  the  absence  of  other  pro- 
perties ;  yet  it  could  not  be  made  a  positive 
requisite  to  sustain  a  new  kind,  for  while  a 
flower  is  improving,  any  one  property  ac- 
quired is  enough  to  cover  many  defects,  not 
so  much  for  itself  as  for  the  chances  of  im- 
proving future  seedlings  to  be  raised  from  it  : 
hence  the  thick  corolla,  though  of  bad  form, 
might  give  rise  to  thick  corollas  combined 
with  a  better  form  ;  while  on  the  other  hand, 
a  splendid  form,  with  a  very  flimsy  corolla, 
may  yield   seedlings   which   partake  of   the 

I  I 


482 


THE    PETUNIA. 


thick  substance  with  its  own  form.  To  get 
rid  of  the  points  is  a  great  object,  and  it  is 
as  stubborn  a  blemish  as  the  thin  flowers  ; 
and  of  many  hundred  seedlings,  very  few,  if 
any,  will  be  found  that  has  improved  in  more 
than  one  or  two  of  the  necessary  qualities, 
and  perhaps  not  half  a  dozen  will  be  found 
sufficiently  improved  to  be  worth  saving.  It 
is  quite  certain  that  nothing  but  perseverance 
will  ensure  success  ;  and  as  the  flower  is  still 
far  inferior  to  what  it  may  be,  our  hints  for 
the  culture  of  the  Petunia  shall  commence 
with  the  saving  of  the  seed  and  the  raising  of 
seedlings,  with  a  view  to  advance  the  quality. 

KAISING    FROM    SEEDS. 

The  first  object  is  to  procure  half-a-dozen 
varieties  of  the  best  that  can  be  obtained. 
The  variety  called  Punctata  is  a  star  amongst 


Petunia  punctata. 

these  flowers,  because  without  being  a  very 
bad  form,  it  is  remarkable  for  its  colour,  and 
for  a  sort  of  variegated  stripe  of  white,  which 
forms  a  pretty  contrast  with  the  ground 
colour,  which  is  a  near  approach  to  blue.  As 
is  the  case,  however,  with  many  variegated 
flowers,  they  do  not  come  striped  at  first,  nor 
if  they  are  grown  very  strong.  This  kind  is 
also  not  so  thick  in  the  flower  as  we  could 
wish,  but  it  may  be  the  origin  of  other  varie- 
gated sorts,  and  should  be  one  among  those 
we  seed  from.  There  were  three  varieties 
let  out  by  Mrs.  Girling  of  Stowmarket  nursery 
■ — Madame  Celeste  and  two  others — all*  of 
which  have  very  distinct  properties,  chiefly, 
however,  foi-m  and  particular  characters  in 
the  colour, — one  has  deep,  rosy  veins,  another 


somewhat  lighter,  and  the  third  is  a  rich 
purple,  with  remarkably  fine  texture.  A 
fifth,  called  Jenny  Lind,  is  somewhat  thinner 
than  we  like,  but  is,  without  exception,  the 
best  form  we  know  of.  With  regard  to  a 
sixth,  there  was  an   Essex  flower  raised  a 

r 

year  or  two  ago  of  monstrous  size,  but  not 
very  good  form  ;  it  had,  however,  vast  thick- 
ness, rich  texture  and  colour,  and  on  account 
of  its  size  might  greatly  assist  in  rendering  the 
ofispring  of  the  others  better  in  this  respect. 

With  these,  or  any  other  striking  varieties 
which  had  some  property  conspicuously  in 
advance,  we  should  commence  growing  Petu- 
nias. If  we  required  more  than  half-a-dozen 
for  the  purposes  of  ornament,  Ave  should  have 
two  or  three  or  half-a-dozen  of  a  sort,  rather 
than  increase  the  number  of  varieties  by  the 
addition  of  any  that  were  not  desirable,  on  ac- 
count of  some  peculiarly  good  property.  These 
will  be  purchased  in  pots.  Make  up  a  little 
bed  or  clump  for  them  with  good  loam  from 
rotted  turves,  peat,  and  dung  from  a  rotten  hot- 
bed, in  the  proportion  of  half  loam,  one-fourth 
peat,  and  one-fourth  rotten  dung.  Mix  these 
well  together  a  foot  deep,  or  if  the  garden 
mould  already  in  the  clumps  is  rich,  and 
grows  most  things  vigorously,  use  it  instead 
of  making  it  up  on  purpose.  Turn  out  the 
balls  of  earth  from  the  pots,  by  turning  them 
bottom  upwards,  with  two  fingers  across  the 
pot  to  prevent  it  falling,  and  gently  striking 
the  edge  upon  the  potting-table  ;  plant  the 
balls  in  the  ground,  so  that  the  surface  may  be 
rather  below  the  ground  level ;  water  them 
in,  and  if  the  weather  be  warm,  continue  to 
water  them  daily  for  a  few  days  until  they 
are  fully  established.  Here  they  should  bloom, 
and  none  of  the  flowers  should  be  picked  off : 
exposed  to  all  the  weathers  some  of  them  are 
sure  to  seed,  and  as  the  pods  swell  they  must 
be  watched,  and  picked  off  when  they  turn 
yellow.  The  seed-pods  should  be  placed  in 
some  shallow  vessel  in  the  sun  to  dry,  so  that 
when  they  split  the  seed  should  not  be  lost ; 
and  when  thoroughly  dry,  it  should  be  rubbed 
out,  cleaned,  and  stored  in  very  dry  paper. 
,In  February,  this  seed  should  be  sown  in  the 
compost  we  have  described  :  large  pots  are 
better  than  seed- pans  for  this  purpose,  be- 
cause the  body  of  mould  retains  the  moisture 
longer  than  a  smaller  quantity.  The  pot 
should  be  filled,  and  by  striking  the  bottom 
against  the  potting-table  the  earth  sinks  a 
little  below  the  edge  of  the  pot.  The  seed 
should  be  sown  very  thinly  over  the  surface, 
and  a  little  of  the  same  sort  of  soil  should  be 
sifted  through  a  fine  sieve,  so  as  just  to  cover 
it ;  place  it  in  a  slight  hotbed,  or  a  green- 
house, with  firing  in  it,  and  if  the  latter, 
cover  with  a  hand-glass.  As  soon  as  the  seed 
has  germinated,  and  grown  large  enough  to 


THE    PETUNIA. 


483 


take  hold  of,  it  may  be  pricked  out  into  pans 
or  wide-moutlied  pots,  an  inch  apart  every  way, 
beginning  all  round  the  edge  of  the  pot  and 
working  inwards.  In  these  pots  or  pans,  as 
the  case  may  be,  they  may  remain  until  they 
have  grown  large  enough  to  be  in  each  other's 
way.  Now  please  yourself  about  whether  you 
will  plant  them  out  or  pot  them,  but  if  there 
be  any  considerable  number  plant  them  out, 
for  it  will  save  immense  labour,  not  only  in 
potting,  but  also  in  watering,  for  in  the 
ground  they  will  not  require  nearly  so  much 
moisture  as  they  do  in  a  pot.  Here,  as  they 
come  into  bloom,  you  ought  to  root  up  the 
faulty  ones,  for  it  is  no  use  keeping  any  that 
have  not  some  decided  advance  upon  present 
sorts,  and  by  the  banishment  of  the  bad  ones 
as  fast  as  they  open,  the  seed  maj  be  saved 
very  good.  The  only  advantage  of  potting 
them  is,  that  as  fast  as  they  turn  out  good  for 
nothing  as  new  varieties,  they  may  be  given 
away  or  sold,  whereas  if  planted  out  they  are 
destroyed,  because  they  would  not  move  when 
in  bloom.  Florists  by  profession  ought  there- 
fore to  pot  all,  and  keep  them  in  a  cold  frame, 
and  as  fast  as  any  show  an  inferior  flower  take 
them  out  and  send  them  to  market,  or  place 
them  for  sale  away  from  those  you  pre- 
fer to  keep  and  seed  from  :  you  must  not 
expect  one  in  a  hundred  that  will  be  worth 
keeping,  but  a  florist  can  always  sell  common 
ones  at  something,  although  not  quite  so  much 
as  good  ones. 

The  proper  time  for  autumnal  sowing  is 
September,  in  a  greenhouse,  and  when  they 
are  large  enough  to  prick  out,  put  them  as 
directed  for  spring  sowing, — an  inch  apart,  in 
wide-mouthed  pots.  They  continue  growing 
all  the  winter  slowly,  and  are  about  ready  to 
plant  out  by  the  time  the  weather  will  allow 
of  it.  Upon  the  whole,  however,  we  prefer 
the  spring  sowing,  when  the  proper  attention 
can  be  given  ;  but  if  the  groAver  be  not  al- 
ways on  the  premises,  and  ready  to  give  pro- 
per air  and  moisture,  twenty-four  hours  might 
burn  up  the  whole  lot,  or  they  might  be 
damped  off,  or  a  dozen  evils  might  befal  them, 
because  in  a  hotbed  vegetation  is  rapid,  and 
they  would  draw  up  in  twenty-four  hours, 
therefore  they  must  be  watched  constantly, 
and  when  they  begin  to  vegetate  they  must 
have  air  to  prevent  their  drawing  up  weakly. 
After  they  are  pricked  out,  they  want  quite 
as  much  care  as  before,  and  four- and- twenty 
hours'  neglect  would  spoil  them,  although  it  is 
to  be  understood  that  the  hotbed  must  be  no 
warmer  than  is  usual  for  annuals.  It  is  not 
safe  to  plant  out  in  beds  till  the  end  of  May, 
though  they  may  be  potted  singly  into  forty-eight 
sized-pots  as  soon  as  you  please  when  they  are 
large  enough,  because  the  pots  should  be  shut 
down  in  a  cold  frame  by  day,  and  be  carefully 


covered  at  night  against  frost.  In  very  mild 
days,  the  frame  may  be  opened,  or  even  alto- 
gether uncovered,  but  such  young  plants  will 
be  naturally  tender,  and  must  be  regularly 
protected  against  high  winds,  frost,  and  heavy 
falls  of  rain. 

PROPAGATING    BY    CUTTINGS. 

Having  selected  such  varieties  as  may  be 
considered  worthy  of  propagation,  they  should 
be  cut  down,  and  all  the  ends  should  be 
struck.  The  way  to  prepare  the  ends  that  are 
cut  off  is  to  take  off  two  joints,  cut  the  stem 
up  close  to  the  bottom  joint,  and  take  off"  the 
under  leaves.  Let  these  cuttings,  after  being 
thus  prepared,  be  placed  in  a  pot  of  the  kind 
of  earth  we  have  described,  and  half  an  inch 
thickness  of  silver  sand  on  the  top;  thoroughlj'- 
wet  the  sand,  and  stick  the  cuttings  in  to 
touch  the  common  earth  at  the  bottom  of  the 
sand,  but  not  to  go  into  it ;  place  a  bell-glass 
over  them  so  as  to  go  a  trifling  way  into  the 
sand,  and  keep  all  the  draught  out.  Let  the 
pot  be  placed  in  a  slightly  heated  bed,  or  pit,  or 
propagating  house.  The  glass  must  be  taken 
off  and  wiped  inside  every  morning.  You 
will  soon  observe  when  they  have  struck,  by 
their  setting  off  to  grow.  As  soon  as  they  have 
fairly  struck,  pot  them  singly  in  large  sixty  sized 
pots,  shut  them  down  in  the  frame  a  day  or 
two,  and  then  give  them  air  on  mild  days, 
and  close  them  against  frost  and  cold  all  the 
winter.  In  the  spring,  plant  out  some  and 
bed  out  others,  for  they  are  as  pretty  bloomed 
in  pots,  as  they  are  planted  out  in  beds  and 
clumps. 

LARGE    PLANTS. 

When  the  Petunia  is  wanted  to  grow  large, 
to  cover  a  trellis  or  form  a  large  bush,  the 
ends  of  the  shoots  ought  to  be  pinched  out, 
and  the  lateral  shoots  induced  to  grow  ;  these 
in  their  turns  should  be  stopped  when  they 
have  grown  long  enough,  and  all  the  bloom 
that  shows  itself  should  be  pinched  off.  In 
this  manner  the  plant  may  be  kept  growing, 
and  when  it  has  acquired  branches  enough  it 
may  be  allowed  to  grow  without  any  more 
stopping,  and  either  train  it  or  let  it  make  a 
bush,  it  matters  not  which,  except  that  the 
bush  is  the  most  natural  and  most  elegant. 
It  may  be,  however,  that  these,  like  the  gera- 
niums, may  not  be  good  without  a  forest  of 
sticks  to  hold  them.  If  so,  we  destroy  the 
character  of  the  plant,  and  it  can  be  compared 
to  nothing  in  its  tribe,  no  more  than  gera- 
niums can  with  three  hundred  wooden  props. 
The  petunia  never  blooms  better  than  at  one 
year  old  from  a  cutting,  though  some  are  so 
bent  on  training  them  that  they  force  them 
over  two  seasons  and  keep  them  growing 
hard  all  the  time.  This  can  only  be  done, 
however,  by  picking  off  all  the  bloom  buds  as 
they  come,  and  continuing  their  growth. 

ii2 


484 


THE    PETUNIA. 


PROPERTIES, 

1.  A  petunia  should  have  strong  stems  and 
a  close  habit — large,  thick,  round,  and  flat 
flowers;  abundance  of  bloom,  while  short  and 
handsome. 

2.  The  colour  or  shade  is  a  matter  of  taste ; 
but  such  is  the  fancy  of  people  in  these  days, 
that  a  new  ugly  colour  would  be  thought  more 
of  than  an  old  handsome  one. 

Such  is  the  state  of  inglorious  confusion 
into  which  modern  botanists  have  brought 
things  by  their  silly  antics,  that  when  Mr. 
Tweedie  sent  home  the  purple  variety.  Dr. 
Hooker  called  it  Salpiglossis  integrifolia ; 
Professor  Don,  Niei'embergia  phoenicia  ;  and 
Dr.  Lindley,  Petunia  violacea.  Yet  these  are 
the  people  who  pretend  to  teach  the  uniniti- 
ated how  to  know  plants  ! 

PROGRESS   OP    THE   PETUNIA   AS   A   PLORISt's 
FLOWER. 

This  flower  does  not  advance  as  it  ought, 
and  chiefly  because  the  properties  of  the 
flower  are  neglected,  and  new  varieties  of  no 
merit  are  put  out  from  season  to  season  only 
to  disappoint  the  buyers.  The  raisers  of 
Petunias  do  not  read,  or  reading,  they  do  not 
understand  that  substarrce  is  the  great  desi- 
deratum. If  the  flowers  are  flimsy,  the  variety 
is  worthless  ;  half-an-hour's  sun  will  make  the 
ordinary  run  of  flowers  flag  and  look  as  if 
they  were  dying  ;  when  the  texture  is  thin, 
the  warmth  of  an  ordinary  summer's  day  will 
make  it  shrivel,  and  nothing  can  be  done 
with  them ;  they  always  look  untidy,  and  no- 
.  thing  will  make  them  otherwise  until  we 
obtain  thick  corollas.  We  have  said  that  no- 
thing compensates  for  the  bad  form  of  a  flower, 
— and  if  they  are  not  well  formed  we  should 
throw  them  away  ; — but  the  finest  form  is  of 
no  use  if  the  flower  be  thin  and  flimsy ;  it  has 
no  power  to  hold  its  form  against  a  puflF  of 
wind  or  half-a-minute's  sunshine.  It  maybe 
a  stepping  stone  to  thicker  ones  of  the  like 
form,  but  we  should  be  quite  as  anxious  to 
see  a  thick  corolla  as  a  fine  form,  because  it 
would  be  an  equally  desirable  stepping  stone 
to  a  better  form  with  the  thick  corolla.  The 
best  way  to  advance  the  flower  would  be  to 
select  the  stoutest  corollas  that  can  be  got, 
and  the  finest  forms  that  can  be  procured, 
and  seed  from  these  indiscriminately,  but 
away  from  all  others,  because  it  is  the  rubbish 
among  general  collections  and  seedlings  that 
spoils  all  the  seed  for  the  next  year.  We 
would  rather  have  none  but  those  we  seed 
from,  or  at  any  rate  have  those  we  had,  placed 
too  distant  from  all  others  to  be  damaged. 
It  may  be  worth  while,  in  a  case  like  this,  to 
save  the  seeds  of  the  thick-petalled  flowers 
separately  from  the  others  at  the  gathering, 
and  also  to  save  that  of  any  other  remarkable 


plant  apart  from  the  rest,  merely  to  indulge  a 
natural  curiosity  to  know  which  yielded  the 
best  flowers.  It  would  be  well  also  to  sow 
all  these  seeds  in  pans  directly,  that  is,  the 
same  autumn  it  is  saved,  and  to  really  grow 
them  all  the  winter,  so  as  to  be  able  to  turn 
them  out  in  beds  at  the  end  of  May,  and  see 
the  flowering  the  first  year. 

Having  due  reerard  for  the  seed  which  we 
may  be  able  to  save  from  any  remarkable 
flowers  that  may  turn  up  among  them,  we 
must  watch  their  opening,  and,  as  rapidly  as 
a  single  flower  opens  on  a  plant,  decide  upon 
its  fate  ;  nothing  but  a  fine  circular  form,  a 
very  remarkable  colour,  or  a  thick  corolla, 
should  save  it  an  hour  from  the  dunghill. 
Ordinary  varieties,  things  no  better  than  we 
have,  would  be  entirely  useless,  and  should 
not  be  tolerated  an  instant  ;  nor  ought  a 
moderately  good  flower  to  save  a  plant  at  all, 
unless  there  was  a  flne  habit.  Petunias,  from 
want  of  attention  to  habit  when  selecting  for 
novelties,  have  become  weedy  and  bad  ;  the 
most  straggling  ugly  growth  has  failed  to 
condemn  a  variety,  if  it  were  no  better  than 
scores  that  we  have ;  and  it  is  tiresome  to 
be  obliged  to  walk  through  gardens  where 
the  habits  of  the  bedded-out  plants  completely 
spoil  the  intended  effect,  and  give  an  appear- 
ance of  cai'elessness  to  the  whole  place.  The 
Petunia  should  be  dwarf,  shrubby,  and  strong 
in  the  stems,  and  not  run,  or  rather  lop  about 
without  strength  to  sustain  its  own  weight, 
yet  such  is  the  majority  of  new  varieties  sent 
out. 

Those  who  desire  to  begin  growing  the 
Petunia,  with  a  view  of  raising  good  ones, 
should  not  begin  by  buying  seed ;  it  is  com- 
pletely losing  all  the  trouble,  time,  and  room 
devoted  to  the  eifort.  Nobody  will  sell  seed 
that  is  likely  to  produce  anything  better  than 
we  have  ;  the  only  seed  sold  is  that  gathered 
from  the  general  collection,  or  from  a  batch  of 
seedlings,  in  both  which  cases  most  of  the  free 
seeders  supply  the  bulk,  and  the  worst  and 
wildest  of  the  plants  are  always  the  most  free 
seeders.  Go  to  a  nursery  where  Petunias  are 
grown  in  pots  as  well  as  in  beds,  see  all  you 
can  see,  and  pick  out  two  or  three  which  are 
the  most  circular,  and  two  or  three,  if  you 
can  find  them,  with  good  thick  corollas  ;  fin-d 
one,  at  any  rate,  and  if  there  be  anything  of  a 
remarkable  colour,  you  may  add  one  of  that 
sort,  but  reject  any  that  are  of  bad  habit. 
Get  them  home,  plant  them  a  foot  a-part  in 
an  open  bed,  cut  every  pod  and  expanded 
flower  oif  the  whole,  and  you  will  be  sure 
that  you  have  no  seed  pods  already  spoiled  by 
the  general  collection.  From  this  patch  of 
half  a  dozen,  or  even  a  dozen,  if  you  have 
made  it  so,  you  will  have  seed  which  at  least 
promises  something  better  than  themselves  ; 


THE    PETUNIA, 


48i 


there  will  be,  as  there  always  is,  a  great 
many  more  about  the  same  stamp,  or  worse, 
than  there  are  better  ;  but,  having  done  all 
you  can  to  produce  varieties  calculated  to  be 
an  advance  upon  what  we  have,  you  can  do 
no  more.  When  you  have  gathered  the  seed, 
prepare  pans  or  boxes,  or  large-mouthed  pots, 
to  sow  it  in  ;  let  these  be  filled  with  half  loam 
and  half  peat  well  mixed  together ;  sow  thinly, 
because  your  seeds,  being  good,  Avill  all  come 
up,  and  if  too  thick,  will  injure  each  other 
before  they  ai-e  lai-ge  enough  to  prick  out. 
Place  the  pots,  pans,  or  boxes  in  the  green- 
house, or,  for  want  of  that  convenience,  in 
a  frame  of  which  the  heat  has  declined,  such 
as  an  old  cucumber  or  melon  bed,  and  cover 
up  of  nights,  but  a  greenhouse  is  the  best. 
When  these  seedlings  are  large  enough  to 
handle  well,  let  them  be  pricked  out  round 
the  edges  of  pots  an  inch  apart — a  three-inch 
pot  will  hold  eight  or  nine  round  the  edge, 
and  the  proximity  of  the  root  to  the  pot  is  of 
the  most  essential  service  ;  they  must  be  care- 
fully watered,  and  placed  close  to  the  light ; 
they  must  not  be  watered  too  frequently 
through  the  winter,  as  they  are  not  wanted  to 
grow  fast.  Short  stocky  little  plants  are  far 
more  desirable  than  tall  ones,  and  when  they 
once  get  drawn  up  they  cannot  recover  their 
proper  habit  completely.  The  seedling  plants 
ought,  in  fact,  when  once  well  established,  to 
be  what  gardeners  call  starved,  that  is,  have 
no  more  water  than  will  just  keep  them  from 
jfiagging,  not  that  they  are  to  have  less  when 
watei'ed,  but  that  they  are  not  to  be  watered 
again  till  they  are  almost  suffering,  when 
they  are  to  have  as  much  as  before.  All  the 
soil  must  be  wetted  whenever  a  plant  is 
wateredj  less  than  this  is  mischief. 

At  the  end  of  May  all  these  may  be  planted 
out  in  a  bed  of  ordinary  mould  or  soil,  and 
not  made  rich  for  the  occasion  ;  let  them  be 
planted  about  nine  inches  or  a  foot  apart,  and 
then  await  with  proper  watchfulness  their 
blooming.  The  instant  they  commence  they 
should  be  examined  frequently.  If  any  come 
like  the  parents,  or  any  one  of  them,  see  if 
there  be  any  improvement  in  the  habit,  for 
that  is  a  point — if  not,  pull  it  up  instantly,  and 
so  with  every  thing  worse  ;  do  not  let  a  single 
plant  stand  an  hour  after  it  has  flowered, 
unless  it  gives  you  some  point  better  than 
those  you  seeded  from,  because  it  is  the  worst 
possible  taste  to  distribute  any  thing  that  is 
like  a  variety  already  out,  unless  there  is  such 
a  manifest  improvement  in  some  point  as  will 
be  at  once  seen  by  others.  If  there  be  any 
that  exhibit  a  positive  improvement,  or  any 
such  distinct  point  as  will  warrant  its  being 
added  to  the  general  collections,  take  off  slips 
at  once  and  begin  propagating  it  directly  ;  a 
little  bottom  heat,  and  a  hand-glass  over  the 


cuttings,  will  greatly  hasten  the  striking,  but 
they  would  in  July,  August,  and  September 
root  in  the  common  borders  under  a  hand- 
glass. Look  daily,  if  not  almost  hourly,  to 
see  what  comes,  and  pull  up,  without  remorse, 
all  that  are  inferior,  (or  equal,  unless  of  a  dif- 
ferent colour,)  and  discard  them  at  once. 
Strike  as  many  cuttings  as  you  can  of  those 
that  are  worth  keeping  and  adding  to  the  pre- 
sent stock,  but  unless  it  is  worth  keeping,  for 
the  chance  of  raising  others  with  its  good 
points,  send  every  other  to  the  dunghill. 

MONTHLY   OPERATIONS. 

jANUARr. — The  plants  are  now  in  the  seed- 
pot,  the  store-pots,  or  in  small  pots  a  single 
plant  in  a  pot.  The  cuttings  struck  and  potted 
off  in  the  autumn,  as  well  as  old  plants  cut 
down — one  and  all,  require  but  little  water,  as 
wet  does  not  agi-ee  with  them ;  they  must 
have  air  in  mild  weather,  the  glasses  must  be 
down  close  of  a  night,  and  if  there  be  any 
symptoms  of  frost  they  should  be  covered 
with  straw-litter,  or  cloths,  or  mats  ;  those  in 
the  greenhouse  will  do  with  the  treatment 
other  greenhouse  plants  require,  not  much 
moisture,  plenty  of  air,  and  but  little  if  any 
fire.  Autumn  sown  plants  now  growing  must 
be  kept  clear  of  weeds,  and  if  not  yet  pricked 
out,  they  ought  to  be. 

February. — The  treatment  of  last  month, 
subject  to  the  control  of  the  weather,  may  be 
repeated,  that  is,  good  covering  against  cold, 
plenty  of  air  if  mild,  and  very  little  moisture  ; 
prepare  pots  of  the  soil  recommended,  and 
fill  up  level  with  the  edge  of  the  pot,  give  it 
a  blow  or  two  on  the  potting-table,  to  settle  it 
a  little  down  ;  sow  the  seed  very  evenly  and 
thinly,  and  sift  a  little  earth  thi'ough  a  fine 
sieve  to  cover  the  seed,  and  no  more  ;  place  it 
in  a  hotbed  which  has  declined,  or  which  ha& 
been  made  up  slight  for  the  purpose. 

March. — Let  the  plants  in  small  pots  in- 
tended to  bloom  in  pots,  be  now  shifted  into 
those  of  size  forty-eight ;  take  out  the  balls 
whole,  put  draining  at  the  bottom  of  the  pots, 
and  enough  mould  to  bring  up  the  plant  to 
the  surface  of  the  deeper  one  ;  put  the  earth 
in  solid  all  round,  and  water  them  to  settle 
the  earth  about  the  ball,  round  which  the 
roots  will  have  matted.  Keep  those  which  are 
for  planting  out,  in  the  small  sized  pots  they 
are  wintered  in,  as  they  are  better  checked 
than  allowed  to  grow,  on  account  of  the  great 
additional  room  required  by  the  change  of  pot, 
the  additional  labour  of  carrying  them  about 
the  ground,  the  additional  cai-riage  if  they  are 
to  be  sent  out.  Let  the  fresh  potted  ones  be 
shut  up  'a  day  or  so,  after  which  they  may 
have  air,  and  in  the  event  of  very  mild 
showers,  they  may  have  all  the  benefit  of 
them.  The  seedlings  will  be  advanced  enough 


486 


THE    PETUNIA. 


to  prick  out  an  inch  apart  in  pots  or  pans, 
and  must  be  done  accordingly,  and  be  gently- 
watered,  and  replaced  in  the  same  hotbed, 
which  will  have  declined  a  little, 

April. — Shift  the  potted  plants  into  larger 
ones  if  not  done  last  month,  and  as  the  plants 
will  begin  to  grow  fast,  they  Avill  require 
occasional  watering.  The  plants  which  were 
pricked  out  in  autumn  from  the  September 
sowing,  may  be  potted  into  small  pots,  and  be 
placed  in  the  cold  frame,  or  put  back  again 
into  the  greenhouse.  All  the  plants  in  pots, 
shifted  and  unshifted,  must  be  occasionally 
watered  if  the  weather  be  at  all  warm,  and  if 
showery  all  the  plants  may  have  the  benefit  of 
a  warm  rain.  Towards  the  end  of  the  month 
the  plants  pricked  out  in  pots  and  pans  in  the 
hotbed  from  the  spring  sowing,  maybe  potted 
singly  into  the  small  pots  if  they  are  to  be 
bloomed  in  pots  ;  if  they  are  to  be  planted 
out  make  up  the  beds,  clumps,  and  borders 
for  the  reception  of  the  plants,  and  let  them 
be  ready  by  next  month  to  receive  the  plants 
— the  ornamental  beds  for  approved  varie- 
ties, and  large  beds  for  trying  the  quality  of 
seedlings. 

Mat. — Continue  the. management  of  last 
month,  until  the  middle,  or  towards  the  end 
of  the  month,  when  you  may  plant  out  all 
that  are  to  be  in  the  open  ground  ;  take  the 
pans  and  pots  that  have  the  young  plants  in 
them,  and  with  a  piece  of  wood  cut  something 
in  the  form  of  the  blade  of  a  knife,  lift  up  the 
roots,  mould  and  all,  separate  the  plants  as 
carefully  as  possible,  and  plant  them  six 
inches  apart  all  over  the  beds  made  for  bloom- 
ing them  in,  water  them  in  gently  to  settle  the 
earth  about  their  roots.  In  the  ornamental 
parts  of  the  garden,  when  the  clumps  and 
borders  are  to  be  undisturbed,  plant  the 
approved  varieties  nine  inches  apart,  and 
according  to  the  way  in  which  you  wish  the 
colours  dispersed. 

June. — Whatever  was  left  undone  of  last 
month's  directions  must  be  completed  without 
delay.  Look  well  to  the  watering,  and  do 
not  half  do  it  by  watering  merely  at  the  roots, 
but  water  the  bed  all  over,  as  complete  as  if 
it  were  a  shower  of  rain.  The  plants  in  forty- 
eight  sized  pots  will  require  another  shift  if 
they  are  to  be  bloomed  fine  ;  the  roots  will  be 
found  completely  matted  round  the  balls, 
which  should  be  carefully  knocked  out  into 
the  hand,  and  placed  in  the  thirty-two  sized 
pots,  which  should  have  crocks  or  other  drain- 
age at  the  bottom,  and  earth  enough  to  raise 
the  surface  of  the  ball  to  the  edge  of  the  pot ; 
fill  the  soil  in  well  round,  and  water  then'i  ; 
they  may  be  placed  in  a  sheltered  spot  in  the 
garden  a  week  after  they  are  shifted,  but  a 
few  days  in  the  fi-ames,  pits,  or  greenhouse 
after  they  are  shifted,  will  be  of  the  greatest 


benefit ;  they  ought  not  to  be  placed  in  the 
burning  sun,  but  in  some  place  where  they 
may  miss  the  hottest  of  it,  or  they  must  be 
sheltered.  All  the  pricked  out  seedlings  must 
be  now  planted  or  potted  ;  there  is  no  ex- 
cuse for  keeping  them  out  of  their  blooming 
places. 

July. — Little  more  is  wanted  this  month 
than  weeding  and  watering  ;  stirring  the  earth 
between  the  plants  is  useful :  when  the  plants 
are  in  ornamental  clumps  you  may  either  let 
them  have  their  own  growth,  or  peg  down 
their  shoots  to  keep  them  dwarf.  Any  seed- 
lings that  come  into  flower  must  be  adopted 
or  condemned  at  once  ;  harbour  no  doubtful 
thing:  if  it  be  not  better  than  we  have,  or 
different  from  what  we  have,  throw  it  out, 
and  if  necessary  for  appearance,  mend  the 
place  with  a  potted  plant ;  but  it  is  better  to 
have  a  place  for  the  seedlings,  where  neatness 
and  completeness  are  of  no  consequence. 
Look  over  potted  seedlings  as  well  as  bedded 
ones,  and  the  instant  a  flower  of  second-rate 
or  ordinary  qualities  has  opened,  discard  it, 
turn  it  out  of  the  ground,  whether  to  market 
or  the  dunghill  is  not  half  so  important  as  the 
getting  rid  of  it,  so  as  not  to  spoil  other  seed. 
The  potted  named,  or  approved  varieties  may 
be  removed  to  wherever  their  beauty  is  re- 
quired, whether  the  dwelling-house,  conser- 
vatory, show-house,  or  standing  about  in  the 
garden.  '  •   ' "      : '  ' 

August. — A  continuance  of  last  month's 
management  is  all  that  is  required,  for  the 
progress  and  wants  of  the  plants  are  much 
the  same  ;  mark  any  very  desirable  thing  to 
seed  from,  and  if  any  are  worth  naming  and 
propagating,  take  off"  all  the  likely  shoots  in  a 
young  state,  close  to  their  base,  and  strike 
them  as  directed  for  the  cuttings  at  the  cutting 
down  time,  except  that  the  young  shoots  may 
be  taken  off  short  enough  to  strike  without 
any  more  preparation  than  merely  taking  off 
the  lower  leaves.  Watering,  weeding,  pegging 
down,  or  tying  up  stragglers,  will  fill  up  this 
month's  work  well ;  if,  however,  you  are 
saving  seed,  pick  it  off  as  soon  as  the  pods 
turn  yellowish. 

September. — Sow  seed  as  directed,  and 
cover  it  with  a  hand-glass  before  putting  it 
into  the  greenhouse  ;  take  care  that  it  be  not 
allowed  to  dry  ;  continue  picking  seed  where 
you  are  saving  it,  constantly  watch  for  the 
opening  of  seedlings,  that  you  may  dispose  of 
the  worthless  daily,  as  fast  as  they  appear  ; 
towards  the  middle  of  the  month  cut  down  all 
those  that  it  is  desirable  to  propagate,  and  pot 
up  the  roots,  strike  the  cuttings,  and  put  the 
roots  into  a  frame  ;  carefully  water,  and  shut 
them  up  a  day  or  two  well  shaded,  before 
they  have  air,  so  that  they  may  be  established 
in  their  new  place  ;  pot  up  all  that  you  mean 


'A    STROLL    THROUGH    THE    GARDEN NOVEMBER. 


487 


to  preserve,  but  where  you  have  abundance, 
let  the  main  ornamental  places  be  undisturbed, 
for  it  not  unfrequently  happens  that  no  frost 
of  importance  interferes  with  the  garden  till 
after  Christmas. 

October. — If  the  seed  sown  in  the  begin- 
ning of  September  has  germinated,  and  is 
large  enough  to  prick  out,  let  them  be  placed 
in  pots  an  inch  apart ;  if  not  large  enough,  let 
them  go  over  till  next  month,  but  the  younger 
they  are  pricked  out  the  better,  if  they  can  be 
handled  well.  Look  well  to  the  cuttings 
under  glasses  ;  whether  in  the  greenhouse  or  a 
slight  hotbed,  the  glasses  should  be  wiped, 
and  great  care  must  be  taken  that  they  do  not 
want  water,  as  a  short  time  of  drought  would 
settle  them  past  striking ;  in  other  respects 
continue  last  month's  management. 

November.— Prick  out  seedlings  to  remain 


in  the  greenhouse  through  the  winter  ;  pot  off 
cuttings  that  are  struck,  and  place  them  in  the 
frames,  pits,  or  greenhouses.  Look  well  to 
the  potted-up  plants  that  have  been  in  the 
open  ground,  and  see  that  they  have  water  ; 
pot  up  any  that  are  not  spoiled,  and  that  may 
be  wanted.  If  the  cuttings  are  wanted  put 
them  in  to  strike. 

December. — Protect  from  frost  at  night, 
give  air  if  mild  weather,  cease  watering  ex- 
cept when  necessary  ;  do  everything  that  has 
been  left  undone,  and  attend  well  to  the  grow- 
ing seedlings ;  too  much  damp  would  injure 
them  more  than  they  would  suffer  if  kept  dry; 
continue  potting  off  struck  cuttings,  and 
pricking  out  seedlings  that  are  not  already 
out,  as  they  get  large  enough,  and  keep  the 
frames  and  greenhouse  free  from  damp,  weeds, 
and  dead  leaves. 


A  STROLL  THROUGH  THE  GARDEN, 

BY   A    TUTOR  AND   HIS   PUPIL,    IN   THE   MONTH    OF   NOVEMBER. 


The  Tulip  bed  is  the  first  object  we  shall 
visit  this  time,  because  I  know  the  gardener 
plants  the  best  collection  to-day.  Observe, 
he  has  fiUed  the  bed  some  days,  and  is  now 
taking  off  enough  of  the  top  to  make  the  soil 
level  with  the  edge,  which  has  been  lowered 
by  removing  three  inches  of  the  boarding, 
made  on  purpose  to  take  off  and  put  on  again. 
With  a  wooden  frame  which  hooks  over  on 
both  sides  of  the  board,  and  with  seven  pegs 
in  the  top,  one  man  on  each  side  draws  it 
along,  and  thus  makes  seven  very  shallow 
groves  or  drills  ;  besides  which,  the  trifling 
inequalities  of  the  surface  are  completely 
regulated.  With  a  straight  piece  of  wood, 
that  is  in  length  just  less  than  the  width  of 
the  bed,  they  now  make  cross  marks  six 
inches  apart  —  which  distance  they  find 
marked  on  the  edge-board — by  pressing  the 
straight  rod  a  little  into  the  soil,  all  the  way 
down,  so  that  they  mark  the  bed  in  cross 
lines ;  every  angle  where  the  lines  cross 
being  six  inches  from  the  next.  The  boxes 
in  which  you  see  the  bulbs,  are  made  to  match 
the  marked  bed,  that  is,  there  are  seven  par- 
titions for  bulbs  across,  and  all  the  rows 
numbered.  These  numbers  correspond  with 
the  names  in  a  book,  so  that  no  labels  are 
required. 

We  will  stroll  on  a  little,  while  he  places 
these  all  in  their  ranks,  and  return  to  him. 
Those  men  planting  in  the  borders,  are  in- 
serting crocuses,  snowdrops,  lilies,  and  other 
bulbs.  The  pink  and  pansy  beds  have  plenty 
of  litter  lying  near  them  ;  if  there  be  any 
chance  of  a  frost,  the  litter  will  be  put  loosely 


on  them  six  inches  thick,  and  be  removed 
again  when  the  frost  disappears,  or  when  the 
days  are  fine.  The  flowers  are  a  good  deal 
cut  up  with  frost  now  ;  even  the  chrysanthe- 
mums have  suffered  ;  yet  see  how  some  of  the 
autumnal  roses  keep  on  blooming,  though  many 
of  the  half-opened  flowers  have  been  turned 
brown.  All  the  small  delicate  roses  from  this 
bed  have  been  potted,  and  placed  under  the 
stage  in  the  greenhouse ;  they  are  not  wanted 
to  grow  in  the  winter,  but  they  cannot  stand 
a  hard  frost.  Where  the  dahlias  were  grow- 
ing, the  ground  is  all  trenched  up,  and  will 
probably  lie  so  all  the  winter.  The  gardener 
will  have  to  prune  all  the  large  heads  of  the 
roses  to  half  their  size,  in  order  to  prevent  the 
wind  from  having  too  much  power,  but  he 
will  not  attempt  to  prune  them  close,  because 
hard  frosts  often  kill  the  ends  ;  at  present 
there  are  shoots  four  feet  long,  and  the  power 
of  the  winter  winds  would  probably  break  off 
the  head  altogether,  so  it  is  better  to  shorten 
now  and  prune  in  spring. 

The  greenhouse  is  much  as  it  was  last 
month ;  but  the  conservatory  looks  quite 
brilliant  with  the  hundred  varieties  of  chrys- 
anthemums, in  addition  to  the  carpet  of 
Russian  violets  ;  these  have  all  been  turned 
out  from  pots. 

Let  us  now  take  a  turn  to  the  tulip  bed 
again.  You  see  he  has  placed  all  the  bulbs  in 
their  proper  situations,  and  pressed  them  in 
half  their  height ;  and  now  he  fixes  on  the 
tops  of  the  boards  three  inches  in  height ;  by 
this  means  he  is  enabled  to  place  the  tulips 
exactly  three  inches  deep  all  over  the  bed,  if 


488 


SELECT  ROSES,  AND  THEIR  MANAGEMENT. 


be  chooses  to  strike  the  mould  even.  He  will 
sift  the  mould  in  to  fill  up  the  bed,  so  that  the 
tulips  will  not  be  disturbed  ;  but  instead  of 
making  the  top  quite  flat,  he  makes  it  rather 
round,  so  that  the  centre  row,  vv^hich  is 
always  the  strongest,  will  be  rather  deeper 
than  the  outside  row.  Here  he  will  let  them 
remain  for  the  present,  indeed  until  the  be- 
ginning of  the  spring.  The  next  bed  is  for 
hyacinths,  and  they  will  be  planted  in  the 
same  way. 

The  fruit  garden  is  very  desolate  ;  but  the 
men  are  winter  pruning,  as  it  is  called,  that  is, 
taking  away  all  useless  shoots,  and  making 
fast  in  the  best  positions  all  that  are  wanted 
to  bear.  If  this  were  neglected,  the  trees 
would  soon  become  mere  thickets  of  wood 
growing  out  from  the  wall,  and  would  bear 
nothing  in  perfection.  The  hotbeds  are  all 
done  with  for  ordinary  forcing,  and  are  filled 
with  .potatoes  ;  of  course  there  is  but  little 
heat  left  in  the  beds,  but  that  little  is  enough 
for  potatoes.  The  new  heap  of  dung  there, 
is  preparing  for  a  new  hotbed,  in  which  only 
cucumbers  are  to  be  raised. 

We  will  return  to  the  house,  for  there  are 
some  things  we  can  talk  about  there,  which  we 
only  glanced  at  out  in  the  garden.  For  in- 
stance, you  saw  a  man  planting  a  quantity  of 
straight  upright  sticks.  Now  these  were  com- 
mon wild  briers,  torn  out  of  the  hedges  and 
copses,  and  their  roots  dug  up  and  brought 
into  the  garden  for  the  purpose  of  grafting  or 
budding  roses  on,  as  we  saw  them  last  July. 
They  will  make  many  shoots  all  the  way  from 
'top  to  bottom  ;  as  soon  as  these  appear,  they 
are  rubbed  off  all  but  the  top  two  or  three, 
which  in  consequence  grow  very  sti-ong,  and 


at  the  base  of  these  strong  shoots,  near  the  top 
of  the  brier,  they  insert  the  buds,  as  I  explained 
to  you  in  the  summer.  The  carts  and  horses 
are  engaged  drawing  in  the  fallen  leaves  from 
the  lanes,  for  when  they  are  rotted  they  are 
excellent  for  mould,  and  before  they  rot  they 
are  used  to  supply  heat,  for  they  ferment  like 
so  much  dung,  and  do  well  to  mix  with  dung 
for  hot-beds,  or  ferment  quite  enough  of 
themselves  to  bring  forward  sea-kale,  aspara- 
gus, rhubarb,  &c.  Vegetable  mould  is  the 
most  enriching  soil  we  have,  and  to  plants 
the  most  natural.  Many  use  leaves  instead  of 
tan,  but  I  do  not  approve  of  them — they  are 
not  half  so  effective. 

I  have  now  to  give  you  a  few  hyacinths 
and  narcissus  to  grow  in  water  in  the  glasses 
on  the  shelf.  Fill  up  the  glasses  enough  to 
make  the  water  touch  the  bottom  of  the  bulb, 
and  always  keep  it  that  height.  I  recommend 
you  to  put  them  in  the  cupboard  in  the  dark, 
till  you  see  the  roots  spring  half  way  down 
the  glass,  when  you  may  bring  them  to  tlie 
strongest  light  you  can  ;  the  window  itself  all 
day,  but  at  night  they  would  be  belter  in  the 
interior, — not  that  frost  would  hurt  the  bulbs, 
but  if  the  water  were  to  freeze,  the  glass 
would  burst.  These  will  grow  nearly  as  well 
as  those  in  the  hothouse  and  greenhouse,  but 
not  quite.  It  is  very  curious  that  the  hyacinth 
is  the  most  useful  of  all  flowers  for  dwelling- 
houses,  and  that  in  the  darkest,  the  worst  of 
all  situations,  it  will  bloom,  and  often  surprise 
the  owner  with  much  better  flowers  than 
could  be  expected.  I  hardly  know  any  cir- 
cumstance under  which  the  hyacinth  will  not 
grow,  if  there  be  but  moisture  enough,  and 
this  is  the  case  with  very  few  plants. 


SELECT  ROSES,  AND  THEIR  MANAGEMENT. 


It  is  our  object,  in  this  paper,  to  offer 
various  details  connected  with  the  manage- 
ment of  the  Rose  garden,  including  descriptive 
particulars  of  the  most  conspicuous  varieties 
of  this  favourite  flower. 

SOIL   AND   SITUATION. 

First,  as  to  the  most  suitable  soil  and  situ- 
ation for  growing  roses  in  the  open  air.  If 
you  have  the  choice  of  a  situation,  select  a 
spot  where  trees  or  shrubs  in  the  vicinity 
grow  freely,  and  are  clear  of  lichens  on  the 
stems  and  branches  ;  and  one  which  is  out  of 
the  influence  of  the  late  frosts  of  spring,  and 
the  early  ones  of  autumn.  If  such  a  desirable 
spot  can  be  chosen,  there  will  be  little  difli- 
culty  in  growing  first-rate  roses,  even  by  the 
most  careless.  But,  as  such  a  natural  situa- 
tion can  very  rarely  be  secured  for  the  rose 


garden,  the  cultivator,  must,  of  necessity,  in 
the  majority  of  cases,  imitate  such  a  place  as 
nearly  as  he  can.  This  may  be  done,  or  at 
least  a  very  great  deal  may  be  done,  by  drain- 
ing, and  by  altering  the  soil. 

The  best  soil  is  a  strong  loam  on  a  dry  sub- 
soil. If  it  is  not  sufficiently  deep,  it  must  be 
made  so  by  deep  trenching  ;  three  feet  is  a 
good  depth,  but  not  too  deep.  For  such  a 
soil,  the  only  thing  wanted  is  a  little  manure, 
and  that  should  be  of  the  best  quality,  so  that 
as  little  as  possible  need  be  used  ;  for  the 
purer  the  state  in  which  the  soil  can  be  kept, 
the  better.  If  the  subsoil  is  wet,  or  of  a  cold 
retentive  nature,  draining  must  be  resorted 
to  ;  and  it  must  be  effectually  done,  for  with- 
out a  dry  bottom,  success  is  next  to  an  im- 
possibility in  soils  naturally  cold  and  adlie- 
sive.     To  such  soils,  some  light  sandy  earth, 


SELECT    ROSES,    AND    THEIR    MANAGEMENT. 


489 


or    peat    earth,    such    as    American    plants 

gx'ow  in,  is  of  the  greatest  benefit  ;  or  any 

such  materials  as  will  alter  the  texture  of  the 

soil,  will  be  beneficial.     In  light  sandy  soils, 

good  sti'ong  loam,  or  even  clay,  may  be  used 

with  advantage  ;  but  it  will  be  requisite  to 

get  it  well  pulverised  before  using,  which  may 

be  effected  by  exposing  it  on  the  surface  of 

the  ground,  either  in  summer  or  winter.     If 

it  is  laid  on  in  summer,  so  as  to  become  well 

dried  by  the  heat  of  the  sun,  the  first  rains 

that  fall  will  cause  it  to  run  like  lime,  when 

it  should  be  dug  in,  and  well  mixed  with  the 

soil.     If  it  is  laid  on  in  winter,  the  frost  will 

disintegrate    it,    after    which    take   the   first 

drying  weather  that  comes,  and  dig  it  in,  well 

mixing  it  with  the  soil.     In  all  cases,  make 

the  soil  good,  so  that  the  plants  may  grow 

luxuriantly,   and  dry,  so  that  the  wood  may 

get  well  ripened  in  the  autumny3>i  avuwijs  oia 

.riadJ  iuq  oJ  ijo 
MANUKIN^.  ^^   ^y,    ^,., 

The  dung  that  has  been  used  &  a-liotbed, 
if  not  too  much  exhausted,  is  as  good  as  any 
manure  for  a  fresh  plantation  ;  but  for  ma- 
nuring those  that  have  been  planted  several 
years,  something  stronger  is  required.  In 
large  gardens,  where  plenty  of  hot  dung  is 
in  use,  a  drain  should  be  made  from  every 
place  where  it  is  laid,  in  order  to  collect  the 
water  that  runs  from  it  ;  and  care  should  be 
taken  that  no  other  water  gets  mixed  with  it, 
to  weaken  it,  as  it  should  be  used  of  the  fine 
dark  colour  of  treacle.  Where  water  of  this 
description  can  be  procured,  it  may  be  used 
at  any  time,  by  pouring  it  over  the  surface  of 
the  ground,  as  wide  as  the  roots  are  likely  to 
extend ;  and  it  should  be  used  while  quite 
fresh.  If  this  liquid  cannot  be  had  in  sufii- 
cient  quantity,  any  other  strong  liquid  manure 
may  be  used  in  the  same  way.  Night-soil, 
diluted  with  water,  makes  an  excellent  stimu- 
lant. Perhaps,  the  very  best  manure  is 
pigeons'  dung  ;  but  as  this  can  only  be  had 
in  limited  quantities,  it  must  be  used  very 
sparingly  ;  break  it  small,  and  sow  it  on  the 
surface  of  the  ground,  lightly  stirring  it  in 
with  a  spud,  and  leave  the  rain  to  wash  it 
into  the  soil.  All  roses  ought  to  have  some 
manure  once  every  year ;  the  quantity 
must  depend  on  the  nature  of  their  growth, 
whether  strong  or  weak. 


srft  Xu 


PLANTING. 


When  the  ground  for  new  plantations  has 
been  well  prepared,  the  planting  may  be 
proceeded  with,  if  the  ground  is  dry  enough 
to  work  well.  Do  not  place  the  plants 
deeper  than  they  have  been  planted  in  the 
nursery,  as  deep  planting  has  a  tendency 
to  make  them  throw  up  suckers.  November 
is  the  best  month  in  the  whole  year  to  trans- 


plant the  hardy  kinds  of  roses  ;  nevertheless 
they  may  be  safely  planted  from  that  time  till 
the  middle  of  March.  When  roses  that  have 
died  are  to  be  replaced,  take  all  the  old  soil 
and  put  in  fresh,  as  roses,  like  many  other 
things,  do  best  in  entirely  fresh  soil.  After 
planting,  every  standard,  and  such  of  the 
dwarfs  as  are  strong  enough  to  be  blown 
about,  should  be  fastened  to  a  stake,  to  keep 
it  firm.  Iron  stakes,  although  by  far  the 
most  neat  in  appearance,  are  objectionable,  as 
they  do  not  hold  in  the  ground  well.  The 
second  year  after  planting,  they  should  be 
sufficiently  established  to  do  without  stakes  ; 
if  they  are,  remove  the  stakes,  and  let  them 
do  without :  they  will  look  neater.  Some  of 
the  very  long  shoots  may  have  about  one-third 
of  their  length  taken  off,  at  planting-time, 
which  will  lessen  the  chances  of  their  being 
blown  about.  Planting,  tying,  &c.  being 
completed,  stir  the  surface  of  the  ground  with 
a  spud,  and  leave  it  till  spring. 

PRUNING. 

From  the  beginning  to  the  middle  of  March 
(as  the  season  may  be  early  or  liate),  is  the 
best  time  to  prune  the  hardy  kinds  of  roses  : 
from  the  beginning  to  the  middle  of  April 
will  be  soon  enough  for  tender  kinds — such 
as  Noisettes,  Isle  de  Bourbons,  Teas,  and 
Chinas.  When  the  pruning  is  going  on,  any 
moss  or  lichen  should  be  cleared  from  the 
stem  or  head  ;  and  when  it  is  finished,  and 
the  rubbish  removed,  the  ground  should  be 
dug,  the  surface  being  laid  up  rough,  for  the 
sun  and  wind  to  pulverise  it ;  the  longer  it 
remains  in  this  rough  state  the  better,  even  if 
it  be  till  the  flowering  season  is  at  hand,  as 
the  going  over  the  plants  to  pick  off  the  mul- 
titudes of  insects  that  infest  them,  taking  off 
the  suckers,  hoeing,  and  other  necessary  ope- 
rations, are  sure  to  work  the  surface  fine 
enough.  Special  directions  for  pruning  will 
be  given  hereafter. 

INSECTS. 

These  pests  must  be  constantly  picked  off. 
The  buds  must  be  watched  as  soon  as  they 
begin  to  burst  in  the  spring,  to  see  if 
they  are  eaten  by  a  species  of  beetle,  which 
is  the  first  that  will  attack  them,  particularly 
during  cold  north-easterly  winds,  with  a 
bright  sun  ;  it  will  often  eat  the  bark  as  well 
as  the  buds.  This  beetle  may  be  found  in  the 
ground,  near  the  stem  of  the  tree,  where  the 
soil  is  lying  in  rough  lumps.  A  good  trap 
for  it  may  be  made  by  hollowing  out  a  place 
in  the  ground,  round  the  stems  of  the  trees 
that  are  attacked,  laying  some  small  dry 
lumps  of  mould,  stones,  and  such  things,  level 
with  the  surface,  and  on  the  top  a  good-sized 
piece  of  tile,  or  broken  pot,  to  keep  the  whole 


490 


SELECT    ROSES,    AND    THEIR    MANAGEMENT. 


dry  ;  on  looking  amongst  the  dry  lumps  under 
the  tile,  you  will  be  sure  to  find  them  ;  but  it 
is  necessary  to  look  very  close,  as  they  are  so 
nearly  of  the  colour  of  the  ground,  and  have 
their  heads  so  bent  down,  and  their  legs 
doubled  close  under  their  bodies,  that  they 
are  easily  overlooked. 

The  next  is  a  grub  which  makes  its  ap- 
pearance about  the  end  of  April.  This  rolls 
itself  in  the  young  leaves,  and  the  heads  of 
the  shoots,  and  is  very  destructive  to  the 
fiower,  as  it  eats  its  way  down  the  stem.  If 
closely  watched,  this  may  be  detected,  before 
it  has  had  time  to  do  much  harm,  by  a  small 
web  about  the  buds  where  it  is.  The  grub 
may  be  taken  out  of  the  buds  with  the  point 
of  a  needle.  About  the  middle  of  May,  a 
long-tailed  dark  fly  may  be  seen  busy  amongst 
the  roses  ;  and  as  it  does  not  fly  swift  nor 
far  at  a  time,  it  may  be  easily  taken.  No 
opportunity  should  be  lost  of  destroying  this 
fly,  as  its  grub  is  very  injurious  to  roses. 

A  green  caterpillar  will  make  its  appear- 
ance about  the  middle  of  June.  This,  per- 
haps, is  more  destructive  than  any  other 
insect :  it  can  be  found  in  the  evening  and 
morning,  feeding  on  the  .upper  surface  of  the 
leaves,  and  if  not  destroyed  will  eat  the  cuticle 
of  every  leaf  ;  and  the  death  of  the  tree  must 
follow.  They  must  be  hand-picked;  and  if 
this  is  constantly  followed  up,  the  trouble  will 
not  be  great,  as  the  numbers  will  be  kept  low. 

The  green-fly,  or  aphis,  will  in  some  seasons 
be  very  injurious,  if  not  destroyed.  This 
may  be  done  by  fumigating,  or  by  the  am-r 
moniacal  water  from  the  gas-works,  diluted 
with  ten  or  twelve  times  its  bulk  of  pure 
rain-water,  and  used  in  the  evening  over  the 
leaves  ;  two  or  three  applications  will  destroy 
the  fly,  and  stimulate  the  plants. 
,  It  will  always  be  found  the  least  labour  to 
make  it  a  point  to  destroy  all  insects  as  soon 
as  they  make  their  appearance.  When  the 
numbers  are  suffered  to  become  very  great, 
of  course  the  growth  of  the  plant  is  checked, 
and  more  or  less  injured  for  the  season,  and 
perhaps  for  ever  ;  besides,  it  is  unpleasant  to 
look  at  unhealthy  trees.    ,j  ^o  owl  baa  ,c?wo 

MANAGEMENT   OF    STOCKS. 

The  selection,  planting,  and  future  manage- 
ment of  stocks,  for  the  following  year's  work- 
ing, must  have  good  attention.  About  the 
middle  of  October  is  soon  enough  to  begin  to 
collect  the  stocks.  Take  care  that  they  are 
quite  straight,  of  clean  growth,  and  not 
bruised.  Sort  them  according  to  their  lengths 
and  stoutness,  as  it  is  much  better  to  wopk 
the  very  strong-growing  kinds  on  the  strong- 
est stocks,  whatever  may  be  the  height  they 
are  required.  For  planting,  prepare  a  piece 
of  ground  as  already  recommended  for  new 


plantations  ;  and  as  they  are  brought  in,  trim 
and  plant  them  at  once.  For  trimming,  have 
a  very  sharp  hand-bill,  a  sharp  saw,  and  a 
good  solid  block  to  lay  them  on  ;  cut  ofi^,  with 
a  clean  cut,  all  the  large  nobs,  very  close  to 
the  stem,  so  that  when  they  are  done,  they 
may  be  little  more  than  walking-sticks.  The 
object  of  cutting  so  close  is  to  induce  roots 
from  the  main  stem,  Avhich  are  seldom  thi-own 
out  unless  these  coarse  parts  are  cut  very  close. 
Plant  them  immediately  they  are  ready  ;  and 
if  the  ground  is  very  dry,  as  it  will  be  some- 
times, give  them  a  good  watering  as  they  are 
planted,  and  before  they  are  trod  in.  They 
will  often  throw  out  roots  before  the  winter 
sets  in,  and  very  few  of  the  stocks  will  die. 
When  all  are  planted,  which  under  any  cir- 
cumstances should  not  be  later  than  the  end  of 
November,  go  over  with  a  sharp  saw,  and  cut 
the  tops  off",  to  within  about  four  or  six  inches 
of  the  height  the  future  ti'ee  is  required  ;  and 
after  they  are  all  cut,  lightly  stir  the  surface 
of  the  ground,  and  leave  them  till  they  com- 
rnence  growing  in  spring.  When  the  shoots 
have  grown  about  two  or  three  inches  long, 
they  must  be  looked  over,  and  all  but  three 
taken  off",  Avhich  three  should  be  left  if  pos- 
sible anglewise  with  each  other,  so  as  to  form 
the  basis  of  an  equally  balanced  head.  Of 
course  the  shoots  that  are  left  should  be  such 
as  appear  likely  to  make  the  strongest, 
smoothest,  and  most  healthy  wood;  and  should 
other  shoots  be  afterwards  produced,  they 
must  be  taken  off".  The  stocks  will  require  no 
other  attention  until  they  are  budded. 


KOSES   FOR   EXHIBITION. 


,-:!?^i' 


As  to  the  selection  of  roses  for  exhibitroh, 
and  the  prizes  which  should  be  offered  by 
Societies  for  cut  flowers.ef  -rose^  ourjepjoion 
is  as  follows  :—        lyllJtrcssd  ban  .osla  sTS'i-ci 

Moss  Roses  should  be  shown  by  themselves, 
in  six  and  twelve  varieties,  and  excluded 
from  other  classes.  China,  Tea-scented,  Isle 
de  Bourbon,  Noisette,  Microphylla,  and  Ma- 
cartney Roses,  should  be  shown  together,  in 
twelve  and  twenty-four  varieties.  Provence, 
Gallica,  Damask,  Alba,  Hybrid  China,  Hybrid 
Provence,  Damask  Perpetual,  Hybrid  Perpe- 
tual, and  Hybrid  Brier,  should  be  shown 
together,  in  twenty-four,  forty-eight,  and  one 
hundred  varieties.  The  roses  in  these  three 
divisions  should  be  shown  on  single  footstems. 
Austrian  Briers  and  Rosa  sulphurea,  or  Yel- 
low Cabbage,  should  be  shown  in  six  varieties, 
in  bunches  of  not  more  than  three  stems  in  a 
bunch. 

In  selecting  roses  to  grow  for  exhibition, 
first  determine  the  sections  you  intend  to  com- 
pete in;  then  choose  some  of  the  finest  of  each 
class,  taking  cai*e  to  select  a  good  proportion 
of  such  as  have  bright  glowing  colours  ;  for 


SELECT    ROSES,    AND    THEIR    MANAGEMENT, 


491 


such  flowers  as  the  (Hybrid  China)  Cheiiedole 
and  La  Meteore,  make  a  more  rich  display 
than  more  perfect  flowers  of  the  same  colours 
could  do.  A  very  double  flower  cannot  show 
to  advantage  that  peculiar  wai-mth  of  colour, 
on  account  of  the  number  of  petals.  Select 
also  as  great  a  variety  of  colour  as  possible. 

In  the  early  part  of  the  summer,  as  soon  as 
the  bunch  of  buds  has  become  fully  developed, 
cut  out  some,  about  three  or  four,  of  the 
forwardest  buds.  By  so  doing,  a  greater  num- 
ber of  flowers  will  be  had  open  at  the  same 
time.  Do  not  cut  away  the  latest  buds,  as 
it  improves  the  appearance  of  the  bunches  of 
expanded  flowers,  to  exhibit  them  accompa- 
nied by  unexpanded  buds.^  Y,-^"^  Dnfi.  ji' 
;i-ila  SIB  ik 

hiTj  -Uit  ,  SELECT    R0SES.:.,t{3  ggon,^. 

In-  the  selection  which  follows  we  have  been 
guided  by  the  old  classification  adopted  in  the 
principal  rose  catalogues  ;  the  selection  can 
of  course  be  made  to  accord  with  any  im- 
proved and  more  simple  arrangement  that 
may  be  hereafter  suggested.  Our  object  will 
be  to  select  the  finest-shaped  and  most  con- 
spicuous varieties  of  each  class  ;  and  to  give 
such  hints  respecting  their  peculiarities  as  we 
may  think  likely  to  be  useful.  It  is  customary 
to  divide  roses  into  summer-flowering,  and 
autumnal  flowering  :  we  shall  take  the  former 
first.  tJa  9iij  aAsiai  oJ  (leau  iwdqi^js  ^ 
-  on  A  .ho^rmMi^^'Bmm.h>^i^^^^^^ioQtv. 

1.  Common  Cabbage,  rose.  ^    tiooiij-    xiiii,; 

2.  Cristata,  rose,  buds  beautrlaJl|f  Mrfgei. 
*    3.  Unique,  or  White,  white.  «wi«a  ft-  i- 

4.  Unique    Panach6,    white,    with    pink 
stripes. 

5.  Wellingfoh,  de^p  fOse. 

6.  Wilber force,  vivid  cherry  pink. 
Numbers  1  to  5  are  very  double  flowers,  of 

large  size,  and  beautifully  scented  ;  2  and  4 
ought  to  be  in  every  collection  ;  6  is  a  very 
Jarge  flower,  with  large  firm  petals,  and  is 
very  conspicuous  on  the  plant :  before  coming 
into  flower,  it  ought  to  have  some  support, 
as  the  weight  of  the  flowers  bends  the  shoots 
down  too  much  ;  1  to  o  make  neat  standards 
or  dwarfs  ;  6  is  a  more  robust  grower  ;  2,  4, 
and  5  are  fine  show  roses,  and  6  makes  a 
distinct  one  to  show  in  50  or  100  varieties. 


brio:ht    CriihSon 


dioss  -Hosesggijgnfiv  be>ibah 

1.  Blush,  delicate  blush;'    '•'- •■iseaoieivi 

2.  Common,  deep  rose  colour 

3.  Comtesse    de    Noe, 
purple. 

4.  Celina,  brilliant  crimson. 

5.  Lancel,  deep  reddish  rose. 

6.  Princesse  Royale,  salmon  pink. 

'  7.  White  Bath,  white,  occasionally  striped 
with  pink. 

8.  Unique  de  Provence,  pure  white. 


9.  Laneii,  rosy  carmine. 

10.  De  Meaux,  blush. 

11.  Oscar  Foulard,  purplish  crimson. 

12.  Etna,  light  rosy  crimson, 

13.  Scarlet,  bright  carmine. 

14.  Mossue  partout,  rose,  the  leaves  are 
covered  with  a  rusty  moss. 

15.  De  Metz,  bright  rose. 

16.  Eclatante,  brilliant  rose. 

17.  Luxembourg,     crimson,    tinged    with 
purple. 

18.  Mossue  presque  partout,  rose. 
Numbers  1,  2,  5,  6,  7,  and  9,  are  fine  double 

roses,  of  large  size  ;  3  and  4  are  very  fine 
dark  varieties,  but  rather  small,  and  semi- 
double.  8  is  sometimes  deformed,  like  the 
Provence  Unique,  but  is  abundantly  mossed. 
The  bloom  of  No.  9  hangs  on  the  plant  but  a 
very  short  time.  10  is  very  small,  and 
short-lived.  No.  11  is  a  slender-growing  dark 
variety,  more  double  than  4,  but  not  so 
bright.  12  is  very  free-growing  ;  not  very 
double,  but  very  beautiful.  With  the  excep- 
tion of  10  and  11,  they  all  make  neat  stand- 
ards, and  all  are  well  adapted  for  dwarfs, 
either  for  beds  or  mixed  borders.  13  is  very 
striking,  till  about  half  blown;  and  14  is 
worth  growing,  as  a  curiosity. 

The  Provence  and  Moss  roses  require  close 
pruning,  leaving  from  two  to  four  eyes  from 
the  previous  year's  cutting.  Cut  out  all 
weak  shoots,  bearing  in  mind  that  it  is  requi- 
site to  get  strong  shoots  as  well  as  flowers.  For 
six  first-rate  show  varieties  of  Moss,  take  Nos. 
1,  3,  5,  6,  7,  and  9  ;  for  twelve,  Nos.  2,  4,  8, 
10,  12,  and  13.  Moss  Princess  Adelaide  is 
a  rose  worth  growing  in  a  large  garden,  on 
account  of  its  robust  half-climbing  habit  ;  it 
should  be  grown  to  a  six-feet  pole,  and  only 
the  tips  of  the  shoots  taken  off  at  the  winter 
pruning.  Nos.  15  to  18  may  be  grown  in  a 
collection,  where  more  varieties  of  moss  are 
wanted  ;  and  they  would  occasionally  come 
in  to  show.  Moss  roses  should  always  be 
shown  by  themselves,  and  in  a  great  many 
places  they  are  so.  Where  that  is  the  case, 
at  least  double  the  number  of  sorts  ought  to  be 
grown,  and  two  or  more  plants  af  some  of  the 
finest  sorts  should  be  planted,  so  as  to  afford 
plenty  to  pick  from.  All  Moss  roses  are 
finely  scented. 

Hybrid  Provenc^  Moses. 

1.  Aspasie,  silvery  blUsfiv^''^''' 
"^  2.   Blanche   Fleur,    creaihy    white,    with 
beautiful  shade  of  pale  blush. 

3.  Comtesse  Plater,   cream,   tinged  with 
fawn  in  the  centre. 

4.  Glope  White  Hip,  creamy  white. 

5.  Gloire  de  France,  deep  rose,  very  large. 
.    6.  La  Volupte,  deep  rosy  red. 

7.  Laura,  rosy  blush. 


492 


SELECT  ROSES,    AND   THEIR   MANAGEMENT. 


8.  La  Ville  de  Londres,  pale  bright  rose. 

9.  Pompone  de   Laqueue,    blush,   shaded 
pale  rose. 

10.  Princess  Clementine,  pure  white. 

11.  Pauline  Garcia,  delicate  straw-colour. 

12.  Eose  Devigne,  pale  pinkish  flesh. 

Nos.  1,  2,  6,  9,  and  10,  are  very  fine  shaped, 
very  double,  and  first-rate  show  roses.  For 
delicacy  of  colour,  and  constancy  of  flowering, 
2  is  hardly  equalled  by  any  other  rose  ;  5  and 
8  have  very  large  flowers ;  10  is  an  early  rose 
with  large  flowers ;  9  has  small  neat  flowers  ; 
12  is  a  very  robust  grower,  and  wants  but 
little  pruning  ;  5  requires  support  while  in 
bloom,  as  the  shoots  are  not  strong  enough 
to  bear  the  weight  of  the  flowers  ;  8  and 
10  are  strong  growing  kinds,  and  with  5  and 
12  make  large  heads.  All  the  rest  make  very 
nice  heads  of  neat  growth,  suitable  for  standards 
or  dwarfs.  The  flowers  are  generally  erect 
and  nicely  scented. 

Gallic,  or  French  Roses. 

1.  Adele  Prevost,  silvery  blush. 

2.  Boula   de   Nanteuil,    velvety    crimson 
purple. 

3.  Bizarre  Marbree,  rose  marbled  blush. 
■/.  4,  D'Agviesseau,  crimson. 

5.  Duchess  d'Abrantes,  pale  rose. 
H  6.  Nelly,  blush  tinged  with  fawn. 

7.  Pharericus,  deep  reddish  rose. 

8.  Sanchette,  deep  pink. 

9.  Scipio,  rosy  crimson, 

10.  Shakspeare,  bright  deep  reddish  crim- 
son. 

11.  Triomphe  de  Jaussens,  brilliant  deep 
velvety  crimson. 

12.  Telemaque,  brilliant  crimson. 

13.  William  the  Fourth,  bright  rose. 

14.  Nero,  \iolet  purple,  spotted  slate. 

15.  Le  Prince,  purple,  spotted  crimson. 

16.  Renoncule  Ponctue,  crimson  red,  spot- 
ted white. 

17.  CEillet  Parfait,  whitish,  with  bright- 
red  and  rose  stripes. 

18.  Perles  des  Panachees,  white,  striped 
bright  red. 

19.  Tricolore  d'Orleans,  bright  reddish 
purple,  striped  with  white. 

20.  Assemblage  des  Beautes,  brilliant  vel- 
vety scarlet  crimson. 

21.  Eclatante,  brilliant  scarlet. 

22.  La  Moskowa,  very  dark  velvety  crim- 
son. 

23.  Feu  Brillante,  crimson  scarlet. 

24.  Leon  the  Tenth,  pale  rose. 

Nos.  1  to  13  are  very  double  flowers,  Qf 
most  perfect  shape  and  good  size,  without 
being  too  large.  They  are  all  fit  to  exhibit 
in  ever  so  small  a  collection.  For  six  of  the 
best  take  Nos.  3,  5,   6,   7,   8  and  10.     14, 


15,  and  16,  very  distinctly  spotted  roses,  are 
worth  growing  as  curiosities  ;  1 6  has  very 
small  flowers,  hardly  so  large  as  a  Ranunculus  ; 
17  and  18  are  good  distinct  striped  roses  ;  19 
is  very  singular  and  distinct ;  20  and  22  are 
of  the  old  Tuscany  habit  and  shape  ;  20  is 
some  seasons  very  vivid  ;  22  is  very  rich,  and 
when  particularly  fine  is  almost  black  ;  21  is  a 
very  brilliant-coloured  flower,  and  double  ; 
23  is  large,  firm-petalled,  like  the  petals  of  a 
fine  Camellia,  the  flower  is  very  large  and 
vivid,  but  only  half  double,  on  the  tree  it  is 
very  conspicuous  ;  24  is  one  of  the  largest  of 
roses,  very  double,  and  occasionally  of  a  good 
shape.  Except  No.  24,  which  is  a  stiff  grower, 
and  not  much  branched,  all  the  rest  are 
adapted  for  standards  or  dwarfs. 

Damask  Roses. 

1.  Coralie,  white,  rosy  centre. 

2.  Deese  Flore,  white,  blush  centre. 

3.  Chateaubriand,  cherry  red. 

4.  La  Fiancee,  creamy  white,  flesh-coloured 
centre. 

5.  La  Ville  de  Bruxelles,  bright  rose. 

6.  Madame  Hardy,  pure  white. 

7.  Pompone  Toussaint,  deep  lilac  rose. 

8.  Semiramis,  rose,  fawn-coloured  centre. 

Nos.  3,  5,  and  6,  are  very  double,  first-rate 
show  roses  ;  1,  4,  and  8,  are  rather  slender 
growing  ones,  and  require  support  while  in 
flower  ;  2  has  small  flowers,  and  is  a  most 
lovely  little  gem  ;  5  is  a  very  robust  grower, 
with  fine  shining  leaves  ;  7  is  a  small  flower 
of  perfect  shape  ;  8  is  one  of  the  most  taking 
colours  among  roses.  2  and  7  are  only  fit  for 
dwarfs  or  low  standards.  Except  5,  these 
make  handsome  standards  or  dwarfs  ;  all  are 
finely  scented. 

Rosa  Alba. 

1.  Felicite  Parmentier,  French  white,  rosy- 
pink  centre. 

2.  La  Seduisante,  rosy  blush. 

3.  Madame  Campan,  deep  rose,  very  dis- 
tinctly spotted  with  white. 

4.  Madame  Audot,  pale  flesh. 

5.  Princesse  de  Lamballe,  pure  white. 

6.  Queen  of  Denmark,  blush. 

The  above  class  partakes  of  the  characters 
of  the  old  maiden's  blush,  both  in  the  colour  of 
the  wood,  leaves,  and  scent.  Nos.  1,  2,  and 
6  are  first-rate  show  roses  ;  3  is  a  good  spotted 
rose  ;  4  is  a  very  robust  habit ;  5  has  small 
flowers,  in  fine  clusters,  and  early.  All  but 
No.  4  make  handsome  standards,  or  dwarfs. 

The  Hybrid  Provence,  Gallica,  Damask, 
and  Rosa  alba,  require  the  same  mode  of 
pruning.  From  four  to  six  eyes  should  be 
left  on  the  young  wood. 


SELECT    ROSES,   AND   THEIR    MANAGEMENT. 


493 


Hyhrid  China  Moses. 

Those  marked  thus  *,  in  tin's  and  the  fol- 
lowing classes,  are  scented  ;  those  without 
the  star  are  either  almost,  or  quite  without 
scent. 

1.  Beauty  of  Billiard,  vivid  scarlet. 

2.  Brennus,  bright  crimson  red,  large. 

3.  Charles  Duval,  rosy  pink. 

4.  Chenedole,   vivid  Hght  crimson,   very 
large. 

5.  Comptesse  de  Lacepede,  silvery  blush. 

6.  Coupe  d'Hebe,*  delicate  bright  rose. 

7.  Coupe    d' Amour,    deep    pinkish   rose, 
small,  early. 

8.  Gloire    de    Couline,     bright    carmine, 
shaded  crimson. 

9.  Lady  Stuart,*  silvery  blush. 

10.  Louis  Foucc^uier,  bright  deep  pink, 
large. 

11.  Lord  Mahon,*  bright  rosy  crimson. 

12.  Rouge  Admirable,  red  shaded  purple. 

13.  Aurora,  crimson  purple,  striped  white. 

14.  Blarii,*  changeable  rose. 

15.  Camuzet  Carnee,  rich  pale  rose. 

16.  Decandolle,*  brilliant  crimson  scarlet. 

17.  Duke  of  Devonshire,  lilac  rose,  whitish 
stripes. 

18.  Elizabeth  Plantier,  crimson  shaded 
purple. 

19.  Henri  Barbet,  brilliant  deep  pink. 

20.  La  Meteore,  dazzling  ruby  red. 

21.  Magna  Rosea,*  fine  blush,  large. 

22.  Triomphe  d'Angers,  brilliant  crimson, 
sometimes  striped  with  white. 

23.  A  Odeur  de  Pate  d'Amande,  cherry 
red. 

24.  Stadtholder  Sinensis,*  pale  rose. 

25.  Charles  Louis,  pale  rosy  lilac,  small, 
early. 

26.  Daphne,  reddish  salmon,  small. 

27.  Dombrowski,  bright  reddish  scarlet, 
small. 

28.  Fulgens,  deep  rich  crimson  scarlet. 

29.  Madame  Plantier,  pure  white,  small. 

30.  Great  Western,  deep  crimson  red,  very 
large. 

31.  Lord  Nelson,  deep  velvety  shaded 
purple  crimson. 

32.  Marshal  Soult,  brilliant  deep  salmon 
pink. 

33.  Ne  plus  Ultra,  bright  fiery  red. 

34.  Riego,*  rich  rosy  red. 

The  Hybrid  Chinas  are  certainly  the  most 
magnificent  ,of  roses  we  have.  There  are 
several  others  of  this  class  well  worthy  of 
being  grown.  Nos.  1  to  12,  except  4,  are 
vei-y  double,  of  first-rate  shape,  and  with  4 
they  are  very  fine  roses  for  exhibition,  in- 
deed 4  and  6  ought  to  be  in  the  smallest  col- 
lection ;  13  to  22  are  remarkably  fine  large 
firm  petals,  the  flowers  not  so  double  but  that 


the  central  stamens  are  seen,  all  are  very  showy 
on  the  plant ;  23  is  very  showy,  but  the  floAvers 
are  thin;  it  is  worth  growing  on  account  of  the 
singular  scent  of  the  opening  flowers  ;  24  has 
good  double  flowers  which  have  a  rich  fruit- 
like scent  ;  25,  26,  and  27  have  small  flowers, 
but  are  very  handsome,  25  looks  more  like 
a  Ranunculus  when  in  flower  ;  28  is  a  bright 
coloured  flower  ;  29  blooms  in  large  clusters  ; 
30  is  a  large  coarse-looking  rose,  but  is  very 
much  admired  ;  31  is  a  rich  dark  rose,  but  is 
rather  sparing  of  bloom  ;  32  is  a  neat  distinct 
coloured  flower  ;  33  is  showy  on  the  plant, 
being  a  very  free  flowering  one  ;  and  34 
has  large,  globular  flowers,  which  are  rather 
pendulous,  and  very  highly  scented.  Nos.  9, 
11,  15,  18,  23,  25,  26,  27  and  33,  are  neat 
growing  varieties  ;  all  the  rest  are  of  robust- 
growing  habit,  and  capable  of  forming  heads 
of  tlie  largest  size.  Twelve  very  superior 
varieties  of  this  class  are  Nos.  1,  4,  6,  7,  9, 
10,  14,  19,  20,  21,  25  and  34.  The  robust 
growing  ones  of  this  class,  grown  on  short 
stocks  and  tied  to  four  or  five  stakes  in  the 
manner  of  Dahlias,  make  splendid  objects. 
In  pruning  the  strong  kinds,  thin  out  the 
weak  shoots,  and  cut  about  a  third  off"  the 
strong  ones.  On  standards  the  very  strong 
shoots  should  have  the  tops  cut  off  early  in 
summer,  which  will  keep  them  in  due  bounds. 
The  moderate  growing  ones  may  have  their 
shoots  left  from  four  to  six  eyes  in  length. 
In  all  cases  cut  out  the  weak  shoots. 

Hyhrid  Briers. 

1 .  Double- margined  Hip,  white  shaded  with 
light  and  deep  pink. 

2.  Scarlet,  bright  deep  red,  small. 

No.  1,  in  dull  i-ather  moist  w^eather,  is  most 
beautiful,  but  soon  fades  in  hot  dry  weather  ; 
when  in  its  prime  it  is  a  beautiful  show  rose  ; 
2  is  a  pretty  little  variety.  Prune  the  same 
as  French  Roses. 

Sweet  Briers. 

1 .  Carmine,  brilliant  carmine. 

2.  Rose  Angle,  bright  pink. 

3.  Superb,  bright  rose. 

4.  Splendid,  light  crimson. 

The  flowers  of  these  have  the  scent  of  the 
common  sweet  brier,  and  on  that  account  are 
worthy  of  being  grown.  They  require  but 
little  cutting  at  the  winter  pruning  ;  not  more 
than  one-third  should  be  taken  ofl^,  but  if  they 
require  to  be  made  smaller,  cut  them  in  as 
soon  as  the  bloom  is  over. 

Austrian  Briers. 

1.  Single  Copper. 

2.  Single  Yellow. 

3.  Harrisonia,  sulphur-yellow\ 

4.  Persian  Yellow,  deep  golden  j-ellow. 


494 


SELECT   ROSES,    AND    THEIR  MANAGEMENT. 


No.  3  is  nearly  double,  and  is  very  graceful 
on  the  plant ;  4  is  quite  double.  Nos.  1,  2, 
and  4  should  be  grown  in  bushes,  as  from  their 
erect  habit  of  growth  they  soon  become  un- 
sightly as  standards  ;  3,  from  its  half-weeping 
habit,  makes  a  first-rate  standard.  At  the 
winter  pruning,  all  the  Austrian  Briers  should 
have  only  the  extreme  tips  taken  off,  and  the 
very  weakest  shoots  thinned  out  ;  immediately 
they  have  done  flowering  they  should  be  cut 
back  to  where  they  are  likely  to  make  vigorous 
shoots. 

Rosa  Sulphurea. 

Yellow  cabbage,  sulphur-yellow,  with  deep 
yellow  centre.  Those  who  wish  to  grow  this 
fickle  beauty  should  plant  it  against  a  wall,  in 
as  many  different  aspects  as  possible  ;  it  is 
most  likely  some  will  then  flower  every  year. 
Plants  trained  on  both  sides  of  a  wall,  will 
sometimes  open  the  flowers  on  one  side  and 
not  on  the  other,  and  perhaps  but  once  in 
many  years  open  them  alike  on  both  sides  in 
the  same  season.  At  the  winter  pruning  cut 
it  the  same  as  recommended  for  the  Austrian 
briers. 

CLIMBING,  ROSES. 

Where  the  climbing  roses  are  grown  as 
pyramids  young  larch  or  fir  trees,  about  ten 
feet  high,  should  be  taken  up  vrith  roots,  the 
side  shoots  trimmed  to  within  about  two 
inches  of  the  stem,  leaving  the  leader  unin- 
jured, and  they  should  be  planted  where  the 
roses  are  wanted.  After  they  have  been 
planted  a  few  days  the  roses  may  be  planted 
against  the  larches.  At  the  winter  pruning 
the  young  shoots  of  the  larch  may  be  cut 
nearly  to  where  they  were  cut  the  previous 
season.  The  advantage  of  having  a  living 
larch  is,  that  it  makes  a  very  neat  pole  ;  it 
does  not  rot,  and  consequently  does  not  break, 
and  the  top  is  covered  with  green  leaves  in- 
stead of  being  bare.  The  roots  are  not  found 
to  be  injurious  to  the  roses.  When  the  larches 
have  grown  as  high  as  they  are  wanted  the 
tops  should  be  cut  off.  The  Ayrshire,  Sem- 
pervirens,  Boursault,  and  Hybrid  Climbers, 
make  very  fine  pyramids,  and  are  very  hardy. 
In  some  very  favoured  places  many  of  the 
fine  free-growing  Noisettes  and  Isle  de  Bour- 
bon roses  may  be  planted  against  pillars,  and 
where  such  is  the  case  nothing  can  exceed 
their  beauty  ;  still  some  of  the  others  ought 
to  be  grown,  as  they  make  a  most  magnificent 
show  in  the  months  of  June  and  July,  and 
may  be  grown  to  a  much  larger  size  than  the 
Noisettes  and  Bourbons.         >  Miuiuj 

id  ,i&n-'i(  ♦ 

Ayrshire  Moses. 

1.  Alice  Grey,  creamy  white. 

2.  Dundee  Ramble,  white,  edged  with  pink. 


3.  Myrrh  Scented,  creamy  blush. 

4.  Queen  of  the  Belgians,  white,  creamy 
centre. 

5.  Ruga,  pale  flesh. 

6.  Semi-double,  white  shaded  pink. 

No.  2  is  very  double  ;  1  comes  into  leaf 
very  early  in  spring,  and  makes  an  interesting 
plant  for  a  rock-garden  on  that  account ;  3  has 
a  distinct  scent  of  myrrh  ;  5  has  a  scent  some- 
thing like  the  Tea-scented  Odorata.  All  are 
very  rapid  growers,  and  abundant  bloomers. 
The  Ayrshire  make  the  best  roses  to  plant 
on  shady  banks  or  under  trees,  as  they  stand 
the  drip  of  large  trees  better  than  any  other 
roses. 

Sem.pervirens. 

1.  Adelaide  d' Orleans,  pinkish  rose. 

2.  Banksigeflora,  white,  yellowish  centre. 

3.  Brunonii,  vivid  bright  pink.  _ 

4.  Felicite  JPerpetue,  creamy  wlntl,^^;bac^k 
of  the  petals  pink.  _    -.  l)9-mi.fti  a-i 

5.  Ranunculacea,  pale  blustf'^s^  ad  ioiin... 

6.  Princesse  Marie,  pinkiifl  9ktf  ®^^*  ^i 

7.  Rampant,  pure  white.  ^'T''^,!"^!^^^®.! 
No.  3    is   only   semi-double,    but  is    very 

showy  ;  the  whole  of  this  class  are  remarkable 
for  their  bright  shining  green  leaves,  which 
they  retain  on  the  plants  till  winter^, and  for 
their  large  clusters  of  flowery." f'"'^f!r  ';. 

Boursault  Roses. 

1.  Amadis,  bright  purplish  crimson. 

2.  Elegans,  bright  purple,  striped  white. 

3.  Iriermis,  vivid  rich  rose. 

No."  1  is  a  splendid  pyramid 'rose  V^.  is  ^ 
most  abundant  bloomer  ;  3  is  very  fine;'  Ts^t 
not  a  fast  grower.  "f^  ^^^,  ^^^'^* 


Hybrid  Climbing  Roses. 

1.  Iridica  Major,  pale  blush. 

2.  Madame    d'Arblay,    or   Wells'    Wlfite, 
white. 

3.  The  Garland,  changeable  creamy  white. 
Nos.  1  and  2  are  very  strong  growers,  and 

bloom  in  fine  clusters ;  3  is  a  moderate 
grower,  and  is  one  mass  of  very  small  flowers. 
The  above  classes  of  climbing  roses  require 
but  little  winter  pruning  ;  merely  the  old 
weak  wood  should  be  taken  out,  the  previous 
year's  shoots  should  be  left  the  full  length,  or 
should  only  have  the  extreme  tips  taken  off. 
In  summer  the  climbers  are  inclined  to  make 
very  strong  shoots  from  the  bottom  near  the 
ground  ;  these  should  be  taken  ofi^  as  sopn  as 
they  make  their  appeai'ance.  ' 

Banksian  Rosesi---  •■"•  "'*• 

1.  Jaune  Serin,  bright  yellow,  nearly  double 
the  size  of  the  old  yellow  Banksia. 

2.  Odoratissima,  white,  very  fragrant,  and 

double. 


SELECT    ROSES,    AND    THEIR    MANAGEMENT. 


495 


3.  Old  White. 

4.  Old  Yellow. 

The  Banksian  roses  require  a  wall  to  bring 
them  to  perfection.  They  should  not  be  cut 
in  the  winter  or  spring,  but  the  shoots  left  the 
full  length  till  they  have  done  flowering,  when 
they  may  be  cut  as  much  as  is  requisite.  The 
shoots  that  are  made  after  this  must  be  nailed 
in ;  but  should  too  many  shoots  push  out,  all 
the  unnecessary  ones  should  be  taken  out, 
while  it  can  be  done  with  the  thumb  and 
linger. 

^"'  Multiflora  Roses. 

1.  Alba,  or  Old  White,  white. 

2.  Grevillei,  or  Seven  Sisters,  bright  rose, 
variable. 

3.  Laure  Davoust,  pink,  changing  to  white. 

4.  Rubra,  or  Old  Red,  pale  rose. 

5.  Superba,  pencilled  rose. 

j^,.The  shoots  of  this  class  are  very  liable  to 
De  injured  during  winter,  which  frequently 
cannot  be  seen  till  April,  which  month  would 
be  the  best  to  prune  them.  Leave  as  much  of 
last  year's  wood  as  possible.  These  flower  in 
,yery  large  clusters.  Nos.  1  and  4  are  very 
sniall,  but  pretty  ;  2,  3,  and  5  are  larger. 

1.  Baltimore  Belle,  pale  blush. 

2.  Caradori  Allan,  brilliant  pink. 

3.  Queen  of  the  Prairies,  bright  reddish 
pink,  with  whitish  stripe. 

4.  Superba^  pale  pink. 

In  pruning  this  class  the  shoots  should  be 
cut  about  half-way  back.  They  are  very 
hardy,  but  our  climate  seems  too.  damp  for 
them  to  open  their  flowers  well  if  planted 
away  from  a  wall. 

AUTUMNAL,   OR   PERPETUAL    ROSES. 

Roses  that  flower  more  or  less  from  June 
till  November.  The  roses  of  this  section  have 
now  become  very  general  favourites,  perhaps 
hardly  deservedly  so,  as  only  a  few  of  them 
show  their  greatest  beauties  till  late  in  sum- 
rfjer,  particularly  in  dry  seasons  j  they  appear 
fp  require  longer  nights  and  cooler  weather 
than  we  wish  to  have  in  the  months  of  June 
and  July.  For  small  gardens  there  can  be  no 
question  that  it  is  best  to  have  such  as  con- 
tinue flowering  throughout  the  summer  and 
autumn  ;  but  in  gardens,  where  upwards  of 
thirty  varieties  can  be  grown,  a  judicious  mix- 
ture of  summer  and  autumnal  flowering  ones 
would  be  preferable  ;  for  however  splendid 
the  present  autumnal  flowering  ones  may  be, 
they  do  not  compensate  for  the  gorgeous  dis- 
play made  by  the  summer  flowering  kinds 
in  the  months  of  June  and  July. 

In  dry  summers  all  perpetual  roses  should 
have  the  ground  stirred  about  four  inches 


deep,  (taking  care  not  to  injure  the  roots,) 
and  well  soaked  with  manure- water  just  before 
the  first  lot  of  bloom  is  over,  and  should  the 
season  continue  dry,  they  will  require  water- 
ing once  a  week  at  least  throughout  the  sea- 
son. As  the  flowers  drop  cut  off"  the  old 
flower-stems. 

Perpetual  Moss  Roses. 

1.  Perpetual  Crimson,  brilliant  crimson. 

2.  Perpetual  Red,  deep  rose. 

Here  we  certainly  have  two  moss  roses  that 
give  a  second  crop  of  flowers.  They  partake 
very  much  of  the  character  of  some  of  the 
damask  perpetuals  in  the  formation  of  their 
bark  and  buds.  No.  1  is  a  very  strong  grower, 
and  in  colour  is  very  like  the  moss  Celina  ; 
No.  2  is  a  dwarf  compact  grower,  and  blooms 
in  fine  clusters. 

Damask  Perpetual  RoseSif:  -> 
■'  1.  Bernard,  rosy  salmon.        1<>  &&^Me->:i. 

2.  Billiai'd,  bright  rose. 

3.  Duchesse  de  Rohan,  deep  red. 

4.  Julie  de  Krudner,  light  pink. 

5.  La  Capricieuse,  rose,  changing  to  bright 
red. 

6.  La  Favourite,  pale  blush,  tinted  with 
fawn. 

''  7.  Mogador,  bi'illiant  crimson  purple. 

8.  Rose  du  Roi,  brilliant  crimson. 

9.  Torrida,  rich  dark  crimson. 

10.  Thiers,  deep  rose,  lighter  centre. 
Nos.  1,  7,  and  8,  are  without  rivals.  The 
scent  of  the  whole  of  this  class  of  roses  is  not 
surpassed  even  by  the  moss  and  Provence 
roses.  They  are  all  well  adapted  for  beds  or 
standards,  being  of  neat  compact  habit.  No.  9 
is  very  dwarf.  All  are  good  roses  for  autumn 
exhibitions  ;  and  for  bouquets,  the  scent  will 
generally  give  them  the  preference. 

Hybrid  Peiyetual  Roses. 

'    1.  Baron  Prevost,  bright  rose. 

2.  Clementine  Seringe,  pale  rose. 

3.  Comtesse  Duchatel,  brillia,pt;irp^e»  ^^j  .,. 

*  4.  Dr.  Marx,  rosy  carmine.  nv/o-'s  •-  ; 
'■  5.  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  mottled  bright 
rose. 

'     6.   Geant    des   Balailles,    bright    crimson, 

nearly  scarlet. 

'       7.  Lady  Alice  Peel,  deep  veined  pink. 

8.  Louis  Bonaparte,  rosy  crimson. 
■A      9.  Madame  Laffay,  brilliant  crimson. 

10.  Marquisa  Boccella,  pale  rosy  blush. 

11.  Marquis  of  Ailsa,  rosy  crimson. 
*.     12.  Mrs.  Elliot,  bright  lilac  crimson. 

I     13.  Robin  Hood,  deep  bright  cherry  red, 

•  14,   William  Jesse,  light  crimson. 

15.  Cornet,  bright  deep  pink. 

16.  Cymedor,  at  first  opening  the  colour  is 
something  like  the  scarlet  ten-week  Stock, 
but  fades  of  a  purple  hue. 


496 


SELECT    ROSES,    AND    THEIR    MANAGEMENT. 


17.  Standard  of  Marengo,  crimson  scarlet. 

18.  Lady  Sefton,  glossy  lilac  rose. 

19.  Clementine  Duval,  bright  rose. 

20.  Comte  d'Eu,  brilliant  carmine. 

21.  Dr.  Marjolin,  rosy  carmine. 

^   22.  La  Reine,  brilliant  pale  rose. 

23.  Lady  Fordwich,  deep  rosy  crimson. 

24.  Prince  de  Galles,  lilac  rose. 

25.  Prudence  Roeser,  pink,  fawn  centime. 
There  are  still  some  fine  varieties  of  hybrid 

perpetuals  worthy  of  being  grown,  but  they 
are  unfortunately  of  the  prevailing  colour  of 
the  class,  viz.,  crimson  of  various  shades — 
happily  a  colour  with  which  every  one  is 
pleased.  No.  1  is  one  of  the  best  roses  known, 
being  very  constant,  very  large,  full,  and  a  very 
free  bloomer  ;  2  is  very  large  and  double, 
and  scented  of  the  Provence  rose  ;  3,  4,  7,  to 
14,  are  fine  shaped  roses,  and  full  flowers  ; 

5  is  very  beautiful,  particularly  in  autumn  ; 

6  is  a  fine  shaped  rose  at  first  opening,  and 
the  colour  is  fiery  for  some  days  after  it  is 
opened,  the  flower  is  of  a  moderate  size,  and 
is  almost  always  in  bloom  during  summer  and 
autumn  ;  15  is  large  and  showy,  but  only 
semidouble  ;  16  is  most  splendid  at  first 
opening,  but  soon  becomes  shaded  with  rosy 
crimson  ;  17  is  more  brilliant  in  colour  than 
6,  but  not  so  double  ;  18  is  very  showy  on 
the  plant,  but  is  only  semidouble  ;  19  is  small, 
very  double,  first  rate  in  shape,  a  free  bloomer ; 
20  is  of  a  dwarf  free  blooming  habit,  it 
would  make  a  fine  bed  by  itself, — for  this 
purpose  young  plants  should  be  struck  in 
autumn,  and  kept  in  small  pots  during  winter, 
and  planted  in  the  bed  about  the  beginning  of 
May  ;  they  will  flower  well  from  August  to 
October  ;  21  is  very  dwarf,  but  a  very  free 
bloomer;  22  is  very  large  and  genei"ally 
coarse,  but  sometimes  most  lovely — it  does  not 
always  open  well ;  23  flowers  in  fine  clusters, 
and  is  very  double  ;  24  is  rather  flat,  but  is 
distinct  in  colour  ;  25  has  the  Noisette  habit 
of  flowering,  and  would  form  a  good  bed  of 
itseif  With  the  exception  of  19  to  21,  they 
all  make  first-rate  standards,  and  are  equally 
well  suited  for  dwarfs  or  any  intermediate 
height ;  19  to  21  are  best  as  dwarfs,  or  on 
stems  not  more  than  two  and  a  half  feet  high. 
For  six  first-rate  show  varieties,  Nos.  1,  5,  6, 
12,  13,  and  14;  for  twelve,  add  2,  3,  4,  7,  8, 
and  10  ;  22,  when  good,  will  always  do  for 
show,  even  among  a  small  number.  The 
most  conspicuous  on  the  plant,  are  Nos.  1,  6, 
9,  12,  13,  14,  15,  16  and  17  ;  5  is  liable  to 
be  itijured  by  a  very  low  temperature,  so 
that  when  the  thermometer  indicates  above 
20°  of  frost,  it  would  be  best  to  tie  soijie 
heath  or  fern  among  the  branches  ;  6,  16,  17, 
19,  20,  and  21,  are  the  better  for  a  little  pro- 
tection during  low  temperatures  in  winter. 
This  and  the  foresoinof  class  should  be  cut 


back  to  about  three  or  four  eyes,  and  the 
weak  shoots  should  be  cut  out. 

Isle  de  Bourhon  Moses. 

The  Isle  de  Bourbon  Roses  are  among  the 
finest  of  the  autumn  roses  ;  in  fact,  very  few 
of  them  flower  fine  till  autumn  or  during  a 
cool  cloudy  summer.  They  are  hybrids  from 
the  rose  from  the  Isle  of  Bourbon  and  the 
Noisettes  and  Chinas  ;  they  have  generally 
very  fine  foliage.  Unfortunately  very  few 
are  fragrant  ;  those  which  have  this  property 
are  marked.* 

y  1.  Acidalia,  blush  white,  slightly  tinted 
with  pink  after  the  flower  has  been  open  a  day 
or  two. 

2.  Augustine  Lelieur,  deep  fulgent  rose 
colour. 

-*       3.  Bouquet  de  Flore,*  rosy  cai'mine. 

4.  Ceres,  bright  rose. 

5.  Desgaches,   bright  rose,  with  a  slight 
tinge  of  salmon. 

6.  Emile  Courtier,  deep  rose. 

7.  Georges  Cuvier,  brilliant  rosy  carmine. 

8.  Henri  Plantier,  bright  light  rose. 

9.  La  Gracieuse,  fine  rose. 

10.  Le  Grenadier,  bright  crimson. 

11.  Madame  Despres,  rosy  lilac. 

12.  Menoux,  brilliant  carmine. 

»     13.  Paul  Joseph,  rich  crimson  purple. 

14.  Proserpine, deep  bright  velvety  crimson. 

15.  Reine  des  Vierges,  pale  plush. 

16.  Souchet,  crimson,  shaded  purple. 

17.  Souvenir  de  la  Malmaison,  pale  blush, 
centre  slightly  tinted  with  fawn. 

18.  Splendens,*  rosy  crimson. 

't   19.  The  Queen,*  pale  buff,  shaded  fawn. 

20.  Armosa,  bright  pink. 

21.  Grand  Capitaine,  velvety  scarlet. 

22.  Gloire  de  Rosomene,  deep  bright  vel- 
vety crimson. 

23.  Julie  de  Loynes,*  white. 

•*    24.  Madame  Angelina,*  pale  cream,  fawn 
centre. 

Nos.  1  to  19  are  all  fine  show  roses,  and 
have  no  fault  of  not  opening  their  flowers 
well ;  2,  4,  8,  13,  14  and  16,  are  very  dwarf 
growing  varieties,  and  would  make  a  rich  bed 
if  planted  thick ;  as  standards,  on  neat  small 
stocks  from  two  to  three  feet  high,  they  are 
very  handsome  ;  1,  10,  11,  15,  and  17,  are 
vigorous  growers,  and  would,  in  very  good 
soil,  make  good  pillar  roses,  or  standards  of 
the  largest  size  ;  3,  5,  6,  7,  9,  12,  18,  and  19, 
are  neat  growing  varieties  ;  they  make  very 
handsome  standards  on  stocks  from  two  and 
a  half  to  three  and  a  half  feet,  or  as  dwarfs 
for  beds  they  are  well  suited ;  17  has  very 
large  flowers  from  four  to-  five  inches  over, 
and  very  double  ;  19  is  the  most  constant 
flowering  rose  we  have,  having  a  mass  of 
bloom  from  June  till  November  ;  20,  21,  and 


SELECT  ROSES,  AND  THEIR  MANAGEMENT. 


497 


24,  are  neat  growing  roses, — each  variety  by 
itself  would  make  a  handsome  bed,  they  also 
make  neat  standards  from  two  to  three  feet  in 
height  ;  22,  to  see  it  in  its  greatest  beauty, 
should  be  planted  against  a  wall  oa  its  own 
roots,  and  cut  hard  in  at  the  winter  pruning  ; 
this  will  cause  it  to  throw  out  strong  shoots, 
at  tlie  ends  of  which  will  be  produced  gorgeous 
bunches  of  flowers  ;  as  a  standard  it  makes  a 
great  show,  but  the  flowers  are  only  semi- 
double  ;  23  is  a  small  very  fine  shaped  rose, 
of  neat  growth  ;  12  is  a  new  rose  that,  from 
its  exquisite  colour,  will  find  its  way  into 
every  collection.  For  six  distinct  colours  and 
good  shapes,  take  Nos.  1,  3,  12,  13,  17,  and 
19  ;  for  twelve,  add  2,  4,  5,  7,  14,  and  15. 
In  pruning,  cut  to  about  three  or  four  eyes. 
The  beginning  of  April  will  be  soon  enough 
for  pruning.  In  summer,  if  any  very  strong 
shoots  are  pushed  out,  top  them  at  four  or  six 
inches  off  the  stock. 

Tea- scented  Roses. 
These  are  so  named  from  their  possessing 
more  or  less  the  scent  of  green  tea. 

1.  Adam,  blush  rose. 

2.  Comte  de  Paris,  pale  rosy  blush. 

3.  Caroline,  rose. 

4.  Devoniensis,  straw,  buff  centre. 

5.  Elisa  Sauvage,  sulphur,  orange  centre. 

6.  Eugenie  Desgaches,  bright  pale  rose. 

7.  Goubault,  bright  rose. 

8.  Josephine  Malton,  shaded  white. 

9.  Julie  Mansais,  white,  lemon  centre. 

10.  La  Sylphide,  pale  blush. 

11.  Moiiet,  rose,  deep  fawn  centre. 

12.  Niphetos,  pale  lemon,   sometimes  pure 
white. 

13.  Grandiflora,  deep  pink. 

14.  Hamon,  bright  pink  and  buff. 

15.  Odorata,  blush. 

16.  Buret,  bi'ight  deep  crimson. 

17.  Safrano,  bright  fawn  colour. 

18.  Vicomtesse    de    Cazes,     yellow,    deep 
orange  centre. 

19.  Yellow,    or    Yellow    China,    sulphury 
yellow. 

Nos.  1  to  12  are  fine  show  roses,  that  open 
their  flowers  Avithout  being  deformed  ;  they 
have  all  good  double  flowers  and  firm  petals.  As 
standards,  on  two  to  three  feet  stems,  they  are 
very  handsome  ;  13  to  15  are  worth  growing 
for  their  fine  scent ;  the  flowers  are  loose  when 
fully  blown,  but  the  buds  the  day  before  fully 
blown  are  very  highly  scented  ;  16  has  the 
tea  scent  only  in  a  slight  degree,  but  its  deep 
colour  makes  it  desirable;  17  and  18  require 
to  be  grown  in  the  open  air,  or  the  colours 
are  pale  and  insipid  ;  they  are  very  fine  as 
standards  ;  17  being  a  vigorous  grower,  and 
18,  will  grow  well  as  standards,  but  in  dry 
seasons  they  only  make  short  shoots  ;  19  is 
50. 


the  old  Yellow  China,  which  is  too  well  known 
to  need  any  comment.  If  grown  as  standards, 
the  tea-scented  roses  require  protection  in 
winter,  for  as  they  are  continually  growing, 
they  are  very  liable  to  be  injured.  The  best 
way  is  to  take  them  up,  and  lay  them  in  a  bed, 
in  a  slanting  direction  with  their  heads  to  the 
north  ;  they  may  be  laid  very  thickly  in  rows 
across  a  bed,  with  their  heads  almost  touching 
the  ground,  and  the  roots  just  covered,  and 
when  the  bed  is  full,  some  sticks  should  be 
bent  over  the  whole  for  mats  to  rest  upon  ; 
they  may  then  easily  be  covered  when  they 
rrquire  it,  which  is  only  during  frosty  weather. 
In  this  way,  a  dozen  mats  cover  a  bed  con- 
taining about  400  plants.  In  very  severe 
weather,  say  20  or  25  degrees  of  frost,  it  is 
advisable  to  throw  a  little  litter  over  the  mats, 
unless  there  is  snow.  They  are  planted  again 
some  time  between  the  middle  of  March  and 
the  beginning  of  April,  as  the  season  may  be 
early  or  late.  Dwarfs  on  their  own  roots, 
planted  close  to  a  south  wall,  stand  the 
winter  well,  if  a  little  mulching  is  laid  about 
the  roots  and  over  the  ground  ;  should  they  get 
covered  with  insects  so  as  to  stop  their  grow- 
ing, cut  them  down,  and  they  will  soon  grow 
up  again  from  their  base,  and  flower  fine  dur- 
ing the  latter  part  of  the  summer  and  autumn. 
In  pruning,  leave  about  three  or  four  eyes, 
and  cut  out  the  old  weak  wood.  For  six  dis- 
tinct varieties,  take  Nos.  1,  4,  5,  8,  11,  and  12. 
Except  13,  14,  15,  17,  and  18,  they  all  make 
fine  roses  for  pots  or  planting  in  the  conser- 
vatory. 

China  Roses. 

1.  Cameleon,  very  dark   velvety  crimson, 
and  sometimes  rose,  very  changeable. 

2.  Cramoisie  Superieure,  bright  deep   vel- 
vety crimson. 

3.  Eugene  Hardy,  creamy  pale  blush. 

4.  Lorj-ainii,  pale  waxy  rose. 

5.  Marjolin  du  Luxembourg,  deep  velvety 
crimson. 

6.  Madame  Breon,  brilliant  rose. 

-'-  7.  Mrs.  Bosanquet,  pale  waxy  flesh  colour. 
No.  1  is  like  the  old  common  blush  China 
in  growth,  and  worth  planting  with  that 
variety  ;  2  is  a  very  great  improvement  on 
the  old  dark  China  ;  for  a  bed  by  itself  or  for 
pots,  it  is  most  beautiful  ;  3,  6,  and  7,  would 
also  make  good  beds  on  their  own  roots,  either 
separately  or  mixed  ;  5  is  a  large  rose  of  this 
class,  a  good  one  for  pots,  or  to  plant  against 
a  wall  ;  4  is  only  fit  for  pots,  being  a  shy 
grower,  but  is  very  handsome  in  flower  ; 
7  ought  to  be  in  every  collection,  it  is  suitable 
for  standards  or  dwarfs,  or  any  intermediate 
height ;  2,  3,  and  6,  make  neat  standards  of 
from  two  to  three  feet,  and  require  the  san^e 
treatment     as     recommended    for    the    tea- 

K  K 


498 


SELECT  ROSES,  AND  THEIR  MANAGEMENT. 


scented  varieties  ;  1  and  7  are  about  as  hardy 
as  the  common  China.  None  of  ihis  class  have 
more  scent  than  the  common  China. 

Noisette  Roses. 

1.  Aimee  Vibert,  pure  white. 

2.  Clara  Wendel,  straw,  lemon  centre. 

3.  Cloth  of  Gold,  rich  yellow. 

4.  Eclair  de  Jupiter,  vivid  bright  crimson. 

5.  Fellenberg,  bright  rosy  crimson. 

6.  Jaune  Despres,  bright  fav/n. 

'     7.  Lamarque,  straw,  yellowish  centre. 

8.  Ophirie,  bright  salmon  and  fawn. 

9.  Solfaterre,  bright  sulphury  yellow. 
10.  Vitellina,  creamy  wliitp,  buff  centre. 
Nos.  2,  3,  6,  7,  8,  9,  and  10,  are  excellent 

varietii.'S  for  a  south  wall,  being  rather  tender  ; 
as  standards  they  require  some  protection  in 
winter,  if  the  situation  lies  low ;  1  is  well 
suited  for  a  standard  or  dwaif,  or  against  a 
wall  is  highly  ornamental,  retaining  its  shining 
green  leaves  nearly  all  the  winter  ;  2  is  a  very 
dwarf  grower,  and  as  a  standard  from  two  to 
three  feet,  is  very  handsome  ;  3  has  a  very 
robust  habit,  but  is  a  very  shy  bloomer  ;  the 
flowers  are  produced  at  the  points  of  the  very 
strong  shoots,  consequently  it  is  necessary  to 
cut  it  very  hard  in  spring,  and  it  must  be 
grown  very  strong  ;  it  is  certainly  worth 
taking  a  great  deal  of  trouble  with  ;  4  is  a 
semi-double  flower,  in  the  way  of  Isle  de 
Bourbon  Gloire  de  Rosomene,  but  not  so 
dark — like  that  variety,  it  is  very  showy  at  a 
distance  ;  5  is  a  neat  compact  grower,  makes 
a  good  bed  if  on  its  own  roots,  or  as  a  standard 
is  very  neat ;  6  and  7  are  very  strong  grow- 
ing kinds  ;  8  is  singular  in  colour,  the  shape 
is  bad ;  when  cut  and  placed  in  a  stand 
among  others,  it  is  very  distinct  ;  9  is  more 
graceful  in  its  growth  than  3,  which  it  some- 
what resembles  ;  it  flowers  freely,  and  although 
not  so  deep  a  yellow,  it  is  very  beautiful, 
and  will  be  grown  long  after  3  is  gone 
into  oblivion ;  10  is  a  neat  grower,  well 
suited  for  standards  or  dwarfs,  and  is  con- 
stantly in  bloom  throughout  the  season.  The 
beginning  of  April  will  be  soon  enough  to 
prune  noisette  roses.  Cut  them  rather  hard, 
so  that  they  make  vigorous  shoot?,  as  they 
flower  at  the  points  of  the  shoots  ;  if,  there- 
fore, the  shoots  are  not  strong,  the  clusters  of 
bloom  will  be  small  A  little  heath  or  fern 
tied  among  the  shoots  and  close  round  where 
the  buds  were  inserted,  in  very  severe  weather, 
will  generally  be  protection  enough  for  this 
class  of  roses.  With  the  exception  of  Nos.  1, 
4,  and  5,  they  are  all  fragrant,  with  something 
of  the  tea-scent. 

Macartiiey  Roses. 

1.  Old  Single  White. 

2.  Lucida  Duplex,  delicate  blush. 

3.  Maria  Leonida,  white,  pale  rosy  centre. 


Blicropltijlla  Royes. 

1.  Alba  Odorata,  creamy  white,  semidouble. 

2.  Common,  deep  rose. 

The  Macartney  and  Microphylla  roses  are 
only  suitable  for  a  south  or  south-west  wall. 
Prune  them  the  beginning  of  April,  leaving 
as  much  of  the  strong  old  wood  as  possible. 
It  is  a  great  pity  the  single  white  Macartney 
has  been  so  much  neglected,  as  nothing  can 
be  more  beautiful  than  its  sinning  green 
leaves,  even  without  its  singular  flowers.  In 
extraordinarily  severe  weather,  a  mat  would 
be  required  over  them. 

POT    CULTURE, 

Situation. — It  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
to  pot-roses,  to  place  them  in  a  good  situation 
while  in  the  open  air.  Too  much  care  cannot 
be  taken  to  make  that  situation  what  it  should 
be  ;  for  on  their  management  while  there, 
will  depend  in  a  very  great  measure  the 
quality  of  the  future  bloom.  Having  decided 
on  the  number  of  plants  to  be  grown,  select  a 
piece  of  ground  in  a  sheltered  part  of  the 
garden,  fully  open  to  the  sun  ;  mark  out  a 
bed  large  enough  to  receive  the  pots,  and  take 
out  the  soil  about  six  inches  deeper  than  the 
depth  of  the  pots,  in  order  to  make  a  good 
permanent  bed.  The  sides  of  this  bed  should, 
be  built  up  with  bricks^and  cement,  and  should 
have  an  oak  curb  at  top  ;  some  iron  rods 
should  be  fixed  in  the  curb  and  bent  over  the 
bed,  ready  to  support  the  coveiing  when  re- 
quired. The  pots  should  be  set  on  slate 
shelves,  or  on  inverted  flower-pots  ;  and  moss 
should  be  filled  in  lightly  between  the  pots  up 
to  their  rims.  In  severe  weather,  the  hardy 
kinds  must  have  some  moss,  to  the  thickness 
of  eight  or  nine  inches,  covered  over  their 
tops ;  but  the  tender  kinds  must  be  placed 
under  glass. 

Soil. — Good  strong  hnzel  brown  loam,  that 
has  laid  in  a  heap  at  least  twelve  months  and 
has  been  turned  over  several  times,  should 
form  the  staple  of  the  soil,  to  which  should  be 
added  a  little  pigeons'  dung,  and  some  well 
rotted  hot-bed  dung.  The  proportions  should 
be,  about  one  bushel  of  loam,  one  peck  of  hot- 
bed dung,  and  half  a  gallon  of  pigeons'  dung  ; 
they  must  be  well  mixtd  together,  and  kept 
dry  till  used. 

Potting. — About  the  end  of  October  is  the 
best  time  to  pot  them.  In  doing  this,  place  a 
large  piece  of  potsherd  (that  is,  broken  flower- 
pot) over  the  hole  in  the  bottom  of  the  pot, 
and  lay  over  it  some  potsherds,  chai-coal,  or 
any  similar  material  bi'oken  up,  so  as  to  act  as 
drainage  ;  from  one  to  two  inches  ia  depth  of 
this  drainage  should  be  used  at  the  bottom  of 
each  pot  ;  add  a  layer  of  turf  or  moss  over  the 
drainage,  to  prevent  the  fine  particles  of  mould 
from  washing  down  and  clogging  it.     Next, 


SELECT  ROSES,  AND  THEIR  MANAGEMENT. 


499 


put  in  some  of  the  prepared  soil,  introduce  the 
roots  of  the  plant,  which  should  be  easily  dis- 
posed in  a  spiral  manner,  and  work  in  the  soil 
among  them,  using  some  lumps  of  charcoal,  or 
broken  oyster  shells,  or  some  such  materials, 
among  the  soil  to  keep  it  open.  It  is  impor- 
tant to  lay  the  roots  out  easy  and  clear  of  one- 
another,  by  working  the  soil  carefully  between 
them,  after  which  it  must  be  shaken  down 
firmly,  by  tapping  the  bottom  edges  of  the  pot 
on  the  potting-board.  Set  the  pots  in  the  bed 
at  once,  giving  them  some  water  to  settle  the 
soil  firmly  down.  During  winter,  very  heavy 
rains  should  be  kept  off  them.  All  the  varie- 
ties of  China,  tea-scented,  noisette,  and  Isle 
de  Bourbon  roses,  should  be  placed  under 
glass  about  the  end  of  November  ;  but  they 
must  have  plenty  of  air  day  and  night,  except 
during  frosty  weather.  The  moss  on  the  top 
of  the  bed  where  the  hardy  kinds  are  plunged, 
will  be  sufficient  protection  for  them,  unless 
the  temperature  gets  very  low,  when  a  mat 
may  be  thrown  over  the  iron  rods  provided 
for  the  purpose  of  supporting  them  ;  here 
they  may  remain  till  they  are  wanted  for 
forcing.  About  a  fortnight  before  they  are 
set  in  the  forcing-house,  they  should  be  cut 
over,  the  top  of  the  soil  broken  up,  and  if  need 
be,  some  of  the  old  soil  taken  away  and  fresh 
added  ;  they  should  then  be  set  in  a  cold  pit 
or  greenhouse. 

Forcing-house. — The  best  form  of  roof  for 
a  forcing-house,  is  the  span  roof;  and  the 
house  should  be  provided  with  a  hot-water 
tank  down  the  centre  under  a  plunging  bed, 
with  a  walk  round  it,  a  platform  at  the  sides 
and  ends  of  the  house  two  or  three  feet  wide, 
and  a  door  in  the  centre  at  each  end.  As  the 
roof  of  such  a  house  would  not  require  more 
than  one  light  in  length  on  each  side,  every 
light  ought  to  be  made  moveable,  and  the  side 
lights  also,  so  that  every  facility  may  be  se- 
cured for  giving  plenty  of  air  when  the  weather 
permits.  One  of  the  best  kinds  of  tank  is 
that  constructed  of  galvanised  iron  ;  the  cover- 
ing is  better  if  made  of  cast  iron  in  the  form 
of  a  net ;  over  this  should  be  placed  a  layer 
of  stones,  just  large  enough  to  prevent  their 
falling  through  the  openings  in  the  cover  ;  on 
these  another  layer  of  smaller  ones,  and  above 
the  latter,  the  plunging  materials.  In  this 
way  a  fine  moist  heat  is  constantly  kept  up, 
without  the  necessity  of  pouring  water  between 
the  pots.  The  flow  in  the  tank  should  be 
from  the  end  nearest  the  boiler  to  the  other 
end,  and  the  water  should  return  in  pipes 
under  the  side  platforms. 

Temjierature. — At  vidiatever  season  roses 
are  grown  in-doors,  they  should  be  kept  in  as 
low  a  temperature  as  possible,  so  that  the 
plants  are  kept  growing  ;  45  degrees  at  night, 
and  55  degrees  by  day  is  high  enough,  unless 


it  be  during  sunshine.  Advantage  may  be 
taken  of  every  moderately  still  day  to  give  air,- 
but  keep  up  the  temperature.  As  nearly  all  the 
insects  which  infest  roses  in  the  open  air 
attack  them  when  grown  in-doors,  they  must 
be  very  closely  watched,  and  destroyed  as 
soon  as  they  make  their  appearance. 

Training.  ■ —  As  the  shoots  advance  in 
growth,  set  them  out  in  the  form  it  is  desired 
the  plant  should  have  when  in  flower.  The 
most  pleasing  shape  is  the  form  of  the  well- 
grown  bush  in  the  open  garden,  but  when  in 
flower  no  sticks  ought  to  be  visible. 

Watering. — While  the  plants  are  growing, 
whether  in-doors  or  out,  water  freely  with 
clear  manure  water  ;  a  little  dusting  of  guano 
should  also  be  laid  on  the  surface  of  the  soil, 
so  that  the  water  may  carry  its  fertilizing 
properties  with  it  into  the  soil. 

After  the  plants  have  done  blooming,  take 
off  some  of  the  old  soil,  and  add  fresh  with 
some  guano  in  it.  When  the  spring  frosts 
are  over,  they  may  be  set  in  the  bed  in  the 
open  air.  Examine  them  through  the  summer, 
to  see  they  do  not  get  dry  at  bottom.  About 
the  middle  of  October,  re-pot  them  for  the 
next  season,  and  manage  them  as  before  ;  the 
second  year  they  ought  to  be  sti'onger  than 
before. 

FINE    KOSES    FOR    POT    CULTURE. 

For  early  forcing,  the  Common  and  Prolific 
Moss,  Crimson  Perpetual,  Common  Cabbage 
Provence,  and  Crested  Provence,  are  the  best. 
For  a  later  bloom,  select  the  Hybrid  Per- 
petuals  with  double  flowers;  even  those  that 
do  not  perfect  their  flowers  in  the  open  air, 
force  exceedingly  well.  To  ensure  well 
coloured  flowers  of  the  Hybrid  Perpetuals, 
they  must  have  plenty  of  sun  and  air. 

The  following  is  a  selection  of  thirty-six 
varieties  to  flower  in  April,  May,  and  June  ; 
for  exhibition,  or  to  adorn  the  conservatory  or 
greenhouse:  Moss. — Celina,Princesse  Roy  ale, 
Unique  de  Provence.  Provence. — Cristata, 
Wellington.  Hybrid  Provence.  —  Blanche 
Fleur,  La  Ville  de  Londres,  Princess  Clemen- 
tine. Gallica. — Boule  de  Nanteuil,  Duchesse 
d'Abrantes,  Feu  Brilliant,  Triomphe  de 
Jaussens.  Damash.  —  Madame  Hardy,  La 
Ville  de  Bruxelles.  Alba. — Felicite  Par- 
mentier.  Hybrid  China. — Beauty  Billiard, 
Brennus,  Charles  Louis,  Charles  Duval, 
Chenedole,  Coupe  dTiebe,  Gloire  de  Couline, 
Lady  Stuart,  Eiego,  and  for  a  large  coai'se 
rose.  Great  Western,  Hybrid  Perpetual — 
Baron  Prevost,  Duchess  of  Sutherland,  Louis 
Buonaparte,  Mrs.  Elliot,  Eobin  Hood,  William 
Jesse.  Isle  de  BourboJi. — Souvenir  de  la 
Malmaison,  Menoux.  Tea-scented.— -Adi^^m, 
Devoniensis,  Niphetos. 

The  Noisettes— ^o\^ii\.Pvv(?,  Lamarque,  and 

K  K  2 


500 


SELECT  ROSES,  AND  THEIR  MANAGEMENT. 


Clara  Wendel,  are  very  fine  when  grown 
well  ;  they  require  a  great  deal  of  sun  and 
air,  or  tlie  colours  will  not  be  bright  and  clear, 

PROPAGATION. 

.  Cuttings  of  the  Hybrid  Perpetual,  Isle  de 
Bourbon,  Tea-scented,  China,  Noisette,  Ma- 
cartney, Microphylla,  and  the  climbing  roses, 
strike  readily  in  a  hot-bed,  with  a  gentle  heat, 
during  July  and  August.  Take  as  cuttings 
the  half  ripened  shoots,  with  a  heel  where 
practicable;  if  not,  cut  the  shoots  even  through 
close  up  to  a  joint,  and  plant  them  firmly 
round  the  sides  of  the  pot,  in  sandy  loam  ; 
give  a  little  sprinkle  of  water,  and  put  them  in 
the  frame.  The  care  they  want  is,  to  see  they 
do  not  get  too  dry  or  too  wet,  to  sliade  from  the 
sun,  and  when  the  air  is  not  too  drying,  to 
give  a  very  little  air.  As  soon  as  they  are 
rooted,  pot  them  separately  into  very  small 
pots,  set  them  in  a  gentle  heat  till  rooted  round 
the  pot,  when  they  must  be  gradually  hardened 
to  bear  sun  and  air.  They  will  require  to  be 
kept  in  a  greenhouse,  or  in  a  pit  that  is  pro- 
vided with  fire  heat  in  some  way,  for  they  are 
very  apt  to  damp  off,  when  covered  up  in  cold 
frames  during  long-continued  frosts.  The 
same  classes  may  also  be  struck  under  hand 
glasses,  with  a  gentle  bottom  heat,  during  the 
same  months. 

Cuttings  put  in  about  the  middle  of  Octo- 
ber, in  a  warm,  sunny,  dry  situation,  under 
hand-g'asses,  will  strike  root  in  the  course  of 
the  winter  ;  they  merely  want  all  the  air  they 
can  have  in  mild  weather.  If  the  weather  is 
damp,  the  glasses  should  be  tilted  up  with 
small  pots.  During  frost,  the  glasses  must 
be  shut  close,  and  covered. 

Cuttings  prepared  in  any  of  the  above  ways, 
if  planted  out  into  beds  about  the  middle  of 
May,  or  a  little  later  should  the  season  be 
backward,  will  flower  beautifully  during  the 
latter  part  of  the  summer  and  autumn ;  and 
if  protected  in  winter,  will  flower  finely  all  the 
following  season.  In  planting,  take  care  to 
range  those  of  the  same  habit  together. 

Gi^afting. — This  mode  of  propagating  roses 
is  only  fit  for  dwarfs,  and  may  be  practised  on 
the  budded  stocks  that  have  failed  the  previous 
season,  or  on  such  as  were  planted  very  early 
in  autumn.  Select  the  scions  before  they 
begin  to  push  at  all  in  spring  ;  name  them, 
and  "  lay  them  in  "  under  the  shade  of  trees, 
or  close  under  a  wall  at  the  north  side.  The 
middle  or  end  of  April,  the  period  when  the 
sap  is  in  full  flow,  is  the  best  time  for  the 
operation.  Clear  away  the  soil  from  the 
stocks  down  to  the  fibres  ;  cut  the  stocks  off 
as  the  grafting  proceeds,  but  do  not  let  them 
be  cut  off  many  minutes  before  they  are 
grafted.  Rind-grafting,  when  it  can  be  done, 
is  best,  but   common  whip-grafting  will    do 


very  well.  As  soon  as  they  are  done,  close 
them  over  with  clay  or  grafting  wax,  and 
draw  the  soil  about  them  so  as  to  cover  the 
wax  or  clay,  as  they  will  sometimes  root  out 
of  the  scions.  When  they  have  grown  enough 
to  require  tying  up,  put  a  stick  to  them  long 
enough  to  serve  for  their  growth  throughout 
the  season. 

Budding. — This  is  the  best  mode  of  pro- 
pagating roses  for  standards  or  dwarfs,  when 
they  are  wanted  on  stocks.  It  may  be  done 
at  any  time  during  the  summer,  when  the 
bark  of  the  stocks  will  "  run  "  well, — that  is, 
separate  easily  from  the  wood  ;  but  if  the 
stocks  are  the  least  inclined  to  be  dry,  or  the 
bark  is  found  to  adhere  to  the  wood,  they 
should  have  a  soaking  of  water  at  the  root,  at 
least  twelve  hours  before  they  are  worked. 
The  best  way  to  get  the  water  down  to  the 
roots,  is  to  break  up  the  surface  of  the  soil 
with  a  light  spud,  and  draw  the  soil  away  on 
every  side  into  a  ridge,  so  as  to  form  a  basin 
round  the  stems,  when  they  may  be  thoroughly 
watered  with  manure  water  sufficient  to  get  to 
the  roots  ;  if  this  is  once  well  done,  they  will 
not  require  any  more.  In  selecting  the  buds, 
choose  young  free-grown  shoots  of  moderate 
size,  on  which  the  buds  are  well  formed,  and 
from  the  ripened  part  of  such  shoots,  with  a 
very  sharp  knife,  clear  off  the  leaves  (leaving 
about  an  inch  of  the  footstalk)  and  the  thorns, 
without  bruising  the  bark  ;  then  take  off  the 
bud,  in  doing  which,  hold  the  shoot  in  the  left 
hand,  and  the  knife  in  the  right  ;  place  the 
thumb  under  the  shoot  where  the  bud  is  to  be 
taken  off,  and  begin  to  cut  about  three  quarters 
of  an  inch  above  the  bud;  draw  the  knife  about 
half  way  through  the  shoot  and  clean  under 
the  bud,  and  bring  the  knife  out  about  an 
eighth  of  an  inch  below  the  bud  ;  then,  with 
the  point  of  the  knife  just  remove  the  bark 
from  the  wood,  and  cut  the  bark  and  the  wood 
clean  asunder,  leaving  the  small  piece  of  wood 
in  the  eye  without  injury,  and  even  with  the 
inside  bark,  so  that  when  it  is  inserted  in  the 
stock,  it  may  touch  the  wood  of  the  stock. 
Next,  with  the  point  of  the  knife  open  the 
bark  of  the  stock  ;  select  the  smoothest  part 
of  the  shoot,  begin  the  cut  nearest  the  base  of 
the  shoot,  and  cut  towards  the  point  ;  let  the 
cut  be  long  enough  to  admit  of  inserting  the 
bud  without  a  cross  cut ;  raise  the  bark  on 
each  side  of  the  cut,  either  with  the  flat  end 
of  the  knife  handle,  or  the  thumb  nail,  just 
sufficient  to  let  in  the  bud,  which  must  then 
be  pushed  down  close  to  the  stock,  and  bound 
over  with  a  small  piece  of  bass,  or,  what  is 
better,  some  carpet  worsted  ;  begin  to  bind  at 
the  base  of  the  shoot,  and  finish  above  the 
bud ;  in  binding,  close  down  the  bark  on  each 
side,  and  leave  the  eye  clear.  In  about  a 
month  the  bandage  may  be  loosened,  and  in 


THE  BEAUTIES  OF  THE  ROSE. 


501 


about  two  months  may  be  taken  off  altogether. 
The  advantage  of  having  only  one  cut  to  let 
in  the  bud,  over  the  plan  of  budding  with  a 
cross  cut,  is  very  considerable,  as  the  tops  of 
the  shoots  do  not  require  cutting  off,  and  con- 
sequently there  is  no  check  in  their  growth, 
and  no  accumulation  of  sap  under  the  bud  ; 
so  that  the  bud  is  not  so  likely  to  start  in 
autumn,  and  the  plant  will  be  altogether  of  a 
more  vigorous  habit. 

It  is  best  to  insert  two  or  three  buds  in 
each  tree  intended  for  standards.  It  will 
sometimes  happen,  when  buds  are  brought 
from  a  distance,  that  the  wood  will  not  part 
freely  from  the  bark  ;  in  that  case,  pare  the 
buds  down  as  close  and  even  as  possible  with- 
out removing  the  inner  wood,  and  insert  them 
in  that  state;  though  they  do  not  make  the 
neat  union  that  those  do  which  have  had  the 
wood  taken  out,  and  are  very  liable  to  be 
blown  off  during  the  first  summer's  growth. 
After  the  bandages  are  taken  off,  they  will 
require  no  attention  till  the  following  spring ; 
when,  about  the  beginning  of  March,  the  tops 
must  be  cut  off  to  within  about  four  eyes  of 
the  bud  ;  cut  off  also  all  the  eyes  on  each  shoot 
about  the  bud,  except  that  at  the  top,  which 
may  be  allowed  to  grow  two  or  three  inches, 
when  its  top  must  be  taken  off;  and  as  it 
grows  through  the  summer,  it  must  be  nipped 
whenever  it  has  made  a  little  advance  in 
growth.  The  object  of  keeping  this  shoot 
alive  and  growing  is,  that  when  they  are  cut 
back  the  foilowing  season,  they  may  be  cut 
close  to  the  shoot  of  the  bud;  and  the  wood 
being  alive  will  callus  over,  and  so  form  an 
entire  living  plant,  which  is  seldom  the  case 
when  the  shoots  are  cut  back  to  the  bud  at 
once.  "When  the  buds  have  made  a  growth 
of  four  or  six  joints,  pinch  off  the  tops  ;  this 
will  cause  them  to  throw  out  lateral  shoots. 
If,  as  they  grow,  there  is  any  chance  of  the 
wind  blowing  off  the  heads,  they  must  be  tied 
up.  Nothing  more  remains  to  be  done  but 
the  ordinary  w^ork,  as  the  seasons  come  round. 

"When  very  fine  heads  are  wanted  in  the 
case  of  standard  roses,  in  preference  to  the 
bloom  for  the  first  season  or  two,  the  trees 
must  iiave  peculiar  management.  Supposing 
each  plant  has  two  or  three  buds  that  are 
growing  :  select  the  one  that  is  most  likely  to 
make  the  finest  head,  and  pinch  off  the  top  of 
the  shoot  when  it  has  made  a  growth  of  about 
four  joints  in  length  ;  it  will  soon  push  out 
laterals,  which  should  be  allowed  to  grow  on 
for  the  rest  of  the  season.  The  shoots  from 
the  other  buds  may  be  allowed  to  grow  for 
the  season,  unless  they  are  very  thick,  when 
some  may  be  taken  off.  The  second  season, 
those  shoots  that  are  not  wanted  nmst  be 
cut  off  close  to  tlie  stock,  and  the  stock  cut  to 
where  the  head  is  formed.     The  shoots  that 


were  made  last  season  may  be  shortened  to 
three  or  four  eyes  from  where  they  started,  if 
they  are  very  strong-growing  kinds  ;  but  to 
within  two  or  three  eyes,  if  they  are  of  weakly 
habit.  Should  any  of  them  afterwards  throw 
out  very  strong  shoots,  these  must  be  topped. 
Of  course,  when  they  are  cut  back  so  hard, 
there  will  be  little  or  no  bloom  the  second 
season  ;  but  you  have  a  finely-formed  head, 
and  the  third  season  there  will  be  plenty  of 
bloom.  At  all  times  care  must  be  taken  to 
remove,  or  tie  in  a  proper  direction,  all  irre- 
gular-growing shoots. 

Layering. — This  is  done  about  Midsummer, 
on  the  slioots  of  the  current  season.  When 
these  shoots  are  long  enough,  trim  off  some 
of  the  lower  leaves  ;  draw  them  to  the  ground, 
so  as  to  see  at  which  joint  it  will  be  most  con- 
venient to  make  a  tongue  (which  is  a  piece  of 
the  shoot  at  one  of  the  buds,  slit  about  half 
through)  ;  the  bud  you  intend  for  the  tongue 
should  be  uppermost,  when  the  shoot  is  drawn 
to  the  ground.  With  a  sharp  knife,  begin 
about  the  eighth  of  an  inch  below  the  eye ; 
cut  nearly  half  way  through  the  shoot,  sloping 
towards  the  eye,  and,  with  a  steady  turn  of 
the  knife,  cut  towards  the  top  of  the  shoot ; 
let  the  cut  be  about  an  inch  or  a  little  more  in 
length.  Then  gently  bend  the  shoot  at  the 
place  where  the  cut  is  made ;  bring  the  top 
upright,  and  the  tongue  pointing  down;  make 
a  hole  in  the  ground  with  a  trowel,  to  let  in 
the  shoot  ;  peg  it  down  firmly,  with  a  small 
peg  ;  replace  the  soil,  and  make  it  firm.  Du- 
ring the  summer  these  layers  will  form  roots, 
and  in  the  following  spring  they  may  be  taken 
off  and  planted  in  beds.  After  one  or  two 
seasons'  growth,  they  will  be  strong  enough 
to  transplant  wherever  they  may  be  wanted. 

In  conclusion,  let  it  be  observed,  that 
whether  roses  are  grown  or  purchased,  it  is 
very  injudicious  to  cut  them  to  bloom  the  first 
season  after  planting  ;  it  is  much  better  to 
get  a  good  head  first,  and  leave  the  bloom  to 
chance,  until  a  good-shaped  head  is  obtained. 
Always  keep  the  plants  clear  of  suckers,  weeds, 
and  vermin ;  and  by  maintaining  the  soil  in 
good  heart,  if  the  subsoil  is  dry,  the  merest 
tyro  in  rose  culture  will  be  successful. 


THE  BEAUTIES  OF  THE  EOSE. 
We  have  had  rose  books  enough,  in  all 
conscience;  and  yet  another  appears,*  with  all 
the  freshness  of  originality,  and  much  more 
value  for  the  money  than  is  usual.  Messrs. 
Curtis  &  Co.  of  Moorend,  near  Bristol,  have 
commenced  a  quarterly  w^ork,  at  halt-a-crown 
a  part,  each  containing  four  splendid  portraits 


»  Curtis's    Beauties    of   the  Eose.     Part   I.    4  to 
London :  Groombr.dge. 


502 


THE  BEAUTIES    OF    THE  ROSE. 


of  first-class  roses.  This  is  to  be  continued 
quarterly;  and  if  the  future  numbers,  or  parts, 
equal  that  which  now  lies  before  us,  they  will 
indeed  form,  in  time,  a  handsome  work.  The 
drawings  have  been  made  by  Mr.  Curtis,  on 
stone,  and  their  chief  merit  is  their  great 
likeness  to  the  original ;  there  is  no  affectation 
or  assumption  ;  as  you  see  the  rose,  so  you 
see  the  copy;  the  faults,  a,3  well  as  the  beauties, 
are  faithfully  portrayed.  Mr.  Curtis's  notions 
on  the  subject  of  floral  portraits  are  like  our 
own;  he  says,  "  The  illustrations  are  attempted 
without  the  aid  of  a  professed  artist,  merely 
from  the  fear  that  literal  portraiture  is  too 
often  sacrificed  to  pictorial  effect  (frequently 
causing  unintentional  disappointment);  besides 
thedilficulty  which  must  have  existed  of  effect- 
ing that  which  has  been  found  so  essential,  the 
enabling  of  these  favourites  '  to  sit  for  their 
portraits  when  in  their  best  trim.'  Thus,  any 
seeming  defects  of  style  being  raised  simply 
in  the  pursuit  of  truth,  will,  it  is  trusted,  be 
leniently  judged."  The  roses  comprised  in 
the  first  part  are  established  favourites,  with 
which  we  are  all  well  acquainted  :  Duche-s  of 
Sutherland,  the  Cloth  of  Gold,  Devoniensis, 
and  Armosa,  all  admirably  represented. 

The  literary  portion  of  each  chapter,  de- 
voted to  a  particular  rose,  commences  with 
the  description  given  in  the  popular  rose 
catalogues,  and  followed  by  the  description 
given  by  the  author ;  for  example : — 

"  DEVONIENSIS. 

"  {Family— Tea-scented.) 

"  Rivers — Creamy  white,  tinted  with  rose. 

"  Lane — Creamy  white,  buff  centre,  beauti- 
ful. 

"  Wood — Straw  colour,  buff  centre,  large, 
splendid. 

"  Paul — Pale  yellow,  superb,  very  large  and 
full 

"  Curtis — Creamy  v^hite,  centre  changing 
to  pale  straw  colour,  tinted  with  pink, 
petals  thick  and  camellia-like,  very 
large  and  powerfully  scented." 

This  little  feature  is  interesting,  because  it 
gives  us,  at  a  single  view,  the  distinctions 
Avhich  are  manifest  to  the  leading  rose  grow- 
ers, and  the  notions  that  each  form  of  their 
colours  and  shades.  It  is  evident  that  these 
gentlemen  have  described  the  rose  in  different 
stages  of  bloom.  We  learn  from  the  work 
before  us,  that  "  the  fortunate  raiser  of  this 
rose  was  the  late  George  Foster,  Esq.  of  Oat- 
land,  near  Devonport,  whose  brother,  Edward 
W.  Foster,  Esq.  has  kindly  favoured  us  with  the 
following  information  as  to  its  parentage,  &c. 
'The  Devoniensis  was  raised  by  my  brother,  a 
genuine  lover  of  horticulture  and  a  true  florist. 
His   opinion  was  that  it  w^as  produced  from 


the  Yellow  China,  by  an  impregnation  of  the 
Yellow  Noisette  Smithii,  which  was  growing 
alongside  it,  as  he  was  in  the  constant  habit  of 
impregnating  his  roses.  One  of  some  seeds 
saved  at  the  same  time  produced  a  rose  much 
like  the  Yellow  Noisette,  but  greatly  inferior 
to  Devoniensis.  It  flowered  the  first  year  from 
the  seed  bed,  but  was  small  and  weak,  and 
the  second  year,  on  being  budded  on  a  strong 
stock,  it  grew  to  a  very  fine  flower.' "  In  the 
following  year  Mr.  Pince,  it  seems,  gave  the 
raiser  twenty  guineas  for  it.  The  popularity 
of  the  rose  seems  rapidly  on  the  increase ;  and 
a  work  like  the  one  before  us  is  calculated  to 
give  a  refined  taste  to  the  cultivator,  not  only 
by  the  selection  of  the  finest  varieties  for  its 
pictorial  illustrations,  but  of  explaining  in 
detail  the  peculiar  merits  of  whatever  is  under 
notice ;  nor  is  the  work  without  claims  on 
account  of  the  instructions  it  contains.  To 
revert  to  the  notice  of  Devoniensis,  which  is 
perhaps  as  noble  and  beautiful  a  rose  as  need 
be  grown  ;  the  author  says  :  — 

"  Our  experience,  from  growing  it  largely, 
proves  how  well  it  repays  high  culture;  for 
against  a  wall  facing  south-east,  we  have  a  fine 
specimen  plant  worked  on  the  Boursault  stock, 
five  years  old,  upwards  of  eiglit  feet  in  height 
by  twelve  in  width.  In  May  it  had  more  than 
forty  expanded  blossoms  at  one  time,  many  of 
them  upwards  of  five  inches  in  diameter,  with 
a  proportionate  number  of  buds  :  we  must 
leave  our  readers  to  imagine  the  beauty  and 
fragrance  of  such  a  plant.  This  rose  is  hardy 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Bristol,  but  in  the 
northern  counties  we  find  it  requires  a  south 
wall,  and  protection  through  the  winter.  In 
light  soils  it  may  be  well  grovv'n  on  its  own  roots, 
but  for  greenhouse  and  general  culture  worked 
plants  are  decidedly  preferable,  combining  the 
advantages  of  greater  hardihood  and  increased 
luxuriance  ;  beds  of  dwai-f  plants  and  for  pot- 
ting worked  on  the  Crimson  Boursault  or 
Celine,  we  find  more  desirable  than  the  brier. 
It  luxuriates  in  a  rich  loamy  soil  ;  but  when 
this  is  not  attainable,  we  advise  that  strong 
manure  be  forked  round  the  roots  in  spi'ing  ; 
so  soon  as  the  blossoms  are  over,  that  the 
blossoming  shoot  be  cut  back  to  two  or  three 
^JQS:,  which  will  induce  a  vigorous  growth, 
terminating  in  flower  ;  thus,  a  bed  of  Devon- 
iensis would  continue  to  bloom,  with  short 
intervals,  from  May  till  November  ;  but  it 
should  be  borne  in  mind,  that  in  proportion  to 
the  regularity  of  the  supply  of  liquid  manure 
(soap  suds,  guano  water,  &c.)  during  dry 
Aveather  will  be  the  increased  strength  of  the 
plant  and  abundance  and  quicker  succession 
of  the  flowers;  for,  delighting  in  a  fertile  moist 
soil,  the  Devoniensis,  perhaps,  more  than  any 
other  rose,  amply  recompenses  the  cultivator 
for  all  the  assiduity  he  bestows  on  it." 


ROSE    CATALOGUES — BRITISH    WILD    FLOWERS. 


503 


If  the  work  be  continued  in  the  present 
size,  and  at  the  price  now  charged,  it  Avill  be 
the  most  beautifal,  and  the  cheapest,  of  all  the 
works  pietoriallj  illustrating  roses. 


the  trade  lists.  Mr,  Rivers  should  undertake 
this  task ;  and  let  the  distinctions  of  eac]\ 
family  be  so  plain  that  a  tyro  may  be  able  to 
read  and  understand. 


ROSE  CATALOGUES. 

This   subject  has   been   frequently  under 
notice  in   a  former  portion  of  our  work,  and 
we  have  strongly  advocated  a  complete  change 
in  the  arrangements  which  now  prevail.    The 
subject  appears  to  have  been  taken  up  in  the 
Gardener  s  Clironicle,   and   is   undergoing  a 
very  fair  discussion,  in  the  hands  of  very  com- 
petent  writers.       One   writer    advocates    an 
entire  change  in  the  arrangement  of  families,  | 
and  proposes  a  very  sweeping  reform,  reducing 
the  present  great  number  of  assumed  faraihes 
to  about  half  a  dozen.      Of  course,   such  a 
change    as    this    cannot    be    popular   among 
dealers ;   but  we  are  glad  to  see  that  one  of 
the  most  extensive,  and  perhaps  most  rational 
of  the  cultivators  for  sale,  admits  the  necessity 
of  an    alteration,   though  not  to  the  extent 
proposed   by  the  Rose  Catalogue  reformers 
who  started  the  subject.     Now,  this  is  just 
wliat  we  wish.     The  attention  is  called  to  a 
great  evil,  and  a  sweeping  remedy  is  proposed. 
The  writer  makes  out  his  case  against  the 
present  system  very  complete  ;  those  who  have 
been  so  long  in  error  admit  tlie  existence  of 
the  evil,   and  object  to  some  of  the  proposed 
changes ;  giving,  however,  excellent  reasons  | 
for  and  against  the  proposed  alterations,  and  | 
suggesting   some   changes  which  they  admit 
may  be  beneficially  made.     Messrs.  Curtis  &  i 
Co.  have  begun  reforming,  and  their  catalogue  i 
is  a  step  in  the  right  direction.    These  gentle- 
men cultivate  the  autumnal  roses  extensively,  ! 
and  exhibited    at    the   Birmingham  show   a  | 
hundred  varieties,  including  the  very  best  in  ! 
cultivation.     They  have  reduced  the  number  j 
of  sections,  and  given  only  the  best  in  each  j 
family  ;  so  that  it  is  impossible,   almost,  to  j 
select  a  second-rate  rose  from  the  whole  cata-  [ 
logue ;   while  they  describe  the  peculiarities 
w^hich  entitle   the  various    families  to   their 
particular  classification.      Nobody  can  doubt  ' 
that  many  of  the  divisions  into  which  roses  \ 
were  separated,  were  "  frivolous  and  vexa- 
tious ; "  while  it  is  universally  admitted  that 
they  were  only  slight  differences  which  gave 
them  to  one  family  or  another,  and  that  the 
distinctions  had  almost  ceased,  from  the  dis- 
tances to  which  new  varieties  strayed  from  ; 
the  parents.     We  trust  that  the  discussion  in 
the    Chronicle  will  lead   to    a  complete   re- 
vision of  the  Rose  Catalogues,  and  that  the  ' 
trade  will  adopt  such  changes  as  shall  simplify 
the  task  of  selecting,  and  disperse  the  mys- 
terious clouds  which  almost  prevented  a  young 
beginner  from  seeing  his  way  through  one  of 


BRITISH    WILD    FLOWERS. 
MTOSOTIS    SUAVEOLENS. 

Myosotissuaveolens,  Kitaibel  (rock  Scorpion- 
grass). — Boragiuaceje. 

This  plant  has  been  known  to  English 
botanists  imder  the  names  of  Myosotis  alpes- 
tris,  and  JM.  rnpicola.  It  is  a  very  rare  and 
pretty  dwarf  plant,  emulating  in  the  pure 
beauty  of  its  blossoms  tiiat  common  species  of 
Myosotis,  of  much  larger  growth,  w^hich 
abounds  by  the  sides  of  water  courses.  The 
latter,  M.palustris,  is  the  true  Forget-me-not. 


Myosotis  suaveolens  is  a  perennial  herb, 
with  somewhat  creeping  root-stem.s,  from 
which  rise  a  profusion  of  root-leaves,  of  an 
elliptic  form,  on  long  slender  stalks.  The 
flower-stems  gi-ow  several  from  the  same  root, 
and  are  from  three  to  six  inches  high,  erect, 
unbranched,  clothed  with  spreading  hairs,  and 
furnished  with  alternate  oblong  lanceolate 
leaves,  which  are  almost  sessile.  The  flow^ers 
appear  in  terminal  racemes,  which  grow  in 
pairs,  often  with  a  solitary  blossom  in  the 
axis;  they  are  large,  handsome,  of  a  delicate 
clear  blue,  with  a  yellow  eye,  pale  pink  in  the 
bud,  fully  as  large  and  showy  as  those  of  M. 


504 


BEITISH    WILD    FLOWERS. 


pahistrh ;  the  racemes  are  sometimes  slightly 
compound  at  their  bases  ;  at  first  they  are 
densely  crowded  and  revolute,  afterwards  they 
become  elongated,  the  pedicels  elongating  as 
well  as  the  common  stalk,  until  they  at  last 
become  longer  than  the  calyx.  The  hairs  of 
the  common  stalk  and  of  the  pedicels  are  short 
and  close-pressed.  The  corolla,  which  is 
hypocrateriform,  has  a  flat  limb,  which  con- 
sists of  five  rounded  lobes,  longer  than  the 
tube.  The  technical  characters  which  bota- 
nists select,  by  which  to  distinguish  this  from 
other  species  of  Myosotis,  are  these  : — "  Calyx 
attenuated  below  ;  limb  of  the  corolla  longer 
than  the  tube ;  root  leaves  on  long  stalks, 
pointed."  These  points  taken  in  connexion 
with  the  further  character,  "  calyx  deeply 
five-cleft,  open,  when  in  fruit  shorter  than  the 
ascending  pedicel,  with  straight  and  a  few 
curved  adpressed  bristles," — all  matters  tiiat 
are  easily  recognised — are  sufficient  to  identify 
this  particular  species,  which  is  one  of  the 
prettiest  of  its  family,  scai'cely  yielding  in  this 
respect  to  the  more  universally  popular  For- 
get-me-not. The  flowering  season  with  31. 
suaveolens  is  July  and  August. 

For  rock-work,  for  flower  borders,  or  for 
pot  culture,  this  plant  is  desirable.  It  is 
especially  suited  for  the  latter  mode  of  culture, 
being  small  in  stature,  and  flowering  freely. 
A  very  pretty  adaptation  of  it  would  be  to 
grow  it  in  pots  as  a  substitute  for  its  more 
robust  neighbour,  the  Forget-me-not.  For 
this  purpose  it  would  require  no  other  than 
the  ordinary  treatment  of  choice  alpines,  witli 
which  in  every  particular  it  would  well  asso- 
ciate. The  plants  should  be  repotted  imme- 
diately after  they  have  done  flowering.  If 
increase  is  wanted,  that  would  be  the  time  to 
divide  them  ;  each  portion  furnished  with  roots 
would  form  a  separate  plant.  But  if  they 
were  to  be  grown  for  ornament,  it  would  not 
be  desirable  to  divide  the  plants  too  much,  or 
too  often,  as  the  larger  patches  would  be  moi  e 
ornamental.  This,  however,  has  its  limits  as 
to  convenience.  Alpine  plants  in  pots  can 
hardly  be  grown  in  pots  larger  than  those 
known  as  forty-eights,  which  are  five  inches 
in  diameter.  The  nearer  a  tuft  of  this,  or  of 
any  other  dwarf  plant  so  cultivated,  filled  out 
this  space,  so  that  the  soil  contained  pasturage 
for  the  roots,  the  more  ornamental  it  might  be 
expected  to  be,  from  the  greater  number  of 
riower  stems  that  would  be  produced  in  the 
mass.  The  soil  should  be  three  parts  of  peat 
earth,  of  rather  a  fat  or  greasy  texture,  to  one 
part  of  sandy  loam  ;  and  the  pots  must  be 
well  drained,  so  that  the  soil  does  not  becom(; 
soddened.  In  winter  the  pots  may  be  pro- 
tected from  frost  by  plunging  them  in  dry 
sawdust  or  coal  ashes  ;  and  provision  should 
be  made   to  tlirow  off  heavy    rains   at  that 


season.  They  need  no  other  protection.  Tn 
spring  they  may  be  taken  up,  and  the  pots  set 
in  an  open  situation,  where  they  may  stand 
till  they  come  into  bloom.  During  their  season 
of  growth,  they  must  not  want  for  water. 

CTPEIPEDIUM   CALCEOLUS. 

Ci/pripedium  Calceolus,  Linnajus  (common 
Lady's  blipper). — Orchidacece  §  Cypripedese. 

To  whatever  interest  this  plant  may  excite 
in  respect  of  its  beauty, — and  of  this  quality 
it  has  by  no  means  an  inconsiderable  share, — 
it  adds  the  additional  zest  of  extreme  rarity. 


Cultivation  or  spoliation  have  so  far  reduced 
its  numbers  in  natural  localities  that  a  wild 
example  of  the  species  is  but  rai-ely  seen  ; 
and  indeed,  even  in  gardens,  though  its  beauty 
entitles  it  to  rank  high  among  the  fair  forms 
there  associated,  it  is  far  from  a  common 
plant.  Ray  records  it  as  growing  in  the 
woods  of  Lancashire,  and  in  woods  near  Ingle- 
borough,  in  Yorkshire  ;  whilst  Hudson,  Curtis, 
and  Withering  record  other  localities  of  a 
similar  character  in  the  county  of  York.  In 
Withering's  time,  however,  Ray's  Yorkshire 
locality  was  searched  in  vain  for  the  Lady's- 
slipper,  "  a  gardener  of  Ingleton,"  as  we  are 
told,  "  having  eradicated  every  plant  for  sale." 
This  practice  of  entirely  eradicating,  from  the 
few  spots  where  they  are  found,  the  rare 
plants  of  the  flora,  for  any  purpose,  and  espe- 


BRITISH    WILD    FLOWEUS. 


505 


cially  for  mere  gain,  whether  followed  in 
Withering's  day,  or  in  our  own,  deserves  to 
be  strongly  reprobated. 

The  genus  Cypripedium,  of  which  C.  Cal- 
ceolus  is  the  only  species  indigenous  to  Eng- 
Lmd,  is  one  of  the  race  of  Orchids.  It  bears 
the  name  of  Lady's-slipper,  in  allusion  to  the 
pouch-like  form  of  the  lip.  The  derivation 
of  the  name  indicates  this  ;  it  is  constructed 
from  Kifpris,  one  of  the  names  of  Venus,  and 
podion,  a  slipper  ;  hence  Lady's-slipper. 

The  root-stock  of  the  English  Lady's- 
slipper  is  perennial,  creeping  underground, 
with  numerous  simple  fleshy  fibres.  The 
stems  grow  erect,  and  are  striated  and  downy, 
reaching  from  twelve  to  eighteen  inches  high  ; 
at  the  lower  part  they  are  invested  with  three 
or  four  alternate  leaves,  the  bases  of  which 
embrace  the  stem  and  overlap  each  other. 
The  leaves  are  ovate,  or  elliptical,  somewhat 
pointed,  longitudinally  ribbed,  and  slightly 
downy,  especially  on  the  back  or  under  sur- 
face. Near  the  top  of  the  stem,  almost  close 
to  the  flower,  there  is  usually  a  smaller  leaf, 
which  may  be  considered  as  a  bract.  The 
flowers,  which  terminate  the  stems,  are  for  the 
most  part  solitary  ;  they  are  large,  very  hand- 
some, and  conspicuous,  though  dull  in  colour. 
Sometimes  very  strong  plants  produce  tivo 
blossoms  on  the  same  stalk ;  in  this  case  each 
is  attended  by  a  bract.  The  corolla  is  brownish 
purple  in  the  sepals  and  petals,  and  yellow  in 
the  lip  ;  the  sepals  are  lanceolate,  extended 
into  a  lengthened  point,  and  are  from  an  inch 
to  an  inch  and  a  half  in  length,  the  upper  one 
growing  erect,  and  bending  forward,  the  other 
two  pointing  downwards,  united  behind  the 
lip,  and  appearing  as  a  single  one  with  a  bifid 
point.  The  two  petals  are  nearly  of  the  same 
general  form  as  the  sepals,  but  narrower,  and 
somewhat  longer,  and  they  have  the  margins 
undulated.  The  lip  is  large,  oblong,  obtuse, 
inflated,  somewhat  compressed  at  the  sides, 
with  an  irregular  longitudinal  fissure  above, 
thus  having  some  resemblance  to  a  wooden 
shoe  ;  it  is  yellow,  netted  with  darker  veins, 
internally  spotted,  and  is  about  an  inch  long. 
The  column,  or  that  part  in  the  centre  of  the 
flowers  of  the  orchidacese  to  which  the  anthers 
and  stigma  are  attached,  in  this  species  ter- 
minates at  the  back  by  a  petaloid  lobe,  which 
is  elliptic,  obtuse,  and  channelled,  and  is  the- 
oretically taken  to  represent  a  barren  stamen, 
the  two  real  anthers  being  separated  by  it. 
These  flowers  are  generally  produced  about 
the  month  of  June. 

The  English  Lady's-slipper,  together  with 
some  species  of  the  family  which  are  natives 
of  North  America,  require  peculiar  treatment. 
They  do  not  thrive  if  planted  promiscuously 
in  gardens,  but  require  to  be  placed  in  a  cool, 
shady,  dampish  spot.     Dryness  and  exposure 


are  fatal  to  them.  Hence,  where  a  few  of 
these  plants  are  brought  together  under  arti- 
ficial cultivation,  it  is  a  usual  and  an  excellent 
practice  to  set  apart  a'  cold  frame  for  their 
especial  use.  In  this  case,  a  bed  of  soil  may 
be  made  up  in  the  bottom  of  the  frame,  and 
the  plants  planted  out  in  the  soil ;  for  in  this 
way  they  are  less  influenced  by  the  vicissi- 
tudes of  management,  and  require  little  atten- 
tion after  planting  ;  in  this  way,  too,  they 
may  be  kept  sufiiciently  moist  without  such 
frequent  applications  of  water  as  are  neces- 
sary when  they  are  planted  in  limited  masses 
of  soil  confined  within  a  garden  pot. 

To  form  a  bed  of  this  kind,  there  should 
be  a  depth  of  three  feet  six  inches  from  the 
glass  sash  which  is  to  cover  the  frame.  Two 
feet  of  this  space  is  to  be  allowed  for  the 
growth  of  the  plants  above  ground ;  one  foot 
for  soil,  and  six  inches  for  drainage  materials, 
which  should  not  be  laid  into  a  mere  hole 
dug  out  the  proper  depth  from  the  surface, 
but  should  have  a  sloping  bottona,  connected 
at  the  lowest  point  with  a  drain  or  outlet  for 
the  water  percolating  through  the  soil,  which 
would  otherwise  be  stagnant  and  sour  the  soil. 
The  drainage  materials  may  be  broken  bricks, 
potsherds,  or  similar  porous  matters,  which  will 
lie  hollow,  to  facilitate  the  passage  of  moisture. 
The  soil  should  be  turfy  peat,  chopped  fine 
with  a  spade,  but  none  of  the  fibre  removed  ; 
this,  being  of  loose  texture,  will  require  mode- 
rate consolidation.  In  this  the  roots  should 
be  planted,  in  autumn  or  spring.  The 
moisture  of  the  soil  should  be  moderate  and 
uniform.  If  the  roots  are  planted  in  autumn, 
and  the  soil  is  damp,  they  will  not  then  re- 
quire watering  ;  but  if  it  is  dry,  they  should 
have  one  thorough  watering.  If  they  are 
planted  in  spring,  they  may  at  once  have  a 
good  watering,  and  may  then  be  shut  down 
close  until  they  begin  to  grow.  During  their 
growth,  the  watering  may  be  repeated,  per- 
haps once  a-month,  when  the  soaking  should 
be  thorough  ;  they  will  not  require  it  more 
frequently,  in  consequence  of  evaporation 
being  in  great  measure  prevented  ;  for  the 
frame  should  be  opened  but  very  little, — that 
is,  to  a  very  small  extent  daily, — during  the 
growing  period,  in  order  to  maintain  a  calm 
moist  atmosphere,  in  which  these  plants  de- 
ight.  The  frame  should  be  shady ;  a  north 
aspect  is  preferable. 

The  propagation  of  these  plants  is  a  very 
slow  process.  They  seldom  admit  of  division, 
by  which  mode  perennials  are  generally  in- 
creased with  the  greatest  facility;  and  seed  is 
but  seldom  to  be  obtained.  There  is  a  pro- 
verbial difBculty  in  raising  plants  of  the  orchis 
race  from  the  seed,  but  it  has  been  accom- 
plished in  some  few  cases,  and  therefore  if 
seed  of  this  plant  can  be  had,  it  is  worth 


506 


THE    CHRYSANTHEMUM    FOR    SHOW. 


sowing.  It  should  be  sown  in  pots  of  peat 
soil,  which  pots  may  be  set  into  the  frame 
where  the  other  plants  are  grown  ;  the  seeds 
being  fine,  should  be  sprinkled  on  the  damp 
surface  of  the  soil,  and  covered  with  a  bell- 
glass  ;  if  they  require  moistening,  water  must 
not  be  poured  over  the  seeds,  but  should  be 
afforded  them  by  capillary  attraction  tlirough 
the  soil,  the  pots  being  set  into  pans,  in  which 


a  supply  of  water  should  be  kept  long  enough 
to  moisten  the  soil. 

These  directions  apply  rather  to  a  collection 
of  kindred  plants,  with  which  the  common 
Lady's-slipper  may  be  associated,  than  espe- 
cially to  that  plant.  It  may  be  grown  in  a 
shady  bed  of  peat  earth,  in.  situations  favour- 
able to  the  growth  of  Rhododendrons  and 
other  "  American  "  shrubs,  as  they  are  called. 


THE  CHRYSANTHEMUM:  ITS  PREPARATION  FOR  SHOYf. 


The  Chrysanthemum  is  so  hardy,  so  obe- 
dient, and  endures  so  much  ill  usage,  that  it 
would  almost  seem  a  work  of  supererogation 
to  say  how  it  ought  to  be  managed  ;  and  yet 
the  growing  and  showing  are  such  different 
things, — or  rather,  the  growing  for  ornament  in 
a  garden,  and  the  growing  for  exhibition,  are 
such  different  matter's, — that  we  shall  be  ex- 
cused for  making  a  few  remarks  on  growing 
them  for  show. 

The  habit  of  the  Chrysanthemum  is  bad  ; 
it  grows  tall  and  gawky  ;  its  lower  leaves 
generally  turn  yellow  oig  fall  off  altogether, 
and  the  whole  plant  looks  untidy  in  our 
English  gardens.  Still,  the  flower  comes 
after  everything  else  has  been  disposed  of  by 
the  frost,  which,  unless  very  severe  indeed,  does 
not  interrupt  the  bloom  of  this  hardy  plant. 
But  when  the  Chrysanthemum  is  designed 
for  exhibition,  much  care  has  to  be  taken 
that  the  plant  is  not  ugly,  if  the  plant  is  to 
"be  shown  ;  and  that  the  flowers  are  of  good 
size,  if  tlie  cut  specimens  are  to  be  tested. 

If  the  plant  is  to  be  shown  in  pots,  you 
have  these  things  to  consider; — whether  you 
intend  to  sacrifice  the  plant  for  the  bloom,  or 
the  bloom  for  the  plant,  or  will  be  content 
with  both  modei'ate.  The  excellence  of  a  pot 
plant  may  be  decided  in  three  ways  ;  a  bushy 
plant  with  many  blooms,  none  very  large  ; 
a  small  plant  with  only  two  or  tliree  blooms, 
very  large  ;  or  a  sort  of  middling  specimen, 
in  which  neither  extreme  shall  be  attempted, 
but  a  moderate  plant  with  a  moderate  flower 
presented  for  judgment.  The  Society,  how- 
ever, at  whicli  the  show  takes  place,  should 
always  settle  these  points. 

If  you  want  a  bushy  jflant  with  many 
blooms,  take  your  struck  cutting  or  healthy 
sucker  early  in  the  spring,  and  take  off  the 
top -within  two  or  three  eyes  of  the  ground  ; 
if  the  pot  in  which  you  receive  it  is  full  of 
roots,  change  it  to  two  sizes  larger,  and  let  it 
be  placed  in  the  cold  frame  and  so  that  it  can- 
be  covered  from  the  sun.  It  will  begin  to 
push  out,  and  if  one  shoot  pushes  further 
than  the  others,  take  off  the  top.  At  the 
beginning  of  May  put  the  plants  out  of  doors 


into  the  shade,  or  at  least  where  the  mid -day 
sun  is  shaded  off,  for  a  little  early  and  late 
sun  will  not  hurt  them.  Here  they  will 
require  watching  and  watering  sometimes, 
and  removing  from  the  ground  lest  their  roots 
should  strike  through.  As  the  shoots  push 
out  again,  they  must  be  shortened  until 
your  plant  is  as  bushy — that  is  to  say,  has  as 
many  branches — as  you  think  there  ought  to 
be,  when  you  have  nothing  to  do  but  to  let  it 
continue  its  growth  till  September,  when  it 
must  be  taken  to  the  frame,  that  it  may  be 
covered  from  frost.  Before  it  is  put  into  the 
frame,  it  must  be  examined  to  see  how  it  is 
for  pot  room,  because  it  is  essential  to  good 
growth  that  there  be  no  cramping  for  pot 
room,  especially  as  the  growth  of  the  flower 
pips  progresses ;  any  check  at  that  time 
would  cramp  them.  Repot  them  therefore 
in  good  time,  and  in  the  frames  they  will  con- 
tinue their  growth.  They  may  in  blooming 
time,  if  a  little  behind  the  season,  be  placed 
in  the  greenhouse,  where  they  will  be  hastened 
a  little,  and  be  kept  from  the  ill  effects  which 
frost  always  has  on  a  blooming  plant,  how- 
ever hardy  it  may  be.  During  the  opening 
of  the  blooms,  water  with  a  little  liquid 
manure  once  or  twice.  Let  the  liquid  be 
made  with  a  shovelfull  of  decayed  cow-dung 
to  three  pails  of  water ;  let  there  be  as  much 
of  this  given  as  there  would  be  of  plain  water, 
and  then  water  with  plain  water  the  next 
three  times  or  four  times,  M'hen  the  cow-dung 
water  may  be  repeated,  but  no  more  given 
until  after  the  flowering  is  over.  This  mode  of 
showing  gives  a  fine  noble  plant,  with  flowers 
two-thirds  their  proper  size,  but  many  of 
them. 

The  second  way  of  showing  is  to  strike  the 
top  cutting  of  a  plant  in  July,  and  to  pot  in 
a  small  pot,  and  place  it  in  the  open  garden. 
Let  the  pots  be  changed  as  often  as  tlie  roots 
fill  them,  and  continue  them  out  of  doors. 
These  will  be  earlier  in  flower  than  the 
others.  In  September  the  plants  must  be 
placed  in  the  frame,  after  being  well  shii'ted 
and  watered.  Plere  they  may  wait  for  your 
general  shift  to  the  greenhouse,  where  they 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


507 


will  have  a  little  more  warmth,  and  where 
the  blooms  will  be  developed  of  a  much  larger 
size  than  on  the  bushy  plant,  and  the  plant 
would  be  much  shorter  than  if  it  had  not 
been  a  late  cutting  ;  btcause  when  the  plants 
or  early  cuttings  are  allowed  to  grow  on  and 
the  tops  are  not  used,  a  variety  which  by 
means  of  a  July  cutting  could  be  grown  and 
flowered  a  foot  high,  would  be  nearer  three 
feet  if  grown  without  topping.  These  cut- 
tings taken  in  July  may  either  be  grov>'n  in 
small  pots  and  changed  from  time  to  time  to 
larger  ones,  or  placed  at  once  into  six-inch 
pots  and  not  changed  at  all.  The  result  of 
changing  from  time  to  time  is,  that  wholesome 
checks  to  luxuriant  growth  can  be  given  by 
protracting  the  move  from  first  to  second, 
and  second  to  third. 

To  show  the  largest-sized  blooms,  perhaps 
there  is  not  a  better  means  of  attaining  size 
than  growing  the  early  suckers  or  cuttings  as 
luxuriantly  as  possible,  without  caring  what 
height  they  may  reach,  because  in  reality,  as 
the  bloom  is  to  be  cut,  the  figure  of  the  plant 
is  nothing.  The  early  suckers  may  be  placed 
in  pots  size  thirty-two,  as  soon  as  they  are 
fairly  rooted  and  established,  and  in  rich  soil ; 


these  may  grow  until  they  fill  the  pots  with 
roots,  and  then  be  shifted  to  size  twenty-four  ; 
and  if  they  do  not  bloom  before  they  fill  these 
pots  also  with  roots,  water  tliem  after  that 
with  liquid  manure,  made  as  we  have  already 
described,  about  every  fourth  time  they  are 
watered  at  all.  All  blooms  intended  for  show 
must  be  kept  from  the  frost,  and  therefore 
a  pit  or  a  greenhouse  is  indispensable.  The 
size  of  the  bloom  is  considered  the  great 
merit,  if  in  other  respects  flowers  are  of 
equally  good  properties  ;  but  form  in  the 
Chrysanthemum  is  a  great  point,  and  yet 
there  is  no  flower  in  which  the  form  of  the 
bloom  is  so  diversified,  some  curling  one  way, 
some  the  other,  some  growing  over  towards 
the  centre,  others  reflexing  towards  the  back. 
The  only  thing  to  care  about  is  the  roundness 
of  the  outline,  the  half-roundness  of  the  face, 
and  the  closeness  of  the  eye;  the  manner  of 
making  up  this  form  is  of  secondary  consi- 
deration. The  colours  are  not  much  divei'si' 
fied  :  yellows,  whites,  dirty  reds — for  there  is 
hardly  a  clear  shade  of  pink  or  red  among 
them, — and  dirty  purples,  are  the  principal, 
and  there  does  not  seem  a  pi'ospect  of  im- 
provement in  this  respect. 


FLOEICULTURE  OF  THE  MONTH. 

BY  GEORGK  GLENNT. 


The  Dahlia  shows  closed  brilliantly.  The 
largest  by  far  was  the  great  central  show  for 
all  England  at  the  Town  Hall,  Birmingham, 
where  the  prizes  amounted  to  163/.,  and  the 
subscriptions  and  entries  to  about  180Z.  or 
190/.  The  flowers  were  the  best  of  the 
season,  and  nearly  all  the  seedlings  of  the  year 
were  placed  in  their  proper  ranks.  From 
their  allotted  places  they  were  not  removed  at 
the  last  show  of  all,  the  closing  one  at  Slough. 
The  first-class  show- flowers  were  Magnificent, 
Sir  Fi-ederick  Bathurst,  Mrs.  Seldon,  Snow- 
flake  ;  and  a  doubtful  one  as  to  first  or  second, 
being  occasionally  placed  in  both  classes,  was 
Premier,  which  has  some  exceeding  good  pro- 
perties. Of  second-class  flowers  there  were 
perhaps  a  dozen.  The  three  shows  that  set- 
tled the  fate  of  seedlings  were  Shacklewell, 
Birmingham,  and  Slough,  and  the  varieties 
that  were  not  shown  at  one  of  these  three 
may  be  dispensed  with,  unless  they  come  with 
a  strong  recommendation  from  acknowledged 
judges,  and  good  reasons  for  not  being  exhi- 
bited. The  three  shows  in  question  made 
&  proper  distinction  between  first  and  second- 
class  flowers,  selecting  those  that  were  exceed- 
ingly fine  and  a  decided  advance  for  the  first 
class,  and  useful  flowers,  such  as  are  an  acqui- 


sition in  their  classes  but  not  so  good  as  the 
others,  as  second  class.  We  are  quite  well 
assured  that  some  of  the  second-class  varieties 
will  be  found  in  every  stand ;  that  is,  if  the 
owners  judiciously  charge  a  less  price.  The 
mistaken  notion  that  a  variety  is  worth  half  a 
guinea  or  nothing  must  be  abandoned.  The 
difficulty  of  cutting  twenty-four  blooms  to 
please  a  fastidious  exhibitor  is  so  great,  that 
any  variety  that  will  come  to  the  stand  even 
tolerably  good  may  be  one  day  very  useful,  so 
that  second-class  flowers  may  be  generally 
esteemed  pretty  nearly  as  good  as  one  half 
the  first-class  flowers  of  former  years.  The 
first-class  Dahlias  of  the  Floricultural  Society 
of  London  last  year,  with  one  exception,  were 
inferior  to  many  second-class  ones  at  Shackle- 
well,  Birmingham,  and  Slough.  The  fancy 
flowers  made  a  start  this  year,  and  Procter's 
Elizabeth,  a  sort  of  amethyst  colour  and  white, 
of  exquisite  form,  but  probably  a  hard  openei', 
is  the  only  first-class  flower  of  the  fancy 
varieties ;  but  there  are  many  that  have  had 
first-class  certificates  at  different  places,  though 
not  deserving  them.  A  ribbed  petal,  a  rough 
outline,  an  open  face,  or  some  other  blemish 
puts  them  out  of  the  highest  class,  but  a  new 
colour  or  an  improvement  upon  an  old  one 


508 


FLORICULTURE    OF    THE    MONTH. 


many  of  which  are  at  present  very  deficient, 
entitles  them  to  places  among  the  new  varie- 
ties that  may  be  adopted  safely.  We  do  not 
think  there  is  a  single  flower  that  had  a  certi- 
ficate first  or  second  at  the  three  shows  in 
question,  but  it  may  be  safely  purchased  at 
the  proper  value.  We  are  glad  to  see  the 
Dahlia  upon  the  move  again,  and  we  think 
the  plan  to  be  adopted  at  the  great  annual 
show  next  year  is  likely  to  cause  many  to 
purchase  new  flowers.  One  of  the  principal 
classes  is  to  have  twenty  prizes  for  the  best 
six  new  flowers  let  out  in  May  1850,  and  that 
all  men  may  exhibit,  the  entrance  is  to  be 
nominal — only  one  shilling.  The  Birmingham 
Town  Hall  has  been  considered  by  exhibitors 
to  be  by  far  the  best  adapted  place  for  a  large 
exhibition,  but  nothing  is  decided  on  at  pre- 
sent, except  that  it  will  be  under  the  same 
direction  as  the  last.  The  Shacklewell  show 
is  to  be  renewed  upon  the  same  scale  as  the 
last.  The  Stoke  Newington  exhibition  will 
be  continued,  and  in  Bethnal  Green  and 
Poplar  nearly  a  score  of  Societies  for  the  Dahlia 
alone  are  formed  or  forming.  At  the  meeting 
of  florists  and  amateurs  in  the  town  of  Bir- 
mingham, consequent  upon  the  central  Dahlia 
show,  it  was  unanimously  resolved  that  we 
should  take  the  lead  of  a  garden  newspaper  ; 
and  eighty-four  nurserymen,  gardeners,  and 
amateurs,  pledged  themselves  to  support  any 
paper  that  we  should  conduct.  Of  course, 
eighty  four  persons  would  do  very  little  to- 
wards supporting  a  newspaper,  but  such  a 
body  of  persons,  comprising  the  leading  florists 
and  amateurs,  with  some  influential  gardeners, 
form  no  bad  Committee  to  collect  other  names ; 
and  as  far  as  we  have  had  time  to  inquire  into 
the  matter,  not  a  single  refusal  has  been 
given.  It  may  be  just  mentioned  here,  that 
having  been  induced  by  fallacious  promises 
to  abandon  the  Gazette  for  a  newspaper  that 
was  to  support  them  in  old  age,  the  gardeners 
themselves  have  evinced,  as  much  anxiety  as 
anybody  to  see  us  at  the  head  of  a  paper,  now 
that  the  bankruptcy  and  sale  of  their  own 
journal  has  opened  their  eyes  to  the  deception 
that  was  practised  on  their  credulity  by  the 
few  who  alone  derived  a  benefit  from  the  con- 
cern. There  is  no  longer  any  doubt  of  our 
resuming  our  place  on  a  garden  newspaper 
that  will  be  second  only  to  the  Gardener's 
Chronicle,  and  so  far  as  we  have  yet  been 
assured  at  public  meetings,  those  two  papers 
will  be  the  only  ones  supported  by  the  leading 
persons  among  florists  and  amateurs.  Mean- 
while, until  our  arrangements  are  complete, 
those  who  cannot  do  without  a  newspaper  will' 
find  all  the  leading  advertisers  use  the  Gar- 
dener's Chronicle.  When  the  new  one  appears, 
the  only  rivalry  will  be  an  endeavour  to  sur- 
pass it  in  usefulness.     The  show  of  roses  at 


the  Town  Hall,  Birmingham,  was  extensive 
and  unique.  They  were  exhibited  chiefly  by 
Curtis  &  Co.,  of  Moorend,  Bristol,  and  call 
for  especial  notice.  While  in  Birmingham  we 
fell  in  with  a  Fuchsia  very  little  noticed  there, 
but  quite  a  gem  in  its  way.  It  was  called 
Roseola,  (scarlet  outside,  purple  corolla,  and 
sepals  prettily  reflexed,)  and  was  in  many 
hands.  Another  not  yet  out,  raised  by  a 
Mr.  Stoaks  at  West  Bromwich,  was  very 
pretty  ;  the  sepals  white  outside,  pinkish 
inside,  the  corolla  a  good  contrast,  and  the 
blooms  reflexing  very  gracefully  ;  but  as  we 
only  saw  a  bloom,  we  can  say  nothing  for  the 
habit.  Antirrhinums  have  become  weeds. 
Scores  of  scratchy  varieties,  without  any 
striking  feature  about  them,  are  plentiful  as 
blackberries.  The  style  that  is  valuable 
should  present  a  striking  contrast,  likePictum, 
by  some  called  Bicolor,  but  pure  white  up  the 
tube  and  bright  crimson  scarlet  at  the  mouth. 
Yellow  and  scarlet,  white  and  purple,  sulphur 
and  orange,  are  all  pretty  and  striking,  but 
the  hundreds  that  are  now  produced  with 
merely  scratches  of  different  colours  on  a  light 
ground,  are  worthless.  Their  character  can- 
not be  seen  at  a  few  feet  distance,  whereas 
when  the  two  colours  are  well  defined  and 
contrasted,  they  are  useful.  Of  the  hundreds 
we  have  seen.  Brilliant  (orange  and  red). 
Surplus  (pink  and  yellow),  Diana  (salmon 
and  yellow),  Meadow  (blush  rose  and  white), 
and  the  old  Pictum  (crimson-scarlet,  and 
white),  are  decidedly  the  best  ;  but  it  is  only 
a  fine  border  perennial  at  the  best,  and  has  no 
business  in  a  pot.  We  venture  now  to  recom- 
mend those  Societies  which  meet  early  enough, 
to  give  prizes  for  the  best  hyacinths  ;  for 
although  there  is  no  merit  in  producing  the 
flowers,  there  is  more  difference  as  to  the 
quality  in  the  hands  of  different  growers  than 
any  one  who  has  not  seen  it  would  believe. 
The  management  of  a  hyacinth  is  a  very  nice 
affair,  and  there  will  be  many  degrees  of 
quality  even  among  the  dealers  who  affect  to 
grow  them  for  show.  There  is  not  a  flower 
produced  so  truly  valuable  in  close  manufac- 
turing towns  as  the  hyacinth.  The  simple 
means  by  which  the  flower  can  be  produced, 
under  the  most  adverse  circumstances,  entitle 
it  to  the  consideration  of  everybody  who  has 
a  window.  Bulbs  in  general  have  this  cha- 
racteristic, but  there  are  exceptions,  while  the 
hyacinth  knows  none.  In  reverting  once 
more  to  the  Dalilia,  we  ought  to  observe  that 
if  any  have  escaped  us,  it  may  be  attributed 
to  that  false  pride  which  induces  men  to 
depend  on  their  own  recommendation  rather 
than  submit  the  blooms  to  a  competent  autho- 
rity. All  we  have  seen  we  shall  give  a  list 
of,  together  with  a  notice  of  their  qualities,  at 
the  close  of  the  year. 


THE    AMERICAN    ALOE. 


503 


THE  AMERICAN  ALOE. 
There  is  a  popular  notion  respecting  the 
Amerian  Aloe,  that  it  blooms  but  once  in 
a  hundred  years  ;  but  this,  like  many  other 
popular  notions,  is  an  error,  though  based 
upon  a  semblance  of  truth.  The  facts  are 
these  ; — the  climate  of  England  does  not  serve 
to  keep  the  American  Aloe  in  a  state  of  rapid 
development ;  and  the  treatment  that  it  gets 
rather  retards  it  than  otherwise.  Thus  it 
stands  from  year  to  year  with  but  little  percep- 
tible change,  until  at  last,  under  the  influence 
of  some  extraordinary  check,  such  as  a  tho- 
rough drying,  enough  to  kill  any  less  enduring 
subject,  up  starts  the  heart,  elongating  into 
a  flower  stem,  which  going  through  its  allotted 
functions,  perishes,  and  with  it  the  plant  that 
nurtured  it,  leaving  behind  a  progeny  of 
suckers  which  spring  from  its  roots.     Now 


this  fate  awaits  the  plant  at  some 
period  or  other  of  its  existence, 
and  it  can  happen  but  once  ;  and 
just  according  as  the  circumstances 
under  which  the  plants  are  placed 
accelerate  or  retard  this  final  result, 
so  will  the  plant  bloom  at  an  earlier 
or  later  period  from  the  time  of  its 
infancy,  or  original  development, 
as  a  sucker  from  some  former  flow- 
ering plant.  No  doubt  in  many 
cases,  the  plants  which  bloom  in 
English  gardens  are  veritably  a 
hundred  years  old  ;  some  probably 
attain  even  a  greater  age. 

During  the  present  autumn,  one 
of  these  remarkable  plants  has  been 
flowering  in  the  ancient  botanic 
garden  of  the  Society  of  Apothe- 
caries, at  Chelsea.  This  plant,  how- 
ever, is  not  the  common  American 
Aloe,  Agave  aviericana,  but  a  dif- 
ferent species,  supposed  to  be  the 
Agave  mexlcana.  We  are  indebted 
for  the  following  account  of  this 
plant  to  Mr.  Moore,  the  Curator  of 
the  Chelsea  garden  : — 

"  The  general  aspect  of  this 
plant,  before  it  gave  evidence  of 
flowering,  was  not  dissimilar  to 
that  of  Agave  americana,  but  in 
its  flowering  state  it  proves  quite 
diflferent  from  that  species,  espe- 
cially in  the  arrangement  of  its 
inflorescence,  which,  instead  of 
forming  a  pyramidal  head,  with  ho- 
rizontal branches,  has  the  branches 
;,  ascending  and  forming  a  dense 
head,  which  becomes  thicker  and 
broader  upwards.  There  sfems 
little  doubt  that  this  plant  has  been 
reared,  and  probably  from  its  very 
infancy,  in  this  garden ;  and  it  is 
therefore  to  be  regretted  that  no  record  of  its 
origin,  nor  any  historical  particulars  respecting 
it,  appear  to  have  been  preserved.  Under 
these  circumstances,  it  is  impossible  to  form 
even  a  conjecture  as  to  the  actual  age  of  the 
plant.  But  considering  that  it  has  naturally 
a  somewhat  less  massive  appearance  than  the 
common  Agave,  it  would  appear  to  be  a  full- 
sized  specimen,  the  spread  of  its  leaves  being 
about  seven  feet,  their  height  four  feet,  and 
the  height  of  the  flowering  stem,  measuring 
from  the  base  of  the  plant,  nineteen  feet  six 
inches.  This  stem  has  twenty-four  branches, 
and  these  are  again  subdivided  into  eight 
secondary  branches,  terminated  each  by  a 
cluster  of  flowers  ;  the  number  of  flowers  may 
be  estimated  at  about  4,000 ;  thus,  21x8  x  24 
=  4,032.  The  expanded  flowers  are  found 
on  examination,  and  especially  when  confined, 


510 


THE    AMERICAN    ALOE. 


to  have  a  strong  and  very  disagreeable  odour, 
which  I  can  compare  with  nothing  but  that  of 
decomposing  cabbages.  They  contain  also 
a  clear  liquid,  the  taste  of  which  is  a  com- 
pound of  sweetness  and  nauseousness. 

"  The  flowering  stem  became  visible  about 
the  ijiiddie  of  June,  resembling  in  the  first 
stages  of  its  progress  a  giant  head  of  aspa- 
ragus. Its  growth  was  rapid  for  three-fourths 
of  its  height,  and  until  the  branches  became 
developed,  when  its  progress  was  less  marked. 
The  first  blossoms,  those  of  the  lowest  and 
least  vigorous  branches  of  the  panicle,  were 
developed  in  the  first  week  of  September  ; 
and  the  apex  of  the  panicle  expanded  its 
flowers  in  the  first  week  of  October.  No  par- 
ticular record  of  its  rate  of  growth  was  pre- 
served, in  consequence  of  an  impression  that 
it  was  merely  the  common  species,  whose 
progress  has  been  already  often  registered. 
The  plant  had  no  shelter  during  the  summer 
beyond  what  was  afforded  by  the  situation  of 
the  garden  ;  and  but  some  very  slight  assist- 
ance from  a  small  quantity  of  decaying  leaves 
and  grass  laid  around  the  tub  in  which  it  was 
growing;  but  it  is  probable  that  this  slight 
stimulus  may  account,  in  some  measure,  for 
its  more  rapid  growth  in  its  earlier  stages, 
than  afterwards,  when  that  stimulus  became 
exhausted. 

"  The  following  is  a  more  detailed  descrip- 
tion of  the  plant  in  its  flowering  condition  : 
Stem  short,  terminated  by  thick  fleshy  leaves, 
as  in  Agave  americana.  Leaves  numerous, 
the  central  ones  erect  in  the  early  flowering 
stage,  all  becoming  flaccid  and  drooping  by 
the  time  of  the  expansion  of  the  flowers  ; 
narrower  and  more  attenuated  than  those  of 
Agave  americana  ;  the  largest  about  four 
feet  long  by  four  and  a  half  inches  wide,  the 
sides  nearly  parallel  to  within  a  foot  of  the 
apex,  then  gradually  tapering  to  a  point ; 
nearly  plain  abova,  convex  beneath  ;  the 
smaller  ones  towards  the  centre  about  three 
feet  long  by  three  inches  wide,  concave  above, 
convex  beneath,  tapering  almost  regularly 
from  the  base  to  the  apex  ;  the  smallest 
gradually  passing  into  bracts.  The  colour  of 
the  leaves  is  a  pale  glaucous  green.  Their 
margins  are  not  indented,  as  seen  in  Agave 
americana,  but  are  set  with  small  distinct 
chestnut-coloured  spines,  which  project  about 
an  eighth  of  an  inch  (half  the  size  of  those  of 
Agave  americana,  on  vigorous  plants),  and 
are  usually  set  at  a  right  angle  with  the  mar- 
gin, but  sometimes  curved,  and  pointing  back- 
wards or  forwards,  slender  and  tapering  from 
a  broad  base,  as  in  the  prickles  of  the  dog-* 


rose  ;  each  leaf  is  terminated  by  a  strong 
dark-brown  spine,  an  inch  long.  Flowering- 
stem  erect,  from  the  centre  of  the  leaves, 
furnished  throughout  with  alternate  bracts, 
which  become  smaller  upwards,  the  lower 
ones  gradually  passing  into  leaves.  The 
bracts  are  sessile,  half  encircling  the  stem  by 
their  base,  and  lengthened  out  into  a  narrow 
taper  point.  The  flowering-stem,  from  its 
base  above  the  insertion  of  the  central  leaves, 
is  seventeen  feet  six  inches  high  ;  at  this  base, 
which  is  the  thickest  part,  one  foot  three  inches 
in  diameter,  and  ten  inches  in  diameter  just 
below  the  flowering  branches,  the  stoutest  of 
which  are  two  inches  and  three-quarters  in 
diameter.  The  lower  half  of  this  stem  bears 
only  a  few  abortive  branches,  but  the  upper  half 
is  densely  panicled.  Flower- 
ing branches  ascending, 
again  alternately  branched, 
the  secondary  branches 
forming  dense  corymbose 
panicles,  of  from  eighteen 
to  twenty-five  flowers  ; 
lower  primary  branches 
thin,  with  fewer  flowers, 
the  upper  ones  becoming 
larger  and  more  crowded 
with  blossoms ;  the  apex  is 
simply  branched.  The  out- 
lineoftheinflorescencethus 
becomes  somewhat  club- 
shaped,  slightly  length- 
ened out  at  the  top.  Pe- 
rianth erect,funnel-shaped, 
with  an  erect  limb,  yel- 
lowish-green, three  inches 
long,  including  thegermen, 
which  it  equals  in  length. 
Sepaline  divisions  linear- 
lance  shaped,  petaline  divi- 
sions linear-oblong  obtuse, 
with  broad  thin  margins, 
otherwise  of  the  substance 
of  the  sepals,  which  are 
thick  and  fleshy.  The 
sepaline  divisions  overlap 
the  thin  margins  of  the 
petaline  segments  in  the 
bud  state,  in  which  state  the  former  appear 
twice  the  width  of  the  latter,  which  is  seen 
not  to  be  the  case  after  expansion.  Stamens 
protruding  beyond  the  perianth,  about  its  own 
length  ;  anthers  versatile,  yellow,  an  inch 
long.  Pistil  equalling  the  perianth  in  the 
earlier  stages  of  the  development  of  the  blos- 
som, subsequently  becoming  elongated,  and 
ultimately  equalling  the  stamens  in  length." 


oil 


NEW   FLOWERS   AND   PLANTS. 


Nepenthes  sanguinea,  Lindleij  (blood- 
stained Pitcher-plant). — Nepenthaceas, — This 
is  one  of  the  many  beautiful  forms  of  the 
very  curious  and  interesting  race  of  Pitcher- 
plants.  They  are  all  more  or  less  scandent 
in  their  habit  of  growth,  but  the  most  remark- 
able feature  about  them  is  the  odd-sliaped 
pitchers,  or  ascidia,  as  they  are  called,  which 
dangle  about  from  the  end  of  the  leaves,  by  a 
coi'd  which  appears  like  an  extension  of  the 
mid-rib  of  the  leaf.  In  this  species  the 
ascidia  are  oblong,  with  two  fimbriated  wings 
down  the  front,  and  a  broad  repand  plaited 
collar  around  the  mouth  of  the  pitcher  ;  the 
colour  is  a  deep  crimson,  and  the  petiole  is 
smooth.     Native  of  Mount  Ophir  in  Malacca. 

Introduced  in  1848.    Flowers .    Culture. 

Requires  a  hot  mcist  stove  ;  to  be  potted  in 
loose  material,  as  chopped  sphagnum,  fibrous 
peat,  charcoal,  and  potsherds  ;  propagated  by 
layers,  or  by  cuttings,  planted  in  a  similar 
medium,  and  kept  very  close. 

Nepenthes  albo-maeginata,  Lohh  (white- 
edged  Pitcher-plant),  — Nepenthaceas. — A 
small  growing,  but  very  graceful  pitcher- 
plant,  the  ascidia  of  which  are  narrowly  oval, 
with  two  narrow  toothed  wings  down  the 
front,  and  a  narrow  plaited  collar  round  the 
rim  of  the  oi'ifice  of  the  pitcher,  close  beneath 
which  is  a  broad  band  of  silvery  wool  ;  the 
colour  is  green,  and  the  petiole  is  woolly,  with 
short  soft  hairs.  It  is  one  of  the  prettiest  of 
its  race  as  yet  known,  and  one  of  the  most 
graceful.  Native  of  Mount  Ophir  in  Ma- 
lacca,    Introduced  in   1848.     Flow^ers . 

Culture. — Requires  a  hot  moist  stove  ;  to  be 
potted  in  loose  material,  such  as  chopped  moss, 
fibrous  peat  soil,  charcoal  and  potsherds  ;  pro- 
pagated by  layers  or  by  cuttings  planted  in  a 
similar  medium,  and  kept  very  close. 

Nepenthes  Hookeriana,  Low  {^irW. 
Hooker's  Pitcher-plant). — This  is  one  of  the 
larger  species  of  pitcher-plant.  In  its  native 
country  it  climbs  to  the  tops  of  the  trees. 
The  ascidia  are  of  two  kinds,  the  broader  one 
generally  crimson,  the  longer  one  (nine 
inches  in  length)  trumpet-shaped,  and  green 
spotted  with  crimson  ;  the  broad  ascidia  are 
produced  near  tlie  base  of  the  plant.  These 
ascidia  have  two  broad  ciliated  wings,  and  a 
plaited  collar.     Native  of  Borneo  and  Mount 

Ophir.     Introduced  in  1847.     Flowers . 

Culture. — Requires  a  hot  moist  stove ;  to  be 
potted  in  loose  fibrous  peat,  chopped  moss, 
and  potsherds  ;  the  branches  carefully  sup- 
ported— they  do  not  like  to  be  much  handled; 
propagated  by  cuttings,  kept  closely  covered 
in  a  moist  atmosphere. 

GoNOLOBCS  Martianus,  Hoolier  (Dr,  Von 


Martius'  Gonolobus), — Asclepiadacete  §  Go- 
nolobea3. — A  fine  showy  soft-wooded  climbing 
plant,  spreading  over  a  large  space,  with  nu- 
merous hairy  branches.  The  leaves  are 
oblong-ovate,  with  a  cordate  base,  hairy  on 
both  sides  ;  from  their  axils  grow  the  solitary 
peduncles,  bearing  the  many-flowered  umbels 
of  blossoms,  the  calyx  of  which  is  red,  of  five 
lance-shaped  segments,  the  corolla  white,  with 
a  green  radiating  ring  at  the  base,  the  central 
staminal  crown  being  also  greenish.  Native 
of  the  island  of  St.  Sebastian,  Brazih  Intro- 
duced in  1846.  Flowers  in  the  summer 
months.  It  is  the  Fisclieria  3Iartiana  (De- 
caisne).  Culture. — Requires  a  stove  :  loam 
and  peat  soil ;  propagated  readily  by  cuttings 
in  a  hot-bed  frame,  or  close  moist  heat. 

CuPANiA  CuNNiNGHAMi,  Hooker  (Mr.  Cun- 
ningham's Cupania).  —  Sapindacece  §  Sa- 
pindeae. — A  large-growing  shrub,  or  rather  a 
tree,  adapted  only  for  planting  in  very  large 
conservatories  ;  there  having  a  fine  appear- 
ance from  its  large  pinnated  leaves,  from  one 
to  two  feet  long,  consisting  of  four  or  five  pairs 
of  glossy  elliptic  leaflets,  rather  than  from  any 
beauty  in  its  blossoms,  which  grow  in  large 
terminal  panicles,  but  are  so  small  and  scat- 
tered as  to  be  inconspicuous  ;  the  colour  of 
the  small  petals  is  white,  but  these  are  nearly 
concealed  by  the  green  calyx.  It  may  be 
kept  small  for  many  years  by  cramping  its 
roots,  but  does  not  then  acquire  the  noble 
character  it  assumes  when  growing  more 
freely.  Native  of  New  Holland,  on  the  east 
coast.  Introduced  in  1820.  Flowers  in 
summer.  It  has  hitherto  been  known  as 
Stadmannia  australis  (Allan  Cunningham). 
Culture. — Requires  a  greenhouse  —  rather 
warm,  to  induce  it  to  flower  ;  loam  and  peat  ; 
propagated  by  seeds  when  obtainable,  very 
sparingly,  if  at  all,  by  cuttings,  as  it  does  not 
produce  lateral  branches. 

NiPHyEA  RUBiDA,  Lemaire  (reddish- veined 
Niphsea). — Gesneraceas  §  Gesnere^. — A  dwarf 
tuberous-rooted  herbaceous  plant,  growing 
three  or  four  inches  high,  wnth  a  few  spread- 
ing ovate  veiny  velvety  leaves,  with  a  cordate 
base,  mostly  situated  towards  the  top  of 
its  short  stem  ;  from  the  axils  of  these 
leaves  grow  up  an  abundant  succession  of 
small  white  flowers,  individually  neat  but 
simple,  though  in  the  mass  somewhat  showy  ; 
they  are  rotate,  that  is,  having  a  spreading 
limb  connected  to  a  very  short  tube  ;  they 
are  five-lobed,  the  two  upper  smaller  than  the 
others,  nearly  an  inch  across,  pure  white, 
with  a  yellow  stain  at  the  base,  and  yellow 
anthers.  Native  probably  of  Guatemala. 
Introduced  in  1847.     Flowers  in  the  autumn. 


512 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


It  is  altogether  a  smaller  plant  than  its  close 
congener,  iV.  ohlonga.  Culture. — Requires 
to  be  started  in  spring  in  a  very  mild  hot-bed, 
or  warm  pit,  and  to  be  grown  during  summer 
in  a  greenhouse-stove,  that  is,  in  a  tempera- 
ture below  that  usual  in  a  stove,  and  then  in 
autumn  removed  to  a  light  stove  to  blossom  ; 
turfy  peat  and  loam  ;  the  tubers  should  be 
planted  in  broad  pots  or  small-sized  seed-pans, 
so  as  to  get  a  broad  mass  of  the  flowers  ;  pro- 
pagated readily  by  its  scaly  roots,  which  re- 
quire to  be  kept  dry  and  free  from  frost  in 
winter. 

Crowea  saligna,  var.  stricta  (upright- 
branched  willow-leaved  Crowea). — Rutacese  § 
BoronieEe. — A  very  desirable  variety  of  the 
well-known  Crowea  saligna.  Like  that  spe- 
cies, it  is  a  dwarf  evergi-een  shrub,  of  branch- 
ing habit,  with  lance-shaped  leaves,  and  a 
profusion  of  large  rose-coloured  starry  blos- 
soms from  their  axils.  In  this  variety,  how- 
ever, the  branches  have  all  a  remarkable  ten- 
dency to  grow  erect,  so  as  to  give  the  plants 
quite  a  different  aspect.  The  flowers  are 
about  an  inch  across,  consisting  of  five  pointed 
spreading  petals,  which  give  it  a  star-like 
form  ;  they  are  deep  rose-colour,  and  are  pro- 
duced freely  along  all  the  branches.  Pro- 
bably a  native  of  New  Holland.     Introduced 

?     Cultivated  in    1848.       Flowers    for 

several  months  of  the  summer  and  autumn. 
Culture. — Requires  a  warm  greenhouse,  and 
should  have  a  little  extra  heat  in  spring  ; 
turfy  sandy  peat  ;  propagated  by  cuttings 
planted  in  sand  under  bell-glasses  in  a  mild 
heat. 

Ndttallia  cerasiformis,  Torrey  ^'  Gray 
(bird-cherry-like  Nuttallia). — Rosaceas  §  Quil- 
laige. — A  neat-looking  dwarf  deciduous  shrub, 
with  something  the  appearance  of  the  bird- 
cherry.  It  grows  two  feet  high,  with  thin  half- 
transparent  smooth  foliage,  of  an  oblong-ob- 
ovate,  or  oblong  form,  pale  green  above,  rather 
glaucous  beneath.  The  flowers  grow  in 
nodding  racemes,  which  spring  from  the  base 
of  the  young  shoots  opposite  one  of  the  earliest 
leaves  ;  they  are  small,  greenish  white,  and 
have  five  petals,  which  soon  fall.  Native  of 
California,  in  the  woods  near  Monterey.  In- 
troduced in  1848  by  the  Horticultural  Society 
of  London.  Flowers  in  February  and  March, 
before  the  leaves  are  produced.  Culture. — 
Hardy  ;  good  garden  soil ;  propagated  by 
suckers,  by  layers,  or  by  seeds. 

Azalea  ramentacea,  Lindley  (ramen- 
taceous  Chinese  Azalea). — Ericacece  §  Rhodo- 
dendrese. — A  neat  dwarf  distinct-looking  ever- 
green shrub,  possessing  the  general  character^r 
of  the  ordinary  Chinese  Azaleas.  The  leaves 
are  flat,  very  obtuse,  "  often  nearly  round, 
and  at  the  most  only  oblong."  The  flowers 
gi'ow  in  spare  umbels  from  the  tips  of  the 


branches ;  they  are  small,  white,  and  have 
but  five  stamens ;  the  calyx  and  pedicels 
are  without  glands  or  setae,  but  are  fur- 
nished with  ramentaceous  hairs  ;  these  hairs 
form  a  fringe  to  the  sepals,  which  are  naked 
on  the  back.  Native  of  China  :  said  to 
be  from  Hong  Kong.  Introduced  in  1846. 
Flowers  in  spring.  Culture. — Requires  a 
greenhouse ;  turfy  peat  soil  ;  propagated  by 
cuttings  planted  in  sand  under  bell-glasses 
and  set  in  the  greenhouse. 

P^CHEVERiA  laxa,  LindUy  (loose-flowered 
Echeveria)  — CrassulacetB  §  CrassulcEe. — A 
distinct-looking  and  rather  pretty  perennial 
tufted  succulent  plant,  with  concave  ovate- 
acuminate  leaves,  of  fleshy  texture,  very  glau- 
cous when  young,  becoming  yellowish  green 
with  age  ;  they  form  a  sessile  rosette.  The 
flowering  stem  is  about  two  feet  high,  dull 
purple,  having  a  few  stalkless  triangular- 
heart-shaped  scales,  and  yellow  flowers  ar- 
ranged loosely  on  little  stalks  along  one  side 
of  the  long  drooping  ai'ms  of  a  racemose 
panicle  ;  the  flowers  are  in  appearance  "  like 
those  of  Sempervirum  arhoreum."  Native  of 
California,  in  woods  near  Monterey.  Intro- 
duced in  1847.  Flowers  during  summer. 
Culture. — Requires  a  cool  airy  greenhouse, 
and  to  be  kept  rather  dry  ;  sandy  loam  and 
leaf-mould  well  drained  ;  propagated  by  seeds, 
or  by  the  oflTshoots  planted  ^as  cuttings,  and 
kept  rather  dry  until  they  have  taken  root. 

PiNUS  Fremontiana,  Endlicher  (Nut 
Pine). — Pinacege  §  Abieteas. — A  small  ever- 
green tree,  in  its  native  country  seldom  grow- 
ing more  than  twenty  feet  high  ;  the  branches 
are  numerous,  the  principal  ones  being  ranged 
around  the  stem  in  a  whorl.  The  leaves, 
which  are  glaucous  green,  from  one  inch  and 
a  half  to  three  inches  long,  stout,  rigid,  more 
or  less  curved,  and  ending  in  a  spiny  point, 
are  generally  found  growing  in  threes,  but 
not  unfrequently  in  pairs,  or  even  soli- 
tary. The  cones  are  about  two  inches  and  a 
half  long,  and  in  the  widest  part,  near  the 
middle,  one  inch  and  three  quarters  broad ; 
they  are  light  glossy  brown,  with  from  six  to 
seven  rows  of  scales,  which  are  thick,  bluntly 
pyramidal,  slightly  angular,  and  more  or  less 
recurved.  The  seeds  are  oblong  or  ovate, 
half  an  inch  long,  with  a  thin  shell  easily 
broken  between  the  thumb  and  finger,  and 
contain  a  pleasant  and  nutritious  kernel,  which 
constitutes  a  principal  source  of  the  subsis- 
tence of  the  Indians  of  its  native  mountains  ; 
they  are  produced  in  great  abundance.  Na- 
tive of  California,  on  both  sides  the  Sierra 
Nevada,  "  extending  over  the  top  of  the  great 
Snowy  Chain  for  a  distance  of  300  miles." 
Introduced  in  1847.  Culture.  —  Hardy; 
sandy  mountainous  tracts;  propagated  by 
seeds.     The  beautiful  almond-flavoured  nuts 


GLOXINIA    riMBRIATA. 


513 


of"  this  pine  may  be  grown  in  England,  as 
those  of  the  Stone  pine  are  in  the  south  of 
Europe. 

EcHEVERiA  FAumosA,  JuindleT/  (mealy-leaved 
Echeveria). — Crassulaceae  §  Crassuleae. — A 
dwarf  caulescent  succulent  plant,  beai'ing  at 
the  ends  of  its  stems  a  tuft  of  leaves  as  white 
as  if  they  had  been  powdered  with  flour.  These 
leaves  are  acutely  linguiform  ;  those  of  the 
flower  stems  triangular,  sessile,  and  sagittate, 
with  the  basal  lobes  turned  upwards  so  as  to 
rub  against  the  stem  just  above  the  origin  of 
the  leaf.  The  flowers  are  a  pale  lemon-yellow, 
and  grow  on  stalks  along  one  side  of  the 
branches  of  a  corymbose  panicle.  It  is  a  dis- 
tinct, though  not  very  showy  species.  Native 
of  California,  on  rocks  near  Carmel  Bay.  In- 
troduced in  1847.  Flowers  during  summer. 
Culture. — Requires  a  cool  airy  greenhouse, 
or  dry  cold  frame  ;  sandy  loam  and  leaf 
mould  ;  propagated  by  seeds  or  cuttings.  It 
must  be  kept  rather  dry  at  all  times,  and  fully 
exposed  to  light. 

CupRESSUS  MACROCARPA,  Hartweg  (large- 
fruited  Cypress). — Pinacese  §  Cupresseae. — 
An  evergreen  tree,  one  of  the  finest  yet  in- 
troduced. In  its  native  country  it  forms  a 
tree  sixty  feet  high,  with  a  stem  nine  feet 
in  circumference,  and  with  far-spreading 
branches,  flat  at  top,  like  a  full-grown  Cedar 
of  Lebanon,  which  it  very  much  resembles 
when  old.  They  have  ovate  imbricated  leaves, 
lying  in  four  rows,  bright  grass-green  ;  on 
old  plants  these  are  closely  set,  but  on  younger 
ones  they  are  more  expanded,  awl-shaped  and 
sharp  pointed.  In  the  younger  plants  the 
branches  are  irregularly  spiral,  but  sometimes 
they  are  opposite,  or  alternate  ;  the  young 
ones  and  laterals  are  opposite,  dense,  and 
quite  green  ;  the  older  ones  dark  brown  and 
nearly  horizontal  from  the  main  stem.  The 
cones  grow  in  clusters  of  three  or  four  toge- 
ther ;  they  are  oblong,  one  inch  and  a  half 
long,  one  inch  broad.  It  is  known  in  gardens 
as  O.  Lamhertiana.  Native  of  Upper  Cali- 
fornia, in  the  wooded  heights  near  Monterey. 
Introduced  in  1838.  Culture. — Hardy;  com- 
mon garden  soil  ;  propagated  by  seed,  or,  in 
lieu  of  these,  by  grafting  or  by  cuttings. 

Vagaria  parviflora,  Herbert  (small- 
flowered  Vagaria). — Amaryllidaceas  §  Nar- 
cisseae. — A  neat  little  bulbous  plant,  six  or 
eight  inches  high,  with  oblong  somewhat 
plaited  leaves,  eight  inches  long,  two  inches 
and  a  quarter  broad,  tapering  into  a  distinct 
petiole,  dark  green  above,  paler  beneath.  The 
flowers  grow  about  five  together  in  an  umbel 
at  the  top  of  a  slender  compressed  solid  scape, 
to  which  they  are  attached  by  little  stalks 
about  an  inch  long  ;  they  are  small  white, 
with  a  greenish  tube,  and  have  a  weak  agree- 
able odour  like  that  of  new  hay.     Native  of 

50. 


Bogota.  Inti'oduced  in  1847  by  C.  B.  Warner, 
Esq.  Flowers  in  August.  It  is  the  Pan- 
cratium parviflorum  (Redoute).  Culture. — 
Requires  a  greenhouse  ;  sandy  loam,  with  a 
little  decayed  manure  ;  propagated  by  offsets 
from  the  parent  bulb. 

CuPRESSus  GovENiANA,  GordoH  (Gowcn's 
Cypress). — Pinacese  §  Cupressese. — A  beauti- 
ful evergi-een  shrub,  forming  a  dense  bush 
from  six  to  ten  feet  high,  with  spreading 
slender  somewhat  pendulous  branches,  which 
are  very  irregularly  set  on  the  main  stem, 
some  being  opposite,  others  alternate ;  the 
laterals  are  spiral,  frequently  opposite,  very 
dense,  and  of  a  beautiful  bright  green  colour. 
The  leaves  are  imbricated,  blunt,  thickly  set 
in  four  rows  on  the  old  plants  ;  expanded, 
awl-shaped,  sharp -pointed,  very  distant,  and 
more  or  less  reflexed  on  young  plants.  The 
cones  are  borne  in  lai'ge  clusters,  and  are  glo- 
bular, half  an  inch  in  diameter.  Native  of 
Upper  California,  on  the  western  declivity  of 
the  mountains  of  Monterey,  within  two  miles 
of  the  sea-shore.  Introduced  in  1847.  Cul- 
ture.— Hardy;  common  garden  soil;  propa- 
gated by  seeds,  or  temporarily  by  grafting  or 
by  cuttings. 


GLOXINIA    FIMBRIATA. 

Gloxinia  fimhriata.  Hooker  (fimbriated 
Gloxinia). — Gesneraceee  §  Gesnei'eae. 

This  is  a  pretty  plant,  with  moi'e  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  Achimenes,  than  of  a  Gloxinia; 
it  is,  however,  referred  to  the  latter  genus, 
and  is  a  form  worthy  of  cultivation. 

From  the  ordinary  forms  of  Gloxinia,  this 
species  differs  in  its  slender  and  upright 
mode  of  growth.  The  roots  are  elongated 
and  scaly,  as  is  common  among  this  class  of 

L   L 


514 


NIGHT    TEMPERATURE    OF    HOT-HOUSES, 


plants,  and  these  are  diu-ing  a  portion  of  the 
3'ear  in  a  state  of  dormancy.  The  stems 
grow  up  a  foot,  or  a  foot  and  a  half  in  height, 
and  are  erect  and  simple,  the  colour  being  a 
pale  green,  slightly  tinged  with  red  ;  they  are 
described  as  being  obscurely  tetragonal.  On 
this  stem  the  leaves  are  produced  in  pairs  op- 
posite each  other ;  they  are  acutely  ovate, 
attached  by  a  short  stalk,  and  serrated  along 
the  margins  ;  they  are  smooth,  and  green  on 
the  upper  surface,  but  considerably  paler  on 
the  lower  side.  The  blossoms  come  out,  one 
from  each  axil  of  a  leaf,  along  the  upper  part 
of  the  stem  ;  they  are  large  and  showy,  the 
colour  being  French  white,  with  yellow  at  the 
throat  of  the  tube  of  the  corolla.  The  calyx 
divides  into  five  largish  wavy  leafy  segments. 
The  corolla  is  bent  downwards,  as  is  the  case 
generally  in  this  genus  ;  the  tube  is  some- 
what funnel  shaped,  but  is  so  slightly  in- 
creased in  size  upwards  as  to  approach  a  cy- 
lindrical form  ;  the  outside  of  this  is  the  most 
deeply  blush-tinted  part  of  the  flower,  the 
inside  being  deep  yellow,  sprinkled  over  with 
small  red  dots.  The  limb  of  the  corolla  is 
divided  into  five  large  rounded  unequal-sized 
lobes  or  segments,  of  which  the  margins  are 
waved,  and  very  prettily  fimbriated  ;  these 
lobes  are  spreading,  and  quite  white,  the 
inner  surface  being  sprinkled  with  very  fine 
short  hairs. 

The  history  of  this  Gloxinia  does  not  appear 
to  be  well  known,  at  least  in  England.  It 
appears  to  have  been  received  from  Paris. 
.  Sir  W.  J.  Hooker,  in  the  Botanical  Maga- 
zine, states  that  the  Kew  collection  received 
it  from  M.  Ketelier  of  Paris,  and  that  he 
knew  nothing  more  of  its  history.  We  i-egret 
to  be  unable  to  give  any  better  account  of  its 
origin.  The  plant  comes  into  blossom  to- 
wards autumn,  and  continues  in  a  blooming 
state  for  a  sufiicient  length  of  time  to  render 
it  worth  cultivating  as  an  ornamental  plant. 
1848  seems  to  have  been  the  date  of  its  intro- 
duction to  England. 

The  temperatui'e  of  a  stove  is  requisite  to 
its  successful  cultivation.  Being  herbaceous, 
the  stems  die  away  annually,  leaving  only  the 
scaly  tubers  or  underground  stems.  During 
this  period  of  the  repose  of  the  plant,  the 
tubers  ought  to  be  kept  dry,  and  the  period  of 
rest  should  correspond  to  our  winter.  In  the 
spring  the  tubers  must  be  started  into  growth, 
by  placing  them  in  a  temperature  averaging 
about  sixty  degrees,  and  supplying  them  with 
continual,  but  limited  supplies  of  moisture  : 
young  shoots  will  soon  appear,  and,  as  soon 
as  it  can  be  observed  which  of  them  ar^ 
strongest,  pot  them  into  wide-mouthed  shallow 
pots,  in  which  they  will  flower.  A  warm 
pit,  or  dung  frame,  is  a  proper  place  for  them 
at  this  stage  of  their  growth,  as  they  now  re- 


quire a  moist  and  heated  atmosphere,  not  too 
closely  confined,  but  moderately  airy.  They 
require  a  light  open  compost,  such  as  would 
be  formed  by  mixing  together  equal  parts  of 
leaf-mould,  turfy  peat,  and  sandy  loam  ;  this 
compost  may  have  sand  added  or  not,  accord- 
ing to  the  quantity  existing  in  the  loaia 
and  peat ;  the  mixture,  should  be  sufficiently 
sandy  to  be  porous,  and  admit  the  ready  per- 
colation of  moisture.  As  they  grow,  they  must 
have  more  air,  and  less  exciting  heat  at  the 
root,  which  latter,  if  continued  too  long, 
would  force  them  into  weak  lanky  growth. 
They  grow  best  in  a  rather  moist  and  shady, 
but  airy  stove,  during  all  the  maturer  stages 
of  their  progress.  While  growing,  they  re- 
quire regular  supplies  of  water  ;  but  when 
the  flower  declines,  and  the  growth  is  com- 
pleted, this  element  must  be  restricted,  until, 
in  the  course  of  three  or  four  weeks,  the 
stems  become  ripened  thoroughly.  If  this 
ripening  process  has  been  sufficiently  gradual, 
the  tubers  will  be  plump,  in  which  condition 
they  will  keep  till  planting  time  ;  but  if  it 
has  been  too  much  hurried,  they  will  shrivel, 
and  be  liable  to  decay.  The  dry  tubers  must 
be  kept  in  a  moderately  warm  place,  beyond 
the  influence  of  damp  or  frost. 

The  plants  of  this  race  increase  freely  in 
most  cases  by  means  of  their  tubers.  In 
ordinary  cases,  it  is  sufficient  to  separate 
these  tubers,  and  plant  them  singly  and  entire  ; 
but,  if  very  extensive  propagation  is  needed, 
tliey  may  be  broken  into  pieces,  every  scale 
being  capable  of  producing  a  separate  plant 
if  placed  under  circumstances  favourable  to 
its  development,  which  is,  in  the  atmosphere 
of  a  hot-bed  frame,  where  there  is  slight 
warmth  for  the  root.  Cuttings,  and  leaves  of 
these  plants,  will  root  and  form  plants  ;  but 
these  modes  of  propagation  are  seldom  re- 
sorted to  in  the  case  of  scaly-rooted  species. 


NIGHT  TEMPERATURE  OF  HOT-HOUSES. 

The  night  temperature  in  all  parts  of  the 
world,  is  cooler  than  the  day,  hence  all  our 
imitations  of  tropical  climates  should  be  carried 
out  to  the  full,  or  we  are  imperfect.  Nights, 
even  in  our  own  country,  are  frequently 
warm,  oppressive,  moist,  and  highly  inducive 
to  growth  ;  but  these  are  exceptions  to  the 
general  rule.  Too  many  of  our  gardeners, 
however,  make  up  their  fires  of  an  evening, 
get  up  the  temperature  of  a  greenhouse  ten 
or  fifteen  degrees,  and,  lest  it  should  want  at- 
tending in  the  night,  bank  up  the  fire  so  as  to 
provide  the  very  extreme  heat  the  pipes  or 
flue  will  engender.  Now  this  increased  tem- 
perature induces  unnatural  growth,  because 
the  growth  that  takes  place  in  heat  and  dark- 


AMHEllSTIA    NOBILIS. 


515 


ness  is  weakly,  and  worse  tlian  standing  still. 
No  man  ought  to  work  a  house  without  a 
registering  thermometer  ;  he  would  then  see 
to  what  extent  he  had  raised  the  heat,  and 
to  what  extreme  it  had  fallen  ;  but  what  we 
desire  to  inculcate  here  is,  that  the  fire  ought 
not  to  be  made  up  at  night  only,  and  that 
increasing  the  heat  of  a  house  in  the  darkness 
is  contrary  to  nature  in  every  respect,  and 
therefore  injurious  to  plants.  It  may  not  be 
of  so  much  consequence  to  some  things  as 
others,  but  it  cannot  be  defended  on  the 
ground  of  its  approximation  to  nature  in  any 
of  her  phases.  If  plants  are  to  be  shut  up,  it 
is  better  by  daylight  than  dark,  and  those 
who  care  much  for  their  greenhouse,  will 
prefer  keeping  the  fire  going  by  day-light,  that 
the  house  may  be  sufficiently  warm  when 
closed  to  stand  all  the  frost  from  without  till 
early  in  the  morning. 

We  confess  that  there  is  some  difficulty  in 
thus  managing  the  greenhouse,  because  the 
less  it  is  above  freezing  point  of  a  night,  the 
better  it  is  for  the  plants,  so  that  the  frost 
be  kept  out ;  yet  it  is  difficult  to  make  sure 
of  that  during  a  whole  night  without  getting 
it  up  considerably  above  it.  We  recommend, 
though  it  may  be  a  little  extravagant,  fires  in 
the  greenhouse  by  daylight,  and  air  given  to 
keep  down  the  temperature  a  little,  but  the 
fire  to  be  let  down  at  night  before  closing  the 
house,  or  so  reduced  as  merely  to  keep  nlight; 
then,  supposing  it  to  be  a  frosty  night,  tiic  fire 
set  off  again  before  day-break,  so  that  it  may 
be  up  in  temperature  as  soon  as  it  is  light. 

Every  house  has  its  peculiarities,  and  a 
man  must  act  according  to  circumstances;  but 
we  would  have  everybody  who  has  to  manage 
houses  study  how  he  can  best  meet  the  natural 
requirement  of  plants — a  colder  atmosphere 
at  night.  It  is  the  perversion  of  temperature 
that  causes  many  of  the  failures  which  a 
gardener  meets  with  in  his  travels  through 
life  ;  and  the  sooner  he  contrives  to  get  over 
the  evil,  the  better  for  himself  and  the  plants. 
How  he  may  do  this  best  depends  on  the  ca- 
pabilities of  his  houses,  but  it  should  be  his 
study  until  he  accomplishes  it.  It  is  more 
important  in  his  greenhouse  than  in  any  other 
department,  because  all  Botany  Bay  plants 
sutFer  more  than  we  can  describe  from  arti- 
ficial heat  at  night.  They  look  worse  than 
any  other  when  drawn,  and  suffer  more  per- 
manently from  the  drawing.^ 


AMHERSTIA    NOBILIS. 

"  The  first  notice  1  had  of  the  existence  of 
this  magnificent  tree,  the  prince  of  flowering 
trees,"  says  Dr.  Wallich,  "was  at  Eangoon,  in 
August,  1826,  when  Mr.  Crawford  favoured 


me  with  some  dried  unopened  flowers,  and  a 
leaf  of  it,  with  the  information  that  he  had 
gathered  it  in  a  garden  belonging  to  a  monas- 
tery, around  the  hill  at  Kogun,  on  the  Saluen 
River,  in  the  province  of  Martaban,  Avhere 
they  appeared  too  beautiful  an  object  to  be 
passed  unobserved,  even  by  the  uninitiated  in 
botany.  Handfulls  of  flowers  were  found  as 
offerings  in  the  caves  befoi'e  the  images  of 
Buddha." 

In  March,  1827,  Dr.  Wallich  accompanied 
the  British  envoy  to  Ava,  and  in  his  official 
report  of  a  journey  on  the  River  Saluen,  in 
order  to  examine  the  site  and  capabilities  of 
the  teak  forests  in  that  direction,  he  thus 
writes  : — "In  about  an  hour  I  came  to  a  de- 
cayed Kioum  (a  sort  of  monastery),  close  to 
the  large  hill  of  Kogun,  distant  about  two 
miles  from  the  right  bank  of  the  river,  and 
twenty-seven  from  the  town  of  Martaban.  I 
had  been  prepared  to  find  a  tree  growing 
here  of  which  an  account  had  before  been 
communicated  to  me  by  Mr.  Crawford,  and 
which  I  had  been  fortunate  enough  to  meet 
with  for  the  iirst  time  a  week  ago  at  Marta- 
ban ;  nor  was  I  disappointed.  There  were 
two  individuals  of  this  tree  here  :  the  largest, 
about  forty  feet  high,  with  a  girth,  at  three 
feet  above  the  base,  of  six  feet,  stood  close  to 
the  cave  ;  the  other  was  smaller,  and  over- 
hung an  old  square  reservoir  of  water,  lined 
with  bricks  and  stones.  They  w^ere  profusely 
ornamented  Avith  pendulent  racemes  of  large 
vermilion-coloured  blossoms,  forming  supei'b 
objects,  unequalled  in  the  Flora  of  the  East 
Indies,  and,  I  presume,  not  surpassed  in 
magnificence  and  elegance  in  any  part  of  the 
world.  The  Birman  name  is  Tolui.  Neither 
the  people  here  nor  at  Martaban  could  give 
me  any  distinct  account  of  its  native  place  of 
growth  ;  but  there  is  little  doubt  that  it  be-^ 
longs  to  the  forests  of  this  province.  The 
ground  was  strewed,  even  at  a  distance,  with 
its  blossoms,  which  are  carried  daily  as  offer- 
ings to  the  images  in  the  adjoining  caves. 
Round  the  spot  w^ere  numerous  individuals  of 
Jonesia  Asocam  full  blossom,  inferior  in  beauty 
only  to  those  trees  ;  and  it  is  not  a  little  re- 
markable, that  the  priests  in  these  parts  should 
have  maniiested  so  good  a  taste  as  to  select 
two  sorts  of  trees  as  ornaments  to  their  objects 
of  worship  belonging  to  a  small  but  well- 
marked  and  extremely  beautiful  group  in  the 
extensive  family  of  leguminous  plants." 

This  tree,  which  "when  in  full  blossom  is 
the  most  striking  superb  object  that  can  pos- 
sibly be  imagined,"  Dr.  Wallich  had  the 
gratification  of  naming  in  compliment  to  the 
Right  Honoui-able  the  Countess  Amherst  and 
her  daughter  Lady  Sarah  Amherst,  the  zea- 
lous friends  and  constant  promoters  of  natural 
history,  especially  botany,  in  India. 

I,  L  2 


516 


GLADIOLUS  FLORIBUNUUS—  FLOWERS  AND  FRUITS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 


The  Amherstia  has  been  cultivated  in 
England  for  the  last  ten  years  ;  but  Mrs. 
Lawrence,  F.H.S.  of  Ealing  Park,  Middlesex, 
who  obtained  an  imported  plant  not  more 
than  two  years  since,  has  had  the  honour  of 
first  blooming  it  in  England.  Under  a  special 
course  of  management,  her  plant  produced 
blossoms  in  the  spring  of  the  present  year. 
The  first  raceme  produced  was  sent  as  a  fit- 
ting present  to  Her  Most  Gracious  Majesty 
the  Queen  ;  this  was  borne  by  a  plant  not 
more  than  eleven  feet  high.  A  beautiful 
figure,  prepared  from  Mrs.  Lawrence's  speci- 
men, has  been  published  in  the  Botanical 
Magazine. 


GLADIOLUS    FLORIBUNDUS. 

Florists  have  within  the  last  few  years 
produced  some  very  splendid  hybrids  and 
garden  varieties  in  the  family  of  Gladiolus  ; 
and  this  has  not  been  confined  to  England, 
but  has  been  more  or  less  the  case  in  all  the 
European  countries  where  Horticulture  is  in 
the  ascendant.  We  have  now  before  us  the 
portraits  of  some  very  fine  Belgian  varieties, 
which  have  been  figured  in  the  Ghent  Annales, 
from  whence  we  shall  quote  the  description  of 
their  origin  and  characteristics. 

"  Dr.  D'Avoine,  of  Malines,  has  been  suc- 
cessful in  raising  a  great  number  of  interesting 
varieties  of  Gladiolus.  We  saw  a  charming 
bouquet  of  them  in  the  month  of  August, 
-1848.  The  Committee  of  the  Royal  Society 
of  Agriculture  and  Botany  of  Ghent,  who 
are  appointed  to  superintend  the  plates  given 
in  their  Annales,  selected  four  of  these 
varieties,  to  which  M.  DAvoine,  in  his  love 
and  respect  for  the  honour  of  science  in 
Belgium,  named  after  men  celebrated  for  their 
learning.  This  example  deserves  to  be  cited, 
and  Tve  highly  approve  of  it.  To  have  the 
names  of  our  national  Pantheon  figured  in 
horticulture  is  certainly  as  good  as  the  singu- 
lar and  unhappy  mania  of  giving  to  varieties 
of  flowers  names  which  are  often  far  from 
awakening  any  honourable  remembrance. 
When  history,  with  its  respectable  and  vene- 
rated names,  shall  serve  to  regulate  the 
nomenclature  of  flowers,  a  double  object  shall 
have  been  attained, — these  names  shall  be 
associated  with  worthy  objects,  and  our  illus- 


trious predecessors  will  be  honoured  by  their 
example  being  imitated." 

The  description  of  these  four  varieties  of 
the  Gladiolus  floribundus  runs  thus  : — 

"  Remhertus  Dodonceus. — The  perianth  is 
regularly  formed  with  six  divisions,  of  which 
three  are  yellow  and  three  red  ;  but  most  fre- 
quently the  two  first  red  divisions  have  their 
margins  yellow,  or  a  portion  of  that  colour  on 
the  purple  base.  The  inferior  divisions  are 
striated  with  purple,  their  point  being  entirely 
of  that  tint.  This  variety  has  a  severe  as- 
pect, like  the  traits  of  the  illustrious  professor 
of  Leyden  ;  and  it  will  be  perceived  how 
much  M.  D'Avoine  must  have  thought  of  the 
celebrated  botanist  of  Malines,  in  surveying 
the  grave  corolla  of  this  gladiolus. 

"  Christophe  Longueil.  —  This  variety  is 
much  more  lively.  The  perianth  has  eight 
divisions  :  four  are  red,  tinted  with  white, 
with  the  nerves  also  white  ;  two  are  uniform 
purple,  and  two  golden  yellow,  with  the  points 
purple.  Longueil  was  a  savant  of  Malines, 
who  wrote  commentaries  on  Pliny,  a  history 
of  plants,  &c.  and  was  a  great  lover  of  gar- 
dening.    He  died  in  1 522,  at  Padua. 

"  Regnerus  Bruitsma. — Flowers  delicate 
and  graceful.  The  perianth  is  almost  regular, 
with  six  rosy  divisions,  ornamented  with  a 
white  line  or  stripe  in  the  middle ;  the  under 
division  smaller,  with  only  a  single  tint  of  dull 
yellow.  Regnier  Bruitsma  was  a  learned  phy- 
sician in  the  town  of  Malines ;  he  published  a  new 
edition  of  L'Ecole  de  Salerne,  and  died  in  1 6 1 7. 

"  Georges  Van  Rye. — In  this  variety  the 
perianth  has  six  unequal  divisions  :  the  three 
upper  broad,  rose  and  purple,  these  tints 
merging  into  a  brick  red  ;  the  three  inferior 
divisions  smaller  and  straighter,  the  two 
lateral  ones  yellow  dotted  with  red,  that  of 
the  middle  red.  M.  D'Avoine  published  an 
elegant  necrology  of  Thomas  Yan  Rye,  a 
famous  physician  of  Malines.  Clusis,  by  the 
by,  in  treating  of  the  Phillyrea  and  tulips, 
speaks  of  Georges  Van  Rye,  one  of  the 
greatest  horticulturists  of  his  time  in  respect 
to  importations.  We  have  already  observed 
that  the  ancients  honoured  the  gladiolus,  and 
beheld  in  its  beautiful  forms  the  gods  meta- 
morphosed. The  poetic  eye  of  M.  D'Avoine 
has  seen  in  them,  in  our  day,  a  token  of  re-' 
membrance  of  humanity's  benefactors — wore 
majorum." 


THE  FLOWERS  AND  FRUITS  OF  SCRIPTURE. 

THE  PAPYRUS/  OR  PAPER  REED. 


In  the  authorized  version  of  the  Holy 
Bible  the  "  paper  reed "  is  mentioned  but 
once  (Isa.  xix.  7).  In  that  passage,  how- 
ever, it  is  by  no  means  clear  that  this  is  the 


plant  intended,  for  the  Hebrew  term  aroth 
there  employed  is  explained  by  the  learned 
in  these  matters  to  mean  "  any  grassy  reed," 
and  the    true  paper   reed  has   another   and 


FLOWERS    AND    FRUITS    Or    SCRIPTURE. 


517 


quite  different  name — gome — in  the  Hebrew 
language.  Other  reedy  plants  are  referred  to 
in  the  Scriptures,  under  the  name  agmon.  In 
some  cases  it  is  possible  that  this  latter  term 
may  have  reference  to  the  Papyrus,  and  this 
seems  especially  probable  in  the  passage,  (Isa. 
Iviii.  5,)  where  the  prophet  inquires  in  bitter 
irony,  if  the  fast  acceptable  to  the  Lord  is  for 
a  man  "  to  bow  do  svn  his  head  as  a  bulrush."  The 
force  of  the  allusion  will  be  seen  by  a  reference 
to  the  accompanying  engraving.  It  is  a  coin- 
cidence somewhat  favouring  the  view  just 
expressed,  that  the  term  "  bulrush,"  which  has 
been  adopted  by  our  translators,  in  this  pas- 
sage of  Isaiah,  lias  also  been  used  in  those  in 
which  it  is  certain   that   the   paper   reed    is 


Papyrus  antiquorum. 

intended,  the  original  reading  being  gome,  the 
Hebrew  name  of  the  Papyrus,  It  may,  more- 
over, be  mentioned,  that  few  plants  more  ill 
accord  with  the  idea  of  "  bowing  the  head," 
than  does  the  bulrush  or  Typha,  one  of  the 
most  erect,  rigid,  and  unbending  of  herbs. 
It  appears  that  the  word  gome  occurs  in  but 
four  instances  in  the  Scriptures,  and  in  two  of 
these  is  in  our  version  rendered  "  bulrushes." 
These  passages  occur  in  Exodus  ii.  3,  and 
Isaiah  xviii.  2.  In  Job  viii.  11,  and  Isaiah 
XXXV.  7,  it  is  translated  "  rushes." 


No  mention  of  the  Papyrus  appears  to  be 
made  in  the  Scriptures  in  connexion  with  the 
use  which  has  given  it  its  name.  In  both  the 
passages  referred  to,  the  allusion  is  to  the 
ancient  application  of  the  reed  in  the  con- 
struction of  floating  vessels.  Thus  we  are 
told  that  Jochebed,  the  mother  of  Moses, 
when  she  could  no  longer  hide  her  infant  son, 
"  took  for  him  an  ark  of  '  bulrushes,'  and 
daubed  it  with  slime  and  with  pitch,  and  put 
the  child  therein,  and  she  laid  it  in  the  flags 
by  the  river's  brink."  And  thus  we  also 
learn,  that  the  Ethiopians,  as  early  as  the  eighth 
century  before  the  Christian  era,  sent  their 
ambassadors  by  the  sea,  "  even  in  vessels  of 
'  bulrushes '  upon  the  waters."  It  has  been 
argued,  apparently  from  this  fact,  that  Ethiopia 
is  the  native  country  of  the  Papyrus,  and  that 
at  a  very  remote  date  it  naturally  descended 
the  Nile  into  Egypt. 

The  Papyrus,  or  paper  reed,  is  the  Pa- 
•pyrus  antiquorum  of  botanists.  It  is  a  per- 
ennial aquatic  herb,  with  a  creeping  hori- 
zontal rootstock  as  thick  as  one's  wrist,  from 
which  the  erect  triangular  vivid  green  stems 
grow  erect  ;  these  stems  grow  from  ten  to  four- 
teen feet  high,  sometimes  even  more,  according 
to  Pliny  ;  the  base  of  the  stem  is  invested 
with  rudimentary  leaves  in  the  form  of  long 
sheathing  brownish  scales.  At  the  top  of  the 
stem  grows  an  elegant  drooping  tuft  of  slender 
branches,  extremely  graceful,  having  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  elegant  plume.  These  slender 
branches,  or  grassy  filaments,  are  about  a  foot 
in  length  ;  about  the  middle  each  parts  into 
four,  and  at  this  point  or  partition  grow  the 
small  brown  chaffy  clusters  of  flowers  which 
are  represented  by  the  dark-coloured  dots  in 
our  engraving.  The  appearance  of  the  Pa- 
pyrus, when  growing  in  a  healthy  and  vi- 
gorous manner,  is  very  graceful,  chiefly 
owing  to  these  plumes  of  drooping  filamentous 
branches.  It  is  therefore  a  very  desirable 
subject  for  cultivation  among  exotic  plants  ; 
and  our  illustration  was  taken  from  a  very 
beautiful  specimen  so  cultivated  in  the  garden 
of  the  Royal  Botanic  Society,  in  the  Regent's 
Park.  The  Papyrus,  formerly  known  as 
Cyperus  Papyrus,  is  not  a  rush,  but  belongs 
to  the  family  of  sedges — Cyperacese.  The 
rootstock,  which,  as  already  described,  grows 
to  the  thickness  of  a  man's  wrist,  acquires 
such  hardness  as  to  be  used  in  the  construc- 
tion of  various  kinds  of  cups  and  other  uten- 
sils. The  tender  shoots  are  said  to  have  been 
eaten,  either  raw,  roasted,  or  boiled,  by  the 
Egyptians. 

We  must  now  briefly  glance  at  the  uses  to 
which  the  Papyrus  was  anciently  applied  ; 
and  first  of  paper  : — This  article  appears  to 
have  been  used  in  Upper  Egypt  immediately 
after  the  disuse   of  hieroglyphics.     We  are 


518 


ON    THE    PROPERTIES    OE    FLOWERS. 


also  told  that  it  was  of  old  in  use  among  the 
lonians,  who  probably  brought  it  in  very- 
early  days  direct  from  Egypt ;  and  Numa,  who 
lived  tln'ee  hundred  years  before  the  time 
of  Alexander,  is  said  to  have  left  a  number 
of  books  written  on  Papyrus.  It  was  cer- 
tainly extensively  used  in  Egypt,  and  formed  a 
considerable  article  of  export  in  the  time  of 
Herodotus,  "  Indeed  Papyri  of  the  remote 
Pharaonic  periods  are  still  met  with  ;  and  since 
the  mode  of  writing  on  them  is  shown  by  the 
sculptures  to  have  been  common  in  times  long 
prior  to  the  exode,  there  is  some  reason  to 
suppose  that  the  use  of  the  Papyrus  was  known 
even  so  early  as  the  time  of  Moses." — (^Pict. 
Bible.)  The  manufacture  probably  originated 
in,  and  was  in  a  great  degree  peculiar  to, 
Egypt.  The  parts  used  were  the  thin  concen- 
tric coats,  or  pellicles,  that  surround  the  trian- 
gular stalk,  divided  into  thin  ribbon-like  flakes, 
those  nearest  the  centre  being  the  best  and 
finest.  A  layer  of  these  slips  being  spread 
out  lengthwise,  and  lapped  over  by  a  very 
thin  border,  another  layer  was  placed  cross- 
wise,  and  being  pressed  whilst  moist  and  dried 
in  the  sun,  the  sheet  was  completed  by  polish- 
ing the  surface  with  a  ,shell,  or  some  other 
hard  and  smooth  substance.  It  is  said  that 
the  juice  of  the  plant  causes  the  adhesion  of 
the  slips.  To  form  large  rolls,  a  number  of 
these  sheets  were  glued  together,  the  breadth 
of  the  rolls  being  determined  by  the  length  of 
the  slips  taken  from  the  plant.  Some  of  the 
sheets  have  been  known  to  measure  one  hun- 
dred feet  in  length. 

We  have  already  alluded  to  the  construction 
of  boats,  or  floating  vessels,  from  the  Papyrus, 
by  the  Ethiopians,  at  least  as  early  as  the 
eighth  century  before  the  Christian  era  ;  and 
in  connexion  with  this,  it  is  interesting  to 
remark  that  in  Abyssinia,  according  to  Bruce, 
the  practice  still  exists,  Papyrus  boats  being 
the  only  kind  the  Abyssinians  employ  !  It 
was  the  upright  stem  which  was  used  in  the 
construction  of  these  vessels  ;  these  were 
interwoven  together,  and  then  coated  with 
some  bituminous  matter,  as  is  shown  by  the 
daubing  "with  slime  [probably  the  mud  of 
the  Nile,]  and  with  pitch,"  in  the  case  of  that 
in  which  the  infant  Moses  was  placed. 

Besides  these  uses,  the  fibres  of  the  Papyrus 
served  for  cordage  ;  they  were  liberated  by 
macerating  the  stems  in  water  or  wet  sand  ; 
and  from  these  fibres  it  is  stated  that  sail- 
cloth was  occasionally  woven.  Its  chief  and 
most  important  use  was,  however,  in  the  ma- 
nufacture of  a  material  for  writing  on  ;  and 
its  common  ancient  name  (Latin,  Papyrus)  isf 
represented  in  our  day  by  the  word  paper. 
Biblos  again,  an  ancient  name  for  the  stalk  of 
the  plant,  is  preserved  to  us  in  the  name  of 
the  "  Bible." 


ON    THE    PROPERTIES    OF    FLOWERS. 
BY    G.    GLENN Y. 

I  OBSERVE  that  in  many  publications  there 
are  certain  writers  going  into  minute  details  as 
to  the  properties  of  flowers,  and  occasionally, 
one  more  hardy  than  the  rest  ventures  to  as- 
sert that  I  have  not  gone  far  enough.  I  beg 
these  persons  to  understand,  once  for  all,  that 
I  have  laid  down  general  principles  which 
I  know  to  be  sound,  and  must  prevail,  and 
have  left  to  more  conceited  writers  the  task  of 
interfering  with  people's  fancy.  He  who  ven- 
tures to  build  a  house  on  sound  architectural 
principles,  according  to  the  order  that  he  se- 
lects, and  insists  that  it  is  right,  must  be 
tolerated,  because  he  has  founded  his  building 
and  carried  it  up  on  acknowledged  propor- 
tions, and  in  proper  taste  ;  but  the  man  who 
insists  that  the  parlour  of  a  house  shall  be 
blue  and  silver,  and  the  drawing-room  green 
and  gold;  that  this  chamber  must  be  yellow, 
and  that  one  red;  is  a  conceited  fool,  and  dic- 
tates upon  matters,  in  which  no  man  will  be 
bound  to  obey.  "We  know  that  we  have 
settled  the  forms  of  flowers,  so  that  when  per- 
fection is  attained,  nothing  can  improve  ;  that 
no  other  form  can  equal  ;  and  as  our  models 
are  imaginary,  and  may  never  be  perfectly 
equalled,  why,  those  who  get  nearest  will  be 
the  best ;  but  we  should  be  stepping  out  of 
our  way  to  say  that  this,  that,  and  the  other 
detail  (upon  which,  by  the  way,  six  people 
would  have  six  different  opinions),  must  be 
this  or  that,  and  interfering  with  people's  fan- 
cies and  tastes.  We  may  go  so  far  as  to  say, 
whatever  colour  a  thing  is,  it  must  be  clear 
and  decided,  and  whenever  two  colours  are 
contrasted,  the  greater  the  contrast  the  better  ; 
but  after  form,  the  colours,  markings,  and 
proportions  of  colour  create  the  varieties  in  a 
collection  :  and  he  who  aflPects  to  say  what 
these  shall  be,  would  sadly  limit  the  number 
of  our  varieties.  We  will  insist  that  white  or 
yellow  shall  be  pure,  and  that  one  feature  of 
a  flower  shall  not  run  into  confusion  with 
another,  but  it  is  the  height  of  folly  to  dictate 
the  width  of  an  edging  to  a  picotee,  the 
breadth  of  the  feathering  in  a  tulip.  The 
grand  principle  of  floriculture,  on  which  all 
forms  are  founded,  is  that  whatever  shape 
would,  if  attained,  look  the  most  perfect,  shall 
be  the  model  which  must  be  equalled  if  we  can, 
— the  model  of  perfection.  We  think  that  all 
colours  should  be  left  untouched  as  a  matter  of 
taste  which  everybody  is  at  liberty  to  please 
himself  upon,  except  that  they  shall  be  pure, 
well  contrasted,  and  dense  or  decided,  and  that 
all  markings  shall  be  the  same;  thus  we  say,  the 
eye  of  a  pansy  shall  not  break  through  to  the 
margin,  though  we  neither  dictate  the  size  of  the 
eye,  nor  the  breadth  of  the  margin.   It  follows. 


NOTES    ON    THE    PUNGI. 


519 


as  a  matter  of  course,  that  to  avoid  this  the  eye 
must  be  small  if  the  field  is  small ;  but  the  infi- 
nite variety  which  may  be  found,  diiFering 
only  in  their  colours  and  properties,  would  be 
sadly  limited  if  we  dictated  the  size  of  the  eye, 
the  breadth  of  the  margin,  or  the  quantity  of 
white  and  yellow.  We  merely  wish  people  to 
study  and  stand  by  our  forms,  which  are 
proved  to  be  perfect,  even  by  the  fact  that  the 
nearer  a  flower  comes  to  the  standard,  the 
better  everybody — not  only  judges,  but  every- 
body —  likes  it.  I  have  had  occasion  to 
notice  the  subject  frequently,  because  the 
periodicals  and  papers  will  admit  the  detailed 
nonsense  of  mere  pretenders. 


NOTES    ON   THE   EUNGI. 

Perhaps  nothing  in  nature  gives  more 
colour  to  the  notion  of  spontaneous  genera- 
tion than  this  particular  race  of  plants  ;  but 
when  we  consider  a  little,  instead  of  jumping 
at  a  conclusion,  the  fact  of  their  growing 
every  where  on  decaying  matter  of  every  de- 
scription, naturally  has  given  rise  among 
inconsiderate  people,  to  the  idea  that  such 
things  come  of  themselves  ;  and  this  has  been 
carrie-d  onward  to  plants.  Many  who  support 
the  dogma  of  spontaneous  generation,  affirm 
that  the  myriads  of  weeds  which  come  up  on 
earth,  dug  from  the  lowest  depths,  like  Fungi 
in  decaying  bodies,  come  of  themselves.  Re- 
pudiating, however,  the  idea  of  any  thing 
growing  other  than  from  its  own  proper 
origin,  which  with  plants  and  Fungi  are 
seeds,  the  following  notice  of  this  most  sin- 
gular branch  of  natural  history  will  be  found 
interesting. 

There  has  been  much  discussion  as  to  which 
of  the  three  grand  departments  of  nature  these 
extraordinaiy  productions  actually  belong  to. 
They  have  been  referred  to  the  animal,  to  the 
vegetal,  and  even  to  the  mineral  kingdom  ; 
but  Necker  affirms  that  they  belong  to  neither 
of  the  three,  and  contends  that  they  form 
a  distinct  yet  intermediate  kingdom.  But 
almost  all  naturalists,  however,  think  that  the 
habits  and  economy  of  the  Fungi  indicate 
their  proper  place  to  be  an  inferior  rank  in 
the  vegetal  kingdom,  in  which  they  have 
accordingly  classed  them,  although  analysis 
proves  that  they  are  composed  of  ammonia, 
albumen,  phosphoric  salts,  and  other  sub-, 
stances  which  are  found  in  animals,  and  the 
odour  which  they  emit  when  in  a  state  of 
putrefaction,  resembles  that  from  animal 
matter  ii^  the  same  condition. 

As  the  germs,  or  seeds,  of  the  Fungi,  which 
are  exceedingly  prolific,  are  so  very  minute 
that  separately  they  escape  the  eye  and  even 
the  microscope,  it  is  not  improbable  that  they 
are  almost  every  where  diffused,  even  in  the  ; 


flesh  and  fluids  of  living  animals,  and  in  the 
wood  and  sap  of  living  plants,  in  readiness  to 
perform  their  office  immediately  that  the  plant 
or  the  animal  dies  and  begins  to  corrupt. 
Hence  we  find  them  in  the  greatest  abundance 
and  variety  in  the  autumnal  and  winter 
months,  when  the  \yind,  the  frost,  and  the 
rain  have  increased  the  number  of  dead 
quadrupeds,  birds,  insects,  and  vegetals.  The 
seeds  are,  probably,  so  small  as  to  be  actually 
blown  by  the  winds  into  the  almost  imper- 
ceptible poi'es  of  plants,  seeds,  and  animals, 
in  or  upon  which  they  grow  directly  that  they 
come  in  contact  with  any  corrupt  matter,  even 
though  the  vegetal  or  animal  be  alive.  Thus, 
the  smaller  species  have  been  observed  grow- 
ing on  a  diseased  membrane,  which  separates 
the  lungs  from  the  I'est  of  the  viscera,  before 
death  ;  they  have,  also,  been  observed  grow- 
ing in  fish  j  ust  captured  ;  on  the  eyes  and 
beaks  of  living  birds  ;  and  on  the  bodies  of 
living  insects,  and  other  creatures.  When 
paste  made  of  flour  has  become  stale  and 
putrid,  it  is  soon  overgrown,  although  closely 
corked,  by  the  blue-mould  fungus  {Aspergillus 
glaucus),  the  seeds  of  which  must  be  almost 
everywhere  in  more  or  less  abundance,  and 
inconceivably  small  to  escape  destruction 
when  the  grains  of  corn,  in  or  about  which 
they  must  have  been  previously  concealed, 
are  being  ground  into  the  finest  flour.  When 
the  Fungi  themselves  decay,  they  are  soon 
grown  upon  by  other  species. 

The  whole  tribe  are  remarkable  for  the 
rapidity  with  which  they  spring  up  and  de- 
velop themselves.  Sowerby  says,  that  he  has 
often  placed  specimens  of  the  Phallus  canmus 
by  a  window,  over  night,  while  in  the  egg- 
form,  and  they  have  been  fully  grown  by  the 
morning,  and  that  he  has  never  known  them 
to  grow  in  the  day-time. 

Several  species  attain  a  very  large  size. 
Dr.  Withering  found  a  mushroom  whose 
pileus,  or  cap,  measured  nine  inches  across,  or 
twenty- seven  in  circumference.  The  Morn- 
ing Herald  of  October  16th,  1833^  mentions 
one  which  was  thirty  inches  in  the  circum- 
ference of  the  pileus,  eight  inches  round  the 
stalk,  and  weighing  two  pounds  and  a  half. 
The  Manchester  Herald  of  September,  1837, 
mentions  one  which  was  thirty-two  inches  in 
circumference  of  the  pileus,  ten  round  the 
stalk,  and  weighing  one  pound  eight  ounces. 
And  Dr.  Mant,  Bishop  of  Down,  mentions  an 
Irish  specimen  larger  still,  it  being  eleven 
inches  in  diameter,  or  thirty-three  in  the  cir- 
cumference of  the  pileus,  and  nine  inches  in 
height.  Mr.  Sowerby  has  a  model  of  a 
gigantic  specimen  of  Boletus,  which  was 
found  growing  in  a  blacksmith's  cellar  in  the 
Haymarket. 

So  apt  are  the  Fungi  to  imbibe  whatever 


520 


SPINACH. 


noxious  qualities  may  be  contained  in  any 
putrid  substances  within  their  reach,  that 
even  the  few  species  which  may  be  safely 
eaten  when  they  grow  on  a  dry  and  open  soil, 
acquire  a  poisonous  nature  when  they  grow 
contiguous  to  stagnant  water  and  to  certain 
kinds  of  vegetal  matter  ;  and  so  tenaciously 
do  they  retain  the  poison,  that  Parmentier 
could  not  separate  it  from  them,  either  by 
boiling  or  distillation  ;  wherefore  its  precise 
nature  yet  remains  to  be  discovered.  In 
Brande's  Journal,  it  is  observed,  that  when- 
ever a  fungus  is  pleasant  in  flavour  and 
odour,  it  may  be  considered  harmless  ;  but  if 
it  have  an  offensive  smell,  a  bitter,  astringent, 
or  styptic  taste,  or  even  if  it  leave  an  un- 
pleasant flavour  in  the  mouth,  it  should  not  be 
considered  fit  for  food.  Their  colour,  figure, 
and  texture,  do  not  afford  any  characters  on 
which  we  can  safely  rely  ;  yet  it  may  be  re- 
marked, that  the  pure  yellow,  golden,  blush- 
white,  dark  or  shining  brown,  wine-red,  or 
the  violet  coloured  ones,  belong  to  many  that 
are  eatable  ;  whilst  the  pale  or  sulphur- 
yellow,  bright  or  blood-red,  and  the  greenish, 
belong  to  few  but  the  poisonous.  The  safe 
kinds  have  generally  a  compact  brittle 
texture  and  white  flesh,  and  grow  more 
readily  in  open  places,  such  as  dry  pastures 
and  waste  lands,  than  in  moist  or  shaded 
places.  Those  are  generally  suspicious  which 
grow  in  caverns  and  subterranean  passages, 
or  on  animal  matter  undergoing  putrefaction, 
as  well  as  those  whose  flesh  is  soft  or  watery. 
There  are  some  persons  with  whom  mush- 
Tooms  never  agree.  Cobbett  mentions  that 
whenever  he  ate  them,  his  body,  face,  and 
hands  would  soon  afterwards  become  covered 
with  numbers  of  red  spots  or  pimples. 

Some  species  of  Boletus  yield,  of  their  own 
accord,  crystals  of  oxalic  acid  ;  and  the  cham- 
pignon {Agaricus  pratensis)  and  some  others 
are  supposed  to  contain  prussic  acid.  Bra- 
connot  found  by  analysis,  that  the  Fungi 
contain  two  peculiar  substances,  called  fungin 
and  holetic  acid.  What  little  of  a  nutritive 
nature  they  possess, — for  they  are  not  very 
nourishing, — appears  to  reside  in  the  fungin, 
which  is  always  white,  soft,  and  tasteless. 
When  burnt,  it  emits  a  smell  like  bread,  and 
on  distillation  it  affords  a  brownish  oil,  be- 
sides ammonia  and  charcoal  ;  and  the  latter 
product  from  it  contains  phosphate  of  lime, 
carbonate  of  lime,  phosphate  of  alumina, 
silica  (or  flint),  and  sulphuretted  hydrogen 
gas — constituents  which  sufiiciently  declare 
that  it  has  the  characteristics  of  both  vegetal 
and  animal  matter,  and  moreover,  when  it  is' 
left  to  putrefy  in  water,  it  first  smells  like 
putrid  vegetal  matter  ;  and  subsequently,  like 
putrid  animal  matter.  Boletic  acid,  in  which 
probably  resides  both    the   flavour  and  the 


poison  of  the  Fungi,  tastes  like  cream  of 
tartar,  exhibits  irregular  white  prismatic 
crystals,  is  unaffected  by  exposure  to  the 
atmosphere,  but  dissolves  in  forty-five  times 
its  own  weight  of  alcohol,  or  in  one  hundred 
and  eighty  times  its  own  weight  of  water, 
when  the  latter  is  at  sixty-eight  degrees  of 
temperature. 


SPINACH. 

There  is  hardly  a  more  favourite  vegetable 
than  spinach,  and  none  more  easily  cultivated. 
There  are  two  kinds  that  may  be  considered 
the  most  popular,  and  are  in  universal  de- 
mand :  the  round-leaved  and  the  prickly  ;  the 
former  best  in  all  the  spring  months,  the  latter 
superior  for  winter;  but  we  have  known  the 
round-leaved  sort  do  well  sown  in  autumn, 
but  it  is  not  generally  the  case.  The  ground 
for  spinach  cannot  well  be  too  rich  ;  the 
quicker  it  grows,  the  milder  and  better  it  is  ; 
and,  therefore,  well-manured  ground  is  fa- 
vourable. 

SOWING    THE    SEED. 

This  may  be  done  in  drills,  or  broadcast  ; 
that  is,  spread  all  over  the  space.  It  is  best 
to  sow  after  rain,  when  the  ground  is  mode- 
rately moist  and  works  well.  In  drilling, 
the  rows  must  be  six  inches  apart,  and  not 
deeper  than  two  inches.  The  seed  must  be 
sown  so  ■  thinly  that  no  two  plants  shall  be 
together,  and  the  earth  be  drawn  down  into 
the  drill  to  cover  slightly.  When  the  seed  is 
well  up,  cut  out  all  the  spare  plants,  so  as  to 
leave  the  remainder  six  inches  apart  in  the 
rows.  After  this  has  been  done  a  fortnight 
or  so,  they  must  be  cleared  and  thinned 
again  ;  because  you  will  see  here  and  there  a 
plant  that  has  escaped  your  first  hoeing.  In 
the  early  spring  months  and  while  there  is  no 
danger  of  running  to  seed,  the  large  leaves 
may  be  picked  off  and  eaten  ;  but  the  common 
practice  is  to  let  them  grow  till  they  are 
large  enough,  and  then  take  them  up  and  eat 
all  but  the  root.  However,  the  respective 
plans  will  not  be  alike  in  all  cases  ;  but  in 
genei'al  there  is  no  great  difference  in  the 
result.  In  sowing  broadcast,  the  ground  is 
levelled  after  being  well  dug  and  dressed,  and 
the  seed  is  scattered  all  over  the  surface  per- 
fectly even  and  very  thin  ;  and  the  ground 
should  be  raked  until  the  whole  is  covered  up. 
It  is  as  well  to  make  some  preparation  for  the 
attacks  of  birds;  for  when  they  one  and  all  do 
their  part  towards  clearing  a  piece  before  the 
place  is  dry  from  the  sowing,  unless  you 
stop  them  by  some  means,  they  take  but  a 
short  time  to  clear  a  bed. 

THINNING    OUT    THE    PLANTS. 

When  the  seed  is  sown  in  drills  six  inches 


CROSS    BREEDING. 


521 


apart,  you  have  only  to  cut  six-inch  vacancies 
in  the  drills,  and  your  crop  is  properly  thinned; 
but  when  sown  broadcast,  you  do  not  attempt 
to  make  them  in  rows,  but  to  thin  them  out 
to  about  six  inches  ;  not  regularly  but  there- 
abouts, generally  giving  or  taking  a  little  one 
side  or  other,  to  preserve  the  best  plants. 
When  the  plants  grow  a  little,  they  soon 
touch  ;  but  the  round-leaved  spinach  being 
fit  to  cut  as  soon  as  there  is  any  quantity 
worth  eating,  there  are  many  who  do  not 
even  take  the  trouble  to  thin  with  the  hoe, 
but  sow  as  thinly  as  they  can,  and  as  soon 
as  the  plants  have  six  leaves,  pull  them  out 
by  hand,  taking  the  best  plants  and  leaving 
the  weak  ones  ;  this  gives  the  opportunity  of 
eating  the  plants  down  to  thin  the  rest.  This 
first  drawing  is  of  course  smaller  than  we 
should  choose  to  eat  them  as  the  general  crop  ; 
because  the  plants  ought  to  be  a  good  size, 
otherwise  there  is  a  waste  ;  but  seeing  that 
they  are  drawn  to  thin  the  beds  and  give  the 
others  more  room,  it  is  simply  a  question, 
whether  the  crop,  if  properly  thinned  early, 
would  grow  so  much  faster,  as  to  repay  one 
for  wasting  all  that  are  cut  up  with  the  hoe. 
Our  own  experience  dictates,  that  for  private 
use,  a  drill  drawn  here  and  there,  and  sowed 
thinly  with  spinach,  grows  well  and  rapidly  ; 
and  that  there  is  no  occasion  to  thin  them  with 
the  hoe,  but  as  soon  as  the  best  plants  are 
large  enough  to  eat,  draw  them  out  and  give 
the  remainder  room  to  grow.  In  the  heat  of 
summer,  spinach  is  very  apt  to  run  to  seed 
before  it  attains  any  growth  ;  but  this  may  be 
counteracted  a  good  deal  by  copious  watering, 
so  as  to  soak  the  ground  well  before  the  seed 
is  sown  and  after  it  is  up.  Thinning  out 
while  very  young,  and  keeping  it  clear  of 
weeds,  the  growth  is  then  rapid,  but  it  must 
be  watched  and  taken  up  for  use  before  the 
seed,  or  rather  the  flower-buds,  appear.  In 
this  young  state  everything  but  the  root  is 
eatable. 

THE    WINTER    SPINACH. 

Spinach  for  winter  use  is  sown  in  the  au- 
tumn, and  the  prickly  spinach,  which  is  very 
hardy,  and  a  continuous  grower,  is  generally 
sown  for  it.  The  plant  is  not  pulled  up,  as  is  the 
case  with  the  round-leaved,  but  the  full-sized 
leaves  are  picked  off  and  the  others  left  to 
grow  from  time  to  time,  and  thus  a  supply  is 
kept  up  ail  the  winter  through  ;  all  ordinary 
frosts  having  no  bad  effect  on  the  plants. 
This  maybe  sown  in  drills  nine  inches  apart; 
or,  if  sown  broadcast,  thinner  than  the  round- 
leaved.  When  up,  they  may  be  thinned  to 
nine  inches  distance,  and  be  kept  clear  from 
Aveeds  ;  as  soon  as  the  lower  leaves  are  full- 
grown,  they  may  be  picked  off  for  eating,  and 
this  picking  may  be  continued  as"  often  as  the 
leaves  come  large  enough.     The  spring  sow- 


ings may  begin  in  March  and  be  continued  in 
April  and  May.  Some  repeat  in  June.  The 
autumn  sowing  may  begin  in  August,  and  be 
continued  in  September  and  October,  There 
is  nothing  to  prevent  those  who  are  fond  of  it 
from  following  up  the  sowing  of  the  spring 
kinds  all  through  the  summer  ;  but  as  it 
perfects  itself  quicker,  and  will  run  to  seed 
while  small,  thei'e  is  less  to  eat,  and  it  wants 
more  attention  lest  it  be  lost  altogether.  But 
peas  and  cauliflowers  supersede  it,  and  no  one 
cares  for  it  the  two  or  three  hottest  months. 

SOIL    AND    SITUATION. 

The  ground  should  be  open  and  well  ma- 
nured. In  the  early  months  it  should  not  be 
shaded,  but  in  the  hotter  weather  it  may  be 
sown  among  the  trees,  where  the  hottest  sun 
does  not  reach  it.  In  market  gardens  it  is 
sown  often  between  the  rows  of  currant  and 
gooseberry  bushes,  because  it  is  not  so 
parched  up  with  the  sun  ;  and  if  it  be  drawn 
a  little,  it  is  of  no  consequence.  For  the 
winter  sort,  the  place  cannot  be  too  open. 
It  wants  all  the  sun  and  air  it  can  get  uninter- 
rupted ;  and  the  ground  must  be  kept  very 
clear  all  about  them.  Some  of  the  finest  and 
thickest-leaved  plants  should  be  marked,  for 

SAVING   SEED. 

The  plants  left  for  seeding  must  be  well 
hoed  between  and  the  surface  stirred  ;  and 
a  little  earth  drawn  to  the  roots ;  they  will  soon 
flower  and  seed.  When  the  seed  is  approach- 
ing ripeness,  the  entire  stem  should  be  cut, 
and  the  whole  dried  in  the  shade  under  cover. 
It  is  as  well  not  to  sow  the  seed  in  the  same 
place  as  it  occupied  the  season  before  ;  be- 
cause all  crops  are  better  changed,  and  espe- 
cially when  you  save  your  own  seed. 


CROSS  BREEDING. 
Many  writers  make  a  seeming  mystery  of 
this  simple  operation;  our  object  is  to  make 
our  readers  fully  masters  of  the  subject,  and  of 
the  reasons  why  and  the  instances  where  it  is 
desirable.  Flowers  have,  for  the  most  part,  a 
portion  connected  with  the  seed  vessels  which 
would  be  perfectly  useless,  unless  there  were 
anthers,  which  hold  the  pollen,  or  powder,  to 
communicate  with  it,  and  thus  fertilize  the 
seeds,  which  would  otherwise  be  useless  and 
barren,  even  if  they  grew  at  all.  This  por- 
tion, which  is  attached  to  the  seed-vessel, 
becomes  at  a  particular  period  of  its  growth 
sticky,  and  the  powder  which  escapes  from 
the  anthers  is  retained  by  the  glutinous  por- 
tion, and  every  grain  of  powder  forms  a  com- 
plete seed  in  itself,  striking  down  an  imper- 
ceptibly fine  fibre,  or  root,  into  the  vessel,  arid 
by  the  communication  with  the  seed  within 
renders  it  vital.     Now  the  sporting  of  flowers 


522 


CROSS    BREEDING. 


forms  one  of  the  great  chai'ms  of  the  florist's 
occupation.  Many  flowers  sport  of  them- 
selves ;  a  pinch  of  seed  from  a  yellow  flower, 
or  a  red  flower,  bringing  others  of  half-a- 
dozen  different  shades,  and  of  various  proper- 
ties. Whether  this  is  the  result  of  cross 
impregnation  by  the  bees  and  flies  that  carry 
the  powder  on  their  limbs  from  flower  to 
flower,  is  a  problem  ;  but  it  is  quite  certain 
that  if  the  seed-vessel  of  one  flower  be  fei*- 
tilized  by  the  powder  from  a  diff'erent  flower, 
there  will  be  a  modification  of  form  and 
colour,  and  of  a  number  produced  from  such 
crossing  some  will  be  like  each  parent,  and 
some  between  the  two.  By  this  means  the 
good  properties  which  are  separate  in  two 
flowers  will  sometimes  be  combined  in  one, 
and  the  raisers  of  seedlings  should  endeavour 
to  anticipate  the  uncertain  and  often  unsatis- 
factory work  of  bees  and  flies  by  performing 
the  necessary  ofiice  themselves.  The  cases 
in  which  such  impregnation  is  desirable 
are  :  — 

First,  when  a  flower  has  one  or  more  good 
properties,  but  in  some  i-espects  is  faulty. 

Second,  when  a  plant  that  is  hardy  is 
greatly  inferior  in  othei:  respects  to  plants 
that  are  tender. 

In  the  first  case,  we  will  suppose  that  we 
have  a  finely  coloured  hollyhock  with  petals 
flimsy  and  bad,  and  that  we  have  a  very  thick 
petalled  hollyhock  whose  colour  is  nothing 
new  nor  very  good  ;  cross  impregnation  here 
may  produce,  among  a  hundred  other  varie- 
ties, some  one  or  more  with  the  good  colour 
and  the  thick  petals, — the  very  thing  we  want. 

In  the  second  case  we  will  look  to  Rhodo- 
dendron ponticum,  or  maximum,  or  cataw- 
biense,  all  of  which  are  perfectly  hardy,  but 
none  of  which  have  the  magnificent  crimson 
of  the  more  tender  varieties  ;  by  crossing  the 
hardy  ones  with  the  pollen  of  the  tender  ones, 
we  may  obtain  the  superb  crimson  on  the 
hardy  plant, — the  thing  of  all  others  to  be 
wished.  In  this  way  have  we  possessed  our- 
selves of  the  beautiful  variety  called  Alta-Cle- 
rense,  and  many  others  very  rich  and  very 
beautiful. 

Mr.  Smith,  of  Norbiton,  succeeded  in  a 
remarkable  manner  in  producing  a  cross  be- 
tween the  splendid  Azalea  sinensis,  bright 
yellow,  and  the  common  Rhododendron, 
and  the  result  was  Yellow  Rhododendrons, 
of  which  there  are  now  many  different 
shades,  from  sulphur  to  deep  crocus  yellow, 
and  some  of  various  shades  of  bronze  :  this 
may  be  called  the  triumph  of  cross  breeding. 
In  this  way  many  very  superb  varieties  of' 
Azalea,  Amaryllis  and  other  plants  have  been 
produced,  and  new  families  almost  created. 
The  theory  of  cross  breeding  is  this  :  the  prin- 
cipal organ  attached  to  the  seed-vessel,  called 


the  pistil,  becomes  glutinous  when  ready  to 
receive  the  powder,  and  unless  we  are  pretty 
quick,  the  anthers  of  the  flower  burst  at  the 
same  time,   and  enough   of  the  powder  will 
attach  itself  to  impregnate  all  the  seed;  there- 
fore we  ought,  as  soon  as  the  flower  opens,  to 
pull  or  cut  away  all  the  anthers  ;  this  at  once 
prevents  self-impregnation,  and  we  have  only  to 
watch  for  the  time  when  the  pistil  is  ready  to 
receive  the  powder,  and  then  take  some  from 
the  flower  whose  habit  we  wish  to  impart  to 
the  one  we  operate  on.     In  various  flowers 
the  mode  of  operation  differs  according  to  cir- 
cumstances ;  in  some  it  is   exceedingly  diffi- 
cult to  get  at  the  organs  of  germination.    The 
pansy  can   only   be   fertilized   by  taking  the 
powder    of   one    flower    on    a    camel's    hair 
pencil  and  rubbing  it  into  the  centre  of  ano- 
ther flower.     The  dahlia  has  the  principles  of 
fertilization  in  every  petal,  and  sports  so  much 
without  any  trouble,  that  we  never  attempt  it 
by  hand.     The  rose  requires  to  be  opened  by 
gentle  violence  before  it  opens  of  itself;   and 
many  flowers  require  considerable  delicacy  in 
the  operation,  to  prevent  failui-e  on  one  side 
and  injury  on  the  other.     Many  fruits  are 
said  to  have  been  produced  by  actual  cross 
breeding,  but  Ave  very  much  doubt  if  we  could 
do  better  by  hand  than  nature  would  do  for 
herself.      Some  splendid  cucumbers  have  been 
raised  from  seed,  and  not  a  few  melons  ;  cer- 
tain it  is,  that  we  have  some  magnificent  va- 
rieties of  both  now,   come  whence  and  how 
they  may.     The  Cacti  and  Epiphyllums  have 
been  variously  crossed  to  produce  novelties, 
but  every  one  has  been  inferior  to  the  noble 
speciosissimus,  and  although  some  are  varied, 
they  ai'e  certainly  not  improved.  It  is  said,  that 
the  splendid  varieties  of  brocoli  which  equal 
the  cauliflower  in  whiteness,  and  beat  it  alto- 
gether in  the  capacity  to  stand  the  winter  frosts, 
were  the  result  of  cross  impregnating  the  bro- 
coli with  the  cauliflower.  It  is  quite  impossible 
to  say  what  lengths  we  shall  stop  at  in  cross- 
breeding vegetables.     The  pea,  the  bean,  the 
hardy  winter  greens,  all  invite  us  to  the  trial. 
Some  beans  are  the  result  of  cross  breeding ; 
among  these  Marshall's  Prolific  is  conspicuous; 
but  many  persons  who  have  raised  seedling 
flowers,  fruit,  and  vegetables,  have  no  claim 
to  having  hybridized  them.     They  have  been 
found  among  ordinary  products  from  seed  ; 
a  single  plant  has  exhibited  some  remarkable 
feature  that  has  attracted  notice,  the  seed  has 
been  treasured  as  a  novelty,  and  in  the  course 
of  a  season  or  two  a  stock  has  been  got  toge- 
ther.    The   French  people  profess  to   do   a 
good  deal  in  this  way  with  roses ;  but,  for  the 
most  part,  the  best  way  to  produce  novelties 
is  to  place  together  all  the  varieties  that  are 
good  for  anything,  and  save  all  the  seed  with- 
out seeing  how  they  became  crossed,  for  there 


THE    PROPERTIES    OF    THE    IRIS. THE    GARDENIA. 


523 


is  pretty  sure  to  be  a  great  variety,  without 
our  giving  ourselves  the  trouble  to  cross  the 
various  plants  on  purpose.  Nature  is  no  bad 
workwoman,  and  when  left  to  herself  will 
often  do  what  none  of  us  dream  of. 


THE  PROPERTIES  OF  THE  IRIS. 

The  lover  of  flowers  could  with  a  little 
cnrisideration  tell  us,  instead  of  leaving  us  to 
tell  him,  why  he  preferred  one  variety  of  any 
kind  of  plant  to  another,  but  scarcely  any  one 
will  give  himself  time  to  inquire  or  consider, 
and  rests  satisfied  with  the  simple  fact  that 
he  does  prefer  it.  Therefore  it  is  that  in 
many  of  the  most  common  things  we  have 
been  obliged  to  lay  down  rules  and  explain 
principles  upon  which  the  mei-its  of  a  subject 
may  be  tested. 

The  growers  of  the  iiis  know  that  the 
Spanish  and  Persian  varieties  are  not  so  rich 
as  the  English  kind  adopted  by  florists.  Why 
is  this  ?  Simply  because  the  principal  petals 
of  the  latter  are  broader.  If  these  broad  petals 
are  richer  than  narrow  ones,  a  point  is  gained 
by  broad  petals.  Bright  or  dense  colours  are 
preferred  to  dull  watery  undefined  shades. 
Thick  petals  stand  longer  and  hold  their  form 
better  than  thin.  ones.  Smooth  edges  look 
better  than  rough  or  notched  ones  ;  and  so  we 
get  at  certain  beauties,  which  a  flower  must 
possess  to  be  perfect. 

This  explains  the  principles  on  which  the 
properties  of  the  iris  are  founded,  which,  as 
there  is  some  difference  of  opinion,  we  quote: — 

"  The  three  principal  petals  should  be  broad 
enough  to  touch  one  another ;  the  three 
secondary  ones  should  stand  distinct  and 
apart  from  the  principal  ones,  and  be  also 
broad  enough  to  touch  one  another, 

"  The  three  principal  petals  should  be  thick, 
smooth  at  the  edges,  broad  and  blunt  on  the 
outer  extremity,  and  curve  gracefully  from 
the  base  outwards  and  downwards  in  the 
form  of  the  top  half  of  a  hollow  globe. 

"  The  colour  of  all  six  petals  should  be 
dense,  be  it  what  it  may;  pale  or  dark  blue, 
purple,  lilac,  or  blush,  no  matter  which  ;  and 
the  markings  should  be  distinct  and  uniform, 
the  three  principal  petals  alike,  and  the  other 
three  alike,  but  not  both  threes  of  the  same 
colour. 

"  The  texture  should  be  velvety  over  the 
surface  of  the  thi-ee  principal  petals,  and  the 
edges  should  be  crimped  or  frilled,  but  not 
serrated.  The  surface  of  the  others  should  be 
smooth,  like  wax  or  enamel. 

"  The  stems  should  be  strong,  and  the 
flowers  thrown  up  well  out  of  the  sheath,  and 
bloom  one  at  a  time  ;  that  is,  the  second 
should  not  open  until  the  first  is  on  the  decline." 


All  the  floral  world,  from  those  who  like 
the  least  to  those  who  like  the  most  interest- 
ing, would  on  seeing  a  flower  that  nearly 
approached  the  standard,  by  the  side  of  one 
that  did  not,  instantly  decide  in  favour  of  the 
former,  even  if  they  could  not  tell  us  the  reason 
why.  The  fact  is  that  the  more  surface  of 
petal  there  is  in  a  given  space,  the  more 
brilliant  a  flower  appears  ;  and  every  vacancy 
or  break  looks  worse  than  if  the  deficiency 
were  filled  up. 


THE    GARDENIA    OR    CAPE    JASMINE. 

This  first  favourite  at  the  markets,  as  well 
as  gardens,  is  now  cultivated  to  a  great  ex- 
tent for  cut  flowers,  as  well  as  to  be  purchased 
as  plants.  It  is  one  of  the  most  delicate  in  ap- 
pearance and  most  fragrant  flowers  of  the  early 
part  of  the  year,  for  it  is  forced  forward  with 
alacrity  to  meet  the  demands  for  the  first 
flowers  of  the  spring,  and  is  the  most  beauti- 
ful of  all  the  small  flowers  produced.  The 
gardenia  strikes  freely  from  cuttings  placed 
in  sand  and  under  a  bell-glass,  favoured  by  a 
little  bottom  heat,  and  as  soon  as  the  cuttings 
are  struck,  they  are  planted  out  in  pots,  one 
in  each  pot,  and  transferred  to  a  common  hot- 
bed, plunged  in  the  mould  to  the  rim  of  the 
pot,  and  kept  growing  sharply  until  they 
actually  flower  ;  but  if  buds  should  come 
while  the  plants  are  very  small,  you  may 
choose  Avhich  you  will  sacrifice,  the  growth  of 
the  plant  or  the  flower :  sometimes  a  cut  flower 
will  bring  more  than  the  plant  would  if  grown 
up  to  the  market  size,  and  there  is  no  flower 
in  general  so  popular,  come  at  what  time  of 
the  year  it  may.  The  grand  thing  to  recollect 
in  its  cultivation  is,  that  it  rejoices  in  moist 
peat,  and  in  nothing  so  much  as  a  common 
hot-bed  ;  a  few  pots  in  a  cucumber  frame  are 
sure  to  do  well,  and  those  who  grow  for  market 
find  the  common  hot-bed  the  most  profitable  as 
well  as  the  most  efficacious,  as  for  the  time  the 
heat  is  just  what  the  plant  requires,  and  keeps 
off  red  spider,  mealy  bug,  and  all  the  other 
entomological  plagues  that  so  readily  attack 
the  plant  in  our  ordinary  stove.  When  the 
plants  get  large,  they  should  be  grown  in  the 
orchideous  house,  which  is  always  moist,  other- 
wise it  receives  a  check  which  it  rarely  re- 
covers Avithout  a  good  deal  of  care,  and  some- 
times not  at  all.  Cuttings  taken  off  at  a  time 
when  the  last  year's  shoots  have  made  all  their 
growth  will  strike  and  bloom  before  they  are 
three  inches  high,  and  in  the  thumb  pots,  but 
it  does  not  follow  that  they  should  be  allowed 
to  do  so  if  you  wish  them  to  be  grown  up 
into  specimens.  Thei'e  is  nothing  surpasses 
the  gardenia  in  fragrance,  and  very  few  plants 
equal  it  in  beauty. 


524 


ASPARAGUS    OF    THE    COSSACKS.^ CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS. 


THE  ASPARAGUS  OF  THE  COSSACKS. 

This  plant  proves  to  be  the  Typha  latifolia, 
a  species  well  known,  and  very  widely  distri- 
buted over  the  globe.  The  rootstocks  of  the 
Typhas  are  said  to  abound  in  starch,  so  that 
their  qualities  are  nutritious.  We  shall  quote 
an  abridgement  of  an  article  on  this  subject  in 
a  recent  number  of  the  Ghent  Annales,  which 
has  some  interest  in  connexion  with  the  ques- 
tion of  the  capacities  of  vegetation  to  supply 
us  with  daily  food  : — 

"  The  authors  of  a  humorous  publication 
at  Brussels  introduced,  in  1847,  the  subject 
of  the  potato  disease  into  their  pages.  They 
have  enumerated,  in  verse,  the  names  of  va- 
rieties of  the  famous  Solanum  tuberosum,  and 
have  called  the  attention  of  horticulturists  to 
the  potato  of  Bokhara,  that  reputed  happy 
capital,  inhabited  by  Tartars,  Jews,  Turco- 
mans, Mussulmen,  and  Cossacks.  Our  friends, 
however,  have  humbly  acknowledged  that 
they  are  entirely  ignorant  of  the  nature  of 
this  potato ;  but.  thanks  to  the  kind  of  free- 
masonry which  exists  among  botanists  through- 
out the  world,  we  are  enabled  to  put  this 
extolled  plant  into  the  'hands  of  these  same 
friends.  On  obtaining  this  potato  of  Bokhara, 
we  soon  perceived  that  it  was  a  plant  totally 
difterent  from  the  Solanum,  and  one  with 
which  we  had  long  been  familiar ;  and,  on 
referring  to  Dr.  Clarke's  Travels,  we  found 
we  had  before  ns  the  history  of  this  pretended 
potato  of  the  Bokharians.  The  plant  which 
•  they  eat  instead  of  potatoes  is  an  aquatic. 
For  three  centuries  it  has  been  called  by  the 
French,  Marteau  or  Masse ;  the  Greeks  have 
named  it  rixpr} ;  the  Latins,  Typha ;  the  Ger- 
mans, Quarrenkolhen  or  Liefsknoj^sen;  the 
Flemings,  Lisch-dodden,  or,  simply,  Donsen. 
It  is  the  Typha  latifolia  of  botanists. 

"  We  cultivate  the  Typha  latifolia  as  an 
ornamental  plant  in  ponds  ;  but  it  naturally 
abounds  in  our  waters  where  the  depth  is  not 
too  great.  M.  de  Pitteurs-Hiegaerts  had  many 
thousand  stems  from  the  Lake  of  Leau ;  and 
if  we  are  correctly  informed,  the  leaves  were 
only  employed  for  litter,  and  the  dried  stems 
and  rhizomes  for  fuel.  What  a  glorious  feast 
they  would  have  aiforded,  when  young,  for 
the  Cossacks  !  In  the  Campine  Limbourgeoise 
the  ponds  are  full  of  these  plants  ;  and  they 


have  begun  to  propagate  themselves  in  the 
pieces  of  water  on  the  line  of  the  Vesdre,  on 
both  sides  of  the  railroad. 

"  Dr.  Clarke  gives  full  details  respecting 
the  utility  of  the  Typha.  He  found  the  in- 
habitants of  Tcherkask  so  enthusiastic  with 
respect  to  the  excellence  of  the  shoots  of  the 
typha,  that  they  regarded  it  as  a  sacred  plant, 
a  special  gift  of  Providence.  The  lower  parts 
of  the  stem  are  brought  to  the  tables  at  every 
meal ;  and  in  every  house  bundles  are  to  be 
found,  about  three  feet  in  length,  tied  like 
asparagus,  ready  for  use.  It  is  sold  in  the 
markets,  and  amongst  the  provision  merchants. 
It  is  best  used  in  spring,  like  our  asparagus, 
when  the  plants  begin  to  shoot.  It  is  said 
that  in  this  state  it  forms  a  dish  which  those 
that  have  once  partaken  desire  again  with 
increasing  relish. 

"  The  Cossacks  are  still  more  choice  in 
their  use  of  the  Typha.  They  peel  off  the 
cuticle  and  select  tlie  blanched  tender  part, 
usually  about  eighteen  inches  in  length,  near 
the  root ;  and  this  constitutes  a  dish,  cool, 
agreeable,  and  wholesome.  '\The  Cossacks, 
rich  or  poor,  young  or  old,  prefer  this  vege- 
table to  all  others ;  and  Dr.  Clarke  states, 
from  his  own  experience,  during  his  sojourn 
among  the  inhabitants  on  the  banks  of  the 
Don,  that  the  Typha  was  a  very  nutritious 
and  excellent  dish. 

"  The  Typha  is  prepared  like  asparagus, 
being  cut,  like  the  latter,  when  the  young 
shoots  are  pushing ;  the  tender  blanched  part 
is  boiled  in  water  seasoned  with  salt,  and 
served  up  in  the  same  way  as  asparagus.  The 
various  culinary  preparations  to  which  the 
asparagus  is  subjected  are  equally  applicable  to 
the  Typha  ;  for  it  may  be  cut,  stewed,  pre- 
pared for  serving  up  with  yolk  of  eggs,  en- 
hancing the  flavour  with  nutmeg  and  salt. 
The  Typha,  therefore,  which  ornaments  the 
sides  of  our  lakes  and  ponds  with  its  elegant 
foliage  and  singular  tops,  may  be  turned  to 
useful  account ;  for  although  the  plant  is 
eaten,  both  by  Tartar  and  Cossack,  that  is  no 
reason  why  one,  being  neither,  should  not 
avail  himself  of  that  which  God  has  created 
good.  Even  the  French  cooks  employ  various 
culinary  plants  for  which  we  are  indebted  to 
the  Cossacks,  among  which  we  may  mention 
tarragon,  and  a  delicious  rhubarb." 


CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS  AND  ORIGINAL  NOTES. 


Raising  the  Pinus  Tribe. — All  sorts  of 
pines  and  firs  worth  cultivating  are  propa- 
gated by  seeds.  The  ripe  cones  of  these  trees 
are  either  to  be  exposed  to  a  gentle  heat,  or 
soaked  for  twelve  hours  in  warm  water;  after 
which  the  several  cells  will  open,  and  the 
seeds  fall  out.     These  seeds  should  never  be 


taken  out  till  the  time  of  sowing  them,  which 
is  March.  The  ground  they  are  to  be  sown 
in  must  be  carefully  turned  several  times  to 
remove  the  roots  of  weeds  ;  after  this  the 
earth  is  to  be  levelled  with  a  spade,  in  small 
spots,  at  every  six  feet  square  ;  in  each  of 
which  spots  ten  or  twelve  seeds  are  to  be 


CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS. 


52^ 


sown,  and  covered  with  some  of  the  same 
mould,  broken  fine  but  not  sifted  ;  then  they 
are  to  be  covered  with  a  furze-bush,  or  other 
such  covering,  and  this  is  to  remain  for  some 
time  after  the  plants  are  come  up,  but  they 
must  not  be  covered  too  close  by  it.  When 
this  covering  is  taken  off,  a  little  loose  earth 
is  to  be  drawn  about  the  stems  of  the  plants, 
and  a  little  furze  stuck  about  them  to  keep  off 
the  too  great  heat  of  the  sun.  Usually,  from 
twelve  seeds,  there  are  eight  plants  or  there- 
abouts, and  these  may  be  left  standing  toge- 
ther till  the  third  year.  In  March  or  April, 
the  third  year  after  sowing  the  plants,  they 
are  to  be  removed  to  the  place  where  they  are 
to  stand,  and  planted  at  eight  feet  square  dis- 
tance, or  greater,  if  desired.  Two  plants 
should,  however,  be  left  in  the  plantation  in 
each  cluster,  and  great  care  taken  not  to  in- 
jure the  roots  of  these.  The  others  also  must 
be  taken  up  with  as  much  earth  about  their 
roots  as  possible ;  when  they  are  set  in  the 
new  plantation  there  must  be  stakes  fixed 
near  them,  to  tie  them  to,  that  the  wind  may 
not  blow  them  down,  and  the  roots  must  be 
covered  with  litter,  and  they  must  have  a  gen- 
tle watering  to  settle  the  earth  to  their  roots. 
If  the  weather  prove  very  dry,  this  may  be 
repeated  two  or  three  times,  but  a  little  at  a 
time, — over-watering  kills  all  newset  trees. 

Geape  Refuse. — M.  Renaudot  has  sent 
a  paper  to  the  Academy  of  Sciences  in  Paris, 
relating  to  the  means  by  which  the  marc  of 
grapes  may  be  employed  much  more  usefully 
than  it  is  at  present.  M.  Renaudot  gives  the 
details  of  a  process  by  which  he  expects  to 
obtain  a  spirituous  liquid  free  from  any  unplea- 
sant taste  or  smell,  in  the  place  of  the  ordinary 
brandy  obtained  from  the  distillation  of  the 
marc,  which  is  often  tainted  and  never  free 
fi'om  an  empyreumatic  taste,  which  greatly 
diminishes  its  value.  Instead,  too,  of  using 
the  remains  of  the  distillation  as  manure,  M. 
Renaudot  proposes  to  obtain  potash  from  them 
by  calcination. — Comptes  Mendus. 

Arbour  making  with  Trees. — In  this 
country  very  few  arbours  are  to  be  seen,  at 
least  rustic  ones.  They  are,  however,  very 
useful  and  ornamental  in  a  garden  ;  for  they 
can  be  formed  before  a  cascade  or  an  avenue, 
at  cross  walks,  in  a  greenhouse  or  in  a  con- 
servatory. They  are  not  only  striking  objects 
in  such  places,  but  offer  an  agreeable  resort 
for  a  gentleman  and  his  family  in  bright  sum- 
mer days.  The  following  plan  of  forming 
arbours  is  explained  by  a  correspondent : — 
"  I  generally  make  them  thus : — Four  trees 
of  one  species  are  planted  in  a  square,  and 
trained  erect  until  they  attain  the  height  re- 
quired, then  the  tops  are  drawn  together,  and 
a  cut  made  in  each  from  two  to  three  inches 
long.     A  different  species,  in  a  pot,  with  four 


cuts  in  it,  equal  in  length  to  those  on  the 
trees  planted  out,  is  placed  between  them,  and 
tied  together  as  in  inarching.  As  soon  as  the 
scion  is  united  with  the  stocks,  I  cut  the  four 
tops  off  above  the  union  and  the  scion  below, 
so  that  the  four  trees  support  the  one  head, 
which  looks  very  curious,  being  a  different 
species.  I  prefer  deciduous  trees  for  stocks, 
and  evergreens  for  scions  ;  or  evergreens  for 
stocks,  and  deciduous  trees  for  scions  ;  the 
appearance  being  more  striking  than  if  they 
were  all  of  one  kind.  The  scion  is  allowed  to 
grow  at  large,  but  the  side  branches  on  the 
stocks  are  trained  horizontally,  or  nearly  so, 
until  they  attain  sufliicient  thickness  to  be  cut 
with  the  hedging-shears." 

YiEGiLiA  LUTE  A. — TheVirgilia  lutea  flow- 
ers very  profusely  in  France,  but  not  before 
it  is  ten  years  of  age  on  its  own  roots.  A 
correspondent  writes  : — "  I  have  seen  it  often 
in  flower  in  the  Jardin  des  Plantes  at  Paris, 
and  measured  its  snow-white  odoriferous 
racemes,  which  were  from  a  foot  to  a  foot  and 
a  half  in  length  when  grown  on  its  own  roots. 
I  mention  that  the  flowers  are  snow-white, 
because  I  have  seen  them.  I  suppose  it  does 
not  often  flower  in  this  country,  for  I  have 
seen  it  mentioned  in  catalogues,  and  other 
botanical  works,  as  bearing  yellow  flowers  ; 
I  do  not  know  by  whom  this  mistake  is  made. 
Perhaps  it  takes  its  name,  lutea,  from  its 
wood  being  yellow,  and  not  the  flowers.  If 
it  does  not  flower  in  Britain,  I  advise  your 
readers  to  work  it  on  Sophora  japonica,  as  is 
done  by  Messrs.  Baumann,  nurserymen,  in 
France,  in  whose  nursery  it  flowers  very  well 
in  three  years  after  grafting  on  young  and  old 
stocks,  with  racemes  from  eighteen  inches  to 
two  feet  long." 

Slugs  and  Snails. — There  is  hardly  any- 
thing in  the  whole  range  of  garden  plagues 
much  worse  than  slugs  and  snails.  There  is 
no  season  but  they  are  present  and  devouring 
the  crops  if  they  be  not  kept  under  by  all  the 
means  we  know  of.  They  may  be  caught  in 
great  numbers  by  laying  cabbage  leaves  on 
the  soil  and  taking  them  up  twice  a-day,  when 
the  pests  will  be  found  on  the  under  side  ;  we 
have  known  a  quart  to  be  taken  up  in  one 
round  upon  twenty  rods  of  ground,  under  flat 
pieces  of  board  or  tile.  Pan-tiles  are  especially 
tempting  to  them,  for  being  arched,  the  slugs 
are  enabled  to  get  under  without  exertion, 
and  a  score  may  be  picked  off  a  single  tile. 
It  may  be  thought  that  in  time  this  would  thin 
them  ;  and  if  persevered  in,  a  great  deal  may 
be  done  towards  extirpating  them  altogether. 
Again,  they  are  greatly  incommoded  by  re- 
peated hoeing,  raking,  and  stirring  of  the  earth. 
In  neglected  gardens,  where  weeds  are  allowed 
to  grow  up  in  abundance,  they  breed  so  fast 
that  for  some  time  afterwards  it  is  scarcely 


526 


CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS. 


possible  to  raise  a  crop  of  anything.  Sowing 
a  plot  of  ground  with  quick-lime  just  before 
daylight  will  kill  every  one  that  the  lime 
touches ;  so  also  will  salt,  but  there  is  great 
danger  of  the  plants,  because  if  there  is  enough 
to  be  effectual  with  the  slugs,  there  would  be 
too  much  for  all  tender  crops.  It  has  been 
recommended  to  put  cabbage  leaves  in  an 
oven,  or  in  some  other  way  to  partially  roast 
them  before  laying  them  down  on  the  ground, 
because  it  draws  the  vermin  from  a  long  dis- 
tance ;  but  this  is  often  troublesome,  and  there 
is  one  thing  quite  certain — whatever  be  the 
remedy  or  remedies  adopted,  they  will  require 
to  be  persevered  in  a  considerable  time,  for 
you  will  hardly  find  any  abatement  of  the 
nuisance  for  many  days.  We  recommend,  if 
they  can  be  had,  cabbage  leaves  strewed  upon 
the  ground  and  taken  up  once  or  twice  a-day, 
knocking  off  all  the  slugs  into  a  pail  of  salt 
and  water ;  tedious  as  it  may  seem,  it  is  the 
best,  the  safest,  and  the  most  permanently  effec- 
tual plan.  It  is  very  probable  that  one  lot  of 
leaves  may  be  enough  to  extirpate  the  larger 
quantity  ;  and  when  the  leaves  are  done  with, 
watch  the  opportunity  before  day  break  and 
sow  lime  on  all  the  stragglers  that  are  out  and 
exposed. — G. 

Weeds  on  Neighbouring  Premises. — 
There  is  very  little  thought  of  the  neighbour- 
ing ground  while  we  keep  our  own  clean 
within  ;  but  if  there  be  a  hedge  and  ditch  at 
any  part,  and  the  weeds  are  allowed  to  grow 
on  the  bank,  or  in  the  hedge,  or  in  the  ditch, 
it  will  make  incessant  labour ;  for  it  always 
sows  your  ground  with  the  seed,  and  harbours 
millions  of  vermin  w^hich  travel  far  and  near 
after  more  palatable  food  than  the  ditch  or 
bank  affords,  and  how  often  has  the  reader 
seen  on  a  dull  evening,  or  dark  showery  day, 
the  enormous  black  slugs  crossing  his  path 
and  leaving  their  slimy  track  for  many  yards, 
showing  at  once  what  distance  they  will  go  in 
search  of  food  better  than  they  have  where 
they  are  harboured.  Therefore,  clean  out 
ditches,  rake  out  weeds  at  the  bottom  of 
hedges,  let  there  not  be  in  the  garden  nor  in 
the  neighbourhood  a  dirty  corner,  or  an  over- 
grown neglected  spot ;  for  wherever  vermin 
can  remain  undisturbed,  they  breed  in  pro- 
digious numbers,  and  supply  an  interminable 
quantity  of  mischief  and  vexation. — G. 

Stakes  for  the  Support  op  Flowers. — 
There  is  hardly  any  part  of  the  gardener's 
work  that  requires  more  attention  than  the 
supporting  of  plants  to  protect  them  from 
the  effects  of  wind,  or  hold  them  up  in  their 
weakness.  Some  people  carelessly  drive  th^ 
stake  into  the  ground  so  as  to  hide  the  stems 
of  the  plants,  instead  of  so  di-iving  it  that  the 
plant  shall  hide  the  stake.  There  is  a  good  deal 
of  taste  to  be  displayed  in  supporting  a  patch 


of  sweet-peas,  or  a  dahlia,  for  if  well  done 
they  look  to  be  growing  free  and  supporting 
themselves.  Plants  like  peas  should  be  sup- 
ported with  brushwood;  that  is,  small  branch- 
ing wood  that  is  hardly  perceivable.  In  any 
open  situations,  even  hollyhocks  are  obliged 
to  be  fastened  to  a  stake,  but  the  stake  should 
be  so  placed  as  to  be  hidden  by  the  plant  on 
the  principal  side.  In  like  manner,  standard 
roses,  if  supported  by  an  iron  or  stake,  the 
plant  should  be  before  the  supporter,  and  not 
the  supporter  before  the  plant ;  that  is  to  say, 
the  stake  or  iron  should  be  on  the  side  of  the 
plant  that  is  least  seen. — G. 

Bruckea  grandieolia. — "  For  some  time 
I  took  Brlickea  for  a  shrubby  plant,  since  I  had 
always  found  it  in  full  flower  from  eight  to 
twelve  feet  high  ;  subsequently,  however,  I 
discovered  it  from  thirty  to  fifty  feet  high, 
loaded  with  innumerable  flowers.  The  stems 
of  trees  this  size  were  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
feet  long  and  from  six  to  eight  inches  thick, 
and  surmounted  by  a  head  of  a  roundish  pyra- 
midal form.  The  bark  of  the  stem  and  the 
branches  is  of  a  bright  ash-grey  colour  :  the 
young  branches,  also,  are  studded  with  warts, 
and  covered  with  short,  yellowish-grey  wool. 
This  property  is  likewise  common  to  the 
peduncles,  pedicels,  calyx,  and  the  mid-veins 
of  the  leaves.  The  leaves  are  opposite,  lanceo- 
late, from  three  to  five  inches  long,  and  two- 
thirds  of  their  length  is  from  1|  to  1|  inches 
broad,  ending  in  a  sharp  point,  and  becoming 
gradually  narrower  towards  the  base,  where 
they  have  the  form  of  a  leaf-stalk  from  |  to  |  of 
an  inch  long.  They  are  entire,  and  coria- 
ceous ;  their  surface  is  of  a  shining  green, 
which  is  somewhat  fainter  or  paler  on  the 
under  side,  more  or  less  hairy  at  the  mid-rib 
and  the  other  larger  veins  :  the  somewhat  pe- 
culiar parenchyma  of  the  network  formed  of 
the  anastomose  veins,  shows  on  the  under  side 
small  warty  pimples.  The  flowers  are  deve- 
loped at  the  same  time  with  the  leaves,  at  the 
axils  of  which  they  are  produced.  In  January 
and  February  may  be  seen,  at  the  axils  of  the 
young  leaves,  a  glomerulus  or  little  round 
head,  supported  on  a  short  stalk,  and  composed 
of  small  flower-buds,  which  are  surrounded 
with  small  curvilinear  bracts,  in  the  manner 
of  a  capitulum,  or  little  head.  In  the  axils  of 
the  more  advanced  leaves,  this  small  head 
assumes  the  form  of  a  perfect  cyme.  The  pe- 
duncles are  nearly  the  length  of  the  leaf- 
stalks ;  the  pedicels,  that  of  the  calyx.  All 
those  parts  are  irregularly  studded  with  small 
rugosities.  The  calyx  is  from  three  to  fovir 
lines  long,  recurved,  and  keeled.  The  tube  of 
the  flower  is  white,  cylindrical,  and  somewhat 
longer  than  the  calyx,  by  which  it  is  loosely 
surrounded  ;  its  inner  surface  is  slightly  hairy  ; 
the   divisions    of  the   extended    five-parted 


CONTEMPOEARY   WRITINGS. 


527 


border  are  of  an  oblong  form,  roundish   or 
obtuse  at  the  points  ;  overhipping  each  other 
in  the  bud.    The  fruit  is  somewhat  oval,  from 
three  to  four  lines  in  diameter,  and  is,  for  the 
most  part,  concealed  in  the  broad,  cup-shaped, 
woody  calyx  ;  it  is  one-celled  and  indehiscent. 
I  cannot  speak   exactly  as  to  the  flowering 
time  of  this  plant ;  seeing  that  I  found  it  in 
bloom  both  in  the  rainy  and  the  dry  seasons. 
It  likes  a  damp  place,  in  the  vicinity  of  brooks, 
on  open  and  sunny  slopes.  I  found  it  growing 
in  such  situations,   on  the  mountains  of  the 
province  of  Caraccas,  at  an  elevation  of  from 
5,000  to  6,000  feet.     The  soil  w-as  of  an  or- 
dinary kind." — Karsien's  Plants  of  Venezuela. 
Heixtzia  tigrina. — "  The  stem  of  Heintzia 
attains  a  height  of  from  four  to  five  feet ;  it 
is  branchy,  of  a  brownish  colour,  and,  at  the 
younger  parts,  tetragonous.     The  leaves  are 
opposite,   and  nearly  a  foot  in  length,   sup- 
ported on  a  foot-stalk  from  three  to  four  inches 
long,  and  w^hich,  with  the  younger  branches, 
are    fleshy,    and  of  a  brownish   colour :   this 
colour  is  also  found  on  the  larger  and  pro- 
minent veins  of  their  under  side.   The  surface 
of  the  leaf  is  uniformly  hairy,  dark  green  on 
the  upper  side,  while  the  under  side  is  of  a 
bright  bluish  green.     It  is  lanceolate,  atte- 
nuated at  the  base,  and  obtusely  acuminate  at 
the  apex,  crenate  or  serrated  at  the  margins. 
The  flow^ers,  which  are  produced  at  the  axils 
of  the  leaves,  are  supported  on  a  bractaceous 
rose-coloui'ed  involucel,  and  are  arranged  in  a 
kind  of  umbel  or  cyme,  on  a  short  peduncle  ; 
and  the  pedicels  are  surrounded  by  a  small 
bract,  which  is  nearly  as  long  as  the  leaf-stalk. 
The  calyx  is  five-parted,  and  the  segments, 
which  in  the  bud  overlap  each  other,  are  re- 
curved.    The   corolla   is  funnel-shaped,  one 
inch  long,  slightly  curved,  and  unequally  five- 
parted  at  the  limb,  and  studded  with  white 
hairs  or  wool,  by  which  it  assumes  a  satin-like 
gloss  that  contrasts  agreeably  with  the  rose- 
coloured  tips  of  the  calyx.     It  is  of  a  snow- 
white  colour,  with  purple  spots  and  freckles. 
The  interior  of  the  tube  is  downy.     The  fruit 
is  nearly  globular,  about  the  size  of  a  hazel- 
nut, and  surrounded  by  the  persistent  calyx ; 
it  is  between  a  berry  and  capsule.     The  seeds 
are  very  small,  and  of  a  glossy  brown  colour. 
I  found  this  beautiful  and  distinct  plant  in  the 
moist  narrow  dells  and   shady  slopes  of  the 
mountains  in  the  province  of  Caraccas,  at  an 
elevation  of  5,000  feet.    Cedars  of  a  thousand 
years  raise  their  heads  to  the  heavens,   and 
gentle  breezes  play  in  the  shade  formed  by  the 
feather-like  leaves  of  the  palms  and  tree-ferns, 
which  spread  a  sombre  canopy  over  the  more 
humble    kinds    of   plants.       The     gold    and 
ebony  coloured  Cyathese,  the  Alsophilee,   and 
the  tree-like  Polypodise,  expand  their  magnifi- 
cent forms  over  the  Heintzia  ;   the  brilliant 
purple  of  whicli,   on   the  white   base  of  the 


corolla,  and  the  rich  rosy  calyx,  together  with 
the  delicate  dark  green  leaves,  all  are  in  ad- 
mirable harmony  with  the  solemnity  and 
beauty  of  the  scene.  In  such  warm,  moist 
situations  the  Heintzia  flowers  in  the  summer  ; 
and  the  fruit  ripens  in  the  dry  season  of 
winter." — Karsten's  Plants  of  Venezuela. 

The   Situation   of  a  Garden. — In   the 
case  of  small  gardens  there  is  seldom  an  op- 
portunity of  selecting  the  situation,  and  there- 
fore all  that  in  such  cases  can  be  done,  is  to 
I  look  to  the  other  particulars  which  affect  the 
amelioration  and    proper  preparation  of  the 
,  soil  for  the  reception  and  production  of  the 
I  crops.    Suppose  the  spot  to  be  open  to  choice. 
I  At    first,    many    would    prefer    a    low-lying 
i  sheltered  situation,  under  the  impression  that 
in  such  places  the  crops  would  be  highly  fa- 
voured as  to  temperature,  and  would  bring  an 
earlier    and  more  abundant  j^roduce.      This, 
however,   is   not  the  case,  for  such  situations 
are  subject  to  damp,  and  the  plants  are  kept 
too   much  in  a  continued  state  of  excitement 
and  growth  ;  as  a  consequence  of  which  they 
are  more  tender,  and  more  liable  to  suffer  in- 
jury from  frosts,  whether  it  be  the  severe  ones 
of  winter,  or  the  nipping  ones   of  the  spring 
mornings.    In  such  places,  plants  always  com- 
mence   growing   very   early  in    spring,    and 
though  this   may  seem  an  advantage,   yet  so 
seldom  in  that  case  do  they  escape  the  blasting 
influence  of  the  keen  morning's  frost,  that  in 
many  cases  the  crops  are  injured  or  lost,  and 
in  many  more  retarded,   so  as  to  be  actually 
behind  those  produced  in  more  elevated  situa- 
tions.   But,  on  tlie  other  hand,  the  extreme  of 
elevation,  without  shelter,  is  not  desirable;  for 
here,  though  in  most  cases  the  crops  are  safe 
from   direct   injury   from    cold,    yet   they  in 
general  do  not  progress  in  the  ratio,  nor  at- 
tain to  the  ultimate  perfection,  which  is  desired 
in  all  kitchen-garden  produce.     A  situation 
moderately  elevated,  sheltered  on  the  north 
and  east   by  distant — not   contiguous — trees, 
should  be  selected.     Nothing  is  better  than 
the    slope    of   a   hill   facing   the  south-west, 
backed  on  the  north  by  thick  plantations  at  a 
moderate  distance,  and  sheltered  on  the  east 
side  by  less  dense  and  more  distant  belts  of 
trees.      There  is  a  very  general  impression 
among  those  who   are  not  very  familiar  with 
this  subject,  that  the  morning  rays  of  the  sun 
are   of  incalculable   value  to  vegetation,   and 
hence  they  would  be  led  to  suppose  that  the 
situation  should  bear  more  towards  the  east  than 
the  point  already  recommended.     But  this  is 
not  the  case,  and  the  chief  circumstance  which 
leads  to  a  different  conclusion  may  be  easily 
explained.  When  plants  at  all  tender  are  frozen, 
if  the  sun's  rays  strike  them  before  they  have 
become  thawed,    they  suffer  material  injury, 
whereas  if  they  are  allowed  to  thaw  in  a  more 
gradual  manner,  the  injury  is  immaterial. — M. 


528 


CONTEMPORARY  WRITINGS. 


Thinning  of  Fruit  often  makes  all  the  ' 
difference  between  a  fine  crop  and  none, 
chiefly  because  the  crop,  when  too  thick,  does 
not  get  all  the  support  it  ought  to  have,  and 
all  fails  together;  whereas  by  dint  of  attention 
and  timely  thinning  the  crop  to  half,  or  a 
third,  or  even  a  fourth  of  what  there  was  ori- 
ginally, it  would  meet  with  a  correspondingly 
improved  sample,  and  all  saved  and  ripened 
well.  This  should  be  carried  down  to  goose- 
berries and  currants. — G. 

The  Italian  Cypress. — It  is  quite  a  mis- 
take to  suppose  the  Italian  cypress  too  delicate 
for  our  climate.  It  has  been  neglected  from 
want  of  knowledge  how  to  treat  it  ;  but  there 
are  many  fine  specimens  in  our  gardens,  and 
the  plant  seems  rapidly  coming  into  fashion 
again.  The  cypress,  in  this  damp  climate,  is 
apt  to  grow  too  fast  and  too  succulent.  To 
correct  this,  it  ought  to  be  planted  on  dry, 
hard,  gravelly  soil,  no  matter  how  poor,  if  not 
impervious  to  the  roots.  Further,  it  ought  to 
be  pruned,  kept  to  a  leader,  and  even  headed, 
if  it  grow  too  luxuriantly.  It  is  sure  to  re- 
cover itself.  But  the  best  way  to  give  a  good 
figure  to  the  tree,  which,  like  some  others  of 
the  Conifers,  is  apt  to  divide  into  two  leaders 
near  the  root,  is  to  trim  it  up  continually  to 
one  stem  till  it  reaches  the  height  of  three, 
four,  or  six  feet,  after  which  it  will  go  ahead 
and  run  up  to  a  point  as  well  here  as  in  Italy. 
The  mistake  made  is  that  of  treating  it  like  a 
bush,  branching  from  the  root  upwards,  as  a 
thuja  or  juniper,  a  tendency  which  ought  to 
be  sedulously  counteracted.  These  remarks, 
however,  apply  only  to  Conifers  of  the  cypress 
and  juniper  sections,  and  of  upright  habit ;  in 
no  way  to  araucarias  and  cedars,  which  are 
the  most  spreading  of  the  tribe.  The  figure 
of  a  good  cypress,  as  seen  in  Greece  and  Italy, 
is  that  of  a  tall  evergreen  poplar,  rather  more 
sharply  pointed  at  the  top  while  a  young  tree, 
but  becoming  rounder  and  more  shaggy  in 
character  with  age.  The  horizontal  or  spread- 
ing cypresses  throw  their  arms  to  so  short  a 
distance,  and  acquire  by  time  so  near  a  resem- 
blance to  the  habit  of  the  upright  variety,  as 
scarcely  to  deserve  notice  as  an  exception. 
The  cypress,  like  the  stone  pine,  and  some 
other  Conifers,  is  apt  to  thi-ow  out,  while 
young,  an  overstrong  branch,  which  becomes 
a  second  or  false  leader,  low  down  on  the 
stem.  It  is  to  prevent  the  growth  or  predo- 
minance of  such  branches,  that  for  a  few  years 
the  trimming  system  is  necessary  to  secure 
symmetry  in  the  future  tree.  A  cypress  is  a 
tall,  graceful  tree,  and  not  to  be  treated  like 
an  Arbor-vit0e,  or  a  juniper  bush,  throwing  Wp 
a  number  of  stems  from  the  ground  ;  and  is 
as  little  to  be  assimilated  to  the  spreading 
Abietinae  in  treatment  as  the  Lombardy  poplar 
or  the  Quercus  pyramidalis  is  to  the  Abele  or 


the  spreading  oak  of  our  forests. — Gai'dener^s 
Chronicle. 

The  Oxalis  for  Winter  Flowering.  — 
Few  plants  repay  the  care  bestowed  on  them 
better  than  Oxalises.  During  the  cold  season 
of  the  year,  they  decorate  the  rooms,  the  win- 
dows, and  the  vestibules,  with  their  charming 
flowers.  The  small  Oxalis  tricolor  is  especially 
attractive  and  interesting  in  the  evenings 
and  mornings,  by  its  pretty  twisted  corollas, 
striped  with  red  and  white,  and  at  noon  by 
its  elegant  open  limb.  This  flower  presents 
the  phenomenon  of  reproducing  its  buds  every 
night,  to  expand  and  fade  with  the  rays  of  the 
morning  sun.  On  the  other  hand,  Oxalis 
Borvei  has  its  large  rosy-purple  flowers  ;  Ox- 
alis variabilis,  faithful  to  its  name,  gives  us 
grandiflora  and  the  variety  Simsii,  so  distinct 
by  their  fine  milky-white  flowers.  Oxalis 
speciosa  shines  in  the  midst  of  its  companions 
by  its  bright  purple  corollas;  and  beside  these 
varied  tints,  Oxalis  JSmersonii,  with  its  fine 
saffron-yellow  flowers,  is  equally  effective.  In 
the  garden  of  the  learned  Chevalier  M.  Michel 
Tenore,  of  Naples,  there  is  the  flnest  and  most 
extensive  collection  to  be  found  on  the  Con- 
tinent. They  are  not  grown,  certainly,  to 
large  and  heavy  specimens,  being  not  much 
more  than  six  inches  high;  but  they  are  very 
neat,  and  grown  so  thickly  that  they  form  a 
sort  of  leafy  carpet,  interspersed  with  brilliant 
flowers.  With  regard  to  the  culture  : — At  the 
commencement  of  September,  the  tufts  or  roots 
begin  to  start.  They  should  then  be  separated 
in  order  to  multiply  them,  putting  three  or 
four  pieces  or  little  tufts  in  a  middle-sized  pot  ; 
unless  it  is  preferred  to  have  them  in  a  box, 
or  anything  like  a  lai-ge  flat  vase,  so  as  the 
better  to  imitate  a  flowery  turf.  The  soil 
should  be  composed  of  peat,  leaf-mould  well 
decomposed,  and  sand,  giving  a  third  part  of 
each.  It  should  be  made  light  and  porous,  so 
as  to  allow  a  free  admission  of  air.  In  this 
mixture  the  roots  are  placed,  about  half  an  inch 
under  the  surface.  They  should  be  moderately 
watered  and  removed  to  a  warm  and  sheltered 
part  of  the  garden.  About  the  end  of  the 
month,  the  leaves  will  have  begun  to  spring 
up.  At  the  beginning  of  October,  they  are 
removed  to  the  sill  of  the  window  which  it  is 
required  to  decorate.  Here  the  essential  con- 
ditions of  their  growth,  and  certain  and  con- 
tinued flowering,  are  the  sun  or  light,  air,  and 
now  and  then  a  little  tepid  water.  From  Oc- 
tober to  March  and  April  these  pretty  flowers 
are  in  all  their  perfection.  In  the  spring  they 
should  be  removed  to  a  cool  place,  where  the 
late  frosts  will  not  injure  or  reach  them.  Even 
then  they  had  better  be  kept  rather  dry  than 
have  a  great  deal  of  water.  Thus  the  routine 
necessary  to  have  these  flowers  all  the  winter 
is  very  simple, — Ghent  Annales. 


NEMOPHILA    MACULATA. 


529 


NEMOPHILA  MACULATA. 


Nemopiitla  MACULATA,  Sentham  (spotted- 
flowered  Nemophila). — Hydrophyllacege. 

This  is  said  to  be  the  best  of  the  annual 
plants  collected  by  Mr.  Hartweg,  during  his 
recent  mission  to  California  in  search  of  new 
plants  for  the  Horticultural  Society.  Mr. 
Hartweg  gave  it  the  name  of  iV.  speciosa,  a  title 
which  has  been  rejected  on  account  of  its  "in- 
appropriateness,"  and  Mr.  Bentham  has  given 
it  that  which  stands  at  the  head  of  this  article, 
but  which  is  not,  by  the  way,  a  very  distinc- 
tive one,  inasmuch  as  one  of  the  commonly 
cultivated  species  JV.  atomaria  has  its  flowers 
spotted  all  over  with  little  dark-coloured 
dots. 

Nemophila  maculata  is  an  annual  plant,  of 
a  procumbent  habit,  like  that  of  the  well- 
known  N.  insignis,  and  the  whole  plant  is 
clothed  with  short  spreading  hairs.  The  lower 
leaves  are  lyrately-pinnatifid,  the  lobes  being 
short,  obtuse,  and  somewhat  falcate,  and  the 
upper  ones  wedge-shaped  and  three-lobed. 
The  flowers  grow  from  the  axils  singly,  on 
stalks  longer  than  the  leaves,  and  are  about 
the  size  of  those  of  the  large  variety  of  N. 
insignis,  whitsih  in  their  ground  colour,  and 
each  lobe  of  the  corolla  tipped  with  a  large 
deep-violet  botch,  which,  when  perfect,  gives 
the  flower  a  showy  and  rather  peculiar  ap- 

49. 


pearance.  This  plant  attains  about  the  same 
size  as  does  its  congener  just  mentioned,  and 
produces  its  blossoms  freely,  so  that  it  will 
prove  both  useful  and  ornamental  under  culti- 
vation. 

There  is  one  circumstance  which  has  been  ob- 
served respecting  it,  that  maybe  regarded  as  an 
objection  ;  the  colours  are  liable  to  sport  and 
vary.  Sometimes  the  flowers  are  veined,  the 
veins  being  of  a  pale  blue  colour,  thus  spoil- 
ing their  purity  ;  at  other  times  the  spots  are 
ill- defined,  pale,  and  even  sometimes  run,  by 
which  the  flowers  lose  their  distinctness.  To 
retain  the  species,  thei'efore,  in  its  beauty,  the 
seeds  must  be  savedfrom  the  more  perfect  only 
of  the  blossoms,  or  those  in  which  the  colours 
are  pure  and  distinct ;  and  from  among  these, 
those  with  indistinct,  pale,  or  run  colours, 
should  as  far  as  possible  be  removed  as  soon 
as  they  show  themselves.  It  is  the  clear  and 
deep-coloured  well-defined  spotting  which 
gives  to  the  true  kind  its  beauty  ;  the  indis- 
tinctly marked  plants  being  in  every  way 
inferior. 

No  difficulty  occurs  in  its  cultivation,  which 
should  be  made  to  accord  Avith  that  of  thfc 
other  species,  which  are  by  this  time  familiar 
objects  in  most  gardens.  As  an  annual  it  will 
rank  in  the  hardy  class,  growing  well  in  any 

M  M 


530 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF    GREENHOUSES. 


good  gai'den  soil,  and  perfecting  seeds  by  which 
it  may  be  continued  from  year  to  year.  These 
seeds  may  be  sown  either  in  the  open  border, 
at  different  periods  for  a  succession  of  bloom- 
ing plants,  or  the  earlier  plants  may  be  reared 
in  pots  or  boxes  in  a  frame,  and  transplanted 
into  the  open  ground  in  April  or  May. 
Whether  it  would  survive  the  winter  if  sown 
in  the  autumn,  as  N.in.sigjiis  does  in  dry  warm 
situations,   we   have  had   no   opportunity  of 


knowing;  but  coming  from  the  same  country, 
California,  the  probability  is  that  it  would, 
and  if  so,  a  portion  should  be  sown  in  this 
way  for  blooming  early  in  the  spring. 

Though  an  interesting,  and  when  perfectly 
true,  a  pretty  plant,  it  is  by  no  means  so  or- 
namental or  effective  as  N.  instgnis,  owing  to 
the  absence  of  distinctive  colouring,  whicli  in 
the  latter  species,  apart  from  its  other  beauties, 
renders  it  a  particular  and  universal  favourite. 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GREENHOUSES. 


One  of  the  principal  points  to  look  after 
in  the  commencement  of  a  greenhouse  man- 
agement, is  to  provide  near  it  a  room  or  shed 
in  which  all  the  littering  business,  such  as 
potting,  cutting  down,  pruning,  shifting,  and 
other  dirty  work  may  be  done.  In  this 
there  should  be  a  strong  table,  a  bin  with 
several  partitions,  in  which  particular  com- 
posts should  be  separately  kept  ;  these  to  be 
filled  with — 

1.  Peat  rubbed  through  a  very  coarse  sieve. 

2.  Loam  from  rotted  turfs. 

3.  Potsherds,  or  broken  flower  pots  of  two 
or  three  sizes,  kept  separate. 

4.  Leaf-mould,  being  leaves  that  have  rot- 
ted into  mould. 

5.  Dung  from  a  melon  or  cucumber-bed 
rotted  to  mould. 

6.  Silver  sand,  or  very  clean  river  sand. 

7.  Cow-dung  rotted  into  mould. 

8.  Turfy  peat,  merely  chopped  into  small 
pieces,  of  say  half-an-inch  to  an  inch  square 
or  solid. 

9.  Loam  from  the  top  spit  of  a  pasture, 
without  the  turf. 

10.  Horse  droppings  rotted  into  mould. 
But  if  there  be  not  convenience  for  all  this, 

or  they  cannot  be  got  at,  peat  (No.  1),  loam 
(No.  2),  potsherds  (No.  3),  and  dung  (No.  5), 
are  absolutely  necessary,  and  could  be  made 
shift  with.  Then  there  should  be  trowels ;  short 
blunt-ended  sticks  of  different  sizes,  to  poke 
down  the  soil  round  a  plant  when  shifted  from 
one  sized  pot  to  another  ;  scoops  like  a  coal- 
scoop,  to  take  up  the  different  soils,  and  by  which 
the  pots  may  be  measured  as  they  are  taken  ; 
sticks  of  all  lengths  for  supports  to  plants  in 
pots ;  flower  pots  of  various  sizes,  from  those 
caWedsixtieti  to  the  largest,  called  ones.  These 
sizes  comprise  wide-mouthed  and  uprights, 
between  which  there  is  very  little  difference 
in  the  quantity  of  mould  they  will  contain, 
but  one  is  formed  with  nearly  straight  sides, 
the  other  wide  at  the  top  and  tapering  at 
the  bottom,  and  of  course  there  is  a  dif-, 
ference  in  the  diameter  across  the  top  ; 
there  is  also  a  different  form,  and  a  slight 
difference  in  the  measure  between  one  pottery 
and  another.     However,  as  the  most  general, 


and  therefore  the  guide  for  any  who  propose 
to  follow  our  directions,  the  measure  of  the 
various  sizes  may  be  thus  estimated,  especially 
necessary  perhaps,  because  some  writers  say 
three-incii,  or  six-inch  pots,  instead  of  sixties 
or  thirty-twos.      The  measure  runs  thus  : — 

Wide.      Deep. 

Thumb  pots,  sixty  to  the  cast,  are  2|  in.  2^ 

Sixties,  that  is,  sixty  to  the  cast.     .  3  3^ 

Forty-eights,  forty-eight  to  the  cast  4^  5 

Thirty-twos,  thirty-two  to  the  cast   .  6  6 

Twenty-fours,  twenty-four  to  the  cast  8  8 

Sixteens,  sixteen  to  the  cast      .     .     9^  9 

Twelves,  twelve  to  the  cast  .     .     .11  10 

Eights,  eight  to  the  cast  .     .     .     .12  11 

Sixes,  six  to  the  cast 13  12 

Fours,  four  to  the  cast     .     .      .     .15  13 

Twos,  two  to  the  cast 18  14 

Besides  these,  there  should  be  a  number  of 
bell-glasses,  of  tiie  sizes  necessary  for  most  of 
these  pots,  so  that  the  edge  of  the  glass  should 
come  half  an  inch  within  the  edge  ;  pruning 
and  budding  knives,  and  pruning  pincers,  a 
very  handy  instrument,  by  which  a  lady  may, 
without  exerting  much  strength,  snip  off  a 
branch  as  thick  as  her  little  finger ;  bass 
matting  in  skeins  or  lengths  should  hang 
across  nails  all  ready  for  use,  for  although  t!:e 
bass  gets  harsh  and  dry,  it  only  requires  wet- 
ting when  used  to  make  it  tough.  Everything 
should  be  ready  for  use  without  delay,  for 
nothing  is  worse  than  to  be  obliged  to  leave  a 
job  to  procure  anything  that  mny  be  wanting. 
Labels  of  wood  or  zinc  of  all  proper  sizes,  and 
wooden  ones,  should  be  painted  black,  because 
when  used  they  should  be  covered  with  white 
paint  where  the  writing  is  to  be  placed,  and  a 
sharp-pointed  stick  will  make  a  distinct  mark 
through  the  white  paint,  showing  the  black 
underneath  it  ;  the  white  paint  cannot  be 
laid  on  too  thin  at  the  time  the  writing  is  to 
be  done.  Wire  trellises  for  climbing  plants 
of  such  sizes  and  shapes  as  are  best  adapted  for 
the  several  species,  and  boxes  or  pans  about 
six  inches  deep  for  the  purpose  of  sowing 
seeds  in,  will  be  found  requisite.  A  small 
nest  of  drawers  for  the  preservation  of  seeds, 
as  well  for   the   borders  as  the   house,    and 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OE  GREENHOUSES. 


531 


shelves  for  placing  things  on  out  of  the  way  ; 
watering  pots  of  various  sizes ;  a  portable  gar- 
den engine  or  syringe  with  roses  of  various 
sized  holes  for  the  distribution  of  the  water  in 
■  different  degrees  of  quantity  and  force.  All 
these  things  are  desirable,  and  anything  short 
of  this  makes  more  work,  akbough  it  is  quite 
possible  t-o  do  without  any  of  them  but  the 
pots  and  the  soils,  and  these,  if  the  worst  come 
to  the  worst;  might  be  put  in  some  corner  out 
of  doors.  It  is  not  our  business  to  show  how 
things  may  he  done;  we  have  shown  how  they 
ovfjlit  to  he  done,  and  the  nearer  these  condi- 
tions can  be  complied  with,  the  better.  We 
next  come  to  the 

CHOICE    OF    PLANTS. 

As  a  greenhouse  is,  properly  speaking,  a 
house  for  the  protection  of  plants  from  frost, 
and  no  more,  and  is  the  only  description  of 
house  in  hundreds  of  establishments,  we  look 
for  a  tolerably  miscellaneous  collection  of  dif- 
ferent families,  likely  to  make  the  best  show 
and  continue  in  the  best  health.  A  hundred 
families  of  plants  would  do  well  in  a  green- 
house, but  nobody  with  any  taste  would  try 
•to  grow  a  large  number  of  families,  but  would  , 
more  judiciously  endeavour  to  grow  a  number 
of  the  best  varieties  in  each  family  of  more 
choice  genera.  And  some  few  may  be  com- 
menced with  as  the  most  eligible,  while  others 
may  be  left  to  be  picked  up  as  they  may  be 
met  with  and  admired.  The  following  are 
essential,  because  they  can  scarcely  be  beaten 
for  effect : — 

AzALKA  INDICA,  half  a  dozen  varieties ; 
Camellia  japonica,  the  same  number  ;  Ge- 
raniums, the  like  number  ;  Hovea  Celsii 
and  iUcifolia ;  Choroze^ia  varium  and 
rliovihewii ;  Acacia  armata ;  Epacris  gran- 
d'ljiora,  miniata,  iinjyressa,  and  campanulata 
alba ;  BoRONiA  serndata ;  Calceolaria 
six  varieties  ;  Cereus  speciosissimus ;  Epi- 
PHYLLUM  Jenkifisonii  and  truncatum;  (the 
tiiree  latter  better  known  as  Cactus  specio- 
sissimus, Jenkhisonii,  and  truncatus);  Cine- 
raria, six  varieties  ;  Orange,  Lemon,  and 
Lime  ;  Crowea  saligna ;  Cyclamen  per- 
sicum,  and  persicuni  roseum, ;  Daphne  indica 
odorata  ;  Erica,  six  varieties ;  Fuchsia,  six 
varieties  ;  Hydrangea  ;  Ixia,  six  varieties  ; 
TitOP^OLUM  triculor,  Lohhianum,  azureum ; 
Crassula  coccinea  and  fcdcata ;  Cytisus 
vf.cemostis ;  Lilium  japonicutn,  two  varieties; 
Verbena,  six  varieties  ;  Styphelia  tuhi- 
Jlora.  Although  we  could  mention  plenty 
more,  there  are  already  mentioned  eighty-four 
pots,  if  there  be  only  one  of  each  variety  ; 
but  these  are  all  subjects  that  may  rank  high 
as  rich  and  beautiful  plants,  blooming  at  dif- 
fei-ent  periods.  If  the  greenhouse  would 
hold,  more,  and  a  lady  is  inclined  to  grow  more 


species,  instead  of  doubling  some  of  these,  let 
them  be  selected  at  nurseries  according  to 
fancy.  If  v/e  had  to  recommend,  we  should 
say  double  the  number  of  varieties  of  Camel- 
lia, Erica,  Cineraria,  Fuchsia,  Geranium, 
Calceolaria,  Ixia,  Verbena,  and  Azalea  in- 
dica ;  or  if  not  the  latter,  have  duplicates  of 
each  sort  of  the  best  six.  Very  few  plants 
could  be  added  with  so  much  advantage  to 
the  collection,  as  increasing  the  varieties,  or 
doubling  those  mentioned.  We  are  to  pre- 
sume that  these  plants  are  purchased  in  nursery 
pots,  and  it  must  be  taken  as  a  general  rule, 
that  no  plant  must  be  kept  in  the  nursery  pot 
without  examination.  Our  business,  howt-vei-, 
must  be  to  take  family  by  family,  and  so  direct 
the  fair  cultivator,  that  no  vast  error  can  be 
committed. 

state  OF  the  house. 

The  temperature  of  the  greenhouse  is  im- 
portant ;  a  free  ventilation  is  desirable,  nay, 
absolutely  necessary,  but  a  current  of  air  is  to 
be  avoided  ;  it  is  as  injurious  to  plants  as  to 
persons.  Two  doors  opposite  to  each  other 
should  not  be  open,  unless  the  weather  is  veiy 
still,  and  all  the  front  windows  are  open  also. 
In  cold  weather  and  when  the  wind  is  chilly, 
the  door  at  the  windy  end  should  never  be 
opened.  It  is  better  to  open  all  the  front  win- 
dows in  mild  weather,  unless  the  wind  blows 
on  them,  when  they  are  better  closed,  and  the 
top  lights  let  down  a  little.  In  very  damp 
weather  the  fire  should  be  lighted  to  dry  the 
house,  and  the  top  lights  be  lowered  to  let 
out  the  steam.  In  frosty  weather,  when  thei-e 
is  danger  in  leaving  the  house  without  fire,  it 
should  be  lighted  all  day  ;  and  even  in  a  fro.^t 
tlie  top  lights  may  be  down  a  little,  but  the 
glass  must  be  watched,  and  at  night,  instead  of 
making  up  extra  fire  and  closing  all  the  house 
to  increase  the  temperature,  have  proper  per- 
sons to  attend,  and  to  see  that  the  house  is  not 
warmer,  nor  so  warm  if  possible,  as  it  was  in 
the  day.  Thirty-five  is  high  enough  for  the 
night,  but  few  trust  to  it,  because  three  degrees 
lower  is  frost ;  forty  is,  however,  quite  as 
much  as  it  ought  under  any  circumstances  to 
reach  at  night,  for  there  is  not  one  greenhouse 
plant  that  does  so  well  with  lire  heat  as  with- 
out it,  if  there  be  no  frost. 

There  are  different  dispositions  and  habits 
among  the  families  we  have  mentioned,  but 
they  will  alldo  well  inthe  same  house,  by  giving 
some  the  coolest  and  others  the  warmest  place; 
but  care  should  be  always  taken  to  ha\  e  the 
house  cooler  by  night  than  by  day,  wh;  never 
it  is  practicable.  Kevertheless,  there  will  be 
times  when  the  severity  of  the  frost,  with  a 
wind  to  assist  it,  will  so  lower  the  tempera- 
ture, that  all  the  fire  you  can  give  the  house 
may  be  only  sufficient  to  keep  out  the   cold 

M  M  2 


532 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF    GREENHOUSES. 


and  prevent  tlie  temperature  from  going  down 
to  freezing  point.  As  regai-ds  giving  air, 
even  in  the  height  of  summer,  if  there  be 
plants  in  the  house,  there  should  be  no 
thorough  draught  from  end  to  end  ;  let  the  top 
lights  be  down,  and  the  front  lights  open,  and 
then  there  is  a  circulation  all  over  the  tops  of 
the  plants,  but  no  draught  through  them. 

PLAN    OF    A    STAGE    AND    SHELVES. 

The  front  of  the  greenhouse  is  the  most 
valuable  part ;  a  shelf  along  the  top,  just  over 
the  front  windows,  and  under  the  roof,  is 
essential,  as  it  holds  all  small  things  that  want 
to  be  near  the  glass.  The  table,  or  broad 
shelf  in  front,  at  the  bottom  of  the  front  lights, 
should  be  as  wide  as  two  feet,  for  it  is  of  great 
service  for  many  plants  that  require  constant 
care  and  attention;  they  are  easily  got  at, 
they  are  near  the  light,  may  be  turned  round 
easily  every  day  to  prevent  their  growing 
one-sided ;  and  this  front  should  be  wood 
trellis-shelving  instead  of  solid,  or  instead 
of  stone  or  slate ;  nevertheless,  if  it  be  solid, 
strips  of  lath  should  be  laid  along,  an  inch  or 
so  apart,  so  that  the  bottoms  of  the  pots  may 
not  be  on  a  tlat  place,  so  as  to  exclude  the  air 
from  the  drainage-hole.  '  There  should  also 
be  a  good  shelf  on  the  back  wall  near  the  top 
for  such  of  the  plants  as  want  most  air  and 
least  warmth,  especially  for  things  that  rest 
all  the  winter,  and  the  main  stage  should  be 
as  near  the  glass  as  it  is  possible  to  construct 
it,  due  regard  being  had  to  the  growth  of  the 
plants.  There  should  not  be  more  shade  than 
cannot  be  avoided;  light  is  essential,  air  is  es- 
sential, and,  above  all,  room  for  the  free  play 
of  this  air  is  essential;  though  it  is  pretty  gene- 
rally the  practice  to  put  the  plants  in  a  green- 
house as  close  together  as  possible,  there  ought 
to  be  as  much  room  between  them  as  they 
occupy;  and  the  nearer  you  can  comply  with 
this,  the  better  they  will  grow.  Cleanliness 
is  also  one  of  the  great  requisites  for  the 
health  of  plants ;  dead  leaves,  damp  corners, 
dirty  shelves,  decaying  flowers,  and  litters  of 
any  sort  are  injurious:  whatever  the  damp  can 
hang  about,  is  likely  to  produce  mildew ;  the 
drawing-room  itself  does  not  require  clean- 
ing more  than  the  greenhouse,  if  we  intend 
to  do  the  best  with  the  plants. 

WATERING    THE    PLANTS. 

The  best  water  for  plants  is  rain  ;  not  a 
quart  should  ever  be  wasted.  A  tub,  or  a 
tank,  should  be  inside  the  house,  and  the  entire 
rain  from  the  roof  should  be  conducted  by  a 
pipe  to  the  inside;  nothing  is  more  simple 
and  attainable,  nothing  more  valuable  than  a 
contrivance  for  a  supply  of  rain-water.  Next 
to  this  it  is  desirable  to  have  it  the  same 
temperature  as  the  atmosphere  of  the  house. 


One-half  the  plants  that  are  unhealthy  have 
been  chilled  by  the  watering,  and,  in  many 
places,  where  tliey  can  only  get  spring  water, 
they  are  very  unsuccessful ;  some  do  not  know 
why,  but  there  is  no  difficulty  about  establish- 
ing the  fact.  Hard  water  is  injurious,  mine- 
ral waters  are  often  so ;  river  water  is  next 
to  rain  in  value,  if  it  be  soft ;  but  even  that 
ought  never  to  be  used  cooler  than  the  air  of 
the  house.  Pond  water  is  next  to  river,  if 
there  be  nothing  noxious  flowing  into  it, 
but  all  of  these  are  poor  apologies  for  the 
rain-water,  conducted  into  the  house.  Some 
caution  is  required  in  one  respect;  when  the 
wood-work  has  been  fresh  painted,  the  water 
will  poison  anything,  so  that  it  must  be  turned 
away  until  it  neither  tastes  nor  smells  of  the 
paint.  In  the  mean  time,  some  pains  must  be 
taken  to  get  good  water.  With  regard  to 
tlie  mode  of  administering  water,  only  those 
within  reach  may  be  said  to  belong  to  ladies' 
work  ;  but  it  is  quite  necessary  they  should 
set  one  who  understands  it  to  do  the  rest,  for 
too  much  or  too  little  water  is  fatal.  No 
plant  should  be  watered  while  the  soil  is  moist; 
but  it  is  as  essential,  that  when  it  is  watered, 
all  the  soil  in  the  pot  should  be  moistened. 
There  is  another  point  that  requires  attention. 
If,  while  other  plants  are  apparently  dry,  any 
one  seems  wet,  it  should  be  examined,  to  see 
if  the  drainage  be  free ;  because  it  will,  be 
obvious  either  that  the  plant  cannot  absorb  so 
fast  as  the  rest,  or  that  the  water  has  not  the 
means  of  draining  away  ;  if  it  appear  that  the 
drainage  is  clogged,  the  ball  must  be  relieved 
of  the  crocks  or  other  matter  put  in  at  the 
bottom,  and  which  will  appear  to  have  got  the 
soil  run  among  it,  and  fresh  crocks  must  be 
put  in.  A  plant  suffers  as  soon  from  want  of 
the  supply  of  air,  and  a  too  great  supply  of 
water,  as  it  does  from  a  deficiency.  The  cistern, 
tub,  or  tank,  being  handy  to  draw  or  dip  water 
from,  a  lady  can  use  just  such  sized  watering 
pot  as  is  most  convenient  to  handle,  and  go 
round  the  plants  to  give  only  such  as  are  dry 
the  requisite  moisture,  not  just  a  sprinkle  at 
top,  but  as  much  as  will  cause  a  surplus  to 
run  out  at  bottom.  The  earth  should  be 
examined  to  see  if  it  be  close  to  the  side,  if 
not,  the  watering  has  been  too  long  neglected; 
for  the  first  symptom  of  suffei'ing,  or  danger 
of  suffering,  is  the  shrinking  of  the  ball  of 
earth,  and  if  this  be  not  noticed,  the  water 
then  given  proves  useless,  because  it  runs 
down  the  vacancy  between  the  ball  and  the 
pot,  and  does  not  soak  in  at  all. 

MANAGEMENT    OF    AZALEAS    AND    CAMELLIAS. 

The  Azalea  indica,  and  Camellia  japonica, 
are  as  hardy  as  any  of  the  greenhouse  plants, 
and  want  as  little  labour  as  any,  although 
they  must  have  attention.    When  these  plants 


THE  MANAGEMENT  OF  GREENHOUSES. 


533 


are  advancing  their  buds  towards  blooming, 
they  want  abundance  of  water,  and  to  be 
placed  in  the  part  of  the  greenhouse  least 
subject  to  draught,  or  wind.  They  will  do 
on  the  general  stage,  and  may  be,  for  the 
sake  of  appearance,  st-t  about  in  diiferent  parts, 
but  not  too  near  the  door.  They  should  be 
tui'ned'  frequently,  so  that  one  front  should 
not  be  better  than  another,  and  they  will  keep 
in  flower  a  long  time  in  perfection.  As  the 
flower  goes  off  they  begin  to  make  their  new 
growth  ;  they  want  turning  daily  just  as  much 
in  this  period  as  any,  for  they  are  shaping 
themselves,  and  if  left  to  themselves  witliout 
being  moved,  they  would  assuredly  grow  one- 
sided. In  the  middle  of  June  they  may  be 
taken  out  and  placed  in  a  sheltered  spot,  with 
plenty  of  room,  distantly  shaded  from  the  ex- 
treme heat  of  the  sun  ;  and  if  there  were  a 
canvass  house,  such  as  tulips  are  gi'own  under, 
nothing  could  be  better,  because  they  can 
have  all  or  part  of  the  air  or  sun  according  to 
their  wants,  while  they  can  be  entirely  pro- 
tected from  those  drying  winds  which  injure 
every  tender  or  half-hardy  subject  that  is 
exposed  to  it ;  but,  in  the  absence  of  this,  we 
must  be  content  with  the  most  sheltered  spot 
we  can  find  in  the  garden.  The  ground  should 
be  such  as  the  roots  cannot  penetrate,  and  the 
watering  must  be  attended  to  diligently ;  nor 
ought  a  rainy  period  to  prevent  the  same  atten- 
tion, for  it  will  often  be  found  that  a  bushy 
plant  throws  the  rain  entirely  outside  the 
pot,  they  therefore  require  examining  in  rainy 
weather  as  well  as  in  fine.  When  they  have 
made  their  growth  complete,  they  ought  to  be 
placed  in  the  coolest  and  driest  part  of  the 
gai'den,  and  the  quantity  of  water  lessened 
considerably  ;  they  will  want  only  such  mois- 
ture as  will  keep  them  alive,  and  as  they  do 
not  absorb  much  while  at  rest,  this  will  be 
very  little.  In  September  you  may  restore 
them  to  their  places  in  the  house,  first  exa- 
mining the  balls  of  earth  to  see  if  their  roots 
are  matted  round  the  sides  of  the  pot ;  if  so, 
change  these  pots  for  those  of  a  size  larger. 
When  the  plants  have  done  their  bloom  and 
are  making  their  growth,  whatever  is  grow- 
ing out  of  form  should  be  cut  off.  If  you 
want  to  propagate  the  Camellia,  do  it  by 
inarching,  and  the  Azalea  by  cuttings,  in  sand, 
under  a  bell-glass,  and  if  you  have  it,  in  a 
slight  hot-bed,  with  a  little  bottom  heat.  The 
Azalea  and  the  Camellia  grow  best  in  loam 
(No.  2)  two-thirds,  peat  (TSTo.  1)  one-third,  and 
the  pot  should  be  one-fourth,  filled  with  crocks. 

THE   CINERAEIA,  VERBENA  AND  CALCEOLARIA. 

These  plants  are  idle  and  rest  in  the  winter 
months,  but  flower  a  considerable  time  when 
they  begin.  They  require  a  good  supply  of 
water  when  they  begin  to  grow,   and  should 


be  placed  near  the  light  when  their  flower- 
stems  rise;  when  they  decline  their  bloom, 
they  may  be  parted  at  their  roots,  or  their 
side  shoots  taken  off  with  or  without  roots ; 
if  without,  they  should  be  potted  and  covered 
with  bell-glasses,  but  if  with  roots,  they  may 
be  placed  in  a  shady  spot  in  the  garden,  on  a 
hard  bottom.  Strictly  speaking,  all  three  of 
them  may  be  called  frame  plants,  but  the  distinc- 
tion is  not  easily  defined,  and  they  do  well  in  a 
greenhouse;  they  may  be  placed  on  the  highest 
back  shelf  in  September,  and  will  seldom 
require  watering ;  but,  in  a  good  stock  of 
Verbenas  and  Cinerarias,  the  plants  need  not 
be  parted  nor  propagated,  and  the  pots  may 
be  enlarged  by  change.  Many  of  the  plants 
will  flower  in  winter  and  early  spring.  It  is 
only  the  small  newly  made  plants  that  need 
be  put  up  out  of  sight,  for  anything  that  gives 
a  flower  in  the  winter  is  acceptable.  Some 
of  the  Verbenas  will  be  dwarf,  others  requii-e 
to  be  supported  on  a  trellis,  but  the  young 
ones  may  be  turned  out  into  the  borders  and 
beds  in  the  spring  to  flower  the  whole  sum- 
mer. The  Calceolarias  will  also  require  sup- 
ports for  their  main  flower-stems  sometimes, 
though  those  are  the  best  that  support  them- 
selves. The  soil  in  which  these  plants  thrive 
is,  half  loam  (No.  2),  a  quarter  cow-dung 
(No.  7),  and  the  other  quarter  peat  (No.  1), 
well  mixed.  The  cuttings  strike  easily  in 
pots  filled  all  but  an  inch  with  the  soil,  and 
one  ^inch  of  sand ;  the  bottom  of  the  cuttings 
should  touch  the  soil  and  go  through  the  sand, 
but  not  enter  the  compost,  though  they  will 
send  their  roots  into  it  when  they  strike.  To 
grow  any  of  these  large,  they  must  have  con- 
stant shifts  from  small  to  larger  pots.  All  dead 
leaves  must  be  removed. 

ERICA,   EPACRIS,  CHOROZEMA. 

This  family  is  perhaps  the  most  difiicult 
to  manage,  because  so  small  a  neglect  is  fatal. 
The  soil  in  which  it  succeeds  best  is  poor,  at 
least,  comparatively  so,  for  it  is  easily  destroyed 
if  much  excited  ;  the  compost  that  answers  best 
is  four-fifths  or  parts  of  (No.  1)  peat,  and  one- 
fifth  or  part  of  loam  (No.  2).  If  it  happens  that 
the  peat  is  not  sandy,  it  may  be  necessary  to  put 
sand  to  it,  not  exceeding  one  part.  Good  turfy 
peat  is,  however,  generally  sandy  enough. 
This  should  be  well  mixed  together,  so  that 
the  roots  shall  find  all  the  soil  alike,  and  not 
more  loamy  in  one  part  than  another.  This  com- 
post being  comparatively  poor,  and  very  per- 
vious to  water,  the  greatest  possible  attention 
is  required  as  to  the  watering;  and  this  may 
be  generally  applied  to  soils  of  which  the 
greater  part  or  any  considerable  part  is  peat, 
for  the  water  runs  through  it  quickly,  and 
when  it  is  once  neglected  till  dry,  the  plant 
suffers,  if'  it  does  not  die.  Every  time  a  heath 


534 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF    GREENHOUSES. 


wants  water  too  long  together,  some  of  the 
lower  leaves  turn  yellow  and  fall.  This 
makes  so  many  naked  stems  to  heaths  of  any 
size,  but  a  worse  elFect  is  caused  by  giving 
too  much,  or  by  the  stoppage  of  the  proper 
drainage  of  the  pots.  The  more  full  a  pot 
is  of  roots,  the  more  constant  must  be  the 
w'atching  and  necessary  watering,  because 
the  water  cannot  be  held  so  long  by  the  small 
quantity  of  matted  soil  as  if  there  were  but 
few  roots.  In  some  cases  a  heath  may  be 
wanting  water  twice  a-day.  The  cuttings  of 
heaths  should  be  taken  from  the  last  produced 
shoots,  two  inches,  or  one  inch,  in  some  cases, 
long  ;  the  lower  half  should  be  stripped  of  the 
leaves,  and  the  upper  half  have  all  left  on.  G-et 
a  pot  of  heath  soil  filled,  all  but  half"  an  inch  or 
aninchof  sand,  according  to  the  cutting;  water 
the  sand  so  that  it  may  be  saturated  with  wet, 
and  stick  in  these  cuttings  so  that  they  just 
touch  the  soil,  but  not  go  into  it  ;  cover  with 
a  bell-glass,  water  with  a  very  fine  rosed  water- 
pot,  so  that  the  sand  shall  never  be  thoroughly 
dry;  wipe  the  glass  dry  inside  every  morn- 
ing; let  them  be  in  a  cool  part  of  the  green- 
house, and  be  shaded  from  the  sun  ;  when 
they  set  off  growing  well,  you  may  conclude 
they  have  struck  root,  and  pot  them  in  sixty- 
sized  pots.  T!iey  may  be  kept  in  a  common 
garden  frame  all  the  summer,  if  you  please, 
or  in  the  most  airy  part  of  the  greenhouse. 
Here  they  may  be  shifted  as  tliey  fill  the 
pots  with  roots,  and  require  but  the  ordinary 
attention. 

GERANIUMS. 

The  soil,  f>)r  the  healthy  growth  of  this 
family,  may  be  of  loam  (No.  2)  three  parts, 
dung  (No.  7),  or  for  want  of  it  droppings 
(No.  10),  or  if  neither  can  be  had,  dung 
(No.  5)  one  part ;  peat  one  part,  well  incor- 
porated. Cuttings  may  be  struck  whenever 
they  can  be  got,  but  the  usual  time  for  any 
quantity  is  July,  when  everybody  cuts  down 
the  old  plants.  These  require  no  care  what- 
ever. If  they  are  put  in  the  open  border, 
they  will  strike ;  but  those  who  have  choice 
kinds  will  cover  with  a  hand-glass,  and  place 
them  all  in  the  shade  ;  when  struck,  pot  them 
in  sixty-sized  pots,  pinch  out  the  top  to 
induce  side  shoots,  and  leave  them  out  of 
doors  until  September,  simply  changing  their 
pots  if  they  get  too  full  of  roots  ;  when  re- 
moved to  the  greenhouse,  examine  the  roots, 
and,  if  necessary,  remove  them  into  larger 
pots,  and  place  them  among  the  other  plants  to 
lake  their  chance.  The  large  plants,  when  they 
have  done  flowering,  may  be  cut  down  to^ 
such  skeleton  shape  as  shall  give  a  chance  of 
growing  handsome  ;  and  let  them  remain  out 
of  doors,  shifted  into  a  size  larger  pot,  or 
trimmed  up  about  the  roots  to  go  into  the 


same  with  fresh  loam.  In  September  remove 
them  also  to  the  house.  If  any  of  the  shoots 
come  so  as  to  cross  others,  rub  off  those 
which  are  least  wanted,  to  give  strength  to 
the  others  and  keep  the  plant  in  form.  If 
any  shoots  grow  too  vigorously  for  the  rest 
of  the  plant,  pinch  off  the  end,  and  so  regu- 
late the  growth  in  this  particular,  that  it  may 
be  handsome.  As  the  blooms  come  out 
they  will  require  shading,  or  they  will  not 
remain  long  in  bloom.  When  in  flower,  you 
do  as  you  please  with  them  until  the  flower 
declines,  and  then  turn  them  out  of  doors, 
cutting  them  down  again  in  July,  putting 
them  back  into  the  house  in  September. 

CEREUS,  EPIPHTLLUM,  CRASSULA. 

These  subjects  take  any  soil  better  than 
that  which  has  been  popularly  recommended. 
They  do  not  require  to  be  starved.  A  com- 
post made  of  loam  (No.  2)  one  half,  peat 
(No.  1)  one  quarter,  and  dung  (No.  7  or  10) 
one  quarter,  will  groAV  them  well.  They  want 
but  little  water  all  the  winter,  and  as  their 
buds  begin  to  swell  they  may  have  a  supply. 
After  they  have  done  flowering,  turn  them 
out  of  doors,  place  the  pots  under  a  south 
wall,  or  in  the  hottest  part  of  the  garden. 
In  September,  remove  them  to  the  house 
again.  The  Crassula  may  be  struck  from 
cuttings  as  easily  as  the  others,  and  if  left  on 
the  ground  without  inserting  at  all  will  throw 
down  its  roots  sideways  into  the  earth  of 
itself.  Small  pieces,  however,  are  generally 
selected,  and  after  drying  the  juice,  inserted 
in  small  pots,  where  they  are  treated  from  the 
first  like  plants,  and  shifted  from  time  to 
time  as  they  fill  their  pots.  The  Crassula 
carries  its  blooms  on  branches  at  the  ends  of 
tlie  shoots  ;  consequently,  as  soon  as  it  begins 
to  grow  from  a  cutting,  the  ends  are  taken  off 
to  induce  side  shoots,  and  thus  form  a  hand- 
some bushy  plant  with  many  heads  of  flowers, 
in  the  one  case  (coccinea)  scarlet,  in  the 
other  (falcata)  orange.  The  shifting  is 
always  best  after  the  flowering  is  done.  T!ie 
Cereus  and  Epiphyllum  require  much  such 
treatment  at  first.  E.  truncatum  should  be 
stopped  until  there  are  branches  enough  to 
hang  down  all  round  the  put,  for  the  habit  is 
weeping,  and  the  flowers  come  on  the  ends 
of  all  the  branches. 

GENERAL   RULES    FOR    THE   MANAGEMENT    OF 
GREENHOUSE    PLANTS. 

In  mild  weather,  and  during  winter  in  par- 
ticular, if  there  is  a  v.^arm  gentle  rain,  a 
greenhouse  plant  of  any  kind  is  greatly  bene- 
fited by  exposure  to  the  air  ;  not  that  it  is 
possible  to  remove  all  the  plants  in  a  green- 
house out  of  doors  whenever  the  sun  shines 
in  winter,  or  a  warm  shower  comes,  but  it  is 


THE    MANAGEMENT   OF    GREENHOUSES. 


535- 


as  well  to  know  this,  because  we  all  Lave  our 
favourite  plants,  and  we  can  always  put  out 
a  few  of  these  when  the  weather  is  favour- 
able. 

Never  indiscriminately  water  the  plants  in 
a  greenliouse,  because  where  there  is  a  mixed 
collection  of  various  families,  s-ome  will  be 
found  to  absorb  much  more  water  than  others, 
and  it  is  quite  as  bad  to  give  too  much  as  too 
little  water.  Half  the  plants  in  dwelling 
houses  are  spoiled  by  excessive  wet,  and 
especially  where  the  pots  stand  in  saucers  to 
prevent  the  wet  from  runniug  over  the  place 
when  they  are  watered.  In  greenhouses  we 
have  seen  this  where  ladies  are  very  fasti- 
dious about  the  cleanliness  of  the  shelves; 
but  laudable  as  cleanliness  may  be,  it  is  run- 
ning tlie  greatest  possible  risk  to  let  plants 
stand  in  water.  Occasionally  examine  the 
pots,  and  turn  out  the  balls  of  earth  to  see  if 
the  roots  are  matting  round  the  side,  for  it  is 
the  best  rule  for  removing  a  plant  to  a  pot  of 
a  larger  size.  If  the  plant  is  growing,  it 
requires  it  more  than  a  plant  at  rest  ;  for 
a  plant  at  rest  should  never  be  excited  until 
it  begins  to  advance  of  itself;  besides,  when 
a  plant  is  set  for  bloom,  and  about  to  take  its 
rest,  until  the  buds  swell,  by  a  sudden  excite- 
ment, such  as  being  placed  in  fresh  earth,  or 
liuving  too  much  heat  or  water,  the  bloom- 
buds  get  blighted,  and  the  germs  of  the 
leaves  and  branches  take  up  the  growth,  the 
former  being  unable  to  take  the  fresh  supply, 
because  flowers  can  only  take  a  certain  quan- 
tity, and  the  others  being  unlimited  in  their 
means  by  naturally  extending  themselves  so 
long  as  there  is  a  competent  supply.  The 
time,  therefore,  to  examine  the  roots,  is  when 
a  plant  begins  to  make  its  growth,  or  at  the 
decline  of  the  flowers.  There  need  be  no 
other  rule  for  changing  pots,  but  the  filling 
of  the  one  with  roots  ;  generally,  however, 
once  in  a  sea.-on  is  enough  for  established 
])lants,-  and  that  is  after  they  have  flowered, 
and  before-  they  make  the  next  season's 
growth. 

Constantly  turn  plants  round  to  prevent 
their  growing  shabby  on  the  side  which  is  in 
the  daik,  or  comparatively  so  ;  and  also  to 
prevent  its  making  only  one  handsome  front. 
All  plants  should  be  alike  on  every  side  ; 
and  although  it  may  give  some  trouble,  it 
amply  repays  us  by  the  improved  condition. 
Nothing  looks  worse  than  a  plant  with  but 
one  good  face,  and  the  others  discoloured,  or 
leafless,  or  warped.  Always  give  plenty  of 
room  to  plants  ;  the  light  and  air  should  be 
able  to  reach  them  all  round.  The  best  rule 
is  to  let  there  be  just  the  same  room  between 
the  plants  as  the  plants  occupy  ;  but  green- 
house room  is  so  valuable,  that  this  is  rarely 
allowed.     Nevertheless,  it  does  not  alter  the 


fact,  that  the  mo^B  room  plants  have,  the 
better  they  grow ;  and  nothing  does  more 
harm  than  to  place  them  close  enough  to 
darken  the  backs  of  the  rows. 

If  you  want  plants  bushy  and  short,  you 
mu>t  keep  pinching  off  the  ends  of  branches 
that  grow  upwards  ;  but,  as  the  perfection  of 
a  plant  is  to  be  full  of  branches  and  leaves  to 
the  very  edge  of  the  pot,  this  operation  of 
pinching  must  begin  early,  even  when  the 
cutting  has  just  struck,  or  the  seedling,  if  the 
plant  be  from  seed,  be  only  three  or  four 
joints  high;  but  those  plants  wliich  grow 
pyramidal  in  form  must  have  the  leaders  pre- 
served, and  should  only  have  such  branches 
stopped  as  are  inclined  to  come  too  long, — 
such  as  shoot  out  faster  than  the  rest. 

Deciduous  plants  should  not  be  watered 
after  they  drop  their  leaves ;  but  when  they 
begin  to  swell  their  buds,  they  may  be  sup- 
plied with  a  little  moisture,  to  be  increased  in 
quantity  as  soon  as  they  shoot  out  tluir 
branches. 

Seeds  of  greenhouse-plants  are  best  sown 
as  soon  as  they  are  ripe.  Nature  points  out 
this  for  all  seeds ;  but  artificial  culture,  or  a 
change  of  climate,  suggests  various  changes 
in  the  plan  of  doing  many  things ;  for  in- 
stance, a  tender  plant  may  be  sown  in  the 
open  borders,  in  the  spring ;  and  as  it  will 
meet  with  no  frost  until  the  autumn,  it  is 
quite  proper  to  do  so;  but  if  the  seeds 
were  sown  directly  they  were  ripe,  they  would 
come  up  only  to  be  killed  by  the  frost.  Not 
so  with  greenhouse-plants :  they  are  in  a 
proper  climate.  If  they  come  up,  they  will 
grow  without  interruption ;  and  if  they  are 
in  the  habit  of  lying  in  the  ground  till 
genial,  or,  we  ought  to  say,  till  warm  weather, 
where  they  grow  naturally,  they  will  do  the 
same  in  the  greenhouse,  unless  the  tempera- 
ture be  prematurely  raised.  In  all  matters  of 
doubt,  we  ought  to  make  sure  on  the  safe 
side.  Foreign  seeds,  therefore,  ought  to  be 
sown  the  instant  we  get  them  ;  because,  next 
to  sowing  them  at  the  time  nature  herself 
sows  them,  it  is  well  to  do  so  as  soon  after  as 
possible. 

All  seedling  plants  are  the  better  for  prick- 
ing out,  or  transplanting,  as  soon  as  they 
have  three  or  four  leaves  ;  and  the  most 
effective  of  all  methods  is  to  get  small-sized 
pots— say  sixties — and  plant  the  seedlings 
round  the  edge,  close  to  the  side  of  the  pot, 
about  three  in  a  pot,  or  four,  or  even  five,  if 
they  are  small  slow-growing  things.  They 
derive  the  greatest  benefit  from  their  roots 
reaching  the  sides  of  the  pot. 

As  you  may  be  at  a  loss  for  the  soil  in 
which  a  new  plant  grows,  use  a  compost  that 
everything  will  live  and  grow  in,  and  leave  to 
time    and   experience   any  improvement  yua 


536 


THE    MANAGEMENT    OF  GRSENHOUSES. 


may  make.  Take  loam  (No.  9)  which  is  pi'e- 
sumed  to  have  no  dung  or  other  exciting 
matter  in  it,  droppings  (No.  10),  or,  for  want 
of  it,  dung  (No.  5),  peat  (No.  1),  and  leaf- 
mould  (No.  4),  in  equal  quantities ;  and  if  it 
be  too  adhesive,  take  half  a  part  of  sand  to 
make  it  more  pervious  to  water,  or  at  the 
most  a  whole  part.  Mix  these  well  together. 
It  will  suit  everything  a  little ;  and  if  the 
plant  does  not  do  all  you  wish,  you  can  at 
least  grow  it  well  enough  to  get  cuttings  from, 
and  try  them  in  lighter,  poorer,  or  richer 
composts  ;  but  as  we  know  camellias,  gera- 
niums, heaths,  and  succulents,  will  grow  in 
it,  —  and  these  are  very  much  opposed  in  their 
natures, — it  is  fair  to  presume  that  any  plant 
will  grow  in  it  enough  to  answer  the  tempo- 
rary purpose  of  saving  it  to  grow  others  from. 
Keep  all  shelves  free  from  W'it  and  dirt ;  have 
grooves  cut  along  the  middle  of  them,  for  the 
water  to  run  along,  instead  of  dripping  off 
along  the  edges,  and  provide  for  the  drip  at 
the  end,  so  that  it  does  not  make  any  mess,  or 
dirt,  or  litter,  at  the  part  it  runs  down. 

Provide,  if  possible,  the  means  of  shading 
the  greenhouse  in  any  hot  or  bright  weather, 
as,  in  the  spring,  when  the  azaleas,  hoveas,  and 
many  other  fine  plants  are  in  bloom,  a  few 
hours'  sunshine  would  shorten  their  duration 
some  days.  A  canvass  roller-blind  outside  is 
very  easily  contrived ;  or  a  thinner  blind  of 
calico,  or  some  such  material,  inside,  would 
have  as  good  an  effect,  and  be  somewhat 
lighter.  But  shade  from  the  excessive  heat 
of  the  sun  will  make  several  weeks'  difference 
•in  the  lasting  of  the  blooms.  It  must,  how- 
ever, be  recollected,  that,  as  whatever  ex- 
cludes the  light  in  any  part  of  it  is  an  evil, — 
and,  therefore,  shading  a  choice  of  evils, — the 
blind  must  not  be  down  an  hour  more  than 
necessary. 

When  the  bloom  of  a  plant  is  over,  you 
have  to  make  up  your  mind  whether  you 
intend  it  to  seed  or  not.  If  not,  pick  off  all 
the  remains  of  flowers,  that  the  pods  may  not 
swell ;  for  the  seeding  of  any  plant  stops,  in  a 
great  measure,  the  growth.  If  it  be  past  the 
middle  of  May,  you  may  turn  a  plant  out  in 
a  sheltered  part  of  the  garden,  for  want  of 
better  accommodation ;  but  if  you  can  give 
plenty  of  air  in  the  greenhouse,  and  shade 
firom  the  extreme  heat  of  the  sun,  plants  may 
as  well  complete  their  growth  in  the  house  as 
not ;  for  it  is  not  desirable  to  expose  them  too 
much,  nor  do  the  lovers  of  plants  like  to  see 
the  greenhouse  empty. 

As  camellias  and  azaleas,  cactuses,  epiphyl- 
lums,  and  many  other  subjects,  are  turned  out 
to  harden  their  growth  and  get  the  benefit  of 
air  in  summer,  the  greenhouse  may  be  sup- 
plied with  annuals.  Balsams,  cockscombs,  clin- 
tonia,  salpiglossis,  rhodanthe,  and  other  tender 


annuals,  may  be  sown  in  a  hot-bed  in  March 
or  April;  and,  although  they  require  particu- 
lar treatment  for  large  specimens,  may  be 
planted  out  in  pots,  and  grown  still  in  the 
hot-bed,  until  the  time  they  are  wanted  to 
supply  the  shelves  of  the  greenhouse. 

In  August,  everything  ought  to  be  cleared 
out,  and  the  roof  of  the  greenhouse  should  be 
well  syringed ;  all  the  dirt  washed  from  the 
glass,  the  walls,  posts,  shelves,  and  every  part. 
Cleanliness  is  everything  with  plants ;  and 
the  house  should  be  thoroughly  clean  before 
the  plants  are  put  in  for  the  winter.  Nor  is 
it  at  all  a  bad  precaution  during  the  period 
that  it  is  empty,  and  before  the  syringing,  to 
fumigate  it  well  with  tobacco,  and  afterwards 
with  sulphur.  The  one  will  kill  everything  up- 
wards, the  other  anything  downwards.  The 
syringing  should  be  done  with  such  force  as 
to  drive  everything  out  of  the  corners. 

When  the  plants  are  taken  into  the  green- 
house, let  the  surface  of  the  earth  be  stirred, 
the  pots  cleared  from  anything  that  they  may 
have  attained  in  the  way  of  dirt,  snails,  or 
vermin,  or  anything  that  will  cling  to  the  out- 
side or  in  the  holes  at  the  bottom. 

Let  the  paths  and  floor  of  a  greenhouse  be 
kept  dry  and  clean :  it  ought  to  be  a  paved 
floor,  or  a  concrete,  or  some  other  impervious 
to  wet  ;  and  provision  should  be  made  for  the 
running  off  of  all  the  water  that  may  fall  to 
the  ground  ;  for  if  the  ground  absorbs  wet  it 
too  often  engenders  n^ildew. 

Plants  should  never  be  trusted  to  the  open 
air  before  the  middle  of  May,  nor  remain  out 
after  the  middle  of  September.  All  before 
or  after  this  is  running  a  considerable  risk. 

Grapes  may  be  grown  in  a  greenhouse,  if 
the  growth  be  confined  to  a  bianch  for  each 
rafter  to  fruit,  and  the  shoot  which  is  trained 
alongside  of  it  for  the  next  year's  bearing. 
This  does  not  materially  exclude  light,  but 
any  more  would  be  injurious;  and  even  this 
must  not  be  attempted  if  the  shelves  are  to 
be  filled  after  the  present  crowded  fashicn,  in 
which  the  plants  touch  each  other,  and  form  a 
complete  shade  for  the  backs  of  the  whole. 
The  Sweetwater  and  Black  Hamburgh  are 
the  only  sorts  which  should  be  tried. 

Hot-water  pipes  are  the  best  means  of 
warming  a  greenhouse  in  winter-time,  but 
better  avoid  lighting  a  fire  as  long  as  possi- 
ble. Mats  hung  up  in  front  are  a  great  pro- 
tection to  the  plants,  and  that  is  always  the 
coolest  part  of  the  house ;  but  when  the  glass 
is  down  to  thirty-five,  there  may  always  be 
expected  a  frost  in  the  night,  or  at  least 
it  should  be  provided  against.  The  man  who 
looks  after  the  fires  should  be  on  the  alert, 
and  the  mats  in  front  should  be  always  hung 
up  in  doubtful  weather,  because  it  is  little 
trouble,  and  does  no  harm  to  the  plants. 


TREES    AND     SHRUBS    FOR    FENCES. 


537 


TREES  AND  SHRUBS  FOR  FENCES. 

(^Excepting  the  Hawthorn.) 

BT   THE    LATE    JAMES   GRIGOR    OF  NORWICH. 


Having  had  considerable  experience  in 
the  formation  of  hedges  under  every  variety 
of  circumstance,  and  in  all  descriptions  of 
soils,  I  proceed  to  lay  before  the  public  the 
result  of  my  practice,  passing  over,  agreeably 
to  the  conditions,  the  common  Hawthorn,  a 
plant  which  is  universally  known  in  the  con- 
struction of  fences. 

I  shall  enumerate  the  kinds  according  to 
their  importance  as  fence  plants.  This  im- 
portance I  measure  by  the  vai-iety  of  soils 
and  situations  in  which  they  thrive,  their 
rate  of  growth  in  a  given  time,  their  rigidity 
so  as  to  withstand  pressure,  their  branchiness 
so  as  to  cause  shelter,  and  their  durability. 
Agreeably  to  this  plan,  then,  I  begin  with  the 

Black  Sallow  {Salix  caprea).  —  This 
tree,  which  is  frequently  called  the  Goat 
willow,  is  not  generally  known  or  cultivated  ; 
but  it  has  of  late  years  attracted  notice  in 
some  districts  as  a  plant  which  successfully 
withstands  the  effects  of  the  sea  air.  It  is, 
however,  destined  to  accomplish  a  great  deal 
in  inland  situations  in  the  shape  of  hedges. 
I  have  seen  it  in  every  description  of  soil, 
except  peat  moss — on  dry  hard  gravel  very 
much  exposed,  by  the  side  of  rivers  where 
there  is  an  excess  of  moisture,  and  on  all  in- 
termediate soils  and  situations  with  the  single 
exception  referred  to.  Its  chief  merit,  per- 
haps, is  that  it  forms  a  protection  at  once. 
From  the  day  on  which  it  is  planted,  it  be- 
comes entitled,  so  far  as  security  of  property 
is  concerned,  to  take  its  place  with  a  haw- 
thorn fence  of  seven  years'  standing.  These 
facts  I  gather  from  a  hedge  of  this  tree  now 
grooving  on  my  own  ground  ;  and  in  order 
that  I  may  be  clearly  understood,  I  shall  give 
the  details  of  how  it  was  formed.  My  first 
trial  with  this  tree  was  with  small  cuttings  of 
fourteen  inches  in  length,  placing  them  at 
about  nine  inches  apart  from  each  other. 
Those  grew  well,  but  the  fence  so  formed  is 
not  strong  enough,  and  gives  way  when  sub- 
jected to  pressure.  In  order  to  have  a  rigid 
framework  at  the  commencement,  I  procured 
a  waggon  load  of  strong  strait  rods,  six  feet 
in  length,  and  about  one  and  a  quarter  inch 
in  diameter  at  the  lower  end.     Those  I  planted 


in  the  autumn,  fourteen  inches  deep,  in  the 
way  here  indicated — tying  them  tightly  to- 
gether   with    willows    at    each     intersection, 


which  prevents  their  rubbing  against  each 
other  during  high  winds,  and  adds  greatly  to 
their  power  of  resistance  As  soon  as  planted, 
they  were  sufficiently  strong  to  keep  in  cows, 
sheep,  &c.  The  first  year  they  made  shoots 
about  nine  inches  in  length,  those  shoots 
being  very  regularly  disposed  over  the  rods, 
and  not,  as  might  have  been  expected,  on  the 
tops  of  the  rods  only.  It  is  of  importance  to 
observe  here  that  the  more  slanting  the  shoots 
are  placed,  the  more  regularly  will  the  buds 
break  all  over,  and  that  if  set  perpendicularly, 
or  nearly  so,  ihrj  can  scarcely  be  made  to 
assume  a  hedge-like  character,  strong  leading 
shoots  rising  from  the  tops  without  sufficient 
spray  underneath.  It  is  also  of  importance 
to  observe  that  the  shoots,  of  a  necessary 
thickness  and  straightness,  can  be  only  had 
from  stools  grown  and  treated  in  the  same 
way  that  the  underwood  throughout  England 
is  managed  ;  that  is,  when  hurdle-wood  is  the 
object.  A  plant  of  a  few  years'  standing  is 
cut  down  in  autumn  close  to  the  ground  :  in 
spring  it  sends  up  several  straight  vigorous 
shoots  eight  or  ten  feet  in  height :  these  are 
allowed  to  remain  three  years,  when  they 
undergo  the  same  process  by  being  cut  down. 
Without  such  a  nursery,  the  proper  materials 
for  this  kind  of  fencing  cannot  be  had.  The 
great  value  of  this  tree  consists  in  its  adapta- 
tion to  almost  all  soils  and  situations,  and 
particularly  in  its  being  available  at  once  as  a 
protection,  which  is  not  the  case  with  any 
other  tree.  It  would  grow  freely  as  a  fence- 
plant  throughout  the  highlands  of  Scotland,  if 
a  trench  were  opened  for  the  rods,  and  the 
soil  properly  loosened  at  bottom.  This  de- 
scription of  fence  should  be  trimmed  or 
clipped  every  season  during  the  month  of 
June  :  a  second  growth  will  follow  the  dress- 
ing at  this  date,  which  will  considerably 
thicken  the  spray  ;  and  in  situations  near  to 
dwellings,  &c.  the  fence  had  better  be  reduced 
to  an  even  and  uniform  outline  in  the  latter 
part  of  October,  which  will  also  tend  to  its 
closeness  and  beauty. 

2.  The  Scotch  Pine  (Pinvs  sylvestris). 
This  tree  triumphs  over  a  great  variety  of 
soils  and  situations,  and  perhaps  it  no  where 
more  forcibly  shows  itself  adapted  to  the  most 
barren  and  exposed  districts  than  in  the  north 
of  Scotland,  on  the  left  hand  side  of  the 
Grantown  road,  before  reaching  the  Dava 
Inn,  on  the  property  of  the  Earl  of  Seafield. 
In  this  particular  district,  it  forms  the  only 
species  of  tree  to  be  seen  ;  and  I  refer  to  it 
in  this  instance  to   show  what  use  miirht  be 


538 


TREES    AND    SHRUBS     FOR    FENCES. 


made  of  it  in  similarlj  situated  districts  as  a 
fence  plant.  The  best  examples  of  it,  in  tiie 
shape  of  a  hedge,  are  in  Suffoll?;,  where  it 
skirts  the  highway  for  miles  between  Thet- 
ford  and  ISTewmarlcet,  and  where  it  is  made 
to  assume  all  the  uniformity  and  smoothness 
of  our  twiggy  liedge-trees.  Three  or  four- 
year-old  plants  should  be  used,  but  on  no 
account  should  they  be  taken  unless  they  had 
been  transplanted  during  the  previous  year 
in  the  nursery,  for  otherwise  the  roots  are 
hard  and  bare.  They  should  be  placed  six 
inches  apart  from  each  other,  and  the  pruning 
may  be  safely  deferred  till  the  second  year 
after  planting.  It  will  be  five  years  before 
this  fence  reaches  the  height  of  five  feet, 
when  it  will  present  a  complete  barrier  to 
cattle,  and  an  excellent  shelter  to  surrounding 
crops.  This  sort  of  hedge  should  be  allowed 
to  spread  itself  out  at  bottom  to  the  distance 
of  two  feet  on  each  side,  otherwise  the  branches 
become  unmanageable  and  refuse  to  throw 
out  small  spray.  The  chief  situations  which 
I  should  recommend  for  this  description  of 
fence  are  those  exposed  and  poor  districts 
capable  of  improvement  in  the  highlands,  and 
on  all  poor  lands  in  the  lowlands.  Though  it 
will  grow  tolerably  in  unprepared  ground,  it 
is  by  no  means  insensible  to  kind  treatment, 
and  I  would  strongly  recommend  a  trench  to 
be  opened  for  the  plants,  and  the  soil  loosened 
to  the  depth  of  two  feet.  The  consequence 
of  this  is,  that  a  hedge  will  be  formed  two 
years  sooner  than  by  planting  without  any 
preparation.  A  fence  of  this  description  in 
ray  ground  (two-year  seedling  plants  having 
been  used,)  was  formed  two  years'  since,  and 
it  now  averages  the  height  of  two  and  a  half 
feet.  The  soil  on  which  it  grows  is  a  loose 
red  gravel. 

3.  The  Larch  {Lnrix  europcea). — My 
opinion  of  this  tree  is  that  it  nearly  equals  the 
vScotch  j)ine  in  every  respect  excepting  warmth 
in  winter.  In  planting  a  hedge  of  this  de- 
scription, care  should  be  taken  to  use  those 
plants  only  which  stood  thinly  in  the  nursery 
lines,  for  if  those  which  had  been  crowded 
together  be  planted,  a  serious  difficulty  will 
present  itself  in  causing  the  plants  to  feather 
close  to  the  ground.  It  will  be  readily  an- 
swered by  some,  "  Cut  off  the  tops  and  then 
they  will  be  sure  to  spring  at  bottom."  I  find, 
however,  that  this  does  not  answer,  the  strong 
leading  shoots  being  indispensably  necessary 
to  give  rigidity  to  the  hedge.  The  plan, 
therefore,  is  either  to  use  two-year  trans- 
planted plants,  which  are  well  branched  at 
bottom,  or  to  have  those  of  a  younger  age, 
which  always  break  out  well  when  free  on 
both  sides.  I  hold  it  as  indisputable  that  the 
leading  shoots  of  a  larch  fence  should  not  be 
cut  till  the  fourth  year,  before  which  time  I 


have  never  seen  one  with  the  necessary 
"bones  and  sinews."  Tiiongh  it  will  grow 
in  almost  all  soils,  it  must  not  be  expected 
that  the  larch  will  in  all  situations  wear  that 
beautiful  green  which  distinguishes  it  in  loam 
and  clay,  or  on  the  slopes  of  hifls  ;  and  in  the 
shape  of  a  fence  it  will  be  found  to  display 
considerable  diversity  in  height  and  vigour, 
according  to  the  differences  of  soils  ;  but  this 
maybe  in  a  great  measure  avoided  by  helping 
the  w^eak  parts  with  a  little  well-rotted  manure 
dug  in  about  the  roots.  There  is  one  advan- 
tage which  the  larch  possesses  over  every 
other  hedge  plant,  and  that  is,  that  grass  will 
grow  close  up  to  it,  and  that  though  the  roots 
impoverish  the  soil,  the  leaves  or  shade  of 
this  tree  is  not  hurtful  to  pastures.  Until  it 
is  completely  formed,  the  larch  should  be 
clipped  during  the  latter  part  of  June,  and 
again  in  November  ;  but  after  the  fence  is 
complete,  a  trimming  at  the  latter  date  will 
be  sufficient. 

4.  The  Lombardy  Poplar  (Pojndns  fas- 
tigiata) ;  and  The  Box-thorn  {Lycium 
euroiKBurn). — The  former  is  a  very  fast- 
growing  tree,  but  is  not  very  lasting.  "When 
subjected  to  the  hedge-bill,  it  throws  out  thick 
clusters  of  spray,  which,  though  not  very  re- 
gularly disposed  over  the  surface,  are  yet  cal- 
culated to  produce  considerable  shelter.  The 
more  common  sorts  of  honejsuckle  are  often 
intermixed  with  it  when  planted  as  a  hedge, 
and  together  they  form  a  tolerably  good 
fence.  Instead  of  the  honeysuckle,  Iiowever, 
a  much  better  substitute  is  to  be  found  in 
the  box-thorn,  which  grows  rapidly,  is  very 
hardy,  and  frequently  bears  spines  like  the 
hawthorn.  This  box-thorn  will  grow  any- 
where, and  is  most  readily  propagated  by 
cuttings.  Throughout  England,  it  is  very 
currently  called  the  tea-tree,  a  name  which  it 
has  acquired  through  a  very  trifling  circum- 
stance,— the  label  belonging  to  a  tea-plant 
having  been  put  on  to  this  tree  by  mistake,  and 
forwarded,  along  with  other  plants,  to  one  of 
the  Dukes  of  Argyle,  who,  it  appears,  had  one 
sent  to  him  before  it  was  generally  known.  It 
does  not  grow  sufficiently  close  to  choke  and 
eventually  overcome  the  poplars  with  which 
it  is  mixed ;  so  that  a  fence  of  this  sort  will 
last  for  many  years,  and  bear  the  hedge-bill 
extremely  well.  Some  recommend  the  box- 
thorn  as  a  hedge  by  itself ;  but  this  can 
only  apply  to  gardens  where  it  is  not  exposed 
to  stock,  &c.  In  the  fields,  it  will  certainly 
prove  a  failure  if  used  alone.  The  cuttings 
of  the  box-thorn  should  be  planted  in  the 
autumn,  after  the  falling  of  the  leaf. 

5.  The  Beech  (Fagus  si/lvatica). — No 
tree  makes  abetter  fence  than  the  beech  ;  but 
it  restricts  itself  to  arable  and  pasture  lands ; 
and  on  these  even,  it  will   not  grow    freely 


TREES    A^'D    SHRUBS    FOR    FENCES. 


539 


unless  the  soil  is  prepared.  In  rich  ground, 
it  sliould  be  planted  in  preference  to  the  haw- 
thorn, for  it  grows  very  rapidly,  is  very 
beautiful  in  summer,  and,  in  such  situations, 
retains  a  great  proportion  of  its  leaves  during 
winter.  In  order  that  it  may  be  safely 
trusted  where  cattle  are  grazing,  a  double  line 
of  plants,  eighteen  inches  apart,  should  be 
inserted,  and  these  ultimately  form  a  strong 
framework  on  either  side,  sufficient  to  resist 
the  attacks  of  any  description  of  live  stock. 
In  poor  peat}'  soils,  or  on  iiigh  exposed  dis- 
tiicts,  it  will  not  grow  well ;  but  around, 
homesteads,  and  the  fields  adjoining,  it  cer- 
tainly deserves  more  general  cultivation.  The 
time  for  trimming  the  beech  is  the  month  of 
October;  but  neat  workmanship  cannot  be 
performed,  in  this  instance,  without  the  hedge- 
shears.  The  proper  plants  to  be  used  are 
such  as  have  stood  in  nursery-lines  for  two  or 
three  years.  In  the  fence-lines,  they  should 
be  placed  at  about  one  foot  apart ;  and  if 
well-rotted  manure  is  used,  it  will  materially 
hasten  their  growth. 

6.  The  Sloe-thorx  {Primus  spinosa). — 
This  is  one  of  the  few  plants  that  will  grow 
tolerably  well  in  sand,  and  in  heath  land 
where  there  is  a  considerable  portion  of  peat- 
soil.  It  rises  naturally  throughout  England, 
but  is  very  rarely  cultivated  in  Scotland, 
though  it  is  unquestionably  hardy  enough  to 
grow  there.  la  good  soils,  it  is  a  rapid 
grower,  forming  strong  spines,  and  lasting  as 
long  as  the  hawthorn.  It  is  very  important 
to  bear  in  mind  that  all  blackthorn  plants  used, 
in  hedges  should  be  raised  from  seeds,  and 
not  from  suckers,  as,  in  the  latter  case,  the 
roots  spread  throughout  the  adjoining  lands, 
and  threaten  to  overrun  whole  fields.  When 
seedlings  are  used,  this  does  not  take  place, 
except  in  rare  instances.  The  berries  are 
ripe  in  November,  when  they  should  be 
gathered,  and  laid  in  a  heap  of  sand,  and 
mixed  with  it  frequently  during  winter. 
They  should  be  sown  in  the  month  of  Feb- 
ruary, or  early  in  IMarch,  during  open  wea- 
ther, and  covered  fully  an  inch  in  depth.  In 
the  seed-beds  they  may  remain  two  years, 
then  transplanted  in  lines  fifteen  inches  apart, 
and  about  three  inches  from  plant  to  plant.  In 
tiie  nurseries,  seedling  plants  may  be  had  at 
T-s.  Qd.  per  thousand,  and  those  ready  for 
fencing  at  12.s.  Qd.  per  thousand.  In  all  cases 
where  the  subsoil  is  unbroken,  the  hedge-line 
should  be  trenched,  and  the  plants  inserted  six 
inches  apart  from  each  other. 

7.  The  Crab,  or  Wild  Apple  {Pymis 
Iilalus). — The  proper  plants  of  this  tree  for 
hedge-fencing,  are  such  as  have  been  raised 
from  wildlings,  or  the  true  crub, — such  as  are 
groAvn  from  the  seeds  of  grafted  apples  being 
frequently  spineless.     Three  objections  have 


been  urged  against  this  tree  as  a  fence-plant : 
its  high  price,  its  liability  to  insects,  and  its 
refusing  to  grow  freely  except  on  sandy  loam. 
The  first  may  be  safely  pronounced  a  mistake; 
for,  on  takiug  up  any  respectable  nursery- 
man's Catalogue,  it  will  be  found  that  the 
price  for  suitable  plants  is  from  lo.«.  to  IZ.  per 
thousand, — a  rate  very  little  higher  than  that 
demanded  for  white  thorn.  In  some  seasons, 
it  is  certainly  liable  to  be  attacked  by  cater- 
pillars ;  but  bej^ond  the  unsightly  appearance 
which  ensues,  there  is  but  little  harm  done. 
Its  love  for  deep  loamy  soil,  and  for  no  other, 
is  certainly  correct  ;  but  it  should  be  remem- 
bered, that  when  it  meets  with  such,  it  excels 
all  other  hedge-plants  as  a  free  grower,  and 
as  a  stubborn,  lasting  fence.  Those  plants 
which  are  sold  about  1/.  per  thousand  may 
be  placed  eight  inches  apart  from  each  other  ; 
and  such  as  are  stronger,  at  one  foot  from 
each  other.  When  the  plants  ai-e  inserted, 
they  should  be  all  cleanly  topped  with  a  sharp 
knife,  at  about  four  inches  from  the  surface 
of  the  ground ;  and  if  the  soil  is  properly 
manured,  they  Avill  send  up,  during  the  first 
year,  luxuriant  shoots  a  foot  or  two  in  length. 

8.  The  Alder  {Alnus  glutuwsa). — I  have 
proved  beyond  any  doubt,  that,  if  the  land  is 
sufficiently  loosened,  this  plant  will  grow  very 
freely  in  peat,  sand,  and  in  the  Avorst  descrip- 
tion of  soils.  The  usual  impression  is,  that 
it  is  suited  only  to  bogs  and  damp  meadow- 
land  ;  but  I  have  no  hesitation  in  stating  that 
this  is  by  no  means  the  case :  in  trenched 
land,  by  the  sea-side,  and  in  the  most  exposed 
districts,  it  thrives  luxuriantly.  As  a  hedge- 
plant,  it  is  rough  and  uneven,  not  willing  to 
lose  its  form  as  a  tree ;  but  after  it  has  been 
moulded  for  a  few  years,  it  makes  a  very  good, 
fence,  and  sends  out  small  spray  much  denser 
than  might  be  expected.  Young  plants,  such 
as  have  been  transplanted  for  one  or  two 
years  only,  are  better  than  old  ones ;  for  the 
latter  are  generally  devoid  of  branches  at 
bottom, — a  defect  which  is  not  easily  I'emedied. 
Suitable  plants  may  be  obtained  at  the  nur- 
series for  lo.s".  per  thousand.  They  should  be 
placed  six  inches  apart  from  each  other,  and 
trimmed  every  year,  in  September,  with  the 
switching-hook. 

9.  The  Spruce  (Abies  excelsa). — In  one 
description  of  soil — that  of  a  damp  loam — no 
tree  excels  the  spruce  as  a  fence-plant.  It 
will  grow  well,  for  a  few  years,  in  any  kind  of 
land ;  but  in  shallow  soils,  such  as  sand  and 
gravel,  it  will  soon  become  stunted,  assuming 
a  yellowish  hue,  and  losing  its  under  branches. 
This  last  circumstance  renders  it  very  unfit 
for  being  used  generally.  However,  in  all 
situations  which  are  inclined  to  be  damp,  and 
especially  in  those  with  a  north-east  aspect,  it 
will    assume,    and    retain  for  many  years,    a 


540 


GARDENING  MEMORANDA    FOR   DECEMBER. 


closeness  and  luxuriance  not  excelled  by  the 
yew  or  box.  I  have  always  found  that  it  is 
good  policy  to  allow  a  fence  of  this  description 
to  occupy  at  least  two  feet  in  width  at  bottom, 
the  side  branches  being  strong,  and  a  nar- 
rower space  being  insufficient  to  allow  them 
to  develope  themselves.  Two-year  trans- 
planted plants  may  be  placed  a  foot  apart  from 
each  other  ;  and  if  any  manure  is  to  be  added, 
it  must  be  very  well  rotted, — all  the  individuals 
of  the  Coniferas  having  an  aversion  to  fresh 
manure.  The  universal  practice,  so  far  as  I 
know,  is  to  trim  this  sort  of  fence  with  the 
hedge-shears, — a  process  which  well  repays  a 
little  extra  labour.  This  may  be  done  in  the 
month  of  August  or  September.  The  price  of 
plants  in  the  nurseries  is  from  125.  to  1 5s, 
per  thousand. 

10.  The  Elder  (Samhucus  nigra). — In 
all  situations  which  are  found  too  damp  for 
the  hawthorn,  the  elder  may  be  planted  with 
every  prospect  of  success.  It  is  wrong,  Jiow- 
ever,  to  restrict  it,  as  is  generally  done,  to 
swampy  districts.  Wherever  the  soil  is 
loosened  to  the  depth  of  twenty  inches,  it  will 
grow  freely.  I  have  seen  it  flourishing  on  the 
tops  of  hills  amidst  sand,  and  gravel ;  and  not 
the  least  of  its  services  are  performed  in  the 
shape  of  hedges  by  the  sea-side,  where  it 
forms  an  excellent  protection  to  plants  which, 
without  its  shelter,  would  not  grow  tliere.  In 
trenched  soil,  cuttings  planted  towards  the 
end  of  October  will  answer  almost  as  well  as 
rooted  plants ;  but  in  untrenched  land  it  is 
advisable  to  have  the  latter.  For  the  first 
three  years  an  elder  fence  should  be  cut  only 
once  every  season  ;  but  afterwards  this  may 
be  done  twice — in  June  and  October,  which 
will  have  the  eflFect  of  inducing  it  to  send  out 
thick  spray.  Plants  may  be  inserted  at  a  foot 
apart  from  each  other,  and  cuttings  at  half 
that  distance.  Two  years'  transplanted  plants 
are  sold  in  the  nurseries  at  1/.  lO.s.  per 
thousand. 

11.  The  Bakberrt  (i?e?'&er?s  vulgaris). — 
I  know  of  no  description  of  soil  in  which  the 
barberry  will  not  grow.  It  is  true,  it  dislikes 
bogs  saturated  with  water  ;  but  here  it  is  the 
excess  of  moisture  that  oifends  it,  and  not  the 
soil.  On  chalk,  peat,  and  sand,  it  is  an  un- 
flinching grower.  On  loamy  lands,  with  a 
calcareous  subsoil,  it  is  one  of  the  best  of 
hedge-plants,  growing  so  rapidly,  that  in  the 
course  of  three  years  it  makes  a  good  sub- 
stantial fence.  On  the  very  poorest  descrip- 
tion of  soils  its  branches  are  occasionally 
found  decayed  ;  but  strong  living  shoots  in- 
variably supply  their  place,  so  that  there  is 
never  found  an  absolute  break  in  the  fencp. 
A  prejudice  exists  against  this  plant,  on 
account  of  its  supposed  influence  in  causing 
blight  and  mildew  ;  but  it  is  well  known  that 


the  fungus  which  infests  this  tree  is  an 
^cidium,  whilst  the  blight  on  corn  is  an 
Uredo  ;  so  that  there  is  no  danger  whatever 
in  bringing  it  in  contact  with  wheat-fields. 
It  is  to  be  hoped,  therefore,  that  a  plant  so 
very  useful,  and  triumphing  over  so  many  bad 
soils,  will  be  brought  into  more  general  culti- 
vation. Though  it  will  well  repay  every 
attention  that  can  be  bestowed  in  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  soil,  manuring,  &c.  it  never 
refuses  to  grow  though  indifferently  treated. 
The  plants  should  be  placed  about  nine  inches 
apart  from  each  other,  and  trimmed  afterwards 
with  the  hedge-hook.  From  the  natural  dense- 
ness  and  bushiness  of  its  roots,  it  is  by  no 
means  necessary  to  use  transplanted  plants: 
well-grown  seedlings,  two  years  old,  will 
answer  equally  well ;  and  those  may  be  had 
in  the  nurseries  at  10^.  per  thousand. 

There  are  a  few  other  plants  which  might 
be  enumerated  as  fit  for  hedges  ;  but  my  ex- 
perience concerning  them  is  not  sufficient  to 
warrant  my  speaking  of  them  in  detail.  I 
think  it  is  probable  that  the  buckthorn 
{Rhaynnus  catharticus),  will  soon  be  adopted 
as  a  fence-tree  J  but  at  present,  the  demand 
being  limited  to  the  species  as  fit  for  shrub- 
beries only,  it  would  be  difficult  just  now  to 
get  it  in  sufficient  quantities  for  the  former 
use. 


GARDENING    MEMORANDA    FOR 
DECEMBER.* 

This  month  we  ought  to  treat  everything  as 
if  it  were  a  continued  October  and  November. 
All  the  planting  and  ground  operations  that 
are  not  completed,  should  be  persevered  in, 
and  no  time  be  lost.  The  pruning  of  vines, 
wall  trees,  and  standards,  should  be  done  as 
soon  as  possible,  and  all  that  require  it  be 
nailed  fast  to  their  proper  places.  The  re- 
moval of  fruit  trees  may  go  on.  The  making 
of  new  walks,  beds,  clumps,  shrubberies,  and 
gardens,  must  be  hastened,  and  it  is  perhaps 
the  best  time  of  the  year  to  drain  where  drain- 
ing is  necessary  or  desirable.  Ornamental 
water  may  be  formed  or  altered,  excavations 
of  lakes  ought  to  be  accompanied  by  the  for- 
mation of  hills,  and  if  there  be  bold  rock 
work  imitated  next  the  water,  it  aids  in  the 
general  effect  of  a  good  landscape.  Litter  should 
be  provided  for  all  the  crops,  flowers,  and 
plants  that  require  it ;  half-hardy,  or  tender 
plants,  put  out  of  doors,  should  be  protected 
with  mats,  tan  over  their  roots,  or  a  complete 
case,  according  to  their  nature.  In  bad  weather, 
find  work  under  cover;  there  are  always  plants 

*  A  very  elaborate  and  complete  Calendar  of  Garden- 
ing Operations  for  December  is  published  in  No.  36  of 
the  Horticultural  Magazine. 


METROSIDEROS    ROBUSTA. 


541 


in  some  of  the  houses  want  putting  into  larger 
pots,  cuttings  or  seedlings  to  pot  off,  crocks, 
labels,  or  flower  shrubs  to  prepare,  seeds, 
bulbs,  and  tubers  to  examine,  and  various 
other  things  to  do  that  we  might  neglect 
doing  in  fine  weather.  Tliis  seems  inevit- 
able. In  frosty  weather  when  the  ground 
cannot  be  worked,  collect  manures,  such  as 
peat  earth,  sand,  loam,  cow  and  horse  drop- 
pings, poultry  dung,  &c.  But  unless  the 
frost  is  very  hard  indeed,  many  ground  ope- 
rations go  on  as  usual.  Then  there  is  the 
job  which  we  seem  never  to  have  done,  though 
always  at  it,  the  pruning  of  trees,  shrubs,  and 
vines.  The  standard  ti'ees  of  an  orcliard 
would  find  work  for  any  number  ahnost  to  do 
them  justice,  and  rarely  do  any  gardeners 
attempt  it  ;  they  are  content  with  blighted 
stunted  fruit,  when  they  might  have  it  fine, 
and  would  rather  s«^e  them  all  manner  of  bad 
shapes,  and  the  fruit  out  of  reach  to  require 
shaking  down,  and  bruising  and  spoiling, 
than  get  up  and  cut  away  the  useless  w^ood  and 
shorten  the  height,  so  that  the  fruit  might 
come  large  and  be  all  within  reach.  "We  could 
almost  write    a  chapter  on  this   shamefully- 


neglected  subject.  The  rest  of  tlie  duties  of 
this  month  depend  chiefly  on  the  weatlier,  but 
all  the  precautions  against  frost,  cold  Avinds, 
heavy  rains,  snow,  hail,  and  stormy  weather 
in  general,  should  be  taken  at  night,  as  if  some 
of  these  visitations  were  certain.  The  taking 
of  plants  into  the  greenhouse,  stove,  or  forcing- 
house,  to  bring  them  forward,  is  almost  a  rou- 
tine business,  and  a  general  I'ule  against  Avater- 
ing  much,  applies  through  all  the  Avinter 
months. 

THE  TEMPERATURE  AT  WHICH  PLANT-HOUSES 
SHOULD  BE  KEPT  DURING  DECEMBER. 

TJie  Greenhouse. — From  40  to  50  degrees 
by  day,  and  from  36  to  40  degrees  at  night, 
or  just  safe  from  frost. 

The  Conservatory. — About  55  degrees  by 
day,  and  from  45  to  50  degrees  at  night. 

The  Plant-stove. — About  60  degrees  by 
day,  and  about  50  degrees  at  night. 

The  Orcldd  House. — The  warm,  or  Indian 
house,  65  to  70  degrees  by  day,  and  from  55 
to  60  degrees  at  night.  The  cool,  or  Mexican 
house,  60  degrees  by  day,  and  50  degrees  at 
nifrht. 


METROSIDEROS 


Meteosideros  robusta,  Allan  Cunning- 
ham (robust  Metrosideros).  -=  Myrtacege  "  § 
Leptospermeas. 

This  is  a  fine  robust  evergreen  shrub  under 
cultivation,  acquii-ing,  in  its  natural  condition, 
the  size  of  a  large  tree,  "not  unusually  at- 
taining the  height  of  eighty  feet."  It,  how- 
ever, blooms  under  cultivation  when  not  more 
than  a  yard  high,  and  may  be  had  from  that 


ROBUSTA. 

size  up  to  the  largest  that  can  be  conveniently 
accommodated  in  a  greenhouse.  It  is  a  New 
Zealand  plant,  and  is  called  by  the  New 
Zealanders,  Batu.  The  Avood  is  very  hard 
and  durable,  owing  to  the  closeness  of  its  grain, 
and  hence  it  is  found  a  valuable  article  in 
the  construction  of  agricultural  implements, 
and  in  ship-timbers,  &c. 

It   forms   an   evergreen   shrub   of  robust 


542 


ACCLIMATIZING. 


habit,  brandling  repe:itedly  in  a  forked 
manner,  whicii  givs^s  rather  a  singular  ap- 
pearance to  tlie  arrangeaif;nt  of  tlie  young 
-branches,  most  particularly  observable  on 
young  or  moderate-sized  plants.  The  leaves 
are  opposite,  of  a  neat  oval  or  elliptic  figure, 
and  quite  flat  ;  they  have,  moreover,  a  rich 
aromatic  odour.  The  flowers,  which  are 
scentless,  grow  near  the  end  of  the  shoots,  jn 
smallish  dense  clusters,  and  consist  of  a  cup- 
shaped  green  wavy  disk,  surrounded  by  a 
ring  of  long  crimson  stamens,  the  thread-like 
filaments  of  which  form  the  conspicuous 
portion  of  the  flowers  of  this  group  of  plants. 
These  flowers  are  produced  freely  in  June,  at 
which  season  the  plant  is  very  ornamental  ; 
its  neat  evergreen  ibliage  rendering  it  at 
other  times  cheerful  and  pleasing. 

It  was  introduced  from  New  Zealand  to 
the  garden  of  the  Horticultural  Society,  by 
J.  C.  Bidwill,  Esq.,  in  1845,  under  the  name 
of  3Iijrius  robusta,  under  which  appellation 
it  is  now  sometimes  met  with  in  other  gardens. 

It  is  a  desirable  shrub  for  a  conservatory 
or  for  pot-cultivation  in  a  greenhouse  where 
there  is  space  for  vigorous  growing  speci- 
mens. The  soil  in  which  it  should  be  placed 
is  a  mixture  of  equal  parts  sandy  loam  and 
peat  earth,  rendered  porous,  if  need  be,  by 
the  addition  of  silver  sand.  The  pots  should 
be  well  drained,  and  of  tolerable  size  ;  or,  in 
other  words,  the  plants  should  not  be  too 
much  cramped  for  pot  room,  at  least  until 
they  have  grown  enough  to  form  themselves 
into  handsome  bushes,  when  a  more  restric- 
tive treatment  may  keep  them  for  a  longer 
period  within  bounds,  and  also  induce  a 
more  general  production  of  blossoms.  It 
does  not  at  any  time  require  a  high  tempera- 
ture, that  of  a  greenhouse  being  quite  suffi- 
cient for  it.  Like  other  similar  subjects,  it 
must  be  propagated  by  cuttings  of  the  partially 
matured  young  shoots,  planted  in  sand,  and 
placed  under  bell-glasses  in  a  situation  where 
there  is  a  slight  degree  of  bottom  heat  af- 
forded them.  The  early  spring  season  is  the 
most  generally  suitable  for  this  operation. 
When  the  cuttings  are  rooted,  they  should  be 
potted  singly  into  small  pots  of  the  same  kind 
of  soil  already  recommended,  made  rather 
more  sandy  than  usual  ;  the  pols  must  be 
well  drained.  They  should  at  first  be  placed 
in  a  close  frame  where  there  is  a  very  slight 
degree  of  heat  to  start  them  afresh  into  growth, 
after  which  they  should  be  gradually  exposed 
to  bear  the  atmospheric  conditions  of  an 
ordinary  greenhouse,  and  may  take  the 
ordinary  treatment  of  young  hardwooded 
greenhouse  plants.  Being  in  small  pots,  they 
should  be  kept  well  supplied  with  water  ;  and 
should  be  transferred  from  time  to  time  into 
larger  pots,  as  their  roots  become  numerous. 


From  the  first,  too,  the  young  shoots  should 
be  frequently  topped  to  produce  a  dwarf 
bushy  habit. 


ACCLIMATIZING. 

So  much  unmeaning  and  speculative  v^M■iting 
has  been  published  on  acclimatizing,  that  it  is 
almost  impossible  to  command  attention  to 
anything  that  touches  on  the  subject.  AYe 
have  always  repudiated  the  idea  of  mj||||ing  one 
degree  difference  in  the  capacity  of  a  plant  to 
exist  in  cold ;  and,  although  Sir  Joseph  Banks 
has  written  somewhat  plainly  on  the  subject, 
he  has  made  a  distinction  between  the  plant 
itself  and  seedlings  bred  from  the  plant.  It 
would  be  ridiculous  to  question  the  fact  of 
seedlings  being  more  hardy  than  the  parent 
plant ;  every  day's  experience  shows  us  that 
seedlings  differ  in  some  degree  from,  the 
parent.  Some  flower  earlier,  sonie  later : 
some  are  more  hardy  than  others ;  but  the 
capacity  of  the  plant  once  settled,  which  it  is 
as  soon  as  it  exists,  nothing  could  make  it 
live  through  a  greater  degree  of  cold  than  it 
would  bear  when  it  was  first  matured.  Sir 
Joseph  Banks  took  a  right  view  of  some  por- 
tions of  this  subject.  We  agree  with  him 
that — 

"  Respectable  and  useful  as  every  branch 
of  the  horticultural  art  certainly  is,  no  one  is 
more  interesting  to  the  public,  or  more  likely 
to  prove  advantageous  to  those  who  may  be 
so  fortunate  as  to  succeed  in  it,  than  that  of 
inurriuj  plants,  natives  of  warmer  climafes, 
to  bear,  without  covering,  ungenial  springs, 
chilly  summers,  and  rigorous  winters.  He 
says,  too — "  Many  attempts  have  been  made 
in  this  line,  and  several  valuable  shrubs 
that  used  to  be  kept  in  our  stoves,  are 
now  to  be  seen  in  the  open  garden ;  there 
is,  howecer,  some  reason  to  believe,  that  every 
one  of  these  was  originally  the  native  of  a 
cold  climate,  though  introduced  to  us  through 
the  medium  of  a  warm  one  ;  as  the  gold 
tree,  Aucuba  japonica,  the  Moutan,  Pteonia 
frutescens,  and  several  others  have  been  in 
our  times." 

He  says,  too, — "  In  the  case  of  annuals, 
however,  it  is  probable  that  much  has  been 
done  by  our  ancestors,  and  something  by  tlie 
present  generation  ;  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered, that  all  that  is  required  in  the  case  of 
an  annual,  is  to  enable  it  to  ripen  its  fruit  iu 
a  comparatively  cold  summer,  after  which,  we 
know  that  the  hardest  frost  has  no  power  to 
injure  the  seed,  though  exposed  in  the  open 
air  to  its  severest  influence ;  but  a  perennial 
has  to  encounter  with  its  buds  and  annual 
shoots   frosts    that   have  sometimes   been  so 


ACCLIMATIZING. 


543 


severe  with  us,  as  to  rend  asunder  the  trunks 
of  our  indigenous  forest  trees." 

Annuals  are  no  more  susceptible  of  change 
than  perennials  or  biennials.  The  seedlings 
of  anytldng  and  everything  are  more  or  less 
changed  from  the  parent  in  some  peculiarity. 
Therefore,  what  is  attributed  to  annuals,  may, 
with  equal  propriety,  be  attributed  to  all  seed- 
ling plants.  Nobody  will  dispute  these  changes. 
It  might  be  years  before  any  of  these  seedlings 
became  more  hardy:  perhaps  in  some  families 
they  never  would.  The  potato  and  dahlia 
seem  as  susceptible  of  injury  from  frost  as 
ever ;  for  though  one  may  seem  a  little  less 
injured  than  others  on  particular  occasions, 
none  have  approached  to  what  may  be  called 
hardy.  We  have  no  doubt  that,  if  on  the 
appearance  of  a  plant  that  stood  frost  better 
than  the  rest,  the  seeds  were  perseveringly 
saved ;  and  the  same  thing  observed  from 
time  to  time,  a  step  in  that  path  might  fre- 
quently be  gained  ;  but  there  are  hundreds  of 
subjects  which,  though  perpetuated  by  seeds 
from  year  to  year,  have  not  been  noticed  as  to 
that  one  point,  and  therefore  to  this  day  are 
no  better.  Sir  Joseph  Banks  gives  one  or  two 
instances  of  plants  becoming  more  robust 
after  a  few  years'  succession  of  seeds;  but  the 
conclusion  must  not  always  be  drawn  from  first 
appearances :  cause  and  effect  should  be  more 
■minutely  examined.     He  says  : — 

"In  the  year  1791,  some  seeds  of  Zizania 
aquatica  were  procured  from  Canada,  and 
sown  in  a  pond  at  Spring  Grove,  near  Houns- 
low ;  it  grew,  and  produced  strong  plants, 
which  ripened  their  seeds  ;  those  seeds  vege- 
tated in  the  succeeding  spring,  but  the  plants 
they  produced  were  weak,  slender,  not  half  so 
tall  as  those  of  the  first  generation,  and  grew 
in  the  shallowest  water  only ;  the  seeds  of 
these  plants  produced  others  the  next  year, 
sensibly  stronger  than  their  parents  of  the 
second  year. 

"In  this  manner  the  jilants  proceeded, 
springing  up  every  year  from  the  seeds  of  the 
preceding  one,  e\ery  year  becoming  visibly 
stronger  and  larger,  and  rising  from  deeper 
parts  of  the  pond,  till  the  last  year,  1804, 
when  several  of  the  plants  were  six  feet  in 
height,  and  the  whole  pond  was  in  every  part 
covered  with  them  as  thick  as  wheat  grows 
on  a  well -managed  field, 

"  Heie  we  have  an  experiment  which  proves 
that  an  annual  plant,  scarce  able  to  endure 
tlie  ungenial  summer  of  England,  has  become, 
in  fourteen  generations,  as  strong  and  as 
vigorous  as  our  indigenous  plants  are,  and  as 
perfect  in  all  its  parts  as  in  its  native  climate." 
With  great  deference  to  Sir  Joseph,  we  do 
not  think  there  was  any  proof  whatever  that 
the  plant  was  scarcely  able  to  endure  the  sum- 
mer, and  has  btcome,  in  fourteen  generations, 


as  strong  and  as  vigorous  as  our  indigenous 
plants  are,  because,  for  all  we  can  see,  the 
plant  was  already  so.  The  very  first  seeds 
that  were  sown,  grew  and  produced  strong 
plants,  which  ripened  their  seeds;  there- 
fore there  was  no  indication  of  tenderness, 
nor  is  there  anything  extraordinary  in 
the  fact,  that  the  seeds  so  ripened  came  up 
weaker  than  imported  seeds,  nor  in  their 
gradually  improving.  It  is  well  to  point  out 
seed-saving  and  sowing  as  the  only  means  of 
procuring  from  a  tender  plant  a  race  of  hardy 
ones  ;  but  it  is  a  fallacy  to  look  upon  success 
as  a  matter  of  course.  The  olfspring  must  be 
examined,  and  any  single  plant  which  stands 
frost  better  than  the  rest,  should  be  alone 
saved  from,  because  it-  is  by  trifling  degrees 
that  we  can  produce  such  changes,  and,  we 
fear,  not  to  any  great  extent  under  any  cir- 
cumstances. The  following  does  not  say 
much  either  for  the  accuracy  of  the  authoi-'s 
conclusions  or  the  depth  of  his  inquiries  upon 
the  subject ;  but  the  conclusion  is  the  same  as 
our  own  ;  for  we  insist  that  it  is  impossible  to 
alter  the  constitution  of  a  plant,  though  it  is  not 
impossible  to  raise  new  ones  more  hardy  than 
the  present.      Sir  Joseph  says  : — 

"  Some  of  GUI'  most  common  flowering 
shrubs  have  been  long  introduced  into  the 
gardens ;  the  bay-tree  has  been  cultivated 
more  than  two  centuries  ;  it  is  mentioned  by 
Tusser,  in  the  list  of  garden  plants  inserted 
in  his  book,  called  '  Five  Hundred  Points  of 
Good  Husbandry,'  printed  in  1573. 

"  The  laurel  was  introduced  by  Master 
Cole,  a  merchant,  living  at  Hampstead,  some 
years  before  1629,  when  Parkinson  published 
his  '  Paradisus  Terrestris,'  and  at  that  liine 
we  had  in  our  gardens,  oranges,  myrtles  of 
three  sorts,  laurustinus,  cypress,  Phillyrea, 
Alaternus,  Arbutus,  a  cactus  brought  from 
Bermuda,  and  the  passion-flower,  which  last 
had  flovtcred  here,  and  showed  a  remarkable 
particularity,  by  rising  from  the  ground  near 
a  month  sooner  if  a  seedling  plant,  than  if  it 
grew  from  roots  brought  trom  Virginia. 

"  jLU  these  were  at  that  time  rather  tender 
plants ;  Master  Cole  cast  a  blanket  over  the 
top  of  his  laurel,  in  i'rosty  weather,  to  protect 
it;  but  though  nearly  two  centuries  have 
since  elapsed,  not  one  of  them  will  yet  bear 
with  certainty  our  winter  frosts. 

"  Though  some  of  these  shrubs  ripen  their 
seeds  in  this  climate,  it  never  has  been,  I 
believe,  the  custom  of  gardeners  to  sow  them  4 
some  are  propagated  by  suckers  and  cuttings, 
and  others  by  imported  seeds;  consequently, 
the  very  identical  laurel  introduced  by  Master 
Cole,  and  some  others  of  the  plants  enumerated 
by  Parkinson,  are  now  actually  growing  in 
our  gardens  ;  no  wonder,  then,  that  these 
original    shrubs    have    not    become   hardier, 


544 


THE    PROGRESS    OF    FLORICULTURE. 


though  probably  they  would  have  done  so,  had 
they  passed  through  several  generations  by 
being  i-aised  from  British  seeds. 

"  Is  it  not,  then,  worthy  a  trial,  as  we  find 
that  plants  roAsed  from  suckers  or  cuttings  do 
nut  grow  har-dier  by  time,  and  as  the  experi- 
ment on  Zizania  points  out  the  road,  to  sow 
the  seeds  of  these  and  such  like  tender  shrubs 
as  occasionally  ripen  tliem  in  this  climate  ? 
Fourteen  generations,  in  the  case  of  the 
Zizania,  produced  a  complete  habit  of  succeed- 
ing in  this  climate,  but  a  considerable  improve- 
ment in  hardiness  was  evident  much  earlier." 


This  is  not  quite  so  clear  and  intelligible  as 
it  was  meant  to  be  ;  and  while  we  agree  with 
the  author  as  to  his  conclusions,  we  deny  that 
he  has  at  all  made  out  a  case  with  regard  to 
the  Zizania ;  for  it  grew  and  ripened  seeds 
the  first  year,  and  it  did  no  m.ore  at  the  end 
of  the  fourteen.  Sir  Joseph  Banks  is  an 
additional  authority  for  our  conclusion,  that 
it  is  impossible  to  acclimatize  plants ;  and  all 
the  writers  who  assert  the  contrary,  expose 
their  ignorance  of  the  science  they  profess  to 
advance.  Thei'e  is  only  one  course — the 
oriffinatino:  new  races  from  the  seed.    . 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  FLORICULTURE. 


The  progress  of  floriculture  during  the 
year  1848  has  been  greatly  retarded  by  a 
number  of  circumstances  that  tend  to  lower 
the  standard  by  which  flowers  are  judged,  and 
we  can  hardly  imagine  anything  more  likely 
to  retrograde,  than  a  continuance  of  that  care- 
lessness of  results,  which  has  been  manifested 
by  those  who  take  the  kad  in  such  matters. 
The  circumstances  to  which  we  allude  are, 
first,  the  abandonment  of  second-class  prizes, 
the  effect  of  which  has  been  that  judges  have 
been  obliged  to  reject  gojod  second-class  flowers 
altogether,  or  give  them  first-class  prizes,  and 
have  chosen  the  latter  ;  second,  a  carelessness 
in  the  appointment  of  judges  at  horticultural 
shows,  by  which  the  proper  fate  of  many  sub- 
jects submitted  for  exhibition  has  been  re- 
versed ;  third,  an  inordinate  desire  to  put  out 
a  certain  number  of  new  subjects  every  sea- 
son, instead  of  confining  the  novelties  to  things 
really  in  advance  of  the  present  varieties  ; 
fourth,  a  decided  and  persevering  endeavour 
to  counteract  the  prevalent  disposition  of  the 
public  to  select  flowers  according  to  the  pro- 
perties which  are  acknowledged  by  the  best 
judges  to  constitute  perfection.  "We  will  ex- 
plain these  causes  in  rotation.  First,  the 
abandonment  of  second-class  prizes,  which 
ought  to  have  had  the  best  possible  effect,  and 
was  originally  determined  upon  to  raise  the 
quality,  has  failed,  only  because  the  judges 
have  not  had  nerve  enough  to  carry  out  the 
object  properly.  The  intention  of  those  who 
abandoned  second-class  prizes  was  to  discou- 
rage second-class  flowers,  and  for  a  time  the 
effect  was  good.  The  hopelessness  of  obtain- 
ing a  prize  deterred  people  from  bringing 
them,  and  as  the  public  sought  only  first-rate 
novelties,  there  was  no  sale  for  any  other. 
We  soon  observed,  however,  that  the  raisers 
of  flowers  who  happened  to  have  nothing  first- 
rate,  and  half-a-dozen  or  more  very  fair  second- 
rate  ones,  were  annoyed  if  they  had  no  prize ; 
and,  considering  that  it  made  fifty  or  a  hun- 
dred pounds  difference  in  the  value  of  a  flowei', 
it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at.  Yet  it  was  the 
only  v/ay  to  keep  up  the  high  price  of  novel- 


ties. We  foresaw  that  the  instant  the  raisers 
could  make  head  against  the  new  movement, 
there  would  be  a  change,  because  the  proper- 
ties that  constitute  perfection,  and  the  ble- 
mishes which  excluded  a  novelty,  rendered 
first-class  flowers  few  in  number,  and  none 
others  would  sell.  To  lov/er  the  standard, 
then,  was  the  only  way  to  get  over  it,  and  this 
has  unfortunately  been  done,  though  not  nomi- 
nally. Among  the  means  adopted  to  accom- 
plish this,  the  most  powerful  was  a  reduc- 
tion of  the  number  of  flowers  required  as  a 
test.  In  dahlias  there  is  no  dependence  the 
first  year,  consequently  they  are  grown  a 
second  season  to  prove  them;  and  as  all  raisers, 
when  they  grow  them  a  second  year,  plant 
out  twenty  or  thirty  plants,  it  was  considered 
by  the  leaders  in  the  adverse  movement  that 
not  less  than  six  blooms  should  be  exhibited. 
This  alone  was  a  great  protection  to  the  public, 
because,  independently  of  any  merit  in  the 
flower  as  to  form,  colour,  and  symmetry,  there 
must  be  some  chance  of  getting  a  flower  when 
half-a-dozen  are  shown.  In  the  struggle  to 
advance  on  the  part  of  the  true  florist,  and  to 
retrograde  on  the  part  of  the  less  scrupulous 
dealers,  the  latter  have  for  the  moment  got 
the  upper  hand,  and  last  year  the  test  applied 
to  flowers,  of  which,  as  we  have  already  said, 
few  plant  out  less  than  thirty,  was  reduced  to 
half  the  number.  What  was  the  consequence  ? 
Why,  that  fifty  varieties  that  could  not  have 
been  exhibited  at  all  while  the  test  required 
six,  were  shown  for  prizes,  and  never  will  be 
shown  again,  by  reason  of  their  uncertainty, 
or,  if  shown,  will  give  a  bloom  by  accident ; 
for  it  must  be  conceded,  that  if  six  flowers 
cannot  be  produced  from  thirty  well-grown 
plants  at  any  part  of  the  season,  the  uncer- 
tainty is  too  great  to  justify  letting  the  va- 
riety out  at  all.  In  consequence,  therefore,  of 
only  showing  three  blooms,  fifty  or  more  that 
would  not  yield  half-a-dozen  specimens,  were 
not  only  produced  to  compete  with  the  few 
that  would,  but  actually  obtained  prizes.  It 
was  worthy  of  remark,  too,  that  the  prevail- 
ing fault  was  imperfection  in   the   eye   and 


THE    PROGEESS    OF    FLORICULTURE. 


545 


general  centre  of  the  flower,  than  which 
nothing  can  be  worse,  and  we  need  hardly  say 
that  if  three  blooms  could  not  be  obtained 
with  perfect  centres,  a  variety  should  not 
by  any  means  be  noticed  at  all.  But  the 
judges,  seeing  more  seedlings  shown  than  ever 
had  been  seen  at  once  before,  felt  that  they 
must  award  a  few  prizes,  and  so  they  did,  but 
in  vain  might  they  have  looked  for  any  that 
deserved  such  notice.  There  were  vei-y  few 
that  came  up  to  mediocrity,  none  that  passed 
it.  The  show  at  which  these  novelties  were 
exhibited,  was  entirely  influenced  by  the 
growers,  and  there  were  many  first-class  prizes 
awarded  to  flowers  that  will  rarely  be  seen  in 
a  stand,  and  if  they  are,  they  will  disparage  it. 
What  we  are  now  saying  of  the  Dahlia  applies 
to  every  other  flower,  and  we  select  this  par- 
ticular subject,  chiefly  on  account  of  its  popu- 
larity and  dearness,  for  although  it  is  grown 
less  generally  than  it  was  at  one  time,  there 
are  still  some  thousands  of  pounds  change 
hands  every  year.  The  public  will  this  year, 
or  rather  next  year,  have  a  hundred-and-fifty 
varieties  called  new,  and  charged  for  as  new, 
with  such  tempting  descriptions  that  enthu- 
siasts will  be  puzzled  to  select  the  best,  and  if 
they  were  to  buy  and  grow  all,  the  chances 
are  that  they  would  not  retain  half-a-dozen, 
certainly  not  a  dozen,  the  second  year.  Of 
those  which  have  had  prizes  at  the  different 
shows,  very  little  that  is  at  all  favourable  can 
be  said  of  them  ;  there  are,  in  fact,  better 
flowers  that  have  had  no  such  distinction. 
Perhaps  no  year  has  been  distinguished  less 
by  distinct  novelty,  but  we  would  rather  see 
an  old  favourite  beat  in  form  than  a  distinct 
novelty  less  perfect ;  yet  a  decided  novel  colour 
is  an  excuse  for  a  second-rate  form,  until  we 
can  get  a  better.  The  style  of  flower  approach- 
ing Keyne's  Standard  of  Perfection  is  certainly 
on  the  increase,  but  the  worst  of  it  is,  so  many 
of  them  are  deficient  in  the  eye,  and  that  is  a 
fault  from  which  the  Standard  itself  is  not 
exempt,  and  it  goes  a  long  way  towards  making 
it  uncertain.  The  time  has  come  when  no- 
thing worse  than  that  among  cupped  flowers, 
and  nothing  worse  than  Princess  Radziwill  as 
a  reflexed  flower,  should  be  deemed  first-rate, 
or  have  a  first-class  prize.  It  has  the  worst 
possible  effect  on  the  general  interests,  though 
it  may  for  a  time  help  individuals  to  pass  off" 
indifferent  varieties  as  worthy  of  notice.  It 
may  tell  a  little  in  present  receipts,  but  must 
operate  against  the  future  ;  besides  which,  it 
inundates  the  gardens  with  subjects  of  a  lower 
quality,  and  the  seedlings  from  them  are  less 
likely  to  advance.  The  public  eye,  too,  will 
get  familiar  with  inferior  forms  of  flowers, 
reconciled  to  a  lower  class  of  productions. 
Doubtless,  if  there  had  been  second-class 
prizes  to  give  to  second-class  flowers,  many 
49. 


that  have  now  had  first  would  have  had  second  ; 
but  there  being  no  such  distinction,  the  judges, 
calculating  on  the  fact  that  the  more  prizes 
they  give  the  more  growers  they  please,  and 
having  no  choice  but  to  give  first-class  certifi- 
cates or  none,  err  always  on  the  liberal  side 
as  to  quantity,  though  too  often  they  also  err 
in  selection,  by  trying  to  distinguish  particular 
varieties  among  scores  that  are  all  bad  alike. 
Under  these  ciiT-umstances,  it  is  clear  that  the 
abandonment  of  second-class  prizes  for  new 
flowers  is  an  evil  that  is  rapidly  extending 
itself,  simply  because  the  judges,  having  in 
general  no  character  to  support  as  judges,  act 
good-naturedly,  and  if  appointed  fiom  among 
dealers,  injudiciously  award  undeserved  certi- 
ficates of  merit,  for — 

"  A  fellow  feeling  makes  us  wondrous  kind." 

The  abandonment  of  second-class  prizes,  with- 
out the  firmness  to  refuse  prizes  altogether,  is 
exemplified  by  the  growers  themselves,  who* 
even  this  year  are  Advertizing  flowers  that 
obtained  first-class  prizes,  at  a  second-class 
price.  This  is  honest  on  their  part,  but  it  is 
a  sad  rebuke  on  the  judges  who  could  so  far 
forget  themselves,  or  were  so  unqualified  for 
the  task,  as  to  give  to  a  flower  an  artificial 
value,  that  even  the  owner  is  ashamed  to  take 
advantage  of.  And  this  leads  us  to  the  second 
cause  of  the  progress  of  floriculture  being 
retarded  ;  carelessness  in  the  appointment  of 
judges  at  horticultural  shows.  This  is,  per- 
haps, the  greatest  evil  that  floriculture  labours 
under.  It  is  not  only  necessary  that  men 
should  be  qualified  for  the  office,  but  they 
should  not  be  dealers,  that  they  may  have  to 
care  "  who  Avins  and  who  loses,"  nor  be  depen- 
dent on  the  caprice  or  fancy  of  any  body. 
The  most  gross  partiality  is  exercised  at  many 
shows  ;  the  dealer  helps  up  his  best  customer, 
and  the  best  customer  helps  the  dealer  as 
almost  a  matter  of  course,  whenever  judges 
are  appointed  by  the  exhibitors  themselves.  It 
is  not  our  business  here  to  mention  names, 
but  at  a  show  held  in  London,  or  rather  in 
the  metropolis,  in  September,  there  was  the 
most  unblushing,  unjustifiable,  and  palpable 
injustice  done  in  several  classes  and  sweep- 
stakes, that  the  oldest  adept  in  floricultire 
ever  saw.  Our  business,  however,  is  only 
with  general  principles,  not  people.  Judges 
ought  to  be  known  as  such,  paid  as  such,  and 
be  responsible  as  such  ;  men  who  have  some 
reputation  as  judges,  and,  above  all,  not 
dealei's,  nor  dependent  on  dealers.  Good  gar- 
deners are  not  necessainly  good  judges.  A 
man  may  have  his  particular  notions  and  par- 
tialities warped  a  good  deal  by  the  nature  of 
the  place  he  fills,  but  a  judge  should  be  alto- 
gether above  this.  He  should  be  accustomed 
to  exhibitions,  and  not  a  mere  grower  of  pnr- 

N  N 


546 


THE  PROGRESS  OF  FLORICULTURE. 


ticular  plants.  He  should  be  engaged,  and 
paid,  and  known  to  every  exhibitor  from  the 
first ;  he  then  has  a  reputation  to  sustain, 
which  is  a  sort  of  security  against  any  improper 
decisions.  The  reverse  of  all  this  has  been 
fatal  to  the  interests  of  floriculture.  In  some 
cases,  judges  are  not  thought  of  until  the  pro- 
ductions are  all  ready  for  their  decision.  They 
are  then  hastily  appointed  by  the  exhibitors 
from  persons  on  the  spot,  people  who  are 
known  growers  or  otherwise  as  the  case  may 
be,  but  perhaps  unacquainted  with  half  the 
subjects  on  show.  These  gentlemen  are  very 
frequently  there  on  purpose  to  be  chosen,  and 
some  shower  ready  to  propose  them  ;  and 
they  have  no  standing  in  the  Society  as 
judges,  no  credit  to  uphold  in  a  decision,  that 
is  given,  and  done  with,  and  forgotten,  with  all 
its  faults,  except  by  the  parties  who  are 
wronged.  This  is  the  case  with  a  great  majo- 
rity of  shows,  and  those  at  which  there  are 
•paid  judges  are  not  so  well  managed  as  they 
raiglit  be.  It  is  an  enormous  evil  to  employ 
dealers  ;  the  temptations  are  greater  than 
many  people  can  bear.  A  dealer  sees  some- 
thing that  he  fancies,  and  buys.  His  first 
step  is  to  get  the  owner  to  show  it  where  he  is 
judge.  Whether  it  be  really  good  or  not,  he 
does  not  give  up  its  claim  to  a  prize  without  a 
hard  fight,  and  it  is  a  very  common  occur- 
rence for  the  very  man  that  has  given  a  prize 
to  be  the  owner  of  the  plant  so  distinguished. 
The  past  year  has  been  prolific  of  prizes,  with- 
out having  been  productive  of  a  corresponding 
number  of  good  flowers,  and  all  arising  out  of 
the  carelessness  of  the  arrangements  forjudges. 
The  third  cause  of  a  sort  of  retrograde  move- 
ment in  the  progress  of  floriculture,  we  have 
said  arises  from  the  desire  of  dealers  to  send 
out  a  certain  number  of  flowers  every  year, 
and  they  rather  make  up  the  number  with 
bad  than  not  send  out  their  quantity.  Let  us 
go  to  the  Dahlia  trade  as  an  example,  although 
the  dealers  in  Pansies,  Fuchsias,  Yerbenas, 
and  other  flowers,  would  do  just  as  well.  On 
looking  to  the  advertisements  of  a  number 
every  year,  we  find  from  two  to  ten,  according 
to  a  man's  connexion,  always  advertized  ;  some 
years  they  have  one  or  two  good  ones  among 
them,  sometimes  none,  but  they  are  always 
"first-rate."  This  year  more  than  one  hun- 
dred are  "warranted  show  flowers,"  "war- 
ranted first-rate,"  and  others  strongly  recom- 
mended, and  as  elaborately  described.  For 
many  years  past,  every  season  has  produced  its 
hundred  or  two  of  half-guinea  varieties,  and 
yet,  with  all  the  advantage  of  a  quarter  of  a 
century's  established  favourites,  it  would  be, 
difficult  to  find  a  dozen  flowers  as  good  as 
Princess  Eadziwill,  or  the  Standard  of  Perfec- 


tion. When  any  one  splendid  flower  came  to 
the  share  of  a  grower  who  was  aware  of  its 
importance,  he  was  enabled  to  get  four  or  five 
hundred  pounds  for  the  produce,  and  any 
advance  or  distinguished  novelty,  well  authen- 
ticated, would  bring  the  money  now  ;  but  there 
is  not  a  grower  who  has  not  warranted  things 
over  and  over  again  to  be  first-rate,  when 
they  have  disappointed  the  buyer,  and  the 
public  have  ceased  to  believe  one  word  they 
read  in  the  catalogues  of  dealers,  or  the  papers 
of  the  day,  simply  because  the  papers  of  the 
day,  being  dependent  on  the  advertisements  of 
the  dealers,  are  but  the  echo  of  their  words. 
Not  that  the  proprietors  of  newspapers  care 
one  way  or  the  other,  but  that  the  persons  em- 
ployed to  go  among  the  dealers  are  influenced 
by  the  people  they  associate  with,  and  have 
not  the  firmness  or  the  judgment  to  act  on 
their  own  opinion.  But,  wdthout  meaning  any 
disrespect  to  the  gentlemen  of  the  press,  we 
should  like  to  know  if  there  be  a  single  in- 
stance of  a  paper  or  periodical  connected  with 
floriculture,  that  is  to  say,  florist's  flowers, 
that  is  not,  more  or  less,  actually  conducted  by 
or  influenced  by  dealers.  The  Midland  Flo- 
rist by  Mr.  Wood,  florist,  of  Nottingham  ;  the 
Gardeners^  Joiiriial  by  Mr,  Dickson,  florist,  of 
Clapham  ;  the  Cabinet  by  Mr.  Harrison,  nurse- 
ryman, of  Downham ;  the  Florist  by  Mr. 
Beck,  florist,  of  Isleworth  ;  the  Gardener  by 
Mr,  Neville,  florist,  of  Peckham  ;  and  this 
runs  the  gauntlet  of  the  floral  publications, 
except  the  Gardeners'  Chronicle  and  ourselves, 
and  we  need  not  say  that  we  are  independent 
of  dealers.  We  have  never  been  indebted  to 
a  florist  for  an  opinion  on  flowers  ;  we  have 
always  used  our  own  judgment,  or  resorted  to 
that  of  Mr.  Glenny.  We  know  our  own  opi- 
nion has  never  been  influenced,  and  we  believe 
Mr.  Glenny's  has  not  been.  He  has  never 
exhibited  much  sign  of  dependence,  or  even  a 
wish  to  oblige.  We  wish  he  were  sometimes 
a  little  more  considerate  than  he  appears  to 
be,  for  even  an  honest  opinion  may  be  given 
without  being  offensive.  While  upon  this 
subject,  we  may  as  well  observe  that  Mr. 
Glenny  is  engaged  to  supply  us  next  year 
with  a  monthly  summary  of  all  that  goes  on  in 
the  floral  world, — his  opinion  of  all  the  liew 
flowers  worth  notice  ;  and  this  paper  must 
stand  upon  its  own  merits  ;  we  shall  be  per- 
fectly uninfluenced  even  by  him.  He  has 
been  long  enough  before  the  gardening  world 
to  stand  or  fall  by  his  own  opinions,  and  as 
the  author  of  the  Properties  of  Flowers,  we 
presume  he  is  as  good  a  judge  as  we  can 
engage,  to  let  our  readers  know  from  time  to 
time  the  names  and  descriptions  of  the  best 
new  subiects. 


CULTURE     OF     HARDY     FERNS. 


547 


Trichomanes  radicans  var.  Andrewsii. 
CULTURE  OF  HARDY  FERNS. 


An  intelligent  modern  writer  thus  expresses 
himself  : — "  If  any  pleasure  can  be  called 
bright,  beautiful,  and  lasting,  it  surely  is  a 
love  of  nature,  particularly  of  the  green 
things  that  clothe  the  earth's  surface.  The 
contemplation  of  them  gives  a  tone  of  health 
and  freshness  to  the  mind,  and  the  culture  of 
them  vigour  to  the  body."  In  accordance 
with  this  sentiment,  we  must  claim  for  the 
family  of  ferns  a  larger  share  than  they  have 
hitherto  received  of  that  attention  which  is  so 
freely  accorded,  by  almost  every  class,  to  the 
culture  of  ornamental  plants.  In  doing  this, 
we  can  hardly  claim  the  merit  of  leading  the 
public  taste ;  for,  in  fact,  a  tendency  in  the 
direction  we  desire  to  point,  has  already  mani- 
fested itself  This  tendency  we  would  by  all 
means  encourage,  under  the  full  persuasion 
that  the  writer  above  quoted  has  touched  the 
very  key-string  of  healthful  recreation,  and 
innocent  though  engrossing  enjoyment.  It  is 
true  that  ferns  are  not  attractive  and  cap- 
tivating from  any  gaudiness  that  they  possess : 
indeed,  on  the  contrary,  it  is  their  very  sim- 
plicity which  gains  them  their  admirers. 
Devoid  of  painted  blossoms,  they  wear  only 
the  cheerful  tints  of  "  nature's  livery,"  varied 
as  it  is  through  the  many  shades  which  inter- 
vene between  the  bright  and  transparent,  and 
the  deeply-saturated  and  opaque.  It  is  in 
their  forms,  however,  that  the  ferns,  as  it 
were,  command  admiration  :  here  they  are 
unapproachable.  No  form  that  art  can  devise, 
can  for  a  moment  be  compared,  for  grace  and 
elegance,  to  nature's  models,  as  displayed  in 
the  vegetable  world  ;  and  no  other  department 
of  the  vegetable  world  can  compare,  in  this 
respect,  with  the  unblossoming  ferns.  Even 
the  common  bracken  which  clothes  immense 
tracts  of  the  uncultivated  wastes  of  this 
country,  and  in  this  condition  is,  perhaps,  one 
of  the  least  beautiful  of  its  race,  is  super- 
latively  elegant  under    circumstances    more 


favourable  to  its  full  development.  We  have 
ourselves  seen  this  common  and  despised  plant 
growing  from  the  hedge-banks  on  either  side 
of  a  damp  shady  lane,  towering  far  above  the 
heads  of  the  passers-by,  and  waving  its  broad 
feathery  fronds  in  the  gently-agitating  breeze  ; 
and  we  have  been  riveted  to  the  spot,  en- 
tranced in  admiration  of  its  wildly-luxuriant 
elegance  and  extreme  gracefulness.  And  so 
it  is  with  many  others.  There  is  the  lady- 
fern,  which  has,  indeed,  been  styled  the  queen 
of  ferns,  and  described  as  being  '•'  exquisitely 
and  super-eminently  beautiful : " 

"  Her  texture  as  frail  as  thougli  shiv'ring  with  fright." 

This,  placed  under  circumstances  favourable 
to  its  full  development,  becomes  one  of  the 
most  lovely  of  its  race,  its  texture  transpa- 
rent, its  composition  extremely  light,  feathery, 
and  compound,  and  its  whole  form  drooping 
in  varied  curves,  each  a  "  line  of  beauty." 
These  examples  are  from  the  wild  Jems  of 
our  native  country,  where,  indeed,  many 
others,  hai-dly  giving  place  to  them  in  beauty 
— if,  indeed,  they  do  not  exceed  them  in  some 
respects — may  be  met  with.  We  have  pur- 
posely alluded  to  theon  for  this  very  reason, 
because  they  are  within  the  means  of  all, 
from  the  peer  downwards  to  the  cottager  ; — 
ay,  and  not  confined  to  the  mature  of  either 
rank,  but  accessible  even  to  children,  in  whom 
it  were  well  to  foster  a  taste  for  garden  exer- 
cise, and  to  whom  no  group  of  ornamental 
plants  may  be  so  strongly  recommended  as 
those  under  notice. 

"  Ferns,"  says  another  writer, — and  we 
must  quote  his  happy  remark, — "  ferns  con- 
stitute so  beautiful  a  poition  of  the  creation, 
whether  they  ornament  our  ruins  with  their 
light  and  graceful  foliage,  wave  their  bright 
tresses  from  our  weather-beaten  rocks,  or 
clothe  with  evergreen  verdure  our  forests  or 
our  hedgerows, —that  it  seems  next  to  im- 

N  N  2 


548 


CULTURE    OF    HAEDY    FERNS. 


possible  to  behold  them  without  experiencing 
emotions  of  pleasure."  Those  who  have  paid 
any  attention  to  ferns,  will  at  once  recognise 
in  this  an  expression  of  their  own  feelings; 
and  those  who  have  not,  we  hope  to  start  on 
the  pleasing  track. 

For  the  present,  we  confine  our  remarks  to 
that  group  of  hardy  ferns  which  are  indigenous 
to  the  United  Kingdom.  Even  among  this 
little  group,  consisting  of  upwards  of  fifty 
kinds,  including  within  the  species  some  well- 
marked  varieties,  there  is  considerable  diver- 
sity, amply  sufficient  to  render  a  collection  of 
the  more  accessible  kinds  a  feature  of  deep 
interest,  either  in  a  large  or  small  garden. 
We  must  not  forget  to  remind  those  who  live 
in  densely-populated  neighbourhoods,  and  sigh 
almost  in  vain  for  any  green  thing  about  their 
dwellings,  that  ferns  are  just  the  very  subjects 
for  them.  Even  in  the  heart  of  London,  and 
in  the  most  confined  districts  of  that  metro- 
polis, ferns  are  cultivated  with  full  success. — 
"  Ay,  but  at  an  enormous  outlay,"  some 
longing  admirer  of  vegetation  may  exclaim. 
Not  at  all  so.  Nothing  very  expensive  is 
essential ;  expense  may  be  incurred  for  orna- 
ment's sake,  but  this  is  beside  the  question. 
All  that  is  required  is  comprised  in  this  brief 
enumeration  :  —  A  few  logs  of  rough,  broken, 
otherwise  useless  stone,  a  little  soil,  and  a 
close  covering  of  glass,  which  latter,  though 
the  most  costly  item,  is  not  at  the  present  day 
so  much  so,  as  to  place  it  beyond  the  reach  of 
thousands  who  are  by  atmospheric  circum- 
stances prevented  from  indulging  in  any  other 
species  of  garden  culture.  Besides,  such  a 
structure  may  be  of  any  size,  from  that  of  a 
common  handlight — just  space  enough  for  two 
or  three  little  ferns — to  that  of  a  good-sized 
greenhouse,  capable  of  containing,  not  only  all 
the  indigenous  species,  but  others  of  exotic 
origin.  Mr.  Ward — after  whom  the  contriv- 
ances, known  sometimes  as  Wardian  cases, 
and  sometimes  as  window-greenhouses,  are 
named — has  for  many  years  cultivated  ferns 
in  the  centre  of  London,  in  the  way  here 
alluded  to,  the  essentials  of  which  are  a  close 
glass  covering  to  exclude  the  impure  atmo- 
sphere, a  shady  situation,  or  artificial  shade;  a 
rough  surface  such  as  is  afforded  by  rock- work, 
to  which  to  fix  the  plants,  and  an  occasional 
supply  of  water;  this  latter  is  not,  however, 
often  necessary,  the  close  construction  of  the 
case  preventing  rapid  loss  by  evaporation. 

On  the  subject  of  the  wild  ferns  of  Britain, 

a  little  book*  has  lately  fallen  into  our  hands, 

which  we  strongly  recommend   as   supplying 

■ . . — g 

*  A  Handbook  of  British  Perns:  intended  as  a 
guide  and  companion  in  Fern  Culture ;  and  compris- 
ing scienMfic  and  popular  descriptions,  with  engrav- 
ings of  all  the  species  indigenous  to  Britain,  with 
remarks  on  their  history  and  cultivation.    By  Thomas 


a  most  complete  and  interesting  description 
of  all  the  species  and  varieties  which  are 
known  to  have  been  found  in  the  three  king- 
doms. Some  of  them  are  very  common  and 
abundantly  distributed,  and  others  very  rare 
and  local.  We  shall  glance  through  this 
"  Hand-book,"  and  select  a  few  passages 
which  go  to  illustrate  our  subject,  first  of  all 
remarking,  that  the  book  itself  is  of  a  conve- 
nient- size  for  the  pocket,  the  descriptions  of 
the  plants  are  full,  precise,  and  plain,  the 
illustrations— of  which  there  are  upwards  of 
fifty,  (some  of  which,  by  the  courtesy  of  the 
author,  we  are  enabled  to  introduce  in  illus- 
tration of  this  article) — very  faithful ;  and  the 
analytical  tables  introduced  for  the  purpose 
of  facilitating  the  discrimination  of  the  genera 
and  species  on  the  part  of  learners  exceed- 
ingly clear  and  explicit.  In  the  introductory 
portion  we  are  told,  that — 

"  The  cultivation  of  ferns  is  a  growing 
fancy,  and  one  which  deserves  to  be  fostered 
and  encouraged  ;  for,  whoever  admires  ferns, 
must  be  a  lover  of  nature.  Their  simple  and 
ungaudy  elegance — superlative  though  it  be 
—has  nothing  in  it  to  attract  those  whose 
eyes  can  feast  only  on  the  pageantry  of  flori- 
culture. A  man  may  admire  and  esteem  a 
flower  for  some  characteristic  which  excludes 
nature  altogether  from  any  share  of  that 
esteem  ;  but  nature  and  ferns  are,  as  it  were, 
inseparable;  and  there  is,  therefore,  no  group 
of  vegetation,  the  culture  of  which  is  so  pecu- 
liarly adapted  as  this,  to 

'  Lead  through  Nature  up  to  Nature's  God.' " 

Theq,  follow  some  chapters  on  tlie  struc- 
ture of  these  plants,  in  which  they  are  defined 
as  belonging  to  a  group  of  the  flowerless 
plants,  in  which  stems  and  leaves  are  distin- 
guishable, and  as  consisting  of  a  caudex  or 
stem,  from  which  issue  the  roots  and  leaf-like 
fronds,  the  latter  bearing  the  reproductive 
organs  or  spores,  in  some  cases  on  their  edge, 
and  in  others  at  their  back.  Thus  a  fern  may 
be  divided  externally  into  four  parts,  the  root, 
the  caudex,  the  frond,  and  the  fructification. 
These  parts  are  described  at  some  length  ;  a 
portion  of  the  description  of  the  frond — which, 
by  the  by,  the  uninitiated  would  be  apt  to  call 
the  leaf — we  select  for  extract : — 

"  The  frond  is  the  most  conspicuous  por- 
tion of  ferns,  and  that  for  the  sake  of  which 
the  plants  are  cultivated.  Issuing  from  the 
caudex,  which  is  a  true  stem,  they  ai-e  in 
some  measure  analogous  to  the  leaves  of  other 
plants  ;  and,  in  consequence,  the  term  frond 
has,  by  some,  been  objected  to  as  unnecessary, 


Moore,  Curator  of  the  Botanic  Garden  of  the  Society 
of  Apothecaries,  Chelsea.  London :  R.  Groombridge 
&  Sons,  Paternoster  Row;  and  W.  Pamplin,  Frith 
Street,  Soho. 


CULTURE    OF    HARDY    FERNS. 


549 


and  that  of  leaf  employed  in  its  stead.  The 
peculiar  manner,  however,  in  which  the  fruc- 
tification is  borne  on  this  part  of  the  plant, 
seems  to  render  it  desirable  to  maintain  the 
distinctive  name  of  frond,  which,  also,  is  very 
generally  adopted, — a  still  further  reason  for 
its  continuance.  An  analogy  has  been  traced 
between  these  fronds  and  the  deciduous 
branches  of  other  plants. 

"  In  their  undeveloped  state,  the  fronds  of 
the  greater  number  of  the  species  of  ferns  are 
coiled  up  inwards  towards  the  axis  of  deve- 
lopment, forming  a  series  of  convoluted  curves. 
The  folding  up  of  the  frond  of  ferns,  as  of 
the  leaves  of  other  plants,  is  termed  their 
vernation ;  and  the  peculiar  form  of  verna- 
tion which  is  most  general  among  ferns, 
and  in  which  the  undeveloped  parts  are  rolled 
inwards,  or  bent  like  the  head  of  a  crozier,  is 
said  to  be  circinate.  The  only  British  species 
which  differ  from  this  in  the  mode  of  their 
vernation,  are  the  Botrychium,  and  the  Ophio- 
glossum;  and  in  these  the  young  parts,  instead 
of  being  rolled  up,  are  folded  straight.  As 
the  fronds  become  developed,  these  parts  gra- 
dually unfold,  the  more  compound  of  the 
circinate  species  being  in  most  cases  seen  to 
have  the  divisions  of  the  frond  also  rolled  up 
in  a  similar  manner ;  in  this  case,  the  larger 
divisions  first  open,  and  afterwards,  in  order, 
the  pinnje,  pinnules,  and  lobes.  In  many  of 
tlie  species  the  partially  developed  fronds  have 
a  very  graceful  appearance.  As  the  fronds 
become  developed,  two  parts  become  distin- 
guishable. At  the  base,  more  or  less  extend- 
ing upwards,  is  a  leafless  portion,  which  is 
called  the  stipes  or  stalk  by  some,  and  the 
stem  by  others;  the  latter  term,  however,  moi'e 
properly  belongs  to  the  caudex,  and  is  there- 
fore objectionable  as  applied  to  any  part  of 
the  frond.  Upon  the  lower  part  of  the  stipes 
generally,  and  sometimes  throughout  the  entire 
length  of  the  rachis,  is  found  a  more  or  less 
dense  covering  of  paleaceous  or  membranous 
scales  ;  in  some  cases,  this  is  confined  to  a  few 
small  scattered  scales  near  thebaseof  thestipes, 
but  in  the  other  cases  they  are  so  large  and 
numerous  as  to  produce  quite  a  shaggy  cha- 
racter. They  are  most  generally  regarded  as 
portions  of  disrupted  epidermis,  occasioned  by 
the  pressure  of  the  sap  beneath.  Whatever 
their  origin,  they  are  to  be  regarded  as  special 
organs,  being  very  constant  in  their  appear- 
ance and  development  in  the  same  species. 
The  upper  portion  of  the  frond,  extending 
more  or  less  doAvnwards,  is  leafy,  and  through 
this  leafy  portion  the  substance  of  the  stipes 
is  continued  onwards  to  the  apex  of  the  frond, 
being,  however,  distinguished  in  this  upper 
portion  by  the  term  rachis. 

The  leafy  portion  of  the  fi-ond  offers  many 
states  of  division,  the  parts  being  much  in- 


fluenced in  size  and  number  by  external  cir- 
cumstances. Sometimes  it  is  simple  or  undi- 
vided ;  sometimes  pinnatifid,  or  more  or  less 
deeply  cleft ;  sometimes  pinnate,  or  divided 
into  distinct  leaf-like  divisions,  or  pinnce ; 
sometimes  bipinnate,  when  the  pinnae  are 
themselves  pinnate, — occasionally  the  pinn^ 
are  only  pinnatifid,  or  deeply  cleft, — this 
second  series  of  pinnae  being  called  pinnules ; 
sometimes  the  fronds  are  still  more  com- 
poundly  divided,  the  pinnules  being  either 
pinnatifid,  or  again  pinnate.  The  character 
of  the  division  of  the  frond  is  much  employed 
in  distinguishing  the  species." 

Respecting  the  geographical  distribution  of 
ferns,  we  are  told — 

"  The  proportion  which  the  ferns  bear  to 
the  phaenogamous  portion  of  the  Flora  of  the 
British  Isles,  may  be  taken  in  round  numbers 
as  one  to  thirty-five.  In  Scotland  they  are 
computed  to  hold  the  proportion  of  one  in 
thirty-one.  There  is  an  enormous  dispropor- 
tion between  the  ferns  and  the  rest  of  the 
Flora  in  certain  tropical  islands.  Thus,  in 
Jamaica,  they  are  one-ninth  of  the  phsenoga- 
mous  plants;  in  New  Guinea,  D'Urville  found 
them  to  bear  the  proportion  of  28  to  122  ; 
in  New  Ireland,  they  are  as  13  to  60;  and  in 
the  Sandwich  Isles,  as  40  to  160.  Ferns 
form  a  very  important  feature  in  the  vegeta- 
tion of  the  Indian  Archipelago.  Upon  the  con- 
tinent they  are  found  to  be  less  numerous; 
thus,  in  equinoctial  America,  Humboldt  does 
not  state  them  higher  than  l-36th;  and  in 
New  Holland,  Brown  finds  them  l-37th. 
They  decrease  in  proportion  towards  each 
pole,  so  that  in  Fj-ance  they  stand  as  l-63d, 
in  Portugal  as  l-116tb,  in  the  Greek  Archipe- 
lago as  i-227th;  and  in  Egypt  as  l-97lst  of 
the  flowering  plants.  Northwards  of  these 
countries  their  proportion  again  augments, 
and  they  are  found  to  form  1-3 1st  of  the  phae- 
nogamous  vegetation  of  Scotland,  l-3oth  in 
Sweden,  1-1 8th  in  Iceland,  1-lOth  in  Green- 
land, and  l-7th  at  North  Cape." 

We  shall  now  select  at  random  from  the 
body  of  the  work  a  few  of  the  engravings  and 
descriptions,  as  specimens  of  the  matter  and 
illustrations  : — 

"  Genus  XIV.  Trichomanes,  Linncens. — 
Fronds  pellucid  ;  veins  prominent,  branched, 
either  ending  at  or  within  the  margin,  or  ex- 
tended free  into  a  filiform  receptacle,  around 
which  the  spore  cases  are  attached  within  an 
elongated  cup-shaped  involucre  of  the  same 
texture  as  the  frond  ;  receptacle  more  or  less 
exserted.  Name  derived  from  the  Greek 
trichos  (a  hair),  and  mania  (excess),  in  re- 
ference to  the  exserted  hair-like  receptacles. 

"1.  Trichomanes  radicans,  Swartz  (Bristle 
Fern)  ;  fronds  3-4  pinnatifid,  pendulous,  angu- 
lar-ovate, glabrous  ;  segments  linear  entire,  or 


550 


CULTURE    OF    IJARDY    FERNS, 


obtusely  bifid  ;  involucres  cylindrical,  scarcely 
two-lipped,  solitary  in  the  axils  of  the  upper 
segments,  more  or  less  winged  ;  receptacles 
filiform,  exserted. — Desc.  :  Trichomanes  radi- 
cans,  Swartz.     Hook.  Species  Filicura,  i.  125. 


Trichomanes  radicans. 
Bab.  Manual,  2  ed.  415.  Tricliomanes  spe- 
ciosum,  "Willdenow.  Newm.  Brit,  Ferns, 
2  ed.  305.  Trichomanes  ,hrevisetum,  R.  Br. 
Sm.  Eng.  Fl.  iv.  311.  Hook.  Brit.  Fl.  5  ed. 
445.  Franc.  Anal.  3  ed.  62.  Trichomanes 
alatuvi,  Hook.  Fl.  Lond.  Trichoma7ies  euro- 
p<^um,  Smith.  IIymenophyllu7n  alatum, 
Smith.  Didymoglossum  alatum,  Desvaux. — 
Fig  :  Newm.  305.  Eug.  Bot.  1417.  Franc. 
pi.  6,  fig.  6.        _ 

"/3.  Andrewsii;  fronds  drooping-lanceolate, 
lower  pinnae  distant,  short,  involucres  im- 
mersed, receptacles  long  curved  upwards. 
Desc  :  Newm.  Ferns,  2  ed.  318.  Bab. 
Manual.  2  ed.  415.  Trichomanes  Andrercsii, 
Newm.  p.  14.     Fig  :  Newm.  315. 

"  The  Bristle  Fern — one  of  the  most  rare 
and  delicate  of  all  our  native  species — has  an 
elongated  creeping  caudex  which,  as  well  as 
the  branching  roots,  are  dark-coloured,  and 
clothed  with  small  thick-set  narrow  articulated 
scales  or  bristles,  thus  acquiring  a  downy  sur- 
face, which  is  less  apparent  in  the  variety  An- 
drewsii, than  in  the  more  usual  state  of  the  plant. 
The  fronds,  as  has  been  well  remarked,  con- 
sist of  hard  wiry-branched  ribs  or  veins,  each 
furnished  throughout  with  a  semi-membranous 
pellucid  wing,  the  wings,  in  fact,  forming  the 
leafy  portion  of  the  frond  ;  their  shape  is 
variable,  from  angular-ovate,  approaching  tri- 
angular, to  oblong-acuminate  or  lanceolate, 
the  latter  being  the  form  of  those  of  the 
variety  Andrewsii  ;  they  spring  up  solitary 
here  and  there  from  the  caudex  as  it  becomes 
extended  over  the  damp  surface  of  the  rocks, 
and  are  three  years  arriving  at  a  mature  con- 
dition ;  the  young  ones  being  formed  about 
May,  attaining  their  full  development  in  the 


second  autumn,  and  becoming  fruitful  in  the 
autumn   of  the  third  year,  after  which  they 
show  symptoms  of  decay  ;  the  barren  fronds, 
however,  retain  their  freshness  in  moist  situa- 
tions for  many  years.     The  stipes  are  some- 
times less  than  one-fourth  the  length  of  the 
leafy   portion    of  the   frond,    and    in    others 
equally  long  ;  it   is  winged  throughout  with 
a  narrow  border.     The  fronds,  which  are  cir- 
cinate  in  venation,  are  usually  thrice  pinna- 
tifid  ;  the  primary  divisions,  which  are  ovato- 
lanceolate  and  alternate,  almost  become  pinnae  ; 
the  secondary  lobes  are  broadly  or  narrowly 
ovate,   according  to  their  position,   and  the 
ultimate  divisions  are  narrow  linear,  in  some 
cases  entire,  and   in    others     obtusely    bifid. 
The  whole  of  the  leafy  part  of  the  frond  is  of 
a  semi-transparent  cellular   texture,    and  is 
seen,  when  slightly  magnified,  to  be  elegantly 
reticulated.     The  veins  may  be  compared  to 
wiry  ribs   branching   and  extending  through 
all  the  divisions  of  the  frond  ;  in  the  bai'ren 
pai'ts  these  terminate  at  or  within  the  apex 
of  the  ultimate  lobes  ;  but  where  the  fructifi- 
cation is  produced,  they  become  elongated  be- 
yond the  margin,  the  free  portion  being  sur- 
rounded at  the  base,  where  they  are  encircled 
by  the  spore  cases,   by  a  monophyllous,   or 
elongate  cup-shaped  involucre,  and  becoming 
more  or  less  lengthened  beyond  the  involucre  ; 
the  latter  either  projects  beyond  the  mai'gin, 
as  in  the  ordinary  plant,  or  is,  as  it  were,  im- 
mersed in  the  substance  of  the  frond,  as  in 
Andrewsii.    The  veins  of  the  fronds  have  been 
already  (p.  3,)  described  as  the  receptacles  ; 
the  veins,  which  in  this  plant  are  elongated 
beyond  the  margin  bearing  the  fructification, 
are  hence  the  receptacles  ;  and  it  is  around 
the  base  of  these,  which  is   covered  by  the 
involucre,  that  the  spore  cases  are  clustered. 
The  degree  of  the  elongation  of  the  receptacle 
is  very  variable  ;  sometimes  it  projects  but 
slightly,   and  at  other  times  is  two  or  three 
times  as  long  in  the  involucres  ;  in  the  variety 
Andrewsii  they  are  five,  and  even  six  times 
as  long  as  the  involucres,  and  curve  up  from 
the  surface  of  the  fronds  in  a  very  conspi- 
cuous  manner.      The  fructification  becomes 
mature  in  the  autumn. 

"Neither  the  species  nor  variety  are  certainly 
known  to  exist  in  a  wild  state  in  the  United 
Kingdom,  elsewhere  than  in  Ireland,  where 
both  are  found  sparingly,  in  several  localities, 
attached  to  dripping  rocks  and  the  walls  of 
damp  caves,  in  shaded  glens,  and  the  vicinity 
of  waterfalls  ;  it  is  also  found  in  some  of  the 
warmer  parts  of  Europe,  in  Asia,  and  in 
,both  Americas." 

The  Lady  Fern,  already  alluded  to  in  these 
remarks,  is  thus  described  : — 

"  Genus  VII.  Athyrium,  Roth. — Mid-vein 
distinct,    lateral   veins   branched   free ;    sori 


CULTURE    OF    HARDY    PERNS. 


551 


semilunateindusiate,  placed  on  the  side  of  the 
lateral  veins  ;  indusium  oblong-reniform, 
opening  longitudinally  towards  the  mid-vein, 
the  free  margin  fringed  with  capillary  seg- 
ments. Name  derived  from  the  Greek  athyros 
(opened),  in  allusion  to  the  mode  of  dehi- 
scence of  the  indusium,  which  at  length  be- 
comes elevated  along  one  of  its  margins, 
opening  like  a  door,  so  as  not  to  enclose  the 
spore  cases. 

"  This  genus  was  constituted  by  Koth,  for 
the  reception  of  our  indigenous  Lady  Fern, 
which,  from  '  the  exquisite  grace  of  its  habit, 
the  elegauce  of  its  cutting,  and  the  brilliant 
delicacy  of  its  colour,'  claims  precedence  in 
beauty  over  eveiy  other  British  species.  Roth's 
genus  is  not  universally  adopted,  the  species 
being  by  some  still  retained  under  Asplenium. 


Athyrium  Filix-femina. 
''  1.  Athyrium  Filix-femina,  Roth  (Lady 
Fern)  ;  Frond  lanceolate  bipinnate  ;  pinn^ 
linear -lanceolate  ;  pinnules  linear  -  oblong, 
deeply  serrate  or  pinnatifid. — Desg  :  Athy- 
rium Filix-femina,  Roth.  Newm,  Brit. 
Ferns,  2  ed.  237.  Bab.  Manual.  2  ed.  413. 
Asplenium,  Filix-femina,  Bernhardi.  Hook. 
Brit.  Fl.  5  ed.  443.  Franc.  Anal.  3  ed.  50. 
AspicUum Filix-femina,  Swartz.  Sm.  Eng.  FL 
iv.  282.  Polypodium  Filix-femina,  Linnjeus. 
— Fia  :  Newn.  237.  Franc,  pi.  5,  fig.  4,  Eng. 
Bot.  1459  (bad). — A  very  variable  species,  as 
regards   size,   outline,  division,    and  density. 


The  following  forms,  several  of  which  are  by 
some  regarded  as  species,  may  be  distinguished 
as  varieties  :  — 

"  a.  incisum  ;  fronds  broadly  lanceolate, 
drooping  ;  pinnules  linear,  or  ovate-lanceolate, 
distinct,  deeply  pinnatifid,  with  flat  diverging 
sharply-toothed  lobes  ;  sori  distinct. — Desc  : 
Newm.  Brit.  Ferns,  2  ed.  243.  Bab.  Manual, 
2  ed.  413.  Athyrium  Filix-femina,  Roth, 
Polypodium  incimm,  Hoffman. — Fig:  Newm. 
243. — Of  this  form  I  have  examples  gathered 
near  Guildford,  Surrey,  the  pinn^  and  pin- 
nules of  which  are  large,  broad,  and  close  set, 
the  whole  frond  appearing  densely  leafy. 

"/3.  convexum ;  fronds  linear  -  lanceolate, 
semi-erect  ;  pinnules  distinct,  very  narrow, 
linear,  convex  with  deflexed  margins,  bluntly 
toothed  ;  sori  confluent. — Desc  :  Bab.  Manual, 

1  ed.  388.  Newm.  Brit.  Ferns,  2  ed.  245. 
Athyrium  rhceticu7n,  Roth.  Polypodium  rhce- 
ticum,  Linnaeus. — Fig  :  A  seedling,  or  starved 
form  of  this  variety  {Aspidium  irriguum. 
Smith  ;  Athyrium  rhceticum  minus,  Roth,)  is 
represented  in  Newm.  Brit.  Ferns,  245. 

"  y.  trifidum;  fronds  ovate-lanceolate,  semi- 
erect  ;  pinnules  linear-lanceolate,  sub-decur- 
rent,  flat,  deeply  cut,  the  apices  of  the  lobes 
generally  trifid. — Desc  :  Newm.  Brit.  Ferns 

2  ed.  242.  Atliyrinm  trifidum,  Roth,  Poly- 
podium trifidxmn,  Hoffman. 

"  3.  molle;  fronds  ovate-lanceolate,  semi- 
erect  ;  lower  pair  of  pinnae  distant,  short, 
deflexed ;  pinnules  lanceolate,  decurrent, 
united  by  wing  of  mid-rib,  flat,  toothed ;  sori 
distinct. — Desc  :  Newm.  Brit.  Ferns,  2  ed. 
242.  Bab.  Manual,  2  ed.  413.  Athyrium 
molle,  Roth.     Polypodium  molle,  Schreber. 

"  e.  multifidum.;  fronds  semi-erect,  lanceo- 
late ;  pinnae  narrow  lanceolate,  their  apex  as 
well  as  the  apex  of  the  frond  multifid  or 
tasseled  ;  sori  crowded. — Desc  :  Athyriwn 
Filix-femina  vivipara,  Steele,  Handb.  Field 
Bot.  215.  Fig:  Newm.  248.  —  A  very 
curious  and  elegant  monstrosity,  retaining  its 
peculiar  characters  under  cultivation.  Found 
in  L-eland,  where  two  forms,  slightly  differing, 
but  possessing  the  same  general  characters, 
have  been  met  with  by  Mr,  J.  T.  Mackay, 
and  Mr.  D.  Moore. 

"  4".  crispurn;  dwarf,  (six  to  eight  inches,) 
slender,  delicate,  crisped ;  rachis  variously 
forked,  the  apex  of  the  divisions  densely 
tufted  or  tasseled;  barren.  A  very  distinct 
form,  discovered  by  Mr.  A.  Smith  on  the  hill 
Orah,  in  the  county  Antrim,  L-eland ;  it 
proves  constant  under  cultivation,  and  much 
resembles  a  tuft  of  curled  parsley. 

"  Mr.  Dickie  has  favoured  me  with  a  sin- 
gular monstrosity,  apparently  referable  to  this 
species,  but  very  different  from  either  of  the 
preceding  forms.  In  this  the  pinnules  are 
developed  in  a  very  irregular  degree,  their 


552 


CITLTURE    OF    HARDY    FERNS. 


margins  being  irregularly  lacerated.  It  was 
found  in  1846  on  Ben  Muich  Dhui  in  Aber- 
deenshire, at  2,700  feet  elevation,  and  has 
maintained  the  same  appearance  under  cul- 
tivation. 

"  The  Lady  Fern  grows  with  a  tufted 
caudex,  which  in  old  plants  of  the  stronger 
growing  variety,  incisum,  becomes  considerably 
elongated  and  trunk-like  ;  from  this  the  black 
wiry  fibrous  roots  are  produced.  The  fronds 
are  in  all  cases  of  delicate  texture,  and  have 
more  or  less  of  a  light  feathery  appearance  ; 
they  grow  up  about  May,  reaching  maturity 
towards  the  end  of  the  summer,  and  dying 
down  in  the  autumn  if  not  destroyed  by  early 
frost ;  their  vernation  at  first  is  circinate,  but 
by  degrees  the  apex  becomes  liberated,  and 
hangs  down,  assuming  the  appearance  of  a 
shepherd's  crook,  as  in  Lastrea  Filix-mas. 
The  general  outline  of  the  frond  is  lanceolate, 
broadest  in  the  variety  incisum,  and  narrowest 
in  convexum :  incisum  often  grows  four  or 
five  feet  high ;  trifidum,  convexum,  and  mul- 
tifidum  from  two  to  three  feet ;  molle  from  a 
foot  to  eighteen  inches ;  and  crispum  usually 
about  six  inches  high.  The  fronds  grow  up 
in  a  large  tuft  from  the  crown,  the  older 
plants  of  the  larger  varieties  sometimes 
throwing  up  from  twenty  to  thirty  fronds, 
such  examples  being  noble  as  well  as  lovely  ; 
incisum  has  the  fronds  somewhat  drooping ; 
the  others,  with  the  exception  of  crispum,  are 
more  erect  in  habit;  crispum  is  of  a  spreading 


A  tliyrimn  Filix-femina  cri^-pum. 
tufted  habit  of  growth.     The  stipes  is  sur- 
rounded    with    numerous    elongated    scales 
around  the  base,  where  it  is  much  swollen,  a 
few  smaller  scales  occurring  on  the  upper  part; 


on  the  low€r  part,  from  a  fourth  to  a  third  of 
the  height  of  the  plant,  the  stipes  are  bare  of 
pinnae;  in  the  upper  part  the  pinnse  are  closer 
or  more  distant,  varying  much  according  to 
the  situation  where  the  plant  has  been  grow- 
ing. The  pinnae  are  lanceolate,  more  or  less 
attenuated ;  they  are  distinctly  pinnate  in 
incisum  and  convexum,  the  pinnules  becom- 
ing somewhat  decurrent  in  trifidum,  and 
more  decidedly  so  in  molle.  The  pinnules 
have  more  or  less  of  the  lanceolate  form;  those 
of  incisum  are  flat,  deeply  pinnatifid,  with 
diverging  sharply-toothed  lobes;  of  convexum 
linear,  convolute,  the  margins  being  notched 
rather  than  toothed,  and  folding  over  the 
sori ;  of  trifidum  flat,  deeply  cut,  the  apices  of 
the  lobes  generally  distinctly  trifid,  and  the 
first  anterior  lobe  larger  than  the  rest;  of 
molle  flat  with  toothed  margins.  The  vena- 
tion is  mostly  very  distinct,  from  the  delicate 
texture  of  the  frond ;  its  general  character  is 
— mid-vein  waved,  lateral  veins  forked  shortly 
after  leaving  the  mid-vein,  the  anterior  branch 
bearing  on  its  side  the  oblong  sorus,  about 
equi-distant  from  the  mid-vein  and  margin ; 
the  other  branch  becoming  forked  or  not, 
according  to  the  composition  of  the  frond, 
one  branch  extending  to  each  serrature  :  in 
the  larger  and  more  divided  pinnules  the 
lateral  veins  branch  alternately,  and  bear 
more  than  one  sorus.  The  sori  are  elongate- 
reniform,  or  somewhat  sausage-shaped,  co- 
vered with  an  indusium  of  the  same  form, 
opening  towards  the  mid-vein,  its  free  margin 
split  into  narrow  segments.  Smith  remarks 
that  the  sori  finally  become  nearly  round,  and 
the  indusium  orbicular,  with  a  notch  at  the 
base,  thus  assuming  in  this  stage  the  character 
of  an  Aspidium,  to  which  genus  he  referred 
the  plant.  In  incisum,  trifidum,  and  molle, 
the  sori  are  usually  distinct;  in  convexum 
and  multifidum  confluent.  The  fructification 
is  mature  about  September. 

"  The  species  is  abundant  in  most  parts  of 
Britain,  and  particularly  so  in  Ireland  ;  and 
no  doubt  the  varieties  incisum,  convexum, 
trifidum,  and  molle,  are  pretty  generally  dis- 
tributed, though  there  appear  to  be  no  statis- 
tics on  this  point.  The  other  varieties  or 
monstrosities  are,  I  believe,  only  found  in 
Ireland.  Warm  and  moist  woods  and  hedge- 
row banks  are  the  favourite  localities  of  this 
species,  but  it  is  not  confined  to  such  situ- 
ations, although  in  them  it  attains  its  great- 
est vigour  and  luxuriance.  It  also  occurs 
throughout  Europe,  in  Asia,  Africa,  and 
North  America. 

"  This  species  does  not  appear  to  be  applied 
to  any  special  use,  except  that  in  Ireland, 
where  it  abounds  on  all  the  bogs,  it  is  em- 
ployed as  a  packing  material  for  fish  and  fruit, 
as  the  common  bracken  is  in  this  country. 


CULTURE    OF    HARDY    FERNS. 


553 


**  There  is  no  difficulty  in  the  cultivation  of 
this  very  beautiful  plant.  If  planted  about 
rockwork  it  should  occupy  a  low  boggy 
situation  at  the  foot  of  the  rock,  being  planted 
amongst  turfy  soil,  kept  well  moistened  either 
naturally  or  artificially.  It  is  far  less  beautiful 
if  planted  in  dry  exposed  situations.  No 
object  about  a  piece  of  rockwork  is  so  beau- 
tiful as  a  vigorous  plant  of  the  Lady  Fern, 
placed  just  vv^ithin  the  mouth  of  a  dark  ca- 
vernous recess,  large  enough  to  admit  of  its 
development,  and  just  open  enough  that  the 
light  of  day  may  gleam  across  the  dark  back- 
ground of  the  cavern,  revealing  the  drooping 
feathery  fronds.  In  such  a  situation  it  will 
grow  freely,  provided  there  is  a  sufficient  sup- 
ply of  moisture  to  its  roots.  For  planting  in 
shady  woods,  or  on  the  margin  of  ornamental 
water,  no  fern  can  be  more  appropriate  or 
beautiful.  If  grown  in  a  pot,  it  must  have  a 
large  sized  one,  and  should  be  placed  in  rough 
turfy  soil,  which  should  be  intermixed  with 
lumps  of  charcoal  and  freestone,  or  potsherds. 
To  attain  anything  like  a  fair  degree  of 
development,  the  plants  must  be  kept  well 
supplied  with  water. 

"  '  The  Lady  Fern,'  writes  Mr.  Lees  in  the 
Botanical  Looker -Out,  '  is  the  queen  of  ferns, 
exquisitely  and  super-eminently  delicate  and 
beautiful ; '  and  he  adds  some  stanzas,  one  or 
two  of  which  I  must  here  quote : — « 

"  '  By  the  fountain  I  saw  her,  just  sprung  into  sight, 
Her  texture  as  frail  as  tho'  shivering  with  fright; 
To  the  water  she  shrinks — I  can  scarcely  discern 
In  the  deep  humid  shadows  the  soft  Lady  Fern, 

" '  Where  the  water  is  pouring  for  ever  she  sits, 
And  beside  her  the  Ouzel  and  Kingfisher  ilits; 
There  supreme  in  her  beauty,  beside  the  full  urn, 
In  the  shade  of  the  rocks  stands  the  tall  Lady  Fern,' " 


Botrychium  Lunaria.. 


Some  of  the  ferns  are  of  considerable  eco- 
nomic value.  Thus  the  Pteris  aqu'dina,  or  com- 
mon bracken,  already  alluded  to  as  assuming 
under  certain  conditions  an  exceedingly  grace- 
ful appearance,  is  applied  to  various  uses. 
"  The  undergi'ound  succulent  stems  abound  in 
starch,  and,  as  stated  by  Lightfoot,  have  been 
used  in  different  countries  as  an  ingredient  in 
making  a  miserable  kind  of  bread  ;  they  have 
alsobeen  employed  in  brewing  ale  in  the  propor- 
tion of  one-third  to  two-thirds  malt,  Mr.  A. 
Forsyth  obtained  a  substance  like  coarse  brown 
flour,  by  grating  the  clean-washed  stems, 
washing  the  pulp,  and  straining  it  through  a  fine 
wire  sieve.  By  first  scraping  off  the  brown 
outer  coating,  white  feculawas  obtained,  which, 
when  boiled,  had  no  disagreeable  taste.  The 
fecula,  he  says,  may  be  easily  converted  into 
malt,  and,  mixed  with  a  very  small  quantity  of 
real  malt,  will  produce  good  beer.  Both  the 
underground  stems  in  winter,  and  the  tender 
shoots  in  May,  make,  when  boiled,  a  very 
nutritious  article  of  food  for  pigs,  but  it  is  not 
proper  for  young  ones.  The  young  succulent 
fronds,  also,  make  an  excellent  green  manure, 
if  cut  and  dried,  or  ploughed  in  immediately. 
The  dried  fronds  form  a  very  durable  thatch, 
for  which  purpose  they  should  be  pulled  up  in 
October,  when  perfectly  pliant  ;  they  are 
besides  valuable  as  litter,  and  even  sometimes 
mixed  with  hay,  as  food  for  cattle  ;  and  are 
one  of  the  best  of  all  protecting  materials  in 
gardens,  and  are  much  used  as  a  packing 
material.  The  plant  abounds  in  alkali,  which 
is  turned  to  considerable  account  in  the  manu- 
facture of  soap  and  glass.  The  ashes  of  the 
full  grown  plant  are  very  useful  in  the  wash- 
house  for  the  purpose  of  economizing  soap  ; 
they  are  mixed  with  enough  water  to  allow  of 
their  being  made  up  into  balls,  which  are  dried, 
and  when  required  for  use  are  put  into  fire 
until  they  acquire  a  red  heat,  when  they  are 
taken  out  and  thrown  into  water,  which  in  an 
hour  or  so  becomes  a  strong  ley.  Moreover, 
the  plant  is  so  astringent,  that  it  has  been 
employed  for  the  purpose  of  tanning  kid  and 
chamois  leather.  Medicinally  this  plant  is 
said  to  have  had  among  the  ancients  a  reputa- 
tion in  chronic  disorders,  especially  those 
arising  from  obstructions  of  the  viscera  and 
spleen  ;  but  it  is  not  now  much  esteemed, 
though  sometimes  used  in  the  form  of  powder 
to  destroy  worms,  especially  the  tape  worm  ; 
the  caudex  is  the  part  used,  in  doses  of  from 
one  to  three  drachms,  repeated  for  several 
mornings,  and  followed  by  a  brisk  purgative. 

"  No  plant  can  require  a  less  amount  of  cul- 
tivation when  it  is  established,  but  there  is  a 
real  or  imaginary  difficulty  about  transplant- 
ing it.  Sir  J.  E.  Smith  says,  '  the  roots 
[underground  stems]  are  generally  killed  by 
transplantation.'      Mr.  Taylor,    a   successful 


554 


CULTURE    OF    HARDY    FERNS. 


fern  cultivator,  informs  me,  however,  that  he 
removes  it  from  the  waste  land  both  for  rock- 
work  and  potting,  and  finds  it  move  well  at 
any  season  of  the  year  ;  being  moreover  a 
great  pest  in  his  cucumber  beds,  when  the 
underground  stems  are  among  the  soil  used, 
as  it  comes  up  over  the  bed,  grows  vigorously, 
and  is  with  difficulty  destroyed.  I  have  potted 
portions  of  these  stems  which  have  lain  exposed 
for  some  time,  and  have  found  them  to  grow 
freely.  It  will  grow  freely  in  any  temperature. 
Though  it  grows  in  exposed  situations,  it  is 
very  much  finer  in  damp  shady  places.  To 
form  groups  of  this  plant  in  parks,  the  follow- 
ing plan,  recommended  by  Mr.  Drewett,  should 
be  adopted  : — '  Make  choice  of  some  spots  of 
ground  which  have  a  partial  shade  from  large 
trees  in  summer,  say  in  half  acres,  and  have 
them  trenched,  adding,  if  the  land  is  strong, 
a  good  layer  of  peat,  or  bog  earth  ;  have  the 
ground  in  readiness  for  planting  in  March  or 
April,  take  up  the  dormant  stems  in  large 
square  masses  from  the  spots  where  they  have 
been  observed  to  grow,  and  plant  them  im- 
mediately at  about  a  yard  apart ;  enclose  the 
patches  with  park  hurdles  to  prevent  cattle 
from  spoiling  them  before  they  get  esta- 
blished.' Polystiehum  aculeatum,  which  is 
perfectly  evergreen,  is  a  very  suitable  com- 
panion." 


Adiantum  Oapilliis-veneris. 

This  Handbook  of  British  Ferns,  from  its 
convenient  size  and  abundant  information,  will 
be  a  suitable  and  pleasant  companion  for  the 
field  botanist,  as  well  as  the  home  culturist 
and  the  student. 

To  resume.  The  species  of  ferns  indige- 
nous to  the  United  Kingdom  are  distributed 
throughout  the  following  eighteen  genera  : — 


I. — Polypodium  :  1.  P.  vnlgare,  and  three 
varieties  ;  evergreen  in  sheltered  places"; 
suitable  for  rockwork.  2.  P.  Phegopteris  ; 
rockwork.  3.  P.  Dryopteris ;  rockwork.  4. 
P.  calcareum  ;  rockwork. 

II. — Allosoriis :  1.  A.  crispus,  and  two 
varieties  ;  ornamental ;  rockwork. 

lU.—Woodsia  :  1 .  W.  ilvensis.  2.  W. 
alpina.  Both  rare,  curious  ;  suitable  for  pot 
culture. 

IV. — Lastrea  :  1.  L.  Thelypteris  ;  damp 
peaty  border.  2.  L.  Oreopteris  ;  shady  bor- 
der. 3.  L.  cristata  ;  dam.p  peaty  border.  4. 
L.  Filix-mas,  and  two  varieties  ;  shady  border. 
5.  L.  rigida  ;  shady  border.  6.  L.  spinulosa; 
peaty  border.  7.  L.  dilatata  ;  peaty  border. 
8.  L.  Foenisecii  ;  peaty  border. 

V. — Polystiehum  :  1 .  P.  Lonchitis  ;  ever- 
green ;  pots.  2.  P.  aculeatum  and  variety  ; 
evergreen  ;  shady  border.  3.  P.  angulare 
and  two  varieties  ;  evergreen  ;  shady  border. 

VI. —  Cystopteris  :  1.  C.  fragilis  and  three 
varieties  ;  rockwork  or  pots.  2.  C.  alpina ; 
rockwork  or  pots.  3.  C.  montana  ;  rockwork 
or  pots. 

VII. — Athyrium  :  1.  A.  Filix-femina,  and 
several  varieties ;  damp  shady  border. 

VIII. — Asplenium  :  1.  A.  fontanum  ;  ever- 
green ;  pots  or  rockwork,  2.  A,  lanceolatum; 
evergreen  ;  pots  or  sheltered  rockwork.  3. 
A.  Adiantum-nigrum  ;  evergreen  ;  rockwork  ; 

4.  A.   marinum  ;  evergreen  ;  pots,    in-doors. 

5.  A.  Trichomanes  ;  evergreen  ;  rockwork 
or  pots.  6.  A.  viride  ;  evergreen  ;  rockwork 
or  pots.  7.  A  Ruta-muraria  ;  evergreen  ; 
pots  or  rockwork.  8.  A.  germanicum  ;  everr 
green  ;  pots  or  rockwork.  9.  A.  septentrio- 
nale  ;  evergreen  ;  pots  or  rockwork. 

IX. — Ceterach  :  1,  C.  officinarum  ;  ever- 
green ;  pots  or  rockwork. 

X, — Scolopendrium :  1.  S,  vulgare  ;  ever- 
green ;  shady  borders,  rockwork,  or  pots. 

XL — Adiantum  :  1.  A.  Capillus- veneris  ; 
evergreen  ;  pots,  in-doors,  or  under  hand- 
glasses. 

XII, — Blechnum  :  1,  B.  Spicant  ;  rock- 
work, or  damp  peat  borders. 

XIII. — Pteris  :  1.  P.  aquilina,  shady  bor- 
der. 

XIV. — Trichomanes:  1.  T.  radicans,  and 
one  variety  ;  evergreen  ;  pots  in  a  warm  close 
atmosphere. 

XV. — Hymenophyllum  :  1.  IT.  tunbridg- 
ense ;  and  2.  H.  unilaterale ;  fronds  persis- 
tent ;  pots,  in  a  close  damp  sheltered  atmo- 
sphere. 

XVI. — Osm^mda  :  1.  O.  regalis;  damp 
peat  border. 

XVII. — Botrychium  :  1.  B.  Lunaria  ; 
shady  peat  border. 

XVIII. — Ophioglossum  :  1.0  vulgatum  ; 
shady  border. 


NEW    FLOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


555 


A  splenium  A  diantum-nigrum . 

The  most  ornamental  species  for  rochmork 
ai*e  the  following  : — Polypodium  vulgare  and 
Dryopteris  ;  Allosorus  crispus  ;  Polystichum 
Lonohitis,  aculeatum,  and  angulare ;  Lastrea 
rigida  ;  Cystopteris,  all  the  species  ;  Athy- 
riura  Filix-femina,  var.  crispum ;  Asplenium, 
all  the  species  ;  Ceterach  officinarum  ;  Scolo- 
pendrium  vulgare  ;  Blechnum  Spicant. 

The  best  species  for  "planting  in  damp  shady 
situations,  such  as  woods,  and  dells,  and 
thickets,  are  the  following : — Lastrea  Oreop- 
teris,  Filix-mas,  and  its  var.  incisa,  rigida, 
spinulosa,  dilatata,   and   Foenisecii  ;  Polysti- 


chum aculeatum  and  angulare ;  Athyrium 
Filix-femina;  Blechnum  Spicant,  and Osmunda 
regalis. 

For  pot-cidture,  as  objects  of  ornament,  the 
following  are  highly  suitable  : — Polypodium 
vulgare,  var.  cambricum,  Dryopteris,  and 
Phegopteris  ;  Allosorus  crispus  ;  Athyrium 
Filix-femina,  vars.  crispum  and  multifidum  ; 
Asplenium  lanceolatum,  fontanum,  Adiantum- 
nigrum,  Trichomanes,  and  marinum ;  Cete- 
rach^ofRcinarum  ;  Adiantum  Capillus-veneris ; 
Trichomanes  radicans;  Hymenophyllum  tun- 
bridgense  and  unilaterale. 

All  the  smaller  species  of  ferns  may  be 
grown  in  a  compost  of  equal  parts  turfy  peat 
and  well  decayed  leaf-mould,  intermixed  with 
pure  white  sand,  and  small  lumps  of  charcoal, 
or  bi-oken  pots,  bricks,  or  porous  stone. 
Whether  in  pots,  or  planted  out  in  any  situ- 
ation, they  must  (with  one  or  two  exceptions,) 
be  well  drained ;  for  they  mostly  require  to 
be  kept  very  moist,  and  if  the  soil  is  not  well 
drained,  it  soon  becomes  soddened,  and  in 
that  state  is  injurious  to  the  roots.  "When 
they  are  grown  in  pots  these  should  be  half 
filled  with  drainage  materials,  especially  in 
the  case  of  the  more  delicate,  and  the  smaller- 
growing  species.  The  more  robust  and  the 
freer-growing  of  the  species  should  have 
larger  pots,  less  drainage,  and  a  proportion  of 
loamy  soil  added  to  their  compost.  Some  few 
species  like  the  addition  of  old  mortar  as  an 
ingredient  in  the  compost  in  which  they  are 
planted ;  such  are  Polypodium  calcareum  ; 
Ceterach  officinarum;  and  Asplenium  Tricho- 
manes, and  Ruta-mui"aria. 

Of  all  known  plants  ferns  are  the  most 
suitable  for  planting  in  the  pent-up  shaded 
"  court-yards,"  "  areas,"  and  "  flats,"  of  town 
residences,  the  monotonous  mural  enclosures 
of  which,  relieved  by  tasteful  rockwork,  and 
fringed  with  elegant  fern-fronds,  may  be 
invested  thus  with  some  degree  of  cheer- 
fulness. 


NEW  FLOWERS  AND  PLANTS. 


BuETONiA  viLLOSA,  lleisncr  (villous  Bur- 
tonia). — Fabacese  §  Papilionacese-Pultenege. — 
A  beautiful  hard-wooded  shrub,  heath-like 
in  general  aspect,  bearing  conspicuous  butter- 
fly-shaped flowers.  The  habit  is  close  and 
branching ;  the  branches,  as  well  as  the  leaves, 
being  clothed,  in  a  more  or  less  degree,  with 
short  hairs.  The  leaves  are  dense,  sessile, 
and  alternate,  consisting  each  of  three  linear 
obtuse  leaflets,  the  margins  of  which  are  re- 
markably revolute.  The  flowers  grow  towards 
the  extremities  of  the  branches,  from  the 
axils  of  the  upper  leaves,  so  as  to  form  an 
oblong,    almost    terminal,    leafy  spike,    the 


flowers  being  so  numerous  as  to  conceal  the 
leaves  among  which  they  are  attached ;  the 
colour  is  a  rich  palish  purple  red,  the  wings 
being  whitish  at  the  base,  and  the  standard 
having  a  round  primrose-coloured  blotch  at 
its  base.  The  heath-like  appearance  of  this 
shrub  is  due  to  the  numerous  narrow  sessile 
leaflets  which  invest  the  stems.  Native  of 
New  South  Wales,  in  the  Swan  River  colony. 
Introduced  in  1 846.  Flowers  in  May.  Ctd- 
ture. — Requires  a  greenhouse;  turfy  peat, 
loam,  and  sand,  with  plenty  of  drainage  ;  pro- 
pagated by  cuttings  in  sand  under  bell-glasses, 
Chirita   Moonii,    Gardne'^  (Mr.  Moon's 


556 


NEW    ^'LOWERS    AND    PLANTS. 


Chirita). —  Gesneracese  §  Cyrtandracese-Di- 
dymocarpidae.  —  Avery  beautiful  sub-shrubby 
plant,  growing  from  two  to  three  feet  in 
height ;  with  obscurely  tetragonal  stems, 
opposite  or  whorled  pale-green  leaves,  of  a 
rather  acute  ovate-lanceolate  figure,  and  axil- 
lary blossoms,  of  large  size,  usually  produced 
singly  from  the  axils,  but  sometimes  two 
together.  The  leaves  are  clothed  with  com- 
pact silky  down,  which  is  most  conspicuous 
beneath.  The  corolla  is  large  and  conspi- 
cuous, from  the  base  to  the  extremity  of  the 
lower  lip  being  nearly  four  inches  in  length  ; 
the  tube  is  ventricose  and  sub-campanulate, 
curving  a  little  upwards,  pale  purple  and 
silky,  with  an  expanded  mouth,  and  broad 
yellow  dash  down  the  centre  of  the  throat ; 
the  limb  is  spreading,  two-lipped,  of  five 
roundish  lobes,  and  of  a  deep  purple  colour, 
well  contrasted  with  the  paler  tint  and  yellow 
bar  of  the  throat.  Native  of  Ceylon,  at 
*'  Four  Korles,"  and  on  "rocks  near  the  sum- 
mit of  the  Hantani  range."  Introduced  in 
1847.  Flowers  throughout  the  summer 
months.  Mr.  Moon,  the  original  discoverer, 
in  a  "  Catalogue  of  Ceylon  plants,"  calls  it 
Martynia  lanceolata.  ^Culture. — Requires  a 
stove  ;  light  rich  soil  of  turfy  texture ;  pro- 
pagated by  cuttings  of  the  young  shoots, 
planted  in  sandy  soil,  and  placed  in  heat. 

Arnebia  ECHioiDES,  Alph.  De  Candolle 
(ecbium-like  Arnebia). — Boraginacese  §  An- 
chusidjB. — A  very  pretty  herbaceous  perennial 
furnishing  yellow  blossoms  in  a  natural  order 
in  which  they  are  by  no  means  common.  It 
has  a  fusiform  woody  root,  from  which  spring 
up  the  leafy  stems,  attaining  about  six  inches 
in  height,  and  clothed  with  short  hair.  The 
leaves  are  spreading,  pubescent,  sessile  ;  the 
lower  ones  largest,  obovate-oblong,  those  of 
the  stem  smaller,  obovate-lanceolate.  The 
flowers  grow  at  the  top  of  the  stems  in  a 
branched  scorpored  leafy  raceme  ;  they  are 
between  funnel-shaped  and  salver-shaped, 
with  a  slender  tube,  yellow,  with  five  roundish 
purple  spots,  one  being  situated  at  the  junc- 
ture between  each  pair  of  the  lobes  into  which 
the  limb  is  divided.  Sometimes  the  spots  are 
obsolete  in  the  cultivated  plant,  as  we  learn 
from  Sir  W.  Hooker's  account  of  the  plant. 
Native  of  the  Caucasian  alps,  and  of  Arme- 
nia. Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers  in  June 
and  July.  It  is  the  Anchusa  echioides  (Bich- 
erstein);  Lycopsis  echioides  (Linnceus);  and 
Lithospermum  erectum  (Fischer  and  Meyer.) 
Culture. — Hardy;  common  loamy  soil  ;  pro- 
pagated by  division  of  the  plant.  Suitable 
for  pot-culture  among  Alpine  plants.  ' 

Passiflora  amabilis,  Hooker  (white- 
crowned  Passion-flower). — Passifloraceee. — A 
most  lovely  passion-flower,  the  history  of 
which  is,  however,  obscure.     It  is  a  climb- 


ing plant  of  moderate  growth,  with  slender 
rounded  stems,  bearing  alternate  entire  leaves, 
which  are  ovate  and  very  acute  in  figure,  and 
have  glandular  petioles  ;  the  stipules  are 
short,  entire,  ovate-acuminate.  The  flowers 
spring  from  the  axils  of  the  leaves  along  with 
the  tendrils,  and  are  supported  by  an  in- 
volucre of  three  roundish-ovate  reticulated 
leaves.  The  sepals  and  petals,  forming  a  ray 
of  ten  oblong  obtuse  divisions,  are  alike  in 
form  and  colour,  the  latter  being  a  bright  red 
on  the  inner  side ;  the  filamentous  crown, 
often  in  passion-flowers  variegated  in  colours, 
is  in  this  kind  almost  entirely  white,  and  is 
disposed,  in  four  series ;  the  contrast  between 
the  white  of  this  part  and  the  bright  red  of 
the  sepals  and  petals  produces  a  very  charm- 
ing effect,  which  must  render  this  plant  a 
favourite  with  all  who  have  convenience  to 
cultivate  it.  It  is  thought  to  be  possibly  a 
hybrid,  and  is  known  in  gardens  under  the 
name  above  quoted,  which  Sir  W.  Hooker  has 
adopted.  Native  country  unknown.  Intro- 
duced in  1847,  to  the  Royal  Garden,  Kew, 
by  Mr.  Mackay,  of  Liege.  Flowers  in  May. 
Culture. — Requires  a  stove ;  turfy-peat  and 
loam  intermixed  with  sand  ;  propagated  by 
cuttings  from  any  part  of  the  stems,  planted 
in  very  sandy  soil,  and  set  where  they  are 
supplied  with  a  moderate  degree  of  bottom 
heat. 

Thunbergia  alata,  var.  aurantiaca,  suh- 
var.  Doddsii  (Dodd's  Thunbergia). — Acan- 
thacea3§  Thunbergeee. — This  garden  variety  of 
the  well-known  and  very  beautiful  orange-flow- 
ered Thunbergia  differs  from  its  parent  only 
in  having  the  leaves  irregularly  margined 
with  white,  so  that  the  foliage  is  variegated. 
Our  own  opinion  of  it  is,  that  it  is  less  hand- 
some than  T.  aurantiaca,  wanting  altogether 
the  rich  green  of  a  well  grov/n  example  of 
that  plant,  as  a  background  for  displaying  its 
fine  orange-and-black  blossoms  ;  others,  how- 
ever, admire  its  variegation.  It  is  a  slender 
free  growing  climber,  with  somewhat  hastate 
leaves,  white  at  the  edge,  and  large  rich  orange 
coloured  blossoms,  borne  singly  in  the  axils  of 
the  leaves.  A  garden  variety  obtained  by 
Mr.  Dodds,  gardener  to  Colonel  Baker  of 
Salisbury.  Raised  in  1847.  Flowers  through 
the  summer  and  autumn.  Culture. — Requires 
a  warm  greenhouse  or  a  cool  part  of  a  stove  ; 
strong  turfy  peat  with  a  small  portion  of  loam; 
propagated  by  cuttings  planted  under  glasses 
in  sand. 

AcHQiENES  LONGiFLORA,  var.  macraiitlia 
(large-flowered  blue  Achimenes). — Gesnera- 
cea3  §  Gesnerete. — A  very  showy  plant,  differ- 
ing from  the  ordinary  state  of  Achbnenes 
longijiora  chiefly  in  the  size  of  the  blossoms, 
which  are  very  large,  constituting  a  decided 
iojprovement  on  the  original  kind.     In  other 


CLIMATE    OF    NEW    HOLLAND. 


557 


respects,  the  variety  pretty  closely  agrees 
with  its  parent,  and  like  it,  is  deserving  of 
cultivation.  A  garden  variety.  Raised  in 
1847.  Flowers  in  the  summer  months.  Cul- 
ture.— Requires  a  stove,  or  to  be  raised  in 
heat  in  spring,  and  flowered  in  a  warm  green- 
house ;  hght  vegetable  soil;  propagated  by 
mcims  of  the  scaly  tubers. 

Phal^nopsis  rosea,  Lmdley  (pink  But- 
terfly-plant).— Orchidacese  §  Vandete-Sarcan- 
thidiB. — A  very  pretty  epiphytal  species,  and 
a  most  interesting  addition  both  to  our  gar- 
dens, and,  botanically  speaking,  to  the  genus 
of  which  it  forms  a  part.  The  plant  is  stem- 
less,  with  exactly  the  habit  of  the  Ph.  ama- 
hills.  It  is  furnished  with  narrow-oblong 
leathery  leaves,  eight  to  twelve  inches  long, 
and  sharp  and  recurved  at  the  point.  The 
flowers  grow  in  a  loose  spike  at  the  'end  of  a 
stiff  ascending  lateral  stalk  ;  this  spike  is 
sometimes  said  to  be  as  much  as  from  twelve 
to  eighteen  inches  long.  The  flowers  are 
individually  small,  but  numerous,  about  an 
inch  in  diameter  ;  the  sepals  are  spreading, 
oblong-lanceolate,  and  somewhat  acute,  the 
colour  being  white,  slightly  tinged  with  pink; 
the  lip  is  deep  violet  or  rose-colour  red,  as- 
cending, the  central  division  ovate-acuminate, 
slightly  lozenge-shaped,  the  lateral  linear- 
spathulate,  oblique  and  incurved.  Native  of 
Manilla.  Introduced  in  1848,  by  Messrs 
Veitch  of  Exeter.  Flowers  in  September. 
Culture. — Requires  a  hot  moist  stove  ;  to  be 
fastened  on  a  block  of  wood  and  suspended  ; 
propagated  by  dividing  the  plant. 

Nepenthes  l^vis,  Lindley  (smooth  Pit- 
cher-plant). — Nepenthacese. — An  interesting 
addition  to  the  family  of  pitcher-plants.  It 
seems  to  be  allied  to  the  N.  jyhyllumphora., 
but  is  perfectly  distinct.  The  leaves  are  nar- 
row, leathery,  and  shining,  wholly  destitute  of 
fringed  teeth,  or  pubescence.  The  pitchers 
are  from  two  to  four  inches  long,  inflated 
towards  the  base,  and  contracted  about  the 
mouth,  and  having  a  pair  of  narrow  elevated 
crests,  which  are  either  fringed  or  naked  ;  the 
brim  of  the  pitcher  is  very  narrow  and  with- 
out ribs,  the  lid  nearly  circular,  except  at  the 
base,  which  is  cordate  and  spurred.  Native  of 
Java  and  Sincapore.  Introduced  in  1848,  by 
Messrs.  Yeitch  of  Exeter.  Flowers ?  Cul- 
ture.— Requires  a  hot  moist  stove  ;  very  light 
turfy  peat  soil,  almost  entirely  fibrous,  inter- 
mixed with  broken  charcoal  or  potsherd  ; 
propagated  by  cuttings. 

AcROPERA  Batemanni,  Lmdley  (Mr.  Bate- 
man's  Acropera).  —  Orchidacese  §  Vande^e- 
Maxillarid^.  —  A  distinct,  but  not  very 
handsome,  epiphytal  species,  with  much  the 
appearance  of  Acropera  Loddigesii,  but 
more  robust.  The  flowers  are  pale  yellow 
and   spotted  as   in  that   species  ;    the   lateral 


sepals  are  doubled  backwards,  so  that  the 
opposite  sides  of  each  nearly  touch  ;  the  petals 
are  oblong  with  an  awl-shaped  point,  and  the 
apex  of  the  lip  is  two-lobed,  the  divisions 
linear-obtuse,  that  is,  the  lip  is  "  extended  at 
the  end  into  a  double  tongue."  Native  of 
Nicaraguay.  Introduced  in  1847.  Flowers 
about  August.  Culture. — Requires  a  stove  ; 
turfy  peat  soil  ;  propagated  by  division  of  the 
plant, 

Miltonia  flava,  Lindley  (yellow-flowered 
Miltonia). —  Orchidaceas  §  Vandeas-BrassidaB. 
A  pretty  epiphytal  species.  The  leaves  are 
not  described.  The  flowers  grow  solitary  on 
the  stalks,  which  have  two  ranked  boat-shaped 
sheaths  ;  they  are  yellow,  and  not  unlike  those  of 
M.stellata,hi^Qn\\g  in  some  technical  matters. 
The  sepals  are  linear-lanceolate,  and  acumi- 
nate ;  tlie  petals  of  the  same  form,  but  twice 
as  broad  ;  the  lip  panduriforum  or  fiddle- 
shaped,  slightly  hairy,  with  a  cordate-ovate 
end,  and  near  the  base  an  elevated  ridge, 
which  reaches  half-way  down  the  lip,  and 
divides  at  the  point  into  two  short  plates. 
Native  of  BraziL  Introduced  probably  about 
1843.  Flowers  in  July.  Culture. — Requires 
a  stove  ;  turfy  peat  soil ;  propagated  by  di- 
vision of  the  plant. 


CLIMATE    OF    NEW   HOLLAND. 

In  the  recently  published  number  of  the 
Horticultural  Society's  Journal,*  Dr.  Lindley 
has  given  some  memoranda  concerning  the 
climate  of  New  Holland,  which  it  is  probable 
will  be  found  highly  useful  to  cultivators. 
These  memoranda  are  gleaned  from  the 
journal  of  Sir  T.  L.  Mitchell,  aided  by  an 
examination  of  that  naturalist's  collections 
and  private  notes.  The  general  results  are 
stated  in  a  passage  which  we  cannot  refrain 
from  quoting  : — 

"  The  reader  will  doubtless  be  surprised  to 
find  how  low  a  temperature  was  occasionally 
observed  on  this  journey.  In  the  end  of 
April  (our  October)  in  latitude  28°  S.,  within 
A\°  of  the  Tropic,  at  an  insignificant  elevation, 
the  thermometer  stood  at  26°  at  sun-rise,  and 
was  as  low  as  43°  at  nine  p.  m.  ;  nevertheless, 
the  country  produced  wild  Indigo,  Mimosas, 
Casuarinas,  arborescent  Myrtleblooms,  and 
Loranths.  A  degree  nearer  the  Tropic  in 
May  (our  November)  the  thermometer  at 
sun-rise  marked  20°,  19°.  18°,  17°,  16°,  12°,  and 
on  two  separate  days  even  11° !  On  the  22d 
of  May  the  river  mas  frozen,  and  yet  herbage 
was  luxuriant,  and  the  country  produced 
Mimosas,  Eucalypti,  Acacias,  the  tropical 
Bottle-tree  (Delabechea),  a  Calandrinia,  and 
even  a  Loranth.  On  the  23d  of  May,  the 
thermometer  at  sun-rise  marking  12°,  Acacia 

*  Jounaal  of  the  Horticultural  Society,  vol.  iii.  p.  232. 


558 


THE    FOWER    GARDEN    OF    THE    POETS. 


conferta  was  coming  into  flower,  and  Euca- 
lypti, with  the  usual  Australian  vegetation, 
were  abundant.  On  the  30th  of  May,  at  the 
elevation  of  1,118  feet,  the  almost  tropical 
Delabechea  was  found  growing,  with  the  tem- 
perature at  sun-rise  22°  and  at  nine  p.m.  31°, 
so  that  it  must  have  been  exposed  to  a  night's 
frost  gradually  increasing  through  12°.  And 
this  was  evidently  the  rule  during  the  months 
of  May,  June,  and  July  (our  November, 
December,  and  January);  in  latitude  26° 
S.  among  Tristanias,  Phebaliums,  Zamias, 
Hoveas,  Myoporums,  and  Acacias,  the  even- 
ing temperature  was  observed  to  be  29°,  22°, 
37°,  29",  25°,  falling  during  the  night  to  26°, 
21°,  12°,  14°,  20°;  in  latitude  25°  S.  the  tents 
were  frozen  into  boards  at  the  elevation  of 
1,421  feet,  the  thermometer,  July  5,  sunk 
during  the  night  from  38"  to  16°,  and  there 
grew  Cryptandras,  Acacias,  Bursarias,  Boro- 
nias,  Stenochiles,  and  the  like.  Cymbidium 
canaliculatum,  the  only  orchidaceous  epiphyte 
observed,  was  in  flower  under  a  night  tem- 
perature of  33°  and  34";  that  by  day  not  ex- 
ceeding 86°.  These  facts  throw  quite  a  new 
light  upon  the  nature  of  Australian  vege- 
tation. It  may  be  supposed  that  so  low  a 
temperature  must  have'been  accompanied  by 
extreme  dryness,  and  such  appears  to  have 
been  usually  the  case.  Nevertheless,  it  can- 
not have  been  always  so,  for  although  we  have 
no  hygrometrical  observations  for  June  and 
July,  and  only  four  for  May,  yet  there  is 
other  evidence  to  show  that  the  dryness  can- 
not always  have  been  remarkable.  In  May 
the  hygrometer  indicated  '764,  '703,  '934,  or 
nearly  saturation,  and  -596 ;  yet  the  sun-rise 
temperature  was  on  those  occasions  25°,  28°, 
30°,  and  34°.  On  the  22d  of  May,  the  grass 
was  white  with  hoar  frost,  and  then  the  ther- 
mometer was  at  sun-rise  20°  under  canvass 
and  12°  in  the  open  air ;  and  on  the  5th  of 
July,  when  it  rained  all  day  and  the  tents 
were  '  frozen  into  boards,'  the  thermometer 
sank  during  the  night  from  38°  to  16°. 

"  It  is  probable  that  this  power  of  resist- 
ing cold  is  connected  with  the  very  high 
temperature  to  which  Australian  vegetation 
is  exposed  at  certain  seasons,  and  this  is  hor- 
ticulturally  a  most  important  consideration. 
"We  find  that  in  latitude  32°  S.  in  January 
(our  July)  the  thermometer  stood  eight  days 
successively  above  100°,  and  even  reached 
115°  at  noon;  that  it  was  even  as  high  as 
112°  at  four  p.  m.  ;  that  in  the  latter  part  of 
February  one  degree  nearer  the  line  it  was 
twice  105"  and  once  110";  that  in  March  one 
degree  further  northward  it  frequently  ex- 
ceeded 100°,  and  there  was  not  much  fall  in 
this  excessive  temperature  up  to  the  end  of 
April.  This  will  be  more  evident  from  the 
following  — 


Table  of  Noon-day  Temperatures. 


Lat. 

Month. 

Average. 

Max. 

Min. 

29°S. 
32  S. 
31  S. 
SOS. 

Not.,  Dec. 
Jan.,    Feb. 
Feb.,  March 
March 

3  Observ.   . 
18       „         . 
17       „         . 
20       „        . 

102° 
97i 
90 
95 

103° 
115 
110 
105 

62" 
73 

80 

84 

"  At  this  time  the  dryness  must  also  be  ex- 
cessive, as  will  have  been  seen  by  Sir  Thomas 
Mitchell's  observations.  Even  such  heats  as 
these  do  not,  however,  destroy  the  power  of 
vegetation,  for  we  find  in  the  midst  of  them 
all  sorts  of  trees  in  blossom,  a  few  bulbs,  and 
even  here  and  there  (in  damp  places,  no  doubt) 
such  soft  herbs  as  Goodenias,  Trichiniums, 
Helichrysum,  Didiscus,  Teucrium,  Justicia, 
herbaceous  Jasmines,  Tobacco,  and  Ama- 
ranths. During  these  heats  the  night-tempe- 
rature seldom  remains  high.  Sometimes, 
indeed,  the  thermometer  Avas  observed  as 
much  as  88°  and  once  even  97°  at  sun-rise, 
the  average  noon  heat  of  the  month  being 
97|",  but  generally  the  temperature  is  lower. 
Thus :— 


Average 

Tem 

perature 

at  Noon. 

Occasionally  at  Sun-rlse. 

Nov.  and  Dec. 

102' 

62° 

58? 

61° 

Jan. 

and  Feb. 

97i 

61 

60 

59 

47° 

&e. 

Feb. 

and  March 

90 

61 

59 

54 

48 

&c. 

March 

95 

68 

65 

51 

47 

&c. 

"  To  this  point  the  attention  of  cultivators 
must  be  carefully  directed.  I  think  it  is  im- 
possible to  doubt,  from  the  observations  thus 
referred  to,  that  high  winter  temperature  in 
hot-houses  is  a  great  mistake,  and  that  the 
practice  of  gardeners  requires,  in  this  respect, 
to  be  very  carefully  reconsidered." 


THE  FLOWER  GARDEN    OF  THE  POETS. 

We  have  introduced  our  readers  to  a  number 
of  the  minor  poets  as  they  appear  contem- 
plating those  bright  pages  in  the  J3ook  of 
Nature  Avhich  display  the  various  and  bril- 
liant beauties  of  the  Flower  Garden.  They 
all  loved  to  linger  among  the  rich  gifts  of 
Flora,  and  their  language  often  acquires  a 
double  sweetness  from  the  associations  which 
it  raises.  Turning  from  them  to  those  lofty 
and  gigantic  minds  whose  dimensions  were 
equal  to  the  grasp  of  the  mightiest  subjects, 
— the  pinnacles,  as  we  may  call  them,  of  the 
great  city  of  poetry, — we  find  them  direct- 
ing their  gaze  towards  the  humblest  and  low- 
liest of  those  numerous  oi'naments  which 
spangle  the  surface  of  the  earth,  which  bloom 


THE  FLOWER  GARDEN  OF  THE  POETS. 


559 


on  the  slope  of  the  mountain,  in  the  hollow  of 
the  valley,  in  the  rays  of  the  sun,  and  in  the 
secluded  shade  of  the  forest.  The  men  whose 
imaginations  were  so  vast  that  no  subject, 
however  insignificant  or  majestic,  was  beyond 
the  circle  of  their  capacity,  whose  thoughts 
could  range  over  the  w^hole  face  of  creation, 
and  settle  upoa  the  highest  pinnacles  of  wis- 
dom, as  well  as  upon  the  lowliest  flower  of 
the  valley ;  these  men  loved  to  sit  amid  the 
sweetness  of  a  garden,  and  to  weave  from  the 
glittering  beauties  there  displayed,  an  endless 
succession  of  the  clioicest  garlands  of  thought. 
Milton  was  an  eminent  example.  He  loved 
to  picture  the  convulsions  of  the  universe,  the 
wars  of  heaven,  and  the  most  terrible  aspects 
of  hell ;  but  he  also  delighted  in  the  descrip- 
tion of  flowers,  and  places  made  sweet  by 
their  presence.  From  them  Paradise  derived 
one  of  its  chief  attractions.  Whether  he 
would  create  the  idea  of  happiness,  innocence, 
love,  pleasure,  or  beauty,  some  simple  flower  is 
ready  to  be  invested  with  the  thought,  and  in 
the  thornless  rose  of  Eden  we  discover  the 
emblem  of  that  peace  and  harmony  which 
has,  in  the  mind  of  the  poet,  constituted  the 
most  perfect  bliss. 

We  will  suppose  Milton  sitting  in  that 
magnificent  garden,  where  tlie  first  parents  of 
the  human  race  enjoyed  their  short-lived  hap- 
piness, where  "  flowers  worthy  of  Paradise" 
were  sprinkled  over  the  ground,  not  in  artistic 
order,  but  scattered  in  rich  plenty  over  hill 
and  dale,  and  plain,  presenting  to  the  eye  the 
variously- coloured  expanse,  where 

"  The  flowery  lap 
Of  some  irriguous  valley  spread  her  store  ; 
Flowers  of  all  hue,  and  without  thorn  the  rose." 

In  one  direction,  as  we  learn  from  Eve, 
when  she  urges  her  husband  to  divide  the 
pleasant  labours  of  Paradise,  the  poet  beheld 

"  A  spring  of  roses  intermixed  with  myrtle." 

And  again,  in  another  spot,  the  roses  budded 
so  thick  about,  that  Adam  could  scarcely  dis- 
cern the  outline  of  the  woman's  form  as  she 
stood  tending  the  flowers  that  bloomed  so  luxu- 
riantly around  the  palmy  hillocks — 

"  Oft  stooping  to  support 
Each  flowery  tender  stalk,  whose  head  though  gay 
Carnation,  purple,  azure,  or  specked  with  gold, 
Hung  drooping  unsustained ;  them  she  upstays 
Gently  with  myrtle-band." 

There  never  was,  we  believe,  a  poem  of 
any  length  in  which  the  rose  did  not  supply 
a  simile  on  the  subject  of  a  glowing  and  en- 
thusiastic description.  From  Homer's  time 
to  the  present  this  has  been  the  case. 

!  "  The  blind  old  man  of  Ohio's  rocky  isle" 
describes 


"  The  rosy  finger'd  morn" 
as  parting  the  roseate  curtains  of  the  day. 

"  The  rosy  bosomed  hours," 

described  in  Comus,  forms  a  favourite  quota- 
tion. Milton  places  it  almost  first  among 
flowers,  and  in  his  song  commencing 

"  Sabrina  fair, 
Listen  where  thou  art  sitting 
Under  the  glassy,  cool  translucent  wave, 
In  twisting  braids  of  lilies,  knitting 
The  loose  train  of  thy  amber-dropping  hair," 

he  entreats  the  goddess  of  the  silver  lake  to 
rise  and 

"  Heave  her  rosy  head" 

from  out  the  depths  of  the  stream.  The 
sleeping-courh  of  young  Adonis  is  formed  of 
hyacinths  and  roses,  and  to  the  silver-buskined 
nymphs,  whose  presence  haunts  the  forests  of 
Arcady,  he  addresses  the  line, 

"  And  ye,  the  breathing  roses  of  the  wood." 

So  that  in  the  rose  Milton  saw  the  highest 
perfection  of  loveliness.  From  it  he  created 
the  most  delicate  ideas,  and  where  nature 
spread  it  profusely  over  the  landscape,  there 
he  imagined  the  very  spirit  of  beauty  to 
linger.  But  his  fondness  for  this  flower  did 
not  prevent  him  from  indulging  in  the  most 
luxurious  thoughts,  where  other  of  those 
sweet  ornaments  displayed  themselves  before 
his  mind's  eye.  The  repose  of  Adam  and 
Eve  is  rendered  more  delicious  by  the  fact 
that 

"  Flowers  were  the  couch, 
Pansies  and  violets,  and  asphodel. 
And  hyacinth,  earth's  freshest,  softest  lap." 

It  is  not  only  in  his  longer  poems  that 
Milton  pays  tribute  to  the  beauty  of  the  flower- 
garden.  Scattered  throughout  all  his  other 
works  we  find  the  evidence  of  that  taste 
which  was  in  him  almost  a  passion,  if  dilat- 
ing on  the  richness  of  those  treasures  to  be 
found  in  the  stores  of  nature.  We  find  him, 
as  it  were,  sitting 

"  By  slow  Meander's  margent  stream. 
And  in  the  violet-embroidered  dale," 

listening  to  the  voice  of  Echo,  "  the  queen  of 
parley." 

Again,  we  encounter  him 

"  Upon  a  bank 
With  ivj  canopied,  and  interwove 
With  flaunting  honeysuckle." 

Milton  must  have  studied  with  much  atten- 
tion the  science  of  flowers,  for  he  speaks  of 
them  not  only  with  the  enthusiastic  raptures 
of  the  admiring  poet,  but  also  with  the  ease 
and  knowledge  of  the  amateur.  He  knew 
their  seasons,  and  could  tell  the  time  of  their 


560 


THE    FLOWEU    GARDEN    OE    THE    POETS. 


corning.  lie  was  well  aware  of  their  several 
natures  and  virtues,  and  was  not  ignorant  of 
the  order  in  which  they  appear  through  the 
several  months.  We  could  mention  those 
poets  who,  carried  away  by  enthusiasm,  or 
lost  in  ignorance,  fling  together  a  profusion  of 
figures  and  thoughts,  heaping  up  strange 
flowers  in  company,  and  ci-eating  impossible 
combinations  in  order  to  produce  a  glittering 
picture.  But  Milton  does  not  thus  err.  He 
places  each  flower  in  its  proper  season  and 
situation.     From 

"  The  cowslip's  velvet  head, 
That  bends  not  as  I  tread," 

to  where,  in  the  regions  of  eternal  summer, 

"  The  west  winds  with  musky  wing 
About  the  cedarn  alleys  fling 
Nard  and  Cassia's  balmy  smells ; 
Iris  there,  with  humid  bow, 
Waters  the  odorous  banks  that  blow  ; 
Flowers  of  more  mingled  hue 
Than  her  purpled  scarf  can  show  ;" 

all  are  correctly  spoken  of,  and  distinguished 
by  appropriate  epithets.  On  the  river  bank, 
in  the  wood,  on  the  turfy  lawn,  in  the  open 
mead,  and  in  the 

"  Hazel  copse^  green," 

we  find  flowers  flourishing  in  all  their  various 
beauty.  Of  whatever  he  may  be  speaking, 
from  that 

"  When  first  the'  white-thorn  blows," 

to  the  month  when  all  the  fields  and  gardens 
are  gay  with  blossoms,  he  continually  revels 
in  those  glowing  descriptions  which  constitute 
so  great  a  part  of  the  beauty  of  his  poems. 
But  perhaps  the  passage  in  which  Milton's 
love  of  the  flower  garden  appears  to  the 
greatest  advantage,  is  that  which  occurs  in 
I/ycidas.  We  here  perceive  his  great  acquaint- 
ance with  the  volume  of  nature,  his  minute 
observance  of  trifles,  with  which  he  forms  a 
succession  of  the  richest  ideas. 

"  Eeturn,  Sicilian  muse, 
And  call  the  vales,  and  bid  them  hither  cast 
Their  bells  and  flow'rets  of  a  thousand  hues ; 
Ye  valleys  low,  where  the  mild  whispers  rise 
Of  shades  and  wanton  winds,  and  gushing  brooks. 
On  whose  fresh  laps  the  swart  star  sparely  looks. 
Throw  hither  all  your  quaint  enamell'd  eyes, 
That  on  the  green  turf  suck  the  honey'd  showers. 
And  purple  all  the  ground  with  vernal  flowers ; 
Bring  the  rash  primrose  that  forsaken  dies, 
The  tufted  crow  too,  and  pale  jessamine, 
The  white  pink  and  the  pansy  peaked  with  jet. 
The  glowing  violet, 

The  musk  rose  and  the  well  attired  woodbine. 
With  cowslips  wan  that  hang  the  pensive  head. 
And  every  flower  that  good  embroidery  wears ; 
Bid  Amarantus  all  his  beauty  shed, 
And  daffbdilies  fill  their  cup  with  tears,  ' 

To  strow  the  laureate  verse  where  Lycid  lies." 

Nothing  can  be  more  exquisite  than  this 
fragment.    As  we  read,  we  call  up  the  flowers 


before  us,  and  by  the  time  we  arrive  at  the 
close,  there  lies  stretcbed  out  before  our  mind's 
eye  a  scene  so  lively,  so  brilliant,  that  the 
imagination  fails  to  receive  all  the  bright  im- 
pressions created.  From  these  verses,  hun- 
dreds of  others  have  been  coined  by  writers 
whose  thoughts  were  so  imbued  with  the  rich 
magnificence  of  Milton's  poesy,  that  they  have 
often,  perhaps  unconsciously,  fancied  they 
were  forming  ideas  of  their  own,  while  they 
in  reality  wrote  nothing  but  a  mass  of  verse, 
whose  brilliancy  was  borrowed,  and  almost 
lost  in  the  cloud  of  weak  and  dull  imagery. 

We  shall  not  pause  to  wander  with  Milton 
over  the 

"  Meadows  trim  with  daisies  pied  ;" 

nor  shall  we  stay  to  hear  the  story  of 
Hyacinth  transformed  by  Apollo  into  a  purple 
flower.  One  more  extract  we  must,  however, 
make.  It  is  of  unequalled  beauty,  and  forms 
the  first  of  four  lines  of  a  sonnet  on  May 
morning  : — 

"  Now  the  bright  morning  star,  day's  harbinger, 
Comes  dancmg  from  the  east,  and  leads  with  her 
The  flowery  May,  who  from  her  green  lap  throws 
The  yellow  cowslip  and  the  pale  primrose." 

Shakspeare  next  claims  our  attention.  Our 
choice  has  been  accidental  ;  we  draw  no  com- 
parison between  the  two  poets,  for  there  is  no 
analogy  between  them.  We  immediately  per- 
ceive the  different  cast  of  thought  which  per- 
vades their  poetry  : — 

"  And  I  serve  the  Fairy  Queen, 
To  dew  her  orb  upon  the  green. 
The  cowslips  tall  her  pensioners  be. 
In  their  gold-coats  spots  you  see  ; 
These  be  rubies,  fairy  favours. 
In  those  freckles  live  their  savours ; 
I  must  go  seek  some  dew-drops  here  and  there. 
And  hang  a  pearl  in  every  cowslip's  ear." 

Whether  the  savours  of  the  cowslip  pro- 
ceed from  the  spots  in  their  gold  coats,  we 
do  not  think  has  been  determined  by  botanists. 
The  mention  of  the  fact,  however,  by  Shak- 
speare, proves  his  minute  observation,  and  we 
conjecture  that  he  must  have  been  told,  or 
have  read  of  the  fact,  somewhere.  This,  how- 
ever, though  curious,  is  perhaps  not  important, 
and  we  leave  the  discussion  of  it  to  others, 
and  hurry  on  to  the  delicious  description  of 
Titania's  forest  couch  :-^ 

"  I  know  a  bank  whereon  the  wild  thyme  blows. 
Where  ox-lip  and  the  nodding  violet  grows. 
Quite  over  canopied  with  luscious  woodbine. 
With  sweet  musk-roses  and  with  eglantine." 

The  Queen  of  Fairies  retiring  to  rest,  gives 
her  orders  to  the  attendant  train  before  lying 
down  to  sleep  : — 

"  Hence ! 
Some  to  kill  cankers  in  the  musk-rose  buds." 

For  she  wished  to  preserve  the  beauty  of  those 


THE  FLOWER  GARDEN  OF  THE  POETS. 


561 


sweet  graces  from  being  injured  by  those  mis- 
( bievous  agencies  very  often  touched  on  by 
the  poet, 

"  As  killing  as  the  canker  to  the  rose." — Milton. 

The  canker  in  the  rose  is  a  favourite  simile. 
Shakspeare  has  it  more  than  once  : — 

"  As  in  the  bud  bit  with  an  envious  worm, 
Ere  he  can  spread  his  sweet  leaves  to  the  air. 
And  dedicate  his  beauty  to  the  sun." 

And  again,  in  his  fifty-fourth  sonnet,  he 
gives  expression  to  an  idea  of  the  same  kind  : 

"  The  rose  looks  fair,  but  fairer  ,we  it  deem 
For  that  sweet  odour  which  doth  in  it  live ; 
The  cauker'd  blooms  have  full  as  deep  a  dye 
As  the  perfumed  tincture  of  the  roses 
Hang  on  such  thorns,  and  play  as  wantonly. 
When  summer's  breath  their  masked  bud  discloses." 

The  property  which  renders  the  rose  so  much 
admired,  that  of  retaining  its  scent  when  the 
beauty  of  its  appearance  has  gone,  when  its 
leaves  are  withered,  when  it  has  shrunk  into 
nothing,  gives  occasion  for  a  fine  figure. 
Shakspeare  expresses  this  welL  He  has  been 
speaking  of  the  tilings  which  are  valuable  only 
so  long  as  their  beauty  lasts, — whose  virtue 
dies  with  their  show. 

"  Sweet  roses  do  not  so; 
Of  their  sweet  deaths  are  sweeter  odours  made." 

Spenser,  the  quaint  poet  of  Fairyland,  does 
not  appear  to  have  been  possessed  by  the  love 
of  flowers  in  a  degree  half  so  extreme  as  that 
by  which  the  other  poets  have  been  influenced. 
He  sehlom  makes  allusion  to  them  except 
generally.  This  we  cannot  fail  to  regret, 
evident  as  it  is  that,  had  he  chosen  them  for 
his  theme  in  any  portion  of  his  poem,  his 
easy  and  rapid  pen  could  have  delineated  a 
picture  than  which  nothing  could  be  more 
pleasing.  In  the  march  of  the  months,  how- 
ever, occasional  references  occur  to  the  flowery 
gifts  of  nature.  April  is  described  as  riding 
upon  a  bull,  whose  horns  are 

"  Gilden  all  with  golden  studs, 
And  garnished  with  garlands  goodly  bright. 
Of  all  the  fairest  flowers  and  freshest  buds." 

And  May  comes  leaping  forward — 

"  Deckt  with  all  the  dainties  of  her  season's  pride, 
And  throwing  flowers  out  of  her  lap  around." 

The  altar  prepared  for  the  sacrifice  of 
Serena  is  decked  "with  ariest  fiowers,"  and 
for  the  victim  a  garland  is  prepared.  The 
lovely  Medora  is  represented  with  "  a  chaplet 
of  sundry  flowers  "  on  her  head,  and  her  hair 
"  with  flowers  bescattered."  The  "  djedale 
earth  "  is  spoken  of  as  throwing  forth — 
"  Out  of  her  fruitful  lap  aboundant  flowers.' 

On  several  other  occasions  Spenser  brings 
in  an  allusion  to  flowers ;  Taut,  on  the 
whole,  he  seems  not  to  have  taken  much  de- 
light in  them,  preferring  rather  to  dilate, 
49. 


either  on  grim  spectacles,  or  on  the  more 
gorgeous  and  brilliant  magnificence  of  palaces 
and  castles.  From  him  let  us  turn  to  Byron, 
the  poet  of  gloom.  He,  too,  shows  little  liking 
for  flowers.  He  takes  but  little  pleasure  in 
the  soft  and  gentle  beauties  of  the  garden,  but 
rather  loves  to  turn  his  ambitious  thought 
towards  the  passions,  and  to  that  grandeur  and 
magnificence  of  description  in  which  these 
humble  ornaments  would  be  lost.  He  is 
almost  the  only  poet  who  associates  with  t!iem 
any  idea  contrary  to  that  of  happiness  or  in- 
nocence : — 

"  Flowers  whose  wild  odours  breathe  but  agonies." 
However,  there  is  rich  beauty  in  the  lines  : — 

"  Gently  flows 
The  deep-dyed  Brenta,  where  tbeir  hues  instil 
The  odorous  purple  of  a  new-born  rose 
Which  streams  upon  her  stream,  and  glass'd  within  it 
glows." 

But  Byron,  as  we  have  said,  was  no  lover 
of  flowers,  and  we  must  leave  him.  His 
poems  contain  occasional  allusions  to  them, 
among  which  perhaps  one  of  the  most  delicate 
is  the  following  : — 

"  I  saw  her  weep  ;  the  big  round  tears 
Fell  from  that  eye  of  blue, 
And  to  my  eye  it  did  appear 
A  violet  dropping  dew." 

Such  allusions,  however,  are,  in  his  poems, 
few  and  far  between.  Far  otherwise  was  it 
with  numerous  other  poets,  whose  ideas  cdu- 
stantly  fall  into  the  strain,  and  borrow  beauty 
and  imagery  from  the  flower  garden.  In  the 
"  flowery  fields  of  joy "  of  Joseph  Warton 
we  find  Youth  and  Mirth 

"  Nodding  their  lily-crowned  heads 
Where  Laughter  rose-lipp'd  Hebe  leads." 

And,  further  on,  what  can  be  more  beautiful 
tlian  the  couplet  ? — 

"  When  young-eyed  Spring  profusely  throws 
From  her  green  lap  the  pink  and  rose." 

There  is  less,  however,  in  this  poem  which 
refers  to  flowers  than  might  have  been  ex- 
pected. Flowers  form  the  very  crown  of 
Fancy  ;  and,  in  an  ode  to  the  nymph,  we 
look  for  more  allusion  to  them.  Dryden 
very  often  touched  on  flowers.  His  versifi- 
cation, though  wanting  in  the  grandeur  which 
renders  the  poetry  of  Milton,  Shakspeare, 
and  Byron  so  pleasant  to  the  ear,  yet  flows 
smoothly,  and,  as  it  were,  glides  along  without 
efibrt. 

"  The  sycamores  with  eglantine  were  spread, 
A  hedge  about  the  sides,  a  covering  overhead. 
And  so  the  fragrant  briar  wove  between 
The  sycamores,  and  flowers  were  mixed  with  green. 
And  the  fresh  eglantine  exhaled  a  breath 
Whose  odours  were  of  power  to  raise  from  death." 

We  shall  now  introduce  our  readers  to  the 
quaint  but    yet   graceful  poetry  of   Andrew 

o  o 


562 


TPIE  TLOWER  GARDEN  01'  THE  POETS. 


Marvel,  whose  imagination  often  delights  itself 
with  the  luxuries  of  the  flower  garden.  His 
idea  of  it  is,  hov/ever,  not  of  the  usual  kind ; 
he  does  not  delight  in  well  ordered  j)arter- 
res,  in  straightly  laid  walks,  and  artistically- 
phxnned  arrangements;  he  would  rather  revel 
in  a  wild  profusion  of  flowers,  and  see  beauty 
in  disorder.  The  verses  are  supposed  to  be 
sung  by  the  nymph  complaining  of  the  death 
of  her  fawn  :  — 

"I  have  a  garden  of  my  own, 
But  so  with  roses  overgrown, 
And  lUiea,  that  you  would  it  guess 
To  be  a  httle  wilderness ; 
And  all  the  spring-time  of  the  year 
It  only  loved  to  be  there. 
Among  the  beds  of  lilies  I 
Have  sought  it  oft  where  it  should  lie  ; 
For  in  the  flaxen  lilies'  shade 
It  like  a  bank  of  lilies  laid. 
Upon  the  roses  it  would  feed 
Until  its  lips  e'en  seemed  to  bleed  ; 
And  then  to  me  'twould  boldly  trip. 
And  print  these  roses  on  my  lip  ; 
But  all  its  chief  delight  was  still 
On  roses  thus  itself  to  fill." 

Michael  Drayton,  a  poet  of  the  same  class, 
though  not  perhaps  possessed  of  so  much 
power,  will  not  miss  the  opportunity  to  glance 
at  the  gifts  of  Flora. 

"  A  maiden,  on  a  morn  betime. 
Went  forth,  when  May  was  in  the  prime, 
To  get  sweet  sethgall, 
The  honeysuckle,  the  harlock, 
The  lily  and  the  lady-smock; 
Thus  she  wander'd  hei'e  and  there, 
And  picked  oif  the  bloomy  brier." 

.  Perhaps,  as  we  started  with  saying  that  we 
should  confine  ourselves  in  the  present  article 
to  the  loftier  pinnacles  of  poetry,  it  may  ap- 
pear somewhat  strange  that,  stooping  from 
the  level  on  which  we  have  hitherto  ranged, 
we  pick  up  Elijah  Fenton  and  cull  a  flower 
from  his  modest  garden  plot.  He  pretends 
to  little,  and  does  not  accomplish  very  much ; 
but  his  poetry,  though  neither  grand  nor 
brilliant,  is  not  without  its  sweetness ;  and 
we  may  be  pardoned  for  bringing  him  into 
company  with  the  brighter  luminaries  which, 
in  the  poetical  firmament,  revolve  around 
Shakspeare  ^and  Milton  ;  but  these  lumi- 
naries have  their  satellites,  and  we  select  a 
verse  from  one  of  them  : — 

"  At  length  the  lusty  spring  prcvnils, 
And  swift,  to  meet  the  smiling  May,' 
Is  wafted  by  the  western  gales. 
Around  him  dance  the  rosy  hours, 
And  damasking  the  ground  with  flowers, 
"With  ambient  sweets  perfume  the  morn." 

The  lines  are  sprightly,  and  not  without 
merit.  Of  a  different  class,  but  yet  quite  as" 
happy  in  expression,  is  the  following  passage 
in  Lobbin  Clart's  panegyric  on  Blowzelinda. 
Evfry  one  will  recognise  John  Gay  in  these 
verses  :  — 


"  My  Blowzelinda  is  the  blithest  lass ; 
Than  primrose  sweeter,  or  the  clover-grass. 
Fair  is  the  king-cup  that  in  meadow  blows. 
Fair  is  the  daisy  that  beside  he  grows 
Fair  is  the  gilliflower  of  gardens  sweet ; 
Fair  is  the  marigold  of  pottage  meet : 
But  Blowzelind  than  gilliflower's  more  fair, 
Than  daisy,  marigold,  or  king-cup  rare." 

The  poet  is  here  humble,  and  his  ideas  are 
humble.  He  confines  liim?elf  to  lowly  flowers, 
for  he  is  treating  of  a  lowly  subject  ;  and  the 
gastronomic  allusion  contained  in  the  lines 
does  not  take  away  from  their  sweetness. 

Our  readers  will,  we  are  sure,  thank  us  for 
introducing  to  them  William  Hamilton,  the 
Ayrshire  poet,  whose  productions  are  marked 
by  much  genius  and  originality.  There  is 
genuine  beauty  in  the  lines  we  extract : — 

"  M  ark  how  Nature's  hand  bestows 
Abundant  grace  on  all  that  grows ; 
Tinges  with  pencil  hue,  unseen. 
The  grass  that  clothes  the  valley  green ; 
Or  spreads  the  tulip's  parted  streaks. 
Or  sanguine  dyes  the  rose's  cheeks." 

This  is  the  only  specimen  we  .shall  give 
from  William  Hamilton  ;  but  it  is  a  gem  of 
thought.  Were  our  inclination  to  tend  that 
way,  we  could  multiply,  to  an  indefinite 
extent,  instances  of  the  delight  which  the 
poet  has  almost  always  felt  in  dwelling  on 
the  beauty  and  luxury  of  a  flower-garden. 
The  "  perfume-breathing  rose,"  the  "  inno- 
cent lily,"  the  "  sweet  flower  of  the  valley," 
the  "  various  tulip,"  the  "golden  cowslip," — 
all  share  in  the  poet's  praise,  some  for  the 
brilliancy  of  their  colours,  others  for  the 
sweetness  of  their  perfume  : — 

"  Full  many  a  flower  of  sweetness  grows  ; 
The  lily  and  the  damask  rose, 
The  jasmine  and  the  eglantine, 
The  pendants  of  the  sweet  woodbine. 
The  snowdrop  and  the  pimpernel. 
The  pansy  and  the  bright  blue-bell : — 
All  these  are  sweet — 1  love  them  well  — 
All  these  are  sweet  and  fair,  but  yet. 
Most  I  love  the  violet." 

And  the  poet  is  not  alone  in  his  admiration 
of  the  "  glowing  violet."  It  is,  indeed,  a  mag- 
nificent flower!  Who  can  look  upon  the  rich 
purple-blue,  soft  as  velvet,  which  forms  its 
chief  beauty,  without  being  struck  wdth  admi- 
ration ! 

"  The  violet  blue 
Sweeter  than  the  lids  of  Juno's  eyes. 
Or  Cytherea's  breath-" 

So  that,  for  beauty  and  fragrance,  this  flower 
has  received  the  higiiest  praise.  It  has  yet 
another  quality — modesty — for  which  it  has 
frequently  been  extolled  : — 

"Look,  where  the  violet  lifts  its  lowly  head — 
That  rich,  sweet  flower,  whose  deep  imperial  hue 
Surpasses  all  the  gorgeous  flowers  that  grow. 
And  yet  it  is  not  proud.     It  loves  to  bloom 
Far  in  the  valley's  depth,  or  'neath  the  shade 


GARDENING    FOR    CHILDREN. 


363 


Of  some  steep  mossy  bank,  while  other  flowers 
Delight  to  flaunt  before  the  admiring  eye,. 
Out  in  the  sunny  fields.     And  yet  of  them. 
Sweet  as  thej-  are,  and  beautiful  to  see, 
'Not  one  can  claim  to  rear  its  fragrant  head 
Above  the  modest  purple  violet." 

The  old  and  unknown  poet  from  whose 
quaint  and  crabbed  language  these  lines  have 
been  extracted  and  smoothed,  was,  in  our 
opinion,  almost  if  not  quite  right.  There 
is  scarcely  any  flower  to  which  we  would 
accord  a  preference  before  the  violet.     But, 

"  All  that's  bright  must  fade, 
The  brightest  still  the  fleetest ;" 

and  the  violet,  accordingly,  flourishes  for  but 
a  brief  period,  and  withers. 

Perhaps  our  readers  may  not  have  been 
uninterested  in  the  perusal  of  the  expression 
of  the  poet's  sympathy  with  the  beauties  of 
the    flower  -  garden,       "We    have    sauntered 


through  the  "flowery  paths  of  poesy,"  and 
marked  a  few  of  the  most  glittering  speci- 
mens. But  it  must  not  be  imagined  we  have 
culled  all  the  rich  blossoms  there  to  be 
gathered.  An  infinite  number  remain.  From 
Shakspeare  we  have  selected  but  one  or  two 
choice  gems  ;  Milton  we  have  not  exhausted  ; 
and  Byron  has  only  afforded  us  one  or  two 
lines.  We  have  not  taxed  the  pages  of 
Chaucer  at  all,  and  have  left  the  Hellenic 
poets  and  the  poets  of  ancient  Italy  for  an- 
other occasion.  Meanwhile,  we  trust  our 
readers  may  not  have  felt  uninterested  in  the 
selections  which  we  have  extracted.  It  is 
always  pleasant  to  know  what  influence  is 
exerted  on  lofty  minds  by  the  varied  beauties 
of  nature — and  the  poet's  imagination  has 
seldom  failed  to  be  such, — and  kindled  into 
enthusiasm  by  the  glowing  beauties  of  the 
Flower  Garden. 


'%H!i^-^' 


GAEDENING  FOR  CHILDREN. 


A  PKETTY  title  for  a  pretty  book,  written 
down  to  the  understanding  of  a  child,  but 
divested  of  that  frivolity  which  distinguishes 

•*  Gardening  for  Children.  Edited  by  the  Rev.  C. 
A.  Johns,  B.A.  F.L.S.,  Author  of  "  Botanical  Eam- 
bles,"  &c.  London  :   Charles  Cox. 


this  branch  of  literature  ;  for  certain  it  is,  that 
the  authors  of  works  for  the  younger  branches 
seem  to  flincy  it  necessary  to  adapt  their  little 
books  to  very  childish  notions,  as  if  it  were 
desirable  to  perpetuate  them,  in.stead  of  lead- 
ing them  to  better  thinos.     This  work,  built 

o  o  2 


;8i 


GAUDENING    FOR    CHILDREN. 


upon  llie  affection  wliich  all  children  have  for 
flowers,  even  from  the  cradle — for  the  young- 
est infant  will  stretch  forth  its  little  hand  for  a 
daisy — teaches  the  facts  connected  with  gar- 
dening in  language  quite  as  simple,  but  by  no 
means  so  silly,  as  older  volumes  teach  the  little 
reader  that  "  old  Mother  Hubbard  went  to  the 
cupboard,"  and  forms  a  contrast  worthy  of  the 
advanced  age.  Those  children  who  have  been 
accustomed  to  the  St.  Paul's  Churchyard 
books  of  instruction,  which  taught  them  that 
"  a  cow  jumped  over  the  moon,"  and  "  a  dish 
ran  after  a  spoon,"  will  find  a  great  change, 
and,  in  all  probability,  much  more  delight,  in 
the  gardening  propensities  of  "  little  Willy," 
the  leading  character  in  "  Gardening  for 
Children  ;"  and  the  idea  of  his  awakening  his 
tutor  to  the  necessity  of  teaching  him  gar- 
dening, by  sowing  the  caraway  seeds  out 
of  a  cake,  is  a  good  one.  A  child's  notions 
are  formed  from  objects  around  him  in  the 
same  way  that  a  man's  are  formed.  They 
are  always  in  advance,  because  they  see  cer- 
tain results  arise  from  certain  causes,  though 
they  may  be  often  wrong,  from  the  very  reason 
that  they  are  not  taught  to  draw  right  con- 
clusions ;  and  it  is  h«re  that  we  are  all 
wrong.  "We  ought  never  to  allow  a  child  to 
remain  in  ignorance  for  want  of  satisfying  his 
inquiring  mind  on  all  subjects  that  it  is  safe  to 
teach  :  and  we  should  watch  the  eye  as  well 
as  listen  to  the  tongue  ;  for  nobody  can  avoid 
noticing  the  eagerness  with  which  a  child  gazes 
upon  anything  he  does  not  quite  understand  ; 
.  yet,  for  the  most  part,  children's  books  teem 
with  all  the  absurdities  of  the  worst  nursery 
rhymes,  many  of  which  are  as  questionable, 
and  some  of  which  as  unquestionable,  as  to 
their  propriety  or  .iiopropriety,  as  they  well 
can  be.  We  have  now  before  us  an  illustrated 
book  detailing  the  adventures  of  "  a  little  old 
woman,"  whom,  to  quote  the  author's  words, 

"  I  have  heard  tell, 
And  she  went  to  market  her  eggs/or  to  sell." 

And  in  doggrel  rhyme  we  are  given  the  par- 
ticulars of  her  journey  and  adventures. 

Now,  setting  aside  the  vulgarity,  and  making 
every  allowance  for  the  fun,  will  anybody  de- 
fend the  getting-up  of  a  shilling  book,  with 
bedaubed  wood-cuts  to  illustrate  such  a  sub- 
ject, for  a  child's  book  ?  We  think  not.  But 
let  it  not  be  supposed  that  this  is  an  isolated 
case  ;  hundreds  equally  silly,  and  many  quite 
as  vulgar,  have  been  sent  forth  among  the 
childi-en  of  this  country  for  the  last  half  cen- 
tury. But,  we  may  be  told,  we  are  writing  of 
other  books  instead  of  the  one  we  are  pro- 
perly noticing  ;  we  admit  this,  but  we  do  not 
know  how  to  do  justice  to  a  new  style  of  litera- 
ture for  children  without  exhibiting  the  faults 
of  the  old ;  and  we  doubt  much  if  our  readers 


can  so  well  appreciate  the  one  if  they  are 
not  reminded  of  the  other. 

The  little  volume  before  us  is  edited  by 
the  Rev.  C.  A.  Johns,  author  of  "  Botanical 
Rambles,"  "Forest  Trees  of  Britain,"  and 
other  popular  works,  who,  as  Little  Willy's 
tutor,  leads  him  from  time  to  time  through  the 
garden,  shows  him  all  the  operations,  gives 
him  a  piece  of  ground,  describes  flowers, 
teaches  him  how  to  dig,  hoe,  rake,  weed,  and 
do  everything  necessary  to  produce  his  fa- 
vourite flowers  in  perfection,  and  reads  a 
great  moral  lesson  to  "  children  of  a  larger 
growth."  It  is  not  only  a  little  manual  of 
gardening,  written  with  great  care,  in  language 
that  a  child  can  understand,  but  it  shows  how 
much  can  be  done  towards  rendering  a  child 
useful  at  an  early  period.  Her  Majesty  has 
long  since  provided  the  young  Royal  family 
with  plots  of  garden,  and  garden  implements  ; 
and  no  higher  authority  is  needed  for  the  pro- 
priety of  making  the  tillage  of  the  ground  part 
of  the  education  of  a  child.  It  is  as  necessary 
as  any  other  branch  of  learning,  and  to  the 
million  it  is  of  more  importance  than  any  ;  for 
it  is  a  species  of  information  which  enables 
any  one  in  an  unknown  region  to  make  the 
earth  find  him  in  food.  We  cannot  be  sup- 
posed to  underrate  the  reading,  because  that 
must  be  acquired  before  even  this  valuable 
little  book  can  be  made  useful.  Upon  the 
whole,  we  hail  the  work  as  the  precursor  of  a 
new  style  of  literature  for  children.  It  is 
embellished  with  nearly  sixty  very  superior 
wood  engravings,  representing  implements 
used  in  gardening,  and  favourite  flowers  ;  and 
it  forms  one  of  the  best  presents  that  can  be 
made  as  a  Christmas-box  or  a  new-year's  gift. 
The  Rev.  Mr.  Johns  has  not  forgotten  first 
directions.  It  is  a  well-meant  and  well-done 
lesson  of  usefulness,  which  we  should  like  to 
see  in  the  hands  of  every  child  as  soon  as  he 
could  read  ;  and  we  are  quite  sure  it  is  calcu- 
lated for  a  school-book,  inasmuch  as  the  in- 
structions are  fit  for  all  ages.  To  give  an 
idea  of  the  easy  style  in  which  the  work  is 
written,  we  make  a  few  extracts,  and  at  a 
future  time  we  may  return  to  it ;  for  Mr, 
Johns  has  closed  the  volume  with  a  series  of 
maxims,  every  one  of  which  is  a  practical 
lesson  in  gardening.  We  will  commence 
with  a  few  lines  from  the  preface  : — 

"As  the  title,  'Gardening  for  Children,' 
might  create  an  impression  that  this  little 
book  was  written  to  amuse,  rather  than  to  in- 
struct, the  Editor  feels  himself  called  upon  to 
state  that  all  the  directions  contained  in  it 
were  furnished  by  an  eminent  practical  gar- 
dener, and  are  the  result  of  many  years'  ex- 
perience. They  are,  therefore,  not  merely 
adapted   for  the  use   of  children,  but  will  be 


GARDENING    FOR    CHILDREN. 


jG5 


found  equally  suited  for  cottagers  and  amateur 
gardeners,  who  have  at  their  command  only  a 
small  plot  of  ground." 

The  correctness  of  these  observations  is 
most  fully  borne  out  by  the  following,  or 
indeed  by  any  extracts  we  could  make  from 
the  book  : — 

"  Isfemophila  insignis. — This  is  a  showy 
annual  of  a  dwarf  growth,  which  soon  displays 
abundance  of  small  blue  tlowers  a  little 
cupped,  having  a  pure  white  eye,  and  deeply 
cut  leaves.  Its  seeds  may  be  sown  at  dif- 
ferent seasons,  a  few  in  April,  and  a  few  at 
the  end  of  September  ;  for  if  tlie  winter  be 
not  very  sharp,  they  will  bloom  very  early  in 
spring,  and  those  sown  in  spring  will  come 
into  flower  by  the  time  the  autumn-sown 
ones  decline.  The  young  plants  will  bear 
I'emoval,  but  I  prefer  sowing  them  where 
they  are  to  bloom  ;  there  is,  however,  no 
harm  in  planting  out  the  few  that  you  take 
up  from  a  patch  when  they  have  been  sown 
too  thickly  ;  and  some  gardeners  make  them 
regularly  potted  plants,  and  therefore  sow  all 


itself:  they  are  flowers  v.'hi;;h  require  to  be 
supported  by  sticks  or  something  of  the  kind; 
leafless  branches  of  trees  are  perhaps  tl^e  best 


in  one  place,  and  pot  off  or  plant  out  at 
pleasure.  They  are  very  beautiful  till  they 
begin  to  straggle  along  the  ground,  when, 
although  they  still  keep  flowering  a  little,  1 
should  advise  you  to  pull  them  up  to  make 
room  for  something  better. — P.  10. 

"  Sweet  Peas. — These  are  grown  for  their 
scent  and  abundance  of  varies.'ated  flowers. 
There  are  several  varieties  of  colour,  and  each 
of  the  varieties  has   two  or  three  colours  in 


support,  because  the  peas  will  grow  over 
them,  and  quite  hide  their  unsightly  appear- 
ance With  their  mass  of  flowers.  These  may 
be  sown  ten  or  twelve  in  a  patch,  and  they 
will  grow  three  feet  high,  so  that  neat 
branches  of  the  same  height  should  be  placed 
for  the  peas  to  climb  over.  Some  gardeners, 
however,  use  only  a  single  stake,  and  tie  up 
the  peas  as  they  gi'ow,  till  they  are  two  feet 
six  inches  high,  when  they  allow  them  to  fall 
over  and  form  a  head  of  bloom  ;  but  nothing 
is  so  good  as  two  or  three  branched  sticks, 
which  support  the  peas  well,  and  give  much 
less  trouble  than  single  stakes.  The  Sweet 
Pea  is  also  an  old  established  favourite  as  a 
nosegay  flower,  and  may  be  cut  with  long 
stems." — P.  14. 

"  The  Columbine  you  should  sow  in  May, 
and  it  will  bloom  the  next  year.  The  plant 
is  as  elegant  as  the  lupine  [just  mentioned]  ; 
the  bloom  of  the  very  double  ones  is  as  rich 
as  it  is  beautiful,  consisting  of  many  horn- 
shaped  florets,  which  have  so  quaint  an  ap- 
pearance, that  they  almost  remind  us  of  an 
old-fashioned  quilled  bonnet.  If  I  knew 
where  to  obtain  half-a-dozen  healthy  plants 
from  a  good  collection,  I  t-hould  prefer  saving 
the  seeds  collected  from  those  to  trusting  to  any 
chance  purchase.  But  if  our  varieties  shc.uhl 
turn  out  indifferently,  we  will  make   another 


56G 


GARDENING    FOR    CHILDREN. 


trial,  for   this  is  far  too  pretty  a  plant  to  be 
lost.     Its  colours    are    dark   and  light  blue, 


I  think  it  highly  desirable  that  you  should  be 
able  to  carry  in  your  minds  a  correct  general 
idea  of  the  principal  parts  of  a  plant,  and  of 
the  use  of  each  part.  Willy's  table  of  maxims 
will  give  you  a  good  deal  of  information  on 
this  point,  for  you  will  find  that  every  one  of 
them  contains  some  practical  direction  founded 
on  what  he  has  learnt,  either  from  reading  or 
personal  observation,  to  be  a  fact.  All  the 
botany  that  I  wish  you  to  study  at  present  is 
a  collection  of  such  facts,  and  I  think  you 
will  be  the  better  able  to  recollect  them  if 
I  present  them  to  you  in  a  collected  form, 
even  although  you  should  discover  some  of 
them  again  among  the  maxims. 

"  I  will,  then,  describe  the  principal  parts  of  a 
plant,  and  the  most  remarkable  functions  of 
each. 

"  The  Seed. — If  you  remove  the  shell  and 
inner  skin  from  a  hazel-nut  or  filbert  (fig.  1), 
you  will  find  that  the  kernel 
easily  separates  into  two 
pieces  throughout  nearly 
its    whole    extent,    being 
held      together     at      the 
smaller   end   by   a    small 
body,     which    tapers   to- 
wards   each  of   its  extremities.     This  little 
body  is  called   the  germ,  and  may  be  corn- 


Fig.  1. 


dark  and  light  pink,  blue  and  white  mixed, 
and  pink  and  white  mixed." — P.  31. 

"  The  Parts  of  a  Plant. — I  shall  now 
enter  upon  another  division  of  my  subject, 
not '  relating  entirely  to  the  practice  of  Gar- 
dening, but  nevertheless  very  important. 
I  told  you  the  other  day  that  I  should  wish 
you  to  be  able  to  give  a  reason  for  every 
gardening  operation  that  you  perform.  There 
are  many  gardeners,  I  fear,  who,  although  they 
work  veryindustriously,  and  keep  their  gardens 
in  excellent  order,  often  fall  into  great  errors 
from  not  having  formed  the  habit  of  thinking 
why  it  is  desirable  that  certain  things  should 
be  done  in  a  particular  way,  or  even  why  it 
is  necessary  that  they  should  be  done  at  all. 
The  consequence  is,  that  they  now  and  then 
find  their  crops  turn  out  in  a  very  different 
Avay  from  what  thcj  expected,  and  do  not  know 
how  to  set  matters  to  rights  on  another  occa- 
sion. Now  I  wish  you  never  to  rest  contented 
with  knovynng  that  it  is  right  for  you  to  do  so 
and  so,  but  to  find  out  the  reason  for  the  very 
simplest  operation.  This  you  will  not  be  able 
to  do  without  being  first  acquainted,  to  a  certain' 
extent,  with  the  science  of  botany.  I  do  not 
mean  by  botany  merely  the  being  able  to  call 
plants  by  very  long  and  vei'y  hard  names,  of 
Avhich  you  cannot  yet  know  the  meaning  ;  but 


pared  to  a  bud  containing  the  rudiments  of 
a  tree  like  that  from  which  the  nut  vi^as 
taken.  Tlie  two  larger  portions  are  termed 
the  seed-lobes,  and  contain  enough  nourish- 
ment to  support  the  young  plant  until  it  has 
formed  roots  and  leaves,  and  is  able  to  pro- 
vide for  itself.  The  kernel,  or  seed,  has  no 
tendency  in  itself  to  alter  its  form,  if  kept 
dry  and  exposed  to  light  ;  but  if  buried  a  few 
inches  beneath  the  surface  of  damp  earth,  it 
swells  and  bursts  its  coverings  ;  the  seed-lobes 
are  changed  into  green  fleshy  leaves,  and  be- 
tween them  the  germ  lengthens  upwards  and 
downwards,  expanding  first  one  leaf  and  then 


GARDENING    FOR    CHILDREN, 


567 


another,  and  sending  out  from  its  lower  end 
downy  fibres  or  roots.  All  the  nourishment 
which  it  receives  at  present,  is  derived  from 
the  enlarged  seed-lobes,  called  seed-leaves  in 
this  stage  of  their  growth  ;  consequently,  if 
they  are  destroyed,  the  young  plant  perishes 
likewise. 

''  The  true  leaves,  which  shoot  up  between  the 
seed-leaves,  are  generally  different  in  form 
from  the  seed-leaves,  as  may  be  observed 
in  the  young  cabbage-plant  (fig.  2).  They 
usually  consist  of  two  pai  ts  (fig.  3  '.   The  leaf- 


Fig.  3. 

stalk,  is  a  collection  of  tubes  enclosed  in  a 
thin  rind,  and  destined  to  convey  juices  and 
air  upwards  and  downwards  between  the  leaf 
and  the  stem.  The  flat  part  of  the  leaf  is 
composed  of  a  network  of  tubes  like  those  of 
the  leaf-stalk,  the  interstices  being  filled  up 
with  a  number  of  minute  cells,  which  contain 
a  green  juice,  and  the  whole  is  covered,  above 
and  below,  with  a  thin,  transparent  skin.  This 
thin  skin,  or  cuticle,  is  perforated  over  its 
whole  surface,  both  upper  and  under,  with 
numerous  pores,  so  small  as  to  be  invisible  to 
the  naked  eye  ;  but,  nevertheless,  perfectly 
adapted  to  the  purpose  of  giving  out  all  the 
superfluous  moisture  and  air  received  from  the 
roots,  as  well  as  of  absorbing  from  the  atmo- 
sphere all  that  it  contains  necessary  for  the 
growth  of  the  plant.  The  leaves  also  perform 
the  function  of  preparing  the  various  juices 
wdiich  are  destined  for  the  use  of  all  parts  of 
the  plant ;  they  are,  consequently,  as  important 
as  the  mots. 

"  At  the  base  of  every  leaf 
is  a  bud,  which  contains  either 
leaves  precisely  similar  to 
those  described,  or  rudiments 
of  flowers  (fig.  4).  Gener- 
ally, only  a  portion  of  these 
come  to  perfection,  most 
plants  having,  as  it  were,  a 
Fio-  4  reserve  of   these   useful  or- 

gans, to  be   called   into  life 
if  required,  and   in  trees   they  are  carefully 


protected  from  cyld  in  winter  by  scales,  wool, 
or  gum. 

"  When  the  plant  has  gained  size  and  strength, 
it  is  enabled  to  produce  a  new  organ  yet  more 
dfilicate  and  complex  than  the  leaf  ;  this  is 
the  Jlorcei-  or  blossom.  A  perfect  flower  in  its 
natural  state  consists  of  a  green  cup  or  calyx, 
the  leaves  of  wdiich,  if  there  be  more  than  one, 
are  called  sepals ;  the  corolla,  the  coloured 
leaves  of  which  are  called  chives  or  petah  ; 
stamens,  and  pistils.  The  beauty  of  the  flower 
mainly  depends  on  the  perfection  of  the  corolla; 
the  production  of  seed  depends  exclusively  on 
the  presence  of  stamens  and  pistils.  The  art 
of  the  florist  consists  in  increasing  the  number, 
size,  regularity,  and  bright  tints  of  the  petals. 

"  In  the  rose  (fig.  5)  the  calyx  consists 
of  five  sepals,  which  remain  attached  to  the 
plant  after  the  pe-  t,  ^ 

tals    have  fallen  .    ^   i? 

off;  the  prim- 
rose has  a  calyx  ■tP''/?''^y/^ 
of  one  leaf,  di-  ' ' 
vided  into  five 
segments  (fig.  6); 
the  tulip  has  no 
calyx.                                     Fig.  5.  Fig.  6. 

"  The  corolla  of  the  poppy  consists  of  five 
petals  (fig.  7)  ;  that  of  the  primrose  has  but  one, 
which  is  divided  into   five  segments  (fig.  8)  ; 


k 


Fie:.  7.  Fig.  8. 

and  some  plants  have  no  corolla,  but  these  are 
rarely  cultivated  by  gardeners. 

"A  stamen  consists  of  three  parts  ;  the  Jila- 
ment,  which  is  a  thread  of  tubes  for  conveying 
nourishment  to   the    other    parts  ;    the 
anther,  a  case  usually  of  two  cells,  which,    .  '/^ 
when  ripe,  burst  and  shed  a  quantity 
of  fine  powder,  called  pollen  or  farina 
(fig.  9).     The  honeysuckle  contains  five   pig.  9. 
such    stamens  ;  the   poppy  a  countless 
number.  ,^ 

"  The  place  of  the  pistil,  or,  if  there        | 
be  more  than  one,  of  the  pistils,  is  in  the 
very  centre  of  the  flower.     Its  summit 
is  called  the  stigma,  and  its  lower  part 
the   germen,   and   these    are   generally  -p.^ 
separated  from  one  another  by  a  third      "" 
part,  called  the  style.     In  the  primrose     ^^^ 
the  stigma  is  globular  (fig.  10)  and  the    r^ 
style  long  ;  in  the  poppy  the  stigma  is    \^ 
radiated,  and  there  is  no  style  (fig.  II).       | 
The  germen  contains  the  rudiments  of 
the  seed,  and  when  enlarged  is  usually    ^="   ^- 


568 


VEGETATION    OF    BRAZIL. 


called  the  seed-vessel  or  fruit.  No  flower 
can  produce  perfect  fruit  unless  some  portion 
of  pollen  fall  on  the  stigma  ;  few  double 
flowers,  therefore,  that  is  to  say,  flowers  in 
which  the  stamens  and  pistils  have  been 
changed  by  excessive  cultivation  into  petals, 
produce  seeds.  In  the  case  of  dahlias,  China- 
asters,  &c.,  there  would  seem  to  be  an  exception 
to  this  law  ;  but  it  is  only  an  apparent  one  ; 
for  what  is  called  a  single  dahlia,  or  a  single 
China-aster,  is  not  in  reality  one  flower,  but  an 
assemblage  of  small  flowers  or  florets,  of  which 
the  yellow  central  ones  are  furnished  with 
stamens  and  pistils,  and  the  spreading,  petal- 
like ones  are  furnished  with  pistils  only. 
Consequently,  when  the  central  florets  are 
changed  into  spreading  florets,  they  still  con- 
tinue to  have  pistils,  and  are  capable  of  pro- 
ducing seeds,  provided  that  pollen,  either 
from  the  same  flower,  or  from  another  flower 
of  the  same  kind,  falls  on  them.  But  in  the 
case  of  a  double  stock  or  wallflower,  both 
stamens  and  pistils  are  wanting  ;  these  flowers, 
therefore,  are  always  barren." — Pp.  144 — 154. 


VEGETATION    OF    BRAZIL.* 

Mr.  Gardner,  in  his  entertaining  book  of 
Travels  in  Brazil,  thus  describes  the  nature 
of  the  vegetation  in  the  neighbourhood  of 
Pernambuco. 

"  About  twenty  miles  to  the  westward  of 
Pernambuco,  there  is  a  small  German  Colony 
called  Catuca  ....  Being  desirous  of  spend- 
ing a  day  or  two  at  this  place,  I  started 
early  one  morning  in  the  beginning  of 
November,  accompanied  by  Mr.  White,  a 
young  gentleman  whom  I  had  previously 
met  on  the  Organ  Mountains,  Our  route 
for  about  two  hours  was  through  a  flat 
country,  principally  planted  with  Mandiocca, 
although  a  great  part  of  it  was  still  uncleared, 
only  the  large  trees  having  been  cut  down : 
a  few  of  those  remaining  rose  high  above 
their  fellows  of  the  wood,  and  agreeably  di- 
versified the  landscape.  After  passing  through 
this  cultivated  country,  and  ascending  a  slight 
eminence,  we  entered  the  virgin  forest.  Pre- 
viously the  road  had  been  of  a  sandy  nature, 
but  now  we  found  it  to  consist  of  hard  red 
clay.  Many  of  the  trees  were  very  lofty, 
although  they  do  not  commonly  attain  the 
stature  of  those  in  the  Province  of  Rio,  nor 
have  their  trunks  the   same   circumference. 


*  Travels  in  the  Interior  of  Brazil,  principally 
Mirough  the  Northern  Provinces,  and  the  Gold  and 
Diamond  Districts,  daring  the  years  1836 — 1841,  by 
George  Gardner,  F.L.S.,  Superintendent  of  the  Royal 
Botanic  Garden  of  Ceylon  London :  Reeves.  [Se- 
cond Notice.] 


Among  the  shrubs  that  grew  below  them,  1 
observed  a  few  Wlelastomaceae.,  Myrtacece,  and 
Rubiacece.  Here  everything  betokened  a  drit^r 
atmosphere,  and  a  more  arid  soil  than  at  Rio, 
There  were  no  Ferns,  Begonias,  Pipers,  or 
Orchidaceous   plants.       On    the   stems    and 
branches   of  the  larger  trees  a  few   Brome- 
liacece  and  Aroideo)  were  alone  to  be  seen. 
After  riding  for  about  an  hour  through  this 
forest,  we  reached  the  cleared  valley  contain- 
ing the  cottages  of  the  colonists,  several  of 
which  we  passed  before  reaching  the  one  in 
which  we  remained.    These  cottages  are  gene- 
rally of  small  size,  although  much  superior  in 
cleanliness   and  neatness  of  arrangement  to 
those  belonging;  to  the  same  class  of  Brazilians. 
My  friend  being  desirous   of  having  a  few 
days  shooting  in  the  woods  with  one  of  the 
Germans,  I  determined  to  accompany  them, 
in  the  hope  of  making  some  additions  to  my 
Botanical  stores.     We  set  off"  early,  entering 
the  wood  about  a  mile  from  the  cottage.    Here, 
as  in  similar  situations  near  the  town,  I  ob- 
served a  great  deficiency  of  herbaceous  vege- 
tation, and  in  a  walk  of  about  two  hours  only 
collected  a  few  Ferns.     In  passing  through 
this  wood,  we  saw  an  enormously  large  tree, 
a  species  of  Lecythis;  the  ground  beneath  it 
was  covered  with  its  curious  pot-like  capsules 
nearly  as  large  as  a  man's  head,  their  resem- 
blance to  a  pot  being  much  increased  by  the 
large  lid  which  falls  off"  from  the  top  of  each 
when   the   seeds   within   are  ripe.     Most   of 
those  we  saw  were  empty,  the  nuts  having 
been  taken  out  by  the  monkeys,  who  are  very 
fond  of  them.     Leaving  this  wood,   we  sud- 
denly came  upon  another  cleared  valley,  con- 
taining the  ruins  of  several  cottages  ;  this,  we 
were  told,  had  been  the  first  site  of  the  settle- 
ment;  but  as  the  colonists  were  forbidden  to 
cut  any   more  wood  in  that  direction,  they 
moved    their    quarters    to    the    place    before 
mentioned.     Near  these  dismantled  dwellings 
we  found  abundance  of  pine-apples,  and  le- 
freshed  ourselves  with  some  which  were  ri[)e, 
sheltering  ourselves  from  the  sun  under  the 
shade  of  an   out-house   which   had  formerly 
served    as    a    place    for   the    preparation    of 
Farinha  from  the  Mandiocca  root.     Near  this 
place   I  found  two    beautiful   trees,    one   of 
them  a  species   of    Vochysia,   covered   with 
long  spikes  of  bright  yellow  flowers,  and  the 
other  the  splendid  Moronohea  coccinea,  liter- 
ally covered  with  its  globular  crimson  blos- 
soms.    In  returning  I  collected  specimens  of 
a    yellow-flowered  Palicourea,  called    Mata 
Rato,  not,  however,  the  same  plant  which  is 
'knowa  at  Rio  by  the  name  of  Erva  do  Rato. 
It   proves,    notwithstanding,    that  poisonous 
qualities  are  attributed  to  different  plants  of 
t!ie    same    genus    in    different    parts    of  the 
countfj." — P.  91, 


VEGETATION    OF    BPw\ZIL. 


569 


Near  the  village  of  Propia  on  the  pouth  of 
the  Rio  de  Francisco,  and  seven  leagues  from 
Penedo, 

*'  The  most  striking  objects  of  vegetation 
v^hich  I  observed  on  the  banks  of  the  rivei", 
were  many  trees  of  considerable  size,  belong- 
ing to  tlie  natural  order  Leguminosce,  bearing 
large  spikes  of  light  purple  flowers ;  abund- 
ance of  a  curious  kind  of  Cactus,  reaching  to 
the  height  of  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet,  the 
great  fleshy  and  naked  arms  of  which  stand 
out  like  the  branches  of  an  enormous  chande- 
lier. A  most  striking  difierence  was  to  be 
observed  between  the  verdure  of  that  part  of 
the  country  which,  for  upwards  of  four  months, 
had  been  under  water,  and  the  more  elevated 
parts,  on  which  no  rain  had  fallen  for  nearly 
six  months.  The  latter  had  more  the  ap- 
[learatice  of  the  deciduous  woods  of  Europe  in 
winter,  than  such  as  grow  within  the  tropics 
:ire  generally  supposed  to  present.  It  was 
only  here  and  there,  that  a  tree  was  to  be 
seen  covered  with  leaves,  all  the  others  hav- 
ing lost  their  foliage,  owing  to  the  exce^^sive 
and  long  continued  drought." — Pp.  119,  120. 

At  Traipu,  seven  leagues  further,  on  the 
north  bank  of  the  river, 

"  The  efi^ect  of  tlie  drought  on  the  vege- 
tation was  still  greater  than  further  down  ; 
as  far  as  the  eye  could  reach,  nothing  like  a 
forest  was  to  be  seen,  both  the  hills  and  val- 
leys being  thinly  covered  with  small  trees 
and  shrubs,  and  all,  with  a  few  solitary  excep- 
tions, denuded  of  their  foliage.  On  the  surface 
of  the  ground  itself  there  was  no  herbaceous 
vegetation,  the  red  coloured  soil  alone  being 
seen  through  the  withered  bushes.  Here  and 
there  along  the  banks  a  few  houses  exist,  but 
none  were  to  be  observed  inland.  The  only 
objects  that  relieved  tlie  eye  in  this  desert- 
like region,  were  the  green  bushes  which  grew 
along  the  inundated  banks,  and  the  grotesque 
Cacti  abounding  in  dry  rocky  places.  These 
latter  are  the  most  conspicuous  objects  that 
meet  the  eye  of  a  voyager;  some  of  their 
trunks  are  of  immense  thickness,  and  their 
branching  tops  reach  to  a  great  height  above 
the  surrounding  vegetation.  These  are  cer- 
tainly the  most  remarkable  looking  plants  of 
the  many  which  clothe  the  surface  of  our 
globe,  their  huge  fleshy  branches  seeming 
more  the  work  of  art  than  of  nature.  It  is 
only  plants  such  as  these,  that  are  able  to  re- 
tain their  vex'dure  during  the  long  droughts 
to  which  the  country  here  is  subjected.  On 
the  rocky  places  where  these  grow,  there  are 
also  many  Bromeliaceous  plants,  which,  in 
spite  of  the  want  of  rain,  not  only  grow  luxu- 
riantly, but  produce  their  large  red  clusters 
of  flowers  in  the  greatest   perfection.     The 


rocks  on  which  these  plants  vegetate  are  of 
gneiss,  in  thin  layers  of  a  dark  colour,  full  of 
small  garnets,  and  cropping  out  at  a  very 
obtuse  angle  towards  the  south.  We  remained 
for  the  night  at  Traipu,  and  at  nine  o'clock 
next  morning  resumed  our  voyage,  but  as  the 
wind  was  very  high,  we  could  make  no  way 
against  the  current ;  at  about  half  a  league 
from  the  place  of  our  departure  we  were 
obliged  to  halt  for  some  hours  on  the  north 
bank  of  the  river.  This  afibrded  me  an  op- 
portunity of  landing,  when  I  made  a  few 
additions  to  my  collections.  Among  these 
was  a  species  of  Azolla,  which  existed  in  the 
greatest  abundance,  in  a  flat  muddy  place 
that  was  slightly  flooded.  Here  also  I  met 
with  some  of  the  largest  Cacti  I  have  ever 
seen  ;  one  in  particular  was  of  enormous  size, 
the  stem  measuring  upwards  of  three  feet  in 
circumference,  and  unbranched  to  the  height 
of  about  ten  feet ;  its  entire  height  could  not 
be  less  than  between  thirty  and  forty  feet. 
This  and  other  large  kinds  of  Cactus  are 
called  by  the  inhabitants  of  this  part  of  the 
country  Sheeke-sheeke,  and  their  fleshy  stems 
and  branches,  after  being  stript  of  their  bark 
and  spines,  are  roasted  and  eaten  in  times  of 
scarcity ;  under  similar  circumstances  they 
are  given  raw  to  cattle.  On  the  following 
morning,  before  breakfast,  I  took  a  walk  to  a 
high  ridge  of  gneiss  rocks,  which  is  at  a  little 
distance  from  the  river,  and  found  a  variety 
of  different  kinds  of  Cacti.  One  of  these 
was  a  great  Melocactus  much  larger  than  the 
one  which  is  so  common  near  Pernambuco  ; 
it  grows  in  fissures  of  the  rock  where  scarcely 
any  soil  exists,  and  its  tough  roots  penetrate 
to  such  a  depth,  that  they  can  with  difiiculty 
be  withdrawn  ;  living  specimens  of  this 
(^Melocactus  Hookerianus,  Gardn.)  which  I 
sent  home,  now  exist  in  the  collections  at 
Kew  and  Glasgow."~Pp.  123—125. 

Alagoas  was  afterwards  visited. 

"  During  my  rambles  in  this  neighbour-, 
hood,  I  found  several  species  of  plants  which 
I  had  not  previously  met  with.  In  a  small 
stream  of  beautifully  clear  water  the  curious 
Cahomha  aquatica,  Aubl.  growls  abundantly, 
which  to  the  Botanist  is  a  most  interesting 
plant,  as,  both  in  habit  and  structure,  it  forms  a 
transition  link  between  the  Ra7iunculus  family 
and  that  of  the  water  lilies.  In  the  same 
stream  I  likewise  collected  specimens  of  a 
Marsilt^a,,  a  pale  blue  flowered  Pontederia, 
and  a  large  white  flowered  Ntjmphcea  different 
from  that  which  grows  in  the  lake  at  Olinda. 
In  brackish  water  a  little  above  Maceio,  a 
Potamogeton  grows  in  vast  quantities,  which, 
on  comparison,  does  not  seem  to  difl^er  from 
the  British  P.  pectinatus.  We  returned  to 
Maceio  by  daylight,  and  I  observed  that  the 


)70 


VEGETATION    OF    BRAZIL. 


shores  abound  with  Mangroves,  principally 
Rhizoj'iho'ra  Mangle,  which  reaches  here  to  a 
much  greater  size  than  I  have  elsewhere  seen 
it,  some  of  the  trees  being  at  least  thirty  feet 
high,  with  stems  proportionately  thick  j  it 
presents  a  curious  appearance,  the  large  roots 
supporting  the  stems  at  the  height  of  several 
feet  above  the  water,  and  curving  outwards 
and  downwards  ;  if  the  real  top  were  not  seen, 
we  could  almost  fancy  that  the  tree  had  been 
reversed  ;  the  long  pendent  radicles  of  the 
seeds  are  also  remarkable,  as  they  are  thrown 
down  to  the  ground  while  the  fruit  is  yet 
attached  to  the  parent  plant.  The  wood  ot 
this  tree  is  very  much  used  as  fuel,  it  burns 
extremely  well  in  the  green  state  ;  at  Maran- 
ham  little  else  is  used  for  this  purpose," — Pp. 
145,  146. 

"  A  little  beyond  led  the  road  becomes  very 
rough,  frequently  ascending  and  again  descend- 
ing over  rocky  paths,  on  which  account  it  is 
no  longer  serviceable  for  the  transit  of  wag- 
gons, all  farther  traffic  into  the  interior  being 
now  effected  either  on  horseback,  or,  strange  as 
it  may  appear,  upon  oxen.  The  diversity  of  hill 
and  dale  renders  this  part  of  the  journey  less 
mountainous,  and  although  the  herbaceous 
vegetation  was  much  destroyed  by  the  heat, 
the  greater  part  of  the  trees,  which  are  both 
large  and  more  numerous,  still  retained  their 
leaves  ;  the  most  abundant  tree  that  I  ob- 
served was  called  by  the  inhabitants  Aroeira; 
it  is  a  species  of  Schhius,  perhaps  8.  Aroeira, 
St.  Hil.  and  reaches  to  the  height  of  thirty  or 
forty  feet ;  as  the  ste^i  grows  very  straight  it 
is  much  used  in  house-building  ;  at  this  time 
it  was  destitute  of  leaves,  but  from  the  ends 
of  its  branches  were  suspended  clusters  of 
small  fruit  of  a  dark  colour,  giving  it  very 
much  the  appearance  of  the  European  alder 
when  covered  with  its  dark-brown  catkins.  The 
other  trees  consist  chiefly  of  large  Acacias 
and  llimosas,  Bignonias  of  considerable  size 
covered  with  yellow  and  rose  coloured  flowers, 
a  Triplaris,  and,  the  most  beautiful  of  all,  a 
large  Jacaranda,  the  wide-spreading  branches 
of  which  were  densely  covered  with  great 
panicles  of  beautiful  large  blue  flowers,  not 
unlike  those  of  the  no  less  splendid  Gloxinia 
speciosa;  among  these  sometimes  appear  a 
few  solitary  Carnahuba  palms,  but  in  hollow 
sheltered  places  they  often  occur  in  groups  ; 
large  Cacti  are  not  uncommon,  and  we  passed 
over  some  elevated  open  shrubby  tracts 
abounding  in  a  species  of  Krameria,  The 
Villa  de  Lavra  de  Mangabeira  is  situated  on 
the  banks  of  the  Rio  iSalgado,  and  contains 
about  eighty  or  a  hundred  houses,  all  small, 
and  many  of  them  falling  to  decay  ....  Here  I 
found,  growing  in  vast  quantities  on  the  sandy 
margins  of  the  river,  a  species  of  Grangea, 
which  is  a  powerful  bitter,  used  by  the  natives 


as  an  infusion  in  dyspeptic  cases  in  the  same 
manner  as  camomile,  which,  indeed,  it  much 
resembles,  and  to  Avhich  they  give  the  same 
name  {rnacella).  We  left  Lavra  on  the  after- 
noon of  the  same  day  on  which  we  arrived, 
and  halted  for  the  night  at  a  small  house  near 
the  river.  In  the  evening  I  took  a  walk  in 
the  neighbourhood,  but  met  with  nothing  new 
except  a  species  of  Mikania  clinging  among 
the  branches  of  a  Mimosa  ;  and  a  few  shells 
in  the  bed  of  the  river.  Between  this  place 
and  Lavra,  the  course  of  the  river  is  very 
tortuous,  and  being  now  very  nearly  dried  up, 
I  observed  that  the  inhabitants  had  planted 
melons,  water-melons,  gourds,  &c.  in  it ; 
bananas  were  now  beginning  to  be  cultivated, 
and  almost  every  house  had  its  own  little  cot- 
ton and  tobacco  plantation.  Every  where 
Argemone  Mexicana,  the  Cardo  Santo  of  the 
Brazilians,  grows  in  great  plenty,  the  large 
yellow  poppy-like  flowers  being  very  beauti- 
ful ;  a  handful  of  the  leaves  of  this  plant;,  to- 
gether with  about  a  quarter  of  an  ounce  of 
the  ripe  seeds  infused,  is  used  as  a  draught  in 
jaundice."— Pp.  173—176. 

"  The  greater  portion  of  the  wooded  dis- 
tricts around  Crato  consists  of  deciduous  trees 
and  shrubs,  forming  what  are  called  Catingas, 
but  in  low  moist  localities,  and  along  the  base 
of  the  Serra,  a  great  many  of  the  ti-ees  are 
evergreen  ;  one  of  the  most  common  denizens 
of  the  Catingas  is  the  Magonia  glahrata,  St. 
Hil.,  which  is  here  truly  gregarious,  cover- 
ing large  tracts  for  miles  to  the  exclusion  of 
almost  everything  else  ;  in  general  it  is  a  tree 
from  thirty  to  forty  feet  high,  but  at  full 
growth  it  often  attains  a  much  greater  stature. 
Like  many  of  the  other  inhabitants  of  the 
Catingas,  its  flowers  appear  before  the  leaves, 
they  are  in  large  panicles,  of  a  greenish  yellow 
colour',  and  of  very  sweet  scent ;  it  is  called 
Tingi  by  the  natives,  who  apply  it  to  many 
useful  purposes  ;  an  infusion  of  the  bark  of 
the  root  is  employed  to  poison  fish,  and  that 
of  the  stem  to  cure  old  ulcers.  The  fruit  is 
a  large  dry  triangular  capsule  filled  with 
broad  flat  seeds,  from  the  kernels  of  which  a 
kind  of  soap  is  manufactured  ;  the  manner  in 
which  they  make  it  is  this  :  After  having  taken 
off  the  brown  membrane  which  covers  the 
seeds,  they  are  put  into  a  tub  of  water  to 
steep  for  some  time,  when  the  cotyledons 
begin  to  swell  and  soften,  the  thin  skin  which 
still  covers  them  is  easily  taken  off,  and  they 
are  then  put  into  a  pot  along  with  a  small 
portion  of  tallow  ;  by  boiling  and  stirring 
them  they  soon  form  a  homogeneous  mass, 
'which,  when  cool,  is  said  to  answer  very  well 
for  washing  clothes.  Another  tree  which 
grows  in  similar  situations,  is  a  species  of 
Caryocar,  that  presents  a  fine  appearance 
when  covered  with  its  large  corymbs  of  yellow 


VEGETATION    OF    BRAZIL. 


571 


flowers  ;  the  fruit,  which  was  not  ripe  during 
my  stay,  is  said  to  be  excellent  when  cooked, 
and  its  hai'd  wood  is  of  great  use  as  timber  in 
the  construction  of  mills.  Tlie  Visgeira,  al- 
ready mentioned,  and  the  Timbahuba,  are 
also  two  large  trees  of  the  neighbourhood  ;  the 
latter  belongs  to  the  3Iimosa  tribe,  producing 
large  round  heads  of  yellowish  flowers,  and  a 
broad  legume  curved  round  so  as  to  resemble 
a  horse  shoe.  A  kind  of  small  deer  that  much 
frequents  the  woods  is  very  fond  of  this  fruit, 
and  is  often  watched  for  at  night  at  the  season 
when  the  fruit  falls,  being  discovered  by  the 
rattling  noise  which  the  seeds  make  within 
the  pod  when  trodden  upon.  The  Jatoba,  a 
species  of  Hymencea,  is  another  large  tree  of 
common  occurrence,  as  also  the  Angelim,  a 
large  and  beautiful  species  of  the  genus  An- 
dira;  two  Bignonias  of  considerable  size  are 
also  common  in  the  distant  woods,  one  Avith 
purple,  the  other  with  yellowish  flowers,  but 
owing  to  the  durability  and  hardness  of  their 
timber,  which  is  much  sought  after  by  the 
natives  for  the  construction  of  mills  and  carts, 
they  are  not  allowed  to  attain  any  great  size 
near  the  town  of  Crato.  Besides  these  there 
are  many  other  trees  of  smaller  size,  among 
which  may  be  mentioned  the  Pao  de  Jangada 
{Apeiha  Tibourhou),  and  one  of  frequent  oc- 
currence, and  conspicuous  from  its  large 
prickly  capsules  ;  on  the  coast  its  wood  affords 
the  material  for  the  raft-boats  before  described, 
so  commonly  in  use  there.  A  species  of 
Byrsonema,  a  Callisthene,  a  Gornphla,  and  a 
Vitex,  are  all  remarkably  beautiful  when  in 
blossom.  "When  planks  are  required  in  most, 
indeed  I  may  say  in  all  parts  of  the  Sertao, 
there  is  a  sad  waste  of  timber,  for  to  obtain 
one  an  entire  tree  is  chopped  on  both  sides 
until  it  is  reduced  to  the  exact  size  required. 
A  number  of  wild  fruits  are  found  in  the 
Catingas  ;  among  these  are  the  mangaba  al- 
ready spoken  of  as  very  common  about  Per- 
nambuco,  the  Guava,  the  Araga,  and  also,  but 
only  on  the  top  of  the  Sex^ra,  a  nearly  allied 
species  called  Marangaba ;  it  is  the  Psidium 
pigmeum  of  Arrudo,  a  shrub  from  one  to  two 
feet  high,  the  fruit  of  which  is  about  the  size 
of  a  gooseberry,  and  is  greatly  sought  after 
on  account  of  its  delicious  flavour,  which  re- 
sembles that  of  the  strawberry.  The  woods 
in  the  immediate  neighbourhood  of  the  town 
produce  a  fruit  called  Pusa,  which  belongs 
to  a  new  species  of  Moiiriria  {3L  Pusa, 
Gardn.),  it  is  about  the  size  of  a  small  plum, 
of  a  black  colour,  and  resembles  very  much 
in  taste  the  fruit  of  the  Jaboticaba  {Eugenia 
caidijiora,  DC.)  of  the  south  of  Brazil;  when 
in  season  it  is  larought  to  the  town  and  car- 
ried through  the  streets  for  sale,  by  the 
Indians.  The  Cashew  is  also  very  common, 
but  the  eatable  portion  of  the  fruit  is  smaller 


and  not  so  well  tasted  as  that  which  grows 
along  the  coast."— Pp.  191—193. 

"  The  country  between  Parnagua  and  Saco 
do  Tanque  is  comparatively  level  ;  and  al- 
though the  general  vegetation  has  very  much 
the  same  character  as  that  of  other  Catinga 
districts,  many  of  the  shrubs  and  trees  were 
quite  new  to  me.  At  this  season  very  few 
were  in  flower  ;  of  these  the  most  remarkable 
was  a  very  large  tree  to  which  the  name  of 
Sicupira  is  given  by  the  inhabitants,  and 
which  I  afterwards  found  extending  far  into 
the  province  of  Goyaz ;  it  belongs  to  the 
natural  order  LegummoscB,  and  has  only  very 
recently  been  described  by  IMr.  Bentham, 
under  the  name  of  Coynmilohium  pol^galce- 
fioinim :  it  is  easily  recognised  at  a  great 
distance  by  its  numerous  large  panicles  of 
lilac  flow^ers.  An  essential  oil  which  is  con- 
tained in  the  fruit,  is  much  used  by  the 
inhabitants  to  alleviate  the  pain  of  the  tooth- 
ache. A  very  large  silk  cotton-tree  (Bombax), 
entirely  destitute  of  leaves,  was  also  common, 
but  on  one  of  them  I  found  a  few  blossoms, 
which  were  of  enormous  size,  measuring  when 
fully  expanded  about  a  foot  and  a  half  across; 
the  petals  were  of  a  dark  browai  colour  with- 
out, but  white  within.  Near  a  Fazenda  called 
Eiacho  dArea,  where  we  stopped  a  day,  grow 
a  number  of  large  palm  trees,  on  the  stems 
of  which  I  found  a  large  fleshy-stemmed 
orchideous  plant,  a  species  of  Cyrtopodium, 
which  produced  flowering  stems  about  four 
feet  high,  terminating  in  a  large  panicle  of 
flowers,  w'ith  bro^vn  blotches  on  an  orange 
ground,  and  smelling  sweetly  like  wallflower. 
In  marshy  bushy  places  on  this  journey  I 
saw  many  plants  of  the  Vanilla  pkmijoUa, 
seldom  bearing  flowers,  and  more  rarely  pro- 
ducing fruit.  It  has  now  been  satisfactorily 
determined,  that  this  is  the  species  from  which 
the  true  Vanilla  of  commerce  is  procured. 
In  Mexico  it  is  extensively  cultivated  for  the 
sake  of  its  fruit,  which  it  yields  abundantly  ; 
while  th.e  plants  which  have  been  introduced 
into  the  East  Indies,  and  the  hothouses  of 
Europe,  though  they  have  frequently  pro- 
duced flowers,  have  very  seldom  perfected 
their  fruit.  Dr.  Morren  of  Liege  was  the 
first  to  study  attentively  the  natural  history 
of  this  plant,  and  to  prove  experimentally  that 
the  fruit  of  the  Yanilla  may  be  as  freely  pro- 
duced in  our  hothouses  as  it  is  in  Mexico. 
He  has  discovered  that  from  some  peculiarities 
in  the  reproductive  organs  of  this  plant, 
artificial  fecundation  is  required.  In  the  year 
1836,  a  plant  in  one  of  the  hothouses  in  the 
botanic  garden  at  Liege  produced  fifty-four 
flowers,  which  having  been  artificially  fecun- 
dated, exhibited  the  same  num.ber  of  pods, 
quite  equal  to  those  imported  from  Mexico  ; 
and  in  1837,  a  fresh  crop  of  about  a  hundred 


572 


VEGETATION    OF    BRAZIL 


pods  was  obtained  upon  another  plant  by  the 
same  method.  He  attributes  the  fecundation 
of  the  plant  in  Mexico,  to  the  action  of  some 
insect  which  frequents  the  flower  ;  and  hence 
accounts  for  the  non-production  of  fruit  in 
those  plants  which  have  been  removed  to 
other  countries.  There  can  be  no  doubt 
that  this  plant  is  as  perfectly  indigenous  to 
Brazil,  as  it  is  to  Mexico ;  but  it  is  no  less 
certain  that  its  fruit  is  there  seldom  matured. 
Is  this  also  to  be  attributed  to  the  absence  of 
the  means  by  which  nature  is  supposed  to 
effect  fecundation  in  Mexico?  This  is  a  sub- 
ject, which,  as  Professor  Morren  justly  ob- 
serves, well  deserves  attention  in  a  commercial 
point  of  view,  since  his  experiments  go  to 
prove,  that  in  all  intertropical  countries,  vanilla 
might  be  cultivated,  and  a  great  abundance  of 
fruit  obtained."— Pp.  295—297. 

The  Fazenda  de  Saco  do  Tanque  is  situated 
on  the  boundary  between  the  province  of 
Piauhy,  and  the  south-western  portion  of  that 
of  Pernambuco ;  in  this  district  is  an  elevated 
table  land,  called  Serra  da  Batalha,  covered 
with  an  ever-verdant  vegetation.  At  the  foot 
of  this  Serra,  and  on  the  ascent  itself,  Mr. 
Gardner  made  one  of  the  finest  collections  of 
plants  since  leaving  Oeiras. 

"  In  moist  sandy  places  at  its  foot  grow 
some  of  these  beautiful  large-flowered  small- 
leaved  Melastomacece,  which  are  so  abundant 
in  the  gold  and  diamond  districts  ;  while  on 
the  more  elevated  sandy  tracts  I  found  im- 
mense quantities  of  a  kind  of  nutmeg  (^Myris- 
ticd),  which  does  not  grow  more  than  three 
feet  high  The  trees  on  the  Chapada  itself, 
consisted  chiefly  of  the  Cashew,  Piki,  Jatoba, 
Mangaba,  Sicupira,  Oomphia  hexasperma, 
and  an  arboreous  Bignonia  ;  but  intermingled 
with  these,  there  were  many  beautiful  trees 
and  shrubs,  which  I  had  not  before  met  with. 
After  crossing  the  Chapada,  which  is  three 
leagues  in  breadth,  the  descent  is  very  gradual, 
and  ultimately  merges  into  a  marshy  plain 
abounding  in  Buriti  palms.  The  whole 
country  here  bore  a  very  different  aspect 
fiom  that  we  had  left  behind  us,  the  vegeta- 
tion being  fresh  and  verdant,  which  was  a 
great  relief  to  the  eye,  after  having  been  so 
long  accustomed  to  leafless  trees,  and  a  bare 
soil  of  red  clay.  The  woods  were  all  ever- 
green, and  between  the  clusters  of  the  noble 
Burhi  palms  and  the  wooded  parts  of  the 
country,  there  were  large  open  marshy  Cam- 
pos covered  with  grass,  and  other  herbace- 
ous vegetation  common  to  marshy  tracts  .  .  . 
I  was  not  disappointed  in  the  few  short 
rambles  which  I  took  in  the  neighbourhood, 
as  I  met  with  several  remarkable  plants,  quite 
different  from  any  I  had  before  seen  ;  among 
these  were  an  Eryngium,  a  Jussicco,  wliich 


formed  a  small  tree  about  twenty  feet  high,  a 
tree-fern,  the  only  one  I  had  seen  since  I  left 
Crato,  and  a  few  curious  Eriocaulons  from 
the  marshes."— Pp.  299,  300. 

Near  where  the  Rio  Preto  divides  the  pro- 
vince of  Pernambuco  from  that  of  Goyaz, 
"  the  moister  sandy  places  afforded  me  seve- 
ral of  those  curious  Eriocaulons,  of  which  so 
many  exist  in  my  collections  ;  one  of  these, 
which  I  found  shortly  before  we  reached  the 
river,  was  a  large  branched  species  about 
five  feet  in  height ;  these  remarkable  forms 
I  afterwards  met  with  in  great  abundance  in 
the  Diamond  District,  which  is  the  great  cen- 
tre of  the  Eriocaulons,  as  it  is  o^ t\).eVellozias 
or  tree-lily  tribe  ....  In  a  marsh  by  the 
side  of  the  river,  I  collected  specimens  of 
an  Isoetes,  which  does  not  appear  to  differ 
from  the  one  which  grows  in  Great  Britain, 
{Isoetes  lacustris,  Linn.)  The  sight  of  this 
plant  recalled  pleasing  recollections  of  long 
past  times,  and  I  could  not  refrain  from  in- 
dulging in  a  lengthened  train  of  reflections, 
which  ended  by  comparing  it  with  myself — 
a  stranger  in  a  strange  land,  and  associated  with 
still  stranger  companions." — Pp.  310,  311. 

"  I  made  many  excursions  in  the  neighbour- 
hood of  the  Aldea  do  Duro,  and  notwith- 
standing it  was  then  the  end  of  the  dry 
season,  I  found  it  an  excellent  field  for  my 
researches.  The  sandy  marshes  yielded  me 
many  curious  Eriocaulons,  and  beautiful 
Melastomacece;  while  the  upland  Campos 
produced  several  species  of  Diplusodon,  many 
Composite,  LaMatce,  &c.  ;  but  the  most  com- 
mon, as  well  as  the  most  beautiful  of  the  pro- 
ductions of  the  Campos,  were  a  small  Bvjnonia 
growing  in  tufts,  and  scarcely  a  foot  high, 
bearing  numerous  large  lemon-coloured  trum- 
pet-shaped flowers,  an  Ipomcea  similar  in 
habit,  and  about  the  same  size,  producing 
large  violet-coloured  blossoms,  {Ifomma  hir- 
sutissiina,  Gardn.)  and  two  erect  kinds  of 
Echites ;  in  dry  rocky  places  Amaryllis 
Solandrce/lora,  Lindl.  was  very  common,  pro- 
ducing abundantly  its  large  yellow  flowers." 
P.  321. 

Near  the  Villa  de.  Natividade  is  a  lofty 
Serra,  or  mountain  range. 

"  I  found  the  western  side  of  the  Serra  to 
be  bounded  by  a  thick  bed  of  very  compact 
greyish  coloured  limestone,  which  beyond  the 
northern  point  of  the  Serra,  for  some  leagues, 
forms  large  isolated  hills,  covered  with  wood. 
The  central  part  of  the  chain  is  granite,  be- 
'tween  which,  and  tlie  limestone  formation, 
the  rocks  are  schistose.  My  botanical  harvest 
v/as  a  very  rich  one,  so  much  so,  that  I  was 
induced  on  two  subsequent  occasions,  to 
ascend   the  mountain   a<>ain.      I  collected,  in 


VEGETATION    OF    BRAZIL. 


573 


particular,  many  curious  and  beautiful  little 
ferns,  all  new  species,  and  several  beautiful 
Vellozias  ;  these  plants  are  peculiar  to  Brazil, 
and  as  I  have  so  often  spoken  of  them,  I  shall 
here  describe  their  appearance :  they  belong 
to  the  Endogenous  or  Monocotyledonous  divi- 
sion of  the  Vegetable  Kingdom,  and  were 
named  in  honour  of  Dr.  Joaquim  Vellozo  de 
Miranda,  a  Jesuit,  who  was  a  native  of  the 
province  of  Minas  Geraes,  and  who  devoted 
much  of  his  leisure  time  to  the  study  of  the 
botany  of  his  country.  They  are  most  com- 
monly found  on  the  mountains  of  the  interior, 
but  principally  in  the  gold  and  diamond 
districts,  growing  in  open  grassy  places,  and 
often  covering  large  tracts;  they  vary  in 
height  from  a  few  inches  to  twelve  feet,  their 
stems  are  very  dry  and  fibrous,  and  seem  to  be 
made  up  of  a  great  mass  of  long  slender  roots 
loosely  hung  together ;  and  not  unfrequently 
they  contain  a  resinous  matter,  which  causes 
them  to  be  sought  after  in  the  woodless  re- 
gions of  the  diamond  district  for  fuel.  Some- 
times these  stems  are  not  less  than  a  foot  in 
diameter,  they  are  very  much  branched,  and 
are  entirely  leafless,  except  the  last  divisions 
of  the  branches,  which  are  clothed  with  long, 
narrow,  aloe-like  leaves,  not  however,  fleshy; 
from  the  centre  of  these  spi-ing  the  flowers, 
which  are  generally  solitary,  although  some 
of  the  smaller  species  have  as  many  as  six 
arising  from  the  end  of  each  branch.  In  the 
large  kinds,  the  flowers  are  about  six  inches 
long,  either  of  a  pure  white,  or  more  fre- 
quently of  a  beautiful  purple  colour  ;  in  shape, 
they  are  not  unlike  the  large  white  lily  of  our 
gardens,  and  hence  their  name  of  tree-lilies. 
These  plants  are  called  by  the  Brazilians, 
Canela  d'Emu  (literally  Emu  shanks)  from 
their  bare  stems  resembling  the  legs  of  that 
bird.  These  beautiful  plants  were  first  intro- 
duced into  the  hothouses  of  England,  from 
seeds  sent  home  by  me,  and  as  they  are  of  a 
very  slow  growth,  and  apparently  difficult  of 
cultivation,  it  may  reasonably  be  expected 
they  will  be  a  long  time  before  they  can  ex- 
liibit  the  beauty  of  their  wild  progenitors." — 
Pp.  343,  344. 

"  One  dark  night,  about  the  beginning  of 
December,  while  passing  along  the  streets  of 
the  Villa  de  Natividade,  I  observed  some  boys 
amusing  themselves  with  some  luminous  ob- 
ject, which  I  at  first  supposed  to  be  a  kind  of 
large  fire-fly  ;  but  on  making  inquiry  I  found 
it  to  be  a  beautiful  phosphorescent  fungus, 
belonging  to  the  genus  Agaricus,  and  was 
told  that  it  grew  abundantly  in  the  neigh- 
bourhood, on  the  decaying  leaves  of  a  dwarf 
palm.  Next  day  I  obtained  a  great  many 
specimens,  and  found  them  to  vary  from  one 
to  two  and  a  half  inches  across.  The  whole 
plant  gives  out  at  night  a  bright   phospho- 


rescent light,  of  a  pale  greenish  hue,  similar 
to  that  emitted  by  the  larger  fire-flies,  or  by 
those  curious  soft-bodied  marine  animals,  the 
Pyrosomce ;  from  this  circumstance,  and  from 
growing  on  a  palm,  it  is  called  by  the  inhabi- 
tants '  Flor  do  Coco ;'  the  light  given  out  by 
a  few  of  these  fungi,  in  a  dark  room,  was 
sufficient  to  read  by.  It  proved  to  be  quite 
a  new  species,  and  since  my  return  from 
Brazil,  has  been  described  by  the  Rev.  Mr. 
Berkeley  under  the  name  of  Agaricus  Gard- 
neri,  from  preserved  specimens  which  I 
brought  home.  I  had  already  named  it  A. 
phosphorescens,  not  being  aware  at  the  time 
I  discovered  it,  that  any  other  species  of  tlie 
same  genus  exhibited  a  similar  phenomenon ; 
such,  however,  is  the  case  in  the  Agaricus 
olearius  of  De  Candolle;  and  Mr.Drummondof 
the  Swan  River  colony,  in  Australia,  has  given 
an  account  of  a  very  large  phosphorescent  spe- 
cies, occasionally  found  there." — .Pp.346,  347. 

The  fields  about  the  banks  of  the  Rio  de 
Palma  were  gay  with  a  fine  terrestrial  orchid- 
eous  plant,  an  Epistephium,  about  two  feet 
high,  bearing  a  spike  of  large  rose-coloured 
flowers. 

"  The  country  around  Array  as  aflfbrds 
many  prospects  as  highly  picturesque  and 
pleasing  to  the  eye  of  a  common  observer  as 
to  that  of  the  naturalist ;  to  the  latter,  how- 
ever, it  offers  a  double  charm,  owing  to  the 
great  variety  in  the  objects  which  such  diver- 
sity of  soil  and  situation  present  for  his 
investigations.  My  excursions  in  various 
directions  yielded  me  upwards  of  three  hun- 
dred species  of  plants,  all  different  from  any 
I  had  elsewhere  collected.  Tiie  dry  upland 
Campos  afforded  numerous  grasses,  which  are 
nearly  all  coarse  and  rank,  and  not  well  suited 
for  pasturage  ;  these  grasses  do  not  form  a 
close  turf,  as  in  Europe,  but  grow  in  scattered 
tufts,  leaving  greater  intervals  of  bare  soil 
than  the  amount  of  surface  actually  covered 
by  them  ;  this,  however,  is  not  apparent  at 
first  sight,  for  the  culm  is  generally  long,  and 
when  ripe,  and  seen  from  a  distance,  the 
Campos  appear  as  if  covered  with  wheat  or 
oats.  Many  flowering  shrubs  and  beautiful 
herbaceous  plants  are  found  growing  among 
the  grasses;  of  the  former  Diplusodon  and 
Kielmeyera,  are  the  most  ornamental  ;  one  of 
the  latter,  {Kielmeyera  rosea,  Mart.)  grows 
in  bushes  about  a  foot  and  a  half  high,  and 
produces  numerous  large  rose-coloured  flowers, 
from  which  it  has  obtained  the  name  of  Rosa 
do  Campo.  Of  the  herbaceous  plants  of  these 
tracts,  the  most  "beautiful  are  those  belonging 
to  the  Gentian  tribe.  A  species  of  Lisianthus 
produces  large  blue  bell-shaped  blossoms,  not 
unlike  those  of  the  Digitalis  in  shape ;  and 
towards  the  end  of  the  rainy  season,  the  fields 


574 


VEGETATION    OF    BRAZIL. 


are  gaily  adorned  with  two  elegant  species  of 
Callopisma ;  one  of  these  is  more  abundant 
than  the  other,  and  being  intensely  bitter,  is 
used  medicinally  as  gentian  by  the  inhabitants 
of  Goyaz,  who  collect  it  when  in  full  flower, 
di-ied  bundles  of  it  being  seen  hanging  up  in 
almost  every  house  ;  it  is  used,  in  infusion,  in 
dyspepsia,  and  also  to  strengthen  those  who  are 
recovering  from  fever.  The  trees  of  the  up- 
land Campos  are  mostly  small,  consisting 
chiefly  of  the  beautiful  Sicu  pira  (  Commilohium 
jf>olygalceflo7'um\  Qualea  grandijlora,  and  Q. 
parviflora,  a  Vochysia,  Salvertia  conval- 
lariodora,?LPa7iax,  au  Albertinia,  aIjafoensia.j 
two  species  of  Cecropia,  the  Mangaba  do 
Mono,  the  Cashew,  and  several  species  of 
Mimosa."— Fp.  369,  370. 

"  Lavrinha  is  situated  on  the  southern  ex- 
tremity of  the  Seri'a,  in  a  hollow,  surrounded 
by  rocky  hills,  somewhat  lower  than  those 
which  form  the  more  northern  parts  of  the 
Serra.  Here  I  again  made  numerous  collec- 
tions, among  which  were  two  fine  orchideous 
plants,  both  species  of  the  beautiful  genus 
Lcelia,  one  of  them  bearing  violet-coloured, 
and  the  other  bright  yellow  flowers.  In  dry 
ai-id  clefts  in  the  rocks  grew  several  curious 
little  Vellozias,  and  Ei'iocaulons ;  one  of  the 
latter  was  a  branched  species  about  six  feet 
high.  Having  so  frequently  mentioned  this 
curious  tribe  of  plants,  I  will  here  make  a  few 
observations  upon  them.  When  Linneeus 
published  the  last  edition  of  his  Species  Plan- 
turum,  in  1764,  he  described  only  five  species, 
from  all  parts  of  the  world,  while  from  Brazil 
alone,  my  herbarium  contains  upwards  of  one 
hundred.  Only  one  species  is  found  in  Great 
Britain,  a  little  grass-like  plant,  with  a  single 
flowering  stem  about  six  inches  long,  bearing 
a  small  globular  head  of  minute  white  flowers. 
It  is  found  only  in  lakes  in  the  Isle  of  Skye, 
and  in  the  west  of  Ireland.  Very  few  of  the 
Brazilian  plants  bear  much  resemblance  to 
this  northern  species,  for  a  great  number  of 
them  are  large  suffi'uticose  plants,  often  ob- 
taining a  height  of  fi-om  four  to  six  feet, 
with  leafy,  very  much  branched  stems,  each 
branchlet  terminated  by  a  large  white  ball, 
composed  of  a  vast  number  of  smaller  heads, 
placed  on  peduncles  of  unequal  length.  An- 
other remarkable  circumstance  connected 
with  these  strange  plants,  is  the  fact,  that 
the  greater  number  of  the  Brazilian  species 
do  not  inhabit  water,  in  the  manner  of  our 
native  British  one,  but  grow  in  the  most  dry 
and  arid  portions  of  mountainous  declivities  ; 
many  others  also  grow  in  parched,  flat,  sandy 
places,  which  are  flooded  in  the  wet  season ; 
the  truly  aquatic  Brazilian  kinds,  more  or  less 
resemble  our  own  in  habit." — Pp.  443,  444. 

"  The  hills   around  the   Cidade  do  Serro, 
are  covered  with  a  grass  which  the  Brazilians 


call  Capim  gordura  (Melinis  minutifiora,  Nees 
ab.  E.)     It  is  covered  with  an  oily  viscous 
matter,  and  universally  makes  its  appearance 
in  those  tracts   which  have  been  cleared  of 
virgin  forest  for  the  purposes  of  cultivation  ; 
both  cattle  and  horses  are  very  fond  of  it,  but 
although  they  soon  fatten  on  it,  the  latter  get 
short-winded,  if  they  feed  on  it  for  any  length 
of  time.     Martins  considers  this  plant  to  be 
truly  a  native   of  Minas  Geraes,  while  Saint 
Hilaire  is  of  a  different  opinion  ;  as  it  is  now 
everywhere  so   common    in   this  province,  it 
is  a  difficult  matter  to  say   which  of  those 
excellent    botanists  is  in   the  right ;  all  the 
agriculturists  that  I  have  spoken  with  on  the 
subject,  agree  with   Saint  Hilaire,   although 
they  diffier  in  opinion  in  regard  to  the  place 
of  its   original  growth.      It  is   only   on  the 
mountains,    that  it  is  found  covering   large 
tracts,  and  at  present  it  is  rapidly  extending 
northwards.    Saint  Hilaire  during  his  travels 
did  not  observe  it  beyond    17°  40'  of  south 
latitude ;  but  while  crossing  the  Serra  Geral 
from  Goyaz  to   Minas,   I  met  wnth  it  many 
degrees  to  the  north  of  that  parallel ;  I  noticed 
it  only  near  houses,  and  there  is  little  doubt 
but  that  in  the  course  of  a  kw  more  years,  it 
will  overrun  that  chain,  in  the  same  manner 
that  it  has  done  those  of  Minas.     The  seeds 
had  evidently  been   brought  from  the  latter 
country  by  troops,  which  pass  that  way  into 
Goyaz  ;  it  is  not  to  be  met  with  at  all  in  the 
Sertao.     Another  plant  which  makes  its  ap- 
pearance wnth  this  grass,  and  one  of  the  worst 
pests  which  the  Brazilian  farmer  has  to  con- 
tend  with,    is  the   Pteris   candata,  a  large 
brake  similar  to  that  so   common    in  many 
places  in  Great  Britain  :   it  is  called  by  the 
common  name  of  Samambaia." — Pp.  477, 478. 
Between  the  Fazenda   Filippe  Alvez   and 
the   village    Arraial   de    San    Caetano,    Mr. 
Gardner  "  found  a  fine  large  species  of  Equi- 
setum,  the  largest  indeed  that  has  yet  been 
seen  in  the  recent  state ;  it  grew  abundantly 
in    a    wooded  marsh    near   the  road,   and    I 
measured  one   that   was  upv/ards   of  fifteen 
feet  in  height,   the  lower  part  of  the   stem 
being   full    three    inches    in    circumference. 
Although    of  gigantic   size,   when   compared 
with  the  other  species  existing  at  present  on 
the  earth's  surface,  it  is  far  from  equalling 
those  enormous  I'emains,  which  are  found  in 
the  fossil  state  in  the  coal  strata,  and  known 
to  geologists   under  the  name  of  Calamites ; 
many  of  these  have  stems  as  thick  as  a  man's 
body ;  indeed  the  difference  in  size  between 
the  recent  species  of  Erjuisetum,  and  those 
which  have  existed  at  a  former  period  of  the 
earth's  history,  is  about  as  great  as  between 
a  stem  of  wheat,  and  the  gigantic  bamboos  of 
the  East  Indies   and  of  South  America." — 
Pp.  515,  516. 


GUANO. —  GLENNY  S    GARDEN    ALMANAC. 


575 


On  his  return  to  Rio  de  Janeiro,  Mr.  Gard- 
ner again  visited  the  Organ  Mountains,  as 
already  quoted  [p.  117],  after  which,  being  de- 
sirous of  returning  to  England,  he  embarked 
at  Rio,  and  once  more  set  foot  on  the  shores 
of  England,  on  the  10th  of  July,  1841. 

"  Besides  Botanical  specimens  for  the  Her- 
barium, I  collected  during  my  residence  on 
the  mountains  a  large  number  of  the  most 
beautiful  plants  in  a  living  state  to  take  home 
with  me.  .  .  .  Among  those  which  were 
introduced  to  England  for  the  first  time  on 
this  occasion,  may  be  enumerated  the  follow- 
ing : — Slphocampylus  betulcefolius  ;  G.  Don. 
Pleroma  Benthamiana,  Gardn.  and  P.  muUi- 
jiora,  Gard. ;  Franciscea  ht/dranyecBforviis, 
Pohl ;  Neviatanthus  longipes,¥oh].;  Gesneria 
salvicefolia,  Gardn.,  and  G.  leptoiws,  Gardn. ; 
ClusiafrafircDis,  Gardn.  Luxemburgia  ciliata, 
Gardn. ;  Dorstenia  elata.  Hook. ;  Prejmsacon- 
nata,  Gardn.,  and  P.  Houkeriania,  Gardn. ; 
Campomanesia  hirsuta,  Gardn. ;  Scde?is  spe- 
closa,  Gardn.;  Buwmaaia  speciosa,  Gardn.; 
Anemia  siricta,  Gard.  M.S. ;  Pteris  sayittce- 
folia,  Raddi  ;  Alstromeria  nemorosa,  Gardn. ; 
Euterpe  edulis,  Mart.,  and  Curypha  cerifera, 
Mart,  from  Maranham." — Pp.  548,  549.' 

Travellers  cannot  do  a  greater  service  to 
cultivators  than  supply  them  with  particular 
information  as  to  climate.  Many  interesting 
remarks  on  this  subject  are  dispersed  through 
Mr.  Gardner's  volume,  which  will  be  found 
both  entertaining  and  instructive. 


GUANO. 

"  If  experience  of  the  last  few  years  have 
taught  us  one  thing  more  certainly  than 
another,  it  is  the  unfiiiling  excellence  of 
Guano  for  every  kind  of  crop  nhich  requires 
manure.  We  do  not,  however,  include  in 
this  opinion  Saldanha  Bay  Guano,  or  any 
other  imported  kind  except  the  Peruvian  and 
Bolivian.  The  former  is  never  good,  and  is 
often  bad,  or  worthless ;  the  latter,  if  un- 
damaged, is  of  such  uniform  quality  that, 
practically  speaking,  one  cargo  may  be  taken 
to  be  the  same  as  any  other  cargo ;  and  the 
high  character  of  the  importers  secures  the 
public  completely  against  fraud,  if  it  is  ob- 
tained directly  from  their  recognised  agents. 
That  the  public  thinks  as  we  do  is  sufficiently 
proved  by  the  sales,  which  amounted  to  63,600 
tons  from  July  184S  to  July  1847,  and  to 
75,000  tons  in  the  next  twelve  months.  This 
advance  of  11,400  tons  may  be  taken  to  re- 
present 114,000  more  acres  manured  with 
Peruvian  Guano  in  1848  than  in  1847o  Such 
an  increase  of  consumption  is  the  more  sur- 
prising considering  the  notorious  frauds  which 
what  we  must  be  permitted  to  call  the  supine- 
ness  of  purchasers  still  permits  unprincipled 


persons  to  practice.  Loam,  coloured  gypsum, 
coloured  chalk,  and  other  rubbish,  continue  in 
demand  among  a  certain  class  of  dealers,  in 
spite  of  all  that  has  been  done  by  ourselves 
and  others  to  expose  them.  The  high  price 
of  the  article,  and  the  dullness  of  buyers,  to- 
gether, constitute  a  temptation  which  dis- 
honesty cannot  resist.  Hence  it  is  that  amidst 
the  most  unquestionable  success  which  attends 
tlie  use  of  pure  Guano  we  are  continually  hear- 
ing people  assert  that  '  there  is  no  goodness  in 
it.'  Of  course  there  is  no  '  goodness  '  in  loam 
or  chalk  ;  and  those  who  use  Guano  should  not 
mistake  them  for  it.  One  thing  is  certain, 
that  all  samples  sold  beloro  the  may'ket  price 
must  be  adulterated ;  and  this  is  of  itself  a 
convincing  reason  why  those  who  employ  it 
should  turn  their  backs  on  the  peripatetic 
agents  who  haunt  country  towns  ;  for  if  such 
persons  offer  it  for  less  than  the  market  price 
they  offer  a  spurious  article ;  and  if  they  de- 
mand the  full  market  price  there  is  no  advan- 
tage in  dealing  with  them.  Cheap  Peruvian 
Guano  must  either  be  stolen  or  adulterated  : 
it  is  too  bulky  to  steal,  and  therefore  the  in- 
ference is  obvious.  "While,  however,  we  thus 
point  out  a  means  of  escaping  fraud,  we  are 
not  insensible  of  the  difficulty  which  some 
may  experience  in  telling  where  to  avoid 
making  purchases.  We,  therefore,  wish  it  to 
be  known  that  although  we  *liave  long,  per- 
haps too  long,  been  silent,  we  still  have  an  eye 
to  spare  for  detecting  Guano  cheats,  and  we 
invite  the  readers  of  our  columns  to  assist  us 
in  their  discovery  and  exposure.  Gardeners 
more  especially  are  interested  in  this  matter, 
because  they  are  rarely  able  to  make  pur- 
chases considerable  enough  to  be  worth  the 
notice  of  the  principal  agents ;  and  to  them 
we  look  with  confidence  for  information.  This 
is  certain,  that  if  the  proper  application  of 
Peruvian  Guano  fails  to  produce  the  desired 
effect,  there  is  a  grave  cause  for  suspicion, 
which  all  concerned  should  endeavour  to  in- 
vestigate."—  Gardeners''  Chronicle. 


GLENNY  S  GARDEN  ALMANAC. 

The  Garden  Almanac  for  1849  is  a  decided 
improvement  upon  all  the  previous  volumes. 
The  Editor  has,  with  much  better  taste  than 
he  usually  displays,  left  out  all  that  waspish 
and  personal  matter  which  too  often  distin- 
guishes his  almanac.  Mr.  Glenny  has  written 
well  enough  and  long  enough  to  give  the 
gardening  world  more  real,  practical,  and 
original  information  than  almost  any  other 
man  ;  he  started  the  first  newspaper,  and,  we 
believe,  the  first  almanac  that  was  ever  de- 
voted to  the  science  of  horticulture.  It  cannot, 
however,  be  denied,  even  by  his  best  friends, 
that  he  was  unmeasured  in  his  abuse,  and  that 


576 


GLENN Y  S  GARDEN  ALMANAC. 


few,  if  any  of  his  works,  have  been  hitherto 
free  from  the  leaven  of  bitterness.  We  may- 
be told  that  his  bitterness  made  him  to  be 
feared,  and  that,  but  for  that  very  bitterness, 
horticulture  would  not  have  been  freed  from 
the  enormous  frauds  with  which,  in  1832,  it 
was  beset  ;  that  the  vagaries  of  theorists 
would  have  consigned  tens  of  thousands,  in- 
stead of  thousands  of  good  plants  to  destruc- 
tion ;  that  Kew  Gardens  would  still  have 
been  worse  than  a  hogsty  ;  that  various  so- 
cieties, now  tolerably  free,  would  have  still  been 
full  of  abuses  ;  and  that  the  mischief  of 
empyrics  and  cheats,  which  disgusted  gentle- 
men with  horticulture  and  all  belonging  to  it, 
would  have  still  rendered  the  science  degraded 
and  disgraced.  We,  however,  think  differently ; 
we  maintain  that  if  he  had  urged  all  these 
things,  without  the  bitterness  and  abuse,  he 
would  have  been  infinitely  more  powerful ; 
and  his  conversions  of  other  people  to  his  own 
opinion  would  have  been  more  rapid.  We 
affirm  that  had  Mr.  Glenny,  with  all  his  per- 
severance and  all  his  talent,  urged  his  doc- 
trines or  dogmas  without  abuse  ;  had  he  been 
content  to  show  his  own  knowledge,  without 
exposing  other  people's  ignorance,  he  would 
at  this  moment  have  been  considered  as  the 
best  champion  of  horticulture  and  floriculture, 
and  the  most  practical  and  useful  writer  that 
ever  touched  the  subject.  We  make  all  due 
allowance  for  the  aggravating  truth  that  a 
number  of  persons  were  from  the  first  imi- 
tating, or  immediately  copying  his  original 
■  ideas  and  even  Avords  ;  this,  we  are  aware,  was 
sufficiently  aggravating  to  draw  forth  what- 
ever ill-temper  a  man  possessed  ;  but  denounc- 
ing them  as  thieves  and  vagabonds  was   not 


the  way  to  meet  such  annoyances  ,•  he  should 
have  stated  the  facts,  and  left  the  world  to  draw 
their  own  conclusions  as  to  the  characters  of 
the  men  who  were  guilty  of  such  unprincipled 
conduct.  Instead  of  which,  Mr.  Glenny,  by 
his  violent  tirades,  offended  so  many,  that 
however  great  the  injury,  but  very  few  com- 
miserated him  ;  but,  on  the  contrary,  they 
almost  rejoiced  at  any  and  everything  that 
damaged  our  waspish  friend.  In  short,  his 
bitterness  has  hitherto  been  his  enemy  ;  it  lost 
him  many  friends,  and,  we  think,  materially 
damaged  his  writings.  We  are  truly  glad, 
therefore,  to  see  the  present  year's  almanac  full 
of  important  facts  and  valuable  lessons,  and 
without  the  usual  snarling  preface.  His  lists 
of  the  best  fruits,  flowers,  vegetables,  &c.  are 
excellent  ;  and  the  short  articles  on  the  culture 
of  all  the  florist's  flowers  are  written  in  his 
usual  pithy  style.  In  fact,  Glenny's  Almanac 
for  this  year  is  a  most  valuable  compendium 
of  practical  floriculture. 


The  Frontispiece. — The  plants  repre- 
sented in  thefrontispiecetothe  present  volume 
are  the  following  : — Plumbago  Larpentse,  a 
rich-coloured  blue  half-hardy  Chinese  plant, 
which  combines  bad  and  good  qualities  ; 
Zauschneria  californica,  scarlet,  having  some 
resemblance  to  a  fuchsia,  a  free  growing  and 
free  flowering  perennial,  suitable  for  the 
border  ;  Acacia  leptoneura,  a  vellow-flowered 
greenhouse  shrub  from  Australia  ;  and  Bur- 
tonia  pulchella,  also  an  Australian  plant, 
and  a  neat  greenhouse  shrub,  with  handsome 
purple  blossoms.  More  detailed  descriptions 
of  these  plants  have  already  been  published 
in  the  Annals  of  Ilortindture. 


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